Author's Note

Oh wow, this little story of mine really exploded over the last two days. Guess I'll keep it going. It's not going to be light hearted, just a warning. Romance will happen, but they do all live in a post apocalyptic world after all.

Uploaded

06/04/2023

LEGEND BELOW

"O-Oh goodness, I'm so clumsy!" = Normal speech.

''Dont panic.'' = Normal thoughts.

Chapter 2

The one who waited one hundred years

Rated-M

M rating for Romance, and things of explicit nature.

He was sure he should've been worried about the girl that had just fainted, but Impa assured him all was well with a hearty chuckle.

He felt as if he should still inspect her, but found himself agreeing with the old woman's words and quickly left the scene. It had started to become super hot in the shrine, and he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

He swore that had no correlation to the explicit experience he'd just had and the image that had been burned into his mind of her rear end.

Oh…

Well there it was again…

He quickly slipped out of the shrine, the sliding doors shutting with an audible click.

He was suddenly assailed by the chilly winds from the storm, the cool wet breeze feeling awfully wonderful against his flushed face. He sucked in a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs.

He closed his eyes, reveling in the wind for a brief moment, before he opened his eyes and continued on with his journey.

He wanted to hit the road as soon as possible, but knew that he should stock up on supplies while he was in town. There was good chance he'd be out for a while, and he didn't know the land very well.

He jogged down the stairs to Impa's shrine, waving at the two guards standing post at the bottom. They smiled at him, one of them having an odd almost teasing look in his eyes.

He was unsure what that was about.

Nevertheless, he moved into the village, passing around until he found what he'd been looking for. There was a store that sold food supplies, something he was currently lacking in. He'd need to make some lasting food for the road, and the salt they sold here would provide him what he needed.

After stocking up and waving the old lady goodbye, he went across from that store and into the weapon shop.

He slid the door open suddenly, as was expected of him by now.

"Hello? Ah, a customer! Welcome, what can I get you today?" A woman appeared from the back of the building, her eyes widening for a moment when she saw him, only for a saucy smile to replace it a moment later.

Link blinked, stepping into the shop.

For some reason he couldn't place, the smile the woman gave him was making him feel…

Something…

He wasn't sure. Brushing that odd sensation aside, he smiled lightly at her as he began perusing what she had in stock.

He gained the feeling that her eyes were on him the entire time, not out of hostility or suspicion, but something he couldn't place.

He shook his head, realizing that it must've just been his overtaxed mind thinking that there was something amiss when all was well. His brain was still struggling to comprehend what had happened at the shrine earlier.

Finding what he wanted, he brought his new gathering of bomb arrows and fire arrows over to her counter, setting them down before her.

"Oh, so an archer then? Well, that just took you up a notch in my book." She said lowly, winking at him.

He blinked owlishly, before pulling out his rupee wallet. Once he paid and stashed his new arrows away in his quiver, he quickly made his way out.

"Come back anytime, cutie!" Her words rang out as he left.

His eyebrows twitched as he shut the door behind him, already exhausted from the journey so far.

Who knew venturing to Kakariko would be so, exhausting…

He left Kakariko quickly after that, making his way out of the relatively hidden village and back down to the valley where he'd begin his run to Hateno. He'd no map to go off of, but knew the direction from what Impa told him.

First thing he had to do was cross the old Fort Hateno, where the final battle came to an end.

Or so he'd been told…

The sound of metal pipes clinging and machinery hissing and clicking could be heard, the noise echoing throughout the walls of the house. But otherwise, it was quiet, not a soul in sight.

Within the large house atop the hill just outside the edges of Hateno village lay the laboratory of the one and only Sheikah who'd lived so very far from Kakariko.

But for the denizens of Hateno, most stayed far away from the building, leaving it's one and only lonely inhabitant to live by herself. There wasn't fear associated with the building, nor the one who lived in it.

No, for most of the citizens in the lofty town were kind and polite people.

But, as for the one who lived upon the hill, the people tended to leave her alone because she'd wished to be left alone.

The people didn't fear the woman that lived upon the hill, they merely respected her wishes.

For, in her youth, in years now past so long ago, she'd lost the only one she'd ever held an affection for.

True, many had also lost family or loved ones in the Calamity. But those Hylians, the ones that had survived and made the town that still stood to this day were no more. For age was not kind to the people of Hyrule, and yet it was for the other races.

But, in the case of this one, she was forced to lose the one she held most dear, while she would continue to live for more than a hundred years yet.

All of the villagers knew of her, how out of everyone she'd been here the longest, coming from the time of many's grandparents.

She was an outcast, but one by choice. Having lost her only attachment to her joy in life, she'd shut herself away, and rarely ever left hilltop.

Some didn't believe the story, that a lone woman could live for so long. Many found it hard to believe, for even after one hundred years, she still looked to be of the same age as when the Calamity had brought ruin to Hyrule.

Sometimes the children of the village would come to her out of childlike curiosity, and she would entertain them.

But, rarely would she enter into the village of her own accord.

For on days such as this, with the storm still raging outside, she could be found hidden away within the safety of her walls.

Today, she was found quietly bathing within her upper room, body submerged in a warm bath.

She didn't make any noise, quietly resting within the warm confines of her personal room.

On days like this, she found it hard to distract herself, for the storm halted most of her work. There wasn't much for her to do, not until it cleared.

So she found herself slipping away to her private quarters to relax, hoping that a bath would take her mind off of her aching heart.

She clutched her hand to her breast, her heart feeling like it was broken, wounded.

In all her year of research and development, she'd developed a device that could reverse the effects of aging. It was all in an attempt to make sure she was ready for him, for her dear Linky when he returned to her.

And so she waited, and waited, and waited, but he never returned.

Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and months to years…

And before she'd known it, one hundred years had passed since he fell in combat.

Her heart ached just at the thought.

He'd been placed in the shrine of resurrection, the ancient device capable of bringing one back from the dead. It was the only chance they all had of saving him…

And yet, he never returned.

She'd ventured out to the great plateau once, to see if something had gone wrong.

But the door to the shrine was sealed shut, locking him away until his eventual return.

That was fifty years ago, and after all this time, he'd still not returned.

She was devoted, and had patience that many would consider inhuman…

But that hope of hers had all but run out, and she'd feared he'd never return to her.

She'd begun to wonder, what was the point of this young supple body, with silky smooth skin and an amble bosom? What was the reason for her to have a beautiful form, with bright vibrant red eyes, creamy long white hair, and shapely long legs and rear if the man she'd reversed time on herself for would never return?

She went through all this effort, and all those failed attempts of experimenting for his sake, so that when he returned, she'd be ready for him, ready to scoop him up into her embrace and never let go.

She'd been so embarrassed when her device turned out to be successful, only for it to put her in the body of a twelve year old. She'd dreaded that should he return and see her like this, he'd be aghast.

So she hid away, and as time passed, she again grew into the stunning and beautiful woman she was now.

But he'd still not returned to her side…

And the wait was killing her.

She felt like her heart, young and healthy as it was, would one day give out from the heartbreak.

Life continued to have less and less meaning to her, with the overwhelming evidence that her secret love would never again appear.

In recent days, she found it nearly impossible to get out of bed…

Because she simply saw no point…

Lady Impa was unaware of her troubles, as were most the Sheikah of Kakariko.

She sighed again, resting her head against the back of the wooden bath.

She just wanted to feel loved again, to feel his touch again…

She felt like it wasn't too much to ask, she'd waited over a hundred years now, hadn't she waited long enough?

She felt as if the Goddesses had been punishing her.

Was this the result of allowing the Kingdom to fall? Was this because she wasn't there to protect him when he needed her most? Was this due to the fact that she'd not told him her feelings before the battle?

Was this her fault?

She knew that it was a self deprecating line of thinking, that it was irrational on her part to think that she was being punished for not trying that much harder to stop a Calamity of that scale when it had appeared as if from nowhere.

But, then again, not many had the last one hundred years to wonder if there was anything, anything at all that they could've done differently to change the outcome…

And those that did, didn't have someone that they were waiting for. They didn't have someone that they were wishing with everything they had that he returned from the place he'd gone.

"O-Oh Linky… please wake up… I'm not sure how much longer I can wait…" She whispered quietly to herself, her tears vanishing into the steaming bath waters.

She only wished he was there to wipe away her tears…

But all she got was the cracking of thunder echoing out across the hills…

He was thankful to the Goddess that made the tunic he wore, for after having left Kakariko, the storm began falling even harder. Whatever happened with the short reprieve of lighter rainfall had been quickly doubled shortly after he left the safety of the village.

He was close enough that he could've retreated for the night, go out at first light.

But that wasn't the type of hero that he was.

He didn't have time to sit around just because of bad weather. He knew Zelda couldn't hold Ganon at bay forever. Sure, she'd done so for one hundred years, but her strength would one day give out. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not a week from now or even a month from now.

Nevertheless, he didn't have time to squander.

He was the last hero that Hyrule had, and should he waste his time not growing stronger, what was left of the kingdom may very well be doomed.

So, why was he thankful to the Goddesses?

Because he was sure one of them must've been responsible for how his green tunic was seemingly water proof. And the hat kept him warm and comfortable, not hot even when in the hot sun of the day, nor cold within the storm.

He was sure, as used as it was, and how it did not resemble anything he'd seen around the land now, that it must've been gear used by some ancient Hero of legend. It may also explain how it was still functional and how it had not withered over the many centuries since its creation.

Even if it wasn't a divine creation, he was still thankful for it. It was better then the rags that had been stored away in those wooden chests at the crypt he'd crawled out of…

His thoughts derailed from there, intensely focused on making his journey across the plains and to the old Fort Hateno.

When he finally arrived, he found himself at a loss for what it was he was looking at.

It was a massive wall of strong wood that entirely barricaded the one way to where Hateno lay.

That wasn't what surprised him…

No, for it was the army of giant mechanical corpses that dotted the entire area, the wall, and road, and the land leading up to it that did.

Nearly every inch of land in the ruined planes looked like it had suffered from bombs, or even canon balls. Divots and small craters lined the landscape, turning what must've been a beautiful land, into a ruined valley.

He'd seen what must've been the rubble of houses or other buildings, all that remained of them now a cornerstone, or a doorway that lead to nowhere.

He'd seen destruction that the Calamity had wrought leading up to this, but this was different.

There was almost nothing left of what once stood here, having been nearly entirely leveled to the ground.

And when he came upon the wall of the fort, he noticed that no destruction had occurred beyond it.

The Calamity had stopped right there…

This is where the battle had ended one hundred years ago…

He scanned the land around him, eyes roaming over every inch.

This place seemed familiar to him. Not in the way that he'd been there once before, but…

Something had happened when he was here, something terrible.

He grabbed his head, pain shooting through it. Just thinking about it hurt.

He was getting distracted.

The reason he was supposed to report to this lady at Hateno was due to the fact that she may be able to fix his Sheikah Slate, which was somehow supposed to help restore his lost memories?

He wasn't sure how it was all going to work, but he didn't really have a choice.

He secured his straps over his tunic, and quickly made his way past the old fort, and onto the land beyond.

It wouldn't be long now before he reached Hateno, and once he passed the towering cliffs that hung over the area, he'd be within seeing distance of it...

He was close now. He'd managed to sneak past the many monster camps that lined the road leading up to Hateno, before coming into the small forest that stood as a shield of sorts at the front of the town.

But when he'd done so, he'd immediately picked up on something going wrong.

He could hear screaming, shouts of disbelief and terror.

He didn't stand around, drawing his steel long sword and shield, rushing towards the source of the sound.

He could feel his heartbeat pounding underneath his chest, the screams getting louder, pleas for help likely falling on deaf ears had he not appeared when he did.

Then he burst through the tree line, eyes widening as he spotted the source of the screaming.

Two girls were pinned down underneath a Moblin and a Bokoblin, the evil creatures laughing and cackling madly as they poked and prodded their vulnerable victims, before they began tearing away at their clothes, their vile slobber flinging everywhere.

Link's eyes widened at what he was witnessing, before a boiling anger from the depths of his heart burst forth.

He ran forward at a blinding speed, sword arm arched back, shield up.

The Bokoblin was the first to notice, the Moblin too interested in his screaming prey.

The blue skinned Boko shouted something ineligible at him, drawing a sword of his own.

Link had none of it, slamming his shield into the snout of the vile beast, momentarily stunning it before he swung his blade forward, stabbing right through the beast's heart.

At this point the Moblin stepped off of his terrified and crying catch to see what the commotion was, only for Link to spin his body, flinging the corpse of the Boko into its side.

Momentarily stunned, it couldn't react fast enough to stop the short hero from leaping high into the air, slashing his blade across his head with a mighty swing that left his own blade in two.

The beast dropped dead like a sack of potatoes, never to rise again.

Link landed gracefully, quickly running to the two girl's side. He made sure they were alone before he bent down near them, to make sure they were okay.

He wasn't prepared for them to wrap themselves around him in a desperate hug, crying their eyes out now that the terrible future that had awaited them was no more.

For…

If…

If he hadn't come when he did…

No words needed to be said, their missing torn apart clothes said it all.

Link blinked, before a gentle and understanding smile graced his face as he wrapped his arms around the girls, comforting them in their time of need.

"I've got you…" He muttered quietly, just loud enough to reassure them that they were going to be fine, that the worst of it was over.

He stayed there with them for a while, torn between comforting them and triple checking his surroundings, lest he be snuck upon by another monster lying in wait.

But after a while it seemed like the coast was clear.

When he was sure they were just the tiniest bit better, he gently pulled them to their feet, courteously not bringing up the topic of their apparent nudity.

"Here…" He said, reaching into his magic pouch. It wasn't much, but short of taking off his own clothes to offer them, it was all he had. He pulled out a large woolen blanket, easily big enough to wrap around both of them. It would be enough to preserve their modesty until he safely returned them, and protect them from the rainfall temporarily.

Once he was done wrapping them up, he smiled gently down at them.

They both started tearing up, the look so similar on each of their faces he had to assume that they were twins. "T-Thank you!" They both bowed, hiccuping as the adrenaline wore off and the cold caused by their lack of clothing in the storm set in.

The blanket would help, but he didn't want them getting sick. Plus, they were already shivering.

Then it came to him, an idea. He reached into his pouch, procuring the remains of a lava Chuchu he'd slain atop the Great Plateau. The jelly was solid and hot to the touch, but it continued to radiate warmth.

He walked over to them, reaching into the blanket to gently grasp their hands so as to not startle them. "Here, this will keep you warm." He explained gently, voice just above the sound of the thunderstorm. He took their open palms, placing two in their hands to share.

With that done, he wrapped his right arm around their shoulders, pulling them in close to help share his body heat with them, and to assure them that he was right there, and he wasn't going to leave their side anytime soon.

With his free left hand he held his cracked metal shield, ready to defend them against any more threats should they show themselves.

They didn't say anything more, and neither did he, for his presence alone was enough.

The walk through the forest was nerve wracking for them, but his constant assurance helped sooth their worries.

Eventually they broke through the forest barrier, and found the front gate to Hateno. After passing through it, he quickly caught sight of a frantic and worried girl standing around the first building to his left.

When she saw him escorting two other girls, she cried out in relief as she ran over.

He could only assume she was related, and judging by how similar she looked, he deduced she must've been the third sister.

The commotion brought the attention of a man, perhaps her father, as he came running out to aid them as well.

"O-O-Oh Goddesses! You're both alive!" The third girl cried out, dropping everything to run to the twin's sides.

Once he was sure they were safe, Link retracted his arm to let them go, watching, relieved as they rejoined their family. The father pulled them all into a desperate and relieved hug, whispering sweet nothings to them.

He then took notice of the man responsible for bringing them back alive. After sending his daughters back to the house, he walked up to Link.

"You there. Thank you for bringing my daughters back to me!" He exclaimed, unable to hide how relieved he was to see them again. He placed his hand on the shorter man's shoulders. "Tell me, please, where did you find them. What happened to their clothes?" He urged frantically.

Link averted his gaze for a moment, before breaking it to the father. If he hadn't appeared when it did…

The older man's eyes widened in horror, before he sighed. "I-I see… Thank you… for saving them." He said genuinely, bowing deeply in respect to him. "From the bottom of my heart, my daughters owe their lives to you. Thank you."

Link's cheeks warmed, almost embarrassed to receive such deep and profound praise, but he understood why.

He wasn't expecting for the father to grab his hands. "Come! It's is far too late to be wandering the land, and this storm is still going. You will stay the night with us until it passes is over." He said firmly, in such a way only a good loving father could. "My name is Sheldon." He introduced after a moment.

Link wanted to deny the offer, but he'd been traveling all day and into the night, and he was exhausted. A good night's rest and some warm food would do him good.

He smiled in defeat as he allowed himself to be dragged up into the man's house.

The warmth of the already burning fireplace was heavenly…

Chapter

2

End