Chapter Text
The dream was different again this time.
“Oh dear, oh dear!” You muttered to yourself running through the city gates. “I can’t believe I forgot to pick up an extra mushroom!”
Running through the town marketplace was a bit tougher than you expected, as you felt yourself gasping for breath. You looked down and realized you were a Zora, one that was a rather nice shade of blue too. You adjusted your glasses; seeing above water like these land-dwellers was so much harder than you expected. You hurried past the giant clock tower and the construction workers preparing for the festival. If you were paying more attention, perhaps you would have seen the kid who spun into your path.
You skidded to a stop, seeing that you accidentally had knocked the poor Deku Scrub over. “Oh I’m so sorry!”
The little Deku Scrub burbled, knocked a little silly. He wore an adorable green hat, and it almost looked like he had blond hair. You helped him up and checked his eyes. “Oh dear, your eyes are really bloodshot… why if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were some kind of zombie. Have you been getting much sleep?”
The Deku Scrub shook its head. You then noticed the poor guy was rather beat up, and not just from you. Some of the cuts looked like they came from quite the fall. “Oh, you poor thing,” you said, kneeling down next to him. “Here, let me help.” You reached into your pack, producing a bottle of red potion. “Drink this.” You then gently wrapped his arm in a bandage.
He nodded and took it gratefully. Soon, his eyes looked a bit healthier, and his wooden skin seemed less brittle and beaten. “There we go, much better now.” He politely returned your bottle; they were hard to come by, after all. “Now you should go and play. Everyone deserves to enjoy the Carnival of Time!”
The Deku Scrub seemed confused but gave you a bow in thanks and ran off. You turned your attention back to the task at hand. “Now let’s see here… Anju said she had an extra mushroom…”
It didn’t take long for you to pick up a mushroom for your mentor, Professor Shikashi, and soon you were unlocking the gate to the Astral Observatory. You shut it tight behind you. Termina Field was so dangerous these days. Before entering the observatory, you spared a quick glance at the moon and its terrible grimace. A chill shot down your spine and you slammed the door shut.
Your mentor was out, so after placing the specimen on his desk, you got to your own work. You tried to dive into your research, but your mind kept returning to the moon outside. You tried to warn everyone that the moon was too close, that it had to be a sign of an impending catastrophe, yet no one, not even Professor Shikashi would believe you.
“I’m afraid that there may be no use hoping at all. No one in Clock Town wants to even imagine what’s happening is… well, real.” You sighed and turned, seeing the Deku Scrub kid again. “Oh my! I’m sorry, I talk to myself a lot lately.” You laughed uneasily, and the Deku Scrub just watched quietly.
“You must be friends with the Bombers if you snuck your way in here,” you laughed. “Did you want to take a look at the telescope? Everyone wants to when they visit.” You helped him up to the eyepiece.
In mere seconds, he started to squirm and point at the sky. “What? Something fell from the moon?” You ran to the window to see a small crater outside. “A moon tear? Fascinating! I need to document this…” You turned back to grab your notebook but noticed the Deku Scrub had disappeared. “You really are a strange kid.”
“Your majesty, wake up, we’re almost there.” You stirred as Tauro gently shook you. After everything you’d been through, your two traveling companions wanted to let you get some rest. Even with the dream being better than the nightmares, you still felt as drained as before.
It turned out Din had put you under Akkala Citadel. Ascending out of the chasm in Robbie’s balloon had been a huge surprise, though not as much as seeing the archipelago of floating islands in the sky – or the countryside now littered with rubble. “We call it the Upheaval,” Robbie had explained. The ascension of Hyrule Castle caused earthquakes and chaos across the kingdom. Massive chunks of Zonai ruins had fallen from the sky and chasms and caves were torn open in all corners of Hyrule.
Now that you were awake, you finally saw where it all began. Hyrule Castle stood atop a massive stone pillar, appearing to ominously float above a gloom-spewing chasm. You might not have had the goddess’ powers that Zelda did, but you could feel the sense of dread and darkness emanating from pit. “It’s like the Calamity all over again,” you murmured.
Robbie released some air, bringing the balloon into a gentle descent towards Lookout Landing. The settlement was small but well-fortified against most monsters you’d seen around lately – save a Lynel perhaps. You hated to see the skeleton of New Castle Town rotting in the gloom, but it was certainly better to make sure everyone was safe.
“Hoi!!” A shout came from below as you grew closer. You peeked over and waved to Karson. The former apprentice carpenter had come a long way, nearly building all of Lookout Landing himself. Robbie tossed a rope down, and Karson helped guide the basket to a safe and secure landing. “Prince [Y/n], you’re okay! Boy, we were all worried when you three disappeared. You should’ve seen Director Purah, she flipped!”
You winced. “How bad?”
“Heh, good luck,” Robbie said, elbowing you.
“Thanks,” you said, knowing there was probably a lecture coming from either her or Impa. Before you could say anything, you heard someone run in from the south entrance.
Time seemed to stand still. He didn’t need to say a word for you to recognize him. Both of you locked eyes, and you ran to each other. You grabbed him in a tight hug. “Link!”
“[Y/n], thank Hylia, you’re okay!” He held you just as tightly, his face pressed into the side of your neck. “I was so scared… I saw you fall again and…”
“Hey, I’m okay. You’re not gonna lose me like that again.” The two of you shifted, pressing your foreheads together. You ran your hand through his long hair. “I like the toga, it looks good on you.”
“You think?” He said with a little flex and a wink. That’s when you saw the more obvious change to your boyfriend.
“Um… Link? Isn’t that the hand we found under the castle?”
“It’s a long story, I promise I’ll explain, but I bet Purah’s gonna ask the same questions. Where were you?”
“Remember the stories of the Depths? Turns out they’re real.”
“Would be nice if we went for a while without proving these old stories true,” Link fake-groaned. “But then again, I wouldn’t have you without them.”
“I guess destiny and prophecies can be good now and then,” you said. “Shall we?”
“Let’s go.” You took Link’s hand, his left hand specifically, and the two of you walked up to see Purah.
Up top, you saw a young Sheikah girl peeking into the lab window. “Oh, she’s still not coming out… I know she throws herself into her work when she’s stressed, but Doc needs to take a break…”
“Hey, Josha!” You called out. “How goes the research?”
Josha turned around, adjusting her glasses. Her eyes grew wide. “Wait, Puh-Puh-Prince! Duh… duh… DOCTOR PUUURAAAAH! His Majesty and the Swordsman have returned!”
Inside the lab, a chair skidded across the floor followed by stomping down the stairs. A few expensive-sounding things crashed on the floor before the door slammed open. The Sheikah scientist panted, readjusting her goggles. “Okay… now where have you two been?! It’s been a week!” She pointed her favorite recorder at both of you. “Linky, Princey, you two aren’t ghosts, right?” As expected, she zeroed in on Link’s new arm. “Hey, that looks interesting… wait, one step at a time.” She lifted her goggles. “What exactly happened?”
“Well,” you started, before your stomach growled. The only thing you’d eaten for hours, or apparently days, were the roasted bananas. “Maybe we can discuss over food?”
After a hearty meal on Purah’s observation deck, you and Link finished explaining everything.
“So, when you three went beneath Hyrule Castle, you discovered a mysterious mummy, which suddenly reanimated,” Purah said, looking up from her small notebook. “Then Zelda fell into a fissure and vanished. That must have been when the castle rose, and the ruins fell. Then later, Link woke up on a sky island, saved by the arm that was stuck in the mummy. You got the Purah Pad from an unusual creature and learned that your new arm belonged to someone named Rauru. The Master Sword disappeared. You heard the princess’s voice… and found your way here. Meanwhile, you, [Y/n], wake up in the underground Depths of Hyrule. You touched some weird plant that fills part of it with light. You met the ghosts of old Hyrule, including Sharpe who told you something about a cycle. You found the Yiga Clan and a strange rock, and then Robbie and Tauro brought you back here.”
Purah rubbed her temples. “Between the two of you, you’ve just given me enough evidence to prove and disprove years of research and speculation. Not to mention Rauru…”
“The first king of Hyrule,” you finished, staring at Link’s new arm. “You met my great, great, great…”
“Add on about another forty of those,” Purah said, “but yeah, your ancestor. So much of this doesn’t make sense, but based on what you’ve told me, we know this mummy you found caused the Upheaval and is likely the Demon King. Not to mention if it truly was Sharpe’s ghost you met in the Depths, this talk of breaking a cycle is not comforting.”
She turned to Link. “That said, you heard the Princess’s voice. If it was her, then that means she’s alive! We’ve received reports from around Hyrule that she may have been found, but we haven’t had any luck confirming it yet.”
“What about the other parts of Hyrule?” you asked. “With ruins falling from the sky and the gloom spreading, we need to make sure everyone else is safe too.”
“I’m glad you asked.” Purah’s face grew dark. “On the bright side, Hateno Village and Tarrey Town are completely safe. Ruins fell on Kakariko, but thankfully no one was hurt.”
“And the others?”
She flipped to a different page of her notebook. “We’ve lost contact with the Gorons, though there are unconfirmed reports of random attacks on merchants. We’ve lost access to the mines, and we can’t confirm the safety of the Hylian mine workers yet. The Gerudo are under siege from a swarm of monsters that we’re still working to identify. For now, they’re confined to the desert, but they may invade South Hyrule Field any day. The Zora are suffering from a poison seeping into the river that threatens to pollute about 80% of Hyrule’s freshwater supply. It could wipe out all of our farms. The Rito have it worst of all, with most of the Hebra Province frozen over. Much of the wildlife is dying. In just a week, we’ve seen temperatures drop to new records across the kingdom. If it keeps up at this rate… Hyrule will be an icy wasteland in a week.”
You felt your blood turn to ice. The Calamity was bad, but this made the past century look like child’s play. Your kingdom had barely reformed, how could you begin to face what felt like the end of the world? You closed your eyes and gathered your courage. You were a leader, and without Zelda, the kingdom was your responsibility. Everyone was counting on you. You took a breath, ready to say something to reassure everyone. “I-”
“Alright, then we better get started.”
Both you and Purah turned to Link. In an instant, seeing the determination in his eyes set your mind at ease. “What do you say, my prince?” Link said, with a soft smile. The way his eyes sparkled with excitement made your heart race. He reached out a hand – making sure it was his hand and not Rauru’s. “Another adventure? Saving the kingdom again?”
You took his hand. “Any adventure, as long as it’s with you, my knight.”
“I had a feeling you two would say that. I’m counting on you both! Oh, that reminds me,” Purah said, snapping her fingers. “Check it, Princey. I finished the upgrades to your Purah Pad. Now you should be able to teleport just like Linky! Not only that, the two of you can share map data.”
“Purah, you’re the best!” You took the new Purah Pad and powered it up. You were happy to see all of your pictures were still there. Most of them were ones you took of Link on your trips, among several fun ones with your friends.
Link tapped your shoulder. “I think we’d better check in with the soldiers while we’re here. We should make sure they have everything they need.”
“You’re right,” you said, putting your Purah Pad away. “How do you want to split it up?”
“Some of the soldiers are up at the castle investigating,” Purah added.
“I’ll take those if you check in with the Lookout soldiers,” Link offered. You nodded.
It didn’t take long to check with the soldiers and to make sure everything was good to go in the Emergency Shelter. One of the soldiers you trained, a man named Scorpis, did a fantastic job of keeping tabs on everything going on in Lookout Landing and all the gossip throughout Hyrule. He promised to send you regular reports so you could keep in the loop while traveling. With that done, you took care of a few other things.
Purah found you in Josha’s research space. If she thought it was weird that you were talking to a strange statue, she didn’t mention it. You were just happy to help send the Poes you gathered to the afterlife. Getting some new gloom-resistant gear for your trouble wasn’t too bad either.
“So, Prince [Y/n]…” You recognized her tone, and a chill went down your spine. “I was hoping Linky would test something for me, but since he’s checking on the team at the castle, I was thinking you might be interested?”
Flashbacks to Robbie’s exploding test armor or Purah’s attempt to build her own Guardian came rushing back. “This isn’t explosive or going to turn my skin blue or-”
“Oh Princey, of course not! I’m not an amateur; this isn’t like my experiments from a century ago. It’s just a simple test of the Skyview Tower. I just need someone good at paragliding, and, let’s be honest, the only ones good enough to do it are you and Link!”
“Okay… so, just testing the map function, right?”
“Exa-a-actly. It’s just like the old Sheikah towers, but far more efficient. You don’t even need to worry about climbing up some dangerous, rickety ladder.”
You thought about it. This was probably safe, right? And Purah wouldn’t endanger the life of the only present member of the royal family… right? “Okay, what do I need to do?”
“Oh, thank you!” She said, linking her arm in yours and walking you over to the entrance to the Skyview Tower. “This is really perfect, since we get to test the tower and the data-sharing capability of my Purah Pads!” She then took a deep breath and screamed “THROW THE SWITCH, JOSHA!”
There was a thunk as the switch fell, and Purah’s new ancient generator fired up. Suddenly, the tower fired off a flare. In the distance, you could see other flares shooting up around the kingdom. “Doc! Confirming all towers are now online!”
“Good work!” She threw open the doors and turned to you. “Alright, you just have to scan the Purah Pad on the console and then stand on that platform. Easy as a snap!”
Somehow, you doubted that but scanned your Purah Pad anyway. As you stepped onto the platform, six familiar Guardian arms popped out, grabbing your arms and legs to hold you steady. “Purah?” You asked.
“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.” Somewhat surprisingly, they didn’t. Instead, they strapped a coil of cables to your waist and plugged something into your Purah Pad, handing it to you. Finally, they strapped something to your back.
“Okay,” you said, a little more reassured. “So, this platform is an elevator, right?”
“In a manner of speaking.” You heard the doors of the tower click shut behind you. You spun around to see Purah putting on her goggles.
“What do you mean by that? Purah, what do you-” Suddenly, you heard air rushing beneath you, something starting to inflate. The platform began to shake. “PuraaaAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”
You rocketed out the top of the tower. Wind whipped around you as you shot hundreds of feet into the sky. Your stomach flopped and twisted, and by the time you realized how high you were, your body slowed to a stop.
…for half a second before you began to fall. The Purah Pad beeped at you as you tried to swallow your screams. Hand shaking, you held it out and the electronic eye began to scan the land below you. You caught on, and you scanned the Purah Pad over Central Hyrule, watching the data travel down the cable to the tower. The Purah Pad beeped again, signaling it was done. The coil detached and fell back into the tower. You had to hand it to Purah, that was pretty amazing.
That said, you were still falling.
You then realized a teensy-tiny detail. You didn’t have your paraglider with you. A rather creative string of curses involving the improper use of a Magma Talus fist streamed from your mouth, but the wind whipping by tore the words away before you could even hear them. You scanned the ground, looking for a deep enough body of water. You tried to aim towards the castle moat, but it was so far, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to make it. Then, another string of beeps came from your back as a paraglider deployed. You clung to it for dear life, letting your fall slow as you glided back to the observation platform. You landed, with your hands still shaking.
“Perfect as expected,” Purah said upon landing, removing her goggles and comparing some notes with Robbie. “I realized I forgot to tell you about the new paraglider I gave you, but I figured you’d find out eventually.”
“I’m cutting your research budget.”
Purah pretended to look scandalized. “Awww, you’re not fun. Genius is never appreciated in their time. Don’t I get bonus points for my gift? It’s a reinforced paraglider, isn’t that something?” You did have to admit it was pretty nice. Your new paraglider was made from the same Sheikah alloy that Robbie used to make your old Ancient armor – lightweight and nearly unbreakable. “And besides, I did stop research on rebuilding Vah Rudania’s cannon like I promised.”
“I swear you’re trying to kill me.”
“Oh no, Princey, who else would I get to test my inventions?”
“You are the perfect test subject,” Robbie concurred.
“I feel so loved.”
You heard Link running back. “Not fair! I saw the whole thing, can I try?”
“I’m gonna lie down,” you muttered.
Instead of resting, you stopped by the second house you and Link built just outside Lookout Landing. “House” may have been a bit generous, as much of it was really an old guard tower and only served as a base camp for now. The house you originally built with Link in Castle Town had unfortunately fallen apart from the gloom. The house in Hateno was handed over to Zelda, since she had begun her school there. Your sister did have a soft spot for the small village, and it kept her close to Purah for any research discussions.
Your new house wasn’t as nice as either of the previous ones, but it was still cozy and had plenty of storage for you and Link. You smoothed out the quilt on your bed, looking over the pictures and little mementos the two of you had gathered on your bedroom shelf.
You grabbed your pack and loaded it up with your favorite armors, as well as your Ancient set and Sheikah set. You also changed into your Snowquill Armor, knowing you were going to need as much warmth as you could going into the cursed tundra. You also grabbed extra arrows and provisions, loading up a bag for both you and Link. On a whim, you packed your ocarina as well.
The door creaked open. Link peeked his head in. “I thought you were going to rest?”
“I figured I should pack up instead. You…” You took notice of his windblown hair. “You tried it out, didn’t you?”
“It’s cool!” Link laughed. He grabbed some bread and salted meat from your pantry and started loading up the bag with you. “Hoz is keeping an eye on things here. The militia will keep in contact with us while we travel.”
“Good, I’m glad they’re willing to help.” You sensed there was more.
Link stuffed an extra bundle of wheat and sugar into the pack. “It’s kinda nice, you know? We’ve been running around so much lately, we finally get a chance for it to just be the two of us – even if we are fighting the incarnation of evil again.”
“The two of us and our friends that we run into on the way.” You laughed, but Link’s face fell. You took his hand in yours. “But I’m glad that we get some time alone, just you and me, riding across Hyrule.”
Link seemed to be put at ease, pulling you close and into a soft kiss. The two of you broke off and continued packing. You ran a mental checklist on your packs, when Link said, “Forgot to tell you. I saw Zelda.”
“What?!”
“At least it looked like her. She appeared at the castle for a moment, then disappeared in a burst of light, flying off towards Hyrule Castle. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Oh Hylia, Link, don’t scare me like that. She didn’t even try to talk to you?”
“No, but she seemed to be trying to get me to go to the castle itself.” He looked at you with his arms crossed. “Please tell me you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”
“Yeah, suspicious for sure. Maybe she has a plan, but leaving without saying a word? That doesn’t sound like my sister. She would at least drop you a hint. That’s not even the whole ‘flying off’ part. Then again, it seems every time we try to solve one mystery, we get two more.”
You and Link heaved your packs onto your shoulders and headed to your stable, locking the door behind you. You loaded your pack on your trusty horse [H/n] as Link set his on his beloved Epona. The Horse God Malanya was kind enough to bring your trusted companions from before the Calamity back to life, after enduring a handful of his “jokes” and cooking enough food to feed an army.
After saying your goodbyes to everyone at Lookout Landing, you began the ride out of Central Hyrule. Link shot you a smile. “We’ve done this before; we can do it again.”
“Definitely, just wish the deck wasn’t stacked against us. Good thing I’ve got the best knight in Hyrule with me.”
“A knight with his memories fully intact,” Link added, tapping his forehead.
“Mm, that is definitely better than last time.” You thought for a moment between the hoofbeats. “Link… what was Rauru like?”
He thought for a moment. “Well, the Zonai are pretty tall and kinda like goats? Rabbits? Maybe somewhere between them? Also, strangely attractive.”
“Do I need to give you some time alone with your new hand?”
He rolled his eyes. “Let’s just say your good looks definitely go back to the source.”
“Smooth,” you said, though your cheeks did feel a little warm. “I’m not gonna ask how Zonai and Hylian relations work, but apparently it did if I’m here. That said, I was more curious about his personality.”
“He sounded like a good king to me, doing whatever he could to help his people. Up on that island, there were these things called constructs. They did a lot of the hard work for his people like mining and chopping wood, but he even thought of them as his subjects, worrying about them. Seems he wanted to give everyone the best life possible, almost like he was the father of the entire kingdom. Clearly,” Link said, motioning to the arm, “he was willing to sacrifice a lot for his people, and he made sure he was doing it and not forcing that responsibility on someone else.”
“You mean, not like my father?” Link’s face was set, but you could see the storm in his eyes. You may have been civil to the former king the last time you saw each other, but you hadn’t forgiven him, especially after Zelda told you what happened to her after your disappearance a century ago. Link, now with all his memories, took it as a personal attack. “If it helps, I’m sure Mother and Urbosa are taking turns beating his ass for all eternity.”
“He was lucky I didn’t have my memories when I saw him last.” Link muttered. “Even now with the Upheaval, Hyrule is much better off with you and Zelda.”
“Not that you might be slightly biased on that, Sir Knight,” you laughed, “but I appreciate it. I do wish I could have met Rauru though. Meeting another leader, let alone my ancestor, would be very helpful at times like this.”
“At least you know what not to do?”
“That is true.” The two of you rode a bit farther, nodding at a passing merchant wagon, pulled by a large ox. You felt a small burst of pride seeing that the crates in her wagon were stamped with the insignia of the New Hyrule Trading Company. “Oh, that reminds me. I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier, but I had a different dream. Well, two different ones. One of had you in it, but you were a little kid!”
“Oh? Were you reliving the old days?”
“Not really, this version of you was ten and was determined to save the world all by himself without any decent gear.”
“Oh wow, that does sound like me back then.” Link then grinned. “Maybe your dream meant you wanted to be the big hero rescuing me from trouble? I’m so lucky to have a heroic prince to rescue me.”
“I don’t know if that was it, but you know I’ve got your back.”
“Either that or it was you wanting to be stronger than me again. Just had to give yourself a handicap where I was a kid, huh?”
“Hey!” You laughed as the two of you slowly made your way up to the frozen north. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to talk about the other dream, at least not yet. Then again, it was only a dream, what did it matter? As long as Link was by your side, nothing – not even a Demon King – could stop you.
