Tears of the Silent Princess (Zelda x Reader)

Prelude

If there was one positive that the Great Calamity brough upon the land of Hyrule, it was the reclamation of nature on the land. After the catastrophic event that left the land scarred a hundred years before, flora and fauna slowly crept back to reclaim its lost territory. With settlements being near and far between, it wasn't unusual for a traveler to experience large stretches of land with nothing more than the grass and the birds to accompany them. 

The soft flowing of rivers, the smooth swaying of grass, and the melodies of the birds above gave a beauty to the wastelands. It would have been an excellent set of sounds and sights to take in, but the world had other plans. 

On the road to Hateno Village, a group of Bokoblins about ten-strong swarmed a traveler walking along the main road. Sword in hand, they swung at a nearby Bokoblin, knocking it off balance and sending it hurling away. 

"Back! Get back!" the traveler roared, swinging the sword again, attempting to intimidate the monsters, "Any closer and I'll... cut you in two!" 

A bluff. The only real experience with a sword that the traveler had was a beginner's course that they took in Hateno Village called The Blade and You: An Introduction to Self-Defense. Everything beyond that was nothing more than improvisation and dumb luck. While one or two Bokoblins were never usually a threat, a horde certainly spelled doom for any unprepared wanderer. 

Two more Bokoblins charged the traveler as they cut them down. A sense of pride welled up in their chest before it was ripped away from them as their sword was knocked out of their hands. The traveler let out a sharp hiss before taking one of the Bokoblins improvised stick weapons to the gut, causing them to topple over. They were stronger than they looked. The Bokoblins let out what could only be interpreted as a laugh as the group surrounded the traveler, preparing to secure their prey. 

As soon as they did, however, a set of three arrows flew down from the hills above, striking down three Bokoblins respectively. Panicked grunts and snorts from the beasts rang out as they looked up to see a blond-haired Hylian gliding down on a paraglider. Using the distraction, the traveler scurried to their sword, picking it up and taking out another Bokoblin. The Hylian, however, seemed to slay the rest of the Bokoblins in the blink of an eye. 

"W-Wow! Thanks!" the traveler gasped, still catching their breath, "I mean, I totally had them, you know? Had them on the ropes and everything, but the help was much appreciated!" 

The traveler chucked a bit, catching their breath and taking a better look at who exactly rescued them. Their jaw nearly dropped when they saw who it was. 

"No way! You're Link!" they said in bewilderment, "I've heard all about you from people pretty much everywhere!" 

Link gave a silent nod as he turned away to continue on his way. 

"Wait! Here, take this!" they exclaimed, holding out a few dozen rupees, "I know it isn't much, but it's thanks for the save!" 

Link, still as silent as the stories said, nodded as he took the rupees from the traveler. He gave them another nod before going along his way. 

"Wow... How about that?" they huffed as they continued on their own journey. 

With an assortment of different crops, meat, and gems from their secluded village in the Lanayru Wetlands, they had hoped to secure good trade and a bounty of rupees. The traveler had acted as a sort of traveling merchant, trading goods and bringing money and resources back to their home. It was an opportunity to explore the world and see the sights beyond their small hometown. Despite moving all over Hyrule, there was always something new to see every time they went out. The traveler supposed that was just the magic of the land. 

After an afternoon of walking, the traveler finally arrived at Hateno Village, a welcome sight for sore eyes. The traveler passed by a many number of recognizable shops, waving and greeting the local townsfolk as they went on. 

"Hey! (y/n)!" shouted the owner of the local dye shop, "Anything new for me this time around?" 

"We'll see, Kochi!" the traveler responded as they headed towards the marketplace. 

They took brief pause for a second as they contemplated hearing their name on someone else's tongue. When was the last time they had heard their own name spoken? Or even talked to another person for that matter? Had they really been out in the wilderness for that long? Thoughts for another time, they decided as the made their way to the Hateno marketplace. 

(y/n) stayed at Hateno for three days and three nights, bartering a decent sum of rupees and supplies to bring home. They spent the extra time there shaking hands and interacting with the rest of Hateno's population. Between helping out the local townsfolk with menial tasks and telling stories of their journeys to the local schoolchildren, they had their hands full for the time they were there. 

Eventually, though, it was time to head home. It was a cloudy day as (y/n) made their way home. They made it a few paces outside of Hateno's borders before the very ground beneath their feet began to quake. Terrible roars could be heard coming from the direction of the abandoned Hyrule Castle. 

A massive beast resembling a boar covered in pink-red flames appeared from a storm of pure negative emotion that filled (y/n)'s heart with dread. Running straight towards the beast, however, was a glowing yellow light that seemed to shine brighter than any darkness. The beast, which (y/n) could only assume to be the Calamity Ganon itself let out a roar that could be heard from all corners of Hyrule. 

"Yeah... Nope," they frowned as they shook their head, "Definitely not." 

The traveler turned around and went back as quickly as they left, in no mood to do any sort of traveling with that sort of beast on the horizon. 

"Yeah, right... That thing would smush me..."