Remembrance - BOTW Link x Reader

Memory One - Chapter 14

The refreshing coolness of the water relaxed you, and you let it carry you to the surface. You took a breath and glanced at the Zora princess swimming beside you, frowning slightly. You didn't want the company of her, but she insisted and you weren't one to be rude.

"The water feels so nice," you sighed in content. The zora nods beside you, smiling happily.

"The weather is quite nice today, (Y/n). I'm glad you could take the time to visit!" She replies. "Ever since we were declared champions, we hardly get to speak anymore, only during training. I can barely even speak to him anymore, either."

You frown as the princess brings him up again. All the time, she was fawning over the other hylian champion. She was always sparing glances at him, dreamy-eyed, and you could tell she had a crush on him. It made you angry, even though it shouldn't. It's not like you had reason to be jealous, anyways. You were chosen to slay the calamity and that was all there was to it.

You knew it wasn't the zora's fault for liking him, but you couldn't get along with her because of it. You were never rude, of course, but you didn't prefer to hang around her.

".../n)? (Y/n)? Are you listening?"

The zora's words finally registered in your head.

"Oh- sorry. I was lost in thought," you say.

"It's fine," she replied. "It wasn't very important anyways."

You two drifted into silence as you both went into your own thoughts once more.

Suddenly, you heard a shout, and the patter of small feet. Before you could react, you saw a red zora child dive into the water close to you. Quickly after, a hylian boy poked his head out from the railing of the domain, his electric blue eyes sparkling with embarrassment.

"Sidon!" he calls out. "Get back up here and stop interrupting the girls!"

He glances at you two apologetically, and you can see the zora princess blushing out of the corner of your eye.

Barely containing a frustrated snap at the female zora, you call back up to the boy.

"It's fine, Link! We weren't speaking anyway."

He sighs in relief, relaxing.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He asks. "It's getting quite hot up here, and I could use a cooldown." he asks.

You nod, gesturing for him to come down.

Link takes his shirt off, and despite your contempt at the zora earlier, you find yourself blushing as well. The hylian boy leaps off the edge of the domain and dives into the water below. He resurfaces quickly, bangs dripping wet and covering his eyes.

"Oops," he chuckles, before moving them away from his face.

You can tell the princess wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, so you speak to Sidon first.

"So, what have you and Link been doing?" you ask, despite not really caring.

The young prince glances up at you excitedly, beaming.

"We gathered a bunch of the other kids together and played hide and seek! And I won!" he exclaims. "I'm the best prince ever!"

You sneak a glance at Link, and just by the look on his face you can tell he let Sidon win.

You smile down at the prince, chuckling.

"Sounds like fun!" you reply.

You and the other three people drift around in the lake until it starts to get dark.

"Alright Sidon," the zora princess murmurs. "It's getting a bit dark. I think it's time we go in."

Sidon whines, but doesn't protest. He follows his sister up the waterfall as she bids goodbye to you and Link.

"Thank you for visiting!" she calls to you two.

It was Link's idea to come here, but you smile back anyway. You may not have wanted to come, but you weren't going to argue with Link when he seemed so determined to go.

You and Link climb the ladder back up to Zora's Domain and dry off. You pay for beds in the inn, and before the moon is halfway across the sky, you're fast asleep.

—

Slowly, your eyes open.

Your head feels like it's splitting open, every blink sending another spike of pain through your skull. You try to breath, but it results in you coughing up a mouthful of water. You sit up slowly, wiping sand off your face.

How am I alive? You wonder. And where am I?

When your eyes are clear of all the lake water, you take a look at your surroundings.

You're on a very small island, only big enough for you to walk a few feet. The island slopes up, creating a very large platform above your head. There are other small islands scattering the area, and they're all connected by a bridge. The moon was about halfway across the sky, still nightime.

You notice a shrine a few feet away, but you don't make a move to get inside it. You can't open it without Link, anyway.

Oh God, Link.

He had seen you fall. His shout of fear as you plummeted to certain death still rang in your ears.

And that dream- what was that? Link was in it, but the other two you had no memory of, or where you were for that matter.

You shakily stood up, legs still wobbily from the fall, and scanned the area for Link. He was nowhere in sight, and you mentally slapped yourself for thinking he would jump after you. That was almost like suicide.

Wait- I can warp with my Sheikah Slate back up to the Plateau. You realize suddenly.

You pull out your Sheikah Slate, and attempt to reach the map. However, the screen is glitching, and you can't tap on anything.

Oh no, the fall must have damaged it. You think despairingly. What am I supposed to do now?

You glance up at the steep cliff in front of you.

You knew what you had to do.

I need to go up.