Literally ten minutes before midnight, and definitely late for the release of Tears of the Kingdom, but here it is, the final part of this three-part fic set! I got a little carried away with this one and while parts of it may have been a little phoned-in because I still wanted to at least try to make the deadline, I still like it for what it is at the end of the day. In light of the disastrous events this past week regarding the story before this one, when writing this I made absolutely sure to avoid even looking at anyone else's writing at all, since I knew that any subconscious influence from stuff I've read recently would show if I did so. This of course resulted in a longer writing process for this story but because that demonstrates my devotion to artistic integrity, I'd say the trade-off was worth it - hell, I'd have even been fine with posting it tomorrow since TotK had already been released yesterday evening and I'd already started watching some of my favorite streamers playing it! Still, I felt it was worth seeing this through to the end and am proud of what I've been able to produce (independently, of course), so hopefully what happened before this will be the last time I act as thoughtlessly as I did. I really do need to stay away from imposing deadlines on myself as often as I do - and if I do feel the need to post a work by a certain date for sentimental reasons, as is the case for the next story I plan to post in June to commemorate a very important anniversary for another franchise I adore, I'm going to have to start work on it a lot earlier to prevent it from being a rush-job! I appreciate all the kind words and advice that helped me through the aftermath of my stupid actions a few days back, but this is an issue inherent to me alone and I'm gonna have to be the one to make sure it doesn't cause problems going forward.
At any rate, I decided on this last piece being a lot fluffier and slightly less torturous than the previous two, because at the very least, Link deserved a sweeter ending than if it was only monsters attacking him all the time, and I'd be damned if I didn't include at least one life lesson or word of advice or comfort in my longer written works. It really does seem like I've been writing tons of stories where the ticklee not only finds out that they're willing to get wrecked but also turn out better for it in the end, and even though heartwarming fluff is probably my specialty in terms of tickle literature by this point, the old saying that variety is the spice of life is another adage I really need to pay more heed to. Perhaps it's time I wrote something with a bad ending for once...
Anyway, happy Tears of the Kingdom launch day! Hope y'all enjoy the game, and let's cheer on our favorite hero on his latest quest to save Hyrule! Until next time, everyone!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild belongs to Nintendo.
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Breath of the Laughter
by Skaea
Contains: F/M tickling, feet and a little upper-body. SFW.
Word Count: 5,338
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"Breath of the Laughter" by @TottyTK
“And that’s why I’m in no way enthusiastic about returning to that stretch of the Gerudo Desert in the near future,” Link concluded. “I don’t know why, but it seems like every monster in Hyrule wants a piece of me, but doesn’t actually want to kill me. At least not anymore.”
The blonde princess raised an eyebrow. “Not anymore? Link, for the love of — I swear, you blew up half the desert that day! I felt it from halfway across Hyrule… You nearly died, for Farore’s sake! You got lucky that time, very lucky. So I have to second your refusal to go back to those dunes.” Zelda folded her arms and glared at her blonde champion, her countenance betraying a mix of irritation and concern. “What were you thinking?!”
He thought about it for a few long moments, and then let out a deep sigh. “Honestly… I don’t know. I was looking for anything I could find that could help fulfill my duty to you and this land. But I thought I’d found all I could at the time, and I’d gotten desperate… I’m so sorry, Princess Zelda. I shouldn’t have risked my life for the smallest of things just to make myself feel better…”
She couldn’t help but give him a look of sympathy. This was a man who had given his life to save her, forcing them to wait for a hundred years before they could see each other again. Of course he’d be brave and daring enough to take risks like that.
“Link…” She rested her hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got to take things a little easier sometimes. I know there’s a lot at stake, but you can’t exactly fix everything by running around after every little problem you think should be solved. Especially when it comes to the monsters plaguing Hyrule. I just don’t know what I’ll do with myself if I ever see you get hurt.”
He had to admit that she had a point. Zelda always worried about his well-being whenever they crossed paths, fussing over him and making sure all his limbs were still attached. Perhaps she cared a little too much. But how could he say no to that lovely face, the kind smile, the gentle yet inquisitive nature that had so endeared him now as then?
“I understand that you care,” he replied, smiling at her with slight regret. “But you must understand that I became your knight for a reason. I can handle myself out there just fine. And while I’m sure you want me to hold back when it comes to my duty towards Hyrule, I don’t think I can afford it. There’s just too much I have to do, and someone needs to do it…”
But Zelda shook her head, not having any of it. “All the same, you really should know better than to go stupidly blundering out where you could get caught.” She knew that self-pitying tone anywhere, and in that moment, an idea occurred to her that made her smile a little. “But if you really insist on doing that, you might as well be prepared to face the consequences. It’s time we tried a bit of special training for you…”
