Return and Story So Far:
What's this? Has hell frozen over? Did the sun fail to rise this morning? Those once seemed to be the only plausible explanations for my ever returning to this story, didn't they?
Hello everyone! I'm back! Kind of. I'll explain as we go along. To start things off, no I'm not back to 100% health sadly. In fact, I'm still frustratingly far from it and recovering much more slowly this time than I did the first time. That said, if I look at where I was a year ago at this time, I'm so much further along the road to recovery that it's quite literally night and day. So as things go right now, I can kind of have a life. A weird shell of what my life was in 2023, but not the literal nightmare life I was living in both 2021 and 2024. So this is enough for now and I'll keep focusing on my health and recovering properly from here as well.
So what on Earth is happening with Stars in the Darkest Night then? Well, all the fun Nintendo Switch 2 news has BotW and TotK back in something of a spotlight and I've also been watching the second season of the My Happy Marriage anime (which you might recall was the original inspiration and impetus for this story to begin with). And on top of it all, I went back and rewatched the I'm in Love with the Villainess anime, which also gave me a few points of inspiration for this story during Books II and III. So with all these things overlapping, I'm finding myself more interesting and inspired to write this story again.
The other problem has become – I'm trying to put together an idea for an original novel, just to see what could possibly happen. But every time I even try to conceptualize ideas for it, I start thinking about this story again. It's hanging over my head, not as a threat, but as a reminder of a story I never had the chance to finish that I very much wanted to. However, it doesn't feel as effortless to just go back to Stars and pick up right where I left off as I wish it did.
See, the next chapter, you know, the Lover's Pond date I've been building up to for…who knows how long now? Yeah, that's the one I had to abandon the story on for a year and a half before I actually got the chance to write it. I hate that I never managed to write that chapter before I had to stop – I was in such a good rhythm back in 2023 and now I barely even remember how to write this story at all. And because of my time away and this feeling that I have to relearn how to approach this story from square one all over again, this is now far and away the most daunting prospect of a chapter I've ever tried to confront in any of my writing in my entire life. The chapter itself would've been easy to roll into back in November of 2023, but after so long away, I doubt my ability to just step back into this world and story and write it with the same consistency and confidence I once had.
That said, this chapter has been hanging over my head for far too long so I'm just going to write the damn thing once way or another. Of course, I'll do my best to make it good and I'm hoping that if I can manage this chapter, the rest of Book III and beyond will come much more easily to me. I had so much I was excited to share with you all in Book III and I still have it all planned out very down to the smallest details. Hopefully I can get things rolling again. That's my wish at any rate. Fingers crossed that it comes to pass.
What does that mean going forward though? Well, as of writing these words, Book III, Chapter 3 is about a third of the way done, which is more than I expected myself to be initially capable of when I started staring down the barrel of this one. So that's encouraging. But since it's been just as long since you've been in this world too, I figured I'd put together a little summary of the story so far so anyone interested in continuing on from here doesn't have to reread a frankly ridiculous amount of content just to remind themselves of what happened. Because I need to remember a lot of little details and seeds I planted along the way anyway, rereading the story is a huge benefit to me. So while I go about sifting through all the details I once knew by heart and reminding myself of them, I figured I'd summarize each chapter briefly for you so you can jump back in and remember the most important parts easily!
Oh, one last thing – this story will not be updating weekly anymore. I just don't have that in me at this point. There may come a time when writing Stars is so easy again that the chapters start popping up with the frequency they did before, or even the very beginning of the story (the climax of Book III is something I was so excited to write and had been for months and months back in 2023). But for now, looking at my life, my schedule, my motivation, etc., I just don't have weekly updates in me. I don't even know how long it'll really be between chapters. Might be two weeks. Might be a month. Might just be a random spattering of updates here and there throughout the rest of 2025. We'll all find out together. But I do want to finish this story. It was one of my favorite pieces I've ever written and having abandoned it as long as I've been forced to has been frustrating. And then extremely daunting to imagine stepping back into. But I'm going for it anyway; if you never try, you'll never make any progress at all, right?
Anyway, that's it for the update and now you have some idea of what to expect going forward! From here, the rest of this post will be a summary of the story so far, broken down by Book and Chapter for ease of reading! It's basically a "previously on Dragonball Z," but in text form LOL! I hope it helps remind you of where we were and gets you interested in what's to come, if anyone actually still cares about this story all this time later. It's been a long time and, frankly, I can't and don't blame anyone if they've checked out at this point.
One final note – I always tried to answer each and every comment or review (depending on the site) that I received, but so many have fallen through the cracks during this time that I'm not even sure how many I missed or responded to or didn't. So I'm just going to say here, if you took the time to read this story and leave your thoughts or feelings about it, I appreciate it so very much and I thank you for it. I may not respond directly to older comments, but know that I've read them and I really do feel grateful for each and every one.
Anyway, thank you for sticking with me if you did and I'm hoping I'll have a new, complete, and high quality chapter for you coming sooner than later! Hope everyone is well, I've missed chatting with all of you in the comments each week the way we used to – I'll be hoping we can continue things like that again soon!
-Jrhall2
Book I – Meeting
Chapter 1 – The Second Princess
Zelda, Second Princess of Hyrule and forced servant to her sister Hilda, the Crown Princess, sees herself as a useless person who serves no purpose to anyone in any way. Zelda was born without Sealing magic, leaving Hilda to have fought the Calamity without her, something her twin sister resents her for. Hilda and Link together took down Calamity Ganon and saved Hyrule from destruction five years ago. As a result, Hilda resents her and treats her with nothing but cruelty and contempt and has since they were nine.
In the present day, King Rhoam wants to offer a proposal of marriage to Link, the Goddess's Chosen Hero and wielder of the Master Sword, in a bid to tie him to the Kingdom of Hyrule and ensure he never chooses to leave it and take the Master Sword with him. He chooses Hilda as to be Link's fiancée. She opposes this vehemently as she despises Link and instead schemes to have Zelda take her place in the engagement, which the King agrees to. Zelda is sent away from Hyrule Castle to live with Link in Hateno Village as per Hilda's request and plan. Zelda is led to believe Link is a cruel man and is nervous to meet him, but mostly just doesn't want to fail in the first thing her father has asked her to do since she was a child. The two meet for a brief moment as Link invites her into his home.
Chapter 2 – Darkness and Kindness
Link shows Zelda the room he prepared for her, a modest one she feels undeserving of, before making dinner for the both of them. Though dinner is a quiet, awkward affair, Zelda keeps her head down, hoping not to upset Link. She retires to bed early that night, believing him to be exhausted of her presence and wishing for her to leave.
That night, she has a nightmare about the time Hilda trapped her in the dungeons as a small child. She spent the night trapped in the icy prisons as the criminals locked away there tried to use her as a pawn to escape custody with. In the end, she emerged nearly frostbitten and completely traumatized, terrified to descend dark staircases.
Back in the present, Zelda panics when she hears Link awake in the main room, thinking she is expected to serve him the way she served Hilda. After having a breakdown and begging Link not to throw her out, Link apologizes for being so reticent with her and promises that he isn't angry with her, nor does he expect her to serve him. He is aggravated that Hilda led her to believe that he would abuse her physically if she didn't serve him but promises her that all he wants is to get to know her better. Leaving to hunt for the sake of the village, Zelda finds herself alone again and vows to respond to his kindness with courtesy and kindness of her own.
Chapter 3 – Gift
Link ponders why Zelda believes she needs to apologize so much and ultimately settles on Hilda as being the cause of her self-esteem issues. Aggravated that Hilda is responsible for leading Zelda to believe he would hit her, Link wonders what else she filled her sister's head with before running into Glenne, one of his students and a younger resident of Hateno. The ever-excitable Glenne chats with Link before he returns home and discovers Zelda has taken it upon herself to clean almost the entire house. She wore her nice dress while she did so however, making Link curious.
He soon becomes suspicious that the dress is the only clothing Zelda has aside from her nightgown and so takes her to Lissa, the local tailor, under the guise of having her fitted for an end of year celebration outfit. Link hires Lissa to make a plethora of outfits for Zelda over the next week and, when they're finally ready, he gifts them to her and promises her that she deserves better than she's experienced so far in her life. Zelda breaks down in tears at the act of kindness and realizes that Link is far kinder than she had been led to believe.
Chapter 4 – Bonding
Several days later, Mipha, Princess of the Zora and Champion of Hyrule, arrives at Link's house and is ecstatic to meet Zelda. Link heads out for his hunting excursion, but not before cautioning Mipha that Zelda is skittish and does not think very highly of herself. Mipha spend the morning with Zelda, learning that Link was exactly right, but they begin to bond slowly. Zelda wants to gift Link a hair tie as a thank you for her new outfits and Mipha encourages her to do so, even insisting that surprising him with a home cooked meal would make him happy.
When Link later returns, Mipha tells him that Zelda cries in her sleep and insists he be the one to wake and comfort her. Zelda, who had been having a nightmare about a particularly hateful encounter with her sister Hilda, awakens and finds Link holding her hand. He gives her plenty of space but helps her relax and come back to reality more gently than she usually does after a nightmare.
After the three have dinner together, Mipha leaves for the day. On her way out, she tells Link that he should take Zelda into Hateno Village and have a date with her, something that he agrees with even though the prospect embarrasses him.
Chapter 5 – First Date
Link returns from his hunting one evening to find that Zelda has prepared a very involved dinner for him, something that makes him uncharacteristically bashful and very thankful as well. He compliments her cooking which brings her to tears as she is so unused to hearing compliments or positive feedback from anyone in her life. Afterwards, Link invites her into town the coming weekend, though he doesn't use the word "date" like Mipha suggested.
Zelda ties her hair back on the day of their outing, convinced that it's hideous and no one will want to see it, but Link unties it for her and promises her its far too beautiful to be ashamed of. The two travel the village and Link introduces her to everyone as his fiancée before they head to Ira and Melo's restaurant/general store for lunch, bonding as they chat about the village and other topics.
Ira asks Link to move a large box of vegetables down to the cellar for her and Zelda asks if she can move something to help Ira as well. Following Link onto the stairs, Zelda is suddenly stricken by panic as the dark stairwell reminds her of the night she was trapped in the dungeon. Before her panic can get too out of control, Link returns and guides her outside, holding her while she cries against him. He takes plenty of time comforting her and helping her recenter before the two leave for home. Zelda tells him a little about the night in the dungeons but stops shy of mentioning Hilda.
A few days later, Melo (whom Zelda didn't meet at the diner) delivers a pair of letters to Link's house, resulting in their meeting at last. Link's letter is from King Rhoam, requesting his presence at the Castle to discuss how the engagement to Zelda is proceeding. Zelda's letter is from Urbosa, who writes a sweet letter hoping that Zelda has found some happiness with Link in Hateno and asks to visit at some point after the new year begins. Zelda happily begins to respond to the letter, realizing that she really is becoming much happier thanks to Link.
Chapter 6 – Reunion
On the penultimate day of the year, Link says goodbye to Zelda and Mipha (who is staying overnight with Zelda) to set out for Hyrule Castle and his meeting with the King. He is reluctant to leave Zelda's side, but promises he'll be back in time to enjoy Hateno's end of year celebrations with her. Upon arriving at the Castle, Link meets with the King and Hilda, ensuring them both that his engagement with Zelda is a light in his life and a wonderful situation for the both of them. King Rhoam is delighted but Hilda is seething, abandoning the conversation once it turns to pleasantries and catching up about Link's family.
Hilda finds Link as he leaves the throne room later and the two have a heated conversation about what she's done to Zelda, resulting in Hilda taking great delight and laughing at Zelda's trauma regarding that night in the dungeon. Link confirms that Hilda was indeed the one who trapped her that night and swears to keep Zelda safe from then on, Hilda tries to enact a scheme to make Link feel obligated to stay for the Year's End Ball at the Castle (leaving Zelda alone for the celebrations) but he navigates it easily and instead turns the tables on her, leaving her seething and angry before storming off.
Meanwhile, Zelda and Mipha are having a sleepover, discussing the hair tie Zelda made for Link and when would be the perfect time to present it to him. Melo drops by and leaves a large box of fresh vegetables with them as a thank you gift for Link before the winter months, asking if Mipha will be staying for the celebration tomorrow, which she explains she'll be returning home for her own peoples' event.
Link runs into Urbosa in the Castle that night and she gives him a letter she'd written to him, explaining some of what Zelda went through because of her father and sister growing up. Link realizes that the scars of Zelda's past go far deeper than either he or Urbosa even know and that Hilda is the one primarily responsible for all of it. Vowing to protect Zelda from her sister, he pens a response to Urbosa telling her such.
The next morning, Zelda is waiting for Link's return after Mipha's departure, toiling over when to give him the hair tie. She hears a knock at the door and sees someone wrapped in a blanket and shivering. Worrying for the man, she offers help but is ambushed by a large man wearing the mask of the Yiga who approaches her and asks her to come quietly with him.
Chapter 7 – The Hero's Wrath
Link returns to Hateno to find the Syd and Celene's house is on fire. He quickly learns from Glenne that the Yiga Clan kidnapped Zelda and escaped towards Hateno Bay to the east. Enlisting Glenne's support, Link collects his equipment and the two head to the bay. A storm is brewing and the sea is rough, leading Link to believe they've taken shelter in the cave instead of braving the oceans and risking their hostage's life.
They enter the cave and Link quickly takes down a group of Yiga Clan foot soldiers, aweing Glenne. At the base of the cave, he finds Zelda and rushes to her, curing her of the weakening elixir that was given to her and untying her. The mastermind of the operation, Sooga, appears and Link entrusts Zelda to Glenne, facing down the Yiga General in combat. Link effortlessly picks him apart, slashing him eight times across his body, one for each physical or emotional wound he inflicted on Zelda. Link allows Sooga to leave with his life once he can no longer fight or even hold his blades.
Zelda loses consciousness and Link carries her back to the surface. Along the way, he and Glenne tie up the foot soldiers left behind and unmask them, realizing that Melo is one of them, likely the same member who guided Sooga and the others to Hateno and reported to them about Zelda's presence in the village. Glenne brings him back to the village with them and Link entrusts everyone to his protégé, intent on caring for Zelda for the remainder of the day and ensuring she makes a full recovery. Link slowly starts to recognize that he's falling in love with her as he carries her home through the rain.
Chapter 8 – Trust
Zelda awakens to Link waiting by her bedside to make sure she's okay. He embraces her and tells her he's overjoyed that she's okay but Zelda still feels enormously guilty about her reason for coming to Link in the first place. She finally works up the courage to confess the reason she became his fiancée, that the King wants to tie him to the Royal Family and that she just wanted to live up to expectations, before presenting him with the hair tie she made for him, offering to leave if he can no longer stand the sight of her for lying to him for so long. Link embraces her and promises that he doesn't care why she first came to him and that he doesn't want her anywhere but by his side. Zelda finally realizes she's happier than she's ever been at Link's home and admits at last that she wants to stay there for herself.
Link and Zelda have a heart to heart about the terrible things Hilda had done to her twin sister over the years, resulting in Zelda admitting that she knows her sister has been cruel to her. Zelda ties Link's hair back for him with the new hair tie she made but the intimate moment is interrupted as a panicked Mipha bursts into the house and apologizes to Zelda for leaving her alone and allowing her to be kidnapped. After she calms down again, Mipha heals Zelda of her wounds from the kidnapping before heading into town to take care of Link's students and the others. Link promises Zelda he's only taking care of her that night and helps her out to the couch so she can be close by while he makes her dinner and cares for her for the remainder of the evening until she feels completely well again.
Chapter 9 – Family Bonds
The next day, Zelda and Link head to the inn to meet with Melo and get some answer, but the run into Glenne and Link's other students along the way. Zelda thanks them for saving her and they reaffirm their desire to become stronger and more reliable thanks to her encouragement and belief in them. They continue on their way to the inn and meet with Melo at least, Link demanding answers as to why he helped the Yiga.
Melo explains that after the monster attack that destroyed his and Ira's home village and took their parents' lives, he ended up joining the Yiga in a desperate attempt to make enough money so his sister didn't starve. This meant that he was essentially enlisted into the Yiga for life and any betrayal would cost him his life, if not the life of his sister. As a result, he had to inform them when Zelda arrived in Hateno and was the one to mostly orchestrate the plan that led to her kidnapping. In the end, though, he left a map in the cellar of the general store he and Ira run that would have led Link to their rendevouz point anyway – he didn't want them to succeed in actually taking Zelda. In the end, despite Zelda's proposal that they could simply not report him as a member of the Yiga and instead make him atone in the village, Melo insists he must be locked up with the others. If he wasn't, word would inevitably get back to the Yiga Clan and they would hunt him down or kill Ira and he won't risk that.
Zelda finds it in herself to convince Ira to speak with Melo and truly understand the whole story despite the pain she's in. Ira agrees after some persuasion, very grateful to Zelda for her kindness. Afterwards, Link takes Zelda to the highest point of the village, where he offers to help her find some hobbies to fill her spare time and help her enjoy her life more, reaffirming that he wants her by his side from now on. The two walk back home hand in hand.
Meanwhile in Lurelin Village, Link's sister Aryll talks with the Village Elder Armes and tells him about how she stopped two members of the Yiga Clan from stealing a boat from the docks and sailing out into the storm just before the end of the year. The two talk about possibilities before she reveals that she'll be traveling to Hateno to warn her brother about the Yiga's movements and also to meet his new fiancée, something she's very excited about.
Book II – Family
Chapter 1 – Little Sister
Zelda and Link go the general store/restaurant to check in on Ira but are surprised by the sudden appearance of Aryll, who ecstatically greets Zelda and immediately warms up to her. Her boundless energy and chaotic nature exasperates Link and somewhat overwhelms Zelda, but the three are in high spirits as they return home together to chat more.
Eventually, Aryll reveals that she stopped two member of the Yiga from stealing a boat in Lurelin and Link is stunned that the reason he was able to save Zelda that day was because his sister unknowingly stopped their escape attempt in its tracks. The two thank Aryll who is intensely upset that Zelda was kidnapped but very glad she's okay. The three eventually end up discussing family as Aryll is intent on treating Zelda as her sister but Zelda isn't really sure what that means anymore. Link and Aryll promise her that she doesn't need to figure it all out right now and that slowly their relationship will take on a life of its own naturally. Feeling encouraged, Zelda happily listens to childhood stories of Link that Aryll volunteers, but not without some cautioning from Link that she'd better not embarrass him too much.
Chapter 2 – Closeness
After Aryll leaves that night, Zelda begins to feel discouraged that Aryll and Mipha would really want her around, but Link quickly intervenes and encourages her that they both love her and want her company. The two have a warm moment together as Link embraces her and comforts her after feeling lonely, Zelda starting to recognize that any time Link shows her consideration, she feels very bashful, but she doesn't really understand why yet. Zelda expresses a desire to better understand what Link does in his day-to-day life helping the village and he offers to bring her hunting with him the next day.
While out hunting in the snow, Zelda asks Link about his life growing up. He tells her that his mother passed away during childbirth with Aryll, leaving the two with just his father Arn and his grandparents in Castle Town. After the fame of being the Goddess's Chosen Hero became too much for he and his family, he decided they should move. His father moved back to Ordon Village, Ari following him for a time before moving to Lurelin, and Link settling in Hateno.
Link then remembers he has a surprise for Zelda, something related to her love of history. Upon returning to town, he takes her to a Sheikah Shrine hidden in a mountainside cave near their house and tells her she can come study it and do whatever she wishes at any time she likes. Zelda is ecstatic and embraces Link of her own volition for the first time.
Chapter 3 – Royal Advisor
Link and Zelda travel to Kakariko Village in an effort to help further Zelda's research into the Ancient Sheikah technology and the Shrine itself. Along the way, Zelda tells the story of how Hilda cruelly dismissed Impa from her role as Royal Advisor. She was angry that Impa also respected Zelda and so held a feast after the Calamity was defeated, emptying a pitcher of tea onto the girl's head before dismissing her on the spot. Zelda still feels guilty about doing nothing to stop her sister that day.
Arriving in the village, the pair reunite with Impa, who is overjoyed to see Zelda outside of the Castle and away from Hilda. Once Zelda realizes Impa doesn't resent her, the three have a nice conversation and catch up for a while before Hilda's new Advisor, Aisen, emerges form the Elder's house. He is preparing to leave for the Castle again but takes some time to engage with the group, insulting Impa many times. Zelda finally decides enough is enough and gathers up all her courage to defend her friend, demanding (albeit it in a small voice) that he stop making fun of her. Aisen is surprised and manages to throw Zelda off in response, but Link quickly ends the conversation and sends him on his way.
Feeling particularly proud of her, Link praises Zelda's courage and Impa sings her praises and happiness as well. Impa then takes the two to see the Elder, her grandmother, so they can take some books relating to the Ancient Sheikah with them. Before they enter, Impa realizes she might just have a surprise for Zelda too.
Chapter 4 – Confessions
Over at Hyrule Castle, Hilda is seething still at how Link embarrassed her the day before the Year's End Ball when she is interrupted by Aisen's return. He greets her and tells her the story of how Zelda took it upon herself to defend Impa from his antagonizing at the Village earlier that day, something that intrigues and infuriates Hilda. After Aisen leaves, she begins scheming ways to hurt both her sister and Link.
Back in Hateno, Zelda has been entrusted with the Sheikah Slate by the Sheikah Elder and Impa. She is completely fascinated by it and spends the evening trying to figure out more about it, much to Link's delight. Eventually she figures out how to operate the photography function, happily taking a picture of she and Link together at his suggestion as a visual diary of sorts.
A few days later, Aryll comes to visit again but so too does Mipha by coincidence. Not wanting to pass up such a golden opportunity, Aryll suggests they play a game called "Confessions," where each player admits something about their past relating to the theme the round leader decides on. Everyone agrees to play (Link only does so because Zelda is interested in playing) and they have fun learning all the ways they were troublemakers when they were younger.
Eventually, Aryll and Mipha succeed in getting Link and Zelda to admit a small part of their secretive feelings for one another. Link admits he's happy watching Zelda be happy and Zelda herself finally voices out loud that she's happier than she's ever been when she's with Link. Aryll and Mipha loudly sing their approval and, after embarrassing the young couple for a little longer, the game continues.
Chapter 5 – Resolve
Link receives a letter from Duke Nell insisting that Zelda should return to the Castle as she is a member of the Royal Family and that he and the nobility are united to present this argument to the King. They hope to gain his cooperation in making this an easy decision, but Link, angry and frustrated by such an arrogant action, has no intention of losing Zelda. After a brief misunderstanding that the two clear up quickly, Link and Zelda work together on a plan to handle Nell and derail his selfish plans.
To that end, the couple goes to Castle Town together for the first time, traveling to the Nell Estate and sitting down with the Duke. After a tense conversation (in which Zelda even wields her status as the Second Princess of Hyrule to their benefit), Link tells Nell a story about the night he saved his family from an approaching horde of monsters in the dead of night. Though this happened just before the Calamity, the horror of the situation is driven home effectively enough that Nell finally understands the debt of gratitude he owes to Link. He agrees to drop the idea of Zelda returning home and the three part amicably.
Zelda and Link have both realized throughout the conversation that Hilda is likely behind everything. Even so, Link wants to meet with the King and let him know what happened – without selling Nell out – in order to preempt another situation like this from happening.
Chapter 6 – Signs of Love
Link and Zelda meet with the King and explain the situation that they've now solved to make sure he's at least aware of the situation. During the conversation, Link turns his attention towards Zelda and he finally asks her how she's doing in Hateno. Zelda expresses her desire to stay there and says she's very happy, somewhat surprising her father. Ultimately he wishes her well and asks if he can keep Link alone for a while to discuss the details of Zelda's kidnapping (in an effort to spare her reliving it).
Zelda winds up in the reception hall waiting for Link when Hilda arrives and delights in tormenting her again. Upon learning her plan to bring Zelda back to the Castle has failed, she dismisses it as being more of a punishment for Zelda to stay in Hateno than to ever come back here. Zelda tries to stand up for the people of the village and Link as well which leads Hilda to realize that Zelda is falling in love with Link. She fills her sister's mind with poisonous thoughts and says that nobody would ever be happy if Zelda loved them, claiming that she pities Link for having to be loved by her, breaking Zelda's heart.
Link, finished with his conversation with the King, finally returns and finds Zelda crying. He pulls her away from Hilda and exchanges some extremely harsh words with the Crown Princess before taking Zelda away from the Castle and back to the inn they're staying in overnight. She is extremely distraught however and refuses to speak, shutting herself off to Link and the rest of the world.
Eventually, Link manages to break through her thoughts and prove to her that what Hilda says is a lie. He convinces her that everyone around her would be lucky if she loved them, all but admitting that he feels romantically attracted to her and kisses her on the cheek as a show of his feelings and affection. This finally breaks the hold Hilda's word had on her and Zelda realizes that her sister only wanted to ruin her life and hurt her again. The two reaffirm that they want to continue getting to know each other better going forward, Link assuring Zelda he wants her to take her time and sort through her feelings herself, whatever they may be in the end.
(This is also the chapter for which Ayu-san drew that beautiful artwork and it's still one of the most flattering things I've ever experienced in all my life!)
Chapter 7 – Acceptance
Following her altercation with Link, Hilda has been listless and depressed. She starts the day drinking glasses of wine in her tower staring out at Castle Town, completely disinterested in planning her trip to Kakariko Village when Aisen comes by to confirm things with her. She ponders why she's never felt happy and why only her sister gets to feel that, even though she's so unremarkable. Ruli comes by to visit and, before settling into a chat with her best friend, she sadly decides that her duties to the Kingdom of Hyrule are the reason she's never been able to be happy, silently wondering if her mother really would be disappointed in her for having no life or joy of her own.
Meanwhile in Hateno, Zelda is excited that Urbosa is coming to visit. Link has (secretly) set up a training day with Mipha, Glenne, and his other students as an excuse to give Zelda and Urbosa some time alone. Once Link and Mipha have left, Zelda gives Urbosa a tour of the house before beginning to ask her advice on love and how to recognize it. After a conversation filled with blushing and stammering on Zelda's part, Urbosa concludes that she's absolutely falling in love with Link and she thinks it's wonderful. She teasingly suggests that they put her feelings to the test and go watch Link train his students to see if she gets flustered watching him.
Meanwhile, Aryll has also shown up unexpectedly and the training session has devolved into a sparring match between Link and his sister. Aryll is far more into the idea than Link but he still humors her and has a fair duel for the sake of his students. Once Zelda and Urbosa arrive, however, Link is overcome by the urge to show off for his fiancée and the two end up having a spectacle of a practice duel bordering on the verge of ridiculous. Ultimately, Link emerges victorious – Zelda did indeed get quite flustered watching him. After Aryll and Urbosa become fast friends, Zelda proposes inviting everyone back to the house for lunch.
(That's also the scene that makes people call Aryll a Mary Sue and dislike her. Yay. Looking back at it, there are a few heavy-handed bits of writing on my part that I actually may go back and fix a little because I don't like them. But I still stand by the fact that it would be ridiculous to think Link's blood relative who underwent the same training from their same father would be any less capable a warrior by comparison to him, excepting the Master Sword from the discussion).
Finally, as the weeks continue, Link and Zelda find themselves at home on a stormy night when Zelda proposes taking a picture for her visual diary of them cooking. When she goes to get the Sheikah Slate, however, a Stalizalfos crashes through her window and Link runs to protect her. The house is hit with something enormous from outside and several more Stalizalfos crash through the windows, beginning to surround the two and push them back towards the wall. Link resolves to protect Zelda and begins assessing the situation.
Chapter 8 – Invasion
Link and Zelda work together to escape their precarious position and Link tells Zelda to hide under the stairs while he handles the rest. Retrieving the Master Sword, Link dispatches the Stalfos before scouting outside to find a gold Lynel attacking their house with a crusher. Trapped inside for the moment, Link fends off more Stalfos, but the Lynel is succeeding in taking down chunks of the wall. It won't be long before it gains entry, so Zelda comes up with a surprisingly dangerous plan to crush the Lynel beneath their roof by shooting the ceiling with bomb arrows once it enters.
Link waits for the Lynel to bring down the wall before covering Zelda's escape, but the beast is solely focused on him anyway. Link executes Zelda's plan and crushes the Lynel beneath the rubble of the rooftop, but not without taking a stray swing from it on the way out. Assuming success, the two celebrate for a moment but the Lynel isn't dead and begins to try to fight its way out of the wreckage. Link sends Zelda away to safety so he can focus solely on the fight. Zelda is worried about him without his enchanted armor to protect him, but he promises her he'll be fine.
Zelda ends up meeting up with Toren and several of Link's students who are out trying to protect any stragglers from the Stalfos that have invaded Hateno. Eventually, the remaining Stalfos charge towards the Lynel as if to overwhelm Link and Zelda convinces the students to come help her. They try to draw the Stalfos off but there are too many and Link is slowly being warn down and overwhelmed.
When the Lynel attempts to drop a chimney on Link to crush him in return, Zelda panics and runs towards him, but is stopped and held back by her hair by a Stalizalfos. Zelda resolves herself to getting to Link instead of letting the person she loves die and slashes through her hair with a knife before running towards Link. It seems to be too late as the chimney falls but Zelda uses a type of magic she didn't even know she possessed (Recall) to freeze the chimney and save Link. He escapes and kills the Lynel quickly before the Stalfos scatter and the battle ends.
Zelda collapses into his arms and confesses her love and says she can't lose him, refusing to let him fight again. Moments later, though, Aryll and Glenne arrive and Link's sister promises to take care of the rest. Toren takes Link and Zelda to the inn to rest and recover as Link's arm is broken and he's fairly beaten up. Zelda takes care of him and refuses to let him lift a finger before things settle down and Link confesses his own love for Zelda.
Aryll and Glenne return informing them that the last of the Stalfos have been dealt with but Glenne wants to talk to Link alone. Aryll and Zelda leave and Glenne begins the tale of his evening to Link.
Chapter 9 – Dark Clouds
Glenne tells Link that on his way home before the storm that evening he stumbled across a woman in a black robe that called herself the Witch Queen. Evidently she used Ganon's malice magic to summon an army of Stalfos while commanding the gold Lynel directly and empowering them with her magic. After she sent the army to Hateno and vanished, Glenne hurried to Lurelin to get Aryll to help, just in case Link was caught by surprise.
Link ponders who or what the Witch Queen is before Zelda returns with some soup for him. The two stay together and have a warm moment where they reaffirm their budding love for one another.
The next day, Mipha arrives and heals Link before Aryll convinces Link and Zelda to come stay with her in Lurelin until their house is repaired. The group, guided by Glenne and his horse, travel down to Lurelin where Aryll welcomes Link and Zelda into her home and teases them over sleeping arrangements. Ultimately, Zelda will sleep beside Aryll and Link will take the guest room, something both are rather relieved by in the moment but quietly reaffirm to each other may not always be the most desired case.
That night, Link sits along in the living area thinking about the Witch Queen when Aryll appears and sits with him, asking what's on his mind. He tells her everything and the two theorize over possible motivations and goals of the mysterious woman who commands the malice. Zelda eventually joins them as well, having awakened and seen that Aryll was gone. Zelda asks to be a part of whatever is going on and Link promises to trust her with everything, telling her about the Witch Queen as well.
Book III – Storm
Chapter 1 – Distance
In the dead of night in Castle Town, two members of the Yiga Clan head to their secret hideout in the abandoned basement of an old building. There, they discuss their operations and how successfully things are going for them. They are interrupted by the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Witch Queen, who effortlessly knocks out the hostile one and asks the other to send a message to the Yiga Generals. She wishes to form an alliance with them and promises that they'll want to be party to her ultimate goals. She vanishes into thin air after that.
Meanwhile, Link and Zelda settle into life in Lurelin with Aryll. One day while Mipha is visiting, Zelda overhears that Link has entrusted a letter to her, wondering if perhaps this is a surprise for her or his sister. Aryll invites Mipha to stay for lunch but she apologizes and explains she has to leave to get ready for her trip to the Castle, but promises to come back for lunch the day she returns. Aryll is notably disappointed but Zelda thinks she'll bounce back. Unfortunately, she doesn't and Zelda wonders for the rest of the day why Aryll seems to upset.
That night, Zelda asks Link to take his bath first and follows Aryll down the beach to talk, finally having worked up the courage to do so. Aryll admits that she feels extremely far aware from Mipha when she remembers she's the Zora Princess before ultimately confessing that she harbors very real romantic feelings towards Mipha and hides them because of her terrible past experience. Zelda supports her with as much confidence as she can muster before explaining that the Zora don't view romantic relationships and attraction through the same gendered lens that Hylians do, leading to Aryll deciding to one day be brave enough to admit her feelings to Mipha.
Later, Link is a bit surprised that Aryll admitted her secret to Zelda but reaffirms that it's because she trusts Zelda so much. The two have a quiet moment on the porch together and Link reminds Zelda that Aryll isn't the only one that wants to get closer to her.
Chapter 2 – Best Laid Plans
Mipha has agreed to help Zelda master her new time magic and the two have been training together at the same time Link and Aryll are training in armed combat together. Zelda tries to glean some information about Mipha's love life but finds that the Zora Princess becomes too embarrassed and dances around the topic.
A short time later, Aryll proposes a beach day for the four of them, of course coming up with a game for them to play, this time the King's Game. They all draw numbers and the King gives blind orders to two of the players. Zelda quickly realizes Aryll and Mipha are cheating in order to give orders to bring she and Link closer together and takes it upon herself to cheat with Aryll to give orders to bring her closer to Mipha. The group has a fun afternoon, Zelda enlisting herself and Link to cook lunch so Aryll can have some more alone time with Mipha.
That night, Aryll wakes Zelda up from a nightmare and the two have a heart to heart about Zelda's relationship with Hilda. Aryll has a unique perspective due to her relationship with her grandmother on her mom's side and ultimately is leads to Zelda finally being able to properly grieve the emotional loss of her twin.
Link and Aryll have a chat on the porch a few nights later about their current living situation and lack of space for Link to have any meaningful time with his fiancée. Aryll, as a result, proposes he take Zelda on a proper date. Link is embarrassed by the idea but ultimately agrees to it, deciding to take her suggestion to plan a picnic at Lover's Pond on the summit of the nearby mountain. Aryll excitedly offers to help plan and execute his plans, promising that Zelda will love it.
And that does it! This obviously wasn't a comprehensive summary – I don't even know if it was a good summary – but I hope it was enough to at least remind you of the important points without asking you to reread 250K words like I did LOL! Like I said, I'm not sure when the next chapter will actually happen, but I've been inspired to brainstorm again lately so I'm confident that it'll be at least relatively soonish.
If you really want to reread a bit to get back into it, I'd recommend the very last chapter of Book II and what currently exists of Book III, that'll be enough to get you back where you need to be. But don't do that until I actually post the next chapter, I'd say. At least that way the details will be fresh and you won't have to try to remember it all a second time if it takes me longer than expected to get this next chapter done.
Until such a time though, this was fun to put together and I hope you enjoyed catching up with this story that was abandoned for so long that its author doesn't really know how to write it anymore. I'll keep working on it though, I have a lot of writing I'd like to do from here but finishing this story has always been something I've wanted. I still hate that I had to stop back in 2023, but hey, what can I do about it now right? No point in dwelling on the past, time to keep moving forward!
Thanks for stopping by and checking in, I hope everyone has been well and life is treating you all wonderfully! Take care and I'll see you again next time with Book III, Chapter 3 at long, long, LONG last.