Same Face, Difference Voice
The Legend of Zelda and all related media are property of Nintendo.
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"Hmph…" Mipha grimaced as she shifted in her saddle, "…I don't know how you all can stand travelling like this!"
"Some take to it better than others," Zelda replied, lips upturned in a sympathetic smile. They'd put their horses on a steady gallop when the first left Hyrule Castle, but slowed to a walk to give their horses (and Mipha) a little rest.
Impa (who loved to show off) spun around in her saddle to face them, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her horse's back. "It's not so bad, Princess Mipha. Comfort comes with practice."
Mipha sent the Sheikah a smile, "I'm…sure. But please, just call me Mipha."
"Very well, Mipha" Impa nodded. She then frowned, "…Is there anything, anything at all, you can tell us about Link?"
Mipha wilted, and Zelda once more felt sympathy for the Zora princess. To care so much for a madman…The zora squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath. "…Nothing that I haven't told you before. Link…" she trailed off, a smile overtaking her features, "…He is good, at his core."
Zelda and Impa exchanged a look. "…Of course," the former said. "But there is nothing else? No…places or people that he holds dear?"
Mipha hummed, "Link is fairly private. A consequence of his upbringing, I'd imagine—I believe his father's assignment to Zora's Domain near ten years ago was the longest he'd ever spent in one place before he was assigned to Hyrule Castle." Zelda sniffed—he most likely had a great many bolt-holes scattered about Hyrule, then. Perhaps there was even one to the north—there was at least one town along the road to the Lost Woods.
Zelda hoped that Link would just sequester himself into one of those hypothetical bolt-holes for the rest of his life, appearing to end the Calamity before fading away into history.
But she knew she would end up disappointed.
Impa clicked her tongue, "Sounds like a rough life."
Mipha shrugged, "He's never complained—openly, at least," that last part came as a whisper that Zelda had to strain to hear. The Zora Princess stared down at the reins, clenching them within her hands, "…He's not mad," she said, voice as strong as steel. She turned in her saddle, staring a Zelda and Impa in turn before declaring, "I may not know the source of his current actions, but I can assure you, he is not insane."
"Of course," Zelda replied with a polite smile. Given her narrowed eyes, Mipha didn't buy it, but nodded, nevertheless.
"Regardless," Mipha turned forward, "I think we can all agree that there is something larger at play. Something…terrible," she shivered, "why else would he so publicly announce his newfound destiny?"
Yes, that was the rub, wasn't it? If he were some arrogant braggart, then surely, he'd want to stay at Hyrule Castle, and bask in the adulation and awe he'd no doubt garner. But, after his public humiliation of her father (and herself) he fled like a thief in the night.
It was…perplexing, to say the least.
The more she thought about it, the more her irritation grew—Link must have known how fervently everyone had been combating the Calamity. The lengths her family had gone to. The ways she pushed and punished herself. For him to so callously blow everyone off; it made her blood boil. What, he couldn't be assed to show them how it was done?! Did he just want to watch them from a distance, laughing as they all made fools themselves?!
"Zelda?" The young princess jolted, eyes darting around wildly before settling on Impa, who had maneuvered her horse next to hers. Worry and concern shone in her friend's eyes, but she kept her voice neutral, pointing down, "Your knuckles are bone-white."
Zelda looked down, hastily releasing her grip on the reins. "Ah…so they were." She cleared her throat, "Thank you, Impa." Her guard pursed her lips, but thankfully said nothing more.
They were all set to continue on in silence, had a muted roar not filtered into their ears (well, everyone's but Mipha's). The horses grew skittish, Zelda's tossing its head and panting harder. Impa trotted to the front, prompting Mipha to lean back, eyes widening.
"What is it?" she asked.
Impa unsheathed one of her many daggers, setting onto a crouch atop her horse, "Something's out there." Just then, a louder roar sounded ahead of them. Zelda furrowed her brow—she knew that sound. It was a—
"Lynel!" Mipha exclaimed, readying her trident. The declaration—on top of another, louder, roar—sent the horses into a near panic, Zelda needing to lean forward and stroke her horse's head to keep her from bucking.
Off in the distance, a fireball shot into the air before dissipating into nothing.
"Link!" Mipha cried, setting her horse into a gallop.
"Princess Mipha!" Impa shouted, looking between the fleeing Zora and Zelda.
Zelda set her shoulder, motioning forward, "We should try and keep together!"
Impa wanted to protest, she could tell, but Zelda had set into a gallop herself, forcing her friend to follow.
When the caught up with Mipha, Impa shouted, "You really think Link would fight a Lynel?"
Mipha looked over her shoulder, a weary smile on her lips, "I told you he was reckless!" Zelda and Impa shared a grimace; reckless was right. Even Goron warriors—who were nigh-invulnerable and impervious to fire—didn't face Lynels alone.
They came to a stop atop a hill, Impa and Mipha jumping off their horses. Zelda made to do the same, but Impa silently urged her to stay seated. Which made sense—she couldn't fight, after all. She could only run away. But neither the Zora Princess nor Sheikah guard ran into battle. When Zelda looked downhill, she understood why.
Link sprinted forward towards the lumbering, bleeding Lynel. It roared, rearing back and slashing the slab of iron it called a spear in a downward arc. Link sidestepped the attack, then used the monster's limb to jump up, holding his sword in both hands as he stabbed the blade deep into its chest.
"Woah," Impa gasped, slack jawed. Mipha just looked on in pride. Even Zelda—who didn't really like Link, she could admit—was impressed at the display.
But the moment wasn't meant to last. Though the Lynel's body started to darken, wisps of purple smoke rising from its body, it wrenched its free arm back. Link tried to move, but he was too slow to avoid the dying monster's final blow, its fist slamming into his side, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
"Link!" Mipha cried, sprinting down the hill, Impa and Zelda following after her. But just as they came upon the downed knight, he shot up to his feet—and aimed his sword directly at them.
Mipha jerked back, eyes wide. Impa came to a stop, holding her dagger defensively. And Zelda…she was struck dumb at the wild glare in Link's eyes. He didn't recognize any of them, she realized; he still thought he was in danger.
But then, the threat passed, and Link's features softened. He focused on Mipha, eyes fluttering. The Zora Princess regained her senses, bursting forward and catching Link just before he fell to the ground.
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They'd lain Link down on a blanket, Mipha wasting no time in healing him with her magic. The Zora Princess glared at his still form, "Foolish boy!" she hissed. "Why must you always go looking for trouble!"
"To be fair," Impa drawled, "a Lynel isn't the kind of thing you go looking for."
Mipha huffed, halting her magic to cross her arms, "Oh, trust me, Link would surprise you." She turned her head to the sky, a long-suffering sigh filtering past her lips, before yelping, turning back to Link and calling upon her magic once more.
Zelda beat down the stab of envy that arose at the sight before her. It was completely irrational—Mipha was decades older than her, and while healing was fairly unique to her, all Zora had an easy grasp at water magic. Zelda's supposed powers were wholly unique to her bloodline.
At least, they used to be.
She narrowed her eyes at Link—he'd spent a sizeable chunk of his childhood in Zora's Domain with Mipha. No doubt he'd observed her powers too many times to count. Was that it, then? Was that how he stole her birthright, by the sheer luck of living alongside Mipha? Was that all it took?
"Ugh…" a soft groan broke Zelda from her musings. She looked down at Link, who was groaning louder, slowly bringing his hands to his face and rubbing his eyes. Well, at least now she could get some answers.
"Fuck," Link gasped, slowly rising to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes, "I wasn't at the wheel, the hell I'd get hurt for? Load of hot goddamn pigshit. Fucking monsters and their dumbass stupid weapons," he devolved into a string of spiteful curses. Zelda grimaced—for being Mipha's friend, he was astoundingly vulgar.
Mipha stared at Link in shock, as though she had no idea as to the startling depths of Link's vulgarity. Which she might not have—probably not the sort of language you used in the midst of royalty.
Link removed his hands from his face with a groan, blinking owlishly at the three of them. "Oh…well, this if this isn't the finest goddamn pickle I've ever gotten myself in."
It happened in an instant. In one moment, Mipha was on her knees, staring blankly at Link. In the next, she was on her feet, silver trident hovering over Link's throat.
Zelda gasped, stepping back as Impa leapt in front of her. Link was infuriatingly calm, merely arching a brow at Mipha.
"Who are you?" the Zora hissed.
"Link," the young man blithely replied. He leaned back as Mipha pressed her weapon forward. "Hey, hey! Easy with the sharp object!"
"You're not Link!" Mipha spat.
"What do you mean?" Impa asked.
"I thought something was off earlier." Mipha sneered at the supposed Link. "Something with Link—the way he moved, the way he spoke, the light of his eyes."
Link grinned, "Oh? Spend a lot of time staring into his eyes, do you?"
Mipha blushed, but otherwise didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she pressed her trident against his neck, threatening to pierce the skin. "So you admit it!" she hissed.
"Eh, sort of." Link—or whoever he was—replied, as if his life wasn't on the line. "I'm Link, but more importantly, you're starting to draw blood." Mipha jolted, no doubt fearful of injuring her friend's body, but was hesitant to remove her weapon. "Now, can you remove the spear?"
Mipha looked back at Impa, who turned to Zelda. The Princess resisted the urge to groan—of the three of them, she was the most out of her depth! In any case, she stared at…whoever, who met her gaze, his lips twisting into a bland smile. He was terribly relaxed, given his current predicament. Zelda got the distinct impression he was merely indulging them.
She'd prefer to clap him in irons, stuff in the deepest, darkest dungeon, and pretend the last three hours had never happened. But they needed answers, and it would be best if they all cooperated. Thus, with a soft sigh, she nodded at Impa and Mipha.
"…Very well," Mipha said through grit teeth, removing her spear from the man's neck, "But don't try anything stupid. Reluctant I may be to harm Link's body, if it will save him, I am more than willing to perform whatever penance necessary after the fact."
Not-Link stared at Mipha, lips splitting into a wide smile, "Wow…you are one thirsty bitch, aren't you!"
Zelda frowned—she wasn't entirely sure what thirsty meant in the context, but given Impa and Mipha's disgusted glares, it wasn't pleasant. Not-Link laughed, before clutching his head and letting out a loud, groan. "Fuck, can't take a goddamn joke?"
"No," Mipha spat.
"Not you," not-Link feebly waved at them. "The voices in my head—well, two of them. The third one's a little loopy at the moment—keeps on talking about mushrooms." He clutched his head again, whispering, "Well you're the one that told us to trust the fish! No, it's not racist, she is literally a fish! Yeah, well I don't need shit from you!"
The three young women exchanged wary glances—clearly, Link suffered a greater breakdown than any of them could have feared. But he at least had brief moments of cognizance. Something Zelda hoped to take advantage of.
"Er…Link—can we call you that?"
The blonde knight chuckled, "It is my name." Mipha growled, but Zelda ignored her for the moment.
"Would you," Zelda took a deep, bracing breath, "would you please follow us back to the castle?"
"Nah," he waved his hand. "Got shit to do. Gotta head north and—holy shit, Nina!" He shot to his feet; eyes wide.
Mipha retrained her weapon at him, "What are you talking about?"
Link bat the spear away, sprinting a downhill, "She's a…now dead horse." Zelda, Impa and Mipha quickly followed after him, but Zelda was forced to stop before the others as a truly foul stench assaulted her senses. She eyed the half-eaten horse just long enough to feel vomit rise in her throat before turning away; a burning shame boiling in her stomach. Good gods, how pathetic was she? Couldn't even look at a dead animal.
Impa hummed, "Sorry—this is a poor way for your horse to go."
"Oh, she's not mine," Link replied. "She ran away from this merchant about some ways east of us." He crossed his arms with a sigh, "Still…" he brought his hands to his lips, whistling loudly. His own horse came trotting into view seconds later.
"Wait!" Impa stopped him before he could get on it. "We're not done here!"
"Tough shit," Link brushed her off, climbing onto the saddle. "Got a crisis to deal with here."
"So do we!" Mipha shouted.
"Sure," Link shrugged, "but this is more pressing."
Something in Zelda snapped at that moment. She clenched her fists, rage sparking to life within her. "More pressing? More pressing?!" she roared. Link, Impa, and Mipha stopped, staring at her. Impa and Mipha were shocked, but Link looked expectant, if not a little bored. Something which only served to further fuel her fire. "What is wrong with you?!" Link made to respond (something snide, no doubt), but Zelda barreled on, "Do you realize what's happening? The Calamity is set to appear, all of Hyrule is in peril, and you—some irreverent, crass lunatic!—wield the only means we have to combat it!"
Link tilted his head, "The only means…oh, this, uh, Sealing Power, right?"
"Yes," Zelda hissed.
"Ah," Link frowned at Zelda, "well this is awkward. If we knew that it would have caused you all this much trouble, we wouldn't have borrowed it from you."
Her previous rage spluttered to nothing. "W-What?"
"The Triforce—sorry, Sealing Power." Link shook his head, "You people have such stupid names for holy relics. Anyway, we just wanted to get everyone off our backs. Momentarily taking a piece of the Tri—Sealing Power—from you was the quickest way to do so."
Zelda felt as if the ground was slipping out from under her. "It…The Sealing Power lies within me?" Was he being honest? Or just trying to appease her? He was mad, after all. But there was something sincere in his voice.
"Wait, you don't know…" Link trailed off, staring at Zelda. "That's—how can you not know that you have the three pieces of the Golden Goddesses inside you? I'm not actively looking for it, and I can feel it coming off you in waves!"
Zelda staggered back, Impa darting over to keep her steady. Link…he had to be lying. It couldn't be so simple.
"Okay," Link gestured towards them, "clearly you have some things to…sort out. I'll just be on my way." He turned his horse around, only for the animal to rear back as Mipha brandished her trident against it. "Ack! Fucking come on!"
"We're not done here!" Mipha growled. "Don't think I've forgotten that you've clearly done something to Link."
"Lady," the man rolled his eyes, "I told you, I am Link."
"No you're not!"
"Okay, sure, I'm not your Link."
"Then where is he?!"
"In here," he tapped his head.
Mipha faltered, "Wha—you've trapped him within his own head?!"
"No—I mean, technically, yes, but I didn't do it."
"What then?" Impa asked. "Are you some sort of…split personality? Along with those other 'voices' you mentioned?"
"Nope," Link replied. "We're his previous incarnations that got trapped in here after his extradimensional welcoming party."
His statement broke through Zelda's turbulent thoughts. He was so mad he didn't even realize it. Even Mipha dropped her weapon, staring at him in undisguised bewilderment.
Link took the opportunity to turn his horse around, galloping away.
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"They think I'm insane," Ori despaired.
"You're the one that said to be honest with them," Time countered.
"Only after you vouched for Princess Zelda and her guard!"
"It says a lot," Link hummed atop their galloping horse, "that you didn't even have to think about Mipha's trustworthiness." His lips curled into a sly smirk, "Something you want to tell us, Ori? Getting some fish in your diet?"
"Don't change the subject!" Ori hissed, sharp, embarrassment flooding their combined soul, "You've made everything so much worse!"
"Eh," Link shrugged.
"Don't 'eh' me asshole!"
"Guys…" Time warned. Link could feel Ori gearing up for a greater rant.
Only for Legend to cut in, slurring, "No Tarin, I don't want your shrooms, you fucking hippy!"
The three Heroes paused, Link saying, "He's still out of it, huh?"
"Guess so," Ori winced.
"To be fair, a solid wall of muscle did slam full-force into his entire upper body." He huffed, "Don't see why we had to get hurt as well."
"The joys of magic," Link huffed. He then perked up, "Speaking of…" he raised his left hand, staring at its palm. He concentrated on the magic within his soul, willing it to the surface of his palm. But nothing appeared. He could feel it—right at the edge. But he couldn't make that final push into materializing his latent power. His body—rather, Ori's body—was working against him. He ended the failed endeavor with a soft grunt. "Well, fuck that."
"Ugh," Ori groaned. "What was that? I feel…weird."
"That was magic," Time supplied, a little frazzled himself. "Rather, an attempt to summon it."
"Yeah," Link nodded, "I'm thinking you don't have a magic bone in your body, Ori."
"I could have told you that," Ori groused.
"It's more than that," a new voice stated.
Wind blinked, "Legend, you okay?"
"Getting there," he said. "But going back a step, Ori," the newest Hero grunted, "as a Hylian, and a Hero, you have access to magic. But how you access that magic can be in one of two different ways. It's either internal, or external—a person can also use both, I suppose."
"I assume the internal kind is what Link was trying to do?"
"Yup," Link nodded. "Even if you don't show-off internal magic from a young age, you can be granted access to it later in life. But you're one of the Heroes that simply can't perform magic—otherwise, my hand would have caught on fire. So you—us—need to rely on external magics. Relics and such found in the world."
Ori hummed, "Is that bad?"
"Not necessarily," Time replied. "It's one less thing to keep track of, for one. Magical exhaustion can be as deadly as physical exhaustion, and the two can add onto each other."
"So…we should keep an eye and ear out for magic relics."
"Aw," Link cooed, "he's learning!"
"Shut up, I'm still mad at you. Can't believe you said all that shit in front of Mipha."
"Hm? Only Mipha?" Legend teased.
"Shut up!" Ori roared.
Link laughed aloud at the outburst, only to sober as Holton and his ruined carriage came into view.
He came to a stop in front of the older man, who sighed, "Couldn't find her, huh?"
"No, I did," Link replied, hopping off his horse. "Well, the half of her not being digested in a Lynel's stomach."
Holton paled, shrinking in on himself a bit, "O-Oh…" he sniffled, "That's…Old girl didn't deserve that." Link frowned, patting the man's arm in sympathy. He turned away from Link, rubbing his eyes. "Ah…dammit," he pressed his palms against his eyes, rubbing them before taking a deep breath and looking back at Link. "Well, thank you anyway. Not necessarily for the news itself but…"
"I get it," Link gently cut him off. "What are you going to do?"
Holton crossed his arms, "Well, if you'd found Nina, I'd hoped to take my more valuable stock and head over to Hyrule Castle and hope no one stole what was left before I could get it later. Now, though…" he trailed off with a sigh.
"Poor guy," Legend said.
"Yeah, sucks to be him," Link commiserated.
"Ori," Time spoke up, "how attached are you to your horse?" Link had to keep himself from physically reacting to the non sequitur.
"Eh," Ori replied. "He's a good horse, but I was only given him a few months ago."
"Oh," Legend hummed, "I see what you're getting at."
"What—ah!" Link nodded, "I get it." He cleared his throat, and when Holton turned to him, reached over to pat Ori's horse's neck, "Buddy, have I got a deal for you."
"Uh-oh," Ori suddenly sighed, "we've got company."
Link blinked, both at Ori and the growing sound of hooves clopping against the ground. He—and Holton—turned to see Zelda, Mipha, and Impa galloping towards them. By Nayru, they needed to figure out how their senses worked like this.
"Ah, shit," Legend cursed.
"This is less than ideal," Time stated.
"…Nah," Link replied, lips splitting into a wide grin, "I got this."
He waited until the three girls stopped before turning back to Holton, proclaiming, "Yes, my friend, truly, fate smiles upon you! For you'll receive not one," he pat Ori's horse on his flank, moving backwards, "not two," he stepped between Mipha and Impa, reaching up pulling them onto the ground, all-but leaving them in heaps, "but four horses to help you move your precious cargo to Hyrule Castle. One of them," he pulled Zelda down, a bit gentler than he had the other two, "granted by the Princess of Hyrule herself!"
Now, Link was sure, if Holton wasn't so distressed, me would have noticed the bewildered stares being sent his way. But, as it were, he just stared at Princess Zelda in awe, before dropping to a knee, saying, "O-Oh, Princess! I-I thank you so much for your generosity."
Zelda stammered a reply to Holton, who started shifting forward, offering higher and higher platitudes. Link suppressed a snicker, backing away from the pair. "And now, to make a hasty exit."
But just as he turned around to break into a sprint, a large puff of white smoke blocked his way, a sharp dagger held against his throat. The smoke vanished, revealing Impa's steely gaze. "You're not going anywhere," she growled.
Link hummed. "…I can take her."
"Maybe," Time said, "But we're outmaneuvered. Time to pack it in, I'm afraid."
"Yeah, yeah," Link said aloud. He placed his hands on his hips, frowning at Impa, "But you are giving Holton your horses."
"Wha—no!" Impa replied.
"Fine, be a heartless bitch. Let the man sink into debt and despair as he's unable to earn money needed to maintain a livelihood. If he has any family, they'll go hungry too—and Holton seems like the kind of guy that would starve himself to the bone before letting them suffer, only for them to immediately spiral downward upon his slow, painful demise—"
"Sweet Hylia, shut up!" Impa hissed.
"Give him your horses." Impa growled, staring past him. Link looked over his shoulder; Mipha was glaring at him, while Zelda was failing to explain the situation to an oblivious Holton. But she was able to look at Impa, and though she did take a moment to glare at Link (a startlingly familiar expression that made his heart ache for Tetra) she did gesture sympathetically to the prostrating merchant.
"…Fine," Impa spat. She leaned up, her dagger pressing closer against Link's neck as she sneered in his face, "But try and pull anything else, and I'll tie you a stake for target practice."
"Hey, hey," Link grinned, "a bit early in our relationship to bring in rope." Impa pulled back, groaning in disgust.
"For fuck's sake, stop talking!" Ori pleaded.
"Nah," Link jovially replied.
He joined Impa, Zelda, and Holton (giving Mipha wide berth). Zelda and Impa (when not glaring at Link) were whispering among themselves, Zelda writing something down on a piece of paper. Holton had finally risen to his feet, fixing Link with a wide smile, "My friend, you're something of a good luck charm!"
"I try."
He gestured to his ruined cart, "Please, take a look at my wares. Anything you want, free of charge!"
Link grinned from ear-to-ear, "Well, don't mind if I do."
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A/N: I considered a long, cross-country game of cat-and-mouse between Link et. al. and Zelda, Impa, and Mipha. But when I started writing the scenarios out, the two groups were basically just nigh-infinite echo chambers. Anyway, be sure to leave a review. Later.