Hateno Village
Immediately upon opening the gallery, Link saw the photo that he'd taken first. Beyond that, he saw himself clad in a blue tunic. He was sitting in front of a cookpot and tended to it with a long stick. His expression looked content. He began to flip through the different photographs.
There were dozens of them. Some were pictures of beautiful sunsets or interesting landmarks. There were pictures of ancient Sheikah shrines or Guardians standing in non-threatening manners. Animals, insects, rocks, and trees were also present.
There were even pictures of beings unlike anything he ever recalled seeing. That wasn't saying much. A tall bird-like man with a beak and feathers, a shorter fish woman with warm eyes, a massive brown-skinned being with an equally large grin, and a tall woman with vibrant red hair.
There were even pictures of him. He was riding a horse that looked a lot like the one he rode in the present, cleaning a beautiful sword with a purple hilt, or just sitting and standing. Many of them were taken, apparently, without his knowledge as he was often turned away at the time.
Finally, he stopped at one photo showing a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing white dress. She was standing before a large pool of water with rock walls around her. Her golden hair parted around her round face and fell past her shoulders.
Her green eyes shone with an expression that seemed sad. Link's heart clenched, and he quickly closed the Gallery Rune. A lump had formed in his throat and would not go away. He did not know why the sorrow he felt came upon him so powerfully at that moment.
He could not get the sight of the woman's sad eyes out of his mind. "Zelda…"
He knew her name but had no memories of her. Nothing he could point to and explain how he knew. Purah and Roxas looked at him for several seconds but said nothing. They could see something in his expression that suggested that he did not want to speak any further.
Eventually Link sighed. "Come on Roxas, let's head back to the inn."
"Link… are you okay?" Roxas asked.
"I wouldn't say okay, but I'm better after that moment." Link stated.
"Linky, it's good having you back." Purah smiled. "Judging by your friend, and the small time we've had together, you've become kind of fun for an old stick-in-the-mud."
"A stick in the…" Link began.
"At least, that's what you used to be!" Purah exclaimed. "In all seriousness, I know you are probably a little overwhelmed right now, but I think you can do it. Of course, we'll help you! Me, Impa, and Robbie. You even got a jerk who seems like a good friend."
"Purah, I haven't…" Link cleared his throat. "Symin first mentioned Robbie, and now you've brought him up. Who is he? I don't remember…"
"Oh! Let me see your Sheikah Slate." Purah declared.
Link handed it down to her, and Purah's fingers danced across his screen. She then handed it back to him. Link saw that the screen was showing a photograph of three people standing arm in arm in it. He immediately recognized the woman in the middle as Princess Zelda.
On either side of Zelda, two more individuals stood. Both were clearly Sheikah by their red eyes and white hair. One was a young woman, perhaps a few years older than Zelda, but wearing an altogether familiar grin. Roxas glanced at Purah with some surprise who nodded with a grin.
Link looked at the other Sheikah in the photograph. This one was an unfamiliar man with a head of messy, yet stylish white hair. He was slightly taller than Zelda and had a curved sword attached to his waist. Even in the photograph his eyes appeared keen and watchful.
Link's Memory
"Come on, Zelda!" Purah declared. "No time like the present!"
"We were just digging, and my hair isn't quite…" Zelda began.
"Oh hush, you look as beautiful as ever!" Purah declared. "Your knight can tell you, won't you, Linky?"
This was back when Link just didn't talk much.
"Purah, that is hardly…" Robbie tried.
"Get over here Link!" Purah exclaimed. "Link, are you ready to take it? Smile, everyone!"
Link saw a lighthouse atop a cliff overlooking the sea. A cool, salty breeze playing across his skin. Two women and a man standing together. The woman in the center was flustered, but she smiled regardless. Link raised the Sheikah Slate and…
Present
Link gasped sharply and looked around with wide eyes.
"Link, are you okay?" Roxas asked concerned.
"Robbie… he is the one in this photograph?" Link's voice cracked slightly.
"I just said that." Purah stated confused. "He lives up near Akkala now in an old lighthouse that he turned into his lab. I think he's been studying Guardians and how to make weapons that are more effective against them. You should probably visit if you end up near Death Mountain.
"A lighthouse by the sea?" Link questioned.
"The very one in the photograph." Purah frowned and pursed her lips. "We had gone there because we heard there was a Sheikah shrine that had just been discovered. I heard you and Princess Zelda were in the area, so I sent you two a message to join us."
Link looked down at the photograph and was now able to see the lighthouse distantly. He was sure that he hadn't noticed that while looking at the picture initially. At least, he didn't think that he had.
"Linky?" Purah reached out and touched his calf with her child-like fingers. "You remembered something… didn't you?"
Link looked back down at her and nodded slowly. "I took the photograph."
Purah clapped her hands joyfully. "That's great! Keep looking at those photos and maybe some more of your memories will come back! Just like Impa thought, actually…"
Purah made a face as if she didn't like the idea of her sister being right.
"It was our plan to go back to the village exactly for that reason." Roxas stated. "First, we'll be sticking around Hateno for a bit to get some training in."
They bid Purah farewell and began the long ride back down the hill to Hateno Village where they intended to plan out their next few days of training.
Four Days Later…
Link and Roxas spent the last four days training all over the Hateno Region. They hunted down every monster in the region while gathering anything they came across. This included weapons, ingredients, monster parts, gem stones, and Rupees.
Most of the weapons they acquired were sold off. This primarily came down to weaker bows, clubs, wooden shields, and farming tools. Link kept all the higher teared shields, bows, swords, axes, and spears to bolster his arsenal.
When it came to fighting the monsters, the pair pushed themselves more than they had previously. They used their weapons or magic and runes exclusively. Among their training, the boys ended up helping the residents of Hateno.
Like with Kakariko, Roxas was reluctant to get involved, but he was quicker to give in. They helped a boy named Manny gather restless crickets, showed off weaponry to a boy named Nebb, and informed a woman named Koyin that they'd taken out more than enough monsters.
The only place they didn't go was anywhere near Mount Lanaryu since they heard there was a dragon up there. Even Roxas had some reservations about potentially fighting one given his association with dragons. Some of the strongest heartless had been dragon like.
Helping these people, and scouring the Hateno region, ended with the boys now having one thousand five hundred Rupees to their name, plenty of weapons for Link, and a great deal of ingredients for meals. Eventually, they had to return to Kakariko.
The Next Day…
Link and Roxas set off from Hateno and ended up making camp in the nearby woods. There, the hero made a small fire and pulled out a small cookpot Purah had given him. He set out to prepare a simple meal of fruit and vegetables, but he then noticed a large, dark grey truffle nearby.
Link faintly smiled at the memory of Nat and Meghyn arguing over finding some of these truffles in the forest. He decided to add them to their meal. After eating, they spread out their bedrolls and laid down to gaze up at the stars above.
Roxas was quick to fall asleep, but Link ended up taking out the Sheikah Slate. He touched the gallery rune which brought up the dozens of photographs left behind on the Sheikah Slate. Impa suggested they were left by Zelda in hopes that seeing them might spark some memories for him.
Clearly, she had been wise to do so since a single memory did seem to come from it. Even though it wasn't something particularly long, it was still the first thing he could now remember from his past. Link spent a long time looking through the many images on the Sheikah Slate.
There were many of him, several of Zelda, and quite a few of the other four beings that he'd seen five days ago at this point. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar to Link, but he just couldn't drum up any memories of them no matter how hard he tried.
At one point, he found a photograph of the six of them wearing some form of blue clothing. The large, tan creature with the wide grin stood behind the others and seemed to be embracing them all at once. The photograph made Link smile.
He certainly could not remember anything about this image… the only one in the Sheikah Slate that showed them all together at once… but it warmed his heart nonetheless to see the apparent friends together. It occurred to him that he thought he might know who the four beings were.
Mipha, the Zora. Daruk, the Goron. Urbosa, the Gerudo. Revali, the Rito. The four Champions that Rhoam had spoken of. The four Champions who had perished in the Divine Beasts when Ganon had broken free. That last thought made Link sorrowful.
He shut the Sheikah Slate down and placed it with the rest of his things. Where there had once been six, now there remained only two. While Roxas was a great friend, Link couldn't help his heart aching at such a thought.
Three Days Later…
The next three days passed in a blur for the boys. Link tried to avoid looking at the photographs in the Sheikah Slate, but he ended up occasionally flipping through them while wondering if any other memories would be sparked. All he got were small fragments which told him little.
As they journeyed back towards Fort Hateno, they took note of the now blue Sheikah Tower which they had activated during their training all over this region. As the sun set on their second day, the pair made camp just across the Kakariko Bridge.
They had considered turning south to spend the evening at the Dueling Peaks stable but decided that the additional hours of travel wasn't worth it. Mid-afternoon on the third day finally brought the pair back to Kakariko Village.
Kakariko Village
The partner rode on into the village as a couple of the Sheikah greeted them. They eventually reached the bottom of the hill where a familiar pair of Sheikah men stood guard over the wooden bridge that led to Impa's home.
"Welcome back, Link and Roxas!" Cado called while raising a hand in greeting.
"Hey there Cado." Link smiled. "It's good to see that you're back on your feet again."
"Not only am I back on my feet, but Dorian and I have begun training extensively with each other." Cado nodded. "We're learning everything the Sheikah know just in case another person like Xigbar comes around."
"Lady Impa gave me permission to train many of our fighters on what the Yiga were able to cultivate." Dorian added.
Roxas stated. "That's a good use for your strength."
"Anyways, is Lady Impa available to speak?" Link asked. "Roxas and I concluded our business in Hateno."
"Lady Impa told us that she expected you to come back soon and to allow you to see her whenever you arrived." Dorian declared.
"I'll have someone take your horses to the inn." Cado stepped up before taking the reins from them. "I am assuming that you will be staying with us tonight?"
"That was the plan." Link stated. "We want to get a good rest in before hitting the road to train up for the Divine Beasts."
The pair then began up the wooden bridge before noticing that Paya was on her hands and knees next to the door. She was scrubbing the wooden floor.
"Hello, Paya." Link greeted.
When she heard his voice, the young Sheikah gasped sharply and leapt to her feet. "O-oh! Master Link! I didn't know you were coming back." She paused and her face seemed to turn redder. "Today, I mean. Grandmother said that you might be back soon though."
Link wasn't quite sure what to make of Paya. From his perspective, she seemed to have a great deal of difficulty speaking around others, and he wondered if she struggled with anxiety on top of that.
"We just came back from Hateno Village to fulfill Impa's request." Roxas informed.
"Ah yes, Aunt Purah." Paya's face lit up some, and she stood a little straighter. "I spent the summer with her five years ago, and we write each other often. She can be… eccentric at times."
"That's an understatement." Roxas retorted.
The boys then entered the home, along with Paya, to find Impa already seated on the pillow. A tray with three cups of steaming tea was sat beside her. The old Sheikah gave them a knowing smile and a wink before looking at Paya.
"Paya, please retrieve the package that I had prepared for Link and Roxas." She motioned to the pillows across from her, and the pair dutifully sat down. Paya hurriedly went up the stairs to do as she'd been told.
Impa watched the girl go with a fond expression before looking back to them. She fixed them with an even stare, lifted a cup of tea to her lips, and sipped at it softly.
Finally, when she lowered the cup, she spoke. "I trust you saw my sister. Did she restore your Sheikah Slate back to working order?"
Link pulled the Sheikah Slate from his belt and activated the Gallery Rune before turning it to show her. "I found the photographs. Is that what you, or the princess, meant to help me regain my…"
Impa fixed her eyes on the screen before setting her tea down with suddenly trembling fingers. She reached out and took the Sheikah Slate from him before gazing intently at it. They saw tears at the corners of her eyes.
Paya came down the stairs a few moments later carrying a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with a piece of twine. "Grandmother?" She asked with concern. "Oh, is that the…"
"Yes, dear. That is Princess Zelda." Impa's voice was heavy with emotion.
"She's so beautiful…" Paya glanced towards Link when she said this. "There is Master Link. And… another one of Master Link."
Link felt his face redden at this. It wasn't lost on him that there were quite a few photographs of him. He assumed that was just because the princess had been the bearer of the Sheikah Slate at the time. Since he was always with her, he just ended up being in many of her pictures.
After a few more moments of looking at the pictures, Impa requested privacy for her, Link, and Roxas, Paya dutifully went back outside to presumably continue cleaning the deck. Impa cleared her throat. Her eyes looked red, but any signs of the painful emotions were otherwise gone.
Finally, Impa did speak. "Have they assisted with your memory loss?"
"I remembered a few things… all of them fragments." Link grimaced slightly and looked away. "Nothing of substance or use."
"Link." Impa's voice was firm drawing his eyes back. "I did not send you to Purah in hopes that you would recover memories that would be useful in defeating Ganon. After all, you did not know how to defeat Ganon one hundred years ago."
Link flinched at that before Impa's voice grew sharper. "Yes, you failed. The princess failed. We all failed. In the end, the kingdom has paid a terrible price, but you have been given another chance. Another opportunity to right the wrong that has befallen Hyrule.
I think it was no mere accident that Roxas ended up finding you when he did. Together, I believe you can both find the answers, so do not be focused on your failure of the past. Rather, see the hope that is before you now.
I want you to regain your memories for you, and I am sure the princess wished that as well. There is much pain in your history and remembering it will not all be pleasant; however, there is also much joy and laughter. You deserve to have those memories back."
"Link, she's right." Roxas spoke up. "Sure, you may have only gotten fragments of your past now, but I think more will come to you. Maybe all it'll take is visiting some of the place depicted in the photos for more of your memory to come back."
Link felt a stab of worry at this. "Are you suggesting we visit every location in these photos?"
"Why not?" Roxas questioned. "I mean, I don't know where these Divine Beasts are, but I can tell you that the photos of them within the gallery depict several climates." He shrugged. "It's likely we'll visit these places anyways, so we might as well take full advantage."
"Roxas is right." Impa added. "The journey you must take to free the Divine Beasts is not so different from the one you and Princess Zelda took one hundred years ago. You visited each of the different races in Hyrule to see the Divine Beasts, and that is reflected in these photographs."
She turned the Sheikah Slate around to show an image of a beautiful white stone city held aloft by stone pillars over a large body of water. There were images of strange fish-men and women on the walkways of the city.
"Zora's Domain," Impa continued. "That is where I recommend you two go first. It is the closest and easiest to reach place from here." She then pushed the brown package towards the pair. "I also had this made after you left. I feel you should both have them."
Link opened the package to reveal two sets of clothing. The first was a pair of white pants, brown boats, and a sky-blue tunic which matched the tunic he'd worn in the photographs perfectly. There was even a simple white shirt to go underneath it.
The outfit meant for Roxas was a no sleeved, light purple shirt with matching pants, a sky blue over shirt in the same style as Link's tunic, and his own brown boats. Roxas could clearly see the Sheikah addition to his outfit.
"These are the Champion's Attire." Impa explained. "One hundred years ago, each Champion had an article of clothing or ornamentation cut to mark them as Hyrule's Champions. Anyone who looked upon them while wearing this would have known who you were and your purpose."
Roxas was shocked that he was being given such an attire. "Are you sure I deserve to have this?"
Link nodded. "I don't think I deserve this either."
"I do not believe you ever felt you truly deserved to wear such an attire… not even one hundred years ago. Now, both of you are our champions. I will not mince words with you boys. This land needs people like you, Link and Roxas."
Link looked at her. "Impa, what of the sword?"
She remained silent for several moments before deciding to speak. "The legendary blade has had many names over the years. The Blade of Evil's Bane. The Sword that Seals the Darkness. The Master Sword. You were chosen by it, and it did choose you."
"Where is it?" Link asked. "Won't I need it?"
"I… do not know." Impa's reply made his heart sink. "It was damaged in your fight against the Guardians before you fell. I never saw it with my own eyes. The princess merely assured me it would be repaired in time. I think you will get it when you are worthy to wield it again."
"Blade or no blade…" Roxas spoke up determined. "It doesn't matter. Just as I plan to search this land for a way to achieve my goals, we'll find a way to help Link achieve his. Whether or not it's the blade, we'll find that way together."
"Yeah." Link nodded firmly. "Princess Zelda couldn't have taken the blade out of this land." He shook his head. "From what we've heard, there just couldn't have been time. That means it's out there. Even if it deems me unworthy, Roxas and I will find another way."
"The resolve you two show is admirable; however, this journey will only get more difficult the further you go. Even though you have each other, I expect the trials of this new age will still pose their challenges. Is this something you two are willing to do?"
Link nodded. "I am."
"I'm right there with him." Roxas agreed.
Impa smiled in a strangely, grandmotherly way. "You two are worthy to wear those attires and call yourselves champions as far as I'm concerned. Even if you may not feel worthy, it will give the people hope. Many may not remember, but some will. They will tell others."
"We will." The boys declared.
They then stepped out of Impa's house, attires in hand, and saw Paya methodically scrubbing one of the wooden banisters.
She straightened when she noticed Link in particular. "O-oh, Master Link! I was told to tell you that the horses have been seen to, and a room is waiting at the inn."
Her cheeks were red, and it was clear that she had been working hard while they inside with Impa. Some of her white hair was plastered to the side of her face by sweat.
"Thank you, Paya." Link smiled at her. "By the way, you can just call me Link. Really, I'd actually rather you do."
Paya, in that moment, looked quite uncomfortable. The hero worried that he had offended her somehow. She was an incredibly proper woman. Very disciplined. He hoped that it was not improper to ask her to drop the "master" when speaking to him.
"I… I-I will, Link." Paya didn't quite meet his eyes, but it was a start.
"Thank you." Link walked on. "Have a good evening, Paya."
Roxas joined his friend as they headed on over to the inn feeling eager for a good meal. After dinner, they adjourned to the room where Roxas laid out his outfit just staring at it. The Nobody sighed and knew he couldn't put it off any longer.
"Hey Link, can we talk?" Roxas asked solemnly.
"Sure, what do you…" Link began.
"No, Link." Roxas interrupted. "What I'm asking is, are you still willing to listen to me?"
"Oh…" Link understand. "It's time for that conversation. Well, like I said, I'm willing to hear you out."
"Link, I'm not from here." Roxas informed. "The day I met you was only the third day since I arrived on this world."
"You mean, you're an alien?" Link asked.
"No, that's not it." Roxas sighed. "The reason I was with the Organization was because we are similar. We are incomplete."
"Incomplete?" Link asked.
"At first, we all shared a common goal... or at least I think we did… Honestly, I'm not sure anymore." He shook his head. "As I understood it, we wanted to complete ourselves. To have what would make u people again." He raised a hand and placed it to his chest. "This isn't going to make sense to you."
"I wouldn't be certain of that." Link stated. "After all, I was born one hundred years ago and brought back to fight Calamity Ganon. Try me."
"We wanted to become real." Roxas informed. "We wanted to recover our hearts."
Link was searching for the right response and trying to understand what Roxas meant by a 'heart'. He doubted his friend meant physically since he'd be dead. That meant it was something more. Essentially, he was missing what made someone a person.
Roxas sighed. "I knew you wouldn't get it." He took a seat on the bed and his gaze fell. "This is the first person, outside of anyone in the know, that I let know my biggest secret. Now, he probably doesn't want me around anymore. It was smarter to be vague.
The organization told me not let anyone close. Maybe that was true. Maybe I do need to stay distant. I can handle this on my own. People want to know too much to help me. Once they know, they will not help me. Once they know, I will be alone… just like how I came to this world."
Link sat down beside Roxas. "You're right." His words got the Nobody's attention. "I'm not quite sure what you've just told me, but I will come to figure it out. Right now, it changes nothing. You're the same Roxas I've traveled with all this time."
"You… still want us to travel together?" Roxas asked in shock.
"I wouldn't trade it for the world." Link stated.
Roxas' prior thoughts evaporated. While Link and him called each other friends before this point, the Nobody knew it to be true now.
"Link… thank you." Roxas stated.
"No problem." Link stated.
The Next Two Weeks…
Link and Roxas spent the next two weeks clearing out the Great Plateau and Dueling Peaks Regions with the same efficiency they took with Hateno. The reason it took longer was because they also completed every shrine possible in the Dueling Peaks and Hateno regions.
There was a large pedestal on the ground that didn't seem capable of being opened with an heirloom like the shrine over near Kakariko Village. Ultimately, they put a stamp at the exact location and resolved to come back upon finding the potential answer.
Between the Dueling Peaks and Hateno regions, they ended up collecting fourteen spirit orbs. They were able to trade in twelve of those with the goddess statues. After completing all of that, they ended up sitting quite pretty.
Link's arsenal was refined, they were set on ingredients, and the two of them felt stronger than ever. They ended up finding plenty of Rupee while also selling the lesser weapons, treasures, and so on. They now had four thousand Rupee.
?
"So, you think you can bring him back, do you?"
"I know I can."
"You wish to go alone?"
"Yes. I don't need another."
"Understood… You understand what must happen if you fail to retrieve him, correct?"
"I understand. I'll do what I must if it comes down to it."
"You're wasting your time by chasing after that fool."
"Well then it's a good thing we're all Nobody's."
"You know we should be getting rid of that trash, not chasing after him like some desperate child begging for a broken toy. "
"I guess you've already got our plan B if plan A fails. Hope you've got it memorized."
Outside Kakariko Village: Day…
Roxas had decided to come to the clearing he and Link had used for training the first time they came to Kakariko Village. He was soaking things in before tomorrow. That's when he and Link planned to set off for Zora's Domain.
The Nobody laid back and folded his arms behind his head as he stared up at the clouds slowly floating across the blue sky. His eyes began to slowly close, and the cool, comforting breeze started to lull him into a sense of peace.
"Didn't think I'd see you here, kid."
Roxas knew that voice. His eyes snapped open before he whipped his head around to find the person who had just spoke. Purple tear drops painted skin just under bright emerald eyes. Above that was fiery red hair which was spiky and long.
"Axel…" Roxas stated in shock.
The Nobody grinned. "Glad to see that you remember."
Roxas sprung to his feet and summoned his keyblades as he readied himself for the battle ahead.
Axel raised his hands defensively. "Jumping the gun a little, don't you think?"
"Don't waste my time." Roxas declared. "I know the Organization sent you."
"What?" Axel asked. "A friend can't just come and visit every now and then?" The younger Nobody rolled his eyes. "Alright you got me. The Organization sent me, but that doesn't mean I want to fight."
Roxas looked him up and down. "What do you want?"
Roxas tightened his grip on his keyblades as the older Nobody reached for something behind his back. "I want to share some sea salt ice cream with an old friend."
He retrieved two popsicle sticks sheathed in a familiar white wrapper. Roxas couldn't hide the stunned expression that followed.
So yeah, there weren't many sidequest that I found all that interesting, and writing out the training would have bogged down the pacing out the story. I know what some of you will say, but I felt that in a story sense it wouldn't make sense for this Link to immediately go get his house. That will come, but the swordsman currently has some issues he'd like to iron out.
Jebest4781: Roxas is a boy that has some things of his own to iron out before he goes diving into a relashionship.
ultima-owner: Glad you liked it.
UltimateAvengers; I'm keeping my options open, but that is one such relationship I've been thinking about.
The Taios: That'll have to wait a bit longer.
DARKPHANTOM13: Exactly. Roxas can be a bit more of an aggressive boy than Sora. Memories will be a bit different than how they were handled in game as indicated by this chapter. As for the order of Divine Beasts: Vah Ruta, Rudania, Medoh, Naboris (Zora, Goron, Rito, Gerudo.)