She was always beautiful. In ever lifetime, in every body, in every form, she was beautiful.
Tags: Zelda/Link, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major totk spoilers, endgame spoilers
He ate the stone.
Link was already tired, the sages behind him were reeling. Tulin had vomited. A child shouldn't be in a place like this. Link had a pang of guilt for dragging him into this.
The transformation was horrific. When Link saw what happened to Zelda, when he transformed, despite the tears and grief and guilt the one thing he thought coherently was she's so beautiful . But this creature was born of hatred, every bit as terrible as Calamity Ganon's improvised form.
"Get back!" Link shouted at the sages. "Run!"
They were hesitant. They'd already done too much. Link screamed over the noise. "Leave! Now!"
The last thing he saw were their backs turned, hightailing it out of the cavernous space.
Link was swept up in jaws of gloom. It sunk into his already weak skin, yet he couldn't feel it. A fresh dose of adrenaline coursed through his blood anew, letting his body forget the pain of the battle he just fought. The dragon flew through the chasm under the castle, into the sky above. The castle crumbled further from the force of it.
Link tried to get free of his jaws, but to no avail. One thought, one foul move, and it would all be over. The jagged teeth cut through his tunic, through his skin.
A roar split the air, and it wasn't from the demon dragon holding him. Link looked, blinking against the wind to see the Light Dragon flying for them.
Zelda.
The demon opened his mouth to attack, and Link fell through the air. But he could only watch as the Light Dragon swerved, avoiding his jaws. She was so much smaller than him... but Link knew she was strong.
The Light Dragon dodged the maws of the demon and dove. For a spilt moment, Link and the creature made eye contact. And he saw his Zelda. He saw her.
Is she still in there?
As if she knew where he was, she dove for him, catching him in her mane. Link held on for dear life, shaken to his core.
"Thank you, Zel."
The demon gave chase. They ascended so quickly Link got some altitude sickness. The skies shook with the force of the roar that came from the demon.
It was chaotic, and loud, and every time Link landed on the demon dragon to attack the weak points the gloom seeped into his skin, sapping his energy, his strength. The master sword hummed and pulsed under his touch with every swing, but didn't break, didn't falter. The glow stayed, true and pure. When the demon flung him off, Zelda was there to catch him. Her own magic seemed to restore, to give the strength that was taken back to him. He jumped again, each time, somewhat restored. The sky turned red, the air became poisoned, the gloom was thick.
And Link was on the demon's head, the tear on his forehead nearly broken. One swing and...
The earth shook. The clouds trembled. Link drove his sword into the glass, shattering it.
The dragon reeled, sending Link flying off again. Zelda was there, and with a thud that might've broken something, he held onto her head. He tried to stand, to watch the carnage.
Light and gloom erupted from the body, the dragon reeling and coiling. Link watched with not an ounce of pity or regret. He watched with satisfaction and held himself tall despite the sharp pains in his body, so many, he could hardly pinpoint a source.
There was light that rivaled the light that came from Zelda when she sealed the Calamity away. Blinding and deafening, all consuming.
Then it cleared. The dragon was gone. The air was no longer poisoned. The scene looked almost peaceful. Only smoke remained in the demon's wake, and in an hour, that would be gone too.
Rauru's arm began to glow. Link's body felt like it was about to fall apart.
He passed out on Zelda's head.
Was he dreaming? Where was Zelda? What was this place?
His old tunic was gone. He was surrounded by clouds. It looked like the space in between, where he spoke to sages and when Zelda gave him Recall.
Zelda was under him, a dragon. He was floating above her. She didn't seem to be frightened by where they were. In fact, she looked peaceful.
She was beautiful.
Link's arm was glowing. He couldn't control it. He held it out, as if casting a spell, appalled and confused. He stared, dumbfounded at the way his arm moved on its own.
Then the spirits appeared.
Rauru and Sonia, Link knew, although he only ever met Rauru. Sonia was beautiful, too. Yet nobody rivaled Zelda.
The placed their hands on top of his. Link looked the spirits in the eye. Sonia smiled sweetly, a motherly look. She seemed to say It's nice to finally meet you. Rauru grinned. Well done, Link.
Then they turned to Zelda. Link did, too. Confused, mostly.
They channeled their power through him. He felt it course through his veins for a single heartbeat, then spill from his palm. He looked at Rauru again curiously, then turned to Zelda, determined. The magic was aimed at her. He didn't know what they were doing, but he trusted them. He had no choice at the moment.
Before his eyes, the dragon shrank. Claws became fingertips, tail became legs again, scales became a Zonai style dress, yellow mane became yellow hair in a messy braid crown.
He had to be dreaming. There was no way to bring her back... right?
And his arm... it was back. Normal. He didn't quite know what was more confusing.
Rauru and Sonia took each other's hand. They nodded a farewell. Their job here was done. Link inclined his head in thanks, his tongue lost to him.
Then it was gone. The clouds drifted, the spirits disappeared.
Link passed out again.
He was falling.
Zelda.
Had it been a dream? Where was she?
He looked around frantically, and he spotted her below him, plummeting, unconscious, and beautifully human.
Link dove. He plummeted after her, the wind whistling in his ears from the speed. He never lost sight of her, through clouds and wind, even as the ground got closer. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't fail her again.
Not this time.
He reached for her, and with some sweet mercy, he caught her with his newly restored hand.
He took her hand and placed it against his chest and pulled her so close as they fell for a small lake.
I'm here, Zelda. I'm alive. You're safe. I've got you.
His head tucked in the crook of her neck, he whispered it like a mantra in her ear, hearing or not. He had to say it, he had to tell her. Even as they fell from the heavens.
The water was cold. It sent a shock to Link's system yet eased the aches and pains. The adrenaline still flowed through his blood, so the true force of the pain had yet to hit him.
Link hauled Zelda out of the water, limping to the shore. He set her down in the grass, the sunlight and water lighting up her hair and skin, setting her in glitter.
She's beautiful.
Zelda stirred when Link tucked hair behind her ear, and she blinked her eyes open.
She sees him, and Link smiles.
Zelda surges up, her eyes wide, disbelieving.
"Link? But, how are you..."
She can't finish. Link is able to get a good look at her now.
She seemed to be unharmed and uninjured. Her dress is filthy, caked in what had to be millennia old dirt. Her hair was messy and tangled, but not as bad as it was when he saved her five years ago. The braids were loose and uneven, like she had to do them herself.
But the biggest differences are what struck him. Two little horns stuck out from her head, shining blue and tangled in hair. Her eyes had flecks of bright blue and purple in the whites. There were white tattoos under her eyes in the shape of tears. Her skin seemed to glitter like scales. Her mouth remained open, and her breathing was heavy, like she hadn't taken a breath with human lungs before, like she's not used to their smaller capacity. Her teeth are a little sharper than usual.
She's so beautiful.
She put a hand to her necklace, where the secret stone hung at her throat. Like none of it ever happened.
The master sword glowed in its hilt, drawing her attention. Link couldn't hear it. "It reached you, after all."
Realization hit her, and the colors in her eyes seemed to swirl. Link was completely infatuated with her, with the little things.
"He's gone... the Demon King. I'm not in a dream, right?" Link huffed a little, smiling. He shook his head. "You did it... Oh, Link! You really did it!"
She jumped into his arms, and he fell backwards, and he held her there in his lap while she cried. The pain was coming, and he was so tired, but Zelda was alive, and he couldn't have been happier.
She pulled away first, and stood with some difficulty. Link knelt, ready to catch her.
Zelda toucher her head as if she had a headache. Her face contorted to a face of pain. Then surprise. She felt the little horns on her head.
"What is..."
Horror spread across her face, taking in the differences. The horns, the sharp teeth, the scales.
"Zelda?" Link asked. It was the first time he'd spoken since he lost her, besides when he was alone. His voice was soft and hoarse from disuse.
Zelda turned to look at him, tears shining in her eyes. Eyes he could get lost in if she let him. She was truly fascinating.
"Am I... am I a monster?"
Her voice was shaking. Zelda had never been one to care how she looked. When Link cut her hair, it looked uneven and choppy for weeks until it was long enough to cut evenly. She wore men's clothes most of the time, dawning his old and worn shirts for gardening and field work. And yet here she was, more beautiful than she'd ever been, asking if she was a monster.
Link couldn't speak. He couldn't summon the words to comfort her, to tell her how so very wrong she was.
"I'm no longer human," she reasoned. "The people will think me a beast."
"Zelda," Link managed, pushing past the lump in his throat. He moved closer and took her hand. She looked down at him, a tear falling from her cheek and landing on his.
He'd never take a knee like this for Hylia. But Zleda? He'd worship her with every bone in his body until the day he died. It's what he was made to do anyway, right?
"I've seen monsters," Link said, resisting the urge to cough at the soreness in his throat. "You are a goddess."
She looked at him. Confused, dumbfounded and conflicted. To prove his point, Link grabbed her skirt and pressed his head against the clay works of her dress. She still smelled the same.
He felt her fingers run through his hair. Her touch seemed to soothe the pain in his head from the touch. She took a breath before speaking again.
"I'm so tired, Link."
Link looked up. She was still crying a little, her eyes like a kaleidoscope of color and emotion.
"So am I."
She smiled then, sympathetic and soft. She took his hand from her skirts and brought him to stand. He obliged because she wished it and ignored the pain in his limbs.
And then she hugged him, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. He held her back, tight as he could with his injuries. But her touch soothed the pain, eased the sickness. It reminded him of Mipha's cool healing magic. Had Zelda kept a bit of that power, too?
"Oh Link," she said into his neck. "I have so much to tell you."
Link smiled at the idea, and looked forward to the stories.
This is one of my favorite shots for Linktober. I had so much fun with it. Zelda will forever be the only goddess Link worships. Fun fact, the track that plays when you're falling after a newly human Zelda and when he catches her is called "not this time!" and I love that.