A short piece taking place sometime after Tears of the Kingdom. I've known of Link for several years now—one would have to be living under a rock to not know who he is at this point, LOL—but I only read of Linkle a few months ago and instantly liked her, and wanted to see if I could get her into the TotK uni. This is the end product of that idea XD
Many thanks to flyingtoady and rai0sun for introducing me to this amazing fandom!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda franchise. All rights belong to Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Takashi Tezuka. I am merely a fan who hasn't had her fill of these awesome characters; this is a story written for pleasure only, not profit.
Please enjoy :)
. : A Linkle to the Past : .
The land had been saved…again. The people of Hyrule freed from Ganon once more, to live out their lives in as much peace as they themselves would allow.
Freshly-cooked eggs with herbs and mushrooms met her nose, and with less reluctance than before, Zelda eased herself out of bed and looked over the loft. Her hair, now a length just past her shoulders, fell over them.
Sure enough, Link stood at the stove. He'd learned to make a variety of dishes over the course of all his journeys, which was more than Zelda could say for herself. She knew a few wonderful recipes, true, but overall her father had insisted that such mundane tasks be left to the servants, especially when the princess' every spare minute must be dedicated to her training.
Such training, in Zelda's mind, had proven to be a waste.
She could not hold such things against her father. Having the full weight of the kingdom upon her shoulders had given her more insight to what pressure he must have been under…pressure that he had, with both of them lacking the full understanding of how her sealing power worked—what fueled it, how it awakened, how to wield it—taken out on her.
(Impa and Purah remained indignant, even after 100 years…how could their king not see how hard his daughter had worked to try and awaken it? How could he not see how his lack of understanding, his perceived lack of love, caused Zelda to wilt in the very place she should have been flourishing?! Link was less abrasive in his thoughts towards the king, but could not say he did not harbor some similar sentiments. How many times had he held the princess as she cried? How many times had she come to him seeking comfort, after yet another row with her father? Link had become a friend, a confidante…and as a knight, had always been a protector…but a princess' friends should not care for her more than her father. Except perhaps for Urbosa, he had witnessed more firsthand than the others how King Rhoam's attitude had crushed his daughter. Had he not conversed with the man's spirit in the present era, seen the desperation in the king's eyes for himself as Rhoam begged Link to save his child, the knight's thoughts on the man would have remained as low as they had fallen that day 100 years ago.
However, Zelda was keen to forgive her father, so Link would try as well. He himself was no stranger to great expectations, great pressure, great responsibility…and while he personally despised the lack of understanding King Rhoam had shown his daughter, Link could not pretend he harbored no sympathy or understanding for the king, either, and reading the journals left behind only furthered his complicated opinion on the matter.)
The princess watched Link for a few minutes more, before moving back into the loft to dress.
They had returned to Hateno only recently. Zelda had worked herself too many weeks too hard for Link's taste, barely three months behind them since the ordeal with Ganondorf and the Gloom. The work, he said, would be there when they got back.
And he had been right. It had been far too long since she had had a real break, moving from one job and one catastrophe to another in quick succession. The townsfolk in Hateno protected her as the princess, but welcomed her as one of their own. She could, in essence, truly be herself.
"Good morning," she greeted, descending the stairs. He still rarely spoke—though more to her than the others—but he offered a warm smile, and a warm plate.
The house in Hateno had not originally been hers. It had belonged to Link, in fact, not only in this era but 100 years ago. She had been reluctant when he'd gifted it to her…he had bought the house, after all, and she was the princess. She had the entirety of Hyrule Castle—albeit now in shambles—to her name, the entirety of Hyrule. He had saved her—not once but many times; he had given her more than enough! His hard-earned, hard-fought funds had purchased the house back.
Yet he had insisted. The castle, he so shrewdly pointed out, was in shambles. A princess should have a place to call her own, a place where she could pursue her interests.
A place where she could forget she was a princess at all. Where she could be herself, free from constraints and judgment. The house, he said, would be in good hands.
She had eventually agreed, on two conditions: one, she would pay him back the entire cost of the house. Two…he would have a key, and make use of the house himself, at his will.
And he did. He had a house himself over in Tarrey Town, but he rarely used it. His charge to protect the princess had not ended with her father's passing, and likely would not until one or both of them were dead or she had dismissed him.
(She had no plans to dismiss him.)
Link set the plates down, then handed her an envelope.
"From Mayors Reede and Cece?" she asked, glancing at the address. "Oh…but it's to you too…"
A tilt of the head, then a nod, and Zelda opened it.
"They want to meet with us this morning," she said. "There's an 'urgent matter' Reede says he needs to discuss..?" A pause. "Do you think…it could be about those rumors we heard on the way over here?"
"…My imposter?" Link finally ventured a phrase, and she nodded.
"That rumor."
They had come round to Hateno not via the Skyview Towers, but horseback. That had been Impa's suggestion. The three-day trip in the Hylian countryside would do them some good, long vacation asides.
But horseback travel came with its own curiosities, and rumors of a Link imposter were only the latest of those that they'd picked up.
(Others included the Yiga Clan rising again, and Teba had asked Link to look into Kass' disappearance, a search Zelda herself swiftly joined, as did King Sidon, Queen Yona, and the remaining Sages.)
"Do you think those rumors are true?" Zelda asked then. "Do you think there really is someone out there pretending to be you?" He stopped eating for a moment, thinking about it. The potential problems it could cause…they certainly needed to get to the bottom of it, if an imposter was out there. But they had no proof that any such person existed, nor indeed that that such a thing, if true, was what the mayor wanted to speak to them about. So Link shook his head, then nodded at the princess' omelet. She chuckled.
"Yes," she said with a nod. "I suppose I should eat it before it gets cold…you worked rather hard on it, after all…" She took a bite, savoring the way the flavors danced on her tongue. He really was quite the cook.
"Hmm?" Zelda looked up. Link had already finished his omelet and was back at the cabinets. "You're not doing the dishes as well? Princess or not, I'm quite capable of that, you know…" she said, slightly offended. But he began pulling out wheat and butter and sugar.
"Apple pie?" she asked. "Nutcake?" He pointed to some grated palm fruit and wildberries on the countertop, and she chuckled. Fruitcake. Well, he certainly wouldn't get an argument from her. She noticed now some other ingredients too: gourmet meat, rice and several vegetables, and Goron spice. She wouldn't complain about that, either. He must have started well before she got up to be this far in preparation.
"What's…the occasion, may I ask?" she queried. But he only smiled, and kept working. So she cleaned up what plates they had used, then went upstairs to make their bed. They would go to the mayor's house after that.
Link had originally slept either downstairs or even outside, next to the fire or with their horses. It would have been improper otherwise—they were unmarried, and such things were frowned upon in the land of Hyrule. Despite their intentions being entirely innocent, despite being a princess and a knight who had lost nearly everyone else. They would purchase a second bed for downstairs, just as soon as Hudson returned from Goron City.
Fear and despair, however, are very funny things, and have a way of making people throw the thoughts of those who do not care about them into the wind.
Nightmares were not uncommon after their harrowing experiences. Particularly for Zelda. She had grown used to Calamity Ganon's terrifying visage after 100 years of fighting him, and the memory of his mummified corpse would have been so much worse had Link not been present. No, not his image, but rather the shock of not still being trapped in that hellish place…horrible images of what happened when the Calamity awoke, of the Champions' falls at his hands and the last torments they must have endured. Of her father's last stand. Though they knew peace now, the pain of losing them still felt like knives to her heart.
One particularly bad night—and she could not remember what had brought the dream on—she had cried out in her sleep. Neither her mother nor her father could respond to the call. But her knight could, and did…shaking her awake and holding her until the tears had subsided.
The nightmares came for him, too, he said. Not as often as her, but neither was he unaffected. The Champions had been his friends as well—or at the very least, companions, in the case of Revali. Though the Rito had not liked him much, his death had plagued Link as much as the others, and 100 years in the afterlife had not really changed Revali's attitude. Nightmares about her: missing, dead, maimed…any number of horrible things he would have felt guilt and despair over the rest of his life, had they happened. More than just his princess, she was his friend, too. Nightmares about his father, and his last stand…predictably, likely, besides the king.
But Link bore his burdens silently, much like he did everything else. She should have known it couldn't have been that easy for him, either. It never was. He just made it look that way.
When she next woke that morning, the sun had risen in the sky…and Link was perched atop her blankets, boots and all, snoozing with his back against the headboard. One arm still around her.
Protecting her, even in their sleep.
Who cared what people thought? They probably already talked, anyway. He did not mind where he slept—he had camped in far less amenable places during their travels, after all—but their current arrangement had never sat right with Zelda.
That night, she insisted. They had fallen asleep together more than once while journeying all over Hyrule, she reminded him. And if the nightmares…came back, she did not want to be alone.
The blush on the young man's face had eventually lead to an indulgent sigh…and a nod. More than once, Link admitted later, he had checked in on her after a bad dream of his own.
(She had recalled seeing him, more than once, sleeping inside with his back up against the front door. Was that what had happened?)
The nightmares didn't stop, but they did lessen. For both of them. Sleep came easier, with less disruption.
(As it turned out, she needn't have worried what people thought. A visit with Purah—who had always had a very nonchalant view about such things anyway—and passing mention of the concern had the Sheikah replying, with rather comical indignation, "You mean you haven't married him yet?! What're you wasting time for?!"
Zelda had chuckled, somewhat relieved at the news. In truth, she would have married him that second. But she could not be sure that he felt the same way, and true love does not demand reciprocation. For the time being, she would remain content in their companionship and friendship.)
"Are you all finished?" she asked, returning from the loft. "We shouldn't keep the mayor waiting much longer, if the matter is as urgent as he insists…" Link nodded, putting the last of the food into knapsacks. Zelda knitted her eyebrows. What did he have planned?
With Hateno's unique position of two mayors, the note had requested to meet at Ventest Clothing Boutique, which was nearer to the princess' home. The boutique hadn't opened yet, but Sophie welcomed them graciously and hurried to settle them down with milk and a slice of fruit pie.
"I'll get Cece for you," she said. "Dad's gone to get Reede; he should be back any minute now. He saw you both and hurried up the way to Reede's farm."
"You seem to be doing well these days," Zelda commented, and Sophie nodded. "Cece and I are getting on very well. She and Dad are teaching me everything they know, and I help out at the school sometimes."
"That's good to hear," Zelda said. "They have great need of good teachers." Her smile faltered for a bit, and Link touched her arm. "Kass," she mouthed. A pause—funny how she could 'hear' his pauses now, even when he rarely spoke—and then a nod. His hand moved from her arm to her hand, giving it a firm but gentle squeeze.
"Welcome, welcome!" Cece called out, waving her arms boisterously as she and Reede entered the room.
"Princess Zelda, Link—it's good to see you both," Reede greeted. "How goes reconstruction?"
"Slow, but steady," Zelda said. "And the Depths have been mapped, thanks to Link's work and the Purah pad, but they haven't been fully explored." It was difficult, even without the Gloom. And there was always the Yiga Clan to contend with. Would those traitors never give up? She knew it weighed heavily on Impa, who had nothing to do with it but felt shame for those who used to be her people, anyway.
(Purah was far more ready to go and firebomb the lot of them. Zelda drew the line at that.)
"What was it you needed to speak with us about?" she asked then. Cece and Reede looked at each other, then nodded.
"I suppose we ought to get down to business," Reede said. "Surely you've heard the rumors of an imposter on your travels."
"We heard something of it," Zelda said. "But there were never quite enough details. We mostly heard of the Yiga Clan rising up again."
"I've heard those, too," Cece said, frowning. Link noted that she had become far more sincere, despite the airs that she put on. It was an odd set-up to be sure, but the townsfolk seemed to be flourishing under it.
"You do be safe out there, Princess," Reede said, and she nodded, casting a sideways-smile at Link.
"I will be," she said firmly. "But…this imposter…is real, then?"
"That seems to be the case," Cece said. "My sister and I only just returned from Zora's Domain, you see."
"Zora's Domain?"
"To spread Cece's Fashion all over the kingdom!" she declared then. "Why should our fishy friends be left out?!" Link reached for his glass of milk. He could not really imagine the Zora being particularly over-the-moon for Cece's gaudy designs at all, much less in their sleek and elegant city. But he wouldn't tell Cece that.
…He could imagine that she and King Sidon got along like two peas in a pod.
Poor Lady Yona.
"And that's…where you heard the rumors?" Zelda asked.
"Oh no…no-no-no! That's where we saw the imposter for ourselves! Didn't we, Sophie?"
"We did indeed," Sophie nodded. "Up on one of the cliffs, near the waterfalls leading to Toto Lake. Cece and I were looking for more inspiration, and that's where we saw him."
"He was blond, just as you," Cece said.
"But he wore his hair differently," Sophie added. "Two braids in the front, and a green hood. I thought it quite odd that you had changed your hairstyle."
"With over-the-knee boots boots and nothing but a tunic…a rather feminine look, I should think, but then again I'm not one to judge breaking fashion norms!" Cece exclaimed, winking. Link had to keep from cringing.
"I don't think Link even owns over-the-knee boots," Zelda commented, looking to him to confirm. He shook his head. He had an array of outfits from his travels, but not those.
"But…how do you know he wasn't just another Hylian?" she asked then. "I have blonde hair as well…what makes you say it was definitely an imposter?"
"We witnessed him being kicked out of the inn while we were staying there," Sophie said. "There was a huge ruckus, and I'm afraid we couldn't see very well. Some of the Zora are really tall. But the innkeeper just kept going on and on about what a disgrace it was for someone to be impersonating the hero who'd calmed Vah Ruta and saved Zora's Domain from certain destruction."
"They tried to arrest him," Cece said. "But the imposter got away before they could."
"Indeed," Zelda nodded. Sidon would stop that kind of thing right its tracks, that much was certain.
Well. It seemed they had yet another problem on their hands. Zelda rose, and Link did, too. She turned to the mayors and Sophie.
"Thank you three for bringing this to our attention," she said. "We'll pay a visit to Zora's Domain at once, and see if we can't get to the bottom of it."
"Of course," Reede said. "Please, you two, be safe on your travels." Zelda smiled.
"We will."
.:z:Z:z:.
"Link! Look at how clear and beautiful it's become again!" Zelda exclaimed, standing at the gates of Zora's Domain. Link nodded. He well remembered when Gloom-tainted muck had sullied the gorgeous architecture.
The Zora stood at attention as the pair approached, greeting both excitedly.
"Your Majesties!" they shouted, causing both Zelda and Link to blush. But before she could protest that they were yet unmarried, the soldier continued: "Your timing could not be better!"
"Our timing?" Zelda queried, exchanging a look with Link. He shook his head. He did not know.
"Surely you've heard rumors of your imposter floating about," Boz said, and Zelda's eyes widened.
"You mean…" Boz nodded.
"Once the rumors reached King Sidon, he set out to find who would dare sully Link's name," the Zora explained. "We caught the imposter two days ago and the king has been interrogating her—"
"'Her'?" Zelda asked, eyes widening. The imposter was a woman?
…It stood to reason, she supposed. A good portion of the Hylian people were rather androgynous; "pretty" and "handsome" were equally welcome compliments among both women and men.
"The imposter is a woman," Boz confirmed. He turned toward the palace. "Come, I shall bring you to Their Majesties. Perhaps you can help."
"Certainly," Zelda said. She and Link fell into step behind Boz. "I must confess though…I am somewhat confused. Help with what? The Zora already know she is not the real Link…"
"It's not that, exactly," Boz explained. "As you said, we all very much know she is not the real Link. It's that she does not seem to understand that she is not the real Link. She insists that she is the hero reincarnated; she even carries arrows and dresses in the same greens and blues he does. But she cannot possibly be the hero reincarnated when he is standing before us, alive."
"Indeed," Zelda said. With a glance at Link, she reached over, squeezing his hand.
"We don't have any motive for why she's doing it, either. The king himself has been interrogating her, but she won't budge." Boz shook his head. "Beyond claiming to be Link, she hasn't caused any other trouble or broken any other laws. In fact, we believe she's responsible for taking down a group of Lizalfos that had been terrorizing the road up to Mipha's Court."
"Singlehandedly?" Zelda asked, and Boz nodded.
"That's what seems to be," he confirmed. "But this business with thinking she's Link…that cannot continue. The king was getting ready to send word to you himself, if he could not get her to understand. His hope was that perhaps meeting you would put this delusion of hers to an end. Mighty she may be, but clearly ill."
"We'll meet her for ourselves," Zelda nodded.
.:z:Z:z:.
"LINK!" Sidon greeted. "How are you?! And Princess! It is so good to see you so happy and well!"
"And you as well," Zelda replied. "And how is Lady Yona?"
"We're both quite well!" he replied. "We were getting ready to send a messenger! What brings you to Zora's Domain?"
"Most likely the same thing you were going to send a message about," Zelda replied. "Cece and Reede told us of an imposter…we'd heard the rumors, but never enough evidence to follow a lead."
"Until now," Sidon concluded.
"Until now," Zelda agreed. "Boz told us the rest of the story."
"Yes…these are more than just rumors, I'm afraid." Sidon shook his head, looking through the window to the room where the girl sat. "She says her name is Linkle—"
"'Linkle'?" Zelda repeated, unable to conceal the utter bewilderment and slight disgust. Link only sighed.
"She's not a criminal save in the strictest sense of the word. She's a heroine, really—she dispatched an entire group of Electric Lizalfos, creatures that us Zora would have significantly more difficulty fighting. But we also cannot have her going around pretending to be someone she is not—much less you, my friend.
"I had hoped you might be willing to speak with her yourselves…perhaps if she sees you, the real Link, she will realize she is in error. I would prefer to reward someone who did us such a favor, but under these circumstances…"
Zelda nodded. "Of course," she said. Link gave a singular, empathetic nod. "We want to get this cleared up as much as you do."
"Boz, will you fetch Lady Yona?" Sidon asked. The soldier, nodded, and left to do as he was told. At Zelda's confusion, he turned back with a smile. "We have had little trouble with her since her capture, but I do want Yona's healing hands if things go awry."
"It's always wise to take precautions," the princess agreed. She turned to look through the glass. The girl wore a green hood, similar to Link's old hat, and from what little peeked out from under it, she too bore blonde hair.
Zelda turned to Link, who nodded. Together, they entered the cell.
"Linkle?" the ruler asked softly, not wishing to startle her. The girl, hood still obscuring part of her face, glanced sideways. "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule—"
Suddenly Linkle was in her face.
"You-you're really the Princess of Hyrule?!" the girl said, gripping Zelda's hand in both of her own. "Hyrule Castle is where I was trying to go! I heard there was a big monster there! I can help fight it!"
"There-there was," Zelda said, taken aback by her sudden excitement. "But Link and I…"—a nod at her knight—"we defeated it…"
A pause. The girl's eyes widened as she looked at her namesake.
"…Linkle," Zelda began, "why are you telling everyone that you're Link? As you can see, he's standing right here before you…" But Linkle shook her head.
"No no no!" she said. "I'm the reincarnation of the hero Link! I never claimed to be him!" Behind them, King Sidon and Lady Yona entered the room. He sighed.
"She's been insisting on this ever since her capture," Sidon said. "But that clearly cannot be the case, given you are still here, with us."
"He's quite correct, I'm afraid," Zelda said, not unkindly, turning her head back to the girl. "There is only one Link, and that is the young man before you now."
Linkle looked back and forth between Zelda and Link, her face awash with confusion and…frustration? disappointment?
It stood to reason, Zelda thought. She'd just shattered this poor child's entire worldview and sense of being….
"But…but…" Linkle shook her head rapidly, back and forth. In the process, her hood fell away from her face.
Zelda gasped. Her face…
"Link?" Zelda turned. "Doesn't she look like…" But she stopped short: at the look of awe and sadness on his face. He stepped forward, leaning in closer. For her part, Linkle looked confused, but not offended.
"Is something…on my face?" she asked. Link shook his head, standing up straight again to turn back to Zelda. She offered a sad smile in return.
"…Aryll?" she asked. He nodded.
"Aryll?" Yona asked.
"His little sister," Zelda said, feeling herself choke up at the thought. Aryll had long since died, too. Could it be…?
"Aryll?" Linkle said, perking up. "That was my great-grandma's name!"
"Really?" Zelda asked. Linkle nodded.
"She had a house in Hateno Village, long ago!" she exclaimed. "Or at least, that's what my mother told me before she died." Link met Zelda's gaze…his eyes, which so often remained carefully impassive, now held a mixture of emotions that the princess knew all too well: longing, sorrow, and hope. But she oved her head in a slight nod of her own, and the corners of his mouth turned ever-slightly upwards.
"If you have no objections…we would like to take her into our custody," Zelda said. "Well…our home." Both Sidon and Yona nodded, their eyes bright, but with smiles on their faces.
Linkle tilted her head, eyebrows knitting.
"I…I don't get it…?" she said. Zelda turned to her, a warm—if slightly sad—smile on her face also.
"You're not the 'reincarnation' of Link," Zelda said firmly. "But…I believe you will find the alternative just as acceptable."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
My first time writing for this fandom; I hope I did it some semblance of justice!
Thank you all for reading!
Keep on Rockin' in 2024!
~MoonlightTyger