Chapter 1 - A Fresh Start With Old Beginnings
Trigger Warning - Okey doke I know don't usually kick things off with a trigger warning and I know this is Chapter 1 but the thought of starting down the path of emotional deterioration was too enticing, so there will be a small albeit intense panic attack near the end of the chapter read it if you will although it will not be too detrimental to the plot if you don't - Guest
Surprisingly the first to speak was Din. She turned her head to look Lia directly in the eye, she spoke with a downcast tone tinged with sorrow "Don't do that again, okay."Lia retorted with an air of sarcasm and joking "I don't think I would plan on it" but she quickly said afterward "I'm sorry for scaring you guys" she spoke in an apologetic tone any teasing in her voice quickly dissipating. Nayru leaned forward to speak from the other side of DIn "It's okay we just didn't know what we were expecting" Hylia noted that she had evidently been crying as her wise grey eyes were rimmed with red and were quite puffy." Farore spoke next "Umm Din can you let us go I'm kind of struggling to breathe."
Farore was wedged between Lia and Nayru at the front of Din and DIn's strong arms as constricting and perhaps even stronger than a 50 pound Farian Boa Constrictor.
Din quietly obliged, still holding them all she stood and turned towards the deck and gingerly set them down onto the swept weathered wood.
Farore breathing a sigh breathily said "I'm going to go change out of these annoying ceremonial clothes!" Hylia cocked her head as she did when curious and said "I thought you always just wore these robes" Din gave a hearty laugh and responded "Well Nayru always insists on making us wear these whenever we go out on official business in Hyrule or any other of our realms. Though they aren't uncomfortable, they are quite annoying to get on and off" Din explained patiently. Lia turned to Nayru stars shining in her eyes "What kind of business? And can I help!" Nayru's face paled considerably before nervously saying "Our business was to check on the appointed monks "Lia cocked her head again and said "Who're the monks?" Nayru sighed and opened her mouth to speak but feeling the words being caught in her throat she closed it.
Din watching the interaction play out looked over at Farore heading off to the right towards the cottage next to Nayru's. Turning back around she witnessed the awkward silence of the nervous Nayru and the very confused Lia. Din raised her eyebrows before saying in a questioning tone "Was she saying something about monks?" Lia nodded her head excited to be receiving some answers herself. Din ran her fingers through her fiery locks at the back of her head before looking at Nayru who started to frantically whisper to herself and Din reluctantly started to explain.
Starting off in a flat voice Din began "121 Sheikah monks of the highest devotion to... you, were chosen for a tremendous task, to train and test the hero of a new age." Lia raised an eyebrow "A new age?" Din took a breath to steady herself, her tone becoming more melancholic. "Yes, a new age they were appointed after Ganondorf or should I say Demise incarnated as a being made of malice and attempted to ravage the prosperous land of Hyrule. The Sheikah due to their technological prowess were able to construct autonomous soldiers and a barrier to shield the land and defeat the great evil with the help of about the 21nd incarnation of you and your mortal appointed knight wielding the Sword of Evil's Bane that you created." Lia's eyes widened, she thought to herself quickly "21 incarnations! How long was I gone?" Din continued with her explanation taking on a stiff and formal tone. "After the Calamity was defeated and sealed by both of your incarnations Nayru, Farore, and I agreed to converse with the head monk of the Sheikah: Maz Koshia. We told him that the Sheikah should prepare trials for the next hero of prophecy and for any eventual possibility. They agreed however as they did not completely trust us they asked for your counsel on the matter and we told them that we were sent to convey them that direct message." Din swallowed thickly before continuing "Together we pooled our divine power and forged spirit orbs that could be used to strengthen a mortal's spirit and physical prowess, which we gave to the monks to reward upon the completion of their trial. We only did what we did to preserve the memory of you as we knew that you left Hyrule in our hands and if Link and Zelda failed in his quest then we wouldn't be able to intervene directly he would be re incarnated of course but Zelda would die and the last living remnant of you gone and Hyrule would suffer and needn't suffer more than necessary because of our mistakes" she finished her stoic amber eyes ever so slightly misty with unfallen tears.
Nayru was sitting on the deck, her head on her knees rocking gently, each word like a dagger to her heart causing fresh tears to flow from her puffy eyes. She hurt inside feeling dreadfully aware that she had disrespected her friend and companion by using her name like a bargaining chip! Going behind her back and pushing an agenda even if she was gone it felt wrong. She felt she deserved every single ounce of hate that she felt she so rightfully deserved from Lia, but it never came instead in its place came a pair of arms wrapping her in a warm hug.
Lia had turned around to see Nayru gently rocking herself and crying. Lia knelt down silently and wrapped her arms around Nayru's small body. Nayru looked up from her knees slightly to see Lia's face giving her a radiant smile. Shimmying her arms from her side Nayru leaned forward to give Lia a proper hug. Once Nayru had nestled her head into Lia's shoulder Lia started to sway back and forth and gently whispered into Nayru's ear "It's not your fault and never has been you did what was best for Hyrule, I'm proud of you for being so strong. My only regret is I couldn't help you. I should've been there to help you, I'm sorry." Nayru gave a hiccuping giggle before thoughtfully whispered back "No, need to be sorry you were there in a way, the Princess Zelda was there. I'm sorry I didn't bel-" she was cut off by an incoming yawn and her voice de-crescendoing until she finished with "believe in you more" before her heavy lids finally closed. She snuggled closer to Lia's neck and her breathing started to slow and her body limp.
Din leant against the wall watching the ordeal play out, understanding not to interrupt, and in watching she felt her own guilt rear its ugly head within her.
As soon as the moment began it ended Lia gently swayed with Nayru in her arms for a second longer before looking over at Din and motioned her head at Nayru. Din quietly moved from her place against the wall and gently scooped up the small goddess cradling her in her large arms. Lia rose and spoke in a hushed whisper "Do we always need to sleep?" Din responded at the same volume "Not every night no but when we feel very exhausted or weak sleeping or being in a trance-like state allows us to retain our remaining energy and build it back up." pausing slightly to adjust Nayru's body in her arms "Our poor Nayru here must have been very tired from the recent events and crying all day definitely didn't do her any good either" She spoke in a soft maternal voice giving the sleeping form of Nayru a knowing melancholy smile. Nayru shifted slightly in Din's arms, her face calm and mouth slightly open the breeze rustled Nayru's hair and in a motherly way Din softly brushed her hair away from her face giving a contented sigh into the brisk breeze.
Din started to walk towards the left side of the deck and stepped down the stairs slowly facing sideways so as not to jostle or move her arms so as not to disturb the sleeping figure nestled in her arms. Lia and Din walked side by side taking in the fresh morning air and the scene laid out before them. The still water of the pond rippled from the wind tousling the ropey leaves of the willow over the top of the surface of the water.The tall grass amidst the trees rustling with the evident activity of the unseen wildlife, The buildings past the cottages dark in the morning light from the south bathing the fronts of the cottages in its golden glow, the temple upon the hill to the south seemingly glowing as the sun peeked out from behind it. Walking past Din's cottage similar to Lia's but featuring an extra structure blending in with style and material of the rest of the cottage on the uppermost part of the house. Lia cocked her head speaking in a whisper "What's that extra structure on the cottage?" Din followed her gaze and smiled saying "I built that a few centuries ago to house my workbench and extra tools when I took up forging." she said simply.
Again walking in a comfortable silence.
While Din and Lia passed by Farore's cottage, Lia took the chance to look at the building. The lights lit up inside the windows a fire inside evident as smoke lazily drifted from the chimney.
The deck on the cottage wrapped around the left side of it looking to the other side of the cottage were small wooden targets tacked up all over the side of the cottage riddled with punctures and other signs of use as the center of each target was near gouged out. A small bow rack was affixed to the side of the cottage under the awning for holding bows in use.
Lia spoke in a quieter tone "Why does Farore practice weapons in a realm where we are safe?" Din responded in a tense tone "Even if we can have complete control of the realm we preside over some of us have unspoken guilt that makes us take up extra measures to protect our realms let's leave it at that"
Lia noting the tense atmosphere instead asked "What do you mean by complete control?" Din thankful for the change in subject said quietly "Each of us can control a part of the physical part of the realm, like I can create a small hill over there" gingerly placing Nayru in one arm pointed next to the temple on the hill a small hill rose up next to the temple the earth conforming to its new shape as if it had never changed, then flattened again. After the demonstration Din continued "Such as Farore could create any manner of creatures as she creates life and Nayru could allow us to fly without the aid of wings as she controls the natural laws of any given realm, and you can control time and even partially do so in other realms, although you might be a bit out of practice" Din said the last part teasingly. Lia scoffed playfully thought before cocking her head and said " Then what would happen if all four of us are present?" Din responded in a causal tone "Then this realm would be an impenetrable fortress of divine energy, as each of our powers feed and strengthen the realm which in turn allows us to control the physical form of the space as we can manipulate our power that flows throughout the realm." Lia then said solemnly "Then what happened when I was gone" Din sighed again taking up a serious demeanor "There was enough of your residual power to sustain the realm but without your power present in regular intervals the realm was then vulnerable to attacks which made us afraid for the fate of the other worlds, for if we are to be defeated and destroyed then our powers holding together said worlds would slowly fade until all was destroyed and only the power of evil and chaos would be left." As the last line was uttered they arrived at the chosen destination.
Din's body tensed and relaxed before she said "I'll tuck Nayru in you go ahead and explore, we'll catch up in a bit." giving an apologetic smile she reached for the worn handle of the door and stepped into the dim room and turned to give Lia a small wave with her free hand and closed the door.
Lia took in the sight of Nayru's house and took inventory of her thoughts standing in front of the house for a few minutes. Nayru's house featured a deck extension built out from the right side of the roof painted a faded navy blue complimenting the dark slate shingles, The chimney a foot or two away from the moderately sized roof deck. A large Sheikah telescope made of an unknown stone and carvings glowing a lovely cerulean blue was pushed to the corner surrounded by several enormous pots. The pots visible from underneath the small wooden handrails however their contents towering over the roof of the cottage as the small trees dwarfed the large pots from which they grew. The deck was tidy but a small chest caught Lia's eye, a chestnut colored rattan chest tucked in between the left side of the house and the handrail on top of the chest heavy tomes sat idly by. Sitting near the doorway a rocking chair sat along with a large rattan box sat knitting needles, cloth, and all kinds of quilting equipment and yarn peeking out from the top of the box.
After examining the exterior of the cottage nothing prevented her thoughts to plague her mind with worries and questions. "Will they continue to withhold these things from our past or…" Lia's legs started to move unbeknownst to her as her thoughts deepened " Will our relationships ever be the same? Why do I only cause Nayru pain… Am I the problem causing pain for everyone else? Will leaving help everyone?" Lia shook her vigorously to break her negative thoughts " No! Being negative won't help anybody. Even if our relationships may never be the same I will help ease their guilt because they shouldn't have to be haunted by the memory of me they should be able to cherish the memories we have had together." She thought to herself righteously
Her pace although slow managed the distance and she reached the steps to the deck of her cottage before breaking herself from her thoughts. She stepped up the steps and pulled open her door closing it behind her and dragging her back down the door found herself on the floor, again thinking over the same questions in her mind all the while slowly weeping to herself.
Lia rose on unsteady feet unsure of the amount of time that had passed but feeling much better after allowing her emotions to run wild for a time. Still feeling slightly dizzy she reached out for the mantle of the fireplace to steady herself. Upon looking around once more she identified a set of clothing and a small metal bucket full of warm water atop the writing desk with a small piece of parchment scrawled with a tidy font. The note said: "I feel like you wouldn't want to be stuck in that stuffy robe you arrived her with once you wake up so I left a bucket for you to wash up and some clothing, there should be a handle on the wall between the fireplace and the bookshelf slide it and it should open a closet for your robe - Farore"
Upon reading the note Lia's heart swelled at the sight of the pile of clothes and a wide smile broke out upon her face. She then got to work removing the robe and as promised it was indeed difficult, as she pulled her arms back through the long sleeves and worked on pulling her head through the rest of the robe that reached her ankles.
After stripping the robe she set it over the clothing on the desk now in her undergarments she gave a sigh of relief and wiped away a small bead of sweat forming on her brow. Taking the soft towel from within the bucket she wrung out a small amount of water before gently washing her neck, arms, legs, back and midriff before replacing the towel to the bucket.
Lia, feeling clean and refreshed decided to then reach for the new set of clothing made up of a breathable pair of form fitting trousers made of Hylian Cotton and a baggy opaque flowing shirt that cuffed off near the sleeves and waist.
Once clothed she turned to inspect the wall for the handle spoken of in the note. Quickly finding the brass handle amongst the paneling she slid the door to the right revealing several thin vertically placed metal bars within the small closet perhaps only a foot or two in width. " Interesting the idea of placing the bars vertically so placing the clothing hanger horizontally to achieve the same purpose of a conventional closet in a smaller space." thought Lia intrigued by how she hadn't noticed the inconspicuous handle before.
Reaching inside the closet she produced a wood hewn hanger from one of the bars and slid the hanger through the neck and sleeve of the robe. Returning the hanger with the robe onto one of the rod Lia looked at the bottom of the closet noticing a few pairs of boots and sandals. Choosing a pair of leather sandals she loosened the leather straps and slipped her foot through the widened space between the straps and rested her foot on the supple leather sole and tightened the straps using small buckles and did the same for the other foot.
Lia continued to tidy up and clear the small desk. Taking the bucket outside she set it out on her deck to be dealt with later. Returning to the small desk which suspiciously didn't have a chair which would have to be remedied soon, she then pulled open the top drawer only to find neatly placed stacks of rectangular parchment and a few ink pots and Rito quills. Closing the drawer she opened the lower drawer. Upon opening the drawer she could only see the top of a book or album of sorts. Reaching down to take it out of the drawer she was hit with the embrace of deja vu like she has been doing it for all of her reborn life.
Brushing the feeling off her fingers hit the top of the book and wrapping her fingers around the thick viridian green book she carried it to the foot of the stairwell and fixated on the spine of the book. The spine of the book was emblazoned in bright gold lettering: Link's Memories. Lia felt a cold chill run down her spine and strong warm arms gently brushing her sides to pull her into an embrace. "That na-na-name" Lia choked out feeling as if she couldn't breathe.
Opening the book she saw vivid life-like portraits or images of Link. For some reason Lia knew her creeping suspicion was correct; these memories were of the day he fell saving her life. Lia felt a cold sweat break out upon her skin, her chest tightening at the image of the man she loved and failed to save. She felt nauseous and dizzy like the walls were closing in on her and her heart started to race. She started to sob uncontrollably, finally thinking to herself " Maybe I've finally gone insane feeling sorry for myself" She felt like she was going to die right there in her home finally suffocating Alone just as Link must have felt in his last moments. What made her feel worse is that after every gruesome death and goodbye his spirit would endure his own death again and again because she so selfishly had created a cycle in which he could never escape, his soul condemned to eternal death and loss. This realization made her will to live crumble as fleeting as the lives that she felt she had inadvertently ended.
A/N
Yep, I just did that.
Okay holy crap in the beginning of the chapter where Din says about the 21st incarnation (Ancient Link/10,000 years Link) there are 22 incarnations of Link including BOTW and Ancient Link, excluding the "original" Link. I did not do the math I give my thanks to this random guy on the internet: Khalid Khannous from a post from early 2017 I just added BOTW and Ancient Link but that's a whole lot of Links!
Also hugs, go give somebody who's having a tough time a hug or somebody that you love. Remember actions speak louder than words just giving a friend who's going through something a hug or an act of affection let's them know that you're there and will gladly comfort them and if that's not your cup of tea (or coffee) then write them a note or something saying that you love em and that you will always be friends or something, I'm saying this because our character's mental lives are taking a few turns for the worse so keep that in mind.
I know that all sounds really cheesy but sometimes the best things you can do for someone are small insignificant things that let them know you care. Just like with authors would greatly appreciate it if you leave a review so if you don't mind leaving a review talking about how you caught a reference or bad puns or anything just know it is appreciated and can impact people so please validate me in the reviews besides I'll probably respond (in the comments or here) so feel free to do so.
Another chapter, another wall of text I call Guest's Corner. So while writing I got a bit caught up with spending some time with the fam and I also got finished up with The Legend of Zelda ll so I'm well on my way on my quest to finish every Zelda game. Other than that I find it funny how the other goddesses don't even try to hide the fact they're uncomfortable talking about the past especially when it comes to Lia since Nayru is an emotional wreck and Din is just really bad at keeping a steady voice when it comes to uncomfortable topics, and Farore uhh I guess we'll just have to see. Also it took me forever (15 minutes or so) to think of an interesting trait for Din's house because she has an interesting personality but in my notes the only thing down for hobbies is forging and making fun of the others so yeah. I am hoping to visit all the unique areas of each of the cottages in later chapters just as fun little interludes or something else between the memories/fables and emotional growth.
Also never feel afraid to have a good cry or allow yourself to be engulfed in life's challenges for a while, it can be beneficial to some but definitely in moderation and in consideration of your mental health because I probably wouldn't be able to function without seeing something chronically sad or wholesome at least once a week, but I understand that everyone has their own ways of allowing themselves that time.
I also realized that Lia seems to forget how much time has passed as the Goddess of Time just fun little ironic details but really though I'm also seriously flakey. Just a random thing, do you listen to music while writing, studying, etc. because I listen to lo-fi and just overall oldies and chill music while I study and write.
Also I wrote in that closet part on a whim because a hidden wall closet seems pretty cool to me #Minimalist.
When I said scrapbooking I never said it was going to be pretty. However I did have to look up the symptoms of a panic attack and that is what is happening due to the guilt and pain tied to the subject of Link, and if anything like this happens to you please go ask for help. Anywho we won't be seeing the specific memories from "Link's Memories" anytime soon but we will come back to them.
We will be seeing a lot of good examples of emotional suppression and unhealthy coping mechanisms which are bad and if you're doing the same thing in this fic then something is wrong. I have never suffered from emotional trauma or anything but I have dealt with it enough to write this fic for enjoyment and a cautionary tale.
Don't worry our characters will get over it eventually whether through personal perseverance or with the help of a special someone *wink wink* but by the end all conflicts will be resolved but all things are not solved that easily so keep that in mind as I don't want to wreck my characters too badly.