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Summary: A Zelda fic set after TP. Though now known as a hero and an adult in the eyes of society, Link learns that parents will never stop worrying. Sometimes, not even for the littlest of things.
Warning: /
Rating: General
Characters: Link, Rusl, Uli, Talo, Pergie, Jaggle
Pairing: /
Words: 849
Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Author’s Notes: A very short fluff fic that I wrote a long time ago. Finally posting it now because I feel like it.
Throwin back thinkin to my old Zelda Bound Destinies Trilogy tonight and hot golly damn is Keys to the Kingdom basically its spiritual successor with a Kingdom Hearts coat of paint because well... Both feature:
A good-hearted, belovedly innocent central protagonist who’s in the slow, agonizing process of being corrupted by a central antagonist and can’t really resist that process no matter how hard they try and they’re so fucking tired and sad and are Not Having a Very Good Time (Sora and Link (specifically in Blood and Spirit)
A female lead who’s mutually in love with said protagonist, who can hold her own in a fight and is more or less a beacon of magical light who is desperately trying to keep their SO from falling into the darkness (Kairi and Zelda (again in B&S but also a lot in Wisdom and Courage)
A significant tritagonist who’s sorta off doing their own thing but is also very close to the protagonist and wants to help them even though that help is continually rejected by said protagonist even though they clearly need it (Riku and Midna (in Light and Shadow, of course)
An antagonist who is solely focused on their own goals and has no care or consideration for the lives they’re ruining along the way to the completion of their sinister goals and has a very specific focus on corrupting the protagonist to their side/forcing them to do their bidding (Xehanort and Majora in B&S, Veran in W&C and Verona in L&S)
The character-centered drama of the protagonist’s corruption is wrapped within the plot of a greater overarching narrative that’s less focused on the character and more focused on the wellbeing of the world/universe at large (the search for the Keys and the Interloper War (in B&S), Veran and Verona’s respective conquests of Hyrule (W&C and L&S)
As part of their corruption, the protagonist often slips into a state of relative, violent mindlessness they have no sort of control over whatsoever (Rage Form and just corruption in general in B&S and the Fierce Deity’s Mask in W&C)
Corruption also sort of forces some sort of unwanted magic/dark powers/unknown strength upon the protagonist, along with a visible, gradual, physical transformation (white hair, yellow eyes, darkened arms for Sora, along with some lowkey dark powers later on, and white hair (holy shit these are really fucking similar aren’t they?) and facial markings (fierce diety or twili depending on the story) for Link)
Protagonist gets captured by an antagonist at some point and even after they’re set free, said captive experience has a heavy negative effect on them throughout most of the rest of the story (Sora by Maleficent (is that a spoiler???) and Link by Veress in B&S and Veran in W&C)
Protagonist has a wide support network of people who want to help them in their own personal struggle against the pervading evil, but protagonist is kinda stupidly stubborn and eternally self-sacrificing and thinks they need to suffer alone in order to keep everyone else safe while they fall
Female lead starts off feeling initially powerless in her own narrative but gains her own sort of strength throughout the story and sure enough turns into a force to be reckoned with while loosing her innocent worldview in the process (Kairi and especially true for W&C Zelda)
Despite their corruption, protagonist has some sort of otherworldly force pulling for them behind the scenes (spoilers for Sora and Farore for Link)
And several other elements that if I discussed them, they’d reveal massive spoilers for Keys so I’ll shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down now, maybe make a followup post for this once Keys is over idk but for now enjoy this post that literally no one is going to care about cause my Zelda fics haven’t been relevant for years now byeeeeee
An Ongoing Zelda/Witcher Fusion Fic - Updates Wednesdays/Thursdays
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Summary:
War has come to The Kingdom of Hyrule. The people cry for a savior as monsters and spirits stalk the once green fields of the provinces. Famine grips the populace as the Gerudo Tribes and their blin allies strike along the borders. Hope for peace begins to drown in the blood spilled in No Man’s Land. But Hyrule doesn’t need another hero. It needs a professional.
The Story So Far:
At Midna’s behest, Link performed an investigation of the head of the slain dragon. The autopsy revealed that a parasite native to The Twilight had taken root within its brain before it had been slain, proving that the sorcerer Midna had been chasing was somewhere along the mountain range. But with one problem solved, another arises as Link hears that the zoras may be joining the war effort and it may drag a foreign power into it...
CHAPTER 11: OLD KAKARIKO
It was treacherous going at night, especially when the rain started. The old Kakariko Village was on the northern face of the mountain’s rocky face and nestled among the rocks and through a long tunnel. Darunia was at the front with his hammer and a massive tower shield on his left arm. Over his bulk was a plate chestplate and thick metal bands around his legs. Behind him were two more soldiers. Each carried a massive shaped piece of metal in a crude cobble crusher sword. It had no edge, but was so heavy that only a goron could truly use it with any finesse. Of course, Link had only seen one or two gorons he’d actually describe as having any sort of finesse. He watched one of the ones with the sword stop as Daruinia held up his shield arm. Link pulled gently on Epona’s reins as the group came to a halt. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Midna. She was looking back as well at the last four of the gorons who had come with them. They muttered quietly in their gravely language as one of the soldiers up front turned from his boss and started back.
“What’s going on?” Midna asked.
“Don’t know,” Link answered as the goron boss turned around.
“Everyone on alert,” Darunia said. “We should’ve run into one of the jarl’s men by now.”
Carefully, Link directed Epona to the side as two of the other gorons moved past to join Darunia and the others. He pulled his sword from his back and heard a snapping crackle of magic from Midna’s fingers. “Sense anything?” he asked.
“Someone has definitely been using twilit magic here,” she said in a near whisper. “If he’s not here, he hasn’t been gone long. And the map suggested that there was only one way in and out of the village.”
“So we may have him cornered.”
She gave him a nod as the group walked through the tunnel and into the ruins. It wasn’t long before they reached the opening. What greeted them was the abandoned village. It looked like it once had been a refugee camp recently, but now there were empty tents and no sign of bodies apart from the smears of blood and bones on the ground or walls of dilapidated wooden buildings. A single old well sat in the middle of it all among tattered tents and fading fires.
“Oh gods,” one of the gorons said. “What happened here?”
The wolf around Link’s neck began to rattle on its chain. Epona tapped her feet a little and snorted at the strange calmness around them. The sorceress slipped off of the mare’s back, her boots landing in the fresh mud with a squish. He landed right after her as one of the gorons came to take the mare to the back of the formation. The group started into the heart of the camp then slowly. The hylian hexer’s eyes scanned the ground and listened for anything around them. It was clear though a fight had recently taken place. Again, he felt the new charm shaking and looked at Midna.
“Defensive positions!” she nearly shouted. “If you see the sorcerer, leave him to us!”
“Y’see something?” Darunia asked. The gorons readied their weapons as they moved.
“No, but I sense it.” She looked to their right and into some of the ruined wooden buildings. A loud creak grabbed their attention and a dark humanoid figure crawled out of it. Link instantly recognized it and pulled his shield off his back. It wore a disc over its head and moved on all fours. Long snaking tendrils dangled and twitched from under the disc while similar ones waved behind its head. It planted its hands on the ground and let out a shrieking and unearthly cry.
Link felt his bones shaking from the magic its shriek rattled the group with. There was the sound of more feet slapping in the mud and grime. More of the shadow beasts emerged, some literally melting out of the shade of the ruins.
“Think we know exactly what happened to the refugees now,” Link muttered. He glanced at Midna as orange and teal bands of energy began to dance around her fingers.
“Looks like they were all killed,” Darunia replied, spinning the massive hammer in his hand as he dropped the shield into the dirt defensively.
“Oh, no,” Midna sighed. “Much, much worse.” Her eyes watched around them. They still had the way out they could fall back if they had to. She counted silently, nine of the beasts. Then eight. A ninth appeared climbing out of the well. “I can’t bind so many effectively, Link.”
The pack of beasts charged then. One of the gorons with a cobble crusher swept his hunk of metal upward, clobbering it under the mask. He let the weapon drop from above then into its body. Another jumped him before he could lift his weapon again though. It clawed at him, scraping their thick hide. Two more jumped one of the other of the group. Link flicked his fingers and a blue light formed behind his shield before the magic barrier formed around him. It solidified and shrieked as the hand of one of the beasts made contact. He lunged and drove the sword through its stomach. The attack did little, causing Link to curse about not having a proper sword for handling the creatures. He kicked it back and quickly dug into his belt pouch and grabbed one of the oils he’d purchased from the witches back in Faron. He had it in his hand when the creature came at him and crashed against the transparent blue diamond around him. He stabbed again and again before sidestepping an attack from it to sweep his sword down and into the back of its neck. It didn’t sever the creature’s head, but was enough to put it on the ground.
Another shadow beast came at him again, but was swatted away by Darunia’s shield. As it fell on the ground, the goron boss swung his hammer face first into its body with a splattering crunch. Black blood spurted out of the creature along with ash and smoke, but it did not vanish. The other gorons were fighting back still, easily beating the creatures and inflicting wounds that would have left ordinary mortals as red paste and ground bone in the muck.
A lash of teal light whipped out of Midna’s right hand and wrapped around one of the monsters. A flick of her wrist and snap of her fingers though made the light constrict and in a heartbeat, the creature’s arms and legs were sliced cleanly from its body. It looked like the fight was going their way.
When the seventh of the creatures fell though, one of the surviving ones that had stayed away from the melee shrieked. It was louder than before and Link could see the twilit energies snapping around its mask. He tore the cork of the oil out of the vial with his teeth and poured it onto the steel blade. He knew it wouldn’t be as good as his old white sword, but at least it would help give him an edge. Soon as the beast had finished screaming, the others began to get back up. Bones snapped back into place and bent bodies righted themselves. Even the one that Midna had dismembered had its limbs pulled back into place by an invisible force and got back up. As the first one that had been slain got back to its feet the same goron swung his weapon into it, clobbering them into the wood.
Link raised his shield as another of the shadow beasts angrily swept its hands into the magic barrier. A second strike and the barrier shattered. His shield rattled with their hands before he slashed low and behind its leg. As it buckled and howled from the pain of the oil burning in its wound Link brought the blade down on the back of its neck. He heard a goron shouting as two more of the monsters jumped on top of him. Another grabbed one of the shadow beasts off his comrade to pummel with his hammer into paste.
“Leave a few!” Midna shouted. “If one’s still standing they’ll just revive the others!” Teal bolts shot from her fingers in a flurry, punching holes through one of the nearest monsters.
“Then how are-“ Darunia shouted as he beat his shield into two of the reborn beasts.
“Leave three standing,” Link said. “We’ll handle them!”
After a moment of hesitation and wiping some gore from his face, Darunia nodded and growled out the order in his native tongue. Two more shadow beasts fell, but at the cost of one of the gorons. Link saw one of the cobble crushers get grabbed from behind as the monster’s tendrils wrapped around it tightly and bore into his hide before another goron pulled the monster off. He jumped back as another swept a hand at him and retaliated by slamming the edge of his shield into the creature’s faceplate. The wolf around his neck began to shake once more as he saw darkness engulfing his feet with occasional flashes of orange bands. Suddenly the monster was ensnared. He heard another pair of snaps and saw two more also held. A glance at the sorceress saw her hands raised and dark squares of twilit energy rising around her. Within moments, only the three bound beasts were still standing.
He twirled his blade once in his left hand and focused. Green light flickered from his fingers and up his arm until he took a single step. The nearest beast took a swing at him, but hit nothing but air and a trail of green light. The hexer was behind them now and stabbed through the back of their neck, severing the spine. The trail of energy streaked across the black field and when Link reappeared, he swung upward, taking the monster’s arm off. Just as the third began to scream though, it was silenced as he skidded through the dirt and opened its belly with his sword. Magic crackling around his body still, Link finished the job and swung his blade down with both hands, chopping its head off.
The bodies began to turn black and burst into smoke and tiny black squares. Moments after, they dissolved entirely, leaving nothing but ash and gore where they had once lay. Link inspected his sword for a moment before wiping the blood form it and slipping it back in the scabbard on his back. “Anyone hurt?!” he shouted.
“Ignien is bleeding!” one of the gorons replied. “How the hell were they able to claw through our hides?”
“Magic,” Midna answered dryly. “Shadow beasts are cursed creatures. Like any kind of stalkin and some wolfos.”
“What I wouldn’t give for my white sword right now,” Link muttered.
“You didn’t have your silver bolts?”
He looked up and then looked at his partner. She began to laugh as the gorons began to look around the ruined camp.
“Don’t tell me you forgot them. Like how you had to put the oil on in the middle of the fight.”
Link just groaned and shook his head. “They’re still in Epona’s bags.”
“Well, go get them then. We’re probably going to need them.” She snapped her fingers and the dark crystal appeared over the tip of her index finger. “I’ll see if the sorcerer is here.”
“So, what exactly were those things?” Darunia asked, approaching Midna.
“Your refugees. Or at least some of them.”
The goron glared at her. “You mean we just killed a number of-“
“This isn’t just some polymorphic curse. It warps the mind and the body.” Her eyes locked with his and she remained watching the large goron. “Imagine a fragment of yourself getting locked in your mind and then watching as your body does things that you would never do if you were in control of it. Imagine watching as your own form is warped and twisted into something you cannot see as anything other than a beast. This is magic similar to what creates a redead or a stalfos. Understand? This is what that artifact is capable of.”
He growled a little. Link glanced over as he pulled a quiver of silver bolts out of Epona’s bags and fixed it to his belt. “But curses can be broken.”
“Yes, I know it and you know it and even the idiot former Chosen over there knows it.” She jerked her head in the hexer’s direction. “But this is not some simple curse. Breaking a curse that is this twisted and powerful means that the individual will likely not survive changing back. And if it is and they survive it, it means they may very well not even be in control of themselves anymore. Meaning you’d also need luck.”
“So if we were to go about breaking a curse like this,” Link asked, returning. “What would we need?”
“Something close to the power of the artifact we’re after. Knowledge of how the curse works. And, preferably, a counter-curse tailored to the curse in question or one similar enough that it can be used. Transferring the curse as well is useful, but some counter-curses will solidify the curse into a physical form. Where we get some cursed relics from The Inquisition centuries ago. Either the curse forms a physical object due to the relic’s power in breaking it with the counter-curse, or the curse is transferred into an object like a ring or a sword. Some ancient relicts and spirits can have it done to them too.”
“So,” Darunia figured, “something like the Goddess Harp in possession of The Royal Family.”
“Like I said though,” Midna continued. “We’d also need some luck probably.” The goron let out another groan and shook his head at her. “Look, I don’t like it either. These people did nothing wrong and were just trying to survive. It’s more merciful to kill them than let them live on turned into monsters.”
“Boss!” a goron shouted. “We found some people! Survivors!”
Darunia’s head snapped around when he heard and he quickly turned that way. Once he was gone, Link looked at his partner.
“Would one of your little sols actually break this curse?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head. “We’d need one of the pure ones,” she said in a hushed tone. “Preferably the Twin Sols themselves. Could do it with the Fused Shadows, but then we run into if the person will survive the counter-curse. All depends on the amount of magic in them. Takes more to twist the mind than the body. If they were still clearly themselves, the chances of them surviving are a lot higher. But as shadow beasts…” Midna bowed her head slightly and shook it, closing her eyes.
“Okay, good to know.” He turned then to go check on the survivors as well.
“Link.”
Link turned on his heel to look back. He slipped slightly in the mud and black blood, but kept standing.
“If they were twili, they would probably survive. We-they were changed once before after all.”
Two gorons made short work of lifting the massive overturned cart that blocked the entrance to one of the ruined house’s basements. A torch was shined into the dark while a stench filled the opening. Link heard startled cries and saw five people; two boys, a girl, a hylian man and a rito woman. The man held a pitchfork and was aiming it up the stairs.
“Everyone okay down there?!” Darunia shouted.
One of the children yelped and began to cry at his loud and rough voice. The rito shielded them with her feathery arm while the man slowly lowered the pitchfork. “Are they gone?!” he called back.
“Yeah, they’re gone. You can come out now.” He moved aside and within moments the five had left the basement. Link could still see the terror in their eyes as the children stuck close to the rito. None of them were in good shape, but there didn’t appear to be any injuries among them.
“You, you’re the goron boss from the camp on the other face,” the rito said. “Is everyone alright there?”
“For the moment.” He lifted his hammer over his shoulder. “Wasn’t expecting to find anyone alive around here.”
“We got lucky when Ateren went mad,” the man said. “When he started turning people into those… Those things.”
Link immediately turned to face him. “How long ago was this?”
“A day or two after we heard a dragon attacked the other camp. He just. He started muttering things. Refused to help pack things for those who were moving on. And his eyes got really big then. Turned yellow! His skin turned blue!”
“Stay on topic,” Darunia said. “What else happened?”
“He started screaming about things,” the rito woman said. “About how… How this world deserved to burn. That it should be bathed in shadow and ash. I don’t know which he wanted more. Just went mad. Nari tried to comfort him but when she touched him, he grabbed her and she was turned into one of those things! Then it all happened. The shouting, the fighting. People being turned into monsters by him”
“We need to find him before he does it again,” Link said. “Do you know where he went?”
She shook her head. “We grabbed a few of the children who hadn’t been changed and ran. We tried to get out the main way, but were blocked by the monsters. So we hid. In the fighting a cart got knocked over the door. Just then stayed quiet. Even after the fighting stopped, we could hear them out there. Had barely anything in there to eat or drink but we knew if we got the cart moving at all, the monsters would investigate.” One of the children began to cry again. She knelt down on her knees to comfort them.
“So no sighting of him then,” Darunia said, waving a hand to one of the gorons nearby. “Hope your friend can track him then.” He lifted his hammer over his shoulder as one of the gorons with a cobble crusher approached. “Daruk! Take them back to the village. Make sure they have food and water. Take Ignien with you and have Gor Liggs tend to him.”
“Sir!” the goron said, beating his chest armor with his right hand.
“Link, with me.” He motioned and started walking away. Link followed. “I’m going to send a couple others to notify Jarl Brant of what’s going on. Are you and the sorceress going to be okay here on your own?”
He nodded simply. “It might actually be in your benefit,” Link said. The goron boss raised an eyebrow. Link could see he wasn’t happy with the answer. “If something goes wrong with the spellwork to seal the relic away or some other problem occurs, we want to make sure there’s no one around.”
“What kind of other problems?”
“Well, we could turn the entire ruined village into a crater,” Midna said. The goron spun on his heel in the direction of her voice and sudden appearance. He looked down at Link then.
“…Yeah, she does that. But she’s also right.”
“Yep. One thing goes wrong with this and we could be looking at an even bigger mess. The artifact gets damaged while using energy could explode. Could suck things into it and between realities by ruining the spellwork. Lots of things could go wrong. So leave it to us experts.”
“If this sorcerer survives whatever you’re doing, I want him brought to me. We’ll hold him and then deal with him with Jarl Brant.”
“We can do that.”
Link’s eyes darted to his left to her. The way she had her arms folded over her chest and posture though was familiar to him. He said nothing though, and hoped Darunia wouldn’t be suspicious. There was a tense moment as it looked like he was going to say something but didn’t. The goron grunted then.
Her lips curled into a smirk. “Well, provided he lives and comes quietly. Of course.”
“We’ll be back either way,” Link added. “If we not, get as many people you can and find a way to seal it away.”
“Right. Good luck then.” He turned and shouted in the goron tongue. The others quickly lined up with the survivors and he began barking orders. Within moments, the group had left. A silence fell over the ruins apart from the wind.
Link looked to Midna then. The illusion of a gerudo woman vanished in flickering black squares. She flashed a smirk at him and pulled her hood up over her head. “Found him while you were busy with those survivors,” she said.
“Where?”
“The well.”
He looked to it with her then. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary with it. Link approached it, pulling his blade once more. When he peered down it, it was empty and stone, with metal bars on the side that could be used as a ladder. Link looked back at Midna in silence.
“I called a wolf down there while everyone else was busy. There’s a door with a sheikah symbol on it.” Any playfulness was gone from her features. “Inquisitor stronghold.”
“Great. Just what we need.” He sheathed the blade and climbed over the edge. Almost a minute later, his feet landed on the stone base of the well. A pair of boots landed next to him and when he glanced, Midna was right next to him, energies crackling in her hands. Before them was the stone door to the prison. Though it looked sealed, they both saw indentations and marks on it of how it had been forced open. The wolf around Link’s neck began to shake on its chain. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” She snapped her fingers and the same small glowing sphere from their autopsy. Link pushed his hands against the wall and there was a clunk. The stone door with the faded sheikah eye painted upon it lurched upward and rose. He stepped inside, followed by Midna, holding the sphere floating over her palm. A moment after they’d entered, the door lurched shut and the sound of it landing on the stone floor thundered down the hallway.
There was the quiet sound of wind blowing on the grass and the leaves in the trees as Link opened his eyes. He heard birds and breathed in the scent of pine. He sat up and grabbed his fire striker. Within moments, the hylian boy had made a fire and was reheating a stew he’d brought with him from The Tower. He hummed happily as he watched the broth boil and squeezed the green pendant he wore around his neck. His thumb ran over it, recognizing The Mark of Farore carved into it.
“Map,” he said, digging through his bag as the meal finished warming. “Where is it?” Link quickly looked around his campsite and found it under the blanket he’d used. It was damp, but still readable. His small hands flattened it against a stone belt before he grabbed his spoon and sat down to eat. Clearly marked was the alley and the main road he’d be returning to. To the south was the village of Kasuto. To the north and hewn into the side of the mountains was The Tower of Hera itself. If he climbed the tree he was leaning against as he slurped his stew, he could see the main part of the keep and the ruined columns. A few minutes later, he finished gathering his things and smothered the fire. He slipped the sword over his left shoulder and rolled his head on his shoulders before starting back towards the road.
On the way he came to a stream with three large rocks in it and hopped across it. He loved being outside like this, away from the tower. It felt right to be in the surrounding woods and not stuck like the two mage apprentices he’d met there. He couldn’t wait to tell them about some of the things he’d seen out the past couple days. There were also the roots and mushrooms he’d gathered up for the mages for their alchemy. What exactly they did, he didn’t know. Alfonzo had said he’d learn one day, when he was nearly ready to earn the blue and white tunic of a Chosen Champion.
It also got him away from the others. He was friends with them all, even the twin sorceresses in training, but sometimes a couple of them did grate on him. He’d gotten in a fight the other day with Groose over Epona. It was why he’d been sent out actually. Link really didn’t mind it though. He loved exploring the forest and enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells. It was so different from the island in the South Seas he’d spent the first six years of his life on. The trees were different for one and the wind didn’t carry the smell of saltwater.
At the moment though, he didn’t care. The boy dashed across a fallen tree trunk over a dried riverbed with a grin on his lips. A few minutes later he was on a grassy hill and could make out the edge of the road at the top that would lead him back to The Tower. The grass was nearly as tall as he was. Link pulled his short sword from his back with a smile and started to hack through it. Occasionally he’d shout and practice the movements of his training. A hop forward and a downward slash followed by an arc didn’t do much to cut it, but a horizontal slash did. He swung it in one swipe to the right and with a step forward, swung it to the left. He stopped and tried channeling some of the magic he’d been taught into the blade and when he spun in a circle the energy released. A larger swath of grass had been cut away by it. He sheathed his blade then and took two steps forward before pulling it out and in a wild spin and leap, slashed in a diagonal. He screamed but began to laugh in the middle of it.
A snapping though stopped him. He felt his heart leap in his chest and he quickly looked around for what had made the sound. There was something moving in the nearby grass. Before he could back away though, a pair of jaws jumped out. He was caught in an instant as they clamped around him. His arms were to his sides and he could not move. Link let out a scream as he felt its teeth sink deeper into him. They went through his arms and into his stomach. The wounds burned from whatever the plant used as saliva. He struggled and screamed before managing to get free.
He dropped to his knees as it pulled back. The deku baba snapped its jaws a couple times and lunged again. Link was in pain. His vision was blurred by tears he’d not known he’d shed. As the jaws opened, he slashed upward. The strike forced it to stand right up. He swung again as the head recovered and cut it off at the base of the stem. It let out a shriek and writhed on the ground. Link stabbed the head a couple times before his strength left and the adrenaline rushed through his body. He collapsed on the ground, huddled and sobbing, the white tunic stained with his blood.
So, I’ve been toying with since starting The Wolf of Farore to do a few pieces where we see Young Link growing up and becoming the hero of the story. And because I said I’d be doing a few little things, here is one of those pieces that was originally worked into the main story. However, due to editing and flow (and the fact that it’s been a year since I started the main project) a lot of the ideas I had couldn’t be worked in and the ones I’d had written were removed.
This piece is one of those. If there’s enough interest too, I’ll throw some more together. I can promise too they won’t all be this dark. I have a couple funny ones in mind.
Hello all, have another little piece I did to help flesh out the background and the version of Hyrule that appears in The Wolf of Farore.
This is another with young Link like the previous piece found here.
About three miles from The Tower of Hera and a mile under the earth was an ancient shrine that had once been used by The Sheikah. For what purpose, Link had no clue and the hylian boy had no care at the moment for archeology as he stood in the chilled room.
He hugged himself and rubbed his arms as he looked over the blocks in front of him and the gap out to his right. After another minute of looking over the puzzle before him, he went to push the same block he’d moved. As it had before, it slid along the floor until it collided with the edge of the icy floor. Once done, he climbed up on the other block nearby and looked to see where to slide it to next.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay, push that one there and then this one into the side and to that one. That’ll raise the bridge.” He looked at the gap and the door on the other side. “I need to get the other one too, but…” Link sneezed then and hugged himself to try and warm up a little. He looked then to the massive tower that was in the center of the labyrinth. Whatever room he was in for the trial they were putting him through, he could see it. At the top of it was the sheikah spymaster Impa and his mentor. He wondered though if there were other potentials like himself up there and watching, but dismissed the idea when he realized that’d they’d see the Trial of Wisdom and then have an advantage.
Impa leaned over the opening in the tower and watched him closely, holding a telescope carefully. She turned it carefully, zooming out from the sight below so she got a better idea of the room he was in. A second later, she glanced at the hourglass and ancient sheikah slate on a table next to her before going back to watching. Her ears picked up someone coming up the stairs behind her. Training and instinct kept her casual, but ready to grab the knife she had hidden on her.
“So, how’s he doing?” Alfonzo asked.
“He’s at the ice blocks and the two switches,” she said, not turning to face him. “Doing fine on time too.”
“Well, least he didn’t stop at the statues. I hated those things when I went through this.” He nudged her in the arm, offering her a mug of coffee.
She lowered the telescope and took the mug with a nod of thanks. “He did reset that one more than any other potential… He’s just as stubborn as you!”
“Hey, I got through the statues portion after three resets of it,” Alfonzo answered, motioning his own mug of coffee at her,
She took a sip before turning to lean against the wall and facing the champion. “Link reset it nine times. I was actually thinking he was going to run out of time on it.”
“Ah… Well, what about the written portion? How’d he do on that?”
“He scored about average.” Impa was shaking her head. “He’s plenty smart though. Just doesn’t want to do the reading.”
A grin spread across Alfonzo’s lips and he chuckled. “Have you read any of those treatises on monster physiology? Hell, I fell asleep reading it.”
“I have. But I see your point. I’ll talk to Daphnes about updating the material.” She took a long drink from her mug then before glancing down at the boy in the maze.
“When Eagus woke me, I learned that the kid had broken Cia out of the library, snuck past the guards and both of them were somewhere in the woods…” He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, remembering the insanity of that day. “Thanks for covering about that too.”
“Yep.”
“And for not reading me the riot act.”
Impa’s eyes focused directly on the man in the blue and white tunic before her as she finished her coffee. She placed the mug next to the hourglass and looked back down at Link in the maze. “I did not wish to make a scene in front of Impa the Elder and her granddaughter.”
“Ah….”
“You do owe me still for that.”
A sheepish laugh escaped him then and Alfonzo rubbed the back of his neck. He looked down at the almost black fluid steaming out of the mug. “…Hey, what’s the kid doing?”
She picked up her telescope and focused it back on Link. “…It looks like he’s kicking the block and hurting his foot. …And screaming.”
“We know what he’s saying?”
“Use the slate,” she said. “It’ll pick up the listening runes set up down there. You could probably watch him through it too.”
He had quickly grown to loathe this puzzle. He knew it was important and knew exactly why they were supposed to be put through the trials after all. The Kingdom needed her champions to be able to embody all aspects of The Triforce. He just wished he had a little more control over how the blocks moved so he could get them into position. He kicked the block a second time, harder. It was so heavy though, all kicking did was hurt his foot. “GAAAH! YOU STUPID DEMISE-PLOUGHING PIECE OF SHIT CRATE!” Link shouted as he hopped on one foot for a few moments. “Damnit-damnit-damnit!” The boy hissed through his teeth as the pain subsided and he looked around again. “Okay… Get this goddess-damned block back on the center switch. Raise the bridge. Leaving…” He stopped then and checked the things he’d been given.
Opening the bag, he dug through it, finding two thermite bombs, two smoke bombs and a pair of deku nuts. There were the frost arrows for his short recurve bow that was on his back with his sword along with some fire arrows. There was a rope as well, his simple blue charm made of a gosspi stone and two bottles. One had water in it while the other had lantern oil. “Oh.” His eyes went wide as he had an idea and looked at the floor again. He pushed the first block into position and it colided with the second block. There was a clunk as the one he’d pushed landed on top of the pressure switch. The bridge began to raise.
At hearing the sound of the young Link cursing through the sheikah slate, Impa immedietly lowered the spyglass and looked directly at Alfonzo. Her lips drooped at the corners and eyes narrowed.
He quickly slid a finger across the slate to silence it and put it back down. “Hey, I didn’t teach him to swear,” he replied.
The look on her face didn’t change. “…Right.”
“I mean it, Impa.”
She sighed and shook her head, smiling ever so slightly as she looked back down at the maze. “Well, in fairness, that was pretty tame compared to what I heard you say to the striga.”
“Sweet Farore,” he groaned. “You’re not ever going to let me forget that damn striga.”
“Of course not.”
“Heh.” He took a deep breath and another sip of his coffee. Putting it down next to the hourglass and slate he walked over and looked over her shoulder down at the maze below. “So, how’s the princess?”
“Mired in her statecraft classes when she’d rather be talking archeology at the archives with Auru.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “She’s very good at it in spite of her protests. Will be a wise queen one day and excellent commander for The Chosen. One not everyone will adore, but one that can be trusted and respected to do what is best for her people. I admit though, that there are times she needs to think more with her heart and less with her head. The mistakes she makes are the result of thinking too logically.”
Alfonzo chuckled a little. “The opposite problem of Link down there…”
She nodded in agreement, remembering some of the boy’s antics and attempts at righting percieved wrongs around The Tower. When she looked back down, she saw the position of the blocks. The boy was moving to another and in the time of their conversation the bridge had been raised. “Speaking of whom, he has that puzzle. He just needs to…”
Alfonzo sighed as he saw Link stop at the wrong side and pushed the block“…Nope…”
Impa shook her head as she saw him climb on top of the block that was now pushed to the far corner of the room. “If he’d just move the other block to stop that one from sliding…”
“Wait, he’s doing something.”
“Mmm?” She looked back and pulled the spyglass back up to her eye. “He’s using the frost arrows on the bridge. To hold it in place but that still leaves the lock.” Impa watched as once he’d held the bridge in place with the arrows he pushed the block that was keeping it up off and onto the other switch. The one that would have opened the lock. The bridge shuddered and ice cracked off the sides of it, but it did not budge.
“Surprised he didn’t stumble into the answer by now.”
“Well, it’s obvious to us since we’re up here and can clearly see what to do. And you’ve done it before. I recall Galen saying you figured this one out very-“
“Hey, what’s he doing?”
“What?”
“There’s smoke down there.”
Link’s frustration had gotten the better of him. He was sick and tired of this puzzle and the entire Trial of Wisdom. He pried open one of the thermite bombs and poured as much of the redish-brown powder he could into the lock. Once content, he stuffed the fuse into it and backed away. Thanks to some of his training, he didn’t need the fire striker or the fire arrows and flicked his wrist outward, coiling index and pinky fingers palmward. There was a snap and a flash and a fast spout of fire errupted out, hitting the fuse. Within seconds, there was a sizzling sound from the lock. Molten metal and sparks shot outward and bubbled on the stone floor. He ran over the bridge to the other side to avoid getting burned.
Impa clenched her teeth at seeing the brightness of the thermite burning the lock. “…That little…” She heard her friend behind her snickering. “Not a word, Alfonzo.”
“Did he get out?’
As the smoke and molten metal faded, she saw Link rush back across the bridge and charge through the door. “He did! And it looks like he used one of the thermite bombs from the last room! Burned through the lock if I had to take a guess! Did you ever teach him that trick I taught you?”
“Nope. Not gonna let a ten-year-old near what we use to cut into a rogue armos’ stone hide.”
“Alfonzo…”
“He might’ve seen me do it once or twice on some of the jobs I could take him on, but I never actually taught him! Honest!”
She smiled a little as she lowered the telescope. “I must admit though. He’s very good at improvising a solution.”
Alfonzo nodded in agreement. “He is. They’re usually just not very elegant.”
“You can say that gain. It’s probably good he’s going last though now.”
The wind whipped at his sides as he clenched the rope in his hands, watching the other boys crawling down the cliff face. Link glanced back up as he repelled carefully, remaining in the middle of the others. His foot slipped a little as he continued down, hearing one of the others shout at how they were in the lead. He could see to another part of the mountains and a small clearing. There he saw his mentor, Alfonzo, watching. He saw someone else walking up the path behind him then, but turned his attention back to his descent.
Alfonzo didn’t look back from watching the potentials on their trial as Impa came up from behind him. He lowered the telescope from his eye and glanced back over his shoulder. "Prince Daphnes wants to know how they're doing," she asked him. "Any stick out?"
“Well,” he began with a small smirk.
“Other than your charge. We both know you have a soft spot for the kid.” The sheikah folded her arms as she watched him.
“Hey. You do too. Was anyone else you caught having snuck off with Zelda, you'd have put 'em in the stocks for a day or sent them out to the woods for a month.”
Her eyes narrowed a little before she took the telescope out of his hand and brought it to her eye. “Just answer the question.”
“You alright?”
Impa lowered the telescope and looked back to him. The unamused glare was one he was quite familiar with from having worked with her for so long, but there was something in her eyes that was different than when she’d grown tired of his antics or someone’s idiocy. “Something with Impa the Elder?”
“Yes,” she briskly replied, looking back to the potentials on the cliff. “And Sheikah politics regarding Holodrum.”
“This has to do with the jarl who died, doesn't it?”
Impa slowly nodded as she took the telescope from her eye. For a moment, she glanced down at the long wooden bridge below them that connected them to the other side of the pass. It would be a quick way for them to get across if something went wrong. “It does,” she admitted. “She has ordered agents into Holodrum to monitor the situation. There is fear that Jarl Hulninn will invade with or without the support of the others.”
“And nobody wants a war.”
“Exactly.” She handed the telescope back to him then, pushing a strand of hair out of her face as the wind whipped around them. “And this act may inflame hostilities. Last time a jarl raided Hyrule I was still learning to read. It was short but bloody.”
Alfonzo nodded grimly before glancing at the ones on the cliff. “And if that happens, Robin may just ask us to put all those boys through The Change.”
“Would Robin order it?”
“If we suffered heavy enough casualties, probably.”
Impa shook her head a little at his words and closed her eyes. She didn’t know all the details of what The Chosen carried out in their tower nestled in Northwestern Hyrule. Even The Sheikah weren’t permitted to know all of their secrets, just as a Chosen would never learn all of her tribe’s traditions. “Let's hope it doesn't come to that.”
“Yeah. I still remember my Trial of Grasses.”
There was a term she’d heard before, even if she’d not heard a lot of details about them. Supposedly it awakened the Hero’s Spirit within the ones who passed all the trials. The truth was far darker. Only due to her position as a member of the personal guard of the Royal Family did she even know what she did about The Tower’s most secret ritual. “Read the old accounts. Never been to one though.”
“And you probably won't. No one other than Tower staff is supposed to be there for it.” He looked down at the telescope she’d handed back to him. “But Korin. One of the kids who was a Chosen of Din like me. Just before the chemicals made me pass out I saw his eye pop out of its socket while he fought the restraints on his table.” His eyes became unfocused and his hand began to shake slightly. His right hand reached back and gripped his sword’s handle to steady it. “Heard... Heard the bones cracking too. Something had gone wrong...”
“By Din...”
With a deep breath and sharp exhale, he looked back at her, composed once more. “I was last to come to. But Eagus never lost consciousness. He’d seen the whole thing. He was in tears with Albert and Storin. We always thought the five of us could accomplish anything. That we'd look out for each other.” He became quiet then, hand letting go of the sword’s grip and returning to rest at his side. “Me and Eagus are all that's left from that year. Albert got caught in a grapeshot from a Labrynnan frigate during the war and Storin...”
“I was with you two,” she interrupted with a sympathetic tone. “I know.”
“Yeah...” He stuffed the telescope back into a pouch on his belt and reached up to inspect the charm around his neck. It was a simple red crystalline stone with the Mark of Din etched into it. His thumb ran over the indentation carefully before he let it fall back on his neck. “Heh. Week later we found Link.”
“We did?”
“Yeah. Him and his sister.”
She smiled a little remembering the entire event. Seeing the boy going up against such odds for his sister was something impressive, even if a piece of her felt that he had been a bit too violent. “Aah.”
“Yep. “
“How's he doing?” she asked.
Alfonzo smiled at the question. It almost looked as if any lingering memories of the prior part of their conversation had vanished. Impa knew of course how he’d answer, but was glad to see his reaction anyways. “Very well,” he admitted. “He's happy. Ecstatic whenever he gets a letter from Aryll or they come up to Kasuto. He'll come find me and the read it aloud with the biggest grin on his face.” He chuckled a little as he raised a finger. “And then. Then he goes to find the twins and reads it to them.”
She laughed a little with him. “Oh?”
“They're usually busy or in the girl's dorm. So, he shouts for them at the top of his lungs, still grinning as he does!”
“And how do they take it?”
“Cia shouts his name back at the top of her lungs. Lana ignores him for the first couple shouts. Then she makes this long annoyed noise and goes to see him.”
The two began to laugh a little. She was sure it would grow annoying, but the images and sounds of the boy shouting for his friend was amusing and amazing to see how much he’d grown since they’d first found him.
“She loves hearing about it I'm sure,” Alfonzo continued, “but the fact Link does that just to aggravate her I think annoys her to no end.”
“So he does do it on purpose.”
“Of course!”
“Heh.” She glanced over to the cliff face to see how the boys were doing. They were still climbing down at a steady rate. “We never were really allowed to interact with the seers in my clan. Officially we were told it was because we were to be ready in case we needed to cull them at The High Inquisitor's order.” She sighed at remembering her upbringing. “I pray such am order is never given again.”
Alfonzo gave her a sympathetic pat in the shoulder. She smiled a little at the gesture and looked back to him. “Let's get back to the kids,” he offered.
“Gladly.” She watched them for a minute in silence with him. “What's Darunia think of them?”
“Isn't so sure about a couple of them,” Alfonzo admitted. “Says if Groose learned to keep his mouth shut he'd be a fine warrior once he's grown.”
“Think he will?”
“Probably not.”
“Why? He's ahead in the trial so far. Completed the strength testing portion well before anyone else. And he’s currently in the lead for the rappelling. I’m expecting he’ll do okay in the mock battle section as well, even if his tactics will leave something to be desired.”
“No, I mean he prolly won't learn to keep his mouth shut.”
“Oh.” She laughed a little then.
Alfonzo had to laugh a little too. The boys got along only some of the time, but he wasn’t sure if it was because they were just enjoying antagonizing each other a little or if there was actually a disdain for the other. “Had to break up a fight between him and Link the other day actually.”
“Really?”
“Yep. In the mud of Kakriko. Link said he threw a dead baba bud at him. Just old enough to have developed its teeth and start feeding on passing rodents.”
“Oh...”
He glanced back at her then. “Paya found me before it got too bad but still.”
“That's good.” She smiled a bit at the girl’s mention. “She'll make a fine agent one day.”
“Oh?”
Impa smirked a little. “Don't let that timid exterior fool you. She is the best hand-to-hand fighter in her entire class. And incredibly good when it comes to observation.” The smirk faded as she recalled a victory of hers in the sparing ring; one that had she been there and in training she’d have been ecstatic about. “Whenever she fails though she's incredibly hard on herself. All because of being the elder's granddaughter.”
“She push that girl too hard?”
She shook her head. “No harder than I was when in the training. But I am sure it's because of the blood relation. And she'll...” Impa leaned to her left, looking back to the boys on their descent. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed how one of the ropes was waving oddly.
“Mmm?”
“Something's wrong.” She pointed to the cliff.
He pulled the telescope back out and quickly scanned the cliff. “Where?”
“Topside. That boy didn't secure his ropes well enough.” She grimaced a little, already thinking of the worst case scenario. “Signal Darunia. It could come free.”
Alfonzo raised a hand, curling his index and pinky fingers into his palm. A spout of sparks and flames shot from them into the sky several feet. They saw a pair of gorons quickly rushing to the top of the cliff. One had a hammer, but it was too late. The spikes used to secure the rope ripped out of the earth and flew away. The boy began to fall.
“Alfonzo!” Impa shouted.
Through the telescope, Alfonzo saw another boy fall, his rope still secure. The small figure slid down, causing some dirt and shale. The first boy’s fall slowed as the other grabbed the rope. He was only a few feet from the ground now, while his savior was still well above the ground. The spike and rope that the first boy had been using landed then, the spike barely missing them both. “Those spikes topside aren't strong enough to hold all that…” He saw them both fall. The first landed and moments later the second did on both feet, a loud cry from him cut short from a hard landing. Neither waited then. Alfonzo didn’t even pocket his telescope and bolted for the bridge. Impa was right behind him. The second rope whipped and the spike dug into the earth. By the time they got there, the first boy was leaning against the cliff face, catching his breath and shaking. The other was curled in a ball.
“By Din. Link!” Alfonzo cried. He knelt down and gently rolled the curled boy over, finding his charge with tears in his eyes and hurt on his face, but he did not cry. He was fighting to not show any sort of pain.
Impa went to the other boy. “Are you hurt?” she immediately asked. Her tone might have been sharper than she’d wanted, but there was still the others above.
“N-no. I'm okay,” he replied.
“HEY!” someone shouted from above. Alfonzo and Impa looked up to see Darunia looking over the edge. “Everyone still breathing down there?!”
“Alfonzo's charge is hurt!” Impa called back. “Seeing how badly now!” She turned her attention to the other potentials on the wall. They’d all stopped to see what had happened. “Continue down! You're still on the clock!” She looked to the other boy as the others slowly started climbing back down. “Can you help me clear the ropes? “
He nodded quicly before assisting the sheikah in clearing the ropes. As they did, Alfonzo took Link in his arms and carried him back across the bridge. Within minutes they had finished and started across the bridge. Impa had the ropes coiled and on her shoulder as they walked. By the time she’d gotten back across, she saw others had joined them. A tower mage in a blue and black robe was on her knees carefully looking over Link. A boy and apprentice to the mage stood next to her, watching the work.
“How badly is he hurt?” she asked the Chosen.
“Miraculously no broken bones,” Alfonzo said. “Sora just said he's hurt both his ankles, but they'll be able to fix them in an hour.”
Impa let out a long sigh and pushed the long braid of hair out of her face. “You alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” He laughed a little then. “I’m used-to seeing Link not think things all the way through by now. And yet he gives me a heart attack every time he does still.” Something bumped his arm. When he glanced in that direction, he saw her offering him a canteen. He took it and a long drink.
“Well, I’m sure Rauru said the same thing about you when you were being trained.” She looked to the mage as she began her work. A soothing blue light filled her hands and she gently started to move them along one of Link’s ankles. The apprentice next to her held the potential’s boots and watched silently. For his part, Link remained quiet and watching the sorceress’ hands. There were more tears in his eyes, but still he did not sob and he fought to keep a neutral expression.
Alfonzo swallowed, finishing off the water and had to nod a little. “Maybe I’m getting too damn old for this too.”
AUTHOR NOTE: 10-18-2017: Hey everyone. As I put the finishing edits and touches on tonight chapter for The Wolf Of Farore, here’s a special little sneak peak at the next season that should start being posted sometime in January! So here is roughly the first 1000 words of the next part of the continuing adventure of the Hyrulean Hexer...
Enjoy!
His head was throbbing. The sun beat down on him from above. Link let out a groan and forced himself to sit up. Even though his mutations allowed him to drink potions and elixirs that would kill an ordinary human, even this one had knocked him on his backside after drinking it. He couldn’t remember exactly what he had to take it for, but he knew he was missing his hat when he drank it. There was a note stuffed in his belt which he pulled out and began to unfold when he heard a woman’s voice.
“Oh wow,” she said. “These are the best clovers I’ve had in a long time… Just can’t find good ones anymore in No Man’s Land.”
He looked around for who had said it. There wasn’t another soul around it looked like. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Epona approaching. The mare stopped.
“You’re awake! Good! I was getting a little worried actually.”
That was her voice. His horse was talking to him. Link cocked his head and looked at her.
“You’re surprisingly dim-witted sometimes, you know that?”
“Epona?”
“Oh, figured it out then?” She snorted as Link got to his feet. “Well, seriously. I’m glad you’re okay after that. Especially when Irene said she wasn’t sure what it’d even do to your body when you drank it.”
“I feel like I got hit in the gut with a Horon jarl’s flail…”
“Oh, the big ball and chain?”
“Yes.” He groaned and rubbed his head.
“Well, you still have that contract from Talon. So, ready to get to work?”
“Uhh…” He unfolded the paper and read it quickly. “So… We’re looking for a goat… vampire?”
“That’s what it sounds like. I’ve never heard of something like it before at the ranch. Then again, they brought me to the tower for you guys when I was only a filly. So something could’ve showed up between now and then. Or maybe it’s even some monster brought out by the war.”
She was right. Plenty of undead had shown up with the war and even new kinds of them. They’d even seen a pair of massive poes that when injured by silver would burst into smaller ones. “Usually undead appear on the field though. So what’s one doing this far from the front?”
“Well, wouldn’t be the first time we’ve run into something unnatural in No Man’s Land. Or even in our entire history.”
“Yeah, I’m remembering that thing that was cloaked in bats.”
“Lucky we had those light bolts too.” She started walking. “Well, let’s get to work then!”
Link walked next to Epona and looked over the contract a little more. Lon Lon Ranch was one of the largest and most reputable ranches in the entire country and the fact that the livestock was being attacked by something could lead to problems. Especially since none of the staff had been able to catch whatever it was in the act. It seemed to have been going after the goats exclusively at least. He assumed the elixir had something to do with why he was having trouble remembering some of the specifics he’d discussed with the ranch’s owner.
“So, this potion. The jabber nut extract one. Lets you talk to animals?
“That’s what the witches said,” he said. “That’ll probably be our best starting point too.”
“Witnesses, I like it.”
“You want to take the goats or other horses?”
“You’re gonna need me if you wanna talk to the goats, Link. Trust me.”
“Why’s that?”
“This is your first time talking to animals as far as I know. Just trust me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Okay…” He knew he talked to Epona every now and then, but to hear her talk back to him was something else. “This is still a little weird…”
“It’s weird for me too!” she said. “You know how many times I’ve said something to you and then you just completely ignore what I said? Or I hear you talking and then I respond but you don’t even hear me? Now, usually it’s not a problem. Like when we saw Rusl and company on the road getting attacked. They needed our help. I’m all for helping people who need it. Just like you. But sometimes? You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
“…Ouch.”
“Hey, there’s a reason why they say ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ Link. You can always trust me to be honest with you. And you can take that from any horse too. We cannot lie.” They soon reached the main gates of the ranch. One of the hands waved at them as they entered.
“You get what you needed?” the ranch hand asked.
“Yeah,” Link said. “Which way to the goats?” Epona walked right past him. He looked at her.
“C’mon, I know where to go,” the mare said.
The ranch hand pointed. “Past the ring for the horses. The new extension. Think Malon’s at work in there already.”
“Oh good,” Link said. He smiled a little.
“C’mon already, Link!” Epona called. “The label said that potion only’s gonna last a day!”
