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mastercucco · 4 months

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Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

#breath of the wild #botw #link x reader #link x (y/n)#link x you #reader insert #the legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #totk #age of calamity #botw link x reader #totk link x reader #my writing #hateno boy #if you saw me post this yesterday #no you didnt #fics

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linzerj · 4 months

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Just getting this idea out there so that maybe I'll actually finish writing it one day, but -

I've been on a Legend of Zelda kick recently. Currently replaying BOTW. Never played AOC but I've watched gameplay and all the cutscenes so I know what happens. Planning to play that and TOTK again soon. But I've got this idea cooking in my head.

Theres a post that talks about "what if you could find the Divine Beasts in the Depths", and another funny post that was just "what if Teba was the sage of Wind and not Tulin?" And I remembered when BOTW had just come out, and then AOC after, and people were speculating about the characters, like Teba, being the New Champions and getting to bond to the Divine Beasts.

That didn't happen in canon, but. Hear me out. What if even just one of the Divine Beasts bonded with a New Champion... like say, the one who doesn't become a Sage?

Teba, Sidon, Riju, and Yunobo return from their adventure in the past/alternate timeline/whatever, having saved those Champions and that Hyrule from destruction. Their own timeline is still the same, but they continue on as they do in canon.

Except they all meet up shortly after returning home, and one of them (Sidon or Riju maybe) asks "hey did anyone else try going to the Divine Beasts only to get rejected" and while the rest are like "yup wonder what that's about, sad" Teba is like "no wtf are you all talking about I was settling back in with my wife and kid."

But something about it sticks with Teba. He goes home, looks up at Vah Medoh, and thinks, 'it probably won't work but I may as well try just to confirm.'

...Vah Medoh accepts him as its new pilot.

I'm unsure as to whether or not Revali's spirit will still be there for a quick hello - but if he is, he'd be like "whomst?!" And Teba would be like "if you were still alive I'd definitely adopt you because thanks to some time travel shenanigans i know that you desperately needed a parental figure in your life".

Mostly everything else proceeds as is canon up to the start of TOTK - except for the other Divine Beasts continuing to chill at their resting places, because upon hearing about Teba successfully bonding with Medoh, the others want to keep trying.

But, for whatever reason, Hylia decided that you cannot be both a Sage and a Divine Beast pilot, so the Beasts acknowledge them but never quite accept them as their pilots.

Then, TOTK. Then the chasms. Then, the other 3 Divine Beasts taking a plunge into the Depths.

Teba freaks out a little bit, but Medoh is circling Rito Village and is fine, except now there's these random floating islands but also a fuckass blizzard that's making it almost impossible to keep everyone fed, and Teba's just been saddled with Elder status so he's super in charge and Tulin is in a bit of a "I can do anything let me prove it let's go" phase and is trying to convince Teba to use Vah Medoh to fly up and stop the blizzard, but Teba is way too busy trying to keep the village from falling apart to go right now -

Then Link shows up, and Tulin runs off, and Link follows him, and the two go up and find the Stormwind Ark and fight Colgera and as the magical blizzard finally ends, Teba is just like "what the fuck".

Tulin tells him he's become a Sage, and isn't that cool dad?! And Teba is like "you're 12 and you're going to help fight a demon king?!?! Wtf?!"

But then at some point, Tulin (who knows the other Sages from that time he was in AOC, and meeting them a few times with his dad after) one day looks up from his breakfast and says "oh hey Sidon just became the Sage of Water! I saw it through my connection with Link!" And that's when it clicks into place for Teba why the Beasts never quite accepted the other "New Champions" - because they were destined for something else.

But Vah Medoh is still here. And it's pissed that it's fellow Beasts are gone and it also wants to blast Ganondorf in the face.

Unfortunately, Teba can't let it blast the castle when Link and co go to confront the Zelda illusion, because Tulin is there, Link is there, Sidon and Riju and Yunobo are there, and it's not the real demon king yet anyway.

Teba is grumpy about it, about letting Tulin go off and risk his life when he's a child and Teba is an adult, but then a huge dark dragon explodes out from the chasm below the castle and Vah Medoh is all too happy to fire upon it, knowing it's Ganondorf and wanting some sweet revenge of its own.

Teba's just surprised he can see the dark dragon, it's huge but he'd heard tales of only the young, or those chosen by thr goddesses, could see dragons. Maybe it's because of Vah Medoh that he can see this one, and the little light dragon that comes in and - hey is that Link?!

Maybe it ends with Teba going down to the Depths with Link to visit the other Divine Beasts, and suggesting that the locations stay known so that future generations may try to awaken them. They don't really need the Beasts anymore since both Calamity Ganon and Ganondorf have been defeated, but Medoh doesn't want to turn off and is happy just chilling at Rito Village with Teba. The end.

I have like 2.5k of this already written, I just wanted to use this post to write more of the ideas for the fic structure before I go to bed lol. And this idea probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense canon-wise, but it doesn't need to because the only reason this exists is because i love Teba and wish he'd gotten more screntime (or at least some spoken dialogue in the cutscenes!) in TOTK.

#the legend of zelda #teba #vah medoh #totk #botw #aoc #age of calamity #tears of the kingdom #breath of the wild #loz #tloz #tulin #fic ideas #linz rambles #listen. i love bird dad. i want more of him #if i cant find the content i want ill make it myself

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zappychild · 5 months

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Here is my piece for @tgcf-reverse-big-bang!

I got to work with the amazing @pureu-pi, and by work I mean I dumped weird wulian vibes on the floor and she turned it into an incredible fic.

This illustration goes with chapter 2, but you can read chapter 1 here

#tgcf #tgcfrbb #hualian #wulian #xie lian #wu ming #calamity xie lian #(sort of not really)#tgcf fanart #tgcf fanfic #mxtx #my art #seriously go read the fic it's so suspenseful and I love it

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jxsterr · 2 months

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haha whaaat finish the fic youve been working on for like two months because you refuse to make an outline you say??! thats so funny anyway heres them kissing

#ill be freshly buried in my GRAVE when i finish this forbidden love fic #im a pantser i insist as i proceed to write one good page rawdogging it before getting stuck #im a pantser i say as i leave myself with more plot holes than PLOT #jester writes #(barely)#zelink #pre calamity #botw #legend of zelda

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elissastillstands · 2 years

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How badly do you want this?

Zerxus and Opal, the two Champions of the Betrayers from Exandria Unlimited! I absolutely love them, and this was a blast to draw. If you’re looking for a story about the two of them meeting, I also wrote a fic, However Long Forever’s Gonna Last, which you can check out HERE.

#critical role #critical role fanart #zerxus ilerez #exu zerxus #exu opal #opal of byroden #luis carazo #aimee carrero #exandria unlimited #exu calamity #the fic has very different energy from this drawing. it is pure adventure and character moments #but i cannot resist stained glass. or the drama of the betrayers' champions.

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multi-fandom-simp · 1 year

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Chapter 11: Let's not be dramatic

PAIRINGS: Aegon x OC, Heleana x OC, Aemond x OC, Jacaerys x OC, Jacaerys x Cregan, Luke x Sara

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters. I do not claim any of them as my own. This work is purely fictional.

TW: Profanity, mention of abuse, shitty father figure, mention of sexual acts, Lillianna’s terrible coping mechanisms(I feel that should be a warning, lmao)

Synopsis: As if the week couldn't get any worse, the twins’s father drops some awful news in the family GC. Causing everyone to lose their shit, and Lillianna to revert to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

(A/N: Hello, besties💞! I thought I'd drop a bit of a filler chapter while I work on parts for my other fics. Things are going to go downhill and get a bit saucy for both Lillianna and Leon after this chapter, so stay tuned🤭. Anyways, enjoy!)

#hotd #hotd fanfic #house of the dragon #aegon targaryen x oc #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x oc #calamity fic #hotd smau #jacaerys velaryon x oc #aegon ii targaryen #helaena targaryen x oc #helaena targaryen

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st-hedge · 8 months

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Calamity au Ganon and Link but I drew them as a shitty animation cel (a remake of old art)

#loz #legend of zelda #botw #breath of the wild #calamity au #link #ganondorf #ganlink #filed under straight homies who sit 5ft apart #there will finally be context for this scene soon!!!#like this Friday most likely #I’ll reblog this later on with the link to the fic chapter once it’s up

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legendofzeldasilentprincess · 7 months

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after knowing the whole story of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, I still can't believe Nintendo really went for the Princess and the Knight trope

#and i love it #zelink #botw #totk #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #cause I mean sometimes I think about the story #and I just wonder was it a fic that I read??#did the calamity really happen and zelda and link went through all that shit and lost ppl they loved?#and link wakes up 100 years later with no memories?#but then only hears a voice of a woman to help him find his memories and learn that he's the one who has to defeat the calamity #plus how they didn't get along at the beginning #and somehow also became a 'from enemies to lovers' trope #then with tears of the kingdom the whole story just shows about the LEGEND of ZELDA #and the things she went through and what she had to do to save Hyrule #and link's whole mission for the entire game was to find her #screw defeating ganondorf he just wants his wife back #honestly best zelda and link by far in the zelda series #like what would the next zelda game be like??#plus the game director himself is zelink shipper so 👀#okay ill shutup now lol

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add1ctedt0you · 5 months

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Sucker for pain

That's for all the writers who look at jiang cheng and decide to put him through other unimaginable woes. <3 As if his life wasn't rough enough lol.

#Like. Most of wwx fic I have read were like:' everyone should be sorry for wwx and acknowledge his grief to the point of being ooc'#'We just want people to love and protect awu innocent xianxian'#And then there are jc fics where authors are like: ohhhhhhh. The stages of grief are five???? Good. jc is going to expiriece 12 stages #of grief!!!!#You blink and the jc is put through non-con. calamities. deaths. tortures. trauma. rough times. in particular wwx-related-rough-time #authors are like: 'he didn't suffer enough: we'll make him experience every pain and woes known to humankind'#And at the end of the fic jc is almost always like: 'time to get up from this puddle of my own blood and see how jl is doing'#It's wild tbh. I've few theories why this happens lmao #If it wasn't clear: keep it up you all!#*mgifs #*stp #jiang cheng

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mastercucco · 3 months

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Hateno Boy - Part 2 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let’s see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3

Chapter 2 - Heromania

Contains: Link is awkward; Everyone is crazy about the Hero, maybe even you Word count: ~2,9k A/N: Yaas, second chapter, let's goooo

The cool night air sneaks in through the open window, barely keeping you awake. Twilight has come and gone, and you can already hear the first calls of the night owls. Your day at the school is stretching unpleasantly late into the evening once again. You’ve been so focused on creating the new curriculum with the Princess – or Zelda, as she has asked you to call her – that you have completely forgotten all your obligations as a teacher.

Now you’re stuck with a cup of tea that went cold hours ago and a stack of short stories written in poor grammar that you promised to read before the end of the week – a promise that seemed perfectly reasonable four days ago. But tonight? Not so much.

You’ve spent a lot of time with Zelda and her knight these past weeks. Zelda is eager to finish the curriculum before fall comes. You still have several moon cycles to go – summer has barely reached Hateno –, but Zelda isn’t one to waste time. She is dedicated to offering the children the best education they can get. You’re in awe of her devotion to the cause – and a little ashamed by your own lack thereof. You are the teacher, after all. You should be twice as passionate as Zelda is, should you not?

You blame your lack of enthusiasm on these late nights: the cold cups of tea and the ever-growing list of tasks and responsibilities that never seem to get any shorter, no matter how many hours of sleep you sacrifice.

You sigh as you pick up the next story from the stack.

THE HERO AND A MONSTER IN A SVAMP

You snort. The ‘Hero of Hyrule’ craze among your students (or ‘heromania’, as you like to call it) is at its peak. You thought you were being clever when assigning them to write a short story about the Hero, hoping it would excite them to complete an otherwise dull assignment. But you were a bit too clever for your own good in the end: your students got so excited to share stories that all of them returned more than one paper. And who were you to kill their excitement just because you had forgotten to do your part in reading them all in time?

You groan, rubbing your face harshly. You can feel the first throbs of a headache knocking behind your other eye. As amusing as some of the stories are (even Zelda thought so after reading one about Link turning into a giant), you’re slowly starting to despise your work, and your students – and the Hero, for that matter.

Another breath of cool air brushes against your neck. You bury your head in your hands. You don’t actually despise your work, not really. It’s just these late nights that you hate.

You hear the door creaking. Shit, you think in a panic and hurriedly tidy up all your scattered papers and pens. You should have expected Zelda to pay you a visit tonight, just like she has every other night so far. As tired as you feel, you don’t need Zelda to see that. Worst case scenario, she might even think you are slacking.

But when you look up, it’s not the Princess standing at the doors, but her Silent Knight.

“Oh, good evening, Link,” you sigh in relief. You glance at the stack of short stories and, as subtle as you can be, flip the first paper upside down before saying, “Please, come in.”

Link, however, does not. He stands awkwardly in the doorway, his expression turning to a frown as he looks around, as if the last person he expected to find inside the school was you, the teacher.

“The Princess isn’t here,” you say after it becomes clear you are not getting a hello from him.

Link looks like a lost puppy, an apt comparison in your mind: he does follow the Princess around like one. The silence between the two of you feels awkward. Even though you have seemingly spent multiple evenings with him, you two have barely even spoken. Everything you know about him, you have heard from either Zelda or the gossipmongers of Hateno.

Or from your students. Most of it from your students.

“I’m sure she will arrive shortly,” you add, giving him an affirming smile. After hearing this, Link finally steps over the threshold and lets the door creak shut behind him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, still looking around, “I thought she would already be here.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” you say, still smiling, hoping to ease the awkward tension still lingering in the air. You continue, “Please, Link, have a seat while you wait. Would you like some tea?”

Link shakes his head and sits down on one of your students’ chairs. It is way too small for him and whines horribly under his weight. The sight of him is amusing, and you struggle to hold back the smile tucking at the corners of your lips. It becomes extremely clear, extremely fast, that Link is trying to look anywhere but into your eyes. You consider asking about his day but decide against it; he’s not the most talkative person in Hyrule, as you’ve come to learn.

“Please, let me know if you need anything,” you politely say before going back to your work. You have barely finished reading the first sentence of The Hero And A Monster In A Svamp when Link suddenly speaks.

“I’m bothering you,” he says.

You glance up from your paper. He is looking down at his hands, a distant look on his face.

“No, not at all,” you lie, “but I do have to ask you to leave after I’m done with these papers.”

“Oh,” Link says, already getting up.

“No, not now,” you quickly say, “but later. You won’t be able to leave once I lock the doors.”

“Oh,” Link says, again, and slowly sits back down. “Right. Okay. Sorry.” He is glancing at the doors with a look of uncertainty.

“And I do prefer the company,” you assure softly. You give him a smile and – for the first time – he returns it. It’s quick but awfully sweet, and you feel your stomach turning.

He looks down at his hands again. “I could make tea,” he says almost absentmindedly and stands up, still avoiding eye contact. “Would you like some?”

Not waiting for your answer, he rushes upstairs to the kitchenette. It’s going to be a long night, you think to yourself and shift your eyes back to your student’s story.

Ones upon a time there was the Hero of Hyrule. One day he saw a monster in a svamp. He takes his Master sword and he kills the svamp monster and he is So fast because he is stronger then the svamp monster. Everyone is happy. Princess Zelda is happy and we had a big party for The Hero. Mom is there and also my brohter and all my friends are there asswell but dad is crying because svamp monster is really my Nana and everyone is sad. The end.

You rub your eyes. A long, long night…

Your second cup of tea has also gone cold by the time you are done reading the stories.

“Thank Hylia,” you mutter as you push the papers inside your bag. The stories are all sweet – though you question the validity of most of them – but no matter how adorable, you’re glad you don’t have to read one more story about the Hero tonight.

You hastily gather your things and blow out your oil lamp before heading to the doors. You nearly scream when Link steps out of the shadowy corner he was sitting in. He has been so quiet for the past hour that you completely forgot he was even there.

“I’m so sorry,” you mutter, your face flushing with embarrassment. He doesn’t say anything, and his eyes are as quiet as his lips. Instead, he opens the door for you. He gives your back a light, assuring push as you walk past him, something you’ve seen him do to Zelda many times before. His gesture seems automatic, you don’t think he even realizes he does it, but your cheeks blush anyway.

“Are you done with your work?” he asks, even though the answer is obvious as you lock the doors.

“Yes,” you still answer. “Hopefully the Princess doesn’t come here looking for us.”

“No. It’s late,” Link simply says. There’s a tone in his voice you can’t quite put your finger on. Is it disappointment? Or bitterness? You don’t know him well enough to say for certain.

“You’re not going to go look for her?” you ask.

Link shakes his head. “I will walk you home,” he says instead, giving your back another gentle push as you start making your way towards the village.

The silence between you two doesn’t feel as awkward outside, where the rustling of leaves and the singsong of night birds fill in the quiet. The night air is brisk, easing the throbbing pain behind your eye. You sigh. You are happy Link offered to walk you home – though, he would’ve walked past East Wind either way. He has an aura of safety around him, something you much appreciate at this hour, even though you know Hateno to be safe even during the night.

To your surprise, Link breaks the silence first, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

You get a little startled when you turn to look at him and find him staring right back at you. You don’t think he has ever made eye contact with you in such a straightforward manner. You know you’re blushing. It’s almost like he is searching for something within your gaze.

And all you can think about is just how blue his eyes are.

“Have we really met before?” Link asks.

You can’t help the hint of pity seeping into your smile. It’s clear that the question has been bothering him for quite some time.

“Yes,” you answer, “yes, we have.”

He looks away, his brow furrowing as if he’s trying to force the memory.

“Our family farm is right outside Hateno,” you try to help him out. “You knocked on our door late at night. It was during a thunderstorm, a bad one. I don’t think we’ve had a storm like that since.”

The pace of Link’s footsteps slows down. His eyes are looking straight forward, but he doesn't seem to be actually looking at anything. You can see he is trying his hardest to remember. It pains you a little to see him struggle.

“It’s not that important, Link,” you comfort him. “It was a long time ago.”

“No,” he almost cuts you off, “I remember the storm. And I remember the farmhouse. The man of the house made me creamy mushroom soup.”

“That would be my father,” you smile, “and my mother offered to stitch your tunic, but you refused. And you refused a warm bath, to her horror.”

Link doesn’t laugh with you. He’s looking at you again, eyes observing you closely. You’re blushing hard. You don’t think even you, yourself, have ever looked at your own face as intensely as he is now. You can see frustration building up behind his eyes.

Finally, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes and looks the other way. “I’m not trying to be rude on purpose.”

“It’s okay, Link,” you say, lightly touching his arm. “You had a lot going on at the time.”

You remember the night well. The first time you met the Hero of Hyrule was only a few months before the Calamity ended. He knocked on your family home’s door in the middle of the night, soaked from the heavy rain, bruised, and shivering. Your mother offered him a bed in the guest room because she recognized his blue tunic (there were rumors of a Champion awakened from a 100-year slumber), and your father made him food because he felt sorry for the boy.

You, too, felt sorry as you watched him eat his soup and then refuse the dry clothes your father offered him. He looked exhausted and on the verge of tears. He’s just a boy, you thought, your heart aching as you watched him rub his eyes dry while he may have thought no one was looking.

You’re not mad at Link for not remembering, nor do you feel disappointed. You never spoke with him. You never once thought he even noticed you sitting there by the fire, observing him quietly.

He was just a boy, you think, struggling to meet his gaze. You were the same age as him back then, and you believed – still do – eighteen was too young to bear the fate of the entire kingdom on his shoulders.

Hateno sleeps quietly. There are no lights, not even a flicker of a single candle behind the darkened windows. There is no chatter, no laughter, no horse hooves, no buzzing insects. Even the wind seems to be on its tiptoes as it blows through the town, as if to avoid disturbing the sleeping people. The sand beneath your boots sounds awfully loud in the silent night.

“May I ask you something in return?” you quietly speak. There’s been a long stretch of silence between the two of you since your earlier conversation. You can see something is still troubling Link, and you don’t want him to go home feeling saddened by memories you didn’t mean to bring up to the surface.

Link doesn’t say anything but he turns to look at you.

“The question is a bit… silly,” you hesitate. He waits patiently for you to continue.

“Uhm,” you mutter, already feeling stupid even thinking of asking what you’re about to ask. “Did you ever, by chance, fight a swamp monster during your travels? A monster that perhaps turned out to be someone’s grandmother?”

Link blinks. “... I’m sorry?”

“Forget about it,” you say with an uncomfortable laugh, motioning for him to stop staring at you. “The children have a wild imagination sometimes.”

Link thinks for a moment before sternly saying, “I have never killed a grandmother.” But the frown on his face makes it seem that he, himself, is not quite so sure of his own statement.

“It’s just something silly one of my students said,” you explain, “I asked them to write down stories they’ve heard about you.”

“Oh,” he says.

“They adore you,” you feel the need to explain further. “It was just for practice. I think most of them just made things up for the assignment. I doubt you ever turned into a giant during your adventures, or did you?”

Link shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “No, I never did,” he says.

“I don’t understand how they can even come up with stories like that,” you laugh. “Poor Teebo swears he saw you riding a bear once!”

“Oh…”

“And one of the girls says their aunt in Lurelin saw you sailing naked all the way from Eventide.”

“... Oh.”

“Can you believe the imagination of these children?” you chuckle, shaking your head.

Link rubs his neck. “Yeah, wild imagination…” he hesitantly agrees, forcing the most unconvincing laugh you’ve ever heard.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” you quickly apologize, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It was just a silly assignment.”

“No, I don’t mind. I– uh, I did sail to Eventide and back once,” Link admits, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

You give him a sympathetic smile. “Stories change as they get passed on.”

“Yeah…” Link mutters, rubbing his neck again.

You come to a stop as you reach the East Wind. The store’s windows are pitch-black, just like the rest of the village. You hope you won’t disturb Pruce and his family when you sneak in. He has been generous for letting you stay up in their attic basically for free. Sure, your father knows the shopkeeper well, but you still think not many people from Hateno would offer such kindness to other people’s children. It’s not the most comfortable living arrangement for a woman in her twenties, but it is better than living with your parents. Besides, Zelda has promised you a room on the school’s second floor once it gets cleared out from all the junk left behind during building.

“Thank you for walking me back,” you say as you turn to look at Link, “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“It wasn’t,” Link assures you with a smile so soft it makes your heart flutter. You’re starting to understand why the girls in town act so giddy around him. He does have an endearing smile.

“I’ll see you around,” Link says, still smiling. “Have a good night.”

“You too, Link,” you say, feeling a bit flustered. You don’t quite understand your sudden giddiness, and you wish you could just slap some sense into yourself. You pry your eyes off of him before the butterflies in your stomach get any more restless. You take in a sharp breath when you suddenly feel his hand on your back again, pushing you gently towards the door right before he leaves. You are still certain he has no idea he’s doing it.

The night air feels almost too cold against your warm cheeks. You fumble with your keys for an embarrassingly long time before you get the door open. You can’t understand why suddenly your mind is completely overtaken by the thought of the Princess’ knight giving you such attention. You’ve never felt this starstruck around the Princess, and she, at least, is going to be crowned as the Queen of Hyrule one day.

You curse. There’s no other explanation: it has to be your students’ ‘heromania’ trying to overtake you.

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