Dreams of the Kingdom [Link x Male!Reader]

Chapter 11 - The Desert Invasion

(Labyrinth (Depths) - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

The Lomei Labyrinths always had a bit of an unsettling feeling, even before the Upheaval. The feeling was only intensified in the Depths. Instead of the lonely wind of Gerudo Desert, the air was still and stale. Even with the Lightroot banishing the darkness, it felt like you were in a world of the dead. As much as you'd gotten used to the Depths, there was still part of you that felt it was forbidden. Part of you also hoped to see Sharpe again, but there didn't seem to be a sign of your friend's shade anywhere nearby.

The underground section of the labyrinth was far more straightforward than its compatriots above. A simple section looped downward. Ancient carvings threatened a duel against a terrible guardian – which only turned out to be a Flux Construct. While you and Link weren't exactly wowed, your third party member was overjoyed.

"Prince [Y/n], thank you again for accompanying me to the labyrinth. I can't imagine what I would have done without you and Link to get down to the Depths. So many artifacts!" Tauro could hardly sit still between picking up spare pieces of the downed Construct, to taking copious notes on the inscriptions, to getting charcoal rubbings of particularly intricate carvings.

"I'm sure it'll be a great help to your research," you said, trying to cover up the latest headache. They seemed to be far more common now, especially with your recent dreams of Ganondorf. Your vision swam as the labyrinth was temporarily replaced by an art gallery in the basement of a forgotten mansion, dark Poes and puppets of Ganondorf floating between the paintings. One monster rode a skeletal horse wearing an evil skull-like mask. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, letting the feeling pass as the room changed back to normal. Sidon's suggestion floated back to you; could the Demon King alter time? Were these just echoes of the past? That only raised more questions, namely why? Why would the Demon King, or anyone, want to show you these over and over?

The past... that's it! If anyone would know anything about the new dreams... well, it'd be Zelda first, but Tauro was practically a walking encyclopedia of Zonai knowledge! "Tauro, do you know anything about the Dragon Cults?"

Tauro brightened. "Of course! I've written multiple theses on them! As far as we know there are three key cults, strangely none for the Light Dragon. There's the Eldin Cult who worshipped Dinraal, the Hebra Cult who worshipped Naydra, and the Faron Cult who worshipped Farosh. What would you like to know?"

"Can you tell me anything about the last Dragon Priest of the Faron Cult?"

Tauro frowned. "That's an excellent question. We know that the last Faron Priest was known by many names, including the Child of Storms and the Voice of Farosh. Unfortunately, when the cult was abolished during the formation of Hyrule, he disappeared. Any mentions of him after are stricken from the record, literally. Someone destroyed any mention of him in any stone tablet after that point."

"Well, that sucks," you grumbled.

"I'm glad you didn't ask me about him in front of Paya."

"Why's that?"

Tauro lowered his voice. "It's said the last priest was a Sheikah, and some think that he may have started the Yiga Clan. There's no proof, but some have theorized he played a hand in the death of Queen Sonia."

It was a good thing the light was so dim, so that Tauro couldn't see how pale you'd become. You cleared your throat. "Thank you for telling me. Do you think you could... research him a bit more? Maybe dig into the ruins at the Dracozu River?"