Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One down, three to go.

Link stepped out into the frigid desert night and took a slow, deep breath, savoring the coolness of the fresh air. The stale air of his underground trials always left him feeling trapped, stifled, a tightness around his throat. But now, he was free of such constraints. Even though fatigue weighed heavily on his limbs, there was a small bounce in his step as he walked across the sandy expanse. Behind him lay the dilapidated Arbiter’s Grounds, the most recent of his conquered dungeons. The sages mended the worst of his wounds, leaving him with only minor bruises and shallow cuts, and his heart swelled with pride knowing that he had the same divine support as his distant grandfather. 

Though it was night, Midna remained skulking in his shadow, grumbling a mixture of Hylian and Twili curse words. He sat down on one of the crumbled brick walls, gazing up at the glittering sky, and patted the wall next to himself, beckoning for Midna to join him. 

She scoffed. “You smell like rotting meat and vomit. I’d rather stay here, where the stench is only mostly unbearable, thanks.” 

Though it was true that he emerged from the dungeon covered in grime, soot, blood, and sand, it was something that, at this point in their journey, they had grown accustomed to. He knew something else was bothering her. He glanced at his shadow on the cobblestone ground, frowning.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. We were just...so close. I thought I could see my people again and show you the beauty of the Twilight, that it isn’t the suffering realm of demons that Zant cursed your world to be.” 

Link thought for a moment. An idea came to him and he started rummaging through the dozens of items in the tiny bag on his belt. After several noisy seconds of digging through clutter, he pulled out a lithograph illustrating the anatomy of a sea sponge. He gestured for her to take it and she groaned, reluctantly emerging from his shadow and taking the picture, holding it up in the dim moonlight to get a closer look.

Heat spread across her cheeks when she recognized it. It was the same picture she admired at a Castle Town shop just a few days earlier. “Aww,” she gushed. “You got this for me? You’re so sweet.” 

He smiled and handed her another—this one detailing the effects of late-stage leprosy. 

“Oh, even better! What a sweetheart you are!” She held the pictures to her chest, grinning at him. Her yellow eyes glowed bright in the desert night, sparkling with mischievous excitement. “Let's get going then. Where to, Mister Hero?” 

He pulled out his map and pointed to his desired destination: Castle Town. 

“Hmm.” She crossed her arms, her index finger pressed against her cheek as she looked him over. “Not a bad plan, but I think you should clean up first. The barmaid pitched a fit last time you showed up like this because you made the mailman throw up, and it can’t be healthy to be covered in this many guts anyways.” She scowled a bit, a common expression of hers. “I just don’t see why your ‘all-powerful’ sages couldn't clean you up a bit if they could heal you just fine.” She brushed her hands up the side of his face, turning it this way and that, scrutinizing his smile with glowing orange eyes. “Hmm, yes, it’s official,” she said with mock seriousness. “I declare you filthy.” 

He shrugged and pointed to a new destination: a small x at the base of Death Mountain, where the hot springs were located.

“Yeah, that's a much better idea…” she muttered, mulling it over. “Alrighty!” She snapped and the paintings disappeared with a sharp 'crack’ to a safe hiding spot. “I'm ready when you are.” 

Though the darkness of night had cascaded over the expanse of the Gerudo Desert, it was still midday over at Death Mountain, where Link spent the better part of an hour slowly trudging up the rugged path that led to the hot springs. Nothing sounded lovelier than a nice nap. 

After changing into the Zora armor, Link handed off his filthy tunic to the Goron at the counter, who graciously offered to clean it, free of charge. “Anything for our newest sworn brother!” he exclaimed in his gravelly voice, smacking Link on the shoulder and knocking him down. 

Link slowly lowered himself into the bubbling water and allowed himself to sink to the floor of the hot spring, quickly growing drowsy with the warm, soothing current enveloping him, and dozed off. The surrounding patrons were unfazed with his strange behavior, though there was quite a panic on Link’s first visit when he went beneath the water and didn't come back up. He still bore the faint marks on his arm from when a Goron yanked him to the surface, fearing that the sleeping hero was drowning.

“Don't you have a world to save?” Midna hissed from his side, her voice slightly distorted by the flowing water. He half-opened one eye to see the tiny imp slither from his shadow and hover in front of him, her arms crossed disapprovingly. “You’ve been here long enough, don’t you think?” 

Link gave her a small smile and rolled over, turning his back to her. 

“Ughh!” She threw her hands up, growing irritated. “This is no time to bum around!” She hovered around him so that he was facing her again. “Can we leave? Please?” 

He yawned. “I'm really tired. Can we stay just a little bit longer?” 

“Yeah, alright…” she muttered reluctantly, slinking back into his shadow. “I guess I'm a bit tired too, could use a nap, I guess.” 

“Thank you.” He curled up and relaxed against the warm currents gently rocking him back and forth, slowly allowing himself to doze off as his mind wandered.

***

Link slowly opened his eyes, now feeling much better after his hours-long nap. Above the water, he could see the sky darkening into a deep shade of orange as the sun slowly started to sink beneath the horizon. Dusk was approaching. 

It was time to go.

Moonlight cascaded through the thick clouds, bathing Hyrule Field in a soft, white glow. 

Link strolled down the dirt trail towards Castle Town, Epona's reigns hanging loosely in his hand. It was a lovely night, peaceful; it seemed that ever since he defeated the King Bulbin and the fields were free of those beasts, the field was, for the most part, safe.

It had been awhile since he got to spend time with Epona. She was never quite able to run as far ever since her knee injury on the farm, but she was still the fastest horse in Ordon. Even though her injury was nothing but a common farm accident, there was always a twinge of guilt when he saw the thick scars calloused over her leg, and he tended to avoid riding her as a result. 

“Why can't we just warp?” Midna grumbled, sitting cross-legged atop Epona. She put almost no extra weight on the aging mare, so Link didn't mind her kicking back on the gentle horse. “This is taking FOREVER,” she groaned, dramatically throwing herself across Epona's neck. 

"It's a nice night. I haven't spent time with Epona in forever. Besides, I have to talk to Ashei, and you hate Ashei, so I'm stalling for you. Letting you bulk up a bit." 

She sneered. “She’s so rude, like she's got some sort of chip on her shoulder.”

"Then you two should be the best of friends."

“You’re one to talk! I know for a fact that you hate the nerdy guy. What’s his name?” She snapped her fingers, trying to recall. “Shane? Shart?” 

"I don’t hate Shad …"

“Ha! Liar.” 

He sighed. "Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I hate him."

“Why don't you like Shack? He's kind of handsome, tall—for a human, anyways.” 

He scoffed, the slightest tinge of redness burning in his cheeks. “You should tell him.” 

“Oh, but what fun it is to see your one-sided competition,” she said smugly, a wicked smirk on her face. 

Link left Epona with the elderly caretaker at the rental stables just two buildings over from Telma's bar. “Aww,” the old man muttered with a toothless grin, patting her lovingly on the withers as she munched on hay, “you've brought back our beautiful Epona. What a gentle creature she is, a loving soul...” 

With Epona safely in the stables for the night, Link made his way to Telma's, fatigue weighing heavily on his aching legs as he thought more and more of the hardships ahead of himself. Sure, he had a nice day off for once, but soon it would back into the chaos of fighting, of kill or be killed, constant vigilance that slowly devolved into paranoia. 

The door creaked open and Link found the bar to be nearly empty, except for one patron at the farthest table, sitting with a lantern and a small tea tray, writing what appeared to be a letter with an overly ornate quill. As he drew closer, he had to stop himself from groaning—it was Shad. Midna giggled in his shadow, barely audible.

Shad looked up and a tired smile crossed his face when Link caught his gaze. “Hello, Link!” He patted the table, gesturing at the chair across from him. 

Link curtly nodded in greeting and sat down across from him, sighing and rubbing his hands across his face, through his hair. Shad stopped writing. “Something on your mind, old boy?” 

Link shook his head. It was none of Shad’s business.

“Ah, just tired then. You’d be mad if you weren’t; it’s nearly four in the morning. Here.” He poured Link a mug of hideous, sweet-smelling tea. “I used to drink this quite a bit back in my faring days. Nowadays I make this for the team when they get back from their expeditions. Hylian herb tea with courser bee honey.” 

Link hesitantly brought himself to taste the bog-colored liquid and was pleasantly surprised by its light, sugary flavor. The tea warmed his insides, relaxing the tension in his sore muscles, and the honey was soothing on his chapped lips. For a few moments, the two sat in silence, the only sound coming from the light scratching of Shad’s quill. Link sipped his tea, watching the soft glowing flickers of candlelight against the faded wooden walls, deep in thought. It must be nice, being able to stay inside all day.

Link glanced at Shad, who started humming a tune under his breath, and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the young scholar engrossed in his writings. While Link and the others directly faced their deadly foes, risking their lives and coming back battered and filthy from their expeditions, Shad was here, hiding in the luxury of Telma’s bar, warm and safe. 

He slowly slipped his hand into the tiny pouch on his belt, careful not to catch Shad's attention, and pulled out a jar. Inside it was the bright glow of a tiny pink fairy hanging idly off the bottom of the cork, like a caterpillar at rest. 

It was a long-standing fact that fairies only appeared to those with bravery in their hearts, those that put others before themselves. Link had it first-hand back at Ordon; Colin was dazzled by the one Link brought back from the Ordon Spring for Uli, but Malo just stared up at him, dull-eyed, thinking that Colin and Link had gone absolutely mad for admiring an empty jar. 

Link uncapped the jar and the little ball of light floated over to Shad. 

“Oh, now aren’t you a gorgeous sight to behold?” He held out his hand and the tiny creature delicately perched on the tip of his thumb, slightly adjusting its wings to keep balance. He grinned, his handsome face gently bathed in its pink glow. 

Link’s mouth almost fell open. Shad could see them too? That was quite unexpected to the young Ordonian—in all honesty, he assumed Shad to be the snobbish type, a bit of a blowhard. But, now that he actually thought about it, they hardly interacted, and Shad seemed decent enough during those sparse moments. A twinge of guilt settled in his throat, nearly making him nauseous. He was always dismissive of the scholar, thinking that the bookishness was just a cover for cowardice, that he only hung around the Resistance because he was the bar owner's nephew. 

Link stared at him, dumbfounded. 

“Well, I better get my thoughts down before I forget for the dozenth time tonight,” he said briskly, gingerly setting the jar down and resumed his writings with a warm smile, one of nostalgia. “I haven't seen one of those since I was a young boy,” he recalled fondly. “I was travelling with my parents—they were researching an artifact called the Dominion Rod down near the ruins of an old temple, and one of them was fluttering around. My parents were relatively indifferent; they'd seen them dozens of times, but it was my first time ever seeing them outside of a book, and they were just gorgeous. The—oh, look at that!” He laughed, pushing up his glasses as he looked down at his letter. “I was writing what I was saying to you...Well,” he circled a chunk of text and crossed it out, “the general message is still there, at least.” 

Link shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to say something, show his change of heart, but his voice had once again flitted away. Link grabbed the jar and held it out to Shad, offering it as a gift. “Oh, no no no, old boy,” he said quickly, shaking his head and gently pushing Link's hand away. “No, I can't take this. It's of much more use to you, going out and fighting who-knows-what, and I hope you'll never need it, but I certainly want it available to you, just in case.” 

Link stuffed the jar into his bag. Desperately wanting to change the subject, he looked at his shadow, as if addressing Midna, and asked, “Do you know where I could find Ashei?” 

“Oh...Ashei?” Shad cleared his throat. “Yes, I can tell you where she is...” He cleared his throat again, clumsily shuffling through dozens of papers and accidentally knocking over his empty mug when he pulled out an enormous, tarnished map of Hyrule. “She recently wrote to me of her expedition out in the Snowpeak Mountains. She writes to me often when she’s out; it’s nice to stay in touch when she’s out, you know?” 

Link raised an eyebrow at him, smirking a bit.

Shad caught his eye and laughed, redness spreading across his cheeks like spilled ink. “No, no, it isn’t like that,” he said, smiling widely. “We’re just good friends—”

“Liar,” Midna grumbled from Link’s shadow. 

“—I’ve known her for the better part of nine years now. She’s really—” 

“The map!” Midna hissed from Link’s shadow. 

“Oh! Yes. Sorry old boy, got a bit distracted.” He straightened his glasses and placed his finger on a spot above Zora's Domain. “Here, just north of Zora's Domain, is the only known passageway to the Snowpeak Region through mainland Hyrule. Ashei is no farther than about a kilometer out, doing some personal research on some monster sightings. She'll probably be dressed in her yeti pelt, so as to frighten any small predators.” He cleared his throat and opened a tattered file filled with sketches and diagrams, pulling out a few pages and handing them to Link. “These are a few of the beasts you’re likely to encounter. Most of the region’s wildlife is undocumented, but these are the common ones. Everything I know comes from these pages, so I think it’s best for you to read it at your own pace instead of me rattling your ear off; I’m headed to bed soon anyways. Do take care of those please. I’d like them back, if that’s alright.” 

Link muttered a little “thank you” and Shad gave him a small smile in return, getting up to depart upstairs to his room. “Oh, one more thing, old boy—only if you don’t mind, of course.” Shad turned back around and pulled the letter from his jacket. “Since you’re going to see Ashei, could you give her this for me? I’d be extremely grateful.” 

Chapter Text

Waking up to a tray of food was always a good way to start the morning.

Telma always made a point to leave a large meal for Link whenever he stood overnight at the tavern; she believed that he never quite ate enough, especially for a budding knight, and Link felt that she’d really outdone herself this time. While he was sleeping, she left him a tray bursting with fruit, honeyed ham, orange juice, and an enormous slice of pound cake—rare delicacies back in Ordon. 

“She’s fattening you up so that she can eat you,” Midna whispered menacingly from his shadow. He heard the slightest hint of laughter in her voice. 

“Looks like she already got started with you though, eh Midna?” he said, pouring syrup on his fruit.

“Oof, ouch. Okay, you win this one.” She helped herself to an apple and nibbled on the stem, sitting next to him on the bed. “So, the Shed guy―” 

“This is a bit, right?” he cut in. “Coming up with as many near-names as possible?” 

“Like I was saying,” she said bitingly, “did you notice how he was walking kind of funny when he went up the stairs?” 

“Trying to catch a look at Shad's legs, huh?” he teased through a mouthful of peaches. 

“No, I mean it. He was moving his left leg weird.” 

 He swallowed. “Weird how?” 

“He doesn’t really bend the knee, he just sort of swings it a bit. It’s not too obvious but it’s definitely there…” Concern crept into her voice. “Do you think he’s hurt?” 

“I dunno.” He sliced into the ham and handed her the bone. “If he is then it’s old. Fairies can’t fix something that’s already healed over on its own, so it would make sense why it didn’t do anything when he held it.” 

“Huh.” She gnawed on the pork bone with her little canines, thinking. 

“Why are you so worried about him anyways?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. All you other Resistance people have your weapons and battle scars and thick skins, but Shack just reads all day and helps Telma out in the kitchen and keeps all the letters a girl writes to him, and his leg is hurt.” She crushed the bone between her teeth and swallowed, a far-off look in her eyes. “Back home, part of my duty was to watch over those who needed help—you know, protect the ones who couldn’t fight on their own—the regular people. Guess I sort of feel that towards him...You light-dwellers have really rubbed off on me.” 

“‘E cam keep an eye om him if you wan’,” he said through an enormous bite of cake, spilling crumbs down his front. 

She giggled and brushed her hands up the side of his face, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “Yes, it’s unquestionable,” she said as she turned his head side to side, like an appraiser studying a piece of jewelry. “You eat like an animal.” 

He swallowed his food, unable to restrain a smile. Morning was just starting to peek through the night as he laced up his boots and strapped his gear onto his back. The sun was just showing its first hints of appearing through the murky window. “Let’s head out.” 

“Hey, honey!” Telma’s booming voice carried through the bar as Link descended the stairs. No matter how early he awoke, she always seemed to be up before him. “Hope you enjoyed your rest. You deserve a break every now and then, always on the go and fighting all those monsters to keep us safe.”

Smiling, but unable to summon his voice, he walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off her feet. 

“Oh! You are just the sweetest little thing,” she laughed. “Take care out there, honey! I’ll be waiting for you with a big fat steak.” 

The wolf form was not his preferred one. 

The transformation into a wolf was an unpleasant one, painful at times, but it was needed in order for him to scale the slippery walls leading into the Domain without falling to a gruesome death. 

It had been a few months since his first transformation, but Link was still not fully accustomed to his wolf form. Sure, it came with the advantages of speed, heightened senses, and even the occasional chance to chit chat with various animals, but he was awkward in the lupine body; the paws were too heavy, he had no access to his weapons, and it was even hard to communicate with Midna—most others wouldn't give him the time of day without fleeing or attacking.

After a couple hours of scaling the rock walls with Midna’s guidance, and some strange looks from Zoras, he halted in his tracks. A frigid breeze blew over him from inside a small cavern in the rock, unable to permeate his thick fur, but stinging his nose. Despite the slight discomfort, it felt right, natural. Already he liked it infinitely more than the desert. “Ooh, this is nice, just like home,” Midna said lavishly from atop his back. “This must be it.”

He proceeded down into the cavern and, after disposing of a few keese, emerged into an enormous field of billowing snow. He stopped to observe it, feeling it beneath his paws, between his toes. He’d seen snow a few times in his life, but never in his wolf form, and it was wonderful. He was bursting with energy; he pounced on piles of snow, snapped at falling snowflakes, dug and rolled around in it, wanting its sweet scent to cling to him. 

“Hey, are you just about wrapping up yet?” 

He spun around to face Midna, who floated above him with her arms crossed, and barked at her, taking a playful stance and wagging his tail in the air. 

She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at a white figure in the distance. “Ashei’s over there, whenever you’re ready.” 

It was Ashei! He bounded over to her, his tail wagging. She was wearing what appeared to be a thick, white mascot outfit, with the crude head tucked neatly under her arm. “Huh, a grey one this time, and all alone…” she said flatly as he halted a few yards away from her, his tail wagging and his tongue hanging out the side of his jaw. He barked at her, taking the same playful stance he did with Midna, bounding back and forth and flopping over on his back, sneezing as he rolled around. 

She gave him a small smile. “You’re a friendly one, and very pretty. I’ll have to sketch you later.” 

He shook himself off and sat down, wagging his tail and looking up at her. 

“Huh, actually,” she set the oversized costume head down and pulled out a small book and pencil from her pocket, “maybe I can get you down right now. Try not to attack me; I’d hate to get my sword dirty again…” She took down a quick drawing and stuffed her art supplies back into her pocket. “I’ve got to get going soon, wolfie, but I’ll show everyone back at Telma’s how pretty you are. I bet Link would get a kick out of you; I get the feeling he has a liking for wolves.” 

He cocked his head. 

“Try not to get too friendly, yeah? I’d hate to see you as someone’s coat.” She put on the yeti head. “Go find your family,” she said, muffled. “They’re probably looking for you.” She turned her back on him and departed into the whiteness of the storm. 

Although short, it was a lovely visit. 

He was never treated warmly as a wolf before. Most people were either scared or attacked him, but Ashei was pleasantly ambivalent, even a bit friendly.

“A little bit of snow and you go completely brain-dead?! Are you really that dense as a dog?!” Midna scolded as Link eagerly dug into the snow, looking for a vole he sensed. “Go get her before she disappears on us.” She snapped her fingers and he turned back into his human form, sinking shin-deep into the snow and yelping as the cold suddenly penetrated through his tunic. 

“Oh, c-come on,” he sputtered, his hands tucked firmly in his underarms, “I was h-having fun f-for once…” 

“You’re the chosen hero of the Goddesses. They don’t want you to have fun.” 

He scoffed, puffing out a cloud of white frost. With shivering fingers, he dug through the pouch on his belt and, with a bit of difficulty, pulled out the traveler’s coat Uli lovingly made for him before his trek into Hyrule Field. It wasn’t enough to block out the cold, but it certainly took the edge off as he wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled the hood over his head. 

“Link!” Ashei called out as he slowly trudged into her line of vision. She took off the costume head. “You come out all this way with just that?! You wouldn’t have made it much longer; it only gets colder the further up you go!” 

She trotted over to him, somehow managing to not sink up to her shins in the snow, and pulled out a small bottle of red liquid from her pouch. “Drink this; it'll warm you up,” she said, handing it to him. “Red potion mixed with red chuchu jelly and Gerudo pepper. Tastes like death but it should warm you up.” 

The mixture tasted like fresh blood, a flavor that he became fond of ever since he acquired his wolf form—but that wasn't something he'd ever admit. Warmth spread over him like a hot breeze, bringing back the sensation in his numb nose and ears, which began to tingle as blood flowed back into them. He breathed a sigh of relief, his tension unwinding now that his shivering subsided. 

She stuffed the bottle back into her pouch. “So, how goes it with you?” 

“Alright. Fought a bunch of demons and undead corpses, got a visit from the spirit of my ancestor trapped in the mortal plane, killed a few poltergeists, met the Ancient Sages, hung out with Shad for a bit.” 

“Yeah? You talked to Shad? How is he? Did he g—” 

“Oh goddesses,” Midna grumbled, “do they ever shut u—OW!” she yelped when Link stomped on his shadow. 

“Yeah? You say something? You’ll have to speak up.” 

“Uhh, how many yetis have you killed?” he asked, gesturing to the head under her arm.

“Don't worry, it isn't real. My father and I made it out of white wolfos fur and deer leather when I was younger. I could never kill one. They're very kind, very gentle; I grew up around them,” she said fondly, stroking the costume head with her thumb as she recalled the memories. “But there aren’t as many around today...” 

Link nodded. “Oh, Shad wanted me to give you this,” he said, pulling out the letter and handing it to her. 

“Oh, hey, thanks.” She smiled as she read it over and laughed, something Link rarely saw. “He was talking to someone while he wrote this, yeah? This is how he writes when that happens, total mess.” She chuckled a bit, carefully putting the letter in her coat pocket. “So,” she said brightly, clapping her gloved hands together with a dull 'smack’, “what was it you came all the way up here for? I know it wasn’t just to play delivery boy.” 

“I heard that you were investigating some strange beast sightings around Zora's Domain. I'd like to hear about it, if that's alright.” 

“Yeah, sure thing.” She pulled out a small, tattered sketch of a large, hairy white beast from inside her coat and handed it to Link. “There's been reports of a male yeti travelling down to the Domain and fishing for a trout species called 'reekfish’ that only feeds on freshwater red coral. He hasn't shown any aggression, but it's still strange—it’s not in their natural diet. I can't think of a reason for him to travel farther down than halfway up the mountain, let alone all the way down.” She scratched the side of her nose with a heavily gloved hand, thinking. “Oh, you can keep that sketch, by the way. I have a few. And let me find you an extra tinder box before you run off,” she said, digging through her pouch. “Try not to burn off your eyebrows like Rusl did that one time…” 

With Ashei turned away, Midna crept near his ear and hissed, “Ask her about Shard's leg!” 

“Hey,” he said slowly, “have you ever noticed anything a bit...odd about Shad?”

“He's a historian. They're all a bit off-kilter,” she mused. 

“I mean, his posture is a bit off. He seems to have trouble with his left leg.” 

The smile faded from her face. 

“Yeah, I can sort of see it when he walks. Do you...know what's up with that?”

“That’s none of your damn business!” she snarled, making him flinch back a bit. “Here.” she tossed the tinder box at Link’s feet. “You’ll need this. Don’t let the cold bite you in the ass.” With an aggressive flurry of her coat, she turned her back on him and disappeared into the whiteness of the storm. 

Chapter Text

For a moment, Link just stood there, knee-deep in the snow. 

The storm billowed around him, stinging his cheeks and whipping his hair across his face. Midna crept up from his shadow and leaned on his shoulder. “I'm sorry I got you yelled at…” she said tentatively, handing him the tinder box. 

He shrugged. 

“You know who I think could help out with the yeti thing? That Zora prince that mopes around the graveyard in Kakariko. Royals always know more than the commons. Besides, we should get you out of here until the weather calms down.” 

The sun sat swollen on the horizon, bathing the sky in a heavy red glow as nighttime slowly drew closer. After transporting him, Midna settled to sleep in his shadow for the evening. Everybody had long since turned in for the night, and Link strolled through the empty town, enjoying the privacy of the village to himself. It was still upon first glance, but ever since Link acquired his lupine form, a trace of the heightened senses lingered in his Hylian form, and could sense the bustling undergrowth of the wildlife around the sparse little settlement. 

A squirrel skittered around a small pile of leaves beneath a tree as Link approached the gates of the graveyard, jumping around in stilted movements as it searched for something to store for the winter. A small part of him wanted to chase after it, but it was an easily-ignored urge. 

Kakariko always had an uneasy feeling about it, and Link’s recent visit to the Arbiter’s Grounds only served to worsen his discomfort. Sure, he’d only seen one small poe in his visits to the village resting grounds, but there was something off about the atmosphere, a heaviness that lingered in the air and settled in the back of his throat, making him nauseous. The sun fully retreated beneath the horizon, and a near-total darkness blanketed the graveyard. His vision was reduced to nothing but blobs; he had to squint to keep from accidentally knocking into gravestones. This was a rare time when he would have preferred his wolf form, but he didn’t think that Ralis would appreciate a visit from a large wolf in the middle of the night. 

As he approached the entrance to the hidden grove containing the royal graves, he heard a low, gravelly chuffing sound, light crunching, barely audible; a rancid scent wafted over him. He paused, straining his ears. It sounded almost like a grizzlemaw bear, but he'd never seen one outside of Faron. He rounded the corner and in front of him lay a deer carcass, bloody, mutilated. Bent over it was a pale humanoid creature, gangly. Its backbone nearly stabbed through its paper-thin skin as it hunched over, chewing fervently. A sickening wet crunch emanated through the trees with each bite it took, the squelch of flesh, the cracking of bone… 

It’s head snapped up.

Link immediately retreated behind the corner. He froze, chills prickling on the back of his neck. He’d encountered many animals back in Ordon; bears, cougars, and ungulates would keep their distance if left alone. Not even the Twili beasts stirred up such a strong malaise. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped beneath heavy footsteps; all other sounds vanished. 

His hand went to his back, tightly clutching the grip on his sword. He slowly turned his head, trying to remain as quiet as possible, but he could see almost nothing in the inky blackness of the night. He desperately wanted to wake Midna, to not be alone, but the extra noise would draw more of its attention. He drew his sword and shield, waiting for it to pounce. The panting of the beast seemed to surround him on all sides, the rotting scent was overwhelming, stinging his eyes. He could hear it crashing through the underbrush, circling him, taunting him, the scraping of claws on the dry ground as it gradually grew closer—

“Hello!” 

Link jumped nearly three feet, almost tripping over a large tree root. From the hidden grove crawled Ralis, holding a small lantern in his hand. “Link!” A smile crossed his face as he trotted over to the startled swordsman. “I thought I heard somebody out here.” He held the lantern up to Link’s ashen face and his smile faded a bit. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry if I frightened you.” He turned his attention to the partially-eaten deer. “Or uh, perhaps interrupted a meal.” 

Link shook his head. Never had he been more happy to see the young prince. He was relieved to no longer be alone—Midna still snoozed in his shadow, unaware of the strange near-encounter. He holstered his weaponry and showed Ashei’s faded sketch to Ralis with the addition of a large question mark that he drew himself. 

Recognition flashed in the prince’s dark eyes. “Ah, the mountain beast man! We don’t see him very often.” He jabbed his finger at the enormous fish in the yeti’s hand. “That fish he’s holding is a reekfish, and it can be found near the Mother-and-Child Rocks just south of the Domain’s main entrance. They’re impossible to catch without red coral bait. But, you’re in luck, because my earring is carved from it.” 

He unclipped the hook-shaped piercing and handed it to Link, who carefully cupped it in his hands. “It was a gift from my mother,” he said fondly. “I’ve spent a lot of time praying at my father’s grave, and I think it’s about time I return back to the Domain and continue my parents’ legacy instead of clinging to it.” He cleared his throat. “I’d be lying if I said I’ve completely moved on, and maybe I never will, but it’s time to move forward. I think it’d be best if I parted with that old thing, and there’s nobody I’d like to gift it to than the man who saved my life.” 

Redness burned across Link’s face and he sheepishly averted his gaze. He was never one to take compliments well. 

Ralis gave him a warm smile. “I won’t keep you any longer. Go off to your quests, and if you ever need any sort of help—a safe sanctuary or just a place to rest, you are always welcome to ask for anything we have to offer.” 

He didn’t want to stay in Kakariko. Especially at night.

As soon as he walked Ralis to the inn, Link woke up a very irate Midna and requested that she immediately warp him out of the small village by frantically jabbing his finger at the map. Her irritation at being woken up softened as she saw the terrified expression on his face. It was an extremely rare event that she saw him so utterly frightened, so she transported him to the gates of Castle Town and slinked back into his shadow to resume her rest. 

He streamlined straight to Telma’s bar, not even pausing to greet any of the stray cats he befriended several weeks prior. “Oh, honey,” Telma said with concern when he walked into the tavern, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Go sit down with the others, sweetie, and I’ll bring you up something to make you feel a little better.” 

He trudged over to the table, occupied by Ashei and Auru muttering to each other and poring over an intricate map of Snowpeak, the slanted handwriting of which made Link assume she drew it herself. 

He plopped down on a seat and both their heads shot up—Ashei’s scowl softened when she saw the expression on his face. 

“You alright, lad?” Auru asked in his deep, raspy voice. “You hurt anywhere?” 

Link shook his head. 

Ashei eyed him. “You saw something that spooked you. I know that look anywhere.” She rolled up the map and set it aside. “It must've been quite the experience, because you're a stoic.” She dug through her bag and pulled out some scratch parchment and a pencil, setting them on the table. “Tell us about it.” 

He took the paper and quickly scribbled down the story before handing it to Ashei.

She read the paper and raised an eyebrow. “I've never heard of a beast like this. Sounds like you almost got attacked by a compost pile with claws or something.” 

“Oh, nonsense Ashei,” Auru said with amusement, whipping the paper from her hands and putting on his glasses. His face fell as he read it over and he set the paper down, a look of disbelief on his face. “You said you were in the graveyard?” 

Link nodded. 

“It stood in pitch black and left when the Zora boy brought his lantern…” Auru sighed, wracking his mind for an answer. The wrinkles in his forehead deepened. “I don't want you returning to Kakariko after sundown, under any circumstances.” He got out of his seat. “I'm going to write a letter to Renado. You two get to bed soon.” He folded the paper and put it on the table before going upstairs. 

Ashei finished her brandy. “Hey, I’m not mad anymore, if that didn't get through. It wasn’t your place to prod, but it wasn’t right of me to yell at you either.” She stood up and shouldered her bag. “I'm off to bed too. And don't worry about grampa's tendency to play up tension—that's just normal Kakariko." 

“Here you are, honey.” 

Telma set down a plate of mashed potatoes and sliced ham, smothered in gravy, followed by a tall glass of warm milk. The food lifted his spirits some, but he still felt a pit of dread lingering in his gut. 

Telma sipped her brandy. “In a talking mood, honey?” 

He shook his head.

“That’s alright; I’ve got enough chatter for two people. You know, I got a letter from that handsome, handsome Renado today about something weird happening around Kakariko. Apparently the kids and Illia have been seeing some sort of weird creature running around the southern side of the village at sundown. Renado hasn’t seen it for himself, but the kids say it smells like garbage and looks pretty gangly, big long claws.” 

The color drained from his face. 

She frowned. “Well sweetie, looks like you’ve seen the same thing...No idea what this is?” 

He shook his head. 

She swirled the contents at the bottom of her glass, thinking. “I think we should wake up the others about this. It's still early in the night and we're very overdue for a meeting anyways.” She finished off her brandy and stood up. “I'm ready when you are, honey.” 

They made their way upstairs to the third floor, a small hallway with four rooms on each side. The second floor held the rooms that Telma rented out, mostly to patrons too drunk to get home, but the third floor held the private rooms of the Resistance members. Link was a bit crestfallen to see Rusl's room vacated—it was easy to forget that he returned to Ordon to help Uli through the rest of her pregnancy. 

 “Let's get Ashei first,” Telma said softly, gesturing to the light glowing from beneath her bedroom door. She knocked on the door. “Ashei, honey, come on out. Meeting downstairs.” 

The door opened and Ashei stepped out, still fully dressed. Link took a quick look at the inside of her room, which somewhat resembled his—a squashy bed piled with mismatched pillows, a nightstand where she dropped her knapsack, and a desk, on which stood a lantern next to her sword, which she was polishing when Telma knocked. 

“Alrighty, let's get to it,” she said, a hint of drowsiness weighing on her voice. She turned to Link as Telma started knocking on Auru's door. “This is about that thing you ran into, yeah?” She offered him a wry smile. “You've always got something interesting for us, don't you?” 

“Auru!” Telma pounded on his door, rattling the wooden walls in the hallway. “You deaf old codger! Wake up already!” 

Shad's door opened and he poked his head out, droopy-eyed and his hair a mess. “Is this a meeting? What happened?” 

Ashei handed him the story Link wrote. 

“Ah, thank you, love,” he said thickly, failing to suppress a yawn. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the paper behind slightly crooked glasses, still not entirely awake. Link noticed that he was leaning heavily in the doorway, hardly bearing any weight on his left leg. 

“What do you think it is?” Ashei asked. 

He handed her back the paper. “Sounds like a rather aggressive compost pile.” 

Ashei snickered. “Right?”  

It was another twenty minutes before Telma could rouse Auru, and by the time she accompanied him downstairs, the other three were sitting at the table with several of Shad's books and loose pages strewn about. 

“Okay,” Shad said, now fully awake and flipping through an enormous textbook, “if the letter and Link's account are correct, this sounds like some sort of...preternatural being? Not too much information about them that I have, but it’s definitely not a normal salt-of-the-earth creature…Some sort of ethereal entity. My guess would be on...” He clucked his tongue, running his finger down a page. “The al-ghuûl, perhaps? No documented sightings in mainland Hyrule, but it seems to be a common sight in Yarna.” 

Auru set down his coffee. “Yes, I’ve heard many tales of that being during my travels in Yarna.” He turned his attention to Ashei, who was standing behind Shad to read the notes over his shoulder. “I even might have had a bit of a run-in with one while running diplomatics with your father.” 

She raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, you know about them?” Shad asked almost eagerly, grabbing a pencil. “Do enlighten us, please.” 

Auru grabbed another pencil on the table and started scribbling on a blank paper, his face hard with concentration. The drawing he held up almost made Link nauseous: it almost looked human, but something was terribly wrong. It stood on two legs taller than even most horses’, covered in what looked like sores and festering wounds, emaciated to the point that it's hips, ribs, and spine jutted out, its stomach sunken in. Its bony fingers were twice the length they should have been, filthy claws scraping the ground as it stood on all fours, bearing sharpened teeth in an oversized mouth. Where the eyes and nose would have belonged were shallow, rotted hollows. 

A shiver ran up Link's neck and he averted his gaze from the image. 

“Perhaps one of the more terrifying beasts I've encountered. It hunts only at night, and is perfectly capable of replicating someone's voice. It's never been known to hunt anyone over twenty-four; it mainly targets children. It'll pick a spot and scope it out for weeks, even months, before it takes a victim—what happens to them exactly is unknown, though bits of them are sometimes found.” 

The group exchanged nervous glances as Auru spoke. 

“They say it's a rather loud creature; it likes to make noises to taunt people, anything from panting to copying the shrieks of a Redead.” Link saw the flicker of an idea in Shad's eye, who shuffled through an overstuffed file on the table and pulled out a tattered fieldbook, rapidly thumbing through the pages. 

Telma returned with a tray of drinks and placed one in front of each of them, sitting down herself with a mug of coffee. Ashei wrinkled her nose as if she’d stepped in something wet and unpleasant. “Oy, Telma, where's the good stuff?” 

“No alcohol until the meeting’s over, honey. Didn’t go well the last time. Coffee for us old coots, apple cider for you and Shad, and milk for Link.”  

“So," Shad piped up, "I’m searching through some of my great-grandmother’s works on religious practices during the Reconstruction, and believe it or not, I think she actually had some information on this strange creature; the description is quite similar. She refers to it as ‘ Kakariko Horror #31 ’ though, but I think it’s the same thing based on its description. Kakariko is known to be a hotbed of horrific creature sightings—apparently beneath the village is a series of catacombs that were once used as a sight for demonic rituals and extremely dark magic.” He paused to finish off his cider and cleared his throat. “Luckily or unluckily—depending on your viewpoint, that is—it is only one of three creatures sighted that has actually harmed someone.” 

“Great. Tell us how to kill it,” Ashei said gruffly, pouring the remainder of her apple cider into Shad’s glass while he flipped through multiple passages, scribbling down notes. Link was a bit impressed to see that he could easily write without looking. 

“There is no known way to kill it, and apparently it respawns every hundred or so years,” Shad said with his nose still buried in his crumbling textbook. Ashei’s eyebrows knitted together in a nasty scowl and she opened her mouth to say something vulgar, but stood silent when Shad continued, “The only known person to defeat this was, uh, this translates best to ‘Champion of Time’—probably the Hero of Time from a hundred or so years ago, the old Hylian Champion from the forest. Apparently he lost an eye during the conflict, though.” He set down his book. “The creature would only appear at night during new moons, maybe because that’s when the nights are completely dark. I guess we’ve got some waiting to do…” 

Ashei clapped her hands together. “Great. In the meantime, I'd like a tall brandy, please.” 

Telma chuckled. “Sure, Ashei. I’ll bring you the good stuff right now.” She stood up, leaning on the table and giving Link a rather uncomfortable view of her low-cut blouse. “I might as well start prepping for the morning. Shad, honey, could you help me with a few measurements in the cellar? I’m trying to order a few things from the catalogue, but I have no idea how much a ‘gross’ is, or any of these things, really…” 

“Sure thing.” 

Auru glanced at Shad’s mess of books and scattered papers after the two disappeared downstairs, folded up his illustration and tucked it into the file labelled ‘paraphysical and unknown anomalies.’  “Hm, look at that, Shad left his favorite manual here.” He picked up the book and slid the knife out, weighing it in his hand, admiring the intricate, slightly tarnished design in its brass handle. 

Ashei bristled. “Hey! You lost his page.” 

“Oh, he’ll find it again. It’s not like this isn’t the fiftieth time he’s read this one about whatever the hell 'sky people' are. It’s already made the boy half-mad,” Auru said flatly, brushing her off. He turned to Link, a bit of a gleam in his eye. “You’ve never seen him in action with these, have you?”

Link shook his head. 

Auru smiled at him. “Let me tell you, that little swot was quite the terror on the battlefield.” 

Link cocked an eyebrow. He had trouble imagining Shad wielding any sort of weapon, let alone a close-range one, or being good at it. Shad himself had even dismissed any personal physical prowess when first chatting with Link.  

Auru still toyed with the knife. “He hasn’t been out in the field for awhile, so he doesn’t carry his full stock, but he still holds onto his father’s knife wherever he goes. Can’t really blame him, there’s been a lot of muggings lately...Whatever happened to that man who tried to mug you last night, Ashei?” 

“Oh, yeah, that.” She plopped a bag of rupees on the table. “I mugged him back.” 

Link snorted into his milk, spilling it down his chin and nearly choking. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, failing to suppress the dry coughs rising in his throat. 

She kicked back on her seat, balancing precariously with her feet on the edge of the table. “You seem surprised,” she muttered dully.

“Oh Ashei, really…” Shad chided, sitting back at the table. 

“Hey, don’t get stuffy with me, city boy. How do you think I paid for that pretty sweater I got you last week?” 

He gasped in horror, his hand over his mouth. “Not by robbing people!” 

She crossed her arms over her chest. “He tried robbing me first, so I reversed that and robbed him instead. It cancels out, so it doesn’t count as an actual crime.” 

“That is not how it works!” 

“Yeah? You think so? You’re acting like you’re so...” her voice trailed off as an enormous man walked into the bar, disheveled, stringy-haired, and red-eyed. “Aw, hell, that’s the guy...and my sword is upstairs.” She cracked her knuckles. “Guess tonight is the night I punch a man to death.” 

Chapter Text

“I doubt he’ll even remember you,” Shad muttered reassuringly, but Link noticed him slip the knife out of the book that Auru had tucked it back into just a moment ago.

 Link wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword, not taking his eyes off the man still standing in the doorway, his narrowed eyes dazed and unfocused as he slowly looked around the bar. 

Auru stood up. “We’re closed for a private meeting. Sorry, brother.” 

The man slowly set his gaze on Auru, but stood leaning in the doorway, swaying slightly. 

Telma emerged from the cellar. “Well, well, a late-night party guy, huh?” she said warmly, greeting the disheveled man. “No more drinks for today, hun, but we can set you up a nice warm bed for the n—AHHH!” 

The man fell forward, his face collided with the wooden floors with a hard 'smack.’ Embedded in his back was an enormous, tarnished knife, buried to its hilt.  

Telma stared at the man, perplexed; Shad turned a sickly pale and gagged; Link just gawked, dumbfounded, wide-eyed and his mouth slightly agape. 

Auru seemed only mildly surprised, as if the man had walked in with nothing more than a strange haircut, and chuckled darkly when Ashei said, “Bud, the doctor is actually the next address over.”  

After a few seconds of initial shock, Link rushed over to the crumpled man on the floor and dropped to his knees, frantically digging through the pouch on his belt, and pulled out a jar containing a tiny, glowing pink fairy, floating idly in its glass confinement. 

He wrapped his hand around the knife's handle, shudders shooting up the back of his neck. Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, he gave it a harsh tug, soliciting a weak groan from the man, but the blade remained stationary, He set down the jar, grabbed the knife with both hands, and yanked, lifting the man off the floor, but the knife wouldn't budge. Link exhaled, a bit of a panic started welling in his chest. 

“Not as much blood as I'd expect from something like this…” Auru muttered, kneeling beside Link. 

“The blade is acting as a plug on the severed blood vessels,” Shad said with nausea still thick in his quivering voice. “There will be quite a torrent w—,” he gagged, watery-eyed, “when it's pulled out.” 

Auru scowled. “Not if we time it right. It's probably stuck in the bone, that's why you're having such a hard time, probably serrated, too. Grab your fairy. We need to time this very, very carefully.” 

Link grabbed the jar and gave a terse nod. 

Auru bent over and planted his boot in the small of the man's back. Link squeezed his eyes shut and turned away just as Auru grunted and tore the blade from his shoulder with a sickening 'squelch.’ He felt as if something exploded in his skull; his head was swimming, a deafening ring roared around him, the room was spinning, stars flashed across his vision—

“Honey, are you alright?” 

Link felt himself cradled in Telma's warm, soft arms, his cheek against her chest. He slowly sat up, trying to blink away the blurriness in his vision. Beside him lay the empty bottle on the floor; Auru picked up the healed man with surprising ease and slung him over his shoulder. “I'm going to put him to bed in one of the inn rooms so he can sleep this off, Telma. Good as new in the morning.” 

“Sounds like a plan. I'm headed to the cellar.” 

Auru patted Link roughly on the back. “Buck up, kid. You've shown up here covered in bulbin chunks more than the rest of us put together.” 

“You know it's different when it's people, grampa,” Ashei muttered.

Auru held up the gory, serrated knife, the blade bent at the tip from striking bone, and casually set it down at the table directly in front of Shad, who immediately seized the nearest waste bin and ducked his head into it, retching. 

Auru chuckled under his breath, but his smile quickly faded when Ashei shot him a venomous glare. Link and the others watched him climb the stairs with the man over his shoulder and disappear around the corner. 

Link slowly got to his feet, swaying a bit, worked his way back to the table, and collapsed into a seat. He crossed his arms on the table and rested his head down in them to avoid looking at the grisly knife, restlessly bouncing his knee. 

Ashei rubbed Shad's shoulder, which made him go a bit red-faced. “You gonna be alright?” 

He spat into the bin of his lap. “It isn't anything we haven't seen before,” he said thickly. “It's just been awhile, is all; I'm not used to it anymore…” 

“It isn't something any of us should've gotten used to in the first place, don'tcha think?” 

“In an ideal world, Ashei…” 

“And what about you, goat guy?” she asked. 

Link glanced at her and nodded, still bouncing his knee. 

She looked at both boys with a heavy bit of skepticism, but decided not to press the issue. “Looks like whoever got to that guy after me wasn't as nice as I was...” she mused, sipping Auru's abandoned coffee. “I never considered actually killing him.”

“Do you think you could actually ever kill anyone, Ashei?” Link asked, his voice muffled in his arms. 

“Good question...I dunno if I could do it again, honestly.” 

He lifted his head. 

She continued, “It's way different from killing demons or keese or whatever the monster of the hour is—there’s no question on the morality of killing them; they're literally made of dark energy, the malice of some greater evil; to kill them is a good thing. But, people...Well, killing another person is a bit like killing a part of yourself, in a way.”

She finished the coffee and set the mug down. 

“And I think there's a bit of an unspoken fear in our group: that the transition between killing monsters and real people would be too easy; the methods and anatomy are all the same—you know, all the blood and insides and all that are almost identical, scarily so, and we're all more than physically capable of it; one day we might slip past the barrier without really even noticing—or caring.”

Ashei rubbed Shad's shoulder again, who suddenly seemed quite flustered. “I think it'd be best if we went up to bed. We'll all feel better in the morning.” 

Link shook his head. 

“Gonna head out then, yeah? Snowpeake?” 

He nodded. 

Midna popped out of his shadow when they disappeared up the stairs. “Wasn't that your only fairy?!” she hissed, livid. 

“Yeah,” he said, bringing his glass to his lips. 

“'Yeah’?! And what are we supposed to do now if you get hurt?! Those things are so hard to find! The only one you've ever gotten was for finding all the spirit lights, and we can't do that anymore!” 

“He was dying. What else was I supposed to do?” 

“Let! Him!” she growled, smacking him on the shoulder and making him spill milk down his front. “He probably deserved it!” 

“You have so much wrath. You could be a postal worker.” 

“Hey Link!” 

Midna dived into his shadow on the wall.

I almost forgot!” Ashei called out, trotting down the stairs. She had an enormous, thick white coat in her arms and she tossed it around his shoulders. “This was my father's, so try to take care of it until I get it back, yeah? Wear it the next time you're out at Snowpeak.” She straightened out the collar a bit around his neck and patted him roughly on the arm. “Send Yeto my greetings if you run into him, yeah?” 

Chapter Text

Link always found fishing to be relaxing.

He sat with his legs dangling over the ledge, idly humming a tune under his breath. Behind him, the sun sat swollen on the horizon, bathing the autumn leaves in fiery red. He watched the line of his fishing rod bob with the gentle current coming from Zora's Domain, the moon's reflection rippled and contorted with the movement of the water. 

Midna sat beside him, cross-legged, impatiently eyeing the enormous red fish cautiously approaching the baited hook and darting away from it. A few times she grew frustrated enough to jump in and try to catch one herself, but they were far too fast. She looked up at Link, who had a slight smirk creeping across his lips. “What's so funny?” 

Link smiled. “Yeto the yeti, heheheh…” 

Midna scoffed. “That’s not funny.” 

“Rot in your humorless existence, hobgoblin.” 

“Oh, sorry. Maybe I'll try to acquire the sense of humor of a brick so that I can better understand your poignant thought process.” 

He opened his mouth to retort, but the fishing rod lurched in his hands and nearly pulled him into the water. “Wooo!” He yanked it back, trying to reel in the massive fish that they'd waited nearly an hour for. 

“Get it get it get it get it!” Midna yelped, hopping up and down as Link edged closer and closer to the water. 

“Midna! The boots,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his grip on the rod. “AH!” The fish gave him another powerful yank, pulling Link onto his stomach. His chin collided harshly with the rocky ledge; he tasted a burst of blood as his teeth sank into his tongue upon the impact. He turned his head and spat red-tinged saliva on the rocky ground. “The metal boots!” 

“Oh, boots! Right!” She snapped her fingers and the metal boots appeared over his regular ones with a sharp crack. He grunted, slowly tugging himself away from the edge of the water; the added weight to his feet was the only thing keeping him from being pulled into the water. The gigantic fish broke the surface of the water, thrashing it's powerful fins as Link edged it closer to the bank. Midna ventured too close and was struck by its enormous tail, landing in the water nearly ten feet away. 

With one final yank, Link managed to drag the fish onto land. He smiled. The fish was one of the biggest, most beautiful creatures Link had ever seen, sleek red with a bright iridescent pattern, nearly five feet in length—and he almost immediately turned his head away. A burning smell similar to decay wafted over him as the fish heaved and flailed around on the ground. He spat again. The stench of the fish was mingling with the metallic, acrid tang of blood in his mouth, and he was starting to feel ill. 

Midna emerged from the water and hovered next to Link, grimacing. “Ugh, it stinks, and it's so ugly, gross…” 

“Then this isn't a fish,” he panted, completely soaked in the icy water as he delicately removed the hook from its gasping mouth. “I reeled in your personality.” 

“Oh, haha…” She snapped her fingers again and Link yelped as he was contorted into his wolf form. “Get this thing's scent so we can find Mr. Yeti and get the next mirror shard.” 

He snorted at her and then pointed his nose towards the exhausted fish, whose mouth was opening and closing slowly, struggling for breath. Its scent was absolutely delicious in his wolfish form, but he tried to hurry in learning his scent; he could feel it growing weaker. After a moment, he pushed the fish towards the water, which was much easier with the bank's downward slope, and the fish slipped into the enormous lake, disappearing into its depths. 

He shook himself off, turned to Midna and sat down, smiling, his fur still dripping wet. “I think you should sleep first,” she said, holding his face in her hands, petting his cheek. “I don't think you should go out into a snowstorm this wet, so sleeping should give you enough time for drying off—and I don't think it's a great idea for you to go out there without sleep anyways.” 

He gave her a soft “boof” and trotted over to a large willow tree leaning over the bank, its branches swaying in the water's current. He pawed at the fallen leaves beneath it, gathering them into a large pile, turned around three times, and curled up in his makeshift nest. He yawned and tucked his nose under his tail, idly listening to the cricket chirps and gurgling water that slowly lulled him into a doze. 

“Scoot over, dog boy,” Midna muttered, lifting up his heavy paw and wedging herself against him. “I've gotta sleep, too, you know…” 

He adjusted his position a bit to accommodate her and curled his tail over her small form, welcoming her warmth against the cold night. 

The clouds above blotted the morning sun, casting a dim white glow against the freshly-fallen snow.

Link ambled merrily through the ankle-deep snow, kicking it up in powdery clouds and relishing the sweet, icy smell of the mountains. Midna had taken to residing in his shadow; she kept slipping off his back with his boisterous movements and quickly became miffed. 

There were hardly any inhabitants in the mountains. Once they'd stumbled upon a shadow beast ambush set by Zant, but the only indigenous creatures they'd seen were a few ice keese and a poe. The air was still, cool, and the potent scent of the fish stood out deliciously across the landscape, easy to follow. But there was something else mingled with it, something hot and woody—the sweet scent of a yeti.

The scent became almost overwhelming as he drew nearer, harder to follow, so he softened his gait. In the distance he spotted a large tree overlooking a cliff. Standing underneath it was an enormous white beast that he guessed had to be at least ten feet in height, hunched over and gazing at the hills below. Dangling from its enormous hand was the biggest fish Link had ever seen; it looked to be nearly Epona's height. 

Midna slithered from his shadow. “Huh, so that's a yeti,” she muttered with her hand on her hip. She patted Link's head. “Let's go check him out. Ashei said they were friendly…” 

He started forward, but Midna suddenly yanked back on his ear, stopping him in his tracks. “Not as a wolf, a person!” She snapped and he warped back into his human form, yelping as he sank ankle-deep into the frigid snow. 

“I’d appreciate a heads-up when you do that,” he said drearily, his arms crossed tightly over his middle as the cold seeped through his clothes.

“Right, sorry,” she said flatly. “Here.” She summoned the plush, slightly tarnished coat that Ashei loaned him and tossed it around his shoulders. “This should help with the cold, at least.” She smiled a bit when she saw that the coat went past his knees. “You're little for a light-dweller, huh? That's kind of cute…” 

“UHHH, HUMAN!” The yeti bellowed excitedly at Link, startling him and nearly making him fall back. “Yeto no see human in a long time! Uh, why human so far out here?” 

Link handed him the same note that he wrote for Auru nearly five weeks back, detailing his search for the ancient mirror shards. 

The yeti took the note in his enormous hands. Scowling, he painstakingly looked over the writing, then nodded his head knowingly, handing the note back to Link. Link eagerly bounced on the balls of his feet as the yeti scratched his head, deep in thought. After a long silence, the yeti said, “Uh, Yeto can’t read human writing, uh. Too small.” 

Midna snorted with laughter in Link’s shadow. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small pencil. Using his thigh as a solid surface, he flipped the note over and drew up a quick sketch of a mirror shard, then handed it back to Yeto. 

“OOOOHHHHH!” Yeto slapped his belly with a hearty laugh. “Uh, you looking for mirror, eh?” 

Link nodded. 

“Uh, Yeto have it back at home. Please, take! It make many bad things happen, uh, bad monsters, and Yeto sweet wife sick…” He trailed off with the last statement, and Link felt a pang of pity with the sorrow in his words. “Uh, come to house! Yeto make good soup with fish, good for health. Make Yeta feel better and little human strong!” he yelled, suddenly cheerful again. He punched the tree with a sudden ferocity, making Link cringe, and hopped on the ice shard that fell from its branches. “House this way, uh. Follow Yeto!” He kicked off and slid down the hill, soon disappearing out of view. 

Midna leaned on Link's shoulder. "I like him. He's loud.” She hovered over the tree's branches and yanked off a sizable sheet of ice for him. “Think you can learn how to do this? I think so. You learned archery in like, what, ten minutes, Mr. Champion of the Goddesses? This should be easy.” 

Link tensed his jaw at the prospect of speeding down a mountain on nothing but a piece of ice, but Midna was right. After falling over a few times and nearly colliding with a tree, he found the sledding to be a bit fun, and he soon arrived at an enormous, dilapidated mansion. “Not to sound rude, but this seems like its too nice for a beast-man, don't you think?” 

He shrugged and entered the building. The entrance hall looked as if it'd been abandoned for decades: the walls were peeling, holes pocked the ceiling, allowing fresh snow to fall on the decomposing carpet, paintings were faded and falling, the enormous chandelier hung haphazardly from rusted chains. Still, Link thought it was a beautiful place to see, even when he had to hold his shield over his head to protect himself from swooping keese.

He opened the next door and found himself standing in a much cozier, well-kept room. It was pleasantly warm with a crackling fireplace and plush furniture scattered about; in the corner stood a bookshelf crammed with several old texts that nearly reached the ceiling. Dozens of portraits of long-dead military officials lined the walls, each one adorned with a unique coat of arms below it. In front of the fireplace was an enormous figure, slightly smaller than Yeto, propped up against an upturned couch and dozing in what appeared to be a large sweater that covered her arms. The faint scent of cooked fish wafted through the room, and Link made his way to the kitchen, careful not to wake the sleeping creature. 

The kitchen was in good condition like the previous room—Link figured that maybe Yeto and his wife only maintained the parts of the mansion that they used. Yeto was stirring a gigantic cauldron, standing next to a cutting board with the fish's remains. Around him were several crates of spices and cured meats—the yetis seemed to have refined palates. “Uh, human friend make it! Come, taste Yeto’s soup!” He grabbed a ladder and propped it up against the cauldron for Link, handing him an enormous spoon when he climbed onto the ladder. “It good, but it missing something, uh. But, Yeto will make it great! It just need time.” 

Link dipped his spoon into the gigantic pot, a bit wary of falling in, and tasted the broth. Though he expected it to be unpleasant, judging by the whole fish head floating around, it's simple flavor was actually quite good, homely; it reminded him of Uli's cooking back at Ordon. 

“Uh, little human friend like. Yeto glad!” He pointed at the door Link entered the kitchen through. “Go to wife in there. She tell you where mirror piece is.” 

Though he had seen nothing but warm hospitality, Link was still a bit apprehensive. 

He cautiously approached the sleeping she-yeti, hesitant to wake her up. He had never interacted with yetis before, let alone woken one up, and he had no idea what made them tick, or if he would accidentally wear down his welcome. He stood in front of her, unmoving, unable to summon his voice. 

Midna popped out his shadow and hovered over to Yeto's sleeping wife. “The yetis in the light world are cute, nothing like ours,” she mused. “Ours eat people. Kids, mostly. Fat kids.” She tapped the yeti on the shoulder. “Hey, excuse me,” she said with the deepest Link impression she could muster, trying not to laugh, “could you tell me where I can find the evil mirror?” 

The smaller yeti slowly stirred, trying to blink away the sleep in her glistening, beetle-like eyes. She sniffled and looked down at Link with a feverish daze. “Uh, you cute little human…” she muttered. “Mirror in bedroom. Uh, I think bedroom key in room over there...” She nodded to one of three doors and then dozed back off to sleep. Link adjusted his gear to sit over Ashei's coat.

The room led outside into what looked to be a frosty courtyard, but it also seemed to be reinforced as a sort of military base at one time; large brick walls and barricades striped across the courtyard, upon them stood several large cannons. Rusted weapons and shields were scattered about, half-buried in the snow. He stepped out of the doorway and yelped as he immediately sank to his knees, nearly falling forward.

Midna smiled. “Why do you always scream? Is snow scary to your human form or something?” 

He stuck his tongue at her and tightly clenched his arms over his middle, shivering. Though Ashei’s thick coat provided him with a lovely warmth, the sleet was melting into his leggings and boots, soaking him in icy water. 

“Gee, first you said the desert was too hot, now the mountains are too cold…” 

Link slowly trudged a path through the deep snow and entered a door to the next wing, a bit winded. This room was plain, but pleasantly warm, lit by glowing lanterns lining the wall. Against the wall was a small chest—the bedroom key. He wanted to get to it as soon as he could; his legs were going numb and he wanted to return to the warmth of Yeta's fireplace to dry off. 

He opened the chest and sniggered as he pulled out a pumpkin. He recognized it: an Ordonian pumpkin. He cocked his head, still smiling a bit. A few months ago, the children told them of something odd that they saw, a giant white beast-man stalking around the pumpkin patches who ran when he knew himself seen. The adults brushed them off. After all, they said, the goats were quite large and oftentimes broke into the pumpkin patches for an illicit treat, and there were three white, pregnant females, one of whom was probably just trying to eat something nice for her unborn baby. He couldn’t wait to see Colin’s face when he told him that he’d met the cryptid trespasser, and how incredibly friendly he was--

“Look out!” 

He drew his shield just as a spear came crashing down on it, shattering and slicing the side of his cheek. Two ice creatures lept from the ceiling, tall, slender, agile. The other one raised its spear and struck down. Link drew his sword to counter; the brittle weapon exploded in its hands and Link raised his shield to avoid the shrapnel of ice, then swung his sword and decapitated the strange creature. 

The first creature fled, jumping through a large hole in the ceiling and running off. Link kept on his guard until he heard its rapid footsteps die away, and sheathed his weapon. He never had the heart to pursue a frightened creature running away—he was the worst hunter in Ordon. Warm blood trickled down his jaw and he gingerly touched the cut on his  cheek, wincing with the harsh sting that burned through the wound. 

“Let me see it,” Midna muttered, gently moving his hand away. She snapped and a cloth appeared in her hand, conjured from his bag. Her brow furrowed as she dabbed his cheek. “This is too deep for a bandage. It needs stitches. We should go see Renado.” 

Link shook his head and reached into his bag, pulling out a small vial given to him by Auru before his trek into the Gerudo Desert. Auru said it wouldn't be helpful for grievous injuries, but it was good for small wounds. 

Midna took the vial and frowned, skeptical. “Do you really trust that old man and his magic potion juice thing?” Link nodded and she sighed, glancing at the blood slowly dripping off his jaw. “Well, if you trust him, then I do, too…” She uncorked the bottle and they were both hit with a harsh, bitter scent similar to onions; her eyes became irritated with the harsh fumes.

He drew a sharp breath through clenched teeth as she dabbed the liquid over his cheek. His eyes watered with the sting shooting through the cut with every touch; it felt like he was being stabbed with burning needles. 

“Almost done, almost done, almost done.” She tried to sound calm and reassuring, but the words fell too rapidly from her mouth, exposing her anxiety that often presented itself when she saw her companion injured. She paused to take a look at her work. The wound now looked to be several days old, sealed shut with fresh, delicate skin. The area around it was still inflamed and reddened with the caustic irritation of the mixture, but she still felt that it looked much better than before. “There, all done.”

He delicately brushed his fingers along the healed wound, feeling the raised texture of the newly-formed scar.

Yeta was again in a deep slumber when they returned to the main room, so he tried to keep quiet as he shed his boots and tights, laying them in front of the fire to dry. He sat beside them with Ashei's enormous coat fanned out around him, massaging the sensation back into his numb legs. After warming himself and getting re-dressed, he headed into the kitchen to see if Yeto would have any use for the pumpkin. 

Yep turned away from his soup. “Uh, what little human need? Yeto help all he can.” 

Link pulled out the squash and offered it to the gigantic beast.

“PUMPKIN!” Yeto bellowed, making Link jump nearly a foot in the air. “Uh, Yeto thank little human friend!” He gave Link a playful slug on the shoulder, harshly knocking him onto the ground and forcing the air out of his lungs. Link lay there for a moment to catch his breath, then got to his feet, rubbing his arm where he felt a bruise beginning to form. “Uh, now soup is better!” Yeto said proudly, tossing the whole pumpkin into the cauldron. “But, still need something…” He scratched his chin. “Uh, in meantime, come have taste! As much as you want!” 

Chapter Text

In front of him stood a gigantic suit of armor. 

At the far end of the room stood another suit of armor, and behind it was the room containing the bedroom key—hopefully. 

He dragged his boots through the plush carpet, enjoying its springiness beneath his feet; he bounced a bit as he approached the armor to get a closer look at it. It had the same intricate patterns that Ashei’s armor did, the gauntlets were nearly identical to hers, albeit much, much larger. 

Midna slithered from his shadow and leaned over his shoulder. “It looks a lot like what that girl wears, huh?” She absentmindedly traced the pattern on the gauntlet with her finger. “She mentioned that she’s killed people before, didn’t she? Think it was people this big?” 

He shook his head. Why would Ashei fight someone wearing the same uniform? Then again, she, Auru, and her father fled to Hyrule; for some reason or another, they were no longer safe in their own country. 

Something moved in the corner of his eye; Midna yelped when he seized her and jumped just as an enormous ball and chain crashed down on the suit of armor, shattering it. A pair of reptilian eyes glared at him from inside the second armor set. The beast hissed and yanked back the gigantic weapon, effortlessly swinging it over its head, slowly edging closer to them. Still clutching her to his chest, he raised his shield to meet the gigantic metal ball crashing down on them, grunting as it knocked him to his knees. He released an irate Midna and, noticing that the beast took a quick pause from the recoil of pulling its weapon, grabbed his sword and charged, slicing at the opening over the creature's throat where its helmet met the armor. Green blood splattered across his cheek, stinging his eye; the creature screamed and dropped the chain as its hands went to its neck. Seeing its tail exposed through an opening in its armor, he impaled its lower back with his sword, severing its spinal cord and sending it crumpling to the ground with a shrill shriek. With a heavy heart, Link lept on its back and jammed his sword into the base of its skull, putting the pained beast out of its misery. After it disappeared into a puff of purple smoke, Link was left staring down at the enormous ball-and-chain flail. He heaved it in his arms with a breathy "oof." 

"No. We aren't keeping that," Midna said flatly, her arms crossed. "You can't even hold it properly." 

He met her gaze with wide, blue eyes. 

"That won't work on me again. I already let you keep enough dumb weird stuff." 

He hung his head and started to slowly lower the weapon to the ground. 

"Ugh! Fine." She snapped and the weapon disappeared. 

He gave her a bright smile. 

"I hate you." 

They silently ventured into the next room, and Link once again pulled out his shield to knock away swooping keese. The room was completely falling apart: the only remainder of the ceiling was decayed planks of wooden rafters, the carpet was almost entirely rotted away, the walls were peeling, molded. At the far end of the room was a chest, and out of it, Link grabbed an enormous wheel of Ordonian cheese. He cocked his head. How often did Yeto steal food from Ordon? 

Midna’s temper burst. “Cheese?! Are you kidding me? We almost died for cheese? How in th—stop eating it!” she bellowed when she noticed that he’d taken a small bite. He swallowed. Her hand went to her hip. “How are we supposed to unlock the bedroom with this?” 

He imagined himself jamming the cheese into the padlock to unlock it, and the thought made him smile a bit. 

She snapped and the cheese disappeared from his hands. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” she chided when she saw his face. “I hate how you just eat random stuff that we find lying around. Like, honestly, do you even know how old this stuff is? I can’t believe how careless—” 

Link heard a scraping sound from behind; shivers shot down his spine, raising the hair on the back of his neck. He turned his head and looked around the room, but saw nothing. Still, he decided to draw his sword and shield as Midna became completely lost in her tirade. 

“—wouldn’t be surprised if you just started shoveling dirt into your mouth—”

From the rafters dropped the ice creature that fled earlier, its spear raised. He moved to raise his shield, but the creature was faster; it thrust its weapon into his back; the spear burst through the middle of his chest. His sword and shield clattered to the ground. 

Midna shrieked. 

Its work done, the ice creature once again departed through an opening in the ceiling.

Link blacked out for a split moment, but Midna's earsplitting screams rang painfully in his ears, tearing him back to consciousness. For a moment, he stood completely rigid with shock, his breathing halted. His trembling hands slowly wrapped around the front of the spear and he fell to his knees, blood soaking Ashei's coat. His gaze was fixed in a blank stare, unfocused on the blurs flashing across his vision; he felt empty in that moment—no pain, no fear, time seemed to pause; he refused to look down at the blade sticking out the middle of his chest.

He coughed, spattering foamy blood down his front. All at once the pain rushed through his body: a splintering, stabbing agony that seared through his chest, twisting his stomach in a knot and almost making him vomit. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his watery eyes shut, forcing himself to concentrate on his shallow, rapid breathing, trying to fight off the unconsciousness quickly engulfing him, unable to catch his breath. He gasped, weakly clutching the spear as blood rapidly drenched the front of his coat, dripping onto the floor. 

Midna gawked at him with her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with horror. 

He locked eyes with her, terrified, tears flooding down his cheeks.

“What do I do?” 

 Several times he opened his mouth, but he was unable to will himself to speak. He forced himself to maintain eye contact with her, drawing several rapid, agonizing breaths, trying and failing to form words, instead only forcing frothy blood out of his mouth and down his chin. He groaned and doubled over, one hand on the ground and the other one feebly wrapped around the spear. His vision blurred; the room started swaying. 

Panic welled in her chest. “Link! Tell me what to do!” she screamed desperately, her voice thick with tears. “I don't know what to do!” 

Get it out. Please, get it out . 

He knew the words, simple utterances, but they wouldn't form. The muscles in his throat seized, his voice refused to present itself. 

“S-...say something to me…” she pleaded, barely audible. “Anything…” 

He sank lower to the ground, leaning on his forearms, his forehead brushed against the frigid, stony floor. A fleeting thought crossed his mind—he wanted his mother. He trembled violently, his sobs choked by the metallic blood burning in his throat. 

“Link…” Her delicate hands brushed up the sides of his face, lifting his head. She swept away the hair over his eyes, tucking it behind his ear. “Link…” He blinked sluggishly, unable to make her out through the blurs in his darkening vision, but there was comfort in her touch; he didn't want to be alone. Slowly, his hand went around the spear again, partially melted from his warmth. Blood dripped between his numb, quivering fingers.  

“You want it out…” 

Her voice was frail, a resigned whisper. A heavy weight settled in her throat, sinking into the pit of her stomach. She knew pulling out the spear would only make him bleed faster, die sooner—but maybe that’s what he was asking for. She could sense him slipping further away, see the agony in his fading eyes. 

She held him close to her chest, felt his shallow breath against her collarbone. She squeezed her eyes shut and snapped, the spear disappeared, and Link collapsed onto the cold floor. 

Chapter Text

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you here ...” 

Link was curled up on his side, awoken by the brawny voice above him. His hand slowly went to his chest; the spear was gone, and so was the wound. 

“A chilfos gotcha, huh? Let's get you on your feet.” 

A grizzled man knelt beside Link with his calloused hand extended. Link saw that he greatly resembled his father, had he still been alive: a greying beard, thick eyebrows, the way his hair parted over his forehead, the faintest ghost of a smirk always lingering across his lips, deepening the lines that marked the corners of his eyes—except this man only had one eye, the other scarred shut. Still, there was a bit of melancholy in his warm, pale gaze, the lovingness of a parent. 

The man smiled at him. “Recognize me yet? Recognize where we are?” Link grabbed his hand and slowly stood up, leaning heavily against the man's sturdy grip as he steadied himself on his feet. 

He looked around. They seemed to be at the base of Snowpeak, though the area around him seemed to be ethereal, dreamlike, bathed in an eerie white glow. In the far off distance, barely visible, was Hyrule Castle, softly illuminated. Yes, he’d been to this world a few times, and the only resident he knew of was—

“You aren’t dead, my dear boy,” the man said gently, cutting through Link’s thoughts. “Far from it. Although, you gave your little goblin friend quite the scare. Screechy little thing,” he mused.

Link opened his mouth, but the man cut him off again. “This is no divine intervention—the goddesses do not even wield such ability. I just noticed you taking a nap in a pool of your own blood and decided to stop by for a visit.” 

“H—”

“Because I’m your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. I know everything.” There was a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Come, son. Join me for a stroll.” 

He waved his hand, and the mist surrounding them swirled, forming vaporous grass, transparent trees, dense underbrush—the Ordon Woods. Link craned his neck, looking around for the familiar marks. He had nearly every foot of the tiny forest memorized, down to the smallest sapling, but this time it looked different, almost foreign. He felt a pang in his chest. How long had it been since he was back home? 

“I remember when this province belonged to Lavandria. Its an interesting story, actually. Ronaan won it in a gambling bet; rather than pay the money, their king offered the plot of land. Our little land of Hyrule has certainly expanded over the years...You go ahead and lead the way to wherever you fancy. I'll follow.” 

Link instinctively started towards Ordon, but then halted after a few steps. He turned toward the man behind him, who returned his gaze with the small, placid smile of a parent watching a child at play. “Are my parents here? Can I see my mother?” 

The old man gave him a solemn look. “I'm sorry, my boy.” His voice was low, he suddenly sounded very tired. “Therein lies a barrier that you are not yet ready to cross. It is only through the shared spirit of the hero that we are bound through these realms of existence.” 

Link’s heart sank a bit. He felt close, as if they were lingering in that area a moment before, but they were still impossibly far, just out of reach, just barely out of his line of sight. 

The old man clapped him on the shoulder. “Believe me you: they’re as proud of you as any parents can ever be, even before the hero getup.” There was a slight comfort in his words. 

Link absentmindedly started down the trail towards Hyrule Field, the old man walking beside him. “So, are you here to give me a sword lesson, or…?” 

“No, my dear boy. In all honesty I just wanted to bother you—it isn't every day that I get to visit my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson without looking like last week’s carrion.” He frowned. “I don't smell bad in that form, right?” 

Link shook his head. 

“Ah, good, good. I was a bit worried about that...” 

Link noticed the man lagging behind him and stopped walking. The old man seemed to be intensely focused on a gigantic, ancient tree stump just off the side of the trail. “This was a good friend of mine back in the day, a wise mentor.” He smiled. “In a way, he’s your grandfather before me.” He affectionately patted the decaying trunk and continued down the path, leaving behind a somewhat befuddled Link. For a moment, he stood staring at the rotted stump, one that he had passed by countless times without a second thought. He extended his hand out towards it, only to nearly lose balance as his hand went through the light mist, and trotted over to the man walking down the trail. 

Link nervously cleared his throat. “So...I have a question…”

“Only one? How disappointing for me.” The mischievous gleam returned to his eye. “How come I look different from what I usually appear as? That appearance reflects my condition in your world—you are alive and well in your world, and so your appearance remains the same here.” He wandered off the path, heading towards a small gorge that the children often played in. “We aren't in the usual meeting spot, lad. We usually meet right at the border between worlds, but this most recent incident of yours allowed me to meet you a bit past the border into my world. I decided to take the opportunity for a short visit, but I’m afraid that it’s very nearly drawing to its close.” He extended his arms to Link. “Come, lad. It’s time to say goodbye.” 

He pulled Link into a warm, tight hug, holding him lovingly against his chest, resting his cheek on top of Link’s head. The man carried with him the subtle scent of the forest, his embrace was similar to that of Link’s first father—almost identical. Link buried his face into the man’s chest, relishing the countless bittersweet memories that nearly pulled themselves to the surface of his mind, barely unreachable. 

Link’s legs suddenly gave way beneath him—the man immediately caught him in a protective grip, keeping him from collapsing. 

Link gasped. 

“Nothing to worry about, little one. You're just waking up.” Link’s vision faded to a blank whiteness, and he felt himself slowly drifting back into unconsciousness. “Take sword in-hand and find me, sweet son...”

Chapter Text

It was so cold. 

A piercing light burned behind Link’s eyelids, sending a searing pain through his forehead, down his neck. He groaned and, with great effort, lifted his arm, shielding his eyes in the crook of his elbow. His hearing was skewed by a deafening ring, muffling any sound except for the blood pounding in his ears. Though, he heard something faint, almost inaudible. As the ringing in his ears slowly began to subside, the noise was becoming clearer, louder, blaring in his ears and worsening his headache. Deafening, shrieking cries reverberated sharply against the mansion’s walls, almost unbearable to listen to. His heart sank when he recognized the voice.

“Midna…” He sat up, his eyes still shut. "Midna?"

She gasped and threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him over. She buried her face into his chest, gasping and sputtering and heaving as she bawled uncontrollably, further soiling the bloodied coat with a mess of tears, nearly tearing through the fabric with how hard she was clinging to him. With great effort, he slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny form, petted her hair with trembling fingers, trying to give her some semblance of comfort. 

Eventually, her loud, screaming sobs had subsided into feeble weeping.

A sudden wave of nausea washed over him, followed almost immediately by another, then another, each one more overwhelming than the last. His stomach twisted; he gagged, feeling his throat spasm. He pushed her away and fell forward, one hand planted firmly on the ground and the other one clenching his stomach, retching as he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the rotted, bloody carpet, gasping for breath between heaves. 

Panting, he spat and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand before pulling himself up into a sitting position, leaning his back against the wall. Midna moved forward slowly this time, delicately wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and laying her chin on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against her, welcoming her heat in the frigid air. 

A long silence passed, broken only by the occasional hiccup from Midna. He’d kept his eyes shut the entire time, and drowsiness was beginning to take hold. Midna’s high body heat relaxed his shoulders, soothed the soreness of his muscles. His breathing slowed, he started drifting off. Just a short nap, a quick rest...

Midna put her hands on either side of his face, slightly lifting his head and wrenching him from his rest. “Link, please don’t fall asleep here. Not here. Can you get to the door over there?” 

He braced his hand against the wall and slowly lifted himself off the ground, still keeping his eyes shut. His legs were weak, unsteady, quivering beneath him like those of a newborn foal. He slowly got to his feet and swayed, suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue, dizziness, and collapsed harshly against the wall, slowly sliding back down onto the floor. He rested his cheek against the icy stone wall, overtaken by drowsiness, despite the violent cold shivers wracking through his body. 

"Link," Midna's tiny voice sounded in his ear. "Can you try again? I just need you to get to the entrance." 

He shook his head. His limbs were heavy, his body ached terribly. 

"Please? Just to the door. Then...then we can get you into a nice bed.” 

Her voice was unsteady; he sensed she was on the verge of tears. He forced himself to open his eyes, despite the sharp pain of the sunlight exacerbating his pounding headache. He dragged his hand across the floor until he managed to grab his sword and shield, holstering them to his back with great difficulty. He blinked sluggishly, unable to focus his blurry vision through narrowed eyes. He stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. “Which...which way is the door?” His voice was hoarse, strained.   

She took his hand and slowly guided him to the door, having to take several breaks for him to fall against the wall and regain his balance. Once she got him outside, she warped them near the gate of Castle Town, being careful to gently lay him in the grass. 

“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” 

He groaned, already drifting off to sleep. 

Epona dragged her tongue across Link’s forehead, startling him awake. He put his hands up to try to block his face, but, upon noticing he was awake, she only doubled down on her efforts to rouse him. He groaned; his head still throbbed terribly. “Epona, stop…” 

Epona continued her efforts to cleanse him of the blood and grime on his face, in his hair, the same way she would for a newborn colt, despite his feeble efforts to push her away. 

“Stop, stop! I’m getting up…” He sat up. His vision was restored enough that he could see the fuzzy outline of Midna sitting atop the aging mare, her silent red gaze brightly glowing against the dark night. He grabbed hold of Epona’s reins and leaned heavily against them as she gently pulled him to his feet, despite the sharp bit digging into the soft flesh of her mouth. He threw his arm around her withers and closed his eyes again, trying to take the edge off his headache. Epona gave him a small nuzzle now that he was on his feet. “Can you get us to Telma’s?” 

Epona’s hoof steps echoed sharply through the empty town square. She occasionally slowed her gait when she could feel Link falling behind, and even stopped a few times for him to catch his breath. By the time they reached the bar’s alleyway, the pink slivers of dawn were peaking on the horizon. 

He petted her neck, gently detangling a small knot in her mane with bloodied, shivering fingers. “Go back to the stable. Telma won’t like that there’s a horse on her front doorstep.” 

Epona knickered and gave him a gentle nudge with her snout, prompting him to the door. 

The bar was empty. A few oil lamps flickered on the wall; Telma always made sure to leave the room lit in case one of Resistance came in late. Link slowly trudged across the dining room, having to take numerous pauses to brace himself against one of the tables, panting lightly, trying to push away the heavy swaying of the room. He got to the stairs and, not willing to even try climbing them, slowly sank to the ground, completely spent.

Midna slithered from his shadow and put her tiny hand on his lying form. “Link, please, just up the stairs. Then we can get you into bed.” 

He shook his head and curled up, already drifting off to sleep. 

“Is there a reason that there’s a goddamn horse on my front doorstep?!” Telma’s voice boomed through the bar and she slammed the door behind herself, shaking the entire building. Link groaned, his sleep once again interrupted. 

“Oh! Link! Honey!” She rushed over to him and dropped to her knees, lifting his arms, turning his head this way and that, looking for the source of blood caked on his clothing. “Honey, where are you hurt?”  

He shook his head. She put her hand on his chest, examining the rips in his clothing, the hole in his chainmail where the spear made its exit. “Honey, is this where you were hurt?” she asked quietly. 

He nodded. 

“And it’s...Oh, sweetie, this is Ashei’s coat…” she muttered, seeming to realize something. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

He shook his head.

“Okay, let’s get you upstairs.” She helped him to his feet, the same way he’d seen her do with countless drunks—though with noticeably more care—and guided him to his room, taking several pauses to let him catch his breath. She sat him on the bed and started trying to remove his gear but he immediately resisted, cringing from her touch. 

“Honey, I don’t—...don’t you want to change out of those clothes?” 

He shook his head. 

She opened her mouth like she was going to protest, but then closed it again. After a moment, she asked, “You just want to sleep now, right?” 

He nodded. 

“Okay, honey. Try to get some rest. I’m going to try to get Rusl down here, okay?” 

He nodded. She left and closed the door behind herself; he heard her rapid bootsteps anxiously trot down the stairs. 

On the nightstand sat the usual water jug, and the dryness of his throat suddenly came to his attention: scratchy, coarse, burning with coagulated blood and bile. With shaking hands he brought the jug to his lips. Water spilled down his front as he rapidly drained the entire thing without pause, despite the burning of his lungs. He slammed it down with a heavy sigh, panting slightly, feeling the room swaying. 

“The barmaid is right, you know.” He caught Midna’s bright red gaze from the corner of his blurred vision. “We should get you cleaned up and change your clothes. It’ll make you feel better. And then you can sleep. I promise.” 

He met her gaze with wide-eyed fatigue, but remained silent. There was emptiness in his eyes, the blank stare of someone wrenched from a deep slumber. 

“I’m going to take that as a ‘no’ for now. At least let’s get your gear off? It’ll only take me a second.” There was no answer from him, but there was no protest either as she unbuckled his holster and carefully took off his sword and shield, nearly dropping them when their full weight slipped off his shoulder. She set them down by the bed and helped him out of the coat. The once pristine white fur was covered in grime, blood, grass stains; two enormous holes tore through the back and front right panel. As she started folding it Link saw her ear twitch. She paused and shook the jacket, listening for something. He heard it too: a faint jingling, as if Ashei left spare keys in one of the pockets. Link stared blankly as she reached her arm through the front tear and felt around, ripping it a bit more in her search. 

Her hand emerged with a small handful of glass shards and a cork. “This was sewn into the coat...” Midna muttered, showing Link the broken bits of glass in her hand, though she was unsure how well he was paying attention. “It must’ve broken when you... fell .” The words slipped delicately from her tongue as she placed the handful of glass on the nightstand, keeping her sight on Link.  

He blinked slowly at her, his eyes growing heavier. He was fighting off the sleep slowly engulfing him, though it was clearly a losing battle. “Link, you should lay down now.” She put her hand on his cheek, caressing it with her thumb. He closed his eyes and leaned into her warm touch, sinking down onto the bed. She ran his fingers through his hair and earned just the slightest contented sigh as he sank lower into the bed. 

He wrenched his eyes open and blinked sluggishly before finding her in his sight, looking at her expectedly with a clouded, unfocused gaze. 

" What? What are you waiting for? Go to sleep already." 

He reached towards her, but his strength immediately failed him and his arm hung awkwardly off the bed. 

" Oh! ” A slight heat spread across her face with the realization. “Alright, then scoot over.” She silently slipped into the bed and he held her tightly to his chest, pulling his knees up and curling around her. Within a moment, he slipped into a deep slumber.

Chapter Text

Link awoke to a thick blanket being tossed over him. A throbbing headache settled sharply behind his eyes as he forced them slightly open, but his vision was nothing but a series of indiscernible blobs. “Wh—...Telma?” 

 A gentle hand pulled the blanket up to his shoulder. "I'm afraid your room service has been downgraded to the lumbering nephew, old boy. I apologize for waking you.” 

"...Shad?" 

 "Correct. I'm covering for the next day or so. Unfortunately, I don't quite have her stealth when navigating about sleeping guests." Shad tossed another blanket over him. “From what I’ve heard, you seem to be quite under the weather. You certainly look it, poor thing.” Shad lightly brushed the back of his hand on Link's forehead, pushing the hair off his face. Link blinked, unable to see Shad through his clouded vision, but there was reassurance in the casual delicacy of Shad’s touch. "The cause doesn't seem to be febrile, at the very least.” Shad withdrew his hand. “I believe your only necessary prescription is that of rest. I'll leave you to your own."

Link forced himself to sit up when Shad left and scanned the room with narrow, blurry eyes.

“He left a note,” Midna said, handing him a sheet of parchment. 

Link narrowed his eyes, struggling to focus his blurred vision on the neat, slanted writing. The strain aggravated his throbbing headache and he covered his eyes behind his hand, groaning. He plopped back down onto the bed, shielding his eyes in the crook of his elbow. 

“Here.” She took the note from him. “I’ll read it.” She cleared her throat.

"Link,

I brought you a spot of Rusl's spare clothing, and we’ve sectioned off the luxury bath for whenever you’re ready because the stench of your wretched hide has now killed three of our patrons. The washerwoman and her sons are due for pickup tomorrow morning, so please feel free to leave your current garments for us to take care of so that we can have them planted to throw the authorities off my trail. Come down for your peon slop when you desire. It’s made out of bits of glass and people who didn’t pay their boarding fees.

Love always to you and the beautiful coquette lurking in your shadows, 

Shaddock. ” 

Link raised a suspicious eyebrow. 

“Hey, don’t dwell on it. I don’t want you to start accusing me of something I’m guilty of.” 

He scoffed. 

She gingerly laid her head on his chest and he loosely draped his arm over her. “I think a bath would do you good.” 

“Can I sleep more?” 

“No. You’re gross.” 

“Thank you.” 

She got off of him. “Get up. On your feet. Chop chop.” 

The room spun steadily around him when he clumsily stood up off the bed, churning his stomach. He leaned on the wall and put his hand over his eyes, trying to quell the nausea rising in his throat. 

She slipped her hand into his. “Come on,” she said, gently guiding him forward. “It’s just across the hall.” 

The room was warm and humid, almost uncomfortably so, due to the vents pumping hot air from the boiler in the basement. A translucent fog of steam lingered in the air, sticking to his skin and warming the breath in his chest. A spigot stuck out from one of the walls, hanging over a large wooden tub. Next to it was a small cabinet filled with freshly-folded towels and an assortment of soaps, scrubs, and creams.

Midna turned on the water and helped him out of his grimy tunic, the chain mail rusted with blood, torn and ragged where the spear ripped through him. The sight of it sent an icy shiver up her spine. She shook her head a bit to clear her head of the horrible sensation. “Let’s get you into the stockpot. The water is nice and warm.” 

****

Link was nice and cozy in Rusl’s fresh clothes. The warmth of the bath helped greatly to soothe his headache and clear his fatigue. With socks instead of his usual steel-toed boots, his steps were almost soundless as he slowly glided down the stairs to the bar, completely silent. 

Shad was lazing about behind the counter, leaning on the bar and munching on an apple. His gaze fixated on something across the room and his eyes narrowed slightly. He took another bite. In a flash Shad drew a knife from his belt and launched it across the room, sticking it dead center in one of the many dart boards hung on the wall with a hollow thwack . He took a last bite of his apple and tossed the core in the air before it was struck by a knife and flew across the bar. It stuck into the next target, just one ring shy of the bullseye. “Sloppy,” he muttered, his mouth still full. Another knife flew through the air and stuck into the bullseye. He crossed the bar flap and caught a glance at Link from the corner of his eye. 

“Good morning, old boy!" he chirped brightly. "Good to see you up and about. Care for a spot of breakfast?” 

Link shook his head, looking down, not wanting to meet Shad’s gaze.

“Feel free to change your mind anytime.” He followed Link’s eye to the knives buried in the targets. "Do forgive me. Our dart boards were left out from last night and the temptation got the better of me."

Shad waited for Link at the bottom of the stairs and they crossed the barroom to the targets. Shad pulled the two knives from the second target with relative ease, the apple core already beginning to brown. He sheathed a knife and took down the target with his free hand. “May I ask you to bring along the second one?” 

Link nodded. 

Shad flashed him a smile and started making his way back to the bar. 

Link wrapped his hand around the hilt and tugged. It didn’t budge, stuck firmly into the wooden bullseye. He pulled again, this time a little harder. Nothing. He grabbed the hilt with both hands and yanked, still unable to pull it. He sighed, getting a bit flustered. Link braced his foot against the wall and was finally able to wrench the knife from the target with a small grunt, stumbling back a few steps to keep his balance. He took down the target with a small “oomph.” 

Shad bustled around underneath the counter, lightly clinking together different bottles and glasses. Link slammed the heavy target much harder than he intended to onto the counter, cringing internally when he noticed the drink only inches from getting knocked over. Shad rose stiffly to his feet, pretending not to have noticed. “Thank you, old boy.” He pushed the bubbling, icy glass toward Link. "Here's a light seltzer to help settle any nausea. In the meantime, I’m taking these ,” he said, lifting the targets, “down to the cellar. I’ll be right back.” 

With that, he departed.

Link lifted his glass and took a tentative sip of his drink. It was pleasant and light, bubbly, with just a sweet hint of citrus. The glass was wet from how cold it was.  

He took another sip. It was a bit harder to swallow and he had to almost force it down, tipping his chin against his chest. 

The icy cold slowly crept into his hand, just starting to numb his fingers. His chest tightened, the metallic tang of blood spread across his tongue, worsening the nausea tightening around his throat. It was difficult to breathe, too difficult. His lungs burned, shrieks echoed painfully in his head. An unbearable ache settled in his chest. He needed air, but his lungs weren't working, too filled with blood. He couldn't breathe. His head started to spin. His vision blurred. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe—

The glass shattered on the floor, startling him out of his stupor. He gasped, trembling. His hands shook uncontrollably and he pressed his palm against his forehead, trying to steady his rapid breathing. His heart pounded in his chest. 

Midna slipped from his shadow. “What—?” 

Something’s wrong. 

Midna slipped her arm around his, pulled herself tightly against him, feeling his entire body trembling. He forced himself to draw a deep breath and exhaled slowly. There was comfort in her touch.

Shad quickly ambled up the stairs. “Is everything alright? I thought I heard a crash.”

Link caught Shad’s gaze, his radiant blue eyes opaque with tears. 

Shad seemed taken aback at the distress on Link’s face. "Oh, it's alright," he said gently. "It's quite alright. A schooner is nothing to miss. We have far too many in the stockroom." Shad, looking to grant Link the mercy of a changed subject, pulled out his tattered journal from inside his coat pocket and placed it standing up on the counter. “I don’t believe you’ve ever been made privy to my favorite bookmark,” he said, gesturing to the knife handle sticking out of the journal. “Curious, old boy?”

Link nodded. 

“My mother began teaching me knife throwing when I was about six. My father was… less than enthused about it, but he eventually came around. She gifted him a knife at some point and he took to keeping it as a bookmark—a very poor habit that I picked up.” A soft nostalgia tinged his voice. "I suppose you could consider me 'retired' at this point in time. Nevertheless, I try to keep myself—"

The bell chimed as someone entered the bar. 

Shad’s entire face lit up. “Ashei!” he beamed. “I thought you had already departed." 

"Hey,” she greeted pleasantly, taking a seat at the bar. “I’m sticking around for a few more days, so I thought I’d come annoy you.” 

“You could never annoy me, Ash.” 

“I sure as hell can try.” 

He laughed.

She put a few rupees on the counter. “Two Necluda bourbons on the rocks aaaand…" She trailed off when she caught Shad's soft gaze, but she waved her hand in the air, as if to shoo away the distraction, "a voltfruit schnapps.” 

The slightest ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her lip as she watched Shad prepare the drinks with almost the same speed and finesse of Telma, though Link could have sworn she was actively trying to suppress it. Shad slid the drinks to Ashei in one smooth motion, along with the rupees and a wink. “We’ll fight about it later,” she growled, a competitive gleam burning in her eye. She took a gulp of bourbon and glanced at Link. “Link, bud, I’m gonna say it, and it's because I care, yeah? You look like shit,” she said flatly. 

Shad gasped, horrified. “Ashei! Let us please use more refined language.” 

She swirled the contents at the bottom of her glass and caught Shad’s eye in the corner of her gaze, the slightest ghost of a smile tugging on her lip. “Shit, my bad.” 

“ Ashei !”

She scoffed, smirking wickedly. "Fuckin’ prude.”

Shad opened his mouth to retort, but lowered his hackles when her gaze directed him to the slight amusement flickering on Link's tired face. Ashei pulled a small, battered notebook and pencil from her pocket. “Here, bud. Seems you’re not in a talking mood today.” She finished off her first drink. “So, we all saw the muddy hoof marks outside the front door, yeah?” 

“Wasn't that your mare, old boy?"

He nodded. 

"She’s a beautiful creature, and she had quite the gentle temperament when I walked her to the stables. Have you ever considered breeding her?” 

Link scribbled in the notebook. I’ve tried breeding her in the past, but it's never worked.  

Shad scanned the note and paused. “Well, old boy, I’m sure your efforts were quite valiant, but I believe she can only breed with another horse.” 

Ashei snorted on her bourbon.

Well , Link wrote, stealing glances of Ashei wiping her mouth and nose on the back of her hand, Haven’t tried a donkey, but we have no use for any more mules in Ordon. 

“Right you are, old boy!” Shad said with just a bit too much enthusiasm, pretending not to notice Ashei’s evil eye searing into the side of his face. 

Link almost jumped out of his seat when something soft and brushy rubbed against his leg, but relaxed when he realized it was Telma’s cat, Louise. Link gasped in delight and immediately snatched her up. She relished the attention, purring with contented pride as Link cradled her to his chest and scratched the underside of her chin. He chuckled as she rubbed her nose in his face, whiskers tickling his cheeks. 

Ashei and Shad chatted pleasantly. 

"—low on arrows and I could use more pepperup potion before heading out. It's a pain to brew so it's worth dropping twenty rupees on. I just need to brace myself to tolerate a visit to MaloMart." 

Shad smiled as he mixed together syrups. “You act as if you’re going to get another tooth pulled.” 

“Hey, I’d rather do that. No contest.” 

He scoffed. “Oh, Ashei, really…” 

There’s that guy right outside who waits until you’re two feet away from him before he screams at you, ‘You’ll buy it now, if you’re smart, at MaloMart!’ and there’s a little posse of people doing the ‘ Malo Mambo ’ or whatever the hell and I just think to myself, ‘Gods, I don’t deserve to have to go through this sober.’”

He snickered at the sheer discomfort on her face. “I find it to be quite charming.” 

"I dunno. I don't think the motto even fits the atmosphere of the owner back in Kakariko." 

"No? And how would you change it accordingly?" 

"This is MaloMart. Get your shit and get out." 

Shad laughed. Ashei cracked a small smile.

"So," Shad said, polishing a glass, "What do you think is go— Oh!"

In a flash Ashei lunged and seized Shad before he could collapse onto the ground. The glass Shad had been wiping shattered on the floor. Her entire upper body hung awkwardly over the bar as she held him around the chest. 

Ashei leaned back with a small grunt and slid herself back off the counter, pulling Shad to his feet. He leaned heavily against the counter as redness spread across his face like spilled ink. Link expected her to be similarly flustered, but instead a viscous anxiety seemed to suddenly settle in her chest, coil around her throat. 

“You alright?” 

“Yes, thank you. Knee gave out.” He winced and immediately suppressed it. “I was leaning on it for too long and it seized up, I suppose...” 

"Is it…bad?" 

He shook his head. "No, no, it'll clear up soon enough." 

A painful silence settled between them. 

"I need to go," she said quietly. She slid her pack over her shoulder. She tilted her chin at Link. “Keep the notebook.” 

Shad absentmindedly fiddled with his collar, which now had a large tear at the seam. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. 

“No, Ash. It's fine.” 

"I didn't—" 

"It's fine. Really. You saved me a trip." He forced a small smile, but her gaze remained somber. 

She quickly strode to the door, but her hand lingered on the doorknob. “I’ll shoot you a letter in the next couple days, and...try to bring you back something nice.” With that, she departed. 

Shad pushed himself a bit up from the counter and craned his neck, as if thinking of pursuing her, but his leg trembled violently beneath him and he eased back onto the counter. He sighed. Shad busied himself with wiping an already cleaned area of the counter, trying to blink away the blur beginning to cloud his vision. 

Link swallowed, focusing his gaze intently on his shadow flickering on the candlelit walls. “Inventory?” 

When Link managed to meet his gaze Shad offered him a polite, transparent smile, but the hurt in his eyes was hardly concealed. “Yes, of course. I’d appreciate the company.”