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Link was exploring his new house when he found it. He had finally paid for the last upgrade and was now happily taking note of the furniture and weapon mounts inside, the small pond and apple tree outside, and the little stable off to the side of the house. His horse Ebony would like having a dry place to stay while Link was resting up. Lastly, he noticed a small side door on the right side of the house. He wondered what was on the other side since he hadn’t noticed another door inside the house. He figured it must be a tool shed of some sort.
Now as he approaches the door, he tests the handle and finds it is stuck fast. Whether it is locked or jammed, he can't tell. Either way, he's committed now and isn’t about to back down from the challenge. He starts searching around the doorframe for a key. He looks under the stairs, atop the doorframe, under rocks, and everywhere else he can think of that a key might be hiding. Nothing. At this point, he is sweaty and irritated, but he is the legendary hero of hyrule for Hylia’s sake! He can open a goddamn door. Next, he tries to pick the lock with a hairpin. Very quickly, he gives up on that and grabs a sledgehammer in exasperation. He swings it over his head and brings it down on the door again and again to no avail. Hylia, what in the world is this door made of?! He thinks to himself. Finally, in a fit of impotent rage he brings out the big guns: literally. He is just placing the bomb at the bottom of the door and preparing to detonate it when a surprised shout reaches his ears.
“Link, what are you doing?! You just bought the house, and you’re going to blow it up before you even show me around?”
Link looks up into the reproachful eyes of Prince Sidon himself. He had forgotten the prince’s promise to come see the house once Link had finished upgrading it.
Weariness and embarrassment then replace the hero’s irritation. He signs to Sidon sheepishly,
“I couldn’t get the door open.”
“So you decided to blow it up?” Sidon snorts. Link’s frustration flares back up then.
“It’s not like that was my first plan, I tried everything else and it wouldn’t open! This was my last resort and honestly I’m not convinced it would even make a dent at this point. I’m starting to think that this door is made of the same stuff as shrines, it’s fucking unbreakable!”
Sidon tries not to laugh at his friend, but can’t help a big toothy grin from spreading across his face. The hero of hyrule would get so invested in the most randomly specific things. Every time Link saw a rock when the two of them were taking a walk, he would get all excited and pick it up, ‘just in case!’ a forest spirit was hiding underneath.
Sidon realizes he has been staring absentmindedly at the hero for the past several minutes and turns away blushing.
“Forgive me, I was lost in thought,” he murmurs. Link doesn’t seem to mind though, he just tucks a strand of hair behind his ear shyly.
“Can I try?” Sidon asks, pointing to the door.
Link motions towards the door in a ‘go ahead’ gesture.
Sidon walks to the offending door and grabs the handle. He then does a double take and sighs, fighting back laughter.
“Ummm, Link?” Link walks towards him, a question on his face.
“I don’t know how to tell you this but...it’s a pull door…” He pulls the handle gently outwards to reveal the small space behind it. Link’s face goes red in fury and embarrassment.
“I swear I tried that! Or maybe I didn’t? Shit, now I’m not sure.” He lets out a frustrated growl. “I’ve been trying to get that door open literally all day.” He plops down on the grass with a huff, too exhausted to even find out what’s inside the door now that it’s open.
Sidon lowers himself to the ground beside Link, his sharp teeth gleaming in a smirk he just can’t repress. Link punches him lightly in the arm, as if to say, ‘Stop laughing, it’s not funny.’ But then it is funny and they’re both laughing hysterically. They laugh until their sides hurt and then fall onto their backs as their laughter dies away. Link is much more relaxed now and signs,
“Thanks for the help, Si.”
“Any time, my friend.”
“Did you still want to see the house?” Link asks abruptly.
“Yes, I would like that,” the prince says, smiling at his precious friend. “But first, what is behind this mysterious door?”
They peer into the dark space which appears to be a sort of tool shed like Link had suspected. Inside, a few random items are strewn over the floor and two small shelves, which sit along the walls. The first thing the two notice on the ground is-
Link inhales sharply, excited, and picks up the rock.
“Ya-ha-ha!” The Korok chirps. Link signs a short conversation with the small spirit and then sends him on his way with directions back to Korok forest after collecting the small Korok Seed and tucking it safely away in his belt pouch.
He then notices a small object on one of the low shelves. It is covered in dust and cobwebs which he brushes away as he picks it up. It is a small, strangely shaped flute with several holes along the top and a sort of mouthpiece jutting out on one end. It seems oddly familiar to Link, but he had never seen anything like it before.
Sidon is peering over Links shoulder and comments, “I think that’s an Ocarina. They were a popular Hylian instrument a long time ago, but I haven’t seen one in a long time.”
Link quietly nods and slips the instrument into his pocket, wondering how it got here. He then picks up a dark, worn leather bridle. Wiping off the dust, he notices the faint name outlined along the halter: “Epona.” Again, he feels a strong sense of familiarity, almost like Deja Vu. Shaking his head, he picks up the last item in the shed. A green piece of fabric, long and thin, it almost looks like an overgrown sock. But he instinctively knows that isn’t right. Sidon begins to ask, “What is-”
“It’s a hat,” Link interjects. “I think-I think it’s my hat,” he signs carefully.
The two friends close the door and walk slowly to the front of the house, each thinking their own thoughts. Link isn’t sure how he knows but he is certain that every object in that shed-with the exception of the Korok and the rock he had hidden under-had been his once upon a time.
“Or once upon a life,” He mutters out loud.
“What?” Sidon questions. The prince is surprised to hear Link's voice. In the time he's known him, Sidon has only heard the Hylian speak out loud twice before. Link takes a moment to collect his thoughts and then slowly, haltingly, he repeats out loud:
“Once upon a life, I think these things were mine. I think-in a past life these belonged to me.”
“How did they get into your tool shed? And how long have they been there?” Sidon wonders out loud.
“I don’t know,” Link signs back. “But however they got there, or whoever they belonged to, I’m happy I found them with you. I’m happy to be here with you. I’m happy in this life when I’m with you.” Link looks down at his toes, blushing as pink as the zora’s scales in front of him. Sidon leans down and looks Link in the eyes, smiling that blinding smile of his.
“Me too, my precious friend.” He takes the hylian’s small hand in his and they head inside to explore Link’s new home.