Author's Notes: I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try and tell the story of BOTW from Link's perspective. I rely heavily on character interactions in a lot of writing and Link often seems so lonely, so I wondered if I could incorporate that into a written version of the story.
1.
Warmth.
And light.
His whole body was enveloped in a comforting warmth. A murmuring sound called to him, summoning him awake. He closed his eyes again, but the murmuring became insistent.
"Open your eyes," the voice demanded. Did he recognize the female voice? It spoke as if she knew him.
"Wake up, Link." He let his eyes open. The warmth drained away, leaving him chilled. He realized he'd been in a small pool. Above him, bright, blue lights caused him to squint. Where was he?
Taking a deep breath, he sat up and looked around. Was he in a cave?
No. A room? There didn't seem to be any natural light, but the walls did not look like a natural formation. They gleamed with reflected light – surely they were too smooth to be natural and there were strange curving designs running over the walls and the floor.
He turned behind him and looked at the now empty pool he'd just risen from. No hints there. So, he was nearly naked, hungry, and in a room with no windows and very little light. What appeared to be a door stood on one side of the room. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Just where was he? How did he come to be here? His brain was foggy, the dregs of sleep seeming to linger even though he was up and moving. All he had was a vague sense of urgency, as if there was something he needed to do.
He walked up to the door, trying to remember. He was Link. The voice had called him that and it felt right. Who was the voice and how did she know him? How was she speaking to him?
Too many questions. He didn't think he would find answers in this room. He stared at the door, his feet chilled by the floor beneath him. The door seemed to be in long vertical pieces, a design etched on top. An eye, perhaps? It seemed like he had seen the image before, though he couldn't say when or where. He reached a hand up to the door, running his fingers over it, feeling for a latch or handle.
After several moments, he turned away from the door. To the side stood a pedestal with glowing blue lines and dots. Perhaps it controlled the door. When he approached, the lines brightened and the center portion rose up and spun. A rectangle lifted from center, flipped and then stood.
It had the same symbol on it as the door, as he began to reach for it, the voice said again, clearer now than before "That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it, it will help guide you after your long slumber."
Reaching for it, Link held it up. Grooves and ridges ran around the edge. Experimentally, he squeezed on one and the screen began to glow. He had no memory of ever seeing this device before, yet there was something familiar about it.
As he peered at the Sheikah Slate, the pedestal reset, spinning back and settling back down into place. As it did, the door on the wall let out a rumbling sound and slowly the vertical pieces lifted individually, revealing a way out. Content to let the slate remain a mystery for now, he stepped forward, still feeling like there was something he had to do even if he didn't know what it was.
The room he walked into was very similar to the one he had just left, except it had stacks of deteriorating boxes and barrels and a few chests. He felt a pang of hunger. How long had he been asleep? How long was a 'long slumber'? Surely, anything in these boxes would be too old to consume. Link eyed them warily. He was going to look anyway. The large boxes were still sealed quite tight, but the barrels were obviously empty. Within the chests he found some old ragged clothes. Goddess only knew how long they'd been there.
Goddess? That felt like an important detail. As soon as he remembered it, he felt a tugging in his mind, like an itch. Why was the Goddess important? He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Was he still half asleep? Why did everything feel so vague and undefined. He knew his name. He felt some hints of familiarity, but nothing solid.
He stood there lost in thought until his stomach rumbled. Right, time to figure that out later. He reached into the chest and pulled out a threadbare pair of pants and some small boots. His undergarments were still a little damp from the pool, but he was chilly, so he put them on. They were a bit too short, but certainly better than nothing. They were soft and thin in places, but seemed sturdy enough for now. The pants had a belt with two pouches. The Sheikah Slate had a small hook that he was able to use to hang it off the belt. The boots had clearly been well worn, they were a bit snug, but his feet felt better for being covered and warm. The shirt was in worse shape, literally coming apart at the seams. As he lifted his arms to put it on, he noticed some discoloration on his skin. He twisted, looking along his torso. The light was too dim to see much, but what appeared to be pale scarring ran over his body. Link put the shirt on the rest of the way. The sleeves didn't even reach his wrists. Despite everything, Link smiled, he must look crazy in these small clothes, hopefully he could find something better soon.
He lifted the shirt a little, trying to see what was happening on his skin. He traced the scar along his torso from his hip up until it disappeared onto his back. Surely a scar that serious would leave a memory, instead his head felt hollow, void of any memories prior to his waking up here. He let his shirt drop. There would be time to figure it out later.
He walked down the ramp. Another door, another pedestal, this time glowing orange. He went straight to the pedestal this time. It was smaller than the first pedestal.
"Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way." The voice seemed to be laughing, not at him, but there was a slight joy in the voice that could not quite be concealed. Perhaps the owner of the voice was waiting for him outside. His spirits lifted. If he could just find the voice's owner, surely they would be able to help him remember what he was doing in this place. They obviously knew him. He smiled. Yes, he would find the owner of the voice. Perhaps just seeing her would lift the fog over his memories.
Link lifted the Sheikah Slate, touching it to the pedestal. The pedestal hummed and then "Sheikah Slate confirmed." The door glowed before opening.
Link walked to the opening, pain stabbing at his eyes as sunlight streamed in. Despite the pain, he felt joy at seeing the sun. Holding his hand over his eyes to dim the light, he moved forward, desperate to leave this place.
The voice spoke to him, "Link... You are the light – our light – that must shine upon Hyrule once again." Link stopped in his tracks. He had been hoping to find the owner of the voice, but her words made it sound like she was gone. As if sensing his hesitation, the voice added, "Now, go."
Stumbling a little, his eyes just starting to adjust to the light, he moved forward once more, up the dusty stairs and through a puddle. He was tempted to drink from it, but was able to resist. He was hungry, not thirsty and a stagnant puddle probably wasn't the best drinking water.
He came to a wall, more than twice his height. He jumped, trying to reach the ledge. With a sigh, he ran back a ways and then ran toward the wall, leaping off one foot, grasping with his hands and feet, finding a small handhold and then launching himself to the ledge. He pulled himself up with a grunt.
That was something. He'd had no doubt he could scale the wall. He had known it intuitively. Perhaps he wasn't such a blank slate after all.
He ran up the last set of stairs, his whole body craving the sunlight and open space after being in the cave. Somehow, he felt that if he could just get outside, everything would be all right.
In front of him were trees. As he emerged from their shadows, his eyes, still sensitive from the dark, blinked shut, but he didn't stop moving. He ran toward a hill and only at the last moment did he pull up short, realizing it was a cliff.
As his eyes watered, he looked around, in awe at the scope of the space around him. Woods lay below him, ruined crenellations could be seen ringing the forests. A large, looming mountain spewing smoke and fire was visible in the far distance.
Link took in a deep breath, watching the space before him, hoping for a spark of recognition. What appeared to be a building was off in the distance, but his eyes couldn't make out enough details.
He turned and looked at his immediate surroundings. A large, ornamented building with peaks and columns rose off to his left. A path led down from the room he'd awoken in and a figure stood on the path. Link felt certain the figure was watching him, but then it turned away and walked down the path.
His heart hammering, Link moved to follow.