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Open your eyes.
The light called to him and a voice echoed in Link's ears. They twitched and oh, a body sensation, so very different than the endless floating from before.
Link curled tighter in a ball, then froze.
Wake up, Link!
Link's eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply, only to lurch upright to expel the sudden water that ran down his throat and lungs. Squinting past his watering eyes and shuddering limbs, Link looked around, trying to find something, anything that would tell him what was going on.
Nothing, his mind reflected back at him. The room was utterly unfamiliar, from the bed of water he lay in to the strange markings on the wall. Over there, something stood out with a glow, and Link shifted, attempting to stand. Something brushed his thigh, and he froze.
They were almost invisible in the water, so it was no wonder Link hadn't noticed them immediately. Small, round, and glowing with a light of their own, Link felt one cautiously. It gave with the slightest squishy sensation, but otherwise stayed in tact.
Link was... sharing a bed with eggs?
There was the slightest murmur in his head, not truly a memory, just what seemed like an echo.
"Link... I know they will be in danger... but can you take care of something for me? There is a feeling in my heart, that you will keep these safer than any Divine Beast. And, if I were to fall..."
And gone.
Frowning down at the eggs, Link surmised that they were the 'something' he was supposed to care for.
Certainly he must have agreed, if he was sleeping with them!
More carefully now, Link edged out of the pool and stood. He observed them with a critical eye.
There were three of them sitting gently in the pool. Looking around him, Link was at a loss of what to do with them.
He couldn't just stay here with them, could he? This chamber was so odd, and he would have to eat eventually. But there wasn't exactly a way he could carry them around, either... and just the very thought evoked a feeling of wrong. Certain conditions! a voice squawked in Link's head, floating away before Link could grasp it further.
The slightest hum behind him reminded Link of that glowing pedestal. Turning from the eggs he looked at it, and it responded to his approach, lighting up and offering something to him.
That is a Sheikah Slate. The voice in his head informed him. The actual voice, the one that awoke him that is, not the fragments of others in memories. It will guide you after your long slumber.
Link didn't know about slumber, but something to guide him? He picked it up, and thought about it, prodded at where he thought he might be hearing things. Guide him for the eggs? Or something else? The voice didn't answer.
Things didn't get any clearer from then on.
The man - king - Rhoam, didn't have the answers Link wanted.
ºThe *eggs*!º Link signed again with emphasis, frustrated.
As a King who was supposedly waiting for him to wake up, he was far more concerned with his former kingdom than any concern Link had. Apparently, this Impa knew more, could tell Link whatever he wanted about what happened 100 years ago.
In the end, Link rolled his eyes and snatched the glider, before turning back and jumping. He would only have to hope he could close off that chamber, that his eggs would be safe while he was away.
Impa didn't know what he was speaking of.
"I was not the one who placed you within the Shrine of Resurrection. However, head to Hateno and repair your Sheikah Slate. Should you capture a picture of them, I will know what you speak of." Impa offered.
Link pursed his lips together. Impa was a little odd. Her way of prioritizing that he should focus on remembering who he had been before was rather the opposite of what the King had wished.
The Divine Beasts were important, saving Hyrule was important. But Link agreed with Impa, if only because at the very fringes of his memory, he could remember the eggs.
Link headed for Hateno.
"*SNAP!*" Purah exclaimed gleefully just as the Sheikah tear landed on his slate.
"This update will do so many things! I've restored the camera, that's important. Upgraded the sensor... you can change what it senses now. Ooooh! The teleport function is working! Symin! Symin! Linky can teleport!" Purah danced in place, the very essence of a bubbly little girl.
ºTeleport?º Link signed with a confused expression.
"You'll be able to instantly travel." Symin explained sedately.
"Just with places you've registered in the slate." Purah explained. "The towers, for example, or the ancient shrines. We actually have a spot ourselves! Here! Try it!" She put it in his hands insistently.
Looking down, Link saw that the map was showing the area right around the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, with a glowing blue icon on it. With a shrug, Link poked it.
After the worst pins-and-needles sensation Link had ever experienced, he found himself facing the front door. From the outside.
The door opened and Purah beamed at him. "Three hundred and Thirty-Three seconds exactly!" The little Sheikah made grabby motions with her hands. "Lemme see, Lemme see!"
Link stifled a smile, and handed it over to her. She looked it over with roving eyes, and then looked up to Link. "Again! I want to test something."
So Link took a few steps away, and once again felt like his skin cucco-bumped and floated away.
The second he reappeared, Purah snatched the slate from Link's hands and ran back inside to her terminal.
Link caught a few muttered words, limits, shrines, and reset, but the girl didn't stop to explain herself.
Symin did.
"It's not all-powerful." He explained as he led Link back inside and handed him a cup of tea. "Purah noticed an indicator change when you teleported, and she thinks that you can only use the function a certain number of times."
Purah nodded rapidly but spoke in a distracted tone. "I think you can add a teleport for every time you enter a shrine and receive a blessing. What did Impa call them? Spiritual stones?"
ºOrb.º Link signed out. Purah wasn't looking at him.
"I'm going to try and upgrade it again and see if that halts the countdown." Purah informed the room, and without further ado, placed the slate on the pedestal.
Link watched detachedly as the tear drop fell and took a sip of his tea. He choked at the flavor and started sputtering. How bitter!
His eyes were still screwed shut and watering when the cup left his hands and the slate was put in it. "Go on! Try again!" Squinting, Link looked blearily at the slate until he caught sight of the glowing blue. He poked it.
Except apparently he poked wrong, as Link looked around and saw himself looking around from the top of one of the Towers. Link shivered a bit from the cold, and made sure to select the correct spot on the map this time.
"Where did you go!" Purah demanded with shiny eyes and a grin.
ºHateno Tower.º Link signed, and then handed her the slate.
Purah looked it over and hummed thoughtfully, then made a moue of disappointment. "Still limited." She pouted.
Link peered down at the slate over her white head. 1 was written in one of the corners. Link experienced a twinge of dismay. Four teleports, five total... and he'd only done that shrine in Kakariko at Impa's insistence...
Purah handed off the slate with a promise to look into how to restore it fully. Link nodded distractedly and flipped through the various parts of the slate.
With Purah's voice chattering excitedly over him, Link rapidly figured out the mechanic and paused to look through the images left behind. Link wondered if he'd visited these places, as well.
Nothing. They were all scenery, and while his head itched a little bit, Link could remember nothing. And none of them felt quite like his eggs.
"Is something the matter, Link?" Symin asked him quietly as he approached, book in hand and a concerned expression on his face.
Link sighed, and clipped the slate to his belt before signing. ºWhen I woke in the Chamber of Resurrection, there were eggs with me. I have to take care of them.º
Link kept signing, explaining why he followed Impa's advice and came here first, rather than a Divine Beast.
"I see..." Symin rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. "And you were going to go take a picture of these eggs?"
"Eggs?" Purah piped up curiously. "What eggs? Bird eggs?"
"There were eggs within the Resurrection Chamber, and Link wishes to find out more about them." Symin explained.
"Oh! Maybe they were Rito eggs!" Purah exclaimed excitedly.
ºDo they keep eggs in water?º Link signed, but his question went ignored as Purah kept talking.
"You can go to Rito Village and ask them! They live in Western Hyrule, opposite of Hateno. Here," Purah jumped up and pulled the Sheikah Slate free from Link's belt, and made a few touches to it. "Tah-dah! See!" She flipped it over, showing she'd placed a multitude of stars all around the blackened area of the map.
Symin smiled at him apologetically. "If you'd like, I can still show you how to use the camera function of the Sheikah Slate. Rito Village is far enough away that a detour to the Shrine should not put you out of the way."
Link nodded gratefully, but as he went to grasp the slate he realized Purah still had it. She was humming to herself and poking at the screen relentlessly. Peering over her head again, Link realized with dread that she had absolutely covered the map with stars.
"Ah." Symin tugged the screen away from Purah. "I'm sure she didn't do that for no reason, and you'll find some things at these places."
"Exacti-mundo!" Purah cheered with a thumbs up. "You go get 'em, Linky!"
Gazing at his map with dismay, Link wondered if it would be too late to ask her to change the directions so he could find *just* Rito Village.
Shuddering from the pins and needles sensation of teleportation, Link took a minute to gain his bearings before heading further into the shrine.
They were just where he left them, the eggs. If they had moved at all, Link couldn't tell, but somehow he doubted it.
Link dipped his hand in the water and sent little swirls in and around the eggs. Buoyed, they bounced a little, but otherwise didn't react.
One hundred years... that's how long they said that he was asleep in this chamber. Link wondered if the eggs were just as old, and if so, why they hadn't hatched.
The same reason he hadn't aged, Link surmised.
Link should be as old as Impa. Yet here he stood, as blank as a newborn. Well, Link amended, looking down at his eggs, Link had opinions that unformed younglings were incapable of.
Link swirled the water around their squishy but firm casings for a few more minutes, before taking out his Sheikah Slate. After a few seconds fumbling, he zoomed in on the little beings. *Snap* Link mouthed with a rueful smile.
Link should have asked for better directions after all.
By the time Link realized that the desert was the wrong direction, it was too late. He could not just allow the giant mechanical monster to trample on the oasis, on the city in the distance.
He didn't think it would end with him dressing in feminine silks, nor being accused of being a thief in addition to being a liar and thrown in prison. A series of mirrors around the prison reflected the harsh sun straight into the pit, illuminating it with a brilliant glare and scorching Link's skin. Link tried his best to escape it, but it was positioned in such a way to be relentless.
The hatch above his head opened, and a figure peered down at him, hands on her hips.
"Are you ready to talk yet, voe?" Chief Riju challenged him.
Link thunked his head against the wall.
It's not like a protest could leave his lips anyway.
The Chief frowned, then turned with a toss of her hair. "Let him starve another day in our desert heat, we'll see if he talks then."
"Chief!" A voice called out, and a tall, shapely Gerudo with pink hair ran up. "We found this among his belongings!" She held out the Sheikah Slate for Riju to inspect.
Riju held it at arms length and squinted. "This is... an artifact of the Sheikah Tribe, and the Hyrulian Royal Family. What is this voe doing with it?" Clearly, a thought occurred to the Chief, because she promptly jumped down into the oubliette and held it out to Link. "Touch it!" She demanded. "I want to see if this responds to you."
The chief kept a firm grip on the handle, and Link sighed to himself. No using it to escape, then.
Carefully, he reached out and placed his thumb in the pupil of the Eye. It lit up, and opened the map.
Riju frowned at it, then him. "I don't know what a messenger of the Royal Family is doing here in the Desert." The Chief said loudly enough that it must have echoed out of the prison's walls. "But you have come at a bad time, voe. We the Gerudo have been stolen from, and our Divine Beast, Vah Naboris, is on a rampage, getting closer and closer to our walls with each passing day. We the Gerudo simply do not have the time to entertain you."
Link frowned at her. Perhaps he had come here to help his eggs, but according to the Sheikah, that slate was needed to tame the Divine Beasts. Decided, he raised his hands. ºI can help.º
Riju stared at him, uncomprehendingly.
Then she abruptly let out a sound like a kettle. "Ramulah, you have got to be kidding! You're mute!"
There was a flurry of activity after that, as Riju first tried and failed to find a translator, then stared at his handwriting with an expression of distaste and crumpled it, before deciding to simply release him. "You are to leave, voe. The offer of help is appreciated, but this theft is an internal Gerudo matter. We will solve it."
Link frowned at her. 'And the Divine Beast?' he scrawled out.
Riju stared at him with deceptively lazy, cat like eyes. "You may have that Sheikah trinket, but I do not see the sword that seals the darkness. If you are Link, awakened after all these years, then the Princess placed your sword in the Lost Woods to slumber just as you were. Retrieve your proof, and you may help us." The chief then waved her hand delicately. "Buliara, remove him from Gerudo Town, but keep his identity a secret. I wish to see him again."
An impressively tall Gerudo bowed, then grasped Link's elbow tightly. "Come."
Link hastily shrugged off the hand, scrambling quickly for the pen. In hurried writing, he scribbled down, 'Do you know the way to Rito Village?' and showed it.
"Rito?" Buliara frowned.
Riju simply looked at Link for several moments, before shrugging. "Well, if you're that determined to do something about these Divine Beasts... you'll find Rito Village to the north. Their Divine Beast is the giant bird in the sky, so you should be able to find it easily."
Link nodded in thanks, then left.
Link only had to meet the Rito to realize that following the advice of an ancient six year old was a bad idea.
There was just no way that his eggs were a product of these people.
To start, they were, well. Bird-people. It only took one glance into the well-guarded Aerie to assure him that Rito eggs were hard-shell eggs.
Link had had that thought when in Hateno and Purah mentioned the Rito, but with no voice to speak, he'd been herded out the door by an over-enthusiastic Sheikah.
And Revali!
Oh! How remembering that bird-man left a bad taste in Link's mouth.
Self-righteous and arrogant. A bullying ass with a sly eye always on Link to watch his reactions to Revali's demeaning words, ready to puff himself up in pride at a cringe.
No, Revali and the Rito did not inspire the sort of trust one needed in order to gift someone with their children.
Perhaps some of that prejudice was the culture-shock, going from the Gerudo to the Rito. To have come right from a prime example of woman's strength, to a place where the women are mere warblers... er, singers....
That woman's voice Link had heard when he awoke was wading into danger, and clearly no Rito.
Link hung his head down in defeat for a few seconds.
Why. Why were these eggs so important, Link wondered. Was it the shared century long sleep? His lost memories of their mother?
A feathery pat to his shin brought Link back to himself. He looked down.
Big blue eyes peered up at him inquisitively. "Descendant, what's wrong?"
Link's shoulders rose and fell in a helpless shrug, and he brought his hands together to sign.
The Rito fluttered nervously. "I'm sorry, Descendant. We Rito haven't a Hylain's hands... so learning how you speak is harder for us."
ºI know.º Link found himself signing with a sympathetic smile.
"Are you going to help Tulin's dad?" The Rito asked with a curious tilt of his head. "Mr. Harth got hurt real bad, and I don't want anyone hurt again."
Link felt like cooing, those little puffed cheeks were so cute. He settled for nodding firmly.
The little Rito gave him a tremulous smile. "Be careful, Descendant!"
Holding onto a Rito's talons as if they were his glider was petrifying. Everything in him told Link that this rapid, upward momentum was a bad thing.
Gliders were a steady catch that brings you to safety. Link's arm sockets jerked with each pump of Teba's wings, and all too soon they were too high for Link to make anything out.
Link developed a steady mantra. Don't look down, or you'll scream, flail and die.
It worked for the most part.
Then Teba released him and flew off, attracting Vah Medoh's canons while Link plummeted from the sky and had to aim and shoot and-
Link was queasy and stark-white when he landed on the Divine Beast, trembling from fear and, as Teba was injured, without any backup. Hearing an echo of Revali's voice was almost a relief, centering Link with each mocking word.
Revali fluttering over his shoulder was almost helpful of the bird-man. Why, with his scathing remarks about his superior archery egging Link on, it was with a sharp toothed smile on Link's face as he savagely struck arrow after arrow into the eyes of everything, from the floating blight-balls, to the corrupted mini-guardians.
Luckily, after that rough start, everything certainly seemed to be going well. Link followed Revali's whispering voice until he found a pedestal to update his Slate, and then ever so slowly figured out how to use the Vah Medoh to his advantage.
Destroy this blight and enter here. Bank this way, control your environment.
And more, with every 'manual override', as Revali put it, chattering in Link's ears, Link could feel the strangest sensation of Vah Medoh tuning in to him, to Revali, and listening to their needs.
The problem came with the last Terminal needed. Link eyed the gondola he was standing on nervously.
Bank. Revali's voice echoed slightly, and Link's fingers swiped across the map on his slate obligingly.
With a lurch, the gondola started moving as Vah Medoh turned. Slowly, at first, then gaining momentum across the underside of it's wingspan.
Link! You have to glide! Revali suddenly cried out, clearly seeing something Link could not.
The railing for the gondola was broken.
It was too late.
With a very literal sinking sensation, Link plummeted from the sky.
Frantically, Link had clung to the support beam with one arm and scrambled for his slate with the other.
The wind was loud as it rushed in Link's ears, the pressure making his eyes water dangerously. Blindly, Link jabbed his finger, anywhere, anywhere, take me here-!
Link felt relief as the skin prickling sensation started, the warp taking hold.
You have better vision in hindsight, they say.
Link learned to never warp inside a moving object in that moment.
When Link came to, it was to concerned red eyes. P..p... Link furrowed his brows and tried to remember, then hissed as a splitting pain came to his head.
Voices exclaimed over his head, and Link found himself drinking an elixer seconds later.
When the throbbing went away a bit, he tried squinting open an eye again. Those pretty red eyes came back into view, with a shock of white hair and a heart shaped face pouting down at him in concern.
Link knew her. P..pa..ii?
Suddenly, the face in front of him changed into an old hag!
Link yelped silently and scrambled back, away from the saggy face with liver spots and-
IMPA!
He prayed his thoughts weren't written on his face, because he'd never live this down. Impa's unimpressed face told Link he was an open book.
Weakly, he brought his hands together and signed, ºImpa, your granddaughter looks just like you.º
Impa eyed him for several seconds, then snorted. "We were worried that knock to your head would further hinder your mental faculties, but it appears to have jarred a few memories instead."
Link shrugged helplessly, gestured at himself and signed, ºWhat happened?º
Paya piped up from behind Impa. "We don't know, Master Link. Cado found you early yesterday morning up by the shrine above the village."
Try as he might, but Link couldn't remember what injured him, just the sound of wind and someone panicking. Link shook his head slowly.
Impa hmm'd to herself. "Short term memory loss you say, but long term seems fine, body functions working. What is the last thing you remember?"
Link thought back, skimming forward over waking up, to Impa, Hateno.... getting kicked out of the Gerudo... º...My eggs are not Rito eggs.º He told them.
"Eggs?" Paya and Impa echoed in tandem.
Link nodded. ºThe eggs that were placed with me in the Shrine of Resurrection.º He explained, ºYou told me to restore the slate and capture an image of them, but Purah thought they may be Rito eggs? So I went to the Rito.º
Impa's face settled into an indulgent smile. "Eggs, you say. Yes... and did you take a picture of them after all?"
In answer, Link asked for his slate, then brought up the picture. Impa peered at it thoughtfully.
"Well now... these certainly are no Rito eggs. Please, allow me to consult my books." Impa hopped off the chair she was standing on, and slowly walked away.
Link and Paya sat in silence for several minutes.
"U-um. Master Link... how are you feeling? Can... Can I get you anything?" Paya asked as she twirled her fingers nervously.
With a small grimace, Link signed, ºMy head still hurts, but I don't think there is an elixer powerful enough to help now.º
Paya's eyebrows drew together, and she wilted a little. "O-oh..." She looked at Link from under her lashes, then around the room. Her eyes landed on his pouches, and she jumped up to her feet. "Oh! I know!" She fluttered her hands in the air with a nervous excitement. "Master Link, may I borrow this?" She rifled around, then held up his rupee pouch.
Link raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and nodded. Perhaps she wished to buy him something; Link didn't mind.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, Master Link!" Paya smiled brilliantly at him, then dashed off.
Link sat in boredom for a while, twiddling his thumbs, before deciding to go through his slate to make the time go by faster. The bright light stung his eyes a little, but after they adjusted he was flipping through slowly with a smile.
Link paused over one of the photos that Zelda had taken, the itching sensation increasing until suddenly it was a sharp pain. Link looked away and swiped to the next picture.
It was the picture of his eggs. Link smiled slightly at the sight.
Perhaps it was a little odd, how attached Link was to these tiny beings. For all Link knew, they could be pets rather than people, but they had kept Link company for one hundred years of solitude, and were his to protect. No matter what they turned out to be when they hatched, Link felt an untold swelling of affection for the little beings.
Impa slowly made her way back into the room. "Yes, I have seen this before, although very rarely." Impa stated as she hopped onto the bed and held out a book. Link took it and looked down. "Were it not for the fact that these eggs are glowing, I would have advised you that they could be anything. But the Zora showcase their life brilliantly from conception onwards, and so oftentimes they will do whatever it takes to hide their offspring until they have grown legs."
Link compared the sketch in Impa's book to his eggs. It did seem to match quite a bit. He spelled out, ºZ-O-R-A?º
Impa flipped the book a few pages back. "The Zora are an aquatic race who live in the waters to the east of Hyrule. They have held the source of Hyrule's water since ancient times, and were, perhaps, one of Hyrule's greatest threats: be it by flood or drought, or their control of the waterways throughout the lands. As it stands, however, they have long been the kingdoms greatest allies, instead."
He studied the picture on the book; it showed a bipedal creature with long, elegant fins flowing around their form. Adjacent was a similar creature with a long tail attached to their head.
"You had a good friend among the Zora, Link." Impa told him gravely. "If indeed you do hold that Zora's children... it may be best for you to visit their Domain so they might know of such good news."
Link looked up and caught her eyes, then nodded. Impa smiled a bit at him, then scolded mockingly. "But you are not to forget your duties to this world, Link. Princess Zelda needs you." Link blanched. Impa continued, "Luckily, the Zora are in possession of one of the Divine Beasts, Vah Ruta. Help them regain control of their beast, and I am sure they will celebrate your news tenfold."
Link nodded hurriedly. He still had that feeling that Impa wasn't telling him something, but considering it involved his missing memories, he couldn't blame her for it.
"Good." Impa pat his knee. "Now-"
Just then, there was a rushed pattering of feet, then the door slid open. "Honored Grandmother! Master Link!" Paya squeaked out as she hurriedly corrected her posture into something more sedate. She approached them and held out a bottle. "Please, Master Link, take this. It should help you more than the regular elixers did!"
The liquid inside the bottle was a most beautiful shade of rose pink, and shimmered softly in the low light. Link swirled it around and watched the patterns with curious eyes.
Paya held her hands in front of herself and bowed low. "It's a fairy tonic, Master Link! I... I used your money, you see, as a shrine offering before the Great Fairy that lives above our village."
Link tore his eyes away from the bottle. ºA Great Fairy?º
"Y-yes, Master Link." Paya stammered out, then continued. "Great Fairies hold the ability of.... of healing and augmentation. They're... kind of... barbaric now... magic in this day and age... people just don't pray to fairies anymore... but when you said that another elixer wouldn't work, I just knew that the healing powers of a fairy would!"
Link nodded slowly, and eyed the bottle again. With a shrug and another swirl, Link popped the cork and downed the tonic.
Almost immediately, Link could feel a rush of energy flow through him, targeting every pain inside and restoring it. He'd felt this before, Link realized, it felt like a beloved friend was soothing his every hurt and fear. He could almost hear their tinkling voice, crying out, telling him to-
Then it was gone, and all Link could recall was the sounds that fairies made.
Link looked up and met Paya's hopeful gaze. Cautiously, he rolled his neck around. Link felt healed. He shot her a smile.
Paya squeaked and covered her mouth, but she was smiling. Impa harrumphed.
"Good. Now that you are healed, go on and get out of here." She hopped off his bed.
Link blinked at her owlishly, then stood obligingly. ºHow do I find the Zora?º He signed to the women.
Impa kept shuffling out of the room, and Paya glanced around nervously. "Um... I know it's close by but... I've never been out of the village before... Still! I'm sure we have a map, somewhere." Link nodded encouragingly. "I... can look around? For the map, that is." Paya offered.
Link gave her a smile, and walked past her out of the room. When Paya followed him with a lost expression, he turned to her and asked, ºThe Great Fairy?º
Jumping in place, Paya clutched her hand to her heart. "Up the hill! Past the shrine! Enter the woods and you can't miss it!"
Link set off, although immediately after meeting the Great Fairy, wished he hadn't. Cotera was terrifying.
Then and there, Link made a vow to swear off women forever. Especially. Blondes.
(Link was pretty sure he liked redheads better anyway.)
Delighted laughter from the Great Fairy told Link that not even his thoughts were private. Not that anything else was, after... stripping him... and taking all his clothing...
Cotera did return them, apparently 'better' than before, but now they were soaking wet in his arms and he was stuck standing in the night in nothing but his smallclothes.
Paya was wrong about something.
What Link just experienced?
That was the real reason people didn't pray to fairies anymore.
"Lalalala laaaa~" Link could hear singing up ahead, and curious, he looked around for it's source. At first, he couldn't see anything, but then a splash of water brought his attention to the pond in front of him.
Link stared incredulously. Was that a singing, miniature dolphin in the water? And why was it coral-red? Was that normal?
Then it turned, and let out a bubbling gasp. "Oh! Oooh! Hello! You there!" The dolphin shouted with excitement, then swam closer. Suddenly it was rising from the water, though, and a face appeared!
Link took a step back.
"No! Don't leave! Over heeere!" The being cried out with dismay. Link swallowed, and took a step closer, and the creature in the water did likewise, swimming closer and showcasing its humanoid face.
As he took in the details through the murky water, Link felt a sense of relief. Body, fins, head with a long tail... This was one of the Zora that Link had been looking for.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "You're a Hylian, aren't you!? Yes, you must be a Hylian. Otherwise you are one unfortunate-looking Zora!"
Link pointed at himself with an incredulous look.
"Oh, Pshh. You're so... small. And bland. Why, the only color you have is your eyes. Yes, Hylians are very odd, nothing compared to our Prince Sidon.... OH!" She flapped her hands. "That's right! I was ordered by Prince Sidon to find a Hylian, and along comes you! What great timing!"
The Zora did a flip backwards and then swam in circles a few time in her cheer before popping up. "I've been searching nonstop for a Hylian."
Link sent her a doubtful look.
"What's that look for? Of course I was looking for you!" She protested with mirth in her eyes. "I certainly wasn't just floating around and splashing in the water for fun!"
She certainly shouted quite a bit. Link wondered if all Zora were this excitable, and if so, what that meant for his eggs. Link shook his head. No, it was no doubt a matter of personality. Link refused to worry about it.
Apparently, she had kept chattering while Link was distracted, as he caught the tail end of, "...hope you'll agree to go and meet with him."
Well, Link was planning on going to the Zora anyway, so he might as well indulge her. ºWhere do I go?º Link asked the girl. When she didn't even notice, he rolled his eyes and swallowed experimentally. Link had felt different since that tonic Paya gave him, so...."Where?" Link spoke in a raspy voice, startling even himself.
She grinned at him with sharp teeth. "He's waiting at Inogo Bridge, it's beyond that tower over there." A damp hand rose from the water and pointed in the distance.
Link judged the distance, then nodded firmly to himself. He sent the Zora a quick smile then turned to go.
She shouted at his back, "And please, don't tell Prince Sidon that I was having fun in the water!"
He waved carelessly over his shoulder at her, and set off into a jog.
It started to drizzle as Link walked, then rained, and all too soon Link was miserably wet in a torrential downpour. A crack of thunder made Link jump out of his skin, an action that saved him a world of pain as a crackling arrow flew right past where he'd been moments ago.
He squinted in the distance. Past the tower was probably actually *around* the tower, as it was crawling with Lizalfos.
Link rolled his eyes. Of course it was.
Lizalfos, Link had learned in the desert, were best fought with their own weapons. Catch their boomerang and throw it back at them and for some reason they were so surprised they could not catch it.
Unfortunately, that strategy did not work as well from their perch upon the tower.
After a few frustrating attempts to get them to stop shooting at him, Link shrugged and, ducking behind a tree, swiped through the menu on his slate. Although Link rarely used them, they always came in handy....
Ah, yes. Bombs.
After blowing them off the tower, Link cheerfully climbed all the way up for a better view. The mountains were a bit in the way, but he could see in the distance what may be a bridge. Decided, Link leapt from the top and opened his glider.
Link almost fell.
Half-remembered sharp pain shot through his shoulders. He bit back a scream and clutched at the paraglider's arms harder. Seconds later, it was gone.
Phantom pain, Link surmised. That's all it had been. Had the fairy tonic healed it? Link wished he knew what he'd been up to before turning up at Kakariko half dead.
Still unsettled, Link floated to the ground instead of pushing further forward. Better to go by land until he had settled whatever was wrong.
It ended up being for the better anyway, as as soon as Link set foot on the bridge, a voice called out to him over the pattering of rain.
"Aboooovvveee yoooouuu~!" The voice called cheerfully.
Link looked up just in time to see a bright red form launch into the air, then land in front of him with surprising grace.
Oh Hylia. Seeing a Zora in the water was nothing compared to seeing them on land.
The being in front of him was huge, bigger than anyone Link had seen. Even the former King of Hyrule had nothing on this Zora.
They grinned at him widely. "I was hoping you'd have a moment to talk."
With a sardonic look on his face, Link brought his hands together ºAs much as I can, sure.º
Big golden eyes blinked at him, then - if it were possible - the grin on his face got even bigger. "That's wonderful! I am so glad!" He gesticulated widely, and Link took a step back unobtrusively before he was hit by a flying hand. "I am Sidon, the Zora Prince. I have been looking for a Hylian much like yourself, and here you have appeared in our time of need!"
Sidon grinned winningly at Link, "Why, when I saw your approach I was even quite impressed!" He said, admiration clear in his tone. "You are clearly well experienced in adventuring, and just what we Zora need."
Link nodded slowly. ºWhat did you need from me?º He asked curiously.
Sidon's lips parted, and moved soundlessly for a moment before his face cleared with understanding. "This unnatural rain has been ongoing for weeks now, caused by our Divine Beast, Vah Ruta. You saw the wetlands, the rivers are already spilling over into the lands below. Should this keep up, our dams will overflow and break, and all of Hyrule will be flooded."
The Divine Beast. Of course.
"We have determined a method with which to stall the beast, but unfortunately it utilizes something we Zora cannot handle. Thus, I began my search for a Hylian to help us. Now..." Sidon paused and looked chagrined as he realized his error. "I'm sorry, what is your name?"
ºL-I-N-K.º He spelled out.
"Link!" Sidon exclaimed. "What a fantastic name!"
Link's long, Hylian ears twitched as he then heard the Prince mumble something to himself. He kept his snort to himself. Familiar? Most probably true, even if Link himself didn't remember.
Sidon picked up his former line of thought. "Link! I ask you to come with me to Zora's Domain, and help us calm Vah Ruta."
Link sucked on his teeth for a few moments in thought, and the Prince kept staring at him expectantly in silence.
ºAlright, I'll help.º Link signed slowly. It wasn't like he hadn't intended on helping wrest control of the Divine Beasts back even if they hadn't asked.
"THAT'S WONDERFUL!" The Zora beamed at him, then went on to extol Link's virtues.
Link blinked at the large man in front of him, and decided to feel flattered.
"Because of the rain, the cliffs are too wet to climb. I'm afraid that unlike a Zora, you will have to travel the long path up to the Domain." Prince Sidon told him apologetically, pointing at a path lined with luminescent lanterns.
ºI can't just ride on your back?º Link asked half-seriously, judging the rain soaked path with a bit of tiredness.
Sidon's pupils blew wide and he gaped at Link for a few moments. Perhaps that wasn't something Link was supposed to ask a Zora?
Link's hands were halfway to 'never-mind' when the Zora Prince sprung - waddle-jumped, more like - up in a flash and captured his hands.
"I WOULD BE HONORED!" Sidon shouted in Link's ears. "I am, of course, one of the strongest swimmers among the Zora. Why, it will be the experience of a lifetime for you!"
This close, Link could see the individual scales that made up the Zora's skin shimmering as the water ran down them. Craning his neck to look at the beaming face and pointy teeth above him, Link smiled.
Really. Not having to walk. Best. Day. Ever. It usually seemed like Link only got a break if he paid for a bed.
The Zora's pupils were still blown wide, and the pause was starting to get a little awkward. Was that... Sidon surreptitiously smelling him? Just as Link was wondering if it was something he should worry about, a jolt ran through the Prince.
"Yes! Let us depart! Although," Sidon's face transformed into a bit of worry. "There are Lizalfos on the path, with shock arrows. We Zora are very vulnerable to them. If at any time..."
Link twisted his wrists out from Sidon's claws. ºI'll shoot them first.º He promised.
"You are a great warrior, Link." The Prince stated -almost- quietly, then took two steps back and launched himself into the air. He landed with barely a plop in the water over the sound of rain, and Link approached the shore. A red head popped up, and a clawed hand reached out. "Come!"
What followed was exhilarating. The Zora's swim was so smooth and powerful, Link had no idea how the man could do so with Link upon his back. The waterfalls alone... Truly, the only issues Link had with this swim was breathing, and the expected arrows. Bomb arrows were out of the question to sling back in this rain, but Link had some ice arrows from the Gerudo vendor still that stopped the monsters for the precious time it took to swim past them.
In no time at all, Sidon was leaping in the air once more to land upon a great bridge.
Link slid down to the ground, and the Zora grinned at him. "That was fantastic!" He enthused, "Why, I didn't get scraped at all!...Not that I normally get hit, of course not, we were in no danger with my swimming!... You were so quick and accurate! Barely a single arrow wizzed past us!"
Link shrugged modestly.
"Truly, you are a warrior of unparalleled skill!" The Zora Prince continued. "Amazing! Truly!"
Soft, wet padding approached them, and a voice coughed softly. Sidon spun around, and Link saw a dark-scaled Zora watching them. "Sire. Is this the Hylian you went to find?"
Sidon blinked, then struck a pose. "Indeed! And I must inform my father at once!" He turned to Link, and reassured him before bounding off. "Please, get yourself situated, then come to the throne room so we might discuss things further."
The guard watched the Prince retreat, then turned to Link. Slowly, the face stretched into a grin.
As soon as Link saw the statue in the courtyard, Link knew.
Her name was Mipha, and they had been dear friends.
In both a span of years, and the blink of an eye, Link had gone from stumbling after her, the older teenager with a hidden grin, to outgrowing her, Link a man and Mipha ever on the cusp of womanhood.
It made Link look around Zora's Domain with new eyes. He'd... grown up here. Link still couldn't remember why, but he hadn't spent only intermittent days here, but years of his life, months at a time.
Vah Ruta, the Divine Beast, killed her.
Safer than any Divine Beast. Mipha's voice echoed in his memories. As always, she was right.
Link would have to speak with King Dorephan, once he had calmed the beast. His eggs - Mipha's eggs - had waited long enough.
It was only as Link was face to face with Vah Ruta itself that he finally remembered his unfinished business. How long had it been since he fell from Vah Medoh? Days? A week? Link didn't know. He hoped Teba had recovered well.
As it is, Link had to focus on the task in front of him - Sidon in the water waiting expectantly, Vah Ruta trumpeting it's displeasure. At least with the rush of memories, Link mused, this was a familiar undertaking.
Although the ride was much smoother on Sidon's back than hanging on to Teba's talons for dear life.
Soon, Vah Ruta had stilled, and Sidon jumped high above the water to land them on the great mechanical beast.
Link turned to Sidon, ºYou don't want to come with?º He asked, slightly resigned and disappointed.
Sidon's mouth opened and closed several times like a fish.
In the end the Prince settled on a sort of resigned honesty. "Neither myself nor my people could do a thing to the Divine Beast. Here you've come and have done more for us in days than we had in weeks."
Link frowned at him. ºYou sell yourself short.º He signed with a pointed emphasis. ºIt was you and Seggrin who discovered the Beasts weakness. You who have gone out of your way to find me. And you have as much claim to Vah Ruta as any other.º
Sidon smiled weakly. "I only caught half of that. But truly, friend, even though I wish to, I cannot do that to my father. He has already lost one child to our sacred guardian, and I... will not risk leaving him alone. Please, do not insist."
Link conceded the point, but with a wave of his hand bade the Prince to wait. Sidon had brought up a good point: in case Link himself failed, someone had to know of his eggs.
What to say though. Show Sidon the picture, and cause a delay with the man's brimming emotions? No, words were better.
"Sidon." Link spoke, his voice raspy and foreign sounding. "I understand." The Zora Prince stilled. "And I have a similar favor to ask of you. Should I not make it..."
"You will!" The prince burst out, "My belief in you is strong! You will succeed."
Link gave him a flat look for interrupting, and switched to signs again. ºShould I perish, there is something you will need. Go to Hateno, and from there they will lead you to the Shrine of Resurrection. You will find out in there.º
Sidon's face was filled with understanding, "The Shrine of Resurrection, that which kept you alive all these years? I will take you there myself if necessary."
Closing his eyes and praying to Hylia for patience, Link shook his head, speaking slowly. "No. I have something. For you. In the Shrine. Should I die."
"Both, then." Sidon declared soundly with a stubborn pout. "But listen, Link. You will tame Vah Ruta! I know this in my heart!"
Link shook his head with a helpless smile. ºI will see you later.º
Sidon grinned at him and leaped from the platform into the water. "This is not goodbye, my dearest friend!" He shouted before swimming away from the wakening beast.
Link took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Time to tackle the beast.
Mipha lived on, tied to this place of her death.
Unlike Revali's scorn, Mipha's presence at his side was as calm and uplifting as ever. They held quiet conversation as Link climbed through the gears: of the past, of the future, hopes and dreams and her - their - family and all the things they dared not talk about back then.
Everything wasn't over, but it was over for Mipha, giving rise to words she could not find before they parted ways long ago.
They are mine. She confirmed softly, gold eyes staring in the distance as they paused upon the familiar trunk of Vah Ruta. We Zora, in time of need, are capable of parthenogenesis, birthing an egg with no father. Mipha turned to Link, and rested a hand to her broach. I had hoped... well, it did not come to be, but I wished for a future with us regardless. I would choose no other.
Link sat down, and dug out his Sheikah Slate. ºThey yet live, suspended in a timeless chamber, but I don't know how to hatch them.º He admitted, fingers easily flipping to their eggs. ºI haven't asked your father how, yet.º
I see. Mipha gazed at the picture, searing it into memory. Perhaps it will be best to wait until after Ganon for this, as well.
The last century of life might not have gone well for Mipha, to wait, but their eggs - they were safe.
"I told Sidon." Link rasped out. Mipha blinked at him, then smiled brilliantly. ºOnly where to find them.º He amended.
Good. Mipha declared firmly, Much like my father, my dearest brother needs love in his life to move on, and I know you will help each other from now on.
She then urged Link to stand. Now, let us take back control of my friend, and defeat Calamity Ganon once and for all.
The sight of the infected terminal made her ill, faltering, before that determination that won her the hearts of all filled her with fire. She renewed her struggle against the demon that killed her, this time with her hero at her side.
When Vah Ruta was freed at last, Mipha smiled at Link, still a ghostly shade of blue, touched his cheek one more time, and sent him onward.
She could trust in her childhood friend with their future.
Link didn't return immediately to Zora's Domain. Instead, he made use of the warp he gained from Ne'ez Yohma and returned to Vah Medoh.
He'd been so close before, and thus, riding high on victory over the Waterblight Ganon and backed with Mipha's Grace, reentered the belly of the bird.
Revali harrumphed at him, but was, in his way, glad Link had survived. He easily led Link back through the halls to the point he had lost the gondola.
Perhaps this time, merely gliding will suffice. He said snootily. Wings are after all far superior to mechanics. Your glider will have to do.
Link rolled his eyes, but indeed after a sharp command to Vah Medoh and a suspicious gust of wind from where Revali's ghostly form was standing, made it across the chasm.
Come. Revali beckoned. We shall vanquish this evil and give me my lofty repose.
It pained Revali to say it, but he was glad the fellow Champion had returned.
Revali guided Vah Medoh to perch above Rito Village, and Link rolled his eyes to himself at Revali's inborn arrogance before jumping off.
He wanted to find out what had happened to Teba after the Rito's injuries and Link's disappearance.
All told, his reception was cheery, and Teba was understanding. "A great thing like that can take a few days to get lost in." Teba assumed incorrectly.
Link winced.
"Worry not, Champion Descendant. You have succeeded before there were more injuries, and that is all that matters at heart." The great owl Rito hooted at Link. "Why, you even brought a blessing on top of our village!"
Harth, Teba's friend who was injured previously, opened his home to Link for the night. "I didn't want you paying at the inn, and Teba would have offered his own hammock if he had his way. But I have a spare." The curt Rito explained. "Please, stay as long as you want."
Link thought longingly of the soft beds at the inn, made for Hylians, or better, the waterbed he had slept on at Zora's Domain, but took the gift of sleep graciously.
Two days later, after entertaining a colorful bunch of children and picking his secret favorites among the hatchlings, a Rito flew into the village and sighted him.
"Hylian! You! Yes!" Frita flapped her wings as she came to a stop above him. "I have flown long, we met at Gerudo Town, yes? I have a letter for you."
Link took it curiously. It was a very short note.
Hylian Voe Link,
Retrieve the Master Sword from where it sleeps, and you may help Vah Naboris as you have the other Divine Beasts.
Buliara
Retrieve the Master Sword.
What an easy thing to say, when one isn't the one trekking through mud and fog and tricky trees.
Link was in a foul mood at the end of it, when the sword itself blew him away in a fit of pique.
"Oh no you don't!" Link snarled, and took a stomp forward.
He could hear Revali's mocking laugh, and Mipha's resigned sigh as she healed him, again and again.
Shrines and blessings, Link mocked in his mind. Did he truly need the Sword of Evil's Bane?
A glance at Hyrule Castle in the distance said yes.
Well, Link had a slew of teleports to make this easier on him in the end, if no less aggravating.
"Glad I am to see you, Hero." Chief Riju intoned from her throne. Buliara stared Link down impassively. "Unfortunately, we will need our Thunder Helm in order to tame Vah Naboris." Riju said, and Link glanced at the empty pedestal.
Link had dealt with the Yiga before in passing, and wasn't too keen on raiding their stronghold, until Riju explained why.
In the end, it was easy. For a clan of shadow-people, they never looked up. Not once. And when it came down to Sheikah shadow-magic versus Sheikah magi-technology, well. The technology was faster than any incantation.
Riju's cat eyes gleamed, and a gleeful grin crossed her face as she held up the helm.
Her wearing it... was amusing. Gerudo were a large people. Centuries of careful breeding had led to them towering over most Hylians, so it was no wonder the helm fit incorrectly. It worked, and that was all that mattered.
Facing Vah Naboris itself was a thrilling chase. Flying with Teba was terrifying, and swimming with Sidon amazing. With Riju, Link felt the charge in the air and smelt the ozone and freshly created glass from the lightning. And always, always, Link was aware that for all that Riju's magic was keeping Link safe, he had to work ten times harder to keep Riju unharmed.
"Here" Riju offered Link the helm with a bright grin. "In case there's more shocks inside."
Link laughed, and declined. "Go." He said, coughing against the dryness but flicking his fingertips away in emphasis.
Riju stared at him with wide eyes, then pouted impressively. "All this time..."
Link rolled his eyes. "Go."
Well, well, well... A voice chuckled over his shoulder. You sure know how to keep a woman waiting.
Urbosa was as vibrant in death as she had been in life, and just as steely.
Let's get to work and regain control of Vah Naboris, shall we? Zelda's waiting still, as well.
Death Mountain was on the other side of Hyrule from the Gerudo Desert. Link made the trip on foot, as his goal was always clear in the distance and he could help heal the land better with patience.
Then the Master Sword started whispering, and out of the corner of his eye, Link saw things as they had once been. For the first time since he awoke, Link was not driven by want or need, but instead with a tempered surety to restore Hyrule.
Link learned how best to defeat Guardians, with shield and arrows alike. He chased a dragon deep into the wilderness and came out richer for it, the sword glowing under the eyes of Hylia. Laughter and the sight of a dancing figurine guided him up Mt. Lanayru, to free another dragon.
The dragons were fragments of what once were, the guardians of the land, but they still flew over it with blessings shed like tear drops, filling Hyrule with light.
There was another Shrine to Hylia behind where the dragon lay. It was heart wrenchingly familiar.
Instead of heading straight for the mountain, Link followed the call to the last, deep in the northern reaches. Akkala, it was called now, and it held the ancient shrine of power.
Not a day went by where Link didn't hear music long lost. Singing hymns, haunting serenades, ballads that filled him with determination and regret.
Link stumbled into the Akkala research lab with his hands over his ears.
"Make it stop." He told the elderly Sheikah in a hoarse whisper.
Robbie took one look at the sword on his back, that face he would prefer to forget, and underneath the scars burned into his memory.
He made Link sleep, and later sighed. "I was afraid of this."
His wife, Jerrin, rested her hand on top of his. "He is Link?"
"Yes." Robbie sighed. "The Shrine of Resurrection took much from him, just as Princess Zelda hypothesized."
Jerrin reached out and touched the boyish cheek. "And given him much, by the look of things."
Robbie's lips twisted. "That is a shell. Granted, a shell I know well, as I dressed his wounds and prayed for days on end... but that shrine, it opened his spirit, far far wider than it should." He gestured at the sword beside the bed. "Always, he held the ancient spirit of the hero, chosen by the sword. But now, that spirit is strong. And we mortal shells are not made to remember.
That is why when he awoke, it made him forget."
His wife turned his head. "You will figure it out." Jerrin encouraged. "Maybe he only needs more company than ghosts and a sword, to remind him of now."
"Company, hm..." Robbie mused. "I wonder what happened to those eggs..."
Link's eyelids twitched.
Robbie saw and jumped up. "Yes! That is what I will do! Link needs attachment, well, what better than those fish he slept with for one hundred years!"
He picked up the Sheikah Slate, turned to his wife and beamed. "Jerrin, I'll be back. I have a trip to make."
"Ah-" Jerrin called out, but her husband was already gone.
She sat in shocked silence for several moments, until there was a mechanical voice that started talking, "FamiliarNa..."
"You shut up!" Jerrin interrupted it, and sat down with a huff after throwing her shoe.
She carded her hand through her hair and sighed. What had her husband gotten into this time.
Link awoke curled around a fishbowl.
There was still a melody in his ears, but it sounded like the gurgling of a stream, soothing and comforting.
"Awake, are we?" Giant goggles loomed into view.
Link cradled his eggs protectively.
Robbie hummed and made a notation. "Vitals stabilized... good, good. You know who you are?"
Link nodded.
"And where?"
Link glanced around, and Robbie made a note.
"Right. Link, I'm glad you found me when you did, because otherwise you'd probably be a drooling vegetable." He said bluntly.
ºWhy?º Link asked with aching slowness.
"That chamber I put you in, it's pretty dangerous, you know?" Robbie scratched at his chin. "Or maybe it's near-death itself having consequences... Either way, there was too much Link going on in your noggin for your own good."
Link glanced down at his eggs.
"Yes, and that right there is your help." Robbie said, as if answering an unspoken question. "Now, when I took you from Hateno Fortress to the Shrine of Resurrection and found those in your pocket, I was a bit weirded out. Who carries eggs around? But then I wondered if maybe it was a good thing. Me, Impa and Purah, we didn't know who would find you first. But if you woke with company, well. That's only good."
Then the little man scowled. "But you didn't take them with you!"
Link's eyebrows flew up.
"Zora eggs have a magic of their own!" Robbie ranted. "They are very connected to their parents, their first acts in the world known for healing the most incredible things. But you didn't hatch them!"
"I didn't know how." Link defended himself hoarsely.
"Bah. You could have asked." Robbie turned his nose up.
Link swallowed and looked down, his eyes catching on the gentle glow of his eggs.
ºNothing told me I had to, either. I just needed to keep them safe.º Link signed out, then folded the fishbowl in his arms.
"Hmm. Maybe. But bottom line is, you need those hatched." Robbie told him. "You need them."
"I feel fine." Link rasped out stubbornly.
"For a few days, maybe." Robbie allowed. "But with that sword with you, as you are? No."
Link shook his head stubbornly. "I won't bring them into the world while Ganon exists."
"A better answer." Jerrin said from the corner, and Link started. "But one every parent has to go through." Her eyes pierced Link's. "As I did. And Robbie did."
Link hesitated, and looked down at the Zora eggs. For months now, they had been his reason for being in the waking world, to find and bring these eggs to the living. But with every shrine, with every Divine Beast, with every memory, Link remembered the true weight of Ganon.
"I will wait. My sanity is worth their safety." Link spoke quietly.
Glowing pinpricks of ancient Sheikah light stared piercingly at Link. "Then you leave the Master Sword here." Robbie said decisively. "You will retrieve it when you go to face Calamity Ganon, and no earlier. Is that clear?"
After a moment, Link agreed.
Vah Rudania crawled all over Death Mountain like an ant.
The volcano was hot, but Link's mind was blissfully quiet, so he didn't mind the sweat.
Goron City... well, now that Link could clearly distinguish between what was him and what had been him, he could ignore the voice that cried Brother! at the sight of the face upon the mountain. Daruk was a welcome memory in comparison.
And to meet Daruk's great-grandson, Yunobo... Link could admit by now that he loved children, and to see the children of his compassionate friend doing so well was a great blessing.
It was with a reminiscing smile that Link retrieved a second Rock-Roast, and cooked it to his great friends tastes for Yunobo to try before they left for battle.
The boy was enthused, and declared he'd never had a better Rock-Roast in his life.
Link just hoped the good meal would give Yunobo the strength needed for what lay ahead.
Link himself would have nightmares of firing the Canon with Yunobo inside it for years to come. Sturdy Goron or not, Daruk's bloodline ability or not, there were some things you did not risk with a child.
As Link made his way through Vah Rudania, Daruk's opening greeting echoed in his ears. I never stopped believing in you!
A great friend, full of conviction and courage. Link and Daruk had been instantly close; in a way, Link was reminded of Prince Sidon, or perhaps vice-versa.
Daruk's strength at his back led to Link making his way through with a growing determination. For the people who believed in him, and for his children, their children, he'd finish this.
Link held out his hand for the Master Sword.
Robbie took one look at his eyes, and handed it to the Champion with solemn reverence.
He saw Jerrin standing by his eggs as he turned to exit. Perhaps... Link took the eggs, as well.
The night was quiet in Zora's Domain when Link landed in Ne'ez Yohma Shrine.
He patted himself down to make sure everything was there in tact, before stepping out of the chamber.
Mere steps away, Link stopped.
Sidon was standing in front of Mipha's statue, staring up at the sky.
Link cleared his throat softly.
Gold eyes turned to him, and widened. A quiet smile spread across Sidon's face, and he spoke softly, if joyously. "My friend. You have returned."
Link came up to Sidons side, and looked up to Mipha's face, then the Prince. "Yes. I have unfinished business here in the Domain."
"I'm glad." Sidon said, then cleared his throat wetly. "I... was worried I would not see you again. We parted on such odd terms, and though I know you have been... astoundingly, amazingly successful across Hyrule... I wanted to see you, wish you well once more, before you headed to face Calamity Ganon."
The Hylian stood quietly for a moment, then, bravery fleeing, signed. ºIs your father still awake?º
Sidon's eyes stayed on Link's hands, as if waiting for more, before glancing away. "No, he sleeps with grief and relief both in his heart these long weeks since you left us."
Link sighed. "I... have something." He retrieved the fishbowl, carefully wrapped. "It is what I wished for you to retrieve... Mipha... Mipha left it to me, but it belongs here, in Zora's Domain."
Sidon scratched his chin with one claw. "Anything my sister left you, Link, was no doubt meant for you."
"No." Link shook his head. "I don't know where to begin with this."
With those words, Link slowly unwrapped the cloth.
Sidon's mouth fell open in shock. "Those are..!" The Prince whispered, astonished.
Link nodded. "So you see why they belong in the Domain." He finished with a hoarse cough.
Sidon stared at the eggs with an unrelenting, intense gaze.
"...My sister? And who? Bazz?" Sidon guessed desperately, trying to place these in his life.
Link shook his head. "Mipha.... the Spirit of Mipha that I met upon Vah Ruta, told me that they are hers only, from something she called parthenogenesis. I assumed that in part, it was because her healing powers were so great, she could easily manage such a feat."
Sidon brought a trembling hand to his mouth, and bit on his knuckle. "I... we must show my father, but..."
Link wrapped the fishbowl back up, and pressed it into Sidon's hands. "Keep this in your rooms for now, and decide in the morning. I leave for Hyrule Castle tonight."
The Prince shook his head. "Tomorrow." Sidon insisted. "Rest well tonight. I will get you a bed in the Royal Wing."
Link took in the familiar stubborn face, and sighed, conceding. "Tomorrow morning, very well. But I leave at dawn." The waterbed alone would be worth it.
Sidon grinned his pearly whites at Link, and beckoned. "Come, my friend. I shall show you now, lest I keep you up all night." He led Link through a series of passageways, and at one point through a waterfall that Sidon parted with his own hands by reaching high above Link's head.
The chamber was wide and opulent, with pillars of luminous stones hiding drawers and high, glass encased windows shining down moonlight. A waterfall ran down one ledge into a pool, and it was only on seeing the Zora sleeping pool that Link realized Sidon had brought him into his own room instead.
The Zora shrugged shamelessly at Link. "I wish for all of my favorite people close this night." Sidon declared, and waded into the pool.
Link kicked his boots off and toed the water. It was surprisingly warm, although more like a well sunned patch in a pond than a hotspring.
Sidon untied the cloth and handed it back to Link. He tied it around his hair - it had been his blue bandanna anyway - and watched as his eggs sank into the water.
"Will they hatch soon?" Link found himself asking, and called himself an idiot. Sidon had no idea how attached Link really was to his eggs, and Link knew - just knew - that he'd given it away.
The big Zora hummed thoughtfully, and submerged into the pool to look at them closely. He popped up with a splash. "A few days." Sidon said nonchalantly.
Link's mouth dropped open, and he spoke incredulously. "They've been around one hundred years while I slept, and months as I journeyed, and now they're only a few days from hatching?"
Sidon laughed loudly, then clapped his hand to his mouth and coughed uncomfortably, glancing at the door like he was expecting a reprimand. "No, Link. Zora eggs only hatch in good conditions. Safety, water temperature, close bonds..." The Zora listed, glancing down into the water tentatively, as if he was expecting them to turn into fakes or disappear. "They lay with you in a Shrine that left you unchanged for one hundred years, so until they were taken out, they were as old as the day they were put in it."
"Ah." Link uttered ineloquently.
The Zora Prince grinned at him, then flipped over to float on his back. Eyes gazing up at the ceiling, he spoke quietly. "I have no wish to keep you awake, friend. I have a waterbed through there, a private luxury separate from the main chamber." A wet hand rose from the water and pointed to a shadowed alcove framed by luminous stone torches.
Link eyed the Zora for several moments, then stood.
"Goodnight, my dearest friend." Sidon called at Link's back. "...and thank you."
"SIDON!!!" A voice thundered through the bedchambers.
Link could hear some water splashing and surprising cursing coming from the Zora Prince.
"WHAT'S THIS I HEAR ABOUT LETTING A HYLIAN INTO THE PALACE!?" Continued the booming voice.
Link buried his long ears in Sidon's unfairly comfortable pillows and tried to tune out the explanation.
"Oh." The voice said, then lower, "I see."
They cleared their throat uncomfortably, and said in a normal tone, "Why, if I'd known it was Link you were hosting, I wouldn't have worried."
At his name, Link peered past the pillow and squinted. Big. Blue. King Dorephan. Lovely. He groaned and faceplanted again.
"Son! I am sure I have woken you up by now as well!" Dorephan called kindly but firmly as he waddled down the hall. "Sidon tells me you planned on leaving to face Calamity Ganon after a good night of rest, and truly there is no better bed for you to be in than those within our Royal halls."
"Father, please." Sidon groaned, "Leave my friend to sleep."
"Too late." Link called hoarsely, and shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, just as the Zora King came through the opening.
King Dorephan smiled down at Link. "It gladdens my heart to see you this morning before your battle!" Sidon came up behind the King and sent an encouraging, if tired, thumbs up. The prince looked as though he had not slept at all.
"I know that today, you will succeed and rid Hyrule of this plague that has haunted us these long years." Dorephan reached down a hand, and bade Link to step onto his palm, and brought him up to eye level. "You have my blessings, and wishes for all the good tidings in the world from father to son." With that, Dorephan gently nudged his snout to Link's forehead.
A loud, wet sniffle from aside brought two pairs of eyes to Sidon. He waved them off with teary eyes. "Go on. I just... family... love..." The emotional Zora Prince couldn't finish his sentence. To be frank, after the surprises of last night, Link couldn't blame the Zora.
While Dorephan turned his attention to his son to give him some equal affection, Link jumped down and started rounding up his armor. Everything was in place but his boots when Link remembered that he'd deposited them by Sidon's sleeping pool.
It was too much to hope that Dorephan wouldn't follow Link out though. Link had barely finished tying the first boot when the Zora King spoke up with a shocked, reverberating voice. "Sidon. What is that."
Sidon's mouth dropped open - the eggs were glowing, after all, and clearly visible. "N-not what you think, Father!" He put on a brave face. "You see, Link-"
Link didn't wait around to hear the rest of the explanation.
Facing Calamity Ganon was far from easy going. Blood, sweat and swallowed oaths made up those long hours in a series of flashes.
Yet Link had learned to lean on the remaining strength his fellow Champions could give him, and fought his way through.
Then Zelda falling, stepping forward once more, shining bright as she channeled Hylia herself... So much like that day, 100 years ago.
Yet unlike then, this time there was no uncontrolled burst. Raw power, yes... but it was the golden light that shredded and sealed the Calamity away.
Light of the Sacred Realm, the Triforce, Hylia, the sword sang to him. Link shook the voice away.
Zelda approached, her clothing as pure white and tattered as it had been so many years ago. Sweat beaded her face, but there was serenity in her eyes.
"Hello, Link." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I'm so... so..."
Zelda's form wavered where she stood before him, although whether it was her or him swaying Link didn't know. Energy spent, he'd already crashed himself.
Dawn broke between Eldin and Lanayru. A hand shook his shoulder. "Link. Wake up. Wake up." The voice was familiar.
Green eyes in a face he was vowed to protect.
Link sat up. The castle! The Calamity!
Nothing but blue skies above Hyrule.
"I've... been keeping watch over you all this time." Zelda spoke quietly beside him. She was looking away from him now, off towards the Castle she'd been imprisoned in all those years. "I always thought - no, believed..."
"Zelda." Link said quietly. She closed her mouth, then turned to him and raised her chin in that ever so stubborn way.
"I never lost faith in you over these many years. And now... now you've done it. Truly." Her eyes teared, and she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Link..."
Link gave her an exhausted, droll look and she let out a laughing sob. "I'd wondered... if you remembered... but that face..." Zelda cried out laughingly. "You're Link... My Link... My Champion, Hyrule's Hero."
Link glanced aside at that praise.
"From the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Link." Zelda repeated heartily.
Link and Zelda had trekked an exhausting march towards the Wetland Stables, with Link spying and rounding up horses for them perhaps two hours into the walk.
Both were elated to drop on to beds and sleep the day away once they reached it.
When Link awoke, it was to Zelda quietly flipping through the numerous pictures he'd taken on the Slate.
She was paused on a picture of Riju standing proudly with the Thunder Helm held above her head triumphantly.
"Riju." Link said, voice groggy with sleep.
Green eyes glanced to him, then away. "Yes, I know."
Link sat up and signed lazily with sharp eyes. ºSo when you say you kept watch...º Link let the sentence hang between them.
Zelda met his eyes and lifted her chin primly. "Yes. The Sheikah Slate was my eyes and ears to the world, you see. When you looked through it, I saw what you saw."
Link threw his elbow over his eyes. It was too early to deal with this.
"...It helped me hope." Zelda admitted quietly. "On nights when the monsters were unending, when it was a struggle to stay pure in thought and intent enough to beat back the malice."
"Then I will be glad." Link spoke, muffled into his arm. "But pray your days as a voyeur stopped with my adventuring."
Zelda sat up straight. "You're stopping your adventuring!?"
Link paused. Zelda had actually heard him wrong - he'd meant that she only saw him out and about, and not, say, naked in front of a Fairy, or... But to stop adventuring. He pulled his arm down to look at her.
She could be hammering a hole in his head with that look.
Now that the topic was up, Link wasn't sure how to breach it. Was never sure how to breach these things. "Zelda... you know, about my eggs, right?"
"Your eggs?" Zelda asked with a curious emphasis. "Mipha's eggs, yes, but I'd hardly call them yours."
Link shook his head. "My eggs. Regardless of their parenthood, they were given to me to raise."
"I see." Zelda said quietly.
"I lived in Zora's Domain from the time I was four until I was fourteen and sent to apprentice under my father at the Castle." Link said slowly. "They may not be children of my blood, but they are of my family, to be raised with their family."
Zelda looked down at the slate and flipped through it a bit. Her voice was thick as she spoke. "So you're leaving me, then. To restore Hyrule all alone."
Link sat up, reached out and pressed his hand to the top of her head. "Restoring Hyrule will take time, Zelda. Something we now have plenty of." He swallowed. "I will still be here for you, whenever you need it. Just..."
"Not in the every second capacity that so enraged me when we first met." Zelda finished, and brushed her eyes. Then she gave a firm smile, "Alright, Link. I'll hold you to that. Your Zora children may belong in the Domain, but we can still build them a home to be proud of in Hyrule."
They parted ways after that. Link offered her the Sheikah Slate, as he knew that she so enjoyed the camera function, and it would be a comforting weight to carry around.
"And..." Link hesitated, then withdrew the Master Sword from his back. "Please return this to the Pedestal. Should I need it, I know where it will be. But the Great Deku Tree was right when it said that it was used frivolously."
Zelda took the sword with ginger hands. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Link said firmly.
"...Very well." Zelda belted the sword to her hip. "It's funny. I don't hear it anymore, anyway."
Link glanced at the Master Sword. "Truly?"
"Yes. ...And I never thought I would say this... but perhaps that is for the best." Zelda said. Link agreed. The Master Sword had been as helpful as it was harmful, and he still recalled Robbie's warnings of the Sword Link had wielded through so many lives.
"Alright. You'll tell me how it goes? The eggs." Zelda clarified with a conflicted expression.
Link nodded.
Zelda closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I'll... I'll be in Gerudo... If you need me..."
"Zelda." Link said quietly. "We will meet again. This is not goodbye."
She smiled at him - for some reason, she felt it was, in a way - and nodded. "Good luck, then. Champion."
"Good luck." Link repeated, then mounted his horse.
Moments later, he was a figure in the distance.
It was raining when Link arrived at Inogo Bridge. He idly wondered if the path was traverseable by horse.
Probably. Zora wanted trade, after all.
Even on horseback, the path was long and unpleasant. It made Link very glad that he had been able to convince Sidon to carry him that first time to the Domain.
As he crossed the great bridge into the Domain, Link was met by curious eyes and whispers, then shouts of jubilee and congratulations.
Bazz was chattering up at him excitedly when Torfeau approached. "Link! You're wanted in the throne room!" She called out, then shouted in a deep voice. "MAKE WAY!"
Hopping off his steed, Link handed the reins to a gaping mouthed Bazz before stepping through the parting crowd. In no time at all, he was in the throne room.
Dorephan was not on his throne.
"Link!" A voice shouted from a door to the side. Sidon stood there and was looking at him with relief. "I am so glad you are well! And to have defeated the Calamity Ganon, at last!"
Link took quick strides up to the Zora Prince. "The King?" He asked curtly.
Gold eyes blinked, then Sidon shook his head side to side. "Ah yes. My father's doing well. He just..." Sidon lowered his voice to a comical whisper, leaning to Link's ears. "He refuses to leave my sleeping pool with Mipha's eggs."
Link probably should have foreseen that.
"But come!" Sidon grinned and caught Link's arm. "Hatching is due, and I'll bet they're just waiting for your triumphant return!"
Link followed helplessly.
In no time at all, they were standing in Sidon's chambers once more. Dorephan paid their entrance no mind, his giant head was stuck under the water and he was singing.
"That's all he does." Sidon confessed to his friend, nudging him forward. "I've never seen my father as in love as he is right now." There was no bitterness in Sidon's voice, just affection.
Link toed off his boots again and sat on the ledge, legs dangling into the water.
As soon as he was there, the eggs started to glow.
Dorephan took his head out of the pool and grinned at Link. "My boys! Right on time!" That was all the attention he gave the two men before he turned back to the eggs.
Sidon joined him on his perch. "Any moment."
Slowly, the eggs started floating, glowing brighter and brighter until their heads split the shell like a softened paper.
Dorephan gasped loudly and clapped, and Sidon clutched his own hands together viciously. Faintly, Link could smell the tang of blood, but Sidon's gaze was fixed.
Three tiny tadpoles rose in the water, with golden eyes and bright red scales. They formed a line, and started humming a tune amidst the bubbles.
Link felt himself relax, his every worry lift as those three notes played, over and over again, healing every crack still in Link's soul with a soothing, watery glow.
The Song of Healing, that long gone part of his spirit told him, before that too was swept away by the soothing waters.
They sang, and sang, and sang... and sang... and sang...