#Wind’s tunic and stuff was modeled after his so��

[birb-boyo]

Wild: *Wearing a considerably short pair of shorts*

Warriors: So…wardrobe change?

Wild: Yeah! The Traveler must’ve be hella comfortable on his quest! Some people wouldn’t talk to me even though my tunic covered my butt.

The Chain: *collectively turns to Hyrule*

Hyrule: *Staring intensely into the campfire* I don’t know what he’s talking about

Wild: I also got a sword! My compendium said that it would be unwise to go alone without it or someone like that. It’s the same joke the Traveler makes!

The Chain: *Collective stare*

Hyrule: Ok so-

Wild: I also have like…two pairs of white leggings. Who wore leggings on their adventure?

Time: *intense blade sharpening*

Wind: *obvious whistling*

[kylorenfanfic]

Long Away - chapter 1

Kylo Ren x Female Reader 

Masterlist

Story: You have been hiding for years, ever since the slaughter in your temple. You were one of the many force-sensitive children that Luke Skywalker was training to be the New Jedi Order. You were there when Ben Solo killed everybody, but you were lucky enough to survive, you weren’t important, he didn’t remember that he let you go by accident. You had given up and ran away to hide in Dantooine, but when you heard that Kylo Ren had become the Supreme Leader, you realized that you couldn’t stay out of it any longer. Finding your way into the First Oder and gaining Kylo Ren’s trust so you could help the Resistance by giving them inside information. But things turned out to be very different than you expected to be the closer you get to the Supreme Leader. A/N: Hi guys, so this is my first fanfic and I am completely nervous about it. I have written more chapters of it already, but I am not sure if I am going to post it. Tell me if you guys like it or if I should keep posting. The first chapters are kinda boring because it’s the context of the whole story. If you wanna be tagged also, let me know. Love, and I hope you enjoy it. Words: 1.6k

It was a warm day in the Fields of Banir. It wasn’t sunny but you could feel the heat. It was the first time in a while that you were leaving the old Jedi Temple. You have been living there for the past few years, ever since you lost everything and everyone. You used your Force abilities to hide yourself, to shield yourself from any other Force sensitive being that might land. You had to go to Garang to get some of the supplies – even though you were living out of things you could collect in the fields. Sometimes you needed stuff, like medicine and fresh clothes, and that was when you would travel to the capital city of Dantooine.

You weren’t used to having many people around – especially when most of were Dantaris – but you still enjoyed having a change of scenery. Sometimes the cold walls of the ancient Temple became too much for you. It was there, in Garang when you first heard it.

“The First Order has a new Supreme Leader” someone around you said, you couldn’t identify the voice among the crowd.

“It is Kylo Ren, you know? That guy in the mask” other person replied.

“Does that mean things are getting worse?” the voice faded away and you couldn’t hear the answer. Kylo Ren was the Supreme Leader now? That meant he wasn’t being controled by someone, he wasn’t being brainwashed to be in the Dark Side. He was fully part of the Dark Side now. And was its leader. You shook your head, that wasn’t your problem. It was when your mind started to fade.

“(Y/N)!” you heard someone screaming. You were lost among the chaos, the buildings were collapsing and there were flames everywhere. “Stay where you are!”, you heard Hylia’s voice in your head.  

Hylia was your best friend, the one who took care of you when you first arrived to the Temple, feeling alone and afraid, after losing your parents and discovering your Force sensitiveness. You couldn’t leave her there to die. You disobeyed her orders and tried to find her. Then you saw him, Ben Solo killing the padawans. Hylia was standing in front of him and with a furious scream, she ran into his direction holding up her green lightsaber. They started to fight and then she saw you, she didn’t say a word, she concentrated, her hand drawn out and in this weak moment the man in front of her killed her with his lightsaber. He turned around to find other remaining padawans and he passed right next to you. He didn’t see you. You ran to Hylia’s body. She was barely alive, wounds from lightsabers do not bleed, but are just as fatal as a blaster shot.

“Hide.” she said. It was when you realized she was using her powers to hide you from Ben. You felt tears on your cheeks. She faded away, hiding your Force signature has weakend her badly wounded body. And you ran, never looking back.”

Hylia died to protect you and her last word was the thing you have been doing ever since. You didn’t want to do anything about what was going on in the galaxy. Let the Resistance and the First Order kill themselves. But now… now things were different. Ben Solo wasn’t a bad person and you knew it, he had saved you once before during training, so long before the massacre happened. Maybe Ben Solo was indeed dead and now all that remained was the devious Kylo Ren, now the Supreme Leader.

It was one of the teachings of a jedi, to never be selfish. You could help to defeat him. You could help to avenge Hylia and all the others that died by his hand. Because now it was just himself, not someone controlling his mind.

You had a feeling. You could do it, you could help somehow. And inside you, you felt the urge to do something, you felt that you couldn’t handle another day of solitude in that goddamn Jedi ruin, another day in this goddamn planet. You had your lightsaber with you, you didn’t need anything else, you could leave everything behind and that was what you did.

You entered that place and it smelt bad, the smell of dust and old durasteel. You saw the man behind the balcony.

“I need a ship” you said straight forward. He looked at you and laughed.

“You have currency?” he replied with a sarcastic smile.

“How much?” and the answer that he gave you made you gasp. “That is an absurd amount of credits!” you protested, you didn’t have nearly enough credits for that.

“No money, no ship.”

“It must have another way to get it.”

“You are that girl, right? That lives in the ancient Temple?”

“You can say that.”

“Are you a Jedi? Hear they could do stuff.” he asked and you bulffed.

“Of course not.” you answered as it was an insult, mostly for him to believe you.

“You know how to fight?” he were asking with a lot of interest

“I do…” you suspicious answered. “Get to the point.”

“Get me this man, and the ship is yours.” He said showing you a hologram of a Dantari.

“What has he done?”

“He owes me credits. Bring him to me and you get a ship. His name is Barak Norurdi and he lives in the Taikana Hills. You have until tomorrow morning.”

“That is ridiculous”.

“Bring me Barak or no ship.”

You went out of that old place thinking about what you were going to do with your life. Going after a dantari? For what? Just for you to try to find Kylo Ren and kill him? Or at least help to destroy his Order? What were you thinking?

You had that feeling again. The Force wanting to talk to you somehow. You had shut yourself to the Force for so long and you couldn’t understand why now it was finding your way back to you. If only master Luke was still around…

You got in your way to the Taikana Hills, the sun was almost setting when you got there. You saw a little house, there was light on, you decided to go there, maybe they would know something about Barak.

You knocked on the door. No answer. You knocked again.  You heard someone speak in Dantarian. The door was open.

“Hi” you said with a simple smile, hoping that he would know your language.

“Hello” he answered in a thick accent, no smile.

“I am looking for Barak Norurdi, have you heard of him?” the man gave you a suspicious look.

“It is I, who asks?” that was incredibly easy, you could barely believe it.

“I came to collect your debt to Caran Spero.” You said more firmly than you felt.

“I owe no currency to Caran Spero. Caran Spero owes me. He stole from me.” He said getting angrier.

“Look, I am sorry, ok? But I am just following what was asked from me.”

“Stupid human.” And he closed the door.

“It’s going to be on the hard way then.” You told yourself. You kicked the door and it opened with a bang. The dantari man looked at you surprised. He came in your way with angriness. You had your staff with you, you wouldn’t use your saber anymore. You fought the dantari man, he was using his bare hands and you were skiving from his punches using your body and staff. Your staff went down to his legs making him fall behind, his head hitting the floor, he had a painful expression on.

“Look man, I’m sorry ok, but I gotta get out of this planet.” And you knocked him unconscious. You thought about how you could bring that heavy dantari back to Garang. You went out the wooden house and tried to find for some short of speeder. What were you expecting? Dantaris aren’t people who use tech… well, but this one apparently was. Maybe that was the reason why he was in debt with Spero.

You put the unconscious man, tied up, on the speeder and started to drive. You felt the wind in your face, it was night already and you had to smile, you haven’t felt that alive for so long, maybe what you were doing was right afterwards. It felt right.

You got to the store after a couple hours.

“Oh, the bounty hunter is back.” Spero said when he saw you entering his shop.

“I am not a bounty hunter” and you dropped Barak on the floor in front of him. He was up now, but all tied up, he couldn’t make a proper move.

“Oh, ho ho ho. It seems like a bounty hunter to me! Well done, well done!” He said, coming around the dantari laying on the floor.

“Can I get the ship now?”

“Sure thing, sure thing. Let me show you, it’s already outside in the back.” you followed him to the back and there was an old ship there.

“That is garbage!” you exclaimed, angry.

“Well, I didn’t say what kind of ship, right? That is what you got. You didn’t seem that had that much work to bring him back to me.”

“You are a worm!”

“Careful with your words, young lady. You know what? Now you got no ship, that’s it, that’s what you get for ingratitude.” In your fury you got your lightsaber from your belt, hidden behind your tunic and threatened him with the saber on his neck, the blue light lightening up both your faces.

“You said you were no Jedi” he roared.

“And I am not, the Jedi are dead. Now give me the ship. A good one.”

“Alright, alright, since you asked nicely” and he escorted you to the other hangar. “It’s a CT-21, good model, you can get to where ever you want fast.” You looked at him and then ran to the ship, getting in. You knew how to pilot from your padawan days.

You started to pilot the ship, and in no time you were leaving Dantooine, the place you thought you’d die in. Now you were heading to the unknown… or better saying, heading to Kylo Ren.

CHAPTER 2

[muffintonic]

Alright, I think i’m done BOTW 2 spamming for today. Anywho, time for some thoughts in general!

1) I hated how the shrines in BOTW were so cold and dark compared to the bright and lively nature outside (I wish they had all looked like the Master Trials challenge where there were trees and stuff incorporated inside), so I hope if we’re forced to have dungeons they’ll be more like the Wind Waker ones. 2) I hope they don’t make us use the grappling hook or anything like in Wind Waker to move around the sky islands (I hated that mechanic). 3) I’m probably one of the few people who wanted less Zelda and more of the Champions in HWAOC since i’m only really attached to BOTW (and we saw a fair amount of Tetra in Wind Waker)/apparently Zelda’s been sidelined in all the other games, so i’m hoping in vain that we get more Champions material in BOTW 2. Also, Link could stand to have some more cutscenes centered around him as well (the few we got in some of the sidequests in BOTW were great). 4) I only really somewhat care about Riju and Sidon, so I won’t mind if the new gang gets sidelined in BOTW 2 (I still think Nintendo wasted the found family/band of brothers aspect on the dead characters--I love them so much and they’re all I want!! The problem is, they’re dead and I don’t really care all that much about their replacements!!! I dunno, maybe i’m hampered by the fact that I can replay the original champions’ memories whenever I want/read their diaries, but I can’t rewatch the new gang’s cutscenes AKA i’ve forgotten their characterization since they don’t talk to me much now that the game’s over). It’d be great if they have some weaving storylines in BOTW 2 that will get me more invested in them, but currently i’m not that interested. 5) Speaking of which, I know it’s 100% not going to happen, but goddang if I don’t want the Champions to have been returned to life. Nintendo totally squandered HWAOC by not making it a true prequel/canon to BOTW (the Champions Ballad confirmed that the Divine Beasts had trials in order to be synced to the champs, so the new gen use of them wouldn’t have happened without that + Mipha thought Link had changed in BOTW yet says in HWAOC that he hasn’t changed + some scenes like “Champion Revali’s Song” never happened at all/got replaced with alternative scenes that really changed some dynamics + basically all of Revali’s time-relative characterization from his diary/pre-100 years of solitude got thrown out + I feel like Daruk got totally sidelined), so i’m still craving that Champions content. Also, I feel like it’s totally unfair that Zelda came out of 100 years totally unaged while everyone else died. Life seems to really suck for people in the LoZ universe who aren’t chosen by divine powers. 6) They’d better keep it open world and non-linear. I can’t go back to being forced to backtrack/trudge through things, I just can’t. BOTW was everything i’ve ever dreamed about in a game (truly open world + non-linear + interactive + meaningful story + lots of outfits + beautiful landscapes) with Skyrim previously being the only thing that came close to what I wanted, so I really hope BOTW 2 doesn’t deviate too much from that. 7) I really liked Kass in BOTW, but i’m not sure what direction they’d go with him in BOTW 2/i’d be fine if he sat BOTW 2 out. I worked so hard to complete all his quests in BOTW so he’d go back home to his family, GODDANGIT, KASS. 8) Someone mentioned that since the first trailer had underground aspects, we’re probably going to be playing as Zelda with the Slate there, and I agree. They didn’t make a playable model for her in HWAOC for nothing. 9) I want to be able to stable the deer and bears and stuff, but I know that won’t happen. Being able to ride the moose and rhino things from the Hebra area probably won’t happen either, but I want to ride them!!! 10) I hope there’ll be at least a few new buildings and stuff in the towns/they’ve started construction on some areas in Central Hyrule, but I guess that’ll depend on how long it’s been in-universe since BOTW. Or maybe not, considering how there’s still Karson and Hudson even though Bolson retired from Bolson Construction--insta-towns like Tarrey Town could totally be feasible if they wanted! 11) I have one foot in the camp that believes there’ll be time shenanigans in BOTW 2. HWAOC totally threw me off with it being an alternate timeline, so i’m not sure whether we’re going to be experiencing that again or time travel itself, but I definitely won’t be surprised this time around if Nintendo goes that route again (and it would be super interesting to see the Link from 10,000 years ago). I’m not entirely convinced that the Link we see exploring the sky in the second trailer isn’t our Link, mainly because he seems to still have on the blue boxers from BOTW. 12) I also heard that maybe this will be the last LoZ game ever since something something Demise something Skyward Sword something something lore from games i’ve only vaguely looked into (i’ve only ever played BOTW --> Wind Waker --> HWAOC)??? If so, it kind of sucks that I came in just when they started making games with playstyles palatable to me (I had to look up every single thing when playing Wind Waker, but BOTW let me solve things according to MY logic/I missed being able to explore in HWAOC), but at least it’ll end on a super high note/I won’t experience later disappointment, I guess. If BOTW 2 involves breaking the reincarnation cycle for the Triforcers, I would be really surprised. (On a related note, Nintendo making Ganondorf good would also be a 100% shock to me, but it would be great to end on that as a subversion. Yes, I want them to bring back the semi-complicated Ganondorf from Wind Waker.) 13) I hope they don’t rush releasing it. I heard they pushed back BOTW originally (I got it in 2019), but it came out fantastic for it! I know COVID’s been affecting things, so I really hope they’re treating their staff right and are mindful of crunch. 14) I want even more outfits (there seem to be at least two new ones, if the variant of the Hylian Tunic crossed with Link’s Champion’s Tunic counts). Give me all the outfits!!! Also, I hope we get even more hair variations in addition to the hair down option (which is all i’ve ever wanted since I saw the mod that altered the Ancient Helmet). 15) I wonder if we’re going to get a bonus for having both BOTW and HWAOC save data. 16) I wonder if we’re going to be keeping the Champions’ skills. I’m going to miss being super overpowered, if not. 17) I hope Nintendo doesn’t cave in and make surfaces climbable in the rain. Having that limiter is more realistic and Link would otherwise be too overpowered with a super climbing ability. 18) I liked BOTW’s scattered music that got more noticeable in populated areas because it was fitting for the post-apocalyptical/nature aspect. Hearing your footsteps in an open field and the buzzing of insects was super nice and prevented me from getting music fatigue (which i’d probably experience since whenever I play BOTW it’s for 5-10 hours at a time). I hope Nintendo either keeps that or makes audio options. 19) I heard that BOTW 2 is going to be super dark or something, and i’m okay with dark, but not GRIMdark, so I hope it doesn’t go that far. From what we’ve seen in the second trailer it still looks beautiful, but I hope it doesn’t do that thing that some games do where after the midpoint/a certain story point all the scenery permanently changes to be dark and scary (that’ll seriously hamper post-game playability for me if so). 20) If they expand on the Zonai, that would be super cool! Doubly cool if the time travel shenanigans involve them/ancient Link being one! 21) I kind of want windstorms to be a weather feature. We had lightning, heat, and cold, but no wind! No, I don’t count the wind geysers and the occasional breeze in Tabantha. 22) I want a chest in my house to hold more weapons than just the gear mounts. BOTW only had enough mounts for the champions’ gear, but it also had rare items like the Kite Shield and Forest Dweller’s Sword that you can’t get anymore once you use them up! 23) I want to be able to stable my horses at my house. What’s the point of that little area if you can’t stable your horse there! 24) Speaking of Link’s house: where is Zelda going to live? If the castle’s not reconstructed, it’d be neat if Link adds an extension to his house for her. 25) I hope they open up part-time jobs (think Mabinogi) as an option to earn rupees. Having to hunt for Luminous Stone deposits or feed Trott to make money can be such a chore. I think some of BOTW’s minigames/sidequests might count as those, but those minigames were either frustrating if your goal is to earn money (since most of them cost money to play in the first place and the mechanics weren’t always easy), or didn’t earn that much in general. 26) I wonder if Kilton is going to have updated items since the monsters seem to have changed. 27) I want to be able to dive underwater (mainly so I can explore the beautiful reefs over at Lurelin). A dive meter like the one from Super Mario Sunshine would be cool. Also, it’d doubly be neat if you had a separate stamina wheel for swimming and could permanently upgrade your swim/diving stamina (the speed+ swimming items just consumed your stamina faster, which was a pain)! 28) It’s definitely too late for this, but it’s a shame that the Hylians have so many face/body/hair and outfit variations, but the Zora, Rito, and Gorons don’t. The Gerudo were kind of okay with the hair and body variations, but the other races seemed to have a serious copy-paste problem. I guess technically some of the more important NPCs (ones with quests/cutscene triggers) had different coloring, but they were severely lacking in clothing variation. Also, the only old Rito was the elder??? At least the Gorons and Zora had some old folks besides their leader walking around. Very weird, but I don’t think BOTW 2 can fix any of this. 29) I wonder how they’re going to do the final boss battle, considering how epic/cinematic the BOTW 2x battle was. What can top fighting (on horseback, no less) a giant, flaming boar made out of malice? 30) I wonder what the Yiga are going to be up to, considering how Ganondorf seems to be somewhat kicking in BOTW 2.

[seekingseven]

The Most Sincere Kind of Lie (Ch2)

Chapter 2 of my Linked Universe fanfic! Also available to read here on AO3 

┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑

The word fell off Hyrule's tongue so easily Legend flinched. He gripped the handle of the Lens of Truth a little tighter than before for a reason beyond his capacity to explain.

“Family?” The women questioned, lips parting when she saw the group of blondes standing behind Hyrule. “Oh goddesses above, come on in, the lot of you! I have soup on the stove and just finished furnishing the guest room. You all couldn’t have come in at a better time!”      

“...furnishing? What’s she talking about, ‘Rule?” Wind whispered as the Links filed inside.

“Oh yeah,” the brunet began, ushering his reincarnations into the living room, “people in my Hyrule don’t usually have beds or, uh, furniture in general. I think it’s because there aren’t that many lumberjacks willing to work in the nearby woods. The forests here aren’t too friendly, y’see.”  

“Weird.” Wind looked at Hyrule, a serious look etched onto his soft features. “You’re kind of weird, ‘Rule.”

“Thanks! I think you’re weird too,” Hyrule chirped.

Legend rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure Hyrule didn’t know what the word ‘weird’ ment. At the woman’s insistent urging the Links seated themselves at the dinner table, muttering to each other quietly as they did. Legend was the last one inside. He closed the door behind him and placed his sword and shield in the room’s corner with utmost care, electing to keep the lens with him before sitting down next to the traveler. Maybe over dinner he could come up with something -- food always had a way of waking him up. He was startled from his thoughts when Hyrule shyly tapped his shoulder.

“Take one, pass it down,” Hyrule said before handing Legend a stack of wooden bowls. “Oh, uh, do you want me to take that from you?” he questioned, pointing to the lens in Legend’s hand, “I can put it with your stuff, if you would like.”

Legend passed the bowls down as instructed, shaking his head at Hyrule’s offer and waving the boy away with his free hand. This Lens of Truth...there was a strange familiarity about it he just couldn’t place. He held it up to his face, oblivious to Time’s hardened stare or Hyrule’s shifting gaze, and tapped the rim gently against the table. Nothing happened. Was there some sort of spell he was supposed to use? He could almost taste the deja-vu on his lips, and its fickle and vague flavor was infuriating. Engrossed in his thoughts, Legend took no heed of the soup ladled into his bowl or the noisy, friendly conversation sparkling around the table.

“.... and after that we….”  

“....wow, Link, is that true? It must have been so terrifying...”

“....Ma’am, he’s a real fighter! Wind, tell her about the time he....”

“Sky! If you want more soup just ask, don’t take mine!”  

“...jeepers, sorry. I thought you weren’t going to eat it…”

Moonlight spilled in through the windows, glinting off the polished floor and the leather of Legend’s boots. The smell of hot, creamy soup hung heavy in the air, lingering still as the heroes worked through their dinner and the ungodly amount of poundcake offered to them.

A raspy, unfamiliar voice broke through the comfortable chatter.

“Oho, Link! We’re happy to see you again, young hero!”

Even though everyone knew who ‘Link’ was in this situation, no one could stifle the instinct to turn around at the sound of their name. Nine pairs of eyes landed on the grizzled old man standing in the doorway, who was draped in an orange robe and sported an impressive floor-length beard. The warm fire of good humor, seemingly untampered by old age, glinted brightly at the back of the old man’s eyes. Hyrule startled and blushed, standing up and bowing at the robed figure.

“Nayru, Din, and Farore be with you, sir. Thank you for opening your house to me and my family.” Hyrule turned towards the other heroes and gestured for them to bow as well, introducing the recipient of their formalities as the Wise Man of Saria Town. For the first time in hours, Legend found his attention completely diverted.

To him, there was no need for Hyrule’s introduction; the veteran could feel the magical expertise rolling off this old man in waves, and his greeting was all the more sincere because of it.

“Link, your affinity for formalities will never cease to amaze me. Hyrule is blessed to have such a polite hero. Now, sit down, gentlemen! No need to stay on your feet for a fossil like me.” Once the Wise Man saw his instruction followed to completion, he continued. “So, Link, this is your family? I must confess, part of me always felt like you were born from the dry dust of Hyrule Field in the kingdom’s most dire hour. What a crazy thought, is it not?” The Wise Man chuckled and prodded Hyrule’s chair with the blunt edge of his cane. “Would you care to introduce me to all these fine young men?”  

Hyrule laughed awkwardly, standing up and nodding once again.

“Of course, sir. This, as you know, is my family. That’s Wind and Four, they’re my little brothers,” Hyrule explained as he placed his hands on their shoulders, trying to ignore the sputtered protests and glares of indignation the two responded with. “These are my older brothers, Twilight, Wild, Warriors and Sky. Over there is Time. He’s my uncle.” Time’s chewing slowed. The hard muscles in his face softened ever so slightly.

“What a lovely, happy, healthy family, young hero! And such fascinating names as well. I would love to hear the story behind them one day. But,” the Wise Man said with a mischievous grin, “you didn’t tell me the name of the one with the red tunic and grumpy face.”

A titter went around the room and Legend looked up with a start. Why was he always the butt of jokes like these? Ugh. Well, it didn’t really matter. He was about to introduce himself on his own terms -- he was nobody’s little brother or uncle and wasn’t about to pretend to be one -- but the words died in his throat as Hyrule walked towards him. The brunet’s fingers hovered uncertainly above Legend’s shoulder, opting instead to carefully tuck a strand of pinkish hair behind the veteran’s ear.

A very odd feeling burnt in Legend���s chest.

“This is Legend, sir. He’s my best friend and hero.”

The hot feeling in his chest grew searing and scalding. Legend coughed loudly, trying to break the oppressive silence in the room and the harsh stares all the other Links were sending his way. What? He had no control over who the kid made his role model. Wasn’t his fault. He glared back as if to communicate these exact sentiments.

“It’s a wonderful thing to have a friend, Link. I’m very happy for you.” The smile in the Wise Man’s voice was audible. “But I must say, this young man looks a good deal like the Hero of Legend, at least from what I remember from the palace engravings...”

The clattering of utensils and mashing of food stopped. Legend fiddled anxiously with the Lens of Truth. He didn’t look up, pulling the strings of hair Hyrule had tucked away back in front of his face.

“Oho! I must be going senile. Forgive this old man, won’t you, gentlemen?” the Wise Man said with an intelligent grin.

Uneasy laughter broke across the room, and the Links started to clean up after themselves. Bowls and plates were stacked in the sink, which Time adamantly insisted he would take care of, and bedrolls were dragged to the upstairs guest room. Blond heads came and went, carrying things, chatting easily, thanking the wonderful missus for her cooking and hospitality. A cozy silence settled over the house as the thump of boots eased off and disappeared altogether.

Legend was alone in the darkened living room. The multitude of rings on his fingers twinkled in the moonlight, and his bracelet chinked quietly everytime he shifted. His soup and slice of pound cake, both untouched, sat forlornly on the table and silently envied the parental attention Legend showered onto the lens.

“Mr. Hero, there’s no need to be so shy! The soup is delicious. I would know, my daughter made it, and the guest room is warm.”

Legend’s head jerked up, surprised in part from the shaky voice and the familiar epithet, and bumped solidly against the brick wall he leaned against.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I was just thinking.”  

“I can see, my friend.” The Wise Man took a seat on the chair across from Legend, grunting softly as his weight lifted from his rheumatic joints. “Rupee for your thoughts?”  

Blue eyes flickered up from the floor and fastened on the wizened face of the Wise Man. There was a hard, insistent urgency behind them that could only be described as eerie.

“Sir, do you happen to be a mage?”  

“Mage? Why, how did you know?”  

“Hyru- erm, Link, has told me that he learned some very powerful spells from mages across the kingdom during his second journey. I assumed you to be one of them.”  

Bushy, white eyebrows flickered upwards in surprise. The Wise Man leaned on his elbows and stared at Legend with the acute, warm curiosity that comes with being surprised at an old age.

“You’re quite sharp, young man! I can see where Link’s admiration of you comes from. Do you wish for lessons? I can teach you much, but I must be upfront and say that the Life Spell is the only charm I cannot share with you. That is information privy only to those that bear the blood of the hero.”  

Once again, Legend bit back the words fizzing at the back of his throat. Now wasn’t the time to throw around his title and history for the sake of a few gasps and raised eyebrows.

“I actually wanted your opinion on something. What do you make of the magic imbued in this lens?” Legend placed the Lens of Truth on the table’s mahogany surface. The moonlight bent and twisted around it, leaving only a blackened, artificial shadow in its wake.

“Hm.” The Wise Men took up the lens in his spidery, liver-spotted fingers and stared at it with a fascination that rivaled Legend’s. He turned it over in his hands and held it up to his eye. A curious, pained look etched itself onto his face -- the same expression of confusion and vague familiarity that Legend had felt. “It is certainly dark magic. But the curious thing is that it does not give off any aura of malice. How strange.”  

“I noticed the same thing!” Legend exclaimed, the tiny muscles in his neck straining from the sudden, unexpected swell in volume. “What do you make of it?”  

The Wise Man smiled and looked up at the veteran, placing the lens back on the table. The magenta handle shimmered smugly despite no light falling on it.

“I’ve only read about artifacts like this,” the Wise Man began, “never seen one myself. My first guess would be to say that it was either enchanted by a light-magic mage with a proficiency in dark magic, or that it is a companion piece to another magical item.”    

This was new information. While Legend had been able to guess something along the lines of the Wise Man’s first statement, the second one held the meaninglessness foreign knowledge usually did. His eyebrows furrowed together.

“Companion piece? I’ve never heard the term before.”  

“Do not shame yourself for your ignorance. Such artifacts are extremely rare, and information about them even rarer. Take it as this, you showed me a feather, and it could either be that of a seagull or the Thunderbird. It is more likely to be the former, but it is more interesting to postulate the latter.” Something within the hero twinged at the last example. He rolled the salty, bitter feeling against the roof of his mouth and back of his throat, swallowing it and before it could divert his attention. “The concept is simple, however. Two artifacts that complement each other in origin, magic type, and usage may, when combined, temporarily produce something greater than the sum of their parts. It’s a “hit or miss” phenomenon, as Link likes to call things. Artifacts are rarely built to be companionable, and when they are, it is often a matter of chance. But it is fun to think about, is it not? For example, a magical lens and, say, perhaps a portal, if they were companion pieces, may create a portal to a dimension between dimensions -- to a place that is both hypothetical and real at the same time. A lucid, living vision of the most sincere kind of lies.”  

A portal, hmm.

A portal.

A portal!

Legend vaulted over the Wise Man, leather undersoles of his boots shrieking as he sprinted across the room and towards the corner where his inventory sat. The poor thing was utterly unprepared for the waterfall of affection Legend was about to drench it with. The hero cooed at his beloved artifacts and dug through the bag, eyes peeled for one item in particular.

A-HA!

There it was!

Pulling it out triumphantly, Legend held it in the air and grinned at the Wise Man. The old man’s eyes went wide -- whether from surprise or residual shock from Legend’s outburst it was impossible to tell -- and the hero sprinted over to his side.

“Sir, take a look at this.” Legend said as he placed the Magic Mirror on the table, just adjacent to the Lens of Truth. The moonlight caught on the reflective surface and scattered across the ceiling. “This mirror serves as a portal to the Dark World. Do you think…”

Legend’s hands trembled with excitement. The Wise Man’s eyes were even wider than before, clear and bright, and stared at the two artifacts with hushed amazement. The two sorcerers looked at each other with stupid, child-like smiles on their faces.  

WHAM !

The upstairs door swung open and slammed against the stone wall behind it. Four and Wind shouted something unintelligible before quite literally tumbling down the stairs, their attempts to find some sort of footing a perfect exercise in futility, and landed in a bruised lump on the floor.  

“Hiya, Legend!” Wind exclaimed as he wiggled out from underneath Four.

Legend glared at him with fury fit to kill. The sailor shifted his gaze to the Wise Man as he helped Four get to his feet, a roguish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Uh, ‘xcuse me, mister, but do you have any whipped cream?”  

“Cream? Well, I believe my daughter keeps some on the bottom shelf. Are you hungry, gentlemen? There is plenty of leftover soup.”

“No thank you, sir,” Four said as he swung open the cover of the cupboard and handed a jar of cream to Wind. “We just need it for something very important. Sorry to bother!”

The two tiny heros ran up the stairs just as loudly as they’d come down, giggling riotously as they slammed the door behind them.

“Those boys are so precious, are they not?” The Wise Man mumbled wistfully.

“Sure. Now about these artifacts…”

“Oh, yes. Indeed. I know an ancient fusion spell that would merge the artifacts together if they are indeed companionable.” The Wise Man’s fingers, trembling slightly from a combination of rheumatism and excitement, fastened around the mirror and lens. He mumbled a soft incantation under his breath, then overlaid the two artifacts and pressed them against each other.

A deep tremor shook the floorboards. Legend’s heart beat faster, thrumming in time with the magic’s heartbeat, jumping and bursting and screaming and pressing against the pale bones of his ribcage. He could feel the monsoon of magic raging around them, tearing at his hair, his skin, at the air he breathed in and the thoughts he was thinking. It was happening--it was happening! The whole world shone and sparkled and squealed under the weight of the magic; Legend’s vision frayed under its sheer force. A crimson flush dusted his face and his knuckles stuck out of the white skin of his hands. Light -- golden and grey and ashy and crystalline -- burst from between the Wise Man’s fingers and splashed on the walls. The world contracted and wailed and shook all at once.

And then it vanished. The light swallowed itself and the magic retreated into the ground; the Wise Man pulled his hands away only for the Lens of Truth and Magic Mirror to clatter obstinately on the table top.

“...perhaps not.” Legend grumbled.

The Wise Man smiled and shrugged, the orange silk of his robe catching on the last few rays of magical light. He turned to Legend with a smile on his face. “Ohoho! Well, I suppose that this is the result of looking for the Thunderbird in a sky full of seagulls and swallows. Now, get yourself to bed, young man. I cannot have Link worrying about his self-proclaimed “hero” in the morning.”

Legend scooped up the two artifacts with the angry resignation of a disappointed father. He walked softly up the staircase, waving to the Wise Man before he closed the door behind him. To say that what had just transpired was disappointing would have been the understatement of the century. Idly fidgeting with a ring on his pinky, Legend glowered at the sea of Links sleeping three to a bed. He angrily picked his way through the sparsely-furnished guest room. A wonder that there were enough beds for them after all. It was the least Hylia could do after that ridiculous little prank of hers.

The disgruntled veteran found a spot beside Hyrule and Sky, who were presently curled up against each other. He placed the two artifacts on a tiny nightstand, balancing them on top of each other to save space, and settled onto the bed. A stray beam of moonlight shot through the window. The smell of soup and sweat hung in the air, tinged with the sugary aroma of cream.

Cream?

Legend turned around. He almost slapped a hand to his face to hold in his laughter. Oh goddesses. Oh goddesses. Legend turned red from the held-in snorts and giggles, staring at the scene in front of him with bulging eyes. Hyrule’s ears, hair, and hands had been generously showered with whipped cream. His lashes were covered with so much that it dripped onto the bedsheets in fat clumps. Four and Wild’s retribution for being called “little brothers,” he assumed.

There was never a moment of peace around these guys.

The last vestiges of his mirth dissolved, and Legend settled back onto the bed. He balanced himself on the thin sliver of mattress Sky and Hyrule had left for him. His muscles sighed with relief. His mind buzzed with a thousand thoughts of what could have been. What if it had worked? What would he have seen? What did the Wise Man mean when he said that the two artifacts could have created a portal to a dimension between dimensions? To a place that is both hypothetical and real at the same time?

What was the lucid, living vision of the most sincere kind of lies he could have seen?

He shifted his weight to the other side, reaching out subconsciously to grab the artifacts. Maybe he would send them a goodnight glare before dozing off...

His hands scraped the nightstand surface and came back with nothing.

Wait.

Where...where were they?

Legend jolted upwards, his movement rocking Hyrule and Sky’s sleeping form. Where were they? Where were the artifacts? Time was going to kill him. He was going to kill him. Where had they gone? Legend’s heart beat faster. He squinted through the darkness and swiped his hand again on the countertop.

One of his rings dinged against something metallic. His fingers reached out and fastened around the handle of a mirror.

Nearly fainting with relief, Legend pulled the Magic Mirror towards his chest.

Wait.

That wasn’t the Magic Mirror.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the object of Legend’s scrutiny. It outlined the edges of an elegant hand mirror with a metal rim the same golden color as the Wise Man’s magic, diamond barbs adorning the top, and a massive reflective glass set in the middle.

It looked a lot like the Magic Mirror, whatever it was.

And it also looked like the Lens of Truth, just a little…

Wait.

Wait.

Legend nearly squealed when the realization hit him. He kissed the rim of the mirror with all the blush and tenderness of a love-sick farmboy.

The artifacts were companionable.  

It had worked.

IT HAD WORKED!

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