Chapter Text
A gentle cold breeze carries along the sound of a child's humming. Golden wheat locks that resemble the bright sunshine pouring between white fluffy clouds dotting a blue sky are fluttering wildly about. Shining cerulean eyes squint in concentration as they stare down at the parchment laid upon the paved surface of a road that's been cleared of snow. Small but deft fingers from within fitted gloves move with precision as the image of what appears to be a dog gradually begins to take shape. A young boy is on his stomach, wearing a simple emerald green tunic over a pair of dark brown wool pants. Over his tunic is a thick coat made of cotton. The model of the drawing, a Hylian Retriever, tilts their head while sticking a tongue out, panting softly. Their ears perk up at the sound of approaching footsteps and move up from their previous pose of laying down to greet the newcomer.
"Hey, I wasn't done yet!" the child protests with widened eyes, pausing his hands. Seeing the dog scamper away, he pouts and turns back to his paper. The tips of elongated ears twitch in surprise when a hand settles upon his hair. Peeking up, his eyes meet with orbs full of mirth. Immediately his mood recovers and he shows a toothy grin. "Mom!"
"Rau, what are you doing on the ground?" you question with a chuckle, helping the child back to his feet. He barely reaches your navel in terms of height. You brush off the snow and dirt from his clothes with practiced ease. "I told you to stop doing that. Do I need to give you another bath?"
At the mention of what he could only describe as 'water torture', Rau makes a face showcasing his unwillingness. "No."
You smile at his reaction and kneel down to retrieve the drawing. Marveling at the usage of colors, you can't help but allow the pride to slip through your voice, "Rau, this looks incredible! You just keep getting better and better!"
Rau can't help but blush at the upfront praise, folding his arms behind his waist while digging the tip of his light brown shoes into the ground. "Mom, you're too loud," he mutters under his breath as he looks over to the side of the road.
Laughing at your boy's embarrassed expression, you crouch down to be eye-level with him. The black cloak hanging around your shoulders sweeps against the snow covered earth while the hood is pulled back to reveal a braid that disappears under the fabric. A brown rucksack is strapped over both shoulders, settling above where a steel spear is secured horizontally against your lower backside. Your attire consists of a leather cuirass strapped over a simple white dress shirt with bishop sleeves. A belt secures a pair of beige wool pants above your hips. Your boots made of cow hide reaches just below your knees, laced tightly with black strings. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, you notice Rau's disheveled appearance and sigh. Your fingerless copper colored gloves reach inside your cloak. From a hidden inside pocket, you take out a wooden comb and began to straighten out your son's unruly locks. "Did you lose your tie again, Rau?"
"Took it off."
"Why do you keep taking it off?"
Rau's face turns serious as he gazes into your questioning eyes. "So that I can be one with nature."
"Uh huh." Unconvinced, you put back the comb and hold out a hand with an expectant look. "And the real reason?"
"...It got loose and I didn't know how to tie it back on." Rau holds out a sky blue ribbon to you after retrieving it from the pouch that sits near his former spot on the ground. "I like the way you tie it more, Mom."
Your lips curl into a smirk. "Is that just another way of saying you want me to tie it all the time?"
Rau smiles in response before spinning around and motioning to his hair that's become noticeably neater. "Where are we going next, Mom?"
"I was thinking about stopping by Castle Town to stock up on supplies," you answer while smoothing out the boy's hair with both hands. After bunching the strands that reach a little past his shoulders, you fasten the string around the pinched section. After making sure that it's securely tied on, you stand up with a satisfied nod. "That looks much better."
"What are we getting?" Rau asks as he happily shakes his new ponytail with his right hand. He always enjoyed playing with his hair even though it often led to it becoming undone.
You grab the miscreant's hand and shake your head. "I just tied that for you." Sighing, you gently tug the ponytail's locks in two opposite directions to tighten the style. "Did you forget that it's almost your seventh birthday?"
"Will there be cake?"
"A small cake."
"Still a cake!" Rau bounces up and down after turning back to face his mother. "Cake! Cake! Cake!" He hops between each call for the sugary treat.
You press the palm of your hand down against your son's skull to keep him still. "Go grab your stuff, Rau. Woodland Stable is pretty far so we'll be heading out soon."
Not needing to be told twice, Rau excitedly begins to stuff the stack of crayons laid out in the grass back into a small wooden box that was left open. The matching lid is secured to the base with two clasp fasteners on either side. He then proceeds to slide the container into his rucksack's front most pouch for easy access. He pulls out a forest green hooded cloak from the main compartment and ties the strings to tighten the fabric. However, in his haste, he exerted too much strength and the once comfortably large hole keeping his face in view scrunches up. Rau panics at the sudden loss of vision and flails his hands around, trying to find purchase on the strings he previously let go of in his surprise.
Stifling another bout of laughter from escaping, you settle for a wry smile instead as you save your son from his own self-inflicted peril. "There's no need to rush. I'll be renting out a horse, so it'll go by a little faster." Loosening the loops Rau made, you flash a smile at his flustered face as it's exposed to the outside world. "Is there anywhere you'd like to stop by for a gift?"
At the mention of a present, Rau pauses with a contemplative expression. "Can it be anything?" he slowly asks while twiddling with his thumbs. Rau's abnormally subdued behavior causes you to frown. He hurriedly tries to remedy the situation, "I-It's because I already know what I want for my birthday!"
"Of course it can be anything. Within reason."
"I know you said I should wait until I'm older, but—"
Now aware of what your son is about to request, you hold up a hand with a shake of your head. "No, Rau. I'm not getting you a real sword."
Frustrated, Rau bunches his hands into tight fists as he stare up at you defiantly. "But Mom, I've been getting really good with the sword! You even told me so!"
Casting a quick glance at the wooden practice sword strapped to the side of his pack, you feel a pang of guilt ring inside your chest. Standing up to your full height, you unfasten the strap securing the spear behind you and stab the pole side into the ground to showcase its durability. It easily digs into the earth by a few inches. "Rau, there's a huge difference between a sword made out of wood and a sword made out of steel." You indicate towards the weapon that's almost twice as tall as your son. "You wouldn't even be able to hold it properly."
"You don't know that!"
"I do."
"Then how come Dad got to have a real one when he was 8?!" Upon realizing what's slipped from his mouth, Rau covers his parted lips with wide eyes. He meekly peeks up to gauge your reaction and instantly regrets everything he had just said.
The pain is evident in your eyes that have narrowed in your effort to not allow a single tear to form. Pursing your lips into a grimace, you stare down at your son with a forlorn look.
Your beloved Rau was always curious about his father. He had constantly pestered you to hear stories about him after learning about family roles from the Koroks when he was younger. As you couldn't see or hear these forest spirits, you had no idea how much information was relayed to him. But it was apparent that at least one of them led to Rau's discovery of what parents are. Nights were usually spent retelling tales of what you remember witnessing, usually citing from your shared childhood memories concerning his father. As Rau got older, he also became more perceptive. Perhaps because he had to venture out into the wild from a young age and hone his vigilance. After noticing the distant expression on your face when asking about the whereabouts of his father, Rau stopped even mentioning him altogether. You felt slightly disgusted with yourself for feeling slightly relieved when Rau claimed he didn't care about a father that wasn't around. It was a bold faced lie that you pretended to believe.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!" With tears welling in his electric blue eyes, Rau approaches your listless form and grasps the handle of your spear that's begun to vibrate with tremors with both of his hands. "I don't need a sword! I don't even need a present!"
Ah, what a helpless mother you were.
Staring down at your son who was about only a few seconds away from outright sobbing, you couldn't help but think that about yourself. This was not the life you envisioned for him, even if he wasn't an expected part of your life. To ever call him a mistake was impossible. You were at what was more or less the lowest point of your life. Rau became the only source of light for your darker days. Everything in the universe felt right the moment his tiny digits curled around your pinky; barely covering even half of the finger. All the pain and heartbreak no longer boggled you down. You would do anything to protect Rau's smile.
And yet it seemed as though you were the one causing it to disappear.
Crouching down, you release your spear in order to wrap your arms around Rau's smaller frame. "Rau, my baby," you coo tenderly as you cradle his head into your chest. Feeling a damp sensation, you pull back slightly to see that Rau had begun hiccupping while tears streamed down his reddened cheeks. A broken chuckle resounds from your lips as your own eyes began to sting. Your hands trail over to the sides of his face, thumbs swiping away the clear droplets. "I know you've been always wondering about your father, but I pretended to be ignorant to those feelings. I'm sorry, my little fairy."
Shaking his head, Rau smiles as your warmth emanates from the palm of your hands. "Mom, you would usually look really happy when you told me stories about Dad when he was younger, so I thought it was fun for both of us. But then when I'd ask about where he is, you wouldn't tell me and look really, really sad."
"Rau, about your father—"
"It's fine," Rau states, effectively cutting you off. "Mom's with me and that's all I need!" His smile widens into a shaky grin as he closes his eyes into crescents.
Your breath hitches in your throat at your son's proclamation. While he probably wasn't actually 'fine', the second half his statement seems to be the truth. Remembering the start of this exchange, you smirk while pinching his damp cheeks. "Oh? What about the cake?"
Gasping, Rau's eyes pop back open. "Cake too!"
"Are you sure? I thought Mom was all you needed."
"Mom comes with cakes!"
"Do you like Mom or cakes more?"
Rau hesitates for a brief moment. "I do like cakes..."
"Mhm?"
"But I love my Mom! So Mom wins this time!"
Laughing at your son's boasting, you pull him into a tight hug and easily lift him up. He wraps his arms around your neck to keep steady and giggles at his newfound height. "Mom loves you too, Rau." You nuzzle your nose against his affectionately, leading to more giggles from his side. Balancing your son with one arm secured around his legs and under his bottom, you reach over to your spear with your left hand to yank it out. "Do you want to try cutting the cake this time?"
"Yeah!"
You point towards the distant Hyrule Castle with your spear. "When we get to town, I'll make you the best cake you've ever had."
"Really?" Rau's expression is one of great expectancy as he fails to imagine what kind of cake that'd even be. "But how can it get even better if it's already the best?" he questions innocently.
His sweet words make you smile. "Because we'll be able to eat in Castle Town."
Rau's mouth falls open. "We're not going to go to another stable to celebrate my birthday? I thought we couldn't go to town because it's always busy."
"It might be a little packed because of the festival, but I can try to pull a few strings."
"I'll actually be able to go to the Festival of Lights?!"
"Is that a good replacement present for the sword?"
Rau nods enthusiastically before hugging you. "The best present ever!"
You kiss the top of his head. "You're Mom's best present, so this is the least I can do."
"I love you Mom." With an exhausted smile, Rau cuddles into the crook of your neck.
"I love you too, Rau." Swaying your son gently, you notice him growing more and more lax as he leans his weight against you. He falls asleep in a matter of seconds. Probably because of his earlier outburst, he had suddenly grown incredibly tired. With a quiet sigh, you stare out into the distance, your eyes tracing the intimidatingly massive towering structure that is Hyrule Castle. It stands ever so proudly as if there was nothing that could cause it to crumble.
As though the third Great Calamity never transpired.
It really felt like a dream standing here amidst a snowy landscape. After stopping by the Rito Village to purchase more winter gear, you decided to swing by Woodland Stable to rent out a horse due to the increase in snowfall. While it stopped by the time morning rolled in, you didn't want to take the chance of underestimating the weather only to be locked down in the middle of the road at night.
The warmth of the morning sunlight was like a gentle kiss against your skin.
It reminds you of him.
Cobblestone makes up the rigid structure of one of the multitude of offices making up the second floor of Hyrule Castle. The one thing distincting this room from the others is one lone man seated upon a desk with a face so expressionless it rivaled that of a stone itself. His long golden wheat locks are tied into a neat ponytail while slightly shorter strands frame his unquestionably attractive visage. He was focused on one of the many documents lined atop the wooden surface; all are arranged into stacks of varying heights. There were traces of boyish charm if one looked hard enough into his bright teal irises, but they're hidden beneath the darker shade of cynicism that's become more prominent over the years. The tell tale signs of being overworked appear as dark circles marking beneath his eyes. There's a knock at the door of his office, causing him to immediately sit up more straight in his chair.
"Sir, the Queen is requesting for your presence in her study," a voice calls out from the other side. After a few moments, the messenger's footsteps can be heard walking down the hallway.
The man resists the urge to sigh and instead moves to open the upper right drawer of his desk. A folded piece of once pristinely white paper is now slightly yellowed from both time and his constant touch. After staring down at it for a few more moments, he decides against whatever he initially planned on doing and closes the compartment shut. Dressed in a beige tunic with sleeves reaching his wrists, he stands up with a determined glint in his eyes. His sable trousers extend down into a pair of bronze leather boots that covers two thirds of his calves. A scabbard comes into his field of vision as he lifts it from its place resting at the foot of the table. The meticulously hand-crafted item weighs a considerable amount, but that was to be expected as it was made to sheathe none other than the Master Sword. The very blade that led Hyrule into its current state of peace about ten years ago. Ten years. His 28th birthday should be coming up, but he found himself unable to muster up even the tiniest amount of care for such an event. Currently, there was no one aside from perhaps Queen Zelda and the other Champions that would genuinely celebrate it, and all aforementioned figures were swamped with duties far exceedingly more important. While they do care for their mostly silent companion, they had responsibilities that took precedence.
And he chased away the only person that would still celebrate his birthday no matter the circumstances.
"You'll never believe how the cake came out this time! I think I must have been some kind of master baker in my last life!" a woman bragged with a confident smirk as she stood before him. Her expression wavered at his titter. She glared at him with hands landing on her hips. "You don't believe me, do you?"
"I do," he responded with a tender smile.
"Hmph." Pretending to not believe his words, she turned away with crossed arms. "I won't make one for you next year."
Knowing she didn't mean that, he still feigned a heartbroken look as he approached her from behind. Wrapping his arms around her smaller frame, he brushed his lips against the crook of her neck and whispered, "Don't say that. Your cakes are the only reason I look forward to my birthdays."
Now with reddened cheeks, the woman glanced at him and complained, "You know I always give in whenever you talk like that. So unfair."
He chuckled before nuzzling closer into her warmth, his eyes closing as he savored her familiar scent. "I thought you gave in because you loved me?"
"Well, I guess there's also that." Pouting, she questioned him, "Why did you snicker at me earlier?"
"You were being so cute. I couldn't help myself."
She reached over to swat the back of his head. "Silver tongued as always!"
His laughter rang out in the cramped office as he gently twirled her around to face himself, holding up her left hand with his as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Pressing his forehead against hers, he grinned charmingly as his twinkling eyes bore into hers. He settled into a slow rhythm of rocking her to and fro, dancing to a song only he could hear. She easily follows the flow, allowing him to take control and just enjoying his soothing hums as she also starts to smile. The love in her eyes was apparent and he knew without a doubt that she could see the love in his as well.
Empty blue eyes are reflected against the metallic surface of his scabbard by the time he returns to reality. Shutting them, he finally gives into his earlier desire and releases a heavy sigh while slouching against the back of his wooden chair.
"Happy birthday! Thank you for being born. I love you so much—"
He could still hear her voice.
"—Link."
Link, the Hero of Hyrule, sits alone in a cold office devoid of any semblance of happiness.