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shadow-and-purgatory · 3 years ago

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Red Smoke Ch. 2

Read it here on AO3!

Read Ch. 1 on Tumblr or on AO3!

Wordcount: 4302

Wow! This one got long but uh! Here’s part two of Red Smoke!!!

—————

Twilight’s eyes have fallen shut, and for all that Time shakes him and shouts and cries, nothing he does provokes more of a response than the faintest flicker of movement behind closed eyelids.

“Wake up, kid, wake up. I need you to–” He chokes a bit. “To tell me more about Ordon, I need you to show me how to tie a horse’s knot in that other way you know, I need you to– to–” Time brushes the hair away from Twilight’s eyes. “I need you, Pup.”

Goddesses, he’s so pale. His hands are shaking. Time presses two fingers against his protégé’s throat, searching for a pulse. Please, please, don’t take him away, don’t do this to him, don’t do this to me, please.

There. Time lets out a choked sob of relief. Even though his pulse is terrifyingly faint, even though it’s barely measurable, for the moment, Twilight is still alive.

“Hang on, goddess dammit,” he whispers. “Stay right here.”

Time needs to get them to that stable, and quickly. It’s not that far, just over the hill, but with Twilight unconscious and the large gash in his leg, it could take some time to get both of them there. Time that Twilight might not have.

His vision blurs, and he wipes away his tears. Pull it together. Twilight needs you.

Time takes a deep breath. Okay. Okay. First, deal with the leg.

Time looks around for something that could help. He rips a strip of fabric from one of his pant legs, and binds it tight around the injury. He hisses in pain, biting the inside of his cheek, a bad habit he’d curbed years ago.

“How do I move you, Pup?” he murmurs. Time fights down the lump in his throat at Twilight’s unmoving body. He can’t be distracted, not now. Even with the cloth tied around his leg, outright picking Twilight up and moving him isn’t in the cards. Maybe he could run to the stable and bring someone back to help him. But… there’s monsters and Twilight can’t defend himself and it’d be all too easy for them to kill him and he can’t die he just can’t.

He folds in on himself with another heavy sob. Goddesses, why is he such a mess? Why can’t he get it together? Why can’t he do this? He’s supposed to be a hero so why is he kneeling on the ground, struggling to breathe while the person who needs his help now more than ever is dying? What’s wrong with him?

Stop feeling sorry for yourself, dammit. Leaving Twilight to go and get help isn’t an option. It’s just not. But neither is picking him up. But maybe he could carry him on his back? It’s a long shot, but… it’s the best idea he has.

Very carefully, Time unties Twilight’s wolf pelt. He crouches and eases the younger hero up onto his back. The sudden added weight sends a bolt of white-hot pain through his leg, but he ignores it. Time pulls Twilight’s hands in front of his throat and ties them together with the fur.

“Alright,” he sighs. “Let’s go.” He stands up, staggering. The weight of his protégé against his throat almost pulls him backwards, but he manages to catch himself and regain balance. “Steady, steady.” And he starts walking.

Each step is absolute agony, like knives, and Time is crying again. He’s barely started up the hill and it’s already hell. “When you get better,” he grunts, “don’t tell Wind that I gave you a piggyback ride. I’ll–” His foot slips on the dirt road. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Twilight says nothing.

If he gets better. No. When. Not if, when.

A part of Time tells him not to get his hopes up, that his descendant is too still already. Time ignores it.

“You– you have to live. Because if you don't, Malon will– she’ll–” He chokes on the words. How is he supposed to tell Malon? “…You have to live.”

He reaches the top of the hill, and if he weren’t already crying, he’d have wept at the sight of the stable at the bottom. He starts staggering down the hill, leaning back ever so slightly so as not to fall down. “What’d I tell you? We’re so close, we’re almost there, you can rest, I’ll look for the others, just two hundred feet further, come on, hang in there.”

He can see a handful of people milling around outside the stable. They can help him, he just needs to get their attention. “Hey!” he tries to shout, but it comes out as a hoarse cry. Nevertheless, it catches the attention of some of the patrons, who look up the hill for the source of the sound. “Please, I– my– my friend needs help, please!”

Three people stop their conversation and start jogging up the hill towards Time. When they see the second person, tied to his back, the jog turns into a run.

“What happened?” asks the Hylian woman in concern, looking the pair of them over. “Pardon my saying it, but you both look… awful.”

The two men she’d been talking with arrive before Time can answer. “Yikes,” one of them says, cringing. “You two pick a fight with a hinox, or what?”

Time shakes his head. “No, the Yiga, they– he’s poisoned, please, he needs help,” he manages to get out. “He. I. Do any of you have any potions, or. Or fairies, anything, please.”

At the mention of the Yiga, all three of the Hylians’ eyes widen. They all immediately go to take Twilight off of his back. Even though that’s what Time asked them to do, his hand still instinctively raises to shield Twilight, but he lets them.

The younger two take Twilight in their arms and start towards the stable. Time staggers at the lack of weight, but the moment he regains balance, he starts following them. “Please be careful, he’s– he’s hurt, please.” His vision is blurry, and his foot slips on a rock. He’s caught by the arm, and the second of the two men helps steady him. Time tries to shake his hand off, but the Hylian has a firm grip. “No, you don’t understand, I need to be with him,” he says.

The second man, clearly a few years older than the other two, raises an eyebrow at him. “Let me help you, buddy. That leg is nasty. No good if you take a spill.” Time glares, but allows him to help. “So, Yiga, huh? You’re lucky you two escaped. They can be real nasty.”

Time nods, not trusting his voice.

“Now I dunno if I have any elixirs for poisoning specifically, but I bet someone has something that can at least help your friend out. Buy some time, or something like that. As for you, I could probably give you something for that leg, and wrap it properly for you.”

They reach the stable. “Hey Martin, can you grab my bag?” the young woman shouts from inside. The older man, Martin, grabs a satchel as they head in.

Twilight has been placed on one of the beds. He looks so small laying there, completely motionless. He’s beyond pallor, his face almost looking grayish. Time’s chest lurches as he realizes that he can’t see the rise and fall of the younger hero’s chest. He breaks away from Martin and stumbles to his son’s bedside, barely able to grab Twilight’s hand with how badly his own hands shake. Time reaches for Twilight’s throat. Oh goddesses, is he… He feels a pulse, somehow even fainter than before, and he sighs in relief.

The two Hylians who carried him in stand over him, looking worried. “Terri, he needs a healer,” the woman says.

“I know that. Do you know any healers?”

“Mila.” Martin hands the woman her satchel.

“Thanks.” Mila opens the bag and starts digging through it furiously. She takes out a bottle filled with a purple liquid.

“What’s that? Will it. Will it heal him?” Time asks desperately.

She shakes her head. “No, sorry. My friend here is right, he needs a real healer. But this is a tough elixir. It should help his body to slow down the effects of the poison, at least for a day or so. Terri, plug his nose so he drinks it.”

Terri opens Twilight’s mouth and pinches his nose, and Mila slowly pours the elixir down his throat. “Well, that should stop it from getting any worse for now, but that’s about all I can do for him.” She gestures to a chair next to the bed. “Sit. You’re not in great shape yourself.”

He shakes his head, not looking away from Twilight.“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

There’s a scraping sound as the chair is pulled next to him. “Just sit in the chair. Let me bandage your leg up and clean it so you don’t get an infection.”

Time hesitates, but sits in the chair, and allows the Hylian to unwrap the bit of fabric he tied around his leg.

“Where are we? Where is this on a map?”

“This is the Crossroads Stable. We’re right on the border between East and West Necluda, and the Faron region.”

East Necluda. They’d been in East Necluda before the Yiga clan had attacked! The others might still be in the area! Time feels a surge of hope. “Have– have any of you seen a large group of travelers recently? There’d be. There’d be seven of them, young men, all clearly well traveled?” he asks hopefully.

“Um, I don’t think so.”

“No, sorry.”

“Wish I could say I had.”

Time’s face falls. “I… I see.” He squeezes Twilight’s hand. “We were all traveling together when the Yiga clan ambushed us and we got separated.”

Mila wipes some sort of antiseptic on the wound and Time cringes, biting the inside of his cheek. He really shouldn’t pick that habit back up.

Terri hands her some gauze. “Well I’m sure they’re looking for you two. We’ll keep an eye out, and once your leg gets a little better, I’ll help you search the area.”

“I’m not waiting.”

Time feels Martin’s hand on his shoulder. “Buddy, I understand you’re worried, but there’s monsters everywhere, and you’re hardly in fighting form.”

“I’ve handled worse,” Time says, his tone cold. “Healing takes time, time that Twilight– that my son– might not have. I can’t just let him die because of my inaction. He– he only got poisoned because he was saving me.” His voice wobbles. “He’s poisoned because of me.”

“He’s poisoned because of the Yiga clan.” Mila finishes wrapping his leg.

He stands, wincing. His leg is a lot better than it was, but still hurts like hell. “I should’ve done better then. I-I need to do better now.”

Martin studies him. “And we can’t dissuade you from going now.” It’s not a question.

“No. I’m going to find them.”

“Hm. Well, we’ll watch over your boy while you’re gone. Do our best to keep him alive.”

“Oh, that’s- you don’t even know us.”

Mila shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. You need help.”

Time smiles weakly at the three of them, total strangers willing to help people they didn’t know. “Thank you all so much, you’ve really done a lot for me. Thank you.” He pauses, and picks up Twilight’s fur pelt, which had been discarded on the floor of the stable. It’s matted with blood and dirt, but Time ties it around his shoulders. The warm, fuzzy weight of it is comforting.

Time takes one last look (no, not the last, it can’t be the last) at his unconscious protégé. He gently brushes the hair away from his face. “Please stay with me, Pup,” he whispers. “I’ll be back soon. I love you.”

And as the sun starts to set, the Hero of Time sets off into the woods.

Three days.

Three days since the Yiga clan attacked them.

Three days since Time and Twilight vanished.

Three days since Four said he saw the Yiga clan take Wild’s family.

It’s been three days, and Wild is starting to lose hope.

Partway through the ambush, all of the Yiga footsoldiers had vanished, and Four had shouted something. Wild had looked around.

Twilight and Time were gone.

Four, the only one who’d seen what happened, described the events he saw. He’d seen Twilight sprint across the clearing, and turned just in time to see both him and Time disappear in a puff of the Yiga clan’s red smoke. Then, a few seconds later, the rest of the Yiga clan disappeared as well.

Wild had barely waited for Four to finish speaking before warping away to look for them.

He’d checked the Yiga Clan hideout first, but there had been no sign of them. He’d scoured the desert. None of the Gerudo guards had seen or heard anything, but Riju promised to keep an eye, and send word if she heard anything.

They could be anywhere in all of Hyrule.

And Wild was prepared to search the entire fucking continent if that’s what it took.

But after three days of not sleeping, of barely eating anything, Wild is beginning to feel the exhaustion, the hopelessness settling into a pit in his stomach, and so are the rest of the Chain.

Wild, Hyrule, and Wind have grouped up to look for Twilight and Time. Nobody really wants to be alone right now.

At least Twilight and Time aren’t alone. They have each other. They’re together. Please let them be together. Because if they aren’t together, then that means one of them is– is–

“I wish Wolfie was here,” Wind says suddenly, startling Wild out of his thoughts.

“…I do too, Sailor,” Wild says after a moment. He digs his fingernails into his thumbs, leaving little crescent moons.

“If he was here, he could track them down, easy.”

Wild nods, not trusting his voice.

Hyrule looks around. “I’m sure he’s off looking for them right this minute. And if he finds them, he’ll bring us straight to them.”

Wind nods. “You think he’ll find them?” He sounds hopeful.

Wild doesn’t want to lie. “I’m sure he’s not too far from them.”

Wind just nods again. “We’ll find them, Wild,” he says. He takes Wild’s hand, giving it a little squeeze.

Wild takes a deep breath. “I know we will.” It sounds half-hearted, even to him. He tries again. “We will find them. We have t–”

He stops, ears pricking up. Something’s out there. He hears it crashing through the woods.

Wind and Hyrule immediately stand up straighter, hands going to their swords. “What is it?” Hyrule whispers.

“Dunno,” Wild breathes. He takes a lizal tri-boomerang out of the Slate. “But it’s coming closer.” Whatever it is, it’s not making much effort to disguise it’s presence.

Wind draws his sword, as does Hyrule. By now it’s close enough that they can hear it as well. There’s a crash. As the bushes part, they all raise their weapons, ready for an attack. Wild is ready to take out some aggression on whatever monster, or boar, or whatever is charging right at them.

What he isn’t ready for is Time to be what stumbles out of the bushes. The old man looks more beat up than Wild’s ever seen. He’s covered in cuts and bruises, and the bandages wrapped around his leg are soaked with old blood. He looks exhausted, but his face breaks into a small smile when he sees them.

Wild finds himself smiling as well, until he realizes that Time is wearing Twilight’s fur pelt. He looks around, but his mentor is nowhere to be found. “Where’s Twilight?” His voice wobbles a bit. “Why do you– why do you have his pelt? Where is he?”

Time takes a breath, pressing a hand to the side of his face. “He’s– he got– he’s poisoned.”

Wild’s eyes widen, and his heart quickens in pace. “Poisoned? Is he…?” He can’t even say it.

Time shakes his head. “Not when I last saw him, but. He was doing real bad.”

“Where is he?”

“The Crossroads Stable. We need to hurry. We need to get there. Fast. ‘Rule too. He needs help.”

“So do you, old man,” Hyrule says, eyeing Time’s leg.

“That doesn’t matter.”

Wild shakes his head, panic settling in his chest. “Crossroads Stable? Where is that?” There’d been construction of several new stables since he’d defeated Ganon. Of course this would be one of them. He stares at his map, searching.

“Right on the border of Faron, and East and West Necluda. I’ve been wandering around looking for you lot for… I don’t even know.”

Wild looks at his map. He sees where Time’s talking about. “I know where that is. I can get us there.” He looks at Wind. “Wind, I need you to go back to the others. Tell them we’re going south west, to the Crossroads stable. You can call me on my Slate if you need more directions, but we need to go, right now.”

Wind nods, and starts running in the direction of the others.

Wild touches the closest Shrine to where Time described. The icon glows blue on the map. “I’ve never tried this with three people,” he warns. Thankfully, the jump isn’t too far, but it’s still dicey.

“Just go!” Time snaps.

“Time, maybe you should head back to the camp,” Hyrule suggests. “You can probably catch up to Wind–”

“No!” the older hero shouts. His harsh tone makes Wild jump in surprise, and even Time seems surprised at his own aggression. His voice softens. “No. I promised him I’d be back soon. I need to be there. Let’s go.”

Wild nods. “He’s right. Hold on tight.”

It takes longer than usual for the three of them to teleport, and even longer for them to reform. Wild feels somewhat queasy, but as soon as he can walk, Wild is already running, barely glancing at his slate to check direction. Hyrule follows behind him, supporting Time’s weight.

Wild can see the stable up ahead. He breaks into a sprint.

Some people mill around the outside of the stable. There’s an overall nervousness in the air, but Wild ignores it as he runs inside the building. A few Hylians are gathered around one bed. The Hero of the Wild stumbles over to them.

The Hylian woman doesn’t turn, just makes a shooing motion with her hand. Her voice is strained but firm. “I already said, no crowding! This isn’t some performance.”

Wild pays her no mind, just staring at the bed.

Twilight lies there, completely still, eyes closed. His skin is a horrible gray, like ash. There’s a damp washcloth on his forehead.

“Sir?” a young Hylian man asks softly. “We need you to… leave?” He sounds uncertain.

Wild’s lips move, but he’s not sure if there are any noises. All he can hear is his own heart, pounding like never before. All he can focus on is his mentor, still as stone. Is he breathing I can’t tell if he’s breathing he needs to be breathing.

There’s a sudden commotion, and then Time is by his side. Everyone is talking all at once, but Wild can’t understand any of it until Time speaks. His voice is soft. It shakes a bit, and Wild can hear the undisguised terror in the Hero of Time’s tone.

“Is he alive? Mila. Terri. Is he still alive?”

Wild grabs Time’s hand, still not taking his eyes off of Twilight. The older hero squeezes it.

“We– maybe. The tough elixir started to wear off a few hours ago. For a while there, he was coughing. It seemed real painful, but he stopped about ten minutes ago. Can’t tell if he’s still…” The Hylian woman looks down.

Time sucks in a breath. Wild moves closer to him for comfort. His vision blurs with tears.

Hyrule kneels next to the bed. He rolls his sleeves up and starts inspecting the unconscious (he’s unconscious, that’s all this is) hero. “Has he had anything to drink?”

The young man speaks. “Not in a few hours. We can’t get him to keep anything down.”

Hyrule nods and shuts his eyes. There’s a faint glow. “He’s still alive, just hanging on by a thread.”

“Can you heal him?” Wild blurts out.

Hyrule takes a deep breath. “It’s not going to be easy.” He laughs mirthlessly. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up.” The traveler lays his hands on Twilight’s forehead, hands glowing.

Wild digs his fingernails into his thumb until he feels the skin break. Quit doing that, Cub. It’s not good for you. The cook can practically hear his mentor telling him off. Twilight can scold him for his bad habits later. Once he’s better. Which he will be. Wild struggles not to cry.

The older Hylian man steps between Hyrule and the two other heroes. “Come on, you two. Give the healer some space.”

Wild shakes his head numbly.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Time also protests. “Martin, I need to be here, I need to see, I need to help, and when he wakes up, I need–”

“What you need is to not be hovering over all this. You’re just going to make yourselves more fretful. Both of you. And what he needs,” Martin says, referring to Hyrule, “is to concentrate on healing your friend, which’ll be a lot harder with you two standing over him, all weepy and worried. The best way you two can help is by stepping back.”

Wild hears what Martin is telling him, and processes it. Then, reluctantly, he takes a couple steps back. Not so far back that he can’t see his mentor, but they’re still steps nonetheless.

Time doesn’t move.

“Buddy.”

No response.

“Bud.” Martin puts a hand on Time’s shoulder. The hero jolts as if he’d been shocked. “It’ll be alright. Back up.”

“I should have been here,” Time whispers. “When he was hurting, I shouldn’t have been stumbling around the woods, I should’ve–” He lets out a choked sob. “I should’ve helped.” He turns to Wild. “I’m sorry, I should’ve done more. I am so so sorry.”

Upon seeing Time like this, shaking, tears running down his face, something in Wild just breaks. He folds in on himself, sinking to the floor as every feeling he’s spent the past three days shoving to the side comes back to him all at once. All the fear, the grief, the exhaustion that he decided he didn’t have time for. “I don’ want him to die,” he whispers. “I need him still. I need him.”

He feels Times arms around him and he buries his face in the hero’s chest. “What’re we gonna do if he’s– if– if– if he’s–” Wild doesn’t want to say it.

“I don’t know. I’m so sorry Wild, I don’t know.”

They both stay like that, on the floor, holding onto each other. Wild couldn’t begin to say for how long.

When he finally lifts his head, he sees Hyrule in the same position as before, the glow of his hands so bright that Wild is surprised to see the sun beginning to set outside. Hyrule’s hands are shaking.

Wild stands up slowly, helping Time to his feet. They walk over to the bedside. “Is he…?”

Hyrule grits his teeth. “This is… a really nasty poison,” he gets out. “Really… really shredded his insides.” Sweat beads on his forehead.

Wild feels Time stiffen at his side. “Can you… is he going to… is he going to make it?”

At that moment, Twilight takes a sharp, rattling breath, before he starts coughing, violently. It looks and sounds painful.

Wild’s heart jumps into his throat. He starts to move, but Time is faster, clasping one of the hero of twilight’s hands in his own. “Pup? Can you hear me?” His voice is barely a whisper.

Twilight doesn’t respond.

Hyrule doesn’t move. Twilight’s breathing starts to deepen. He’s still unhealthily pale, but pale is better than gray.

Time brushes a stray strand of hair out of Twilight’s eyes. “Please, come back to me.”

Wild says nothing, just holds the rancher’s hand tightly. Please.

Once Twilight’s breathing has become regular, only then do Hyrule’s hands drop to his sides, the glow fading. The traveler is breathing hard, looking a bit pale himself. “That’s… yeah. He’ll live. He needs rest, but. He’ll live.”

Wild makes a choked sound of relief. “Thank you, ‘Rule.” A simple “thank you” doesn’t seem like enough, but Wild can’t find the words, so he just says it again. “Thank you, I– thank you.”

“Of course.” Hyrule smiles faintly, rummaging through his pockets until he finds a bottle of water, and drinks it. “He’ll need to drink some water soon. He’s dehydrated.”

Time is still whispering. “Come back to me, talk to me, please, son, say something, please,” he pleads.

Twilight’s eyelids twitch, and his eyes crack open the tiniest bit. Wild’s heart soars in his chest. “Twi?” he whispers hopefully.

The rancher’s head turns ever so slightly. He coughs again, but he smiles. “Hey…” He winces in pain as he speaks.

Time squeezes his descendant’s hand, eye wide. “Are you…? Goddesses, I was so worried, I. I thought you were gone, I thought I’d lost you, I’m so so sorry.” He places a hand on the side of Twilight’s face. “I love you.”

“‘M here, Da… ‘m with you… ‘m... with… you...” he mumbles.

As Twilight drifts off to sleep, his breathing once again becomes deep and even. And although neither Time nor Wild is willing to leave his side, Wild feels, for the first time in three days, that things might really be okay.

#oh boy #this one ALSO made me cry a bit #but not as much #it was also like. pretty difficult for some reason?#linked universe #lu #fic ramblimgs #lu twilight #lu time #lu wild #florianfics #lu fic #lu hyrule

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