#apologies to the sky four hyrule legend enjoyers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bbinkus11 · 1 year ago

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Okay, @hotcheetohatredwastaken, listen up.

I got your fic!!!!!!!

I know this isn’t what you wanted right now, but I’ll have a chapter for each of the boys. So there will be ten chapters, all centric for the different boys in Hamilton. This one was to get everything straight, to get roles situated, etc.

I hope you like it! 👇

Roles!!

Ganondorf: Director

——— Links

Legend: Alexander Hamilton

Hyrule: Aaron Burr

Twilight: Hercules Mulligan

Sky: John Laurens

Wild: Lafayette

Four: Samuel Seabury/Charles Lee

Time: Phillip Schuyler

Wind: Young Phillip Hamilton/Ensemble

Warriors: George Washington

——— Zeldas

Fable: Peggy Schuyler

Dawn: Ensemble/Background singer

Dusk: Angelica Schuyler

Sun: Eliza Schuyler

Flora: Prop and Stage crew/likes telling people what to do

Dot: Ensemble/Background Singer/stage and prop crew

Lullaby: Down in the pit (ocarina)

Tetra: that one lady that stops the bullet at the near end so Hamilton can recap/ramble/ensemble

Artemis: Down in the pit playing music (violin)

(I apologize for the lack of roles the Zelda’s get, there aren’t many female roles in Hamilton and I don’t have many choices) :(

———

“Legend, this is a rehearsal, not the actual show. Get your coat on and let’s go.” Hyrule poked Legend before leaving, rolling his eyes playfully.

“‘Rulie, I’m pretty sure Hamilton wouldn’t like it either if his hair looked like a mess in a ballroom.” He shot back, not being rude, but in a sarcastic way.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Legend this time.” Warriors added to their short conversation, poking his hair under his hat.

“No one asked you, Warriors. You’re basically bald!” Wild said as he walked in, still using his French accent.

“Hey!”

“Okay everyone, get your stuff and go! Artemis won’t stop playing the same song over and over again. She overthinks too much, I swear…” Flora trailed off at the last part. Otherwise shouting the first part. Everyone practically terrified of Flora and her consequences (and the clipboard she hit everybody with), everyone quickly shuffled out of backstage and into their spots for ‘Helpless’.

Sun’s perspective was… confusing. Lining up her lines with the music, spinning, dancing, and remember to add vibrato! Her thoughts invaded her constantly when she sang, it drove her crazy. “-and my heart went boom-“ The sound affect was spot on, now just keep going to the left, grab Dusk and drag her along with me…

Legend’s perspective was slightly less confusing, coming in slightly after the song starts and walking over to the stairs on the left side, being aware of his surroundings and making sure everything goes smoothly and planned. He stands on the stairs for a bit and oh Dusk is coming, look intrigued, meet Sun and go from there.

The background dancers' skirts spun and the music led them. The piano was on beat with their steps, changing with the notes and turning with the lyrics. Waiting for entrances was the worst part, but the dances were enjoyable and the singing had to be done with ease.

After the long rehearsal, the actors and actresses all met backstage.

“Anyone want to come to the Diner down the street with me and Flora?” Wild simply asked, tugging his boots off to put his blue Crocs on.

“Hell yeah!”

“No Wind, your grandma told me to get you home by nine. Also, it’s way too late for someone your age to go and get caffeine, you know…” Sky kindly objected. He was busy getting his keys, phone, wallet and all of his stuff in check before he left with Sun and Wind. He always manages to forget his things, apparently.

“I’ll go! Dot will too. I will be late though because I have to drop off my violin at home so it doesn’t go out of tune again, in this cold.” Artemis shouts from across the room.

“Me and Wars will go. Maybe Four will if you bug him enough.” Twilight adds. Shaking his muddy boots, he somehow got a kick on one of the wooden posts backstage. Dot was immediately on him, scolding him about not knowing how hard it is to get those up. “Sorry! Sorry!” Was all he could say before being pushed out of the backstage door.

“Welp, guess we’re going that way. Anyone else?” Wild sighed.

“Not me, I'm old and tired.” Time says, walking out the door.

“I’m going home.” Dawn and Dusk almost say in unison.

“I’m gonna go to my friends house, tell Legend to yell at me if anything happens.” Fable says in between several taps of her phone.

“Hyrule and I are coming. Give me a second, the zipper on my bag broke again.” Legend says, his back to Wild.

Wild looks around, observing Lullaby, Four, and Tetra are already nowhere to be seen. He waited a second, before feeling a breath on his neck.

“Ah!-“

“You.”

“Geez, what, Flora? I told you we’re leaving in a minute.”

“Give. Me. Your. Mic.”

“Ohhh, haha, totally didn’t forget about that. It happens, you know? Yeah, haha, I’ll get that for you…” Wild nervously laughed as he dug through his duffel bag, his face growing redder and redder in realization that he couldn’t find it. Flora is going to kill him, do doubt. He continued shoving through piles of who knows what, and almost melted when he felt the thin metal line that felt suspiciously like his mic. He handed her the microphone, still melting.

“Lose this again, and you’ll lose your head.” Flora threatens, before turning her back and stomping to the door that leads to the light and sound booth.

Legend and Hyrule were ready by then. Twilight had been kicked outside. Artemis was going to be late. Warriors was probably still in the mirror. Flora was gonna be out in a minute. Perfect! Let’s go eat dinner with a bunch of music and history geeks.

—

“Still, I don’t get why you think half notes are better than quarter notes. The shorter the better. It’s what I used to say to Four, heh.” Dot says, closing her laptop to shove an entire handful of fries into her mouth.

“Because! They're half notes! What more needs to be said!” Legend argued from across the table.

“Legend, if you yell one more time, I swear I’m gonna call Fable to come and pick your petty ass up.” Hyrule mumbles so only Legend can hear. They had been arguing about half notes against quarter notes for the last fifteen minutes. And honestly, whole notes are superior, depending on the key signature.

“Okay,” Flora sighed, finally finding a space of silence, “all jokes aside, how do we think it’s going so far?”

“I’m lovin it. My rap part is better than all a’ y’all’s. I basically get to say ‘your mom’ in a history musical. It’s great.” Twilight says, leaning back in the restaurant booth chair.

“I like finding something to do with my voices.” Wild claims. “I can do a French accent, British accent, American accent, Elmo, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Twilight, Russia-“

“Hey! What is tha’ supposed to mean?” Twilight interrupted, throwing his hands up. Wild just stared for a good three seconds, then continued. “King Julian from Madagascar, Cookie Monster, The dad from—“

“Okay, that’s enough. Anyone else?”

“I’m basically on the 1$ bill.”

“That has nothing to do with the musical itself, Warriors.”

“Yeah but still.”

“Please stop talking.”

An irritated sigh came from Flora. You would probably need to hypnotize them to get them to stay focused.

“I get to shoot Legend at the end!”

“Hyrule! You can't say that out in public!”

At least it was somewhat related to the musical.

—

Thank you for reading!! I know it’s short, but the others will be much longer (in a good way). I wrote this from trauma of how aggressive the people in charge of the microphones can be, like, they take it seriously.

Chapter two! 👉

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abizarreyodelingincident · 4 years ago

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Our Nightly Confidant 6

Live up to your own Legend

The pink has largely faded from his hair and Legend is ready to put that humiliation behind him.

He is.

But the problem with sharing your secrets with others is they constantly remind you that they know. Oh, they are subtle about it. For all that Sky and Twilight are earnest and open, they can both clam up with the least social of them.

A smirk stretches his lips as, despite himself, Legend recalls the 'incident' if it could be called that.

The whole group was there, sitting by the campfire, digging into one of Wild's stew. The blend of herbs, potatoes and meat had been one of those hearty dishes for calm evenings after a weary day of traveling. It was quite tasty, and Legend was content to fill his stomach with hot food. It was more than he had been able to do on many, many evenings during his adventuring days.

It had just so happened that some of the others agreed, and were much less silent in their enjoyment.

“Man, Tetra wishes we could eat that well on the sea,” Wind said, waving his spoon around without a care for the splashes of sauce. To be fair, neither Hyrule or Wild seemed to be bothered either.

“Yeah, it's great, Wild,” Hyrule agreed. “What is it?”

“Rabbit.”

Sky's mouthful sprayed out of his mouth in a dramatic cloud of sauce and half-chewed meat. And because someone upstairs had decided that Legend had suffered enough, the person sitting directly in front of Sky at the time had been Warriors.

The ensuing chaos had given Legend time for his stomach to settle, and he suddenly had the answer to a question he had never meant to ask, but he would, indeed, have made a delicious meal if the monsters of the corrupted Sacred Realm had ever caught him. It truly was just like Wild to provide that kind of answer to Life's hidden (and for good reasons) secrets.

The Goddesses love a good joke at their heroes' expenses, didn't they?

Yet, the worst part might just have been what he had realized afterward. Twilight, chillingly, hadn't reacted much beyond a chuckle at Sky's reaction and a pat on the back to a confused Wild. He'd also finished his bowl despite the incident happening before he had.

Legend wishes he knew how to feel about that. Even today, he has mixed feelings on Twilight's non-reaction. Above all things, he is not a rabbit and the rancher is not a wolf. That's the reflection of their inner light when shrouded in shadows of dark magic. It's a curse. Twilight can make use of a curse all he wants (he can't judge, what's with Ravio's bracelet), so long as he doesn't let that shadow crystal near him again.

Unfortunately, he can't exactly put it out of his mind when Sky took him aside during the morning and apologized, both for the scene and, well, you know. Sky, sweetheart that he is, mentioned that he told Wild some tall tale about it being sacred in Skyloft or something. Wild would try and avoid rabbit meat from now on.

Legend's words of gratitude come out through a curtain of heavy rain to his own ears, it feels like. The consideration is more than he knows what to do with. And... and part of him wasn't even asking for it. Heroes must stand on their own two feet.

So, yes, perhaps he is a bit more cautious than usual when traveling near Twilight or Sky today. Maybe he does slide over to the corners of their battle formations away from those two. He needs time to think, and he's no moron. He's not gonna let that affect his performance in battle in the slightest.

In fact, he was the one to land the killing blow on the hinox. Ice rods to freeze its feet, followed by a jumping great spin. Warriors lets out a low whistle upon witnessing it.

Legend's bow is only mildly sarcastic. That was damn fine fighting, if he says so himself.

They made progress today, and are nearing their objective, one of Wild's shrines. One covered in the darkness of a moonless, starless night at all times. But they do need to clean their scraps and maybe heal that concussion. Nasty hit, but Hyrule's is firm: Wild will be good as new after a few rounds of healing magic and a fairy. Which, for once, they have to spare.

Food, on the other hand...

“I've got some salted jerky,” Twilight offers.

“Ooooh,” Warriors feigns enthusiasm. “And with my goron bread and Hyrule's salted cheese, that'll be sure to finish the job.”

Hyrule's hands, which had been illuminated with the Life spell signature, twitch. “Hey! What's wrong with my salted cheese?”

There is hesitation, most of all from Legend, and then Four takes the dive. “It could give a family of plague-spreading rats a run for its rupees.”

Sad, but fair. Hyrule's cheese is a testament to his cooking as a whole. It might be edible, but Nayru herself wondered how.

Hyrule's back hunches a bit before he straightens and turns away from the other with a huff.

Legend's hands hover uselessly at his sides. He ought to say something. He wants to say something. Except he's not gonna lie and say the cheese is okay, because even Ravio wouldn't try to sell it. And then his chance is lost.

Time steps in. Strides right in the middle of the group, massaging his sore shoulder and running a hand through Hyrule's hair as he passes him by. “Alright, you've had your fun, but we do need to decide on a course of action for our next few meals. There's still plenty of mushrooms and fruits in Wild's slate.”

Sky offers himself. “I can whip up something. It won't be great, but it'll be filling.”

“Okay, but we can hunt too, can't we?” Wind jumps in. “Like, we're not in a malice-infested area or anything. I know I saw a couple of goats and deers earlier on the road.”

His stomach takes that moment to growl. And his mind wanders back to Wild's previous meal last night. His mouth even waters, before he remembers everything else about the stew and there goes his appetite.

“We've got plenty already,” Twilight says.

“Yeah...” Four gives him the side eye. “No offense Sky, but it'll be bland enough without some meat.”

It's one of those truly bizarre quirks. And Legend gets it. He hasn't survived this long without being able to understand different people. There's a... well, not certainty, but an assurance when it comes to food security and times of peace. He gets that farmers have dry years, chu-chu infestations and the likes, but Legend's known all his life to never pass up an opportunity for food, and he sees it even more pronounced in Hyrule.

It's their damned timeline. The whole thing is doomed to die.

“Let's skip another radish failure, shall we?” Legend snarks. It's only a fraction of the resentment in him, but it helps settle his heartbeat.

“I think you're outvoted, pup.”

A look of annoyance crosses Twilight's face, but he holds his tongue. Another way we are nothing alike, Legend thinks.

“We need people to forage, hunt and make camp. And look over the wild cub.” And so Time begins to pair them off, balancing them between skills and health. It's all fine and dandy, until the Old Man looks at him and Twilight, deadpan, and shrugs. “I've got a good feeling about the two of you working together.”

Sometimes, Legend just really wants to deck Time. He's certain others share this feeling. Even Twilight, for all he plays the dutiful son's part.

“Alright,” Twilight says, patting him on the back as he leads the way outside the camp. “Let's do this. Can't let Pretty Boy show us up, can we?”

Legend snorts. So, maybe they share one or two traits. But he's willing to chalk that up more to Warriors being ungodly annoying at times.

“Not gonna throw off my aim, are you?” Legend jeers. It's meant as a tease, but it comes off harsher than he meant.

Typical.

What isn't is the way Twilight just shrugs, his wolf pelts like a wave of black fur. Legend's not blind. He knows his sharp tongue used to burn Twilight's fuse. At some point though, when he wasn't looking, the whole thing had been replaced, longer and shinier than ever before.

And the way Twilight grins at him has the sort of familiarity he thought was only deserved by the likes of Time or Wild.

“You didn't forget where I grew up, didya? What do you think we do with goats exactly?”

The hook's too good not to bite. And, Ravio does say he has sharp teeth. “You'd wash my mouth with soap if I told you the truth.”

And there it is, the tick and twitch of Twilight's ears. Warriors is the only one that constantly manages to bring it out. But, well, Legend aims for greatness, doesn't he?

“Tch, ain't ever seen a Gordonian Oat up close, have you?”

In two strides, Twilight has broken the gap between them.

“For starters, they're tall.” Another step closer. “Grow up about the size of Epona. But less even tempered.”

Legend stares, resisting the urge to back down as he realizes that Twilight towers over him, and at this angle, the setting sun cast his face in shadows.

“Hu-uh.”

“More importantly, they've got horns,” he says, putting his hands up in some poor imitation of the real thing. “Can knock down a man charging. And they will. Males have a foul temper.”

Then, as if nothing happened, Twilight pulls back and knocks his bow over his shoulder.

“Besides, it's needless hunting that gets my goat.” – Legend snorts despite himself and subsequently hides away from Twilight's grin. – “I could never resist one of the Cub's meat skewers.”

Is it him, or are Twilight's teeth a bit sharper than a Hylian's should be?

“I don't think you can resist any of his cooking,” Legend snarks, smacking Twilight's stomach. “Guess you gotta fuel those muscles of yours with something, huh?”

Said big and strong hero proceeds to pout. “Like you're any better.”

Legend shrugs. “Never refuse a meal you don't think is poisoned, is my motto.”

There's the beginning of a frown, but Legend is not up for that.

“Come on, I'm not letting Pretty Boy outdo us.”

Twilight hesitates, then shakes his head and starts forward. “Do aim for the throats, if you can. I'd rather not deal with the screams.”

The screams.

Legend falters then accelerates to catch up. Screams.

Animals don't... they'll thrash, struggle, make noise, but it wasn't...

The thought lingers well into their travel, when they've passed the turn of the road and shadows burst out of Twilight's necklace.

Wolfie bounds into the undergrowth, his dark tail vanishing behind some leaves.

***

The first prey they come across must be a rabbit.

A shy thing gnawing on leaves in the grass. Crouched low and near invisible in the dale with its brown coat. But Wolfie's senses detected it with ease. With that help, Legend sees it too.

The arrow is held tight in his hand, notched but not quite ready to fly.

Twilight glances back.

Sky would take the hard decision out of his hands and chase off the rabbit.

Twilight waits for him to choose. No matter which, Twilight'll go all the way.

They're both considerate in their own ways.

It makes Legend want to curl up in shame. To be able to at least pick how he wants to treat that secret. But he doesn't know. He spent years not thinking about it, and surprise, that did not prepare him anymore for when it blew up in the open.

Zelda would scream the mother of all 'I told you so' if she ever caught wind of this. Which is why he'll spend a lot of time ensuring he never does.

Which is another way of saying he'll run away from his problem.

Shy, nervous thing.

One cracked twig has the rabbit tense up, then scamper back into its den.

Legend lifts his foot from the twig and glares.

“You good?” Twilight asks as he emerges from shadows.

“Yeah, yeah,” Legend snips. “We had rabbit yesterday. And it's hard to hit the throat of the little buggers.”

Twilight nods sagely like that wasn't pure bullshit. “Fair enough.”

By the Goddesses, Legend must be ill because he suddenly hates the idea of getting away with it. “You know you can call me out, don't you?”

“Don't really see the need to force you to talk. Either you do or you don't. It's not like I know what you should be saying anyway.”

Well, there goes one of his hopes. Twilight looks and acts so comfortable in his skin (both of them) that Legend is a bit jealous.

“Well... what's it like, being a wolf?”

Twilight turns his head to the sun disappearing between the hills. To the darkness seeping into the sky. His gaze looks miles away from him.

“Dangerous.”

Funny, Legend would have said the same of being a rabbit, but, he suspects, for different reasons.

“Wolves aren't loved. And there's a good reason for that. They're powerful beasts with powerful senses. Sometimes, I find myself sniffing for scents I couldn't possibly catch as a Hylian. Thinking of sinking my teeth into something. You wouldn't believe the meat cravings I get sometimes. Farore, the faces my ma made the first few meals we had together after I got back.” A faint chuckle. “It's a good thing Ordon's not just harvesting wheat, 'cause I would be a miserable man in there.”

What do you think we do with goats exactly? Raise them, protect them.

Eat them.

“Still better than turning into prey.”

Twilight's smile is smaller, but it feels more real. “Yeah, maybe, but if you ever reflect what you are on the inside, then you'll be soft, cuddly... loved.”

Legend hears everything his brother doesn't say. What would happen to Twilight if he ever let loose completely? If he gave in to his inner self?

He has a feeling his brother knows. That he felt it already.

For a second, he thinks to place a hand on Twilight's shoulder, but... he can't quite bring himself to do it.

“... Want to get back to it?” Twilight hints at the trails he was following as a wolf. “We still haven't caught anything, and I can hear Wind's accusation from here.”

Yeah, he can too. The sailor would ask him if Twilight was being a sore loser, and the others might believe it. Legend might have done that in Twilight's shoes. He's spiteful like that. Nothing like a bunny.

Twilight clutches his necklace and goes down on four legs again. No hesitation to it.

One of them embraces the shadows, the other flinches at them, and now he wonders if they aren't both stupid.

The animals they come across next are the slow grazers, the desperately hungry or the uncautious. Those that thrive in dusk, right before the nocturnal critters make the fields and woods their own.

They hunt in a silence filled with cacophonous thoughts. It doesn't affect Legend's aim. He could strike an enemy sleepwalking at this point.

And true to his word, Legend did shoot the deer dead in one hit. No struggling. No... screams.

He's about finished butchering most of it and filling his inventory with carefully wrapped pieces when Twilight comes back from his circling watch (monsters are always a concern). Judging by the bit of dark blood on Wolfie's collar, it was a successful scouting trip.

The excuse was often bullshit, but it never meant Twilight was leaving them to dry. It's a comforting thought. He's always taken a big brother role to them the way the Old Man slips between commander and father to a bunch of bokoblins.

“Hyrule talks, you know?” Legend says, softly.

Twilight plops down next to Legend's bags and makes a curious 'bork'.

“He showed me his new collection.” Legend recalls the mile-a-minute explanation, and how warm his successor's happiness had made him feel. “It was like you hung the stars in the sky. Thank you.”

There's a big dog-like grin on Wolfie's face. It's too similar to the one on his Hylian face for anyone with a brain not to link the two together. Twilight's always wearing it when he pulls Wild up, when he gives Wind a piggyback ride (and the sailor calls him a trusty steed with the thickest pirate accent Legend has ever heard). It's his grin for little siblings he's so proud of.

“How do you do it?”

Twilight tilts his head to the side, like he doesn't instantly get the question. (Maybe he doesn't, whispers a small part of Legend, maybe it's natural and it's only him that struggles with connecting to his fellow heroes.)

The words don't want to come, but he's a Chosen of Courage. He never could back down from anything.

“The big brother act,” he says. “Hyrule. I don't know what to do with him. How to be around him. I like him, he's more tolerable than most of you meddling bastards.” – A look of offense crosses the wolf's face, and it's properly ridiculous. – “He's sweet, earnest, resourceful, heck, he even has manners despite growing up in a cave! What does he see in me?”

Twilight moves a paw over the middle of Legend's chest.

But he doesn't think that's right. It can't be that.

“I... I don't get why he chose me to admire. Sure, I'm the sucker that went on the most quests, but he's gone on two himself. It can't be my charming personality. I'm a stubborn jackass who doesn't know when to quit and that cuts just as much with my wit as with my arsenal. Is it just... being his predecessor?”

A crossed look passes over Twilight's face. His ears go flat on the sides of his head, his eyes narrowing. It's a little silly, knowing Twilight, but there's also that familiar pang of fear that helps Legend survive so many quests.

His instincts prove their worth when Twilight lunges and knocks him to the ground quick enough that Legend only realizes what happened a second later.

“What the-? Get off, Farmer.”

He could. And Twilight knows he could. Twilight's just relying on the knowledge that Legend won't.

Legend resigns himself to a moment of lying on his back with a fifty tons wolf crushing him to tiny pieces. That's it, that's the only reason he doesn't whip up his high-level strength bracelets to throw off the overly affectionate wolf on top of him.

Even if he has to fake the annoyance.

“Urgh, you stubborn a-” he doesn't complete the thought.

It's like an electrified chu-chu ramming into him.

By now, every one of them has seen Wolfie wrangle Wild around the camp at least once. Has been witness to their unorthodox brother sighing and huffing about his mentor forcing him into rest. Grumbling something about hard-headed mother cuccos and joykillers.

And the next day, the two of them grinning at each other over the battlefield. Wild seeking approval like he hadn't pulled his tongue at the rancher earlier.

“... That's not the same thing.”

Wolves don't have the right to look this fucking smug.

That manipulative goat-minder!

“It's not!” Legend protests, even knowing that, yes, it is indeed the same thing.

Words unspoken drift between them from the force of Twilight's gaze. Self-deprecating things, faults and flaws and fights, the sort of things Legend cringes at the thought of, but has to acknowledge. Wild admires Twilight, and it's not a matter of perfection.

Being smushed under a wolf has a way of making you accept that, no, that brother of yours isn't that great a person.

“Even so... ”

The rumble is a question.

“That doesn't tell me how to do it.” He raises an eyebrow. “Unless you mean to tell me I should sit on Hyrule until he feels the love.”

A laughing bark.

Legend smirks to himself. “Yeah, didn't think so.”

And a distant, experienced and – maybe too – cynical part of him starts to understand what Twilight is doing. Why he is not shifting back to Hylian form. Even knowing the truth, knowing that the sacred beast is his dull, dutiful brother does not get through to his subconscious. Knowledge does not weigh as much as the wolf splayed over him, does not warm him the way the mantle of soft fur does. He can't build up his walls fast enough. No, not quite. He can't bring himself to build his walls fast enough.

He missed this. Someone to watch over his shoulder, someone safe, that'd step in so that Legend wouldn't be needed.

He believes in no goddess, be they the Three, whom he knows are the object of his Princess' devotion, or even that Hylia that Sky mentions sometimes. He's long since gotten into the habits of cursing the Heavens, whoever resides there. It was only fair, after they cursed him with the world.

With the Windfish.

But just this once, being protected and smothered in ways that remind him of stormy nights when his uncle was still alive. The sort of stubborn strength that held in the face of the night, of monsters. Everything.

Twilight, Legend realizes, has a mind like a bear trap. Unassuming until it springs. Then, it never lets go.

Stubborn. He hates the part of him that likes it.

“We're not the same,” he hisses.

Because Twilight's friendly, personable, easy to talk to. Because Twilight is one of those bastards that's hard to hate no matter what he does. That wins you back with a couple of words and a steady hand during a difficult time.

Legend would sooner stab you once and be done with those messes.

And Wolfie's blue eyes are this shade of cloudless sky, clear, so frank. It's impossible not to see how Twilight doesn't believe him.

Legend's heart comes ablaze.

“None of your decisions have doomed a world!”

The wolf in Twilight whines. A low, pitiful noise.

“That's how I lost her. By destroying her world and everyone that lived in it.”

Twilight nuzzles him, something a bit desperate to the force of it.

Near misses, he thinks. It worked out. But some part of Twilight probably thinks it shouldn't have. Legend knows that madness. That jump of faith through the insane traps of ancient temples and half-baked schemes in the middle of a boss fight.

Near misses, they don't count, but they're the last steps before the cliff opens up below you.

And Legend has been falling for a long time.

Telling Zelda was a second's respite clinging to an unexpected root pooking out of the earth and rock.

Now he's found another.

He's strangely not bitter that he was the only one to go through this. To triumph in the destruction of a whole island. The closest to experiencing failure on that scale would have to be Wild, who was neither subtle nor all that quiet about his conviction in his perceived flaws.

And this must be what he receives when the feelings overwhelm him, when he needs the wolf instead of any of them. Quiet, unwavering support.

The lack of words coming from Twilight is half the healing balm.

Legend's not looking for words at all. Not some magic words that'll make the turmoil die out at any rates.

He couldn't bear to hear a platitude. To hear any variation of 'it's okay' or 'it was not your fault'. It was. It had been his decision in the end. The choice sucked, but he picked one anyway. Because he is the Hero.

There had been no one else. Just him.

“What's my next decision going to bring?”

The warmth and fur shifts over his body, but still Twilight doesn't talk. With the tighter, smaller posture against his chest, Legend would guess he feels some guilt over forcing that confession out of him. It's worth a grimace, maybe, but he is too tired to give a fuck.

Legend takes a moment just staring upward. He's forgotten which Hyrule this is, how far from home he is. But the stars haven't changed. He'll bet good rupees that the constellations are nothing alike between one kingdom and the next.

He points to a cluster of lights. “That's the 'Fairy Spring'. And right next to it, 'The Raging Lynel'.”

Twilight makes a noise like a noble being shown a peasant. Oh, he must never say that outloud for fear of being punched with those moblin arms of his. Though, he had thought Twilight didn't have lynels in his era, the lucky bastard.

More names come to him. None of which trigger recognition in Twilight, but his brother listens all the same, attentive, patient. This is nice. Better.

His eyelids start threatening to droop.

A gentle, concerned whine ring to his ears, and a paw scratches his tunic.

Right. Right, they are too far from camp for him to nap. It's already a long walk, for a Hylian.

Legend suppresses the pang of envy in his chest at Twilight's cursed form. He shouldn't! But what does it say about him, the boy grown in a world always threatened by dark forces, when his inner self is a harmless bunny? What does it say about Twilight, grown through an era of peace, when his inner self is a dangerous predator?

The successors of the Hero of Time, ladies and gentlemen!

The real shame, though, is probably that he misses that softness.

I used to love saving people... he thinks, and only notices the tear when Wolfie nuzzles him.

He knows there and then that their earlier conversation was wrong. Even if Twilight lost himself in the shadows, there'd still be something to love about him. Because Wolfie is a beast, but the others aren't wrong when they call him a gift of the Goddesses.

“Urgh, don't try and be physically affectionate with me,” he says, pushing off the cold nose.

What about me? Is there anything loveable about me, besides saving a couple of countries?

Would Uncle still be proud? Would she be able to love me as I am now?

“Why am I like this?” he asks, and is grateful for the silence.

The answer, he's known for some time.

It's when I realized no one would save me. When it comes to saving the world, I'm it. No second chances. No one to pick up the torch. If I fail, that's it. There's only me.

Wolfie's soft barks bring him out of his head, and pull a smirk out of him. He deliberately ruffles his brother's head, rough, because it wouldn't do to have him think he's gone soft that easily.

But his fear just isn't true anymore.

Twilight would save him. Hyrule would. Sky would. Any of the others would. And he'd jump in front of a sword for them just as easily.

He hasn't let down the walls long enough to

… Maybe he could try.

Leaves suddenly rustle and bushes part to let another Hylian through.

“Legend?” Hyrule's eyes flicker to the tear tracks on his face. “... This isn't the direction we saw that river, is it?”

Legend sighs and pushes Twilight off. “You're off by thirty degrees.”

Red blooms across Hyrule's cheeks, his gaze lowering to the ground.

Damn it! He isn't prepared for this! If he had just a minute to gather his wits beforehand...

“Why didn't you tell me he was coming?!” Legend hisses, resisting the urge to smack Twilight on the nose.

He prefers his fingers unnipped, thank you very much.

“Are you okay?” Hyrule asks, fidgeting. “Weren't you with Twilight?”

“Oh, huh, he went scouting ahead.” Farore! Now the rancher's stupid excuses were infecting him. Why was he the one to share that secret?

Hyrule nods. “Ah, makes sense.”

Some crows above caw.

It's the only noise in the woods.

Legend stumbles when Twilight headbutts his rear end. “Oi!” he says, turning a threatening glare at his idiot brother.

“Oh, hey Wolfie,” Hyrule says with a timid wave.

Right. Hyrule's most frequent experiences with Twilight's beast forms revolve around him being herded back to camp after another ill-fated self-appointed scouting mission. Worse when the Champion got involved and the two got into their heads to have an adventure whilst on a supply run.

Got to have fun...

He glances between Hyrule, trying to look steady in front of him, and Twilight, who is staring back at him intently.

“You don't need to be so nervous, you know?” he hears himself say.

Hyrule blinks in surprise, as does Twilight. But, well, Legend committed. He might as well go all in.

He lands a hand in the scruff of Twilight's neck, scratching through the fur. “He's a big softie.”

That would normally get him a warning growl or a painless bite. Except Twilight can't very well protest and undo all his hard work over petty jealousy, can he?

“Come on,” he tells Hyrule. “If he gets snippy, I'll bonk him on the head whilst you make your daring escape.”

“I wouldn't run!” Hyrule says, hotly. “I mean, I don't know if Life works on wolves, but I'd have to try, knowing your strength bracelets.”

It startles a laugh out of him. There's their wanderer. Ready to get in the thick of it with a sword or a spell. That's the man that'll succeed him. That's the man he has the luck to meet. And teach.

“Interesting question. It sounds like something we should test in a safe environment.”

And he jumps to the side, avoiding the fangs aiming for his buttocks. So predictable!

“Oh dear, he's gone feral!” he croons, clicking his heels to activate the pegasus boots. “No two ways about it, time to book it.”

“Wait, what?” Hyrule, the poor man, has no time to register the turn of events that Legend grabs him by the sleeves and starts to drag him away from a barking wolf.

“By the way, have I told you about that time I escaped from a pair of lynels on top of Death Mountain?”

“No!” Hyrule shouts, wide-eyed with both awe and a little fear. “Is that really the time?”

He skids to a halt just in time to avoid a blitzing Twilight bursting out of a bush. The barking rings to his ears. His heartbeat has picked up from the thrill, and he knows he will win this.

“Feels nostalgic for some reason!”

“Talk away then! Oh, and jump!”

Hyrule's hand pulls him upward, makes him weightless as if he'd done his magic cape. They launch into the air, and scramble up on the higher branches of a large oak tree. He's chuckling, a little awed by Hyrule's arsenal of spells.

And then Twilight lands on the branch next to them, hackles raised and honestly a little scary. The wood winces ominously, shakes, but holds.

“Wolves can't do that!” he yells.

“I don't think he cares, Legend!” Hyrule hops to the next tree.

And Legend stops thinking about his next move. He follows, he lets his instinct and experience guide him into this impromptu chase game. Marvels at Hyrule's tricks sometimes, preens when his gets Twilight to crash into a boar that only mildly appreciated the tackle and gets to tell the entire story on the way back to camp.

He's got a skip to his steps. He won. They both know he won this time and nothing will change that.

But, just in case, Legend will sleep with one eye open. He's seen Time's and Wild's pranks so far. And in that chain of Heroes, Twilight is both the apprentice and the master. There's no way Twilight isn't capable of their very worst.

#Linked Universe #Linkeduniverse #LU Twilight #LU Legend #LU Wolfie

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secretlysheikah · 4 years ago

Text

Tower Trouble: A Plan

Yahaha! Another chapter done! Enjoy the peace while you can, because it might not last too much longer.

As always the Linked universe belongs to the amazing @jojo56830 go check them out!

And of course, I own nothing. I’m just a dope of a person who likes to put words together in something approximating a story.

Start here:

Wild laid still for a while, completely overwhelmed with the pain that was shooting through his body. He blinked away the lingering fog of sleep and pain. He could feel a weight draped on top of him but he had to work up the energy to even move his eyes. Slowly he slid his eyes over to his side and saw a passed out Twilight half draped on top of him. Wild squeezed his eyes shut when his broken ribs gave a particularly painful throb. Muttering a soft apology he slowly began to work himself free from Twilight’s weight trying his best not to wake him. Wild was happy that Twilight was actually getting some sleep but his added weight was making it hard to breathe. Panting with the pain and effort and suppressing a coughing fit Wild managed to get most of Twilight’s weight off of him. He paused when he felt Twilight shift and mumble and he prayed he hadn’t just woken him. Wild decided to take a break at wiggling himself free to make sure he didn’t wake his friend and took a look around camp.

Based on the lighting Wild guessed it was a couple hours off from dawn. The camp was quiet all around him, the fire burning low at the center. Squinting Wild saw the distant form of Warriors sitting on a rock. His back was turned toward the camp cross legged not too far away. With a little more squinting Wild could just make out that Warriors seemed to be working on something, maybe polishing his boots? This was confirmed when he straightened and lifted a boot up to catch the fire light behind him before returning to his task. Wild let out a huff of air, he could never understand why Wars bothered to shine his boots, they only got dirty again.

Wild gave a mental shrug and continued to scan, his eyes landing on the sleeping forms of Four, Wind and Sky piled on top of one another, limbs thrown haphazardly over each other. Wild really wished he had his slate to hand, it was a cute picture not to mention great blackmail material. Mourning his bad luck Wild cast his gaze in search of the final three heroes and it didn’t take long to find them.

Hyrule and Legend weren’t too far away from the sleeping pile, their bed rolls were situated close together and they were sleeping back to back. Hyrule’s arm was stretched out behind him and was resting limply on Legend’s shoulder. Wild shook his head slightly, there was no way that was a comfortable position for Hyrule and he could only imagine how stiff his shoulder was going to be in the morning.

Wild lifted his head slightly and caught sight of Time sitting on the other side of Twilight a few feet away. He was straight backed and his head seemed to be on a constant swivel as he scanned the slowly brightening field. Wild could just make out Time’s quiet humming. It sounded like a lullaby of some sort, but Wild couldn’t place which one it could be, not that he knew many lullabies. Satisfied that he let enough time pass to ensure Twilight had fallen back to sleep, Wild slowly worked on extracting himself the rest of the way from under his mentor.

It took a few minutes and more than a little cursing but he finally got himself free and quickly placed a pillow in his stead. Wild couldn’t help but smirk when he heard Twilight sigh and pull the pillow closer before burying his face into it. Though Wild’s slight enjoyment of watching his self proclaimed mentor snuggle a pillow quickly vanished when another flash of pain rippled through his body making him flinch and wince. Wild doubled over on himself and let out a quiet groan. He rubbed his eyes before pinching at the bridge of his nose in irritation. Farore’s grace, he never thought he’d admit it, but he really missed red potions. He was going to have to get this pain under control, he had delayed the group too much as it was and he was tired of feeling weak. Decision made, Wild straightened himself the best he could and closed his eyes.

During his adventure Wild had encountered instances where he found himself wounded and stranded somewhere remote, unable to teleport thanks to storms that messed with his communication with the towers. During those times he had to push his pain to the side and outlast the storms until he could get help. Because the wilds didn’t care if you were hurt or sick, no, in the wilds you kept moving. To stop for too long would be a death sentence. Wild learned quickly that you either became very good at compartmentalizing the pain so you could function or you laid down and died. Needless to say, he became very skilled at pain management after some very long days and nights of seemingly endless storms.

With his eyes closed he slowly took note of all the aches and pains he had and pictured a lit candle in a darkened room. The flame of the candle represented the pain. He breathed in a steadying breath, held it and slowly released it. He watched the flame grow brighter and larger, flickering and guttering with the ebb and flow of his tortured nerve endings. The goal was to dim the light, shrink the flame to just a glowing ember. He couldn’t stop the pain completely of course, but that wasn’t really the point of the exercise. He found that all he had to do was shrink the flame small enough so he could put the ‘candle’ away for later. He breathed in and out slowly and focused on the light, watching it gutter and fade with each breath as he worked to tuck the pain away for later.

It took some time, but Wild managed to get most of his pain to fade into background noise. He knew he was still hurting but it was manageable for now and with that little bit of clarity he moved on to his next task. He had to deal with his depleted energy. Clearly relying on sleep to get his energy back was out of the question. It seemed Dark had every intention of making ‘sleep’ as exhausting as possible. So that left him with elixirs and whatever meals he could scrape together. As quietly as he could Wild scooted over to his pack and grabbed up his sheikah slate and began to scroll through his inventory.

When it was all said and done, he had about three elixirs to boost his stamina. They wouldn’t last long, but if he planned out when he should take them it might just be enough to keep him moving for a day or two. Wild chewed on his lip, and tapped his finger against the slate slowly scrolling through his ingredients to see what he had to work with. He let his mind drift a little as he sorted through the various monster parts and food stuffs.

Dark had wanted to make a deal, and he would be lying to himself if he said it wasn’t a tempting offer. Betray everyone in exchange for redemption, to help Zelda, to fix his mistakes? How could he not be tempted by that? He paused in his scrolling and closed eyes feeling absolutely disgusted with himself for even entertaining the idea. He took a deep breath, grounding himself with the pain he allowed to flare in his chest before carefully working the pain back into a manageable hum. He let the breath out slowly and held back a ragged cough that wanted to burst out from his throat. When had he become a monster? Or maybe he always was?

Wild paused in his scrolling again and ground his teeth. He didn’t feel like himself. His mind was becoming divided and tangled together all at once and it made his thoughts a confused mess of conflicting thoughts. He took a shaky breath, willing the shame filled tears that had unexpectedly welled up back. Crying wouldn’t help get him out of this situation, he had to think.

Carefully Wild deconstructed the dream. Dark had said he wanted to make him a puppet, but said he would much prefer an ally. So his choices were either become Dark’s alley, or become a puppet. Either option wasn’t great for him or the others.

What if this deal of Dark’s was only a red herring? A convoluted plan to keep him off balance and therefore all the more easier to tangle him up in his web? One thing was for sure, he had to tell the others about his dream, they had to be made aware so they wouldn’t be caught if guard if… No he didn’t want to think of that.

Another thought popped in to his mind then, what if Dark could see and hear Wild planning with the others? It was clear Dark had some sort of attachment to him, what if he was using Wild as a sort of listening device, like Wind’s stone? If that were the case, then how was he going to inform the others without alerting Dark? Maybe he could sign it to them? But what if Dark was out here with them, watching from a distance? If it was true that Dark was a mixture of all of them then there was a good chance Dark knew how to read sign as well. No, signing was too risky. He racked his overly tired brain trying to figure out what to do.

Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe he could use Dark’s plan against him. Pretend to consider the deal, buy himself and the others time to… To do what exactly? It’s not like Wild had any idea how break Dark’s hold on him short of somehow killing him or himself. Wild shuddered at the thought of having to end himself in order to protect the others, he could only imagine the trauma that would cause everyone left behind. Wild sighed and opened his eyes again when he heard someone sit beside him.

“Hey there cub, what are you working on?” Time asked quietly as to make sure he wouldn’t wake anyone. Wild shrugged and tapped at his slate.

“I’m planning on making myself some elixirs to help with stamina.” Wild answered distractedly as he pondered which monster part would give him the strongest elixir.

“Sleep isn’t helping?” Time asked as he leaned over and joined Wild looking over the various ingredients.

“Not in the slightest.” Wild sighed, finger pausing over a shard of dragon horn.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Wild shook his head, his heart beginning to race. He needed to tell Time but he still couldn’t figure out a way to do that safely just then. He could see Time crinkle his eyebrows but thankfully he said nothing.

“Okay, would you like some help getting the pot then?” He asked gesturing to the pot that was sat next to the fire.

“That would be very helpful, thank you,” Wild said with a weak smile and Time nodded and went to set up the pot for him. Soon the pot was filled with various lizard and monster parts and set to boil. The task done Time and Wild sat in silence watching as the sky began to turn a light shade of pink at the edges.

“I need to talk with you all about what’s happening.” Wild said suddenly and Time shot him a glance.

“Oh, has there been developments?” He asked his calm voice belying his suddenly tense posture. Wild nodded before he continued.

“There has, but I don’t know how to explain it to you guys safely.” Wild said head bowing in defeat. His fingers tracing lines in the dirt in front of him.

“Safely? What do you mean?” Time asked shifting his weight so he was turned to face him.

“Well I… it’s… possible that…” Wild trailed off not knowing how to articulate his thoughts. He didn’t want to risk alerting Dark that he suspected that he was listening in. Wild chewed on his bottom lip, an idea creeping in to the corners of his mind. Before he could think too much about it he decided to take a calculated risk.

“I’ve been worried, that we aren’t alone. What if there’s something in the shadows listening in? Watching us?” Wild finally said as he began to write in the dirt in front of him and glanced quickly at Time. Time said nothing, only looked at him with an odd expression of confusion and sudden tension. Wild prayed to Hylia herself that Time understood what he was getting at. Slowly Wild stopped writing and met eyes with the older hero again before moving his eyes exaggeratedly down towards the ground in front of them.

Wild had carefully wrote the word ‘trust’ in the dirt with an arrow pointing towards himself. Making sure Time was watching Wild drew a line through the word.

‘Don’t trust me’.

There was no way of knowing if Dark was actually spying on them let alone how he was doing it, but Wild had to try something to get his message across. Wild just hoped that Dark wouldn’t be able to see him drawing in the dirt. Wild could see Time glance at the ground before he opened his mouth to say something but Wild shot him a terrified glance. ‘For the love of Din, don’t say anything.’ Time caught the message behind the look feigned a yawn before stretching his leg out, surreptitiously erasing the word.

“Well if that were the case I’m sure we would have noticed. But I’ll keep that in mind.” Time said leaning forward and idly doodling the letter ‘U’ in the dirt before drawing an eye over top of it.

‘Keep an eye on you?’.

Wild nodded slightly keeping his posture casual and his voice light.

“I’m sure you’re right, I guess I’m just jumpy is all.” Wild said as he watched Time continue to draw nonsense into the dirt obscuring the eye.

“How are you feeling? Are you in much pain?” Time asked slowly as he drew a series of eight stick figures of various heights into the dirt leaving room for one more.

“I’ll manage, for what it’s worth, I’ve got the pain mostly under control for now.” Wild said adding emphasis on the word ‘control’ and idly drew a ninth figure. He drew it a little farther behind the group of eight, it’s arm outstretched with a little sword held in its hand pointing at the backs of the others. Casually Wild added little lines connected to the ninth figure’s arms and legs, a parody of a marionette before adding a frowny face to the figure. Wild could hear Time hum in thought for a moment clearly thinking. After a minute Time began striking out the other eight stick figures and cast a quizzical eye towards Wild, a clear question in the act.

‘Take us out, one by one?’

Wild gave a another slight nod and swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat. ‘He must think I’m a monster’ Wild thought to himself before continuing in the most casual voice he could muster.

“I’ve learned some tricks in my past adventure that helped keep me going when the chips were down. Though I have to admit I’m not feeling quite like myself.” Wild said once again adding emphasis on the last part of his sentence. Wild could hear a small quiver creep into his voice. He felt Time shift uneasily next to him.

“Not feeling like yourself? How so?” Time asked cautiously his nimble fingers drawing an intersecting line across the ‘strings’ of Wild’s stick figure. Gods was Time asking him if he had a plan? Wild felt dread bubble in his chest. He had no idea how to answer that so he gave a small shrug instead instead of drawing anything.

“Have I ever told you about the times I’ve come in contact with the malice?” Wild asked his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He cleared the drawing away and drew small spirals in the dirt.

“Malice? That the stuff around the tower right? You had mentioned that it made you sick.” Time answered slowly, carefully placing his hands on his knees.

“It didn’t just make me sick. It felt like I was losing myself. I would lose chunks of time. One moment I’d be trying to sleep, and the next I would be standing in the remains of a monster camp. My thoughts felt muddled and broken and I felt so…” Wild trailed off, his hands gesturing in the air in vague circles as he tried to think of an appropriate word. “Angry? Frustrated? Like I wanted to brake things, or I don’t know. But it wasn’t myself.” Wild finished letting his hands drop back down to the dirt and smearing the spirals out of existence. He felt a pang of shame at that admission and he found he couldn’t meet Time’s eye.

“At one point when I snapped back to myself, I had my sword pointed at a traveling merchant. They looked terrified.” Wild whispered quietly, his voice hitching slightly. He felt Time shift again and this time Wild felt a hand land on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. Are you feeling that way now?” Time asked as he leaned forward to get a look at Wild’s face.

“Not as bad fortunately. But it’s noticeable. I feel like I can’t get my thoughts in order. It’s frustrating but I haven’t experienced any blank spots in my memory which gives me some comfort.” Wild said his fingers traced the bruising on his forearm gently. Pain tickled at the edges of his mind and he stopped before it could break through his careful control.

“What happened then?” He heard a groggy voice pipe up from behind them. Wild gave a little start before he turned to see the tired blue eyes of Twilight staring at them over top of the pillow he held.

“Oh uh, I can’t really remember what happened, its all a blur with lots of blank spaces. I assume I tried to stay away from people as much as possible. I must have wandered for a while because I found myself at the spring of courage. By that point I felt dead on my feet and delirious from fever, and I don’t even know how I got to the spring.” Wild trailed off and rubbed his forehead trying to bring the foggy memories back into focus.

“I do remember collapsing, and I must have fell into the water because I remember how the cold water felt nice against my skin. Then I woke up at the feet of the goddess statue and I finally felt like myself again. I was still incredibly weak, but the fever had finally broken. From there I was able to get myself to a stable and properly rest.” Wild said with a shrug. Time looked from Wild’s pensive face to Twilight who had sat up fully and was staring at Wild. Twilight was clearly turning something over in his head, drumming his fingers on the soft pillow he held.

“You said you went to a spring, and you felt better?” Twilight ventured and Wild nodded slowly not entirely sure where Twilight was going with his question.

“Yeah I’m not sure how it helped but it did. So naturally whenever I had the misfortune of coming in contact with that hellish stuff I would hightail it to the closet spring. The recovery always took forever but it was never as bad as the first time I was exposed.” Wild said with a sigh.

“It sounds stupid I know, but going to the spring, it always seemed to negate the worst of the effects of the malice.” Wild said sheepishly letting his eyes drop to the ground again in embarrassment. He knew that Twilight didn’t really hold any faith in the Goddesses and he hoped he didn’t sound like a crazy zealot.

“That’s not stupid at all, in fact it sounds like a plan.” Twilight said his eyes lighting up with hope. Wild tilted his head in confusion not fully seeing the connection.

“A plan? Do you guys have springs for the three goddesses or something?” Wild asked as his sluggish thoughts finally clicked the pieces together. Twilight shook his head.

“Not exactly, but there are springs for the Light Spirits and one of those springs just so happens to be very close. I helped the spirits who live in the springs during my adventure. The waters healed me on more than one occasion. I wonder if they would help you now.” Twilight thought out loud and suddenly he seemed full of energy. He stood and began to pace.

“Now that does seem rather interesting. Maybe that’s why we were dropped here.” Time said as he gave Wild’s shoulder a squeeze. Wild didn’t know what to say, could it really be possible that this would work? He didn’t want to get his hopes up just yet.

“How can you be sure it will work?” Wild asked still not sure what else to say.

“There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s a chance. The trip shouldn’t take more than two days, and there are some monsters in the way…” Twilight said distractedly his fingers tapping his chin as he planned. Wild thought for a moment, Twi was right, it was a chance but what else could they do?

“Alright, I say we go for it.” Wild said with all the energy he could spare. Time slapped his back gently with a hardy chuckle.

“That’s the spirit, We’ll start making plans as soon as everyone wakes up.” Time said with a smile.

“Will you be okay for the journey?” Twilight asked snapping out of his reverie. Wild gave him a tired nod and jerked a thumb behind him towards the cooking pot.

“I’m making some potions to help keep me moving. I’ll make it.” Wild said reassuringly and Twilight squinted at the pot. A look of faint disgust flitted across his face when he saw what was boiling away. Twilight was about to say something when they heard the sound of heavy breathing and whimpering coming from the other side of camp.

The three of them looked over to where the sleeping group of Four, Wind and Sky were laying. Sky was beginning to twitch and gasp in his sleep, his brows creasing and a look of distress falling over his face. Time stood and started to walk over to Sky to wake him up but was brought up short when Sky gave a little cry and sat up suddenly dislodging Wind’s arm from over his eyes. Sky’s eyes were wide with the fading nightmare, his brow beaded with sweat.

“Sky, are you okay?” Time asked quietly a hand raised as if he was going to place it on Sky’s trembling shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just uh, had a nightmare is all. It was just a nightmare.” Sky said and it almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than Time. Wild squinted at him and examined Sky’s pale face.

“What was the dream about?” Wild asked eyes still squinted at Sky but the other only shook his head.

“I can’t really remember, but I know it wasn’t pleasant. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” Sky dismissed shakily as he rubbed his eyes. Wild pursed his lips but nodded, they all had nightmares. He told himself he was just being overly sensitive due to his own recent issues with nightmares.

“Did you want to try to go back to sleep? There’s about another two hours before everyone should get up. You look tired.” Twilight asked softly. Sky blinked a few times and sucked in a deep breath to try to calm his breathing.

“I think I’ll stay up, I’ve had enough sleep for tonight,” Sky said as he seemed to finally collect himself.

“Alright, just be quiet. I don’t want to disturb the others just yet.” Time said in a hushed voice as he gestured around the sleepy camp. Sky nodded quickly and carefully untangled himself the rest of the way from the pile.

“Honestly I have no idea how they didn’t wake up.” Twilight snorted as he looked around the sleeping group.

“It’s been a long couple days, I’m sure everyone is played out.” Sky said kindly as he gently tugged up the blanket around Four’s shoulders. Wild looked away at that, he couldn’t help but feel reasonable somehow. Sky noticing Wild’s guilty face changed the subject.

“What do you have cooking there? Please say it’s not breakfast.” Sky joked as he scooted closer and wrinkled his nose.

“Nah, it’s a stamina potion. I’m making some for myself to give me a little boost during the day.” Wild explained giving the potion a quick stir.

“Actually it should be just about done. Would you mind helping me scoop it into some jars?” Wild asked Sky with a small smile.

“Sure! I’d love to help.” Sky said moving to Wild’s side grabbing spare empty bottles as Wild produced them from his slate. Time and Twilight left not long after Wild and Sky began to bottled the bright green solution, apparently to go talk with Wars about the plans for the day to come. As they were finishing filling the last of the bottles Sky covered his mouth as he coughed but waved away the concerned look Wild shot him.

“It’s okay, my throat feels a little dry, just need a drink. I must have been sleeping with my mouth open.” Sky said with a little laugh and a shake of his head. Even though Sky’s explanation made sense Wild couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. There was no reason for it Wild knew but he still couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Are you sure? I can get Hyrule, maybe you’re getting sick?” Wild prodded and was met with stony silence.

“It’s okay, really. I’m fine.” Sky said after a beat and handed him the last bottle. Wild didn’t miss the slight tremor in Sky’s finger tips.

“Sky, maybe it would be better if you got looked at?” Wild tried again and was graced with a flicker of anger that sparked across Sky’s eyes.

“I told you, I’m fine. I swear you and Time are so overly cautious sometimes, it’s suffocating.” Sky said as he stood and brushed dirt off his pants. Wild felt stung by Sky’s words and he felt his eyebrow raise. That was very out of character for Sky, he was usually so patient and slow to anger, maybe that nightmare was worse than he thought? Wild opened his mouth to say something but closed it with a soft click. Was he being overly cautious? He could definitely see where Sky was coming from, he didn’t like being mother henned either. But there was something off and Wild couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’m going to go and get cleaned up. Maybe you should too.” Sky said sternly as he turned and padded away towards his pack, clearly done with the discussion. Wild sat by the fire for a little while longer, feeling as though something of note just happened but couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.

#legend of zelda #linked universe #wild linked universe #linked universe fanfic #linkeduniverse #fanfiction #my fanfic writing

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dinfeanoriel · 5 years ago

Text

Karma

This one’s for you, @tuxedoelf! It took a completely different turn than expected, but I hope it’s enjoyable!

~~~~

It’d started out lighthearted enough. A little tease here and there, a subtle joke, a bit of a nudge, and a hint of a jest.

Warrior took it in good nature. After all, the Links deserved some fun after everything they’d lived through and done.

This did not mean he didn’t experience a sense of exasperated annoyance when the meticulous knight would wake to find one or more of his items misplaced or hidden. It was often to the snickering face of Legend, the shy and smiling one of Hyrule, the giggling of Wind and the purposefully oblivious Wild that gave away the fact that the pranksters had done something while he’d been resting.

They did respect their boundaries and for that, Warrior was most grateful. They never once touched his scarf, knowing of the importance and sanctity it held to the Captain. However, Warrior never did understand why it was him they often targeted.

Did he give them some sort of satisfaction they couldn’t otherwise receive from the others? He knew why they avoided playing tricks on Time. The Old Man was difficult to read. He was stern, stoic, and their elected leader but there were moments where his deep, rumbling laughter could be heard over the others and his eye would gleam with unrestrained merriment and amusement. He did have a sense of humor the Links had discovered later on in their journey but most were still unsure how the leader would take to pranks or jokes being directed at him.

Warrior figured Time would merely brush them aside or possibly send a casual barb their way. It wouldn’t surprise him. Or Time would level them with his infamous cool, brooding, stare that left the Links withering from within and wilting on the outside until a smirk would steadily grow on the Old Man’s face.

Warrior suspected Time knew exactly what kind of effect he had on them and often used it to his advantage. He also had to wonder whether or not the older Hero did it on purpose. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least.

Over time, Warrior gradually became weary of the jokes, pranks, and teasing remarks of his fellow Heroes but he neither said nor did anything to dissuade them. How could he? When he set eyes on Wind’s beaming smile and brightly lit face...Wild’s muted show of amusement and the mischievous sparkle in those cerulean blues...the look of mirth and glee Hyrule timidly revealed...the lightness he recognized in Legend’s form led Warrior to believe it was worth the daily jabs and high jinks.

That was…

Until a particular incident.

It was this...episode... that made Warrior execute a strategic retreat before striking back without warning. The others never saw it coming. This, the Knight used to his advantage. The Captain had several tricks up his sleeve he couldn’t wait to unveil.

Time had decided the group had covered an acceptable amount of distance for that day and called for them to set up camp. Wind, of course, was more than relieved. Once finished gathering tinder and unfolding his bedroll, the Sailor flung himself down and refused to move. Wild immediately whipped up a fire and proceeded to ponder what meal to cook for that night. Twilight prowled around, checking the perimeter and securing their spot. Sky was scribbling away in the journal he always carried with Hyrule dozing off beside him.

Legend scraped a knife along a stick he’d found, idly smoothing the gnarled and crooked wood to combat his boredom. Warrior knew he was too lazy to find something else to occupy himself with. He couldn’t blame him. They’d walked an exceptional ways and battled at least four varying groups of monsters.

Four, the most colorful of them all, appeared to be deep in thought as he diligently read through a book he’d purchased not too long ago. The Hero often bartered, sold, or traded items or books he’d completed for new ones he could bring along with him. There were times where he would pause and murmur quietly to himself, discussing the contents and replying to whatever invisible voice was responding to him.

It had been a strange sight to see near the beginning of their travels, but now, the Heroes simply accepted it and never questioned Four of this odd habit of his.

“Warrior,”

Warrior blinked slowly when the deep, rumbling voice of Time broke through his thoughts and sent them scattering. The Knight straightened and turned to find Time looking to him expectantly.

Ah...He must have said something to him and the Captain hadn’t heard him.

“What was that?” Warrior asked, an apology clear in his tone.

Time gestured meaningfully to the water pouches and canteens the Heroes had laid out, “I asked if you and Twilight would be willing to refill these for us.”

Warrior was already up and moving before Time could finish his request. He’d always had that drop-everything attitude the Heroes sometimes found amusing and other times admirable. It didn’t matter what Warrior was doing, he was always willing to stop whatever he was occupied with to lend them a hand.

“Sure thing,”

Time gave a nod of thanks and Warrior and Twilight gathered the near empty pouches. Accompanied by Epona, the three made their way to a rushing river nearby. To Warrior’s disapproval, Twilight shouldered a pack and stubbornly refused to drop it even when his collarbone protested beneath the strain.

Due to limited potions and fairies, the Links had unanimously determined not to use any unless the wound sustained was severe or there was a great need for them. They weren’t certain when the next opportunity to restock would arise which unfortunately made it difficult for them to estimate whether or not an injury was worth the risk.

A sudden warp into a new world had caught the Heroes off guard only a couple days earlier. Twilight had taken the brunt of it and ended up with a broken collarbone. It had been snapped clean in half due to a terrible fall he’d taken and Warrior made the call for him to drink a little bit of the Red Potion he carried at all times. Twilight still suffered from the remnants of a concussion- courtesy of his fall- but it was not as bad as it could have been.

Hopefully, future transports into new worlds would not be as...chaotic and painful.

Warrior discreetly watched Twilight in the corner of his eye. To his astonishment, even Epona would glance at her Master with concern when she sensed the spike of discomfort and subdued pain he didn’t outwardly express.

After catching sight of Twilight suppressing a wince, his neutral features contorting faintly, Warrior decided enough was enough.

Holding a hand out, Warrior ordered, “Give it here.”

The authoritative tone caught Twilight off guard and the Ordonian paused to give him a look of slight surprise and confusion. Understanding quickly dawned on him, however, and Twilight shook his head.

Warrior was often struck by how much he resembled Wolfie when he would shake his large head and whip his mane back and forth.

“I’m fine, Warrior-”

“It wasn’t a question, Twi,”

Twilight leveled him with a stare. One Warrior met head on while Epona watched, interested in seeing who would win the silent battle taking place.

Of course, as Warrior expected, Twilight expelled a sigh and reluctantly slid the heavy pack from his shoulder. Warrior immediately snatched it before Twilight could take it back and flung it around his own shoulders. The Knight could have sworn the majestic horse wilted in relief as she fondly nudged Twilight’s good arm, earning a small smile from the Ordonian as he raised a hand to rub her nose.

“You agitating your wound isn’t going to help us in the nearby future, Twi,” Warrior chided as they continued their trek to the racing river. The rapid waters cascaded down a rocky cliff, the thunderous sound of it spilling into waters below filling the air almost deafeningly. There was a steep incline downwards full of sharp and jagged rocks of varying sizes the water would crash through or mercilessly glide over.

It was a picturesque scene. The clear, stormy, waters of the river surrounded by vibrant flowers and luscious green grass. The foam gathering at the bottom of the waterfall and the crystal-like sands forming the banks... Already, the tenseness in the Knight lessened and disappeared as he basked in the refreshing and lightness of the atmosphere.

With a faint, relaxed smile, Warrior and Twilight descended the small hill and tugged the water pouches out to begin refilling.

A comfortable silence fell between them, the soothing melody of the racing waters serving as a balm to the building stress, battle-weariness, and exhaustion as the two tugged out the water pouches and dipped them into the river.

Warrior reveled in the peace and quiet. One-by-one, he submerged the pouches and canteens, filling them to the brim. He set them aside and reached for the last one-

- only to grasp at air.

Confused, Warrior turned to find he was less one canteen. Looking to and fro, Warrior frowned when he realized he could not locate the missing canteen anywhere near him.

“Hey, Twi,” He called.

A hum drifted in from his left.

“Do you know where-” He cut off with a startled cry when Epona suddenly reared with a shrill whinny and bucked, her strong body knocking into the person nearest her.

Warrior was given no time to react. He’d been perched precariously on the water’s edge, balanced on his feet, and the impact was enough to knock him off kilter and send him flailing into the rushing river.

There was a roaring in his ears as currents dragged him further in and the turbulent waters swelled around him. He barely heard Twilight shouting his name when he broke through the surface several meters away, coughing and spluttering. The river slammed mercilessly into him, threatening to overwhelm and yank him back under. It was only after a few failed attempts that Warrior managed to rip himself out of the stronger currents and into the less fiercer ones.

Through blurry eyes, Warrior could faintly see a dark blur shooting down the bank towards him.

Wolfie.

He was barking sharply, paws grazing the sand as he sprinted towards him, and incredibly blue eyes fixed on the poor, drenched, Knight with open concern.

Where had Wolfie come from?

Warrior supposed it didn’t matter. The great beast leaped into the river and kicked fervently through the foaming waters to the Knight with hardly any trouble.

In the middle of another coughing fit, the dazed Warrior felt the wolf grab hold of the back of his tunic with his powerful jaw and pull him purposefully towards the shore.

Warrior shakily drew himself to his feet into a slouched position. Coughs still wracked his body due to the water that he’d swallowed when he’d first gone under and he leaned against Wolfie for support, his left hand digging into the thick, soggy, fur.

Wolfie released a soft, worried, whine and Warrior weakly waved his free hand in the air to dismiss his concerns.

“I’m fine..!” He managed to rasp out between breaths. They sloshed through the shallow end of the river, making for the bank when Warrior felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulders and gently guide him forward.

A familiar, deep and authoritative voice broke the silence with a question,

“What happened?”

Warrior attempted to clear his throat to answer, but he swallowed wrong and choked on his reply. Screwing his eyes shut, Warrior waited for his screaming lungs to settle and allow him to breathe properly.

A large, calloused, hand clapped him on the back a few times, helping him to clear his straining airways.

“Epona startled,” Came Twilight’s voice from Warrior’s left, “I don’t know what scared her, but she knocked Warrior into the river and he got caught up in the currents.”

Warrior blinked owlishly, his bafflement and disorientation rising. When did Twilight get there? Where did Wolfie go?

His chest rattled as the Captain took deep gulps of fresh air. He raised a hand to his kvetching throat, blinking his eyes clear.

“Ugh,” He groaned, thanking the Goddess he could now speak, “That felt awful.”

“I’d imagine,” Twilight murmured sympathetically, lightly gripping Warrior’s shoulder, “I was worried you’d be swept away!”

Warrior didn’t know how to reply to Twilight. He hadn’t been scared or worried. His mind had gone instantly blank the instant he’d fallen in. His survival instincts had kicked in, leading to his flailing and floundering to stay afloat and keep his head above the surface. That was all that had mattered to him.

“If it weren’t for Wolfie, I might have been,” Was what he settled with, “That wolf sure is a lifesaver, especially for us Links.”

He didn’t see the small grin lining Time’s lips or the the way Twilight rubbed at the back of his neck.

“We are notorious for getting into trouble,” Time agreed, a hint of amusement in his tone. Warrior wasn’t sure what he found particularly funny, but he supposed it hardly mattered, “Twilight, fetch your horse. Warrior and I are going to make for camp.”

Warrior could have sighed with relief. His chest hurt and his ribs ached. He looked forward to being able to rest a bit and get some shut-eye.

“I think I know what startled her,” Twilight growled, drawing their attention. The Ordonian bent down to swipe at something on the ground, bringing it up for them both to see.

A canteen.

Warrior’s brow wrinkled, “How did that get there? I could have sworn I had all of them when-”

And then it hit him.

His expression flat-lined and exasperation bubbled within him. Time mirrored him, a deep frown marring his features.

“Another prank...”

~~~~

“You look like a drowned rat, Warrior,” Legend snickered upon his, Time, and Twilight’s arrival to the camp. Time looked sharply to him with his infamous stern and disapproving expression, ready to rebuke their fellow companion when the Knight retorted swiftly,

“And yet, I still manage to look better than you, Gremlin,”

To this, Legend had no reply. The snarky Hero was left to brood silently to himself while the others snickered.

Time led himself and Warrior across the camp with his hand on the Knight’s shoulder. It was his subtle way of expressing concern and relief. Warrior had discovered this earlier on. While Time wasn’t the most expressive of heroes, there were nonverbal signals and slight nuances in the shifts in his demeanor and eye that gave away what the older Hero was feeling.

After Warrior took a seat, he thanked Time for his trouble. Time only smiled faintly, ruffled his hair a little, and walked away.

Twilight moved to settle beside the Captain, displeasure rolling off him in waves.

“Warrior-” The Ordonian began but Warrior cut him off with a wave of his hand. Bearing a grin, Warrior met Twilight’s eye and murmured,

“Don’t worry. I’ll get them back.”

The ominous statement intrigued Twilight and the older teen huffed out a small chuckle, a smirk of his own matching the Knight’s.

“Well, let me know if I can be of any service.”

This caught Warrior off guard and when he looked to Twilight, wondering if his concussion might have possibly messed with his head more than he’d let on, Twilight indignantly defended himself,

“What? The Cub needs to be taught a lesson or two.”

“Ha!”

~~~~

Warrior spent the next few days conjuring up ideas for revenge. He thought long and hard, mulling scenario after scenario in his mind, casting them aside and crafting new ones. He picked at each and every single possibility, altering details and changing it up in an attempt to forge the perfect comeback.

He never did find one that he liked. What could he do? It had to be something that would make the pranksters think twice about messing with him.

At night when they would settle for camp, Warrior could often be seen scribbling in his journal with a stark frown. He made lists only to scrap them, drew little scenes only to toss them, and wrote ideas only to dispose of them.

With a frustrated sigh, Warrior snapped his journal shut and sat back against the log behind him. Nothing he came up with satisfied him.

His gaze wandered idly to where Wild was preparing their meal. The teen was humming a catchy little tune while he cooked, tapping his foot and bobbing his head along with the rhythm. Faster than should be possible, he had their plates ready and was in the process of setting them around the campfire under Warrior’s supervision.

When Wild reached him, Warrior could tell from the gleam in his eyes that something was up.

With a broad, almost shy grin, Wild handed Warrior his plate. Wild didn’t speak much unless he wanted to. He wasn’t necessarily silent and nonverbal but Warrior had taken to understanding the silent language Wild often took to communicating in.

The younger teen was actually quite hilarious and told the most fascinating of stories that captivated even Warrior himself.

The Knight accepted the plate with a nod of thanks then watched the much-too-innocent Wild leave with brewing suspicion. When his distrustful, calculating, gaze flit to the meal he held, Warrior knew.

Wild had put something in it.

Immediately wary, Warrior recoiled and held the deceptively delightsome meal further away from him. His face screwed up as he wondered at what Wild could have injected in his food. It looked so enticing and had such a pleasant aroma but Warrior knew better. Could he have put in monster guts? Bugs? Fairies?

With a grimace, lips curling back in disgust, Warrior quickly put his plate on the ground and pushed it away with the toe of his boot when a thought crossed his mind.

The Knight paused, snatching at the idea and tugging it forward to analyze it.

With a sly, victorious, grin, Warrior realized this was an ingenious way to pay those fools back for all they’d put him through.

Looking to the plate Wild had set beside him, Warrior swiftly swooped down and swapped his meal for it. His sudden movement momentarily garnered Sky’s attention, but when Warrior leaned back, folding his arms behind his head with a pleased grin, figured it was nothing of great import and returned back to his conversation with Twilight.

Luckily for Warrior, he didn’t have to wait long for everyone to start trickling in to the campsite. Cerulean blues snapped to each individual Hero, wondering which of the nine would sit themselves to Warrior’s left, unknowing of the terrible fate that awaited them. Warrior took a bite of his food, noticing how closely Wild, Wind, Hyrule, and Legend were watching him. They tried to be discreet about it, but Warrior’s eye was trained to catch onto the smallest and most insignificant of details and never brush them aside.

Smugness arose within him but he was careful not to openly display it. Those fools...He would play them well. He proceeded to take another bite, pretending not to notice them. A difficult feat. He could feel their attentive stares boring into him. He pulled back, setting his utensils down and chewed. He paused for dramatic effect, trying not to show his increasing amusement when the four Links leaned forward expectantly, intently awaiting his reaction. No doubt they were eagerly anticipating a profound one. Well, it would not be his reaction they would be witnessing today. No, it would be some poor, unfortunate, soul Warrior had swapped his plate with. Secretly, he festered the hope that it would be one of the very pranksters themselves. But as luck would have it… That was not to be… Time finally arrived with Four trailing beside him. Their elected leader entered the encampment, his very presence expanding and enveloping the area. Warrior would be lying if he claimed he didn’t feel safer with the Old Man present. Yet his curiosity was eating at him! Warrior wanted to know who would decide to sit beside him! That was… Until Time moved around the campfire, coming closer and closer. Warrior’s heart began to thunder and his stomach twisted and churned nervously. Time walked past him, a gentle breeze disturbing the strands of Warrior’s hair and brushing against his neck. It was in that moment that Warrior knew who the victim of the Heroes’ prank would be though he desperately hoped to be proven wrong. But when was he ever? Time paused. Please, sit elsewhere. Sit elsewhere, Old Man! He internally pleaded. Shock and dismay flooded Warrior as Time lowered himself with the grace and agility of an experienced Hero to the ground on the spot right next to the Knight. Nononono-! But the Old Man remained blissfully unaware of Warrior’s silent beseeching. Time leaned back, dropping his pack into the dirt in front of the log they were sat against. The foreboding sound echoed in Warrior’s ears, almost deafening him. His heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach as Time maneuvered himself around and shifted until he was comfortably reclined against the log. The look of ease and content that came over Time and the relaxed posture in which he sat would not last long, Warrior knew. Why, Old Man! Why?! He inwardly cried, You never sit beside me! What could have possibly made you choose to do so today?! Time surveyed their little group, his single-eyed gaze appraising each individual Link around the table before settling on the stiff Knight beside him. He frowned. The older adolescent was as tense as a coiled spring, ready to snap if provoked. His fingernails dug into the skin of his palms, though Warrior didn’t appear to notice. His knuckles were turning white from the unrelenting grip. It piqued Time’s curiosity. “Whatever has you so uptight, Warrior?” Was it him, or was Warrior looking apprehensive and trapped? Like a cornered animal uncertain of what action to take next? The Captain certainly looked ready to pass out from the dread building up within him. Warrior coughed awkwardly, gesturing to Time’s meal with his left, “You might…” He began, his voice quiet and strangled, “Might not want to...erm...eat...your meal.” Time coolly raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting that I starve, Warrior?” Although his low and rumbling voice was stern and stoic, Warrior’s sharp hearing caught the underlying hint of teasing coating his words. “I…” Warrior tried to think of what to answer, but his mind faltered and slammed to a halt. This would happen at such an inopportune time! He struggled to kickstart his malfunctioning brain, words rapidly flying from his tongue, “Of course not but-” A hand settled heavily on his shoulder followed by a faint laugh as Time smiled down at the knight, “Ease up, Warrior. No need to be so tense.” Oh, Time wouldn’t be laughing for much longer. Warrior made to speak- But Time reached for his fork. Warrior found his gaze riveted to Time’s plate, where he knew something awaited. Had Wild put something in the food? Some kind of monster gut? A different dubious item he had a tendency to collect? Bugs? Insects? Just the thought disgusted the Knight. The apprehension and regret made him queasy. Warrior repined swapping plates now but there was nothing he could do but sit and watch Time cut a portion of the perfectly cooked, deceitfully delicious meat and raise the fork up. I should warn him- The thought comes too late. Time had already taken a bite. The whole world crumbled around Warrior as he awaited with great trepidation and foreboding for Time’s reaction. Wild, Hyrule, Wind, and Legend were completely forgotten when Time chewed once, twice… And then stilled. I should have warned him… The Old Man’s jaw locked and Warrior swore Time’s face was slowly turning an impressive shade of rouge. It started faintly enough- a light dusting of pink, but as the seconds slowly ticked by, it grew more vibrant and deep until it was a burning shade of red. With his focus narrowed on Time, Warrior missed the absolute look of sheer horror dawning on the tricksters. They’d been wondering at Warrior’s strange and uncharacteristic behavior until they noted how rapt he’d been watching Time. Twilight and Sky paused in their conversation when they noted the sudden, absolute, silence that had settled o’er the table the Heroes were gathered round. Four curiously raised his head, noting the rigidness of Hyrule, Legend, Wild, and Wind and how fraught with anticipation Warrior appeared to be. That was when they noticed Time’s burning face and the strained expression he’d adopted. The Old Man willed his jaw to move, but it stubbornly refused. His stomach quelled the desire for nourishment. His throat was parched, his mouth scalding hot. “Time?” Sky called with unveiled concern, he and Twilight slowly rising from their chairs. Warrior’s eyes slowly drifted shut. He should have just taken it for himself and spared them all. He certainly would have spared Time.

”Someone get some water!” It was Hyrule’s voice that snapped Warrior from his thoughts and the Knight shot upright immediately.

”Not water!” Four refuted with a shake of his head, shooting to his feet, “Milk! Does anyone have some milk?”

The encampment burst into action with the Heroes digging through their packs and tossing out items in search for their bottles.

Warrior scrambled to his knees and gripped Time’s shoulder tightly, giving him a slight shake,

”Can you spit it out, Time?”

By the Gods, he’d never seen Time so red before! He was practically burning! Even his eye was watering and there was sweat beading on his brow!

The older Hero was as still as a statue, jaw welded shut and unwilling to move.

"Din’s grace, Wild, what did you put in my meal?!” Warrior hissed, apologizing profusely to Time while simultaneously trying to help the Old Man to summon the strength and willpower to pry his jaw open and spit the food out.

It felt to be an eternity before Sky whipped out a bottle of Lon Long Milk with a relieved cry and dashed to Time’s side, shoving it into his hands and coaxing him frantically to take it.

Time’s stomach chose that moment to rebel.

Warrior cringed at the painful sounds of hacking, coughing, choking, and sputtering their leader made as he desperately downed the bottle of Lon Lon Milk as if his life depended on it.

Their formidable and stoic leader wheezed as Sky and Warrior pat his back sympathetically, the other Heroes crowding around them with concern wincing at the breathless coughs that escaped him.

It wasn’t until Time cracked open an eye and seared Legend, Hyrule, Wind, and Wild with his infamous, brooding, stare that Warrior knew he would be fine.

~~~~

Lon Lon Ranch.

Ever a welcoming sight to behold.

Warrior would be lying if he claimed to not have missed this beautiful and tranquil place. Malon welcomed them with bright eyes, a warm smile, and open arms. Warrior could tell the Links had never felt more at home than they did now.

Of course, as the Heroes were wont to do, they split apart and designated tasks to one another to complete. They knew Malon appreciated their hard work and willingness to help around.

Warrior himself was in the process of brushing the horses down, smiling when they shook their heads with a snort, their manes whipping through the air. They truly were such magnificent and majestic creatures.

He’d never felt so at ease before.

“Warrior,”

“Hylia’s Grace!” Warrior exclaimed, startling violently at the deep voice that had come from behind him.

The Captain slapped a hand over his frantically beating heart, directing an unappreciative glare at Time. The Old Man was poorly smothering his laughter, a smile curving his lips and single eye sparkling.

“For Goddess’ sake, Time!” Warrior snapped, no bite in his tone, “A little warning next time!”

The horse he’d been brushing nickered and Warrior could have sworn he was laughing at his misfortune.

“I am the only one capable of sneaking up on you,” Was all Time said with a relaxed grin, “I have to use it to my advantage.”

“I knew you were evil,” Warrior shook his head in disbelief, “This must be where they get their wicked streak from,” He remarked lowly to himself.

Time frowned faintly, inclining his head.

“Who?”

Warrior blinked and waved his question aside with a smirk, “Nothing. No one.” He straightened and dusted his tunic off, fixing his disheveled hair and accidentally smearing dirt on his cheek, “Did you need something?”

“Yes, I did,” Time replied, clasping Warrior on the shoulder and gently maneuvering him away. The knight snapped to attention and matched his pace. There was a pang in Time’s heart at the swift adoption of what Wind and some of the other Heroes called Warrior’s “Captain Persona.” Warrior most likely did not notice it. It was far too ingrained into him and came most likely without him realizing or being conscious of it.

He was quick to become serious and grave and his eyes would harden or narrow with determination and consideration in a split second. He became a completely different person.

“Settle down, Warrior,” Time pat his shoulder in the hopes of getting him to relax. Lon Lon Ranch was a place for them to let loose and enjoy themselves for once. To shed their burdens, worries, concerns, and strip themselves of the title “Hero” and just be themselves, “I only had something I wished to discuss with you.”

Warrior raked a hand through his hair and quirked an eyebrow, “What was it?”

A look entered Time’s eye as the older Hero guided Warrior to the open field the horses were left to graze. The other Links could be seen dotting the area, performing a multitude of tasks and chatting amiably with one another.

“You are devising a plan, aren’t you?” At the bewildered look he received, Time clarified, “To get them back.”

Understanding dawned on Warrior and he slowly nodded, “I am...” His calculating gaze slid to the taller Hylian, “Is there a reason you are asking..?”

Time’s smile broadened, morphing in a smirk. An incredibly familiar smirk.

He clapped Warrior on the back, “Why, I am so glad you asked, Warrior. Might I make a suggestion?”

Warrior came to a sudden stop, whipping his head up to stare incredulously at Time, “A-a suggestion?” His mind whirled. What was this? Time was going to help him obtain his revenge?

Time dipped his chin curtly, “I believe I have the perfect comeback, only,” He narrowed his single eye on Warrior, adding pointedly and with a hint of mischief, “You cannot say a word to Malon. She would have both our heads for this,”

Now Warrior was intrigued.

“I can do that. What is it?” He eagerly wanted to know. Time’s expression softened at the excited and curious gleam in the Captain’s eyes.

“Very well.” He leaned down, lifting a hand and pointing somewhere in the distance of the Ranch, “Surely you have come to recognize that we Links all have an innate fear of...”

~~~~

The act of retribution Time had suggested left Warrior stunned. He often found himself wondering how he’d never thought of it. It was beyond perfect! To think that Time had come up with it astounded the Knight. Then again, Warrior figured he should not be all too surprised.

The Old Man was so full of mysteries and secrets. The Links knew next to nothing about him or his adventures. Warrior believed he was most likely the most devious and mischievous of the Links.

With it being Time’s plan, Warrior was left with bringing it to fruition.

And he knew exactly how he would do so.

After all, there was one specific Link completely oblivious and unreservedly enamored with these dangerous little incarnations of evil.

Warrior wouldn’t risk coming five feet of them but this one would.

“Sky!” Warrior called, waving an arm in the air to catch the Skyloftian’s attention.

Sky paused in what he was doing and turned to face him with a welcoming smile, “Warrior, is there something you need?”

Always so pleasant and friendly. Sky was certainly someone no one could ever dislike. He was the kind of person that if someone were to look at him, they would instantly like him. Sky was never without a contented and appreciative smile. He was thoughtful, considerate, and soft-spoken. A Hero with a big heart. He was not to be undermined, however. As pure and innocent Sky appeared on the outside, he was an equally strong and quick warrior. A powerful Hero that was to be revered.

His presence was incredibly soothing- which must be the reason why these foul creatures were drawn to him.

“Yes, there is!” Warrior answered, clasping his hands together, “You see, I need to ask a favor of you.”

“Oh?” Sky tipped his head to the side, “What is it?” He set down the bags he’d been carrying and Warrior could have shaken his head. Sky never failed to put others before him.

“Well, I was wondering if you might be able to fetch me a cucco?”

Sky’s brows drew together, befuddlement darkening his eyes at the Captain’s odd request.

“A cucco? You can’t find one yourself?” He looked past Warrior’s shoulder, where an entire flock of cuccos were clucking about.

Warrior grimaced, “It isn’t that I can’t find them, it’s that I am unwilling to risk my life in picking one up.”

Sky tilted his head once again, strikingly resembling a young puppy.

“What is the risk to your life..?”

Pained remembrance distorted Warrior’s features, a strained smile on his lips, and phantom pain tingling across his body. Sky was certainly fortunate to have never experienced the wrath of a cucco.

“Please, Sky, all I am asking is for you to bring me a cucco.”

Sky shrugged lightly, “I don’t understand why you fear them so, Warrior, but I will bring you one.” The Skyloftian moved to do as promised and crouched before the fifteen or so cuccos gathered together a ways away. He spoke softly to them, adoringly, and coaxed one into coming to him.

Sometimes, Warrior envied Sky...

With impossible ease, Sky collected the cucco into his arms and stood, stroking the bird soothingly and doting on it. Warrior didn’t know how he did it. The cucco hardly stirred, seemingly content where it was cradled against the Skyloftian’s chest.

“There you are!” Sky brightly announced to Warrior, presenting him with the cucco.

Warrior instinctively recoiled when the cucco’s black, beady, eyes pierced through him, boring into his very soul. He had no doubt these creatures possessed the ability of tearing him apart from the inside out. It flapped its wings a couple of times and Warrior felt his heart leap into his throat as a lance of pure, unadulterated, terror shot through him. For a second, Warrior thought the cucco would call for its fellow friends and come raining down on him in a flurry of feathers and enraged clucking.

He was increasingly careful not to provoke it.

“Wonderful-” And Warrior would pretend his voice had not gone up an octave. He cleared his throat, “If you wouldn’t mind setting it over there, behind Legend, Wild, Wind, and Hyrule,”

“What? Why?” Utterly bemused, Sky turned his head towards said Heroes.

“Please, Sky,”

“Alright..?” Sky spun on his heel and promptly went to deposit the cucco in the spot Warrior had said. He looked to Warrior for confirmation only for the Knight to fervently wave him over.

Confusion building, Sky returned back to where the Captain stood a safe distance away.

“Thank you,” Warrior said, bringing a couple fingers up to his chin, “Now, how to do this without turning it against me...”

Sky turned wide eyes on the Knight, “What are you planning, Warrior?!”

Nothing good, if the look in his companion’s eyes was of any indication. Sky felt his stomach churning, concern for his little cucco friend stirring.

Before he could say or do anything, the cucco suddenly jumped when a seed came flying into its side. Sky whipped around to find Twilight loading a slingshot with another seed and prepping it.

“What are you doing?!” Sky demanded to know, horrified when the Ordonian, completely unaffected by the shock and rebuke the Skyloftian openly displayed, let loose another projectile.

It flew straight and true. Smack dab into the cucco.

He was purposefully riling it up, Sky realized. He made to rescue his little bird friend when Warrior’s hand snapped out with unnatural speed and tugged him back to safety.

“Believe me, Sky,” Warrior ominously began when Sky looked incredulously to him, “You want to be as far away from those things as possible- especially when they’re angry.”

Before Sky could demand what he meant, the cucco suddenly froze then violently hopped three times with a furious squawk.

Before Sky’s disbelieving eyes, a whole swarm of cuccos came diving out of nowhere and flocked angrily around Legend, Wild, Wind and Hyrule. Twilight and Warrior watched with unrestrained amusement while Sky was immobilized by complete shock and horror.

The four unfortunate pranksters released identical cries of alarm as the cuccos came flying towards them from all directions. The varying looks of absolute, sheer, terror that crossed their faces were some that Warrior and Twilight would forever remember.

“It’s remlits in bird form…” Sky whispered in mingled dread and awe, recalling all too vividly a particular incident from long ago.

Twilight and Warrior could only laugh, Time’s unrestrained laughter mingling with their own from somewhere behind them while Legend, Wind, Hyrule, and Wild scattered in a desperate attempt to flee from the flock of vengeful Cuccos. White feathers exploded everywhere, fluttering in the air and blanketing the ground as angry and shrill squawks and clucks encompassed the air, accompanied by Wild, Legend, and Wind’s terrified shouts. They bolted across the ranch, desperately hoping to outrun the cuccos, but as every Link knows and Sky was recently made aware of...

There is no fleeing a cucco, for a cucco will always have its vengeance one way or another.

#Linked Universe #linkeduniverse #Warrior #Pranks #Payback #Legend of Zelda #Din writes #request

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lucymakesstuff · 5 years ago

Text

Tatl and Time

The troupe of hero's had been travelling through an unknown Hyrule for sometime. Sometime being an hour or so, maybe more. They couldn't tell the time seeing the red, yellow, and orange foliage surrounding them, and when they caught a glimpse of the sky all that could've been made out were clouds.

Of course being in a new Hyrule was fun and all, whether it was someone else's, or they were bound to find a new hero, it was something new to explore while traveling. And thanks to an ok with their leader. You could wander as long as you came back to the party every hour or so.

Legend and Hyrule were one of those subsets of the group. Currently off on their own looking for anything interesting. Legend was slowly convincing a weary Hyrule to find the pair some cooler stuff by talking to the fae, but Hyrule was refusing.

"They have more important stuff to do then point us to buried treasure."

"Yeah, but what else is there to do Hy'? Walking with the rest is getting borin. And don't you want to find some new items? Huh?" Legend insisted.

"I seem to recall that you're the one with an item obsession."

"So? Bling never hurt anyone. Plus we could pick something pretty up for Twili, I think he'd like some shine."

"I'm done trying to-" Hyrule cut himself off. "Do you hear that?" He asked.

The two of them stood still in their path. Twigs and leaves cracking and crunching beneath their weight. All Legend could hear was the sound of them breathing. "I don't hear anything Hy' what are you talkin about."

"No shhhh, somethings there."

Legend shut up and listened intently. Off in the distance he thought he heard something that sounded like whistling.

"The whistling sound? That's just trees."

"No, no it's not. Something is playing a flute of sorts." Hyrule began stalking toward the source of the sound. "Come on." He beckoned.

"Ok, no. There is no way we are walking towards something that- Hyrule!" Hyrule was already a good deal ahead of him. Quietly making his way through the dense forest. Damn bastard being so sneaky and all. "Wait up." He called quietly.

Hyrule didn't slow down, but any advantage they had in a possible sneak attack was lost with Legend's rampant stomps on the crisp leaves on the floor. It wasn't his fault he was as graceful at Twilight or Hyrule in the forest. Soon enough though Hyrule led him to a smallish clearing. It looked like a kids hangout bunker. The trees were carved with funny pictures, sticks were carelessly thrown onto each other to make what might be considered a fort if you were Four sized.

In the approximate middle of the clearing sat the source of the noise on a log. It was a skull kid, the kind from Time's Hyrule. At least that cleared up the question on which Hyrule this was. Maybe they could stop by the ranch- anyway, back to the kid. He sat on the log surrounded by Two fairies. One yellow and the other a dark purple. He was playing a hastily fashioned reed pipe. And blowing notes into it, much to the enjoyment of the fairies.

The skull kid paused, looking up. It probably felt Hyrule in all his fae glory. "Play it again! Play it again!" The purple fairy cheered. "Why'd you stop?"

Hyrule entered the circle. Holding his hands up. "Hey there." He said cautiously. "We're just passing through and we heard your flute. It was very nice." He offered.

The skull kid nodded vigorously, seemingly agreeing with Hyrule. The purple fairy now resting on his shoulder. The other bobbing slowly next to him. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Like I said, just travelers passing through. We're here with some friends close by. I'm sorry if we bothered you." Hyrule repeated.

The fairy harrumphed. "Good, go away. We don't like travelers. You always cause a mess." Legend had never heard a particularly rude fairy, but he was somewhat taken aback. Not that he had a place to judge people being rude.

The purple fairy shouted similar sentiments as Hyrule respectfully bowed and began to back away while muttering apologies.

"Hyrule! Legend! There you are!"

Legend turned to see Twilight striding towards them. "You guys have been gone for a while, what are you-"

"Link?"

"What?" All three of them responded. The yellow fairy quickly approached Twilight.

"You're not Link. Why do you look so much like Link?" She demanded.

"What? I'm sorry."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Link?"

"No you're not."

"What?"

"Why do you look so much like Link?"

"Who?"

"You know!" The fairy waved her arms. "Link! Blonde hair, blue eyes, Hero of Time."

"The Hero of Time?" Twilight asked completely baffled. "What, what about him?"

"So you do know him. And you're not him. So why do you look like him?" She interrogated. "Link have a kid or something?"

Twilight held up his hands. "I think we're having a miscommunication here."

"Hyrule! Legend! Twilight! Where have you been?" Time's voice called, he approached, making a path between the bushes. "Twilight I thought I told you specifically not to get sidetracked and bring them back as soon-" He paused as he saw the fairy chewing out Twilight. His eyes slid to the skull kid and the purple fairy next to the two.

The fairy laughed. "Well I'll be damned, you are able to grow after all."

Time stood dumbfounded. "Tatl?"

"Who else Navi's Boy?"

"Why are you, what?"

Tatl flew up to Time, she slapped him as soon as she was close enough. It either didn't hurt or Time was to stunned to react. "You think I'd disappear into the sunset? Never to be seen again? Nice try getting rid of me dumbass." She sounded almost like she was choking on he words.

Could fairies cry? Legend though about that for more then three seconds and decided that that was a dumb question.

"Hi Tatl." Time forced out.

"Yeah hi," Was she crying now? Oh yeah those were definitely tears yep. "Wow you got big, holy fuck." She mumbled else something in a language Legend didn't understand. It sounded similar to Fae but with a bad accent and a lack of pronunciation. He glanced at Hyrule, the boy just shrugged at him. Great.

There was movement next to Legend, he looked down and saw the Skull kid standing next to him. The kid shrugged at him. It looked like no one knew what was going on. Dandy, fine and dandy.

After some more words were exchanged Time gave his attention to the small group that had formed. "Go back to camp. I'll be a while."

Twilight nodded and began navigating the path. The others wordlessly followed him.

They reached the group after a while. They were setting up camp with everyone doing their odd jobs. Warriors looked up from where he was sharpening his sword. "What took you so long Legend? Run into a gal you couldn't take your eyes off of?"

Legend scoffed "Time sure did."

"Come again?"

"We ran into a fairy." Hyrule explained. "She seemed to know Time pretty well. He's still talking to her. Said he'd be a while."

"Don't try and find him either." Twilight added.

"Why? You know something?"

Twilight shook his head. "Not really, but I think that's one of Time's old companions."

Hyrule perked up. "You think so?"

"Yeah probably. Did you understand anything she said to Time?" Hyrule shook his head.

"It must've been a different dialect or something. I only got a few words like 'boy' and 'big'. And those don't help do they?"

"No not really." Legend shrugged, "Guess we can just interrogate the man then."

"Good luck trying to get anything out of him." Warriors replied. "I don't think one encounter is gonna open the man up."

"Really? Wanna bet?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time we bet on Time's life?"

"Yeah, I won. Scared you'll lose?"

"No!"

"10 rupees says Time opens up about why he knows the fairy."

"Fuck you. Make it 15."

"Deal." --------

Here’s some fanfic lol. I love Tatl so much!

#linked universe #linked universe fanart #fanfiction #tatl #LU #Time #Legend #Hero of time #majoras mask #ocarina of time #hyrule #twilight

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