The Legend of Zelda: Reincarnation Reunion

by HudsonEMIYA

Summary:

One fateful day in the heavens, the white goddess Hylia gets an idea that'll allow her and her chosen hero to meet with all their various incarnations, Link and Princess Zelda. With a milk bar that crosses time and space all set up, fun-filled romantic shenanigans and even some all-new adventures shall now begin!

Chapter 1: Convergence

Notes:

Before we begin, let me preface this by stating how this fic should be classed, as I feel like it needs to be made clear right off the bat.

THIS IS NOT LINKED UNIVERSE. Nor is it the Wisdomverse, nor is it Link Between Links, nor is it any other fanmade Zelda story with a similar premise. This fic is strictly its own thing with no ties to any other fanworks that share the same idea of the Links and/or the Zeldas meeting up. To put it plainly, I would be most displeased if someone conflated this fic with Linked Universe or other fanworks.

Now that I've said my small piece, enjoy reading the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: Reincarnation Reunion!

“Link? May I borrow you for a minute?” the white goddess Hylia, feeling her bright blonde locks gracefully dancing in the air, asked as she descended upon the open grassy field within the heavens.

“Hm? Oh, lady Hylia. I would be honoured. What do you need me for?” said Link, the chosen hero of the goddess, as he took a bow out of respect for her. He had spent considerable time today standing out in the field and taking in the warm breeze of air, feeling his red cape flutter behind him in the wind.

"While our time here in the heavens has been so peaceful, I must admit- it's gotten rather boring! Every day is perfect, just like the last and just like the next! There's no surprises!"

“What do you mean? Wasn’t getting married good enough?”

Hylia began to playfully glide all around him, the perks of being a goddess allowing her to do so. “I mean, what we have going on is good, and our marriage was undeniably joyful, except I feel like it can be better.”

“I don’t understand. We have everything we ever want here. What else can there be?” Link said as he kept his focus on the lovely goddess gliding elegantly in the air, like a free-spirited being. Quite mesmerising, indeed.

“I was thinking that, perhaps, we should share our love with every other incarnation of us that came after ourselves,” Hylia responded as she grabbed a cloud, hugging it gently around her like a stuffed animal. 

Link stopped for a moment to ponder what Hylia had just said, thinking of a way to respond, but blushed slightly at the sight of his goddess wife hugging the cloud. It made his response a bit stuttery from the start as he tried to regain focus. “Y-Yes, I see. And how do you propose we share our love with our successors?”

“Tell me, Link, you know the ins and outs of Hylian culture. What’s the one kind of place everyone loves to hang out at after a long day of work?”

“Oh that’s easy. A festival.”

“Hmmmm, I’ll pass. Those are more public events and can be a bit rowdy at times.”

“Then the training grounds?”

“Another pass. I don’t have sparring in mind.”

“A milk bar, perhaps? I used to go there a lot during my lifetime. The milk they served there was unlike any other across the land.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Hylia said, sounding a lot more excited than before.

“But how does a milk bar help with your goal?”

“Well, what if I made a milk bar? One that crosses time and space, so it could be found by any of our incarnations?”

“Huh… that’s a good plan,” Link said with a confident smile forming on his face.

“Hehehe, thank you, Link!” said Hylia cheerfully as she planted a kiss on her beloved’s lips. 

Link was not ready to receive a surprise kiss from his wife at that moment. Nevertheless, he enjoyed it, and when his eyes met hers, he saw that she too was blushing, giggling softly after kissing him. The look on her face was just too cute to turn away from.

“Alright, I’ll work my magic and see how it turns out! I can’t wait to see the end result!” proclaimed Hylia, holding her hands together excitedly.

“Neither can I. I look forward to it,” replied Link. He knew that the plan his goddess hatched would go off without a hitch. “This should be fun.”

 

---

 

“Link! It’s ready!” Hylia waved, as she stood in front of a building clearly designed after a milk bar. The wood and stone architecture combined with a big sign on the roof were all too familiar.

Link strode his way towards Hylia as he took a good look at the milk bar she made. “Wow, I'm impressed. This looks a lot like the one I used to go to.”

“I'm glad you like it! I thought the name Lac Talea had a nice ring to it,” replied Hylia as she clasped her hands together. Then, she held one of her hands out to him. “Would you like to join me?”

Link glanced down at her hand before making direct eye contact once more, a warm smile spread across his lips. “Lady Hylia, how can I ever refuse?” And with that, he took her hand.

“Splendid. I think you’re going to love it here,” she responded, a warm smile having formed on her own lips. 

Together, they walked inside.

Immediately, Link felt a major whiplash of nostalgia coursing through his mind. The tables, the chairs, the shelves, the bar, everything. It was completely identical to the milk bar he went to in his lifetime.

“Oh my Goddess…” he spoke, at a total loss for words. “This takes me back…”

“I recreated every little detail I could find after going through your memories. For my chosen hero, you sure knew how to have a good time,” Hylia giggled.

“I-I don’t want to draw conclusions just yet. There is only one way to surely know if this place is exactly how it was in life. The milk.”

“I’m glad you asked. Sit down by the bar, right next to me.”

With a simple gesture, the elegant white goddess guided Link to his seat. She sat down beside him and promptly wrapped her arm around his shoulders, leaning herself onto him.

“Isn’t this romantic, Link?” Hylia said, as with a wave of her fingers, her nearby Goddess’ Harp began playing a tune by itself to set the mood.

Link took Hylia’s hand and gently planted a kiss on it. “My lady, everywhere I go with you is romantic.”

“Awwww, you’re so sweet!” She exclaimed, as a cute blush formed alongside an equally adorable smile on her face. “Now, about that milk…”

Without warning, a glass of milk appeared right in front of Link. It didn’t look like anything too special. Just a standard pint of white milk. 

“Go on, try it…” Hylia beckoned, as she moved closer to Link with an enthusiastic look to her face.

“As you wish, my love.”

Link picked up the pint and hovered it below his nose, giving it a sniff or two. So far so good, but now came the taste test. He downed the milk all in one go, and then…

His eyes shot wide open. Could it be…?

“Oh my Goddess… it… it tastes exactly how I remember it!” Link perked up instantaneously. He didn’t know how she did it, but Hylia managed to get the specific taste of the milk right down to the most miniscule of details.

“I’m glad all my hard work paid off,” Hylia said confidently and content. Then she felt herself getting swept off her seat and into a pair of arms. Link’s arms. He was carrying her in the bridal position.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Hylia! Our successors are going to love this place!” Link said with utmost joy and passion.

“Hehe, you’re welcome, my beloved!” responded Hylia, equally excited at the fun moments they will all have soon enough.

Link settled Hylia back down, but then his hands cupped her face. “I’ve said it so many times before, and I will continue to say it. You are the most lovely and most beautiful goddess I have ever laid my eyes on.”

Feeling the desire to return the favour, Hylia raised her hands and cupped Link’s face. “And you are the most handsome warrior I have ever laid my eyes on.” 

With tender smiles, they leaned in for a kiss, their lips squishing together upon contact. Their arms and hands moved away from their faces and wrapped themselves around their bodies, pulling them closer to each other. 

They felt like they should do this forever, but naturally knew that they had other things they would like to try together and of course, they had to look professional for when their various incarnations from across time and space arrived. But for now, they were just going to enjoy the moment they had together. “I love you more than anything in the world,” said Link. “I am so happy I took your hand in marriage that day.”

“Getting married to you was the happiest I have ever been. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, my love. I love you so much!” replied Hylia, as she rested her head on his chest, allowing him to rest his own head above hers as they settled down in a warm embrace.

 

---

 

Back on their seats, Link was asking his wife about all the intricacies of the milk bar they were in, and Hylia was more than happy to provide answers.

“How can you be certain that only our incarnations will come in here?” asked Link.

“Easy. I made it so that they feel a natural pull towards it. They would want to come in here to spend some quality time with one another. Everyone loves a good date every now and then, don’t you think?” replied Hylia.

“Hmmmm, you’re right. After all, we’ve had plenty of our own, heh,” he responded with a smirk.

“Heh, you’re cute, Link.”

“You’re cute too, my lady.”

After blushing at each other’s remarks, Link promptly asked another important question.

“And how can you be certain that all of our incarnations have fallen in love with each other?”

"I know they have, silly! Through the connections I have made to every era, I have developed an understanding of them all," Hylia replied with a wink.

“Wow, you’re smart.”

Link was honestly fascinated by how much thought she put into all of this, but alas, he never doubted her even for a second. This just gave him even more reason to trust his already trustworthy goddess sweetheart.

“And when do you think they will arrive?”

“Very shortly, as a matter of fact. I don’t know if you know this, but I have ensured to add multiple entrances to the bar, so that they don’t all come crashing in from one area. And now, I think they should be arriving in three… two… one…”

The very instant Hylia reached the end of her little countdown, several doors from all across the bar swung open and in came various incarnations of Link and Princess Zelda. Many of them were already having bright conversations about how they were going to spend their date in the milk bar before very quickly realising they had just entered a bar with different versions of themselves. Seconds after the initial shock, various “Huh?”, “What?”, “What the-?” and other similar exasperated responses began flooding the atmosphere. 

On the one hand, Hylia was pleasantly surprised by how many of her incarnations were varied in their appearances, ranging from clothing, hair colour and style, and more. Most of them were blonde, but she saw two who were brunettes and one who even had dark purple hair. She saw one who looked more like a pirate than a princess too, though she was fully aware that she too was a princess thanks to being of the royal lineage.

On the other hand, Link saw that most of his incarnations were rather identical, with most of them wearing the same green tunic and cap that he did, just with all of them lacking his golden shoulder pauldrons and his red cape. He did take notice of another who had a single silver pauldron on his right shoulder and a blue scarf though. He also noticed an incarnation who wore a blue tunic and lacked a cap, alongside a peculiar looking one who wore purple robes and what looked like a rabbit mask, and peering underneath said mask, he caught a glimpse of dark purple hair.

Eventually, all the confused gossip died down as Hylia rose from her seat and cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention. The Zeldas were all shocked to see Hylia herself standing in the same room as them, having never once thought of being able to meet the goddess who started their entire family bloodline. 

“Hello everybody! And welcome to Lac Talea! I have brought you all here for a very special purpose, and I can’t wait to get to know you all!” she declared loudly. This was going to be very interesting.

To be continued...

Notes:

Thank you all for coming all this way! I am very proud of how this chapter turned out, and I am looking forward to creating more chapters with this wonderful cast of characters I have assembled from across time and space.

Special thanks to JDetan for beta reading and offering the bulk of the feedback that gave this chapter that extra level of polish, as well as RaccoonFiend95 for being another beta reader!

Before we move on, I would like to share the naming scheme I have come up with for each Link and Zelda so you can all familiarise yourselves with how they will be referred to starting from Chapter 2 onwards.

Pre-Skyward Sword: First Link, Hylia
Skyward Sword: Sky Link, Sky Zelda
The Minish Cap: Minish Link, Minish Zelda
Four Swords: Four Link, Four Zelda
Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask: Time Link, Time Zelda
A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening: Past Link, Past Zelda
Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages: Oracle Link, Oracle Zelda
A Link Between Worlds/Tri Force Heroes: Worlds Link, Worlds Zelda, Ravio, Hilda
Echoes of Wisdom: Echoes Link, Echoes Zelda
The Legend of Zelda/Adventure of Link: Legend Link, Legend Zelda
Twilight Princess: Twilight Link, Twilight Zelda
Four Swords Adventures: Adventures Link, Adventures Zelda
The Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass: Wind Link, Tetra
Spirit Tracks: Spirit Link, Spirit Zelda
Hyrule Warriors: Warrior Link, Warrior Zelda
Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: Wild Link, Wild Zelda

Of course, in dialogue, these naming schemes won't apply. They will just be Link and Zelda. This is only to help differentiate the Links and Zeldas from one another.

All right folks! See you all in Chapter 2! Until next time!

EDIT: As of May 25th, this chapter has seen an update in certain areas thanks to feedback provided by both PsychWardWorks and hurricane105. Big shout out to both of them for the extra level of feedback they gave! Now I feel like Chapter 1 has been completely polished and requires no more additional work. With all of that said, I promise to get Chapter 2 out sooner rather than later! See you all until then!

Chapter 2: Familiarisation

Notes:

Hey hey! It's been a while! Apologies for the minor delay. I know it's been four months since Chapter 1 released, but in the time between then and now, I've used it to further flesh out story concepts as well as make some edits to Chapter 1 to make it more polished. If you haven't seen them already, I recommend going back and re-reading Chapter 1 before coming here. But I hope that moving forward, I can get future chapters out a lot sooner.

As a side note, all the kiddie pairs have been aged up a few years to make writing romantic interactions with them easier. So in total, that includes Zelink from FS, WW/PH, FSA, MC and ST. Additionally, LoZ (NES) Zelink were canonically aged up by several years in AoL while OoT/MM Zelink have canonical aged up designs, so I have opted to go with those too.

With all of that said, enjoy Chapter 2!

“In case it wasn’t clear already, I am the goddess Hylia. For all you princesses in the room, I am the progenitor of your family bloodlines,” Hylia proclaimed, promptly turning her attention to First Link. “For all you heroes in the room, this is my very own Link. His spirit gave all of you your courage and determination to fight the forces of evil that threaten Hyrule.”

First Link stood up from his seat and took a bow of respect. “Greetings, everybody. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all in person.” 

“To clear up some confusion some of you may have, allow me to fill in the gaps. Many of you hail from a variety of time periods and worlds. I’ve brought you all here because, frankly, life in the heavens has gotten so banal. Everyday is the same thing again and again, and I thought by bringing you all here, we could create new memories for all of us. So, now that we’ve gotten our introductions out of the way, who would like to be the first to speak up?” Hylia said.

A brunette Zelda in a pink dress stuck her hand up. “Question!”

“Hm? What’s your question?” said Hylia, thoughtfully.

“Are we dead?” said Legend Zelda.

Eyes shooting wide open, Hylia looked almost horrified at the question. “Oh heavens no! You’re all still alive and well!” 

Content with the answer, Legend Zelda exhaled. “That’s a relief.”

“Yeah,” said Legend Link. “Honestly, it would have been a weird way to die.”

“Okay, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I asked who would be the first to speak up,” clarified Hylia. “What I meant was who would like to introduce themselves first?”

Almost immediately after, an enthusiastic Zelda wearing a pink but non-royal dress stuck up her arm. “Me!”

“Enthusiasm! Love to see it! Now, take it away!” replied Hylia, being most eager to see what this Zelda had to say.

“Okay! Hello everyone! I am Zelda!” said Sky Zelda. “Link and I have been close ever since our childhood! But after our latest stint in adventuring, we had been exposed to many elements we could only ever dream about. The Triforce, learning that I was Hylia reborn, and even coming face to face with the Demon King, Demise, himself! But Link here was more than up to the task. He vanquished Demise, we grew much closer than expected, and then we happily fell in love! Isn’t that right, Link?” She wrapped her arms around his left arm and dreamily gazed into his eyes.

“That’s right!” responded Sky Link. “We longed for nothing more than to be reunited, and then, as fate would have it, we were.” Using his right hand, he reached over and gently held Sky Zelda’s left hand, reverently looking into her eyes. 

“Awwww, that’s so sweet!” said Hylia as she clasped her hands together in delight, the feelings of loving, intimate romance ever so familiar to her. “What about you two?” She pointed at the pair that came from the Era of the Hero of Time.

“Hello, everyone. I too am Zelda,” said Time Zelda. “I have known my Link since childhood as well. He felt familiar to me, but I could never quite pin it down. Either way, he told me of a plot by the evil Gerudo king, Ganondorf, to overthrow my father and establish his rule over Hyrule. For that, he has our thanks.”

“It was an honour, my lady,” said Time Link. “I knew what Ganondorf was capable of, and I couldn’t let him lay waste to Hyrule like he did before. After outing him to the authorities, Zelda and I grew closer over the years and eventually, we fell in love. I had taken up defending villages from small-time threats and going on a few little adventures with Zelda.” 

“How lovely!” said Hylia, turning her attention to another pair soon afterwards. “And what of you two?” These two hailed from the Era of Twilight.

“Good day to you all. This is likely obvious by now, but I am also Zelda,” said Twilight Zelda. “I actually hadn’t been childhood friends with Link, and yet, fate brought us together regardless.”

“It’s true,” replied Twilight Link. “I was merely a goat herder in Ordon, until the day Hyrule was invaded by the Twilight Realm, led by the treacherous Zant and his true master, Ganondorf. I forged an alliance with the ousted princess of the Twilight Realm and its true ruler, Midna, to overcome their forces. Together, we defeated Zant and rescued Zelda from Ganondorf’s clutches, and then Midna sacrificed herself, at least temporarily, to hold him back while we made our escape. Soon afterwards, Zelda and I took down Ganondorf, with me delivering the killing blow. Midna returned to bid her farewell to us and then severed the connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm permanently. Eventually, I found that I couldn’t settle back down in Ordon, not after everything I had gone through, so I moved to Hyrule with Zelda, where we eventually fell in love. We went out on a few little adventures of our own too.”

“Now that’s a very unique tale! I love it!” said Hylia.

“I'm Link,” said a familiar, green clad man, “and this is–”

“What? No! I’m Link! I got the most Force Gems, so you're Grink!” an identical man in red snapped, appearing by his side.

“Come now, Links traditionally wear green,” a blue twin said, seemingly stepping out of the green man's shadow. “Don’t worry, folks, we're facets of his personality given form, and… where's Fuschia?”

Everyone looked around, only to find Fuschia and a tanned woman lifting the wallet out of Twilight Link's pocket.

“Hey, watch it!” Twilight Zelda summoned her rapier and shooed off the thieves with it. “Don’t pickpocket my boyfriend if you know what’s good for you!”

“Oh, thank you, Zelda,” said Twilight Link.

“Anything to keep you safe and sound, my love,” she said in return, with a warm smile on her face.

“Calm down! I just wanted to see how much Force Gems were in his wallet!” Fuschia retorted, not particularly happy about being chased off like that.

“So did I!” said the tanned woman. “These things are worth a fortune, you know!”

“What's a Force Gem?” said Twilight Link.

“Now, boys, settle down,” said Adventures Zelda, with a bit of a commanding tone in her voice. “If you all behave, I’ll give each of you a kiss.”

The four versions of Adventures Link stood at attention and bowed. “Yes, my lady,” they all said in unison.

“You there, pirate captain! Introduce yourself, if you may,” said Hylia, gesturing to the tanned woman. She knew that she hailed from the Era of the Great Sea.

“Well, I’m glad you asked! I am Tetra, esteemed pirate captain and saviour of the Great Sea! Well, partially, at least. Link here did a lot of the heavy lifting as a fellow saviour of the Great Sea himself.”

“Heh, thanks for the credit, Tetra,” said Wind Link.

Tetra turned around to face Wind Link, giving him one of her signature winks. 

“And what of you two in the blue tunics?” Hylia gestured to the Link and Zelda from the Era of the Wilds.

“Oh, I would be honoured to share our story with you all,” said Wild Zelda. “I am Princess Zelda, and where Link and I are from, Hyrule is in a bit of a rough shape, so to speak. We faced the Great Calamity and the fallout of the Upheaval. We had our own Ganondorf to deal with in the process.”

“Yep, that's what happens when you go through one too many disasters after another,” said Wild Link. “But thankfully, we took up the challenge and braved through it, no matter how much we were separated from each other.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you two persevered! I admire that quality in people,” said Hylia.

---

After every Link and Zelda gave an opportunity to introduce themselves to everyone around them, they began to settle within Lac Talea and do whatever they wanted. 

“Hiiiii! How may I help you?” cheered Hylia. She took up the role of Lac Talea’s bartender, while First Link took up cleaning glasses and washing dishes. 

“I would like the Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry. Link and I are in the mood for some of that spice,” said Time Zelda.

“Ooooooh, daring, aren’t we?” Hylia said, feeling a little smug. “Well, I am happy to oblige!”

Out of thin air, a platter of meat and seafood materialised on the counter.

“Wow, talk about fast service,” Time Zelda commented with amazement. “Just one thing I want to ask you. Will this taste as good as it looks?”

“Not to worry, Zelda! It will taste like good old fashioned home cooking! I've made sure it was made with love!”

“Okay! I'll take your word for it,” And with that, Time Zelda grabbed the platter on both sides and went over to her table, where Time Link awaited her.

“What do you serve?” Tetra asked, taking a seat at the bar. “You have Goron Black? I could really use something that can double as an accelerant. For reasons.”

“We have milk!” Hylia said with a wide smile. “All the best kinds of milk there are!”

“Ah ha ha ha, yeah, funny joke,” Tetra said. “Look, you're a goddess, so I know you have to have access to some good sh–”

“Ah ah ah, Tetra. Language. This is a family friendly establishment,” Hylia said, waggling her finger with a slight glow around it.

“What? Oh come on, I'm a fruiting pirate! Of freaking course I swear!" Tetra said, quickly clapping her hands over her mouth. “Did… did you just put a goshdarn profanity filter on me?” Hylia nodded. Tetra groaned, slumping in her seat. “Milkshake, please.”

Content with the answer, Hylia produced a royal milkshake in her hand and placed it down on the bar in front of Tetra, who promptly nabbed it and took a drink from it.

“Oh wow, milk!” Sky Link said, running up to the bar. “Zelda, they've got milk! A lot of it, too!” He turned to Hylia with a bright smile. “You must have a lot of Remlits to get this much milk!”

“Um… most of it is cow and goat, actually,” Hylia said with a soft chuckle. “They produce a lot more than felines.”

“You have cow milk?” Sky Zelda asked, tossing Link to the side. “One cow milk, please!”

Tetra glanced over at the pair, raising an eyebrow as she nursed her milkshake. “Ya never had cow milk? What kinda flapping nightmare world do you live in? We live in a literal waterworld but even we have fudging cows!”

“We live in the sky,” Sky Zelda said. “We just moved down to the surface, though.”

“Hyrule's such a weird gol-durn place…” Tetra muttered, sipping her milkshake. “But it does have good milkshakes.”

“And you, Lady Zelda? What kind of milk would you like?” Hylia asked, turning to the Princess of Twilight, who was followed by the Hero of Twilight.

“Well, I actually prefer moderately pasteurised Ordon Goat Milk,” Twilight Zelda said. “How about you, Link?”

“Same, though can you put mine in a bowl?” Twilight Link asked. “It's weird, but I swear it tastes better like that.”

“Link, you are not lapping the milk out of a bowl in front of Hylia. Get a glass,” Twilight Zelda said, sipping her own glass of milk. “Especially when it's prepared to perfection.”

“I do have doggy bowls,” Hylia suggested, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Link beamed, looking over at Zelda before a glare shut him down. “I, uh, I'll take a glass,” He said, glancing at his girlfriend. “She can be kinda scary.”

“Now you…” Hylia glanced over to Twilight Link, “I've heard a few things about your love life, but I'd love to hear it from you yourself. Is it true about you and Midna? Or even you and Ilia?”

“Naw,” Twilight Link shook his head with a laugh. “I've only ever had one love in my life.”

“And it's Epona,” Twilight Zelda said with a smirk, sipping her milk. “I'm a distant second.”

“Z-Zelda!” Twilight Link turned back to face his girlfriend in disbelief.

Twilight Zelda only giggled in response. “Gets you every time, doesn't it?”

“Well, y-yeah, but you just made that joke in front of Hylia herself. What is she going to think of such crude humour?”

His worries were immediately shut down when he heard Hylia laughing beside him. “Oh my goodness, that's rich!”

“See? Even Hylia finds my joke funny,” Twilight Zelda remarked, putting on a smug grin.

“Oh well, at least you gave the goddess a good laugh, my beloved,” replied Twilight Link, content with her sense of humour.

“Thank you, my dear. For that compliment, I think you deserve some rubbing,” Twilight Zelda said as she began rubbing Twilight Link as an owner would do to their dog. “Are you a good boy? Yes you are! Yes you are!”

Hylia giggled as she witnessed this unfold, whereas Tetra took one look and could only say this to Twilight Link. “You… are a freak.”

The petting stopped as both Twilight Link and Twilight Zelda began to glare at Tetra, looking completely unamused by her remark. 

“I said what I said,” retorted Tetra. “He even said he wanted milk from a bowl.” She made an attempt to extend her middle finger towards them, only for it to quickly turn into a thumbs up instead. “What the barnacles?! Does this filter affect my gestures too?!”

“Yep!” said Hylia with a smile. “Like I said, a family-friendly establishment.”

Turning to her side, Tetra could see Twilight Link and Twilight Zelda laughing off her attempt to insult them, causing her to groan as she planted her head onto the bar.

---

Meanwhile, on a table, three identical Links were busy playing a game of cards, but even then, they could still see and hear everything going on at the counter.

“Your girl's getting kinda spicy,” Spirit Link said, glancing at his cards. “You think you should step in?” He put down two cards and drew two. 

“Ha! I've learned that lesson well enough,” Wind Link replied, switching out one card. “She's not even starting a fight- she's just being snide and trying desperately to curse,” He glanced at his cards. “I bet five Rupees.”

“Call,” Minish Link said, tossing a blue Rupee onto the pile. “I feel you on that one. My Zelda's pretty spicy when she wants to be, and telling her to be nice can just annoy her more.”

“Mm. Same with my Zelda. I raise,” Spirit Link nodded, adding a second blue Rupee along with his call. “Which makes sense, since she's apparently your granddaughter.”

“She’s my grand-whaaa???” Wind Link said, stunned.

“Aaaaaand the cat’s out of the bag, heh,” grinned Spirit Link.

“You okay there, buddy?” said Minish Link, expressing some concern.

“Ummmm, yeah, I guess,” replied Wind Link, placing down a blue Rupee before turning to face Spirit Link. “What’s she like?”

“She's the one in plate armour placed over a fancy dress who snuck a flask in,” Spirit Link said with a smirk. “So… she's a study in contrasts,” He put his cards down. “Two pair.”

---

“What’s all the commotion here? It sounds like fun!” said Wild Zelda as she took a seat by the counter.

“Oh, I was just having a little bit of fun with Link here, and then Tetra interjected,” said Twilight Zelda.

“Is that so?” responded Wild Zelda, looking surprised.

“Mhm. She called me a freak just because I was enjoying the rubbing Zelda gave me,” said Twilight Link.

“Well then,” said Wild Zelda, as she turned her attention to Tetra. “That’s not very polite of you. A key part of life is to show respect to those within your sphere. Do that and your kindness shall be rewarded.”

“I’m a pirate captain,” replied Tetra. “What do you expect? Pirates like me are notorious for being disrespectful.”

“You don’t have to be like the rest of them. Stand out in your own way by being nicer.”

“Hol' up, Miss Hoity-toity. I’ve just got one question,” Tetra said, holding up her index finger. “What's up with the accent? Even the really snooty ones-” She glared at Twilight Zelda at this. “- don't have the posh accent.”

“I… what? I speak like I normally speak,” Wild Zelda said, slightly confused.

“Yeah, but even she doesn't!” Tetra said, pointing at the pair from the Era of the Hero of Time, who were sitting in a corner, enjoying some meat and seafood. “And she's you!”

“Hey, Tetra, you know, this might just be me, but you sure don’t look, act nor sound like a Zelda,” interjected Sky Zelda. “How can we be sure you’re one of us?”

“She’s got a point, actually,” added Sky Link.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Tetra said as she looked confused.

“Well, your language is quite crass,” said Twilight Zelda.

“Why the fruit don't you Lovely Ladies think I'm a Zelda like the rest of you? I couldn't get into this fine establishment if I wasn't!” Tetra snarled. “And this profanity filter is really starting to peeve me off!” She crossed her arms, took a deep breath, and yelled “ I am pleased to make all of your acquaintances! Thank you for being so kind and welcoming! Oh come on!”

“Let me solve this issue for you all,” Hylia said, walking over and poking Tetra's nose. “Boop!” In a comical poof of smoke, Tetra stood, now wearing an ornate dress.

“Oh, I see! It's the fancy dress that does it and the Error: No Corresponding Clean Word Found skin tone, huh?” Tetra yelled. “Wait, that last one wasn't even a swear…”

“Oh! Zelda, come look at this!” said Minish Zelda as she signalled Spirit Zelda to come over.

“What is it?” asked Spirit Zelda, thoughtfully.

“Tetra’s changed! And she looks just like us!”

“Really?” 

“Heh, see for yourself.”

Sure enough, Minish Zelda was telling the truth. Tetra, her very own grandmother, looked exactly like the both of them, down to the most minute details.

“Oh my Goddess! You look stunning, Lady Tetra!” said Spirit Zelda.

“Oh… um, thank you, I suppose?” Tetra replied in confusion. “No one has ever praised me for how I look in this form before.”

“That’s nonsense! How could no one do so?” said Minish Zelda.

“Well, I was forced into this appearance once beforehand. I hardly liked it. I see myself as Tetra first and foremost. Besides, with the circumstances I was in at the time, there wasn’t enough time for someone to stand there and tell me I look beautiful as a princess.”

“That's a shame,” said Spirit Zelda.

“And how come you're wearing armour? I can't tell if we're identical unless you're wearing a dress beneath that,” said Tetra.

“Oh! Let me fix that,” With a snap of her fingers, Spirit Zelda’s armour dissipated, leaving only her royal dress underneath it, looking identical to the ones worn by Tetra and Minish Zelda.

“Huh, point taken,”

“Lady Tetra, I’ve been wanting to tell you this ever since we first met, but I felt a bit anxious at first. But now I’ve gathered my confidence.”

“What is it?”

“I am your granddaughter!”

Taken aback by her words, Tetra looked astounded. “I have a granddaughter?”

“Yep! That’s me!” exclaimed Spirit Zelda with a cheerful smile. Something about seeing that smile felt warm to Tetra, helped by this new revelation of her being a descendant of her own future bloodline.

“Hey, Zelda? What’s in that flask?” Tetra said as she diverted her attention to the flask carried by Spirit Zelda.

“Oh, this?” Spirit Zelda said as she took the flask and held it in front of her. “I put lemonade in here! I love to pretend I’m a rough and tumble pirate, just like you.”

The words hit her like a cannonball. Her very own granddaughter maintains her legacy, even through such small actions. Tetra couldn’t believe it. Instinctively, she reached her arm out and laid her hand down on the top of Spirit Zelda’s head.

“Huh?” exclaimed Spirit Zelda as Tetra touched her head.

The hand began to move left and right, as if it were petting her. This feeling, this headpat, Spirit Zelda felt warm and content with it as she started giving off a warm smile and a sweet giggle. Tetra could only smile back in return.

“My girl, you’re doing a wonderful job keeping my legacy alive. Though you are far off from being born in my time, I must say I am starting to feel really proud of you,” said Tetra as she maintained her smile.

“Awww, thank you, grandma! You’re still just as affectionate in a younger form!” cheered Spirit Zelda.

“Awwwwwww,” said Hylia and the rest of the group by the counter in unison at the scene before them.

“Heh, that’s adorable,” said First Link whilst rubbing a glass with a towel.

“Now,” Tetra began to say as she took her hand off Spirit Zelda’s head. “Goddess Hylia, can you please change me back? I think I’ve said and done enough in this form.”

“Very well!” said Hylia as she poked Tetra’s nose a second time. “Boop!” After yet another comical poof of smoke, Tetra was reverted back to her original appearance as a pirate.

“Ah, much better!” said Tetra in a relieved tone. “So, do you believe I’m a Zelda now?”

After exchanging glances with each other and their Links, Sky Zelda and Twilight Zelda nodded in acknowledgement.

“I apologise for doubting you,” said Sky Zelda.

“As do I,” said Twilight Zelda. “We had a bit of a rough start, but I’ll admit that the moment you shared with your granddaughter sure made up for it.”

“I thought as much,” said Tetra as she took another sip out of her milkshake, with a small grin, knowing that she just proved them wrong about her identity.

---

Much later, Lac Talea’s customers had all left and returned to their original times. It had been a very eventful first day for everyone involved. Meanwhile, First Link and Hylia remained behind to discuss everything that happened.

“Wasn’t that just amazing, Link?” said Hylia happily. “I’ve gotten to know all of our successors on a much deeper level than I had by simply just observing them!”

“Hear hear,” said First Link, grinning as he cleaned a glass. “It was really nice for a change. You were right about every day being the same thing, and this experience really helped freshen things up. I can’t wait for every other time we get to experience this.”

“So do I! Although I must admit, I wish we could all be closer together more frequently.”

An idea popped up. “What if you expanded this place to include an inn?” said First Link. “Inns and milk bars go together hand in hand. They serve as places for travellers to rest up for a night or two. You could give each Link and Zelda their own room to stay in so we’d all be together longer than usual.”

Hylia looked at her husband with amazement. “Link, that’s an astounding idea!”

“I’ve learned from the best,” he said, looking at his goddess wife with amusement.

“Alright! It’s settled! We’ll get started on this tomorrow! Everyone is going to be in for a real surprise when they find out!”

---

At the Goddess Quarters, First Link and Hylia were soundly asleep in their room together, both eager to take things in a bold new direction the moment they woke up. But then, an old memory of Hylia resurfaced in her sleep.

The moment of her creation.

The very first thing she knew was standing in a quiet field in the heavens, taking in her newfound surroundings with a stoic expression before three other women beamed down and stood before her.

The Golden Goddesses.

Din, the Goddess of Power.

Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom.

Farore, the Goddess of Courage.

“Greetings, goddess,” said Din. “What is your name?”

“Hylia,” said Hylia, with no emotion resonating from her voice. “What is my purpose?”

“Straight to business, huh? Unexpected,” said Din.

“Don’t you want to tell us more about yourself first?” said Nayru. “It would be nice for us to get to know one another better that way.”

“So be it. I was made with a purpose in mind. Now tell me, what is it?” Hylia said in her usual monotonous voice, her expression unchanging.

“If you insist,” said Farore. “Below the heavens, the three of us created a world. A world made to imprison the chaotic primordial being, Null. We are entrusting you to protect it, as well as our sacred artifact, the Triforce.”

Three golden triangular objects manifested in the hands of each Golden Goddess. 

“I am Din, and my Triforce piece is the Triforce of Power.”

“I am Nayru, and my Triforce piece is the Triforce of Wisdom.”

“I am Farore, and my Triforce Piece is the Triforce of Courage.”

Together, the Golden Goddesses combined their Triforce Pieces into the fully formed Triforce, before speaking in unison. “Keep it safe, keep the world safe, and ensure neither fall into the wrong hands.”

“I see,” said Hylia.

“Girls, could we talk for a minute?” Din said to Nayru and Farore, who nodded as they all turned around to face away from Hylia. “I must be honest, Hylia’s lack of emotions is really making me feel unnerved.”

“I must agree,” said Farore. “I may be the embodiment of courage, but even her demeanour is starting to test how much I really have, and I thought Null would be the end of it.”

“Ladies, please, relax,” said Nayru. “I understand how you both feel right now, but let’s give her time. She’s only just been created, after all. Eventually, she’ll grow to have emotions and she will be able to get along with us just fine.”

“Good point,” said Din, thoughtfully. “You’ve always had a penchant for analysis.”

“Then it’s settled,” Nayru said as she and the other two turned back to face Hylia. “Hylia, we entrust you with this divine mission and we have collectively agreed that, in time, your emotions will grow and through those emotions, you’ll have a stronger sense of duty to protect the people you watch over.”

“We will see about that,” said Hylia.

“We will take our leave now. There’s a whole timestream needing protection under our watchful eyes,” said Din.

“If you need anything, just let us know!” said Farore.

And with that, the Golden Goddesses beamed themselves out, leaving Hylia behind with the Triforce. The white goddess stepped forth and touched the golden artifact, beaming herself away with it.

An old memory, back from when she was a cold and unfeeling goddess.

“I am no longer that person anymore. I am so much more than that,” thought Hylia as she continued sleeping.

To be continued…

Notes:

Thank you all for coming all this way! I hope you folks enjoyed Chapter 2 as much as I did! It was fun writing all these Links and Zeldas interacting with one another. Sorry if I didn't showcase all of them here. I actually tried to do that, but it was detrimental to the pacing and was chock full of filler, so I had to cut it down. But don't worry! I'll be sure to give them the spotlight in the following chapters! No Zelink left behind!

Special thanks to PsychWardWorks and Nendil for beta reading, as well as JDetan for additional help!

Now, before I leave things off, there is a question that some of you may have in mind. "Why are you shipping ALL Zelinks? They're not always romantically involved, and actually, their relationship is depicted as platonic more often than not." I am happy to provide the answer to that question.

Two things.

1. There is enough leeway in every game for players to interpret their dynamic as romantic if they want to. It is ambiguous enough in every game to warrant such interpretations.
2. Because their relationship is a fundamental aspect of the series. The Legend of Zelda has always been about them, and even Nintendo knows this.

To elaborate more on the second point, while the Zelda team at Nintendo has never fully committed to a Zelink status quo for any game, they do uphold the ship regardless of game. Even Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the franchise, ships them. He likes classic fairy tale tropes, and that's exactly what Zelda is first and foremost: a classic fairy tale. So it makes sense that the hero and the princess would be the default pair regardless of game.

With all of that in mind, I do need to address one thing related to two specific Zelink pairs. The pair from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask and the pair from Twilight Princess.

Many people are under the impression that the Hero of Twilight is the blood descendant of the Hero of Time, due to Hyrule Historia putting that connection in people's minds. However, this is not the case, both canonically and for my fic. Hence I can have both OoT/MM Zelink and TP Zelink without worrying about incest. I will discuss this in more detail in Chapter 3, which dives into their relationship and sets it up for future chapters. In general, Hyrule Historia spawned a LOT of misconceptions surrounding certain aspects of Zelda, with the blood connection between OoT/MM Link and TP Link being one of them. Hence I aim to dispel as many of these misconceptions as possible with my fic. Stay tuned for Author's Notes in certain future chapters.

Alright, I've said all that needed to be said here. Thank you all for your time, and I hope to see you all again with Chapter 3. Peace out, fellas!