#a player's aid

[waffletheorist]

Been playing Skyward Sword, and fought Ghirahim to get the final of the three flames, and thanks to APA, I've been talking while playing now, because the idea of them hearing me is hilarious, and being the only ones to hear me say the most deranged things in game. Also, because I need to talk more since I'm practically mute irl with how little I speak. Some of the stuff I said was incredibly quotable, so I'm putting it down here as best as I can remember it. Mild Skyward Sword spoilers ahead, obviously:

Ghira: "I see you're still among the living. Fancy meeting you here."

Me: "Bro, what are you talking about? You've been standing there dramatically turned around for hours waiting for us to show up, because you KNEW we were alive and we would get here, don't give me that bull, how long have you been waiting to dramatically turn around and give this speech?"

Ghira: "We seem to bump into each other time and time again. Oh, it's no coincidence though, is it? You and I, we're bound by a thread of fate."

Me: "Thread of fate my ass, you've been waiting here to ambush us. The fact that you've been waiting here while we've been doing side quests and struggling with puzzles, for what? Multiple in-game weeks? It's hilarious, man's just been standing here being all moody and dramatic waiting for us to get here while we've been looking for bugs. How long has he been holding that pose? Has bro been practicing his lines?"

Ghira: "The thought of never getting my hands on that darling young girl..."

Me: "Huh? Oh this little shit be making comments about Zelda now? Damn, I think we gotta kill this guy, Link."

Ghira: "Your adorable friend..."

Me: "Ain't no way, this guy is so dead bro, he signed his own death warrant with Link the moment he started chatting bout Zelda."

Ghira: "I might be willing to forgive and forget if you'll strike a deal."

Me: "Hell no."

Ghira: "You'll find the skin of my arms tougher than any armour."

Me: "He's taking his gloves off? Wait, why wear them if his arms are tougher?! Oh, cloaks gone too. Put your clothes BACK ON!"

Ghira: "You have awakened a wrath that will burn for eons! I swear to you, whatever it takes, I will drag you into an eternity of torment!"

Me: "Yeah, yeah, say that like we haven't won all of our battles with you so far."

During the fight:

"Did he just GRAB OUR SWORD!?!?"

[cloudninetonine]

I think one of my favourite headcanons that me and my gf share is the idea that both Hyrule and Legend have Australian accents instead of the British and Irish accents I said

Because like, the Downfall is kind of the abandoned right? Abandoned by the Goddess because Ganondorf basically took over and around every corner there's conflict and monsters- just like Australia (please don't come for me Aussies my GF is Australian and she suggested this first)

Also Legend just going "I didn’t come here to fuck spiders." or Hyrule going "Oi, cunt." makes me giggle

[sleepingdayaway]

Mess AU

Okay I did another thing except this time it’s from @cloudninetonine mess au which I highly recommend you check out!

I sorta had an idea when I was thinking about it, but when I actually started writing it just all went away. So yeah sorry if it sucks-

If [Name] is going to be completely honest, they weren’t expecting this outcome as they sat with Nat. Currently the both of them are sitting together; enjoying a variety of fruits on a plate, as they observe the big man interacting with the other Ganon’s in the group. A small thought appeared in [color hair] as they chewed on a grape, ‘If Sky was here he would be losing his shit over them.’

As if knowing he was mentioned, the flame hair colored man perked up to look at the two who sat away from the rest. He had a huge figure, the same fiery red hair as his other incarnations, but looking closer it’s as if his hair was actually fire. The only difference is his body compared to the others. 

If a regular person were to take a quick glance they would think nothing of it, except when you look closer you can see the dark scales with a hint of red covering his body. The red in between the scales looks to be dimming out, as if to match his breathing. Looking up at his face the first thing you would see is the ‘X’ scar right in the middle of his forehead. The face and build of a man who has seen war, and has lived through it himself. The mix of a humanoid man, but also something that is inhuman.

No wonder, throughout history many have called him the Demon King.

But as [Name] watched the man walk over to them, the aura that radiated around him was not one of a god who brought hate and fear into the lives of many. Instead it was one of hesitance and unsure on whether it was alright for him to approach; he stares at the duo as if asking for their permission to get closer. In sync [Name] and Nat turn their heads to look at each other and squint their eyes, in a silent conversation. Nat looks up at the man before hesitantly nodding meanwhile [Name] grabbed at a strawberry to snack on.

Demise, the all mighty, the one who cursed the Chosen Hero and Hylia’s incarnation in an infinite cycle of hatred. Carefully lowered himself on the grassy ground before the two friends, and carefully observed them, not once uttering a single word. From behind the strange group, stood a man carefully eyeing them, a sense of wanting to be near them, but he didn’t act on it as he walked away.

Nature, one of the incarnations of the man before him, has no clue on how to feel about the man that sits in front of him. The other Ganon’s seemed a bit standoffish at first to him, but appeared to slowly warm up as they continued their adventure. Especially King and Eve, who looked to hang onto every word that Demise says. Nat always knew what he had to do to keep everything in order for the world to function, and knew that during his time there was someone that guided him. To put it simply, it’s just a bit awkward to finally meet the person who helped you, after a long time. 

[Name] knows all about Demise; his purpose and what he has done. As well as the importance of the balance that he brings to the world, if spending long agonizing hours to days on the concept of righteousness and the evil and torment of the world counts as understanding. Yet as they stare at Demise and notice how he struggles to speak to them, that throws away all negative stereotypes that had built up from the years of lore they’ve read. He kind of looks like a father who has no idea on how to communicate with his child instead just sits there and believes that they’re spending time together.

It was a moment of awkward silence between the three of them, [Name] and Nat still enjoying the fruits, until it was surprisingly broken by Demise. “I have been told that you are not connected with any of my descendants, that you merely happened to come across in their travels.” 

A natural side eye occurred as he glanced at the Master Sword that is sheathed beside [Name]; that did not go unnoticed by them. There was a faint pulse of a blue glow when his eyes landed on the weapon. Maintaining eye contact with the Demon King as they spoke up without hesitance in their voice, “I’m no hero, if that’s what you’re wondering about.”  

“Yet you hold the sword that was forged by Hylia herself, and was wielded by her Chosen Hero.” He responded with a calm tone; although his facial features say a different tale he made no move to do anything. Tide who had been listening in on the conversation subtly shifted to be closer, in case he needed to intervene. 

Shuffling in their seat at the question that was directed towards them, ���That is true, I’m aware that you have history with this sword, but it is currently in my care. I also have no affiliation to those people.” Demise huffs slightly at that response before sitting up more; glancing down at them as if he is trying to appear more menacing. It was at this moment did [Name] finally realize who they were talking to, silently cursing under their breath.

“Tell me young one, what exactly are your motives? You must have some connection towards the Goddess.” 

[Name] blinks a couple times before speaking, “None- I actually don’t know why I ended up here, but all I can say is that I’m grateful for everyone here. I owe them a lot.”

Now that caught Demise’s attention as he leaned a bit forward, “Is that so? Would you care to-”

“Alright! I think that’s enough on interrogating my friend,” Nat replied as he slightly shoved Demise away from [Name], and began leaning into them more which reminded them of when Wind would also do the same whenever they didn’t want to explain something.

Tide, who was watching everything, smiled softly at Nature’s protective action. Yes, they’ve all grown fond of the little traveler. Swearing with all the power that they hold that they would keep [Name] safe, and help them return back to their original group. Slowly did that topic of conversation change amongst them, and now they appear to be in deep conversation about a certain topic.

One that has [Name] talking animatedly about and with Demise listening intently. Nat, who began sharing the platter of assortment of fruit, also spoke up a couple of times. Tide, feeling the need to no longer worry, returned his gaze to the one person, who appeared to yearn on joining. No matter how much he tries to hide it.

The man sat in front of Tide with a neutral expression on his face. Shockingly white hair covers one of his eyes as he stares intently into the open flame without flinching away from the light. His red cloak lays neatly folded beside him, before looking up at the man who has been nothing but kind to him.

“Ghirahim, you do realize that you have the right to speak to him, correct?”

Ghirahim looks up in a slight daze, his visible eye appearing hazy for a moment before closing and shaking head. A smirk lifts on his painted lips and a facade of mischief covers his face. “I’m well aware of what I can and cannot do, such a foolish question.”

Although that doesn’t discourage the older figure from trying to bring comfort. It’s the least he can do for the companion of his predecessor, the one who’s been there since the beginning, but he was also the one who has been disconnected from Demise the longest. 

[ghostyv]

I’m mad depressed rn. *opens up tumblr and scrolls through my feed of legend x reader tags, despite having read them all.*….welp. Time to reread a player’s aid for the umpteenth time.

(Obligatory @cloudninetonine tag. Thank you for writing a players aid it provides me so much serotonin and I love it so much)

[cloudninetonine]

A Player's Aid: Chapter 12

Fandom: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe

A/N: Ya'll I'm sorry but I am exhausted so please don't think I'm ignoring the asks OIUEHIF I'M JUST GETTING THROUGH THE WORK DAYS AND GETTING THIS STORY FINISHED- hope you enjoy tho! I'm glad I was able to get it done faster this time!

Warnings: Bad language, mentions of violence, threatening language, descriptions of blood and gore, mentions of injuries and mentions of death! (Please tell me if I missed anything it's near 1:30AM IOEUFGIF- I am a little manic)

“NO!”

The words echoed through the hallway, a blood-curdling scream that bounced off the walls and dragged a stinging down into their ear canals, reverberating through the heroes' heads as the champion dived into the middle, the fingertips barely brushing before any trace of you disappeared completely, leaving behind the carpeted floor that Wild slammed right into.

“GODDESS BE DAMNED!”

Hyrule had closed the gap between him and Sky violently, slashing at a Skulltula that leapt desperately after the blonde with dripping pincers snapping dangerously. Its squeal nothing but a nuisance in his ears as he spun his sword tip down and thrust it violently into its head, eyes popping with a disgusting squelch as he pinned it to the floor.

Sky could see it, the bloodthirsty look crossing his face- teeth grinding, huffing up a violent storm with murder dancing in his eyes, an abyss of forest brown with hints of green.

He had caught a glimpse of it that day, a look of rage, the look of rage, the one that stretched over lifetimes and painted itself over the faces of the calmest of men. The Hero of Skyloft had worn it too, many moons ago, as he struck down Demise and brought peace into his era.

Hyrule had worn that exact expression at the lake, and now, after taking a small glance towards Wild, shaking and panting in a similar state, he knew that the cook had felt the exact same way.

“Champion!” Time’s voice was of urgency and authority, batting back another hissing Skulltula with a grunt. “Rejoin the circle!”

Wild’s hands dug into the fabric of the royal carpet, digging in his nails desperately as images and scenarios raced rapidly through his mind- there were so many possible things that could have been following through this. The Shadow had you in its clutches, just where they didn’t want you, and so easily too, brain jumping between two things and two things only.

A slow, painful torture as the Shadow dragged whatever information he wanted from you, he would be cruel, he would be sadistic and soon enough your anguished screams would echo through the castle or he could just kill you, simple and quick, with nothing but an uninterested shrug to his shoulders when he and Hyrule would ask what became of you.

“Their presence was simply a way to bring pain, dear Champion, and well, I did want to wait longer yetttttt- watching you pathetic heroes whimper over some even more pathetic sack of meat is simply much more entertaining.”

Death, torture, death, torture, death, torture, DEATH-

Hands settled violently onto his shoulders, fingers digging into his tunic and his skin when Twilight’s face came into view. Worried, frustrated, angry and a whole whirlwind of emotions as he hissed his name desperately.

“Now isn’t the time for this, Link! We’re surrounded- pull yourself together!”

And in a sudden rush of everything, Wild released a trapped breath in a heavy gasp.

His eyes checked over to Hyrule, noting his shaking figure as he violently hacked at the monsters, the phantom red flying as he frantically tried to kill all that barred his path. The traveller was in a panic, similar to himself, but unlike the blonde his panic hadn’t completely frozen over, he still had his fighting spirit and by the goddess, he was ready to stain the walls with monster blood if it meant that he could go chasing after you- even while having no clue on how to get to you.

“We have to go after them.” 

Twilight’s eyes reflected understanding yet the frustration was still obvious. “Yes and we will-”

“We have to go after them now.”

Of course, that was the obvious thing to do, but that wasn’t a following thought, it was a present one- fuck these monsters and fuck this pathetic excuse of an ambush, Wild needed to get you now and he was ready to risk it all to do that.

“And how do you suppose we do that!?” Legend snapped, bashing a Skulltula back with his shield. “I am not sure if you’ve noticed, Champion, but we can’t exactly waltz our way through this!”

Wild had already zoned in, his eyes watching the movement of Legend’s arm as he blocked another set of gnashing pincers, turning back to Twilight and ogling his target item hanging right off his arm.

Twilight looked curiously at his shield before the realisation dawned and he hardened. “No-”

Hyrule’s frustration was sharp enough to cut through stone as he snapped. “They could be dead by the time we get through these monsters, so shut up ranch-hand and listen to his fucking plan!!”

Wind’s cackle was like a light within the darkness. “They sure are tainting you, traveller!”

“Is this really the time, sailor!?”

“I’m just saying-”

“Enough!- Go through with your plan or be done with it!” Time’s roar was an imposing one, a whole slew of emotions dripping from his words. “I will not have infighting! Especially not now!”

The group was not a stranger to stupid or dangerous ideas, a memory of Warriors and Wild sailing over a camp upon the back of a fallen tree surfaced at the thought, or the many times one of the boys (Hyrule and Wild) had leapt onto the back of a great beast to beat it down to size, or even that time when someone had tried to outrun a Gohma with sheer determination alone after angering the monster in hopes it would stray from the downed comrade- sometimes stupidity was held over safety within them all, if it meant defeating the enemy, or saving the victim, they would go to great lengths to keep them safe.

Twilight knew that Wild considered this one of those times. There wasn’t any way to get around it, no reason, no refusal- the cook had made up his mind and this was what was going to happen.

So, with a final sigh, he caved.

“What is your plan?”

----------

"Come now, dear Guide, don't leave me in the dark- talk to me."

Dink’s voice was best described as an amalgamation, many spoke at once, an eerie echoing drip to his tone that could never just blend together adding to his disturbing supernatural aura that made him this shadow demon. You could hear them all, every single voice belonging to the Chain was mingling with his own, sometimes one would domineer the other- you could hear Time, you could hear Wind, you could hear Warriors, you could hear Four, the Shadow after all was that, a Shadow, so would it make sense for him to have something of his own when he himself wasn’t his own person?

Even now, the face that stared back at you was very clearly Hyrule’s-...or was it? Bathed in darkness, bearing a callous front the shadows that formed his body swayed with the wind. Like smoke to a dying flame, his body constantly shifted and left you dumbfounded about what you were truly looking at. It may have been Hyrule but in that very same breath, it could have been someone completely different- only adding to its demonic presence that made you back further into the wall hoping to become one with the stone and avoid this situation altogether.

Successfully tearing yourself away from his grasp at the price of Hyrule's dagger, you’d tossed it violently towards him as you twisted your leg from his hand (more like a claw from the way his nails dug into your skin) as he dodged it then scurrying back until your back made contact with stone to make as much distance between you as possible. 

It was funny to him of course, he just laughed, for you were a bug beneath his shadow boot- did you really think tossing a measly little dagger was going to do any real harm to him? Especially with that pathetic excuse of a throw?

"I must say, the townsfolk show better skill in the face of monsters, how embarrassing for the guide of the heroes."

"I-Im not the Guide." Your voice was a whimper, shaking from your very obvious fear. "You've got the wro- hm, wrong person-"

The Shadow tilted its head, smirk teasing. "Is that right?"

"...Please let me go."

People liked to joke about this kind of scenario. In the situation of kidnapping, they'd annoy the person to near insanity and get off scot-free- or in their hyped-up cloud of adrenaline, pure rage would take over and they'd simply beat their attacker back, an uno reverse card one might say to the whole scene. However that was just chit-chat, online humour for Internet points, you knew for a fact the wrong thing said at this moment would probably have your throat slashed with barely any of his strength.

And that terrified you.

You were terrified.

Back in childhood, you were that little five-year-old cowering in the corner of your room under the piles of blankets, hawk eyes trained onto the darkness creeping within your wardrobe. The crack between the open door held an opportunity for the monster within to stare right back at you without your child mind knowing a thing. Would it come for you when you finally collapsed from exhaustion or would it burst forth and gobble you up the second your focus dimmed?

The fear within you was primal then, that fear of the unknown, what lay where you could not see it and it was with you now, bubbling sickeningly in the pit of your stomach as the Shadow chattered and joked about your early demise that he would bring with his own hand.

Not even a week ago this creature was a character to you, a fairytale if you will.

And now you were about to be murdered by it.

Dink walked between the streams of light cascading through the windows of the room, the particles of his shadows faintly catching the shine at each turn he made. It made sense that he clung to the darkness, but you begged within that he would step into the beams once. Just once, so that your mind could be laid to rest- trying to comprehend what you were seeing was hurting your head. 

He looked more like Wild now- or was that just the darkness playing tricks?

The Shadow only let out a belly laugh, his voice bouncing off the walls, “Oh, you humour me so, do you really think your whimpers will change my heart, dear Guide?”

You teared up, “Please, I just want to go home-”

“Ah, home.” He said the word with a fake interest, tilting his head as he feigned consideration. “I have never had such a thing, you know, I merely passed through the times through the shadows of The Hero’s light-”

He grinned, crouching down to look at you. “-it’s why they call me the Shadow, you see, I have no other name nor a life to call my own.”

“....Is that why you need me?”

And once again, the monster burst into laughter throwing his head back and covering his mouth to muffle his hysterical laughter- creepy and bone-chilling, he already sounded inhuman enough but the laughter that caught your ears certainly wasn’t doing anything to ease your worries.

“You think I would value something so pathetic? Bah!” With a wave, he pushed off his knees back to his full height, looking you down with those crimson eyes full of malice and disdain. “I would find it an insult if you didn’t sound so sincere- idiotic, but sincere.”

Curling deeper into yourself, you shook, voice wobbly, “Then why am I here?”

A cold chill ran through the room, the shadows within the corners growing, casting great darkness over the walls and eating at the light that cascaded through the large windows. The eyes of oil paintings glaring down at you through the pitch black that only grew closer and closer, judging you with hell flames dancing in their painted pupils as the gloom tickled the points of your boots and caused you to only shrink deeper into yourself. Dink’s eyes were demonic through the shade, piercing through the surrounding tenebrosity to stare right back into your fear-struck gaze.

“Why do you think?” The bitter tone crawled over your skin like millions of bugs, the phantom feeling of many legs running over your body as he spat. “A being able to ascend through timelines, with the knowledge of all that has, is and will ever be? From another world entirely but yet you still hold influence in this one while the Goddesses stay ignorant to anything that strays from their precious creation. If you’re able to do such a thing, you must hold more power than even the Golden Three themselves-”

With each word, he seemed to melt into the gloom of the room, red eyes still following you as he paced like a predator ready to pounce. “-and with that kind of power I can finally get rid of those heroes, wipe them from history and do as I please without their pathetic little attempts to get in my way.”

The terrified tears streamed freely now, face flushed hot in fear and heart frozen in terror yet still pumping the blood through your veins to rush the adrenaline in every crevice it could find- your stomach plummeted when he turned and suddenly it seemed he had vanished, no red eyes to show his position with his shadows hiding him from your sight.

You shook; you cried.

“I’m not the Guide.” The sob caught in your throat, an anxious sickness brewing in your stomach as you searched for him frantically in the pitch black. “I don’t have any magic power, I can’t even do a coin trick, please you have to believe me-”

You couldn’t even scream- the red eyes were back and rushing towards you until they were a breath away, a hand slamming next to your head with more talons than claws digging into the stone. Roughly your chin was grabbed, the frightened yelp leaving your mouth muffled as your lips were smushed under his coarse gloves. You couldn’t escape.

Dink’s red eyes were manic, pupils straining in barely restrained venom. “Don’t lie to me- the spell brought me to you. You bear the name and its suffocating presence I’ve felt for decades, you dare try to trick me?”

“I-I’m not! I’m not, I promise I’m not-” His grip tightened and you whined at the pain, “Please- please don’t kill me-”

With a monstrous growl, he ripped his hand away, the pain still lingering in an itchy ache as he grabbed your front tunic violently and hauled you to your feet. He towered you now. An enigma of shifting shadows with a taut scowl that seemed too big for his face, inhuman in a way that was too real for you and left you a shivering mess against the wall as his words dribbled from his mouth similar to the dripping of blood from a blade- sleek but chilling.

“I’m going to kill you.” Quiet. His words were quiet because he didn’t need a reason to shout for the calm was way more terrifying than the force. “Tear out your heart, throw it at the heroes’ feet and watch them weep over it.”

His scowl stretched into a smile. “Cry now, little guide because you won’t be able to soon enough.”

The sincerity in his tone was what got you, coupled with the swirling bloodlust in those pools of crimson you could see your life flash right before your eyes. The longest second you’d ever felt, experiencing whole lifetimes in only an instant as you thought back to your own world, your friends, your family, the strangers that had come and gone, everything that had led up to this exact moment. Here. In this castle of ruins, with the real Heroes of Hyrule, with real monsters of Ganon and the actual Dark Link whose voice had muffled from the gallons of blood rushing in your ear.

That night when he first chased you was an example of the fight or flight response- your instincts choosing to fly as you sprinted away from the Shadow as it chased you through the streets.

That option was scrubbed away, with no room for fawning and the option to freeze was laid to rest by the adrenaline, you did the only thing you could do.

Raising your knee you slammed it between his legs without an ounce of hesitation, you didn’t hold back putting all your strength into the attack as it made contact with him, a small grunt of effort leaving your lips as you did. You weren’t about to play fair at the edge of Death’s door.

Silence.

Red eyes glanced down to where your knee met his crotch, the appendage hesitating before it slowly fell back, your booted foot meeting the floor just as his gaze returned to you.

“Did you really expect that to work?” His voice was a mixture of amusement and chagrin. “I’m a shadow- I share your hero’s likeness but not their weaknesses.”

You strained out a shaky breath. “...fuck.”

Then, without a single thought of your own preservation or even a single thought at all, you acted upon impulse and slammed your head right into his nose.

The following moments would have been comedic if your thoughts weren’t screaming at you to bolt. The two of you stumbled away from one another in a daze, Dink dropping back onto his arse with a string of violent curses while he held his face desperately trying to stop the stream of black ooze which resembled blood (he could bleed?) drip from his nose. You weren’t too great either, dazed and dizzy from smashing your forehead against his face, staggering about with a similar chant of swears as you tried to decipher which way was up and which was down.

“You…fucking…wretch…” Dink gasped through the pain, still crumpled over, “Just…you wait-”

Your blurred vision settled, the doubles that you were seeing finally melting back into one and you could see the doorway just a few steps ahead, leading out into the castle halls.

This was your moment.

“Get back here-”

Without a single glance back, you bolted, still a little dizzy but refusing to let that get in the way of your freedom. Shouldering through the door, you came across an unfamiliar hallway enveloped in the webbing of the Skulltula and promptly cringed at the sight of eggs sacs scattered through the natural fibres. You didn’t stop, however, powered by your fear you took to one direction and fled.

“You dare run from me!? I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD, PEST!!”

You felt violently ill from the words, the pure unyielding rage in his voice was clear, one mistake, one slip up- if Dink got his hands on you, the last thing you would be seeing were those red, demonic eyes.

You weren’t about to let that happen.

Boots slammed against the carpet, the bangs muffled by the fabric. You heaved and puffed, your lungs in an icy pain as they burned from the strain but in your mind, the words rung out like a mantra “Don’t stop, don’t stop” and you kept those words true to yourself- you weren’t about to stop, not now, not ever, not until you reached the Chain and the sounds of Dink’s footsteps chasing after you finally faded from your mind.

You skidded around a corner, finding comfort in the light that streamed through the open windows of the winding corridor, you were still quite lost, unable to piece together the exact location unsure if you had stumbled in. Was this a place which you had trekked in digital form, or another restored section of the great building?

Sounds echoed behind you, your form tensing in horror before you brushed away questions and rushed down the hallway. 

It didn't matter where you were in the castle, you didn't care, you'd do laps around the entire thing until you finally found your group. Your stamina be damned, you were getting out of here alive. You'd see the Chain again, you'd see your family again, you'd see your friends again and as long as you kept running that thought would manifest into reality.

Your boot snagged a piece of frayed carpet, eyes growing into dinner plates as you shrieked in horror. No, no this wasn't about to happen, you weren't about to fall victim to that damned Hollywood trope- you weren't. Pushing through the stagger, you didn't allow yourself to plummet straight into the floor, taking a few wobbly steps that you were quickly able to correct and mentally cheered.

I think the fuck not-

You plummeted from the force around your ankle, covering your face and letting your arms take most of the blow as you collapsed into a shaking heap on the floor

You fell.

You fucking fell.

"NO!" The scream was Oscar worthy, as were the tears and horror on your face, head snapping back to see the black murky substance that had enveloped your foot. "No- fucking- please!"

Magic no doubt, dark magic that writhed and twitched in the shadow of the hallway. In an effort to escape you kicked at it hysterically, clawed at it desperately and even tried to drag yourself closer to the light in hopes that maybe, maybe it would burn away the dark. 

Hyperventilating through choking tears, you fought. Sick threatened to decorate the floor, the anxiety and the dread a horrid mix that clashed violently as the seconds continued to tick by. This wasn’t about to happen, you were not about to die this way- like some stupid horror cliche, chased by the psychotic axe murder hellbent on gifting you with a slow, torturing death- This isn’t how you wanted it to end.

The rapid thumping of footsteps had finally reduced to an uncanny nothing as the Shadow had begun to ascend the hallway. Silence. That was all he produced. Not a footstep on the carpet, not a pant from his frantic run- you didn’t hear a peep from Dink as he slowly made his way towards you. 

It reminded you of the documentaries, that quiet walk of his, a slow but gradual stalk as the predator drew closer to it’s prey, feral eyes pinpointed on one thing and one thing only.

You really wished you could have been the cameraman in this moment, for being the prey was just as panic inducing as you had thought it would be.

“You’ve had your fun.” The venom was cold but laid on heavy, searing into your skin and burning at your very core as an icy fear. You tried to scramble faster, “I’ve let you run, for long enough, insect. Scutter along these floors but enough is enough.”

You moved to your back, still dragging yourself despite the obvious being clear- you weren’t getting out of this.

“What the fuck do you want with me!?” You screamed desperately, tears still running as you gasped for breath during your panic attack. “I don’t have anything to fucking give you!”

“Are you really that dense?”

The streams of light were your only source, watching as Dink grew closer and closer. Terrifying really, his body moulded each time he reached the sun- first you saw the shadow of Hyrule before his form returned to the black mass of the shadows only to reform into Wild, once again disappearing and he had shrunk himself into Wind. With each shift his voice would change, but not to match the hero he wore, he couldn’t even give you the kindness of that. Suffering. He just wanted you to suffer during your hysteria and leave you disarray.

He really was eldritch in a way and certainly nothing you had ever wanted to experience.

“Your power, Guide, I want your power-”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY POWER!” Your voice was shrill to you, bouncing off the walls and echoing even further down the halls. “I’M NOT FUCKING SPECIAL- LET ME GO YOU STUPID FUCK!”

He stopped just a few inches off, watching you with eagle eyes as you wailed, tears and some snot running down your face. You knew you were a pathetic sight to see, snivelling and crying in a pile of limbs on the floor- not an ounce of bravery on your face, your eyes only reflected the fear that followed the scent of death and the further unknown. How could this be the heroes’ Guide? Valued and respected amongst the masses, was something that probably fluttered around his head. Nothing but another weak and useless slab of meat, similar to the many he had cut down before.

“I have no more time for this.” Quiet, restrained. You could hear the metal slide along his sheath as he pulled his blade. “You die here, guide.”

He pounced.

You weren’t quite sure what happened in those few moments- your mind was reeling. Too much was going on for you to fully comprehend anything other than your own screaming thoughts: You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t see. Not fully anyway, you couldn’t turn away from the crimson that stared you down with a hatred so true.

You just wanted it to stop. It was all you knew as you threw your hands in front of your face, hoping in some way that it would somehow block the blow. You wanted everything to stop- your brain, time, your upcoming death- all you really wanted in that moment was for everything- to-

STOP!

…

……

………

…………ding…

……….ding…

…….ding…

A static stillness filled the air- along with grunts of effort that you knew belonged to Dink. No humanoid made such a distorted sound, nor did any monsters you knew, so horrific to your ears as his noise of struggle being the only thing you could register. You almost didn’t want to look, caught in the belief that looking would break the spell that had suddenly cast over the shadow that kept him at bay. Nevertheless, when his steady flow of forced threats and other colourful words flowed from his mouth did you finally take the chance to glance at what had befallen him.

Yellow.

Dink was yellow.

No, not yellow in colour but in tint- it covered each inch of his body from his boots to his strands of white hair. Not just yellow however, phantom chains accompanied the glow, pinning him midair and phasing off into some impossible abyss. They jangled, they swayed and they kept your almost-murderer only a few inches back, his frantic red eyes trained on each little movement you made in a moment of pure mania.

You crawled back instantly when your own eyes met them, huffing and puffing in horror.

Stasis…

Dink was in Stasis.

Who the fuck put Dink in Stasis?

A very quick answer was found when your hand flew out as you moved your weight, sight catching the electric glow beneath the leather of your vambrace glove right where you knew the Sheikah eye stared back at you.

Had you Stasised the Shadow?

It was only then did you notice the sound from earlier, growing only more rapid as the seconds ticked by and you felt your heart mimic the beat of each metallic “ding!” as the magic of the Sheikah slowly faded the longer you laid there. 

There was no time. 

The clock was ticking.

Fight or flight returning with a vengeance, you leapt to your feet. Still in panic, still covered in tears and snot, still shaking like a fearful child- you had no more time to question what or how, it was now or never- you turned.

Only for your impulsive thoughts to flare, a tactic flying at impossible speeds right into your overstimulated senses.

Without a second thought, with a raged cry you flew back around with your fist clenched and slammed it right into the demon’s nose.

Then, without a second to register the pain you bolted, not caring to look when the illusion of magic finally shattered as your timer ran out, an enraged cry catching the wind as Dink’s body flew back a few feet and skidded through the hallway.

Silence.

You had just turned into the next hallway when it happened- the scream. The scream of a lifetime, not human, not monster, just pure demonic as it exploded through the way. Like a shockwave, you felt the brush of a burning magic on your neck before you embraced the darkness of another corridor, his shriek changing in a constant cycle: low, high, near, far, human, animal, monster- decades worth of fury built into one horror movie wail.

You knew he would have been nominated for the oscar in another life.

“GEt bAcK hERe-” 

You phased him out in a desperate attempt to stay sane, something so wrong shouldn’t have ever reached your ears. You just kept running. You didn’t stop. Not when Dink’s voice finally faded and not when your lungs and legs began to burn. If any stray arachnids still lingered you wouldn’t have ever known, only focused on the way ahead and any stray obstacle that laid on your path and likely zipping past them, leaving the Skulltula to the dust. You were never one for running, you hated PE, but today you would be awarded gold and the Olympics would write you down as the fastest runner alive- Usain Bolt could never.

Your sanity dwindled on the fine line of insane and sane, dancing a sloppy strut as the world around you began to fade and all you could focus on was running.

Until you were finally running no more.

An arm had caught you, thrust forward into your person and catching your chest as your form curled into it from the force. Winded. Your breath was thrown out of you at the contact, a heave leaving your mouth and leaving you with no time to recover as you were dragged into something solid that breathed like a human and felt like a human.

It didn’t stop your blood curdling scream though, hands frantically beating at the clear appendage wrapped around your body as you tried desperately to escape. You would not die here, cold and alone, in the arms of a monster instead of being surrounded by the warmth of love. You would wail, you would fight until your last dying breath because in this moment that’s what was happening- this was your dying breath and you would not go down without knowing you tried to beat the odds.

“No! No! No! No-” Your head was tucked into something warm, spit flying from your frightened yells as the fight was bled out of you. “No! No! No! No-”

It was all you could say, it was all you could think.

No.

No.

No.

It was all you could gasp.

Even as your body finally registered safety, even as you finally collapsed against the form that most clearly belonged to the Wild, the sight of his ocean blue tunic washing over a blanket of comfort that only zapped away your remaining adrenaline. The mutters of “No.” repeated. Robotic. Desperate. Pleading.

“I have you.” He whispered into your hair, his arms protective. “Focus on me, (Name), you are safe.”

“No. No. No. No….

no….”

~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sorry no tags rn I can barely think straight (I will edit in tags when I can!)

[cloudninetonine]

(It is currently 1:30 in the morning and I have to be up for 8, but I needed this out)

The Hero of the Famine was what you could best describe….

A grump.

The grump, if you will.

The tallest of them all, standing at atleast 9ft, built similar to an ox than the boar he was cursed to be, muscle upon muscle mixed with a little fat to add to his already intimidating build. Sharp tusks that protruded from his bottom lip and golden eyes that could glare right into the pit of one’s soul- to say that he did certainly scare you for the first while would have been an understatement.

Yet, the same could be said for others- it was a reason he didn’t go into any villages, or strayed to the farther back of the group, kept to himself, with the few save convos with Oracle. . Famine answered in grunts and only grunts more often than not, silent but deadly within the background like a second and what should have been an obvious shadow. Yet it was funny, sometimes, he seemed to embody just that- a shadow, very easily missed amongst the many and it always seemed to confuse you that your attention could disappear from him so easily.

Famine walked in silence, he ate in silence, and he existed in silence

The Hero of the Famine was a grump.

Well, at least, that’s what you thought he was.

A closer study showed the truth, showed his actual kindness- how his heavy grunts were simply masking his thanks when Ghirahim would hand him his food, when his lips would slightly upturn when Nature had made such an obnoxious joke or when he would gently chuckle along to Solly’s wall shaking howls. You would catch him tossing his craps Pastuzo’s way, even patting the great beast’s head in gently if he laid close to him.

Not to mention how he kept in step to you, perfect step, your legs stubby compared to the giants that were Gerudo men, Famine still always kept pace with you.

You had grossly mistaken his attitude and from how he acted, you could only guess that many had made the same mistake as you.

“Unfortunately, it is only natural.” Ghirahim had told you one day, your curiosity finally getting the better of you. “Our wanderer has visage that only brings comfort to the monsters of the land- propaganda of Hylia’s people have tarnished his name.”

Your eyebrows furrowed “But…he saved everyone? Shouldn’t they see that he’s a good guy?”

“But of course! But we’re not in his timeline anymore, we’re travelling through the times- do you really think everyone would recognise the hero that is yet to exist? Or at least, one that doesn’t exist in their time?”

Of course, such an obvious answer was presented yet it had taken you too long to put the pieces together- you were ignorant to his struggles, after all you could so easily slip into a town without anyone batting an eye (even with your glowing eye, magic was everywhere after all) but Famine wasn’t so lucky, he was a monster to the Hylian people.

Your heart ached- he was truly so kind and he had to experience such backlash.

Maybe there would be a way to show your appreciation?

These thoughts plagued your mind as you walked, Pastuzo glued to your slowing pace as the group made their way across a creek, small rapids no match for their strength as they waded through the fresh water to the other side- you knew it was best to hop over the stepping stone path than to even attempt to try and push your way through. Deep down you knew it was a scene waiting to happen.

Pastuzo waited halfway for you as you leapt from rock to rock, still too deep in your own world to realise that the next rock was a little too mossy for your travelling boot, a single wrong step sending you falling forward, the next rock sure to crack your temple as you got closer, and closer with a yelp at your lips-

Until you realised you had stopped falling.

Your nose was a breath away, eyes pinpointed right onto the collection of moss growing almost perfect in the centre. Turning your head back, you spotted the giant holding firmly onto your clothes, blue in colour and belonging to the exact pig-man you had been just thinking about when you body rose into the air, a little too far up for your feet to meet the ground before you were very unceremoniously dropped onto Famine’s shoulders, adjusted for your benefit and comfort.

Famine whistled for Pastuzo, who bounded over quite quickly, shaking the water free from his fur then continued on with a groan.

Without even a single word, he turned back to the direction of the group and continued on like you were currently sitting on his shoulders.

You fumbled, of course, thinking of a word to say, for a question to ask, for an action to commit, for something, anything-

Your brain only relaxed when he gently patted your ankle, almost sensing the tension built up in your body and doing the only reasonable thing in the situation- showing you comfort in your moment of struggle.

Your arms came to rest on his head, chin following in a way to make yourself more comfortable as you finally sighed, a smile blooming.

“Thank you, Famine.”

You didn’t miss his grunt.

“You’re welcome.”

[cloudninetonine]

It was a mistake.

A mistake.

Foolish, idiotic, downright stupid but you still decided to go through with it, venturing off with the fake Sky without a single care in the world. As if your entire reality wasn’t about to crumble beneath you when you stepped into that camp and all eyes were suddenly on you, the chill down your back fueled by the ice of Hebra it was so cold and you almost choked on your own breath as the fake tugged you with his almost inhuman feeling grip along with him.

You knew then you knew it wasn’t them, heart rate rising till the point it pounded harshly in your own chest, almost drowning out “Sky’s” words as he spoke.

“You don’t look so well,” His coo made you feel violently ill, your earlier breakfast fighting to burst from your mouth and dirty your tunic. “Is something wrong?”

Yes, yes something was so very wrong- you weren’t with your boys these weren’t your boys no not a single bit. This wasn’t your Sky, that wasn’t your Hyrule, nor was that your Four- no, no, no- Dink had done something, he had done something bad that and the bile fought to crawl out of your throat, staining the front of your white tunic.

Where were your boys?

You were forced to sit, the fake’s hands dancing along your shoulders as the whole group sat around you, him joining, still focused on you with a range of different emotions that had your blood pumping loudly in your ears, hands bunching the material of your leggings when someone spoke, a voice eerily similar to Time’s but-

You knew that wasn’t him.

“So glad that you could join us,” He was so obviously different compared to the fake Sky, the full markings of Fierce Deity tattooed into the skin of his face, both eyes present and staring you down like you were a cut of meat and he was a starved wolf. “You know, we’ve been looking for you everywhere, little guide.”

They knew who you were.

You swallowed, steeling yourself before beginning to push upwards in an attempt to stand. “I’m sorry, you’ve got the wrong person-”

The knife to your throat was cold- similar to the freezing temperature engulfing both your blood and bones as your entire body tensed in a curdling horror, the man behind you chuckling as he pressed the steel a little harder against your pulse that pounded under its touch.

“Careful now,” Joked a voice similar to First’s “We wouldn’t want to get blood on that pretty white tunic of yours, would we?”

You whimpered. “No.”

“Good- then sit down.”

You did as you were told, slowly, scared of the blade piercing into your skin and sending a splurt of blood flying towards them, after all, from how fast your blood was pumping it was sure to make a mess, a bloody mess that you didn’t want to see in your possible last moments. When you were once again sat, only then did the fake First remove his knife, sheathing it away but keeping his hands on your shoulders as a warning.

“Are you done?” Fake Time’s smirk was sickening, your fingers twitching with restrained emotions. “Will you let me finish now?”

First’s hands tightening around your shoulders made you nod, head still down, refusing to look at him as the other’s smirk widened.

“Good.”

[cloudninetonine]

Guide Lore

No you're not getting context until like 20 chapters or so into the future...probably ----------

And from the light of the setting sun, you could see it, the statue towering above you both.

Robed in what you could only guess was something akin to a deity's wear, similar to the dressing the statues of marble back in the era of the Romans and Ancient Greeks, the sculpture stood proudly upon what seemed to be a compass rose within the fountain water. The cardinal directions were etched into the main points, the statue's right hand pointed towards the North, it's left supporting a sleek and slim-fitting staff that hung a beautifully carved lantern upon its head. A careful look showed that scratched into its glass held intricate celestial maps, dotted lines becoming more apparent the further the sunset and the brighter the eternal flame burned. It was an interesting statute, that was what you couldn't deny.

Especially its lack of face, covered by a thick veil and left unseen to those who wished to look upon it.

The water flowed freely, the only sound within your ears as you gazed upon the spectacle alongside Sky who looked to be in awe similar to you.

"Who is that?" You asked, glancing over to him as his lips shook with restrained words, blinking hard before catching your gaze.

"I….I don't know…."

And once again, you both fell into silence.

[cloudninetonine]

The Hero of Eve was a scholar. While the whole group bore a higher education (they were Kings, of course, they would), the man prided himself on being one of the most knowledgeable- while the others grew a fondness for the study of the blade or the politics of the people, you had found out Eve had spent his many decades with his nose in a book, learning one new thing after the other just because he could.

He reminded you of Klaus Baudelaire, with a twitch of the fingers and a narrow of the eyes he knew exactly what to do, you wandered, similar to the movie if in his mind the spines of the books popped into his head, the titles flashing and suddenly he was an encyclopedia- filled to the brim with knowledge and waiting to spill pages upon pages of facts right into your eager brain.

“Not those.” Looking upon the assortment of berries dotted about the very pretty shrubbery, you caught the eyes of Eve standing over you, his wicker basket resting against his hip almost filled to the brim compared to your own basket, near empty save for the odd blueberry or raspberry that you had managed to find. “They’re poisonous, and the worse kind.”

“But…Pastuzo is eating them?”

Glancing at the bear, you both watched the great beast carefully nibble away at a branch that he had ripped off, the bush being the one currently sitting in front of your crouched self. The furry beast had decided to stick with you lot after the incident with Nature, the instance hanging over his head as very useful blackmail that had gotten you the best part of his meals which he would usually save for himself, his eyes like a sad puppy’s as you happily munched away with a malicious grin that almost had him crying.

You digress, your new companion refused to part after the scene almost a week ago, following you around the dense forest of Hyrule and leaving many wary. Not a pet in any way, more a friend, allowing you to pet his ears and cuddle into his fluff during colder nights- you had called him Pastuzo because Paddington didn’t quite suit him.

“Your…friend,” The man had started, turning back to you. “Has a stomach of iron, he also isn’t affected by the key ingredients like we are.”

A pout crawled onto your face and you sighed, lending your hands to the bear to sniff the berries then hover them gently from your palms, ridding his saliva on your already dirty leggings.

You felt useless, even worse than you had before back with the Chain. Sure, you were adjusting to a new way of living with the Ganons but that didn’t mean you couldn’t help out as much as you could- you’d jumped on the opportunity to forage, memories of doing such with Hyrule and Wild hurting your heart before you pushed it down for the sake of your new chore, grabbing the basket Tide had handed you gently then venturing off with the Scholar to gather what you needed.

Now here you were, with nothing to show for it but a bunch of random fruit.

Eve sighed, crouching down to your heart (even then still towering over you) and digging into one of his pouches to pull out the smallest of books, handing it over to you while you studied it curiously.

“What’s this?”

It bore no name, nor designs, just a simple leather-bound book with a clasp that you gently pulled away.

“A journal of my findings.” You carefully skipped through the pages, eyes running through the walls of texts with accompanied neat sketches- bugs, animals, flora and fauna- anything he had seen was jotted down on the handmade paper. “You may use it, it will tell you which is dangerous and which is not-”

The man grunted when you hugged him, tightly with a grateful squeeze as you sung his praises and your thanks before scrolling through the book once again. You ran off with your basket to continue your foraging, book ready at the ready while you studied the plants and the smallest of smiles bloomed on Eve’s face.

You both returned with baskets full.

[cloudninetonine]

The Hero of Nature was the youngest of the group, both in terms of timeline and physicality and bore similar attributes to his Hero Link counterpart in more ways than one. You knew, ignoring the fact the Gerudo man was a Ganon, Wild would have loved to meet the man and cause their feral chaos together like the destined soulmates they were. A piece of home in a way, you clung to him quite quickly also, pulled into his wacky shenanigans and his fun little messes that had the group groaning in distaste.

"You're insane." Like now, certainly, something that would have had your favourite brooding monarch throwing a fit even a child would wince at. "Seriously, Nat, this is fucking crazy."

The bear's head raised at your whisper and you both ducked down a little more.

The redhead looked at you, confused. "You've never wanted to ride a bear before? Not even once?"

"Of course, I've wanted to." You snapped like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But you know what I also want? To keep my guts inside me rather than splattered on the floor."

Hours spent listening to the wonderful voice of David Attenborough had instilled both a fear and a fascination with the Earth and its inhabitants, while bears did indeed look friend shaped a small 'fun fact' from the broadcaster about how a bear's claws, teeth, running speed, size ect, etc. Was enough to deter you from getting even the slightest bit close to then- even now was pushing your "I don't want to die this way." Boundaries miles away, the boundary line was a dot in the distance, a star in the sky, an atom to a microscope-

You yelped when the man threw you over his shoulder, huffing out air at the impact as he leapt over the log you had found refuge behind and raced towards the beast, laughing at its guttural growls and roar.

"Nat, Nat, NAT!" 

Screams were drowned out but the sounds of the bear as the man hopped onto the great creature, bucking feverously to rid you of its back and make you its next meal for your very rude disturbance.

Oh, but Nature certainly wasn't going to let that happen, dropping you onto his lap and digging his hands into its fur. He certainly was pleased with himself, laughing like a madman as you were both thrown about, a dizzy spell hitting you fast as the mammal continued to try and throw you both off, groaning in distaste.

A minute or two passed, a headache forming as your brain slammed against your skull violently at each jump and turn, eyes straining to see the forest in front of you as you made a last ditch effort to stop this 'fight'.

You leaned over to gently massage the bear's ears in pure desperation.

And slowly but surely, the bear began to real, the buck reducing to shaking and the shaking reducing to stillness as the creature panted to catch its breath in the middle of the dense woodland. You were rigid, from both pure fear and pure adrenaline running through your veins, icy cold while Nature laughed something impressive, patting the giant creature between the ears.

"That was amazing!" He praised, gently nudging you. "I haven't seen a bear relax so fast, how did you- (Name)?"

The Gerudo man poked you quizzically, your body bopping to the side before falling off the creature, petrified.

"Oh no."

The man's stomach dropped as he thought about Tide's reaction, hopping off and letting the beast step back, still panting as he shook you wildly, calling your name in a frantic voice.

Oh, he was dead. Dead for sure. The old man had already grown protective, a parent claim over you from those days of your fever while he nursed you back to health. You were delirious of course, muttering something or other that had the elder man soft with empathy as he patted your hair and wiped away the sweat.

"I think they should come with us."

And despite the argument that transpired with a few not wanting such a decision, Tide stood firm and that was that- you were part of the group.

A great decision really, no one else was crazy enough to join his escapades.

"Nat…" Your voice was but a whisper, the man perking up in relief. "I need…to ask you something…."

The man leaned closer, concern still written over his face as he nodded for you to continue, holding your hand gently.

"Why the fuck is the bear licking my hair."

[cloudninetonine]

The Hero of the Tides, as he had introduced himself, was the eldest of all the Ganons. Hailing from the flooded timeline, he was what was expected of a grandad- kind, cosy and wise, he was the easiest one to grow comfortable with out of all the others and soon enough you were following after the giant man like a duckling would follow its mother.

Tide didn't seem to mind though, in fact, he encouraged it, keeping in pace with your smaller strides and making comfortable small talk with you as you all travelled. The towering man didn't pry for information about you, no, he went off about his own quaint little island back in his timeline, about his village friends, his own family (he adopted those who needed the help after the flood and further on became titled as a grandfather, great grandfather and more after that- he was old after all) and so much more after that.

You felt…safe with him. 

Something you hadn't felt in a long time and it felt good, to be able to relax at night without being fearful of what may get you as you slept.

It's why you were here now, sitting beside a stream near the camp and watching Tide carefully as he fished- a more traditional compared to how the boys liked to do, the man was slightly crouched with hands at the ready, focused on the ripples of the channel in concentrated silence. You were hypnotised by his focus, practically frozen on your little rock at the mere sight, the man had already caught 10 fish in the span of five minutes, more than enough for dinner and now he was just showing off. Nothing you could blame him for though, if you were this great you wouldn't let such a thing as dinnertime get in the way of your skills.

His fingers twitched before he pounced, hands slamming into the water then pulling out a large fish, tossing it to the basket on shore with a precision accumulated from the ages. 

Dinner was gonna be good.

"My child!" Eyes snapped up at the elder, watching as he smiled something kind and beckoned you over. "Come, catch some more fish with me!"

You blinked, looking over the almost overflowing basket, then at him, eyeing the cold water. "No thank you."

"But why?"

"We've got lots of fish for dinner, Tide."

His grin was childish. "There's no such thing as enough fish, dear child."

Ah yes, this man certainly was a grandfather.

"Well, I don't know how to fish without a rod."

The last time you had fished it had been with the others, Twilight was keeping your grip steady and instructing you on what to do as the others did their own thing, Wild eventually stripping to his boxers to catch your shared dinner with a knife. 

A pleasant memory, something you missed.

"I will teach you!" 

Tide splashed a bit as he made his way over, robes drenched by the stream and dripping with fresh water as he climbed out and hobbled over to you, your shriek playful as you tried to leap away, Fi abandoned by your rock as you tried to get away. Not far of course, you almost forgot, accompanied by long legs were long arms and the man only needed to reach over to nab you from your stony throne, pleas for freedom falling from your lips as he trod back over to the river, laughing jovially at your displeasure.

The old man didn’t throw you in, as you had expected, he kept you on his shoulder, and waited patiently for you to move on your own like the frightened kitty you were. Slowly, painfully slow, did you test the waters, dipping a toe in and yelping at the frigid temps, glaring at his stupid grandfather grin as he still stood, calm and composed as you moved your body down from his towering shoulders into the currents below, the water reaching your waist opposed to his knees.

Stronger than you had expected, you almost stumbled when he arms reached out to catch you, bringing your smaller body to lean against his and leaning down with his arms stretched out similar to his earlier position- you mirrored him as best you could.

“Perfect, already an expert.”

You bumped his chest. “Quit with the praise and show me how you do it, grandad.”

“Ah, my child, you wound me.” He chuckled, bumping you gently back to focus on the ripples on the water. “Focus now, fish are slippery things.”

You of course weren’t going to be an expert after one lesson, but it didn’t stop you from catching one fish, a small one, albeit, feisty and the cheer you had released when finally you had caught the dastardly thing and tossed it into the basket was a great one, the older hero looking upon you with a pride a father would his child.

The Hero of the Tides was a good man.

And you thanked whatever entity above that you had him in this time of solitude.

[cloudninetonine]

A Player's Aid: Chapter 10

Fandom: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe

A/N: Ayy Look at us! Finally hitting the double digits! So proud!

Warnings: Foul language, mentions of injuries (but no descriptions!) Mentions of violence (Wind kicked Player again :(( ), self doubt/insecurity (If I need to put any more tags hit me up!)

Tension over the group was thick, nothing new honestly, but it still kept them all silent, following after their leader without an argument or questioning word, the tense hunch of his shoulders an indicator of his present anger.

Heeding your words was the smartest option, was a thought currently buzzing in Wild's head as he looked over the group, eyes falling onto Hyrule leaning against Warrior's shoulder, dragging tired feet along as the sun set over Hyrule field. 

It wasn't their fault, per se, but their actions only lead to them thinking that. Avoiding each other in the fight in support of their current grudge, their minds wandering to your words and worry settling over their bones, emotions making them sloppy and leading to much more injuries than usual- it was only fair that the Old Man was furious with them, after all, it never needed to come to that. 

Hyrule tried to make up for it, healing everyone's wounds, ignoring any arguments against it which only made Time even angrier. He didn't want him out of commission, he simply wanted them to stop with their childish behaviour. So now, the traveller was left leaning against the captain, who helped him hobble along for the next few hours to their rendezvous point. 

So many thoughts ran through the champion's head after that. All fighting one another for the top, feral with bites and scratches, leaving Wild close to a headache that bordered into head-splitting migraine territory. 

A final glance to Time had Wild cementing his decision, turning towards the duo nearby and quietly wandering over, Warriors sending him a look before nodding in understanding and allowing him take over, disappearing to Time's side while Wild and Hyrule continued their pace, sharing a less tense silence compared to earlier. 

"... I'm sor-" 

"I'm scared." Wild's face dropped at the words, looking over his exhausted brother as he continued. "I.. I was- I am scared, I'm scared of losing them after I just got them back-" 

"Losing them?" The wild hero choked in disbelief, "Traveller, I would never-" 

"Not on purpose, I know that and neither would they but-... I am but a mere traveller, as you all put it." He looked away shamefully, "What… what if I disappoint them? What if they realise just how wonderful you all are and they pull away? I couldn't stand losing them another time…." 

The Champion had expected something like this. His brother shared their name, their courage but yet not the confidence, a man cast in the shadow of constant doubt of his self worth and skills. Hyrule was certainly an amazing hero, but compared to his counterparts he didn't seem to think so. He believed his feats laid below the feet of the others, how these men, these strong men had suffered for their country and for the world and yet, facing the same struggle he still didn't see himself in them. They were heroes, he was merely a boy who was at the right place at the right time. 

"You're a fool." Wild uttered, Hyrule flinching at the words. "A fool to think of such idiocy- you see how they look at you, do you not? You're a light in their eyes, they see highly of you just as you see highly of them." 

"Champion-" 

"To think such a thing because you were a traveller? Would you say the same about ranch-hand? And about the smith? Goddesses above, the old man was but a child in the body of a man when he fought Ganon." 

Hyrule's eyes fell towards the dirt, a silence mixed with many wavering emotions forming between them before the blonde sighed, turning his head once again to look at his friend, his brother with emotions that he almost couldn't take. "Traveller, if you really weren't as great as you say we all are, a mere traveller and not a hero of Hyrule- would you have even had a guide?" 

The hero blinked “I-”

“Would they have even valued your time? Gone out of their way to be there for you-”

“You say it as if they would have just abandoned someone in need-”

“We both know they wouldn’t but no one else has experienced the Guide’s presence.” The two shared a look, “Not the fairies, not the spirits, not Zelda- even the Goddess only knew so much about them why do you doubt yourself so when you have been in the presence of someone so devoted to you? I know for a fact they wouldn’t have let you fall so far from grace, to see you think so low of yourself. You would let yourself believe such foolish things after they had helped mould you into something to be proud of- you would brush away all that for the sake of being humble?”

Hyrule’s face once again fell flat, turning away from his friend as he muttered almost too soft for him to not catch. “It doesn’t seem they even remember all they have done.”

Wild stopped dead in his tracks and Hyrule didn’t fight him, pausing his exhausted hobbling to look at his friend, feeling his heart drop at the sight of his pained face- saddened frown, eyes glistening with defeat as he quietly asked in return.

“You….you have noticed…?”

“...It’s hard not to, my brother.” The hand resting on the blonde’s shoulder squeezed gently, “Their eyes grow vacant and they look…sad- I know they want to remember I know it but each time they do not and each time it only hurts more and more.”

It was Wild's turn to look away, the brunette frowning in guilt. 

It wasn't very hard to see, it really wasn't. You could only evade so much before it began to click for the Traveller, his heart dropping as you stared with a raw confusion. You willed yourself to remember just exactly what memory he was talking about, a moment which he so obviously treasured and he could see that you did too but- you just couldn't see what he did, couldn't visualise in your head a time in which you scolded him for his reckless behaviour, where you sung him to sleep from his nightmares of ghouls and goblins, when you teased him for his little mishaps and mayhem so you just brushed it off, with a word or two maybe a hug or those kisses you liked to give- he knew then that you didn't have a clue what he talked about. 

But that was okay, maybe you struggled like he did. You'd remember eventually, if he recreated a deep moment between the both of you you'd remember! 

However, it was also the case you never would, you'd continue to live in ignorance while he suffered with the memories and emotions from long ago that you had left him with…

No! That was fine! It was all fine he'd make new memories- better ones, ones you would treasure just as much as he did for the rest of his life. 

“That doesn’t matter.” Wild snapped finally, straightening up, pushing all that he truly felt deeper within himself before they met eyes once again, a sharp blue meeting warm brown. “It doesn’t matter if they forgot its principle- you are disrespecting our guide’s wishes by disrespecting yourself.”

Hyrule smirked weakly. "Now you are just spouting nonsense, brother of mine." 

"Shut up, you know I'm right." 

"..." 

In the distance a fire grew strong within a little patch of trees against the backdrop of the orange sky, the sounds of voices growing stronger the closer they got. They couldn't see who the voices belonged to but they didn't need to, the group hurrying their tired bodies in hopes to finally eat and rest after the dragging day. 

"... I'm sorry." 

Wild finally smiled, squeezing Hyrule back affectionately. 

"I'm sorry too." 

-----

Seeing the group back was certainly a huge weight off your shoulders, seeing them fine was even better. However you felt your heart collapse down to your arse when Wild and Hyrule came in- hobbled in, Wild did seem fine physically, only seemed to be supporting the traveller but it still didn't settle your worries, rushing to you feet and making a mad dash to check over them. 

"Are you okay? What happened? Did you get hit? Do I need to get you a potion? Does-" 

Wild's laugh was a little frustrating, dismissive and entertained despite your very obvious distress as his face along with Hyrule's showed mirth. It wasn't very welcoming, not a single bit and you were tempted to yank at both men's ears once again for such a stunt after you had demanded their safe return. Did it have to take getting hurt in a fight for them to make up again? Seriously? 

Your annoyance must have been clear on your face from their quick attitude change, Wild coughing into his free hand while Hyrule grasped your hand. "I am tired, that's all, I used too much magic." 

"Magic, is that right? And what exactly was that magic used for?" 

The side eye they shared confirmed your suspicions. 

"You two-" 

"Worry not." Wild reassured, hand coming to gently hold your cheek, "We have spoken, there's no ill feelings anymore." 

You wanted to be angry in all honesty, you didn't want to brush the subject away- they got hurt, just like you said they would if they didn't settle what they had between them. It didn't matter if everyone was fine and healed, it had still happened, so what if it were to happen again? Next time worse? You didn't want to brush it away just like that just because everything was fine now. 

But you were tired, and so was everyone else, there would be another time for this so for now, you'd let them have their moment. 

With a final sigh, you merely engulfed them, throwing your arms around their shoulders and squeezing them close. "I'm glad you guys are okay- I was worried."

They melted into you, ears flapping subtly in excitement. 

"You weren't worried about me?" The face that Wind was sending you was nothing short of comical, as were many of his faces, the over-exaggerated pout, shining eyes with down-turned ears- it really was so fun having him around. 

You needed someone to bully now that your friends weren't here. 

You made sure to drop all the emotion on your face. "No." 

And he kicked you right in the arse. 

"OW! You little cunt!" 

-----

"You have quite the fascination over stars." 

A single glance back from your spot showed that the Hero of Time was the one to grace your presence, your food held close to you while looking up at the vast expanse of space to see what stars shone brightly tonight. 

You had noted the night before that the galaxy had differed from your own back home, some stars looked further apart or too close together, maybe forming different constellations that you couldn't name or downright non-existent in a place they usually should be. It was amazing, to say the least, as brilliant as it was terrifying, knowing you were far, far from your home from just a glance at the stars above- maybe they were other worlds? Staring into the multiverse disguised as the night sky, your thoughts wandering to some of your favourite games with such references.

Millions of different worlds- maybe that was the real truth beyond the clouds, stars were the gateways to the worlds and maybe one day, you could explore them too.

….Oh God, you were starting to sound like the main character and it had only been a few days.

“I think they’re pretty, really.” You explained, turning back to the sights as you felt his presence drop next to you with his own bowl of food within his grasp. “And what my world knows about space is pretty cool too.”

“...Space?” His chuckle was rich, kind and amused as the word processed in his head. “Such an odd name.”

“Well, to be fair it really is just space. An expanse of nothingness with a few planets, stars and other stuff every few million light years.” Leaning upon your hand, you continued to stare. “There’s so much out there that I know won’t be explored in my lifetime, hell, it may never be explored beyond just technology but at least I can admire it from afar.”

The man beside you hummed and after a few moments of shared silence, you finally glanced his way only to see he was already staring- studying you definitely, waiting for your next move.

Or maybe waiting for his moment to speak. “Ranch-hand told me what the two of you discussed.”

The word ‘snitch’ came to mind, a sour feeling settling over you before you brushed it away with an awkward smile. “Oh, great.”

“He was right in his words, I was wrong for what I did- reason or not, endangering your life was not the way to go about bringing out the Shadow.” His words were firm, not towards you but towards himself, almost reprimanding his own actions and taking accountability for it. “The Shadow obviously wants you for something and that simple mistake could have cost you not only your life but possibly others.”

Mega Oof.

….God you were so detached from reality it wasn’t even funny.

You melted a little. “Yeah, it, probably wasn’t the best…”

“And for that, I apologise. However-” His gaze hardened and you wished for the ground beneath you to swallow you whole. “I will not have you brushing your own safety away for the sake of convenience, your life is just as important as the others here- I don’t know what could have possibly made you believe such nonsense but it stops here. No self-sacrifice, no comparison to one’s life- none of it, by the end of this journey I want everyone in this group to return to their homes and that includes you.”

That….That was actually quite nice to hear.

Hearing Legend’s words had put you on edge with the rest of the group, worrying, constantly wondering if the others secretly felt the same way as he did. Distrustful, manipulative, cruel- had those words been running marathons through their heads? Were they looking for a reason to throw you to the dirt and leave you to rot? It stuck with you, a constant reminder, you were not their friends, acquaintances at most (save for your little trio of boys) and you reminded yourself you needed to keep a level of respect with them because once again they were not your friends. They were doing their job of keeping the country and the people safe.

But here was the Hero of Time, a man hardened from a life of misery and pain, left with a permanent scar of that horrid past, someone who you definitely expected to feel just as wary as Legend- but here he was giving you this. Reassurance- reassurance that you weren’t about to be discarded to the wolves, you were safe and he was going to get you back home. You wouldn’t die in this magical land, you’d return to your mum and your friends.

And from the feeling of your chest, the heavy weight disappearing, you realised it was what you needed.

With a light smile, you nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” 

Turning away, you both sat in shared comfortable silence, eating Wild’s cooking while focused once again on the night sky above.

“...Know anything about the moon?”

You managed not to choke, beating at your chest willing the carrot piece to go down smoothly without retching it back up, blinking away the tears while taking deep breaths.

The Old Man had asked you the question softly, hesitantly in a way and it didn’t take a genius to know why. You weren’t entirely sure if Time knew about how much knowledge you held, yes, you had already explained you knew about their journeys but to what extent was a mystery to them- you guessed, similar to Hyrule, this was a memory he much rather forgot. It was the same with you, honesty, Majora’s Mask was a good game but it was changed from rating E to 12+ for a reason. All those children traumatised by pixels- you couldn’t even begin to imagine the horror that Time had gone through.

Did he ever look upon the moon in fear? Shiver under its light? Did nightmares plague him of the pale moon surface shifting to that cruel face with eyes of hatred?

“Well,” You placed your bowl onto your lap. “The moon has no natural light.”

Time let out an ‘oh?’, encouraging you.

“It’s actually a reflection of sunlight, bounces off the moon’s surface…Oh! It also has little craters all over it from taking hits from these things called asteroids! Which are basically space rocks that vary in size that orbit the sun-”

You couldn’t help but ramble, words almost moving faster than your mouth as you stumbled out fact after fact you had learned during your lifetime. You weren’t an astronomer, far from it, but the subject was always one that piqued your curiosity and you couldn’t help but dive into the rabbit hole of “interesting space facts!” from a book your mum had got you during your “I want to work for NASA!” phase.

It put the fear of God into you more than anything but didn’t stop you from loving Space from afar.

“Interesting.” Time had concluded once you had finally finished, stirring away at your food as you awaited his reaction. “It seems you hold the moon in quite a high regard.”

‘Be careful with your words.’ “The moon does quite a lot for us.”

At his hum, you studied him waiting for some sort of negative reaction as he brought a spoonful of food to his mouth.

“I’m sorry but I don’t think we can see eye to eye.”

…You didn’t ask him why.

-----

You hated your sleeping mat with the entirety of your being.

Lumpy, hard and itchy, you despised having to lay in something so uncomfortable. You knew you sounded entitled with those words, didn’t dare voice such opinions and sound spoilt but you really couldn’t help it- you were used to your bed back home, a nice spring mattress with thick comforter and plush pillows, you really couldn’t stand this arrangement.

Tossing and turning for what felt like hours, the others all dead asleep save for Warriors on watch, his sympathetic smile your only solace in the night. You would have joined him but you knew moving now would be a bad idea, your body would refuse to fall back asleep after such movement and you didn’t dare put yourself in such jeopardy. 

You had done one too many all-nighters in your life and you were positive one more would instantly Thanos snap your arse, your body dust in the wind. 

Your body needed sleep, but it seemed at this rate it would be denied.

So, with an irritated sigh, you decided to do what you always did in that situation.

Went straight to your phone; the only problem was that you didn’t have much to do with the device. Sure you could stream music, but there were only so many times you could listen to your favourite songs before they began to sound like nails on a chalk board. No social media for you, no watching movies or your favourite shows, no games to play, no texting friends who you knew sacrificed their sleep schedule for the sake of alone time- in reality, there was nothing and you could only stare at your home screen longingly for a few agonizing minutes.

When you spotted your messages your face fell, finger wandering over to press on the app and look at the columns of contacts. Barren, every single one, not a single notification from friends nor family, your heart only hurting at seeing your mother sitting atop them all, clicking onto the chat with eyes watering as you read through your last few messages.

‘Be home within the hour!’

‘Be safe, sweetheart, I love you lots.’

‘Well, I love you more!’

‘Not possible xx’

Tears fell, silent but pained as you repeated the last few sentences in your head, a mantra of despair until you managed to type something through your tears, turning off the phone once it was sent and turning over, holding the device close to your chest as you quietly sobbed yourself into the world of dreams.

‘I miss you so much and I wish you were here, I love you Mama and I’m so sorry.’

-----

“We’re going to Hyrule Castle!?”

Gilda had almost fallen from your hair from your excited hops, grabbing desperately at strands to save herself from being flung into the air as you squealed, waving your hands in elation. Wild and Hyrule shared entertained smirks at the display, waiting patiently for you to relax into a calmer state and letting you get it out of your system.

This was a dream- a dream come true! Hyrule Castle, the grande palace of the Kingdom of Hyrule- you were going to see it in the flesh! You were going to experience the cobblestone beneath your feet, the great bridge hanging over the great moat, look upon the lofty towers and see just how truly amazing it was.

Sure, you had seen a few castles in your day, and many school trips revealing the history of your country but they didn’t compare to this moment right here.

Hyrule Castle may have been in ruins, maybe have been torn apart from Ganon’s malice and only a shadow of its former glory but you were still experiencing it in real-time. It still held many attributes of a lived-in castle, no museum piece but a palace in its own right.

Not to mention this was Hyrule Castle, not some old medieval castle on a hill or some castle turned university with the times this was Hyrule Castle in the Kingdom of Hyrule that Zelda herself had lived in. You were about to experience something that shouldn’t even be possible, something that shouldn’t exist- this was really a dream come true. There would be real suits of armour, real secret passageways- real dungeons- You were gonna explode in anticipation!

Not even in your wildest fantasies could you begin to comprehend what was about to happen!

“This is the best day ever!”

Wild’s chuckle was what brought you back, smile bittersweet. “It is not what it used to be. The castle has come a long way since the death of Ganon but-....it still isn’t back to its rightful glory.”

Hyrule’s hand landed gently on his shoulder, a reminder of support and love for his brother at his impending guilt but your hands on his face snapped him back quickly, looking into your eyes, shining with emotion so great it push the darkness back down.

“I’m sure it’s still just as awesome!” You reasoned, smiling brightly. “And besides I get to see it with you- with all of you! I get to experience Hyrule castle with the heroes! That’s an amazing experience in and of itself!”

“You mean that?” Hyrule laughed only for his face to be grabbed and tugged closer.

“Of course I do! Being with you guys is literally a dream come true!”

Not a second later was Time calling for everyone’s attention, packed and ready to go along with the rest and you rushed to grab your belongings, the other two quickly following after.

Hyrule field was truly beautiful, something you had experienced both in-game and at this moment, staring out into the miles of lush grass and trees. The urge to explore was too great, but the consequences that could follow laid greater on your shoulders, keeping you stuck between Wild and Hyrule as you watched the sights go by, Hyrule Castle losing distance and growing closer with each step you took.

You weren’t complaining, far from that, it was for protection and you knew it but your words still stood from yesterday- it felt a little constricting. Probably because you were the friend always walking on the outside of the group, had your own space and your own pace that was comfortable for you so being thrust into the middle was a bit frustrating.

Willing yourself to ignore it, you continued on, gazing off into the horizons when you finally reached a patch of trees, the sounds of chatter and movement catching your ears as you turned to face the Sacred Grounds Ruins- well, what once was ruins but now was obviously not.

Wild had already informed you it had been at least two years since the calamity. Two whole years since he had ended Ganon by his own hand, bringing peace to the kingdom and finally laying the Divine Beasts to rest. Both Zelda and he had already started preparations to rebuild Hylian society, with the help of the other four nations, however, it wouldn’t be the same as before, as civilisation had changed way too much in the last century.

Which wasn’t surprising in the least. After all, a country free of ruling, whether it be under a monarchy or democracy, was a country free of hardship, no one wanted to be governed after so long of the privilege of choice. The question came about how they were able to convince the people to agree.

“There was an agreement.” You watched as Wild stirred the dinner pot, the others chatting around you both. “Hylians didn’t exactly have a stronghold when it came to monsters. Yes, there were the villages and the stables, but we had become a travelling people- no one wanted to stay in one place and that left us vulnerable to the dangers of the wild.”

“So…they just agreed to reestablish the monarchy?” In the back of your mind, your inner voice screamed ‘Fuck the monarchy!’ but you stayed silent as he continued.

“They agreed to rebuild what was left of history.” He brought a spoonful of the soup to your mouth, smiling as you accepted it gratefully and hummed at the taste. “An effort to restore what was lost, a way to show that Hylians still thrived after so much disaster-”

“A symbol that you all survived despite the odds?”

His smile was a proud one. “Exactly.”

The Scared Grounds had gone through a deep restoration, something you could so clearly tell. No longer did the grass grow widely, nor was it adorned in cracking stone and debris- the wild greenery had been plucked from between the cobble, broken stone filled in, the pillars rebuilt and it was beautiful, mystical in a way with the sun beaming down and the trees rustling with the wind, yet from the old scaffolding with buckets of supplies gathered around it still had a way to go from being perfect.

You were a little too caught up in the scene, looking over the engravings etched into the pavement, the triforce graced with the Golden Goddesses' emblems, chiselled into the centre of the grounds-

Didn’t notice the change in the heroes, the air of tension thick as they all shared a similar look of understanding, as Time wandered over to Wild who glanced over the area.

“It’s quiet.” His comment made the younger blonde hum.

“Too quiet.”

A glance your way had Time gently nudging him. “Stay close to them.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Hyrule had already been by your side at the shift, hand intertwined protectively around your own as he moved to stand in front of you, the others subtly backing into a circle, weapons being pulled from sheaths.

It didn't go unnoticed by you. 

“What’s going on?” Your voice stayed quiet, not daring to break the quiet concentration of them all. “Have we walked into a trap?”

Wild had already appeared next to Hyrule, brandishing his bow with arrows pulled at the ready. You bit your tongue then, you let them focus, studying each and every one of them as they all positioned themself ready for battle- memorising as it was terrifying, you knew something was lurking nearby but you didn’t know what. Questions were haunting you, your eyes darted outside the safety circle to try and spot what exactly was stalking you.

The silence was tense, almost choking in a way.

A scream broke out in the North.

----------

Tag: @nihilistic-wobbufet, @xynnia, @souper-salad, @memesgivemereasontolive, @osaihara

(I swear to God why don't half these tags fucking work-)

[cloudninetonine]

Sneak peak of Chapter 10

(Because why the fuck not)

“Well,” You placed your bowl onto your lap. “The moon has no natural light.”

Time let out an ‘oh?’, encouraging you.

“It’s actually a reflection of sunlight, bounces off the moon’s surface…Oh! It also has little craters all over it from taking hits from these things called asteroids! Which are basically space rocks that vary in size that orbit the sun-”

You couldn’t help but ramble, words almost moving faster than your mouth as you stumbled out fact after fact you had learned during your lifetime. You weren’t an astronomer, far from it, but the subject was always one that piqued your curiosity and you couldn’t help but dive into the rabbit hole of “interesting space facts!” from a book your mum had got you during your “I want to work for NASA!” phase.

It put the fear of God into you more than anything but didn’t stop you from loving Space from afar.

“Interesting.” Time had concluded once you had finally finished, stirring away at your food as you awaited his reaction. “It seems you hold the moon in quite a high regard.”

‘Be careful with your words.’ “The moon does quite a lot for us.”

At his hum, you studied him waiting for some sort of negative reaction as he brought a spoonful of food to his mouth.

“I’m sorry but I don’t think we can see eye to eye.”

…You didn’t ask him why.

[cloudninetonine]

A Player's Aid: Chapter 9

Fandom: Legend of Zelda, Linked Universe

A/N: I haven't properly proof read it because I wanted to get this out as soon as I can, and most of this was written during writer's block so it may be lacking compared to the other chapters BUT IT'S LONGER THIS TIME! I'll read it once I have free time and edit the chapter accordingly if I need to!

Warnings: Foul language, mentions of anxiety (?), arguing, brief mentions of violence (? Wind and Player play fighting again), self doubt/insecurity (? I'm not sure if I would tag this or not, ngl)

The sun had risen over the mountain and the glare of its great light hung over the land, warming the Traveller's skin to a pleasant degree. The morning breeze earlier had been fresh, leading to him to pull his blanket over his shoulders for comfort but with the light came the heat and Hyrule relaxed back onto his log, glancing back to where the two had disappeared earlier. 

It had been an hour now, hadn't it? A long agonising hour to the man that had him the slightest (oh how he lied to himself) bit uneasy. Had what the cook wanted to show really taken an hour? Were you both in trouble? Oh, he knew he shouldn't have let them go alone, perhaps awoken the Sailor and asked for a favour so that he could accompany you both. What if you were fighting for your lives? What if-

So many ‘what if’s but no answers to be given. Tempted to find you both himself, the brunette stood to his full height and shrugged off his blanket, pouring water over the fire as the morning light was finally high over the mountains-

"Link!" 

Hyrule blinked then turned in the direction of the voice, laughing. "Gilda! You have returned to us!" 

Green and glowing in the morning air, Gilda zoomed over to her brother and engulfed his cheek in a hug, the hero’s hand coming to cover her in return. The laughter shared between them was good, lighted the present darkness cast over his heart from worry- his sisters tended to do that, where there was an ounce of distress came the overwhelming glow of love from their presence alone. He missed the comfort of his sisters back within his own time, that was very much apparent, but with Gilda here, it lessened the blow of missing home just enough as well as other shadowing emotions that threatened to ruin his mood.

“The Great Mother hailing from the Village of Kakariko sends her regards!” Pulling back, the fairy whizzed around his head. “I just had to see her, tell her the good news! The return of the Guide! She was so pleased!”

Gilda paused, upon noticing something. Quickly circling the group of still sleeping heroes before her brows furrowed and she tilted her head quizzically. “Where is (Name), anyway?”

Hyrule’s worry was delivered similar to a slap across his face, excitement dropping into fret.

“I-”

The familiar sound of Sheikah magic buzzed lightly through the air, followed by the distinct sound of you and the champion’s voice, jovial and sweet causing him to spin to the direction of its origin- your figures stumbling from Ha Dahamar Shrine, you within the arms of the other hero and laughing as he spun you.

The brunette blinked. “...what?”

What had happened in that span of your disappearance-

Gilda’s voice by his ear made him jump. “He remembers!”

Before the question could leave his lips, Gilda was racing over to where the two were- Wild had carried you over the pond surrounding the shrine, your voice excited as you greeted her. Hyrule made his way over slowly, watching his friend place you back onto your feet, keeping close as you continued to converse with Gilda, hands cupped before you to keep her close. 

"What happened?" 

Oh, what happened indeed. The two of you had known each other for only a short span of time and sure it could be argued that it was the same with the traveller but it also wasn't- your incorporeal form was still you therefore in his heart you had both known each other for way longer than what you both had now- years possibly, but even so, now wasn't the time to reflect back onto the past. 

Now was the time to question what in the hell had happened. 

'He remembers!' 

Could Gilda possibly be talking about-

"Rules!" Your voice was just as excited as it was at Gilda's appearance to see his own, jumping at him to throw arms over his shoulder and squeeze him tightly, whatever expression on his face melting as he leaned into you. "Rules, great news- you weren't the only one I guided!" 

… 

Oh. 

You pulled away in a blur of joy, grasping the shoulder of his brother in spirit and yanking him closer, Wild seemingly just as happy about the news as you. "His memory was triggered while we were watching the sunset of all things- well technically it was because we were both screaming but I think the sunset is a better alternative- ah, who cares about that what's important is that you're not the only one! Isn't that great?"

Hyrule summoned just enough might to share your elation, though it held flaws and a crooked smile. "Wonderful."

Your face hesitated for the briefest moment. "You alright?" 

He hadn't expected that- but then again, you were his guide, he should have expected as much, stumbling over himself quickly to save himself the embarrassment.

"I- um- well-" 

"He's simply in shock."

Hyrule blinked in surprise, your attention turning to Wild who patted your shoulder kindly, sending you a cheeky smile. "He's in shock is all, probably elated by the news, after all, we all take it differently don’t we?”

The look the two shared was certainly something. Hyrule could only describe it as similar to the own emotion he was facing now, mixed with the slightest bit of betrayal. For what exactly? For not telling him sooner? As if he would have believed him, what madness! But then again would the traveller have felt the same way? They were close, they shared a bond so why would he keep something as important as this to himself? The first thought was that of a selfish desire and Hyrule had to hold back a flinch from the idea. He didn’t want it to seem like that at all! But then again, what else could it be seen as?

“Yes, of course.” Hyrule smiled at you, patting your shoulder before moving to hold your cheek.

Your smile returned with vigour and you yanked him closer, holding both boys by the waist with an excited gleam within your eye. “This is perfect! I don’t mean to sound selfish but I’m feeling better already having you both by my side! Feels a little less choked up! I can’t wait to get to properly know you guys- well, know you guys in the physical form!”

You gave them both a hard squeeze, the two sharing another look over your shoulder before Wild looked down at you, carefully calling for your attention.

“Actually, (Name), there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

"Well, I-" 

"What are you doing?" 

The voice cut through like a knife. The sharpened steel aimed towards you amongst all, your trio taking a glance towards a familiar pink-streaked blonde whose eyes were narrowed right onto your figure, more importantly, the arms around the other two which you quickly snatched away, wide eyes trained onto Legend as he stood from his sleep mat, eyes narrowed with a dark glare. 

'Awh shit, here he goes-' 

Wild's stance straightened, almost threateningly as he went to move in front of you, Legend's face shifting quickly to surprise, your own and Hyrule's expression mirroring the brooding blond’s. “Is there a problem, Vet?”

The wild hero wasn’t much taller than his counterpart, a few inches or so but it still seemed enough to make him look towering, the shadow casting over Legend from the position of the sun was something that only added to it. An intimidation tactic, a good one, one which you had been on the other end of and you felt guilt crawl up your spine from the way that Wild was using it to discourage his comrade. You didn’t want this, you didn’t want to create some sort of separation of the group and honestly, Legend’s attitude was warranted if the boys were going to act like this when they finally remembered you.

The hero’s wide eyes stared back up into the eyes of the other and you made the move to tug him behind you, hands up in surrender. “Nothing! We aren’t doing anything isn’t that right, Wild?”

Your face held challenge when you glanced back at the blonde, eyes narrowed with a look of displeasure plastered on your face that made him stumble, glancing between you and his brother, swallowing whatever argument down.

“Nothing.” He corrected, looking at Legend. “Nothing, Vet.”

You nudged your shoulder with his and he ground his teeth. “Sorry,”

Glancing back at the pink-streaked blonde, you smiled something shaky. “Sorry if we woke you, Legend.”

Hyrule shared a look with Gilda before sharing your grin. “Yes, friend, we apologise for waking you.”

One moment, two moments, three- the Hero of Legend stared upon the four of you with a look that was undecipherable. Was he mad? Was he grateful to you for stopping the potential fight? So many questions too little answers, frustrating for some, but you were prepared to stay in blissful ignorance if it meant not having to deal with a fight from the blonde’s side. 

“Is there a problem?” 

What was with these guys suddenly popping up? Was someone wishing for you to shit yourself? You patted yourself on the back in the confines of your mind for only leaping about 2 feet in the air, the group glancing towards Time who sat tall in his bedroll, Twilight and Warriors sat beside him with the same authoritative energy.

It was honestly giving “I just came home from a bender and dad’s been waiting all night for me to return.”

Your heart was going pitter patter pitter patter- and not in the fun way. 

"No, sir." Hyrule was the saviour in this instance, stepping up from his position with a smile as fake as your grandmother's pearls as he did. "Nothing at all, just a little misunderstanding is all." 

Eyes fell to you and you forced yourself to stay strong, standing straighter in your spot. "Yup, just a misunderstanding!" 

A final glance was sent to Legend's direction, still slightly frozen from what had occurred and seemingly festering in his anger when Time called out to him, the pink-streaked blonde sparing him a glance. 

He sighed through grounded teeth. "Everything's fine."

And walked away just like that, leaving your little group to the big dogs. 

"I'll…get started on breakfast." 

Time's eye narrowed. "A good idea." 

The champion began moving away but not without grabbing your wrist, tugging you into the direction of the cooking pot situated outside of the Inn nearby. There was a certain emotion in his eye, softer than earlier, similar to how he looked at you upon that mountain, with a care that had been pushed down for way too long and was now bursting forth from the pressure. 

"I'll cook your favourite." He whispered, just for you to hear. "I still remember it, you always told me how you missed the taste- let me give this to you now." 

Your heart fluttered at the genuine emotion behind his words, strong and untamed from the years it had been since he had last heard your voice. What was he feeling right now? You had a clue, but did your clue even compare to all the emotions that were currently rushing through him? After all, this man had lost everything, his home, his family, his friends- all that he had known and losing his guide after his journey must have been hard, someone else who he cared for and vice versa when he had nothing, staying with him through his entire journey only to disappear without a trace when all was over, leaving him with the all but forgotten Princess by his side, weakly calling his name.

You were surprised he didn’t despise you for leaving, didn’t look at you with rotten anger upon the cliff that sat the shrine. A guess lead you to luck, luck that made him so forgiving, luck that he missed you so and you weren’t going to take that for granted.

Wild’s voice had wobbled when he asked you to join him, his eyes glazed too with held-back tears and you smiled the sweetest smile you could. “Sure, Link, let’s go.”

Hyrule watched the two of you walk off, his heart felt heavy and his skin felt hot, an unknown feeling wriggling within his gut as the scene played out before his eyes.

“Trouble in paradise?” Gilda teased, settling onto his shoulder carefully with an understanding smile.

“I have no idea what paradise you speak of.”

“Oh brother, you humour me- you needn’t feel that way,” Her hand came to rest gently against his cheek, brown eyes glancing at the fairy in his peripheral. “They won’t leave you behind, I know that fear rests within your mind but you mustn’t let it get to you.”

The sigh that left Hyrule was heavy, eyes glued to how you interacted happily with the Champion, smiles on both your faces. You seemed happy, not that he didn’t want to see you that way he much preferred it when it was directed at him, yes, he did, with a smile so bright it blinded him and eyes so kind it made him feel as if he were drowning in care.

“....”

“Oh stop with those puppy eyes!” 

A green flash appeared before his eyes, Gilda’s eyes narrowed as they stared back into his own, hands slapping against each side of his face to keep his focus on her. “Stop letting your fears take hold! For once have faith! If not in yourself, then in them! What would they think if they knew what you were thinking?”

Hyrule hesitated, “I-”

“Don’t even think about it, mister!” With a final soft pat, she pulled away. “You always think about the worst ‘what ifs’ and never let your heart have a break. For once, Link, can you just believe that the world isn’t coming for you?”

An argument was forming in his heart, the urge to rebuttal her plea at the tip of his tongue when a voice called for him, eyes flying to see you waving him over. Inviting and soft, your smile made his heart flutter and his ears flapped excitedly, hands going to cover them in embarrassment at his sister’s knowing glance.

“Go to them.” She disappeared behind him, trying to nudge him in the direction of the pot. “And don’t keep them waiting!”

Gilda’s strength didn’t do much, for she was just a fairy, but Hyrule’s feet began to move without much argument, leaving behind his waking comrades to join your side, sitting himself down on the log beside you and flustering up when you linked their arm comfortably around his own. Wild poured batter into the pot, your eyes focused on the meal as you both chatted, a domestic feeling hanging over his shoulders as he relaxed into them.

The others joined and breakfast was served with smiles.

-----

You did not like getting ready.

Tedious in a way, even though it always ended with good results, you hated having to sort out your belongings into your bag, clean yourself to your best degree and pretend that you were mentally prepared to head out into the world when you were on the verge of dropping from the map and leaving all that you knew to the dust just so you didn’t have to attend some seminar or go to work.

You especially hated waiting for other people to get ready- ready for the day, waiting on the bed with your phone in hand texting your friend a ‘you ready?’ text, getting a response of ‘five more minutes’ only for an hour to go by and still not ready text. Sure, you could entertain yourself with your phone but you had planned this months ago and now you were here sitting like some sort of dickhead-

You digress.

Sitting on the log waiting for the rest to get ready wasn’t the best thing. You offered many a time to help them, but almost everyone waved you off with some gratitude, though Wind gladly accepted your help so once finished, you both decided to explore the area one last time before continuing off to….you had no idea where you guys were going-

“I think we may be a little too far from the camp.”

“We’re fine!” Wind gestured back to the group, still a respectable distance away. “If we’re in trouble they’ll come running! Besides you’re the one who wanted to explore!”

“I’m also the one who I’m pretty sure Time hates so let’s not go too far, yeah?”

“What? He doesn’t hate you!”

“Tell that to the look on his face when I breathe wrong-”

“He always looks like that!”

“Like someone shat in his bedroll?”

The sailor burst into his laughter, holding his stomach with a reddening face while you stood triumphant before him, hands on your hips as you grinned.

“Not-” He giggled, “-funny!”

“I don’t know, I think that’s a grin on your face-”

He went to kick you but you expertly dodged, raising fists for an old-fashioned fist fight which he mimicked, both of you circling each other playfully before he jumped, the two of you wrestling in a messy pile in the grass trying to pin each other. 

"No Old Man to save you this time, shit head!" 

"You're the one who'll need saving!" 

“Oh yeah!?”

“Oh yeah-”

A twig snapped at Wind’s reaction was instant.

You fell to the floor as he jumped into position, pulling his sword from its scabbard as he brandished it towards the direction of the noise, eyes focused and narrowed dangerously. “Who goes there!?”

While it was impressive how fast Wind was able to react…it was also sad. Merely 14, still a child and still very much ready for any real danger. You wondered if it made him sad- while other children lounged about enjoying their childhood, causing fun mayhem to all the adults around while he had the destiny of a hero shoved onto him at the age of 11. From what you could tell, he didn’t seem too upset, but what if that was merely a cover for his true feelings? Did he feel distaste for the goddess that had given him this? Did he regret ever becoming a hero?

You sat up a little as you watched him in awe, slight embarrassment eating away at you also from the fact you were being protected by a child but you weren’t about to fight him about when you knew you wouldn’t even stand a chance against him.

You could hear your friend's voice somewhere in the back of your mind.

“Me, personally? I wouldn’t let that slide.”

JD was always a cunt.

There was another sound in that direction, your eyes falling to the spot behind a tree nearby, watching something quickly dip behind it just a few yards ahead and making your stomach turn, heart pounding against your chest as you slowly backed up.

Tension was a horrible thing- of course, you had to consider the variables around it, after all, not every case was a bad one, but right here right now, your gut had travelled up to your throat, joking you slowly as the world around you seemed to cave in. What was it? Was it the Shadow as the others liked to call it? Or some monster lackey in his ranks, hoping to jump you when you were unprepared? Perhaps a Chuchu? The fear seemed icy cold at that question, memories of the burning pain from the day before sinking into your skin, your arm and leg aching painfully underneath your garments.

Out of all the creatures you knew to fear in this world, you never would have expected something as simple as a Chuchu to be so high up your list of feared creatures.

"Come out." Wind's growl was really that of a hero, even for his age, the sharpened look in his eye unnerving even you as he stepped closer to the tree, sword still raised protectively. "Or these next few moments may be your last!" 

Damn, sometimes you forgot this was the boy that stabbed Ganon in the fucking head. Straight up merked the mother fucker. 

Wind took another step forward and finally did the thing dive out from its cover, wailing and begging for its life as it waddled towards the two of you-

"IS THAT A KOROK?!" 

Your scream probably echoed through the valley, probably alerted the group nearby hell probably alerted the Shadow from whatever dark corner it was brooding in as you saw the magical creature continue to waddle closer, crying into its leafy hands while Wind looked back at you as if you had just the most downright absurd thing ever, embarrassed and ashamed of his friendship with you. 

"Please don't kill me!" They cried, waving their hands. "I'm sorry to have surprised you! I only wanted to see the guide!" 

"The guide?" Wind parroted in confusion but it was cut short when you 'accidentally' pushed him aside, crawling up to the Korok in a wondrous daze. "Hey!" 

A good distraction, you didn't want to have to answer questions you weren't exactly sure of the answers to yet. 

… 

Also because he kinda deserved to be pushed, after all, he was just standing there-

The Korok looked upon you with emotion couldn’t decipher, had it been because it wore a mask or simply because you just couldn’t tell what the magical creature was feeling, you still couldn’t help the muffled squeal from behind your hands as it waggled it’s own towards you in excitement, it’s tears subsided.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way,” You started, “But you are the cutest thing to have ever crossed my path, I generally think I could die from the pure unfiltered adorableness of yourself.”

A silence hung over the three of you, Wind and the Korok seemingly staring you down, eyes burning you to your very core and the embarrassment finally started to wash over you. Had you really just said that? Called a being probably 3x times older than your very existence cute? You hadn’t even tried to be subtle, hadn’t whispered it to Wind (who was already judging you terribly) hadn’t thought about keeping the thought purely to yourself, no, you had looked down at the Korok, staring through the eyeholes of it’s mask then stated it to him like it was a known fact.

It was also as if you had just mansplained its whole existence to it.

Knowing that the Goddesses existed was good, you had a way out of this, all you had to do was stand and scream to the heavens how you wished to be smited where you stood.

Someone would hear you, you weren’t sure as to who but you knew someone would answer.

“...I am so sorry-”

“Thank you!” It waved its arms enthusiastically and you once again had to hold back your wail of anguish at the fact you couldn’t even begin to describe in the best detail just how lovable this amazing creature was. “It means so much coming from the hero’s guide!”

Oh no, not again, you really couldn’t have Wind asking questions- this situation was something you couldn’t grasp your head around so how could you explain that to him? What was the guide? Why were they calling you that? Was there something you weren’t telling them? You didn’t want seeds of doubt to start to sprout in the relationship you had begun to form with the youngest Link. He was your friend- you were friends and you didn’t want what you guys had to crumble away because he couldn’t trust you. Sure, with the evidence from Hyrule and Wild, there was the possibility that Wind could also remember was something you would deal with later, not now in Bubinga Forest, with everyone else so close by.

The Korok tilted its head when you motioned for it to stay quiet, mouthing “he doesn’t know.” and jerking your head back subtly to Wind who still seemed confused by the encounter. When another second passed and it nodded it’s head, you heaved a sigh of relief before changing the subject in hopes it would be a distraction.

“What’s your name?”

“Kusa!”

“That’s such a lovely name! I’m (Name).”

The conversation lasted only a few minutes but an amazing few minutes nonetheless, those you had decided would stay close to your heart for lifetimes to come, you would never forget this moment, but then again, you were currently in another universe, so really, would it ever be possible to forget something as earth-shattering as this?

You thought the fuck not.

Wind had been leaning against your crouched back that entire time, moving from his spot in the grass to lazing against you, face in your hair as he waited for your attention. Comical really, it reminded you of your friend Amira’s kitten back home, a hormonal teenager with attention issues who would glare at you across the room until you gave her what she craved, cuddles that was till she had what she wanted and then she was biting down on your hand like some savage beast ready to tear off the flesh from your bone-

Now that you thought about it, Wind did have a catty personality and you tried to subtly move forward, begging the Goddesses he didn’t suddenly have the urge to bite down on your head for ignoring him but with him leaned against you, his body could only follow and now you were bent at an angle with him still laid on you.

“Comfortable?” You asked when Kusa sent you what you guessed was a concerned look.

“Yep.” Was the boy’s response and you merely rolled your eyes when the sound of your names caught your ears, Wind’s hand pushing down on your head to stand back to his full short height.

“Really!?”

He stuck his tongue out and you grabbed his ankle to yank his feet out beneath him, cackling at his cry. “No fair!”

“Your face isn’t fair!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

You held back a perfectly timed ‘your mum’ joke, not wanting to deal with the possible consequences that followed. “You don’t make any sense!”

Your names were called again and the two of you glanced back, catching the impatient face of Time that had you both scrambling, pushing at each other playfully when Kusa called out to you desperately, you skidding to a stop in concern.

“Here!” A little cracked Korok seed was presented in his hand, waving towards you before it was placed gently in your awaiting palm, your face soft as you stared down at it. “For good luck!”

You leaned down, engulfing the little creature in a one-armed hug, feeling giddy as his little arms returned the gesture. “Thank you, Kusa- I hope to see you again soon.”

“And I, you! Dear guide!” You finally pulled away, waving goodbye as you chased after Wind, who had stopped to wait for you, the both of you finally gathering with the rest of the group, trying to slink away from Time’s glare.

“Aint no way this guy doesn’t hate me by now, Wind.” You whispered to him but he merely rolled his eyes and you left it at that, saddling up to both Hyrule and Wild who looked over you carefully, Hyrule’s eyes falling to your clenched hand.

“What are you holding?”

“Huh? Oh-” You brought it up happily, opening it to reveal Kusa’s gift. “Korok seed!”

“There was a Korok nearby?” Wild asked, looking over the small cracked seed in interest.

“Yup! He gave it to me for good luck-” You paused, “Actually, he mentioned the guide too…”

“Oh! I was the one to tell the Deku tree!” Gilda circled your head once, settling into your hair as you all began to move, “I told as many as I could! Oh, you should have seen the excitement on people’s faces! They were so elated for your return!”

The three of you paused at the other end of the Big Twin Bridge, sharing a concerned glance when Hyrule looked up at his sister nervously, smile wobbly. “Uh, Gilda, dear sister, how many people have you told?”

“Oh, you know~” She teased, her smile almost malicious in his eyes. “Enough.”

….

You didn’t like those words.

-----

From the comfort of your Switch, Hyrule looked to be much smaller. The map was certainly big there was no argument there, but Link’s leisured jog got you from one spot to the other quite fast, there was also the use of teleportation with the shrines and the towers, so it all seemed quite close together in terms of distance.

The truth was that reality was much different than fiction and you were running on real-world time while playing, the actual time within the game lost to you at the bottom of your screen, too engrossed in fighting that lynel, or chasing that Korok, or climbing that mountain- what you were trying to say was the day seemed to disappear faster than you expected.

It had taken an hour to get past the Dueling Peaks, an hour! It honestly felt surreal when you had finally seen the Sheikah Tower standing tall on the opposite side, eyes wide in awe but slightly downtrodden that you couldn’t experience climbing it for yourself. To see the beauty of Hyrule field at that height. Sure, seeing it up on the mountain top was breathtaking in its own right, however, observing the view from your own hard work would have been just as rewarding.

When it had reached about the four-hour mark you weren’t as chipper as how you started. Everyone else seemed fine, which of course was no surprise but your legs burned with the strain of it all and when Time declared for your first break within the day you collapsed right onto the floor where you had been standing.

Seriously, hadn’t even bothered to walk over to some fallen logs by your feet- as soon as the words had left the eldest’s mouth you had fallen to your knees and face-planted into the floor.

“Are you okay?” Wild had the audacity to ask, leaning down with a hand on your back.

You groaned in response and shifted over to your back with a haunted look within your eyes. “I’ve got a question for you, Link.”

He blinked leaning closer.

“You ever have a Krispy Kreme?”

“...What-”

“Was it crispy?”

“I-”

“Right, right,” You gently patted the side of his face, looking into his eyes. “I think I’ve actually lost whatever sanity I’ve had left.”

“I don’t think so.” Hyrule teased, crouching down opposite the blonde. “You spouted enough nonsense on our journeys, in fact, it seems you’re finally returning to your usual self- glad to know you’re coming back to your senses~”

Your hand landed gently on his face and you pushed him away. “Blocked, blocked- you’re all blocked.”

His laugh was muffled by your hand, joyful and strong before he was grasping your wrist, Wild taking the other and the two of them yanking you to your feet, brushing down your clothes carefully. “How much longer are we going to walk?”

The glance the two shared was not a good thing. You knew it wasn’t a good thing, not at all, your face dropping in horror as Wild gestured you to follow him up the hill you had taken your rest at, Hyrule being called away by Legend leaving the two of you to trudge up through the hollow innard of the giant collapsed tree resting upon the Hills of Baumer, the hero handling you gently as he tugged you onto the stump, leading you to the edge which showcased a large portion of Hyrule field.

“See just before the Central tower?” His hand rested gently upon your shoulder, finger pointed towards a small cluster of trees. “That’s where we will be resting for tonight.”

“There?” You asked breathlessly, a wave of anguish falling over you when he nodded. “No…-”

You walked away from the scene with a mocking sob, collapsing back onto your knees, elbows resting on the floor with hands covering your face. No, no, this was terrible, why were you being punished like this? You could already feel the burn in your calves of an upcoming cramp, the fear hanging over your head- you hated those things, they were the worst and you so didn’t want to experience it.

“Hey, hey,” The hero chuckled, crouched down beside you with his arm gently resting over your shoulder. “You don’t need to worry, it’ll be over before you know it.”

“Easy for you to say.” You huffed, looking back up at him. “You’ve hiked over Hyrule a few hundred times and then some- not to mention climbed a few mountains too.”

“Much easier to do when you have a friend by your side.”

Oh, oh no he was giving you that soft look, the one him and Hyrule seemed to share- was that a hero thing? Making you feel happy and light with just a single expression? No fair, you deemed, trying to ignore that flutter in your chest, they couldn’t go around making you feel special like this just because. You weren’t having it, no you weren’t, but then again you knew trying to fight against it wouldn’t work, there was no way, you just had an inkling in the back of your mind.

So you merely smiled, soft and sweet before gently bumping your shoulder with his. “You’re a softie, you know that?”

“Funny, I could say the same of you, dear guide.”

Standing once again, Wild helped you down the stump, grabbing you carefully to prevent a stumble, your arms linked together when you took a step in the direction leading back to the group, only to pause when Wild tugged you back.

“I have a better idea.”

-----

“Your insistence isn’t flattering, Vet.”

“Stop avoiding the question and answer me, Traveller-”

“What else is there to say?” Hyrule’s hands flew about in his emphasis, his face a mixture of frustration and sadness. “Vet, my friend, my brother in arms- you have taken all I have to give, what is it that you are so desperately searching for?”

The Hero of Legend was a stubborn man, that was true, persistent in a good way but only now did it seem obsessive, he was always so logical but it seemed to be thrown away in this desperate act to find something that really wasn’t there.

Hyrule knew that Legend didn’t like you- everyone did but this was passing the borders of insanity. He was nitpicking every little detail, every little fault and he wasn’t even giving you the chance! When the Vet had pulled him away earlier to speak with him, he wasn’t surprised, they were close, that was true and so it was to be expected that he would want answers from that morning. But this…this was getting out of hand.

“I want the truth!” The blonde cried, “I want you to tell me what they have done to you-”

“Nothing! They have done nothing!”

“Liar!”

It hurt to see him like this. Hyrule could tell he was struggling, the emotion plastered on his face as clear as day, but what could possibly soothe his troubles? The truth wasn’t optional in that moment, it seemed closer to a lie if anything, but this deceit he was currently giving Legend was no better. The Traveller hated lying to him, hated it down to his very core but it was the only option.

If it meant keeping you safe, he would take it.

“Your desperation makes you blind, Link.”

“Funny, I could say the same about your affection, Link.”

A few moments of silence passed.

“I don’t know what you want from me.”

“As I said, the truth.”

Hyrule turned away from his glare, sighing in defeat. “Well then, I hope you find this truth that you so desperately crave.”

The anger on his face was honestly heartbreaking to see, but the younger man had no idea what else to offer. “Don’t you walk away from me, Traveller-”

“You know this is over, Vet.” The staredown was tense, it was hard and cold and unwelcoming and Hyrule was certain the others could probably feel it from the small distance they had made, some sparing glances their way when their voices had raised just a little too loud. “What else is there to say? That they’re tricking me? They’ve taken over my mind? I’m so hopelessly charmed by their rudimentary humour and choppy wit?”

Legend’s hands clenched and unclenched by his sides but he stayed silent in the face of winding roads, choices on his next words glaring back at him along with the reinforced thread that was their relationship.

Did he dare cause fray or even, he so nervously thought, snap it at that moment?

“Go on, Link, say what you’re holding back.”

“...Have they edified this speech for you?”

“Oh for the Goddesses’ mercy- enough.” Hyrule had finally put his foot down, cutting a line through whatever else dared spilt from his mouth. “Enough of this. You may speak with me once this foolishness leaves your mind.”

Hyrule really did hate this but at this point in time Legend wouldn’t understand. Maybe, when it came the day you spiked a memory relapse upon him, maybe then he would understand but that wasn’t going to happen now, certainly not now with the tension that sparked so strong between the two, glares sharing an equal frustrated fire before Hyrule finally turned.

“Brood here if you must, I will see you back with the others.”

“They are pulling you away, don’t you see-”

Hyrule spun around, still backing up as he threw out his hands. “I’m still here, aren’t I!?”

Legend finally huffed, kicking at a rock by his feet while Hyrule turned back, many turning away from him to pretending to have not watched the two bicker.

The look Time had sent him was a mixture of emotions though, not needing to speak his words out loud for the fairy boy to understand. ‘I will not have infighting within this group.’

Hyrule held back an annoyed huff. ‘Tell that to the Vet-’

A scream echoed and the many jumped into action, Hyrule’s heart dropping as he registered the voice to be yours, hurrying towards the source of the sound, getting increasingly louder and closer until-

“WOAH!” You yelped, narrowingly missing the brunette by a hair, shaking on the shield resting by your feet before stumbling, falling right off your shield and tumbling for a few moments, finally collapsing into a heap in the nearby grass with a loud grunt, laying still on the grass before your hand flew up. “I’m okay!”

A glance was shared with everyone when Wild came flying past Hyrule, almost knocking him, hopping off the shield with a cry of your name as he leaned down and checked over you, Hyrule not too far behind with a look of disapproval. “Did you push them into this?!”

“I-” 

“What were you thinking!?”

Your bore an awkward expression. “Rules-”

Wild’s face soured. “Small accidents come with shield surfing-”

“Wild-”

“But what if this wasn’t small!? They could have been seriously hurt!”

“Traveller-” Sky started but he was glared away, taking a step back with hands raised in an unaggressive manner as Hyrule turned back towards Wild.

Gilda had been resting in Wind’s hair when she had zipped back over, her face creased awkwardly as she tried to pull her brother away, tugging at his hair in an effort to dissuade the upcoming fight that seemed to be brewing, Hyrule and Wild leaning closer with each sentence, faces pinched angrily, fists clenched-

Only to yelp when you grabbed at their ears, pulling them away from each other. “Oi! That’s enough, what are you guys doing!?”

“He got you hurt- Ah!”

“No, he didn’t- and what about you? Why are you encouraging this?!”

“I’m not- ow, ow OW! Don’t tear my ear off!”

“Impressive.” Warriors laughed, arms crossed as he watched you reprimand the two, feeling a familiar weight on his shoulders as he thought back to his rookie days, “Sounds as if they’ve done this before- wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that bite.”

Twilight chuckled, watching the scene with amusement, Time beside him seemingly sharing the emotion as he bite back a smile before he called out to the group. “Enough- this isn’t a circus and we still have ground to cover, the Shadow waits for none of us.”

You finally released the two with a huff, pushing yourself to your feet with Gilda following behind you, shaking her head towards her brother and his friend then zipped up to your shoulder to rest upon it.

Hyrule and Wild shared a glance, the brunette letting out an annoyed huff as he met his friend’s eyes, standing with Wild following not so far behind, catching up to all the while sharing shoves and jabs as they did.

-----

The further you all walked the worse it seemed to get, Legend’s glaring eyes burning into your skull certainly didn’t help your case either. Having the two boys settled on each of your sides felt constricting and with Legend on your flank you felt as if with one movement you’d be strangled by the weights of their presence. Frustrating, very frustrating, you couldn’t even properly enjoy the sites around you because of how suffocated you felt from it all and it was really getting on your last nerve.

You were kinda thankful when Time stopped the group, gesturing for them all to quiet down from their chatter, slowly and cautiously manoeuvring closer to the eldest to see the small encampment of Bokoblins and Lizalfos, your eyes widening in surprise.

“Those aren’t your monsters.” You whispered to Wild, watching as a lizard hissed towards the pigman that bumped it, “Aren’t those bokoblins from the Great sea? And those Lizalfos are from Sky’s era, what…”

“The Shadow brings them.” He explained gently, “We believe it’s part of its plan but then again, it may just be creating an army with what it can get.”

“For what?”

“I-”

“That still isn’t clear to us.” Hyrule interrupted, Wild sending him a dirty look from over your shoulder. “However, your appearance may be an answer to that.”

“Must you?” Wild growled.

Hyrule went to open his mouth but you interrupted, glancing between the two with a clear irritation that had their mouths snapping shut, attention on you. “Alright, listen I don’t know what’s up with you two but you’ve been acting like brattish children since this morning. I may be oblivious but I could fucking feel those glares earlier.”

When Wild tried to speak you raised your hand “-I’m not done, Link.”

Even with your whispered words, a quiet voice to keep the gaze of the others away from this little spat and to not interrupt the ‘meeting’ between the three eldest, it seemed everyone had felt the venom in your voice, a collective shiver running through the group as you continued, pointing at the two boys to emphasis your point. “This? This needs to stop- now, you’re about to go into battle and this little strop will only cause problems, do you hear me, Link? I won’t have one of you injured because you’re upset with each other so until this little dog fight is over I’m staying with the sailor.” 

A panic gathered over their faces, voices jumping over one another in a mess of apologies and begs but you hardened your gaze. “Don’t apologise to me, apologise to each other- don’t let whatever feelings you’re struggling with get in the way of your friendship, yeah? You both deserve better than that.”

Wind looked nervous at your arrival, glancing back at the two then to you in a way that made you only feel sourer than before, nudging his shoulder playfully with your own in hopes of trying to relax him. 

“What’s with that look?” You joked, smiling with a teasing tint. “You look like a cat who got caught stealing fish from the countertop.”

The audacity in which you seemed to have summoned had him frowning, a familiar fishy frown that had you biting back a laugh. “Oh look, now you’re the fish.”

He managed to land a kick that made you yelp, yanking him by his scuff before he could zoom off to put him in a headlock, ruffling his hair even as he whined and tried to push away from you. “Hey!”

“Don’t hey me- you kicked me-”

“(Name).”

Time’s voice was an enigma, really, completely heavenly, deep and rich, it held authority but also a calming sense whenever he decided to talk- it made you feel safe like everything would be okay and there wasn’t a worry in the world that would bother you.

Time’s voice also sounded like nails on a chalkboard and you meant that in the nicest way possible. It brought pain and a sudden dread, similar to the sound of a gunshot, when it sounded you knew trouble was following- well, you knew that glare, sharp as a knife and as dark as the night sky, would be staring down at you and make you feel like a tiny little Chuchu he was about to squash beneath his boot.

You released Wind carefully as you turned to the eldest, face tilted down so you wouldn’t have to catch his eyes so strong but showing that you were at full attention. “Yes, sir?”

“Ranch-hand will be taking you to our planned camp spot.” You glanced to his side and met Twilight’s eyes, the man sending you a small smile.

But…this didn’t feel right. “I…I uh, I don’t mean to question you, sir, but- are you sure? I mean, you’ll need everyone fighting right-”

When Time’s hand rested upon your shoulder you tensed slightly, an unexpected turn that had your head reeling in confusion as he continued, voice a little…softer than what he had been supporting, a similar tone to your first meeting, soothing and kind. “It’s only a small group, we should be able to handle ourselves with only eight. Besides, Ranch-hand offered after my mistake last time- which I promise you won’t happen again.”

Your heart lightened. “It’s okay-”

“No, it was foolish of me to leave you when you were obviously untrained by your lonesome, even with a weapon, I hope that you can forgive me but we shall leave that till later.” With a pat that made you stand just a little taller, he called for the rest as he walked away to inform them of their plan.

“Come now,” Twilight’s face was soft as he called for you, patient as you glanced back at the other nervously when waddling along. “Have faith, they’ve done this time and time again.”

“I know, I just-” With a sigh, you follow after him. "It's not fair for you to have to babysit me." 

"Nonsense- as the old man said, I offered to keep watch on you- better than leaving you to fend for yourself." He'd whispered the last few words more to himself, but you heard them, looking down at his conflicted look. 

"You seem more upset about that than I am, farm boy." You joked, but his expression didn't change. 

"He knows better than that and I don't understand why he would leave you alone like that." 

You're only mildly surprised by Twilight's disposition. Surprised for his care at such a young stage- you'd barely talked to the man properly from there to now, hell, you had exchanged more words with Legend than the farm boy, but the shock was only mild from your knowledge of how this man was, going from the game alone. Twilight was a caregiver, a babysitter to his village, a hard worker to the families surrounding him- a supposed beast to a man with a heart filled with kindness, that's what Midna had come to learn at least, falling in love with him during their short span together. Well, that's what the manga had suggested anyway and who were you to argue with it? The game was enough proof of their devotion to one another and- you were going off-topic. 

What you knew of Twilight was that he was a kind, selfless man and to show that he cared for you, even in the littlest bit really was a blessing in disguise. 

You glanced over to Epona, then to Gilda still sitting silent on your shoulder, biting at your lip in contemplation before gently resting your hand upon his strong shoulder (oh hell he really did have that muscle- wow-) and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Even wise men make mistakes." 

You caught his eye, pushing on a bright smile at his hesitance. "You can't keep holding on to it or it'll drive you mad, Link- it's fine- I'm fine and he knows what he did was wrong." 

"... You would forgive him so quickly over endangering your life?" 

The frown on your face was telling enough. "You make it sound like he did it on purpose." 

"And what if he did?" 

… The words weren't a comfort, they really, really weren't, your own posture dropping as you both stopped in the middle of the path sharing a look that made your stomach churn. "... What's that supposed to mean?"

Twilight bite his lip for a moment, one moment, two moments, three- and he opened his mouth after a sign. "He told me it was a test- a test for the Shadow- he wanted to see if it was watching us and he believes that those Chuchus were proof but he knows those things will spawn anywhere-" 

"Oh, is that it?" Twilight froze, his expression confused as the worry started to melt from your face. "I thought you were gonna say something like he was trying to get me killed or whatever, you scared me for a second!" 

Your jolly laugh certainly scared him, after all- what was there to laugh about? Did you really find the thought of endangering your life funny, amusing? 

At his expression you paused, making a face before correcting yourself. "Uh, I lemme rephrase that- the reason he put me in danger was for practical reasons, not because, you know, he didn't like me and was trying to get rid of me- which I knew he wouldn't! It's just, it's better knowing that he had a good reason- wish he just told me beforehand so I could prepare myself mentally for getting jumped by an actual Shadow-"

"You should be angry." He insisted, grabbing you by the shoulders, "Furious even, it doesn't matter if his reasoning was for the better good, he put you in danger and I cannot stand by and let you brush your own safety aside just because you don't value your life as you should."

Wow, reading you like a book. You could almost hear the" damnnnn-" across the dimensions from your friends. Never in your life would you ever think you'd be violated like this by an actual medieval hero but here you were standing in the middle of the path in the area known as Hyrule Field you wondered if the right thing to do was walk straight into the nearest monster settlement, arms open wide with a look of acceptance on your face. 

“Ooh, burn.” You muttered awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck “But, seriously, Link- I am mad, it’s just, well, there’s no point of getting angry and after all, it’s over now-...

“...I’m sorry, I’m letting my own feelings get in the way.” Twilight squeezed your shoulders politely, pulling away after a moment. “I understand that you may have different expectations of us but I still think you shouldn’t allow him to pull such things with you- even if it was for good you don’t deserve to be treated like a testing dog just because we need answers…”

“Thank you, Link.” With a final reassuring smile, you nudged your shoulder against his. “It means a lot that you care, even a little.”

“You’re under our protection, so we must see that you are indeed protected.” Slight panic grew on his face at his words, stumbling “B-But that doesn’t mean I don’t care- this isn’t just a job-”

“I get you.” You began to walk forward, Epona huffing and following after you before you glanced back, raising him a brow at his frozen figure. “Come on- we’re probably going to have to set up the camp right? Let's hurry and get to the area so they can relax once they arrive.”

A few moments passed, his eyes focused on your figure before finally did he move, jogging up to your side with a nod of agreement, grabbing back onto Epona’s reins only to pause, handing them over to you.

“Why don’t you hold her for a while? She certainly likes you enough.”

The bright look on your face was convincing enough for him, the two of you continuing on to your desired location.

----------

Tag: @nihilistic-wobbufet , @xynnia

[cloudninetonine]

A Player's Aid: Chapter 6

It was perfect.

The outfit was perfect.

A tunic, made of soft white fabric that fell down to your mid-thigh, the sleeves cuffed with a brown material, embroidered with accents of gold, that seemed to follow to the hem of the garment and the neck, branching further down your shoulders before once again circling the collar. A wide, dark brown, leather waist belt kept it in place. Thick, soft tights that were stained a magnolia cream, a perfect fit despite being burrowed garb and brown traveller’s boots tightened accordingly.

You also had an undershirt, white same as your tunic, but that wasn’t important. What was important was the beautifully made cloak to go with your finished outfit. A beautiful shade of juniper green, pulling it over your shoulders showed it hung down low, the back tail dipping as far to your calf muscle, with the rest of it just reaching your knees, a double layer stopping at your belt and holding the fabric of a long hood that shadowed your features when you pulled it over your head.

Save for a single eye and glowing veins, glaring back at you in the reflection of a mirror on Wild’s desk, but you wouldn’t complain, it looked awesome.

“I am the main character” You whispered confidently, pulling the hood back off and smiling at yourself “Look at you go, indeed, (Full Name)”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and you turned in the direction of the noise, meeting Hyrule’s awe-stricken face as he wandered up to your side, hands coming to cup at your shoulders and twisting you around to soak it all in. “You look incredible”

“Like an adventurer?”

“Even better”

You waved him off with a laugh “You flatter me, Fairy Boy”

The look he sent you back almost made you melt “Can you blame me?”

Damn, did this man have quite an influence over you. It had only been a day and it already felt like you had known each other for a lifetime. Such kind words had such a powerful effect, your face felt hot, your heart fluttered- this wasn’t fair. Maybe it was because he was already someone who you deeply admired? Character or not, each and every one of the Links had been through something that would obviously be deemed courageous and now you could only hold them up in such high regard.

They were heroes, you were but a humble student who was working into an uncertain future. Why wouldn’t his- any of their praise not make you flush up in a bashful daze?

“Oh, I have something for you, actually-” his hand moved to one of the many little pouches hanging from his belt, your eyes watching in awe as his hand dipped deeper than it possibly could (That had to be magic, there was no way-) and pulled out an item, presenting them to you: an identical pair of gloves to his own “I just thought you could use some extra protection”

You smiled with a bit of cheek “Protection? I hate to tell you, handsome, but I don’t think your gloves are very protective- they’re more decorative than anything”

Hyrule flushed, the tips of his ears going red and twitching in embarrassment as he ran a hand through his hair “Well, I- uh- you’re not wrong-”

“Thank you, Link” Leaning over, your lips pressed against the apple of his cheek and you took the gloves from his hands “I appreciate the sentiment”

You only just finished putting the extra garments on when you noticed his silence, eyes running to return to stare at the pupil blown look he was sending right back, hand pressed against the cheek you had kissed and mouth slightly hung open.

Oh god- “I’m sorry, Hyrule, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine, it’s fINe!” He yelped, voice cracking for a second time that day and had you bursting into laughter, holding a hand over your mouth shamefully when he huffed, a faux glare settled onto you before he explained “It’s just….it’s been a long time since you’ve done that”

“What?”

“Kiss me- well-” Your bug-eyed look at him stumbling to explain “You didn’t exactly kiss me- you used to scream stuff like, “I think that deserves a smooch!” or “I’m giving you a kiss, my boy!” then you’d make these little kissing noises and I would feel my face heat up as if I was actually being kissed- like on my nose, my forehead, my cheeks- it’s silly-”

With a click of your tongue, you shook your head “Sounds like something I would do- I hope I wasn’t too obnoxious”

The man staggered with his words once again “It wasn’t! It was…it was nice. You made me feel less alone”

There he went again, unintentionally making you feel bad for a memory you weren’t sure even existed. This idea of you in his head was so very accurate to what you were, how you presented yourself to those around you, hinting at actions that sounded like he had you down to a T. But here you were, ignorant about who he truly was. Sure there was the cartoon, but that wasn’t a very accurate depiction it seemed, not with him being a very modest and sweet man, one that made animated Link look like a complete dunce in your eyes. Hyrule was an amazing person, someone who you could rely on but what were you? You weren’t this great guide he had described to you the night before, you weren’t anything special.

You were you and you were the only thing you could possibly return to such a great man.

“Well,” You smiled, hoping that it reached your eyes “I’m glad that I could be that for you”

You offered him a hug which he took gratefully, hiding the conflicting look on your face into his shoulder as he squeezed you firmly in return.

“Get a room!”

Your head whipped around in horror, glaring over the bannister to the small sailor who had re-entered the home. “PARDON??”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Wind was quick to race up the stairs, his laughter bouncing off the walls at his earlier jest. His eyes widened at the sight of your outfit, looking you up and down before a great grin bloomed on his face and he sent you a hearty thumbs up. “You look awesome! It already feels as if you’re part of the team”

A wave of shyness washed over you “I wouldn’t say that-”

“I don’t know” Hyrule’s hand landed on your shoulder and he gave you an encouraging smile, “I think he’s on the right track”

For God’s sake, why did this guy seem determined to make you soft?

Wind tugged at your sleeve “Hey, so I was thinking since we’ve only got the day left here and you haven’t really seen Hateno Village properly- I’d show you around!”

The sailor was already tugging you down the stairs, almost leading with you tumbling down the steps similar to how you had tumbled down the hill nearby the Inn “But like, this isn’t really your Hyrule? How can you show me around a place you barely know yourself?”

He looked back at you “We’ve been here for the past 3 months! So I think I’d know my way around by now”

3 months? How long had they been at this Shadow chase then?

“Well, alright, don’t let me stop you, boss man”

Wind grinned “Perfect! Let’s go!”

-----

“Any more news?”

The sunset burnt the horizon, the sky melting colours of orange, yellow, purple and blue for all to see as the night grew closer to the kingdom of Hyrule. The evening was still young, of course, but all the Captain could feel was fatigue in his bones.

“The Innkeepers told of a creature as dark as the night being spotted heading towards the West by travellers, eyes as red as crimson” Hopping off Epona as Twilight emerged from the undergrowth, The Hero of Warriors met the eye of the eldest hero “It’s him, that we’re sure of and he’s gathering more monsters as we speak”

Time narrowed his gaze “How many?”

“Too many” Twilight’s hand grabbed at his horse’s reins, “We got some singled out, however, there’s a big camp, too big for us alone, we’ll need everyone else”

“Curse the Three”

“Such a mouth, Old Man'' The Captain joked, trying to rid of the tension gathering on the man’s face. The comforting smile he had dropped when Time grabbed the bridge of his nose, massaging the area with an irritated sigh “You mustn’t worry-”

“That thing had been missing for months, now it drags this- person into this world and ups it attacks? What is its goal? What was the reason for it dragging our guest here? There are too many questions that have no answers and I am getting tired of it”

Time was already on his way back to the village, the two other elder heroes sharing a knowing look before hurriedly following after him.

The whole Chain had been worried when monsters had begun to decrease in numbers. An odd thing to be concerned about, however, they knew what trouble came with something like this. What had the creature been planning? Gaining more power to summon a whole entire army of black-blooded beasts? Maybe pull an incarnation of pure evil, Ganon, into this world? What was it planning? Why did they have to wait around for it to happen!?

Then you came and everything was turned upside down.

Pressure was placed on everyone by the reveal, questions running through heads about what was real and what was not. Were you a reliable source or were you just some mad person who didn’t need magic to play some real illusions? No one knew, everyone felt as if they were struggling to grasp reality itself but they couldn’t exactly express themselves, not when the Shadow’s reappearance hung over them like a dark cloud on a sunny day.

The Old Man obviously placed the burden on his own shoulders, keeping his feelings that which they were- his own and acting as the rock for everyone’s shattered perception of what was real and what was not. Everyone knew what he was doing but it wasn’t like they’d take this thing- this one thing he believed he was good for away from him.

Act oblivious so that the eldest could sleep at night (if he ever did sleep, that is)

“We will get answers soon enough” The ranch-hand reassured as they re-entered the village, the sounds of folk retiring for the night all around them “We just need to be a little more patient”

Time huffed “That is starting to feel like something even I cannot seem to muster anymore”

A silence hung over them.

Then voices grew louder around them.

-----

"Okay so, Link with the long Blue scarf is the Hero of Warriors, the other with the Multi-coloured tunic is the Hero of the Four Sword, the one with the white Cape is the Hero of Skyloft and that's about it, yeah?" At Wind's nod, you spoke once again "So, Warriors, Four and Sky- easy enough"

The sailor took a bite of his apple, raising a brow your way as you continued back to the house "Why don't you just refer to us as our titles? Or nicknames we already have?"

"Because for starters, it's weird. Imagine Trying to introduce your friend as the Hero of Winds, not only would they think it's odd they'll also think you're vain. Second, calling you sailor alone feels dehumanising and I refuse to do that-"

"Wow, you sure talk a hell of a fucking lot-" One of those comical expressions crossed over the young boy's face and you snorted, watching as he covered his mouth then turned to you with an apologetic look "Sorry"

You laughed "It's alright, bitch, I be cursing all the mother fucking time"

Wind blinked before smiling in awe "I'm so glad you joined us"

You ruffled his blonde locks "Me too, buddy, me too"

You both stopped at the sight of Time, Twilight and Warrior's looking towards you, all with displeasing looks upon their faces while you two avoided eye contact, turning around to speak quietly as if they weren't there.

"You're not allowed to cuss in front of them, are you?"

"Nope"

"You think they heard us?"

"Yup"

"....Fuck"

A look of determination crossed his features "A pirate doesn't go down without a fight"

Then you both nodded towards each other and spun back around to face them.

That's when you spotted a very familiar horse behind the Twilight Hero, eyes widening in surprise as a small smile grew on your face with an excited mutter of 'Epona!' left your mouth.

The horse perked up.

Without warning she began to tread ground, the men letting out sounds of surprise when she pushed past them all and trotted over to your little duo, the steed making circles around you both before finally settling with pushing her snout into your hands. Giddy laughs fell from your mouth as you began to move your hands gently against her face, you praised her making sure to run a hand through her mane.

"Hey girl," Her eyes closed when you leaned your head against her neck, nuzzling into her fur. "It's nice to officially meet you too"

The men were silent.

Twilight finally gaped "She's never…"

'… Done that with a stranger', he wanted to finish with but he bit his lip, not sure how the words would translate with the others.

You smiled, patting Epona gently before taking a step back "Guess I'm just special then!"

He swallowed "... Yeah, maybe"

The ranch-hand was finally beginning to understand his predecessor's want for answers.

"The Cook has probably prepared dinner" Time turned back to the bridge, once again beginning his stride to the Wild Hero's home. "We shouldn't keep everyone waiting"

Epona followed after you when you all started back up to the house, right behind you the whole way and huffing at your hair playfully despite your equally playful cries, speeding up to get away. You were positive that the others were staring but at this point, you couldn't bring yourself to care, they had been doing it so much already you felt as if you'd become desensitised to it.

A beautiful whistle caught your attention, head-turning to watch as Twilight pulled Ilia’s whistle away from his mouth and gestured for Epona to follow, your little admirer huffing for a final time into your locks then wandering over to her master, Wind tugging you into the home where everyone else was gathered.

“Your arrival is well-timed” Wild called, plating something that smelled absolutely divine into multiple bowls “Come and eat”

-----

So dinner was much more awkward than anticipated.

Almost dead silent.

Sure, a few of the boys piped up once in a while, asking about plans, talking about the shadow but almost immediately they would fall back into silence then poke around at their food. You weren’t any better really, you stayed quiet and only stabbed at Wild’s amazing cooking sadly, wanting to eat but being too nervous while in the presence of these (practically) strangers.

You glanced over to Wind.

He glanced over to you.

You both bit back and smile then turned away, you biting your lip and him covering his mouth.

Nervous laughter either made the situation better or more awkward, you weren’t sure if this was the time but the sailor was making you feel better so who cared?

You looked at each other once again and snorted.

Hyrule glanced your way quizzically, actually, they all did but you but your focus solely on him to keep yourself from freaking out. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine-” You burst into laughter, covering your mouth with your elbow and tears gathering in your eyes, face hot from how hard you were laughing “It’s- wooooh, it’s just this is so awkward”

Everyone looked away at the mention.

“And I’m not very socially adept enough to break this atmosphere soooo-” You pushed your chair away from the table, standing to your full height “I’m gonna eat outside”

Sky fidgeted “It doesn’t need to come to that-”

You waved him off "You guys are uncomfortable around me I get it- I would be too in your shoes so I'll just hang outside so you guys can feel better"

Grabbing your plate you turned towards the door only more there to be more moving chairs, glancing back to the table where Hyrule, Wind and Wild were reaching for their own food.

"We will join you"

"You don't have to-"

"We want to so hurry up!" Wind joked, nudging you with his shoulder "I'm hungry!"

"Okay, okay!"

"This isn't necessary-" Time tried to start but you were already out the door, the other three following behind with the Traveller sending the other scolded looks before closing the door.

The eldest Link sighed.

Silence once again hung over them.

"Are we just gonna let them do this?" Five faces turned towards the Hero of Legend, studying his soured expression. "Let them tear us all apart? Let them bring down the bonds we have formed with one another? Look, they are already causing a divide and it’s been a day! How are none of you worried about this!?”

It was obvious to the others just how much the man seemed to despise you. Yes, while the group was indeed worried, having their doubts, not trusting their own instincts that there wasn’t anything to worry about with you but they were civil, they didn’t try to outwardly show any negative (or positive really) emotions towards you. However the Veteran didn’t seem to share the same sentiment. They saw the glares, they weren’t blind and some had overheard the conversation from the previous night between him and yourself.

The Hero of Legend wasn’t afraid to show his hatred or suspicion of you and while they had come to know the man, one question still remained.

“Why?”

Legend turned toward Sky, raising an aggressive brow “Why, what?”

The other didn’t react, only steeled his disposition “Why do you dislike them so much? They haven’t exactly done anything to cause such a reaction. (Name) has seemed to be completely forward to all of us, they have answered our questions with only minimal hesitation, which was only due to the sheer severity of what their words entailed and they have also kept a distance as to not to disturb us any more than they already have. The Traveller approached them: The Sailor approached them: and as for the Cook, we were informed that they made an effort to apologise and for what? Telling him the truth? Vet, we know you, along with the Traveller have the most experience with liars and therefore know when to sniff out deception. If the other seems comfortable, certain that this person that practically fell out of the sky isn’t some dark entity hoping to trick us, why aren’t you?”

It seemed that stillness was being adopted by this quaint little abode- the other four heroes held their voices, not allowing a single peep to past from their lips while keeping their gazes on the Link in question, his soured face fighting with a look of confliction until finally did he bite his lip, turning away from their burning eyes to spit out a single sentence.

“Because I’m not blind to whatever power they hold.”

“Power?” The smallest questioned, raising a brow “As in their device?”

Legend poked at his food aggressively “If that’s what you want to believe.”

Time narrowed his eyes “Is there something you want to tell us, Vet?”

And the pink-streaked man huffed “Nothing that we all already know.”

Everyone’s mouths fell shut once more.

Then the sound of laughter came muffled from outside. It was boisterous, it was loud, it was entertained and it had them all glancing towards the door, unintelligible shouting following after only for more howls of hysteria to continue on.

“Sounds like they’re having fun” Warriors commented.

Hums of agreement echoed through the space.

Then Sky was pushing away from the table, grabbing his food and heading towards the door. “I think it’s time we give them a chance, after all, they will be accompanying us on our journey”

Four glanced at the last of them, his eye colours dancing in the light then quickly followed after the knight, “He’s right, you know”

He made sure to shut the door softly after him.

The remaining four shared looks.

“I guess we have no choice” Twilight stood along with Time.

“I hope that we will meet you both outside also”

When there was only two, Legend and Warriors, the pinked hair hero looked up, catching eyes with the Captain across the table, eating silently as to not disturb the peace.

“Are you not going to join them?”

Warriors smirked “And leave you behind to sulk?”

“I am not sulking!” Legend snapped, stabbing at his food “I do not sulk! The Hero of Legend, does not sulk!”

“Hmm, but he does like to hide away from his problems”

“Take that back!”

“Once you go and join everyone outside, I’ll consider it-”

“Fine!” Jumping from his seat, he picked up his bowl in a more rough fashion to the others, some food flying out onto the table below but he didn’t even spare his attention to it, sending a pointed look at his grinning friend then marching towards the door “I do not sulk! And I certainly do not hide from anything!”

The blonde chuckled, standing up considerably calmer than the previous Link had and trailing after him smugly “Of course not”

-----

“As tall as the sky? That surely isn’t possible”

“That’s the thing-” You caught the ball Wind had tossed to you, throwing it right back to him as you continued with your explanation “From the angle you look at them they look like they do and some actually are tall enough to reach the clouds! The tallest skyscraper is in this place called Dubai”

Four leaned forward from his space on the rock he had chosen as his seat, a scowl on his face “And these skyscrapers are made from glass? That is foolish, brick would be much more sufficient”

The others piped up in agreement.

“Well, not just glass, the buildings are reinforced by a material called concrete and steeled beams however the exteriors have been designed with glass but not just any glass, reinforced glass! Which is much thicker and tougher than the everyday glass in this era. It would actually take a few whacks from a hammer to break it” You hopped up to catch the ball when it flew a little too high over your head, sending a smug Wind an unimpressed look and tossing it higher back at him, smirking when he yelped and chased after it “It’s a type of architecture style called ‘Modernism’ and it’s extremely common in major cities”

“A type? Meaning there’s more”

“So much more- OW!” Wind flinched when the ball made contact with your nose, your form stumbling back a few notches before throwing a playful glare his way “Wind, you dickhead!”

“I’m sorry it was an accident!”

“It will be once I’m done with you!”

It wasn’t exactly perfect. You and the other three heroes had made it work outside, laughing at each others jokes, exchanging stories and eating the delicious meal that Wild had prepared only to pause at the entrance of Sky and Four, awkward looks on their faces but braving a smiles with kind greetings. It was expected to be just as difficult as before, but when you kicked off conversation once again they easily fell into it, you didn’t even react when the others came to join, just continued on as now.

Then Wind remembered he had a ball in one of his bags and it escalated from there.

“I’m gonna toss you into the pond!” The boy struggled in your arms but his laughter brushed off the idea of any fear, your own chuckles falling deaf to your ears as he begged for mercy, snorting and wheezing the entire time “Get ready, sailor!”

“No, no!”

“One! Two! Three-....”

You paused, doing a double-take then glancing upwards, mouth falling open.

And a concerned wave washed over the heroes.

“(Name)?” Hyrule called, jogging over to where the both of you were. “Are you okay?”

Wind wiggled out of your arms, standing close as he studied your frozen form.

The others went to stand too.

“(Nam-”

“I’ve never seen so many stars in my entire life”

It came out as a whisper, so soft but so full of raw emotion that the boys had only heard a few times before. You were enamoured, there was no doubt, taking a few steps away from the pond, out of the shade of the tree to stare at the night sky properly.

Eyes flying over the expansion of sky, painted midnight blue with speckles of white, the colours of the cosmos dusted in with such precision that they melted perfectly like some sort of heavily detailed oil painting. No man-made illumination broke the beautiful view, not the blue of the Sheikah tower or shrine in the distance, not the soft glow of the monster campfires or the fiery red from Death Mountain, no, there wasn’t anything that could ruin this moment for you.

“Look at them” You breathed, “I hate to sound like a cheesy, old git but that shit is breathtaking”

Legend huffed but someone quickly shushed him. It didn’t matter though, you snapped out of your trance quickly after that.

“Sorry, that was weird-”

“You have really never seen that many stars?” You caught Sky’s gaze “This is normal for Hyrule, are you saying that it’s different back in your world?”

You shrugged “Yup, there’s barely anything to see, too much light pollution”

“Light pollution?” Warriors added, “What’s that?”

“Well, back in my world there are lights that are man-made, artificial light are what we call them, which fire is actually counted as and they’re all over the place. We’ve got them in homes, we’ve got them outside, you think it it’s probably there and because there’s an abundance of it, it creates light pollution, which basically creates a layer over the sky and hides the stars from view”

Twilight frowned “How disappointing….”

“Eh, it’s how it is.” You shrugged, turning back to stare “At least I’ve gotten to experience it. Oh, I wish I could take a picture to show my mum and friends when I get back home!...”

Your smile dropped.

Home…You were so far from home. Not miles, not countries, not even worlds, you were a whole universe away from everyone you cared about. Your mother, your friends- everything you had ever known was at an impossible distance and you felt your stomach twist with each thought that nudged its way into your brain space. Is this how astronauts felt when they left Earth for the vacuum of space?

Not to mention, how you had been brought here. A panicked driven 999 call that ended abruptly with no explanation, just silence and static before the phone shut off altogether. They had gotten your name, they knew who they were looking for, which meant your mother had been told you were missing, which meant your friends had been told you were missing, probably everyone you knew had been informed you were missing.

Were you over the news? Or were you a silent investigation? Had they thrown the case away altogether with barely an evidence? Were your friends looking for you? Was your mother okay? How much time had passed? What-

“Hey” An arm wrapped around your shoulder, Hyrule’s kind face with worried filled eyes coming into view as he tugged you gently towards the direction of the house “Let’s go inside, okay? Time thinks now is the time for rest”

Everyone else had stood up with their bowls, waiting for the both of you to follow which you did after a nod of understanding from you, treading quietly back to the house while you tried to keep your panicked tears inside.

“Would you stay with me, tonight?” You asked Hyrule quietly, your hand intertwined with his own “If you don’t feel comfortable, I understand, I- I just-”

He squeezed your hand gently back in return “Of course”

Your sleep was restless that night, but at least you had Hyrule’s comfort, cuddled against him until the morning came.

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I am so sorry this took so long guys but I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I hope I can get the next one out sooner than I did this one!

Also I am still working on your requests! I just wanted to get this out first!

[cloudninetonine]

GUYS FRUIT SENT IN SOME MEMES AND YOU'RE ALL GOING TO LOOK AT THEM BECAUS I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH.

GOT ME GIGGLING AT MY PHONE AND SHIT.

FRUIT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THEM IN.

YA'LL BETTER LIKE THIS POST 🧍🏼😡