Dragon Cry
A part of him had known from the moment he heard Mineru warn Zelda about Draconification. That memory had always stood out to him.
The unfamiliar Light Dragon he'd first seen at the Temple of Time had been nothing but a curiosity at first. None of the other three seemed surprised or offended by its presence, though the dragons only rarely interacted with one another.
Link wasn't sure what drew it to Hyrule, but it was new. He watched it, tracked its path wherever it flew.
When he started finding the Dragon's Tears Impa had set him on, he'd wondered at the name. They were apparently literal dragon tears, condensing memories which, strangely, belonged to Zelda. She'd used some form of Time Magic by accident to warp herself far, far into the past. He figured that much out easily enough.
But the tears were a mystery. He spent two weeks hunting down the Geoglyphs in search of answers.
Mineru's description of Draconification made something in his gut clench. A shadow of suspicion began to form, but he refused to fixate on it without more evidence.
Ganondorf's power grew. Link stopped searching for the Tears and went to the Deku Tree, hoping he might provide some insight to the Master Sword's whereabouts–and Zelda's.
Eliminating the Gloom that infected the tree was a problem he hadn't been expecting, but at least it was satisfying to cut down the Phantom Ganon. Afterwards, he finally got some answers.
The Tree could sense the sword, but it was moving constantly. That little shadow of suspicion grew into cold dread. He'd never wanted to be more wrong in all his life.
He went to a Skyview Tower after tracking the Light Dragon's path and launched himself up into the clouds. That iridescent stream of gold flowing from its head held the sword within.
Draconification. The Light Dragon. The Dragon Tears, which contained Zelda's memories within. The Master Sword, which had vanished in the Temple of Time.
That terrible truth sunk in and Link heard a strangled noise tear from his lips. He felt numb as he glided down to the dragon and landed–
It's power– her, her power was like coming home. Warm and soft and gentle, like she was. Like how she'd smile and welcome him home, or when she'd come back late after working with Purah and light up at the food he'd prepared for them. How she'd pull him to their bed and curl up close, whispering and giggling until she fell asleep to him stroking her hair.
Now the golden mane was impossibly thick, twining around a pair of antler-like horns. Her soft skin was scaled hide, and he heard a deep roar that was nothing like her sweet voice.
The dragon was Zelda. For one reason or another, she'd chosen Draconification and had been flying around for–for how many thousands of years?
His head spun towards the castle below, baleful rage a match for the malicious Gloom spreading out across the earth. He resolved at that moment that he was going to kill Ganondorf, and he was going to enjoy it.
Link knelt on the dragon's head and his shaking hand touched the white-gold scales. She didn't even respond to his presence; a lump formed in his throat.
He remembered cupping her cheek in his hand, the way she'd lean into his touch and redden softly. The slow blink of blue eyes and a brush of her lips on his palm.
Now her eyes were primal green, ageless and unable to recognize him. The pale pink lips were elongated jaws lined with massive fangs.
He didn't know what to do. Helpless, the only conclusion he could come to was to take the Master Sword and seek out the rest of the Tears. Find out why she had done this to herself.
Zelda did not want him to take the sword–or at least, the dragon didn't. She bucked and thrashed and damn near threw him off, but he managed to hold on. She climbed higher and higher until he could scarcely breathe.
Within a curtain of golden clouds, she…settled. He watched the tendrils of fur clinging to the Master Sword gently release their grip, and some terrible spark of hope clung to his heart.
Was it possible she remembered something of her old life?
He took the sword gently and she flew down to the Temple of Time. It struck him then that she'd been here when he woke up with Rauru's arm. From the moment he set out to find her, she'd been right here in the sky.
The irony stung.
She swept by the Temple and Link leapt from her back, watching as she flew off. For a moment, he feared she'd leave Hyrule, but she didn't seem eager to abandon it. Maybe he still had time…
"I'll be back," he whispered. The dragon didn't so much as look back at him.
He moved on.
The remaining Dragon's Tears only confirmed what he already knew: the dragon was Zelda. She'd changed herself, lost herself to repair and empower the Master Sword.
And she called him self-sacrificing.
He confided the truth in no one–yet. If there was no obvious way to change her back, well…he'd figure something out. He had to. There was no other choice for him.
Their home felt empty without her. Link rarely visited, but he brought their horses back and set them up in the small field and stable. He checked on their crops, cleaned up a bit.
Back to work. Back to saving Zelda.
The new Sages were a big help. Before Link knew it, they were seeking out Ganondorf at the castle.
"Do not look away."
The Demon King drew his blade. "You witness a King's revival."
And Link, who had kept his silent ways for so long, felt his anger shatter that self-imposed rule.
"Stop talking."
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. The Sages blinked, dumbfounded.
Link pointed the Master Sword at the man, the source of all this–filth. He'd never wanted to kill someone so badly in all his life.
"You are going to die here. I promise."
The Demon King grinned. His fingers twitched with a challenge.
Link kept his promise.
Oh, it was a brutal fight. Ganondorf was obscenely powerful, as skilled as Link, and relentless in his fury. They fought like feral gods, steel singing between them and Gloom boiling upon the earth. The Sages were repelled before long.
Mineru fell and Link barely snatched her Secret Stone away before Ganondorf could claim it. The gem flashed green at his touch and Mineru's soul retreated.
He was left to fight Ganondorf alone.
Link's rage quieted as he settled into the familiar trance-like state with the Master Sword, dancing and slashing, parrying or dodging every blow thrown at him. Slowly, he gained the upper hand. A cut here. A laceration there. The Gloom couldn't heal where that searing light pierced its master, no matter how much it tried.
He flipped past a flashing black sword, barely dodged, and stabbed deep into Ganondorf's flesh. The Demon King snarled and hurled him back. Link deftly touched the ground and lunged right back in.
Finally, Ganondorf was badly wounded enough that defeat was inevitable. But he refused to go out like that.
He swallowed the Secret Stone.
Link tried to rush in and finish him off, but it was too late. He was snatched in monstrous jaws and barely avoided being impaled by the teeth of the Draconified Demon King. They climbed into the sky above Hyrule Castle as he struggled to escape. But Ganondorf was too strong. He could feel his bones cracking–
A melodious cry filled the air and the Demon King spun towards the source. Horror filled Link as he watched the Light Dragon– Zelda –race towards them.
He didn't know why she'd come; if she'd remembered who he was, or if the dragon was simply unwilling to tolerate Ganondorf's corrupted presence, but it didn't matter. She was so, so tiny compared to this monstrosity of a dragon. A full bite would kill her.
"GO AWAY!" Link screamed, even as Ganondorf's jaws released him and the Demon King roared a challenge. He fell through the air and his heart flew into his mouth as Zelda dove just under the snapping teeth to reach him.
Link fell onto her head and she bolted away from the Demon King, climbing higher. He rushed to one of her eyes and shouted. "Get out of here! It's too dangerous! You need to leave!"
She ignored him, focusing on Ganondorf. Link swore. Maybe she wasn't exactly Zelda, but she was just as ridiculously stubborn.
The Demon Dragon climbed up after them and Link forced himself to accept that Zelda wouldn't take "no" for an answer. He readied the Master Sword, ran off her snout, and dove for their enemy.
He found weak points, guided by the Master Sword, that were not quite fully formed. Ganondorf's new body would take time to adjust to the change, but Link wouldn't give him that chance. He slashed into the vulnerable spots, tearing through Gloom and flesh.
The Secret Stone gleamed on the Demon King's skull. Link was bucked off the monster by its latest throes of pain, sailing into the air. Zelda rushed up to catch him.
Ganondorf's talons suddenly reached out and snatched her. Link felt his heart stop as she shrieked in pain, spitting golden dragonfire at the Demon King in retaliation. The heat propelled Link further up, leaving him helpless to protect her.
Ganondorf howled and clenched her jaws in another set of talons. His mouth parted in preparation to bite her into pieces–
A flash of jade.
A primal roar.
A dreadful scream.
Ganondorf's skull was shoved down and the Light Dragon wriggled free of his grip while he was stunned. She roared, twisting to see what had happened as the Demon King shrieked in agony.
A green dragon–larger than her, smaller than Ganondorf–had him by the back of his neck, jaws clamped tight and claws slashing through the red-black hide. Bronze fur flowed down its neck in a long mane, and elegant horns like tree branches stretched from the top of its skull. The talons glowed with the fierce light of the Master Sword.
The Demon Dragon shook him off with a violent wrench and the Jade Dragon snarled, retreating to the Light Dragon. They coiled around one another instinctively, for though they did not remember it, the cores of their very beings were drawn together like moths to flame.
The Jade roared and the Light matched him. The Demon bellowed a response.
The Jade was faster, more agile. Though he had not been a dragon for long, some part of him was intimately familiar with these skies and these winds. He moved like quicksilver, whipping past clumsily snapping jaws and slashing a deep wound into the Demon's face.
The Light retreated a ways and spat concentrated energy blasts that smote the Demon at its heart, eliciting a scream. It lunged for her, but the Jade seized its skull in his talons and drove his fangs into the Secret Stone atop its head.
The Demon writhed, seeking freedom. The Light spat more golden energy, the Jade's glowing claws stripped away more Gloom.
The Secret Stone shattered and the Demon finally wailed its death throes.
The Jade and Light fled, sensing their enemy's impending doom. They stayed close to one another and watched as the Demon's shape ruptured into pure energy. The sky was consumed by it with a terrible roar.
The demise of the Demon allowed them to relax. They looked to one another, twisting in the air and rumbling softly. The Jade's right arm glowed bright and fierce.
Light consumed them both, gentle and tender, like a parent's loving embrace.
Link's eyes slowly opened. Clouds of soft gold were everywhere, naught else in sight. Confusion ran through him and he shifted, but something didn't feel quite right–
Oh.
His right arm was gone. Rauru's replacement had disappeared.
"Forgive us."
Link jumped and spun. He spotted Rauru's spirit floating nearby, and Sonia's.
"It took everything we had to revert both of you back to normal," Sonia told him. Her smile was proud, but a little sad. "We didn't have enough strength to give you your arm back."
Link looked down at the stump just above where his elbow had once been. Then Sonia's words caught up to him and his eyes whirled away, searching, seeking–
And there she was.
Floating in the clouds with him, sleeping as easily as he remembered. Link saw her Secret Stone around her neck again, became aware of Mineru's stone–his stone?–bound around his own.
None of that mattered. She wasn't a dragon anymore. She was back to normal.
"Link?" Rauru prompted.
"She's safe," Link whispered. "That's enough."
"She missed you," Sonia hummed playfully. Link could only nod in response.
He'd missed her, too. Desperately.
"Thank you," he told them.
"Thank you," Rauru replied. Sonia waved at him. They faded away.
Link was falling.
He snapped back into focus in an instant and whipped his head around until he caught sight of Zelda below. He tucked his body in and dove, as fast as he could. They plummeted through the sky and he strained to reach her with his one remaining arm.
He caught her hand, pulled her in. Link tucked her into his chest as they fell towards the lake. He braced–
He was aware of the Master Sword flashing at his back, forming a shield of its own volition. Even so, the impact still knocked the breath out of him.
Link scrambled to find balance. Lacking an arm made it difficult, but he managed to twist onto his back, holding Zelda above him to keep her head over the water. Once he'd managed that, he kicked until they made it to shore.
He ended up having to put her over his shoulder as he pulled them out of the lake. He could feel her heart beating against his shoulder. The steady pulse was a relief.
Once they were in the grass, he carefully lowered her down. Reached up to brush strands of damp hair out of her face.
She stirred. Her eyes opened and blue found him, hazy and a little unfocused. She frowned as she got her bearings.
"Link? How are you–"
She struggled to sit up, then froze when she saw his injury. He glanced at his missing arm and just shrugged.
It was gone. He would have to accept it.
Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Link…"
"It's fine," he whispered. "We'll be fine."
She threw her arms around him and he squeezed back with what strength he had left. Link buried his nose into the crook of her neck, breathing deep. Like flowers, a scent that was light and sweet. Like her favorite Silent Princesses.
"I'm home," she cried. All he could do was nod into her neck and hold her tighter.
They returned to Hateno Village a week later, when things were more stable.
Mineru had decided to pass on–her Secret Stone was entrusted to Link. The new Sages made her a promise to defend Zelda and Hyrule.
Purah already had plans to make Link a prosthetic arm, filled with nifty gadgets. He dryly wondered how many experiments she'd drag him into while she was at it.
They would've stayed longer, but Zelda desperately wanted to go home. So did Link. Purah took over and gently sent them off, ordering them to rest.
The house hadn't changed much. Aurora was thrilled to see Zelda, though. She ran to the horse as it galloped over the field to them, with Epona close behind.
Once the horses were fed and satisfied that their masters had returned, Zelda took a breath and led him inside. The door closed and they were finally alone, safe in the home they shared.
They settled in quietly. Link made dinner, as he often did, while Zelda tidied up a bit. He'd not touched her things much–she had a system to keep things organized–and it seemed she quickly recalled where everything was.
Eventually, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Link leaned back, sighing.
"Link?"
"Hm?"
"You…I don't remember much. From when I was a dragon, that is."
"Do you want to remember?"
"Not really. I don't know exactly how many thousands of years passed me by, but it was…a lot. I know that much. I felt a little more aware near the end. I remember Ganondorf becoming a dragon."
Link suppressed a shiver. "Yes."
"You shouted at me." She sounded more amused than cross.
He snorted. "He would have torn you apart. I should've known you wouldn't listen."
That earned him a soft laugh. Then her arms tightened around him. "You became a dragon, too."
"I did."
"Why–"
He twisted his head, nosed at her cheek and shifted until he was kissing her. Zelda sighed, squeezed him so tight Link could scarcely breathe. He didn't care. This was everything that mattered.
Everything.
"You know why," he whispered against her lips.
"It was risky."
"I would've been with you. That's worth any risk."
"That is incredibly romantic and equally reckless."
"Look who's talking."
She smiled. Kissed him again. "What's for dinner?"