Chapter 3:

Home, Where You Feel Safest

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"—And she'as the auda'city to snoop through the Sh'eikah Slate!" Link seethed, hands trembling as he forced himself not to pace.

Madius exhaled and scooped his child off the ground, setting Link on his lap, "Breathe."

Link hissed sharply through clenched teeth, entire body trembling as Madius held him close. Fingers kneed at Madius' shirt and the silver-eyed deity tucked Link's head beneath his chin, holding his child close.

"Wha'ight does she have?" Link's voice was a whisper, confused and angry and upset—

Madius hummed deeply and stroked a hand up and down Link's back knowing he needed this moment to vent, needed this outlet otherwise he'd return back to Kakariko and take it out on Zelda, Link didn't want to do that.

"She doesn't," Madius confirmed, it was…impolite, invasive and the deity had the feeling she knew that but still snooped through the Slate. However, Madius also knows Zelda has just spent one hundred years trapped, knows the Slate had once belonged to her but not with the functions it has now, and knows that Zelda was likely simply curious and didn't think it through—didn't think that Link might not want her to touch the Slate.

Link barely let him and only ever in emergencies—which were thankfully rare.

The Slate was a part of him—an extension of Link.

Link knows this all too.

So, he's trying his best not to take it out of Zelda, knows it isn't really fair too. Not when she's trying to make amends and of course there would be moments of not seeing eye to eye or they clash on something.

Had Link truly been a child, Madius doubts he would have the same restraint as he currently did. It's commendable.

Madius stands after several long moments where Link's breathing evens out, fingers loosen from their tight grip and Link begins to succumber to his exhaustion again.

"Sleep, little one," Madius hums and slips passed the curtain into their shared room. He sets Link in his bed, pulling the green blanket gently from beneath him to instead lay it over Link. He stirred, eyes peeking out from behind tired lids. They didn't stay open very long.

Madius stepped out, pulling the curtain shut as he did.

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The Bokoblins chattered at one another, some patrolled the camp, others slept.

Link, having donned his Bokoblin mask, had been quietly sitting in the Monster camp for the last hour. There's a dangerous rush he got whenever he did this that never got old.

But Link also generally enjoyed, was fascinated by, seeing what exactly Bokoblins did when undisturbed. Ever since buying the masks from Kilton, Link had used every chance to approach Monsters without them attacking him.

Lizalfos, Moblins, Lynels.

Lynels caught on quickly if he wasn't careful. Thankfully because of his appearance, they often thought him a youngling—a child (which technically he was) so the façade lasted longer than when dad had tried.

—or maybe the Lynels could sense dad's magic?

Huh, Link hadn't come to that theory before. He was definitely going to be looking into that one more. Then what about him? He had divine magic, again maybe it was because of his physical age?

There was no denying that Lynels were the smartest of all Monsters, followed by Lizalfos, who Link had actually befriended once with a mask and made trades. Small things, fish for a bow and other things.

It had taken lots of practice and tries and different approaches for Link to pull off the trade, he had to perfect his Lizalfos act—his acting had been the main thing that held him back for a long while but once he got it down, Link now made trades if he needed weapons from Lizalfos instead of fighting them.

It was solely with a small tribe of them in a rather isolated location he had stumbled upon purely by accident when hunting for a Shrine. Now if he was in desperate need for a sword, Link went there.

(Link wonders if Zelda would be interested in his study on Monsters.)

Link twitched when he acknowledges his father was stood not too far away, out of sight of the Bokoblins but Link had a clear view of him.

Link glossed over his signal for him to come.

No. Link wanted to stay here.

There was a finite feeling of nervousness when he sees the narrowed eyes expression on his father's face. Uh oh.

Link also knows he'd been down here since before dawn. He'd skipped breakfast and considering the position of the sun; it was past midday. Uh, no wonder dad had come looking for him. He was very keen on Link eating something at every mealtime to train his body to get into that habit, considering Link, before he had met his father, had only eaten an apple a day to sate his hunger. Dad had been less than impressed when he had learnt to Link's…eating habits.

It was traumatising the lecture he had gotten about healthy eating and how he needs to at least eat something more than once a day or even just a single apple.

Since then, Link had put on more weight, a healthy weight where before Link could admit he was skinny. His strength and agilily had increased since so Link knew why he needed to eat but sometimes he just—wasn't hungry and had no desire to force himself to eat at every single mealtime.

…saying that—when was the last time he had eaten? Since before he and Zelda had sealed Ganon. Whoops.

He understood his dad wanting to have him to eat now.

—and huh, when had all the Monsters been killed?

"Finally out of your thoughts?" Madius cocks a brow from his spot knelt before Link.

Link grins sheepishly.

Madius sighed, "Let's head on back to the house."

Link stood, pulling the Bokoblin mask off.

"I'm not going to say anything," Madius continued, "But don't argue with me on this."

Link nodded, "I know."

"Good."

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"—I doubt just because Ganon is gone, the Blood Moons will suddenly stop," Madius answered.

Link lowered his spoon, a thoughtful frown creasing his face, "Thought s'too, there's still too much Malice in the air and earth. An av'rage Hylian lifetime or two at mini'mal."

Madius hummed in agreement.

"But there's no denyin' it's al'ready far fresh'er without Gan'on around."

Madius eyed his child fondly, while he as a Deity was in tune with the world around him, it wasn't to the extend Link was. But knowing just what Link's attribute is doesn't surprise Madius that his child could sense as such. Link belonged to the wilds as much as the wilds belonged to him.

Ironic, Madius thinks, for Farore had been the one to breathe life into creatures that walk the earth. Being the descendant of not one, but three of the Courage Keepers, Link had already been chosen long, long ago and while as a godling Link was unable to carry the Triforce, it did not diminish his history and relation to the Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, and Hero of the Calamity.

Link and Farore had been bound long ago. Madius wouldn't be surprised if she had felt this coming since Madius' own creation, the Golden Goddesses are always quiet on the subject of Deities and Guardians after all.

There could also be no denying that Farore—Din and Nayru too—had a soft spot for the young Wildling.

Hylia made no effort to hide her adoration for Link.

(Soon, he knows, Hylia would finally regain her form after so long. His friend certainly deserved to be free to walk among the mortals she loved so dearly again. She had been bound to watch from afar for so long that once she was free, she could finally work to truly bring this cycle to an end.)

"I might go back tomorrow," Link murmurs quietly.

"Can you do it?"

Link frowned and set his spoon down in his finished soup, "M'not angry an'more, just…miffed?"

Miffed, bless this kid's hearts—honestly, Madius knows while Link has let go of his anger, he is also very much petty. He knows Link would retaliate in some way when he returns to Kakariko. But what exactly, is the question. It was hard to tell with Link and his memories of when he had still been stuck within the mask show him only snippets of what Wild is capable of when getting back at someone.

Chaos. Pure and utter chaos depending on what the slight was.

Link had gleefully taken claim to Time's first grey hair when they'd noticed it.

"If you say so."

Madius does not miss the devious glint that Link gets in his eyes.

May the Princess not suffer too much.

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*Link burns a lot of calories with fighting and being constantly on the move, which is why he was skinny/underweight before meeting Madius. It hadn't really clicked that the reason he tired quickly or couldn't do certain things was because he wasn't a healthy weight. Mipha's Grace was used a lot more during the early days of Link's journey because of that.

If it wasn't clear, Link freed Vah Ruta first since Impa had told Link somethings about the Champions and implied they had been together which set Link on a warpath. He then went to Naboris, Medoh, and last Rudania.

*Hero of the Calamity is the title I've given the previous Hero set before BOTW.