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minty-mumbles · 11 days ago

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Life Goes On

Summary: When the chain stumbled into Lonlon Ranch, Time thought he would have more time to spend with his wife. The portal that appeared on the Ranch's property line the next morning didn't care what he though, though, and he was sucked away from his wife once again, right after learning some very important news.

The Chain ends up in the Kakariko of Wild's era, and Impa gives Time some advice. Meanwhile, life continues on.

Author Note: This is an unfinished fic that's been sitting in my folders for nearly four years, and I wanted to just post it because I know I'll never finish it. The missing parts are indicated with the bracket+ an explanation of what's missing

(Read on AO3)

~~~

The group of heroes had stumbled into LonLon ranch late last night. They had made enough noise to wake Malon and her father from their rest, even with the rain that pounded on the windows and roof, drowning out most of their ruckus. They had been miserable, soaking wet, and with more injuries than they knew what to do with, so the ranch had been an extremely welcome sight.

Since then, they had healed up nicely and gotten a good meal in them. After a night of good rest and liberally applied potions, most of the injuries were healed enough that they were past the point of possible infection. Hyrule still had a laceration going all the way up his forearm that they would need to watch carefully, but that couldn't be helped.

While most of them could drink up to four red potions without any trouble, the more magical of them sometimes had trouble with them. Their bodies' natural magic fought against the healing potions’ magic. Too much of it at once could harm more than help.

Hyrule was one such case. After Wild had forced two of those strange red portions of his- elixirs, he called them- down Hyrule’s throat, Legend stepped in, preventing the cook from giving the traveler any more. Instead, the cook whipped up a salve to help prevent infection with some of the medicinal herbs he had stored in his slate. After the wound was tightly bandaged, the entire group had crashed.

Energy seeped out of them as the adrenaline from one of them being wounded left them. The group fell into a pile in the guest room, not even bothering to set up bed rolls, and barely remembered to lay down blankets. Hyrule and Legend shared the singular bed. Hyrule because he was injured, and Legend because he was the only one who bothered to drag himself onto the mattress.

The entire group had dropped off to sleep before Time had even left the room.

He himself had similarly fallen asleep nearly the instant his head hit the pillow.

Needless to say, they were all extremely thankful for the break from traveling. If they had had to set up camp somewhere in the forest, Time didn’t know who would’ve even had the energy to keep watch.

Which was why Time resisted the urge to groan loudly when Wind had come racing into the house the very next morning, shouting about the portal he’d spotted on the edge of the forest.

The rest of the boys didn’t show the same restraint, some voicing their complaints loudly. They all stood from their chairs slowly, muscles still sore. They moved slowly, some still rubbing sleep from their eyes. Time knew that, when needed, all of this bunch could be out of bed and ready to fight in less than ten seconds. But here, in a safe space, it became clear who was an early bird and who most certainly was not.

Time felt a pang of regret that the boys didn’t get more time to recoup. He had known, of course, that their respite would not last long, but a single day wasn’t too much to ask for, was it?

They had a mission to fulfill, and their enemy would not let them rest for long. Since it had realized that it was being hunted, it had started trying to lead them astray, leading them on wild google chases that never amounted to anything, while it no doubt wrecked havoc somewhere in some era far away from them. It was trying to shake them off its tail.

The group of heroes had suspected for a while that it had been keeping track of them somehow, and purposefully leading them to dead ends to distract them. Now they had their proof. Just as they had settled into a safe place, they had yet another portal pop up.

Time winced at the thought of this strange shadow dragging them away from any respite they found until they were all so exhausted and worn out, it would have no trouble picking them off.

The thought that the shadow had gotten close enough to the ranch to make a portal that was visible from the front door also chilled him to his bones. It had been here. Right here.

Thinking of the shadow even laying eyes on Malon made him irrationally angry, although he didn’t show it. To him, Malon was the pinnacle of this life that he had built for himself. She was the small amount of normal in the strangeness that came with being a hero. She was his rock in this sea of chaos.

There wasn’t anything dragging him through the portal, of course. He could simply stay on this side of it until it closed. He knew the other heroes would not begrudge him if he chose to do so.

All of them seem to be slightly in awe that he was able to build such a life for himself. They all had internalized, on some level, that people like them could not lead a normal life. They would not scorn him if he chose to stay with his wife, and protect her from this very real threat to her.

To her, and the tiny life she had growing inside of her.

Had it just been Malon and her father at the ranch, Time wouldn’t hesitate even a moment to leave. Malon was incredibly strong, and smart. If anything were to happen, he had no doubt that she would get both her and her father to Castle Town alive. Now though, after the news that she delivered to him early this morning, he hesitated at the thought of leaving, just for a moment.

Malon wasn’t even really showing yet and he knew, just like Malon's mother before her, she would work in the fields and ply her wares at market until the day the babe came. Then, she would be back at it in a week, the child slung on her back. (Nothing too strenuous, of course. Malon could be obstinate at times, but she wouldn’t put the babe in danger. But there was little time for rest on a farm.)

He knew he would likely be back well before it was time for the child to be born, but it was one more thing to worry about. What kind of man was he, to leave his pregnant wife here alone, possibly in danger?

Despite the urge to stay, he knew that he couldn't. The boys were leaving, with or without him. While he knew that Twilight and Warriors would be good leaders in his stead, he wouldn’t be able to bear it. These boys, although he would never admit it out loud, were his. (Though he had never voiced it to her, he suspected that Malon knew this too.)

Besides that, even if he stayed here, there was no guarantee that the shadow they chased would be dealt with. There would be no guarantee that Malon would be safe, just because Time stayed. He was only one man. Fighting the shadow as a group was much more likely to work than confronting it separately. Better to nip at the bud of the problem before it blossomed.

He stood from his chair at the head of the table, joining the boys who were going to collect their still dirty traveling equipment. They haven't even gotten the chance to wash the mud off their boots.

He sighed, moving towards his and Malon’s bedroom, suddenly feeling the weight of all his years pressing on him. There was still so much they needed to do before they left, which all suddenly needed to be done in a few minutes.

They needed to restock. They needed more bandages… Many more, if this trend of endless battles continued. They would have to dip into the ranch’s store of preserved food. Jerky, and some hardtack. (Maybe, if they were lucky, Malon had some honey cakes laying around that they could snag to eat as breakfast on the road, but Time suspected they would be eating apples from Wild’s slate instead.)

Hardtack and jerky weren’t pleasant foods to eat, but it was a necessary back up. They did not want to be caught with all their food inside Wild’s slate again. Although the technology kept food from rotting, they had no way to access that food without Wild. Apparently the slate was keyed to him, and would therefore only work for him. And if he was unconscious, well...

They had found that out the hard way. After that incident, they all carried some provisions on them, which, Time acknowledged, they should have been doing from the start. What if they had gotten separated?

Time would need to get one of the boys to run out and fill their water skins at the pump. One of them would need to go get Twilight's Epona ready to travel.

He needed to check how many rupees they had, and if they were lacking, he would need to ask Malon to borrow some of the ranch’s funds. He squirmed unhappily at the thought. Normally, the heroes would be able to sustain themselves, selling things they found and scavenged from monsters for a rupee or two. (The Champion and the Veteran were especially good at this.) They hadn’t had any time to do this recently, though, and needs must. He was sure Malon would agree.

They needed to rebandage Hyrule’s arm, and check it for infection. The traveler’s tunic had been torn, so they also needed to make sure that someone had thread to patch it up.

They needed-

Time sighed, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, purposefully cutting off his train of thought. He would give himself a migraine if he kept worrying. He was sure that the captain and the pup were getting everyone ready to go even as he thought. He needed to stop worrying about these boys so much. He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Time would have startled at the hand that was placed on his shoulder, had he not known it so well.

He looked up to meet his wife’s understanding eyes. He allowed her to pull him up, and the two started to repack his belongings in silence.

Malon’s understanding and her unspoken support nearly made him feel worse, somehow.

As Time stepped out of the portal, he had to blink against the sudden sunlight. In his own Hyrule, it had been an overcast day. It hadn’t quite been raining, but the air was heavy, warning of incoming storms and making the scars that littered the heroes ache.

On the other side of the portal, however, the weather couldn't be more different. It was early morning here as well, which Time was eternally thankful for. It was difficult to suddenly adjust to a different time of day. The sun was shining brightly, and those of the group which had preemptively pulled out their rain cloaks sighed in relief, packing them away again. The air was balmy and warm, signaling that it was spring in this Hyrule. If they were even in Hyrule. Time certainly didn’t recognize this place.

The group stood in the middle of a small bridge that stretched over a lazy river. The bridge was rather rickety, and Time worried slightly that the combined weight of the entire group along with Epona might make it collapse. Warriors seemed to share his thoughts, as he started herding the younger heroes towards the northern shore.

Behind them, the portal snapped closed with finality.

~~~

[The group find themselves standing on a rickety old bridge over a river]

When they had all made it off the bridge, they mingled together, pulling themselves back together after having to come through the portal. They stood on a well worn path that Time thought it would be rather generous to call a road. Up ahead, the path split into two, one fork going on straight, and the other taking a sharp turn toward the left. There were a few trees scattered about, but no true forest. Mostly, it was open plains and gently rolling hills.

After making sure that they were safe, at least for now, Time ran an observing eye over the group.

Four was pressing a hand to his forehead, scowling slightly. He often got crippling headaches after coming through the portal, but it seemed like it wasn’t so bad this time around since he was sitting up and looking around.

Hyrule’s completion had turned slightly green, and he was leaning heavily against Sky. Time frowned. The traveler was always the worst off after they went through portals. He had said that the dark magic they were made of threw his own magic out of balance. Time could understand that. Legend also looked slightly green around the gills, and was snapping at Warriors irritably. The captain clearly decided to give Legend a respite, knowing how irritable the man got after portals, and left him alone. Thankfully, other than that, everyone looked mostly fine. They would have to keep an eye on the traveler, though. Not only did he handle portals the worst, he was still injured.

For the sake of the Traveler, the veteran, and the smithy, Time turned to the rest of the group. “We’ll stay here for a while, eat some breakfast, and talk about our next move.” There were relieved groans from the whole group. They moved off the path, sitting on the grassy slope nearby.

Wild started pulling out food from his slate. There were the apples that Time had expected, but also wildberries, slices of hydromelon, and roasted nuts. Taking a handful of roasted nuts for himself, Time took another look at the champion. He looked suspiciously happy, and was being rather generous with the food.

His question was quickly answered once Wild finished passing out food, by the champion shining light on the mystery of where they had ended up. “This is Horwell Bridge.”

Ah. that would explain the happy expression. This was Wild’s era. “We’re really close to the Riverside stable, so we can head there after we finish eating, and ask around for any information. The stables here are in constant communication with each other, so if you want to hear gossip or rumors about pretty much anything, asking around at a stable is a good bet. We’ll probably be able to get information about any black blooded monsters there.”

“And if we can’t? Where to after that?” Time asked. It felt a little weird to be asking Wild for directions on what to do next. The cook wasn't exactly a leader type, and usually did anything he could to avoid being in a leadership role.

Unfortunately for him, this was Wild’s Hyrule, and he knew the land the best. What he said, went.

“Well, whether or not we find information, I think our next stop should be Kakariko village. It’s the closest settlement. The elder there, Impa, should be able to give us some advice. Zelda’s also likely to be there, if she isn’t in Hateno.” Time noticed Wild’s cheeks redden slightly at his mention of Zelda, and mentally grinned. He would have to keep an eye on those two to see what was going on between them.

Although Sky and Time were the only ones who openly talked about any relationship they were in, Time knew that some of the other heroes also had significant others. Hyrule flushed whenever he talked about one of his princesses, Dawn, Twilight always shut down completely whenever he was questioned on the topic, and Time was pretty sure that Legend and Ravio were engaged. (At least, he didn’t think that the ring situated on the veteran's ring finger was magical. Although, knowing him, Legend wouldn’t hesitate to make his own engagement ring magic in some way. Not that Time could judge, as he had done the same thing himself, placing a protective spell on Malon's wedding ring.)

Wild hadn’t really mentioned anything when the topic was brought up, other than saying he had been in a rather serious relationship with a Zora princess before he died. Time knew that she had been killed somehow during the intervening years, though, so it wasn’t beyond possibility that Wild was involved with his princess.

Wild continued, “So, once we get to the stables, we can take some of my horses to make the journey faster. But after that, we have a couple options. The fastest way to Kakariko is that way,” he gestured back across the bridge, “but the road ends pretty quickly, the terrain is pretty rough, and it's a steep climb.”

Here Wild paused, pulling out his slate, moving closer to Time to show him the screen. Warriors and Twilight moved closer as well, while the rest of the group listened in. “But look here, the easier route is to keep going south west until we hit the plateau, then double back, see here? And follow the road through Dueling Peaks to Kakariko. We’d still make it before the end of the day, at least if we pick up horses. If not, we’ll still make Dueling Peaks stable.”

Time nodded. “You know the lands better than us. If that’s what you suggest, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Wild seemed startled by that, seeming to have forgotten that he was calling the shots now. “Alright. Then we’ll go by way of the peaks.”

Twilight grinned, ruffling Wilds hair, who cried out indignantly at Twilight messing up his long locks. “Sounds good, cub.” Time and Warriors nodded at that, and their course was set.

~~~

[The group makes it to Kakariko, and they all go to speak with Impa. TIme is quiet the entire time, still upset about having to leave his wife so soon. Impa can tell something’s wrong, and asks to speak with him alone. Time ends up telling her what’s wrong. Impa offers him some good advice that comes from her years raising Paya after he daughter and son-in-law died]

“Life will continue on whether or not you are present for it. So, if you want my advice, I would suggest being present for what you can be present for.”

~~~

Considering the woman’s words, Time wandered back outside, and down the steps. Since he had last been outside, the town center seemed to have been transformed. The small fire had been expanded. It was a huge blaze now, merrily crackling away. It was big enough to fit what looked like half the population of Kakariko around it, and indeed, half of Kakariko seemed to have turned out for the festivities.

The atmosphere was merry. Children ran around, carefree. A vendor had seized the opportunity and set up a small stall, selling roasted meat and baked apples from the fire, along with flasks of spiced ale. People were chattering away with each other, mingling easily. No one seemed to be left out of the merry-making.

There seemed to be no trouble to be had, and even the most tense heroes, like Legend and Warriors, looked like they were relaxing. Time could also feel himself relaxing into the atmosphere.

There would be the same worries tomorrow. Worries about shadows, and infected beasts, and Malon, but for now, Time figured that Impa was right. Time could finally feel the weight of those thoughts fall away. He could enjoy himself for the night.

He walked closer to the fire, looking for a nice place to sit that was near the others. As he approached, a couple of the teens sprang to their feet. They gestured for him to take their seat, laughing as he tried to politely refuse. They sped away, jostling each other, and yelling for their friends.

Time smiled at their energy, remembering a time when he could act the same way, and not wake up sore in the morning. (He knew that if he ever voiced those thoughts, the boys would nag him about it for days.)

He took the vacant seat, settling in next to an elderly woman who seemed to be working on a piece of embroidery. The skin around her eyes wrinkled as she squinted at her work, paying no attention to Time. He left her to her work, content to sit in silence.

Time accepted a flask handed to him by a passing gentleman. He sipped slowly, savoring the alcohol. He gazed around, taking all the sights and sounds of the merry gathering. He didn’t think it was any sort of festival, or at least Wild hadn’t mentioned one. Perhaps the arrival of such a large group of travelers instigated enough excitement that it had simply snowballed.

Or, perhaps such a thing was common in this town, for the people to gather together at night, to share food and drink over a roaring fire. Time would have never thought such a thing this morning, when he had first laid eyes on Wild’s land. It had seemed barren, for all the flora and fauna there had been. It had been devoid of Hylian life, ruins scattered everywhere they looked.

The Champion had shared the story of his adventure, complete with the utter destruction wrought on the land by Gannon, or The Calamity, as Wild had called it. Time had expected to see a desolate landscape, so that was what he had seen this morning.

This night was forcibly opening his eyes, however. Of course, the land was not as full of life as some of the others’ were, but it wasn’t barren. The land and the people were healing. Kakariko was small, and would not be considered more than a hamlet in Time’s era, but the people here were not downtrodden. They were flourishing. They shared smiles with one another, and shared food just as easily.

They had children and teenagers, though thinking of it now, Time couldn’t spot the lively bunch of teens anymore. All those gathered around the fire were older men and women. Time would reckon there was no one under the age of forty around the fire, besides the other heroes.

As he gazed away from the fire to attempt to find where everyone else had gone, (and the group of hero’s two youngest members, who seemed to have wandered off,) his eyes slowly adjusted to the lower light.

With the improved vision, he could tell that the younger folk of the village were gathered just outside the light of the fire. Time could see a young couple stealing a moment with each other, sitting on nearby the bridge that leads to a small island with the goddess statue. The sight brought a sharp pang of longing for Malon into his heart, which he did his best to shove away.

There was no space for homesickness here. Not tonight.

Even further from the fire, the young children played, chasing each other and playing tag. He still couldn’t see the teens anywhere, but now that he was listening he could hear them, so any worries were assuaged. Pricking his ears towards the noise, Time could even make out the familiar sounds of the smithy and the sailor joining in the yelling.

It seemed that the town had organized itself into age groups. The honored elders got the prime spots by the fire, while the adults were left to mix in the surrounding areas. The children were let loose to play, as long as they stayed in sight of their parents, and the teens were free to explore and do their own thing.

Wild’s time was full of monsters, but even the most brave bokoblin wouldn’t dare enter an established settlement, filled with Sheikah who were still trained in the ancient fighting techniques. That safety meant that the teens were able to get some space from the adults, and interact with each other without the oppressive gaze of their minders.

Time was glad that Four and Wind were getting some time away from the older heroes as well. It would be good for them to spend some time around those their own age. It would also give them some time to unwind without having to live up to the expectations they set for themselves in the presence of their older counterparts.

Besides those two, the entire rest of the group of heroes was resting in the fire light. Wild was talking animatedly to Flora, a bigger smile on his face than Time had seen in a while. Time was suddenly glad that it was Wild’s Hyrule they had come to. They had been to every other land except Wild’s, and had even gone to Time’s era twice. This was the first time they had come to see Wild’s homeland since the journey started and Time realized that the young man must have been feeling homesick.

Warriors and Legend were leaning against the only tree in the town center, sharing a flask with a couple of older Sheikah men. He could hear Warriors telling a tale of some battle to Legend and the men they sat with. (Time had noticed that despite how much the two argued and snapped at one another, they actually got along quite well when they thought no one was looking. They seemed to have grown close.)

Sky was dozing off across the fire, leaning against an old woman who seemed entirely unfazed by the situation. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself as she encouraged a couple of the younger kids, who Time suspected to be her grandchildren, to draw on his face with sticks of charcoal. Time snorted quietly to himself. He imagined that Sky wouldn’t be too mad when he woke up with butterflies scribbled all over his cheeks.

Hyrule and Twilight were the last of the group that Time spotted. They were sitting a little ways away from him, barely within the reach of the firelight, listening to a middle aged man spout off facts about cucco farming. Hyrule looked to be more interested in gazing at the fire than listening, but Twilight seemed to actually be engaged, remarking on his own passion, goat farming.

As he looked for longer, Time could tell that the rule of ‘Elders on the inside, getting younger as you get further from fire’ was not hard and fast. Several younger adults were situated near the blaze, and it seemed that as long as they stayed far from the dangerous flames, the younger children were welcome to mingle as they pleased. And yet, Time watched as a young woman looked around for a spot to sit, completely ignoring the empty space on the log near her, which was shortly taken by an elderly man.

Perhaps it had more to do with status, then? Impa’s granddaughter was one of the ones in the inner circle, after all, sitting next to Flora and Wild. And all of the heroes were welcome as well, offered prime seats. The teens from earlier had even gotten up so Time could sit.

Time marveled at the intricacies of etiquette in Wild’s Hyrule. In Time’s Hyrule, it would have been first come first serve, although a kind hearted soul might give up their seat for a particularly aged person. The differences between their lands never ceased to amaze Time, and not just the obvious ones. The less obvious things, like seating arrangements, also stood out. Little things, like Wind and Sky both having no idea what horse was, or Hyrule never having seen a town as big as Time’s castle town.

Like he said, he marveled at it.

[Later that night, Time witnesses Wild proposing to Flora. He uses a tradition from his own time to do so, where the one who wants to propose has to master the craft of whoever they’re proposing too. So if their partner is a baker, they would bake a pie. If their partner is a woodcarver, they would have to carve something, ect. For the most part it doesn't have to be perfect, It’s just to show that the one proposing is invested enough in their partner’s life to take time to learn something new to understand more about their partner.

In this AU, Flora is a mixture between a scholar/storyteller/teacher. Since her craft isn’t really physical, Wild proposes by beating her in a game of riddles. (Flora may or may not catch on to what he’s doing halfway through, and lets him win, but shhhh no one needs to point that out.) That scene was going to be heavily inspired by the riddle scene in the Hobbit, but when Wild asks the “riddle” of “What’s in my pockets?” and Flora can't guess the answer, he pulls out an engagement ring

The chain doesn't know exactly what’s happening at forst, but they can tell something important is happening, especially at the end when everyone breaks into cheers. Time realizes that he is missing one aspect of his life, but he can still be involved in what’s happening here and now instead of mentally being stuck back at the ranch.]

#mint's fanfiction #linked universe #lu time #lu wild #lu malon #lu malnk #fluff #hurt/comfort #I think this counts?

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