Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me.


Morning had come in Kakariko Village, and Lynk was walking throughout the village to gather supplies the princess would need for the journey to Hateno Village. Yes, the village was only a day's ride away, but things could happen. Meanwhile, Zelda stroked her new horse's neck; a mare Lynk named Hylia. Zelda gently slid her fingers through the finely combed mane, and watched the small glints of light that the royal bridle and saddle caught from the rising sun. Zelda smiled, feeling a bit nostalgic. Hylia reminded her of her old horse, a stubborn stallion she had named Amulet. But with any luck, Hylia would open up to her much quicker than Amulet did.

Zelda sighed, now waiting for Lynk to come back so they could start traveling. Not too long ago, she had done a minor training session with her sacred power. In all honesty, she was just messing around with it. She had remembered something that her mother had shown her involving the power; it could be used to retrieve and hold objects. She had told Lynk and, with a quick demonstration from her Magnesis rune, Zelda was able to practice. She had done so with apples, wildberries, and other small objects. She felt proud of herself; it was progress, not a lot of progress, but progress nonetheless. She saw Lynk finally come back to her own horse's side and put a few supplies in the saddle bag before going over to Hylia and putting the rest in.

Zelda looked at Lynk as she gave Hylia an apple before looking at Lynk's horse. It wasn't Epona, Zelda knew that much, but the horse did look familiar. It then clicked, it looked like the same horse Lynk rode 100 years ago. She only remembered that because it was the horse she used to dread seeing whenever she snuck out of the castle. If only she remembered the mare's name. She looked at Lynk and asked, "What's her name?" as she nodded to the dark brown horse in question.

"Blayre," Lynk answered as she messed around with Hylia's saddle. When she finished, she firmly patted Hylia's neck and looked at Zelda and said, "We can go now."

Zelda nodded and mounted Hylia and Lynk mounted Blayre. As they made it closer to the village gate, more and more villagers gathered to say their final good-byes and wish them good travels. Not long after starting the journey to Hateno, Zelda said she wished she had brought one of the Sheikah with her.

"Why?" Lynk asked.

"What do you mean why? I need to start rebuilding the kingdom. It is my duty, after all, as the princess."

"I know that. But why now?"

"It'd be best to start right away. The sooner the better, the early bird gets the worm, that sort of thing."

"But you just got free from Calamity Ganon. Don't you want to take a break?"

"I mean…a break would be nice, but I can't afford to wait."

"Why not? Are you afraid that no one will believe you if you wait too long?"

"It's not that—besides, I'm sure I have a pretty good argument for why people should believe I'm the princess and why the kingdom should be rebuilt—I just don't want anything to happen that would shake that belief."

"Like rumors?"

Zelda nodded.

"The gossip mongers from 100 years ago are dead."

Zelda sighed, "You know what I mean."

"I do, but I think you should still take a break."

Zelda took a minute before saying, "I suppose I can afford a break, but a short one," she added quickly. "I can't afford to wait too long."

Lynk nodded, and they continued in silence until they reached Fort Hateno. Deciding to take a break, they left their horses near a large tree and cooking pot. Lynk decided to stretch while Zelda investigated the broken down Guardians in Blatchery Plain. While poking around, she met Garill, a man who was greatly interested in the renowned warrior of Fort Hateno. She found the things he said involving the warrior sweet. Just knowing that someone would want to help 100 years ago felt nice. But the fact that he kept referring to Lynk as the warrior instead of by name said something. She found Lynk resting by the tree, eating some baked fruit.

"Lynk, would you mind answering a question?"

Lynk looked up at her.

Zelda took that as a yes and continued, "It's about Garill. He refers to you as the warrior, not Lynk. Have you never told him your name?"

Lynk shook her head.

"Why not?"

Lynk shrugged. "He never asked."

"And being that he doesn't know your name, I'm guessing he doesn't even know you're the warrior."

Lynk shook her head again.

Zelda sighed, "Lynk, that's cruel. He clearly looks up to you. Don't you think you should say something?"

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "Like what?"

"I don't know. Perhaps something basic, like 'Hi, my name's Lynk. I'm the warrior from 100 years ago and I have the Master Sword to prove it.'"

"That's…a horrible way to greet someone."

"It was just an example, but if you think it's horrible, then you think of something."

Garill must've heard them arguing, because he came back to his cooking pot earlier than usual and immediately asked what was wrong.

Zelda made a gesture towards Garill, that, to Lynk, said, 'Say something!'.

Lynk seemed to ignore Zelda, as she started digging through her adventure pouch. "Nothing," she said, as she started putting away the soldier equipment, and instead took out some more…noteworthy weaponry. She sat up a bit as she cooly, and casually, placed the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield besides her. She looked up at Garill, "but thank you for your concern." She took out a slab of raw meat, some Hyrule herb, and a piece of rock salt before looking at Zelda. "Princess Zelda, is salted steamed meat okay for lunch?"

Zelda looked at Lynk, not expecting either Lynk's way of handling the situation or being thrown under the wagon like that. Though she supposed Lynk did what she asked and told Garill that she was the warrior, albeit, indirectly. Zelda nodded, "Yes, Lynk, that'd be nice." She looked at Garill and saw that he looked like he didn't know how to process the information he was given, as he was glancing between the Master Sword, the Hylian Shield, and Lynk. Zelda coughed into her fist, getting Garill's attention. "Do you wish to join us for lunch, Garill? I'm sure Lynk has more than enough for the both of us."

Garill took a moment to respond, but nodded as he joined Lynk and Zelda. The lunch was pleasant, though Zelda nudged Lynk halfway through and told her to never drag her into something like that again. Zelda sighed when lunch came to a close, having enjoyed the company of the only Hylian who knew about her and Lynk, but she knew that if they wasted too much time, they wouldn't get to Hateno before nightfall. She and Lynk mounted their horses and Zelda waved good-bye to Garill before they continued traveling. They rode in comfortable silence, save for something random that Zelda would occasionally say, but it would've continued to be near silence if Lynk hadn't spoke up.

"Princess, did you see what happened when I talked to the Champions?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, I saw. You got their abilities."

Lynk nodded slowly, "About them… Well, about their spirits, to be more precise."

"What's wrong?"

"It's…" Lynk sighed. "It's nothing. Forget about it."

"Are you sure? Because whatever it is, it's clearly bothering you."

Lynk shook her head.

"Well, if you wish to talk about it, I'm here." She had talked to Lynk about her own personal problems plenty of times, so she hoped Lynk wouldn't mind talking to her about her own.

They rode for a while longer before taking another break near the Equestrian Riding Center. They rested under the roof of a small, market-like structure. Zelda closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, letting herself enjoy the air's warmth. However, she wished Lynk could do the same, as she was spending her time walking back and forth through the field. Zelda sighed, starting to get annoyed by Lynk's constant pacing, and walked into the field herself.

Lynk stopped when she saw the princess coming towards her.

"Lynk, what are you doing?"

"Thinking," Lynk answered quietly.

"And your way of thinking involves pacing?"

"You've never paced while thinking?"

"Of course I have, but I've never paced across an entire field."

"If you wish, I could ride a horse instead."

Zelda could hear a tone in Lynk's voice that suggested a challenge and decided not to humor her. "That wouldn't be necessary as we're leaving."

"Come on, you don't want to race?"

Zelda sighed, she knew it. "Not particularly. Besides, if we stay here too long, we won't get to Hateno before sundown. Let's go," she said, and started walking back to their horses.

Lynk walked up to her. "Just one race."

Zelda stopped in her tracks and swiftly turned to face Lynk. "If we race, will you let this go so we can get back on course?"

Lynk nodded, "I'll even give you a purple rupee if we don't get there before sundown."

Zelda sighed and shook her head as she followed Lynk to their horses. They lined up their horses and Zelda did the countdown.

"Three, two, one, go!"

And they were off! Being that the riding center wasn't big, they had to do multiple laps. As they got close to finishing the final one, Zelda started to get the lead. But with Lynk being as competitive as she was, she had to reach the goal first. And she did. A bright, and somewhat prideful, smile were now on her face, as she slowed Blayre to a walk. Zelda caught up to Lynk and sighed a little as she pet Hylia's neck.

"I think that's the closest I've ever been to beating you," Zelda said.

Lynk's smile was replaced with a look of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry, I forgot you didn't remember. When you were teaching me how to get closer to Amulet, my old horse, you suggested a race. And if I learned anything from accepting that offer, I learned that you're quite competitive," Zelda said with a light laugh. She shook her head and continued, "We raced a few times, in Hyrule Field, of course; the last thing we needed was the attention of half the castle staff. Regardless, you won every race except the last one."

"What happened during the last race? Did you win?"

Shaking her head, Zelda continued. "Neither of us won. Amulet was stubborn that race and I fell off. You were quick to come to my side and made sure I wasn't injured. We…we never raced again after that. Except for now." She saw Lynk looking down, either from trying to remember the event or from being ashamed of herself. "But it was nice to race again, and Hylia's far less stubborn than Amulet." She heard Lynk scoff a little. "She's obedient and well taken care of, I can tell you trained her and not anyone else."

Lynk nodded her thanks and stopped Blayre by the broken down house before dismounting. Zelda followed her lead and let her curiosity take over as she started investigating the tiny home.

Lynk leaned against the doorway and watched before speaking up, "Could we go there one day?"

Zelda put down a chipped and dusty vase. "Where? Hyrule Field?"

Lynk nodded.

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt." Zelda then stayed quiet as she tried to choose her words carefully for her next question. "Are there…any other places you wish to visit regarding memory?"

It took Lynk a moment before shaking her head.

"Are you sure? If it's close by, like Fort Hateno, I wouldn't mind taking a detour."

Lynk simply shook her head again.

"Well, if you think of anything, let me know."

Lynk nodded and looked at the distant mountains and saw the sun was setting. She looked at the princess, "Hateno."

"Hateno?" Zelda gasped, "Hateno! Goddesses, I completely forgot about it. Well, I suppose the only thing we can do now is wait until morning." She saw Lynk digging through her rupee pouch before taking out a purple rupee and handing it to her. Lynk started leading the horses back to the structure Zelda was under earlier and made a small fire. She took the bedroll off of Hylia's saddle and handed it to Zelda before sitting down.

"You're not going to use your bedroll?" Zelda asked.

Lynk shook her head as she placed two apples in the fire. When done, she handed Zelda her baked apple before eating her own. She carelessly tossed the core into some bushes before going to feed the horses, making a note to get some feed for them when they made it to Hateno. They stayed quiet before Zelda spoke up.

"Lynk, about the race."

Lynk looked at her.

"Why did you want to race? It was sudden and, even with me knowing how competitive you are, it was completely unexpected."

Lynk looked at the ground. Why did she want to race all of a sudden? She tried to remember from earlier that day. She felt…something telling her to race. Something telling her to enjoy herself. That something must have been an unrecovered memory. Perhaps she raced here with someone 100 years and was subconsciously trying to remember it.

"If you don't wish to tell me that's fine," Zelda said. "I'm not going to force you."

Lynk nodded before sighing quietly and laying down.

Zelda decided to lay down as well. "Goodnight, Lynk."

"Goodnight, Your Highness."

11:30, flecks of black and fushia began to appear in the sky. 11:40, the flecks grew in both number and size and spirals of black smoke rose from the ground. 11:50, the sky turned blood red and the clouds followed as they were stained with black and red themselves.

Midnight, the blood moon rises once again.

Lynk was forced to wake up because of the horses; their loud, disgruntled neighs followed by the sound of galloping hooves told her something was wrong. She quickly stood up, feeling slightly dazed. She saw a skeleton's arm coming out of the ground before a full Stalkoblin emerged, followed by more Stalkoblins and Stalmoblins. While Bokoblins and Moblins were being reanimated, she grabbed a spear and a bow.

She then realized that she didn't know where Zelda was. She pushed back a monster that had gotten too close for comfort before calling out for the princess. She heard nothing but the growls of the monsters. She threw the spear at a Moblin before quickly readying her bow.


Zelda observed the pair of Yiga carefully, one a footsoldier and the other a blademaster. They made sure to talk quietly but would occasionally talk loud enough for her to hear. She kept hearing something about the Hero, so judging from her current situation, they meant to grab Lynk, not her. Which meant she was now being used as bait. She needed to figure out how to escape her captors and find Lynk. She wasn't bound, so she could run, but she was too slow to outrun Yiga.

Zelda eyed her surroundings, trying to get a grasp of where she was. She and the Yiga were in the ruins of a stone building. There was so little building left that only part of a wall remained. She then saw the vicious sickle that was near the footsoldier and remembered her 'Magnesis' ability. The objects she had practiced with were smaller and lighter than the sickle, but if she concentrated enough, she should be able to do the same with the sickle. There was a river nearby, perhaps she could throw it in there. She shifted in her spot and put her hands on her knees.

"Hey!" the footsoldier screamed at her. "Don't even think about it. Or else."

Zelda nodded a little before looking back at the sickle. She focused on it and watched as golden trickles of magic grabbed the sickle. She felt worry fill her, the magic was visible and she didn't know how to change it. Her magic slowly started moving the sickle towards her. However, she started to feel exhausted, as if using her powers, even for the most basic things, was too much for. She let out a sigh and refocused on the sickle. Suddenly, she felt resistance and the sickle broke from her grasp. She looked up and saw that the footsoldier had gotten his weapon.

"Forget this," he said. "I'm tired of waiting. Either she comes to us or we go to her."

"Patience is key," the blademaster said. "She'll have to come up here if she wants to face us."

The footsoldier looked over the field. "I don't even see her."

"Then that only means she's a coward." The blademaster stood up. "If she's not here anymore, then we have no reason to be. Let's take the princess and get back to the hideout." He was about to grab Zelda before pausing at hearing rustling. "Or maybe she's not a coward after all." Both Yiga grabbed their weapons.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Hylian Champion," the footsoldier said in a singsong voice.

They started looking around, and Zelda did as well, hoping she would find Lynk before them. She heard light sloshing and looked towards the river and saw Lynk…dressed in Sheikah stealth clothes. They made eye contact and Lynk put a finger over her mouth. Zelda nodded before looking back at the Yiga, their backs were to her. She looked back at Lynk and nodded, not that Lynk indicated she wanted verification. Lynk silently reached the hill's peak and started heading towards the Yiga.

Lynk aimed for the blademaster first. The blademaster was sent rolling down the hill and his partner quickly joined him. Lynk quickly descended the hill and pointed her blade at the Yiga. She gave them a nasty glare, the footsoldier was scared and backed up, the blademaster on the other hand, was unphased. He simply stood up and said something that Lynk didn't understand before both he and the footsoldier disappeared.

Lynk stood there for a moment, repeating the words the Yiga said in her head. She didn't 100% understand it, and she knew Zelda wouldn't, but the more she repeated it to herself, the more she did. 'This isn't over Hylian Champion. Not even close,' that's what the Yiga said to her. How she understood, she didn't know, but it didn't matter, she needed to get to the princess. She sighed before sheathing the blade and scaling the hill. She pulled down her mask and said, "It's almost morning, we should get going."

Zelda nodded and followed Lynk to retrieve their frightened horses. Zelda packed up her bedroll while Lynk changed. When Lynk came back, she was wearing the Hylian tunic instead of her Champion's tunic. Zelda guessed that something happened to the tunic during the fight. They mounted their horses and started for Hateno Village.


My friends—are childish—wanted me to ask. Just how old do you guys think I am?

Rwbyroxx: Eh, well, chapters can take a while. But it's summer, so I should be able to work on it a bit more. Of course, homework still exists.

Henri9897: Hmm, it's not often that I get questions like these. Question one: there will be romance, of sorts, but it's pretty one-sided, and it won't become part of the main story. Question two: Yes, the new bad guy will be an oc. It's just that I barely touched their concept, though. Which is a problem. Question three: I'm gonna have to say probably for both. This story, in a way, isn't focused on Lynk. So if I include her past, and if you read Fate (which you shouldn't), there would be inconsistencies. There might be small tidbits of her past, though. Unless, that's not what you meant by Lynk being explored more. The Yiga on the other hand, have a larger chance of being explored. Unless, this isn't what you meant either. If it's not, feel free to specify.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Once in a Blood Moon. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~