Chapter Text
Link stares at the slate in his hand. The map almost empty. Like him. The world around, too large. The mission, overwhelming.
He takes a deep breath, and another. Another. Until his heart steadies again.
The map isn't empty. Neither is he. The slate shows the details of the great plateau. And that same plateau, over those last few days, let him know some of what he is.
His name is Link. He's handy in a fight. He has a knack for cooking. He doesn't like the cold. These are things he knows about himself now. The rest... Those gray areas, like the dark on the map... The rest will come back too. It will. Or it won't. Maybe it doesn't matter, so long as he does what he's meant to do.
Another thing on his list, yes. He has a mission. People count on him, and he's wasted enough time already.
The map is dark, Hyrule is spreading endlessly, but he must take a first step. A leap of faith into this world he might not recognise, even if his memory weren't so blank.
A leap of faith.
He takes a litteral one, jumping off the plateau with the glider he was just given.
It's terrifying. It's exhilarating. It's something he's done before, and even though his arms protest under his own weight, it's something he already wants to do again.
His name is Link. He's handy in a fight. He has a knack for cooking. He doesn't like the cold. And he loves flying.
There's a mark on his map, and Link follows it until he reaches a village. Kakariko, the sign says. Kakariko, the king had advised him. It's the first village he's seen so far. Unless stables count? They seem to. They shouldn't. Now that he sees a village, a real settlement, he gets a feeling people didn't use to live in stables as much as they do now. Kakariko feels more right. Houses. A safe place. A personal place. He wants this. If he could stay here, safe...
But Kakariko isn't safe. Not for him. People... Know him. The older ones call him by name, marvel that he's alive, that he's returned to save everyone at last. His silence doesn't seem odd to them. Perhaps because they wouldn't listen even if he spoke. They just want to take him to their elder. Almost drag him to her house. She'll be so happy to see him again, so relieved! So much to say, so much to do, for the princess, for the kingdom, for their allies, for the whole world.
The elder tries to be kinder. To be more patient. But Link sees her disappointment when she realises he doesn't remember anything. That he can't speak. That he's only an empty shell, not the hero she needs. That Hyrule needs.
She offers him a choice. Half says that if he's not up to the task, he doesn't have to. It dawns on him that he's not much to look at. Everyone he's seen in Kakariko is taller than him. Stronger looking. Muscles and the air of people well fed when he...
It's been hard, reaching Kakariko. He had to steal from bokoblins more than once. Sometimes he failed and was lucky to escape with his life. Sometimes he succeeded and for what? Dried out meat. Weapons that broke after a single fight. The clothes he found in the shrine of resurrection are in shreds. His hair matted on his face. Grim and blood and mud on his skin.
It's been a hard two weeks. It'll get harder. And he's not fit for it. A blank slate still. Map empty. Mind empty. Who can he help? Not even himself.
But if he doesn't help, who will? The people he's met are resigned. The king is dead. Impa is old. In the century of his absence, no one stepped up to go help the princess.
He's not fit to help. But no one else will do it if he doesn't. And what's the worst that can happen? Death? He's died once. Not sure he's really alive again. Dying again doesn't scare him.
When Impa asks him again if he's truly willing to accept his fate, Link nods with determination. The old woman smiles. Chuckles.
"You haven't changed," she says.
That hurts more than her earlier doubts, though Link can't explain why.
He has little time to linger on that thought. Impa tells about the Divine Beasts. About the pictures hidden inside the sheikah slate. About the princess trapped in the castle, fighting Ganon for all of them.
"But rest a little first," she advise him. "I'll find someone to train with you. And we’ll find you new clothes too. You are a sorry sight, courageous one, and I fear in your present state you'll do little good for Hyrule."
Food and a bed are all Link wants in that moment, so he doesn't protest. Doesn't mind what might be an insult. Or was it only worry and kindness? All the same. He's too tired to really care.
The inn lets him stay the night in exchange for some herbs he picked up on his journey. Link's unsure why he picked them in the first place. He picked up many things. The next morning he trades pretty stones for new clothes, warm and light. But why had he taken the stones? He'd had no idea of their value. They were just pretty. They were unknown. Like the plants. Like all the things he's found and kept. And now he's being told what they're good for. Sometimes, they aren't good at all. Sometimes they are precious or useful, or just good tasting in a stew. Link likes that. Not just that they're valuable. But the learning. He wants to discover more things and share them with people who will tell him what they do.
A new thing he's discovering about himself. A new piece of the map uncovering itself.
His name is Link. He's handy in a fight. He has a knack for cooking. He doesn't like the cold. He loves flying. And he's curious.
One day. Two days. By the third day in Kakariko, Link's restless. On the fourth he trades everything he can for food and arrows. On the fifth he leaves.
No one in the village said anything, but he could feel their eyes everywhere he went. Their judgment. Or his own, perhaps. How could he take things easy when others when suffering? Suffering because he failed. Faced the demon king and failed. He was the chosen one, they told him. He had the sword. And yet he failed. Champions died. Hyrule died. And the princess is prisoner to her own power until. A disappointment to all. To himself.
So he leaves. Follows the new markers on his map, heading for the closest one. Somewhere North. Seems easier.
But nothing is easy. There's monsters. There's hunger. There's no thirst, at least. This area is rich in rivers and ponds. He drinks often. Hunts sometimes. He's not so good at that. Not yet. But he can cook. That feels paradoxical to him, when most meat he's had so far was game. In this day and age, everyone seems to hunt. Perhaps it wasn't always so. How different was the world, because Calamity Ganon struck it? How different was his own life then? Back when he didn't need to list facts about himself to remember he was a living person.
In the wild he's alone with his thoughts. He hates it. The longer he goes without seeing another person, the least real he feels. He misses company. After a week, even the stares he got at Kakariko feel like a fond memory. Link just wants interaction. He even tries talking to himself, but the sounds remain stuck in his throat.
He might as well be a ghost.
He's lost count of the days by the time he reaches a marsh and spots a tower at the other end of it.
A goal.
Of course he's had a goal even before that. But this one is manageable. Achievable. Go to the tower. Climb it. Uncover a new section of the map. It's small in the grand scheme of his mission, but it's giving him a new sense of purpose. Beside a tower might mean people.
Link so badly wants to not be alone, just for a moment.
His wish is granted so much faster than he expected.
He's on the verge of the water, trying to assess if it's too deep to walk through, if the small islands he sees are hard ground or just plants growing on the surface of the marsh. Trying to figure out what path is a little less likely to kill him. And then, he hears a voice. Coming from a creature in the water. Tall and red, with sharp teeth and a clawed hand waving at him.
Link's first instinct is to pull out the rusted sword he's using at the moment, ready to fight for his life. But the creature continues waving.
"Yes, you!" It shouts with something that can only be described as enthusiasm. "You're a hylian, right?"
The thing doesn't rush to attack Link. It doesn't draw a bow at him. It speaks, and that alone sets it apart from the other monsters.
So Link nods in answer to the question.
"Awesome! Say, do you have some time to spare at the moment? We're looking for a hylian to come help us at Zora Domain!"
As it speaks, the creature exits the water and Link is in awe. That thing, whatever it is, dwarfs him. It catches him staring and laughs.
"First time seeing a zora? Well don't worry I don't bite. Say, what's your name?"
Link looks away, and shrugs. With two fingers he taps at his throat before shaking his head. It had made sense to the people at the stables. If the... Zora understands too, it will realise he can't help anyone. He's not the hylian they need.
"Oh, that happens," the zora says instead. "How about writing? I can read a little hylian. My mom taught me when I was little."
Link stares again. Can he write? He's never tried. He can read, but that's not the same, is it? The zora's encouraging smile makes him want to try though.
Turns out, he can write. Sloppily, like a child with little experience, like someone who hasn't used his hands for something so precise in a hundred years. But he can write. And the zora can read it, bending down to decipher what's been traced in the mud. It might be a woman, Link realises now that it's closer. She's closer. She's no animal, no monster.
No hylian ever thought to ask him to write something.
"Link, eh? Well, let me teach you something. In case you do decide to come to Zora domain, yeah? Look at my hands and do the same."
Link is an eager student, repeating carefully the four hand positions she's showing him. When he gets them right, she smiles, teeth white and sharp but no longer so scary.
"Now you can sign your name!" she tells him. "Any zora will understand that. And if you do want to help..."
Link nods. Staring at his hands. He can speak with them? And this zora doesn't think less of him for his missing voice, still wants his help...
"Then you need to go to Inogo Bridge, over there, near that big tower. Our prince should be there. Tell him Tona sent you, won't you?"
Link nods, curious about the red growing on Tona's cheek as she asks for her name to be mentioned. Perhaps a reward was promised to the one who'd find a hylian. Well, Link doesn't mind trying to help her. He's grateful that she showed him how to say his name with his hands. Sign, she called it. He needs to learn how to sign her name, too.
It takes a bit of pantomime to make his intention clear, but once Tona gets what he wants, she's only too happy to show him, her cheeks burning red. Link doesn't question it. He grows more curious about zora with each moment, but he must first go help. That's what he's for. That's how he'll best thank her for teaching him his own name.
On top of the tower, he meets another zora. This one might be a man. Or maybe Link just misunderstands these body differences. He wants to ask so many questions, but he can't. Perhaps that's for the best. He's starting to realise his curiosity isn't such a good thing if it keeps distracting him from his mission, the only thing that should matter to him.
This new zora, Gruve, also directs him to Inogo Bridge. When he mentions being scared of heights, Link tries to lend him his glider, but that gets him a weak laugh.
"I'm too heavy... But thank you. I'll... I'll just have to get over it and jump. I mean, the prince would!"
Gruve is shaking like a leaf, but his eyes shine at the mention of the prince. Link wants to ask about that too. He's starting to build an image of that prince. Someone older than Gruve, and stoic in the face of danger. Someone whose calm demeanour would command the loyalty and respect of his subjects even faced with adversity.
If he's honest, he's just imagining king Rhoam Bosphoramus but with a fin.
Still, it's a comforting picture. He misses the king. Misses having someone to mentor him. He shouldn't. He's the hero, somehow. He's the one who must help others.
And he'll help this venerable Prince Sidon too.
There's the usual joy as he jumps down the tower. Freedom. The air is cold but his heart feels so warm. It always does. But it's tainted by apprehension this time. Not just about whatever the zora need. The map says he's close to a Divine Beast now. Fighting to do. And then three more. Then Ganon, then... Then it's unlikely he'll even live that long.
He lands near the bridge. Stretches his arms, gets moving. The bridge is near, elegant in a way nothing has been in his travel. Near it are tall construction shapes somewhat like mushrooms, oddly beautiful. And from atop of one of these, a zora jumps, to land inches from Link.
The hero lets out a shout and jumps back, hand on his sword. It was too much like a lizalfos ambush and instinct took over. He only barely stops himself in time, almost slashing through the red zora who startled him so bad.
"My apologies for scaring you!" the zora exclaims, apparently unconcerned that he might have been wounded if Link hadn't controlled himself better. "But I am ever so glad to meet you! I have been looking for a hylian to help Zora's Domain, and to find one who is a warrior... It is simply wonderful!"
Link stares. That new zora is bright red and loud and overly cheerful and impossibly tall. And he smiles at Link as if he's the best thing he's ever seen. After the suspicious airs of hylians, the disappointment of the sheikahs... Link can't help but like those zora who always seem glad to see him.
He knows they'd react the same to any hylian, they've said that's what interested them, but smiles are still pleasant to look at.
Remembering what he's owed, Link point quickly at the marsh before signing Tona's name, then at the tower with Gruve's name.
"Oh, you've met them? And you came to the bridge to offer your help, perhaps?"
Large golden eyes look at him with such hope it's almost embarrassing. Link nods firmly. He'll help as much as he can.
"Thank you so much!" the zora says, smile widening. "Now, first of all, I must ask you to come with me to Zora's Domain. It's at the end of this road," he explains, pointing at the path on the other side of the bridge, climbing through the hills. "It is normally a not unpleasant trip, but we've had terrible rain problems lately. Not to mention monsters... But you seem handy with that sword of yours, aren't you? And it seems even sneaking up won’t catch you by surprise. You've shown lovely reflexes just now!"
Link wants to protest. It's too much praise. The zora expects too much of him, when he can barely keep himself alive. Maybe he shouldn't try to help, should only focus on his mission. Less people to disappoint that way.
"I'll go ahead to make sure things re prepared," the zora announces. "But I'll come back to meet you on the way. Two swords are better than one, and I don't want you to be unsafe any more than you need. You... Oh, but I never even asked your name?"
Link signs his name and the zora... Frowns. Or at least it looks like a frown. Do zora emote differently? Is he misunderstanding this? Or is this zora recognising his name, realising he's not in front of a brave adventurer but of a failed hero, one who couldn't see his duty through.
"It's a nice name," the zora says at last, smiling again. "Is it common among hylians?"
Link shrugs. Maybe it was once. Maybe it is now, in spite of it all. How would he know?
"Well, it certainly feels like I've heard it before. And I forgot to introduce myself too! I was too excited to see you coming my way! I am Sidon, which maybe you know already?"
No, Link didn't know. But he's grateful to see the zora sign his name at the same time he said it. He returns the signs, best as he can.
"You're new to this, aren't you?" Sidon notes. "When I join you again, I can show you some more signs. Spelling out everything is a little clumsy, though better than nothing. You'll see, it's very easy to learn!"
Link feels his mouth move of its own accord, the corners twitching up, baring his teeth. He's. Smiling? When did that last happen? Could this be his first smile since... But no, there was his very first flight on the glider. It's his second then.
"I'll meet you again very soon," Sidon promises. "Just start walking to Zora's Domain, and I know I'll find you!"
Link's still smiling as he watches the zora jump down into the water. He rushes to see him swim away, waves at Sidon when he turns too look his way. Sidon waves back and that makes his chest constrict.
He likes the zora, he decides then and there. Every single one he's met has been kind and patient and never mind that it's because they have expectations. So did the hylians, the sheikahs. At least the zora are nice about it. He likes them.
Too bad he didn't get to meet their prince, Link thinks as he starts crossing the bridge.