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luimagines · 3 months ago

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Soulmates from the Start Part 7

Final Chapter!!! Wooo!!!!!

Masterlist

First Chapter/ Previous Chapter

Content under the cut!

“Wha- what?” Link looks at you as all the breath in his lungs leaves him at once.

You swallow the spit in your mouth, but it feels like sandpaper going down your throat. “I… I did a very bad thing, Link. I’m sorry.”

Your Link shakes his head, scooting closer to you, holding your hands tighter. “You’re not that kind of person. I know it. Stop this.”

You bite your lips harshly and hang your head in shame. How could he have so much faith in you? Haven’t you done enough damage? How isn’t he angry with you?

“Ok.” Someone else speaks up. “Can I say something?”

You look at him. He’s one of the two you don’t recognize. Green undertunic, red on top, blue hat, pink hair- wait. Pink hair? You can work with that. What was his game again? A Link to the Past?

While you’re busy trying to figure out where you might know him, he takes your silence as permission to keep talking. He puts his hands on his hips and manages a smile. “Whatever it is. It can’t be as bad as you think. You’re clearly shaken. The Rancher here is going to take good care of you, now. We’re not here to make enemies. We’re to end them. No one is in trouble. Got it?”

That last sentence seemed pointed, but you’re too distraught and distracted to figure out who he was actually talking to.

You take another deep breath, holding onto Link tighter and tighter. You’re shaking. You can feel the tremors wreck your nervous system from the top down. Luckily, he seems to meet you halfway, pulling you closer to keep you contained and to keep you close.

Feeling a little braver, you turn to the boy. “Which one are you?”

Because that’s a normal question to ask.

It shows on his face because his reels back in shock, not fully understanding what you mean by that. “...Meaning?” If anything, he seems to calm a little more. “See? How can you know all of our secrets if you don’t even recognize me?”

You flush. He has a point. “Every Link is famous to some degree. But… the only thing I have to go off of is your hair. I don’t recognise the rest of you.”

“I- ok. My hair isn’t supposed to be this color.” He deadpans. You can feel your Link snickering by your side. The untitled one shakes his head. “They call me the Hero of Legend. Or The Veteran. Whichever floats your boat.”

“The Veteran?” Strange name.

He smirks. “Yup! I'm the most experienced hero here. Seven adventures, counting this one!”

Your mouth makes a small ‘o’ shape. That makes more sense. If he’s responsible for and is the protagonist for at least six or seven Legend of Zelda titles, there would have been no way you would have known at first glance. Your breath gets short again. Your lungs feel hollow and heavy. You need to breathe again, but you’re too frozen to make a sound.

Your Link (you refuse to call him anything else) notices your spiked panic and gently rubs circles on your back. “Darlin’, what is it? No one will attack you here.”

You don’t fully believe him. The one they called The Captain, Warrior, has been eyeing you suspicious the entire time you’ve been here. You turn back to Mr. Legend, gulping down more sand. You hesitate to ask. You’re aware this is a loaded question. You have to take a few more deep breaths to even think of making your mouth move the way it needs to speak.

You’ve probably taken too long. Legend now looks nervous.

Your voice is quiet and weak, barely above a whisper. There is very little reason to believe that this is going to end well. “...Do you know Koholint?”

You see it before the others do. His eyes widen and his pupils widen to almost exaggerated proportions. He takes a step back- going as white as a ghost.

The rest of the group looks between you both.

Legend himself begins to shake, staring at you with renewed suspicion and distrust. “How… How do you know that?”

You bite your lip, keeping our eyes on him, watching his fear and shock. You deserve this. You knew better and did it anyway. You should have better self control. Now he’s in front of you. Time to confess your sins. His reaction is all the answer you need.

“She had a beautiful singing voice.” You say, twisting the knife for you both. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“You knew her?” He whispers.

You shake your head. “No. But I saw you… and her... And the windfish.”

Then he surprises you. He gulps, also meeting you head on as tears begin to pool in his eyes. “Could I have saved them?”

You both know who he’s talking about.

You shake your head.

He takes in a shaky breath, hanging his head- not dissimilar to how you had your earlier. But he nods, surprising you again. “I understand… Who else knows?”

Do you even answer that? Would it do more harm than good? But the look on his face- the bond you share with the boy next to you- the way everyone’s eyes are on you, waiting for you to explain yourself and answer his questions- You can’t bring yourself to lie.. “....Millions.”

Warrior scoffs and finally takes his eyes off of you as spins on his heel. You don’t even bother hiding your flinch.

“It’s true.” You weakly defend yourself. “I’m not the only one.”

“How?” Says the final one you have trouble placing. They called him Hyrule and he does magic. But you can’t pinpoint anything familiar about him that would tell you of his identity. What happened to him? What were his adventures about?

“There’s… stories.” You can’t really answer his question either. The truth would seem cruel, mean and pointless. You know better than anyone thanks to Your Link- it was more than what you saw. Their fears and experiences were real- so real and you had no right to learn what you did.

“Just that? Stories? Down to the details then?” The Hero of Time raises an eyebrow at you. You’ve that look in passing when Link would let it slip through your connection. You never considered how it would feel to be on the receiving end.

It feels worse, somehow. You think you might vomit.

You nod. “....Interactive stories.” Because how else would you explain it? “But yes.”

“So you know us?” The Hero of Winds bounces towards you. At least, he seems more intrigued than offended and suspicious. “Do you know about me?”

You nod. “I do… You wield the Wind Waker… And sailed on the King of Red Lions.”

He laughs, delighted with the recognition. “That’s me, alright! One of the fiercest pirates to ever sail the Great Sea.”

“An interactive story, huh?” The Blacksmith (The Hero of the Four Sword- Hero of Light- Hero of Men- your brain supplies unhelpfully) leans forward from where he’s sitting and puts his palm to his chin, his elbow to his knee. “I bet that’s mighty entertaining. I’ve never heard of a story that you interact with.”

Game- Game- It’s a game- They’re games- They’re fun- They’re for children- Your brain fires off in rapid succession, deepening your guilt. There’s no way you can tell them. They’ll be horrified. They’ll be pissed.

“Games?” Yout Link whispers beside you, turning to you with an unreadable expression. The fur along your hair stands on edge. He’s caught on. “Darlin’ games?! Is that all this ever was to you?”

You flinch violently.

In a last ditch effort to defend yourself, even though you’re fully responsible for your own actions and his anger and awe is fully justified. “Link- please- You know that’s not true!”

He growls.

“I didn’t…”

“Don’t say you didn’t know.” He snarls. “I’ve had you in my head since we were children. Don’t you dare say you didn’t know.”

“I wasn’t going to.” You whimper, letting your chickens come home to roost. “I didn’t think I would have ever met them. Link- I only followed along with your story but I never touched it. I never stepped into that. I know what it was like for you. I remember the sleepless nights- the panic attacks- the fear in your ice cold blood as you journeyed. It felt wrong to take your struggles and make it a game.”

“What about them?” He gestures to his friends. They’re all staring at you with looks of incredulous judgment.

“...I thought it would be just you.” You whisper pathetically. “I couldn’t have known you’d meet them. So many of them don’t even touch your time and era- I wanted to know them! I didn’t think it would have mattered from where I was because they… they didn’t exist, Link! They don’t exist and so many people don’t even think the land of Hyrule is real-”

Your Link rubs his hand down his face, taking a moment to breathe and calm himself down.

“We’re not real?” The Champion, Wild, steps forward. “We’re… toys?”

You bite your lips. “I… wouldn’t go that far. But many would.”

“So this is why you feel guilty.” Your Link mutters, ruffling his own hair roughly.

“....Link, I’m sorry.”

“Just-... give me a minute-!”

You click your mouth shut.

“We’re games.” The Knight of Skyloft sits down on a nearby log. “Are you sure?”

You nod. “It’s incredibly popular actually… So many people love you.”

“Do they?” The Captain scoffs again, turning back and glaring into you. “Toys. That’s what we are. To break and remold as they see fit because we’re not real people to them. That’s not love.”

“That’s-” You struggle to find the words. The stench of betrayal lingers heavily in the air. It’s all your fault. “That’s because you don’t see how many lives you save by just existing, even as a thought.”

“Explain.” The Hero of Time doesn’t leave room for negotiation.

“Your stories… despite your struggles, are lighthearted.” You swallow down figurative glass. “Because they’re told from your perspective- because despite everything, you just wanted to help people. You just wanted to do the right thing. Even when everything was against you, you stayed true and proud and you were so brave-” Your voice catches and you’re shaking again. “You all have so much love… for your people… your homes… your friends and families… They push you forward. They give you a reason to keep going. I-if we… If we could so much as copy a fraction of what it means to have courage, our lives wouldn’t have to seem bleak and… hopeless. What use are ruins in an old world when there is no love to preserve the present?”

Your words silence the group as they mull it over. You're on the verge of tears again. You’re so scared. Your heart is pounding. You never wanted to hurt them. You weren’t trying to hurt anyone. You hiccup and clasp your hands together, trying to lessen the way you vibrate. It doesn’t work. “...I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong… I panicked…”

“This conversation isn’t over.” Your Link curls up his lip, revealing a fang that you’re not entirely sure was there before. “But even if I’m not happy about this, I stand by what I said earlier. You’re not that kind of person. You didn’t do this maliciously.”

“I’m sorry.” You repeat yourself for the nth time.

“I know.” His voice finally softens and he pulls you close to him again. “I know you are. I can feel it in every fiber of my being.”

“If we’re famous even outside of Hyrule,” Wind speaks up again, appearing more calm than the others at the news. “Then why did you stop talking to Twilight? You were avoiding him for a while.”

You hang your head again. “I was with you guys… I didn’t want to risk Link learning something of your adventures that could have ruined the timeline or potentially… ruin the relationship we already had. I didn’t mean to-”

“Are there people who know more than you?” Legend asks again, having calmed down from earlier.

“Yes, of course.” You wipe your eyes, coughing on your own spit. “I… became obsessed- I won't lie or sugar coat, but I am certainly not the craziest fanatic out there. It’s not like I’ve got shrines in my room or collected all the icons and merchandise I can… I thought about getting a few… But again, I didn't want to risk hurting Link if he saw something he recognized when I couldn’t give him a straight answer.”

“Idiot.” Your Link clicks his tongue. It stings but in the way a blade or a fire would. At best, it’s close to tearing a scab. Not the greatest feeling, but you have the inclination to admit he’s not trying to actively insult you.

“Millions…” Warrior throws his back against a tree as he scowls into the space in front of him. “We can’t even be mad at you then. You’re not the only one and you’re not the worst.”

You’re scared to see how they’d react to the people who dress up as them. “Yes, neither the first nor the last. I’m not the only one.”

“But you’re the only one that matters.” A new and dark voice whispered in your ear. It made you jump, making all the hairs on your body stand up on edge.

Your Link jumps to his feet, reaching behind to his hand on the hilt of his sword. He puts his hand on your shoulder, keeping you down on the log before you can get up as well.

“Pathetic, little hero.” The voice taunts. You don’t know where it’s coming from. It seems to be both in your head and yet all around you at once. “It wasn’t my intention for you to find each other, much less so quickly. It certainly complicated some things, but I can’t say that this hasn’t been entertaining in the least.”

“Touch them and DIE.” Link snarls.

“I’d love to see you try.” The voice mocks.

It shakes you to your core. The voice echoes in the clearing you’ve found yourselves in. It circles you, like the shadows of the setting sun. In through one ear, behind your head, teasing the other ear as it makes its rounds.

“Link…” You say softly. This is too much. Why can’t today end already?

Multiple swords are unsheathed in an instant, moving around and getting into a circle around you without muttering a word. They certainly know what they’re doing, even if it isn’t just to protect you specifically. You won’t lie, it does help your heart somewhat if you allow yourself to think that they’re protecting you despite it all.

“Do you feel that betrayal, little hero?” The voice taunts Link again. He said, “They knew about you all along but didn’t share a single detail about themselves.”

“I couldn’t!” You shout impulsively, almost jumping to your feet in the same second. Your Link keeps you down. “I would have if I could have!”

The voice chuckled darkly. His form simmers out from the shadows of the trees, appearing within the circle the other heroes have made, appearing right in front of you. Your heart jumps into the thick of your throat. He looks so much like Your Link, but with solid black abysses for eyes instead the blue you fell in love with. “....Liar.”

***

You suck in a breath, getting to your feet at once.

Twilight pulls you back and quickly puts himself between you and the monster that threatens you. This is not the time for this. He points his blade at the shadow man, grazing the flesh of his throat with the tip of his sword. A bead of crimson blooms just beyond the edge of the sharp steel, but the shadow monster doesn’t seem to be impressed.

“You’re no better, little hero.” The creature turns its head to him, cracking it unnaturally as it bends at an abnormally twisted angle. “Have you even told your sweet ‘Darlin’ of the effects that crystal of yours has done to you?”

“I owe you no answers, beast.” He spits, thrusting his sword ever closer to his jugular. “Leave now or lose your head.”

“I am not the beast.” The shadow man sinks into the earth, reappearing behind you, grabbing you by your hair and stealing you away from Twilight. “You are.”

You both scream as the shadowman laughs. Yours; in pain. Twilight’s; in outrage. “Go on! Tell them. Tell what has been done to you!”

“Link.” You gulp, trying to reach behind your head to lessen the pressure. Twilight can see it; the way your hands seem to phase out so you can’t physically touch the being that has trapped you. One wrong move and you could be gone forever.

But Twilight doesn’t know what to say to the creature. He doesn’t understand. You already know that he turns into a wolf. He can remember how you started to research all about wolves just to learn more about him. Not that you told him that part- that was before you started to drift away.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Of course you don’t, stupid boy.” The creature pulls on your hair sharply. Your cry of pain causes Twilight to growl, baring his teeth as the fangs set in his jaw. He doesn’t register the warmth of the crystal- just the bubbling determination to get you away from him as fast as possible.

“See that?” The shadow man starts backing up slowly, ignoring the rest of the group as they all wait on baited breath. “There’s very little man left in him. It’s only a matter of time before the beast inside takes over.”

“That’s not true.” You whimper, trying to get away.

“It is very true, my pet.” The creature tugs harshly again, toppling you over in an instant. The sound you make when the hit the ground is worrying and it makes Twilight unleash a feral sound. It startles himself, he hadn’t known he was capable of such noises.

The creature seems pleased by the development. “A perfect demonstration, little hero. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

An arrow flies, nicking the shadow man in the shoulder. A crimsonline blooms from the injury, making him stubble backwards and away from you. Twilight dives to pull you back up, cradling you close.

It appears that the creature wasn’t expecting the attack. Its hubris had caused it to believe that no one would make a move when he had you in his grasp. “Pathetic fools. I’ll be back.”

He slinks away back into the shadows, not sparing any one but you a passing glance. Twilight doesn’t like it one bit and tightens his grip on you.

“Twilight, what the hell?” Wild throws his hands up. “Is there something else we need to know about? Why are they-” He points to you with an arrow. It slips from his grasp. “-brought into the middle of this?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight grumbles. If he had things his way, you would both be meeting under very different circumstances. “But they’re here now and the shadow wants them for some reason-”

“It claimed you were changing-!”

“I can feel him. He’s not changing.” You speak up, still shaking. Twilight tightens his grip on you. Despite… everything, the rose around his heart is too real and too intricate for him to bash his way through. Any amount of brute force on his end would crush the already delicate foundation that it’s built. He takes a deep breath, willing himself to comfort instead.

You’ve had one hell of a day. You both have. Twilight doesn’t want to ever repeat those terrifying hours of not having you connected to him. And thinking about it, there’s no misplacing that amount of guilt and sadness in your voice and soul for him to think you would have hidden all that you did out of malice.

You were that kind of person. He’s said it already. He’s said it twice, even.

“What do you mean?” Four speaks up, tilting his head, keeping his sword unsheathed. Nobody else seems keen on putting their swords away after the not too violent attack on their senses. They had thought this was a safe space. Apparently not.

You gulp and cling to him like a lifeline. He holds you. “I have him. He’s mine. I can feel him. And I’ve had him for as long as I can remember. He’s always been the same.”

Twilight sighs and hides his face in your hair. A hand of his comes up to gently soothe down the spots where the monsters had viciously grabbed you. You relax within seconds, leaning more of your weight on him and loosening your grip.

“We should move.” Time growls, not dissimilarly to how Twilight was earlier. “We can’t risk having the shadow come back while our backs are turned. We need to find a spot to camp for the night.”

“On it!” Warrior twirls his sword, taking Legend and Wind without a second thought. They lead the group as scouts while everyone else picks up their equipment to follow them. Everyone gives you both passing glances but no one says anything.

You’re his soulmate. He’ll figure out what to do with you. You’re here now; he has to take care of you and make sure that thing never comes close to you again. Today was too close. It was toying with you both. If it ever so much as looks at you the wrong way, he’s going to rip out its throat.

His grip on you increases subconsciously and you squirm.

“I know you’re mad.” You whisper. It rings more through your connection than through his ears.

“Not at you.” Twilight huffs. He’s decided it. You’ve been chased, hunted, cut, bruised, thrown about and frightened within an inch of your life. He’s already told you that he’s forgiven you. He’s not going to take it back.

You’ve already apologized and cried him a river. Something he never in a million years would have asked for. What more does he want from you?

“How?” You say, looking up at him. The cut on your cheek makes him grit his teeth. You’ll survive, he knows this. He’s still not happy about this. He’s not happy about any of this.

But it’s never been your fault.

“...Even if you know our secrets-” he starts and takes a deep breath to steady himself. The others have all left save for Wild, who doesn’t want to leave you alone on the off chance that danger still lurks in the shadows. “-it’s not inherently wrong to know about us. If we are toys in your world-”

“Please don’t say it like that-”

“Let me finish.” He takes another deep breath, looking into your eyes. “If we are only stories and games to other people, you know better. You know we’re real. That I’m real. And while others would brush us off as fiction, you went in with a different mindset entirely. You wouldn’t feel so guilty if you didn’t see how badly it could have gone. I can’t fault you for the place you’re from or how other people see us.”

You lip wobbles once more and you collapse against him, properly hugging him back at long last. “You’re too good to me.”

Twilight tries to fight another snarl. Was the shadow creature right? He wasn’t this beastly before…. And he has been using the crystal more often now that he’s with the group. “I’m still processing everything, but I personally think that what should take priority now is keeping the shadow away from you and making sure that you don't get hurt. Do you fight?”

You still have the energy to give him the flattest look ever. “Link, you already know the answer.”

His lips twitch up. “Forgive me for asking anyway?”

You drop your forehead to his shoulder. It gives the impression it would hurt if he wasn’t wearing his layers and wolf pelt. “...Fine.”

A beat passes. Wild stands a little ways away, looking through his sheikah slate for something Twilight can’t be bothered with. Not while you’re in his arms and slowly sinking deeper into the embrace. “How’re you feeling Darlin’?”

“Tired.” You sigh. “I’m exhausted. I’ve never run so much in my life.”

He snorts and shakes his head good naturedly. “Come on. We’ll walk from here on out. The group should make camp soon enough.”

You blow a raspberry but break away from him. Twilight all but dives to take your hand, capturing it in his hold. You hold him back without question.

Do you really think I’m not changing? He asks through the bond, not wanting Wild to overhear him.

You lean your head against him again and shrug. Mentally, psychologically? No. Physically? Not really. Although admittedly, I’m not the best judge of that. However the fangs are new.’

Fangs? Twilight raises an eyebrow, bringing his free hand to poke at his teeth.

He has fangs.

And they retract apparently, given that he can feel the sharp point receding the more he calms down. That’s new.

I just said that.

Twilight smiles. You’re feeling better already. You have to be feeling better to banter like this with him again. It’s like a weight’s been lifted from your shoulders. It feels lighter on Twilight too.

Does it bother you? Twilight tries to ask casually. He’s aware he looks different from the people of your world. You haven’t ever seemed bothered by it before but then, he’s never asked.

No. They’re hot.

You trip over yourself.

Twilight snickers, covering his mouth with his hand. You blush brightly, still holding onto his hand even if you’re unable to meet his eyes.

“That,” you say out loud, “was a little more honest than I was intending.”

“I would rather if you both kept your flirting in your heads.” Wild rolls his eyes, coming forward at last. He has a sword in his hand. Twilight feels the need to protect you flare up, but it’s strange. He’s never felt threatened by Wild before. This is weird. He’s being weird? Is he being weirder than before?

“Here.” Wild snorts, seeing the way Twilight gets offended. He hands you the sword.

You take it, inspecting it. “A flame blade?”

“You recognize it?” Wild seems surprised. “Oh wait- duh. You know my story too?”

You nod. “...Yours was fun…. I yelled at you a lot.”

Wild deadpans. “You’re Twilight’s soulmate alright.”

You laugh. Actually laugh.

Twilight takes a deep breath, feeling the sound penetrate to the deepest marrow of his bones and fill him outward with such a peace he didn’t even know was achievable. Is that corny? Screw it, he’s a farm boy. He can handle corn.

You swing the flame blade experimentally, a bright smile that only spells trouble for Twilight’s (and the group’s) future. A small tail of fire follows the path of the sword. Twilight thinks he recognizes this. It’s not his powerful variant of this weapon but it can be held in one hand and deals a decent amount of damage regardless. Setting the opponent on fire usually helps with that.

This choice was purposeful.

Twilight wants to feel grateful that Wild is already looking out for you too, but the fact that you seem a little too excited about it has Twilight reconsidering the option.

“I love it.” You grin at Wild and it fills Twilight with a familiar sense of dread. “Do I get to keep it?”

“So long as you swing it at the other guys and not towards us.” Wild gives you that same smile.

You giggle, hopping excitedly on the balls of your feet as you grip the hilt of the sword tighter..

Twilight groans and has half the mind to smack Wild. “Why did you give them that?”

“They need something to protect themselves with.” He says decisively, leaving no room for argument.

“...But the flame blade?”

You pause and look back at Twilight. He can vaguely feel where your thoughts are going. But before he can stop you, you speak up with a wide grin. “If this is a problem, can I have the one that freezes stuff instead?”

“Let’s stick with the fire.” Twilight finds himself saying. The only thing worse would be to give you something that would inevitably backfire on all of them. A fire is (unfortunately) more their field of expertise.

Wild chuckles, knowingly giving Twilight a wink over your head. You seemed to enjoy Twilight’s disgruntlement very much, laughing at his expense when he agreed to the weapon. He’s in trouble. He barely fought that.

“Well, that’s all from me.” Wild gives a mock salute as he begins to walk away. “I’m going to catch up with the others.”

“Thank you, Link!” You call out to him and he smiles.

“I think you’ll fit in just fine. Just give the other guys some time to adjust.” He says and walks away.

You gulp quietly and nod. You look down but have nowhere to put your new toy flame blade. “Hmm… That could be a problem.”

Twilight rubs his temple before you shove the sword in his direction.

“Oh wait-! You’re my boyfriend! Hold it for me?”

He coughs but takes it on instinct. He stares at you for a comment before your words sink in. He blushes, feeling it crawl up his neck to the tips of his ears. He hooks the blade to his back, converging with his other sword.

You smile nervously and take his hand again. “...Are we good?”

“We’re good.” He says softly, bringing our hand up to kiss it. “Come. A new chapter awaits us.”

“I can’t wait.”

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #linked universe x reader #lu x reader #lu twilight #soulmate au #soulmates #i never thought someone or even multiple someones would indulge me in my shenanigans #thank you all <3 #soulmates from the start

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