Hello and thank you for reading :)
I'm offering you this fanfiction, but I am also offering it to me as a test: I have written well outside of my comfort zone by using present tenses and working quite hard on my wording.
This said, I'm happy you're taking time to read it, and I hope you will enjoy Eclipse / Ascent.
I
At noon, Vah'Ruta stopped working.
By sunset, all Divine Beasts were unresponsive.
Right before midnight, the Sheikah Slate went dead.
Zelda has been loudly cursing and stating hypothesis after hypothesis as to why the mechanical marvels of Hyrule all broke down in less than a day cycle. Link has been listening attentively to everything she shouted over the last few hours, and through the night. Though he does care about the Divine Beasts turning off so suddenly, he is far more concerned about how strange and unreal it is to travel besides the Princess of Hyrule once more, like a century of grief and destruction never happened; like all their friends aren't dead; like the whole kingdom hasn't been nearly annihilated by the Calamity. Yet, he says nothing to her, and the stone mask that is his face never shows any of his concerns to his royal partner.
"There are many shrines between our actual location and the Zora's Domain. We should investigate them, see if they are still lit." Zelda nearly shouts when the sun starts rising.
Link stares at her. He is sitting by the fire, which is starting to die out.
"What?" Zelda furrows, and she tries to read his blank expression. "You're looking at me in a funny way."
He cocks his head slightly.
"Yes, you. What is it? Do you think I'm mad?"
He shakes his head dismissively.
Zelda has a brief thought about how each of Link's nods and shakes and sighs mean something different, and how much she's come to understand his body language and never forgot about it. "Then why are you looking at me like this, Link?" She leans forward, her hair falling over her shoulder. "Will you speak to me?"
He sighs softly. "Nothing, Princess."
Many would assume Link is mute, so it always comes as a surprise when he speaks. Only the Champions had heard him talk -rarely, and a century ago- and Zelda. She knows the soft alto tones in his voice and how he feels depending on how he sounds. Thus, she knows that it isn't Nothing. She sits on her legs, and rests her hands on her lap. She waits.
Link studies her, and he is distressed by how she is exactly the same as he remembers her from before, but with an edge of wisdom and determination she found along her hundred-year long battle against the Calamity. But still, she looks the same, and he feels so very different. His heart sinks in his stomach as he realizes he is jealous of her, of how strong and unbroken she appears to be. "I hope we can restore the Divine Beasts and the Sheikah Slate quickly, that's all." He answers, lowering his head so his eyes are hidden in his bangs, ashamed of his unspeakable resentment towards the Princess.
Zelda remains silent as she observes her appointed knight. She is well-aware it is useless to try and force Link into talking more than he wishes to. So she sits still, quiet, and examines him like a scientist would, as the relic he in fact is. Zelda knows there are cracks and fissures in him, but some parts have been glued back together thanks to the few memories Link has recovered.
But what is broken can be mended. At least, Zelda believes so.
"How much do you remember, Link?" Her question catches him off guard, but not nearly as much as the affection in her voice, which leaves him with a strange impression that he should know why, sometimes, Zelda speaks to him like this, like they share some kind of intimacy.
"Only the memories you left behind." He half shrugs. "And… a few lingering impressions." His stare crosses hers, and he reads the interrogation on her face.
"Impressions?" Zelda's voice is still caring and affectionate. "Do you have an impression, right now?" When they stopped at this precise location to camp for the night, Zelda had hoped it would bring memories back to Link. This campsite had witnessed the first time the Calamity and the weight of their destinies had brought them closer. She waits for his answer seemingly for another century, and her heart flutters.
Link shakes his head, lying. He gets up to kill the fire for good. Zelda watches him as he empties one bottle of water after the other on the ember. She thinks she might cry, but she already wept all the tears in her body the day Link died in her arms. She tells herself his memories will come back to him in due time, and that everything will be alright eventually. She smiles painfully, and nods. "You'll tell me when you'll get one of these impressions, won't you?"
Link nods, as he stomps on the ashes until he is certain the fire is indeed dead and won't burn unseen roots in the soft earth underneath. "When you're ready." He tells her, quietly, as he grabs his gears, preparing to resume their adventure.
Zelda gets up, wipes the dirt from her leggings and pushes her hair back behind her shoulders. "I am."
By noon, Zelda has to hold back laughter because Link's stomach keeps making agonizing noises. However, the sky is infinitely blue, and the grass has never been greener in the Lanayru region, which makes this situation a little less cringy for the starving Hero. Would the Zoras not look and sound panicked even in the distance, their Domain would take Link's breath away, even if he had grown up there and has looked at its beauty for the better of his pre-century-regeneration life. As Zelda and him reach the center of the main bridge heading to the Domain, an old greenish Zora walks hurriedly towards them. His expression is grim, and it makes Link's heart start racing to the point he is suddenly not hungry anymore.
"Are you here for the Shrine or Vah'Ruta? Both, maybe?" Muzu askes as soon as Zelda and Link are close enough to hear him. "Whatever your answer is, know that Prince Sidon went to examine Vah'Ruta earlier today and hasn't returned yet." The old Zora focuses his attention on the Hero of Hyrule. "Please, hurry to the Divine Beast. We don't want to risk losing the Prince."
"Did something happen? I mean, besides Vah'Ruta shutting down, and the shrines not responding anymore?" Zelda asks, her voice is high and regal, and the same as before the Calamity, which shatters Link's thin patience. However, he says nothing and his face is as expressionless as always. No one realizes how unnerved he is.
Muzu sighes. It's a deep expiration, heavy with anxiety and dread. "No. And that is what bothers us. In the last century, nothing has only stopped. When the Guardians first shut down, they reanimated with the Calamity's malice in a matter of minutes. It was the same for Vah'Ruta when Lady Mipha was…" He pauses, searches for words that will never be found. "... Defeated. But, as I said, nothing in Hyrule over the last hundred years stopped working for so long."
Zelda nods. "It is worrisome, indeed." She rubs her chin, concentrating on solving the mystery of why ancient technology is suddenly dying.
Behind the Princess of Hyrule, Link digs in the soft ground with the tip of his boot. Hands on his hips, he bites his lower lip, wondering how to phrase what he is about to say. He's nervous because he doesn't think he has the solution to this puzzle, but he thinks he has a clue. A very important one. "Have you considered Vah'Ruta might have stopped working because Mipha's spirit has been released when the Calamity was put to sleep?"
Muzu is startled to hear Link's voice. Though it is not the first time, it doesn't happen often, and for such a long sentence. Zelda looks at him from above her shoulder, and furrows. "It could make sense." She answers. "But there is only one way to find out."
Vah'Ruta is in the middle of the East Reservoir. Its gigantic elephant body is stuck in time, in the middle of a movement it never could complete before its core shut down. It's made of old tone and metal, unlit, statuesque. Its trunk is resting on the cliff that oversees the Reservoir, hundreds of feet above the ground, and is lined up directly with Zora's Domain. The hairs on the back of Link's neck stand up as he realizes the Divine Beast might have been on its way to flood the Zoras before it shut down.
"Prince Sidon is nowhere." Zelda's voice makes the Hero jump lighty. "Might he be inside Vah'Ruta?" Her face is full of concern and sorrow; an expression she has worn often when her powers wouldn't awaken, yore.
Link comes to stand beside her. He somehow likes Zelda more when she's a bit pitiful. He nods towards the entrance to Vah'Ruta. It's dark inside, but it's open and easily accessible from the cliff, where its trunk is resting.
Zelda follows his stare, and she comes to the same conclusion as he silently did. "He probably went in."
The wind rises. They stare at the Divine Beast as Zelda's hair gets tangled in the gusts of wind.
"I've never found her body."
Zelda's neck nearly snaps as she looks at Link.
He's staring at the elephant, eyes wet with tears he never shed. His expression is of someone who's holding back from breaking down. Zelda can see how tightly clenched are his jaws and fists. She tries to rest her hand on his shoulder, offering comfort, but he pushes her away and glares at her like she's an enemy, like he's about to jump on her and hurt her.
"And you're acting like nothing ever happened, like Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk aren't dead; like I didn't die? Like a fucking century of death and unspeakable misery hasn't fallen upon us?" He's screaming, tears flowing down his face freely; he's shaking from the emotions and the sobs he's been holding back for so long.
Zelda takes a step back and lowers her hand to her side. She doesn't know Link like this, and she wonders for how long he's been about to explode. She stares at her appointed knight for a while. He looks like a wild animal. He looks dangerous. Yet, she knows he will never hurt her. When he realizes Zelda is not going to return his anger, Link starts to calm down. He shows his back to her.
The wind tangles the Princess' hair more. It's cold and the sky is getting darker, the smell of rain seems to raise from the Reservoir. But nothing ever falls from the sky. "Do you want to know how she died?"
Link wipes his face dry on his sleeves as Zelda speaks. He's calm now, like the still silver water of the Reservoir. "Not now." he answers, his voice back to its normal soft tone. He adjusts the Master Sword on his back, as well as his knight's shield. "We can enter Vah'Ruta up the cliff." Link whispers as he starts making his way towards the mechanical elephant.
Vah'Ruta is not meant to be visited. It is a masterpiece of ancient forgotten technology and engineering that was created for the sole purpose of destroying Hyrule's enemies. Link remembers the inside of the beast well-enough, despite the thick darkness that now fills it. But it's harder for Zelda to find her way in the mechanical elephant, even if she's trying to follow Link and his torch inside the maze of stone and metal wonders. Despite his earlier outburst, the knight is focused and when the torch illuminates his face, it shows no remnants of any emotion.
Zelda definitely prefers him when he's screaming, crying, and human. She wonders if he was less a knight and more a man before the Calamity, before she became Link's burden on her father's orders. She remembers that, a century ago, while they were still traveling together to investigate the shrines and awaken her powers, He wasn't as stoic as he is now. He had opened up a bit to her. She thinks about the countless sleepless nights when they both couldn't sleep and had spent these hours in each other's comfortable silence, and twice, in each other's embrace. Something had bloomed between them one hundred years before, but it seems to be dead now, along with Link's memories of it.
She grabs his free hand as they walk. He is surprised, and she feels him twitch lightly against her touch. He looks at her from above his shoulder for a split second, then he's staring into the darkness behind them, searching for something that is not there.
"There are no monsters, Link. It's just easier to follow you around if I hold your hand." Zelda lies. It's harder to move together, but she wants to touch him right now and needs a reason to not look desperate. He nods lightly and starts dragging her in the Divine Beast, seemingly accepting her explanation.
Without the Sheikah Slate to guide them, it takes Link more time to find the terminal he's looking for: the one that controls Vah'Ruta. He's come to the conclusion that Sidon must be there, because he is clearly nowhere else.
"Do you realize the control terminal is in Vah'Ruta's behind?" Zelda asks, smirking. "That's an interesting design choice."
Link snickers to her comment, which surprises the Princess, and brings a smile to her face. And then she realizes she hasn't heard him laugh before, not even before the Evil came to Hyrule, and she wonders how he sounds when he does.
When they reach the control room, they're almost blinded by the light that shines through the windows. The sky is grey and luminous, and its brightness highlights the tall, massive red Zora Prince who's sitting on the floor, his back against the terminal. His Silverscale spear is beside him.
Prince Sidon is jovial and enthusiastic, normally. But today, when he sees the Hylians appearing in the control room, he looks at them with foggy golden eyes and the face of someone who has seen too much. Zelda lets go of Link's hand, and she rushes to the Zora Prince, kneels beside him. "Are you hurt?" She asks, looking for any kind of injury and finding none. Then she sets her eyes in his, and realizes he is staring through her, and shivers run down her spine. "Prince Sidon? Can you hear me?" He does not answer.
Behind, she hears Link unsheathing the Master Sword. "What are you doing?" She asks, looking above her shoulder at her knight.
Link is quick. So fast that Zelda barely understands what is happening to her as she's being roughly pushed to the side and collapses on the floor. She hears the familiar clash of metal against metal, and when she turns around, the Master Sword is planted in the ground and the Silverscale Spear's trident head is stuck in it.
Prince Sidon stands up, and pulls his spear free with one swift, skillful move. Link jerks the Master Sword free and he faces the Zora Prince.
"Don't hurt him!" Zelda screams to her knight.
Link ignores her -or seems to- as he dodges an attack from the regal Zora.
Zelda is on her feet a second later, running to the two battling men. "The Calamity is gone! This shouldn't happen!" She is yelling. "Don't hurt him, Link!"
It's too late. As Sidon leans forward to attack the Hylian knight, Link smashes his shield with all his strength against the Prince's head. The noise of metal hitting the last Zora Prince's skull resonates through the room, and into Zelda's mind. She is sure she'll never forget that sound. She is also persuaded Link has just killed Sidon when he collapses on the stone floor.
Right after, Zelda is by the Prince's side, and her hands are pulsing in gold magic as she's holding his head. He's bleeding, and would be terribly -if not fatally- injured if she wasn't there to heal him. "I told you not to hurt him!" She scolds Link through clenched teeth.
He sheathes the Master Sword. "He would have killed you in one blow."
Zelda glared at her knight, tears at the corner of her eyes. "He's the last Zora Prince! He's Mipha's brother! You can't hurt him-"
"I have sworn to protect you with my life." Is Link's flat answer. He crosses his arms over his chest. He's upset and not trying to hide it.
Weren't she busy keeping Sidon's skull together, she would have spat in Link's face.
It takes immense healing efforts and most of the Princess' energy to stabilize and heal the Zora, but she succeeds. When Sidon opens his eyes, he winces in pain first, then in confusion, and finally in shock. "Your Majesty!" He calls as he tries to sit up. However, a violent headache keeps him floored, and he raises his hand to touch his injury, and finds blood. Wide-eyed, he stares at his hand, then at Zelda. "What happened?"
"We don't know. But you were… hostile." The Princess of Hyrule is sitting on her legs, with her hands on her lap, beside him. "Link had to neutralize you, then I healed you. You are still bleeding, and it might leave a small scar, but you'll live."
"So, there is no reason why Vah'Ruta has stopped working." Zelda states.
"I didn't find any." Sidon shrugs lightly.
They're on the cliff, they've left Vah'Ruta. The mechanical beast is still unmoving, apparently stuck in the middle of a movement forever. Link is walking ahead of Zelda and Sidon. He hasn't talked since the Zora has woken, and has ignored the Princess' addresses to him.
Zelda's eyes are on his silhouette as she walks with the Zora Prince. "Why did you come here to begin with?"
Sidon seems to hesitate, but decides to answer after a moment of thinking. "When Vah'Ruta turned off, I wondered if it was related to my sister."
"Was it?"
"I don't know. But her spirit has departed from the Divine Beast."
"How would you know that?" Zelda stops walking and faces the Prince.
Sidon rests a hand on his hip, as he looks over at the mechanical elephant. "I… saw her leave." He motions vaguely with his free hand. "There were lingering memories of hers, I think, in Vah'Ruta. It was a strange event that happened, really, it felt like I was in a dream. No, a nightmare. Then, before I knew it I was-"
"Possessed? By Mipha?" The Princess' is incredulous.
"Not possessed." Sidon shakes his head. "But I-I saw…" He suddenly seems tired, like the weight of the World just fell upon him. "It was like the Waterblight was there all over again, and I had a chance to save her. That must have been when I… attacked you." He lowers his head. "I apologize."
"No offense taken, Prince Sidon." Zelda forces a reassuring smile on her lips. "Did you see how she… was defeated?"
"No. And I'm glad I didn't see it. But we all know how it happened anyway." Sidon states, as he resumes walking towards the Domain.
Link is cooking mushroom skewers on the campfire, while humming softly. Zelda watches him, as she lay on her side on the floor mat. Her boots are beside her, and her feet are a little too close to the fire. But the heat is comforting, and with Link ignoring her, she needs all the environmental comfort she can find. After returning Sidon safely to the Zora's Domain, they've returned to the road, heading towards Kakariko where they'll ask Impa and Purah about the dying Sheikah technology. Meanwhile, they're camping for the night, and Link's silence is unbearable.
"She was in the terminal room when the Waterblight appeared." Zelda says softly. She can see Link's whole body stiffens as he keeps cooking. He doesn't want to hear it now, but he needs to. Or at least, Zelda needs to tell him. "She fought fiercely, and it has been said that the battle could be heard in the Zora's Domain. However, the soldiers couldn't get to her before it was too late. They arrived just in time to see her frozen body being shattered by the Fiend." The smell of burnt mushrooms raised from the skillet. "You did not find her body because there is no body to find."
Link removes the burnt skewers from the fire and puts them down into a plate. "I loved her." He says, quietly. His face is hidden behind his bangs.
"I know." Zelda answers, as her heart shatters under the setting sun.