#I'm hoping to illustrate a few scenes so stay tuned I guess

[bluevaractyl]

It's finished! Thank you, my lovely readers, for all your kind comments, kudos, and notes! It has been so much fun hearing from you as I write. This story has been a constant source of joy this past month. You guys are the best <3

Complete darkness surrounded Link. He took a step and heard a faint splash, felt a faint resistance to the movement. The silence pressed in on all sides, heavy and foreboding.

With nothing else to do, he started walking. He heard a faint rumbling, like thunder in the distance. It made his heart race. He couldn’t remember why.

The shadows shifted around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a mane of fiery red hair, the glint of tusks. The rumbling at the edge of his hearing grew to a roar. The sense of dread crested, and with a wordless cry Sky jerked awake.

The smell of ozone lingered from his nightmare. He opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of fiery red.

Panic jolted through him. He scrambled to his feet, but his legs immediately gave out. He collapsed to his hands and knees. Fireflies blinked in and out of his vision, and his hearing cut out. Sky struggled not to faint, gulping in air desperately. He clawed at his throat, feeling the phantom pressure of the rope there. His heart was pounding uncontrollably. The thudding in his chest drowned out all other sensations.

He must have fainted after all, because the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes to the world tilted sideways. Sound and sensation gradually filtered back in.

“—ky? It’s okay, you’re okay, Sky. Can you hear me?” That was Wild’s voice, which meant the tan and blue blur knelt in front of him must be the Champion.

Sky groaned and tried to sit up. Wild did his best to help. Mostly upright again, Sky took a moment to look around and get his bearings.

High stone walls, dim sconces, wide open room—No, I can’t be back there, I thought I escaped, I thought they came for me—then he recognized the Captain’s blue scarf, Wind’s fluffy blond hair, Time’s golden armor. The orange glow came from two of Wild’s fire weapons. The Master Sword rested by Sky’s own bedroll. His sailcloth and bag were there too. When he raised his shaking hands to his neck, they met bruised skin instead of coarse rope. He was free. He was safe.

Overwhelming relief swept through Sky. A ragged sob tore from him. Without any warning at all, he found himself shaking with tears, desperately trying to stifle the sound. It felt like all the emotions of the last day were seeping out of him at once, a torrent of pain and fear and rage and sorrow fighting to be expressed by his fragile mortal frame. It hurt, but it felt good too.

Gentle arms wrapped him in a warm embrace. He crumpled, burying his face in Wild’s shoulder. Wild tentatively rubbed circles on his back. For a long moment, Sky just sat there, crying as quietly as he could, probably getting tears and snot all over the Champion’s tunic.

Finally, the tears slowed, and his hiccupping breaths evened out. He let out a long, quiet sigh. Wild didn’t let go until Sky pulled back. He wiped at his face. Shame burned in his stomach, but the relief was still stronger.

“Thanks,” Sky mumbled. His throat hurt, and he could feel a headache building. He avoided Wild’s searching gaze as he grabbed his bag to fetch his water bottle. He took measured sips, hoping to avoid a repeat of the last few times. The last thing he needed was to start coughing again.

“Hey, Sky?” said Wild, keeping his voice low. Sky doubted anyone was actually still asleep after all the noise he had made, but he appreciated the illusion of privacy anyway. “Sky, I…” He trailed off.

Sky looked up. Wild was glaring at the ground like it had personally offended him. He clenched his hands into fists. Unease stirred in Sky.

“I…I’m sorry. This was all my fault.” Wild forced the words out and turned his head away, letting his bangs hide his eyes from Sky’s view. Before Sky could protest the ridiculousness of that statement, he was plowing ahead.

“I should have noticed you were struggling back there. I should have realized the Yiga were targeting you. If I had been just a little faster, I could have helped—” He broke off, started again. “I don’t even know how they got here, but they wouldn’t have gone after you if they hadn’t been trying to get to me. It’s my fault you got hurt. I’m so sorry, Sky.” Wild glanced up at Sky, looking as if he expected rejection.

Sky couldn’t let that stand. He opened his mouth, closed it, and raised his hands. “Not your fault,” he signed, the motions rusty and stilted. His wrists still ached, but this was important.

“Y-I-G-A worked with the Shadow. The Shadow wanted me. To kill me,” he clarified. “Not because of you. I should have kept up, should have said something.” He looked Wild in the eye and deliberately signed, “Not your fault. I forgive you.”

Now it was Wild’s turn to cry. Sky hesitantly hugged him, letting the Champion cling to his shirt as he wept. He jumped a little when someone else touched him, but it was only Four, putting his arms around both of them.

The rest of the heroes gave up on pretending to sleep and joined the cuddle pile. Sky was soon surrounded by his brothers, each of them anxious to show him he was loved and wanted.

Sky whispered hoarsely, “Thanks for coming for me.”

Time answered, “Always. We’ll always come for you, Sky.” His voice was tight with emotion. Wild nodded in voiceless agreement.

Sky’s heart was full. I’m so blessed to have met you all, he thought, and sank back into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

~~~

Sky woke slowly. He lay with his eyes closed, listening to the soft hum of conversation. He could smell something cooking. He savored the familiarity of the moment.

Reluctantly, Sky opened his eyes and sat up. He stretched, feeling the pull in his stiff shoulders. All of his joints ached dully from spending most of the day before sitting on cold stone. That hardly mattered, though, when he turned and saw warm sunlight spilling in through the open doorway.

Sky’s breath caught at the sight. Moving without thought, he stood and walked to the doorway.

Wild had started a cooking fire outside and was stirring a pot, teasing Twilight as he cooked. Wind was sitting nearby, giving his two rupees with a dirt-eating grin. Four was polishing one of the Champion’s knives with practiced motions, head tilted to listen in.

Time and Warriors were standing together further away, probably discussing their next move since the Shadow had fled. And past them…

The sky was alight with color. Clouds on the horizon hinted at coming rain. The sun peeked through them, golden fire spreading across shades of lilac and amethyst on a backdrop of soft blue. It was the prettiest thing Sky had seen in a while.

Sky tipped his head back and smiled. He breathed in deeply. It was good to be alive.

Wild tapped him on the elbow. “Breakfast is ready,” he said, offering a bowl of porridge sweetened with wildberries and honey.

Sky accepted it and followed him back to the fire. He sat between Hyrule, who looked bleary-eyed but cheerful, and Warriors, who was ribbing Twilight about something he had said.

He took a small bite of porridge. Though he had been apprehensive about swallowing, it only hurt a little. The thick, smooth texture didn’t irritate his sore throat much.

“Feeling better this morning?” asked Warriors.

Sky nodded carefully. He put down his bowl and spoon and felt his neck. Before, the softest touch had been agony. Now, there was only light bruising, and some deep scratches he must have left when he panicked earlier. His head only hurt when he turned too fast. His vision was clearer, too.

“Here, let me help with those,” said Hyrule. He waited for Sky to nod before resting his fingertips on the scratches and murmuring his spell. The now-familiar tingling of magic spread through Sky’s neck. Hyrule pulled away and inspected his work. “I haven’t gotten enough magic back yet to heal the rest, but I will soon. Sleep helped a lot,” he explained.

He looked a little disappointed he hadn’t been able to do more, so Sky raised a hand to his chin and mouthed, “Thank you.” Hyrule smiled and gently bumped shoulders with him.

Wind piped up from the other side of the cooking pot. “I still don’t get it. What was the Shadow doing there? Was this his plan all along?” Legend shot him a quelling look, but Wind didn’t seem to notice, too busy reaching for seconds.

They have a right to know. Sky waved a hand for attention and signed, “The Yiga wanted to kill Wild. The Shadow wanted to kill me, to stop my legacy.” He swallowed and made a sweeping motion to encompass them all. “All of you.”

They were quiet as they absorbed that. The idea was still new to Sky. It felt right, though. He’d known for a while that his Zelda was the ancestor of the others’ princesses, and that the town they were building together on the Surface would one day become the kingdom of Hyrule. He had never really considered the importance of his own role, though. He was the princesses’ ancestor too, and all the heroes had followed in his footsteps to protect what he had started. They were his legacy.

Wind broke the silence. “I’m glad we found you, Sky. Even if you weren’t kind of important to our history, our group wouldn’t be the same without you,” he said earnestly.

The simple declaration made warmth well up in Sky’s heart. For the first time since meeting them all, Sky found he could believe it. He belonged with them. They wanted him there. This was where he was meant to be.

Sky leaned on his brothers and let himself breathe.