Whumptober Day 31

hurt & comfort

disaster zone | trauma | prisoner

the further you fall - part 4

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

warnings: this is just all around not a great piece but that’s okay no one knows ALBW anyway :)

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“Hilda, don’t do this!”

Hilda didn’t want to turn around. Her hands were shaking in the absence of her staff, and she stumbled backwards to put as much space between her and the Hyruleans as possible. The figure that stepped into the emptiness must’ve been a ghost. He wasn’t facing her, but she knew that stupid bunny hood, and that little bird that always accompanied him no matter where he went. She knew that wild, unruly hair when he lowered his hood, and she knew that voice when he started to speak–but it wasn’t to her.

“Well, funny story there,” he said in response to Zelda’s curiosity, and Hilda watched as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew how flustered he must’ve looked. She knew him that well–or, used to. “Your hero and I have gotten to know each other pretty well. But not long ago, I served Princess Hilda here in Lorule.”

Whumptober Day 30

digging your grave

major character death | left for dead | ghosts

kingdom come - corrupt!zelda au finale

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

warnings: blood, stabbing, ...major character death (duh)

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Hyrule Field was burning. It was an odd sense of deja vu, of dread and of grief and of helplessness. Link had seen this before, the chaos and the smoke, and standing amongst it a second time is no easier than the first. He had no idea whether the Calamity’s destruction reached as far as those civilizations he’d grown to love, and he didn’t plan on finding out. It would be far better if he didn’t, because then, his weary mind could rest. It wasn’t as if the Calamity took issue with the other races–it was with Hyrule that the problems lied. At least, that was what he told himself when he was aching for comfort.

Link fisted the Master Sword tighter, digging the tip into the ground as he forced himself to stand. His free hand clutched his bleeding side, filling him with a fear he was well acquainted with. It was hard, even for one as familiar with death as him, to not be afraid. He’d been in this position before, many times, but nothing could compare to the first. Scared and hurt and ever with her, holding her hand as they ran across decimated fields—that was a feeling he would never quite shake; his body screamed and all he could think about was protecting her. This time, however, there was no protection. There was only decay as far as his eyes could see, and it was set onto the kingdom by their own hands. 

Whumptober Day 29

all work and no play

“you’re still not dead?” | too weak to move | overworked

warnings: falling, passing out

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There’s a certain kind of exhaustion that the human mind simply cannot fathom. Link’s always been a sleepyhead at heart, but those hours he once spent sleeping for comfort were so silly to him now. He hadn’t known how it felt to be truly tired then. It was nothing like this. Nothing like the bone aching, deep desire to fall into the hands of sleep and never again awaken. It feels like so long ago that he was being stirred from his rest by his best friend’s Loftwing and her morning letter bidding him to meet her before the ceremony. Maybe it was long ago. He cannot not, in honesty, say he knows how long he’s spent chasing after her. Every time he thinks he’s gotten closer, there’s a new, unshakable task handed to him by fate, and it feels almost like he’s starting over again.

Link does not sleep. Not voluntarily, in a comfortable bed surrounded by blankets. He’s more likely to pass out against his will, hunched over a table in the Lumpy Pumpkin, on the cold floors of a temple, near the low burning embers of a camp he cleared out–anywhere but where he’s supposed to, because he doesn't want to sleep. Sleeping takes time. Time he doesn't have. The less time he’s moving, the more time he’s away from Zelda; the more time that flamboyant and infuriating demon lord has to get to her before he can.

Whumptober Day 28

it’s not just in your head

“Good, you’re finally awake” | nightmares | panic

how lovely you are - pretties au finale

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

warnings: blood, panic, jealousy

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They didn’t make it far enough, but that was alright. Zelda didn’t think anyone was brave enough to follow them into the thick of the trees and underbrush, anyway. Even if they did, what could she do? She was no better than Link, and when she sat him down and collapsed beside him, she felt her stomach churn at the blood she’d left behind. With nothing left to distract her, with nowhere left to run, she thought back to the man bleeding out on the floor of that strange building in that fucked up society. She’d stabbed him. She’d intended to kill him. She probably did, if they didn’t get him medical attention, and then her hands were shaking again and she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She gasped, grabbing at the roots, at the grass, at anything that could ground her, because she couldn’t afford to freak out. Not yet. Link was still passed out and if anyone were to see them, follow them, she would be no use to either of them. If they got their hands on them again, Zelda was certain they would not get away as easily as they did.

But no one came. The forest remained as quiet around them as the night sky, which was approaching far too rapidly for her liking. She didn’t know the first thing about surviving. She didn’t even know how to make a fire. Link might, but… At the very least, he didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. She tried to look over him, but there was little she could do when she didn’t have supplies. All of her reading was of no use to her now… She felt utterly terrible.

She didn’t know how long it’d been before Link stirred, a quiet mumble leaving his lips. Zelda leaned a little closer in concern, pressing a hand over her stomach. She hadn’t gotten the chance to come to terms with the fact that– Well, much less tell Link about it. Perhaps she shouldn’t do it right as he was coming to. 

Whumptober Day 27

i’m fine, i prom...

passing out | vertigo | collapse

how lovely you are - pretties au part 4

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 5

warnings: scar mention, monitoring, implied sexual content, threats, blood, murder

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Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised that their plan didn’t go quite as they expected. With the colder weather, there was really no opportunity to see the scars, the pieces of imperfection that they’d carved into their own skin to make them less desirable. So, they’d formed a different plan. Maybe it wasn’t smart, maybe it was impulsive and stupid, but Zelda was growing desperate. The prayers were getting longer and longer and her food portions were getting smaller and smaller and they were so controlling that any bit of color she managed to slip into her closet was gone before she had the chance to even wear it. 

There was something a little more disturbing about it all, too. They were so obsessed with this idea of purity—but it seemed to only concern her and Link. No longer were there other women praying with her in the springs and in the chapels. No longer were there other men training with Link in the name of the hero, so they’d told him. Whoever was running the show around here had full intentions of using her and Link for… whatever they wanted to come out of this. She had her suspicions about how much of this was actually related to the gods.

They’d grown a little desperate to leave. To be kicked out or, at the very least, focused on less. Things had started to get…invasive. Zelda was mortified the night he came to her, shaking with anger, and told her how they’d brought in a woman and used her to test the loyalty and purity of him and his fellow men. He didn’t go into detail and she didn’t ask, but no longer did she think the daily change of her bedsheets was something innocent. No, they were watching, weren’t they? Maybe not every minute of the day, but they were watching every time she left her dormitory, every time she had to venture to a chapel, every time she met up with Link. She thought the feeling of more and more eyes on her daily was just a thing of paranoia. She thought she was losing it. It made her mad. It made her scared. And she was so tired of it. 

Whumptober Day 26

alternate prompt 8: comfort

kingdom come - corrupt!zelda au part 6

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | finale

warnings: didn’t see anything that could be triggering so read with caution

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By the time Link found Zelda half asleep in the Sanctum, he could hardly walk. He was shaking too hard, the nightmare chilling him to his core, and even if this was not his Zelda, even if he hated her and didn’t hate her at all, the idea of losing her again in the way he had when that chasm swallowed her was enough to have him in tears. He was almost hysterical, and he couldn’t tell if it was the fever or the dream that had his skin so uncomfortably heated. He stumbled before he could even reach her, his knees hitting the floor, and his whimper was what made her look up. She’d been sitting on the throne with the light from the windows hugging her like a golden shawl, and she’d looked so exhausted, but she raced down the steps and to his side in hardly any time at all.

“Link, why are you up?!” she exclaimed, but that surprise and frustration melted away when he grabbed for her and buried his face in her shoulder. “You’re burning…”

“I had a nightmare,” he mumbled out, feeling so akin to a child, but it was muffled by her night dress. Maybe she heard him anyway, because he felt her fingertips bury into his hair, scratching gently at his scalp. His shoulders dropped, the tension leaving his body now that he could hold her, solid and present and real. His Zelda, who was still so strong and passionate that sometimes, he could be fooled into loving her, too.

Whumptober Day 25

hide and seek

escape | flight | 

runaway baby - banned magic au finale

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

warnings: death mention, fire

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The chilly air was welcome on her stinging and sweaty skin, though in less than an hour of her forced return to that little room, she was shivering. Zelda couldn’t see whatever mark they’d branded into her back, but she couldn’t imagine it was anything but vulgar and humiliating. Is that what they did, then? They rounded up those capable of magic and marked them as an outcast, shunning them from society until it drove them away? Or was that just a way to display power? Surely the fate of all that had been captured could not be as bad as hers.

King Astor himself had blessed her with a visit while she was trying in vain to nurse the charred skin on her back. 

“You lie,” she accused him before he could get a word out. He lifted an eyebrow in amusement, like her fire was something funny and not a dangerous thing that could spread. “You have magic yourself, don’t you?”

“And what would make you say that, exactly?” he asked, leaning against the bars of the cell so casually, she wanted to reach through the bars and strangle him. 

“Whatever you used to brand me– you laced it with magic. I would have been able to heal it otherwise, so what is it? What makes your magic more righteous than mine?” she challenged, though she didn’t have the strength to stand up. She was dizzy, whether it be from the dull ache of her body, the lasting concussion, or the fact that she hadn’t eaten since she was arrested the day before. 

Whumptober Day 24

one down, two to go

self-induced injuries to escape | flashback | revenge

how lovely you are - Pretties AU part 3

part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5

warnings: mentions of selling people, forced dieting, forced fasting, hunger, passing out, jealousy mention, blood, self-harm

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Her first night in New Hyrule was, in all unfortunate honesty, a fairytale. The streetlights twinkled with some type of candles she’d never seen before and everything looked so clean. Living in Castle Town meant she’d been around the fancier side of the world for most of her life, but it was nothing compared to this. The people around her all seemed so happy and carefree as they chased their children or pets through the street, and there was such a clear view of the sky that she had to wonder whether it was real. Music poured from the pavilion in the center of the square, the type that made her want to kick off her shoes and dance around without a care in the world. The smells of different foods and sweets made their way to her nose, taunting her to come closer. 

To top it off, Link seemed nothing short of a gentleman. Somewhere along their stroll, they’d stopped to cut the stem of her flower so he could tuck it behind her ear, his fingers just ghosting over her skin, and Zelda thought she might faint. 

“I’ve never seen so many sweets before,” she told him when they passed a stall loaded with delicious treats. The vendor offered them a plate, insisting they pick whatever their stomachs desired, but she politely declined. It wouldn’t be wise to fill up on sweets when she hadn’t eaten any other food yet. “Not even in the bakeries in Castle Town.”

“I don't think I’ve ever been to a bakery,” Link replied, eyeing the sweets almost suspiciously. They must not have had many over in the Kokiri prominence. He looked like he wanted to say more, elaborate on whatever thought he had, but he shook his head instead nodded in the direction of the pavilion. He didn’t seem to be the type to revel in the attention of others, but when she expressed her love of dancing in passing, there was little hesitation before he was pulling her to her feet.

Whumptober Day 23

you break it, you buy it

auction | ransom | pursuit

how lovely you are - Pretties AU part 2

part 1 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

warnings: pageantry, buying/selling humans, misogyny, the words breeder and breeding used a lot

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Zelda gave herself a final look-over in the mirror, fingering one of the two ringlets framing her face. The rest of her hair spilled gracefully down her back, giving the impression of a golden waterfall, and the twisted braids that gave the cascading locks a bit of texture made her look far more important than she really was. Her dress was made of Hyrule’s finest materials and, like every other eligible bachelorette, her family had sought out the best tailor to make a dress so lovely that she would catch eyes all too easily. A gentle rose blush gave her cheeks some color and the gloss on her lips shined when they caught the light. She looked, without a doubt, beautiful.

“I told you pink is your color,” her mother fawned, grabbing her exposed shoulders gently. “You are going to have so many bidders, my little flower.”

“Yes, I hope so,” Zelda replied as she smiled at her mother’s reflection. She looked so sure of herself that even she almost forgot it was a lie. 

Whumptober Day 22

they made me do it

cursed | demon | obsession

the further you fall - part 3 

part 1 | part 2 | finale

warnings: manipulation, betrayal, claustrophobia

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They were so close–she could feel it. Everything had gone so well, so perfectly according to plan, and any minute now, the power of a complete Triforce would be hers. Hyrule’s princess, as lovely as the flowers she saw in old, faded paintings in her castle, was nothing more than a work of art now, and as she called forth the Triforce of Wisdom from the sacred girl, Hilda felt a new spread of hope. With the assistance of her brilliant advisor, with the utter cleverness of Yuga and his magic, those descendents of the other Six Sages from Hyrule’s Hero of Time (it was all so confusing, a horrid cluster of rotten luck) were at her beck and call–pressed into portraits, forever to be displayed and admired. That was what she’d originally intended, but with those foolish descendants and the Princess of Hyrule in her hands, it became all too easy to lure that little hero, a scrawny boy with eyes bigger than he could bargain for, who was looking to be a lot more than he was meant to. He was a wretched thing, so easy to manipulate. The only thing he was really useful for was the second Triforce piece: Courage. 

Hilda smiled, something a little sick and sadistic, but she’d tasted hope, she’d tasted a bit of the power that the Triforce held, and she was hungry for more. If she did not accomplish what she set out to do, if she could not acquire the full artifact, ancient and powerful, then her kingdom would never rise from the ashes her ancestors had long since thrown it into. If she couldn’t do this, then Ravio would have perished unbelieving for nothing.

Whumptober Day 21

that’s where the blood’s supposed to be

bleeding thru the bandages | pressure | blood-matted hair

fairy for your troubles -  part 2

part 1

warnings: blood

note: do not expect this to be medically accurate because it will not be ;-;

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The next time Sheik awoke, they were alone in the house. Alone save for Link, who was so still, he could’ve been mistaken for a corpse if it weren’t for his shallow breathing. Impa had come home at some point before, and they told her all that had taken place, namely warning her about the newly freed spirit she’d long since sealed at the bottom of the well. It was urgent that she go to it as soon as she could, but she refused to leave until the horrid brush burn across Sheik’s back had been tended to and the hero was looked over. They fell asleep again after that. The exhaustion that came from something of an emotional toll was unmatched.

The chair next to the table was certainly not the most comfortable of places to fall asleep. Sheik sat upright and stretched themself out, wincing at the deep ache in their joints and the discomfort it caused on their torn up back. At least it was bandaged now, so they weren’t rubbing the open face of the wound against the chair anymore. Speaking of bandages, they stood from the chair to take a peek at the Hero of Time, who’d since become a good friend of theirs as they aided him in his journey.

Whumptober Day 20

alternative prompt: tragedy

life is calamity - LiS AU alternative ending

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | other ending

warnings: grief, survivor’s guilt, self deprecation, canonical character death

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Twelve hours had gone by since the sun rose on Zelda’s seventeenth birthday. Twelve hours that repeated, and repeated, and repeated until she was so worn down and shattered that she couldn’t even stand up. The sky was dark over Hyrule Castle. The malice beast swirled high in the air, marking its territory before the burning buildings and stampeding guardians. It had not stopped–would not stop, no matter how slow time seemed to become when she pressed herself into Link and resigned herself to being a terrible, unworthy princess. 

So many innocent lives had been lost tonight. Her friends, sealed forever in the ancient machineries she promised them were safe, her father, locked in an eternal state of disappointment, and her kingdom in tatters–this was the fate she’d resigned Hyrule to. And yet, she could not stop being selfish. She could not stop wanting something for herself, even when the world around her depended on her sacrifice. She was an utter disgrace to her people, to her friends, to every living, breathing thing around them, and she couldn’t even find it in herself to be sorry.

Whumptober Day 19

just a scratch

bitten | bleeding | stabbing

warnings: blood, wounds, light body horror, attack, biting, guilt

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Deep under the cover of the trees in Faron Woods, there were strange things afloat. Hyrule as a whole was a rather mysterious place, built on legends of goddesses and heroes and magic—but stories became reality when evidence of that magic emerged in various beings across the land. One such being was a young witch living in a small cottage, tucked under the shade of a particularly large oak tree. How she came to live in the woods instead of the lively Castle Town was a mystery. Perhaps it had something to do with the peace that came with such seclusion, so far removed from the throes of society. She couldn’t complain when she spent her days tending her garden, studying up on her spells, reading her well-loved books that kept their shelf company, and taking care of her beloved little cat, a midnight black little thing she called Twilight—such was the time of day that she found him as a kitten.

Zelda couldn’t even consider herself lonely. When the days rolled by, melting into weeks and months and years, she was still content. So content, in fact, that she was almost annoyed when she had an unexpected visitor one morning. There were some herbs she simply could not get to grow in that little garden of hers, which meant scavenging was as necessary as hunting. It was on one of these trips, taken just a few hours after daylight broke the night, that she stumbled upon a stranger. Or, should she say, found a stranger stumbling over a tangle of roots. 

The stranger was a young man who looked scruffy in a handsome sort of way, and he seemed disoriented and disheveled, like he didn’t know where he was or how he got there. Looks could be rather deceiving though, so Zelda fished her small dagger from her basket and held it tight behind her back as she stepped out from behind a tree to greet the man.

Whumptober Day 18

alternate prompt 12: regret

the further you fall part 2

part 1 | part 3 | part 4

warnings: grief, blame, manipulation

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The sight outside of her window was as sad as ever. Broken lands, overrun by monsters she would never truly be able to get rid of no matter how hard she tried, looked back at her like they were taunting her. She could almost hear them, singing an echo of the blame she carried on her shoulders. It was one thing to govern a long cursed kingdom. It was another thing to bear the death of her best friend. Sometimes, she thought maybe she was going crazy. The land was not a sentient being. It could not talk, and it certainly could not accuse her of murder. And yet, most nights when Hilda could not sleep, the wind would slip through the cracks of the castle and cry out her sins. They would carry a whisper of his name, and the current it traveled on would wrap tight around her throat until she was sobbing, begging for relief from the pain, for forgiveness. Did Ravio blame her, too? She should have never sent him away.

“Your Grace,” greeted Yuga, full of concern as he slid open the blinds of her room. It lifted the pitch darkness to a pale orange, washing her room with the early morning light. “Are you still not sleeping well?”

“I’m alright,” Hilda lied as she pushed the blankets off of her and sat up on the mattress. She flipped her pillow, hoping to hide the tear stains before Yuga could see them. It didn’t work; he eyed her suspiciously, but he said nothing, and she was willing to take that. 

Whumptober Day 17

field care 101

“Please don’t move” | hemorrhage | dread

fairy for your troubles - part 1

part 2

warnings: fire, injury, blood, needles, stitching, loss of consciousness

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Though their disguise was deceitful and successful enough, they were not truly a member of the Sheikah tribe. Sheik was not raised in Kakariko, could not call it a home in the same way that Impa could. The quaint village at the base of Death Mountain had housed them for some time in the beginning, and when their ever wandering feet brought them back, they did not complain. That made it no less painful, no less heart wrenching to see the little town engulfed in flames. Not a single thing moved, aside from the rising plumes of smoke and licking of the flames, which made them pray that it meant everyone had evacuated. Either that, or…

From the knowledge they harbored about Kakariko, there was only one thing short of a natural disaster that could have caused a fire so large and fast-spreading. Sheik stumbled to a stop at the edge of the old well, peering inside with furrowed brows. Nothing was moving, In fact, the bottom of the well was still as sealed as ever, but they worried that meant very little. What they were dealing with, a spirit that embodied the unjust and inhumane crimes of the royal family and thus, by association, this village and its people, would not be stopped by something so small if it had already caused this much strife. They contemplated jumping into the well themselves to try and handle it, because what was the use of a princess, a Sage, a holder of the Triforce that’d undergone the training fit for a warrior, if they could not handle an evil spirit? Except painting the spirit as evil without acknowledging the source of that evil as their own flesh and blood was wrong.

Something was moving. Something was nudging the pile of rocks and rubble and debris at the bottom of the well.

Whumptober Day 16

on a need to know basis

recovery | scars | aftermath

forget me not - part 2

part 1

warnings: survivor’s guilt, it’s just a lot of hurt and comfort, really

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Link did not know how much time had passed since he stormed Hyrule Castle in a fit of blind courage and vanquished the scourge, the plague that’d haunted the kingdom for longer than anyone could even remember. It was easy to keep track of time before, when the moon would turn red and drench the sky with blood, raising monsters once defeated from their graves, starting the cycle over and over again. He hadn’t seen the blood moon since, though he supposed that’s not something that would really stick around when the influence driving it was gone. 

He did not know how long Princess Zelda had been living with him in his little house beyond the bridge. He offered her residence because she had nowhere to go, but the explanation would never be just as simple as that. People hailed him as a hero, or at least, the descendant of one. They turned to him and asked that he help them, that he take care of whatever problem was causing them too much strife, and he was more than happy to do it. Aiding people so that they might move forwards in their life was one of his favorite things to do. Maybe that was why he’d taken the princess into his home so openly. She felt vaguely familiar to him in the same way that certain places in Hyrule did, though he used to chalk it up to the way her voice, her presence, helped him through his quest. Or was it more appropriate to refer to it as his destiny? He knew they’d worked together once, that they were maybe even friends, but it was hard to discern stories from the truth when he could remember so little.

Whumptober Day 15

feed a cold, starve a fever

delirium | fever dreams | bees

kingdom come - corrupt!zelda au part 5

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | next

warnings: fever, nightmares

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Something was living in Hyrule Castle, leeching the life from his body and raising his temperature until he thought he was going to combust. Every bit of his body hurt. Whatever illness was spreading around, whatever old viruses were kicked up when Zelda forced open parts of the castle for their comfort, had buried itself in his lungs. Calamity Ganon was no longer the worst parasite Link had ever faced. 

It was not the first time he’d gotten sick since his emergence from the shrine. He figured the presence of malice made it worse, but he was feverish and hadn’t been able to get out of the makeshift bed since he collapsed at the throne side a few days ago. Zelda had looked so scared, so worried for him when she helped him up and found that his forehead was burning. He found he didn’t mind being sick, because she took care of him. She would come sit beside him, touching his face, his hair, talking absently just to fill the air, and things almost felt normal. It was what he wanted more than anything: her. And she still left every now and then to handle whatever she was up to, but she always returned. 

Link asked her about her intentions one day, when her toying became frustrating and she wouldn’t pay him any mind. When she coddled Calamity Ganon like a pet and then regarded him as even less than.