I should stop saying that things are over.
Because apparently this plot-bunny isn't done with me.
-)_(-
BEFORE WE GO INTO THIS. THIS IS NOT A CONTINUATION.
I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A CONTINUATION.
Okay? Okay.
This is my plot-bunny going, hey, what would have happened if Navi was alive, anyway? So this will cover events before Vhighew, before Midna, and way way way before Fi, if NAVI HAD BEEN ALIVE.
Hence the title.
So yeah, I hope you enjoy, this will be comparatively much shorter compared to the other parts.
If She'd Lived - 1 of 4
The way they had met was decidedly one of the worst. And the weirdest.
He'd been looking for Zelda, and gone to her room. Seeing no guards there she was obviously somewhere else, but he figured waiting for her on one of her couches reading one of her books would be the least exhausting course of action (as opposed to running all around the Castle looking for her) so he let himself in.
Sheik had found him, the stranger, peering into one of the Princess's cosmetics with one of her favorite peach pastries hanging out of his mouth, a look of childish confusion flickering over his eyes as he regarded the pot of rouge.
That confusion stayed there as their eyes met.
A precious second passed. "Uh-?"
Sheik unsheathed his sword and lunged. The Hylian squawked and fled, pastry still in mouth.
The worst thing about it all was that Sheik couldn't catch the intruder, he was too fast. He dodged the blade breathtakingly close, jumping on the bed and leaping away, throwing up the sheets to catch the sword and not tripping in the process (how?), vaulting over a cabinet, grabbing the chandelier to swing away and eating the damned pastry all the while.
Sheik knocked the cabinet over and broke everything on top of it and probably half of what was in it as well, cursing the sound of breaking glass and the cacophony of wood slamming on floor.
He might have heard the Hylian chuckle. Sheik snarled.
He would have proceeded to tackle the Hylian straight out the window and broken bones and lacerations be damned, when the door opened, Zelda gasped, and an absolutely foreign voice shrieked like a ghost-child straight from the Shadow Temple:
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Then a brilliant flash of blinding light in his face, making him trip and fall against the broken remains of cabinet and contents. Pain slammed into his side like a lightning strike.
The Hylian escaped as Sheik swore viciously in both Sheikah and Common, as Princess Zelda sighed into her hands.
\,(o),/
Half an hour later
\,(o),/
They assembled at her private office, his ribs still throbbing from being rammed into the cabinet, glaring at the Hylian with his arms crossed.
The Hylian shifted his feet nervously, eyes always straying toward the Sheikah, and always looking away when their gaze met. He looked deeply embarrassed and slightly shell-shocked, though the reasons for which Sheik couldn't even begin to imagine, considering he hadn't seemed even remotely bashful about being found in the Princess's private bed-chamber.
How did Zelda know this boy, anyway? Everything about him was… peasantly. Common. Under his long green conical hat was roughly cut hair, like he'd done it himself with the knife at his belt and using a stream for a mirror. Patched tunic, patched leggings, a bag over his shoulder that was practically falling apart at the seams. Sheik had to admit that his leather goods were of decent quality, though probably in need of immediate replacing. Strong but worn boots and battered gauntlets of fine craftsmanship. The only thing that even remotely set him apart from a typical crowd was the creature fluttering by his shoulder, flashing blue as summer skies, a ball of living magic that sprouted gossamer wings.
And the disguise magic woven tightly around him, though Sheik doubted anybody but him would have seen it.
Said child was eyeing his blue fairy questioningly, fluttering at his shoulder. The fairy in question buzzed her wings against his ear and made him grin, nervous though the expression was. Relief washed his face when Zelda finally joined them.
Sheik blinked. When Zelda was at her duties, her everyday life, she looked so much older, wiser, and on his own this boy was practically a raggamuffin from the country, and yet, when they stood together, they… they looked about the same age.
"Words, Link," the fairy said, and the Hylian started.
"Oh. Oh uh, right. Zelda, hi. Did you find the box?"
"Yes, Link, thank you for the delivery. You too, Navi."
"He does all the work," she bopped his head and he grinned again, swerving through the air to settle in front of Sheik's nose, who twitched at the intrusion of his personal space. Also, this fairy had nearly blinded him barely half an hour ago; he had every right to be wary.
"So, Sheik. You really do exist."
"Actually," Zelda started, but Sheik cut her off.
"Yes, I'm Sheik and I exist." though he had no idea what she was on about by that, "So who are you? Both of you?"
"I'm Navi," the fairy replied, "And that's Link."
The Hylian, Link, waved dumbly. He looked to Zelda, vaguely gesturing at all of them, his expression flowing through all kinds of questions.
Navi sighed. "Words."
The Hylian sighed with ragged frustration. "It's hard."
"Well you're just going to have to practice." The blue light fluttered back, Link huffing petulantly at his boots. Zelda was hiding a grin behind her hand, and Sheik felt his stomach plummet. Zelda truly trusted these two, and he hadn't even known they'd existed. Yet they seemed to know of him.
Who was this boy, this boy and his fairy? And why the hell was he disguised?
"Come on."
Link pursed his lips, and offered the question to Sheik himself. "Were you ever there?"
"Zelda," Sheik drawled with sweet sarcasm, making the boy flinch, "I might be forced to shove this boy into a tomb and be done with it if things aren't explained to me soon."
"Oh please," Navi scoffed, cutting the Princess off before she even started, "We have the Sun's Song for crying out loud, a tomb's easy."
"Everybody please," was Zelda's genuine plea, raised hands placating and apologetic, "Just, let me introduce you properly. Link, Navi, this is… Sheik, my body guard, Sheikah Ambassador, and dearest friend. Sheik, this is Link, and Navi the fairy, and… you should remember them. From the other timestream."
"The other…?" Sheik frowned, dragging back the memories of a time that never happened, one he only remembered because of the second-hand influence of the Triforce of Wisdom in his friend's hand. As a result he hadn't even believed the existence of the other timeline, till particularly bad memories surfaced as nightmares. This boy featured in none of them. "When, exactly."
"At the very end?"
"The very-" and then it clicked, the green tunic, the stupid hat, the ball of blue light by the silhouette that wielded the blade of legends. The Hero. "Him? This is, you're Hero?"
The painfully bashful shrug seemed to say 'yeah, well, yeah'.
"Dearest Din," he muttered, though he didn't say more due to Zelda's fierce glare. Instead he switched topics, eyeing the two now vaguely familiar entities. "So. Hero of Time, and guide. Still doesn't tell me what you're doing here. Specifically in Zelda's bedroom."
He shuffled his feet, clearing his throat. "We, uh,"
"They were on a delivery for me," Zelda butted in, Link's expression pinched but grateful, "And you know how Nabooru and Aveil are when it comes to my soldiers, so-"
"I was asking them, not you, Zelda."
"Hey! We have every right to be here! Hyrule's our home and it's been seven years. It's about time that we were able to come back."
Sheik tetched at the fairy, still uncomfortably close to his eyes. "I don't see how this is even remotely relevant to the current situation."
"Oh hush," Navi reprimanded, flashing a menacing yellow, "You'd probably be dead if it weren't for Link so a touch more respect would be called for. Do you know what it's like trying to find a steady safe job? Who else do you think we could turn to? And even then coming here was a risk for Link since last time we came back we had to deal with Ganondorf again! We had to go through all the temples, wake up every Sage, and we didn't even have the Master Sword this time! Do you think I was going to let Link back here without making absolutely sure that… augh just thinking about it makes me mad!"
"Navi…" the Hylian grumbled, scratching his arm, "It wasn't that bad."
"You were put in danger!"
Link rolled his eyes and arched an eyebrow. Navi huffed. Finally, grumbling like a spurned old cow she drifted to the teen's side, settling on his shoulder.
"They really helped," Zelda added, smiling hesitantly at Sheik, "Without them Ganondorf's demon army would have overrun us. Like last time."
That particular fight, he admitted, was one of the more vivid nightmares. It had been a blessedly decisive battle, ending Zelda's exile by three years instead of seven. "I see. So, having lived out seven years in self-imposed exile, just in case, you're here to…?"
"Run errands for me," Zelda finished, smiling at Link who twitched a smile back, "Reconnect with friends, that sort of thing. Nothing serious. There's peace now, and though adventures and travelling are wonderful things, it's also important to find a place to call home, don't you think? This way he can have an income, we can be close again, and I thought it would be lovely for you all to get to know each other."
Sheik gave a her a look. "...Really."
"It's difficult to introduce people that don't know the other exists, Zelda," Navi pointed out, and the Sheikah glared at the presumption of this fairy.
"I know, I know, but…" her eyes drifted back to Link, who was suddenly very interested in adjusting his gauntlets. "I thought it best to take things one step at a time."
Sheik thought he saw the Hero nod.
"I wish this had been under better circumstances, but, you're introduced now. Link, I've finally been able to talk to father about you, and you're free to come in and out as you please, through the front doors. Or any door. All the guards know your description. Well, they'll know you thanks to Navi."
"I like the window," was his plaintive response.
"Now, now, there's propriety to think about," Navi admonished, making him pout, "And you shouldn't be climbing vines all the time, you might hurt yourself."
A glower.
"Vines won't hold your weight anymore, you're too big for that!"
A grumbled 'fine'. He turned to leave, waving his hand goodbye, but Navi stopped him with a "Manners."
"Oh," he seemed to remember that Sheik was there, and he hesitated. "Um. See you again?"
Sheik found the hint of hope in his tone strange, and irritating. "Perhaps."
The Hylian nodded and departed, closing the study door behind him with a soft click.
Practically less than a second after Hero was out of earshot Sheik turned on his best friend. "I don't want him near you."
Zelda threw her hands up. "Tharlaigh-"
"No. I don't care if he's the Hero of Time or a King or a freakin' God. I do not trust him."
"Why? You only just met him!"
"He disguises himself. I saw it, Zel, and you know I wouldn't lie to you about this, whoever he is he's covered in disguise magic."
She bit her lip. "...I know."
"Oh you've, you've got to be kidding me. And you let him near you? Are you insane?"
"I didn't let him near you because that is exactly how you'd react!" Zelda snapped, and Sheik bit back his sudden fierce worry and anger, barely swallowing his protests down. "He saved me, he saved us all! What is so wrong with letting him have this secret?"
"Do you know what's under it? Do you know who he really is?"
"How does it matter? Link's still Link!"
"Tell me at least that, Zelda," he growled, "Or I will make it my personal mission to keep him away from you."
She paled, gaze sharpening, darkening, and Sheik suddenly thought he might have taken a step too far. The Triforce of Wisdom was glowing in her hand.
"I understand," she whispered, fury in every vowel, consonant, syllable, "That you're worried about me, and I thank you for your concern. But I don't try to control how many women you sleep with, I don't try to control your drinking, and I certainly don't control who you can and can't see, so don't you dare try to pull that with me. Link is my partner in destiny. Link is the Hero of Time. Most importantly, Link is my friend. And if you try to bar him from this Castle or from me, I will see to it that you will face the highest authorities regarding the matter."
Sheik couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Higher than yourself? Who might that be?"
Wisdom snuffed itself out, and Zelda smiled in the study that felt far too dark for the time of day. "His mother."
He shook his head and snorted, smirking. "Sure. Fine."
\,(o),/
He's real, was her aching thought, as she almost staggered away from the study. He's really real. Images floated between them, songs of travel blurring in amongst bright graveyards and shadowy trees, caverns of lava and an eye the shade of cherries.
Navi fluttered against her ear, cooing softly. "That he is."
He still hides his face, as old blurred memories lined up with the new, same fringe (but longer now, less ragged) same cowl (better cloth, cleaner, but just as concealing) clothes so different that when their eyes had met in Zelda's bedroom the Hylian had barely recognised him. Why does he hide his face? We could guess the reasons last time (Ganondorf's influence everywhere, rumours of rewards for the missing Princess, the taxing nature of disguise magic that she knew all too well) but this time? I don't understand. Do you think he remembers me? (fleeting meetings, the songs still playing, every few weeks of fighting between) Or was all the Sheiks that we saw then Zelda?
The freshest memory now, lowered brow, sarcastic drawl, the same sort of stoicism? He seems angry. An angry crossed-armed man. A sudden nervousness of losing a friendship never had. Do you think he doesn't like me? Why doesn't he like me?
If Navi could have smiled and rolled her eyes, she would have. "Oh calm down, he was only angry because Zelda kept us a secret."
A knife of hurt and confusion slid over their connection, making Navi wince. All her unuttered questions boiled down to why, why were they kept a secret from him, and the other way round, why had they never seen him round the Castle before, even after weeks of sneaking in and out?
"Lin, Lin, hush. He said he was an ambassador, remember? He probably travels a lot, and Hyrule's a wide, wide place. Well, to most people. We just missed him. As for why she kept us a secret, we were sneaking around for most of the time. Maybe Zelda thought we wanted to be."
Not from people from before. Not from Sheik.
"Who we didn't even know was real. Like Zelda said, she was going to introduce us. It was just bad luck, the way we met. We'll make it up."
Lin gave a hesitant nod, but continued to mope.
Navi fluttered round her head bracingly, and she flinched with annoyance, disturbed from her teenaged angst. "Why don't we explore the Castle? We can, now, and we can ask around, and see where the kitchens are, and figure out where the highest room is, and…" Navi really didn't like suggesting potentially dangerous things, but it was what the bearer of Courage thrived on. "See if we can jump between towers?"
An image of the hookshot came to the fore, rushing winds, flying hair, whooping as stories upon stories of empty air yawned below them.
"Yes."
Navi sighed and followed as the seventeen year old madchild started hunting for stairs.
So yeah, Lin was a much happier person with Navi around. Still a nervous person, but still, much happier.
Leave a review! To be honest I've written all the chapters, but if you guys have any requests for certain interactions between characters, you're more than welcome to ask.
Have a nice day,
Regards,
S.S.