Autumn in Akkala

Ch.35 Up in Flames

A Moment of Debauchery
!Link                     Zora's Domain

It was a brilliant twist of karma to sully the tip of Mt.Ploymus with screams of pleasure rather than terror.

My actions toward Y/N possessed more of a motive than just sheer arousal.

I wanted her to remember me as I am, not as the entity I will become.

I feel the time of wearing the mask drawing forth. It reviles me. Its taunts serve as a reminder that I am nowhere near the man I am expected to be.

I wonder if the Hero of Time felt the same way. I have yet to measure up to even his impossible legacy.

Y/N showed me her most vulnerable self. It is only right that I do the same and finally lay bare the torment of never feeling like I am enough.

I was asked to become a hero, and now I am asked to become a god.

When all I want to become is a better version of myself.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

"I can understand the Hero of Time, but a fish? Come on, Link." Zora's domain still trickled with life, even after the sun had long set. Of course, with the advent of night came the familiar glare of the blood moon, glazing Zora Domain's cool, aquatic palette with a fresh coat of ripened orange.

You lay sprawled out in Link's arms at the Seabed Inn, thanks to Sidon, who put you up in a private suite. After you both indulged in a selfish moment to bask in the afterglow of your newfound intimacy, you both scurried back to Sidon before the Zora noble had a chance to discover you both naked and tied in knots.

Link reached down to kiss the top of your head. His breath was warm against your crown. "From my observation, you didn't exactly like the engagement armor news."

You sat up, cocking your head with an eyebrow raised. "How can you compare imaginary flirting to an actual engagement?"

"Imaginary?"

"Yes, imaginary. Sidon was being hospitable. I didn't kiss him and wear his special handmade scales of undying love."

Link huffed, offering you a sign of surrender. "Alright, you're right. I am a tad jealous sometimes. It comes from my own deep-rooted insecurities, and it is not fair to project them onto you. Forgive me." He pulled you back into him, kissing the top of your head again before he added, "And I want you to know, I wasn't aware that's what the armor meant. I wasn't aware of much then, and I'm not aware of much now."

"What do you mean?"

"Why can't I remember the things that you can? Like that song, when you hum it, it's like I'm there, somewhere, and the world around me is calm, and while my heart sings along with it, my mind cannot gather where I've heard it before."

You sat up straight; the vulnerability portrayed in his voice yanked on your heart. Link continued, "When I met you, when I touched your hand, I knew you, and I knew you knew me too. Do you hear what I am saying? I knew you, Y/N, but I do not know me."

You clasped one of his hands in between both of yours. "I can't tell you who you are, Link. Only you can truly know who you are. But I can tell you-" You stopped and traced a small scar, hidden on the nape of his neck beneath his hair. "The Link I've come to know has many scars, and the ones on the inside are worse than the ones that adorn his body. I don't think the calamity ever allowed you a chance to grieve. Not just the loss of your friends and the life you knew before you were put into cryonisis, but the loss of yourself."