Title: Speak
Fandom: Legend of Zelda
Pairing/Characters: Link(s)
Warning(s): Extremely flagrant-er abuse of reincarnation theory.
Genre: Gen
"Link," the first Link said. The fire he was seated by threw long shadows on his face.
"Link," the second said. This continued on around the circle; there were six men there, all named Link, and he supposed he was the seventh. They were all of various ages and heights, but all dressed in green, all Hylians, and all with the mark on their left hand.
"You can speak, now," one of them said. Except for six men, the logs they sat on, and a fire pit there was only black forever and forever – not even a pile of sticks to keep the fire going, yet it seemed to not consume anything. "It's a little odd at first, I know. But you're as dead as the rest of us, so you can talk. Why don't you start by telling us how old you were when you lost your voice?"
"S-Se…ven," he managed. It had been years since he uttered his last words, and it rolled over his tongue and around in his mouth. "Seven."
"Seven years old? Pretty young – I was twelve."
"And I was six. It happens when it happens."
One of them moved to the side and motioned for him to sit down. He did, taking his place in between him and the Link who had been silenced at the age of twelve, who turned towards him. "Heard a telepathic cry from Zelda…my time's Zelda, at least, and never spoke again."
His ears perked up at the name, but he supposed that if he had been born that many times than so had she – and Ganondorf as well. He nodded, and at their insistence, added 'I see'.
"Didn't have a fairy," the Link who lost it when he was six said. "I woke up one day to the sight of one, and that was it."
They went around again, then, each explaining his story of the moment when he went from farm boy or blacksmith or knight to hero. Then they got the story of his journey out of him, from the first tendrils of twilight to when dawn finally broke. They talked for what felt like hours, sharing stories and laughter and tears, and when it seemed like there were no things left to talk about he felt a great tremor within him.
"Oh – this one's young," one of the Links said. "Almost as young as me. Something happened to his sister…it looks like it's time."
Far away, in the land of the living, a little boy named Link looked out to the ocean and spoke his last words.
