#totk reader

Their breaths were wheezing, confusing them momentarily as they lay, looking at the clouds as the soft twinkling sparks of magic finally extinguished like the sparks of a fire

-

They awoke in a field, tired and cold, a hand shook their shoulder, and their eyes snapped open, she was alone, in a field, and someone- a stranger- shook them?

Their wordless shout had the stranger withdrawing, muttering to someone they could not yet see, the Knight crawled away from the stranger, looking around and seeing the princess not far away.

In a flash, they were up to their feet, they stumbled, uneasy, and their eyes flicked from the hylian woman in front of them to the strange beast that bent over Miss Zelda's form, sharp teeth exposed and clawed hands reaching for the princess.

It took not a second to drag their sword from its scabbard and draw their shield, both royal guards’ issues that proudly displayed the symbol of Hyrule, the woman looked at them in confusion, but she followed their eye line to the beast and her eyes widened, mouth opening to shout.

The woman called out, and the beast barely managed to see the approaching guard before he sprung back from them, they stood over Miss Zelda, making sure not to hurt her as they kept both assailants away. If the woman knew a monster, she surely wasn't as safe as she appeared.

The beast approached, hands out in a placating matter, the knight snarled, snarled like Link had taught them to scare monsters and people alike, and held their sword at the ready.

The two figures glanced to one another, and in a wide arc, they stepped to eachother. The monster drew the woman behind it, a protective move. The guard grimaced, lowering their stance, the beast was much larger than them, it could easily defeat them, especially with how unsteady they still felt after the strange rush of magic and the fall under the castle.

No matter, they would not allow any harm to befall the princess.

"Your companion-" the woman said, they frowned, before hearing a soft groan, they glanced, panicked, between the princess and the threats, but as the young girl stirred and attempted to sit up, the choice was made.

"Princess!" They cried, shield dropping with a clatter and sword returning to its sheath with a soft *shiiing*, they slid on their knees in their haste to be by the princess’ side, they missed the way that the Hylian woman repeated the word they’d spoken to her beast, confused.

"Please, don't strain yourself." Their hands settled on the princess’s back and shoulder, protectively glancing at the stranger and monster as they helped her sit up, the second they heard feet approach, they scrambled to their feet, pulling out their sword and pointing it at the approaching figures, who paused immediately.

Their blood rushed, making them light-headed, their heart pounded in their chest, gritting their teeth

"Y/n, please." The Princess placed her hand on her knight’s shoulder, they lowered their sword ever so slightly. But still scowled at the two.

"Who are you?" The princess asked, uneasy, the knight placed the sword back in their scabbard, but their hand hovered near the handle, an action that did not go unnoticed.

“Princess..” They murmured, urgent, inclining their head in an obvious suggestion to leave, or at least reconvene, the princess nodded, noting her knight’s apprehension, but kept her eyes on the strange creature and the woman, the princess tilted her head at the strange couple, giving them an opening to speak.

“I am Sonia, this is my husband, Rauru.” Sonia approached the princess, and the guard bristled. An insult almost slipped off the guard’s tongue, one they’d heard not often in the towns they’d pass, a few times thrown at Kilton or his brother, or even, at times, at Hylians who courted other species.

‘Monsterfucker.’ 

The thought stained their feelings toward the woman, and they glared at her beast, visibly startling when it- he? Spoke.

“I am sorry we startled you and your companion, we were only trying to help.” They hissed under their breath, Zelda and Sonia did not seem to hear it, but Rauru’s ears twitched and he glanced to them, curiously.

“I apologize for my knight’s behavior, it is just.. We have never seen anyone like you before, most that look similar to you, are not sentient or kind, but rather monsters who wish only to destroy.” Zelda spoke, her soft voice settled the knight a bit, and Rauru nodded in understanding, his eyes now kinder as he took them in.

“Sorry for my manners, I am Zelda, daughter of King Rhoam and the Princess of Hyrule, and this is one of my personal guards, y/n.” You bowed reluctantly, your metal pauldron clanging softly with the motion as you waited for the conversation to continue before you stood again.

“What a strange and unexpected thing to say, as we are the founders of Hyrule, as far as I know.” The humor in his voice was apparent, but stale, you huffed at the joke, and he smiled, mirth in his eye.

“Wait..” Zelda paused, and so did you, narrowing your eyes as you looked between the two.

“Queen Sonia and King Rauru…” She murmured, you remembered her telling you about them, it was a small part of history, as sadly, details of the oldest history were always the hardest to find, just their names now echoed through your lands, in a long, almost endless line of kings and queens, they barely stood out.

“Where are we?” Your voice was hoarse, and scratchy. The two strangers looked slightly surprised at the quality of it, Zelda did too, but looked mostly worried, she glanced out over the lands.

“I- I don’t know.” She managed, you gazed at the two, they didn’t seem dangerous, but you had to remain on guard.

“Hyrule.” They replied instantly, but your eyes traced upward to the island floating above, you startled, and an involuntary whine slipped from your lips, Zelda followed your eyeline and startled in much the same way.

“What is that?” She managed, confused.

“Oh, that is the great sky island,” Sonia answered sweetly, you glanced at Zelda, then signed a quick question.

‘I patrol perimeter?’

‘Yes, quick.’ she signed back, and you took your shield from the grass, sword out as you started to search the forest for anything, landmarks, a monster hideout, a village, or the castle from afar.

You came upon a cliff, it wasn’t awfully high, but enough so for you to see down into a valley you strangely recognized.

You spotted Hylians, wearing revealing clothes and holding rough, handmade weapons, seemingly made from sticks and stones rather than the fine metalwork you carried, even Lizalfos had nicer weapons than that. You watched the hylians for a bit longer, they seemed to scavenge in the forest for fruits and vegetables.

Zelda called your name, and it didn’t take much more for you to return to her side, taking a dead sprint, still holding your sword as you settled next to her.

“Did you see anything?” You ignored how Sonia and Rauru appraised your weapon, or how you wheezed softly with each breath, you nodded.

“Hylians, not like you and me, like her.” You nodded toward Sonia, and Zelda nodded. “They wear primitive clothes, weapons like a monster’s not like ours, not even like a lizalfos or Lynel.” Again, Zelda nodded, hand to her chin.

“Then it’s certain, we must have somehow traveled back in time, Sonia and Rauru explained to me it could be the stone we found.” She held out the yellow stone, and you hummed, nodding.

“Keep it close, hide it.” You murmured, glancing at the islands above you nervously.

“We should return to the castle, I am sure my sister would be glad to speak to you, Miss Zelda.” You frowned, you’d roughly calculated where you were, near the Temple of Time, by the location of the valley and a mountain that you supposed would become the dueling peaks, but was for now just one mountain.

“How.” You managed, the raspy quality of your hurt throat had Zelda be even more concerned.

“Normally.. We’d teleport, but I don’t think that’ll be possible, if we walk a day, we should reach a town not too far off the route, and there we could get some horses.”

You nodded thoughtfully, chewing the inside of your cheek as you glanced from Zelda to the king and queen, they smiled, but the King's sharp teeth only managed to unsettle you.

"I suppose.. We should start walking then!" Zelda clapped her hands, you nodded, stretching your arms above your head while Rauru began walking, Sonia chattering softly to you and Zelda.

You remained quiet, eyes pinned on the unfamiliar landscape, searching for enemies or threats.

If you really had gone back in time..

Shaking your head, you sighed, surely, it wouldn't be that difficult, if it went up, it went down, if it went back in time.. Surely it could go forward, that's the way time is supposed to go!