Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was very late. Or very early. He wasn’t quite sure which, but either way, Link was awake, staring out the window as the thunderstorm dropped sheets of rain on the cozy house in Hateno Village. He had an arm under Zelda’s pillow, and she was nestled into the crook between his arm and chest. Looking over her shoulder he watched as distant lightning briefly illuminated the clouds, followed by the low rumble briefly drowning out the sound of the rain slapping at the roof tiles. Zelda stirred.

“It’s ok, just the storm we saw rolling in off the Necluda Sea earlier from the Lab.” he whispered.

“mmm” came her still-asleep acknowledgment. Her body relaxed again.

Still he thought to himself. Have a weird feeling about tonight…

It had been three months since they had defeated Ganondorf. Twelve weeks since they’d slain the Demon Dragon. Ninety days since Link caught his princess in mid-air, and shielded her body with his own as they splashed down into the pond in the middle of Hyrule Field.

And what a hard-earned and desperately needed time of refreshment and rejuvenation it had been for them both. Not a single problem had troubled the pair since, thanks in no small part to their friends’ insistence they’d take over some of the upheaval recovery projects while the heroic couple took time for themselves. As if they needed to be told twice to take a long hiatus. After back-to-back near-apocalypses they certainly rated a long vacation, and they were going to take as much time as they damn-well pleased at this point. They’d been inseparable, hardly letting each other out of sight, but they’d also not been total recluses. At least, not after the first two weeks which they spent very intimately alone together. They visited their friends frequently, but neither of them could muster up the will to take on any real work yet either, work which would distract them from their blissful reunion.

But now things were starting to feel too good to be true. Link thought he was probably being foolish, but who could blame him after all which had transpired? He’d already begun to take what could generously be called paranoid precautions. The house wasn’t exactly a castle, so he’d set up Zonai devices as sentries around the property, and added sturdy locks and bars for the doors and windows, just in case of…what exactly? Zelda had chastised him about the sentries. “What if one of the neighborhood children triggers one when they’re playing?” He’d promised her they’d be safe enough.

Even so, despite the precautions, he still found sleep most nights difficult, and small noises would wake him. There were certainly a few dangerous loose ends that would need their attention sooner rather than later. Link’s anxious mind wandered, creating a mental list of potential problems…

Monsters still needed to be hunted and pushed back. The lack of a Blood Moon for three months in a row since their victory over the Demon King was a promising omen that, given enough time and luck, they might eventually be able to clear out the kingdom of their menace for good. For now, though, the woods, forests, and caves outside of the towns were still crawling with them. The captains of the monster control squads were at Lookout Landing, rearming, refitting, and recruiting new members to train. If the Blood Moons weren’t coming any more, then the urgency of rooting out the monsters was diminished enough they could afford to take the time to build up a sizeable and trained force. No longer fighting for mere breathing space, the fledgling army would be better off sweeping the land with a force large enough to be considered overkill, rather than to rush untrained volunteers into battle. They could lower the number of casualties the squads would take going forward if they were over-manned and allowed a few more weeks to drill the greenhorns. It was Zelda who, standing on the periphery of a conversation Link was having with Granlens and Buliara, had suggested they create such a force and spend the extra time to do so.

“We’re going to need everyone we have to help rebuild the land. I’d hate to see our people needlessly spend their lives, or suffer permanent injuries, now that we’ve got the monsters on the back-foot at last.” Zelda had pointed out. She wasn’t a military mind by any stretch of the imagination, but her wisdom sounded like it came straight from a textbook on the art of war. In fact, Link guessed there was a greater than even chance that little nugget came from a book with some similar sounding title she’d likely read a lifetime ago. Inwardly, he was proud of her for being the one to point it out.

And then there was the Yiga Clan. He hadn’t seen a single one of those red-tights wearing fools since he’d sent Master Kohga on a rocket-assisted exit from the depths. But Link was certain the cretin was still alive somehow. After all, he hadn’t seen him die, and Kohga had already survived one plunge into what Link had thought was certain death down a bottomless pit before.

He’s still out there.

This particular issue was keeping him awake now. He had never been told why the Yiga hated the royal family, only that Zelda was the last of the royal lineage, and therefore their avowed target. As long as but one Yiga clansman lived, Zelda was in danger. Link swore to himself, as he looked at the woman sharing his bed, he would hunt them down to the last if necessary. But this was an all or nothing proposition, wasn’t it? As long as one was left alive, there was someone to pass on this torch of irrational hate and potentially rebuild the clan anew. Even after he’d bested Kohga in the depths for what seemed like the last time, the clan hadn’t folded in on itself. Quite the contrary; on his subsequent infiltration of Yiga hideouts and safe houses it was clear they were capable of carrying on in Kohga’s absence. That meant his lieutenants and sub commanders were more competent now than they had demonstrated during the Calamity.

What ancient grievance could drive them onward with such hatred, even after so many stinging defeats, for so many centuries? He’d have to ask Impa and Paya someday for a deep-dive on their history. That is, assuming they’d tell him. The Yiga were an ancient offshoot of the Sheikah and as such Link could sense the Sheikah elders felt some sort of responsibility (Or was it shame? Embarrassment?) for the clan’s very existence whenever they were mentioned.

Fortunately, the Clan was hindered by being manned entirely by inept clowns. With their mastery of disguise and mastery of the shadows they should be a formidable force, if only they’d actually put some thought behind their scheming. For some reason though, they were almost cartoonishly ineffective. But why? The thought itched in his mind. Inexperience? Kohga was a blusterous buffoon, but given enough time would only become more lethal. They’d taken to Zonai tech like fish to water, so they were clearly capable of innovation. Link had killed so many of the dumb ones, eventually those who were lucky enough to have escaped him would learn. With the added credibility a scar earned in battle lends the teacher, those lucky few would surely teach the others how not to repeat the same mistakes...

Lightning flashed again, closer this time. The corresponding thunder cracked louder this time. His unease deepened. As his eyes drooped back towards sleep he readjusted his arm a smidge under the princess’s head and snuggled into her a bit harder. Half asleep, he noticed a shadow at the periphery of the property, just at the edge of his vision. Drowsy uncertainty dissolved instantly into wide-eyed alertness; the grass was swaying in the wind, but the shadow wasn’t!

Then multiple things happened nearly simultaneously:

Link sat bolt-upright as what he saw dawned on him, causing Zelda to gasp as she fell off his chest.

Behind the big oak tree which stood sentinel over the pond, the Zonai Construct Head he had stuck in the tree began spinning; lightning bolts flashed out in multiple directions from its lightning emitters, and two figures were silhouetted against the darkness as they were immobilized by its paralyzing effect.

And finally: the window pane shattered.

Glass showered the comforter as a bomb arrow trailing smoke entered the room. Time seemed to slow as he watched it pass over the foot of the bed and across the open loft. He could see a red, inverted-Shieka tear-drop logo stenciled on the arrow’s payload. It hit the far wall of the house and clattered to the ground in the kitchen.

A dud!

Instinct finally kicked in. With his right arm he hauled Zelda in tight against his body as he rolled her off the mattress and onto the floor, shielding her body with his. She yelped as he landed on top of her. Expecting a follow up shot, he braced for an impact, but when after a two-count it didn’t come, he grabbed the Hylian shield from beside the bed post and stood up in a half crouch to peer out the window. Beside the tree, he could see the red clothed archer was frantically readying another arrow, the downpour extinguishing the bomb’s fuse as he fumbled with a flint.

Amateur. He thought to himself.

“We’ve got company! At least three Yiga out there!” Link hissed. Another arrow, this one with nothing attached, came at him from behind the tree. He deflected it easily and it clattered harmlessly to the floor. “Make that four”.

Zelda, now wide awake and trying to shake off her sleep and shock, nodded, her face a mixture of bleary-eyed confusion, and resolve. “Where?”

“Coming from behind the oak tree. Looks like the Zonai guardian I stuck in there did its job. Now let’s see if the homing cart I hid in the shed works.” He kicked at a green colored brick on the wall by the nightstand and a muffled click and hum sounded on the far side of the wall.

Out in the shed, a Zonai device sprang to life. It raced out of the shed past the well and pond and shot across the plot of land, flanking around the tree with a beam of energy lancing out ahead. The arc struck one of the unseen masked figures, cutting an angry burn across his legs. He dropped to the ground wailing.

In that same instant, the bomb arrow archer had finally gotten the fuse on his bomb to sputter to life. He gave a cry of elation as he nocked it and let fly. Link was watching him though, and was just able to shout “Here comes another bomb!” as he began to twist his body into position to shield Zelda. The arrow was half way through the window when it froze mid-air. Link’s stomach lurched like something was tugging him just behind his navel. Time stood still as the bomb whipped away in a perfectly reversed course of the one it had flown, all the way back to its bow. Something pushed outwards from his stomach as time returned to normal, just as the bomb exploded back in the archer’s shocked face. He looked and saw Zelda’s outstretched golden glowing hand, and a look of fierce concentration on her face. Nodding to her in realization of what she’d done, he half-crouched up again to survey the aftermath of the blast.

The archer’s body hit the floor, and another collapsed on top of it from behind the tree. The homing cart raced into view, spinning in a quick 180 turn to dive back behind the tree, eliciting more screams of pain as it passed out of sight behind the trunk.

Link thrust the shield into Zelda’s hands. “Take this! Watch my back from the window, I’m going out the front!” he said as he yanked the Master Sword free of its sheath and leapt over the banister to the ground floor. Sprinting out the door he tripped the heavy wooden door bar to fall as the door slammed shut behind him.

Seeing no one to the right or in front of him as he burst from the door, he hooked left along the house. He peered around the corner with one eye, taking inventory of the assailants. The archer was still down with the other body sprawled atop him. There were two figures still suspended in rictus by the shock-device equipped guardian head. The first Yiga who’d been caught in the legs by the homing cart was now being chased around the well, the cart hot on his heels like an angry Doberman. Link broke cover, making a bee-line for him, and covered the distance in long loping strides. At the end of his dash he plunged the sword into the Yiga’s back, and the man fell like a marionette whose strings had been cut. The cart, seeking a new live target, raced off towards the pile of bodies behind the tree. Link let it take the lead around the tree trunk as he bent over to check the two archers: dead. Turning his attention to the paralyzed duo in the tree, he made one slash which felled them both. Satisfied they were down, he quickly glanced all around and above himself.

No more targets presented themselves.

Link turned back toward the house as a bolt of lightning struck a tree on the mountainside above the house, temporarily blinding and deafening him.

As the bright flash subsided, he saw to his horror one more assailant dropping down off the roof in front of the bedroom window. “Zelda! ABOVE YOU!” he shouted over the ringing in his ears. His heart stopped. He wouldn’t be able to close the distance in time before the Yiga made it to the ground. With no choice left, he held the sword aloft like a club with both hands and slashed, releasing a beam of energy from the sword. It spiraled across the yard in a glowing blue arc, but Link had miscalculated the lead. At that same instant, he felt that familiar uncomfortable lurch of time stopping again. The Yiga froze in midair, only to be nudged a hair backwards, right back into the path of the beam. Time unfroze and it struck the Yiga square in the chest; he fell 10 feet and landed in a groaning crumpled heap on the ground, clutching at the angry red burn the beam had branded him with. Link was on top of him as fast as the lightning, kicking him onto his back and pressing the tip of his blade against the Yiga’s neck.

“Don’t move.” he growled. “How many more of you are there?”

The Yiga squirmed and moaned, but said nothing. With a flick of his wrist, Link sliced the mask off the man’s face. To Link’s surprise and dismay, instead of a man it revealed the face of a young Hylian teen.

“ANSWER ME!” he barked this time. The Yiga glanced behind Link. The look on his face fell as he realized no more help would come from that direction, betraying his defeat.

“Just us.” he mumbled.

“Your master lives.” It was a statement, not a question. Link glanced up at Zelda. She was scowling at the Yiga, but met Link’s look with wide eyes.

“I have a message for him. Tell him I wish to parley with him. I am willing to overlook this ham-fisted attempt on my Princess’s life, and will NOT stain the land red with Yiga blood if he will agree to talk. He thinks he knows what I am capable of, but he doesn't have a clue. You have now witnessed what I can do when I’m outnumbered, shirtless, in the dead of night, half asleep, in the middle of a storm. Imagine what I can do when I’m trying. See to it he gets my message. Convince him it is your Clan’s only hope of survival to agree.” to punctuate the point, the pressure of the blade tip on the Yiga’s neck drew a trickle of blood. Link stepped back, putting himself between the boy and Zelda peering out the window, and with a puff of smoke the Yiga was gone.

Link exhaled. Behind him Zelda released a similarly held breath. They paused for a moment, taking stock of the situation.

But before either of them could make comment, an arrow whistled overhead and thudded into the window frame above their heads. Zelda threw herself backwards, raising the shield, as Link moved to cover the window with his body. He saw a puff of smoke dissipating from a tree higher up the hillside.

Zelda peered out the window and noticed the arrow had a roll of parchment attached. “Link, look!” she reached up and plucked the paper from it. Unfurled it read-

-KOHGA LIVES! GLORY TO MASTER KOHGA!-

“Looks like your message was received.” She whispered.

“We’ll see.”

Link tapped on the door- two knocks and a thump, to let her know it was safe to open- and Zelda unbarred the door to let him inside. He was dripping wet as he embraced her; she put her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss.

“Are you ok?” they said in unison as they separated and held each other at arm’s length, both looking the other over for signs of injury. Link had a small line on his cheek, and Zelda had a cut on her shoulder from where the glass of the shattered window had cut them; both had still had heart rates pushing 170 beats per minute.

“I’m fine.” they each said, again simultaneously. Zelda giggled nervously and Link exhaled with a relieved smile, his shoulders dropping as he allowed his tension to slightly relax.

“Well that was a most unwelcome visit, there goes the rest of our sleep for tonight.”

“I knew that bastard was still alive. He’s going to wish he weren’t.” he replied, darkly.

“How do you know?”

“Because I didn’t find a body after our last duel, just a quarter-mile long debris field of rocket parts along the Lake Totori ridgeline up by the Lucky Clover Gazzette.” He went to the cupboard where Zelda’s bag of first aid materials was kept. Pulling out a small patch of linen and a vial of ointment he motioned for her to turn around. “Hold still, you’ve got a little cut.” She flinched slightly as he daubed it through a tear in the Hero’s Tunic she was wearing as a night shirt.

“How we didn’t get sliced to ribbons by all that glass is a miracle. The bed may as well be full of razors now.”, she lamented.

“Sorry for squashing you. We should probably just throw those sheets out. Even if we clean it the last thing we need is to find a random piece in the middle of the night the hard way.”

With still slightly shaking hands she wet a fresh piece of linen and touched it to his cheek for a moment, then her eyes lit up, “I have a better idea.” She went upstairs and took a look around before closing her eyes and holding out a hand. Time lurched again as the glass shards flew back into the window frame from every corner of the room.

“I keep forgetting you can do that. That was amazing.”

“You already forgot how I saved your life not five minutes ago?! You wound my honor, Ser knight!” she ribbed with a look of feigned outrage.

“Correction: that was neat; returning that bomb arrow to sender was amazing. I’m lucky to have you looking out for me.”

“A Damsel I may be, but in distress I am not.”

Damn right you’re not. Prior to this very night he’d only seen hints of what she was capable of. He knew the circumstances of her journey to the past had changed her, just how much so underscored by the two men currently lying under their oak tree, dead by her hand. Flashes of her memories in the dragon’s tears showed her nearly stopping Sonia’s heart-wrenching assassination, as well as counted among the Sages during Rauru’s ill-fated battle with the Demon King. She was no longer a stranger to being an active combatant in dangerous arenas. No, she was no longer the sweet innocent girl of seventeen he’d fallen in love with before the Calamity. Link suspected, with a bittersweet thought, she was capable of much more now. He was positively beaming with pride as he looked at her, which served to mask the pang of melancholy he felt at the loss of her innocence.

“Who saved who, right?” he winked. “That said, I don’t think we should stay in this house tonight. I suspect the house in Akkala is being watched too in case we tried to flee there. Best bet would probably be to get to Lookout Landing.”

“I think that’s best”, she said as she began to move to get dressed. She stripped off the Tunic and dropped it into the backpack by the door, her bare chest temporarily distracting Link before moving to the dresser. She grabbed a few more essentials for them both, tossing Link his undershirt, mail, blue tunic, and pants while Link began gathering their arms. Two bows, two quivers of arrows, the shield, and the Master Sword.

He tossed his blue tunic into his pack instead of donning it. “Toss me my plain shirt instead please. We should try to dress differently to avoid being recognized quickly.”

“Oh, right.” She replied, and for good measure rummaged into a bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of their old, spare hoods in maroon and dark green.

Slipping on his pants and boots he motioned toward the door; “We need to get word to the Mayor about what happened. I’ll send Apple and Goldie into town with a message, I'll be right back.” He said as he scrawled a quick note on a scrap of paper. She nodded in acknowledgement as he grabbed the Great Eagle bow and nocked an arrow before stepping quickly out the door, sweeping left and right to the trees and roofline as he did so. Seeing nothing, he stowed the bow and went to the stable. He found the pair of mares still agitated from the excitement mere minutes ago. Stroking their snouts he whispered to them “Bring this note to Mayor Reede for us. He’ll put you up in the town stable for a few days.” And with a quick pat on their rumps they trotted away across the bridge into town.

Zelda was finishing up stuffing a few more things into their packs when Link tapped their code on the door again. “I’ll have to change up the traps when we come back. Those two tricks are out of the bag now.”

“I’m sorry I called you paranoid for setting them. We should be all set for a few days of travel.” She replied, lifting her bag. Link secured the door again and began closing the external storm shutters on the windows, barring them from the inside.

“Ok, looks like we’re all set here then. Where’s the Purah Pad?”

“Here.” She replied as she called up the Lookout Landing Skyview Tower on the map. “Ready?”

He shouldered his pack and put his arm around her shoulder; “Hit it.”

They spaghettified and de-materialized into the ether on the spot. A heartbeat later, they coalesced back into corporal form under the tower at Lookout Landing. Mercifully, the thunderstorm over Necluda wasn’t anywhere near central Hyrule.

Scorpis was leaning on his spear by the emergency shelter, eyes half shut, as they appeared. “huhwhuzzat? Princess!? Master Link!? It’s the dead of night, why are you here?”

Zelda greeted him back “Good evening Scorpis. Sorry to drop in unannounced. We just had to fend off a Yiga attack at our house.”

“By the goddess, Yiga?! Are you alright?!”

“We’re fine Scorpis, no injuries to speak of, thank you. Just very tired now that the adrenaline is wearing off. Please keep it down though, we don’t want to get everyone excited until morning, we just want to try to rest somewhere we know is secure.”

“Got any empty beds down there?” asked Link as he nodded towards the ladder.

“Should be at least one, yes.”

“That’ll do for us. Thanks Scorpis. And please, don’t get too excited. If the security posture suddenly changes then the Yiga observers who I’m sure are watching will know we’re here almost immediately. Not that they won’t find out, but I’d rather it took at least a day for word to get out if at all possible.” If only so we can sleep for one night without having to pull guard duty by myself, he finished the thought to himself.

In order for that to be a reality, though, Link knew he’d have to go down into the shelter with Zelda rather than giving in to his currently screaming instinctual desire to personally give the security situation a once over. The fact of their presence would spread like wildfire among the rank and file; word would get out within the day, not to mention he would risk being spotted himself. Since the end of the Demon King the fledgling peace had resulted in a marked decrease in the guards’ alert posture at Lookout Landing. Scorpis being half-asleep was testament to that. Not that Link could be angry about it. The entire kingdom had earned a respite as much as their heroes did.

“Heck of a first nightshift for me. Going to be a long two-week rotation…” Scorpis quipped to the pair “I’ll do my best to keep your presence secret, but I will report first thing to Ms. Purah. Fair warning, I won’t be able to stop her being your cuckoo-crow tomorrow”. He strode off to make the rounds at the gates. He worried how many of his fellow night’s watch were also struggling for wakefulness.

Link followed Zelda down the ladder into the shelter. It was silent down below in the guard bunks; the day-shift was asleep. Thankfully there was one open bed at the end of the row of bunks. Link slid one of the blackout curtains the night-shifters used to shield themselves from the light and noise of the day in front of it as Zelda arranged their packs at the foot of the bed, but as they did so Link noticed a set of open eyes open in the bunk across from them and go wide with recognition. He couldn’t see or recognize the face, but the lingering intensity of the stare made him uneasy. He gave the figure a curt nod and slipped behind the blackout curtain.

The bed was sized for one, so Zelda had to roll half way on top of Link as he got in bed to keep from falling off the other side. “I’d say ‘try to get some sleep’ but I know that’s not happening, so at least try to rest.” He whispered in her ear.

She responded by kissing him. “Purah’s going to be a handful tomorrow…”

He winced “Mhmm.” in agreement.

To both of their surprise, they drifted off for what amounted to a short nap. 

Chapter Text

Despite anticipating it, Purah’s shrill voice still crashed over them like a bucket of ice water; the difference in effect was negligible. “PRINCESS! LINKY! Scorpis just told me the news! WHY DIDN’T YOU COME STRAIGHT TO ME?!”

“Because we knew we’d need the extra sleep to deal with YOU,” groaned Link. Zelda punctuated his statement by flinging the pillow at Purah's face. The entire shelter was now awake, a mixture of loud moans, grumbles, and curses emanating from the beds with various levels of wakefulness.

“Sorry everyone,” apologized Zelda to the room full of guardsmen.

“You could have at least snuck in and stayed in the lab!” protested Purah.

“And risk getting blown up in our sleep by a rogue experiment? I’ll take my chances with the Yiga,” Link jabbed.

“Fine. But you shouldn’t have to spend the night in the barracks, it’s beneath you.”

“Beneath me? How? Even at the Castle as the Princess’s sworn knight I slept in the barracks. Excuse me, but I think we can trust the people who’ve stood with me in a fight.” He said it with pride, but even as he finished the statement a little niggle of doubt took form. Wait, can I? There’re so many new faces here, he realized, looking around. About a quarter of the troops were so new he did not recognize them. And he noticed “Wide-Eyes’” bed across from theirs was already empty and made for the day, its occupant already gone.

“Then what about her?” she pointed at the Princess.

“I go where he goes. If Link trusts them so do I,” Zelda replied haughtily.

Purah threw her hands up; “You two are the most stubborn people in Hyrule, and I oughta know, because I have to live with myself,” her expression softened. “You two are so made for each other, it’s disgusting. Alright, let’s get you two upstairs and get some breakfast, and you can tell me all about what happened.”

At the mention of food Link jumped off the bed so fast he smashed his head into the bunk above him, eliciting a chorus of laughter from the ladies and nearest guardsmen. Furiously rubbing the lump forming under his hairline, he glanced over at the pair and gave them a sheepish grin. “Actually, I’ll catch up, ladies. Going to try and get ahead of some problems down here really quick.” He looked around for some kind of senior leadership as Purah and Zelda climbed the ladder, and found Buliara in the far corner.

“Sav'otta! To what do we owe the pleasure of your sudden presence?” she asked.

“Yiga made a house call last night in Hateno. Close call, needed a place to spend the night. Can you have the guardsmen form up? I’d like to address them.”

“Easily done- Day Shift! FALL-IN!” her voice thundered and reverberated around the shelter. The still mostly bleary-eyed troops were certainly not expecting a second wake-up call, but Buliara’s fearsome reputation spurred them to action faster than a Wizzrobe’s lightning rod could. Men and women tripped over each other to form into rows and columns in a matter of seconds. Some stood ramrod straight while others still swayed a bit.

“Thanks, Buliara” he turned to the formation- “Good morning everyone, apologies for the rude wakeups. What I’m about to tell you is about to hit the rumor mill anyway, so you may as well get it from me directly: The Princess and I were driven out of our home last night by Yiga assassins. I’m asking for your diligence, but most of all, as a personal favor to me, your discretion and silence. Do not speak of our presence here to anyone outside of the Guard or your leadership. The longer it takes Yiga spies to confirm our presence the better it is for everyone.”

His eyes scanned over the formation, making eye contact with each person and trying to pick out which ones were new and which ones he recognized. “How many of you are new to the Guard in the past three months?” Several hands belonging to those who he didn’t know shot up. “Good. All but you are dismissed.”

“Sergeants, take control of your squads and carry out the orders of the day,” barked Buliara. At this two of the men snapped a salute and began ordering the rest out of the shelter.

When the room had cleared out, Link tried to put them, as much as himself, at ease with a few vibe check questions, “Hometown? Family? Why’d you want to join up? What kind of skills or work background do you come from?” None seemed to give him any strange feelings, so why couldn’t he shake his paranoia?

Twenty minutes later, Zelda called down to him, “Link, are you sick or something? You’re not one to let your breakfast get cold!”

“Yes, your Highness!” he called over his shoulder. “Well folks, glad to have you aboard. I look forward to serving with you, but when the Princess calls, even I must obey!” and with that he practically leapt up the ladder.

Climbing into the sunrise he pulled his hood up. Looking around, he found them at a picnic table on the balcony over the north entryway and climbed up the stairs. Plopping down next to Zelda, whose hood was also up, he began to attack his plate with gusto. In nearly no time he was eating a second omelet as Zelda recounted the previous night’s attack; her own still only half finished because she was constantly interrupted having to answer Purah’s questions.

“What did they want?”

“My head removed from my shoulders, most likely, given the fact they announced themselves with explosives and not words.”

“Goodness,” breathed Purah. “Thank the goddess Link was there.”

Link shook his head, mouth half full of food, “You shoulda sheen our prinshesh. Shent th’ bomb back at th’ archers wif her time ma’ic.” He paused to swallow, “Took ‘em both out. I just had to mop up the stragglers, really.”

“You give me too much credit...” she replied, looking down while poking at her eggs.

“You mean…you killed those Yiga yourself, Zelda?” Purah gasped. Her incredulity reminded Link she’d never witnessed what he saw in the Light Dragon’s memories. She didn’t know what Zelda had been pushed into being capable of. Zelda continued to rearrange her eggs, and Link suddenly realized how much it must have begun to weigh on her. It dawned on him they’d fled the scene so fast, exhilarated to be alive at the moment, that neither of them had stopped to look at or even think about the bodies. She’s had to make life and death decisions, but she still feels ashamed of herself. Shit, and we left a rather un-neighborly stack of corpses for Reede to clean up after us…

“Yes,” she replied meekly. “But it’s not like they gave us much choice. At first I was happy Link and I weren’t harmed, but now…” Link put his fork down and put an arm around her waist in a gentle hug, his heart breaking a little bit for her. Her innocence wasn’t going down without a fight after all, it seemed. 

“I know it sounds trite, but you did what you had to do to. It was us or them, and they bought the consequences when they attacked, not you.”

Purah, catching on quickly, deftly deflected the conversation before Zelda could fall deeper into her own mind, “So Master Kohga is alive? How do you know for sure?” Zelda handed Purah the note off the arrow, “This could just be a display of blind faith and loyalty.”

“True,” said Link, “but I know he’s out there. I didn’t actually see him die either time he’s disappeared.”

“What if he is dead? Someone else might have picked up the mantle?” posited Zelda, the act of analyzing starting to redirect her mind into more mentally healthy territory.

“Secret societies usually make use of powerful symbols at their foundation. You yourself mentioned a few weeks ago the Yiga didn’t show signs of imminent collapse from within. Maybe that’s what happened: someone just became the new Kohga?” added Purah.

The thought gave him pause, “Hmm. Logically I can’t argue with that, and yes, the current cohort of his lieutenants must be somewhat competent. They’re clearly able to keep the clan together completely independently…But the way they talked about him, it’s like they were talking about that specific Kohga, not the idea of ‘a’ Kohga. Do we even know if ‘Kohga’ always been the leader’s name, for that matter?”

Link looked from Purah to Zelda, and back, “You’re a Sheikah, Purah, one of the three oldest in this kingdom remaining from before the Calamity—”

Taking offense at his unfortunate word choice, Purah threw her fork at him across the table; “HEY! Watch it, buster!”

“Ow! Hey, I meant you look good for your age!” she threw her spoon at him. Link ducked it this time; Zelda giggled. Link looked to her for help, but seeing there would be none forthcoming could only grouse, “Don’t encourage her!”

“Choose your next words carefully, Linky!” she said, brandishing her knife at him.

“Fine! You look terrific! Not a day over twenty! The most beautiful and intelligent scientist in the kingdom!”

This time it was Zelda who assaulted him with cutlery; with a falsely-betrayed look she began jabbing him in the ribs with her fork.

“Would you two knock it off! A man shouldn’t need his shield to survive breakfast!”

Purah high-fived Zelda across the table as they broke into a fit of laughter.

“I swear it’s going to be one of you two who will be the death of me…Purah, you must know more than anyone other than maybe Impa, what do you know of the Yiga? The only thing she and a few others around Kakariko ever said was they’re an offshoot of the Sheikah. She never mentioned how or why, and when I fought Monk Maz Koshia his fighting style included both Yiga and Sheikah techniques.”

He should have anticipated her response, “He did?! Oh man, why’d you never tell me! I would have loved to study him!”

“Well it’s not like I knew he was gonna jump me! Honestly, he scared the ever-loving shit out of me when he started moving. And, well, he’s in the blue ether now...” And it was a real bitch to send him there, too. He rubbed at an associated scar, remembering the epic duel. I miss that motorcycle…

“Oh right, that's a shame. Between what Impa said and what you experienced you’ve got the short of it.” She hesitated before hastily adding, “I never cared much for the politics of it all, you should probably ask Impa for the long of it.”

Link registered the trepidation there, like there was more she knew. He decided against pushing it and simply answered “Ok.” before turning back to unfinished business. Finishing off the last bites of his omelet, he glanced at Zelda’s plate out of the corner of his eyes.

She caught his glimpse and rolled her eyes, pushing the plate towards him. Turning back to Purah she said “We’ll have to send her an invitation. In fact, we should probably have the Sages out here as well. We need advice, and we need some kind of plan. I’m at a loss for where to start.”

“Yeah, and I hate to say it kids, but the honeymoon is over. I need you guys back here in the worst way. The Yiga are too much for me to handle alone on top of all the other logistics I’ve been doing for reconstruction, and only Buliara has been of any use in making command decisions around here. I haven’t even had a chance to check on Robbie or Josha’s research in weeks! He’s going to take all the credit on the Pad updates I started!”

“What else needs our attention?”

“Well, for starters, a chunk of the Castle collapsed last week,” Purah continued.

Two sets of eyebrows shot up, and Link froze mid-chew. They wheeled around in their seats to look.

“You can’t see it from here, but a solid 50-foot hunk of the east side broke off from under the second gatehouse and landed on the pathway underneath it. I called on Yunobo and Hudson, and they’ve got a team of engineers and Goron experts checking the structural integrity. They’ll be back tomorrow with a survey report.”

“Was anyone injured?”

“No, it fell in the middle of the night when no one was up there, though it mighta squashed a monster or two. The shock from the impact woke everyone up for miles.”

Zelda continued to scan the castle balanced precariously on the thin stone column as though it might topple at any moment “Can you imagine the devastation if it collapsed?”

“I almost don’t want to imagine.”

Link finished the last of Zelda’s plate and jumped back into the conversation, “Then let’s not. It sounds like we have a little to-do list to keep us busy while we wait for Yunobo to come back. I need an excuse to sneak outside the fort and do a little reconnaissance of the surrounding area, see if I can’t find any Yiga scouts casing the Fort. Purah, can you get word out to Sidon, Riju, and Tulin? Zelda, how about you send word to Kakariko for Impa and Paya? I could use Paya’s help for an idea I have, if you’re willing.”

“What do you have in mind?” she raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“I think we need an extra sparring partner.”

Zelda moaned in dismay “Uuughhhh! You’re going to make me work out again, aren’t you? I think I’m still sore from before the Upheaval…”

Link was reminded of her griping and complaining after he and Impa had insisted Zelda train to defend herself following the end of the Calamity, with Paya as her instructor. Zelda proved to be far more suited to the Shieka style of fighting, a technique-focused grappling martial art, than Link’s more traditional battlefield-oriented hand to hand combat he’d been brought up with as a knight. Paya was also more merciless than he could bring himself to be with her, driving the Princess through a conditioning program that even Link admitted to being “a challenging warm-up”.

“Yes, Princess,” he grinned. “After what we pulled off together last night, I’m excited to see what you’re capable of now. With your new control over time, I want to see what kind of new tactics the two of us can come up with together, and having Paya around to help us experiment and test out new ideas is always a bonus.”

He’d intentionally used two of her favorite words: “experiment” and “test” in the same sentence. They had the exact instant effect on her he wanted.

“Oooo imagine the synergies we could create together! I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time working with the ancient Sages to do the same before we fought Ganondorf. If we’d had more time there’s so many possibilities...” She gasped excitedly in realization, more ideas blooming rapidly in her mind, “Can you imagine what we could do together with all the Sage’s abilities now!?”

“Carve a path of destruction so wide we’ll have to increase the reconstruction budget by another ten percent!” cut in Purah, her voice raising as she spoke and a wild gleam in her eye. “Your highness, you have so many things I need you to show me! I want to conduct SO MANY EXPERIMENTS WITH YOU!”

Mission accomplished, grinned Link to himself, though it would take a minute for the ringing in his ear to subside from the excited squeals the two of them emitted. Even the black and brown Hylian Retriever wandering the fort suddenly perked his ears up and started trotting towards them.

Rather than leave them to their excited machine-gun paced back and forth as he used to do, Link actually settled in to spend the rest of the day in the lab with them. Purah began launching questions at Zelda, probing her on all aspects of her control of time and taking feverish notes. Link, for his part, sat mostly silent and kept his thoughts and ideas to himself, interjecting only briefly for clarifications when their pace or vocabulary became too much to keep up with. Eventually Zelda was obliged to give a few basic demonstrations, culminating with Link and Purah throwing a flurry of random objects at her to see how many she could manage at once. After catching and suspending well over a dozen, the one that finally smacked her in the face was a cushion thrown by Link. In retribution she used her power to bury him under all of the objects, which he took as a sign to leave and go make lunch.

They spent their after-meal productivity boost on writing and sending messages inviting everyone to come to Lookout Landing. Purah continued studying and testing Zelda, who made it a point to keep timing her recalled objects so Link had to constantly work to dodge them. She finally strung together a combination of objects, start-stopping them in enough of a random pattern, to finally overwhelm him. “I yield, mighty Sage of Time!” he bowed, and snuck out again to make dinner, with a fruitcake for her desert as truce offering.

---

After dinner Zelda excused them for the night. The Lab tower’s telescope platform had been enclosed to create another room, with a new balcony wrapped around the outside. Purah insisted they move upstairs for privacy, which turned out to be worth it because the view of the surrounding area and the night sky was extraordinary.

Zelda was looking up at the stars and at Link, who was alternating between looking into her eyes and scanning the moonlit landscape beyond the stockade wall.  

She could tell he was being vigilant to hide the fact he was also deep in thought. “Link-” Zelda began, looking up at him from his lap and sensing his train of thought; “What do you want to do if you run out of enemies to fight and there’s no longer anything threatening us?”

He paused, tearing his eyes away from her to look up at the stars. He bit his tongue on an insulted “If!?” in favor of deadpanning “I dunno…probably go back to farming I guess.”

She stared at him incredulously, until she noticed the smirk at the corner of his lips. “Farming?! Really!? A man of your talents? Pah!” she laughed with a fake air of derision, giving him a playful slap on his shoulder.

“I mean, I did grow up on a farm, remember?” he smirked. “Before Dad moved us to the city and I became a Page.” Before the sword chose me, and forever ensured my life was to be intricately entwined with yours “Dad was a country Knight from Hateno. The house is all that’s left of the estate now, and I’d kinda hoped to spend more time putting the land back into productive use. But don’t worry Princess, you won’t be rid of me that easily.”

She continued looking at him like she was unconvinced, so after a few more pensive moments he continued, “Seriously: No. You or I don’t have to worry about me retiring anytime soon, even if we deal with Kohga and kill every last Bokoblin once and for all. Realistically, I don’t think we’ll ever not have a need for dopes like me who can swing a sword good. And if ever we do, no matter how much we wish we didn’t, there will still need to be soldiers, leaders, and teachers to pass on the skills from generation to generation.”

“You see yourself the crusty old General someday?” she teased.

“More like the wizened old Master,” he winked, the mental image of a grey-haired Sheikah warrior like Impa flashing between them. “You and I may be a couple of kids who happen to be trapped in hundred-year-old bodies, and Hylia-willing we should have at least another hundred in us, but I don’t think the goddess meant for us to be immortal either.

"True..."

"In the ten thousand years that passed between each of the Calamities they still managed to pass on critical knowledge and skills, else we wouldn’t be sitting here able to talk about it, would we? Even in periods of long peace they knew they’d need those skills to exist. I want to use my time loving you and preparing the next generation, to help you put Hyrule back on its feet so it won’t need us anymore.”

“Well then future generations are in good hands, because I’ll be sure to document it all. We’ll have multiple libraries and data vaults all around Hyrule so not a sliver of knowledge of science or information will be allowed to be lost to time ever again!” she vowed, gesturing vigorously with her hands. She stopped, a frown suddenly falling on her face, before continuing quietly, “And no princess will ever have to go through what I did to learn how to use her powers. If fate should be as cruel to future princesses as it was to me, our daughters and hopefully generations of granddaughters will always have access to the knowledge they need to know about themselves.”

Link’s heart skipped a beat at the implication in her words. Our daughter(s)? As in, plural?! He chose to side step it for now, “We’ll make a hundred and twenty libraries and scatter them all over Hyrule, each with hundreds of copies in plain language so even the densest farm-boy-turned-knight can understand it. Except they won’t be locked behind a fancy device and won’t randomly bury themselves underground for millennia at a stretch. And no riddles or cryptic metaphors. We tell the Hero: Love your princess and make sure she loves herself, or die trying.”

“And we tell the Princess: Love your Hero and make sure he doesn’t have to die trying for you to realize it.”

“Pad that out with a few hundred more pages of science-y talk for the princess and lots of pictures of manuals-of-arms for the hero, just in case, and I think Hyrule’s future is reasonably secure. You’re going to go down in the history books as one of the greatest Princesses Hyrule’s ever had. I guarantee it, because I’m going to write one that says so.”

Zelda giggled at the thought of him hunched over a blank book- tongue clenched in his teeth, deep in concentration, quill in hand with ink on his face, “And you’ll be one of the greatest heroes and generals Hyrule’s ever had, because I’m going to write the other half of that history book-” he made to protest but she stopped him, “-no, let me finish! I will not let you sell yourself short! I’ve seen the way the men and women in the Guard look up to you. The captains and even the other Sages defer to you. You have all the natural patience required train a new recruit how to swing a sword for the first time, while also possessing the ferocity that allows you to dispatch three Lynels at once. You taught me how to shoot a bow, and I didn’t exactly make that easy did I?”

“No, you did not,” he laughed, subconsciously massaging the scar on his forearm where one of her first flubbed shots grazed it.

“You share credit with your troops for your accomplishments and encourage them all to get along to work together, across all races. It’s quite awe inspiring. If I could wield a sword and shield, I’d follow you to face Ganondorf himself again!”

“My dear shieldmaiden, there is no way I’d let you follow me into that kind of danger ever again. And it’s my job to follow you, isn’t it?"

"I want you by my side, Link. Not behind me."

"As you wish," he smiled at the compromise. "In any case, I think we’ve done our share of carrying Hyrule's burdens. It’s time to let others step up or we’ll never be allowed to have time to ourselves, and you’ll never have the time you need to actually start leading as you were meant to. I’ll happily commit to making sure they’re ready to do so, because I am exhausted from constantly having some threat or another after us. We barely survived our first calamity without literal divine intervention, and only managed the second one because we had our friends and allies.”

“You do have a knack for command, you should be appointed as commander of the Army once we establish a more formal one than the Guard.”

“Please, don’t you curse me with that responsibility, Zelda!” Link gasped in mock-affront. “Do you know how much work that would be? We’d never see each other anymore. I’d just as soon retire and actually go be a farmer again."

Link paused and looked thoughtfully at the stars, "Best I can do is be a good example, like the captains and leaders I had growing up, but honestly I don’t feel comfortable being in charge of anything. I can only do it because I know it's my duty. I’m terrified all the time I’ll mess it up. Being accountable for a lot of people is overwhelming. Hell, my heart still skips a beat every time I lose sight of you, and you're only one person!”

She laughed again, “Fine! You will forever be my personal Ser Link. You may never leave my side without my permission.”

I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that. “That’s all I ever wanted, and that’s all I’ll ever need. I love you too much to ever lose you again. I can’t…I’m not…I’m not strong enough to lose you again.”

“Nor I you…” they stared at each other for a moment, misty eyed. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

“But Link, you’re deflecting again. You are good at this. You can lead. You can command, because there really is no who comes close to drawing the amount of respect you do. Do you not realize that you’re already the de-facto commander?”

“How so?”

“You are, whether you like it or not, nor whether I make it official or not. Everything I said was true, and they’re things other people have noticed as well. Every major decision in the Guard- it all goes through you. Even Buliara defers to you because under all her bluster she has immense respect for you.”

He sat in silence for a moment. Shit. She’s not wrong, is she? Over 100 years ago it had played out nearly the same way. The King had appointed him as Zelda’s personal guard, but that also came with the rank of Captain and a troop of hand-picked knights to assist him. The castle was a big place and he was only one person, after all. He’d attempted to downplay his abilities, protesting his rank if not his personal charge, but in spite of his protests he ended up being good at it, even if he hated to admit it (and hated the paperwork even more). Even the other knights who’d given him grief before pulling the sword respected him, regardless of whether or not they’d liked him.

“Then I suppose I’d better start cashing in on that respect and use it to push some other folks into taking on more responsibility.”

“That sounds wonderful. A word of praise from you instills so much confidence in others. It even works on me,” she smiled and reached her hand up behind his head to pull him down for a peck on the lips.

“Oh does it now? I can’t do that too much or it’ll go to your head,” he winked back. “I’ll try to express all my comments about you behind your back.”

Zelda sat up with an exaggerated huff, “Why you little- you do not! My own Knight gossips about me? And after all the nice things I said about you!”

Her indignation made him cackle, which only caused her curiosity and insecurity to burn hotter, “Truly Link, what do you say about me? Be honest, I can take it.”

Link became serious and thought for a moment. He knew her mild outward was actually masking her self-consciousness and realized what she needed was affirmation.

“You’re smart, capable, rational, dependable, outgoing, kind, consistent, you’re a leader.” Then for good measure he added “And you smell so fucking good,” with a smile.

Now it was Zelda’s turn to be stunned into silence. She stared at him with almost bashful adoration as he continued, “I know you meant every one of your words, I promise you I meant all of mine too. You are ready to be the Queen and leader Hyrule needs. Now more than ever. But you don’t need to rush or feel pressure, because what you said about me is true for you as well. A formal declaration or ceremony is just a formality at this point. When you’re ready for it all, know that I am too. We got this.”

Her look of adoration turned to resolve. “Together, then?”

He matched her gaze, “It’s not success unless you have someone to share it with.”

“It most certainly isn’t. I’ve a duty and love for Hyrule, but having you makes me feel, well…you’re the embodiment of the whole land to me; its people, the mountains, the forests, the wind, the wild. It’s all you, you represent the best of us all. And your love makes me feel like I’m worthy of everything everyone says about me.”

“No Zelda, you’re the best of us, I’m just the runner-up. I don’t matter without you. If I hadn’t found a way to bring you back I…probably would have done something drastic. I love our friends, but I don’t think I would have been able to go on without. I was already on the verge of giving up. I fought Ganondorf for vengeance because I thought you were already lost to me, and I was on the edge of losing myself. Seeing you alive again, I still don’t believe this is reality.”

Zelda fought back tears, “Oh Hylia, I love you, Link. But if it were me, I'd have to go on anyway, even if it meant without you. I'd hate every single minute of it, but I would do it. Please, I beg you, if something should happen to me, you must go on. For both of us. Our friends, and Hyrule, need you. If I'm worthy then you are too. Promise me you will.”

Link didn’t notice his own silent tears; he could barely recognize his own voice as he replied “Only because it’s you who is asking. I swear I will, but I also swear nothing will happen to you to make me have to uphold that promise.”

She put her arms around him, prompting him to reciprocate as they buried their faces into each other’s necks. You DO smell so fucking good; he thought to himself as he inhaled the scent of her hair. “Thank you for coming back to me”, he breathed into her ear for the thousandth time since their reunion. What was one more reminder?

A long moment later he opened his eyes, struggling to blink them into focus. In his line of sight on the rampart below was a guard looking up at them. A strange feeling crept its way from the back of his mind to the front which he couldn’t quite place; the feeling of Zelda’s body still pressed against his own kept his thoughts from coalescing into something more solid. Those eyes…Wait, does that guy look familiar? Can it be…?

Another half second later and sudden realization made his blood turn to ice: That’s the Yiga from last night! But there is absolutely no way that could be him! How could he get here so fast?!

Link’s mind was a blur of thoughts. How many more of the Guard are secretly Yiga?! He forced himself to not make eye contact and maintain an impassive expression, but failed at both. Zelda gave a slightly breathless squeak in his ear, which made him realize he was accidentally crushing her in his hug. He relaxed his arms a bit and whispered into her ear; “Sorry Zelda. No time to explain, but I need you to act natural and come inside.”

She let him go, taking him by the hand and led him inside. He shut the door behind them, speaking quickly; “I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but that guardsman underneath our balcony on the rampart is the Yiga we let go last night. I’m dead certain. Get Purah and have her round up Buliara and some guards, quick. I’m going to jump him.”

“What?!”

“He saw me looking at him over your shoulder just now, he might think I’m onto him. Gotta act fast!”

Link slung his scabbard around his shoulder and prepared to burst out the sliding door again when Zelda grabbed his arm, stopping him; “I’m coming too!”

“Fine”, he acquiesced immediately when he saw the determined look on her face, knowing there was no time to let this turn this into an argument.

“On ‘three’, ready?” he hissed, hand on the door. “One, two, three!”

Link yanked the door open and vaulted himself over the railing towards the Not-Really-A-Guardsman, reaching for his own power and slowing time to a crawl. But he’d leapt before he looked, and failed to account for the fact his target was walking away from his intended impact point. FUCK! he cursed his stupidity. Link tucked and rolled onto the rampart loudly with a clatter.

Zelda, meanwhile, reacted quickly to Link’s less than graceful landing and began focusing her own power on the guardsman. Link, feeling the lurch of time again, saw him jerk to a halt as he turned around, a look of shocked surprise frozen on his features. Link capitalized on the opportunity, dashing forward two full strides to close the gap and seized him by the throat. He flexed his legs, thrust his arm up, and hoisted the man up by the neck, lifting him off his feet and bringing him down in a choke-slam onto the wooden decking with all his strength. The man’s head smacked into the solid deck boards and drove the wind from his lungs, the force of the impact breaking Zelda’s time effect with a loud crash.

Link quickly positioned himself on top of his chest in a position of control, hands on his collar and his knees pinning down his arms. This proved unnecessary, as Link’s target had been concussed by the choke slam; his head lolled and his eyes rolled back white as he passed out.

Several yards down the rampart another guard turned towards the commotion. Seeing one figure crouched atop another, he hollered an alarm and began running towards Link. The guard’s shout was echoed by other guards around the fort, quickly raising a general alarm. The gates slammed shut, one after another, and several groups of guards began to converge on the east wall. Link cursed his inability to conclude his strike stealthily. Well, at least they’re not all asleep on watch...

The first guardsman arrived next to Link, brandishing his spear. He attempted to size up the situation but was left completely confused; “Ser Link!? What are you doing here? What is going on?! That’s one of our men!”

“I don’t have time to explain. Get me something to tie his hands and feet before he comes to, and make sure the rest of the guards heading this way don’t turn us into meat skewers.”

“Yes sir!” he saluted as he dashed off towards the ladder.

“Everything all right down there?” shouted Zelda.

Link called back “Yes! Great timing on the assist! Round up Purah and the others for me, I’ll meet you all in the lockup in the shelter.”

Well, the cat’s out of the bag now…

---

Thirty minutes later, with the fort still on high alert, Link, Zelda, Purah, and Buliara stood around the cot inside the single-cell brig that had been rigged up in the escape passageway. The prisoner was still unconscious, bound to the cot as Zelda inspected his features.

Buliara supplied an identification; “His name is Guardsman Ryin. Just completed training three months ago and has no record of misconduct, hails from a settlement in Faron.”

“He looks exactly like the Yiga assassin who we released with a message to Kohga last night,” Zelda declared. “But how could this be?”

“Yiga shadow magic allows them to disappear and reappear within a hundred-yard radius, give or take based on the individual’s skill, but even the fastest horse in Hyrule couldn’t have gotten him here from Hateno in a single night,” added Purah. “And I’m certain all our extra prototype Purah Pads are accounted for, so he didn’t use a travel rune either.”

“Are you certain?” asked Buliara. “I recommend you take an inventory immediately.”

Purah nodded and turned to give an instruction to the guards outside when the man suddenly began to stir and groan. He blinked several times, groggily looking around. It took him a long moment to orient himself.

“Where am I?... Wha’ happened?...Who’re you pe’ple?…“ he slurred. Confusion yielded slowly to wide-eyed recognition of his location and company, “I must have hit my head harder than I thought!”

Link answered first, “No, I hit your head. You’ve got a lot of damn gall showing your face here, Yiga. Did you think we wouldn’t recognize you ?”

Ryin blinked twice, “Recognize me? I’ve never met you or her Highness in person before, Ser Link. The first time I’ve ever seen you was when you entered the shelter last night, but I knew it was you, could only have been you.” Panic began to build in his voice, “I-I don’t understand. Have I angered you or your Highness? Just what’s going on?!”

“Do you think we’re fools?!” Link asked incredulously, “What are you playing at? I know I just about smashed your head in, but surely you’re not that stupid. You think we wouldn’t know the assassin who tried to kill us last night?”

Zelda continued to scrutinize Guardsman Ryin with furrowed brow as he spoke. A sudden spark of realization struck her, “Link, look at his neck!”

“What?”

“There’s no scar. You cut the Yiga last night and branded him with the Master Sword. That would surely still be visible, even with a powerful fairy tonic. Check him!”

Link stepped over the man and ripped his shirt open, revealing the completely unharmed skin of his chest.

Four sets of eyes glanced back and forth to one another.

“How…?” began Link as he looked from Zelda to Purah.

She shrugged; “I got nothin’, Linky.”

“Yiga? Assassin?!” stammered Ryin as his faculties began to return in earnest. “You’re saying I attacked you? I swear on my life I would never! I was here last night! The others on my shift saw me here all day, they can vouch for me!”

“Well shall see,” growled Buliara.

“Guardsman Ryin-” interjected Zelda, her eyes narrowing in thought, “Do you…do you have a brother, per chance?”

He paused and blinked at the out of place question, “Why yes, your Highness. I have a twin brother, Flynt. Why do you ask?”

There was an audible gasp from the assembled group and an awkward pause.

“Would you excuse us?” said Zelda, motioning for the others to follow her out of the brig.

---

Minutes later they reconvened in the privacy of Purah’s lab.

“Assuming he’s telling the truth-“

“-And that’s a big ‘if’.”

“Does he know his brother is a Yiga?”

“We obviously can’t trust him-“

“-No way”

“Could be a plant”

Zelda stood quietly in thought as the cacophony of suspicious arguments became more and more circular. She raised her voice ever so slightly to speak over them; “We have to trust him.”

There was stunned silence. “But, Princess, we can’t-“ started Purah before Zelda cut her off.

“I know very well what we can and cannot do, and what I can and cannot do. And I’m well aware what it looks like, and how serious this makes our security situation. But if he wanted us dead he’d have killed us in our sleep last night already. Furthermore, we cannot begin locking up our own guardsmen on fear and suspicion. It sends the wrong message; it announces to our enemies that we act on those feelings. It projects weakness, a weakness we will not allow ourselves to fall victim to.”

That’s why you’re the princess and I’m just the muscle, thought Link, feeling ashamed for letting his paranoia carry him away. “She’s right, he had his chance already and passed on it. We can’t allow this to start turning our focus inward, it plays into the Yiga’s strengths. Not to mention we can’t spare the manpower to run an inquisition and a prison."

Purah, with a slightly hurt look at Link for flipping so quickly, pressed her argument, “But princess, what can we do with him? Let him walk free? Kick him out? If he wasn’t Yiga before he would be after. There are no good options here. He knows too much about this place and how we’re organized.”

“Very true, but I think our worst-case scenario is that Ryin is just a plant, not an assassin. If he’s a spy then he’s already likely sent them all that information by now. I see an opportunity here among all the risk. Believe me, when I say ‘I trust him’ I don’t want to have to trust him, I simply see it as the least-bad alternative we have, and the one that allows us a chance to gain something rather than add the burdens Link has identified.”

“What are you suggesting, princess?” asked Buliara.

“We allow him to return to duty with an apology and a pardon. Then we ensure the information he is exposed to through his interactions and observations allows us to feed him incorrect or only the information we want him to see. If any of it makes it to the Yiga and we discover it, we’ll know, and then we’ll be able to decide if we need to deal with him or continue to use him as a conduit to plant false information.”

“You want to turn him into an unwitting double-agent!” beamed Purah, catching on. “You are a genius, princess!”

“Very risky,” grumbled Buliara, “but I see the wisdom in it. With your permission, I would like to brief Atmus on this idea, since he has been invaluable in gathering and disseminating intelligence and reports to Gralens and myself. He should be well suited to coming up with a way ahead for us.”

“Make it so,” she replied.

“What should we do with Ryin for the rest of tonight?”

“Have someone keep an eye on him while he sleeps off his concussion,” suggested Link. “Then give Atmus a chance to think about the situation and come up with a recommendation before we make a final decision. Buliara’s right, he’s got a mind for this sort of stuff. Definitely up to the task.”

Zelda’s serious demeanor faltered for a moment, exhaustion setting in, “A night to sleep on it will indeed do us all some good.”

“Let’s finally call it a night then, before I have to carry the Princess to bed,” yawned Link, giving Zelda an excuse to end the conversation.

“Like you weren’t going to do that anyway, loverboy,” teased Purah.

“Jealous?” winked Zelda. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise as Link doubled-down on his joke, throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and making for the ladder to their room.

The Sheikah rolled her eyes, “Who wouldn’t be, your highness?”

“He knows where his bread is buttered, don’t you Link?”

“Don’t worry princess, she’s a little too old for me,” quipped Link as he hauled them quickly up the ladder.

“Why you little- Don’t forget you two are technically over one hundred years old too now, ya know!!! And keep in mind how thin the walls are, yeah? My bed is right underneath yours!”

Chapter Text

Link awoke with the first rays of sunshine, his arm wrapped around Zelda’s waist and his hand on her midriff. He sighed contentedly into her hair before his stomach suddenly gurgled loudly. Zelda stirred at the sound. Nuts.

“Mornin’ sleepy head. Sounds like someone’s hungry.”

“Always,” he grinned, sheepishly. “You know I still can’t believe you’re real? S’like Hylia made an angel. Whoever wins your heart will be the luckiest guy in history,” he murmured in her ear as he wrapped his other arm around her, hands massaging her arms.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, but don’t stop trying,” she purred before squeaking in surprise as his hands started to wander over other parts of her. “Behave, you rascal! Remember what Purah said!”

“I’m gonna shoot my shot with you one of these days, you better watch out.”

“Oh really? Well break a leg, hero. Woo me,” she yawned sleepily, rolling over to look into his eyes.

He continued to look at her dreamily; "Hylia, would I be good to ya."

"Yeah?"

"I'd be good to ya like crazy."

"How good?"

"Like, you wake up in the mornin': I'm right there bein' good to ya."

Purah, who’d arrived unnoticed at the ladder, blithely broke her silence “That’s actually unsettling.”

Link and Zelda jumped in unison, surprised expressions souring into scowls, their moment ruined.

“Just because your particular brand of crazy has a reputation powerful enough to offset how hot you are and ruin your love life doesn’t mean you gotta make it our problem,” groused Link.

“I take back what I said last night Princess, I don’t know what it is you see in him.”

“Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine this morning?” countered Link.

“Get downstairs and cook us breakfast,” Purah ordered. “And put a shirt on!” she barked over her shoulder, sliding down the ladder as she did so.

“Somebody’s hangry...” commented Zelda.

---

Link returned from the cooking pan with an over-the-top plate of crepes smothered in honey and fruit. Purah moaned, savoring her first bite, and her scowl softened. Appeased, she patted him on the head appreciatively as he leaned over to put Zelda’s plate on the table, “Thanks Linky, you’re forgiven for now. I’m going to work on some camera modifications for your Pad. If it works out the way I hope it will, it might make for a new scanning feature.” She picked up her plate and headed into her lab.

Over their own stacks of the pancakes Link and Zelda made plans for the day. Realizing they were still awaiting the survey team, Atmus’s report, and word back from Kakarioko and the sages, the only realistic thing to do was wait.

“Let’s let things settle down and do some thinking; maybe I’ll get a chance to get outside the fort too,” Link proposed.

“Yes, some fresh air might help,” Zelda agreed.

“How about something physical to get the blood moving?”

“Oh no, please, don’t make me exercise, especially on a full stomach,” she groaned.

“I wouldn’t do that to you, but how about we go hit the range and see if your aim is still any good? Something for you to focus on would be meditative. Plus, I can see the new recruits already over there doing some drills, gives us a chance to observe them.”

---

They collected their bows from the shelter and made their way over to the range where a Rito Sergeant was drilling the new recruits in following volley-fire commands.

“Nock! Draw! Loose! Good! All together! Remember, massed fire is only effective if it’s actually massed, you must stay on-cadence with your whole formation, as a team!”

“Good morning, mind if we steal a target? The Princess needs to shake off some rust.”

“By all means, Ser Link! It’s her highness’s Fort and range, after all.” An impressed look spread on his face, “I did not know her highness was an archer.”

“Thank you kindly, but I don’t know if I can still claim to be one; I haven’t touched a bow in 30,000 years,” she joked. “Please don’t judge me for what you’re about to see.”

“May I ask, your highness, did you learn from Master Revali?” he continued, hopefully.

The memory drew a pained smile, “He tried, but he didn’t have the patience because I was not a very good student. Not to mention, he was used to instructing Rito fledglings, not so much Hylians. His advice didn’t translate well to our physiology. Link finally got me on target though.”

Link rubbed his forearm and remembered how she definitely tested his patience as well, but he wasn’t about to reveal that point about the princess in front of the recruits, nor shit-talk his old frenemy in front of a Rito.

He had her test the draw weight of her bow. Satisfied she had the strength to maintain good form and not develop bad habits, he handed her a bracer for her wrist, which she slipped on and cinched down. Next came a leather chest guard, which he had to help adjust the strap behind her back, and finally a quiver of blunt tipped training arrows to sling about her waist.

“OK, back to basics: Remember, eyes on the target along the shaft, breathe in and pull with your shoulders, fingers roll-release on the follow-through, and exhale,” coached Link.

Zelda took a deep, clearing breath and began the motion, but the result was an arrow which flopped pitifully to the ground a foot shy of the target- “Drat.”

“Don’t worry, try again,” encouraged Link, and repeated the mantra.

This time the arrow embedded itself in the empty bale over the target. “Double Drat!”

“Better! That one released well and went full-power,” he said patiently. “Keep your arm, elbow, and shoulder on the same plane as you draw...”

“Heh. The Princess shoots like a girl,” muttered the freckle-faced recruit closest on the line to Zelda. It broke her concentration at exactly the right instant and caused her third arrow to sail over the top of the stockade wall.

Zelda glared at him with a raised eyebrow and a slightly shocked look which said: Really, dude? Link’s expression matched hers, but quickly changed as an old memory was triggered. He grinned and with a terrifying fire in his eyes winked at her with a glance that said: Oh boy, watch this! He put on a withering look as he rounded on the young man at the end of the row.

“Cease fire!” he barked, waving the back of his right hand in front of his eyes to signal the whole squad to stop firing. They responded immediately by echoing the command down the line and snapping to attention. “Did you say that? What’s your name, Guardsman?”

The color drained from the young recruit’s face as he realized who he’d accidentally used his internal voice out loud in front of; “A-Ashton, s-sir.”

“Guardsman Ashton, what in Hylia’s name possessed you to say that, not only in the presence of several other capable women standing watch all around you, but most of all to your sovereign?!”

“I-I-I d-d-didn-” the kid began to stammer, but it was Zelda who got in his face to cut him off next-

“Are you suggesting women are somehow incapable of being skilled at archery, and by extension, combat?” she squinted at him.

“N-n-no, sir!”

“Sir? Did you yourself not try to make issue with the fact that I’m a lady, but now you’re gracing me with the title of “Sir”?”

“NO SIR! I mean, YES MA’AM! I mean, I don-“

“Guardsman Ashton, you do know the difference between men and women, yes?” volleyed Link.

“Y-yes, ma’am!” he blurted out, now completely and hopelessly flustered.

“Oh, now we’re all ladies, is that it? Why Guardsman Ashton, I’m as flattered as a Hinox asked to the Spring Ball! Unfortunately for you, I’m spoken for! But the appropriate address for Princess Zelda is only ever “Your Highness!” is that clear?!”

“And while his long hair may be grounds for confusion on the matter, I assure you the appropriate address for Link is ‘Sir’, and by title ‘Ser Link’!” commanded Zelda.

“Y-YES YOUR HIGHNESS! YES, SER LINK!” he blurted.

“Guardsman Ashton, just where the hell are you from, hmm?” asked Link, suddenly very calmly. This served only to throw Ashton even more off balance.

“Wh-what?”

“ ‘What’ isn’t a settlement in Hyrule I've ever heard of...” drawled Link.

“Do they speak Hylian in ‘What’?” quizzed Zelda.

“Wh-wh-what?”

“HYLIAN, GUARDSMAN ASHTON! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!” yelled Link.

“YES SIR!”

“Then you understand what I am saying!”

“YES SIR!”

“Then surely you can enunciate and tell us where you are from!” pounced Zelda.

“AKKALA! Your Highness! I’m from Akkala!” he finally squeaked helplessly.

“Finally, by all the Goddesses, a complete sentence!”

“Akkala! Only two things used to come from Akkala: pompous aristocrats’ brats and Lynels, and I don’t see any horns on you so that kinda narrows it down!” continued Link. “Some of you Akkalans have always had a tendency to look down your noses at others, so Guardsman Ashton, we’re going to have to teach you some humility. You will begin by apologizing to the Princess, and then you will find every single person of the female persuasion in this entire fort and personally apologize to them as well! NOW! MOVE!”

As the poor Guardsman blurted an incoherent apology and sprinted off, Link looked past him to see the rather tall and stocky man next in line contorting his face, vainly attempting to hold in laughter.

Link rounded on him “What’s your excuse?”

“Sir, excuse for what, sir?!” he stammered, his features immediately freezing in fear.

“I’m the one asking the questions here Guardsman, do you understand?!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Well thank you very much, can I be in charge for a while!?”

“Yes, sir!”

“What’s your name?”

“Falder, sir!”

“Guardsman Falder, from now on your name is Guardsman Giggles, do you like that name?”

Unsure if there was a correct answer to that question, Falder simply responded “Yes sir!” and hoped for the best.

“Outstanding! Giggles, do you know how far it is to the remainder of the Passeri Greenbelt from which this fort was constructed?”

“No sir!”

“Three miles out and three miles back! And you’re going to run to the forest and apologize to every single remaining tree for your wasting of the oxygen they’re providing for us to have this conversation.”

Link took a breath and made an act of composing himself. Pacing down the row and scrutinizing the whole squad he continued, as though the entire diatribe hadn’t happened, “As for the rest of you recruits, let today be a lesson for you all. You succeed as a team, or you fail as a team. Isn’t that right, Sergeant?”

“Affirmative, Ser Link!”

Link grinned at them, “Which means because these two have disgraced the honor of this squad we’re ALL going for a little morning run!” This elicited a loud groan from the recruits. Walking down the line back to Zelda he continued, “Princess, I’m sure the good Rito sergeant will be pleased to continue your refresher while I remove these distractions from your presence.” Then he paused to whisper under his breath to her, “Now’s my chance to slip out.” She responded with a quick nod and wink of understanding.

“We’ll do it just like the good old days: with full kit!” He ordered them to don their packs, shields, and weapon sheaths, securing his own bow and a quiver full of broadheads. After they reformed into column formation, he commanded a facing movement and ordered “Double-Time, March!” leading them out the west gate toward the forest at a jog with a jaunty wink and salute to Zelda.

“Don’t be too long, Ser Link, and bring them all back in one piece!” she called after him.

Buliara walked up behind the Princess at that moment, shaking her head and chuckling to herself, “I need the two of you to train my next batch of Gerudo fighters. I had no idea you or Master Link could be that terrifying.”

Zelda felt a sudden pang of guilt, “That was certainly cathartic, but I do hope we don’t lose that batch of recruits to the Yiga now. The two most important people in Hyrule just berated them, and after they voluntarily swore oaths to service…”

“Your highness, if I may?” interjected the Rito, “What you did will either set the young Guardsman straight, or it won’t. It will be a test of his character to see which path he chooses. If he chooses to leave, then he’s told us all we need to know about him, and we have no use for that kind of man in our ranks. Also, Ser Link may be punishing the group, but he’s also leading and partaking the punishment with them. They will resent him today when their breakfast makes a reappearance, but they’ll come to respect him for not asking them to do anything he won’t do himself. He’s going to show them what they’re capable of and is setting the example and expectation by proving what is achievable. Truly the mark of a firm but fair commander.”

“I see your point, thank you. Tell me, how long have these recruits been with us?”

“Two weeks, your highness, why?”

Zelda clasped a hand to her forehead, “Link is dragging raw recruits on a six-mile run while being the pinnacle of Hylian physique and fitness. They don’t stand a chance.”

“Well then, I estimate we now have the range to ourselves for at least the next two hours. We can probably dispatch a wagon for them in an hour so he won’t have to carry them home.”

They turned to the sound of running feet approaching from behind as Guardsman Ashton came careening towards them at top speed. He skidded to a halt and snapped to attention before Zelda. “Your Highness!” he panted, totally winded. “I have completed *gasp!* Ser Link’s orders! *gasp!* And await further! *gasp!* Instructions!” He looked on the brink of passing out.

She quickly covered her look of amusement with a mask of seriousness, “Thank you Guardsman Ashton, you’re on your way to atonement. Tell me, is your attitude towards remaining here changed in any way? Do you want to quit?”

“NO! Your Highness! Don’t send me away! I will offer a thousand more apologies! I-”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I want to serve you, your highness! And Ser Link! And because…because-”, he stammered, seemingly hung up on his own explanation.

“Don’t tell me you’ve lost your tongue again so quickly- out with it!”

His face dropped, “…My family was killed by a Calamity controlled Guardian when I was too young to do anything about it…I don’t want something to happen to anyone else if I can help it. I’d want them to be proud of me for being here…”

“Guardsman Ashton, I accept your apology and will forget this entire incident on the condition you strike your earlier attitude from your character from here on out. We are only as strong as the weakest among us, and neither sex nor race matters; your character, however, does."

The Rito Sergeant rounded on him again, "Right now, you are the weakest link in your team. You actively hurt team cohesion when you put people down."

Zelda nodded in agreement, "The way I see it, at this moment your dedication to your family’s memory, or to me for that matter, is less important than your dedication to your squad. If you want to build your team up, I suggest you do it by making up for the fact that your outburst earned your squad a six-mile run which you happen to be missing out on. I would not be pleased with you if I were them, should they return and find you were here the entire time.”

She turned and pointed out the west gate, “Do you see them out there, heading for the Greenbelt? They’ve got a good head start on you. If you’re serious about being here, I suggest you get a move on.”

“Thank you, your highness!” he visibly winced at the thought of more running, but pulled off a crisp salute anyway and turned to sprint after the rest of the formation.

“I don’t think you will have to worry about him, your highness. You are just as wise a leader as Ser Link,” offered Buliara.

“Your highness,” said the Rito, offering her the bow. “Shall we continue?”

She nodded, taking it from his hands. With a breath she calmed herself, nocked, opened her eyes, drew smoothly, and released an arrow into the target just off-center from bull’s-eye.

---

As Link exited the gate, he gave the strap on the Master Sword’s sheath a tug to tighten it and flipped his hood up. His ploy to get out of the fort to check the woods for disguised Yiga observers was a bit showier than he’d hoped for, but after the previous evening’s events it would be a miracle if no one knew they were at the fort now. If they encountered any real threats every new recruit would effectively be undertaking at loyalty test. That is, assuming they all made it there. Let’s see what these kids are made of.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Guardsman Ashton sprinting towards them. Wow, that’s unexpected.

“Quick-time, March!” he ordered, bringing the squad back down to a normal marching pace, allowing Ashton the opportunity to catch up. “Well, well, well, fancy meeting you out here. Fall-in, Guardsman. What brings you back?”

Ashton could only pant and wheeze in response, but he held his head high and fixed his eyes forward.

“Alright Guardsman, you seem to be a glutton for punishment. You’re gonna get a good belly full of cardio today. I’m not gonna slow down for you again. Double-time, March!”

Link continued to lead them onward along the west road. He began to sing a running cadence about a young soldier being rather graphically and brutally dismembered in his first battle. When they’d gone a mile, he had them break from the road onto a narrow game path which led southwest. He began a second cadence and noticed the enthusiasm and volume starting to fade as their breath began running shorter. The forest began to loom in the last half mile as the trail began to get rougher, some of the guardsmen stumbling over stones. When they finally reached the edge of the wood, Link finally called a halt. A few of them began retching on the grass, while others simply flopped onto the ground.

“You lot need more work if three miles is too much for you. I’m going to have your drill instructors take you out every morning from now on.”

“We’ve only just started training two weeks ago!” whimpered someone from in the grass.

“By the time you’re done training you should be able to run at least a mile and still be able to fight as though you’re fresh! We’ll get you there but you all have to want it, now on your feet!”

He looked at them all, each of them red faced and puffing, before continuing on with his orders; “I want everyone to drop your packs, but keep your weapons handy. Give me two rows, front row swords and shields, second row archers. You’re going to do your basic drills, swap places after each repetition. Giggles! Front and center! You’re the reason we’re out here, you get to work with those trees! Find me a dozen oaks. The faster you get done, the faster your squad can go home! Ashton, you’re still in the doghouse too, go find me a dozen maples.”

“Yes sir!” they both wheezed, and began jogging over to the grove.

Link walked along behind them, examining the forest for what he would consider a good vantage point from which to observe the fort. Behind them the squad began running through a few basic motions.

“I’m sorry, tree!” Ashton said to the first tree he found. Link rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact it wasn’t a maple tree; he wanted to be out the woods and back to the fort as quickly as possible.

Further along the game path Link slipped behind a particularly large elm and hoisted himself up, climbing into its upper branches. With his hand bladed on his forehead to shield against the sun he began scanning. “I’m sorry, tree!” he heard from several yards away. Another minute passed.

The next “I’m sorry, tree!” came from much further away. He spared a quick glance at the squad and saw they’d all begun loafing the moment they thought he was far enough away. Lazy little shits. He’d exact penance on the run back.

Link still couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. No oddly colored bark, no out of place pine tree in a forest otherwise lacking them, no miss-colored fall leaves in mid-summer, no incorrect swaying with the breeze… Gotta be something out here. No way they’re not watching. “I’m sorry, tree!”  Not a hint of crimson in the tree tops, no out of place travelers, no smell of bananas. He began to wonder if he’d made a mistake coming with a loud rabble of rookies.

Maybe they heard us- is as far as his train of thought made it before all hell broke loose. The smell of flash powder filled the air and a pair of arrows came whistling towards him. Instinctually, he leapt from the tree to the forest floor. “AMBUSH!” he yelled. “Defend yourselves, it’s the Yiga!” More arrows began falling around him as he dashed in the direction of the forest’s edge. He heard a cry of pain from within the grove and knew things just got worse. Shit, that was Giggles! Now he was forced to choose: Protect the whole squad of greenhorns, or save one man? The recruit would be hung out to dry because of Link’s error in judgement if he didn’t get to him quickly. Fuck! He turned back towards the cry and rounded a large oak before crashing right into the large Hylian, who was sporting an arrow shaft in his left shoulder.

“Come on, Giggles, I’m gonna get you out of here!”

For a recruit, the man seemed oddly calm, “You came back for me?” he asked awestruck. “Where are the others? How many attackers?”

Whatever response Link was expecting from a raw recruit, it wasn’t cool tactical focus. Pushing aside how impressive this was, Link answered “Still where we left them, for now, and I have no idea. You see who shot you?”

Giggles winced and stopped suddenly to glace around, “No, but it came from above.” As if to punctuate his statement, two more arrows fell in front of their feet. A sudden panicked cry from the other guardsmen reinvigorated their urgency; the rest of the squad was under attack. Link drew his sword as he ran, head turning as though on a swivel, looking for the source of the incoming arrows. It was to little avail; there were either dozens of Yiga in the trees all around them or they weren’t shooting from the same place twice.

They sprinted the remaining distance to the forest edge, ducking more arrows, arriving just in time to see a Blademaster launch an Earthwake plume against the squad which had huddled together in a circle behind their shields. It hit the formation and blasted them in multiple directions, most of them landing hard. Scattered from one another and disoriented, some stray arrows falling among them for good measure, they were now totally vulnerable.

Link's stomach dropped at the spectacle. I’ve gotten them all killed on a morning jog, some commander I turned out to be. They were easy pickings for even a single semi-experienced Yiga assassin; he had to act quickly or they’d be overwhelmed in moments.

Ignoring the hail of fire coming from behind him, Link lined up a slash of the Master Sword on the Blademaster’s back from several yards away and let fly; the beam of energy twirled toward the Yiga as Link saw Giggles sprint past him in a blur. The sword’s energy collided with the Yiga’s back a fraction of a second before the large Hylian barreled into him. With yelps of pain they both went down in a rolling heap of limbs, with Giggles ending up on top of the Yiga. He began landing a flurry of blows on the white mask with his uninjured arm, the Blademaster ineffectually attempting to free his hands to reach for his fallen Windcleaver. 

Link finished closing the distance and jammed the Master Sword into the only place he could without stabbing his guardsman: in the Yiga’s gut. With a grunt and gasp of air like the wind deflating from a ball, the Blademaster vanished in a cloud of flash paper. Turning back to the forest, Link finally caught sight of one of the Yiga bowmen. He drew his own bow and fired at the red silhouette; his target toppled silently from the branch to the ground, clutching at his throat.

“That Blademaster hasn’t gone far. Get back to the others, Falder, and get them reorganized! Keep everyone together, and maybe lay down some covering fire to keep the rest of those archers off my case. I’m going to see if Ashton is still alive in there.”

“Yes sir!” nodded Falder, noticing the return of the use of his proper name. He started jogging toward the rest of the squad, who were still in various states of shock, panic, and disorientation, “Everyone rally around me! Come on, shake it off! Sound-off if you’re injured, I’ll come to you! Ser Link needs our support!”

Trusting in Falder’s composure, Link turned towards the tree line, dodging more arrows as he went and returning fire towards their points of origin. He sprinted under the canopy and swapped his bow for his sword again, searching all around for signs of his wayward Guardsman.

---

Ashton had gone quite a way into the forest. He was searching for one tree in particular, a maple tree with a red leaf. Not knowing what maple leaves looked like, he settled for searching for any red leaf. After many minutes of searching, and a few more halfhearted calls of “I’m sorry tree!”, he finally spotted one. He hustled over to the base of tree, glanced nervously around, and, hoping that he was outside of Link’s observation, whispered “Glory to Master Kohga.”

“Glory to Master Kohga," the tree whispered back. “You have done well to infiltrate the Guard. I am most impressed, my young recruit. There were doubts as to your loyalty, but you may yet have proven yourself worthy of becoming an apprentice in the Clan. Remain here and observe, do not interfere. We will punish the hero for his audacity to bring such pathetic soldiers on his hunt. When I return, I want a full report of the status of the fort’s garrison.”

“Y-yes, Blademaster!” stammered Ashton.

The talking tree vanished in a puff of smoke, and the attack was sprung. Ashton crept his way back towards the way he’d entered the woods as he heard bowstrings twang. Moments later, the air was filled with the shouts and cries of the Blademaster’s attack on the squad. More shouts came from up ahead, when suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared at the base of the tree to his left. The bloodied Blademaster collapsed against the trunk, clutching his stomach.

“Master, what happened?!” he whispered, panicked.

The Blademaster growled. “That thrice damned hero and his bitch-goddess cursed luck!” He lifted his hand to reveal a gush of blood and a peek of intestines poking from the gash.

“What do I do?” squeeked Ashton, the color draining from his face as he looked at the bloody and gory wound.

“You will do nothing!” hissed the Blademaster. “Maintain your cover! This wound is…mortal,” he winced between breaths, his breathing now labored and ragged.

They heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and a volley of arrows clattering among the tree branches. “If that is the hero, he is looking to save you. Let him think he’s rescued you and your infiltration will be complete! Finish me, give me a quick death!”

“What?! I c-c-can’t!”

“You MUST! It will seal your credibility in his eyes! You came to us seeking a place, a purpose, did you not? Then do this for your new Clan, the Yiga, my young orphan. For your new Master Kohga!” ordered the Blademaster, offering the hilt of his Eight-fold blade.

Ashton stared at the sword being proffered to him. The sound of footsteps growing ever closer, pausing here and there as the source of the sound stopped to search the area.

“Do it! Complete your task and be welcomed into your new family! Glory to Master Kohga!”

“Guardsman Ashton!” called Link.

Hearing the steps rapidly approaching now, Ashton snatched the offered blade. He hesitated for a moment, but as he heard the footsteps come around the tree he winced, pinched his eyes shut tight, and plunged it into the Blademaster’s chest.

Link rounded the base of the tree in time to witness the pale faced and shaking Guardsman impale the Yiga to the tree trunk. When the blade finally hit bark, he fell backwards away from the body, horrified at his own act, and scrambled several feet back where he retched into the grass.

“Holy Hylia, Guardsman Ashton! Are you alright!?”

The sudden sound and smell of more flash paper explosions signaled the retreat of the remaining Yiga clansmen.

---

“Come on,” said Link, offering a hand-up to Ashton. He pulled the recruit up on shaky knees and patted him on the back. “First time?”

Ashton nodded silently at the ground, his face white as a sheet.

“You’ve had a shitty day. Let’s get out of here and back to the others.”

A smattering of arrows clattered among the tree tops ahead of them as they approached the edge of the tree line; Falder could still be heard commanding a volley-fire cadence to a few of the guardsmen with bows. Another group knelt in front of them, shields held before them nervously. Behind them all a guardsman was crouched over another prone form, tending to a wound.

Standing behind a tree trunk for cover at what he deemed was the edge of their range, Link called out “You can knock it off, Falder, the Yiga have disappeared! I found Ashton; we’re coming out!”

“Cease fire!” shouted Falder. “Ser Link, are either of you injured!?” he called.

“We’re fine!” Link replied.

The two of them jogged out of the tree line. Still on the alert, Link swapped his sword for his bow again. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a bomb flower, gingerly impaling it on the tip of an arrow. “Anyone got a flint handy?” he asked as they approached the group. In response one of the guardsmen tossed him his flint and steel. He stretched out the red tendril which grew from the tip of bulb and lit it like a fuse, the paper-like material sputtering angrily. He quickly nocked the arrow, pointed it straight into the sky, and released it. It traveled to the apex of its flight before exploding.

“That will hopefully let the fort know we need help. Get yourself some water, Ashton.” He knelt over the unconscious guardsman, examining what appeared to be a head wound now wrapped under a dressing, “What happened to him?”

Falder responded, “Landed head-first on a rock where he fell after the squad got hit by the Yiga’s magic. The others are bruised and shaken, but otherwise ok.”

Link breathed a sigh of relief. We got off lucky, he internalized. “Get yourself bandaged up too, your shoulder wound need attention. You did damn good, Guardsman. Keeping calm under pressure like that saved your squad mates. In fact, you all performed well above and beyond your experience today. I should have never led you all into this situation, but you rose to the challenge. Great job rallying around your team.”

The rest of the guardsmen beamed at him. “What of the Yiga?” asked Falder.

“They’ve run away for now, but probably not for long. We’re not out of the woods yet and we’re not sticking around long enough for them to regroup. We need to get some distance from the tree line and move towards the road in case they decide to re-attack. It’ll take some time for any help to get here and I intend for us to rendezvous with help on the road.”

“How many were there?”

“No idea, was too busy trying not to get shot. I know I took one of the archers out of the tree, and the Blademaster is dead. Guardsman Ashton found him and killed him with his own blade. That seemed to convince the others to scram.”

At the mention of his exploit Ashton’s knees finally gave out and he passed out on the grass. He collapsed where he stood, Link not quite quick enough to catch him as he went down. They carried him over and placed him beside the other casualty.

“He’s had enough excitement for one day, probably gone into shock. Get his blanket from his pack and wrap him in it. We’ll need to make some litters. You guys, come with me,” commanded Link. He led a pair of them to and from the trees to grab four study branches, which they used in conjunction with a few of their spare tunics and bedrolls to fashion makeshift stretchers.

Satisfied, Link directed, “Let’s get moving. Falder, take point and lead us back to the road. I’ll cover the rear. The rest of you take turns on the stretchers and keep your eyes peeled for more trouble.”

At his command, the group of bedraggled recruits staggered forward.

Chapter Text

Zelda’s fifth arrow in a row stuck home in the bullseye; she pumped her fist in elation with an ear-to-ear smile.

“That did not take long, highness,” nodded Buliara approvingly.

“Indeed. You hardly needed my assistance,” agreed the Rito sergeant. “Shall we try from fifty yards now?”

Zelda was about to agree when they heard a distant pop like a firework. The guardsmen atop the stockade reacted, heads turning towards the sound and flash of light in the distance. “What was that?” she shouted up to the lookouts.

“An explosion above the forest, highness!” one of them called down. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a distress signal. Couple of miles away though.”

Her blood ran cold and her jubilation vanished in an instant, “It’s Link! Buliara, rally Hoz’s riders; Sergeant, see if that wagon is ready!”

---

Sun glinted off helms and spears as the horses came to a halt before the bedraggled squad; “You guys look like shit,” grunted Captain Hoz in greeting.

“Thanks for getting the message, Captain,” smirked Link in response, but the captain merely shook his head and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Link’s gaze followed the gesture and saw the horse drawn wagon skid to stop, Zelda at the reigns. Link gave an exasperated sigh at the sight of Zelda out of the fort but couldn’t suppress a grin anyway. That’s my girl. He turned to the squad of recruits, “Gentlemen, you must be intent on using up all your luck in one day, the Princess herself is here to save us.”

“Ser Link, are you ok? Is everyone alright?” Zelda tried to keep the fear out of her question, desperately trying to keep up a professional mask in front of the men.

“We have wounded,” he replied and turned to the guardsmen currently carrying the litters. “Get them loaded and let’s get outta here. You too, Falder, get up there.”

Zelda hopped over the seat rest to kneel beside the two litters, examining both of the unconscious guardsmen.

“What are their injuries?”

“Head wound, landed on a rock, and one case of shock. He just passed out on us.”

Zelda began barking orders. “Get me some extra bed rolls immediately, we have to get them back to the infirmary.” She wrapped each of them in a blanket and rolled up another to place under their legs.

Then she noticed Falder, taking note of his blood-soaked sleeve and bandage. “You, show me your shoulder,” her tone leaving no room for argument as she began rifling through a bag of medical supplies. “Take your shirt off and lie down up here.”

“It’s fine, your highness…” he mumbled, some color flushing his cheeks at the order.

Link shot him a knowing look, “Just do what she says Guardsman, she knows what she’s doing, and she’ll just rip your shirt off if you don’t anyway.” Guardsman Falder’s blush intensified and after hesitating he gingerly pulled the rest of his shirt off, wincing through the movement.

Zelda ignored Link’s snark and Falder’s embarrassment, assessing him with the demeanor of a practiced doctor; “You need to lie down immediately, I don’t care how tough you think you are, you’ve lost blood. I don’t have any goose feathers in this bag, so I can’t get the arrow out here, so unfortunately, it’ll have to wait until we get you back.” She paused, sniffing the wound, “It doesn’t appear to be poisoned, especially if you’ve made it this far under your own power, but we must hurry to minimize the risk of infection. We can’t risk taking the bandage off here, I can only add more for now. Don’t move too much if you want to give your shoulder the best chance to maintain as much range of motion as possible after it heals; every time you move the muscle you’re tearing up more tissue.” She set about immobilizing the arrow shaft and wrapping fresh bandages atop the old to further slow the bleeding, then used his shirt to tie his arm to his side, immobilizing it against his torso. “How does that feel?”

Falder, still blushing, replied meekly, “It still hurts, but a lot less now that it’s not moving. Thank you, your highness, you didn’t need to dirty yourself over me…”

“Guardsman, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to patch up Ser Link in the field. I’ve seen him in much worse shape than you are. I’m not as dainty about this sort of thing as I may appear.”

Link gave a small shudder at the memory she was alluding to, hoping neither of them noticed. When she’d finished getting the injured situated so as to not get too jostled by the wagon motions, Link gave a nod to Hoz, who gave the order to move out. The riders formed tight around the wagon while Link and the remaining ambulatory recruits followed up behind. Watching Zelda kneeling beside the injured men, he caught her eye and gave her a small smile, hoping she could see the pride he felt for her through his eyes.

---

Lookout Landing was abuzz at their return. Hoz’s riders broke off toward the expanded stable at the main gate while the wagon rolled to a stop in front of the shelter entrance.

Jerrin met them, shouting for some guardsmen to help carry the injured off the wagon to the aid tent. “What are we dealing with?” she asked as they followed the stretchers into the tent.

Zelda began rattling off her triage notes; “Most severe: One head wound, concussion and laceration, hopefully not a crack in his skull. Hit it on a rock. Hasn’t been conscious since he was injured.”

“Ouch. Hopefully we get him to come around without brain damage.”

“Needs immediate treatment: Arrow to the left shoulder. I was able to stabilize the wound and the arrow, but it needs to come out immediately if we’re to save the arm from infection and sepsis. It’s been in him over an hour now and he was ambulatory with it.”

“Anything else?”

“Low severity, one case of shock. Extreme mental and emotional fatigue coupled with physical exhaustion. He’s likely dehydrated. We’ll have to monitor his temperature and get fluids in him as quickly as he’ll tolerate them.”

“I’ll take them from here, Princess.” Turning to Falder she cooed, “Come on big fella, let’s see about getting that arrow out.”

“Thank you, Jerrin. Let me know if you need my help.”

Jerrin simply smiled and winked at her, “Go see to your man, some fairy tonics will set these guys right soon enough.”

Link was still outside. He addressed the remainder of the squad before turning them back over to their instructors; “Everyone get some food and some rest, you’ve earned it. Sergeants, these recruits have been through the wringer this morning. Give them the rest of the day to recover, I’ll try to come find you all again later to see how everyone’s recovering.”

Purah bounded over from her lab, Buliara and Atmus in tow. “You sure know how to get everyone all spun up, Linky. That’s twice in two days!”

Link let out a sigh, “Thrice in three; you’re forgetting Hateno. We need another vacation already.” He cut off the next wave of questions before they could be asked; “I’ll tell you all about it if you get me lunch.”

Zelda gave him a look and took him by the hand “Come on hero, let’s get you washed up first.” She shot a glance and a nod to Purah, who caught the hint, and led Link away from the others to the well in the corner. A trough of circulating water was being refilled from within the well from a bucket elevator. When they were out of earshot of the others she put a hand to his cheek, “Are you really all right? You have that look like you’re holding something back.”

Link paused before turning away to splash water over his face and head. Bracing himself over the edge of the trough with outstretched arms to let the water drip off himself, he took a deep steadying breath and looked back at Zelda, “I almost got them all killed. There were more Yiga than I bargained for in the woods; we’re sorely underestimating them.” Zelda put her hand over his, and he took it to give it a tight squeeze, the feel of her skin grounding him. “Thank you for coming for us. I was a little worried at that distance no one would see.”

“I could somehow feel it was you. You know you really need to stop scaring me like that.”

“And I wish you’d have waited here and let Hoz handle it, but I know better than to expect you to stay behind. Scares the hell out of me every time you rush into danger-“ he held up a hand as she began to protest and smiled at her, “-And yes I know saying that makes me worse than a hypocrite.”

“At least you admit it. You’re lucky I love you anyway. I bet you’re starving, aren’t you?”

He gave her a peck on the cheek in response as he wrung some more water out of his hair, redoing a sloppy pony tail with his blue hair tie as he did so. “Thank you, my princess. And is that ever even a question?”

She took his hand again and lead him along the path back to the lab. When they ascended the steps to the terrace Link was greeted with a picnic spread out on the table for them.

Purah was waiting with the others, “Eat up Linky, and let me show you what I made!” She flourished the Purah Pad at him, “Check it! I finished my modifications. I call it the ‘Purah Scope’. The camera function now detects infrared and projects it to you as a color-gradient scaled image.”

Link gave her his trademark You know damn well I don’t know what any of that means, right? look as he munched on his first sandwich.

Zelda jumped in, gushing excitedly “It means it can detect differences in infrared! Different materials have different rates of emissivity and reflectivity! There are so many practical applications for this!”

Link swallowed and redirected his deadpan stare from Purah to Zelda. “I’m excited that you’re excited, Princess, but can I get that in Hylian, please?”

Purah rolled her eyes, “Hot things red, cold things blue, everything in between along a rainbow color scale,” she explained exasperatedly. “Look-“ she shoved the pad in front of Link’s nose with the camera lens pointed at her. On the screen where Purah’s face should have been was a white and red head-shaped blob, her hair was a halo of red-orange, and the background sky was an icy blue.

His eyebrows raised in surprise as he took it from her and pointed it in different directions. The stockade walls were yellow at the tops where the sun was beating down on them, turning green towards the middle, and blue where they were shaded and where they were planted in the ground. The Hylians and Gerudo milling about in the courtyard were red shaped splotches, only identifiable by race based on their distinctive outlines. The Rito showed significantly ‘cooler’, their feathers insulating their body heat, while the Zora were distinctly ‘cold’, but with odd bright spots.

Zelda was looking at the screen over his shoulder, “Oh look at the Zora! Their bodies are cool because their body temperatures are so much lower than the others, but whenever one steps into the sunlight their metal armor reflects the sun. In fact, look at everyone wearing armor or holding a weapon- the metal is either already hotter than the ambient air or is reflective!”

“Precisely, Princess. Not only does this show differences in temperature, but it can help you spot non-natural materials at a distance,” finished Purah.

Link’s eyes widened in understanding as the implications and applications dawned on him, “This would have come in so much handy earlier. Probably could have seen the Yiga without them ever knowing I could see them.”

“That's right! He can be taught!” exclaimed Purah triumphantly. “This is the part where you tell me how amazing I am.”

“Well done, Purah! I must know how you did it! Was it a change in the display’s software algorithm or did you have to make changes to the camera’s optical sensor?” chattered Zelda before realizing everyone else was hopelessly lost and starting to look left out. “Sorry…how about you show me later?” she smiled sheepishly.

“I promise I’ll show you, Princess. Now Link, what escapades from your latest daring-do? We're dying to know,” she gestured to the others just as Link returned his attention to the pile of sandwiches. He held up a finger signaling to wait, having crammed another whole one into his mouth.

Zelda filled them in as he chewed and swallowed, “When Captain Hoz and I arrived we found Link with three injured guardsmen. Guardsman Falder informed me on the ride back they were ambushed in the forest and were separated from the rest of the recruits, who were under attack by a Yiga Blademaster.”

Link, having swallowed his third sandwich, nodded in agreement. “I’d left the squad to catch their breath while I went looking around. Falder, Ashton, and myself were in the woods when they kicked off their ambush. I couldn’t give you a guess as to how many there were, but based on the volume of fire I’d say at least half a dozen. Falder and I got back to the rest of the squad just in time, he helped me drive off the Blademaster before he could kill any of the other recruits. When he fled I managed to shoot one of the Yiga and ran back in to find Ashton, who I caught up with just in time to watch him nail the wounded Blademaster to a tree with his own sword. Woulda never believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes.”

“He appeared completely uninjured when I examined him. What caused him to feint?” asked Zelda.

Link shrugged, answering before chomping into an apple, “I think he was overwhelmed by the fact he’d just killed a man for the first time. When we regrouped with the others he just folded up like a sheet of paper. He didn’t wake up on the ride home?”

“No. You did make him do quite a bit of running, and the two of us put him through a not insignificant amount of emotional trauma before you left.”

“A half a dozen Yiga led by a Blademaster is most certainly not a mere scouting party, Ser Link,” interjected Atmus. “Have you ever encountered that many at once before?”

Link had to pause and think, “Now that you mention it, no. The most I ever fought outside of their own hideout was three, plus Kohga, until we got attacked in Hateno. That was seven.”

Atmus paused to digest this new data, “Then I would assess they were planning that ambush for some time. It seems their tactics have grown more complex. I predict their willingness to accept the higher risk of an increased operations tempo, and therefore more potential losses, stems from an increase in recruiting, resources, training, leadership, morale, or a combination of these,” he rattled off analytically.

“Well, it almost paid off this time. They probably liked their chances against recruits, and in a way, having them with me was more a hindrance than anything.”

“It may very well have been a factor in their decision to attack you at all. The Yiga have had as much opportunity to study and observe you as well, Ser Link,” injected Buliara. “I mean no disrespect, but you have many weaknesses which can be exploited by a cunning foe.”

Heads nodded in affirmation all around the table. Link winced. Ouch, tell me how you really feel why dontcha?

“Your weaknesses certainly aren’t martial-” added Zelda, only slightly soothing his ego before continuing to tear it down anyway. “-but your habits, personality, and sense of honor can be twisted against you. They have already tried to do so on multiple occasions, have they not? You are quite predictable in that you're always trying to save everyone.”

Et tu, Brute? “Why does this suddenly feel like an intervention?”

“Well, I guess kind of, Linky, but it’s because we care about you.”

He suppressed the urge to let fly with several sharp replies and smart-ass remarks. Instead, he opted to eat another sandwich, hoping the act of filling his mouth would prevent something he’d regret from falling out instead. Food. Focus on food. Food is good. Swallowing, he decided one sandwich wasn’t enough time, so he stuffed another one in his cheeks, awkward silence and stares be damned. He fixed his eyes on a particularly fascinating knot in the table’s wooden top as he chewed. They trust me enough to be honest with me, he decided. How would a good leader react to honest feedback? He suddenly felt Zelda’s hand squeeze his thigh reassuringly under the table. And Zelda is more worried about me than critical. How would my father have reacted to my mother being worried about him? The memory of his parents, and the follow-on thought of possibly disappointing his parents, caused him to involuntarily droop his head.

He washed down the food with a swig from his cup. “You’re right,” he croaked, before pausing to think a bit more. If they can be honest with me then I can be honest with myself. “I’m so used to having to worry only about myself in a fight I’d forgotten how to lead and account for a whole group. When it’s just me, it’s easier because I’m not worried about the collateral damage, and I don’t need to worry about anyone else getting picked off. I can fight with every dirty trick I know, fire, ice, lightning, explosives…I only have to react to things being shot at me directly and not about where any of my own missed shots go. It’s different being part of a team again. I have to relearn that.”

“You need to trust in others’ abilities as much as your own,” confirmed Zelda.

“Exactly. And I think I know just the thing. Atmus? Would you say there’s probably another Yiga ambush waiting for me on the east side of the Greenbelt?”

“Most likely, Ser Link.”

Link smiled, turning to Captain Hoz, “If your cavalry troop has another sortie in them, let’s move in force and make a sweep to flush them out of there.”

“It would be my pleasure to demonstrate the prowess of Hyrule’s First Squadron of cavalry, Ser Link.”

Zelda looked to Link with a stern look and raised eyebrow, “Ser Link, perhaps we let the Captain handle this in your stead? He and his men are experienced enough and are surely more than capable.”

Link’s train of thought stopped dead in its tracks. Whoa now, what? He looked to her first in confusion, then with suspicion. Clever girl! She doesn’t want me to go, and now I can’t say ‘no’ without cutting his legs out from under him.

He gave her a knowing look, I know what you’re trying to tell me; “How about a compromise? I go along as a scout so we can field test the Purah Scope. Should give Captain Hoz an unfair advantage so we can ambush the ambushers.”

She returned his look with a smirk. Well-played, hero.

---

Less than an hour later Link and Hoz were prone in the tall grass a few hundred yards from the tree line surrounding the Mabe Village ruins. They had left via the west gate, then doubled back through Castle Town, leaving Hoz’s squadron behind the knoll of Mabe Prairie while they crept forward to reconnoiter. They were looking through the Purah Scope, scanning the tree line.

“There…and there…and there. And one more over there,” whispered Link as he pointed to the screen. Four red silhouettes gave away crouched figures, facing west, within cooler tree-trunk outlines. “See how the body heat is showing through the tree disguise? And even the tree’s a different color from the rest of the woods. Used to be easy to tell which were Yiga because they always dressed as birch trees with yellow leaves, no matter the season. This disguise is certainly an upgrade.”

“I’ll try to recover one for Atmus. He’ll be keen to study one.”

Link grunted in acknowledgment. “I only count four-” he swept the Pad once more over the forest. “Might be more, but they could be blocked by some of the real trees.”

“I think knowing the location of the bulk of them will leave any others vulnerable. Best we strike before they get any warning of what happened earlier on the west side or that we sallied out again. With your leave, Ser?”

“Get after it,” nodded Link. “I’ll watch the fireworks from the hill. Signal me if you need me.”

A few minutes later from his vantage point atop the knoll, Link observed Hoz in command. With his riders huddled around him, the captain organized the strike. He created a sand-table representing a crude outline of the terrain and forest in the dirt with twigs and sticks, and marked the location of the Yiga with small pebbles.

Satisfied with the model, he addressed them, “Remember, cavalry are at a disadvantage in forest. We’re counting on shock to catch them unawares. If you get separated from the squad, break for the fallback point here. Do NOT stop moving, and do NOT get sucked into single combat- these are skilled Yiga assassins, not red or blue Bokoblins. We’re strong in force, not as individuals. If they hit us with unexpected numbers, get OUT of the kill zone. Here’s the plan of attack…” He drew a line that split into two, representing the axes of a pincer attack. He stopped speaking again, and Link could see he was giving his troopers a chance to provide input and ask questions. When the conversation ceased they broke their huddle and mounted up.

Once back in their saddles, Hoz drew his bow and readied a handful of fire arrows. He spurred his mount forward, leading the formation over the ridge of the hill. When they’d formed in a wedge formation he urging his steed into a full gallop, breaking into a charge with Hoz at the tip of the spear. Link tried to take another look at their target through the Purah Scope, but at this distance he could no longer discern the Yiga. Within seconds it no longer mattered, as Hoz let fly with his bow once, twice, three times, setting the Yiga’s ‘trees’ ablaze. The formation split into two prongs to bracket the Yiga as the horsemen plunged into the tree line, spears lowered to strike. Link switched to the camera and focused it to maximum zoom just in time to witness several puffs of smoke explode at the Yiga positions; they weren’t even standing their ground to fight, so complete was the surprise. The attack was over nearly as quickly as it began, and minutes later Link was greeting the captain again at the edge of the tree line. Hoz was crouched over a figure in red, a smoldering arrow sticking out of its chest.

“We counted five Yiga fleeing with their magic. This one I killed in my opening salvo,” reported Hoz.

“An outstanding plan well executed! You scared them so badly they didn’t even consider fighting, and the use of fire arrows to mark targets was an inspired choice.”

“Not my idea, sir,” replied Hoz, gesturing to one of his troopers. “He requested I mark targets, as they didn’t get to see what you and I saw.”

“You have a sharp team, Captain.” praised Link, loudly enough for them all to hear. He turned to the rest of the riders and shouted “Damn fine work, First Squadron!”

“Death before dismount!” they shouted proudly in return and saluted in unison.

Chapter Text

As they approached Lookout Landing from Castle Town, Link could see a hulking orange silhouette on the terrace.

“Yunobo!” he called cheerfully once they were within hailing distance.

The Goron turned in surprise, “Oh, hiya Link! Good to see you!”

“Hullo!” hailed another voice. Link recognized it as Hudson’s just before seeing the contractor poke his head out from behind Yunobo’s bulk to look. The awkward angle gave the illusion that his mushroom-shaped head was indeed sprouting from the Goron’s back like a fungus.

Link smiled up at them, replying “I’ll be right up!” He rode with Hoz to the stables, dismounting and exchanging more handshakes and slaps on the back with the troopers before jogging up to meet the others. Yunobo and Hudson were chatting with Zelda, Purah, and Buliara when he arrived. It was only once he approached the group that he noticed an unexpected third visitor standing in the circle.

“Bazz!” exclaimed Link excitedly at the sight of his childhood friend. “You son of a bitch!” He closed the distance between them to exchange an uncesserily aggressive handshake with the Zora. “What are you doing here?! King Sidon finally kicked you off your cushy guard duty gig?”

The ashen-colored responded with a weak smile, “Hey easy now, I’m helping these two with their assessment at the castle. I was surveying the moat and rivers.” He jerked his thumb in the other’s direction with a smirk, “Those two can’t swim.”

Zelda waited patiently for them to finish greeting before finally asking “How did it go, Link?” The tension she’d felt from letting Link out of her sight for the second time in a day visibly dissipating from her shoulders.

Link gave her a reassuring smile, “You were right, Hoz didn’t need me. He has his cavalry drills dialed in.”

“Did you find the Yiga?” asked Buliara.

Link gave a nod, “You can report one more dead Yiga out of an ambush force of six, just like Atmus predicted. The Purah Scope worked as advertised, and Hoz hit them so hard and fast they broke and ran without a fight. You need to make a couple more for the rest of the captains.”

“My genius proves invaluable again! That ought to give them something to chew on for a while,” beamed Purah. “Should buy us some peace for a few days.”

“They’re gonna have to use a slide rule to figure out how we were able to ambush them,” chuckled Link. “I’m sure they’ll have new scouts back in place shortly, but they’re gonna have to wake up pretty early in the morning if they want to pull one over on us again.”

Yunobo looked at Link awestruck, “Wow. What have you all gotten into today?”

“It’s a long story, and it’s already been a long day, my friend,” answered Zelda. “Now, you said you’ve finished surveying the castle? What is your assessment?”

The Goron took a sudden violent interest in his feet. Looking at the ground nervously he finally responded, “Oh it’s not good, Princess, not good at all. We should probably go talk somewhere more private...”

They all shuffled inside Purah’s lab, with Yunobo rolling into a ball to minimize his size and Link and Bazz shouldering him through the too-narrow door frame.

“I’m sorry we don’t have any good news, your highness,” confirmed Hudson, gravely. “Near as we can tell, nothing is holding the castle up except the thin spire of rock, and we’re not sure how it’s managing even that.”

“We spent a day down in the depths taking measurements and rock samples. It’s a mix of granite bedrock and Zonai materials from the Castle’s original foundation. Some residual Zonai power is the only explanation I can think of why it hasn’t fallen over yet,” continued Yunobo. He exchanged a nervous glance with Link.

“Hmm…” Purah began to ponder. “So it may have been Gannon’s power holding it all together. There was no sign of instability until after the gloom dissipated. If what you two are saying is true, without that magic supporting the spire it’s just mostly ordinary rock now.”

Zelda slumped into a chair, “By the Goddesses…”

“How much time do we have?” pressed Link.

“There’s no telling,” replied Hudson. “Each time something shifts or moves it could be the Big One.”

“What happens if it comes down? Is there a chance we can bring it down at a time and place of our choosing?” asked Zelda, the anxiety in her voice rising.

The two hesitated before Hudson continued, “That’s where this gets worse. We can’t do a controlled demolition because of how unstable and non-uniform that rock spire is. Even Goron engineers can’t be sure they would get it right. What’s more, the sheer force of that much mass slamming into the earth would level Castle Town and probably Lookout Landing with the shockwave alone, and that’s assuming it falls straight down into the hole it rose out of, which can’t be guaranteed. It would effectively be a castle-sized bomb going off right in the middle of Hyrule.”

Bazz finally spoke up, “And since Yunobo and Hudson’s engineers can’t control where it would fall, there is a high probability the castle tips over instead of drops, and there’s more bad news there too.”

“This gets worse?!” Purah’s exclamation was practically a scream.

“Yes,” continued Bazz. “Three of four directions the castle could fall in would result in it landing in one of the waterways, potentially smashing a hole into the rim of the Castle’s chasm to the depths. Almost the entire watershed of the Regencia River could flow into the depths via the moat, or the rubble would dam up the river, cutting off one of the major tributaries of the Hylia River. Water levels downstream would drop dramatically, especially impacting Lake Hylia.”

“And the fourth direction annihilates Castle Town for good, and this Fort for good measure,” added Hudson somberly.

The gathering stared at each other in silence as the gravity of the situation sank in.

Zelda broke the silence, speaking to no one in particular, “It would be an unmitigated ecological disaster. Most of the nascent agriculture of central Hyrule could fail if we lost that vital source of irrigation. We might lose entire stretches of habitat and wildlife near the river in several places. There would be massive fish die-offs. Hylia only knows what would happen to the depths with that volume of water pouring into them…” she looked on the verge of tears. “So much of the Kingdom would be devastated, undoing six years of reconstruction and resettlement in central Hyrule. It would take decades for us to recover from the damage...”

“Couldn’t we, I don’t know, take the Castle down in pieces? Break it off in chunks so it all falls into the Depths?” suggested Link. He was grasping at straws, but anything to keep the discussion moving towards a possible solution was better than nothing.

Hudson shot him down, “That would take more manpower than we have, and would throw it off balance as we did. Every move might be the one to finally cause it to collapse, and then you’ve got how many people up there when it does?...”

“What do you want to do, Princess?” asked Yunobo blankly, before wincing as he realized the insensitivity of the question. He was supposed to be the expert providing her options.

“I-I don’t know…we need more time to think about this. Surely there’s an answer here we’re not seeing?...”

Another pregnant silence settled on the group. Purah sat with her face in her palms, lost in thought. Yunobo frowned at his toes. Hudson shifted uneasily, looking from one person to the next. Zelda looked on with a thousand-yard stare. Through it all, Link looked worryingly at Zelda, sensing her inner turmoil and wishing he could prevent it.

“I guess that’s it then. With no idea how much time we actually have, the one thing we have to do right away-” said Purah quietly, her voice breaking the collective stupor, “-is order the evacuation of Castle Town and Lookout Landing.”

Tears streaked down Zelda’s face as her composure finally failed, causing the collective mood to plummet even more palpably. No. This isn’t happening, thought Link furiously, his own eyes beginning to burn. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder; he had to say or do something, because the heart of Hyrule’s heart was breaking before his eyes and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. This was a problem he couldn't hit with the Master Sword, couldn’t carry the burden for her, couldn’t life her through it, because there would be nowhere to carry her to that wouldn’t be affected in some way.

“We didn’t give our two lifetimes’ worth of effort only for a damn pile of rocks to break us now!” he growled.

Purah waved wildly towards the offending pile of rocks, “But we don’t have any time! If it wasn’t so sudden we could engineer some kind of solution but we’re clearly past having that luxury!”

Link huffed in concession. For all my skills and Zelda’s incredible powers, are we finally utterly helpless? The memory of one of the Light Dragon’s memories sprang to the front of his mind- Wait, her power! “Purah, we don’t need more time, we just need the time we already had back!” He turned to the Princess, “Zelda, what if instead of dropping the castle into the original 'where', we put it back to its original ‘when’, the way it always was?”

She stared at him blankly for a moment, pulling herself together while the others just looked at Link with confusion. “I don’t think I have that kind of power in me, Link,” she said, crestfallen. “The castle is MASSIVE, and I’d have to revert it to its place in time from how many months ago? It’s almost been a year since the upheaval. That would take an immense amount of power and concentration. I’m not sure-“

Link shook his head, “But we know the power of a secret stone can be lent to someone else, right? I watched you and Sonia lend Rauru your powers to defeat Ganondorf’s Molduga swarm- that had to have been a massive concentration of power. Did anyone ever try lending you their power like that?”

“I don’t know what aspect of my power would be strengthened. It's not like I can stop time any harder, perhaps I could hold an unwilling target for longer, perhaps I could influence larger objects, but-“

“What you need is to be able to affect something for a longer loop backwards,” said Purah.

Link nodded in agreement, “We've already done it once! Your ancestors lent me their power to revert you back to your pre-draconified state, undoing how many thousands of years of time? What if we can do the same through you? The ability you granted me at the Temple of Time worked on relatively small objects at short time scales, but we have all the Sages’ powers and stones at our disposal now.”

Purah jumped to her feet, “It’s so crazy it just might work, Princess! Let’s do it!”

Hudson shrugged, “What’s the worst that could come from trying?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I drop it and kill us and every living thing in a twenty-mile radius!?” snapped Zelda.

“Certainty of death; small chance of success. What are we waiting for? You’re doing a terrible job trying to talk me out of this, Zelda. This kind of desperate plan is absolutely our style,” Link gave her his best cheeky smile; it was all he could think of to help convince her.

Zelda looked around the room. There was determination on every face; desperation too, but determination. They were looking to her for leadership. Bolstered by this, her mind calmed a bit, finally allowing her to analyze with a bit more clarity.

“But we’re missing the sixth sage. Without Minaru we’re leaving sixteen-point-six-six-six, repeating of course, percent of the potential power of all the stones unused. That leaves us with the question of who else could take up her stone? There isn’t anyone else in Hyrule left who has any obvious powers except…”

All eyes turned to Link. He reciprocated the sudden attention by turning his head rapidly from one person to the next in confusion.

“What? Who, me?! No! Noooooo way! Nuh-uh! I’ve already got an ancient artifact of power, what would I possibly need more power for?”

“Link, I spent tens of thousands of years pouring my power into that blade. I still have my abilities, but there’s a good chance I’m not as strong as I once was, just like after the Calamity. I’ll need you to channel it back to me if we’re to have even a hope of accomplishing this. The stone might be the conduit that helps you do it, so the sword and the stone together are probably the key!”

Link frowned and nervously walked a lap around the map table, “If it’ll help you, I’ll do anything- you know that’s never even a question. But the thought of having that stone connected to me just feels like an abuse of power, somehow. What’s more, how do I even use it?”

“Ser Link, this was your idea,” she continued sternly. “You said we will need every ounce of power we can muster for the attempt.”

“I did.”

“And you’d probably contribute the lion’s share of it besides me.”

“That’s flattering of you to say so but don’t let Tulin hear you say that, you’ll hurt his feelings.”

“And yes, this will require a bit of training and practice with everyone. I’ll teach you everything Queen Sonia taught me.”

“Obviously.”

“And you will NOT eat it. It is NOT a candy!”

He gave an exasperated sigh; “Yes, dear.” Try and eat ONE rock roast and suddenly everyone thinks you'll eat any old rock.

“And you will teach me how to use it afterward,” interjected Purah, attempting to sneak into Zelda’s flow of demands.

They wheeled on her with a simultaneous and emphatic “NO!”

“Can’t blame a girl for tryin’,” she shrugged dejectedly, silently cursing under her breath. She’d wanted the opportunity to study it, something Zelda had uncharacteristically forbidden her from doing. After Minaru’s departure Zelda sealed the stone in the altar at the temple of time, lacking any safer alternative.

They continued to glare at her until Buliara interrupted their stare down, “It’s a plan, if perhaps desperate. This doesn’t change the immediate threat. Shall I order the evacuation?”

“Let us wait a bit longer on that. I do not want to start a general panic. Surely there is no immediate threat?...” asked Zelda, turning back to the surveyors.

“We can’t make any promises, but if it’s held this long, I suspect we’ll get some kind of warning before the situation gets too dire,” answered Hudson.

“Then make the necessary logistical preparations, but only tell the bare minimum number of people required.”

For another awkward moment, everyone looked at each other expectantly. Link broke the silence again, “I like this plan, I’m excited to be part of it! I’d be even more excited if we broke for dinner.”

This earned the general approval of the gathering and they set about making preparations.

---

Following a meal during which everyone made a pointed effort to ignore the now looming specter of the castle, Link and Zelda excused themselves for a walk around the Landing. Link steered them towards the aid tent where they found the squad of recruits huddled in a circle around their instructors. The sergeants had them at ease and were speaking to them in a manner indicating they were administering some mentoring to the young group. When they saw the pair approach, they called the squad to attention.

“Your Highness, Ser Link, what brings you here?”

“I promised I’d check on the injured and see if everyone here is still alright after what we all went through together,” answered Link. “You all look much better than earlier. I take it you’re all here for moral support too?”

There was a general murmur of assent and thanks from the group.

“Glad to see it. Have the Sergeants properly debriefed you on what to do in an ambush?” Their answer came in the form of mostly shaking heads. “OK, then let’s break it down. Today was a hard day for us, we almost got our butts kicked much worse than we did, but that doesn’t mean we can't learn from it.”

Link slipped into instruction, “I think we surprised them and they got cocky enough to try and take advantage of the fact that you’re all new recruits. They likely had us marked once we got off the main road, but if that had been a more prepared or complex ambush we’d have been overrun pretty quickly. The only way to minimize the effectiveness of a prepared ambush is to get out of the kill zone fast, something we didn’t and couldn’t do without abandoning men. You have to regain your composure fast and respond with violence of action: rally everyone together and assault through the attackers if necessary, but whichever way you go, the point is to get as much distance from the attack site as possible. The ambushers are going to keep pouring on the punishment and you’ll mount casualties fast the longer you’re stuck on the ground they prepared for you.”

“What if your escape route is just another ambush?”

“That’s why the best defense is a smart offense. If the attackers leave you an open door, it’s probably a trap like you said. If you can bring all your remaining strength to bear at a single point of the enemy’s line, you might punch through. But it’s always going to be a costly affair no matter what you do if your enemy knows what they’re doing.”

“So you’re saying we got lucky because you were there to save us?” asked someone from the group.

Link deflected the notion, “I’m saying we got lucky because that was not a well-prepared ambush, we were merely targets of opportunity. You’re also lucky Guardsman Falder kept his head and took charge.”

Sensing their attention span for the day was spent, Link gave them all one more round of thanks and excused himself.

Zelda gave him a knowing smile as they turned towards the aid tend. “Like I told you yesterday- they all look up to you.”

“I’m just glad they’re alive. And that they’re forming a strong team bond, waiting out here for their friends sake's. Going through the shit together tends to do that.”

Link held the tent flap aside to allow Zelda to enter. Jerrin greeted them with a warm smile. “So good of you to come see them,” she spoke as she led them behind a screen where the men were laid up. “These two are awake. The head injury woke up a few times but was barely lucid for long before he passed out again. He slips in and out of consciousness. He doesn’t seem to have any memory loss but he’s going to be here a while yet.”

Falder was sitting upright reading a book, a large wad of fresh gauze wrapped around his shoulder. Ashton, by contrast, was staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. He tensed up immediately upon seeing who his visitors were.

“How are you two feeling?” asked Link.

“Good sir,” replied Ashton nervously.

“Much better sir, without an arrow in my shoulder,” agreed Falder.

“I’m very glad to see it. Thanks again to both of you. Falder, you’re a natural leader. I expect you’ll be squad leader in no time. Ashton, that was a hell of a thing you accomplished today. If you need someone to talk to about it, reach out. Taking your first life is not an easy thing to do. You have a whole team of guys out there who have your back.”

Falder offered his thanks again while Ashton only managed a curt nod as the couple left. Link stopped outside the tent to whisper with one of the instructors, “As soon as Guardsman Falder is recovered, make him the team leader. Upon completion of training, make him a corporal and fast-track him for leadership duties. If he continues to show promise we could probably make an officer out of him.”

“Yes sir. What of Guardsman Ashton?”

Zelda replied, “Keep an eye on him. He’s acting very strange, and while I don’t blame him considering what happened, he was behaving very oddly. We don’t know him personally, but compared to his behavior this morning he isn’t himself.”

“Probably battle fatigue,” shrugged Link.

“If you say so, sir,” replied the Sergeant uneasily.

They excused themselves again and meandered around the inner perimeter, stopping to speak with the people they encountered. Zelda gracefully exchanged pleasantries with everyone they met while Link made lighthearted banter and jokes.

When they completed their circumnavigation Link slapped a hand to his forehead; “We completely forgot to talk to Buliara and Atmus about their plan for Ryin.”

Zelda groaned, her shoulders slumping at the thought, “Can’t that wait for tomorrow? I won’t survive another meeting, Link. If I have to make but one more decision today, I shall scream. Please, let’s just go to bed.”

Oh thank Hylia. “I’m right there with you. My capacity for social interaction is spent for the day.”

---

Twenty minutes later they were cuddled in bed. Link was idly combing his fingers through Zelda’s hair while she fidgeted with the laces on his shirt collar. He could tell she was trying to turn her thoughts into words for him and had a pretty good guess as to what it would be about. Watching her deep in thought might be one of his favorite pastimes, but watching her spend that amount of computational power on him was uncomfortable. Rather than watch her continue to struggle, he decided to chance some preemptive contrition.

“I’m sorry I took such an unnecessary risk this morning. I was stupid and rash again. Only this time I didn’t almost get myself killed; I almost got a bunch of kids killed instead. They trusted me and followed me and I let them down. Some commander I’m shaping up to be.”

Her jade eyes studied him for a long enough moment that he knew he guessed wrong and that wasn’t what was bothering her.

“Link, you already made up for it by bringing them all back alive. You’re not a failure because you’re not the type to make the same mistake twice.”

“I don’t have the luxury of getting to make those kinds of mistakes at this stage. My mistakes have permanent consequences for others now, not just me.”

“When was the last time you led anyone other than yourself in battle?”

He paused, his mind rolling back to before the Calamity. He’d been a Captain, but he’d never led his Guard force in a single battle, merely organized schedules, rotations, and training regimens. The Calamity had eliminated any chance he would get- while he and Zelda had rushed back from Mount Lanayru, the Royal Guard had all been killed in the Castle. And while he’d fought alongside the monster control teams in the past few months, he hadn’t led them.

She read his pause and hesitation for the admission it was, “Just as I suspected. You’re going to be learning alongside the guard now Link, with no one to teach you how. And that’s going to be hard for you. A standing force like this hasn’t existed since before the Calamity. We both have the same weakness in that neither of us has had to lead others without someone even more senior there for us to look to for guidance.”

The contextualization of the problem finally clicked. “Hmm, that’s right. I always had someone who I reported to no matter what, or at least someone older than me like Urbosa or Daruk who could mentor me. You always had your father, Rauru, or Sonia to guide you. Now we’re alone at the top, except for maybe Impa and Purah. And everyone else alive who has more life experience than us defers to us because of our statuses now.”

Zelda nodded sagely, “I dread the day we lose Impa for counsel. Losing Minaru was hard enough. Purah’s always been like a sister to me though, and while I rely on her more than anyone other than you, she still feels more like a peer.” She sighed and closed her eyes.

Ah, that’s what was really bothering her.

She continued, “No one’s ever looked to us for leadership, they only looked to us to fill a role. The Hero with the sword that seals the darkness. The Princess with the sealing powers. We were never in charge of anything, much less given a choice,” she paused, a look of anger crossing her face. “No one ever asked us our opinion, but the consequences of others’ decisions were all ours to bear,” she added bitterly.

I’m never forgiving her father for any of that, he reflected ruefully. But if Link had faith in anything it was in the woman in his arms, he just had to keep reminding her she was more than her title, more than what she was once seen as.

“I guess that’s why it all feels so different now. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, though, because you’re good at making people trust you. No one worships you because you’re Hylia’s descendant or because of your powers, and no one follows you because they have to. Hyrule loves you because you put in the effort and showed everyone how much you care these past six years. And that’s not counting what I know about what you were willing to give up forever to protect us all. You can’t fake that, and because of that you’ll always have people ready to help you when you need it.”

“But I didn’t live up to the expectations of a leader today. I lost my composure in front of everyone, I’m the actual Sage of Time, and I couldn’t think clearly enough to see the answer in front of my face! If it weren’t for you-”

“Please stop beating yourself up.” Because you have no idea how much it hurts me to watch you do it, “We’re only Hylian, Zelda. You get to make mistakes too. At least it was in front of friends who understand what we’ve been through.”

“You’re right, I know,” she took a steadying breath. “Replacing self-depreciation with self-affirmation is hard, even after all these years. Thank you for not letting me give in to despair.”

“Old habits die hard,” Fuck you again, Rhoam. “But you’re not at all like the angsty teenage girl I used to have to chase across the whole damn kingdom anymore,” he smirked. “And I have to thank you for rescuing me again, and then for keeping me honest by relying on Hoz.”

She reached a hand behind the nape of his neck to pull him close and pecked him on the lips. “You know, you're not the same teenage boy who followed me around faking stoicism anymore either,” she ginned.

“It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.”

“We’re growing, and getting better all the time.”

“Mhmm, in more ways than one,” he hummed, nuzzling into her neck. He started trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

She let out a contented sigh. “Link, don’t start anything you can’t finish here…”

“I’m not startin’ nuthin’,” he muttered cheekily against her skin. “But if you wanna, I know a ton of places we could slip off to and no one’d find us…”

“Not now, hero,” she purred in response, giving him a deep kiss.

 “I’m getting mixed messages here…”

“I promise I’ll make the wait worth your while.”

“Ffffffine,” he huffed.

“Would you two either just do it already, or shut the hell up! GODDESSES!” called Purah through the floorboards.

Zelda giggled as she kissed him again.

Chapter Text

Link woke up an hour before sunrise to prepare for their trip to the Temple of Time. Extricating himself from under Zelda’s arm without waking her, he slipped downstairs past Purah’s room without disturbing the Sheikah either. Slapping together a quick breakfast of rice porridge with dried fruit and honey, and a few snacks for the road, he returned to their room, balancing a pair of bowls and teacups on a tray with one hand. The morning sky was just starting to take on color as Link set the tray on the nightstand and gently wafted the smell towards Zelda’s face.

“Rise and shine, Princess,” he whispered in her ear. “We should try to get an early start.”

Zelda grabbed his pillow and covered her head with it. “Juz five more minutes,” she mumbled, face down into her pillow.

“You ok?” he asked, a bit concerned. Waking before she did was borne from years of habit, but it was a rare occurrence when the Princess wouldn’t pull herself off the sheets to greet a new day with excitement and enthusiasm.

“I didn’t sleep well. Dreading that cursed castle, I suppose,” came her muffled reply.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Link replied with a smooch to the back of her exposed hand for emphasis. “Look, I brought you tea and porridge. Packed us a lunch in case we need it too.”

Zelda uncovered her head, revealing a mess of blonde bed-head, and sniffed eagerly, “You spoil me. Thank you, love…how did you get that up here?”

“Carefully,” he deadpanned. “I’m sure you’ll change your tune when I let Paya get you in her clutches again.”

She pouted and flashed him her best doe-eyed look from behind her teacup, “You wouldn’t let that happen to your princess, would you?”

Oof! The puppy eyes! He kissed her forehead and said, “You make a persuasive argument, but it’ll be for your own good.” In response, she gave him a good-natured jab in the ribs with her spoon. He chuckled and blew into his porridge before taking a tentative slurp.

“The Sages should be here by today, I would think. I’m surprised Tulin hasn’t made it already,” mused Zelda between spoonfulls.

“Mhmm,” grunted Link, already cleaning out his bowl. “I’m hoping we’re back early enough to greet them.”

They finished their meal, got dressed, and slid down the ladder. Link snuck a bowl of hot porridge and a note up to Purah’s room before they left:

Went to the Temple of Time, be back by lunch!

                                           – Z+L

---

They materialized with Zelda’s arms around Link’s neck at the Ukouh Shrine and began the awkward climb down to the foot of the Temple staircase. Link had stacked boards, fashioned ladders, and piled rocks and debris to fill the gaps in the steps making it a bit easier to get to the Temple entrance, but it made everything look a bit like a disorganized construction site. When they arrived at the entryway Zelda manipulated the revolving platforms to allow access to the central chamber. With each step towards their destination Link’s trepidation grew.

“You still sure it has to be me?...” he wondered aloud.

Now it was Zelda’s turn to reassure him, “Your idea, and you promised. Not to mention it’s only fitting for it to be you.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly, a gesture he returned instinctively.

They navigated the long gangway over empty space hand-in-hand, the inconvenient gaps having been bridged with boards and long scaffold plates, and arrived before the small altar. The sun had finally risen, bathing them in a warm light which helped offset some of the chill at high-altitude.

Zelda stopped in front of the altar and placed her hand on it. With a tiny spark of her light power, the stone slab comprising the top of the altar slipped askew revealing an open cavity containing a small mahogany box. She pulled it out and returned the slab to its original position, setting the box atop it and undoing the small latch.

“Here it is, Link,” she pushed it toward him and looked at him expectantly.

Link hesitated.

“How do I…take it? Will it bind to me without Minaru here to transfer it like all the other Sages did?”

“When I picked up Rauru’s stone under the Castle it reacted to my touch without any outside influence. You should only have to pick it up.”

“Ok, here goes…” Hold on to your butts...

He held his breath as he opened the box and picked up the pale blue stone.

Link held the stone in the palm of his hand to examine it. For a brief instant, he hoped nothing would happen, but a sudden pulse of light from the stone quickly dispelled that notion. Glowing brightly, it rose off his palm, slowly changing hue from Minaru’s pale blue to the electric green color of Zonai energy sources. With a sudden twitch, it flicked over his shoulder faster than he could react and affixed itself onto the pommel of the Master Sword at his back.

He reached over his shoulder to grasp the hilt and slowly drew the sword, its steel emanating turquoise light. Green glowing runes began to appear along the flat of the blade, as though an invisible hand were tracing them out. He turned it point-down to examine where the stone was now affixed to the pommel.

Wide-eyed, they stared at it for a long moment before Zelda broke the pause, “Well? How do you feel?”

Link paused, “I…don’t know. I don’t think I feel any different…” he stared at the stone a bit longer, reaching out to touch it with his free hand. “I don’t feel different, but the sword sure does. It’s practically quivering with energy.”

Punctuating his assessment, the sword flashed rapidly three times.

“It’s trying to tell me something...” he closed his eyes to concentrate. The sword pulsed again.

“What is it saying?”

“It’s not so much ‘saying’ as it is a feeling. It feels like…” he paused, searching for the right words, “Confidence, mixed with…determination?”

“Confidence?”

“Yeah, like, it’s actually starting to feel pretty good. Like, I’m not scared at all anymore,” he didn’t notice the quirk of a smile forming involuntarily at the corner of his mouth. “Like it wants me to feel kinda invincible.”

She reached a tentative hand towards the hilt, “May I?” He nodded and Zelda put her hand over Link’s.

 “Oh!” she gasped at the touch, “I think I feel it too! Like it wants me to have a really positive attitude about this!”

“So…what does this make me the Sage of?” he wondered aloud, now sporting a lopsided grin.

Zelda met his eyes with a warm smile and without hesitating answered: “Courage.”

“Huh, not Spirit? It was Minaru’s stone after all.”

“Well, remember the stones amplify the person’s powers, they don’t provide them, meaning whatever it is you’re already capable of is what you are.”

“But courage isn’t exactly a power I possess. My ability to dilate time, sure, but not courage.”

“True, but remember I have light and time powers, what’s to say it won’t have an effect on more than one for you as well? You are Hylia’s chosen Hero, and the Hero has always been a champion of Farore. And you are courageous to the point of overconfidence at times. Perhaps there is another power in you the stone will awaken?”

“That could come in handy if I had a clue what it might be. Sounds like we need to experiment a little,” he said, still turning the sword in his hand to inspect the changes from every angle.

Zelda reacted with a radiant smile, bobbing excitedly on the balls of her feet, “Let’s get back to the Lab and show Purah!”

Link hesitated, “If it’s all the same to you, and with no offense intended to Purah, I’d rather it just be you and me first. It just feels right, and I feel more comfortable with you poking and prodding me than her.”

She beamed at him, “Of course. Seems only fitting we share another ‘first time’ with each other.”

“Let’s head back out to the lawn out front. We’ll have more room to mess around there, and maybe we can find something still wandering around for target practice.”

Sheathing the sword, he took her hand and led the way back out of the temple and down the long staircase, pausing to provide a gentlemanly assist down some of the broken sections. When they came to a copse of trees, Link turned to Zelda expectantly.

“What do you think we should start with?”

“I think we should see if you can reach for any new power. Can you feel anything that wasn’t there before?”

Link took a breath and concentrated, opening his senses to everything around him. He could feel the cool breeze in his hair, hear the sound of the birds building a nest in the tree above him, and see the sunshine illuminating Zelda’s blonde hair like a halo. After a moment he noticed something new, a sensation that escaped immediate definition, yet still felt familiar.

“There’s a new something... It feels a lot like the magic I felt when I still had Rauru’s arm.”

“That certainly sounds like a starting point. Go on, reach for it!”

Link focused on it, holding his hand tentatively in front of him, wondering if anything would come shooting out of his palm. But he could sense it wasn’t going to do anything on its own, as though it needed to be channeled through something.

“Hang on, I think I know what it is, but I need to try something. Stand back.”

He focused on the power again, but this time drew the sword from its scabbard. The blade pulsed as he tensed his muscles and launched himself into a sprint towards the nearest tree. Just before crashing into it, he launched himself into a jump and reached for his power before kicking himself off the tree trunk into a backflip. Reality seemingly came to a standstill around him, confirming his suspicion of what he was feeling. He lunged at the tree, making nearly a dozen cuts and slashes before rounding on another tree several yards away and doing the same, and then another. He released his focus, stopping the effect, and looked expectantly at Zelda.

“How was that?” he asked, panting a little from the exertion.

It took her a moment to process what she’d just seen. She looked from where he’d started to where from her perspective he’d seemingly teleported to. The leaves and bits of bark were still fluttering to the ground, “I lost sight of you after you back-flipped off the tree- one second you were airborne and the next you’re standing right there. It was nearly instantaneous!”

“Really? Yeah, that felt a lot more powerful than normal, and like I had a lot more control over how long I could focus on it.”

“I suppose that negates my second hypothesis about amplifying multiple powers,” she said, walking back to him. “Are you sure there isn’t any more of the feeling we had when it first attuned to you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel any more or less confident than I used to. Maybe I’m just a plain old Time Sage like you?” he smirked at her.

“The position for Sage of Time has already been filled thankyouverymuch,” she quipped.

“What if I’m a better candidate?” he grinned, leaning in cheekily to steal a kiss.

She flicked his nose, stopping his advance in its tracks, “Fat chance. It does make me wonder though; why we are both so attuned to manipulate time, yet neither of us can seem to do exactly what the other can do?”

Link shrugged and draped his arms over her shoulders, “Hylia works in mysterious ways? I kinda like how that makes us bound to each other in one more weird aspect.”

“Mhmm, that it does,” she smiled in return, finally relenting and pecking him on the cheek. “Now let me teach you to lend your power.”

“Want to go find something live for you to practice on?”

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary. I know what it feels like so I’ll be able to tell you when you get it right. But first, let me show you what it feels like to be on the receiving end.”

“I remember what it felt like when Rauru and Sonia helped me restore you, but I have a fun idea I’d like to try. Let’s go over to the pond.”

Link led Zelda to the edge of the water and paced up and down the bank for a minute before he found what he was looking for; a school of Ancient Arowana. Quickly stripping off his shirt and pants he hopped onto a platform of stone hanging over the edge of the pond and poised himself to dive off. He nodded at Zelda, “Ok, hit me!”

“Alright, here it comes,” Zelda held out her hand and focused on Link. Feeling the sudden influx of power, he straightened and stiffened with a jolt, the effect causing him to practically vibrate with excess energy.

“Whoa! That’s not at all like what Rauru and Sonia did to me!” he exclaimed.

“Ooo that’s an important new piece of information! Well, alright then get on with it! I know you’re about to show off so let’s see it,” she encouraged.

Link vaulted himself into the water with a somersault, focusing as he did so. He hit the water and dove under the school of fish, which from his perspective were now standing still. He snatched one after the other in quick succession and kicked himself out of the water, breaking the surface with each hand holding three fish bunched by their tails over his head. Dropping the effect, he returned to normal smiling triumphantly at Zelda, who gave him a polite golf clap.

“Bravo! Ooo, are those Arowana? Those must be especially rare indeed, a population indigenous to the sky islands- no, this pond on this sky island!”

“They make a great meunière,” he replied as though her discovery was secondary to the fact. “Want me to fry some up?”

“No!” she said, aghast at the implication he may have already eaten such a rare specimen. “Honestly! Always thinking with your stomach. Please put them back, they’re too precious to eat and I’d like to study them sometime.”

Before he could make a counter-argument about how delicately flakey and delicious they would be in butter, one of the fish slipped his grasp. Floundering through the air, its tail slapped him in the face on its way back into the pond, causing him to lose his grip on the rest. The whole brace of fish cascaded back to freedom, splashing him with more water for good measure. 

“Serves you right for threatening to eat them!” laughed Zelda. Link splashed water at her indignantly in response. He clambered back out of the water and began wringing his hair out as she continued to giggle at him.

“Laugh it up, your worshipfulness,” he said with a smile. “Ok, so that’s what more power feels like from you. I think the duration of the transfer is dependent on the donor’s ability to concentrate, right? Can you do anything else while you’re focusing?”

“No, not really. It takes a lot of focus to project.”

“Hmm, that means you’re vulnerable while you’re doing it,” he realized as he stepped back into his pants. “How long of a range do you think the effect has? Maybe we can mitigate that risk with distance?”

Zelda pondered for a moment, “I’m not sure. Let’s test it!”

Link’s head popped out of the top of his tunic and he tied up his soggy ponytail, “A simple straight-line test should give us an idea.”

Zelda nodded in agreement as her hand began glowing again, “Ready, then? On your mark, get set, go!”

Link chose a tree off in the distance and launched himself into a sprint. Concentrating on the tree as he ran, he noticed the birds and butterflies around him standing still. At one hundred yards he could feel the additional power from Zelda begin to wane, and by the time he got to the tree he could barely feel her influence anymore. He skidded to a halt, panting hard to catch his breath, and looked back. He must have covered some two hundred yards in record time, but it had drained his stamina considerably. I could probably get in a couple of slashes under the sword’s enhanced power at the end of that dash, but I’d really have to make it count.

“Are you ok?!” called Zelda from off in the distance.

He gave her a thumbs-up in response to let her know he was alright. A few moments later she jogged up beside him.

“What did you feel?” she quizzed.

“It’s effective out to about a hundred yards or so, after that, it was mostly me. And now I’m pooped, that took a lot of effort on my part too.”

“So definitely a short-range effect. I wonder if the effect is linear, exponential, or logarithmically proportional to distance…”

“Couldn’t tell ya, mainly because I don’t know what two of those words even mean,” his comment was rewarded with an excited explanation and a dozen or so more open-ended questions she wanted to test.

“How about I try you now?” he interrupted before she got any ideas about making him sprint again.

“Oh, yes, that was the objective of today’s exercise, wasn’t it?”

“What’s the trick?”

“You have to focus on your secret stone. When you tap into its energy, call on your power and focus on your recipient, but instead of using your power, allow it to pass through you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense but I’ll give it a shot.”

“It will once you explore the sensations a bit, I’m sure you’ll get it.”

Link shrugged uncertainly and drew the master sword, holding it across his chest. He shut his eyes and felt for the power again. The stone on the pommel began to glow, and the sensation of time slowing down draped around him. He opened his eyes and saw Zelda and his surroundings frozen in time again.

Whoops, he thought, releasing his concentration.

“Did you feel anything?” he asked.

“Feel what?”

“Guess that’s a ‘no’,” he frowned.

“Try again,” she encouraged.

He made another attempt but only managed to stop time around himself again. Weird. It’s like it only wants to be used, not shared. Again he grasped for the power and thought about the stone, and again nothing. He experimented with focusing on Zelda first but only managed to do what he’d already been doing yet again. Growing progressively more annoyed with himself, he found his failures were simply compounding his inability to focus properly. Several more failed attempts left him with a frustrated scowl on his face.

Noticing his internal struggle, Zelda put her hand on his to bid him to stop, “I can tell you’re rushing and getting mad at yourself now. What are you thinking about as you try, Link?”

“I’m thinking I’m really glad we’re trying this here and not in front of a crowd, or this would be really embarrassing.” Why is this so frickin’ hard?

Zelda giggled, “Is it wrong a little part of me likes watching you struggle? It’s refreshing watching you work for something for once instead of being “Mr. Natural Talent” like you usually are.”

Link glared at her, “If I can’t figure this out, you’re gonna be cleaning up a lot of rubble, highness.”

“Thank you for the reminder,” she frowned in response. “I’m not letting you leave here until you get it.”

“Then I think maybe I need a break and some food, not necessarily in that order,” he huffed. He walked over to the nearest tree, plopped down on the ground beneath its shade, and opened his pouch.

Zelda sat down beside him, “What did you make?”

He answered by holding out a rice ball. She reached to take it from him but he quickly retracted it, stuffing the whole thing in his mouth and grinning mischievously at her.

“Oh is that how this is going to be?”

He held out another one to her. When she held out her hand for it, he yanked it out of her reach again, but this time she was ready for his antic- she targeted the rice ball and recalled it just as he was about to bite into it. His teeth came together on empty air with a clack.

Zelda snatched it before he could react and popped the whole rice ball into her mouth with a satisfied smirk. With a raised eyebrow Link procured a third one.

He held it out again, eyes narrowing, issuing her a silent challenge.

Zelda returned the expression, accepting the standoff.

There was a pause before her hand darted for the rice ball, but Link had already moved his hand out of her way, enhanced by his power. He’d moved so quickly she was unable to see it from the moment he moved to the moment it was already stuffed in his opposite cheek.

Link took out another one as he swallowed the other two, “You must be faster, my little hot-footed frog. When you can snatch the rice ball from my hand, your training will be complete.”

“MY training?! You think that’s funny, do you?”

“Almost as funny as Paya having you paint the house and sand the floors for a week to develop muscle memory before training you, yes.”

Zelda scowled, “Don’t forget you making me brush down every horse in the stable every night. You two worked me like a slave.”

“Side to side. Up-Down. Sand the floor. Brush the horse,” he teased, repeating the mantras he and Paya had tortured her with.

If her glare was intense before, it was nothing compared to the daggers she was shooting him now. Uh-oh, might have gone too far with that one…

She reached for the rice ball, locking it in place with her power at the same instant Link tried to begin using his. Her trick caught him off guard and as a result, her hand slapped down atop his as they began pushing and pulling with their powers, her hand and secret stone beginning to glow. Link countered by attempting to use his power to change his grip, but Zelda countered his time dilation with her own power, negating it.

“It seems I have the upper hand,” she smirked through gritted teeth, her hand still over his.

Link responded by digging deeper into his own power to counter hers, the stone on the sword glowing brightly now as well. He managed to get his hands freed from Zelda’s power, but it was a struggle.

Smiling, she surprised him again by channeling her power into him, the sudden burst of unexpected force causing his hands to fly out of his control as though a tug-of-war team had suddenly let go of the rope. He overreached and nearly lost his balance, which forced him to use his power to recover before she could react again.

She’s too clever, and she’s had more time training with her powers.

“You may have the raw power, but it would seem you’re no match for me in technique,” she gloated. “How does it feel to lose your lunch to a Princess?”

They redoubled their efforts against each other, the rice ball moving ever so slowly in Link’s direction. A burst of her power, however, interrupted his effect and reversed its course back towards Zelda. With his focus on the stone and on Zelda, he gave another mighty push of effort in return. The stone and his hand flashed with light, but instead of pulling it back toward him, the ball was suddenly launched at Zelda’s head.

Unable to react in time, it caught her square in the face. They sat for a moment in stunned silence as the filling dripped down her nose.

“S-Sorry…” he smiled sheepishly and rummaged his pouch for a handkerchief.

A smile slowly broke out on her face followed by laughter, “Don’t be sorry! Do you realize what just happened? You did it, Link!”

“Did what?”

“You pushed your power into me! I wasn’t ready for the sudden burst of power, and, well, you got me!”

He looked at his hand, “Oh?”

“Do exactly what you just did again! Focus on that feeling!” she said excitedly.

Holding his hand up, he concentrated on the feeling of reaching for the stone’s power while trying to focus on Zelda the way he just had. The light flashed again in his palm and he reached for her hand. She took it and a pulse of power rippled between them.

“That’s it Link, you’re doing it! I can feel it now, you’ve got it!” She threw her arms around his neck, getting rice ball filling all over his tunic, “Oh, I knew you would, I’m so proud of you!”

“Heh, what happened to enjoying my failure?”

“The feelings don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but it was funny while it lasted.”

“I suppose not,” he held out another rice ball to her. “Here, you can have the last one.”

“Aw, thank you,” she smiled, but immediately paused with suspicion, eyeing him cautiously. She tentatively reached for it, and only once she had her hand on it did she relax.

Link pounced, snatching it again faster than she could register the movement.

“Oh come on!” she whined.

“Haha, just playing with you that time, it’s yours I promise,” he held it up to her lips and allowed her to take a bite.

“’Fanks,” she mumbled with stuffed cheeks as she bit into the other half.

Link reclined into her lap with a contented sigh, tucking an arm behind his head, and watched her finish eating, “I think I’ve earned a celebratory nap.”

Zelda hummed in agreement, leaning back against the tree and stroking her fingers through his hair. “Just not too long, ok? We need to get back to the landing.”

“M’kay,” he muttered, already most of the way dozed off.

---

Purah was making adjustments to the launch mechanism in the Skyview tower when Link and Zelda re-materialized on the travel medallion an hour later.

“Well, how did it go?” she queried, startling them with her unexpected presence.

Link answered by pulling the sword from his back and presenting the pommel to Purah.

“Wow!” she gasped, pulling her Sheikah goggles over her eyes to inspect it. “Nice color. It suits you!”

“CeCe would probably tell me it’d go great with my green tunics.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, “Oh yes, let’s reduce an ancient sacred artifact likely crafted by unknowable Zonai gods with the power to destroy a kingdom to its utility as a fashion accessory…”

“Well, when you put it that way of course it sounds stupid…”

“Sorry,” she replied, though her tone implied that she wasn’t. “Purah, have any of the other Sages arrived yet?”

“Yup! Teba and Tulin arrived about a half hour ago. They’re waiting on the terrace. Bazz and Yunobo went to Castle Town to help Hudson organize the…uh…” she paused, looking around to check no one else was in earshot, “Logistical operation we discussed the other night.”

She led them over to the table where they found Teba waiting for them, but no one saw the youngest Sage until Tulin careened into Link, swooping in from above in a high-speed pass and tackling him to the floor with a shrill, “Link!”

“Owww…” he groaned in response. “Happy to see you too buddy, but was that necessary?”

“You’re getting slow old man! Guess what?! You won’t believe it! I finally beat my dad in a hunt!”

Link looked up at Teba from his position under Tulin and blew a stray feather from the corner of his mouth, “Is that so?”

Teba nodded, “Fair and square. We both downed three moose, but his hanging weight came in twenty pounds more than mine.” Link noted pride in Teba's tone, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud lest he inflate the young Rito’s ego any further than it already was. “We’d have been here yesterday, but we’d only just returned to the village with the venison last night and found your message waiting for us.”

“We saw what must be Chief Riju’s troop from Gerudo still about ten miles down the road. They’ll be here any minute!” added Tulin excitedly. “So, what’s going on? What’s this about the Yiga Clan causing trouble again?”

Link was about to answer when he heard a familiar voice calling to them from outside the north gate.

“Princess Zelda, Link! Greetings!”

The gathering turned to see the handsome and charismatic King of the Zora waving a lanky arm at them, flanked by Bazz and Yunobo.

“King Sidon!” replied Zelda, returning the wave. “What fortuitous timing, come join us!”

“It is always such a pleasure to see you, my dear friends!” he exclaimed enthusiastically when he reached the top of the terrace, flashing them a toothy grin and clapping Link on the shoulder. “Now tell me, what troubles you? How can I help?”

“We haven’t even told you what’s wrong but you’re already offering help. You are a true friend,” noted Zelda appreciatively.

“Bit of a long story,” began Link.

Zelda stopped him, “Tulin said Riju is almost here, if you can wait a few minutes, it would save us all an additional re-telling.”

“A reasonable ask, though I await the tale on tenterhooks!” grinned the Zora.

Zelda took the opportunity to query Bazz and Yunobo on the situation in Castle Town. The settlement’s population was currently comprised of construction teams, which would greatly ease the preparations needed to clear out some of the more critical material. Tulin meanwhile regaled Link and Sidon with a retelling of his hunting exploits, which Link was certain contained no more than ten percent actual truth, if Teba’s constant eye-rolling was any indication.

A mere twenty minutes later they heard a commotion at the main gate, signaling the arrival of the final Sage’s party. As was befitting a Gerudo Chief, Riju arrived at the head of a troop of warriors mounted on gleaming white stallions. The gathering atop the terrace watched as Buliara greeted them, dismounted, and handed off their steeds to the stable boys; Riju leading her procession to the Lab.

Catching sight of Zelda, Riju’s eyes lit up and she bounded up the flight of stairs to fling her arms around the Princess, “Zelda, my big vavi! Your knight has been hoarding you these past few weeks! You promised you’d visit for some girl time,” she gave an exaggerated pout and threw Link a glare.

“Sorry little vavi,” wheedled Link.

“Excuse me, but I’m finally taller than you are, big brother!”

“Nuh-uh! Your hair and headdress don’t count. We’re even at best.”

Buliara attempted to break up the bickering by banging her claymore against the decking. Tulin snickered at them in the way younger siblings do when the older ones are getting scolded.

“I’m sorry, Riju, we just...got a little distracted,” came Zelda’s embarrassed apology. She blushed a little as Riju raised a knowing eyebrow and winked at the implication.

“You’ll have to tell me everything, don’t leave out any of the spicy details,” whispered Riju conspiratorially.

Link rolled his eyes, “It’s impolite to kiss and tell.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she said sticking her tongue out at him.

“If you two are quite finished,” scolded Zelda while Buliara harrumphed beside her in agreement.

“I’m done,” smirked the Greudo. “Tell me Zelda, what causes you to call for our aid?”

“Now that everyone is here, that’s a tale not for prying ears to hear. Let’s take it inside, shall we?”

The gathering of Sages crammed themselves awkwardly into Purah’s Lab again, gathering around the large map table. There was much less space now that Sidon, Riju, Teba, and Tulin were there.

“We need a bigger conference room,” mused Buliara. “This will not do for such important meetings much longer.”

Link could only nod his head in agreement along with the others as Zelda began retelling the last few days’ events, “We have two major problems right now, and several smaller though equally concerning ones: The Yiga Clan has suddenly become much more aggressive and more capable, and Hyrule Castle stands on the brink of collapse…”

She carried on for a good twenty minutes, her audience gasping in all the right places, only pausing to clarify incredulous questions from the newcomers. At the end of her briefing Link was obliged to show off the newly combined Master Sword and Secret Stone.

“So Link is a Sage now? Congratulations my friend, it is well deserved!” smiled Sidon, slapping Link on the back for emphasis.

“What’s your power Link?” asked Tulin eagerly. From his experience with the Rito’s ego, Link could tell from the tone of the question it was going to turn into some kind of competition before the day was out.

“Same as it always was, just better,” he winked. “Like the Princess just said, our primary concern at the moment is the castle; we’d originally called on you all to help us deal with the new Yiga threat, but we’re leaving that to Buliara, Gralens, and the Guard’s company commanders to handle for now. Yunobo and Hudson are the best engineers in the kingdom, so if they’re telling us it’s in danger of collapse we have to take it seriously. We need to stop it, and that’s where your Secret Stones come in.”

“Because we cannot physically attempt to move it without inviting catastrophe, Link has proposed that I use my powers to move the castle temporally instead, which should theoretically restore it to its original state and place. However, in order to do so I will need you all to lend me the power of your secret stones, because I’m not sure I alone have enough power to accomplish this feat.”

“I would gladly lend you my power, but how would lightning help move the castle through time?” asked Riju. The other Sages nodded in agreement, looking enthusiastic but confused.

“Oh, right, sorry. What she means is you should all be capable of lending the power from your stones to Zelda, thereby amplifying hers. It’s how I was able to bring Zelda back to m- us from her draconified state. Rauru and Sonia lent me their power and I channeled it into the Light Dragon,” explained Link, the little slip eliciting small grins from the Sages.

“Precisely. When I was in the past, Queen Sonia and I did a similar thing for King Rauru, and I taught Link how they did it just this morning. You should all pick up on the technique quite quickly given the amount of time you’ve had to be attuned to your stones.”

“That’s because Link is Mr. Perfect,” teased Riju. Link shook his head and rolled his eyes in response.

“I betcha I can figure it out faster than he did!” boasted Tulin.

“That’s pretty arrogant, considering the company you’re in,” said Teba, trying to temper his son’s zeal.

“Yes, sir,” responded Tulin. But it was an acknowledgment that intentionally lacked any contrition.

“It’s alright, Teba, we like that in a Rito,” smiled Zelda.

Link continued, “If he wants to channel his inner Revali he’ll get his chance. Just remember at the end of the day we’re all on the same team. We should head out immediately and begin practicing so we can make an attempt as soon as the logistics are handled. Yunobo, how far along would you say things are?”

“Castle Town can be cleared of the workers and their more valuable tooling and materials in half a day,” he answered.

Link looked to Buliara, who already knew what he was going to ask without needing to be prompted, “Lookout Landing depends on if you want to leave it manned or evacuated, it would take a few hours to get everyone out, longer if you want everyone to take all their belongings as we don’t have enough wagons.”

“I’m NOT leaving my lab behind!” demanded Purah, as if on cue.

Link ignored her and thought for a moment. Emptying the Landing would be the safest choice, but to do so would afford the Yiga an opportunity to slip in while everyone was gone. Not something we can afford, he thought to himself. And we need to start acting fast. He took a deep breath. Well, time for someone to step up, may as well be me.

“We need some kind of deception plan; this gathering alone is going to attract all sorts of attention, and we shouldn’t leave an empty stronghold for the Yiga to just waltz in and make themselves at home while we’re out. I think it best we leave behind a skeleton crew, give the appearance we’re still manned, but move everyone non-essential out under the cover of darkness. It needs to be quick and efficient to minimize the time the ruse has to hold.”

Zelda furrowed her brow, “That idea hinges on us successfully training the Sages today, and my ability to restore the castle flawlessly, both of which are unknowns at this point. And you want to intentionally leave Guardsmen here in danger?”

Link nodded in agreement, “I know it’s risky, I’d only ask for volunteers. But we need something and I think it’s a plan we can deviate from. I’m confident we’ll be able to pull it off, now that I know how this whole power transfer thing works, and everyone here has faith in your abilities. And anyway, if we can’t restore the castle then I think we’re going to have a lot bigger problems on our hands. Either way, it’s your call, Princess.”

Zelda looked around the group, but didn’t produce a counter-argument, “I think you’re right, Link. What does everyone else think?”

“I agree. Link has always had a knack for tactics. The plan isn’t without risk, but “perfect” is the enemy of “good enough”. Between us we should be able to handle whatever fate throws our way,” replied Sidon.

“It’s actionable now and allows flexibility, we should press,” agreed Riju.

“I don’t think my opinion matters since I’m not that smart, so if you guys are in, I’m in. But what I do know is Hudson can get a lot of the stuff moved and ready, so that part of the plan will definitely work,” supplied Yunobo bashfully.

“Let’s go now! I wanna get out there so I can beat Link!” came Tulin’s predictable answer.

“I told you guys I’m not abandoning my lab!” complained Purah.

“Surely you have all your research and notes stored on your Pad?” asked Zelda.

“Of course I do, but-”

“Then pack up anything that’s one-of-a-kind that’s not too big to carry, and don’t worry about the rest. We’re going to do this and it’ll be fine, and if we fail, well, you won’t lose anything that’s not irreplaceable,” finished Link with a bit more authority in his voice than he was used to using. Purah was taken aback; usually it was her bossing him around.

“Just because something’s not irreplaceable doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard to make!” She glared at his sudden audacity and rounded on the Princess, “Princess, you guys can’t be serious! I spent years here now, all my work-“

Zelda cut her off, “Purah, you know full well how much work we’ve both put into this lab, so my interest in preserving it at least matches your own. But it’s for the best, for now. Please do this.” Her eyes pleaded with Purah to acquiesce.

I need to sweeten the deal for her, realized Link. An idea suddenly came to mind, “And we need you with us when we go to the castle. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the chance to observe the secret stones in action. You’ll finally get a front-row seat to study us. And we might need your knowledge in a pinch.”

“I was going to go whether you asked me to or not! But you’re right, you need me there,” she said, her hostility waning a little bit.

“Then let’s just go already!” whined Tulin.

“Indeed, it’s time to stop talking about it and time to start being about it,” agreed Teba.

Link nodded in agreement and led the way out the door to collect his gear.

Chapter Text

The main boulevard of Castle Town was a bustle of activity. Workers were stacking materials and loading wagons all around the half-constructed buildings, their designs immediately identifiable as the trademark of Hudson’s modular architecture. They came upon Hudson, clipboard at his side, gazing up at the Central Square fountain. He was making a “tsk”-ing sound and shaking his head when they arrived.

“Be a real shame to see this destroyed, it’s already survived so much. Too bad it’s too big to move…” he said to one of his foremen.

“It won’t be if we have anything to say about it,” replied Link as he clapped a hand on the carpenter’s shoulder.

“Oh, Link! And Princess Zelda- wow and the Sages! What brings you out of Lookout Landing together?”

“Remember the plan we talked about? We’re putting it in motion. Can you round up your construction teams and have them ready by this evening to depart before dawn tomorrow?” answered Link.

“Speed and efficiency are of the essence, Hudson. Pack only your tools and the most critical construction materials,” continued Zelda.

“So we’re officially going for it, eh? Where are we heading?”

Shit, I hadn’t thought of that yet…Link paused momentarily, feeling everyone’s eyes on him but forcing his facial expression to remain neutral before motioning for Zelda’s Purah Pad. He opened the map and did some fast mental math before deciding, “Mabe Village ruins, but don’t tell anyone until it’s time to move out. You’ll link up with Buliara and the garrison there, so time your departure tomorrow morning from here to arrive two hours after daybreak there.”

“OK, this is all a much tighter timeline than I expected, but consider it Son-and-Done! I’ll tell the other foremen it’s all just a safety drill for now.”

“Thank you, Hudson,” said Zelda with a polite little bow as Hudson excused himself to continue the preparations. She turned to the rest of the group, “Shall we begin, then?”

Just as she had with Link that morning, Zelda began detailing the process of power-sharing with the Sages. She held everyone in rapt attention except for Tulin, who immediately tried to follow along with her instructions, hoping to get a jump on everyone else.

“Tulin, don’t work ahead of everyone else, I’d hate for you to make a mistake because you haven’t finished listening to all the instructions,” corrected Zelda in the tone and voice she used to gently correct her students in Hateno.

Link snickered under his breath so only Tulin could hear, “Busted by the teacher.” Tulin shot him a dirty look and elbowed him in the ribs. Riju tried but failed to stifle a laugh.

Annoyed, Zelda stopped again, “Are you two quite finished back there? You’re causing quite a disruption for the others!”

Link grinned innocently and folded his hands behind his back, “Yes, we are. Sorry, Ms. Zelda!”

She gave the boys a narrow-eyed stare and continued, “As I was saying, to help you get a sense of everything I just explained, we’ll show you what it feels like first. Let’s split into teams; Link, why don’t you take Tulin and Yunobo while I work with Sidon and Riju?”

“Suits me,” he agreed. “Come on, let’s go find some more room so we don’t disturb Hudson’s crews. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need some extra space.”

“Good idea. We’re going to need a minimum safe distance from everyone too. Do try not to demolish the new town, ok?” said Zelda with a smile as she led the Gerudo and Zora away.

“My heart will pine for you without your presence. I shall be counting down the minutes until we are reunited,” replied Link over-dramatically. Zelda replied with an exaggerated pout and made a heart shape with her hands over her chest as she walked away. Riju giggled at Tulin as he rolled his eyes and mimed retching on the grass behind Link’s back.

Leading them to an open area on the outskirts of the fledgling town Link ran the two of them through some expectations, “It’s going to feel really energetic, your initial instinct is going to want to find an outlet for the power as soon as you feel it.”

Pulling out his paraglider with a mischievous look he motioned to the Rito, “Since you’re so eager let’s start with you, Tulin. I’m going to give you some power and when you feel it go ahead and unleash your gust.”

Link stretched out his arm and focused some of his power out through his palm. Tulin gasped, wide-eyed in surprise, “You’re not kidding! I feel like I could fight another Demon King like this! OK, brace yourself, here it comes!”

Tulin gave a single powerful flap of his wings, unleashing a mighty blast of air. Link, expecting only a somewhat stronger gust of wind, was instead caught off guard by a gale strong enough to launch him clear across the open space and up over the old city wall, disappearing out of sight with a surprised cry, “YeeeaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaa^aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

“Oh shit! Sorry Link!” Tulin yelled after the rapidly receding Hylian.

“Nice velocity!” joked Yunobo, cupping a hand over his forehead as he watched Link sail away.

“Sounded like it,” replied Teba as he launched himself into the air to chase down the Hero.

Cresting the city wall he followed a trail of disturbed clumps of brush which culminated in a long scrape mark in the tall grass. At the end of it he found Link, who was just getting himself seated upright, shaking off the twigs and tufts of grass sticking out of his hair and tunic.

“Link, are you hurt?”

“We better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody- namely me,” he groaned in response.

“You asked for it. Come on, I’ll give you a wing back,” smirked Teba, bending over so Link could hop on his shoulders to carry him back over the wall. They landed next to the two Sages, who were both grinning at Link.

“How far did he go, Dad?”

“About a quarter mile,” replied Teba.

“Nice job “Wild Thing”. If I give you any more juice you could probably form a tornado with that kind of power. And I sure as hell won’t be able to hang onto my paraglider.”

Tulin’s eyes lit up, “I can be more powerful than Colgera!”

“Yeah probably, though I wouldn’t want to test the limits anywhere near civilization. The point is, now you know what receiving power feels like. We’ll work it into some cool stuff in combat after we deal with the castle. Yunobo, you’re up next buddy, you ready?”

He didn’t look very ready when he replied with a timid, “Yes?”

“Don’t worry, you’re gonna be fine!”

“I-I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about everything around me. You sure this is safe? I don’t wanna hurt anyone or anything, you know how clumsy I am…”

“Oh come on, just remember what the Princess would say at a time like this: Science isn’t about “Why?” it’s about “Why not?!”” Covered in fresh scrapes and debris, Link didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

“That honestly sounds way more like Director Purah.”

“Trust me, our Princess is as much if not more of a rebel than she is. You can’t leave the two of them unsupervised for long.”

“You’ve been rubbing off on her,” muttered the Goron.

 “Probably,” he answered with a quirk of his lip. Most definitely, actually, he thought to himself fondly. “Now get ready!”

Yunobo closed his eyes and braced himself, “Ok…”

Link directed some of his power to Yunobo and stepped back. The Goron winced, tensing all his muscles at once in response to the sensation, and hesitantly peeked open one eye. He looked as though he expected to combust at any moment. Link merely pointed to a gap in the city wall expectantly while Tulin flashed him a grin and a double thumbs-up.

Taking confidence from them, Yunobo set his feet and steeled himself, “I can do this.”

With a hop, he performed the signature Goron tuck and roll. However, he realized too late he was spinning much more quickly than anticipated, and instead of rolling forward his lack of traction resulted in him burrowing furiously into the sod beneath him. He was about ten feet down when he finally began making forward progress, dirt and rock flying violently in all directions. As his momentum increased, he shot out of the ground like a cannonball in a cloud of fire and dust. The angle of his departure sent him careening over the city wall, leaving the other three agape in amazement.

“And he’s going, going, gone!” laughed Tulin throwing his hands up in excitement.

The low rumble of an explosion off in the distance indicated Yunobo had finally returned to earth.

“Come on, we gotta go find him!” said Link. The two Rito took off immediately, momentarily leaving him to run after them, “Hey wait up! Tulin, get back here and give me a boost, will ya?”

“Oh, sorry!” replied the Sage a little sheepishly.

Link channeled a bit of power into Tulin, who unleashed the gust again. Prepared with a much tighter grip on the paraglider this time, Link hopped into its slipstream. The gust lifted him up and out of Castle Town again.

They found Yunobo at the bottom of a small crater along the roadside, the rim lined with several splintered and toppled trees. As he floated down from the end of Tulin’s draft, Link noticed one of the trees wasn’t actually a tree; a pair of red tights was sticking out of the bottom of the trunk, smoldering lightly in the breeze. The unnatural angle of the legs indicated the hapless clansman’s fate inside the tree disguise.

“Nice job Yunobo, you took out a Yiga scout- hey, everything ok down there?” he called into the hole.

“Just…getting my bearings,” replied the Goron shakily. “Did I really?”

“They seem quite prolific lately, based on Princess Zelda’s story earlier,” noted Teba.

Link peeked into the Yiga’s disguise to be sure the man wasn’t getting back up, but recoiled at the sight which greeted him. “Eww, no one’s gonna wanna see that.” Before he could stop him, Tulin was taking a look anyway.

“Whoa, that’s gross.”

"No shit, I warned you,” he chided as Yunobo clambered out of the crater. With Yunobo out, Link unceremoniously kicked the body into the hole. “Help me throw some dirt on him, leaving him lying around wouldn’t look nice on the Princess’s highway.” The four of them quickly turned the small pit into an impromptu grave.

Their grim task complete, Link dusted his hands. “OK, the easy part’s over. Let’s go back and start the real work.”

Suddenly, from off on the other side of Castle Town came the sound of lightning so close it sounded like ripping canvas.

---

“Are you sure it’s wise for us to experiment with my powers around Sidon?” asked Riju, moderating her tone in an attempt not to insult the Zora.

“It is precisely because of both of your powers’ potential to synergize that I picked the two of you to come with me,” replied the Princess.

“I appreciate your concern Chief Riju, and I trust you won’t harm me intentionally. Besides, we’ve already fought alongside one another twice and everything turned out fine,” smiled Sidon. “I think I have a good guess where Princess Zelda is going with this and I’m excited to see what happens.”

Zelda smiled and nodded, “I know Zora and lightning don’t mix, but water and lightning do. But I’m letting my ulterior motive get ahead of me- the first step in teaching you to share the power of your stones is to get a demonstration of what it feels like to receive it. At least, it should. It helped Link.”

“Ooo! Ooo! Me first!” bubbled Sidon, raising his hand like a schoolboy and hopping excitedly on the balls of his feet. His child-like exuberance transported Zelda across one hundred years to memories of him as a small fry at Mipha’s side.

“Can you show me what your ability can do again, as a baseline?”

“Of course!” he said with a flourish of his trident. In an instant, Zelda was ensconced in a protective bubble of water. “You can direct this shield into a water-spear with a swish of your arm, just pick a direction!”

With a tentative wave, Zelda directed the cascade in an arc ahead of her, Riju skipping to the side quickly to avoid being doused.

“Sorry, Riju!” she apologized, dripping water everywhere.

Riju merely laughed at her sopping-wet predicament, “I can see a few tradeoffs to this power.”

“Link says it is refreshing on a hot day!” smiled Sidon.

“No doubt,” Zelda replied dryly, wringing the water from her hair. “Alright, let me give you a bit of my power, and then we’ll see what changes,” she continued, her palm glowing. Sidon received it with a sharp intake of breath and a toothy grin.

He waved his weapon at Zelda again, only this time instead of a large bubble he formed a coursing wall of water several yards wide and tall in front of her. As she turned the waterfall rotated around her at her command.

“Wonderful! This is much better, and I don’t have to get wet!”

“I’m happy you appreciate the refinement. I could probably create a tsunami for you if you gave me more, Princess,” he replied.

“This already seems like it might do just that. Stand back,” she directed before waving her arm at the open space again. The waterfall crashed forward, taking on the shape of a small tidal wave as it rolled across the open field, washing away loose debris and stones as it went. It gradually dissipated, leaving behind small pools of standing water across an area the size of a sports field. Zelda’s mind was a flurry of applications as she looked over the aftermath of the effect.

Riju looked at her with a knowing smirk, “If that were a field full of monsters, they’d be a prime target for me. Now give me a taste!”

Zelda nodded excitedly and quickly glanced at their feet to make sure no one was accidentally standing in water before she obliged Riju with her power. The Gerudo’s eyes gleamed, her whole body sparking with stray fizzles of electricity. With a flourish, she pointed a finger and unleashed a massive lightning bolt into the center of the wet field. Lightning arced back up out of the ground in a wide area, almost reaching back to where they stood, and the resulting thunderclap left them all deafened.

Riju’s lips were moving, but Zelda couldn’t make out the words for several seconds. The ringing in her ears finally began to subside, “^{-everyone ok?} Can you hear me now? I’m so sorry! I should have launched that much farther away than I did!”

“I’m ok, I think. Sidon?”

“It’s a good thing I can close my ear holes! I was not hurt but I could feel the tingle even through the cobblestones. A bit more distance next time would probably be wise,” he smiled graciously.

Several of Hudson’s workmen arrived, having rushed over out of concern. Riju apologized several more times for frightening everyone before they returned to their work.

“Very well then, let me teach you how to do it,” began Zelda as she launched into an excited explanation.

---

After an hour of explosions and general chaos, a very windswept-looking Link was (annoyingly) forced to acknowledge that Tulin had indeed picked up the technique faster than he had. He'd briefly entertained the idea of teaching him incorrectly as a prank, but his inner monologue took on Zelda’s scolding tone and thought better of it. Yunobo had taken a little longer, but only because he was trying to be too careful. Once they’d both figured it out the Sages took turns between launching Link around the field on his paraglider and letting Yunobo work on maintaining control of his over-energized body. As a result, the future outer-most ring of Castle Town was pockmarked with several new Goron-sized craters.

“Hudson’s crews are going to be very upset,” remarked Teba.

“Nah, we’ll tell them we were marking out and digging cellars for the new houses,” joked Link.

Teba shook his head, “And Saki wonders where her son learned to sass-back from…”

Link ignored the jab, “We haven’t heard any thunder in a few minutes, so the Princess’s group might be done. You guys feel like you have the hang of it now? Let’s check up on the others.”

They both nodded in agreement and the group set off. As predicted, they rounded the corner of one of the new buildings and saw the others approaching the fountain.

“Based on the sounds we were hearing I take it you were successful?” asked Link when Zelda came into view. He took her hand and gave it an exaggerated kiss.

“You weren’t exactly subtle either, but yes. You boys look like you had fun,” she said, noting their dirty clothes and smudged faces.

“Beating Link at anything is always fun! Only took me two tries!” boasted Tulin before Link could cut him off.

“It was at least four tries,” he bristled in response. “And you didn’t need to lie, that’s still faster than me.”

Riju and Sidon exchanged a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes.

“We each got it in two,” declared Riju, burnishing her nails on her silks as though it wasn’t a big deal.

“Aww, man! I had a handicap; Princess Zelda is a better teacher than Link!”

Link stuck his tongue out, “Maybe you’re a lousy student?”

“Boys!” snapped the Princess. “Don’t make me put you in the “Get Along” shirt!” They continued to glare at each other despite the threat.

“How did you fare, Yunobo?” interjected Sidon.

The Goron looked awkwardly at the ground, “Oh- uh, I wasn’t keeping count…”

“He picked up on it quicker than I did too,” confessed Link quickly, preserving his friend’s feelings. “No problem at all once we got him to stop worrying about breaking anything.”

“Splendid, then it seems our plan is on track,” said Zelda, looking relieved.

Link’s stomach growled, “And we’ll get back in time for supper!”

---

The evening meal was a crowded affair on the terrace; all of Lookout Landing’s leadership was in attendance. Link was shoveling down his third helping of curry as Zelda explained how her power worked to the rest of the Sages, “Queen Sonia taught me it is like using the object’s memory of where it was and how it got there to bring it back to where it was.”

“Then a critical component of your magic is your own memory of an object, right?” asked Purah. “You need to have seen it to know where it came from?”

“Yes, precisely. It doesn’t work on things of which I have no knowledge of its previous or current position. I suspect that is why the only one who could turn me back from being the Light Dragon is Link. He had gathered all the memories left scattered around Hyrule, leaving him the only one who knew what had happened to me, and he knows me better than I know myself some days, so he had his own memory of me to use as a baseline to return me to normal.”

“Then it sounds to me like you should probably take a tour of the castle tomorrow before we make the attempt,” proposed Riju. “Refreshing your memory of the castle will help you focus.”

“That’s a good idea. It would certainly increase my chances of success,” agreed Zelda.

“And would provide us with more time to evacuate as well,” added Buliara. “Ser Link, did you give Hudson a rallying point to meet us?”

Link had an asnwer ready this time, the food and walk back from Castle Town had given him time to work out the rest of the details of the plan. “I told him Mabe Village ruins. I think it’s a good initial defensible position and it’s within a two-hour march from here. You wouldn’t be out of the Landing past lunchtime if we’re successful at the castle.”

“That is certainly achievable,” agreed the Gerudo.

Link looked to his Captains next, “We should also send out patrols for another sweep first thing in the morning, that should distract any Yiga who replaced the ones we chased off yesterday and keep their eyes off the evacuation column. Hoz’s squadron has the most experience with this so he gets that mission. Purah, can you spare a Purah Scope if not a whole Purah Pad for his use?”

“I’ll have to finish the stand-alone model I was making tonight.”

“My warriors can also assist him, as I will not be needing them in the morning,” offered Riju. “They are quite experienced at fighting Yiga.”

“It would be an honor to ride with the Gerudo,” replied Hoz with a bow of his head. “Might I recommend your warriors ride ahead and meet with Hudson to escort them? Your horses look faster than our own.”

Link nodded before returning his attention to Buliara, “Captains Toren and Flaxel will be responsible for escorting and securing the baggage train. If all goes to plan and you see the Castle return to its original position, simply return to the Landing. As a backup plan, if you see things start to go sideways, move south. If the worst should happen and we lose Lookout Landing it might be worth storming the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower fort and recapturing it from the monsters, as it’s ready-built and in a very defensible position.”

“Ser Link, everything will be fine and I fully expect you to return, with my Chieftain, our Princess, and all our friends this time.”

“I sure as heck hope so, but given our track record I probably shouldn’t make that kind of promise…”

Zelda squeezed his thigh under the table reassuringly, “I’ll bring everyone back this time.”

“You’d better. I need my favorite lab partner and my test subject in one piece when this is all over,” replied Purah with a wink.

The Princess smiled at her before scanning the group for another face, “Atmus, have you had time to think about our proposal from the other night? How is Guardsman Ryin?”

“He has recovered, your highness, and was returned to duty as discussed,” he replied. “For the evacuation, we will pass his squad orders tonight to make him believe we are heading somewhere other than Mabe. Perhaps the Garrison Ruins instead?”

“Captain Hoz’s sweep could confirm if word got out that way,” supplied Buliara.

With a nod of agreement, Link added, “Then all we need tonight is to find volunteers to stay behind here, pack, and get enough sleep. Thank you everyone. Buliara, Gralens, Captains- I trust you all to convert the plan into orders?”

They nodded as one in reply.

“Thank you all, truly,” added Zelda. “This is a monumental undertaking.”

---

After the tables had been cleared the Sages found themselves with a quiet moment to catch up while the officers started giving orders to their Guard companies. They watched as directions began to yield action, and soon the entire fort was abuzz with activity. Link stood alone, overlooking the bustle while the Princess chatted animatedly behind him with Purah, Riju, and the Rito.

We just set all of this in motion, and most of it is my plan. The implication was terrifying. It’s all on me… and Zelda…

“My friend, it has been a few weeks since we last had a moment to talk.” Sidon knocked him out of his introspection as he sidled up beside Link, leaning up against the railing, “How have you and the Princess been faring together these past few weeks?”

“It’s been an absolute dream come true, Sidon,” replied Link with a distracted smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. What am I not thinking about? What are my blind spots? His mind raced with more contingencies.

“It is plain for all to see you are absolutely smitten with one another, and it is a beautiful thing to witness you bring each other such joy.”

“I’d say that goes for you and Yona too. You’re quite the power couple.”

“Indeed it does, thank you! Though we pale in comparison to the striking image of the Princess and her Knight,” he said with a wink. “But Link, as your best friend, please tell me what is troubling you. You seem more burdened than ever before.”

Is it that obvious? Link pondered how to respond, fighting the urge to default to his old habit of shouldering all his problems alone, “Until the attack in Hateno I was starting to imagine we didn’t have anything to worry about anymore. We were going to focus on all of Zelda’s dreams and projects, and started thinking about our future again like after the Calamity,” What a weird concept. “But it feels like the price of peace is going to be a constant battle against complacency. The Yiga only need to exploit a single instant of weakness, and on top of that, now it feels like everything is on our shoulders again.” He took a breath, “We just want to catch a break, Sidon.”

“I feel for you, my friend,” replied Sidon, putting a hand on Link’s shoulder. “It is cruel that fate won’t leave you two to a well-earned peace, but I swear Yona and I shall do everything within our abilities to help you attain it.”

After a pause Sidon added, “You know, we’ve all earned a break. We’ve worked our entire lives for this peace, one way or another. Because of Ganondorf not one of us here had a normal childhood, least of all you and the Princess.”

Link finally broke his gaze on the courtyard as the Zora talked, “I grew up in the shadow of my sister’s legacy and came of age witnessing Hyrule suffer through the Age of Burning Fields.”

Catching on, Link continued, “And Riju was thrust into the Chief role at far too early an age, and all the Gorons expected Yunobo to be the next Daruk.”

“And Tulin has just been made a Sage at an incredibly young age. His behaviors are probably because he feels like he stands in all the other Sage’s shadows. He thinks he must prove himself in yours and his people’s eyes,” finished Sidon, rounding out the Sages.

Link chuckled, “Yeah, I’ve heard tales of a young swordsman who started out overcompensating in much the same way. He’ll figure it out. Teba’s got his work cut out trying to keep his ego from rivaling Revali’s though,” he turned his gaze over to Zelda, her bright laughter at something Riju must have said catching his attention. Goddesses above I love her. “And Zelda and I can’t begin to express how much you all mean to us.”

“We are all kindred spirits, and we are all here for you.”

“We’re here for you too, good buddy. Feels good knowing we all take care of one another.”

“Speaking of, have you noticed a change in Yunobo’s behavior lately?”

Link took a moment to consider the question, “Yeah, now that you mention it, he’s a lot harder on himself than he was after we said goodbye to Minaru. I thought he was on an upswing, being a Sage and all.”

“I have made a similar assessment. We should go see if he is alright,” nodded Sidon. “Where is our young Goron friend anyway?”

Link looked around and quickly spotted an orange mass sitting alone atop the Crystal Refinery, “There he is, he’s hard to hide.”

The two made their way over the new scaffolding erected to access the Zonai machine.

“Hey buddy, whatcha doing over here by yourself?” asked Link.

“Oh, hi fellas. Just, you know, tryin’ to stay out of the way,” replied Yunobo, making an effort to sound cool about it.

“Why would you be in the way?” said Sidon. “We missed your companionship.”

“Ah, geez, it’s- it’s nothin…”

“Yunobo, cut it out. You’re too pure, and that makes you a terrible liar. What’s eating you?” prompted Link.

The Goron paused and sighed heavily, “I-I don’t think I’m good enough to be here. I’m worried about holding you all back. Princess Zelda is counting on me tomorrow and I’ve already let her down big time.”

Link was caught off guard by the unexpected admission, “But Yunobo, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yes I did! I fell for Ganon’s trap and almost killed you on Death Mountain. Then I made the Princess cry when I didn’t have a solution to the Castle problem, that was my job and I made it worse. And today it took me longer than anyone else to figure out how to control my powers. I don’t wanna be a burden...”

“Nonsense, utter nonsense!” admonished Sidon. “You are just as capable and necessary as the rest of us! We wouldn’t have defeated the demon king and rescued the Princess without your help!”

“Yeah, maybe, but that was mostly luck. Look, I’m gonna do my best for you tomorrow, but after that I think I’m gonna go home and work for Bludo again.”

“Now you knock it off with those negative waves! And what do you mean “work for Bludo”? What about Yunobco?”

“I got an offer from some rich investor in Tarry Town who offered to buy me out of my majority share. Figure someone else could probably run the company better anyhow so I’ll probably accept the offer.”

“No you won’t, not unless you actually want to let Zelda down!” Link had to reign himself in before continuing, “Look, we’re counting on you tomorrow, and the Princess is counting on your company being a big part of the reconstruction efforts. I think I know who made that offer, and if you let him take over, he’s only going to be in it for the money, not to help Hyrule. Not to mention he’s soft and doesn’t have the stones for travel on the mountain. He’d run the company into the ground within a few months. Please don’t do this, you’d regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Yunobo, there is no more capable Goron on all of Death Mountain who I would want by my side as a Sage,” added Sidon. “And you’re a leader among your people.”

We are all so alike it isn’t even funny, thought Link as he paused to reflect on Yunobo. Had he not had nearly the same conversations with Zelda countless times?

“Look, I understand what you’re going through, I went through it one hundred years ago when I pulled the Master Sword, and then I went through it again as my memories returned fighting the Calamity. But the simple fact is you feel responsible for things you shouldn’t, and now you have a confidence problem. Now I'm not gonna sit here and blow sunshine up your ass, Yunobo. A good leader is compelled to evaluate what's happened, so he can apply what he's learned. Out there, we gotta push it. That's our job, and we’re not always going to live up to the expectations we set for ourselves, and we might even get stuff wrong. But we will get through it, under it, or over it, and right now we all need you out there doing it with us.”

“No one in this gathering has lost faith in you, except yourself. We all still believe in you and want to help you succeed,” continued Sidon.

Yunobo sniffled, fighting back tears, “Ok, ok, you’re right. I just haven’t had anyone tell me I’m good enough lately, and it was making me anxious and I thought that you were all done with me.”

Sidon reached up and tousled Yunobo’s tuft of white hair, “You were getting in your own head.”

Yunobo’s shoulders finally relaxed with a sigh, “Y-Yeah…”

Elated at the turnaround Link slapped the Goron on the back as hard as he could, but he may as well have slapped a block of granite and only succeeded in making his palm smart fiercely, “Now come on, let’s get back to our friends, have another drink, and get some sleep. We’ve got a huge day tomorrow.”

“Wait a second, one more thing,” said the Goron. “Before you guys came over, this Zonai Construct said I was an authorized user, and told me this thing makes energy cells from zonite. It let me poke around inside it a bit to see how it worked. This one is pretty advanced, but the concept is simple enough. I think we could make a forge like it up on Death Mountain. Would that be useful to you?”

“You’re the first person other than myself that little guy would talk to,” said Link in disbelief. “You see Yunobo, there’s more to you than you think! And if Purah finds out she’s going to be super jealous, that construct just folds itself up and hides when she tries to talk to it. Not to mention you’re going to be able to mint rupees with this thing, she’ll buy as much as you can make.”

---

Out in the courtyard, Buliara and Gralen’s orders were being relayed to the companies.

The sergeants of Third Company broke away from the circle they’d formed around Captain Flaxel and her Lieutenant before returning to brief their squads.

The oldest-looking sergeant of the bunch broke off from the others to have a discussion with the recruit instructors who’d been waiting nearby. He beckoned the trainees to follow him and returned to his squad with them in tow to explain their orders, “It looks like we get the privilege of babysitting the recruit squad tomorrow. Here they are.”

A few of the Guardsmen in the squad groaned at the news.

“Now don’t start bitchin’ about it, this is a good thing. Third Company is in charge of driving the baggage train and loading the wagons. We get to ride most of the way tomorrow and we’ve been given the recruit squad as extra muscle to help move stuff, so we’ve got a pretty cushy deal as far as I’m concerned.”

“Where are we heading for, sergeant?”

“According to Captain Flaxel, we’re moving at first light to the Garrison Ruins.”

Towards the rear of the recruit squad, Ashton’s ears perked at the mention of their destination. The sergeant began breaking the squads into teams and assigning tasks. Ashton found himself split off from the other recruits and detailed to assist one of the veteran guardsmen.

“Hi, I’m Ryin.”

“Ashton.”

“Looks like we’re in charge of prepping and moving the carrier pigeons.”

Ashton couldn’t believe his luck.

---

An hour after her meeting with the company captains, Buliara stomped up the stairs to the terrace with a scowl on her face. Link was helping Purah and Zelda move some boxes of the more transportable lab equipment to a waiting cart.

“Sir Link! I have…news regarding the volunteers you asked for.”

“What’s the verdict? Did you get enough?”

She sighed, “That is, as they say, ‘the good news’. We have enough volunteers to man the stockade. However, the bad news is they've made a few…requests.”

Link exchanged a raised eyebrow with Zelda, “Such as...?”

“I think you’d better come down and talk to them yourselves.”

They met a guardsman at the firing range, a small gaggle of his fellow volunteers were standing in a semi-circle behind him. He’d clearly been chosen to be the group’s spokesman. Buliara motioned for him to speak.

He bowed nervously, “Your Highness, Sir Link.”

“We heard you wished to ask us something?” said Zelda with a polite smile.

The guardsman fidgeted with a piece of paper that appeared to contain a list, “Yes, uh, we were wondering if, before everyone leaves, we could, ah, ask about getting hazardous duty pay, of a sort?”

Link and Zelda merely stared at him, so he continued on.

“There’s uh, a few things here, uh... nothin' really big, uh, just- Well, as an example, uh, Oscar here, he's got some outstanding stable fees. Wants them wiped off the ledger.”

“A hundred and fifty rupees in seven stables!” piped up the Guardsman in question from the group.

“I’m tellin’ ‘em, Oscar, I got it! Uh, Karol’s got a Stahlhorse he’d like to be able to register with the Stable Association no questions asked. Marcus would like you to bring back Hearty Durian. Not sure if that's gonna work, but, uh, let's see what else…Um, Chet wants a full week's paid vacation to the Lurelin Resort. Um - hey, you guys wouldn't be able to tell us if the Wind Fish is real, would ya?”

Link was at a complete loss for words. Are these guys for real?

“Um, Benji would like to stay at the...” he paused to squint and struggled with some illegible handwriting "…Katz Courters?"

“King’s Quarters!” came a shout.

“Oh right, King’s Quarters. Yeah, he'd like to stay in the King’s bedroom of the castle for the summer if you actually manage to, you know, fix it. Stuff like that.”

Zelda found her voice before Link could, though she was clearly as flustered as he was, “Sure, I think we can, uh, take care of... some of that…”

“Oh, yeah one more thing, um... none of us wanna pay taxes, if that becomes a thing again in the future,” the Guardsman looked to them expectantly. “Ever.”

Link shot Zelda an incredulous look before she replied, “We’ll see what we can do.”

Buliara had her forehead in her hand, unable look either of them in the eye as she dismissed the volunteer group, “My apologies for their impertinence.”

Link shook his head in disbelief, “Wake us up when it’s time to move out,” he requested as he offered Zelda his arm to walk back to the Lab.

---

Link ran a brush through Zelda’s hair, gently teasing out a tangle in one of the two tresses she had kept long enough to make her braids. The feeling of her hair between his fingers had become one of his favorite evening rituals. She was sitting cross-legged in front of him on the bed, eyes closed meditatively as she basked in the sensation of the bristles against her scalp.

“I overheard you chatting with Yunobo earlier. He’s seemed a bit more anxious than usual today, is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine. He was having a crisis of confidence again- thinks he’s been letting you down.”

“He thinks he’s been letting me down? Have I done something to make him think that?” she asked, worried.

“No, nothing you’ve said or done. He was over-thinking the way things have been going for him and thought he’s been coming up short of expectations,” Link replied as he bunched her hair with his hair tie.

“Ah, I know someone who does that too,” she replied self-deprecatingly.

“He’d gotten so far into his own head that he was about to sell off his company to Hagie,” he continued.

“What?! That would be terrible!”

“I know, and not just for all your plans. Hagie would have probably overcharged for services and run it into the ground by ruining all his contracts, then would have to resort to selling off the assets to try to stay afloat.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow at him, “Since when did you become so business savvy?”

“Since I listened to you talk about that book you read on econo-mom-ics,” he replied proudly.

She laughed as she squeaked out the correction; “That’s ‘E-co-no-mics’, you goof!” He kept grinning at her until she realized, “You did that on purpose!”

“Anything to hear you laugh.”

“Thank you, you always know what I need when I need it. And your friends too. I’m sure you set Yunobo on his feet again?”

“Of course, he’s ready to roll tomorrow, just like you.”

She looked away from him and held herself nervously, “Am I? I’m glad everyone else is confident, but I’d be lying if I said I shared their sentiment…”

“Yes, Zelda, you are. Don’t second guess yourself now, we’re going to do this tomorrow and it’ll be because of your skill and love for your people.” I’m Mr. Pep Talk today. I could make a killing on a speaking tour…

“And yours! You’re putting this all on me again.”

“Sorry Zelda, ‘we’. We will do this.”

A soft knock at the ladder interrupted further discussion as Purah’s white head of hair popped into view, “Sorry to bug you lovebirds but we just got a message back from Impa.”

Link stood up to take the note from her and sat down next to Zelda with it. In tiny Sheikah print it read:

Princess Zelda and her Knight,

If you two expect an old lady like me to travel across half of Hyrule to see you when you could come to me in a matter of seconds with Purah’s infernal device then you’ve got another thing coming. Come see me when your business with the Sages is concluded as soon as possible.

-Impa

Beneath that was a PS written in slightly more flowing handwriting:

PS: Zelda, bring your Gi!

-Paya

Chapter Text

The darkness was near-total as Link made his final preparations in the Skyview Tower; partial overcast clouds obscured the barest sliver of a waxing moon. All around the stockade, guardsmen milled about by the light of torches, sleepily checking wagon loads and horse harnesses. Lieutenants and sergeants were awaiting zero-hour by taking final equipment inventories and ensuring accountability of their troops. The atmosphere was an odd cocktail of sleepy tension- the veterans were tired and irritable while the less experienced exuded nervous tension.

Link gave his belts and weapon slings a tug to ensure they were tight in preparation for the launch, and doublechecked the knot on his dummy cord which kept the new Purah Pad tied to its hook on his belt. Zelda studied his expressionless face as he ran through a mental checklist. Satisfied with his own gear, Link gave her a once over, making sure her bow and quiver were positioned correctly. She wouldn’t accompany him via the aerial route, but he fretted over her anyway.

“Ready?” asked Zelda, checking the time on her own Pad.

“I was born ready,” he grinned and pecked her on the cheek for luck.

She returned the kiss, “See you in a few minutes, then.” She gave him one last look over her shoulder and walked back to the Lab. The other sages were on the new top floor, gathered around Purah as she stood at the controls of the telescope.

“Yo Link, you ready or what?” came a call from somewhere above him. Tulin and Teba were circling lazily around the top of the tower.

“Don’t get your feathers in a bunch, not everyone makes flying look as easy as you,” he called back.

“Calling what you do “flying” is an insult to flight. It’s more like falling with style,” came Tulin’s retort.

That kid, I swear…“At least I have style!” He rolled his shoulders and stretched, the bones in his neck crackling as he did so. He performed one last check of his paraglider, snapping it open and shut, and tapped the pedestal to activate the launch pad. Bending at the knees, he braced himself as the enormous airbag inflated beneath the platform’s piston.

“Get clear!” he shouted up to the Rito a second before the tower fired him into the sky, the G forces driving him to his knees. The platform slammed to a stop at the top of the tower, ending the acceleration and leaving him to slip the surly bonds of earth. Link streamlined his body, the position now instinctual from months of practice, ensuring he’d get the maximum possible altitude.

Purah’s modifications sure added some zip to that!

Within moments the sensation of weightlessness signaled his arrival at the apex of the trajectory, and he opened the paraglider. In the nearly complete darkness Link had to look down to get his bearings; pinpricks of torchlight outlining the Landing were directly beneath him. A thin line of lights in the distance indicated north. Those must be Hudon’s crews departing Castle Town. As his eyes adjusted to the sting of the cold air, the hulking mass of Hyrule Castle took shape ahead of him in the darkness. Link adjusted his grip and settled in for the long glide to the cliffside precipice.

He hadn’t set foot inside the castle since he’d recovered the tunic and leather armor Zelda had meant as a surprise for him, the armor he was currently wearing. The only reason he’d even made the extra trip after the battle with Ganondorf’s puppet was because he discovered the clues she’d left him, otherwise, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to force himself to return to the throne room. It seemed every visit resulted in painful memories being born there since the Calamity struck. What he hadn’t mentioned to anyone, not even Zelda, was how much he dreaded the idea of bringing her back to that cursed chamber.

This time has to be different, he hoped, attempting to will a positive outcome into existence. Otherwise, I’m going to personally demolish that room stone by stone with my bare hands.

Approaching the castle, the white outlines of the Rito appeared below him as they climbed to match his altitude.

“Hey Tulin, can you give me a boost?”

A moment later he felt the sudden rush of Tulin’s gale as his request was obliged. Both of the Rito followed him into the gust and joined formation with him on either side. The extra speed soon put them directly over their intended touchdown point, and they circled downward in a gentle descent to land.

“Well, it didn’t immediately collapse, so we’re off to a good start,” remarked Teba.

“And it doesn’t look like there’s anything up here with us,” added Tulin.

Link walked a few yards towards the castle and reached for his Purah Pad. He dropped a Sheikah travel rune at his feet, where it sprung to life with a blue glow, and walked back to the cliff face. Pulling a bright bloom seed from his, pouch he threw it at the edge of the precipice.

---

Purah’s face was glued to the eyepiece of her telescope when she saw the bioluminescent light begin to glow on the cliff. “There it is, they made it!”

Zelda pulled up the map on her Pad where a new icon appeared at the Castle, “And Link has activated the travel gate.”

Buliara nodded and turned towards the East gate. She too held a bright bloom seed and threw it over the railing, aiming for the head of the baggage train. It popped into bloom, giving the "Go" signal. Guardsmen began to open the gate and wagon drivers perked up, shaking off their stupor. “Go with the protection of the Seven, Princess, and watch over my Chief.”

Zelda nodded in acknowledgment as the Gerudo turned to make her descent and take her place at the head of the exodus.

“Let’s go.”

---

Purah and Sidon materialized first, stepping aside quickly so Zelda could arrive with Riju. Purah left again to make the second trip to collect Yunobo. They hadn’t tried to move a Goron via the Shiekah’s technology yet, meaning this would be the first part of the plan that could go wrong. They waited anxiously for a few minutes when, finally, a large mass of blue light swirled over the gate and solidified into Yunobo with Purah perched triumphantly upon his shoulder.

“Ta-da! With a minor adjustment it works with Gorons!” she bowed, earning a relieved smile from Zelda.

Link gestured for them to gather around him, “All right everyone, it’s been a couple of blood moons since I’ve been up here, so I don’t know how many monsters are still around. There was a significant number of all kinds of them when I cleared it out the first time. If we want to do the grand tour it could take us several hours to get through the majority of them.”

“Shall we divide and conquer, then?” asked Sidon.

Link shook his head, “I’m not sure that’s a smart idea. Not every room is accessible, and it’s easy to get lost if you don’t know your way around.”

“And that’s not factoring in the new instability. Things might shift or come down on our heads,” warned Yunobo.

“Good point,” agreed Riju. “We should try to get through as quickly as possible. Princess, how much do you think you’ll need to see?”

Zelda pondered for a moment, “At least my room, my study, and the library, I think. If we end in the Sanctum we can make our attempt there.”

Link frowned, “You sure you don’t want to try someplace with happier memories, like your room or study?”

Purah looked from Link to Zelda with a Cheshire grin.

Zelda shot her friend an annoyed look, as though daring her to say whatever smart remark she was biting back, before turning her attention back to the others, “No, I think the Sanctum is the best option. It’s the most central place both physically and in my memories.”

“Alright then, let’s move out, but be careful. A lot of the corridors end suddenly where they’ve been separated from the ground below,” warned Link. “The last thing we need is for someone to discover one the hard way.”

They followed his lead, breaking off the path to the left and scrambling down the ledge to land atop the turret of the Princess’s quarters. Link dropped onto his stomach to peer over the edge into a wide hole and scattered a handful of brightbloom seeds to illuminate the space. Seeing nothing, he motioned for Teba and Tulin to circle down to the bridge while he lowered himself into the hole, dangling for a moment before dropping down the shattered staircase into the middle of the ruined bedroom.

Nobody’s home. Good. “All clear! Watch out on your way down though!”

“Look out below!” shouted Purah a few moments later, her warning barely preceding a green block of Zonai stone dropping through the stairwell. Link had barely dodged out of the way when the block suddenly reversed itself, the glow of Zelda’s power illuminating the space as it slowly descended again with Zelda, Purah, Riju, and Sidon huddled on it. They stepped off gingerly, gazing around at the decrepit state of the room.

“I’ll wait up here!” called Yunobo.

They fanned out, examining the detritus of Zelda’s previous life scattered about the space. Link poked his head out from the room’s grand oak doors, confirming the passageway was still empty and impassable, “Do you know how many hours I logged on guard duty by these doors?”

“Hundreds, I would imagine,” replied Zelda a bit gloomily.

She paced around the room, picking up the odd stray sheet of old notepaper here and there and looking wistfully at her old four-post bed.

“Much grander than my room…needs some plushies though,” winked Riju.

Zelda took another moment, eyes closed pensively while the others maintained a respectful silence. An oppressive melancholy hung heavy in the room. When she opened them again, her eyes fell on Link, standing in her doorway as he had so many decades ago. Reading her mind, he snapped to attention, completing the image, only now instead of staring stoically over her shoulder, he gave her a wink and a knowing smile.

Her mood lifted as she smiled back, “OK, I’m ready to move on.”

Zelda used the improvised elevator again to lift everyone to the bridge connecting her room to the study. They hadn’t made it halfway across when suddenly the stone began to groan and splinter under the group’s collective weight.

With a rumble, the walkway collapsed to panicked shrieks and shouts, bodies tumbling in every direction amongst the falling rubble.

Reacting on instinct, Link kicked off the hunk of stone still under his feet, diving for Zelda’s hand. He was just about to close his hand around her wrist when her magic sprang to life, negating his own effort to slow time to reach her. Chunks of the bridge began to weave themselves back together beneath their feet as the Sages rewound to their original positions.

“Hurry across please, I’ll hold the bridge,” she said, releasing them from her spell. They quickly huddled against the door of the study, catching their breath.

“Let the record show: I woulda caught you that time.”

“Mhmm, and then what was your plan? Grow wings? You never think these things all the way through,” she chided.

“Bold of you to assume I was thinking,” he deadpanned in return. “I had, what, a half a second to come up with one?”

“Thank you, Princess,” breathed Riju.

“Yes, thank you!” added Sidon, a bit flustered.

Purah, hugging a parapet for dear life, whispered shakily, “Can you un-wet my underwear for me? I think I mighta peed a little.”

Tulin took a step away from her, “Ew, gross!”

“FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING!”

“I know I’m contributing the most to this problem, but if the bridge isn’t gonna hold us I don’t have much hope for the tower’s structural integrity either. Let’s get off this as quick as we can, ok?” advised Yunobo.

Link nodded and ushered everyone inside, “If anyone wants to go on ahead, there’s a bunch of Like-Like’s underneath us, and a couple moblins and lizalfos blocking the stairway. We’ll have to get by them to use the pathway to get to the library on the other side of the castle.”

Not needing to be told twice, Tulin took off like a shot. “Finally! Action! Race ya, Dad!”

“Wait a sec- oh never mind!” Teba shook his head and launched himself after his son.

“I’ll go help,” said Yunobo, before curling up and somersaulting himself over the wall, “Hey wait for me!” The impact of his landing shook the tower. "^Sorry!”

Link shook his head and turned back to the others, “That oughta keep Tulin entertained for a few minutes.”

Zelda, meanwhile, had spotted an old intact terrarium and began excitedly showing Riju and Sidon the remnants of the old biology experiment that had evolved over the century it’d been left alone. They were smiling politely for the sake of her enthusiasm but were clearly not as thrilled about the contents of the jar as the princess.

“Ooo look at how the moss and the puffshroom have formed their own biosphere inside!” she gushed as she lifted the lid. The jar released a noxious cloud of puffshroom spores which mixed with whatever miasma the moss and mold produced to create a powerful odor, causing everyone to sputter and choke.

“What an incredible smell you’ve discovered, Princess!” hacked Purah sarcastically through the fog.

“Sorry everyone,” coughed Zelda sheepishly.

“Something like this happened almost every time I came in here,” noted Link, holding his nose with one hand and wafting at the air with the other.

“Don’t act like you don’t miss it. At least this time I didn’t try to feed you anything,” she winked.

“What’s there to miss? You still do it all the time at home in Hateno. I never know what you’re going to bring home from school or the bottom of a well.”

“If you guys are good, I’m ready to get out of here before we run out of luck and something else in here tries to kill us,” complained Purah. Riju and Sidon nodded eagerly in agreement and followed her out, leaving the two of them alone for a moment.

“Don’t act like it wasn’t worth it, especially since we usually snuck in here for a cheeky kiss…” purred Zelda, giving him a bump with her hip.

“Mhmm, can you imagine the absolute scenes if we’d got caught?” whispered Link, pulling her into his arms to live out the memory again.

“There’s nothing to imagine. Damn-near the whole castle knew you two were an item,” called Purah from outside the door, startling them out of their kiss. "You were about as subtle as the Calamity about it!"

“What?! They did not!” gasped Zelda, scandalized.

“Oh yes they did, Princess! Your chambermaids had a very profitable side hustle selling pulp fan fiction romance novels inspired by you. I think I still have a copy of a particularly salacious one kicking around somewhere…”

“Ooo, can I borrow it?” chirped Riju.

Zelda’s cheeks and ears flushed as she buried her face in Link’s sleeve, “We had fans?” her voice warbled weakly.

Sidon coughed nervously, blushing slightly while struggling to remain tight-lipped. Link glared at him suspiciously, and the Zora’s composure broke almost instantly under his scrutinizing gaze. “Some of the best ones even had artwork!” he blurted out, unable to contain himself.

Link brought a palm over his eyes, his face matching Zelda’s shade of crimson. I am going to burn down the Domain's library the next time we visit…And that secret stone looks awfully tasty right about now… Judging by her mortified expression, Zelda was likely weighing the merits of a similar escape vector.

“I think the only people who didn’t know about them were your father and the two of you,” continued Purah. “And don’t be too embarrassed, the entire castle staff was rooting for you.”

“We’re here to help the Princess recall her happy memories, not scandalize her, remember?” grumbled Link just as Tulin alighted back on the bridge with a flourish and a twirl.

“All clear, everyone!” he crowed triumphantly. Link gave him a fist bump as Zelda froze the bridge in place again. They found Yunobo on the other side, carefully shifting some rubble so they could squeeze through the archway leading to the long staircase to the base of the study tower. Body parts and blood stains left by the freshly dispatched monsters decorated the way down.

Link pointed up the pathway leading north, “We round that corner and there’ll be a tunnel full of horriblins blocking the only way left to get into the library. They’re a bit of a pain in the ass because there’s so many of them.”

As they rounded the foundation of the main castle the tunnel came into view, backlit by the rising sun to the east. The monsters, still in various states of wakefulness, took no notice of the group. Riju looked to Sidon with a smile and a glowing palm, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Way ahead of you!” he replied and summoned a wall of water for Riju.

Riju winked at Zelda, “Princess, would you do the honors?”

Zelda grabbed her bow and knocked an arrow, “Gladly!”

Riju flourished her scimitars and sent the tidal wave on its way. It crashed into the tunnel, washing the horriblins off the ceiling. As they shrieked and whooped Zelda drew the fletching to her ear and held her breath, selecting the nearest drenched monster.

“Cover your ears, everyone,” she warned. Sidon cast extra power to Riju just as Zelda let fly. Riju snapped her fingers as the arrow arced across the space, her lightning following its flight as though it were trailing a rope. It caught her target center mass, lightning arcing outward from the arrow and ripping through the whole gaggle with an ear-splitting crash of thunder. The monsters collapsed where they stood, petrified by the electrical overload.

Tulin leaped past Riju and Zelda, motioning to Yunobo. The Goron clapped his palms together and energized the Rito, who released a mighty blast of wind, blowing the surviving creatures out of the far end of the tunnel where they plummeted off the edge of the cliff on the other side.

“Don’tcha think that was a tad bit overkill?” remarked Purah. Despite trying to sound unimpressed, she was rapidly taking notes on her pad as they continued.

Link simply shrugged.

They paused for a moment to appreciate the sunrise before entering the darkened stairwell. Link and Zelda led the way. They rounded two corners when Link suddenly thrust his arm out, stopping Zelda mid-stride, “Whoa, look out.” A section of the wall and hallway opened over empty space. “It’s like I said, there’s unexpected drop-offs all over the place. This one’s pretty new.”

“This must be the section that broke off the other day,” guessed Purah.

Link peered over the edge, “Looks like it. I can see the chunks down there.”

They had to scoot with their backs to the wall to get past the hazard. When they finally reached the bottom of the staircase in the massive library, Zelda gave a heavy sigh.

“We had so much knowledge here, and now it’s mostly lost. I used to be able to tell you where anything was in here.”

“Did you read every book in here?” asked Tulin, awed.

“Not quite,” she smiled.

“She could give the old librarian a run for her rupees, that’s for sure,” added Purah.

The sages wandered around while Link opened up the King’s old study beneath the staircase to allow Zelda inside. An ornate royal claymore and shield were propped up against the corner behind a stack of moldering books.

“Glad to see this is still secret enough no treasure hunter found them yet.”

“You sure you don’t want to bring them to the house for safekeeping?”

“No, they belong to this place. I’m just glad you found them and hid them here. Maybe someday we can display them, once the castle is restored.”

Link smiled at her, “So in a few minutes, then?”

“We'll see.”

Purah was waiting for them when they stepped out of the study. “Princess, if you’ll indulge me,” she said, pressing a book into Zelda’s hands. “Remember this one?”

“Ancient Cores- a Treatise on Sheikah Energy Sources by Dr. Purah,” she read aloud. “Of course I do!” she eagerly flipped open the cover, only for all the pages to spill out of the binding. “Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

Purah winced, “Ah...don’t sweat it, Princess. I’ve got another copy back in Hateno. Do you want to experiment on this one and try to reverse the aging? I figure we should start small before you go big.”

Zelda picked up a loose page, studying the badly deteriorated parchment and mostly illegible ink, and looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling, “I suppose it’s a good representation of the weather damage I’ll have to reverse.”

“Right, but what I wanna test is whether or not the method or type of damage matters to your power. If we use something you have a strong memory of it should make it easier for you.”

“Let’s try it,” she nodded. The rest of the group gathered around her as Purah scooped up the pages and placed them on a reading stand.

“Do you want a boost, or do you want to try it alone first?” asked Link.

“Let me try alone and we’ll go from there,” she said as Link brought her the last intact chair to sit on.

She placed her hands on the book’s binding and the loose pages and closed her eyes. Golden light radiated from her hands and the strange sensation which accompanied her power’s activation washed over the group. There was no change in the materials beneath her fingers for a few seconds until she tapped into her stone’s powers. As it began to glow the light from her hands intensified, and the pages began to rapidly reorder themselves in a frenzy before slowly rebinding themselves to the book’s cover. Several minutes passed and the parchment’s yellow hue lightened to a brighter shade, and the white mildew on the leather spine dissipated. When the book sat whole again before her Zelda opened her eyes and opened the cover to the first page, where the ink was once again legible.

“It worked!” shouted Purah triumphantly. “You did it! Oh thank you Zelly!”

Zelda looked at her, confused, “Thank you? For what? I thought you said you had another copy at home?”

“I um, mighta lied about that.”

“Why didn’t you just rewrite it yourself then?” exclaimed Tulin. “You wrote the dang book! Can’t you remember?”

“I wrote it down in a book so I wouldn’t have to remember!”

“How do you feel, Princess?” interrupted Sidon, redirecting the conversation. “Did that take a great deal of effort?”

“Yes, a bit. I needed my stone’s power, but I’ve never had to concentrate on an object for that long before.”

“But how did you do it? You didn’t have to remember every single word on every single page, right?” asked Yunobo.

She paused, searching for the right words to answer, “I didn’t focus so much on the content as on the condition. I don’t remember every word I’ve ever read, but I didn’t need to in order to undo the effects of time. What I feel is…the essence of the thing. I sensed the weight of the time that has passed and focused on removing that burden. I’m sorry if that doesn’t make much sense.”

“What if we tried it on, say, a person?” mused Riju.

Zelda didn’t even hesitate to respond, “No, absolutely not. That would be spitting in the face of The Golden Three's laws of nature,” shooting Purah a pointed look.

Purah whistled innocently and looked up at the ceiling.

“There could be many cruel but unintended consequences. What if it erases all their memories and reverts them to a prior state of knowledge, growth, and maturity? That would be an extreme violation of that person’s sense of self and their personal agency. I will not experiment on anyone or anything sentient.”

Ever the optimist, Sidon bubbled, “Well, if you reverted the book to its state of one hundred years ago, then the castle should be achievable.”

“We shall see, but I think our odds of success just increased, now that I know what to focus on,” replied Zelda excitedly.

Link looked at Purah, who shot him a wink over the top of her Purah Pad where she was feverishly typing more notes. She had her do that on purpose to increase everyone’s confidence, he realized, returning the wink.

“Alright! Then let’s go to the Sanctum!” gestured Sidon enthusiastically. “Um…which way is it?”

Tulin jerked his thumb towards the far end of the library, “This way maybe? Hey Link, where do those stairs go?”

“They go up,” he replied drolly as Zelda rolled her eyes at him. “There used to be a hallway and more galleries that led to the upper castle, but since it’s mostly collapsed now that’s not an option anymore and we’ll have to use the travel gate instead.”

---

Two trips later saw the group standing at the cliff edge again, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the light of dawn.

“We’re making good time,” noted Teba. Link nodded and used his Pad to scan Hyrule field for signs of the caravans. At maximum zoom he could just make out a dark snake moving on the road several miles south leading away from Lookout Landing. Over to the west, he noticed a plume of smoke rising from the edge of a forest.

“Looks like the caravans are on schedule too,” he replied. And it looks like Hoz smoked another Yiga party.

Zelda took his hand and together they led the way to the Sanctum. Before walking through the grand archway, Link motioned for the group to stop and poked his head into the open space. He drew the Master Sword and took a deep breath to shove aside the anxiety building in his chest. Get a grip on yourself, hero. It’s just a room. Stepping across the threshold he scanned the corners before glancing at the sword. No glow, that’s a good start. Sheathing it, he motioned for the others to enter.

The space still bore the scars from their battle with Ganon’s phantoms. Piles of rubble adorned the room beneath gaping holes in the ceiling and walls. Mold and mildew ate at the tapestries and rugs, and moss grew in the shaded corners where water pooled when it rained. What rags remained of the banners swayed in the breeze blowing in.

Tulin was the first to break the silence, “We made sure this place was well-ventilated last time, didn’t we?”

The rafters groaned and creaked ominously in reply.

“Thank the heroines the gloom is gone, at least,” noted Riju.

“Maybe, but it was, quite literally, tying the room together. The stonework in the arches is not stable, we really shouldn’t be in here,” warned Yunobo, glancing nervously at the ceiling.

Purah began snapping pictures and taking notes, “Let me get some “before” pictures, please. This is for the history books, after all!”

Link finished a lap around the ground floor and stopped beside Zelda, noting her downcast expression, “Hey, you ok?”

His voice broke her out of her thoughts, “I don’t think I can be “ok” in this room ever again. It’s overwhelming, how much happened here…and I was trapped here for so long…”

The reminder of her self-imposed captivity made him wince. He squeezed her hand, as much to wrestle his own swarm of feelings back under control as to reassure her, “It took a lot of courage for you to hide my new tunic in here.” He looked up at the remaining throne on the balcony, “Ya know, I don’t have many happy memories of this place either, but there is one that stands out.”

“Hmm? Which one?”

“This was where I finally saw you again for the very first time after, well, that day...I’ll never forget that moment. You were sitting on that chair, next to your father, and I was kneeling right about here, presenting the sword to you.”

“I remember. Though unfortunately, my initial impression of your return into my life was not a happy one. You brought up all the bad memories of a day I had done my utmost to try and forget…”

“I had no idea what I was in for with you,” he chuckled in reply. “At the time I was so glad to get to meet you again, maybe be your friend and make happier memories. And you were so beautiful, I remember thinking, ‘If she’s that pretty when she’s scowling, then I can’t wait to make her smile.’”

Tulin rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to make a sarcastic remark, but Riju clamped her hand around his beak to shut him up, glaring at him. Don’t you dare! she mouthed, pointing a fingertip crackling with electricity between his eyes for emphasis. Tulin grunted and crossed his arms indignantly.

“I’m sorry you must have waited a long time for that…” replied Zelda, oblivious to the scene behind her.

“For you to laugh and smile for me? Yeah, I guess. But whenever you were out and about with Purah or the other Champions I saw the real you. Earning one just for me gave me somethin’ to work for. It ended up being worth the wait.”

Purah finished up taking pictures, “Alrighty, Princess. Think you’re ready?”

Zelda nodded, “As ready as I’ll ever be. Is everyone else ready?”

The Sages replied with smiles, enthusiastic nods, and Tulin’s two thumbs-ups.

Link took Zelda’s hands in his and leaned in so only she could hear, “Don’t overdo it, ok? Stop when we get this hunk of rock back on the ground. I still need you here with me, and Hylia only knows what might happen if you push it past the upheaval.”

She touched her forehead to his, “Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere this time, I promise. The last thing I want to do is resurrect Ganondorf by mistake.”

“I’m not worried about you going anywhere, I’m worried about you going anywhen,” he clarified as the Sages gathered around them in a circle.

Purah took several steps back and began taking more pictures as they reached their hands toward Zelda.

Zelda closed her eyes to focus and declared: “Let’s begin.” She placed one hand over her stone while Link kept her other hand in his.

Link pulled the sword from his back and held it tip down, his free palm over the stone on the pommel. He could feel the Sages’ and Zelda’s energy building up all around them as she began to glow. The odd sensation of her power ramped up gradually.

Zelda’s lips pressed together tightly in hard concentration when he slowly began adding his power to hers.

“Is this alright?”

She nodded silently.

“More?”

She nodded again. He obliged and the glow intensified steadily until looking directly at her began to hurt his eyes. They remained that way for several minutes before he noticed the corners of her mouth begin to curl into a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

Zelda slowly eased off before she replied, “I’m not sure, but I don’t feel like this is working.”

“Are we not strong enough?” asked Yunobo anxiously.

“It’s not the amount of energy we’re exerting, I think the problem is me,” she said as her glow subsided completely. “It feels as though something is resisting, like there’s something pushing back against us…”

“Like what?” asked Link.

“Like something that’s trying to protect itself. Or protect the castle. I’m not sure…”

“Some lingering power? Does it feel good or bad?” he pressed, nervously.

“I can’t say for sure. The harder I tried to push past it, the harder it pushed back, almost like it was redirecting all the energy right back at me.”

Purah, who’d been conspicuous by her silence, finally spoke up, “Like pushing on a door that won’t open?”

“Yes, that’s a good way to put it.”

“Yunobo, you said the rock still has a lot of Zonai material in it, yes?” continued the Sheikah.

“Yeah, I’d say at least thirty to forty percent, why?” he replied.

“Most Zonai artifacts require a trigger or a power source, right?”

Link nodded, “Most of the time they responded to an authorized user, I’m guessing as programmed by the maker of the artifact, but I don’t see how one could “use” the castle…”

“I doubt much of the original Zonai structure survived to the present day. In fact, when I was in the past where the castle would eventually be built was still the site of an ancient temple. Maybe it’s not looking for a user, but rather it was set up with some kind of ward against magic in general?” mused Zelda.

Purah snapped her fingers as inspiration flashed, “And that ward was probably tied to the goddess powers Queen Sonia’s lineage possesses. The ward can probably only be unlocked with the Goddess’s light! Were you only using your time power or also your light power?”

Zelda gasped in realization, “That's it! You're brilliant!”

Link grinned at Purah, “This is why we brought you with us.”

“Let me begin again,” said Zelda eagerly, already starting to shine brightly. She tapped into her power, this time a flash of pure white joining the gold.

Link felt a sudden release, like water rushing over a waterfall, and saw a flash of neon-green light rings ripple outward from beneath Zelda's feet.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed, bobbing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

The Sages quickly overcame their awe and resumed their effort, and in a moment Zelda began glowing intensely again.

“Slow and steady, Zelda,” cautioned Link as he placed her hand beneath his on the sword’s hilt again. “Is it working?”

“Yes! But I’m going to need a lot more of everyone else’s power since I have to divide the energy between both of my abilities. It’s like holding open a heavy door with one hand while trying to push a loaded wagon through it with the other. We need to hurry because I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Ok then everyone, give it everything you’ve got this time!” shouted Sidon.

Standing at the epicenter of their confluence of power, Zelda’s flow of energy quickly reached new heights. Link had to close his eyes and look away, It’s like staring at the sun! Concentrating on giving her every bit of energy, he stepped as close to her as he could inside the ball of light engulfing her. Even from mere inches away, Link lost sight of her as squinting proved futile against her radiance, so he concentrated on their tactile connection instead, gripping her hand tightly.

Seconds turned to minutes as Link continued to wring as much energy from the stone through his hands into hers. He looked around at the Sages, but could barely make out their outlines in the blaze of light. Their sounds of exertion indicated the effort was slowly beginning to drain them, and Zelda's breathing began to strain as she wrestled to channel the energy flowing through her like a river.

“The debris from your battle with the phantoms is reversing!” shouted Purah excitedly, stone and roofing timbers flew back into their previous positions, reinforcing some of the more precarious sections.

Link was about to voice more encouragement, but was interrupted suddenly by the sensation of the floor trembling beneath them. Several of the others gasped.

"W-we're almost…there," groaned Zelda through heavy effort. "Just…a bit…more!"

Not waiting for extra instruction, Link redoubled his effort just as he felt a shudder pass through the Castle, causing everyone to nearly lose their balance. Reflexively, he reached for Zelda, putting an arm around her waist for support.

“I’ve got you, Zelda, keep going!”

Another shudder was followed by a swoop of weightlessness, finally signaling the castle’s descent.

In another minute the dropping sensation ended abruptly with a violent rumble. Purah yelped in surprise, her Pad tumbling out of her hands to clatter noisily to the ground as the masonry undulated under their feet.

“I think we’ve touched down,” reported Link as the shaking slowly petered out. “You can stop now, Zelda.”

Zelda ended the spell with an abruptness that sent a wave of nausea through Link’s stomach again. Judging by the sounds the others were making, they hadn’t fared much better. The glow ended nearly instantly at her release and he could finally open his eyes again.

When he did, the first thing he saw was her eyes begin to flutter and her legs begin to falter beneath her. He pulled her tightly against himself to steady her, releasing the Master Sword to clatter unceremoniously to the ground.

“D-did we do it?” she asked weakly.

Link looked around for Tulin, and gave him an upward nod toward the windows.

“On it!” replied the Rito as he shot through a gap in the shattered stained glass. He returned a few seconds later at full tilt, shouting exuberantly; “You did it, Princess! The Castle is completely down and the chasm is sealed again!”

The group burst into a relieved but exhausted cheer, but their exhilaration was cut short as the Princess’s legs gave out completely at Tulin’s pronouncement.

“Zel-!” Link caught her as she faltered and eased her gently to the ground. “What’s wrong? Stay awake, stay with me!”

“ ’m fine. Jus’ a lil ‘eepy,” she mumbled into his tunic. “Need…a nap, ‘ink…”

No, no, no, no, NO! Heart hammering harder than it had while fully exerting himself moments ago, Link put his ear to her chest. He could feel her breathing and steady heartbeat as Purah came skidding to a halt beside them, falling to her knees to examine Zelda.

“She’s breathing, but we gotta get her back to the Landing, quick.”

But before anyone could move, a slow clap began to echo around the Sanctum. Everyone’s heads snapped up toward the source.

There, balanced upon the backrest of the single remaining throne, stood a masked man dressed in distinctive red tights with his arms crossed above a prodigious pot belly.

Master Kohga.

“Bravo! What a light show! A glorious display of the goddess’s power!” his voice dripped with sarcasm.

The group gaped at him, dumbstruck.

“What’s the matter? Blupee got your tongue? And here I thought you’d be happy to see me…” he pouted mockingly.

“Kohga!” yelled Link, as much in anger as in surprise. He seized the hilt of the Master Sword beside him and sprang to his feet.

“That’s my name, you monosyllabic twat, don’t wear it out!” he cackled.

“What are you doing here!?” growled Riju.

“Is now a bad time? Well, too bad!” he bowed mockingly. “I seem to remember you requested this parlay, did you not? But it was you failed to specify when or where, so I hope you don’t mind if I took the liberty of choosing for us!”

Link took the briefest of moments to signal the others, mouthing Protect Zelda! at them before snapping his attention back to Kohga. The sages regrouped, tightening into a defensive ring around the prone princess.

“Well? We’re waiting!” baited the Yiga. “What could you possibly have to say to me, the mighty Master Kohga!”

Fine. Link took a moment to compose himself, compartmentalizing the shock of Zelda’s vulnerability and Kohga’s sudden presence; “I offer you a truce. I don’t have anything to give you but mine and the Princess’s word that we have no interest in a war with you. You leave us alone, live however and wherever you choose to live, and we will not pursue you for your crimes against Hyrule. We’ll forget you ever existed.”

He paused, waiting for a reaction. When none came he continued; “But this my one and only offer, and my one and only warning. I promise you peace, but I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, if you try to harm the Princess, I will kill you all.”

Kohga paused before breaking into a peal of laughter and another insulting slow clap, “OooOOooo I have goosebumps!” he shuddered and shivered for effect. “That’s the highest word count I’ve ever heard from you! You must have been rehearsing that in the mirror for weeks!”

“It would be wise to take the situation you find yourself in a bit more seriously,” warned Sidon.

“Big words from the big fish-man,” retorted Kohga coldly.

“You’d better listen to him!” growled Yunobo.

“Oh look, the pet rock is here too! Almost didn’t see you there, how’s the weather on Death Mountain? Eat any good books lately?”

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, asshole!” shouted Tulin, readying his bow and nocking an arrow.

“Tempter, temper,” tutted Kohga. “I see your mother still hasn’t managed to teach you any manners.”

“Are you here to parley or are you here to deliver insults?” replied Teba icily.

“Very well then, here is my answer: I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.”

Link’s eyes narrowed.

“It means No.”

Good, that simplifies things.

Still exhausted from their previous effort, but sure of his speed and the distance, Link drew upon his power and blitzed across the Sanctum toward Kohga, intent on finishing the fight before it got a chance to start. When he reached the throne, he delivered a slash that should have easily split the Yiga in two, but the sword only cut through empty space as the pudgy man unexpectedly sprang into motion with a speed nearly as fast as Link’s. He pirouetted gracefully out of the strike’s path at the last possible instant.

Kohga waggled a mocking finger at him, “Ah, ah, ah! You won’t get me that easily!”

WHAT?! Link couldn’t conceal his shock at Kohga’s speed, and the Yiga Master took gleeful note of it.

“Why hero, you look like someone just walked over your grave! Have you lost a step? You’re going to have to be quicker than that!” Kohga cackled. “If you find that impressive, you’ll like this too!” clapping his hands, he vanished with a CRACK in a cloud of smoke. Another loud CRACK produced six identical copies of himself surrounding the swordsman. Link set his feet and tightened his grip on the sword, finally noticing the blade was giving off its signature blue glow.

The Demon King’s presence!? It can’t be!

The group of Kohgas noticed it too, and spoke in unison, “That bothersome toothpick is spoiling my surprise. Very well. You fools thought my King was gone for good, didn’t you? THINK AGAIN!” they roared maniacally. “Before you crashed his party I found his chamber, and for my devotion, he graced me with a touch of his power! A piece of his spirit lives on in me!”

Oh SHIT! he graced the implications of that pronouncement internally as the rest of the group gasped. Panic renewing his urgency, Link began another attack. Bending time with the secret stone and swinging the blade around in a complete circle, he caught half the illusions in his arc, the sword’s power dissolving them into black smoke as the other three danced out of his reach.

He’s not as fast split six-ways, so his power must be limited. I gotta keep him talking, maybe he’ll slip up. “You’re a fool if you think this ends well for you. Do you think Ganondorf cares about what you want? Even if you win, Ganondorf will use you up and ditch you when you’re no longer useful to him.”

“How dare you think you understand what I want, what my soul craves? The Demon King is granting me a chance to do what I want to do- conquer and kill the Hero and Hylia’s heir! It’s just convenient that’s what he wants too. Once I kill you and your bitch, I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted! And then, when I release his spirit and give the Demon King his rebirth, he will destroy everything you’ve built and your legacies as well- and then my life’s purpose, my revenge will be total and complete! I will die happy if Ganondorf kills me, so long as I kill you first!”

“Are you crazy, is that your problem? Zelda never did anything to you! If you want to blame someone blame me. Hylia knows I’ve stacked enough of your idiot ninjas like cordwood to justify it.”

“Oh don’t you worry hero, I hate you too, but you’re just the whipped trophy boyfriend doing her bidding. Because of her I lost everything dear to me, and I had to claw myself and my clan back from nothing! Her very existence has mocked my own for over a century!”

What the hell is he on about?!

Link threw another feint followed by a thrust at the remaining Kohgas, destroying another clone and causing the other two to leap out of his way. At the end of their dodge, another of the remaining two was suddenly struck by a crackling arrow from Tulin and Riju, leaving only the real Kohga. Link rushed him but missed again when he disappeared into another cloud of smoke.

The Yiga reappeared in the air above him, hurling a pair of kunai at the Princess before disappearing again. Yunobo began to throw his body before her as a shield but was too slow. Sidon reacted simultaneously, throwing a bubble of water around her and Purah just before impact.

Kohga reappeared in the shattered frame of the stained-glass window, Tulin and Teba immediately releasing a hail of arrows at him. Deflecting them all lazily with his sickle, he shouted “The war I’ve dreamed of waging is finally upon you!”

“Beware of what you wish for!” shouted Sidon as the Rito kept up a steady stream of arrows. Riju charged up another lightning strike, but before she could release it Master Kohga vanished.

His disembodied voice echoed around the Sanctum, “Ta-ta for now! Congratulations on restoring the castle, now let’s see if you can defend it!”

“Kohga!” shouted Link as he prepared to launch himself in pursuit.

“Link! Zelda needs you!” shouted Purah, breaking his focus.

Every fiber of him screamed to continue the pursuit, “The Landing isn’t secure, and this might be the best chance we have of ending this now!”

“No it isn’t, that's why you need to get her to safety! We’ll take care of the Landing and everyone else!”

He almost protested again, but she gave him a fierce look. “GO!”

Fine! He snatched his pad, grabbed the princess’s hand, and smacked the icon in the center of the Korok Forest.

---

Link scooped Zelda up in his arms the moment they solidified in the shadow of the Great Deku Tree. The ancient spirit was snoozing, as always. As he carried her towards the shelter they were immediately swarmed by a mob of Koroks under the enormous tree root.

“Mister Hero, Mister Hero, Mister Hero!....What’s wrong with Miss Princess?!”

Link was not in the mood or headspace for their exuberance at all, but he did his best to bury his anger and frustration. Still, he replied a bit more curtly than the innocent Koroks deserved, “She’s very tired, and we just escaped an attack by Master Kohga. We need a safe place to hide while she wakes up. Where’s Chio?”

Chio answered from above him, “Up here! Bring Miss Princess inside, Mister Hero!”

Once inside, he placed Zelda on the leafy cot as Chio shooed the crowd of Koroks out of the room while Daz the shopkeeper brought Link more things to help make Zelda comfortable.

“Is Miss Princess going to be ok?”

“I think so, she’s strong. But I need your help keeping an eye on her until she wakes up, m’kay?”

“Yes, sir, Mister Hero, sir!” The Korok gave a jaunty salute and plopped down on his butt, staring intently at Zelda.

Link slapped a palm to his forehead, “No, not what I- nevermind. I’ve got her for now, Daz, thanks. Go tell the gang outside to keep it to a dull roar for us, ya?”

“Oh, ok!” replied the Korok cheerfully as he hustled away, pulling the curtain separating the tiny bedroom from the rest of the alcove shut as he left. Link heard him start shouting at the top of his little lungs for the mass of onlookers outside to be quiet.

That’s on me. I should have seen that coming. He sighed heavily and squished himself next to Zelda on the tiny cot, wrapping an arm under her pillow and resting his head on her chest for a moment. Satisfied her condition hadn’t gotten worse, he finally surrendered to the post-battle adrenaline crash.

But exhausted as he was, he could not sleep, replaying the events in the Sanctum over and over in his mind.

“Because of her I lost everything dear to me!”

What in the hell did he mean? Did Zelda really do something to him? Just what happened?

Chapter Text

The Knight gave the little boy a gentle shake.

“Wake up buddy, mom’s got breakfast ready downstairs”

He blinked twice, wakefulness coming slowly, “Mornin’ pa.”

“Happy Birthday, kiddo.”

Link smiled and gave his father a fierce hug, his arms not quite reaching all the way around. Throwing the sheets off himself he scrambled madly around the room getting dressed and flew downstairs. It was gonna be the bestest birthday ever, because now he was seven, and seven years old was an incredibly important number. It meant Link was finally eligible to become a Page, the first step into the training pipeline to become a Knight like his father.

It was also his first birthday in Castle Town; his father’s promotion to Knight-Captain of the Queen’s Guard necessitated the growing family’s move from the farm estate in Hateno to the capitol. As luck would have it, Link’s birthday coincided with the annual induction ceremony this year. Even more exciting, it would be the Princess’s first time blessing the new crop of Pages instead of the Queen. The Princess was turning six, which made the birthday festival being thrown by the Queen in Central Square the cherry on top of what promised to be an already excellent day.

Link’s mother greeted him in the kitchen with a stack of buttered and syrup drenched pancakes so tall it threatened to keel over. He wolfed down the breakfast while his father ran through one last refresher on court manners.

“You can’t eat like that at the castle, you know.”

“Ah kno’, but ah’m not at th’ Caffle yet,” he grinned cheekily through a mouthful of pancake.

“Link, I swear to Din, if you embarrass me…”

Link swallowed his last bite and comported his face into a mask of seriousness, “Don’t worry, Pa, I promise I won’t.” 

His father raised an eyebrow, “Alright then, pop-quiz: How does one address the King and Queen?”

“Your Majesty.”

“And the Princess?”

“Your Highness.”

“Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Dutchesses?”

“My Lord or My lady, or Your Grace”

“And the knights?”

“Ser.”

Satisfied, he dropped his stern look and tousled Link’s hair, “Attaboy.”

His mother hovered over Link as he finished. “You need to look presentable today, especially for the Princess,” she chided, fussing with his unruly mop of dark blonde hair.

“Moooom, leggo. I’ll do it!” he whined, ineffectually trying to fend her off. She made him sit still until it’d been combed and contained in a short but neat ponytail.

She kissed him on each cheek, tears welling in her eyes, “I’m so proud of you.”

He hugged her in response, “Love you, mom.”

“Ready to go?” his father asked, handing him the appointment letter with the Queen’s seal which served as his ticket into the ceremony later. Link nodded and tucked it into his tunic, bounding for the door.

“The ceremony isn’t until later this morning, where are you taking him so early?”

“I want to take one last walk together before he has to salute me in public,” confessed the knight. “Just a boy and his father before duty starts to replace his innocence.” He kissed his wife and followed Link out the door.

As father and son walked together through Castle Town, the early morning air was filled with the smell of fresh baked goods and the sounds of vendors prepping food for the festival. Despite having just eaten breakfast, the pastries in the window displays kept drawing Link’s attention. The looks he was giving them didn’t escape his father’s notice. Not much did.

“You know what, it’s your big day,” he said with a smile and pressed a rupee into Link’s hand, “Go grab yourself something.”

Link beamed at him and sprinted into the nearest bakery. He emerged a minute later with two apple compote turnovers, still hot from the oven and covered in a sticky sugar glaze.

“The nice lady said I could have two for a rupee, so I brought you one too!”

“Have I ever told you you’re a good kid?”

Link nodded enthusiastically, giving his father a toothy smile before chomping into the pastry.

They wandered on, eating as they walked, and eventually came to Central Square where a small platform had been erected and decorated for the occasion. The square around the fountain bustled with activity as shopkeepers, vendors, and entertainers made final preparations for the festival.

“I’ve gotta go report for duty, son. You’ll see me with the Queen and the Princess in a bit.” He pointed to a small tent, “You’ll report over there to check-in. There’ll be a Knight and some squires there to hand out the dress tunics and show you where to stand.”

Link fidgeted with the rather plain green tunic he was currently wearing.

“Nervous?”

“A little…”

Taking a knee, he crouched down to Link’s eye level. “What’s on your mind?” he asked gently.

“I-I…I really wanna be a knight just like you someday, but what if I’m not good at it?”

The knight's eyes shimmered, “Link, you won’t be just like me. You’ll be better than me. Today is your first step into a bigger responsibility, and while that’s scary, I know you’re ready for it. The things you’ve already shown me you can do mean there’s something very, very special about you. And even if you didn’t have that special something, you’d still be the helpful, thoughtful, determined little man I’m proud of. Momma’s proud of you too, and the little baby momma is growing is gonna be proud too. Always be who you are deep down inside and you will never fail.”

“I’m proud of you too, Pa,” Link smiled.

“You have no idea how good that makes me feel, Link,” he clapped Link reassuringly on the arm one more time. “Now go enjoy yourself for a little bit. See if you can make a new friend, but don’t be late!”

“Ok, see you soon!”

Link spent the next hour wandering around, admiring the decorations and enjoying the sunshine. A crowd began to gather with other families, many with little boys about Link’s age, but since none of the other boys were alone, he kept to himself. A horn blew, summoning the soon-to-be pages to the check-in, and Link stepped into the queue behind several other boys.

When he got to the head of the line he presented his letter to the knight, who perused it and checked the seal for authenticity. When he saw the name, his eyes lit up in recognition and he smiled down at Link. “Ah, so you’re Sir Arn’s boy, eh? Heard a lot about you! Step on in and get your tunic.”

Inside the small tent was a plump seamstress and a squire. The lady barely had to look him over before she grabbed a tunic off the farthest, shortest pile and handed it to him. It was a simple white tunic with navy sleeves and the red crest of the royal family embroidered on the chest. Pulling it over his head it fell over Link’s knees and past his wrists. “It’s the smallest one I have, dear, so it’ll have to do for today,” she apologized. “You’ll need to have your mother take it in a bit.”

The squire beside her slapped a matching blue beret on his head, which nearly fell over his eyes. The older boy sniggered at him, “Aren’t you a little short for a Page?”

Link glared at him, but knew better than to loiter and risk getting bullied even more, so he hustled quickly out the opposite tent flap and into the square. He rolled his sleeves up a few inches to expose his hands and tugged the cap over his hair, but had to cock it rather far back to keep it from sliding over his face. He meandered past a gaggle of the other boys to stand before the platform.

When all the boys had made it through the tent the knight organized them into a neat formation with the shortest up front and the tallest to the rear. Link ended up front and center before the platform, and caught himself scanning the crowd for his mother. He spotted her waving enthusiastically and gave her a shy wave and smile.

It wasn’t long before a trumpet announced the royal party’s arrival. The massive castle gates swung open and a guard procession leading a small yet ornately gilded carriage trundled through the gate to the square. When it stopped behind the platform a pair of pages, slightly older than the boys arrayed in the square, opened the carriage doors to reveal the Queen and Princess. As they clambered out, Link caught a short glimpse of the Princess before she vanished behind the queen, her golden blonde hair done up in braids matching her mother’s.

The Queen climbed gingerly up the steps to the platform, followed by the Princess, who seemed to be hiding behind her mother’s skirts while trying her best not to be obvious about it. Link could tell from a distance she was nervous.

Link’s father was suddenly on stage, having appeared seemingly from thin air, “Her Majesty the Queen of Hyrule, and her Highness, Princess Zelda!” he proclaimed. The crowd cheered enthusiastically as the knight called the formation of Pages to attention.

“Greetings Castle Town, and visitors from all of Hyrule!” beamed the Queen, radiating a calm motherly presence over the crowd. Link was immediately enthralled. “I welcome you all to Princess Zelda’s birthday festival! We are overjoyed to see so many here today to celebrate with us. But before we begin the festivities, we are here to induct this year’s class of Pages. It honors us to see so many families entrusting their sons in service to the crown. This is a special occasion for them, made more so because this year Princess Zelda will administer the oath of fealty to the inductees.”

All eyes turned to the little Princess beside her. Link saw her cheeks turning pink as she seemed to shrink a little from stage fright. He thought she looked like she could use a friend, and wished he could say something encouraging to make her feel brave. His mind wandered off with the thought of wondering what it would be like to be her friend.

“Go on, my little bird,” nudged the Queen gently.

The Princess took a deep breath and drew herself up, putting on the best show of regality a six-year-old could muster. She held her chin high as she began to recite; “Hylia, Bless these sons of Hyrule and their families. As Pages in service of the Crown, you are charged with being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, resourceful, brave, and reverent before Hylia and the Three Goddesses. Do you, sons of Hyrule, accept these charges and swear fealty to the Crown of Hyrule?”

“ I do! ” chanted the formation of Pages in unison.

“Do you promise to train hard, so that one day you may protect our Kingdom against all evil?”

“ I do! ”

“And do you promise to serve our people faithfully?”

“ I do! ”

The Queen answered their final call, “Then let those present today bear witness, that we hear and accept your oath of fealty, given in good faith. In turn, we swear upon the Goddesses to defend and provide for you in word, deed, and force so long as you uphold your oaths.”

The crowd burst into applause and cheers. Link looked up at his father, who maintained a stoic and watchful gaze over the crowd, over to his mother, who was wiping away tears, and back to the Princess, who had dropped her regal façade and was looking very relieved that her speaking role was over. He stood a little taller, feeling proud of himself and, strangely, proud of the Princess as well. For a brief moment, her eyes locked onto his, bringing a shy smile to his face.

“We invite you all to partake in the festivities today as we celebrate my daughter and your sons! May Hylia bless you all,” finished the Queen.

Link exchanged a wave with his father as he disappeared to follow the royals. When the royal party left the platform the Knight gave them instructions on when and where to report for duty at the castle the next day and finally dismissed them. The new Pages rushed to their families in the crowd as a band of musicians began to provide the score for a troupe of street performers putting on an acrobatics show. 

His mother snatched him up in a hug. “My little Link is a Page now!” she gushed.

“Aww mom, come one you’re gonna embarrass me in front of the other guys…”

“It’s my job and my right to embarrass you a little,” she replied primly. Then she took stock of the state of his new tunic, “My word, that’s the best they could do for you?”

Link simply shrugged, unbothered. ”Can we get some lemonade? I’m thirsty!”

They made their way through the throng of people to get refreshments. With drinks in hand they hadn’t quite made it to one of the pretzel vendors next when a sudden staccato erupted near the fountain from a string of firecrackers being set off. It was accompanied by a large billowy cloud of smoke that obscured the entire area beyond the platform. The performers increasingly began to sound more chaotic than choreographed. Heads in the crowd started to turn towards the cacophony as it got louder and louder.

A small scream came from within the smoke cloud, followed by much louder confused and panicked shouts from the guards.

Before Link could fully register what was happening, the crowd became a crush as people panicked and attempted to scatter away from the smoke cloud. Link was torn away from his mother, pulled away by the throng; he reached out desperately for her hand but missed her fingers as he lost sight of her.

“ Link! Run home!”

“Mom!”

Link knew something had gone terribly wrong, but despite his mother’s plea he sensed that his newly sworn oath meant his place wasn’t at home, nor was it being trapped in the center of a stampeding horde. Instinct told him that wherever his father was would be where someone might need his help. Fighting the urge to panic, he used the flow of people to direct him to the edge of the crowd. Upon breaking free he sprinted toward the dense cloud of smoke. As he bumbled through the haze his foot caught on something, nearly sending him face-first into the cobblestones. Underfoot was a prone body dressed in blue.

It was a royal guard; a pool of crimson blooming steadily outward from where he lay. The gruesome sight coupled with the smoke and cacophony of panicked voices all around him became terrifyingly disorienting.

Link froze in fear, but a clash of steel and a frightened shriek from somewhere up ahead snapped him out of it. A group of figures, two tall and one small, broke free of the smoke at a run.

He recognized the biggest silhouette. “Pa!” he shouted, but his cry was lost in the din as the group fled around a corner into an alleyway.

He tore after them as fast as he could manage, his new beret flying off his head as he rounded the corner into the alley. The narrow space was cluttered with boxes and barrels, and twisted through a row of buildings. As he rounded a blind corner, he saw his father coming back out of a doorway at the end of the path.

“Pa!”

A look of terror flashed across his father’s face as he recognized his son, “Link?! What are you doing here?! ”

“I came to help!”

A stunned and pained expression crossed his father’s face, causing Link’s stomach to plummet. Was he upset?

“Link, there are bad people trying to hurt the queen and princess! It’s too dang-” he froze suddenly, head snapping towards a sound. “They’ve found us! Get inside, quickly! Stay quiet, barricade the door, and help them try to hide. And no matter what happens do not come back out! ” he implored as he shoved Link through the door and slammed it shut.

Link had to blink several times to adjust his eyes to the darkness. A window provided a small amount of light, and in the far corner, he recognized the Queen and Princess huddled together on a pile of straw. The mother looked at him and whispered something barely audible to her daughter before abruptly slumping back onto the straw as he approached them.

The sound of ringing steel reverberated suddenly from the other side of the door, accompanied by grunts and anguished cries. More clanging preceded another shout Link recognized as his father’s.

Then the light from the window fell dark, and Link wheeled around just in time to see a masked figure crash through in a shower of glass. They pulled out a wicked-looking sickle blade and advanced on Link, who retreated slowly with his back toward the two royals. When he bumped into the Princess, he knew he was out of room; the claustrophobic feeling of being a cornered animal drowned his senses.

Time slowed to a crawl as the masked assassin loomed over him, blade poised to strike.

Chapter Text

The Queen sat down gently on the foot of the bed and stroked a lock of golden hair from her daughter’s face. The little princess stirred under her comforter and blearily peeked open an eye.

“Good morning, Little Bird.”

“Good morning momma!” she chirped in response, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

 “Happy Birthday my love, I brought you something special for today,” smiled the Queen as she pointed to Fenn, the lady’s maid, holding up a new navy blue dress.

The widest smile spread over her face as she threw her arms around her mother, “Thank you momma!” She threw the covers off herself and hopped out of bed, disappearing behind her dressing screen in a whirlwind of linens and undergarments.

Today was going to be the bestest birthday ever! It wasn’t every day you turned six, and six was a very important number. Papa had promised to let her begin riding lessons, and Momma had whispered something about magic powers!

Fully dressed, and with braids matching the Queen’s, Zelda practically floated on her excitement beside her mother as they made their way to the dining hall. She spotted her father waiting at the door and she sprinted the rest of the way, colliding with him in a fierce hug.

The king beamed at her, “Happy birthday my little princess.” Zelda looked up at him and then around the room. When she caught sight of the arrangements and colorful decorations in the hall she let out a squeal of glee and bounded to her seat where an enormous birthday cake sat before her place setting. Her father chuckled when the footman cut a large enough slice to completely obscure Zelda from his view when it was placed before her.

Zelda snatched up a fork to begin her conquest of the chocolate mountain. “Ahem- manners and decorum, Little Bird. Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean one forgets one’s self,” chided the queen gently. “And try not to get any on your new dress, dear.”

Zelda froze halfway to putting the first bite in her mouth, “Yes, mother.” She waited, fidgeting with forced patience, while more sensibly sized slices were served to everyone else before she renewed her assault. It wasn’t long before it was devoured and she remembered the promises her parents had made.

“Papa, can we go to the stables right away? Pretty please? You said I was old enough now!”

“Hmm…I don’t know…” he made an exaggerated show of stroking his beard, as though suddenly reconsidering his promise.

Zelda dialed up the intensity of her puppy eyes.

“Oh, all right.” As if he could ever deny her anything.

“Remember Little Bird, being a year older comes with new benefits, but also new responsibilities.”

“Your mother is right, dear. Show us again that you can recite the oath of fealty you’re giving today and we can go for a quick visit to the stable before you have to leave for the festival.”

Zelda took a deep breath and rattled off the oath as quickly as she could speak.

“Now can we go?”

The King and Queen exchanged an exasperated look and acquiesced.

One sugar rush-fueled walk to the stables later saw Zelda standing at eye-level with a white pony, green orbs wide with awe. “Is it really mine?”

“It is. Take your time and think of a good name for her,” answered the stablemaster. “I’ll have her ready for you to ride after your festival this afternoon.”

Zelda thanked him as a royal guard approached the gathering.

“Good morning, your Majesties, your Highness,” he bowed to the royals.

“Good morning, Sir Arn,” replied the Queen.

“Thank you for allowing me the morning off for my son’s birthday.”

The Queen smiled, “It was my pleasure, Sir Arn. I would not dream of keeping a father from his son on his birthday. And what a lovely coincidence he shares a birthday with Princess Zelda! He must be very excited for today?”

“Indeed he is, Your Majesty. And he’s excited to see Princess Zelda.  If you’re ready to depart, the carriage is waiting.”

She smiled, “Let’s not keep him in suspense, then.”

Zelda hugged her father before they climbed aboard the carriage. “I’ll see you this afternoon, my dear.” 

Once they were rolling along, she suddenly remembered the other present she’d been promised. “Momma, are you really going to teach me how to use magic?”

“Yes I am, Little Bird. You’re finally old enough to learn about the special power you possess. It is a gift the women in our line get from our mothers. I have it, my mother had it, and her mother and grandmothers before her all had it. And you do too.”

“What does it do? Can it make me fly? Does it turn you invisible? Ooo! Ooo! Can I light things on fire with it!?” she cackled a little too excitedly. 

The Queen raised a slightly concerned eyebrow. “No, Zelda. It’s a holy power; a gift from Hylia herself passed down for generations.”

“It’s from the Goddess?” breathed Zelda in awe. “Hylia is going to give me magic?”

“She’s not going to give it to you; you already have it inside you. All you need to do is learn to unlock it.”

“Can you show me?”

“Of course, Little Bird.”

The Queen pulled off a glove and placed her hand between them, palm down. Three glowing triangles arranged in a triangle-- the royal crest-- appeared on the back of her hand. She turned her palm up and a shimmering light coalesced in her hand, holding it like a ball. She moved it from one palm to another and back again.

Zelda was awestruck, and couldn’t help trying to reach out a finger to poke at it. The light was warm and tingly, eliciting a joyful giggle from her.

“This is the power of light that seals the Great Darkness. Someday, hopefully not in your lifetime, it will be used to defeat the great evil. I will make sure you know how it works so you can use it and teach your daughters how to use it someday too.”

“It's so pretty! But what’s the Great Evil?”

Before she could respond, Sir Arn suddenly tapped on the front window from his perch on the driver’s bench, “My ladies, I hate to interrupt, but I don’t think you’d want to miss this- look over there!”

They both looked out the window. In the distance over the North Hyrule Plain, a long silver-white serpent with a golden mane had descended out of a cloud bank and was heading towards the castle. It let out a mighty roar audible even across the great distance.

Zelda gasped when she spotted it, “Momma what is that?!”

The Queen did not reply for a long moment as she contemplated, the ball of light in her hand dissipating, “It looks like one of the three mythical dragons, but it does not appear to match the description of Farosh, Dinrall, or Naydra…”

“Is it a new one?”

“I don’t know, love. But I think we can take it as a good omen for your birthday.”

“I think so too!” she agreed, though she had no frame of reference as to why. The dragon felt like a kindred spirit, somehow. As they passed through the castle gates she watched as it undulated through the sky for another minute before it turned around and disappeared back into the clouds. Whatever had attracted it towards the castle no longer seemed to warrant its attention anymore.

They sat in an almost reverent hush for the remainder of the ride to Central Square, the Queen deep in thought. The dragon had left them with an overwhelming sense of peace.

The carriage arrived in the square to the sound of trumpet fanfare. Zelda stepped blinking into the sunlight and followed her mother up the steps onto the small stage. As she stepped onto the platform the mass of people in the square came fully into view, catching her off guard.

All there for her festival. All there to see, no- hear her speak today.

The world closed in around her and Zelda suddenly felt very small and vulnerable.

She tried to shift behind her mother for support, but couldn’t pull it off without looking like she was hiding. She looked at the troop of boys arrayed before her, her eyes lingering briefly on the smallest of the lot standing front and center in the formation. Sir Arn began saying something loud enough to silence the crowd’s chatter, and her mother started speaking.

Suddenly, she found herself being addressed, “Go on, my little bird,” the words piercing through her daze.

Oh right. The Oath…what were the words again?

Zelda drew herself up to stall for a moment and tried to remember what her mother had said about speaking. Be calm? Easier said than done, but luckily her jumbled thoughts landed on the feeling the dragon had given her earlier. That seemed to help a bit.

Calm.

Focusing on a point in space well beyond the crowd, she began her recitation. Gone was the rapid-fire dictation she had done to show off at breakfast, replaced with a measured pace and a feeling of confidence. Still, Zelda breathed a very obvious sigh of relief when she finished as the crowd applauded and cheered. Looking down at the pages still standing in revue, her eyes fell on the smallest one in the front row again; the faint smile on his face buoyed her sense of elation even more, like warmth from a friend. She wondered if he would be assigned to the castle and if might be allowed to be her friend.

When the queen finished addressing the crowd they made their way off-stage to begin greeting and meeting the event organizers. Zelda had to be gracious to everyone she met, performing her role as princess alongside her mother.

“Are you ready to go see the show? A troupe of acrobats came all the way from Deya Village to perform today.”

“Yes please!”

They followed Sir Arn, who parted the crowd before them, bringing them to the group of harlequin-dressed performers. They seemed to have just finished the last of their preparations as their musical accompaniment began to play.

The leader, a burly man, caught sight of them and boomed out a welcome. “Your Majesty and her Royal Highness! You do us much honor to grace our humble group with your patronage. In honor of the Princess’s birthday, we present to you the acrobatic extravaganza we like to call: Upside Down!”

Something about the man oozed wrongness in a way that filled Zelda with a sense of foreboding. Still, the music swelled as the Queen and assembled entourage clapped politely, and one of the three performers held aloft a sparkler which they used to light a string of firecrackers. Another acrobat vaulted themselves into the air to land atop the burly one’s shoulders just as the firecrackers began to pop and bang. The troupe began to flip, tumble, and somersault in time with the music and the firecrackers, which to Zelda, seemed to be generating an unusually large amount of smoke.

Something was most definitely wrong about this now, she was certain. Zelda tugged at her mother’s hem, “Momma, I don’t like these men. They feel scary.”

“Are you frightened, little bird?”

“No, I just don’t think they’re nice men. We should tell Sir Arn.”

The Queen’s face became serious, and she shot Sir Arn a look. He responded with a curt nod, never taking his eyes off the performers while signaling to the other guards to be alert; he must have already sensed what Zelda had unconsciously picked up on. What they needed was a polite excuse to break away…

The performers’ tempo increased, accentuated with their shouts and loud whoops of laughter. The smoke and the noise were starting to become disorienting as the music and cackling of the troupe became a discordant cacophony. Before Zelda even realized what was happening, she found she could barely see her mother standing beside her.

Two of the acrobats leaped through the smoke, appearing in front of them, but Sir Arn and another guard were already springing into action, bodying the acrobats away. Swords swished from scabbards, and there was a clang, a grunt, a cry, and the sound of something heavy thumping to the ground.

“My ladies! RUN!” bellowed Sir Arn, pushing Zelda over the edge from confusion and trepidation into full-on panic.

Unfortunately for the princess, her fight-or-flight reaction settled on the third option: “freeze.”

Fortunately for her, the queen reacted as ordered. She seized Zelda’s hand and yanked her into a run, “Owwie!”, just as something shiny flew past them at the edge of Zelda’s vision. There was a clatter of metal on cobblestone and her mother let out a surprised shriek of pain. When she looked up, she saw her wearing a pained grimace with her hand pressed against her neck.

Confused shouts filled the air around them as Guardsmen bumbled through the smoke to calls of “Protect the Queen!”

Sir Arn was suddenly before them again. “This way, quickly!”

Realizing there was no way the Princess would be able to keep up, the Queen scooped up Zelda in her arms and dashed after him. They broke free of the smokescreen, sprinting down the street towards the nearest buildings.

“Down the alley, quickly!”

“Sir Arn, a breather, please,” wheezed the Queen when they rounded the corner. She put Zelda down and braced herself on the wall.

“My lady, are you hurt?”

“’tis but a scratch.”

“We must keep moving.”

Tears of panic smudged her face as Zelda found her voice again, “Momma what’s happening?”

“There are bad people after us, but Sir Arn will protect us. Do whatever he says now and you’ll be safe,” she replied between labored breaths. Sir Arn led them down the alley, weaving around barrels and boxes and around another corner.

“I want to go back to the Castle,” sniffled Zelda, jogging along between them.

“We will soon, darling,” panted her mother.

They came to a dead end with a wooden door leading into a warehouse. Sir Arn kicked the door open and led them inside. A cursory glance revealed a window and a door opposite the one they’d entered as the only other entry points, as well as a stack of stores and a pile of hay in the corner.

“My ladies, hide in here as best you can. I’ll hold off anyone who comes at the door. Do not leave this room for anyone except myself or a relief force,” he said as he barricaded the far door with a crate and a barrel.

“Thank you, Sir Arn, we owe you our lives. We shall do as you ask. Be safe,” bid the Queen as he shut the door behind himself. She led Zelda over to the pile of hay on unsteady legs, where she finally faltered, wobbled, and crashed into the stack.

“Momma, what’s wrong?!” cried the Princess, the fear in her voice causing her breath to hitch. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

“I am…unwell,” she managed in reply.

“Can we use our magic to make you feel better?”

Before her mother could answer the door opened again suddenly, causing Zelda to jump, and a small figure was shoved into the room before being slammed shut again.

The queen looked at the unexpected intrusion and smiled with recognition, “Be strong, little bird,” she said through a labored breath. “You’ll be safe now. You have your own little knight here to protect you. I love you, and tell your Papa I love him too,” she soothed before slumping back into the pile of straw. Zelda finally noticed a scratch along her mother’s neck where a greenish-yellow foam frothed angrily over a few droplets of blood.

The sound of ringing steel reverberated suddenly from the other side of the door, followed by more grunts and anguished cries. More clanging preceded another shout Zelda thought she recognized as Sir Arn’s.

The little boy stared at them for a moment in amazement, unable to form any words. He looked as though he was about to try when a shadow fell across the light of the window.

The glass shattered as a masked figure crashed through it, showering the room in glistening shards.

They drew a wicked-looking blade and advanced on the little figure, backing him towards her. As he approached, she recognized him as the tiny new Page from the ceremony.

It would be a shame to lose her friend before she could meet him properly.

The masked figure loomed; blade poised to smite the Page where he stood.

But before the blow fell the door flew open again, drawing the assassin’s attention. The Page exploited the momentary distraction, reacting faster than Zelda thought possible; one moment he was standing before her, and the next moment he’d tackled her into the pile of straw. The assassin turned back to them and swung. There was a swish of steel over their heads, followed by a wet thump and surprised gasp of air. The children peeked out from beneath the straw in time to see a sword sprouting from the assassin’s chest.

The sickle clattered to the floor as their assailant crumpled to the ground, revealing Sir Arn standing over the body, bloodied and breathing heavily. But the momentary relief was short-lived. It soured immediately into shock as he suddenly began to sway, finally collapsing to the ground beside the assassin.

“PA!” yelled the Page as he untangled himself from atop Zelda. He ran to Sir Arn’s side and shook him, “Pa, are you alright?!”

Sir Arn raised his hand to the Page’s shoulder, “Keep them safe.” Then it fell limply to his side. The boy sat stunned for half a moment, unable to register what had just happened. He balled his fists full of his father’s tunic, continuing to plead and shake. The little boy’s world was crumbling, and he was powerless to stop it; he buried his face in Sir Arn’s chest and began to sob.

Zelda, meanwhile, was absorbed in her own calamity. “Momma? Momma, wake up! Please wake up!” she begged, shaking her mother’s shoulders.

Her mother made no reply.

Desperately, Zelda put her hand out in front of her like she’d seen her mother do in the carriage and strained. She didn’t know how her magic worked, but she was determined to try, using every ounce of concentration to will something, anything to happen.

She flapped her hands and shook her wrists but no light came forth. “Come on Hylia, momma said I have your power inside me! Come out power!” she hiccupped through sobs. Try as she might, Hylia’s light would not reveal itself, and the harder she tried the more fear and panic began to overtake and consume her senses. “A-are you really there Hylia? Momma promised you were there! Why won’t you help me?!” she cried angrily.

But if Hylia was listening, she gave no sign, and the only sound that remained was the quiet sobbing of two frightened children in the dark.

A few minutes or an eternity later, Zelda wasn’t in any state to know for certain, the sound of shouts and footsteps rushing down the alley rekindled something in the boy because she suddenly found herself buried in the straw again with the Page on top of her.

“Hide!” he hissed in her ear, and they burrowed deeper into the pile. Zelda clung desperately to her mother’s arm while the boy shielded her with his body.

They shook with fright as they waited, unsure who would be coming for them through the door.

Chapter Text

The sky was still dark when the old man gently prodded at the lump of white hair protruding from under the duvet with his walking stick.

“Wake up lad.” The covers stirred, and brownish-red irises flicked open. “Happy Birthday.”

The eyes blinked in confusion, “How do you know it’s my birthday?”

“I don’t. But today is the anniversary of when you came to us and I think that will do nicely as a stand-in. Don’t you think it’s worth celebrating?”

The face the eyes belonged to scrunched up in deep contemplation. The protection and kindness of the old man and his wife still felt like the clothes he’d worn that didn’t quite fit him right on the day he arrived in Deya village, despite having spent the past year with them. The wife had mended and hemmed his clothes, and so began the slow methodical process of mending his soul.

Yet he still couldn’t shake the irrational sense that the rug might be pulled out from beneath him at any moment. Living here still felt too good to be true, especially after a childhood spent uprooted from anything resembling a home. When asked how old he was, he could only shrug. His own best guess was seven or eight, based on how many homes he’d lived in and fled from for one reason or another. The story which had followed him out of his (alleged) uncle’s household didn’t come with an age, only that his mother had died giving birth. His father could be almost anyone in Hyrule.

Maybe it was time to finally let himself accept some good fortune for once and start a new chapter. The boy forced a smile, “Yeah, I like that idea.”

“Well then, what is your favorite kind of cake?”

“Cake?” His mind stumbled over the very notion there would be any. 

“Cake,” replied the man, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

“Umm…fruitcake, maybe? I’ve only ever had some once,” he admitted. What he wouldn’t admit was he’d stolen that slice from a bakery. “I think it had wild berries and bananas in it?”

“Then we’d best get on our way!”

“To where?”

“To go forage for some so Mara can bake you one, of course! Get dressed.”

A few moments later, he descended the stairs into the kitchen, still tying his hair back.

The elderly woman greeted him as he seated himself at the table across from her husband, “Good morning Kohga! Did Jonah tell you what today is?” Jonah began to pour three cups of tea.

“Yes, missus Mara, t-thank you,” replied Kohga a bit sheepishly. Her genuine motherly love made him feel skittish.

“Then happy birthday. Jonah tells me you would like a fruitcake?”

“Only if it’s not too much trouble…” he fidgeted nervously with his teacup.

“Nonsense! The two of you can fetch the ingredients on your morning walk, and you and I can bake it together later. I’ll teach you.”

Kohga shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as though he might make a break for the door. Jonah had already had to gently coax him back out of the woods several times in the past year and gave Mara a knowing look over the lip of his teacup.

“Come along then, let’s go find some fruit. There’s a small shrine along the way I think we should meditate at this morning. Perhaps the forest spirits there will grant us a blessing for your birthday.” He grabbed his walking stick and slung a small satchel over his shoulder.

Mara handed Kohga a small wicker basket as they walked to the door. “I’ll need at least half that basket full of wild berries, whatever you can find, and anything else in season that strikes your fancy.”

---

The early morning sky was a dark red color as they wound their way up a game trail leading southwest into the ring of hills that formed Deya Valley.

“’Red sky in morning…’” Jonah recited the old adage. “We’re in for some weather later today. I can feel it in my knees.”

Kohga trotted quietly along beside him as they hiked up the hill. A tree growing at the top provided a waypoint to guide their climb as the desire path switch backed its way along the terrain’s contour lines. Jonah was as sure-footed as a mountain goat; years of experience allowed him to navigate the path by intuition, but Kohga stumbled most of the way in the grey of the pre-dawn light. When they got to the top a half hour later, quadriceps on fire, Kohga flopped himself on a mossy stone ledge that served as a bench. Beside him in a small alcove in the hill’s rock face were two forest spirit statues sheltered from the elements.

Jonah took a small pouch from his satchel and set about loading the incense burner resting in the hands of one of the statues. He gestured to the empty dish held by the other, “Go find us a little something to put in the offering bowl, would you please?”

Kohga nodded and looked around. The tree clinging to the peak was a young but strong oak flush with acorns. Those seemed appropriate for forest spirits, so he gathered about a dozen and filled the dish. Jonah nodded approvingly as he lit the incense. He took two steps back from the statue and sat down on his knees, hands clasped before him. Kohga watched and mirrored his movements.

The pair meditated in silence a while before Jonah finally broached the subject which had been dangling in the air all morning.

“You’ve run away in the past to protect yourself from danger, but you also run from us when there is none. Why?”

Kohga paused. He knew why, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, “I dunno…”

“May I take a guess?”

The boy looked away, but Jonah didn’t need a reply to know what he meant.

“Are you afraid we’ll turn out to be like all the others?”

Kohga nodded almost imperceptibly.

“When was the first time you ran away from a home?”

Kohga had never been asked that before. The answer was painfully simple, and it hurt to talk about, so he never did. With anyone. Which meant it came as a complete surprise to himself when the words began spilling out. “I ran away from my uncle’s house after he beat me when he came home from a night at the tavern.”

“Ah, was this your family?”

He nodded again. The phantom pain of that evening flared around his body along with the overwhelming urge to find a place to hide. Somehow Kohga kept talking, “He made me choose what he was going to hit me with.”

The depths of the boy’s pain were immediately forced into perspective. Jonah’s eyes softened as he focused them on the little boy. “I am so sorry, little one.”

“I chose the one that would hurt the most.”

“By the Goddess, why?”

A sudden rage flared. “Cause fuck him that’s why!” he snarled angrily, fighting against his surging flight response.

“My, my, my; such foul language from such a young one. You shouldn’t let Mara hear you use it in her presence,” chided the old man gently enough to make it sound like a forgiveness, not an admonition. Sensing what Kohga’s next action was likely to be, Jonah began a breathing exercise. He motioned for Kohga to join in the hope it would calm him down.

Kohga forced his hackles back down as he breathed. He willed himself to remain sitting and reminded himself they had not yet done anything to make him feel threatened. Jonah and Mara were the best grownups he’d ever met. The only danger was his own mistrust.

“Sorry, Jonah.” 

“All is forgiven. Your feelings are completely understandable. No child should go through what you have gone through. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, we can stop talking about it now.” He stopped and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “It was very brave of you to share your story with me. And I want you to know our love is given freely without expectation of repayment. You will always be safe in our home as long as you choose to stay. We hope you won’t ever feel the need to leave.”

Jonah resumed his meditation.

Kohga’s desire for a loving home grappled with the wounded part of his mind poisoning his hope with the urge to flee from inevitable heartache. He closed his eyes and bowed towards the statues again. They remained silent, stone eyes staring hollowly into the distance. Maybe they were better listeners than observers. Still, Kohga wished for some sort of sign.

Kohga opened his eyes as the light from the dawn broke between the horizon and the cloud layer, the sun reflecting red off the cloud bottoms. The view was beautiful, even if it did portend stormy weather.

After several more minutes of silence, when he was convinced Jonah was actually asleep and no longer just meditating, the old man suddenly spoke. “How do you feel?”

After a minute Kohga shrugged. “I don’t feel like running away anymore.”

Jonah chuckled. “I’ll take it.” He bowed low before the statues, pressing his forehead to the sod. Kohga repeated the gesture. “Did you ask the spirits for anything?”

“Cake,” smiled the boy.  

“I think we can make that happen. Run along now and go forage, you know all the good spots. While you take care of that I’m going to stop by the market on the way home for Mara.”

Kohga nodded and set off with his basket into the woods to the north.

---

The King knelt beside his queen, stroking her limp hand. The Queen’s breathing was so shallow as to be nearly undetectable. The royal surgeon exuded desperation as he fretted with the queen’s wound while a Sheikah assistant mixed yet another strange and foul-smelling concoction- presumably another antidote.

The hastily assembled group of advisors stood awkwardly near the doorway of the royal apartments. 

“Make your report, Lady Impaz,” he stated numbly. Tears of grief and rage flooded his vision, so he could not turn to face them. Not yet. The king could not show weakness.

A serious-looking Sheikah in the group addressed his back, “It was Yiga assassins, based on the poison and the weapons recovered at the scene. Her majesty was seemingly uninjured except for the small scratch. Her Captain, Sir Arn, fell protecting her and Princess Zelda, but not before killing at least three of the assassins. We found his son, a new Page, hiding the princess, who upon being discovered proceeded to bite, scratch, and punch three of the guards before he could be convinced they were being rescued. A half dozen other guards were also injured, poisoned, or killed at the scene by the assassins; one of them may not recover from his injuries, and another may succumb to poison. Princess Zelda is safely in her room with my daughters, Impa and Purah, and a full guard rotation stationed inside and outside. The boy has been returned to his mother. The Castle remains on lockdown while the Royal Army completes its sweep of Castle Town.”

The King’s gaze remained locked on his wife, “I thought you’d told me these so-called “Yiga” were not a threat. ‘A small, insignificant fringe group of failed and fallen Sheikah’, you’d assured me.”

“I did, and I have been proven wrong, Your Majesty,” she answered calmly, bowing her head in contrition. How could security at the festival have been so lax? The Sheikah were damned secretive, and they rarely made mistakes. The King suddenly realized their reputation for the latter may have been artificially padded by the former.

“Where can they be found?” he growled.

“According to my sources, the clan leadership meets in Deya Village, though there may be safehouses in Aquame and Goponga Village.”

“These villages aid and abet them?”

“Not necessarily-” she started but was cut short.

The Queen suddenly took a single, much more audible breath, and exhaled. She stilled, and the room fell completely silent.

Something inside the King shattered, and an agonizing hush filled the room which no one dared break.

“General Toren,” the name dripped tonelessly from the King’s lips.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” answered a man in gilded armor.

“How quickly can you deploy forces to these villages?”

“About a day to arrive at each, sire,” replied the General eagerly. Lady Impaz’s eyes narrowed dangerously at him. The general reciprocated her glare.

“I charge you with delivering Hylia’s justice. Go immediately. Root out the Yiga and put them to the sword.”

Lady Impaz opened her mouth to protest, but the King cut her off. “Do not make me repeat myself,” he hissed icily. “Leave us,” he croaked, his voice finally breaking with grief.

The room cleared immediately.

---

Strawberry season was winding down, while blueberry season was in full swing. There was a mix of both in his basket. Kohga had to make his way all the way around to the northern entrance of the valley to find enough. He’d probably already be on his way back if not for the fact he’d eaten nearly as many as had gone into the basket; at present, he needed another handful or two. A pity the blackberries weren’t quite ripe yet…

The rumble of hooves coming down the road caught his attention. As the sound grew louder so did the unmistakable clank of armor and weapons, signaling the arrival of a troop of mounted knights. At the head of the formation were two riders wearing ornate armor capped with plumed helms. The cavalry halted, and the two leaders broke from the formation to climb the hill overlooking the entrance to the valley, riding past the bush concealing Kohga. 

Seeing armored knights had him beyond intrigued, and also a bit overwhelmed. With his berry basket safely stashed in the bush, he crept up the hill after them. Keeping his distance, he crawled through a thicket of ferns to conceal his approach for a better look and to listen to what they were saying. The riders were looking south, surveying the Deya Valley from atop their warhorses. When he got within earshot he heard a hot debate taking place.

“…they made a mockery of my Army! The Queen assassinated, the Princess very nearly, six men dead, and among them my best Captain! We will deliver the King’s justice.”

“But sir, our orders are to find the Yiga, not liquidate the village!”

“And how do you suggest we identify the Yiga? Asking politely?! No, everyone in this village is a sympathizer. We cannot afford any survivors. If any escape they will regroup and strike again! I will not allow the reputation of my Army to be tarnished by such failure ever again!”

“But General, sir-“

“And if I had my way those Sheikah shadows would be next! Those cryptic spies and shamans have too much sway over the royal family.”

“With all due respect, General, this is starting to sound like a personal vendetta.”

“My orders are in line with the King’s intent. The men are ready to avenge their Queen. Are you? The only way to protect the Princess is to remove all possible threats. You will carry out my orders or I shall have you executed in the name of the King and Princess for treason.”

Liquidate? Treason? Kohga hadn’t heard those words before, but judging by the angry tone of the General they couldn’t be good. Even more curious was why the King and Princess would send the army to Deya in the first place. He’d only heard of knights before, and these men were not what he had expected knights to be. “Yiga” was a strange word too; he’d never heard that before either, but it sounded like they’d done something to the Queen.

A sense of panic rose in him at what he’d just heard. Deya Village was in trouble. He had to warn them!

But just as he tried to creep away, the riders spurred their horses to return to the rest of the troop. Kohga pressed himself as flat as he could, trying to become one with the ground as they galloped by him. 

When they were clear, Kohga bolted down the path by which they’d come. He arrived at the bottom just in time to hear the General bellow “KILL THEM ALL! HYLIA WILL KNOW HER OWN!”

That sent the entire force thundering toward the village. Kohga ran after them as fast as his legs would carry him, but it was two miles from where he stood to the outskirts of town. There was no hope of beating them home to sound the alarm.

Kohga covered the distance as fast as he could, but the sight that greeted him was everything he didn’t realize his young intuition had been dreading. A blocking force was beginning to envelop the village to prevent anyone from escaping, and a few villagers were already being set upon by the knights as they begged for protection.

With the direct route blocked, Kohga worked his way through the trees around the side of the village Jonah and Mara’s house was on. Fires were spreading from house to house, the thatched roof cottages providing eager tinder for the flames. Smoke was rising from the center of town where the mayor’s office was, and he could hear the shrieks and panicked screams of people and animals alike. Mass hysteria was clamping its cold spindly fingers around the village’s throat.

He managed to get to the garden gate undetected, only to find the roof and house already aflame. Without a second thought, he crashed through the unlocked back door. Calling out for Mara and Jonah only earned him a lung full of smoke, sending him into a coughing fit. He stumbled around the main floor and saw that the front door had already been broken down.

Then, through the smoke, he saw a prone figure on the kitchen floor.

“Mara!”

She lay at the end of a trail of blood leading to the kitchen. Miraculously, she was still somehow breathing! Buoyed by the hope she could be saved, Kohga dragged her small frame through the house and out the back door, then rushed back inside. The smoke was getting worse, and the screams from the village were shifting to the far side of town. He chanced a glance out the front door and immediately regretted it. Bodies littered the street, and to his horror, he saw Jonah laying face down a few yards away.

He rushed out to where Jonah lay, finding him in a very unnatural position. He looked as though he’d been ridden down.

“Jonah, come on! You gotta get up! Jonah, we gotta go home!” begged the boy, but Jonah would no longer reply.

Kohga didn't have any time for the loss to register properly when a voice bellowing at him snapped him out of his shock, “There’s one! A boy with white hair!”

Kohga threw himself back into the burning house and bolted for the back door. He slammed it shut behind him and rushed back to Mara, desperately pulling her body across the yard until they were concealed by the pile of straw behind the cuckoo coup.

She stirred briefly, eyes flashing with recognition, “Oh my little Kohga, I’m so sorry.”

“Mara, I’m sorry I wasn’t here, it’s gonna be alright, I’ll-I’ll get help! I gotta go get Jonah-“

She coughed, a trickle of blood coming with it, “Kohga, you must live. Hide. Be safe, and be strong. Promise me you’ll be strong for Jonah and I,” she croaked weakly. “I know you’ll find another family who will love you as much as we did.”

“No, I don’t want to leave! I wanna stay here with you! I can’t do it all over again! I’ll never run away again! I promise!” Mara went limp in his arms and he dissolved into grief and panic, “Don’t you leave me too!” were the last coherent words he could form before he went numb with shock. He rocked back and forth, cradling Mara’s head in his arms.

A rumble of nearby thunder announced the arrival of the storm. A smattering of rain began to fall.

The sound of men shouting nearby terrified him out of his torpor. Were they still looking for him? He couldn’t make a break for the forest, it was too far; he had to think of something else. Out of time and out of options, he positioned Mara’s body in the straw and crawled under her. Kohga held his breath as a knight stalked around the garden.

The footsteps rounded the corner of the coop, and his heart froze when he heard the man stop and call out, “I found one! Prepare to die, Yiga scum!...No wait, never mind. Looks like this one’s already dead.”

“Any sign of that kid?” called another voice.

“Nope.”

“Let’s go check the woods, the General won’t be happy if he hears anyone got away.”

“If he hears anyone got away.”

“Ohhh,” smiled his partner, catching on.  “If…If is good!”

The sound of the men’s laughter and footsteps finally receded, and Kohga allowed himself to breathe again.

As the evening wore on the screams and fires subsided under the deluge of the thunderstorm Jonah had predicted. The embrace of death pressed down, becoming ever chiller as the body of Mara and Deya village cooled around him. Kohga spent the night under the last of the protection she could provide.

When he finally stood up in the pre-dawn light, he had no tears left in his body to cry, only a cold fury and fierce determination to seek out this mysterious Yiga tribe his village, his home, had been accused of being.

If they had been able to hurt the royal family as the soldiers had claimed, then that was where he belonged now. He would find himself a new family, or make himself a new one if necessary.

Family would be whoever stood against the King and Princess. 

Chapter Text

Link woke under a blanket of warmth and vitality, and an ethereal weight gently pressing him into the cot. He sighed contentedly before a wooden tinkling sound snapped him back to consciousness. The arm that wasn’t cradling Zelda’s head shot out to seize at the source of the sound.

“Eeep!” squeaked the soft and squishy creature in his fist. Coming the rest of the way to his senses and finally recognizing his surroundings, Link immediately dropped the little forest dweller.

“Daz?! I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry! You ok little guy?”

“Mister Hero has a good grip!” croaked the Korok with a nervous giggle, massaging its neck.

“How long were you sitting there?” he whispered, scratching some crusted drool off his cheek.

“Ever since you passed out! You’ve been asleep for a whole day! Did I do a good job keeping an eye on Miss Princess for you?”

A whole day?! The last time that happened was the day they’d defeated the Demon Dragon. Link’s internal clock, his stomach, gurgled loudly in ravenous confirmation. Must be true.

“Yeah, you did the best job. Thanks, little buddy.” He turned his attention back to Zelda, still sleeping peacefully. Should I wake her up?... She’d exerted herself far more than he had, and she didn’t have nearly his legendary stamina. But if it had been a whole day and she didn’t wake up in the next few hours…

He gave her a gentle shake, “Zelda- can you hear me? Zelda, wake up.” She gave the slightest moan and pinched her eyes shut tighter but didn’t wake. Well, at least she’s responsive to external stimuli…and apparently, I am starting to think using her vocabulary…

Daz pulled at his sleeve as his muddled mind mulled over options on what to do next. “Do you need anything, Mister Hero?”

“A cup of water would be great, Daz, thanks. Oh, and can you round up some soup ingredients and get the fire under the pot going? I’m so hungry I can barely think straight, and Miss Princess will need something to eat when she wakes up.”

Did I just call her ‘Miss Princess’?...he shook his head again as the thought spread his lips into a warm smile. It flicked briefly before vanishing as quickly as it came.

“Sure thing!”

Link planted a kiss on Zelda’s forehead, gently stroking her hair as he studied her features.  She let out a nearly imperceptible sigh at his touch and nuzzled her face into his palm, returning the dopey smile to his face.

It feels different in here, somehow, compared to the last time I slept here. What is with this brain fog? He ran his free hand through his hair, tugging out the physical tangles as he worked to untangle the knotted strands of thought in the space between his ears.

Daz returned a few minutes later and announced he’d found what Link needed for a hearty vegetable soup. Forcing himself to believe Zelda would be fine without him for a moment, he got off the cot as gently as possible and headed for the cooking pot.

The little kitchen was soon filled with the sound of rhythmic chopping as the vegetables came under assault. About three-quarters of the way through the endura carrots, the blade made an uncharacteristically uncoordinated movement, nearly slicing his finger.

Memory flooded back all at once, washing away every other thought. Kohga! He’s going to resurrect Ganondorf! The compulsion to find the sword and spring into action was suddenly all-encompassing. But Zelda needs you here. We came here so she could be safe. He grit his teeth, staring a hole through the cutting board, fighting to regain composure. Your friends are capable of handling things without you for a day. Emotions stewing alongside the broth, it was only through muscle memory the soup managed to come together.

Chio appeared beside him just as it was coming up to a simmer. “Mister Hero, the Deku tree wants to see you!”

The Korok’s unexpected presence forced his racing mind to return its focus to reality. “Oh. Uh--Ok.” Get a grip, Hero! He looked around, wishing for a bucket of ice water to dunk his head in. “Can you watch the Princess and her soup for me, please?”

Chio saluted as Link checked on Zelda again before stepping out into the golden sunlight. Not realizing how grateful his subconscious was for the fresh air, he broke into a jog, climbing up the massive root to stand before the massive face in the bark.

“Hello, Hero! It warms me to the tips of my branches and the bottom of my roots to see you again.”

Link gave an apologetic bow, “I’m sorry for our sudden unannounced arrival and for not stopping to say hello when we got here. Thank you for sheltering us.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. The Forest will always welcome its Hero and Princess with open arms,” smiled the massive visage. “However I sense great inner turmoil- do not fret, young one, your beloved Princess is recovering. Just as she bathed the sword in power for millennia so too am I returning the favor while she rests inside my trunk. It is the least I can do for the two of you, and I assure you she’ll be on her feet again shortly.”

Link exhaled heavily, sighing in relief. That explains the deep and peaceful sleep.

“Now, tell me what has transpired, chosen of Hylia. It has been many months since the day we spoke about recovering the Master Sword. You are troubled, and judging from your hasty arrival there is much you have to share, and not all of it as joyous as the return of our Princess.”

Oops…has it really been that long? Link rubbed his neck a bit sheepishly. Neither of them had thought to visit in the time since their victory. In fact, it had been so long now it probably bordered on rude, especially since the Deku tree had always doted on them like a grandparent.

Link made himself comfortable as he began the tale of recovering the Master Sword and learning of Zelda’s fate through the Dragon’s Tears. As he spoke, a small crowd of Koroks gathered round to listen as though he were telling a bedtime story; one of them crawled into his lap. Their presence further calmed the urge to sprint out of the forest to visit violence upon the Yiga.

Ever the enthusiastic audience, the Koroks gasped, cried, clapped, and cheered at all the critical moments, and erupted in a loud “HOORAY!” at the climax of the battle with Ganondorf. Hestu materialized behind him unexpectedly and popped confetti from his maracas, simulating the dragon explosion, causing Link to jump out of his skin. The tale culminated with a description of their efforts at the castle and their flight from Kohga’s attack while glossing over the three months or so they’d spent taking a vacation.

The Deku Tree rumbled and hummed as it took in the tale. As it pondered, the Korok in Link’s lap curled up and fell asleep. Link was almost positive the Deku Tree had also dozed off on him when it suddenly spoke again.

“I sense that the evil of the Demon King is much diminished.”

The unexpected assessment caught Link off-guard, stunning him for a moment. “What do you mean diminished?” he demanded, anger returning with a vengeance. “We blew him up! It was practically a second sun in the sky! Surely you didn’t miss that?! How can any of him still exist? He should be gone for good!” The outburst surprised even himself; he hadn’t expected to raise his voice at the ancient spirit, but it felt like an insult to Zelda’s sacrifice.

“I did notice, seeing as how it happened right over my head. We are fortunate only half the leaves in the forest got blown off their branches,” replied the tree a bit testily. “The point, dear Hero, is there will always be some evil in the world. Even now I can feel it in my roots. It lives on diffused, scattered. It exists in the hearts of the angry, the greedy, and the ambitious. Diminished, yes, but still ever-present.”

Link’s hand clenched involuntarily, as though closing on the hilt of the sword still tucked under the cot Zelda was sleeping on. The feelings from earlier bubbled back up, screaming at him to take action. Instead, he forced himself to keep massaging the sleeping Korok in his lap. “Then…we haven’t defeated him?”

“You have and have not. I can feel your frustrations, but do not take my words as insinuation of any failure on your part- Heros and Hylia’s incarnations of the past have defeated evil countless times over the millennia, and yet it still returns. It may take thousands of years, but it always does, in time, when evil is allowed to fester and grow. It feeds until it is powerful enough to coalesce around a soul weakened by lust for power. Or in this case, around a soul which had already surrendered willingly to Ganon’s malice in the one you call Kohga. Whenever it reaches critical mass, it reemerges- sometimes in the form of a demon king, a calamity, a sorcerer, or a powerful beast.”

“Then in order to put an end to Ganon for good we not only have to kill Kohga, but we also have to find and destroy everyone not pure of heart? That’s impossible! Everyone can be a little of any of those things but that doesn’t make them evil-incarnate. If I hunted down anyone and everyone we suspected of being even a tiny bit evil I’d inevitably become what we sought to destroy.”

I would become the next monster.

It was a thought as chilling as stepping into icy Hebra air after dipping in one of its hot springs. Link was suddenly reminded of Guardsman Ryin and the argument over what to do with him.

No, we can’t afford to go down that road.

“You are wise beyond your years.”

“Heh, I guess Zelda is finally starting to rub off on me a little,” he deflected, her voice creeping into his inner monologue yet again: ‘We cannot rush into this, not without a carefully prepared plan.’

The great tree rumbled in what Link assumed was laughter, a few blossom petals shaking loose to flutter and shimmer in the sunlight. “Nayru’s wisdom runs strong indeed in Princess Zelda. Continue to draw strength and wisdom from her, and allow her to draw strength and courage from you, and I foresee the two of you having a long and fertile life together.”

‘Fertile’? Damn, even the Deku Tree wants us to give him grandkids!

“But no, Hero, though it pains me to tell you, no one, not even you, can ever truly eradicate the evil from this world.”

“You’re saying Hyrule is doomed to repeat this cycle for eternity?”

Then what was it all for?

“Sadly yes, such was the price of Hylia’s sacrifice. You and your Princess have driven back the evil twice over, but we still find ourselves in a false postbellum in this eternal cycle. But take heart! What remains is but a shadow of its former self compared to what you’ve already faced. Yet it is a viable seed that, if allowed to germinate, will lead to an evil power rising again within your lifetimes. Snuff it out now, once and for all, and you will prevent the cycle from beginning again for many millennia.”

That’s a consolation prize, I guess. Link kept running his fingers through the Korok’s fur meditatively.

“The price of peace is eternal vigilance, hero, but I have the utmost confidence the two of you together will make excellent stewards of this land. Now, if my senses do not deceive me, it seems our dear princess is waking. Go to her,” finished the tree, but Link was already leaping off the root at the word “waking”, leaving behind a very disoriented and confused Korok where he had been sitting.  

Dashing inside he found Zelda blinking bleary-eyed into the light, half rolled over and trying to prop herself up on an elbow.

“Zelda!” Link skidded to a stop by her side on his knees. “Are you ok? How do you feel?”

Sitting all the way up, she yawned, stretching her arms over her frazzled hair. “Link?...I had the strangest dream- I dreamt we were in the Korok Fo-“ she froze, taking in her surroundings. “We are in the Korok Forest! What happened? How did we get here?”

“Let me explain- no, there is too much, let me sum up.” Sucking in an exaggerated inhale, he launched into the summary. “You managed to put the castle down in one piece, but then you passed out. Then Kohga showed up. He tried to kill us, I tried to kill him, he got away, Purah took the Sages back to Lookout Landing, and I brought you here. We’ve both been asleep for over a day. I woke up a few hours ago to make you some soup, and had a long chat with the Deku Tree.” He just managed to say everything in one breath.

Zelda blinked in disbelief. “My head feels like it’s full of fluff, so I’m going to need all that again, only much more slowly, please. That was quite a bit to process.”

“Mhmm. And I know it’s going to kill you to wait, but let’s get you something to eat first before I fill in the details.”

Not waiting for her to protest, Link scooped Zelda into a princess carry and brought her to the kitchen where Chio was still dutifully stirring the broth. Link set her down on the log bench and filled two bowls as he began recounting the events since she’d lost consciousness.

“So the Deku Tree thinks Kohga really could rebirth Ganon’s evil?”

Link finished off his third bowl of soup. “That’s the long and short of it.” As he refilled his bowl a fourth time his tone and expression darkened. “We need to hurry. Get back to Lookout Landing, rally the Sages, and go finish this once and for all.”

Zelda’s hand found his cheek, gently turning his head to look at her. “We do, and we will, but first we will relax. Breathe. And think.”

“Kohga is planning something. He showed up far too ready and capable-!”

Zelda cut him off, “All the more reason not to rush! Let us assume for the moment he has the advantage. We need to get with the others first and find out exactly what edge he thinks he has so we can negate it. I’ll bet you he’s trying to lure us out, expecting you to charge headlong into the hunt like you always do.”

Link’s gaze left her eyes and settled over her shoulder at a point on the wall. “The longer we sit around the longer he has to prepare.”

“Link, that’s my point: he’s already prepared! Why else would he have revealed himself when and how he did? He’s expecting you to be impulsive and rush to confront him. He’s exploiting your weakness,” she pleaded.

Dammit…why do you always gotta make so much sense? With a huff, his shoulders drooped in acquiescence. He turned his attention to his soup again for a few minutes, internalizing her feedback.  I’m a man. But I can change…if I have to…I guess.

“Is there anything else the Deku Tree said?” she asked, in an effort to change the subject.

“Mhmm, as a matter of fact, he did.” Link turned to look at her with a grave expression, just as she put her bowl to her lips to sip from it. “He asked when we’re finally having babies,” he declared with utmost seriousness.

Zelda choked and sputtered violently on her soup at the unexpected proclamation, broth running from her mouth and nose. She coughed violently as Link patted her back and offered her a handkerchief, trying not to laugh.  

“Goodness, do we even get a say in the matter?” she hacked, a wry smile forming in spite of her predicament.

“Sounded pretty predestined to me,” he grinned in reply.

The levity of the moment finally helped dissipate the foreboding mood Link had been in all morning. Allowing the effects of the fortified soup and the Deku Tree’s magic to wash over him, the reinvigorating effect let Link to slip back into one of his favorite pastimes: stealing long hooded glances at Zelda over spoonfuls of soup.

Zelda arched an eyebrow, a slight smirk forming. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Oh, you know why…“I’m thrilled to be alive and that you’re ok.”

“That’s not all that look means.”

“Ok, that and I just can’t get over how good lookin’ you are; every time I see ya it makes me go- YAY!”

Zelda giggled, the action triggering another mild bout of coughing. “You think my soup-snot is sexy? You are much too much, Hero.”

He ignored the self-deprecation. “You’re so beautiful it makes me wanna stand up and shout- ALRIGHT!”

“Oh stop!” She bumped him playfully with her hip, almost sloshing him with her soup.

“You know I’m just waitin’ for my chance with you, woman, you better watch out.” He winked and leaned back casually, once again emitting his usual aura of confidence. “You know I may come off as a devil-may-care kinda guy but we both know you’d run my show.”

“You’re right, I do, but go on,” she teased with smoldering eyes, feeding the flirtatious mood.

“I’d take a header off the Bridge of Hylia just to brush arms with ya on the way down,” he said, setting his soup bowl down.

“Oh?” she replied, mimicking the motion.  

“I’d full-gainer down the crack of Dueling Peaks just to hold your Purah Slate for ya.”

“Hmm…” she rolled her eyes at him with playful skepticism.

“I’d sit my bare ass on the Central Square fountain in winter just to have you flick some debris off my tunic.” She laughed brightly and draped her arms around his neck, brushing imaginary dirt from his shoulder. Link put his hands on her waist, leaning in ever so much closer until their noses were almost touching. “You give me a moment I swear I’ll make it last a lifetime- I’ll be so good to ya,” he whispered low.

Zelda closed the remaining distance between their lips as she whispered, “You already are,” before kissing him deeply. Their bowls clattered to the floor, jostled aside as they jockeyed to press tighter into each other’s embrace.

But the moment was quickly cut short by an unexpected chorus of various childish hoots of “Oooo!” “D’awww!” and “Ewww!” They sprung apart in surprise, Link glaring daggers over Zelda’s shoulder at the doorway where an audience of Koroks had gathered to peep at them.

“Can we get a minute here guys?” bristled Link in annoyance.

The Koroks scattered, chattering and giggling gleefully. “Is that how they make new princesses?” squeaked one as it fled the scene.

“What’s the matter, Hero, stage fright?” teased Zelda as she toyed with a lock of his hair. 

“Not on your life, Princess. But I think we better continue this somewhere private, otherwise we’ll be overstepping the Deku Tree’s hospitality. Are you good to go?”

“I think we need to make a stop at home for some fresh clothes and a bath before going back to the Landing, wouldn’t you agree?” she replied, her voice laden with innuendo.

“Most definitely. We should pop by Terry Town to see if everything’s ok there after what happened in Hateno.”

“You think it’s safe?”

“If not I’ll make it safe. The traps will give us a clue if anyone’s been near the house or not, but if you’re still not one hundred percent yet I can go check things out and come back for you.”

Zelda stood up in indignation at the mere suggestion, “You know I can’t stand it when you treat me like I’m made of glass. Don’t think I didn’t notice the endura carrots, Link, I’m feeling much better.” She twirled around on a heel to accentuate her point, as though the act of dexterity would convince him.

“How silly of me to forget, Your Highness,” he replied, and with a devilish grin delivered a playful but not entirely gentle smack on her behind as she spun around a second time.

“Yow!” she yelped, aghast at his cheek, and wheeled on him to thump her fist into his chest. “Why you little sh-!“ she managed before the rest of her retort was cut off by his lips on hers again.

He pulled back, giving her his most disarming look. “I know you wouldn’t lie about not being ok, but you also just woke up after another close call that nearly scared my second life out of me. Forgive me if my anxiety makes me overprotective.”

It was more convincing than he anticipated.

“The faster we get home and into a bed the faster I can show you how much I forgive you.”

That was all the motivation he needed to spring into motion. He quickly tidied up and gathered their belongings, and in short order they found themselves standing before the Deku Tree to say farewell.

Zelda dipped a bow towards the sage of the forest. “Thank you, great Deku Tree, for sheltering us and sharing your wisdom and your strength.”

“Think nothing of it, dear Princess. And it is I and all of the land that should be thanking you. In all my eons of existence and rebirth, no other princess has sacrificed as you have for her hero, save Hylia herself. Your strength is an inspiration even to me, and the legend of your tale will hold a special place in the memories and stories I will carry into the future.”

She bashfully tucked a few loose hairs behind a blush-reddened ear. “I-I don’t know what to say…I don’t believe I’m that special…”

‘No other princess’? Link’s heart swelled with pride, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his side. “Believe it, Zelda,” he reassured.

“You don’t need to say anything. Go with my blessing, and continue to cherish each other.”

“We will,” she promised, wrapping her arms around Link’s neck in preparation to leave.

“And one more thing, you two.”

They turned their heads in unison. “Yes?”

“Don’t let eight months go by between visits again. I want to know about any new developments with you two as soon as they happen.”

Link confirmed the travel order, but as they dissolved into electric-blue he saw the tree’s face move in a way he didn’t know it could.

Did- did it just wink at us?

---

They materialized on the travel marker set on the front porch of the house in Terry Town. As soon as they were fully corporal again Link put a finger to his lips and gestured for Zelda to lay low. “I’m gonna go check the traps and trip wires,” he whispered.

Link scanned the tall grass he hadn’t been home to mow in the last…had it really been six weeks? They’d visited, of course. Link couldn’t wait to show off his newly discovered eye for architectural design, but Zelda much preferred their home in Hateno, and so that was where they’d stayed. That didn’t mean there wasn’t something to be said for an ocean view and a house full of Link’s ingenious Zonai devices. The highlight of the Akkalan Retreat, and the motivation behind their visit, was a combination of the two: Link had built a garden and bathhouse on the second floor to afford a panoramic view of Akkala and the sea whilst sitting in his “Zonai Hotspring”.

Whenever they weren’t there, however, Link prepared the grounds for long absences with a few of his signature Zonai security measures, mostly as an excuse to be able to get Granteson to stop camping in their yard (“We don’t need a monthly subscription to Hudon’s Security Service, thanks!”). They were so dangerous, Zelda forced Link to put up warning signs around the property and on the path to the front door which read: ‘Please no trespassing or soliciting’ beneath which was written in tinier print: ‘(Use of Deadly Force Authorized)’

Wildflowers and tall weeds had taken over the field, forcing him to count his paces to locate the first trap without falling in himself. It was cunningly camouflaged under a layer of real sod on the approach to the kitchen window. Pushing the trap door down revealed the cage in a pit.

Inside was a body in a tell-tale red suit. The Yiga had been charred to a crisp by the Zonai electrical current the cage was rigged to trigger upon snapping shut. Link almost retched at the smell alone, much less the sight. Damn! That’ll put a bokoblin off his lunch!

Link signaled Zelda to warn of the potential danger as he continued to circle outward from the house.

Senses now on high alert, he prowled across the property through the tall grass like a predatory cat stalking prey. Several more flame and electrical emitter pit traps had been completely discharged without an associated victim. His jaw clenched at the implication. The ones who came after must have wizened up after watching the first guy.

Link returned to the front door, holding up one finger to indicate his discovery. Motioning for Zelda to remain outside, he unlocked the door and disarmed the tripwire strung across the threshold set to trigger a Zonai spring concealed under the welcome rug.

The air inside the house was stale on account of the shuttered windows. The main living area appeared unmolested, a fine layer of dust on every horizontal surface speaking to the length of their absence. Taking inventory as he went, Link found nothing out of place or out of the ordinary. The kitchen was as clean and organized as they’d last left it too, adding to his tension.

They made it past most of the traps outside. Someone’s gotta be around here somewhere…

A floorboard squeaked behind him in the foyer, and the Master Sword was in his hand and pointed towards its source in an instant.

Zelda stood just past the threshold, frozen mid-step with a grimace on her face.

Link lowered the sword and released an exasperated exhale, giving her an annoyed look.

Sorry! she mouthed sheepishly.

At the foot of the stairs, another tripwire set to release an enormous spiked ball from the second-floor veranda was still intact. Similarly in the kitchen, the electrified faucet handles were still fully charged. Zonai lasers covering the bay window hadn’t had cause to fire either.

They expected tripwires. I should have set Zonai heads for triggers…

Link disarmed the traps and flashed a few short choppy hand signals indicating, “Clear down here, I’m going to check upstairs.”

Zelda nodded in response and cocked her head queryingly: need my help?

He shook his head and turned to climb the staircase, missing the eye roll and exasperated head shake Zelda gave him behind his back.

Taking the first door on the left at the top of the stairs, Link paused just after crossing the room's threshold. It was a combination training room and shrine, of sorts, dedicated to the Champions. On the walls hung the arms of the Zora princess, the Goron boss, the Gerudo chief, and the Rito warrior of one hundred years ago.

But it was not the legendary heirlooms that drew Link’s attention.

It was the four inanimate and innocent-looking potted plants in the corners. Plants which he distinctly did not remember putting there as part of the decor.

Ah ha, finally, there you are! Grinning expectantly at the challenge, he flexed his shoulders and rolled his neck, limbering up.

“Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?” he announced to the room.

Flashpaper erupted all around him in response as four blademasters revealed themselves, weapons already diving in slashing arcs aimed at where he stood.

Not a chance.

The Master Sword and secret stone flashed, Link dilating time as he brought it to bear. The masked intruders' motions slowed to a barely perceptible crawl, and with four deft strokes he batted the weapons aside, following up with a long arcing slash across each of the Yigas’ torsos. He released his focus and the would-be assassins thumped to the floor in a quick staccato, the thuds covering up the sound of Zelda’s pounding footsteps on the stairs. Her sudden arrival in the doorway surprised Link where the ambush had not, distracting him just enough that he missed the rapid-tempo chiming noise coming from the wall behind him.

“Link! What’s-?!” was all she managed before an explosion blasted Link across the room like a ragdoll into the opposite wall with a crash and blowing all the champions’ weapons from their mounts.

Tinnitus ringing in his ears, his vision unblurred in time to see a fifth blademaster lunging across the room from out of the gaping hole in the wall, windcleaver pointed straight at his chest. But before the assassin had made it even halfway across the space, the assailant froze mid-air in a flash of golden light. Link looked to his left just in time to see Zelda hurl the Lightscale Trident across the room like a javelin, skewering the Yiga.

Zelda stood over Link, scooping Urbosa’s scimitar off the ground, and flung it at the blademaster for good measure. Link’s hearing slowly returned in time to hear her snarl, “_{NO! YOU} WILL NOT HAVE HIM!”

The scimitar struck the side of the Yiga’s head hilt-first, breaking Zelda’s spell and dropping her target to the ground with a heavy crash. The princess charged, barely breaking stride as she snatched up the scimitar’s matching shield, bringing it over her head in a two-handed grasp. She lunged and brought it down hard on the Yiga’s skull, laying him out and leaving the shield reverberating like a gong.

Caught up in her fury, Zelda brought it down again, and again, and again, roaring in anger with each successive blow. The mask cracked and blood flew in splatters from the man’s ruined face.

Link recovered himself from the floor and snatched it out of her hands as she wound up for another swing.

“He’s done, Zelda, I think you got him,” he intoned gently, dropping the shield to the floor with a clang. She spun around and violently threw her arms around him.

“Link, you’re alive!” she exhaled, choking on a sob.

“That was nothin’, I’ve set off and been caught in much bigger explosions than that before,” he laughed, rubbing his pinky finger in his ear as she crushed the air from his lungs. “Are you ok? I’ve never seen you get that way before,” he added, awestruck at her ferocity.

“Watching you seemingly die before my eyes will do that, I suppose,” she sniffled into his tunic.

“You saved me again, princess.”

Zelda hugged him even tighter. “It’s a nasty habit you’ve picked up, needing to be saved. You should try to quit.”

“I’m not keeping score,” he winked with a peck on the tip of her nose.

They surveyed the destroyed room in silence for a moment, catching their breath. Link’s eyes paused over each of the prone figures, looking for signs of life.

“Broke into the wrong Goddess-damned rec room didn’t ya, you bastards!?” he shouted triumphantly, covering up how shaken he still felt with bravado; That was almost more than I’d bargained for today…

Zelda squeezed him tightly for another moment, her breath steadying. “Five in here, plus the one outside?”

Link nodded. So far…there better not be one in our bedroom or I’ll be sending what’s left of them back to Kohga in an elixir bottle.

An exhaustive search under the bed, in the bathroom, and on the roof turned up no more assassins or explosive party favors.

Stepping out onto the patio of the second-floor bathhouse, Link finally sheathed the sword. Zelda was staring out towards the sea, hugging herself.

“All clear!” he announced cheerfully before noticing her downcast expression. Oh. “You’re upset.”

“I…its…grrr!” she started fitfully. Usually, such frustration was reserved for unsuccessful experiments. Zelda paused a moment to collect herself. “It’s just so damn maddening! I wish for this all to be over. We were supposed to be done with all of-” she gestured wildly around her head before finishing dramatically, “this!”

He stepped in to close the distance and placed an arm around her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever for? None of this is your fault.”

“For the fact you had to save me instead of the other way around.” ‘Again.’ was left unsaid.

“No one will take you from me again,” a possessive bite permeated her promise. Or was it a threat?

“No, what I meant was, I failed to protect you from having to experience that again.”

She paused as his meaning dawned on her, “What, kill someone?”

“Yeah. I hate it, and it hurts me to see you forced into a role that isn’t yours against your will.”

“My role is as much to protect you as the rest of Hyrule. Do not think I feel guilty for an instant about doing everything in my ability to save you. And you are not obligated to protect my innocence, that ship has sailed. It wasn’t the first and I’m afraid it won’t be the last by the time this is all over.”

Doesn’t mean I gotta like it. Taking one of her hands, he interlaced their fingers. “Sorry, not trying to coddle you. But I look at myself and I’m scared by how easy it’s gotten for me. Hell, a little part of me enjoyed that fight just now, but then another part of me will always feel like I’m nothing but a killer who shouldn’t even be near you, much less be your hero and protector, for feeling that way. I don’t want you to experience that guilt on top of everything else.”

“Well I certainly do not enjoy it so don’t worry about me, but so long as that little part of you remains little you’ll still be a good person. You wouldn’t be nearly the protector and the warrior you are without that ferocity, but as long as you don’t call upon it to solve all your problems you aren’t going to become a monster.”

Wait a second, when did this become about me? Zelda had effortlessly and selflessly switched from her own turmoil to focusing on Link again. He smiled and tightened the side hug he hadn’t realized he’d been giving her the whole time.

“I’m sure I will probably experience some emotions again on the matter later, but do you know how I feel about it right this instant?”

“How?”

“Like I am too exhausted to care and I would like to table those feelings for later and get cleaned up.”

Now that was something he could get behind. “Why don’t you run us a hot bath while I take out the trash?”

“Ah yes, finally, the purpose of our visit,” she proclaimed, the absurdity of the situation triggering a wave of giggles between them.

Hearing her laughter finally cleared the last of the momentary self-doubt and relieved the tension of the peril they’d just escaped. He watched as she walked over to the tub under the wooden overhang and with a touch activated a Zonai hydrant and flame emitter to fill and heat the bath. The inevitability of the post-fight adrenaline crash almost claimed him, and he struggled against the overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and drag her into bed. It required Goron-like grit to force himself to leave the room to drag the dead Yiga out of the house instead.

The grim task complete, he arrived back upstairs to find Zelda waiting for his return to drop the towel covering her body, throwing a lascivious smile and a wink over her shoulder to beckon him as she slipped into the tub.

The act had the desired effect, turning Link into a blur of motion trailing rumpled clothes from the bedroom door to the tub as he went. Nearly losing his balance as he hopped on his right foot to yank off his left sock, he finally lost the battle with gravity when his ankles tangled in his underwear, causing him to careen head-first into the bath with a tremendous splash.

The sound of her laughter at his loss of dignity greeted him upon breaking the surface. Grinning at her mirth, he positioned a rolled-up towel to cushion their necks on the rim before pulling Zelda close to let her rest her head on his shoulder.

The pair let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, steam rising from the tub scented with the perfumed bath oils Zelda had added. Neither possessed the ability nor will to move for a good long while as the bubbling heat and steam carried them off into a doze, the remaining stress and stiffness of the last few days finally dissolving.

From deep within this blissful trance, Link felt Zelda’s fingers begin tugging at his hair tie, unfurling his unruly hair and tousling it out.

“Hey, no stealing,” he murmured sleepily, peeking one eye open.

“I appreciate your wild look,” she teased.

“Oh is that what you appreciate about me?”

Zelda’s eyes and hands roved over his body. “I’m appreciating a lot of things right now.”  

Link reciprocated, gently removing her blue hair clips. Deft hands slipped the bobby pins from behind her ears and loosened her braids, freeing the wavy tresses to fall across her collarbone before they submerged themselves completely for a moment to soak. Upon breaking the surface Link spit a fountain of water across the tub and shook his head, purposefully slapping Zelda with his sopping hair.

“Hey, no fair, yours is longer than mine now!” she sputtered, splashing him in retaliation and slipping into his lap to pin him against the edge of the bath. She clasped her arms behind his head, holding him eye-level with her chest to prevent further mischief.

“Does my princess require attention?” he asked distractedly, watching droplets of water dance down her skin with a bemused smile.

“She does,” she purred, accentuating the statement with a seductive grind of her hips against his.

Link made a strangled sound in the back of his throat.

She leaned in, pressing herself even more tightly against him. “Wash me,” she commanded, whispering the demand directly into his ear.

Link blinked dumbly for a moment, his brain momentarily reduced to operating on a single overloaded synapse. “With pleasure, my goddess,” he breathed back huskily.

Pampering her was Link’s religion, and he began demonstrating his devotion by shampooing Zelda’s hair until her scalp tingled with the energy in his fingertips. This was worth dying for, crossed his mind for what could have been the thousandth time as Zelda slipped into a state of blissful relaxation. Then he turned his attention to the rest of her, lathering her body with a slow methodical reverence that set her skin alight with goosebumps.

When he was finished, Zelda reciprocated his effort with a slow, sensual massage, kneading his scalp and muscles with soapy hands. There wasn’t a shred of innocence left in her now, not in the way she was devouring him with her eyes nor in the way her hands indulged in greedily feeling every toned muscle and caressing every scar on his skin. By the time she was done, they were both flushed with a heat that had absolutely nothing to do with the flame emitter under the tub. He forced himself out of the water, lest their arousal pop prematurely like a cork from a bottle.

“Here or in the bed herooo-OOH!“ she began to ask but was cut off, whooping in surprise as Link scooped her out of the tub. He wrapped her towel around her and in a few short strides carried her across the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. Link leapt after her, intending to tackle her, but found himself suddenly frozen mid-dive, hanging a foot above the mattress.

“Not so fast, Hero!” Zelda scooted out of the way before allowing time to resume. He landed and rolled over just in time for her to pounce on him instead, pinning him to the bed by his shoulders and pressing her hips into his lap. “Much better,” she grinned devilishly before leaning close to whisper in his ear. “I’m gonna be so good to ya.”

Link yanked her towel off and threw it into some inconsequential corner of the room as she let her lips and body crash into him.