Often times when Link slept he had the misfortune of sleeping on the nights the Blood Moon happened to appear. However that night he felt as if maybe things wouldn't be so bad. A Blood Moon most likely wouldn't show since Calamity Ganon was gone so he had no real reason to not sleep. He didn't realize how wrong he was.
It started out so innocently. So nice and calming. It was like Link was remembering another forgotten memory. He and Zelda were out in the Castle's Courtyard where training was being held for the new knights. Link wasn't helping those newcomers train, instead he managed to snag a dummy and was using it for his own training. As he jumped backwards before lunging forward and did a series of spin attacks Zelda watched. She had placed her book down and sat contently behind her knight. After a while of doing more and more practice attacks Link noticed something...unsettling. Everything was deathly quiet. The clashing of swords and grunts of the young knights could no longer be heard. Link paused and turned to Zelda. She was gone. Panic shot through Link's body as he instantly ran to the nearest door. Please please let Zelda be inside.
The room was dark. Pitch black. Link looked around in confusion before turning around to exit. The door was gone.
"Link." It wasn't Zelda's voice but Link turned around and prayed it was her. Standing there was...someone. Her hair was a deep brown and she wore a long dress. Clearly she was a member of the royal family. She wore the infamous bird that represented Hyrule through the ages as well as the Triforce. However Link didn't recognize her.
"Link." Two voices this time. He turned around again and saw a small girl standing there in a long white dress. An older girl stood next to her looking nearly identical to the child. Both of them were royals as well. They wore the same bird and the Triforce.
"Link." He flinched and turned once more. Another girl stood there. She was different. Instead of the royal dress she wore a long flowing white one. However the Triforce embedded on her hand gave Link the impression that she was still in a position of importance.
"Link." They all spoke at the same time, their blank expressions gave the Hylian Champion an eerie feeling. "You have failed us. You have failed them." Link blinked and in that one second where his eyes were closed appeared more people. Only this time they weren't the princess-like girls. No. These Hylians were none other than Link's ancestors. The previous Heroes of Hyrule. However Link didn't know this, and wouldn't realize they were until he later came to realize it. For now he would believe it was his mind creating different versions of himself to mock him.
Standing along side the girl in the flowing white gown stood a man, or perhaps a very mature looking teen. He wore a Tunic of green and had on an expression that could kill. He stood protectively by the girls side, Master Sword in hand. Link's eyes widened as he stared into the determined looking eyes of the Hylian in front of him. He lowered his own sword and turned around only to be greeted by three more Hylians. Two of them were young boys. One had a peculiar looking instrument in hand and the other had a mask on. The mask itself just looked cursed, it didn't help that it's giant orangey-yellow eyes stared deep into Link's soul and the boy kept twitching. Besides them was another Hylian, looking a few years older than the boys in front of him. His face looked sad but fierce nonetheless. Link almost didn't want to look but his head turned to the direction of the final girl. Standing besides her was, as expected, another Hylian. He wore the same green Tunic as the first he saw. Only this time his eyes looked cold and unforgiving, like an animal. Maybe Link only believed this because there was an unusually large wolf standing defensively on the opposite side with the same viscous eyes.
He was shaking. He couldn't hold his sword correctly and he knew at this rate he'd drop the legendary sword. The wolf growled and barked loudly at Link. The noise startled him and he stumbled backwards. Who were these guys. Why did they all look so similar. Why did they all look like him.
"You've failed us." They all spoke. The voices blended and created an unsettling sound. "Generations of perfection. Generations of perfection. Generation of endless courage. Generations serving the Princess-"
"Shattered." The lone standing Hylian spoke in a curt manner. "I didn't die for this. Hylia didn't create this world for this. The Goddesses didn't let me die for the land I love and return me to protect it once more so I can have a-"
"Disappointment." The cluster of three spoke now. The boy with the mask seemed to be twitching even more. "We have been forgotten through the ages. We have been cast away and we are okay with that. Though our legacy as the Hero of Time didn't survive we don't want the legacy of the Hero of the Wild to be-"
"Laughed at." The last Hylian spoke that could barely be heard over the wolf's barking. "We lost a dear friend for the sake of this land. We risked everything to protect this land and return Zelda from the clutches of Ganondorf's hold and yet you couldn't even manage a task much simpler."
"Disgusting." They all spoke, causing Link to flinch. He didn't know what to do or how to respond. There was a steady flow of tears running down his cheeks and his hands were shaking so much Link was starting to think there may be something wrong with him. All the eyes, the unforgiving blue eyes, stared down at Link with such disappointment and such hatred. "We don't understand. Your life goal is to simply serve Hyrule. You have failed."
"No," Link's shaky hands signed out. "I haven't. Not yet. I'm still protecting my land. I'm going to be King. I still serve them." They all laughed. The masked faced boy had oddly begun floating and glowing a light purple. "I can still serve them. Farore said- said that this was all part of their plan-"
"A Goddess may say what she wants be in our heart of hearts we all know this was far from your fate." The masked boy floated on over, still twitching all over. Link stayed rooted to the ground, he couldn't move for the life of him. His arm wouldn't move, he wanted to life the sword in his hand to at least try to defend himself but his arm wouldn't respond.
"You!" The boy grabbed Link by the shoulders and shook him roughly, cackling maniacally. "You have disgraced us!" Link shook his head, more tears streaming out his eyes. "You have made the legend of the hero a joke. You have shamed us all. You," the boys voice grew deeper as he began to draw out his sword, "have met a terrible fate," the boy plunged the sword deep into Link's chest, cackling as he did, "haven't you?"
-
"Master Link!" He woke up in a fright. Jumping out of bed in a cold sweat Link looked around anxiously. He was in Impa's house. He looked down at his bare chest and sighed in relief. All he found were the preexisting scars of a life time of battling. "Master Link!" Paya knocked on the door. "I have your clothes ready. My grandmother would like you down soon so you can relax before the ceremony." Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Right. The coronation. He would be King that day. Link dressed himself in his usual attire; his regular pants and boots with the travelers shirt he wore along with the hooded cape. Paya was still standing there, holding the clothes and when Link opened up the door she stumbled backwards. "I have your clothes for you- oh. You're dressed." Link took the clothes from her and slipped a piece of paper in her hand. Paya read it slowly, frowning a bit. "I-I'm not sure my grandmother would- oh no." Link had managed to slip through the seemingly too small window and was now climbing down the side of the house. Paya stood there in defeat, wondering what to do. This couldn't do any harm. Link was just going out to bathe...somewhere.
The Hero had used the ever useful power of Revali's Gale to propel himself upward and over to the forest where the Great Fairy Fountain was. He breathed in deeply and began walking down the withered away path that lead to a nearby field. The walk was nice. Link needed the fresh air and nature after last nights horrific and potentially traumatizing nightmare. The boy in the mask, the sword deep inside of him, the voices telling him how much of a disgrace he was. It was all something Link would never forget. However for a moment he pushed the thought aside. There was a couple ponds where a nearby Shrine resided. Link smiled, remembering Kass playing his accordion as he tried to ride a buck onto the platform.
The water of the pond refreshed and relaxed the tense soon-to-be King. As he floated in the shallow pond he allowed his mind to empty and simply enjoyed himself. It was at that moment that his mind then went from its blank state to wondering what Sidon was doing. A smile crept along Link's face as he thought of the Zora Prince attempting to float in this pond with Link. It'd certainly be an interesting sight.
Link scrubbed his scarred up body, he had left his underwear on just in case Paya told Impa and Impa sent out a search party for him, in an attempt to clean himself. He hasn't had a proper bath in...probably over a century. The most he's ever done for a bath is dunk himself in water before entering any populated area. He hoped that this quick scrub in some probably dirty pond water would be enough to wash away any stench of sweat, dirt, and possibly blood.
Upon returning to the Village, Impa was waiting for him by the entrance. She spoke calmly and didn't seem at all angry at Link for running off. Maybe she knew he needed a small bit of time for himself before his life would change again.
The clothes he had to wear were less than comfortable. The shirt had an odd over the stomach belt kind of thing that squeezed Link just a bit. The actual belt had a gigantic gold triforce on it that was pretty heavy as was the long coat Link had to wear. His pants were a blinding white for some reason and were a bit itchy. The only normal part of his outfit were his boots. He had the luxury of wearing the same ones he's been wearing. However the primping and preparing didn't stop there. On the carriage ride over to Castle Town Impa had Paya bring along a comb. The Sheikah elder spent the rest of the ride yanking Link's hair with the comb, attempting to get the every single knot out of his hair before putting it back into a much neater pony tail.
They entered through the back of the castle. A bridge was built so the carriage could easily cross the large moat. Music was heard. Its happy sounds mixed with the loud talking and laughing of the Hylian, Gerudo, Zora, Goron, and Rito residents of Hyrule. The nervous butterflies that haven't gone away since last night now seemed to be fluttering around even more. Link felt like he was going to be sick.
"You have time to enjoy yourself." Impa quietly said as Paya helped her out the carriage. "The official coronation won't begin until later. Right now the festival is in place and people will be roaming the castle as well." The elderly woman smiled and looked up at the castle. "It has been quite a long time since we have seen it in its full glory. Quite a long time indeed." She began walking down the dusty path, her granddaughter following close behind. "Now go on Link, enjoy yourself." He watched both of them walk around the corner of the castle before he himself went into one of the secret entrances inside.
The only place he wanted to be right now was in his room, in his bed. That is exactly where he went. As he sprinted past those wandering the halls of his castle he could only think of how warm and comforting his bed would be. Successfully managing to escape the loudness of the crowd inside and out, Link sank into bed. He closed his eyes and imagined it was nighttime. He could even faintly Sidon's loud snore-like growls echoing in his little fantasy.
A brief knock on the door was followed by a certain Zora poking his head inside Link's room. Both smiled at each other. Sidon entered and quickly shut the door behind him and sat down besides his friend.
"Long time no see, your highness." Sidon chuckled as Link rolled his eyes. "I had a feeling I would come to find you hiding in your room. Not that I'm blaming you. These people are ruthless party animals. They know no limitations when asking questions and educating themselves on us Zora. I have had several people asking me if I was going to grow to be the height of my father." He chuckled. "It is interesting. So many Hylians haven't seen a Zora in their life. I suppose my people and I have been more secluded from the rest of the kingdom then we thought." Link nodded. He felt a tad bit more at ease now that Sidon was here.
"Anyway," Sidon stood up excitedly and motioned for his friend to stand as well, "I had something special made for you. I realized the other that you had special earrings designed for special purposes as well as circlets. Now, I realize these hold no real power but I thought it would be a nice gesture. It is your coronation after all." The Zora Prince pulled out a small box, nothing fancy about it other than the light blue ribbon on it. "I do hope you like them."
Link was expecting something relating to his newfound royalty. Perhaps it was some diamond earrings molded into the shape of the all important triforce. Maybe it was a ring or necklace with the same design. None of these possibilities were it. Inside the box was a pair of simple, yet beautiful earrings. These earrings were something special. They were made using luminous stones and molded into a rocky sort of shape. The stones glistened slightly in the sun, still beautiful, and would shine even brighter at night. Link smiled and took out the little blue earrings he always had on and replaced them with the new ones. Unlike the ones he had, these earrings didn't hang and weren't too heavy. They fit perfectly.
"You look wonderful, your highness." Sidon smiled, looking down at his handsome friend. The earrings twinkled in the sun and made Link's smiling seem brighter than ever. "Now then," The Prince of the Zora knelt down and offered The soon-to-be King his arm, "shall you and I make out way our and enjoy the festival."
-
This festival was one that was long overdue. With the kingdom taken over by evils like monsters and the Calamity, no one ever felt safe enough to celebrate anything. A few would be brave enough to devote their life to traveling and meeting new people outside their homes but not many. Now here they all were. The legends of grand festivals being held here, at the very door at the castle, and being allowed in was something many children wished they could experience. Now here they all were; Hylian, Goron, Rito, Gerudo, Zora, everyone. Here they were, together and happy. New friendships were made and new things were tried. Link made progress. He usually kept to himself but came out of his shell just a bit when surrounded by the friends he made and fought alongside when easing the Divine Beasts. When asked to demonstrate the rumored skills that were passed on to him by the spirits of the Champions, he showed them off in a heart beat.
These good times didn't last all day. At one point Impa pulled Link aside, telling him it was now time. He walked away from his friends, his face changed from a smile to his usual blank expression, and followed Impa to a platform that was built last minute. Everyone's attention was turned to the elderly Sheikah woman as she slowly walked to the middle. Paya held a pillow wit the crown placed on top. Purah, who still looked like a six year old girl, held the Master Sword. The four leaders of the biggest sub-communities stood on the platform. In place of his father, Sidon stood there with Link. Kaneli and Bludo also stepped down from the honor of standing besides the new Hyrule Royal to allow Teba and Yunobo the oppurtunity given the fact that they did help Link ease their respective Divine Beasts.
Everyone listened to Impa loudly speak about how she had helped Zelda and the late King Hyrule with preparations. They intently listened as she described every little detail she pulled from her memory of how Link was a very courageous knight and a very capable leader. Some people cried at the mention of how an intelligent and brave young woman Princess Zelda was. And finally, everyone cheered when Impa declared it was now time to officially crown the king.
Link walked over. His gait was confident but he had his hands clenched to stop them from shaking too much. Since Impa was one of the few "officials" for the royal family that was left, she was the one to crown Link. Purah handed her younger sister the sword of legends. Both Link and Impa knelt down.
"O Goddesses, Farore, Naydra, Din, grant us your blessing." Impa held the sword in both hands and raised it high in the sky. "O Goddesses true and holy, we seek that with your blessing and permission you allow the light to flow to this sword in recognition of the new King of Hyrule and Hero handpicked by you three." The crowd was silent, all eyes now on the sword. After a moment the sword glowed a bright light. The crowd cheered, quieting down a moment later. "O Goddess Farore, Goddess of Courage, you have granted Link the power of courage and have used his mortal body to protect us. Grant him your blessing in leading us all." Impa and Link stood, she held the sword out so the grip was facing Link. His hands were shaking and he didn't understand why. He had held this sword before. He had pulled it from its place and had been accepted as its master. He shouldn't be nervous that it would suddenly reject him.
Link took the sword in his hand and pressed it against his forehead. The Sword of Legend's light grew blindingly bright. The crowd cheered even more now. Link let out a little laugh of relief. At least now he knew the Goddesses were certain of their decision.
"With the blessing of the three great Goddesses, we shall proceed." Link knelt down once more, bowing his head a bit. Paya walked up to the both of them and handed her grandmother the golden crown. "With this crown placed upon your head you are promising to all of us here today that you will do anything in your power to protect this land and help us move towards a better, prosperous future like our ancestors wished. With the sword you hold in your hand you are renewing the vow you had made over one hundred years ago to stop the evils that lurk deep within Hyrule and use the power granted to you by the Goddess Farore in our favor. With the power of the Goddess Farore, Goddess of Courage, you have the capability to do anything for your kingdom." Impa held the crown in both of her small hands. It was now hovering above Link's head. "Going along with tradition you shall don the last name Hyrule." He nodded and held his breath. This was it. "With the power invested in me, as Hyrule's previous adviser," she began lowering the crown, "I now pronounce you, Link Hyrule. The new King of Hyrule." The crown was placed on his head and Link stood up. His hands were visibly shaking but no one cared, not even Link as he raised the still shining sword above his head as the crowd cheered for their new king.