Korok Forest

As the hilt connected with flesh, the blurry visions became clear and Link had to use all the courage rooted within to forbid a shocked gasp from escaping.
Instead Link teleported. Oh, not back to Hyrule, no. It was painfully obvious how the people of Hyrule longed for the chosen one of the Blade of Evil's Bane. No. Instead the destination was the realm of the Zoras.

"Tch..." was all that escaped Link's throat, a sound filled with disgust and hatred. The visions became even clearer after she materialized again in her quarters.

It poured into her head like an endless stream of foul, muddy water. Her eyes, round and wide in shock, couldn't even blink as vision after vision hit her like Mipha's spear when they sparred.

"That... That's..." she gasped under her breath and sank down on her knees.

A "No. No! NOOO!" burst out of her like a geyser filled to the brim with rage and desperation that finally exploded. She smashed her fist down on the ever-wet floor of her Zoran private quarters, letting all those clammed up feelings gurgle out of her in vocal obscenities and helpless violence against the poor tiles beneath her.
All those years in seclusion. All those hard lessons from her father, every... EVERYTHING should be for naught? She didn't want to believe it. Couldn't believe it! But every time she laid her hands on the cursed steel of that damned sword, it only flashed those endless cycles before her eyes. Showing her, time after time, as she grew up, claimed the sword - started her journey to save the princess and -

Link ripped herself away from the thing. She didn't want to see her demise again. No one would. But what should be her course of action now? What COULD she even do to change this ill fate of hers for the better? Helpless, she let herself fall back on her buttocks and lifted her head to the ceiling of her chamber, tears trickling down her cheeks, forming two pristine rivers of sorrow and misery.

"Goddesses, no... please... no... Have I not suffered enough already, even without ever voicing the slightest complaint? Didn't I serve you well in all of those past lives? Haven't I served you well even this life? Didn't I do every-Goddessless-thing my father forced me to so I could become the best knight in the whole world? Isn't it enough that I gave up everything I am for his sake? WHY! Tell me, Din! Nayru! Farore.. Hylia! ANYONE! Why... please... why..." Her voice died away as deep sobs carved their way out of her chest. It took Link a while to calm down. Rage and despair abated and became acrimony and exhaustion. All her past years. Even all her past lives leeched away her energy and she curled up on the wet floor, not even noticing the small shivers that the cold water sent through her body, before she fell into a dreamless sleep.


Realm of the Zora

"Lin! You did it!" Mipha yelled enthusiastically and ran towards her. But she slowed down as she reached her childhood friend. "What...? You look as though you saw Calamity Ganon!"

Lin, as she called herself in the Domain, cleared her throat and slowly looked around. Her destination was the palace of Zora's Domain, and thanks to Mipha shouting about her achievement, the whole town had its eyes on her. She sighed on the inside and did what she had to do for the people she loved from the bottom of her heart. She tightened her grip around the cold hilt of the Master Sword, steeled her resolve once more and unsheathed it, holding it high into the air.

"The Hero of the Sword was chosen!" The gleeful murmurs of the Zoras hurt. They felt as if those prideful creatures shot thunder arrows under her skin, but she endured. She smiled as best as she could and slowly spun around so everyone could take a good look at the damned piece of metal in her hand.

Only Mipha didn't cheer. She had known her since she was a small child. She saw through her facade just as she did back when Lin arrived with her father and tried to pose as a boy. But Mipha was one... no, Lin corrected her thoughts… she was THE most empathic creature in this world. She would never ruin this moment for her people, so she kept her silence, but her eyes sparked with curiosity and worry. Lin waited what felt like hours before she sheathed the Master Sword and nodded to the crowd around her. With a forced smile she offered Mipha her arm, and the Princess of the Zora took it without hesitation as they strode away in the direction of the palace.

"What's wrong, Lin?" she mumbled under her breath so that Lin had to listen intently in order to understand her words.

"Later, Mi... Please."

Mipha tilted her head slightly as her worries intensified. Lin never used the monicker she had given to her years ago if other people could hear it. She was the personification of tact. It was one of her most notable traits, and also one of the reasons why her father had allowed Lin to stay in the realm of the Zoras to train together with her despite her being a Hylian. He had been so impressed by her determination as a child that he began referring to her as his second son, until Mipha accidentally spilled the young girl's secret. The girls took the stairs to the palace, where Mipha's father, King Dorephan, seemed to be arguing with her teacher Muzu. But as they approached and Mipha politely cleared her throat, they stopped and looked as if nothing happened at all.

"Princess Mipha, my dear child! Lin!" the King greeted them, laughing in a friendly manner which caused his big belly to dance. "What can I do for these two promising daughters of mine?"

Mipha happened to take a look at Lin's face at that moment and her eyes widened. How could she react in such a way? Gritting her teeth while frowning, even if well hidden in the shadows of her cowl? Her curiosity skyrocketed, as did the foul feeling deep inside her guts. Lin nodded in silence, then reached behind her back, unsheathed the Master Sword and knelt to present it to the King.
Muzu took a sharp breath. The King laughed with joy.

"The Hero of the Sword! I ALWAYS knew it, Lin! Muzu! Immediately send news to the Castle of Hyrule! King Rhoam will be relieved that one of the Champions is among us!"

"Please..." was all Lin said, but her voice trembled so much that the old Zora, who already turned to leave, stopped right in his tracks. No one could tell if it was eagerness, fear or rage that moved the girl in front of them.

All eyes, even those of the royal guard, fixated the kneeling Hero of the Sword, who held her head down. Only Mipha was close enough to take a look at Lin's face from the side.

"Explain yourself please, child," King Dorephan demanded in a soft voice, bending forward to take a closer look at her.

"Please, King Dorephan, please give me a little more time to grow into my destiny before you inform the World about this. I haven't mastered the sword yet."

Mipha's scales lifted for a short moment. Normally the scales of a Zora were able to stand up or lay down for fast turns underwater but there was something else that caused Mipha's scales to stand up. Lin lied. Her words sent shivers down the Princess' spine, she always felt when people around her told lies and thus lifting her scales up for a split second. Her eyes darted to her father, hoping he didn't see the sign, but he shook his head as their eyes connected. Only a small gesture, but Mipha understood. Her empathy was well known to her father and he had used it far too often in negotiations to see who meant well for the kingdom and who didn't, so he would always – even subconsciously – watch his daughter after he asked someone a question. He lifted himself off of his throne and walked down to where Lin knelt. Without hesitation, he placed his right hand under Lin's chin and lifted her head, revealing her ever unbending blue eyes as they looked stoically right through him, focusing on a point far behind him.

"Now, child... Tell this old man, who thinks of you as his own daughter, what is going on and why he can't rid himself of the feeling that something is wrong?"

To everyone's surprise, Lin lay down the sword and took a look at the people in the throne room, most of whom were Zoras of importance and the royal guard. She took a small breath. Mipha tilted her head ever so slightly as she wondered what might go on in the Hylian head of Lin's.

"The Master Sword isn't fully awake, my King. As it is right now, it will be my, no, our end."

Mipha took a sharp breath and narrowed her eyes at her father and Muzu, both looking puzzled over those words. Lin didn't lie in a direct manner but Mipha felt deep down that she hadn't told the whole truth either, something was amiss.

"What do you mean, Hylian?" snarled Muzu, who had never really liked Link.

"It sent me blurry visions, what I had to do and where I would find it. But as I took it out of the cursed stone it rested in the fog lifted and I saw it all… The cycles, you wouldn't believe me anyway..." Her voice trailed off into nothingness with her last sentence. Again the adults exchanged confused looks while Mipha knitted her brows, trying to decipher Lin's words.

"Cycle..." popped into her head and she spoke the word without noticing it. But Lin noticed and her reaction told its own tale to the princess. So it had something to do with this cycle of the Calamity.

"Muzu, please! Can you recite the passage about the cycle of Calamity Ganon?"

As asked, her old teacher did and Mipha tilted her head, listening closely. Again and again the Hero of the Sword and the four Champions would fight Calamity Ganon until the Heroine of the Goddess could seal him away and save the Kingdom of Hyrule. But the Calamity would not perish and only rest to rear its ugly head once more after its powers returned. And thus the cycle would start anew. A new Hero of the Sword and new Champions would be chosen to save the land from Calamity Ganon.

"Yes." was all Lin said, as if this single word explained it all. It didn't really help her cause.

"Dear daughter, what do you mean?" her father asked and Mipha lifted one hand to buy her time as she thought about this strange puzzle. She knelt down next to Lin, ignoring the murmurs of the guards and Muzu's glare at this unbecoming act of a Zora princess. Gently, she placed her hand on Lin's back and brought her mouth next to Lin's pointed ear.

"Tell me, Lin... What did you see?"

Was it only her imagination? She could've sworn the blonde girl shivered and inhaled deeply before she sighed with barely a sound and nodded.

"It is not a cycle for a specific generation. It is an endless cycle for US! WE would be reborn again and again, only to do the same things in vain. It will never end and thus the cycle repeats. I am not the first Link," she nearly spat the word, her own name. "...who takes up the sword. And I won't be the last if we rush it again, as we did countless times before."

Again her voice trailed off, but Mipha understood. They would all die, just to repeat history all over.

"Nonsense!" someone shouted angrily.

Every single eye in the throne room shifted to Muzu, who hit the ground hard with his cane as if to underline his comment.

"This spineless girl is blabbering baseless lies because she is frightened of fulfilling her destiny! It is as I always told you, my King! This Hylian imposter should have never been allowed to enter our realm and poison the thoughts of our beloved prin-"

"MUZU! Enough!" Mipha intervened and the old Manta fell silent. He pursed his lips, shocked that the ever so calm and lovely Princess had raised her voice because of him.

"You aren't old enough to deny what your eyes confirmed! Lin is the Hero of Courage we all waited for since the first seers foretold the Calamity in this generation! Even YOU can't deny the physical embodiment of her destiny resting next to me as we speak!"

Her anger subsided as she spoke and her slightly raised voice became soft again.

"Father, you know Lin. She would never cower in fear, never waver, no matter the obstacle! I can only plead in her stead to give her time so she can sort her thoughts and feelings. Maybe then she can tell us what happened to her after she pulled out this sword."

Her father arched an eyebrow and slowly walked back to his throne. Mipha held her breath. Her father could be whimsical sometimes, so it was never obvious what he might do next. A strategy of his, so nobody could call him predictable.

"I, the King of all Zora, hereby declare that no word shall leave this realm about the chosen one of the Master Sword! We give this Hero and daughter of ours three days to collect herself and give us a full explanation of what seems to be hindering the Hero in fulfilling the prophecy! Dismissed, children!"

Mipha sighed thankfully and patted Lin's shoulder, who grabbed the Master Sword as if it would bite her hand and sheathed it again. As she bowed deeply before the king, her eyes searched for Mipha's, pleading the Princess to accompany her. Mipha nodded, understanding her even without words and the both of them walked out of the throne room. Only slow enough so no one could say they fled from it. Normally Lin wouldn't dare to enter Mipha's personal room in the Domain, but this time she did as Mipha demanded and sank down on the Princess' bed. She buried her head in her hands and kept silent, till Mipha finally lost patience.

"Lin? If I may?"

The blonde girl clad in green armor lifted her head and looked into her eyes.

"Did, did you tell the whole truth to my father?"

A head shook in silence made her gasp for air.

"Link!"

Lin flinched. Mipha only used her full name when she wanted to scold her.

"What could I have done instead, Mi? Tell all those people that their hopes will never be fulfilled? That all of them will lose the people they love the most? Mi, you will die! Calamity Ganon will corrupt those Divine Beasts and kill all of you! You, Daruk, Urbosa and even this egomaniac birdbrain! And when all is said and done? Even I will die on the battlefield, protecting Zelda against those wretched Guardians she oh so loves! Only Zelda will survive and shoulder the burden of mourning our deaths and rebuilding the kingdom! Mipha I... I..." Lin's voice failed and Mipha sat down next to her friend. Her eyes monitored the small movements of Lin's body. The trembling of Lin's back so well hidden that only a close look revealed the movement showing that she silently cried. Lin's aura, normally pulsing with courage, now oozed fear and frustration like a poisonous gas. Mipha frowned at the thought. She had used the same wording as her teacher, but Lin never poisoned her mind with anything. If anything, it was the other way round. Lin helped the far older princess more than anyone else to become more self-confident. As the first Hylian in Zoran history, she even managed to build herself a place inside the heart of a Zoran princess without even wanting to do so. Slowly, Mipha traced Lin's bodyline, running a scaly finger over her back, neck and head. She loved that silky blonde hair Lin always hid under the cowl of her armor. Careful she removed the cowl and the blonde flood broke free, like a river flowing down Lin's shoulders.
As always, this gesture irritated the other girl enough to break through her current state.

"Mi, what are you doing?"

Mipha's heart missed a beat as she heard this lost and hopeless voice of Lin's.

"Lin, please tell me everything!"

And so the girl did.