Autumn in Akkala

Ch.2 The Silent Knight

Guardian Restoration
!Link                               Ancient Akkala Tech Lab

Today we shall head to Akkala and speak with Robbie of the Ancient Tech Lab. I applaud Zelda's ability to devote herself to the very things that were corrupted to destroy Hyrule. They are so dear to her. I know one of the hardest hurdles of the calamity was losing her guardians.

The goal she has in mind is to refurbish and rebrand the guardians so that they may be seen as positive throughout Hyrule once more. As the silent knight, I simply agree with all of Zelda's whims and wishes. In truth, I worry that the guardians could fall victim to corruption once more.

Still, as long as I breathe, I shall fight. Though I wish I could remember more about why I always wish to fight,
Who am I?
Or do I really wish to know?
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

You watched the back of Robbie's head bob up and down energetically in response to whatever Zelda was saying.

She hadn't even made her way into the lab yet before Robbie jumped up, knocking over a screwdriver and a bunch of nails from his workstation. You and Jerrin were kneeling on the wooden floor. Both of your heads contorted into your laps. You felt Jerrin gently jab you with her elbow.

"Pssst, Y/N, did you see Queen Zelda's hair?" The coiled loops of her hair dangled from her sideburns like earrings. "She cut her hair short! Zelda has always been what Hyrule needs. It's a shame her father didn't honor her pioneering mentality."

Despite her professional demeanor, Jerrin couldn't help but indulge herself in courtly gossip. " I wonder when she'll marry that handsome knight of hers."

"I can't say I follow the rumors of the Royal Family."

"My dear," Jerrin rustled beside you, " you don't even follow the time on a clock. You always have your head in the clouds and your eyes in a book."

You couldn't argue with that.

"Queen Zelda, Link, please, please, come in!" Finally, Robbie gave them the permission your back was desperate to hear. Jerrin gave you one final elbow jab. "Goddesses, Y/N, did you light Cherry?"

Cherry was the furnace out front that Robbie had an unsettling infatuation with.

"Yes-" A feminine voice, edged with the utmost regality, interrupted your hushed conversation. "What is all this? No, kneeling. We are a team, and I will not have my teammates kneel for me."

You and Jerrin both slowly lifted your heads toward the source of the voice. There she was. The face that graced every magazine in Hyrule with her impossibly thick blonde hair and spikey, long lashes. Zelda wasn't just soothing to the eyes; she was soothing to the morale of the kingdom. She managed to breathe new life into Hyrule in the most unprecedented ways. This time, it was evident she had done it by shearing off her lustrous locks of envy. Zelda wasn't one of those superficial and vapid royals.

She actually cared about her people. It had been demonstrated through her prowess as a student, as an innovator, and as a champion.

Yes, Zelda had sealed Calamity Ganon away until her appointed knight awoke from his slumber. Truly, their relationship was something you read about in fairytales. You couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't married, as Jerrin indicated previously.

It wasn't until you saw her knight, whose presence hung in the doorway of the lab like a lost spirit trapped in purgatory. His diminutive height caught you by surprise. Was this the knight who had vanquished Ganon? Zelda was charming and eloquent, but this knight was painfully awkward and pedestrian. His hair, now longer than the Queen's, was secured at the nape of his neck. You noticed loose threads of his dingey blonde hair hadn't seemed to make it into the elastic.

Was this Link? Was this the man who carried the soul of Hylia's foreordained hero?

Was this the man that carried the soul of the precious Hero of Time?

In all of the tales you had read about the Hero of Time, you imagined that he would always reincarnate as this magnificent deity of courage. A man so gallant that it seeped through every pore in his skin. A man so valiant, his energy couldn't help but demand attention wherever he may roam. Now, as you stood, studying the forlorn image of the caricature in the doorway, you weren't sure.

He had beaten Calamity Ganon. Somewhere in that armor was the heart of a hero.

"Y/N," Zelda's bubbly eyes of seafoam glimmered your way. "Robbie told me of all the guardians you secured in the Lanayru region to refurbish. Incredible work."

You nodded, ignoring the heat that hit your cheeks from her praise. Robbie butted in, "Y/N here works until the late hours of the evening; she truly is the hardest working tech I've encountered." Robbie slapped your back, and you winced at the abominable strength he possessed in his geriatric body. "Y/N, go get your notes for Zelda about the guardian sensor creation you had for the doors of the castle."

Robbie continued his uproar of appraisal in Zelda's presence. You went to retrieve your backpack. On your way back, your shoe caught on a haggard nail in the floorboard.

You went flying forward. Your folder with all your notes about the Hero of Time sailed across the floor. The contents had been dumped everywhere. Heat began to flood your face.

"Hylia! Link, please go assist Y/N." Zelda ordered.

It seemed like Zelda's order was an afterthought. He was already on his knees before you. His eyes calculating the mess of papers scattered around. In the doorway, there was a fragility to him. But now, the magnitude of his presence suddenly enveloped you. Something about him made it hard to breathe. You caught the direction of his gaze on one of the papers that read, "Enter a Child, Depart a Legend. The Story of the Hero of Time."

You quickly reached your hand over, attempting to nab it from his vision, until he landed his hand atop of yours. His brow furrowed at the title of the paper, as if he were trying to recall something. Until his eyes fluttered towards your own. You felt your knees turn to putty from the brazen hold of his glare. You were holding the hand of the man who annihilated Calamity Ganon. You watched his Adam's apple dance in his throat as his eyes continued to probe you.

If Zelda's eyes were the clearest seas of Lurelin, Link's eyes were the tumultuous rapids of the Lanayru Wetlands. This man was still fighting a battle, and nobody knew. Not even Zelda. But in that intimate moment, you knew.

You quickly snatched up the papers as he guided you to your feet. Again, your knees were more gelatinous than Chu Chu Jelly.

"Allow me." He insisted, wrapping his arms around you until you found your footing. You couldn't bring yourself to get sucked into the vortex of his eyes once more. You grabbed his biceps for support, surprised by how firm they were beneath the layers of armor he wore.

You needed to get away from him. "T-Thank you," You stammered, pulling away abruptly. The atmosphere had been bled of all its conviviality. In its place surfaced an unwelcome silence.

Link simply nodded, releasing you once again and returning to his rightful place next to Zelda.

Or where you assumed his rightful place was.

It was on your way home that night, that you realized you couldn't relinquish the latent turmoil of emotions brewing behind Link's eyes.

And that during his visit, he had only managed to speak two words. Which were the two he had whispered to you as he held you still.

You had heard him dubbed the Silent Knight before. Only now, you were convinced his silence was by choice and not that of his own.

It appeared that Hylia had presented you with more study material.

Edited: 5/20/23

Artwork by Aeviann

Prints available on:

etsy.com/shop/aeviann

***Support our artists*** :) They make us pretty things!