Chapter Text
PAIN. PAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN-CAN'T BREATHE. He-they-she. She? She. She couldn't breathe. She felt. She felt pain. Why? Breathe, can't breathe, why? Pain, no, pressure. Pressure caving in her lungs. What are caves? What are lungs? Oh, she remembers, now. Pain. How to stop it? It will never stop. Her hands, hands? Hands and fingers and there. What is this? She doesn't know. She rips it off of her and breathes. She looks down. White...cloth? No. This is other. Else. Bandages. For wounds. What are wounds? No, she remembers that, now. Wrapped around her chest so tight she couldn't breathe. Why? ...She doesn't remember that one. Move on. Look. Where? Cave. A cave. This is a cave. She doesn't know how she got into the cave. She doesn't know why she was wrapped up. She is sitting in a...basin. Basin? Close enough word. She doesn't know why. She doesn't remember. She is. She is she. But she is more. Who? She is-
"Link." A voice. Who. "Link, that is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber."
The voice is gone and there are sounds. She-Link? She is Link? Yes. Link sounds right. She. Link. Link looks. There, across from her, is a pedestal? Pedestal, yes. Correct word. She has a burning feeling about the word. What is a bur-NO. She remembers burn. She knows. She doesn't like the word, 'pedestal' at all. Link moves. Up and out of the basin. She walks. She feels like that should be harder to do. She walks to the pedestal. She reaches out her arm and she takes the...Sheikah Slate. What is Sheikah? She can't remember this. What should she do? Link brings the Slate closer. She startles as it makes noise and glows. She doesn't know this. What is this? Link looks up when she hears a new noise. The wall. No. The door. The door moves away. She has nowhere to go. She doesn't know what to do. Link moves to the next room. There are objects here. Boxes? Yes, no. Boxes and...chests. She remembers chests. They hold things. She opens them. There are clothes. The pants fit, mostly. The shirt is tight. Why-? Is this why she was wrapped up? No. That doesn't sound right. She doesn't know what is true, however. She looks back at the basin. Link walks back, takes the bandages, and carefully wraps them around her chest. Loosely. She needs to breathe. But the shirt won't fit and she feels like something needs be worn. She ties the bandages. Bunny ears. Why are they called bunny ears? She doesn't remember and that one hurts her heart. Link rips the shirt. It needs to fit. She makes it bigger. The shirt rests on her collar. The bandages cover her chest. This will be fine. She looks up. There is another pedestal in the next room. She moves.
"Link. Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way." The voice speaks, again.
Link doesn't know what else to do. She follows the voice. She has no choice. She burns at this, again. She now knows she doesn't like that. The door moves away, again. It is different than before, though. Link has to look away. It is bright. Too bright. The air is different, now. It comes in from beyond the door. It smells...different. She can't remember what it is.
Then, the voice again. Not from outside. It is in her mind. "Link, you are the light. Our light. That must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go."
Link looks outward. She knows that word. Hyrule. It is...here. This place. It is called Hyrule. She knows this. Why has she forgotten things? How has she forgotten things? She is...confused. Link moves forward. She will leave the cave. She...wants to know. She wants to understand. Who is she? What is happening? Why does she hear a strange voice in her mind? Where is the voice? Link doesn't know. Link wants to know. She reaches a part of the stairs that have broken. She can climb this. She knows this, but doesn't know how she knows. She climbs. It's easier than she thought. Like walking was. She steps out and. She knows these things. Words for these. Grass, trees, flowers, stone, sky, and more and more and more. She knows these things. She doesn't know how. Link looks out over the cliff.
It is...everything. This is Hyrule? This is Hyrule. There is bright and color and sound and. It is beautiful. She knows this word fits. The land is beautiful. Link turns to her right. She sees a person. Someone else is here. Will they help her? Do they know her? She starts to move towards them, but is stopped by the sound of a crack. She looks down. A branch. She had stepped on it. Link crouches to pick it up. She wants to feel the leaves. They look soft. She looks around and sees more. Bright red hanging from a tree. Apple. Link moves towards the apple and-where is the branch? She looks at her hand. There is no more branch. There is only the Slate at her hip. She takes the Slate and gasps. There is a picture of her branch. Link taps at it, confused, and drops the Slate as blue lights appear in the air. The branch falls to the ground with the Slate. The branch was inside of the Slate? How? She picks up the Slate and branch. Link wonders if...she holds the branch to the Slate. There is blue and it is gone. Link wonders...stops.
Link looks back. Down the hill. She looks at the person. The person does not move. She looks at the Slate. It is...she is...word. She knows this word. Interest. Interesting. The Slate is interesting. The person is not. Link decides. The person can wait. She turns. She goes up to the tree and picks the apple. She holds the apple to the slate and...blue. It worked. A sound leaves Link's mouth. The word for this. She giggled. Link looks around and sees other things. The Slate will not hold many objects, but it holds more branches and apples and mushrooms. Link giggles again. How strange of an object the Slate is. Oh! Link startles as she remembers something. The stranger. She wants to speak with the stranger. Link hangs the Slate by her hip, again, and she walks down to the person.
The person has a hood, Link can't see much of them, and she is...strange. She feels strange. What is this word? Nervous. Link folds her arms in front of her. It doesn't help. She wished it did. Link walks to the person. She feels more than nervous, now. What is this feeling? She does not remember this one. She knows the feeling, but she doesn't remember the word. Why? She can't remember that, either.
The person nods and greets Link as she stops near the fire. "Hello there, young man. You don't see many people up on this plateau, these days. What brings you to this lonely place?" The person- the man says.
Link feels confused. She remembers her arms are crossed in front of her, is this why the man is mistaken? She unfolds her arms and drops them to her sides. Link takes a deep breath and, for the first time that she can remember, she speaks. This is also easier than she thinks it should be. “I...am not...a man. I am...a woman. A girl. I am...she. Who are you?" The words feel strange in her mouth. She hopes she had spoken correctly.
The man's face looks strange for a moment. She doesn't have enough time to try to understand what the strange means before it goes away. "Ah, I see. My mistake, then. As for who I am, I shall spare you my life story. I fear it would be a rather dull story of an old man. Though, I'm afraid I must ask again, what brings you here? I haven't seen another soul in quite some time."
"I come from here." Link tells him. She thinks for a moment, trying to find the words. "I woke up. There, in the cave. Where is here? What is...this? All of this? I don't understand."
"Hm, a cave, you say? How intriguing. Well, then. You should know that you stand upon the Great Plateau. Legend says this is the birthplace of the kingdom of Hyrule. In fact..." The old man stands and turns to gesture behind him. "That old temple you see, there? It was once the site of many sacred ceremonies. This place has quite the history attached to it. Unfortunately, since the decline of the kingdom 100 years ago, the temple has been left abandoned. Now, as for your other question. I'm afraid I do not understand what it is you wish to know. If it has to do with your apparent awakening in a cave, I'm afraid I cannot help you, there."
Link feels her face move. A frown. She frowns. She will have to find answers away from the man. Maybe that temple? "I will leave, then. I will look for my answer. I...thank you. For telling me things."
The man gave a strained sounding not giggle. A chuckle. "No thanks necessary. I will be here on this plateau for some time. If you have need of me, feel free to ask me anything."
Link nods and walks away. She hopes the temple will-
"Link. Link." The voice, again. Always the voice. "Head for the point marked on the map of your Sheikah Slate."
Link frowns and looks at the Slate. The moving circle is not near the temple. She will look at the temple, first. The voice. It comes and it goes. It does not stay to help her. She will do what it tells her to do later. Link takes her stick back out of the slate. She giggles at the strange ability. Her thoughts are easier, now. She's glad. Many things are easier, now. She's learning more and she feels like she likes this. Link likes learning. She knows this about herself. She knows something about herself. Link's face moves at this thought. She smiles. Link moves towards the temple.
Link walks down the path. It looks like she could follow it back up towards the temple. She wonders if the temple would even have answers. Would it have-no. No people. The man said there was no one on the plateau. But the man made her feel...wrong, scared, hate, disgust strange. Would the man lie? Why did she feel the weird feeling? What was the feeling? She couldn't remember the words for it. What- plhoomp. Link fell back and a strangled gasp left her mouth. Shiny, slimy, blue, why did it have eyes...? Chuchu. Chuchu? What was...a monster. She feels annoyed when looking at it. She must not like Chuchus. Link stands back up. How does she make it go away? Link looks at the stick in her hand and back up-she jerks. Link swings the branch up as the Chuchu jumps at her, knocking it back. It's not gone. Why did it not work? Link swings again. Her branch shatters. The Chuchu explodes into little balls. She stares. She. Killed. She knows this word. She is...the word makes her feel strange. But she knows this. She killed the monster. Is this...good? She doesn't know. It's gone, she's safe. This, she knows, is good. She walks around the Chuchu bits. She picks up another stick. She moves on.
Link...is unsure. Maybe she shouldn't go to the temple. Are there more monsters? She only has one stick. She can't remember right. But. She thinks other monsters are stronger than Chuchus. That sounds right. Link pauses and looks towards the temple. She thinks she sees more things. Different than Chuchus. And. Huh. There is water. She...does she remember? She remembers...safe, family, kindness, warmth. She is sure water means good things. And fish! She remembers fish. She. She remembers fish. Link turns away from the water. She can't remember anything else. It feels important. But why? why can't she remember? why can't she do this? she can't remember. Link. She thinks she should walk away from the water, now. She continues to the temple. Away from the water. Towards the new monsters.
Link grips her stick in her hand and frowns. She looks at the strange creatures walking around the stairs to the temple. Small, red, what do they look like? Pigs. Does she remember pigs? No. Yes. She knows pigs. She can't picture them. Strange. The monsters look like pigs. This is fact. She doesn't remember what pigs look like. Also fact. Link's mind confuses her. She shakes her head. Focus. The monsters are bokoblins. Red ones. This means...weak ones. And she has a stick. Hm. Link looks past the bokoblins, getting a better look at the temple. There. All around it. There are... dread, fear, I'm going to die, burningburningburningMAKEITSTOP! Link gasps in her breaths. Bad. Those creatures are bad. Worse. They are death. Burning. They are...she refuses to go near them. She turns. She moves away. Away away away. Get away. She needs to get away. Link grabs the slate. Again and again. She can't hold it. Her fingers, hands, body are shaking. She can't stop shaking. She looks at her new forward. Bokoblins. No more death in front of her. This is better. She's still shaking. It's still better. She holds onto the slate tighter. She picks it up. She looks at it, the circle is forward. Towards the bokoblins, away from the bad. Good. She puts the slate away and walks towards the bokoblins.
Link ducks down into a bush once she gets a little closer. That bokoblin. It has a different object. She knows this one. A bow. She feels...longing. She wants the bow. Link looks at the stick in her hand. If she had a stick thrown at her, she'd probably drop what she was holding. She needs to be closer. She needs to be fast. She doesn't remember if she should be fast. But she wants that bow. She wants. And that is that.
She runs towards the bokoblin, then she moves. Link throws herself to the side as the monster squeals and shoots at her. She's up. And close, now. It's still getting a new arrow. She throws her stick and it shatters against the monster's face. It drops the bow. Link runs, she grabs the weapon, she has no arrows. She runs away and-there! The arrow that missed her. She pulls it from the ground and spins and she remembers how to stand, how to aim, must be perfect, hit the mark she shoots the arrow. It hits the bokoblin and it disappears into smoke. How did she remember? How did she do that? Her body remembered how to pull the bow back. How...strange. She has no words for this. Yet. The monster had dropped the arrows it held. She busied herself in picking them up. Perhaps the slate? Yes. The slate will hold the arrows.
She has a bow, now. Now...what? To the circle on the slate. Nowhere else to go. Link continues on. It's not far, she's glad for this. Or not...that bokoblin up ahead. It has a sword. And a shield. The shield. She knows that will be a problem. But she has a bow, now. And arrows. Maybe, if she times the shot...she will try to shoot at a distance. She breathes. She holds steady. Steady is good, it's necessary. She is at a distance, which means she must aim higher. Not too much. Just a bit. Above the head of the monster. Breathe in...breathe out. Shoot. She sees the monster go flying. It dropped it's sword and shield. Link runs, getting another arrow. The bokoblin was standing back up. She was too far away to grab the weapon...she brings the bow back up. She's running, not steady. Imperfect shot Any shot will work. She hits the monster again. It's down. Smoke. Link stops running and breathes.
That was close. Too close. She needed to think things through. Needed to think. It's easier, but still. Link didn't know a lot of things. She will have to learn quickly. She picks up the sword and shield. They're hers, now. And. There. Her destination. Another pedestal. She supposes the slate will go into that. Link walks up to the pedestal, she looks, and yes. This is like the other pedestals. Here, at least, she knows what to do. She places the slate into the...what is this called? Divot? Good enough. Into the divot. And it chimes.
"Sheikah Tower activated. Please watch for falling rocks."
What?
...
A pause.
...
And then the world moves.