pupika-samika

[pupika-samika]

An old and homely grandmother accidentally summons a demon. She mistakes him for her gothic-phase teenage grandson and takes care of him. The demon decides to stay at his new home.

[pupika-samika]

@nickelanddamned look at this >:(

You are a siren, a rather young one. Today your mother, the leader of your pod, introduced an unfamiliar little squishy pink thing to you as your little sibling.

[pupika-samika]

"Mother," I followed her as she dragged the wooden bassinet back to our cave. I hadn't gotten a good look at what was in the bassinet, only seeing a pink blob from my quick glance. The blob that was letting out ear shattering screams the whole time, the sound intensely echoing as we entered the tall cavern. It had a small above water entrance but most of it was underwater, where everyone lived.

"Mother, what is this thing? Where did you get it from?" I asked her as she set the bassinet on one of the ledges.

"Dearest, this is your new sibling. Remember how you said you've always wanted to be a big sister?" She asked as she rummaged through the bassinet, moving the blob as she did so. That only caused it to scream harder, making me grimace at the sound. "You wanted to be a big sister so I found you a little sibling!" She turned to me and gave me a smile.

"I remember saying that yes, but that was back when I was a guppy and the opal sirens just had another guppy! That was many, many moons ago mother! That thing will get us all found and killed!" I argued, glaring at the screaming bassinet.

Mother took out a cylinder filled with a white liquid and put some pink thing on it. The blob quieted down as it stared at the cylinder, hands making a grabby motion through its screams. "Oh don't say that honey, just give it a few moons to grow up and you two will be best friends. Come, why don't you feed your sibling with me?" She asked, heaving herself up on the ledge.

I glared at the bassinet before climbing on the ledge next the her, seeing the pink blob more clearly. It looked like us on the top half but on the bottom half...

"Mother!" I yelped, pushing myself into the water to get away from the human. "That's a human! Mother, quick, get away from it!" I grabbed her tail and started tugging on it.

"No my dearest, stop it," she scolded, hand steady as she put the cylinder to the humans mouth. "This is your sibling, not a human. We will raise it as one of us until it dies, you understand?"

"Mother it has no tail, no gills! It will die with us and if it doesn't, it will go to the humans and tell them where we are! Mother how could you be so-!" I quieted as she glared at me, gills flared with anger.

"How could I what, guppy?" She asked, the question echoing alongside the sucking noises the human made.

I stammered, letting go of her tail. "It may be small but when it gets bigger, it will go back to them," I murmered, averting my eyes from her gaze.

"If it does go back to the humans then we will kill it. But it is small so we will teach it not the trust humans. I have already thought of everything my dear, leave the worrying to me." She assured me, taking the cylinder away from the human once it was empty.

----

It's been many moons since Mother brought the blob to our pod. Many protested as I did but they were all quick to fall in love with the blobs stupid noises and loud giggles. Younger guppies helped the blob swim above water while my friends and I let it ride on our backs underwater. We had the be careful since it didn't have gills but it let us know when it needed to breath.

Mother and I worked together to find it some pants and shirts to wear, a whole collection of fabrics to wear above and below water. It took pride in wearing it's clothes, saying that once it got too cold, it didn't like being so naked. Mother also brought it some blankets and materials to make fire, ideal for the colder months when it didn't want to get in the water.

As the blob got older, it spent those colder months spent alone as the pod deemed it old enough to care for itself. Mother and I still visited everyday to bring food for it, leaving the fresh fish and kelp in on of the small pools we helped carve.

One day, when it was just me bringing the food, the blob had asked me a question.

"Sister," it had started, sitting in front of the fire Mother helped it build before she left. "Why aren't I like the rest of the pod?"

It was then I knew, it was time for the blob to learn. Even if Mother shunned me, turned me from the pod, I had to let the blob know the truth.

"Brother," I said, hefting myself onto the ledge. I had gotten much bigger than when the blob first came here. Before I was barely the size of Mothers full torso and now, I was almost as tall as she used to be. Mother had gotten smaller but she was no less the strongest of us all.

"Brother, it's time you know. Mother never wanted you to know and I didn't either but," I hesitated, looking at the human we raised. "You aren't like the rest of us because you aren't one of us."

The look of acceptance wasn't one I thought I would see. "I figured. Mother always seemed to be keeping something from me and no one else would answer my question." It said, coming to sit next to me. I wrapped my arm around it's shoulder, letting it lean into my side.

"You're no siren or even a mermaid, you're a human." I said, not looking at the blob under my arm. "Mother found you in a shipwreck, screaming for your own mother who had already drowned. The only reason you lived was because of your wooden bassinet that was floating on the water,"

The wooden bassinet that we used to transport all of its items. The buoyancy was an incredible help when we didn't want to get things wet.

"Mother brought you here and when I met up with her outside our cave, I yelled at her. Asked her what she was doing bringing you here. And Mother was patient, oh she was very patient with me, but I was too stupid and she yelled at me." I smiled, remembering the day so well.

"She said you were my new sibling and I should act like it. And that if you ever wanted to go back to the humans we would-" I faltered, remembering what she had said.

"You would what, sister?" It asked, looking up at me with it's big brown eyes. Nothing like the startling red that Mother and I shared.

"We would let you go back to them. Help you find someone to care for you," I lied. I couldn't kill my little brother, no matter what Mother said. I would sooner let her kill me then end the young life of my sweet littlest brother.

It's eyes widened at the thought, pushing away to look up at me. "Mother really said that?" He asked, hope lighting his face.

"Yes she did," I had to lie. "But if you went to them, you could never come back to us. It would be too dangerous."

That seemed to make the light disappear. I wished for nothing than to take the words back and see that childish hope once more.

Before I could say anything to remidey the situation, I heard the telltale flicks of Mothers tail getting closer. "Don't tell Mother we had this talk," I quickly said, taking my arm off it's shoulders and slipping into the water. "She wished to have this talk in a few more moons when you were older."

It looked torn between accepting and denying my request. "Please brother, say we didn't have this talk," I quietly begged.

His eyes flicked over to Mother as she rose from the water, her gaze switching between the two of us. "Hello my sweetest children, what appears to be the problem?" She asked, swimming over to us. She wrapped a hand over my shoulders and gave my head a kiss before leaning over to do the same to the blob.

It looked down at me before looking at Mother, opening it's mouth to say, "sister was just telling me how it's been harder to find the one fish I like, the orange and blue one," it said.

Mother gave a sympathetic hum at that. "I'm sorry dearest, we've been looking but it seems to have gone into hibernation for the year. I'll be sure to bring you plenty once the spring sun sets," she promised.

I relaxed as the blob lied to Mother, giving it a thankful look. "If I'm not needed, I'll be down with the sapphire and golden sirens, Mother." I told her, giving her cheek a quick bump before ducking out of her arm and heading to the underwater caverns.

----

Life continued on after that. The winter sun rose and set many times before the blob approached me with a request.

"Sister," it's voice had gotten deeper from the high pitched squeaking it used to be. "I think I'd like to go the humans."

I had figured this day would come. I looked at the blob in front of me. Though it had grown in height and weight, with health muscles lining its skin, it would still be the blob that Mother brought home that one day so many moons ago.

Mother, who had started to grow pale and was getting weaker but could still keep up with the hunting squad.

"Is that truly what you wish brother? You know that you can't-"

"Yes sister, I remember." It cut me off, looking away from me.

"Ok brother. Let me tell the pod I will be away for some time then," I said to it. "If you wish to take anything with you, set it in the bassinet and put the bassinet in the water."

"Wait, we're leaving now? Can't we go tomorrow, or the day after?" It asked, sadness coating it's features.

"Wouldn't you like to leave as soon as possible? Meet new people, get to know how the humans work?" I asked, not wanting to give it time to say anything to Mother.

It reluctantly agreed with me before pulling the bassinet out from under some blankets.

Diving under the water, I memorized each face I passed. This would probably be the last time I would ever see my pod again. Mother would never let me back after delivering my brother to the humans.

I raced over to my cave, grabbing some squid ink and a stone tablet. I wrote down how I was taking the human on a swim and we'd be back tomorrow or the day after. I stared at the words before quietly setting the tablet down.

I swam back to the cave where the blob was waiting for me, bassinet gently bobbing in the water in front of it. "Ready to go?" I asked him.

"Can't I say goodbye to everyone?" He asked, panic in his words.

I shook my head, knowing that would lead to way too many questions that I wouldn't be able to answer. "Mother doesn't want you to. I'm sorry." I quietly apologized, swimming over to him. I offered him my back, feeling him wrap an arm around my shoulders.

I swam the the entrance of the cave, giving the cave one last glance before leaving. "Hold on tight. It's going to be a day or two before we're close to the humans."

It's only response was to hold on tighter.

===========°°°°°°°°°°°=============

Colored in this page from @prinnay 's coloring pages and thought this would be a good character reference!

You are a siren, a rather young one. Today your mother, the leader of your pod, introduced an unfamiliar little squishy pink thing to you as your little sibling.

#writing prompts #pupiwrites #i want to write more but also i think thats a good end

[pupika-samika]

Oh my gosh. I just found this website that walks you though creating a believable society. It breaks each facet down into individual questions and makes it so simple! It seems really helpful for worldbuilding!

#save for later

[pupika-samika]

*boops your nose* send this to ten blogs you think are lovely and deserve a boop on the nose <3 <3

You're a goddamn menace smh

I hope you appreciate all the little stories I write in your dms <3

#Nick #asks

[pupika-samika]

A King is Nothing Without His People

Chapter 9

Dive into the Unknown

CW: None

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Spoiler alert. It did not work out. At least, not how Link hoped it would. He could have predicted about a hundred things happening before he predicted what was currently happening! He stood in front of King Dorephen and Prince Sidon, mouth much too dry considering where he was. "W-What did you say?" The two Zora towered over him, making the mighty hero feel small and powerless. A mere worm compared to the giant sharks in front of him. They- he can't be serious? There's no way she planned this far!

Link looked over at Mipha, the small Zora standing next to her younger brother. She looked surprised as well but unlike Link, she was much better at hiding it.

Link looked down at the parchment paper again, letting the words sink in as he memorized the contents. He knew what they said, he knew they were important but he couldn’t get it in his head that it was real. "Father, are you sure about this? This hasn't come to light in over a century, are you sure you still want to honor that kind of contract?" Sidon asked his father, looking as shocked as Link felt. 

Now you might be wondering, Link, how did we get to this point? To be quite honest, Link was wondering that himself. It started at 6 am, the time Yunobo woke up. The Goron woke up later than Link, which gave him plenty of time to make breakfast for them both. Two rockroasts for the Goron, and three omelets for the Hylian. 

"Good-" a yawn broke through the sentence. "Morning, Goro! Do you always wake up so early?" Yunobo asked as he sat beside Link, picking up one of the offered roasts. The Hylian had to admire Yunobos cheerfulness so soon after waking up, even he didn't feel so happy right after waking up. Link didn't answer the question, instead watching his friend's reaction as he ate the rock. 

Yunobo took one bite of the roast and lit up, chewing the rock much more enthusiastically. Taking another, much bigger bite he asked, "woah Link! Where'd you get this roast from, Goro!? It tastes delicious!" He praised, taking more chunks out of the rock. 

"Oh I made it. I found the recipe somewhere and wanted to do something nice for you." Link lied. It was much easier saying you found a recipe than explaining you had your friend's dead grandfather explaining how to make it step by step. "Is it really that good? I should've made one for myself." 

"It's delicious! Here, you can have the second one! You shouldn't miss out on a meal as good as this! You need strong rocks to grow big and durable, Goro!" Yunobo praised as he held out the rockroast. As tempted as Link was, he had to decline.

With a shake of his head, Link held up a hand to stop the offending rock from entering his personal space. “I already ate Yunobo, but next time I’ll make sure to make one for me too. I made those for you so you should eat them.” He explained, giving his friend a smile. With much convincing, Link was able to get Yunobo to finish both the rockroasts by himself. 

They finished eating breakfast at almost 6:30, the perfect time. If he planned everything correctly then his meeting with Dorephen wouldn't take too long. Hopefully less than an hour if it could be helped. Then he could spend the rest of the day in Vah Ruta, maybe spend the night in the machine if- 

"Oh, Link! I forgot about the promise I made last night!"

Yunobo cut Link out of his thoughts. Promise? What promise- Oh! 

"There's been some really, really strong monsters hanging around lately! They even have gold pelts, it's crazy Goro!"

"What?" Link asked, dumbfounded. Gold pelted monsters? That's ridiculous, there's no way there's golden pelted monsters…Right? "Where are they? I'll see if I can clear them sometime soon."

"We've already gotten rid of most of them, there's just that one Lynel near those whale bones up north but no one ever goes there so it shouldn' be a problem. You shoulda see them Link, Goro! They're so strong, it's takes two Gorons to take down a golden Bokoblin!" Yunobo raved, excitement sparkling over him. If it were any other race, Link might've been worried about how many monsters were in the area. But knowing how strong the Gorons were, Link felt he could put this issue on the backburner. At least for a few days. 

Link gave a hum in acknowledgement as he thought over the monsters. He could leave those be for a few days, until the next blood moon. The two spent a few minutes watching the sunrise, the sky becoming more blue and orange then black and red. 

“Well, I guess it's time for me to get going. Thank you again for the gift and information Yunobo." Link smiled, briefly glancing at the crimson ribbon inside his slate before switching to his map screen. He wouldn’t wear it now, only because his current hair tie was almost broken. He’d wear the ribbon when the tie finally broke. His fourth hair tie lasted much longer than the others, being bought during the last leg of his quest and seeing less hardship than his other three. "I'll visit again really soon, in about a month. I'll even stockpile on some rock-roasts for everyone to try." 

"Be careful, goro. And if you ever need help, I'll be right there! Just- give me a warning if you think you'll need my help with something," he paused, seeming to work himself up to say something. He waited, allowing Yunobo to gather his words. “And Link? You’re always welcomed here. Not just to my house but to the volcano, to the city, goro.”

Blinking in surprise, Link stared at Yunobo. The Goron looked away from him, seemingly embarrassed. “Thank you, Yunobo. I promise to come visit more often.” He promised, shooting a smile at the Goron. Yunobo fidgeted for a few seconds, making Link wonder what else he had to say. “Anything else on your mind?”

It happened so fast that Link thought he had gotten attacked. One second Link was standing, staring at Yunobo with his slate in hand, and the next he was being awkwardly smushed into a rocky chest.

The feeling of being hugged by a talus lasted for only a few seconds, not nearly long enough for Link to wonder if he should hug back. Yunobo let go and pushed Link back, stuttering out apologies for the hug. "I didn’t- I don’t- that was- I’m sorry for-" Yunobo was cut off when Link let out a laugh before giving Yunobo a hug back. While his arms couldn’t reach all the way around, Link hugged the Goron as best as he could.

"If you wanted a hug, you could’ve asked for one, big guy.” He said, not letting go until he felt Yunobo hug him back. “Thank you, Yunobo. For everything you’ve done.” He thanked as he let get of his rocky friend. 

Link dragged the cursor over to the Lanayru region, then zoomed in until he saw the Ne’ez Yohma shrine located in Zora's domain.

Yunobo, watching Link get ready to leave, smiled at him. “Make sure you visit soon! We can make rock roasts together!”

"I will. Stay safe Yunobo." Link bided before clicking on the Ne'ez Yohma shrine. He looked down at Fostri, watching as his friend floated up to grab a few strands of his hair. Would that be enough contact to teleport? Hopefully it was because Link already pressed the button. 

---

Link's world blipped into millions of blue particles before he was deposited on the base of the Ne'ez Yohma shrine. It had barely been a minute but Link was quickly regretting going from boiling hot to freezing humid. He threw on his Zora armor, barely registering the crimson leather that greeted him until he saw the Zora of the group floating up the overflown, watered stairs. Link looked down at his Zora armor then looked to the others of the group, two of which seemed amused by his silent panic. “Is this too weird? I could go to Hateno and redye it." He offered, feeling like his color choice could have a different meaning other than pretty colors.

"Why change it? You've already shown the Domain. Plus, I think you look good in red." Urbosa complimented, a mischievous smile on her face. Link was not reassured by that smile but seeing as he was already here (and she did have a point. Hell, Dorephen and Sidon said he looked good in red which, now that he thought about it- you know what. He’s just going to stop thinking) and he only had a few days till Impa reached Hateno. He needed to use his quickly dwindling time wisely. An annoyed huff later and he began making his way up the stairs, looking up to the sky. Unlike the first time he had been here, the sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen. The suns’ rays were beating down, gleaming harshly on the water. If he wasn’t here on borrowed time he’d consider going for a swim in such nice weather. Unfortunately, that will have to wait as one of the people he has to meet with is currently bounding his way over to the Hylian. 

“Fostri, you can go explore if you want, I’ll come get you when I'm done.” Link quickly and quietly whispered to the Korok who had fixed its seating arrangements and was now sitting on his shoulder. The Korok shook his head, only clinging onto a few strands of hair to voice his refusal. 

"I wonder, why does Mr. Link want me to leave so badly?" he started, standing on Link's shoulder to get a better view of the incoming Zora. "Could it be that Mr. Link doesn't want to introduce me to his friend?" He asked almost sadly. 

Link sucked in a breath, thoughts conflicting with each other. "It's not that, it's-"

“Link! It’s so good to see you again!” Sidon boomed as he stood near the stairs, shark tail slowly wagging behind him. 

“I can’t believe he hasn’t gotten over that habit, it’s been over a century. Surely father would’ve tried correcting him.” 

“Well it took you being dead to fully correct that, I’d say it takes time. Even then, sometimes you still wag your tail when-" 

“Hey Sidon,” Link greeted his friend, ignoring the loud conversation in front of him. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has been! What are you here for today? Some fishing? Do you want to go on a swim? Oh, maybe we can go fight that Lynel up on Ploymus Mountain! I’ve heard from some of the warriors that they’re saying it’s turned into a golden Lynel, that must be exciting to fight! So how about it, Link? What are we doing today?” Sidon excitedly asked, tail swishing faster and stars lighting up in his eyes

Link frowned and looked away from his lo- his friend. With how excited Sidon was, he was beginning to feel guilty about the topic he needed to bring up. "I'd love to but I really need to talk to you and your dad about something. It’s important- I’d rather not talk about it down here.” He explained, motioning around to the very open area they were in. 

Sidon momentarily froze, before composing himself. “Ah, this wouldn’t happen to be about why Vah Ruta fired a laser about a week ago, would it?” Sidon asked as he backed up and began walking up to where his father resided. Link followed after him and nodded, idly waving to the shopkeepers and weaving around giggling groups of guppies. 

“It is. That’s why I have to talk with your father. And you- since you're a prince. Don’t worry, I’ll answer any questions you have when I’m done.” Please don’t give the sad eyes. Please don’t give me the- damnit Sidon. Link pointedly did not look at Sidon as he could see the slight pout on his face from the corner of his eye. The conversation died out as the two climbed up the overflowing stairs, King Dorephen being easily heard from the bottom of the steps. 

The Zora proudly stepped into the chamber, eyes flickering briefly between Muzu, who had already been in the royal chamber, and Link, before greeting his father. “Father, we have a visiter. Link requested a private conversation about Vah Ruta,” Sidon paused, glancing at Muzu. At the older Zora’s refusal to move he added, “he asked it be held privately.” Muzu looked to King Dorephen for permission to refuse but grumpily left when Dorephen asked him to leave. He left the chamber room, grumbling on how he’d be back. 

Alright, I got this. Just- explain what happened. It’s not that hard and you’ve done this before… his thoughts trailed off as he saw the expectant look on King Dorophens face. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he started. “A few days ago Vah Ruta fired a laser aimed at the castle. You probably noticed by now that Calamity Ganon isn’t surrounding the castle anymore. That’s because I was able to defeat him with the help of the beasts and the princess, they both had incredibly important roles in the fight. After the battle ended, the princess was infected with too much malice to survive. Her body was safely taken to the place where I was resurrected but only time will tell if she will survive.” He summarized, thinking over if he missed anything. 

“Tell them how you're king now- but don’t make a fool of yourself like you did with the Rito.”

“Revali I’m sure he was going to say that next, don’t rush him.”

Link was trying to ignore them, he really was. It was taking everything in him to not turn around and ask what the hell they were talking about this time. He must've made a face as Sidon asked if he was alright. He waved the concern aside, thinking over how to word his next statement.

"During the princess' last moments she had one request for me. She asked that after her death, in her steed I become-"

"King of Hyrule,” King Dorephen cut in. “Ah, such a shame those precautions must be used." He frowned, heaving a sad sigh. Prompted by their confusion he continued, "the princess had come to me over a century ago, months before the Calamity, and asked that I sign a contract with her. If, by some chance, she and her father were to both fall to the Calamity then I was instructed to help the next King of Hyrule. Which would be you, Link. In return I, and by proxy, the Zora, will get more contacts with the other races. Especially the Gorons, us two races have climates that challenge the other so it's difficult to arrange meetings." He rambled on, clearly forgetting the important matter at hand. "I've only met a handful of Gorons in my life, all surely dead by now. The first time I met a Goron was-"

"Father, can you please get back to the topic at hand? You said you formed a contract with the late Princess?" Sidon intercepted, deciding the rambling was not important enough for this conversation.

King Dorephen took a moment to orientate himself, abruptly realizing he had gone off topic. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, as I was saying. The late Princess Zelda had come to me and we signed an agreement. If you'd like to see it, it's in the chest over there," he pointed in the general direction behind his throne. Sidon and Link made their way to the chest, King Dorephen twisting his upper body to watch them. There was indeed a chest behind the throne and inside there was a parchment paper. It was aged and yellowing, plus water damage was clearly eating at the edges. But the ink was still legible. From the signatures to the clause, even the fine print was readable. Link blinked in shock. There wasn't- she couldn't. That was the princesses handwriting, he spent too many nights up late reading her work to not recognize it. 

Now that you're all caught up, let's continue.

There Link stood, Link looked down at the parchment paper again, letting the words sink in as he memorized them. He knew what they said, he knew they were important and the signatures weren’t forged but he couldn’t get it in his head that it was real. "Father, are you sure about this? This hasn't come to light in over a century, are you sure you still want to honor this kind of contract?" Sidon asked his father, looking as shocked as Link felt. 

"It's a signed contract between two nations. As a King and as a friend of the late Princess it's my duty to not only honor her last wish but her last contract. Besides, no one has as much time nor experience to teach you as I do. So Link, will you allow me to help you? Will you allow me to fulfill the Princess' last wish?" King Dorephen asked, keeping leveled- as leveled as he could- eye contact with Link. 

He thought over this… could it even be called an offer? It seemed more like a demand- or even a plea to him. Nonetheless, Link had to accept. Except…

"I'd love to take your help, but Lady Impa from Kakariko already offered to teach me everything. She's headed to Hateno as we speak, she should be there in around five days. I could try to bring her here so you can both teach me at the same time but-" Link started, a slight pressure building behind his eyes as he thought over how to solve this problem. He wasn't even an official King, yet he was already becoming stressed like one. He’ll be grey before he even reaches a hundred and twenty at this rate.

King Dorephen, seeing the spiral Link was headed into, cut him off. "There's no need for that. I'm sure Lady Impa can handle your training on her own. Though, before you leave for your next destination, come back here. I'd like to give you a letter for Lady Impa." He requested. If someone else offered to teach him, especially someone as close to the royal family as Lady Impa, then he figured he could offer some breathing room in his schooling.

Link nodded at the request, figuring it wouldn't be too much of a hassle especially as he would’ve come back before he left to say goodbye. Besides, he couldn’t feel the smallest bit of annoyance when the pressure to learn so much so quickly was lessened slightly. Only slightly. Not a lot. Just by a tablespoon. Or teaspoon? Whichever was smallest. 

"Don't worry, Link. Even if this proves too much for you, don't forget that we're here to help you. While you might not have any memories from a hundred years ago we do." Mipha offered comfortingly, a hand moving to rub his arm but stopping just short of touching him. While the comfort never made contact it still did its job in calming him down. 

"Thank you for offering to teach me. If I ever need help I'll be sure to come to you. Lady Impa is still a few days away from Hateno so while I'm here can I look at Vah Ruta? I'd like to fix him up a little, just enough to get him running if he needs to."

There was barely a second's hesitation before Dorephen nodded in approval. "I don't see a problem with that. Be careful, some Zora say they hear monsters within the beast. Who knows what's made its way inside since the last blood moon." 

With little else to go over, Link was ready to bid his goodbye. “I think that's everything I needed to talk to you about. Unless either of you have anything you want to ask…?” He trailed off, looking between the two Zora to see if they had anything to say. King Dorephen is the one who speaks up, a somber look on his face. 

“How did she die?” He asked softly, as if he knew the question could set him off. Sidon yelped out a quiet ‘Father!’ in response to the question, yet they knew he was curious too. 

Next to him, Urbosa winced at the question, looking at him with pity. That was a sore subject for everyone, especially with how recent it was. “Well, better to be forward and get a straight answer than dance around the topic and get a misunderstood answer. I’d say that’s a terrible way to deal with a trauma victim but a good way to get information.”

“It’s also a good way to make him cry.”

“You… are an insufferable bastard. Do you know that?” 

Setting aside the twos’ bickering- were they always arguing? He’s only had them around for less than two weeks and it’s already gotten old to him, was this what Mipha and Daruk had to deal with for a hundred years? He thought over what Urbosa said, specifically the last part. Him? A trauma victim? He wasn’t a trauma victim! …Whatever trauma was, he wasn’t a victim of it!

“She died- she died in my arms. She was infected with malice and wouldn’t have made it. She begged me to kill her as soon as The Calamity was taken care of. I put her in the shrine I was revived in, so now all that’s left to do is wait and see if that helps her. It may not help her but… I’ll remain hopeful until the end. The shrine worked a miracle once, I’m hoping it can work one more.” Strangely enough, he almost didn’t feel the pain in his chest whenever he thought of Ze- the princess. Nope- he still can’t even think of her name without feeling choked up.

He bit his lip as he waited for someone to speak, anxiously looking between Sidon and Dorephen. The two Zora looked at each other, the two having a silent conversation only heard to them. After waiting a while for either to acknowledge him, he slightly bowed his head and turned around, careful not to make Fostri fall while making his way out of the chamber. Right as he got to the entrance he heard King Dorephan speak up, causing him to pause his walking. “Don’t doubt yourself Link, they would be proud of you. All five of them would be incredibly proud of you, especially her.” He vaguely stated, not specifying who ‘Her’ was. That confused him- which Her was he talking about? He didn’t let himself think over it too hard, letting his body go on autopilot. He heard faint chatter from inside the chamber but he tried not to eavesdrop, he was no longer a part of that conversation. 

He idly listened to Mipha talk about Ruta as he pulled out his slate, moving it from the Ne’ez Yohma shrine to the Vah Ruta teleporter. Fostri had sat himself on Link's head, his tiny feet kicking back and forth to keep himself entertained. They occasionally hit Link's forehead but he couldn’t find it in him to care too much. 

“I can’t wait to see Ruta again, I’ve missed him terribly these past few weeks. I wonder if-”

"Link! Wait up!” An excited, familiar voice cut the small Zora off. "Link! Would you mind if I accompanied you to Vah Ruta? I would feel awful if you went to fix that beast by yourself while I sat around doing nothing." Sidon had jumped off the top of the stairs and landed slightly in front of Link, easily righting himself. 

Link stumbled back as the large Zora jumped in front of him, almost falling over from the surprise greeting. If it wasn't for Sidons hand quickly grabbing his arm he had no doubt he’d be absolutely soaked, more than he already was. Once he could stand on his own he lightly tugged his arm away from the Zora, giving an appreciative smile. “You want to come with me to Ruta? Are you sure?” Though the question was directed at the prince he sent a side glance to the four champions now crowding the two. 

“He can come with, you could use the extra set of hands. And it’d do you some good to talk with someone who isn’t dead,” Urbosa pointed out. He didn’t want to admit that she was right. The past few weeks he hasn’t really talked to anyone unless he had to- or they were a ghost who followed him around when he didn’t want them to. He gave the idea a bit more though before reluctantly nodding, Sidon cutting himself off at the action.

“Ok, you can come with me. But it will take us a while to get up there- I usually teleport there but I’ve never brought another person with me.” He explained as he looked over the area surrounding Ruta, his sentence growing quieter as he thought. How long would it take to get up there? He’s never walked up that mountain before, only glided down it and occasionally scaling the smaller cliffs. 

Luckily he didn't need to think too hard for too long because the small voice of his best friend piped up. “But Mr. Link, you always teleport me with you. Can't you do the same with Mr. Prince Sidon?" 

If Link knew what a lightbulb was there would have been one blinding everyone. Unfortunately I don't think lightbulbs exist in the Zelda universe so a metaphorical torch appeared above his head. Fostri was a genius! Link wanted to send a grateful look his way, to hopefully convey every positive emotion he was feeling, but he thought it'd be weird if he did that in front of Sidon- who he was sure couldn't see the Korok. 

"Actually, give me a minute to check something over and I'll take you to Ruta. I'll be back in a little bit, wait for me by the shrine- '' Link quickly told the Prince, pausing just long enough to see the nod of confirmation before he felt the dizzying yet familiar feeling of being stitched and rewoven into reality. He opened his eyes to the sight of Vah Ruta looking worse for wear. He openly frowned at the beast but didn't have the time to openly study it like he wanted.

Faint chatter was heard somewhere off to the side yet he didn't want to eavesdrop. If he was meant to hear that conversation they'd be louder. He gently picked up the Korok from his shoulder and dropped him in the air. A startled yelp was heard before faint twirling replaced it, the Korok holding its trusty leaf to hold him in the air. "That was rude Mr. Link!" Fostri whined, making his way back to Link's shoulder.

"No Fostri, you have to stay here. I don't know how many people I can take at once and I don't want to risk it." He tried reasoning, thinking of anything to try and distract the Korok. "Why don't you go with the others and try to survey the damage? Then I can get to work right away and we can leave sooner. So stay here while I go get Sidon?"

The sound of rushing water, birds and faint chatter was all he could hear for a few moments, the Korok in front of him seemingly deep in thought.

A tiny, reluctant huff sounded from his friend. "I'll stay here, but I expect an apple in return for my troubles Mr. Link!" He said with a laugh and zoomed over to the now hushed group of champions who were openly watching the pair.

I'll bring so many apples. I'll even get the biggest, juiciest ones from the Hateno Orchid. He thought as he went back to the Ne'ez Yohma shrine, double checking that the Korok wasn't going to try and sneak back with him. He closed his eyes as blue consumed his vision and opened them when he felt the hot humidity of the domain surrounding him. 

Sidon wasn't there yet but he couldn't be too far away- nevermind, there he is. Was it just Link or did the Prince look more handsome than two minutes ago? The Zora looked ethereal. Divine even. The sunlight streaming behind him, the soothing dripping of the water streams, his bright smile. Link had to pause, his brain refusing to process anything other than pretty Zora standing in front of me what do I do Hylia help. Luckily he was saved from further embarrassing himself by Sidon speaking up.

"You beat me. I was hoping to make it here before you," Sidon all but whined as he glided down the stairs to meet Link. Could sharks glide? Apparently handsome, tall, red ones could. 

"I told you I'd be back soon. Couldn't leave you behind, not when you asked to come along." He replied back, quickly ducking his head to look at his slate. He was sure his cheeks were flushed red but didn't want to make it obvious. Well, more obvious than it was. Hopefully he could blame it on the humidity. As he spoke Sidon moved closer, leaning to peer down at the screen between them. "We'll need to have physical contact for this to work, but I've never tried this on anyone bigger than a very small child. I don't know how much is required for it to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, shoving his face into a toned stomach. He stilled, mind processing what was happening.

"Is this enough contact?" Sidon asked with an excited grin, tail furiously wagging behind him. Link could only nod and keep his gaze on his slate. He clicked on Ruta's teleporter and off the two went, the very fabric of their beings being torn apart and stitched back together with royal blue threads of fate. 

The two reappeared on the ground before Ruta, the champions nowhere to be found but clearly heard from within the machine. He could faintly hear an argument happening along with the sound of rushing water. He could only wonder what they were fighting about this time. 

"Ruta… how far you've fallen," he heard Sidon mutter off to the side. Link spared a glance at the prince, seeing the crestfallen look on his face. He then looked up at the beast, taking in its features for the first time. 

The trunk, he learned that's what it was called from Mipha, sagged heavily against the ground. Its head was downturned and the bottom of its chin was barely hanging off the ground. It was truly a sorry sight. Link turned to Sidon and gave him a comforting squeeze of the arm. "He'll be alright Sidon, we're going to fix him. Have some faith in us," he said softly, giving the prince a smile before releasing his arm. 

Link turned his face to his slate, looking away too soon to see the loving look Sidon sent his way. He was less than happy with how few ancient supplies he had but he'd have to make due. "Be careful, I don't remember if there were any electric monsters or currents inside. And anything could've made a home in there since I first defeated the beast." He said, swiping to his clothing section. The wind had grown frigid, leaving the Hylian to shake slightly from the cold. 

Seeing as they'd be here for a while, Link decided to take off his Zora headpiece and put his ruby circlet on instead. It kept him just warm enough to not freeze, that would have to do until he got his body moving. That couldn’t be soon enough. "You ready?" He asked the prince, getting a delayed nod in response. 

With some help of Revali's gale, plus a particularly strong mighty and tough elixir, he was able to get both of them to the entrance of Vah Ruta. Urbosa was waiting for him at the entrance but the other champions- and his korok companion- seemed to be further in the beast.

"No monsters in here. Even checked all the secret rooms Mipha remembered. The other four are looking over the back half but we found some areas that need fixing." She summarized, her gaze falling to Sidon every few seconds. Said Zora was looking around the machine, clearly on guard and ready for something to pop up.

Link put a hand in his tense forearm, making Sidon look down at him. “There’s no monsters in the main room so there shouldn’t be too many elsewhere. You can relax a little.”

Sidon looked like he wanted to disagree, even opened his mouth to do so, but seemed to back out at the last second. “...If you say so, Link,” he paused and gave the room another look around. “While I do trust you, I’ll keep my guard up for a little while longer. Being inside this beast gives me a bad feeling.” 

"If anything dangerous pops out I'll protect you," Link promised, sending Sidon a reassuring look.

Urbosa, who had been quietly watching the exchange between the two, let out an amused buff. "Are you two love birds done or must I stand here and watch this go on for several more minutes?"

Link jumped and tried to keep the heat off his face, having completely forgotten the Gerudo was even there. "We should uh- go get started on this," he stammered, avoiding looking Sidon and Urbosa in the eyes. 

The Zora prince, unaware of their audience of one, nodded and followed behind Link. While he looked relaxed and openly eyed all the mechanisms of the beast, his hand never let go of the Ceremonial Trident he used to fight with. 

Link sighed as he accepted that Sidon would stand guard the whole time they were there. He followed Urbosa, occasionally running into another champion who helpfully (or unhelpfully. CoughRevalicough) told him where something had to be fixed. 

Three quickly became five, then ending at seven as the rest of the champions and Fostri met up with the group. As he got to work on repairing some of the broken parts he couldn't help but listen in to the conversations around him. Although he knew they were there for almost the entire length of his journey, he couldn’t help but forget since they barely talked about it. It was times like this that he was quickly reminded of this fact when he heard Urbosa and Revali making bets in the distance. He couldn’t hear much of what they were saying, just enough to know they were making bets on him and Sidon. He opted to not listen, saving himself the embarrassment of knowing they knew about his love life- and lack of it.

They were about halfway through the day when Link remembered the topaz jewelry he'd had custom made some time ago. He only remembered after the third time he almost accidentally electrocuted himself, standing much too close to a puddle of water while working with electricity. 

"Oh by the way,” pausing his work, he got the jewelry out of his slate and offered Sidon a pair of gems. "In case there's any electric enemies, this should help keep the effects from being too bad.” He rushed out, heat creeping to his face when he saw that Sidon was already looking at him.

The Zora prince gratefully took the gems, tail slowly wagging behind him. "Thank you Link! I'll be sure to return them when we get back to the domain!” He beamed, pinning both gems on his sash. The yellow gems complimented the navy fabric and stood out against his white scales. 

Link shook his head, using the movement to look away from the prince. “You can keep them. I bought a few more gems for the other Zora that frequently go to areas with electric Lizalfol.” 

He heard Sidon moving and before he knew it, there were two arms around him, carefully dragging him to Sidons chest. “I greatly appreciate this Link,” he beamed, . “You’ve done so much to help us Zora. Words alone can’t express how grateful I am for all you’ve done for us.” 

Link started to squirm, unsure how he should be feeling about being in the Zora's hold. He only stopped when Sidon spoke up, his tone hesitant yet heavy.

“Link… I…” He started, tightening his grip around Link. “You’ve been so distant these past few weeks. Is it something I have done?” He asked, voice going quieter with each word. “Have I done something to upset you?”

The silence was thick as Link thought about the question. He slowly shook his head, deciding that now was the time to tell him. “No,” he started, unsure how to go about this. “No, you haven’t done anything Sidon. I’m the one that should be saying sorry.”

Sidon was quick to speak up at that. “Link, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. I understand that you’re incredibly busy rebuilding Hyrule and protecting her people. I just wish to know what I have done to upset you.”

Link shook his head again, more firmly this time. “No Sidon, you really haven’t done anything. Maybe we should sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”

So they did. Link sat on the side of one of the pools while Sidon floated near him. Here, Link told him everything. How he was slowly getting his memories back over the course of his journey, and with them his feelings for people long dead. He told Sidon about Zelda, how he felt about her and how she felt about him. He told Sidon about the secret dates and the research trips that always took longer than necessary. He spoke of the long days watching Rhoam berate her and the late nights comforting her. Lastly, he told him how they planned to get married and start their own family after everything was done. 

It didn’t need to be said how that never happened.

Sidon was silent through everything, patiently listening and waiting for Link to finish before speaking up. “Do you still have feelings for her?” He quietly asked, no judgment in his voice. If anything, his eyes held nothing but sympathy and understanding. 

He didn’t know what to say after that. Some days his heart ached to be with the one he loved, staring at his sword for hours at a time. Those days are the ones where he was Link from a hundred years ago, feeling guilty for the kingdom he couldn’t protect. 

Then there were some days where he hated her. Hated her for putting this responsibility on him, this kingdom and her people. Those days are the ones where he was some random boy born into a world he had to save even if he didn’t know why he had to.

All he could do was give Sidon a halfhearted shrug, unsure of the answer himself. “I think so. I don’t know.” He whispered, looking away from the Zora. "Everything's so confusing. I feel like all these emotions I have are from the old me. But then I talk with Impa, Purah, Robbie. You and your dad. I don't know what to feel when I talk with anyone who I knew before." He ranted, frustration with himself building as he felt the tears threatening to fall.

Sidon said nothing, making Link keep his head down in anticipation. Would he be upset at him for keeping this secret? Betrayed that Link has feelings for another? Would he be mad and leave? He didn't want to know. 

"Link? Would you look at me, please?" Sidon asked softly, the sound of water gently splashing as Link saw his shadow moving closer.

He didn't want to look up in fear that his fears would come true. Nonetheless he did, wanting to know what Sidon wanted to say.

Looking up at Sidon revealed none of that. Sidon had a sympathetic smile, nothing but complete sympathy and understanding on his face. “When you do figure out your emotions, do be sure to let me know. Until then, I shall wait for you for as long as you need. If you ever need a friend to talk to, please don't hesitate to ask me. I shall help you however you need, as it would be my pleasure.” The Zora stated, holding a hand over his heart. A vow he was always willing to hold.

And suddenly, Link didn't see Sidon anymore. He saw Mipha offering a healing hand while ranting talking about her day and the domain, or scolding him for getting injured again. He saw his childhood best friend who always had his back no matter what. He saw the sister to the one he loved, the Zoran princess he couldn't save.

"Link, how many times must I tell you to be careful? You Hylians are fragile, please take better care of yourself." The red Zoran princess scolded, gently holding Link's injured arm in her hands. 

The knight shrugged, looking away from the princess in front of him. They were having their weekly chats, sitting on Vah Ruta's trunk this time, Princess Mipha having recently gotten crowned as the beasts pilot. 

Princess Mipha sighed but held a webbed hand over the slash, letting her healing water wade over the wound. Link bit his cheek as a hiss threatened to leave him, training and desensitization being the only reasons he didn't flinch from the sting of the healing. 

It was quiet, the sound of water softly swishing being the only noise until Mipha spoke up. "I worry about you Link," she said softly as her healing faded, the slash leaving barely a car behind. "You constantly throw yourself in harms way for Princess Zelda and hold no regard for your own health. I worry your duty to the princess will get you killed." She confessed, tracing the freshly healed scar with a clawed finger. 

I worry too Mipha. But I have to protect the princess, it's my purpose. Link thought to the Zora, willing her to understand his thoughts.

Another sigh passed from her lips, letting go of his arm and allowing him to take the appendage back. "I suppose there's nothing I might be able to say to change your mind, is there Link?" She guessed, a sad smile on her face.

Link shook his head, knowing that even if he wanted to, being the princess' knight was his duty till he died.

"Then there's nothing else I can do but be here to heal your every scrape and wound. I promise to you that I shall always be here to heal you, even if I leave this world." The Zora stated, placing a hand over her heart. A vow she was always willing to hold.

Link stared at her until he blinked and saw Sidon once again, who was making his way out of the pool.

Sidon stood next to Link and held a hand out to help him up. “Now, I quite believe you said there was more work to be done here?” He asked, looking around the space they were in.

Relieved that he was changing the topic, Link wiped his eyes and nodded. He cleared his throat as well for extra measures. "Yeah, you're right." 

Neither of them pointed out his misty eyes or rough voice.

~Bonus content~

After Link and Sidons conversation, the two spent the rest of the day working on Ruta. Link felt that he could be turned on (don't ask how, he just had a feeling) but decided not to. 

Or well, he tried.

Honestly, his first mistake was saying his thoughts to Sidon. The Zora was so insistent that Link felt he had to turn the beast on. So with a warning of the noise and vibrations the beast would cause, Link set his slate to the control unit and allowed it to wake from its slumber once again.

The Zora was enamored by the beast now that it wasn't trying to flood his home, begging Link to sit atop it's back. Seeing as Link couldn't say no to him, the two watched the sunset from Ruta's back while Mipha enjoyed some time with her previous life partner.

The champions, who had been kind enough to not comment on their conversation, were spread across the beasts back to give a semblance of privacy. 

Link sighed, feeling at peace for the first time in a long, long while.

~~~

It's been almost two years since Link (now known as Link Durim Hyrule across his (HIS!!!!) people) had been crowned as King of Hyrule. His rule isn't perfect, he still messes up and burdens people with his mistakes. But it's a learning experience. One he and his people are learning through together. 

It's nearing the last day of the festival, the Miracle Festival some people have been calling it. On this day two years ago he defeated Calamity Ganon once and for all. The festival took place in the center of Castle Town. The once destroyed town was still destroyed but it was quickly being rebuilt into an even better version of itself. Bolson got his team together (including Hudson's mismatched band of races) and they got working on the new town.

Their hard work was truly paying off. The town was usable for the first festival, even if only the town square was able to be used. But this year almost the whole town could be used! Most of the buildings had been fixed up so store owners could store their wares or travelers could rest in one of the temporary lodges.

Seeing Link's kingdom, his people, his friends, his family. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate his victory? That was doing terrible things to his self-esteem. Hylia knows it was already too big.

The coming sunset signaled the time for the festival to come to a close. Store owners gave away the last of their wares and travelers bedded down one last time before the long journey home the next day. Link decided to go check and make sure no monsters were lurking in the shadows of the walls. After waving off the champions ("No I don't need company"), Paya ("I promise I won't rip my outfit again"), and Fostri ("I'd rather you stay safe in town. I'll bring you back some apples when I come back.") he set off to do a quick perimeter check.

He switched out his 'formal' attire (a shirt that was nice quality and ripped far too easily with pants that probably would've cost both his arms a century ago) and into his sheikah set. You could never go wrong with a classic. His Hylian shield and savage lynel sword were his chosen defense and offense for today.

As he neared the walls he got this sinking feeling in his chest.

Something was wrong.

Something was there. 

He narrowed his eyes and quietly got his sword out, holding it parallel to his body. His whole body tensed up as he heard voices on the other side of the wall, every muscle in his body pulled taut. 

"Does anyone know who’s Hyrule this is?”

“Fuck if I know! Four threw up on me and passed out!”

“Poor Four. Here, take this and give him to me.”

Link quickly opened his slate and downed a stealthy elixir, stalking as close as he could to the walls. He started scaling the walls, throwing his sword in his slate to make the move more quiet.

“When he wakes up he’ll be put on laundry duty. Whenever we find somewhere to settle down. Warrior, don’t you think this looks like Castletown?”

“If it is, it’s much quieter than most of ours. Could be ‘Rules?”

“Not mine, not enough magic in the air.”

“Kinda looks like mine but too big ta be. An' too quiet for the old mans.”

Link finally got to the top of the walls, peering down over the other side of it. There he saw eight people, two kids, two teenagers, and four adults. He glared, wondering if the children were taken against their will. While he didn’t recognize them, it wasn't impossible that there were some people he hadn't met yet. Perhaps they could be from out of Hyrule? But that doesn’t make sense, someone had asked who’s Hyrule they were in. Were there multiple kingdoms named Hyrule?

He didn’t question it for much longer before he grabbed his Great Eagle Bow, lined it with arrows and spoke up. “Put your weapons down and your hands up or I’ll be forced to shoot.”

The whole group spun around trying to find him, hands flying to the swords on their backs. Link was going to shoot until he saw one with a wolf pelt look up at him. Something about pelt seemed so… familiar. Pelt slowly raised his hands, making Link loosen the hold on his arrow. He didn’t harm people that were surrendering. “We don’t mean ya any harm.” 

“Uh Twilight, I think he’s the one that should be saying that, not us!” One of the teenagers hissed, one with pink hair.

“You don’t question the person with an arrow aimed at you who looks like they're prepared to shoot!” The adult with a long, blue scarf hissed back.

Link let an arrow fire past Pinkys head, watching his hat swish from the sudden movement. He didn’t have time for people to question him, not when he could feel Tenk laughing at him and his lack of authority over the situation. Of course the one spirit he couldn't get rid of is the one spirit that couldn't help him. “State your name and business for being here. I have to get back and I’d rather not have to escort you to jail.” 

One Eye spoke up, hands slowly coming down from above his head. “We’re here to find the hero of the land? We need to speak with him.” 

“Busy. State your name and business for being here.” Link pointedly said, aiming his arrow at One Eye. 

"Hey now! You wouldn't harm an already injured man, would you?" Blue scarf hissed, glaring up at Link. "Wouldn't kill you to set the bow down." He scoffed and threw his arms down, hand much too close to his swords handle.

Link decided Scarf would be a better target as he let another arrow fly, this time snagging at the edge of his tunic. A rip was heard as the arrow nicked the bottom edge of the fabric, keeping the piece pinned to the ground. 

The silence was thick as Link instantly lined another arrow. "I will say it once again. State your name and business for being here."

"I bet if you threaten one of the kiddos they'll be more inclined to answer." Tenk unhelpfully offered, lazily floating next to the kid in a colorful tunic. 

The kid in blue must've seen his eyes lingering on the other kid as he shouted "Don't!" Before a gust of wind knocked him down from his perch on the wall. 

Goddamit Tenk, Link thought as he fell. He prepared himself to feel the air leave his lungs and his back to snap.

He didn't prepare himself to get swallowed by a swirling mass of purple.

#legend of zelda #linked universe #linked universe fanfic #lu wild #wild linked universe #linked universe wild #the legend of zelda fanfiction #zelda fic #the legend of zelda #botw fic #breath of the wilf fanfic #legend of zelda breath of the wild #AAHHHHHHHHHH #ITS FINALLY HERE #the lu that we've all been waiting for! #i remember i was so so so excited to start writing this chapter only to realize #'wait a minute #i cant introduce full lu yet!' #and so then i wrote my absolute favorite chapter #chapter 10 #AKiNWHP

[pupika-samika]

do you ever not write for so long that you’re almost afraid to? like what if I’m dumb now

[pupika-samika]

Anyone have some advice writing an amnesiac character who's surrounded by well meaning friends who keep comparing them to how they were before?

#writerblr #writer blog #writer of tumblr #writer on tumblr #writer on ao3 #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing help #amnesia #amnesia writing

[pupika-samika]

Substitutes For "Dead Parents"

Okay you guys! I mentioned this in a past post, but when it comes to family, some of ya'll are just... not creative. And don't get me wrong, having deceased parents is deep, dark, and hard, but at this point, a lot of readers simply overlook that because it's just that common. Not to mention, a lot of you guys aren't doing nearly enough with that information! So, for this post, I'll give some new examples relating to "family struggles!"

>> Neglect: Neglectful parents often don't give their child enough attention, time, or care. They don't always hate their kid; quite the opposite, really, they can still love their offspring and are simply unaware that they are being neglectful. This happens for a multitude of reasons: all their attention is focused on a different child, they're busy, or they're just uninterested in their kid's activities.

>> Abuse: Abuse is rather straightforward; it can be physical, mental, or even both. Even if it's only physical abuse, it can heavily damage the child's mental health and make them question their self-worth.

>> Fighting: I think that a lot of us have endured our parents fighting, and I'm fully confident that none of us enjoyed it. It's incredibly difficult for a kid to listen to their parents fight without knowing how to stop it, being stuck in the middle, and even worse, being the center of the argument. As it escalates, the child may even feel neglected, because their parents are only focused on each other.

>> Absence: Like neglect, these parents don't devote nearly enough attention and time to their child. However, this is because they are hardly present in the household to begin with. Normally, it's their career that keeps them away, leaving their kid to raise themselves.

>> Controlling: Oftentimes, controlling parents are found in, believe it or not, more successful households. Kids who have parents that own a successful business or are powerful in general are sometimes raised to follow those footsteps regardless if they want to or not. If they don't want to, as a result, they are kept on a tight leash. Controlling parents can also be found in stricter households.

>> Toxicity: Toxicity, a form of emotional abuse, can come in many forms, gaslighting, demeaning words, constant criticism, comparison, etc. Frequently, the child is unaware that their parents are being toxic until a third party points it out to them. This is because they've only known their parents acting in toxic manners; thus, it becomes their norm. However, it's also entirely possible for the parent to be oblivious to the fact that they're being toxic.

>> Distant: Being distant doesn't always have to be because of some crazy reason; they might've been a very happy and close family once, but as time passes on, they just simply start drifting in their separate ways. It's not the same as neglect or an absence; the child is usually able to adjust to it easier, and it might've even been their choice to be distanced from their parents.

>> Child Responsibility: This is a scenario where the kid acts more like a parental figure--they have to take care of both themselves and their family. In some situations, they also have to work in order to supply their family with enough money to be able to pay for life necessities. This normally happens when a/the parent(s) are out of commission and struggle to provide for their family. If the household is poor, the child might be working alongside their parents in an attempt to make their lives easier.

Did I miss anything? Let me know what you guys think about these substitutes!

Happy writing~

3hks :D

[pupika-samika]

whats up?? would you mind giving prompts for “movement”? take for example: “She walks over to the boy”. Instead of saying “She walks”, i would like something more creative?

Synonyms for "Walk"

stroll

saunter

amble

trudge

plod

march

stride

wander

ramble

advance

make one's way

traipse

prowl

skip

Synonyms for "run"

dart

sprint

rush

dash

hurry

scurry

scuttle

charge

gallop

bound

fly

scamper

sprint

race

jog

trot

I hope this helps! Let me know if I got what you wanted :)

#save for later

[pupika-samika]

A King is Nothing Without His People

Chapter 8

As Lave Burns

CW:  light mentions of violence

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Revali came back an hour before twelve, taking a few minutes to relax before joining in on the games. No one bothered to ask about his experience, he'd explain when he wanted to. After a few games, when the sun hit the middle of the sky, Link began his descent back to Rito village. Saki and Amali had prepared a delicious seafood curry and lunch was filled with profuse thanking both of the Rito. Fostri was happily weaving between Link and Kass, the two having to control their laughter when the Korok decided to bring his leaf flier out and create a small whirlwind in the kitchen. When everyone was done eating, Link decided it was time to say goodbye for now. He had Saki help him take his new feathered accessory off, sheepishly explaining that it would burn up from the heat within Death Mountain.

"You know, if you undo the loop right here, you can widen it and wear this as a necklace." She explained, showing a knot hidden near the three coils of rope. Link hesitated with a response. Is it disrespectful to take the feathers off? What if they get dirty or messed up? After a beat of silence, Saki said "as long as you keep the original feathers, you can wear them however you want. This was a bit last minute so we went the easiest route and made a hair accessory but Rito have made them into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and other types of jewelry." She laughed as she handed the feathers over to Link.

He took the feathers and looked at them before stashing them in his slate, putting them in his important items window. "I should leave now if I want to have enough time to inform the Gorons before sundown. Can you tell Kaneli I'll be back soon? Within the month at least," he asked, knowing Kaneli would forget; on purpose or on accident. Saki nodded, promising to pass the message. He received farewells and good lucks before he took his slate off his hip and turned it on to the map screen. He scrolled until he saw the Shae Mo'sah shrine and waved goodbye to his family- his family- before clicking the teleport button.

It didn't take long for the heat of death mountain to fry him, causing him to rip the Snowquill set off and throw his Flame Breaker set on. The enchantment of the armor didn't help to alleviate his overheating but at least he wasn't close to bursting into flames. Link worriedly looked at Fostri, wondering if the Korok really would be ok with the intense heat. Maybe I should catch some lizards and make him a fireproof elixir. Would that help? He seemed fine enough, a little droopy but fine.

"I can't wait to see your grandson again! It's been so long since we've seen him," Mipha said from somewhere behind Link. He couldn't care much to turn around to look at her, instead barely dodging a rock thrown at him.

"Hello, Jafar! Lovely seeing you too," Link greeted enthusiastically as he took out a Royal Bow he had managed to fight a lizalfol for. He knocked a normal arrow and fired, internally cheering when the arrow hit and killed the octorok. Normally that didn't work on the first try.

A scoff was heard as he put the bow away, his armor making a clacking sound as he moved. "I can't believe you named that octorok Jafar. Actually, I can't believe you named any frequent monster you see." Revali huffed, not backing down when Link sent him a mystified look.

He made his way across the bridge, not paying attention to the lava running under him or the rocks so hot they could set him on fire. "If I didn't name them then how would they know it's me and not some random traveler? I wouldn't want them to hit a passerby." He said, keeping his voice low as he got closer to Bargoh, the city's watcher. Link waved in greeting to the Goron and made his way down the small hill. "Daruk, how likely are the Gorons to accept what I tell them?" 

Link figured it was a good idea to ask the Goron in the group, surely he'd know the most about the race. Said Goron didn't hesitate in answering the question. "Well, they probably won't care. If culture stayed the same after the Calamity then at most some will ask how you became King, at worst you’ll probably be threatened, and at terrible they’ll follow up on that threat.” Daruk paused as he thought over the consequences that could happen, earning two glares and a half scowl from his fellow ghostly companions. “But you have us here little guy, we’ll protect you! You have nothing to worry about while we’re here!" That's... reassuring. I pray to Hylia that their culture has remained the same, I don't think I could passively handle a whole city of angry Gorons. 

"Bludo should be at his house at this time. I plan to talk to him then go look at Rudania but I don't think I can get much done. It's way too close to the volcano, I was lucky I didn't burst into flames while I was completing the beast. I'll have to find a way to move it to safer, accessible ground." He rambled as he made his way down the slope, waving to Bludo when he saw the elder Goron. Bludo half-heartedly waved back, giving Link a curious look. The Hylian had last visited less than a week ago. Usually, there were a few weeks between his visits. 

Ohh goddess, what if he questions me because I don't visit often? What if he's mad I don't visit here as often as I visit the other races? He should really stop thinking so little of everyone else. It's not good for his mental health.

The trek down the slope didn't take very long and soon Link was standing in front of Bludo. Fostri retreated from Link's shoulder to hover with his magic leaf, floating a safe distance away from the pair. The reason Fostri wasn't currently laying over Link like a cat desperate for attention? The metal of his armor was too hot for the Korok to touch. "What are you doin' back here? You 'ere just here some days ago." Straight to the point, no use dancing around the topic, as always with Bludo.

Should Link do the same? How does he go about doing this? 

"Take a deep breath little guy and just tell him. Nothing will go wrong, trust me." Daruk assured Link. He didn't turn to look at the Goron, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the empty space the spirit resided in. 

"You remember around a week ago when Vah Rudania fired a beam aimed at the castle? That was because of me. Rudania was helping me defeat Calamity Ganon." He started off, forcing his arms to his sides so he didn't fidget with them. "I defeated the Calamity and saved the Princess. She was too weak to survive long after the Calamity was destroyed so she entrusted me to run this kingdom for her." 

It was quiet for a few seconds. Bludo stared at Link, making the Hylian fidget with nervousness. Why isn't he saying anything? "Gorons! Link here is the new King of Hyrule!" Bludo unexpectedly yelled, his voice louder than Link thought he could possibly yell. The surrounding Gorons, and singular Gerudo, paused. Most sounds stopped, making Link realize just how busy the city was. The sound of rolling rocks and metal on metal resumed after a beat or two. No outraged cries, no confusion, no anger. No nothing. Nobody was reacting. That was it? He had expected something climatic to happen. Not even Ramella seemed to have a reaction besides staring at Link for a second longer.

He couldn't help but flinch slightly when a guttural laugh sounded from beside him. "See, I told you you had nothing to worry about. Us Gorons take change in stride!”

“Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe your exact wording was ‘At worst you’ll probably be threatened and at terrible, they’ll follow up on that threat.’ And I, for one, would not have defended this featherless cucco."

"You wouldn't defend Link? Really? I'm certain I saw you glaring daggers at Bludo. Did you see that too Mipha?"

"Leave me out of this, please."

"I would have protected the little guy."

"We know Daruk."

"I love the little guy."

"We know Daruk."

"That all you 'ere for Link?" Bludos voice startled him, forcing him to focus on the conversation at hand and not the conversation going on behind him. 

A few seconds of thinking were required for Link to remember what else he had to say. "That's the basics of what I had to say, yeah. I uh- I'll come back in around a month with more news for you. You don't… have any questions?" He asked, not believing Bludo accepted this that easily. 

With no hesitation, Bludo shook his head. "Nope. 'Sides asking when you'll come visit us again." The familiarity of the situation was enough to make Link's body shake with a surprised laugh. Bludo always asked when he'd visit and Link always said after the next blood moon. That’s something that stayed consistent between the two of them.

"I'd say I'll come back after the next blood moon but I'm not sure if I actually will. If that's all, I'm going to check on Rudania then talk to Yunobo. After that, I'll be gone before tomorrow morning." Link took his slate off his hip as he explained his plans, the map window quickly replacing his item screen. 

As Link was scrolling the cursor to the Divine Beast, Bludo bid his farewell. "It was fun seein' you, come back soon. Don't keep us waiting for so long again." Bludo waved a dismissive hand to Link and made his way back to standing in front of his rocky hut. With his talk with Bludo over, Link decided to get Rudania out of the way next, wanting to spend as much time with Yunobo as possible. It was only ten a.m and checking Rudania shouldn't take more than four or five hours, leaving him with plenty of time to talk with his best friend. 

Fostri, who Link had embarrassingly forgotten about, was looking around the city with amazement. If not for Mipha's gentle reminders to follow, the Korok very well may have been left behind. Link looked around, hoping Bludo and anyone else were too far away to hear what he was about to say. "Fostri, I want you to stay down here. It's way too hot up there and I'd feel better if you stayed down here."

The reaction Link got, while unwanted, wasn't unexpected. "B-but Mr. Link I want to go up with you!" Fostri whined, focus suddenly honing in on Link.

"You can't come with us Fostri, it's too hot and you don't have any protection against the heat. I can do my job much easier if I knew you were down here, safe and somewhere I trust. Stay down here so I don't have to worry you'll burn up?" 

What could he say to make the Korok listen? "Revali can stay behind while Urbosa, Mipha, and Daruk come with me. We'll only be gone for a few hours and will be back before you know it." 

It had been a surprise for everyone when Fostri had bonded with Revali. The Rito would never admit it but he had grown to like the Korok as well. "Hey! I never agreed to stay behind!" Said Rito protested, feathers fluffed up in mock anger.

"I'll stay if Revali stays, but I go if Revali goes!" Fostri negotiated

The expectant glares from the other four party members were enough to make Revali puff up his feathers, letting out a false sigh of annoyance. "Fine- Fine! I'll stay down here babysitting while you four trek up that hot mountain and have fun fixing an even hotter overgrown lizard!" He huffed and turned his beak up at the group.

Mipha perked up at that, raising a ghostly hand to ask for attention. "Actually, if it's ok with everyone, I'd like to stay down here as well. Even dead, I don't appreciate being in this heat, let alone going to the mouth of the volcano." She ended, letting her hand fall to her side with as much grace as possible.

Link shrugged, glancing at Urbosa and Daruk who both nodded. "If you want to stay then that's fine with us. You should have said something earlier, you could have stayed at the foot of the mountain instead of coming up with us." He pointed out, a frown forming on his armored head. 

"No I don't mind the heat, it's a personal preference at this point. You could say it's instinctive to not want to be near an open-source of dry heat." Mipha explained, taking brief pauses to think over what she wanted to say. 

The blond nodded in understanding. He didn't understand the whole instincts thing but he could understand not wanting to be in the heat. Plus, if she didn't want to go then he wouldn't make her. 

"So Revali and Mipha will stay behind while Daruk and Urbosa will come with?" He waited for any objection, humming when there were none. 

Link, after making sure Fostri wouldn’t follow him, pressed teleport on the great Divine Beast Rudania. The beast was laid over the opening of the volcano like a sack of potatoes. All four legs were dangling uselessly over the sides, the head sat limply against the walls. It was difficult to tell but Link was sure the tail was just barely hanging above the hot lava inside. 

The three shared similar looks of unease, though Daruk seemed more concerned on how they would get on. 

"Maybe we should- can you check if it can be moved?" Link asked the Goron, the lava flowing below was enough to have him rethink this whole plan.

Daruk scratched the back of his head, putting his thinking face on. You know he was thinking really hard about something when he put his thinking face on. "Maybe? The slate would need to go on the control unit before I could check. Even if she could be moved, I don't think she'd listen to me." He nodded as he talked, his thinking face melting back to his happy-go-lucky smile the second he was done explaining. "I'm sure she'd listen to you so there's no problem! Well- aside from getting the slate to the control unit. How are you goin to get it over there?" 

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for even the smartest of the trio to come up with a solution. Link had accidentally dropped his slate and, on instinct, Urbosa bent down to pick it up. Successful holding the slate in her hands, she held the item out for Link to take. The five seconds of silence seemed to last an eternity as the three of them saw how the slate stayed perfectly still in Urbosa's transparent hand. 

"Well, it seems we found a way to get the slate over. You stay here Little Dove and we'll get this Divine Beast moving in no time." Urbosa made sure to have a tight grip on the slate as she walked on air over to the beast's control unit. 

Little Dove? Since when did she give me a nickname? Link thought as he watched Daruk also walk on air to join his Gerudo counterpart. Urbosa held the slate up to the control unit, staring down as slowly turned on. The control unit slowly lit up, starting from the bottom ring and making its way up each petal-like ridge. Soon the whole unit was glowing a brilliant blue. Rudania, affectionately called Ruda for short, slowly lifted its head. A loud, mechanical grumble arose from the beast, clearly showing its distaste of being woken up from its long deserved rest. 

Minutes seemed to pass in a second, Urbosa's call snapping him back to reality. "How's it looking Big Guy? Can she be moved?"

Daruk, who Link hadn't even realized had gone missing, materialized next to the Gerudo. "She can get down the volcano and a little more, probably all the way to deep Akkala over the course of a few days." He summarized, glancing in the direction of deep Akkala. While the land over there wasn't ideal, not enough flat land and rainy weather every day, it was the best they could do. 

Biting his lip in frustration, Link looked over the land. It was hard to tell distances without his map, but he could see the faintest blue glow coming from the distance. "Hey Daruk, would you say Gut Check Rock is a good spot? It's mostly flat and dry, plus it's much closer than Deep Akkala." He suggested, switching his focus from the slate in Urbosa's hands to the faintly glowing shrine that sat upon the highest rock.  

A quick look at the map was enough to get Daruk rethinking his plan. "That could work! Good thinking little guy! You hear that Rudania? Head over in that direction." Daruk tried commanding the beast. The beast was having none of it, letting groans and thumping its tail against the side of the volcano. If it wasn't for Link's impeccable balance and heavy armor he was sure he would have fallen over due to the fierce vibrations. 

"Rudania! Quit it! Come on, get a move on!" 

"Is it… supposed to be doing that?" Link tentatively asked as the beast continued to refuse to move.

"For a divine beast, it's not. But for Rudania? I'm surprised it even listened to turn on. A stubborn, lazy thing it is. Even moreso than Medoh. She doesn't like listening to anyone, not even Daruk." Urbosa explained as she made her way back over to Link, holding out the slate.

Eagerly taking the device back and strapping it to his waist, Link had to wonder how much personality the machines had. "They can be stubborn?"

"Yes. They can be stubborn, lazy, dramatic, loyal. They're exactly like animals. Except much bigger, deadlier, and more mechanical. It's not- or wasn't- uncommon to see Daruk and Revali arguing with their beasts. For Daruk and Rudania, most arguments were one-sided with Rudania throwing tantrums. Revali and Medoh were much more fun. And louder. Medoh would scream at Revali, Revali would scream back. Rudania is a giant baby while Medoh is just a drama queen."

"You hear that Rudania?! Would you quit being a baby! It's not that far a walk!"

"What are Naboris and Ruta like?" He was curious about the four beasts. He wasn't sure if he'd known much about them in his past life but he's sure as hell going to know about them as much as possible in his current one.

"Naboris and Ruta were like the perfect older children. Naboris would listen to almost any command and wouldn't raise a fuss. Ruta on the other hand was careful about everything. Ruta had incredible spatial awareness, always careful about where he put his feet down. Naboris wouldn't care about such things. If you were in her way then you better move before you got squashed. She cared in her own way, though. She'd back up her team however she could, taking over fights that looked like they could get out of hand."

Silence, aside from Daruks yelling, filled the air as Link thought overall this new information. The beasts have personalities? So did they also have consciousness? Were they sentient beings? Should they be classified as animals instead of machines? This- this was a breakthrough he wasn't ready for. Purah would have a field trip with this information if she didn’t know about it already.

Urbosa chuckled, holding a hand up to sweep the hair away from her face. "I can hear the gears turning in your head Little Dove, don't think about it too much. They're still machines. They can't do anything by themselves, they need a pilot. They can have as much personality as they want but without a pilot, they're as useful as a pile of rocks." 

"That's it! You hear that? Get moving you giant pile of rocks!"

"They need pilots? Maybe that's why Rudania isn't moving. Since Daruk is technically dead, he can't grab the controls to move the beast."

This time silence truly did hang in the air. Both Daruk and Urbosa looked stunned. Had they forgotten they couldn't interact with most things? "That would make sense, wouldn't it? So then, who do you suggest we bring to get Rudania moving?" 

He knew it was a trap. He knew what she was trying to do. Even so, he had to take the bait. "Daruk, you said it would probably listen to me. You want to put that theory to the test?" 

A look of surprise came over the Gorons face. Had he not heard the suggestion in Urbosa's question? "Sure! Hop on, let's see you whip old Rudania into moving!" 

Link nodded and made his way over to the ledge of the small rock hill. He carefully crouched down and got his glider, readying Revali's gale. Without said spirit present the gale wasn't as strong, only managing to get him just enough high to make it to the very edge of the beast. He wobbled as he caught his balance, taking a few seconds to stabilize himself. A huff of embarrassment left him as he made his way over to the control panel. The panel phased between a bright and dull blue glow. 

A hesitant look was shared with the Goron in front of him. An encouraging look was returned, giving Link a slight boost in confidence. He put a hand to the panel and closed his eyes in anticipation, waiting for something to happen. He opened one eye and looked around. The beast continued to sit over the side of the volcano, the panel continued to glow and dull. 

"Maybe try yelling at her? She never listened with a simple asking her to."

"...do I have to?" 

"Yep!"

"Alright Rudania. Time to get moving. Over to Gut Check Rock. Let's go, move it."

The beast continued to refuse to move.

"No, you have to be louder. Shout as loud as you can! Watch, like this. Alright Rudania! Are you going to continue sitting here like a pebblit or are you going to get a move on like the strong Talus you are!" 

Once again, no reaction. Wait no- there was a reaction. And that reaction was slumping over the volcano more. "Go on, give it a try. You never know." 

"Please don't make me yell Daruk," Link felt his ears growing hotter at the embarrassing moment he could feel brewing. The expectant look he was given showed the Goron wasn't backing down. His hand ghosted down to his hip, making sure the slate was glued to his side and couldn't be used to take a video of him. 

"Rudania! Get moving! Now! Please-" He added weakly, not getting a chance to finish as the beast began moving. He stumbled around as the ground started moving. The only reason he stayed standing upright was because he quickly grabbed the control panel and braced himself against it. 

Surprised laughter arose from next to him. "See! That wasn't so hard now was it!" Daruk cheered. He made a motion to slap Links back but the hand flew through him instead, something Link was grateful for. He couldn't imagine the bruise he'd get if the rocky hand could actually touch him. "It should take a few hours to get to Gut Check Rock. Even though Rudania isn't the fastest, she's the most agile and can climb over anything! Scaling this volcano should be a breeze!"

--

Scaling the volcano had, in fact, not been a breeze. Sure, Rudania was able to climb over lava rivers and giant piles of rocks… when it wanted to. Multiple times Link had to yell at the beast to get it moving. Once, it had stopped right as an Igneo Talus had spotted them and was making its way over to the beast. That hadn't been fun. 

By the time the group made it to Gut Check Rock the sun was more than halfway across the sky, slowly making its way to the edge of the horizon. Rudania suddenly lowered itself to the ground, creaks, and groans echoing from within the beast at the action. "Alright, alright. You earned this rest you lump of coal." Daruk affectionately huffed, patting at the control unit. 

A group of Gorons had started the crowd near the beast, staying a few ten feet away from the beast. Link turned to the two spirits next to him, a plan for crowd control quickly formulating. "You two go and see if there's anything major I should fix-up. I'll go see if I can convince them to head back to the city."

"Aye aye, your Highness." "Sure thing little buddy!"

A heatless glare was sent to Urbosa before he jumped off the beast, paraglider deployed at the last second. As he put his glider away he noticed the term crowd may have been an overstatement as there were only three Gorons present. "Brother! Why's that beast doing over there?! Is it here to partake in the extreme challenge!?" Bayge all but yelled, getting himself pumped up at the thought of the gut challenge.

Link barely hid his wince as he remembered the gut challenge. That hadn't been easy the first time around, his body still ached whenever he has to climb for long amounts of time. "No, Rudania needs to rest here for a bit. Just until a Sheikah tech can make their way over to give it a look over. Is that fine with you guys? I'll turn it off before I leave so there's no risk it'll accidentally attack you." He explained, leaving out some pieces of less important information.

"If we can keep training I see no problem with it. What about you brother?"

"I agree with you brother! Brother?"

"I agree with both of you, brothers. As long as it stays over there and doesn't get in the way of our training, it can stay as long as needed! Now, are you here to partake in the extreme challenge?!" 

"N-No, I'm just here to look over the beast then I'll be going." Subtlety, he began walking back to the beast. "I should get going. The faster I get Rudania fixed up the sooner it'll be out of your hair." 

Rudania thankfully hadn't been too high up, a short burst of Revali's gale being enough to get him to the top of Rudanias back. He waved to the three Gorons before heading inside the divine beast. The panels that let light in were still open, allowing Link to see the inside of the divine beast with no problem. "Urbosa, Daruk? Anything broken?" He called out, taking the slate off his hip to count how many ancient parts he had on hand. It was dropping worryingly low, only two hundred and some for each ancient part.

--

The trio didn't spend long in the divine beast, the more major of damage required tools and parts Link didn't have while the minor was far too expansive. The only thing they could do was make clear warnings of what was broken and defeat any stray monsters that made their way onto the beast. Once the sun had started kissing the horizon, Link figured it'd be a good time to stop. Besides, he had one last thing he wanted to do before he headed back to the city. 

Grabbing his slate, Link began thinking of where he could find a cooking pot to make some needed elixirs. He was running low on most elixirs, making a few fireproof ones for Fostri was just an excuse to stock up and make more. There should be a cooking pot at the mines but there's also a few in the city, plus I'm sure there's one up at Gut Check Rock and it's the closest. 

He hummed and mulled over the possibilities. The pros and cons of each location. Making up his mind, Link tapped on the Gorae Torr Shrine. Sure it was just a hop and a skip away but after all the moving and stress he's gone through today, Link thought he deserved to be a little lazy. 

His body dissolved into brilliant blue tendrils, each spiraling upwards and dancing around each other as if they were strings in the wind. It took only but a fraction of a second but to Link, that second became an eternity. That was until he was shoved on his feet on the platform of the Gorae Torr Shrine. He quickly got to work, pulling out different kinds of lizards, frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, and monster parts. He preferred the tastes of Moblins better than all monsters, but Bokos, Lizals, and Keese were close seconds. He absolutely hated Molduga and Hinox parts. They tasted absolutely revolting, the raw frogs he used probably tasted better than those monster parts. Chuchu and Octorok were fair game. Not as tasty as Boko or Lizal parts but definitely better than Molduga and Hinoxes. 

He preferred using fangs, talons, and horns since they were easier to grind up and mix. Though Chuchu Jelly, Keese eyes, Lizal tails were the second easiest, and messiest, to grind. 

As Link went on his internal ramble on monster part flavors, he made multiple elixirs of every kind. From stamina to hearty, hasty to sneaky. He didn't stop until he ran out of space to put the elixirs, his window quickly filling with the different colored bottles. Urbosa and Daruk had vanished some time ago, resting in the depths of Link's soul. It made him nostalgic in a way. Having his friends so close yet so far away from him. 

Cleaning the cooking pot with clean water and a rag, Link gave one last look at Vah Rudania. The beasts had been turned off before the three left, a short goodbye shared between pilot and machine. The legs were hugged close to its body and its head resting on the ground, blue eyes dulled to nothing. It looked peaceful. You wouldn't think such a relaxed-looking being was capable of destroying half of Hyrule on its own. 

Opening the map, Link scrolled until his cursor sat over the Shae Mo'sah shrine. He clicked teleport and once again disappeared into thousands of blue tendrils. Each one had a mind of its own yet worked together to transport him to his destination. 

He plopped heavily on the shrine platform, his armor clanking as it made contact with the stage. He looked around the city, looking for the telltale teal flames to show where his other ghostly (plus leafy) friends were. He couldn't see them from where he was, which was a little worrying. "Hey Urbosa, Daruk? Do either of you have any idea where they are?" Link hesitantly asked. He wasn't sure if they could hear him from within his soul. 

"Mipha says they headed to the hot springs near Eldin bridge. They're making their way back now." Urbosa helpfully answered the question. How she hears Mipha from within his soul was a mystery but he wouldn't question it too much. 

Instead of waiting around for the trio to arrive, Link decided to head off to find Yunobo. It was 7 pm, meaning Yunobo should still be on the bridge overlooking the path leading to the city. A brief look at the bridge showed the Goron standing exactly where Link knew he'd be. It took a few minutes but eventually, Link made his way to the young Goron. 

As he stepped on the bridge his armored feet loudly announced his presence. "Hey Yunobo! How's lookout going?" He asked as he stood next to Yunobo, standing comfortably next to his friend. 

"Link! Lookouts going great, goro! No suspicious activity aside from Rudania moving. … that was your doing right? We don't have to fight Rudania again do we, goro?! Please tell me we don't have to fight Rudania again-"

"Don't worry Yunobo, Rudania won't be attacking anytime soon. It's dormant over at Gut Check Rock with Bayge and his brother's. You don't have to worry," Link comforted. In a weird, twisted way, he was glad to be friends with Yunobo. The poor guy panicked more in an hour than Link did in a day.

"That's a relief, goro! I would have helped you take it down again though! At least after I've had a few seconds to shake like a leaf." Yunobo laughed at himself. "So, what brings you over to me, goro? Rudania isn't secretly attacking, is it?" He whispered the last part, looking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear. 

"Ah, nothing really. I wanted to see you before I headed off the mountain. I don't know when I'll be back so I thought I'd say goodbye before I left."

"Wah?! But you just got here! You're leaving already, goro? At least stay till morning and have breakfast with us, goro!" Yunobo cried, making the bridge creak from his sudden movements.

The Hylian winced just thinking about the hotel… beds. Sure, he understood why they couldn't have fabrics and soft items up at the volcano but Hylia, those beds were rock hard! "I'm not sure Yunobo, I still have a lot to do and only a few days to-" 

"I have important information and I won't tell you until you at least have dinner with me!" A tense silence followed the abrupt yell. Yunobo clamped a rocky hand over his mouth, realizing how forceful he sounded. Link looked at the Goron, surprise, and shock on his face, a little pride mixed in as well. The Goron had never raised his voice, let alone threaten (though is it really a threat if there's no physical harm involved?) anyone. "I-I'm sorry goro, I-"

"Alright. I'll stay the night until breakfast tomorrow," Link decided. If Yunobo threw himself out of his comfort zone for a simple request then Link would grant that request. Plus, he loved the rocky guy. Spending a few hours with him would be enough for him to ignore how uncomfortable the hot mountain made him. 

"You- you will? You'll stay the night?" 

"Well, you asked me to. If you want me to stay then I will. Besides, we haven't had a sleepover in ages. I want to try your rock roast, how has your practice with that been going?"

The conversation between them flowed smoothly. The breaks for silence weren't awkward, instead, they were spent target practicing with the few ostriches that wandered too close to the city or watching the nearby lava streams flow. 

At 9 pm, Yunobo stood up and stretched his body. "I'd say it's around time we head to my house, wouldn't you goro?" Link nodded and stood up as well, enjoying how his bones cracked as he moved. 

"Yeah let's head to your house, I'm starving!"

"Good thing I prepared some rock roast earlier! I planned to share them with my brothers but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I shared them with you instead goro!" 

The walk to Yunobos house was relatively short and quiet, Yunobo's hole-in-the-wall house being close to his lookout. Link sighed at the slight decrease in temperature, feeling it was cool enough to take his helmet off. He didn't need to wear the full armor set, hell wearing only the pants would suffice in keeping him from overheating. But he'd rather be safe than sorry. Couldn't defeat Calamity Ganon only to have a stray ember be his demise. 

He groaned in relief as the humid helmet finally left his head, allowing his sweaty skin to have some fresh air. Well, as fresh as you could get on a volcano. 

"This is exactly why I refused to visit this horrid place when I was alive. Honestly, how do Gorons and Gerudos live in such horrible environments!" A disgusted voice broke the peaceful silence. Link subtlety turned his gaze to the entryway, his focus moving from the Goron to a blue Rito. 

Revali was openly glaring around the area as if it had personally offended him by existing. "It's not that bad at a lower altitude but I admit, even I wouldn't have come up this high while I was alive. This heat would fry me alive." A softer voice said, followed by a red Zora walking in the entryway. A small leafy creature followed after the Zora, happy chimes radiating off of it. Crap, I knew I had forgotten something. 

"Oh by the way goro, this is for you," Yunobo said suddenly, startling Link enough that he almost dropped his helmet. He stored the armor in his slate before taking a closer look at the gift in front of him.

It wasn't anything special, just a thick, giant red ribbon. Link, although confused, took the ribbon with a grateful smile. "It's pretty. What's it used for, exactly?" 

"Down in the mines goro, it's easy for hair to get in the way and block our view. We use these fireproof ribbons to keep our hair out of the way. I know you already have a hair tie but just in case it breaks while you're out there or you find a need for a new one. Plus, you could see this as an honorary Goron ticket goro!"

Link looked down at the ribbon in surprise, then looked back up at Yunobo. He had noticed most Gorons, especially those in the mines, wore ribbons but he didn't expect the reason behind that was so important. "Thanks Yunobo, I appreciate it. I'll make sure to use it soon," he ran a finger over the material before putting it in his slate. He'd make sure to wear it next time his hair tie breaks, which should be any day now. 

"Here! Have a rock roast, goro! Tell me how it tastes!" 

The two shared dinner (Yunobos rock roast wasn't as good as Daruks but Link wouldn't tell him that. Despite the raw feeling to it it still tasted pretty good.) and conversation as the sky grew darker and darker.

"I should get going and see if the inn has any spare beds this late at night. It was fun hanging out with you Yunobo."

"Huh? Why go to the inn when you can stay the night here goro? Besides, I'm sure my bed is much more comfortable than the inn beds."

Link looked around the small house. There wasn't much room to begin with, plus with the furniture and decorations, there was barely any room to walk around. Where would he even store a spare bed? " If you're offering, sure. Where's the spare bed?" 

"Spare bed? Why would I have a spare when mine is big enough for the both of us?"

"..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yunobo, I fear if I slept in the same bed as you, you'd crush me in your sleep." 

"W-What?! I wouldn't crush you! At least… not on purpose." 

The Hylian sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll just sleep on the floor."

"No! I couldn't make a guest sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed here!"

"Don't worry, the ground is actually more comfortable than most beds I've slept in." He didn't include the fact that the ground oftentimes has grass and a stuffed shirt pillow substitute could be added.

"If you're sure… Goodnight Goro! See you tomorrow!" Yunobo bid goodbye much too excitedly as Link laid down on the ground. Truthfully it wasn't that bad. The ground was much cooler than he thought it'd be. If only he could add a blanket to lay on, then it'd be on par with even the softest beds in the stables.

"Goodnight Yunobo, see you tomorrow."

Followed by a whispered,

"Goodnight Fostri. Don't wander too far away." 

Said korok hummed, content to lay down on the floor a foot away from the hero. 

Tomorrow he'll visit the Zora's. Hopefully, everything went well. He hoped everything would go well.

#remember i said id be posting 7-10 throughout the night? #yeahh no i give up #last chapter of the night #AKiNWHP #legend of zelda #linked universe fanfic #zelda fic #the legend of zelda fanfiction #botw fanfic #botw fic #breath of the wilf fanfic #legend of zelda breath of the wild #breath of the wild

[pupika-samika]

A King is Nothing Without His People

Chapter 7

Join the Flock

CW:  Intrusive thoughts, breakdowns

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Link had woken up at five am as he always did and changed out of his Gerudo Vai outfit, being careful that Riju wasn't awake to catch him getting changed. He folded the garb up and put them in his slate for later use, dressing in his Snowquill Tunic and Trousers. He'd put the ruby circlet on when he got cold, but he left it in his slate for now. He kissed Riju's forehead and scooped Fostri up, the Korok not waking at the disturbance. The champions aren't around… I wonder if they're sleeping, he thought as he held the slate in his hand and opened it to the map screen. He maximized the screen and scrolled until he saw Rito village, tapping on the Akh Va'quot shrine when he minimized the screen. 

He closed his eyes as the blinding blue of Sheikah technology covered him, opening them again when the biting cold of Rito Village met his skin. Behind him, he could faintly hear Kass playing on his concertina, playing a tune he'd normally play when he had nothing else to play. Fostri stirred and turned his head to look up at Link before moving to look around them. "Where're we?" He asked and slowly floated up to rest on Link’s shoulder.

"We're at Rito Village. I'm waiting for the others to wake up before doing anything," he quietly explained and turned around to watch Kass play. The bard was facing the setting moon, playing a melancholic tune. "Want to meet one of my best friends?" He asked the Korok, leaning against the railing of the landing. The wind was calm but there was still a chill in the air, enough to make Link think about putting on the circlet. Though the rising sun would be enough to warm him in a few hours, he just had to wait a while.

Fostri nodded and draped himself over Link’s shoulder, content to be drug around while he dozed off. Link smiled and stayed where he was for a few moments before pushing himself to stand, making his way to where the bard continued playing. Kass must've heard Link as he turned around, the music filling the air coming to a halt. "Link! It's so good to… see you?" Kass almost questioned, faltering when he turned to look at Link completely. Link tilted his head slightly, wondering why the Rito was confused.

Revali appeared behind Kass, almost startling Link enough for him to jump. "You know us Rito can see forest children right? It's not uncommon for us to be born with that ability, though usually fledglings are the ones who can see them as the ability fades with age." Revali explained, lazily looking around the area.

Link perked up and grabbed the Korok off his shoulder, holding him up for Kass to see. Said Korok gave a chime of discomfort, being abruptly woken and dangled like a toy. "You can see him?" He asked with childish glee, glancing at the Korok to make sure he wasn't accidentally hurting it. Maybe later if I can get Kass to watch over him I can visit Teba for an hour or two. 

"Ah, I wasn't sure if you were aware he was there. Yes, I can see the forest child." Kass answered, setting his concertina on his belt as he didn't need it now. He hesitantly held two feathered hands out to hold the Korok, letting the leafy body rest on his feathers. Fostri protested at the movement, letting little chimes out as he fought to get comfortable again. 

Link smiled at the sight, itching to grab his slate and snap a picture of the two. "We met a few days ago, he wanted to come along with me on my adventures so I allowed him to!" Link excitedly explained, though the excitement died down when he looked back at Revali and remembered why they were there. "I have to go talk with Kaneli, but I'll come back when we're done! He should be awake by the time we're done talking so you two can have a proper introduction," Link explained and walked towards the Rito, intending to get a hug from the bard before walking off to his inevitable doom. That, and it was starting to get a little too cold for his liking. Kass happily indulged him, carefully moving the Korok to one feathered hand and wrapping the other around Link. 

The two stayed like that until the telltale clack of multiple talons hitting wood was heard. "I take it that's my cue to leave. It was nice seeing you Kass," Link said gratefully and bumped his head against Kass’s chest. He gently grabbed Fostri from Kass and cradled the Korok to his chest, waving to the fledglings who were now moving onto the platform. 

"We haven't been here in a while, I hope that seagull’s taken care of my flight range while we were gone," Revali said as he materialized next to Link, making the Hylian jump in surprise.

"Stop doing that. Hylia, you guys pick the worst time to come out." He huffed in annoyance before continuing, "where are the others? Are they in my soul?" He asked as he began making his way up the steps of Rito village. Saki passed him and gave him an excited wave, getting one in return. She always made time for him, whether it was a simple wave and smile or a short conversation. 

"Urbosa is still resting but Mipha and Daruk are somewhere within the village. I think they said they were heading up to Vah Medoh." The Rito explained as he lazily looked around. "They're probably looking over it now, so we can get right to work when you're done."

Link nodded and put Fostri on his shoulder again as they came upon more Rito walking around. The Korok, more awake than he was moments ago, held itself on his shoulder.. "Hopefully this won't take long, Kaneli seems docile enough to not put up much of a fight." Link muttered to the Rito, waving hello to Harth as he passed the Rito's roost. Harth barely gave a wave back as he was busy fixing a bow. I'll have to talk to him about getting more bowstrings, a few bows I have need restringing.

Link stopped walking when he didn't hear the sound of talons hitting wood following after him, pausing before he began climbing the last staircase. "Revali?" He called out as he looked behind him, noticing the Rito was looking at the landing next to them with a melancholic look. 

What is he- oh. Link thought as he noticed which landing was next to them. Revali's Landing. "You know, I wasn't liked much among my nestmates. I was born too young to play with those in my year and too old to play with the ones under. Who'd think, a hundred years later and dead, I'd finally get the approval I've always wanted." He said bitterly, glaring at the landing with hatred only a dead man could harbor.

Link frowned and got off the steps. "If it makes you feel better, back when you were alive I admired your skills." Link said and moved closer to the Rito Champion, looking over the landing with him. "I know I didn't show it- or at least I don't think I did. But I was envious of your skills. I spent a week trying to master the bow but no matter what, I couldn't." Link said without thinking. Huh, he doesn't remember getting that memory.

Revali looked down at the Hylian in shock. "You… you did? I thought you were a stuck-up brat who only cared about himself and the Princess." 

"Well, when the weight of a whole kingdom rests on your shoulders, you quickly learn to be quiet and endure the envy or give in and have your reputation ruined." He joked, but he wasn't sure where these feelings of hatred were coming from. He never hated his circumstances before. "Let's- let's go... see Kaneli," he uttered and almost stumbled as he turned around. But it was too late. The memory was already flashing in front of him.

He was with Revali in a forest clearing. Princess Zelda, Princess Mipha, Chieftess Urbosa, and Chief Daruk were faintly seen in the background, talking with each other and setting up camp. The Rito Champion was with Link and was boasting about his bow skills. "I'll have you know, I can shoot five arrows in one shot. And I won't miss a single target." He bragged, pulling out his famed Eagle Bow and praising the craftsmanship. I wish I could shoot as well as him… If only I had more free time to practice my shooting. Link thought as he watched the Rito. Revali has been at this for almost an hour, seeming to taunt the silent knight. Finally, Link had enough. He stood up abruptly and grabbed his own bow, a simple knight's bow he requested some months ago. 

He made sure Revali was watching as he pointed to a few trees in the distance and readied his bow. He took out five arrows from his quiver and, after a steadying breath, shot each arrow in quick succession. Each arrow hit its intended target, sending the Rito Champion into a fit of disbelief. 

Link let out a sharp breath as the memory passed over him. "...nk? ink? Link!?" Revali panicked, waving a feathered hand over Links’ face. Said Hylian hummed in response, leaning heavily on the fence. Weird… usually his memories didn't come with thoughts. "Honestly, are you even listening to me? Hello?" Revali snapped, covering his growing panic with snark. 

"...hm? …Yeah… yeah I'm listening. I hear you, stop yelling," Link mumbled out and half-heartedly swatted at the Rito, glad Harth was too busy not watching him. "Just a memory, everything's fine." He said and straightened himself, almost sending Fostri tumbling off his shoulder. Luckily the Korok was able to keep its grip, just barely managing to catch itself on Links’ shoulder. Right as I'm about to go have an important talk, I get a memory, he thought bitterly and began climbing the stairway again. "I'll explain later," he added when he could tell the Rito was going to ask a question.

Revali huffed and began walking again, walking next to Link. "Fine, but don't think I'll forget." He threatened but was quick to quiet down when Kaneli's roost was in view. Link took a deep breath and walked into the roost.

Kaneli smiled warmly when Link entered the roost, pausing from rocking in his chair to greet the Champion. "Ah, champion descendant! How nice to see you again! I take it you've come to check on Medoh? The beast fired a laser a few days ago and hasn't done much since then, I think it's finally powered down!" 

Link almost flinched at the amount of joy he could hear in the Rito's voice. Right… the Rito were grounded while Medoh was in the air. They wouldn't take too kindly to it flying again. "Kaneli, I have important news to tell you-"

"Why of course Champion descendant! What is it? Were you the reason Vah Medoh has turned off?"

"Well yes but-"

"Oh, how wonderful! We should hold a celebration! I'm guessing along with Vah Medoh turning off, you also defeated Calamity Ganon?"

"Yes to that too but Kaneli-"

"Wonderful! Oh, how absolutely wonderful! We most definitely have to host a celebration in your honor now! Oh, how wonderful this is!"

"Kaneli I have something really important to tell you-"

"Yes Champion descendant? Do you have any food allergies? We should get planning right away! Harth! Har-"

"I am King of Hyrule!" Link finally yelled, tired of being interrupted. He froze as he realized how loud he yelled out. Crap, I hope no one heard that. He hoped fervently before continuing to speak. "I apologize for that. As I was saying-"

"Yes yes, I heard you the first time. Congratulations. Now, do you have any food allergies? We will throw a celebration in honor of defeating the Calamity tomorrow!" Kaneli cheered, before shooing Link out of the roost. "Oh, and tell Harth to get in here!" 

"I-I'll be back in a month with important information," he managed to get out before the elder shooed him down the stairs. Link glared at the shaking Rito Champion, daring him to say something. Daring him to laugh. "Not. A. Word." He quietly hissed as he began walking to Harth’s roost. He froze as he came upon five Rito staring at him as soon as he made it down the first staircase. 

"So your highness, what can we help you with?" Saki teased, a sickly sweet and yet sadistic look on her face. 

"Saki, don't." He whined and hid his face as he felt a blush covering his skin. His ears pressed into his skull without his permission, trying to hide them from the embarrassment he felt. "Harth, Kaneli said he wanted to see you," he mumbled out as the villagers laughed at him. 

Harth nodded and stood up, placing the bow he was working on on the ground. "Anything else you require your highness?" He teased as he passed Link, bowing ever so slightly. 

Link groaned and grabbed his slate, quickly pressing on the Vah Medoh teleporter. "I hate you, I hate you guys so much." He ranted as he disappeared into strings of blue, appearing outside Vah Medoh. Revali was cackling beside him, laughing too hard to even complain about the sudden teleportation. The embarrassment he felt kept him hot enough that even the frigid temperature near Vah Medoh wasn’t enough to cool him down.

Mipha and Daruk jumped as they heard the laughter, turning around to see what the noise was about. "What's so funny?" Daruk asked in confusion, taking the three in. Link was sure his face was still burned red with embarrassment while Revali was laughing so hard he was curling in on himself. 

"Not. A. Word." Link threatened, which seemed to make the Rito laugh harder. He huffed as he waited for Revali to calm down, moving instead to check on Fostri. The Korok had fully woken up sometime during his conversation with Kaneli and had kept quiet. Unlike the Rito, he wasn't laughing. 

"Well! You see!" Revali cackled, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "The old hoot wasn't giving him the chance to talk so Link here went and screamed to the world that he was King of Hyrule! And that's not the best part- the best part was five other Rito heard him and started calling him highness! Oh, that was amazing, truly amazing!" Revali gasped out, his laughter finally dying down. 

Mipha and Daruk let out short laughs themselves, finding joy in teasing their youngest. "Alright, alright. Let's laugh at Link, I get it. Can we get on the stupid bird yet?" He huffed and moved closer to Vah Medoh. "Can you guys please not tell Urbosa about this?"

"Tell Urbosa about what? Tell Urbosa how you screamed to the world that you were King of Hyrule?" Link stiffened as a voice he dreaded hearing spoke from behind him, slowly turning around to face the person. There, standing behind him, was Lady Urbosa, Chieftess and Champion of the Gerudo. The rising sunlight illuminated her golden-red hair along with the deep brown of her sun-kissed skin. Her sky blue skirt danced in the wind, following a melody only the breeze could hear. And her face… her face was plagued with the ugly smirk of a smug bastard.

Link hissed and marched over to Vah Medoh, getting in position to activate Revali's gale. "Shut up and get me in this stupid bird," he grumbled out. Much like Vah Naboris, Vah Medoh was drooping over and deactivated. Its wings were almost folded into its chest and its head was hanging so low it almost looked like it would fall off. 

Revali took a few moments to calm down before he threw his wings open to create a gale. Much like last time, this gale sent him much higher than he needed to go. He was sent flying over the top of Vah Medoh, affectionately called Med sometimes, where he could see the green backside of the beast. Remembering the beast's back entrance, Link steered the paraglider so he could land near the control unit. Much like Naboris' unit, Medohs was no longer alight. Link looked back to the Zora and Goron champions, raising an eyebrow at them when they continued to let out an occasional laugh. "Alright, what needs to be fixed up?" 

And so, the six of them then went to work on repairing Medoh, the occasional laugh ringing out from within the beast. Around nine-thirty pm, there was a soft flapping of wings and the sound of something landing on Vah Medoh. Link looked to Revali, who headed up to check who it was. It only took the Rito a minute to come back, a confused look on his face. "It's the bard," he said when he came back to where Link was. Said Hylian was currently in one of the rooms in Medoh's wings, trying to fix the broken window. He nodded and made his way up to Medoh's back, wondering what Kass could possibly want. 

"I swear to Hylia if this is about earlier," he grumbled as he climbed up the beast’s walls. It was difficult to get anywhere, multiple times Link had to rely on Revali's gale to lift him to the beast’s back so he could get somewhere. That's how Link found himself almost thirty feet in the air, looking down at the blue Rito bard. "I'll be down in a second!" He called as he closed his paraglider, falling a few feet before opening the contraption again. "Hey, Kass! Did you need something?" He asked once he finally touched the back of Vah Medoh, putting the glider back in his slate once his feet were on the gorund.

Kass smiled at Link and enveloped the Hylian in a hug, his feathered wings providing a warmth Link hadn’t known he needed. Link hugged back, though he wondered what prompted the hug. Kass must've seen the confusion in Link’s face, explaining, "after you disappeared, everyone was worried that they had taken the joke too far. They've been looking for you all day." He loosened the hug, allowing Link to step back when he wanted to. 

Link looked up at the bard and hugged him tighter for a moment, before stepping away. "I've been here with Medoh the whole day. Me and the- the forest child have been repairing it. It's probably repaired enough that it can be turned on today," Link thought aloud as he mentally went over the various repairs he'd done. Medoh was much less damaged than Naboris was, though the outside had more wear than the inside did. "I'm sure if I fixed up the control unit a bit more, I could have Med running again." 

Kass gave Link a concerned look. "Are… are you sure that's wise? Vah Medoh could still be under Ganon's control. Wouldn't it be better to have the Princess or someone more familiar with the beast look over it?" He questioned, looking down at Medoh with uncertainty. While the Rito trusted Link, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to reawaken the beast, especially after what it had done to the Rito while it was running.

Stiffening, Link turned away from Kass. "Right, I forgot. Kaneli didn't give me time to explain, so you didn’t hear." He started bitterly, preparing himself to explain what happened. This was Kass, the most reasonable person he knew! Kass would never judge him for protecting Hyrule...would he? 

"After I defeated Calamity Ganon I was able to rescue the Princess’s body. Only her body. She was able to help me one last time in defeating Ganon but was already dead by the time I was able to defeat it. Meaning, the Princess is no longer alive. I learned from Lady Impa of the Sheikah that the Princess had plans for me to be king if she ever died. Kind of morbid to think about. She knew she would die so she made plans for Hyrule to be taken care of." He tried to keep his tone level as he explained, eyes firmly planted on the land he was responsible for. If his voice wobbled a few times as he spoke, no one mentioned it.

The land he would gladly die for again. He could barely see anything in the darkness of the night as well as being so high up, but he could see Hyrule Castle. The once-menacing building now held a certain air around it. With the Calamity no longer surrounding it, Link could see the building's age, could see the scars this whole mess had left on it. The green fields were barely seen over the harsh cliffs and mountains, covering the softness of the land he's grown to love.

"So no, we can't wait for the Princess to look over the beast, but I can get someone to come out and look over them in a few weeks. Someone who knows the beasts better than I do. For now, I'm only fixing them enough to check to see if the beast can still be turned on, but I'll do that tomorrow seeing how late it is." 

Silence followed the explanation. Kass must've understood he hit a nerve as he didn't say anything, instead unbuckling his concertina and playing a familiar melody. The melody of his teacher's last song. Kass hummed along with the melody, wrapping Link in a blanket of comfort he so desperately needed. 

No! I can't cry! I've already cried enough, I can't cry anymore, it's not kingly behavior.

"Kass?" Link quietly asked a few minutes later, sitting down and leaning against the bard's legs.

"Yes, Link?" He asked, looking down at the Hylian he's grown to think of as his fledgling.

"Can… Can I talk to you? About that day? You don’t have to listen to me, I should probably talk with Impa about this but I don’t think she’d understand. Not that I think you’ll understand any better but-”

He was cut off when Kass sat down next to him, letting the Hylian lean against his shoulder instead. “It’s okay Link, I’ll listen to whatever you want to tell me. You can tell me everything or you can tell me nothing. I will be here for you.” Kass said, placing his concertina on his lap and wrapping a feathered arm around his shoulders. Link leaned into Kass, closing his eyes as he took in the scent of feathers and wind. 

“I loved her, Kass. I loved her and she loved me. And I couldn’t save her. The one person I loved, and I couldn’t save her. If I can’t save the one person I love, how can I save the whole kingdom I love? I already failed this kingdom once, what if I fail everyone again? I don’t know what to do Kass, why did she choose me?" Link cried out, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears began making pathways down his cheeks. He tried so hard not to cry and here he was, crying like a baby in front of one of his best friends. 

Kass didn't answer him, only wrapping his wing tighter around the Hero. "I think you'll make an excellent king, Link. I'm sure the Princess left this all to you because she trusted you to make the right decisions for this kingdom. You won't fail this kingdom again because everyone here loves you. If you need help, I'm sure anyone would be willing to help you; be it construction, planning, repopulating, agriculture, or simply offering a warm bed for the night. You're not alone on this Link. You have a whole kingdom behind you, a whole kingdom willing to help you with anything you need."

Kass moved back slightly, making Link look up at him. A few tears escaped as his eyes were no longer holding them back. "You're not alone, Link. You'll never be alone again." He firmly stated, waiting until Link stopped crying to pull him into another hug. 

While the two hugged and cried, the four Champions sat a distance away, giving the two privacy. "Would you look at that, it seems like I don't need to waste an arrow on making him cry out his emotions." 

"Revali, shut up, please." 

"Let him be Red, I'm sure Blue Jay’s trying to keep his own tears at bay."

"I am NOT about to cry! If anything, I'm about to laugh at his weakness!"

"But weren't you the one who always got concerned when he got a new memory?"

"The big guy’s got a point, you were the last one to stop being concerned over him whenever he got a memory."

"S-Shut up! I was only- huh?" Revali stopped himself, looking over at Kass and Link when he noticed something odd. Kass was handing Link what looked like a necklace made of rope. There were three thick coils of rope tied into the main coil, each delicately braided, though the braided rope was hidden behind beautiful feathers colored the shades of sunset yellow. The necklace- no. Revali knew what that was.

Kass held out the hair ornament, holding it up for Link to see. "I'd like to tell you a story, Link. Back when the Rito were coming to terms with the rest of Hyrule, there was a Hylian. Some stories say his name was Coron, some say his name was Dampé and some say his name was Frejor.”

"In the tales where he's named Coron, he was a Hylian born with the love of flight. He'd spend days with the Rito, watching them fly and soar through the clouds. One day a monster, one we could compare to a Lynel, appeared too close to Rito village. Coron risked his life defending the village and successfully defeated the monster. Goddess Nayru looked down at Coron and gifted him the power of flight with a single feather colored after his Rito soul. While wearing the feather, Coron could turn into a Rito like he desperately desired. So the first story goes at least.”

"In the tales where he's named Dampé, he was much the same as Coron. Born with the love of flight and risking his life to defend the village he loved. But instead of succession without fail, he fell along with the monster. Goddess Farore looked down at the valiant hero and forged his soul into the shape of a feather where it would be reborn into the body of a Rito.”  

"Finally, In the tales where he's named Frejor, he was a Hylian who hated the Rito. He would go out of his way to sneer at them and insult them. Goddess Din became insulted for her sister's creations so she cursed him with becoming the very thing he hated. Only when he removed the single cursed feather would he become Hylian again, but the cursed feather was tiny and difficult to locate. He plucked himself free of every feather but could not find the cursed one. Only when he spent years with his Rito body did he realize where the feather could be hidden, but by then he came to appreciate the race he had been cursed as." 

As Kass explained the stories, he gently placed the hair ornament on Link’s head. He splayed the golden feathers of the ornament far enough apart that they could be mistaken for hair. "Kass- that's a great story but what's the reason for this gift?" Link asked, sitting still as the Rito prettied him up.

Pleased with how his work looked, Kass sat next to Link again. "Ever since then, whichever story you choose to believe, it has become a sacred honor for a Rito to bestow a feather ornament onto a Hylian. If a Rito gifts a Hylian a feather ornament in the colors of their Rito soul, which means that that Rito thinks of that Hylian not as a Hylian, but as an honorary Rito."

Link looked at Kass, tears gathering in his eyes again. "Kass, you don't mean that. You don't want me to be a part of your race, tell me you're joking." He almost pleaded, wishing this was a dream. He loved the Rito, he was incredibly honored to be considered one of them, but he wouldn't let them take him in, not when he was such a failure. He couldn't let them take in a failure that would only bring problems. "You can't possibly want me to be a part of your flock, I'm a failure to Hyru-!"

He was cut off when warm, inviting feathers wrapped around him, once again enveloping him in a hug. Kass is good at giving hugs."Welcome to the flock, Link. You'll always have a home here in Rito village."

The two stayed like that for a few more minutes, long enough for Link’s stomach to growl. He apologized, embarrassed that his forgotten lunch break caused a disturbance to a peaceful moment. 

"Not to worry, Amali and Saki prepared dinner for you. It's in the kitchen. Saki also wanted to give you something." Kass explained, releasing Link from his hug of death. Link nodded, stepping back from the Rito. 

"Thank you, Kass, I'll make sure to go see them. It was nice seeing you again," he smiled at the bard. He was truly blessed to know such wonderful people. 

Giving the Hylian a once over, Kass nodded before turning around, wings spread as he prepared to take off. "It was nice seeing you again, Link. I'll see you tomorrow." The Rito gave one last smile before tipping off the side of Vah Medoh. Link hurried over to the side and watched as Kass glided down to Rito village, lazily spiraling to wherever he planned to land. 

"Excuse me, but is no one going to talk about what we just saw?" He heard a startlingly bold voice ask from behind him

Link jumped and turned around, all four Champions were staring at him. "What do you mean?" He asked, moving away from the edge of Vah Medoh.

He was given flat glances, even Mipha gave him a look that seemed to say, 'you can't be that dense.' "Kass gave you a sacred treasure and you don't want it?!" Revali exploded, his feathers puffed up in irritation. "This sacred tradition that hasn't been performed in almost two hundred years and you! You're so selfish to not accept it?!"

"Now now boys, let's calm down and talk things through," Urbosa warned and gave the two stern glances. 

"No Urbosa! I'm tired of him breaking our traditions and cultures! First, he broke the Gerudo law, then he wore Mipha's proposal without giving an answer, then he cheated at the Goron race, and now he's refusing a sacred gift?!" The Rito fumed, turning his wrath to Urbosa before switching back to his original prey. 

"I was willing to put up with it when the others didn't mind but I won't stand for you to go and do what you want with my traditions! Why don't you want to be accepted into this flock?! Can't you see they love you?!" Revali screamed, his feathers puffed up so much he almost looked threatening. His face was now pointed downward, hiding the vulnerable look on his face. His flock never cared for him the same as this flock cared for Link and here he was, throwing away the opportunity to have a family because he was selfish and could only think of himself!

"I don't want to stain their flock with my failure. I already failed Hyrule and everyone in it, I don't want these guys to unknowingly take in a failure." He tried explaining again. Why could no one understand him? He couldn't let these innocent Rito take in the person who doomed Hyrule! 

"They don't care about that, you idiot! You told that bard all of this and he still welcomed you in! The children look up to you! Saki and Amali give you food and clothes every time you visit! Harth always helps you take care of your bows! Bedoli and Larissa always sing their family song whenever you ask them to! Teba stayed around a few minutes after you boarded Medoh to make sure you were okay! They know you failed Hyrule and they still want you to join them! Stop thinking about yourself, for one goddess damned second, and think about the others around you. For once, push yourself to the back of your mind and push this village to the front of it!" A cracked voice marked the end of the sentence, flickering flames surrounding the angered spirit. 

Right, he was only a spirit, destined to watch the world rot away into nothing with his only connection to the living being one Hylian. One selfish Hylian. "If you don't want to accept the gift because of yourself then fine, but accept it for the village. Accept it for the flock that wants you," Revali whispered before disappearing. Links soul felt a little heavier, a little more full of guilt than usual.

Mipha frowned and floated over to Link, a cold, ghostly hand resting just above his shoulder. "Don't worry, give him some time to calm down. Though it would do both of you good to apologize to each other when he comes out." She advised, her soft voice holding a stern tone to it. She glanced over her shoulder, sending a look over to the two champions behind her. 

"I'll go get the forest child, we'll be back in a few minutes," Daruk stated, disappearing in a flash of teal flames. 

A gentle shake of red caught his attention, making him turn to look at the Gerudo Chieftess. "While he was in the wrong for blowing up, he was correct on one aspect. You've broken many of our traditions and laws, though we have been able to overlook them as they weren't major or harming anyone. You should be more careful about each race's culture, things like this could start wars." 

The three stood in tense silence as they waited for Daruk and Fostri to return. Link held a hand up to his hair and ran a gentle finger over the braided ropes, his hand tensing when it drifted to the three feathers that lay in one of the coils. Was he selfish? Would they really accept him? 

He was startled out of his thoughts when an unexpected weight rested on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Fostri holding the Sheikah Slate, staring at Link’s hair. Daruk most likely told him of what happened as the Korok didn't say anything about the feathers. Link stretched his arms above his head, satisfying cracks sounding from most of his cramped limbs. He took the slate from Fostri and grabbed his paraglider before sticking it back on his hip. "Hold on tight, I'm going to jump off." He warned his Korok companion as he untied and retied the fabric of the glider. He wasn't sure if it would survive the fall. Maybe if he opened it at the last second?

Taking a quick glance at the remaining Champions, he got a running start before jumping off Vah Medoh. He let the air rip around him, his hair and clothes having a violent dance with the wind. As the ground came closer and closer, Link briefly imagined what it would feel like to die, permanently. He harshly shook those thoughts away, he could think them later when he wasn't about to become a pancake without a pan or cake. Besides, Mipha’s Grace was charged up, she wouldn’t let him die. Throwing open his paraglider, he slowly descended the last few feet he needed. Revali's Landing stood underneath him, the wood creaking under the newly added weight.

The paraglider in his hands broke as soon as he was safely on the ground. One of the support beams was snapped cleanly in half, the cloth almost falling off the opposite support beam. Link stared in shock at the now broken paraglider, the first gift he was ever given. He hesitantly ripped the cloth off the support beams and put it in his slate, wondering if the beams could be fixed, or at least repurposed. He ended up putting them in his slate too in case they had a use, something more than firewood. The cloth, he figured, could be used as a bandana or pillow cover.

The champions were quiet as he walked down the stairs to the communal kitchen, most Rito were asleep in their roosts. When he walked into the kitchen he was met with two very sleepy Rito and a warm smell in the air. "Hi Saki, hi Amali." He quietly greeted, hyper-aware of the five sleeping fledglings next to him. The two Rito chirped soft replies, the greener of the two sat up slightly and smiled at him.

"Eat dinner, we kept it warm for you. We knew you'd be back late," Amali motioned a wing to the crackling fire underneath the cookpot. The cookpot held what looked to be three servings of creamy seafood soup. The exact amount I usually eat, he thought as he got a bowl, ladle, and spoon off the cutlery shelf.

He had begun serving himself when he paused and looked up. "Are you two going to eat too?" He asked when he realized they may have made enough for all three of them to eat. Maybe Revali was right and I am selfish. I should stop thinking that everything is about me-

Amali shook her head, hiding a yawn behind a feathered hand. "We already ate, that's for you. You usually eat three servings so we made enough for you," she explained as she cuddled up to Saki, prepared to doze off again. Link was more than happy to leave the two to sleep, intending to wake them up when he was done.

Rito prefer to cuddle with strangers than sleep alone. Most Rito couples will share a hammock and siblings will sleep together when they outgrow their fledgling hammock. He recited, unaware of when he learned this information, but glad to have it. He was quick to finish his dinner, setting the dirty dishes in his slate and taking them out again. Setting the now clean dishes back on the shelf, he debated whether he should wake the two or not. Link decided not to wake them up, figuring they would rather be well-rested.

Link did, however, nudge Amali awake to tell her where he would be. It took a few gentle nudges before the Rito was aware of what was happening. "Amali, I'm going to go spend the night at the inn," he whispered so as to not wake the sleeping Rito next to her.

It was so fast that Link almost didn't believe what happened. One second he was kneeling in front of Amali and the next he was wrapped in an armful of feathers, his body half laying on Saki and half on Amali. "Why waste money when you could sleep with us. After all, Rito aren't shy about sleeping with each other." She said as she got comfortable, wrapping one arm around Links back and resting the other over his legs. Saki automatically readjusted herself too, resting both her wings on the legs that sat on her lap.

"Wait Amali, it's fine I can spend the night at the inn. You don't have to do this," he struggled to get up. The wings did a good job at pinning him down. 

Amali ignored him in favor of running her beak over Link’s hair, careful of his new hair accessory. "Good night, Link," she chirped before laying her head over Links. 

Said Hylian froze, wondering if what happened was real. He looked down at Fostri who managed to sneak his way into Link’s lap, curling up to sleep. Effectively trapped, Link had no choice but to fall asleep with the two Rito. 

---

When he woke up, he was still trapped underneath surprisingly heavy wings. He shifted and looked around at his surroundings, blinking when he noticed Teba, Kass, and Harth were also in the building. The three Rito were quietly chatting with each other, Teba or Kass occasionally glancing back at the three of them. Link remained leaning against Amali, too comfortable to bother getting up. He glanced down when he felt something move, noticing Fostri was beginning to wake up. He rested his hand against Fostri, feeling the Korok grab his finger as he woke up more.

"And after I sang him the song, he disappeared for a few minutes before coming out of the forest riding a buck as big as him," Kass said, eliciting quiet laughs from not only Teba and Harth, but also Saki and Amali who had woken up without Link realizing.

"Back when he went up to defeat Vah Medoh, I almost didn't want to leave him up there. He's still barely a fledgling and the thought of someone so young taking down that beast? I can't believe I let myself leave that day." Link heard Teba say. Did Teba think he was weak enough to fall to Windblight?

"Well that test you gave him wasn't much. Honestly, dear, even Tulin could shoot twenty arrows in three minutes. Especially with how skilled Link is, I'm not surprised he managed to shoot twenty targets in half a minute." Saki disapprovingly chirped, her feathered hands rubbing circles over Links ankles. 

He shifted around and let out a quiet groan, pretending that he was just waking up. Better to let them think he hadn't heard them. Fostri looked up at him before floating up from his lap, dancing over until he rested on Kass' shoulder. The bard didn't seem to mind, barely glancing at the Korok as he watched Link. Amali peered down at him, her yellow eyes keeping contact with his blue ones. "Good morning Link," she greeted and gently knocked her beak against Link’s cheek. He unconsciously returned the affection, knocking his temple against her feathered cheek. 

'Good morning's were passed around as Link sat up, saying good morning back to everyone. "Why's everyone gathered here? You guys eat breakfast at different times." He asked, hiding a yawn behind his hand. Amali gently pushed Link out of her lap, helping him stand up. Sleeping on Amali's lap was surprisingly comfortable, he felt more rested than he's ever been. 

"We wanted to check in on you. Kass told us what happened and we got worried," came Harth’s blunt reply. Blinking in surprise, Link looked over at Kass to see the blue Rito giving Harth the most disappointed look he's ever seen. 

Making sure his slate was still on his hip, Link rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. What did today's plans look like? A quick breakfast- hopefully, then try to turn Medoh on. Oh, and apologize to Revali whenever he decided to come out. Speaking of Revali, where are the other Champions? He wondered silently before turning to the five Rito. "What did Kass tell you?" He hoped Kass hadn't told them everything.

"He told us everything."

Dammit. "Everything? As in, everything, everything?" He asked to double check. No harm in knowing what they know. He should also think of what time he wanted to leave. Medoh was basically fixed up, so he could leave as soon as he turned it on, if he wanted to. 

"We know about the Princess's death, and we know you blame yourself for it. But Link, that's not your fault. If anything, it's the fault of the past king. He sent the princess and the past hero to their deaths. None of this has, or will ever be your fault, Link." Teba reassured and walked closer to Link, wings open to give him a hug. 

Link looked at Kass incredulously. He tells them everything except perhaps the most important piece of information? Link almost opened his mouth to tell them the truth, when Revali appeared next to Teba, a sharp feeling echoing in his chest at the Champion's return. "Don't, Link. Rito are close minded, they wouldn't react well if you told them you were the original Champion. It was honestly a surprise how quick they were to accept you as king, my flock never would have accepted that." Revali huffed, looking around the kitchen at the five Rito.

Defeated, Link allowed himself to be hugged again. Cursed Rito and their need to hug someone, he mentally huffed as he allowed himself to relax in the embrace. Hey, it was still a hug. He'd get those whenever he could. 

"What are your plans for today Link? Heading back up to Vah Medoh?" Kass asked as he plated- were those simmered fruits? When were those put to cook? The Champion wondered as Teba released him from his hold and sat down next to Saki, the two nuzzling each other. Fostri floated off Kass' shoulder and moved to Link’s, sitting and leaning against his head. Kass passed a bowl of the fruit to Link, grabbing another bowl to plate more fruit. 

Link held his breakfast and sat down next to the fire, enjoying the heat that radiated from it. "Well, I fixed up Vah Medoh enough to where I think it'll run again. So I plan to turn it on, do some last minute repairs then head over to Death Mountain to see the Gorons." He explained as he took a bite of the fruit. Wild berries, apples and spicy peppers, he hummed internally as he took in the flavor of the fruit. The sweetness of the berries and apples covered the spiciness of the peppers while still allowing them to warm him up. 

"Oh no you don't! You're staying for lunch at the very least!" Saki stated, a frown on her beak. Upon noticing Link’s shocked expression, she continued. "We haven't seen you in ages, at least stay for lunch when you're done with that beast." 

Shocked, Link was only able to nod in agreement. "A-Alright, I'll be back for lunch." He promised, reminding himself to come back for lunch. It took Link fifteen minutes to finish his breakfast, and he was quick to excuse himself when he was done, placing all the dirty dishes in his slate and taking them out again. 

"Revali? I'm sorry, for last night." He said when the two of them were alone next to Vah Medoh. "I didn't-" 

Revali cut him off, an annoyed sigh leaving the Rito. "Don't. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that, I was annoyed but not at you." 

"Why were you annoyed?" 

It was quiet for a few seconds. Link wondered if he should've kept his mouth shut when Revali spoke again. "My flock was never accepting of me, I always had to push myself for the smallest bit of praise. But here, you have such a loving flock that accepts whatever you say without question. They trust you. I guess… you rejecting them angered me and I blew up." He explained, becoming visibly upset before straightening again. 

"I shouldn't have pressured you to accept the gift, that was wrong of me. But don't take this as an apology, I'm simply telling you why I was upset." He huffed and turned away from Link.

A few seconds passed before a muffled laugh sounded from Link. "You have a talent for making an apology sound like an insult. I'm sorry for insulting your tradition, I'll be more careful about each race’s traditions in the future. Now, how am I supposed to get up there?" Link thought out loud. His paraglider was broken and he didn't have a fabric strong enough to withstand Revali's gale.

Fostri, who had been a little angel, spoke up this time. "That pink Rito put something in your slate before you woke up. She said it was a gift she meant to give you last night." He said and floated off Links shoulder, bouncing his way over to the Rito Champion where he proceeded to circle around Revali's head.

The slate couldn't leave his hip fast enough. Saki had taken his Sheikah Slate? He turned the slate on, immediately noticing the new item in his inventory. It was a new paraglider! Link gasped in shock, taking the glider out and holding it in front of him, slate shoved back on his hip.

This paraglider looked the same as his old one, the only difference was in the color. While his first one was maroon and white, this new one was a seamless blend of white to red. There had to have been some kind of dying process involved, there’s no way anyone would be able to cleanly combine these different colored fabrics together like this! The pattern of the original cloth stayed the same, a sorta moon shape in between two wings. The color stayed the same too, if a few shades lighter. There were seven different patterns on the moon and wings, each with different degrees of detailing. Whoever made the cloth itself clearly hadn’t created the seven different embroiders on the cloth.

Link stood in stunned silence, taking in the beautiful cloth in front of him. "Remind me to ask Saki what her favorite object is so I can get it for her." He was almost scared to use this paraglider. What if he broke it? Revali didn't give him the chance to doubt himself, creating a gale underneath Link and sending him skyward.

The glider caught the updraft and carried him up. The wooden beams felt smooth under the pressure but he could still keep a firm grip on them. In fact, this glider felt more secure than his old glider! Fostri laughed as he grabbed onto Link’s back at the last minute, his Snowquill Tunic whipping around in the air.

Eventually, Link landed on the back of Vah Medoh, the new glider safely put back into his slate. He held the slate up to the control unit, looking back to Revali. "You ready?" He asked the Rito Champion, receiving a scoff in response.

"Of course I'm ready. Seeing Urbosa mingle with Naboris has prepared me as much as possible. Get it over with so we can be done." 

Link slid the slate over the control unit. The three of them waited in tense silence as Medoh refused to wake up. Oh no, did I do something wrong? Link panicked, staring down at the control unit.

An irritated huff was heard behind him, causing Link to turn around. "Wake up Vah Medoh, quit being lazy and wake up." Revali ordered, glaring at the head of the beast. Link almost thought it wouldn't work until Vah Medoh let out a cry. He stumbled back, the ground under him shuddering slightly with the weight of turning on. "How long do you think it'll take until a Rito flies up here and sees what's going on?" A bold, feminine voice said behind him.

"Five minutes, tops. Better question is, who will come up." A jovial and loud voice replied, followed by a softer, gentler voice.

"I think Teba will check. After all, he was the one who helped take it down."

"Are you three really making a bet right now? Ridiculous." Revali shook his head, "I think that bard will show up in a minute." He smirked before he disappeared in teal flames, though those disappeared soon after as well. The sound of wings flapping was heard after a minute, the minimal wind making the sound stand out. 

Teba was the one who showed up, concern and suspicion on his face. "Link! Is everything ok? Why did Vah Medoh turn on again?" He asked and stayed far enough away to see both Vah Medoh and Link.

"Looks like Mipha guessed correctly."

"Yes, but Revali guessed when he'd appear."

"Don't worry Teba, I turned Vah Medoh on. I'll turn it off again before lunch, I wanted to see if it would actually work." Link explained, ignoring the Champions conversation. Did they do this sort of stuff all the time?

Teba looked unsure before nodding and backing away from the divine beast. "Alright, make sure you turn it off before lunch." He reminded before flying away, glancing over his shoulder once as he left.

With five hours to kill, the Champions, Fostri and Link played games and told stories around the control unit.

#AKiNWHP #legend of zelda #linked universe fanfic #zelda fic #i remember having so much fun writing this chapter #and the second hand embarresment i got during that one scene #the legend of zelda fanfiction #the legend of zelda #botw fanfic #botw fic #lu wild #linked universe wild

[pupika-samika]

A King is Nothing Without His People

Chapter 6

Sands Warm Embrace

CW: None

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When Link woke up, he certainly wasn't expecting to come face to face with a leafy face. He jerked back out of reflex and took a sharp breath, tensing his arms in surprise. It's only Fostri, just Fostri. He thought as he took in the appearance of the little Korok. Link yawned as he looked around his loft, not expecting to see a quiet, teal Goron staring at him as well. Link looked from the Korok to the Goron in confusion. "Why were you two watching me sleep? Are you guys really that bored?" He asked as he poked Fostris’ forehead. The Korok giggled and allowed himself to fall back, laying on his back on Links’ chest.

"Nothin better to do. Miph’s still sleeping, Bosa is out front doing something and Bird’s preening himself. Not much else to do for entertainment." Daruk explained, a wide smile on his face. Link groaned and sat up in his bed, Fostri taking a small tumble. The Korok now sat in Links’ lap, childish giggle still leaving it. Link stretched his arms above his head until he heard a few satisfying snaps, feeling the pressure leave his bones. He yawned and took his slate off his hip to in his lap, nudging Fostri till there was room for both.

Five am, early as always, he thought as he briefly turned the device on to check the time. He put the slate back on his hip and scooped the Korok into his arms as he got out of bed. "Are you two going to watch me sleep every morning?" Link asked, dreading the answer he'd get. He walked past Daruk and began descending the stairs, startling slightly when he looked back and got a face full of Goron. 

Daruk floated to the bottom of the stairs where Revali was, his beak hidden underneath his wings. Teba told me Rito only preen around those they trust. Does Revali preen around us often? Link thought as he walked over to the kitchen area, letting go off Fostri to grab the still dirty dishes from the counter. He had forgotten to wash them last night with the whole Champions revealing themselves thing happening. 

"Well if there's nothing better to do, then probably. We were playing a game to see how many apples we could put on you before you woke up! The answer was fifteen but only because we ran out of apples." Daruk explained the small games he and the Korok played, Fostri giggling at each mention of him 'winning' a game. 

Finally finished preening himself, Revali looked up at Link, taking in his appearance. "I have no idea why Mipha's still asleep, she's usually the second one awake." Revali huffed and walked out the closed door, not bothering to humor Link by waiting for him to open the door. Link followed after him and opened the door, looking in the direction of the pond for a brief moment before switching his gaze to the cookpot that rested to the side of his house. Bolson and Karson were sat by the fire, oblivious to the spirit of the Gerudo Champion that sat in front of them. 

Link set the dirty dishes on the sign of his house, the post thick enough to hold the plates, before walking over to the three. Bolson was holding some sort of box and was talking animatedly to Karson, stopping when he heard Link’s cheerful "good morning!" 

"Good morning dear boy! See I told you, Karson, if we woke up at the usual time he would have left already!" Bolson said, ignoring the tired nod in agreement Karson gave. "Here! This is the gift I wanted to give you!" He said and held out the box, placing it in his lap when he sat down.

He sent a discreet glance to Urbosa, Fostri sitting on his knee and peering at the box in his hands. Does she know what's in here? His answer came when the ghost shook her head. "He's been talking about it but he hasn't said anything besides ‘you'll absolutely love it’," she answered his silent question. He opened the box and stared dumbly at the tiny bags inside. Lifting one up, he smelled it when he noticed there was a scent to it. It smelled almost like Silent Princesses, but that was impossible? The tiny, whatever those things were, couldn't be Silent Princesses, could they? He opened his mouth to take a bite out of the bag but was stopped when a hand covered his mouth.

Bolson, upon seeing Links about to bite the bag, laughed. "It's tea. Or- tea bags. You put a bag in a cup of boiling water, let it sit for a few minutes while the water cools and when the water is at a comfortable temperature you remove the teabag. Those tea leaves were made from the Silent Princesses you gave me yesterday." Bolson explained as Link put the teabag back in the box.

He was curious about the idea of making a tea out of the flowers. He had so many of the plants and knowing they had another use to them? That was amazing! "What does the tea do and how do you make it? I know if you put it in a dish it makes your stealth go up, so would the tea do the same thing?" Link asked and put the box in his slate. He sat down next to Bolson, sitting with one leg on top of the other. 

"I'm not too sure. I heard that it has a healing effect but I also heard it's a natural pain ointment. Since we're not sure what it does, you can be the first to test it. To make it you have to take the petals off, cut them in half, press something heavy on them and leave them to dry out for a few hours. I've heard the longer you leave it to dry the better it tastes." Bolson hid a yawn behind his hand, leaning heavily on Link. How early did they wake up? Link thought guiltily. They woke up early so they wouldn't miss me, I should get them gifts while I'm away. Link rubbed his cheek against Bolson’s head, getting a short rub back.

Fostri perked up when Bolson said he didn't know what the tea did, standing up on Link's knee and holding his tunic to keep his balance. "I can find out what it does! I just need to taste it and I can tell you what magical properties it has!" He stated, excited to try out a new type of tea. Link subtly shook his head, wanting to see what the tea did for himself.

Feeling slightly guilty, Link let the man lean against him as he got started on breakfast and, while their position wasn't ideal, he made due. Fostri, though, would be a hazard to work around so Link lightly herded the Korok to sit in the middle of his lap. Korok safely out of the way, he took out a pan, bowl, fork, six eggs, and butter. He rested the pan on top of the cookpot and set a small amount of butter on it, knowing to add the eggs when the butter was completely melted. He grabbed two eggs and cracked them in the bowl, whisking them around with his fork. He looked through his slate and took out some spices he had, deciding to go over the top for this breakfast. "Karson, are you awake enough to help me cook?" Link asked. Surely, surely he couldn't possibly mess up an omelet! It was impossible to mess up an omelet! 

Or so he thought. 

Ten minutes later, he vowed to never let Karson help again. There were eggs in his hair. His hair! How did Karson get eggs in his hair, you ask? Well, don't, because not even Link knows how it happened!

It took twenty-four minutes but eventually, Link was able to make three omelets. Twenty-four traumatic minutes. "You're banned from helping me cook. Stick to building." Link scolded the egg-soaked man. In the time it took Link to fix breakfast, Mipha had woken up and moved to see what all the commotion was about. Fostri also moved off his lap, instead moving to sit up in his hair. 

"How can someone mess up eggs so badly?" The Rito of the group said with a frown, sitting on the opposite side of the cookpot. Link shrugged his shoulder that wasn't supporting Bolson, the action not caught by Karson. He took out three plates and put an omelet on a plate, gently nudging Bolson awake so he could eat. The man had fallen asleep while he was cooking. 

Bolson woke up easily enough, blearily opening his eyes. He sat up and gratefully took the plate from Link. "It's been a while since I've woken up with my head on the shoulder of a pretty boy," Bolson teased as he took a bite out of his omelet. 

Plating the cooked eggs, Link passed Karson his omelet before responding. "It's been a while since I've had a grandfather's head sleeping on my shoulder," he retorted as he got his own meal plated. He briefly thought about heating some water to make tea but instead put milk to boil, deciding he'd make tea later on.

Karson let out a surprised laugh, quickly turning it into a cough when Bolson turned to glare at him. "Are you calling me old?! Link, how dare you!" Bolson shouted as Link and Karson laughed. 

After the three of them finished eating breakfast, Link took everyone's dishes and went to wash them, Fostri balancing from where he sat on Link's head. He took the dishes from yesterday as well, picking them up when he passed the signpost. As he walked to the pond to clean the dishes, the four Champions stayed near the cookpot to talk amongst themselves. "I don't mean to alarm anyone but has anyone noticed the others in there are more active than usual? They've been putting me on edge since yesterday." Revali broke the silence, speaking what was on everyone's mind. 

Before the Champions entered Link's soul there was another soul. Well, there were two souls. The champions met both of them a handful of times, enough to call both of them friends. The first never gave a name, only asking to be referred to as Tenk while the other was named Champion in honor of his previous duty. Tenk disappeared into Link's soul some thirty years after the champions figured how to leave their bodies while Champion stayed with the Champions. Though after Link woke up, he too hid deep within Link's soul, deeper than the champions could reach. Recently there was a new soul. It was incredibly weak and new, likely only a few days old, but it was strong enough to let them know it was there.

"I was thinking, what if it's-" Mipha started but was cut off with a sharp glare from Urbosa. Everyone knew what she was going to say but no one wanted to admit it. Admitting it would mean it was true. 

"No. It can't be. She's in the shrine, safe, sound, and healing. Don't... Don't say it," Urbosa snapped, her tone almost begging. But she didn't beg. Gerudo warriors never beg. 

Mipha gave her a sympathetic look and placed a hand on her elbow. "Urbosa... I know you don't want to admit it but it's the only lead we have. It appeared almost as soon as she went down and it's so incredibly weak." She reasoned, trying to get Urbosa to see the truth. She sighed when she saw Urbosa lock up tighter. "But we shall keep an open mind. If anyone else thinks of a likely candidate we will discuss it. For now, let's meet up with Link." Mipha said, a command in her voice that demanded to be listened to but was hiding behind a thin veil of a suggestion. 

Mipha, Revali, and Daruk headed over to where Link was finishing up with the dishes, leaving Urbosa to calm herself. "Hey, Little Guy! When do you plan to head to Gerudo town?" Daruk asked when they got close enough.

Link looked back at the three champions as he finished drying to the last of the dishes, unaware of the heavy feeling washing over them. "I plan to leave in a few minutes. Need to say goodbye to those two then get dressed and I'll be on my way." He explained as he put the now clean and dry dishes back in his slate. True to his word he walked back over to Karson and Bolson, saying a quick goodbye to the two before heading back into his house. Link began getting the clothes out before remembering the four ghosts and Korok who were standing behind and on top of him. Crap. He cursed as he turned around, the ghosts turning away as soon as he looked at them. 

...Except Revali, who had the nerve to say, "what? It's nothing we haven't seen before, hurry and get dressed already." 

Blushing a bright red, he glared at the Rito but didn't say anything in retaliation. He took Fostri off his head and set the Korok on the table. "Can you turn around while I get dressed?" He asked and smiled when the Korok obliged, looking at the weapons that stood on the wall. He began getting dressed, blushing in embarrassment when he finished dressing in the feminine clothes. Luckily he had nothing to worry about as the champions weren't even paying him any mind. Mipha and Daruk were having a rather animated conversation about...swimming? Revali was busy, brushing something off of him. Though what he was brushing was a mystery. Urbosa was talking about the weapons on the wall with Fostri. I feel like I'm forgetting something… he thought as he took out his slate, maximizing the screen and scrolling until the cursor was resting on the Daqo Chisay Shrine. 

"Fostri, will you be alright to travel to Gerudo Town with me? It's really hot and I don't carry heat-resistant elixirs with me," he pointed out. He stopped carrying anything heat resistant when he got the respective armors to combat the different levels of heat.

The Korok only looked at Link in confusion. "Of course I will, silly! Koroks don't get hot or cold!" Fostri giggled, hovering to sit on Link's shoulder. The physical touch was incredibly reassuring, Link was finding himself wishing the Korok sat on his shoulder or head more often. 

He nodded and gently grabbed the Korok off of his shoulder, holding him close to his chest. "When we get to Gerudo town, please don't wander off and stay near me," Link pleaded.

He got a nod in response, breathing a sigh of relief as his eyes wandered over to the weapon mounts on his wall. The weapons! He had completely forgotten to polish any of them! 

Oh well, he'd have to do that later, as right now he was pressing his slate to teleport to the Daqo Chisay Shrine. He closed his eyes as the daunting blue tendrils tore him apart piece by piece. He only opened his eyes again when he felt the harsh heat of the sun on his skin. "You couldn't have told us you were teleporting!? Honestly, you'd think he'd get manners after we showed ourselves to him but no! He teleports all willy-nilly without warning!" Revali cursed as the Rito formed next to Link, followed by Urbosa sending Link a disappointed glare. Seems like the four of them weren't prepared for him to teleport.

Link said a quiet "Oops, sorry" to the four Champions, though he wasn't really sorry. They survived it for a year after all. He set Fostri back on his shoulder and walked to the Gerudo town entrance, waving hello to the guards as he easily entered the Vai-only town. He walked down the wide street, saying hello to the vendors and children he passed. His heart raced faster the closer he got to where Chieftain Riju rested, the weight on his shoulder heavier than it was a moment ago. He walked up the steps, invisible weights dragging along behind him with each movement. Once at the top he said hello to the guards before stepping inside, seeing Riju light up at the sight of him. He forced his suddenly tense muscles to relax and walked closer to the Chieftain. How was she going to react?

His fidgety nature must've caught Riju's eyes as she didn't say anything, instead curiously studying the voe she's grown close to. In front of her sat someone she didn't recognize, someone who wasn't the confident fighter she's grown to love. "Link, she's waiting for you to say something," Urbosa helpfully whispered into Link's ear. Crap, I forgot they were here, he thought as he fought back a glare aimed at the Gerudo. 

"Chieftain Riju," he started and took a steadying breath. He couldn't afford to let his voice waver. His use of Riju's full title must've startled the Chief and her guard as neither acknowledged the greeting. He only called Riju by her full title when he was serious. "You might have seen Vah Naboris firing a beam aimed at Hyrule Castle the day before yesterday. The four beasts were helping me in defeating Calamity Ganon. I successfully defeated and sealed the Calamity away but..." Link paused. He had to do this three more times?! He didn't think he could do it- maybe he could send a letter to the other three races? 

Urbosa floated over so she stood next to Riju, a knowing look in her eyes. Could she tell he was overwhelmed? "You want a little help there? Just repeat after me, I'll come up with the words and all you have to do is say them." She explained before starting to slowly speak. Link repeated her words, feeling himself calm down with each word he didn't have to think about. 

"I also saved...  I also saved Princess Zel- the Princess." He stopped again and looked away from Riju's eyes. He couldn't let her see the tears gathering in his eyes. Urbosa was starting to struggle with her words too. She also lost Zelda and here she is, having to coach me through telling her successor of the Princess’s death. "I only saved her physical body. Meaning Princess Ze- the Princess is no longer with us," he finished. There, the hard part’s done. "Before she died, the Princess asked me to rule Hyrule Kingdom for her. I agreed and am making my way across Hyrule to inform the different races. For now, I'm only here to tell you what happened." 

Riju nor Buliara said anything, prompting Link to continue. "If you have nothing to say then I'll take my leave. It was nice seeing you Chieftain Riju." He finished and paused to see if Riju truly had nothing to say. 

Riju stared at Link for a few seconds, calculating eyes taking him in. What she was looking for he didn't know. She stood from her throne and walked down the few steps to get to the ground. Once she stood face to face with Link; she kneeled in front of him, her gentle maroon braid resting on her back and coiling behind her. "Your highness," she began. Buliara stared at the scene in shock, eyes rapidly flickering between Link and Riju. "It would be an honor to help you in whichever way us Gerudo can. Thank you for coming all this way to inform me. I shall tell the rest of the Gerudo population later unless you wish it to be kept a secret?" Riju asked, continuing to keep her head bowed. That position surely wasn't good for her neck. 

Link faltered for a second, unsure of how to respond. How am I supposed to respond? He didn't expect Riju to so readily believe or follow behind his leadership. In fact, he thought Riju would fight against his leadership! Luckily he had Urbosa's quick thinking to help him as she started feeding him words again. 

"If- if you'll allow me, I'd like to stay here for the night. If you could tell them the day after tomorrow, that would be better." He got out, sending a silent thank you to Urbosa. He'd have to figure a way to repay her. "You don't have to kneel, I'm not officially king until all four races acknowledge it," he rushed out. A lot of shocking things were happening today and having the Gerudo Chieftess bowing to him was one of them. 

Riju nodded and stood up, her braid swinging slightly with the momentum before resting on her back again. "I'd be delighted to house you for the night. How long do you plan to stay?" She asked.

He didn't need Urbosa to guide him through this conversation. "I plan to stay tonight and tomorrow night, though I'll be gone before anyone wakes up. I'd like to go see Naboris today and tomorrow so I'll barely be in town." He explained his plan, having gone over the plan a few times before he slept last night. Riju nodded in understanding and seemed to think about something. 

"If you're gone before noon then I can tell everyone by lunch. Feel free to do what you wish as long as it harms nobody." Riju said and stepped closer to Link. He almost stepped back but stood his ground when strong arms wrapped around his torso. "Thank you, Link. We're finally free because of you." She whispered, laying her head on his chest, being careful of her crown. 

Tears of relief welled in his eyes as he hugged back, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently resting his forehead on her hairpiece. "Thank you for helping me, Riju. I couldn't have done it without the help of you and your people." 

Buliara decidedly had enough and exclaimed, "Lady Riju, you're going to allow him to control us?! You're going to allow this Voe to proclaim himself King!?" 

Riju looked back at her personal guard and frowned, not releasing her grip from Link. "I would never allow anyone to control us, that would go against what our ancestors fought for. I'm simply allowing him to form an alliance with the Gerudo. Besides, nothing is official yet. I hope everything will be discussed in future meetings?" She directed the question to Link, who nodded in agreement. 

"I don't know when. Maybe in a around month? I have to do things before I can address what I'll need from anyone," he explained and loosened his arms from Riju's shoulders. She took the hint and released her arms, taking a step back to give Link room. Riju nodded in satisfaction while Buliara still looked troubled. 

Link racked his brain on way to make her settle down before Mipha spoke up, startling him enough that the two women gave him confused looks. "You could allow her to sit in on any meetings you have Lady Riju attending," the Zora offered as she sat in the slow-moving streams of water. Link relayed that suggestion, giving Mipha a brief, thankful glance.

That seemed to ease the guard enough as she didn't come up with any more complaints. Riju turned around and headed back to her throne, gracefully sitting on the stone. "If that's all you came for then I believe this conversation is over?" Link smiled and nodded, slightly bowing his head in respect.

"It was great seeing you again Riju," he said and turned around. He snuck a glance at Buliara and almost snickered when he saw the guard’s face. It was a mixture of the face she made whenever he called her only Riju and a confused face, likely wondering if she should demand the new King of Hyrule to call the Chieftess by her title.

Link wanted to walk around Gerudo town for a little while before he headed to Vah Naboris. He also wanted to find a proper way to thank Urbosa and Mipha, which he should do now. He walked to the little alleyway just under the guards training yard and began quietly talking, taking care that only the two champions, and Korok, would hear him. "Thanks, you two. For helping me back there. I don't know what I would have done without the help." He thanked, sending the two women another round of grateful looks. 

"It was nothing little knight, I expected you to freeze up. Though Impa should have prepared you for this." Urbosa explained, taking in the damaged walls around her. "I just didn't expect to get choked up myself. I didn't think it would be that hard," she admitted. 

Mipha floated silently beside the kni- king. That'll take some time getting used to. Mipha floated beside the King, looking around the area with fond eyes. "Urbosa, remember when Link first entered Gerudo town a hundred years ago?" Mipha remarked.

Link didn't like where this conversation was headed. 

A laugh from behind him made Link jump. Calyban, the Gerudo woman who tossed hydromelon rinds into the canal, looked at Link with a concerned face. "Everything alright Vai?" She asked as she cut up a hydromelon. How many hydromelon has she eaten since we last talked?

"E-everything's fine. I got uh- just got startled by a noise I thought I heard?" He offered, making his voice sound more feminine than it already did. He hoped his excuse sounded more like a statement than a question, which worked as Calyban ignored him again in favor of eating her newly cut hydromelon. 

Urbosa was the one who let out the laugh, her teal form flickering from how hard she was laughing. "Oh, I remember! I bet you don't though!" She stopped to catch her breath. Did she even need to breathe? "One hundred and two years ago you were guarding the princess but she gave you the slip and ended up in Gerudo town. I was waiting by the entrance to tell you the princess was fine but of course, I had to offer a way for you to enter." Urbosa paused for dramatic effect. 

He sighed and walked into the tiny wildberry patch, picking the few berries that were able to grow. He certainly wasn't liking where this story was going. "Please don't tell me, I don't want to know.” He groaned and sat down on the cool soil. Only Mipha and Urbosa seemed to follow him now.

"Oh but I have to, how else are you going to regain your memories? I offered you a Gerudo vai outfit similar to the one you're wearing now. The best part is, once you got into the town, the Princess was already headed back to the Bazaar!" Urbosa cackled. Mipha hid her giggles behind her hands and looked away from Link, missing the glare aimed her way. Fostri followed after her, its tiny giggles resonating in his ear.

As Urbosa talked, Link felt his head getting hazy, making him lean against the wall behind him. The world around him started to spin as he got dragged into a memory.

Link panted as he stood in front of Gerudo Town, looking around the Bazaar for any sight of the Princess. The guards glared at him but didn’t say anything as he carefully kept space between him and the entrance of the town.

“Sav’aaq Link! Rare to see you here without the princess nowadays.” Urbosa greeted from inside the gate, strutting over to stand in front of him. 

Link nodded and pointedly looked around then back at Urbosa. She has a mischievous look on her face, there’s no way she doesn’t know where Princess Zelda is. 

“Ah, I know that look. You think I know where the princess is, don’t you?” She asked, turning sideways so they could both look into the town. “Well I’m afraid I don’t. I never saw her enter the town.” She gave a frown that looked strangely strained, as if she were forcing the expression on her face. 

"If you'd like, you may take a look around town yourself to see if you can find her." She said, earning shocked looks from the Gerudo guards behind her. Link had barely considered the idea before Urbosa let loose a chuckle, giving him a sly grin.

"I figured you were too smart to fall for that. Come, let us talk where the walls shade from the sun." She said, walking off without checking to see if Link would follow. Nonetheless he did, paying the two guards no mind as he followed the chieftess.

The talk was anything but a normal talk. As soon as they were around the corner, Urbosa thrusted a bundle of cloth at him and looked away. He held the cloth in his hands, figuring this was her (rude) way of asking him to hold it for her.

Not hearing any noise from him, Urbosa risked a peak at the Hylians knight. She lifted an eyebrow, looking down at the cloth then back at him. "Well? Aren't you going to get changed little voe?" She asked, watching him as he moved to open the cloth bundle. She was impressed as he gave her a flat look without changing his facial expressions, holding up the airy, feminine attire. "I figured if you wanted to look for the princess, you must fit in with the populace. After all, there's a strict no voe policy. Now, hurry up or you'll have to spend even longer looking for the princess."

So he bit down his pride, glared at Urbosa's turned back, and quickly changed into the clothes. They were surprisingly comfortable and allowed air to cool him down much more efficiently than his normal outfit. He silently sighed and patted her elbow, signaling that he was done. 

Turns out, Urbosa had been right that he'd take even longer to look for the princess. He may as well have turned the whole town upside down looking for her, only for her to be back at the Bazaar long before he even got to the town!

Link zoned back into the present and hid his face in his hands, embarrassment forcing his cheeks red. Mipha and Urbosa were quietly giving him concerned looks but didn't say much as they let him ride out the wave of embarrassment. Once he calmed down he let his hands fall to his lap, watching the two women, who were watching him. "Where's Revali and Daruk?" He asked when he noticed for certain the two weren't around.

Mipha was the one who answered the question, sitting on the ground with her legs folded underneath her. "They're in your soul," she replied as if she hadn't just said the most shocking thing Link's heard. Well, it wasn't the most shocking but it was certainly up there. 

Noticing the confusion on his face, Urbosa spoke up. "Even dead and a hundred years later I still stand by the fact that Voe are not permitted entry unless it's a dire emergency. Though with you there's not much I can do, seeing as I can't physically stop you from entering." She explained and thought for a second before continuing, "besides I know you only had eyes for the Princess so I don't have to worry about you hitting on any Gerudo Vai."

With another embarrassed sigh, Link threw his head back, taking the sun's placement in the sky. He couldn't see it due to the walls blocking his vision but the sky was well lit up by now, meaning it had to be around nine to ten o'clock. "I think I'll go check on my orders before heading to Neby, they should be done by around now." He thought out loud and stood up, dusting the dirt off his clothes and bottom. 

Urbosa let out a dissatisfied grunt, following after Link as he walked out of the little garden. "I can't believe you called a great beast like Vah Naboris Neby. You couldn't have come up with a better nickname?" She huffed, causing Link to let out a quiet laugh which was drowned out by the nearby waterfall. 

Before going to collect his orders, Link walked around the different vendors in search of a gift for the two back home. Link remembered Karson saying he'd like to try hydromelons and voltfruits so he purchased some of those but he couldn't find anything he'd think Bolson would like. Maybe Isha would have something?

The three were quiet as Link walked over to Starlight Memories, the jewelry shop he gets all his jewelry from. Isha, the jeweler, greeted him with a smile. "Vasaaq, Link. Are you here to pick up your order? You're lucky, I just finished the last one an hour ago." She said without waiting for his answer, moving behind the counter to grab the box of Topaz earrings. A week ago he realized he could help the Zora deal with the growing lizal population by gifting them Topaz earrings to hopefully combat their electric arrows. Isha set the box on the counter, holding a hand out for payment. "That'll be three thousand rupees."

"Jewelry manufacturing must have been one of the few skills that remained but aren't commonly used if the price for six earrings is this low," Urbosa stated as she looked over the six pairs of earrings that sat in the box. They were as professionally made as they could be with the current tools they had now. 

As Link dug through his slate, he asked Isha a question. "Do you have any amber earrings already made? Or any kind of earrings you'd think a voe would like?" He asked and pulled out a few golden rupees along with a few silvers and reds. Once he counted the correct amount he handed over the pile of rupees, taking the box and stashing it in his slate for when he went to Zora's domain. He almost winced at the thought of heading to Zora's domain. They weren't going to be too happy to learn he defeated Calamity Ganon without telling anyone. 

Isha thought for a second before turning around and looking around the various shelves behind her. She pulled out a box and opened it, nodding to herself before she set it on the counter. "Trying to catch yourself a voe, huh Link? Here, these seem pretty popular with the voe's lately." Link looked at the earrings and decided, while they looked nice, Bolson probably wouldn't like them. They were a pair of small, sapphic hoops. He still bought them, maybe he could gift them to someone else. He handed over the correct amount of rupees and took that box too, stashing it in his slate.

Isha waved goodbye to Link as he began leaving the shop. "Don't hesitate to commission from us again!" She called out, watching her favorite customer leave. 

After the four left the store, Link looked at his slate, deciding now would be a good time to see the divine beast. Link moved so he was in a less populated area and grabbed Fostri again, holding the Korok close to his chest. He opened the map screen and minimized it so he could see the teleporter to Naboris. He scrolled the cursor over to the little picture of the beast and clicked on it, feeling himself getting unraveled again. He closed his eyes though which did nothing to block out the Sheikah blue that surrounded him.

When he opened his eyes again he saw the vast emptiness of the Gerudo desert looking back at him. To his left was the Wasteland tower, to his right was a cliff, and behind him stood the reason he was here. Behind him sat Divine Beast Vah Naboris. The beast was still kneeling on the ground but it was completely dark. The blue lights that signified the beast was working were no longer on. The beast's head was slouching over, almost as if it were simply sleeping and not powered off. 

"Woooah… Mr. Link, you fought that thing?" Fostri asked content to let himself hang from Link’s hand. Link let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"No, not really. I fought things inside the beast, like puzzles and monsters." He answered and set the Korok on his shoulder again. "Stay near me and don't wander off. I don't know if anything's made its way inside since I was last on board."

Urbosa frowned at the sight of her beast, floating up to rest a hand against the cold metal of its leg. "Naboris has been deactivated. It should be safe to board now," she stated before looking up at the entrance. "Though I don't know how you'll get up there. I don't think you can keep your grip on this kind of metal."

Revali, who Link hadn't realized was back, scoffed at that. "Please, my gale can get Link up there no problem. How little faith do you have in my ability?" He chastised, getting in position to create his gale. After Link got his paraglider out, Revali gave a mighty flap of his wings, a strong gust of wind following after him. Link shot into the air, cutting through the open space like an arrow. This gale seemed stronger than any gale Revalis created before as Link was sent flying far above where he needed to be. He briefly closed his paraglider and relished in the feeling of falling. Fostri screamed in what sounded like delighted, holding tightly onto Link as they plummeted towards the ground. He opened the glider again when he saw the entrance he needed to enter, steering the contraption until he landed safely in the interior of the beast. He heard a sharp gasp come from somewhere behind him, most likely from Urbosa.

The inside of the beast wasn't any different from the last time he was here. The only difference now was the air seemed more dead, more fitting for a desert beast. "Is there anything I could do to repair the beast now? Change some gears, oil anything, clean up?" He asked mainly Urbosa seeing as she knew the most about this beast.

Said Gerudo looked around the beast, troubled eyes taking in the interior. "You know this is going to take more than just you to fix the beasts right? It's going to take several skilled people, several skilled people we don't have," she pointed out. While she'd love to see her friend up and running again there was nothing they could do now. Anyone who knew how to fix the beasts was either dead or too old to help any. 

"That's alright. I'm sure Purah and Robbie would be willing to teach the newer generation how to fix the machines. For now, I just want to repair anything that's broken or damaged, or rusted. Now are you going to help me or do I have to look over the beast myself?" He asked, ignoring the Gerudo's taken-back look.

That's how they spent the next few hours of that day and the next. The six of them stopped working sometime around midnight. Link so far had changed a few hundred gears, replaced a few hundred rusted bolts, oiled a few gears, and tomorrow he planned to see if he could activate the beast. He had no hope that he would but hopefully, the little repairs he had done would be enough to coax the beast to awaken.

He teleported back to Gerudo town, carefully setting his veil back in place after he swapped it for his ruby circlet. He easily passed through the threshold, tiredly waving at the two guards on duty. Whether they couldn't be bothered or they saw how exhausted he was, they simply nodded back and allowed him to cross. The people of the different races have long since accepted that he could slip out of town without anyone noticing. 

He headed to Hotel Oasis and paid for one night, laying a red rupee on the counter before heading to the beds. Fostri had already claimed a bed so Link headed to that one, intending to hug the Korok while he slept. He didn't even hear the innkeeper tell him goodnight or when to wake him up, he passed out as soon as his head hit the hard, rocky pillow. 

The next day was spent exactly like the previous. Link had a quick breakfast of mushroom skewers before heading to where Riju lived, Fostri once again settled on his shoulder. Riju wasn't at the throne room so he instead reported to Buliara. 

"Can you pass a message to Lady Riju when she gets back? Yesterday I made progress with Vah Naboris. I did maintenance on it and today I hope I can get the beast to wake up." He reported, smoothing invisible wrinkles from his outfit. Buliara's stare was intense, it took everything in him not to fidget underneath her gaze.

"I will pass along the message only because I think it's useful for the Chieftess. But know this, I will not allow Lady Riju, myself nor any Gerudo to become dogs to the crown," she seethed, her grip on her spear almost enough to snap the weapon in half. She really doesn't like the idea of being controlled, noted.

Link raised an eyebrow and backed away from the seething Gerudo, not wanting to piss her off more than his existence already did. "I would've told her myself but I have to get going. I was only asking because I thought you'd want me gone as soon as possible," he frowned and turned around to leave. "I won't be seeing either of you tomorrow so tell Riju I also say goodbye. I'll probably be back within a month with news for her."

He didn't wait to hear a response from the guard, instead pulling out his slate as he walked down the steps. "That guard of hers needs to learn some manners, that's not how you treat the Chieftess’s guests, voe or not." Urbosa fumed, coming out to glare at the quickly shrinking guard.

Link didn't respond, too many ears nearby to hear him. Instead, he walked back underneath the training yard. Calyban was too far away to properly see or hear him and the guards wouldn't know he was there if he was quiet. "It's fine Urbosa, just give her some time. She's still in shock from the news," he murmured as he once again held Fostri close to his chest. He didn't want to take any chances of the Korok falling off mid teleport or somehow getting lost somewhere else by accident. 

He turned on his slate as Urbosa fumed at his mistreatment, once again pointing the cursor at Vah Naboris' teleporter. "I can understand where she's coming from, we Gerudo are proud warriors who've had to fight for everything, but she was completely out of line! Lady Riju should learn to control her guard better!" She huffed and glared at an empty wall. 

Link felt an ache somewhere in his heart. Urbosa cares about me enough to get offended for me. She was offended over something he didn't see as unusual. It warmed his heart to see someone so protective over him. "Urbosa it's fine, truly. Though next time I see Riju I'll be sure to tell her of Buliara's treatment to me." 

Once Urbosa seemed calm enough he teleported there. Revali, Daruk, and Mipha seemed to appear right as he did, seemingly already waiting for him to get there. "We stayed here all night to see if Neby needed anymore repairs!" Daruk answered his unasked question. 

"I think we may have found something that could help the beast awaken!" Mipha chimed in helpfully, her joy contagious as Link forgot about the issues he'd faced earlier. 

The six of them ran around the beast, taking panels apart to find wiring and gears, cleaning up dirt where it shouldn't be, giving electricity boosts to anything that seemed like it needed it. After ten hours it was the moment of truth. At four thirty-five, Link set his slate against the main control unit of the beast. The six of them waited with bated breath as the beast refused to wake up. A collective sigh of disappointment left all of them, though that disappointment was short-lived as the beast seemed to force itself awake. It gave a weak yet mighty cry, signifying its awakening. 

Urbosa let out a soft gasp, something akin to electricity running through her. Her friend was back and alive! Vah Naboris was reaching out to her, searching for her guidance. Guidance she couldn't provide. "She's looking for me," she managed to get out. How much she wanted to help her friend. "She's in so much pain and so weak. I think… I think she forced herself to power off to regain her strength." Urbosa said after a few moments of focusing. That's what it felt like. 

Link looked at the control unit uncertainly. "Should I turn it back off then?" He asked, slate hovering over the unit in case Urbosa wanted the beast off. He wasn't sure if he could turn the beast off after turning it on but he could figure it out. He would figure it out for her.

Urbosa shook her head, her ghostly body flickering. "I want to check something. If you'd like to keep repairing Naboris, she's saying there's something wrong with her neck. I'll be back before we have to leave." She managed to get out before she disappeared.

Link let out a noise of confusion, looking around for the Gerudo. The other three Champions looked just as lost as he was. With no leads, the five of them headed up to the beast's neck, finding many more parts to fix. Link would need to defeat more guardians soon, he only had around 600 of all his spare parts.

Urbosa, true to her word, appeared an hour before twelve. She looked drained, she could barely keep herself translucent. "Urbosa? Urbosa, what's wrong?" Mipha asked, rushing over to the Gerudo.

Despite how exhausted she seemed, Urbosa let out a smile. "She was thanking me. She showed me who she'd like to pilot her and where she'd like to be buried when we have no use for her. She sent me feelings she's had while she was trapped and how much she tried protecting the desert while she was under His control." Urbosa explained, leaning heavily on the Zora. Mipha frowned and let Urbosa lean on her, motioning for Daruk to take some of the weight.

"Urbosa I think you should rest, at least for an hour," Mipha suggested, worry clear in her voice. They'd never experience anything like this before, would Urbosa be ok? 

Urbosa nodded and let Daruk support most of her weight instead, the Goron wrapping a secure, rocky arm around her waist. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, goodnight everyone." She yawned out before vanishing again.

Link panicked slightly when she disappeared again but the remaining Champions didn't say anything about it, instead, staring intently at him. "Guys?" He hesitantly asked, looking at each of the Champions.

"Don't worry little guy, we're just checking to see if she's actually resting!" Daruk answered, though even his jovial tone sounded tired. Now would probably be a good time to head back to town and turn off Neby. Link pulled out his slate, sliding it over the control unit of the divine beast. The beast gave another cry before the machinery inside began whining and scraping as the beast shut down again. Link picked the slate up and looked at the time as he opened the map screen.

"We've been working for almost sixteen hours?" Link asked no one, carefully pulling the sleepy Korok off his shoulder and to his chest. Fostri mumbled some complaints but quickly settled into his new position, cuddling close to Link’s chest. 

Revali was the most surprised out of the three, though he only showed this with the slight widening of his eyes. "Well, we've been here almost since the moment you woke up, with minimal breaks mind you. I'm surprised you're not as tired as the forest child there," Revali pointed out. "Speaking of, you should head to bed. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

Link looked up at Revali in shock. "You care about my well-being? What have you done with Revali?" He teased as he held the slate in one hand. With great difficulty, he managed to get the cursor over the Daqo Chisay Shrine, pressing the teleport button. He doesn't remember the blue taking over his body, or closing his eyes but when he opened them he was sitting on the teleporter of the Daqo Chisay Shrine, Fostri almost slipping out of his arms.

He jerked up in surprise. Had he actually been about to fall asleep outside of town? He stood up and placed Fostri over his shoulder again, taking care not to move around too much so as not to jostle the Korok. He easily passed through the archways, having not taken off his veil except to eat lunch and dinner earlier in the day. He headed to Hotel Oasis but was stopped by Buliara. He raised an eyebrow, too tired to listen to her complaints. "Buliara I'm just spending the night, I'll be gone before anyone’s up." 

Buliara huffed and instead hesitantly grabbed his shoulder, luckily not the one Fostri was currently barely awake and hanging off of. "Lady Riju wished to see you as soon as you came back," she offered. Though her initial approach had been hesitant, once she had her hand on his shoulder she wasn't shy to drag him along.

The guard dragged him all the way up the steps leading to the throne room and shoved him up the stairs leading to Riju's room. He took the hint and walked up, confused. Mipha was silently floating beside him, his confusion reflected back at him. "Are you in trouble Mr. Link?" Fostri asked though he didn't get any response. Not with Riju above him and Buliara glaring daggers behind him.

When he came to the opening of Riju's room he was greeted with the sight of the little Chieftess sitting on her bed, hugging a tiny blue seal plushie. She had taken off her headpiece and was dressed in what looked like a nightdress. "Link, how nice to see you. I didn't think I'd see you again until next month," she said tiredly when she caught sight of him, patting the empty spot beside her. 

He walked over and sat on the spot, giving her a quick side hug when he sat down. "Did Buliara tell you what I was doing with Naboris?" He asked, glancing down as he felt Fostri climbing down into his lap. The Korok was making itself comfortable in his lap, curling up and heading back to sleep. The thought made Links happy. Fostri trusts me enough to protect him while he sleeps.

"Yes, she told me what you were doing with the Divine Beast. I'm guessing you managed to get it to wake up judging by the cry we heard earlier." She asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Well, I didn't expect it to actually turn on. Everything was so broken down I didn't expect it to have enough strength to move." He explained and moved his gaze to look around the room. Not much changed since he was last there, the only difference being it was slightly messier and there was another seal plushie. 

Riju moved over to the other side of the bed, getting under the covers and laying down. "Sleep with me tonight, Link? I… I missed you and I don't know when we'll get to do this again." She asked, her voice small as if she expected him to reject the request. Within the six months they've known each other, Link has almost adopted Riju as a little sister, even going as far as to jokingly take her last name. Buliara was not happy about that joke.

He smiled and laid down, stifling a giggle as Fostri whined out a complaint of his bed being moved. Link wrapped one arm around her waist and the other under her head, pulling her close so she was pressed against his body. "Buliara's not gonna be happy to see us like this in the morning," he mumbled as he fell asleep. 

"Just shut up and sleep. You deserve to rest." Riju teased and moved around until she was comfortable, breath evening out as she fell into the clutches of sleep. 

"I'm sure somewhere in the future we won't be able to do this so casually. Who knows what people would think."

"I thought I said shut up and sleep. Don't worry about the future, worry about if you'll wake up before Buliara comes up to check on me."

Link smiled at the familiar teasing and relaxed, muttering a "goodnight," before he fell asleep. 

If the next morning, Riju woke up to an empty bed filled with honey candies, she could ignore the ache in her heart reserved for her brother's safety.

#legend of zelda #linked universe fanfic #zelda fic #AKiNWHP #sorry for taking so long to get this to tumblr #ill be posting chapters 7-10 throughout the night #zelda fandom #zelda fanfiction #the legend of zelda fanfiction #legend of zelda breath of the wild #breath of the wild #breath of the wilf fanfic #botw fanfic #botw daruk #botw fic #botw urbosa #botw revali #botw mipha #lu wild #linked universe wild

[pupika-samika]

[pupika-samika]

Hey op, I was wondering if I could write a fic out of this?

did a piece in the LU server's gift exchange ! something of survival and reunions and smug little shadowguys

#im a writer

[pupika-samika]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! :3

(asked by @ncc1701ohno)

Hi Nick, so great to hear from you after not getting a single message from you in over a month smh /j (love ya man)

1. My cat. If there's ever a lul in conversation I bring up my 5 cats, especially my baby. I've only had him for about 6 months but he's honestly helped me so much. I feel like I can vent and break down in front of a cat than I can a person

2. Playing Genshin always makes me a lil happy, I've been working on catching up to all the content I've missed over the past year and meeting all the new characters is always a treat!

3. Reading! I can sit for hours reading a good book or fic. I haven't had much time to read and when I do it's only for a few minutes but it still a favorite pastime of mine

4. To go with the last one, writing! I haven't been doing much of it lately because it stresses me out to think about planning but when I do get the motivation I'll do nothing but write for hours

5. And lastly, I like to work on songs. It's a hobby of mine I've had for the past few years where I'd either write original songs or translate lyrics from vocaloid songs

#asks

[pupika-samika]

Feel free to add any thoughts in the tags, and please reblog for a larger sample size!

Edited to add -- I should have put an option for "I only want to read the whole thing when it's finished", so maybe that goes in the "as long as they can be" option??

#ive read fanfics with well over 12k chapters before. it was only 3 or 4 chapters but i loved it