Chapter 8: Lightning Strikes Twice

Master Revali

As long last, I have successfully communed with the goddess and unlocked my destined powers. But with them came new knowledge of the Calamity and the future horrors we may face. I ask you and your fellow champions to join me at the Royal Research Lab as soon as possible to discuss this knowledge and form a plan of action.

Time is of the essence. Please arrive as soon as you can.

Princess Zelda

Green eyes roved over the message written in fine Hylian cursive, black feathers clutching the note tightly as the cold mountain wind threatened to tear it from the Rito's grasp. Revali hummed to himself, folding the letter and tucking it into his belt pouch, looking out over the snowy mountain tops ahead of him. He adjusted the bow and quiver on his back, then let himself fall forward off his cliffside perch. At his highest speed, he spread his wings, catching the roaring wind and soaring upwards, up and over the mountain tops, his gaze on the horizon.

On the opposite side of the continent, Daruk of the Goron stood at the base of Death Mountain, reading a similar letter. His beady eyes crinkled at the corners as he let out a bellowing laugh. "Haha! 'Atta girl, princess!" Wasting no time, he tossed the letter into a nearby lava flow. The Goron took a few long strides before leaping into the air, tucking himself into a boulder-sized ball before rolling off westward towards the green plains in the distance.

Farther south, at the mouth of one of the Zora Domain's many waterways, Princess Mipha double-checked her travel bag and assured her Trident was firmly secured on her back. Satisfied, the red-scaled Zora started to dive into the rushing water when she felt small arms clasp around her waist. Her golden eyes snapped down in surprise, only for a soft smile to grace her lips. "Sidon…"

"Mwaa!"

The young Zora prince let out a high whine as he tried to tug her away from the water's edge, back towards the palace. A few paces behind him, a royal guard stood at attention, his soldier's stoicism betrayed by a tight amused smile.

Mipha took Sidon's hands in both of hers, kneeling to her little brother. "I know you don't want me to leave, but the princess's letter was very clear." She placed a hand on top of his head, gently rubbing his scarlet scales. "Our friends need my help. You don't want me to disappoint them, do you?"

Sidon's eyes fell to the side, letting out a groan of discontent. Mipha lifted his chin, making him meet her eyes. She smiled softly at him.

"I'll be back before long. Do you think you can be a brave boy until I am?"

Sidon looked down thoughtfully for a moment. Then he nodded sharply, giving a grunt of affirmation. He flashed her a dazzling smile.

Mipha giggled. "Good." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, standing up. "I'll be back before you know it." Giving her brother one last smile, Mipha dived into the waterway, swimming rapidly away. Sidon waved after her until she was out of sight.

Time is of the essence. Please arrive as soon as you can.

Those words kept repeating in Urbosa's mind as she trudged briskly up the canyon path to the Royal Research Lab. The Gerudo chieftess stifled a yawn as she drew nearer, ignoring the strain behind her eyes as she powered forward.

It had been sheer luck that she'd been awake in the moonlight hours of the night, trying to calm herself after repelling a Yiga raid on the outskirts of the village, receiving the princess's message as soon as it arrived. The sudden missive had sent her scrambling for the nearest Sand Seal, all thoughts of sleep abandoned.

After a hard night's journey, the cool canyon air and gentle rustling of a soft breeze through the tree's leaves brought her a sense of peace.

A peace shattered by the canyon's echoes of a girl's shriek.

Urbosa's head shot up, her eyes wide and attentive. The sound of any young vai in distress would spur her to action, but she knew that voice.

All exhaustion was forgotten. Sword drawn and shield in hand, Urbosa thundered up the steep path as fast as her legs could carry her. The Research Lab soon appeared at the top of the canyon. She crested the last hill, eyes darting around as she rushed toward the lab entrance's one lone tree-

Just in time to see some blonde-headed voe press his lips against Zelda's, the both of them disheveled and, in the voe's case, half-dressed.

The sight struck her dumb. Her vision narrowed on the two, the rest of the world falling away.

She didn't see the princess's advisor approaching the two with a warm smile.

She didn't see the ornate sword held in the voe's grasp.

She didn't see Zelda meeting the kiss halfway, melting into the voe's embrace.

What she did see…

Was red.

When Link blocked Urbosa's blow, the Gerudo chieftess snarling at him with all the righteous fury of a protective motherbear, he wasn't surprised.

He wasn't shocked. He wasn't worried, or even scared.

He was just annoyed.

I should have figured, he thought to himself as he struggled under Urbosa's might. The first kiss me and Zelda share in what might be our last life, and we have it right when Urbosa arrives. Perfect, absolutely perfect.

I fail to see what "perfection" you have found in this mishap, Master.

Link blinked when he heard Fi's voice spring from the back of his mind. Despite everything, a fierce grin spread across his face. Fi, after all your years by my side, I refuse to believe you don't understand sarcasm.

Correct. Hence why I just used it, Fi agreed in her signature monotone. Link hid his resulting snort in a grunt of exertion, shoving Urbosa's blade back only to block it again on more sure footing. Should you not be attempting to diffuse the situation rather than react aggressively?

Probably, Link admitted. However… hear me out.

Oh, dear.

While I'm glad you're feeling better Fi, you're still not at your full strength. And I've not had a proper chance to test my live's accumulative sword skills yet. Urbosa's mad enough and aggressive enough to challenge us both to find our limits.

…not necessarily incorrect, but do you truly believe now is the best time to be testing ourselves?

The opportunity's presented itself, he defended… then sheepishly added, And… I've only ever seen Urbosa calm and collected. Would it be childish to admit I want to see how she fights when righteously pissed off?

Very much so. Fi confirmed bluntly. Though, I admit there is a high chance for us to collect valuable combat data.

Link's grin widened. So you're with me?

Always.

Urbosa was vai enough to admit: the moment she and the voe had crossed blades, he had surprised her.

He had dodged her lightning perfectly, whipping around to block her strike with fluid ease. When their eyes locked, his held no surprise, no fear, just steely determination. Then she recognized this voe, the princess's supposed protector, and remembered what she had just seen him do. Any fleeting respect she'd felt vanished in an instant.

"Urbosa!" She heard the princess cry behind her. "What are-!"

"Retreat inside, princess!" Urbosa called out as she felt the voe press his blade harder against hers, matching her strength for strength. "I will handle this snake."

"But-" the princess cut off as the voe glanced her way. He shook his head slightly and…

Smirked.

Urbosa snarled. "Do not dare to give the princess orders!" Her blade crackled with green sparks, the sudden charge making the voe leap away, Urbosa chasing after him without looking back.

(Had she, she might have seen Zelda's eyes widen at Link's look, half pleading and half excited, then turn her eyes skyward in exasperation, merely crossing her arms and making no move towards the Research Lab, her aid laughing at her expense.)

Urbosa thrust her blade forward, only for the voe to duck under it, taking advantage of their height difference. He slipped under her outstretched arm, raising his blade in a rising slash. The blue metal skidded across Urbosa's shield, only for the voe to shift his weight, reversing to slam his sword's hilt in her midsection hard.

Air was forced from Urbosa's lips in a shocked gasp. She grit her teeth, attempting a punch with her off-hand, hoping to clip the voe with the edge of her shield. He ducked back out of the way, leaving him open for Urbosa to backhand him with the shield's face. She sent him sprawling, the voe bracing with his arms and rolling with the blow, hopping back to his feet in an instant. To her annoyance, he was smiling.

"Not bad," he noted, not even winded. He settled into a two-handed stance. "Any chance we can talk now, or do you got anything else to show?"

Urbosa tightened her grip on her blade, fist clenching under her shield. "I'll show you plenty."

She charged… and was surprised to find the voe leaping forward to meet her. Their blades clashed, rebounding off each other. They swung again, each moving their feet to match the other. Another clash, another rebound.

Again and again, their blades clashed, the two practically dancing as they circled around each other in the same tight space. To Urbosa's frustration, the voe was meeting her blow for blow, despite her knowing, knowing, that their differing styles should give her the speed advantage. Yet he kept the pace, wielding his sword two-handed with all the speed and finesse a rapier would have afforded him.

Seconds felt like hours as the fight went on, and Urbosa's fury slowly simmered, forced away as she realized… something wasn't adding up. The voe was no older than the princess, yet the way he moved, the tactics he showed… there was no thought involved. Every attack she made, he answered in kind. Every blow she blocked, he followed on with the same motion. He fought with the grace and skill of warriors thrice his age, with the confidence to match. No hesitation, no fumbles, every attack she landed, he…

…

She hadn't landed any attacks yet.

"What… are you?" she found slipping from her lips as they locked blades again.

The voe just grinned. "That's… complicated. I'd gladly explain if-" He broke off when Urbosa tried to sweep his legs, hopping over her kick and rolling away. "Oh, okay, still fighting, got it." Without hesitation, he leaped back into the fray.

Urbosa felt a chill run up her spine as they continued. The longer it went on, the more convinced she became that she was missing something.

This was cemented when, after a flurry of strikes and retaliations, Urbosa slipped up. She made a wide arcing slash at the voe's head, and he ducked when she thought he'd dodged. The overextension made her stumble forward, her eyes growing wide in panic when she heard the whistling of steel slicing through the air, his sword aimed right for her exposed neck. She braced for him to…

…

She blinked as the voe stepped back, ending the slash mid-motion.

Urbosa stood, dumbfounded as the voe stared back, just as surprised. He quickly settled back into his sword stance, but she'd seen it. That… made no sense. Much as it irked her, she had slipped up. The voe had her dead to rights. So why-?

Then she caught sight of the sheepish grin teasing at his lips, the mirth and excitement dancing in his eyes. He was enjoying this.

He was toying with her.

…

No.

Enraged and incensed, Urbosa charged forward with renewed vigor. Her blade crackled with green lightning, forcing her opponent to backpedal as arcs of electricity reached for him with every slash. She practically danced around him, forcing him to leap further and further back, until they were out from under the tree branches, only the lightening sky above them.

"Time to end this!" Smirking in triumph, Urbosa lifted her shield hand high over her head, snapping her fingers. The lightning dancing across her body shot up into the sky to come crashing down on the voe's head-

Only for him to smile in kind, thrusting his blade skyward to meet the lightning bolt head-on.

Urbosa's face went slack as the sword absorbed her lightning. A blue glow enveloped the blade, quickly spreading to its wielder. Green sparks danced across them both, the voe staring up at the glowing blade in enraptured awe… which quickly turned to triumphant, unbridled joy.

There was a flash of light, and through the glow, Urbosa swore she saw the voe's form change rapidly. Different body types, different ages, yet still the same man, in the same strange green garb, holding the same glowing sword.

A sword which, shocked out of her fury, she finally recognized.

"Hyaaaa!" Smiling all the while, Link gripped the Master Sword with both hands, swinging it in a wide diagonal arc. The glow surrounding them both coalesced in the sword's edge, producing an ever-widening wave of blue-green energy that quickly sliced across the distance between him and Urbosa.

Urbosa didn't think. She could feel the spiritual energy pouring off the blade before he had finished his arc, and immediately threw herself to the ground. A few strands of crimson hair were cleaved from the ends of her long mane as the energy wave soared over her head. She followed its path, narrowly missing the tree trunk as it widened with distance. The slash doubled, tripled, quadrupled in size before finally slamming into the canyon wall opposite them, slicing into the stone facade with shocking ease. The stone scar glowed as the energy wave continued to cut into the cliff, finally fading after a few seconds, the sounds of shifting, rumbling stone persisting for a moment.

Urbosa stared at the newly formed crevice, the cut longer than the Research Lab was tall. She pushed herself up on shaky legs, her sword and shield in a white-knuckled grasp as she tried to process what she'd just witnessed… what she had nearly been hit with.

"So…"

Urbosa whipped around at the sudden voice. Link stared up at her just a few paces away, his sword… The Master Sword… resting across his shoulders, still faintly glowing. His confident grin widened.

"Can we talk now?"

Urbosa swallowed. She glanced back at the scarred cliff, then squared her shoulders, bringing her weapons to bear. "I know what I saw," she started, anger fading into steely determination. "It is my duty to defend the princess's honor from any who would dare take advantage of her. There's nothing more to be said."

"There's a lot more to be said, actually," Link quipped, even as he sank back into his sword stance.

Urbosa let out a frustrated huff as she readied for her next charge. It was one thing to face an opponent entrenched in unearned confidence. It was another to have such bravado proven to be reality. Still… She leaned forward, ready for another round. "What could you possibly say to justify-!"

"That's enough!"

Urbosa froze mid-motion, through no choice of her own. Her wide eyes darted around frantically as she found her limbs locked still, unable to move as a golden glow enveloped her body, a ring of golden light pulsating around her waist. Even gravity had abandoned her, her left leg raised mid-step as she tensed to leap with the other.

Across from her, Link froze as well, though without his own golden glow. It seemed words alone were enough to calm the voe as he immediately dropped his stance, going from battle-ready to confidently relaxed in seconds. His head snapped to the figure striding into Urbosa's view. She followed the long blonde locks until Zelda stood right in front of her, hand raised and glowing, her eyes-

Had Urbosa been capable, she would have gasped. Zelda's eyes were aglow with an unnatural golden light. Their intensity battered against her iron will, irritating the part of her brain that tensed when she traveled the deserts and sensed a Molduga hunting underfoot. A being as small and slight as her Little Bird should not be able to trigger her fight or flight in such a way. Her eyes should not look so intense. So predatory. So-

Utterly annoyed.

"Honestly," Zelda sighed, sounding completely done with the scene before her. The fingers of her glowing hand twitched slightly, and Urbosa's sword went flying out of her hand and over Zelda's shoulder, right into Impa's waiting grasp. "I expected my father to fly into a rage over my choice of partner, Lady Urbosa. Not you."

Zelda let her hand drop, her eyes fading back to their usual blue. Urbosa stumbled as gravity took back its hold, blinking rapidly as she tried to process what had just happened. "Princess… I…"

"Likely crested the hill at the exact wrong time to misinterpret an intimate moment between I and my consort-"

"Consort?" Urbosa mouthed, glancing over Zelda's head to see the voe in question roll his eyes, grinning fondly.

"-to which I can understand your protectiveness, even appreciate it. But I had thought… I had hoped that you were level-headed enough to confront us with words, rather than swordplay."

Her cheeks reddening at the unexpected reprimand. Urbosa, by this point, was completely lost. In fact, much as part of her recoiled at the thought, she was getting suspicious. She had known the princess since her first days, watched her grow into a beautiful young vai full of spirit and ambition, weighed down by expectation and prophecy. Never had she spoken with such confidence, met the Gerudo's gaze with such defiance. To see such alien mannerisms on such a familiar face was so uncanny, that it left Urbosa with a distressing conclusion:

This was not the Zelda she knew.

But no sooner did the thought cement in her mind, her eyes narrowing, an accusation on her lips… did she see Zelda give a long blink, letting out a weary sigh. "All that said…"

Zelda's voice trembled, and Urbosa was struck dumb when she opened her eyes. Those blue eyes, so young… yet holding a look Urbosa had only ever seen in the Gerudo's oldest warriors. The ones who had grown too feeble to wield their blades, who had long lost loved ones to the desert's dangers… yet could still find their smiles in the presence of friends and family, their children, and their children's children.

Zelda gave her a watery smile with those too-old eyes, her voice thick with emotion. "It's so good to see you again, Urbosa." The princess threw herself forward, and Urbosa found herself bending down instinctively, catching the princess as she clutched herself around the Gerudo's neck.

Urbosa stood there, eyes wide, as Zelda clung to her in a way she hadn't said she was a small child. She felt the vai take a shuddering breath, clutching tighter as Urbosa held her. She looked over Zelda's shoulder, seeing Link and Impa share sad, sympathetic smiles before drawing closer. Their lack of surprise at Zelda's change in demeanor left Urbosa, while flooded with questions, sure of one thing:

"Little Bird," she said gently, resting a hand against Zelda's hair. "What's happened to you?"

She heard Zelda swallow down her emotions before speaking. "Truthfully, Urbosa," Zelda replied, a hint of tiredness entering her voice. "If I tell you, I fear you won't believe me."

At that, Urbosa gently pushed Zelda away, breaking the hug to meet her gaze. She ignored the wetness gathered in the princess's eyes, giving her a wry grin. "Try me."

Zelda gave a slight giggle at that, wiping her eyes. "Well, it-" she broke off abruptly, her eyes falling to Urbosa's right arm.

Urbosa looked down and was surprised to find a long red line running down her forearm, a thin trail of blood dribbling down to her elbow. She didn't even feel it, it was so shallow.

The voe had drawn first blood. And she didn't even know when he'd done it.

Stomping down her irritation, Urbosa just smiled. "It's fine, Little Bird. Just a scratch. I-"

She trailed off when she saw Zelda's eyes and hand regain that golden glow. With little warning, Zelda placed her hand over the wound. Warmth flooded up Urbosa's arm, making her gasp. She watched as the wound glowed golden, the slit of light growing narrower and narrower until vanishing with it. When Zelda pulled her hand back, not even a scar remained.

Urbosa gingerly touched her healed arm, watching in awe as Zelda's eyes faded back to normal. "Is… whatever happened connected to your powers?"

Zelda grimaced slightly. "It's… related, yes." She then blinked, as if realizing something. "Which reminds me…" She spun on her heel. "Link?~"

The approaching knight froze midstep, muted panic on his face at her irritated tone. "Uh oh."

Impa snorted at his expense, moving to stand beside Urbosa. "You're on your own for this one, Linky."

Zelda marched right past her, stopping in front of Link with her arms crossed, Urbosa watching on, confused and curious. "Link, I understand you and Fi have been separated a long time and you want to test your limits." Her eyes lingered on the blade in his hand, as if her ire was aimed at it as well. "But was goading Urbosa into a fight truly the best idea you could think of?"

Link brought his hands up defensively. "Hey, the opportunity presented itself! And I didn't goad her. She came at me sword swinging!"

"And you did nothing to dissuade her, just met her blow for blow!" Zelda put a hand to her forehead, visibly reining herself in. When her voice was once again level, she asked. "Couldn't you have just asked her for a spar after we explained ourselves?"

At that, Link hesitated. Then he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "...I wanted a real fight?"

Zelda's glare redoubled. "...Of course you did. And I could understand, to a point, wanting to test out your swordplay." She threw her arm out at the opposite canyon wall, gesturing toward its smoking scar. "But was the Skyward Strike truly necessary? What if you had hit her?"

"She would have been fine!" At Zelda's unimpressed glare, Link looked skyward. "Zel, we weren't actually trying to hurt her. We just wanted to see if we could throw her lightning back at her like the old days!"

"'Old days'?" Urbosa murmured, eyes darting between the princess and hero and confusion. She glanced at Impa, who just offered a shrug and a knowing grin.

"Even if it did hit her", Link went on. "We were holding back. She would have been fine."

"Are you sure about that? Are you really?"

Link let out an exasperated groan. "Yes! Do you think I'd-"

CRACK!

The thunderous crack of splintering stone shot out across the canyon. All eyes snapped towards the source, watching in disbelieving awe as cracks formed from the edges of the smoking scar Link had made. The cracks spiderwebbed up the stone, following the cut's length up the top of the canyon and down to the end of the precipice. When the cracks had reached the wall's edges, a great groan of grinding stone filled the air. They watched as a section of wall larger than the Research Lab broke away, slowly starting to slide along the cut, revealing perfectly flat, steaming stone beneath it. The rock face slid until the majority of its weight passed over the broken stone's edge, tipping and falling into the river far below. The impact when it hit bottom and shattered nearly sent everyone sprawling.

They all stared at the shattered stone now littering the canyon floor, their gazes slowly panned up to the canyon wall, now flat-faced at a 45° angle.

A flash of light at Link's side tore Urbosa's wide eyes from the display. The Master Sword had vanished from his hand, and in its place floated a blue-skinned spirit, her featureless eyes staring down into the canyon depths. She and Link turned to each other. "Perhaps we overdid it, Master," she said in a light monotone.

Link grimaced. "Well…" he flinched when Zelda's fiery gaze snapped to him, cringing into his shoulders. "Maybe just a tad… yeah," he admitted sheepishly.

Zelda's eyes narrowed briefly. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dear, just… just go get dressed."

Link nodded quickly. "Yeah, good idea." He flashed a smile Urbosa's way before running off, the blue spirit on his heels. "Good fight, Urbosa! Thanks!"

"You're… welcome?" she replied haltingly as the knight darted off into the research lab, passing a panicked Purah and Robbie, the Little Guardian scrambling behind them.

"Link, we felt the ground shake! What-?"

"I'll explain later, Purah," he rushed as he blitzed through the door, dodging around a gaggle of wide-eyed researchers. "Sorry!"

"Sorry for wha-" Purah choked when she caught sight of the bisected cliff face. "What did you do to our canyon!?"

The spirit bowed her head to the flabbergasted researchers as she passed. "My apologies for the mess," she said softly, before following the knight inside. The Little Guardian chirped as she passed, taking off after them.

Zelda put her head in her hands, letting out a tired groan. "I swear, that man has no impulse control."

Impa giggled. "Remember, Zelda: you picked him."

Zelda side, throwing her head back to smile ruefully at the lightening sky. "Yes, Impa, I'm aware." She turned back to Urbosa, her smile turning apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry, Urbosa. I'm sure you're very confused."

Urbosa looked between the princess and her advisor, trying to find her voice. "I have… several questions."

Zelda nodded. "And I will gladly answer all of them. Over breakfast, if you'd like. I'm sure you traveled through the night to arrive here so early."

At Zelda's gesture, the three started their way to the Research Lab, Impa nonchalantly handing the Gerudo back her sword. Urbosa gave the blade a cursory look, her brow furrowing as she found a new nick in its edge before returning it to her hip. "Your letter sounded urgent," she explained, giving Zelda a concerned look. "Though, I'm curious why you didn't mention the discovery of our Hero along with your powers."

Zelda bit her lip. "It's… there's a lot to unpack." She sighed wearily. "It will likely take most of the day just to scratch the surface before the other champions get here."

"She's not kidding," Purah chimed in, she and Robbie giving the defaced cliff one last long look before falling into step with them.

"Yeah," agreed Robbie. "I filled three journals last night, and it feels like we barely got started."

"We didn't," Impa confirmed. She gave Zelda a considering look. "Maybe we should wait for the other champions so we don't have to keep repeating ourselves?"

Zelda thought for a moment. "Perhaps…" Then she shook her head. "But I fear today will not be the last time we tell our tale. If anything, telling Urbosa now might help us learn to not meander while telling it."

"Tell me what?" Urbosa put a hand on Zelda's shoulder, bringing them to a stop so their eyes could meet. Urbosa's brow pinched at the tiredness clear on Zelda's face. "Little Bird, you're all speaking in riddles. Please, speak plainly."

Zelda paused, and Urbosa was once again taken by the sheer exhaustion held in her eyes. The princess looked to Impa, who only gave a speculative shrug in response. Zelda deliberated for a moment, before relaxing slightly. "I believe I can sum up the situation succinctly, though I fear I will have to spend most of the day breaking down its nuances."

Urbosa let out a relieved sigh. "So be it. We have plenty of time before the other champions arrive."

Zelda nodded. "Very well." She took a deep breath before speaking. "Thanks to a mishap with our time-traveling guardian, I, Link, and Impa discovered that we are in fact the latest reincarnations of the goddess Hylia, her hero, and her faithful protector. The three of which have been reborn time and time again to fight the various reincarnations and iterations of being known as Demise, whose most current life is the originator of The Calamity."

Urbosa blinked slowly. "Wha… what?" She stuttered softly, a faint laugh of disbelief coloring her words.

But Zelda wasn't laughing, meeting Urbosa's skepticism with tired determination. "We remember every day of every life lived, granting us access to abilities long lost the time, as Link showed you earlier. If I were to tally all my years, I have lived well over 10,000 years spread out over anywhere from thirty to forty millennia." She paused, then shrugged sheepishly with an embarrassed grin. "I'm not sure which. The dating system has been changed at least four times."

"...what."

A/n: Zelda: "Urbosa, no!"

Urbosa: "Urbosa, yes!"

Link and Fi, busting out some Skyward Sword BS: "Urbosa, no."

Had a lot of fun with this one. Fight scenes and high emotional scenes are always my favorite, and I got to do both in this one! I know it's pretty soon after the last chapter, please don't take this to be the norm. I write when the mood strikes me, and that's unfortunately not as often as it used to be. But you never know but you never know. I do have an idea for the next chapter already, so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, I hope everyone's doing good out there. I'll see y'all at the next one!