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Chapter Text

The monster towered over him, a giant boar with tusks as big as his house. Malice or hatred poured out of it as though it were a physical wave rippling through the air.

Link held a sword and shield and faced the monster alone. He was ragged from a long fight and his body was covered in sweat.

He had to defeat it. He had to win this fight and destroy the Dark Beast.

And yet…

There was some part inside of him, some strange bit that called out a different idea. That small piece that said he didn’t want to fight this monster at all. That he didn’t want to hurt it.

The same piece that almost felt it could see a similar sentiment reflected in those great black eyes.

Something that almost said they weren’t enemies at all.

The spell was broken as the monster roared and its tusks began to glow and it charged forward. Link knew this was the final attack. It would be now or never.

“Wake up.”

Link flinched, and the scene wavered, rippling like a disturbed pond-

-

“Hello?”

Link’s eyes struggled against opening. He murmured a noise that Mama would surely take as confirmation that he would be up, then he nuzzled back into his pillow.

When silence followed his action, he blinked an eye open in confusion. His room was dark, the shutters still closed, and empty.

Mama wasn’t waking him? He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn with a hand. He could hear the activity in the house beyond his door. Surely it was time to get up by now.

Then he remembered and a smile lit his face. It was one of his days off. It’d been a while since he’d had a free day.

He glanced at his pillow, the urge to drop back onto the comfort pulling at him, but the desire to get out and do things while he could was stronger, so he rose and prepared for the day.

When Link stepped out of his room adjusting his green tunic, he considered what he would do first. He’d been wanting to journey out toward the river in the woods like he and Rift always used to this time of year, so maybe he could take lunch with him and make a day of it?

The animals and the breeze and just nature all around would be a wonderful way to relax his tired muscles and relieve some of the tension that seemed to follow him around constantly.

“Good morning, Link.” Mama paused as she passed with her hands full of fabric to kiss him on the head before she made her way to her sewing table and settled in. “Did you sleep well?”

Link hesitated, thinking of his strange recurring dream, but then he shrugged. “Yeah. I woke up thinking you were calling me, though.” He chuckled and took his seat at the table, across from Papa who looked up from his carving to smile at him.

“That’s what happens when you condition your body to wake up at certain times.”

Link nodded, but rested his head on his arms. “Just makes me wish I didn’t stay up so late last night.”

Papa laughed, and then a clinking noise announced a plate set on the table before Link.

He looked up at the meal and grinned. Eggs and bacon. It was like a feast. “Thanks!” He dug in.

“Take your time,” Papa laughed. “You’re gonna choke.”

Link had already cleaned off his plate. He swallowed his last bite and grinned, and the well-used laughing lines on Papa’s face deepened.

Then Link’s gaze caught on the shovel behind Papa and he blinked, furrowing his brow.

Papa twisted to look over his shoulder and his jovial demeanor diminished, if only slightly. “Oh yeah. I still need to return that.” Absently he rubbed his injured leg.

It had been giving him more trouble again recently. Link pressed his lips together. Papa had put off returning the shovel last night because his old wounds were flaring up. It seemed like maybe they weren’t fully better yet.

His grip on his fork tightened. It was quite a walk to Dull’s farm, and it wasn’t a quiet one through nature either. It went straight through town, then past the road to the abandoned temple.

He wouldn’t be able to make it all the way to the river today if he wasted too much time.

Papa set his carving knife aside and pushed against the table, stumbling a little before his bad leg stiffened in place. “I’d best be on my way then if I want to return it before he finishes for the day.”

Mama set her sewing aside and bit her lip. “Everyone’s been saying there are more monsters around recently, Lossa.” Her eyes cast obviously to his leg, then his scarred arm. “Are you certain you’ll be alright?”

Papa waved a hand in dismissal with a grin. “Everyone’s been saying there are more monsters since that Dark Beast appeared in the desert. I’ll be fine. I’m not totally helpless, you know.”

As if to prove his statement, Papa straightened even further, looking every bit like the soldier he used to be. He walked to the shovel with a purpose, but Link and Mama both noticed the way his smile twitched at the pain from the effort.

Link stood. “I’ll take it, Papa.”

Papa’s smile softened and he turned it toward Link instead. “It’s your day off. It’s bad enough you’re having to work to help provide for us—I won’t be taking your day off, too.”

Link needed to check out the market anyway. He didn’t have the rupees to spare to buy anything, but he always loved looking at the new items they had in stock. “I’ll be going that way anyway,” he said, setting his mind on his new course. “It’ll be on the way for me.”

Papa narrowed his eyes, as if he could sense the sudden shift in Link’s plans, but Mama beat him to any kind of word on the matter. “It’s decided, then! Lossa, you need to finish your carving anyway. It’s due tomorrow, after all.”

Link stepped up to him and Papa handed him the shovel quietly, but then his smile broadened again and he ruffled Link’s hair. “You’re a blessing to this family.”

Link felt his shoulders straighten under the words—words he’d heard Papa tell Rift years ago before his older brother vanished.

“Be careful out there, Link,” Mama put in. “Stick to the road and watch for signs of danger.”

Link nodded and stepped out of the house, shovel as tall as him in hand. Well, that was the end of the idea of the river. But at least he’d still get a walk.

He held the shovel like a spear, just like a guard, and he walked past their garden to the dirt road.

His way into town was uneventful, and when he stopped at the shop, shovel still in hand, he was disappointed to find that they didn’t have any new items in stock since last time he’d passed through.

Well, that’ll just get me done with this errand faster, if I have nothing to distract me.

Link nodded in greeting to the villagers he passed until he was at last on the other side of the village, following a second dirt road on the way to Dull’s farm.

I work for him most days of the week, then come again on my off day. He let a chuckle out at the thought, though somehow it didn’t turn out as entertaining as he expected.

“Hello?”

Link stopped in his tracks. Bushes and trees surrounded the road here, and an overgrown path forking off the road ahead showed the way to the Soul Temple. Even behind him he could see no signs of the woman who spoke.

He furrowed his brow. Then a shriek like a huge rat tore the air and he flinched back as a dark keese dove at him from nowhere.

He swatted at it with his shovel without thinking, grunting as he backed away. The monster twirled in the air from the hit, then regained its balance and shrieked again.

A bush to Link’s left rustled and he was too on edge not to stumble away.

A bokoblin climbed out of the shrubbery, wielding a rusted sword.

Link’s stomach dropped out and he barely had time to shout as he ducked the next swoop of the keese.

What’s going on!? He’d never even seen a bokoblin up close before!

The monster advanced on him and Link’s knuckles whitened around the staff of the shovel. His heart pounded in his head and he was at a loss.

If he tried to run, would it catch up and cut him down from behind?

He backed away until he ran into bushes behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact.

The bokoblin chuckled, the sound gravelly and hissing. Then the keese dove in again and Link swung with the shovel again, dashing past the bokoblin and to the other side.

“Find me in the Soul Temple.” The disembodied girl’s voice said. “Hurry!”

Link’s trembling limbs and burning anxiety needed no further prompting. He turned and dashed away from the monsters, toward the little path that would lead to some form of cover, whether people said the temple was haunted or not.

He could hear the bokoblin and the keese pursuing, but he shoved branches out of his way and held them back so that if they were close they would snap back and take the monster in the face.

One of the times he heard an angry shriek and he knew the bokoblin had almost had him.

His blood rushed past his ears and he could hardly hear anything but its whooshing until at last he cut through the gravestones on either side and came to the huge wooden doors of the temple.

He slammed his weight against them and reluctantly they creaked open.

Too slow.

The bokoblin behind him hissed and Link snapped away from the cracked door just in time to dodge that rusted blade.

His eyes were wide and he nearly trotted off again, but the sword was wedged into the wood and for a split second the monster was distracted trying to dislodge it.

Link steeled his trembling muscles and let out a shout as he stabbed at the thing with the head of the shovel. Sweat burned on his face and he had to do it again. His eyes burned when he finished the fifth jab and he was finally convinced the thing was gone.

His muscles were trembling, and monster or no, its dying screams had been horrible and so prolonged.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the body—off his shaking shovel—even as it faded into a puff of smoke, leaving behind on the items it had held.

A shriek cut through his stupor just before the keese’s teeth snapped at his skull and knocked him to the side.

Link raised the shovel again and swung at the creature and the keese swooped to dodge, then slammed into the staff and cracked the old wood.

Link threw down the broken weapon and scrambled to where the bokoblin’s rusted sword rested, spinning just in time to cut the keese out of the air and watch its body fall limp to the ground and disintegrate as well.

The trees beyond the graveyard rustled.

Link threw himself into motion, rushing into the temple and pushing the door closed behind him.

He stood there, leaning with his hands against the wood for another moment, trying to calm his racing heart and his frantic gasps.

He’d never had something like that happen to him before. He was lucky, with both Papa and Rift being soldiers, that he’d had training in weaponry before now. If he was any other villager, what might have happened?

The bokoblin’s dying screams echoed in his ears once more, but this time he didn’t picture a monster to go with them. He clenched his hands into fists.

Monsters shouldn’t be this close to town. Someone needs to send word to the soldiers so they can come clear them out. Someone needs to-

“Hello?”

Link spun. High windows evenly spread over the stone walls. Wooden benches and glass were strewn about the floor like rubble, but it was clear they had been facing the dais at the end of the room, where two tapestries with the Hyrulkan crest flanked a mural carved into the wall.

With none of the torches or candles in the room lit, Link couldn’t make out what the images depicted, but he could make out one thing for certain. There was no one else in this room.

“Come to the Soul Temple. I’m waiting for you.”

Link clenched his jaw and readied his sword, inching deeper into the abandoned—and allegedly haunted—temple. “Where are you?”

The voice didn’t answer.

Link made his way all the way to the two steps leading up to the dais and he paused. “There’s no one here,” he called again. “Where are you waiting?”

His boot crunched against broken glass as he shifted his weight. Still no reply.

Link swallowed, but found his gaze roaming over his surroundings once more—carefully this time.

The room was big, yes, but from what he’d seen of the outside, certainly it should have been larger. Where is the rest of the building?

Even with everything out of place, the dais was completely untouched. All except for scuff marks beneath one of the stone cubes with an unlit brazier on top, a full length further back than the other.

Link lowered his sword with a final cautious look around before he mounted the steps and pressed his weight against the stone and grunted in surprise when it moved easier than he expected.

It slid into place with a click and then a rumbling sounded through the temple where the back wall split in two and opened the way to a new room.

Link stared.

The new room beyond was huge. Towering up into the sky where the temple’s spire were, with a shining skylight in the roof. A pool of sunlight dropped from above and surrounded a circle platform that took up most of the room, on which stood a pedestal with a sparkling pink stone on top.

Link stepped toward it, but the sound of the door behind him creaking open spun him in his tracks.

A woman, swathed in white fabric that covered her face and hair, stood by the opening.

The voice?

“So I have found you at last.” Her voice was deep and accented, clipped and to the point. Not like the smooth melody of the voice he had been hearing. “The Hylian Hero, still in the process of being born.”

Link backed a step away. He didn’t understand the words she was saying, but the tone and intent were obvious.

“It is fortunate that your dear Princess Zelda left a trail that led right to you,” the woman said, bearing two swords up with a grunt. “Or I might not have made it in time to kill you before you fulfill your destiny.”

Her harsh words were a precursor to charge and Link raised his weapon and steadied his stance so that he met her head on, even as his heart thundered in his ears.

One of her blades snapped against his with a clang, and at the same moment the other whistled toward his head.

Link dropped into a roll, away from danger. His keese bite pounded pain into his head, but he jumped to his feet again and spun around just in time to parry a blow that would’ve taken off his head.

Who is she!? Why is she trying to kill me!? I’m no hero!

He stumbled back two paces to stay out of reach of her deadly second sword.

He may have had training with the blade, but he could already tell that he was outmatched. If he continued on in this way, she’d hit him sooner or later.

“Your corpse will be the step stool to my destiny.”

The blood drained from his face at the morbid imagery.

She swung again and he dodged away, opting to roll further from her rather than staying within reach of those whistling blades.

His eyes caught on the hidden room—now on the opposite side of the temple from him—and his mind whirred into motion.

I can’t fight her head on, but if I can slow her down enough, I might can escape.

Link tore through the room toward the brazier still pushed into place and prayed this would work.

“Run as much as you like! You cannot escape from me.”

She was walking—conserving her energy—so he had a head start.

Link shoved against the brazier from below, then he scrambled up the two steps as the temple rumbled again.

“What!?” Her steps picked up behind him.

Link charged for his life between the closing doors, banging his right shoulder as he went. He didn’t think before spinning around and stabbing his sword through the opening.

Metal blade met soft flesh and the woman screamed.

The last Link saw before the doors clamped down around his blade, shattering it, was the shrouded woman on the other side, his sword in her arm.

He turned his back to the wall, slumping down to his rear to catch his breath. Belatedly, he remembered to drop the useless hilt of the bokoblin’s broken sword.

What was that? Who was she?

“You’re here.”

The voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. His sagging eyelids popped wide again and he scanned his surroundings, but he couldn’t conjure up much more energy after that when he found them empty as always.

Too much was happening. Too fast. His body couldn’t keep up with all this terror and excitement.

“Hero, what is your name?”

Link squinted. Above the pedestal, it looked like the jewel was releasing a transparent pink smoke.

The mist swirled as it coalesced into the indistinct form of a woman, hovering over the podium.

Her hair and dress flowed in a wind that wasn’t there, but details were hard to make out, as shifting as the mist itself.

Still, Link could tell her gaze was set on him and him alone.

“Tell me your name.”

Link swallowed and tried to force his muscles to relax, though it wasn’t really working. “L-Link.”

A shiver ran through the mist from toes to head. “Link.”

He pushed against the stone behind him to gain his feet. “Who are you?”

The mist woman shifted, as if she had already forgotten he was there. “I am a guide sent to aid you by the goddess. I am a voice of direction.”

“Your name?”

“Name’s are not a necessity.”

Convenient, considering I already gave you mine…

“Link, you are the Hero of Courage. The one meant to save Hyrule from destruction at the hands of Dark Beast Ganon.”

Link’s throat tightened. That monster from his dreams flashed to the front of his mind and he had to bite his tongue to hold it. “I’m not a hero.”

I’m not strong like Papa, or steady like Rift.

“It seems fate would say otherwise.” The woman—the voice—floated lower over the stone, the mist of her dress dissipating so that she could be within arms reach of it. “You are the only one who can stop that Beast, and if you do not, Hyrule and all the lands around it will fall.”

Link opened his mouth to ask how she knew, how it could possibly be him. But he was staring at a woman who didn’t seem to really be there, and she claimed to have come from the goddess herself. Instead no sound came out at all.

“The enemy is already closing in on you, those who would see you dead to insure their master’s survival.” The nameless woman, Voice, floated up again, arms serenely at her sides. “If you do not take up your quest, you will instead take up an early grave.”

He flinched. The harsh words were unexpected, but again, he couldn’t argue with them. He’d been attacked by monsters and then a strange woman all in one day. And what the woman said…

Even if he wasn’t this “Hero of Courage”, that woman clearly believed he was. Would she come back? Did what Voice said mean that there were more of them?

“If you were to return home now, you would lead your enemies to your family, and you would not be the only one to suffer for the mistake.”

“But what about our rupees?” The words blurted out of him at once and all the blood rushed to his face right after. “I-I mean, I’ve been helping at home. How will I… I can’t just leave without telling anyone.”

“You can and you must.” Voice’s tone softened. “I know this must be hard, but there are sacrifices that must be made for the greater good. Sacrifices that have already been made to open the way for you.”

Link stared at her, dumbfounded, still just trying to figure out how he was supposed to abandon his family now in their time of need. To disappear… just like Rift.

-

Mama’s tears were still falling when Link slipped out of the room, feeling awkward and out of place.

Papa held her and murmured soft reassurances that couldn’t break through the facts.

Rift was gone. And no one knew why or where.

-

“You will not be alone in this fight.” Voice continued, heedless of his struggle. “Allies have been on the move against this Beast since before he showed his monstrous head.”

Link froze, all thoughts fleeing but one. “The princess…?”

Voice may have smiled in satisfaction, but he couldn’t tell for certain. “Very good, boy. Princess Zelda set out years ago to aid in the fight. Now you need only fulfill your part and she and… her companions… will return.”

His heart pounded in his head. Roared and galloped at once. He stared at her with a newfound realization. “Defeating Dark Beast Ganon will bring my brother home?”

There was still a smile in her voice. “Yes.”

Link’s fists tightened and he pushed from the wall and walked forward until he was a few feet from the pedestal. “What must I do?”

Chapter Text

“The Soul’s Voice has been shattered into three pieces,” Voice said as she hovered lower over the pedestal to lay her hands on either side of the round pink jewel, gilded in gold. “Through the power of this relic, I can speak with you more clearly and presently, but even now it drains my strength.”

Link leaned a little closer to get a better look at the jewel, in the bright sunlight it let off a dazzling glow that reflected on the stone around it.

“Once all three pieces have been put back together, I will be able to speak to and guide you with much greater ease. I may even be able to summon some more strength to aid you at times.” Voice gestured at it. “Take it. The first thing you must do is to gather the three missing pieces so that we can begin your quest.”

A quest to begin a quest? Link lifted the jewel off the pedestal and stared into it. The round edges distorted the room around them, but it was clear and flawless. “Where will I find the others?”

Voice crossed her arms and the pink mist forming her seemed to fade a little. “Do you really know nothing of the legends and history?”

Link flinched at the tone, like Mama when he was failing badly on a lesson they’d already reviewed three times.

“The closest location with be the Temple of Seclusion in the northwest. It’s hidden in the barren rock lands behind Kakariko village.”

Kakariko village? Link’s lips pressed together. With the first temple being so close, he’d expected the other to be the same. Kakariko was a full two days from here, walking.

Rift and Papa took weeks to get to and from Castle Town. Should I really be surprised at a couple days’ journey? He tightened his hold on the jewel, and then he stuffed it into his almost empty rupee pouch.

Voice’s figure was becoming less distinct by the second.

Link glanced back at the door behind him and then looked at her again. “Will you speak to me again?”

“When I regain strength, perhaps,” Voice said, “but until you finish collecting all of the Soul’s Voice I won’t have the strength to stay for long.”

Link clenched his jaw and looked back at the door again. “How can I get out of here? I don’t see any exits other than the door that’s closed.” Not to mention the masked woman who very well may be on the other side that he definitely didn’t want to run into.

“A secret tunnel lies under this pedestal,” Voice said. “It will let you out of the temple. Hurry. You need to put together the Soul’s Voice. All of Hyrule is relying on you.”

Then with a pop like a log on the fire, the pink mist dissipated and she was gone.

Link pressed his shoulder against the pedestal and pushed. He couldn’t think right now. All of it was way too much.

It heated against the floor, more difficult than the brazier, but still giving to his touch.

Surely enough, a dark tunnel yawned before him. He stepped in, almost as hesitant to move into that darkness as he was to remain here where he might be found and killed.

The monsters were after him. That woman wanted to kill him. Now the strange pink ghost who claimed to be a messenger of fate claimed that he was destined to be the Hero of Courage and save Hyrule.

He wagged his head and dove into the darkness, resting a hand on the rough stone wall to guide him as he went.

It was all too much and it was too wild, and a part of him expected to return home to talk to his parents about it. To hear their wisdom and thoughts. Part of him wished he could brush it all off as some big joke and laugh along with whatever village boys had put this one on.

The other part was knotting up his stomach and making him sick.

He wouldn’t be returning home. He knew that much. Voice story was corroborated by the experiences he’d had before entering the temple. If he went back, he’d be putting Mama and Papa in danger. Danger they were no longer in any shape to face.

The safety of his home, of the protection of Papa and Rift, crumbled around him and he met the end of the tunnel. It was up to him to keep them safe now. Up to him to protect Mama and Papa and to find Rift.

He swallowed, then his boot bumped a step and he started on his way back up. The top was another stone slab, sleek, unlike the underground walls.

Link found a hand on one side and pulled, desperately ready to be out of the encroaching darkness.

Light poured through the slit and he squinted even as he climbed into the open, too eager to be consider with his surroundings until his eyes adjusted.

Stone slabs were lined all around him in intentional order. A bald man with a bulging jaw stared at him with eyes popped wide from where he stood in front of one of the slabs.

One of the graves.

Link started, stumbling away from the tunnel equal measures embarrassment and disgust. “O-oh!”

The man, Dampé, took a shuddering step back from him, then he gave a shout and spun to run away, back through the graveyard and out into the open beyond the temple.

Link flushed and rubbed at the back of his neck, but he sped his way after the gravedigger anyway. A haunted graveyard was the last place he wanted to be.

However, when Dampé caught sight of him following, he gave another shout before doubling his pace down the road back toward town.

Link stopped outside the graveyard and watched him go. He could’ve tried to say something, he supposed.

His red face didn’t stop a snicker at the idea of saying something like, “I live!”. Then again, it was probably best he held his tongue.

Link ducked his head and turned the other way down the road, but he paused at the sight of the front door of the temple. Lying on the ground before it were the two halves of the shovel he was supposed to return to farmer Dull.

Link cringed as he carefully picked his way over, keeping an eye out for danger, before he snatched the shovel and bolted away.

Whether or not he’d destroyed it, he needed to return it as he was asked, at least. Maybe he could give a note to farmer Dull for his parents, too.

Then it would be off to Kakariko on his own. He fingered the jewel in his pouch and his chest grew tight around his heart, but he made a fist around the Soul’s Voice and steeled his determination.

He would do this, and the sooner he did, the sooner all of his family could be together again at last.

Her fingers ran over the worn fabric of the stuffed coyote. The seam on its front leg was ripping, soon it would be spilling the stuffed beans and seeds everywhere if it wasn’t fixed.

Still, Ralim set it back on the shelf with solemn care.

Three years today. Her thoughts drove in wild circles of politics and regrets. Have I really failed him so fully?

Once his stoic expression had looked to her for guidance. Once a young boy bereft of all family had cried on her shoulder. Once he’d looked to her in a fevered state and called her vaiba.

Ralim straightened her stance before the sting in her eyes could advance.

She served no one by mourning here while he was still alive. Nothing would stop her from saving him. Nothing would stop her from turning all this around. There was still some piece of him left. He fought against this so hard, there had to be something there.

“Captain Ralim?” The tacking of beads against each other announced the woman behind her voice.

Ralim steadied her expression and turned to the warrior.

“The expedition is set to leave.”

“Good.” Ralim drew her bag off the floor beside her feet by its long strap. “And what if the Beast? Where is it located currently?”

The warrior stepped to the side so Ralim could exit the room before her, then fell into step a pace behind and beside her. “Our scouts spotted it just on the border of Hyrule once more.”

“Has it crossed?”

“No.”

Ralim’s fist tightened. Why did he never cross? Why did the Dark Beast remain always in the Gerudo Desert, as if trapped? Was there some part of him in there still, calling it home?

But no. If he had even an ounce of control, half the people who had died to this monster already would not have. “Causalities?”

“The border towns have long been evacuated and the scouts have stayed back by your order,” the warrior reported. “None.”

The tension in Ralim’s shoulders relaxed some at that. Whether or not they’d found any way to fight against this Beast, or in Ralim’s case, a way to cure it, they had grown quite skilled at avoiding it in these last years.

Surely the Hylians were laughing at their neighbor’s misfortune. War had already been close, and while this disaster had put things on hold, Hyrule was in nowhere near as bad a predicament as the desert alone.

Whatever power held him here, she didn’t know, but at least it gave her the chance to protect him—at least to some extent. She had researched and experimented and tried everything she could think of in these last years, but the legends all pointed to one thing she had no way to access.

The Master Sword. An artifact with a holy power perhaps able to conquer the curse put on her king.

Ralim stepped out of the building and into the glaring sunlight to find more Gerudo Warriors gathered at the base of the staircase.

Ralim paused at the top. “None are to engage this Beast without my command,” not that any of them had the power to hurt it anyway. “We march for the border on the anniversary of this monster’s arrival-“ the monster that had once been like a son to her “-and we will face it once more.”

The women before her whooped and cheered as they turned to the gate and started on the way out.

The warrior who informed Ralim hurried down the steps past her to join them.

She watched her forces move, none of them any wiser of what it was they truly faced. What would become of them if they knew it was their very own missing king who terrorized their lands?

What would they think of the search parties Ralim still had sent out made up of eager volunteers if they knew.

Ralim knew exactly where Ganondorf was. None of the others could ever know.

Chapter Text

“He was all shook up, so I s’posed I would come straight here,” Farmer Dull said, his lips pulled into a frown. “I didn’t guess by the look on his face that he’d take well to me tryin’ to make him stay.”

Lossa favored his bad leg as he stepped closer to accept the page the farmer offered. “Thank you. I’m sure it’s just a confusion. Link can be a quiet boy, you know…” He unfolded the paper and pressed his lips together.

“Now I didn’t read it,” Dull continued. “But I thought it was important by the way the lad wrote it out.”

I am leaving for a while. Please don’t worry, I’ll try to be safe. Keep yourselves safe and if all goes well we’ll all be back together again soon.

Lossa stared.

“What is it?” Narei asked at his sudden silence, creeping up behind him.

His heart and brain were pounding with confusion and questions as he handed the note over. “Link says he’s leaving.”

“Leaving?” Narei breathed the question as she took the page and read it for much longer than should’ve been necessary. Then the paper crumpled between her fingers and she flipped it over, examining all sides, but it was blank other than Link’s brief note. “Why would he leave?”

Lossa drew her closer with an arm around her shoulders at the way her voice squeaked. “Thank you for delivering this to us,” he addressed to Dull. “About when did you say you last saw him?”

“Just a few hours ago. Figured I’d come straight here when the boy was finished.”

Lossa nodded. “Which direction did he go?”

“Well… I can’t rightly say. There’s a lot of places to explore ‘round those parts. North at the least.”

“Thank you, Dull. Your haste is appreciated.”

Farmer Dull tucked his thumbs under his belt and rocked back on his heels as he did when he was bashful and he gave a steady nod before he turned to go.

Lossa let the door close as he turned to Narei. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon. This is probably some sort of game.”

Her hands gripped his sleeves tight. “We can’t just expect everything to be fine. We need to look for him. That note didn’t look like a joke. And have you ever know Link to play cruel pranks like that before?”

Lossa pressed his tongue into his cheek. He let out a hum. “No. He’s always been considerate and thoughtful in the past.”

The worry etched all over his wife’s face was contagious. His mind raced through new scenarios, each just as confusing and unlikely as the last. What am I thinking? Link would never run away to join an acting troupe. He hates being the center of attention!

He shook the thoughts away and pressed Narei’s shoulders. “I’ll go look for him. It shouldn’t take long to track him down if this is all some practical joke, and more likely than not he’ll be back before me.”

Her face was tight with concern. “And if he’s not?”

Lossa shrugged and leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Then I’ll just track him down wherever he is.”

His assurances hadn’t erased her concerns, and she pulled away quickly, rushing to their room.

Lossa heaved a sigh and hobbled to his chair where he sat and set to stretching his bad leg. It was a long way to Dull’s farm alone and if Link went further… Lossa would just have to get used to being on his feet again, regardless of the pain.

“They’re still in good shape,” Narei said as she returned, his old sword and shield in her arms. “They could use a little care, but they should serve well enough.”

Lossa pursed his lips as she set them on the table beside him. “I never thought I’d be using them again,” he said with a soft smile. “A part of me hoped not to.”

Narei wrung her hands, but she was clearly still to agitated to take a seat. “What about your injuries, Lossa? Will you really be able to make it that far?”

His grin grew wider. “If my leg gives out, I’ll just crawl the rest of the way.” He clawed a hand in the air in front of him, as if desperately dragging himself through the dirt. “Please… won’t you come back soon, Link? Your mother’s worried sick!”

She slapped his shoulder. “Lossa!” But she was smiling at least, as she turned to their stove. “You’ll need some food.”

“Mmm!”

“And don’t you be eating it until it’s really time, either.”

“Yes, sir!” Lossa used his best soldier voice and gave her a mock salute.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned fully away.

Lossa turned his gaze back to his weapons. They certainly could do with a little sharpening and a bit of polish. He’d grown lax in caring for them in the years since he’d left the military.

He stood and strapped them over his back, the familiar weight drawing his mind back to cold nights near the border. To rowdy gatherings around campfires and stories of daring or of home. Of that painful heartache that reminded him just how much he missed his own.

He smirked at himself. Getting sentimental? You’re getting old, Lossa.

“Maybe I should go with you,” Narei said suddenly, where she was putting bread and fruits into a bag. “I could help you along and cook, and make sure that you don’t push yourself and-“

“And leave the house empty if Link were to return.”

She wilted again, but she turned around to offer him the provisions sack without more argument. “You promise you’ll be careful out there?”

He took the bag and smiled at her. “Of course. I’ll bring our boy back safe and sound.”

She stared a second longer, then she pressed her hands against the straps over his chest, holding his weapons on his back. “You look just like the dashing knight I married.”

He grinned and leaned down, giving her a kiss. “And you look just like the beautiful maiden I fell for.”

3 Years Ago

Zelda tapped a finger over her folded hands. Her mind was whirling, but she didn’t let it show on the outside. Her handmaidens were following her and chatting about matters in the court, but Zelda had little patience for petty politics right now.

She’d had the dream again. The urgency was only growing. The Dark Beast Ganon was soon to rise in the desert—she could sense it.

Her lips pressed even tighter as she turned a corner, passing a banner with her family crest embroidered in gold.

It was said that her bloodline was descended from godhood. That through her veins ran more than a birthright to this kingdom, but a holy claim.

Zelda grew up with the histories and stories from their past. She’d only torn through them more when the symbol of the Triforce had appeared on her hand. A symbol of wisdom, it was said, though she felt no wiser save for the haunting dreams that now followed her even into the waking world.

She would stop history from repeating itself. She would save her kingdom from destruction at the hand of a desert tyrant, even if she had to wage war preemptively to do so.

She stepped through a door that led out only one of the exterior walkways above ground level. Below she could hear the soldiers training.

Her handmaidens quieted, as they always did when they stepped foot out here. They had no idea why Zelda recently had begun coming up here to watch the soldiers, but they stopped solemnly beside her nonetheless.

Her mark, the Triforce of Wisdom, had not been revealed to any save her parents and a few higher nobles by Zelda’s request. She knew it might be good morale for the people of Hyrule to see their princess so singly blessed, but for now she had other ideas.

She would not lose her element of surprise and she would explore the possibility in all paths set before her. For now, that meant searching out the Hero with the Spirit of Courage.

She stepped to the palisade and set a dainty hand on the carved stone, quietly looming over the edge as her soldiers trained.

There were new recruits, and there were old recruits, but as always there was one specifically that drew her attention.

A strong build for a young man, golden blond hair that tufted around his ears, and piercing blue eyes. There was something about him, something about his serious gaze, or the point of his nose, or the lay of his hair that called out to her.

There was something that was familiar.

She folded her hands on the stone, marked hand beneath, and she watched as the soldier went through his motions, then snapped to attention at the command of his captain.

The familiarity struck even stronger today, her dream of the Dark Beast still fresh in her mind, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

That was him, then. She could feel it crawling up inside her, some foreboding. He was here already which could only mean the time was drawing nigh.

This could be no other than the Hero who would face Ganon and bring peace to their lands wielding the Triforce of Courage.

If she really had found him first, before the monster had even reared its ugly head, perhaps there would be a chance for her success after all. Perhaps she could nip her dreams in the bud and use this “wisdom” for the purpose it was granted.

“That one,” she said, pointing down at him amidst all the men standing at attention while their captain paced their ranks and examined them. “Third row, sixth column.” She lifted sharp eyebrows and looked to Impa, her dutiful Sheikah handmaiden. “What is his name?”

Impa pulled out some papers. She’d been keeping track of all the knights since she saw the interest that Zelda was expressing in them. She shuffled through the pages for a moment, and Zelda turned to her other companion.

“I want a meeting with the captain. I am in want of a personal bodyguard, and I think that I have chosen the one I desire.” She glanced back at Impa just as she grunted in triumph.

“His name is Rift.”

Zelda’s lips quirked into smile. It had a nice ring to it. Rift. The Hero of Courage.

Chapter Text

The first night out in the wild was… an adventure to say the least. Link was embarrassed that nothing actually happened.

He had been so prepared all night to be ambushed by the mysterious woman who attacked him in the Soul Temple, or to be jumped by monsters that every creaking branch and movement set his nerves on edge all over again.

It didn’t help that the roots and rocks and fallen branches of the area were always too close, despite the way he’d cleared out his sleeping area just the way he and Rift used to when they would stay outside to sleep on clear nights.

He hardly slept at all, and when the sun finally rose he dragged himself off of the ground and stared at the nearby stream in distaste for the morning.

Still, he washed up as well as he could before checking his rupee pouch for the millionth time just to make sure his little pink crystal was still hidden inside.

Still there, right where I left it. Why does a part of me feel like it should’ve all been a dream?

He sighed and pushed to his feet, much less enthusiastic for the day with the way his eyes burned.

When he reached the road, the grunting snuffles of monsters stopped him in his tracks. He backtracked into the bushes and peeked through the leaves.

Three bokoblins stood on the road, snuffling and pacing as though they were waiting for something.

Voice said they’d be hunting me.

The same thought from his sleepless night turned his blood to ice. They were waiting for him.

He clenched his teeth and backed further away. Foolish to know of such danger and not being a weapon of some kind… not that he had the rupees to afford something as expensive as a sword anyway.

Even his hunting bow or slingshot would be better than nothing at all.

His gaze caught on a good sized stick and he snatched it off the ground, deftly snapping off the unruly branches that would slow any attacks he was forced to make with the branch.

This’ll have to do. Just have to hope I don’t run into any monsters.

He crouched and worked his way quietly through the undergrowth, avoiding the road but still moving in the same direction.

He would make it to Kakariko today. There wouldn’t be any monsters in the town, so at least until he set out for the temple, he’d be safe.

Maybe he could find some weapon he could afford while he was there.

He grimaced even as he had the thought. His rupee pouch was notably light.

Great.

Link ducked behind a tree trunk just before the bokoblin in the bushes ahead turned to face his direction. His heart pounded in his chest and his head ached.

If he was out here in the open much longer, the monsters were bound to find him. Blocking the path to the village as they were, they were setting a trap where the moment he was spotted they could call an army down on his head.

He pressed a hand to his temple and worried his lower lip. Papa and Rift were always playing strategy games with him, half the adventures he and his brother pretended to go on involved battles and soldiers. He should be able to figure something out…

If they’re trying to block me out of the town, then the bokoblins could be spread throughout the entirety of the forest. There may be no way around…

That of course was the main issue, seeing as his weaponless state made avoid and evade the best tactics he could think of.

He shifted and pressed his back harder against the tree. He had to get to Kakariko, and he didn’t want a mob of monsters following him there.

He looked down at his feet where the stick in his hand dug into the earth near his toes. A few pebbles and stones scattered along the forest floor along with fallen branches and sprouting plants.

An idea popped into his head.

It was probably stupid. It was probably dangerous.

He leaned around the tree to peer at the bokoblin again, marking its location, then he knelt cautiously to pick up a small handful of stones.

Mama’d kill me if she knew what I was about to do. Without more thought on the matter than that, Link lobbed the handful into the green just beyond his hiding spot.

The bokoblin spun around like its whole body had been tugged.

Link ducked further behind the tree at the scattering of the pebbles. He clutched his branch tight and lifted it off the ground, holding it at the ready.

The bokoblin was moving toward him. Or more accurately, toward the noise he’d made beyond his hiding spot.

Link held his breath to keep the sound at bay in the pressing tension.

A second ticked by. Then another.

Then the bokoblin’s body came into view, sniffing at the air beyond his tree and completely clueless of the danger hiding just a foot away.

Link swung.

The monster only had a second to recognize the movement to its side as a threat before it was thwacked painfully over the head.

It grunted as its body fell limp to the floor. Link dropped down to check it over for weapons, but only found a small rusted dagger.

He grit his teeth, but he took it all the same. Better than nothing.

His heart pounded in his head. Told him to run, that monsters would be on his trail in seconds, even if his mind knew he’d successfully—and more importantly quietly —dealt with the threat.

Still he ended up jogging the rest of the way to the village. His head pounded with his lack of sleep and his exertion, but he stepped into the safe streets of Kakariko at last and his shoulders slumped in relief at the sight.

He’d only visited Kakariko on occasions, usually for festivals. Their neighboring town was much larger than their own. Booths lined one street, while carnival games that ran year round showed their tempting offers on brightly painted signs.

An inn and a grocery shop both hung their signs close to the entrance of the village, and there was so much space and likely a lot of traffic passing through this way, that he wouldn’t be surprised if there were two more on the other side of town.

The sound of cuccos drifted through the air along with the low and constant murmur of conversation.

He hesitated near the inn, but it was still light out, and… he pressed his fingers over his rupee pouch, but no more had magically appeared at his need.

Nevermind. Weapons were more important anyway.

He marched past the signs and toward the merchant alley instead, pausing at the sheer volume of booths. He’d expected it to be less on a regular day rather than a carnival, and while traffic was decreased, it wasn’t as much as he’d expected.

Kakariko was just all around huge.

A part of him wanted to explore. To go and try out the games and see what he could win. He kept himself on track instead, examining the stalls as he passed and shaking his head when pushy salesmen tried to draw him to their wares that he definitely didn’t need .

He paused at a surprising stall. Every shelf had a different kind of adventure supply and he stared wide-eyed at the sword and shield on display.

“Oh, hello!” The merchant said, slapping his hands on his desk and standing from his stool. “I see you’ve taken an interest in my wares!”

His excitement was equal to Link’s surprise at finding such a young man running the shop. By how he worded it, it didn’t really sound like he was looking over it for his parents, but he couldn’t be older than Link himself, and he was barely technically considered an adult at fifteen as it was.

“Do you see something that interests you? Something to your liking? We’re running a great sale today, if you’re interested!” A loose strand of dark hair that was otherwise all pulled back fell into his face and he quickly swiped it away. “Everything I have to offer is the best quality and you won’t be disappointed if you invest in some of my adventurer’s gear! All of it is dearly important for the life of a traveler in this increasingly dangerous time!”

Link pressed his lips together. The onslaught of words and sales pitches were making his headache worse, much like the merchants constant shouting volume, like he was talking to a crowd and not the single civilian within ten feet of his particular stall.

“Have a look at this sling! It’s all the rage with young travelers these days. Good enough to keep bokoblins away while keeping a safe distance yourself!” He swung the sling in mock circles over his head a few times before he set it down and gestured wildly at the shelf behind him. “Or- or I’ve got bottles imported from the Gerudo Desert itself! Sturdy and reliable, the glass has been formed to perfection and will hold anything you need!”

“How much for your sword?” Link asked when the merchant paused to search out another item.

“My sword?” The merchant’s eyes bugged and he spun to look at it before looking at Link again, running his eyes from head to foot as if sizing him up. “You want a sword?” He blinked precisely three times and didn’t wait for Link to answer before he slapped his cheek and started up again. “Well of course you want a sword! And who wouldn’t, seeing this fine craftsmanship? It was forged for a knight and gifted to me after a very trying experience and though I do hold it close to my heart, I would be willing to part with it for an even two hundred rupees.”

“Two hun-“ Link’s eyes blew wide and he took an involuntary step back as his face burned. He knew for a fact he didn’t have more than twenty, if even that.

The merchant definitely noticed the reaction. He cringed and turned to look at Link full on again. “I really can’t sell it for less or I’d try to lower the price for you. Maybe something else might interest you instead…?”

Link mutely pointed toward the sling, his face burning. Two hundred rupees! He knew swords were expensive, but he’d never tried to buy one himself. His family could live off of that for a whole season!

The merchant set the sling back onto the counter and his smile was a little less oppressively wide this time. “Fifty rupees for you, my friend.”

By the way he said it, it was a lower price than usual. His ears tingled with the heat of embarrassment. He couldn’t afford any of this! “Ah, um, thanks. I-I don’t think I need it after all.” He ducked his head and turned to go.

That’s what he got for staring. He wasted the merchant’s time and got his own hopes up for nothing. He couldn’t even afford a little sling! Stealth and branches were going to be his best friends from now on, it seemed.

“Wait! Come back a second!”

He turned at the merchant’s voice to find the boy leaning over his desk and beckoning him back with both hands.

That was honestly worse. Link cringed and glanced around at the people passing by and giving them strange looks. He hurried back to the adventure merchant’s stall just to get him to stop making a scene.

“I can tell you have a particular need,” the merchant said, lowering his voice and losing the salesman smile he had been wearing before. “I’d like to help if I could, but I really can’t be parting with my wares for less than they’re worth.”

Then why did you call me back here? To humiliate me all over again?

“However, if you really are the adventuring type like you…” he notably avoided looking at Link’s clothes. “…look, then maybe we can strike a deal.”

Link blinked at him. “What kind of deal?”

The merchant waved a hand back at his stall. “I’m always on the look out for rare or pretty items I might be able to sell. If you’re short on rupees, I’d be willing to trade some of my goods for something of equal or greater value. Something you can’t use but I can sell.”

Link’s fingers dug into the fabric of his rupee pouch, finding the delicate form of the Soul’s Voice inside. “I… don’t have anything like that to trade.”

The merchant twisted his lips, but he was persistent, Link would give him that. “But you are going on an adventure, right?”

Link hesitated before nodding.

“Then surely you’ll have things to trade soon enough! I have a need for a supplier, so I’d be happy to take you on if you can bring me things worth my time.”

Link shifted on his feet. “And then I could trade for the weapons?”

“You have my word!” The merchant pressed a hand to his heart and raised the other over his head. “It’s just good business, after all!” Then he scrambled back from the table and set the sling on it between them again. “As a matter of fact, as a show of my good faith in you and your willingness to accept my deal, I’d be willing to give you this sling as a loan, just until you bring me something to trade of the same worth.”

“How could you be sure I wouldn’t just take it and leave?”

The merchant raised his eyebrows at him, but there wasn’t so much mirth in his eyes when he said the next words for Link to believe he was really joking. “I travel all around Hyrule, and even some other lands. It wouldn’t be a hard matter to hunt you down and take what is mine.”

Link stared at him until the boy broke a smile and held the sling out for him. “Deal?”

Link swallowed. His family’s debts were already piling up, and fifty rupees was no small sum.

But if there was anything Papa taught him, it was that a weapon or defense of some kind was crucial when heading into dangerous territory. With all the monsters he’d seen around, looking for him, could he really afford not to take the sling?

He found himself making the exchange and returning the merchant’s smile hesitantly. “Deal.”

Chapter Text

The merchant, Ruplen, kindly pointed Link in the direction of the Temple of Seclusion and that was the end of their transaction.

Link’s fingers ran over the leather of the sling as he made his way to his destination, but he couldn’t bring himself to be sorry for his choice, even with the danger he knew that debt always created.

Still, he needed a weapon badly and he had a feeling he wouldn’t have made it far in the temple without at least something.

When he reached the temple, a structure built into a sheer stone wall and surrounded by boulders as tall as Link, he hesitated at the dark awning of the doorway.

Musty air breathed out on his face as he took his first step over the threshold, but he had to go on.

Two more pieces and the Soul’s Voice would be whole. He could stop the Dark Beast and Rift and the princess would return at last and he could go home to his family.

He just had to do this.

When he entered the temple it was surprisingly empty. The first few rooms sported puzzles much like the one he’d solved in the last temple.

It was only when he reached the fourth room that he ducked back into the doorway with a hiss.

A stalfos was pacing the room just beyond.

Link’s mouth went dry, but he forced himself to take stock of the situation. He had to get to the door on the other side of the room, but there wouldn’t be a chance of sneaking when there was only a narrow path flanked by two black pits to get there.

He pressed his lips together and drew out his sling. He’d used the like at home a few times, but he was certainly better with a slingshot. Besides, even a well-aimed and fast bolt wasn’t likely to do enough damage against a stalfos.

He slipped the rock into the pouch anyway and waited. He had to time this perfectly if he was going to get past.

When the stalfos turned its back and marched past the doorway, Link began to swing. He released the bolt and true to his aim it clattered to the stones just beside the hole closest the stalfos before skidding in.

The monster spun and marched to investigate the noise and Link made his move while its back was turned.

He might could’ve made a run for the path first off, but he didn’t fancy the idea of the creature coming up behind him and knocking him to his death.

So instead he did that. He charged the monster from behind and rammed it with his shoulder with enough force to make it stumble.

Stumble right into the pit it was peering down into.

A clatter of startled bones and the monster disappeared.

Link panted as he twisted around to survey his surroundings, but that was all. He gripped his sling tight as he made his way across the narrow path and through the next door.

The next two rooms were mixtures of puzzles and monsters and Link found that especially difficult when another stalfos appeared, but when it was just some chuchus he was able to defeat them easily enough with his sling.

Soon he’d found the dungeon map and the compass and he was following a convoluted trail of stairways up and back down through a maze of walls until he finally reached a door that should have a chest at the end.

He was heaving for breath after all the flights he’d climbed, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave a single chest behind, no matter how out of the way.

His rupee pouch was already so much heavier and he couldn’t help but think of all the good they would do back home.

He stepped into an empty room other than a dais with a large chest in the middle. He took the single step up and pulled the lid open.

He blinked in surprise. It wasn’t rupees at all. Lying carefully padded at the bottom of the chest was a sword, red hilt wrapped with cloth and silver blade gleaming as though it had only just been polished.

He pulled the sword out, and beneath it sat a scabbard and belt. He stared in wonder at his good fortune. This is eight-hundred rupees worth of treasure right here.

He carefully set the sword into its sheath, then buckled the belt over his shoulder. The weight was unfamiliar, but after all this time sneaking and dodging in this temple, he was glad to have a sword on his back.

The rest of the temple was a breeze. He counted ninety-six rupees that he’d collected, five small keys, and he still had one large ominous key.

There was only one more path on his map and he followed it. A hallway, lined with tattered tapestries and burning braziers on pillars, led to a double door as tall as the ceiling and with a single huge lock in the center.

Something about the monstrous skull that was shaped out of the gold gave him pause. He fingered the key at the threshold.

The next piece of the Soul’s Voice had to be in there waiting for him. But what else?

“Link? Have you found the Temple of Seclusion yet?”

He jumped, spinning around in search of a person before he remembered Voice. He pressed a hand to his heart and tried to get his breathing under control. “You startled me.”

“Do you need more directions? How long until you get there? It shouldn’t be far from the Soul’s Temple.”

“No, I’m here,” Link looked up at the doors before him. “I’ve almost explored the whole thing. Just one room left.” He reached out to place the key in the hole, but Voice’s… well, voice, stopped him.

“Use caution. They say that the shards of the Soul’s Voice are protected by dreadful creatures.” She sounded as if she were imparting common knowledge to a child. “The Temple of Seclusion is said to house a monster from deep darkness who has made it its home. They call it Recluse.”

She only tells me now? Link’s grip on the key tightened. “Is there a way to avoid this monster?”

“Either it will be defeated, or it will defeat you.”

He’d certainly hoped that wouldn’t be her answer. He pushed the key into the hole. “Any advice?”

“Fight hard. Don’t die.” She hesitated. “You do have a weapon, yes?”

This was just sounding worse and worse. “Yeah. I got one in the temple.”

“Good.” There was a finality in her voice. He didn’t think she was sticking around for the battle.

Link sucked in a breath and turned the key. The door opened into an ominously dark room and he drew his sword before entering.

Darkness pressed on him from every side and his steps echoed painfully in the silence of the room.

He stepped in something sticky and stumbled back, though it tugged at his boot and tried to hold him in place.

He squinted in the darkness, the reflected light from the torches in the hall was all he had to go on to see the thin strands hooked to his shoes.

Like giant spiderwebs.

His stomach dropped. He heard a different noise in his own silence, just louder than his ragged breathing.

Something creaked and popped overhead.

Link wasn’t sure if it was more horrifying to look up or not to. He tightened his fist on his sword and craned his neck to meet eight beady eyes watching him from the ceiling.

The room was silent for a full three seconds. The the creature dropped and Link shouted as he dove to the side, just dodging a dripping stinger.

He swung his sword wildly, but the thing drifted into the shadows and out of sight.

He rushed back to the center of the room where the halls light illuminated about a foot on either side and he scanned the surrounding shadows.

Creaking and popping echoed in the room, but he couldn’t tell where it originated.

Not until he noticed the bright green glow of reflected light moving toward him.

He shouted again, but this time he stepped forward and swung his sword, and he caught one of the creature’s legs with his blade.

It screeched and another leg slapped against him, throwing his body into the shadows on the other side of the room.

Link slammed a wall, but a cushioning of webs caught him before the impact. He jerked his body forward, but the webs held strong.

Oh no.

Creaking and popping in the darkness around him. Link’s heart pounded in his chest. He yanked with his left arm, pulled against the webs. They clung to his skin, but he got enough room to use his sword to cut some of the wires above him.

He could feel Recluse in front of him.

Link’s body jerked at the certainty and he swung forward with his free sword. He made contact on another leg again, and this time he noted the feeling of the blade cutting clean through.

Then he hacked at the webs holding him until he dropped to the ground with a grunt.

Recluse towered over him, readying to strike with its stinger.

Link stabbed at the bulging body, but one of its many legs intercepted the blow and tilted his sword off course.

He had no other option than to dove away as the spider began its attack.

He rolled over more web and back into the light. I can’t get a clear hit on its body with all those legs getting in the way. He shifted on his feet, tracking Recluse’s movements now that he knew where it was. I have to take out those legs first. I’ve already cut two, so that just leaves six to go.

He steadied himself and readied his stance. Whatever he did, he couldn’t afford to even be grazed by that stinger.

He held his breath as the spider drew closer and he took a moment to center himself.

-
“Try to remember,” Rift said as he adjust Link’s stance. “If you’re facing a real opponent, you’ll have to be fast. Most battles are done before you even realize they’ve started.”
-

Speed.

Link dashed in, cutting off two legs with one swipe, then he backed away again.

Once he’d cut off another, Recluse was getting nervous. The creature wouldn’t approach him in the light anymore and Link certainly wasn’t going to step into the darkness.

-
“Use everything to your advantage,” Papa said, thumping the root Link had just tripped over. “Your surroundings. Your smarts. Your limbs. You can make everything fight for you. You are not relegated to a sword only.”
-

Link watched Recluse’s reflective eyes as he slowly switched his sword from left to right hand, then he drew out his sling.

The monster still didn’t make a move as Link loaded and began to swing it. It didn’t likely know what it meant.

Link let the bolt fly and dropped the sling, tossing his sword back into his dominant hand just as the stone slapped into the monster’s eye.

For once his aim wasn’t atrocious.

Recluse shrieked and charged at him in a new fit of rage.

Link rolled around the first attack to reach the legs further back. He took them out in short order and the monster was squealing at him before his stabbed straight through its bulging belly.

Dark smoke released as the monster deflated and disappeared, leaving behind a sparkling heart shaped jewel that caught the light.

Link blinked at the pretty object, but then the now familiar sound of a new door opening drew his attention.

The end of the room opened to reveal another. One with a pedestal and a piece of the Soul’s Voice glittering atop it, just like the last.

Link took up the heart jewel and it seemed to melt into his skin, made him feel stronger. Then he rushed to the other room and took up the second piece.

He drew the first from his rupee pouch and when he held them close they snapped together like magnets, seamlessly bonding so that he couldn’t pull them apart again.

“You found it.” Voice’s pink misty form appeared beside him, flowing out of the little pink jewels. She sucked in a deep breath like she was smelling a freshly baked loaf of bread. “I can feel it. Its draw is so much stronger now.”

Link pocketed the item and looked at her. “Only one more to go, right?”

“Right.”

Chapter Text

On his way back out of the temple, he took up a stalfos skull the monster left behind. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered, except the bone on this one seemed to be in a petrified state that made it glitter like a precious jewel.

Surely that would be an item rare enough to trade to Ruplen for what he needed.

He left the temple without trouble and stopped by the Kakariko Post Office first thing. He counted out the rupees he needed to keep—to repay Ruplen for the sling, and for basic needs—the rest he wrapped up and addressed to his family along with another note assuring he was safe and taking care.

When he reached the merchant Ruplen’s stall again, the sun was beginning to set behind the horizon and the other boy was working on taking down his displays for the night.

Link stopped at the counter and set the crystallized skull down with a thump.

Ruplen turned to face him and his eyebrows raised at the sight. “What’s this? Where’d you get that? And so fast! But look at you. You look like you’ve been dragged through the dirt by a-“ he blinked when his gaze landed on Link’s tunic.

Looking down showed the monster blood—and some of Link’s from before he took the heart container if he was honest—splattered on the green of his tunic. “Not mine.”

Ruplen pursed his lips and Link realized too late that that statement didn’t necessarily make it better.

“I mean, it’s monster blood—mostly. I’m healed up, but I didn’t hurt anyone else. Just monsters.”

At last Ruplen chuckled and stepped closer again, lifting the skull off the desk and examining it. “This is rare indeed! I definitely have buyers who look for just this type of oddity—however…” he tsked. “It’s got a few cracks in it, and some of the facets aren’t crystallized like the rest.”

Link cringed. The cracks were likely from the arduous battle he’d fought against the monster it was once attached to.

He dug into his rupee purse and pulled out the red he’d saved. “This is for the sling,” he said, setting it on the table. Then he gestured toward the skull. “I have a sword now, but I still need a shield.”

Ruplen chewed his lip and nodded, but he didn’t look entirely satisfied, even as he took the rupee off the counter and set the skull back in its place. “Of course, I have a variety of shields, some better than others, but this skull will only pay for a certain selection.”

Papa always said a shield was worth the rupees, because it could mean the difference between life and death. A good shield was a good protection that could very well save your skin.

Link examined the shields still on display in the shop, and sighted in on a strong looking metal heater shield. “That one.”

Ruplen followed his finger and sighed. “You certainly do have an eye for all the best wares in my shop.” He turned back with a smile. “Of course I’d be willing to part with the shield, but the price I can get for this skull will only cover part of the cost. You’ll have to have another item or more rupees to fill the difference. I’m impressed by this find and already have a specific buyer in mind, so I don’t think I’ll need more than a purple to square off the deal.”

A purple? Link blanched. It was a bad move to send his rupees off before checking with Ruplen on prices. He’d only saved himself two blues for his travels. Stupid.

Ruplen watched him intently. “Hmm.”

Link looked up at him and the merchant was tapping a finger on his table.

“You’re the first new supplier I’ve found in a while, so let me give you some advice. It’s clear you’re new to this whole business.”

Link didn’t ever remember joining a business in the first place.

“Stay the night here in Kakariko where it’s safe and where my store is currently stationed. Tomorrow, you’ll have a good chance of earning some rupees in the right carnival games if you pick to suit your skills. You might be able to fill the gap and get your shield by the next day.”

He would have to sleep somewhere and though he hated to spend money on an inn, going all the way home wasn’t exactly an option, and sleeping out in the forest again was definitely out of the question unless necessary.

Just remembering his last night set a bone weariness inside him and his shoulders slumped. “You know the cheapest inn?”

Ruplen chewed his lip and glanced down the road, before he rolled his eyes and waved Link to his side of the booth. “I’ve got a room big enough for two rented while I’m here. You can stay with me as long as you’re planning to continue our business transactions?”

Link nodded, hope sparking in his chest at the chance to save some of his rupees and be that much closer to the shield he so desperately needed.

“Then you can stay with me, partner.” He held out his hand and Link took it.

“The Hero of Courage and king of the desert, come to me at last.” The shadowed figure had a smirk in her lilting voice. Link felt as though he should know that voice. Know the person standing in the darkness on the raised dais.

He did know the young man standing with sword drawn at the foot of that dais.

Link’s voice died in his throat as he met those stony blue eyes. No recognition passed through them. No sign that Rift had missed Link as much as he had Rift these past years.

“It seems there is some greater power that calls us to meet in this world yet again.”

-

Link opened his eyes. Awareness came on him like a steady tide and he knew he wasn’t in some vast hall staring down his brother.

Instead he was in a dark room, lying on a lumpy couch with faint moonlight drifting through lace curtains.

It took him a minute to remember helping the merchant, Ruplen, take down his stall and then carry his single bag into the small shop interior he’d apparently been renting out.

This couch was the only furnishing other than the bed in the corner. Every other bit of the room barring a narrow walkway was piled high with supplies and wares that Ruplen told him sternly not to touch.

It looked more like a storage house than a place to stay, but the merchant didn’t seem to think anything out of the ordinary.

“Sold the Gerudo bottle for thirty rupees, so that’s another fifty in total…” the quiet murmur carried through the small room, barely audible even in the silence.

Link sat up, the couch creaking beneath him. Over the back of the couch he could make out the flickering light of a candle hidden mostly from view by Ruplen’s body hunched before it.

The merchant had a bag out on a stack of crates and a few rupees scattered across the surface as he scribbled on a page in the semi-darkness.

“The monthly transactions with the Beedle Group leads me up to…” he counted on his fingers silently. “Another hundred.” then he started to scribble again.

Link’s eyes blew wide and he stared at the merchant. another hundred? How many rupees was this man—this boy—dealing with on a regular basis?

Ruplen’s murmuring hesitated and he glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting Link’s. He blinked twice, then he twisted and scooped the rupees off the crate and into a pouch on his lap before he turned back and smiled apologetically at Link. “Did I wake you?”

Link shook his head, though he wasn’t sure whether or not it was true. It had seemed so natural to wake from his strange dream, but maybe it was the noise.

Ruplen pulled his two rupee pouches shut and set them on the crate over the paper with a telltale clink before he rose and stretched his arms behind his back. “I thought I was being quiet enough but I suppose I was wrong.”

Link glanced at the window and then furrowed his brow, returning his gaze to the merchant. “Why are you taking inventory in the middle of the night?”

Ruplen flushed, though he could barely tell in the shadows. “Ah-well,” he chuckled and shrugged, dropping onto the edge of his bed. “I couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d spend the time doing something productive.”

Link pressed his lips together. He wasn’t a suspicious person by nature, but even he noticed the way Ruplen had been watching him all evening before they went to bed.

He’d done his best not to touch anything, but the merchant still bristled when he even got close to any of his boxes and in a house this full avoiding them all was an impossible task.

Link folded his hands in his lap and leaned against the back of the couch. “I won’t take anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m no thief.”

Ruplen’s eyes popped wide and he stuttered, but he didn’t deny Link’s suspicions.

Link sighed. “Tomorrow I’ll get a room at the inn if you prefer, I don’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s not an intrusion if I invited you,” Ruplen argued, hands clenching into his nightshirt over his knees. “And it’s not your fault I can’t sleep. Not really.”

Link raised an eyebrow, but whether Ruplen saw it or not he didn’t need encouragement to continue.

“I just… sometimes I get worried about my wares and it keeps me awake. Or I wonder if I’ve actually made enough rupees this time. Or I start to consider what I’d do if robbers came and I had to start all of this over from scratch and scrounge for every last green just like I did in the beginning.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Really I think I ruined my sleep schedule over a year ago and it’s never really been the same since. It’s not your fault.”

Link relaxed some, resting his chin on the twisting wood of the chair back. “Why are you running this place alone?” Ruplen flinched and Link’s tension returned. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Ruplen kneaded his nightshirt between his hands and simply nodded.

“It’s certainly impressive what you’ve managed to accomplish at such a young age. I don’t think I could ever do this much.”

“It’s not enough.” The words were hushed and Ruplen didn’t even look at Link as he said them. “Not yet.”

“Enough?”

Ruplen blinked and looked at him again. “Huh? Oh. Nothing.” He waved a hand and stepped over to his candle. “If you’re going to win any of the games tomorrow, you’ll need your sleep.”

He swiped his two rupee pouches off the crate, then he shielded the flame and blew out the candle. The moonlight lit his silhouette as he climbed back into his bed and huddled beneath the blankets, clinking with the sound of the rupees he carried with him.

Link dropped off the back of the couch and laid back over the cushions. He stared up into the darkness of the ceiling and pressed his lips together as his mind wandered back to his strange dream.

The sense of foreboding that filled him was a reminder of his mission and its importance. He would not fail.

Chapter Text

“Do you have any jobs you’d be willing to pay me for?” Link watched as Ruplen struggled to carry a box through his main room toward his shop outside.

“No, sorry,” the merchant said with a grunt. “Not unless you have more items to sell?”

Link shook his head as he tied on his rupee pouch and sword belt. “No. You have any suggestions on where to start looking?”

Ruplen gasped as he set the box down, then he dropped onto it and waved a hand out of his shop and to the right. “I know the Beedle Group usually has weird errands they’re willing to pay small bits for. Um… A few people might have odd jobs that need done. I’d still say your best bet is the carnival games, though, if you have anything you’re especially good at. You can make a pretty rupee if you just stick to it and play the games right.”

Link nodded, because it really sounded like he was speaking from experience. He stepped around the counter of the shop set up in front of Ruplen’s door and he smiled to the merchant. “I’ll check for some jobs then, and maybe try out the carnival games if I still need rupees after that.”

He moved down the street until he located a sign with a man’s face on the front along with the words Beedle Group. The clerk inside seemed ecstatic to see him, and Link was surprised that he looked just like the man on the sign. A triangular red nose, big eyes, freckles, and a bowl of brown hair.

“Hello! Welcome! I’m Beedle! How may I help you?”

His cheer was immediately reminiscent of Ruplen’s salesman voice and Link couldn’t help quirking a smile at the absurdity of it, even if the volume still made him a little uncomfortable. “I came to check if you had any jobs you’d be willing to pay be to do. An acquaintance suggested I check here.”

“Oh! Yes!” Beedle stood and pulled a ledger from behind his counter, dropping it down and pointing to a picture drawn inside. “I’m looking for beetles! I’ll pay a red rupee per beetle you bring. A purple if they’re rare ones!”

Link’s eyes bulged. He and Rift used to go out and collect beetles all the time! He didn’t realize they’d been prodding and playing with living rupee tickets.

Finding the beetles turned out to be the real hard part. He searched through the grass and in crevices for what had to be an hour before he located one. He didn’t have anything to carry it in, so he had to stop his search to carry the bug all the way back to Beedle and get his pay before he could continue again.

He picked up a few other side jobs as well, and by the time the sun was setting he’d gotten forty rupees from Beedle, helped a woman collect her escaped cuccos for fifteen, and earned another fifteen by stacking towers of three rocks at each corner of the town for a crazy old man who seemed to think the whole thing was hilarious.

Link counted his earnings on a bench near the carnival games, their music reaching him muted across the distance and through their tents and doors.

Seventy. He stared at the pouch that glittered in the waning sunlight. Seventy rupees, all in a single day of work.

He leaned his head against the wall behind him, but before he could relax his stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Well, a purple rupee for the shield still leaves me with a little to spare. He stood and stretched his limbs before making his way toward one of the food tents.

“Link? Where are you? What are you doing?” Voice appeared to the side, floating in the air and watching him. “You finished off the Temple of Seclusion. Why haven’t you moved on? Why have you been in the same place all day?”

Link paused just before the line at the food stall and pressed a hand over his rupee pouch. “I need a few more supplies before setting out again.”

“So get the supplies and get moving! What’s taking all day?”

Link sucked in his lips and kicked a foot in the dirt. The line moved so he followed it. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”

She didn’t seem pleased based on the way she crossed her arms, but she didn’t say more. Instead she silently watched as he ordered two kabobs and stepped away from the stall. It was unnerving.

“You got two?” Voice moved closer, leaning so her face was closer to the kabobs in his hands.

Link shrugged and offered her one. “Figured you might be hungry too.”

She scoffed. “I’m not really here, Link. I can’t eat your food.”

“Oh.” Link flushed and pulled the kabob back. “More for me, I guess.”

She followed as he moved to sit by the wall again, and then she sat where she was, though there was nothing to sit on.

Link munched on his kabob in awkward silence. She still just watched him, leaned partially forward as if he was the most interesting thing around—which he couldn’t imagine with all the brightly colored canvases, signs, and tents around.

“Thank you,” she said out of nowhere. “For the offer.” She gestured toward his second kabob.

Link’s mouth was full and he turned his gaze to the extra, but she was still talking.

“I don’t mean to be short with you, but I don’t feel that you understand the importance of speed.” She leaned back again, at last giving him a little more space. “You’ve been in the same location all day while there is a monster trying to break its way into Hyrule as we speak. There are people in danger and forced moving against us. Forces looking for you.”

Link swallowed his bite and shifted in his seat uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to waste time. I just thought that I should buy a shield before I left and now it’s getting dark again. I’m trying to move quickly.”

Voice flinched. “You didn’t already get a shield?”

Link ducked his head. “I couldn’t afford anything before. That’s what I did today. I was earning some more rupees.”

“Oh.”

They sat in another awkward silence. Link finished off the first kabob and was glad for the accident that ended him up with two. There was no way he would’ve spent the extra money otherwise, but he was starving.

Voice eyes him as he dug into the second one and she fidgeted.

He forced himself to slow down and wiped his lips. “Sorry.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Link blinked and cast his thoughts back. He didn’t eat anything yesterday. He only ate breakfast and the quick snack farmer Dull offered him the day before that.

He placed a hand over his gnawing stomach and cringed. No wonder it’s been killing me.

Voice didn’t need an audible answer, it seemed. She huffed and pressed a hand against her forehead. “You can’t afford that either, can you? Is that why you stayed here so long? To get up the money just so you could eat?”

Her words sounded at once pitying and irritated and Link pressed his lips together at the tone. “I had enough money to eat,” he snapped. “Just not enough time.” He tore off another bite and scowled off to the other side, even though he felt his cheeks growing warm.

Why would she just make an assumption like that? Why blurt it out to my face?

Voice lowered her hand and crossed her arms again. “Then you should stop wasting time,” she snapped back.

“I wasn’t wasting time!” Link’s raised voice drew some gazes in their direction. He cringed and lowered his head, gesturing toward Voice cautiously.

That only made the people give him strange looks as they hurried on and avoided him.

“They can’t see me.”

“What?”

“No one but you can see me, boy.” Voice clearly had a smirk in her voice. Laughing at him because she didn’t bother to tell him these things.

Link pulled the subject away from what probably made him look like a madman, and also turned his head further from the main street to hopefully keep people from noticing him talking to himself. “Boy? How old even are you? You don’t sound much older than me.”

“I am a being sent to guide you on your adventure. How do you know I’m not thousands of years old?”

Link froze. He turned to stare at her indistinct form. It wavered in the air like a pink mirage and he couldn’t make out an expression on her face more than a blur of eyes. “Are you?”

She watched him in a tense silence for a long moment. Then her shoulders slumped and she leaned a little back into her invisible chair. “I’m seventeen.”

Link was a little disappointed. An ageless being would’ve been more likely to know what’s going on. He shrugged the thought away. Voice seemed pretty insistent she knew what needed done, after all. “You’re only two years older than me. ‘Boy’ seems a bit of a stretch.” He grinned.

Voice actually giggled and for some reason that startled him. He didn’t know why, really, he just didn’t expect it. Her form wavered and she sighed. “I can’t keep this up. I’ll check on you again when I have the strength.”

Link nodded as the hem of her ghostly skirt started to melt into nothingness.

“Don’t let me find you slacking off again.” Though there was a playful tone to her voice, he could sense something hard just beneath the surface. Then she was gone.

Link leaned his head against the wall and rubbed his eyes, still holding his half-eaten extra kabob.

What a mess he’d found himself caught in.

“Link!”

He perked up at his name to find Ruplen coming toward him.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

The anxiety that filled his chest like a swarm of bees was probably unfounded, but Link darted to his feet still. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Ruplen’s step slowed and he twisted his lips. “Nothing’s wrong. I just closed up shop, so I thought I’d help you with the carnival games.”

Link pressed a hand to his chest where his heart was still going crazy. “Oh. Thanks.” He hesitated before offering the second half of his kabob to the merchant. He didn’t look like he’d had much of a break, and suddenly Link wasn’t so hungry.

“Ooh, thanks!” Ruplen took it without argument, and then he started in toward the tents and Link followed behind, still trying to get a hold of himself.

“I know you bought a sling earlier, so the game that involves those could be a good place to start. However, you’ve clearly got some training with your sword as well and you can make a fair rupee off of duels—and the bets placed on them—and I know just the best way to ensure we get the most for our ante.” Ruplen jabbered as he walked, pointing out different games and the rules and very intricate knowledge of how difficult they were, what your chances of succeeding were, along with the return on investment based on the amount of rupees or worth of items you were most likely to win and the down payment you had to give to play.

Despite the monetary monologue, Link found himself enjoying the night as they visited different games and invested for a chance to win more.

He definitely lost his fair share, but even then he couldn’t help but enjoy it—a chance away from the stress that had been chasing him the last few days.

By the end of the day, Ruplen had offered for him to stay with him again and they were on their way back to his shop.

“You paid a total of sixty-five rupees on every different game-“ this made Link blanch “-and made a return of ninety-nine! In all, that means you made a profit of thirty-four rupees! Not bad for your first time!”

Link hesitated in the doorway of the crowded house as Ruplen moved in and placed his own winnings on a box. “Could I go ahead and buy that shield, even though you’re not open?”

Ruplen looked at him and broke into a smile. “Of course! I’d never turn down a good deal!”

Link smirked and it didn’t take long before the transaction was done and Link was lying on the couch again, his new shield leaning beside his sword on the arm.

That’s it, then. Tomorrow I have to leave for the next temple. He pressed his face into the cushion of the couch and tried not to let the disappointment or anxiety get to him. I’ll be going even further tomorrow.

Though he lay on the couch all night, he couldn’t get to sleep.

Chapter Text

Lossa spent two days searching the nearby area for his boy. Link didn’t return home to announce his prank either night, and each time he checked in Narei was getting tenser and tender until she moved around like a footsore soldier waiting the chance to fall into bed and rest his aching joints.

He bid her farewell the third morning, this time with the information that he would have to go further. Link wasn’t here anymore, and as much as it pained him to think it, the boy must have really run away.

He kissed her goodbye and she looked ready to cry, but she packed him a bag of supplies and a pouch of rupees, and then he was off.

He passed a mailman on his way, tipping his head in greeting. Despite his exhaustion, he waved to him. “You have any mail for me, sir?”

The mailman paused, blinked at him twice, then backtracked still in running stance so he was in front of Lossa again. “Lossa! I do in fact!”

He offered an envelope which Lossa tore into on a futile hope. When he saw the name signed, that hope seemed a little less futile. “Where did this note come from!?”

The mailman raised his eyebrows, but he pointed over his shoulder down the road, still running in place. “Kakariko.”

Lossa resisted the urge to run, though he did stumble a step before he yanked the unwary man into a bear hug. “Kakariko!”

The mailman was clearly stunned when Lossa stepped away, and even more so when he offered the letter back to him.

“My wife Narei is still at home. Please make sure this gets to her.” She’d need to know where he went. Kakariko! Link was still close!

“Of course!” The mailman took the note and without another word he sprinted down the path past Lossa.

Kakariko. Lossa’s chest loosened just at the idea. Of course Link wouldn’t know anywhere else to go to. He’s only been to so many places.

He ran a hand through his hair, grateful for the luck that he ran into the mailman first. Knowing the exact location of his son at least a day ago was something he wouldn’t pass up for anything. He will certainly have some explaining to do when I find him.

Lossa grunted, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he started down the path once more.

3 Years Ago

“Rift!”

His spine snapped straight and his heels clicked together in recognition to the command in the captain’s voice. “Sir!”

The soldier stopped in front of the ranks, just before Rift’s column and set his hands on his hips. “Come with me, recruit.”

The soldiers around him shifted as Rift dropped his salute and slipped between them. This… wasn’t normal. Did he do something wrong? Was he in trouble?

His heart pounded in his ears as he remembered two of the other recruits playing cards in the bunk room when they were supposed to be sleeping. He knew he should’ve reported the incident. What would he do if they cast him out?

“Follow me, soldier,” the captain said and he gestured for the drill sergeant to continue as they walked away from the training yard.

Questions boiled in his stomach and up his throat. It was a conscious effort to swallow down each and every one, snapping his teeth over his tongue and keeping his silence. Speaking out of turn would only make things worse for him.

The captain didn’t seem to mind the silence—couldn’t feel the burning anxiety eating away at Rift’s insides—and so they walked without a word all the way through the main doors of the palace and up a flight of expansive stairs.

Rift caught his breath at the polished marble and the intricate portraits of kings and queens of old. They walked down a hall with a long mural depicting the creation of Hyrule and the gift of the Triforce in stunning detail stretching on either side of them.

At the end of the hall stood two double doors. Suddenly Rift didn’t think he was being called in for a simple infraction.

This was the throne room. He couldn’t have done anything bad enough of the royals to take notice of him, had he? But he certainly hadn’t done anything good enough either. He was just doing his chores and drills and trying to get by. Even in all the wracking of his brain he couldn’t find a single reason that he should be summoned to stand before royalty.

The captain stood straight a couple paces ahead of him. “The recruit, Rift, here for an audience with Princess Zelda.”

A page to the side nodded twice and slipped into the room.

Rift’s mind stopped and the air seemed to suck out of the room with the opening of that door and the speaking of those words.

Suddenly it was all too real and Rift’s pounding heart doubled its pace.

Princess Zelda?? But I’ve never even seen royalty before! What am I supposed to do?

He should bow, of course. Genuflect, likely. Right? He shouldn’t salute a princess—at least not off duty—he was fairly certain, but beyond that…

He dared to break his attentive stance just enough to bite his lip and peek around the captain’s broad shoulders. He wasn’t sure what sort of clue he’d find in the older man’s face.

Maybe he hoped his uncertainty would show and the man would tell him what was expected of him. Being a soldier was easy. You were given orders and you completed them to the letter.

Rift didn’t know what he was supposed to do here.

If the captain noticed his turmoil, he didn’t have the chance to do anything about it before the page returned and gestured Rift toward the open doorway.

The captain raised his eyebrows expectantly and Rift swallowed. Excitement buzzed from his fingers to his toes as he stepped alone past the page and into the massive throne room.

Silent sentries stood between each towering pillar that stretched up to a glass roof letting in fractured sunlight to dance over the tile floor. The path in front of him led straight to a raised dais where a throne sat empty, and at the foot of those steps another simpler chair was set.

A girl, not much older than him if any, sat in the chair and watched him with a knowledge and certainty behind her gaze that made him pause.

Her hair fell over her shoulders in well-maintained waterfalls of mahogany and the sparkling tiara on her head spoke clearly enough of her identity.

Rift fumbled for a moment with where to put his hands, finally slapping one on his chest and bowing at the waist before he remembered his decision to fall on one knee.

His face and ears burned as he dropped down and lowered his head further, hoping his uncertainty in this regard wouldn’t get him into any further trouble. He didn’t dare speak.

The sound of his heavy armor clattering with his clumsy movements echoed through the halls until it faded into stiff silence, and still no one spoke. No one moved.

“Your name is Rift?” The voice was musical at the same time as threatening. As if she were asking more for her own amusement than anything, which she must be since the page had to have told her.

Rift licked his lips and swallowed down the lump in his throat so that his voice would be steady when he spoke. “Yes, your highness.” He didn’t lift his head, so she couldn’t see his cringe after the words. Was highness right? Or was it majesty? Lady? Was he supposed to add anything on afterward at all? The captain insisted on being called sir, at least, so maybe some formality wouldn’t hurt his situation.

“I’ve seen you training,” she spoke in that same tone, as though she were dancing around her real meaning. It put him on edge.

More so when he thought about the implications of such a statement. Seen me? How could she have…-

“What do you want, Rift? Why have you joined the Hyrulean army?”

Why?? Rift stared at the tiles before his face. Polished clean without even a trace of dust. What kind of question was why? Why did it matter? He was here to fight for his kingdom and his king. Wasn’t that enough?

But he couldn’t very well say that to Princess Zelda herself, no matter how the question pried into matters he didn’t necessarily want to bear to royalty.

“My father served in the army before he took a bad injury,” he said, voice level despite his hammering heart. “He was unable to return to active duty, and I showed promise with the sword, so I came in his stead.”

It was an honest answer and should be enough of the Princess to deduce the rest without him having to air it out in front of everyone in this room.

The soldiers’ eyes burned into his skin no matter how silent and still they were.

“Why come to this line of work? Why not anywhere else?”

She wasn’t going to let it drop. Rift’s ears burned and he felt them droop down to brush against his hair. “My family needs a stable income,” he said steadily, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt, or that the way he was still bowed would keep it from her notice. “With my skills already in this area and connections in the army, it seemed the obvious choice, ma’am.”

He actually flinched when the final word left his mouth. He may not know a lot, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the right way to address a princess.

She didn’t mention it, however. “Your family struggles to make end’s meat?”

He pressed his lips together in a thin line. She really was going to make him spell it out for her? His shoulders stiffened. “We get along fine.” He didn’t mean his tone to be so harsh. He quickly lowered his head further. “Your majesty.”

Great. Now he was just throwing every title he knew into the void. There wasn’t a chance all of them were right. He should have chosen one and stuck with it.

But again, the princess didn’t mention the address—which was making it very difficult to determine which ones were the correct ones—but instead let out a quiet hum.

“You will do.”

Rift furrowed his brow, but still didn’t dare to look up at her again. His face was still flaming and he didn’t want to make more a fool of himself than he already had.

When this was over he was going straight to the library to learn everything he could about the proper etiquette when dealing with royalty.

“I am in need of a bodyguard,” the princess continued. “If you will have the job, you will start directly after your leave.”

This time Rift did raise his head, just a little, eyes wide and catching the hem of her dress only. “Pardon?”

“The pay will be double what you would earn as an officer in the Hyrulean army. Substantially more than you would ever earn as a new recruit.”

The floor seemed to be rocking beneath him. He leaned heavily against his one hand on the ground.

“The job shouldn’t be especially dangerous, perhaps boring most of the time, but I assure you there will be a large share of threat to life and limb to come, and I expect you to take that into consideration in your final decision.”

Her words were washing over him like a wave trying to throw him off his balance. Splay him across the tiles and sweep him from the room. He didn’t understand what was happening. It didn’t make any sense.

“I’m impressed by the potential I see in you,” she continued as if this were an every day matter. “And if you will accept it, you may consider this a promotion.”

Accept it? How could he not!? This would mean so much for his family! And in all his years he’d never even dared to dream it might be a reality that he of all people would be a bodyguard to the princess!

It was an honor beyond fathoming for a boy his age. It was unheard of. It was generous and suspicious and he wasn’t even sure where he was supposed to start!

“Rift?” Her voice held a hint of amusement. “Do you accept?”

“Oh!” His head snapped up and he met her eyes before he even thought about it. Then he dropped his face to the floor again and lowered even further. “This is a great honor. I did not expect it and I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you will do as I ask.”The words were spoken with such authority and confidence, almost like the captain, but quiet and soft.

Rift’s hands tightened until his knuckles were white. “How could I do otherwise, my lady?”

Chapter Text

“Gerudo Thieves have been spotted in the area, captain.”

Ralim nodded to the scout who moved back into camp for some well-earned water after her report.

They were nearly to the border of Hyrule, and though they’d stopped by a few towns along the way to offer aid from the aftermath of clear Thief raids, they hadn’t seen any of the treacherous Gerudo.

Trying to tear our nation apart while we wrestle with the Dark Beast on our own and Hyrule waits to swoop in to eat the carcass that remains. She spit into the sand and and cats her gaze over the dunes and heat mirages.

Nothing could hide the giant cloud of smoke the monster kicked up and they’d been following it for the last few days.

Still it made no sign of crossing the border into Hylian territory. What was it that held it here?

Ralim stamped the butt of her spear into the sand and turned to look in every other direction, passing over the tents her warriors had set up and the quiet gathering of women stretching for the day.

There. A small dust plume on a distant dune. No doubt that was where the Thieves were watching from.

What was the point of having spies to watch the Twinrova if they didn’t report these sorts of movements to her?

If the Gerudo Thieves were here, that could only speak toward an interest in the Beast, unless they’d followed Ralim all the way from the city, which was unlikely.

It was no secret that this was the goal the Twinrova worked toward. Her fingers tightened around the shaft of her weapon. They claim to seek the good of Ganondorf, but all they want is to change him.

Her old frost burn on the back of her calf flared up and she shifted in place to relieve the pressure. She didn’t save the boy from them all those years ago just to let them take him now.

But what am I going to do about it? None of my spies have brought back more information that what I can’t possibly use.

She was no Hero of Courage, so even if she opened the way to the Master Sword she had no way to draw and wield it.

In all of her research, she’d only managed to find one of the sealing keys.

She may not be able to save him yet, but that didnt mean she would stop protecting him. She turned to her warriors and raised her voice. “The Thieves are in the area. Plans have changed.”

The Gerudo women around her scowled at the mention of the traitors, some of them even stood and took up their weapons, ready for a chase.

“Our highest priority is keeping them away from the Dark Beast,” Ralim continued. “If the Twinrova get their hands on a way to control it, no one in the desert will be safe.”

She separated them into parties with a lieutenant at the head of each, then she sent them on the hunt.

Her own party of five warriors and one scout continued on toward the monster on their border.

Always walking the edge between the desert and Hyrule and yet never crossing over. It bothered her to no end. The unanswered question that broiled constantly in her mind. Why doesn’t he cross?

The thundering pound of its footsteps and its rumbling growls warned them before they created the final dune.

Ralim gestured her warriors back and peeked over alone.

The Dark Beast, a giant black boar with a mane of red hair and towering tusks, pressed its nose just to the edge of their border, but almost magically it didn’t go over an inch.

Ralim’s heart tightened as she stared at that monstrosity. That red hair that was mockery of what Ganondorf had once been.

This was what the Twinrova wanted to turn him into. This was what they stole a child and killed his family for. And to what purpose?

Three years later and they still hadn’t managed to gain anything substantial from their curse. Three years later, and the Gerudo Warriors guarded as much as they fought the monster.

-
He pressed his face into her shoulder, sobs wracking his tiny frame as she held him tight, not sure what else to do.

“Where is my V-Vaiba?” His voice cracked at the question, because deep down he knew the answer.

Ralim pressed a hand into his fiery hair and held him close, blood boiling at those witches that caused this. “Don’t worry, my lord. They will not go unpunished for this treason.”
-

She clenched her hand in the sand. To this day, they had. The internal war they waged through the years never touched the Twinrova. They cackled and plotted and kept their hands clean.

Ralim’s gaze caught on movement. Sliding down the opposite dune, women wreathed in white fabric. Gerudo Thieves.

“Up!” She hissed, climbing to her feet. “Stop them.” She pointed with her spear and her archer drew her bow back and took her shot.

The rest of them followed Ralim as they started down the dune with a battlecry.

The Thieves spotted them, when the archer’s arrow downed one of their own, and they met at the foot of the dunes, the monster just a stone’s throw away.

Ralim dispatched her opponent and then spun to help the others, only to find the last of the Thieves retreating.

She snarled. “After her.”

Her warriors didn’t hesitate to take the command, blood still pumping through their systems.

Ralim glared at the bodies on the desert floor and the blood staining the sand, then she turned.

The Beast wasn’t facing Hyrule anymore. It looked at her, long and hard, and her heart skipped a beat.

Does he… know me?

“Ganondorf,” she whispered, stepping closer to that nose twice her height. “Ganondorf, please, you are causing so much destruction. Calm your search. Lie down and rest.”

The Beast snorted, steam billowing out of its nostrils.

“You do not have to be what they have made you. I will help you. Let me.”

His eyes flashed with inhuman hatred, red in the sunlight, and he charged.

Ralim shouted and dove out of the way, sand spouting over her where she fell. The archer’s shout from above echoed her own and then an arrow let fly at the Beast.

“No! No!” Ralim shoved to her feet and waved her spear, but the archer wasn’t watching her. “Do not engage!!”

Another arrow zipped by, and though it plinked harmlessly off the monster’s sturdy hide, it drew its attention.

The Dark Beast roared and charged the archer, and even as she dove to the side like Ralim, the Beast swung its tusks after her. The force of the blow sent her flying through the air and then careening down the dune on the opposite side.

The Beast roared again and trampled down as well.

“Out of the way!” Ralim shouted as she struggled up the sand bank. “Fall back!”

She crested the top, the Beast was already far ahead, trampling down their encampment and heading deeper into the desert for its revenge.

Ralim shoved her body over the dune and slid down the other side, toward the still figure of her archer.

She stopped when she was still five feet away and took a trembling breath.

The girl was dead.

Ralim pressed the flat of her spear against her forehead and closed her eyes in silent salute.

The Twinrova have paid nothing, but we have lost much. Ralim steadied herself and moved the final distance.

Her first assessment was correct on closer inspection. She took it upon herself to bear the body back to camp.

They would bring her home for a proper burial, and it would fall to Ralim to tally the damages of this latest rampage.

Her blood boiled at the idea and she cast her gaze back at the dune behind her.

This was because of those Thieves. She had been too lenient to this point. Now she would put it upon herself, not only to save her king, but to bring those traitors to justice once and for all.

“I’ll set up in Castle Town next,” Ruplen said as he packed a giant backpack. “After that, I need to restock in the desert.”

Link raised his eyebrows in surprise. “The desert? Can you go there?”

Ruplen quirked a smile. “Men may not be allowed in the city, but there are plenty of villages and tribes around the desert where we are tolerated. Where do you think I get all my Gerudo goods?”

“Isn’t it dangerous these days?”

“Oh, you mean with the war talk?” Ruplen paled a little. “Well, yeah, kind of. There’s the Beast to worry about, and without that there’s the Thieves, and the Gerudo themselves don’t take too kindly to Hylians, but if you keep your head down and stay out of trouble merchants are pretty well respect there.”

Link strapped on his sword and shield, glad for the extra weight though he knew he probably wouldn’t be soon when he was carrying it all day. “Well, be careful then.”

“And you make sure you keep collecting things for when we meet next!” Ruplen grinned. “Keep in touch, too! I don’t get a lot of letters but I’d be happy to hear from you if you have any business propositions to give.”

Link grinned and nodded. It was hard to leave the merchant and the comfort of somewhere to stay behind but…

Voice floated behind him, tapping her crossed arms with a finger and watching him.

She’d been even more impatient to get moving after his “lazy day”, and it seemed she intended to stay and watch him for as long as it took to actually get him on the road, limited energy or not.

“Thanks for all your help,” Link said at last.

They walked the distance to the crossroads together, then Ruplen hiked his backpack that was twice his size higher on his shoulders and they said their farewells.

Once Link had walked certainly out of earshot, Voice finally piped up. “At last. We’ve wasted so much time already.”

“Do you think that woman from the Soul Temple is gonna show up again?”

“They’re hunting you, Link. She will be showing up again, especially with the time you’ve given her to catch up.”

Link sighed and nodded. The sooner her finished his last temple the better. He wanted to go home. To see Mama and Papa again without having to worry about danger. He wanted to bring Rift back. “Where is the next temple?”

“Luckily for us, not far.” Voice floated to his side, her form wavering a little. “It won’t be long at all until you have completed the Temple of Avarice.”

Chapter Text

The temple was deep in a forest. It took Link a while to find it, even with Voice’s exasperated directions. Sometimes her commentary was more a hindrance than a help, seeing as she apparently couldn’t see anything around him and was relying on him understanding her directions for her next steps to make sense.

Link was certain they ended up circling the same copse of trees at least three times before he finally found where the communication was falling through and they came at last to a huge tree with a doorway bored into its trunk.

Link descended into the dark hall cautiously, but that dropped away the moment he laid eyes on the first room.

Reflected light, blue, red, and green shot around the room, from the torches bouncing off the lines of rupees aligned in perfect rows that filled the space.

Link gaped at the riches just lying around on the ground. “D-do you see this?”

“You know I can’t see anything but you,” Voice huffed, but there was curiosity hidden in her tone. “What is it?”

Link was already moving, picking up the rupees and dropping them into his pouch one by one. “Rupees! Everywhere!”

Sometime during his scavenging, Voice ran out of strength and vanished. Link bid her farewell and then returned to collecting his newfound treasure.

By the time he was finished with only the first room, he didn’t have any idea how many rupees he had, but he knew it was a lot.

He nearly walked through the door on the opposite wall without noticing the plaque on the wall. What’s that? He didn’t remember anything like that on the walls of the last temples…

He stepped to it and ran his eyes over the brief message carved into the stone.

The free gift offered by an adversary may not be free at all.

Link stiffened, fingers flying to his rupee pouch as he spun around to survey the room more closely. No traps sprung out to attack, so he stepped cautiously to the door.

He stepped through with no trouble.

The next room he got the chance to test out his new shield. There were holes in the walls that spat darts at him whenever he passed, making it especially difficult to deal with the small turtle-like enemies he had to dispatch for the other three doors to unlock.

The door on the left led to a chest with a map. The right the compass, and straight ahead opened into a wide puzzle room.

Jars and boxes to be pushed around until they matched the pattern on the other side of the room—and avoiding the most terrifying enemies Link had run into in a temple yet—to open more doors and finish off all the ceiling-hands for good.

He found more chests with giant collections of rupees, along with a bow and arrows.

Despite how fast the dungeon seemed to be shooting by, Link began to flag. Room after room, and his map only showed more and more.

This temple was vast, and soon he found himself with a rupee pouch filled to overflowing—and a few extras tucked into his belt for good measure—on the floor of a peaceful puzzle room.

He’d thought he could just force his way through, but he was starting to lose his edge to exhaustion. A clear sign it was time to take a break.

-
“You have to know how to take care of yourself first to be an asset in battle,” Papa said. “If you can’t even hold yourself up outside of battle, what makes you think you can survive a fight?”
-

So he checked the room full of switches and levers over for the fourth time, and once he was satisfied that no more wallmasters were crawling on the ceiling and there were no traps that would spring without his action, he moved to a corner of the room and curled up.

The floor was hard, but it was no worse than the forest outside that always had a root or rock sticking into his back. And he was so tired.

“Link.”

“Link, wake up.”

“Wake up.”

Link’s eyes snapped open and he drew his sword, rolling to his feet and slashing out at-

Nothing.

Voice floated in the air to his left, near where he’d originally been lying, her eyebrows raised.

Link blinked the sleep from his eyes, heart still racing, then he sheathed his weapon and rubbed at his eyes instead, taking in the puzzle room that had managed to completely stump him the night before.

“What are you doing laying around? We’ve got to get to the end of this temple so you can collect the last piece of the Soul’s Voice.”

Link ran a hand through his hair and stretched the crick in his neck from the way he’d been lying. “Sorry. I was at the end of my rope. How long have I been out?”

“I have no idea,” she said, clearly not impressed. “I wasn’t a part of the genius decision to waste even more time.”

“I was starting to slip in my battles, and I couldn’t clear my brain well enough to figure out the puzzle for this room.”

“Describe it to me.”

Oh boy.

Despite Link’s concerns that it would take even longer to try to get any clear communication going between them, Voice insisted and it felt like they spent at the very least half an hour of Link trying to describe what he was seeing and Voice totally misunderstanding him or else demanding he try every single idea that popped into her head.

One of those ideas included him crouching on one button and trying to rabbit jump all the way to the other, which was not only embarrassing, but didn’t even remotely work.

When Link finally realized the answer, she complained about him not listening to her while he tested out his new theory.

By the time the locked door was opening, Link was pretty sure he would’ve saved a lot of time by just ignoring Voice’s—most likely well intended—demands to try and help.

She just didn’t have any information that was actually useful to where he was at the moment or what he was stuck on.

The next few rooms Link didn’t bothering describing to her and he really did finish off the last puzzles in a timely manner.

He’d had to ditch chests full of rupees on the way, which felt like such a waste, but he couldn’t carry anymore (and he’d already repurposed the night shirt Ruplen sold to him when he stayed with him to make a makeshift pouch for extras, though it spilled a lot).

By the time he reached the boss room, he jingled as if he wore clothes made of rupees. “We made it,” he said softly as he pressed the boss key into the hole and unlocked the door. “We’ve reached the end of the temple.”

Voice huffed. She’d gotten sullenly quiet when she found out her demands weren’t being met. “Now you just have to face the Collector.”

Link nodded but hesitated before pushing through to the boss room. He tried to keep the nerves out of his voice, but he failed for the most part. “Got any tips for me?”

“Now you want to listen to what I say?” The vitriol in Voice’s voice wasn’t so strong this time though, and she softened it even further before speaking again. “I don’t know what you will face, but I have read that the Temple of Avarice is meant to challenge a person’s priorities.” Her voice got even quieter. “Be careful, Link.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded. He couldn’t work words past his tight throat, so instead he pushed into the other room in silence.

The room surprised him. The moment his foot crunched in dirt instead of slapping against hard stone, he knew it was different.

He stepped through the deep doorway and examined his surroundings. The walls were built at odd angles to fill in the gaps between tree trunks, rather than being a perfect square like the rest of the rooms.

Vines crawled down to the grass, a trench on one side stretched into darkness and even a little pond of algae littered water dipped in one corner of the room. It looked like a natural forest garden, if the walls weren’t so tall.

He craned his neck back, straining to see past to the sunlight streaming through the wide opening where the ceiling should’ve been, but his muscles froze.

Caw!

With a flap of black wings the size of him, the giant crow alighted from the branch it was perched on.

Link’s heart jumped into his throat and his drew his sword and shrugged on his shield, even though the thing was way out of his reach up there.

The crow sighted in on him and swooped, snatching with sharp talons that Link deflected away with his shield. He stumbled back at the impact, but the bird seemed unfazed as it flew back up to its perch and cocked his head at him.

Voice hovered nervously nearby, but fortunately she didn’t speak. Her form was starting to fade, too.

Link swallowed as he met those beady eyes. A giant bird. Right. He clenched his fist tighter over his sword and forced himself to calm down and think. Hunting isn’t so hard. I’ll just shoot it down, or else I’ll scare it away.

The bird swooped again and Link dove out of the way this time to avoid taking the hit on his shield.

It worked.

The bird didn’t land again, though, and instead spun in the air and swooped again.

Link dove to the side and rolled through the dirt, and managed to dodge it again. While the Collector moved back up to one of its perched above, Link sheathed his sword and took out his bow instead.

He eyed the bird as he strung it as fast as he could, but he didn’t have time to fire at the monster before it attacked again.

Still, his shield wasn’t necessary to dodge the attacks and Link nocked an arrow when it landed again.

Breath in. Stay calm. Hold. Aim. Release.

The string twanged and slapped against his arm, the arrow flew true with a whistle, straight toward the crow’s torso.

A bright light of blue, red, and green flashed in front of the Collector and the arrow pinged off it, useless.

Link couldn’t hold back his growl. Why was there some part of him that knew there would be a catch? Of course it course it couldn’t be that easy.

“Did you get it?” Voice whispered.

Link snapped his teeth together and wagged his head no. “It has some kind of invisible shield protecting it.”

“Maybe you aimed at the wrong spot?” She suggested. “Or maybe you missed. Try again. Aim for the eyes, if you can.”

Right. Aim for those super tiny beads and wish I actually have the accuracy to hit. Thanks Voice. He took a calming breath and dodged the next swipe of the bird, fired off two more arrows in quick succession, then had to dodge again.

The Collector changed up its attack pattern, sometimes attacking only once, sometimes two or three times, feigning as though it would land again and instead swiping for Link so that he barely had time to dodge.

He hit the wall, once, in his roll to the side and the sharp talons cut through his arm as it grazed past.

Link grunted and slapped a hand over the injury, and the bird landed, eyeing the blood hungrily. “It isn’t working! No matter where I shoot, that same shield shows up!”

His heart was pounding and the following silence made him cast his gaze around frantically.

Voice was gone.

The bird swooped again and Link darted between some trees, getting relative safety from their thick trunks.

There was something familiar and obvious about that shield. Every time it popped up, colored like his rupees, it appeared in the same shape as them too.

Link’s pounding heart beat in his ears and he looked toward the shirt full of rupees he’d discarded when the fight started.

A few blues had spilled out into the grass and they glowed as though with an internal light.

The free gifts of an enemy.

His heart tightened. Oh no.

He needed those rupees. He needed to send something back to his family after all the pain he was causing them.

With the amount he’d collected today, they might be able to break even on all their debts. They might could be free of it forever.

Caw! Caw!

He weaved between the trees, rolling out of the way of grasping talons and cringing as his injured arm slid through the dirt.

He found himself just paces from the spilled rupees.

A test of priorities. The Temple of Avarice.

What had he been thinking? Of course he wouldn’t be allowed to keep all of the rupees. Of course it wasn’t possible that he’d come across such good fortune.

His heart hammered against his ribs as he snatched up the makeshift bag and the fallen rupees as well.

In his frantic pickup, he hadn’t noticed that the bird swooped again.

Link shouted as sharp claws dug into his shoulders and dragged him into the air. He swung his body around, ignoring the pain that shot through his wounds, and snatching at the monsters leg, just before the talons released and he would’ve been dropped from a terrifying height.

“Gah!” Link’s entire weight relied on his single arm, but at least the new passenger was forcing the bird lower to the ground.

When his grip slipped, he was still twice his height in the air, and he rolled his ankle trying to land on uneven ground.

He grunted at the impact and pain lanced up his leg and down from the punctures in his shoulders, but he couldn’t stop.

Stumbling forward and snatching up the bag and rupees, Link barely managed to dodge the next attack.

He rushed beneath the reaching talons and sprawled on the ground just beyond when his foot gave out.

Dirt plumed around him and the bag skidded over the grass to teeter on the edge of the trench. He just hoped it was deep enough.

He scrambled back to his feet and kicked a stray rupee into the hole.

Caaaaaw!!

The Collector’s outcry was angry and frantic. Link grit his teeth in a determined smile. I’m on the right track.

He scooped up the bag and hesitated for only a second, listening the jingling of riches inside, then he dropped it in after the first.

The Collector went mad with anger and Link shouted in surprise when feathers sharp as knives shot at him, two embedding themselves in his leg before he managed to jump away.

The crow dove again and Link rolled through the dirt, dislodging the feather knives in his skin as he moved.

He lifted his bow and shot again, but his heart lurched when the colorful shield appeared again, if a little duller.

His wide eyes snapped to his rupee pouch on his belt. No, but I had some of those before I came to the temple!

How many did he bring in with him? Would it matter? Would any rupee power the monster’s shield?

A day full of work. Full of earning his keep so he could pay his way through his adventure and send even more home to his family.

Link’s eyes burned, but he undid his pouch and froze just before he tossed it into the ravine. Frantically he dug into it and took out the Soul’s Voice, then he threw it with all his might.

Take that, Collector. He turned his snarl on the oversized screaming bird. This is over.

His next arrow struck true, and two more and the monster was dead. Good thing, because he was running low on arrows after all the misfires.

The Collector’s body fell from the tree branch it was perched on and shook the ground with the impact. Then it imploded into a dark mist, and all that remained was a gilded heart container the size of Link’s chest.

He stared at it, then he inches closer and took up the item. It melted into his skin, invigorating him.

He stared at the feeling, even some of his wounds weren’t bleeding as bad, though it didn’t help completely. “Whoa.”

The grating of a door on the other side of the room drew his attention and Link limped to it.

Beyond was another stone room with a pedestal in the middle, the sparkle of a pink piece of the Soul’s Voice sitting on top.

He inched into the room, exhaustion from his battle and two days spent in the temple pulling him down, but he wasn’t going to lose his chance now.

He took the jewel, and pulled out the other two pieces and they immediately snapped together to make a single whole.

“Link!” Voice exploded into existence beside him and then she flew even closer, examining him with her hands fluttering uselessly over his injuries. “Are you hurt? What happened? Did you complete the Soul’s Voice? I was trying to come back, but the connection was so weak. It’s stronger now!”

Though she seemed to already know the answer, Link held up the completed jewel with a quirk of his lips. “We did it.”

Chapter Text

There were a good few minutes where they didn’t talk about the Soul’s Voice anymore. Voice gave him a big smile—that he could even see through the pink blur—and then she was fretting over his injuries and watching closely as he bandaged each cut.

“Is that really all of them?” She asked with her hands on her hips when he was finished. “You’re not hiding injuries to make yourself seem stronger, are you?”

Link tucked his pant leg back into his boot and gave an exasperated shake of his head. “Why would I do that?”

She eyed him for a moment longer, but she didn’t argue. She shifted closer and sat in midair beside him, leaning in to look at the Soul’s Voice, now hanging on a strap around Link’s neck. “You really completed it.”

Link pressed a finger to the three petaled flower. With the Soul’s Voice all in one piece now, that meant that it was only a matter of time before Rift came home.

-
“Don’t rush, Link!” Rift called after him.

Link did rush, and he did make it to the climbing tree first. He spun around to grin at Rift just as the older boy stumbled through the last of the underbrush. “What took you so long?”

Rift spluttered and waved a hand at Link, but catching his breath he couldn’t form an easy sentence and instead started laughing.
-

Link’s heart warmed at the fond memory. He fisted his hand around the Soul’s Voice and looked up at Voice. “What next? What do I need to do to bring Rift home?”

Voice looked at him from where she sat in the air. She lifted her chin and the posture was so imperious Link thought for a moment he’d said something wrong. The she spoke. “The last piece necessary before you face Dark Beast Ganon is the Master Sword. It’s been missing for years, but I know where to find it.”

The Master Sword?? But that’s for- Link’s body froze as Voice’s words to him a few days ago sunk in. The Hero of Courage.

In all his focus on Rift it was easy to forget the title she’d placed on his shoulders. And the duty.

His dreams of the Dark Beast from the Gerudo desert reared to the forefront of his mind. Nightmares of a terrifying monster so much bigger and stronger than himself.

“Link?”

He shuddered, pulling himself out of his thoughts and focusing on Voice once more. She was watching him, like when Mama was waiting for him to give the right answer to a question he should know.

Of course he knew what he was supposed to say. It was forcing it through his tight throat that was the hard part. “I’m ready.” His voice rasped more than before and it felt like the words were tearing out of his chest. “Lead the way.”

She seemed satisfied and nodded, flitting into the air and guiding the way out of the temple through a new door that opened in the back.

Link followed, and for the first time since his battle with the Collector, he noticed the light weight of the pouch at his side.

His chest clenched tighter and he dug into it, only to find exactly what he knew would be there. Nothing.

All of those rupees, dropped forever down a black abyss. All that would have surely been enough to pay off their family’s debts. To buy their way back out of a similar hole.

His heart ached.

-
“Lossa, this isn’t even half of what you owe for this month,” the voice was serpentine and unfamiliar.

Link peaked out the door, looking down the hall where Papa stood in front of their table and a strange man with long hair pulled back sat in Mama’s seat.

“Link, you shouldn’t be spying,” Rift whispered, coming up beside him. “It isn’t right.”

“Shhh,” Link reached over and pressed a hand over the other boy’s mouth, because something was clearly wrong.

Papa’s back was facing the hall, but all his muscles were bunched tight. His fists were hard at his sides and he looked like he was forcing himself to stand straight. “I don’t have it just yet, but I will soon.”

“Soon isn’t now,” the stranger said, tapping a finger on the table next to the two red rupees sparkling before him. “I’m aware Toke has been running a sloppy shift on collection, but now that I’m here, I intend for things to go as they must.”

“I’ll have the rupees by the end of the month,” Papa said, his voice trembling. “That was the agreement.”

“No, you are mistaken. That was the agreement if you were on time with previous payments. You’re still behind by…” he flipped a lazy finger through a notebook, then raised an eyebrow. “Half a year.”

Papa visibly flinched.

“Link, come away.” Rift’s voice was tense and he pulled at Link’s arm.

“I think Papa might need help,” Link hissed. “Something isn’t right.”

Rift hesitated, and the conflict in his expression onLy strengthened when his gaze darted down the hall to the stranger.

“I intend to leave with my payment in full today,” the man said, placing his palm face-down over the rupees. “Even should that mean taking away investments as Hylian labor instead.”

Papa’s hand slapped against the table. “Toke would never-!”

“I’m not Toke.” The man’s face split in a smile. “But don’t worry so for yourself. I hear you have two strong boys leeching off you under this roof. You don’t need so many to carry on your family name, and it will be easier for your family in the long run with only one.”

Link gasped, at the same moment, Rift’s hand slipped over his mouth and he pulled him back away from the door.

“Link, we shouldn’t be listening.” When he released his mouth and Link spun around, Rift was pale. “Papa’s got it handled. You don’t have to worry about him.”

“I-is he going to send one of us away?”

Rift straightened his shoulders and set his jaw. “No. You know Papa would never.”

“But that man said-“

“Don’t listen to what he said.” Rift’s eyes flicked to the door and there was a twinge of doubt to his expression. Then his gaze returned to Link and every trace of it was gone. “Papa won’t separate our family and that man can’t make him. We just have to earn more rupees is all.”

Link trembled as Rift moved toward the bed, gesturing Link on before tucking him in.

“Papa won’t let anyone push him around,” Rift continued. “Just you wait and see.” Then he climbed onto his side of the bed and blew out the candle.

Of course he was right. The next morning, the stranger seemed like a bad dream, and though somehow their only cow had disappeared, no one talked about it.
-

Link trudged through the trees barely looking. Voice didn’t seem to expect him to do more than follow, so he drifted off in his own thoughts and memories.

It was after that night that Rift settled so hard on the idea that he would work all the time. Mama wanted him to get a little more schooling first, but Rift was adamant and they relented.

Link rubbed his rupee pouch and pursed his lips. Neither of them wanted to be a leech on Mama and Papa.

“What happened to all your rupees?” Voice’s mild curiosity drove Link out of his thoughts. “You had a lot more than that when I last saw you.”

Link dropped the pouch and it swung on his belt against his leg. “I had to get rid of them to defeat the Collector.”

Voice hesitated in the air, just a slight stutter in her movement before she was going again. “Was that hard?”

It sounded like a test. Link squinted at her, but she wasn’t facing him and was still just made of pink smoke. It made her hard to read. “It was that or die.”

“What would you have done if you’d kept them?”

“My parents need them more than I do.” Link shrugged. “Besides, they’ve sacrificed so much for me and my brother. It’s the least I can do to try and pay them back.”

Voice paused in the air and looked over her shoulder at him. There was a smile in her voice when she spoke. “You remind me of someone I know.”

“I hope that’s not a bad thing.”

She laughed. “No. it’s not.”

Chapter Text

“Even before he got a job as a soldier, Rift was always working to try and help out,” Link stepped over a mossy log. “Even with all that taking up his time, he would always take some time out of his day to spend with me. To help me, play with me, or just get me to work on my chores instead of dozing off.”

Voice, who had been around all day and hadn’t faded at all, floated straight through a tree without noticing. “You seem to care for him a great deal.”

“Of course I do.” He glanced at her. “What about you? Have any siblings?”

Voice looked at him and through the blur he couldn’t make out her expression. She gestured down to her ghostly form. “Do I look like I could have siblings?”

Link shrugged. “You confessed earlier that you’re not really so old as you tried to make me think. I don’t see why you couldn’t have family too.”

She was quiet a moment. Then she let out a low hum. “No siblings. It is just me and my father.”

Link didn’t press any further, she didn’t sound especially interested in talking about herself. Still, he wondered what it was like for someone like her to have a father. Would he be made of pink smoke too? If she was a real ghost, did that mean that the rest of her family was actually still alive? Or that they had been estranged before their deaths?

“What do you see?”

Link cast his thoughts aside and described the nearby area, making sure to focus on interesting sights a little longer than anything else, like the two trees arching over a line of bushes that made it look like a castle wall.

“We’re almost there.” She pointed forward, even though her finger was directly facing a tree. “The entrance to the Forest Temple is just beyond the bushes ahead.”

Link glanced at her. They were very specific directions, unlike the last two temples he’d visited. “You sound as if you’ve been here before.”

Voice didn’t look at him. “I have.”

Link climbed through the bushes and froze.

The Forest Temple towered in front of him, just like all the descriptions of castles he’d ever heard. The thick forest pressed in on its sides and some of the overgrowth covered the old stone as well, but the doors three times his height stood tall and very much closed.

In front of the smooth stone, at the top of the steps leading up to the doors, a woman wreathed in white fabric stood, one of her two swords held at the ready.

“You’ve come at last.” The smile in her accented voice was obvious and Link flinched back at the sight of her.

Despite Voice’s warnings, he thought that maybe the woman who attacked him in the Soul Temple was gone for good.

“What is it?” Voice demanded. “What do you see?”

Link drew his own sword, still watching the woman who hadn’t moved. She was eyeing him cautiously. Perhaps their last meeting had at least given her some reason to second guess coming against him head on. “The woman in white is here,” he muttered, and Voice let out a noise of irritation.

“You didn’t think it would be so easy to get rid of me, did you?” The woman lifted an object in her free hand—from this distance it looked like a key—then she flipped it in the air and caught it in a fist, grinning. “It will not be so easy for you to find the Master Sword as you have hoped.”

Link settled in his fighting stance, shrugging on his shield. He knew she was experienced, but now he had real weapons. Would that even the playing field, or was it more wise to retreat for now?

His mind flashed back to racing through the forest, running for his life from monsters, and he shook the idea away. Turning his back on an opponent who so clearly wanted to put a sword in it wouldn’t do.

“Others have come searching for the Master Sword in the past,” the woman said. “Those who arrogantly thought that they had found the Hero of Courage on their own.” Her foot hit the ground and she pocketed the key. “Every single one of those boys failed to draw the holy blade. What makes you think things would be different for you, boy?”

“Is she talking to you? Don’t listen to her.” Voice hovered closer, beyond the boundaries of his personal space making him flinch back. “What is she saying?”

“Hard to say if I’m supposed to be ignoring her,” he hissed. Then he raised his voice to address the woman before him. “You called me the hero yourself.”

The woman tsked her tongue. “So I did.” She drew her second sword and gestured back to the giant temple doors. “You’re too late. Even if you were to escape death today, I have sealed the temple and scattered the keys. The Master Sword will not be seen again.”

Keys like the one she was just flaunting? Link steeled himself, even as dread built up within him. How many are there? How long will it take me to find them all? I need that sword!

Rift, and if Voice was to be believed, many other lives rested on his taking up the Master Sword and defeating Dark Beast Ganon. He couldn’t afford to waste time.

The woman spun the swords in her hands, then she charged forward. “Now you must die!”

Link was ready for the attack, but blocking the first sword wasn’t enough to make up for the arch of the second and he had to roll out of the way.

He trained with Papa and Rift. Both of them only used one blade. He adjusted his grip on his sword and lifted his shield higher. He could remember the rhythm of her movements from their last fight. He just had to be ready.

The woman struck again, this time he parried the blow off his shield and knocked her off balance, sending her other sword’s arch high. He stabbed at her, but she dodged out of the way with the grace of a dancer.

“Watch your surroundings,” Voice advised. “Don’t let her trick you.”

Despite the well-meant words, the shock of a voice so close at hand made Link lose focus. He stumbled and his assailant took her chance to strike, kicking him off his feet.

“Link! Get up!”

“You’re not helping, Voice,” he growled as he rolled out of the way of a sword that skewered the ground where he had just been.

He pushed back to his feet just in time to take two more blows on his shield, backing him into the unknown behind him while he scrambled to retain his footing.

“You are inexperienced and soft,” the woman sneered. “The Twinrova will be disappointed at the ease with which you are to be dispatched.”

Link blocked two more blows before he finally found his feet. He swung in his own before she could steal the advantage, but his strike was obvious and easy to parry.

Strangely, she blocked with her left sword, further from the attack, rather than the right.

“I think I can help,” Voice murmured, thankfully further away this time. She didn’t say more, so Link ignored her in favor of the battle, even when her misty form began to glow.

“You’ve acquired real weapons,” his opponent said, “but your survival didn’t rely on them since your childhood.” She slashed twice again, knocking Link’s sword to the side and then slashing toward the opening.

He ducked away and circled her to try and keep her swords at an awkward angle for attack.

“You will never be able to face the wrath of a true Gerudo Thief.”

Gerudo!? All the pieces clicked together at once. The accent. The female warrior. The hatred for the Hero of Courage.

His shock was a detriment. The Gerudo woman swung with her left blade and it knocked his wrist, he gasped in pain even as he jerked back and out of her reach.

She was advancing fast, but still she held the left blade forward and favored her right side. Almost as if…

She’s still recovering from our last bout! Link circled toward her right, ignoring the painful sting in his wrist. He had to keep away from her good hand.

Then his blade began to glow.

He and the Gerudo woman both paused, staring at the pink light wide eyed.

“Link, now!”

He didn’t need more encouragement than that. Link advanced, swinging at the Gerudo woman with all his might.

She stumbled back, still shocked, and threw up her left sword in defense even at the awkward angle.

Link’s glowing blade sliced through hers, and then cut past her arm even as she moved.

They both froze, eyes darting down to the severed blade on the ground. Then the Gerudo Thief snapped her gaze back to him before she turned around and darted into the trees.

Link stared at his glowing blade, but as he stood stagnant, the glow began to fade.

“Is it over?”

Link nodded absently, still watching the last remnants of the pink die out. “She ran away.”

“You didn’t, you know…” For once her decisive voice took on a bit of awkward instead of melodic and she fumbled for words for a second. “Finish her off?”

Link grunted and sheathed his blade. “Voice, I barely survived that confrontation. Her surprise and that light are the only things that saved me.” He shuddered even at the thought and he lifted his hand to examine his bleeding cut. “Of course I wasn’t going to chase after her.”

“It’s a waste of my power if I spend all the energy to bless your blade and this is how you use it.”

He wrapped the cut and sighed, moving toward the temple steps instead. “I’m sorry, okay? I was just as shocked as her by it all. I had no idea you could do that.”

“Didn’t I tell you the Soul’s Voice would allow me to aid you on your quest?”

Link stopped in front of the tall doors. They were locked. A stack of keyholes ran down the immaculate surface. Link counted them and felt his heart sink. “Eight missing keys.”

“What?”

Link squeezed his eyes closed and fisted his hand against the door. He was so ready to finish this. So ready to march out into danger against a monster to save people’s lives.

He wasn’t sure if it was frustration or relief that was flipping his heart like a pancake.

“Link? What’s going on?”

“The Gerudo woman locked the doors,” he said softly. Eight keys to find. How long would it take? How many people would be put in danger by the delay? How much more time did Link have before throwing himself in front of the monster from his nightmares? “She said she scattered the keys. It looks like there are eight of them.”

Voice moved to the temple door as well, attention focused on where Link’s fist rested. “Eight?” Her tone was unreadable.

Link just nodded.

Voice shifted down in the air a little, deflating toward the ground as she lifted a hand to her temple and took a deep breath that whistled through her nose.

The silence continued for another moment before she lifted into the air again and straightened her shoulders, all signs of her former—irritation? Anger? Distress?—completely gone. “Well then, I suppose we know what to start on next.” She turned away from the temple doors and gestured for Link to follow. “The Sealing Keys aren’t going to find themselves, hero. Let’s go.”

Link took a deep breath of his own and nodded, pulling away from the door.

Just wait, Rift. I’m coming.

Chapter Text

If all goes well we’ll all be back together again soon.

We’ll all be back together soon.

Lossa’s leg was killing him, stiffening to the point that he was half dragging it in the dirt behind him like some oversized peg-leg. He couldn’t slow now, though. He was almost to Kakariko and to where his boy was last seen.

All. What did he mean by that? One additional word and maybe Lossa had been alone for too long that it kept circling in his head like a bird of prey. If he was only talking about us, wouldn’t “we’ll” have been enough?

A branch snapped in the woods and drew him out of his musings. Lossa paused. The setting sun was casting everything in an orange glow and the shadows were likely playing tricks on his eyes.

He squinted into the darkness nonetheless, shaking out his stiff bad arm as he did so.

Movement, something too big to be most wild game.

Footsteps, two-legged creatures, so not a dear.

Lossa drew his sword, still flexing his shield arm to get some feeling back into it after all this time of disuse.

He inched back, away from the noises and likely ambush. If he could avoid a fight altogether, that would be the best outcome.

Unfortunately, the pack of bokoblins were having none of that. A group of eight stepped out onto the road, weapons already held at the ready.

Two more appeared behind Lossa when he glanced back at the noise.

Ten.

Lossa steadied his stance, cursing the Gerudo and his injuries as pain lanced up his leg.

Ten against one and he was already partially surrounded. He needed to force them around to one side.

He circled the group in front of him slowly, all their eyes locked on him and his blade.

The bokoblins behind him crept a little closer until he glared in their direction and they faltered.

At least he cut an intimidating figure with his stature. He shrugged on his shield and adjusted his grip on his sword.

Fighting on your own was substantially different than fighting in an army unit. He’d never taken this many monsters on single-handedly.

They were waiting to ambush at the side of the road. How many hapless villagers stumbled into their trap?

The bokoblins advanced.

Lossa deflected a blow off his shield and sliced out at his assailant, only managing to duck in time to dodge another attack from the side and to circle around again so they couldn’t get behind.

He grunted as his bad leg caught itself and he stumbled.

The bokoblins took their chance. To charged forward at once, another pulling back an arrow on its bow.

Lossa dispatched one monster, but took a blow to the arm by the other as payment for his success.

He shouted, but had to hit the dirt a moment later just before an arrow whistled through the air where his head had been.

They were proficient, he’d give them that. It certainly didn’t ease the sick feeling in his stomach.

Lossa rolled on the ground and tried to jump back to his feet, but a second time his injuries betrayed him.

His locked leg refused to bend and he stumbled forward on hands and knee rather than popping right back up as he’d planned.

This was why he’d been discharged. This was the reason he’d lost what income he could provide for his family and instead was stuck working odd jobs to scrape by.

A monster swung a spiked club at his head and Lossa shoved himself backward, bending his stiff leg by force. He grunted. The rest of his body locked up for a split second at the pain shooting through every nerve.

I don’t plan to die here today. Lossa forced his body into motion, shoving down the pain and darting to his feet once more. He deflected two strikes on one side with his shield, then slashed out a counter of his own on the other, quickly taking down two more of the monsters.

Seven left.

He panted as he surveyed his options, backing away to get them all grouped up in front of him again.

If he could find a bottle-neck somewhere naturally occurring, he could force them to come at him one at a time, but here on the middle of the road it was just a matter of time before they completely overwhelmed him.

Warmth dripped down his arm where he’d been hit and he cringed. If he bled too much, he’d slow and they would finish him with little difficulty.

These thoughts were racing through his head when his ears twitched at an unfamiliar sound.

Hissing. Not natural like the forest but like… a fuse.

Lossa spun toward the trees behind him, and whatever his within, but was only just in time to catch sight of the lit bomb flying overhead.

He dove to the ground away from it, and the next thing he knew, heat slapped his back and noise exploded in his ears.

He lifted his hands off his head and lifted it, dust floated in the air from the disturbance and his ears rang.

He twisted to look over his shoulder, but the bomb had landed right in the middle of the mob of monsters that were conveniently grouped together by Lossa’s maneuvering. The carnage was complete. The only survivor was the stunned archer, who stood further back blinking at the dust and smoke.

Lossa pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the ring in his ears, and he limped to the monster and finished it off as well. At least for now, the road would be safe again for travelers.

“Are you hurt?” The voice was more youthful than he expected.

Lossa furrowed his brow and turned around, and was surprised when he didn’t see a soldier or member of Kakariko’s watch, but a boy around Link’s own age, dressed in purple and carrying a giant bag over his shoulders. “You’re… the one who threw the bomb?”

The boy scratched the back of his head and gave some mix of a grimace and a smile. “Uh… yeah. I thought there was enough room that it wouldn’t hurt you, and it definitely did its job well. No one can say I sell faulty merchandise.” He chuckled and lowered his hand. “I heard the commotion and kind of freaked out. I’m not really a fighter, so I shouldn’t have intervened.”

“No.” Lossa dusted off his pants and sheathed his sword. “You saved my life. I thank you.” He glanced behind the boy. “Where is your family?”

Pain flicked into the boy’s eyes. “I travel alone. I’m plenty old enough! I turned sixteen a few months ago, so I’m working on my business!”

Lossa pursed his lips. A little older than Link, then, but still not old enough to be out on his own on anything but a technicality. Still, he was legally an adult. Lossa smiled and held out a hand. “I’m Lossa.”

The boy took it and gave it an eager shake, if not a strong one. “Ruplen.”

Lossa nodded behind the boy. “You coming from Kakariko?”

“I had a shop set up there for a while. Business was better in some of the other villages, though, so I’m moving on toward Castle Town.”

“You didn’t happen to see a boy around your own age there, did you? Dirty blond hair, short, bright blue eyes. He’d go by the name of Link.”

Ruplen’s eyes lit up with recognition, just before they narrowed with suspicion and he backed away a little, eyeing Lossa.

He chuckled and shrugged his shield back into his shoulder. “Nothing bad. I’m his father and he went missing a few days ago. He sent word from Kakariko, so that’s where I’m going to look for him.”

The merchant looked him up and down, lips twisted in thought, but whatever he saw must have proved to him that Lossa really was a relative of Link’s, because he shrugged his shoulders and hiked his bag higher. “You won’t find him in town. He left already.”

Equal parts disappointment and excitement wrestled for precedence. “You’ve seen him! Where did he go?”

Ruplen backed another step away from the excitement and eyed Lossa like he might pounce on him. “I don’t know. He’s become somewhat of a partner for me, and I told him I’d be in Castle Town, though. He seemed like he was looking for something. He left town and came back in the evening with an item I have no idea how he found.”

Lossa stamped down his disappointment and rubbed a finger over his chin. “Looking for something?” He muttered.

Adventuring as though he was born to it. Leaving home suddenly with only a strange note. Making friends with merchants and hardly staying in one place.

Lossa peered at the boy. “You say you’re going to Castle Town? And Link sells you things and knows that’s where you’ll be?”

Ruplen nodded.

All.

Was Link… searching for Rift?

-
“I volunteer to head up the search. I may not be physically able to fight, but I can still look for them.”

“You know we all respect you, Captain Lossa,” Lieutenant Park’s voice was apologetic. “But the king has put a hold on all search efforts. It seems he has no intention of looking for the princess right now.”
-

After three years, surely things have changed. Lossa straightened and ignored the screaming in his shoulder. “What would you say to a little added protection on the road?”

Ruplen’s face brightened. “Well, my bomb’s are expensive, and seeing as I had to use one to save you, I was going to request a full repayment. However, not having to worry about danger along the road would be worth the investment!”

Lossa blinked, then he found himself chuckling. The boy must’ve been a born merchant. “Then I’ll repay my debt to you the best I can, Ruplen. Let’s head to Castle Town.”

3 Years Ago

Zelda snorted again, just thinking back on the way the hero had stumbled through their meeting, and all the different titles he’d tacked onto her name.

She leaned her head against her hand as she laughed, lowering her quill to one side. He knew nothing of how to interact with royalty and it showed.

She was impressed with her own ability to hold her tongue and not break into laughter then and there.

“Princess?” Impa peeked into the room and Zelda drew back her giggles. “Ah, there you are.” The Sheikah stepped into the room, wrestling with her skirts to get them out of the way of the door as she went. She never did seem quite used to them.

“Here I am,” Zelda said, leaning back from her desk and peering down the few steps to the ground level where her handmaiden stood. “Did you find what I asked for?”

Impa curled her lips, her expression plainly conveying her confusion, but she climbed the steps to set the pages on her desk anyway. “Of course.”

Zelda fingered through the pages and smiled her satisfaction. “Well done.”

Impa didn’t move from her spot, looking over the current research Zelda was working on. Finally she sighed. “What do you plan to do with this, your highness?”

Zelda set her hand over the papers and felt the smile quirking her lips. “So much of our history is unexplained, but I know it holds the secrets for a bountiful and safe kingdom.”

“What do past wars with the Gerudo have to do with safety?”

Zelda flicked the page. “You have to work to have safety. It isn’t something given freely.”

Impa still didn’t look convinced. “Isn’t the king handling treating with the Gerudo?”

“A good ruler is always prepared,” Zelda patted her hand on the stack of papers. “Besides. Something else from the desert tribes has drawn my attention. I have to look more to be certain, but I think I’m finally onto something. If I’m right, Father will have to listen to me this time.”

Impa crossed her arms. “And what of this new recruit you promoted to bodyguard. Do you really think that was necessary?” Beneath her breath the woman added, “or helpful?”

Zelda bit her cheek to hold back her smile. Impa still had no idea. No clue as to what was coming and what they would have to face given time. “Impa?”

The handmaiden straightened, giving her full attention.

Zelda twisted her quill in her fingers. “If I had to leave one day, for the good of Hyrule, would you try to stop me?”

“Stop you?”

“If it was my choice to leave. Not anyone else’s.”

Impa narrowed her eyes. “What are you implying?”

Zelda twirled the quill again. “Would you come with me even then?”

Impa wasn’t missing the implications, despite her clear desire for Zelda to spell her intentions out forthright. “If you are implying running away from home-“

“I am implying a quest for the good of the kingdom that some may not take kindly to at first.”

Impa looked like she’d swallowed a sour grape, but she leaned forward and placed a hand over Zelda’s twirling the quill, stilling the motion. “My job is to stay by your side, princess. I don’t intend to fail at that, no matter what that entails. So before you get any wild ideas about running away and saving the kingdom on your own…” her grip tightened and her eyes flashed. “Make sure you tell me.”

Zelda wasn’t used to feeling cowed by her handmaiden. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away, setting her quill to the side and not meeting the older woman’s eyes. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of anything else.” Now that I know you won’t stop me. “How would I get along without you?”

Impa seemed satisfied with that and she pulled away. “Good luck on your research then, your highness.”

Zelda nodded and turned back to her papers as Impa made her way out of the room without another word.

Chapter Text

Much Needed Time Alone

They only had a lead on one of the Sealing Keys. At the very least, Link knew the woman in white had one and hid the others.

The Forest Temple, where the Master Sword was locked, was in Hyrule, but the woman in white was a Gerudo.

Where would a Gerudo Thief hide seven Sealing Keys? He and Voice decided their best bet was to check the desert, and so he was on his way toward a war-torn border, closer to the Gerudo Desert than he’d ever been in his life.

Rushing water sprayed a cool mist into the air that ran over his sweaty face. Link sighed in relief as he dropped down on the bank of the river and just basked in the cool after his hard exertion. Probably one of the last rivers he’d find on this path.

Who would have thought an adventure would be so tiring? Were these the kind of fights Papa and Rift were always fighting?

His shoulders slumped just at the thought of them. He really had felt like he was so close, and while a part of him thought for certain he was going to die trying to fight the monster in the desert, another part believed that it was only going to be a matter of time until he was home.

Home. He’d only managed to send one payment of rupees back this far. With everything he lost in the Temple of Avarice, there was little else he could do.

Would the first amount be enough to last until he earned more? Could they still make the payments while he figured out how to get more back to them?

What must they think? The way he disappeared, just like Rift. Would Link be the next one to stop sending back rupees? Would he be the next son they lost, that they couldn’t even mourn because there was no way to be certain?

Rift’s disappearance had torn their hearts apart. Now that they were finally mending, how could Link do something like this to them?

His chest was tight and he pushed the thoughts away before the tickle in his eyes could turn to a sting.

He shouldn’t be thinking about this. If he survived this, then he and Rift would come home together and all would be forgiven. If not…

He shook the thought away again and stood, pulling off his scabbard and tunic.

It’d been too long since he’d had a chance for a bath and he could feel the grime and stench all over him.

Bruised fingers were stiff as they fumbled at the buckle of his belt, but he managed, pulling that off as well and then-

“Aaaaaagh!”

Link nearly jumped out of his skin, jerking around to face Voice.

She floated in the air a few feet away, staring at him in wide eyed shock. “Don’t!”

Link’s face burned hot from his neck to his ears and he froze. “Ah- I- Voice?”

She covered her eyes with her hands and floated back a couple paces. “Don’t take your clothes off!” She sounded angry, but her voice still trembled with… embarrassment?

Link hastily redid his belt, feeling hot all over again in a way even the river couldn’t alleviate. He snatched up his tunic and yanked it over his head, face still burning. “What are you doing here!?”

“What do you mean!? I came to talk to you!” She peeked between her fingers and deflated toward the ground when she saw he was fully clothed once more. “What in Hyrule were you doing??”

Link’s burning face grew even hotter and his ears flattened against his head. “I was going to- I was- I didn’t know- you just-“ he threw a hand toward the river—which she couldn’t see—then drew it back and dropped his head into both of them.

Voice’s high-pitched squeaks lowered as she regained her composure, still her voice trembled when she spoke. “Oh… You were alone?”

“Of course I was!” He snapped. “Until you showed up out of nowhere!” He couldn’t even bathe in peace anymore! Did she expect him to keep moving every second of every day??

She had the decency to look sheepish, but when she spoke her voice conveyed none of it. “You should have warned me. I wouldn’t have come if I knew.”

And yet she was still here blocking his chance. Link huffed. “And how was I supposed to do that? It’s not like I can see or talk to you unless you’re already here. Am I supposed to wait until I see you to ask permission to wash myself? To answer nature’s call?”

The pink of her mist darkened, growing a little more red and she cleared her throat. “Ah- no. I suppose that wouldn’t work, would it?”

Link ran a hand down his face, finally feeling it cooling a little after that whole fiasco. “Alright, so how do we make sure this doesn’t happen anymore?”

Voice hesitated.

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, close to himself. It didn’t seem fair that she should barge in on him and yet he was the one who felt the worst about it. “I’ll take off the Soul’s Voice.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“When I need some privacy,” he clarified. “I’ll remove it, so you’ll know if it’s harder to reach me, it must mean I’m busy.”

“I don’t know if removing the-“

“You have a better idea?”

She bit down her words. She floated in silence for a moment and made no move to answer him.

Link nodded, though he was already starting to feel bad for snapping at her. He reached under his shirt and pulled at the necklace. “Then I’m going to take a bath.”

When he removed it, Voice disappeared without another word, fading into pink mist that filtered into the jewel.

Link dropped it to the ground by his sword belt and crouched down beside it, digging his hands into his hair and burying his face.

He was too harsh, he knew. He shouldn’t have been so short with her and he was going to feel dreadful about it for days.

Still, he needed time alone, and if they were going to figure something out with this new closeness finishing the Soul’s Voice had brought, then it might as well be at the beginning before anything worse happened than this.

His face grew hot again just thinking about it. He shoved the thoughts away and set about searching all the nearby woods. He was going to take this bath, and no one was going to stop him.

The darkness fell fast and Link shook out his wet hair as he plopped onto his bedroll, dressed in the loose nightshirt he bought from Ruplen and in some soft trousers.

It felt marvelous to be clean again after all this time wandering around covered in grime. Of course he washed up as best he could at any body of water he found, this was the first—and likely last—deep river he’d come across.

He yawned as he considered the travel ahead for tomorrow. He would need to make sure and refill his water skin before heading straight into the scorching desert. Ruplen told him men were allowed into the outer towns, so if he found himself in too great a need he could try his luck there. What with the tensions and skirmishes in the past, though, Link wasn’t eager to go near any Gerudo civilizations.

The moonlight caught on the sparkling pink jewel, still set to the side with his empty rupee pouch.

He should probably put it back on to let Voice know that he was done, but she was likely to show up right then and keep him awake by rambling on about the plans they’d already made and demands that he move faster.

He cringed at the thought and dropped down to lay on his mat instead, sword and shield by his side in case of late night danger.

She could go one night without nagging him and he’d talk to her in the morning.

The figure shifted through the shadows, as though they were a part of her. Her spoils for this raid had been enough already to please the Twinrova. Still, when she heard the muffled moans of a Hylian boy, she couldn’t help but creep closer.

The Gerudo Thief peeked through the bushes and spotted his encampment, dark and quiet by the edge of the water.

She cringed at the sight of the river, so close, and determined to avoid its edge, even as she slipped out of her hiding and into the area.

The boy was tossing and turning in his sleep, murmuring and moaning and sweating like he had water to spare.

She considered finishing off just one more Hylian in the way, but her gaze caught on the sword by him. One of his hands rested on it and clenched and relaxed over the scabbard in waves.

If she drew close enough to deliver a mercy blow in his sleep, there was always the chance that he would wake. She was a Thief, not a fighter, and she was not confident in her chances in that scenario.

Instead, she examined his other belongings and found just want she wanted. A rupee pouch perched on a rock.

She grinned and crept to it, slipping it off the stone.

It was… disappointingly light. But a jewel sat to the side of it. She pressed that into her bag with the other spoils of her trip, and just like the shadows she called sisters, slipped out of sight.

Chapter Text

The monsters crowded at his heels, snuffling and growling.

Link vaulted a log and shot a glance over his shoulder which he quickly regretted.

Eyes, disembodied in shadows, chased after him, but his single backwards glance was enough to undo him.

His feet faltered and liquid rushed up around his legs.

No, no, no. Link splashed furiously, spinning back toward the edge of the pond but his eyes shot wide.

He was in the center, far from any solid ground on any side. Surrounded only by water and by-

“Rift!!!”

That was all he could get out before his body plummeted into the icy cold. He clawed at it, desperate to reach the surface again, but despite his efforts he sank, deeper and deeper into that darkness.

“Link?”

He spun in the shadows, lungs burning for air as he searched for something that might help.

“Link, where are you?”

Here! No words came. Bubbles shot from his mouth and his muscles tingled and locked. Please, Rift. I’m here!
-

“Link?”

His eyes came open and it took him a moment to realize that he was not in fact drowning.

Link panted, blankets clutched between his fingers and tangled around his legs. He was sweaty, and his hair was still a little damp from washing the night before, but he wasn’t in the pond.

His tingling muscles took a few moments longer before they loosened their locked holds and his body slumped against the thin blanket protecting him from hard dirt.

“Where are you?”

Of course. A morning wouldn’t be complete without this. Link sighed and forced himself to sit, scrubbing at the sleep in his eyes. “I was just sleeping, Voice. I have to get rest sometimes too, you know.”

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

Link blinked and pulled his hand away from his eyes, scanning his surroundings. No telltale signs of pink mist.

He’d taken the Soul’s Voice off. That was right. He sighed and pushed up to his feet and made his way to the rock where his rupee pouch sat.

“Link! Put on the Soul’s Voice!” Her impatience was starting to boil through, even in the foggy distance of her voice.

Link was gonna have it in for him when he did put on the jewel. He rifled through the rupee pouch. His heart thumped. Link dropped down to hands and knees, examining the dirt and grass around the stone.

No Soul’s Voice.

The pit in his stomach appeared from nowhere and sucked Voice’s words into its void along with every other thought.

It’s gone.

Link scrambled through the camp searching. Every nook and cranny. Every place he might’ve set or dropped it, despite the confidence he felt that he’d placed it with his rupee pouch last night.

Once he’d scrambled over the whole clearing three times, he finally dropped to sit on his heels and stare out at the river.

His heart was pounding in his head and Voice’s weak words had since faded into nothing.

He lost it. The artifact they’d spent so much time putting together and he’d lost it. How could he just lose it? How could it have disappeared unless…

Dread twisted his gut and he stared at the water, merrily reflecting the morning sunlight.

He was certain he’d removed it to bathe. Completely positive.

His hands were trembling when he dug them into his hair.

If he dropped the Soul’s Voice in the water, would he ever be able to find it? What if it went deeper than he could stand? What if it sank down further than he could reach?

-
His gurgling calls were too quiet to hear. He couldn’t call for help as the water dragged at him. He couldn’t get their attention.
-

Pain in his scalp made him loosen his grip on his hair. He couldn’t freak out now. He had a mission to complete.

He held his breath as he pushed to his feet, staring at the river as though it were the newest boss to face at the end of a temple.

He didn’t know what he would’ve done if his eyes didn’t catch on the oddity in the dirt before he could make his way to the river’s bank.

He paused and turned to look, hoping beyond hope that maybe he’d just missed the Soul’s Voice somehow.

Footprints.

Link clenched his jaw and examined them. They weren’t his own, by the size and shape of them. They came to the place he was certain he left his rupee pouch and the Soul’s Voice, and then they left back into the undergrowth.

Link stared at them for a full ten seconds before surprisingly something like relief settled over him.

Someone stole the Soul’s Voice… and I’m happy??

Link hurried to get ready, gathering his supplies and strapping his sword to his back before rushing through the growth after the tracks.

At least it meant that he hadn’t lost the item himself. And that he hadn’t misplaced it somewhere he’d never found it.

At least it’s not in the river.

His concern spiked when he noticed the direction the tracks were taking him. It was the same way he was already going.

It was toward the Gerudo Desert.

3 Years Ago

“He’s only fifteen.” Mama’s voice floated out of the kitchen where she and Papa had volunteered to clean up, despite that being Link and Rift’s job.

They were trying to be quiet, and Link felt guilt bubble up inside of him even as he slowed to a stop just out of sight around the doorway.

“This is the path he chose so he could serve Hyrule,” Papa replied softly. “It’s a testament to his skill that he’s been awarded the great honor of guarding the princess at such a young age.” He hesitated. “Besides. He’ll be much safer with her than if he were to become a soldier instead… I’ve heard… worrying things.”

“But when will we ever see him? When will he be able to come home? What if the princess ends up in the middle of all this Gerudo madness?”

Link pressed his lips together and slipped past the doorway like a shadow. Rift had made his choice, and Mama and Papa were adamant on letting him decide. Just like he’d told them, he was an adult now, by all rights in Hyrule. It was his duty to serve his kingdom.

Link stopped in front of his and his brother’s door and tightened his hands into fists. It was high time someone stopped him. High time someone tried to convince him to stay. And since Mama and Papa didn’t seem to have a mind to, the job fell on Link.

He didn’t want their family to be torn apart like this. He didn’t want to never see Rift again, or never to have his protection, encouragement, and strength always to rely on.

He didn’t want Rift to leave.

He lifted the latch and slipped into the room. “Rift?”

The fifteen-year-old clearly wasn’t asleep, sitting on the edge of his bed with his back facing the door and the pale moonlight silhouetting his hunched frame. He didn’t move. “Not now, Link.”

Link slipped in anyway, letting the door swing to behind him. “Rift, I came to talk to you abou-“

“Link!” He spun around, and even in the darkness Link could see the way the moonlight sparkled off tracks of tears down his face. “I said not now!”

Link was frozen. His mind replaying everything in overtime. Rift was crying? He’d… he’d never seen Rift cry in his life. What…?

Rift turned to face the window again and hunched his shoulders higher toward his ears. “I don’t wanna talk right now.” His voice was notably thick, Link noticed now, and he felt a fool for not noticing it before.

Rift had been unusually quiet all through dinner, even after he’d given his announcement that his time on leave was almost over and his new job was starting tomorrow. He hadn’t had any answers when they asked how long he’d be gone and he didn’t have many words the rest of the night either.

But he was always beaming when he talked about his training. He was always excited when he recounted meeting the princess, or the possibility of a pay raise, or a promotion.

Link hesitated, in limbo between the bed and the door. “You don’t want to go?”

“What?- no- I-“ Rift dashed at his eyes before turning around, his ears still drooping despite his efforts. “No, I want to go, Link.”

Link’s brow furrowed and he twisted his lips as he stepped closer. “Then why…?” He couldn’t just ask why Rift was crying. He reached the bed without having verbalized his question and instead he kneaded his fingers in the blankets, uncertain of what to do or if he should even be here at all. Rift had told him to leave, after all.

Rift sighed and patted the bed beside him. “C’mere.”

Link gratefully climbed up and settled next to his brother on the other side. He could see why he’d been looking out the window. The huge moon was full and bright and casting the fields and forest outside in a beautiful blue glow.

“I want to go. I’m really excited for the opportunity and the chance to see so much,” he said softly. He wrapped an arm over Link’s shoulder, which startled him.

They didn’t usually… hug? Touch? Not like this. Still, Rift’s hand was tight on his arm and Link could feel his brother’s muscles shaking. Had he been holding this in all day? All week? All his leave time?

“I’m just worried,” he said even quieter than before. “I feel like something is about to happen. Something is brewing, and I feel torn.”

Link tore his gaze from the window and looked up at him. Rift was still staring out, his face a hard line, though his eyebrows were twitching with concealed emotion.

“I don’t want to leave you guys. What if you need me? What if whatever it is comes here, and not to wherever I’ll be? What if I make the wrong choice?” He clenched his jaw and pressed his eyes closed. “I’m scared.”

The words seemed to silence all else. The house stopped settling. The bugs outside stopped chirping. Link stopped breathing.

Rift? Rift was scared?

Link felt a tremor wash through him and he pushed tighter into Rift beneath his arm. What did Rift have to be afraid of? What could scare the talented and present teen?

“Oh, Link.” Rift adjusted so Link was burrowing more into his chest and he patted his back. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I forgot for a second…” he cut himself off, as though a thought just occurred.

His arm lifted off Link’s back and his voice was serious. “Link?”

Link’s body stiffened. He sat up and straightened his shoulders, like he always saw Rift doing—and Papa before he got his injuries—when his superiors walked by.

“I don’t think I can leave.”

The dismay in his voice was so opposite what Link expected. He knew Rift loved his job, and more than that loved the chance to provide for his family, now that Papa couldn’t, doing something he enjoyed. He knew Rift had beamed every time he talked about the chance to stand guard over real royalty. Still, he hadn’t expected the dismay at the idea of staying. Staying home with his family. Staying with Link.

“Not as things are.”

A pang shot through Link’s heart and he was torn. He didn’t want Rift to go. He didn’t want to lose him after all this.

He didn’t want Rift to lose his chance—his dream—either.

“You have to go,” Link said softly. “The princess needs a guard and there’s no one better than you.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry about us.” Link straightened to his full height. He may have been three years younger and short for his age, but Papa said he was already showing good promise with the sword. “I’ll keep us safe until you get back.”

Rift stared at him, and for a minute Link worried he might laugh and ruffle his hair. He felt his cheeks grow hot, but he didn’t avert his gaze.

He stared into Link’s eyes, his face stone serious, lit halfway by the white moonlight.

Then he sighed and turned back toward the window, bumping his shoulder against Link’s. “I guess I should have thought of that sooner. Would’ve saved me a lot of stress all today.”

Link twiddled his thumbs in his lap. “Were you really thinking of declining?” Of staying home?

Rift’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t seem to find it necessary to answer. “You wanna sleep outside tonight? One last camp out before I leave?”

Link grinned, trying to ignore the finality in the way Rift put it. “I’ll take my stuff out.” He hopped off the bed and took his pillow, rushing to the door.

Rift watched him the whole way.

Chapter Text

“Asosa will be upset if she finds out we took it.” The Gerudo woman leaned back against a pile of saddlebags, her camel sitting nearby.

“That’s why she won’t,” another woman twirled a rupee between her fingers, watching as the sunlight refracted off the purple facets.

Link swallowed, counting their number from his place crouched behind their tent.

Six. Three lounging in front of the tent, one further off scouting over a dune, and two more inside the tent.

His heart pounded in his ears, but despite the voice in his head telling him to retreat and come back later, he couldn’t get his feet to move.

Someone stole the Soul’s Voice and then retreated into the desert. Upon entering the Gerudo territory, this camp is the first thing he spots. How could he possibly leave without first checking for the Soul’s Voice?

“Link?” Her demanding voice had been in ill-humor for hours now. Despite her clear irritation, she didn’t stop talking except for a time that Link assumed was to regain her strength.

He didn’t know what she expected to help by nagging when he clearly had no way of answering, unless she thought he was refusing to put the Soul’s Voice on out of stubborn defiance.

He stiffened as movement in the tent called his attention to another woman pushing through the cloth opening.

He ducked further behind the fabric and held his breath as she passed close by him.

They had set up a central blanket outside the tent and now there were four of them lounging around it, sharpening weapons and counting clearly stolen rupees if their conversation was anything to judge by.

The woman on the dune further up occasionally glanced back toward them and that nearly gave Link a heart attack each time, considering if he was anywhere away from his spot now she’d be able to see him easily.

He just needed to get into the tent to get a look at this newest big haul they kept talking about, but there was still one more inside the tent.

“We can’t camp out here forever, though. The Twinrova will be expecting our contribution soon enough.”

“And by that point Asosa will be a moot point.” The woman with the purple rupee snatched it onto her hand and scowled. “If the Twinrova know we defied their apprentice the endgame will be just as bad.”

Link clenched his jaw. How long could he camp outside their tent? It was large, it clearly took time to set up, but he didn’t know how long it had been here already. They may be on the verge of leaving already and he wasn’t confident in his ability to sneak away the way he’d managed to stumble up.

Luck has been on his side on his way there—if accidentally getting himself trapped next to a likely hostile camp could be considered luck—but he wasn’t confident in its fidelity if he decided to risk it again.

Which begged the question. Even if he managed to find the Soul’s Voice in their big haul, what would he do then? How would he get away even after he retrieved his stolen artifact?

The reprieve from the direct sunlight did little to cool him and sweat stuck his clothes to him as he shifted further into the shadow cover behind the tent.

“Well, come nightfall we’ll have to take the tent down and set out. We can’t wait forever.” The Gerudo woman’s voice carried around the tent and Link’s hopes of more time were dashed to the ground. “Everyone best rest up for the journey. We’ve a long way to go.”

“And the path has only gotten more dangerous with Ralim’s defensive outposts.” The other woman spat the name as though it were a curse. “She’s been a pain in our side since the day she took the Thief King under her wing.”

Thief King?

Link flinched at a bang from inside the tent. The conversation cut off and he could feel the women’s eyes turned in his direction, even if he was behind the structure.

“What’s going on in there?” One shouted lazily from her seat.

“It’s a mess,” the other snapped as she too exited the tent. “Sorting the items of worth from the junk will take longer than we can afford if we leave tonight.”

Link’s muscles were tense, but he couldn’t lose his chance now. He slipped further behind the tent, hugging the fabric so he wouldn’t step out of the shadow and into the view of the sentry.

He sucked in a breath, then carefully drew his sword. What I wouldn’t give for a dagger right now. Light flashed off the metal and he flinched. Pulling it lower into the shadows he froze, waiting for the sentry to call warning. An agonizing thirty seconds passed and no alarm was raised.

Link blew the air out his nose and dug the point of his sword into the fabric. The ripping sounded painfully loud to his ears, but he forced himself to keep cutting. He just needed a cut thick enough for him to slip through.

Once he finished cutting he stood still for another moment. Then he squeezed through the opening. The fabric tugged at his clothes, but he stumbled into the tent anyway.

It was dark, the only light ambient from the sun soaking through. A small chair and desk sat to the right, and the left was a pile of booty almost as high as the tent itself.

Link gaped. No wonder she was having trouble sorting it. He could even see where she had been attempting it. Some of the items had been tossed haphazardly to the side. A few ratty skins, a broken chair, and a simple bottle all identified that pile as the junk pile.

Link snuck over to it and took the bottle. If they think it’s worthless maybe they won’t mind if I take it. He pocketed it and then turned to the overwhelming pile to the side. The murmur of voices outside the tent made his pulse spike, but as long as they were talking out there maybe they would leave him alone in here.

He sheathed his sword and tiptoed to the pile. Precariously stacked goods teetered on the edge of toppling.

If these things fell there would be no way Link could get away unnoticed. The moment they saw the cut in the tent his position would be compromised.

He pressed his lips together and set to it. He could avoid the bigger items for the most part—the Soul’s Voice was all he needed and it was small.

The first pouch he found didn’t contain his artifact, but it did hold a fair share of rupees. Link hesitated.

They stole them first. That thought decided him. He stuffed the pouch into his sack and then turned back to the loot. With this much stuff they might not even notice any of it going missing.

“You’d better have a good reason for ignoring me.” Link flinched at the unexpected Voice, nearly knocking a gaudy door knocker off the pile.

He caught it along with his breath. Eyes wide, he carefully lowered it to the ground and stared at it. Voice. If you do not quiet down I will refuse to put the Soul’s Voice on out of spite.

Trembling hands released the knocker at last and he pulled away.

He just needed to find the Soul’s Voice and get out of here. How he was going to escape the tent without being seen was still a mystery to him, but he would just have to take it one thing at a time.

He dug through the items to one side, throwing aside caution for a little more speed. Pouches upon pouches of rupees—he couldn’t stop to take them all—and then there was something else.

The tips of his fingers tingled with the presence of power. He tore the small sack open and dumped the little thing into his hand.

His heart dropped. It wasn’t the Soul’s Voice.

A small key, a three dimensional shape that made it look like a puzzle itself added to the buzz of artifact power in his hand. This isn’t just an ordinary key.

“Well, we won’t have much more time to sort,” a woman’s voice spoke above the buzzing murmur.

Link’s eyes shot wide. Her voice was moving closer. He stared down at the key and another realization slotted into place.

It’s a Sealing Key! They must have stolen it from wherever it was hidden!

He stuffed it into his rupee pouch, extracting himself from the surrounding pile of loot just in time to stumble into the center of the tent as the flap flung open.

A woman, wrapped head to toe in white, other than her face covering that was pulled down, froze to stare at him.

Like a deer at the end of a bow, Link stared back.

The pile of junk behind him came to a tumbling and clattering fall.

She blinked. Then her expression morphed from shock to anger. She yanked up her face covering. “Thief!!”

That snapped him out of his shock. Link spun and dashed to the back of the tent, slipping through as he heard the commotion of the other thieves running behind their comrade.

“After him!”

Link stumbled in the uneven sand, then he started up the dune behind the tent at a stumbling run.

An arrow embedded itself in the sand by his hand with a deadly thunk.

Link startled away, nearly losing his footing and slipping another foot down. He spun to look. The thief at the top of the opposite dune had a bow drawn and another arrow already knocked.

No, no, no! He spun again and scrambled up through the sand, trying to ignore the fast footsteps of the women behind him. I have to get out of range of the archer! I have to lose them in the desert somehow!

It was easier planned than done, seeing that they were clearly faster over the sand than him. He reached the top of the dune only to hear a sword being drawn right behind him.

Link stumbled to spin around while reaching for his sword at the same moment, but a curved blade slashing toward his face changed his plan.

He fell backward, sand puffing up around him, and then he was rolling head over heels down the dune.

When he skidded to a stop he spit the sand out as he looked up. The glaring sun silhouetted the Gerudo women as they slid gracefully down after him.

They were gaining.

Link scrambled to his feet and trotted toward the edge of the next dune. Climbing would take too much effort, so he’d have to go around.

He drew his bow and spun around, firing a wild shot. He lost his arrow, but it made the women duck down and for now slow their pursuit.

Have to get out of here while I have the chance. He dashed around the dune and put up the bow again in favor of drawing his sword.

The sand tried to suck his momentum away, dragging at his feet at the same time the sun’s heat snapped at his energy, but he knew he didn’t want to be caught by them.

He could hardly take on one woman in white, there was no way he was gonna try and face six of them.

They came around the corner faster than he was expecting, the slapping of their sandals on hot sand announcing their presence.

Link spun just in time to deflect a curved blade aimed at his neck.

He blanched, but he didn’t have time to think on it now. He rolled backward as another of the two who caught up to him tried to sweep his legs.

Sand obscured his vision and he hastily swiped at his face while backing away.

“You should know better than to steal from the Gerudo Theives,” one of the women said menacingly. “You will pay for this outrage, Hylian.”

He deflected another blow. Then sharp pain lanced through his side and he stumbled back with a gasp.

The other had flanked him where his eye was still stinging from the sand. He pressed a hand over the wound and hissed.

The women’s eyes were crinkled beneath their white wraps.

“Pain will serve as a reminder to any who would follow in your footsteps,” the second one said, wiping off her blade. “Your death will be slow and your example will serve to scare off other offenders.”

Link’s heart pounded in his ears. He’s never heard such morbid threats before running into the woman in white. His knuckles whitened with his grip on his sword.

He wouldn’t go down easy, at the least. If he was going to die here, he would die fighting to his last breath.

He struck forward, surprising the women with the movement.

His blade struck flesh and the second Thief shouted and stumbled back.

Link didn’t wait to see the outcome of his attack. He fled, rushing toward the opposite dune, even as he heard the approaching steps of the others.

His side pulsed along with his racing heartbeat and it made his gait uneven to favor it. It was slowing him down.

He risked a glance over his shoulder and couldn’t keep back a sigh of relief when he saw the women stopping to tend their comrade rather than chasing him.

His vision was blurred and his eyes stung, but still he hurried on. Just around the next dune he’d be out of sight. Then maybe he could hide and bandage this wound. Wait until they were out of the area.

A whish of displaced air was his only warning. He dropped, but he wasn’t fast enough.

Link cried out as an arrow slammed into his shoulder and knocked the breath from his lungs.

Dizzying pain was the only thing he recognized for a moment, the world gone white.

Then he scrambled over the sand to the safety of the other side of the dune.

The archer is still there! He grit his teeth and slammed his head back against the sand. It did nothing to distract from the pain of both his new wounds. I can’t stay here. If I don’t move, they’ll come for me and kill me.

He shoved to his feet, the world spinning for a moment so that he nearly fell to the sand again.

Red splatters mixed with the sand beneath him and he grit his teeth.

Not good.

He pressed a hand to his side, the movement jostling the arrow wound and making him cringe. Then he started over the dunes at a staggering jog.

He had to get away. Had to get to safety. Where is safe in this desert? The thought was distant and worried. Link shoved it aside.

Anywhere he couldn’t be found.

He pressed a hand over the bleeding wound in his side to try and staunch the flow. He was vaguely aware of the trail of red following behind him, but there was nothing he could do about that now.

He had to get away, then he could wrap the wound. He had to get away.

Chapter Text

Link’s hands were clammy and cold. He stumbled over a small pile of sand at the base of another short dune and huffed for air.

His vision was blurred at the edges, but he could still see. He’d run far enough that the land was flattening, or else he was getting taller.

But no. That wasn’t likely.

He squinted at the flickering light in the shadows ahead. Another cool gust of air made his already trembling form shiver, but he staggered a few more paces despite the cold.

Where there’s fire there’s people. He thought desperately. His mind still screamed at him to run, and his hand still pressed against the wound in his side. I need help.

The thought seemed to come out of nowhere and he was confused for a second. Why did he think he needed help? Was there someone to make his side and shoulder stop throbbing?

Then he stumbled at a jog a couple more paces, covered in sweat despite the freezing cold.

He was being chased. Tracked, likely. He needed to move. He couldn’t forget that. Just keep moving. Go toward the fire and get help.

He looked down at his side, white fabric reflected the moonlight at him and he blinked at the bloodstained pattern he recognized. I tore up my nightshirt?

Another throb of pain that made him hiss. Right. He didn’t want to bleed out. He needed to get to the light.

-
“Cuts like this aren’t a joke, Link,” Rift snapped as he pulled Link’s arm into his lap. He was pale and sweating from the run in the woods. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

“You would’ve found me.” Link glared at the ground to pout. He wasn’t about to give up his position in hide-and-find for a measly cut, even if he had started getting dizzy.

“That’s no excuse!” Rift was hurriedly dressing the wound, pressing against it with his tunic that he’d removed. “You lost so much blood! We need to get you back to Mama.”

Link’s head rolled forward and he couldn’t keep his pouting up, instead he pressed his free hand to his stomach. “I don’t wanna move.”

Rift sighed and took his hand, placing it over his wadded tunic. “Hold this.” Then he shuffled on the ground so he was crouching in front of Link with his back toward him. “Climb on.”
-

“Have to get to Mama,” Link muttered, the blur in his vision tightening around the light. Why did it never seem to be getting any closer? Why did he feel like he was wading through ice water?

That image made him panic and he spun, throwing his hands up, just to make sure he wasn’t in a river.

Instead he came face to face with a woman’s silhouette.

She crouched behind him, on one of the small dunes, but when he froze she stood. “Well look who I’ve found.”

Her accent made his heart rate jump.

“The Hylian thief who thinks he can steal from the Twinrova.”

Link tried to work moisture into his mouth. He may not be thinking clearly, but he knew one thing for certain. That woman was not someone he wanted to be near.

He snapped his teeth together and spun without a word. The world rocked beneath him and he listed to the side before he regained his balance.

Footsteps chepped quickly through the sand behind him.

Link shouted and scrambled toward the light. Safety. Mama. Healing. Anywhere but where this woman was chasing him.

Belatedly, he remembered his sword.

He crossed a dune, panting at the top, when he noticed its weight pounding on his back. She’s just one!

He spun, though his sword caught in the sheath and he struggled to draw it for a moment. Then she was upon him and he swung at her.

The weight of the blade threw him off balance, but he managed to scare her back a few paces with the wild swing.

“Hmm, still have some fight left in you?” She was smirking. He could tell by her voice. “This should be fun.”

Link recalled a similar situation. A woman in white. His sword. Danger. “Voice!” He swung again, waiting for the glow to appear on his blade and assist him.

The Gerudo Thief blocked his blow and no power filled his weapon.

Uh-oh.

She swung at him and Link stumbled back. He lost his balance when the dune dropped behind him and he toppled down into the sand, rolling a few feet.

Fighting was no good. He scrambled away from the spot, just before the woman’s blade stabbed into the sand where he had been. He only noticed he’d dropped his sword when he was already too far away to pick it up.

Run, run! He didn’t need further prompting. Shifting sand tried to slow him, and so did the pain slicing through his side and shoulder, but Link would rather face pain than death.

The light was getting closer. Just one more dune now and he would be upon it, surely. The murmur of voices beyond drew his attention, and Link shouted.

He didn’t manage any words, but it didn’t sound like he had to. Movement and barks of orders, and shadows blocking out the light as they passed.

Link’s face paled. Those voices. Those accents. These were more Gerudo women. This wasn’t his family. Was it more Thieves?

He stumbled to a stop, but when he turned, he found his pursuer hit on his heels. He gulped down his fear and spun again, just before an arrow whistled right past his head.

He threw himself to the ground, grunting at the pain that shot through his side, and he noticed the Thief do the same in the corner of his vision.

“Thief!! Gerudo Thief!!” The cry sounded like an alarm and then there were more feet, running over the top of the dune as Link scrambled further along it, out of their path and into the shadows.

The Thief snapped to her feet and spun to run. Another arrow whistled after her, following the women chasing her, but Link didn’t stay to find out what happened.

He scrambled to his feet while they were distracting and rushed toward the open night, away from the fire and the camp of Gerudo women.

He couldn’t get caught here by another group. He couldn’t even fight one in his state. There’s no way he could take them all on—and they were certainly quick enough to shoot at him.

“There was someone else,” an accented voice said loudly behind. “Find them and bring them here.”

Every last drop of blood drained from his face. Link tightened his grip on his bandage and changed course, crouching and cringing as he moved toward the edge of their camp instead.

If he was out in the open he’d be easy to spot, and the natives would know the desert much better than him anyway. His best chance was to hide and wait out this dizziness that was threatening to knock him off his feet.

He scampered to one of five tents, and nestled himself between some boxes and barrels in back of it, breathing hard and gritting his teeth.

The arrow in his peripheral vision made his stomach churn. He hadn’t removed it and he still couldn’t. He needed medical help, but here in enemy territory, where was he supposed to get that??

He lifted his hand with a quiet hiss and looked down at his bandaged side. Red stained the cloth—and his hand for that matter—but it had stopped it from leaving a trail before.

The sight of the blood turned his stomach again. He quickly pressed his hand back over the wound and leaned his head against a crate, breathing out his mouth to try and dispel the nausea.

He trembled from cold and exhaustion. The Gerudo voices floated over his head and he couldn’t understand anything through their accents and the fuzz in his ears.

He just needed some sleep. Some time to rest from all that running. He curled tighter around himself, but froze when his should zinging pain through him again.

He whimpered. I wish it had been Mama here. He pressed the bloody heel of his hand into his eye and let out a trembling sigh. He didn’t realize how much he missed them.

How much he missed waking up in the comfort of his own bed, with Mama and Papa waiting for him at breakfast.

How much he’d missed Rift and Papa ruffling his hair like a little kid and telling him he was growing so strong.

He didn’t feel strong. He didn’t feel like a hero. He felt alone.

No matter how annoying she could be, he wished Voice would show up to scold him for sitting around. Or to nitpick his bandages and demand he do better. Or to tell him what in the world to do with the arrow sticking out of his shoulder.

Link sniffled. Then he shoved harder against his eyes. Smearing blood and tears across his face.

Now was not the time to break down. He struggled to even his breathing, despite the fear pounding bruises in his chest.

He needed to figure something out. He couldn’t walk all the way back to Hyrule like this, could he? And what then? He patted a hand over his almost empty rupee purse. He couldn’t afford any doctors or potions.

“You!” An iron grip snapped around his injured arm and yanked.

Link cried out, following the momentum to relieve the pressure as the world rocked around him.

“Look what I found!” The accented voice barked as rough hands shoved him forward so he lost his balance and face planted in the sand. “A Hyrulian spy!”

Tears burned his eyes and blurred his vision, but Link pushed against the ground with his good hand, trying to get his arrow wound off the ground.

A sandal slapped against his elbow. He dropped back to the dirt with a strangled whimper as pain silenced everything else.

For a moment, he was in a void. Then sound came back like a rushing waterfall and a Gerudo woman was crouching before him with a scowl lit by flickering firelight.

She snatched his hair and yanked his head back, sending fire through his scalp. “Do you know what we do to spies, boy?”

The tears came unbidden and his words wouldn’t. He heaved for air and struggled against her grip.

Then she tightened and tugged again and he gasped, freezing to alleviate the pain.

-
“Fighting a Gerudo Warrior is dancing with death.” Papa grinned, still showing off the scar on his arm. “I guess I just wasn’t a good enough dancer.”

Rift and Link stared at it, awed.

Mama combed her hands into Papa’s hair from behind, kissing his head. “You came back alive. That’s good enough for me.”
-

“Take his weapons,” the woman barked, and hands were unfastening his belts and pouches.

The woman dropped his head back into the sand and for a moment all Link could do was sigh in relief at the relieved pressure in his aching head.

Then she grabbed his bad arm again and hauled him to his feet in one painful jerk.

Link shouted, but then the world did a total flip and he didn’t remember being back on the ground, but now he was staring up at the stars, blackness eating them up.

“What is this?” The voice was harsh but distant.

“Captain Ralim!”

Their explanations and words drifted into the haze that ate up the world. The last thing Link saw before his vision have completely was a Gerudo woman with a tasseled headband standing over him.

Chapter Text

“We found more Thieves in the area,” the Gerudo Warrior reported. She stood straight-backed in front of Ralim and didn’t mention the exhaustion in her eyes from the sleepless night she’d spent hunting down those traitors. “They seemed to be tracking someone injured. There was blood in the sand—not their own.”

Ralim scowled at the sun. Six Thieves versus one Hylian child? Just what exactly had he done to anger them?

“Well done. Tell your squad to get some rest. We won’t be moving yet today.” Ralim turned before the woman even saluted, though she knew she did with a spear shaft hitting the ground.

Ralim stalked through the camp and came to a stop before her fastest scout. “Ride ahead. Send word that we’ll be coming later than expected.” When the woman nodded, Ralim tightened her grip on her spear. “Warn all you pass of the Dark Beast’s direction.”

She passed that tent and stopped at her own, glaring at the fabric as though it were the reason all her plans were being delayed.

“Captain Ralim?” Iriku, the Warrior set on guard, asked from her position by the door flap.

“Has he woken?”

The woman scowled. “No.”

“Show me his things.”

Iriku guided her to a crate where the boy’s scabbard, weapons, and pack were placed in a pile. Her women had already gone through them and found nothing extraordinary, but Ralim wasn’t convinced. “You may return to your post,” she said. “Tell me the moment the Hyrulian stirs.”

She dropped to a knee and shifted through the items. A bloodied and torn green tunic, a scabbard with no sword, a bow and arrows, then a bag full of travel supplies, hardly any rupees, a bottle, and a strange looking key.

If he stole from the Thieves to draw their ire, he certainly chose odd things to take. The items were dinged up and dirty, and none of it would fetch a good price, at least not in the Gerudo markets.

She lifted the key and twisted it over her fingers. It was odd. Maybe to some treasure? More likely to some death trap knowing the Thieves.

She dropped it back into the pouch and snarled. It didn’t make sense. He was armed like a Hyrulian soldier, but he was a child. He was being chased by Gerudo Thieves, but he had nothing of value.

The boy was a conundrum that she wanted answers to—and perhaps a key to paying back those traitors who seemed to always slip away.

At least this time they had felt the punishment for their crimes, but they never would have found them without the boy.

“Captain,” Iriku called softly. “He is stirring inside.”

Ralim stood, dusted her knee, and nodded to the woman as she passed, slipping under the tent flap.

The sun leaked through the fabric of the tent, giving it a warm ambient light. The boy lay on Ralim’s bedroll, sweating and injured as when they first found him despite how he shivered.

His torso was wrapped in bandages and Ralim had been assured he would heal with either potions or time—seeing as they didn’t have either to spare that didn’t help much—but she couldn’t help thinking he looked like death.

The boy, he couldn’t have been older than when she last saw Ganondorf,—her chest hurt at that—was bruised and battered. He muttered in his sleep as he shifted and twisted, not fully awake, but making his way there.

Ralim watched him.

At last, the boy’s eyes fluttered open and his movement stilled. He stared for a long moment at the ceiling of the tent, uncomprehending.

Then he groaned and pressed his head back into his pillow, closing his eyes.

Ralim leaned out the tent flap and nodded to Iriku. “The tea.”

When she pulled back in, the Hyrulian boy was staring at her. His eyes were tired and hooded, but full of trepidation nonetheless. His hand was clenching the bandages at his side.

Ralim stepped in further and his entire body tensed like a cottontail ready to flee. “Try it,” she dared as she dragged her single stool closer and dropped onto it. “See how far those injuries let you go.”

He cringed as he pushed up on an arm to sit. He nearly fell backward with a strangled noise of surprise when he tried to lean on the tent behind him and it gave.

Ralim couldn’t help but chuckle, even as the boy sat up again, face flaming. She gestured to her pillow. “Conserve your strength.”

The teenage stubbornness that used to grace Ganondorf’s face so often was easy to spot. The boy slouched forward over his wound, but he didn’t lie back down.

He didn’t take his wary eyes off of her, either. “What do you want with me?”

Ralim raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. “As I recall it, you are the armed Hyrulian who led Thieves to our camp, and hid among our supplies.”

His lips pressed tighter together.

Ralim leaned on her knees and propped her chin on a hand, the other holding her spear to the side. “So tell me. Why were you running from them?”

His eyes twitched down and to the side and his face paled further. Guilty? Scared?

“Hm.” Ralim tapped a finger to her cheek. “I don’t suppose you know who I am, do you, Hyrulian?”

He looked at her again, and this time shook his head tentatively. “A Gerudo Warrior?”

Ralim’s lips quirked in a smile. “That will do for now.” She straightened and tapped her thumb to her chin in traditional greeting. “I am Ralim.”

No recognition flashed through his expression. Either he was a good actor, or he was clueless. He gave a hesitant nod. “I’m Link.”

The flap opened and the boy flinched so much he nearly fell back against the tent again.

“The tea, captain.”

Ralim took the cup and the Warrior left. When she turned back to the boy, Link, he was staring at the tent flap and breathing hard, clutching the blanket beneath him.

“You met Iriku last night. She is a good second, if a little rough.” Ralim held out the tea to him, but he didn’t even look at her.

She’d walked onto the scene of the battered teenager at Iriku’s feet and known immediately the Warrior had taken things too far.

She shook the cup, sloshing the tea. “Take and drink, before it gets cold.”

Link finally turned his gaze to glare at the cup instead and still didn’t say anything.

Ralim had to applaud his stoicism. He certainly was quiet. She set the cup down in front of him and raised her eyebrows. “It will help with the pain. Don’t waste my supplies, boy.”

Gingerly, he took up the cup and sipped at the contents.

“Now tell me. What are you doing in the desert? This is Gerudo territory.”

“I thought it wasn’t illegal to cross the border,” his voice was a whisper between sips.

She pursed her lips, impressed with his audacity. “It is not. Now answer the question.”

He hesitated for a moment between sips, working his mouth. Then he seemed to settle in a decision. “Someone stole something from me and I tracked them here.”

She blinked. He followed a Gerudo Thief into the desert? Did he have a death wish? “You are a fool.”

He flinched and looked at her at last.

“Did you try to take on those Thieves alone?”

He cringed and pressed a hand to his side. “Well, I tried to sneak. Fighting wasn’t really a part of the plan.”

“Did you find what was stolen?” It must have been of some great importance to follow someone here for it.

He wilted. “No.”

“Hm.” Ralim rubbed her thumb over her chin and examined him again. His bare arms revealed trained muscles despite his youth. “Do you work for the Hyrulian military?”

Link’s surprise looked honest enough. “What? No.”

Ralim leaned against her knees. “So you’re not a spy?”

His face twisted like he was eating something sour and he shook his head.

“Why are you armed as a warrior, then?”

He hugged the cup close to him despite the heat and tightened his jaw. “I’ve been traveling for the last few weeks. There are monsters that make that dangerous.”

“Alone?”

“N-yes.”

She narrowed her eyes. That was the first sign of a lie she’d caught yet. She leaned back. “This thing you are looking for—it is important?”

Link simply nodded.

Important enough to risk what he already had. “You will not find the one you search for.” She ignored his surprise. “Finding a single Thief in the desert is like trying to find a single grain of sand in a dune.”

His body tensed and that same stubbornness made itself at home in his expression as he leaned further over his cup and wound. “I won’t be leaving without it.”

Ralim smiled. Dedicated and determined. She leaned forward. “And what if I could tell you where you can find her?”

“You know where she is?”

“The Thieves may travel the desert in small groups, but they are all part of a bigger whole, and they must drop their bounty off somewhere.” Ralim massaged the shaft of her spear and gave herself a satisfied smile. “I happen to know the location of a nearby hideout of theirs.”

He was watching her, eagerness tempered by wariness. “Where?”

“Heal up, boy.” She stood from her stool and glanced at his mostly empty cup. “Once you are well, we will speak again.”

She turned and exited the tent, nodding to the new woman on watch as she went.

A determined youth from Hyrule ready to storm the Thieves’ Hideout. Just the sort of chance she needed to strike her long awaited blow.

The Thieves escaped justice by slippery plans and cunning. The strength of the Warriors couldn’t do anything against someone they couldn’t catch.

So it was time that Ralim took to cunning as well.

Chapter Text

“Her scowl would’ve scared me speechless if I’d been anywhere but on the battlefield,” Lossa held back a branch while Ruplen stepped through the opening. “As it was, I knew it was me or her and I didn’t plan on going down that easy.”

They’d taken a detour off the road to avoid another gathering of monsters. Lossa was dumbstruck by how many they’d passed this far. The rumors that monsters were becoming more common were definitely not unfounded.

“We squared off, and then dove in at each other. With only my knife, I had a tough time dodging her spear, but once I got past I managed to land a good blow—unfortunately it came with a price.” He shrugged his bad shoulder for emphasis.

Ruplen was watching him with wide eyes, just like his boys always used to when he told this story.

A snort in the forest interrupted his tale. The boy jerked closer to him, clutching his hands in front of himself as his eyes darted wildly at the trees.

Lossa took his arm and guided him into the shadows, pressing a finger over his lips just to make certain he knew not to make any noise.

A hulking moblin stalked out of the trees, spear as tall as itself clutched in its hands. It didn’t stop to look for them but continued on into the trees they’d just come from.

Lossa swallowed and relaxed his grip on his sword hilt.

“I knew weapons and military supplies were selling much faster than usual,” Ruplen whispered as he peaked around Lossa, “but I haven’t ever run into this many monsters in my travels! Where are all the soldiers? Why aren’t they dealing with them anymore?”

Lossa sighed. “It’s only getting more and more the closer we get to Castle Town. My guess? They’re finally going beyond what the military can handle. Too many monsters spreads our defenses too thin, and everyone gets less protection.”

“I hope they figure something out soon. I have way too many supplies to risk run-ins with monsters.”

Lossa laughed as he led them out of their hiding spot and they started through the undergrowth again. “You talk like a natural merchant, Ruplen. Were you born into that profession?”

“My father was a merchant,” Ruplen said slowly. “He taught me everything I know.” He gave Lossa a sly side-eye. “So does that mean you’re reconsidering the medicine I offered? For a loyal captain of Hyrule, I could even give you a discount.”

“I assure you I would, but I don’t have rupees to spare right now.”

Ruplen crossed his arms. “Link certainly seems to be bringing in a lot. Surely you could use some of that. Or put it on his credit. Through our partnership, he could pay me back.”

“He’s gathering a lot of rupees with whatever he’s doing?”

Ruplen’s expression grew a little guarded, as it often did when Lossa talked of Link, but he nodded. “Like I said, I have no idea where he’s getting the stuff he is, but it’s pretty impressive.”

Lossa smiled and turned their walk back toward the road. They’d probably passed the encampment by now and they’d make better time that way. “He and Rift have always been so dutiful about working.”

Ruplen cast a curious glance in his direction, maybe at the forlorn tone that had crept into his sentence.

Lossa shoved down the guilt. “They’re stubborn and kind and selfless. I just wish they didn’t have to be all that at home, too.”

“But they’re bringing in rupees, right?” Ruplen cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it.” Lossa stepped onto the road and checked around to make sure it was clear before gesturing for Ruplen to follow. “I just wish they didn’t feel they had to.”

The kid’s brow furrowed further and he looked like he was trying to puzzle out some great mystery. “But… they’re bringing in more rupees.”

Lossa laughed. “Rupees aren’t everything.”

Ruplen flinched. He hiked his pack higher even as his shoulders curled forward and he averted his gaze from Lossa. He didn’t say anything.

Lossa’s mirth died away and he craned his neck to try and get a look at the young merchant’s face, to no avail. “That wasn’t meant to offend, Ruplen.”

“Didn’t offend me,” the boy mumbled, still looking away. There was silence for a long moment and then he shrugged, his big bag rattling with the movement. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Where is your family?”

Ruplen sighed and finally turned forward again, his face stone hard and hands clenching the straps to his bag. “Doesn’t matter.” He forced a smile that was obviously fake and gestured toward the road in front of them. “Looks like we’re getting closer to Castle Town.”

Lossa peered into the trees ahead and nodded. “Just one more night out here will probably do it.”

They talked as they walked, but Ruplen always steered the conversation away from talk of family, and often avoided rupees as well, now.

Lossa told stories and Ruplen seemed to enjoy that, asking questions and interjecting his own commentary as they went.

When they stopped to make camp, Lossa found himself leaning against a tree, unable to even consider sleep as he watched the young man sitting across from him on his own bedroll, counting rupees with his back turned toward Lossa.

The boy muttered quietly and seemed to relax with each rupee he counted, even though they were the same rupees he’d counted out every night they’d spent out here so far.

“What are you saving for?” Lossa asked without thinking.

Ruplen jerked and tensed before he looked over at Lossa. Then he swept the rupees into his pouch. “My father needs them.”

Lossa’s stomach twisted around itself. Ruplen working out in this dangerous area all on his own, just for the sake of earning rupees for his father.

He clenched his jaw and turned his face down to the dirt in front of him. He thought they were so important. Seemed to think Lossa shouldn’t care what sort of life his boys were living as long as they were earning rupees.

Did Lossa make his sons feel that way? Was that why they both volunteered to start working at such a young age? Did they think that Lossa would think less of them if they didn’t?

Did he show his concern too openly? Did he pressure them into selling their childhoods? He could’ve made end’s meet. He could have managed on his own.

He would be lying if he said the boys weren’t a blessing, but… was that why Rift left? Did he take that job with the princess for the greater pay for his family? Did he even want to enter that line of work?

Lossa frowned as he lay down on his bedroll and tried to get comfortable. He always tried to be sure his boys knew he loved them. Loved them so dearly. Did they think that love had to be earned?

3 Years Ago

Rift stood at attention by her door, saluting to Lady Impa when she came or went. The excitement at his new job made the watch assignment less boring. He spent the time in silence to go over all the research he’d done on interacting with royals. He repeated the etiquette again and again in his mind.

He would not be caught off guard again. He would treat the princess with the respect she was due, and the same went for all her lady’s maids.

It did strike him as odd that Lady Impa was the one who visited the most often. In his week as a sentry here, he’d only seen the others at most two times, but Impa came more often than a daily basis. She was around Princess Zelda almost as often as Rift himself.

The first few days of tailing the princess and watching over her as she met with other nobility, or had audiences with her people, Rift couldn’t help the intense feeling of being watched himself.

Any time he looked her way, he found the princess watching him with a calculating look in her eye. He couldn’t help but feel she expected something from him.

Being chosen by her by name obviously meant as much. Rift set into his duties with new vigor, and soon the sensation passed. He didn’t know, though, whether it meant she was pleased or not with his efforts.

He wasn’t the best at reading people, but the princess he found impossible. If he just followed normal protocol, he shouldn’t feel so ill at ease, should he? And yet he did. Every second he spent in her presence made his senses wary. Every time he was near her, he felt an uneasy expectation and he wasn’t even certain whether it was of something dangerous, or something else entirely.

Perhaps Captain Park was right and he was taking his job too seriously. But he was protecting the princess of Hyrule! How could he not take that seriously?

Rift startled out of his thoughts when the door behind him opened. He glanced to the side and stiffened when his eyes met Princess Zelda’s.

He dropped his gaze and saluted with a fist over his heart. Not bowing still felt impossibly improper to him, but how would he ever fulfill his duty to protect her if he was constantly on his knees?

“Rift.”

His entire body jerked at the direct address. She hadn’t spoken to him personally since she offered him this position. “Your highness?”

“You have done well this first week. I thank you for your service.”

There was nothing to do this first week. Rift had been paid a hefty sum to stand on aching feet every day and simply stay silent. He saluted again anyway. “I aim to please your highness.”

She didn’t say more, simply turned and swept down the hallway.

Lady Impa was still in the princess’s room, but that was none of Rift’s concern. He followed her a few paces back and to the right, just as he was taught.

Her pace was steady. She glided across the floor in front of him and Rift examined the halls as they passed. There was never any danger, but he wasn’t going to let his guard down that easily.

He was finally starting to get a handle on a few of the locations she tended to visit, but the way she was going now didn’t match up with any except the… he considered. The kitchens?

He went there sometimes, but he’d never seen the princess go there.

His assumption was cut off as she walked straight past the door that would lead to the kitchen, the savory aroma drifting after them as they walked.

Outside then. Rift’s body stiffened and he measured his pace to match hers. They didn’t go outside often. He’d have to keep a close eye on their surroundings to make certain no danger approached.

No incidents occurred as she followed a stone path through the green grass into the garden. She paced around the flowers, but her step was too fast to be enjoying nature.

Rift examined their surroundings, jaw tight. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the princess spoke again.

“This is a statue of the Hero of Courage.”

Rift straightened and examine what she was speaking about—no one else was here so she must have been talking to him. A statue twice Rift’s height stood in the center of a bed of flowers, sword held high above his head with a shield on his other arm.

Princess Zelda placed a hand on the stone of the heroes leg and looked at Rift. “He went on an adventure, found the Master Sword, and defeated the evil king Ganondorf.”

Rift blinked at her. Of course he’d heard legends about the hero, but he didn’t understand why she was telling him this now. Her tone seemed to make it sound as if she was trying to broach the subject naturally, but the march directly to this location made it anything but.

“Do you know much of the Hero of Courage, Rift?”

He averted his gaze from the statue and flicked his eyes around the perimeter just to make sure it was still secure. “Just the legends and tales I heard as a child, your highness.”

Princess Zelda turned her expectant gaze away from him—he could breathe easier with that—and up toward the face of the statue. His sharp nose his most prominent feature, the hero stared off into the distance. “The histories all speak of the Hero rising again every time Hyrule finds itself in need. That a new Hero with the same spirit will come, take up the Master Sword, and save us from our plight.

“The battle is something they will always reoccur, and the Hero will always face the threat. The only trouble is managing to find him before the time comes for him to be called into action.” She turned eyes brimming with meaning on him and didn’t say more.

Rift averted his gaze to her feet, but when he stayed quiet she clearly waited for an answer. He licked his lips and tried to think of something to say to all that. “You think the Hero will return soon?”

“I do.”

Again, a long silence where she just stared at him. Rift fought the urge to fidget, stiffening his muscles as though he were standing at attention. “Are you looking for the Hero, your highness?”

Was that why she holed herself up in her room while Lady Impa and her other handmaidens brought piles of papers to her?

“Not any more.” There was a smile in her voice and she still didn’t take her heavy gaze off of him. “Unlike the people in our history, I know what to look for.” She took a step away from the statue and toward Rift. “I have already found our Hero of Courage.”

His eyes jerked up to meet hers.

“Will you fight for your kingdom and your princess, Rift?”

His heart stuttered in his chest. Him? She couldn’t be serious! Rift was no hero, he was just some kid!

But she was still staring at him, and that statue behind was still pointing his sword to the sky triumphantly.

Well, he couldn’t very well say no, so Rift saluted again, one fist over his heart, and dropped his gaze from the princess’s. “I will, your highness.”

He could hear the smile in her voice. “Good.” She turned her back to the statue and Rift and began walking, so he fell into step behind her. “There will come a day that I will ask of you to follow me, despite the danger and the uncertainty.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him and the look made him shiver. “For the good of Hyrule, don’t refuse.”

Chapter Text

They returned his weapons and supplies. The smile the Gerudo woman gave him when he took them off her hands made him feel like a child, but he was glad to have them back anyway. Even if he was still too weak to use them.

The first few days he spent miserably. The Warriors took equal turns telling him to get more rest, and telling him they had to move. One minute he’d be lounging in the tent, trying not to bake despite the way he shivered from fever, then next they were coaxing him off the bedroll and out into the open sun.

Iriku, the captain’s second, gave him a cloak to cover his bare skin, then they set to walking. His injuries flared with pain at each movement, and his aching legs threatened to drop him any minute, but he kept his head down and just watched his feet, making sure he placed them right on the shifting sands.

At least they didn’t ask him to dash up any dunes as some of the women were doing. Scouting?

The sun was high in the sky when Link’s resolve gave out and his body dropped him. He tasted sand before he even knew what was happening. When he tried to push up, his shaking arms couldn’t hold him.

“Put him with the supplies,” he heard Captain Ralim’s order just before one of the women dragged him upright with the scruff of his cloak.

“Stand, boy.”

He got his feet beneath him with an embarrassingly difficult struggle, and Iriku let go of his cloak before gesturing toward the trail of goods being carried by a caravan of strange horse-like creatures.

Camels. He remembered the name from Papa’s stories of the desert.

Iriku helped him get settled on the camel, all seriousness and a frown for his mistakes that made him flush. Then they were moving again and he was slumped in the swaying saddle but couldn’t sleep.

The women set up camp efficiently at night, and travel continued like this for a few more days. Most nights Link was too exhausted to ask any questions. He just fell into the offered bedroll and passed out the moment he touched the cloth.

It was the third day that his wounds stopped hurting so bad—even when he wasn’t taking the offered medicine and tea—and he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead to find it cooler than before.

He managed to walk through the whole day that time, though when he tried to offer his assistance in setting up camp the women just laughed at him and shooed him away.

That night, he snuck out of his tent rather than going straight to sleep. The air was chilly, on the verge of icy-freeze, but the women sat around a fire and laughed and talked as though it were just any night.

He pulled his cloak tighter around him and made his way closer to the fire.

One of the women noticed him immediately. Her eyes stopped on him and then they were all looking at him.

He hesitated, until two of the Warriors shifted to either side, making room for him with them at the fire.

Link took his seat and looked over the faces around him, managing to keep his expression neutral when he passed over Iriku, but only just. Something about her face—or maybe it was the way he first met her—always made his heart jump when he looked at her.

He rubbed his injured side, which was healing nicely, and glanced at the group at large. “So, where exactly are we trying to get to?” They’d been traveling every day and only stopping when the sun set and the desert grew chill. They had to be trying to get somewhere.

“We are chasing Dark Beast Ganon,” Iriku said, tearing off a bite of jerky right after.

“The Beast has been startled toward some of our outer villages. We cannot leave it to wreak havoc.”

Link stared at them. They were chasing the Dark Beast? His mind flashed back to that recurring dream he’d had for so long before going on this quest. Of a monster in the desert towering over him and a feeling that things weren’t quite what they seemed.

Iriku barked a laugh. “Do not worry, Hyrulian. You will be safe enough with us. We know how to deal with this monster.”

“We have done so for years.”

Three years, to be exact. Link bit his cheek. The Beast only appeared shortly before Rift and the princess disappeared.

Voice told him to get Rift back he’d have to defeat that Beast. Maybe getting an early look at it, and at how the Gerudo Warriors dealt with it, would help him in that endeavor.

Either way, he needed to concentrate on healing so Captain Ralim would give him the location of the Thieves’ hideout where they might’ve taken the Soul’s Voice.

He bundled down in his cloak further and the women seemed to forget his presence, returning to their conversation from before.

“The Thieves have been bold, but Captain Ralim’s iron hand has scared them out of most of the towns,” Iriku said, looking toward one of them women beside Link. “Do you really think you’d so easily be able to find someone to let out your distress on?”

“Tch.” The woman clenched her fist and snarled at the fire. “I would hunt them back to their hiding holes if that is what it took.”

“Better yet to stay out in the hot sun,” another one said with a grin. “When you are baked to a medium the Thieves will come to you!”

“The captain needs every Warrior at her disposal.” Iriku snapped. “Don’t waste your strength chasing after vendettas.”

Link peeked up to look at Iriku’s face, then at the other women around the fire. Each and every one shone with the same pride at that title. The same confidence he’d seen again and again any time they mentioned Ralim. Not to mention the way they all straightened and tensed when she drew near.

He had seen military salutes enough times in his life—even if the Gerudo’s were different than the ones Hyrulians did—to know when they were made of discipline only, and when they were made of respect.

“You all look up to Captain Ralim,” he said before he even realized that he was talking. He flinched and ducked his head when eyes turned back toward him, but he was committed now. “Not just because she’s your superior, but you all seem to take pride in being near her.”

“You should feel honored as well, boy.” Iriku met his gaze solidly from across the fire. “You travel with the leader of the Gerudo Warriors, and the current steward of the desert.”

Link’s eyes widened.

Iriku grinned. “You didn’t know?”

What did steward of the desert even mean? Weren’t the Gerudo run by a monarch just like Hyrule? What happened to their current leader? Was it a military nation?

“Captain Ralim has been the steward of these lands ever since our chief was killed.” Iriku’s smile faded at the words and she spit to the side, some of the other Warriors following her lead. “Those honor-forsaken Thieves have not payed their dues yet.”

“Did she have no heir?”

“King Ganondorf was young at the time, merely a boy.” Iriku huffed. “Ralim took him in as her own and finished where the chief left off.”

“Where is the king now?” Link was just getting more and more confused, but by the way the group quieted and the nervous glances cast around, he realized he must have said something wrong.

Backtrack it is. I don’t know that any of their politics could help me anyway. I just need the Soul’s Voice. “Never mind. I don’t really understand how it works here.” He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Things are a lot different in the desert than in Hyrule.”

That got a few quiet snorts from some of them.

“Go to bed, boy.” Iriku said. “You must get proper rest for your wounds to heal.”

Link but down on the urge to argue with her, even worse for the feeling that she was treating him like a child. But arguing or obeying, either way would only strengthen the effect of her condescension. He sighed and pushed to his feet, brushing the sand off as he glanced at them.

He touched his thumb to his chin like he’d seen them do often enough and smiled inside when a few of the women returned the gesture, then he moved back toward his tent.

The next day, they found the first sign Link could see of Dark Beast Ganon’s presence in the desert.

The Warriors were all stoic as they marched toward the dusty rubble. Hard expressions matched the dirty faces that met them outside their ruined homes.

The town wasn’t totally destroyed, but Link couldn’t tear his eyes from the path of carnage as wide as three of his own houses that tore its way through the village.

Fires had been put out and ash still scented the air. Rubble and dust plumed out where once buildings and colorful tapestries had been.

Dirty villagers, even children, stood near the rubble watching them approach a look of quiet fear in all their faces.

The Warriors went immediately to speak with the Gerudos who greeted them. Link hesitated at the back, and caught sight of a Hylian merchant among the wreckage of his stall.

He wasn’t pressed for time, so he made his way to him, glad for the more solid ground here than the dunes they’d been traversing this long.

“You here to buy something?” The man’s tone was defeated.

Link glanced at his wears, for the most part ruined, then shook his head, then took the other side of the canopy the man was trying to set up, helping him prop it on the sticks.

“The Beast came out of nowhere,” the man grumbled. “Trade was supposed to be better for my wares here in the desert, but now…”

Link but his tongue. Ruplen was planning on coming here soon. Would he meet with the same unfortunately disaster when he did? “Can you salvage any of it?”

The man twisted his lips uncertainly, then he looked up at the Gerudo women littering the town and hefted a sigh. “I’ll have to. These supplies would definitely come in handy if I could.”

Link nodded. He helped the man for free, sifting through the rubble for things of use, then he was off helping some of the women haul water to the wounded. After that, since he couldn’t help more there, he joined in a search and rescue effort for a missing child who must have run off during the attack.

At least, that’s what the taut faces of everyone around said they hoped happened.

By the time they found the little girl, crying and alone out in the dunes, the sun was setting and the Warriors Link was traveling with were already setting up camp.

He’d passed them on occasion, doing what they could as well, but he didn’t have time to talk and neither did they.

So when he returned to camp, it came as a surprise when they informed him they would be leaving in a few hours.

“But, didn’t you just set up camp?”

“The civilians will use the tents when we are gone,” Iriku said. “We have left enough supplies to tide them over for now, and we will have somewhere to return when we finish this.”

Finish this. “Are we close?”

“We will catch up with the Beast by morning-“ Which meant traveling all night. “-and we only dare hope it has not already reached the next town.”

“Pack up!” Captain Ralim’s shout broke through the ease.

Everyone was quick to follow her command, and Link found himself with all his gear and ready to go in minutes.

Captain Ralim glanced at him as she passed, and she paused. She looked him up and down, before continuing down the line without a word.

It seemed it was almost time for him to see the Dark Beast with his own eyes.

Chapter Text

He couldn’t move as he stared over the dune. Ralim’s Warriors were rushing through the sand on either side of him, but Link couldn’t tear his eyes off of the great monster before him.

Just like in his dreams, the Dark Beast towered over any creature he’d seen before, easily double the size of Link’s own house.

Giant tusks protruded from its snout and the creature was not shy about using them to demolish anything and everything that stepped in its path.

Unlike in his dreams, the great boar was not surrounded by a harmless pool of black, but instead was crowded on all sides with houses and people.

The Gerudo women and Hylian merchants all ran from the monster, while others tried to save people from the wreckage before there was nothing to salvage.

The Dark Beast ignored them all as it stomped down their livelihoods and trampled their homes.

Link stared in awe as the Gerudo Warriors rushed in, swift and smooth like streaming water, and quickly caught the monster’s attention.

It was clear they’d done this many times before. Two women came up from behind and slung spears right into the monsters hind legs.

While the weapons bounced off harmlessly, the Beast seemed bothered and let out a squeal mixed with a roar as it rested and spun around, smashing a new house that another group of Warriors had only just finished evacuating.

The first two dashed to either side just as the Beast charged them, staying within its own path of wreckage and clearing the town in a few of its giant strides.

Then there were more waiting on the dunes outside, letting out signal calls before they each released arrows that struck the Beast’s face and drew its attention from its first targets and to them, standing on the hills, instead.

They dropped down behind cover even as the Beast charged toward them.

For a fraction of a moment, Link caught sight of those beady eyes from his dreams and something twisted inside of him.

There was something almost… sad, about the Beast.

Link found himself standing before he realized what he was doing. When the Dark Beast slowed to a confused halt and turned to look toward him, Link froze.

Their eyes locked and Link felt it again, just as strong and as unexplainably silly as it had been in any of his dreams.

The total surety that this Beast was not meant to be his enemy. That somehow, Link was supposed to help it, and beyond that, that Link was supposed to save it.

From what? He didn’t know. How? Not a clue.
Why some monstrous being who had only ever caused pain and suffering should elicit this response? No idea.

The Dark Beast huffed, orange eyes glowing brighter until they burned an angry red. Another huff sent sand steaming away from it as it took a heavy step that shook the ground toward Link.

Then the spell was broken. Another volley of arrows came from the Warriors behind the hills and the monster roared and charged them instead.

Link pressed a hand to his twisting chest that still wouldn’t relax and watched it rush from view behind the cover of the sand.

“Aaaaaah!”

The scream tore his attention from the Beast and toward the town, where a little girl was perched on a wooden overhang between two houses that was shifting dangerously.

Her mother stood beneath her, holding her arms out to try and catch her should she fall, but the unpredictably rocking of the wood could just as easily dump the girl to the hard stones opposite her mother.

Link sprang into action. He dashed down the dune, ignoring the ache in his side, and ran two steps up the wall so he was high enough to catch a hold of the rim.

He dangled for a second, then he heaved with all his might, gritting his teeth at the tearing pain in his still healing wounds.

He certainly was glad the Warriors had made him rest so much.

The ground rumbled beneath him and a light flashed in the distance beyond the dune. Link lost his balance, but tumbled on top off the building instead of off.

The girl squealed again and he wasted no time in crawling to the edge near the overhang. The creaking wood would never hold him.

“Hey, hey,” he called out, reaching a hand out toward her. “Can you come here?”

The girl was straddling the beam she was riding as it swayed precariously above her mother. Tears tracked down her face, but she looked up at him.

“I’ll help you get down,” he said, keeping the strain from his voice. Emulate Rift. He never sounds scared. He shifted closer to the edge and stretched further. “can you scoot a little closer?”

The girl sucked in her lower lip and looked down toward her mother who nodded teary encouragement and monitored her progress as the girl started to scoot.

Another rumble shook the ground and the beam cracked and popped. The girl squealed and snapped her eyes shut as it swayed further than ever.

“Hold it steady!”

Link’s shout moved the Gerudo woman and she rushed to the base and wrapped it in a moblin-hug, stilling some of the swaying but not all.

“Just a little closer,” Link said in his best calm Rift voice. “Think you can come just a couple more inches?”

“I’ll try.” The girl whimpered and started scooting again.

Before another earthquake could bring the awning down, Link leaned over the edge and snatched the girl off the unstable surface. She squealed, but then her tiny hands were tangled up in his tunic and warm tears were wetting his shoulder.

“Shhh, shhh, you’re okay now,” he whispered as he patted her back and pulled away from the edge. “Let’s get you back to your mama.”

He shifted gently to the edge and peered over to find the woman waiting expectantly. She held up her hands to him for her daughter.

Link nodded and pulled at the girl, but her grip tightened and she sobbed out more tears. Link waved for her mama to give him a second and he dropped to his knees on the roof so the girl’s feet could find purchase as well.

“Hey, your mama is down there waiting for you,” he whispered. “She’ll hold you nice and tight and keep you safe from now on, right?”

The girl sniffled and let go with one pudgy hand to fist at her teary and snotty face. “Vaiba?”

Link hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Your vaiba’s right down there. I can lower you down to her if you think you’re ready.” She stiffened and he hurried to assure her. “I won’t drop you. I’ll just hold you low enough that she can take you right out of my hands, okay?”

The girl sniffed again, then nodded. “Okay.”

Link shifted them closer to the edge and peered over. The Gerudo woman was still waiting, so he led the girl closer so she could see her too.

“Vaiba!”

“Baby! I’m right here!”

Link looked at the girl. “You ready?” He held out his hands for hers and it only took her a second to steel the look on her face, then she nodded and placed her little fists in his.

Link got a good hold on her, then he heaved and lifted her over the lip of the building and right down into her mother’s—vaiba’s—waiting hands.

“Oh I was so worried!” The woman said as she pulled the little girl close. “What were you doing up there young woman? You know you’re not supposed to climb to the roof. Oh, but I’m just so happy you’re alright!”

Their conversation faded out as they hurried away from the wreckage. Link dropped off the wall and dusted off his hands, turning and startling when he came face to face with Captain Ralim.

“You did well,” the captain said, raising an eyebrow as the awning behind him crashed to the ground. “I saw your efforts.”

Link shifted, uneasy, from the way she was staring at him. He hadn’t spoken with her since the first time, and she looked as though she wanted something from him.

“Your injuries?”

“Better, mostly,” Link said. “The rest and care of your Warriors has made sure of that.”

She nodded, satisfaction in her expression, then she turned toward the dunes and gestured for him to follow. “Dark Beast Ganon is being herded back out of civilized territory.”

Link couldn’t help his relieved sigh. “Good.”

“I am free now to travel.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. He’d been under the impression that traveling was what they’d been doing this whole time.

“Your wounds are healed. Do you still wish to find where the Thieves took your item?”

Link straightened. “Of course.” He’d been all but tuning out Voice these last few days, but still, every time she spoke in his head was a painful reminder of the time he was losing and the thing that he’d already lost so carelessly.

“Then I will take you. We leave at sunrise.” She sped her gait up the dune and Link naturally fell behind.

His stomach flipped in some mixture of apprehension and excitement. At last he’d be able to look for the Soul’s Voice again, but… he certainly hadn’t been planning to travel with the Gerudo captain.

He bit his lip and looked up toward the sky. He best get what rest he could. It sounded as though he’d have a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

Chapter Text

“How long will you stay in Castle Town?” Lossa helped the boy remove his pack and Ruplen smiled over his shoulder at him.

“I need to sell off some extra supplies, then I have to go to the desert to restock. But don’t worry! I’ll certainly be coming back, so if you find yourself in need of anything, I bring the highest quality materials to the market and they are certainly worth the wait.”

Lossa chuckled and resisted the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair, “I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned to leave, but Ruplen said his name quieter behind him, so he turned to look at him again.

The boy was fiddling with his fingers and he wasn’t looking at Lossa but at the ground instead. “Um… I hope you find Link, sir.” Lossa opened his mouth to reply, but then Ruplen forced more out. “You seem like a good father. He’s lucky to have you.”

The tightness in his chest returned as he gazed at the boy and Lossa’s smile turned soft. “Your father is lucky to have you too, Ruplen,” he said softly. “Whether he realizes it or not.”

Ruplen turned surprised eyes on him, but Lossa waved his farewell and the merchant smiled and returned it.

As Lossa worked his way through the crowds of people filling to street and toward the soldiers’ barracks, he wrestled with his thoughts.

Most of them surrounded Ruplen and his own boys. Did Rift and Link realize how much he and Narei loved them? They made a point of telling them often, but could they feel it as well? Did they think they had to work and bring in rupees to earn that love? Did they think they were only good enough if they were helping Lossa support the family?

His chest constricted and he tightened his firsts. His bad leg ached in sympathy of his long walk, but he ignored it.

He would find those boys and he would bring them home, and when he had them back, he would make sure they knew the truth. He would make sure they knew their parents’ love for them was unconditional, and that Lossa could provide well enough without their support.

He should’ve done that from the beginning. He couldn’t bear the thought that Link might’ve spoken with Ruplen in a similar manner. That he might have had that dejected look of misery on his face at the idea of not sending back and rupees. That he might think that he could be cast aside for anything else.

It was a simple matter to get past the guard once he gave them his name. He got directions toward the captain, who was currently doing an inspection of the troops, and he stood by the corner of the wall, watching as Park marched down the lines just as he used to in his younger days.

The lieut-the captain shouted orders and the men snapped to attention, and then they were dismissed. They filtered away as Captain Park turned to walk back toward his barrack, likely to write up a report of the day.

Lossa pushed away from the wall and grinned at him. “Captain.”

Park froze in his steps and his heels snapped together. He saluted with a hand to his chest. “Captain Lossa!”

Lossa’s grin broadened. “Not anymore, Park. At ease.”

Park’s serious expression faded into a smile, but the shock was still there. “What are you doing here, sir?”

Lossa let a breath of laughter out his nose at the address, but old habits died hard and he couldn’t deny it felt good. As though he weren’t injured beyond use. As though he were back in his prime leading his men. “I’ve come to request permission to man a search party for Princess Zelda and my son.” Sons.

“Again?”

“It’s been years. Surely the king is growing worried now that nothing has been heard.” He hesitated. “If nothing has been heard.”

Park rubbed a hand over his chin and turned to stand at Lossa’s side, watching as his men returned to training or duties. “I can send word of your arrival, but I can’t promise anything, sir.”

“I understand.”

“I hope you will be allowed.” Captain Park’s lips twitched up in a smile. “What a sight it would be to see you leading the men again.”

Lossa grinned. “You seemed eager enough to take the position before I left.”

Park gave him a gentle shove with his shoulder. “You never let on how much paperwork was involved you sneak! You got the easy way out and left the hard work for me.”

“You always did idealize everything.” Lossa laughed. “I’m glad I was able to keep it a secret until after your promotion.”

Park laughed too, then he gestured for Lossa to follow him back to his office. “Once I send out the message, I’ll be off duty until tonight. What do you say to catching up?”

“It would be a pleasure.”

3 Years Ago

Zelda hardly seemed to notice him after their strange conversation in the gardens. Rift couldn’t get her words out of his head even so.

What was he supposed to do when the Princess of Hyrule seemed to think he was some legendary hero from the past? He couldn’t very well tell her he wasn’t. Contradicting her as a lowly guard just simply couldn’t be done.

But every time she stepped out of her room, he felt his muscles stiffen in anticipation, only to relax with relief when she didn’t so much as look at him.

The days that passed drew him back into the monotony of his job, and though he couldn’t forget what she’d said to him, he could push it to the back of his mind for later.

Maybe he could get Mama and Papa’s advice on what to do when his next leave came. He found himself eagerly awaiting that.

The chance to recount the noble parties he’d attended at the princess’s side. The banquets and political discussions. The world of the royalty was a totally different realm from what he was used to.

His hometown accent felt all the more out of place here and he found himself trying to speak as little as possible. The looks people gave him when he did made him want to flush. The way they sounded so refined and their words so well defined while his slurred together and came out in a jumble by comparison.

This certainly wasn’t the life he was raised to.

He lay on his cot in his small room in the barrack, one arm resting over his eyes as he tried to sleep, but tonight his mind just wouldn’t leave his home behind.

He’d had an especially embarrassing interaction earlier that day when he’d accidentally moved too close to the princess and stepped on her skirt, making her stumble and Lady Impa glare daggers at him.

Just thinking about it again made his face heat and his squeezed his eyes tighter. “There’s always a learning curve,” he muttered Papa’s words back at himself. “Don’t beat yourself up for not knowing something you never had the chance to learn.”

He pushed away the thoughts that told him he had the chance and didn’t take it. That he had time and he should have studied harder. He’d studied everything he could think of, but book knowledge didn’t solve everything and sometimes you just had to learn through experience.

He hated that.

Learning from experience meant making mistakes, and making mistakes meant tripping up the princess of Hyrule in a hallway filled with dignitaries that didn’t even have the presence of mind not to stare at them. Who certainly were whispering about them when they were walking away.

Beyond just not protecting the princess, he’d embarrassed her. He could tell by the way her shoulders hiked up and how short she’d been with him for the rest of the day (when she looked to him at all).

He wanted to go home to have some meal cakes that Mama loved to make. To laugh with Papa’s jokes and to help with the chores there. To hear about Link’s latest adventures and to go and look at the new spots he’d found out in the forest. He wanted to be where things were familiar and he knew what to expect and what was expected of him.

He wanted to feel the smiles and love of his family.

Knock knock.

Rift blinked and lifted his arm, sitting up. He’d never had someone visit his room before. His fellow soldiers always found him on the training grounds when they wanted to talk or hang out. “Yes?”

The door creaked open and piles of fabric spilled through as Lady Impa forced her skirt to conform with the doorway’s width.

Rift stared at her.

Her red sheikah eyes stared back, bristling with discontent and irritation.

“Um… can I help you?” Rift was off right now. He was supposed to be sleeping, though that wasn’t exactly working out. Still. Zelda shouldn’t need him for anything, and he could think of even less reason her hand maiden should be here. The way Lady Impa always glared at him, he was pretty sure she hated him for some reason.

“Princess Zelda needs you.”

The words stiffened his spine and Rift stood. He was only in his tunic and trousers now, but if Ladu Impa came all the way here while he was off duty, then it must be important. He snatched his sword and spun around, but Impa was already holding out her hands to forestall further preparations.

“In an hour, she wishes to meet you at an inn called the King’s Honor. Be packed and ready for a trip.”

A trip? Rift opened his mouth, but Impa cut him off.

“No time for questions. Get ready and then come. Do not be seen.”

That set off alarm bells in his head. Rift pressed his lips together and only managed to pull them apart again just before Impa closed the door. “What’s going on?”

“Your princess is calling for your aid. Do you need further explanation?”

He flushed at the accusation in her tone, all the while she was treating him like an imbecile. “Lady Impa, the princess shouldn’t be leaving the castle without more guards. You aren’t telling me I am the only one who will be there to guard her, are you?”

“Of course not.” Her eyes flashed, but she looked over her shoulder as though worried about being overheard anyway. “Are you questioning your princess’s orders?” Her gaze landed heavy on him once more. “You have one duty and one alone. Stay close to the princess and protect her. Why or where she is is no concern of yours. Yours is simply to follow and obey.”

He snapped his teeth over his next argument and forced his face to stay neutral despite the frown wanting to creep its way across his features.

“Good boy,” Impa’s words sent fire through his veins, even as she let the door close behind her.

Rift threw his sword on his bed and let out a growl of frustration, even as the heat in his neck crept up to the tips of his ears as well.

He was no dog to be trained and ordered about as though he had no thoughts or will of his own! He was a person, and a person who would suffer the consequences for whatever choice he made!

If Princess Zelda came to harm under his watch, he would be blamed for it. Similarly, if he gave up the princess’s plan to his commanding officer after strict orders to keep silent, he would be punished for that offense as well.

He tore at his hair as he paced the four steps back and forth between the walls of his small room, fuming at the injustice of the situation.

One powerful tug against a tangle shoved some sense into him as he winced and rubbed his scalp instead.

He didn’t have a lot of choice but to follow the princess’s order. In which case he only had a little time to prepare before he set out to find the inn. He didn’t have time to waste now.

He forced his body into motion, fueling it with the rage that hardened his steps and stiffened his muscles as he packed his small amount of belongings in his room and threw on his outer layers, buckling his sword on last of all.

Lady Impa at least implied there would be other protection. Perhaps this wasn’t so bad as it seemed, despite the fact that she’d looked like she meant anything but it when she said it.

Rift peeked from his room and finding the way clear, he slipped out and said his farewells to the guard on watch.

Rift hiked his bag higher as he left the castle grounds behind and made his way into the city below.

The cool air served to curb his temper and he reminded himself that Lady Impa was right. He didn’t have the luxury of questions or knowledge. He was only given this great position at the princess’s request and through no merit of his own. What right did he have to demand answers of those ranking higher than him?

He found his way to the inn easily enough, and that uncertain worry in his gut only grew worse when he noticed the two women standing—alone—by the door.

Rift stopped by them and saluted. Lady Impa’s red eyes glared from beneath her hood, but Princess Zelda only smiled in manner that looked calculated.

“Rift.”

The single word sent a shiver down his spine. She was planning something and something important.

“I’m glad you’ve come.” The way she said it told him she expected and would tolerate nothing less. “It is time for us to go.”

Rift bit his tongue before he could put voice to the many questions swirling inside of him. Impa’s glare caught hold on him again and he forced himself to salute instead.

Zelda’s smile grew wider, and she gestured toward three horses tied to a post of the inn. “We have far to go, Rift.” She met his gaze steadily, until he was forced to drop his to the stones of the street. “Will you follow me?”

-
“There will come a day that I will ask of you to follow me, despite the danger and the uncertainty. For the good of Hyrule, don’t refuse.”
-

He felt his muscles stiffen. He felt both of their eyes on him. He felt the unspoken threat in her tone.

His hands trembled at his side’s and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Whatever the princess was doing was clearly behind the back of authority. Could it even be behind the back of the king? But he couldn’t act on such speculations. He couldn’t deny the princess anything. He was simply her bodyguard. He had one task and one alone, as Impa had so graciously pointed out.

If he failed to keep the princess safe. If he lost her to whatever plans she was making, it wouldn’t matter his reasoning or his wants and fears. It wouldn’t matter if he’d been trying to stay loyal to the king.

He would be punished for failing the princess and he would suffer the consequences of his disobedience.

But if he followed her, what might happen? Wherever she was going, it couldn’t be safe. Not with the secrecy she was trying to keep. Was it even right to sneak behind the back of possibly even the king? Would he ever be able to return home? Would he ever be allowed back into the military?

His chest constricted around his heart, trying to lock it in place and keep it painfully from beating.

He wanted to go home. Where he knew what was the right choice and he wasn’t left to choose between too bad options. He wanted to go home where Papa’s laugh filled the house and the smell of Mama’s cooking filled their bellies.

He wanted to be with his family who loved him and wanted what was best for him, and he them in return. Where they didn’t treat him like a mindless soldier simply because that was his job.

Rift pressed his lips together and swallowed down the bile in his throat. Would he follow her? She knew as well as him there was only one answer he could make.

“Of course, your highness. It is my duty.”

Chapter Text

“You don’t need to take anyone with you?”

Ralim looked down her nose at him, something challenging sparking in her eyes. “I am a Warrior, Link. Do you doubt my prowess?”

It’s like those jokes Papa makes about women taking offense at anything. Link bit his tongue to keep something along those line from popping out and threw his hands up in surrender. “No. I was just surprised to see you come alone, since you’re the leader of the desert.”

Ralim eyed him, but that didn’t keep her from setting a harsh pace out back into the shifting sand dunes. Link wished they were going any other direction as he trudged against the uneven footing.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were the Gerudo steward? And why are you risking so much to help me?”

“You are not the only one with a grudge against the Thieves.” Ralim steadied her pace when she noticed Link’s struggles to keep up. “They have stolen something of the greatest import from me. I will have it back, otherwise I will have my vengeance.”

Link opened his mouth to ask what they had stolen, but when he noticed her scowl he shut it with a snap.

They traversed through the sands in relative silence. Occasionally the Captain would give Link pointers on better ways to walk in the desert, or else she would ask him questions, always trying to pry closer to who he was and what he was looking for.

She was not averse to his return questions either, and that was how Link learned that the Gerudo people were plagued by the Thieves who had sworn their loyalty to a pair of sister witches known as the Twinrova.

The conversation had steadily shifted back to Link’s goals after that, and he’d set into telling her his tale while leaving out almost every pertinent detail he could. “I’ve been looking for my brother since I learned of a chance to find him,” Link finished. “That’s why I need to find this item.”

The Warrior in front of him grunted, her expression softer than before. She stopped at the top of the dune and Link stilled beside her, peering through the bright sun at the rocky terrain ahead.

“You seek aid in saving your brother,” Ralim said softly. “I seek the same for my king.”

Link hesitated. Questions about this Gerudo king had been met with discomfort by the other Warriors, but Ralim had been open this whole time. “What happened to him?”

Ralim’s glare sharpened, staring down at the rocky shift in terrain ahead. “The Twinrova. His aunts.”

The witches? Aunts? Link blanched.

“They are of the line of chiefs, and many of the Gerudo give their loyalties to them, now that Ganondorf is missing.”

“But it’s their fault he’s gone? Isn’t that treason?”

“Of course!” Her snap was like a slap to the face, but she still wasn’t looking at him, and he felt her anger wasn’t directed there either. “But some are too concerned with bloodlines and tradition to see that. Some don’t believe they are to blame at all.”

Link’s voice grew quiet. “What did they do to him?”

Ralim’s face was thunderous as she stared away from him. Almost as though into a distant land, or a distant past. “It does not matter. All that matters is that he is missing now, and I will bring him back. Even if it means finding a Hylian hero to defeat the Dark Beast to do so.”

Link flinched. She looked at him and he schooled his features to nonchalance. The statement seemed to pointed to be accidental, but the confused curiosity in her expression spoke of just that.

Was she probing for more information from him, or was she totally clueless of what Voice claimed he was? “You want to vanquish the Dark Beast?”

“I have no chance,” Ralim said quietly, as though the words pained her coming out. Or offended her. “Only the hero who can wield the Master Sword can defeat him. I have learned that much at least.”

Only Link. He ducked his head. “Defeating the Dark Beast will bring your king back?”

“That is my hope.”

“It’s mine too,” he said softly. “For bringing my brother back.”

She eyed him from the corner of her eye, as though he’d said something outrageous. “The Dark Beast disappearing will bring him back?”

“That’s what I was- That’s what I hope.”

“Then our goals align even closer than I realized.” Ralim started down the hill and Link followed. “We are almost there. Be prepared to hide. We will not make it far if we are caught.”

So much for her claims of being a great warrior. When you were outnumbered a hundred to one, it didn’t seem as though that mattered much anymore.

“We will have to sneak,” she said as she held out a hand for him to stop and peered around the corner. “We have reached the entrance to this Thieves’ Hideout.”

3 Years Ago

She may have pushed him too far that time. The horse swayed beneath her, and Impa rode along at her side, Rift trailing behind in a sullen silence.

Impa was just as angry about the whole situation, but she couldn’t blame Zelda since she’d done exactly what her hand maiden had asked and told her before she left.

Going behind the king’s back was no simple matter, but Zelda flattered herself with the fact that she had chosen well. Chosen well and worked the circumstances perfectly so that her two companions would have no choice but to follow her or face the consequences.

With the Hero of Courage behind her and the power of wisdom within, nothing would stop her from saving Hyrule from what was coming.

Despite all her warnings, father had ignored her, even after the Dark Beast appeared in the desert just as she prophesied. Zelda learned long ago how to get what she wanted. If people won’t listen to a request, you demand. You make sure they have no choice but to do as you say.

So here she was, after a particularly heated discussion with her father, out in the wilderness despite his demands to the opposite. He never learned how to twist her arm has she had the people in court. He didn’t know how to take her choices away.

Zelda stamped down the anger boiling beneath the surface and glanced over her shoulder at her bodyguard. He watched the woods attentively, almost religiously avoiding setting his eyes on her or Impa. His lips were a thin angry line, but his shoulders were straight despite the anxiety burning in the constant flicking of his eyes.

Commanding was good to begin with, but Zelda would garner no loyalty through angering those she needed for her plans. Now they were out of the castle, it was time she put more effort into something other than research and politics.

“Rift,” she kept her voice soft and light, despite the way he jerked. “Come ride alongside us.”

It was a soft request, but she knew Rift. In the weeks he had served beneath her she’d learned all she needed to know. Whether she put all the condescension she possessed into her words, he would still see them as a command from his princess.

She saw the discomfort battling in his expression and the way he averted his gaze. Knew he wanted nothing but to keep his polite and correct distance from his princess. To remain the way a proper guard would.

But Rift was a soldier of duty and honor and loyalty. Even if she phrased it as the most self-debasing request, she knew the soldier would see it as a hard and fast order from his princess, and she smiled in satisfaction to herself when he spurred his horse to bring it alongside hers despite his distress.

She couldn’t have asked for a better hero. Couldn’t have asked for someone better to be molded to the quest to save their kingdom and their people than the honorable soldier at her side.

“You must know why I asked for you specifically.”

The question at the end was unspoken, but Rift picked up on it. He was quiet a moment, pressing his lips together and mulling over his answer before he finally spoke. “You think I am the Hero of Courage.”

“I don’t think,” she whispered. “I know that you are the one destined to save Hyrule.” Don’t push too hard. He was having trouble accepting it still. She changed tack. She didn’t want to estrange him from her emotionally, whether or not she was certain of his loyalty in every other way. “I am so grateful you chose to follow me. I and my people will always be in your debt for the service you will accord us all.”

Just enough self-abasement to make him feel awkward, and just enough flattery to make him feel as though maybe he really did have a choice, and that maybe all along he had chosen and wanted to follow her.

“Of course I wouldn’t have you out here on your own,” he said slowly, as though testing the waters of this new strange state. It had been some time since she’d spoken openly to him. It simply wasn’t proper in the castle. “I hope that I can live up to your expectations.”

Ah, he doubts. Zelda smiled. She removed her glove and held out her hand, offering for him clear sight of the Triforce of Wisdom that had blessed her. “Have no doubts. I know that you will reach greatness.”

He stared at the symbol, so mixed up in the legends that it wasn’t possible even he could miss its meaning.

“The wisdom granted me has offered me with a clear sight of what you are to me. I recognize it in all of you. You are the Hero of Courage, Rift.”

Perhaps a little more confidence than she felt, but only marginally, and it was what he needed to accept the fact himself.

Rift straightened, a flush to his cheeks as he stared at her hand, then raised his wide eyes to hers instead.

She smiled and pulled her glove back on. “Do not doubt me so fully. I may be young, but I know what I am about.”

He spluttered apologies and quickly dropped his gaze, schooling his expression to something more subservient than the previous dumbfounded shock.

“You bear the Triforce of Wisdom,” Impa said softly from her other side, and Zelda could almost hear the pieces clicking into place in the older woman’s mind. “You have-“

Whatever she was going to say was cut off. An inhuman screech announced the monsters a second before the group of bokoblins sprang out in front of their horses.

Rift and Impa quickly caught control of their own, but Zelda had never been a good rider. She screamed as her horse reared and threw her. She hit the ground like a sack of sand and for a moment her world went red with pain.

Then the noise trickled back in, first the fearful screams of her horse as Rift wrestled it away from the path that would trample her, then the squeals of bokoblins as they charged her preoccupied companions.

Zelda pushed out of the dirts, muscles trembled with adrenaline even as her wrist pinged a warning pain up her arm.

Rift drew his sword with a ring of metal and it flashed in the dappled sunlight, startling the bokoblin’s, if only for a moment.

Impa ripped at her skirt, tearing and tying as her horse side-stepped away from the commotion.

Zelda got her feet beneath her just in time for Rift to ride by on his thundering horse and to slash down two bokoblins approaching from the side.

“Get down, princess!”

The shout was the most confident thing she’d ever heard from the soldier. Zelda’s heart pounded in her chest, but she was wise enough to know where her strengths lay, and they were not on the battlefield.

She rushed toward the trees on the other side of the road, but she skidded to a halt, nearly losing her footing in the dirt, when more bokoblins crept out from the shadows, licking their lips and pronounced sharp teeth.

Zelda bit back a second scream—it would be too undignified even now—and turned to run the opposite direction.

Only, that direction ran straight back into the battle, where Rift’s sword was swinging and flashing as he dispatched the monsters from the vantage on his horse.

Zelda froze because she certainly wasn’t going to run into that. She’d heard enough stories to know in the heat of battle differentiating friend from foe was something soldiers could struggle with.

The bokoblin behind her let out a giddy squee as it lunged at her. Zelda tried to run, but it caught her hair and made her gasp as pain shot through her scalp and she was yanked from her feet.

The monster reached its free clawed hand out for her throat and she scrabbled painfully against its hold on her hair.

Then a whoosh of displaced air and a thud. The thing released her and she scrambled away, eyes burning from pain and fear.

“Get behind me,” Impa hissed, her dress torn and tied around her legs for better movement and her horse nowhere to be seen.

Zelda didn’t argue, ducking behind her handmaiden with a gasp of relief when she noticed the kunai in the woman’s hand. It seemed there was more to her Sheikah than met the eye.

Impa held off the bokoblins—killing two more—before Rift rode by with his flashing sword and downed the rest.

They were all panting, and the horses were shuffling with nerves, but in the silence that followed the battle, no more bokoblins appeared.

Rift swung from the saddle and ran to Zelda the moment the area was clear. Zelda flinched at the bloody blade still bared in his hand, but he didn’t even seem to notice as he ran his gaze up and down her before his face tightened in worry.

“It is not hers,” Impa said, her voice rough and hard as it always seemed to be when she talked to Rift. She stepped between him and the princess and lifted her chin. “Make certain that you are presentable before you make a display for the princess.”

He was still breathing hard and he looked at Impa with some mix of irritation and wariness. He wiped bokoblin blood off his cheek and the fight in his eyes began to die away as he nodded and turned back toward the horses to clean himself and his blade.

Zelda watched from behind Impa as he wiped down the metal that still shone with glimpses of the sunlight.

The prowess and power he’d shown. The quick heroics and eager protection. She tightened her hands into fists as equal parts excitement and something she couldn’t quite place bubbled up inside her.

There wasn’t a single doubt left for her now. Every corner and trace of uncertainty died with those bokoblins.

Rift was the Hero of Courage and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind of it any more.

Impa turned to Zelda and crouched a little to meet her eyes, gently wiping her forehead with a handkerchief she procured from somewhere. “Are you hurt, Princess Zelda?”

Zelda’s scalp still stung from the monster pulling her hair, but that was the worst of her ailment. She shook her head, but her gaze caught on Impa’s torn and tied dress. “You fought well.”

She was surprised at the even measure of her voice despite the racing of her heart.

“It is more than just simple assistance for which I was assigned to you,” Impa said. “The Sheikah are meant to serve the royal family. I have been trained to do just that.”

Two bodyguards. Zelda’s nerves release themselves as trembles, but she stood as still as she could as Impa cleaned the last of the bokoblin’s blood off of her forehead. That had been too close.

When she was clean, she found that Rift was standing by waiting. She hadn’t seen it before, but the way he held himself, straight backed and sure with his sword strapped over his shoulder, certainly cut the ideal picture of a hero.

The sun glanced off his shoulders and hair at just the right angle to give him the appearance of an otherworldly glow.

He moved toward her with firm steps and intent eyes. “Are you well, your highness?”

“Y-yes.” Zelda cursed the stutter and her trembling and cleared her throat. “I am fine, thanks to the two of you.”

Rift and Impa glanced at each other, a mutual respect and distaste passing between them before the attention returned to Zelda.

“I think perhaps we should take a break for now,” she suggested as she glanced around the area and at the spooked horses. “And you seem to have lost your mount, Impa.”

“She ran into the forest,” Impa grunted, red eyes darting to the trees before returning to Zelda. “I will search later.”

Zelda waved away her concern. “Rift will keep me safe.-“ she ignored the way he puffed up at that and the way her own heart steadied at the certainty she truly felt in those words. “-Find your horse and return to make camp.”

Impa’s lips were tight, but she gave a curt nod—and a parting glare at Rift that demanded he keep Zelda safe—then she stalked into the woods after the missing horse.

Rift’s awkward hesitance to interact with her as his princess was back, but still he offered a hand to her. “Perhaps you should sit and rest?”

Zelda wished she could stop the trembling. She pressed her lips together and nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to guide her to a tree. She sat against it as he went to calm the horses, keeping an eye on her at all times.

The Hero of Courage. She wasn’t sure what the difference was now. She had been certain before. She knew what he was. Only now she felt it too. With that feeling came almost a sense of equality, too.

He was another chosen to save Hyrule, and now that she felt deep in her heart that it was truly so, it was obvious they would work together to destroy this evil, side-by-side and not as princess and guard.

As she watched him soothe the horses, her own nerves faded. By the time Impa returned, Zelda was herself again and she watched as the two of them set up camp for the night.

Zelda watched and couldn’t keep her eyes from following Rift. She had treated him as just another soldier to this point, but that wasn’t the privilege his station deserved. As the hero of Hyrule, his position was almost as important as Zelda’s own.

She needed him to work with her, and if she treated him wrong, then everything could come crumbling down when he realized the importance he held.

She took a deep breath and resettled her plans around this new discovery. Rift was the hero, and from now on, Zelda would treat him as such. For the good of Hyrule.

Chapter Text

“You really thought this was a good idea?” Link hissed.

Ralim glared at him from where she was curled painfully tight into the crevice in the wall, Link’s body pressed against her just to get the same advantage of secrecy.

Two more Thieves patrolled past. Somehow, they seemed to have run headlong into the most populated hall in the hideout, and now they were stuck between an endless back and forth of various patrols.

“They’re items will only be where there are guards,” Ralim whispered. “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

Link had to admit that. She just made it sound so simple when they were making their plans, the reality was much less flattering. He clenched his jaw and peered around the edge. He had to be their eyes since Ralim’s face was half buried in the wall and half against Link’s arm.

Another patrol walked by, quietly talking to each other of their recent missions and impressive finds.

Link clenched his jaw and tried not to think about the fact that the people they were stealing from, and sometimes even killing, were innocents who never did anything to antagonize this behavior.

It was hard. A part of him, brimming full of boiling righteous anger, wanted to step out and end this atrocious organization once and for all. Especially when two of the guards who passed were laughing at one’s dramatic description of a terrified little girl from one of her raids.

Link bristled and the only thing that held him back was a hand like iron clamping around his wrist so hard it hurt.

Ralim was glaring at him again, a fire behind her eyes that wasn’t there before, but she shook her head quietly.

He knew she was right. Alone, they certainly had no chance against all these Thieves. Link hardly stood a chance against one. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down and think.

He couldn’t deal with every issue he ran into with his sword. Once he defeated Dark Beast Ganon, maybe that would free Ralim up to take care of this issue that clearly bothered her as well.

I’ve seen those two before. Link narrowed his eyes at the Thieves now walking the opposite direction from before. They were talking about a golden statue when they passed last.

As his mind cleared and he paid more attention, he recognized more of the pairs. Next will be the woman who filched a necklace from her haul. Then the Thief who robbed a man blind without him even noticing.

They passed by just as he remembered. Link sucked in a sharp breath. “I can get us through.”

“What?”

“Two patrols from now,” Link whispered, adjusting to get in a better position to run and to give Ralim a little more room to spread in preparation as well. “We’ll have to go fast.”

“You are certain?”

Link swallowed. If he was wrong, he could get them both killed.

-
“Yes or no, Link. Idling between decisions doesn’t help anyone, especially in times like this.”
-

Papa’s words brought some clarity to mind, though his heart still thumped at the very idea. “I’m sure.”

Ralim have a sharp nod and shifted to a crouch.

Link counted the seconds it took the patrols to pass, noting they were the ones he predicted and giving a grim smile when he saw the times still matched.

They would have a minute and twenty seconds before the next patrol turned the corner. Link clenched his jaw as the last two neared the corner, and before they even disappeared from sight, he slipped from his hiding spot and into the hall.

Ralim gave him a tense stare, but he waved for her to follow and she did, to his mild surprise.

The other two were gone. Time starts now. Link rushed down the hall, not quite so far as the others had gone, and he peeked around the corner.

Another hall that ended in a closed door, completely void of hiding places otherwise.

Link rushed down to the door and tried the handle, blood draining from his head as he found it locked.

They only had a little time. Rushing back they could run headlong into the next patrol if they didn’t start now. He spun on his heel, but Ralim dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder.

She crouched in front of the door and scowled at it as she drew a dagger from her side.

“We only have about half a minute,” Link hissed.

“Then we had better hurry.”

Link turned to look at the hall, hoping his count had been correct. The grating of metal on metal that sounded like lightning to his ears drew his gaze back in a snap.

Ralim was cutting through the handle.

Link stared, at a loss for how in the world she was even doing that with a dagger, and beyond that, what she was expecting to happen when the door was noticed. Surely it would be used if they kept their spoils beyond, and one glance this way would have them caught even if not! “Ralim!”

Too late. An acrid smoke filled the air and she hissed as she sheathed the dagger, and only then did he notice the bottle of green liquid held in her other hand. “A perfectly good knife, too,” she grumbled as the door swung open without complaint.

Link didn’t have time to argue. Didn’t have time to worry about if the patrols noticed the smell. They hurried into the room and pulled the door closed behind them, just in time for Link to see the shadows of the guards before it shut.

He deflected and fell against the wall. “That was too close.”

Ralim grimaced as she removed her belt knife, which was now smoking as well, and tossed it to the side. “Better the knife than us.”

“What was that?”

“Acid. Like like’s can be a value commodity.” She turned to face the other way and her face darkened.

Link looked to find another doorway surprisingly close, only this one had a curtain of what looked like solid shadow blocking the other side from view.

“I cannot pass until the shadow does.” Ralim turned to him, no surprise in her expression at all. “Find the item supplying its magic and destroy it.”Link blinked at her, not comprehending, until she gestured toward the door with raised eyebrows. “They will not wait forever to notice what we have done.”

“You want me to walk through that?”

“It will not harm you.” Ralim looked at it again. “I would have brought Iriku with me if we could have done it on our own.”

Link furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

“The Thieves are prepared against us. Gerudo Warriors cannot cross their barriers.” Ralim’s lips twisted into a wolfish smile. “You are a warrior, but you are no Gerudo. You are perfect.”

Great. Link looked back to the ominous shroud filling the door and cringed. She could’ve at least warned me. “I hope your happy, Voice,” he whispered as he stepped away from the door and toward the strange barrier.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he reached his hand toward the darkness. A chill swept through his blood, but nothing hindered him stepping through and into the room beyond.

He opened his eyes and gaped.

The room was huge, easily twice the size of his whole house, and it was piled high end to end with organized pilfered belongings. And this is only a stopping place before they take it to the Twinrova. The very idea was ludicrous.

He took it in as he walked deeper. Chests filled with rainbow rupees, casting everything in a colorful light. Statues, artifacts, and tapestries all carefully organized and set in their place.

Jewelry and trinkets caught his eye and he rushed to the back of the room where they were sorted in various gold lined jewelry boxes.

Come on, come on… The feeling of magical items was strong over many in the set, but still it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for, along with an added bonus.

A Sealing Key! He snatched it up and pocketed it, then his eyes landed on the pink jewels behind it, tied into a necklace. Yes!

Link snatched up the Soul’s Voice and all other thoughts retreated. He slipped it over his head. “Hello? Voice?”

Silence.

“Voice? Are you there?”

“LINK!!” Her shriek made him jump. “Where have you been!?”

“Shh, shh, Voice, I’m-“

“Don’t you dare shush me!!” She formed in a blast of aggressive pink mist, darker than usual, and she flew toward him with a ferocity that made him flinch, even knowing she couldn’t touch him. “Don’t you dare leave me like that again! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Do you have any idea how it feels to be trapped with no way to know what is going on!? No way to help!?” Her voice hitched on the last word and he noticed it then.

She was choked up. Link’s ears drooped.

“It’s been days Link! Over a week, at least I’m certain! What did you do? Why did you abandon me!?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

She flew right into his face, and he could only just make out the mixture of terror and anger in her expression. “I am the only one who can help you Link. I am the only one who can guide you.” She snarled past the crack in her voice. “Don’t you ever ignore me like that again.”

“I didn’t mean to,” he snapped. “And if you’d give me half a second to explain myself maybe you’d understand that.”

She inched back, but only slightly, crossing her arms and looking down her blurry nose at him.

Her silence was all the encouragement he needed to continue. “The Soul’s Voice was stolen from me. I’ve spent the last week doing nothing but trying to get it back.”

“Stolen?” The remorse he expected to hear was nonexistent. Instead, her tone held a wary sort of calm. “How?”

“When I took it off to bathe,” he said, his face flushing at the memory of their last fight. “I wanted to cool off, so I went to sleep without it on.”

“You let the Soul’s Voice be taken from you?” The calm was belied by a tremble in her voice this time. The raise in pitch implied it wasn’t a good sign.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“You let the Soul’s Voice, the only item I can communicate to the outside world with, be stolen?”

He didn’t know why he’d expected anything different. Of course the moment he saw her again she was nitpicking everything and angry as a tektite.

“It may not matter to you, Link, but that jewel is my one connection to my—to Hyrule and everything I am working for. Don’t you dare try to get in the way of that, whether intentional or through your imbecilic incompetence.”

Link flinched, neck heating at the words. “You have no idea what I’ve been through trying to get you back!” He snapped. “I’ve done everything I am able to remedy my mistake! You’re talking to me as if I’m an enemy!”

“I am only warning you, she growled. “Don’t make yourself one to me.”

Is she crazy!? “Why would I try to make you my enemy!? You’ve done nothing but help me! Unless we count how rude you always are!”

She opened her mouth, but then hesitated, mist wavering as she floated back another foot.

Link refused the urge to break the tense silence. He stared at her and waited.

Finally, her color lightened and she drifted closer to the ground. “You’re right. I was rude. I’m sorry.”

The words were perfect. The tension drained away and Link’s shoulder relaxed. He hadn’t even realized he’d raised them to his ears during the argument.

“I was worried. I should not take that out on you.” Her tone was soft and nearly nonexistent, but it was better than nothing.

Link sighed and shook his head, turning to survey the room again. “I understand.”

“Where are you?”

He moved through the piles, focused again on the task Ralim gave him. Hopefully he hadn’t already taken too long. “The Gerudo Desert.” He hesitated, then drew his Sealing Keys from his rupee pouch. “I’ve found two.”

Her eyes were wide and excitement coated her voice. “Only six more to go!”

He nodded and stashed them again, shifting through the various items and examining each, though he moved on quickly if he felt no telltale twinge of power.

“What are you looking for?”

He twisted his lips, but it had been so long since Voice had been nagging him for details, he couldn’t help but smile, if a little ruefully. “There’s supposed to be an item anchoring and magic shadow barrier keeping my companion out. I have to find a break it.”

Voice hummed. “Companion.” Her voice was flat and unreadable.

He opted for cautious answers. “A Gerudo woman helped me find this place. I told her I’d help her get in too.”

“Gerudo.” The word was hissed distastefully, but Voice said no more on the subject. “A magical anchor will be near the spell it is connected to. Search near the door.”

Link pressed his lips together and nodded his thanks, speed-walking back to the strange shadowy curtain. It only took a moment to find the cat statue set behind a chest on one side, coated in the same chilly black magic.

Link drew his sword and stabbed it through the statue’s head. The black ink stuttered, then dripped off the statue like water and disappeared.

“That took too long.” Link jumped and spun to face Ralim as she stepped into the room. “We don’t have much time.”

“What happened?” Voice demanded with all the nostalgic eagerness from before.

Link waved her off because he was not going to make himself look crazy in front of Ralim. “Sorry. I found what I was looking for. As soon as you’re ready, let’s get out of here.”

Ralim narrowed her eyes at him, but she didn’t waste time. She stepped into the room and made a beeline for the area full of scrolls and books that Link had completely ignored.

“We’re going to have to sneak out of here,” Link whispered to Voice while the Warrior was busy. “I won’t be able to answer all your questions.”

The pink mist made a pretty good impression of a glowering woman, even as her voice came out even and soft. “Of course.” He was beginning to dislike that compliant tone.

The crackle of flames drew Link’s gaze and he spun to see a growing fire licking at the scrolls by Ralim with a book tucked under one arm.

The Warrior smiled grimly at the flames as she tossed another scroll in before turning her attention to Link. “We must go.”

“That fire will alert everyone that we are here!” Link rushed toward it, but she caught his shoulder on her way away.

“Then we’d best not be here when the flames spread.”

“Ralim!”

“Come, Link. If we do not hurry, we may fall victim to them as well.”

They were spreading, and quickly. Now they were catching on the dry wood of the chests and even licking toward the wooden ceiling. Link definitely didn’t have the required skill to put them out.

Wide-eyed, he spun and raced after Ralim who was already loping down the hall. And laughing. Link clenched the hilt of his sword and tried to swallow down the fear and irritation wrestling for precedence, even as he snatched up at least one of the fancy statues and stuffed it in his bag.

Why are they all crazy!?

Chapter Text

They huddled in a small clearing of rocks, breathing hard and sweating, despite the quickly chilling temperatures.

The orange glow of the Thieves’ Hideout could still be seen shining above the edges of some of those rocks.

Ralim hadn’t stopped smiling in satisfaction with herself the whole run, and even now as she began to kick rocks to the side to clear the area, she was still wearing a grim grin.

“You could’ve gotten us killed,” Link complained, dropping his bag to one side. “If they’d caught us-“

“They would be too busy dealing with the fire,” she stated. “Though, they may search.”

The idea of being found in this dead-end ravine was definitely not his favorite. “Why did you do that??”

“If they are allowed to keep those things, they simply go into supplying the Twinrova and all those rebels.” Ralim stood straight and cracked her knuckles. “Though I would lie if I did not say I enjoyed it as well. There is too little chance to make those Thieves pay.”

Link rolled his eyes up toward the orange-tinted starry sky and breathed.

“At dawn I will take you to a village. Then I must return.” She dropped to the ground, and rather than lying down as Link expected, she popped open her stolen book and started flipping through the pages despite the creeping darkness.

Link turned his back to her and cleared out his own area, finally allowing himself to give Voice a pointed glance. She’d been floating silently behind him since he picked up the Soul’s Voice, even with everything going on.

“I take it things didn’t go to plan,” she said evenly.

Link shrugged and kicked another rock. “For her they did.”

“Her name. What is it?”

Link recognized that tone. Even and deceptively calm. She wanted more information so she could explode at him about it again. “I met her when I was running from some Thieves,” he said, trying to skirt the subject. “I was injured and she cared for me until I healed and then showed me the way here.”

Voice’s dedication wavered, as he’d hoped, and she drifted a little lower and a little closer. “Injured?”

Link nodded, touching his still twinging side, before he crouched next to his bag and pulled out his blanket. Though, from his experience with Gerudo nights, it didn’t seem like it was going to do a lot of good.

“I heard you say Ralim.” Of course she asked without actually needing him to answer. “How old is she?”

Link shrugged again, uncomfortable. “I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“Link. Tell me you are not idly traveling with the steward of the desert?”

Great. Apparently Ralim really was recognizable. No wonder she’d known Link wasn’t a spy. “I’m not being idle,” was his weak dodge.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!? You’re not only a citizen of Hyrule, but you’re an armed male! What if the Warriors take offense at your coming? What if they place you as a hostile sent by the king? You could cause outright war!”

“I don’t think anyone has time for war right now,” he said softly, glancing over his shoulder at Ralim who was still leafing through the pages of her book. “Least of all the Gerudo.”

“That’s one good thing about keeping that Beast in the desert.”

“What?”

Voice waved a hand in dismissal. “You have to get away from her and go to find the next Sealing Key. We can’t risk being near any Gerudo for too long.”

“That’s not gonna be a problem. She’s leaving me at a town tomorrow.”

“Good.” The solid satisfied sharpness of the word nearly made Link chuckle. She sounded vindictive.

“I’ve been thinking though, Voice,” Link hesitated. “I only stumbled across these two Sealing Keys by chance here in the desert. I don’t have the slightest clue where to start looking next.”

Voice drifted down to the ground with him, skirt flaring out as if she was actually there and sitting by his side. “See what you can learn from the Gerudo steward before you part ways, then. Obviously the majority—if not all—of the keys are here in the desert.”

Link nodded and shivered, pulling his blanket up to his shoulders as a chill wind swept past the rocks.

“Once we know where to go we-“

“Link.” He lost focus on what Voice was saying as he turned to look at Ralim. She closed her book and gestured him over. “Come.”

Link stood, curious, and made his way to her, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

“Link?”

“You Hylians cannot handle the cold,” she said as a matter-of-fact. She lifted her own blanket, now wrapped around her shoulders and set her book to the side. “Sit.”

Link felt awkward as he sank down to the stone a couple inches from Ralim. Another gust of cold air made him shiver again, and that was all the Gerudo Warrior needed to clear the inches between them and press her warmth against him, wrapping an arm and a blanket over his shoulders.

“Do not freeze. You have work to do.”

Link blinked, surprised by the sentiment and looked at her. She was staring up at the sky and didn’t say more on the subject.

He shifted, trying to get comfortable and not feel totally out of place, but he couldn’t deny the warmth was nice. Voice was watching him in disgruntled confusion, and even though she couldn’t see anything but him, her scrutiny made him blush.

If he closed his eyes, he could block out everything else and imagine he was back home, stargazing with Mama. It was nice.

Link woke slowly, a growing heat shifting fast beyond comfortable. He was bundled in his own blanket and Ralim’s, but the Warrior was sitting further away, chewing on some bread and looking through her book again.

Link shifted, wincing at the crick in his neck from falling asleep upright, then he wiped a trail of drool off his chin and flushed at the thought that he might’ve gotten some on the steward.

“The day dawns,” Ralim’s words precursed a projectile arching toward him. Link fumbled to catch the small roll. “We must go.”

Right. The Thieves are still out there. Link stood, biting into the bread and nodding his thanks to the Warrior.

They both rolled up the blankets and took up their packs, then they started through the rocky paths again.

Ralim’s book was out of sight for once, since she’d shoved it into her bag. Link pursed his lips and glanced at it. “What was so important about that book? You could’ve taken all the rupees in there, but you just took that.”

She glanced at her pack, then at Link. “Information cannot be earned so easily as some things. What of your necklace? Why should it aid in your journey?”

Link flinched in surprise. He looked down to find the Soul’s Voice resting over his tunic. He was certain he tucked it in, but it must have escaped during their run or after he fell asleep. He hastily slipped it beneath his tunic once more. “It’s magic.” He hoped she wouldn’t ask him to elaborate.

“Is Link a common name in Hyrule? I have never met one before.”

Link furrowed his brow at the drastic change of topic and fumbled to catch his thoughts. “I-uh. No. Not common.” At least they weren’t talking about the Soul’s Voice anymore. “Mama said she heard it a long time ago in an old story and the name had always stuck with her.”

Ralim hummed, a hand pressing against her bag as she turned forward again.

“I could actually use a little more advice,” he said hesitantly. No better way to broach the subject with Ralim than to dive straight in, I suppose. “I’m looking for some special keys that were stolen from me, and I’m pretty sure they’re somewhere in the desert. They’ll look like-“ he rummaged in his rupee pouch, but she spoke before he could find them.

“I know what they look like.”

His hands froze and he looked at her.

“I searched all your gear when Iriku captured you.” Oh right. Of course. “Why do you need these special keys?”

Link licked his lips. “They’ll help me on my quest. The one to find my brother.”

“The one that Dark Beast Ganon must be defeated for?”

He could feel her watching him out of the corner of her eye. He swallowed and hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake. After all, Ralim wanted the Beast gone too. “Yeah.”

Ralim hummed. They exited the stone tunnels and Link cringed at the sight of dunes again. “I have not seen any of these keys, but I have not been looking.” She started up the dune and he followed. “From now on I will keep my eyes open. And I can give you advice either way.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“If your keys were stolen by Thieves, the Twinrova no doubt have at least one.” Ralim’s voice was steady, though her glare was full of hate. “Their hideout is the most difficult to reach by far, and their magical skills make it the most dangerous as well. No matter if you learn a key is there, I would not suggest going in alone.”

Link pressed a hand against the Soul’s Voice. At least he wasn’t completely alone. “I have to find the Sealing Keys.”

“I understand. Then my second suggestion is do not tackle the Twinrova’s Hideout until you have a weapon that can deflect their magic. They will crush you otherwise.”

Link swallowed and nodded, packing that away for later. “Do you know how to get to their hideout?”

Ralim raised an eyebrow at him, as if she thought he’d run off right now despite her warnings.

“For later.”

She nodded and pointed out at the dunes toward the sun. “A sea of sand that swallows all unprepared adventurers whole and steals the air from their lungs waits that direction.” Link’s feet nearly dropped from beneath him. “Their base is just beyond that.”

“A sea of… what?”

“Sand.”

Link cleared his throat and regained his footing as he caught up from his brief stumble. He stared at the ground and couldn’t even imagine how terrifying it would be if the sand tried to eat him up now. “How am I supposed to get across something like that?”

“The Thieves use magic.”

“I don’t have magic.”

She grunted and he remembered he just told her about the Soul’s Voice.

“Not that kind, at least.”

Ralim shrugged. “There are rumors that a magical item was left in the Sand Temple that would make the crossing possible.”

“The Sand Temple.”

“You are in luck, it is nearby.”

Link almost asked where, but as they crested another dune, the town came into view and his mouth dropped open.

This one was fully intact, huge, and bustling. Music from instruments he didn’t recognize played strange tunes as they slipped down the dune and stared.

“You will find shelter and all you need here.” Ralim immediately started in, not bothered by the noise and bright colors in the slightest. “Restocking at the market is the best option.”

He followed behind her thoroughly overwhelmed as people shouted, laughed, danced, and sang. Colorful cloth was everywhere, bright and embroidered in beautiful designs.

As they walked deeper, the conventional sound of merchants hawking their wares met his ears and he relaxed some at the familiarity, even if what they were offering wasn’t what he was used to.

“Ah, an adventure merchant.” Ralim’s pace quickened and Link hurried to keep up.

Then he froze when he saw the purple outcropping they were coming to, with a familiar face behind the counter. “Ruplen?”

Chapter Text

“Link?” Ruplen looked up, eyes going wide with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Wait. Ruplen? That merchant you ran into?” Voice floated closer, mist shifting as she flew straight through a wall without seeing.

Link fumbled for an answer in his confusion, but Ralim’s laugh cut him off. There was so much going on right now.

“Perhaps the rumor that all Hylians know each other is not so far fetched as I took it for.”

Link snorted and stepped up to lean against Ruplen’s table—the merchant was still staring at him. “He’s an adventure merchant. Where do you think I got my supplies?”

Ruplen recovered himself at that and straightened, smiling at both of them as he gestured at Link. “You actually are traveling with my business partner. I’d be glad to give you a discount as a friend of Link’s! I have so many supplies, newly stocked, that I’m certain would be a great help to you in your travels!”

“I will take that,” Ralim said, pointing over Ruplen’s shoulder at a bottle on the shelf. “And a pack of medical supplies.”

Ruplen clasped his hands and nodded as he turned to retrieve the items and tell her the price. Link ignored the exchange as he remembered the little statue he’d taken from the Thieves’ hideout.

He spun to dig through his bag as they did business, and only looked up when Ralim dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “You are in the village now with a partner and ally.”

Link met her gaze evenly and nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

“Of course. Remember. Do not try to visit the Twinrova unprepared.”

Link nodded, touching his thumb to his chin in a gesture Ralim mirrored before jogging away.

“Did she finally leave?” Voice huffed, crossing her arms and glaring the direction Link was looking. “It certainly took her long enough.”

Link ignored her—he couldn’t very well answer her in the middle of the street and she knew that—and he turned to Ruplen, pulling out the fancy statue. “How much can I get for this?”

Ruplen’s eyes popped wide at the sight and he glanced both ways before leaning closer. “You didn’t steal that, did you?”

“No. At least… I took it from thieves.”

Ruplen pursed his lips and worried his lip, then he nodded and took out a larger belt pouch. “This is a very special item that you won’t find many other places.”

Link cocked his head.

“I’ll trade it, along with fifty rupees, for the statue. Honestly it’s a steal, but I can’t help but give you my best deals.”

The words made Link nervous, but he’d never felt he’d been cheated by Ruplen before. Still… “What’s so special about it?”

“It’s been enchanted so that it can carry more rupees,” Ruplen replied with a sly smile. “Say goodbye to your days of filling your pouch to bursting and having to say goodbye to all your would-be wealth as you pass perfectly shiny rupees. Now you’ll be able to carry so much more of what I’m sure you’re finding on your adventures!”

Link pressed his lips together as his mind shot back to the Temple of Avarice. How he’d tried to use his nightshirt as a bag, only to trail rupees all through the dungeon behind him. “It can really do that? It hardly looks bigger than my rupee pouch.”

“That’s the point of the magic,” Ruplen smirked. “No one else will even be the wiser that you’re carrying more.”

Link was sold. They completed the transaction quickly, and as Link transferred his rupees into the new pouch, he marveled at how light it felt. “Why isn’t it heavy?”

“Ah, another perk of the magic.”

Link nodded, fastening it to his belt. What a strange feeling for it to weigh less than what he’d put inside. “Do you have a room to spare by chance?”

Ruplen leaned against the table and grinned at him. “Anything for my partner, of course, but now that you’ve taken off a little in your rupee collection, I’m going to have to ask you to pay a fee.”

Link hesitated. If it was more than the inns asked for, he might just stay there. However, he wasn’t certain about his chances among the Gerudo just yet. Now that Ralim was gone, he’d have to be careful and secure his own safety in a hostile nation. “How much?”

Ruplen’s price was reasonable, and once Link payed the merchant showed him to a one-room house that looked similar to the last Link had stayed with him in. Similar in that it was mostly stuffed full of supplies and wares with a bed stuffed haphazardly where they hardly fit, as though the furniture was an afterthought placed among the supplies in a warehouse.

“I only have one bed in this location,” Ruplen said, “so I deducted from the price knowing you would have to take the floor. Though as an adventurer, I’m sure even that will be better than you’re used to, considering it’s certain to be safe and regulated indoors!”

Link snorted and he couldn’t even feel like he’d been taken advantage of because Ruplen’s price was surprisingly low, and he would definitely prefer to stay with a Hylian than at a Gerudo inn.

Ruplen seemed to recognize that and he waved as he went back to work at his stall.

Link sank to the floor in the path of boxes, stretching his legs out in front of him and letting out a low sigh.

“You’re not moving.” Voice shifted out of the corner of his vision, looking a little sullen. “Are you done ignoring me?”

Link sighed and pushed a hand up through his hair and knocking his hat off his head. “You know I can’t be talking to an invisible person in front of everyone.”

“Well why aren’t we moving? Did you get any information on where the next Key is? Do we have a destination.”

Link was shocked as he realized he was actually considering lying and saying he wasn’t sure yet. But even that wouldn’t get her off his tail. She’d just insist he get up and search for more information then. “Yeah. Only…”

Voice gave a world weary sigh. “Only what?”

“I can’t exactly go marching into the Twinrova’s base unprepared. Ralim gave me a few items I need to find if I’m gonna try and find a Sealing Key there.”

Voice’s light pink paled further. “The Twinrova?” When Link nodded, she sank further toward the floor. “Well, as much as I hate to say it, I agree with the Gerudo. Those witches are far too dangerous to take on on a whim.”

“I can’t even get to their hideout yet anyway,” Link soothed. “That’s why I’m headed to the Sand Temple tomorrow. That may open the path, and then it’s just a matter of finding some sort of weapon that can reflect their attacks.”

Voice’s voice grew thoughtful. “Many of the legends speak of the Hero of Courage fighting through dungeons and temples to grow in power before he faces the darkness.” She tilted her head to look at him down her nose. “Perhaps destiny is setting you on just the path you’re supposed to follow.”

Link didn’t know a lot about destiny. He just shrugged, then perked up as the door opened and Ruplen came in again.

“I’ve closed up for the night,” he said, dusting his hands off and kicking off his shoes near the door. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable. Good. Hopefully the night’s sleep will be good and worth your money. As long as you’re here in the desert you’re welcome to come rent with me. The costs are phenomenally low!”

Link chuckled and pulled his legs back to help make a path for Ruplen to pick his way through the boxes toward the bed. Once the merchant sat down, he started laying out his bedroll on the wooden floorboards.

“What’s your father’s name, Link?”

He flinched, surprised by the question, and then surprised by the way Voice shot closer to him with whispered questions of if he was okay. He rolled his eyes toward her in a pointed look that he hoped got across his meaning, then he shifted to lean back against the boxes. “Papa? Why?”

“I ran into a man named Lossa who said his son’s name is Link.” Ruplen was watching him closely, looking for any signs of… something. “He said he was looking for him and he seemed genuinely worried about him.”

Link’s stomach dropped out and he but his lip, averting his gaze to the floor. Of course he knew a not wouldn’t be enough to deter his parents from looking, but he’s hoped at least Papa wouldn’t go too far with it. Ruplen was last in Kakariko village. How far was Papa going to look for him, and did he leave Mama all alone while he did it?

“He traveled with me to Castle Town,” Ruplen continued. “He had some old injuries, but that didn’t stop him from guiding and protecting me on the way. We split ways when we got there, but as I understood it, he was planning to use old connections in the army to try and get a search going for you and other missing people.”

Rift and the princess. Papa had tried to start a search party for them once before but the king had refused his request without much of a reason. But if Papa can get a search party started, and I defeat Dark Beast Ganon, maybe they’ll come home even sooner!

“Thanks for telling me,” Link said. He could see the question in Ruplen’s eyes, and he felt he could trust the merchant with at least this much. “I didn’t want to leave my family, but my quest is really important. I’m glad to know Papa was okay last time you saw him.”

Some of the tension drained out of Ruplen as he sighed and leaned back on the mattress. “So I didn’t betray your confidence by telling him I knew you?”

Ruplen was that worried that Link was trying to avoid his dad? Then again, he supposed from the merchant’s perspective it would probably look that way. “No. I’m glad you did. Maybe he won’t worry so much either.”

Ruplen smiled and the conversation turned to less important matters, until they’d both tired themselves out and dropped off to sleep.

When Link woke the next morning he was the first up. He got ready for the day, accidentally waking Ruplen in the process, and then said his farewells.

“I’ll see you soon, hopefully,” he said as adjusted his belt outside Ruplen’s shop. “And maybe I’ll have even more to sell.”

Ruplen grinned and nodded. “I’ll be in this town for a while yet, and in the desert even longer. I’m almost… well. I have more to do here.”

Link nodded. “Then I’ll return here once I finish this next step.” The Sand Temple.

“I’ll be eagerly awaiting your business,” Ruplen grinned. “Be careful out there.”

Link nodded, and then set out toward the edge of town, and toward the temple Ralim told him of, Voice floating in the air behind him.

The days Lossa waited for permission paid off well. He walked down the halls of the palace in a stunned stupor. He’d expected that maybe things would have changed and that his idea of a search would not be so ill-thought of after all these years, but he never imagined the king would request to meet a retired captain in person.

The doors were opened for him and Lossa walked in, genuflecting before his king who rested on the throne.

“Rise, Lossa.”He did so, and he found the king looking him over with a serious expression. “You want to put together a search for Princess Zelda and her companions?”

Lossa nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Even though I told you in the past that they chose to leave for an important matter?”

“Three years seems a long time to lack communication, sir.”

“Indeed it does,” and something flickered in the king’s eyes. He tapped the armrest of his throne and turned his gaze toward the window. “If they were going to succeed, they would have done by now.”

Lossa bit back the questions that wanted to pour out. The king knew more on this matter than anyone and it pained Lossa not to have answers on just what his son might be doing, but that was just a part of working for the crown.

“I will acknowledge your request and supply you with men for the task.” The king turned his gaze back, hard and steady. “You are an intelligent captain we were pained to lose.”

Lossa saluted with a hand to his chest, heart glowing at the praise.

“Lossa.” The king leaned forward. “Find my daughter.”

Chapter Text

Travel with Princess Zelda ever since the ambush had been… different. Rift wasn’t sure what to make of the changes. At the very least, her confidence in him seemed to have increased tenfold.

The princess spoke to him openly, now, as though they were equals and he wasn’t just a backwater farmer. She seemed to take an honest interest in him and his opinions and it made him uncomfortable.

Where previously she would have looked to Impa with any questions, now she looked to Rift for whatever reason, and the Sheikah noticed—she glared at him darkly every time the princess’ attention turned to him.

He didn’t know what he’d done to earn her ire or the princess’ trust, but every skirmish they came across in the forest seemed to solidify it further. He didn’t know how to navigate the new situation, or his new role in the group.

The princess never once implied in word that anything had changed, so Rift tried his best to act the same despite all the differences he could see and feel.

“We are looking for our failsafe first,” Zelda confided, without Rift having to ask. “My plan should work, but I won’t let Hyrule down by being unprepared with a back up in case I have overlooked something.”

She paused here, clearly waiting, and Rift had fallen into the habit of filling in these silences, princess or no. “A wise plan, your highness.”

She perked up with a smug smile at the praise, eyes still set straight ahead. “I try to keep the dangers and chances in mind all the time. It’s the least I could use this wisdom for.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t seem to mind filling in the silence herself after he let it stretch on.

“Once our failsafe is in place, we’ll be traveling to the Forest Temple I’ve read about so often.”

“What’s in the Forest Temple?” From all he’d picked up along this trip, he’d thought she saw danger in the desert and wanted to pick a fight with the Gerudo. From Papa’s stories, more border skirmishes were the last thing Rift wanted, but of course, he couldn’t say that to the princess.

“The Master Sword, of course.” She rolled her eyes and then cast the most unsettling gaze on him yet.

Rift’s fists tightened around his reins. He’d been on the receiving end of glances like this since the ambush too and they made him nervous and proud all at once. To have his princess looking at him with admiration and pride made him want to sink into the earth in the same moment that every glance made his shoulders straighten and a steady confidence strum through his veins.

It was a sort of confidence he’d never felt before. Beyond just winning at games or knowing his way around a sword or field, this was the belief of his princess that he was destined for greatness.

This was a belief budding within himself that maybe he could do everything she claimed. Maybe he could do anything.

“When we find the sword, you must draw it from the stone—only the hero can—and with it we will vanquish the darkness that has come.”

Rift’s doubts caught in his chest, far enough away from his throat he never would have dreamed of uttering them. Because the moment they appeared, he listened to what the princess said, and the confidence with which she said it. He had no reason to doubt that when she was so sure.

“The darkness has come?” He asked instead, because usually she spoke as though they were ahead of it.

“Yes.” She said softly, staring ahead. “It was come before we left, but I thought we had more time before it reached the border of Hyrule.”

He furrowed his brow.

She looked at him. “I have visions, you see. Glimpses into the future and the past and the present.” Was that why she was so certain he was the hero? “The Dark Beast has risen again in the desert and it is making its way toward our home as we speak.”

“And I’m supposed to fight this Beast? With the legendary Master Sword?”

“It is your destiny.”

Impa was glaring at him from the princess’ other side. Her lips were twisted in a scowl and she didn’t seem to care that he could see.

Rift averted his gaze and rubbed at his neck. “I’ll do my best, princess, but I’ve never fought anything but men and monsters before.”

“Once you hold the Master Sword, I am certain it will prepare you.”

Rift’s shoulders straightened at that. He would take up the Master Sword and he would defend Hyrule. His kingdom. His family. Rift would be a hero, like Papa.

Maybe that in itself could make up for him helping the princess sneak away behind the king’s back. Maybe things wouldn’t go badly when he returned.

Princess Zelda let out a gasp. He looked ahead. Out of the trees, a stone cliff seemed to stand up right in front of them. It was carved sheer and flat other than the statues and images emblazoned in it.

All of it, statues of sages and powerful stars of light, were surrounded a door up a shallow staircase that was almost as wide as the cliff itself.

“We are here,” Zelda whispered, awe coating her voice along with a bit of pride. “The Supply Chamber.”

Entering this “Supply Chamber” was like walking into a cave. It was stone with hardly any decorations beyond the carvings in the walls and a few stone chairs, half of which were fallen or decayed. The first room was huge and echoed with each step they took.

Impa looked ill at ease, her kunai in hand as she looked every way, caution sparking in her red eyes.

Rift placed his hand over the hilt of his sword as he followed Zelda through the big empty room, and to the doorway in the back.

A head stone carved into the shape of the door but almost double the size and thickness stood to one side inside the new room. Beyond that, the smaller stone chamber had eight alcoves, each empty, and a center pedestal with rings carved into the floor and writing Rift couldn’t decipher, especially in the dark.

The only light in the room came from slits as thin as his arm in the walls above, where the sunlight, already hindered by nearby trees, leaked in just barely.

“This is just what I read of,” Zelda whispered, taking the steps quickly and moving toward the circle.

Impa grabbed her arm. “Your highness, perhaps you should allow us to check for safety before you wander off. None of the doors here were closed.”

Zelda rolled her eyes toward the sky, but then the expression was gone and she nodded. “Of course. I will wait here.” She stepped to the wall so Impa and Rift could begin their sweep.

There were a few keese hidden in the corners that woke once they lit a torch, and then a few ropes and rats, but they were all quickly dealt with.

“Are you satisfied with the safety of the Chamber?”

“I am satisfied.” Impa wiped off her retrieved kunai.

The princess smiled and moved up the steps again, stilling in the center of the circle and closing her eyes, her hand marked with the Triforce held out just before her chest.

A minute passed and she didn’t move a muscle. Rift glanced back through the doorway just to be sure. The woods weren’t especially safe and he didn’t like the idea of getting ambushed with his back turned and no way of retreat.

A bright yellow glow made him jump. He spun around to find Zelda’s marking glowing, a Triforce appearing in the air before her, before the lines on the ground lit as well, pink light sliding through them like water as they moved and lit each little alcove like their own personal torches.

Rift and Impa stared. Zelda’s hair was caught in a nonexistent breeze as the light grew brighter and brighter.

Soon, Rift had to cover his face with his arms. Then everything flashed white and the light was gone.

After the blinding glow, Rift could hardly see in the simple torchlight alone. He heard the princess’ body hit the ground, though. He and Impa rushed forward as one.

They found her as a crumpled heap, unconscious on the stone floor. Quickly they checked her head for injury, but she was fine.

“What happened?” Rift whispered, wide eyed and nervous. “Is she okay?”

“She overtaxed herself,” Impa said softly, a note of relief in her tone. “I’ve seen it before. We needn’t worry.”

Despite the tension between them, Rift found assurance in her words and tone. Impa led the way with the torch as Rift hefted Zelda into his arms with a grunt and a stumble.

They brought her back to the larger room and Impa prepared a place for her, hidden in a tent. Once Rift deposited the princess inside, he was shooed out and not allowed back in again.

He paced at the entrance to the Chamber, watching for monsters or danger. It was all he could do now. The princess and Impa were both in the tent, so it was his duty to make sure camp stayed safe.

He wanted to know how she was doing. What had happened, but the pacing did well to burn off some of that energy.

The moment he heard the rustling of the tent fabric, he spun to find not only Impa, but the princess exiting.

“Impa, start a fire. We will set up a central base of operations here while I prepare for our next expedition.”

Impa gave a curt nod and began to walk toward the entrance. Rift rushed right past her and only remembered himself when he was five feet from the princess.

He came to an abrupt halt and saluted with a hand to his chest and a bow. “Are you well, your highness?”

“Were you worried for me, Rift?” There was an underlying humor in her tone, or perhaps confidence.

Rift flushed and fumbled for his words. “I-well, when you collapsed…”

A soft finger touched his chin and drew his gaze up to meet her satisfied smile. He barely held back a flinch at the touch and close proximity. He hadn’t seen her move closer.

“It is good to see you care.” The smile. Those eyes hard as stone as she spoke the words. That cold superiority that drenched her tone.

All of it together made words that should have been nice make him shiver. Rift broke eye contact, pulling away as fast as manners would allow, and flushing to his ears at himself the whole time. “I should focus on guarding.” Anything to get away. To leave those words and that expression behind.

He hadn’t felt like this since he first started on their adventure. He’d forgotten. He’d forgotten how wrong all of this felt to begin with. How he was forced into this role that somewhere along the way he’d learned to enjoy.

He wanted to help her save Hyrule, but that face… He couldn’t help but feel that she was using him. That she was trying to twist his loyalty to the crown for her own ends.

“Rift.” Her voice was soft but demanding. “Sit with me. We need to speak.”

His blood turned to ice in his veins, but even still he found his body moving. Trained from a young age to follow commands. He sat near the fire, but positioned himself so he could see the entrance to the chamber and the Forest outside, just in case.

“You are trained well,” she murmured. It was likely not meant for him to hear, but the echoing room brought it straight to him.

Rift flushed in indignation, but held his tongue. Was this what she was thinking every time she spoke to him on the road? Was this what she thought of him as a whole? Had he imagined the camaraderie and admiration?

“I used my magic to seal off the border between the Gerudo Desert and Hyrule.” She clasped her hands in her lap and her voice shifted, moving more toward conversational and away from that cold tone. “It should last long enough for us to retrieve the Master Sword, but I do not want to be unprepared, so I plan to do a little more research. It will require that I reenergize the shield on occasion.”

Rift bobbed his head but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Not openly as he had before.

She looked at him and her expression softened even further, as though she was steadily pulling herself awake after a long dream and seeing him again for the first time. “We have traveled together for some time, but I don’t know much about you in reality, Rift. Tell me about your home.”

This time the command could have been mistaken for a genuine request. Rift’s shoulders relaxed some at the return of the Zelda he’d grown to know over the past couple of weeks.

Something about pouring all that power into the Supply Chamber must have disoriented her. She must still be recovering from the effects.

Rift tried not to blame her for that. He tried not to let his old bitterness, or his ever-present underlying desire to go home, poison his thoughts. “My home is just a small farming town,” he said quietly. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be of much interest to you, your highness.”

“On the contrary, every town and every villager living within is of interest to me.” Zelda leaned forward and stared at the ground before her. “I am the princess. Their good is what drives my every move. I would delight in hearing more of even one of them.”

Rift swallowed down the last of his discomfort. Because he knew that was true of her. From everything he’d seen and heard of her, everything she did was for the good of Hyrule and the people living within. She worked beyond the calling of her people to ensure their safety from unknown threats.

“My family lives in a small house. My brother and I shared a room.”

“Brother?”

Rift smiled without realizing. “Yes, my younger brother. He used to follow me around all the time, and before I left, Papa would train us both in the sword. He used to be a captain, you see, before he was injured fighting the Gerudo.”

“I had heard of that,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know you had a brother, though. What of your mother?” The last was given hesitantly.

Rift paused. He knew just as everyone else that the queen was dead. But the princess requested the information and he couldn’t very well leave it in silence. Besides, it was good to reminisce on home after so long away. “Mama makes sure we’re all supplied well every day with homemade meals and snacks. We all tease her for how she worries, but it feels nice to know someone cares in such an obvious way. I think we drive her a bit insane sometimes with our antics.”

“Your family sounds nice.”

“What about yours?”

Zelda flinched and Rift pulled back toward himself. He shouldn’t have asked. He shouldn’t have asked. He shouldn’t pry. What was he thinking?

But then, Zelda smiled and began to speak. “Father is loving and kind. He acknowledges my skills and has always encouraged me to seek greater heights and nobler causes.” She shifted her hand so the mark of the Triforce could be seen and she stared at it. “So I do not understand why he wouldn’t listen to me when I told him this was coming.”

Rift shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.

Zelda pulled herself from her reverie and smiled at him. “But all will be cleared up when we return victorious, the Hero of Courage at my side.”

Rift smiled and peace returned as Princess Zelda asked for more details about his hometown and Rift happily complied.

He couldn’t wait for this adventure to be over so he could go and see them again.

Chapter Text

“Remember. We just need to find what we need to get over the sea of sand, but you should also keep your eyes out in case there is a Sealing Key here.”

Link nodded as he stepped through the large opening and into the half-buried temple. Sand spilled in rivulets through cracks in the yellow stone walls, and little piles of it scattered everywhere.

The familiar feel of an ancient temple swept over him as he walked deeper through the entry room.

“Once I finish this I’ll still have to find something to deflect magic,” he said thoughtfully, lowering his voice as he stepped through another shadowed doorway and deeper into the temple. “Ralim was convinced I couldn’t face the Twinrova without that.”

“Then that will be next on our list,” Voice said. “As long as you think Ralim actually wants to help you.”

“She has similar things to gain as me if we defeat the Beast. Maybe even more.”

“… You told her who you are?” Voice’s tone was quiet but still sharp.

Link shook his head quickly, looking at her as he walked further. “I didn’t tell her I’m the Hero of Courage, but I told her what my goals are. I had to convince-“ the tile beneath his foot gave. Stone grated against stone and he stumbled a pace to regain his balance.

Then a rumbling filled the temple behind him. Link’s eyes shot wide and he spun to rush back toward the entryway.

“Link? Link!” Voice floated along just at his side.

He came to a skidding stop and stared at the fallen rubble all toppled in front of the doorway. He clenched his jaw and stepped closer, feeling for a way out, though not even a speck of sunlight made its way through.

“What happened?”

“We’re trapped.” Link’s mind rushed through the possibilities and he ran a hand over his forehead with a sigh. “We’re gonna have to find another way out of here.”

They continued on in silence, Link watching where he placed his feet more carefully now. He narrowly managed to dodge a few more pressure plates that were set to spike traps, trap doors, and who knew what else.

They walked down an alleyway of stone surrounded my sand flowing through it. Link had no idea where it came from or where it went, but clearly the bottom was further still since the sand was moving. He avoided stepping anywhere near those edges.

He ran into a lot of stalfos in his initial exploration. A few flying skulls that Voice informed him were called bubbles, and strange fishlike creatures that would jump out of the sand like water to bite at him.

Through all of it, there was hardly any temple to explore that wasn’t buried in the running sand. Doors were out of reach and whole hallways were cut off by the stuff.

Link was beginning to fear the worst as he opened yet another chest of rupees with no items to help him escape from this death trap.

“What is it? Helpful?”

Link sighed and pocketed them. “More rupees.” Who would have thought a day would come that that would be a bad thing. But what good were rupees if he died with them here? He couldn’t send them home and they certainly couldn’t help him with his quest here.

“You said there was one more door, right?”

At the end of the hall. Their last chance. Link nodded and started back to the main hall, half swimming in sand. He’d already cleared all the monsters from the narrow platform in the center of the hall, so it wasn’t a danger when he backtracked through it.

He stepped up to the last door and lost his breath when he pulled it open.

The room was full of sand, only a speckling of stone platforms broke the monotony of sand and dangerous sand fish.

They were far enough that Link couldn’t jump from one to the other and his heart tightened as he stepped into the room.

The platforms weren’t that far. Unlike the other areas in this temple, they felt so close. He stepped forward.

Then he stumbled back from the hungry sand. His stomach flipped at the schlooping noise it made as it swallowed his shoe whole.

He dropped onto his rear on the dusted but solid rock and stared at the vast ocean of unsteady dunes ahead of him. The only chance at a way out.

So this was why it was called the Sand Temple?

His eye caught on a Chuchu on a further platform. The monster must have caught sight of him, because it was steadily inching closer and closer.

That was, until it slipped into the sand and was swallowed up as well.

Link stared. His throat was dry and his stomach still felt like it had gone down with his boot.

If he hadn’t realized fast enough- if he’d just kept walking-…

-
“Link!”

Rift’s voice was nearly drowned out by Link’s flailing splashes and his gurgling cries that wouldn’t leave his throat.

“Link, hold on!”
-

His fingers pressed against the stone, reminding himself he was here, not the past- though here wasn’t much better. At least back then Rift had been around to bring him back to safety.

He took a deep breath, almost as if to remind himself that he really could, and he told himself he would stand right when he let it out.

Only he took three more and still hadn’t budged an inch.

“Link?” Voice’s soft tone broke into the silence as she shifted to lean down and look at his face. “You’ve been still for a long time. What’s wrong?”

He flushed and ducked his head. Of all the times for her to micromanage, couldn’t she have left him in peace this once?

She looked him over thoughtfully. “You’re not injured. That’s good at least.”

“I’m fine,” he murmured, face still burning. “Just getting some rest while it’s still safe.”

She narrowed her eyes, like she always did when she suspected him of lying, whether it was true or not. She watched in silence for a moment longer, then she brushed back some hair with a blurred hand. “Well, we can’t waste too much time. Is there a path you can follow in the room?”

Link nodded and couldn’t force out anything else. “Hurry up” she was saying. “We don’t have all day, when a monster is terrorizing all of Hyrule”. And she was right, of course. She almost always irritatingly was.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, though the ferocity made him flinch, she always claimed it never sounded all that angry to her when he did so. He calmed himself and forced his eyes to meet where hers were still watching him in a blur that tried to give him a headache. Anything to look away from the sea of ravenous sand. “Sorry, I just need a breath and I’ll get moving again.”

She still eyed him like a criminal on trial, but at last she shrugged. “See that you do.” Then she sank down as if to sit on the ledge next to him, her feet falling halfway through the stone platform and halfway into the hungry sand.

Link was finally forced again to return his gaze and thoughts to the task ahead of him. He pressed his lips together, but still couldn’t muster the courage to stand.

What would Rift do?

The thought popped into his head unbidden, and at the thought of his older brother, Link’s heart ached. Still, just thinking of him, standing beside him with a strong hand on his shoulder, gave Link the strength to stand.

Rift would face the issue head on, and he’d manage to work his way through without a hint of worry or mistake, just like he always did.

Link wondered for the millionth time why in the world he was chosen for this quest when there was someone like Rift out there.

Unless Rift died protecting Zelda and that’s why they’d disappeared.

Link swallowed the thought and adjusted his sword on his back, feeling altogether too heavy to go traipsing across sinking sand. But if he did this, he’d be one step closer to the Master Sword. Voice said that once the Dark Beast was defeated, the princess would no longer have reason to stay away.

Rift would come home. He couldn’t be dead.

That settled it. Link settled his courage in his stomach, though it still felt lost to the sands with his boot, and he dashed across the first of the sticky sand.

It tried to gobble him up—managed to steal his other boot too—but Link made it to the next piece of solid stone gasping for air and trying to calm his racing heart.

That wasn’t so bad. I didn’t even sink halfway!

He looked up, and almost as if in answer to the thought, he gazed at the room around the corner for the first time. It stretched on and on, further stretches of just sand before the next pillar, running sand sucking between walls, and monsters swimming through it like water while keese flew overhead, waiting to knock him into an early grave.

For once he barely noticed the chests, likely filled with yet more rupees.

Instead, his gaze locked on the big engraved chest plated in gold at the end of the endless hall. That’s what he needed. To get out of this dreadful place and back to the safety of solid ground, he needed whatever was in that chest.

And so he made his way, pillar after pillar, heart-stopping run after heart-stopping run, ignoring all other chests with just the one in mind, until at last he came to a halt in front of it, breathing hard.

Please be an item. Please be an item. If this is a giant rupee I’m gonna scream-

He pulled the chest open and to his great relief pulled out a new pair of shoes. Sand Boots, they were called, and apparently they would let him walk over uncertain surfaces without sinking in.

Link didn’t know if he believed that, but he slipped them on anyway and tested their weight.

Impressive that they fit him perfectly, as if they’d been made just for him.

Alright. He turned back to the sinking sand and felt his heart lurch. Let’s try that again.

He dashed, just in case, but startled at the feeling of walking over solid ground. He didn’t even have the difficulty of balancing like he did on the dunes outside in the desert.

He stared down at his shoes once he reached the next solid platform, but his mind was already running way ahead of him.

The paths and doors he couldn’t reach before—a whole new section of the temple—they were all open to him now. With these boots and the ability to walk over the sand as though it was regular ground, he could back track through the temple and maybe find a way out at last.

And beyond that… “I can cross the sea of sand with these.”

“What are they?”

Her ever present curiosity broke through his reverie and Link explained the boots to her as he made his way much more smoothly back through the room and to the main hall.

“Just be careful of bubbles,” she said at last. “If they touch you, their magic will interfere with that of any of your items. It could send you plummeting down to an early grave on unsteady footing.”

The bottom of Link’s stomach dropped out and his feet froze solid to the ground.

“Link?” She had drifted a couple paces ahead of him before she stopped as well.

He tried to shake off the warning. Shake off the thought. But then the boots were suddenly pinching his feet as a reminder of what they carried him over.

He could drown in this sand and there would be nothing he could do, and nothing Voice could do to help him.

He closed his eyes and tried to steady his courage again. Thinking of Rift. Thinking of his assurances, and all the times he tried to convince Link into the water to learn to swim.

Ever since the day he broke through the ice, Link never wanted to try. Sand was even worse. You couldn’t even try to swim in sand. It would smother him. Suffocate him. And he would die the slowest most terrifying death he could imagine as air was sucked away and he flailed for help but none came.

“Link? What are you doing?”

He shook himself and came to the present, blinking away from his fear to find himself trembling.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” She could tell there was more to the story.

Link shoved his hands up into his hair and let out a shaky breath as he sank down to his rear on the solid stone again. “I’m sorry, Voice, just give me a minute. I’ll be fine.”

“Link.” There was a solid authority and command in her voice. “What is wrong?”

He blew another breath carefully from his mouth and sucked one through his nose again before daring to try and answer. “It’s just the sand,” he muttered, but he knew she wouldn’t accept that.

“You told me there’s been sand here this whole time.” She tapped her arm impatiently.

Link didn’t have the mental capacity to spar with words right now. “I’m afraid,” he blurted, then his ears grew hot again and he scrambled to cover his trail. “I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’ll get over it. I just need a second to breathe. I’m okay. I’ll get moving just as soon as I…”

“Link.”

He pulled one of his hands from his hair and peeked at her from the corner of his eye.

She watched him, her expression unreadable because of the smoky blur. She crouched down and looked him in the eye. “What has you scared? The sand?”

He shuddered and shook his head. “No, I’m fine. It’s okay. I’ll just-“

“Don’t lie to me, Link.” The words snapped out like lightning and the authority behind them made his back stiffen. “Why are you afraid?”

He sighed and lowered his head onto his knees so he wouldn’t have to look at her. “It’s just the thought of sinking.”

“In the sand?”

He nodded against his knees, tightening his grip on his legs instead. “It’s the thought of… drowning. Suffocating. It… terrifies me.”

“Suffocation?” Voice’s voice was thoughtful and he heard it sink closer to his level as she spoke. “Then we will take the temple slow. One platform at a time.”

She was actually willing to go slow? To take their time and waste it like that?

“At each platform, use what tools you have to pick off every danger you can see, and then only once the way is clear, you can move to the next one. That way you can keep moving without fear of danger. Your new shoes will do the rest.”

One platform at a time. No danger on the paths between. He could—he could do that. Link took a deep breath and nodded again. Then he forced himself to his feet, trying to still the shaking that still haunted his limbs. “Yeah. I think I can do that.”

The first platform was hard, because his hands were still shaking so bad that he wasted more arrows than he’d like to say. But as they moved on, clearing out the sandy paths long before he dared step foot on them, Link’s heart quieted and their progress sped up.

Until at last they reached the end of the temple and he stopped in front of the towering boss room doors. If there was anything like in the other temples here, he’d need to be ready.

He checked his supplies, prepared his weapons to be within easy reach, then placed both hands on the giant doors. “I’m about to head into the boss room, Voice.”

“Good job, Link.” There was a satisfied smile in her voice and an underlying tone he couldn’t quite place. Pride? “You did well.”

He didn’t like the way it almost sounded condescending, so he ignored it and shoved the doors open.

The moment he stepped through, they slammed behind him and he stared at the room ahead.

Only a thin band of solid stone surrounded the area, everything else was a slow whirlpool of sand steadily falling down.

In the center of that funnel, his gaze caught on a sparkle, sitting quietly on a single pillar in the very middle of the room. His eyes widened. A Sealing Key.

He rushed onto the sand, but the moment his boots made contact, it let of a tremor than had him stumbling back toward the stone.

“What is it, Link? What do you see?”

A giant tube flew out of the sand with a snake-like his and thousands of sharp teeth before it dived back in.

He blanched. “There’s-there’s a giant worm in the sand!”

Voice’s color grew more opaque as she tightened her fists and glared out at the sand she couldn’t see. “It must be Worril, the Devastating Sand Worm. I’ve heard tales of it for a long time, but the books could never say what happened to it.”

Link’s eyes trained on the key again and he cringed. “There’s a key down there Voice, what do I do? How do I get past the worm?”

Voice’s tone sharpened. “Your boots should keep you above sand as long as you don’t let it come up from beneath you. Just wait for it to come up and hit it with all your might.”

That seemed a little too straightforward, but Link drew his sword anyway. He didn’t have much of a choice. It was through Worril or back and there certainly wasn’t a way out behind him.

He charged out onto the sand and felt the telltale vibrations of the worm’s approach.

Link dove forward and rolled out of the way just as the ground bulged beneath him and out spring Worril with its thousands of teeth chomping.

Link swung around, especially to get his feet beneath him before he could sink, and he sliced at the giant worm.

His blade made a shallow cut and the creature shrieked before it dove back in only a couple feet from Link, throwing him back and into the sand.

He scrambled up again, snatching his sword before the whirlpool could eat it. “That barely hurt it!”

“Augh! Give me a minute!”

The ground bulged again and Link dove away. Time wasn’t exactly something he had a lot of. He sliced at the worm again, but this time it guessed where he would jump back.

He stumbled onto his rear as sharp teeth dove right toward him, and then he shouted as they dug into his leg with all the momentum of the creature’s downward dive.

It was a single instant later and Link was underneath the sand, completely surrounded by darkness with grains filling his mouth where seconds ago air had been.

His heart thudded frantically and Voice’s shouts were drowned out by his own panic.

The tugging pain in his leg as the worm dragged him deeper and deeper nearly drove him mad.

How far down could it go? Would it… would it leave him here?

His eyes burned despite the way they were forced closed and Link had to hold back a frantic cry, trying to close his mouth, but too full of sand to succeed.

Then without him ever realizing they’d changed directions, they were in air again. Link didn’t even have a chance to do more than blink before the worm tossed him across the whole room and he slammed into the stone walls high above the ground.

Sand shout out of his mouth and puffed off his clothes and pain stabbed through very bone. Then he was falling and coughing on sand as he went.

His body slammed solid ground and something broke. He cried out, even as the momentum sent him rolling back out into the whirlpool of sand and tears tracked down his cheeks.

Nonononono, he scrambled across the sand, back toward the stone, but his arm screamed in pain as he moved and it wouldn’t move at all.

“Ah!” Link curled around the appendage, but he didn’t have time to stop. He was sinking! He slapped his good hand on solid stone and dragged his body through the hungry sand, barely managing to pull himself to safety with a pained whimper.

“Link!” Her voice was finally more than a garble of noise, but he could hardly breathe, let alone answer her.

He leaned over and coughed up more sand, but in his peripheral he saw the worm shoot out of the whirlpool again.

Not again, not again! He shoved himself forward with strength he didn’t have and scrambled across the stone just before the worm bashed headfirst into the rock and completely broke it off the wall.

Not down there again. Not again!

“Link! Your sword!”

He looked and sure enough, the blade was glowing with Voice’s pink power. He could do it now. He could kill the worm, but…

His gaze dragged unwilling back to the horrible whirlpool of sand.

He’d have to go out there to do it.

His eyes still burned and his cheeks were still wet from terror, but he tightened his grip on his sword with his good hand.

It was him or Worril, and if he didn’t destroy that wretched worm, then it would drag him back into those deadly depths. That information steeled his mind and he shut off anything other than his single goal.

Destroy that worm.

He shut off his frantic mind. He blocked out his racing heart. He ignored Voice’s helpful suggestions. He charged onto the sand.

Link had no idea how long the battle took. He didn’t know how many times he stabbed and sliced at that worm, only to dodge and roll away right on top of his broken arm. He didn’t know how many times he repeated the painful and terrifying process.

He only knew every time he slashed the monster. Every time he heard it screech. He only knew working against it to bring it down before it did so to him.

Then all at once the battle was over.

The worm fell to the sand with a giant thud that shook the earth and Link stood alone in the center of the room, staring.

The buzzing in his ears began to recede. The pain in his arm increased tenfold.

Link cringed and stumbled to the pillar in the center, removing the key with more of an interest in sitting where it once was than anything.

The garbled noise in his ears faded and he began to understand Voice’s words again. “-over? Did you beat it? Link, my power is draining. Is the threat gone?”

He looked down at the flickering pink light on the sword, then up at Voice’s nearly incorporeal form, much more transparent than before. He sucked in a heavy breath and nodded. “It’s dead.” His voice was hoarse.

The glow on his sword vanished with an audible snap. Voice’s form sank until she was half buried in sand and flickered. “Link. I need rest. Stay safe. Don’t do anything-“ then she faded into pink smoke that returned to the Soul’s Voice before she’d even finished her command.

Link stared at where she had once been. Then he looked up at Worril, and the Heart Container now slowly spinning over its body.

Link forced himself to his feet and collected the treasure, basking in the warmth and energy it supplied him with, even though his arm was still messed up.

Then he stopped at the worm’s open mouth and carefully removed a handful of its razor teeth and a few slashes of its hard exterior.

Then he turned and found a door at the back of the room must have been revealed when he defeated the monster. Link trudged for it over the sand, hugging his bad arm to himself as he limped.

Another Sealing Key down, he thought almost absently. And a nightmare of a worm to terrorize my sleep.

Chapter Text

“Help!” The shout was strangled away by water everywhere. His mouth filled with it, like tiny grains that scraped at his throat. “Rift!!”

Link clawed at the surface, icy water trying to still his limbs. The more he opened his mouth, the more it rushed into his lungs. It would suffocate him. It would kill him.

Rift appeared above him, form strangely clear through the shifting water and chunks of ice.

“Rift! He-mmph!” The sand poured down his throat, scratching and his words cut off no matter how hard he tried to scream.

He was sinking, away from the surface and deeper and deeper into the darkness. His eyes burned and he clawed at the emptiness around him, never taking his eyes off of Rift above him.

“Link?” His voice was confused and garbled. “Link, where’d you go?”

Down here! Link felt like screaming from the frustration and pain and fear, but he could do nothing as his brother’s form grew smaller and smaller, totally unaware that Link was drowning beneath his feet.

-

Link woke with a start. He wasn’t breathing. His heart pounded in his ears and for a moment his mind told him he really was drowning in a dark lake.

A painful tingling filled his back and he couldn’t move, but that didn’t keep his skin from recognizing the rough woolen fabric he laid on.

Not underwater.

He managed to start breath again, but the tingles took even longer to fade away. He knew by the strange paralysis that he’d died in his dream and his body believed it.

He focused on his breathing, and soon he was staring at the dark ceiling alone, trying to recount where he was and how he’d gotten here.

He’d traveled straight from the temple back to the town. It was night when he’d made it to Ruplen’s stall, only to find the merchant had already turned in for the night.

His arm was a constant pain and his ankle was starting to swell inside his boot and just standing took more energy than he thought he had.

He’d found Ruplen’s door and fell against it before he could even knock, slipping to the ground and breathing hard.

When Ruplen came out it felt like an eternity of pain later. Finally, the door opened and Link was helped inside, Ruplen’s worried stream of consciousness spewing into the open air, but totally indecipherable to Link through the buzzing in his ears and exhaustion in his bones.

The merchant had prodded at his wounds, laid him on his pallet and removed his shoes with a disgusted hiss.

That was the last thing Link really remembered clearly beyond waking a few times as Ruplen adjusted his injuries or spoke suddenly in the quiet.

He craned his neck and looked toward his feet. His bad one was elevated on a stack of pillows. Link let out a puff and dropped his head back to the pallet.

What he wouldn’t give for some red potion right about now.

He looked toward his arm and cringed. It was tightly bandaged and Ruplen must have made a splint from some odds and ends lying around.

How am I supposed to collect the Sealing Keys with a broken arm? Of course Voice would know the answer, but she hadn’t come back since the battle with Worril.

Licking his lips, Link whispered into the darkness. “Voice? Are you there?” His own voice was cracked and hoarse and he remembered ruefully the sand he actually had inhaled in the temple.

Of all the things he’d fought, the worm was the one that left him in such a state? If he had any energy left to be annoyed he would be at that twist of fate. It would hardly even make good stories if he ever named the creature. Who would be scared of a “giant worm”?

Voice didn’t show and Link couldn’t get back to sleep. He lay staring at the ceiling and thinking over his adventure this far and what was to come next as morning sunlight slowly peeked through the window.

As it seeped over everything, Link finally sighed and pushed to sit up, careful to keep his leg propped up so he wouldn’t disturb that injury.

Pain pinged through his arm when he jostled it, but he cringed it away and peered around the room in the new light.

Ruplen was just beginning to stir on his cot, the sunlight falling right over one of his eyes until he rolled to face inward instead of toward the window.

Then they pulled open slowly and he looked at Link for a long moment of silence.

Ruplen popped up, blankets falling off him as he rushed to Link’s side on the floor. “You’re awake! How are you feeling? Your injuries are bad—how’d you get those? I would’ve given you red potion on the spot, but my supply was completely bought out the moment I got here. Apparently it’s been in short stock her for a while now so it always pays well to bring and sell some.”

Link shifted as the merchant took a breath. “I’m fine. Mostly. Thanks for putting me up for the night again.”

Ruplen’s nerves faded a little and he grinned. “It’s the least I could do for my business partner.”

Link pursed his lips. “Oh, right.” He looked around and Ruplen seemed to understand what he was looking for, because he produced Link’s bag from behind a box and dropped it on his lap. Link smiled his thanks and rummaged through it until he found the souvenirs he’d taken after defeating Worril. “Here’s what I have to sell this time.”

Ruplen blinked at the razor teeth. He gingerly took them from Link’s hand and paled. “This is why you’re injured?”

Link nodded.

Ruplen blew out a breath and dropped onto the edge of the pallet, pushing Link’s legs back a little. “I don’t even know why you’re doing all this, but…” he pressed a finger over the sharp tip and pulled it back quickly when he found it painful. He shook himself. “I’ll buy them. But you need to stay down until you heal or we find you some red potion.”

“Where can I find red potion?” He didn’t have time to heal.

Ruplen looked uncomfortable, but he set each item to the side, then took out a pouch of rupees and began tallying up the pay. “Most will have been bought out in the smaller villages. Some of the merchant groups might have some in the city, but…” he paused and gave Link a wry half smile. “Men aren’t allowed in the city.”

Link rubbed his good hand over his chin. Great. No access to red potions meant he’d be stuck waiting to heal. Again.

“But at least in the mean time you can earn your keep here!” Ruplen stood and slid Worril’s pieces off the box, leaving the rupees behind. “There’s always a lot of business to be had in the desert and I’d be happy for some help in exchange for room and board.”

Link scooped up the rupees and sighed. “Thanks, Ruplen.” Waiting again. The moment Voice got back, she was gonna be livid.

Two days as a desk clerk for a green pinching merchant turned out to be harder than Link expected. He’d worked at farmer Dull’s for a while now, but he’d never been as hard a task master on the fields as Ruplen was at a simple desk.

The merchant had his work down like clockwork. Where to write each number, to store each rupee, and to mark off what had been sold and when. He kept track of what was bought as well, how much of a bargain Link managed—the more rupees he cut off a price the more Ruplen paid him in extra funds—and the final total for the day in the end as well.

Link was used to farming and the amount to writing and math he was being put to was not his forte. Ruplen made him rewrite things the merchant couldn’t read, and often had him recalculate whole pages of sales when the total came up even a blue rupee off from what it should’ve been.

At least it didn’t feel entirely like wasting time, despite what Voice said after she returned a day into Link’s work, since Link was learning so much. When he returned home, if taught all this accounting to his family, maybe they’d be one step closer to paying off all their debts.

He was sitting at the stall, recounting the numbers on a page that had come up wrong (because he’d accidentally read one of his sevens as a one), when his ears perked to the sound of an interesting conversation passing by the stall.

Ruplen was in the house working on inventory—with Link’s ankle and arm booth work was the most he could do—and Link sat up straighter, peering out at the strangers bustling over the street.

“She claims to know the location of a sacred testing ground,” one of the Gerudo Warriors passing on the street said to the other. “But she won’t give you the location unless you prove yourself to her in unusual ways.”

They were coming toward his stall. Link tried to act nonchalant as he listened to the next woman speak. “Unusual how?”

“My first cousin tried to get the location and was given a bucket for collecting a hundred lizards before the woman would speak to her.”

“Lizards?”

“My cousin did not want to know that badly.” They came to a stop at his stall and the first woman eyed him up and down with a raised eyebrow. “It seems even the merchants adventure these days.”

Link snorted and shifted his bad arm more behind him. “How can I help you?”

“We come for supplies. That is all.”

Link nodded and took out the usual rations Warriors chose and waiting. Rupees were exchanged and the women began to walk away. Link watched them go.

“She’ll be leaving the city tomorrow,” the first woman said. “It is a shame. The stories I heard of her and her tests were entertainment for the weeks.”

Link’s lips tightened and he looked down at his page to jot down the total and the time. Then he stood and limped inside to put the rupees away and find Ruplen.

The merchant was digging beneath some carpets to find his extra stock of oil—it had been selling well and the stall was running low—when Link stopped nearby. “I need a way into the city.”

Ruplen bumped his head on a carpet, showering sand over himself and making him sneeze before he extracted himself from his pile of wares. “The city? Why? You know we’re not allowed.” His eyes flicked to Link’s injuries, but he said no more.

“Red potion is part of it,” Link confessed. Voice had stopped coming to visit as often when she realized he was just sitting around healing. It made him wonder what she did, if anything, when she wasn’t with him. “There’s a woman there with information that might be vital for my mission.”

Ruplen chewed his lip and glanced around at all the crates. “And you want me to find you a way to get in?”

“If you have anything like that.”

Ruplen scratched the back of his head and slipped between the boxes, humming to himself as he went. “Well…I might have something,” he said at last. “But I don’t know if you’re gonna like it.”

“I just need a way into the city. At this point, it won’t matter much what it is.”

Ruplen nodded before digging through his huge backpack that was mostly empty in the corner, and bringing out a wooden mask.

Link raised an eyebrow as the merchant displayed it. “I don’t think a mask is going to hide that I’m a male.”

Ruplen laughed and moved closer. “You might be surprised. This isn’t just any mask. And of course, as always, magic will up the cost of this particular item, but I believe it is exactly what you are looking for.”

Magic? Link leaned closer to look at it. It was about as plain as possible and Ruplen let him take and examine it. “What does it do?”

“Well,” Ruplen hesitated. “Hear out my reasoning before you make any decisions, alright?”

Wary narrowed eyes were Link’s only response.

Ruplen waved away his suspicion as though Link had agreed and set in. “The mask has a magically aura that will make anyone near you want to laugh. No wait, remember to wait? The mirth the mask imparts is powerful and extremely distracting. No, it won’t get you through the whole city on its own, but I think it will be just the sort of distraction you’ll need to be able to sneak past any obstacles.”

“Laugh?” Link squinted at the simple wood, then slid it over his face.

Ruplen guffawed before he bent over with quiet shorts.

Link flushed and removed it quickly.

Ruplen was still giggling and wiping his eyes as he looked up at Link. “Like magic.”

Link cringed and hesitated with the mask in hand. He wanted to get in, and a distraction did seem like a good idea, but it felt as though Ruplen was laughing at him, and the idea of every single person around him laughing at him?

“Don’t worry,” Ruplen said, pushing the mask closer to Link. “The magic feels good and happy and can leave a person feeling more at ease than even before they came in contact with the aura. You won’t be hurting anyone, just making them feel a little more happy.”

Link’s shoulders slumped. He’d finally gotten himself a little savings pile of rupees. “How much for it?”

Ruplen grinned.

Chapter Text

The laughter chased him down the street. Link ducked into an alley and dropped behind some crates to catch his breath.

Ruplen seemed to have at least gotten some about the mask wrong. It didn’t make anyone laugh unless they were looking at it. Link nearly got noticed from behind before he’d turned around and the guards broke into laughs. They couldn’t concentrate on anything but the tears in their sides after that.

Link chuckled at the way they’d slapped each other’s backs and held their sides, as though they’d just heard the funniest joke. It reminded him of home. Of Papa’s rowdy laugh and ready smile, especially.

He lifted the mask to wipe the sweat off his face and peeked around the boxes. Out the mouth of the alley, between two buildings with yellowed walls to match the sand, a central area waited, a quiet fountain in the center.

Women gathered at the fountain, jars on hips, or baskets on arms, where they talked before parting ways with their goods.

Link’s gaze shot over the interactions before he pulled back again.

“Well, what have we got?”

Link set the mask to the side and rubbed at his eyes with his good arm. “We need red potion, and we need to get our information tonight before the Gerudo woman leaves… I’m just not entirely sure how to do either.”

“You said you had an item to help?”

“Help, yeah, but even it doesn’t have that much magic. I don’t know how I’m supposed to buy anything at the market.”

“Forget the potion for now,” Voice said, drifting lower as though she was trying to hide with him. “If our informant is really going to leave, that’s the highest priority right now. We can work on anything else after we get what we need from her.”

Link straightened his shoulders and nodded. “Right.” He’d seen more of the soldiers talking about this woman and her tests—even had seen one seeing how long she could hold her breath with her head dunked in the fountain because that was the woman’s requirement for her—so he’d managed to narrow down the general location of her house.

Head kept low as he walked through the city, Link peered at the strangeness all around him. The air smelled spicy and the desert sun beat down on him whenever he stepped out from beneath the colorful awnings that protected most of the doors, windows, and shops.

He hesitated at the sight of a girl about his own age with her shoulders hunched and her eyes downcast as an older woman scolded her with maternal familiarity. His pause caught the girl’s attention and she peeked up at him past her mother.

Then a smile broke across her face, trembling as though trying to hold it back, she snorted.
Link’s eyes snapped wide and he spun away, rushing through the milling crowd to try and get away before he caused the girl any more trouble, though he didn’t not miss the older woman’s words as he retreated. “You think this is humorous? Now you laugh. Soon you will learn not to.”

Link put a hand to either side of his face and tried to hide his mask from view, cringing behind the wooden face the whole way. I hope she doesn’t get into too much trouble from that…

He finally stopped in a less populated area at the foot of a narrow staircase on the exterior of a home. The door beneath wasn’t the one he was looking for, so he mounted the steps and glanced at Voice floating silently beside him. “Well, I think we’re about here.”

“Do you have a plan or are you just hoping she won’t turn you over to the authorities immediately?”

He stopped at the top and turned from the door, dropping to sit on the top step and running a hand through his hair. “I guess I’m just hoping she’ll be too busy laughing to notice anything out of the ordinary.”

“Laughing?”

He gestured at his mask, but Voice’s face was still just as confused as before so he rolled his eyes and stood up with a sigh. Best to get this over with. His injuries were still aching and he wanted to still have some daylight to check the markets once this was over.

A single knock and the woman called for him to enter. The home was small and quaint, three rooms connected with open doorways. The stone was decorated with colorful carpets and tapestries and cushions were scattered about the entry room. And it was cooler than it was outside.

Link sighed in relief, then he peered through the first open doorway and caught sight of a woman sitting behind her desk, looking over some papers. He pitched his voice higher, just in case. “I’m looking for the sacred testing grounds.”

Voice burst into laughter.

The Gerudo woman lifted her gaze and flinched in surprise before she pressed her lips together and dropped her head against her hand so she was looking at the desk again. Her shoulders shook quietly and she finally cleared her throat. “Why are you look-looking for the Stone Temple?” Her chuckles broke through her calm sentence.

Link glared at Voice, who was still heaving with laughter right by his ear, then he returned his gaze to the woman. “I think there may be something there that will help me.”

“Anyone who wishes to enter our sacred testing grounds must prove themselves first.” The woman lifted her gaze, and once again her serious facade broke into a fit of giggles and she was quiet for another moment, wiping her eyes as she heaved and coughed to try to keep back the laughter.

Link hesitated, then he stepped from the room and behind the wall. “I’m willing to fulfill whatever test you give me,” he said at last. “As long as you’ll give me the location if I succeed no matter what.”

“Many young Warriors come asking for just the same,” she said, regaining her composure. “What makes you believe things will be any different than it has been for them?”

“Will you agree?”

“Very well.”

“Your Gerudo woman voice needs work,” Voice said, finally calming herself enough to pay attention to the rest of the conversation.

“If you wish for this information, then your skill to do the impossible must match the task you would face if you reached the temple.” The woman stood in the other room and her feet pattered against the floor before she messed with a page. “Go to the Sea of Sand and bring me a goldspike and I will give you a hint to your destination.”

“Just a hint?”

“That is all I offer.”

Link grit his teeth, but his gaze drew to the window. The sun was already beginning to set and if he was going to succeed he still had to get in and out of the town again. “Fine. I agree.” Oops. He forgot his woman voice.

Link cringed and rushed toward the door before she could say anything or try to take the deal back. He slipped out and rushed through the town, as fast as his injuries would allow, stopping only once he reached the market.

“What did she say?”

“I have to get what sounded like some kind of fish from the Sea of Sand. A goldspike?”

Voice grinned. “She really is trying to keep people away, but she miscalculated this time.”

“What’s a goldspike?”

“It’s a fish-like creature that lives in the deeper sands from what I’ve read. If not for your sand boots it would be impossible to reach them in a day.”

Link looked down at his shoes and a smile touched his face. He could actually do this impossible task easily. For once, it wasn’t going to be hard.

Link tromped through the town with the mask firmly in place to hide his sullen face. Voice floated behind him breathless with laughter and his face was as hot as a fire.

Easy. Of course nothing could be easy for him.

Goldspike fish bites covered his clothes, and more of the creatures still clung to his arms and legs. He’d decided a long time ago that pulling them off wasn’t worth the pain and effort, and maybe the woman would be impressed if he brought more than one. Or else, Ruplen was sure to buy them.

“I told you to watch out,” Voice’s breathless admonishment came. “You could have fallen into the deep end of the sand if you’d pulled a stunt like that while you were out there.”

It seemed Link had gotten too confident in his abilities and Voice and fate had decided to knock him down a few pegs just for good measure. He’d caught the fish so quickly that he’d practically danced his way back to the shallow end of the Sea of Sand.

She kept warning him to keep his head about him until they reached the shore propper, but he couldn’t help a spin and a laugh of triumph as he held his catch up in the air, golden scales catching the sunlight.

Staring up at the beautiful sight was how he’d missed the swarm of sand fishes charging through the ground right at him, vengeance and blood the only things on their simple minds.

He’d screamed like a little girl’s when they’d first startled him, then he’d fought them off while hugging his prize close, making Voice laugh even harder. He’d been overrun and had to retreat away from the monstrous fishes, and now here he was. Only a short while after finally getting a red potion and drinking it, covered in scrapes and bruises all over again.

“She’d better be impressed,” he grumbled as he stomped up the steps and banged on the door.

It opened and the Gerudo woman raised her eyebrows in honest surprise. That is, for about a second before she snorted and backed into her house, covering her mouth and trying to contain her laughter.

Link flushed and the blood rushed past his ears before he remembered his mask. He threw the fish to the ground in irritation–she hadn’t even had the chance to be impressed–and waved his hands at her to get her attention. “My hint?”

She regained enough composure goggling at the fish. She dropped down to examine it and Link waited impatiently, ready to get this mask off and never touch it again.

The woman pursed her lips as she turned the fish over and her eyes narrowed. “You really succeeded.” Her eyes flicked toward him but she quickly averted her gaze. “I did not expect it of you. Where the sun sets, but never far. Where walls hug and a word is choir. There you will find before the mar, the Stone Temple by following spire. I hope you were listening because I will not repeat it again.”

Link jerked. “Wait, what? Where did the hint begin? Can’t you at least say it once more. I went through a lot of work for this.”

“No one is supposed to succeed,” she grumbled.

Link held another fish out to her. “What about for another.”

She glared at the fish, then she put a hand on the door and slammed it in his face with only a final, “no”.

Link growled and threw his hands into the air. “Of course! Nothing can be easy. I don’t know why I thought it could.”

“What did she say?”

He wracked his brain as he trudged back through the city. The sun was setting and the people were turning in. “I don’t know. It was a bunch of gibberish, and it almost rhymed. Um… The sun doesn’t set far–’cause that one rhymed with mar and I think it was near that or something–and walls hugging and words being choirs. That’s apparently where we’ll find the temple by following a ‘spire’.”

Voice hummed. “It sounds like an oral map.”

“Well, yeah. I get that now.” He scrubbed at the sweat on his face and watched a set of women as he passed, rolling up their carpets and turning down the awning over their stall.

“You should write down what you remember now, before you forget even more.” Her voice was level, but he could still hear the frustration beneath. She was irritated with him for not paying closer attention after everything they went through.

As if she was the only one. She didn’t get attacked by a horde of evil fish for this worthless hint. “Right.” He paused beneath an overhead pathway and wrote the hint down as best he could remember, and he managed to fill in the parts between the rhymes by using them as a guide. Hopefully it was all correct. “Alright,” he said after reading it to her again, a bit more confident this time. “Does any of that sound like something you’ve heard of before?”

“There was a location in the Gerudo Desert that was generally considered uninhabitable by the natives,” she said after a moment’s thought. “It was cursed after the Twinrova were first cast out of the city.”

“You think that’s the mar?” Link marked that down as a possibility. “So, somewhere before that at least. And walls hugging sounds like maybe a ring of walls, stone, or mountains?”

“The cursed land would be near the mountains.” That definitely fed credibility to both ideas. “What turns a word into a choir, though?”

“I think…” He hesitated. She raised an eyebrow at him and gave an obvious gesture for him to continue. He pushed his sweat soaked hair out of his face and cringed. “I don’t know, maybe it’s crazy, but if there are walls encircling wherever this is, maybe the word choir is an echo? And if the walls are tall and you stand beneath them, the sun certainly wouldn’t have far to go before you were in shadow! I think we should check this place out!”

Voice quirked a smile and nodded.

Chapter Text

The time spent in the Supply Chamber and the nearby area felt like forever. In reality, it was only a couple weeks, but each day crept by on hands and knees as Rift was left with less and less to do.

The princess would wake in the morning and spend some time examining the ruins, before she inevitably went into the Supply Chamber with Impa to accompany her.

Rift tried to follow the first day, but the handmaiden shooed him away with her hands and a scowl. The second time he tried she threatened to close the giant stone doors, though neither of them really thought she would be able to do it.

Princess Zelda settled the dispute by commanding in a voice of suggestion that Rift stay out to keep watch. Someone had to, and it certainly seemed that Impa knew more of what was going on with the chamber than Rift did anyway.

He relented, with a serious look to Impa that was the only thing that ever came close to civil interaction with her. A begrudging look passed from one of them to the other at different times when necessity demanded that said “keep her safe”.

Rift spent that time pacing restlessly as a guard, or out hunting the nearby monsters that were only growing in numbers. It wouldn’t do if word spread of their location as indefensible as it was. He didn’t let any of the creatures escape, and for a while that sated his boredom.

But, monsters could only last so long, and he only needed to hunt so much. By the last day Rift was sitting in front of the fire, cooking the evening meal, and staring into the flames wishing something, almost anything would happen.

“It is time that we set out.” Zelda’s voice startled him out of his reverie.

Rift shot to his feet, spinning to face the two women as they walked out of the Supply Chamber, clearly in the middle of a conversation.

“Do you think you have invested enough?” Impa asked, gingerly stepping over a fallen pillar. “If the Chamber runs out while we are away…”

“We can deal with that if it happens. The trip shouldn’t take long, and I’m certain I know where we are going now.”

His breath caught. Leaving. At long last!

“Rift.”

He straightened and saluted, too excited to even speak.

“Prepare to leave. After our meal, we shall depart from this place and make our way to the Master Sword.”

His heart pounded up into his throat, but he clicked his heels together and bowed before setting to work on the tasks assigned to him. The Master Sword! That meant, once he had it, they could finish this mission the princess thought was so important, and then maybe he could go home! At last, he would take up the legendary blade of evil’s bane and he would bring home so much more to his family than they ever dreamed!

“We have at least a few days on loan,” Zelda spoke as Impa and Rift took down the tent. “The power I implanted in the Chamber will grant us that, but we cannot waste it. If I am not here to energize it, the Chamber will sleep again and there will be nothing protecting Hyrule from the darkness looming in the desert.”

“A few days,” Impa said. “We can make it to the Forest Temple and back in that. Then what?”

“Then Rift will train with his new blade while I energize it again, and then we will be able to end this once and for all.”

Rift clenched his hand experimentally over one of the poles of the tent, imaging the legendary blade in his hand now. Soon. Soon he could save Hyrule and his family. Soon he could go home.

The ride was a surreal mixture of nerves and excitement. For once he hardly even noticed Impa’s sour looks and Zelda’s calculating stares. He kept imagining that sword in hand. All the good he could do, especially for his own family, and that made every pain worth it.

The Supply Chamber wasn’t too far from the temple, apparently. The same forest, just a few days ride from one to the other.

The massive temple’s doors were wide open and they walked in without trouble. That alone seemed to put Zelda on edge, and seeing her walk lighter, Rift eyed his surroundings with more caution as well.

The place echoed with emptiness. Something about it felt… off. Rift grew more on edge the deeper they went, until he avoided the shadows as though they could actually reach out and touch him.

Impa and Zelda seemed to be keeping their heads fine, which made him feel a little irritated with himself, but he als couldn’t help but notice they never strayed from the light either.

The ceiling was open, so sunlight leaked through and vines crawled up and down the crumbling walls. A few trees were even growing up through scattered cobbles that couldn’t weather the press of time and the unstoppable force of nature.

They paused yet another open door and Rift looked to Zelda. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she stared into the room beyond with her eyebrows low over her eyes.

“There is something in this room,” she said softly. “But I do not think it is a danger for us. It feels… dormant.”

Impa shifted on her feet, looking a little more pale than before. Rift couldn’t blame her. The words must have been meant to be comforting, but Zelda’s tone made them ominous.

“The sword is just beyond this room,” she said softly and stepped in whether or not her guards were following. So of course, they did.

The room was different from the others, even just by the appearance. Here the stone floor remained intact, other than a inch-deep puddle that spread throughout the whole room. Two trees seemed designed to grow through the walls on either side, stretching out toward the sky above the center of the room until their leaves almost touched. The walls were made of a mother-of-pearl substance that reflected their forms as they walked through, but only enough to create eerie blurred shadows in the shapes of Hylians.

Rift was relieved when they reached the end of that room and found the final door open as well.

Zelda waved a hand to Impa, so the handmaiden stepped aside at the door and watched eagerly toward the strange room behind, waiting for an attack.

Rift followed the princess into the clearing beyond. Bright golden sunlight dappled through the overhead leaves, and a soft breeze ran through the light grass surrounding the pedestal. His gaze drew to the sword implanted in the center of the symbol of the Triforce and his breath caught.

Long and sharp and almost glowing in the sunlight, there was no doubt what it was. Rift had heard the legends all his life, as had most of the boys in his village. He and his friends used to act it out. He and Link used to fight over who got to be the hero of legend and who had to be the evil foe he would slay. More often than not Rift took the latter role in the end.

But not today. Today Rift would draw the Master Sword and become the new hero. Today everything would change for their family forever. After today, nothing could ever be the same.

“Go.”

He moved, as though Zelda’s command released him. He ascended the steps and turned to face her behind the sword, staring at the legendary item.

Zelda’s satisfied smile and small nod were all the encouragement he needed.

Rift lifted his hands to the hilt of the blade and took hold. They fit perfectly on the hilt. His heart pounded in his ears and a smile spread across his face. He tightened his hold. Today nothing would be the same. His heart thundered and Zelda’s smile grew.

Today he would become the hero. He braced his legs. Today.

Rift pulled.

Chapter Text

“What do you see?” Voice hovered over his shoulder where he stopped in the entryway between the encircling mountains he’d found.

“Not… a lot.” Link ran a hand through his hair and cringed at the small building in front of him. It was stone and one story. He’d mistaken it for a rock upon first glance but had circled it anyway to be sure. “It’s too small.”

“Too small? How small?”

“A single room house of rock small.”

She huffed and sunk lower. “Well, we have some other options we could look into, but this certainly seemed the most likely. The others don’t fit completely with all of the pieces of the riddle.”

“Do you think we’re missing something?”

“She held back?”

“Or I forgot.”

Voice didn’t reply, but she did let out a disgruntled him.

Link stalked through the shadows—the rock walls really did protect this area from direct sunlight—and tested the door with a knock. When no one answered, he pushed it carefully open.

It grated against the sand and stone, but it gave easily and Link stepped into the cool air inside, shutting the door behind and sighing at the relief.

The room was bare, for the most part. A strange light sat on each corner of the room, decorative pillars stood between each on the walls. In the center of the room was a strange standing closet that rose from floor to ceiling.

Link moved to investigate the lights first. Though they were lit, they weren’t torches and he couldn’t tell by looking at them how long they’d been like this. They reminded him of what lit the other temples, however, and his suspicions grew. “This certainly doesn’t look like a home.”

“What is it? What do you see?”

Link ignored her question for the moment, moving to the strange closet, big enough to fit a whole person, and peering in.

Empty.

“Link? Did you find the temple? Or a clue? What’s going on?”

Link stepped into the closet and pressed his tongue into his cheek as he examined the role rising into the ceiling and falling into the floor. Taut. Anchored to the floor. He crouched and fiddled with the lever tying it to the ground.

The entire closet gave a lurch and Link’s heart jumped into his throat. The rope whirred as it started to give way and outside the close opening quickly dropped beneath the floor level.

Link gasped and caught hold of the rope, stopping his sudden descent and losing his balance at the change.

The floor was at head level now, and the opening was almost completely covered in stone. Link’s heart beat wildly, but a grin was already starting to spread across his face.

“What’s happening??” Voice’s irritation was quickly mixing with desperation and Link remembered he had to keep her informed.

He experimented with tugs at the rope, not so difficult as he would expect to move all his weight, but not without strain, and he grinned as the closet—elevator?—moved with him.

“I think I might’ve found the way into the temple.” He lowered himself slowly, and his smile grew when the stone floor disappeared from the doorway and was replaced with a blue light shining through. “There was some kind of weird contraption in the little house. The temple’s underground!”

“Underground?” Voice started to calm from her irritation as curiosity took over. “I wonder why… it will certainly help with the midday heat, though.”

Link couldn’t agree more. Already his sweat was drying and where before he felt as though he were frying in the sunlight, now he felt like if it got much cooler he might start shivering.

The blue-tinted light rose as his dropped, casting over his shoes, his tunic, and lastly his face. The closet came to a resting halt on the floor level and Link examined his new surroundings.

A simple room that matched the one above almost perfectly, only there was a picture frame over the door, and that way didn’t lead outside, but deeper into the temple.

Link stepped in. His mind shot back to the Sand Temple. He licked his lips and glanced back at the elevator, but it was still intact. He shuffled into the room, watching where he put his feet to be sure he didn’t trigger any mechanisms that would trap him in here.

He reached the doorway and paused to look up at the picture lit by the strange blue lamps.

The silhouette of a man, shadowed beyond further recognition, reached out toward Link, painted in an ominous fashion that almost made it look like he was asking for help. Pleading for it.

Link stared at the painting, trying to pull out important details, but it was too dark in the picture, he couldn’t make out more than that.

His heart felt a little tighter as he stepped through the doorway and into the first room. Something about the shadow’s form had seemed familiar, and beyond that, the plea for help was clear in all of it. But that was ridiculous. It was just a painting.

The first room had a simple puzzle in it and no monsters. Multiple levers sat on each wall, and the correct one to pull was the only one that had another painting over it. The choice was obvious, so Link didn’t even try the others.

He did glance at the painting as he passed, and found it to be similarly eerie like the last. It looked as though the silhouette was running from indistinct shadowy forms.

In the next few rooms were nothing spectacular. He found a map, a key, and some more rupees that fit nicely into his new wallet.

“Things seem to be going smoothly this time,” Voice said as they moved into yet another enemy-less room. “How many monsters did you say you’ve come across?”

Link didn’t even have to count. “None.” He narrowed his eyes at mural stretching over the top of the wall. This depicted only a close view of a pair of blue eyes. It was unsettling, how much they reminded him of Rift.

“I feel like things are going to go downhill any moment.”

Link shuddered and tore his gaze from the mural and toward the puzzle in the room instead. Despite Voice’s complaints about the ease of the temple, the puzzles were getting progressively harder and his head was starting to ache.

He cringed when he noticed numbers that matched on either side of the room. Similar numbers of lamps. Similar numbers of pillars, and then some that didn’t. This room would require math, wouldn’t it?

“Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?” Voice asked once Link finally finished that puzzle and moved into the next room, slipping on his new power gauntlets that were supposed to let him lift heavier things.

He shivered as he gazed around at what appeared to be empty cell blocks, dirty and unkempt with chains dangling broken from the walls. “I don’t know. I get a… bad feeling about his place.”

He walked through the empty cell block, but paused when he noticed something in the shadows of the last cell. It was human shaped. “Hello?”

Nothing.

“What is it?”

Link pressed a hand against the rusted bars of one of the doors and it creaked easily open. Red dust crumbled onto his hands but he ignored it as the ominous groans of the hinges came to a stop and he stepped into the cell. “Are you alright?”

“Is someone else there?”

“Don’t worry,” he said, both to Voice and the figure huddled in the corner. Now he could spot some movement, as the figure rocked ever so slightly back and forth in their shadows. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

“Link, be careful.” The tension in her voice drew his attention and he glanced at her. Her color was a pale pink that was almost white and she stared at him as though seeing a ghost.

“What’s wrong?”

Before she could answer his gaze was dragged away by movement in the corner. He snapped his head to look and Voice gasped as if the movement startled her.

The figure stood, shoulders drooping as it turned to face Link and let out a low moan.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Link held out a hand as he stepped closer. His foot smacked the edge of a chain and he stumbled, trying to catch his balance.

He turned his gaze up just as the person stepped into the light. Only it didn’t look like a person at all.

Link shouted and stumbled backward. A rotting wooden mask covered its face, black holes where eyes should have been and a decaying snarl where teeth somehow poked through the wood.

Skin seemed to melt off the bone, wrapped haphazardly in superfluous soiled strips of gauze, as if the remainders of a burial shroud.

Link landed on his seat, wet mildew soaking through his pants as he stared at it in horror.

The thing looked at him, then aching creaks filled the silence as its jaws opened beyond the hole in the mask and a terrifying shriek filled the cell.

Link’s body froze. His heart raged in his ears. He stared.

“Link! Link get out of there! What’s going on!? Answer me!!”

The thing took a dragging step forward, a twisted leg scraping across the stones behind it. Black voids of eyes were set unflinching on Link. It was then he noticed the red-brown stains splattered around the mouth of the mask.

“Gah!” Link’s breath came back into him in a gasp and he scrambled backward, climbing over chains and bumping against the cell bars behind him.

The creature didn’t slow and didn’t blink.

“Link! Link what is happening?” Voice’s anger and frustration washed over him like the distant rumble of thunder.

Link staggered to his feet and drew his sword, inching toward the cell door. “Stay back and I won’t hurt you.” His voice trembled.

That was a monster, right? Every bone was set the perfect place to be the skeletal form of a degrading Hylian, but that wasn’t possible. No one could live in that condition, could they?

The thing simply switched courses, striding toward him with the rhythmic cshhhk… cshhhk of its dragging leg.

“No closer,” Link paused. If the thing kept moving it and him would meet at the door at the same time. “I will use this.” He waved his sword threateningly, but the thing didn’t even flinch.

“Link! Answer me!”

“I’m fine!” He snapped, but his face went pale when the person didn’t stop moving. He couldn’t in good conscious strike first. Not without knowing for-

Another blood freezing shriek shot through the cell and Link nearly dropped his sword. Strangely, he found his mind shooting back to the paintings on the walls. To the shadows that seemed to creep up on the edges of his vision.

Then he blinked the haze away to find the thing right in front of him and reaching toward him.

Link shouted and swung his sword on instinct. The back of his head hit the bars behind him hard from the way he backpedaled, but the thing took the slice to the chest and toppled over onto the ground in front of him.

Link heaved for air, clutching at his chest where his heart was still slamming against his ribs and felt ready to burst.

“What’s happening?” Voice’s words filtered into his conscious thought first, trembling with worry.

“I-I killed him.” Link stared at the body on the floor, the final dooming sign that this was no monster. “He isn’t disappearing. It-he…”

“You killed someone?” He was shocked at the relief in her voice. “You’re okay?”

“No! Nothing about this is okay!” Link looked at his sword, disgusted and nauseas. “He was trapped here and dying and I- I…”

“You defended yourself?”

A shudder ran through his body. “I don’t- I don’t know.”

“No one should’ve been in here, Link. It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it’s an illusion or-“

“Aaah!” Link sprang back as the body moved.

One arm popped as it twisted to prop the body, then like a limp doll, it pushed itself up to its feet.

Link stared in horror. He was dead. I know he was dead.

Voice appeared before his face, blocking the thing from view, her face and voice frantic. “Listen to me now, Link! That thing! It’s not a person! It’s a redead! Kill it! Kill it now!”

A hand snapped through her pink mist and snatched Link’s throat. Link shouted as the thing dragged him through his guide and its hideous masked face came into view again, garish teeth open wide.

“Aagh!!” Link shoved his sword up and through the creature and everything froze.

Then it’s body slumped and its weight dragged his sword down until it slipped off onto the stone once more, but still it didn’t vanish.

Not a person. The assertion seemed more obvious with every second that passed, but still the corpse didn’t fade.

“Is it dead?”

“I don’t know… it’s… not disappearing.”

“Kill it!”

Her shout almost startled him as much as the creature’s fingers beginning to twitch again.

Link stabbed it three more times before backing away toward the door, breathing hard and waiting for it to vanish.

It didn’t.

“Voice,” the tremor in his voice clearly carried his distress.

“What am I thinking?” She slapped a hand to her head. “Get out of there Link. You can’t kill a redead! It will just keep coming back. It’s already dead.”

As if to prove her statement, it began to move again.

Link stumbled out of the cell and slammed the creaking door shut behind him. There was no latch or lock, so it banged to and then started to swing out again.

Link swallowed his pride and ran. To the end of the hall and through the door into the next room.

The puzzle beyond couldn’t hold his attention as he slammed the door shut behind him and leaned against it to catch his breath. Yet again, no monsters. He slid to the ground and ran a hand up through his hair, dreading the feeling of something pushing against the door and trying to get in.

Minutes passed in ominous silence, but no banging came. His heart slowed its frantic pace and he leaned his head back, looking up at the painting on the wall.

The man was a little clearer now, some of the shadows receding behind him enough for Link to make out blond hair and shining blue eyes filled with dread. The painting depicted him crouched in the shadows between stone and a bush, sweaty and frantic as he covered his mouth with a hand.

The shadows obscured more details from view, but Link felt a tremor dart up his spine at the familiarity in every part of the man. The head shape, the colors, the way his hair fell was all dreadfully similar to Rift.

What the man in the painting couldn’t see, facing the wrong direction, through a crack in the stone shelter he hid behind, a figure standing on two feet but doubled almost in half in the shadow was looking toward him, light reflecting off of a familiar and bloodstained wooden mask.

“Rift,” the word choked out of him and Link scrubbed at his sweaty brow to get his attention away from the painting. “It’s nothing. Just a coincidence. Rift is fine.”

“What’s going on, Link?” Her voice was softer after all the shouting from before. She sat a little above the ground next to him and cocked her head to the side. “Why are we waiting?”

“I just need a minute,” he breathed without lifting his head. “That was…” He couldn’t find words to describe what that was.

“If this temple is anything like the others, we must be nearing the end now.” She said it like a simple observation, but it was an obvious prompt to get up and keep moving.

“Right.” He didn’t.

“Link?”

“In a minute.” He needed a break and her wheedling at him wasn’t going to help anything. “What was that thing?”

Voice shifted uncomfortably. “By your description, and the fact that it was in this temple at all, I believe it was a redead.”

“Like the monster tales?” Monsters that were once Hylians, now taken by a dreadful curse that locked them into a state between living and death.

“Perhaps. Redeads are slow and weak, but relentless. They won’t die and they won’t tire and stop. The only way to defeat them for good is through the light of the sun.”

Link nerves vibrated inside him and he looked back toward the door he was leaning against, just to be sure nothing was there. “You think it will follow me?”

“Yes.”

Well that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. “But if it’s weak, it shouldn’t be able to open the heavy temple doors, right?”

Voice hesitated, but she did not. “A redead’s body is stuck in limbo in a terrible state of decay. It shouldn’t be able to do anything very straining.”

He took a deep breath and raised his gaze to the painting again, but that only tied knots around his chest, so he averted it to the puzzle instead.

There were faces carved into the walls on each side of the big doors before him. Round stone with bulging eyes, mouths open in silent screams. On both sides of each face were stone hands, protruding out and cupped together as though waiting for a gift. Link’s gaze caught on the writing on the wall closer to him and he leaned forward and squinted to get a good view in the strange blue lighting.

What will you offer for what you need?
To pass by here you must test your strength.
What will you take and who will you leave?
Each of us holds a life in our hands.
To choose your pick takes one final shove.
Each answer fills either hand or head.

Link twisted his lips and quirked an eyebrow. What? He pulled himself to his feet and inched toward the writing, reading it over again. Strength. Like the power gauntlets I just got?

“Are you ready to move again?”

“There’s a hint here,” he said, pressing a hand to the carved words. “Each of us holds a life in our hands. Does that mean the hands are supposed to hold something?”

“Link, I can’t see whatever it is.”

“Oh, right.” He read the poem out loud for her to hear, then he described the room to her, and that served to ease his nerves some when no noise of the redead interrupted his monologue.

“Maybe it needs me to offer the power gauntlets,” he said slowly. “The hands are clearly waiting for something.”

“But every temple before now you’ve needed the items you find within to face the boss.”

Link scrunched his face in thought. He read over the poem again and paused. “Wait, it says ‘who’ instead of ‘what’. What does that mean?”

“Where?”

“It says ‘what will you take and who will you leave. What do you think that could mean? I don’t have anyone else here I could possibly leave.”

“I think it’s a mind bender. Only one thing in the hint is the answer. Everything else is meant to lead you off track.”

“So I should test what happens if I put something in the hands?”

“Something you don’t actually need, preferably.”

Link rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. It’s asking for a test of how much I’m willing to sacrifice along with a test of strength. If I don’t give it what it wants, what if it doesn’t work right.” Just like in the Temple of Avarice.

“And what if it takes what we need and we can’t fight off the next boss?”

“The only monster I’ve come across in this temple this far has been that redead,” he said slowly. “Maybe there won’t be a boss this time.”

Voice gave a dubious huff, but she didn’t try to stop him as Link tugged off his knee gauntlets and placed one in each pair of outstretched hands.

Stone crunched as they tilted with the weight, pouring the gauntlets onto the floor with a clatter as more stone grated behind him.

Link spun around. The dark hall came into view as the stone door pulled up into the ceiling and out of reach. His eyes popped wide and his heart pounded. “It didn’t work Voice! It opened the door back toward the redead!”

“Tch.” She floated closer to Link, as though she could actually do anything to keep him safe or him her. “We need to figure this puzzle out before it returns.”

Link spun back and read over it again as he gathered his gauntlets off the floor. “What does it mean they hold a life in their hands? Are we supposed to sit on them? Bring the redead here and put it in their hands?”

“And you want to try that?”

Link shivered and shook his head, scanning the words again and a frantic timer in the back of his mind counted how long it should’ve taken that limping creature to make it down the halls. It should’ve been at the door already, so where was it?

His eyes darted up to the picture again and he couldn’t help but glance behind and make sure it was still clear.

He swallowed and turned back to his task. The hint has a poetic rhythm to it. What if Voice is right about there only being a section that’s useful? It certainly doesn’t feel like it all goes together…

“There has to be some other way to look at this,” Voice muttered. “The first words repeat in a poetic fashion, but nothing else seems to connect the sentences line from line. It’s like someone just started spouting a bunch of unrelated gibberish.”

“I don’t know… maybe it would make sense if we knew the context of each one. Maybe they do all go together and we just don’t understand what it’s trying to say.” He hesitated as he ran his eyes over the words again. “Or… ‘What to what, each to each’. Does that mean anything? What to what each to each.”

“What is that?”

“It’s the first word of each line. It almost sounds like it means something, but…”

“Not quite. Just like the whole rest of this worthless hint.”

Link blinked. “Wait…” he ran his eyes over the words again and felt a smile creep across his face. “It’s not the first words, it’s the last ones!” He ran his finger down the end of each line as he repeated them. “‘Need strength, leave hands, shove head’!”

“You have to use the power gauntlets!”

“And I have to push the heads into the wall, not do anything with the hands! It was a misdirection!” Link threw the gloves on then stepped forward, pushing each head in with a grating shove in turn.

A loud click sounded through the room, and then the double doors swung open to reveal another hallway lined with paintings and lit with the same blue lanterns.

“It worked,” he breathed as he stepped through the doorway and sighed in on the large door at the end of the hall. “I think we’re almost to the final room.”

Voice followed as he walked into the dim hallway, but Link couldn’t help looking at the next painting they passed.

Rift’s look alike was in the same position in this one, but he was lowering his hand and there was a look of relief in his expression now. Because he couldn’t see the silhouette of the figure now obscured by darkness righe behind him.

Link’s heart pounded and he looked back, through the dark hall and the puzzle room, but the redead still wasn’t there.

He moved further and looked at the next one, stomach churning with a morbid curiosity that had to be sated. Rift’s look alike would get away… right?

Link’s stomach dropped out. Rift’s face was contorted in a cry of pain, and the masked monster sunk its teeth into his shoulder, arms wrapped around him in a deadly hug.

Link’s heart pounded as he rushed to the next picture, only to find Rift trying to struggle away from an impossible grip, terror written across his face as he shoved against the redead’s chest.

He ran to the next, footsteps echoing back at him in the silent hall and Voice’s questions falling to the background. Rift, come on. Be safe.

Rift was free, running through the woods in the next one, a hand over his wounded shoulder and sweating even more than before. The dappled light casted over half his face and left the other in pitch darkness.

Yes! Link took a breath to calm his racing heart and paused at the second to last painting next. He blanched.

Rift lay face first on the grass, shoulder bleeding and looking for everything like a dead body.

No, nonono, Link hurried to the last painting, his new relief pounded down in a moment.

The last painting had an eerie air to it. A sense of foreboding. It was almost exactly like the one from before, only the body had moved. Propped slightly up on one arm, as though the rest were a limp doll, Rift’s head hang as though his neck did no work to support it.

The shadows cast too darkly on his form, accentuating every ridge and wrinkle. It made it obvious when Link saw the torn sleeve around the bite marks. The skin was degraded and flaking, and it was spread all the way down the supporting arm.

Link stared.

and who will you leave.

His eyes grew wide. “No.” Not after all this time. Not after all this search. All this waiting. “No, please no.” He turned and ran back down the hall, toward the puzzle room and the cell blocks beyond. “Rift, no!”

“Where are you going!? What’s happening?”

He was supposed to be there waiting. He was supposed to come back to the family if Link defeated the Dark Beast. He was supposed to be fine!

Link dashed into the cell block, hardly looking any direction but at the shadowed cell as he tore the door open to find—

It empty.

“No! Rift! Rift where are you!?”

“Link! What are you talking about!?”

Link ran into the cell and tore through the chains, looking in every corner before he stepped out and tore a hand through his hair. “who will you leave, Voice! The redead’s not just a monster!” He spun and started looking through the other cells, only to find them empty as well. “Where could he have gone!?”

“What do you mean it’s not just a monster? What else could it be?”

“My brother!” The words tore out of his throat frantic and painful. “He’s been missing for years after going on a quest with the princess! Of course it would be dangerous! I have to find a way to help him!”

Voice for once was stunned into silence, and Link spun back toward the dungeon behind. He started toward the door that would lead him back to the maze of puzzle rooms so he could backtrack the whole way and find his cursed brother.

“Link, stop this at once!” Voice regained her voice and her indignation. “You’re making a fool of yourself!”

Link hurried down one of the corridors, frantic as he passed extra turn offs and made it back toward the entryway first. He had to be certain it didn’t get out into the light. That was the first concern. “You don’t know anything!” He snapped. “You don’t know what it’s like waiting for him to return and wondering what might’ve happened to him! You don’t understand! I will not leave my brother behind.”

“That thing is not your brother!.”

“You couldn’t see the paintings, Voice! They depicted it all! He got cursed and turned into a redead. The poem said ‘who will you leave’. I will not leave Rift if that’s what it’s asking.”

“Rift isn’t a redead!”

Link breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the room with the elevator and it wasn’t disturbed in the slightest. He didn’t make it out into the broad daylight, then.

At that he paused. How was he going to get him out of here? He’d have to wait until night, or else the light would kill him, but then what? Where could he take him that would be dark until he found a way to reverse the curse? Where could he hide him where he and everyone else would be safe?

“Link, listen to me.” She sounded frantic. “That monster is not your brother, and even if it had been it wouldn’t be anymore. A redead is dead. There’s nothing you can do about that. There’s no way to bring back the dead.”

Link’s frantic pace slowed and his eyes burned. Dead? The world spun around him and he slapped a hand to the wall to stay upright. “Bu-but you said I’d be able to save him. You said if I defeated Dark Beast Ganon Rift would come home.” His vision blurred, but he looked toward Voice’s uncertain form anyway.

“Rift is safe, Link.”

He slumped against the wall, his frantic energy draining out of him to be replaced with foreboding. “But how could you possibly know that?”

Even as the words left his mouth, something clicked in his mind. The way Voice shifted to face away from him a little. The way she had spoken his brother’s name with familiarity. As if she knew him. From more than just Link’s stories.

Link straightened, pushing off the wall and looking toward her, eyebrows pulled together. “How could you possibly know that, Voice?”

She shifted and again didn’t meet his eyes. “We should keep moving. We’re almost to the end.”

“You know where he is!” He couldn’t keep the accusation out of his voice, and it didn’t help his temper that his previous panic clogged his throat. “You know where he is and you didn’t tell me!”

“Just suffice it to say that he is alive and well and out of danger currently.”

“Where is he? You have no right to keep that from me!”

“Now is not the time to search for your brother. The priority is-.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what my priorities should be while you’ve been hiding Rift from me this whole time!” He stomped closer. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Link, Rift’s location right now is nowhere near as important as the quest that-.”

“The quest?! Is that why you’ve kept it from me?!” He clenched his fists at his side, glaring at her. “You wanted me to go along on your quest for the good of Hyrule and you decided my brother was the perfect leverage to use against me?? How dare you?”

“The needs of the entire kingdom outweigh the simple worry you hold for a single Hylian who is completely safe. There is no point in wasting time on such trivial matters when we have a real threat to face.”

He gaped at her. “You didn’t even tell me he was fine! You let me believe he was in some kind of danger! You used me!”

She stiffened at that. Then she lifted her chin and the discomfort faded behind a regal stance. “Yes. I used you. For the greater good.”

“Where is Rift?!” His shout echoed back at him, but Voice just continued to stare down her nose at him. He snarled at her. “Tell me where my brother is now or I’ll-”

“Or you’ll what? Prove my concerns correct? Abandon all of Hyrule your family included and allow the Twinrova’s thieves to hunt you down? Allow the Dark Beast to break through the barrier and into Hyrule? Leave my people to their fate when you are the only one with the power to save them?”

He clenched his teeth. They both knew he couldn’t do that. “Where is he?”

“You will see him. Once you’ve defeated Dark Beast Ganon. Just know he is safe and he is certainly not a redead.”

“I could know that for certain if you’d just tell me now!”

Voice stared at him for a long moment. He thought for a second that discomfort or uncertainty flashed through his misty expression. Then it hardened. “No.”

“Aargh!” Link tore the Soul’s Voice off his neck and her pink form disappeared with a snap of mist that sucked back into the jewels. Link raised his hand to smash the gems onto the hard stone, but even with his arm trembling with rage, he couldn’t do that.

His back bumped against the wall and he covered his face, squeezing the Soul’s Voice as if that would do anything to alleviate his anger and frustration.

She’s been leading me along, playing me for a fool. Using me. I thought we were friends! How could she keep this from me? How could she really believe I would turn my back on Hyrule if she didn’t keep this from me?

Unless Rift really was in danger. But she was so adamant against that, and despite all her evasion and omission, he couldn’t remember her ever lying to him like that.

He growled and stuffed the Soul’s Voice into his rupee pouch. The blue lights reminded him he was still in the temple.

I need to finish this. He left the elevator behind and marched back through the rooms of puzzles already solved, keeping a wary eye out for the missing redead, but he didn’t see it anywhere.

He made it back to the hall full of paintings and he shivered and averted his gaze from Rift’s likeness. Voice isn’t the only one who’s been playing tricks on me. This temple played him for a fool. Just like the Temple of Avarice, it took what he feared or desired and twisted it against him.

Link clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword and marched to the gilded double doors at the end of the hall. Whatever was in there would pay for trying to manipulate his feelings.

Facade - Twister of Minds.

The words were carved into the gold rimming of the door. Link took a deep breath and shoved them open.

A dark room, black to the very center and only dented in by dim blue lights that did nothing but accentuate how dark it was. Link stepped in.

The doors slammed behind him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Keeping his breathing steady, he twisted just enough to get a look behind him, where the light had cut off and it was just as dark. He could see nothing.

Alright. This is just like Recluse. I’ll be fine. He turned back toward the center of the room and stepped deeper, drawing his sword as he went. I just have to defeat the temple’s boss and I’ll be able to move on from here.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

Link spun, looking over the room behind him, but even as he did so, the echoing noise of flesh dragging over stone seemed to shift around him, coming from behind. No, his right. Spin. No, it was the left now.

Link’s frantic turns stilled as he forced himself to take a deep breath and steady himself. Tiny bits of stone crunched beneath his boots as he shifted his stance, then he closed his eyes and held his breath for complete silence.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

Facade. Link licked his lips and kept his eyes closed as he turned to face the noise, lowering his sword just in time to tap something fleshy and close.

Link startled backward a step, then caught himself and lunged forward with a swing that took the thing down to the ground.

The motion was getting familiar now and Link felt a sinking sensation of dread pour over him like water.

He kicked out with his toe. It met the fleshy substance that hadn’t dissipated into smoke, just as the thing began to shift. A gnarled and bony hand snatched Link’s ankle.

He shouted and cut downward, scrambling backward when he was released.

Facade was the redead. It really was the only creature in this temple. Link bit his tongue and looked frantically around the room.

Blue lights were the only distinguishing feature that showed anything about the room, stretched about six feet apart and only three on each wall.

He hurried into the dull blue glow of one of the lanterns only to find that he could still barely see his sword in front of his face. He touched the wall, then began moving around the perimeter of the room, feeling as it bulged with two pillars between each lamp.

But there was no door but the locked one he came through. No stairway or lever to open a way out. He had to kill the monster to finish the temple.

He clenched his jaws and ran a hand up into his hair. But I can’t kill a redead. I already tried!

A scream ripped through the air right behind him.

Link’s spine stiffened like a log. The stench of decaying flesh preceded the touch of torn skin to his neck. Spindly fingers wrapped around the soft flesh of one shoulder while another wire hand reached around his chest.

Link’s icy blood started to clear. Pain like tiny chunks of fear still in the process of melting tore through his veins.

Bone clacked on wood as the creature behind him opened his mouth and jabbed its head forward toward his neck.

Link shouted and fell to the ground in a roll, knocking the blow off course but jabbing rotting teeth into his arm instead. Link rolled over the redead, and the momentum tore him out of Facade’s arms.

He scrambled to his feet and away from the creature, slapping a hand to the bleeding wound where teeth had breached skin. No way out. No way out and no way to kill it. Link hurried to the opposite side of the room and found himself at the big double doors again.

He yanked on them, pulled and tugged, but they wouldn’t give.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

Link banged on them with his fists and shouted to no avail. He turned so his back was pressed against the safety of the wood and flicked his eyes around the impenetrable darkness before him.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

No matter how many times he killed it, it just came back. No matter how far he ran, there was only so much room here. Slow, weak, and relentless. When Link couldn’t fight or run anymore, he would be taken. When he lost his strength, or had to sleep, the redead would catch up to him and…-

Blood trickled between his fingers. His stomach roiled and he nearly lost his last meal as he realized what this meant.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

It was too close. Link hurried along the wall, past the pillars and to the other side of the room. He heard the steady slide as the creature turned to follow.

There has to be something I can do! The frantic thought tugged at his mind and he dropped to the ground with his hands on his head. Think, Link! Think!

Cshhhk… Cshhhk…

His heart slammed against his chest and his fingers trembled against his scalp. This can’t be the end. I’m supposed to save Hyrule!

He clenched his hands into his hair and tugged. The pain drew him away from his frantic panic and back to reality. He forced in a deep breath of air past tight lungs, then pushed it out again just as intentionally. There has to be a way to beat a redead without any sunlight in the room.

To pass by here you must test your strength.

He dropped his gaze to the gauntlets he couldn’t see on his hands. He felt the hard ridges and the powerful magic pulsing through them. Every temple before this he had to use the item inside to defeat the boss, just like Voice said.

But how was he supposed to defeat a redead with power gauntlets? It wasn’t like smashing it could kill it any more than slashing it.

He forced himself back to his feet and moved around the border of the room again, listening as the redead’s body clicked and it shifted its momentum to follow.

His gauntlets clicked as they ran over the pillars on the side of the walls. He paused at one. He blinked as his fingers ran over what he hadn’t noticed before. The pillar had a hairline crack between it and the wall. It wasn’t built in at all, but a later addition.

Link glanced over his shoulder–for what little good that did him–before he shoved his empowered fingers into the cracks. Stone dust drifted to the ground, but his fingers found purchase and he pulled.

The wall crumbled and rumbled, then stones rained down from the ceiling and Link had to release his hold and jump to the side to avoid getting hit over the head by one.

He rolled over, coughing from the dust, and his eyes widened. A narrow slice of yellow sunlight cut through the darkness, dust motes floating around it where it singly showed Link’s salvation. Sunlight!

The next pillar came away just as easily, and this time Link was expecting the mini-avalanche that followed, so he was able to move out of the way without diving to the ground.

Another slice of light cut down through the darkness a couple feet away from Link. It landed directly on a rotting shoulder and Link jerked at the same moment Facade let out an ear piercing shriek and stumbled backward into the darkness.

Link’s body trembled from the noise, but he couldn’t take his gaze off of the beautiful beam of light. The stone cracked between the two holes, but the hairs of fracture were enough to let more than a glow through the rest of the ceiling.

Link’s limbs responded and he hurried to the next side of the room, the sound of the redead’s footsteps were speeding up now. He slammed his hands into the pillar and yanked, jumping out of the way just as the stones toppled back and on top of the monster.

Rumbling, and another crack formed in the ceiling, but Link didn’t pause, rushing to the next two pillars while the thing was pinned. Larger stones fell in the center of the room, revealing a clear view of the hot blue sky and bright yellow sun.

Link’s face split into a grin as he rushed toward the next one, but in the reflected light filling the room now he saw the creature before him before it could make a grab at him.

He swung his sword as he stumbled backward, and it shoved the creature into the pillar of light at the center of the room. It shrieked and tried to claw toward the edge, but Link kicked it in the chest and made it stumble deeper into the seering sunlight.

He almost turned to tear down the next pillars, but there was no need. Facade shrieked as its skin charred and it crumpled to the ground as though all life drained out of it at once. Then, to Link’s unending relief, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

It’s dead. Link’s shoulders slumped in relief as the heart container appeared over the broken form, and there on the ground where once it had stood the glittering of a Sealing Key reflected the sunlight.

Link pressed a hand over his still bleeding shoulder as he collected the crystal first, feeling the vitality enter him and clean out some of his bite-wound. Then he took up the small key and heaved a sigh of relief as a door behind him slid open.

Only four more to go.

He trudged toward the new exit, and despite the scorching heat, he found himself grateful to be out in the sun again after all this time underground. Sand kicked up in a gentle breeze and Link tightened his hand around the key.

“Link?”

He clenched his jaw and pocketed the key. He couldn’t very well turn aside from the quest he’d set out on, but that certainly didn’t mean he had to do it along with Voice. Not as long as he couldn’t trust her not to lie to and manipulate him.

He dusted off his hands and started back toward the dunes that would lead to the nearby village. He needed to get some rest and recenter, then he’d have to set into the search for the next temple. And this time, he’d do it on his own.

Chapter Text

“Link?”

He ignored her. Voice didn’t seem to think she was in the wrong at all and he couldn’t even make himself feel bad for what he’d done. If she was just going to manipulate and use him then he was better off on his own.

He’d figured out how to defeat Facade without her, so why should he think it necessary to let her come back to nagging him if she wasn’t even sorry. If she wouldn’t even tell him where his brother was? Didn’t trust him enough to continue without her trying to hold something over his head?

Link didn’t need her, and though he’d learned his duty, he didn’t require Voice’s help to fulfill that.

He came to a halt inside the Gerudo village and slumped at the sight of Ruplen’s stall, now occupied with another merchant. He’d mentioned the possibility of moving on soon, but Link had been eager for a break and a chance to catch up with his friend in the absence of his guide.

Well, he knew the general direction the merchant would be going, and after the Stone Temple, Link only needed a few more Sealing Keys. He needed somewhere to lie low until he located the next temple. And he still needed to come up with some kind of idea of an item he could retrieve to be safe from the Twinrova’s attacks.

He turned and started back out into the desert.

“Link, this is ridiculous. You need me.” No apology and no remorse in her tone, just adamant confidence that she was right.

“No I don’t,” he muttered in a response she couldn’t hear. “The sooner you learn that and stop trying to use me, the better.”

He paused long enough to send a fraction of his temple earnings off toward home, then he exited the town. The hike over the dunes was lonely–more lonely than he’d been since he’d lost the Soul’s Voice to a Thief–but he forced himself to take it as a blessing. It wasn’t every day he was free of her nagging.

The sun beat down on him in painful heat that felt like it wanted to fry his skin, and every step seemed to sap more of his energy. Link ignored that in favor of a steady march toward his destination and imaginings of what he’d reward himself when he got there. He could afford to treat himself to something after all this hard work.

The bright sun began to hide behind the horizon and Link felt the relief as the painful heat began to ease in its absence. Still light enough for travel, though, so he kept moving.

“That’s mine!” The shout rang over the dune.

Link perked up, exhaustion and sweat forgotten at the raised voice. Was that…?

“I need them! Give them back!”

“Drop them, boy, or you’ll lose more than your belongings.” The accented voice was clearly a Gerudo woman.

Link was already struggling his way up the dune when he heard a wordless shout of alarm.

“Stay there and don’t move, or I will show you what the Gerudo Thieves are capable of.”

Sand shot down the dune in rivulets, but Link finally crested the peak. Down in the valley on the other side, he saw a ransacked camp with four Gerudo women and one Hylian boy that he recognized. Ruplen.

Link’s hand snapped to his sword hilt, but he took stock of the situation before making a move.

One of the Thieves was going through Ruplen’s huge backpack, while another was fingering open his bulging rupee pouch right in front of him, while her ally held a curved scimitar at the trembling merchant’s throat.

Ruplen was on his back, coated in sand and shaking where he was propped up on his elbows. He stared at the women, some mixture of fear and desperation in his eyes. “Please, I need those.” His voice cracked over the word and there was less fight in his voice now.

The Gerudo Thief pulled her sword back, purposefully nicking him across the shoulder and making him gasp in pain. “Silence, Hylian, unless you want to lose your life along with your rupees.”

“Hey!” Link grit his teeth and jumped to skid down the sand. His body wobbled with the effort, but he held himself upright as he joined the stream downward. “Leave him alone!”

The Gerudo’s gaze snapped to him, and maybe to the sword on his back, before she snapped her teeth together. “That is enough!”

The other Thieves dropped what they were doing and together they dashed up the hill behind them as though it were a flat plane.

Link’s skid came to a halt and he scowled after the women, but there was no chance of catching them and Ruplen might need help. He spun around.

Ruplen hadn’t moved and was still staring wide-eyed at where the women had disappeared. Despite the sweltering heat, his face was pale and his body shook.

Link rushed to his side and dropped to his knees, skidding through sand over the last foot. “Ruplen? Are you alright?”

Ruplen shuddered and tore his gaze from the dune to meet Link’s gaze. His eyes shimmered wet and there was no recognition on his face.

“Ruplen.” Link took his shoulders before he remembered the injury.

Ruplen shrunk away from him with a cringe, twisting so his injured shoulder was out of reach.

“No, sorry, sorry.” Link huffed at himself in irritation and wiped the blood off his fingers before digging through his bag. “Let me have a look at that.”

“Link?”

Link paused, looking at the merchant, who was finally gaining back some of his color.

“They took it all!” His eyes still shone with tears and he took a shuddering breath, pulling his knees up to wrap his arms around them. “All my rupees!”

Link pulled out some bandages—he really needed to refill on red potion again—and gave Ruplen a light tap that had the merchant offering his injured shoulder for Link to bandage. “Why did you try to fight them? There were four of them and only one of you.”

“I need those rupees.” His voice was a whine and he dropped his face onto his arms. “And they’re all gone.”

Link tied off the bandage and shifted so he was sitting closer to in front of his friend. “Your life is more important than any rupees, Ruplen.”

The merchant’s back shuddered again, and then he was crying.

Link blinked and lifted his hands, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Had he said something wrong? Was he missing something?

Ruplen pulled his legs closer, tightening his ball and shaking his head. “No. I needed those.”

“Ruplen…” Link hesitated, reaching out to set an awkward hand on his shoulder. The merchant didn’t react. “The rupees would do you no good if you were dead.”

Ruplen was only shaking his head again as his back heaved harder with his quiet cries.

Link hesitated again, but Ruplen wasn’t pulling away from his touch—wasn’t acknowledging it at all—and he wasn’t stopping either. Link clenched his jaw and scooted closer, wrapping his arm over the merchant’s shoulder just like Rift did the last night Link saw him.

He applied gentle pressure, and that was all it took to make Ruplen tumble against his side and let out a quiet wail.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Ruplen.” Link squeezed his arm and hoped he was actually helping. “Rupees can be regained, especially by the best adventure merchant in Hyrule.”

“I was so close,” he whimpered, shuddering with the effort of reigning in his emotions. He swiped at his eyes and shuddered again. “I was so close.”

“Close to what?”

Ruplen’s body sagged, dropping more weight on Link’s side and heating his already overheated body.

“What are you saving for, Ruplen?” The merchant pushed away and Link flinched. Maybe I pushed too hard…

“My father.” Ruplen scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand, flushing from more than just his tears. “My father needs the rupees.”

The tone was all too familiar. The defeated exhaustion. The determination that led to naught. How many times did Papa use the same tone when he thought he’d finally get to pay off all their debts, only for Rift to break his arm in training, or for Link to kick a hole in the wall?

“He was so stupid, and now he’s trapped and the only way I can help him is if I bring more of what he loves most or else he’ll stay like that forever.”

Link furrowed his brow. “What?”

Ruplen took a breath and smoothed back the hair that had escaped his ponytail, closing his eyes as he slowly let it out again. “My father found something in his travels, and when a Gerudo woman came seeking it he thought he could make a profit.” He dropped his hands into his lap and looked down at the sand. “Even when she threatened him he refused to give it up. And of course she had to have magic. She cast a spell on him and he’s stuck, frozen in place, until he is surrounded by what he loves the most.”

Link’s heart thumped. “What did this woman look like?”

Ruplen cringed. “She hid her identity. She was swathed in white robes. I knew she was Gerudo by her accent, mainly. I was hiding a room away when it all happened.”

Link licked his lips. The same Gerudo woman who was after him. He clenched his fingers on his knees. “And you need the rupees because…?”

Ruplen flinched like Link had slapped him. His voice grew even quieter. “There was nothing my father loved more than rupees.”

Oh. Link cringed. “Sorry.”

The merchant took another deep breath, then set his gaze on his backpack across the sand. Some of his items were scattered in the valley, but it looked mostly still intact. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to his feet, Link following suit. “I’ll just have to start from scratch.”

Link helped him pick up his items and distribute them back in the various pockets of his pack. “How long did it take you to save up the first time?”

Ruplen didn’t meet his gaze as he adjusted some bottles in the strap holding them still. “A year and a half.”

Link blanched. The amount just the two of them had been trading back and forth… “How many rupees does the spell need!?”

Ruplen ducked his head and patted the bottles before flipping the flap closed. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “Enough to be surrounded where he stands.”

“Link. What’s going on?” Voice cut through the conversation. “Why have you been still for so long?”

Link bit his tongue. Voice would demand he keep moving—tell him how important it was to find all the Sealing Keys—but Ruplen had been helping him since the very beginning. He couldn’t just leave him like this, not when he had the rupees and skills to help.

Besides. If it really was the same woman who cursed Ruplen’s father as who hid the keys, maybe this could aid in his quest too.

He ignored Voice’s disembodied questions and filled his voice with confidence for Ruplen’s sake. “Don’t worry.” Already he was considering whether or not they’d be able to track the Thieves over the dunes–he’d done it once before, after all. “We’ll save your father.”

Chapter Text

The sand was clearly disturbed. Link followed the path and wondered how he’d failed to notice such obvious signs when he’d first followed a Thief into the desert. His steps were easy and light and he thanked fate for the sand boots he had when he noticed Ruplen struggling with his pack behind him.

“You want me to carry that?” Link waited for the merchant to catch up.

Ruplen came to a stop a few paces away, puffing for air, and his knuckles whitened over the straps of his huge bag. Then he relaxed and his shoulders slumped. “Sure. Thanks, Link.”

Link blinked, honestly surprised by his acquiescence. But if he wasn’t going to be protective over his stuff now, Link should use the chance to gain some ground on the Thieves. They were trying to outrun them so the desert could undo the trail and leave Ruplen and Link with nothing to follow.

Ruplen traded his pack over to Link and they continued on, a more moderate pace than before. Link couldn’t imagine the sort of situation that Ruplen had found himself in. All this time he’d just thought the merchant was a born salesman, but… Having to collect rupees to save your papa?

Link’s own rupee pouch was a little less full since the last batch he’d sent back for his family, but he’d seen the amounts Ruplen had been dealing in and it was much more than Link had ever had to send back to his family. And he’d been working on this for years. Had… he been alone all that time?

Link glanced over his shoulder, twisting around some to see past the huge pack, and watched as Ruplen struggled up the dune behind him. The merchant hadn’t said much since his confession. He still seemed to be dazed from all his lost rupees.

Link grit his teeth and set his gaze on the path they were following again. These Thieves cause nothing but trouble. He hoped Ralim succeeded in her plans to rid the desert of the pests.

He crested another dune and Link paused, eyes narrowing. Of course. Before him stood a very temple-like circle of pillars circling a structure that looked like two buildings exactly opposite each other smashed into one. I just finished the Stone Temple! Another one already!? But his frustration was short-lived, because inside another temple, especially one occupied by Thieves, the likelihood was that he was going to find another Sealing Key.

“I think I found their hideout, Ruplen.”

He puffed his way up the dune and paused at the same sight as Link. “Woah… What is that?”

“A temple,” Link replied with certainty. “Don’t worry. We’re going to earn back everything you lost in no time.”

3 Years Ago

Every moment since the Triforce appeared on her hand had been building up toward this. Every vision she had, every plan she made.

Zelda watched as her guard climbed the steps of the pedestal and the world changed. She watched as he shifted his position of influence and she considered everything that would change with it when he drew that sword.

Once we defeat the desert king, the Gerudo will be restless. She flipped through history books in her mind, of the stories of the kings’ last recorded defeat. How he had been killed and his loyal followers had waged all out war until they were driven so far away the people of Hyrule thought them destroyed completely. War will follow fast, but if we have the hero on our side we won’t lose.

And her father couldn’t ignore her after that. Not after the Gerudo Warriors were marching on Hyrule’s land. He would have to listen, and once they had defeated the desert and and united the Triforce… What would be impossible for them? What couldn’t they do? They would lead Hyrule into a new era of peace—a golden age never before recorded in the history books, all because Zelda took initiative and found her hero fast.

Rift wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword, steadied his legs, and pulled.

Zelda almost bounced on her toes from the anticipation.

But the sword didn’t move.

Rift adjusted his grip, then his stance, but his tugs did nothing to wake the blade of heroes from its rest.

His face screwed up in frustration, and that was Zelda’s first clue. Her heart plummeted as she watched her Hero of Courage tug and pull at the Master Sword. Sank past her stomach when it didn’t budge an inch.

He braced his feet against the podium and heaved again, as Zelda felt her assurance and confidence breaking away piece by piece.

It’s not him. The words struck her almost as hard as the nonverbal realization. He’s not the Hero of Courage.

She stared at him, as all the glamor of heroics faded and she saw just the farm boy she’s come to know. The soldier. But how? How could she have been so deceived?

How, even now, did that sharp nose and those piercing eyes look familiar in a way she would never be able to explain? Why did he still look to her like the Hero of Courage?

Rift stepped away from the blade, breathing hard as he wiped his forehead. He didn’t look at her, but she could read the distress in his expression clearly enough. He stared at the sword and his hands trembled. He stepped forward to try again-

“Enough.”

He froze. Her words cracked through the softness of the clearing, hard and sharp and angry.

Zelda took a deep breath and drew a veil over her emotions. “Enough. Come down.”

His ears drooped and his face heated, as though he were a scolded puppy he followed her command.

It was all at odds with what she knew. What she felt. How could she have ever thought someone like him could be the hero? How had she ever thought Rift, loyal to a fault and obedient to her in everything, could be the legendary Hero of Courage?

She felt angry and betrayed and so foolish. The embarrassment that crept up from her stomach toward her head threatened to envelope her. She shoved it down and embraced her anger instead.

How could he have let her carry on like this? How could he let her believe so much of him when he had always been and always would be so little?

The thoughts were unfair. She knew they were and that she had led him into this just as much as he had allowed her to. Still, it felt better than accepting it had all been a mistake.

They had found the Supply Chamber, and he wasn’t a bad bodyguard. Zelda knew there was something about him, even still. All wasn’t lost. She had bought time for the search to begin again. Even if she was wrong here, when she found the real hero, he wouldn’t fail.

“I…” Rift stopped in front of her, head hanging and jaw clenched.

Zelda opened her mouth, but he didn’t need an explanation unless he was a fool along with a failure. He was not the Hero of Courage, and anyone within a mile could see it.

Zelda spun to the door and started out. “We need to leave.” She knew where the sword was, now it was only a matter of finding the hero. She just had to start her search again and as long as her Supply Chamber held the wall to protect Hyrule, she had the time.

“Your highness,” she paused at Rift’s voice, wanting to do anything but. She didn’t want to speak with him. She didn’t want him reminding her of all she’d said. Of the way she’d started treating him in her expectation. A lowly bodyguard! It was improper! To give him the honors due a hero when he was nothing but a farm boy raised too early to a high position!

“I-“ he caught again. It didn’t seem he could find the words.

Zelda looked over her shoulder, eyebrows held purposefully straight and calm. “You failed. We must find the real hero. The sword does not accept imposters.”

Rift flinched so hard he took a step back, as though her words had the physical force of a punch. “I- y-yes, your highness.”

“Pack up. We need to leave.” She didn’t want to stay here a moment longer, and by the way he hurried to heed her command, neither did he.

When they passed Impa, she gave a questioning look toward the door, but she seemed to note which sword was on Rift’s back and didn’t say anything more.

Zelda walked ahead, face burning as her other guard’s scrutinizing gaze dissected the situation and quickly ascertained her mistakes. That Impa didn’t say anything was a blessing, but it also made it worse.

The walk back through the temple was fast and curt. No one spoke, and the pace Zelda set didn’t really let her outrun her failure, but it felt like it.

She reached the open air of the forest outside the temple and she paused to close her eyes and try to calm herself.

She could still use Rift. He and Impa would be assets if she didn’t alienate them here. She still had to plan and work. It wouldn’t be wise to let one failure throw everything to the wind.

She just needed to breathe and think and-

“Ah!” Zelda stumbled forward, clutching her head. Sharp pain stabbed through.

A Beast, huge and with glowing tusks ran agains her power. It roared. Rippling muscles and magic beneath swelled against her saved supply.

“My lady!” Impa was at her side in the real world, holding an arm to keep her upright. She barely even noticed Rift doing the same on her other side. “Are you alright?”

Zelda’s legs were trembling and not completely straight. Her head still pounded and ached. Her body began to tremble. It was all falling apart. Every single piece.

But she had the Triforce of Wisdom! How could she have failed her plans? How could every turn show her the fool?

“Your highness,” Impa’s words were lower this time, worried.

“I-,” Zelda cleared her thick throat. She was fine, and she needed haste, not ease. “We must return to the Supply Chamber.”

The urgency in her voice must’ve conveyed, because Rift left her side, allowing Impa to support her on her own, as he set to preparing the horses.

“It wasn’t enough,” Zelda whispered. “All that power I poured into the Chamber, it wasn’t nearly enough.”

Impa was pale. She had watched as Zelda tore into herself for more. She’d been there as she tirelessly slaved away at the task. “Not enough? What can we do?”

Zelda’s lips were tight. She watched Rift as he saddled the horses and she clenched her jaw. She knew what she had to do. She had no choice. But without her, how would the hero be found in time? Without her, how would they defeat the Beast instead of just holding it off?

She had tried to get ahead. Tried to make sure this wouldn’t happen, but here she was with a failure of a hero and her own failure at wisdom.

How could she have been so foolish?

Chapter Text

Sword held at the ready, Link entered the temple first. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of a Hylian with a sword raised and ready to fight, then he nearly laughed at himself for startling at his own reflection in a mirror.

A wide wall of glass was the first adorning feature of the entryway. A doorway cut straight through the glass and that surely led into the temple and to more puzzles. No one else was there.

“It’s safe, Ruplen.”

The merchant poked his head in after, looking around before committing to following in. He had his pack on his own shoulders again now that the ground was solid and Link needed to be able to use his sword.

“Stay quiet,” Link said softly. “We don’t know where the Thieves might be hiding.”

Together they slipped into the next room and Link easily recognized the presence of a puzzle and the locked door ahead. In the center of the room stood two identical statues, each with a hand raised in different directions, and a lever at the bottom to spin them around.

“What is this?” Ruplen whispered, some of his previous curiosity seeping back in as he examined the area. Then his eyes lit light lamps and he rushed to the corner where a chest sat. Link chuckled as the merchant opened it and withdrew a whole purple rupee.

Ruplen’s eyes popped wide and he danced in place before spinning around to Link. “Someone just left it lying here! Is it fine to take? Is it… wait, do you need it?”

Link waved him off. “The rupees are free game,” he said. “And I’m trying to help you save up again, remember? You’re welcome to all that you can carry. Though that does tend to be the catch in these places.”

“You can’t carry as much as you find in these temples?” His eyes were wide with wonder.

“Sometimes.”

Ruplen dropped his giant pack onto the ground and dug through the contents with abandon. They didn’t really have the chance to sort it all again after the mugging, so it probably didn’t change much anyway.

He withdrew a sack that looked extremely similar to the magic wallet Link already bought from the merchant. Then he rushed over and held it out. “At a discount–or, totally free–for all the help you’re giving me! We can’t have you passing over rupees you could be bringing back! This will allow you to carry more.”

Link grinned and traded the rupees from his old wallet into the new, then he offered his first back to Ruplen, because he wouldn’t need both and he had to pay him back somehow. He couldn’t just take all of his wares when he didn’t need payment to help a friend at all.

Ruplen didn’t say more, just went to stuff the old wallet back into his bag as Link turned to examine the puzzle again.

“Link, you’re being foolish.” Voice’s words cut into the silence and made him jump. She’d been silent for long enough he’d almost forgotten that her misty form wouldn’t appear when she spoke to him while he wasn’t wearing the Soul’s Voice. “We have to work together to save Hyrule. Are you really going to let them all fall for your anger?”

He wished he could block her voice out too. He wished he could ignore her completely. The way she spoke right now–all the reasoning she gave to try to get him to put the Soul’s Voice back on–stank obviously of manipulation, just like she’d tried to pull on him with Rift. No lies, but clear twisting of what she knew and what she’d learned about him.

“What do we do now?”

Link shook himself from his thoughts and focused on the temple again. “This seems like it must be fairly simple,” he said, gesturing to the statues. “It’s wanting to introduce us to the theme of this temple. We just have to adjust the statues to some sort of pattern and the door should unlock.”

“What about the two panels on the walls?”

Link hesitated, then stepped further around one of the statues to get a better look at the walls. Sure enough, there was a plate sticking up further from the walls on either side of the door, too far from each other to be touched by one person at once. “Hmm… It’s probably some kind of timed test.”

Ruplen and Link set to revolving the statues, and since they each only clicked into place at four different directions it didn’t take long to find the correct one. A loud clicking noise sounded through the whole room when the statues’ hands were almost touching between them, one raising his right, and the other his left.

They moved on to the panels, but no clicking timer started when Link pressed one down, and the moment he released the pressure the plate popped back up beyond the wall. “Hm.”

Ruplen was adjusting his pack on his shoulders as Link gestured to the other wall, an idea forming. “Let’s try pressing them at the same time.”

He’d never once before had a temple that necessitated having another person–there was always another item to press extra buttons down when he needed in the ones before–but if this worked…

Together they pressed down the plates and another triumphant click sounded through the room and the door rumbled open.

Link pressed his lips together and met Ruplen’s gaze from across the room. He’d told the merchant he could come with him and that he could stay back and away from danger when Ruplen made it clear he wasn’t going to be leaving his chance to find his rupees, but now…

“You may end up being a little more involved in this than I first assumed,” Link said slowly, looking back toward the twin statues, perfectly mirroring each other. “I think we’re going to have to work together to get through this.”

Ruplen followed him curiously through the next few rooms. Link managed to solve the puzzles on his own and was just beginning to doubt his suspicions when Ruplen rushed into a room ahead for a chest.

“Ooh! Another- Ahh! Link!”

Link snapped to attention, darting into the room as he drew his sword. He sighted in on the stalfos immediately. Ruplen was stumbling back away from the chest and the towering skeleton now standing in front of it.

His gaze darted back at Link and he saw the sword in his hands and the merchant rushed to hide behind his companion. “It took a swing at me!”

Link’s once-over of the merchant told him the swing missed, so he rushed in and dealt with the monster quickly. As the old bones disintegrated in a purple mist, Link sheathed his sword facing the chest and examined the surroundings for any other dangers.

“Whoa…” Ruplen came up behind him, startling him with his presence. “You defeated it so quickly! It didn’t even seem to be a challenge!”

Link ducked his head at the praise and gestured toward the chest. “Your treasure?” Ruplen rushed ahead at his gesture and Link looked down at his hands. The merchant’s words felt good, but more than that, they felt true. After all these temples he’d fought through, it didn’t even really seem hard to take on a single stalfos anymore. Maybe he really was getting stronger. He clenched his hands into fists and just looked at them for the first time in a long while. At the honed muscles in his forearms.

“You’ll realize you need me,” Voice’s disembodied voice muttered. “And then you’ll be sorry.”

“More rupees!” Ruplen’s jubilant shout broke through his musings and Voice’s threats and Link pulled himself back to reality. “With this we’ve already earned…” he scrunched his face as he counted. “Two purples, a red, and five blues! That makes one hundred and forty-five rupees!”

Link found he wasn’t even so surprised by the high total anymore. By the end of this temple it would be much higher than that; Link would no doubt have to spend all that he didn’t send to his family on some item or other as well. Then again, he hoped they’d be able to save enough for Ruplen’s needs. Maybe it was a curse for Link alone. Maybe if the merchant held the rupees they wouldn’t be spent, after all, he never seemed to have trouble saving before.

Link turned to look at the puzzle room and noted the large number of pressure plates. He stepped to one and pressed it down with a foot, but it only gave a noncommittal click and popped back up.

Once he’d tried all the different pressure plates, and Ruplen had started following him around to watch, he knew there had to be some trick to it because none of them stayed down on their own or caused anything to happen.

“There certainly are a lot of mirrors in this temple,” Ruplen mused as Link stared down at the buttons. “How do you suppose that Stalfos has been in here all this time and never broken it?”

Link glanced up at the wall he was looking at, another that was a full mirror instead of stone.

Ruplen snickered. “Maybe it liked admiring all its powerful bones.”

Link blinked at the line in the mirror tracing halfway through the room, then he looked again at the floor it was reflecting. The line only appeared when you looked at the room through the mirror, but it separated the room into two halves with equal sets of buttons on each side–they were set identically as well.

“Ruplen, trying stepping on one of those buttons,” Link said as he walked to the opposite side of the room and pressed down one of his own.

Ruplen followed his suggestion and the buttons clicked triumphantly and when Link lifted his foot it stayed down.

“Hey! You did it!” Ruplen spun around, looking through the room as though expecting another chest to appear or the door to magically open.

“We still have to figure out the rest,” Link said. “They must have to be pressed at the same time, but we don’t know how many or in what order. Here, let’s try another.”

They both stepped to the next row of buttons and pressed one each at random. The same noncommittal click, and almost as bad, the first two buttons snapped up again.

“Hey, wait! Why’d they do that?” Ruplen hurried back and tried to press the first one again, but Link was too busy considering to do his end.

“I… Think they’ll reset every time we get the order wrong. We’re going to have to figure out which button each of us needs to press, and memorize the pattern as we go.”

“But there are so many scattered all around. How are we going to memorize the–Oh! I’ll get out a paper and write it down as we go!”

Link opened his mouth to say that wouldn’t be necessary, but hesitated. Just because he’d done all these temples with only his mind in the past didn’t mean he should refuse something easier if it happened to be an option.

He waited for Ruplen to draw out the paper and charcoal, and examined the room again. “I think the room is separated in two halves. Maybe the puzzle wants us to mirror each other–to match the theme of the temple.”

Ruplen set his big bag to the side and marked down the first two buttons they’d gotten by luck. “Alright, so let’s both step on the complete right of our sections and see what happens.”

Link nodded and sighed when the buttons all popped up again. They set to work, but even after they’d tested all five buttons for each of them on the second row, none of them stayed down. Link ran a hand through his hair. So is the mirror idea wrong? Or is it not going to go row by row? He cringed as he looked at the room full of buttons ahead of them. If it wasn’t following some pattern, this was going to take forever.

“Maybe we’re doing something wrong,” Ruplen said softly, poking his charcoal at his page that still only had one layer written down correctly–and by now they had the buttons memorized by heart. “Maybe it wants us to move to the opposite side each row, like a reflection?”

Ruplen was wandering between the buttons and Link watched his reflection in the mirror as he passed the divider and examined the little pressure plates.

“Oh!” His shout made the merchant jump and spin around. Link slapped a hand to his forehead and laughed. “We’ve been doing it wrong! We’re copying each other, not mirroring!”

Ruplen’s brow wrinkled, then his eyes widened and he spun to look at the mirror as well. “Oh! How did we not notice that!”

Link laughed and they rushed back to the first layer to click down the original buttons, then Link stepped to the complete right of his side, and Ruplen to the complete left of his so that they were shoulder to shoulder.

They gave each other a nervous glance, then both stepped down as one. The plates clicked… and remained in place!

They grinned at each other and the next half-hour was spent testing, writing down or marking off, and testing again.

Once they pressed down the last buttons, both boys cheered as a rumble sounded and the door at the end of the room opened.

They rushed in to see their spoils to find the room with doors on either side, both closed, a carving of a sun on the far wall, and light shafting down to a huge ornate chest in the center.

Ruplen rushed again, pulling chest open and dropping his top half in to look inside. He popped out straining with the weight, and pulled out a sparkling silver and gold shield from the depths. “Not rupees this time,” he held it up like he was showing off one of his wares. “But this is definitely a high quality shield! Look at how well polished it is; when not in battle or if you decide to retire it could double as a fancy mirror! The engravings have a sense of magic about them as well!”

Link snickered, but he was surprised when the merchant offered the shield to him with no further words. He blinked as he took it, and Ruplen chuckled self-consciously.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you letting me take all the rupees. You’re far more likely to use a Mirror Shield than I am, and anyway, everything we’ve found here is technically things you’ve earned.”

“You’ve done your part too,” Link said, but he didn’t argue as he took off his old shield and strapped the new to his back. It certainly did have a strong and even magical feel to it. He noticed Ruplen watching and offered the old shield back to the merchant.

Ruplen jumped and reached out to take it. “Are you sure? You paid for this, after all! I could buy it back from you,” he said as he slipped it from Link’s hands and started to tie it to his big backpack.

“Don’t worry about it,” Link said to his own surprise. It wasn’t as though the rupees wouldn’t help, but… it felt nice to gift it back to Ruplen anyway.

“I can’t believe this is what you’ve been doing to get all those items,” Ruplen said as he tied the shield in place. “What sort of quest has you exploring dangerous places like this? And alone? How are you even still alive?”

“I had a lot of training from my papa and brother,” Link examined the next puzzle of the room, noting the engraved sun on the wall first. “Papa was a soldier, and Rift was too before he disappeared. We liked to practice together a lot. I always assumed it’d be that or farming for me. Adventuring wasn’t really in my plans until…”

“Until?”

“Well, until everything fell apart.”

Ruplen eyed him curiously, but Link set his full attention on the puzzle, lowering the shield into the shaft of light and seamlessly reflecting it onto the picture of a sun. It lit with a sparkling glow, and then both of the doors in the room clicked open as one. Unfortunately, when Link lowered the shield, they fell back into place without enough time for him to make his way through.

“Your quest…” Ruplen’s voice was hesitant as Link shined the light once more and the doors opened. “Are you trying to put things back together now? Is that why you’ve been working so hard?”

Link sighed and nodded. “My brother’s been missing for years now, but I finally have a chance to find him. I’m not giving that up.” Link gestured toward one of the open doors. “Could you peek in and see if you can find something to keep the way open for us?”

Ruplen stepped toward the door, then hesitated, turning back to Link instead. “Maybe I should hold the light in place?”

True. Link offered the shield and they changed places. It didn’t take him long to find the switch in the other room, along with a chest with a key, then he passed to the other side where there was a locked door, some strange cracks in the wall, and nothing else.

Now that the switch had been pulled, Ruplen returned the shield and examined the strange wall first of all. “That doesn’t look normal,” he said slowly. “It almost looks like…” then he was muttering to himself as he dug through his bag.

Link pulled out the key, but a hissing noise behind him made him spin around. Ruplen was backing away from the wall and plugging his ears. On the ground beside the cracks was a lit bomb. “What!?”

Before he could say more the bomb went off with a rumbling bang. Smoke blasted into the air and blocked everything in the room from view, but Link still heard the noise of crumbling, unless that was a side-effect of the ringing in his ears.

He coughed in the smoke as he made his way to where he’d last seen Ruplen, nearly bumping into the hacking merchant. “What was that!?”

Ruplen waved a hand in front of them and the smoke did dissipate some. A new hole in the wall let light through into a hidden room filled with rupees. Link’s eyes popped wide open.

“I thought there must be something important behind that wall! I didn’t realize it would be rupees!” Ruplen darted into the room and started collecting them into his rupee pouch without a second thought.

Link poked his head in, but it really was empty other than the rupees, and despite the painful flashbacks to the Temple of Avarice, he didn’t see any warnings on the wall this time. How many secret rupee rooms had he missed in the other temples he’d explored? How many more could he have collected if he’d known?

But then, his wallet was usually full when he left a temple, so maybe it didn’t matter in the end. “I didn’t realize you carried bombs with you,” he said slowly. “And you were so quick to light it too, I didn’t even have an idea what you were up to.”

“They’re expensive,” Ruplen explained as he stepped through the crumbling hole, “so I don’t use them if I can help it. They’re handy and good for some dangerous situations, but not really suitable for most.”

Link grinned at the pouch of rupees. “Seems like you could make quite the fortune just scouring the temples. You seem to have a nose for rupees.”

Ruplen’s face darkened and he looked behind him. When he turned back around he was grinning again. “Adventuring certainly seems to be lucrative, but so is my merchant work. I’m certainly more suited to the latter.”

Link couldn’t argue that.

Unlocking the next door, Link froze at the noise of voices coming from the other side as it swung open. He snatched the door and Ruplen’s arm. “Wait,” he whispered, pressing an ear close to the small opening.

“No one will be able to take our findings,” a Gerudo accented voice said. “With the Stone Snake to guard them, even the Twinrova will not come for their dues.”

“And what of when we want it back?”

“We get there when we arrive.”

The Thieves were in there, and it sounded like they were coming back this way. Link grabbed Ruplen and dashed back to the empty room on the other side of the hall. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice the new hole in the wall, or the empty chest–why hadn’t they taken the shield before?–and would just move on.

Link drew his sword and shield and pushed Ruplen into the corner behind him, then they ducked out of sight and waited. Time ticked by slowly, measured by their muffled breaths and the sweat running down Link’s face. Could he take on more than one Thief at a time? He’d certainly grown stronger since his last encounter with one, but that much?

Their voices came like a gentle rumble, then they drew closer–just one room over–and they must have stopped near the open chest. “Someone has definitely found this place.”

“Then we should leave,” another said. “Anyone fool enough to enter here will either have left already, or we will trap them in for the Stone Snake to deal with.”

Their feet tapped at a steady jog back the way Link and Ruplen had come from and the boys relaxed as the noise faded away.

Still, they waited in silence for a couple more minutes before Ruplen tugged Link’s sleeve. “What’s the Stone Snake?”

As though the question released him from his trance, Link stepped away from the corner and sheathed his weapons. “I think it must be the boss for this temple. It’s probably just a few rooms over.”

“The boss?”

“Some of the best items I’ve brought you have come from vanquishing giant monsters at the end of these temples.”

Ruplen paled.

“Maybe you should stay back and I’ll…-” Link hesitated, his mind flying back over all the previous monsters he’d faced in the final rooms. The door always closed behind him, and he couldn’t recall any of them ever opening again. Normally he would suggest Ruplen find his way back through the cleared temple and they’d meet on the outside once he finished here, but with the Thieves waiting to find them and likely blocking the way out… “Actually, you might have to come with me if you want out of here.”

Ruplen swallowed. “Are you sure?”

“Just, keep that shield at the ready,” Link waved a hand toward his bag. “If you stay behind me, I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”

Ruplen still looked shaken, but he untied the shield and clenched it with white knuckles as he nodded back. “If you’re sure. There’s no way for me to wait until it’s over?”

“The door will lock behind us, and if you’re outside the room, I don’t know that it’ll open again for you.”

He hardened his expression and nodded. They found the boss key in the final room, along with some of the Thieves’ belongings they’d left in a camp in their rush. Link took a solitary bottle, but didn’t have room for any of the blankets and cooking supplies that were left, so he went straight to the towering boss doors and pressed the key in with a glance toward Ruplen. “You ready?”

The merchant ducked his face further behind his shield, but he bobbed his head in a nod anyway.

Link nodded back and unlocked the door.

They stepped in together, to be sure Ruplen wasn’t left behind, and the merchant jumped when the giant doors banged shut behind them. Link didn’t know what he’d been expecting by the name Stone Snake, but it certainly wasn’t the completely fleshy giant snake curled into a tight coil in the middle of the room.

The walls were dotted with mirrors, some of which were even shattered, and the snake let out a loud hiss as the echoes of the slamming door bounced through the room.

“Oh,” Ruplen’s quiet exhale from behind reminded Link that even if this wasn’t a giant worm in a precarious sand whirlpool, it still was a very imminent threat.

“Stay toward the corner,” he whispered as the snake began to unwind and a head as big as two men standing side-by-side emerged from the center of the coil and a forked tongue flicked out toward them.

Two huge eyes rolled in the scaled head until they pointed toward Link and his companion. It let out another hiss, and then the eyes began to glow.

Link realized the danger just before twin beams shot out toward them. “Move!” He tackled Ruplen to the ground. They rolled over the stones, and where they had been standing before on disconnected pebbles was now solid stone.

Oh… Stone Snake. Got it. Link scrambled to his feet in time to catch a whipping tail on his shield.

Ruplen was struggling up behind him and tearing off the pack that would hinder his movement. “Never should’ve brought this into a temple in the first place,” he was muttering as he worked.

Link shoved the snake tail to the side and charged in against the monster, but despite its entirely normal flesh, his sword clanged off the scales as though they were made of stone. Completely useless.

The snake hissed and its body bulged out toward him, shoving his back and making him stumble into one of the wall mirrors. Luckily this one was still intact.

“Voice,” the word dropped off his lips before he thought of what he was saying, and just as fast the realization crashed on him. He didn’t need Voice and he wasn’t going to ask for her help. He’d just have to face this creature without her blessing on his blade. Somehow.

“Link! Watch out!”

The warning was enough that Link jumped to the side just as the creature shot another beam toward him. It let out an inhuman screech as the magic blasted off the mirror and into its side.

Shattering glass rained down on Link and he threw up his arms to protect his face as the sharp projectiles cut through tunic and skin.

No Voice. No blessing on his blade. But he defeated Facade without Voice. He could defeat the Stone Snake too.

Link lowered his arms and cringed as the shards adjusted painfully in their cuts, but he didn’t have time to waste because the snake was swinging its tail again. He threw both arms against the shield and managed to hold it back.

“Oh!”

Link and the Stone Snake both looked at Ruplen as one. His eyes went wide and he covered his mouth before he threw the shield up and crouched down in the corner with the worst stance possible.

“Ruplen!” Link and the snake charged forward as one, then the snake stopped and its eyes began to glow. “MOVE!”

Ruplen peeked over his shield, then he dove to the side like a frog just as the beam shot past and slammed harmlessly against the wall.

Link reached him in the next second and spun around in front of him to take the next whip of the tail.

“It’s scales turned to stone where its magic hit!” Ruplen said. “Maybe if we immobilize enough of it, it won’t be able to fight anymore!”

Link’s gaze darted over his shield, and he blinked at the orange and green scales that were now an earthy gray. He grinned. I don’t have to have your help, Voice. Just watch. “Good job!” Link darted away from the merchant, and back toward another wall mirror. “C’mere you oversized worm!”

The snake hissed and spun to point glowing eyes at him, and Link dodged out of the way just in time, this time raising his shield to catch the glass instead of his skin.

The snake shrieked, then its whole coil of self began to unwind and flail throughout the room. Mirrors shattered. Ruplen shouted as he was bashed against the wall despite the protection of his shield.

Link ran to him and helped him to his feet, watching for another blow, but the snake didn’t seem to be aiming at them.

Link blanched as the last mirror shattered against the whipping scales of the snake. Well that’s not great. He hefted his shield to readjust. Light sliced off of it just like it had through the earlier rooms in the temple. Link gasped. “A mirror shield!”

The snake turned glowing eyes on them and Link raised the shield. “Brace yourself!”

Ruplen ducked down behind him, but the eyes of the snake twitched, and the glow faded with a flick of its tongue. Instead, it whipped out with its tail again.

Link gasped and barely got his shield down in time. “It can tell it’s a mirror! It won’t shoot the magic at its reflection anymore!”

“But how else will we stop it?” Ruplen gasped behind him. Then he moved closer. “What if it can’t see the mirror?”

“How would-?” Link glanced over his shoulder as he heard a new hissing noise behind him.

Ruplen grinned, lit bomb in hand. “It won’t be able to see anything for a minute!”

“Stay in the same place then,” Link turned to face the snake and steadied his stance, but he kept his shield down, so it wouldn’t see the mirror.

Ruplen tossed the bomb ahead and it blew up, creating another dusty cloud of smoke. Link threw his mirror shield in front of him immediately and Ruplen ducked behind him. He braced himself. Based on the way the mirrors shattered before, this wasn’t going to feel good. He just hoped it worked.

The smoke began to fade and a glow showed its way through. “It’s working!” he shouted to Ruplen, and he felt the merchant stiffen.

Then the beams shot through the smoke at them. He dove to the side because the monster’s aim was off, but he managed to catch them on his shield. To his surprise, there wasn’t any kickback at all as the magic sprang from the shield and back toward the face of the giant snake.

He rolled on the stones and when he jumped back to his feet, the dust was settling once more around the giant statue of a towering snake, completely petrified in stone.

He and Ruplen were both breathing hard as the heart container drifted down to appear above the snake and a door in the back of the room clicked open.

“Oh! A way out!”

Link sighed as he sheathed his weapons and climbed up the creature for the container. From that vantage he could easily make out the treasures hidden at the back of the room behind the snake. “Ruplen! Your things!”

Ruplen gasped and rushed to the back, collecting the items and singing joyful greetings over them.

Link paused at the top of the snake, because there, embedded in its forehead, was another Sealing Key. He smiled and pulled it out with a click. Not only did he find a weapon to deflect magic here, but he also found another Key.

Just three more to go.

Chapter Text

His home was empty. Link carefully picked his way through his bedroom and out into the hall. “Mama? Papa? Rift?” His voice echoed back at him like he was in one of the many temples he’d explored throughout his adventure, but no one replied.

The table was toppled onto one side and the chairs around it were scattered across the floor. Mama’s soup pot spilled its cold contents over the kitchen floor. Two of her knives were scattered on the floorboards as well.

“Mama?” Link furrowed his brow and picked up one of the knives, a slice of potato skin still clinging to its blade. “Where is everyone?”

The house shuddered.

Outside, Link spun in the grass to look at the monster towering over their small home. Tusks that glowed with power and beady eyes that seemed intelligent, but so very, very angry.

Dark Beast Ganon charged straight through their house, shattering it like a pot, and its giant tusk caught Link in his torso, tossing him into the air as though he weighed nothing. Link gasped as the air was pushed out of him, but his eyes shot wide when he landed in the lake with a splash.

Sand poured over his shoulders and into his ears. Down his throat and filled his nose. Link clawed at it, trying to swim upwards. Trying to break the surface like he’d seen the other boys do. He was a fool for never letting Rift teach him.

Cshhhk… Cshhhk… Something cold and dead grabbed his ankle.

-

Link shouted. He sat bolt upright, droplets of sweat flung off of him and into the sand at his feet. “Ah!” Link scrambled backward, toward solid ground and away from the stuff that would eat him up and suffocate him.

He bumped something solid. Spinning around, Link clawed his way on top of the shifting surface, but at least he wouldn’t sink in that.

“Whoa!” Ruplen let out a cough and then he rolled to the side, toppling Link off onto the dunes again.

Because that’s all they were. Regular dunes. Link’s face flamed. “Oh! Ruplen.”

The merchant lifted his head and rubbed bleary eyes, sending a questioning gaze at Link. “What’s happening?”

I woke him up… Link cringed. “I… Uh… Sorry.”

Ruplen looked up toward the sky, then over toward Link’s bedroll. He sat up fully and rubbed a hand through his messy bedhead. “Is it time to go? It’s pretty early.”

“No. I just…”

Ruplen watched him as he struggled for words, and when he couldn’t come up with any, the merchant pursed his lips and rubbed at his side where Link had hit him. “Ah… Bad dream?”

Link’s ears were flaming as he ducked his head and nodded.

“I’m surprised I haven’t noticed it more,” he said with a shrug. “With all the stuff you’ve been doing, I’d have nightmares the rest of my life.”

Link chuckled. “You’re a pretty sound sleeper I’ve come to find.”

Ruplen snickered. “Not the best for protecting my wares, but it certainly does get me a good night’s sleep no matter what.”

Link forced himself to stand and trudged back toward his bedroll. “Sorry for waking you. We can still get some rest before we set out in the morning.” He plopped onto the blankets, but he couldn’t bring himself to lay down again and risk sleeping.

Maybe he could work on something else instead until his heart stopped pounding and reality caught up with him. After all, almost every portion of that dream had been impossible. Why should it scare him even now?

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Link nearly jumped out of his skin with how close Ruplen was. He hadn’t heard him approach. “Oh, uh, I don’t know. It’s nothing really.”

“Something’s bothering you,” Ruplen pointed out softly. “But if you don’t want to talk that’s fine too. I can just go back to bed.”

Link opened his mouth to say that he should do that, but something stopped him. Ruplen had been nothing but kind to him since they’d met, and when he was younger he used to tell his nightmares to Rift. That always helped him back then.

Ruplen took that as invitation to sit and settled himself on the half of the bedroll Link wasn’t occupying. He didn’t say anything. Just sat in silence.

Link appreciated that. It gave him the chance to pull his thoughts together and settle his bundled nerves. The wind blew over the dunes, cold and sharp, and Link sucked in a fresh breath, just to remind himself he really could. “The dream itself wasn’t so bad,” he said softly. “It’s just…”

“Something in it that scares you? Something real?”

“I can’t swim.”

Ruplen blinked. His face screwed up, but he couldn’t keep a few quiet chuckles from escaping.

Link stiffened and leaned away, feeling betrayed and hurt. I shouldn’t have said anything. How will he trust me to help him when he knows I’m scared of something as normal as water?

“I’m sorry,” Rift said between his chuckles, catching a fold of Link’s nightshirt sleeve. “I’m not laughing at you or your inability to swim. That’s perfectly normal.”

Link’s face was hard as he settled back into his seat, still not comfortable. Then what are you laughing at? The sand?

“It’s just,” Ruplen calmed more, seeming to sense Link’s irritation. “After the temple we just went through and that horrifying magical snake, I thought your fear was going to be something huge and undefeatable. You have to be the bravest person I know to go through things like that and just be scared of drowning.”

That relaxed him a little and he pulled his knees up to lean his arms on them. “I don’t know about brave. If I was smart, maybe I would’ve accepted Rift’s attempts to teach me in the past, but… I fell into the ice when I was a kid and if my brother hadn’t been there I would’ve drowned. I’ve never wanted to go near water since.”

“Well, if you ever decide you want to learn, I’d be happy to teach you.” Ruplen’s grin grew. “We even have a pond near my house! The clearest water you’ll find this side of Hyrule, and sure to be suitably shallow in some places. It won’t even have to be dangerous, and with a teacher like me you’ll have nothing to fear. I’m an excellent swimmer.”

Link couldn’t help but laugh. The salesman voice and the winning smile Ruplen had plastered across his face asked for nothing else. “How could I say no to such a convincing pitch?”

Ruplen beamed.

They sat in silence for a little longer, just listening to the wind and watching as the world steadily grew lighter with the coming morning.

Link glanced at the merchant and furrowed his brow. Ruplen had sunken into his own tired thoughts, and now a furrow was there between his eyebrows. “You worried it’s not going to work?”

Ruplen jumped, then he sighed. “I don’t know. I’m certain I have enough rupees now, but… I guess I wasn’t even thinking about that at all. I’m pretty terrible, aren’t I?”

“Terrible?”

“My father is about to be saved and all I’m thinking about is how much I don’t want to be like him.” Link blinked. Ruplen snapped his lips closed as though he said too much and he hugged his knees up to his chest. “Maybe that’s the sign I already am.”

“Like him how?”

Ruplen groaned and pressed his forehead into his knees. “The rupees, Link. I don’t know if I can live without them. I don’t know if I can bring myself to let them go. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a normal night where I don’t count my earnings and my savings just to be sure they’re going up. I think I’m becoming just like him. What if things continue this way and the only thing that matters to me is earning more rupees? Saving more? What if that’s all I can see when I look around at the world? More chances and investments?”

“Ruplen, you’ve done plenty of things for others. Just look at the time you’ve already dedicated to saving your father!”

He shook his head. “And what if that was just an excuse to make me feel better about leaving? About abandoning him there so I could go earn myself a fortune?”

“But I’ve seen you help people. I’ve seen you sacrifice for others.”

“When?” Ruplen turned his head to the side and set a steady gaze on Link. “When have you ever seen me do anything for someone that didn’t benefit me as well?”

Link hesitated. Under those guidelines, he couldn’t technically find a time; he’d only seen Ruplen when he was working his shop, and though he’d seen him give discounts to people in need, or guide them to things that it was obvious they could use, that all still earned Ruplen rupees in the end.

“Why did you waste your time helping someone like me?” he asked at last. “You couldn’t have known it was gonna pay off.”

Ruplen’s shoulders drooped further and Link set a hand on one. “You’re not so selfish as you think. I don’t know how far I would’ve made it without the sling you sold me at the beginning, but I don’t think I would have even made it to the sword in that first temple.”

Ruplen didn’t look up from his lap and didn’t respond for a long moment. Then his hands tightened. “Don’t you remember how I pulled you into my business?”

“You were giving me discounts and helping me,” Link argued.

“I could tell,” the merchant muttered. “I can always tell when someone has a good chance of bringing back rupees. Maybe it’s something my father trained into me, I dunno.” His body slumped forward. “But I could tell you were a good… a good investment. That’s all I saw you as. I was using you from the start.”

Link pressed his lips together and pulled his hand back. Ruplen curled more into himself, pulling his knees up to his chest and wouldn’t lift his gaze.

Using him. Just like Voice. Did Ruplen lie to him too? Did he rip him off in any of those deals after he earned Link’s trust? He’d stopped checking to be sure Ruplen’s pricing was fair. He’d stopped paying so much attention. He had no idea how much he could get for half the stuff he sold the merchant, either.

His heart twisted up like a fly in a web and he hardened his gaze out at the sand. Does everyone just want to use me for something? Is that all it means to be the Hero of Courage? Is that all that will come from this adventure?

But he had to save Hyrule, either way. Did it really matter if he made any real friends along the way? Did it really matter if everyone he’d come to care for decided he was a commodity to be twisted and turned at their will?

He clenched his hands into fists and shook his head. He wasn’t a tool and he wasn’t an investment… but Ruplen wasn’t his father either.

“Ruplen,” he said softly, leaning closer, though the other boy still wouldn’t meet his gaze. He took a deep breath and forced it out. “That doesn’t matter to me.”

Now Ruplen looked up, shock written across his expression. “But I-“

“You may have started it for monetary gain, but you helped me and I consider you my friend. Isn’t that enough?”

Ruplen stared. “F-friend?”

Link smiled and offered his hand. “Yeah. Is that… Is that feeling mutual?”

Ruplen’s eyes were glassy as he looked at Link’s hand. His lips trembled, then broke into a watery smile. He uncurled just enough to take Link’s hand in his own, like a handshake. “I… It is.”

Link stood and hefted the merchant to his feet, tightening his grip on his hand and meeting his eyes. “We’re in this together, partner. Investment or no. Rupees or no. We’re friends and friends take care of each other.”

Ruplen squeeze his eyes closed and pressed his lips together, but still a tear escaped.

Link pulled him into a gentle hug. “We’ll get those rupees to your house and save your papa. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll help you find another way. Alright?”

Ruplen nodded into his shoulder. “Thank you, Link.”

Link squeezed him. “And thank you.” He grinned. “I’ll still be needing your adventure goods for a while yet, I think.”

Ruplen laughed, wet and tired. Link joined him as the sun rose, and the day they would reach his home began.

Chapter Text

Ruplen hopped around the room like a little bird, settling everything in place frantically.

Link still stood just inside the doorway, uncomfortably watching the statue of a man before him.

Ruplen’s father stood next to the table, a fist clenched at his side and a finger pointing at someone who wasn’t there anymore, a snarl spread across his face. His skin had an unnatural sheen to it and he hadn’t moved a single muscle since Link stepped in.

Not to twitch. Not to breathe. He stood like a statue that was all too lifelike.

Ruplen pushed a ladder backed chair behind his father’s frozen form, the screeching of the wooden legs on the floorboards shaking Link out of his reverie.

“What should I do?”

Ruplen’s hands were trembling as he struggled with the rupee pouch at his side. “We need to surround him.” His voice was hoarse and he couldn’t seem to work out the knot in the strings.

Link clenched his jaw against the discomfort of nearing the human statue and moved to Ruplen’s side. Rather than untying the bag first, he pulled the merchant’s hands away, drawing his twitching gaze up to him instead. “Don’t be nervous. Even if this doesn’t work, we’ll find a way.”

Ruplen stared at him for a moment, then he sucked in his lips and averted his gaze, drawing in a shuddering breath. “This will work. I know my father. If what he loves most will save him, it will be rupees.”

Link’s heart twinged again at the words, but he gave Ruplen a slap on the shoulder. “Then you have nothing to worry about either way.” Then he undid the knot on the merchant’s pouch and offered it to him.

Ruplen smiled his thanks and took it, moving to where his father’s statue stood. “There were no specific directions on how to surround him and I’ve tried with various rupees in the past until I came to the conclusion that I must have to surround him with every color. Now that I have enough of each we’ll have to do it in a more orderly fashion than just dumping them out.”
He dug his fingers into his pouch, and then reverently withdrew a golden rupee. “To make sure each color completely surrounds him, I plan to make a ring of each, starting with the more valuable ones that I have less of.”

Carefully he placed the rupee at his father’s feet, long ways and as close to the boots as he could manage. It was a shame his father’s legs were spread apart in a braced and aggressive stance.

Link blanched as Ruplen pulled out gold after gold, more rupees than he’d ever seen, even with all his travels. Link understood now that his family didn’t have much in comparison to what could be earned in the temples, but this was insane. Even having spent over a year earning them and pooling his resources together with Link’s, it must have taken Ruplen every waking hour to gather all of this.

“Link?” The merchant’s circle came to a halt, a rupee short.

Link swallowed down his discomfort and took out his own rupee pouch, especially one he earned in the most recent temple. Gold. He set it end to end with the others and completed the ring.

Ruplen stared at them. Then he looked up and met Link’s eyes. Silently, they nodded, then they both began digging out Ruplen’s silver rupees and placing them side-by-side to the gold ones, creating the second layer of the ring.

Once they met at the end where both halves had been filled, Link noticed again how much Ruplen’s hands were shaking. He didn’t mention it, however, as he took out his own purple rupees next and started on the next ring.

Then reds, then blues, and finally they were at the last green rupee.

The sixth ring was almost complete, one slot left for the final rupee that Ruplen held in hand, staring up at the form of his petrified father.

Link tied off his rupee pouch and crouched at his side.

Ruplen hesitated.

Link offered his hand. “Do you want me to?”

Ruplen shook himself, eyes glassy. His fingers tightened around the green. “I-I need to do this.” Still, he didn’t move but only pressed his lips together and stared.

The rings of shining rupees cast a kaleidoscope of colors over his face and the rest of the room. It looked like a trove of treasures hidden in a shining chest.

“This will work,” the merchant breathed. It almost sounded as though he didn’t want it to. Then he reached out and set the rupee with its neighbors.

There was no blast of magic. No shockwave to tell them that they had succeeded.

Link rose to his feet and helped an unsteady Ruplen to his.

The merchant looked to his father expectantly, a small smile that looked almost more a grimace pulling at his lips.

Nothing happened.

Ruplen’s smile faded when his father still didn’t move. He blinked and inched closer, careful to avoid the encircling rupees as he reached out and touched the clenched fist at the statue’s side. “Father, sir?”

The hand on his father’s was trembling again. “It’s time to wake up. I gathered all the rupees you could ever need.” The strain in his voice made it notch up in pitch. “You can move now, sir. Please!”

Link watched the statue with growing dread. Ruplen’s father hadn’t moved an inch since they placed the rupees.

It didn’t work.

“Father, we did what was required! Now you can move again!”

Link clenched his jaw as Ruplen began to tug on the clenched fist, trying to pull it from the man’s side. Link stepped closer and set a hand over Ruplen’s. “It didn’t work.”

“No!” Ruplen yanked away and scrambled to look at each ring of rupees. “We had to have done something wrong! The spell is supposed to break when he’s surrounded by what he loves most! I’ve thought it through again and again and this is the most logical way to accomplish that!”
“Ruplen, something didn’t work right. He hasn’t moved.”

“Then we need more rupees!” He tugged off his pouch and dumped out the last remnants of his greens and blues, letting them clang to the ground and bounce through the circles, spreading them with a tinkling of jewels. “I just have to collect more, then!”

The merchant spun on Link imploringly. “Please! You have more, don’t you?”

Link flinched, placing a hand over his rupee pouch. “I don’t think this is the answer, or it would have worked already.”

Ruplen’s eyes flashed. “Where are all your promises to help now?” He demanded, but the fire quickly died and he tugged off his pack instead. “I can trade for them.”

“Ruplen…”

His hands were trembling as he drew out a stack of bottles and held them toward Link. “Please, the last of your rupees.”

“It won’t help, this isn’t the answer.”

“Please!” Tears tracked down his cheeks as he dug out a new shield to go with the bottles. “I need them.”

Link sighed. He pushed the items aside and shook his head at the merchant. “I want to help,” he said softly as he undid his rupee pouch. “You don’t have to buy that.” He dumped his remaining rupees out with a second clattering, one of the greens bouncing across the floorboard under the table.

Ruplen spun to the statue of his father, holding his breath.

Link ducked away, squeezing his arms close to himself and unsure what to do. The rupees weren’t the answer, but the merchant wouldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t accept that maybe the curse wasn’t something that could be reversed. Maybe his father would be like this forever.

Could Link have done so in his place? If it was Papa standing frozen there and not a stranger? He didn’t know.

“Father,” Ruplen’s voice cracked and he stepped up to the statue, rupees clattering away where he walked. “Please, sir, you have to wake up. I’ve traveled all of Hyrule for you. I’ve done everything you could have hoped for. Please. Wake up.”

But his father didn’t answer. Only silence replied. But still Ruplen stared at the statue, expecting full-hearted for it to move. For it to come back from the dead.

Link sighed. He moved closer and set a hesitant hand on his friend’s shoulder. “He can’t hear you, Ruplen.” He swallowed at the lump in his throat and forced out the next words. “I think he’s gone. We should… we should go.”

“NO!” Ruplen flung his body forward, slamming against the statue and tearing out of Link’s grip. “I did everything required for the cure! Why won’t you wake up!?” He buried his face into his father’s chest and pulled himself close to the statue in an encircling hug. “Why won’t you come back?”

His shoulders shook. Link stood back, uncertain what to do. He was finally realizing it. His father was-

The statue’s eyes blinked.

Link flinched back, a surprised gasp dying in his throat as he bumped the table behind him.
Ruplen’s father twisted his head, gaze falling on the boy still crying into his chest. Confusion washed over his face, but still hands that were once frozen came to life and wrapped around his son. “Ruplen?” His voice rumbled.

Ruplen squeaked and jerked back, staring wide-eyed at the statue made man again. “F-fath-“
The haze in his father’s eyes was beginning to clear as he took Ruplen’s cheeks in one hand and twisted his head up further. “You’ve grown…”

Tears streamed down the merchant’s cheeks and his knees crumpled, dropping him to the wooden floorboards. “Father!”

The older man dropped to his knees in front of him, catching him as Ruplen pitched forward. His gaze was still bewildered as it washed over Link, then down to the disturbed piles of rupees all around them. His eyes caught on the golds and widened. “Where did all these rupees come from?”

Ruplen’s body shook as though he’d been slapped.

“Ruplen has been collecting them for over a year,” Link said in the merchant’s place, seeing as he was in no position to offer an explanation. He ignored the anger burning in his stomach as he looked at the man. “He’s toiled away to collect enough of the thing you love the most to surround you with it. To break the curse you were put under.”

Ruplen’s father paled, staring down at the rupees. His fingers dug into his son’s back, wrinkling his tunic. “And that… worked?” He looked like he might be sick.

Link hesitated, the fire inside of him dulling a little. No. The rupees hadn’t worked. He was certain of that.

The moment that the statue came back to life was when…

When Ruplen’s hands encircled him in a hug—surrounding him with his son. Link’s eyes widened.

Ruplen’s father pushed the boy back, staring at tear-stained eyes a year older than when last he would’ve seen them. “You know that I love you, boy, don’t you?”

Ruplen’s body was still trembling from his sobs and he only stared at him.

His father shook him, his own eyes growing teary. “Don’t you!?”

Link stepped forward, but the man’s grip loosened a second later and he pulled Ruplen back into a hug.

“You’re my son. My last living family. Of course I love you Ruplen, more than anything else. I’d give all the rupees in the world for you, if it was needed. Nothing could ever rise higher in my favor than my little merchant.” He pulled him close and Ruplen’s cries were getting louder by the second. His father pressed Ruplen’s head into his shoulder and then pushed his own cheek against his hair. “Nothing in this world, no treasures of wealth or items could ever replace you, my son.”

“But-“

His father held tighter. “I’m sorry if I ever made you believe otherwise. I’m sorry if I ever spoke or acted in a way to make you believe that you were lesser to me than some colored gems. You are everything to me, Ruplen.”

The merchant couldn’t get any more words out because he was crying again, clinging tight to his father’s tunic and wailing into his shoulder.

Link’s vision blurred and he swiped at his eyes, sinking into a chair at the table. The rupees didn’t work. Because they truly weren’t what Ruplen’s father loved most.

The relief of the realization nearly made him slump where he sat. No matter their issues of the past and whatever they had gone through to make Ruplen believe that, he knew for certain otherwise now.

What his father loved most was him, and even if that wouldn’t fix everything that had led to this moment, it was certainly a start.

Ruplen’s father loosened one of his fists, dropping something that clattered to the ground as he pulled his son closer and began to cry into his hair.

Link blinked at the small object, one he’d seen the like of before.

It was the sixth Sealing Key.

Chapter Text

A little time was a relief. Water lapped up to Link’s calves and his heart stayed steady just like the solid ground beneath him, but he stared out at the sparkling pond anyway.

It wouldn’t be long until he had to go. Until he had to break into the Twinrova’s hideout to find the only other key he knew about. He had the boots, and he had a shield that could deflect magic.

“Just getting used to the water is the first step,” Ruplen droned on, sitting on the shore and sifting through his things. “Once you’re familiar with the water, it won’t startle you so much and swimming will come more naturally.”

Link would’ve felt the days he spent here an intrusion, but it seemed even with everything that happened Ruplen and his father still needed time to adjust. The older merchant was having trouble understanding just how long he’d been frozen there, and grieving for lost time as one.

Ruplen was still hurt and uncertain around him, now more confused than ever. He often asked Link to practice swimming, or to scavenge with him, or do anything that would get him out of the house for a breather.

But things were going well, even if old habits died hard for the older man. Link could see it in his every action that he was trying, trying so hard to show Ruplen that he cared. Especially in quenching his first impulse to go straight back to work and reconnect with all the business partners from before. Instead, Ruplen’s father took this time off.

Link crouched in the water with a sigh, letting it lap up at his pants as he reached down and submerged his fingers. He hadn’t heard Voice once in the last few days. She hadn’t asked why he was still here. Hadn’t told him to put on the Soul’s Voice. Hadn’t demanded anything of him since her last threat that he would regret ignoring her.

Will I?

“Go a little deeper, Link.”

Link stood and walked forward until his hips were completely underwater. This was about where he usually got antsy, but he felt mostly calm now. He knew the ground was stable for a while yet.

Voice used him. Even when he asked she refused to tell him where Rift was. But what was that like from her perspective? She only had one way to ensure Link stayed motivated for this quest. Yes she was doing it all for the kingdom, but she didn’t have to hurt him and his family in the process.

Link could’ve sent Rift home to Mama and Papa and showed them there was no reason to worry. He could’ve seen his big brother again before he had to go and risk his life against Dark Beast Ganon.

But Link forgave Ruplen for sighting in on his rupee pouch first because they became friends.

Link drew the Soul’s Voice from his rupee pouch. Aren’t we friends? He wasn’t sure.

“Alright, Link,” Ruplen waded into the water with him and Link felt his chest tighten. “It’s about time for your practice. Are you ready?”

Link took a deep breath before responding with a nod. Even if it terrified him, it was a worthwhile skill in the end.

Ruplen and his father were growing closer, both were itching to get back out into the world with their wares. It was only a matter of time before Link would have to go back to the desert as well.

Here, near the border of the desert, Hyrule was a breath of fresh air, but Link would have to take the plunge again at some point.

And without Ruplen, he would be alone again. Is that what I want? He tucked the Soul’s Voice back into his rupee pouch.

“Alright, now.”

Link sucked in a deep breath, and submerged beneath the water.

The horse’s rhythmic gait beneath him was soothing. Lossa didn’t have to put so much strain on his injuries like this. Traveling and searching for the weeks they had been, it was a welcome necessity.

He glanced over his shoulder at his battalion of trainees and rookies. They were singing at the top of their lungs and he grinned.

They’d started with Zelda’s Lullaby, an ancient song passed down through the generations as a sign of hope for the Hylian people, but things quickly grew more rowdy.

He was glad. The king didn’t have the trained men to spare, so Lossa was leading a group of rookies, along with Captain Park. They’re loud voices and clanking armor was sure to scare of the majority of monsters so it wouldn’t matter what type of soldiers they were.

“Sir, a report from the scouts,” Captain Park said, spurring his horse to match Lossa’s pace. “It just came in.”

Lossa took the offered note with a nod of thanks, then he looked over its contents. The deeper the scouts moved into the forest, the thinner the monster population became. They were even beginning to find signs of monster camps that had been ransacked and looted, and yet no sign of anyone yet.

Lossa narrowed his eyes at the note. That was certainly unusual, seeing as these woods were generally agreed to be empty of Hylians. “Park,” he said softly, offering the note back. “Tell the scouts to continue in. I want to know more of what’s going on. And have our scribe check over the maps. If there is any location of importance, no matter how old, in these forests, I want to know.”

Park saluted, then he set off to do as Lossa said, the rowdy singing drowning out the hoof beats when he was only a few feet away.

Lossa’s stomach felt light and his heart ready. This was it. He could feel that he was getting close. The monster decrease was a good sign. He just hoped it really meant what he suspected.

3 Years Ago

Rift’s eyes stung as he saddled the horses, shame and disappointment equal measures. How did he ever let himself start to believe? Why did he ever thing he could possibly be the Hero of Courage?

The princess’s words repeated in his mind over and over again. “The sword does not accept imposters.”

“You failed.”

He finished with the horses and tried to regain his composure, but he couldn’t lift his head when he brought them back to Impa and Zelda.

At least the princess was standing on her own again, though she still looked pale and pained. Impa helped her onto her horse without a word, then she mounted her own and Rift followed suit.

The handmaiden cast a venomous glare at him and Rift jerked at the hatred in it. The blame.

He averted his gaze to the trees, to watch for enemies, but his face burned. Impa’s glares before were irritated, but now? Now it was as though Rift was the reason the princess collapsed. It was as though Impa thought that Zelda had to be protected from him.

As though this was all his fault. The failure.

His chest tightened and his clenched the reins. Zelda wouldn’t even look at him. She didn’t dare to glance his way. Every semblance of friendliness that had been built up over the last weeks was gone.

It was worse that gone. Worse than ever before. Rift was a failure, but he felt like an adversary. He felt like they both saw him as worse than they. As a traitor.

Blood burned like fire in his veins. He was no traitor. If he could’ve taken up the Master Sword he would have. He wouldn’t stand in her way. So why did it feel like he had done something wrong?

Why did it feel as though he’d broken some important law he never knew about?

He licked his lips, to try and work up the moisture in his mouth—the courage—to speak. “I-I’m sorry.”

The women stiffened. Then two sets of hard eyes were turned on him, scrutinizing, calculating. Angry.

Rift flinched, but forced himself to hold those gazes. Not to look away, but to meet them firmly. “If I could have, I would have drawn it. I would not have disobeyed.”

Zelda’s calculating glare softened, but it didn’t warm. She gave a smile that looked more a cringe and didn’t reach her eyes. “I know, Rift.”

Impa’s glare only heated, and she turned her face away.

Then he was alone again, and the weight on his chest only heavier for it. They didn’t care. They didn’t care what might’ve happened. All that mattered was what did happen.

Rift failed, and he put all of Hyrule in danger by doing so. He wasted so much of their time. There was nothing more to be said than that.

Chapter Text

Link walked over the Sand Sea as though it were made of stone. The goldspike’s tried to get at him, but now that he knew what to expect it was a simple matter of swatting them away with his sword when the bulge in the sand drew close.

The pink jewels of the Soul’s Voice were sleek and hummed with magic. His fingers ran over every bit of the little necklace as he pondered.

I’ll be sneaking into the base of the Twinrova today. the very thought sent a shiver down his spine. He’d heard of them now, powerful witches that he didn’t have much chance of facing without the magical artifacts he’d collected. But I won’t be facing them if things go according to plan. Just passing through.

Still, his fingers caught on the edge of the cord and he finally looked down at the gems as he stepped off the Sand Sea and onto the dunes on the other side.

Link sighed and slipped the cord over his neck. It settled light on his chest and nothing happened. “Voice?”

The wind whipped up a twisting pile of sand, but she didn’t answer him.

Link snatched the necklace with a huff and nearly tore it off, but he hesitated. I won’t let my anger rule me. She may have been wrong, but I don’t have to prolong this.

“Voice, I don’t know if you can still hear me, but I get the feeling if you want to you can.” He rubbed at the necklace and squinted into the distance, toward the structure he could just see peeking out from behind the dunes. “I’m going into the Twinrova’s base now and I wouldn’t be opposed to some company. I know we have our differences and I’m still not happy with you, but if you want to continue on this mission together I’ll try to be more understanding. But if that’s going to happen, you need to realize something too.”

He glanced around but she still didn’t form. No telltale pink mist gathered in the form of a woman. Link shrugged. “I don’t need you. I’ve made my way through two temples now without your help and I can do it again. I considered you a friend, but I can do this on my own if the feeling isn’t mutual.”

The confidence he conveyed through his voice surprised him. Even more surprising was the assurance he felt in himself.

He didn’t need her, but he did enjoy her company, even with as much as she nagged.

He waited for a full minute of silence, and still nothing. Link tucked the necklace under his shirt and hiked up his sword belt, starting up the dune toward the hideout. “Alright. I’ll keep the Soul’s Voice on in case you change your mind.”

The only answer was the whistling wind.

3 Years Ago

Rift dragged his eyes open. Despite his good night’s sleep, the exhaustion dropped on him all over again, a now familiar weight.

His heart lurched when his first conscious thought was ‘Not again.’

“Time to get up, soldier.” Impa’s steady voice said from above him. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

His chest constricted around his heart and he forced himself to look at her, despite his desire to melt away into nothing rather than do anything of the like.

She met his gaze with a hard one of her own, then she turned on a heel and marched off.

Couldn’t she just wake him up like a normal person for once instead of staring at him like he was destroying the kingdom?

Rift’s eyes squeezed shut. Not again. His mind repeated it without his permission, but he forced leaden limbs to shove his blanket off as he sat up.

The princess’s tent was still up, likely he’d be expected to take it down and carry it again, but for now she was nowhere to be seen, so likely still inside.

Despite the voice that muttered it was to his shame, Rift was relieved that he couldn’t see her. At least not yet. Did that make him a terrible guard?

Yes.

The guilt piled on at the conscious condemnation and he set to work on the familiar task of putting up his night gear. Familiar, the movements were there without a thought.

Good because he probably couldn’t force his lazy limbs to do it otherwise.

I can do this, he thought, forcibly shoving down all the ‘not again’s that tried to pile over. Calm down. Be happy. We’re all just doing our jobs. You get paid like a king to do yours.

The concentration served to shove down his irritation, and he thought back to the rupees he had been sending home before the princess dragged him away from the castle in secret.

He hadn’t felt like this since he was a kid. Since the time that Link dogged his every step like an eager puppy and wouldn’t let him have a second to himself, all while Papa was sick at home and Mama needed all the help she could get with chores.

It had been a hard time for all of them, with all the strain and fear that Papa’s illness brought, but Rift had nearly drowned in his irritation at Link anyway.

His heart twisted at the thought, because the kid was even younger than Rift and had been looking for reassurance from someone he could trust and Rift had given him the cold shoulder and brushed him aside. Much like Rift was in the wrong now, letting his irritation and exhaustion get the better of him when he had a duty to fulfill.

That thought didn’t help the weight on him any, but it brought up his determination which strengthened his shoulders.

By the time they finally reached the Forest Temple after their third day of travel, Rift felt as though he were the clothes Mama wrung out the hanged in the sun. He was exhausted, but he knew he didn’t have any real reason to be, so he tried to shove it down and do his duty as best he could.

He didn’t expect the immense relief that hit once they finally reached the Supply Chamber. It may not mean the adventure was over, but for now they would stay in one place and maybe Rift could get a handle on his emotions. Maybe he could go out to hunt monsters and secure the area again. Fulfill his duty–the one that still existed–even if he failed the princess’s expectations.

Setting up camp was a monotonous task and Rift set to it diligently. Impa and Zelda avoided him, but he didn’t mind. He preferred that to their scathing or pitying looks.

Just put the next pole up, and her tent will be ready, he counted through his tasks. Then I’ll survey the area for monsters and finally get a little time to myself.

“Rift.” Zelda’s voice was right behind him.

He nearly jumped out of his skin and he did drop the tent pole the reflexive motion to his sword his hand made. Heart beating in his throat, Rift spun around and saluted, giving her a small bow and not daring to meet her eyes. Many things had changed when he failed, and that privilege was one of them.

“I want you to go back to the castle.”

Rift’s body stiffened. It felt like she dumped hot cinders on his skin the way it burned and tingled. His throat was tight. She wouldn’t send him away a failure after all this time, would she? She wouldn’t deny him the chance to make up for his faults. He managed to force out a single question. “Your highness?”

“Someone should tell Father that I am pursuing other methods. You can inform the king and then return to your family.”

You can go back with no honor and ignore your duty. Rift snapped his teeth together hard. He thought maybe she even heard it. After all of this, she really expected him to run away and leave her and Impa in this dangerous forest on their own? His one remaining duty was to keep her out of harm’s way. If something happened to her while he was off playing messenger, he would be the one to take the blame.

He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he left and they were hurt because of it. “Princess Zelda,” his voice was hoarse, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Princess Zelda, I can’t leave the two of you here alone.”

“Are you arguing with me, soldier?”

He flinched at the cold tone, but his shoulders stiffened as well. “With all due respect, ma’am, you gave me command over your safety. I don’t see that it would be safe to leave you here unprotected.”

“I brought you to obey orders, not to follow your own whims.”

“You hired and paid me as a bodyguard, your highness.” His voice trembled. “Please, at least let me do that.”

The princess looked him up and down for a commanding moment of silence. Her frown didn’t disappear, but something in the lines of her face did soften. “You will listen to my commands if you stay here. You will not argue with me.”

Rift’s shoulders slumped in relief and he bowed. “Of course, your highness.”

Zelda laid a hand on his forehead and said quietly, “your duty is to me now, Rift. Remember that.”

A strange warmth flooded through his head, but Rift only nodded. He could stay. She wouldn’t send him away to face his family a jobless failure. He could still earn his rupees. He could still prove his worth. He may be nothing now, but he could still become something. “It already was, Princess.”

Chapter Text

The Thieves had special keys that opened doors for them. They must have been magical, by the way they glowed, but Link couldn’t think of a way to pinch one off of the women without alerting the whole hideout to his presence.

His second option, almost just as dangerous, was to follow them through the doorways at as safe a distance as he could manage before the heavy stone doors dropped with a bang behind them.

The hideout was a maze of giant stone doors that grated open at the special glowing keys’ request, and then shut again behind them. Link already felt lost and he hadn’t even chosen one of the five connected doors to try to make his way through.

I just have to find wherever they keep their treasure. How hard can that be?

The hideout was a happening place. Link hid behind a tapestry in the main hall—he only got in by luck and the skin of his teeth—and now he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to follow one of the Thieves without twenty others noticing him.

They walked back and forth through the doors, stopped for meetings at the foot of the hug statue in the center of the entryway, and even ate lunches on the floor in alcoves between doors.

The statute depicted a large man dressed in Gerudo attire and grasping at the air before him with a muscled arm and a sneer. Link consider for the umpteenth time climbing the statue and perching on the hand for the best vantage point.

None of the women seemed to look up at the daunting figure, but then, he wouldn’t be fast enough climbing down even if he could make his way up without being seen.

I’m making this harder than I need to, he thought as he surveyed instead the women in the room. If I want to find something in this maze, I should just follow someone who knows the way.

He quickly wrote off the women eating their meals or chatting, and instead ran his gaze over the busy Gerudos moving from door to door or out into the open again.

That’s a group setting out, probably to wreak more havoc in the desert. That’s a pair talking about a water fountain they’ve been assigned to clean. I don’t need the milk bar. I don’t need the bunk rooms…

Link’s gaze caught on a woman. She walked alone and carried herself with confidence—just like most of them—but her hands weren’t empty. She laughed a chest in front of her as she marched from the entry toward one of the doors.

Link grit his teeth. I need to follow her, but… An entire room full of hostile Thieves filled the distance between his hiding place and the door her path set her toward.

Link inwardly groaned as he donned his Laughing Mask once more. If they saw an intruder he’d be done for, but maybe if they were laughing hard enough they wouldn’t notice.

That would only be a last resort, though. He was going to have to time this perfectly.

Link examined the patterns. The angles all the stationary Gerudo faced.

If I can make it to the foot of the statue without being seen, there’s a general blind spot around it. A clear shot to the door just as long as the woman I’m following doesn’t notice me. Link braced himself, waited a moment while one Thief cast her gaze around the room unexpectedly.

Then a raccous bout of laughter boomed through the room, catching the attention of many of the inhabitants. Link took his chance, shooting from his hiding place and to the safety in the shadow of the statue on the opposite side of the majority of the people.

The woman he was following was almost to her door, lifting the key worn around her neck as it glowed and stone grated against stone.

He flinched as the door next to hers started to pull open as well.

If they came in from that angle, he’d be in clear sight of them. He could already see the sandals adorning tanned feet on the opposite side.

Now or never! Link charged forward as quietly as he could manage with his frantic need. The noise of the stone doors was a blessing for blocking the sound of his feet.

The Gerudo Theif in front of him flipped her red braid and blew a loose strand out of her face, and Link nearly froze with the idea that she might’ve seen him out of the corner of her eye.

But he couldn’t stop and the woman simple chortled as she slipped under the door before it had even fully opened.

Link gratefully followed her lead. Her pace slowed in the less occupied hallways. She would pause to gaze at paintings or to speak to Thieves who walked by.

There were plenty of alcoves for Link to hide in when this happened, and luckily she was still there, ambling along when he came out.

He followed her through a maze of tunnels, carefully counting each twist and turn for his inevitable return trip—he didn’t plan on stalking a Thief twice if he could help it—when she turned a corner beyond his view.

Link hurried to keep pace, then peeked carefully around the corner into an empty hall. He blinked, confused, and removed the mask that obstructed his peripheral vision, but she was still gone. “Where…-”

A hand snapped out of a shadowed alcove and the next thing Link knew he’d been spun around and pinned against the wall, he Laughing Mask clattering on the ground at his feet.

The fiery haired Gerudo woman looked him up and down with a stony face. “You think I do not notice when I am followed?”

Link snatched at her hand and broke her grip, spinning away from her as he drew his sword.

The woman still watched him, but the short sword hanging against her hip remained untouched. “You are foolish to come here. The Twinrova will destroy you.”

Link shrugged on his shield. Dying wasn’t his plan today, but he couldn’t let word of his presence get out or that might be just what happened.

“You are the Hylian Ralim told me about.”

That caught his attention and he hesitated.

The woman—really, despite her height she couldn’t have been much older than Rift would be now—smirked. “Yes. I am not a common Thief. I am Nabooru.”

She said it as if he should know what in the world she was talking about.

She examined his face and then pressed her lips together. “Ralim did not tell you of me, I see.” She flicked her hair over a shoulder and tilted her head. “I suppose that is from her wisdom. Necessity only should reveal this secret.”

“Why should Ralim have told me about you?”

“I am not a Thief. If I had finished my training, I would have become a Warrior, but then I would not have been able to accomplish all that I have.”

Not a Thief but not a Warrior. Link thought back to the last Thief hideout he’d been to and the enchantment keeping Gerudo Warriors out. Oh. “You’re a spy.”

“I do my best to inform our Captain of these traitors’ movements, and she warned me to be watching for you.”

“To help?”

“Of course, though she did not say why. Only that you would come to take of the treasures here.”

Link felt his anxiety deflate and he sheathed his sword and shield. “Is that where you’ve led me?”

“Yes. I would have let you go in alone, but…” She glanced over her shoulder, as if at a noise he couldn’t hear, then she lowered her voice, leaning closer and setting her eyes on the door at the end of the hall. “The spoils here are enchanted. The Twinrova will know the moment something from their hoard leaves that room.”

“I have what I need to face them,” he said, tapping the shield over his shoulder.

Nabooru looked dubious, but she backed away. “I hope that you are right, though I fear you are foolhardy. The Twinrova have only grown stronger in the years of Dark Beast Ganon’s rampage. I fear they gain strength from the monster somehow.”

Ralim didn’t mention anything like that. Link tightened his lips, but gave the not-Thief a confident nod anyway. He couldn’t exactly turn back, after all, and this was the last Sealing Key he knew the whereabouts of.

She nodded back and left him to his job. Link hurried to the door and found another sparkling black enchantment blocking the path. The kind that was meant to keep out Gerudo Warriors.

Link held his breath and stepped through the tingling cold. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a vast room full of dunes of gold and rupees instead of sand. His eyes popped wide.

And he thought the hideout had a lot! This was practically a desert made of riches!

Link climbed one of the dunes intent on his search for the familiar buzz of magic, though that didn’t keep him from pocketing a few extra rupees on the side; he wasn’t running low since Ruplen gave him much of what he’d needlessly saved, but it didn’t hurt to have more.

Link located the key with startling ease in the piles of treasure. It must have been something new the way it was perched atop one of the rich dunes. He climbed it and felt the triumph as he raised the key above his head.

Now I shouldn’t stay longer than I have to. If Nabooru’s wrong and I can get out without being spotted, that would be best.

When he stepped back through the magical barrier nothing happened. Link pocketed the key and crept to the doorway that led back into the hall, peeking past.

A loud grating noise broke through his concentration and he spun around.

“Heeheeheeheehee!” Something swooped through the air where a window had opened.

“Hahahahaha!” Another thing with a shrill voice swept into the room.

Link stumbled back as they glided to the center of the room and he realized what they were.

Two white haired Gerudo women, wrinkled with age, sat perched atop floating brooms laughing at him. They were the exact picture of witches. The Twinrova.

“You think you can steal from my sister and I and get away with it?” The first asked between laughs. “Who do you think the fool is, Koume?”

“I don’t know, Kotake! But he looks tiny and weak to me!”

Link drew his sword and shield in defiance and stepped into his ready stance. So much for sneaking

“We’ll show you what it means to steal from the Twinrova!” Koume said, brandishing a ball of fire.

“We’ll show you that it just isn’t done!” Kotake said with a mirroring ball of ice.

Link stared. Magic deflecting shield. I have a magic deflecting shield

“Aiiieeee!” The sisters launched the balls as one and Link jumped behind his shield.

Fire and ice smashed against the mirrored surface, then shot back toward the witches.

“Ahhhhhh!” Voice’s shout tore through his mind.

Some shield, much like that that protecting the Collector, blocked the blows before they ever even neared the witches and they cackled at it.

“He has a mirror shield! The poor whelp thinks he can actually face our power!”

“What is all this magic, Link!? Where are you?”

“Voice!?” Of course she decided to show at the most inconvenient time. She was probably gonna bite his head off for being busy, too.

“What are you fighting you fool!? Get out of there!”

That dropped his stomach down a pit, but he didn’t have time to answer because he had to deflect the next two strikes that broke easily against the twins’ shield.

“Link!! That magic is too much for you! You don’t have the power to break through that!”

“It’s the Twinrova!” He snapped as he dived out of the way of a stream of fire bursting from… one of the twins. “They caught me!”

“Get out of there!!”

Well. That wasn’t the most comforting advice. Voice had never demanded so adamantly that he run. Link was no fool.

He spun on his heel and darted from the room, to the cackling pleasure of his adversaries.

“There is no where for you to run!”

“This is our turf!”

The grating of stone on stone began again and Link’s heart pounded up into his throat when he saw the stone doors were all coming down.

“The doors are closing, Voice!”

“I can sense their magic. Give me a— aaaghh!” A pink glow sprouted around the stone and the grated to a near stop, though they continued to inch down. “I can’t hold them forever Link. Hurry!!”

Link sheathed his weapons and doubled his speed, slipping under the first door and finding himself in a fork of three different directions.

The witches were swooping out of the room behind after him.

Think! He’d memorized the path when Nabooru took him. He just had to do it in reverse now. Straight!

“Link! Hurry!”

He dashed through the door and it slammed shut just behind him. The four corridors in this room were already almost closed off.

Left! He rolled beneath those doors and heard the reverberating bang as they all slammed down as one.

“Link!”

“I’m going as fast as I can!” He snapped. He dashed toward the next door, but two windows above his head stopped him just in time to draw his shield and deflect the witches attacks.

He grunted as he skid back over the stone, but he couldn’t stop to trade blows, or try to as the case may be. He dashed forward and slid on his belly over the stone, barely getting his feet through before it slammed down with ferocious conclusion.

He scrambled to his feet and dashed to the next door, barely ducking under that as well. Was Voice really holding the whole hideout in stasis? He mentally marked down to thank her as he rolled beneath the next door and found himself in the room with the towering statue once more.

With an army of Gerudo Thieves staring at him from the exit.

Oh boy.

“Link,” Voice grunted, her pink power still enclosing the giant entry door. Now that it was all she had to focus on it was falling slower than the others.

That sparked an idea.

Link drew his sword and met the angry gazes of all the Thieves, even noting Nabooru among them though he tried not to look at her.

She couldn’t get him out of this and he certainly couldn’t fight his way, thought the Thieves charged forward seeming to expect such foolhardy behavior from him.

Link charged at them, only to sheath his sword and jump up the first layer of the statue.

He scrambled up, and the women stopped in confusion before some began to climb after him and others drew bows and began to string them.

“Voice, let the door close!” Link dashed along the outstretched arm of the Gerudo man, straight out toward the fist held in triumph pointed toward the entryway.

“What? Then you’d-”

“Do it!” He jumped. The pink light disappeared.

Link shouted as he drew his sword and swung it at one of the archers still below. She scrambled out of the way as he hit the ground with a roll, sliding under the door just before it slammed closed with a reverberating bang.

He was breathing hard, but he couldn’t stop now. He sheathed his sword and started to run. They’d open the doors any minute to get back at him. He had to get across the Sea of Sand and back into Warrior territory before they caught up.

“You made it?”

He let out a breath of relief at the words and pressed a hand against the Soul’s Voice. “Yeah. Thanks to you.” He cast a glance at her floating form keeping pace beside him and was surprised at the relief he felt that she was still there. “Thanks, Voice.”

That made the seventh Sealing Key. One more to go.

Chapter Text

He wasn’t used to things being this awkward. He sat on a crate in an alley outside of a Gerudo shop, a rolled up blanket to one side and Voice floating on the other. One knee up to rest his arm, Link kicked his leg out and let his heel smack against the wood before he did it again.

They’d been quiet for a while now. Voice was slowly gaining back some of her more vibrant pink coloring–her strength after using so much power maybe?–and she had hardly looked in his direction since they got past the Sea of Sand.

Link twisted the Sealing Key in his hand, fighting the equal parts elation and terror inside of him. One more to go. Then the Master Sword is just on the other side.

He sighed and pushed the thoughts away, tucking the key back into his pouch. There was something he needed to do first. He opened his mouth, but Voice beat him to the punch.

“Well? How much have you accomplished?”

Link pressed his lips together again and turned to look at her. At last, she met his eyes, hers hard and determined through the blurry image as they always were. Alright. Here goes nothing. “I don’t want to talk about that yet.”

Voice blinked. Her hovering form shifted a little, sinking down toward the crate. She crossed her arms. “Why not?”

“I think we need to discuss what happened in the Stone Temple first.”

The noise she made nearly sounded like a hiss. She lifted her head to look down her misty nose at him. “What is there to talk about?”

She sounded defensive. Link steadied himself and regulated his tone before speaking again. “We both said a lot of things and now that it’s blown over a little, we should try to talk about this like adults. Things will just get worse if we leave things as they are.”

“Why should we need to talk about anything? You know you need me now, so let’s just move on.”

He snapped his teeth together to keep back a hasty remark. Instead his heel slammed harder against the wood of the crate. “I’m thankful for your help back there Voice, but I want to talk.”

Maybe the stone in his tone got through to her, or maybe she didn’t see a point in arguing further. She rolled her head to the side in exasperation. “Alright. Fine. Let's talk.”

“First, I want to clarify what we argued about,” Link said slowly. “You do know where Rift is right now, don’t you?”

Voice stared at him and didn’t answer.

“And you know that he’s alright?”

“Yes. Your dearly beloved brother is just fine.” The irritation wasn’t optimal, but at least she was answering his questions. “And no. I’m still not going to tell you where he is. Are we done now?”

Why is this so difficult? Link bit down his next wave of irritation and let it out in a quiet breath. Rift wouldn’t get upset. Rift would think this through rationally. He imitated Rift. “Why do you feel it’s necessary to keep that a secret from me?”
“Why do you want to know so badly?”

“He’s my brother, Voice. I want to bring him home!”

“And you will. Just after we finish our quest. We don’t have time for that before.” The tension in her voice spoke of more and Link remembered the painful stab of his distrust all too clearly.

“You think I wouldn’t continue the quest if I knew, don’t you? Do you really trust me so little?”

“And why do you keep demanding to know if you are going to finish? Or is it that you don’t trust me when I say he’s perfectly safe?”

Link hesitated at that. Did he trust her? After all she held back from him? Did he really believe her when she said Rift was fine?

“Nothing is more important than the defeat of the Dark Beast right now. Everything else can wait. My power can only hold him back for so much longer. If we don’t stop him soon, Dark Beast Ganon will begin his rampage on Hyrule. On the helpless farms and the hapless villagers living there. Marching toward the castle and the soldiers with no chance to defeat him. To the palace and the-the king. We don’t have time to waste on family reunions.”

“I’m not going to abandon Hyrule, Voice. It’s my home. My family lives there. You really think I’d let it all go to ruin?”

“Then why is this even a question? Rift is fine. He’ll return once you defeat Dark Beast Ganon just as I’ve always told you. Are we done now?”

Link pressed his lips together. Rift would push past his irritation. Rift would be rational. But why in Hyrule does she sound hurt? “I don’t think we should stop just yet.”

“Why? What good is wasting more of our time going to do? We need to get moving. We’ve got Sealing Keys to find so we can get to the Master Sword. We don’t have time to waste on silly little conversations.”

Silly? “I have all the Sealing Keys but one.” She stilled, deathlike. “I found two more before you returned to help with the Twinrova.”

“...So much time…?” Grief. The words dripped with it.

Link’s heart knotted around itself and his stomach churned. “W-what do you do when you’re not with me, Voice? Where do you go?”

A tremor ran through her smokey form, distorting it for a moment and she nearly vanished.

“Voice. What happens when I take the Soul’s Voice off?” His hand touched the artifact by instinct and Voice’s form snapped back and she lunged at him, mist flying straight through him and making him lurch.

“Don’t take it off!” Her voice was frantic and shaky, her smoky form trembling on his other side now but staring at him. He couldn’t make out any of her features in the misty mess. “Please, Link. Don’t take it off again.”

Dread fell over him like a shadow. His hand snapped away from the artifact and into the air as though in surrender. “I won’t!”

She shuddered and covered her face.

Link tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but it went straight through the mist and she didn’t even notice. He pulled it back to himself and cleared his throat instead, looking away. Ah, what now? Guilt dragged down at him, but he didn’t know what to do. “... Does it… hurt?”

She took a deep breath and lifted her head, shaking it ever-so-slightly. “N-no. There’s no pain.”

At least there was that. Link sighed, relief slumping his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Voice. I didn’t know. Even if I did, I…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was so angry. I’m sorry.”

Her mist was still trembling, but her voice solidified despite it. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not that big a deal. Forget I said anything.” The words were so familiar they hurt. They were defensive, almost as though she expected to be hurt by him.

-
“Don’t lie to me, Link.” The words snapped out like lightning and the authority behind them made his back stiffen. “Why are you afraid?”
-

He opened his mouth, but the words felt wrong in his mouth. Demanding. He sighed. “Voice. If this bothers you so much, I think I should know. I don’t want to hurt you unintentionally and I promise I wouldn’t try to use it against you.”

He must have hit the nail on the head. Her head snapped up to look at him and the tremors stopped entirely. She looked like she was about to chew him out, but no words came. Instead she steadily deflated closer to the ground and her pink color grew more muted.

“I don’t want to hurt you anymore,” he pressed softly.

She huffed. “Nothing happens to me. I’m safe and sound hidden away from the world. I can’t see anything. I can’t feel anything. The only thing I can interact with is my magic, pouring more and more of myself into it with no idea how long I’ve been there or how long I will remain. No way to know if time has already passed all my plans by and left me in the dust.”

Link laid his hand over hers, though it just broke through the mist. “I won’t leave our kingdom to fall, even if you weren’t here. You don’t have to fear me giving up on this quest.”

She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms in front of herself, as if trying to ward off his words. “And what insurance do I have that that’s true?”

“Do you need insurance that I won’t lie to you?”

Her eyes flashed, but someone stepped into the opening of the alley and dragged Link’s attention away before she could answer.

“So you did it.” Ralim held her spear over her shoulder and her face was hard.

Link stood, gesturing for Voice to wait as he gave the captain his attention. “I made it out, too.”

“You are ready to defeat Dark Beast Ganon, then?”

Link cringed and shook his head. “The Thief who locked the temple doors still has the final key and I don’t know where she went.” How does she even know about all this already?

“My spies have not been wasting their time,” Ralim said. Oh, Nabooru. Right. “Your Thief will be waiting for you at the temple doors. I am certain.” She turned and gestured for Link to follow, but he hesitated.

Voice was still sunken partially into the ground, but she was watching him with narrowed eyes. She hadn’t butted in with questions even once in the conversation, and somehow that made him more wary than not.

“I need a minute,” he said, turning back to the Gerudo Warrior. “I’ll join you at the edge of town within the hour.”

“A minute and an hour are not the same thing, Hyrulian.” But she nodded and jogged away from the alley, giving Link a little more privacy to finish this.

He turned back to Voice and raised his eyebrows. “That was just Captain Ralim. What were we saying?”

She pressed her lips together, arms still crossed in front of her.

Link sighed and crouched down next to her. “Voice, listen. I consider you my friend. I-”

“You shouldn’t.” The words were like a slap to the face, but she didn’t stop there. “You don’t want me for a friend. No one does.”

“I do.”

“I don’t know how to be a friend,” she spat. “I only know how to get what I need from people. Don’t be a fool.”

The sting of the words wasn’t so bad this time. This time he could feel instead the hurt underlying her anger. The uncertainty and pain. “Then let me show you how.” He dusted off his knees and stood up. “Then you can decide whether or not you want to be my friend in return.”
“What, like a friendship lesson?” She scoffed.

“No. Just a chance to learn to care for and trust each other.” His stomach twisted, but he’d made up his mind. He smiled. “I’ll go first. I trust you when you say that Rift’s okay and you’ll lead me to him when this is over. I won’t ask you to tell me anymore and I’ll wait until we’ve finished our original quest to look for him.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That doesn’t make sense. Your brother is the whole reason you started this in the first place.”

“And I believe you when you say he’s fine. He is, right?”

She nodded.

He sighed and some of the tension really did drain from his shoulders. “Then saving Hyrule is more important. I can trust you on this. You haven’t led me wrong yet, even if we don’t agree on everything.” He smiled and held out a hand before remembering he couldn’t actually help her off the ground.

She mimed taking it anyway as she floated up into the air once more. She still looked confused. “You don’t want to try to bargain? To make a deal?”

“Why? You said he’d come back once we’re done here. I believe you.”

“Are you a fool?”

“Are you lying to me?”

“Of course not! But why should you believe that?”

“I’m choosing to believe you. To give you my trust. I hope you won’t break it, but I’m not doing it blindly either. You’ve shown up every time I need you and you’ve guided me and helped me through some tight spots. I think a little trust is the least I can offer in return.”

She stared at him as though he’d sprouted wings.

Link grinned. “I think Ralim’s waiting for us. Shall we go to find the last Sealing Key?”

A neutral expression hooded over her shock. She glanced down at her own hands before looking at Link again. Determination settled on her misty form anew and she gave him one firm nod. “We have a Beast to defeat.”

Chapter Text

More and more tore out of her. More power. More magic. More of her strength so she toppled to her knees.

“Princess Zelda!”

She ignored Impa’s shout and pressed her hands down against the glowing stones, the physical contact making the magic flow easier. If only she could always be touching these stones, this wouldn’t be a problem.

“Agh!” She released her tenuous grip on her magic and it whipped through the room in a wild backlash, slapping against Impa’s magical signature before it slapped back into Zelda, weak and shaky.

She dropped to her face on the stones and coughed in a breath before peeking an eye open to look at her handmaiden.

Impa was stunned, pressed against the wall for balance and her eyes glowing with a trace remnant of pink magic. She shook it off quickly, though, rushing to her princess’s side and helping Zelda to her feet. “You are using too much of yourself. You must put a stop to this, your highness.”

“It’s not enough,” she muttered. She could still feel the power in that Beast when it slammed against her wall. If it came back while her power was not filling the border, it would break through into Hyrule and there would be nothing she could do to hold it back. “I must give more.”

“You have no more to give.”

As if to concur with Impa’s statement, Zelda’s knees gave out and she found herself relying fully on the woman’s strength to keep her upright. She struggled to the ground and let herself rest on the stone rather than that position of weakness. At least Rift is not here to see. At least it is only Impa who sees me like this.

“You cannot continue on like this,” Impa said, crouching before her. “We should return to your father. Perhaps the Sheikah and our magic can-”

“You don’t have enough!” She lifted her hand and bared her mark for emphasis. “This is the task set before me and me alone! It is my duty to protect my people, no one else can!”

Impa’s face hardened, but she couldn’t argue. They both knew that Zelda had read more of the histories out of the two of them. Likely out of all the people in the palace.

“But,” Zelda cast a glance back at the handmaid’s eyes, still with the slightest sparkle of pink. “I think maybe you can help me.”

Impa deflated at that, relief painting her face. “Then let’s get you some rest and next time, I will join you in the process.”

The natural magic of the Sheikah would be an aid, but Zelda knew it wouldn’t be enough to bridge the gap. She held up a hand to stall Impa’s plan and instead cast her gaze around the Supply Chamber. She hadn’t noticed before, but the cubbies burrowed into the walls were just the perfect size for a Hylian.

Zelda carefully struggled to her feet, ending up relying on Impa’s help despite her irritation. Her handmaiden dutifully guided her where she requested and they surveyed the cubbies that had previously gone unnoticed.

Zelda ran her fingers over the symbols and ancient text, straining her taxed brain to convert and understand them.

“What are these for?”

“I believe they are here for someone just like you,” she said softly, casting her gaze around the Chamber. “Or eight someones more like, though we certainly don’t have the time to gather that number. One will have to do.”

Impa looked pale at Zelda’s explanation, but she still helped the princess to the center of the room as commanded and watched as Zelda looked over the runes closer to the wall in front of her as well.

“I hoped something like this would not be necessary,” she murmured as she ran her fingers over the symbols. “I hoped I might be fast enough.” She hated the way her voice shook. She pulled her hand back and sniffed, lifting her chin. “We should leave. We will have much work to do soon.”

Impa watched her with concern the whole way out of the Chamber, but then her face hardened when they neared Rift once more. Zelda wasn’t entirely sure what was going on between her two guards, but she could tell they certainly didn’t get along, and it was in no small part due to Impa. Though, she supposed she couldn’t blame the Sheikah for being upset with the mistaken identity of the boy.

Rift didn’t speak. He sat by the fire, stirring the stew and quickly preparing a bowl for both of them, but he didn’t ask how she felt like he would’ve before. His piercing gaze darted over her, taking in her haggard appearance, and then he looked back down as he offered the bowls.

Zelda took the stew and set herself on a fallen pillar by the fire. She didn’t have time for distractions, but she still couldn’t help the buzzing in the back of her mind that she was missing something. Every time she looked at Rift, she was just as confused and uncertain as before.

He still looked like the Hero of Courage. What was she missing??

“Rift.” He snapped to attention the way he always did when she said his name now. She twisted in her seat and she looked him over again. Those bright blue eyes. That sharp nose. That golden blond hair. She hesitated, then she gestured toward the area around him. “We will be here for a while. Are you prepared for that? Even with your family at home?”

“I will not leave you, highness.” He bowed low. Lower than he even used to. Like he needed this. This duty was food to a starving soul. It was bandages for a battered soldier. He would not return, not now. He would wash away his shame or never see home again.

Zelda squashed down the part of her that reveled in the loyalty. She needed him, but she needed him to still function autonomously as well, especially with what she was about to do. “You know your duty, then.”

Impa was pale on the other side of the fire. Zelda didn’t know how many of the runes she’d been able to make out, but no doubt it was enough. With the amount of Sheikah legends that covered such tales, she must know exactly what Zelda had in mind.

“Of course, my lady.”

Zelda opened her mouth, but a new thought popped into her mind. She blinked, and her hesitation brought curious blue eyes up to look at her before they darted away again. Zelda set the bowl to the side, heart beating fast. “You said you had a family,” she said, fighting to keep the words the same steady speed. “A father, mother, and you said… a brother.”

“Yes, your highness.” His words were pained and maybe even a little worried. As though he thought she would do something to his own family. As payback for his failure?

She shook the thoughts away with disgust and turned back to her meal. A brother?...

Rift’s natural magic was a beautiful gold. Zelda’s pink tugged at it, testing it and prodding to learn every specific detail she could. While it was more prevalent than an average Hylian’s store of magic, it was nowhere near what Zelda possessed.

Once she was certain she knew his unique signature of magic, Zelda set out. Pushing her power, what she had managed to gain in the time between her next supply session and dared to use before the next, out into the world beyond.

It resonated with some magics and pushed back against others, but that single golden ringing, like a clear note on the wind, guided her.

Her power swept across Hyrule, seeing nothing but all the life breathed into it by the goddess. Then, all at once, it was right in front of her.

A treasure of natural golden magic, almost just like Rift’s, but so much stronger. Thrumming with life and courage.

It took her breath away and the next moment Zelda found herself back in her tent, unable to focus on her magic.

Her heart pounded in her head and blocked out all else. She wasn’t a fool! She was on the right path all along! She was only distracted by a lantern so similar to the star she sought, and yet so impossibly different!

Zelda snapped to her feet, slapping the tent flap aside and stepping out.

In the same moment, power, tainted with hatred, drew close to her border. She was still attuned to her own magic, so the dissonance spread over her like a sickening sludge. “Mgh!” She covered her mouth and swallowed back her disgust.

“Your highness?” Two voices asked, moving toward her at once from opposite sides of their small encampment.

“I found him,” she gasped out past the inky darkness. “I found the Hero of Courage.”

Rift stumbled to a stop in his tracks, going pale. Impa made it all the way to her side and supported her.

“The Beast is coming toward the border once more and my magic…” She cast a forlorn look toward the Chamber, but time was running out. “My magic is not yet enough.”

“No.” Impa breathed.

“We must stop it,” Zelda said, firming her stance and pushing up to stand on her own. “Together, you and I might be able to do it.”

“But what about the real hero, your highness?” Impa’s words were perhaps not the most empathetic. Rift made a strangled noise behind them.

Zelda had no time for their squabbling now. She started toward the Chamber at once. “The hero will be informed in time. I will bring him to the sword and he will defeat the Beast, but first we must hold it back.”

Impa hesitated, just in front of the door despite the fact that they didn’t have time. “You do not know how long this will take, highness. It could be years, we may never be able to come back out.”

“What!?” Rift regained himself on the other side of the room at that. He rushed toward them. “You can’t do that, your highness! It’s my duty to protect you and-”

Zelda raised a hand that set him to stumbling in his tracks. “It is your duty to do as I say, and now I say: ‘wait.’”

Impa’s face was hard, but when Zelda met her eyes she gave her a determined nod anyway. Zelda was sorry to say she didn’t know much about the handmaid beyond how they had worked together in the past. She knew she had a husband, but that was the full of it.

Zelda touched her shoulder. “I am sorry.” They stepped into the Chamber together, but Zelda flinched when Rift started rushing toward them again.

“My orders are to protect you! I can’t leave you on your own! I can’t allow you to do something that might put you in danger!”

There was a desperation in his eyes that had not been there before. It was painful to see how this loyal soldier had fallen. Zelda sighed and shook her head, pressing out with her magic to close the giant stone doors.

Rift’s eyes shot wide when the grating of stone on stone filled the temple, but Zelda turned so she would not have to see more. Impa waited to guard the entrance, and she heard the Sheikah’s final words to the boy.

“Protect her.”

The doors came to a rumbling halt.

Zelda took a deep breath and ignored the sting in her eyes. This was it. This was what she could do. Her destiny if she could not prevent it. But at least she’d found the hero. At least it wouldn’t have to be forever if she could bring him here to save her.

How she hated the sound of that.

“Are you ready, Impa?” The Sheikah nodded.

Zelda took a deep breath, but she really didn’t have time for more preparation than that. With a bang that pounded more in her mind than in reality, dark magic snapped against her border. The room filled with painfully bright pink light. Pain sliced through her head.

Zelda shrieked.

“Highness!” Impa was at her side, but Zelda frantically waved her off to the side cubbies, crawling along the stones to her place. The handmaid obeyed.

Zelda dropped to the stones and called on all the magic around her, just before another bang tore through her skull and blinding light froze her for a moment.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pressed her hands against the stones and light shone from beneath her, crawling off the ground to shroud her–and Impa where she stood in her alcove.

“I will find him,” she whispered. To Impa? To herself. “I will not fail again.”

Her magic drained out of her faster than she expected. The coating sucked at her power from all sides, and then again the powerful dark hatred slammed against her shields and she had to give all of herself over to Hyrule’s defense.

If one princess was the price of a kingdom’s safety, then it was a life well spent. Zelda knew that. But still tears streamed down her face.

Chapter Text

“So you have come so that I may finish what I started.” The Thief had a smile in her voice. She stood in front of the locked doors to the Forest Temple, staring down her nose and down the steps at Link and Ralim. “And you even brought with you the captain of the Gerudo Warriors. What a day for my ego.”

Link glanced at Voice on the opposite side of him from Ralim and she gave him a small nod that she was ready. He sucked in a breath and looked at Ralim. Her eyes were flaming with anger, but she also gave him a nod.

“Your people have plagued our land too long,” Ralim said, stepping forward. “We end that now.”

“Even if you were able to stop the Dark Beast, the Twinrova are not so easily swayed.” The Thief cackled and walked down the steps, drawing her twin swords and pointing one toward Link. “I shall end this with a duel of honor, Hylian. I challenge you to a combat just you and I. Do you accept?”

Before Link could get a word in, Ralim scoffed. “You are a fool!” Then she hefted her spear and charged at the woman, startling both her and Link.

The Thief blocked off the first attack, stumbling back in her shock, and Ralim was already getting ready to swing again. She dove out of the way and came up panting. “You ignore the duel!?”

“A Thief is not entitled to a duel of honor when they have none.” And Ralim slashed again with the spear.

“Voice, I’m going in now,” Link muttered as he rushed to aid the captain.

“Be careful, Link,” Voice commanded, and she closed her eyes and began to glow, along with a pink mist gathering around his sword.

Link swung at the Thief with his magically enhanced sword and when she tried to deflect, the same thing as before happened. Pink sparked and his sword slashed straight through hers.

“Gah!” The woman took a blow to the side from Ralim’s spear in her distraction. She stumbled back and pressed her newly freed hand against the injury, glaring at her opponents. “You fight like children afraid to stand alone.”

“The only thing I fear is wasting more time here,” Ralim growled, snapping her spear to the side and marching forward.

The Thief blanched, clearly shocked she was not given more time to speak. Then she ground out something in her own language that Link couldn’t understand and turned to run.

“Don’t let her get away with that key!” Ralim barked.

Link chased after the Thief along with the captain. His magical sword cut through bushes and undergrowth that the Thief tried to place in their path and they slowed him little. Quickly, he overtook the captain and was only a few paces behind the Thief.

“Leave me, hero! This is not your fight!”

Link didn’t. He got close enough to swing his sword and had the Thief not rolled at the last second, he would have hit her.

Dirt and sweat coated her as she climbed back to her feet by a tree, and Link stalked toward her, steady and sure. “Your people have wreaked nothing but pain and chaos here, and if the Beast is to escape the desert that havoc will only spread.”

She stared at him with wide eyes. Then she snapped a thong around her neck and tossed a small item on the ground in front of him before turning to run again.

Link nearly gave chase, but his eye caught on the item and he stumbled to a halt, dropping to pick it off the ground even as Ralim barreled through the forest behind him.

“She escaped,” she snarled, but her anger dissipated quickly when Link showed her what he had. She didn’t try to take it, but she stared with a hard satisfaction. “At last.”

“We’re done, Voice,” Link muttered as he tilted his head away from Ralim to put the last key with the others.

The pink glow on his sword faded and Voice’s eyes drooped along with the sagging mist of her body. “Give me some time. I will be back in time to watch you draw the sword.” Then she vanished into the Soul’s Voice as well.

Ralim eyed his sword. “I thought your only magical item was your jewel.”

Link gave a nervous laugh and straightened, setting the course back toward the temple. “The magic of the jewel can affect a few different things.”

“Hm.”

They came to a stop at the stairs and Ralim didn’t move. Link took a breath and hiked up them ahead of her. The stones were weathered and cracked, moss seeping through wherever it could to thrive in the sunlight.

Link stopped in front of the big doors and took out his keys. One by one he pressed them into the slot whose shape matched what he held in hand. One. Two. Three. Four. He turned the first four, just to be sure he had them right, then he continued on. Five. Six. Seven… Eight.

The last four turned as easily as the first and he let out his breath as the doors swung open.

The Forest Temple was aptly named. Trees and bushes were growing inside the old stone building, and large openings overhead let in the sunlight and fed the plants.

Link stepped in and heard as Ralim climbed the steps behind him. This was what they’d both been waiting for. The Master Sword was in here, and with it he would defeat Dark Beast Ganon once and for all. He would save Hyrule and his family could be together again at last.

Grass crunched underfoot and the walls had caved in some places so that Link had to make his way around, but the way was strangely… quiet. There was no need to take side doors, and there were no monsters. Just the distant breeze and the quiet life of the plants.

Even still in the quiet, something about the place felt malicious. As though even the shadows would try to tear him apart if given the chance. Link avoided them as best he could, walking in the light of the sun instead.

It was a short walk to the final room, what he recognized easily at a glance as the boss room. Here the stone floor was mostly still intact, where it held an inch-deep puddle of water spread across the whole room. Two trees grew out from the walls opposite each other, branches touching and intermingling between. The walls were made of a reflective mother-of-pearl substance that distorted everything into strange shapes and shadows.

Link stepped through the door without thinking.

Ralim gasped as the way shut behind him and cut her off from him. Link’s heart jumped into his throat, but he spun back to face forward again when he heard something disturb the water.

Link drew his sword and shrugged on his shield, examining the room for what creature he would face this time.

Only this time, there was no big creature. Not in the sky where the Collector has been, or under the ground where Worril had been. There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Link inched forward.

Water splashed as he paced through the puddle, gaze darting right and left but still catching no movement but his own reflection in the walls.

The wind brushed through the leaves and they rustled, catching his gaze for just a moment. When he looked back down again, he jumped back a pace.

A man stood there, no older than himself, but drenched in shadows so that he looked as though he was nothing more but darkness made solid. His face was still apparent, as strange as that was, and Link’s tongue clove to the roof of his mouth when he recognized the figure.

It was himself.

The shadow opened its eyes, red and glowing with a malicious intent.

“Ah… Alright,” Link adjusted his grip on his sword, staring at the… thing.

The shadow tilted its head to one side, and then its fingers ran over a blade its own, twitching over the grip in a twisted reflection of his own movement.

Well, that’s pleasant. His stomach twisted, but he couldn’t help but recall one of the many games he and Rift had played in the past.

-
“A real hero can even conquer himself,” Rift said as though quoting from the book he’d read. “So, Link. Can you?”

“I don’t know what that means,” Link said, but he held up his stick sword and glared at Rift. “But I can conquer anything.”
-

Rift had laughed and they’d dueled, and even afterward when Link asked what it meant, Rift couldn’t give a definite answer, only guesses.

None of those guesses amount to anything quite so… literal. Conquer yourself, huh?

The shadow watched him but otherwise didn’t move.

Link skirted around him, moving toward one of the trees instead. Maybe if it was just like Link it didn’t want to fight anymore than he did.

The shadow seemed to skid over the water more than run and swung its blade to lop his head off. Link fell back into the water with a shout, pulling up his sword in time to deflect the next blow and then kicking out against shadowy legs and making the thing back away so he could regain his feet.

Alright, so much for that. Fight it is.

Link charged at it, but every blow he made was met with the perfect deflection, as though his shadow knew exactly what Link would do and how to counter it. Link kicked out with his foot adn the thing took a single step to the side, the slammed its body forward into him while he was off balance and knocked him into the puddle again.

When Link regained his footing, the thing was nowhere to be seen. His heart hammered in his chest from the exertion and he spun around, searching everywhere. His eyes caught on a shifting shadow in the water, moving toward him though nothing was casting it.

Link shouted and stumbled back just as the shadow version of himself coalesced out of the water and swung. Droplets flung off its blade and pelted Link the face where he’d barely backed away in time.

This isn’t working! It knows my every move!

The shadow was coming at him again and Link swung again only to be blocked by that blade of shadow. If only I could cut through it like the Thief’s.

Link scrambled backward to buy himself some space. “Voice? Voice are you there? You finished resting, because I could really use some help!”

She didn’t answer before the shadowy creature lunged at him again and Link was backpedaling and making quick progress to the wall where he would be pinned if he allowed it.

-
“Use everything to your advantage,” Papa said, thumping the root Link had just tripped over. “Your surroundings. Your smarts. Your limbs. You can make everything fight for you. You are not relegated to a sword only.”
-

Link rolled to the side, away from the wall and toward one of the trees instead. Everything? He spun to face the shadow and met its blade head on.

Strange, how familiar its style of fighting was. As though… Link anticipated a strike before it even began, blocking it with confidence and stepping in for one of his own that was also blocked immediately. As though its using my own style against me!

Three more consecutive blocks went by and they both backed up for a breath. The thing tilted its head, looking at its shadowy blade almost in confusion. As though it couldn’t imagine how Link anticipated its attacks so well. As though it didn’t even know it was a reflection.

Link adjusted his grip again and held his breath. Okay. I can do this. It was copying his style. It knew exactly how Link fought, and that would be its downfall.

They moved forward as one, but this time, Link changed things up. He knew where the shadow would strike first, he intentionally left a tempting spot open just for that purpose. He ducked out of the way of the swing, but then he slipped behind the thing and elbowed it in the spine.

It stumbled forward without a sound more than the splashing water beneath their feet, but Link wasn’t done there. How would Rift proceed? The question was perhaps more literal than it’d ever been for Link before.

He stepped into his next attack, but instead of following through he backed away as the creature swung as well. Then he copied the strategy his brother had always used to defeat him in the past. He locked his blade over the hilt of the other weapon and simply yanked it out of the shadow’s hands.

It was startled and stared at him with wide red eyes, but Link’s victory was short-lived as the previous blade melted into the water and a new one seeped out of the shadows and into the things hand.

Alright, then. No pauses.

Swing. Slash. Deflect. Dodge.

Link danced with the shadow, anticipating its familiar movements as he copied others.

Rift. Papa. Ralim. The Thieves. His amalgamation of styles kept the shadow guessing as he continued to knock its sword away and cut at the creature with the red eyes.

Until he at last stabbed his sword straight through the center of the shadow.

Everything froze. Those red eyes locked immediately on Link’s. It stared at him for a long moment of silence. Then shadow dripped off of it like water and it splashed back into the puddle from whence it came.

Link was breathing hard. He leaned against his now free sword and stared around the room, to make sure it wasn’t coming back again as it had before. Those worries faded when a crystal heart appeared from the water, rising up as a reward to his determination.

Link staggered to it and pressed his hand against it, letting the magic sink into him and rejuvenate him. Across the way, another door opened.

Soft golden sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, filling the courtyard beyond with a warm glow. Trees overhead seemed friendly after the quiet halls of the temple, and birds chirped in their branches.

Link stepped in and stared at the dais in front of him, on which sparkled the stately form of the Master Sword, stabbed into the ground and standing erect. It was surrounded with a spattering of colorful wildflowers, and the cool breeze that shifted through the grass cooled Link’s sweaty face.

I’m finally here. The realization struck hard. He walked to the dais and placed a foot on the pedestal before he remembered Voice. He pulled back, even though time felt like nothing he could waste now. “Voice? I’m here. We made it.”

For a time, she didn’t reply. Link closed his eyes and sucked in the fresh air. The cool breeze that was so rare when he was traveling the desert. He’d just have to go back there once to fight the Beast, and then this would all be over.

“Why are you just standing there?”

A smile quirked at his lips and Link rolled his eyes at her when he opened them. She was watching him with eagerness, clearly she knew where he was as though she was standing there herself.

“Go ahead and take it. What are you waiting on?”

“I was waiting for you,” he said pointedly. He stepped up the dais and turned to face the sword, and Voice who stayed down below to wait.

She watched him with a nervous tension he could easily understand. She fidgeted as she watched him and only him.

Link wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the legendary sword. Today I finish this. He braced his legs. At last, Rift will come home.

Link pulled.

Chapter Text

“Protect her.”

Rift’s body slammed into the stone door a moment after it closed. A moment. He slammed his fists against it, then he clawed at where the seam of the stone should have been, trying to pull it open again.

But there was no seam. It was flesh with all the other stone, as if it were just a wall and never had been a door.

-
“Protect her.”
-

The confidence in Impa’s voice and face. The stone hard determination.

“Argh!” Rift slammed his fists against the stone again. How was he supposed to protect her if they locked themselves in Supply Chamber? If they were never going to come out, how long was he supposed to stand here and wait?

-
“Wait.”
-

Zelda’s order had been given with the same stone hard confidence. As though there wasn’t even a doubt in her mind that he would obey.

The shock written on her face when he’d tried to stop them spoke clearly of that too. Because there wasn’t a doubt, was there? He couldn’t go home now. Not with them trapped inside that room.

Rift clenched his jaw and ran his fingers over the stone, looking for any imperfections on the surface that would give him a way in to them. A way to undo what they had done.

Nothing.

He groaned and backed away from the door, running his hands up through his hair and dropping to sit on one of those fallen stone pillars.

-
“You don’t want to go?” His little brother stared up at him, such a mixture of confusion and empathy written across his face.

“What?- no- I-“ Rift dashed at his eyes before turning around, his ears still drooping despite his efforts. “No, I want to go, Link.”
-

He had wanted to. He had been so excited, and that was why the prospect tore him apart, the feeling of duty and obligation he still felt so strong at home.

-
“I want to go. I’m really excited for the opportunity and the chance to see so much,” he said softly. He wrapped an arm over Link’s shoulder, and took some solace in his presence, even if it solidified what he’d been realizing all night.

His family needed him. More than the princess of Hyrule ever could.
-

Why hadn’t he just stayed home? Saved Zelda the mistake of taking him on and everything that had followed since.

But Link… Link had straightened under Rift’s fears and he had looked so much older than Rift had ever noticed before.

-

“You have to go,” Link said softly. “The princess needs a guard and there’s no one better than you.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry about us.” Link straightened to his full height. And in the dark light his serious expression held earnest honesty. “I’ll keep us safe until you get back.”

Rift stared at him, shocked at the assurance he felt that Link’s words were true. Link would handle things at home. Link would be fine without him.
-

Rift’s eyes stung. The absolute confidence in his brother’s words echoed back in his head again and again and again.

Link believed in him. Link expected him to succeed. He pressed his lips together and swiped at his eyes, standing up.

It had been so long since he’d felt that. He wished he could go home, but not like this. He couldn’t dare break that last trust. He didn’t dare show Link he wasn’t all his little brother imagined him to be.

When he came home, love and trust would still be his. They would still believe in him as they always had. As long as he could manage this, they would never have to know he failed.

He left the building and walked the circumference of it, looking for any other way into the Supply Chamber, but he didn’t find any.

-
“Wait.”
-

He sighed and returned to the cave, tidying up the camp and then he sat and began to sharpen his blade.

If he was to stay here for the foreseeable future, he would do his best to protect as he was bidden. None of the monsters out in the forest would get anywhere near this cave. Nothing would endanger Zelda and Impa’s mission.

He worked, in the total silence. As the wind whistled through the mouth of the cave, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had been forgotten.

3 Years Later

They found him. Lossa tried to keep some room for error in his head, but they found him.

After all these years, his boy would come home again! After all these years, he could bring Rift back to Narei safe and sound. Would Link be with him? At last! Their family could be together again at last!

“Wait here, men,” he ordered as they neared the edge of the forest. The scouts reported that the lone young man at the edge of the cave had been skittish at the sight of strangers.

The troops could tell that the mission was almost complete. They eagerly obeyed his command and were grinning and whispering to each other as Lossa dismounted and left his horse with Captain Park.

His bad leg needed stretching to behave well, so he walked through the trees with an uneven gait while it tried to get used to being used again.

Rift, where have you been? He pushed the question down as the eagerness sprouted once more, drowning out all caution. Did it matter? No more than to say whether or not his boy was okay. Was really here.

Lossa broke out of the trees and to the clear space between him and the mouth of the cave. He froze at the sight before him.

A young man indeed. Rift no longer held the young and innocent face of a fifteen-year-old. The change staggered Lossa. Rift’s muscles were toned and his clothes messily patched. His eyes were hooded and tired and he had to have gained at least a few inches from when Lossa last saw him.

Rift stared at him in disbelief for a long minute. The seconds ticked by before his boy’s eyes watered and he averted his gaze to the ground. “Papa?”

Lossa rushed forward, snatching his son in his arms and crushing him in a bear hug embrace. Rift’s breath hitched and his body stiffened, but he melted in Lossa’s arms and clutched at his shirt, silently trembling. “I’m here, Rift.”

His vision was blurred up and his eyes stung as he pressed his face into Rift’s dirty hair and squeezed them shut. “It’s been too long. Your mother’s been worried sick.”

Rift let out a wet laugh at that and Lossa smiled in success.

Still, Rift didn’t let him go. Quiet independent Rift clung to him like a lost child and Lossa pulled his eyes open, a new fear finding its way back into his head.

His gaze ran over the cave behind his boy. A simple camp, some skins hanging on the nearby trees, a fire currently roasting a meal. It looked as though Rift might have spent all of those three years camping here on his own.

But… “Where is the princess?”

Rift’s body jerked and Lossa’s heart dropped into his stomach as his boy pulled away, eyes still averted to the ground and shoulders slumped.

Tugging at the hem of his shirt, Rift tilted his body to welcome Lossa into the cave. “Sh-she’s in there.” He said almost too quiet to here. “She’s been in there for…”

Lossa lifted his gaze again, but he didn’t see any sign of anyone but his son.

Oh dear.

He dropped a hand on Rift’s shoulder and together they entered the cave.

Rift was regaining his old self back piece by piece, straightening and walking with soldier assurance that remained even when all else failed, but Lossa knew something was still wrong.

His boy still wouldn’t look at him.

“In there,” Rift gestured to the wall as though informing a superior officer. “Princess Zelda and Lady Impa entered the Supply Chamber and sealed it off while they worked to hold back Dark Beast Ganon.”

Lossa could see ancient inscriptions on the stone, but it didn’t look like a door to him. But Rift wouldn’t lie. “You’ve been guarding this since then?”

His son actually saluted rather than nodding. It made Lossa notably uncomfortable when it was his son and not a comrade. Lossa gestured to one of the few fallen pillars that now had haphazard cushions on them as though they’d long been used as chairs, and together they sat.

“Have you seen Link, Rift?”

Rift peeked up at him before averting his gaze to the fire and to the task of twisting the meat roasting over top it. “I-no, Papa. I haven’t seen anyone since…”

A pang of guilt shot through his heart. The strange barrier between them was not stronger than Lossa. He reached across it and pressed a hand on his son’s knee. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.” Whatever the king said, Lossa should’ve come sooner.

Rift stiffened at his touch, but he didn’t turn his gaze away from the meat. “I couldn’t leave anyway,” he said softly. “It’s my duty to protect them. I couldn’t cast that aside.”

Lossa’s grip tightened and he pulled closer, wrapping his arms around Rift again, though the boy stayed stiff this time. “You know I love you, no matter what, right Rift? You know that is nothing to be earned. I love you and I’m so happy you’re okay and that we found you. I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

Rift was trembling again. He didn’t look at Lossa, but he did bury his face in his father’s chest, and he began to cry.

Lossa stroked his hair and let him have it out, ignoring the tears streaking down his own face. “I love you, son. More than I could ever say. I love you.”

Chapter Text

Bright light nearly blinded him. The sword budged in its stone encasement, then it pulled forth with a ringing shiiiink. Its weight was at once unfamiliar, and yet so painfully perfect. As though Link’s hands had been waiting his whole life to hold this sword for the first time.

The golden light died down and Link stared at the shining Master Sword, reflecting the daylight with a magical sheen.

Then his gaze darted to his left hand, wrapped around the hilt, and his eyes widened. The triforce was emblazoned there, one triangle of the three still dimming from the bright glow of before.

“It really is you,” Voice breathed, still floating down at the foot of the pedestal and staring at him with relief and awe intermixed in her expression. “The Hero of Courage.”

Courage. That’s what this mark on his hand meant. That’s what his hold on the Master Sword meant. Link raised his gaze from the awe-inspiring sight and instead set it on his friend. He wasn’t really sure what to say. “It certainly feels more real now” doesn’t really cut it.

Voice stared right back at him, for once also at a loss for words. Maybe if she could see the light shining around him and the way the sun framed his mighty sword she might think he cut a heroic figure, but he couldn’t imagine what she was thinking with that stare in reality.

He lowered the sword and examined the blade before testing it with a few swings. It whistled as it passed through the air, perfectly balanced. “Wow…”

“Let me see its magic,” she whispered, floating close and holding out a hand to the sword. Link offered it freely and as her hand hovered over it, for a moment it let off a dull pink glow. Then it returned to normal. “Wow…”

“We’ve got to show Ralim,” he said, stepping quickly down the dais and toward the door behind them. As they approached, the boss room’s door opened again and Ralim straightened where she sat cross-legged on the other side.

She stood. “You are alive.” Then her gaze snapped to the sword and she let out a breath as triumph spread over her face. “You have it.”

“I have it.” Link grinned and let her examine the blade as well. “I can face the Dark Beast now.” The very words sent a plume of anxiety up through his chest, but he ignored it. If this was his destiny and this sword really could do what had to be done, he would just have to face it, just like all the other monsters he’d had to fight in the temples.

“Finally we will save my king.”

“And my brother.”

Ralim smiled, tight but real. She pressed her thumb against her forehead and Link returned the salute. “You are a worthy warrior Hyrulian.”

Link started toward the exit of the temple and Ralim followed in his wake. “Maybe you should wait to say that until I’ve-”

“Aaaaagh!!” Voice’s scream cut through anything else he was going to say. Her form flickered back and forth from visible to just a pillar of pink smoke before it solidified, nearly transparent and sinking toward the ground. She was panting.
“Voice?” Link spun and crouched in front of her. “Are you alright?”

“Link?” Ralim’s confusion didn’t even register.

“It’s at the border, Link.” She heaved and her color thickened, lifting her off the ground some. “The Dark Beast is attacking my magic!”

“How can it do that? What does that mean? What do we do?”

“If it breaks through my barrier, all of Hyrule will be in danger.” Her eyes were wild, but that was all he could make out in the shifting smoke. “You have to hurry, Link! I can’t hold it off for much longer!”

Link snapped to his feet at that, turning and sprinting through the rest of the temple. Ralim only broke through his concentration when he was already dashing down the steps and toward the forest.

“What is the matter, Hyrulian? What is going on?”

“The Beast! It’s going to break through to Hyrule if we don’t stop it now!”

She didn’t ask how he knew, but her gaze did dart suspiciously toward the Master Sword.

Link paused for just a moment to draw the Soul Sword and set it aside, replacing it with the Master sword on his back instead.

“You will leave it?”

“I don’t have time to lug it around.”

Ralim huffed and picked the sword up, slinging it over her shoulder as though it weighed nothing. Link didn’t even have the presence of mind to be embarrassed at the look she gave him. He was already rushing deeper into the woods and toward the desert.

He wouldn’t be too late. Not after all this time. It was finally time to face the Dark Beast. It was finally time to finish this.

“I cannot join you in this fight.” Ralim slowed as they neared the crest of the next dune. The Dark Beast’s roars and the flashes of magic had become almost commonplace, even though the closer they grew to the noises and the louder they got the harder Link’s heart pounded in his chest. “My weapons can do nothing but anger the thing. I will keep civilians and Warriors out of your way, and should those traitorous Twinrova show their face-” she spat, “-we will keep them out of your way as well.”

“Thanks.” Link could hardly concentrate on what she was saying. As they crested the dune, his gaze came to rest on the giant thing he was going to fight once again.

After so many temples, the size wasn’t so daunting as much as the pure power pulsing off of it like waves of magic. The thing slammed its forelegs against an invisible wall that flashed so bright pink it left an afterimage in Link’s eyes.

Voice groaned. She was already having trouble keeping up with him, but every time that monster of pure power smashed his body against her shield, she lagged and flickered for a second.

“Should you just concentrate on keeping the wall up?”

Her eyes snapped open and her form sharpened some almost out of sheer force of will. “You’re going to need my help to stop this thing. I’m not leaving until it is done.”

Stubborn as always… He wasn’t sure why he expected anything else at this point. “Just hang in there, Voice. I’ll try to get its attention away from your magic.”

She let out a relieved sigh, but that was about it before Link started his skid down the dune and toward the giant beast.

“Hey! Dark Beast Ganon! Down here!” He didn’t really expect that to work. So when the monster turned its giant head and set blazing red eyes on him, Link froze. Oh boy.

The Beast hesitated. Once more Link thought he could sense something in that stare. Something deeper and heartfelt. As though the Beast wanted to be anything but a monster. As though they weren’t supposed to fight at all. As though-

It roared and charged at him.

Link raised his sword, heart hammering in his throat, and charged back, swinging the ringing blade at one giant foreleg and rolling out of the way.

Ganon roared and stomped, the reverberations knocked Link off his feet long enough for the great monster to swipe at him with its tusks.

He shouted as pain sprouted through his chest and he flew through the air straight into one of the dunes, then he was rolling down the sand back toward the Beast whose hateful eyes were set on him again.

“Link! Are you alright?”

He ignored her and scrambled against gravity and the shifting sand to find his feet. Ganon was already charging at him. He barely managed to scramble out of the way in time to avoid being trampled, but then those giant tusks swung out again and his face smashed into the dirt.

Link groaned.

“Get up! Get up!!” Voice looked like she wanted to drag him off the ground herself, though she just hovered nearby with hands waving. “You can’t sit still, it’s going to get you!”

Her verbal urging got him to his feet. He turned to face the Beast that was already charging at him again. Does it never slow!?

Link raised the Master Sword and slashed at its leg again, this time as he ran away, he managed to avoid falling over when the thing stomped. Instead, he spun back and slashed twice more.

A roar that nearly burst his eardrums preceded a glowing orange light that first coated the things tusks, then the rest of its body, blocking off any chances Link had at getting in more strikes.

“Watch out! There’s a huge buildup of magic over there!”

Link recalled this from his dreams. He dove out of the way at just the right moment—a stream of magical light hot as fire shot past him, uncovering the Beast for normal attacks again.

Even though he’d managed to dodge, Link’s clothes were singed. He gasped at the burning pain in his side where the beam must’ve grazed, but he didn’t have time to stop now, no matter how his body groaned.

“Look! It’s the Beast!”

Link only spared a glance for the Hyrulian soldiers on the other side of the border. I can’t let them get hurt! He turned and dashed up the dune, his Sand Boots making it no more difficult that creating a hill. “Come and get me, Ganon!”

His throat was hoarse from all the yelling, but the monster still sighted in on him and roared, charging up the hill after him and away from Voice’s magic and the men behind.

Link slashed at its legs again, and the process repeated, a few hits in the thing covered itself in orange magic and he growled as even the Master Sword deflected uselessly off of it. “I can’t get in a good hit like this!”

He moved away, but instead of shooting at him first, the Beast slammed him with its glowing tusks, burning his skin beneath his tunic and snapping him into the air again.

Then it shot and he barely rolled his limp body out of the way in time. It didn’t feel like he should be able to take that much pain—he didn’t think his body could take much more.

“It’s magic is vulnerable when it’s all out in the open like that,” Voice gasped. “I can sense it now that you’ve weakened it.”

“Vulnerable to what, a bomb!?”

“Magic!”

Link scrambled across the sand, then he moved in to slice at anything he could reach again before it covered itself in the orange shield.

“If you can stab through that shield, then I can battle against its magic myself!”

Hitting the shield with the Master Sword hadn’t been doing him a whole lot of good this far, but he didn’t have any better ideas. Link grunted.

“If I get hit again-”

“We have to risk it!” Her voice was frantic. “If we don’t stop it here, I can’t hold it back anymore!”

The Beast began to glow, bright and hot.

“END IT NOW!!” Voice’s scream mixed together with the blaring of his injuries telling him he couldn’t take another hit.

Link dodged to the side with a roll, just as a massive blast of energy shot into the ground and kicked up a pile of sand two stories high.

He was gasping for air, bleeding from wounds, and staring at the most horrible monster he’d seen in all his adventures, but he didn’t have time to think on any of that.

The great boar was spinning around, and huge tusks were beginning to glow with that power again.

If Link didn’t strike it down now, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to dodge the next deadly blast, and he was certain he couldn’t survive the blow.

He charged forward, one leg giving worse beneath him for his injuries.

Already the Dark Beast was showing signs of wear, in the cuts in its legs and the few slashed he’d managed to its torso.

His fingers tightened around the hilt of the Master Sword. Don’t fail me now. That silent plea was all he had time for. The blade began to glow pink as he plunged it sizzling through the orange magic and into the Dark Beast’s side.

The boar let out a roar of pain and its charging blast let loose out into open desert. Voice’s scream seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at once. Dust, sand, and a strange purple-black smoke shot into the air all around like a sandstorm and Link stumbled back, covering his face and hissing at the sting as tiny particles dug into open wounds.

He lost his footing on his bad leg and fell to the ground. His muscles were tense, he pressed a hand in front of his face to shield it. The dust settled and Link’s tense energy drained away and he let himself plop back into the sand when he saw no sign of the scourge of the desert.

“We did it,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure if it was for Voice’s benefit or his own. She’d been strangely quiet since her demand that he take down the beast.

He twisted his head to the side and furrowed his head at the Master Sword, still faintly glowing that familiar pink color. “Did you do it, Voice?”

She didn’t answer.

Link bit down his worry and forced himself to sit up again, ignoring the screaming pain that tried to block out all other noises.

The giant boar left a crater in the sand with little rivulets rolling over the edge like streams of water. Link shimmied closer to peer over the edge.

If it’s anywhere it’ll be down there. He hoped beyond hope the battle was really over.

When he looked down past the hissing sand, he blanched. That wasn’t a heart container.

Down in the center of the crater, the body of a man lay. He was huge, though the youth in his face said he couldn’t have been much older than Link himself, maybe seventeen or eighteen. Rift’s age. His size was likely due to his clear Gerudo heritage.

A Gerudo male.

Link froze at the sight, stories and fragments all jumbled together in his mind. That shouldn’t be possible, right? And why did it fill him with such a sense of foreboding?

Beyond that, where was his heart container? Did the Gerudo take it? He certainly looked like he could use it, maybe even more than Link.

He cleared his throat and forced his muscles to move, sliding down with the rivers of sand and coming to a slow stop a few feet from the warrior.

Clearly the man was strong, with tight muscles bunched in tension anywhere skin was visible. He wore clothes that matched what Link would imagine, if he’d ever seen a male Gerudo in all his time traveling the desert. Loose fitted pants, a sash, and an open vest.

He inched closer again, but the man didn’t flinch and if Link couldn’t see his chest rising and falling with strained breaths he’d think perhaps he was dead.

-
“Defeating the Dark Beast will bring your king back?”

“That is my hope.”

“It’s mine too,” he said softly. “For bringing my brother back.”
-

Link crawled closer and poked the man. He didn’t respond and Link’s concern heightened.

“The beast is vanquished!” The strong female voice cut through the silence of the desert and more cheers approached. On the other side, they were met with the Hylian warriors’ calls of victory and horn blows to match.

Link felt his energy quickly draining, and his body still screamed at him to take care of himself, but he instead dropped to the ground near the Gerudo king and stared up at the cloudless desert sky.

This was what Voice asked of him. This was what Hyrule needed.

After all that time, his adventure was done?

Gerudo warriors appeared at the top of the crater and Link shaded his eyes from the sunlight streaming in that direction to get a look at their silhouettes.

“The Hero has succeeded!” Ralim shouted, raising her spear and turning to the crowd still cheering behind her. “King Ganondorf is saved!”

A little crispy to be saved. Link crinkled his nose at the thought, but they were both still alive, so who was he to complain? The Gerudo certainly didn’t seem to mind.

“Voice?” He murmured, black hazing the edges of his vision. “We did it, right?”

A pit in his stomach formed when he remembered the woman’s scream. He still received no answer.

Chapter Text

-
“Voice, listen. I consider you my friend.”

…

“Then let me show you how. Then you can decide whether or not you want to be my friend in return.”
-

Awareness came as darkness. Zelda knew her eyes were closed, and yet at once they were open. She stared at emptiness and void. The unreality that had housed her all these years.

Three years. The very thought of the time burned her eyes—the real ones that were closed—but she looked around instead of acknowledging that sluggish part of herself.

She had gone so long ignoring it now, the disconnect almost felt like a wall.

But something wasn’t the same as it always was. The way her body seemed more in focus than it had in years, the way it seemed to be pulling her steadily away from the darkness, that couldn’t be real, could it?

And yet, the only other sensation she could compare it to was a dream. She hadn’t had a dream since…

A low chuckle echoed through the darkness.

Her heart—the physical and real one that seemed much too close—jumped into her throat. Zelda spun in her dream-like world of darkness, but she saw nothing.

No one had ever been here before. In all these years, it had only been her. Her and a sight of Link when she sought out his shining magic and that of the Soul’s Voice. Her one connection to the real world. “H-hello?”

“What a pit of despair you have dragged me to,” the deep voice rumbled.

Zelda spun to find a pair of glowing red eyes towering over her in the inky shadows. She gasped and backpedaled through the darkness, more floating than walking.

Another chuckle followed her movement, but the eyes did not. They only watched her. “So this is your plan to stop me? It’s a shame you used up so much of your magic.”

Magic? Zelda hadn’t ever used her magic to fight in the past, but-

No more thoughts had a chance to break through. The eyes moved in a streak of red light, faster than she could even intake a breath.

A giant hand wrapped around her throat and then she was slammed down to the ground, sharp nails digging into soft skin.

“Mmm, not all gone, I see.” The hand tightened, before it tossed her into the air as though she weighed nothing.

Zelda screamed, then she came tumbling down in a pile of limbs. She pushed against the ground with her arms, but just as she was lifting herself, something hard and brutal slammed against her side and sent her rolling through the darkness.

She curled around herself and coughed, tears burning her eyes. She didn’t understand. Defeating Dark Beast Ganon was supposed to be the end. Why was she still stuck here. Why didn’t she wake-

-

Her eyes snapped open.-Up?

Cold tear tracks chilled her cheeks. Dusty air tickled down her throat with her sudden deep breath. Gritty stone caught against the skin of her fingers. Soft fabric rested over her in weighty drapes.

A dream? Zelda’s fingers twitched.

That single movement was like lightning through her bones. Her eyes shot wide and her breathing accelerated. She tried to sit up, but she was too weak to move.

That didn’t stop her mind from racing or a new set of tears from following in the wake of the old.

I’m awake!

The sob that escaped her was neither dignified or pretty, but it welcomed more of its own kind until she was a wretched mess on the floor of the Sealing Chamber.

Because that’s where she was! Awake, alive, and aware of herself in a way she hadn’t been in so long.

Aware of the way her head ached and her stores of magic were almost entirely empty. The way her limbs shook like an earthquake at the smallest attempts at movement. The way her mouth was as dry as sand and of the layer of dirt and grime that coated her even through all the magic she’d been using.

She was alive! She was herself again! At last she had completed her task. She could go home! She could return to her people in victory after all of this!

She had done it! She’d really found the Hero of Courage and-

Link.

-
“I’m choosing to believe you. To give you my trust.”
-

He’d really done it. He’d trusted her and done as she asked believing she would follow through.

She could return Link to his brother.

A small laugh broke through her sobs and Zelda managed to roll over. In the indentation in the wall, she could see Impa’s form slumped against the wall, breathing deep in sleep.

She ignored her for now, clawing through the dust toward the door.

Finally she could return to the castle, and once her magic returned she could call Link to reunite with Rift.

She would reward him with all that was his due as the true Hero of Courage and savior of Hyrule. No request would be too large for Link, and yet, she knew anything he asked for would be small.

Link didn’t think big. He never really had. But he had saved Hyrule, and that’s what really mattered.

He would be hailed a hero and she would make certain he was given his dues for that. All that he deserved for his involvement would be his.

A low chuckle that vibrated her memories echoed in the back of her head.

She would make sure of that.

Chapter Text

He had to force his eyes open as if against the heaviest stones in the desert. Ganondorf didn’t know what he was expecting upon waking up, but a pounding headache, burning muscles, and the taste of red potion on his tongue wasn’t it.

He blinked at the red cloth hanging over his bed. It drifted on the slightest breeze, shifting through an open window. Everything seemed far too quiet.

He sat up and his head panged him stronger than before. He cringed, placing a hand to his temple, and when he opened his eyes came face to face with his reflection in his brass looking glass.

He stared.

A beard, thicker than he knew he could grow, had sprouted on his chin, red and full, and his face was lined with age that hadn’t been there last he’d checked. He blinked and tilted his head from side to side, brushing his fingers through the growth on his chin as he did so. What…?

“Ganondorf!” Ralim stepped into the room, dressed not in her usual armor, but instead in a loose robe tied around the waist meant for relaxing. “You’re awake!”

Ganondorf pressed his lips into a thin line. His brain felt fuzzy and wet at once and he turned to look at her past another pang that blurred his vision and made the room spin. “What is- why-?”

“Shh,” soft hands touched his shoulders and pushed him back toward the pillows. “Your body has been through much these past three years. Let yourself rest.”

Past three years? Ganondorf furrowed his brow even further, trying to push through the fog in his mind.

Yes, he’d been having trouble adjusting to his position as king, but he thought he’d been managing well. With Ralim’s advice and Nabooru’s support, he thought he’d been balancing the task well enough.

Last he remembered… he’d been listening to the woes of a woman from deeper in the desert. She had been accosted by bandits and was requesting aid in clearing out that territory.

Then Ganondorf’s head had started pounding like a drum beat inside his skull, and a low growling seemed to shake the room, though none of his guards paid it any mind.

His vision had grown dull and he’d stood, worried, and then…

Ganondorf set a hand to his head. He’d passed out? Yes he’d been stressed recently, especially with the tensions between the desert and Hyrule that were escalating quickly, but he was just listening to some little old woman! Why should that have made him pass out?

“I don’t have time for this,” he grumbled, his voice surprisingly hoarse, as he sat up again, pushing past Ralim’s attempts to hold him down.

“Ganondorf, stop!”

He slapped her hands off of him and stood, only to be struck by another bout of sickening dizziness that would have thrown him to the ground if he didn’t rest a hand against the table on the wall.

Bottles and potions rattled and he hesitated at the sight of bandages and ointments.

“Your injuries were grave,” Ralim said softy, pulling at his arm with strong hands. “You need to lie down and give yourself the chance to rest. It has been too long a time since you were in this form.”

“This form?” Ganondorf shrugged her hands off again and looked at his disheveled—and long—hair in the mirror. Things weren’t adding up. Something wasn’t right. And it was all set off worse by the way the world felt too small. Like every single thing here was shorter than he remembered yesterday.

Ralim cleared her throat awkwardly, and then she made a distressed noise as he moved toward the curtain covering the doorway.

Ganondorf paused and looked at her, finally allowing some of his confusion to seep onto his face. “What’s going on, Ralim?” He didn’t mean for the words to sound so lost and scared, but he also didn’t mean for the few steps he took to make his stomach curl as though he might be sick.

Her face was hard and serious, but the direct question from her reigning monarch seemed to snap her out of her doubts. She straightened and snapped her heels together. “You have been missing for three years, my lord.”

The world swirled and Ganondorf didn’t know what exactly happened, but next thing he knew he was leaned against the wall, sitting on the ground staring at Ralim who still stood at attention.

“That is the story we’ve told the common populace.”

His mouth was dry and he didn’t want to ask. Didn’t want his worst fears and nightmares to be true. Despite that, he managed to force the words past a tight throat. “And the truth?”

Ralim still stared into the middle-distance, as though she were giving a battle report, despite her luxurious nightwear. “You transformed into a beast in the center of the palace, toppling many of the rooms on their occupants. The beast then went on a rampage throughout the desert and moved toward Hyrule. It has been roaming these three years, and we have been struggling to protect our land as the Hylians did the same.”

Ganondorf’s whole body was trembling. Ralim seemed to notice just before he doubled over, because his empty chamber pot appeared beneath him just in time for him to retch up whatever little red potion they’d managed to get into him, and then to continue dry heaving after that.

The Dark Beast Ganon, released on his own people for three years?

All the stories said there was time. They all implied the beast only came out when his predecessors were defeated and overcome with rage. He thought he still had the chance to change his fate.

He was trembling when he pulled back, and Ralim was holding his long hair back, though she quickly stepped away, taking the pot with her.

How could this have happened?

His grasp on reality seemed tenuous. Everything was so similar to what he knew, but at once so different. Furniture seemed small and aged from when last he saw it. Everything was placed differently, leaving it all feeling eerily similar to the home he knew, and yet distinctly different.

Even here, where a woman worked on his unruly hair as he stared at the familiar tapestries on the wall, she’d moved the family vases that once stood beneath those tapestries and replaced them with a table showing off a shimmering necklace that was clearly important to her.

The rhythmic stroking of the comb through his hair and the quiet clicking of the scissors calmed him some, but still his mind raced.

Three years. It came from nowhere and returned the same. His fist tightened over the edge of his stool and he grunted. What if it happens again? He still hadn’t learned how to stop the corruption in his veins, so why should he assume it was over now?

The pain cutting through his chest and head made him close his eyes a moment. His hair lightened as more was removed. He would need to take more red potion when he was back. Ralim said it would be ready for him.

“Lord Ganondorf?”

The familiar voice was like a lifeline in his desperate situation. His eyes snapped open and he spun to see her, ignoring the annoyed grunt of the woman behind him. “Nabooru!”

He froze.

She stood taller than before, her muscles were more toned and her hair longer. All around she looked serious… and older.

“Gan.” She stepped into the room, a slight smile pulling at her serious expression as she knelt on the ground before him and bowed her head. “It is good to see you well, my lord.”

Ganondorf waved off the woman tending his hair for the moment and he leaned forward, pulling her to her feet with him. His eyes darted over every change in her features—the tiny scar beneath her left eye that always seemed to sparkle was now accompanied by a longer line over her ear and some of her cheek. She wore her hair different from before, but he couldn’t say exactly how.

He wanted to speak. Wanted to say something. Greet her somehow. But when he opened his mouth, no words came out.

She was so different! It felt like yesterday last he’d seen her training to become a Warrior, and now here she stood before him as though life had passed through her in a few hours.

He didn’t notice his hands were trembling on her arms until Nabooru’s callouses pressed against them.

“It has been so long since I have seen your face.”

But it hadn’t. Ganondorf clenched his jaw and drew his hands back. Nabooru looked uncomfortable and uncertain. She’d never looked like that in his presence before.

“I worked diligently these years to bring you back,” she said, shame coating her voice. “But I am not a Warrior as I promised you I would be.”

Not a Warrior? After all the time that they said passed? Ganondorf’s head was still spinning and his chest still ached and he didn’t understand.

He dropped back onto his stool and pressed a hand against his forehead. “Booru, I-“ I what? He couldn’t even answer that for himself.

“Do you…?” Nabooru glanced over his shoulder, where the other woman had moved back to give them space, before she continued. “Do you remember much from your time away?”

Remember much? He let out a dry and mirthless chuckle. “I don’t remember anything. Nothing after I…” he lowered his voice. “Nothing after I disappeared.”

She stared at him. “Three years… So for you… We only just saw each other yesterday? Before I left to train?”

Ganondorf nodded.

She looked a little faint as she sank to sit on her heels, staring at his sandals. “So long ago.”

He rubbed at his face and his fingers met with his strange scratchy beard. He pulled them away fast.

“Don’t worry,” she said at last, pushing to stand and placing a hand on his shoulder. “You are back now, so there is nothing to fear.”

The mask over her expression said otherwise. Ganondorf narrowed his eyes at it. Treating him as though he were a child! That—his eyes widened—that was the issue.

“Get some rest, my lord.” She turned to leave and Ganondorf watched her go, emotions swirling inside of him.

Three years. She grew and learned while he slept. To her, was he just a child now?

“My lord, shall I begin again?”

He spun on the woman with a scowl before he realized what he was doing. The pain in his chest doubled.

The woman’s eyes popped wide.

Ganondorf sucked in a breath and pressed a hand to his chest, turning again. “Yes. Continue.”

The click of scissors and tugs on his hair couldn’t calm him now. Everything was different and the only thing that stayed the same was him. Even Nabooru was older than him now.

He closed his eyes and clenched tight to the edge of his stool. And this rage burning in his heart had never been there before. That above all else told him this was not over yet.

This was only the beginning.

Chapter Text

The porridge before him was bland, but Link didn’t notice. The mess hall was empty, save for himself and his food. Some of the soldiers had come and gone, but Link still just stared at the dark wood of the table, and the beige meal before him.

He finally lifted his spoon to take a bite, and cringed at a twinge of pain in his shoulder. It was mostly just sore now, but the tweak was like a reminder of the pain he’d been in when he first woke up in the outpost.

The soldiers took him in, apparently scaring of fGerudo Warriors as they dragged away one of their own from the site of the battle. Link doubted it, but he didn’t say anything.

The soldiers had seen him defeat Dark Beast Ganon, and they cared for him as he was healing since. They looked at him with a sort of awe he’d never seen directed his way before, and even as they became more frantic and pressed for time with the Gerudo on the border moving about again, they still paused to salute to him whenever they passed.

It was strange, but even that couldn’t distract Link from the foreboding worry growing in his chest. “Voice?” His own voice croaked some with disuse, but he waited in silence.

He could feel a tug of connection, not like the times he’d removed the Soul’s Voice. He could still feel Voice’s presence, her magic, as though she was looking right over his shoulder.

But it felt blocked. And she didn’t answer.

The door creaked and Link’s gaze snapped to the three entering soldiers, who noticed him and saluted immediately.

Almost as immediately they said in tandem, “no word of the princess’s return yet, Link.”

He slumped and they moved on to gather their own bowls of porridge. Link turned back to his and pressed a hand to his temple, leaning on his elbow.

Why hadn’t the princess and Rift returned yet? Voice said that they would when the Dark Beast was defeated, but it’d been almost a week since then and not a word.

Beyond that, where did Voice herself go? Did something go wrong? Did Link mess it up somehow?

He sucked in a breath and straightened, forcing another bite of bland porridge into his mouth. Voice told him that she would guide him to Rift when he defeated the Beast. I have to trust her. She’s not ignoring me.

He ate mechanically, but when another person entered and the page made his way directly to Link, he straightened and met the boy’s eyes. He was young, maybe a little younger than Link, and scrawny in comparison with most of the men at the outpost. Despite that, he was much taller than Link.

“The captain would like a word with you, sir.” The page even looked at him as though he’d crossed the Gerudo Desert with no water or food.

Link nodded and pushed aside his half-eaten food, following the page from the mess hall and through the fort to the captain’s quarters. He didn’t technically need a guide. The moment he’d been well enough to move around he’d spent his idle hours exploring and familiarizing himself with the outpost and every nook and cranny he could find.

The page knocked and then opened the door for Link when the captain called “enter”. Link stepped past him and entered the room on his own.

Cold and simple stone with a narrow window in the back behind the captain’s desk was the simple room. A stool sat before him, but Link stood until the captain gestured he could take the seat.

He sank into it gratefully. His wounds were mostly mended, but his energy was still not what it had been. There seemed to be a shortage on red potion near the desert, as well, so he’d had to wait for everything to heal naturally.

“How are you feeling, my boy?” The captain had a jolly face, with a bushy beard and a twinkling smile in his eye that made him look like some of the friendly farmers in Link’s hometown.

Link flexed the muscles of his sword arm—the final blow against the Beast had shot power through it that had nearly fried the muscles and left some nasty scars that were only just starting to fade a little—and smiled when only a dull ache followed the motion. “A lot better. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Don’t mention it.” The man pushed his chair back with an unceremonious creaking, and then he stood and paced to the tiny window behind him. “The gift you have given us in clearing that Beast from my window view is much greater than a little food and healing.”

Link smiled and lowered his head, not sure how to answer that.

“We have word from the castle.”

His head shot back up and he stood before he realized he was moving. “Then they’re b-?”

“The princess and her guards have not returned,” he said, turning sad eyes on Link. “I should have started with that. I’m sorry.”

Link sighed and sank back into his chair, waving away his words. He should’ve known better than to get his hopes up.

“More importantly, at the moment, the king himself has a request for you.”

Link blinked and looked at him wide-eyed. He knew the captain was going to send reports of his escapades to the king to explain where the Dark Beast went, but he never expected to hear back.

“With the Dark Beast’s disappearance, tensions between Hyrule and the Gerudo is back to the front of everyone’s minds. And they’re worse than ever.”

Link cringed. He could think of many times the Gerudo Warriors had scoffed at him as a Hyrulian, or even accused him of being a spy. Here on the other side things were similar, with many of the soldiers even thinking the Beast was some sort of Gerudo trick in an attempt to scare Hyrule away.

“The king wishes to deal with this issue once and for all, and hopefully avoid a war to do it, but there is an issue.” The captain tapped the letter on his desk and set his eyes on Link. “The Gerudo king has returned, and his people are adamant that they will allow no diplomat but the Hylian who defeated the Dark Beast to enter their sacred city.”

Link blinked.

He blinked again, then raised a hand to point at himself in disbelief. “Me?”

The captain nodded.

“But I’m not a diplomat.”

“I think, perhaps, that is their point.” The captain sank into his chair again. “They don’t trust our people, and the fact that they trust you speaks volumes. The king requests that you travel to Gerudo City and negotiate an alliance with the Gerudo, following certain terms he has outlined in his letter. If it is not done, our kingdom may devolve into war only weeks after the threat of the Dark Beast has finally been eliminated.”

Meaning all his work to save his family and kingdom would be for nothing.

Link rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I have some time to think about it, sir?”

“Of course. You are not a military officer and you have already served this kingdom more than most your age can even imagine. Take all the time you need and let your wounds mend.”

But they did need him. Link nodded his thanks and rose, leaving the room silently as he wandered through the halls back toward his room.

He did all of this to save Rift—and helping Hyrule was certainly a major goal—but now Rift was still gone and Hyrule still in danger. What if Voice came back while he was away and he couldn’t even go to find Rift even with her cooperation?

He sighed. What if she comes back and sees I’m sitting around rather than helping where I can? He smirked. She’d be horrified.

Link pushed his door open and stepped in for a little solitude, but he didn’t really need it to make his choice. He already knew the answer he would give.

Don’t worry, Voice. He let the door click closed behind him. I will keep this kingdom safe.

Chapter Text

“The diplomat has arrived in the city, Ganondorf.”

His blood burned in his veins. Ganondorf tightened his hold on the bottle in front of him and didn’t take his eyes off his own reflection, not even to glance at Ralim behind him.

“Ganondorf?”

Everything was going wrong all at once. Now that he woke up, it was just thing after thing. First he learned he’d terrorized the desert for years that he now lost, then Nabooru was acting so confusing, and now he had to meet with a Hyrulian diplomat and make some sort of peace with the neighboring nation before they were crushed in a war they couldn’t afford after the rampaging beast that haunted their desert for years.

“It will be the first man allowed in our city in some time besides you,” Ralim said, “if you could consider that young boy a man.”

Ganondorf startled at that and finally twisted in his chair to look at her. “You know him?”

Ralim’s business expression softened at that. “Yes, I know him.” She leaned down some and ruffled Ganondorf’s hair as if she were his mother and not his chief advisor and leader of his military. “We were working to save you the entire time you were gone, then out of nowhere this Hylian boy appeared and in a matter of months had what he needed to cure you. Of course I helped him as much as I could along the way.”

Ganondorf grunted. He tightened his fists on the armrests again until his knuckles went white.

This Hylian hero had solved the problems none of his own people could, and he was the one person from Hyrule who must know how Ganondorf was related to that disaster, and yet there was no indication that he’d given the information to his own people.

“What does he have to gain by keeping our secrets?” He muttered.

Ralim set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I know you’re nervous, but these negotiations are important. You’ll only be able to learn his motives by talking to him.”

You’ll only be able to learn what price he puts on your secrets.

Ganondorf clenched his jaw, but he nodded. “I’d best prepare to meet with him.”

Link paced the room he’d been given. His bags were still piled in one corner, since he’d only just arrived, and his frustration was spilling over.

“Voice? Are you still there?” His whispers must have fallen on deaf ears, because she didn’t answer. “Please, I need help.”

Still no reply.

Link groaned and sank onto a cushion on the floor, tearing his hands up into his hair before he rested his head in them.

Diplomacy was nothing he was trained for. He didn’t know if he was ready for something like this, even with the king’s list of needs resting in his pack where he left it.

“Voice, please?” His own voice cracked and he lifted his head just enough to peek through his fingers for any sign of the telltale pink. “I don’t understand. I thought it was over.”

“Sir Link?” The voice was familiar.

Link straightened and patted down his hair, just as the sheer curtain blocking off his room shifted to the side and Ralim stepped in.

“Lord Ganondorf is ready to see you now.”

Link’s jaw tightened. Diplomacy. Make sure war didn’t break out between their nations after the rampaging Dark Beast nearly destroyed them all.

He stood and gave her a firm nod, following her through the curtain and past the two Gerudo warriors who fell into step behind him from their posts by the doorway.

He kept his gaze straight ahead. In all his adventures through the desert, he’d never once been allowed legally into Gerudo Town. He didn’t know how the warrior women would take to him staring at the sights and indulging his curiosity, so he held his face in a firm business expression instead, just like he’d always seen Papa and Rift do. A soldier’s face. Or a diplomat’s.

Ganondorf sat on his throne. Both walls were lined with Gerudo warriors, more out of ceremony than anything. Nobody doubted their king’s ability to take on a single Hylian should the need arise.

He drummed his fingers over the armrest of his chair. He’d specifically requested for this Hylian, but he couldn’t remember his name. Now that he considered it, no one had referred to him as anything but “the Hylian Hero”.

Something about even just that title set him on edge. Something bubbled beneath his skin, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. He wouldn’t let it ruin his efforts for his people.

He’d already caused so much hurt, the least he could do was be the best king he was able. The very least to repay all the damage he’d caused, whether the public knew it or not.

“The diplomat Link, my lord,” Ralim said, stepping through the long curtains and bowing at the waist.

Ganondorf’s heart stopped in his chest with a painful tug, as though it were yanking at muscles and pulling him to stay just as still.

Then the Hylian boy, he was small and looked as though he could hardly have been in his teens, even if Ganondorf knew he was fifteen.

Dirty blond hair was pulled back beneath a green hat, and he was dressed in a green tunic embroidered in gold.

Those colors. That face. That sharp nose and those piercing blue eyes.

The bubbling in his veins turned to boiling and his muscles trembled. Ganondorf’s eyes popped wide as he stared at him.

The boy bowed at the waist with a fist to his chest, but then he lifted those blue eyes again.

Black crept in at the edges of Ganondorf’s vision, and he didn’t realize he’d stood until he heard his heavy chair banging to the floor behind him.

Everyone in the room flinched, but Ganondorf could only see that boy. That hero. Link.

The black on the edges of his vision intermingled with red and Ganondorf took three steps down from his dais and toward the tiny youth before he’d even realized what he was doing.

He’s here. He’s here. Right there.

Who is he?

He’s here. At last.

Ganondorf felt his lips curl into a smile as his knuckles cracked with the force of his clenched fist. “At last.”

The words boomed through the room and it was only when they hit him again that Ganondorf realized that he was the one who had spoken.

That fire in his veins pushed him further again and the Hylian hero touched the hilt of his sword, making all the warriors in the room tense.

This was it. The boy was outnumbered and unprepared. He would end it here. At last. All these centuries of waiting and he was finally here.

He’d finally fallen into Demise’s hands, and there was nothing he could do to save himself now.

“Your blood will flow red through the desert and the people will rejoice. The new reign of the Gerudo will begin and I shall lead this world into its final era.”

Nothing else mattered. All was darkness except for that hero. The boy drew his sword and Demise flinched.

The Master Sword. That hated thing that had done this to him. That had destroyed him and his plans again and again.

He roared and charged forward, raising a trident of his own.

“You shall die today!”

The first swing of his blade knocked the cursed Master Sword to the side, and Demise released his own staff to snatch the boy’s tunic and bash his weak body against the wall.

Through the fabric he could feel the hero’s racing heart. Could see the terror in those quiet eyes.

Demise grinned and pressed harder, cutting off the Hylian’s air. “Death will follow you through generations and I will kill you again and again, until you beg for it to end.”

His hateful hiss slithered through the empty air like a viper ready to strike, and Demise pulled the small Hylian back and slammed him against the wall again, this time with all his force.

A pained gasp hissed out of the boy’s lips as his head snapped back against the stone, and his breaths were irregular and frightened.

Demise lavished in the moment, feeling the power as it seeped into him wave after wave. He took the boy’s face with one hand, forcing the hero’s wide eyes to meet his own.

“Death will be painful and slow for the one who dares defy me.”

Demise’s hand slipped off the boy’s face and down to his neck, encircling it and pressing it against the wall.

The boy was kicking, clawing at his hands, with that weak Hylian strength. A runt among a servile race. Helpless.

His smile cracked his face as the little Hylian’s pulse smashed against his fingers and Demise lifted him with only his throat now.

He would watch the life bleed out of him. He’d watch every last ounce of this hero’s will to fight drain away. And then he would find Hylia, and he would crush her mortal form just as surely. With no hero to save her, how could she escape?

The kicks were weakening when Demise noticed hands clawing at him from behind. People pulling at him like pesky insects.

He would not be deterred. They could not stop him now.

The hero’s hands, tremulously clasped around his own wrist, loosened. His eyelashes fluttered.

Then white-hot pain seared across Ganondorf’s vision and he stumble back a pace.

He heard the thump of a limp body falling to the floor, but he was more concerned with steadying himself as the world came back into focus and it seemed the meeting hall was spinning around him.

Warrior’s faces on all sides stared at him in varying degrees of shock and horror, but they were blurred and doubled and Ganondorf couldn’t focus on any of them, even when some of the women caught him beneath his arms to steady him on his feet.

“Wha-?” Ganondorf’s slurred question was interrupted by the sound of hacking coughs.

He turned to look at the body on the ground. The Hylian diplomat, curled around where his hands were clutching his throat and he was coughing and gasping in air as though he’d been drowning.

Gerudo warriors surrounded him as well, and Ganondorf couldn’t tell if they were guarding him or if they were trapping him.

That green hat. That color. Those eyes. Ganondorf’s vision blurred on the edge again and he shouted, shoving away from the women supporting him and away from the Hylian on the ground. “Get him out of here!”

“But Lor-“

“GET HIM OUT!!”

His roar broke through the shock in the room and in a hustle of movement the warriors set to action. Ganondorf didn’t turn to look at the diplomat, and his vision began to clear some. Instead he climbed the steps of his dais, it felt like climbing a mountain, only to find his heavy throne toppled over.

He growled and dropped himself on the step instead. He didn’t have the strength to hold himself up, and he didn’t know what was going on.

His hands trembled as he lifted them. The hands that had tried to strangle that diplomat? That was him?

His whole body was trembling now. He hugged his arms close to his chest and tried to get them to stop.

It was the curse. Even after everything that had happened, it wasn’t done with him yet.

He shivered and curled around himself. He couldn’t let it take him again. He couldn’t do that to his people. He had to stop it. He had to fight.

He raised his gaze to the empty room around him, and his eyes landed on the discarded sword and trident to one side, and then the hair thin cracks on the wall across from him.

Those piercing blue eyes. That feeling burning in his veins. That hatred.

All for a Hylian he’d never met before.

Chapter Text

Link couldn’t breathe. Hands were grabbing at him, dragging him, but all he could do was hack for air in painful lungfuls.

His body trembled with adrenaline, but pain pounded through his head with every racing heartbeat.

The Gerudo warriors were dragging him by his arms through the halls and he didn’t know where they were taking him.

Panic seized his throat and he couldn’t get enough air. Past the bruises and the gasps he couldn’t breathe.

-
Gurgling cries for help that no one could hear. No one would know as he splashed at the water dragging him down.

He would drown. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to yell again and only swallowed a mouthful of water.
-

They stopped by a door and one of the warriors grabbed at his belt—at his adventurer’s pouch—and frantic clarity came to him.

He’d lost his sword when the Gerudo king attacked him. If they took his pouch-

He twisted his body to the side, trying to dodge their prying fingers, but the women were still holding his arms and the movement sent knives shooting through his ribs.

He lost what little air he’d gained in a gust, and the warriors still took his pouch of items.

They dragged him into a room and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor.

It wasn’t the guest room he’d been given. The floor was sandy, and uneven walls had chains attached to them.

Link lifted his body off the sand, ignoring the burning that tried to drag him back down, and he saw the large metal door just before it banged closed and clicked as its lock settled in place.

Link stared. No. His gasping breaths were still too fast. He still couldn’t breathe, but he tried to push to his feet anyway, only to topple against the stone wall next.

He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t be trapped. Not here. Not with-

-
“Your blood will flow red through the desert and the people will rejoice. The new reign of the Gerudo will begin and I shall lead this world into its final era.”
-

He could still feel his hand. He could still feel those fingers strangling the life out of him.

Link raised his shaking hands to his throat, and tried to drag in a breath that didn’t feel like drinking lava. That didn’t feel like it was giving him absolutely no air.

He couldn’t stay here to be found by that monster again. Not without weapons. Not unprepared.

His shaking knees gave out and he fell against the wall and slid to the ground.

Just breathe. He had to focus on that for now. For now that was what mattered.

-
“Link, can you hear me?” His brother’s voice broke through the panicked fog. “I need you to take a deep breath for me. Okay?”
-

Link whimpered. “Rift…”

He failed him. After all this work. After following Voice’s every command and defeating the Dark Beast, why wasn’t Rift back yet?

His eyes stung and he buried his head in his arms on his knees. He couldn’t cry. Not when he could barely even breathe. It would only make it worse.

-
“Death will be painful and slow for the one who dares defy me.”
-

This was the man he’d seen after defeating the Dark Beast. The one who had been trapped in that form for three years.

Link’s shuddering breath rocked his whole body and shot pain through his skull and ribs. But it was a breath. A real one.

Voice said that when the Dark Beast was defeated, then Rift and the princess wouldn’t have a reason to be gone any longer, but they still weren’t here.

Could it be that the Beast wasn’t truly gone?

He flinched just thinking back on those eyes so full of hate that had stared at him, shocked him enough he hadn’t had time to even get in a proper stance before the King of the Gerudo was attacking.

His fingers tightened their hold on the fabric over his knees and he found himself trembling all over.

The Dark Beast was still here, and if he wanted to find Rift…

It would mean facing that monster again.

Everything was so strange. People bustling around everywhere. Real soldiers, most older than him. All with more training.

The ambient noise of the cave was ruined. Voices echoed and slammed against Rift’s eardrums. Laughter and the clatter of metal. Chainmail and swords. Pots and pans.

The men didn’t have a problem with the idea of stopping to wait for the princess to come out of the Chamber. Didn’t seem to even question whether or not she would come back out.

They just settled down, telling raucous stories and noisy patrols. They didn’t believe Rift when he told them all the monsters in the area had long since been cleared out.

His report that they occasionally marched toward the Sealing Chamber en masse—as though looking for Zelda herself—spurred them into utmost caution that Rift couldn’t help but take as scorn for his own ability and achievements.

Papa was the most confusing of all. The emotions that released the moment he finally saw him again were some strange tangle that strangled him and tied knots around his heart.

He honestly didn’t know what he was feeling, beyond the physically painful pounding of his heart every time he heard Papa’s voice, his laugh, or saw his smile.

There was something in that smile that Rift couldn’t tell if he was really detecting, or if he was imagining it. Of course things wouldn’t be the same after three years, but the look of… mourning, in Papa’s eyes said more had changed than Rift hoped.

But of course, it wasn’t more than he expected. Of course there would be a sadness in finding his son after three years only to find he’d squandered them and failed at his most important tasks.

He couldn’t even offer that he kept Zelda safe all this time. The only real hint that she might somehow, impossibly, still be alive in the Sealing Chamber were the occasional raiding monsters, and that seemed a far-fetched hope at this point.

But she’d told him to wait. Rift couldn’t leave. Not without her. Not without knowing for certain that he had failed in this too.

He had thought he’d never have the strength to return home after this. He didn’t know if he could face his parents with such stark failure and ineptitude, but that choice too had been taken from him.

Papa was here. Papa said again and again that he loved him, no matter what. But Papa also looked at him with that calculating eye. He also carried some sort of sadness with him, and it was only doubled when he found that waiting here was his only option and he couldn’t go out in search of Link who had apparently gone missing looking for Rift.

How could he have messed up so badly?

“Rift?”

His heart catapulted into his throat. Rift forced himself to scoot to the side to give Papa room on the fallen pillar next to him. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap.

Papa sank onto the seat and let out a half-groan half-sigh. “You’ve really settled the place nice,” he said by way of small talk. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like when you were first staying here.”

Rift quirked his lips in a smile and managed a glance at Papa’s face, but keeping his gaze there was too hard, so he looked out at their surroundings instead.

One of the soldiers was preparing a meal, and five others were gathered around him, taunting and goading him until the cook threatened to poison them all.

“It’s pretty loud now,” he quirked his lips again so that Papa would know it was a joke, but he must’ve picked up on the underlying truth anyway.

He leaned forward on his knees and cast his gaze around as well. “I know this has got to be a lot for you, after all that solitude. But I think it will be good, too. No one should be alone for that long.”

Rift had visited a few towns for supplies in the years he’d spent here. He shifted in his seat, feeling as though Papa’s eyes must be running over him, judging his every choice. “What now? Will you leave to look for Link?” He couldn’t hold back the dread in his voice, but there was also something else underlying it too.

He had no idea what it was so he ignored it.

“I’m not leaving you here.” Papa’s tone was definite. He wouldn’t take arguing. But was it worry or distrust that coated those words? How could two things sound so similar now?

“But what about Link?”

Papa cringed and kicked at a small stone near his foot. “I haven’t figured that out yet. Maybe we can set up shifts to wait for the princess and Lady Impa. Take turns so you and I can go home and-“

“I can’t leave.” The adamant, almost vehement, tone startled Rift, and clearly it did Papa too by the way he jumped. Rift tucked his shoulders. “Sorry. I just… I can’t leave without…” Without knowing? Without seeing the princess.

Papa laid a hand on his shoulder, firm at once as gentle. “I know how hard this is Rift. I won’t push, but… I don’t know if staying here is good for you.”

Good for me? Rift looked down at his calloused hands and tried to parse through what Papa was saying. Am I broken? So weak I need protecting?

He didn’t know how to answer that. He didn’t know what Papa wanted him to say. He didn’t know how he was supposed to take it. Had it ever been this hard to talk with Papa in the past? That… scared him.

He was saved from having to reply by a thundering rumble.

Everyone in the cave jumped, but Rift was the first one at the marked walls at the far end. He was the first one to see the pink magic forming a crack and pushing stone doors aside.

His heart raced in his chest, knots and ties and all. He shoved against the stone before it was even fully open, pushing through pink mist and to the princess on the other side.

Princess Zelda stared at him. She was leaned against the wall, sitting down and pale. She looked exhausted.

Rift froze. He didn’t help her stand. He didn’t offer a hand. He just stared at his princess, a living ghost.

Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were a puffy red, a far cry from the calm assurance she usually carried.

She looked… younger. It was the opposite effect he’d expected three years to have on the young princess, but the self-assured leader he’d known from before the Sealing Chamber was nothing like the girl before him now.

“Rift.” She breathed his name, her voice the same as always. And she smiled. “I’m awake.”

The soldiers were gathering just beyond the doors. Rift’s hammering heart tried to distract him, but he knew the princess wouldn’t want to meet them all like this.

“We have guests, your highness.” He bowed, then he crouched at her side and offered his hands. “May I assist you?”

Pound pound. Pound pound. Pound pound.

“Yes. Thank you, Rift.” She took his offered hands and he hoisted her up, steadying her with both hands as she turned to face her men. “I cannot have them doubt my power, or-“ she let out a quiet chuckle and lifted her marked hand, that was still glowing a brilliant gold. “My wisdom.”

Chapter Text

Ralim rushed back to the meeting hall once she was certain the Gerudo warriors had the diplomat in hand. They would get him the care he needed.

She pushed through the curtains and paused. Ganondorf sat at the top of the stairs, head drooping and tight crossed arms trembling.

She hesitated in the doorway. She couldn’t wipe the sight of those hate-filled eyes from her mind, so different from the Ganondorf she knew. Almost as though he were another person. Just like the Twinrova said…

She shook her head, forcefully pushing out the thought out of it. She didn’t have time to think like that.

Instead she moved to the wall on the right, choosing to save talking to Ganondorf for last. His eyes were still hidden from view, and she wasn’t sure what she would do if it wasn’t the boy she knew who looked at her.

Ganondorf’s trident lay discarded on the floor, just on top of the diplomat’s own weapon. Ralim picked up her king’s much larger weapon and she clenched her jaw.

She was no coward. She didn’t run from things, no matter how scary.

Her knuckles whitened and she turned to face Ganondorf again. “Lord Ganondorf?”

He didn’t even move.

She walked toward him, hesitating at the foot of the stairs. “Ganondorf?”

He still hugged himself, trembling, and made no motion to say that he heard her.

Ralim mounted the steps and crouched at his side, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Gan?”

He flinched. He lifted his head and looked at her, his eyes a little glazed, but definitely not that fiery expression from earlier.

Ralim pulled back quickly, straightening. “What happened?”

Ganondorf ran a hand down his face and heaved a sigh, slumping to lean against his knees again as his gaze returned to the sword on the far side of the room. “I don’t know.”

The tone in his voice said that maybe he did, at least a little. Ralim did too, but she didn’t want to say. “You dropped this.”

Ganondorf looked back at her, clarity returning to his face quickly, and he took the big trident from her grip and sheathed it without a word.

Ralim stood and Ganondorf followed suit. “I think maybe you need some more rest. Letting you out and about this soon after… everything, was a mistake.”

“I can’t just stay in my room forever,” he growled. He started down the stairs, Ralim close behind. “If I can’t figure out how to stop this, we could be all the way back to square one.”

“And how are we supposed to find out more?” She crossed her arms as they slipped through the curtains together. “For all we know rest is what you need to overcome this.”

“I can feel it inside of me, Ralim,” he rumbled, like some kind of beast. “It isn’t going away and this-“ he flicked his wrist, “-this pain isn’t stopping either.”

“You already drank two red potions this morning.”

He grunted.

“You’re still in pain?”

He grunted again.

She pressed her lips together. “Your injuries looked fine this morning.” They passed two women walking the other way, both giving a salute before continuing on. “I want to check them again.”

Ganondorf clenched his jaw, but he didn’t argue, already moving toward his room. “What about the diplomat. Is he alive?”

“He was fine last I saw,” she replied. “The Warriors will be getting him somewhere safe to heal. We need to worry about you.”

“No. We need to worry about all of Hyrule falling upon us if they learn of that attack.”

“There’s not a lot we could do about it, short of killing the hero himself, and even then it would be highly suspicious.”

Ganondorf snapped the curtain to his room aside. “We’re not killing him. We’re already in enough trouble as it is.”

Ralim followed him in and had him sit on the bed. He began removing his tunic without prompting and she crossed her arms to wait. “Then we’re going to have to come to some sort of understanding, because you brutally attacked a diplomat here for talks of peace.”

Ganondorf hissed and she couldn’t tell if it was what she said or if it was the effort of pulling his shirt off. “I know what I did.”

“Alright, so what are we going to do?” He set the shirt to the side and Ralim leaned forward. No signs of his injuries remained. She prodded with gentle fingers, but she still saw the way he tensed at the soft gesture. “Does that hurt?”

“Yes.”

She twisted her lips and pulled away. There was no sign of injury and the healers already claimed he was completely mended. So what is this??

“I can’t… I can’t see him right now,” Ganondorf said, twisting his lips. “I don’t know what happened or why, but I do know that the Hylian hero is the one who set it off.”

His words left a stiff silence in their wake. Ralim’s investigation halted with those words. They both knew what that implied.

“I think maybe Koume and Kotake were right.”

Ralim hissed and pulled back, glaring at him. “Don’t mention them here.”

Ganondorf’s face was hard as stone as he drew his shirt over his head again. “Running from the past won’t help anything. The Twinrova knew what was coming. They were right about the Beast, about the histories, and they were right about me.”

“They tried to change you!” Ralim clenched her fists at her sides to keep them from trembling. “They tried to twist you to be their puppet.”

When his head protruded from his tunic, she could see the disgust written across his face to match hers. “But they knew.”

“What are you suggesting? That you go back there? After all the work we put in to rescue you from those witches?”

He flinched, but the only other sign of his discomfort was his hands clenched in the quilted blanket. “If it is for the greater good, how could I do less?”

Ralim straightened, drawing on all her authority as the military commander, she looked down at him. “It is foolish and it will not help anything. You are still not yourself if you think you will get anything from those deranged witches but more trouble for all of us.”

“And what do you suggest?” He snapped, finally meeting her gaze. “You know I don’t like the idea of going back there, but I like less the idea of turning into that—that thing again and maybe never turning back this time!”

“I suggest you rest, and think, and give yourself time to heal! You can’t expect yourself to get better when you’ve been pushing since the day you woke up!”

“And what if I lose control again because all I’ve done is sit and rest?”

Ralim clenched her jaw and met his gaze evenly. There was something else behind his eyes, hidden in all the defiance. “Then I will take care of it as I did today.”

Ganondorf cringed, rubbing the back of his head where she’d bashed him with the butt of her spear.

“All I need is the authority to take action on your behalf if I deem you unstable, and all of the Warriors will follow my command.”

He stiffened. The silence in his room was tense and full of something. Ralim had never known him to distrust her in the past, but perhaps she had overstepped even her bounds.

He rubbed his chest, thoughtfully, wrinkling the fabric. “You know, the last day I remember—from three years ago—I was only surrounded by so many people.”

Ralim blinked.

“Somehow, I could feel a buildup outside of myself. Some sort of magic gathering around me, and today, this new thing came from inside, not outside.”

She took a moment, puzzling through his words and putting the pieces together. He waited for her until she came to her conclusion. “You think there was a traitor in the hall that day.”

Ganondorf pressed his lips tight together, but he sighed and rubbed his chest again. “I trust you, Ralim. But your request gives me pause.”

“I request nothing. It was only a suggestion posed against your concerns.”

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Let me think on it. It is not a bad suggestion, it is only…”

Ralim slapped a fist to her chest and bowed at the waist. “I understand, Lord Ganondorf.”

He leaned back, slumping more on his bed. “I need more red potion.”

Ralim nodded and turned to go, but his voice made her hesitate.

“The diplomat, Ralim. I need you to check on him. Make sure he’s alright. And…”

“Smooth things over?” She quirked a lip. The Hylian boy had been through much, but she wasn’t sure even she could work that out.

“Do your best.”

She bowed again, then stepped through the curtains, her head a turmoil of new thoughts and concerns.

The Twinrova, Ganondorf’s failing control, a possible traitor, and war if she couldn’t make something work.

Well, where there was blood there were predators. She just had to make certain that her and her people were not the prey.

Her first indication that something was wrong was when she checked the Hero of Courage’s guest room. With the injuries he had to have sustained, there was no way he should be up and about again, but even his guards weren’t present and there was no way they’d leave him alone in their city.

Ralim left the room behind and picked up her pace. The first warrior she found in the hall, Asosa, gave her directions to where she had seen the hero being taken.

The dungeons.

Ralim’s stomach dropped into a pit and she broke into a run. What were they thinking!? We can’t go throwing foreign diplomats in the dungeon!

But the way that Ganondorf had attacked him, and his grating shout to take Link away… it wasn’t surprising they’d misread the situation.

Ralim snapped her teeth together in frustration and nearly trampled the next woman she came across.

“Captain Ralim!”

She skidded to a halt and spun on the Warrior. “Where is the diplomat?”

At the hiss the woman saluted, then she inclined her head down the hall. “They took him to the main cell. I was just going to find out what is to be done with his supplies.”

Could this be going any worse!? Ralim tried to stay calm. I can still salvage this.

“Send his supplies to me, at his cell. Immediately!” Her snap whipped the Warrior into motion. Ralim followed just behind until they split ways and the Gerudo captain found herself in front of a cell door surrounded by a gaggle of women.

“Captain Ralim!” The one shout brought them all to attention and they were all saluting her with fists to their chests. “The diplomat has been detained.”

“What are you thinking!” Ralim exploded, stomping toward the door and pushing past them. “You can’t throw a diplomat into the dungeon! That is not what Lord Ganondorf meant! Do you know what kind of trouble this could cause for the negotiations!?”

The Warriors flinched back at her tone, and wordlessly one of them offered Ralim the key just before she reached the locked door.

She took it and turned it without a second thought. I should have sent for potions for the Hylian as well as for Ganondorf. Once I get him back to his room, that will be the first order of business.

The door swung open and she froze. Iron chains hung on stone walls and trailed through the sand on the floor, but the room was empty.

Where could he have…? Her gaze caught on the floor, where a shaft of moonlight from a window high above was being obstructed by a shifting shadow.

Ralim blanched and stepped into the room, casting her gaze upwards instead.

One of the chains had been used to catch on the bars of the window so that it was a sturdy. Her entrance had the opposite effect that she was hoping. The Hylian hero stiffened at the noise, then he scrambled faster and disappeared from her sight through the window.

If he gets out of the city in this state, he could die in the desert. If he doesn’t, he’ll bring down war we cannot afford.

Ralim spun on the gaping warriors, one the same she’d sent for the hero’s supplies.

She snatched the belt out of her hands and clicked her tongue to catch their attention. “The Hylian hero is injured and in danger! We must find him and bring word to me immediately of his whereabouts. No one is to engage him and no one is to get in his way. Am I understood?”

“Yes, captain!”

Ralim clapped her hands and they all dispersed, Ralim following at a fast pace.

Don’t be a fool, Link. She threw his belt over her shoulder and bit down on her tongue as she jogged through the halls. You can’t make it alone. Don’t make things worse!

Chapter Text

Link’s feet slammed against the ground. The shock of impact jolted up through his body and stabbed through his ribs. Doubling over he gasped and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

Someone had just entered his cell. They knew he was out her.

Those thoughts spurred him into motion. He pushed up and, bent at an awkward angle to favor his aching chest, he hurried through the pale darkness.

He had to stop again at the end of the alley, leaning against the wall and looking both ways into the courtyard beyond. How many of the Warriors would already know he was a fugitive? What had even happened?

First he was here as a diplomat to bring a much desired peace, then he was being attacked and thrown in jail.

Link chewed his lip and cast his gaze toward the palace, then toward the city’s gates. Could he really leave if that man really was the Dark Beast? Could he get back into the city afterward if he had to? If Hyrule relied on the king of the Gerudo’s defeat, could Link risk running away now?

But could he risk facing him in the shape he was in? He clenched his had against the stones into a fist and looked down at himself, battered and completely unarmed. They took his items, his rupees… they even had the Master Sword.

His gaze snapped to some movement. A Gerudo Warrior was staring at him from where she’d just exited a door. She turned and retreated back into the building.

No time to waste. Link forced himself into motion again, half-limping through the quiet dark courtyard of the castle and keeping to the shadows.

He met a new obstacle when he neared the gate. Two Warriors stood on guard, standing firm and straight with spears planted in the stones at their feet.

He could try to make his way past, but if they knew who he was they could easily overpower him in his state. He needed to find a way around.

He slipped back into the darkness and moved along the wall instead, noting whenever he saw another woman standing sentry atop in the moonlight.

“He went that way,” a woman whisper shouted in the courtyard.

Link’s heart froze and he threw his body against the wall in its shadow. There was only one person they could be talking about.

“Keep looking, but do not engage.” Ralim. Link couldn’t help the relief that bubbles over at her voice. He shoved it down and shook his head. She’d been there when her king attacked him—she’d led him into that trap and allowed her Warriors to steal him away to the dungeon.

Link kept himself pressed in the shadows and continued along the wall. He had to get back to the garrison on the border. He could report the king’s hostility there, and if he must he could procure weapons for a return.

He didn’t want to come back. The freezing winds of the desert night were only rivaled by the scorching heat of the day, but if he truly did have to defeat Lord Ganondorf before the princess and Rift could return…

He’d come this far. He couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t leave Hyrule in danger of invasion, either.

He hesitated. A pile of crates outside an exterior door of the palace almost reached to the roof. The walls weren’t fortified to keep people in, but out.

Link climbed the short tower and examined the distance from the roof to the wall. Even in his condition, he thought he could make it.

He sucked in as good a breath as his chest would allow, then he dashed and jumped over the divide, landing with a stumble on top of the wall.

He cringed and doubled over himself, hand pressed to his injuries, but he couldn’t wait here. He needed to keep moving no matter how it hurt.

He limped toward the other side—once he was in the city proper, sneaking would be much easier without Warriors around every corner. Once he was in the desert, he’d be impossible to find.

“Link.” He nearly jumped out of his skin at Ralim’s voice coming from below. “Come down before you injure yourself.”

His muscles felt stiff, but not from the night chill. He hesitated. He’d trusted Ralim and they’d helped each other through his adventure. Could she really have turned against him so easily? Just because her king returned?

“There has been a misunderstanding, Hyrulian. Come down and let us speak.”

“Misunderstanding?” Link furrowed his brow and inched back to her side of the wall. No archers or other Warriors in sight, so he stayed. “Your king tried to kill me.”

“And I stopped him.” It was true. He’d barely been conscious, but he did remember her raising her spear against her ruler. “He is not yet himself.”

“Not himself?” That seemed like a bit of and understatement. “I guess that’s all the more reason for me to get out of here.”

“He did not mean to harm you.”

“He sounded like he intended a lot more harm than he managed.” Link rubbed at his neck, heart fluttering at the big man’s gruesome words.

“Ganondorf is struggling, Link,” she said, her voice softening. “Do not condemn both our nations for his ailments.”

Both nations. Link pressed his lips together. Ralim wanted war just as little as any Hylian, but the real question was what that Gerudo king wanted, because he certainly sounded hungry for blood.

“Come and gather your things at the least.” Ralim shifted, adjusting his belt on her shoulder and bringing his attention to it. “You will not last long without supplies.”

It was a tempting offer… “Supplies your Warriors stole from me.”

“A misunderstanding, as I said.” Ralim cringed, but she held the belt up toward him, though there was no way he could reach it without killing his ribs. “They were only doing what they thought was ordered, but they were wrong. Lord Ganondorf regrets his outburst and begs pardon.”

“Where’s the Master Sword.”

“On the floor where it was left,” she said slowly. “We did not dare touch it.”

Some legends said the sword would punish those who wielded it without the hero’s spirit. Link crouched down, still out of reach above her but closer now. “What promise do I have for safety if I return? Your king clearly cares little for diplomatic immunity.”

“Lord Ganondorf is still recovering from his experience. He meant no harm and I give my honor that none will come to you here.”

Her honor. Link stiffened. “Even if your king commands it?”

She stared at him hard. “He would not.”

“Even if he does? You would still guard me then?”

“My honor is not fickle and it does not bend to commands made from madness.”

Madness? What in Hyrule was he getting himself into?

Link sighed and let his feet down over the side of the wall. “I trust you, Ralim.” And Hyrule can’t afford war any more than your people can.

“I will not dishonor that boon.” She held out his belt again. “I will have red potion brought to your quarters once we return.”

“I want the Master Sword first.” He felt vulnerable without a weapon of his own.

“The throne room is empty, we may stop there first.” Ralim watched as he dropped to the ground, then handed him his belt once he’d recovered from the impact. “For now, it is best to avoid King Ganondorf.”

Link snorted, but he found himself following her through the dark courtyard despite the warnings in his head.

They couldn’t afford war and if there was any chance this was all some huge mistake, he couldn’t risk it. Ralim had always been forthright with him before, and she had already protected him against her own king. He would be on guard, but of everyone here, at least he knew he could trust the captain.

Chapter Text

Captain Lossa was not exactly as Zelda had imagined him. His smile was big and bright, his eyes twinkling with a merry light, and he laughed loud enough for five men. After all the time she’d spent with Rift and Link, she’d imagined the man quiet and reserved like his sons, not boisterous and friendly and confident.

He welcomed her loudly and introduced her to his band of rookies that found and saved her and Zelda took care to treat each of them with the respect she would a decorated veteran. They were the ones who found her, after all, and her trip back to the castle would be impossibly easy because of it.

She watched him across the camp as Rift shadowed her, somehow demanding she finish her whole bowl of stew without uttering a single word. His presence was like a lifeline. Something familiar and safe, though she never thought it would mean anything of the sort to her.

He followed her wherever she went, as though loathe to leave her side even for a moment, and he quietly tended to even the most mundane tasks that needed cared for. It was a blessing, since Impa still hadn’t woken.

Zelda pressed her lips together and forced another bite of the stew into her mouth. After three years without eating a single crumb, she expected it to taste heavenly, but she couldn’t taste it at all. How could she have woken if Impa was still unconscious and nothing could rouse her?

Why, even after she’d given herself time to rest, was her magic still so low. Why did that bond with Link still feel so impossibly far away? Of course, after siphoning all of her magic, all of her being, into fighting Dark Beast Ganon for three years, it was expected for her to have some side-effects. She just wished they would be gone so she could carry on to what came next.

She could hardly sleep. Every noise in this real and physical world set her heart racing and she couldn’t keep her focus for the first few hours when Rift helped her out of the Sealing Chamber.

Captain Lossa laughed again and Zelda blinked out of her daze to find she was still staring at the man as he clapped a hand on one of his soldier’s shoulders. “Just keep at it, you’ll get it sooner or later!” His voice bounded through the cave and Zelda cast her gaze around.

The other soldiers were all more at ease when Captain Lossa was laughing or talking. They all looked to be enjoying themselves on this break, even if she’d commanded that they break camp today. They worked with a spring in their step that she’d hardly seen in soldiers, and she wasn’t certain whether or not that was a good thing. She wasn’t a military person.

“Your father is not what I expected,” she said softly–more just because she could than anything. Rift hardly spoke to her now, and she cringed to think of the reasoning behind that. Cringed to think of what she said to him in comparison to what Link had said to her. Sometimes she wondered if Rift would have been more like Link, spunky and headstrong, if he didn’t know who she was either. It was too late for that, though.

“How so, your highness?”

It hurt the distance between them, though Zelda knew it shouldn’t. She never cared before. She supposed it was just another side-effect of her time in the Sealing Chamber. “He is just different than I imagined.” She dismissed the discussion, and noted as Lossa turned to look their way.

Every glance he sent at them, his face sobered and a look of somber worry overtook it. It was quickly replaced with a smile and nod if he ever saw either of them looking, but the father could not hide his concern.

Zelda didn’t know what the concern was for, but she couldn’t help but notice it. It put her on edge. As did every time the captain tried to get his son to take a break only for Rift to find some excuse or another to avoid his father and stay glued to his princess’s side.

A part of her felt a petty triumph at his choice. The other part was just confused. This was the father that Rift had talked about so often and so lovingly. So why now was he so distant with him too? Was it just the time, or had something happened that he had not told her of?

“We are ready to depart, your highness,” a soldier reported.

Zelda sighed and set her half-finished stew down, ignoring Rift’s looming presence, and nodded. “Then we go. We must return to the castle and tell my father what has been done.”

The guard glanced at his companions in some confusion, but Zelda didn’t clarify, rising and moving toward the horse prepared for her with Rift at her side.

The journey back was short and uneventful. Monsters didn’t dare attack such a big band, and Zelda was too busy staring at nature and the world to think too much on anything else.

The only notable feature were her nightmares. Each night they camped and she rested in her tent, only to find herself back in the Sealing Chamber in her dreams. And every time, she wasn’t alone.

The return to the castle came with much fanfare. The people cheered for them, soldiers saluted them, and flowers were thrown into their path.

Zelda wasn’t used to the noise and it made her already aching head worse, but she smiled for the sentiment and waved to her loyal subjects.

When she entered the throne room, tired and sore from travel, and head pulsing from noise and lack of sleep, her father descended from his throne immediately to wrap her in a strong and warm embrace.

He smelled like home and Zelda melted into his arms. The physical contact like a lifeline to her haunted mind. She was here. She was not still in the Sealing Chamber, she was here.

Too soon he released her and pushed her out to arms’ length to look her over. “You look exhausted, my daughter.”

Zelda forced a weak smile. “The travels have been long, and my mission difficult to complete.”

“But you did it.” His hands tightened on her shoulders. “The Dark Beast is no more and the Hero of Courage is in the desert now negotiating peace with the Gerudo king.”

Link is in the desert? Panic splashed over her. With Ganondorf!? She pulled away from her father, eyes shooting wide. “Surely there will be no peace! Surely the time has come to end this deception forever!”

The king’s expression dropped and he looked tired as he lowered his hands back to his sides. Tired and disappointed. “Zelda…”

“No!” She spun around and clutched at her head, hardly noticing Rift kneeling to the side. “No, the Gerudo are dangerous! We have to strike them from our border before they do something even worse!”

“Child, you worry over much.”

Child. Zelda snapped her teeth together. I’ve read the histories, studied what is to come, and bear the Triforce of Wisdom, and yet still you call me child.

He doesn’t trust you. The thought startled her, as though a strike from behind. He will never do what must be done to take care of your people.

Zelda froze and looked around, but no one was there to utter the words. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

“Zelda,” the king said. “You are tired. Get some rest. Your journey has wearied you, but you will see more clearly with the new dawn.”

It was a dismissal and she could not argue. Zelda curtseyed to her king and she and Rift exited the throne room and made for her own.

Impa was already with the physicians and they said they could not say how long until she woke, though she was still alive and well. Zelda wished she had her loyal handmaid with her now.

She stopped at her door and glanced at Rift. He was stiff and at attention—definitely not one to speak his mind to her as Impa had. He was loyal, and safe, and perhaps irreparably broken in his relationship with her. She sighed. “I will get rest as my father suggests.”

He saluted.

Zelda stepped into her room and closed the door behind her, for the first since waking up feeling useless and alone.

After all this time, Father still wouldn’t listen to her. After all her autonomy, she was back to the castle where he would try to stunt her plans and doom their kingdom.

After all that fighting, Link had left the Gerudo king alive.

She clenched her jaw as she changed and then slipped beneath the covers of her giant plush bed. It accepted her like an old friend, and she found that in at least one regard her father was right. She was tired.

“So you have chosen to return.” The deep voice, raspy and cold, had a smile to it. “I feel your frustration, child.”

Zelda’s heart was racing. Back in the blackness. Back alone, with just her magic, weak as it was.

The red eyes in the dark shifted toward her. “It’s such a shame to be right when no one will listen to you.” A deep and guttural chuckle. “Such a shame for all this wisdom to go to waste.”

Zelda screamed as the eyes darted closer and she was lifted off the ground by a hand big enough to cup around her neck.

“You are right, but you will suffer the lot of the fool until the day I march on this kingdom and take Hyrule for my own. Then I shall laugh at your useless endeavors and…” the voice grew quieter. “Perhaps I will not kill you right off. Perhaps I will lock you in the dark, alone, with the knowledge that you could have stopped this all along, but your wisdom was not heeded.”

Zelda clawed at the hand as the red eyes laughed and at last she was dropped gasping to the ground.

“You will die, then. Slowly, and painfully, by my hand. Just as the cycle demands.”

Her eyes shot wide. She looked up and burning hatred sparked inside her. She knew then. Rubbing her neck, she let her weak magic pull her back some and lift her up. “I know who you are, and you will never win.”

“Oh?” The voice laughed.

“I will destroy you and your people, Ganondorf, and I will protect Hyrule.”

The laughter echoed around her, as though it was more than just him here. “You will certainly try, princess.”

Chapter Text

“Negotiations have been running smoothly, but,” Ralim gave him a pointed look. “There is a single set back.”

Ganondorf sighed and pressed his face into his hand. “I can’t risk it. I don’t know what came over me when I saw him, but it isn’t safe.”

“The Hero of Courage will not trust us until he has met with you in a more favorable manner,” even just that title sent shivers down his spine, “and if the hero does not trust us, Hyrule will not.”

Ganondorf took a green potion and downed it. He’d originally taken one for what seemed a dip in his magic during recovery, but found the potion to have a much more favorable side-effect. The burning hatred that steadily seemed to rise within him was stemmed by the potion. Somehow all the red and green potions he could find couldn’t take away the pain of injuries that were no longer there, though, or the steady drain on his magic that his physicians could not explain.

“It has been a week, my lord,” Ralim pushed. “You are ruler of the Gerudo. If you cannot meet with the diplomat, Hyrule will grow suspicious.”

“And if I kill him?” Ganondorf slapped the empty bottle onto his bedside table and set his glare on her. She’d come to him just before bed demanding he set up a meeting with the boy tomorrow. So soon to see those blue eyes again. That green tunic.

Gandondorf shivered and shoved his mind off that track. “I can’t risk it Ralim. We can’t risk it. If war should break out after all these years of struggle and with the Thieves still hiding in their holes…”

“We can’t risk not meeting him, either.”

Sands, but she had a point. Ganondorf ran a hand up through his hair–let down for the night–and huffed. “What if-”
“We’ll send you with plenty of green potion,” the captain cut in. “I would not suggest this if we had not found a way to curb this insanity.”

“And if it doesn’t work? If I turn against him?”

“I will protect him.”

“Against your king?”

“You have made clear what you intend, and I know what is good for my people.” She crossed her arms. “He is a diplomat and a hero. Even should the whole desert turn against him I would see him safely to his own lands.”

Ganondorf sighed. It was the best answer he could’ve hoped for, and certainly the woman he most expected to give it. Maybe this decision would be easier if he felt as though he could trust anyone. If he felt as though he had any handle on even trusting himself.

But Ralim had never changed, and even with these three years that passed, all he heard of her still sounded the honorable captain he remembered.

… And if he was going to search for the answers he needed, the Gerudo would need a leader…

“I have rested a time,” he said softly, “but this curse does not fade.”

“A week is no large number in the greater view of time.” She knew what he was insinuating and she was still against it.

Ganondorf slapped his hands on his knees and rose from the bed he’d only just turned back the coverlet on. “Very well. You’ve been patient and I’ve been too cautious.”

She blinked in surprise and watched him as he moved to the desk and began to scribble out a decree on the pages. “My lord?”

“I will meet with the Hylian tomorrow as you ask, and should things go wrong it will not be you against the desert.” He set the pen to the side and felt worry clench around his chest. But then, he should have named an heir the day his parents died and he inherited the title of lord, even if Ralim stewarded the land in his name.

“I trust no one more than you.” Not even Nabooru. Not right now. He didn’t know who was avoiding the other, but he knew they both needed some space. She was different than he remembered, and though marriage had been on his mind for the majority of their courtship… now he didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what she was thinking.

He sucked in a breath and raised the paper, blowing softly on the ink before offering it to his second. “Should you find me to be beyond my ability to rule, this will grant you the authority to take charge in my stead by my command. I will have it witnessed tomorrow, before my dinner with the hero.”

Ralim’s eyes blew wide. She looked concerned. “Gan, I-”

“I know you were not pushing for it, but I have not forgotten the suggestion you originally made.” He crossed his arms and took it back when she was done, setting it carefully to the side. “You are right. I don’t know how much of a hold the Twinrova still have on me, and this… this sickness in my veins only makes it the more irresponsible that I have waited this long. You are steward and will act as such in my place, even if I am still alive.”

“This is not something to do lightly, my lord.”

“I have not.”

Ralim pressed her lips together and nodded, pressing a thumb to her chin in a more domesticated salute.

“Tomorrow, I want you there when I meet with the hero.” He moved back to his bed and dropped onto the side. “You have managed to put him at ease here and I think it will help. Both of us.”

“I will have more green potion prepared at your seat.”

“Put it in my flask–I do not want the diplomat thinking I am any weaker than he already does.”

“I do not think weakness was the lasting impression, my lord.” Yet she saluted anyway.

Ganondorf rubbed at his aching chest–would this be his reality for the rest of his life?–and waved her off. “I will deal with the rest tomorrow.”

She eyed where his injuries once were, frustration in her expression. Then she saluted and made her way out.

Ganondorf slipped beneath the coverlet and turned his back to the door. His heart hammered in his chest just at the idea of the meeting, but… he would just have to remain seated the whole time. If he could concentrate on keeping his chair, perhaps he would not lose himself.

-
“There is destiny in your line, young lord of the Gerudo, whether you accept it or not. You cannot run from it, and you will not want to when we are done.”
-

He pressed his hand into the sheet and scowled at the wall across from him. This would get better, but even if it didn’t, he knew where to go for answers.

Link’s fingers crumpled in the unexpected scroll. His heart pounded in his temples and he stared. Meet with the King of the Gerudo? why??

He lowered himself onto one of the cushions around his low table and ran a hand through his hair. He was actually thinking he might make it the rest of the way through these negotiations without having to speak with Lord Ganondorf again–if what happened last time could even be considered “speaking”–but it seemed the Gerudo king was determined to make this job as hard as possible.

-
“Death will follow you through generations and I will kill you again and again, until you beg for it to end.”
-

“Gah,” he dropped the scroll and pressed a hand against his head. Ralim came with this as though it were good news, but Link considered it anything but. At least she would be there, even if only as the only guard the king was bringing. Or maybe the only witness.

“Voice?” He whispered, as he’d started doing every night. He could still feel that power, some sort of connection still tied between them, but just like every other night, she still didn’t respond. He hoped she was alright, and he wished she would show up sooner rather than later to give him advice.

She nitpicked everything he did on his adventures, but when it finally came to a time he didn’t know how to do what he was doing, she disappeared. He tried to push back the memory of the scream he’d heard. She was alright. She had to be.

He turned to his bag, still packed in the corner, and sighed. He should probably start getting ready for a diplomatic dinner–with a side of possible battle. If the lord of the Gerudo tried to kill him again, he wouldn’t find him such an easy target.

Finding a way out of the city without getting caught would be the real issue.

Chapter Text

Link stepped through the curtain feeling his nerves racing through him and anything but hungry. He was dreadfully aware of the knife tucked beneath his belt and hidden by the extra shawl of green fabric he’d been given for the fancy occasion. Dreadfully aware of what it would mean if he was seen carrying the weapon into a diplomatic meeting with the king he was supposed to be winning over to peace.

But it wouldn’t do to be unprepared, even if Ralim stepped into the room just before him, wearing exotic Gerudo finery and looking anything but the sand-coated captain he’d met in the desert.

Link blinked in surprise at the smallness of the meeting room. The throne room he’d first encountered the Gerudo King in was massive and ostentatious. This room was still large compared to his own home, but the table was on the floor and covered in simple candles and food. The huge open window on the right wall had curtains blowing in the chill desert breeze and a balcony that could be stepped onto–or jumped off of should the need arise.

The Gerudo male, a muscled man with a trimmed mane of red hair and a thick beard, sat like a mountain on the opposite side of the table from Link. He was already at ease on his cushion on the floor, and Link could see no sign of his trident anywhere–not that the man seemed to need it much last time they met–but that was a good sign.

Ralim saluted her king, then she took her place at the side of the table without a word.

Those fiery orange eyes landed on Link instead. They sparked with something Link didn’t recognize, and for a second he felt he was standing back in that throne room again, staring down death in the most terrifying way possible.

Link physically forced his hand back to his side when it tried to touch his throat. Instead, he bowed–not low enough to take his eyes off the king–and clenched his fists. “King Ganondorf.”

He seemed startled to hear Link’s voice. Or perhaps he was startled out of whatever daze he’d entered. The king raised his flask and unceremoniously downed half of it before wiping his lips and narrowing his eyes at Link. “Hero of Courage.”

The voice was different. Not the grating hatred filled shouts from before, but Link was still cautious as he lowered himself onto the mat opposite the huge man. He didn’t get comfortable, but sat so that he could jump to his feet at a moment’s notice. He watched the man.

King Ganondorf watched him back. Then, with what seemed a physical effort by his cringe, the king tore his gaze away and clenched a fist far too tight around his fork. “I must… give a formal apology for your treatment at our last meeting. It was…” he seemed to be trying to put words together, and his hand clenching the fork trembled with his might. “It was a mistake.”

A mistake? What kind of an excuse is that? Link watched him closely. Watched as he lowered the fork carefully next to his plate and dropped it, the metal bent by his grip. His heart thundered in his head at the way the man had been able to do much the same to him with his bare hands. Shattering bones and squeezing the life out of him. Without the red potion the Gerudo had given him, would he even be able to sit comfortably here today?

“There is much that you do not know of,” the king continued. “But you have done me a great service nonetheless. I would… I would see you rewarded.”

Link shivered. The words from him sounded more like a threat than anything. The Dark Beast must be defeated for Rift to return… Is that who this is? Is this man, even without the powerful form, the true essence of Dark Beast Ganon?

The man watched him, then averted his gaze to his flask and drank again. When he set the cup down, he seemed a little more steady, his hand no longer shaking.

Link didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to say. His worries clouded him mind, and he’d never been trained for this sort of thing. What was the king even alluding to? The knife in his belt pressed against his skin, as though vying for his attention and demanding action.

I have to bring Rift back. I have to find a way. Those thoughts rattled through his mind with the others as he raised his gaze to look at the reigning monarch of the Gerudo and the one who appeared when Link thought he finished off the Dark Beast Ganon.

His fingers closed around the hilt of his hidden dagger, but then he paused.

Ganondorf looked to Captain Ralim, a look of pained pleading entering those burning orange eyes. For a moment, he didn’t look like an enemy or even like a king. For a moment, the only Gerudo male looked like a lost boy, desperately seeking the correct course of action. Desperately looking for help, a line. Anything.

For a moment, he looked as though he needed help and Link’s grip tightened. For a moment, that gaze looked like the ones Rift had given him and his parents the night before he left home for the last time.

“Link, Lord Ganondorf is willing to make reparations for what happened in the throne room, along with payments for your help in the desert. In return, he only asks that you keep these events with discretion.”

It was one of the most elegant things he’d heard from the Gerudo Warrior. And– wait. Link blinked. Was that a bribe? He turned his confused and honestly surprised gaze on the captain, but movement at the other end of the table caught his attention first.

Ganondorf moved to rise while Link’s head was turned.

Link shouted and shot to his feet, drawing his dagger and bearing it on the two combatants.

Ganondorf had only been adjusting.

Link met their wide eyes with his own, but he couldn’t bring his trembling arm to drop the dagger. Especially not now that they’d seen it.

“Boy, drop the weapon,” the captain hissed, darting a glance at her king.

Link couldn’t even look at her.

Fire burned in Ganondorf’s eyes as he pressed his hands against the table, making the wood creak with the force of his grip, and he glared at Link.

“I… will not be bribed.” Link forced out. He had no intention of selling their information. He never had, or else he already would’ve done so long ago. But he was here under orders of the king and he could not in good conscience accept gifts to hold back from his duty.

“Put the knife down,” Ralim said, more slowly this time. “You do not know with what you play.”

Ganondorf was still staring at him. Had he even blinked? And he said nothing.

Link didn’t have to fill the silence. His hand still trembled, but he met those eyes levelly. I will not be threatened, either.

The king’s trembling hands tightened again and his muscles bunched. He rose to his knees, and froze again. Still staring at Link.

Ralim snapped her gaze away from Link to look at her king. “My lord, he will not attack. I do not believe it of him.”

Link snapped his teeth together and didn’t argue that. He wanted this to devolve into a fight less than anyone. But he’d already accidentally revealed his one advantage and he had to know what the king would do. He would not lower his weapon just so he could be pummelled again. Just so the king of the Gerudo could kill him without difficulty. “What do you plan?” He demanded. “I will return to my rooms.”

“Link,” Ralim hissed, reaching out to touch one of the king’s trembling fists. “Lower your weapon.”

But he didn’t have a chance to comply. The king of the Gerudo stood. “You try my patience, Hylian.” The voice was deep and haughty, not like the halting speech he’d heard from the man before. Ralim recoiled at it. “It is as though you wish to die sooner rather than later.”

Link glared. “I will return to my rooms and fulfill my duty as diplomat.”

“Oh, it is too late for that, boy.” Ganondorf paid no mind to the knife as he stepped around the table and grinned at Link. “Your violence calls to me so beautifully, how could one be expected to resist?”

“My lord!” Ralim was on her feet and between them in an instant. “The diplomat is weary. Let him take his leave.”

Link felt a strange pang of regret in that Ralim’s back was turned toward him and not to her king. She would stand against her own king to protect him, just as he’d made her promise. He looked to his knife.

What am I doing? He shook himself and clenched his teeth. He never should’ve brought the knife out in the first place, but once they’d known he should’ve tried to salvage the situation. Not kept it in plain sight and practically threatened an enemy monarch.

Still, the shaking knife didn’t lower.

“You fear me,” Ganondorf hissed. “You always have, and I have made sure of it. You always will.”

More incoherent babble. Perhaps Ralim was right that the king was sick. He backed toward the curtain. He didn’t want to make Ralim fight on his part. If he could extract himself from the situation, perhaps she could get her king in hand. Perhaps it would calm hot blood.

“Gan,” Ralim whispered, and the king flinched at the title, pulling back from her before he straightened again. “Listen to me.”

Then the king sneered and swung at her, but she caught the blow by his wrist. “You are a traitor!” He shouted. “You would choose the Hylian over your own divine king!”

Too late Link halted his retreat. He could not leave Ralim to face this thing on her own. He dropped into a ready stance and approached. It was a shame he only had a little knife and not the Master Sword.

Ralim released her king’s wrist and backed away, noting Link behind her and not going too far. “I am no traitor, and you have made certain of that. Guards!”

Link jolted at the sudden shout, and then the room was filled with Gerudo Warriors and he was surrounded again. He didn’t know who to point his blade at and who to trust. Had Ralim played him this whole time? What did she mean?

“Escort the diplomat to his rooms,” she said. “And take King Ganondorf’s to his under guard.” Her business expression faltered and her eyes grew glassy as she looked at her snarling king. “I hereby state that he is unfit to rule.”

Chapter Text

A traitor in the palace. One with magic, which must mean it is a Thief we deal with. Ralim scowled at the dinner that had been thoroughly made a mess of during the debacle with Gan and Link. I would keep him safe to heal, but with Thieves in the palace, is he even safe here?

She knew what the alternative was, what Ganondorf would suggest, and she shuddered to think it. She would not send the child back into that. Never.

-
The boy’s clothes were dirty and tattered, his skin bruised and cut, his face stained with tears. “Ralim!” He surged out of the shadows, hope in his eyes as he lunged at her.

Ralim startled, catching the boy—her king—as the other Warriors watched the halls.

Ganondorf pressed his head into her should and wept. “Take me home, Ralim! Take me to Vaiba and Vobo.”

Ralim’s throat constricted beyond her horror and indignation. She could say nothing past it, but her grip on the boy tightened.

“Please, I’ll be good. Take me home.”
-

Ralim’s determination hardened. If he was not safe here, she would make it safe here. She would do anything to save that boy the pain again.

Her hand tightened on the spear, but a different issue presented itself ahead of that. Hyrule would have no peace if Ganondorf couldn’t even dine their diplomat—this time it could be blamed partially on Link and his inability to keep his cool, but Ganondorf was still out of control.

The green potion helped. Even she could see the way his muscles relaxed and the rage in his eyes ebbed away when he drank some, but somehow seeing Link made things worse. Seeing the Hero of Courage made things worse.

She cringed. Is it even possible to undo one’s destiny? She swatted the thought away with a flick of her hand, and she examined the seating area.

Only her, Ganondorf, and Link had been present, and she felt no buildup of magic as Ganondorf had mentioned from the day he transformed. Perhaps this thing really was coming from inside of him this time.

If only it had never been set in motion in the first place. If only the Twinrova had let the child be. If only his real Vaiba were still around and Ralim wasn’t hurled into the position of trying to find and understand what the boy needed.

She loved him like her own, but every piece of her wondered when she ever earned the qualifications for such a position.

Ralim sighed and ran her hand over her hair, stepping out of the room so the women she had held back could at last set to their duties and tidy up.

The traitor had not shown herself yet, but Ralim would find her. She would have to consult Nabooru while the girl was still here to find her opinion.

Ralim stalked through the halls to the guest rooms, grateful when she saw the guards posted at the diplomat’s door. She had made certain to phrase her command clearly, yet she still worried a repeat of last time might occur.

After the long days of negotiating and finding suitable terms for both parties, why did this one hurdle stand in the way of peace? Why did they demand the hero for the negotiations?

She knew why. Link was the only Hylian she truly trusted with the job, and with all the traditions surrounding the city, the only one she felt confident the Gerudo would allow in, even if reluctantly.

She hesitated by the curtain, before she raised her voice. “May I enter, diplomat?”

There was a scuffling scramble on the other side, then Link’s voice came through. “Yeah, come in.”

Ralim pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the chamber to find Link still dressed in his finery, with his sword in easy reach where he sat on a floor cushion, looking as though he’d been lounging for hours.

If only her sharp eyes didn’t see the way his fingers twitched. The tense wind of his muscles, or the darting of his eyes toward his ornate bed. Something hidden, perhaps? It did not matter to her. More than most, she trusted Link. Even in such a short time she’d come to see in him a guileless good.

“Negotiations were a disaster,” she said bluntly. “Why did you draw a knife on our king?”

Link let his head droop, but he clenched his hands into fists. He didn’t say anything, looking for all like the young boy she’d first met in the desert, cornered and afraid his words would betray him.

Ralim sighed and dropped to the ground, crossing her legs. She ignored the cushions and instead chose to sit directly in front of the young boy. How much he reminded her of Ganondorf when he was the Hylian’s age. “You are scared.”

Link flinched and raised a defiant gaze, narrowing his eyes. “Should I not be?”

Ralim took that with a nod. “Personally, it is wise. Diplomatically, it is a leisure you cannot afford.”

He twisted his lips to one side, but he didn’t counter her statement.

“My king wants peace. I assure you of that. More than anyone, he wants it.”

Link shifted where he sat, still looking unconvinced.

Ralim sighed. Until Ganondorf proved that himself to the hero, he would never believe a word of it from Ralim. She shifted tactics. “Very well. You will not believe it until you see it. I understand this.”

“I don’t mean to be difficult, but-”

“My king has taken his own actions. As I say, I understand this. Now hear me instead.” Ralim straightened and waited for him to do the same before she continued. “You may distrust the king as much as you like as long as you do so without impeding these negotiations. So find precautions to take. Make yourself more at ease. But when the discussions come, do not use them unless it is necessary.”

He flushed. “I’m sorry about the knife, Ralim.”

She nodded, accepting the apology, and stood. “Maybe next time you will believe me when I tell you that you will meet no harm here. Prepare as you must, but do not let war destroy our nations. Not when we are so close to peace.”

He looked a little more confident this time when he nodded, so Ralim left him to his plans. The boy wouldn’t be a danger to Ganondorf unless the king made himself a threat first. Of that she was certain.

Which only meant there was one more person she must speak to if she was to ensure these negotiations continued as they must.

Her walk down the halls prepared her for what was to come. She thought over her reasoning and pushed down her guilt as she passed her own rooms and moved toward her king’s. He gave me this power for this very reason. I am no traitor. It is for his good.

She still hesitated longer than she would admit before his doorway, ignoring the guards and thinking over the rage in his eyes as he’d looked at her when she made her declaration.

She sucked in a deep breath. “Ralim, your majesty.”

“Enter.”

She pushed past the curtain and through his entry room to find him standing on the balcony adjoined to his bedroom. She stepped out into the brisk night air with him and stood a few paces behind.

For a time, neither of them spoke. Ganondorf had his gaze pointed up toward the stars and she couldn’t help but remember how long it had been before he was willing venture out onto any balconies again after his kidnapping.

She shook herself and snapped her heels together. “The diplomat is settled well and is willing to continue talks.”

Ganondorf sighed and lowered his gaze to the city instead. “And what good are talks when I can do nothing but seethe when I see him?”

Ralim stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm, because this was the voice of a boy and not of the king. “You just need more rest. Things will continue to get better as they have been.”

“They don’t feel as though they’ve been getting better,” he whispered. “It feels as though I’ve reached the limit of the change, and it’s not enough.”

“Time will tell.”

“We don’t have time.”

Ralim furrowed her brow and stepped next to him, looking over the railing as well. “Link hasn’t mentioned any constraint on his stay here. You have only just recovered. Why is there a rush?”

Ganondorf grunted and pressed his hands against the stone. “Even that name boils my blood, and he’s not even here!”

Can one even undo their destiny? Ralim shook her head. “I know of the doubts running through your head, my king, but you must stand strong.” She gestured with her chin to the quiet lights of the city. “They need peace. They need time to rebuild and recover. They need the chance for us to focus on the threats in our own land without having to worry about Hylian invasion.”

“And your answer is to sit and wait for it?”

“The answer is already here. We must just learn to utilize it.”

Ganondorf blew out a slow breath, and seemed to take her words entirely wrong. “Yes. The answer is already here. Or at least, we already know where to look for it.”

“That is not what I meant and you know it.”

“Does it matter what you meant?” He turned toward her and she could see the anguish in his expression. “Does it matter what you say at all if I hurt that Hylian again? If I turn my power against him, will any of it matter?”

Her stomach churned.

-
The boy clutched his stuffed toy close—though he was old enough not to need one by now—and muffled his cries in the beans and seeds of his little coyote.
-

“You are not going back there.” The stone in her voice surprised her, but she did not take it back.

Ganondorf turned surprised eyes on her. “I am your king. You cannot-”

“My duty is to protect you. To care for you.” Fire was burning up from her stomach and through all her veins. “You will not go back there.”

“Ralim. Your sentiment blinds you. We need answers.”

-
“Vaiba!”
-

“No.” Her knuckles were white with her grip on the balustrade. She felt lightheaded with anger as she turned toward him again. “No.”

He was growing frustrated with her. To her shame, she could not make herself see her king here. “The Twinrova are our last hope to stop this.”

“They have no desire to stop it. They will make it worse.”

Her boy stepped away from the balcony with a huff and began to pace. “Even just some of the knowledge they’ve accumulated will be of aid. I know it.”

“They’ve planted that seed in your head, Gan. Don’t you see?” She turned imploring hands on him. “This is exactly what they wanted when they stole you away. They want you to go crawling back to them for help. They want you to put yourself in their power. Well I will not have it.”

Ganondorf was pacing faster now, running his hands through his hair. “This is my choice, Ralim. You do not get to make it for me.”

Fire burned in all her veins. “I will not have it.”

He turned to her, confusion and anger battling for precedence in his face, but he could not hide from her what he did from others. He could not hide the fear masked by the others. “I am your king.”

A decision like this, with these sorts of connections, should never be made out of fear. Ralim snapped her heels together and stood tall. “You are. And until I find that you are in your right mind, my king has given authority to me to overrule him.” Horror and betrayal flashed through his eyes, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. “You will not leave your rooms until I deem you stable.”

She turned to walk out of his room, but he shouted after her. “That’s not why I gave you that power and you know it!”

Ralim flinched at the thought. At the pain in his voice. But if that small pain was to spare him from greater injury, wouldn’t she be amiss not to allow it?

She never had a child of her own. She dedicated her life to her duty as a Warrior. She pushed the curtain open and ignored Ganondorf’s other angry shouts after her as she solidly gave the order to his guards that he was not permitted to leave under the authority of the edict he signed that morning.

Ralim’s stomach was a boiling mass of guilt and determination as she marched down the hall away from his room.

She would not let him throw his life, and their people with it, away to his fears. She would not let him be hurt again.

She would not let the Twinrova have him.

Chapter Text

Rift stifled a yawn and forced himself to straighten his parade rest. He wasn’t sure when last he’d slept, but Zelda needed protection and without Impa here, he couldn’t bring himself to leave his duty.

Being back in the castle, back standing in front of the princess’s door, was like returning to an old life he barely remembered, but like a dream he knew intimately. Nothing in the castle seemed to have changed in their three year absence. Which meant the changes were in Rift himself.

The door opened forcefully and Rift jerked. Gliding like nobility incarnate, Zelda stepped into the hall, her eyes aflame with purpose. She didn’t even glance at him as she started down the hall and Rift hurried to match her pace.

She didn’t speak to any of the nobles who greeted her on the path, and her fiery gaze scared off the others, so the walk to a large set of doors with guards on either side was mostly uneventful.

Rift had only been near these doors a couple times, each of which had ended with Zelda in a bad temper and her and Impa rushing off to scheme in the privacy of her room. It was here the princess came to request things of her father.

Zelda finally turned to look at him and for a moment the fiery purpose faded from her eyes and she just looked confused. “What are you doing here?” Rift blinked, uncertain how to respond, but she kept going, looking him over as though seeing him for the first time. “You look like you haven’t slept or bathed in years.”

Rift’s face flushed and he knew he must be scarlet, but he maintained his attention stance no matter how he wanted to duck away.

“I can’t be seen with you like this,” she said at last. “Go and take your break. I’ll find a guard to replace you soon enough. In the mean time, my father’s guards will do just as well.”

Rift’s gaze snapped to the men just next to them, clearly in hearing distance, and his mortification was complete. He gave her a salute and averted his eyes. “Yes, your highness.”

But how could he leave her? Somehow, despite his agreement, his feet wouldn’t move.

“Soldier,” her tone actually grew angry—had he ever heard her angry before?—“I will not allow such insubordination in those who follow me. Go and take rest. That is an order.”

Rift hated the way he wanted to argue almost as much as the way he saluted again and tore himself away to walk down the halls. Alone.

He heard the big doors open and close behind the princess, but he didn’t dare look back to see what the king’s guards thought of him. He didn’t dare look back for fear that the single glance would make him turn and disobey a direct order.

She’s safe now. She’s back in the palace, so why do I still feel like this? He marched toward the soldier barrack and his own room. Why do I feel as though she’s not safe at all?

He stopped dead in the doorway of the main room of the barrack. Not now. He hid a cringe as he turned away, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Rift.” Papa’s voice carried well through the space so he couldn’t even claim not to have heard. It carried with it a peace, locked up behind the bars of disappointment. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Rift turned on rigid legs and couldn’t meet his father’s gaze. If even Zelda mentioned it, he must look a disgrace right now. At least he’d hoped to get a nap in before seeing anyone.

“Come on, son.” Papa approached and placed an arm over Rift’s shoulders, guiding him toward his own room.  “We need to talk.”

Those words were like ice down his spine, but what could he do but follow Papa’s guidance into his room and wait with his head down as the older man closed the door.

“Sit down,” Papa said softly, gesturing to the bed as he took his own seat on the simple cot. “You look ready to fall over.”

Rift complied, and couldn’t deny despite his tension that his legs felt like they groaned in relief.

“You’ve hardly taken rest since we returned. Surely the princess does not intend to work you as her only bodyguard for long?”

“She sent me back with the plan to repla-” his voice caught on the word and he switched directions. “To send for someone else while I rest.”

Papa let out a sigh, deflating some against the wall. Disappointment and consternation at war for his expression.

Rift looked away. He didn’t want to see that. He fiddled with a loose string on the knee of his pants and tried to force down his own anxiety.

“I think you should quit.” His body jerked as though Papa hit him. Rift turned wide eyes on him, and Papa stared straight back without wavering. “I think you’ve done your due diligence and it is time the princess find others to fill your place. Look at you, Rift! She’s working you to the bone, even after all you’ve already been through! This job isn’t good for you. It’s eating away at you. You seem just a ghost of the boy I once knew.”

The boy I once knew. A tightness constricted his chest, making it hard to breathe. Rift accidentally yanked the string free. Instead he fisted it in one hand and set his gaze firmly on the floor. “I can’t just leave, Papa. This is my duty.”

“You’ve done your duty where the princess is concerned,” Papa pressed. “But what about yourself? You’re withering away.”

Rift sucked in a silent breath through his teeth and tried to steady his racing heart, pounding against the confines that seemed to press ever closer. “I can’t leave. I have to protect her.”

“But she’s in the palace now, she’s finished her mission and she’s safe. What more could she possibly need that she couldn’t hire someone else for?”

Replace him? After all of this? Leave because he wasn’t strong enough to do what he promised? He told the princess he would follow her, he promised. He couldn’t just abandon her now, especially with Impa still ailing from whatever happened in the Sealing Chamber.

“All you need do is alert them of your coming resignation and then we could go home. I would find Link and you could finally rest.”

Home. The word softened some of the pressure. Mama’s soft smile and Papa’s mirthful laugh. Link’s imagination and Rift’s books about adventures and heroes.

A darkness fell over the thought. Rift would never be a hero now. If he went home, he’d never be anything more than a failure and a liar to top it off. A traitor. He told Zelda he would follow her, and like chains those words bound him to her. He couldn’t leave.

Rift stood, running a hand through his hair and still avoiding looking at Papa. “I should probably go clean up some.”

“Rift…” Papa’s voice sounded pleading. He really wanted Rift out of the way that badly? Was he really that embarrassed by what his son turned out to be?

Rift sighed. “Papa. I can’t go home. Not while I still have a duty to the princess. You should go look for Link.” Link won’t fail the family.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

That solid confidence. The basic assurance. Rift hesitated at the door, because even if he was an embarrassment and a failure, and even if Papa wanted him away from the castle because he wasn’t strong enough… deep down Rift would always know that Papa loved him in spite of it.

It almost made his failure to live up to his expectations, to make himself worthy of that love, worse.

His head dropped as he placed a hand over the handle. “Don’t abandon Link for me. I don’t want that. I just… I have work I have to do.” He stepped from the room and let the door close behind him, too scared to look at his father’s face and see the pity he was sure was written across it.

He pressed both his hands against his eyes and stood there in silence a moment—he was so tired—then he started down the hall with a new goal in mind.

He cleaned up easily, and it was the nicest feeling to be fresh and clean after all those years bathing in a stream except on special occasions.

When he came to a stop by a new door, his hair wet and floppy, he took a deep breath before knocking. A maid let him in and quietly recounted the handmaidens condition to him when she recognized him, then she left him on his own as she went to get more supplies.

The room was dimly lit by a few candles, it smelled of herbs and incense, but even the Sheikah doctors couldn’t say what was wrong with her. She just wouldn’t wake up.

Rift took the chair by the bed that the maid must have been occupying before and he looked at the Sheikah woman.

Impa’s short hair was splayed out on the pillow beneath her. Her eyes were still closed, as though in sleep, and her face didn’t look pale. She just looked like she was resting. But she wouldn’t wake up.

Rift twined his fingers together and leaned his elbows on his knees. He was not fond of Impa, but Zelda was. The handmaiden seemed the closest thing the princess had to a friend or companion. That became especially clear to him after they found the Master Sword had not chosen him after all.

The Sheikah hated him for some reason, and had always seemed to mistrust him. There was no love lost between them, but they were connected in one simple matter. They both shared a duty to Zelda.

The princess needed her companion. She needed someone she could trust. Rift adjusted on his chair and turned his gaze to one of the flickering candles on the bedside table. “Whatever this is, you have to fight through it. The princess needs you.” More than she’ll ever need me.

Would he be able to leave once Impa awoke? Perhaps. Perhaps he’d finally be able to set his duty aside and follow Papa back home, but… would that be running away? Would that be leaving his duty in failure and retreating like a coward?

“You need to wake up.” He said quietly, closing his eyes. Those were the only words he could really spare for the woman he didn’t really like, but it felt necessary that someone say something. Zelda hadn’t come to visit the handmaiden yet, and it felt… wrong.

She was distracted, yes, but Rift thought she would’ve made time. Maybe she still would.

A thrum of familiarity struck him, like a mist of pink, as though he were sitting in the entryway of the Sealing Chamber hoping beyond hope that someday the walls would open once more.

His eyes snapped open and he stood, almost knocking the ladder back chair he’d taken over in the process. He caught it to steady its noisy rattling, then he moved out the door without a second thought.

The room was suddenly too dark. The walls closing in and oppressive. He hurried out through the palace walls and into the garden where he could finally breathe easy of the fresh air.

He needed to rest as he had been ordered. He needed to forget about those years and move forward with his life. He needed to do whatever it took to get back beside Princess Zelda.

Chapter Text

Link wrapped the scarf over his face and hair, hoping that in the night this might give him at least some anonymity.

Take what precautions I must to feel safe? He took a deep breath and glanced back toward the room’s exit, where he could see the faint shadow of his guards barely outlined on the cloth. I want peace too. He clenched his treacherous hands so they wouldn’t shake so much. I have to make this work somehow.

Link moved quietly to the window, his bag slung over a shoulder. He’d keep what weapons he could feasibly carry on himself with him at all times. Anything left in the room would be things he could guiltlessly leave behind.

He squeezed through the narrow opening and carefully lowered himself to drop to the balcony a floor below. At least the Gerudo palace was mostly wide and not tall. It wasn’t hard to climb the rest of the way down to ground level in the shadows.

Here in the center of the Gerudo lands, he felt ill-at-ease, largely because he knew he was surrounded by possible hostiles with no way out should things go wrong.

Having weapons of his own was one thing when he was forced to meet with that king, but having a way to get out without leaving anything behind would be even more important.

He pulled the scarf up higher over his nose. He felt obvious even still, but at least his light skin and hair were somewhat covered. His height and build already marked him an oddity, but his hair and skin would blaze in the darkness and call all attention to him wherever he went here.

He adjusted his bag and hurried through the shadows near the palace. He’d already walked these roads once, escaping their prison the week before, so he knew he could get by unnoticed, especially if they weren’t specifically looking for him this time.

He just needed to find the best and clearest path, drop off his belongings where he—and no one else—would find them, and then return to his room before the guards noticed he was missing. He didn’t know what would happen if a foreign diplomat snuck out without his guards. He was already barely allowed into the city as it was.

He hesitated at a section of the palace he recognized. The fancy balconies matched what he’d seen when he’d dined with the Gerudo king.

Link shrunk further into the shadows, wanting to be seen by that man least of all. He scanned the area, and as if in confirmation of his suspicions, he noticed more guards around this section than the others.

Well, this route is definitely not one I’ll choose. He turned to slip back through the shadows and find a new path, but movement above made him hesitate.

He peered into the distance. Chest tightening around his heart, Link leaned against the wall. The Gerudo King stood on his balcony, staring out at the shadows of the city and backlit by the lights from his room.

It won’t be over until the Dark Beast is defeated…

Link gripped the hilt of his sword and shoved down the thoughts. He couldn’t go around attacking foreign kings, especially not when he was sent as a diplomat of peace. Besides. Last time they met, King Ganondorf only became aggravated after Link drew his silly little dagger.

Link pressed against the walls, but couldn’t take his eyes off the figure above. From this distance, without those hate-filled eyes locked on him, he thought he could see something he’d seen before. It was a ridiculous feeling, really, but one that told him they weren’t meant to be fighting.

The king moved.

Link flinched as the big man looked both ways, nearly directly at Link’s hiding spot, then spun around and began to lower himself over the edge of the balcony.

He was… climbing down?

Panic raced into Link’s throat and he scrambled back a few steps to bump into the wall. He saw me? Did he see me!?

He nearly drew the Master Sword, but he caught himself in time. Glints of light would definitely give his position away. There were plenty of guards, if King Ganondorf had noticed him he would have just called some of them to deal with the issue—not climb dangerously off his third story balcony to deal with it himself.

At least, Link hoped that was the case. Forcefully, he released his grip on his sword and pressed his hand against the wall instead, watching as the king made his not-so-graceful decent down the balcony.

He got stuck for a full two minutes at one point, reaching for a foothold that was barely out of the way and keeping himself up with his arms alone.

The guards weren’t expecting their king to try to leave—or else they were totally used to it—because they didn’t even glance behind them as he climbed down.

He was dressed not in the finery Link had seen him in the first two times, but in simple trousers, a vest, some armor pieces, and a scarf wrapped around his head, as though trying to hide his massive bulk and manly build with that one commodity.

Link’s cheeks tingled and he fingered his own scarf. Maybe it was stupid to come out here with it as his only disguise.

The king made it to ground level and Link hung around to watch, perhaps out of some mislead curiosity, but he just couldn’t imagine why the man hadn’t taken the stairs.

King Ganondorf took stock of his surroundings once he reached the ground, then he slipped into the shadows, clearly trying to avoid his guards.

Link furrowed his brow. Just where is he going? Now more than curiosity drove him as he stepped in the shadows and followed the king while remaining hidden himself. What sort of secrets does he have to hide, even from his own? Is this part of the reason he hates me so much?

They left the guards behind, and Link actually followed the king of the Gerudo out of the palace walls and into the city. It was here the big man relaxed more, though he still looked on edge.

Link didn’t let down his guard. He didn’t want to be caught by the king even more than he wanted to avoid the Gerudo guards.

Should he go back? Tell Raim what was going on? She mentioned he wasn’t in his right mind, what if he was leaving now to wreak some havoc?

Link hesitated at a corner, getting ready to turn around, but a low grunt drew his attention.

King Ganondorf looked actually scared as he ducked behind a pile of crates, on the other side, a Gerudo Warrior Link thought he might recognize as the spy from the Twinrova’s hideout was walking down the dark street.

She looked suspicious, and if she checked behind those crates, the king would be caught.

Link forced himself to relax. If the Warriors found their king, then Link didn’t have to worry about explaining to Ralim why he was out there in the middle of the night without his guards. That was just fine with him.

Still… His eyes drew back to the big Gerudo man, hunched over and looking for everything like a cornered rabbit. Clearly, the man really didn’t want to be caught.

And… he didn’t look like the king who had tried to strangle Link, or the one who threatened him at dinner. He looked like the one who had stumbled over his words and looked so uncomfortable and uncertain in front of Link.

The Warrior, Nabooru, stepped closer and Link saw the way her king tensed, as if realizing for the first that he was caught. Even this close to being found out, he didn’t even twitch a finger toward his weapon.

Gah… Link sighed. Fiiiiine. He dug into his bag and pulled out his handy Laughing Mask. With any luck, Nabooru would be distracted long enough for the big man to sneak way, and she wouldn’t remember that Link had worn this same mask in the Twinrova’s hideout.

He fitted it to his face, mentally thanking Ruplen again for the item, before he stepped out from the alley just a tad and scuffed his foot on the ground.

The noise was enough to draw her attention, and in the darkness of the night, Nabooru broke into laughter.

With her gaze turned, the king took his chance and bolted. However, Link noticed orange eyes pointed in his direction for a split second.

Just great. Should’ve let him get caught.

Link ducked back into the cover of his alley, tore off the mask, and while Nabooru was still recovering her breath from her laughing fit, he darted into the darkness and away.

Hopefully that wouldn’t give him away, but also… he couldn’t let the king get far without seeing what he was up to. Now—having helped him—he felt doubly responsible to make sure nothing went wrong and that the king wasn’t doing anything suspicious.

At least, if he was, by helping him Link only gained himself the opportunity to find out what and why. Hopefully Ralim wouldn’t be too upset with him for that. After all, she did say Link needed to learn to feel at ease so he could make this thing work. Knowing what Ganondorf was up to would certainly ease his worries.

Chapter Text

The Hylian was following him. Why is he following me? Does he have a death wish? Ganondorf was grateful he’d kept Nabooru from finding him, that would’ve been altogether too hard to explain and by the sound of it these last few years Nabooru and Ralim had grown close as sisters. No doubt if she knew what Ralim had commanded she would go straight back to the Warrior and tell on Ganondorf as though he were still the child who stole her spear.

Just thinking about Ralim’s command made his blood boil, but it also gave him pause. He stopped at a corner and looked all ways, but still he didn’t catch any sign of the Hylian diplomat.

How dare she use my precautions against me like that? This is exactly why I hesitated to sign it! But he knew before the thought had fully run its course that that wasn’t true. He hadn’t written up the edict because he was afraid of a traitor. More so now that ever, he was certain Raim was the same as she always had been.

Headstrong, loyal, and overwhelmed with the care of her king. He sighed and slumped against the wall, looking at the dark window ahead of him and the unlit candle resting on the sill.

The people had rejoiced for days after his return. Little did they know, the true leader was still in the palace. She should be celebrated who held his people together through so many trials, not he who caused them.

Ralim is right to think this is dangerous. He pushed up from the wall and moved through the city more swiftly, as though that admittance would call him back to be a prisoner in his own room. But she isn’t right that it’s not worth the risk.

Just like Nabooru, Ralim still saw Ganondorf as a child. More so now that he’d lost three years than ever before. Unlike Nabooru, Ralim had always had a bit of that in her care for him. Sometimes… Ganondorf thought that she was like the Vaiba he had lost returned to him, albeit in a very different form.

Someone scuffed a shoe against the ground and Ganondorf spun, but saw no one.

The Hylian fool. He let out a low growl and marched on, nearing the edge of the city in the dead of night.

He forcefully tore his mind away from the diplomat drawing a knife on him and the way he’d lost control again after that. Was the boy here to try and assassinate Ganondorf?

He’d have quite the rude awakening if so. There was no way Ganondorf was falling to a child like him—especially a pawn of destiny.

The very word made his stomach churn, almost more than the diplomat's familiar features. He dug in his bag and pulled out a green potion, quickly replenishing his magic and pushing the rage down once more.

He needed to ration those. He only had so many and he couldn’t have himself losing control during his search for answers.

Getting past the guards on the outside of the city was a struggle, but seeing as they weren’t there to keep people in Ganondorf got by just fine—he only hoped they didn’t see him to send word back to Ralim.

Disobeying her and avoiding his Warriors was one thing, but he would never raise a hand against any of them. He was their king and that would be unacceptable.

He trudged over the dunes, trying discreetly to glance over his shoulder. He still couldn’t see the Hylian, but he could sense a gaze following him. He was still out there somewhere.

Ganondorf trudged through the sand until exhaustion overtook him and he reached a quiet spot away from the main routes to camp.

He didn’t bring much with him, but just settled to sit on the sand and consider. If the Hylian intended to assassinate him, when he was sleeping would be the best chance.

He smirked at the sand and faked a yawn and stretch. He would not be taken unawares. He lay his head down and stared up at the sky. Once he solved the issue of his uninvited guest, then he could deal with the trip to the Twinrova and get good sleep as well.

Hopefully the diplomat would lose his courage and Ganondorf wouldn’t be forced to take action, but he couldn’t leave a hostile hidden in the sands forever. He had too many of those to deal with already.

He let out a steadying breath and closed his eyes, listening for any telling movement in the sand around him.

Guilt still churned in her stomach, but steadfast determination held it down. Ralim tapped her nails on the wall and waited until Nabooru’s voice announced herself.

Together, they sat at Ralim’s table. Unfortunately it was bear—Ralim didn’t eat so late at night.

“You summoned me?” Nabooru asked. “I thought you might send me back to the Hideout sooner or later.”

Ralim nodded, but her face felt tight in its expression. “I need your assistance first.”

Nabooru looked at her, and one of her eyebrows quirked. “What ails you? You look as though you swallowed a goldspike whole.”

Ralim sighed and lowered her head. “I had a falling out with Ganondorf.”

Nabooru’s face tightened. Perhaps it was not the best practice to go to the woman he expressed interest in, but Ralim wasn’t sure who else could smooth things over with the king. “I’m not sure I could be much help in this regard,” Nabooru said at last. “There is some sort of tension between us at present as well.”

Those three years have changed everything, haven’t they? Ralim sighed and pressed a hand to the table. “Will you at least speak with him on my behalf?”

Nabooru pressed her lips together, but she nodded and stood. “Of course, Captain.” She exited the room with a purpose and Ralim stood to watch her go.

I could not have chosen better for the boy. She regretted having opposed the match at first. Nabooru had proven herself loyal and capable and she would be a good match for Gan.

She tried not to stress over the conversation the two were likely having, but found herself wandering the hall toward the king’s chambers anyway. She was surprised when she was met halfway by Nabooru, already on the return.

“So soon?” She tried to keep the surprise out of her voice, but Nabooru cringed anyway. She looked flushed and irritated.

“You are right,” she said with heat. “He is obsessed with his idea of returning to the Twinrova.”

Ah. Ralim sighed. “I did not want to use this power he gave me, but I fear he is a danger to himself with the lies they told him.”

Nabooru screwed up her face and glanced over her shoulder, back toward Ganondorf’s rooms and was silent.

Ralim stepped closer. “Were you able to convince him of the necessity of his staying here, at the least?”

Nabooru finally looked back to her and her face was set like stone. “He needs time, Captain. I wouldn’t bother him for some time yet. Let him wait and think.”

Ralim nodded. It was not her usual way. She preferred to have done with these things, but she understood that Ganondorf had always been a little different than her in these regards. “Very well. I will honor your advice. We shall not have him disturbed.”

Nabooru didn’t look relieved at Ralim’s agreement, but she did start down the hall again at Ralim’s side. “I want to be reassigned to the Twinrova’s hideout,” she said quietly. “I think I need time as well.”

There was an anger hidden beneath those words. Ralim wasn’t surprised. Of everyone, she and Nabooru were the closest to Ganondorf. They knew more than most what those witches had put their king through when he was just a child. “Do as you must. Your intel has been invaluable, but before you go I must ask you a question.” Nabooru cocked her head curiously, so Ralim continued. “If there was a traitor within our palace set here by the witches, how would I go about finding her?”

Nabooru blinked in surprise, but she hesitated in the hall, glancing both ways before setting her gaze on Ralim again. “Give them information they cannot pass up, whether false or true, then follow the one who leaves after hearing it.”

Ralim pressed a hand to her chin and nodded. “Anything condemning Ganondorf is sure to be of interest to the witches. This is wise. Thank you, Nabooru.”

The spy saluted, as though she were the Warrior she trained to be, then she started down the hall again with a purpose.

Ralim had intentionally spent time with Ganondorf’s favored, hoping to find it within herself to like the girl. Now she found herself very fond. I hope they solve whatever is hampering their relationship, she thought as she turned back toward her room. Gan will need support like hers on his side.

Chapter Text

The heavy doors closed behind her with a bang. Zelda surveyed the room firstly. As always, Father met with her alone. The king sat behind his heavy and ornate desk, signing a decree for his secretary who was just collecting some papers to leave.

The king added his own to the pile and Zimmer took the side door out to give them their privacy. Father turned to look at her for the first since she’d entered the room, and a smile broke his concentrated expression. “My beautiful daughter.”

His voice rumbled with familiar ease and Zelda felt herself relax some. It had been too long since she’d spent time with him, and yet… looking around this room, rather than good memories of time spent together, all that haunted her mind were the many, many fights they’d had. The many days when he’d stood in her way and blocked her ability to protect their kingdom.

Strange the anger brought now, after all she’d gone through and the fact he was trying to drag her back into thoughtless submission and steal away the autonomy she’d rightfully earned.

“He will never trust you.”

Her fists clenched, but she forced diplomacy to hide the boiling beneath the surface. “I have rested well, as you requested.” Demanded was more like it, but she didn’t say that.

“And you look all the better for it,” he said with a smile gesturing toward a chair. “Come sit.”

Zelda obeyed, and she found herself staring up at her taller father. He was a big and intimidating presence, and yet he could not stand to do what must be done for their people. He would not support her to stop their ruin before it came as it did so often in the past. Her tight fists rested in her lap, out of view.

“Now that you have rested I am sure you must be seeing things more clearly,” he said dismissively. “Tell me of your travels. I missed you dearly while you were gone.”

First he halts all possible progress, now he wants to waste time? Zelda turned her gaze to her lap to hide a scowl. Ganondorf is returned! Even closer than we could’ve possibly imagined! And he wants to reminisce??

The king adjusted, shifting some papers to the side so he could lean forward further over the desk. “Something troubles you.”

She pressed her lips together, but this boiling anger inside of her wanted release in any way but diplomacy. She shoved and pushed it down, raising her head with the mask once more. “I have seen things, in history and in visions.”

His eyes widened. He always listened to her visions with rapt attention. It was not a lie, even. Zelda had seen these things many times.

“Hyrule will follow the same path as in history if it is not stopped. An evil ruler will steal the throne and bring our kingdom to ruin.”

Now his eyes were even wider, staring at her. Surely there hadn’t even been a whisper of rebellion in Hyrule for decades. Who could it possibly be? Zelda lead carefully.

“Evil rises in the desert, and it infests the throne of Hyrule. I have seen it again and again. Along with the fact that King Ganondorf shall oppose me when I am queen.”

The king slumped back into his throne and ran his hand over his beard deep in thought.

Zelda didn’t have time for him to look over every little detail. “If we take action now, we can nip the prophecy in the bud! I am nowhere near the throne as yet, and the Gerudo King is still in the desert! We could stop this and push the Gerudo away from Hyrule’s borders. We could build peace for our people! We could-!”

“That is enough!” The king’s face of consideration had turned to hard stone. She’d pushed too fast.

Zelda slumped back in her chair, irritation and helplessness rising as one within her as she looked at the scowl set upon her.

“You know we do not have the power to attack the Gerudo, Zelda. You know we cannot for nothing more than unclear visions. And you know we could never move all of them away.”

I know that, do I? Her anger sparked higher. She found herself standing with her hands slapped against the table. “How would you know what I know?! How could you dare claim to understand the wisdom I possess??” Her voice was raised, heated with that boiling anger inside of her, and his look of honest surprise disgusted her like never before. “You sit here and wile away the hours while I claw and scrape for every scrap to save our people! You sit on your hands while I bleed to save our kingdom! And you dare have the gall to dismiss me as a child while you do nothing!!”

The king stood, towering over her. His voice was level, though anger and surprise fought for precedence on his face. “You will not address your king so.”

“If my king wanted respect he should have earned it!” Zelda slapped the papers on the desk in front of him. “You bury yourself in endless minutiae while your people suffer! I have seen courage and I have seen loyalty, but you are a coward!!”

His eyes flashed with rage. “Calm your temper, girl, or I will be forced to confine you to your quarters!”

“I am not a child anymore!” She practically screamed the words and found something new festering and growing inside that boiling anger. Gasping for air she clenched her hand into a fist over the papers and met his eyes.

She felt no longer the love she’d always been assured of. If he loved her he would listen. If he trusted her he would hear her advice. If he even respected her, he would not treat her a child.

“That is enough,” he said ominously. “I shall send for your guards to confine you and you will think on what you have done.”

Chains came for her. Locked away where she could change nothing. Trapped where she could neither see nor help. Trapped. Trapped!

“I hate you!” She screamed at his face, and with it came a blast of pink that shot through the room like a thousand knives. Her Father stumbled away from her and she felt proud. Proud of the power to stand for herself. “I hate you and your lies! You cannot lock me away! You cannot keep me from saving our- no… my people!” She stalked around the desk, and the King pressed a hand to his heart where some of her pink magic had passed through him.

He was pale and looked faint as he tremblingly dropped back into his chair and stared at her.

“Burning inside me is so much hate and you have stoked the flames!” Zelda’s magic danced around her, pink and sparkly and like nothing she’d ever been able to do with it before. She slammed a glowing hand against his shoulder, shoving him into the cushioned back of his chair. “I will not let you ruin everything I have fought for! I will not let you lock me away! I will save this kingdom without you!!”

The magic shot off of her, through her hands and coated the king. He grunted and his body jerked at the sudden change, then Zelda was stumbling back against his desk, dizzy and dazed.

What…?

She pressed a hand to her head where a constant jeering clatter, like chains rattling against each other, drowned out other noise in the quiet room.

The burning hatred from moments before was back to a low boil. She shook her head against the headache beginning to form behind her eyes and opened them again.

Father slumped over the armrest of his chair, eyes wide and saliva running down his cheek to drip onto the ground. He was breathing, but faintly.

Her eyes popped wide and she jerked forward shakily, taking his shoulders in both hands. “Father?” He didn’t respond. “Father!” She shook him but he didn’t move, and his bulk was too much for her to adjust.

What had she done? How had she done it? Her magic never had this kind of power before.

She shook him again. “Father, wake up!”

“It will be the headsman for this.” The voice stopped her cold.

That boiling anger bubbled toward her throat and she could almost feel her head pressed against the chopping block. “No…”

“He would stand in your way given the chance.”

Frantically, Zelda spun and looked over the table. A golden goblet by his papers caught her attention. She snatched it off the table and hardly paid mind to the wine inside.

She dumped a splatter over the front of her Father’s robe, then a trickle to dribble out his mouth with the drool. Then she upended the cup on his desk over his papers and backed away, hands shaking.

He wouldn’t stand in her way anymore. She did not mean to do it, but… she was free.

“Help!” She darted frantically to the door, yanking with both hands to pull the heavy thing open on her own. “Poison! The king has been poisoned! Help!”

Link felt like he’d been awake forever. Lacking a night of sleep, the scorching desert heat only seemed to sap more of his energy as he trudged through the sands after the big man who seemed little bothered by it. He didn’t even have sand boots like Link, by the way he slipped and slid!

Link didn’t dare sleep, even when the king of the Gerudo dropped off. He wouldn’t risk being so near him and helpless, nor would he risk losing sight of the man.

Ralim thought he should trust the Gerudo male, and she said to do whatever he had to to allay his fears and suspicions, so that’s what Link would do.

Ganondorf stopped at the top of a dune, then started down again without further hesitation, and when Link crested it he realized why. The hills of sand steadily faded after this, getting smaller and smaller like waves on the shore. As they evened out, Link recognized the result. The Sea of Sand stretched out further than Link ever realized like a flattened tablecloth, only wrinkled in areas but those wrinkles carried off to the horizon.

Link tore his gaze away and looked down at Ganondorf, who was standing near the edge of where the sand became dangerous with crossed arms.

How does he plan to cross? Link crouched down to watch, settled in his position and the confidence of his anonymity. At least when the king didn’t know he was there the man was much less threatening. Except that Link knew the moment he was seen that safety was as thin as ice. That made his shiver.

The king’s gaze was set out on the sea, so he didn’t notice the skeletal hand that pushed out of the sand behind him.

Link’s eyes shot wide as two tall stalfos dragged themselves from the ground, dripping sand like hourglasses. He started down the hill before he could rightly think. “Look out!”

Ganondorf spun at his voice and barely dodged a swing of the first stalfos’ sword.

Link’s attention was on drawing his own sword and skidding down the dune without falling, but when he got down, Ganondorf had already scattered the bones of one of the creatures and was focusing on the other.

What’s going on!? I’ve never seen stalfos outside a temple!

He didn’t have more time to think. The Gerudo male’s attention was set on his second foe, so he didn’t notice as the first stalfos revived itself and moved to hit him from behind.

Link dove in just in time, tackling the old bones and swinging his sword to cut through the skull and permanently finish the creature who dissipated in smoke.

He rushed to aide the king with the last, that was already beginning to revive, but Ganondorf spun on him without missing a beat and caught his wrist behind the sword poised to strike behind him.

He didn’t even seem to see Link before he tossed him straight over his shoulder.

Link grunted as he rolled through the sand and nearly lost his grip on the Master Sword. He lay there for a moment when the skidding and tumbling stopped and tried to catch his breath.

His limbs sank in the sand too fast. His eyes shot wide and he sat up, pulling his upper body against a force dragging him down. His legs were already completely coated in the sand up to his waist and he was still sinking.

“Ah!” Link clawed at the sand, trying to unbury his sand boots, but he was sinking faster than he could dig. Frantically, he turned his gaze toward shore and found Ganondorf up to his knees in sand as well, backing away from a sword strike as if he didn’t even realize where he was. “Help!”

Ganondorf glanced over his shoulder and his eyes went wide at the sight of Link up to his shoulders in sand.

The stalfos behind him swung again and the Gerudo king tried to step back, but the sand was eating up his legs and he lost his balance and tumbled instead.

Oh no… Link was breathing hard, but he tried to move frantic fingers toward his bag instead of letting that panic overwhelm him.

But the sand was too thick and moving only made him sink faster. His struggles dropped him so that only his eyes were above. He watched with terrified panic as the stalfos found his target defeated and dug itself back into the ground.

As Ganondorf’s body was covered, and as sand came so close Link had to squeeze his eyes closed.

No one came.

Chapter Text

Link opened his eyes. Everything tasted like sand and the ceiling above him seemed to shift and shake. A drizzle of granules beat down on his arm and shoulder and he groaned at the aching in his back.

He lifted his head and looked around. Cracked stone walls, with piles of sand around them reminded him of the Sand Temple. His gaze snapped to one corner of the room, where Ganondorf sat messing with his beard and staring at the wall as though deep in thought.

Link coughed at the taste of sand in his mouth past his veil as the moments before he’d been swallowed by the Sea of Sand came back to him. How are we alive?

“You’re awake,” Ganondorf said softly, though he still didn’t look fully in Link’s direction.

Link reach up to pull down the scarf covering his face, but froze when Ganondorf snapped his gaze to him. “Don’t!”

Link scooted back, getting his bearing and finding his own items sitting just next to him.

“I can’t…” Ganondorf took a deep breath and averted his gaze again. “Do not show me your face. Your eyes are bad enough.” Then he rummaged in his own bag and pulled out a bottle of green potion, downing the whole thing in one gulp.

My eyes are bad? Link was confused, but he didn’t remove the scarf, and he didn’t turn his back to the Gerudo King so he could empty out the sand either. He didn’t trust the man that much, but then again… How long was I unconscious here and he did nothing?

Ralim kept insisting Link did what he must to make sure he trusted them. Link carefully checked his bag for his items, and finding them in tact, he slowly turned around so the king couldn’t see his face when he removed the scarf.

Ganondorf didn’t move, so Link set about getting the sand off his face and out of his mouth, but he kept an ear perked for even the slightest hint of movement.

Ganondorf shuffled where he sat, but otherwise remained silent.

Link replaced the scarf careful to hide as much of his face as he could—he had no idea why it mattered but he wasn’t taking chances—then turned to look at the big man again.

Sure enough, Ganondorf still had his gaze set on the opposite wall and looked as though he was trying to imagine Link wasn’t even there.

So why does he keep attacking me, then? Is it really bouts of madness? That did little to ease Link’s concerns. Being trapped in a… a temple—because that’s clearly what it was—with a madman was not what he would call safe.

Link cleared his throat and that got the man’s attention. “Do you know where we are?”

Ganondorf looked up at the shifting ceiling of sand and shrugged. “We are beneath the Sea of Sand.” As if Link didn’t already know that.

“And why exactly did you bring us here?”

Ganondorf raised his eyebrows. “Why were you following me, diplomat?”

Link cringed. Ah. That little thing.

“Were you planning to assassinate me?”

Link’s eyes popped wide. “What?” Well, he could see where the idea would’ve come from. “No. Or at least, not unless I found out you really are still…” He said too much. Link snapped his teeth down and averted his gaze.

“Am still dangerous?” Ganondorf looked down at his hands. “Or am still inexorably held captive by the chains of destiny?”

Destiny? Link shook his head. “I just wasn’t sure why you were sneaking out, and the last few times we’ve talked…” he again let the thought finish itself in silence.

Ganondorf squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “I have run the rope about, and now I find myself twisted in its knots.” He lifted one of his knees and rested an arm on it, glancing to the side at a door in the wall. “Your scarf helps some. Keep it on.”

Helps with what? Link wanted to say the words, but his gaze caught on the temple door instead and a new thought struck him. We’re trapped in here together until we find the way out. Dread washed over him. Just great.

Ganondorf pushed himself to his feet, and though Link didn’t want to admit it, that was the reason he scrambled to pick up his items and stand as well. He didn’t want to be grounded while the king stood.

He watched the Gerudo man closely, but Ganondorf simply moved to the door and hummed at the engravings on it.

Link inched closer, close enough to see what they were up against, but far enough to be out of reach.

Engravings on the wall depicted a set of three triangles similar to the ones that appeared on Link’s hand, but also had a short note just like some of the other temples he’d been to.

Son of power, nephew ours
Break all chains and bend all bars
Greatest strength will make the way
But scoff at help and you will pay

A fist landed in the middle of the poem with a loud thwack! Ganondorf scowled at the poem, then stepped back and pulled at his hair, mumbling something about a plan and a trap.

Link ignored him—since he could keep an ear on his location—and pulled out his power gauntlets, slipping them over each hand, since the poem asked for power.

He wedged his fingers beneath the stone slab of a door, and with a grunt strained against the effort. To his surprise, even with his magically enhanced strength, the door didn’t budge an inch.

Link dropped back to his rear, gasping and staring at the door in wonder. What could that possibly be made of??

“They want to drag me back into it,” Ganondorf was grumbling as he paced. “But I will not be used and I will not bow down to destiny.”

Link tried again with the door to the same result, so he backed away and read the poem again, pressing his hand to his chin as he thought. Nephew ours… Link furrowed his brow and tapped a foot on the ground. Didn’t Ralim say the Twinrova were Ganondorf’s aunts? And they live on the other side of the Sea of Sand… He turned his gaze back toward the big man and a new thought struck him. Why was the king of the Gerudo coming here in the first place?

Ganondorf was still pacing up and down the length of the room, running his hands over his beard and through his hair as he mumbled to himself.

He only stopped when he noticed Link looking at him. Then he went rock solid and a stone expression pushed out all the other emotions on his face. “What have you found?”

Link gestured toward the door as he removed his power gauntlets—too dangerous to wear them all the time—“I can’t open it even with magical items. Is it possibly connected to you specifically?”

Ganondorf gave a dark scowl, but he moved toward the door with an angry purpose. Link backed away from the familiar expression, but for once the glare wasn’t set on him.

Link wasn’t so sure about offering the big man his power gauntlets now. He was still considering how well he could stay out of reach in this single room, When Ganondorf crouched down without even waiting and hefted the door with a grunt and a groan of stone on stone.

Golden light burst through the room and they both shouted as it nearly blinded them. Link covered his eyes, but as it faded, he stared in wonder at the mark now glowing plainly obvious on the Gerudo’s hand.

Three triangles stacked together, one brighter than the others, though it was a different one highlighted than on Link’s mark.

Ganondorf stared at it as well, but there was less wonder in his gaze as there was a strange mixture of horror and hatred.

Link blinked. “Y-you have a piece of the triforce as well?”

Ganondorf slapped his opposite hand over the mark and scowled at Link. “We should move.” Then he turned and stalked through the doorway with no regard for the danger likely on the other side.

Link hurried after him—Ralim would kill him if he let the king die—but his mind swirled through this new discovery, placing the placement of that triangle with that poem and… Power. He has the Triforce of Power.

Chapter Text

“What is it that you’re searching for?” The diplomat’s voice was one of the only things about him that didn’t grate on Ganondorf’s bubbling hatred.

Even the way he shouted when he battled the monsters in the temple halls somehow made Ganondorf mad, but when he spoke, it felt like the curse didn’t recognize him and Ganondorf was able to relax.

Must keep him talking. Ganondorf sighed and glanced at the veiled Hylian walking a good few paces behind him. He’d stopped following close when Ganondorf had spun on him during a battle where the Hero crept up right behind him for some reason. Now he wisely kept his distance.

“It is not what, but whom.”

The diplomat hesitated at that, and realization seemed to dawn in those eyes. Ganondorf had to turn his gaze away as the Hylian adjusted the scarf around his face and drew attention to the blue that boiled Gan’s gut. “You’re looking for the Twinrova?”

Ganondorf didn’t know it would be that obvious to an outsider, but he supposed the boy had been adventuring in the desert long enough to know what lie beyond the Sea of Sand. “My aunts have answers I need if I am to…” He does not need to know more about this curse than he probably already does.

Ganondorf scowled at the very idea. Hylians everywhere probably learned to fear the king of the Gerudo. He was probably a fable told to children at night to scare them into obedience.

“The Twinrova weren’t especially amenable to helping me when I was trying to defeat the Dark-… or well…” He trailed off dumbly.

“I know what I was.”

He nodded, but still didn’t finish his statement.

The rattle of bones up ahead broke through the awkward silence and Ganondorf increased his pace. Finally another fight! Beyond his green potions there was only one thing he’d found so far that eased the ever rising cursed magic within him, and it was forgetting himself in battle.

Unfortunately, the monsters in the temple were weak, and Ganondorf took the two stalfos out; the Hylian couldn’t even help except by stabbing the fallen skulls the king left behind. He said that was the only way to keep them from reviving after they were defeated, which explained the trouble that had ended them here in the first place.

Link scurried through the dark hall ahead and to one of the walls that jutted out from the others. He hopped, but he was by far too short to reach the ledge at the top.

Ganondorf stopped behind him and raised his eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

“There’s something up there!”

Ganondorf stepped back to peer up at the top, and sure enough a chest nestled on the small space. “Hm.” What kind of treasure would the Twinrova have set aside for their future king? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but if it could be helpful… “I will boost you.”

Link spun on him in surprise, but when Ganondorf locked his hands together to make a footstool, the Hylian stepped in and was easily hosited so that he could climb on Ganondorf’s shoulders, then pull himself up over the edge with his elbows while his legs flailed for purchase.

At last the struggle was finished and the diplomat opened the chest immediately. Then he sighed and held out a purple rupee where Ganondorf could see. “I can’t fit this in my wallet.”

Ganondorf took the purple as Link dropped it over the edge to him and he furrowed his brow. Why would the witches leave me rupees?

“There’s something else up here,” Link said as he slipped deeper onto the platform so Ganondorf couldn’t see him. “There’s a wall, but it’s blocked with another door marked with the Triforce.

They were certainly doing their best to make sure Ganondorf was the only one who could get in, but… he looked up at the ledge. How in the sands was he supposed to get up there? He wasn’t some kind of giant. It was almost five feet above his head!

“I could try to pull you up…” Link mumbled as he appeared at the edge again and sized up Ganondorf’s bulk. “No…” he turned and ran a hand over his chin through the green scarf.

Ganondorf huffed and turned away. “We should keep moving. If the door is important, we will circle back.”

“It’s in a temple. I’m pretty sure it’s important.” Despite the words, he dropped down from the ledge and rolled on the ground to distribute the force of impact. Then they were walking again as the Hylian adjusted his scarf.

“If this temple leads straight into the Twinrova’s base, what will you do?” Ganondorf kept his gaze ahead as he spoke, watching for dangers despite the dark shadows of the hall. So far nothing could get even close without him or the diplomat spotting and dispatching it quickly.

“I suppose I’ll try to fight them again,” Link said slowly, uncertainly. “Last time I tried… didn’t go too well, though.”

Ganondorf grunted.

-
“Let me go!” He clawed at the women who carried him high above the dunes and away from his family, cackling the whole way. “Put me down!”
-

He clenched his hand into a fist and snarled at the shadows ahead. “I am stronger than before.”

Something flittered through the darkness ahead.

Ganondorf and Link both stopped, peering into the dark.

A small fairy flitted out, and Link gasped, moving toward her without even thinking. Ganondorf grabbed his collar and yanked him back before he could get himself bitten.

“The fairy is drained,” he said, gesturing to her sickly red color that was more a drain of light than a glow. “She has been away from her fountain too long.”

He pulled the diplomat along with him as he stepped out of the fairy’s path and bowed his head at her drunkenly bobbing form.

Without her magic, she was practically blind. But she could still sniff out the innate magic in them, and once she realized they were past, she would be turning to follow.

“Drained? I’ve never heard of that.” Link watched in fascination, but he seemed able to tell something was wrong with her as well. “Can we help her?”

“Unless we return her to her fountain, she will just be drained again. If we open a way out of this temple, then she will be able to make her way home. Anti-fairies only desire one thing, and it is to replenish the magic they have lost. We should move.”

He didn’t even want to think of what might happen if she should drain some of his magic—all he had left was already struggling to fight the curse and—he pulled out a green potion and downed it. He was running low in his supplies, but he didn’t want to harm his unwelcome guest. He’d simply have to resupply when this was done.

They stepped into the final room, no other accessible doors made themselves known, so hopefully there was something here they could use.

It was a dead end. The doorway led straight to a wall, and on the left, a cavernous drop blocked the way to a platform and a big chest on the other side of the room.

Link was immediately uncomfortably close to that deadly edge, and Ganondorf cringed as the Hylian crouched over the side and seemed to be judging the distance.

Ganondorf looked behind and spotted the ill glow of the anti-fairy coming their direction slowly once more. He rubbed at his chest where the pain never really went away, only grew less when he took red potion and more as time passed with none.

Sharp pains like the bubbling inferno of rage the greens kept down were boiling his heart along with them. He sighed and took out a red, downing it and letting the relief flood through him.

Link was looking at him when he lowered the bottle, and he looked skeptical.

“What?”

“How many of those do you have?”

Ganondorf shoved the bottle back in and closed his bag. “Enough.” He hoped.

Link shrugged and looked back over the distance. “I don’t think I can jump that—can you?”

Ganondorf was already shaking his head. There wasn’t a chance he was even going to try that. He would definitely fall to his doom.

Link didn’t even look back to see the movement. “I didn't think so,” he murmured quietly. He opened his bag and started fumbling around. Frustration quickened his hands after the first few seconds.

Ganondorf glanced back at the anti-fairy and wished there was a door to close behind him. She bobbed into the room and he sway to avoid her as she flew past. Then he looked at the struggling Hylian and judged the distance again. “I might be able to toss you across.”

Link turned wide eyes on him.

Ganondorf shrugged. “You are small and the distance isn’t so great.”

Link adjusted his scarf and looked at the distance again, seeming to see it again for the first time. “That… could work…” he sounded reluctant to admit it. “But then, how would I get back?”

Ganondorf shrugged. He hadn’t thought of that.

Link peered at the other ledge again, then pointed to the chest. “Those big chests usually have something completely necessary for the temple they’re in. Maybe it’ll have the way to get back? Either way, we can’t just leave it behind.” That seemed to decide him. “Fine. You can toss me.” He rummaged through his bag again and Ganondorf stepped closer.

The Hylian pulled out a pair of metal plated gloves and offered them first. Ganondorf looked at them dubiously. “They’re power gauntlets,” Link explained. “That way I’ll be sure to reach the other side.”

Conceding, Ganondorf slipped on the gloves and flexed his fingers in them. Strange that they should fit him when they clearly fit the Hylian as well—magical items always seemed to be that way.

A loud buzz in his ears warned him to duck just before the anti-fairy caught him. Ganondorf snarled and paced away from her. “We need to hurry. I cannot afford to lose magic.”

Link eyed him, but didn’t ask. He just let Ganondorf take a hold of the back of his collar and his belt, and test his grip lifting the small Hylian off the ground.

He grunted in surprise at the lack of weight and looked to the gloves he’d been gifted. He could get used to that.

“Are you ready?” Suddenly the idea of tossing the boy across the abyss seemed a little brutal.

“Ready.”

Ganondorf licked his lips and swung him a little, but his eyes caught on the hard stone on the other side again and he hesitated. “You are prepared for a difficult impact?”

“Ganondorf, I’m ready.”

The Hero was getting frustrated; because obviously that’s what he was. A hero. He didn’t need Ganondorf’s babying, surely he did stuff like this all the time.

Ganondorf didn’t wait longer after that. He swung back, then tossed the Hylian head-over-heels to the other platform, and felt his confidence immediately drain as Link first slammed into the ground with a painful grunt, then rolled across the stones to hit head first into the wall.

“Oh.” Ganondorf cringed. He waited a moment, but Link didn’t move. “Ohhh.” He crouched down and pressed his hands against his hair. Did I just kill him??? Oh sands, this is bad. His throw had more force than even he’d been expecting. Tearing off the dangerous gauntlets, Ganondorf but his lip.

“Link? Hero of Courage?” That boiled his stomach, but his recent green made it not so bad. “Are you… alive?”

A groan sounded across the echoey chamber and Ganondorf wilted, dropping to his rear and dropped the gauntlets beside him. He’s alive! Ralim will kill me if she hears of this. He cringed, and inched closer to the edge. “Link? I have red potion if you cross over again.”

Link perked up a little at that—in that his head lifted off the wall where it was twisted and his arm twitched like it wanted to push him up but was weak.

Oh dear.

But to Ganondorf’s surprise, Link pulled himself to his feet despite forming bruises and a twisted arm, and he trudged over to the chest before he stopped and stared at the wall opposite him. He groaned. “Oh no.”

“What is it?”

“There’s another of those walls only you can move.”

Ganondorf scrunched his nose and crossed his arms. It was ridiculous to put so many only in places Ganondorf couldn’t reach. Hopefully this one wasn’t supposed to be the way back from the chest.

Link turned his attention back to the chest and carefully opened it. He leaned in, then pulled out two arm cuffs and held them up for Ganondorf to see. “It says they’re castling cuffs, whatever that means.”

“What do they do, make castles?” Maybe they could use something like that to cross the abyss…

Link shrugged and put them on, then he tried to make them do anything, but the metal only sparkled in the ambient temple lighting. Nothing happened. Link slapped them together once and they both sparked, but even then nothing else happened. “That’s odd…”

Ganondorf sighed and sank to sit again. Castling cuffs. If not for literal castles, then… His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the symbols on the gloves the Hylian was swinging around. They looked like game pieces. An idea came to him. “Link, have you ever played chess?”

“Chess? No…”

“Ralim taught it to me for strategy,” he said, pushing to stand and dodge the anti-fairy again. “There is a defensive move called castling where two of the pieces may essentially switch places.”

Link looked down at the cuffs and seemed to be catching on to what Ganondorf was thinking. “I guess it’s worth a shot.” He took one off and gestured for Ganondorf to get ready, and only once he was did he toss the cuff across the abyss.

Ganondorf caught it, fumbled, then managed to keep his hold. He slipped the cuff onto his arm then looked at Link. “How do we use it?”

Link shrugged. “They sparked when I hit the sides, so maybe…” he slapped the side of his cuff and it lit up again, but nothing else happened.

Ganondorf hit his with the same result. His frustration fed the boiling pool inside him. He thought he’d actually figured it out. “These items seem defective.”

“They’ve got to give me a way to get back over,” Link looked closer and examined his, so Ganondorf did as well.

The piece displayed on his cuff was the king, which meant Link’s was the rook he’d seen before. That just fed further to his idea, but then how were they supposed to get them to work?

“Maybe…” Link called from the other side. “Maybe we have to do it at the same time?”

Oh. Well that felt obvious. “On the count of three. One. Two… Thre-“ and Link had already preemptively slapped his. Ganondorf scrambled to hit his as well, but the glow had already faded from the diplomat’s. “What was that? That wasn’t three, that was two and a half!”

“I was following your tempo!” Link defended. “I didn’t know you were gonna slow down with each number! Just count like a normal person!”

Ganondorf grunted and started the count down again, but this time he was the one to go early in an attempt to match with the diplomat’s speed—only the diplomat actually waited this time.

“Bit early, don’t you think?” Link said with a raised eyebrow as the glow faded from his own cuff.

Ganondorf growled, but this time Link started the countdown before he was ready and went too fast and they didn’t hit at the same time either. “Let’s just slap them as much as we can and we’re sure to match up at some point,” he snarled.

Link agreed and so they both started. Ganondorf blinked in surprise when the room changed completely around him, but it wasn’t more than and instant before it changed back again and he was able to stop his slapping motion. Back where he’d been standing before.

“It worked!”

Ganondorf scowled at the device. “But we switched back immediately.”

“Well… I think that’s because we both hit it again after we switched.”

Ganondorf groaned. The room felt like it was spinning around him from all the changes, so he sat down to give himself a break.

“Okay, let’s try it on three again so we don’t risk switching back.” Link didn’t look any worse for wear after the two magical swaps.

Ganondorf held his breath to try and keep his sickness at bay, and held up his hand as Link began the countdown.

A loud buzzing drew his attention as Link reached two, and he snapped his gaze to the anti-fairy flying straight toward him. He didn’t have a chance to dodge, because three was called and he slapped his cuff.

The world switched around him again and he fell to the ground as though he’d been sitting in thin air before. His breath left him with an oof, but he could still hear Link’s shout of surprise from the other side of the room.

“It bit me!”

Ganondorf rubbed at his spinning head and sat up to see Link on the other side of the abyss now waving away the anti-fairy and pressing the side of his thumb into his mouth.

The anti-fairy’s inverse glow had faded some, and now she flitted a little more straight to the ground where she rested, as though falling asleep.

The mana from a Hylian would never be enough to empower a fully magical being, but it could sate her hunger for a time.

Ganondorf grunted and turned his gaze to the area around him. They really did switch locations, and that meant the wall that the Hylian couldn’t move was now within Ganondorf’s reach. He pressed his fingers beneath it and heaved.

Link gasped on his side of the room as a second grating noise echoed the first.

Connected doors?

Ganondorf didn’t have longer to think about it than that. More stalfos, armed to the teeth, stood waiting in the dark hall that led behind the wall. Ganondorf drew his trident and slashed at them, but his advance hesitated when Link shouted in surprise on the other platform.

“I can‘t draw my sword!”

“That would be the anti-fairy bite,” Ganondorf called back. He glanced over her shoulder and cringed at the sight of more tall stalfos advancing on the diplomat as he backed away, pale faced, and cupping the sleeping anti-fairy between his hands to keep her from being trampled.

Ganondorf turned back to his own opponents and let out a roar as he swiped at them both, knocking bones aside and not bothering with the skulls as he rushed through the hall and out the door on the other side, to where the Hylian and fairy were backed helplessly against the wall.

Link pressed the fairy into his chest and his eyes darted every way, looking for an escape as the two stalfos raised their weapons.

“Get away from them!” Ganondorf shot through the room, just as the stalfos swung and Link dove to one side beneath their blades.

Ganondorf smashed the skeletons from behind, then he stomped their skulls to dust, until their bones disintegrated and he turned to face the two he’d left behind, newly revived and coming for them.

They didn’t take long to dispatch either, and when he finally turned toward Link, he found the Hylian kneeling on the ground and leaning over the little anti-fairy.

The protective anger in his chest emptied into the boiling vat of hatred like water mixing with oil. His stomach roiled and the pain in his never-healing wounds tripled.

Ganondorf dug in his pouch for a red potion, only to find it his last—this constant pain would have to go away sooner or later, right? The Twinrova couldn’t have expected him to rule anything feeling like this, could they?

He downed the potion, then looked in to find his last green, as well. He sighed. Well, he didn’t need it to last forever. Only long enough.

Ganondorf came to crouch by the Hylian boy and the anti-fairy.

Link glanced at him over the scarf covering his face, and Ganondorf had to turn his gaze from those piercing blue eyes with a grunt as the just eased pain in his chest threatened to return.

“Why isn’t she moving anymore?” Link asked softly. “She didn’t even try to get out of the way when one of the stalfos almost stepped on her.”

“She doesn’t have the strength. Fairies are made of magic. Without access to her fountain, she is steadily becoming the opposite of what she has always been.”

Link stared down at her, then he looked toward Ganondorf, earnest and painful so Ganondorf looked at the fairy instead. “How can we help her? Surely we can do more than just making a way out—she’d never make it back like this.”

Ganondorf chewed his lip, but he nodded. The anti-fairy definitely didn’t have the strength or mental capacities at the moment to save herself. “We… could take her with us.”

Link seemed as though he’d already been considering it, by the way he didn’t even hesitate to scoop her into his hands again and try to find a comfortable way to carry her.

The tiny diamonds of broken skin on his thumb caught Ganondorf’s gaze. The anti-fairy would have to be kept far away from him.

“How long does the magic of her bite last,” Link asked as he straightened, anti-fairy still cupped in his hands.

“It depends on how long she’s been without magic, but… I think we can assume it’ll last quite a while.” The little thing had been trapped here, away from everything she knew and loved for who-knew-how long.

Ganondorf placed a finger over her dandelion soft hair and sighed. “We should wait to continue on until you have your abilities back. And we need to find some way to carry her so that she can’t just fly away when she wakes. Or bite either of us again.”

Link held out a hand, and it took Ganondorf a second to realize he wanted one of his bottles. He offered it, and the diplomat stuffed it with a little extra cloth from his bag before gently slipping the anti-fairy onto her new bed. “Thanks, by the way.”

Ganondorf quirked his eyebrows and dared a glance at the Hyrulian before averting his gaze again.

“For helping us with those stalfos.”

What, like he was supposed to just leave them there, helpless? Did he think Ganondorf would just watch him die? What sort of king would that make him? What sort of man? “Of course.”

Link set the bottled anti-fairy to one side, then set his bag to the other, spreading out to lay his head on the fabric. “Well, we’d best get some rest while we can. Some of these temples can take days to complete.”

Ganondorf furrowed his brow at the idea of sleeping on the ground, especially near a Hylian who was still not forthcoming with his reason for stalking him. But at the moment, the Hero couldn’t draw his weapons and Ganondorf didn’t fear much else from the boy.

He leaned against the wall and suppressed a yawn. It had been far too long since he’d gotten any sleep with this tag-along.

Link raised his cuffed arm and grinned at the item. “It actually worked like you thought it would. We could probably get that door we passed on that platform open now. That’s how we’ll get to the rest of the temple I bet.”

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

“Link.”

He stirred, drifting toward consciousness, where the quiet drifting air carried the echoes of breathing in the silence.

“Link, wake up.”

Voice? Link sat upright, straining his eyes against the blur and catching immediately the sight of the pink mist kneeling to one side of him. He blinked again, just to be sure it wasn’t an apparition of a waking dream, but that only cleared his sight the more. “Voice! Where have you been!”

His words echoed back at him and a heavy snort reminded him he was not alone. Link glanced toward the Gerudo king, who still slept, and lowered his voice. “What happened to you? I’ve tried to call to you every night, but it felt like something was in the way.”

Voice shifted, looking either eager or uncomfortable. Link wondered if she’d been ignoring him on purpose again, but could think of no reason for it. Surely she wouldn’t regret fulfilling her promise to him unless…

His eyes snapped wide. “What happened? Is Rift alright? Where are you?”

“Your brother is fine,” she assured quickly. “He’s with me now.”

Link paled. With her? “Did… did he die?”

Voice scoffed and shook her head. “I’m not a ghost, Link. I told you I was sent to guide you. I would’ve contacted you sooner, but my magic has been acting strange ever since we defeated the Dark Beast.”

Link slumped against his arms in relief. “Then you’re both alright.”

Voice nodded. “Somehow my magic’s started working again, but I don’t know how long it will last, and I don’t have the time to stay here with you this time. I’ve too much to do, but I’ll check in as often as I can.”

“Where are you?”

“Your brother and I are in Hyrule Castle. Your father is here, too.”

Papa and Rift, in the castle…? And Voice?? Link’s furrowed brow and cocked head must have been humorous, because Voice laughed at him.

“When you come you’ll understand. You will come soon, right?”

Link glanced at Ganondorf again and shrugged. “As soon as I can, Voice. I’m kind of… in another temple right now.”

“What!?” Voice floated closer, looking him over. “I thought you were with the Gerudo to negotiate peace!”

“Well, I was. At least, until I followed King Ganondorf into the-”

“You followed him!? You have to stay away from him. He’s dangerous!”

Link flinched, a hand touching his neck where the bruises of the Gerudo man’s hand had been healed by red potion. He certainly didn’t need Voice to tell him that.

“Link, you have to listen to me. I don’t have much more time before I have to go, so pay close attention.” She watched him until he nodded, then continued. “Do not trust Ganondorf. He is the Dark Beast, and he is the vessel for a hatred that would see Hyrule destroyed. Do not trust him.”

Link stared at her for the vehemence that had entered her voice, but before he could so much as answer, her form began to fade and disperse.

“I’m out of time now. Remember what I said, and come soon. Do not let him deceive you.” Then she was gone.

Link stared at the puff of mist quickly dissipating where she had been, then he averted his gaze to the Soul’s Voice, then to Ganondorf’s sleeping form.

He fiddled with his magical jewel and considered. What could he possibly have to gain by coming here? Why would he save me when the stalfos came if he was not to be trusted?

A buzzing and the quiet thunk of flesh against glass drew his attention and he turned to look at the little jar beside his sleeping place, the anti-fairy lazily bumping the walls of her container.

Link gently picked the jar up and raised it to look at her. She was pale and sickly up close. Fangs, those that had pierced his skin and drained his magic, poked out between her lips.

She twisted to bump against the glass toward his hand, as though she could sniff the magic there, and Link sighed.

“I’ll get you out soon,” he said quietly, setting the jar down again. “We’ll fix this.” His gaze wandered to the king of the Gerudo, who was thrashing in his sleep and groaning as he pressed a hand against his chest.

That familiar feeling rose up inside him again. The feeling that the Gerudo king needed help. He blew out a breath and released the Soul‘s Voice. “We’ll fix this,” he repeated to the quiet room.

“One, two, three!” They snapped the arm cuffs at the same time this time and Link stumbled as the world shifted around him and he was on ground level again.

Ganondorf groaned where he sat up on the platform above him, but he shimmied to the side and reached and hand down.

Link dashed up the wall and caught the hand, his heart jumping into his throat at the easy way the Gerudo king hauled him up.

Ganondorf didn’t even seem troubled by that, instead giving his head a clearing shake and moving toward the wall marked with the Triforce.

Link looked at his castling cuff and pressed his lips together. All the temples called for the use of their new item to get through, but how was this supposed to help them fight the Twinrova? Would it?

A quick burst of light, and the wall was gone. Ganondorf quickly drew his trident and downed the monsters hidden behind it, then he glanced back at Link before stepping into the newly opened dark hallway.

Link adjusted the scarf over his face and fretted. I don’t think I could even make it through this temple without Ganondorf anyway, Voice’s suggestion was simply impossible at this point. But what was she talking about? A vessel for hate. A Dark Beast bent on destroying Hyrule…

Ganondorf was rubbing at his chest again. Link had learned to take that as a precursor to the man taking a potion of either color, though, he hadn’t asked why.

Link cleared his throat, trying to keep his distance in the darkness while still keeping the Gerudo man in sight. Somehow he knew he needed to help him. At the same time, Voice said he needed to be wary of him. It was a hard balance to meet. “Are you injured, King Ganondorf?”

Ganondorf flinched at the sudden voice in the emptiness, then he turned a suspicious look on Link. “No.”

Gesturing at the hand still pressed to the king's chest, Link hurried to assure him. “You just keep taking both greens and reds. I thought maybe something was wrong.”

“Oh.” Ganondorf forcefully pushed his hand back to his side then shook his head. “Only dealing with some aftereffects of…” he trailed off, but they both knew what he was talking about.

Was this the sickness Ralim mentioned? After-images of his time as the Dark Beast? Was that why he would attack Link if he saw his face, but was fine now that it was hidden?

He had to admit, that didn’t make a lot of sense to him. Link touched the corner of the scarf over his mouth. “I have to ask… why exactly does this scarf help anything?”

Ganondorf rolled his jaw, but didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced back at Link and asked, “do you believe destiny is an unstoppable force?”

Link furrowed his brow, blindsided by the sudden change of topic. “Uh, well, I haven’t really thought of it.”

Ganondorf shrugged and looked forward again. “Of course you haven’t.” It didn’t exactly sound dismissive, but he certainly sounded jealous. “So far removed from your life it seems—how long ago did you take up that sword?” He didn’t look back, but Link knew what he was talking about.

He placed a hand over the hilt of the Master Sword. “Not long at all before I defeated the Dark Beast.”

“Ralim told me the trials you had to face in order to earn that blade. If you had somehow bypassed those trials, if you had reached the Master Sword sooner, do you think it still would have chosen you?”

Link blinked. He glanced over his shoulder at his sword, then shrugged.

“Is the sword connected to you because your destiny demanded it, or did you prove your courage to it to recieve its blessing? Did your blade choose you because of the courage you possess, or do you possess that courage because the blade chose you?”

“Does it make a difference?”

A long silence stretched between them. The echoing of footsteps filled the hall, then Ganondorf huffed. “It makes all the difference in the world.”

By the way he kept silent, the king still wanted an answer. Link didn’t know what difference it would make and he couldn’t commit to some sort of answer like that when he knew so little. “I don’t know.” He finally said.

The Gerudo king sighed, but he didn’t seem surprised. “I do not either.”

“What are you trying to learn from the Twinrova?”

He flinched at the name, almost too small for Link to see the way his hands tightened and his body scrunched in on itself. He was back to normal in a moment. “They know things from the past. They claim to know of the future and my destiny as well.”

Oh. Oh. This wasn’t about the Master Sword at all. This was about Ganondorf’s sickness. What was it Voice said? A vessel for hatred?

Link’s mind shot back to the alien anger and hate he’d seen in the man’s eyes during their meetings as opposed to the calm of now. Perhaps there really was something to that idea… “But haven’t the Twinrova harmed in the past? Aren’t they the reason you turned into… you know. Why would they help you?”

Ganondorf’s fists tightened at his side, his muscles bunching with pressure. “Because I will give them no choice.”

Oh dear. “You know, I tried fighting the Twinrova once before. It didn’t go so well for me.”

“I have never had the chance to fight,” Ganondorf said, “but I know them well enough. I will be no easy prey this time.”

Link glanced at the Master Sword on his back. Maybe with his new weaponry, he’d have the power necessary as well. Maybe they could actually defeat the rulers of the Thieves.

But to what purpose beyond that? Ganondorf still hadn’t been clear about that. He wanted to make them help him heal from what they’d done to him, but… how?

“My aunts,” he spat the title like a curse, “claim me for a destiny I despise. History claims me for the same. Do you know any of the histories, Hero of Courage?”

Link hesitated. “Only some legends and stories here and there. My brother used to read the stories and he'd tell me the highlights, but I didn’t like spending long indoors so I never read them myself.”

“The Twinrova seek a new Evil King,” Ganondorf said slowly. “They seek to turn me into a creature of violence and hatred.”

“But how could they do that? You get to choose what you do.”

Ganondorf rubbed at his chest again. “I hope so.”

That evil battling for control in his eyes. Vessel of hatred. Link stopped. Oh.

Ganondorf kept moving, so the shadows of the hall spilled over him until he quickly faded from sight.

The Dark Beast was still alive. Even if he’d defeated the monster, that hatred and malice still lived inside the man. But this was different than Link expected.

Ganondorf wasn’t the Dark Beast, he was an unwilling victim of its rage. He did need help.

His heart pounded as he considered the violence in which he met the man, and carefully, Link extracted the memory, cutting it off and examining it now. The voice and words were different. The mannerisms strange.

This curse of destiny that haunted Ganondorf wanted to eliminate the original and replace him with a malevolent dictator. He didn’t want to turn into a monster.

Ganondorf was fighting the Dark Beast just as much as Link had. Could I have done that alone? Without Voice, Ralim, and Ruplen, would Link ever have made it as far as he did?

Ganondorf’s footsteps still echoed in the hall ahead. He hadn’t realized yet that Link stopped, and the darkness separating them was thick and impenetrable.

He was on his own. Separated from those he loved and in danger of hurting all of them if he couldn’t stop this. In danger of destroying everything he loved if he couldn’t defeat this Dark Beast inside him.

Link tightened his fists at his side’s and felt the resolve within him solidify. Then he stepped forward and plunged into the dark after the king of the Gerudo.

He’s not on his own anymore.

He reached Ganondorf’s side and stopped before the giant doors he’d been expecting. A torch on either side lit the boss doors, and Ganondorf stood like stone before them, dread etched plain across his face.

Link stopped beside him and held up a castling cuff. “Let’s hunt some witches.”

Whether it was the conveyed confidence, or the companionship, Link didn’t know, but some of the tension slid from Ganondorf’s face as he held up his own castling cuff in return. “Let’s change history.”

Low on potions. The thought scattered through his brain as Ganondorf and the diplomat each pushed one of the huge doors open. He only one of each color left. He never could’ve imagined he needed to pack more than what he did, but this curse ate away at his supplies faster than he guessed.

The room on the other side was expansive and familiar. Tall enough the Twinrova could fly through without impediment and wide enough to fit an army even if they only came here themselves.

Or with their young captive nephew in the past.

The one defining feature in the room beyond the squares painted in the floor and the stair step ceiling, was the giant throne carved in the semblance of a mighty boar settled in the center and facing the far doors—the main entryway.

The sight made him shiver and phantoms of pain shot up his arms like old wizened hands grabbing him, dragging him toward that hard stone throne.

-
“Your destiny cannot be avoided, my lord,” Koume said with a cackle. “You will be our king.”

“Let me go!”

“The chosen of courage will come for you, but this time we will not let you fail.” Kotake’s fingernails dug into his skin as she spoke, both witches flying on either side and dragging him toward the looming face of an angry boar that looked ready to swallow him whole. “This time we will prepare you well. This time we will kill them both and be victorious!”
-

He was already breathing harder, but the shrieking laughter that filled the throne room pounded his heart into his throat.

“The king has returned at last!” The screeching voice could not be mistaken.

Ganondorf found his hands trembling against the urge to cover his ears. To drop his trident and hide.

“I told you he would come back sooner or later!” Koume shouted back to her sister.

“I told you!”

The scarved diplomat at his side drew his sword and shield, eyes casting around wildly for a sight of the witches.

Ganondorf forced himself to tighten his grip on his trident, forced himself to look at the hero’s blue eyes for a moment, just for the jump the burning hatred inside gave him. Anything was better than coward’s fear.

Ganondorf would not be afraid of them. He would not let them have that power over him. Never again. Never a-.

“Ganondorf!” The screech shot through his ears like poison and they were there. His aunts hovered above the throne, both facing their new guests.

Fiery hair and wild eyes, a pure contrast to the ice on the other side.

Ganondorf flinched back a step to his shame. All he could feel were biting words, painful magic, and fingernails like claws.

“Our beloved nephew and king has returned!” Kotake waved a hand and the boar-throne twisted on the stone, turning so that the horrible tusked boar was facing them with crystal eyes that sparkled red in the dim light. “Take your seat and embrace your destiny.”

Ganondorf stared at that throne. At the innate magic he now knew how to recognize, oozing off of it. He recognized that kind of magic. The same build up that had surrounded him in the palace, and that his aunts tried to use on him often in his captivity.

If he sat on that throne, their magic would eat away at his only defenses. The curse would win.

He tried to find his voice for denials, but it was lost somewhere between his chest and throat and came out only as a strangled grunt.

The witches held their hands out toward him from either side of the throne and spoke in tandem. “Come.”

Ganondorf struggled against himself—against the part of him that wanted to listen to what they said—and snatched Link’s arm, pulling the diplomat close so he could whisper like a grunt in his ear. “Do not let me take that throne.”

Those were all the words he could get out before angry screeches broke through as the witches noticed Link for the first time. “Courage’s chosen one!”

Koume summoned a ball of flame above her hand as she sneered. “He returns to meet his fate!”

She tossed the fireball and Link ducked beneath his shield. It deflected the magic without Link moving at all.

The fireball shot through the air and slammed directly into a forcefield around the twins, disintegrating into nothing long before it could do any damage.

Link scowled, eyes narrowing as he hefted his sword. “I still don’t have the power to break through!”

Ganondorf trained his trident on the witches as they swooped toward him, and he slashed.

Koume let out a screech of surprise and veered off course, Kotake swooped at Link who swatted at her with the Master Sword.

They met back above the throne and now angry glares were trained on Ganondorf alone. “He still resists his fate,” Koume sneered.

Kotake just stared at him. “His power has been fractured. Where has the rest of Demise’s hatred gone?”

“I can’t,” Link hissed at the air, looking off to the side into nothingness. “There’s nowhere to go but forward from here.”

Ganondorf kept an eye on that throne, but he inched forward, toward the witches with his trident bared and ready to strike.

His foot settled in the first square of the courtyard and the world seemed to flash around him.

-
Fire and shouts. Death and destruction. Demise stood amidst the flames and met eyes with the Hylian army, cowering beneath his glare.

“No where for you to run.” He grinned at the reflection of his red eyes and shadowed form in the terror of their eyes. “No where for you to hide.”
-

Ganondorf stumbled back, away from the throne, clutching at his head. Those memories were not his own. Those clothes from a time long past. That… that was his curse. The embodiment of Demise’s hatred.

“The magic works this time, sister!” Kotake swooped at him without further ado, with Koume just behind.

Ganondorf stumbled over his own feet trying to backtrack away from the throne, but hands grabbed him on either side and he snarled at them, swinging his trident.

They shoved him forward before they were forced to retreat from his weapon.

“Gah!” Ganondorf’s head felt like it split open as he neared that giant boar’s head.

The Hero of Courage was there, tugging at his arm.

Demise spun on him, hatred bubbling inside. He snatched an arm and the puny Hylian seemed to realize his mistake as he was tosses across the room.

“He returns! He returns!” The witches repeated the mantra as Demise stepped toward his throne and felt his power grow inside of him, like an oozing magic, steadily spreading through limb and bone.

“Hgh!” Link slammed into him, sending Ganondorf stumbling away from the throne, head pounding and the witches screaming their offense in the back of it all.

“Ganondorf!” The Hylian diplomat was shaking him.

Ganondorf slapped his hands away and pressed a hand to his head. He was on the ground, rolled away from the throne, but he felt a strange disorientation that wanted to suggest he was supposed to be out on a battlefield riddled with dirt and destruction.

“Move!” Link was tugging at his arm again, and behind him Ganondorf could see why as his aunts came into focus again.

They were zooming on their brooms toward them, magical power cupped in hands between them. They would drag him to that throne if he didn’t fight, just like they did all those years ago when they killed his parents and stole him away.

A new rage bubbled up inside of him. Not the baseless and foreign stuff that ate at him so recently, but something else.

These witches would hurt him, and everyone else in Hyrule if he didn’t stop them.

They pulled back to shoot their magic forward. Ganondorf grabbed the diplomat’s arm and pulled him behind the shelter of Ganondorf’s large Gerudo frame, raising his trident between him and his aunts.

The magic blasted against him, and would have bowled him over entirely if he didn’t know the small very crush-able Hylian was right behind him. As it was he set his legs and skidded over the stone, pushing Link back with him, but held his own.

“You defend the Hero of Courage?” Koume screamed.

“He would see you dead! He would chain you to a cycle of death and defeat!”

“You don’t have to be what they want you to be,” Link said softly. Just like Ralim always had.

Ganondorf steadied himself. “You don’t have the power to face them?”

Link shook his head.

“Neither do I.” It burned to admit it, but his hands felt like they were on fire where they gripped his trident, and the rest of him felt stiff as ice. “Not alone, at least.”

Link stepped up next to him, his scarf askew so that Ganondorf had to turn his gaze away. “My mirror shield can deflect their magic, but even what they send out isn’t strong enough to break their barrier.”

Ganondorf looked down at his own trident that had withheld against the power of the witches. “Then we’ll just have to give it more power.”

They didn’t have time to think on it more, because a blast of ice shot at their small huddle. Link jumped forward with his shield and deflected the thing.

Ganondorf trampled over the Hylian, knocking him to the side in his rush to swing at it, but only the tips of his trident grazed it. It sped up, but when it smashed against the barrier, the small cracks that did appear quickly vanished along with the shield.

Ganondorf rushed to help the Hylian up, even as the witches launched their next attack. Link barely reached his feet in time to deflect the blast, and even then there was no way Ganondorf could reach it to strengthen the blow without brushing him aside again.

“We need a better plan,” Ganondorf growled. “I need both hands to add power to my swing, but I can’t get around you fast enough to hit it.”

Link grimaced, an expression only half-hidden by the scarf now askew on his face, and then his eyes caught on Ganondorf’s arm. Then they widened and he raised his own castling cuff in realization and met Ganondorf’s eyes.

Oh dear. Our fate depends on our ability to coordinate our finicky cuffs?

“Let’s just give it a shot,” Link said, seeming to read Ganondorf’s mind. “The items of a temple are almost always used in the final fight!”

Ganondorf didn’t have time for more than a nod before Link was deflecting another blast, then he was slapping his cuff in attempted unison with the Hylian. They managed to swap, but Ganondrof stumbled forward a step trying to reach toward the ball of magic that was already too far for him to touch. Too slow.

Link grimaced, and they exchanged positions manually. “We’ll have to be a little faster this time,” he said. “Maybe we should start trying before I even deflect the magic, since it always takes us a couple tries.”

Ganondorf nodded, and they tried again. Only, they succeeded on the first try and Ganondorf took a painful ball of fire and ice intermingled right in his chest.

It bowled him backward over the Hylian. He rolled on the stones and hacked for air as his skin burned and stiffened from cold at once.

Koume and Kotake cackled–they didn’t seem very concerned they might injure their future king–and Link scrambled to his feet to deflect a blast more like a laser of the two powers intermixed.

Ganondorf coughed against the strain of the magic in his chest and he forced himself to sit up again. His vision flashed, a moment he was standing in a dark room, facing the Hero of Courage–but not the Link he knew no matter the similarities–and the Master Sword was slashing a painful arch through him.

“Ganondorf!” Link’s worried shout drew him back to himself.

Ganondorf stood, stumbled a pace, and came behind the diplomat again. “Not that soon.”

Link grunted and it sounded apologetic, even though the idea was as good as anything Ganondorf had come up with.

The next blast was deflected and in the same motion Link slapped his cuff at the same moment Ganondorf did. He almost wasn’t fast enough to swing at the ball of magic for his surprise that they actually did it.

“Hwah!” Ganondorf threw all his strength behind the swing and the ball shot away from his trident, shattering the barrier with a ring of magic and catching both witches in the midst of powering up a new attack.

They screamed as their brooms went spinning beyond the throne and into the far wall with a puff of dust and rubble.

“Yes!” Link jumped into the air and Ganondorf spun in time to clasp arms with the little Hylian before he even realized what he was doing. They both hesitated a moment, then released and Link grinned at him. “Perfect timing.”

Ganondorf found the smile unfamiliar, but he adjusted the hero’s scarf anyway, so that it covered his hate-inducing face. “Good plan.”

“Waaaaah! You can’t treat us like this!” A voice not entirely familiar to him shouted, as though Koume and Kotake were speaking at the same time in perfect unison. “We would raise you to power and the Demon King will return! If not in you, then we will find the other fragments of that power and destroy Hyrule for its rebellion!”

From the smoky ashes, a figure as big as two full-grown men stacked atop each other rose. Some unholy mix of both Ganondorf’s aunts as a single being. Twinrova.

“Get ready,” he growled to the Hylian behind him. “This battle isn’t over yet.”

Twinrova screamed as she shot out a blast of ice and Link jumped in front of Ganondorf to deflect it.

Ganondorf circled the throne, Link just behind, but Twinrova kept it between them. “I can’t get close to her.”

“Come to meet your destiny, Ganondorf,” Twinrova said, flaring her arms out to either side with the throne directly between them. “Come take your seat of power.”

Ganondorf’s triforce marking pulsed, as though responding to her words. He scowled. “I don’t need any power you would offer.”

“Aaaaaah!” Twinrova shot off a flaming blast and this time Link angled his shield just right so that it reflected back at her, knocking her out of the air with a shout.

“Quick!” Ganondorf started around the throne and was surprised when Link went the opposite way.

Twinrova rose from the ground, shaking her head, and she spotted Ganondorf and his trident. She scowled. “You would raise weapons against your aunts?”

Ganondorf reeled back to swing.

Twinrova shouted as she spun to escape the other direction, only to be met with Link and the Master Sword. She shouted as he slashed at her and fell back, only to take Ganondorf’s trident next.

“I will not let you harm this world any longer!” Ganondorf shouted. “You have no power over me, and I will see to it that your Demon King never returns!”

“You would deny your own destiny!” She shrieked as he swung again.

Ganondorf scowled at her, and found strength in that anger that was not foreign, but knew what she had done to his family and the people of Hyrule as a whole. The anger that said she would do it again without hesitation. That she planned to if she was not stopped. He raised his trident and sneered. “I choose a new destiny.”

Light flashed as Twinrova melted away, replaced by his panting aunts, brooms broken on the stones and injuries quickly releasing a dark mist into the air. Like the monsters they were, they would fade away.

Ganondorf surged forward and snatched Kotake’s tunic, drawing her up to eye-level. “How do I get rid of this curse you placed on me.”

“There is no getting rid of it,” she panted. “Demise’s hatred is born inside of you, there is only acceptance… or denial.”

Ganondorf threw her to the side and snatched up Koume instead. “What do I do to stop this rising hatred within me?”

She chuckled. “You struggle to fight the power of the Demon King when you have only half of his power. What could you ever hope to do against it all? When it is whole once more, your fate will be decided.”

“As long as Demise’s hatred roams free,” Kotake shouted, “He will return!”

Twin screams echoed through the throne chamber, and the witches disintegrated in dark smoke.

Ganondorf’s hand, clutching empty air, fell to his side as his knees buckled and he dropped to the hard stones. That’s all? All of this, and that’s all I learn?

Link walked from his view, but Ganondorf could pay him no mind as he raised his hands, calloused and trembling from the fight, to look at them. He defeated them, but still they haunted him. Still their magic ate away at his very soul. He could still feel that hatred, rising even higher than before as his magic melted beneath the strain and stress of keeping his curse in check.

I will choose a new destiny. I will make a new path for me and my people.

“We’re fine, Voice,” Link said softly across the room as stone grated against metal. “We beat them.”

Ganondorf turned to see who he was talking to, just in time to see as he lifted the boar throne in the center of the room with his power gauntlets and the magic inside screamed out as it was disconnected and toppled to the useless ground.

It would never be used against him again. For good measure, the diplomat systematically destroyed the empty husk that once held the witches’ magic.

Ganondorf sighed and pressed a hand against his chest where the bubbling hatred still fought to escape, but at least Ganondorf could still fight back. At least that was not taken from him as well. Not again.

The curse of Demise was still out there somewhere, connected to him, but not feeding this powerful wrath inside of him. Now may be my best chance, while the curse is still separate and weakened, perhaps I can destroy it forever.

Two crystal hearts appeared where the witches fell and Ganondorf hesitated, watching them. To his surprise, Link stepped up and took the magic of one without hesitation.

“They heal you and make you stronger,” the Hylian explained. “All the bosses drop them. You can have that one.”

Ganondorf stared at the magic. He’d had plenty of that. Who was to say where the thing came from, and if he didn’t know, he wouldn’t touch it. “You can have it.”

Link raised his eyebrows in surprise and watched Ganondorf as though to ask if he was sure, but at Ganondorf’s expression and nod, he shrugged and took the second heart container as well.

Then he dropped onto the floor in front of Ganondorf and let out a gusty sigh. “We did it.”

Ganondorf didn’t meet his eyes–didn’t dare with that hatred boiling ever higher–but he did smile and sheath his trident. “We did.”

Chapter Text

Time. It was always such an undefined term. Ralim stood before the curtains to Ganondorf’s rooms and held her breath, ignoring the Warriors on either side. How much time did Nabooru mean? I cannot avoid my king forever.

Time had certainly brought some clarity to her. Of course Ganondorf was angry with her, and he had reason and right to be. She could not condemn what she had done, but she could not place the actions in the loyal servant to the throne she was meant to be, either.

It was the tangled mess the Twinrova had made of it, and now she had to do her best to unwind those cords. “Ganondorf?”

He ignored her.

Ralim held back her sigh, and straightened her back. She was no coward to run. “I am coming in.” She pushed the flaps aside and entered past the Warriors.

His rooms were large and familiar. Once she had moved another bed into the chamber because the boy could not sleep alone after his captivity and there was no one left to do so for him.

Now the same floor was covered instead with a rug and empty table, large enough to entertain an intimate group. Ralim stalked through the entryway and stopped again at the curtains blocking off his bedroom. “Ganondorf?”

Again, he ignored her.

This meant he was still upset, of course. But he would be, until they spoke it through with calm heads and open minds. Until he was willing to admit how the fear the Twinrova fostered within him was guiding him to folly. If he went back there…

He can fight his destiny. I will help him do it. Ralim snapped the curtains to the side, but he was not asleep, and the balcony’s curtains were fluttering in the wind, drawing Ralim’s attention.

He wasn’t outside either. She blinked and turned, a sudden fear creeping up her throat as she searched the room, only to find his trident missing from its wall hanging as well.

Slumping against the wall, Ralim pressed her head to her hand. “He ran.” He had never run from her before. She had never trapped the boy, either.

Trapped like he had been by the Twinrova who wanted to raise him their own. Who stole away all his chance at family just to do that. She squeezed her eyes closed and pressed her head so hard against her hand it began to ache at being crushed.

Am I no better than them to you? Am I an imposter? Her eyes burned. I even stole your right to rule. Did she drive him to this? Not only to face the Twinrova, but to go alone? All her fears were coming true before her eyes, and already he must be too far for her to stop.

“Captain Ralim!” The shout from the front of the rooms pulled her from her thoughts. Something to do struck her into action like the sting of a scorpion.

Ralim blinked away the sting in her eyes and marched to the front, swiping the curtain aside so she could meet the eyes of her Warrior.

The woman saluted, snapping her spear against the ground before she reported. “The Hyrulian diplomat has disappeared. His guards never saw him leave, and he took all his weapons and items besides some personal clothing and belongings.”

Ralim stared at her. Link… ran away?

“The guards had been ordered to allow him his solitude, so they have not interrupted him—or been interrupted by him—in days, captain.”

Days. Days since she spoke in haste to Ganondorf, and days since their diplomat may have disappeared. Ralim glanced over her shoulder.

Did you really leave to that nightmare alone? All she could do was pray he had not. Pray the Hero of Courage accompanied her king to his darkest memories, and that he would bring him out still the boy she raised from the depths.

If anyone can protect my king, it is Link. If anyone can stop this curse, it is the Hero of Courage. She took a deep breath and turned to the Warrior instead. “We have other matters to deal with.”

The Warrior gave her a surprised look, but she awaited Ralim’s instruction.

Herda. She was a Warrior by three years, and that certainly wasn’t long enough to have earned the trust Ralim needed for this job, however, the two she set here to guard her king were in her circle of closest Warriors.

Ralim considered Nabooru’s suggestion before she gestured to the room behind her. The spy will be the most interested in anything related to Ganondorf. “King Ganondorf has gone missing. Spread the word and begin the formation of search parties under my order.”

Herda’s eyes shot wide, but she saluted again and ran down the hall without further questions.

The guards on either side of the door stiffened with horror and self-deprecation. Ralim turned on them next. “Do not place blame on your own shoulders. He has gone as he wished and we will do what we must to make certain the palace is safe for him when he returns.”

The women exchanged glances. “Safe, captain?”

Ralim gave a sharp nod. “Lord Ganondorf believes there to be a traitor in the palace. This is likely why he did not bring you along as protection on his way.” That and my own folly. “I want you to watch as word spreads of his disappearance, and I want you to find the woman who betrays us. Only trust those you know you can, and do not spare your eyes on any.”

The Warriors stared at her as they tried to comprehend her order, but steadily anger burned into their gazes and they both saluted. “No traitor will get past our watches, captain.”

“We will find the one who would harm our king.” And they marched away down the hall.

They certainly connected the traitor with Ganondorf’s disappearance fast. An uneasy pride settled on her. Certainty that she had chosen rightly, but also… Don't look too closely. Don’t air out all of our king’s secrets for your search. Some things did not need shared.

Ganondorf and Link—if they truly were together—were likely already beyond the Sea of Sand. In which case, following them would simply be a matter of picking up the pieces of whatever happened.

But there was no way Ralim could stay here. She growled at herself as she hurried through the halls and began her mental list of what—and who—she would bring.

She had made her share of mistakes, but whatever came, she would not leave that boy on his own. That had never been one of them.

Sleeping. They said he was just sleeping. Zelda watched the clerk across from her give his report on the monster eradication project her father had been heading. She’d never been told of that, though she supposed she did only just return.

Apparently, monster activity had increased tenfold while she was away, now it was dying down with their efforts just as suddenly.

There is no harm in the sleep. He only will not wake up. Something unnameable churned in her stomach, but Zelda forced herself to pay attention to the report and nod her thanks when the man was finished. “You have done well. See to the continuation of the project until Hyrule is safe once more.”

The clerk, who had looked at her dubiously upon entering, now seemed gratified and awed as he bowed and made his exit.

Zelda sank back into her father's chair—the same chair he sat in when her magic had done this to him—and let out a long breath. She could not allow herself to get lost in the same minutiae that her father served. What was important was what she would face, and the most important thing of all, according to her visions…

The door opened and a servant bowed in. “Commander Daken is here, your highness.”

Someday that would be majesty, and when it was, she would be certain no Gerudo threat would ruin her reign and her kingdom. “Send him in.”

The servant bowed and opened the door fully, allowing the commander of Hyrule’s army entry. The man was tall and broad. Scars marred his face, one sealing an eye shut and another twisting his lips in a permanent frown. He stopped before the desk and saluted. “How fares the king, highness?”

Zelda seethed. Might as well call her a girl playing house to her face. She forced her hands not to tighten over her skirts and kept her diplomatic calm over her expression. “Not well, I’m afraid. He still hasn’t woken from the poison. The physicians say he is stable, however, so there is hope.”

He nodded, then glanced at the room around them, then at the king’s desk. “I see you have been busy upkeeping his duties. A monumental task.”

It is not too much for me, you condescending nuisance. Zelda smiled past the rage burning up inside her. “Indeed. I hoped you could help me with a small matter.” She gestured to the chair across from her, and the commander did not hesitate to take his seat as he might have in the presence of his king. “I’ve been going over some numbers, and I find the soldiers placed on the boarder of the Gerudo Desert to be lacking for the amount of tension between our peoples.”

Commander Daken nodded, taking the paper she slid across the desk and examining it. “With the Beast in the desert, there has been very little chance for hostility beyond borders. The king relocated many of our defenses to the strike forces against the rising monster population instead.”

“But the Beast is gone.”

Daken hesitated. He blinked at the page, then a thoughtful look crossed his face as he set it back on the desk again. “So it is.” He spoke slowly, as though giving an answer memorized. “I understand that the king did not want to send the soldiers back to the border while trying to negotiate peace.”

Zelda smiled. The commander did not agree with her father’s decision either. She took the page and peered at it herself, even if she already had the numbers memorized. “I suppose there is some merit in the thought, however… the monster threat is nearly eradicated, and the Gerudo threat is only beginning to move again.” She placed the page to the side and looked to Daken. “Would you write up a solution to the issue, so we can defend Hyrule from possible invasion with a reasonable number of troops?”

Daken blinked in surprise, but he stood and saluted. “Of course, your highness. Though, I must say I do not know that your father would be pleased when he wakes.”

Zelda smoothed the paper on her desk and ignored the anger at his words. She ruled here. She would save their kingdom and only then would her father return. Only then. “If my father wakes, he will be gratified that we found yet another blind spot he missed. Before his poisoning, he spoke to me often of all the tasks he feared he could not reach but they clouded his mind with worry.”

Daken didn’t dig at her bluff, he seemed too eager to argue. He saluted again, then left her alone in her father’s study.

Zelda blew out a breath and pressed a hand to her head. Until she wore the crown, the respect paid her would only be little better than that due a steward sitting on her father’s throne. But she could not crown herself queen simply while her father slept.

Zelda stood and waved off the servant who stepped in to ask if she needed anything. She stepped from the room and hardly noticed as Rift—clean and groomed—fell into step behind her.

Her path was clear and she stopped for nothing on the way until she reached the doors. Even now he tries to block my path. Even now, people would choose to listen to him over me, because they do not know when he will wake.

Given time, perhaps they would come around, only, even she did not know how long she had until the magic wore off. What could she accomplish in such a rush? What could she do that her father would not simply undo when he came to?

“And send you to judgement on top of that.”

She shivered. Perhaps she could play it off. She could explain it away as an accident, since it really was, but what of her lies since? He wouldn’t expect her to admit to it in his absence, would he?

The door came open easily and Zelda ignored the two guards on the outside. Rift followed her in, but she hardly noticed. Her hesitation would easily be taken for sadness, though she found she felt little at her father’s absence. There was too much anger going through all his policies and half-baked decisions to allow any real regret for the accident. It was almost providential. Perhaps it was a blessing on her rise to power.

The room was lit by the open window near the bed, to give him fresh air, and a few herbal candles burning near him, meant to stimulate his mind into awareness.

Of course, the doctors said they were dealing with a type of poison they never had before, so after they examined him and found him stable, they simply made him comfortable and watched for results.

Zelda dismissed the nurses in the room tending to meaningless tasks and waiting. Once they were gone, she lowered herself to a chair beside her father’s bedside and gently took one of his hands.

It was the sort of display that would appease any doubts of her care, as she closed her eyes and felt about with her magic.

It returned after that initial explosion. She couldn’t say how or why, but it was back and stronger than ever now.

Father’s magic was a deep red, and it was small. Zelda prodded it, and the dormant thing only indented at her magical touch.

Father stirred.

Zelda snapped away in surprise, but the king’s eyes were already fluttering, as though he were in a dream and nearly going to wake up. A quiet gasp behind her filtered into her consciousness and three things became clear at once.

Father was going to wake up.

There would be a witness here other than herself to testify to it.

Zelda could not allow that to happen.

“Leave us,” she snapped.

Rift jerked at the sudden address, and hesitated as he’d been growing too comfortable with doing.

Zelda spun on him and scowled. “Get out now, Rift. I want time with my father and your presence is a distraction at best. Now leave.”

He flinched. Then he bowed and hurried toward the door, though he didn’t seem able to keep himself from glancing back at her again, but one look at her angry impatience and he retreated at last.

Zelda turned her glare on her father then. Anger burning inside her as she took his hand once more. Couldn’t you just stay asleep? I’m not finished. No one could know, but if he woke now he would undo all the precautions she’d already taken. He would strip Hyrule’s defenses and leave them an open target to their enemies.

Zelda’s grip tightened and a pink glow started up around her. She would not allow that. Clinging to that burning anger that fed her magic, she shoved it all out toward her father as she had done in his office.

And just as before, Father’s body jerked with a satisfying flick of surprise, then stilled entirely as her magic filtered into him and found its place.

It took more this time. Drawing and drawing, and soon she found herself sitting in the chair, the room a simple blur around her as she fed the dark pit. He could not wake. He could not wake. He could not-

-wake…

Blackness surrounded her. Zelda was in her dreams again, the transference so seamless she was still sitting as though holding her father’s hand. Her magic writhed all around her in the darkness, still in use.

She was still pouring it in, then. She shook herself and rose in the blackness highlighted with glittering pink.

At last. Now that her magic was returned, she’d been hoping for another chance to face the king of the Gerudo. Pink pulsed around her with power and she had the high ground.

“Welcome back,” the red eyes murmured, and she spun to face them, heart still racing despite her newfound power. “You’ve untied your magic.”

“You were a fool to bring me here.” She lifted her hands and pink called to her as easily as lifting her little finger. “You have no power here now.”

The eyes chuckled, a dark hand reaching out and twanging one of the pink streams like a stringed instrument. “So it would seem. Unfortunate, really. I had hoped you’d give yourself to me given enough time. I have more power than you can imagine.”

Zelda scoffed. “I would never join forces with the likes of you. I will destroy you and all else who threaten my people. I will not rest until Hyrule lives in an age of peace and prosperity.” She lifted her magic and shot a blast at the monster.

It wasn’t her strongest and the red eyes easily dodged to the side, the magic arcing back into a stream behind him and not moving from where she left it. “Ah, you paint the darkness with the stuff. You use it to your advantage, but do you know where this new power comes from?”

Zelda shot at him again, and again she missed, her light spinning around behind him and intermingling with her first shot.

“You are a child coloring in the dark,” the eyes laughed. “But you do not know from whence came your paints.”

“I will cast you down here, and once that is done, I will find you Ganondorf!” She shot and missed twice more. “You cannot stop me now. You cannot stand against me. I will destroy you and this endless cycle!”

Another shot, and this one hit dead center.

Zelda’s eyes bulged as the magic broke apart around the shadowed form of a man, and then wove together again behind him.

The eyes laughed. “You cannot hurt me here. You have no power at all here.” They moved toward her, and laughed at the way she scrambled back a pace to avoid those eyes.

No, no. Zelda threw more and more magic at the thing, but even when she hit, the strands would latch to him but do nothing to harm. She scrambled back away from him, but every blast of magic did nothing.

She tugged at her pink, but found it caught. She stared at all the strands clinging to various places on the dark silhouette and her voice left her.

Even her magic had a limit, and most of it was stuck to that thing.

The eyes lunged at her.

Zelda screamed and fell away, toppling into a corner and covering her head. But no blows fell on her. Nothing happened. She dared to look up, peering from beneath her arms.

“You’ve given me your hatred as a plaything,” the eyes laughed. “You’ve given me your soul as a home. You thought that you could defeat me with all your wisdom, but you, princess of Hyrule, are the one who has brought me back.”

Zelda trembled in her corner, her magic useless and tangled up with the thing. She stared in horror as those red eyes moved closer toward her. “I- I don’t understand. I refused you! I denied your power!”

“And yet you access it with every other breath, unspoken, but all the more potent for the action.” Teeth in a horrible smile glinted in the red light of those eyes. “You cannot refuse what you embrace, and I am nothing if I am not hate.”

“No. No, I had a plan. Your desert will fall. This is all a ruse, you cannot do anything to me here. This is a dream.”
The thing paused and cocked its head to the side. “A dream? Oh princess. Goddess reborn.” It chuckled. “It is true what they say: there is more hope for a fool than one who is wise in their own conceit.”

“I have the Triforce of Wisdom,” she spat past her trembles. “That is no conceit.”

The thing was before her now, towering over her, some strange mixture of black darkness that felt of hate, and the twisting writhing of her own failing magic. “There you are wrong again,” it said as the eyes dropped lower and the thing crouched before her.

Zelda flinched as a big hand touched her arm, then slid down to engulf her marked hand. Pain shot through that touch. Pain and hatred, and her magic snapped around him, around her. Tied in impossible knots she hadn’t even seen she’d been creating until the moment they tightened, and chained her inexplicably to this monster.

The hatred laughed with the eyes, with the darkness. His grip tightened painfully around her fingers and the golden glow emanating from her blessing from the goddesses. “You do not have the Triforce of Wisdom.”

And something tore in her. Zelda screamed.

The eyes didn’t seem to notice as they pulled her hand ever closer to that hate filled darkness until she was nose to nose with the red eyes and the grinning teeth. “I do.”

Chapter Text

“So do you see any way up there?” His neck craned back, Link peered up at the new opening above them.

Ganondorf grunted where he stood, arms crossed, also looking at the only new opening in the room since they defeated the witches.

“I don’t have any items that could close that distance.” Link hummed. “I don’t think you could throw me that far, either.” He definitely wasn’t willing to try that, at least.

A quiet bump against a bottle drew his attention down to the anti-fairy, bumping sleepily against the confines of the glass.

Link lifted her, then looked up at the opening again before turning to Ganondorf. “Should we release her now? Will she be able to make it back to her fountain?”

Gandondorf’s face scrunched up, he’d been irritable since their battle, but all he said was, “in her state I don’t know if she could find the way herself.”

Link frowned, but the fairy wasn’t even looking toward the opening. She still had her sights firmly set on Ganondorf. He was probably right.

The Gerudo king growled and averted his gaze from Link. Instead, he started digging through his bag.

His irritation had only been getting worse the longer they were trapped here and it was making Link nervous.

Ganondorf pulled out a green potion and uncorked it, but before he raised it to his lips, the anti-fairy in the bottle vibrated the glass more noticeably with her frantic banging.

Link and Ganondorf both looked down at her hungry face, set directly at the green potion. They blinked.

“Can fairies take potion?” Link mused.

“I don’t know.” Ganondorf stepped closer, but hesitated, glancing in his bag. “This is my last one.”

Oh. Link cringed. It was use up his greens and hope he didn’t murder Link, or leave this fairy possibly trapped with them down here and unable to return home.

Link knew what he would choose, but it wasn’t his potion to give.

Ganondorf stepped closer and held out the green, before gesturing for Link to uncork the anti-fairy’s bottle. “We’re trapped right now anyway. The least we can do is get her out of here.”

The fairy rose on quick beating wings and dropped to the side of the green potion. She stuffed her whole head instead and steadily the magical brew began to sink, and she followed hungrily after it.

It wasn’t long at all before she was gasping at the bottom of the second bottle, licking drips of green off the sides of the container.

Her sickly reverse-glow faded, and now she let off a soft yellow light that matched her sunflower skirts.

She stood, and Ganondorf bowed his head to her. She actually seemed to see him this time, examining him before she flew out of the bottle to face him head-on. “You are low on magic,” she said in a trilling high voice. “Yet you gave it to me?”

“You will make more lasting use of it than I.”

“Something eats away at what is yours,” she said softly, swirling around him and trailing a path of sparkling dust. “This dark magic that you hold back takes every speck you can afford to hold at bay.”

Ganondorf cringed.

“I see you are in pain.” She said at last, as she quit circling him. “Thank you for saving me.” She flew forward and placed a gentle peck on his cheek, and light sparkled off the touch.

Ganondorf flinched and his eyes widened. The fairy flew back and grinned as he flexed his hands and then pressed one against his chest. “How…?”

“Fairy magic is some of the most powerful of all,” she said triumphantly. “But I can’t heal everything. You should come to my mother. She is very powerful.”

Ganondorf was still in some sort of shock, so Link stepped forward. If this fairy’s magic actually helped him, a Great Fairy may be exactly what they needed. “Could you tell us where to find her?”

The fairy gazed at him and her expression grew sad as she saw the bite marks on his hand. “Oh. I’m sorry for that,” she wilted as she spoke, drooping in the air like a failing soap bubble.

Link shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It didn’t hurt that bad.”

She nodded, though she didn’t rise again until her glow brightened and she grinned. “I know! I’ll lead you there! Mother will be happy to help!” Then she zipped through the air without seeming to realize they couldn’t follow until she was already out the hole above them and looking down. “Are you coming?”

“We can’t fly…”

“Oh.” She landed on the lip of the hole and considered them. “That’s inconvenient.” She turned in a slow circling as she hummed thoughtfully. Then she broke into the air in excitement. “Oh! But someone’s coming! And she has a rope!”

Link and Ganondorf both looked at each other with wide eyes. That was not likely a good thing. “Get back down here,” Ganondorf called up. “She may not be a friend.”

The fairy’s eyes blew wide, but she did as she was told, flittering down to land on his shoulder and peer back up at the opening. “I was trapped here by unfriendly people. I never want that to happen again.”

“You can go if you like,” Ganondorf said softly. “I know you’ve been struggling for a long time.”

“I will repay my debt,” she said adamantly.

They didn’t have time to speak more before a rope fell through the hole and coiled on the ground a few steps in front of them.

Link and Ganondorf both looked up to find a familiar Gerudo face looking back.

Nabooru, Ralim’s spy in the Twinrova’s hideout, leaned over the edge and watched them. “Well, come up. I will not come down.”

“Na-Nabooru?”

Link looked at Ganondorf. The man had stumbled back a pace and now was staring at the woman as though he was seeing a ghost.

“What are you doing here?”

“Come up, we will talk then.” Her head disappeared over the ledge. Though she didn’t sound angry, she didn’t sound particularly happy, either.

Ganondorf rubbed his hands together, then looked at Link and gave what was probably meant to look a smile but looked more a cringe before gesturing for Link to go first.

Climbing the rope hand over hand was difficult and by the time Link was on the roof he was panting with arms that felt like noodles.

He dropped once he was behind the hole and stared up at the sky. “Thanks, Nabooru.”

She just grunted and watched as the rope went taut with Ganondorf’s weight.

The scorching desert sun did little to ease his burning face, but at least there was a breeze up here. Link breathed deeply, then sat up and looked around. From the top, the hideout looked expansive. Many of the sections expanded straight into the dunes and disappeared from view.

“You defeated the witches?”

Link looked to her and nodded. It had been an unusual fight, since he wasn’t used to having someone there with him—and especially not used to being just as concerned of getting hit by his ally as anyone—but they’d done it. The new power burning within him from the heart crystals made that sure enough.

“Thank you for helping him,” she said soft enough that Ganondorf would not be able to hear. “When I realized where he must have gone… I was concerned.”

Ganondorf crested the lip and pulled himself up with a grunt. He didn’t wait to catch his breath before looking at the woman. “What are you doing here Booru? Is Ralim here too?”

Nabooru moved so fast, Link nearly missed it as she stepped forward and slapped Ganondorf’s face.

He looked more shocked than hurt physically as he leaned back away from her and she huffed.

“You ran away without even telling me. Straight to death and danger, only weeks after we got you back. Do you know how that felt? Do you know how long we have been searching for you?”

Ganondorf rubbed his cheek and glared at her. “I’m not a child and I will not be treated as one, no matter how much older you think yourself than me now.”

“What does age have to do with anything?” She demanded. “I was terrified!”

“So you told Ralim just as I knew you would! Of course I couldn’t tell you when word would just go straight to her!”

Nabooru’s eyes flared with anger and hurt and she balled her fists at her sides. “I told no one! I deceived my captain for loyalty to my king! How dare you make me choose in uncertainty like that!? And then to blame me for sins not my own!”

She dropped to her knees to be at eye level with him and fiery eyes stared straight into his. “I have never wavered for you. When there was doubt, I worked all the harder to see you home. My loyalty has been steadfast for years of waiting for my king—my friend—to return.”

Her eyes grew misty and she averted her gaze, aggressively wrapping her arms around herself and looking for it all like a hissing cat. “And yet you doubt me.”

Ganondorf looked torn, his hand still pressed against his cheek, and Link felt as though he should be anywhere but standing awkwardly to watch.

Finally, the Gerudo man lowered his hand and scooted closer, despite Nabooru’s angry demeanor, and he wrapped his arms around her gently. “I’m sorry, Booru. I should have trusted you. It seems even years of difference cannot change everything.”

Despite Link’s assumption that she was ready to bite off the head of anyone who touched her, Nabooru melted in his embrace, pressing her face into his shoulder and hiding her expression from view. “I’m sorry I slapped you. I should not have.”

“It is forgiven,” Ganondorf said softly.

The hug wasn’t long. It was just a moment before Nabooru pulled away again, wiping at her eyes, and bowing at the waist. “Ralim will learn of your absence sooner or later, my king.”

Ganondorf cringed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked out at the horizon. “I suppose I knew she’d have to. She had no right to lock me away like that.”

“She feared for your safety,” Nabooru said slowly. “As I am sure she will again when she finds you missing. You have defeated the witches. Won’t you return home?”

Ganondorf hesitated, but then shook his head, glancing at Link, then at the fairy who at some point had flitted off his shoulder and was buzzing through the air. “We’ve found a lead against this curse. I need to carry it through first.”

Nabooru’s lips twitched in a bit of a smile and the formality sank away again. “I’m glad to see you taking charge of your destiny, Gan.”

He snorted and gave her a playful push. “I’ve learned by now that if I don’t, you and Ralim will.”

She laughed and gave him a push back that didn’t even move him. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her while she was close and planted a kiss in her hair.

“I understand that you will want to report back to the captain on what you have seen today. You may do so with no fear of betraying my trust.”

“Then I will,” she straightened and seemed to notice Link standing there for the first time since they started talking by the way she raised her chin and color filled her cheeks. “But first I must guide you both out of danger here.”

Link was glad they got their touching reunion. He was more glad that awkwardly standing by while it happened was finally over.

But as they all stood and Nabooru took the lead, Link felt a warmth in his chest that didn’t come from the sun.

Voice’s warnings clashed with his own observations and he wasn’t sure what to think. Only, he knew that he was glad he had chosen to help the Gerudo king, and he thought maybe he was beginning to see the side of him that Ralim had told him about.

Chapter Text

“Take care.” Nabooru bowed at the waist to her king, then turned her gaze toward Link and pressed a thumb to her chin. “Keep him safe.”

Link returned the gesture and she turned. The morning sun painted the desert red to match her hair as Nabooru left them behind to find her captain.

He and Ganondorf stood for a long moment in silence, watching her form climb the closest dune. Link stepped away to gather his things, but Ganondorf did not move until after she had faded from view on the other side.

“Now we can go to my mother?” The fairy, Daisy, rested on Link’s shoulder, playing with the hair hanging over his ears. “I can sense her magic near here.”

Link glanced back at Ganondorf who was finally gathering his own things. “I think we can.” Just wait a little longer, Voice. Rift…

Ganondorf hiked his now-light bag onto his shoulder and looked expectantly to their fairy guide. She hopped off Link’s shoulder and shot through the air at such a pace they had to hurry to keep up.

Over the dunes, with Ganondorf struggling in the sand, and Link taking multiple steps just to match one of his, they traveled for what felt a boring eternity. Nothing happened and no one spoke as they worked their way away from the center of the desert and back toward Hyrule.

The change was steady but sure. More and more plants appeared the further they got, until they were walking in moist grass beneath a canopy of green leaves and it seemed as though nothing had changed until Link actually took a moment to look around.

The grass left footprints behind because of what must have been a recent rain and the distant dropping of water off hanging leaves echoed through the other noises of life in the woods.

Ganondorf was staring around in wonder at everything they passed before he slowed to a halt. “We’ve crossed the border?”

Daisy flitted to a stop ahead of them and landed on a tree branch to look back at them. “What border?”

“Yeah, we’re in Hyrule now,” Link answered for her.

Ganondorf’s shoulders tensed at the confirmation and he glanced around them. “How much farther until we reach your mother’s Fountain?”

Daisy tapped a tiny finger to her chin, almost impossible to see past her yellow glow, and bobbed on the branch. “Not far!”—she’d been saying the same since they started out from the desert.

Ganondorf scowled as if she’d said the exact opposite.

Link stepped forward to cross the distance and looked up at the tall Gerudo. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t like being outside my land.”

“This area is hardly populated,” Link assured. “We can probably get in and out again without ever being seen as small a group as we are.”

Ganondorf cringed and looked back toward Daisy. “That all depends on it actually being not far that we have to go.”

Link conceded, but the group started moving again from there despite the Gerudo king’s worries. The forest grew more and more familiar to Link and he breathed the scented air of leaves and herbs and felt at home here after so long in the intense heat and sands of the desert. He felt free and alive and in place once more, though Ganondorf and his attire started to stick out like a sore thumb.

Unfortunately, Ganondorf’s clothes weren’t the only problem. The humidity of the dewey forest was steadily misting their clothes with a soft layer of wet, which, in Link’s case was growing more and more uncomfortable, considering the scarf covering both his nose and mouth.

Breathing was getting more difficult by the second, and even taking breaks to turn away from the group and lower the scarf was proving ineffective with how much he already had to struggle to keep up with the other two–especially now that Ganondorf wasn’t slowed by the shifting sand.

“You are stopping more often,” Ganondorf said as Link leaned against his knees on the side of their path and gasped in unhindered breaths with his back turned toward them. “Are you well?”

“Fine,” Link grunted, pulling the scarf up again and turning back to look at them. He gestured to the fabric water-logging him. “Just drowning.” And there isn’t even enough water for that to even be a real danger!

Ganondorf furrowed his brow and concern flashed across his face. “Perhaps we should slow. I did not mean to push you.”

Link was about to wave the concern away, but then Daisy screeched ahead of them and zipped out of view. They were both on high alert immediately, weapons drawn as they shoved their way through the undergrowth and out to a clearing on the other side.

In the middle of the clearing, a large outcropping of stone seemed to come up out of nowhere. Daisy’s light was sitting at the foot of what looked a rock-slide and she was… crying.

“Daisy?” Ganondorf hurried toward her. “Are you well?”

Link sent another glance around the area, but finding no danger he sheathed his sword and followed to see what was wrong.

“Mother!” Daisy was slapping her tiny hands against the rocks and her bell-like voice was rising in pitch with each shout. “Mother! Mother!”

Oh. Link looked closer at the rockslide, clearly separate from the rest of the structure. Perhaps there used to be an opening that was now covered. “Is this your Fairy Fountain, Daisy?”

She nodded disconsolately and wiped at her eyes with her arm. “M-mother is inside. I can feel her.”

“She’s still alive?” Ganondorf was poking at the rocks, moving some of the smaller ones to the side, but it only called more showering down.

“Yes. I can feel her magic,” Daisy sniffed. “Just beyond reach. And after we came all this way!”

Ganondorf twisted his lips to the side and looked as though he was sizing up the barrier.

Link cast his gaze up toward the sky, where the sun was falling beneath the tips of the trees, and sighed. “I think we’ll be able to open the way easily enough with an item I’ve seen before,” he said slowly. “But it will cost a little detour. It shouldn’t be far, though.”

“Really!?” Daisy shot into the air, her glow brightening immediately and lighting the clearing as though it had its own star.

“What sort of item?”

Link adjusted the soggy scarf around his face and smiled. It’d been a while since he’d visited his favorite adventure merchant. “A bomb.”

“There! Captain!”

Ralim dashed over the dunes, her Warriors fanning out behind her at her unspoken command to surround the woman dressed in white.

This is not what I came out here for. Despite that, Ralim couldn’t leave the Thief be. She was clearly leaving from the city’s direction and moving toward the Sea of Sand. If they let her escape, they would lose all chance of catching the spy in the castle.

He was right, there really was someone he shouldn’t trust. The thought niggled at her doubts. Ganondorf didn’t trust her now, either. Was that right as well? Was she the one in the wrong here?

The Thief was surrounded and Ralim raised her spear and drew close. “Name yourself, traitor.”

The woman in white sneered at her past the coverings over her face. “Never.”

Ralim stepped forward, not fearing the weapons the Thief had already discarded, and tore off the veil covering the other woman’s face.

She blinked. “Asosa?”

Asosa, one of Ralim’s very own Warriors, scowled at her but made not move to attack, surrounded as she was. “The Twinrova will see all of you and your pathetic nation destroyed. In its place will be a world all the better for the Gerudo.”

“You’re the one who’s been trying to hunt down the Hylian hero,” Ralim said slowly as the pieces clicked into place. The familiar voice when she’d seen the woman. The familiar fighting style. Of course the woman had been one of her very own. Of course that would be the perfect way to learn where she and Link were heading next to intercept and try to kill the boy.

Ralim leveled a hard glare on her. “You dishonor us all with you lies and disloyalty. We shall bring you to Gerudo City to face lawful judgment.”

Asosa spit at her feet but said no more. She knew already what that judgment would but, but she also knew her chances were no greater trying to escape while surrounded by Warriors.

“Bind her,” Ralim said, turning away. “And keep close watch so we do not lose her on the way.”

We haven’t found Ganondorf yet. She clenched her fists at the thought as she crossed back over the dunes toward their camp. We can’t just go back now, can we? But I have a duty to our people as well. I can’t let this pass.

She scowled at the conundrum and worse that she knew already what she must choose. Her king had help in the form of Link, the Hero of Courage, and Nabooru, someone who knew the Twinrova’s hideout intimately. She could do nothing now but her own duty, as she always had to put the people first when she ruled in the stead of her royals. It was the oath she took and she would not spurn it now.

Once she was safely assured at least that Asosa was secure and on her way to the city, then she could turn toward the Sea of Sand again. But she still had no sure way to cross, and it seemed fate was trying to pull her a different way, with all its tugs on her time slowing her until she may be no help to her king at all.

“Captain! Captain!” The scout crested the ridge with hysterical shouts, coming from the opposite direction of Ralim’s returning group. “Captain, a report!”

And clearly an urgent one. Ralim waved her over, a little away from the other Warriors, and shoved down the fear in her stomach that told her Ganondorf had fallen to the magic of the witches. That the Dark Beast was returned and the Hero dead so they had not chance to face him this time.

“The Hylians,” the scout gasped out, catching her breath as she spoke. “They gather—they are gathering on—the edge of the border.”

Ralim’s eyes blew wide. A fear she had entertained but never dared to think real. Can they possibly know of their diplomat’s disappearance? Can they possible know of Ganondorf’s attack?

“Soldiers with weapons are gathering. They have not dared step toe over the line, but more and more come each day, captain.”

Ralim’s mouth went dry. The word was unspoken but on the lips of everyone. War. She tightened her grip on her spear and set her gaze on the scout. “Call for aid from the outlying camps to bolster our forces at the border. I will return to the city and send out the call for the Warriors. We will not be caught unaware.”

“Yes, captain!” Just having something to do seemed to soothe the scout and she turned to dart back over the dunes again without even taking a break.

Ralim ran her fingers over the grain of her spear and considered her options. War. Had the negotiations only been a ploy? Was this Hyrule’s plan all along? Or was there something she was missing? We will not be taken unaware, she reminded herself. But we will not escalate the situation, either.

She called for a messenger, who rushed over. She would have to send word to the border and hope that command there could work things out. Perhaps it wasn’t what it seemed. Perhaps there was an explanation. At the least, her people would be ready to hear it if so.

Otherwise… it would mean war.

Chapter Text

He had been about to wake up. Rift’s insides were a turmoil as he followed the princess away from the king’s sickroom and back into the palace. Just the effort not to turn his head and glance back was difficult.

The king had been tossing and turning before Zelda sent him out, but now she didn’t mention any change in her father’s state. What happened?

Her sharp words from before came out of nowhere, with an intense anger for him to leave after the king started to stir. But Zelda couldn’t be hurting the king. Rift had heard the way she spoke of him on their adventure. He’d seen the love she’d shared, even if there was frustration and anger mixed in. She wouldn’t poison her own father.

And yet, when she walked out of that room, she wore a wide, uncustomary, triumphant smile. And now as she marched down the halls back toward the throne room, her steps didn’t glide but stomped. Her pace wasn’t slow but he had to lengthen his stride to keep up.

It was as though all her elegance had been eaten up at once by her fierce determination, and something felt wrong. These last few days in the castle, it had only been getting worse. He remembered from three years ago. It may have felt like a lifetime, but he didn’t think the castle would change her so much from what the castle turned her into in the first place. Not this fast.

She threw the doors open to the throne room with her own hands and marched in as though a general to battle. Rift hesitated at the door, unsure where he should stand as she strutted up the steps and lowered herself into the big chair, fingering the armrests on either side.

Rift stared up at her dully, suddenly struck with an intense deja vu. Here he stood at the foot of the throne, and there sat the princess just as the first time he saw her. The only difference was that she was older now, more fully grown. And he was changed. Not the same hapless boy he’d been three years ago. Or maybe his luck was the same and only his age had changed.

“Why are you standing there?” Zelda demanded in a voice that bounced and boomed through the throne room. She’d never spoken loud enough for that before. “Stand at my left hand, boy. Loyalty should always be rewarded.”