Dreams of the Kingdom [Link x Male!Reader]

Chapter 7 - The Poisoned River

(The Sages - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

Another night, another dream.

This time, you stood atop an arid ruin overlooking a desert. The top of the ruins appeared to be some kind of coliseum. Six massive pillars stood along the edge, bearing emblems that looked vaguely familiar to you. One emblem, however, was partially broken. At the very center was a massive slab of obsidian, glinting in the starlight.

Link stood next to you – this one closer to yours in age, but this Link was jacked and looked like he could probably wrestle a Goron without breaking a sweat. "Bet you didn't expect to see something like this when I asked you out here."

"No, but I'm still not sure what I'm looking at." You shivered. "Link, no offense but this place gives me the creeps... You're sure you took care of the monsters?" You were no stranger to the bloodstained history of the Arbiters Grounds. Once a prison for the most dangerous criminals in Hyrule, it was not a place where spirits could rest. The whole facility was a terrible dark mark on the kingdom's history, and a place that proved even those who were supposed to be "good" were capable of great evil. Part of you wondered what other secrets might have been hidden at this terrible place.

"Most of them at least. You should've seen us, those Stalfos and Poes didn't stand a chance. And then there was this giant sword-"

"Stop showboating, wolfie," the strange imp at his side teased. She appeared in shadow, even at night. It was as if she was between two realms – which in a way, you supposed she was. Your dream self's memories supplied the name Midna. "We need his help if we're going to stop Zant."

Link made a motion to follow him to a platform. It was built to face the slab, with a fragment of something built on the edge. Even in its broken state, you could feel the energy pulsating from it. It had the unsettling aura of forbidden magic that even eclipsed the restless spirits of the Grounds. A quick look at the inscriptions along the edge confirmed your suspicions.

"So, this is how Zant crossed over..." You sighed. "The Mirror of Twilight. I suppose if I have any good news, he wasn't strong enough to completely destroy it. Only the true ruler of the other realm could do that."

You stood and pulled out your notebook. "So, you said that the sages appeared to you and said that there were three pieces, one on a snowy mountain, one in a sacred grove, and one in the heavens..."

"You can help us find them, right?" Midna asked.

"Well, it's going to take some time to narrow things down but..." you looked up into Link's hopeful eyes. "I'll do everything I can. As a guess, the snowy mountain is almost certainly Snowpeak. The sacred grove is likely the Lost Woods, but where exactly will take some research. The heavens – that's going to be the tough one." You flipped through your notes. "Actually... that one in the Lost Woods... I wonder if it may be hidden in the remnants of the Temple of Time? I read that the Sages once built a hidden chamber to house the Triforce itself. Rumors say a second chamber was even built here in case of emergencies."

Link pulled you into a hug. "I knew you'd help figure it out, you're so smart."

"Not really, I'm just a bookworm," you said blushing. Inwardly, you sighed in contentment. You could see this Link had the same look in your Link's eyes: pure love and affection. You could feel that it was still a new feeling to this dream host but judging by the happiness bubbling over in his chest, he wasn't complaining.