AN-Hello, all! Now, while this may look like my first fic on this site, its actually not. I have another account where I post all of my regular stuff (which shall not be named, but if you can guess who I really am, then yay for you!) but I created another account specifically for this kind of short, sloppy, not really thought out stuff that I get in bursts of inspiration and decide "Hey I should really write that". So here we have an idea that I got after playing some Hyrule Warriors (and yes this is a HW fic btw) as well as reading some other stuff. It may be a little weird, but that's why I created a second account in the first place! For slightly more weird stuff such as this. And so, allow me to give you a bit more of a plot synopsis before we begin…
After accidently stumbling upon the forbidden Veil of the Dragons, Link is cursed to transform into a dragon himself in three days' time. Though both Link and Zelda are resolved to lift this curse before it's too late, they find that the hero's only hope may lie with an over-obsessive sorceress and a stubborn dragon knight…
Ok, so as you've likely guessed, this is going to be kinda short and simple, and as far as genres go, its gonna have adventure, some romance (zelink of course, and some one sided Cia/Link cause why not), angsts, mystery, and some other stuff. It's not particularly set during any part of HW, and its more or less just set in the world of HW in general. And while I was tempted to include characters from the other eras in here, we're really only going to feature Link, Zelda, Proxi, Impa, Lana, Cia, Volga, and Wizzro in here, with a few minor OCs. And with all that stuff out of the way, we might as well begin!
Curse of the Dragon
Chapter 1: Veil of the Dragons
The mid-morning sun was bright and warm as it shined down upon the rolling crests of Hyrule Field, the lush grass blowing along with the gentle breeze. This relaxing atmosphere was abruptly disrupted however as horse hooves thundered across it at a frightening speed. The Hero of Hyrule smirked slightly to himself as he rode his steed across the field, eager to finish his usual patrol and return to the castle, or more specifically, the princess. His loyal fairy companion, Proxi, flittered alongside Link as he traversed across the field, looking for any signs of trouble as Impa had instructed him to do. But as usual, there was no danger to be found aside from the usual harmless creatures, which the hero could clearly see as he surveyed the field from the top of a large hill.
"Cia's forces have been pretty quiet lately, huh?" Proxi asked Link as he stopped Epona on top of the hill to let her rest.
"Yeah…" the hero said with a somewhat bored frown as he looked across the land once more, still seeing no monsters whatsoever. "In fact, they've almost been too quiet…"
"You're not a little bored, are you, Link?" Proxi asked with a knowing laugh as she perched herself upon his shoulder.
"I guess I am just a little bit," Link said with a casual grin, though he couldn't help but sigh. "There hasn't been any real action in weeks. I know I should be thankful for the peace, but…"
The fairy nodded in understanding as he trailed off, however, before they could converse any further, a large shadow fell over both of them, catching their attention as the blue skies were clear of any clouds. Both Link and Proxi were quick to look up just as the shadow passed over them, only to see that it was no cloud, but rather a very large dragon, and a rather familiar looking one that that.
"Link…" Proxi whispered fearfully, her tiny body shivering as they both watched the dragon fly over them toward the west, thankfully not looking down to notice them.
"I know," the hero said, his tone serious as he gripped Epona's reigns tightly. "It's Volga…"
Link kept his glare focused on the dragon knight as he continued to fly across the field, his wide wings flapping at a noticeably quickened pace. The hero wasn't sure exactly what one of Cia's generals thought his was doing by so boldly venturing into Hylian territory, but whatever Volga's purpose was, it certainly couldn't be good.
"I wonder where he's going in such a hurry…" the hero mused suspiciously, turning his horse in the direction that the dragon knight was heading. "Let's go find out."
"Are you sure about that, Link?" Proxi asked with uncertainty as she came to fly in front of her companion's face. "You know how strong Volga is. It might not be a good idea to take him on all by yourself. Maybe we should head back to the castle and get some help first."
"But if we don't hurry then we'll lose him," Link protested, already nudging Epona's sides to get her into a gallop. "Now, let's go!"
Though the fairy wanted to try to hold the hero back from such a risky plan, but she knew how stubborn he was when it came to things like this. And so she relented with a sigh as she followed him closely as he sped his horse across the field, making sure to stay a safe distance behind Volga as he continued to soar high above, though still remaining close enough so that he could still be easily followed. Even though Link knew he should have heeded Proxi's advice, he still continued his pursuit, knowing from his previous encounters and battles with Volga that he certainly couldn't be up to any good as long as he was in Cia's employ. The hero had been presented with a rare opportunity to possibly take the dragon knight down in a one-on-one battle, and he knew that if he were to come out the victor of such an arduous battle, then he would certainly be showered with praise and honor for his courageous heroism.
Eventually, Volga passed into the western mountain region, and not too much later, Link did the same, pushing Epona onward into the dry, earthen area. The hero could see that the dragon knight was flying at a slower pace as he rose higher, intentionally heading towards a specific mountain, one of the tallest ones in the area. Link raised an eyebrow in confusion as he rode towards the same direction, stopping Epona right as he made it to the foot of the mountain, and right as Volga flew into a large opening near the top.
"What's up there?" the hero asked with a disconcerted frown as he looked up the tall, hazardous mountain.
"Do you want me to go check it out?" Proxi asked, already flittering a bit above him as she hoped that he would say yes instead of going himself, lest he end up getting hurt.
"No," Link said, dismounting Epona as he headed for the thin, dangerous-looking trail that led up the mountain, one that would certainly be a long hike, but it was one he was ready to take. "I want to check this out myself…"
The fairy sighed and shook her head, wishing that for once her companion wouldn't intentionally put himself in harm's way like this. But nonetheless, she dutifully followed him as he began to scale the mountain, ever wary as he kept to the twisting trail. It was a steep, treacherous trip, but the hero was undaunted by it, as he had faced much worse than a mere climb up the side of a mountain.
Link grumbled in aggravation to himself as he finally caught sight of the opening that Volga had went into, knowing that he had spent more hours climbing up the mountain than he had wanted to. Fortunately, he had not seen the dragon knight depart from whatever cave seemed to be up there, which meant that there was still a chance he could meet him in battle, something that the hero couldn't help but be both anxious and excited about. After all, Link hadn't seen any real action in weeks; he was about due for a good fight.
The hero approached the wide entrance to the cave tentatively, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword upon hearing noises coming from within. As they grew louder and more numerous, it quickly became clear to Link that if Volga was still in there, then he certainly wasn't alone. Making sure to keep as silent as possible, the hero stealthily peeked into the cave, only to find a sight that he had never expected to see.
The large cave was filled with both men and several dragons, though it was clear from the draconian armor that all of the men wore that they most likely had the same ability to turn into dragons at will that Volga had. Most of them were casually lounging about and conversing, though several of the ones who had taken on their full dragon forms were hungrily enjoying a feast consisting of the carcasses of several animals. Whatever this place was, it was clear that it was some sort of haven for these human-dragon hybrids, and after searching the large group of them from afar, the hero could see the dragon knight himself standing near the cave's large exit clear on the other side.
"What is this place?" Link whispered to Proxi, gripping the side of the cave's entrance tightly as he remained out of sight, knowing that he would have a hard time taking on all of these dragons by himself.
"The Veil of the Dragons…" the fairy said in awe as she stared at the large collection of men and beasts. "The dwelling place of the legendary dragon-shifters… I didn't think this place actually existed, but sure enough it does… Link, we should get out of here. Dragon-shifters already hate Hylians, and they really don't take very well to intruders…"
"But Proxi, Volga's right there!" the hero argued, motioning towards the dragon knight as he conversed with one of his breather. "We might not get another chance to take him down like this. And after all, the less of Cia's followers there are, the better."
"We can fight him some other time," Proxi said, not willing to back down this time, lest her companion lose his life over something so trivial. "If any of them spot us, then we'll be their next meal for sure!"
Link was about to protest her fretful complaints once more, but before he could, he happened to glance in Volga's direction once more, only to see that he had transformed into his complete dragon form once more. The hero clenched his hands into tight fists, especially when he saw the dragon knight begin to flap his wings with the intention of leaving.
"He's getting away!" Link exclaimed, drawing his sword as he rose from his kneeling position, ready to enter the cave regardless of how many dragons lied within. "We have to go after him!"
"Link, no!" Proxi shouted quietly, letting out a tight gasp as Volga flew out of the cave and out into the open skies once more. And yet, that didn't stop the hero as he set foot inside the cave, hoping to head the dragon knight off before he got too far out of reach.
However, that was his fatal mistake.
The very moment that Link entered the cave, nearly every single dragon-shifter in the entire cave grew silent, all of them quickly darting their gazes towards the entrance of the veil. Even though the hero still was relatively hard to see as they all looked towards him, they were all able to clearly sense his foreign presence in their domain thanks to his scent. Link froze up as the many sets of eyes locked onto him, the growls of the dragons already growing in anger as they saw the human who had dared to venture into their sacred home.
Despite his desire to go after Volga, the hero didn't hesitate to stumble backwards out of the cave out of sudden fear. It took a lot to make the Hero of Hyrule himself afraid, but a cave full of bloodthirsty, angry dragons all wanting to devour human flesh was enough to make anyone's heart pound, even his. At last, Link finally followed Proxi's advice as he fully turned and began to run away from the cave, hoping to get back down the mountain before it was too late. However, before he could even make it a few feet away from the mouth of the cave, something gasped onto his long blue scarf tightly, pulling him back into the cave violently.
The hero's vision blurred from the suddenness of the movement, but he felt the strong hand wrap around his neck as sharp claws dug themselves into his neck lightly as he was thrust against the side of the cave wall roughly, the impact making his head spin even more. However, when the world finally stopped spinning, Link was quick to wish that it hadn't upon seeing the entire company of dragon-shifters, save for Volga, who had just left mere moments ago, standing before him, all of them in various forms between human and dragon and all of them glaring at him hatefully. The one that had its clawed hand gripping the hero by the neck and restraining him against the wall looked like he was one of their leaders; he mostly took on his human form save for his clawed hands and his dark blue dragon-like armor and helmet, which, like the dragon knight's, shielded his eyes. He was older than most of the others, his face wrinkled and his white beard long and wizened, though his form was still just as strong and muscular than all the others as he bared his fangs at the frightened hero, who could only stare back at him with wide eyes.
"You pitiful Hylian fool!" the elder growled, his voice gruff and bitter. "What made you think you could intrude upon the Veil of the Dragons and live to tell the tale?"
"I… I wasn't-" Link stammered weakly, struggling against the firm hold the elder had around his neck as he kept the hero pinned to the wall.
"Silence!" the elder hissed as he dug his claws a bit deeper into the hero's neck, drawing blood and eliciting a cry of pain from the youth. "Foolish boy. Don't you know what happens to Hylians that dare to cross our territory without our consent? Perhaps you should see what happened to the last one of your despicable kind who set foot here…" With a sickening smile, the elder forced the hero's gaze to the side, so that he could see something that genuinely made him tremble in fear for the first time in this whole encounter: a skeleton, a human skeleton, lying against the side of the cave, its form broken and decayed and its skull crumbling apart. Link could feel his stomach turn with both fear and disgust as he pictured himself meeting the same fate, a very real possibility now.
"I… I'm sorry," the hero said as loudly, even though the elder was starting to choke him. "If y-you… let me g-go I… I promise I'll… l-leave and never… come b-back…"
The elder merely smirked at this and several of the other dragon-shifters let out cruel laughs. "That's what they all say, child," the elder said maliciously, running his long tongue along his fangs hungrily. "Now… prepare to die… I'm sure you'll make a delicious dinner for us all…"
Link let out a cry of pain as the elder gripped his neck even tightly, his knife-like claws bearing even deeper into his skin as the hero struggled more than ever before. Unfortunately, his sword had been pried out of his grip, meaning that he had nothing to fight back with, and as his body began to grow weaker and weaker from suffocation, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up the small struggle he was putting up now for much longer.
However, before the hero could even resign himself to certain death, a bright glow emitted from the back of his hand, something that caused all of the dragon-shifters to freeze up with fear and shock. The elder let out a gasp as his iron grip around Link's neck lessened a little, though his claws were still digging in deep. The hero opened his shut eyes tentatively to see all of the dragon-shifters staring at him, many of them even backing away a little. Confused, he looked down towards his hand as much as he could only to see the mark of the Triforce of Courage shining brilliantly upon it as it often did.
"He bares the mark of the goddesses!" one of the dragon-shifters exclaimed in disbelief.
"Who is this boy?!" another one of them whispered in terror. "Is he truly one of the chosen?"
"If we devour him, then the goddesses will certainly pour their wrath upon us all!" someone else cried fearfully.
Upon hearing this, the elder finally relinquished his grip on the hero entirely, allowing him to drop to the ground roughly. For a moment, Link simply lay limp on the ground, coughing as he tried to recover all of the air he had lost while being strangled and not even caring about how the dragon-shifters were still gossiping about him.
"Young Hylian…" the elder growled to the hero a few moments later, just as he was starting to sit up. "You are lucky that our fear of the goddesses outweighs our hunger for your kind… That mark upon your hand is the only thing that saved you."
Link let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this, sending silent thanks to the goddesses above for saving his life through the Triforce of Courage yet again. If it hadn't made itself known when it did… the hero didn't even want to think about what would have happened.
"However…" the elder said with a dark glower, catching the hero's attention once more. "We will not simply let you leave without consequence. You must be punished for your impudence… If you wanted to see a dragon so badly, then you certainly shall see one…"
The elder, as well as all of the other dragon-shifters, all let out dark laughs as Link simply looked up at them in confusion, slowly rising to stand as he backed into the wall warily, wishing that he had his sword so that he could properly fight them, however, it was too far out of his reach, and he wasn't going to risk being burned alive just to get to it.
"Listen well, Hylian child…" the elder began, his tone ominous and cold as he locked his hidden gaze onto the hero before him. "Hear what you must suffer for your insolence and trespassing. A curse, I place upon you, young Hylian, to pay the ultimate price for your wrongdoing: your humanity. In three days' time, a Hylian you shall be no more. Your human form shall fade away, never to return, and in its place, you shall become like one of us: a dragon. However, you will be only a dragon, and nothing more, not Hylian, or anything else. Scales and fangs you will grow and on wings you will fly. You shall not be welcomed among anyone, neither the humans that you once dwelled among nor we dragon-shifters that you intruded upon. Behold, young Hylian, your fate: to become a monster, to live and die alone. To this curse, you shall find no relief until the day you die, and until then, you shall suffer, your mind destroyed and your heart broken. This is the price you must pay! This is the curse you will endure! Let it ring out now and forevermore! The curse of the dragon is always true!"
Link's eyes were wide as he listened to all of this, unsure of what to make of any of it. However, the elder gave him no chance to react to the curse he has just cast, for immediately after it, the dragon-shifter sucked in a large breath and, with a mighty roar, unleashed a heavy breath of dark fire upon the hero. On instinct, Link closed his eyes and shielded himself with his arms, even though he knew it would do little to protect him from the blaze. And yet, even though the burst of flame struck him, it did not burn him as it surrounded him, licking at his skin and clothes; in fact, he didn't even feel it at all. Instead, it seemed to absorb into him, disappearing as it vanished away entirely.
When the hero opened his eyes once more, not only was the black fire gone, but so too were all of the dragon-shifters. The entire cave was completely empty, as if all of its inhabitants had abandoned it. Link let out a deep breath as he took a step forward, looking himself over a bit hesitantly, only to see that nothing about him had changed at all. The hero rolled his eyes as he thought of the elder's curse, knowing that it was absolutely absurd. Certainly, if the Triforce of Courage protected him from meeting his end at the maws of the dragon-shifters, then it would protect him from some silly curse, right?
"Link!" Proxi exclaimed, zooming down to the hero from the high spot she had hidden in as he reclaimed his fallen sword. "Are you alright? I saw everything that had happened! You're so lucky they didn't eat you!"
"Yes, Proxi, I'm fine," Link said with a small grin, knowing that the fairy fretted over him far too much. "Now come on; let's finally get out of here."
"That was what I was trying to tell you earlier!" Proxi said in aggravation, following the hero as he began to leave the Veil of the Dragons. "But… aren't you worried, Link?"
"About what?"
"About that curse," the fairy said apprehensively. "If what that elder said was true, then… then you might turn into… into a dragon!"
"Come on, Proxi," the hero said dismissively. "You didn't really believe that guy, did you? He only said all that to scare me so that I wouldn't come back here, and believe me, I won't."
"But… but what if it's true, Link?!" Proxi asked, knowing that he was making light of something that could end up being quite serious. "What if you really do turn into a dragon?"
"Proxi, calm down," Link said as they began the long trek back down the mountain. "I'm not going to turn into a dragon, or anything else, ok?"
The fairy's wings dropped a bit, not really believing him even despite his optimism. And yet, she really wanted to; after all, the last thing that she wanted was to lose her companion to a curse as horrifying as the one that had been cast upon him. "Goddesses…" Proxi sighed as she followed the hero, praying that the unthinkable wouldn't happen. "I hope you're right, Link…"
Ok, so here's the first chapter! These are going to be relatively short, but sweet all the same. So if you liked what you saw, be sure to follow, favorite, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Until next time (hint hint ;)