#Wild and Malon cooked the dinner of course

[the-au-collector]

Was inspired by reading some LU incorrect quotes about cooking to make this little braindump. So uh yeah have some “how good are the Links at cooking” headcanons:

Wild - resident chef, obviously. Very good cook. Was taught how to at the Dueling Peaks stable and it’s very relaxing for him to cook. He genuinely enjoys cooking and has recipes saved from all over his Hyrule. He will fight the others for cooking duty, both on the road and when they’re somewhere safe. He just loves to cook. Before the Calamity, though, he could not cook. At all. He was absolutely horrible at it. Flora was surprised when she learned he knew how to cook all of a sudden.

Twilight - can only make pumpkin stew. More often than not he’s eating food from Telma’s, stuff that doesn’t need to be cooked, or he hunts and eats as a wolf.

Sky - knows a few recipes. I feel like the Knight Academy would at least teach basic recipes, so he can handle himself on his own. It’s just not especially flavorful compared to Wild’s cooking. Also pumpkin stew. If he can he will make pumpkin stew.

Warriors - also was taught how to cook because he’s a Knight, but is still a danger in the kitchen. He makes some pretty infamous gruel. It’s really bad. Keep him out of the kitchen. He lost his taste buds during the War of Eras

Time - he theoretically can cook it’s just that he makes too much of a mess when doing it. He will drop everything, spill anything, and end up covered in ingredients despite actively trying to be clean. Time makes dinner time look like a bomb went off and it’s so much of a hassle to clean and honestly a bit of a waste, especially only for bad to mediocre meals at best. He can survive when Malon’s not home, but is his food good? No. No it’s not. As a kid he was hopeless. Luckily the puppy dog eyes worked like a charm as a kid. When he got older Talon eventually sat him down and taught him how to cook basic meals. Malon’s taught him a little too, but again. He just makes a mess

Hyrule - cannot cook. Was never taught and can’t teach himself since he was never taught to read. But he does know how to find edible food on the road. He’s a really good forager and that’s how he sustained himself on his journeys

Wind - can cook some things. Granny’s been teaching him how to cook. He knows Granny’s soup recipe but he insists he can never make it right so he never actually makes it. He can cook basic fish dishes but doesn’t have an arsenal of recipes. Usually it was down to whatever he could find for cheap in a store or fish himself during his adventures. I feel like Tetra’s ship has a cook so he doesn’t need to worry about food anymore. If he had the choice, though, he would live off Granny’s soup and nothing else

Four - Can cook. Probably the most reliable cook after Wild. He can make some fancy and genuinely good dishes. He just doesn’t particularly like the stress of cooking. Red’s always worried no one’s going to like it, Green wants to experiment, Vio wants to follow the recipe to a T, and Blue just wants everyone to shut up. I feel like during his journeys he used his age, and then his height, to his advantage to get free food whenever he could. I like to think he would help his grandpa cook whenever he could as a kid and thus actually learned how to cook

Legend - Can cook, but only in a kitchen. He never managed to get the hang of cooking over an open fire. Though while he can cook, I feel like he has a special preference for baking since his uncle would make apple tarts with him when he was little. During his earlier adventures, someone would usually cook for him (except for his first, he’d usually have to steal to get by) since he was still pretty young, but he slowly learned to cook over the course of his adventures. He learned a lot on Koholint specifically, so he knows a lot of seafood dishes though he doesn’t usually make those

[minty-mumbles]

Shifting Hues (Ch. 3.2: Lavender Cloth)

Summary: A fic that follows Wild’s journey to discover themselves. This chapter: Wild has a chat with Malon, and Hyrule tries to offer some advice

A/N: Thank you to @breannasfluff for helping me out with this chapter. Also happy pride month :)

(Read on AO3)

~~~

The scents wafting through Malon’s kitchen are heavenly, and Wild takes a moment to breathe them in and appreciate it. It’s been a while since Wild’s had the luxury of cooking inside with a real fireplace and oven, so they’d jumped at the opportunity to join Malon in the kitchen. 

The fact that helping Malon also got Wild out of spending the rest of the evening doing chores was only a bonus. 

Don’t get them wrong; Wild loves horses and most other farm animals. (Barring the Cuccos. Wild simply holds a healthy respect for those birds.) But despite their love for animals, Wild doubts that they could ever become a farmer. Having to muck out stables and milk cows is not their idea of fun.

Wild hadn’t been the only one who would’ve loved an excuse to get out of chores. Warriors in particular had sent Wild a somewhat nasty look when the Champion had nearly ran out of the barn to help Malon with cooking. However, Wild was the only one who had enough competence to help in the kitchen. That, and the other heroes were looking forward to seeing what the two of them would make for dinner. So there hadn’t been that much grumbling when Wild had fled the barn.

Malon had shared a wink with them as they entered the house and she directed them to go wash up. Apparently, she also didn’t mind the break from farm work. When Time had been away, Malon had done more than her fair share of running the farm. Now that Time was back, along with many extra pairs of hands, he hadn’t hesitated to insist she take the day off from farm work.

Malon had let Wild choose the menu for tonight, and Wild had decided to make a veritable feast. They might’ve gone a little bit overboard in choosing what dishes to make, but Malon had raised no complaint. She’d simply smiled at them with a hint of amused affection in her eyes. Wild turned away to hide the way their cheeks warmed.

If the first time the group had visited the farm had been any indication, the chores would be done sooner than expected with all the extra help. The other heroes would have plenty of time to relax before dinner was ready. 

With that in mind, Wild sets about preparing something small for them to nibble on while they waited for dinner to be done. Some freshly cut vegetables from the ranch’s garden, a bowl of roasted nuts, and a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade took up residence on the dining table, waiting for the hungry heroes who would soon come into the house. After a moment of hesitation, Wild spikes the lemonade with a splash of chilly elixir to help everyone cool down after a day spent out in the sun. Hopefully, that would be enough to stall any grumbling, either from the heroes or their stomachs.

With that settled, Wild heads out of the house and around the back to Time and Malon’s personal garden. After a brief deliberation, they pull up some carrots and parsnips. Soon, the vegetables are scrubbed clean, chopped, and tossed into the roasting pan with the rump roast of a wild boar, which Wild rubbed down thoroughly with their own special blend of spices. The vegetables would soak up all the juices from the meat and spices while they cooked and turn flavorful and tender as the meat cooked. That went into the oven right away to slow roast for as long as possible.

As Wild dealt with the main dish, Malon had brought up a large number of potatoes from the cellar and had started preparing them. A large pot had been set to boil over the fire, ready to receive the potatoes. They would be boiled until soft, then mashed with butter, a splash of fresh milk, some strong Hateno cheese, and roasted garlic. 

Wild toys with the idea of making a light mushroom soup to serve with the main course, but quickly dismisses the idea. Soups and stews are a staple of traveling, and while Wild tries to mix it up with a curry or stir fry every once in a while- anything that could be cooked easily in a single pot– they knew their companions would enjoy a break from soups.

All of the pair’s work is done in relative silence. Both cooks are engrossed in their jobs and feel no need to exchange words besides “pass me that knife over there,” or “where did you put the salt?” 

It’s peaceful to be able to cook in a real kitchen again, and Wild and Malon work well together, neither of them having to be instructed on what to do next. 

Wild pulls out a second cutting board, starting to help Malon with the potatoes as they contemplate what else to serve. The roast wouldn’t be enough for all of them, and some of the heroes, like Sky, Legend, and Hyrule, didn’t care for red meat. 

Wild mentally rifles through all the recipes they know, eventually coming to settle on salmon meuniere. The dish brought good memories to Wild. The first time they'd made the recipe had been for Genli, one of Kass' many daughters. She'd nearly shattered their eardrums with her excited shriek when they’d approached her with the finished dish. It’d made the hours they'd spent gathering the materials and trying to get the recipe just right all worth it. 

That, and the dish was truly delicious.

A swishing movement out of the corner of their eye pulls them from their contemplation. A quick turn of their head shows it’s only Malon’s dress flaring out as she twists to grab something off the counter. 

For a brief moment, Wild’s reminded of the necklace Riju had been wearing the last time they’d seen her. Malon’s dress is a similar shade of soft purple as the gems Riju had worn.

Now thoroughly distracted from their task, Wild’s movements turn robotic. Their mind wanders back to the subject that’d been consuming them lately. It had become a little troublesome, with how much the topic still weighs on their mind.

They wished they could talk to Zel about this. She would understand, and even if she didn’t, it would be nice to just get their thought’s off their chest. Unfortunately, Wild was hundreds of miles and thousands of years away from Zel, and surrounded by people who didn’t know who Wild really was. 

Another swish from Malon’s skirt draws their eyes back to the fabric. It’s a pretty pastel purple, which is a subtle flex of wealth that Wild hadn’t expected from Malon or Time. It’s not a bold enough purple to be overly expensive, or the kind that’s reserved for royalty, but it would’ve been expensive cloth. Malon is still wearing her typical apron and yellow neckerchief overtop of it, which dresses it down even more. As Wild stares, they notice subtle embroidery. Little bunches of lavender line the hems of the dress, with flourishes of green leaves.

“See something interesting?” Wild looked up at Malon’s question, finding her staring right back at them.

They turn away to the flush that creeps up their cheeks at being caught staring. “I really like your dress, that's all. It’s pretty.”

“Oh!” Malon blinks in surprise, apparently not expecting that answer. She looks pleased. ”Link got the fabric for me as an anniversary gift a few years back. He probably would’a commissioned someone to make it into a dress for me too, but I like to make my own. I’m the only one who knows how’ta make ‘em fit just right. Premade dresses always seem to have something wrong with ‘em.” 

Malon holds out the edge of her skirt for them to feel, which they do after a moment of hesitation. The fabric feels as high quality as it looks, and Wild can tell it’s not something Malon would wear if she were working on the farm. It’s a bit too delicate for that. Wild’s mind wanders as they rub the fabric between their fingers, and something of their envy must show on their face as they inspect the fabric, because Malon looks intrigued. A little confused at Wild’s interest, but not hostile. 

“I think I have some of my older dresses in the attic. I’m saving ‘em for if Link and I ever have a- well,” She cuts herself off with a smile, and Wild feels a similar smile tug at the corner of their mouth. The thought of Time and Malon having children makes their heart squeeze. They know it’s something the couple is hoping for, and the two of them deserve to be happy. They deserve to have as many children as they want. 

Malon’s fond, love-struck expression makes Wild relax slightly, which means they’re all the less prepared for her next words. Malon shakes her head to dispel the thought she’d been trapped in.

“I think some of them might fit you, if you’d like to try them. I think you’d look pretty in them.” 

Wild stiffened, their hands which had gone back to steadily chopping potatoes freeze instantly. Their heart is beating swiftly in their chest. Some kind of fluttery, light feeling rises in their stomach, but it brings along a dread that crawls under their skin.

Pretty. 

Pretty pretty pretty pretty prettyprettypretty 

Their brain frantically grabs hold of the word, turning it over and over obsessively in their mind, as if that will reveal some secret hidden message. Wild curses the fact that they hadn’t been looking at Malon when she’d said it. They weren't good at reading facial expressions, but they wish they had something to puzzle over instead of just Malon’s voice. 

Pretty? 

They hadn’t detected any sneer in her voice. She hadn’t sounded like she’d been making fun of them.

Malon had called them pretty. Or… implied it, at least.

“Wild? Are you alright, hon? You don’t have to try on any dresses if you don’t want to.” Malon is trying to reassure them, Wild thinks, and they startle as they realize they’ve been staring at the potatoes on the cutting board in front of them this whole time.

“No one’s ever called me pretty before.” The words slip out without their permission, but they aren’t a lie.

“Oh.” Malon’s expression turns gentle. There’s a small bit of pity in her gaze too, and for once, the emotion doesn't irritate them. Usually, when the topic of his scars come up, people are awkward at best, and downright insulting at worst, whether they intend to be or not. 

No one’s ever offered comfort before. No one except Zel ever felt bad for them or told them they were sorry that it had happened. And Zel didn’t count. She had the same kinds of scar they had- the horrific burns that came with surviving an encounter with a guardian. That type of scar was rare to see, and usually only garnered horror or grotesque curiosity.

“I don’t care what I look like,” Wild remarks, still not looking at Malon. The protest sounds hollow and false even to Wild’s ears. It was… partially true. Wild had never put too much thought into their actual appearance before. They’ve worried about whether they looked masculine or feminine, but they’d never bothered with how good they looked. They knew their lifestyle of traveling and fighting didn’t leave much time for appearances.

That didn’t stop people from judging.

Malon hummed a reassurance. “You don’t need to care, hon, at least not if you don’t want to.” Wild nodded. They knew that, but what if they did care what other people thought? What then? Tears prick at the corner of their eyes. They know that Malon can’t see it, turned away as they were, but it still makes their ears turn downward in shame.

“And I know my opinion doesn’t matter, but I think you're beautiful, Wild.” A fat tear rolls down Wild’s cheek, dripping onto their tunic and turning the blue fabric dark as it soaks in.

Malon’s hand cups their cheek, and guides them to look at her. She doesn’t look surprised to see the tear tracks on their face. She simply says “Oh, honey,” and draws them into a hug. She sounds gentle but there’s an undercurrent of sadness that makes the corner of Wild’s mouth twitch downwards as they try not to cry.

Wild can see Malon’s face out of the corner of their eye. Her expression is still concerned but still gentle and caring, and for a second, Wild is stuck with the overwhelming urge to tell her everything.

Could they tell her? Malon is very kind, and she’s married to Time. She knows intimately how the title of hero can affect those who bear it, and that being a hero didn’t mean you had to fit a certain mold.

And if she did react badly- well, Wild doesn’t live in the same era as her. They wouldn’t have to live with her opinion of them. 

Could they really tell her? 

Wild is halfway through opening their mouth to try and speak through their tears when the front door opens. They can hear Time’s voice call out a greeting, and heavy footsteps making their way toward the kitchen

They try to twitch away from the hug instinctually, never mind the fact that it’s obvious they’re still crying, their shoulders still heaving with every breath. Malon tightens her arms and doesn’t let them out of her embrace. When the door opens, Wild, who’s facing away from it, can't see Time or his expression. They tense under the weight of the old man’s gaze anyways, burying their face in Malon’s shoulder.

There’s a pause as Time takes in the scene. When he speaks, his voice is a little confused, but mostly concerned. “Champion?” Wild doesn't respond, knowing that their voice would waver and crack if they tried to speak now. 

When Wild doesn’t respond, Time speaks to Malon instead. “Is he alright?”

Wild can feel Malon shake her head, motioning for Time to leave with one hand. “He’ll be fine. Dinner won’t be ready for a bit. Go back outside.” Wild can’t see the silent conversation taking place between the two, but after a few more seconds Wild can hear Time turn and go back outside without another word. 

Wild will have to worry about that later. Hopefully, Time won’t try to ask them or Malon about what just happened. It’s a futile hope- the heroes of Hyrule are all a nosy bunch, Time included. With luck, Malon would head him off, and tell him not to ask Wild about it.

Wild still wasn’t ready to tell any of the other heroes, yet. Their mind goes back to the thought they’d had before Time had opened the door. Could they tell Malon who they really were? 

No. 

Malon is kind, but Wild isn’t ready to tell a friendly acquaintance one of their deepest secrets. Wild’s only met Malon a few times. In truth, they barely know her. A few hours spent cooking together isn’t enough for them to trust her with this. Wild can think of a whole list of people who deserve to know about this first. 

Teba, Yunobo, Sidon, the rest of Wild’s friends in their era, and Malon’s own husband are on that list, along with the rest of the heroes. 

Wild spends a moment to think this all over.

Those who wield the sword that seals the darkness all have an undeniable connection. Some of the heroes had proposed that they all shared the same soul, while others thought that they simply shared experiences that no one else– besides possibly their respective princess– could relate to. 

Whatever it was, there had always been an underlying sense of trust between them, even the more paranoid like Time and Legend. They trusted each other explicitly to guard their back in battle, but not only that. They’re able to trust each other with their deepest secrets. Things they haven't told anyone else. 

Hylia knows that Wild’s admitted some things to the other heroes that they haven’t told anyone before, not even Zel. Things like the fact that they remember how it felt to die, things like how many times they had to use Mipha’s grace on their adventure because they were still so new to the world and had no one to watch their back, things like–

Well. The point was there was a certain vulnerability between the heroes they only shared with each other. Wild brushes away those thoughts before they can overwhelm them.

Wild backs off, wiping at their eyes. This time, Malon lets them go without resistance.

“My offer about those dresses is always open, hon.” Malon’s expression is calm, and Wild can’t tell what she must be thinking. They throw their focus back to their cooking, trying to take their mind off of what just happened. 

Wild wonders what the other heroes would think about Wild dressing in women’s clothing. Would they care? Against their will, Wild’s mind flashes back to Warriors jeering tone when he had found Wild’s vai outfit, and they let the thought drift away.

~~~

Time keeps shooting Wild concerned glances over dinner. No one else has caught on to Time’s worry yet, which is a relief. Wild’s sure the other heroes have noticed that they’d been quieter than usual, but it wasn’t odd for the heroes to be more selective with their words at times, Wild included. 

Instead of meeting Time’s gaze, Wild busies themself with pushing around the mashed potatoes on their plate. After a while, and what Wild could swear was Malon giving Time a swift kick under the table, Time moves his scrutiny to his own plate. 

Wild is finally able to relax minutely, the tension bleeding out of their shoulders. They tune back into the conversations around them.

Closest to them, Hyrule and Warriors are talking, with Legend, Time, and Malon listening in. At the other end of the table, Four, Twilight, and Sky are having a quiet conversion that Wild can’t make out, save for Wind’s occasional loud interjections.

Hyrule speaks, asking a question from Warriors that Wild had missed. “Um, I only named myself Link a few months before I started my first journey. Believe me, the irony wasn’t lost on me.”

Warriors raises an eyebrow at Hyrule as he takes a sip of his drink. “Why did you choose Link, if I may ask?”

Hyrule shrinks into his seat, his eyes darting over to Legend, ears twitching nervously. When he speaks, his voice is even quieter than normal for the soft-spoken traveler. “I had heard stories about the hero who came before me. I was just a kid at the time, but I already knew I wanted to be like him.” 

Hyrule makes a slightly strangled noise after he finishes speaking. Wild doubts he meant to say all that, and feels a little bad for the traveler. He’s always been one of the quieter members of the group, and anyone with eyes could tell that he idolizes Legend. 

“I assume you didn’t believe it would turn out to be so literal.” Warriors commented. He looks delighted, and Wild suspects the only reason he’s not teasing Legend mercilessly right now is to avoid Hyrule exploding from embarrassment at the dinner table. Wild doesn’t doubt that Warriors will be on Legend's case– and on his nerves–the second Hyrule is out of earshot. 

Legend is also steadfastly refusing to look up from his plate, so at least Wild isn’t the only one. He’s pretending not to listen to the conversation, but the bright red ears and emotionally constipated look on his face made it clear that the veteran had indeed been listening.

~~~

Wild finds it hard to fall asleep that night. 

The group is split between the ranch’s two guest rooms, and Wild ends up in the room with Legend, Warriors, and Wind. Legend almost immediately claims the single bed, and the rest of them end up setting up their bedrolls on the floor after a token protest from Warriors. 

Despite having to lay on the floor, they’re still more comfortable than they are in the majority of the places the group has camped before. There are no sticks or rocks to poke their bedroll, no need to worry about movement or sounds in the dark, no light from the fire, or noises from those on watch to keep them awake. 

But despite all this, Wild’s wandering mind keeps them awake until long after everyone else has fallen asleep. The only sounds in the room are the soft, even breathing of the other heroes, and the sun has long since slipped below the horizon, leaving the dim glow of the moon filtering through the open window as the only source of light. 

Wild’s mind continues to wander aimlessly, never quite slipping into the sweet oblivion of sleep. No particular thought is keeping them awake, but their mind refuses to settle. 

They don’t know how late it is when they finally give up on falling asleep, quietly rising from their bedroll. They make their way out of the room without waking anyone, thanking themself for having the foresight to lay their bedroll the closest to the door. 

The house is deathly silent as Wild wanders through it and the stillness of the empty house puts them on edge. The only sound is the consistent tick, tick, tick of the clock in the corner of the entryway. The sound echoes through the rooms on the first floor of the house.

Wild shivers and slips out the front door. 

They slowly make their way out to the barn to say hello to both Time and Twilight’s Eponas and sneak them both an apple, which they seem to appreciate. The company of the horses is nice, but Wild’s restless feet carry them onward after only a few minutes.

They end up deciding to head up to the roof of the house. Maybe the fresh air, the sounds of crickets, and being able to see the stars would put them at ease enough to catch a few hours of sleep before the sun came up. It’s a perfect night for stargazing. There isn’t a single cloud out, and a light breeze making the slight humidity not feel too stuffy.

But when they peek their head over the edge of the roof, they discover they aren’t the first one there. Hyrule is sprawled out on his back, gazing up at the stars. Wild considers backing away and finding someplace else to sit, but Wild thinks that they wouldn’t mind the traveler's quiet company.

Hyrule seems to notice them hovering indecisively at the edge of the roof, and he sits up. An inviting smile is sent in Wild’s direction, so they hoist themself over the edge of the roof, flopping down next to Hyrule. 

Hyrule is the first to speak. “I saw you go into the barn. Sneaking the horses apples again?” Wild nods, and Hyrule grins. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Time or Twilight.”

Wild laughs, thanking him. Twilight had been getting on them about giving Epona too many treats recently. Wild personally doesn’t think they’d been doing so. Epona is a good horse, she deserves treats.

The two of them fall into a companionable silence after that. It’s nearly a half hour before Hyrule speaks up. “I was thinking about the conversation we had at dinner. About how Warriors and I choose the name Link?” 

Wild wonders why Hyrule includes them in the ”we,” as Wild hadn’t participated in the conversation at all. They also hadn't been paying attention for most of it, so they must’ve missed when Warriors had elaborated on his name. They nod in agreement anyways. 

“When I was younger I had a… friend, named Navi, who would tell me stories about heroes of ages past. I wasn’t sure when I first met him, but now I think Legend was one of those heroes. I think she even knew Time personally, even if she mostly refuses to talk about him.”

Hyrule must see the odd look Wild shoots him because he elaborates. “Navi is a great fairy, so she’s been around for a while. She basically raised me. Taught me everything I know about magic.”

That made sense. Wild had always wondered about some of Hyrule’s spells. His magic had always felt familiar, giving off the same feeling as the magic of the great fairies Wild knew. 

Hyrule continues. “Before that, I was- uh, fairies are all female, and being raised by them doesn’t help with-” Hyrule sighs. “What I mean is, I didn’t really have any role models who were men while I was growing up.” 

Wild wants to bury their face in their hands. They had come up here in hopes it would let them relax, but this was not helping. 

Hyrule is either oblivious to Wild’s growing stress or continues on despite it. “But the stories about heroes of old- the courage they showed in the face of danger, the sacrifices they made for the sake of others- I decided I wanted to be that kind of person. Long before I ever understood the difference between man and woman, I knew that’s who I was.” Hyrule aims a strange smile at Wild that they don’t understand. It doesn't seem malicious, at least.

Wild wonders what Hyrule’s point was. This conversation is getting a little too personal, a little too close to what had been haunting Wild for months. Why can’t they have a break? They just want a break from worrying about what they are and if they should tell anyone. 

“Why didn’t you say that all at dinner? Why tell me now?” They ask.

 “I just thought you might need to hear it, that’s all. Also, Legend would combust if I told him that.”

“You mean you would combust if you did?” Wild teases. They’re deflecting, they know they are, but their heart is pounding too fast to care. 

Thankfully, their distraction works, or at least Hyrule is willing to let the previous conversation go. He laughs, an embarrassed flush crawling over their cheeks, just like it had at dinner. 

‘I just thought you might need to hear it.’ What had Hyrule meant by that? Their mind whirls, and they have to focus on keeping their breathing even. In the quiet of the night, any unsteady breathing would be easily noticed.

After that, the conversation falls back into the usual routine of banter and soft laughter. Wild’s breathing becomes easier, and his heart slows, but they still wonder why Hyrule felt the need to share that with them. 

A heavy kind of sorrow wells in their stomach, and their mind swirls with questions that they can’t answer. 

Why couldn't Wild have had a crisis over their identity and realized that they were just being silly? That those feelings they were having were due to something else, and they really were a man? Why couldn’t they have become more assured in their own identity, instead of feeling like their soul had been ripped open and rearranged? 

Humiliation burns at them. They were supposed to be the hero. They were meant to be the kind of man that children were told bedtime stories about. They were meant to be that famous figure that looms in the public consciousness. They were supposed to be the fabled hero that was always unquestionably and recognizably a man.

And sure, Wild had defeated great evil, even if it took them a while to finish the job, and they’ve fought monsters, and sacrificed everything they were for the good of the people. This was all true. 

But it was also true that every time they looked at their body, their brain told them it was wrong, wrong, wrong.

If Wild truly had to feel like this, why couldn’t they have been more like Hyrule? If they’d truly been meant to feel so wrong in their own body- if this was what the goddess wished for them- why couldn’t it have been the other way around? Why couldn’t they have been born a girl, and later realize they were a man?

Wild knows that none of these questions are something they’ll ever find an answer to, most likely. They try to push down the feeling of desperation that rises in their throat and nearly chokes, and tries to stop thinking about it. The feelings might not ever go away, but Wild couldn’t spend their entire life wishing their circumstances were different.

After they manage to get their mind to stop spiraling, they’re still left with a dread pooling in their chest and one question running through their mind that keeps them from falling asleep the rest of the night. 

Does Hyrule know?

[yourthiccgoddessmidna]

The others checked in various places in the ranch. Malon collected the eggs and chose which dozen chickens were gonna be for dinner. “I’ll make Midna’s favorite. And maybe she’ll grant my wish for a few boys. Hope link got some cheese I’ve been having cravings for it.” She looked at her pregnant gut. Midna said there was 7 kids. 6 girls 1 boy. But having an extra three in her wouldn’t hinder her.

Midna turned into Mother Nature again but this time her wilder side Wild Goddess or Fauna as her name was. She helped deliver some piglets and made sure both mother and babies were healthy. She then picked a boar for dinner. “I hope malon makes that delicious berry sauce.” The nature goddess licked her lips.

Link tended to harvesting ready crops and loading them into wagons to sell. Keeping a few for food and cooking ingredients. He then went to collect milk from both cows and goats. He even picked out a few cheese wheels. “I hope Midna picked boar. The way Malon makes it with that berry sauce goes well with the cheese.” Of course thinking of those two made Link smile… and had to refocus or else his “sword” could start tearing his overalls.

It wouldn't be long until Midna arrived with a hefty looking boar, she managed to change into a more muscular form known as Bertha that happened to be an alternate of Berzerker. All that fat changed into pure bulging muscles. "Guess what I brought back!" She exclaimed in a voice so deep that it sounded masculine. "It's a big one too...think you can make something out of this one, Malon?~" She smirked.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Uh... maybe some of the Healthcare boys surprising one of the others (Time, maybe???l on his birthday?

Time sighed heavily, glaring at his computer. He could finish this charting tomorrow, but he hated leaving work unfinished. Glancing at the clock, he tried to ignore the guilty pang in his gut. He should have been home two hours ago.

Malon was going to kill him.

Scrolling through a surgical resident’s note, he edited and added a few extra tidbits of information and signed it. Well, that left… eight more.

It wasn’t like Time had planned for this to happen. Several emergent cases came up, knocking out what little free time he had to chart, eat, drink, anything. That was the nature of his particular specialty.

Time’s phone buzzed. Glancing at it, he saw several text messages from multiple people.

From Malon, a gentle reminder: Please get home before midnight, fairy boy. You promised me a dinner date, remember?

From Wind, an excited prompt: Hey, it’s so pretty outside, you gotta get out of the hospital and enjoy it!!

From Warriors, a loving but stern remark: You’d better not still be in the hospital by now, old man. You promised you’d hang out with us for drinks.

From Four, a self care note: Please make sure you take a break when you can.

From Twilight, a bunch of messages garnering confusion:

Hey ol

you shoulgure

ahdic

SORRY Wild can’t keep his grubby hands off the phone!! Just wondering when you were coming home.

From Wild: Get your sorry butt home >:( Twi keeps pacing and you’re not being very timely ;))

Time chuckled at the conglomeration, but he also felt the slightest twinge of pain. Because today was a very special day, but the only one who had bothered wishing him a happy birthday was Malon this morning.

It was silly to expect birthday wishes from the others. Time wasn’t even sure he’d told anyone it was his birthday. But it still stung a little.

Taking his first sip of water all day, he looked back at the computer when his phone buzzed again. He was tempted to ignore it, but the messages made him smile. Looking, he saw that it was from Sky.

Please come home. I don’t feel good.

Time swallowed. Read the text again. Felt his nerves prickle and his stomach churn uncomfortably. Sky never reported if he felt bad. It was part of the reason everyone had to be so alert around him.

What was wrong that he’d actually admit he didn’t feel well?

Sky, what’s wrong? He asked.

There was an agonizing thirty seconds where Sky didn’t reply, and Time swapped over to the chat with Malon, hastily asking if Sky was home and what was happening when the boy replied.

I just need you to come home.

Time looked at his computer. Then his phone. Then his computer again.

He logged out.

I’m on my way, Sky.

Time tried calling him a couple times but the young pilot wouldn’t answer. He didn’t say a word after Time said he was coming.

Time spent the next twenty minutes running different scenarios in his head and trying to call anyone, but suddenly nobody was answering their phones. It made him even more anxious, but he drove at a steady pace and tried not to let it overwhelm him.

When he got home, he hastily unlocked the door and was confused when all the lights were off. Was Sky somewhere in the dark?

The lights came on all of a sudden, and Time blinked.

“Surprise!” everyone shouted, surrounded by confetti and balloons with a banner that said “Happy Birthday!” hanging on the wall. Time traced over all the faces, settling in Sky’s gentle smile, and he leaned heavily against the wall.

“You could have given me a heart attack,” he remarked, relieved and happy but still jittery from the scare.

Legend snorted. “I mean you are old now, so none of us would be surprised.”

“Besides, we could all take care of you,” Hyrule added helpfully with a smile.

Chuckling, Time stepped forward and was engulfed in a gigantic hug from eight young men as Malon smiled gently at him in the background.

“Happy birthday, fairy boy,” she said with a wink.

[lu-twilights-pup]

Hello, do you have twilight or wolfie headcanons you’d be willing to share? Maybe with Wolfie comforting, acting silly ect with the Chain? My nine year old golden retriever passed away suddenly last night. Reading through your blog tonight has been such a nice way to take my mind off things.

Of course! i am so sorry for your loss hun <3

Wolfie Headcanons!

Wolfie is 100% a golden retriever in a past life

He acts very well put together and scary when there are threats to the others and he needs to stand guard, but the other like 50% of the time, he is just as much of an idiot as the other links can be

Wolfie is like Twilight’s way of relaxing when there isnt any threat to the chain, or when he just needs a break

That being said he is rather silly when given the chance

He chased his tail once, and has never done it again after being caught with it in his mouth by Legend

But he will go after anything thrown remotely towards or past him, this includes arrows, weapons, bags and food

He will patiently sit by the cooking pot when Wild is making dinner and catch and and all scraps that are dropped

has learned to bring an empty bowl to wild during dinner and he will fill it (does this to get seconds/thirds)

Will also snatch food from some of the others if they aren’t paying attention.

This mostly occurs to Warriors and Legend who both talk a lot with their hands while eating and end up waving their utensils around for him to snatch the food off of

He will not take food from most others

He will chase birds, squirrels and rabbits and bring them back to the chain as a present

He stopped after Sky cried over a dead quail

He likes to sit on people when they sit on the ground (or on one of Ms. Malon’s comfy couches)

He will lay across people’s legs or squirm into peoples laps when he can

When injured Links refuse to sit still or stay seated Hyrule will send Wolfie to go sit on them (Gently) to keep them there

Wolfie also has a tendency to cuddle up next to sick members of the chain for comfort

He actually loves head scratches and pats but will only seek them out from Time or Wild (Maybe Warriors) but typically saves them for the others when they are upset

He knows that petting him and silent companionship goes a long way for helping people calm down/feel better

He will snore SO badly in his sleep that he will wake himself up

Sometimes he will just like chew his leg to itch in and just stare at the nearest link with it in his mouth

He gets zoomies when on the ranch or and open field and will just run around with the horses and sheep or just around the group as they walk

Will wipe his paws on the mat before coming inside and only shake off outside the door

Does the litttle thing where if you walk up to him while he’s laying down he’ll pin his ears back and wag his tail with a weird little dog smile on his face

Chews on everything, including shoes sadly

Likes to howl (horribly) when the others play their instruments

He can actually do it beautifully but he likes to be off key for shits and giggles

Doesn’t really like water but play in it to make it seem less scary to people like Hyrule who have to worry about safety in their own worlds

Enjoys tug of war very much like its his favorite thing.

[lyrabythelake]

Pumpkin Timeee

I love Halloween, here’s a little fic

Seasons may change, but Time’s commute back from the castle stays more or less the same. Yes, there may be life-size plastic skeletons in the windows of most houses right now, but if you can ignore that, along with the badly carved pumpkins and the entire graveyard that was erected overnight in one garden, it is really no different to any other day.

For Time, Halloween is an occasion that brings very real fear to his heart. There isn’t much distinction between each year; he can pretty much count on Legend terrorising them all with his latest attempt at special effects makeup (last time he had genuinely convinced Warriors he had chopped his index finger off cutting a cucumber), Wind will watch a horror movie and spend the next week with night terrors, and Hyrule will eat so many super sour sweets he throws up.

All in all, not his favourite holiday.

Not that he wants to tempt fate, but today has been remarkably uneventful. Only three people dressed up at work and no one has tried any pranks or jump-scares (he may be known as the Hero of Time in some circles, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to those surprise jump-scare videos on YouTube), so he’s in a pretty good mood.

That is, until he walks into his house.

“What is this?”

Which, he commends himself, is an admirably calm reaction considering whatever it is has left his kitchen looking like the scene of a large, gruesome pumpkin massacre. And actually, that might be an apt description of what millions of children do every year on the 31st of October when they carve hideous faces into gourds while their parents try their best to keep them from cutting their fingers off. 

Millions of children and, of course, his idiot friends.

“We’re carving pumpkins,” Wind says distractedly, his tongue held between his teeth as he focuses intently on stabbing his knife multiple times into his pumpkin.

“I can see that. But did you have to do it in my kitchen?”

“Yours is the only one big enough for all of us.”

A fact that has made him repeatedly curse his and Malon’s past selves ever since they first viewed this house and exclaimed how perfect the large, open plan kitchen/living room would be for having all their friends round for dinner sometimes. They seriously overlooked several important factors like how now all eight of the boys seem to be in their house ninety percent of the time whether he and Malon are home or not.

“You don’t think you might have overdone it?” He’s referring to the literally countless number of pumpkins on every surface–he tallied thirteen before he lost count–and the sloppy mountain of Pumpkin innards piled so high onto the table that it very nearly reaches the ceiling.

“Oh, that?” Wild gestures casually at Mount Pumpkin Guts. “I’ll make it into a pumpkin pie or something.”

“Far be it from me to ever doubt your cooking skills, Wild,” Time replies, “but do you plan on making a pumpkin pie the size of Hyrule Town?”

Wild shrugs.

“So I’ll make some pumpkin cupcakes as well.”

“Where did you even get all these? I don’t think I’ve seen this many pumpkins in one place since I last went to a pumpkin farm.” Which, for the record, was many years ago because he hates the taste.

“Hey, look, I made you!” Wind looks incredibly pleased with himself as he turns his pumpkin around to show a very roughly carved face with a line through one eye and markings that may or may not be supposed to represent his own. 

Time’s eye twitches.

“Hyrule grew them in his garden,” Legend tells him. Hyrule looks at Time with a haunted look that tells of a very serious miscalculation.

“They got a bit out of hand.”

Oh, and would you have it, his hand is stuck into a bag of Super Sours. What a surprise.

“Don’t get your pants in a twist, we’ll clean everything up at the end,” Warriors says, clearly noticing the looming aneurysm in Time’s future. His pumpkin has a knife stuck in its head and is carved to look like it’s screaming in pain. Time can relate.

“There better not be a speck of pumpkin on these worktops by the time Malon comes home.”

[zeldamphibiedalls]

heroic battles: Twilight

Twilight was in the school nurse's office. He had gotten into a fight, and a nasty one at that.

Some stupid jerks were talking about Legend, not the prettiest things either.

He knew Legend could take care of himself but he wasn't about to let them get away with it.

Of course, a few punches later, he ended up with a bloody nose and bruised cheek.

This was not gonna end well for him when his parents found out.

He was dreading the death stare from Time.

That combined with the scolding of his mother would surely hurt more than a few jabs.

---

Twilight hesitantly opened the front door and walked inside.

He saw Wind and Four playing video games, Hyrule playing with wolfie, and legend was happily texting someone, probably Ravio.

Wild was in the kitchen preparing food.

"Hey, what's for dinner?" Twilight asked, trying to take his mind off things.

"Mom wanted me to start on some soup today. She said she's gonna buy more rice for curry tonight."

"Oh okay. So did she say anything about me?"

Wild looked up from the vegetables he was chopping, "Only that when you get home you're not allowed to leave till she gets back. Also what happened to your face?"

Twi looked to the side, "I got into a fight today"

"Oh I get into those all the time…. Say would you look at that I almost forgot to, never mind."

Wild said, wincing at his mistake.

Twilight sighed, "Don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

Wild nodded and continued cooking.

---

Twilight was now sitting in the living room, parents sitting in front of him.

"So, we heard you got into a fight at school. Would you care to explain?" Time asked in a calm voice

"I swear, you kids are just like your father."

Times faced switched to a guilty look, "anyway, what do you have to say?"

"It wasn't my fault! These guys were talking about Legend and they were just being jerks. I told them to stop but then a fight just broke out. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lash out at them but they deserved it." Twilight said desperately.

Malon sighed, "look, it's okay to stick up for your brother but try and avoid fights okay. I'm not mad but just know, if it happens again."

She didn't even need to finish her sentence to enforce her point.

Twilight nodded and let out a breath.

"Now, go wash your face and get some sleep." She ordered with a relaxed smile.

"Okay, I'll try not to get into anything bad. Night."

[wilds-ponytail]

Is this a pathetic attempt at dealing with the lack of BotW2 news? Yes, yes it is

✨not proof read✨

-

It had been months since he left. Since the glowing blue portal appeared to take him away, to fight Ganon once again.

Sitting around camp at night, the other Link’s would hesitate near the cooking pot, unsure if they should cook dinner that night, or if everyone else would rather eat their trail food instead. Cooking just wasn’t the same since he left.

Every portal they passed through, they prayed would be the one to take them to him, or even to someone who could at least tell them that he was okay. The postman hadn’t been seen in a while, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any letters to ask him to pass on. Everyone had someone back home to pass a letter along to, except Hyrule, who had the largest stack of letters of all. If asked, he’d explain that he didn’t want their missing Link to feel left out.

The next portal came before the postman, and though they didn’t want to get their hopes up that they might be able to give him his letters directly and in person, there was a small spark of hope in each of their chests. Once again, they were crushed as the portal failed to take them to the Hyrule they were all so desperately hoping for.

Stepping through the portal and hearing the sound of his Wife singing would normally ease the tension from Time’s shoulders, but this time he felt lime he was going to cry, from sadness. What a terrible husband he was, to be disappointed that he has been brought back to his wife.

Walking around the corner singing softly to herself, Malon didn’t immediately notice the Chain all stood there silently. When she did, the looks on their faces gave her the answer to the questions she was too afraid to ask.

Twilight broke away from the group, offering Malon a tight smile as he passed. She caught her husbands eye, who shook his head slightly. ‘Let him go.’ It was clear to them all that Twilight was taking his absence the hardest.

The remaining members of the Chain shuffled around awkwardly as they greeted Malon, though their eyes kept shifting to where Twilight had situated himself; the roof of the storage tower.

Hoping the fresh air would help clear his mind Twilight leaned back and took some slow, deep breaths. So much would change in Hyrule over the course of time, but there would always be fresh air to breathe.

In a way, it was comforting to know that separated though they were by time, the wild air around them was the same that he was breathing. He would be able to lean back, and catch a breath of the wild, too.

[skyward-floored]

CoA asks you say?

Do your links have favourite comfort foods or routines they end up sharing together?

(Also if u want to share your lu thoughts on the same question too that'd be neat too)

I’m going to just do comfort food for now because if you add my links to the lu guys you get 23 links and that’s a lot

Long post ahead since I did both XD

Courage of ages

Cloud— pumpkin pie is his comfort food, his mom used to make it a lot when he was small so it’s got lots of good memories associated with it. Slate makes him some once and he nearly cries

Mini— the brioche you can get at the bakery, he loves popping in there for some with Zelda. And also getting the chance to find a kinstone piece

Kaleidoscope— he likes these sweet/sour berry tart things that people only make during a festival once a year, they have good memories associated with them.

Sprite— he likes fruits a lot, especially particularly sweet ones. Kokiri pretty much eat nothing but fruits/veggies so it’s what he’s used to, makes him think of home.

Gloam— anything made by Uli, there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal

Light— he’s always liked sweet stuff, but especially these cake things the royal baker makes. Zelda sneaks them to him and they eat em together

Windy— grandma’s soup of course, is there even any other option??

Spirit— Niko always makes the exact same stew for dinner every night and Spirit loves it no matter how many times he’s had the stuff

Hibiscus— apples, particularly his uncle’s secret apple cider recipe. He’s been begging him to tell him the recipe for years, (uncle still refuses) and nobody makes it like him.

Hue— he really likes pancakes... the blacksmith’s wife makes really good ones, they make him think of home

Brownie— tea, particularly if he can manage to get some honey for it. It calms him down and keeps him going, and is an excellent way to keep warm if you can’t have a fire for too long

Era—he hadn’t had it in years but kettle corn. There was this street fair that came by occasionally when he was a kid that had it, and he still loves it.

Slate— everything. just kidding, but he’s rather fond of spicy pepper mix (or whatever it’s called). It was the first food he made for himself up on the plateau, it’s what made him realize he loved cooking after his memories were lost

First— when he was alive he was rather fond of cake... chocolate especially...

Linkeduniverse

Time— not exactly a food but milk. Makes him think of his home and Malon, he’ll never turn down a cup

Twilight— Ordon goat cheese. He loves that stuff, would eat it with literally everything if he could.

Sky— probably pumpkin soup. Either that or he hates the stuff, it’s one or the other XD

Warriors— he’s awful fond of chocolate, it’s his go-to comfort. when he can get his hands on it he hoards it like a dragon

Four— his grandfather makes a pretty mean lasagna, he really loves it

Wind— grandma’s soup of course, is there even any other option??

Legend— just nice crisp apples for him. A nice taste of home he can bring with him wherever he goes.

Hyrule— sugar water, or honestly even just plain sugar. He loves the stuff, even if it’s a little hard to get his hands on, it reminds him of the fairies

Wild— fruit pie. It’s Zelda’s favorite, turns out it’s his favorite too

[bokettochild]

Hey Ketto, I'm not sure if you are taking any requests rn, but I've had a rough time of it recently and if it's no bother or hassle, could I request a fic where Time gets comforted by Warriors? Something with cuddles and hair petting, and Time getting to be held. Only if it's no bother. - Nick @thesacredtwink

Of course, Nick!

Sorry I didn't see this until just recently, but I whipped up something for you as soon as I could. I hope it helps, luv, and if you want more please do not hesitate to ask!

Time has been acting strange since the last switch.

At first, none of them questioned it, after all, leaving the ranch made them all a bit down, Time especially however, their leader usually sprung back to himself within a few days of travel time, going back to making jokes that made the others groan and offering advice and aid to their younger heroes. This time however, Time had only gotten worse, the shadows under his eyes growing nightly, the older hero falling silent and stern and very nearly snappish with the others. Only this evening, Warriors had seen Time lose his temper with Wind when the kid had been bubbling around him all day, and while the sailor took the scolding and tired ‘you’re just too much, Wind’ like a soldier, Wars had seen how the kid had retreated to Twilight and Legend during dinner, clinging to the both of them with misty eyes and keeping himself strangely silent while Time brooded on the other side of the fire.

The captain sighed to himself. If his boys were having trouble getting along, not just adjusting to being on the road again, then it was his place as a father (brother?) to step up and see what the problem was. After all, Time would tear himself up about this later, so he needed to nip it in the bud now before the man did something that would make the following guilt later even worse.

Time was seated on the far edge of camp that evening, and unlike most nights on the road, the man had left his sword in its sheath, himself still clad in his armor as the others shed their excess layers, and a blue ocarina was cradled in his hands, eyes distant and brows pulled low as he stared off into the forest. Not brooding then, sulking, and he wasn’t quite sure if that was better or worse in the moment.

“Room for one more?”

Time’s blue eye flickered to him for a moment with a dark scowl, the man shaking his head tiredly and pulling himself up.

Oh shoot, a royal sulk! Time was usually fine to let someone sit next to him, even when he was brooding, but if it was so bad that he didn’t even want anyone nearby? Oh goddesses, Warriors had his work cut out for him.

Dinner that night was a cold affair, the younger ones trying to prompt Wind into anything resembling conversation as Legend poked the sailor’s side, and the older ones exchanging worried glances as they looked from their sulking leader to each other. Usually, someone would break the stillness with a joke or a tease, but Legend’s snark only made things worse when Time shot the vet a look after he had made a jab at Warriors, and while the captain appreciated the defense of his honor, it was reminding him much too much of the war when Time had been a gremlin ready to wreak havoc on anyone at the nearest hint of insult to his father-figure. And while he rather doubted that Time could pants Legend (no pants, and their leader hopefully knew better now that he was older) it was an uncomfortable reminder of the kid’s worse days when nothing could get through to him and Warriors had to be very careful to hide his flask where the kid wouldn’t find it.

When arranging watches, Time had just grunted and moved to the edges of camp and Warriors found himself wincing.

“I’ll take second watch.” He told the others. “Time’s claimed first- don't ask, that’s what that huff usually means. Wind, you’re on Twilight duty, make sure the rancher doesn’t wander off again this evening, alright?” That earned a smile from the kid however hesitant, and while Twilight looked mildly offended, Warriors mentally blessed the rancher for not protesting the comment.

“Yessir, Cap’n.” Wind offered a sharp little salute, and he couldn’t help but reach over and ruffle the kid’s hair as his chest had swelled with pride. They’d worked on that salute a thousand times and now it was as clipped and smooth as any officer’s, even better than many of his men. Maybe he should have the sailor give his soldiers a few tips he chuckled to himself as the others sorted out watches; Legend taking the one directly after his and Hyrule the one after. Wild was on morning cooking duty, so the kid was ordered to rest for the night to avoid any sort of unfortunate mishaps. Usually, it wasn’t a problem to let the wild Champion take final watch, but if his plans (of course he had plans, did you doubt him?) were going to work out, the kid would need to be well rested to prepare the breakfast he’d asked for in the morning.

Knowing glances were shot his way by the others, Sky and Twilight both clapping his back and Legend tugging his scarf with an impish smirk as the others headed to bed, silent wishes of good luck ringing clear across the camp as he was left alone with their leader while the others settled in for bed.

He waited until the sun had set properly and the snoring of the others had begun rumbling around the camp, Twilight’s throaty snorts and Wind’s rumbling ones mixing with Four and Legend’s more soft snuffling ones. Hyrule and Wild lay silent and curled up, each snuggled into one side of the cuddle pile that had formed with Wind in the center, the sailor clinging to Twilight and Legend both in his sleep and dooming them to be smushed in by the other heroes. Sky, at the head of the pile, drooled slightly in his sleep, apparently uncaring that the others were using him as a pillow, and with one hand lost in Twilight’s dark hair. It made him smile as he took them in, pulling himself up to go and ensure they were all tucked in warmly before he turned his attention to the brooding warrior on the edge of their camp.

Time was still fiddling with his ocarina, eyes downcast and almost misty as the older man sat on the edge of camp, and he had to stop for a moment to collect himself before confronting him; Time looked miserable.

“Guilt hitting you yet for yelling at Wind?” He drawled, coming to sit next to the other and carefully arranging his scarf where time could grab it if needed. The man was no longer a child, but even so the blue fabric was a comfort to most of their odd little family, and scoldings or long talks were always made easier when it was available to hide under.

“A bit.”

“If it helps, he knows you didn’t mean it.”

Time slumped in place. “I still said it. Wind looks up to me now, I-” The other cut off with a sigh, tired eyes and weary heart both dimming as he watched.

“Right then, what’s eating you?” At Time’s startled expression he offered a knowing frown. “I helped raise you, Sap, I know when you’re taring yourself up over something and I’d half to be as blind as you to not tell when somethings hurting you. So, what is it?”

Royal blue blinked slowly, a match for his own and so terribly distant as Time turned back to the forest, thumbs trailing over the smooth porcelain of the ocarina. “I’m worried.”

“For?”

“For Malon.” Oh shit. “She wasn’t feeling too good when we left and-” Time’s face twisted up, eye glimmering as the man stared up at the stars, pain twisting his expression and straining his voice as one hand had wound into the prepared scarf. “I’m not there. Talon’s getting on in years and if something happens when we’re gone-” Time’s voice hitched, not quite a sob but broken all the same, and like a trigger was hit Warriors was already pulling the other man into his arms, holding tight as Time’s shoulders shuddered under his grasp. “I’m worried, Pops.” Came the broken whisper. “What if-”

“Shhhh.” Like a million times before his hands were running through short blonde hair. It had been ages since he’d trimmed either of his boys and Time was getting shaggy again, something he was grateful for. Running his hands through the kid’s hair had always helped him calm, and it seemed to still be effective even ow, Time melting further into his embrace as he hummed softly, rocking ever so slightly in place. “Malon’s a strong woman, she’ll be fine. People get sick all the time, Sapling, this isn’t anything to fuss over.”

“She couldn’t get out of bed the other morning.” Time breathed against his chest, the ocarina falling to the ground as both of the man’s hands had wound into the blue scarf instead.

Warriors tried to steady the stutter of his heart as he clutched the other a but tighter. “Is that so?”

“She’s been awful nauseas too.” Time choked out. “Wars, I-”

“Has she had random dizzy spells and weird cravings? Maybe gets sickened at the mere idea of certain foods but also likes eating things that even a pig would turn away from?” Oh, goddesses let this be right.

Time’s blue eye stared up at him curiously. “Y-yeah, how’d-”

The captain choked back a snort. “She’ll be fine, Time. Ladies get that way sometimes. My own beloved was that way for a while too, it passes in time, and there's few ill effects.”

“What ill effects?” Time shifted uneasily, pulling away to stare at him better.

“Exhaustion mostly, some pain, and loss of sleep, but,” He tilted his head with a knowing grin. “It’s well worth it in the end when she’s okay again. You’ll want to talk to her about it next time we get there,” if the bulge of Malon’s stomach didn’t give her away first. “But she’ll be alright.” Time stared at him in disbelief, brows pulling together in a doubtful frown that had him huffing in mock offence. “Wat, you don’t believe me?”

“Battlefield experience as a medic-”

Wars cut Time off with a snort. “Battlefield nothing! I was fighting my loves illness before the war even started. It’s not something that catches, I’ll have you know, and as long as she takes it easy, something I trust Malon knows as well as the next woman, she’ll be fine.” He reached over to tig Time’s ears making the other shy away with a strained laugh, only earning a hair ruffle “Stop fussing, Sapling, your lady love will live just fine.”

Time actually outed at him for a moment, something which quite frankly looked ridiculous on the man’s face and made him bust up laughing as the other flopped against him. Absently, his hands drifted back into Time’s shaggy hair, humming softly as Time continued to lay in silence, eyes staring up at the stars and ears twitching slowly.

“Tomorrow,” He tugged one flickering ear pointedly. “You need to apologize to Wind.”

“Trust me, I intend to.”

“Good.” He grinned, flopping his scarf across the other’s face. “But for now, rest, kiddo, you’re a right grouch when you're tired and I don’t mind pulling double shift for a night.”

“I’m-”

“Not fine, and not staying up. Past your bed-time squirt.” He tugged the ear again, earning a soft growl from his adult kid as Time shifted.

“I’m still in my armor.”

“Then change.”

Time pulled himself up with a huff, shucking his armor and letting Wars help him with the buckles and belts before the both of them settled down again. Tomorrow night, the leader’s metal shell would need cleaning, but for now, he’d let himself out to be seen and held, head nestled in Warriors’ lap as the captain played with his hair.

Time’s breathes evened out to join the cacophony of rumbling snores of the others. Warriors smiled, ruffling his son’s hair fondly and turning his eyes towards the moon.

[twink-between-worlds]

shud i continue??

Botw 2 fanfic

  The now 8 heroes dragged along Times Hyrule field. It had been almost 4 months since the shadow threw Wild into a stray portal. Twilight took it the hardest. He extended his watch time to see if their lost member came during the night. When Wild was gone Twilight fainted right after the battle was over. Time consoled him saying Wild could overcome anything. What didn’t help was that Twilight had nightmares that Wild's dead body was being moved by strings. His eyes were crying pleading for help. When they arrived at lon lon ranch they were greeted by Malon. “Hello dear.” she said, kissing Times cheek. “ and hello Warriors, Twilight, Legend, Four, Wind, Hyrule, Sky and…. Where is Wild?” Twilight shifted his gaze downward. “He was thrown into a portal. We don’t know where he is or if he is okay” Time said, putting a hand on Twilight's shoulder. “Well we should get y'all situated. Stay as long as you need. When you go I’ll make sure to keep an eye and an ear out if he comes back.” Twilight smiled at Malons words. “Can I go to the forge? I wanna continue on Wilds sword.” Four asked with a hopeful look spread across his face. “Of course.” Malon smiled when the boy smiled. “I wanna go too!” Wind exclaimed, jumping up and down. Wind had always liked watching Four work, plus if he got lucky he could use his hammer. As Four and Wind ran towards the forge the rest went inside to wash up and get ready for dinner. Warriors sat down next to Twilight. “Are you doing alright?” Twilight looked up. “Yeah, just thinking.” Warriors rested his head in one of his hands. “We all miss him, you know. We will find him and when we do we can all move on together.” Twilight smiled, “yeah that’ll be nice.” 

  Four and Wind came back with sooty faces. Sky scolded them like the mother cucco he was. “Wash your face, this isn’t your house!” Twilight offered to help Malon with dinner. “Thank you, that will be a big help. *sigh* I miss my cooking assistant.” They made pumpkin soup for dinner. Everyone was overjoyed to have actual food and not the rations cooked over the fire. That night Time and Twilight went on a walk. “ I know what it's like to lose someone important to you. Looking for them left and right.” Twilight looked up “really, well It wouldn’t be the first time there was a similarity between us.” Time chuckled, “well like father like son.” A purple glow was appearing in front of them. They got a side view of what seemed to be a portal. Time and Twilight shared a glance. Before they could process what was happening a person came half running half stumbling out of the portal. A dozen yiga members surrounded them before attacking. A yiga member impaled the stranger who was already badly bleeding. Then a bright green light came from the person’s hand. Green rays of energy burst from their body making the yiga members disappear. The stranger fainted and Twilight and Time rushed towards them. Twilight gasped. Other than the slowly fading in light hand the person was recognizable. They had long blond hair, scars all over their face and a blue tunic and cloak. “WILD!” Twilight embraced the unconscious hero and brought him close to his chest. “Time it's Wild. He’s hurt, I’ll carry him, you get some bandages or something.” They both rushed towards the ranch. “MALON! We need bandages.” Time yelled as he bolted the door open. Everyone looked at Time in shock “What is it old man?” legend asked standing up. “It’s Wild.”

  Wild was set up in a spare room. They got him cleaned up and in bed. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS HAND!” Hyrule screamed and the other boys also looked suspicious. “I don’t know so we will have to ask him when he wakes up. It could just be a tattoo.” Legend rolled his eyes. “Yeah, as if. Wild does have crazy ideas but he’s not stupid.” They tried sliding the bracelet off Wild's hand but it wouldn’t budge. Twilight continuously checked his pulse and breathing speed. He was still in shock. His protege, his little brother, was sleeping right in front of him. That night he slept next to Wilds bed in his wolf form. It was nice that he didn’t have to keep it a secret. It wasn’t till late morning Wild woke up. Twilight was still watching him and almost fell out of his chair. His eyes flickered open “Twi?” he said. “Yes cub it's me.” Wild pulled himself up letting out a harsh whimper as he gripped the stab wound. “Don’t push yourself. You're still recovering from last night. Large movements will only hurt your body even more.” Twilight eased Wild into a sitting position. “How do you feel?” Twilight asked. “Tired but other than that I’m fine.” Wild replied. “You did use a bit of…. Well whatever that is” twilight said pointing to Wilds hand. “I also know for a fact that you are not okay. You were bleeding, stabbed, unconscious, and was about to be killed. What did they even want?” Wild stretched his right hand out letting Twilight touch it. It was hard and smooth almost like metal. It vibrated with magic making it warm. “ Wild-” Twilight was cut off by “Its fine now"

I want to know who submitted this so i can smooch you (platonically)

I love this?? So much??

Please continue i am in love

[nicetomeetmew]

The Mystery of the Bizarre, Orange, Leafy Thing

LU Linktober Day 1 - Pumpkin

Time, Four, Wind and Hyrule discover a pumpkin. The only problem is… they have no idea that’s what it is.

Ao3 link!

Woo I’m doing LU Linktober! I never usually post fics on here but I figured I should get into the spirit of things heh! This has put me in an oddly good mood and it’s all humour! No pain. Just my attempt at pure humourous shenanigans :)

---

“What… what is that thing?”

“I don’t know… do you think we can touch it?”

“Don’t touch it! We don’t know what it is!”

Time stood, perplexed, watching as Wind, Hyrule and Four stood gathered around something, bickering amongst themselves.

The group had found themselves in Kakariko Village of Wild’s Hyrule earlier that day, and the other heroes had decided to take the time to relax and look around while the champion had eagerly ran off to greet some friends.

Time had noticed the three youngest heroes wonder into one of the fenced off area of the village, but since Four was with them, he was sure they wouldn’t cause any damage. But now, for the past fifteen minutes, they had been standing in a loose circle, staring down at something the confusion in their voices growing with every passing second.

Eventually, curiosity was too much to bear.

“What are you boys looking at he?” he asked, approaching the fence. Wind’s head popped up, a relieved smile taking over his face.

“Time! You’ll know! Come tell us what this thing is.”

The sailor darted out of the garden, grabbing Time by the arm and pulling him back in before the oldest hero could even open his mouth to protest.

Wind shoved him into their small circle and pointed dramatically at the ground.

“There! What is that?”

All three young heroes gazed up at him expectantly, but Time was silent. He stared down at the… thing that appeared to be growing out of the ground. It was fairly large and orange, with big green leaves and vines coming out the bottom of it. And he had absolutely no idea what it was.

“It’s…”

“Yes?” Hyrule prompted, clearly eager to finally know what the mysterious object was.

A few more seconds ticked by before Time eventually sighed in defeat.

“I have no idea what it is.”

A stunned silence fell.

“How can you not know?!” Four cried suddenly. He dropped down next to thing, staring at it in frustration. “If you don’t know, we’ll never figure it out!”

Time rolled his eye with a sigh, about to suggest they should just go find Wild and ask him when, speak of the devil…

“Hey!”

The four of them turned to see Wild waving cheerily at them, flanked by the other four heroes. Wild rushed up to the fence, breaking into a mischievous grin as his eyes landed on the mysterious object.

“You better not touch that,” he said cryptically. Four stood, brushing down his trousers, his frustration quickly changing into suspicion.

“Why not?” he inquired. Wild’s smile broadened as he laughed.

“If Olkin sees you touching one of his pumpkins, he’ll make you buy it.”

His smile slowly faded as he was met with four blank stares. Wind glanced back down.

“Pumpkin? That’s what this thing is?” he asked, prodding one of the giant leaves with his toe.

“Uh… yes?”

A scoff came and Legend joined Wild at the fence, closely followed by Twilight, Sky and Warriors.

“Have you never seen a pumpkin, kid?” he teased, leaning against the railing. Wind puffed his cheeks in indignation.

“They don’t grow where I live! It’s not my fault.”

“Of course not,” Twilight joined in, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “What about you two?” he asked Four and Hyrule. Hyrule simply shook his head while Four blushed bright red. The ranch-hand turned to Time a small smirk on his lips. “And you, old man?”

Time felt the tips of his ears burning, but he forced himself to keep his mask of calm.

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen one,” he replied shortly. Once more, a shocked silence fell as the five young men outside the garden stared at them incredulously.

“Seriously?” Legend sputtered finally. “None of you?” Warriors made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a muffled laugh, but her quickly covered it up at the sight of Time’s signature glare.

“There’s only one thing to do!” Wild declared, vaulting over the fence and running towards the Sheikah man at the other end of the garden, who had been watching the whole affair with a very strange look on his face.

A few moments later, Wild returned, his arms laden with a whole bunch of pumpkins. Time raised his eyebrow at the sight, completely clueless as to what it was meant to accomplish.

“I’m making pumpkin soup for dinner,” Wild explained happily, before trudging off, pumpkins threatening to topple out his arms at any moment.

Exchanging glances, Time and the younger teens followed the others as the made their way ever to the village’s cooking pot. As soon as others were definitely out earshot, Wind beckoned the others to come closer.

“We’re supposed to eat them?” he hissed, dumbfounded.

---

Time stared down at the bowl of bizarre orange mush that Wild had plopped down in front of him. Beside him, Four poked at it with his spoon, while Wind sniffed it suspiciously. Hyrule was trying his best to look as unconvinced as the others, but Time could’ve sworn he saw him drool at the smell of the soup.

Meanwhile, the apparent pumpkin-experts of the group where watching the scene with varying levels of amusement. Warriors and Legend were making absolutely no attempts to hide the smirks, while Sky had covered his mouth with his hand ten minutes ago after accidently letting loose a rather loud snort of laughter. Twilight was standing, arms cross his mouth twitching as he tried valiantly not to smile. And Wild… well Wild just wanted them to eat the soup.

“Go on!” he urged for the umpteenth time. With a resigned sigh, Time scooped a spoonful and took a small, careful sip. His eye widened in surprise.

“It’s delicious!” Hyrule cried delighted, his eyes lighting up. Wind offered an enthusiastic, muffled sound of agreement, mouth too full to talk. Four huffed.

“…Yeah it’s nice. I guess,” he muttered, before shoveling another spoonful down.

Satisfied, the other’s joined them, Legend and Warriors clearly not about to let their cluelessness go anytime soon.

Twilight settled down next to his mentor, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Time suddenly fixed him with a seriously look.

“Pup.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you dare tell Malon about this.”

Spolier: Twilight did indeed tell Malon. He was never heard from again

[linerwriter]

Proliferation

Part 1 and Part 2

The (hopefully) thrilling conclusion to the idea that took almost a year to finish! If this was on AO3 and I could see a date to when it was last edited, I would be ashamed.

An edited version will also be going up on AO3, if you are interested in seeing that. I do not know when it will be coming out, but hopefully before next year. I will be posting a link when it is up if anyone is interested.

TW: suicidal thoughts and trauma are expressed. If you wish to skip, it is from “Because I’m tired, Twilight” to “So how can I help you believe it?”

A week had passed since Wild’s attack, a week of tense silence and many excuses. Wild had woken up the house a few more times since then, but had still refused to elaborate on the reasons why. The only person he accepted to know was Zelda, and she was even tougher to crack.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Time, but if you want to know, you need to ask Link yourself. It’s not my place to share someone else’s trauma.” Zelda said after Time tried to grill her for information. She slumped down, “I’ve tried my best to get him to open up, but he’s adamant on not doing that.”

Time sighed, “I understand, Princess. Just try your best to help him, okay?” She nodded and proceeded to leave the room, stopping at the entryway to look back at him.

“If you can find any way to help him, please do. And please, call me Zelda.”

Time smiled, “Of course, Zelda.” She smiled back and finally left the room, her short golden hair bouncing with her. He turned toward the other person in the room, the furry gray pelt seeming somehow deflated. Time could see the way Twilight’s eyes took on a more defeated tone than before they spoke to Zelda.

“Why?” Twilight whispered, “Why does he not want us to help him?”

Time closed his eye with a sigh, “I don’t know, cub. Perhaps he’s spoken to Malon about it?”

“But she would’ve told us by now if he did,” Twilight guessed. Time nodded silently, sitting down heavily in a chair. The two mingled in silence, an oppressive feeling in the air. It was broken when Twilight asked,

“How much longer until he breaks, Time?”

Time stared out the window, a helpless feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time creeping into his heart. “I don’t know.”

Their answer came later that night. It was decided that they were going to leave the next morning to meet with Time’s Zelda, and possibly leave Wild’s Zelda there to learn about the history of Hyrule that had been lost to the ages. 

The group had decided to head outside after dinner to enjoy the stars. They had set up a campfire and had taken turns sharing stories, regaling the others with quests of honor and mistakes. After Wind had shared about the first time he climbed out of a boat after sailing for a long time, which had led to many laughs, everyone turned to the duo glued together.

“You’ve must have done something dumb at one point, Wild.” Legend goaded the scarred hero, “Come on, tell us!”

Zelda giggled quietly, “I remember at one point, he tried to fly across Hyrule with some minecarts. He got to the Thundra Plateau and was zapped out of the sky!”

Wild smiled faintly, “And I seem to remember the time you thought you picked up a sword and it was really the bones of a dead bokoblin. You screamed so loud you woke up half of the forest.”

“Ugh.” Four wrinkled his nose, “I’m with you there, Princess.”

Zelda shuddered, “Never again. And like I’ve said, please, call me Zelda.”

“It’s kind of confusing to call you that, though, isn’t it? We all have our own Zeldas, so how do we know which one we’re talking about?”

Zelda hummed, “I see your point. A nickname, perhaps? You can give one to every Zelda you end up meeting.”

“That sounds like a good plan. What would you like to be called, Zelda?” Malon said warmly from beside Time.

Zelda thought for a moment, “Scientist, perhaps?”

Warriors shook his head, “Too stiff.”

“How about Bones? From how much you screamed at some?” Legend snickered.

Twilight saw the subtle flinch Wild made at the suggestion. He exchanged a look with Time, the other looking resigned. Zelda took his hand and said softly, “Maybe not that one.”

The naming went on for a few more minutes, the nicknames getting closer and closer but still not perfect. Zelda was clutching Wild’s hand tightly, looking at his blank expression every so often. Finally, they got to the point where everyone was quiet, listening to the crackle of the fire and thinking. It ended when a voice spoke up.

“Flora,” Wild said shortly, “Her name is Flora.” Then he left the group.

Twilight followed.

“Wild.”

“I’m fine, Twilight.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at Wild’s back, “You don’t seem fine to me.”

“I’m fine, Twilight, now will you please leave me alone?”

“No, cub, because you’re very obviously not ‘fine’.”

Wild finally stopped walking to throw his hands up into the air, “Goddesses, Twilight, I’m fine! I just wanted to leave!”

“Yes, you’re fine and you didn’t just leave the group for no reason.” Twilight sighed, “Wild, I know. Whenever you say you’re fine, you’re never fine.”

“Oh? And how are you so sure?”

“Would you like a list?”

Wild breathed in slowly in annoyance. His voice was measured and clipped as he said, “I am okay, Twilight. You can go back to the group now.”

“Uh, no, I’m not.” Twilight crossed his arms as his voice became more serious, “Cub, I’ve seen you this entire week. You’re tense, constantly searching the surroundings for an exit. You’ve had nightmares multiple times this week, and yet, the only person allowed to help you is Flora.” With each word, Twilight saw Wild’s shoulders lower further and further, until he looked like a hedgehog. He continued lowly, “You don’t laugh anymore. You don’t smile. You react to a joke, sure, but it’s never genuine. Once the attention is off of you, you shut down.”

“Th-that’s…”

“I’m not the only one that’s noticed, Wild. Everyone has.” Wild whipped his head up in surprise, “They just know there’s no point in trying.”

Silence. Wild’s hands started to wring together, his head lowered to the ground. Twilight looked at him, his eyes boring into the smaller man’s head. 

“When will you tell me what happened, Wild?”

“I can’t,” came a wretched whisper.

“Why?” Twilight’s question was calm.

“Because it’s easier for me to keep my head down and ignore it.”

“Bullshit!” Twilight’s anger was starting to manifest outside of his mind. “You ignore it because it’s easier? When have we ever done that?!”

“Because I’m tired, Twilight!” Wild finally swung his eyes toward Twilight’s, who could see the pain and misery etched into them. “I’m sick and tired of being those deities plaything! For over a hundred years, I have been forced to do what they told me to, and at this point, I don’t care anymore. If this kills me, then so be it. I welcome it, even!”

“Don’t you dare say that!”

“And why can’t I? Because you care about me?” Wild’s voice started to steadily rise. “Do you know what it feels like to have your entire beliefs questioned? To know that because you just weren’t good enough, everything fell apart? I had to retrain myself to be worthy of the Master Sword, Twi, you know this! I was the one responsible for what happened when the Calamity came. I was the reason why it turned out the way it did. I WAS THE REASON WHY THEY’RE DEAD!”

So, Twilight thought, that’s what this is about. He watched numbly as Wild fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. With a faint sigh, he stood and crouched down next to his friend, rubbing his back gently. 

“...Do you wanna know why me and Zelda are always so close together?” Wild’s question came out quiet and defeated.

Twilight’s response was just as quiet. “Sure.”

The smaller man took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “D-down there, there were some monsters that liked to play with our minds. They could manipulate the way we perceived the world, make us see things that weren’t real.” His voice dropped to a whisper, “At one point, I thought Zelda had been killed.”

“And since they can’t replicate the Goddess’s light, you took to being close to one another to make sure it was real,” Twilight guessed with a sinking heart.

Wild nodded his head dumbly, staring at the fire. Twilight sighed again, “It’s okay to ask for help, you know. I’m always here, so is Time. You don’t have to keep it bottled up inside.”

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden.”

“There’s a difference between knowing and believing, Twilight!” Wild snapped.

“So how can I help you believe it?” Twilight asked gently, “‘Cause you aren’t, Wild, and you never were. I guarantee you, if I go around to everyone in this group and ask if you are a burden, they would say no. You cook for us, you hunt for us, you make everyone worry whenever you do some death-defying stunt and come out alive at the end!” He shook his head, “Asking for help doesn’t make you a burden, Wild. It means you’re willing to start respecting yourself and allowing yourself to heal.”

Wild sniffed, “You really think so?”

“I know so.” Twilight took a moment to compose himself, “You know my journey. You know what happened during it. You know the trauma and fear it gave me; for years, I carried that around with me, unwilling to bare myself to the world and accept the love and kindness the people around me were desperately trying to give. It took Zelda finally knocking some sense into me to realize that keeping it to myself wasn’t good, it was harmful.”

“Did she really?” Wild turned his big blue eyes toward Twilight for a moment, a sparkle so curious it reminded Twilight of Colin.

He smiled ruefully, “Took a good smack at me.” He wagged a finger at Wild, causing the younger man to giggle, “Never offend a Zelda, they have a mean right hook. You should know that better than anyone.”

Wild nodded, the last of his tears drying up, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good, you’re smarter than me. Anyway,” Twilight became serious again, “you can’t keep bottling yourself up, pup. Do you have to share everything that happened right away? No, that would be cruel. But if something is wrong, like what happened last week, then you gotta say something. Even if it’s as simple as ‘I’m feeling sad today, can I have a hug?’ No one will blame you. Got it?”

Wild nodded again, “Got it. Can I have a hug right now?”

Twilight’s face softened, “Of course you can, pup. Come on, bring it in.” He opened his arms wide, giving the younger man a big bear (wolf) hug. Wild relaxed into the hold, breathing in the comforting scent of his pseudo-older brother. 

The two broke apart a few moments later, after Wild finally felt better for the first time in months. He took a deep breath, “Can I tell you a bit about what happened down there?”

Twilight very carefully didn’t react, “Whatever you want, Wild. And while we’re on that, mind telling me about the arm?” He gestured towards Wild’s limb, “It’s a bit more… glowy than before.”

Wild laughed lightly, “Sure. It all started when…”

[myssamyss]

Wings and Horses Pt 3: A Family of Ten

To be read alongside the following LU comics from Jojo: 

“Malon 1″ 

“Malon 2″

“Malon 3″

I won’t spend much time repeating what Jojo has already so masterfully portrayed. 

Part 3: A Family of Ten

Malon tried to busy herself with chores each day as she waited for her husband’s return. She was feeding the cuccos when she caught sight of a group of people coming down the far road. She picked up her skirt and ran out the fence gate, past the stone piles beneath the shady tree, and toward the road.

She recognized Link’s good armor glinting in the sunlight at the head of the group. He was half-turned away from her, chatting to one of the eight young Hylians trailing behind him.  

Her heart soared. Link was safe. Link was home.

“You’re back!!!” she shouted.  

Link turned and caught her eyes across the remaining meters of grass and clover. They sprinted to each other and locked in a long-overdue kiss.  

She wanted to draw out their reunion, but she could hear the boys beyond her husband whispering among themselves (along with the curious clink of what sounded like a bag of rupees). Another time.  

She turned toward them with a welcoming smile and placed one hand on Link’s shining breastplate.

“Everyone, this is my wife, Malon,” her husband announced proudly.  

She took in the large group of heroes standing before her. She had expected near-copies of her husband, but truly none of them looked much like her Link. Two were nearly a head shorter than she was! Though as she appraised them, she did notice a faint resemblance that the group shared, as if they were all distant cousins of a large family.  

Malon felt a small twinge of dismay as she took in each face. She hoped to pick out her descendant just by looking at him, but any of these other Links could be him! She resigned herself to patience. For now.  

“My husband has told me about you boys in his letters. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she said warmly. “Welcome to Lon Lon Ranch!”  

The boys piled into the house and introductions were made. She reveled in meeting every new Link. She knew each one had a life of adventures to rival her husband. Though it pained her to imagine the dangers and troubles that brought these boys together, she was nevertheless glad to have so many people visiting their cozy home. She felt honored to provide these boys with a small opportunity for rest in their lives of hardship.

When she lay in bed preparing for sleep later that night, her heart was content. Link was home again. He had filled their kitchen to bursting with boys smiling and laughing and enjoying her cooking.  She replayed some of the day’s best moments: The wonder in the Hero of Hyrule’s face when he discovered the fairies out in the yard. The Hero of the Wild cooking dinner elbow-to-elbow with her. The Hero of Twilight’s bashful reaction when she complimented his strength, and the Hero of Warriors’ pride when she took notice of his well-kept armor.

She wanted the chance to learn more about all of these wonderful boys.  

The door to the bedroom creaked open slowly. Link tip-toed in.

“I’m awake, silly,” she called to him quietly.  

“Oh,” he replied. “Well, in that case…” He strode to the bed without regard for the creaking floorboards and bent down to kiss her forehead gingerly.

“I love you,” he murmured, sliding a hand through her bangs.  

She giggled. “I love you too. So, about that argument...”  

Link groaned and straightened up. He spoke while walking to the other side of the bed. “Look, your father’s a grown man. I’m sorry, I just worry about you two when I’m away.”  

“No, no, I know that. I meant, do you think we scared the boys off of marriage?” she asked jokingly. “I mean, the looks on their faces!”

Link smiled. “Not for an instant.” He pulled back the covers and lay down beside her. Though he made no outward sign, Malon knew he was grateful to be back in his own soft bed.

“Another question: which one is he??” she pried. She propped herself up on one elbow and stared down at her husband through the dimness. He had already closed his eye in relaxation.  

A smile spread across his peaceful face.

“Tomorrow night,” he told her without opening his eye. “Let’s let the boys settle in for now.”  

She frowned and lay back down. “Fine,” she said, playing at being hurt.

“You’ll love him, Malon,” he told her sleepily.

“I know, honey. I already do.”

***

The next day, the heroes were back to helping with ranch chores. After instructing the group on which jobs to do, Link sneaked away to spend a few moments with his wife. He found Malon in the kitchen, scrubbing a mountain of dishes left over from breakfast and the dinner before.  

Link put a hand on her shoulder. “Darling, we have eight helpful young men outside, let me get someone to help you,” he told her.  

“Will you get our grandson?” she shot back, turning her head to him and raising her eyebrows in a dare.  

He smiled at her coyly. “I’ll bring whoever volunteers.”

A few moments later the back door creaked and three boys appeared in her kitchen. Among them was, to her surprise, the farmer. She eyed the Hero of Twilight suspiciously.  

“Now, why would a farm boy like you give up chores under the sun to help me in the house?” she asked.

She wasn’t sure if he could read the playfulness in her voice, because the young man gulped, then shrugged. She let it be. She’d learn who the descendant was tonight. Link had promised.  

She put the Hero of Sky and the Hero of Wind to work washing dishes.  

“What about me?” Twilight asked. His eyes shone.  

“You can help me with the pies,” she told him, taking note of the curious way he watched her. “Now that we have the dishes covered, I can focus on baking. We’ll put your strong arms to use cutting in butter for the crust.”  

Twilight smiled, looking pleased. “Just tell me what to do,” he said agreeably.  

The four of them set to work, chatting all the while.

“How long have you and Time been married?” Sky asked. “He’s much different with you. Relaxed.”

Ah, a romantic, Malon thought to herself as she tossed slivers of butter into her flour bowl. Judging from all his questions, Sky seemed keen on learning her entire love story with Link. Malon wondered who Sky’s special lady was. Perhaps he was taking notes.  

“We’ve been married for years. Things aren’t always this relaxed between us,” Malon told them. “We’ve had plenty of bad times, bad moments, fights. Even last night we were arguing,” she pointed out.

“I mean, arguing is one thing, everybody does that,” Wind cut in. “But you and Time fighting? Can’t picture it. He likes you a lot.” He shrugged and returned to the plate he was drying.  

“I like him a lot too,” she said with a grin. She handed Twilight two blunt knives for working the pie dough. “But sometimes things are hard,” she continued, “and he’s stubborn-”  

The three boys laughed.

“-and I’m stubborn too. We’ve gone through some pretty hard things together.”

A bird perched on the windowsill outside. Sky glanced up at it and his eyes brightened.

“Spouses have to be like two wings on a bird, working together to stay in flight,” he said as if reciting a familiar quote. He smiled to himself and gazed thoughtfully out the window.

“Or like two horses to the same plow,” Twilight added as he sliced at the forming dough. “If one’s hurt, it’ll just draw the plow around in a circle and you’ll never finish the field.”

Malon laughed softly at the metaphor. She knew just what he meant.

Keeping her marriage with Link aloft (or to put it Twilight’s way, plowing forward) was hard work. Marrying a hero wasn’t her happy ending. It just opened up the possibility of a happy ending. Along the way was the rigorous daily work of confronting their trauma and flaws. Of course, a little Goddess magic to soothe their fears about future children didn’t hurt either.  

She wondered again which boy was the legacy of all their work. Her feelings were mainly from curiosity at this point, she admitted to herself. Regardless of who was actually related to her by blood, her heart had already adopted them all.  

[loribos]

New Post has been published on Toronto Events, Activities and Entertainment

New Post has been published on https://www.torontonicity.com/2020/01/17/things-to-do-valentines-day-toronto-2020/

Things to Do Valentine's Day in Toronto 2020

A Valentine’s Day dinner at a restaurant is a safe bet for the most romantic day of the year, but some years, you want to mix it up a bit. If you want to skip the fancy (and often expensive!) V-Day dinner, there are many other things to do Valentine’s Day in Toronto 2020 where you can spend time together doing something you both enjoy. Check out these fun Toronto events for Valentine’s Day 2020 below:

The Second City Totally Likes You

If you are looking for fun Valentine’s Day events in Toronto, you might want to attend Second City Toronto’s newest comedy show, The Second City Totally Likes You. The Second City comedy troupe mocks dating, sex, meet-cutes, and meet-uglies in this super-charged show that features classic material and brand-new sketches. This 90-minute comedy has two shows on Valentine’s Day Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are General $32 (you have to share a table) or Rail $52. Purchase tickets online or at the box office. You can add dinner at Wayne Gretzky’s (next door) for an additional $33.04 (two course) and $38.94 (three course). Second City is located at 51 Mercer Street, 416-343-0011. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Couples Massage at Novo Spa

Start Valentine’s Day off with a Couple’s Valentine’s Day package at Novo Spa in Yorkville that includes:

55-minute Therapeutic Massage by Registered Massage Therapist

15-minute Head Massage or Foot Massage

Couple’s private steam, jets, colour therapy shower

Beverage for two and chocolates

Red Rose

The Couples Valentine’s Day package is $410. Other Valentine’s Day packages include the Valentine for Two Couples package, $350, which includes a Rose Petal Foot Soak & Massage (15 min); Rose Salt Scrub (15 min); Chocolate Body Mask and Chocolate Mini Facial (40 min); couples private steam, jets, Colour Therapy Shower, beverages for two, chocolates and red rose.

Paint stations set up for Paint Nite at Midtown Gastro Hub in Toronto.

Valentine’s Day at Paint Nite Toronto

Express your creativity at Valentine’s Day Paint Nite events on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7 p.m. at Marche Movenpick; Fox and Fiddle; Originals Ale House; Pie Bar; Chelsea Hotel; The Rhino Bar & Grill; and Krepesz Cafe & Bar. Participants will paint a specific painting with step-by-step instructions provided by the class instructor. Cost is $45 plus tax. Read about Blogger Diana Condolo’s experience at Paint Nite.

Motherhood The Musical at Lower Ossington Theatre

Immerse yourself in the challenges and pleasures of motherhood in the comedy, Motherhood The Musical, at Lower Ossington Theatre. The musical focuses on soon-to-be first-time mom Amy; lawyer Brooke; mother-of-five Barb; and single working mom Tina. The show features the Billboard Top 10 comedy hit, “The Kids Are Finally Asleep;” plus “Costco Queen;” and “I’m Danny’s Mom.” Performances on Valentine’s Day Weekend 2020 are on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $59.99 plus tax and service charge. Purchase tickets online or at the Box Office. Lower Ossington Theatre is located at 100 Ossington Avenue.

Taking Back Valentine’s Day

Enjoy a night of full tribute sets to Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Fall Out Boy & Thrice on Friday, February 214, 2020 by members of PONY, Pretty Matty, So Young, Weak Hands, Wild Black, Feels Fine, Nice Going & Baby Band. The event is a fundraiser for Supporting Our Youth, which works to support the health and well-being of queer and trans-spectrum youth. Doors at 8 p.m. $15/NOTAFLOF at Junction City Music Hall, 2907 Dundas Street West.

Valentine’s Day Couples Cooking Class at The Chef Upstairs

Looking for things to do Valentine’s Day in Toronto 2020 that are collaborative? Take the Couples Cooking Class at The Chef Upstairs, 516 Mount Pleasant Road, 416-544-9221 on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. You will cook the following four-course meal during the class: The class is also available at Vaughan location at Hwy 7 and Centre Street.

Complimentary glass of Prosecco to begin, served with flatbreads, dip, olives and cheese;

Seared Sea Scallop with red grapefruit and avocado;

Roasted Celery and Garlic Soup, topped with Crisp Prosciutto;

Bistecca alla Fiorentina: A 3” thick porterhouse steak grilled to perfection, drizzled with a balsamic glaze and served with sautéed greens, oven-roasted tomatoes and cannellini beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper;

Dark chocolate mousse with chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Beer, wine pairings and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase during the class. Cost is $250 per couple plus HST. All cooking classes are non-refundable and must be paid for when booked. If more than 7 days’ cancellation notice is provided to The Chef Upstairs by email or phone, you will be eligible to reschedule to a future class. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Jully Black as Caroline in Caroline, or Change, photo courtesy Mirvish

Caroline, or Change at Winter Garden Theatre

Valentine’s Day events in Toronto 2020 include the performance of Caroline, or Change starring Jully Black as Caroline and featuring Measha Brueggergosman. Caroline, a single mother of four, is a black maid working for a Jewish family in 1963 Louisiana. In response to suggestions that Caroline’s salary of $30 a week is insufficient, her employer tells Caroline that she can keep the pocket change she finds in the laundry. This act of racial condescension creates a moral dilemma for Caroline and symbolizes the imminent social and economic tensions in the U.S. The musical runs from Jan. 30 to February 15, 2020 with a performance on Valentine’s Day – Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. – at the Winter Garden Theatre at 189 Yonge Street. Tickets are $129, $109, $89, $59, and $39 and can be purchased online.

Post Malone at Scotiabank Arena

Post Malone performs at Scotiabank Arena (formerly Air Canada Centre) on his Runaway Tour on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 8 p.m. Special guests include Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh. Tickets $934, $819, $585, $502, $429 and $351 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Afternoon Tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto

Enjoy The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto’s Weekend Signature Afternoon Tea on Saturday, February 15, 2020 and Sunday, February 16, 2020 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Some of the delicious menu items include Smoked Salmon & Egg Sandwich; Lobster & Crab Salad Sandwich; Cucumber, Whipped Herb Brie, Lemon Zest & Watercress; Caramel Ganache Cake; Classic Pecan Tart; and Vanilla Mousse Tian. Cost is $54-$69. Call 416-585-2500 for reservations. The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto is located at 181 Wellington Street West.

If you have any suggestions for things to do Valentine’s Day in Toronto 2020, please leave a comment.

[junker-town]

The Nuggets and Timberwolves are fighting for the last spot in the West playoffs

It’s a sudden death match. The winner goes to the playoffs and the loser goes home. This is one you don’t want to miss.

3rd quarter: Timberwolves 86, Nuggets 81

The third quarter went almost exactly like the first two: Nikola Jokic (30 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points) have been scrapping it out. Will Barton has been cooking for the Nuggets, but Minnesota’s other stars — Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler — have been a lot for Denver to handle.

This is it, folks. One more quarter to determine who will get the final slot in the West playoffs. This one’s gonna be wild, and that’s probably an understatement.

0:20 — Towns just grabbed his 10th rebound, giving him 68 double-doubles on the season. It’s more than anyone else in the league. My goodness.

1:21 — That escalated quickly. Jokic now has 30 points, including 17 — SEVENTEEN — in the third quarter alone. Nobody can stop this man.

Welp

If nothing else it’s been fun watching Jokic step up in the biggest game of his career. Gives you confidence going forward no matter what happens tonight

— Zach Mikash (@ZachMikash) April 12, 2018

Wolves getting some home cookin' from the refs tonight, let me tell you

— Denver Stiffs (@denverstiffs) April 12, 2018

WHO CARES WHAT TIME — Nikola Jokic just hit a contested stepback three, then came up court and hit another triple. The video will come when the Nuggets post it. But for now, just know:

IT'S NIKOLA JOKIĆ'S WORLD WE JUST LIVE IN IT

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 12, 2018

(Of course they don’t tweet the stepback.)

pic.twitter.com/sqEhqDniob

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 12, 2018

6:40 — Denver has cut Minnesota’s lead down to just one! And you know people don’t like tweeting when they’re losing. Look who came out of the woodworks.

pic.twitter.com/bIlDU6jexu

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 12, 2018

8:30 — The Nuggets should probably protect the ball. They just turned the ball over three straight times, and if the Wolves didn’t throw it away on that last turnover, Mike Malone would have been fuming during a timeout.

nightly Jeff Teague steal and dunk alert pic.twitter.com/WY5cZt2I0p

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2018

HALFTIME: Timberwolves 62, Nuggets 54

Minnesota extended its lead as big as 10 and enters the second half with an eight-point lead. After Karl-Anthony Towns went off in the first quarter, Denver still had no answer for him in the second. He had 16 points and five rebounds on 80 percent shooting in the first half.

The Wolves were also able to hit six threes in the first half, but most of their points came the old fashioned way: attacking the rim to create shots.

Denver has stayed in arm’s distance thanks to Will Barton, who came off the bench to give the Nuggets 16 points. But aside from he and Nikola Jokic, Denver is scrounging for answers to match the Wolves. The Nuggets will need to find those answers if they want a shot at the playoffs by winning this game.

6:51 — Timeout Nuggets!

Denver can’t stop Karl-Anthony Towns, who is running and dunking all over the Nuggets for 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting in only 13 minutes of play. Jimmy Butler has eight, Taj Gibson and Andrew Wiggins each have six, and Jeff Teague has four assists,

Minnesota’s run up a seven-point lead, and if Denver doesn’t get a handle on this game on the road, this one can get out of control in a hurry.

Who, us? Nervous? Ha!

— Denver Stiffs (@denverstiffs) April 12, 2018

7:15 — ANOTHER ONE

KARL ANTHONY TOWNS YOU BAD MAN pic.twitter.com/MxExzrJcAk

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2018

10:40 — KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS IS A GROWN MAN

KAT got 'em taking the bait pic.twitter.com/rssU6J6TVQ

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2018

1st quarter: Timberwolves 29, Nuggets 26

Karl-Anthony Towns got hot, and so did Will Barton. So at the end of one quarter, this one is still close. If Mason Plumlee isn’t going to be able to stop Towns, the Nuggets might not want him in the game for too long a period of time.

4:50 — Karl-Anthony Towns is cooking the Nuggets early, shooting three-of-five from the field. The Wolves just went back to him as I type this. Now he’s 4-of-6 for eight early points. Towns is eating Mason Plumlee for dinner. If he can’t check him, the Nuggets will have to find a different answer.

KATwork pic.twitter.com/NQEuk1czqq

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2018

Snappy start to this one, but Wolves cannot continue to give up the wide open corner three.

— canishoopus (@canishoopus) April 12, 2018

#Nuggets starting out this one pretty well. Both Nikola Jokic and Will Barton look aggressive to start.

— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) April 12, 2018

5:09 — How did Will Barton just do this?

the Thrill Circus is in town up North pic.twitter.com/351XluLL9U

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 12, 2018

Who’s in and who’s out? For 15 of the possible 16 NBA playoff spot, that question has been answered. But the last postseason slot out West is being decided in a sudden death showdown between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

The words “loser goes home” have never been truer.

Both the Nuggets and Wolves have endured significant injuries. Denver lost Paul Millsap for 44 games after his left wrist injury required surgery. Minnesota lost Jimmy Butler only for 17 games from a torn meniscus, but his injury sent the Wolves from fourth in the West all the way down to eighth.

Now, two seasons with high expectations hang in the balance of one final game to decide it all. You had better believe this one is gonna have fireworks.

With Millsap back in the fold, the Nuggets frontcourt powered by Nikola Jokic becomes even stronger, and their depth in the back court and on the wings could pose some problems. But the Wolves have three sure fire All-Stars — present and future — in Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins on the court.

Neither team wants to go home. Now, they’ll have to fight for their playoff livelihood.

We’ll be tracking this game with a live blog. Follow along with us here.