#Wild promised him a fairy in his hyrule can get it as good as new!

[lidoshka]

Warriors: "You missed a great time!"

(there was no battle, they just went to town for snacks)

[haywire-cebus]

Eight Weeks

We Could Have Been Anywhere 9/9

Four breathes in deep; Time’s world is so similar to his own. If he squints, he can make out the rolling pastures that mimic his Hyrule Field. He knows, deep down, that they are basically the same, just separated by a few centuries of time. Long enough for everything to be unfamiliar, but close enough that he recognizes the rocky mountains in the distance, and the thick foggy forests to the south; they have different names, sure, and the castle has been rebuilt in a new place, but the land is the same. It’s the same for all of them, even Wind, whose islands are the very tops of the mountains of their worlds. 

It’s just nice to be somewhere a little more… recognizable.

The knowledge that a little more walking and they’ll be at Lon Lon Ranch, where comfortable beds and safety lay waiting also helps put a pep in everyone's step.

It’s been… a while since they’ve gotten a good rest. The last time they could breathe was in Twilight’s Ordon Village, and even that came at the cost of a tiring battle, and only lasted a few days before news of monsters to the west sent them on their way.

Four can’t deny he’s a little wary, still expecting something to jump out at them once more, but with the way the old man is near-jogging ahead, he forces himself to push those feelings aside. Sometimes, Hylia gives them rest. 

This will hopefully be another little vacation. He snorts at his own thoughts.

The sound of hoofs clopping across the ground behind them grabs his attention. Time turns as well, and the man is full-on grinning once an unobstructed view of the wagon makes an appearance.

Four mimics the grin when he reads the clattering sign dangling off the side.

Lon Lon Ranch - Best Milk This Side of Hyrule and Beyond. Talon waves from the front of the wagon, and pulls the horses to a stop. Time bounds over already, hello’s falling easily at his father-in-law.

It takes no time at all for them all to be bundled on the back of the wagon, and Four lets the bumping of the wheels lull him into a nap.

He’ll fix that axle when they arrive- it’s the least he can do.

 Hyrule breathes in deep, following the sweet scent of fairies nearby. They’re a ways off from the fenced-in edges of the ranch, but he’s not worried. Wild is beside him, they have their swords at their sides (well, Hyrule has his sword. Wild has his slate, but it has hundreds of weapons in it, so it counts). 

They’re being safe.

They’re getting lost, sure, but they’re being safe. Wild promised he was paying attention to where they were going.

So they’re following the magic trail Hyrule feels slipping out of his fingers at every second, just barely able to to catch onto it again. They’re quiet as they walk. Hyrule always enjoys that about his and Wild’s excursions. Sometimes they both chatter away, but more often than not, they just like being around someone with no expectations.

The woods around them are rich with bugs and birds and the dirt smells clean. The fairy trail has picked up a little, and Hyrule doesn’t need to focus as intently on it for a minute.

Wild picks up on this, and speaks. “Can I just. Uh, can I. Talk?”

Hyrule squints over at him. Wild is halfway over a fallen log- one that Hyrule easily crawled under. Wild likes taking the hard way. 

“Sure? Is something wrong?”

“Not right now- well. Kinda? It’s not something- it’s just. I don’t know. I’m wrong.”

Hyrule stands straight up at that, fairy trail forgotten. Wild stands at the top of the log now, looking off to the side with his face pinched tight like he can pretend Hyrule isn’t there if he looks away hard enough. “You’re not wrong.”

“No, I mean, I’m not me. I don’t know who I used to be before I- before I died. And I hate that I’m not that person because Zelda deserves a hero who remembers her but I don’t- I don’t want to remember more of who I was because I was always so sad in every memory, but I want more memories because Zelda is in so many and I want to be something to her that’s not this random guy with a sword that stumbled his way to Hyrule castle and-”

“Wild, stop.” Hyrule speaks, voice almost stuttering over the words. He has no idea where any of this came from, well, he obviously has some idea. But why him? He’s so bad with this- with people. Wild is so much closer to Twilight. Time would have some wisdom from experience. Four would know what to say because he always knows what to say and Hyrule doesn’t. 

But he’s not going to say nothing when Wild is clearly looking to him for an answer to his struggles.

“You’re not wrong or broken just because you’re not the same as Zelda remembers you, and because you don’t remember her. I mean,” he’s talking faster now, words spilling out before he can really think about what he’s saying. Quantity over quality, maybe something will stick. Maybe something will be right. “Neither of my Zelda’s knew me before my quests, and they seem to like me. And your Zelda, when we met her those few times, seemed to like being around you. I’m not good with those things. I’m used to sensing when people want me to leave their town, but I never got that from her with you. I don’t- you’re not broken, Wild. No more than the rest of us are.”

Wild is looking at him now. He doesn’t know if any of that made any sense, but Wild slides off the log and steps towards him. They stand there for a silent moment, before Wild tugs him into a tight hug, “you’re not broken either.”

He stands there, arms at his sides, for a few seconds. Eventually, he brings them up to return the hug. They stay like that, until an unmistakable chime rings off in the distance. 

The arms drop, and Wild steps away first. He’s smiling, a small thing, but it’s there, “come on, let’s go find those fairies before someone comes looking for us.”

Hyrule follows.

 Four grunts as the sword clashes against his. He turns his body to the left, pushing his foot out and getting into position, letting Legend’s sword slide just a little until-

He presses forwards with his body, flinging his arm to the side and bringing his shield up to block the returning attack and whips his own sword towards Legend’s leg. The blunt side slaps against it hard, and Legend’s responding curse makes it clear it’s going to bruise.

“Come on, Mr. Six Adventures, I’m two hits ahead on you. That's all you got?” Four’s taunt rings through the empty pasture. Legend grunts and takes a few steps back. Four see’s his hand go to his belt, but can’t quite make out what is clutched in his hand. 

“You’re fast, I’ll give you that. But you’re not fast enough.” Legend’s arm flings out, and Four drops into a roll to dodge the-

Nothing. There’s no sound, no magical explosion to disorient himself. He risks a glance over--a silent magical attack can be much more dangerous than a loud one-- and misses Legend’s advance. His sword is sheathed, and Four is quickly tackled by the taller hero.

“You bastard! That’s a dirty trick!” Four kicks against the legs pinning him down, bringing an arm up to slap at Legend’s laughing face.

Two hands pin down his own, before shifting to hold them in one iron grip. Legend’s sword is unsheathed, pointing at his neck, “next time, don’t spar with all weapons as a rule set, maybe you’ll get a little closer to outsmarting me.”

Four grunts as Legend pulls off of him. He sits up, dusting off his back- it’s going to be covered with grass stains and burrs that will suck to get out. He hopes that bruise hurts Legend in the morning. 

“Fine- next round, no weapons, no swords. Fists only.”

“You’re on, shortstack.”

 The kitchen is quiet. This shouldn’t be novel to Time. The ranch is normally quiet, a softness in the air broken only by the sounds of horses and cows outside. But Time isn’t often home lately, and when he is, his brothers are around. Up to something, complaining about another thing, even just snoring.

Outside, he can faintly hear a sparring match go on. Twilight and Warriors are leaving through the front door- wanting to check on the horses, they said. Sky and Wind are dozing off.

There is noise, but it is subdued.

It is peaceful.

Malon is in front of him, humming as she washes the last dish from their lunch. She slapped away all of their offers to help, telling them to rest while they have the chance.

The afternoon sun shines through the open window, a soft breeze fluttering the curtains and her hair.

Time has seen all over his Hyrule, his not-Hyrule, been all over time on multiple occasions.

He can confidently say he’s never seen anything more beautiful than this.

He steps forwards, bringing his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder to peek over. He hasn’t put his armor on since they arrived the day before. His shirtsleeves are rolled up, bare skin pressing into his wife’s arms. 

“I’m glad you’re doing okay,” he murmurs into her neck. It says all he can bring himself to say. Everything he knows he doesn’t have time to say before this brief moment of rest is gone and they’re back on the road, back fighting stronger and stronger monsters, back to where he has such little control over keeping his brothers safe. He loves them. He loves Malon. He feels so small all the time.

Wet hands run over his forearms, “you’re keeping those boys safe. I’m glad you’re keeping yourself safe as well.” She says. It’s all she has time to say in response. 

The dishes set in the sink, some drying off to the side. They’ll lay there a little longer and be all the same for it. For this short moment, he has the sun on his skin and his wife in his arms, her hair tickling his nose as he slowly breathes in and out.

In and out.

He reaches for a plate and feels her hand slap his, and he lets it push his down. She turns in his arms, crossing hers across her chest as he chuckles. “I told you not to help.”

“When have I ever listened to you?”

“All the time! You listen to me all the time because you know I’m right.”

“You’re right.”

She leans into him, folding against him gently. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

The floor in the kitchen is old. There’s a deep gouge, carved there when he was first welcomed into the Lon’s home. He carried his sword at his side always then, and Talon had dropped something in the other room, he’d flinched and unsheathed his sword while he was helping get something out of a lower cabinet and- well, it had taken Malon nearly an hour to help him calm down. She was patient all the while. 

In the doorway to the farm, there’s a chunk taken out that leaks in cool air in the winter. Him and Malon had left the door open; it was spring and the air was nice. They’d returned from tending the horses, stepped into the living room, and one of the cows was standing at the base of the stairs, looking up at where Talon was standing, frozen in confusion. It’d taken the three of them to get the cow back outside, and the door frame wasn’t the only casualty of its horns and hooves.

They have only a few knives; last time he and the chain had arrived, Malon ended up teaching Legend and Wild how to throw knives. Half had broken on the side of the house, where there were still deep marks. 

There’s a rug under the table, one Time bought for Malon and Talon as an apology when he’d panicked one night and left without warning. He’d come back three weeks later, tail between his legs and Epona laden with Gerudo textiles, Gordon tools, and Kakariko spices. They welcomed him back easily, though Malon told him to at least say goodbye if he needed to stretch his legs. She had tears in her eyes when she saw him crest the horizon, and Time hasn’t left like that since. 

He rubs her back for a moment. He can see out the window better with the new angle. Legend has his sword at Four’s neck, and the look on Four’s face spells trouble. He reaches forwards and closes the curtains, pushing Malon against the counter as he does so. She grins up at him, “you have something to say?”

He grins back down, ���nothing at all.” He reaches for a bowl, just out of her line of sight.

When she pushes him away from the counter, he goes easily, laughing all the while.

 The horses are happy to see them.

They let Warriors pet them, let Twilight slip them an apple or two, and don't flinch as they move past a blind spot.

They’re good horses.

The barn is quiet, the stable’s hinges well maintained, so even moving between them makes only a little sound.

Warriors pets a chestnut mare, cooing the embarrassing things you only say to an animal under his breath. He hopes Twilight can’t hear, that he’s been lying about maintaining some of his advanced hearing while in his hylian form. From his growing smirk, he’s been honest.

Warriors steps away from the horse, moving to the wall now, looking over the bridle options. Twilight lets him pick for the two of them, making his way over to look outside. The ranch has a wide open field in the center, with posts and a tiny string of fencing across it to practice jumping. 

Assuming Twilight has the same idea as him, he grabs two saddles and begins to tack up the sweet mare he was petting and a hefty stallion for Twilight. 

When he is finished, he passes the reins over and leads the mare outside. Twilight follows, and the stallion goes easily. Malon and Time were excellent at raising horses- all sure-footed and trusting. 

“So, you keep saying you’re good at riding.” Twilight calls as he hops up the saddle. 

Warriors climbs on his own mare, hoping his awkward adjustments aren’t too noticeable- it’s been awhile since he’s ridden. Not long enough to not be good, but enough for his movements to be much less fluid and instinctual than Twilight’s.

He really hopes Twilight didn’t see.

Looking out at the pasture, Warriors shoots Twilight a grin. “Want to make a bet?”

Twi snorts, “what is it with soldiers and betting?”

He shrugs in return and nudges his horse forwards, “passes the time. And makes things interesting.”

“What’s the bet?”

“Fifty rupees to whoever can jump the most posts in a minute?” 

Twilight spurs his horse into a gallop, laughing, “you’re on.”

 “Sky, there is no way I haven’t taught you Hornswoggle.” Wind mutters as he shuffles his cards.

In response, Sky rubs at his eyes, trying to blink himself into wakefulness. “I don’t think you have, you only taught us- uh, what was it called? Spot-something.”

“Black Spot is a perfectly respectful game, but it’s got nothing on Hornswoggle. One round of it can last hours- Tetra told me it once took her and the crew three days to declare a victor. Though, they had to take breaks to take care of the ship and stuff.” Wind begins setting cards out, separating them into innocuous piles. He reaches into his pocket, and scrunches his face before groaning. “Fuck, I left the chips and stones in my bag. I’ll be right back.”

He’s off before Sky can stop him, off towards one of the spare rooms Malon has loaned to them while they stay. 

Sky fights the urge to lay back down, knowing that’s all it will take to fall back into the warmth of the nap. The door in the kitchen opens, and he hears the tell-tale sound of a grumbling Legend. Four must have won their sparring match, then.

The two stop in the kitchen, opening cabinets and generally making noise. Sky keeps his eyes open, trying to get their noise to wake him all the way up. They make their way into the living room, and Four takes one look at the random piles of cards and says, “oh, are you playing Hornswoggle? Can I join?”

Wind takes that moment to reenter, grinning, “yeah! We haven’t started yet, I’ll deal you in. Legend, you want to play as well?” 

Legend shrugs and takes a bite of bread- that was probably the clattering around in the kitchen then- and sits on the couch, ruffling Wind’s hair as he goes, “you’ll have to re-explain the rules. It’s been a while since you taught me.”

“Don’t worry, it’s Sky’s first time, so maybe you won’t lose as badly.” Wind snips out as he begins setting piles of the game chips and stones out- they’re all different colors, reds blues yellows greens- Sky is beginning to think he’s in over his head.

Wind claps his hands, “okay, so now that everything is set up, I can explain the rules. The game is pretty simple-”

The door opens again, Wars and Twi moving through the kitchen to interrupt Wind as they step into the room. Twilight has fresh grass stains on his knees and a disgruntled expression. 

They take in the sight before them, and Twilight groans, “I am not playing this after last time.”

Wind gasps, “but you almost won!”

“It was more painful than my adventure, Wind.” 

Warriors just grins, “if you haven’t started, I would love to join. This is Hornswoggle, right?”

Wind nods and collects the cards and other game pieces, beginning the setup process again.

Sky just lays back into the couch and presses his palms into his closed eyes. “How does everyone know this game except me?”

Warriors ruffles his hair and dodges his returning swat before taking a seat on the ground next to Wind, “you probably fell asleep the night Wind taught us a bunch of card games. Do you remember me explaining my version of poker?” 

It sounds familiar, but not enough to recount any rules. “Maybe?”

Legend laughs, “yeah, you were probably out by then. We played late into the night.”

Sky wants to defend his honor (even if he probably was asleep, it’s the principle of the matter. Especially when everyone is safe and comfortable- that’s when the real bickering starts), but Twilight speaks up, “are Wild and Hyrule still out exploring?”

Everyone looks around, as if the two of them were in the room unnoticed, and Sky says, “I haven’t seen them since they left this morning.”

“They’re probably lost.” Legend’s tone is annoyed, but the pinch to his eyebrows gives away his concern. They can handle themselves, but the worry is still there. They aren’t immune to accidentally starting some little side quest, and Sky does not want a repeat of three weeks ago, when the rest of them had to go chasing after them as they tried to complete a fetch-quest for a storefront owner. 

It was a long day.

“I’ll go find them. Wild wanted to help Malon with dinner tonight, anyways.” 

Twilight is out the door before Warriors can finish his comment on Twi’s dog-senses helping him in his search. 

 The strangest part of transforming into a wolf is that he always wishes he had his other form’s senses when he is in the other. When he’s human, he wishes he has the smell and hearing he gets when he transforms. The way he can sneak through a forest with ease. When he’s in wolf form, he wishes his vision was better, that people didn’t cower at first sight of him. Even now, after months of the others knowing about Wolfie, some of his brothers flinch if he sneaks up on them. 

There is something to be said, however, about being deep in the thickest part of the woods and able to move soundlessly. 

Sneaking up on Wild and Hyrule like this is just icing on the cake. 

They’re sitting next to a small stream, with some fairies fluttering around. 

He can only see their backs, and while his color-vision is all wrong, his sense of smell makes it very clear they are covered in berry juice. There is the unmistakable smell of sugar as well, which clears up why it seemed like the stable was low. 

Padding forwards, his ears twitch as Wild recounts to the fairy in his hands his adventure in the berry bush nearby. He huffs, a loud sound in the relative quiet of the forest, and the fairies scatter.

Hyrule and Wild both jump, spinning around to face him. Hyrule has a dagger pointed at him, while Wild’s hands are at his side, ready to grab the slate.

Upon seeing him, Wild relaxes, “Wolfie, come on. You scared us.”

He huffs again, and the relaxed shoulders tense right back up, “are we in trouble? It hasn’t been that long.” Wild looks up, squinting through the branches at the sky.

Hyrule follows his gaze, tucking his knife back into his boot. “You were struggling with that bush for a while.”

“Was I?” The question is directed at Hyrule, and Twilight finds himself getting bored. He steps towards Wild and gently takes his hand in his maw, pulling him away from the stream. Wild follows easily; he did this often when Wild first woke up, guiding him how his instincts told him to while he was forced to remain in his wolf form. He is still grateful Wild’s master sword turned him back, and brought his shadow crystal back to him.

Hyrule pads softly behind them, and Twilight decides to ignore the sound of him trying to sneakily eat the sugar cubes behind his back. He drops Wild’s hand once he’s sure they’re following, and leads them back to the ranch.

 Legend adjusts his position on the pillow he is sitting on, staring down at his hand. It’s hard to say if victory is secured for him right now, he’s not familiar enough with the game and Wind looks both very smug and very wary of Four. 

The growing pile of colorful stones in front of Four makes Legend target Four on his next turn, able to take some of the stones. He picks out three of the red ones and two of the yellow ones. Wind huffs and glares at him; his turn is after Warriors, so hopefully he won’t remember to target him by then with this new lead.

Four, however, is mad. He’s cursing at Legend now, eyes flashing a distinct blue. 

Legend snorts, “no wonder you’re losing, letting Blue be in charge right now. Where’s Vio, too scared he’s going to lose to me that they’ve already given up?” 

Four leaps over the corner of the table separating them, held back by Sky’s hands. His eyes flash between purple and blue, and Legend continues to laugh.

A door down the hallways creaks open, and everyone gets very quiet as Time and Malon enter. Four sits down quickly, eyes shifting into a bashful red as he quickly apologizes, “sorry, Miss Malon for being loud.” 

Knowing Four’s secret has been a game-changer in understanding Four. However, even knowing how sincere Red can be, Legend has to wonder if he’s playing up his kindness at times to win people over. After all, Red is only one part of Four, and all of Four is conniving. 

Malon, however, takes it in stride and laughs, “now, I’ve told you all not to call me miss. I’m not that old,” she nudges Time, and makes her way to an open spot on the floor, Time following at her side. 

The two of them sit and Time speaks up, “Malon is interested in the game, from what I was able to remember when she asked what had you all so heated out here.”

“I’m going to kick all of your asses,” she says with a smile. “How do you play?”

Wind starts shouting about Time being a hypocrite, because he doesn’t correct Malon’s language. Legend just places his cards face down and leans back, resting his head on the couch behind him. It will take a while to explain the rules and deal the two of them in (people can join mid game, but only in even numbers), and he takes the moment to drink everything in.

His moment of rest doesn’t last long, however. Wind is barely halfway through the rules before Malon lets out a soft “ohh,” she glances around the table and squints at the stones and poker-like chips piled up. “This is basically Windrow of Bushel, right?” 

She looks up at Time who laughs, “I think you’re right. No wonder I hated the game last time we played.”

Malon laughs, “he’s awful at Windrow of Bushel. I’m amazing at it. Let's go.”

The door in the kitchen opens right as she says that, and Legend can’t stop his head from whipping towards the sound. He wasn’t nervous about how long Hyrule and Wild were gone, but he certainly wasn’t happy about it. As the two enter the room, covered in… hopefully berry juice and followed by Wolfie, his shoulders relax. For no reason, of course.

Wild perks up as soon as he sees the table and squeezes in next to Sky, leaving room for Wolfie to flop down beside him. Twi faces Four however, who quickly shows him his cards. 

Wind huffs and begins to deal Wild in, looking up at Hyrule, “I assume you’re playing, otherwise Wild can’t join.” 

Hyrule takes in the table, memories of the last time the group played this clearly flashing across his face. Legend snorts, “come on,” he pats the spot next to him on the floor, pushing Warriors to the side and forcing him to scoot next to him so they can make room for Hyrule. “I’ll help you.”

Wind looks up from the piles he’s sorting, “no cheating!” 

Lifting a snitching finger, Hyrule points at where Wolfie is nudging a card in Four’s hand. “Tell that to those two.” Four quickly puts his cards down, hands going up in the universal “I’m innocent” pose. As if Four was innocent of anything, ever.

Hyrule takes his seat next to Legend, and he’s still chilled from the outside temperature. The sun is beginning to get low, and it is getting to the colder months. He’s warming up quickly, the lack of space around the table forcing him to be pressed against Legend’s arm.

He wonders at that, in the moment before the game picks back up. Months ago- or however long ago it was when this stupid journey started- Legend would have pushed Hyrule away. Hylia, he never would have told Hyrule to sit next to him. He wouldn’t have allowed himself to become so close to any of them, these people he now calls his brothers. 

The game continues on, starting with Hyrule’s turn, as he is the newest player. When Hyrule targets him immediately, Legend lets out an indignant shout, but he can’t fight the smile pulling at his mouth. 

Even if he loses the game horribly, he’s okay with that. He’s having fun. The cards are solid in his hands, and the stones are warm from being passed around hand-to-hand so frequently. The living room is filled with laughter and shouting, and everything is real.

He is here, his brothers are at his side, and he is awake.

 Time lets himself zone out of the game. It’s late into the night, and Wild has to nudge Sky awake each time it’s his turn to play. 

His brothers are taking the game as seriously as any of their missions, and his wife is at his side, grinning.

He feels happy, and safe.

For the second time in his life, Link sends a prayer up to Hylia. 

Thank you, for these little rests. Thank you for my family. 

[luimagines]

He Asks You to Dance Part 3

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 will include Wild, Wind and Legend.

Content under the cut!

Wild

Wild didn’t even know Terry Town was planning a festival.

But here he was, with all his new friends, celebrating with old, the one year anniversary of the inauguration of Terry Town. 

Wild had to be quick on his feet for what felt like the whole day.

Between preparing for the celebration, getting all the requests filled and making sure the group weren’t left to their own devices for too long, Wild felt like he didn’t have a lot of room to breath. Let alone take a break.

But that fine.

The group eventually pitched in and the whole thing managed to run smoothly without any problems.

By the time the sun was gone and the large bonfire was lit, Wild finally let himself sit down and enjoy the atmosphere.

He watched, content and satisfied that everyone seemed to be having a good time. 

Legend and Wind were haggling the musicians in the best way possible. Time, Twilight and Warrior happened to open up the booze and were drinking away with some other men of the town. Four and Sky seemed to be happy enough eating what they had prepared on the sidelines while Hyrule, he knew, was actually up by Mija and her fairy fountain.

He wasn’t a fan of crowds and wanted to talk shop and magic with the fairies.

Wild couldn’t blame him.

Wild took a deep breath and leaned against the bench, closing his eyes momentarily with a smile on his face.

Until he sensed movement next to him.

He opened his eyes again and looked over.

You sat next to him, a quiet and subdued air around you. You smiled at him and if he didn’t know any better he would assume it was genuine.

He’s instantly on edge.

“Tired Wild Child?” You ask. “You were running around like a cucco without their head all morning and afternoon, I thought the place was going to run you ragged.”

Wild snorts unexpectantly and he sits straighter. “A little. But nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m just glad you’re actually taking a break.” You sighed and lean back. “This is nice. You did a good job.”

Wild preens a little at your words and he feels like he’s floating. “Go enjoy it then! You don’t have to spend the night moping next to me. I’ll hop in, in a minute. I just wanted to catch my breath.”

You hum and look away. “That eager to get rid of me, huh?”

Wild almost shoots off of the bench at your words and backpedals at the speed of light. “No, that’s not it at all! I was just-”

“Relax Link.” You smile that lie again. “I’m just messing with you.”

Wild frowns and looks over his shoulder to where Legend and Wind have more or less taken over to music and have begin to play something soft but lively, enough to get the people dancing and spinning around.

Wild gets an idea.

“Dance with me.” He stands and holds his hand out.

“What happened to catching your breath?”

“Caught it.”

You snort and look over. You’re sad, and he doesn’t know why. But what he does know, is that he doesn’t want you to lie anymore.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Dance with me.”

You consider it- longer than Wild would have thought to and finally, place your hands in his.

He’s stunned by how soft it is and how you fit into his hand perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece and he grips is gently, tugging you forward. “Just one.”

“Ok.” You looked down and step with him. “I can do that.”

You look back up and Wild’s breath gets caught in his throat. The light of the colored lanterns all around the two or you give you a pleasantly soft and sweet look to your face and your hair and Wild forgets that there’s more than you two at the moment.

He swallows and takes the leads.

And your smile.... well....

He can tell it’s not a lie anymore.

Wind

Wind had no idea what his grandma was expecting him to do with so little time to prepare for the High Tide Festival but Wind was never one to back down from a challenge.

The others were quickly put to work in helping in decorating the place and getting all the food together to feed to whole island and the visitors of Wind’s friend group. 

Wind didn’t actually want to help at all- he had promised to show you all around his home and he was stuck doing everything but that.

He doesn’t even know where you are right now but he wants to be by your side.

Not stuck by the stuffy adults and.... stringing up streamers.

He would normally be more excited for it, but not having you in his line of sight was putting a bit of a damper on his current mood.

He had promised...

“I got this Wind.” Twilight comes up from behind to take the box from his hands. “I think they miss you.”

There’s a bit of  teasing remark on Twilight’s breath, Wind can feel it but he looks over to where he gestures and see you there with your arms crossed and looking to the middle of the courtyard...

You look lost.

Wind feels himself still in that minute and he doesn’t think he actually had it in him to approach you.

Twilight snorts and pushes him forward slightly.

“They don’t bite.“ He says. “You wanted to spend time with them anyway right? Why the sudden cold feet?”

Wind gulps and tries to think of a smart answer. “Uhhh...”

Twilight claps him on his shoulder and walks away. “They were wondering where you were by the way.”

Wind bite his lip.

He did promise...

His first few steps are hesitant and unsure, and even when he finally makes his way next to you, you don’t seem to know he’s there.

“Hey.” Wind smiles ad takes your hand.

You startle and the small smile that graces your face does something funny to his chest. “Wind!”

There’s some music that begins behind you two, the musicians of the island begin to try and find the right mood they want to setting sun to have.

Wind grins and grips your hand tighter, pulling up gently in the direction. “Will you dance with me?”

You blink and smile wider. “Sure Wind.”

Wind feels himself grin and neither of you actually know how to dance but you’re laughing and he spins you around. 

Wind likes this.

Wind thinks this is nice.

Your laugh is nice.

Your smile is nice.

You’re nice.

Legend

Legend wasn’t really comfortable with the current chain of events.

He knew that every one was supposed to have a good time and relax and eat until they felt like they could burst... but he didn’t feel the desire to join them in this time of merriment.

Call him a barnacle if you wish but he would really be in bed and inside. But this was his Hyrule and he had to keep appearances for the group because they wanted to be out here in the festivities.

He wasn’t going to rain on their parade just because he wasn’t in the mood to be there.

He walked around, letting the time pass and watching all the other around him have fun and dance and sing- he would enjoy the party vicariously through them.

It was enough.

Until he saw you.

Briefly anyway.

You took off before he could really see what was happening but something in his gut told him that something was wrong. And he knows better than to ignore his gut at this point in his life.

He follows you and slows when he sees you rubs your eyes and pinch your nose and show all the signs of trying to stop a sob before it actually takes over.

“Hey.” The sounds leaves his mouth before he can even think twice.

You startle and harshly wipe the evidence away from your face.

“Are you ok?” Legend gulps slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” You say. Like a liar. “I just got emotional. This is nice. Your home really knows how to throw a party.”

“Yeah.” He agree on his breath. “Are you-... What’s wrong?”

You sniffle and blink owlishly at him.

“I...” You start and sigh, wiping your hand on your tunic. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I? I’m fine really. I’m just a bit homesick, is all.”

“Homesick?” He walks toward you.

“Yeah. Around this time, back home, we’d have a festival just like this.” You say with a blissful look on your face. “It has everything. Food, music, games, shows and good company too. It... it didn’t really register that I’d miss it this year until a moment ago. I won’t be with my family for the first time and I just... got emotional. I’ll be fine. Really. Go have fun. You deserve it.”

Legend stands there, stunned before his ears pick up the subtle tune of a slow song in the background.

He looks behind him and then back to you.

You look too good to look sad right now, and it’s not like Legend is going to rain on the parade just because he would rather be somewhere else.

He holds his hand out and tilts his head. “Come on. Dance with me. You’re too beautiful to hide yourself away.”

“Link.” You sigh.

“It won’t be as much fun without you.” He says in a final attempt to get you go with him.

You look at his hand and smile, letting him pull you toward him and sway left to right with the music. “Alright. You win.”

For a moment, when he spins you around and begins to lead a more cohesive dance with you in his arms, Legend actually thinks that there’s no other place he’d like to be.

[mamamittens]

Long Awaited LoZ Thoughts

I’d like to start this off by explaining my background. I have a BA in English with a minor in Humanities. I have lived all my life in the Bible Belt of America, so my PoV of this series is inevitably going to be, at least in part, from the perspective of a Western-centric, Christianity-influenced woman. I have grown up with a deep interest in folk tales and mythology though, and took several classes on ancient cultures, so my base knowledge of religion all over the world is broader than what you’d probably expect. I am not religious myself, I’m actually agnostic. And this is just an in-universe look at the very strange religion of Hyrule. So, to make things easier, let’s just put aside the obvious meta issues with this world. The wonky timeline, complex lore changes between said timelines, and the fact that the whole series has clearly grown wildly over the course of its development without an overarching plot. The game mechanics being game mechanics. All of it. This whole thing will just be me trying to make sense of the world without the ‘it’s just a game, bro’ crutch. I will be drawing on what I know from the many games I’ve played myself, so if I don’t mention a big piece of lore from a specific game, it’s because I didn’t play it. Go ahead and rule out the early games before Ocarina of Time, as that’s the first game in the series I can remember playing. I was legitimately too young to have ever played anything prior to that, having been born in 1996. Now let’s get started, shall we?

 So, obviously everyone knows that the LoZ world is said to begin with the three goddesses. Din, Nayru, and Farore came together to create the world and before they yote themselves out of the narrative as direct players, they created the Triforce. A powerful artifact capable of granting a wish and giving their respective bearers undefined power. This is directly from Ocarina of Time and we see their symbol, the Triforce, all over the many games with very few exceptions. Now, to be clear, having a polytheistic religion with three main gods is hardly new. Hinduism has three main gods after all (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), and depending on your flavor of Christianity, you have the holy trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit). There’s even the Celtic goddesses that come specifically in threes (collectively called The Morrigan; Eriu, Fodla, and Banba). This isn’t an exhaustive list of three divine beings, by the way, just know that three is a weird trend in western-centric stories, including religion. But what’s different about the three Hyrule Goddesses? Well, they’re weirdly small for big shot gods. Let me explain.

        So, the three Hindu gods I mentioned earlier each handle a specific aspect. Creation, destruction, and preservation, not necessarily in that order though (which god does what isn’t the point, so just roll with me here). These are very broad and powerful subjects. Christianity is much the same, even though it’s a monotheistic religion. God is literally an all-powerful, omniscient, omnipotent deity. Jesus is his son who gave his life to basically forgive all sin. And I’m not totally clear on the Holy Spirit, but these three are clearly Big Deals with Big Ideas behind them. A good rule of thumb for old religion is that the older the deity, the wider the scope of their job or what they represent. Which makes sense. If you had to personify the forces of the universe, you’d probably start with the sun instead of like… whatever god is responsible for the creation of rice specifically. The bigger and scarier the natural force, the bigger deal that god usually is, putting aside politics and cultural trends. Egypt is a good example of this, as their roster of gods tended to change a lot depending on who was Pharaoh at the time and wherever the city center was. Horus is the god of the sun, or at least one of them, and is generally considered king of the gods. Which makes perfect sense for a land largely made up of a desert.

But what are the three goddesses’ rulers of? Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Each with clear elemental associations and people that are obviously affiliated with them. Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, is clearly associated with water and likely has a close connection with the Zora. Din, Goddess of Power, is associated with fire and has clear connection with the Gerudo (unclear if the same goddess as the one present in the desert temple in Ocarina of Time). Farore, Goddess of Courage, is associated with all things green and of the earth, including the child-like race of Kokiri who perpetually inhabit the forest. Sure, these are broad topics, but not really… the first thing you’d think of for creators of the universe, are they? And it raises the question about the Hyrule people, who are said to be able to hear the gods due to their pointed ears… let’s put a pin in that and move on.

So, we know there are many gods in this universe, primarily because we meet them. For example, Zephos, God of Winds, in Wind Waker. But he’s clearly a fairly forgotten god, as he shares a shrine with Cylcos, God of Cyclones, which is about as bare as it can be. Just what appears to be a Tori gate with two stone monuments with the simple notes to summon them, almost completely out of the way. Which… I mean, I don’t know many gods with their extension number written on their monuments. That would kind of like going to church on Sunday and seeing “Hit me up if you need me, J-Boy 555-TAKE THE WHEEL” written on the podium. And remember, this is a world and game where the gods actively flooded the world and would therefore hold or have held enough power to directly interfere with Hyrule.

And Skyward Sword clearly has divine beings, one of which even flooded a whole area, though they’re subservient to Hylia. Who we will get back to later, I promise. The three dragons (again, that magic number), capable of divine power, though where that power comes from in unclear. The dragons are of a high status though, as evident by their servants and clear reference to high-class dress of their clothes. These dragons are revered, but clearly not worshipped, much like nobles in that regard. A curious note is the parallels to the three goddesses, and how the symbols are muddled and mixed for these dragons.

Lanayru clearly has the symbols associated with the Zora, and by extension Nayru, but is yellow. He also is saved by time travel used to grow a magic fruit, which Link often uses (time travel) in many games to advance the plot himself (and wouldn’t you know it, but mixing blue with yellow does produce green. Weird). Faron is the water dragon who flooded an area, and she is almost entirely blue (as well as unsettling to look at), surrounded by a species clearly related to the Zora though closer to octopi. But her name is Faron, which is weirdly close to Farore’s name, not Nayru. I mean, they are close to locations that resemble their names of course, but it’s still an interesting note. Finally, there’s Eldin, clearly bearing a symbol associated with the Gerudo without any strange mixes of symbols for the series. Oddly, he’s also the most open of the three dragons, especially considering the Gerudo’s traditional stance of being a ‘no-sausage�� club. Not terribly relevant, but I just thought it was interesting to point out. You can consider the Giants in Majora’s Mask on the same level as them, though their status is unclear (Since they’re summoned by a song and can stop the moon from falling, they probably straddle the line between mortal and divine).

Now, spirits also exist in this world, both as the ghostly variety and the more pseudo-divine. Not to be confused with actual divinity. Divine being can be spirits, but not all spirits are divine. In this context, spirits can be defined more as being of power capable of granting aid in return for something. Zephos can change the winds if called upon, but you don’t need to feed him, for example. But the spirits in Twilight Princess need aid before they can help you. And they’re also not very independent and are able to be fooled easily, which isn’t usually a god-like quality. While more physically present than the three goddesses, they’re also not strictly tangible, and seem to be extremely limited to their location. At best, these spirits could be classified as minor deities below the gods we see in Wind Waker. They also share the same abilities in keeping the realm of Twilight from falling over the land of Hyrule, as well as their weakness to parasites of undetermined origin. An interesting note is that they all seem to live in bodies of water. Let’s put a pin in that one too.

Someone that also counts as a spirit would be Fi and her counterpart, Ghirahim. Literally two halves of the same coin, these two are both very limited in power and function. They don’t represent anything on their own and are very dependent on others to achieve results. How or why they were made is unclear, but it is obvious that both were forged at some point, and clearly gained sentience. Even their personalities and allegiances are a bit odd. Fi for her sci-fi appearance and calculating personality in a fantasy land, and Ghirahim for his… well, everything. I don’t know why the root of all evil would make his weapon a full-tilt diva, let alone on purpose. Ghirahim always struck me as odd since his bombastic personality seemed to clash with his ultimate fate of just being a weapon for Demise.

Okay, so the Great Fairies are weird, okay?! Like, really weird. They act as spirits (I can’t think of any that aren’t restricted to a body of water in some form), but are very independent. They also don’t necessarily need anything from Link to offer assistance. Sometimes, just opening the fairy fountain is enough to gain items needed to progress. And there’s also the fact that fairies heal you upon ‘death’, though with a limited heart capacity. Sometimes they need you to do something though, like the Breath of the Wild fairies need rupees to function or items to upgrade equipment. They also usually look human, like Majora’s Mask Great Fairies are clearly just… giant women with color coded accessories. But like, they float. Where Great Faires come from, or even just regular fairies, is unclear. Until Wind Waker, Great Faires were adults. But when you finally meet the real Great Fairy in Wind Waker it’s… a child. With a doll that looks just like the ‘Great Fairies’ you’ve seen along the way. This sort of implies that Great Fairies age and die, though clearly with a different lifetime than most races in Hyrule (the child Great Fairy also only looks somewhat human compared to other Great Fairies, so make of that what you will). And it also implies that all the adult Great Fairies are dead (you’re welcome for that depressing thought), with the last one trapped in a hollow tree only accessible by the power of a God.

In Breath of the Wild, the Great Fairies are both diminished but more powerful. They literally are stuck in a giant flower with water in it, with few fairies around them, and require riches to get stronger. The connection to their new restrictions to this need for material wealth is unclear. It’s also interesting to note that their fountains are no longer places that appear to be man-made holy temples and they seem to be out of the way… well, for a given value of ‘out of the way’ (looking at you ninja village). These fairies can accomplish more tasks, but certainly won’t be doing it for free or with minimal effort. A far cry from their first appearances (no, I don’t consider using explosives a difficult task).

But Fairies are also companions with nebulous tasks, such as in Ocarina of Time, where Tatl follows Link until the end of the game. And Kokiri have their own fairy as a sign of whatever accounts for adulthood in their race. The Skull Kid in Majora’s Mask has two fairy friends who seemed to have been either lost or abandoned. Who or what gives them purpose and life is unclear, though the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time can give commands, it doesn’t seem to be something he does normally? As a side note, it’s really not clear what, if anything he can actually do. Though the relative safety of the surrounding area is clearly tied with his wellbeing in all iterations, he doesn’t seem to directly influence it, or be capable of self-defense.

Now, onto the elephant in the room! Hylia! Who the hell is this?! A more recent entry to the series, her divine roll is unclear (though she clearly guards the Triforce in some capacity). It can be assumed that she’s somehow a goddess tied directly to the Hylian people, but when she appeared is up for debate. Timeline wise, it’s almost like knowledge of her was suppressed for some reason, giving rise to the Triforce mythos we all know and love without hide or hair of her seen. We know that she favored the original Link greatly, enough to shed her divinity to be reborn as a mortal and assist him. How or why is also unclear, though it wouldn’t be unfair to assume she loved him, as divine ladies holding an affair with a mortal isn’t uncommon in mythology (or even male gods doing the same, before anyone brings up Zeus). But she makes a resurgence in Breath of the Wild, with statues and everything, with the three goddesses left to only vague references in the background. Which is super weird, though not uncommon for places like Ancient Egypt. The fact that the ruling family was literally descendant from a goddess is what makes it weird though, since any monarchy worth their salt would milk that until the peasant folk revolted and made a new religion to justify killing a god.

Zelda in every incarnation is literally descendant from the original and still held at least a fraction of that divine power. So much so that a cornerstone of a powerful religious artifact inevitably ends up in her hands (or on the back of her right hand, as it were). But what is Hylia a Goddess of? We don’t know. It’s never said. Anywhere. And that’s super weird, even for a ubiquitous deity. Sure she’s a Goddess of Hyrule but… what does that mean? That can’t be all she is? Her reincarnation is literally locked in a generational struggle against the forces of darkness! What can she do as a Goddess? Well, she makes Link stronger in return for items, but that seems to be it. In Ocarina of Time, Zelda was capable of sending Link back to the past, but that was with a magic item. And we know Hylia isn’t the Goddess of Time, because Zelda references her in Majora’s Mask (sequel to Ocarina of Time, therefore implying that there are more gods unmentioned at that time), when Hylia should be mortal or at least fragmented (because Zelda exists at the time with powers and a Triforce piece). The Guardian of Time in Hyrule Warriors also fell in love with Link before splitting into Cia and Lana (and was unable to fuse back together again), so it’s unlikely that she’s the Goddess of Time Zelda was referring to, though that detail is interesting to note. No, I will not discuss if Hyrule Warriors is canon (either game), as this is already long enough as it is.

So, that brings us to Ganon, or in his original form, Demise. Which… what’s up with that? Who is this guy? He directly opposes the gods and just… gets away with it! Repeatedly! Sure, he loses most of the time, but still. It’s unclear where Demise came from, or even what he is, though judging by Ghirahim’s ‘Demon Lord’ title, it can be assumed that he is some type of demon himself. And that the many monsters we see are also considered demons, which makes sense with how they always work for Demise (or his many iterations) in some form or another. Considering how much it takes to simply seal him away, he can’t be just a demon though.

        Demise obviously pulled the same trick Hylia did, which directly sets him up as a counterpart to her, but what does it mean? Why would he do that? What is Demise that he can’t be beat with the power of a Goddess alone and needs not only a brave knight but a blade literally made to counter him? Within the context of religion, the best guess I can make is that he’s some form of a God of Darkness, possibly also Temptation, Greed, and Pigs Corruption. It fits within the narrative since power is often the strongest form of temptation and we know that demons capable of opposing the gods exist. The Horned Statue literally takes Hylia’s blessings in exchange for wealth, and was turned into a statue for it. What it stands to gain from any of it is unclear, but interestingly enough, Hylia doesn’t mind that it closely resembles her own statues. So, this raises the question… why isn’t Demise a forgotten statue somewhere along a dusty road? How did he curse(?) both a reborn goddess and a human in an eternal struggle for the fate of Hyrule?

        Being a god is about the only explanation for why he can do the things that he does. It explains why, in every incarnation, he ends up a rule (like Zelda). How he controls so many different species with ease. He corrupts the conflicted as easily as breathing. An interesting note is how Demise in his many forms usually ends up corrupting once good forces in some way, typically with parasites or evil spirits. And with this context, Hylia must be a Goddess of Light, and possibly some form of Will and Purity to oppose Demise’s power. It would also make her a good candidate for looking after the Triforce in that case. And yet we don’t know any of this for sure either, which is, again, very strange considering their presence from the very beginning. Literally.

Now, I want to mention the temples as a last point before wrapping this up, because it has bothered me since I was a wee little whipper snapper. For a place of worship, they sure are hard to navigate, even when they’re empty of monsters. And it’s not like Hyrule doesn’t get this, because the Temple of Time in Ocarina of Time is straight up a church. Just… without pews, so clearly not perfect, but it is possible for people to come in and… worship time, I guess. And no, not the Goddess of Time, because there’s no statue for that. I mean, I know it’s secretly hiding the Master Sword, but it is definitely a church otherwise. What a normal service looks like I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely not like literally any other temples we see.

        Now, I know it’s a little hard to remember, but temples are usually places where one goes to worship the gods (or even just a god). And we know gods exist in a very real way in Hyrule! They still manage to name Zelda the same thing despite having seemingly buried their divine origins, so some knowledge of gods walking the mortal realm exists. But the temples/dungeons we see usually don’t have much in the way of religious iconography, with a few exceptions (interestingly it’s typically the desert area that actually has statues and could feasibly have had a real capacity for worship). You want to be a devout follower of a god anywhere else? Well, fuck you. Hope you brought a sword and a good pair of boots. If you’re allowed inside at all, since it’s usually the local leaders that are only allowed inside for some reason. And most games don’t seem to have very religious people, despite all the references to divinity. Not like we’d expect them to, at least. And I personally can’t blame them. If I tried to join a religion but found only a wall as an entrance, I’d be pretty disheartened too. Then I’d be pretty pissed to find out I needed not only a royal instrument handed down the monarchy, but their freaking lullaby to even get in to the place of worship. But we know they pray to the gods at least semi-often, since that’s one of the inciting incidences in Wind Waker. And they have offering to statues of Hylia.

        The temples suggest the bar to impress the gods is pretty high, and not in a ‘sacrifice your eldest child’ kind of way. To even get the chance to reach the inner chambers you better hope it’s been kept well and that you didn’t skip leg day recently. Something I didn’t really mention before is that usually, the less involved the gods are, the more independent the people are from worship. If you worry that your local deity will flood your fields, you’re probably leaving regular offerings at their nearby shrine or temple. But if you know that the gods don’t care about literally anything you do, why worship them at all? Why make statues, art, or temples? Why bother with any of it? The answer is you don’t. So these highly selective temples are pretty weird unless you go with the idea the gods are just really done with people and never want to talk to them unless absolutely necessary.

So, I’ve rambled for over twelve pages now. What’s the point? What does any of this mean? I’m honestly not sure, but I have a sinking feeling that there’s some serious shit going on in the Hyrule pantheon. Mortals have been mostly abandoned to their doom. Gods cast out and forgotten entirely. And somehow advanced civilizations keep forming and getting destroyed with only remnants left behind with zero explanation. Assuming the original gods are even alive at this point, which I’m not entirely certain of. Their death certainly explains how Demise/Ganon keeps getting stronger, looking less and less Hylian as time goes on, if he looks humanoid to begin with.

I wouldn’t even assume it’s entirely voluntary at this point either, as Ganon clearly doesn’t have the same motivations in every incarnation (see my previous post about Wind Waker). I’m rather excited about Breath of the Wild 2, as the implications of dehydrated husk Ganon is compelling. Particularly in light of the character development Link and Zelda have received in the first Breath of the Wild. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ganon/Demise turns out to be a fallen god trying to get back home (a nice parallel to Wind Waker, actually), cast out as a scape goat. Blamed for every form of corruption and greed that naturally follows in his wake. I think I said this before, but it is interesting that he is always reborn among the Gerudo, a race famously all females. Sometimes thieves, but nearly always in a position that would naturally crave power to take control of their lives compared to Hylians. Regardless of the consequences.

Is it true? I don’t know. Probably not, but the fact that I can draw these conclusions in three hours of writing is pretty neat. I have a lot of feelings about this franchise, having grown up with it, but I eagerly await what comes next. And I should probably go to bed. Make of all this what you will.

[legendofzelda4life]

Arson Gone Wrong

Day five (cbf writing the whole thing, ya’ll know the drill)

I’ve rewritten this twice now. My computer keeps glitching out and I lose all the work *cries*

This is a Wild and Hyrule platonic angst.

I hope you guys like it!

Also, should I start putting descriptions up here?

TW: blood, injuries, major character death

-------------------------------

“Oi, Hy!” Wild yelled out, running into camp carrying various fire-based weapons in his arms.

They were currently in Wild’s Hyrule.

Y’know, free-real-estate-arson-edition.

“I’m not even gonna ask.” Time said from where he sat across the camp with Twilight and Sky. Hyrule chuckled. The old man is really done with our bullshit.

“What are those?” Hyrule asked, looking at Wild. (theyre my sandals) Wild grinned happily and dropped all the weapons on the ground. “Okay so we have meteor rods, flame blades, great flame blades, fire rods, flame spears, fire arrows, and, most importantly, bomb arrows.” Wild said, gesturing to each object.

“Arson?” Hyrule asked with a smirk. “What else?” Wild replied sarcastically before taking off his shirt. “Let’s go!” He grabbed a bow, shield, and some of the weapons before running away.

This boy and doing arson shirtless.

Hyrule swears he’s gonna get himself killed.

They were in the Akkala region so if they went to far west, they’d burn.

Somehow they ended up north of skull lake pretty quickly. They had started at Tumlea heights.

“Hy, look! This is skull lake. If you fall down here, it’s damn near impossible to climb back up.” Wild said, looking over the edge to see the lake. He turned to his left to see Hyrule looking over as well.

(it kept deleting here so the rest was new for me to write)

“How deep is the water?” He asked. “Deep.” Wild said before standing up. He took out a shield and turned around.

“Watch this.”

He backflipped off the ledge and fell.

But he left the paraglider at camp.

Hyrule heard a sickening thud as the boy hit a rocky out-crop. The rocks there were stained red.

“Shit! Wild! Fuck dammit!” Nobody ever heard Hyrule swear before but he just watched his best. Friend. Get badly hurt.

He watched as Wild rolled along the rocks before falling with a splash in the water. Hyrule watched as Wild sunk slowly.

Almost painfully slow.

Hyrule knew he couldn’t jump past the rocks so he grabbed two swords.

Wild taught him a trick; you try to throw a weapon as you fall but just before you hit the ground, swap weapons and it will cancel out the pain.

Hyrule heaved a deep breath...

And jumped.

He quickly switched weapons before he hit the rocks.

It worked!

He then jumped into the water.

He wasn’t the best swimmer. But he could manage well enough to get a hold of Wild and the slate.

“Goddesses I hate doing this.” Hyrule thought as he selected the Akkala ancient tech lab. It was the closest he’d get to the group.

He felt a familiar sick feeling in his stomach as the two boys teleported.

They were at the tech lab.

Hyrule felt for Wild’s breathing and heart.

He was taking soft, shallow breaths and a faint heart beat.

Hyrule pulled out a bow, an arrow, and some paper before quickly writing on it.

Wild. Hurt. Ancient tech lab. Quick.

He put the note on an arrow and ran to the edge of the cliff facing Tumlea heights.

He knocked the arrow, aiming for a tree next to Twilight.

And released it.

Once he saw the arrow hit its mark, he ran back to Wild and picked him up.

“C’mon buddy, you gotta hold on for me. My magic doesn’t work here so I can’t help you.” He said as he carried Wild bridal style down the hill, walking to camp.

He continuously checked up on Wild.

Heart beat. Breathing. Heart beat. Breathing. Heart beat. Breath... ing? Silence.

“Shit, fuck. Wild no. No you can’t do this to me!” Hyrule screamed.

He dropped to his knees, hugging Wild close.

“Please Wild. Please don’t leave me.” He sobbed into Wild’s shirt.

Well, it was actually Hyrule’s but he put it on Wild after they got to the lab.

“I can’t lose you...” He looked at his best friend, brushing the blonde hair out of his face.

“HYRULE!” He looked up to see Twilight and Legend.

He ignored them.

Wild can’t be dead.

He just can’t.

He listened for breathing again.

Nothing.

Heart beat?

Nothing.

He felt his own heart shatter.

“Wild.” He sobbed.

Twilight placed a hand on his shoulder and Hyrule pulled away.

“It’s my fault Twi.” He cried. “I shouldn’t’ve let him leave without his glider- actually no. I shouldn’t’ve agreed to go. He would’ve stayed Twi.” Hyrule’s face was now stained with tears as they continued.

Twilight gripped the traveller in a hug. “It’s not your fault.” He said.

Hyrule heard the familiar sound of a fairy and looked up only to see it shake its head and leave.

“Hyrule I’m sorry.” Legend said. He didn’t join the hug, just stood to the side awkwardly.

Hyrule shrugged out of Twilight’s grip.

“It’s not your fault.” He said to the veteran. “If only my magic worked, I could’ve healed him.” Hyrule looked at his hands. He felt so...

Useless.

“Go back to camp.” He said, not looking at the other two. Without a word, they left.

Then Hyrule broke down.

“Wild. I’m sorry. Goddesses I wish I could say it to your face.” He said, still looking at Wild’s body.

“Why did I have to lose you?” He asked, clutching Wild’s hand.

I dont have the strength to write a burial so timeskip

It had been only a few days since Wild died and Hyrule wasn’t well...

Hyrule.

He’d usually crack jokes with the boys, laugh about embarrassing stuff at dinner, jump to the opportunity to commit arson.

But now...

He sat in bed all day, holding the Shiekah Slate to his chest. He barely reacted anymore and just seemed lifeless.

They eventually had to keep travelling but even then, Hyrule wasn’t the same.

Nobody was.

But Hyrule was affected the most.

He scrolled through the slate’s camera roll, looking at photos of Wild doing... Wild things.

He found a video and decided to open it.

“Hey, I assume Hy is watching this. If you are, I’m probably dead.” Wild chuckled. “Lemme guess, arson gone wrong?”

Hyrule laughed softly, tears forming in his eyes.

It felt so good to hear Wild’s voice again.

“Hyrule I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to die. You were my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you so I don’t expect you to know either.” Wild spoke. “Don’t blame yourself. I’ve blamed myself for deaths, it doesn’t feel good. P-promise me Hy.”

Wild got choked up.

He breathed deeply.

“Promise, you’ll be happy without me. Please. I miss you.”

Hyrule broke down in tears.

He missed Wild too.

END

--------------------------------

I’M SORRY! 

I started crying when Wild died. This was so difficult to write.

In the og idea, Hyrule was going to kill Wild by accident but I changed my mind lol.

I hope you guys enjoyed and I’m sorry if you cried even half as much as me.

Also I tested the death with 14 hearts. Idk if he would live with all 30

LEAVE REQUESTS BELOW!

REQUETS MUST INCLUDE: PAIRING TYPE/GENRE/CATEGORY (fluff, angst, etc) PLATONIC OR NOT

I WILL WRITE ONLY ABOUT THE LINKS (including the ravio, shadow, and requested characters. Will not write about whole other fandoms though)

I CAN DO READER INSERTS IF REQUESTED (no oc’s tho)

[dartiri11]

A not so terrible fate. (Linked Universe pt4)

The boys are so nice to me! All of them. Well as nice as Legend and Warriors can be, i guess. I got to know Warriors better by the time and he isn't that mistrusting diva anymore. Legend on the other hand kinda refuses to even seem nice. :(

Wind, Hyrule and Four are really cool! They are so funny and nice! Hyrule even can do a bit of magic and Wind can control the winds with a magical stick. Taya and Teal like them too! Wild is completly crazy. But cool crazy. :D He can make fire with his hands when he rubbes two sticks together. I didn't even know that's possible! And he makes delicious stuff! He kinda reminded me at you buddy. But when he wanted to teach me how to make fire, Twilight came and stopped him :( Twilight is nice too. But a bit overcareful. He always watches Wild the most. But Twilight is probably the strongest of all! He can lift me and Sky together :D and if he wants, Wind on his back too.

Oh! How could i forget Sky? We was the first one to talk to me. And he is amazing and so kind! He seems like hugging everything he meets. (His hugs are fluffy btw) Skys weapon is a bit odd. It feels like i know it but i don't know why. That feeling is there since i met them. It's strange. Oh, where i just wrote about it, there is also Time. The leader. A really nice guy. It seems like he trusted me from the beginning. Why? No clue, my dude! (How Wind says) But im not the only one that thinks he's odd... Taya asked me today if we know Time somehow. I really don't know. His voice, his look, his taste of music, the markings on his face. It all somehow playes together before it vanishes infront of my eyes again. Anyway. I hope you can meet them soon. See ya!

-Horror Kid.

Horror Kid was very proud on that long letter. Not worrying if his his friend can even read this, he gave it ti Tael. He would deliver it safely. Usually both of them had a fairy, but Horror Kid just wanted to go for a small walk with his fairy friends, when the monster attacked him out of the blue. Today in the morning the heroes even killed it. It had had strange black blood and was unusually big and aggressive.

Horror Kid could do nothing to help them. He never was a good fighter. And everytime he tried, some of his friends got hurt. So now he better distanced himself.

But Woods were save for now. And Horror Kid finally could show his friend to the others. He maybe had to write another letter to tell him more cool stuff he did with his new friends. When he realized that his friend probably wasn't even able to read the letter he wrote before. Horror Kid just taught him how to read. Well, to read his own form of language. The Hylian signs were way more difficult and Horror Kid couldn't write or read them himself. So he just developed a new kind of writing.

His friend was very weak, but he got better by the time. And got more to know about the world. They really got to know each other shortly after... after the moon... Well that was a diffrent story now. At the start, there were a few complications but Link had still forgiven Horror Kid after all he had done. So he could forgive his friend.

He missed him so much. He hadn't seen Link for a damn long time. And Horror Kid could neber find him. Nowhere. He often wished he could someday introduce him to his new friend.

Horror Kid and Taya were just with Warriors and Hyrule, when Tael came back. "He's fine. And he really whats to meet 'em."

Before he could thank Tael, Hyrule spoke up in fae. "Who are you talking about Tael?"

Tael answered with a fairy grin. "I see your fae got better. That's cool. We're talking about a friend of us."

Warriors looked at Hyrule a bit jealous. "Geez, 'Rule. I wish i could speak fae so fluent. Or even understand it."

"Thanks! Time practised with me a bit. The fae in his Hyrule is a bit diffrent to mine. But i still don't get how he can speak it so fluent." The boy named after the country answered thinking.

"Didn't know the Old Man could even speak it." He shook his head with a grin. "Well, there're a lot of unsolved mysteries about Time."

Speaking of fae, Link came to his mind. "Oh, i know someone who can speak fae too. He's my best friend. But i havn't seen him for a long time. Someday i will see him again. And then i will show him my new friend." He said putting on his skull mask.

Warriors chuckled. "Hah, i hope not another fairy, or i'll drive crazy if i have to hear more of that ringing sounds. Proxi was enough." He said crossing his arms.

Hyrule looked at him. "Wait, yeah you had a fairy too right? Hie could ya understand her without fae?" He said with a smug face.

"Never needed to. Proxi always spoke Hylian." He waved his hand.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Kinda annoying anyways. But that still doesn't answer my question. Who is your 'new friend'?" He said with his sapphire blue eyes on Horror Kid.

"He's not a fairy. And he's bad at fae too. Languages are not his strongest part in general. But it sounds funny when he speaks. I'm trying my best teaching him the language and everything." Horror Kid told them. He was very proud on himself right now.

Hyrule seemed very interested in his friend. "You're teaching him? I honestly would have never guessed. He got a name?"

"Yeah... but i guess he doesn't like it very much." The masked forest spirit looked to the ground. "He kinda had a bad past and wasn't really nice at first but a friend of mine once still forgave me after all i did to him. So i thought i can forgive my new freind too." He said a bit sad having a flashback from all the terrible things he did to Link back then. His 'new' friend was not that new but he always begged Horror Kid not to use his name everywhere else than at home with him.

And he promised him that he would never use the name 'Majora' next to others.

[dinfeanoriel]

Idiot

I promised I’d post something, so here you guys go! 

Linked Universe belongs to Linked Universe and Jojo56830. 

~~~~~~~

“I think he’s coming to!” 

“Really?!” 

“Thank Hylia!” 

The three relieved voices were the first thing he heard as he slowly made his way to consciousness. 

“Warrior?” A small voice called, hope seeping into his youthful tone. “Can you hear me?” 

Warrior..? The Hylian echoed in his mind. His brow creased and he released a groan when he registered the pounding of his head. He raised a hand to cradle it, fingers brushing against the bandage carefully wrapped around whatever wound he’d sustained. 

Had he been hit? 

A hand sternly gripped his wrist and pulled his own away, a reprimand quickly following, 

“Don’t touch it, Warrior!” 

The voice was familiar to him, but...he couldn’t put a name or face to it. 

“You got hit pretty badly there.” 

Hit? By what? Where was he? Who was he? 

He dropped his hand at his side, cracking cerulean blues open into slits. He immediately snapped them shut when the unforgiving rays of sunlight viciously stabbed at them. He cast an arm over his eyes, shielding them from the painful light. 

“He’s awake,” A voice deadpanned, but Warrior heard the faint hint of relief in it. “By the Gods, Warrior,” A hand gripped his shoulder tightly and gave it a shake, “When I tell you to move, move!” 

What..? 

Confusion swallowed him whole. What was going on? Who were they? How did they know him? And was his name seriously Warrior? What kind of name was that? 

Wasn’t it Link? 

Link? 

That sounded right…

He blinked his eyes open again, careful this time. Blurred faces blocked his vision and gradually cleared until he could make them out with hardly any trouble. 

He almost started with how identical and eerily familiar they looked. 

The younger boy with incredibly blonde hair, bright eyes, and blue tunic beamed down at him. If the sun hadn’t blinded him before, that smile sure would have! 

“Warrior!” He cried enthusiastically, and when Warrior- for he supposed that was his name- managed to sit himself up with the help of the red-clad person to his right, the boy threw himself at him. 

He instinctively caught the boy, wrapping an arm around him in confusion. 

He was completely and hopelessly lost. 

“Is he awake?” A new voice asked and Warrior looked up to see five new faces coming their way. The resemblance between them all was uncanny and threw him off. The one who had spoken- whose voice was soft and quiet- wore a relieved smile, eyes sparkling when they met his, “You are!” 

They crowded around him, hands patting him on the back, the shoulder, and others telling him how much he’d scared them or how glad they were that he was okay. 

There was one who hadn’t approached him yet. One who stood a little ways away, studying him intently. He hadn’t missed the blank look in Warrior’s eyes, or the sense of lostness etched into his features as he eyed every single one of them. He didn’t miss the utter confusion lingering in those cerulean blues or the uncertainty he expressed in the tenseness of his body language. 

Wild cautiously approached, hoping deep down that he was wrong, but looking to Warrior again, Wild knew… 

He knew he wasn’t. 

His heart became heavy. He recognized the signs of Warrior’s discomfort with being crowded by unfamiliar faces and stepped in before they could overwhelm him.

Hylia knows how overwhelmed Wild had felt when he’d woken 100 years after the Calamity and was told the story by King Rhoam.  

“Guys,” Wild cleared his throat, trying to get the other Heroes’ attention. It failed. He tried again, “Guys!” 

Everyone paused, silence falling as they simultaneously turned to face him. 

“Wild?” Hyrule slowly questioned. 

Wild gestured for them to give Warrior some space. They immediately did, although they weren’t sure why. Wild stepped closer to Warrior, kneeling down in front of him. Warrior’s eyes latched onto him, studying him with more intensity than normal. 

“Warrior?” Wild alleged, and the Hylian’s frown steepened. Wild’s heart sank even further. 

Confound it all..!

A hand settled on Wild’s shoulder and the long-haired Hero briefly glanced up to see it belonged to Twilight. 

“What is it, Cub?” The Ordonian asked, none of them missing the troubled expression that now marred his features. 

Wild returned his attention to Warrior, gracing him with a wan smile. 

“You don’t remember us, do you?” He bluntly asked. 

The Heroes stiffened at the question. 

Wind looked horrified.

Warrior blinked slowly. Understanding dawned on the dismayed Heroes and Wind’s expression crumpled.

The blue-scarfed Hero slowly shook his head in response then cringed and flinched as white-hot pain flared up at the movement.

Time knelt behind Warrior, gently grasping his shoulders to still him, “Easy there, Warrior. We haven’t been able to treat you as well as we’d like. We ran out of fairies and potions. Be careful not to make any sudden movements,” The eldest Hero cautioned. 

Warrior imperceptibly nodded, grimacing before flashing Wild a questioning look. 

Wild understood it. 

“We’re friends of yours- companions. We’ve been travelling together for quite a few months now.” He explained, giving Warrior some background. He touched a hand to his chest, “My name is Wild, and we call you Warrior.” 

Warrior shot him a confused look. 

Wild was also confused. Why wasn’t Warrior using his voice? He was uncharacteristically quiet. 

It was...unsettling, to say the least. 

Those cerulean eyes did all of the talking for him. 

“They’re nicknames,” Legend spoke up next, catching onto Warrior’s next question, “If we used our real names, it would be incredibly confusing.” 

Warrior didn’t understand, but he accepted the answer nonetheless. He had the feeling he could trust these people. Something told him they wouldn’t lie to him.

“This is Time, the leader of our group,” Wild then introduced, gesturing to the golden-armored Link. Time inclined his head, a worried and sorrowful gleam in his single eye. “Beside him is Twilight, then Hyrule, Legend, Wind, Four, and Sky.” 

Warrior dipped his chin, looking to every Hero and critically analyzing them. Wild felt sorrow grip him. He could understand how he felt. 

“Do you remember what happened to you?” 

Warrior thought long and hard on the answer. He averted his gaze to the ground, as though he hoped it would hold some information- some hint as to what had happened to him. He remained unnervingly silent. 

Then, after a few minutes of them patiently waiting, he sighed. He gave a meager shrug, careful not to agitate his aching neck, and looked to Wild in the hopes that he would tell him. 

Wild swallowed thickly. He’d been in Warrior’s shoes before. The circumstances weren’t exactly the same, but they held similarities he couldn’t ignore. 

“You were struck by a Hinox.” 

Hinox? Warrior mouthed, his brows drawing together at the unfamiliar term. 

“Big, ugly, beast,” Wind helpfully supplied. The sailor even waved his arms in the air as if to help Warrior picture just how big the monster was. He pointed a finger to his face, circling it around, “And a huuuuge eye.” 

The corner of Warrior’s lips twitched. He was still so overwhelmingly lost, but he supposed it was fine. He was a Knight. He’d learned to adapt to situations that constantly changed. 

Time wore a deep frown, his single good eye never wavering from Warrior’s form. This certainly put a wrench in things. From what little he’d gathered, Warrior knew nothing of the journey they were undergoing. He didn’t know anything about them- who they were, where they came from, what their mission was. 

What to do? 

Twilight hadn’t spoken since the revelation of Warrior’s amnesia, and when Time looked to him, his expression was completely devoid of any emotion. Even his eyes were guarded, but he didn’t miss the almost haunted look that had settled in them, as well as guilt. 

His form was stiff and his features held a slightly pained look. 

Time extended a hand and gripped his shoulder. Twilight didn’t look to him. 

The older Hero suppressed a sigh and leaned closer, murmuring, “It wasn’t your fault, Pup,” 

Twilight gave him a conflicted look then shook his head. They wouldn’t understand. They didn’t know. 

~~~~~~~

That night, Time had decided to camp earlier than was usual. Warrior was still experiencing severe bouts of dizziness and nausea, but that was to be expected. They hadn’t any Red Potions or fairies left, and so, they were making for the nearest village to stock up. 

Time didn’t miss the change that had taken over Warrior. He was almost a completely different person. When Time gave what the Hylian viewed as an “order,” Warrior was quick to carry it out, despite everyone’s protest. Warrior listened intently to Time’s every word, and obeyed without question. He was acting exactly like a Knight who recognized Time as the leader he was supposed to follow. 

It was a tad bit unsettling. 

And, he never spoke a word. He would come close to, and then pause, and wait… 

For what, the Links didn’t know. Warrior would glance down then touch a hand to his chest as if something were missing. 

No one was sure what. 

Legend was incredibly mindful of his words and was now sitting crisscrossed in front of the campfire, pensive and quiet. Time could tell he was itching to talk- to say something- but, usually, it was him and Warrior whose voices would fill the air and carry on conversations. Or Wind would tell fascinating pirate stories with Warrior and Legend pitching in at times. Most times, however, it was Warrior and Legend jabbing at one another. 

Time wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

Wind was eerily silent. He sat next to Four but would constantly look to Warrior. Every night, without fail, Wind could always be found with Warrior. Either, he was sitting in Warrior’s lap- since he was small enough to and he most definitely used his size to his advantage- or was curled up in Warrior’s side with the older Hylian’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. That, or he was seated in front of Warrior while the Knight would fix his hair. 

It was strange not to see either sight this quiet night. 

Wild cooked quietly. Warrior’s favorite meal, Time noted. He knew the younger teen had been reminded of his loss of memories. Of how it felt to know next to nothing about anything and was doing his best to provide Warrior with some semblance of familiarity. 

Warrior, it seemed, had a small recollection of being a Knight, but when asked what all he did remember, he’d written very little. Only that he remembered fighting a lot, a General named Impa, a Princess named Zelda, a Dragon Knight, and home. 

Twilight was nowhere to be found. The Pup had disappeared a little after they’d set up camp. Time had a feeling he’d been reminded of something unpleasant from his adventure and was trying to come to terms with it. 

Sky had stuck beside Warrior, explaining things to him and helping him to understand whatever he was confused by. It had been he who’d given Warrior a journal so he could still communicate with them. Warrior had been most grateful and given the Skyloftian a genuine smile. It had caught everyone off guard with how different it was from the other smiles. 

It made Time wonder just how much of Warrior’s personality the Knight had made up. 

Four and Hyrule had taken some time to talk to Warrior, to help reintegrate him with their group. 

Warrior listened closely to what was said and continued to study each individual Link. Time had a feeling he was sizing them up and already listing in his mind whatever strengths and weaknesses they had, what their personalities were, and who they were as a person, but most importantly, whether they were trustworthy. 

Time knew he would find them to be so. 

~~~~~~~

Twilight returned later that night after the Heroes had finished their meal. He emerged from the shadows of the forest and paused beside Warrior, gaining the Knight’s attention. Warrior lifted his gaze to meet Twilight’s unreadable one and quirked an eyebrow. 

Twilight sighed and looked away briefly before meeting Warrior’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Warrior.” 

Warrior blinked at the unexpected and heartfelt apology. His brows drew together and he rifled for his journal. Once he grabbed hold of it, he flipped it to a random entry and began writing quickly but neatly. 

As soon as he finished, Warrior picked it up off his lap and turned it round for Twilight to read. 

For what? 

A pained grimace flitted across Twilight’s expression, a flash of guilt in his cobalt eyes when he replied, 

“For your head wound.” 

Warrior’s frown steepened and he lowered the journal to scribble on the page. With a final swipe, the Knight turned it again for Twilight to see what he’d written. 

A Hinox gave it to me. Why are you apologizing for something you weren’t responsible for? 

Twilight blinked then shook his head, correcting Warrior, “But I was, Warrior. It was my fault you took the hit.” 

But you didn’t give it to me. 

“What?” Twilight murmured in bemusement. 

The head wound. Warrior stressed in his writing. You didn’t give it to me. 

“No.” 

Twilight had a feeling he knew where Warrior was going. It wasn’t all that difficult to see. 

Warrior wrote at record-speed. 

Then it wasn’t your fault. You have no need to apologize for something I clearly thought was worth the risk. 

Whatever Twilight was going to say next dissipated on the tip of his tongue once the words processed in the Ordonian’s mind. 

Time, who’d been listening in and discretely reading Warrior’s messages, couldn’t help the small smile that lit his stoic features. 

Twilight blinked then dropped his head with a faint chuckle. 

Warrior grinned in return and although there was never any need to, the three Heroes knew all was forgiven. 

When Twilight settled beside Time, the Old Man nudged him gently, “All will be well, Pup.” He reassured his descendant. 

Twilight nodded, eyes flickering. “This is my third time helping someone with memory loss.” He admitted to his mentor. “The first was Ilia. A dear friend of mine back in Ordon. When she and the children were taken...They were separated I found her again in Telma’s Bar, but she had no clue who I was or even her name.” The Ranch Hand bent his back, resting his arms on his knees and leaving his hands to dangle in the air. “She did end up getting her memory back after I found the gift she’d crafted for me. Or, rather, for Epona.” He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. 

She did so love his horse.Twilight couldn’t count the times she’d stolen Epona away early in the morning to take her to the Spring. 

Twilight never minded. He knew Epona would always come back. 

Time remained silent, taking to listening to Twilight. He rarely spoke of his adventure or life before this journey. While Time knew more than most of the other Links, he also knew very little. 

“The second time…” Twilight trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes. His eyes drifted towards Wild for a moment before darting back to the campfire. Four was showing Wind some puppet shadows the firelight cast. The Sailor found them incredibly interesting and was in awe with how the subtle shifts of Four’s fingers and positioning of his hands could completely change the figure and warp the shape of the shadows. “Well...It was a long and still ongoing process. I couldn’t exactly help him in the form I was in...But I tried.” 

Time wasn’t at all surprised. Twilight would do everything he could to help those in need. All the Links would, they just had different ways of showing it. 

“This time, however...I’m the one responsible for Warrior’s amnesia.” 

Time would have rolled his good eye if he could. Instead, he ruffled the Pup’s hair.  “You aren’t, Pup, and both you and Warrior know this.” 

Twilight heaved a sigh. He warred against the truth of the words, but he couldn’t deny it if he tried. What ate at Twilight was the fact that he could have acted. He should have acted but for some reason, he hadn’t. 

If Warrior had died...

“I guess I do...I only hope this time...We’re able to help Warrior better than I could help them.” Twilight exhaled deeply, bowing his head. “You know...I can’t stop thinking about it. I keep seeing the Hinox’s club coming for us.” 

That grotesque and enormous beast with a club at least three to four times the size of Twilight himself. Thick and heavy. The ground shook beneath the monster’s substantial weight. Twilight had been momentarily distracted by a Bokoblin when Wild’s voice cried, 

“Look out!” 

“Oh, Hylia-” Twilight recalled hearing Warrior breathe out. He’d turned at the same time Legend shouted urgently, 

“Warrior, MOVE!” 

Twilight expected for the Knight to. He had the time to. 

...but Warrior didn’t. He’d stayed stock still. The looks Twilight saw on the faces of his fellow companions when the Hinox’s weapon cracking against Warrior’s skull with a sickening crunch! were forever etched in his mind. The absolute shock, horror, and fear that had raced through Twilight kept him frozen as he watched, almost in a daze, as the Knight’s limp body was flung through the air and crashed into the ground far from him. 

He resembled a ragdoll that had been tossed aside by a child in a fit of anger. When his body finally stopped rolling, Warrior remained still. 

Too still. 

For one heart-stopping second… The Links believed Warrior was dead. 

It was Wind’s piercing cry that broke the Heroes from their shocked dazes and it wasn’t long before the Hinox was brutally taken down and slain. 

It was Time who dared to check for Warrior’s pulse. Twilight hadn’t missed the slight hesitation or faint trembling of his hand when he pressed two fingers beneath the Knight’s jaw. The Old Man had forced himself to remain calm and collected while the others were ready to break, minds wild and clinging to the fear that Warrior was gone. 

Legend’s haunted whispering, “Why didn’t he move? Why didn’t he move?!” Echoed endlessly in Twilight’s ears. 

Sky’s pleadings, “Please, let him be alive. Please, let him be alive..!” 

Wind’s childish calls of, “Time...Time?” 

For what felt like an eternity, the Links held their breaths, bodies coiled with tension and overwrought by fear.  

When Time relaxed, shoulders slumping and a sigh of relief escaping him, the Heroes knew Warrior was alive. If barely. “If Warrior had moved when Legend told him to,” Twilight found himself saying to Time, “The Hinox would have missed him.” He would never forget the sheer anguish, agony, grief, and hope he’d sensed emanating from the Links. The expressions they wore….

How Legend had collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by relief when Time looked to them and said those two words. Two words capable of destroying their worlds if they had been any other… 

“He’s alive.” 

The tears Sky had shed from sheer gratitude. 

The shouts of joy given by a jubilant Wind. 

The emotional and shaky exhale Wild had released. The Cub had wandered off, hands cradling his head and fingers threading through his hair as he processed the fact that Warrior still lived. 

Four leaning against his blade and bowing his head with a shuddering breath. 

Hyrule’s eyes were tinged red and glistened. Time himself wasn’t unmoved by this more-than-welcome discovery. 

“And it would have hit you.” Time reminded Twilight in a low tone. He clasped Twilight’s shoulder, causing his descendant to look to him, pained.

He would rather it had been him than Warrior! He would have willingly swapped places with the Knight. But he couldn’t change the past. What was done was done, and as difficult as it was, Twilight accepted this. It was the only way they could move on. 

He merely thanked the Goddesses Warrior still lived and was among them today. 

Time wore a faint, wan smile, as he quietly but purposefully asked the Ordonian, “Why do you think Warrior stayed still, Twilight?” 

Understanding dawned immediately on Twilight. Of course Warrior had known Twilight was behind him. The Knight had most likely calculated where the Hinox’s strike would land and had purposefully taken the hit to spare Twilight. 

“Warrior!”

Twilight’s sudden outburst startled the Heroes as well as the Ordonian himself, and said Knight snapped his head up to face him. The scarf-clad Hero tilted his head in question when he found Twilight giving him a mild, irked, glare. Upon analyzing the look, Warrior found Twilight appeared to be torn between many emotions, thoughts, and feelings. As if he wasn’t quite sure which one he wanted to get across. 

The Hero of Twilight scrambled for a moment, searching for what he wanted to say before admitting defeat and settling for, 

“You’re an idiot.” The underlying message was clear. 

Don’t do that again. 

A subtle smirk graced Warrior’s face and he gave the Ordonian a thumbs up. 

No promises. 

Legend snorted. 

He was definitely an idiot. 

An idiot who was lucky to be alive. 

[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.  

[stormears]

Traveler of Mine (snippet)

Summary: While Hyrule rebuilds its civilization, the Champion Link disappears into the wild again, seeking rest, or familiarity, or a release from a century of crushing weight that defined his life. Princess Zelda and Prince Sidon, the royals who stand a chance against him, pursue him, so that they might bring him home. Link runs. 

1,500-word snippet/beginning scene of a 10 - 15k-ish oneshot I’ve been thinking about. I have a fanfic “thing” I enjoy of Charcter A hunting down Char B with pseudo-romantic intentions. Zelda and Sidon and maybe a handful of random other citizens suit up to bring Link home and maybe ask him out or try to win that opportunity by catching him and beating him at his own wilderness-traversing game. Chase scenes, friendship, friendship-to-romance, lots of horse riding and mentions of horsey things, long journeys across Hyrule symbolizing Link’s metaphorical, huge expanse of crushing exhaustion of the burden he’s lived with as long as he can remember. 

The snippet doesn’t get that far into all that, but it’s what I’m going for. 

The people came back, and so she could breathe. It was her secret fear, her spoiled, hopeful one, that when—if—the Calamity was driven back, the city would stay empty, and no one would ever return. Several times across a hundred years where she refused to age and strained her muscles against the Beast enough for fifty men at once, she thought about this and felt something like humiliation. But once again, Link saved her.

Link’s journey upon waking in his shrine to bringing his newly rallied Beasts with him to take back their Kingdom took him five months. The battle took three hours. After they had rested and woke alone in the castle ruins, they explored. They pushed rubble, collected artifacts that had sat on stone floors and collected dust for the length of a Hylian’s whole life. At the end of the first week, some strangers came in. And more came. And the rubble moved.

Now Zelda does not know the feeling of humiliation. She knows about growing, and filing residential deeds and merchant partnerships. Folk coming into Castle Town came with businesses and families and precious heirlooms to put on shelves. And most importantly, they brought crafts to carry these things with. Carpenters came and mixed cement and brought logs and homes rose up. Link was on roofs more often than not, hefting this and aligning that. He made his intentions known well enough even to those folk who couldn’t make sense of his hand signs. Whether they did or didn’t, he was well in demand. Everyone knew him. Half the population had seen him roaming Hyrule these past months, some of them had apparently had errands done by him, sold him groceries and supplies and weapons. Everyone knew the warrior, the horseman, the moblin slayer, mountain climber, savior of races and dragons and things like that.  

When she  gave out plots of land to a group of farmers, another one came up, with a Goron behind him, asking with great excitement, “Ma’am, where is the Champion? Is he in the south quarter today?”

Where is Link, was a familiar question, usually easily answered. “He’s due for a rest day today. He must be sitting on a castle wall somewhere. I’m afraid he won’t be back for any construction assistance till tomorrow morning.”

“I might have the answer to that, miss Zelda,” said the Goron, who raised a folded piece of paper above all their heads. “I passed him this morning. He said to give this to you, uh, ma’am.” And his arm came down over the farmer, to Zelda’s reach. She took the paper and felt a thin magic on it immediately, some fairy blessing to keep the paper shut. An invisibly bump of sorts told her that the Goron had tried to open this letter and failed.

“Thank you, sir. I’m so glad it’s safe and unopened.” She gave him a fine grin and made sure to look him in the eyes as she opened it up. The Goron kept a straight face in front of her.

Zelda did not keep her straight face. The letter was from Link, written in his passable, leaning scratch and saying words she really had not expected to see or read this morning:

Zelda,

I’m leaving for a while. Don’t know when I’ll be back I need to be away Im very tired. Please accept my  apologies. Reconstruction of castle Town is going well I don’t think they really need me anymore. I think I want to, be in the wild again it helps me sleep and I’ve felt heavy and strange since we won the battle again I am sorry. Take care of yourself my princess

At the bottom he signed his name the way he used to, a century ago when he was a trained soldier. The elegant precision and large L seemed to be written by an entirely different hand than the one who had written the message itself. Zelda dared to think ‘Who wrote this?’ as she scanned it a second time. It seemed like a tiny work of fiction. A small handful of collapses in the grammar and spelling. It didn’t matter. Link probably hadn’t written letters for a hundred years. Link had left her without telling her so. Heavy and strange. What in the hell did that mean? She read it again, again. Im very tired.

‘Well, I know that, silly goose,’ she wanted to laugh. ‘You are the most tired man in the land right now.’ But it didn’t feel funny at that moment. That lying Goron was still looking at her.

She looked up with her same smile. “He says he’s gone out for some fresh air. Won’t be back for a while. I say he could use a good long break.” She nodded to herself and folded up the paper into a little scroll and tied it with a spare hair ribbon. She hooked it onto her belt where it would not be taken or read. “The first zone of the town is properly gridded off and our buildings are coming along nicely. We can do without his help for now.”

“Oh nooo!” moaned a lady with a cloth cap from behind them. “I hoped to see him today! I promised him free blackberry wine, you know! He, I think he made a sign saying he’d take it.”

“When will he be back, milady?” asked the man she’d been talking to before this nonsense started, and Zelda told him “Long enough for a decent vacation,” and hoped he would shut up. To assure that he would, she made a show of taking a new set of important paperwork in her hands and walking away. She could be busy anywhere. With the construction, the lake and reservoir diggers, the Zora party asking for trade, that asshole who said his grandfather was a Councilman, some horse association, lots of things.

Zelda made time for many of these things until just after sunset, when construction crews were piling up lumber for the night and lazing about. They left town or took shelter at the one inn that was close enough to complete to comfortably stay in, and any new residents did the same. Several folk during the day had asked about Link, was he coming to this area soon, was he around, did he have lunch plans? Zelda excused him each time, but she knew with each one that her placating couldn’t last forever. Or even for long. This town was growing new life again because of Link. It was all because of Link. He was the one people really knew. Not her, not usually. Even if her name was on everything and she carried the Goddess blood and every person she spoke to was her subject now, people nodded these facts away and asked to see the Champion Link, please. And so did she.

He was her appointed knight and constant companion through every trial and struggle and sunny day. She had known him since they were small. She knew him before he started tying his hair back. She watched him fall and cut himself on grown men’s swords and then wield them on the back of a horse. She told him to stand by her while a great godly demon threatened to swallow them and erase them from existence. She had known him so long, trusted only him by that point, that she could only choose him now. Link was at her side for everything and she loved him for it in some way. His loyalty was stronger than the might of Ganon. He hadn’t even told her to her face that he was leaving her alone.

“Are you all right?” she murmured in her half-broken room that night. She felt she was close to sleeping and dreaming this away. “I know you’re tired. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I need you for everything.” There was no one here to apologize to her, to say it’s okay, or I am always at your side, or some such thing. Link was gone. Was it absurd, that she wanted to cry? That she was crying.

‘If it helps you sleep and rest and finally...feel good again, then you must do it,’ she thought, for speaking was out of the question now. Her lip was wobbling like a soft child’s. She wiped at her wet eyes. ‘I didn’t know you felt heavy and strange. And tired. I’m sorry, Link. I’m sorry! Should I come get you? Do you want me to help you?’ No answer here. There was a light wind outside, delaying the silence.

When the silence was back she thought, ‘You rest, my Champion, and if you are not well or back soon, I will come find you.’

-

This came out significantly more emotional that I first intended. But we’re rolling with it. Eventually Zelda will decide Link’s been gone too long and she’s worried about him and enlist Sidon to help her since I guess she knows they fought Vah Ruta together and Sidon would want to help. This was originally a purely Sidlink idea but Zelda wormed her way in there and we may have some sort of Zelda x Link x Sidon thing on our hands. Or maybe I’ll pick one in the end, eh, I’m not sure yet. I planned this in my head when I was playing BotW to distract me from failing to write other WIP fics that I frankly care much more about. 

And as Link keeps eluding them (he secretly takes up “work” at various Hyrule stables, he’s the one who goes to collect horses off of mountaintops and shit when people ask to “board” them like the player would, so he keeps escaping with both his natural athletic skills and his retinue of infinite horses lmao) Zelda and Sidon will feel less “poor dear Link, we must find him and make sure he’s okay” and more “That clever BITCH, I almost had him, he’s too good, soon I’ll have him in my arms you hear me my dear Link I’m coming for you” 

That’s the kind of fic I’d like to read anyway, so here I am writing it :/ 

[luimagines]

Date Day! Part 3

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 will included Warrior Twilight and Sky!

Content under the cut!

Warrior

“Darling.” Warrior slid up to your side and very smoothly put his hand on the table just beside yours. It was a very well put and control movement that did not in any way nearly throw him onto the ground in the process. 

Hiding your giggles to the best of your ability, you hum your acknowledgement with a cute tilt to your head as you do so. “Hello~”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not telling you.” You grin and continue with your little project.

Warrior pouts a little before leaning close to your ear, his breath sending electricity down your arm and back all the way through your fingertips. “If I ask you nicely, will you tell me?”

“Nope.” You turn to look at him, popping the ‘p’ and kiss him on the nose. “You’ll just have to wait like a good boy and find out later.”

Warrior groans and flops into your side, nearly sending you off of your feet but you fix yourself before that can happen.

“Link, you’re so dramatic.”

“Love me~~~~” He whines. “Pay attention to me, my love, my life, my heart and soul, my everything, my world wide adoration-”

“Oh my goodness.” You snort and hurriedly put everything away. “Let’s go somewhere then you big baby.”

“You love me.” He grins and sweeps you off of your feet and out the door.

He starts running.

You scream and laugh at the absurdity of it all. You pass many of your friends and the group itself as he takes you somewhere without you being able to really see where Warrior’s going.

You gasp and hold on tight to his shoulders, gently running your fingers through his hair as you travel.

Eventually he slows down and he takes a minute to put you down.

You laugh a bit more at the theatrics and move to take his hand instead. “I take it there was something you wanted to show me.”

“I didn’t know you have this here.” He says excitedly and doesn’t bother waiting to explain more as he pulls you with him. “This is something my Hyrule is known for and this is just beside the village?”

You blinked and look at an old statue.

It’s always been there for as long as you can remember and yet there wasn’t any special you knew about it.

“It’s old.” You shrug. “I never thought it was anything important.”

Warrior jumps a little on his toes and runs forward. He takes a minute to look around it and brushes some parts until their clean. He continues doing this for a good five minutes before he seems to find what he’s looking for.

With a cry of victory he reaches forward and presses something.

The statue’s eyes begin to glow and there’s the sound of stone grinding on stone before a pathway opens up and reveals an underground staircase.

You gape at it and look at Warrior who looks like a kid in a candy store.

Warrior jumps down onto the first steps and turns, holding his hand out to you. “Let’s explore it. Come on.”

You nod dumbly and grab his hand again.

You’re always learning something new about your home, aren’t you?

Twilight

“Hey you.” You call out teasingly as Twilight passes your front door.

Twilight freezes and slowly turns around like a deer caught in torch light. It appears he must have been trying to be sneaky or at least avoid being caught by you.

You raise an eyebrow and cross your arm. “Going somewhere lover boy?”

Twilight lets out a small noise of nervousness before he straightens up and scratches the back of his head. “So uhh... How much of that did you see?”

“See what?”

“Oh!” Twilight smiles. “Good, good, never mind then.”

“See what? Trying to hide something?” You say and walk toward him. “In my own house?”

Twilight grins and steps forward to wrap his arms around you. “Perhaps. It was Wild’s idea.”

“Should I be worried about any potential flames?” You say... somewhat jokingly.

Twilight chuckles and shakes his head. “Nothing like that. Promise.”

“If he burns down my house, you owe me a new one.” You poke his chest in a very serious manner.

“If you lose your house you can have mine.”

“And you?”

“Oh, I’ll be there too of course.” Twilight laughs into your hair and he holds you close. “Move in with me. I’ll take care of you.”

“Very tempting.” You snort and hug him tighter. “I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the fairy fountain nearby. Get some more fairies for the trip, maybe bless an item or two... Spend time with me.”

The idea lights up Twilight’s face and you think this is what he wanted from you. something tells you this would go perfectly with that little plan Wild has... and you don’t know how to feel about that. So you ignore the feeling and pretend that nothing bad is going to happen by your negligence.

Twilight lets you go and instantly takes your hand in his. “Show me where it is.”

“This way.” You lace your fingers together and grin, leading him away from your house. “You’ll like her. Her name is Kyhic.”

Sky

“Sky! Sky! Sky!” You ran through your house and latched onto your boyfriend’s arm to second you saw him.

The force with which you collided into him with nearly through him off of his feet but he gladly let you hang off of him before you decided to drag him away.

It’s not like he was in the middle of a conversation or anything.

“I want to show you something.” You said with one of the brightest smiles Sky has seen on to date.

You bring him to the back of the house and into your room, from your room to take him to a door just beside your closet- not giving him any time to look around and snoop before you open it and pull him inside.

“You showed me your workspace.” You say with a small flourish as you gesture into the room before you. “And this is mine!”

There’s a small table in the back covered in bits of paste and tools alike, in the middle is another round table with a pedal at the bottom and what looks like a cracked would have been pot.

Looks like you didn’t put it away before you left for your adventure.

Along the walls are multiple other tools with different ends and different blades in order to help get your desired shape and design.

Sky steps in with a small gasp and sees where you store the clay and molding pot- there’s even a few gloves to the side and small furnace that sits at the back of it all.

“I want to make you something.” You say and begin to take out certain bits and bobs that Sky can’t recognize for the life of him. “Anything, name it. I might even agree to make you my best version of a loftwing- but I can’t promise it’ll be good.”

“Teach me.” He says instead.

“What?” You blinked and turn to see him.

He has a soft smile on his face and he both looks impressed and charmed by your enthusiasm for the craft. “Teach me how to do this. Show me how this works. Teach me to do what you do.”

You flush and place the clump of clay you’ve gather on the spinning table, bringing over the bucket of water you always have on standby.

“Umm... Well...”

“Please?”

You look up at him once more and know that you’ve lost. “OK, sit here and I’ll show you how to get the table spinning.”