#seatrisawrites

[seatrisa]

I'm probably going to regret posting this in the morning, but whatever.

This could probably use more editing, so sorry.

Lullaby Did it First

(Time)

A new Link dubbed Hero has joined the Chain. He looks and acts like Time did as a kid.

Yet their memories don't seem to line up.

Time led the group through the castle. He wasn't sure how the meeting with Lyllaby would go with the new member of the team there. She'd probably have a lot of questions. Time sure did.

He still didn't understand who Hero was. Warriors agreed that he looked like Time when he was a kid. Time hadn't asked Wind, but from his expressions the last week or so, Wind would probably agree with Warriors. Hero acted like Time when he was that age: carefree, curious and still open because the world hadn't scared it out of him. Time envied that in him.

Hero knew all the people Time did. At the very least, he knew of a Malon and a Talin that lived on Lon Lon Ranch. There was a lot of similarities between the chain's homes, but not to this extent. And Hero knew his way around Castle Town. He had to be Time as a kid. It was the only thing that made sense.

And yet...

His memories were so different. Hero insisted that Lullaby had traveled with him on his adventures. Sheik was always nearby, but she hadn't traveled with Time. She taught Time about the master sword and the Ocarina of Time, but she hadn't gone into the temples with him. Hero acted like she had. Hero said Impa had died early in his adventure. Hero said Gannon killed Navi. But that hadn't happened. Time racked his brain and he couldn't remember any of that.

The worse part was, he knew Legend and Hyrule knew something. They wouldn't stop lying. First they'd kept the boy's existence a secret. Then they lied about what happened when the found the boy. They wouldn't even tell the truth to Hero. Time only knew that Hero had been fighting Ganon before they met because Hero said it himself. The duo insisted Hero was Legends predecessor. How was that even possible? Time already had 2 successors: Wind and Twilight. He couldn't possibly have another. Legend had acted like he hadn't heard of any other heroes, up to this point. How could he suddenly act like Hero was his idol? That Hero inspired him during his adventures. And Hyrule was no better. He'd never said anything about another predecessor up until now. It was frustrating to no end.

They finally made it to the throne room. Lullaby was there, looked as regal as always. Her blonde hair was pulled back, with only 2 piece hanging out to frame her face. Her eyes lite up slightly when she saw him. Why did that always happen? They'd never gotten close.

“Your Highness. You asked to see us?” Time said.

Lullaby's eyes dimmed. They always seemed to when he called her by her title. He didn't like upsetting her, but it felt wrong to call her anything else.

“Yes, thank you for coming, General” Lullaby always put a strange emphasis on Time's honorary title. Like she was trying to remind herself of it.

“You're a general!” Hero asked excitedly.

“It's more of an honorary title for all the things he's done for the kingdom. Link, or Time as you call him, is retired. Or he's supposed to be, until the black bloods started appearing that is.” Lullaby didn't seem to register that they'd had this conversation before or that she'd answered exactly the same as previously. Time had seen that sort of thing so many times during the time loop that he couldn't help but notice it.

“We had another Link join us. We've been calling him Hero.”

Lullaby's mouth twitched. “He's the Hero of Heroes?”

Hero spoke up. “No. I never got a Hero name. Probably because I'm not a hero. I failed.”

Wild flinched and Twilight put an arm around him. Why did the kid have to be so tactless in the way he spoke? Hero continued without noticing how he effected his companions. "Legend says I'm the Hero spoken of in legends, but he already took that name. Hyrule says they only referred to me the hero before the Hero of Legend but I think he's lying. Legend might be too. They've been keeping secrets from everyone.”

Wow that kid was blunt. Had he been like that when he was that age? Hyrule had the decency to look guilty. Legend just scowled.

“Who are you?” Hero stepped around Sky to look at Lullaby. Lullaby gasped. “Are you Time's Zelda? Hyrule was right. This must not be my time, even though it looks like it. You're too old to be Zelda”

“Hero.” Warriors reprimanded.

“But it's true. Zelda is my age. She still a princess, not some old queen.” Time almost groaned aloud. At least Lullaby didn't seem to mind. She was too busy glancing between Hero and Time.

Lullaby eye widened and then she stood. “Time.” Time didn't have to be told what to do. He stepped forward and offered his arm. They walked into the hall. She waited until they were in a side room to speak. Time looked around the space. There were a few chairs, a little table and a tempting pot Time was not going to smash. He'd out grown that sort of thing. The room wasn't really that small, but it was practically a closet by castle standards, without even a window.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lullaby asked. She was trying and failing to school her expression. She used to be a lot better at that.

“I don't know.” Time said.

Lullaby only raised a eyebrow. Time wasn't surprised. He'd learned the expression from her after all.

“He acts like I did. He recognizes places and knows names only I would.” Time didn't say that Hero looked like him. It was obvious.

Time looked around the room again, wishing for a window to gaze out of.

“His memories aren't the same though. He says Ganondorf killed Impa outside the Temple of Time.” Time said. Lullaby gasped. Time had expected that. It was shocking. “That you traveled with him during his whole adventures. He called you Sheik so people wouldn't know who you were.” Time grinned wryly at how close that was to the past he remembered. “He said the sages weren't able to seal Ganon away because there was only six sages.”

He glanced at her then and frowned. Lullaby had a haunted look in her eyes. He paused. “Are you alright?”

“What else does he remember?” Lullaby asked softly..

Time tried to study her, to find what was bothering her. But he couldn't. He'd never been able to understand her. She was always so aloof, until today that is.

“What else does he remember?” She said again, a little louder this time. Tears started to run down her cheeks.

“I don't think that's important right now. Just tell me what's wrong.”

“Please Link. Please.” She begged.

Time hesitated. Lullaby had started to sob. Had he ever seen her this upset? He didn't think so. It was almost frightening to see the usually stoic woman break down like that.

Lullaby spun toward the door and moved to open it.

Time stopped her. “Zelda,” He said gently as he closed the door.

Lullaby took several shuttering breaths before she said. “Does he remember how I let him to die?”

Time's eyes widened. “What?”

“We needed a seventh sage but we couldn't both leave. Not with Ganon reforming. So I left him to die in the temple of time.”

The silence between them stretched long. “Zelda,” Even in this situation it felt weird to call her that. “How do you-” He stopped, not sure how to continue.

“It's what he said isn't it?”

“Yes, but...” Time let the unasked question linger in the air. He was starting to wonder if he even wanted to know the answer to the question.

Lullaby sighed and turned around. She had regained her composer somewhat. “Let's sit and I'll explain.”

He nodded, a pit forming in his stomach. He led Zelda to a chair and helped her sit. She didn't seem unsteady, but you couldn't be too careful.

Lullaby closed her eyes once before beginning. “Link, you weren't the first person to use the Ocarina of Time.” Time flinched, but didn't interupt. It seemed he was finally going to get answers. He wouldn't jeopardize that to ask question that would be answered if he waited a few minutes. Lullaby said. “I probably wasn't either but that's besides the point.”

“When you first came out of the woods with the Kokiri's Emerald and came to Hyrule Castle, we didn't just send you out to get the other stones by yourself. You were 9! You shouldn't be adventuring alone. I know I was young too, but Impa came with us and it was fine. At least until we came back from getting the other stones.”

Lullaby paused, a tear running down her cheek. “We took too long. Ganondorf was waiting for us. Impa fought him while you and I snuck in. We got the master sword but Ganondorf got a hold of the triforce.” Lullaby sighed. “And Impa died.” All Time could do was stare at her. He didn't want to believe her, but the proof was in the throne room. Hero had said the exact same thing just days before.

“Rauru found us shortly after that and told us we needed to find six sages to help us stop Ganon. We found five. Rauru, Sage of Light, Saria, Sage of Forest, Darunia, Sage of Fire, Princess Ruto, Sage of Water, and Nabooru, Sage of Spirit.”

Time listened as Lullaby listed the friends he'd made on his adventure; the sages that help him. The only one she hadn't mentioned was Impa, who had apparently died protecting them. That knowledge made his chest tighten uncomfortably. It felt silly to mourn her, when Time knew she still worked at the castle. Yet Time knew from experience that the pain didn't go away just because magic had brought them back to life. He could see that pain in Lullaby's eyes now. How had he never noticed before?

“On the way, we found out I could act as one of the sages so we didn't worry. We were so naive.” Lullaby said bitterly. “We came back to the temple of time to fight Ganon, as the power of the triforce had already corrupted him. We tried, we really did. But he kept reforming, the triforce's power keeping him alive somehow. And the seal wouldn't hold without a seventh sages power.”

“Link of that timeline told me to go. I didn't want to but as I said before, there wasn't much of a choice. I left to him to die.” She looked down, more tears falling. “I left you to die.”

Time swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. Her story certainly explained a lot. But He didn't want to believe it.

Finally Lullaby spoke again. “It took me far to long to to find and unlock the Temple of Shadow. The temple was much harder then the others had been. You weren't there to help. After the temple, I still had to find someone with the magical capacity to be the seventh sage. I eventually found her, and we sealed Ganon away.”

Time frowned slightly. “You still haven't anything about the ocarina of time.”

“I know.” Lullaby said. “I tried to accept what happened. We rebuilt the Castle town and the rest of destroyed villages. I tried to be happy. But I couldn't. You were my best friend. I loved you like a brother.” It hurt to hear Lullaby say that. He'd never gotten the impression at all. The Sheik of his past had been a reliable companion, but a distant one. “I couldn't accept that you had been killed. So I started researching. Rauru tried to dissuade me, but two of the other sages on my side, and the other two sages indifferent, he was overruled.”

“We found so many magic items, learned so many songs on the ocarina, but it turned out to be the one song I already knew. The song of time.” Lullaby sounded annoyed.

“I played that stupid song so many times. It seemed no matter what I did you would always die to Ganon's hand. We tried getting all seven sages before facing him, but Malon -”

Times jaw dropped. “Malon was a sage?”

Lullaby nodded sadly. “Yes, but it was a hard task for her. It usually took her losing her father, her village or seeing you die to gain access to her magic” Time's heart ached at the thought of what his wife had lost in another timeline.

Lullaby continued her story. “I tried going to get the other stones while you were on the way, but Impa and took too long and you were killed before you journey even began. I tried sending Impa to get the other stones. She didn't come back in time and the you died protecting me. I tired recruiting the sages in different orders but that didn't seem make a difference. I tried warning people what Ganondorf was going to do several times, but people either didn't believe me, Ganondorf would enact his plan earlier, or he would target you before you even got the master sword. I tried so many things but it was like you were doomed to die.”

Lullaby shook her head in disgust. “In the end, I don't even know what worked. One time loop you just showed up, knowing the future and saving everyone before anything could start.”

Time waited to be sure she was done before speaking. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't know how.” lullaby looked down. “ We had to deal with Ganondorf first and you left without a second glance then. You just wanted to go home and I couldn't bring myself to keep you. The next time I saw you was after whatever happened with the masks. You would hardly speak to anyone and you were so sick of time travel I didn't have the heart to tell you. And eventually, it felt like it didn't matter. The Link I knew and loved felt like a different person. You were alive and happy with Malon. It was the best I could hope for.”

Time understood all too well why Lullaby felt that way. It was the same reason he had closed himself off for so long. And yet it felt unfair. It would helped him to know he wasn't the only one dealing with a loss no one else could understand.

Time realized that was a lie as soon as he thought it. He'd always known Lullaby had retained some of her memories of the other time, if a bit hazy and a little jumbled. (Or maybe she hadn't, that was confusing to think about) It hadn't made him want to get close to her. Lullaby hadn't felt like the Sheik he had started to befriend as an adult and he had barely met her as a child. Time inwardly winced. Zelda must have felt the same way about him.

It didn't matter. What did matter is that Hero was here now. Zelda had tried so hard to save her hero. Time could tell that Lullaby felt she had failed to do so. But she was wrong. Somehow, Hero was in the other room, waiting for her to be the family the boy needed.