Chapter Text
“It came like a postcard. Picture perfect, shiny family; holiday, peppermint candy. But for him it's every day. So I peered through a window, a deep portal, time travel, all the love we unravel; and the life I gave away. 'Cause he was sunshine, I was midnight rain. He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name, chasing that fame. He stayed the same. All of me changed like midnight.” - Midnight Rain, Taylor Swift
Link had no idea what to make of this Rito bard. Kass was impeccably polite, friendly in a distant sort of way, and he told Link, Sidon, Bazz and Rivan all about his tutor.
Harper, a Sheikah bard and poet. Harper, who worked in the castle, who lived among the royal court. Harper, who was in love with Zelda.
He wished to see Link. He’d sent Kass to find him.
Kass offered Link a notebook belonging to Harper. It gave the locations of hidden shrines and songs which held clues to unlock them.
Link and the Brigade were heading for Goron City, their sights on Vah Rudania, but one look at the earnest smile on Kass’s face and the hope in his eyes had Link promising to meet with Kass at Woodland Stable in the coming days, and accompany Kass to Rito Village. It was their next stop after Goron City anyway.
Kass felt a rush of relief when, from the safety of Woodland Stable, he saw Vah Rudania take aim at Hyrule Castle, the Divine Beast shining blue for the first time in a century, just as his dear teacher always said it should.
Prince Link and his friends were successful. Now all Kass could do was wait and hope they showed up as promised.
The very next day, they did. Kass, singing to a small audience of travellers and stable employees, saw the giant red Zora, Prince Sidon, and Knight Rivan make their way down the stony track. A few minutes later, Prince Link and Captain Bazz followed. The young Prince was holding the mysterious Sheikah slate, peering closely at something on its screen.
“We need to go to the Domain first,” Prince Sidon told Kass. “My sister- we believe we can speak with her spirit. Daruk’s great-grandson could get close enough to Rudania to speak with Daruk, now that he is free. We hope the same may be true for my sister.”
“Their spirits?” Kass asked, astonished.
“Yes,” Prince Sidon said, and he explained their adventure thus far. It sounded like something from a myth, Kass thought. An amnesic prince, wandering home and finding his brother-in-law on the way. A fight with a shard of Ganon himself. The trapped ghost of Princess Mipha…
And now the ghost of the Great Daruk, another fight against what Prince Link called a Blight, and a Champion descendant jumping into the fray.
“You may come with us,” Prince Sidon said. Kass smiled at him, feeling another wave of relief. It would be good to stay with them, to know what was happening, and bring them to Harper himself. It was much better than waiting around, or returning to Rito Village alone.
Kass’s dearest wish was to escort Prince Link to Harper himself, so that his teacher’s dream would finally be fulfilled.
He did not expect to witness history. He did not expect Prince Link’s eyes to suddenly take on a golden gleam as he turned north, his head tilted as if he was listening for something.
“I think I know where Fi is,” he said, his voice turned dazed and distant. Kass had no idea who Fi was, but the Zora all seemed eager.
“You’re sure?” Prince Sidon asked.
“Can’t you hear that?” Prince Link asked him. The gold in his eyes began to shine brighter and there was a flicker of golden light on the back of his hand. “Someone’s playing an ocarina.”
And so Kass joined the Zora as they followed Prince Link up the hill, following the dirt path north, walking faster and faster to the Great Hyrule Forest, blanketed in permanent fog. They came upon a strange entrance; shattered pillars, crumbling walls, and an archway covered in patches of moss. Sconces shaped like flowers and leaves clung to the archway and, despite the harsh breeze, the flames inside them did not even flicker. Blue nightshade glowed among the overgrown grass.
Prince Link, his eyes glowing in earnest now, all but jumped into the fog. Kass, disoriented, hurried after him.
“Oh!” Prince Sidon cried, eyes wide. He turned in a circle, looking around frantically. “I hear something!”
Kass did not. Nor, it seemed, did Bazz or Rivan. They looked as confused as Kass felt.
“There,” Prince Link said, darting ahead and turning left.
Captain Bazz stumbled. “I hear it,” he gasped. “But it’s…It’s everywhere…” He looked more confused than ever.
Faintly, Kass could hear something. Someone was playing a song, somehow familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Indeed, it sounded like it was coming from all directions, echoing endlessly, on and on and on.
“This way,” Prince Link said, turning right.
“How can you tell?” Captain Bazz demanded. “It sounds like it’s coming from every direction.”
Prince Link shrugged, a flicker of uncertainty on his face, there and gone again in an instant.
“I just know,” he said.
The music got louder as they followed the Prince’s directions. Kass thought he heard little voices giggling. The fog was endless, swirling around them, never once thinning out. Kass struggled to see his own wing in front of his face. Rivan looked sharply over his shoulder, frowning, but Kass couldn’t see a thing.
Whether they walked for minutes or hours, Kass couldn’t say. Time felt strange, everything felt off. They could have been walking in circles for all he knew. Even if he flew up above, he’d never be able to see through the fog.
But then, finally, there was a change.
Suddenly, they came upon a clearing.
In the middle of the clearing, surrounded by bright flowers, was a tree stump. A small, childish figure sat on the stump, playing the ocarina that led them here. He looked almost like a wooden doll; they wore a straw hat, clogs, and green and brown clothing. His eyes were two dots of amber in his little wooden face and, in place of a mouth, they had a duck’s beak.
They stopped playing their ocarina. He lowered the instrument and beamed.
“You’re back!” he cried, running to Link. “You’re back, you’re back!”
“...Hi, Skull Kid,” Link said with a wobbly smile.
“Link!” Skull Kid screamed, throwing himself at Link and holding on tight. “You’re back! You’re here for the Master Sword, right?”
“By Hylia’s grace,” Kass breathed in wonder. Rivan gasped, Bazz swore softly and Prince Sidon continued to stare, mouth agape. The Master Sword? It was here? Was Kass truly about to witness the unimaginable: a Hero pulling the Sword of Evil’s Bane? Harper always said that the sword’s resting place was a deep secret, known only to the Hero and the royal family. Even the Sheikah did not know where the sword slept.
Until now.
“I am,” Link said, giving Skull Kid a one-armed hug. Skull Kid bounced back, giggling. They put the ocarina in their pocket and held their hand out.
“It’s-”
“Dangerous to go alone,” Link finished softly. Smiling, he took Skull Kid’s hand. “I remember. Can my friends come with us? I promise they’re safe.”
“Hhhhmmmm…” Skull Kid stared intensely at them all, tapping their chin thoughtfully. Their eyes practically glowed. “Okay,” he said with a sharp little nod. “I trust you, Link.”
The strange child, Skull Kid, took Prince Link’s hand and skipped through the fog, humming the song he’d been playing.
“May I ask what song that is?” Kass said.
“It’s Link’s song,” Skull Kid said with a laugh, shrugging carelessly, grinning like it should have been obvious.
Link’s song? Kass had no idea what that meant. There were many songs written about the Heroes, but Kass did not recognise the tune that Skull Kid hummed. Or did he? It felt familiar, but he couldn’t say where he may have heard it before. He knew that it wasn’t one of Harper’s songs.
The fog got thinner and thinner. Rivan was praying quietly under his breath. Kass was tempted to join in.
“Welcome to Korok Forest!” Skull Kid said and the fog parted like curtains, revealing a strange new place.
The light was strange here; almost watery, shimmering in shades of green and blue. Something glittered in the air, little golden sparks drifting around. Kass couldn’t see where they came from. The trees were all much taller than the rest of the forest. Some had faces carved into them. Bells and windchimes dangled from the branches, giving a constant stream of music. Flowers carpeted the grass, no rhyme or reason to them, a chaotic flower garden. Little voices giggled from the shadows and, the more closely Kass watched, the more he could see tiny creatures.
Korok Forest…Were these truly Koroks? The legendary children of the forest, always hiding and playing. Kass used to look for them as a child, but he never found one. And now here they were in plain sight, all of them watching, whispering and giggling. Koroks in the trees, Koroks clinging to their little leaf fans and floating in the air. Koroks peering out curiously from the bushes and flowers. Koroks standing along the path. So many Koroks that it made Kass’s head spin.
“Mr Hero!” A truly huge Korok screamed, running forward. He resembled a tree and held a pair of maracas. “You’re here! Ooh, you brought friends!”
“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” Bazz breathed.
“Then we’re having the same dream,” Rivan said, looking around in amazement. “Holy Hylia…This is…This is…”
“Welcome to Korok Forest!” The big Korok sang, much like Skull Kid, dancing in place and shaking his maracas.
“Hi, Hestu,” Prince Link said fondly.
“Shaka! Shalakala! Hello, hello! Skull Kid brought you, yay!”
“Oh, you are Hestu!” Sidon said in delight. “Link told me all about you!”
“He did? Yay! Shoko-shaka! And I smell Korok seeds! Ooh, this is going to be such a good day!”
“Hestu, dear boy,” a sleepy voice said. “Please do keep it down.”
“Oops, sorry, Grandpa!”
“Mr Deku Tree, guess what?” Skull Kid pulled Prince Link forward, down the path and into the heart of Korok Forest. “We’ve got guests!”
“Guests? Hm?” The voice became more alert. There was a deep, fond laugh. “Ah, so we do. Very special guests. Hello again, dear Link.”
Kass could only stare, wondering if perhaps he was dreaming. The voice came from a cherry blossom tree, a truly gigantic tree. It had a face. It had a smiling mouth and, though it had no eyes, two of its huge branches were placed like eyebrows, moving up and down, making the tree strangely expressive.
“Well now…” The tree’s smile widened. “You’re back. After one hundred years, I’d begun to worry I’d never see you again. Yet here you stand. Ah…That look on your face…You do not remember me, do you?”
Prince Link shook his head. The tree’s smile was sad.
“You will,” he said certainly. “Given enough time.”
More and more Koroks crept forward, all staring, all whispering and giggling more than ever. Kass heard “Mr Hero” said again and again.
“Now then, little hero…” The tree, the Great Deku Tree, chuckled. “I believe we have something here that belongs to you.”
Only a few steps away, the very centre of Korok Forest, stood a stone pedestal shaped like a triangle. Handfuls of silent princess flowers, softly glowing, surrounded the pedestal.
A sword was stuck into the pedestal. Beautifully crafted, its blade was no metal that Kass recognised. He doubted even Teba would be able to name it. The cross-guard was shaped like Hylia’s wings on so much artwork with a gold gem at its centre; the hilt was a rich shade of purple, crossed with twining bright green lines.
The Master Sword. The Blade of Evil's Bane. The sword that seals the darkness…Fi? That was what Prince Link said at the stable. That he knew where Fi was. Did the sword have another name after all?
Prince Link stepped forward. The sword’s blade began to glow, reminding Kass of moonlight.
“You are different,” the Deku Tree said solemnly. “You were a very different boy when you first came here…But I still sense greatness within you, child. Many would be killed where they stand for daring to touch the Blade of Evil’s Bane, but I do not believe she would strike you down. Not you.”
Link looked up at him. The Deku Tree smiled.
“Welcome back, little hero,” he said. “Step forward and reclaim your birthright.”
And so he did.
And so Kass stared in amazement as light burst forth from the blade and from Prince Link: white-blue and bright gold, shooting out in waves, twisting around the Hero and sword. The Prince’s eyes were bright gold, his hair danced around him in its own breeze and- there! On his hand! Was that truly the Triforce of Courage? It was so bright that it could be seen through his glove; three golden triangles, but the one representing Courage was so much brighter than the other two, outshining them with ease; the other two triangles were only faint marks, not tied to the young Prince as Courage was.
Kass watched closely, committing every detail to memory. He hardly dared to blink, so afraid of missing anything. This was history in the making, this was a legend in the making. He was witnessing something that thousands of people would give half their life-spans to see. An awakened Hero and Master Sword, the destined pair, soulbound.
The waves of light died down. Prince Link blinked, looking dazed, before he grinned. The legendary sword pulsed with light, chiming in his hand.
The Koroks began to cheer. Hestu danced and sang in place. Skull Kid, grinning broadly, sat cross-legged on the ground.
The Deku Tree smiled.
“Good,” he said. “Very good.”
Beaming, Prince Link pressed the sword’s crossguard to his forehead.
“I missed you,” he said. The sword’s light brightened.
Laughing freely, His Highness spun in a circle and light shot out from the Master Sword, striking out from around them. Bright, pure white light, light said to be given to the sword by Hylia Herself.
Kass could scarcely breathe.
When Prince Link turned to face them, eyes, sword and Triforce still glowing, Kass felt like he was looking at a force of nature. A living, breathing legend. Together, he knelt with Bazz and Rivan, their heads lowered and one fist clenched to their hearts. Prince Sidon knelt with them, but looked at Prince Link with a bright, proud grin.
He stayed in the inn at Zora’s Domain, allowing Prince Sidon and Prince Link to reunite with King Dorephan in peace. One of the inn’s owners, a Zora woman with pink scales, hummed as she prepared a bed for him and introduced herself as Kodah.
“So how’d you get pulled into all of this?” she asked cheerfully.
“I am fulfilling a promise to my teacher,” Kass told her. “Harper, the Sheikah bard.”
Kodah shrugged. “Doesn’t ring a bell,” she said. “Was he friends with Linny?”
Linny? Gracious, she truly must have been close to His Highness to use such a casual nickname.
“Well…Not really,” Kass said. He didn’t dare admit that Harper had been unkind. “But he admires His Grace’s bravery; he was at Blatchery Plain one hundred years ago, and saw…Everything. He travelled far and wide after the Calamity, and found clues to hidden shrines.”
“Ah, I see,” Kodah said. “So he wants to give those clues to Linny?”
Kass had, of course, already given His Highness the notebook, but he nodded in response.
“Yes,” he said. “And to talk to him once more.”
They spent four days in Zora’s Domain. Kass watched in awe as most of the Domain rushed to Vah Ruta, to speak with the spirit of their beloved Princess and keep her company. Kass accompanied Prince Link, Prince Sidon and Lord Muzu to Horon Lagoon and watched as Prince Link solved the riddle that Harper discovered so long ago, successfully unlocking the shrine.
After that, finally, they travelled to Rito Village. Teleporting via the Sheikah slate was uncomfortable; it made Kass feel like his insides were being squeezed. Still, it was highly fascinating.
The temperature had dropped even further since Kass left home, and the wind was worse than ever. Vah Medoh flew lower than ever before, kicking up the harsh, icy winds, and shrieking so loud that it made Kass’s head spin. Her shield flickered to life, surrounding her in red energy. Prince Link stared up at Vah Medoh, his eyes dark. Kass wondered if he could remember Master Revali.
Princess Mipha and the Great Daruk were trapped within their Beasts. Was the same true for Master Revali?
Kass did not have much more time to ponder. Rito Village was finally in sight. After one hundred years, Harper’s dearest wish was about to be fulfilled.
Rito Village was cosy- or would have been, if every shop and home wasn’t boarded up as everyone hid from Vah Medoh’s wrath and the icy tempest she brought with her.
Hold on, Revali, Link thought as Medoh shrieked again. Not much longer.
The entire village was built around the widest, tallest pillar that Link had ever seen. They climbed up and up, past various landings, homes, shops and an inn. Near the top of the village, Kass asked them to wait and he hurried inside a small hut. It looked just like every other home they’d passed, but Kass suddenly looked so nervous that Link knew the mysterious Harper must live here.
He only remembered small things about Harper: he’d fancied Zelda and kept singing love songs at her. He’d come with them to the Spring of Courage once and wouldn’t shut up until Zelda told him to. He sang a horrible song mocking Link, and Link had barely given Harper a second thought.
Harper annoyed him so long ago, but he’d mostly been annoyed on Zelda’s behalf. As he told Impa, he’d had worse than a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum. He could take whatever stupid, petty insults Harper decided to throw at him. But someone constantly bothering his best friend with unwanted advances? That wasn’t going to fly. That pissed Link off.
So he wasn’t sure what to expect from Harper now. It had been one hundred years; that was a lot of time for someone to change.
He’d hunted for shrines and clues that led to them. He’d compiled them into a notebook for Link and sent Kass to find them. That took a lot of work. Exploring Hyrule was dangerous on a good day, but so soon after the Calamity? That had to have been even worse.
Maybe Harper was braver than Link thought. It certainly sounded like he’d grown up fast.
An old man emerged slowly from the hut. He wore a Sheikah tunic, but Snowquill pants and boots. A heavy blue blanket was draped over him like a shawl. His hair, still long and snowy white, was much thinner than it had been a century ago. The old man leaned heavily on a cane, red eyes bright with joy. He bowed shakily and Kass hovered protectively by his side.
“It is wonderful to see you again, Your Grace,” the old man said. He looked Impa's age, so old and frail that Link's first instinct was to gently guide the old man back to his chair.
Link knew that smile.
“Hi, Harper,” he said quietly, and Harper's grin widened, deepening his wrinkles. Everything about him had changed, except for that beaming grin. He was so skinny and pale, his wrists looked worryingly delicate. His shoulders were stooped, his back was bent, and Link remembered that Harper used to have perfect posture, he used to move quickly and gracefully like a professional dancer.
Mind reeling, Link helped lead Harper back inside. Kass flitted about, quietly urging Sidon and Link into the empty chairs. Bazz and Rivan stood at attention on either side of the door. When Kass shut the door the hut felt smaller; even with lamps blazing, it felt dim in here. A fire blazed in the small hearth, beating back the unnatural cold.
Harper stared at Link, silently studying his face. He grinned once more, chuckling slightly to himself.
“Well,” he said. “One of us got to keep our looks at least. Kass, my boy, do sit down. You look exhausted.”
Smiling sheepishly, Kass sat on the edge of Harper’s bed.
“Kass gave me your notebook,” Link told Harper. “I found a shrine with it. Thank you.”
Harper’s eyes widened and he gave an astonished laugh. “I’ve never heard you speak before,” he said, his voice almost as quiet as Link’s own. He leaned back in his chair, rearranging the pillows, pulling his blanket tighter around himself. Apparently restless, he leaned forward again and, cautiously, awkwardly, he reached out and took Link’s hand.
“If I may ask, Highness,” he said. “Do you remember anything?”
“Not much,” Link admitted. He’d recovered more memories than he dared to hope for, but everything was still fragmented at best. A lot of the time, he couldn’t even be sure of when a memory took place. He just had to hope for something to fill in the blanks.
Harper’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you remember the Princess?” he asked, his voice shaking. “Princess Zelda?”
“Only a little bit.”
Harper looked heartbroken. It reminded him a little of Dorephan, when Link told him he’d seen Mipha’s spirit.
“After you fight Medoh…If you’d like, I could tell you a bit about her?”
Link looked at him closely, curiously. He couldn’t be sure that Harper would have much to tell him. Impa certainly ranted about her dislike of the bard even now. She’d been more angry about that mocking song than Link had been. But even Impa’s anger was nothing compared to Zelda’s cold fury about that incident; she’d never forgiven Harper for it, Link remembered that much.
So what could Harper possibly tell him?
But Harper had gone to so much effort to help him. How could Link turn him down?
He nodded, offering Harper a small smile. Harper lit up completely, beaming broadly, eyes alight with joy.
“There is a song I wish you to hear as well,” he said, patting Link’s hand. “Think of it as…an apology gift, of sorts. I hope you will accept it.”
After Medoh, after Windblight and Revali, Rito Village erupted in joy. Link saw flocks of Rito fly to Medoh’s head, all to keep Revali company. Little Tulin was beside himself with joy, especially when Revali told Tulin he was sure that Tulin would be an amazing warrior one day.
Link sought out Harper and found him sitting on a stool on one of the topmost landings, right next to the village’s Sheikah shrine. Harper watched as Link disappeared inside and, when Link emerged, he found Harper in quiet conversation with Bazz, Rivan and Sidon. Kass joined them, cradling one of his sleeping daughters.
“Link,” Harper said, a hint of relief in his voice as Link stood at his side. “I just wanted to say…I’m sorry for my dreadful attitude, first of all. I was a brat, it must be said. Worse than a brat. I had the completely wrong end of the stick- I thought you and Princess Zelda were courting, then I thought she was in love with you and you didn’t return her affections…Only to find out she’d been helping you and Princess Mipha to meet. I was so foolishly angry and jealous, and I can only apologise for the horrible things I said.”
Link nodded. He just barely remembered Harper’s nasty song and, truth be told, he had a feeling he didn’t remember all of it anyway.
Besides, he’d quickly moved on from the whole incident. It was Zelda and Impa who held onto it.
The song hadn’t angered him. Harper pushing at Zelda’s boundaries had angered him.
Harper took a deep breath. His hands shook slightly as he strummed his lute.
“If I may,” he said quietly. “Would now be a good time for the song?”
The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the village and the entire Hebra Mountain range. Medoh was aiming at Hyrule Castle and Revali was, thankfully, surrounded by visitors and well-wishers. Rito Village was at peace once more and they had time.
So Link nodded, quietly telling Harper to go ahead.
And so he did.
Even now, it must be said that Harper was skilled. His voice was still clear and strong, he still played the lute with obvious talent.
“An ancient Hero, a Calamity appears now resurrected after 10,000 years. Her appointed knight gives his life, shields her figure, and pays the price.”
Link watched the sunset and listened.
“The Princess's love for her fallen knight awakens her power, and Calamity cowers. But the knight survives! In the Shrine of Resurrection he sleeps, until from his healing dream he leaps! For fierce and deadly trials await, to regain his strength, fulfil his fate.”
He wondered if Zelda could see this.
“To become a Hero once again. To wrest the Princess from Evil's den.”
Had they underestimated Harper?
“The Hero, the Princess, hand in hand, must bring the Light back to this land.”
It seemed to him that Kass was holding his breath. Link wondered if he should clap or not. Harper looked so tired, so frail. He looked like he could collapse at any second.
“It took a long time to write,” he said quietly. He turned away from the mountains, gazing in the direction of Hyrule Castle, his eyes following Medoh’s laser. “I’d wanted to write a song for Her Highness for so long, but nothing ever seemed right. Nothing did her justice. And then, after the Calamity, I threw myself into searching for the shrines. I still tried to write, but it was like all inspiration left me…Until I thought of you. You, Link, and the Princess, and the fight ahead. Then inspiration returned. I finally finished my Champions’ Ballad and this song, writing in a sudden frenzy. I wish…I dearly wish to see peace restored. To know that Princess Zelda is free once again.”
Harper turned to him, giving him a small, hopeful smile.
“I am sorry, Your Highness,” he said. “I hope my apology is accepted?”
“It is,” Link said quietly, as he always did. His voice was always quiet. He added, “It’s a good song. I like it.”
Harper had tears in his eyes. His smile wobbled.
“Thank you,” he said. He set his lute down and took Link’s hands, squeezing tightly. “Thank you.”
The song was indeed beautiful. Harper was vastly different than he’d been one hundred years ago.
And yet his recollections of Zelda didn’t seem quite right.
“I loved her,” he said, staring up at Medoh’s laser. “Maybe I still do, deep down. I knew it would never be requited, but…Well, that didn’t stop me from falling for her.”
Kass had the indulgent smile of someone who’d heard the tale many times before. Sidon looked very curious indeed, whereas Rivan seemed a little lost. Perhaps Impa’s rant was on his mind. Bazz listened politely.
Link wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“She was so beautiful,” Harper said with a sigh. “The most beautiful girl I ever saw. I was so certain she would save us and didn’t have a clue how to let her know. She was…Oh, she was so sweet, Prince Link. Gentle. Very clever, so very clever indeed. Dedicated to her duty and people. It used to drive me mad, listening to the nasty gossip about her, hearing people call her lazy.”
Link sipped his steaming tea, gesturing for Harper to continue. The old man’s eyes shone as he smiled at Link.
“She was graceful, but what Princess isn’t, hm? I know she loved flowers. She was forever studying myths and history, searching for a way to unlock her sacred power.”
It didn’t sound right, it sounded so surface level, and Link felt guilty for even thinking it. Harper had put a lot of work into helping him, he wanted to help Zelda, and Link couldn’t shake the feeling that Harper was wrong.
Zelda wasn’t perfect. No one was. She could be rude and stubborn; she could be downright mean. Was she graceful? Yes. But Link also remembered her running through mud puddles, her hair tangled, her clothes covered in grass-stains and her boots soaked in mud as she caught restless crickets and frogs. He remembered her temper and her tears.
She studied everything, any topic she could get her hands on, but especially the ancient Sheikah technology. She carried the Sheikah slate everywhere. She took impromptu pictures, cheerfully saying, “Smile!” to Link and their friends as she snapped a picture.
They’d taken positively stupid photos at his and Mipha’s wedding. Zelda, Mipha, Revali and Link had all crowded together, pulling the silliest and ugliest faces they could for the camera.
Once, quite delirious and dizzy from lack of sleep, she’d marched into Link’s room at Hyrule Castle the second he returned from the Domain and demanded, “Would you still love me if I was a worm?” Oil stains from Guardian parts still coated her hands and there were terrible bags under her eyes. Impa, hurrying after her, had looked half-dead from worry.
“Of course,” Link had said. “I’d build you a worm terrarium. You’d still love me if I was a worm, right?”
“Obviously! You’re my best friend.”
She’d fallen asleep on Link’s bed. Impa, at Link’s urging, finally curled up on his sofa and nodded off as well. Link flopped across the end of his bed and kept an eye on them both.
He wondered what Harper would say about that.
Harper’s hands were so thin now. The bones and veins stood out, and Link found himself worrying about how long Harper’s skills would stay with him. What would the old man do when he could no longer play music? What would he do if, one day, he could no longer sing?
“She was my best friend,” Link settled for saying, and patted Harper’s shoulder. “Thank you. I hope I remember more of her soon.”
“I’m sure you will,” Harper said, smiling at him. “Of course you will.”
But do you? Link wondered. Do you remember her? Did you ever really know her? Oh, Harper…Do you still not understand?
How could you possibly love someone you never knew? How could you claim to love a girl and only see her beauty and the serene mask she put on for the court and kingdom?
The most passionate Harper sounded, the closest he got to the truth, was when he spoke of Blatchery Plain.
Link only remembered flashes. The fire, the screams, the malice. The silence when the screams stopped was somehow worse. He remembered Zelda trying to pull him up, babbling that the Fort was there, right there, come on, darling- oh, Link, please, we must- it’s going to okay, you’re going to be just fine-
Harper did not go into too much detail, but he spoke of Zelda’s power, the light encasing the field, and her orders to the Sheikah.
“It was glorious,” Harper said. “The myths didn’t do it justice. I’d never seen or felt anything like it. It was as if all our fears and pain washed away under the Goddess’s Light. I’d never seen the Princess so sure of herself, so in command of everyone around her. It was like she just…knew what to do.”
That sounded more like the Zelda that Link remembered. Determined, brave, refusing to slow down.
At the end of the day, she was just a girl. Just seventeen.
They were kids. He remembered how Urbosa used to fuss over them all.
Harper had been a kid too, hadn’t he? Only Revali’s age.
Link looked at this small, tired old man, and felt so terribly sorry for him. For the horrors he’d seen, for the monsters he’d fled. For the loss of his parents and so many friends.
Maybe Harper did not love Zelda after all, but he’d still gone through so much trouble to help Link and, in turn, to help Zelda. To help all of Hyrule.
It would be up to Zelda to forgive him or not. Link couldn’t choose for her. He wondered what she was thinking; if she was watching this, if she was listening, what did she think of the man that Harper had become?
Days later, Harper joined Kaneli, Teba, Saki, Harth and their children, Kass, Amali and their daughters as Link and the Brigade left Rito Village.
“Thank you,” Link said to Harper. “For everything. I’ll find the rest of the shrines, I promise. And I’m going to kill Ganon this time.”
Muzu once told him that he’d been a good Prince. Link hoped he could live up to that.
The sun was rising. Harper smiled at him and bowed, leaning heavily on his cane.
“You will, Highness,” he said with utmost certainty. “I believe in you.”
They weren’t friends, not really. At least, Link wasn’t sure. But that faith? That belief? It meant something. Maybe it should have been daunting to have someone look at him like that, like he could move mountains, but it wasn’t. It helped.
As Link and the Brigade left Rito Village behind, Link made up his mind.
When all of this was over, when Calamity Ganon was sealed away and Zelda was free, Link would ask her if she wished to speak to Harper again. It would be her choice this time, no court niceties forced upon her.
Link wondered what she’d choose. He wondered if Zelda had already made up her mind too.
