#I love Aaliyah | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

my-insanity-is-an-artform · 10 months

Text

The OC Switch - Something

@neverchecking, so I was so inspired by the idea of Tia twigging that there was something strange in the neighbourhood in this Hyrule, that I wrote a whole thing. Then realised this would be a bit much to put in your inbox.

Tia will use pet names for everyone. Sweetpea is her Link's nickname but anything else is fair game. You get a pet name! And You get a Pet name! Everyone gets a pet name!

There was something in the air about this Hyrule that Tia didn’t like. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was something hovering on the edge of her awareness that screamed ‘WRONG’. And it wasn’t the fact she been thrown into a Hyrule still in the midst of the Upheaval and it wasn’t that Her Link was nowhere to be found.

The sheer lack of people in Lookout Landing and Castletown was very disconcerting the first time she laid eyes on it. The lack of diversity was also jarring, few Rito soaring the skies, no Gorons rumbling past, no specially built pool for Zora to sleep in. A lack of progress in repairing the main town and there was no jarring difference of one certain section that had been frozen in time for 100 years against the rest of the ruins.

(The lack of a stable should’ve been obvious, but it was still an annoying inconvenience when Tia arrived bareback on a newly tamed horse.)

(Thank the Three Link had always been a horse person and had delighted in teaching her how to catch the skittish things well before the Calamity arrived.)

Logically, she’d swiftly figured out this was a Hyrule where a Princess Zelda had been born rather than another version of her. So of course, there would be differences but still, it was disconcerting to see just how devastating the Calamity could’ve been. How it should’ve been.

This Purah seemed different from her version too. Different from the version in the game too although that might’ve been a reflection of the game itself. The something hovering on the edge during their private talk as they discussed everything regarding Tia’s sudden appearance.

At first, the scientist was overjoyed to see her, thinking Tia was the still missing Zelda. Only to grow cold once Tia had explained she wasn’t Zelda nor was she even from this version of Hyrule. It grew very awkward when Tia explained exactly where Zelda probably was and how she wasn’t entirely sure how to retrieve the Princess, her own experience lost in the rush of events.

The conversation took an even further uncomfortable turn when Tia asked about this Hyrule’s Link.

Purah told her Link was out investigating. With the former Sheikah Champion, Aaliyah.

A champion that had never existed in her Hyrule.

Yet another difference to add to the list.

Tia sighed and tilted her head back to watch a bird soar across the sky as she and Purah walked back outside, mutually deciding that there was nothing further they could do until Link showed back up. With all of the differences, the one that stood out to her most was the way every single person she’d met all had praises for Zelda. It’d been the same in the game, but this seemed more… fanatical.

And what’s more she’d overheard one person curse out the champions and not a single person disagreed with them. In fact, more than one had nodded in agreement. A cold weight had settled into her stomach at the words and it’d been difficult not to step out and rip them a new one.

Even Link was merely referred to as an extension of the Princess’ will, like he had no thoughts of his own, only Zelda’s orders.

Her Link was wild and curious and free, happy to stay by her side but also eager to vanish into the wilderness for weeks at a time, word of him helping out anyone who crossed his path trickling back to her. No one would ever deny he wasn’t his own person nor that he only ever acted according to his own will. (Although he had promised to stop taking on lynels without her or someone else backing him up. Last she’d heard Revali and Link had a competition over who could use the least arrows to down a red mane. She’d had to referee that one when Link pulled out an ancient arrow and Revali argued against it.)

Tia was shaken out of her thoughts by a sudden commotion by the south gate.

“Help! Someone! We need help!”

Tia launched herself over the railing of the landing, her hood staying on only by the grace of the Golden Three, and ran towards the gathering group where one man was supporting a very pale other. Red mist clung to the clothes of both, but there was an eerie sludge dripping from the pale one’s tunic, dispersing slowly in the sunlight.

Gloom exposure. A nasty one at that.

Purah appeared by her side. “What happened?!”

“We were down in the Depths when these… things came out of nowhere! They were like giant hands made of Gloom with eyes! Daval pushed me out of the way, but they grabbed and shook him before throwing him into a wall! We barely got away!”

Purah turned to another member of the crowd as Daval was laid gently on the ground in the sunlight, wheezing. “Do we have any sundelions left?”

They shook their head, paling. “No, we’re waiting for the research team to bring in more after the fiasco yesterday.”

There was a nasty wet choking noise as blood spluttered up from Daval’s mouth. Gasps rippled though the crowd and more than one voice called for elixirs.

Tia shoved herself through the crowd and knelt down, her hood finally falling off. “Move!”

“Princess?! You’re okay!”

“The Princess is back!”

“Your Highness!”

“I’m not the princess. Name’s Tia. I’m a descendant of the royal family. My great grandma escaped during the Calamity.” She threw out quickly, hoping the quick lie would hold as she ran a hand over Daval’s chest. Broken ribs on top of the gloom. Possibly a collapsed lung and who knows what other kind of internal damage. Hylians were hardy but there were limits.

Purah spoke up, crouching next to her as she surveyed Daval as well. “We’ve been looking for any surviving descendants of people who escaped, particularly those of the cadet branches. Tia arrived this morning.”

Thank the Three Purah backed her hastily constructed lie up. It would provide a reason for her looks and many other things.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Tia ran a hand through Daval’s hair and spoke gently. “Hey, hey. Look at me. Come on. Eyes on me.” Daval blinked cloudy eyes towards her, blood flowing from his mouth and she smiled softly. “It’ll be ok, sweetheart. This’ll sting for a moment, but you’ll be just fine.”

Turning inwards, she drew on the aspect of power that had bathed in Mipha’s own magic for 100 years and learned it’s shape. She’d never be as good as the Zora Princess, but Gloom and dark magic was her speciality. Further still, Tia drew on the memory of the Hero of Time’s adventures and hummed the Song of Healing to focus her magic further.

Sacred Power for the Gloom. Song of Healing for the bones and lung.

Golden light rippled out from her hands and hummed under her skin, making her scars glow softly. Ribbons of light fluttered out around her and the loose hairs in her braided bun swayed in an unfelt breeze.

A stunned silence washed over the crowd as they watched a glowing Tia press both her hands to Daval’s chest.

The warm magic sunk into the chest, washing away the gloom and the ghost of silken waters coaxed the broken bones back into place. All of the cuts and scraps were soothed away. Bruises darkened then lightened swiftly. It wasn’t long before Daval finally took a deep strong breath and stared up at her with wide thankful eyes.

Tia stopped humming and smiled gently, stroking his hair comfortingly. “There you go, dear. How are you feeling?”

Purah pressed a hand to her shoulder and spluttered uncharacteristically. “How? How’d you?!”

Tia tilted her head lightly at the researcher, amusement tickling the edge of her smile. “Sacred Light magic. It’s the most effective thing against Gloom and other dark magics.” The smile dropped and a small frown creased her brows. “Did the Princess not bless you or provide you with Blessed Fairy Elixirs?”

She knew Zelda didn’t. Tia had created Blessed Fairy Elixirs herself to prepare for the Upheaval and she knew Zelda’s powers went dormant post-Calamity. It’d taken a powerful blessing for Tia to protect Link when they’d found Ganon and it’d still not been enough to completely protect him. The idea of Zelda blessing people definitely hadn’t occurred to anyone, but Tia wanted to see how they would react to someone questioning the Princess. To see how far this possible fanaticism went.

“Blessed Fairy Elixirs?” Purah asked eagerly, avoiding the unspoken prod.

Not what Tia wanted but gave enough information. Zelda was beloved and any flaws were probably written off.

Or Purah was just chomping at the bit for information. Tia would have to dig into it at another time then.

As Tia explained the process of Blessed Fairy Elixirs, helping Daval to his feet and guiding him to a bed, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched.

Like something was just out of sight.

Waiting.

Watching.

Hunting.

There was something about this Hyrule Tia didn't like and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

(Meanwhile, in another Hyrule slightly to the left of this one, Link, Hero of Courage, Hylian Champion, Beloved Friend and Family of Princess Tia, The Friendly Traveller, That Maniac Who Tried To Ride A Lynel on A Dare, was dodging several bombs from a particularly infuriated feral-looking possibly-a-Sheikah probably-not-a-Yiga woman.

“I’M NOT LYING! I AM LINK! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!”

“LIAR! WHERE AM I AND WHERE IS LINK?”

“I JUST TOLD YOU I AM LINK!”)

______

Aaliyah seems the kind of person to confront this imposter of Her Link.

Sweetpea, on the other hand, is pretty sure she's not a Yiga since she's adamant he's not Link, but is still going to argue the point because he is Link! (Sweetpea uses profanity in high-adrenaline situations. It's something he picked up from Tia.)

It probably goes around in a circle like that until one of them gets tired out or until something blazingly obvious like Revali intervening shocks Aaliyah enough that explanations happen.

#Totk #LU Sage #do i tag this as LU?#Yandere #Yandere Link x OC #loz fic #My OC: Tia #Cinder's OC: Aaliyah #Tia is my self indulgent isekai OC and I love her SO MUCH #I love Aaliyah #Sage not yet really in there but I have another idea for an excerpt #Aaliyah is going to go through SO MUCH UNWANTED HEALING #AND SO IS SAGE #THEY ARE GONNA BE SUCH A HEALTHY UNHEALTHILY OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER COUPLE #Meanwhile Tia's in the background humming the Jaws Theme around Sage's Hyrule #Purah doesn't know it but that was the beginning of the end

13 notes · View notes