Prologue -
Hylia slowly opened her eyes to three pairs of surprised eyes looking back at her, alarmed at the vibrant but blindingly bright mysterious figures looking back at her. Her foggy mind hardly registered the figures talking quietly above her as she felt the cold of some type of polished stone seeping through her heavy feeling robe. She gently closed her eyes again and drifted away.
Sometime later, when she awoke she sat up to find the three figures sitting in a circle around her sides and front intently studying her features, noticing Hylia sitting up now a figure clad in a dark blue robe spoke first: "H-Hylia is that you?" she spoke in a concerned and panicked voice. Hylia responded with a cock of the head before her brows furrowed in thought trying to remember what happened and why she was here.
Sighing, a figure clad in a fiery red robe arose and spoke loudly and a bit gruffly but with a tone of care and worry "Why are you here? You're supposed to be gone incarnated as a mortal but you're here!" she sounded exasperated as if tired of thinking of why she was here. Hylia's currently muddled mind couldn't piece together her thoughts for the red-robed figure. She parted her lips to speak but the words died in her throat as she thought of what the red-robed figure had said regarding a mortal incarnation and her not supposed to be here but where is "here"? And why did these figures sound so familiar?
The last figure clad in a forest green robe rose and simply said "How about we allow Lady Hylia to rest in a more comfortable setting and ask our questions at a later time" she sounded as shaken as the other two figures but far more troubled than the other two. She spoke again "Lady Hylia can you move?" Hylia nodded as she recognized the use of her name and slowly arose with the help of the other two figures and took in what she saw.
Hylia slowly looked around slowly, afraid to miss anything, she seemed to be in a temple of sorts with a polished marble floor with ornate gold patterns delicately engraved within. To her sides tall columns of white and black carved stone wrapped with thickly vined ivy and flowering jasmine occupying the surface of the large pillars. Beyond she saw a large forest clearing teeming with life beyond the pillars. At the back of the temple, there was a small stone altar that could be used for praying and other spiritual activities. Turning her gaze skyward the underside of the flat roof was emblazoned with a symbol of three triangles glowing with a golden light bathing the temple in its honey glow, Hylia thought fondly to herself "The Triforce'' as she gazed into the gold of the symbol unsure of how to feel when she saw the familiar yet distant glow of the symbol. She then looked at the three figures who lightly glowed with an ethereal light.
First, looking at the forest green-clad figure she had a slim build built for speed accompanied by her confident demeanor and stance, lightly tanned skin, and sharp emerald green eyes. Her shoulder-length light auburn hair tied into a loose ponytail trailing down the back of her forest green robe embroidered with straw-colored gold stitching, her jawline defined making the edges of her face look harsh with the defined lines. She looked back at her with a burning determination in her sharp eyes.
Adjusting her gaze to study the face of the strong red-clad figure she stood quite tall standing above the green and blue-clad figures accentuating her muscular build, her near bronze skin-matching perfectly with her long rampant fiery locks and amber eyes. her oval face scrunched up with a look of confusion and doubt. Her robe a shade lighter than her hair for an orangy-red also embroidered with a darker shade of gold stitching to match the light orange of her robe
Looking at the figure clad in blue standing at the smallest of the figures she was barely shorter than the green figure but her posture was serene and calm. Her hands clasped together at her front. Her skin a freckled browned white. Her small features looked back at her with a knowing gaze and her grey eyes misty with unfallen tears. Her shoulder-length hair colored dark blonde. Her robe had a slimmer cut for her petite size inlaid with gold and seafoam-colored stitching.
Hylia continued to size up her companions; they faithfully returned her gaze and studied her appearance as well. The three looked at the large goddess who sat around 6 foot with a round and kind face, her light blonde hair cascading both sides of her face onto the stark white robe she was wearing and the bright gold stitching running along the neck and arms glowed in the mellow light and the robe opening in the back allowed a pair of folded white-feathered wings to peek out from the back of the robe, her oceanic eyes wide with wonderment and innocence.
The three goddesses led Hylia out of the front mouth of the temple and into the vibrant field she so briefly looked at. The clearing kissed by light in a sunset visible behind buildings in the near distance. The clearing was carved into a thick forest, the trees around them tall, eerie and still compared to the insects and wildlife that moved and shifted growing restless in the wilds of the tall grass.
The grass grew around the trees small clovers and Creeping Charlies blanketing the lush green grass, the long blades reaching skyward.
In the center of the clearing stood a weeping willow wracked with age taking up over half of the small pond with a massive trunk reaching leaning over the water the roots deep into the small bank and into the bottom of the still clear water, heavily knotted with age the branches twisting and turning like a dance the branches towering above the ground even as their leaves reach back towards it.
Four medium sized stilted wooden cottages were arranged in a semi-circle around the pond, the outside of the cottages overgrown with ivy and heavy blankets of Clematis and Honeysuckle filling the air with a sweet aroma. Each cottage had a darkened brown wood facade weathered with age like most things in the clearing, a small bay window peeked out from beneath the roof awning of one of the cottages. Small windows dotted the sides and a brick structure jutted out of the sides of the buildings making up a modest chimney protruding out of the peaked roofs, elevated decks stretched from the front to the sides of the cottages with each having wooden steps adorning both sides of it and littered with items of leisure or furniture, except for one.
As the group approached the center of the clearing Hylia saw other small buildings around the cottages but didn't study them too closely, she was far too curious as to the purpose of the empty cottage and walked ahead of the group to get closer to the mysterious building. She approached the building with caution and walked up the stairs on the right side onto the deck and could see that the deck was well swept and the eaves underneath the roof were dusted and showed no sign of cobwebs or decay.
She neared the solid wooden door, light in color due to the light of the outdoors effectively sun-bleaching the wood. Noticing the triforce shaped window within the sturdy wood and the white stained glass in the middle triangle instead of the yellow of the others looking across from the deck she saw the cottage door parallel from the one she was inspecting had a dark blue hue in the center triangle. Hylia parted her lips and in a husky whisper said: "If I was here before... is this mine!?"
The goddess in the dark blue robe gently placed her hand on Hylia's shoulder and nodded tears glistening on her cheeks as she did so. Tugging on the worn brass handle of the door it swung open with ease even though the age of the building seemed immense the hinges glided along easily. Peering into the room the light from the windows creating shafts of light dimly displaying the homey interior.
The dark-blue-robed goddess promptly snapped her fingers and the room lit up with the sound of a crackling fire in the hearth on the left of the room. Hylia still feeling very drowsy made her way to the humble wooden framed bed beneath a stairwell at the back of the room. The bed was stacked with quilts and pillows, narrowly avoiding the sparse furniture and weaving through the space between the stairwell she crashed into the bed with a soft plop, her heavy eyes falling and swiftly drifted off. The goddess clad in the dark blue robe chuckled at the sight of the goddess so unceremoniously squished between the folded quilts and head sunken into a pile of pillows.
As she slept the three goddesses crept out of the room and sat on the edge of the deck. The sun setting slightly leaving them to speak in the twilight. The dark-blue-clad goddess thoughtfully announced, "Is it truly her?" she spoke with a frown and turned towards the others and they contemplated the question for a bit before speaking the goddess clad in the red-robe said, "Perhaps we should see what she remembers and -" she was cut off by the goddess clad in forest green who spoke sharp and resolute "If this is a mere imitation of our beloved Hylia and it is evil we cannot let it stay much less live, we all have our duties to protect our realms.'' Putting on a facade for the others by being skeptical of Hylia, she allowed her eyes to be filled with anger at the thought that evil would mock the memory of their beloved friend.
The goddess clad in dark blue spoke reassuringly but tinged with urgency "Farore you know that evil cannot breach this realm we made sure of that, and Hylia is… or was our trusted friend and companion even if she doesn't remember she deserves a chance" The goddess clad in red pressed onward on behalf of Farore and if this is a trick to bring down our guard in the form of Hylia? her tone expectant and cautious. The goddess in dark blues body gently heaving at the thought before allowing her throat to choke out then Din we unite our power and destroy her… it, we destroy it for if it got here then it must be strong evil in an attempt to recompose herself the goddess took several deep hiccuping breaths.
The goddess clad in forest green continued "Nayru feeling sorry for ourselves will not change our dilemma we must look at this in a strategic manner, if she's our Hylia we will find out what happened and if she's a creeping disease we destroy it with no remorse" she spoke in an even and diplomatic voice but the final line was spoken with a dark undertone.
Din sighed softly looking at Farore then turned to look at the blue robed figure "Nayru for you are much wiser than I, I will believe your wisdom for I have missed her dearly as well but I advise we still be cautious" Nayru gave her a melancholic smile at the prospect of having their close friend and confidant back but perhaps having to kill her even as a malice apparition.
Farore spoke in her steady voice "What will happen if she is still our Hylia but different, what will we do then" it was a statement, not a question. Din spoke up "I would say we give up trying to have our past back and look towards the future if she's different then we have to accept it, but I'm afraid too, lest we get hurt again." Allowing their voices to cease they sat in a stifling silence each to their own thoughts simply watching the realm pass them by.
Hylia remained asleep to regain her energy. An indefinite time later Hylia awoke. With no real sense of how much time had passed, she groggily tried to untangle herself from the mountain of blankets and pillows she found herself in. Looking around the room with the light from the dying fire and beams streaming from the two windows lining the walls, looked around the room.
From where Hylia found herself in the bed at the back wall the walls consisted of white-washed wood paneling at the bottom matched with white trim hiding the line of where the paneling and floor met, the top of the walls were vertical wood planking varnished with a honey color. She noticed the bed was tucked in a small nook behind a small stairway leading up to what seemed to be a loft area. Resting her head back down she looked at the joists holding up the platform above her head each one carefully varnished the same honey as the walls.
Opting to try again to rise out of the mess of blankets and pillows, she gently removed the weight of the quilts from her feathered wings she brought herself out of the cozy prison. Moving out from underneath the stairway she inspected the rest of the small room.
The room was spotless, completely free from any dust or dirt looking freshly swept and dusted. The floor was a lightly stained and varnished Akkala Maple wood flooring taking on a gradient light and dark pattern from the stain, occupying the center of the room was a round cloth weaved rug with black and white circles making up the weave and design.
On the left of the room was a brick hearth with cast iron fire-tending tools on a small rack taking up the right side of the elevated brick platform which the fireplace resided, within it sat the dying coals of the once roaring fire, and above it sat a mantle with a few quills and jars of adhesive sat atop it.
Looking to her left there was a writing desk up against the wall that was made from (Gerudo) Ridge Walnut, a naturally deep brown wood akin to the color of the stain gradient on the floor. The desk stood on 4 carved feet and had carved lines accenting the two drawers on the left side of the desk and on the top of the desk. The top of the desk was signed by burning the wood leaving tasteful cursive initials: B.C Co. Hylia wondered how mortal goods wound up in a realm sacred to whom she remembered as her fellow goddesses but decided best not to question it. Atop the desk was a glass vase full of fresh Canyon Lavender and an empty open scrapbooking album.
A few feet from the desk on both sides of the door were two large bookcases quickly looking at the spines of the books there appeared to be, many historic fictions, theories on religion, science, and flora and fauna. Pulling out a few books and thumbing through them she even found a few rare picture books, as picture books images have to be hand-painted or drawn then a protective film put on to preserve the art within so they're difficult to come by. Considering a thought Hylia thought: "I remember my mantle as a goddess and seeing as we're omniscient I would assume there is no need for such books, I wonder what I was like all that time ago."
Turning back towards the back of the room Hylia walked to the small diagonal stairway pushing her bare foot on the first step to check the integrity of the step it seemed to be structurally sound, the railing consisting of a long slab resting over posts on the steps all made of polished maple with a varnish finish. Gripping the sturdy-looking railing Hylia stepped cautiously on each step before putting her full weight on the step. Surprisingly the step did not creak or whine as she ascended the small staircase, upon peering over the top of the railing surrounding the staircase she looked around the spacious area.
The walls rose straight from the floor before sharply forming a diagonal angle before the walls met, the ceiling plateaued into a flat area comprising the peak of the room. Looking around the long room Hylia saw to the left of the stairway a bay window seat at the front of the room. The left side of the room took up much of the space as the staircase was at the back of the cottage.
Walking all the way into the room Hylia stepped towards the window seat she identified a small golden harp on the right cushion and sat down enjoying the way the warm light filtered through the glass warming the cushion and imbuing it with the smell of sunlight thinking excitedly to herself " This would be an absolutely lovely place to read a few books!"
Going back to inspecting the room now from where she sat at the bay window seat. She observed like everything else in the cottage the floor was swept and kept clean making her wonder who was cleaning the cottage in her absence. The walls were made of horizontally placed white-washed planks covering the floor to the ceiling adorned with a dark walnut trim at the base. The flooring was made up of un-stained Akkala Maple glowing with a light brown hue due to the protective varnish on the planks.
Looking straight to the other side of the room a window let a dim light pour onto a low table surrounded by small sitting cushions with a freshly polished clay tea set daintily sitting atop it.
The walls were barren but the floor had a part of the brick chimney skewering the right side of the room, from the perspective of the bay window. Hylia thought idly to herself " So that part of the chimney must keep this room slightly heated as the bricks become hotter and emit heat."
Hylia looked away from the chimney pipe, and turned to look at the floor in front of her and looked at a long rug in front of her. The rug had tasseled ends and around the perimeter of the rug a purple line ran on a grey backdrop and in the center an embroidered image of the triforce. Hylia marveled at the craftsmanship of the piece thinking aloud "Now this is a piece fit for a king! But what is it doing here?" her gentle voice filled the room startling herself with her own voice. Hylia's laughter tinkled off the walls.
Hylia sat there pondering her thoughts as her few memories became clearer and as to what her purpose was here.
Deciding to discuss her memories with the other goddesses she made her descent down the stairwell and looking around the room before tugging on the worn brass handle stepping through the now open threshold into the brisk morning air.
She quickly noticed the three goddesses on the deck in front of her doorstep cocking her head slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but instead Din motioned for Hylia to sit next to her, Hylia knelt down and shifted to let her legs dangle over the edge of the deck.
Nayru opened her mouth and closed it several times before slowly saying "Do you remember us?" her voice cracking from the visible anguish etched acrost her face. Hylia looked down swallowing thickly and she responded "It's a bit complicated.'' Din laughed humorlessly before saying "We're immortal goddesses. I think we can try to understand" with a wry smile.
Hylia laughed slightly before looking up and with deliberate precision said "yes and no, what I mean by that is I only remember what my purpose and responsibilities as the Goddess of Time are, your names, and why I'm here including the... events preceding it" she managed
Farore quirked her brow with an air of caution and excitement asked "And what might have caused you to be here?" Nayru shook her head, her voice was still hoarse but filled with understanding and said "Don't mind Farore right now it's okay if you don't want to speak of such topics now" Hylia shook her head gently "No, I came to speak with you all about this so I will carry out what I set out to do." The three goddesses each nodded thoughtfully before Farore spoke curtly "So do you mind explaining what this is about." Din smiled softly at Hylia when she suddenly yelled "YEAH it's time we get a damn move on with this explanation!"
Hylia giggled at Din's sudden outburst before taking on a serious manner and spoke "I was brought here because of Hyrule's need for hope and the accumulation of each Zelda's desire to protect or help their valiant knight" Nayru knit her brows and with a frown responded So you are a manifestation of each Zelda's desire to help Link and are given the embodiment of the Goddess Hylia from the people of Hyrule? Hylia gave a sad smile to her companions before speaking "That is somewhat correct I was reborn from Zeldas desire to protect the man she loves whether as a close friend or something more activating the divine power of the Goddess Hylia using it's wish specifically tapping into her memories and desire to protect her knight, before he… fell in battle protecting her." she paused allowing the information to take effect, before continuing "But I was also given form again by Zelda as well as she saw the her people, the denizens of Hyrule suffering her divine power multiplied due to the intense emotions she felt, and in a prayer to Hylia or more correct, me, past incarnations lent their lingering power from the Spirit Realm, the cumulative power reached a breaking point and at that point she had enough of my divine power to re-manifest me to protect her knight as a guardian of sorts and to retake my mantle of looking after Hyrule again in her stead as well as my role as Goddess of Time. In short she used the cumulative power shared between herself and her past incarnations with her thoughts strongly envisioning the form of her power as me, so I'm me but not quite? while having enough emotional fortitude to sustain the power of her divine lineage to hold back Demise"
The goddesses each awestruck at the circumstances allowing their sister to return but Hylia once again spoke "I am sorry but I am not the Hylia you knew I only retain memories of a time long past but nothing else as even those are fast fading, it seems to be a different time and circumstance now, for I am not the same as you once knew." Nayru thought while Din gawked at Hylia, before Farore finally asked "So you were manifested due to Zelda's desire to protect Hyrule but more specifically her knight so what happens when Zelda's need to protect her knight is over?"
Hylia responded by saying "I do not know what will happen exactly once my purpose is fulfilled nor do I know the people of Hyrule will stop needing me but I would like to spend my time well and fulfill my role to the best of my ability" Farore sighed thoughtfully.
Nayru spoke next "Losing you was one of the hardest things we have done in our eternal existences so we will have to savor every moment now." Din nodded in response to Nayru's words.
Breaking the silence once again Farore spoke wistfully "If you aren't the Hylia we remember then we shouldn't bring up old wounds so perhaps a new name is in order." Nayru shook her head vigorously clearly opposed to the idea however Hylia nodded slowly mulling over their words before finally saying:
"Call me Lia"
Nayru who silently listened finally spoke saying "It has a nice ring to it, it's reminiscent of her but it's still you" she took in a shaky breath and nodded tears streaming down her cheeks. Farore said as if nothing had changed "Whoever you are Hylia or Lia we will always love and appreciate you because you are our friend and confidant first and foremost." Her eyes filled with pain but understanding. They all nodded before Din suddenly seized them all in her large arms and held them close without saying a word allowing the gesture to speak for themselves.
A/N -
Hello, so for those who don't know who I am I'm "Your Friendly Neighborhood Guest Account" (I couldn't fit the account part in the username and I also technically have an account now so guest account no more) I usually go around as a guest and comment which I still do but this isn't about me.
So basically I was wondering how Hylia communicates with Link in BOTW if she is technically Zelda so I created my headcanon on how she manifests as a new person Sometime between the Calamity and the events of BOTW but they're also immortal beings soo... I feel like their sense of time would be a bit off?
This is my way of explaining how Hylia helps LInk with the spirit orbs and at the springs if she's technically not around anymore as she literally is Zelda. I also just wanted to do a fic on the goddesses since they dont get a lot of fics.
Regarding the Skyward Sword Headcanon I think that there was a Link before SS (Skyward Sword) Link. It would be during the time Hylians lived on the surface etc. but Hylia would visit and Link would be assigned as a bodyguard of sorts. They fall in love you know how the story goes but that will be Lia's memories of the past as they come back.
I know yall want to see some more fluff, dont worry it's coming. I just thought it would be a cute idea for Hylia now Lia pronounced Lie-a to document and sketch her favorite memories of the past and narrate it to the other goddesses while having the main plot of the goddesses have different internal conflicts as they struggle with how to cope with this "new" Hylia coming into their lives as they have guilt and all kinds of angst because of their emotions each story will be like a fable teaching a lesson.
I just wanted to have a fluffy fic with good internal conflict angst also I actually didn't mean for it to be cottage-core it just happened, just throwing it out there. It's rated T because a few characters are going to drop some no-no words, a few panic attack scenes, mentions of self harm, and some internal conflicts that (I hope) will be emotionally crippling. I'm a simple man. I just wanted a Zelda fic that was narrated from the goddess point of view with cute fluff and dynamics, I won't apologize for who I am and that is someone who likes flowers, playing Zelda, and emotionally crippling my readers.
Also, authors how the heck do you guys write like 5k words every episode like dang guys. Seriously though, supporting your favorite authors just leaving a review can be impactful so what are you still doing here? Go tell them you appreciate them! Tell them I sent you.
Anyhow please feel free to leave a snarky comment about how my punctuation and dialogue is like a drunk man wrote it blindfolded or something. Please note that this is a revised version of what I already put up I just wanted to get something up, but just so you get an idea of how I'm writing and why I might revise previous chapters, I am writing most if not all of the events and dialogue on the fly with no previous plan as I only have the characters, their designs, and conflicts set in stone. Constructive criticism and suggestions are totally welcome and just imagine I have an insta plug or something.
Hi again?? But anyway, welcome to Guest's Corner since I'm in the middle of editing and everything that I can't fit into my regular author's note will be regurgitated here since my note is enough of a mess as it is. You might see this throughout a few chapters where I want to commentate on my idiots some more or just have some fun. This would make for a good one-shot but this is only the beginning for the emotional growth of our characters but like anything it can be a slippery slope.
Also did anyone else just get really annoyed (By this extra bit) by the goddesses being referred to as the "red-clad figure" so on and so forth because it literally pained me to write, it just felt so wrong! Fortunately though everyone has been introduced and the robe color thing is over at long last. I just have a feeling I'm going to get grilled for doing Farore dirty since she seems very pessimistic but don't worry I'm going to do her arc first since it's let's say painful and will be a good introduction into the minds of our goddesses.
Speaking of the goddesses I'm also going to bet that everybody is going to say that Nayru is being way too emotional but yall will just have to see since this is all a part of her arc so shush. But with all these depictions of the triforce across the cottage I'm getting some Mystery Shack vibes don't ya think?
Anyway, I'm probably the only person who would go through the effort to look up the habitats of the trees and plants and then place them on the BOTW map so that's why it's Gerudo Ridge Walnut and Akkala Maple etcetera.
Just a small tangent is Akkala pronounced A-kala or Ack-ala, since in AOC (Age of Calamity) Zelda says Ack-ala and it just triggered the hell out of me, but I would recommend that you play AOC specifically for the gameplay since you would be doing BOTW a disservice by saying its a prequel since it's literally in an alternate timeline (Nintendo)!! But there's Baby Sidon and that's pretty redeeming but also on the design for Sidon as a baby he has the whistle and in BOTW adult Sidon still wears that whistle most likely in memory of Mipha since she gave it to him, like thanks for making me cry. That's enough ranting for now. But if you're still reading this then color me impressed, but that's all for Guest's Corner for now, so stay tuned!