and we're back

by Superpear8

"link! are you all right? what did you see?" 'i think...' he signs hesitantly, eyes darting back towards the platform, 'i think i just met the love of my life.' continuation of 'oh god there's blood everywhere'

a continuation of 'oh god there's blood everywhere'
the moment we've all been waiting for... just kidding. that shit ain't building up to shit. it's all shit. :)
i wrote this in 1 day no flamez pls :)

he comes out of it with a loud gasp. sidon is there in an instant, crouching down to peer at his face.

"link! are you all right? what did you see?"

'i think...' he signs hesitantly, eyes darting back towards the platform, 'i think i just met the love of my life.'

the day dawns crisp and pink as the pair finally make their way into rito village. they've been up for hours, but there are various townsfolk about who seem to have just awoken.

"hey," says a friendly-looking townswoman, "haven't seen you two round these parts. what brings you to rito vill- hey wait, i know you!" she points a feather in sidon's direction. he points at himself. that's adorable. "excuse my rudeness, your princeliness!" she bows her head at him. he isn't her prince, per se, but he's royalty, and she's never met royalty. cool!

'hello, there. is this rito village?'

"why yes, traveller. it is. my name is saitoli, and i know who you are," she looks at sidon, "but who are you?"

'i'm link. it's nice to meet you.'

"that name sounds familiar," she says in a familiar fashion to the people from the last place they visited. "have we met?"

'i don't think so.'

"no? all right, anyways, if you guys get lost or something, just give me a holler!"

"thank you, miss." sidon says politely as they step away. he turns to his travelling companion. "she seemed nice. where to?"

link inhales slowly, sniffing the air around them. sidon knows he can't smell anything, due primarily to the sniffling noise it makes when link draws breath, but also due to the fact that he is not a dog. the prince is sniffling, too. it's cold up here.

'let's find the tailor. i don't know about you, but i'm freezing.'

"agreed."

they find the tailor. they bundle up. they scout out the source of the problem: another divine beast gone rogue. unsurprising. they are directed to the flight range, and link zoom-blurs violently into another one of his memory-regaining episodes.

"the love of your life?" sidon looks surprised and perhaps a little offended. "it wasn't my sister?"

link shakes his head, 'i mean, it wasn't like that. like. mipha's great, she was great, but like. we weren't, like. together together. it's hard to explain. it's like we were happy, together, and she was happy with someone and i was happy with someone. like buds. platonic life partners, if you will.' link laughs softly. 'kinda like us!'

it looks like sidon is in pain. "yes, like us."

'anyway, we should get moving. it's cold up here and i know you're not about that.' link walks up beside him and they begin to meander towards the village proper. 'how's about we stay the night in the inn, and hit up that divine beast tomorrow morning?'

"sounds like a plan!" sidon says, his usual cheer returning at the mention of the battle. that's something he knows how to do. not this... whatever this is. jealousy? is he jealous?

he puts it out of his mind for the time being.

"ah, so you finally came. took you long enough! a hundred ye- well hello, there. who's this fine-looking fellow?"

sidon blushes. link gives revali a wry smile and signs out, 'revali, this is sidon, prince of the zora. sidon, this is revali, my dead boyfriend.'

"you wound me! i'm not dead, i feel fine!" squawks the spectral revali, who, for all intents and purposes, is... deceased. "i'm more than just your boyfriend, too, i'm a CHAMPION! and the best archer to ever live, and"

link's sticking his hand into the ghostly figure. it encounters no resistance as it passes through seemingly open air.

"stop that!"

link looks back at sidon, who is trying not to laugh. revali attempts to smack link's hand away but does not seem to be able to interact with the physical plane. he looks resigned, as if this isn't the first time he's tried. it's a sobering thought.

"it's a pleasure to meet you, champion revali." sidon says, trying to defuse the situation.

revali preens at the attention. "it is a pleasure to meet you, kind stranger. please excuse my very troublesome man over here" link sticks his tongue out "gh. i can't take you anywhere. anyways, this is going to be a lot easier with two of you..."

the battle is swift as it is exhilarating, what with the stage being a gigantic flying metal bird, and by the end of it the both of them are breathing heavily and covered in sweat, despite the frigid temperatures and whipping wind. the thing pops in a disgusting burst of tar-black energy, and the bird is freed. revali appears once more before them.

"not bad," he says, sauntering their way. as much as a ghost can.. saunter, really. it's hard. "not bad at all."

'you do care!' link tells him playfully. he wants to run to him. he remembers doing that back when things weren't all shitty, but he doubts it would work now. he'd sail right through the rito archer and go flying off the side of the beast for sure. link's not doing that today. he's not sure sidon's heart can take the stress.

"was there ever any doubt?" revali flirts back. he seems to be suddenly conscious of his incorporeal form as well, choosing to hang around at a respectful distance. leave room for hylia, and all.

sidon feels kinda left out. he also feels cold, but he's doing okay for now because of the adrenaline. he's been adventuring with link long enough to know that at this point, something magical is about to happen. before it can, however, he gets good look at the distance there is between the beast and the ground, and feels like his guts are going to come pouring out from his middle.

"link, i'm going to..."

link looks back at his friend, ashamed that he had nigh-on forgotten. 'ah! sorry! please, i'll meet you back at the village.' he runs up to pat him reassuringly, and sidon is grateful.

"farewell." sidon says regally to the both of them, mostly to revali, before taking out his enormous glider and leaping gracefully off the side. link watches for a minute to see him land safely before walking back over to revali.

'where were we?' link asks with a smirk.

"we were about to get magical."

'magical, i see. i see.'

"no, not like! not like that! i can't even" a ghostly wing sweeps through the hero. "i can't even touch you!"

'i... understand.' link signs, now solemn. he just found out about his boy yesterday and it's already time to say goodbye. just his luck.

"now, i don't do this for just anyone, so listen up," revali begins, his posture growing formal, "since you, the hero, have bested this divine beast and banished ganon's curse from its form, i deem you worthy of my special ability... which i have wrought and refined to perfection! the skill i dub... revali's gale!"

revali flings an orb of magic energy at link's chest, where it hits, sticks, sinks in, and is absorbed. very dramatic, very revali. very nice. its power spreads from link's core to his fingers and toes, and washes over his face with a cool whisper of air. revali's gale.

'thank you.' link signs simply, letting his arms drop to his sides with a sigh.

for a while there's not much to say. it's unfair. link didn't know about this. he wasn't informed of this. and now it's already coming to a close. it's completely unfair. he studies the see-through rito beside him, goes down on one knee, and closes his eyes.

"now concentrate on-" link's already off. revali looks up and sees him hooting and hollering, almost completely hidden by the cloud layer, which is drifting not far above them. "all right. still not as good as i am, but passable." revali muses, watching him go.

link lands with a clap of air. 'that was awesome!'

"of course it was! i gave you my technique!"

'thanks!' link laughs.

"you're welcome. and..." he looks up and catches link's eye with his right side. "thank you. for everything."

link's a little teary now. it's not from the wind in his eyes. 'i remember you now, you know. i loved you. i think i still do.'

"sappy." revali says, but his words hold no venom. "i suppose this is goodbye, then."

'you couldn't... y'know...'

"no, i couldn't. i can't leave the bird. not until ganon is defeated." revali looks seriously at him. "you will defeat the old bastard for me, won't you?"

'i swear it on my life.' link signs, looking back to the rito with the same serious fervor.

revali laughs a sad little laugh. "i'll hold you to that."

link smiles, beginning to pull his glider off his back for use. 'i know you will.'

he's now poised to jump. he hesitates. he looks back.

'i love you.' his hand shakes holding the sign.

"i love you too." revali's eyes give a rare smile. "goodbye, link."

link waves. he finally makes the leap into open air, the blistering wind sweeping away his tears better than any sleeve. or shoulder. don't think about it, don't think about it, don't thi

he cries. he cries so hard, so much. sidon holds him through the night. it's not the first time one of his memories has taken a physical toll on him, but it's certainly the first time something like this has happened. come morning he's fallen asleep on the big guy, who has subsequently fallen asleep where he was sitting.

link doesn't seem that different as they say their goodbyes to the rito villagers. an evening spent crying is just what he needed to feel much better come the following morning. funny how that works. he's certainly got it on his mind, though. it's just something he's going to have to carry with him. like everything else. at least it's not totally terrible. there were some good times back in there with all the death and destruction. when they first got together, when they snuck out to do dumb shit in the woods that one time, when he'd... yes, there are many good things. he's just going to have to take what he can get.

zelda lets out a long, loud scream that shakes the earth. it startles birds out of the nearby forest, it makes both boys' visions go fuzzy for a moment. sidon almost drops his spear. he doesn't though. a true warrior prince, even in times of distress.

the triforce glows a blinding white, and ganon screams, too.

it is, all in all, a pretty cacophonous scene. the sky is blue, the grass is green. in the light of the gigantic cloud of something that is currently writhing in front of them, they all appear varying shades of white. it only lasts for about thirty seconds in total, yet it feels like days. when it's done, color bleeds back into the world, and zelda drops like a stone.

thud.

link shrieks out loud. he leaps off his horse and sprints madly to her side, grunting with every stride. he'd been injured in the battle. so had the prince. sidon follows swiftly, carefully, on horseback, before dismounting and grabbing their bag of medical supplies from the saddle.

wow. alive. link's mind yells. she's alive. she's alive? wow, i thought i'd been hearing things when she was telepathing to me. she's alive! she doesn't seem to have taken any damage from the fall, possibly because magic. link doesn't know how that works. sidon only knows slightly more than he does, because of his powerful wizardly sister, who had taught him like... 2.5 magics when he was a kid.

zelda looks bad, sure, but she's not... dead? incredible!

she's dusty. her hair is a little singed. she cracks her eyes open at the pitter patter of link's tears on her face. a grass-stained arm comes up to shield her eyes from the daylight. she opens her eyes fully. they are a beautiful emerald green, just like link remembers. and he does remember. he remembers them only looking greener when she cried. he hopes this time around, she can live her life free from those tears. she sees the two stooped over her and sighs.

"let's never do that again." she groans. link laughs weakly, wiping his eyes on the back of a dirty sleeve. he stands up, and offers an arm to help her up, too. turns out zelda's still taller than him, even after all this time. even if it's only slightly. even if she's barefoot in the grass and link's wearing boots.

they're all schmucked up from the battle, some more than the rest. sidon's got a nasty gash across his back from when ganon nailed him with a flying piece of metal, and link's thigh is sporting an arrow wound from an enemy encountered chasing the calamity outside. zelda is surprisingly the least hurt, considering she spend a hundred years inside the thing, fighting for her life. that was mostly magic stuff, though, so she figures a few mana potions and a long vacation ought to do it.

too bad she's never been one for vacations.

a queen-in-training hasn't the time for such frivolities.

sweet hylia, she sounds like her father. he's dead now.

the three of them spend some time in the meadow tending each other's wounds. it's late afternoon by the time they hear the call. it's a voice, shouting their names, and there is a great rustling from several patches of distant forest.

"LINK! ZELDA! AND... MIPHA'S BROTHER?! HEY!"

daruk hasn't seen the lot of them for a hundred years, save link. he comes barreling through the grass towards the small group, arms open to engulf all of them in a massive, most likely crushing embrace. that's pretty accurate. it is crushing. the goron squeezes them so tight link thinks his eyes are going to come out. (they don't.)

"hello, daruk." zelda says politely, once he's set them down. "it has been a while."

they stand there staring at one another before it dawns on them.

'wait.' signs link. 'aren't you dead?'

daruk bursts into laughter. "AM I DEAD?! i feel fine!"

"but if you're alive..." zelda says, eyes round with shock, "then"

as if on cue, the creek a ways off explodes with a giant splash. mipha does a triple backflip and lands running, becoming a fast-growing red blur on the horizon. she waves to them as she runs, her eyes shining with joyful tears, and slams into zelda only slightly less quickly than if the princess had been open air. they take a gleeful tumble into the grass. link averts his eyes, laughing quietly to himself. he makes looks to sidon, who is covering his face. link pats him on the arm.

'sorry i never told you about them, big guy. it never came up.'

"this is wonderful," he says thickly. removing his hands, link can see the prince tearing up again. "she's alive! she's alive. i can't believe it. she's really here! and she's happy!" he sniffs, gains some composure with a swipe across his eyes. "i'm glad."

link can't control his smile. he nods in agreement.

"sidon! link!" mipha and zelda are striding over to the pair, shoulders brushing. "my baby brother, how you've grown! how tall are you now?! this is crazy!"

"mipha..." sidon says shakily. link can tell he's trying not to cry again, and pats his arm in support.

sidon remembers the last time he had seen her.

he was a hatchling, and she held his face in her hands. 'sidon' she said firmly, clutching his tiny countenance, 'if anything happens to me, i'm leaving it all to you. my darling brother. my boy. hopefully it won't come to that, but if it does then you're going to be KING. understand?' he had not yet learned how to use his mouth to speak, so he gave her a thumbs up and a bright grin, hoping she understood. her face melted into a relieved smile. charmed. 'remember, sidon: i love you. i'll always be with you.' she taps his little chest, right over his little heart. 'in here.'

he swallows the lump in his throat. clutches his heart. "...it's been far too long."

mipha's eyes crinkle when she smiles at him. "that it has"

at that, they embrace one another and keep holding on, seemingly to make up for lost time.

urbosa, who has been surfing, riding, and running like a triathlete for the past four hours, finally steps into their line of sight. she calls out a gerudo 'hello' and waves as she slows to a stately walk towards the growing gathering.

link waves vigorously over at her. urbosa's tough, but she isn't mean, and he likes her a lot. he hopes he's made her proud today. daruk also waves, bellowing out a really, really loud 'HELLO' that, after everything that's happened today, doesn't bother link in the slightest.

"hello, champions. princess. prince. link." she says, coming to a halt about a meter away. zelda slams into her and clings like she's not planning on letting go, ever. it's only half true. link wants to hug urbosa too but feels like that might be a mistake. his hug need is satisfied when mipha and sidon finally break apart and mipha comes his way.

"hello, old friend." she says warmly. they hug, and when they pull back, she's eyeing him up critically. "link, not to be crude, but when was the last time you bathed?"

link bursts out laughing. he loves her. he loves her so much. 'i've been on the road a lot, mipha! fighting ganon makes for a dirty boy!'

"i can't believe you. you haven't changed one bit." mipha laughs fondly, though she does stay upwind of him for the time being. "it's good to see you." she says with a twinkle in her eye.

"what's this i hear? tearful reunions? congratulations? without me?"

link startles at the sudden voice. he didn't hear or see revali fly in. that's probably what the dramatic rito wanted.

mipha leans in. "go get him, tiger."

'that sounds so wrong, coming from you.' link cringes. mipha giggles. she totally did that on purpose, he thinks.

nevertheless, link makes a mad dash towards the archer and flings himself into his arms. it's just like his shoddy memories. no, it's better. it's better in person. so much better. he never thought he'd get to experience this. he almost feels like he doesn't deserve it. revali's wings are soft, yet strong where they hold him, and his beak doesn't stab nearly as much as he thought it would! link hears cooing and laughter from behind him, but he can't find it in himself to pay attention. this is. so much.

they seperate after who knows how long. link takes in revali's face again, this time in person, and this time it's solid, breathing, real. alive.

'how is this possible?' link questions. 'i thought... when we said goodbye... i thought that would be... it.'

"ask your little wizard friend over there" he inclines his head towards zelda, and they both turn their heads to the side to look at her.

link looks back at revali. 'zelda did this?'

"do i look like an expert?" revali scoffs. link laughs. not really. "anyway, now that i'm back, i'm expecting some serious making up, you hear me? you left me waiting for a very long time! a really long time! so long!"

'revali...'

"it was cold up there, even for a rito! a hundred years! ridiculous."

link stretches up and kisses his beak, leaving the rito speechless. 'i promise to make it up to you.' his eyes dart back and forth between revali's. 'we have all the time in the world.'

someone loudly clears their throat, and the pair realize that they have been standing in a near-embrace for a long time, and that the rest of their party has gone silent. link slowly steps away from his boy, face growing red with embarrassment. 'hello, squad.' he waves.

"squad up." urbosa commands. they squad up. "all right, zelda."

zelda takes a deep breath. mipha squeezes her hand. "i bet you're all wondering why you are here."

"i get the feeling you're going to tell u-ouch!" link jabs revali with his elbow. he pinches his fingers closed on top of his mouth to signify shutting up.

"as best i can explain..." link doesn't remember what she says next but it sounds reasonable and incredibly smart, since zelda's saying it.

"... and that's why you're all, well." she coughs. "alive."

"i for one am grateful! never thought i'd get this chance!" daruk bellows. "thank you, princess. you're a lifesaver!" this gets a grin out of her. nice!

"i suppose i am grateful, as well." revali says with mock-disinterest. link elbows him again. "oh, all right! i am! thank you, princess."

the others murmur in agreement.

"well, i should be getting back to death mountain. lotta catching up to do, after being gone for so long and all." daruk says as he's turning to walk back from whence he came. "see ya later!"

"bye, daruk." urbosa calls. she turns to zelda. "princess, i am so proud of you. we all got out of this because of your actions. never forget that." she holds the hylian's eyes meaningfully before taking her leave as well.

they wave pleasantly as she goes, leaving five figures remaining in the meadow. plus two horses.

mipha speaks up softly. "all right. i rushed here to see what had become of ganon, as i suppose most of you also did, but i need to check on zora's domain." she looks to zelda, who nods, and mipha looks up at sidon.

who blinks. he supposes this is where the adventure ends. not like it has to be forever, but... link is giving his boyfriend goo goo eyes. it twists something inside of him that feels like it shouldn't be twisted. he should really tell link. not now. someday, he's got to. he's got to tell him how he feels.

"i think father, and the entire domain, would be overjoyed to see you. and... i have been away for some time. it's time i returned."

sidon looks to link, who nods, gives him a thumbs up, and grins.

and now, it's time for another tearful embrace.

'thanks for being my buddy, and sticking with me for so long. i know it hasn't been easy, and i haven't been the best friend, and-' sidon cuts off his increasingly emotional signing with an equally emotional hug. link wraps his arms around his friend as much as he can, what with the zora being, fucking huge, and squeezes. he's let down, and has to wipe his eyes dry for the... he hasn't been keeping count, how many times have they cried today? it's been a Day.

"it's been wonderful. thank you." sidon smiles. "and this isn't goodbye! come visit us soon!"

'i will!' link smiles back.

they take the horses and go. all three wave hearty goodbyes until they're out of sight.

"ah..." revali sighs. "and then there were two."

'so,' link saunters back up to him, mouth quirked upwards. 'making up for lost time, was it?'

"starting..." revali ticks his head to the side and waits. suddenly, he is off into the sky, borne by an updraft powerful enough to blow link's matted hair back from his face. "NOW!" the rito cackles as he shoots away, quite literally flying circles around the hero.

link kneels.

oh, it's on.

NO FLAMES PREPZ!

all seriousness no flames prepz wtf ru doin. only kool goffik ppl allowed so if ur not goffik den FUCK OF!

all seriousness thanks for reading i love u :)

i know this is like, ooc for the characters just. i wanted to write it so i did. im proud of myself

i still ain't played it and i doubt i ever will. such is life. such is the way the cookie crumbles...