towerofanimus | ▲ 002 ▲

Characters: Prequel!Link and YOU!
Setting: Floor 25
Format: Prose preferred, but action is A-Okay
Summary: Link takes some time to relax and breathe the fresh air. The perpetual springtime of floor 25 is much preferred to the dank depths of the castle dungeon, or the barren wasteland that became of his home
Warnings: SS prequel manga spoilers

Link inhaled deeply, letting the scent of flowers and life fill his lungs as he took in the sight of floor 25's seemingly endless meadow. There was something magical about this place, there was no doubt. Of course he had been warned about its more sinister corners. In every light there was also a shadow.

But that did not mean that Link couldn't enjoy the light. It had been years since he'd been able to stop and, literally, smell the roses. The wildlife of Hylia had been burned to the ground by the Demon King. Damn him, his obsession with the goddess' sacred power. It was difficult to keep in mind that it did not matter anymore, especially not here. His people had been saved, and they had flourished in the sky as well as on the surface afterward. The young princess's words had served him a great comfort.

Link set his sword down in the grass, lying on his back and enjoying the breeze. For the first time in a very long time, bliss.

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Link smiled lazily when his sharp ears picked up the tune drifting across the meadow. It was a lovely melody, yes. One that called to him, somehow.

He sat up from his resting place, folding his legs out in front of him to watch Fado play.

Funny. He'd never seen someone else wearing a green hat like his. Orville had always said it was foolish-looking!

Fado's expression brightened a little in acknowledgement when Link turned to look at him, and he continued playing on his violin until he finished the current refrain. When the melody slowly petered off, he lowered the violin and bow into his lap, and bowed his head slightly to the Hero.

"I hope I did not disturb you; it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Not at all!" Link rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin in his hands.

"It has been a long time since I have heard music. My name is Link." He smiled at Fado brightly. Yes, it had truly been a very long time since he had heard anything so lovely. It was welcome. There was a certain power in those notes, he could tell.

"In my age music takes an undefinable importance; I cannot even imagine life without it," He says, a tad of an almost nostalgic tone to his voice.

"My name is Fado, of the Kokiri Tribe."

"It is a far less pleasant life, I will tell you." Nobody came to play music for a prisoner.

"I have never heard of the Kokiri Tribe." Link was still under the assumption that everybody trapped in this place was from essentially the same world, merely different times. There were enough Hylians running about that it was believable!

"The Kokiri Tribe are children of the forest-- we are born from the Great Deku Tree, and spend our entire lives in the forest, fostering a close bond with the trees and plants around us. Often times it is only us who can navigate our way through certain parts of the foliage, and our people have a fondness for mischief and trickery." Oh boy you've gotten him started-- though even though it sounds like an excerpt from some kind of nature book, he's speaking with a familiar fondness.

"Legend once held that leaving the forest would leave to our deaths, but I have left many times in my duties to the King."

"I see..." Link tipped his head, small smile still on his face.

"What was your duty to the king?" Fado hardly looked like any knight Link had ever seen. He was so small! Perhaps he was a royal musician?

"I was the Wind Sage--" He said with a bit more of a formal tone, gesturing upwards with the bow of his violin as if motioning to the wind itself.

"It was through the winds and the music that I communed with the goddesses. Along with the Earth Sage, it was my duty to safeguard the power of the Master Sword, so that our kingdom may always remain prosperous."

"Interesting..." Link tipped his head, a look of wonderment in his eyes.

"So the royal family maintained guardianship over the Sword?" That was good news. "I was the first human to wield it," he added by means of explanation, nodded toward the blade currently sitting on the grass next to him.

"Ah-- I thought you were something special, indeed!" There'd be a twinkle in his eye now doubt, if he ever opened them.

"The Hero to precede even the others--" He bowed his head again, though deeper and with even more respect this time, "--it's truly an honor.

"Ah, but yes, the Sword has long remained in the keep of the Royal Family, until the next Hero to stand comes to wield it."

Link smiled mildly, trying to maintain modesty. It came naturally to him... usually. But he was the first in a destined line of heroes. He bowed his head in return. A boy though he may have been, Fado was a servant and Sage to the Royal Family.

"It hardly seems real... All of these stories I am being told, all eons apart from one another."

Yet, in one way or another, he was always there.

"And yet in a way, it is all the same story; a Hero, a member of Royalty, a villain, and another story. It is the details that are the most enchanting part."

Again, there's a hint of fond nostalgia to his voice as her speaks. "One story, made of many, and spanning centuries throughout time. I'm sure many of them are not unlike your own."

"Yes, that seems to be the common theme, the more I think on it. Tell me..." He tipped his head with a slight smirk.

"Do I always wear green? And this sort of hat?" It would be quite funny if he did. He had caught a lot of flack for that hat.

Quite funny indeed, because Fado thought the idea was quite humorous, and let out a cheerful laugh.

"Yes, most depictions that I know of bear a Hero in green and a charming hat. It is not so bad; in my time, my entire tribe wears the very same sort of attire."

"Truly?" Link could not help but laugh at that. If only Orville were here to hear this! There was a pang in the first hero's chest as he thought of his dearest friend, but he forced it down. Orville's life in Skyloft had been a good one. Of that, he was convinced.

"I appreciate the confirmation. It is certainly a nice boost to my ego."

"I certainly would not lie to you." The 'you of all people' is sort of implied, because really what kind of Sage would he be if he lied to a Hero!

Though at the last comment, Fado couldn't resist a touch of a snicker. "It is the sort of thing I suppose many people outside the forest might find silly, but I think it is charming, myself."

And let's be real, he was damn fond of his own little green hat.

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