POST-UPHEAVAL FUTURE

North-East Castle Town

At the time shortly after splitting off from the Princess and the Champions, ImpaU had arrived at that particular edge of Castle Town with the representatives of Goron City and Zora's Domain, since all three were in that direction. They sat at a newly-constructed eatery called "Lon-Lon Cafe", one of very few commercial buildings, to wait.

"Queen Yona, If I may…" ImpaU motioned.

Yona, curious as to what ImpaU needed her for, left Tidon with the Exalted Dorephan and followed her to a corner.

"About Lady Mipha… I've noticed something, and it's similar in nature to my younger self's issue… or, at least, in what the solution is…" ImpaU began…


POST-CALAMITY FUTURE

A Villa in Castle Town

Riju sat at a table, a cup of tea laid before her by her gracious host who happened to be her ancestor.

A few hours before, she had arrived at his door with Lady Urbosa, who suddenly vanished before the door was answered.

Confusion had followed, and only moments ago had the person next to her arrived and updated her on the situation.

Though… couldn't Paya have picked someone else?

"This tea is a bit too bitter for me. Got any sugar, Smokey?" Josha requested.

The ever-oblivious Josha had been sent, and now insisted on joining them since her research project (The Battle Construct) was currently out of her reach on the other side of the Gate.

She was talking to Riju's ancestor and Urbosa's husband, Vistro. The man in his early 40s had the look of a grizzled veteran, but the facial expression of a kindly uncle. She referred to him as "Smokey" because he had a pipe in his mouth.

They were currently waiting on Shirana, whom Riju had come here to meet, to return from a supply run in town. She had been away since before they arrived, so she was expected to return at any moment.

"Shirana's picking up extra, just be patient. She's probably held up by the usual issues…" He sighed.

"Usual…?" Josha questioned.

"I'm guessing it's various Voe approaching her. Gerudo Vai who have left the village often have that issue when merely traveling in populated areas." Riju correctly guessed, as indicated by an annoyed nod from Vistro.

"Oh! I get it! Sounds rough! Is that why you haven't…?"

"I think I hear someone at the door! Let me check!" The conversation was steering in an undesirable direction for Riju, so she got up from her seat to cut it off.

"Sav'aaq, father! I'm home!" Came a call from the front door.

"Wow! You were paying such close attention even then, Lady Riju?" Josha marveled at the diligence of a Sage.

"...Yes. Precisely."


Hateno Village Entrance

It certainly is a lot livelier… Was the first thought in LinkU's mind as they arrived.

Hateno Village wasn't any bigger than it was in the Post-Upheaval, but it was more densely packed.

The Calamity had spread far across Hyrule, but the damage to the more remote areas was minimal by the time ZeldaU had locked herself in with Calamity Ganon.

"So this is where you were raised? It's quite a lovely village!" Next to him, a nominally disguised ZeldaC remarked.

This was surreal for both him and Yunobo, who were used to the idea that ZeldaU actually called this village home as well. ZeldaC was unaware of this, however.

She was wearing a hooded cloak. The simple folk of Hateno would likely not notice her… probably.

"I've been meaning to ask…" Yunobo ventured, "I know this is your old home, but… you seem anxious. There a reason?"

" Yeah. I never set things right with my parents. Honestly… still not sure if I can forgive them…" He was honest, yet vague in his answer.

He knew that wouldn't be enough, so he relayed his story to Yunobo once ZeldaC was relatively far ahead.

ZeldaU already knew the details, but ZeldaC didn't… and she noticed the two begin discussion, so decided to get closer once she felt they wouldn't notice.


It was known that Link's father, Garn, was an accomplished knight of the Royal Guard. But the Royal Guard had more than a few "accomplished" warriors, and ambition was a common trait among them.

To Garn, his career as a soldier was summed up as "Bronze Medalist" in his own mind.

An ambitious man of common birth, military accomplishments would earn a better future for himself, his wife and two children, but he only ever managed a small home in a remote village.

Link's mother, Anri, was a loving woman, but a realist. She never asked much of Garn, and raised her children the best she could.

At the tender age of 4, before Aryll had even been born, Link showed promise as a swordsman.

Garn was proud to see this, and Anri encouraged him to do his best. His future as a knight was decided for him, the best way to give him a successful, happy future.

Link didn't mind. It was something he was good at, enjoyed doing and it made his mom and dad happy.

It was during his training excursions with Garn he got acquainted with Mipha. He also met a young Daruk later on.

But things got harder as he got older. By age 8, he was being pushed to the limit in painful ways. Harsh training, harsh penalties for failure, minimal if any rewards for success, very little free time to be a kid.

His father wanted him to constantly improve, and Link grew way past expectations at an astounding speed, which unfortunately meant he got beyond adult-level training.

Garn didn't seem to realize that while Link's military skills (combat, foraging, etc) matured at abnormal levels, Link himself was still young.

Anri seemed to notice, but could do little to curb her husband's misguided enthusiasm. She could only tell Link "I know you can endure this! You can achieve great things!" Which meant little when he was covered in bruises, hungry, and expecting more of the same the next day.

Aryll was born when Link was 5, and was relatively close to him. He doted on her and guarded her forest excursions in his limited free time, even securing a pet Cucco for her 2nd birthday.

But even that relationship degenerated. He noticed that she was able to live normally and comfortably in ways he couldn't at her age.

Watching her smile and have fun in the house he felt frightened, angry and imprisoned in made him grow bitter and distant.

At age 10, his prodigious strength and skill got him recruited into knighthood, no military schooling necessary, and he left for Hyrule Castle.

Such treatment for a commoner's child was unprecedented, which earned him more than a fair share of scorn from the nobility.

That much hadn't even gone away when he was anointed Zelda's knight or drew the Master Sword. If anything, it increased.

Of course, by the time he drew the sword at age 13, he had stopped visiting Hateno altogether. The last time he saw his family was when he was assigned his position as Zelda's knight, and it wasn't pleasant.


Back then…

It was one week after the ceremony, where his family had attended.

Link was exiting the barracks, ready to get something to eat.

He was in a bad mood. He had just gotten off his bodyguard duty, a high honor many dreamt of.

Princess Zelda was someone he held deep respect and admiration for. He could see she was dedicated to her duty, driven, intelligent, and caring… except to him. She seemed cold for some reason, if not outright malicious.

Back then he had no idea why. Something she said that day, however, had particularly rattled him.

You wouldn't understand what it's like to never be good enough

How could he not understand what had been a majority of his life? To always struggle to be better, but never be enough?

Then again, how could he expect her to know? His job was a knight, not a friend or acquaintance. He couldn't direct this frustration at her.

It was on a quieter street of Castle Town that he encountered his family. They were getting ready to head back to the village, and had come to see him before they headed off.

He tried to get through it without incident. He listened to his father tell him he was proud, but to not get complacent.

He listened to his mother tell him he had a big responsibility now, and to be diligent.

Aryll, however, was silent. Almost pouty.

"I guess I'll see you around, then." Link tried to hurry it along, but then…

"Is that all?!" Aryll seemed to burst out, "It's been so long! I've barely gotten to see you! Don't you care at all about us!?"

"Huh?!" Link was caught off guard. Aryll had seemed bored the entire time through the ceremony, and distant each time they met since.

"Did you really forget all about me?! Is your sister not important now that you have a fancy capital life?! Now that you're even more important?!"

Link would later look back and realize there was likely more going on with Aryll than he realized. She was only 6, and lashing out.

But he was 12, and not much more mature.

"Shut up! Important?! Important to who?! Not any of you, that's for sure!"

"Hey, Link! I know she spoke kind of…" Garn began.

"I don't want to hear it, old man!" Link had never called Garn anything so disrespectful before that point, "Did you ever bother considering me like that?! Was I ever as important to either of you as her?! Or was I just a tool?! A project to be worked on?! I was always your plan, never your son! If that hell you put me through broke me, would you have cared? So many times…so many times it did, but nobody cared! It wasn't important, like any of the times this spoiled brat so much as tripped!"

He had ceased thinking straight, it was now like a dam within him had burst.

"Proud of me? What do you have to be proud of?! I got here myself, and nobody helped me! Before or after! Nobody stopped the stupid nobility trying to bully, sabotage, or smear me! I went through that without you, and I still am! Which is fine! I don't need you. Any of you! I have my life, I have my duty… it's all I need! It's more than I had back in Hateno!"

Link finally stopped and stormed past his dumbfounded parents and crying sister. He needed to get some food in him, then get some sleep.

"Link…" Anri tried calling out to him.

"Go away. Go home. Be a family. Raise your daughter. Never come near me again." Link left it at that and kept going, leaving them behind.

That was the last time he saw them. This was long before Terrako's intervention.


"I'm honestly not sure what happened to them when the Calamity occurred. I can only hope they survived, that Aryll went on to live a relatively good life, but I can never know. I only ever found drawings and other stuff in the old house…" LinkU finished.

"That's… that's… whoah… " Yunobo responded, "Does anyone else know about that?"

"ZeldaU does. I talked to her about it a lot before the Upheaval… other than that, nobody."

"Wow. I guess I'm lucky like that?"

"Maybe…" It was ironic to LinkU that he was saying this to Yunobo, whose family situation was one he had a firmer grasp on than either party involved, father or son.

A ways off, ZeldaC was wiping tears as they approached, not wanting them to know she had listened in.

The term "Upheaval" had gone unnoticed due to the gravity of his story.

Most of all her own part in it. How inconsiderate what she had said to him back then was, how she never knew how it affected him, or the consequences it had.

I'm sorry… if only I had known… if only I wasn't so… She always felt like Link suffered on her behalf, even back when she considered him a nuisance. To find something so important she was unaware of now hurt deeply.

"Princess? What's wrong?" Yunobo noticed her dark look as they caught up

"Oh... Sorry. Lost in thought. Let's hurry!" She needed to see his family now. Help repair the bridge she felt she had helped destroy. Give LinkC something good to return to.


Ruto Mountain Base

SidonU lifted his fist up in victory among the cheers of local Zora soldiers.

With his help, they had just put down an Obsidian Frox that had emerged from Luto's Channel, apparently having run out of food.

This was the first Frox to be fought in this era, and SidonU's insight and battle prowess had been instrumental in taking it down.

As the celebration died down and the wounded were tended to, a Zora messenger approached SidonU. He had apparently just arrived near the end of the battle.

"Am I to presume you are the Prince Sidon of the… alternate future?" The messenger seemed gruff, and almost… skeptical?

SidonU, however, recognized him as Creki, Cleff's father and second son of one of Muzu's late colleagues, Hurin.

"Indeed I am! And I take it father received Mipha's letter?"

"He has…" Creki didn't know much of the contents, but was aware that the strange Zora, purported to be a future version of Prince Sidon, had returned, "Is Lady Mipha here as well?"

"Apologies, but a missive was sent to father. She is currently indisposed, but she is safe and well, I assure you."

"That relieves us all greatly. To the matter I'm here for… you have been summoned by King Dorephan."

There was a reason Creki was being gruff. His father was among the ministers skeptical of SidonU's actual connection to SidonC, was initially upset by Mipha's decision to renounce her succession claim, and was currently worried about how suitable SidonC would prove to be.

When King Dorephan received Mipha's letter, it came at a rather inconvenient time, but it cleared up the important question of Tidon's origin.

It also posed an opportunity to see SidonU, who had avoided contact during his last visit to this era, for himself. He hoped the ministers would see what Mipha saw, and perhaps help ease the burden on SidonC.

"I suppose I can respond. Very well!" SidonU was still unsure of how to approach his father of the past last time around. Just seeing Mipha was almost too much for him.

But it was different now, and he could confidently approach him. Though perhaps he should put his crown away for now… no. It was fine.


Zora's Domain Plaza

SidonC stood by the pool where, in the Post-Upheaval future, a statue of Mipha, then one of himself, would someday be.

He was practicing his water control. He was getting better, but only very slowly. There was something about it he just couldn't grasp.

He needed to focus, but was having trouble doing so, since he was being watched by someone he wished very much not to appear weak in front of.

"Sidon, is something the matter?"

"I'm merely thinking of something, it's not important!" He responded, slightly flustered.

The daughter of the envoy from the East, YonaC, was gazing intently at him. He wished she wouldn't.

He didn't want her to know he was trying to manipulate the water, much less that he was failing to do so. Young as he was, he hadn't quite realized why he wanted to appear impressive in front of this girl specifically.

At this point in time, Yona was a bit older than him. More of a Zora late grade-schooler equivalent where he was like an early grade schooler, only emerging from preschooler barely a year ago.

"You seem upset. I understand you are under pressure lately. It's only natural to feel stressed. Perhaps we could talk for a bit, like old times?" She posed the question naturally.

This was SidonC's first time seeing her since before the Calamity. She was here with the envoy that had been called in regards to the Zora Child he had found.

They were actually due to leave later that day, as Mipha had sent a letter that the issue had somehow resolved itself. SidonC wasn't sure how, though he felt relieved that the baby had been safely reunited with his family.

"I appreciate your kindness, Yona. But this is something I must work through on my own. I need to prove myself worthy of the trust my sister has put in me, and the throne I am to inherit."

"I heard you saved that child we came here to see about! Surely something like that shows valor!"

"You heard about that?!" He couldn't help but blush, and feel a bit happy.

He turned around to speak further, and then noticed a familiar face had been watching them. Someone he never expected to see.

"Ah! It's you!" It was that Zora! The one he had seen fight during the Calamity!

"Ah! Er… please don't mind me! Carry on!" SidonU had been led there by Creki and left to wait when Dorephan was found to be finishing a meeting with the Eastern Diplomats.

He had wandered down into the plaza and happened upon a scene that filled him with pleasant nostalgia.

"Sidon, who is this? An acquaintance of yours… or a relative?" YonaC had taken notice of the heavy resemblance.

"Well… kinda, I think?" SidonC looked at SidonU, "You never said! Who are you?"

"I can tell you shortly. I'm actually here for a meeting." SidonU no longer had orders from ZeldaU restricting his speech, but here of all places felt wrong to discuss his identity. He would meet with this era's Dorephan first.

He was fortunately then called, and proceeded to the throne room.

"Is he… another domain's king?" YonaC asked after SidonU left, "I just noticed, he has the same crown as my grandfather… and as King Dorephan." In fact, the design was exactly like King Dorephan's…


Hebra Peak

Tulin stood atop the mountain, gazing into the sky.

"Are you sure about this? What are you even trying to do here?" A nearby spectator, Boria, asked.

Tulin had initially reported to Rito Village, and was being offered a place to stay by Craj.

Craj lived with his wife, Boria, who was Revali's cousin with light green feathers. The two had a newborn daughter named Nedali, a name familiar to Tulin.

She was his great-grandmother on his father's side, and even had a painting among his father's possessions made by the Rito she eventually married.

Tulin told this to his hosts, confirming his status as their descendant. It was a pleasant surprise for them, Boria especially.

Boria wasn't a warrior by nature. Rather, she was a historian. Different from Zelda, her specific interest lay in her own tribe and their legends.

She often told Revali her theory that his Divine Beast, Vah Medoh, was named for a great chieftain of their tribe of ages past. Tulin had been kind enough to tell her she was indeed correct.

She volunteered to accompany Tulin to where he was now out of gratitude, also because she felt Craj needed to spend some time at home bonding with Nedali.

She wasn't sure why he needed to come to this mountain top, and now it seemed this wasn't the end goal.

"Sorry, but I need you to stay here while I check something… up there." Tulin had verified that all monsters in the immediate area were slain as a precaution. Boria wouldn't be able to follow him where he was going.

He couldn't get there on his own before, but with his Secret Stone, he could fly to new heights… and reach the Stormwind Ark.

He couldn't be sure it was in that exact location, and no orders had come to retrieve what lay there… but his instincts were telling him to go.

Either he needed to retrieve the stone…or something was amiss. His instincts were often keen on these things, so he needed to verify.

With a strong upward gust, he ascended…

TO BE CONTINUED…