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Chapter Text

The Master Sword chimed as they all stepped out of the portal onto the edge of a grassy cliff overseeing a majority of Hyrule. There were trees in the distance, a crumbled building, and far off. Far far off. The very obvious outline of a castle in distress. The Chain had their breath taken away by the sight of such a vast openness around them, air so clear and land so varied they felt they could see from one end of the world to the other. From here they could see the heat of Death Mountain, the towering Peaks of Hebra, and so much more. 

"This place is huge." Wind marveled, mouth agape. Sky pulled the Sword from his back. 

MASTERS

HEROES OF COURAGE

YOU ARE HERE TO MEET WHO WILL BECOME THE HERO OF THE WILD 

HE HAS NO YET EARNED HIS TITLE

MAY HYLIA GUIDE YOU 

The Sword went quiet once more. 

"She's never done that before." Sky admits as he replaced Fi on his back. "She's pretty quiet about our titles and who we are until we're found. I wonder what's going on here. He hasn't finished his journey yet? So why are we meeting him?" 

"Speculation does not help much. Until we can find this hero, the best we can do is find people." Time stepped back from the cliff edge. 

"You think there are many here? With the castle like that? I bet there's no Castle Town." Legend cocked a hip as he bent forward to peer over the side. "Whatever kind of hero this Link is, he's sloppy."

"Maybe we can ask the kid in the tree." Four sat in the warm grass, tilting his head back. At least the sun was nice. 

"What kid in the tree?" Warriors spun around. 

"That one." Four pointed. Up in the evergreen at the mouth of a cave, sat a child indeed. Small, maybe seven or ten. His long golden hair hung around his shoulders and in his face, a big blue eye glinted as they peered between the foliage, roving the area. Twilight eased up to the tree, smile friendly. 

"Well hey there! Wanna come on down? We're not gonna hurt ya none. Just want directions to the nearest town, if ya please."

The boy didn't answer. Twilight's smile fell a little. Time joined him under the tree as eyes behind hair continued to watch them all, and a small back pressed into the bark. 

"Hi. My name's Time. Are you hurt?" The more he looked, the less he liked. The kid was in rags. His shirt was far too small, and thin, fraying in places and held together by a prayer. His pants too. His bare feet gripped the branch he crouched on, unmoving. 

The boy shook his head, so small, Time almost missed it. 

"That's good! I'm glad you're not hurt. My companions and I are traveling, but we seem to be a bit lost. Do you happen to know where we are?" 

He got a hesitant nod, tiny. Time grinned. 

"Wonderful! Mind telling us?" 

The boy's gaze flicked to Time's sword, to Twilight's, then around the group once again. Ah. That would make sense. Time undid the buckle across his chest, and in obvious motions, tossed his huge sword to the side, hands out and open. 

"We're not here to hurt you. We're just lost, and looking for directions."

The Chain followed suit, Legend grumbling as Hyrule nudged his side with an elbow. Considering the state of the castle, everyone was probably on edge the same as Hyrule's world. After a moment, the kid slipped from the branch, and fell to the ground with ease. He stayed by the tree, but now that he was closer Time could make out more of what he was seeing. The scars dashed across the kid's face. The milky left eye, so much like his own right one that he kept closed. The scars that traced down his neck, and under the thin shirt collar. 

'You dead too?' The child signed. Time was taken aback. 

"Dead? No, I don't think so?" 

'Only dead here.'

"Are you dead?" 

The boy looked behind himself at the cave, then back at Time. He gave a one-shoulder shrug. 

'Used to be.'

. 

At fourteen, Zelda had considered herself very mature. She had to be; she was the princess with the blood of the Goddess, the inharitanat of the Triforce of Wisdom, and the only matriarch once her father would eventually pass, as her mother had died when she was very young. She was, however, still a young teen and could still be quite petty. 

"I don't want a personal knight following me everywhere!" She whined, stomping her foot. Her father sighed. 

"The Master Sword has been found. It's wielder will be your personal guard regardless of your desires. Should the Calamity rise, you must always be together. He is very gifted with the blade."

"I don't care! He can stay outside my room, they don't need to bring a cot into mine!" 

"Always. Together. Including at night. Perhaps it will influence you to work harder to unlock your powers." He turned on his heel and marched away, leaving the guard and the child with them behind. Impa, Zelda's closest friend at age of twenty, stepped forward to fill his place. 

"Princess. This is Sir Link. Your personal Knight Protector, and guard."

The fourteen year old girl glared at the boy. 

"You're kidding, right? He's three."

Actually, he was five. His birthday had been two weeks ago. He was really small for his age. 

"Regardless, he is your Protector. Last year he was besting our highest ranked swordsmen, and he recently found and drew the Master Sword. As predicted. Despite his age you will find yourself in no better hands."

"No better hands? How about the hands of someone who can tie their own shoes? He's five! Five! Impa this is an insult. What, a five year old is going to take on fully trained adult Yiga?" 

"If he must."

She also turned and left, taking the other guards with her and leaving Zelda and Link standing at her door. Zelda huffed, took a step backward into her rooms, and slammed the door in his face. Sighing, the extremely young child shifted the massive sword on his back, and set up to stand at her door. He didn't really have a choice. He couldn't reach the doorknob. 

When the Captain of the Guard strode by flanked by two subordinates, they stopped at the tiny knight at the door. 

"Sir Link. You are not at your post. This is your first day. Already shirking your duties? Perhaps a lashing will teach you the importance of your business."

The boy shifted from foot to foot, shaking his head wildly. He pointed at the doorknob, a good head over him. The Captain eyed his small stature, the huge sword that sat almost sideways on his back, and the knob far out of his reach with his small white gloves. As much as he disliked that a child out ranked him, he had to admit that leaving someone younger than his own son in the hall, unable to even enter his post, wasn't something he could justify a punishment for. He relented his stern posture. 

"Understood." He knocked on the door. A moment later, the princess opened it in a huff. 

"You can tell my father that I don't want you in my room! Oh! Hello Captain. How can I be of service?" Her whole being softened as she curtsied at him. The Captain hummed. 

"Does Sir Link displease you?" He asked. Zelda straightened a little more. 

"He does! You can take him away!" 

"Very well. Would you like to oversee over the punishment?" She faltered. 

"Punishment?" 

"Of course. A Knight of his rank, to be seen as a disappointment to the Royal Family, is to be punished. Usually a whipping, five lashes are standard."

Zelda stared at him, then at Link. The child dropped his eyes, unable to hold her gaze. He stood at his best approximation of at attention. He'd only had a crash course of how to behave during the two weeks after pulling the sword before he was plopped as Zelda's guard. He still didn't really understand why all this was happening. When was he allowed to go back home to his Papa and his Mama? Mama was supposed to have another baby soon, was he going to go home and be a big brother like Mama promised he would be? Zelda frowned. 

"You wouldn't actually whip a three year old, would you?" 

"He's five. And yes, we would. He's your assigned Knight Protector. He must follow orders. And if he is unsatisfactory, he must be disciplined."

"He's five! Can't he just, I don't know, be put on time out or something? Lashes, that's barbaric! We don't lash people anymore. And he hasn't really done anything, I just don't want him in my room. Or following me around. Or at all."

"He has the Sword That Seals the Darkness. You and him are connected until the Calamity is ended. You and him cannot be separated."

Zelda huffed. 

"He will stay in your room. With or without a lashing."

"Fine."

"Will you be letting him in? Or will a shorter knob be installed?" 

"What?" 

"He cannot reach your doorknob."

"Oh. I don't know, usually doors are opened for me. Put one in I guess?" 

"Very well." The Captain clicked his heels, and all three adults snapped perfectly upright before bowing at the waist. Then they were gone, and Zelda was left with Link at the door. She huffed, and went back into her room. She left the door open. So he scampered inside before she changed her mind, correcting himself on his gait before he closed the door behind him. Zelda sat at her desk, and glared at him where he stood at the door. 

"I hate you." She stated. His eyes dropped to the floor again, still trying to stand at attention. "I want to make that understood. I. Hate. You. That being said, you're five. I'm not about to have you flogged just because I don't like a five year old. I don't hit children, I'm not a monster. But I will make it known every single day how much I hate you. Not dislike, not find annoying. Hate. You and that Sword on your back."

Link struggled not to move. 

"Here are the rules. Since we're forced to live together. When you are finally tall enough, you will open and close all my doors for me. Until then, you will at least close them. Any room I am in, you will stand in the corner. I understand you have to observe the room, so you may face outward. I'd prefer you to face the corner but I suppose that defeats the purpose. In here, my private rooms, you are not to look at me. You are to stay on your cot, and melt into the wall. I don't want to see you, hear you, interact with you, or even be aware of you. Nothing. I'd prefer if you were like that outside too. Everywhere. The less I am aware of you existing, the better. Do I make myself clear?"

Link nodded. 

"I never want to hear you speak. I never want to hear you move. You are to be a decorative piece that follows me around in my shadow, and nothing more. You will wake before I do, and sleep after me. Anything personal you need to do is none of my concern, and I will not make time for it. Any questions?"

Link licked his lips, and gave a very very tiny nod. Zelda seethed. But Link simply squeezed his knees together, and bit his lip. Oh. 

"I suppose you are five. The chamber pot is through that door. This is the one time. Anything else you must do when I won't notice it, it does not conflict with your duties, and on your own time. Go."

He nodded, and walked very quickly to the door she had nodded at. It closed silently. It was the last time she was totally alone in her room, in her life, for the next two years. 

Zelda became very good at ignoring Link. And Link became very good at being invisible. He was little more than an object, like the armor lining the halls, or portraits on the walls. Like the Guardians they were unearthing. Silent, built for only one goal, and requiring no maintenance on her part. 

She had no idea when he would relieve himself, or bathe, or eat. When he was refitted for his uniform when he suddenly shot up in height a foot. One day he opened a door for her, and she noticed. She paused and looked at his hand on the knob, where he was pressed into the wood both behind her to be out of the way, but also leaning forward into the room like a polite bow, hand on the knob. Watching the room for threats, ready to close the door as a first defense, but invisible as a butler, or pull rope. 

"Good." It was the first time she acknowledged him in months, outside her one "greeting" to him every morning. 

All she knew about him was at night she would fall asleep to him sitting at attention on his cot, sword across his lap, and angled to watch the room without looking directly at her. And in the morning, she woke to find him exactly the same. 

"Still here are you, you hateful thing?" 

He didn't respond, or acknowledge that he had heard. As expected. As routine. Every day for the last two years. 

She went about getting ready for her day. It hadn't taken long to stop feeling awkward around Link. The first few days she had screamed at him, thrown things, huffed and complained. He had to be in the room with her. Always. They stretched that slightly as Zelda pointed out disgusting ones. So chamber pot doors were left open and him outside, rather than in with her. The same when she bathed. 

He pulled her chair back as they entered the smallest dining hall, Link coming to a solid unmoving mass of almost-eight year old over her right shoulder. 

"Good morning, Father." A now sixteen year old Zelda greeted the King warmly. Rhoam beamed at her. 

"Good morning my dear. Are you visiting the Spring again this week?" 

Zelda bit her tongue. She had been planning and plotting through letters with Urbosa. She still had to be semi-truthful, though. 

"Actually I was planning on visiting with Urbosa. She knew Mother well, and has unlocked her own inherent abilities. I had hoped perhaps she could give me guidance. I can also check on her progress with Vah Naboris, perhaps these Beasts could provide me with an advantage."

"So you are to venture towards Gerudo territory?" 

"Yes."

"I shall have the guards prepare for your trip."

"Thank you, Father."

It was understood that a company of guards were to see her across Hyrule and the Gerudo Desert. And then wait for her in a camp outside. As usual, the King forgot about Link. 

They all always forgot about Link. 

That was the idea. 

So when Zelda approached the gates of Gerudo Town, the guards outside crossed their spears just behind her, blocking the child's entrance. Zelda turned, and saw for the first time since meeting him, a flash of panic on Link's face. 

"Voe are not permitted within the walls of Gerudo Town." One of the guards spoke firmly, though her eyes showed hesitance. Men were not allowed inside. But this wasn't a man. This was a child. Link was seven, she thinks, Zelda had forgotten his age at this point. He gazed up at the imposing woman, the back at Zelda. Where the fear and conflict vanished, and was met with utter blank lifelessness. For the first time, Zelda felt a zing of unease in her heart. 

"Guess you'll have to wait out there. Oops." She turned and walked with a brisk bounce in her step. She did not look back. But Urbosa, who was waiting a few feet away, was giving the child behind her a calculating look. 

"Is that the little shadow your letters were telling me about?" She asked quietly. Zelda sniffed. 

"A wretched little thing. It's worse than a shadow. At least shadows disappear when the light is out. That's there. Always there."

"He's… very young."

"Father's choice. Not mine."

"He carries the Sword. That is not an easy task for a grown man, let alone a child. How old is he truly?" 

"I can't remember. Four, five? When assigned to me. Urbosa, I'm here to get away from the creature. Not talk about it more. Please I don't want to squander my alone time. It's the first I've had in years!" 

"Of… course. Come in come in." Urbosa wrapped an arm around Zelda's shoulders and led her toward the market. But she couldn't help the glance back at the boy who stood in the blasting heat in his dark Guard uniform. 

And two days later, he was still there, waiting. Zelda growled as she stormed by him, and continued into the desert and her waiting entourage without further words. He looked almost relieved if he wasn't so blank, his shoulders sagging only a hair. Urbosa watched them go, the little boy taking three long strides for every one of Zelda's, struggling to keep up in the sand while being completely unnoticed, trying painfully hard not to run. 

"Did he leave at all while she was in here?" She asked a guard after the Hylian party was out of earshot. 

"If he did, My Lady, it was not while I was on duty."

"Mmm." Urbosa frowned, and watched them become specks in the churning dunes of sand. 

. 

Time tried to ignore the very obvious Temple of Time that the child was leading them passed. He really didn't want to deal with the place no matter the circumstances. But he couldn't help notice the large… things. Like flowerpots with legs. They clung to the building, covered in moss and vines and plants. Presumably statues, but they made him uneasy. He couldn't explain why. 

So far they had been led through a forest with no paths, through ruins of what must have been a town at some point (Too small to be Castle Town but that was clearly the Temple of Time so what…), and no people. None. There were remains of an old campfire, and rusted weapons and shields everywhere. But no people. They had yet to get a name from their silent and reluctant guide either. 

"I don't like this." Twilight muttered to Time, jogging slightly to catch up with him from the back of the group. "Something here isn't right. This place gives me the creeps."

"Think if we ask the kid about the Hero, he'd know anything?" Legend somehow wound up on Time's other side. He didn't keep his voice nearly as low as Twi had. 

"I'm gonna be honest here." Sky interrupted from directly behind. He sounded upset. "I think the kid might be the Hero."

. 

"This is a waste of time." Revali didn't even try to keep his voice down as Link was officially knighted as a Champion. "The kid's had the rank for two years already. And it's not like a kid like him actually earned it."

"You're just sore that you didn't get knighted by the Princess herself in a private ceremony." Daruk countered. 

"It's only private because it's not important enough for anyone to care to be here. It's not like it matters. Why did you suggest this anyway?" 

"I thought it could lift the Little Guy's spirit."

"Well it failed. In fact, it's bringing down everyone's spirit. Look at the Princess. She looks like she could lop off his head with that sword."

"Can you really blame her?" Urbosa broke her own silent watch of the proceedings. "That boy and that Sword of his are reminders that she doesn't have her powers yet, and she's ten years his senior. Of course she's upset."

"That's no excuse." Mipha hissed. She was seething. "He is a child. He's younger than my own little brother. I would never send him off to war against this Calamity. How is this being allowed?" 

"He pulled the Sword. He found it after all these years of military looking. And he pulled it, and it claimed him as its master. No one but the Goddess can control the Sword. That's out of our hands." Urbosa sounded grieved at this. 

"But to have him be her personal knight at his age. Why isn't he with people who can teach and train and prepare him?" 

"Like I said, it's not like he's done anything to earn being a Champion. Or a Hero."

Zelda stood taller, almost preening under their judgment of Link. For his part, the little boy kep his head bowed where he knelt on one knee. His posture perfect, his eyes down. If he heard them, he made no show of it. Mipha had never met a child so still before. So serious. Even Sidon was more boisterous and wiggly, and he was being raised as a prince! This seemed wrong. 

"I don't like this." She muttered, surprised at her sync with Urbosa. 

"Me neither. I've got work to do, this is a waste of time."

Revali was not happy about the Princess and her leech prancing around Rito Village. He understood, he really did, she had to keep an eye on Medoh given as the Sheikah she traveled with were descendents of the people who built them. And they had to try to know what they were fighting with: even he, who had a spiritual connection with the Beast, had no idea what it was really capable of. But did she really, really, have to bring that thing with her? Revali had such a hard time seeing Link as anything other than an object that stood in his way. 

He stood so perfectly behind her right shoulder, within reach but out of the way, in the very corner of her personal box that couldn't even be seen out of the peripheral. His face always so blank he might as well not even have one. Worse was his silence. The kid didn't make a damn sound. Not when he breathed, no when he moved, not even when he walked or ran. If Revali wasn't directly facing Zelda, he totally forgot the creature was even there! 

But that was the kicker. He would face Zelda. And there, in the corner of his eye, ready for any attack or command, was Link. The stupid little seven year old with the stupid sword so obvious over his stupid right shoulder. The damn thing was as big as he was! How in the hell was he supposed to use that against Ganon and win?! Have they not seen how huge Medoh was? How clearly skilled Revali was? Did this kid, this literal child, even know how to use that sword? 

Oh sure he was a "guard" in that stupid hat and smock… okay well now it was the blue tunic and ponytail. Ugh his hair was long and in his face and down his neck. Revali at least had the decency to put time and effort into his feathers, not just tie them back like they were a nuisance. If he didn't like it, cut it! He knew Hylians could. And sure he was on alert and constantly watching anything and everything for a threat to Zelda. But come on! 

The fledgling couldn't possibly hold that sword, let alone swing it with any skill. 

Revali made the excuse of needing to only carry one person at a time up to Medoh to take Zelda, Impa, and finally Purah, up to the Vah Medoh. Zelda looked thankfully at him. He "came back" for Link. The idea had been that there was no way the Yiga could get in Medoh, and if the Calamity struck she was on a Beast and therefore, safe. So it was okay for him to come back later for Link. It was only a few minutes, afterall. He had no intention of allowing Link onto Medoh. 

"What an insult. Being second fiddle, an assistant, to an actual child who barely comes up to my hip." The Rito Champion landed with a flurry of wind on the platform, Link's hair and clothing rustling but the boy himself unflinching. Revali scoffed. 

"I, who am the most advanced in aerial combat even amongst the Rito. A true warrior who has spent hours, months, years even. To perfect Revali's Gale. To excel in archery. To become the Master I am. I have to take a back seat and help a scrawny louse take on Calamity Ganon. All because you have a Sword you can't even use on your back."

He stalked circles around Link, sneering down his beak at him. Link did not move. He did not look at Revali. He didn't even blink when Revali feigned snapping at his face with his sharp beak. 

"Honestly. We're better off giving that Sword to a Guardian. At least it can hold the damn thing. Unless you think you can prove me wrong? If you think you are actually worth that Sword, and the title of Champion. Of actually standing a chance against Ganon, then prove it. Spar with me. But not here. Up there!"

He waved at Medoh, who was flying high above Rito Village. 

"Get up there to your Princess, and show me the famed swordsmanship that supposedly comes with drawing such a fabled Blade. That earns a toddler the position of Knight and Champion. Oh right. You can't."

He created his Gale, and rose up high into the air. 

"Good luck sealing the Darkness! I'll come clean up after you when Ganon is done wiping the floor with your carcass."

He zoomed to Medoh, already with the excuse of "He was too afraid to be so high" on his tongue. He missed the split second where Link's face crumpled and twisted, and then smoothed out once more.

. 

This mystery child had led them to the edge of a cliff next to a very tall tower, glowing blue even in the bright mid-day sun. The tall walls held back the earth of the Great Plateau they found themselves on, and allowed them a view of the fatal fall if they ventured too far. 

"Well that's just great. No way forward. What was the point of this, kid?" Legend snapped. "You didn't even tell us where we were!" 

The little one pointed the way they came. 

'Live Again Shrine.'

Then pointed at the ground below. 

'Great P-L-A-T-E-A-U.' 

And out, to a mountain split in two. 

'Kakariko. People. I-M-P-A.'

"Impa? Oh let's go there, she'll know where we're supposed to go!" Hyrule cheered. 

"How do you know Impa lives there?" Warriors asked the boy. He got a one-shoulder shrug back. "Have you been there?" A head shake. 

'Old man ghost told me.'

"An old man ghost told you. Have you ever left this Plateau?" Another head shake. "Why?" 

'Don't want.'

"How old are you?" Another lopsided shrug. Warriors was starting to wonder if that left arm even worked. Time stepped forward, and crouched to be eye level. He almost laughed as each of their respective blind eyes lined up. But he noticed the avoidance of looking at him, the way his eye continued to survey around them. He looked pale, and his breathing picked up lightly. He seemed afraid, to have Time looking so close at him. 

"Do you have a name?" He asked. He didn't get any kind of answer, which was honestly answer enough. "I think you should come with us. For a little while, anyway. You said this was a place for the dead. You're not dead. Any-. Anymore, anyway." He couldn't wrap his head around that just yet. He needed answers. The child backed away a step. Then he paused. 

'Why?' 

"Because no one should live alone with the dead. Especially not someone so young. That, and you might be the only one with directions."

The boy stayed perfectly still, even his eye froze in place above Time's head. Time turned to follow his gaze. He had been with his back to the ruined castle, the swirling purple and black felt ominous. When he looked back, the child made eye contact. Time felt his heart stutter, and breath catch. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Those eyes were so so ancient. Then they slipped away a second later, back to searching around them like it never happened. Searching for what, Time didn't know. Time's hearing came back with a rush and a ring. 

"Even if he did come with us, how are we supposed to get down?" Legend complained again. Time would have smirked if he wasn't still reeling. He knew Legend was egging the kid into coming with them. Helpless travelers that needed their hand held. The kid would either leave them to their own, which they'd be able to find him again given the cut-offness of the Plateau. Or he'd come with them to "help." it was clever. But Time knew the boy saw right through it. He saw it in his eye. Legend bored him. Time bored him. They all bored him. He saw through their story, through their patronizing. 

"We all have a way to get down." He found himself speaking without putting any further thought into it. "We're adventurous enough to all get down, and figure out how to find people, and make our own way to Kakariko. No. We don't need you to do anything to help us. And you're not helpless here either, are you? No. No, you're not. Alright. I would like you to come with us because we're looking for a specific person. And some of us think you might be that person. Does your name happen to be Link?"

The Chain froze behind him, sharing looks. Something happened that they didn't know or understand. The boy hesitated, then answered with his typical tiny nod. His answers had all been so small, only there if you looked right at him. But Time saw it. And he sagged, sighing sadly. 

"That's what I was afraid of. You know you're the Hero. Don't you."

Another nod. Time touched the scar on his own face, the one that had taken the vision from his right eye. The one mirroring the twisted burn along this Link's left. Streaked across his forehead and cheek, swirled around his ear and jaw. A fatal wound. Used to be.  

"You've already started it. And it hasn't finished."

He didn't get a reply. 

. 

Zelda was running for her life. She had been so angry, so betrayed, that she had done something utterly stupid. And now she was going to pay for it. 

Another trip to Vah Naboris, the Gerudo, and Urbosa. Zelda had been savoring her brief respite from Link's watch, first here and then on Medoh. So she was back in Gerudo Town, where Link could not enter. She had spent the whole day with Urbosa and Purah, Impa had decided to stay with the guard encampment behind Gerudo Town, on the Vah Naboris side. That was her goal, afterall. Purah left to join her in the afternoon. And after dinner, Zelda and Urbosa sat to talk. Talk and talk and talk about magic and powers and Goddesses and mothers. 

But Zelda had fallen asleep with her head on Urbosa's lap, a happy warm feeling of faint memories of her Mother lulling her to dreams. And when she awoke suddenly to find Link standing within the walls of the Gerudo palace, she was furious. Urbosa had called him in, allowing him to enter in the pre-dawn darkness. 

"I am surrounded by some of the best warriors in all of Hyrule! Even if a Yiga were to get in, they'd be dead before they were finished revealing themselves. Why is that thing here?" 

"That is exactly why. Link is not a thing. I know you are enjoying some alone time, and I am happy to provide that. But you must treat Link with more kindness, Little Bird."

"It is furniture, and nothing more."

"Link. When was the last you ate? Are you thirsty, would you like some hydromelon juice?" 

"Why are you talking to it? It's not going to respond."

"How do you know he won't?" 

"Because I told it never to speak, and it hasn't. I will say, it's good at following orders. Except for the ones which are meant to keep it outside!"  

"Stop calling Link an it. You have forbidden this child to speak? Zelda I am disappointed in you.  This is not at all what you have told me in your letters. Link dear please come sit."

"No! I came here to get away from the creature! I am forced to have it exist in my presence at all times in everything I do! When I eat, when I bathe, when I sleep. Am I meant to have it around after I am wed and become Queen as well?" 

"Zelda, this is until we defeat the Calamity. This is for your safety and the safety of Hyrule. Link is a child. He is doing his best, same as you."

"No. No, I had to pray in freezing cold springs for a birthright I have not been able to unlock since I was four. That, that thing that pulled the Sword without even trying. Completely on accident. That is not doing his best same as me. That is getting everything needed to fight this evil with ease. And if I'm to suffer, so can it."

Zelda ran. She didn't care where, or what time it was. That the morning sun was rising because they had talked all night and she had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning. Urbosa had surprised her, no doubt she had had to wait until Zelda was asleep to call for him, so the Princess would not notice. It felt like a set up. And intervention. And she was mad about it. 

Because she knew Urbosa had a point. 

It was one thing to be jealous of Link's connections to the Sword so young. It was one thing to be angry about her own predicament. But Urbosa had offered Link food, and drink. A place to sit. At home, in the castle, no one did that for Link. She never did that for Link. She had never noticed. The boy was just that, a boy. So young his age hadn't even hit double digits yet. He would have just started school last year, and instead he was melting into the walls of the Castle. She never saw him eat. She never saw him drink water. She never saw him sit except on his cot where it was the only place he was permitted to be. She never saw him sleep. 

A growing child without food, or water, or sleep. Without touch, or kind words. 

He imposed nothing on her life. Zelda often lamented in her diary of how lonely she felt when Impa and Purah and Robbie weren't around. She had become so accustomed to him being a gly on the wall. But he was a child. A real life child, who had probably still been learning to talk when she sliced out his tongue with her words. Who had probably never spent an entire day without a hug and kiss from his mother before Zelda shoved him in a corner and called him worthless. She wasn't ready to face that yet. She couldn't, she needed her personal space! She needed away from that Sword and the proof that the problem was her, just her, even a child could fulfill their destiny better than she could! 

Out the front gates of Gerudo town. And into the rolling moving dunes of the Desert. 

The sun was fully risen by the time she hit the Kara Kara Oasis. There was talk of building a Bazaar here so more merchants could traverse the heat. But right now, it was simply a watering hole with trees keeping the area cool. She hadn't planned on running this far. Or this direction. 

But not long after she left the Town, as she stopped and panted and wiped her eyes. As she turned to go to the encampment and search out Impa. Evil laughter filled the air. 

And Yiga appeared between her and the Town. 

So Zelda kept running. There wasn't anything out here. No buildings, no people, no place to hide. They had cut her off, and forced her further from help. And they were closing in. She knew it too. And she was tired, struggling to breathe as the sand grabbed her feet and sent her face-first into the hot ground. She was dead. She knew it, now. She was dead. There was no getting out of this. And it was her own fault. She closed her eyes and waited for the end. 

There was a clash of metal above her! Gasping, she looked up and saw Link. He stood over her, Master Sword in both hands and shoulders heaving as he blocked the Yiga from her. On the ground just within her reach was a severed hand, fingers twitching faintly, and the Demon Carver that had been about to remove her head. The Master Sword's tip rested in the sand, before being lifted and held as a threat to the two remaining Yiga. One lunged, and sliced Link across the chest. For his trouble, he was cut in half with a sharp swing of the Master Sword, almost too fast to see. 

The last took a step back, and when Link made to move forward they ran! Several seconds passed, and the Sword dipped down again, dripping blood onto the hot ground. And Link turned to her. 

His face was as blank as ever, but his eyes were wide, bright, and frightened. Face pale and drawn, there were deep shadows under his eyes that spoke of little sleep and a deep exhaustion. His chest was sliced open, blood coloring the electric blue. He looked… conflicted. Here he had saved her life after running after her through the desert. He wanted to check on her, make sure she was alright. But he wasn't allowed to interact with her, let alone touch or talk to her. He was already breaking the rules by looking at her, even if it was at her knees. He didn't know what to do. So she put out her hand. 

"Help me up?" She asked. Quiet, soft. Calm. Permission. He dragged the Sword a little, in one hand. But he came closer, and his hesitance was obvious as though expecting a trap. But he took her hand, and she rose to her feet. He let go quickly, and with wide fearful eyes he dropped the Master Sword and his hands fluttered by her face. Not touching, and with halting, aborted movements like he had to fight himself to both move and hold still. She frowned. He'd never shown so much emotion or moved so much in the last two years. 

"What?" 

He pointed to his cheek. She touched her own. And had blood on her fingers. There was a shallow cut on her cheek, something she must have gotten when she tripped. He stepped back, breathing way too fast and hard, and turned a circle. She was confused until he moved off and grabbed the scabbard a little ways away. It seemed he undid the belt and flung it away in order to unsheath his great Sword. It was as big as him. While in the process of cleaning the blade and putting it back in place, panting and footsteps could be heard. Guards from her traveling entourage came around a dune. 

"Princess! Your Highness, are you alright?" The Captain came to a halt, bent double and gasping. He swallowed as he saw her face. 

"You've been injured!" 

"Oh, no. It's just a small cut."

"You were injured in a Yiga attack. Sir Link where were you? How did you let this happen?" 

"No, it was my fault. Really."

"Come with us Your Majesty, we will see to it you return to Town safely."

She was flanked by the men in their armor. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Link following behind in his normal place. Sword on his back, wound ignored and dripping down his front as they walked. He was blank as ever, but his hands shook at his sides. 

Zelda sat in her padded chair. The Champions were in their own next to her. She could feel the eyes of Mipha, Urbosa, and Daruk, on her. But she couldn't look away. Link stood on the platform below them, head bowed and hands tied where he faced them, back to the citizens of Castle Town. He wore a simple undyed tunic, much too big. He was made to kneel, hands untied, and place the Master Sword on the wood in front of him. Guards took his wrists and arms, and held him up. 

"Sir Link, you had been tasked with the care and safety of Princess Zelda. It has been found that lately, you have been shirking your duties, and allowed her to roam unprotected and out of your sight." The Captain of the Guard read from the official scroll. There was an almost smug tone to his announcement over the gathered crowd. They were in the center of Castle Town. A spectacle for the masses. 

"Your negligence as Knight Protector to the Crown had caused Princess Zelda to come to harm in the midst of a Yiga Cla attack. Normally, the punishment is death. However, due to your status as the wielder of the Sword That Seals the Darkness, your execution has been temporarily stayed. Your punishment in the mean time has been ordered to twenty lashings, effective immediately."

They removed his tunic, allowing Zelda to see the wound across his chest. It had scabbed over in the last two days. Zelda had never been ushered back to Central Hyrule so quickly in all her life. Neither had the Champions been summoned with so much demand before. Link was dragged to his feet. 

Zelda saw, for just a hair of a second, so fast she thought perhaps she had imagined it. As the man readied himself for the first strike, the boy's lips twisted and trembled, and his eyes watered. Then his lifeless mask slammed back into place. The first crack shattered the heavy silence, and he didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. If it weren't for the thick scab on his chest, wound untreated and bleeding lightly, she would have said he wasn't even breathing. Link didn't react even once. 

Zelda jerked with every snap of the whip. 

Ths wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't what she had intended. She hated Link, yes. But she had never wanted him whipped. Never wanted him hurt like this. 

But she had caused this. Every action she had ever taken toward him had led to this inevitable event. 

By the end of twenty strikes, she was openly weeping. The guards let go of his arms, and Link slumped forward onto his hands and knees, splinters from the hastily built wooden platform digging into his palms. It took a few deep breaths, then he pushed and levered himself back up to his feet. Given his plain tunic, he slipped it back on, heedless of the bleeding gashes across his back. The audience was silent as he bent and picked up the Sword to strap it onto his person. 

Revali never took his eyes off Link. He stayed silent, and tried not to flinch. He had baited this child. This kid, who had taken a public flogging with silence and dignity, that he had bullied and teased. He had told this kid that he was looking forward to Ganon slaughtering him so Revali could step in and be the hero. Because he didn't like the attention he believed that Sword to be giving Link. He had deliberately kept Link from his charge, the Princess. For petty spite and presumed popularity. 

If it weren't for that Sword, they would have executed the seven year old for Revali's actions. 

He felt sick. And he felt he owed it to Link to watch every stroke. To watch the consequences of his actions, rather than turn away from them and ignore them for his own comfort. This was not the attention he thought Link received. He had been told he would assist the Princess and her Knight in the fight from Vah Medoh. He watched the Princess struggle with her power, and was reminded of his own hours of work for his Gale. He watched a child, small and emotionless, carry around a Sword as big as himself, and seemingly never needing to be at training, or practice, and held as an example. 

The Legendary Hero who was called by a Sword made by the Goddesses, who was the only one who could hold this Blade. The only Sword strong enough to destroy Calamity Ganon that even four giant Beasts with lasers didn't stand a chance against. Held by a child who stood in the corner and ignored everyone and everything like they were beneath his notice. Why would he need them? He pulled the Sword at four. 

He had never stopped to think how preposterous it was that a child so small would stand a chance against Ganon. That a boy tasked with protecting a Princess a decade older than himself before he even knew how to properly tie his shoes, would be overwhelmed and lost and so desperate to observe for any and every threat that he ignored everything else. Revali wasn't below him or thought of as lesser. He wasn't ignored because he wasn't as good as, better than, or a thread to Link. 

Revali just wasn't a threat to the Princess. So Link doesn't give a shit who or what he is. He's too busy trying to make sure the Princess doesn't get a papercut on her cheek, because if she does he'll be publicly beheaded. At seven. 

And Zelda had him convinced this kid was a creature. A monster. A rival who would take fame and glory and write Revali out of the history books. 

What sick twisted Monarch gives such an impossible task to a child that had only just begun to learn to read?! How in Hylia's name was the King just totally okay with this? How could Hylia justify this?! Wasn't he her Chosen Hero?! 

Oh Goddesses, he had crowed in joy about the idea of this babe, this infant, being brutally murdered by the encroaching Evil. So that Revali could have the spotlight. He had said those words to a child younger than his own niece that was the personal choice of the Goddess Hylia to save their asses. What kind of fucking monster was he?! 

When Link stood, firm as always. And put the tunic back on, strapped the Master Sword to his raw and bleeding back, and took his place behind Zelda's shoulder once more… Revali was sick over the side of the little stone wall of the walkway the Champions had been set at. He hadn't even left his chair. 

They were fucked. 

The king was desperate. That's what this was. He was afraid of this Calamity. They were ill prepared, and he was fully aware that there was absolutely no way they would win this. The Hero was so young, he should still be hiding under his mother's skirts when thunderstorms wake him from his dreams of summer days and fresh apples. The Princess should have her Golden Powers that would lock away this Evil once the Master Sword strikes true. They should have Divine Beast pilots who actually knew what their weapons were capable of! They should, they should-

They were all going to die. 

If Hylia didn't strike them all dead for their actions today alone, the Calamity surely would. The King looked at his hand, at the overwhelming odds and their failures. And he chose to vent his cruelty on the one sure win he could have had. The Sword had been found. The Hero young, but that should have meant taking the time they had to properly train and prepare him. Make them a more efficient and comfortable team with encouragement. 

Instead he used Link's age and their short time like a puppet, to shame and belittle their shortcomings. The child can do it, why can't you? It had pitted the Princess against the Hero. The Champions against each other. He could feel the anger and disgust rolling off Urbosa. The unbridled rage that choked his breath from Mipha. The strangely quiet calm from Daruk. 

Zelda was crying. Revali both did, and didn't, understand. Because he understood suddenly realizing that you're a horrible person. He had just done that. But he didn't understand how she seemed so surprised and horrified at what they just watched. Had she not known this was to be his punishment? He'd been her Knight for two years, and she treated him like utter shit, he ever left her presence. How could she not have known? But she seemed so genuinely upset?! 

He understood what Mipha had said now. Revali hadn't considered that there would be a negative outcome to all this. Of course they were going to win. Of course Link was just living it easy, not having to go to training or boot camp like a real warrior for the title of Hero and Champion. He just needed a Sword. The rest would just happen, right? Like of course that's what she had meant, in his mind at the time. They had been having two completely different conversations. 

Somewhere along the way, he had lost track of there being an actual living breathing person on that other end of the Sword. And that person had been four fucking years old when they grabbed a shiny Sword out of some woods they were called to in their fifth birthday. And five when two weeks later they became an object used as a weapon against other people. And they hurt him, the way a sword gets chipped and worn down with each parry and block, but the attacker remains untouched. He had been so focused on what Link represented, he forgot that Link was a mortal, same as him. 

The Champions followed Zelda back to the castle. All four of them given an unimpeded view of Link's back, as always. But this time the tunic was sandy, and rough, instead of blue and smooth. And absolutely soaked with blood. But his steps were steady, quick but unhurried, as though the sword so heavy he had to use two hands to hold it, wasn't rubbing against his fresh whip wounds. 

As they strode through the castle, he opened every door they passed through, and waited for the last Champion to enter before closing the door, and falling into step. When they reached Zelda's rooms, he once again opened the door. Scanned the room as each person entered. Then closed the door, and crossed straight to his cot. Where he removed the Sword in a single smooth motion over his head, and sat one the cot with the Sword on his knees. His back was ram-rod straight, and body carefully pointed toward the entirety of the room. His eyes made constant sweeps of every corner and nook and cranny, neatly and carefully avoiding each and every one of them with practiced ease. 

Urbosa took a deep breath, and let it out very slowly. 

"Zelda." Her voice was low. And very dangerous. 

Zelda nodded. 

"Link? Link, could you. Could you look at me, please?" 

Link's eyes snapped to the floor directly in front of the Princess, face still carefully away. There was the faintest catch in his breath, and his face drained of all color. 

"Okay! No no, it's okay! You don't have to look at me anymore, it's okay!" Zelda flapped her hands, before clutching them to her mouth. But it worked, Link went back to scanning the room, blood slowly returning to his face. But not much. Blood had soaked through the thin shirt, and was staining the blanket on the cot. Tucked in so tight and perfect, it was like it was never used. Revali felt like he was going to be sick again. 

"Link. Please remove your tunic, and allow Lady Mipha to heal your wounds."

There was an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Zelda looked stunned, and confused. Link had never said no to her before. In the single short exchange they had had, he had only nodded twice. 

"No? W-why?" 

More panic. Silent and miniscule. If they weren't watching him closely, they would never have noticed. The increase in his breathing, the tiniest of tremors of his fingers where they rested in the scabbard, the black of his pupils swallowing the vibrant blue of his eyes. They glossed over, and looked seconds away from passing out. 

"Never mind! You don't have to tell me. Or any of us. But. But you need that healed."

"Link. You are the only one who can handle that Sword. But you are hurt. If Ganon were to rise now, you could not protect Princess Zelda. It is in her best interest for you to have your wounds healed." Mipha spoke with a calm and kind authority. Link's breathing improved slightly, and there was a very noticeable pause in his frantic scanning of the room. He was staring high up in the opposite corner of the room. Then he licked his bottom lip ever so slightly. 

Stiff, he lifted his hands from the Sword, and struggled to remove the tunic. It was soaked, and stuck to his open wounds like glue. He could hardly lift his arms now that he'd been still and tense long enough. Mipha crossed the floor, quickly but smoothly, well within his sight. She knelt at his knee, and slowly and deliberately reached to aid him. His eyes locked on her hands, and his fingers tightened on the fabric slightly. But he allowed her to help remove the garment. He had been facing the Royals and the Champions. He had had his back to the people of Hyrule, who were relying on him to protect them from Ganon. 

They had seen his back uncovered. 

Now the Champions did too. 

Revali was in fact sick again in the chamber pot. 

Urbosa rounded on Zelda. 

"You have a lot of explaining to do. This is unacceptable. What has been going on in this Hylian Court that something so heinous has become standard? What has been done to this boy?" 

"I-" Zelda swallowed, and sat hard at her desk. "When Link was brought to the castle and appointed my Knight Protector, Father and I had a fight the night before. I was angry, and upset, and wanted to be petty about anything and everything. So I. I bullied Link, a little. I wanted to make it easy to ignore him. I gave him rules to follow. I said hurtful things. And before I calmed down and got to think about it, he had done exactly what I asked. And it just became… daily ritual."

"Daily. Ritual." Mipha hissed, then closed her eyes as she continued to send her magic through the boy's body. There was so much more that needed mending than the wounds from today, it seemed. 

"What were these rules?" Daruk spoke for the first time, his gravelly voice sharp as flint. 

"He couldn't speak. Anything personal he needed to do I wanted to not be bothered with. He. He was to be in my shadow and where I couldn't see him. Left alone."

"You told him not to exist. You made it so he couldn't protect himself. And then you broke him." Mipha growled through her teeth, standing abruptly. Link reacted too quickly for anyone to have stopped him. He rushed between Mipha and Zelda, the Master Sword held in both hands at the Zora princess. It glinted in its threat, scabbard forgotten on the cot. Mipha had been healing him. But he protected Zelda, who did nothing but hurt him. 

Because a scratch on her cheek could get him executed. 

Mipha stepped down. 

"When you wrote to me asking for some time away from your guard, you did not tell me who or what Link was. You told me how irksome it was to be followed. How frustrating it was to be watched. You never said he was required to be at your side, nor how young he is. My guards are the ones that told me that Link had stood outside our gates the entire day and night you were within the walls of Gerudo. He did not eat, or drink, or sleep. He just waited. That is why I permitted him to enter, Link is not a grungy old soldier leering at you from across the room, imposing on you."

"You're a princess. What kind of leader threatens a child? I have great concerns about this court, and I will be speaking with the Zora council." Mipha's soft voice was so firm and upset. 

"Sorry to interrupt. But aren't you all doing the same thing? Using Link as a weapon against the Princess? I think we should be focusing on him right now." Daruk's older voice of reason drew attention back to the boy. It was true. Through all of this, they had focused on Zelda, and completely ignored the boy in question that was literally between them with a Sword brandished. They hadn't even spoken directly towards him for the majority of this meeting. Mipha and Urbosa eased their posture. 

"You're right. I would prefer to have Link removed from this… place. But unfortunately the reason he's here still stands. We only grow closer to the rise of the Calamity. I only wish this had been caught sooner. There is much to do." Urbosa stepped forward, and found the Sword trained on her now. She sat on the floor, and offered him a small smile. 

"Sir Link. Do you even like being called that? You can stand down. We are not going to harm her, nor will we let her come to harm. You have my word as the Gerudo Chief." 

Link did not move. 

"Link, please. At ease?" Zelda whispered. He paused, then lowered his Sword and hurried back to his cot as though realizing that he was being focused on, trying to go back to being unseen as he returned to his previous position as had always been demanded of him. It was Revali who stepped between him and his seat, shoulders low.

"I'm sorry, Link. For the cruel words I said, and the actions I took. They were wrong of me, no matter the circumstances." He pressed a feathered hand to his chest, and gave a small bow. "We were told of the Yiga attack. You took down two highly trained assassins. You protected the Princess. You did a great job, Link."

The boy stumbled backwards, sword raised again as his back hit the wall in the corner. Eyes wild, sweating and struggling to breathe. He hadn't eaten since his "arrest" at Kara Kara Oasis. Slept either. It was the first time in two years he had been away from Zelda, and the only thing he had been able to keep was the Sword while the threat of death was taunted at him by guards with the same belief of Revali's. No one else could touch the Sword, afterall. So of course he had to be better than them, and he had to be hurt for their perceived misfortune. Hungry, tired, dehydrated, full body hurt, and weak from blood loss, the stress caught up with the child. 

And the Sword that had been his only constant fell from numb fingers as his eyes rolled in his head. Revali caught him just before his head hit the ground. 

"Did you know they would punish him in this manner?" Revali asked as he hefted the boy into his arms. Zelda squirmed. 

"I've never seen a flogging before. I've never been to the barracks, or the training grounds. I've never seen discipline carried out. The first day Link was here, I locked him out of my room. I was told that being away from his post was five lashes. I thought the Captain was joking, we can't possibly still whip people, can we? So I ignored it. And Link never once left my side, so I never gave it another thought. I had no idea they would hurt him for such a minor scratch, or me avoiding him. I knew, but I didn't know."

"Then you truly are blind to him. His back has old scars the same as these new ones." Mipha sighed as she sat on the edge of the cot Revali placed him on. They'd deal with the bloodied blanket later. 

"What? That's impossible, he never leaves me alone for even a second. Gerudo Town and Rito Village were the first I've been out of his sight in two years."

"Surely he leaves you to train, or bathe, or be measured for clothing." Mipha insisted. Zelda shook her head. 

"No. When I fall asleep, he is awake on his cot as you saw him. And he's in the same place when I wake. Not once am I not within arm's reach. He only turns his back to me when I change clothes, bathe, or other private things. But even then he is in the room."

"When does he sleep? I haven't seen him eat when you joined the Elder and myself on your visit to Medoh."

"I've never seen him eat. He stands behind me during meals, and to my knowledge he isn't given a plate for when he is there. "

"Well, someone's gotta know how he functions?" Daruk scratched the side of his head, stumped. "He's not a rock."

Zelda stood and crossed to her door, opening it and calling a guard from down the hall. Several minutes later the Captain of the Guard, the same that was there when Link had been instated, stood at attention at her door. The Champions were behind Zelda, and none of them would allow him into her rooms. 

"If you please, we have questions about Link."

"Of course your Highness."

"Has he been whipped before?" 

"Of course."

"What? How? When?" 

"The first night as your Protector. Around two in the morning he crept out of your window and made to leave the grounds. He was caught, punished, and sent back."

"Has he been disciplined after?" 

"There has been no need. He has followed protocol since."

"How many strikes?" 

"Five, with two more for attempted desertion."

"How has he gotten new clothing if he cannot leave Zelda's side? She also claims he does not eat with them at their breakfast or dinner tables." Urbosa took over the questions when Zelda fell into stunned silence. 

"After the Princess is asleep, he stands in the doorway and his business is conducted. He receives his meal, his clothes, and a basin to wash with. All are returned before dawn."

"Does anyone take over so he can rest? When does he sleep, or take care of other necessary tasks?" 

"I have not been given orders to establish a rotation. Link guards the Princess directly. Though there are guards stationed outside the door each night."

A non-answer. Probably because he didn't know. No one came into the room to watch over the two of them as they slept. Which Urbosa took as Link not getting very much sleep at all, considering as the Captain just said the boy gets only a single meal each day. 

"What is his rate of pay?" Mipha's clipped tone took over. 

"He does not receive pay."

"His family then, given his age I assume they are compensated for their sacrifice of having given their five year old over to their King. If they haven't seen him in two years."

"No, your Grace. His family signed over ownership of the boy and the Master Sword, given the importance of the relic."

"What about training? Surely he is to keep his sword skills sharpened somehow?" Revali asked. 

"He receives instructions once a week, and is to practice on his own time."

"Again at the door?" 

"Correct."

"Thank you, Captain. That is all for now." Zelda's voice wavered. Her breeding and training were almost forgotten given the day. 

"Your Majesty." He replied, and he strode down the hall back to his business with a click of his heels and a bow. Daruk softly closed the door. When the stunned group turned back to the room, they found Link sitting up on his cot once again. The perfect little soldier; back straight, sword across his knees, and surveying the room without looking directly at anybody. 

"Link, you should really be asleep. You need to rest!" Mipha fretted. She went ignored. 

"I need to fix this." Zelda stated. Urbosa and Mipha silently cheered, though their anger was still obvious on their darkened faces. "I do not know what to do. Where to start. There has been so much done, and I don't know the time we have. But I must try."

"Yes you do, and yes you will." Urbosa watched her carefully. She didn't flinch away at Urbosa's resolve, something Urbosa felt a small bit of pride over. She didn't seem to be doing this to appease them. Was it too soon to  assume this event had actually frightened her enough to be kind? Had it actually opened her eyes? Or was she saying what she expected to make them calm, and forgive and forget? 

"And we will be visiting often. All of us. This went unnoticed far too long. Too normalized." Urbosa touched her forehead, a sharp headache pinging through her skull. Goddess it was far too cold in this castle. Her desert had spoiled her with its heat, Central Hyrule was far too cold for far too long for her tastes. The nights may be cold in Gerudo, but they lacked the chill that sat in your bones like this. 

"I will be speaking with your father. Both as a Matriarch of the Gerudo, and as your friend, Little Bird."

"I will remain here, for the time being." Mipha firmly stated. "I speak to you now, Zelda, not as a fellow princess. Not as royalty. But as a healer who will see to it this child is safe. You wish to fix this? We start now."

Zelda was not used to being so thoroughly cowed. Telling her what to do was reserved for her Father alone. And she wanted to protest the demands on her life, her time, her space. But her eyes slid to Link, who had fainted from the stress of a whipping and a compliment less than half an hour apart. Both of them were her fault. So she relented, and nodded. 

"Speaking of. I believe we all being here is overwhelming him. As upset as we all are, I believe it best we leave. Daruk, Revali." Urbosa wanted to sit down again. When she had sat to speak to Link, she had realized how tired she truly was. Now after speaking with the Captain, it only crept up her legs and spine once again. Taking her lead, Revali opened the door for her and Daruk. The Goron paused at the threshold, looking back. 

"Princess. When you next visit Vah Rudania, I will have armor for the Little Guy. So he doesn't catch fire. I'll make sure it's ready for you both."

He left, and Urbosa closed the door behind herself and them. 

Mipha sighed, and crossed to Link's cot again. She knelt, and noticed how hard he worked to avoid looking at her. Her heart broke, thinking on her own little brother. They'd be almost equivalent in age, wouldn't they? Sidon being a little younger. Oh Goddesses, this had all started when Link had been Sidon's age. She very badly wished to take the child to meet her brother. Sidon could be a little petty and spoiled like any child his age, but he had a solidly good heart. Though, she supposes, so had Zelda. Didn't she? She was supposed to have the blood of the Goddess. 

"I have not yet finished healing you, Link. May I continue?" His eyes darted toward Zelda's feet, then back to the far ceiling corner before roving again. He gave her a tiny nod. She placed her hands near, but not touching, his torn skin. And let her magic flow. It continued to stitch itself back together. She could also feel small tears in muscles, hairline fractures in bones. Sun burns, scraped knees, and raw hands. And bruises. Ones just forming on his wrists and elbows from being held so tight. On his knees and legs from hard falls and harsh travel. Probably with his hands bound as they crossed the Gerudo Desert and a good portion of Central Hyrule in under two days. He had been considered a prisoner. And they didn't seem the type to make allowances for his size or age. 

He had probably been half dragged when he couldn't keep up. Or fully dragged, actually.  

But there were things her magic could feel, but not heal. The tension that made his head pound, his heart heavy, that had been there so long it was ingrained. The bone-deep exhaustion that came from more than lack of sleep. And pain. A deep pain that never left, and was now explained by so much. He was so young. She felt the last of what her magic could do, and let it fade from his person. 

"There. You should rest. Really rest. Not fall unconscious because of blood loss. And you should eat. And have water. And I am not letting you say no. Not this time. But you will have that power soon enough. Zelda, show Link kindness."

She turned her golden eyes to her fellow princess. The anger and disgust from before had turned mournful, and tired. 

"I have hope that you will do what is right." 

"Link. Mipha and I are safe in here. I will request additional guards outside. Please sleep." Zelda felt like she was begging. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to. This is the most she had ever spoken to him. And it was all at him, with nothing answered in return. Nothing but faint resistance, as he stiffened and began to struggle again, so minutely that if they weren't focused on him they'd never know. 

He was at war with himself. He must follow all orders. All of them. All the time. Because if he screws up, if he gets even one thing wrong… that first night, he had been so scared. He was to live here, with her? She hates him! She told him to do things that made him feel bad, and she said things that hurt! No! He didn't want to be here, he wanted to be with his Mommy and Daddy, and the baby soon to come. He didn't like it here! Why was he here?! So after Zelda fell asleep, he climbed out her window, leaving the Sword behind. They wanted the Sword anyway, not him. 

He had been almost to the gate when they caught him. The guard was almost gleeful when he dragged Link to the Captain, who was unhappy with having been awoken because of a whelp he disliked. This child had been given a duty and a rank his men would kill for. Just… given to him. Because of a Sword. This kid was unqualified and undeserving! And he had already given the kid a chance, he had admitted that he was too short for the doorknob. It was his one and only free pass. Now he was here in the middle of the night testing his patience already?! 

"Listen well, wretch." He had scolded. "You have been given a gift. One you do not deserve. Your job is simple. You stay with the Princess at all times. And if she is in danger, you will give your life for her. She is not to come to harm. Ever. Or your life is forfeit. You have no family anymore, no one beyond these walls to run to. All you have is in here. Do not tread this line again. You are away from your post. You will receive five lashes."

And in the barracks, with every soldier woken to witness, five year old Link had gotten his first taste of a whip. He was deposited back to Zelda's room. He sat in the dark waiting for his back to stop bleeding and stinging, and he thought. And thought and thought. And he set his resolve. 

And he faded into the background. He taught himself quickly how to blend into the walls, stand in shadows, breathe silence. He lived by their rules; never make eye contact, never look at directly, always watch for threats, and vanish vanish vanish. He would knock on the door, and later open it a crack, after Zelda fell asleep. He would receive clothes and food left at the door. Once a week he was to prove he was practicing, and sometimes got something new to add to his sword routine. He would then quickly wash and relieve himself when she slept at her deepest. Eat his meal and drink his allotment of water. Practice with the Sword he hated and couldn't live without. And in the last few hours of free time, he would doze. 

Light sleep, slipping deep enough to let his brain rest for a handful of minutes, enough to keep him alive. And then floating up and down through light sleep to let his body recharge. Always able to be roused in seconds should an attack on the Princess happen. He quickly became accustomed to very little sleep. Then he woke, changed, visited and emptied the chamber pot one more time, and then sat to wait for Zelda to rise and remind him how low he was, how greatly she hated him, and chip away a little more at his heart and soul each morning. Daily Routine. 

He must always follow all orders. But now she wanted him to sleep. Mipha's healing had been one thing, he had been told he needed to bare the scars and the hurts as reminders of his punishment. But if he was hurt when Ganon rose it would put Zelda in danger. So he accepted that one break in the rules of being ignorable. Injuries were in the way of his duties. 

But sleep? While she was awake?! In the middle of the day, with so many heavily armed people who are angry at her? Why were they so angry at her when he had let her get hurt? Those were the rules. She got hurt, he got worse. But he had to follow orders.

He didn't know how. 

No harm may come to the princess, he was never to leave her side, but he had to be invisible. They were watching him too much, seeing him too well. He couldn't sleep, she could get hurt. But she ordered him! And he couldn't ask. He couldn't make a sound or speak a word. He had to be silent, completely, those were the orders! A single tear escaped his tight control and he berated himself for it as it rolled down his frozen face. He was so torn and lost, heart hammering and body aching and mind churning. 

He wanted to go home. 

There was no home. Not anymore. He had no family, they said. His parents had given him away, the castle owned him. He was their plaything, to do with as they pleased. Now they were doing just that, and he felt ripped apart. Great Golden Goddesses, everything hurt. The whipping two years ago had been nothing compared to this morning. He had been so afraid of the lash since his first taste of it. He had erased himself after only five of them. That was nothing to now. They were healed over, their sharp sting and radiating heat now gone. But the memory was there. The lasting effects of them were there. And they weren't going away. 

He didn't know what to do. 

They had hurt him for breaking the rules. Now they asked him to break the rules again, and the rules said he had to do everything they said. But they wanted him to break the rules?! They hurt him. And they'll hurt him again no matter what he did. They played with him only an hour after they sunk their claws into his back; a cat batting around a mouse. No matter what he did, they'd do it again. So… 

So he did nothing. 

His eyes stopped roving, coming to rest in the middle of the floor. His breathing slowed to almost nothing. Like a switch was flipped, he turned off. He couldn't do this anymore. Mipha covered her mouth. Too much. All of this had been too much. 

"What? What happened? Is he asleep like that?" Zelda kept her distance, but tried to peer over Mipha's shoulder. The Zora had to hold herself back. 

Zelda had been a teenager. A selfish sheltered teenager raised in corruption. She was inexperienced, and forced to babysit a five year old that was used as a weapon against her. And in turn, Link was a five year old forced to babysit a fourteen year old princess with the threat of death and pain over his head. 

It had been a toxic and volatile combination. And nobody had said or done a damn thing. Mipha wanted to be angry at Zelda for doing this, for not reaching out to Urbosa. But how was she even to know? This is what adults did to each other in her life. So why not to Link? Perhaps it was only her Goddess blood and the Triforce that kept her from total corruption. Of course she fell into this. No one had kept her father in check in years. He had become a tyrant out of fear, and without balance. Had her own father known? Urbosa and Daruk sure hadn't. 

"No. He is not asleep. He is protecting himself. I think, perhaps, we asked too much of him at once."

"Too much? We asked him to sleep."

"No. Princess, he's been ignored for two years. Today he was in the center of town and whipped. He's probably very scared."

Mipha had heard of children who had been hurt. Their world was abundant with people, and even in the Domain sometimes a cruel person would get their hands on a child. They were usually dealt with swiftly, the Zora taking great pride in their children and their well-being. But even then, if they weren't fast enough, the damage could linger. Adults of her own guard were honest with her about nightmares of battles and fights with monsters or highway-men. A child, she was sure, had them as well. But she had never imagined something this crooked. 

"What do we do? What can I do?" Zelda's voice was quiet. 

"Leave him alone for the time. Let him reestablish himself."

Mipha stayed the rest of the day, and through the night. 

Daruk liked to think of himself as a Goron not quick to anger. He tried to be a fair and honest leader of his people, and a strong protective presence they needed. Goron society had its class structure, it was unavoidable. Some were diggers and miners, and some were shop keeps and lawmakers. He did his best, as any mortal does, to have a level head and level hand. He helped in the mines. He helped in the shops. He expanded and rotated his counsel to hear new voices. 

The Gorons were a tough race. They were the people of the earth; their bones and blood were rocks and gravel. They could take a hit and give it back. Their siblings and their children were chips of themselves. He saw what harsh working conditions could do to his people. There were legends of dragons eating them whole, and ice freezing them solid. There were monsters, and cave-ins. When a mine got too dangerous, he closed the mine and ordered a new dig. When monsters threatened, he faced them himself. 

The very idea of throwing his youngest people at an evil he himself could not surmount felt wrong. He had been told Zelda's Knight was young. That he held the Sword that Seals the Darkness. But it hadn't been until the knighting that he had seen how small. How young. He had said nothing at the time, concerned, but unfamiliar with Hylians enough to know he was out of his depth just then. It felt wrong to leave him behind. But he needed information. 

So when the summons for the discipline had come, and when he saw the very real cruelty of the Hylian Court, he knew what must be done. 

Daruk and Urbosa left Revali after Zelda's room. He was not an Elder, or Cheif. While a Champion, he did not speak politically for the Rito. He would return home with what he had witnessed, and confer with his leaders. But the Goron and the Gerudo were already here. They stopped at the door to the throne room. 

"Urbosa Gerudo Chief, and Daruk Goron Boss, demand an audience with King Rhoam at once."

Her message was sent, and answered. The doors opened to the opulent hall, decked in marble and gold. The late early afternoon sunlight that shone through the stained glass dyed their skin and clothes in vibrant green and pinks and purples of histories long past. 

"Dearest Urbosa. A pleasure to have you in our fair Castle Town. And Noble Daruk, also a great blessing to have you. What may I do for you?" 

"We'd like to speak to you about a certain Little Knight. Your Majesty." Daruk tacked on as an afterthought. "We're mighty concerned about that display this morning."

"Have no fear. I doubt he will allow our Princess to come to harm any further." 

"You mistake us, sir. Our worry lies not about the Princess, but of the Knight himself. Is it custom for Hylians to beat their children for public humiliation?" Urbosa could barely keep a hold of her sharp tongue. 

"I beg your pardon?" 

"You have given an insurmountable task for a whole brigade of soldiers, to a single child under the age of ten? He can't even hold that Sword yet!" 

"It was not my choice, but the will of the Goddess Hylia. It is She who directs the Hero and his Sword. It was she who put the Blade in his hand on his fifth birthday. It is She that sends us signs that the Calamity is closer and closer to breaking free within the year. What would you suggest I do?"

Within the next year? Daruk and Urbosa both took pause. There had been no day or time in the Seer's words. What did he know that they didn't? 

"I suggest help. You left a child, an infant, in charge of another child? They are both responsible for the life of the other, and you left them alone without adult support?" 

"He is a Knight Protector, he understands the scope of his rank."

"With all due respect, no he does not." Daruk could feel Death Mountain brewing in his heart. "The boy doesn't eat, or sleep."

"You have put far too much pressure on both your daughter, and on him. He was away from his post because she begged me to keep him away from her. She ran from him so he could not follow. And you best him for her actions that came about from your neglect."

"Leave us." The King rose to his feet, gazing at his guard. "This is a matter between heads of state. Out." 

At once the guards and advisors filed out. Urbosa stood a little taller. 

"You had an seven year old whipped in addition to being publicly humiliated, for a scratch on your daughter's cheek that she put there herself by running away from a situation you imposed on her. Zelda had yet to unlock her powers, would you whip your child for their failure?"

"Of course not!" 

"Interesting, because you've been doing it for two years at least."

"A society is only as strong as its lowest members. What do your people think of their King whipping children?" Daruk rumbled dangerously. "You have given a task to a boy too young, too untrained, without aid. You are to boost your people, not drag them down."

"Only tyrants rule with an iron fist rusted with blood. The Gerudo know this well. And I see it here."

"Are you threatening war?" Rhoam asked coldly. Both leaders before him seethed.

"At this time, King Rhoam, that is not a threat from the Gerudo. Not with Ganon so near, and the innocent most vulnerable."

"Same with the Goron. But make no mistake. There will be future talks. And the Little Guy and the Princess both must be treated with more respect. Or that stance will change after the Calamity's defeat."

"You'd go to war over one child?" 

"No. I'd go to war with a monster who believes that children are fodder. Who would treat their only hopes as poorly as you do. One child? Your actions against one child were seen by all your subjects. Your actions against a child who is your Legendary Hero was seen by your people. They believe themselves to be next. And now they fear the Calamity more than ever. You rule through fear, and I want no ties to it." Urbosa and Daruk had not spoken previously. But like the Sages of old, that their Divine Beasts were named for, they spoke in support of each other. Both were fair, strong leaders of proud people. And they would withstand no disrespect. Be it to themselves and their kind. 

Or to any under the thumb of oppression. 

They did not want war. It hurt the innocent. But a king turned evil did not back down without bloodshed. They hoped, dearly, that they could prevent such an occurrence. It was clear they would have to start elsewhere. To start with Zelda. Without waiting for a reply, the two Champions turned their back on Rhoam, and left. 

Castle Town was eerily silent as the afternoon grew on. Even the cicadas were quiet. 

. 

Wind wanted to hate this Hyrule. He had been the youngest in the group, and the one with the least experience in hiking. Now, he was just the only one with the least experience in hiking, because Wild. Wild… Link, was the youngest. He was seven. Wind hadn't seen what was wrong about him going on his journey when he was thirteen, and Time had started his at nine! But. But none of them were seven and described themselves as used to be dead. What the fuck was that about?! What kinda world killed seven year old and then sent them after the big bad?! And with this much walking?! 

But for all that, it was really pretty. And there was so much to see and do and play around on! And if he was honest, he wanted to play in it like he would with his little sister. Sure he was fourteen and grown up and a Hero. But Ayrll was a kid. She was eight and she liked to play with her big brother! And who was he to deny her anything? And Wild was younger than her too! He wanted to get to know him! 

Because this was another Link. Wild, Fi had called him. And he was on his adventure right now. And he looked so… it hurt Wind, to look at Wild. Link. He wanted to see his sister, long hair tangled and free as she climbed trees and built castles in the sand. Instead, he saw the empty eyes that never stopped moving. He saw the careful posture and ease of blending into the trees and background. This wasn't how kids were supposed to be. Link seemed to have picked to follow Time. And not in a good way. 

He stood just within arm's reach behind Time, a little to the right. Very firmly in a blindspot that would have been there even if Time had that eye. He kept pace, moved silently and quickly, making as little movement as possible. He had picked up a rusty sword along the way, and it and a wooden bokoblin shield were strapped to his back. They were huge on him. Far too big to be of any actual use, surely? Why were they letting him be armed anyway? He was so small, Wind was sure he was bigger than that at that age! 

At night when they made camp, Link sat in the same place he walked. Just behind Time, physically in his shadow. 

"Link?" Wind called. They had thought it best to let the kid be Link for now, instead of Wild. There was something about taking his name away from him during his quest that just didn't feel right to any of them. "Come sit with us! Maybe Wars can fix your hair." 

Wild stiffened, something Wind didn't know he could do. He was already ridged with his sword on his knees as he crouched on the balls of his feet. What the hell? 

"That's a good idea, Link. Have Warriors brush your hair. It's better than having it block your vision if we meet anything on the road." Time spoke with more conviction than he felt, and Wind knew it. Having Link just out of his sight all day, but knowing he was just right there. It had been unnerving to watch, let alone experience. 

There was a slight pause, then Link rose smoothly and traveled around the outside of their ring around the fire to Warriors. The captain smiled as he turned to make room for Link. 

"Of course! Have a seat, let me see what I'm working with."

He reached for the tangles, and Link leaned forward to avoid his hands. Wars stopped. In only a few hours they had all become very aware of Link’s careful avoidance of touch and attention. Time wasn't sure what he had said that got him to agree to go over in the first place. But he clearly was uncomfortable where he was now. 

"I'm sorry, Link. I should have warned you. I'm going to touch your hair, alright? Let me know when you're ready."

Link slowly moved back into place, and after a breath he gave Wars a nod. Warriors started at the bottom of his hair, away from his neck and head. He took the comb and brush from his pack, and slowly worked the knots and leaves and sticks from it. Conversation began to pick up again, drawing attention away from the Captain and the little boy. He was careful, an expert with his comb as he picked apart nests. He never pulled or tugged, and he kept his movements easy. He also stayed quiet, letting the voices of the others wash over him as he began to almost meditate. 

Before he knew it, he was running his fingers from scalp to tip, forehead to neck, smoothing the strands toward the crown of his skull. He began his braids, one above each ear and down around to the back, joined together into one larger braid. He finished it off with a spare leather tie he had in his pack. He hesitantly rested his hands on Link’s shoulders. 

"There you are. All done. It needs a good wash, but for now this will help."

He noticed that somewhere along the way, Link had shifted from his crouch on his toes, to sitting cross-legged. And now, in his hands, he pushed heavily against Warrior's palm. Adjusting, Wars found his eyes closed, and face relaxed. He was asleep. Warriors couldn't stop the smile, nor from pulling his feet around to make a more comfortable place for Link to rest. He guided the boy down, and laid his head in his lap. Wind smiled. 

Maybe he could try to climb trees with Link tomorrow!

. 

Mipha was only aware that Link had come to when she heard his breathing pick up lightly. She waited, listening to hear him move. And move he did. In the silver moonlight coming through the grand windows, he rose from his cot and crossed like a ghost to the door. Where they had already brought in his clothes and meal. He paused at the tray, before bringing it back to his cot to make work of it. 

"Link." She breathed, and saw him freeze. "We're going to slow down. Little by little. I wanted to help, but I think I made it worse. Go about your routine. But I want to prepare you, unlike today. Zelda will be addressing you more. And it will be with kindness. You choose how you take this. I know this is new, and frightening. If. If there's a problem, with what someone asks of you. You can ask for help. You can say yes or no. If. If it's too much, you can tell us."

He didn't move. 

"Goodnight, Sir Link." Mipha settled into the tub once more. She was in the other room, watching through the door. She had been offered her own room, then an additional bed. But opted for the water in Zelda's tub, more like home for her. She closed her eyes to sleep, but listened for a time. She never heard him move. Come morning, there was an empty tray of food, and folded clothes from the day before. Stiff with dried blood. 

Mipha was awake before Zelda. She watched Link, who sat on his cot in the pre-dawn light. Had he slept at all? She tilted her head to get a better view. His eyes were closed, and shoulders lightly pressed to the wall. Ah. He was asleep, then. His hair was pulled back into its tail at the nape of his neck. Brushed and smooth, clean where yesterday it had sand and dirt and blood in it. How had he done that? When the water in the tub swished with her shifting, his eyes opened and he sat straight once again, blinking fully awake to take stock of the room. She froze, eyes mostly closed to hide her wakefulness. He closed his eyes again, but did not lean back. He seemed to be waiting for something. 

Zelda stirred. 

"Mmm. Oh. Still here, are you?" Her groggy voice broke the air. She sat up with a hum, rubbing her eyes. She missed that Link stared right at her, eyes wide. But Mipha saw it. She saw Zelda yawn, then look at Link. Who dropped his gaze to roaming the room again. Zelda looked conflicted. 

"I'm. Not going to say the rest. I should probably find something else to say in the morning, shouldn't I? Alright. Good morning, Link. I hope you slept well. There. That will be our new morning greeting."

Link didn't respond. Neither princess expected him to. They had talked while he was unresponsive. They had pushed too much too quickly, Mipha realized. She listened to everything Zelda explained about their non-relationship, and what had been imposed on Link. And in herself. Link was used to being invisible. Yesterday he was the very center of attention for almost the entire day. Something he was unable to handle. More than that, after listening to a typical day for Zelda, and what she knew of Link (very little) they both concluded that perhaps there were conflicts of orders and rules. Mipha mentioned some the night before. But now it would have to come from Zelda. Something that would take time for both of them. 

"This morning, Link. Mipha and I want to go over the new rules for you. Just like your first day. You don't have to adhere to them immediately. It will take time to get used to them. But you can help me, and I will help you, follow them. Okay?" 

Again there was no answer. They didn't expect one. Mipha made herself known with her own awkward yawn and rose, and greeted both Zelda and Link warmly. After the two women readied for the day, they sat side by side at Zelda's desk. 

"Here are our new rules, Link. You are to disregard everything from the first day. You don't have to become part of the wall or my shadow. You are allowed to speak or make sound as you wish, at least here within these rooms. You are allowed to take care of your needs when you need to. Including being healed, or eating, or anything else. Let someone know and someone will take over my guard while you are busy. And you need sleep. Real sleep. At night we're going to have a night guard, you won't be responsible by yourself all the time. You don't have to be invisible if you don't want to be. You don't need to be."

"Take it slow, Link. Not all of this is immediately happening. But some will start right away. Like extra guards, so you're not working by yourself every hour." Mipha could already see the overwhelmed in his posture. 

"I'm looking forward to having you sit next to me at the breakfast table sometime, Link." Zelda's smile was faint, unpracticed. "But it'll be later."

"Princess Zelda, I think it best we let Link think about these new orders. And continue on towards breakfast. Didn't you say your father likes to eat early?" 

"Oh goodness, breakfast! I almost forgot."

They hurried about, and moved out the door. Link fell right into step, and Mipha found herself very easily forgetting that he was behind both her and Zelda. That was not going to help matters. 

"Have him move to the side." She whispered to Zelda. 

"Hmm?" Zelda glanced over her shoulder, almost missing Link. Oh. "Link. Come over to this side please." 

She indicated to her left. Still behind her, but not nearly as far back as he was now. Behind her, but forward enough to be seen by her. His step faltered for half a second, he seemed to pause for only the blink of an eye before he continued. Exactly where he always was. 

"Link-" 

Mipha put a hand on Zelda's wrist to stop her, noticing the hurried steps Link took to attempt to come between them. He still thought her a threat to Zelda. The three stood frozen in the hall. 

"Give him time. Not everything happens on the first try." She continued walking, and soon after both Zelda and Link followed. 

Link was pretty sure something somewhere had become a weird dream. Not a good dream. But weirdly not a bad one either? That depended on the dream. 

Yesterday was a nightmare. Being whipped with all those eyes on him. The Champions, all talking about him, and at him. Paying attention to him in not necessarily negative ways. That scared him. They told him things that were wrong, and made up lies, and tried to get him hurt again. But this morning was something different. Not by much. But it was less… nightmarish. He wondered if they were even the same dream? Was this the dream and the whipping was reality? Or had he dreamt the whole thing, and woke up in a parallel world? 

No. No it was more likely that this one was the dream. He had blacked out at some point yesterday, he knew that for a fact. They had been shouting and talking at him while expecting responses, and gave him conflicting orders. And then they suddenly weren't. In the blink of an eye it was night, and it was quiet, and it was lonely once again. Except for Mipha. Who spoke to him. 

Had that been the start of the dream? Had he blacked out, and woke in a dream? Was he still unconscious on his cot while they played with his life like they couldn't just kill him because they felt like it. 

Zelda had given him "New Rules" and told him to nix the old ones. Oh no, he's not that stupid. She must really hate him. Having watched his back get ripped to shreds because of her jog through the sand, and then speak those sweet words of kindness as a lure to an excuse to do it again. If he fell out of step and into her sight line as indicated, he'd get what? Three or five? If he asked for a drink, or a chance to sit, or to use a chamber pot, he'd be stomped down right away. 

Did she think him stupid to fall for this trap? They were testing him. They had to be. Testing his resolve, his faith, his devotion to the Princess's safety and life. What was this Zora playing at? Making Zelda say nice things to him? (Hadn't he always wanted someone to say something nice?) Healing him? (He had to not be hurt so he could protect Zelda. If the Calamity rose he had to be ready) Telling him to sleep? (If he slept too deeply then who would guard Zelda? Was Mipha waiting for him to slip up and strike her?) 

The conversation around the breakfast table seemed to be getting heated. Link typically didn't pay attention to it, more so focused on the room at large and the people in it. But as tempers flared he put a hand to his sword hilt and paid more attention. Ready should some threat come to his charge. He hadn't needed to step in, Mipha stood and left the room, half her breakfast still on her plate. Zelda left soon after, and Link dutifully followed along. To her rooms, where he once again took a seat on his cot. Zelda ignored him. There. All back to rights, as it should be. He must have woken from the weird dream. 

Except for when dawn broke the next morning, Zelda greeted him differently. 

"Good morning Link. I hope you slept well."

What? Oh. Oh okay he understood. They were still testing him. Making sure he stood strong. He could do this. Follow the rules. She asked him to her side again as they walked to breakfast. He stayed where he was. He wondered, vaguely, if this counted as disobedience that would be punished? He was technically not doing what she asked. But it was because he was following orders. They wanted to make sure he could follow orders after his slip, that was the point of this wasn't it? They couldn't punish him for that, could they?

He just wished she would stop focusing on him so much. She started talking to him, randomly. The King hadn't shown up to breakfast, so Zelda ate alone with a few servants along the doors going about their business. 

"Link, have a seat."
"Link, try some of this new syrup, it's from the Gerudo Region."
"Are you sure you don't want to sit, Link?" 

Why was she talking to him? Was he standing wrong? He always stood here, maybe it was the right place when she had the King to distract her. Maybe he was too in her line of vision? Was he reflected in the glass? He took a slight step to her left, a little less to the side and further out of view. There, that should be better. Instead, she turned right around. 

"Link, I'm trying to get you to come closer to the table. Not hide further behind me."

He had been judging his visibility from her when she turned, and found himself looking far too much at her when she laid eyes on him. He snapped his head to the side, eyes pinned to the floor immediately. His heart was pounding from fright, the jolt of catching those green eyes for even an accidental glimpse. She was going to have him beaten for his insolence. He'd failed her test after only two days. He heard her gasp. Here it comes. She'll call for the Captain, or her father, and they'll tie his hands together again. They'll grab him and shove him to his knees. Would they put him on stage again? Or in the yard? Maybe they'll take his head instead, deeming his execution unavoidable this time. 

Goddesses he was so scared. 

He was trembling, heart beating so it filled his whole chest and crushed his lungs and he couldn't breathe dear Hylia he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to die. This life was horrible but it was his and he held onto the promise that when this Calamity was all over he could leave. He could give them back the Sword and they wouldn't need him around her anymore. And he could leave. Find his mother and father, if they even still wanted him. Find… find-

Find what? He's seven. He doesn't know what he wants. But he wants out of here. He hates it here. But if he behaves, and follows all the rules. Then when this is over he gets to leave. And they'll stop hurting him, and killing him a little more every day with their painful words that shred any love for himself he ever had. He doesn't want to be here. 

He wants to go home. 

It's not until he feels hands on his face that he realized he had passed out. He opened his eyes to find himself on the ground, and Zelda and a few maids gathered around him, patting his cheeks and holding his head still. 

"Link, oh dear, Link you're awake!" 

"Child, look at me." An older kitchen maid, fat face warm and lined with age, took his chin and forced his face to hers. "I need you to follow my finger with just your eyes."

Despite his usual avoidance, he did as he was told. Fingers were not faces. She seemed satisfied after a moment, and let him go. 

"Your heart's pounding a mile a minute. Take a deep breath." He felt fuzzy, disoriented. This was an unusual feeling. He didn't like it, but he couldn't shake it. Something was wrong and he couldn't place what it was. But he did as he was told, and tried to suck in some air. His chest was tight, his throat constricted, and he struggled. The lady took an exaggerated breath of her own, and let it out slowly. She did it again, and he tried to follow the rise and fall of her shoulders. It was the closest he could come to looking at her. 

It took several tries to get it right, but once he found that rhythm it clicked into place and became natural. The blood in his ears slowed and faded, and more sounds came to his ears. 

"Are you with us now, boy?" She asked. And oh, she had been underwater before. Muffled and distant and under the ringing he hadn't noticed until now. He gave a very tiny nod, and pushed himself to sit. She tried to stop him from standing, but he avoided her touch expertly. He got to his feet, settled them firmly under his shoulders, and put himself back at attention. Zelda was still kneeling where he had been prone. Should he help her up? He hesitantly extended her a hand, eyes and face firmly away from her as they surveyed the room for changes. The maids backed away. 

"You really can't look at me, can you?" She whispered. "I looked at you, and caught your eye, and you fainted. Mipha called it a panic attack, back in my rooms. But you didn't pass out there. Does. Does looking at me frighten you that much?" 

Link didn't move. He didn't respond. What was he supposed to do? Was this a positive response? Was she happy that he couldn't look at her? That she had trained him so well? She didn't sound happy, but she was talking to him, so that was to be expected that she was unhappy. Had he passed the test? No, because he left her unprotected. He left her vulnerable, thank Hylia the King wasn't here or he'd have removed Link's head before he had even woken back up. Oh Goddesses she would tell him and he'd pay anyway. He kept failing, he just kept failing their tests and he was floundering for a foothold. Anything. Anything he could do to keep himself from imploding and falling because if he faltered he would die. 

"Thank you, Barta. For your help." Zelda dismissed the kindly maid, and took Link's hand to stand. Like she had in the desert, just before he saw the blood on her cheek. He had scanned her then, looking for wounds after a fight. There was no fight here. So he didn't look at her. Not when last time he had, he'd been punished days later. No. It hadn't even been a week ago that he had fought those Yiga. Five, maybe six days ago? She didn't let go of his hand. 

"Link. You need to sit down before you pass out again. Please."

He felt so light headed. He hated how the world spun and his skin felt cold despite the sweat on his brow. He could feel something building in his chest and behind his eyes. His brain was as buzzy as his body, he was confused and dazed and sick. He couldn't do this anymore. He wanted to sleep. To close his eyes and wake up where the world made sense and he didn't hurt anymore and where he could be happy and safe. Not trapped in the claws of people so bored they ruined the lives of others for fun. He could feel a weakness in his legs coming on, and knew if he didn't fight it he'd stumble and stagger from his post. He couldn't pass out again, he had to stay standing, stay observant and alert. He needed to sit down, she told him to sit down, but it was against the rules! 

Goddess if she would just stop looking at him! 

And stop touching him! She was touching him! That was wrong, it was against the rules, helping her to her feet fell under protecting her. Just standing in the breakfast hall, his hand open and firm and her clutching it as she tried to turn his eyes to her again. This went against being invisible, being ignored. He couldn't break, he couldn't! He had- he had to stand firm he could do this he could follow the rules! 

"Breathe, Link." Zelda's voice broke through the fog that was narrowing his world down to a single point on the floor. He sucked in a lung full, his vision broadening once again. Someone squeezed his hand, and ran a thumb over his knuckles. "Much better, Link."

Before Zelda really knew what was happening, Link was moving. He jerked his hand from her's, and was scrambling away from her and toward a corner of the room. He tripped and stumbled over his feet as he tried to turn away from her but also continue to watch the room; the deeply ingrained needs to be alert but also avoid her eyes, at war within him. His back hit the corner and he shrunk and compacted himself as small as he would go. And, Zelda realized now that she had a full demonstration. Link could make himself extremely small. He planted his rear between his heels, his head between his knees, and his elbows on his toes as he grabbed his hair by the scalp and pulled. 

He was sobbing. It was the weirdest thing she has ever seen… huge fat tears rolled down his cheeks like rivers. His mouth was open as he gasped for air, but not a sound escaped him even as his shoulders heaved. And all the while, his eyes never stopped moving around the room, looking for threats even as he struggled to keep his face stone neutral and empty. Painfully at war with himself. 

"Link-" 

"Princess." Impa appeared at her side, and put herself between Link and Zelda. She sat on the floor, back to Link, carefully blocking him from her view. 

"Eat your breakfast Zelda. Quietly."

Zelda started like she was going to object, but a stern look from Impa had her turning away in a huff and continuing to eat. The room fell into the quiet sounds of utensils on glass and enamel. And as Link sat, ignored, hidden away behind Impa, he began to be able to breathe again. The tears slowed, then stopped. And his fingers loosened from where they were snapping strands of hair. 

"Listen with care, Knight." Impa murmured gently behind her without turning. Then she addressed Zelda. 

"Princess, what are you doing?" Impa's voice was strong and clear in the empty room. 

"I am eating my breakfast. Quietly."

"Zelda. What are you doing?" Impa asked again, a little more sternly. 

"In regards to what?" She replied, a little snippy. 

"In regards to your attitude towards Link this morning. What are you doing?" 

"I am. I am being kind, to Link."

"Why?"

"W-why?"

"Why are you being kind to Link?" 

"Am I not allowed to show him kindness?" 

"Do not divert the question. Why are you being kind to Link?" 

"Because he is a living being that deserves ki-" 

"Why. Are you. Being kind. To Link."

Zelda paused. Link stayed hidden behind Impa. He was scared of her. This little boy who followed her around like a fly on the wall, who had fearlessly jumped in front of fully armed adult assassins to protect her. He was so afraid of her that he lost that carefully crafted control, and ran from her. The Hero of Courage. Her Hero of Courage. 

"Because I have not been the Princess, the Goddess, of Wisdom. I have been selfish. And I have been cruel. And I can no longer allow it to continue."

"Wh-"

"Because he saved my life!" Zelda screamed. "He's seven years old, and he saved my life. And I got a cut from when I tripped in the sand, my own mistake, my own fault! He had nothing to do with it, had no way of preventing it. But he was whipped for it! Link, what happened to you was unacceptable. What we have been doing to you is unacceptable. And I know this is overwhelming, but I am sorry. And whether you forgive someday or not, I will work to make this right. You deserve to be happy, not hurt by everyone around you."

"Do you mean that?" 

"I do."

"Then why are you focused on what you want, and not what he feels? Zelda, I should have spoken up from the very beginning. I didn't. I am not blameless either. But if you want to do right, you need to put what Link wants, first."

"I don't know what he wants!" 

"He's telling you. You're not listening."

"He's not-" 

"He has refused every new order you've given him. What happened last time he followed a new order he'd never had before? One that went against his other orders?" 

Zelda bit her lip. He had been ordered to not follow her. He couldn't enter Gerudo. He had been away from his post. He had been… 

"He was punished for it."

"He was punished for it. And he wasn't even done healing from it before you threw his entire rulebook out the window. How confused do you think he is? Considering you were the one that set him up last time, he's probably looking for a test or a trap. Give him a rest."

"I can't just keep ignoring him." 

"No one is asking you to. But you must slow down and take your time. Progress starts slow, and gains momentum. Start slow."

Zelda nodded. And returned to her breakfast. 

"Knight. You have become dehydrated. That must be rectified immediately. You will drink the water being brought to you. And then you will return to your post. Do you understand?" She peered a single eye over her shoulder. Link was crouched on his toes, but was properly postured with his hands on his knees. His face was composed, tears drying on his cheeks. She received a tiny nod. 

"Very good." 

She rose, and crossed to Zelda's side. She still blocked him from view, but could now speak to her friend privately. 

"We will talk later. For now, keep your notice of him small. Greet him in the morning, wish him good night before bed. But leave him alone. Let him get used to it. One step at a time."

"Thank you, Impa. I will."

. 

"Link! After all these years, you have returned."

The Chain shared looks as the tiny ancient old woman on the pillows brightened and grinned at the child they had found. This was Impa. Well over a hundred years old, and familiar with Link. Seven year old Link. Who was the hero of this destroyed Hyrule. With its ruins, and monsters, and world ending evil swirling around the castle. 

"And you have brought… friends?" 

Hyrule shifted from foot to foot. Sky did the same. Sometimes Impa made them feel nervous, no matter which Impa that could be. Time's Impa was very kind, but Sky remembered the reprimands and the guilt from his own Impa originally, which colored many of his later memories of her. This one studied them closely. She nodded. 

"It is just as well. Companionship would do you good. Tell me, child. How much do you remember?" 

Remember? The Chain turned their attention back to their smallest, to Wild, to Link. Who looked like he wanted to disappear. 

'Nothing. Everything.'

"I'm afraid that helps nobody. Do you remember me?" 

'No.'

"The Champions?" 

'No.'

"Zelda?" 

Hesitation. 

'No. Yes. Remember pain. Remember protect.'

"Do you remember your duty?" 

'Yes.' 

"For that, I am sorry. It is not one that should be on your shoulders. It seems you remember your signs."

'Yes.'

"Interesting. That does make things easier. Link. I'm sorry to speak so frankly. But please. What do you remember?" 

"Hey lady, cool it. The kid is trying." Wind was a little more terse than he really meant to be. He had barely know this Link for three days. And what little he knew wasn't great. 

'I am to guard the princess. Even at the cost of my own life. The old man ghost told me. My name is Link, I am the Hero. I have to go to the castle and save the princess.' 

"Is that all you know?" 

'Yes.'

"Because the old man ghost told you so?" 

'Yes.'

The air was palpable in the sudden silence. Impa looked to be chewing on her next question. The deep breath and sigh she took before it spoke volumes. 

"What do you remember of Zelda?" 

. 

The world seemed to go back to normal, Link thought. Well, not normal. But more normal? Zelda went back to ignoring him. She ate her meals without speaking to him, she walked the halls and the grounds without asking him to be in her view. The only real difference was how she asked the Sheikah about wards and protection for her room. And how she greeted Link each morning, and bid him goodnight each evening. 

"Good morning Link. I hope you slept well."

"Goodnight Link. I hope you sleep well."

They were… odd. The greetings were odd. They'd never happened before, they were new, and they were kind. He remembered the coaxing to break the rules that usually followed them, but none of that came anymore. But neither did the harsh words and insults. She spoke calmly, almost casually. At first they were overly sweet. But after a few days, they became progressively more… routine. 

Link isn't stupid. Despite what Revali enjoyed throwing in his face, and what the maids like to whisper as they pass, Link is not brainless. He is young, yes. But he learns. Fast. And he is observant. He chooses to tune out conversations of the King and his Princess, because they are of no importance to him. He'd rather pay attention to the maids and butlers, the servants and guards. The foreign guards of visiting royalty. Listen for words of harm and attack and treason. Watch for cues of anyone advancing on her, double check all the rafters for masks. Did that shadow move against the sun? Keep an extra eye on it… 

Link took in information like a sponge. But he had to be picky about it. Learning to read was not important. If instruction was ever given to him on paper, they were diagrams anyway to explain sword stances. Words were not important to read, only to hear. Nobody would announce a surprise attack with a sign anyone could see. But he knew body language. He knew vocabulary. He understood what political tones and suggestions sounded like. He knew what their large words meant. He knew when they were negative, and indicated a threat. He never needed to communicate that threat, only neutralize quickly, silently, and without being noticed if possible. 

Link was smart. He knew how to survive. 

What Zelda was doing confused him. She was asking him to stop surviving. She spoke to him like they were civil with each other. Like she was okay with his presence. This had been part of her test that he was still convinced she had been running, and probably still was. But she left him alone. She no longer asked him questions, or tried to look at him. And with each day that passed this way, he found himself glancing at her more and more. 

It felt taboo. His eyes so naturally avoided her entire being that it took effort to guide them there. The accident a few days ago had left him shaken. In trying to be more invisible, he had caught her eye by mistake. He was working extremely hard to make sure he didn't do it again. But he couldn't help but want to size her up. What was she doing? Did she really feel that way? Did she actually want to be nice to him, not actually testing him? He had been so sure… 

Zelda had asked Impa to find information for her. Impa knew exactly who to ask. 

"Miss Impa. Do not go looking into Sir Link's family. You will not like what you find. But if you insist, I will not lie."

"And why is that, Captain?" 

"To have given birth to the prophesized Hero. It was a high honor. His father and mother must have been so proud, when the Seer said the child they were to have would be the one Chosen By the Blade. His father was a fine Knight, to have earned the rank from being a mere soldier. He trained him from the second he could stand. It's a shame they won't see our triumph. But sometimes a sacrifice or three is required. For the greater good."

Impa had to remind herself not to react. 

"Who were they?" 

"A Knight of the King's Guard, and some handmaiden he had been dabbling with. When the Seer felt the Hero's Spirit within the castle, she was found quickly. They were… encouraged. To take leave, build a home in Hateno, raise the Hero and get him ready for the trials ahead. The Knight quietly left, and did as they were commanded. By four, Sir Link was besting some of my greatest swordsmen. On his fifth birthday, what an honor, being taken to the Great Hyrule Forest where he's been having dreams of hearing a voice. Escorted by myself and a few select guards. A few more that… stayed behind. "

Impa fought down any reaction she might want to have. This man reminded her of some of the tales of Sheikah of old. Of wells filled with torture equipment, and old ghosts with no hands. Of shattered mirrors. 

"Watching him find and pull that Sword that had eluded us for centuries was both exhilarating, and frustrating. That child made my entire army look like a joke. It took us two weeks to get back to the castle from that damned Forest. Then he was brought to the castle. Dispatching his fool of a father and that brat of a wife of his was a personal pleasure."

Impa had been angry, when a child had been put in charge of her Princess. She had been more upset when she saw how he was being treated. But what was she supposed to do? She had her orders, and he had his. She had tried to be kind, when she delivered his training now and then to Zelda's door late at night. But she kept her distance. She had tried, once, to contact his family and arrange for a visit to lift his spirits. 

She had been blocked at every turn. Now she knew why. She had never hated the child. But she wasn't to directly interact with him. So she didn't. Now she regretted it. For two years this boy needed a friend , and she had been too duty-minded to try. She had only stepped in during breakfast because she knew the spiral would only get worse as Zelda tried to force Link to forgive and like her right there on the breakfast hall floor. 

In truth, she often found her own eyes drifting away from the boy, even as she looked straight on at Zelda. He rarely flitted past her vision or into her notice. And he very quickly and easily slipped back out of it. She hadn't even given thought of how bad it had gotten. She, too, had slipped into an easy habit, a routine. A break from that norm had very suddenly brought the truth to the glaring and bright forefront. 

And poor little orphan Link was center stage for the world to see. And he didn't even know the half of it. The Captain leaned in close, and whispered to her with a grin so oily, she felt it drip into her personal bubble. 

"Want to know the best part? I took care of them while he was outside, waiting for me to join him on our trip to the Forest. I sent him out, wanting a word with his Father. And I slit their throats myself. They silently bled to death, their son right on the other side of a single door. That Handmaiden was pretty pregnant too. Probably about to pop any day. I think they said they were having a little girl."

"You're a monster." Impa couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "You delight in murder, in torture."

"Oh don't pretend to be better than me. It took you two years to say something. And you saw it every day. You're a Sheikah, you don't give a rat's ass about the kid. You're made to protect the royal family in any shape or form. They just whipped the Hylian Champion and Hero in front of the entire world. You're running damage control. That's all you're doing."

Impa held herself silent this time. Nothing she said was going to be in her favor. His grin grew wider. 

"Want to know what made that spectacle so satisfying? That kid has everything. The skill, the Sword, the rank, the prestige. He is the envy and enemy of every soldier in the land. Why? Because he is too young. He is the doom of us all. Her too. She has no powers, and he's a sham. You really think a boy that small is actually going to save us all? No. We are all going to die. And it will be his fault. You bet I'm going to take my vengeance while I still can. If I'm going to die because of that little failure, then he's going to suffer just as much as I."

He pulled back, returning to his professional, neutral, stance and face. 

"I did warn you not to go looking. And that I would not lie. It's a shame. Really. That Yiga were all Sheikah once. Made joining them as a Hylian very difficult. You have to play the long game, when you don't have twisted Sheikah magic to do your work for you. A little earworm to the King here, a little searching through forbidden books in your own library there. A little money to grease the palm of the Seer. He never heard that voice, but I knew where the Sword was. I knew he could pull it, it's part of his soul whether he's old enough or not. The day approaches, so it was easy. So easy. To cause a panic when the Sword made an appearance so suddenly. In the hands of a boy not ready. And fear makes people do horrible things."

He rushed her, and she grabbed a knife from her hip to defend herself. He crowed in triumph as it sank into his chest, sliding neatly between two ribs and into his heart. With a grunt, he grabbed her wrists and held on as his knees began to give. 

"Watch it rot from the inside, out. The Princess's best friend, murdering the Captain of the Guard claiming Yiga? After that display?" 

He twisted her hand, the blade bit deeper into his chest. 

"F-for Ganon."

He fell to the floor, a flood of blood soaking the rug. Impa stepped back, unable to look away. 

. 

Time kept an eye on Wild… Link. He was just outside Kakariko on the main road, back pressed against the rock as he sat under the tiny spring waterfall that fell heavy but smoothly down the face of the outcrop. Into the tiny puddle pond under him. The child was cross-legged, the water long having soaked through his ratty trousers. His shirt was gone; braids undone as his sopping hair stuck to his face, neck, and shoulders. He'd been meditating under that stream of cold water for the better part of an hour now. 

The talk with Impa had been… excruciating. In a multitude of ways. There had been a hard info dump on all sides. Impa explained the Calamity, and the events of a century ago. Almost to the day. Time and the others had explained their own presence in this realm, telling her of bouncing around between their homes for months and black blooded monsters, of portals that span time and space and seem to somehow prevent all their actions from influencing their futures. 

At least, they thought it had. Because soon after, Impa explained their other legends. From even further back than ten thousand years. How they knew each and every one of the Heroes that were in front of her. And Wi-Link. Was the youngest of all of them in more ways than one. The only to not finish their journey, the only to be seven, the only to have… 

Time touched his scared eyelid. The kid was riddled with them. Impa didn't go into too much detail about Link's life, or his death. She told him as much as was important. He was a Knight, and he fell in his fight against Ganon. That was it. Well. That and his age, his name, and his rank. A Knight Protector at age five. Fell in battle at age seven. 

Time remembered being just like Wild. Nine years old and raised in peace and prosperity of the Kokiri Forest under the Great Deku Tree. Venturing out of his home after watching his Father die, after learning who and what he really was. His first time spilling blood and killing monsters. The first time having his own blood spilled. Taking a Sword, and in a blink he was sixteen. Sixteen, and taller and stronger and broader and heavier than he had any idea how to operate. He tripped over his own feet in his panic when he first woke up after all those years asleep in the Sacred Realm. 

As soon as he had been told that replacing the Sword would send him back, he plunged it home and went back to being nine. Just to rid himself of the feeling of being inside a foreign body. Each time he took the Sword it got better, because it was with his permission. But each time, he remembered everything. 

Wild was asleep for one hundred years. And woke up still seven years old with no memory. None. Not of a family, or friends, or why he was a Knight at four, or even his own name until he had been told by a voice in his head. Zelda's voice in his head. 

He knew languages that he couldn't explain, and had a routine and a fear that sat so deep in his soul that the behaviors he had shown them were - as Impa said - "Default."

So right now, after learning so much information about himself and the Heroes that had found him, and just in general being around people after waking up in a cave alone who knows how long ago; he needed to sit alone and process. But Time was worried about him, so he followed at a far enough distance to give him space and privacy, and keep an eye out for-for… 

Well-

Honestly he wasn't sure what to watch for. Threats, maybe. But whether it was an outside threat to Link, or Link himself, he didn't know. Time knew he himself had done this often enough during his trips through time. He remembered spending an entire three day cycle in Termina where he refused to help anyone, do anything. So he sat one the beach for three days, and eventually when the moon began to crash he took the ocarina and started over. Wild. Link. He didn't have that power. So he had to take the time he could. 

He looked so tired. That was not the kind of look a seven year old should have. They should be muddled sleepy faces after a hard day of running after frogs and climbing trees. This was the exhausted shadow of trauma. And he doesn't remember the monster he still has to go fight. 

"He's missing the Sword." Sky had said in Impa's home. That horribly impressive house after all the ruins and destruction they had passed through to get there. The original on his back felt hot, even though his own armor. Impa rubbed her forehead for a breath, before folding her hands back in her lap. 

"With all due respect to the Holy Blade. As much as I want to say fuck that Sword, you are right." She glanced at Link, they had noticed that she looked directly at each of them but deliberately avoided looking at him. "The Chosen Hero is right. You will need the Sword That Seals the Darkness. Though, seeing as you have it on your back, I don't know if ours is where the Princess placed it." 

Here, she looked at her Link. He was staring at his feet. 

"That Sword is why you are still here. This is a second chance, Link. Even if you don't know it. I know this isn't right. This isn't fair. To send a child so young against an evil so great. But the date of the Calamity was not set by us. We are merely mortals, and have no power over gods. They keep their own schedules. Zelda grows weak, within the castle. While I would prefer you to be grown, to have a wonderful life and as a trained adult, face this challenge. That is not an option. We are out of options. You are the only one who can wield that Sword."

"We can." Twilight stepped forward, and in front of Link. "We all can. Sky has the original, the very first. We have all put ours back, and in doing so Sky has ours. I don't know about this one, but I know we can all wield the one here with us now. There's eight of us. We can fight in his stead."

The whole Chain made sounds of agreement. Impa looked thoughtful. 

"This may be possible. But I don't want to put all our eggs in one basket. We've done that once before. And I don't know how to stress this to you, Heroes. If this fails again. There will be no third rematch."

She gazed at Link once again, before she slowly and painfully got to her aged feet, and descended to him. They were almost the same in size, so withered and old was she. She held out her hands, palms up, for him. And waited. 

"This world is not your fault. It never has been. There are many people to blame for the fall of Hyrule. And you, Link darling, have never been one of them. It is, unfortunately, your responsibility. One that should never have been yours to begin with, let alone now. Not ever as you were, or as you are. But we are not gods. We are mortals. If even one of these Heroes can help, even if only a little, I would be glad for it. There is much to be done. And not much time to do it. Link, you are the missing piece. There are tasks that are locked to you, and you alone. It took us too long to see that. Will you do this? Will you go to this fight, with these Heroes at your back?"

Link didn't move. 

"You will not be alone in this, even without the Heroes. You will have help. You must, unfortunately, go out and convince it. But you will have help. I am certain of it. I will not force you to face this. If you choose not to, no one will make you. And no one would blame you, or even know. You could go and live a happy life somewhere until the end comes. You have more than have earned that right. I don't care if that Shrine brought you back just for Hyrule to fall. You deserve to be given a choice."

"That's rich." Legend snarled. "Like any of us were ever given a choice."  

The venom he spat in that final word sent shivers across the spines of the entire Chain. Wild included. 

"We're chosen. We don't do the choosing. Like you said, we're mortals."

Link took a step back from Impa. Then another. 

'Wait.' He signed. And then calmly walked out the door. Time gave him five seconds before he asked everyone to stay, he would supervise. And went after him. 

Time sighed from where he was watching, before getting to his feet and stripping of his armor. He rounded the corner of the path, bare feet thudding against the warm grass as he crossed to the puddle. He turned, back against the rock, and sat cross-legged in the water. He didn't touch Link, so he wasn't in the stream. But he was there. He sat on Link's left, in his blind spot. And, interestingly enough, it put Link in his own. They had been in each other's actual blind spots since they started walking. But that had been cold, and tense. This felt neutral. There was no leader and follower. There was just them.  

Time leaned his head back, hands on his knees, and breathed. It was quiet, and still. Faintly echoing off the hills around them, you could hear the wooden chimes from the village up the trail. The soft fountain-like splash of water as it hit the ground and Link's head and shoulders. Grasshoppers and cicadas far off rounded the silence into something whole and tangible. And not entirely unpleasant. 

"I started my journey when I was nine." Time wasn't aware he was speaking until the words, and his voice, hit his ears. "Grew up in a forest, surrounded by fairies, kids, no adults at all. Thought a tree was my father. He kinda was. He got sick, he died. I couldn't save him. Couldn't save a lot of people, actually. Lota people died, my fault. Wasn't fast enough, or strong enough. Some of them, I couldn't confirm it, but I think I honestly killed them myself. They were my best friends, some of them."

He reached into his tunic, over his heart. The only place safe enough to keep it, at all times. A little brown and green ocarina, fragile with age and imperfections, crafted by the hands of an eternal child. He brushed his fingers over the painted green triangle. Oh how perfect it was, with his Triforce of Courage that he knew the burn of so innately, just under the skin of his Sword hand. Did Saria know? Even then? 

Without thinking, he brought it to his lips like second nature and began to play. The ocarina is a pressure instrument. Its sound carries, loud and far. Its tone clear, and pure. He'd hurt his own ears, before, playing it too loudly indoors. In water temples that needed music to bring the water level up or down. In dark labyrinths full of the animated dead. He slowed it down, but it was still very much the song of the forest. Trilling, and playful, and-

When played fast, Saria had made it sound like skipping stones, and buzzing bees, and hopping across water on rocks, and rolling down hills. Now, played slowly, quietly, against the high walls of the hills it rang against the stone as melancholy, and bittersweet. 

"Legend's an ass. But he's right." Time had waited maybe five minutes after he finished his song to speak. "We don't get choices about if we go on this adventure. Not really. But we can make choices about how we take our journey. I'd be honored, if you chose to take any of us with you. One, two, all, none. It's your choice. But I know I'm not the only one who would drop everything to aid you. The Chain might not have had a choice in coming here. But we are all actively, personally, willingly, choosing to help you if you want it. Not because we have to. But because we want to. You deserve the help. And it's there, if you want it."

They sat in the quiet peace again. Just the water, and the chimes, and the bugs. Now and then a bird would peep. Or the wind would rustle the grass once in a while. The two stayed silent. Nothing more needed to be said. 

. 

"Once again, Impa. The man was clearly not a Yiga, they lose their disguises when they die." 

Impa tried to stay impassive as the King closed his eyes in frustration. 

"You know what I find interesting, Sheikah? You are a woman sworn to protect the Crown. That is your life as a Sheikah Warrior. Yet. You kill the man who is very important to a great many soldiers of our army. The very army meant to aid in the defense against the Calamity. And you call him Yiga. I can't help but wonder how much of this has to do with Link."

At his name, all eyes (of which there were many) snapped to said Knight. He stood, as always, behind Zelda's right shoulder where she sat on her Father's right hand. Ignored, invisible, forgettable. Now he was in the spotlight. He struggled to breathe. 

"Princess Zelda gets hurt. You did nothing. Link responded, at least, even in his failure. He was punished for that failure, but now I'm wondering if maybe you shouldn't have been as well. You murdered Link's punisher. After failing to protect Zelda just as much as he had. Perhaps, there is something Yiga about you."

"I would die before I allowed Zelda to come to harm."

"And yet it was Link who fought them back. Not you."

The King rose, carefully stepping down the shallow stairs from his throne. He stood before Impa, massive and tall. 

"Punishment is not reserved for only one single person alone. It can be dished to everyone who deserves it. So, tell me. Impa. After allowing my daughter to come to harm. And murdering the Captain of the Guard, a man with a bond with all of our soldiers who trained under him. Why should I believe you that he, a man who died a Hylian, was a Yiga spy? If anything, how do I know that you aren't a Yiga spy? Your loyalty seems to be not with the Royal Family, but with an inefficient Knight."

Impa did not move. She didn't like politics. She was action, she was strategies in a fight, direct troops, block defend attack. Magic she knew. Fighting she knew. Politics? Politics she didn't know. She was an assassin, a soldier. She didn't play political long-term mind games. His was out of her realm of expertise. The Captain had picked up on that too. 

"I think it would be best, Lady Impa. If you were to return to Kakariko for the time being. And stay there."

"Yes, my Lord."

She was being sent away. She knows this is the best outcome. She knows that she could be locked in the dungeon, or whipped, or even executed. Banished to her hometown was, in a word, kind. 

It didn't feel like it. 

It felt like humiliation. Like failure. Like-

She bowed, and was escorted out of the throne room to her own, where she gathered her belongings in record time. She would be in her childhood home by midnight. Impa… understood that Zelda was not going to be allowed to see her off. She understood a great many things. But it still hurt to leave her best friend behind. Especially after her own guilt over Link. 

She wasn't there that afternoon, when the King, Zelda, and Link, toured the Guardians with Purah and Robbie. She wasn't there when it went rogue, and Link snapped into action to save Zelda with a pot lid. 

She wasn't there when the seven year old kicked the lid into the air to snag it, turn, and smack the inhumanly hot beam of Light and Goddess magic back at the Guardian as it fired at the two children. She wasn't there to see his determination, his cleverness, his raw strength and speed. So far, no one but Zelda really had the chance. 

Now the King had seen. 

And he stood in awe, even as Zelda scolded Link for destroying their only working Guardian. As the child stood stone-faced and barely breathing. She let her sharp tongue fly, even as she shook and openly cried in fear from nearly being blown to bits. 

"Of all the actions you took, this one set us back years! Set us- Set us years… Goddesses." She turned to look at the husk, smoking still. Zelda sat on the grass very hard, hands over her mouth. 

"Oh Goddesses. That would have killed me. Wh-why did it target me? It's supposed to protect me. It's on my side why did it do that? Purah, Purah what happened?" 

Impa wasn't there to see it. But Purah, her sister, was. She stood from behind her work table, where she had crouched when it started firing. There was a hole in the wall next to her, and sandstone that had dripped had already solidified into glass beside her feet. 

"I-I don't know. I've never seen it do that before. I didn't know it could. Link! Oh my Goddesses Link, thank you. Thank you. That would have killed all of us."

The King gazed at Link, who couldn't control the faint red coloring his ears despite the empty look on his face. And the King smiled. His weapon was ready. 

. 

Time stared up at the giant mechanical bird above them. He had seen a lot these last few weeks. He couldn't go into the Shrines, but Link could. And he did. And came out… different. Each time. A little stronger, a little smarter, a little more free, it seemed to Time. He watched Link grow warmer with them. As they traveled, as he rose out of each Shrine to their smiles and pride. He still couldn't meet any of their eyes, and perhaps he never would. But they could get him to smile. And sit next to them. And he would sign to them, holding solid conversations now. He had a lot of growing to do, and a lot of room to do it in. Well. Sorta. His Hyrule was big, and the Chain was bigger. 

They just didn't have a lot of time. 

So they stood at the foot of a mountain, watching Vah Medoh circle above them. Nothing like it had ever been seen to him. Sky had talked about robot pirate people that were already ancient in his time. But for Time, this was completely new. 

Teba adjusted the fit of his shield, strapped across his chest as Link was going to ride through the air on his back. In a display of skill far beyond that of a seven year old, Link had used the glider he had found on the Plateau to perfect the art of aerial archery. It had taken even Teba's breath away. But it made Time's chest ache. 

The man knelt next to Link, still looking up at the Beast. 

"I'm sorry, that we can't go up there with you." He spoke low, just for the kid. Link was bundled in a smaller set of Snowquill armor, warm and thick. The kid glanced at him, before staring right back up. It was pretty high. High enough that even Teba needed to bundle up a bit, despite his feathers. 

"It's like the Shrines. It's tied to you. I'm sorry. But we'll be here when Teba brings you back down. You'll do great up there! I know you will."

He got a tiny smile in response. Time gave him a matching one. But as Teba took off, and Time and the others watched their specks dart around and up and down the Beast, as lasers and death shot at them, there was only concern and fear on their faces. More so after one headed toward Medoh, and just as it disappeared into the mechanical wonder, the Beast re-powered its defenses, and shot the other speck out of the air! 

The Chain raced to where Teba was struggling to land safely. Sky caught him, and they crashed to the ground in a pained heap. Hyrule tugged them apart quickly, searching for wounds. Apart from a burn grazing his leg, he was alright. Twilight gave him an elixir, and set to waiting. They didn't get much chance. Five minutes later, a portal opened below them, and sent the right of them through the ground into a new Hyrule. Teba jumped to his feet, backing away with his mouth open and bow in hand. 

One second the Heroes of Old had been there, and the next he was alone. Link, high in the sky, taming the Beast, was completely unaware. 

. 

Purah took over what Impa and Mipha had started. While Zelda was strictly not allowed anything to do with Purah's research, the Sheikah had convinced the King to allow just enough of it with "We want to make sure the damn things don't go for her again, so we have to register her somehow to recognize her and keep her safe."

So, it was studying her, not the other way around. It kinda worked. So Purah was able to visit. 

"I'm sorry to have to put attention on you, Link. I know you don't like it. But you have information I need. You held back that beam, I need to know what it felt like. I don't think anyone else has ever taken a direct hit like that before, it's not in any of our remaining texts."

Link didn't respond other than to glance at her feet before looking away again. Forever scanning the room. Zelda sighed. 

"Unfortunately, Purah, that isn't going to be easy. I yelled at Link. I know I shouldn't have, a lot of what I said was horrible. And in front of all those people. I certainly haven't given him a reason to speak to us. And, I don't know if he can. Are you able to speak, Link? If you wanted?"

Link blinked a few times, something they both noted. They had caught him off guard. Through all this they had demanded of him. Get in my viewing range, look at me, eat where I can see you, nice words nice words nice words. But they hadn't actually asked him if he was capable of any of it. Like speaking. So he had never thought about it. Why would he, he wasn't allowed to, so he simply didn't. But, could he? 

He didn't know. He hadn't tried. If Zelda had been different two years ago, if they had been friends at the very start, would he have been able to speak? Would he be able to now? He tried to think back. To living with his Mother and Father (people he tried very hard not to think about for the last two years) and his village. Surely he had spoken to his friends and family and neighbors, right? He had been five. Or, almost five. He had to have learned to speak by then, right? 

He was unable to recall even once where he spoke to someone. So distracted by this was he that he hadn't noticed the tiny frown that escaped his rigid control. Hadn't noticed that he had stopped watching, and was unfocused on an invisible point on the floor. But Zelda and Purah did. He was thinking, very hard, about their question. They shared a look. 

"Link? Can you speak? Not a command. If I told you that you were no longer my Knight, and you were free and you left. Would you be able to speak to other people?" 

Link fought hard to keep himself impassive, impartial. Unaffected. But they saw the subtle shift in his weight on his feet, the pinch between his eyes. It was the most anyone had seen his face move outside of his panicked breakdown in the breakfast hall. Zelda was shocked. This had to have really had an effect on him if he wasn't about to control himself perfectly. A moment passed, before he finally gave his answer. A very tiny, singular head shake.