Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was late when Link crossed into the village. So late, that he was surprised there were people other than the guards awake. The tired adventurer didn’t bother looking a gift horse in the mouth as he paid for his room at the inn however, it was too late for that.

In hindsight, the choice to sleep in an actual bed was probably the smartest decision he had made since waking up in that weird bath-thing.  This was shaping up to be one heck of a day. When he left the inn to make his breakfast (the omelet came out great, thanks for asking), the two guards at the entrance to get to the chief’s… Yeah, that’s a cabin. The guards blocking the way to the chief’s cabin were staring at him the moment he left his lodging. So naturally, he held their stare while he slowly ate, only blinking after he finished 5 minutes later. His eyes burned but he felt it was worth it. Weren’t they taught it was rude to stare?

It was odd that they knew his name. Funny how that works. You wake up from a century-long, medically induced coma, and suddenly you’re the chosen one so the crazy people living in seclusion know who you are. Meh, at least they let him through. Maybe he could head straight for this ‘Impa’ now?

He most certainly could not. This lady was acting like he had no… clothes… on. Wait, was that why the guards were staring at him? No, he was still in the clothes he had gotten along the way. Then why was she-

“A man!?”

Oh. That’s why. Well, this was new.

“Huh? Is that-!?”

Oh boy, here we go.

“It’s… a Sheikah Slate!”

That’s what I’ve been told, yes.

“Could you be the hero grandmother told me about? What was his name? Li…Lin…. Umm”

Oh? So people here know who I am?

“Oh, it’s not that I forgot… I’m just bad with speaking. As for me, my name is Pa..Paa…Paaay… Oh! My name is Paya!”

Really? Was that so hard?

“Phew, I got it out. I know I should be able to say it easily, seeing as it’s my own name and all.”

Oh wow. She’s pretty. Did she realize she was a looker? Wait, why was he thinking this?

“Anyway, my grandmother’s been awaiting your return since I was little. Plea…please hurry inside.”

Wait, was she related to this Impa? Oh well, no time like the present to get these doors open.

“So, you’re finally awake.”

Why did this tiny old woman scare him? Should he be fearing for his life as hard as he is?

“It has been a long time… Link”

Oh wow. This lady was old.

“I am much older now, but… you remember me, don’t you?”

Uh oh.

“What is the matter?”

He should probably say something.

“I don’t remember anything,” he whispered.

Impa leaned forward, her eyes going wide.

“Come closer, I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you.”

He walked forward and repeated himself with teary eyes and a shaky voice.

“I don’t remember anything. I woke up a week ago alone and knowing nothing.”

The elderly woman’s expression morphed from shock to concern. She reached out and beckoned him in for a sorely needed embrace.

“Oh dearie, I’m so sorry I let this happen to you.”

He broke. All the fear, uncertainty, and confusion that he had been struggling to keep in check since he awoke bubbling up and out as he finally came across someone who recognized him and cared for him.

He didn’t want to let go.

“Paya dear, come and set up the guest bed for Link. I don’t think he should be on his own anymore.”

Paya came out from where she was watching everything happen with wide eyes.

“Yes Grandmother.”

“And Link, when you’re ready, we’ll head to Claree to get you some new clothes. And a set of Sheikah gear. I did help train you after all.”

Link was able to get a handle on his emotions long enough to lean back and look at the elderly chief.

“You… sniff … you did?”

She smiled.

“Of course. I wasn’t always this small.”

He chuckled.

“Okay then. Maybe tomorrow.”

The day was spent with small talk and relaxation. Things like what daily life was like in the village, and funny stories about the zany characters in the village. Then Link told them about his experiences so far. Impa was shocked to hear how long he’d been awake.

“A week? That’s it? How did you know to come here so quickly?”

He began to tell them of his experiences on the Great Plateau. From waking up to the mysterious voice- identified as Princess Zelda- to meeting the Old Man, to the activation of the first tower, the shrines and the runes, the spirit orbs, the Goddess statue speaking to him and the gifts. They were truly wide-eyed at that point. Then he got to the Old Man turning into King Rhoam. When he talked of the transformation and conversation they were stunned. Impa especially grew very confused as he told her about the collapsable paraglider he now carried with him.

“That man is as foolish in death as he was in life. At least he knew enough to send you to me immediately. I guess the most perplexing thing is where that paraglider came from. It is clearly Rito in origin, but a spirit had it? And his own hut? Most perplexing.”

Once he was finished with his story, they had a relaxing dinner of pumpkin soup. Apparently Impa’s favorite and something that Paya was exceptionally good at cooking. As Link was helping Paya with the dishes, something she fervently said he didn’t have to do, Impa decided that they were too relaxed.

“Now Paya, make sure you set up the guest futon down here. It’s too soon for you two to be sharing a room, after all.”

The faces of the two young adults immediately went neon. Apparently Link was still affected by teasing.

“G-grandmother! I w-would never be so f-forward with Master Link!”

Master? What?

“Paya, I’m no one’s master. I barely know who I am.”

Impa, for her part, was cackling at their embarrassment.

The two were getting his futon set up after Impa had gone to bed. The comment earlier had left them in awkward silence for the remainder of the night. Until now, apparently.

“Mas- Link, I’d like to apologize for my grandmother. She has the habit of embarrassing me as a way of getting me over my shyness.”

He chuckled. It made sense from what he could tell.

“Don’t worry Paya, it was more of a shock than anything. Besides, today was… nice. It feels good to finally do something normal. Something tells me I didn’t get too many of the kinds of experiences I had today.”

She blushed. By the Three, she was cute when she did that. Wait, what? Why was he thinking that? And who were the Three?

“That’s good. Goodnight, Link.”

“Goodnight Paya.”

For the first time since he woke up, he didn’t feel the need to keep his weapons on him.

Chapter Text

He was running.

He couldn’t be sure of the reason; he just knew he had to get there as fast as possible before she got hurt. He had his sword in hand and was ready to fight off the attackers.

She?

The young woman came into his sight, three attackers surrounding her. She was on the ground, looking at the one closest to him in fear.

If only he had a bow.

The assassins were walking closer until the one nearest to the woman raised his sickle, ready to give the killing blow.

No. He pushed himself faster trying desperately to reach her, to stop this from happening. To save his only family. But he was too far away. He wasn’t going to make it.

No.

He wasn’t going to save her.

No!

The sickle came down.

“NO!”

Paya was always a light sleeper. She was a Sheikah, it wasn’t a choice. If she had to, she could go days without sleep due to her training.

It served her well with their guest.

Grandmother had waited for her to climb the stairs after leaving her and Link to set up the futons. This couldn’t be good.

“Paya dear, as long as I’ve known Link, I have only ever seen him be brave in the face of… anything. He has never just broken down like he did today. I fear that losing his memory has destabilized him, put him in this vulnerable state of mind. I need you to look out for him. Especially tonight.”

Paya was stunned. She had heard stories of how fearless Link was all her life, and with the events of the last 12 hours, realized just how much she had to learn about the mighty legendary warrior.

“Of course, Grandmother. You know how lightly I sleep.”

Impa merely chuckled as she turned away, heading to her room.

“That I do, dear, that I do. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Grandmother.”

Paya smiled for a bit as she got ready for bed before night slowly began to fall. For once in her life, she hoped her grandmother was wrong about something.

There wasn’t any sound that woke her up. It was the feeling of somebody in extreme distress. It was a sense that was somehow strengthened in her training, but the specifics on how escaped her. Regardless, the last time she had felt it was when Dorian’s wife was killed by those traitorous Yiga. And Paya knew exactly who was setting it off this time. She quickly rolled out of bed and rushed down the stairs to try and soothe him out of whatever nightmare he was experiencing.

“NO!”

Or she could just calm him down.

As she recovered from her hesitation at seeing him jolt awake, Link began to hyperventilate, eyes wide and blindly scrabbling for his sword.

Now wasn’t the time to think. He needed her help.

She quickly crossed over to him, knelt, and grabbed his hands, giving him something to hold.

“Link, it’s okay, you’re here with me, it’s safe, everyone is safe.”

Link was lucky that Paya knew a fair bit about his forgotten past because it definitely helped her guess what his nightmare was about. At some point while she was talking him down from his panic attack, he had pulled her into a hug which, now that he was in his right state of mind, he realized something from how tightly he was holding onto her. She was more muscular than she looked .

He let go of her with a sheepish look.

“I, uh, thank you Paya. I’m sorry for waking you.”

She smiled softly as she held him at arm's length.

“It’s no problem, Link. You needed help and I was in a position to give it. If I may ask…would you like to talk about what happened?”

He…really didn’t, but he had to tell her something to let her know he was okay. Right?

“I…had a nightmare. I think. It felt almost like it really happened. But I should be good now.”

She searched his eyes for something before she nodded.

“Very well. In that case, we should probably get back to bed. Is that okay?”

Link grabbed her wrist before she could continue.

“Paya I…I don’t think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. And I don’t want to be alone.”

She paused before smacking herself, then again.

“Of course, Link. Let me get into something a little warmer and then how about I show you what I do when I can’t sleep.”

“That sounds…nice. Thank you.”

She smiled and nodded before heading back upstairs. As she left, Link caught his eyes drifting where they really shouldn’t. After mentally berating himself, he changed into his trousers and doublet, grateful to have something that actually fit him instead of the shrunken things he’d had when he woke up.

Paya came back down in a pair of loose pants and what appeared to be extraneous sleeves on her arms. Like they were made to go with her undershirt. Interesting.

Regardless, she continued towards the doors, opening one and gesturing for him to follow. They walked outside and around the building, coming to a stop next to the wall. Paya glanced back at him with a small, sheepish smile before scrambling silently up the wall and flipping acrobatically onto the roof. It took a moment, but Link quickly started following her up, albeit with more noise. As he pulled himself around the lip of the large roof, he looked up to see Paya reaching down to him from the center beam of the building. Once he was pulled up, she turned towards the village and climbed up the sweeping edge of the beam, beckoning him to follow. They sat down on the edge of the beam. With no space left, they were shoulder to shoulder, but it was comfortable. It wasn’t long before Paya spoke.

“This is by far one of my favorite spots in the village. I would come here often after my parents…passed. It helps remind me of what we’ve been working for.”

Link could understand that. The village was a very calming place. But one thing didn’t make sense.

“Working for? What do you mean?”

She sighed.

“We…the Sheikah clan has always remained fiercely loyal to the Crown of Hyrule. And when the Queendom fell, that didn’t change, only our goals did. Princess Zelda was holding back the Calamity, and you were healing. Our new objective was to survive and keep your location a secret, impossible to get to. Which apparently worked. And so we settled down in seclusion and waited, preparing for your return. Auntie Purah and Robbie both went to set up their own labs, working on rediscovering our ancient technology in order to provide you with an advantage. Then there are the few who have been working on dealing with…the Yiga.”

Her face darkened at the name. That wasn’t good.

“When you come across a member of the Yiga - you will, Link, and they will tell you - they will spare no mercy. And you must do the same.”

That’s…that seemed almost out of character for the sweet girl. And awfully ominous too.

“And if one wants out of this group and…comes to me for help?”

She paused, with a look that said she hadn’t considered it.

“If that happens Link, then you bring them here. Immediately. We will watch and determine if they are truthful. I…believe personally that that excuse for a clan is entirely irredeemable, but Grandmother says that many are just spiteful and misguided. I trust in her judgment. She has led us for a century, and she is rarely wrong.”

Link blinked. He had not been prepared for an info dump of that magnitude. There was a lot to unpack, but that could wait till later. Now was relaxation time. So he just nodded.

They sat there the rest of the night in comfortable silence, neither of them willing to say anymore and ruin their small slice of peace. As the sun rose, Paya began to move.

“It’s time to make breakfast for Grandmother.”

Hmmm…. Why did he feel like he could cook?

“I’d like to help, if that’s alright.”

Paya looked over in mild surprise, before smiling the purest smile he’d encountered so far.

“Thank you.”

Oh. That’s cute. He wanted to see that smile more often.

They made their way back into the house. The kitchen was a small room, hidden by a false door. For security, according to Paya. They set to work on breakfast, with Link gravitating to a few different items. Some eggs, mushrooms, cream, and herbs later, he had three fantastic omelets. Paya, for her part, was stunned at the speed at which he prepared and made the meals.

“So…you can cook.”

He shrugged.

“I guess? It felt right.”

At that moment, Impa, came into the kitchen, with a knowing smile on her face.

“It’s good to know your skills are still with you Link. It’s been too long since I’ve had your cuisine.”

Chapter Text

Paya had a strange feeling about today.

It probably had to do with the fact that she couldn’t go home until Link was prepared for his journey. The look in her grandmother’s eyes scared her. But she shouldn’t be focusing on that. She had to think of a way to keep Claree from talking to her for three hours about clothes. Maybe Link could help with that. Hopefully.

         As the two young adults made their way to the clothing store, Link noticed his companion for the day move closer before she began speaking.

         “I should probably warn you about the shop owner, Claree. She’s one of those people who will easily talk your ear off for hours if you let her. Do you think you can handle her?”

         That was interesting. And maybe a little touching? He couldn’t tell what her motivation was. Maybe she didn’t like talking a lot either. Regardless, he gave a grunt of assent that he used to use (he thinks) to talk to people in public. It felt weird to talk where one might be seen by prying eyes.

         Paya gave him a look with a tilt of her head that was, dare he say, cute? Something about the way her hair moved with the gesture made him feel a little fuzzy, which was strange in itself. She didn’t question it though.

         After slipping by Lasli with an impressive amount of deflection on the part of Paya, the two managed to enter the store. Inside, there were two sets on display. One was a practical looking set of light armor, definitely made for frequent use. It had a hood, a tunic with a layer of chainmail, and a sturdy set of trousers and boots. The other outfit was more specialized and traditional. It was a skintight bodysuit with a means of tying up one’s hair in the Sheikah style. From the looks of it, the suit was built with stealth in mind. He definitely wouldn’t mind a set.

         But first, there was the owner to deal with.

         “Oh, Paya! How are you? And who’s this handsome man? Wait, did you finally start dating? Why didn’t you tell me? Where did you-“

         “Claree. Stop. I don’t need to have a headache this early in the morning. And this is Link. The knight grandmother has been waiting for.”

         So that’s why Paya wasn’t looking forward to this. Link felt bad for her, having to live her entire life with this woman around. At least Claree had calmed down.

         “Oh? Oh… Then you need gear, don’t you. Is that why you’re here?

         Link decided to take over for Paya, starting with a nod. Claree smiled as she grabbed her measuring twine and notepad. Oh, joy.

“Well, let me get your measurements and I’ll get right to work on some outfits for you. Let’s see, you’ll need a set of clothes for travel, a few sets of underlayers, some extra leather pieces in case the originals get destroyed… Would you like the Sheikah armor too? It’s enchanted to help with stealth. And you don’t need to worry about the cost of this. Consider it my contribution to your journey.”

         He was barely able to give his assent to the extra suit before Claree was moving and twisting his arms in every which way as she wrote down his measurements. Needless to say, the switch in personality took him by surprise. Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Paya with a wry grin on her face. So that was normal. Wonderful. At least he was getting free clothes. He’d never say no to that.

         After a few minutes of being mildly molested at the hands of the energetic tailor, the pair were more or less thrown out of the store with instructions to return in a few hours. They looked at each other for a moment, before Paya spoke up.

         “Well, that was an experience. Now then, is there anywhere you were thinking about going nearby while we wait? If not, I have a few ideas.”

         Link paused for a minute. That was a good idea. He did have to give Hetsu's maracas back after all. But first, there was a shrine that had been staring him down since he sat on the roof earlier. He nodded and gestured for her to follow him as he made his way up the path to the top of the cliff overlooking the village. As he stepped up onto the dais of the shrine, Paya spoke up once more.

         “The shrine? This has been here for over ten thousand years, why did you bring us…”

         She fell silent as he activated the structure with the slate. A smirk made its way across his face as he turned and took in her stunned expression. He extended a hand to her, speaking when she looked at him in confusion.

         “The coolest part is yet to come.”

         She hesitantly grasped his hand and immediately was pulled to the glowing circle inside the shrine. Link tapped the button on the back, eliciting a gasp from Paya as a light flashed and the circle began to sink.

          Paya was amazed. To think that somewhere, underground, there were these enormous spaces dedicated to preparing one person. And that they have been around for over 10,000 years, waiting for the man she was standing next to, who saw it as no big deal.

         “So I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be gobsmacked or something by these. Cause they don’t seem to care too much about normal architecture, but they’ve been a constant since I woke up so it’s a little… mundane, I guess.”

Before she could respond, a… voice spoke. It almost felt like it was just in her head, but when she looked over at Link, it was clear that he was hearing it too, but it wasn’t surprising to him.

         “To you who set foot in this shrine… I am Ta’loh Naeg. I offer up my knowledge that it may please the Goddess Hylia.”

         The name was… vaguely familiar. But Link was already moving, having seen two chests on either side of the entrance.

         “Paya, for now, don’t move ahead of me, I’ve never seen a shrine be so open like this. Normally there’s a puzzle of some kind, and I don’t trust the hole over there.”

         She was far too deep in her head to respond to him in any other way than the grunt of assent she gave him. She was so busy racking her brain that she almost missed him putting a sword in a pouch and it disappearing. He noticed her staring and sighed.

         “That’s a little complicated, I’ll explain it to you and Impa later, right now we need to get through this trial.”

         She nodded and continued to watch as he pulled a Shield of the Mind’s Eye of all things out of the second chest. How it got in there she had no idea, but it was hardly her most pressing concern.

         Link pulled out the Slate and tapped a few times before a Traveler’s Sword, Shield, and Bow appeared on his back in a muted flash of blue light. Hopefully, that had to do with the magic pouch on his belt.

         Link slowly walked down the path towards the pit in the middle of the room. He stopped as soon as the room started to rumble. All of a sudden, a machine that looked like a small Guardian rose on a platform from the hole, sealing it. Ta’loh Naeg must have spoken to him again because he stiffened for a moment before pulling out his blade and shield. He approached the machine and waited. It didn’t move except to turn towards him.

Then it began.

Chapter Text

Of all the things that Paya expected to be in the shrines built by her ancient ancestors, mummified monks that were somehow still alive was definitely not one of them. Like, yes, magic exists, but this was ridiculous.

Your triumph over the test of strength subverts a prophecy of ruin. From the ashes of Hyrule, a hero rises. In the name of the Goddess Hylia I bestow upon you this Spirit Orb.

Much to Paya’s surprise, an orb flew out of the monk and into Link’s chest. Which, judging by the lack of reaction, was completely normal for the monks.

Then the monk moved. It turned its head towards her, the veil with the symbol of the clan staring deep into her soul, and it began to speak again.

Child of Shadow. Your presence is unforetold but not unexpected. For too long has the Hero gone without the strength of mind that comes with another. Have faith, for the journey is perilous, but easier than before. May the Goddess watch over you both.

And with that, he faded. Well, dissolved was probably a better term, but then so did Link. And lastly her. It was a weird sensation, like your body falling asleep but also tearing apart, but without the annoying little things like pain. That always got in the way.

Now she was outside. The shrines were insane. Teleportation? Ancient monks? Spatial fuckery?

That last one was actually pretty common, but still.

While Paya was having what was probably a pretty stressful moment about Sheikah tech and the shrines. Which to be fair, there was a lot to unpack from what the monk said. More so than usual. 

She was supposed to join him now because some ancient mummified monks from her tribe said so? That was dumb.

But then the slate pinged, he should probably take a look at that.

SYSADMIN ANNOUNCEMENT

Clarification of the teleportation feature: Can carry up to 2 sentient beings plus mounts, can only be activated by Blood of the Goddess, Soul of the Hero, or Child of Shadows.

“What the fuck?”

The hell was a sysadmin? How did you pronounce that? How did it know that that information was useful at this specific moment in time? He was confused and tired and wanted the day to be over.

Apparently Impa felt differently.

After a long night of discussions, revelations, and some more existentialism, Link and Paya were preparing their sleeping arrangements down in the entry hall. He had tried to stop her, saying that she had a bed so she should use it, but she rebutted that she needed to get used to sleeping on the road anyways. Which made sense. So he let it be.

He was not expecting to wake up so close to her. Apparently she hunted for warmth in her sleep, which while cute, was kinda alarming? People could use that, but only if they knew about it. Which was probably fine, but mornings were definitely going to get very awkward very fast.

They had their marching orders for the day: get their clothes, get their horses, and head east for Hateno to see a researcher that specialized in ancient Sheikah tech. It had been suggested that they split up so they would be harder to find, but that defeats the purpose if you stay in one spot for a century. Maybe they needed to reexamine some of their strategies.

Regardless, they had things to do and places to go, so Paya picked up a bag and went towards the stables to get the horses situated as Link went off to find his new clothes. It wound up being a mostly painless task. Probably because Paya wasn’t there. 

Claree wasn’t overly aggressive with her attitude and promptly gave him his clothes. Turns out that due to the enchantments woven into the stealth armor, it was worn under most clothing by the clan. The fact that it regulated temperature would probably be very much welcomed in the future.

With new clothes donned and the kanzashi put away,  Link made his way to the inn where the stables were. For some reason the sight of Paya petting and talking to her horse made him stop for a moment. It was peaceful and tugged deeply at something in his mind. It felt nostalgic, but there wasn’t time for sentimentality right now, even if it might lead to a piece to his memory. Not today. Regardless, the feeling faded away as Paya turned to him in order to start a conversation.

“Oh, those look wonderful! Green is a wonderful color on you. I took the liberty of preparing your mare as well. What’s her name?”

Link took a moment to take in the ruddy mare that he had tamed on his way to Kakariko.

“Malon. It felt… right.”

On second thought that was probably something significant. But he had a journey to start off on. He could work on that later.

For now, it was time to begin their trip.