The Young Traveler

by Fierysoul135

Feeling relieved after securing victory alongside Hyrule's best warriors, he still looked not a day over 10 years old. At 17, hopefully going on 18, his search for Navi across different worlds has gone on with little luck. He's unleashed once more, equipped with his sword, the Triforce of Courage, and the mask of a god at his hip. What do these wild lands of Hyrule have in store?

31. The Great Fairy Fountain

Author's Note: for older readers, this is part 1 of "The Great Fairy Fountain"

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The Great Fairy Fountain

The Hero of Time heard the bed make a concerning creak as he yawned and slightly adjusted his head. His eyes slowly blinked open, "Why are you so tiny?"

Link seemed to only be able to stare back with his mouth wide open, though his heart rate was surprisingly high for it being the morning.

"Wait, are you okay? What's wrong?" Once the question had left his lips, he started to feel that only his torso was what really inhabited the mattress. Everything past his hips hung off the end of the bed, leaving his legs to awkwardly rest against the floor. Glancing to his left, he realized the wall looked much closer than it did before. Not to mention the arm that cushioned his head was firmly pressed against the headboard. When he attempted to move again to better assess what was going on, the bed frame sounded like it was on the verge of splintering.

Then it came to his attention that his arms were clad in a familiar black material that clung to his skin. Hell, his entire body was. What sealed his budding suspicions was a single strand of silver-white hair falling in front of his eyes. 'Oh.'

Now that he thought about it, he could feel the same power that he briefly experienced last night coursing through his veins, "Well…" He tiredly sighed, hearing his deeper voice slightly bounce back off the walls, "Good morning. Let me see if I can…" His motion to sit up was abruptly cut short as he smacked his head on the wooden frame above. It didn't hurt in the slightest, but it was becoming more and more obvious that he was decently trapped. Trying to hide his mild annoyance, his gaze switched back to his descendant, "Link, I need you to climb over me so there's less of a chance of me crushing you."

The champion vigorously nodded as he immediately went to throwing his leg over and, well, falling to the floor since there wasn't any space left between the Hero and the mattress.

Meanwhile Young Link had to force himself not to whip his head around at the sound of the thud that made. Then it hit him, 'Wait a second! Ugh! I'm stupid! I can just try to change back!' He furled his brows as he took a deep breath and focused on channeling this power. A low growl that permeated past his lips caused the furniture in the room to tremble.

The energy from within felt like it was sourced from his head. 'Makes sense. It was a mask…or me.' Putting his focus there, he began to feel the essence of it wanting to burst from his eyes. He took this as his cue to slam them shut, just as he did at the table.

In the next moments, the only thing he could hear was Link gasping and the bed sounding as if a boulder had been lifted off it. Breathing heavily, he looked down at his hands, feeling relieved to see that they resembled what he looked like before he went to bed. Now peering over his shoulder, he found Link in more shock than before. He blinked, "Are you gonna say something or what?"

His descendant viscerally turned his head this way and that as he searched for the words to say, "…Was that you?"

Luckily, changing back also left him in his green tunic from yesterday, "Um, yeah…" He got out of bed and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His hands raced to his cheeks, "Dammit!" He hissed at seeing the red and blue markings, 'I need all of this contained! Go!' His lower eyelid momentarily twitched as he watched them slowly fade. He shook his head, "Sorry about that. But uh, just how long was I like that?"

Link seemed more relaxed, though his interest in the matter preceded him, "The majority of the night. Probably three or so hours after you went to sleep, you mumbled something and suddenly I was crawling for my life as you changed."

Young Link could see the light bags underneath his eyes, "Please tell me you got some sleep."

His hesitation was obvious, "…Yes. I did."

He gave him a look, "Here, I'll just do whatever it was that you wanted me to do and then you can go back to your room and sleep for a few hours. Sound good?"

The champion caught himself nodding, "The first part does."

A tired smirk crossed his face, "Just tell me already." He found himself getting pushed and being sat on the edge of his bed.

His descendant sat on the floor with his back toward him, "I just wanted you to undo the braid. Last time I did it, I ended up kinda hurting myself." His voice exposed that he knew how dumb he sounded.

He chuckled as he pulled out the elastic, undoing the braid took seconds, "You're really something else."

"No, you are. Speaking of which, why in Hylia's name, did you make me put on the Princess's crown?" They both tried to maintain quieter voices.

"It looked pretty, no?" He didn't see the big deal. "I just didn't mean to get over there that fast, that was my bad."

"Right, and how did you go from walking and running normally, albeit fast, to basically teleporting?"

"Not teleporting, I can't do that. Also, to be fair, I don't know. What I do know is that I don't have to worry about my mask anymore." He realized the opportunity in front of him and started to pet his descendant's bedhead, an evil grin spreading from cheek to cheek.

"Really?"

"Well, it was always a part of me, and now it's just actually a part of me." The sinister look to his smile faded into a caring one, "I am glad to see that it doesn't appear to have an effect on you. I was worried it would." He handed him his elastic back, "Now I just need to worry about doing things like that."

Link looked back at him, "You're not gonna tie it back?"

"You can do that yourself!"

"Why else am I putting up with you petting me?" He pushed it back into his hands.

"You're lucky I don't just pull your hair instead, damn you." Young Link tied it back. When he bent forward to make a face at him, his eyebrows raised at seeing his descendant deep in thought. "Hello?"

His face grew serious, "Dear Hylia…you were right this whole time." He stood and looked at him, "You're truly not a kid. You're not eleven either."

He couldn't help but feel apprehensive of where he was going with this. His thumbs tapped each other, "Mhm. At this point, I genuinely don't know what I am. One ear says this and the other says that. However, I actually turned eighteen while we were gone, so ha ha. I'm older than you. Literally." It humored him to watch his descendant reminisce about all their misadventures together, "I guess I was true to my word yesterday. You're sure biting your tongue now, aren't ya?"

Link's eyebrows grew closer together, "Y-yes I am!"

Young Link got up and started toward the door with a cheeky smile, "Hm, sorry again about making you lose sleep, though I bet the wine didn't help with all that happening to me." He tugged on his hand, "Wanna go eat together? Sudden sure, but you-know-me, I'd like to do more than sit in my room all day. You've got Zelda to hang out with too." As soon his hand touched the champion's finger, the triforce he held immediately appeared and began to glow.

"What did you do? Why is it doing that?"

"I guess it's just reacting to me." He let go and took a hold of his other hand, "Huh, I'm only safe touching your left." His eyes rolled before he could stop them, "Man, that's unfortunate. This is dumb, but I like holding hands with my left."

His descendant nodded.

He was jokingly nonchalant, "Link, shut up. Are you coming or not?"

"I should."

The Hero grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open. After registering that a body was on the other side of it, he slammed it shut. Now wearing a bashful smile, he reopened it, "Sorry about that! You kinda startled me!"

It was Mipha. Her yellow eyes were wide with astonishment, "Th-that's my bad. I should have knocked." She appeared to look over his shoulders, "It sounded like your bed was on the verge of breaking. Did something happen? There was this deep voice too."

"Ahhh, well as far as the bed goes, it's fine." He pointed back at Link with his thumb, "He's heavy as hell so, y'know."

"Oh," The Zora Princess blinked as she processed all of the implications that had, "And there was a…um…a growl too? And the furniture was shaking?"

Young Link shrugged as he looked between her and Link, "Mm, not too sure about that one." He quickly changed the subject, "Say, do you want to have breakfast together? The more the merrier." After making the request, he smiled at watching a particular sparkle appear in her eyes. Taking care to grab the correct hand, he pulled Link out of his room and closed the door. 'Thank goodness she's in love with him. Hopefully she doesn't bring it up again.'

The trio was off to their destination. The Hero continued to hold his descendant's hand to the left, Link was in the middle, and Mipha was to his right. After passing into another corridor, he was mentally scolding himself, 'Ugh, I should have been able to hear that Mipha was just next door! Though,' Her quick paced heart caught his attention, 'That's either normal or she's excited for something. Otherwise, I suppose I need more time to get used to these better senses. I'm finding that hearing everything gets tiring and these peripherals, when I'm not in battle, can be jarring. I don't even want to think about touch, but I feel lucky that my sense of smell has remained the same.'

He looked over at the Zora, "So, what are your plans today?"

A hand went to her chin, "That's a good question. I believe I'll be heading back home later today. That way I can get back to Vah Ruta."

"Ah right, I don't think I've ever seen it. What's it like inside?"

She giggled, "I'm not sure I'll be able to describe it in a way that makes sense. There's just so much."

He understood, "That's okay. Maybe I'll see it some time." Their small talk ended there. Though, it was a pleasant surprise to see that they hadn't moved the grand table yet from the Dining Hall. It was after Link had left to get seconds that he noticed her peculiar gaze on him, "Is there something on your mind?"

"Y-Yes, there is," Mipha was understandably surprised, "Forgive me for prying, but I am curious as to what the champion was doing in your room."

'I saw this one coming.' The young hero chuckled, "Yeah, it's nothing special. Back when I was visiting his village, we had to share his bed. As for last night, I can't remember too much thanks to the wine, but he needed me for something. I admittedly didn't feel like it, I was tired, and so I basically told him to just stay there." He smirked, "I dunno what's up with these beds if his own small mattress could hold our weight just fine. I've already changed rooms once, so I think I'll deal with it."

There was a curious gleam to her eyes, "So like a sleep-over?"

"Sure."

"And he talks to you?"

'This is starting to feel personal.' "Meh, kinda. I'd say he's still pretty reserved, but he definitely cares about everyone, so that makes up for it. Trust me, if a bokoblin suddenly appeared in front of you, the next thing that would happen is him cutting it in half or something."

Her smile was warm, "I'm glad to hear it. I'd love to fight beside him one day."

"Well I can't say he'll spar you, but I know you'd be a useful ally if the situation were to ever happen." He held his expression as she pat his head.

"You're so kind!" She beamed, "It's no wonder the Princess enjoys your company." Mipha appeared to remember something, "Oh, that's right, you don't actually plan to fight with Revali do you?"

"I keep my promises, so yes, unless he backs down of course. There's no shame in doing that."

The Zora Princess was perplexed, "But you know he'll just fly the whole time! Even with arrows, I'm not sure you could bring him down!"

"Don't worry, I'll come up with something. I'm not necessarily fighting to win, either. Just to teach a lesson."

"You think it'll get across to him?"

"He has no choice in the matter." His ears perked at the sound of wind flowing beneath feathers, "Speak of the devil."

Revali boldly pushed the doors open. He made it known that he was irritated for one reason or another, "For Hylia's sake just where is that—oh." He threw his arms out in annoyance, "Finally! Are we doing this or what, hatchling?"

Young Link took his time standing and stretching, "We sure are, though I don't recall either of us saying it'd be this soon." He laughed as the feisty Rito rolled his eyes, "I assume it's in the arena, then?"

"Yes, I'll see you there." His gazed pierced through his squinted eyes, "Don't keep me waiting."

Link jogged back over in time for the young hero to smirk at the champion's leave, "He'll have to wait anyways. I left my sword in my room." He waved to them before running back. Yet, instead of finding his Kokiri Sword, propped up against the bedside table was his Double Helix Blade. How he or Link missed that this morning was a mystery. "Okay this would just be overkill. I really shouldn't start shooting beams everywhere for a simple spar. That's ridiculous."

He already had an idea of what could happen if he touched the hilt of the blade, and he wasn't keen on letting it happen. However, he knew he'd have to hold it in order to find out what was going on. Just as he jumped to take the handle, the same power from that morning exploded up his arm into his head. It felt like it gushed out of his eyes. 'Oh my—oh my Gods!' Once again, it seemed as if his own skin couldn't contain himself. He winced as he held his other hand over the shining sword. It felt like his little control was starting to slip as he commanded its transformation, 'Revert! You will come when asked!'

To be fair, he really had no idea if that's how it worked. Though, the words felt right, and a split second later the energy from before became stationary in his body, fortified even, but most importantly controlled. He took a deep breath and was glad to see his normal blade. After slinging on his equipment, the next thing he knew, he was walking up to the gates after startling the guards. "Excuse me," he politely addressed them, "I'd like to think this won't take long, but we'll see."

They stiffly nodded and let him in.

"My goodness!" Revali huffed, "You Hylians and your sense of self-importance bores me to tears."

The Hero shrugged, "I dunno, I thought five minutes was a pretty good time." He plainly looked at him, "So, what are the conditions? Whoever gets the first love-tap wins?"

"Love-tap?" The phrase clearly stung his tongue, he was disgusted.

"Nick, scratch, very lightly hit. They all mean the same thing."

He hid his sense of humility well, "Then yes, that's fine by me."

Young Link made his smile appear as childish as possible, "Great!" In the next second, he'd zoomed forward and purposefully missed an otherwise dangerously close slash. Just as he predicted, he pissed the Rito off and forced him into the air.

"Aggressive aren't we!" He called from thirty feet above. He already had several arrows ready to fly, and they did.

The young hero quickly found himself dodging away from each arrow, his sight and ears made it astoundingly easy. He could nearly feel where they were going to land next. 'He's stayed pretty stationary for now. I wonder what will happen if he runs out of arrows?' Putting up his shield, he bent his legs in preparation to jump.

Revali sneered, "Oh-ho! The hero thinks he can use his little legs to jump all the way up here? Don't make me laugh!"

Meanwhile, he could envision right about where he'd end up. Utilizing a fraction of his power, he felt it surge down through his legs into his feet. A ring of dust shot out as he pushed off the ground. The Rito was right in his sights. He honed his focus and felt the flow of time come to a near stop, 'Interesting.' His thoughts echoed around the space, 'This is quite a bit faster than I was previously able to achieve. I like it.' Wasting zero time, he yanked out his bow and lined up a spray of arrows that were intended to fly past the Rito. When time resumed, he hid his surprise at seeing blue feathers get caught in the arrows that whizzed past. They fluttered in several directions after getting speared.

'Right…now the part where I get down.' He kept his face straight as he began to fall from the sky. Strangely, there wasn't an inkling in his mind that believed he would be hurt. He threw his head back to start a backflip so he could land more naturally. Another dust cloud was formed as he made a small dent in the packed earth. He'd won, and it was undeniably so.

"But before he accepts his defeat, he bursts through the smoke I've created to attempt to make it a draw." His hands shot above his head to catch the talons that sped toward him, just as he described. Using the given inertia and speed, he flung the Rito champion and sent him skidding across the arena, "It's in fact, not a draw."

Revali was quick to find his footing. He was enraged, "H-HOW!? You should have never been able to jump that high! You should have broken at least your ankles from that fall! Much less your own dirt cloud was nearly impossible to see through! Explain yourself at once!"

Young Link had been so focused on the Rito that he only just now saw Urbosa, Daruk, and Link watching from the upper level of the arena. His smile couldn't help itself, "Revali, as much as you don't want to hear it, I'm the Hero of Time. I'm not the regular Hylian that you want to believe I am." He held out his hand, "How about we call a truce and be more friendly from now on? As you should have learned, it's pointless."

He scoffed at the offer, "Oh really? And what if I think there's a point?"

His smile instantly disappeared as he zipped toward the champion. He could feel the fierce markings burning onto his cheeks and forehead. His tone was nothing short of threatening, "Then I shall have it hewn into your mind!" The bite of the ancient tongue cut through the tension filled air and echoed off the stone walls.

Revali could only blink at the tip of the blade that lay just beneath his chin. He put his hands up, "Alright alright." The following sigh made no effort to hide his contempt, "I get what you're saying. There's no need to be so dramatic."

As far as he could tell, the marks remained as his demeanor returned to its usual easy-going vibe. He took a step back, sheathed his sword, and held out his hand, "Let's try this again. Truce?" He'd never admit it aloud, but a small portion of his pride found Rito champion's stunned reaction delicious. The feathered hand shook his.

"Truce." Shortly after, he took to the skies back toward the castle.

He figured he'd talk to the others that were there, so he headed toward the stairs. 'I'm curious as to how much I turned just then,' though he had the sense that the marks were beginning to fade as he came closer, 'I doubt some "face paint" would shock them, but I'll never know if I don't have a mirror.' He was up-beat, "Hey guys! Glad to say that's over."

"Ha!" Urbosa put a hand on her hip, "Here I thought it would be a close match. Clearly, you've got far more tricks up your sleeve than you let on."

The Goron champion still looked surprised, "I'll admit I'm just as shocked as Revali was when you jumped that high! That was amazing for someone your size!"

"Ah well, it's odd to hear this all out loud, but thanks," He laughed. When his gaze looked to Link, he only appeared more lost in thought than before. The Gerudo champion's hand redirected his attention before he could talk to him.

She peered into his eyes, "Mm, I'm also impressed at how easily you flipped the switch there. I'd never heard the old Hylian spoken so forcefully before. It almost didn't sound like it was you."

Young Link's cheeks were flush, "I've certainly been told that it sounds like I'm putting a spell on something, so I suppose I'm not surprised." He turned his head as a yawn came out, "This is too much to do in the morning after stuffing yourself silly the night before. I might consider going back to bed." He nudged his descendant, "Where did Mipha go?"

He'd yawned as well, "She went to get her things so she could leave."

The Hero nodded as he pat the champion's arm, "Well, consider getting some sleep. You'll know where I'll be." To the other two, "I'm not sure if we'll see each other again before you leave, but it was great meeting you all. I look forward to possibly working together."

Daruk raised a fist, "You bet! I'd love to show you the mountain sometime!"

"It was certainly a pleasure," The Gerudo chief smiled, "I'll miss your mysterious ways while I'm gone." Her fingernail traced the edge of his bangs, "You're a most intriguing little thing.~"

He shied away as his hand came up to his mouth, "Urbosa please, save those things for the evening." 'Did that just leave my mouth!?'

Daruk and Link were speechless as she heartily laughed, "As you wish! Ha ha ha!"

'Help. What did I just do.' He figured he'd make it worse by saying anything else, so he collected himself, said one last goodbye, and left. By the time he returned to his room, her words still stuck with him.

'She knows…she knows I was just saying that, right?' He briefly looked in his vanity mirror before quickly shaking his head, 'I'll just—oh Gods…I bet she'll forget I ever said anything, or she won't take me seriously. Hell, she likely reacted that way on purpose.' Young Link removed his equipment and shoes, finding solace with his cheek smushed into his pillow.

A few hours later, waking up to knocking was starting to get old. "Who is it?" He called, 'I can't tell who's out there…it doesn't sound like the Princess or the champions.' Controlling his urge to react to hearing the doorknob getting turned, it unnerved him as he watched the door become slightly ajar, 'This is creepy as hell!' His voice was stern, "I asked a question and so I respectfully expect an answer. Who's there?"

"Are you sure it's you?" It was Impa's voice.

"Impa? Dear Goddesses, just come in already!"

The Sheikah slowly entered his room, "Oh good, it really is you." Yet she seemed only partially relieved.

"What are you on about?" 'Why can I never seem to have a normal interaction with you?!'

"You don't feel some kind of strange energy in this room?"

He joined her in looking around, "No? Not at all actually." He sighed, "So did you need something? Or am I needed?"

"Right, mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead."

She made sure to leave room for her long hair as she sat at the vanity, "I was tasked with debriefing you for our departure tomorrow." Her tone was plain and straightforward, "We shall leave the castle early in the morning. It's an eight-hour ride to my village and so we're thinking of leaving at five in the morning, just before the sun rises. We'll talk to the Great Fairy, stay the night, and then it's up to the Princess what we do from there."

"Got it, thanks f—"

"You, in particular, have some rules to follow."

His fingers became interlaced with one another, "I'm listening."

Impa was curt with her words, "For one, if we're attacked on the way there, which could be likely, leave it to me and the champion. But if you must, no killing them." She crossed her arms in thought, "Next, try to be more courteous to the Princess."

He stopped her there, "I'm sorry what? I don't have a problem with the first one, but I am like that with Zelda. If you're asking me to be like the guards outside her room, it's not gonna happen. I'm her friend too." 'Besides, if this is about what happened at the ceremony, she's the one that asked me to kiss her hand! I get the feeling I'd be in more trouble for saying no than saying yes!'

"She told me that you flipped off her bed."

"I was telling her a story!" Young Link waved the subject away, "I'll act the way the Princess wants me to. If she had a problem with it, she'd tell me. Is there anything else?"

"For the most part, let's try to keep this whole ordeal as normal as possible."

'That's rich considering how you just came into my room talking about "strange energy."' His eyebrows raised, 'Whatever, not worth mentioning.' "Will do."

"Great," She stood, "I'll see you in the morning. Make sure you have everything you need before then."

He nodded, watching her warp away. The metal shards of his boomerang caught his eye, it made him slump, 'Damn, I guess this means I won't get to use that just yet.' The young hero shrugged as he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, 'Meh, I'll take it anyways and keep it in my saddlebag. Something tells me those Yiga will be in for a nasty surprise no matter what.'

Young Link spent the rest of the day dedicating more practice to using the boomerang. It felt gutsy to throw it before, but now that his senses had expanded, it was like using his original boomerang. He didn't have to hesitate whenever he was about to catch it. While still at the stables, he made sure to grab his saddlebags so he could pack.

When the evening rolled around, he was ever so slightly wary of the Gerudo champion after what he'd said earlier. It was just his luck that he happened to catch her leaving her room.

"Ah, if it isn't the little hero," She folded her arms as she leaned against the wall.

"I'm surprised you haven't left yet," He figured trying to control the topic was his best bet, "I thought everyone was going back today."

"I would, but I thought I'd let my people enjoy the Hylian customs, and money, for one last night. It's cute that you're trying to hide from your words, though." Urbosa smirked as she sauntered a few steps toward him, "I'll admit, I can see where the bartender in town was coming from. You're quite charming."

He scratched the back of his head, "Well I'm not sure about all tha—"

"And yet I can tell that there's…" Her eyes peered into his, "something about you. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Really? What makes you think that?" Young Link briefly smiled as he caught himself, "That is to say—y'know—I know I'm not normal, but where are you coming from?"

"I don't know, Hero, that's why I'm curious." Her cunning smile appeared as she began to pace in front of him, "Do you know why the floor shook this morning?"

'…' "I can only assume that it was caused by the earth, but I agree that it's concerning that it happened here of all places."

"Interesting. I also wonder why it seemed as if the Hylian champion had been up all night. You mentioned it yourself earlier."

'Not sure why Link is being brought into this, but okay…' "I wonder why as well. I told him he could stay in my room, but I practically passed out after a few minutes. I dunno if he decided to sleep on the floor for most of the night or what, but he was still in my bed this morning." He kept his expression plain as the Gerudo Chief quickly looked back at him after he said the last phrase. "Okay listen, he wanted something, I didn't feel like it, so I said I'd do it in the morning."

She nodded, "Fair enough, I'd come to the same conclusion." Urbosa stooped down, "I believe you're a bit wiser than you let on, 'young one.'" Her finger traced his cheek, "Those markings on your face earlier, can you tell me about them?"

He gently took her hand, speaking softly, "I can't." He was internally glad that she appeared to understand.

"Hm, like I said before, I quite like how mysterious you are. A little puddle on the surface that goes much deeper than one might think." She stood, "I'll let you get ready to leave tomorrow. I think I might try the local liquor one last time. A proper comparison is in order."

Young Link wished her well before quickly going back to his room. Getting ready for trips never took long simply because he'd done it thousands of times before. It helped that he didn't have a lot to choose from either. Also, the boomerang proved to be a good fit for the saddlebag, it luckily didn't bulge out.

Thinking of his next destination, he recalled the different fairy fountains he'd been to across Hyrule and Termina in his dreams. The reflections of water dancing on the stone walls, the sparkling pool that kept the interior cool, and its singing, laughing, sparkling patrons of course! This fountain in particular housed the Great Fairy of Magic. Hearing the last note of Zelda's Lullaby echo away, his dream-self became more conscious.

'Wait hold on,' He was starting to remember just how naked they were, 'I'd rather not—I don't need to see this right n—' For once, he managed to wake himself up just as her hot pink hair came into view. Fervently rubbing his eyes, he shook his head as he mumbled to himself, "Dear Goddesses, please tell me they wear clothes here…"

Seeing as he woke up thirty minutes before it was time to leave, he got Grace out and waited for the others at the castle gates. "Weird," He muttered, finding that he was the first to show. It was quite gloomy out and there was a light fog, but it was nothing that wouldn't clear after the sun came out. Standing in the saddle, he looked around, "Perhaps they're all being sleepyheads this morning." His ears picked up the sound of horses. He could make out Twilight's peculiar gate as he chuckled to himself, "Never mind."

"Good morning," Came Zelda's tired voice as the rest of the group came into view. Impa was beside her with Link not too far behind. Her eyes were half closed, "We're all ready to go, yes?"

"That's right!" The Hero said with a smile.

The Princess nodded to her friend, "Lead the way, Impa."

As they cantered past the town gates into the open plains, the Ranch quickly came into view…and so did the memories. Young Link could feel both the Princess and the knight's gazes on him as he stared on at the entrance. '…Gee, wonder if they somehow cleaned up that blood…better yet, what they did with the guy.' He pretended that he didn't catch his descendant's eye, 'I suppose it's not important.'

Overall, the energy of the group grew as the sun came up. One thing the Hero noticed about Impa's riding was that she was quite stiff in the saddle, and she appeared to prefer to stick strictly to the path. 'I can't decide if she's simply focused or wary in the case of an attack.' While he still had another 'sense' for the corrupt Sheikah, he mainly relied on his hearing to listen for sudden flaps of paper that denoted teleportation. He internally shrugged, 'I get the feeling that we're safe for now.'

Two hours later, they were riding through Gatepost Town near the Great Plateau. Seeing as it was a couple hundred feet away, the young hero took better notice of it. His eyes stretched from the base up the ornate walls to the top where the rooftops of buildings and trees could be seen. He was almost awestruck as he tried to imagine what laid beyond the limits of his vision. Simultaneously, his heart developed a familiar adventurous flutter, a common occurrence back in his world and Termina. It practically reached out of his chest and pointed directly at the steep slab of land. A sigh left him as it started to fade in the distance as they reached the Outpost, 'Zelda please tell me we're going there later…'

'No.' He straightened up in the saddle and faced forward, 'Let's—ahem—focus on the actual trip at hand.' An eyebrow raised as he looked elsewhere, 'Besides, I can already see myself getting scolded for looking like I'd rather be somewhere else.' By the time they were crossing through the East Post, he waved to a couple of familiar faces from their previous visit. Young Link looked to Zelda as Impa led them through the Dueling Peaks, "Do you have a favorite part of Hyrule, Princess?"

She looked surprised to hear his voice. The trip had been mostly silent up until that point, "O-oh, yes, I do." Her smile was cheerfully bashful, "However, I'd like to rephrase the question to say that I have favorite parts of Hyrule. I certainly couldn't choose just one."

"Can you name a couple of them?"

"Gerudo Town, of course. Oh, and, particularly, there's this field of flowers not too far from the castle." Her eyes sparkled, "It's such a beautiful place, with the lush grass and sweet breeze. I'll have to show you a picture of the flowers when we get there."

He grinned, "Sweet! I look forward to seeing it!"

Coming up on six or so hours of riding, they skipped the Stables and continued toward the bridge that led to the village. Just like the walls to the Plateau, the stone and brick it was constructed from was incredibly ornate. 'Makes sense,' He reasoned, 'When I think of the Sheikah, generally I think of the royal family. It's no wonder that their structures look so nice. Plus, I believe all this tech stuff with the Divine Beasts comes from them, right? If they can make that, I can only imagine what their village is like.'

Though, as they scaled the grassy hill and slowed to a trot through a narrow slit between the closing cliffs, they began to see frogs with red feet darting out of their little pools of water. Wet moss that thrived off the misting from the small waterfalls and stretched across the stone walls like a strong embrace. Not to mention the humidity. Upon entering the village after several long hours of travel, the sun made the different houses and shops pop from the scenery.

The buildings were somewhat clustered together. Unlike the residences from Hateno, which were generally made from clay and bricks, these looked to be made from thick wood and the rooftops from fortified thatch. Not to mention they didn't look like typical houses either. The roofs were very round, nearly like half of a dome. Otherwise, the residence itself wasn't very big. 'I can't imagine that there are more than beds and other simple furniture in there. Cooking seems like it would set the whole house on fire, so…' He could smell something savory coming from the heart of the village, 'Sweet, they make it all outdoors!'

Aside from the abundance of growing pumpkin patches, the other thing that caught his eye were their clothes. The majority of the villagers wore their long hair up in buns of various shapes with a couple of red sticks stuck through them. On top of that was a hat that resembled a squished version of their roofs. Otherwise, their clothes looked comfortably loose and were only cinched in at the waist. Underneath looked to be a navy blue, turtleneck but sleeveless bodysuit. They all wore some form of thick socks with durable sandals.

Young Link's hand went to his chin as he cocked his head with interest, 'Wow, this is really different! I like it though! The clothing underneath, however, does resemble what the Sheikah from my Hyrule wore. They sure like their skin-tight clothing. I bet it's easy to breathe in.' But then he wondered if it was stretchy enough to not be a pain to take off. He shrugged and paid more attention to the path they were walking down.

They dismounted from their horses and continued to follow Impa up the path. After waiting for Link to catch his eye, the Hero was glad to see that someone else also wished they at least stopped and stretched from the ride. 'My knees are stiff…and that's saying something considering my body is so young!' He nudged the champion, whispering, "Carry me?"

Link made a face at him before shaking his head no.

His hands dramatically grabbed his arm without warning as he pleadingly looked into his eyes, "Please?"

Much to his disappointment, the descendant only shook his head more with a look of disbelief.

Feeling ornery after getting denied twice, Young Link felt very inclined to yank the arm he continued to hold up to his face and pretend to bite it, but after thinking about it for too long, he decided against it and let go. He didn't even try to hide his stupid grin after watching the Princess's knight viscerally look confused. This soon melted away as they climbed a hill and another shrine came into view, "Whoa!" The young hero ran up to it and hopped onto the platform, "There's one here too!"

Impa shook her head, "Yes, that's right. I hate to tell you this, but we kind of consider that to be sacred property in this village, so please get off of it."

He pointed to the Sheikah slate at the Princess's hip regardless of what was said, "Have you tried the tablet on this one, Your Highness? It can't hurt to check!"

Zelda looked fatigued from the ride as much as everyone else, but mentioning the slate managed to make her perk up, "I'll try, little one, but I have no reason to think it will work."

'That's true,' He internally agreed as he watched her come forward, 'But I haven't personally seen you try it yet, and I'd like to confirm my theory about these not even being "turned on."' His eyes intently focused on her setting the tablet up against a pillar that bore a similar Sheikah marking.

She sighed, "Nothing…per usual. It was worth trying though, so thanks for bringing it to my attention."

"Still," Young Link scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about that." 'Yet, now I know I'm right…maybe. At least I think so.' He joined back up with them after taking one last look at it, 'This one is just like all the others. Completely dull or "turned off", I guess. Yet the tablet is orange and blue. So strange.' Before he could begin to compare the phenomenon to his other experiences, his ears caught the sound of all of them stepping in wet grass. Diverting his gaze to the ground, he could see the small puddles. It made the earth feel like it had some squish to it.

The air had become moist and was joined by a whimsical sense that became stronger as the fountain came into view. Slightly off to the right sat a magnificently large, open flower with a pool of sparkling water that sat at its core. The petals were hot pink with mushrooms of various colors growing out and around them. At the front, the mushroom caps came together to form steps that led up to the main platform one could stand on. Golden statues of birds sprouted out of the pool and were perched at the side.

Zelda and Impa had already made it up to the steps, but as soon as the young hero came close to one of the smaller shrooms, the ground began to tremble, the water started to bubble, and moments later, the Great Fairy Cotera popped out of her spring and sent droplets spraying the clearing.

"AH-HAAAAAAAH!~" Her eyes connected with the Hero of Time's before falling to the more important matter that stood in front of her.

She was big in size, which wasn't surprising. "Oh, thank the Goddesses, she's wearing something..." he muttered under his breath, missing his descendant give him a weary look. 'If there's one thing that taught me respect, it was the ability to have my eyes glaze over and focus on nearly anything else, even if I knew they didn't mind. I have better manners than that.'

Otherwise, she was beautiful! Her blonde hair never-endingly flowed in the breeze, and she wore several sparkling jewels and scales on her body. Like the other Great Fairies he'd encountered, she too lacked wings. However, she did have an earpiece that looked like them on her left ear. Her lips were red, she had rosy cheeks, purple eyelids, and had long black and red nails.

"Why if it isn't the fairest princess in the land! How might I help you, my dear?" She leaned down to get closer.

Her eyes sought her advice, "Great Fairy Cotera, I'm sure you're aware, but it's about me—my powers, sorry. I've trained every day of my life for years, but nothing seems to be working." Frustration lined the edge of her tone, "Do you have any suggestions for me?"

Between the rest of the group and the exchange with the Great Fairy, the Hero of Time started to see the glittery patrons of the fountain enter the clearing from the trees. He felt the memories of the fairy fountains from his universe and Termina's flood back as they began to flit about. Much to his delight, he could hear their sweet-toned voices as they talked amongst each other. He internally sighed in content, 'It's been so long since I've heard these guys talk!'

One thing he quickly picked up on, in particular, was that these fairies all appeared to be girls, which wasn't the case back in Kokiri forest, nor Termina, 'Maybe it's specific to the fountain...I guess I could ask.' As he pried his eyes off the fairies, he felt something tickle his arm that was followed by a whisper.

"Is it really him?"

"I'm pretty sure it is!"

He looked down and found two fairies floating around his shoulder and arm, "Well I'd be surprised if I wasn't myself," he whispered. Their faces lit up as they came in much closer, one of them nudging his arm while the other nuzzled up to his cheek. He smiled as their interactions made him blush, "I'm glad you're happy to see me, but there's something important going on!" He said in a hushed tone, feeling relieved when they nodded and quickly sat on his shoulder.

'I forgot how touchy they are,' the young hero thought as he looked around to see if they were doing the same to anyone else. Only now he found more fairies spying him from behind mushrooms and branches. His eyelids lowered to half-mast as he accepted his fate, 'Aha...I'm in danger...'

Cotera's voiced echoed throughout the clearing, "Your powers, hm?" She thought for a moment before her eyes lit up, "Have you tried the different holy springs across Hyrule, my dear? The Spring of Power is in Akkala, I suggest that one first. Oh, and then the Spring of Courage is in the Faron region. I'm sure it's no wonder where the Spring of Wisdom is."

Zelda nodded, though her eyes were glum, "At the top of Mount Lanayru, yes."

Her smile became faint, "I'm afraid that's all I have to offer in terms of advice, but—" It reappeared alongside a reassuring face, "know that me and my girls are rooting for you! I just know it'll happen one day, dear Princess!"

Young Link felt even more fairies perching on any flat surface available to them as they finished their conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Link's astonished expression and could tell he had something to say about this. However, the entourage he collected must have come to a silent conclusion that their matriarch was done talking, because within the next moment, they all ambushed him with fairy kisses all over his face and arms, making him giggle profusely into a laugh while re-energizing him at the same time. He could tell by the giddy feeling it left, and, unlike the others, he could see their tiny silhouettes rather than just a sparkle with a pair of wings. They all snickered at his reactions.

"Guys oh my gosh, where did this come from!?" His vision was full of their pink glow and glittering particles.

"We're just so happy to see you!"

"Yeah, it feels like it's been forever!"

One played with his bangs, "Plus you're practically one of us! We've heard so much about you!"

He could already see that the Great Fairy was deviously looking his way, "You've heard about me? How?" He asked, feeling his heart beat faster from all the attention. There were at least seven or eight of them that surrounded him. The clearing had fell silent.

Naturally, Cotera took the opportunity that sat in front of her. She gently plucked the young hero from where he stood, bringing him close to her cheek as he sat in the palm of her hand. All the fairies that had clustered around him quickly followed, "My, it's our beloved fairy boy!"

If his cheeks weren't already pink from before, now they were bright red along with his ears, "Ahem, uh…hello. Clearly you know m—" Before he could properly look at her, his face was engulfed by her thick lips…several times.

"Mmmmuah! You're just the cutest darn thing! It's just as the others described." Her eyelids hung heavy as her demeanor changed to be more seductive. She used one of her long fingernails to lift his chin, "Mm~, I must say I'm a little jealous. They got to see you all grown up!~" The Great Fairy looked between him and Link as she brought him up closer to her eyes, "I remember them saying that you're quite the looker, much like him down there." The fairy entourage very enthusiastically agreed.

His face was aflame. Numb even. Whatever words he had couldn't leave his mouth to save his life. All he could do was blink at the fairy kisses he kept endlessly receiving. It was making the power he kept under control seem like it was planning to burst from his skin.

"Girls," Her voice hardly edged on serious, but it was enough to get their attention, "Let him breathe please. You all know how to treat his kind."

He couldn't bring himself to look at the others as he caught his breath, especially Link, "W-well, t-th-thank you. Is—" Now he held up a finger, "Sorry…oh my Gods. That really doesn't happen often..." Hearing their giggling didn't help. Standing in her hand, he smoothed his ruffled bangs down, "Let's try that again. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Her long eyelashes were back to their flirtatious positions, "What a question, hm? There are plenty of things you could do for me!~" She laughed.

His eyes narrowed as his smile became a tad forced, 'The image this is painting is damn awful! What the hell is she trying to do!?' "Like what?" He innocently asked before switching to the Old Hylian, "And don't make it weird!"

A finger flicked up and down at his general self, "Well this is absolutely adorable, but I personally would love to see what all my friends are talking about. What was it? Tall, muscly, long sword, and one other thing. Something about the face, I'm sure." Cotera sat back and held her head with her hand, intently watching.

The Hero of Time crossed his arms, "As much as I'd like to do that right now, I'm pretty sure you understand why I also don't want to! I don't need that to get around to people who don't need to hear it!" He could only foresee the Yiga attacks getting intentionally more lethal for the purpose of making him bring it out.

She nodded as she considered his words, "Mm, yes. You're certainly right about that. How about later tonight, hm? Not for long of course, my curiosity is just killing me!"

He quickly smiled to show he understood, "Oh, show you a spell?" 'I don't want them to think we're plotting something. I feel like the tone of voice can be a giveaway sometimes.' "Sure!" Young Link watched the grassy floor grow closer as he was lowered to the ground.

One of the fairies flew next to his ear, "Ooooooh, do the fire one pretty please!"

"That one's my favorite! It's so flashy!"

The others were too close in proximity to safely perform the large blast of fire, even if there was a pool of water at their feet surrounding the Great Fairy's flower. He bargained with them, "How about something a little more toned down? It's the same thing, only it's more useful for catching sticks on fire rather than a ton of torches." In a matter of seconds, he held up his hand and watched it completely ignite before the flames settled in the palm of his hand. He turned to his group, "Pretty cool, right?" The portion of his mind that was still in a playful mood from earlier wanted to try to touch Link with it. It took a staggering amount of self-control to keep himself from staring at his descendent with the intent to do so.

"Aww that is so precious!" She cooed whilst the others were stupefied, "I suppose I won't ask any more of you, darling.~"

"Oh hold on, before you go." He easily hopped back into her hand and motioned for her to come closer to him. Young Link could hear the fairies wondering aloud and taking guesses at what he was going to do. Once the tip of her nose was within range, he swiftly kissed it. He chuckled at the petite sparkle it left and at the soft gasps that came from the shimmery entourage, "Didn't think I'd let you get away with nearly smothering me earlier, huh?" His hands tingled as he watched the sparkle poof into twinkling particles before a blush spread across her cheeks. His pride quickly started to question itself, 'Was that…a good idea?' Nevertheless, his smile remained.

But not for long.

Cotera appeared to physically sparkle and glow as she looked completely smitten with the Hero. In a matter of moments, her hand was enclosed around his torso, and his heart practically stopped as he was yanked into the water less than a second later. Once beneath the surface, his eyes flew open, "Cotera!?" He could see the water above them bubbling and churning. On the flipside, her pool was pleasantly warm, and he didn't exactly feel the need for air.

Meanwhile she was squealing in pure joy as she smushed her cheek against him, "Ah ha ha ha!~ My, you're such a lovely little thing! I could just eat you up!~ " Her affections were nearly nonstop. With all the kissing, being smushed against her cheek, and general handling, there was no way he was going to come out looking like nothing-but-some-water happened to him.

A minute in, he could feel his deity form wanting to spring out, "Ah! H-Hold on!" He held out his hand, "Give me a second!"

The Great Fairy's hand went to her cheek as she cooed, "Too much?"

He balled up his fists as he tried to keep it contained, "Obviously! I'm not sure a kiss on the nose is all that serious, but all of your—whatever you call that—is gonna make me change form!" It wasn't nearly as potent as Hylia, really they were hardly comparable. In fact, if She did this, the only foreseeable outcome would possibly be death…if that's a thing.

"Fu fu fu~" Her voice echoed in the water, "It's not every day that I get kissed by the Hero of Time no less! I simply must repay you on the spot!" Glittering hearts floated around her like bubbles.

The surge of power was simmering down to more manageable levels. He held up a finger, "I can see that look in your eye," his smile was cautious, "Just one more, and then you've repaid me enough, and you can let me go back, okay?" Young Link didn't necessarily mind, in fact, despite her intentions seeming romantic, her actions felt astonishingly platonic. It was just so much at once. It was no wonder that he felt like he could explode.

Cotera sweetly nodded…and yet there was a certain glint that reflected back at him…

A minute later, Young Link threw his arms over the rim of the petals as he panted. Luckily the fairies could tell that this was not a good time to tackle him. He briefly gazed at his bug-eyed group, "Link come help your damn ancestor! I'm short!" Entirely red in the face, he felt relieved as he was pulled out of the water by the arm. Hell, he nearly hugged him.

The two fairies that initially interacted with him perched on his head as he tried to fan his face, "Well…I certainly wasn't expecting that." He sighed and his other hand came to his chest, "I think I've had enough kisses to last me beyond death. Dear Goddesses…"

Impa looked incredibly concerned with what appeared to be a shade of disappointment in her eyes, "I assume you're going to explain what we all just had to witness," she paused, "and not witness?"

He sat against a tree, "Basically being a Hero means a lot more than I was expecting. Somehow she knew me—and this is the first time I've ever seen her!"

The Sheikah cocked her head, "Fairy boy? Also that still doesn't explain…the um, touchiness going on there. Oh, and then dragging you underwater."

"Oh right, you guys can't hear nor understand the fairies. I forgot about that. Anyways, I grew up with fairies and had one of my own, and then I can only assume that the other Great Fairies gossip about how I look. I don't think I can explain why Cotera is just…herself. Best I can do is: I guess she was happy to see me, and I'm glad I didn't drown."

She put a hand on her hip, "And the fire? Since when could y—"

"That? Yeah that's just a spell I know. It's not a big deal. It's nothing like wizzrobes or something." He was completely aware that it seemed like he was dodging all the questions. That was the least of his concerns. The things that permeated his mind was that experience he just had and that he felt exhausted. His eyes looked to the two nesting on his drying hair, "You guys didn't spend all of your energy on me earlier, right?"

The one on the left immediately rose into the air, "Oh! I didn't! I didn't! Just give me ooone second!" She fluttered toward the grass before spiraling back up, leaving a glittering trail in the process.

He held his finger out for her to perch on as he felt his fatigue melt away, "I really appreciate it, thank you." His eyebrows raised as a memory returned to him. He looked to Impa, "Oh yeah, one more thing about 'fairy boy.' Where I'm from, the Kokiri, similar to the Koroks, were considered by the Hylians to be forest fairies. I bet somewhere in my legend it makes a note of that since I grew up with them." He shrugged, "To be frank, I don't completely know myself." 'But saying I'm Hylian starts to sound more and more like a lie.' "Did I cover all the questions?"

Zelda opened her mouth, but Link's hand shot into the air, "Actually, what did you mean by her wearing clothes?" His eyes were simply curious despite the way he phrased the question. Bastard.

The question immediately made him facepalm, "Oh my G—okay look. Again, where I'm from, the Great Fairies only wore vines and a pair of boots." The group's expressions were all collectively shocked, "All you need to understand is that those vines hardly covered anything, and since that's all I knew up until now, I was pleasantly surprised."

One of the fairies flying by giggled, "Ooooh, I bet Cotera would like to see you wear vines and boots."

"Mhm! Sounds stylish to me!" The one on his head agreed.

His face reddened as his eyes snapped to look at either of them, "I know you guys like me, but suggesting that I only wear vines is a bit much! My body is eleven y'know! Calm down!" The fairy on his finger shook her head.

"No it's noooot! You're super old!"

He sat her on his nose, "It is!"

Zelda looked confused yet interested, however it was quickly replaced by an expression of business. "Well, as for what my plans are, after this I shall make the trip to Akkala," She announced. Clearly she intended to question him later. "For now, we're going to stay the night and then leave in the afternoon. You're free to do what you must."

Impa gestured to the fountain, "Remember that Cotera is the spiritual protector of the village, so anything that happens up here will be under her watchful eye. We should be very safe." Now she turned to the Princess, "I suggest we all head back to the village."

She didn't seem keen to follow through, "I'd like to study the flora for a bit before I go. I figured that the Hero might have some helpful insight as well."

Her friend bowed, "Very well then. I'll secure us a place to sleep while I'm down there."