#what hyrule hadn't seen

[lennsart]

LUtober Day 17 : Blind

Ok, so, this one is particular because it's actually a fanart from the fanfiction "What Hyrule Hadn't Seen", written by @sky-squido. I read it like a week before starting this inktober, so it felt fitting !

It's from a fighting scene towards the end of the fic, where Legend has to face an old friend... I went in reading this completely blind (haha, pun) and I really enjoyed it, so I'm not going to say much other than : read it ! Legend is so cool, Hyrule made me cry, and it's overall very well written. Here's a link :

It's not the only LU fic I've read from the same author, and their writing style is incredible ! I really recommend giving it a read if you're into Linked Universe and like good characterization !

[tenderleavesbob]

"Wait," Twilight said slowly. His brain felt like it was rattling in his skull. He wanted to check the sky and earth around him to make sure that everything was still in place: the sun was where it was supposed to be, the mountains weren't walking around, that the fish weren't flying and the birds weren't swimming. "Say that again."

Warriors stared at him. He looked a little confused but that could have been leftover from the battle. Maybe that's all this was. Someone was concussed. Him or Warriors, Twilight wasn't sure yet. It had been a big explosion. "I'm twenty-two," he repeated slowly.

Maybe they were both concussed. "No, you ain't."

"Ain't ain't a word," Warriors retorted automatically. He paused. Cocked his head. He would have kept going in that direction and ended up in the dirt if Time hadn't gently righted him again. "...wait."

"I think they're both delirious," Legend said flatly. "We need to find Hyrule."

"They're not delirious," Time said, barely audible over Wild's frantic apologizing. Twilight didn't think Wild should have been apologizing, anyway. The last thing Twilight saw before those bomb barrels exploded was Warriors grinning and waving his fire rod around. "Just stupid. Captain, please stop moving. I need to see your head."

"Warriors just said he was twenty-two," Legend said. He gently pushed Wild away so he could look Twilight over. Twilight would have protested if Wild hadn't just moved to Twilight's other side to resume fussing. "He's something, all right."

"Yeah," Warriors said drolly. "Twenty-two. Ow!"

The right side of Warriors's head was bright red with blood. He had seen been grinning when the bomb barrels blasted them through the air. He had to be concussed.

"Don't be a baby," Time said, but Twilight saw him gently stroke the non-bloody parts of Warriors's head. "I swear you're more childish at twenty-two than you were at twenty."

"That's because you were a child when I was twenty," Warriors said. He flinched away from Time's probing fingers. "I'm fine. Let's get up and look for the others."

"You're covered in blood," Legend said. He didn't look away from where blood was matting Twilight's thick hair. "And delirious."

"And concussed," Twilight added.

Wild paused and stared at all three of them. "I'm lost. How old is Captain supposed to be?"

"Not twenty-two," Twilight said.

"Ancient," Legend said.

"Hey!" Warriors said.

Time sighed and pressed a bandage behind Warriors's ear. "He isn't concussed or delirious. He is twenty-two. Legend, is Twilight concussed?"

"I'm twenty-three," Twilight said blankly.

"Yeah, I think he is," Legend said.

"You aren't twenty-three," Wild said.

"I'm not?"

"Legend, please bandage the wound. Wild, give them some space."

Legend scoffed but grabbed the bandage Time held out to him. "I think we need more than bandages. They're both delirious."

"Neither is delirious. They're just idiots."

Warriors leaned away from Time's hands again. Time grabbed him and pulled him back. Warriors scowled at him. "Respect your elders, old man."

"Wait, what?" Wild scratched at his head. "Maybe I'm concussed."

"Oh Spirits," Twilight said in horror. "Am I Warriors's elder? I can't be older than Warriors!"

When Warriors paused to stare at him, Time took advantage to finish cleaning and bandaging his head. "Wait. How old do you think I am? Twilight. Hold old do you think I am?"

"You're older than Twilight, I know that much," Legend dismissed.

Wild frowned and carded his fingers through Twilight's hair. "There was gray on your muzzle when I first saw you."

"What?"

"Why does everyone think that I'm older than Twilight?"

"Incredibly delirious."

"Incredibly stupid," Time sighed.

Concussed. That had to be it. That was the only explanation. The trees were where they were supposed to be, they sky was where it was supposed to be. The only thing that wasn't where it was supposed to be was the blood, so that meant concussion. That had to be it.

"So wait," Wild said slowly. "If Warriors is Time's big brother and Warriors is younger than Twilight... does that mean Twilight is older than Time?"

Twilight whimpered and closed his eyes. They had to be concussed. If they weren't, then by the Spirits, he was going to grab that fire rod and find some more bomb barrels. A concussion might help at this point.

"Wild?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

[reallyromealone]

Part 4 to ganondorf x male readers engagement like who the wedding was and the maybe the wedding night? Please.

Title: ganon omegaverse

Fandom: the legend of Zelda

Chapter 4

Characters: loz ensemble

Fic type: series

Pairings: ganon x reader

Warnings: male reader, reader insert, omegaverse, nsfw, smut, heat, marking, biting

Notes:

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

(Name) Fit in exceedingly well, the people recognizing him as not just their kings mate but future queen.

(Name) Hadn't seen his sister since he left, she hadn't sent a letter or anything and frankly it hurt (name) deeply as he sat in Ganons lap, the Alpha soothing him with callused hands, they left tomorrow for the wedding and (name) was genuinely excited to marry his alpha but he was also so anxious! Anything could go wrong!

"What is troubling that pretty head of yours?" Ganon kissed the others temple as the smell of distress was suffocating but Ganon refused to let his love struggle alone "what if something goes wrong?! What if I trip! O-or it rains!" (Name) Turned to straddle his lap as he looked up anxiously and clung to the alphas tunic "what if I make a fool of myself!"

"Darling, I had an indoor wedding arranged because I know you hate that you can't control weather and don't want wind blowing everything away especially with the winds of central Hyrule, your wedding attire is just high enough so that your feet can't get caught and you will not make a fool out of yourself, you are brilliant and I will do everything in my power to assure that our wedding is nothing short of magical" ganon promised and (name) looked at him with watery eyes and nodded, ganon kissing his tears away.

The trek to Hyrule was longer than he remembered, (name) still looking out eagerly at the vast desert that turned into the mountains and fields of Hyrule as ganon read his book quietly, the two fully invested in their own things. Something Ganon appreciated as he was a rather reserved alpha, he liked that (name) could handle himself and didn't need him 24/7 for every little thing, the two developing an excellent schedule.

(Name) Was depwndant on him but not co-dependant on him, he didn't need Ganon to feed him unless it was his heat or he was gravely ill, the Alpha remembered when the poor thing suffered with gurudo fever... Poor thing.

"I feel... I can barely move" (name) was covered in sweat as the palace medical team kept his body cool with water and cold soups "why do I feel like this" his voice hazy and waved in and out as he looked at Ganon as if he had all the solutions to his problems and in a way he did "it's gurudo fever, my love... Your little Hylian body can't handle the heat but it will pass with proper care" the poor Omega was bedridden for almost two weeks as he slowly recovered from it.

And now he was as happy as ever, writing everything down he saw to research later in the gerudo libraries and possibly Hyrule castles libraries as they would be at the palace for a few days before setting off to their honeymoon.

Though Ganon didn't think (name) would have much of a chance seeing as the wedding and post events would take up so much time not to mention the fact (name)s heat was close.

The way to the castle was filled with cheers and joy as (name) waved at them as ganon looked at him lovingly, the Omega was so happy to see everyone take the time to see them on their way to the palace, festival decorations everywhere.

Their wedding wasn't until tomorrow and the couple was thankful, Zelda greeting them formally "it's nice to see you in good health little brother" (name) saw the small smile on Zelda's face before letting them settle in, having her own things to attend to as the wedding would be tomorrow and guests were already in the city.

Ganon smiled at the omegas bedroom, such a large bed for a tiny little Hylian.

(Name) Sat on Ganons abdomen as they kissed, having not had a moment of privacy the entire trip and (name) was getting needy "you have to wait till after the wedding to do that little one" ganon could smell the neediness on (name) as the other pouted, the two has gotten much bolder with their touches but Ganon knew never to go too far, not until the honeymoon where ganon was going to blow this cuties mind.

"I can't believe Zelda let us stay together, unwed" (name) giggled as ganon rubbed the others things "she would lose her mind if she caught wind of what we have done back home"

Back home, ganon liked that (name) saw gerudo valley as home.

That he potentially saw Ganon as home.

(Name) Woke early, as did ganon, Gurudo women and Hylian maids came in to get them ready for the wedding and bring them to respective dressing rooms, the castle in full affect as royalty and high standing people from across Hyrule joined festivities, everyone absolutely thrilled at the couple blessed by hylia, (name) and ganon deemed by the people a power couple. (Name) Was dressed in a beautiful blend of gurudo and hylian as Ganon gifted him heirlooms from his ancestors, beautiful gold's and rubies that (name) wore with pride while glancing at his mate to be occasionally as he was dressed in Gurudo regalia, something he couldn't take his eyes off of.

He was just so beautiful... His thick red hair woven into braids down his back and muscles in display... Thank god the maids and such were betas as Ganon gave him a look that said 'behave' and (name) pouted a bit but controlled himself.

If you asked him months ago if he would ever consider acting like this, he would have been scandalized but Ganon had been working hard to let him embrace himself "Gurudo do not believe in shame with ones body" he once said when (name) panicked at the fact he slicked when they were making out and from that point, ganon made points to compliment and help (name) embrace his Omegan qualities and quirks.

The best in their bedroom was a start.

(Name) Sat before Ganon, the two on their knees as they looked at one another lovingly as their respective priests spoke, two very different wedding cultures being blended together wasn't easy but (name) was happy it worked.

"You may now present your mating marks" Uberosa said calmly as the Hylian attendees of the wedding looked confused and Zelda was even a little confused despite being told of this. (Name) Adjusted himself so his neck was bared to the king who gently slotted his face against it and bit down, carefully to not hurt his precious mate but firm enough to bound him forever and to the Hylians horror, watched as (name) returned it though he had to sit up a bit more to do so.

An Omega marking an alpha? That was the topic of conversation as the ceremony finished, all the guests going to the great Hall for cocktail hour and the party as the mates changed and got ready for the reception.

But first, Ganon calmed his omega down who was a bit overwhelmed from the mating and neediness that came from it, typically guredo weddings were ceremony then everyone parties while the couple gets busy with it and on last night they join the final party with a traditional dance.

But since it's Hylian as well, they had to do it in a day.

"Shhh, my love... You did so good" ganon cooed as he removed the jewelry as (name) grew stressed when the maids tried to remove it for him "my beautiful mate, you were beautiful... Absolutely wonderful" his praises and kisses calmed (name) as they gently cuddled, they had more than enough time till they were to make their presence and (name) could feel the slight burn of his preheat, something now only Ganon could smell.

"Now, shall we get ready and show the world just how wonderful you are?" Ganon cooed as he led (name) to get dressed, dismissing the maids as he dressed the Omega himself and gently laying kisses wherever he saw. He wore Hylian heirlooms along with gurudo though now in silver, his sister's silver and crystal tiara made to look like Leafs and silver and diamond jewelry, white robes with silver embroidery of gurudo and hylian aesthetic.

Ganon sat (name) down as he put the sandals on the other, kissing his ankles as he did so "truly, the goddess's blessed you with nothing less than the beauty of Hyrule" (name) grabbed the alphas jaw and slowly pulled him into a kiss before resting his forehead onto the others "I love you" (name) whispered and the world stopped for the two as ganon broke out into the largest smile "I love you as well, my darling" Ganon would move the heavens for this radiant star that was (name), he would do anything to hear those words again.

(Name) Held onto Ganons arm during the reception, the kingdom partying for the royal wedding as the Goron Chief bludo stomped towards the couple with a large grin "my! King ganon you are truly a lucky man!" He said happily as he looked at the Omega "you let me know if he's being a knothead, I'll whip him into shape!" He teased and (name) giggled at him "maybe one day you two can visit our suanas, we recently found one low enough from the mountain to not harm Hylians fragile skin!" (Name) Looked up at his mate hopeful and ganon smiled "we can visit come the winter months, enjoy the waters to their fullest"

The couple greeted their guests and various royalty and tribe leaders, (name) excited to see impa as she praised him "My, you truly have grown" Impa smiled as she looked at the prince, now queen consort who dazzled the room "you must visit me sometime soon, enjoy the peace" (name) remembered when he was very little, his father would take him there kn disguise to see the omegas god mother of sorts along with Zelda, the two playing with Cuckoo's and Zelda learning archery as (name) helped impa, she gave him his first book for himself; Hyrule: a history.

The couple watched as the guests danced, (name) grinning as ganon and him did traditional Gurudo dances together as a newly wed couple before Zelda and (name) danced, typically it was the Sire or the Dam but since they had neither Zelda stepped in.

"I just apologize" she said softly to her brother as they danced, fire arms touching as they moved in sync and years of formal training coming into action "it was unfair of me to deny you your mate, it was selfish and cruel... I hope you can forgive me" her words sincere and hopeful as (name) smiled "I forgive you, I know you care... Even if it's in your own way" he teased as the other smiled, lost in their own world as ganon smiled at the siblings and glanced at his sister "he is truly remarkable" she whispered and ganon felt his heart melt.

Yes.

He really was.

Eventually, Ganon wisked (name) off as the Omegas preheat set in and washed the Omega in a bath as he was dizzy and needy "were married..." (Name) Mumbled as he rested his head between Ganons pectorals, purring softly as the other rubbed up and down the omegas back soothingly "we leave come dawn, your heat won't be arriving for another day or so and then you finally get to do what you want you horny Omega" ganon teased as he explained the plans to his mate who was almost passed out on him "sweets?" The Omega was already out of it, during heats he often craved sweets and meats.

"Uberosa made sure you will have some for the trip, now sleep my love"

(Name) Wore soft and light clothes during the ride as he slept in Ganons arms, his body slowly growing warmer as ganon read his book quietly as to not wake (name).

He was gonna need all the sleep he could get.

Their honeymoon was a month long as the first week was dedicated for (name)s heat and Ganons possible rut, newly mated pairs had the possibility of them triggering one another's cycles early.

It was quite small, but enough for ganon to get around but for royalty the seven bedroom cottage on the lake side was tiny.

But that's not what ganon cared for, it was what was around it that was important to him.

(Name) Never really experienced his home land, horses and wildlife all around them and guards hidden throughout the area but for now he had a needy omega to attend to.

(Name) Had woken and whined, the early stages of his heat... He hated now painful it was.

(Name) Chirped as ganon kissed him, removing his clothes and letting the other worship his body with kisses and touches as ganon groaned at the taste of the Hylians sweat, like concentrated pharamones "take... Take off your clothes" (name) grumbled as he tugged at Ganons large tunic with a point "still coherent? How are you feeling my star?" Ganon asked his mate while removing his clothes and not missing how (name) stared at his gurthy cock with a hungry expression, Ganon knew outside of heat that this Omega would be a mess at the concept of his cock.

He had that heat confidence.

"I don't.. hurt as much .." (name) whispered as ganon kissed his cheek gently "do you wish to nest before we get into it?" Ganon asked his love who nodded and took the Gurudo kings large tunic and his pants before looking to ganon hopefully, thankfully the Alpha understood the assignment immediately and went and collected all the nesting supplies he could for the other.

It was adorable seeing (name) make a big nest for the two, both butt naked as ganon slowly stroked his cock at the sight of his naked mate, (name) was perfect and god he couldn't wait to see him pregnant with his pups.

When (name) finished, he laid on the nest sweetly as he looked at the others hard cock and the fog in his eyes and the chirp told ganon one thing.

It was go time.

(Name) Spread his pretty legs and ganon was between them in lighting speed as he lapped at the others hole, a gutteral groan escaping him as (name) jolted at the pleasure having never experienced something so blissful and powerful as the others tongue pushed in and deep, he knew the others tongue was larger than his but fuck!

(Name) Let Ganon do as he pleased as he clung to anything he could, currently it was Ganons head and the pillow behind him as he let the man devour his ass, slick sticking to the sheets as (name) came in record speed.

"Beautiful..." Ganon rumbled as (name) reached out to him.

"Please..."

Ganons massive cock was already lubed and lined up, the Alpha soothing him as he slowly breached (name) who whined and shook as he tried to adjust to the other, their racial proportions making it difficult as (name) was impaled.

When ganon bottomed out, (name) was shaking and the two adjusted for ten solid minutes as ganon whispered praise to (name) and kissed him lovingly "you're so good my love, you took me perfectly..." (Name) Experimentally moved his hips and moaned out shakily and ganon in turn slowly began thrusting, light experimental thrusts that made the other shake and convulse.

Ganon grunted as he began thrusting, watching as his cock went in and out of (name) and slowly began picking up speed as he suckled on the others chest and lifted him closer as he slowly picked up speed, (name) crying and moaning as he clawed at the others skin in pleasure.

Ganon grunted at how perfect his mate felt, the room heavy with pharamones as they fucked like animals.

"So flexible..." Ganon marvelled as he had (name) in splits, one leg raised in the Gurudos hold and the other barely touching the grounf as ganon fucked him, cum leaking out of (name)s cock and ass as he moaned pathetically for more.

Ganon fucked him everywhere, in the kitchen between making them food, in the livingroom when they had a chase (ganon learned that (name) loved being chased during his heat) and in the baths as he tried to clean the cute Omega up.

When (name) woke, he felt sticky and gross as he looked at Ganon, throat sore and body aching as he gently touched the others face "one moment, Omega... I'll knot you good" ganon grumbled as he sat up and lifted (name) into his lap, the Alpha clearly tired as (name) simply snuggled into him "morning..." (Name) Mumbled sweetly and ganon smiled "ah, you're finally back to normal" ganon was relieved as he kissed him gently, the smell of heat dissipating as he slumped against the alpha.

"Do you think I'm pregnant?" (Name) Mumbled and ganon chuckled "with the rate we went at it? It would be impossible for you to not be pregnant"

(Name) Smiled at the thought of him being pregnant and sure enough he was, nine months little Riju was born.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts year 2 day 15

Hood remained silent, even as he clenched the gun tightly in his hand. He hadn't even seen a hint of green portals or blond elfs but 200 witnesses couldn't all be wrong.

All of them had stated that a white haired meta with a gas mask was working with a blond elf with a leaf mask and that they had been the ones kidnapping the kids and teens of Gotham.

Jason had heard stories of fairies snatching kids and infants, sometimes swapping them out with a sickly one of thier own. But there were no trades that Jason knew of. Only missing kids.

Hell, all of the biggest child gangs around Crime Alley and the Narrows were gone.

As in gone gone. Not a single member was left nor any trace of where they could have been taken to. As much as he hated to admit it, he might need to ask for help from the Justice League Dark...

---

Link stared down at the kids from his rooftop perch.

They looked...cleaner. Happier. They had gained a healthy amount of weight, no longer stick thin and weak looking. They had season appropriate clothing without holes and others hidden away in chests and armours for the coming seasons far off from now.

His spirit friend, Phantom, had panicked a bit after he realized what they were doing was trafficking, but calmed down once he pointed out that these kids would have a much better life in Hyrule than they would have had in the rotting trashpit that was Gotham.

If they would have lived much longer at all

Still, thier presence here was mutually beneficial. Hyrule had lost over 80% of its population in the Great Calamity and they were no where close to regaining the population they once had. All of thier forts, training areas, ect were specifically targeted and destroyed in the attacks and gardians and monsters were left in the ruins to ensure they could not rebuild what was lost

Which led to the bigger issues at hand. All the empty occupations.

The castle, and thus castle town, were ground zero for the disaster that wiped out the Hylian peoples. With it many businesses and trades were lost. Hyrule had few soldiers and those they did have desperately needed armor, weapons and training.

That wasn't all. Hudson construction had attempted to repair Castle town and eventually the castle, but they were wood workers, not stone masons. They knew little of the craft that was needed.

There were lessons and information in the castle archives covering most of the jobs and trades, as well as how to proform them, but the princess didn't see it as a priority. They didn't have the people necessary to teach these crafts and the castle and town surrounding wasn't really a priority anyway. Not with all the people who still needed help around the kingdom.

Phantom helped a lot too. Other than helping them build towns for the kids (the child gangs actually really liked having a town all to themselves) he did a lot of other random jobs around the kingdom, much like Link himself.

Unfortunately, his next trip to Gotham lead to a run in with the "Red Hood" and the phrase, "Was that a fucking fruit grenade?!" Link did not know what the word "Fucking" meant but the Hood man would not tell him. He is learning a lot of new words from this guy, words that Phantom appearently didn't like cause he loudly scolded Red Hood like a naughty child the first time they met. It was hilarious to see this tiny 15 year old tell off a giant tank of a man.

Link couldn't see the mans expression due to the odd red helm the man wore, but he could tell he was cowed, even if just a bit. Then he began speaking to someone who wasn't there while pressing his finger to the side of his helm where his ear should be. Is Red Hood ill? Does he have a mind sickness like the ones Phantom told him of when describing his parents? Or is this something Link doesn't yet understand...either way he doesn't think he's getting more children for Hyrules future in this trip...or anytime soon if those ominous masked people landing on the rooftops around them had any say in the matter.

[justpoliteconversations]

To Keep [Yandere!Sky x Isekai!Reader]

In the hands of a God killer, what is mortal flesh.

And so it begins. Took a late request for all the Chain boys as yanderes and thought it'd be a fun project. Here's the first one. It's messy and took a completely different direction from the original plan (as usual). Be warned! (May edit later. Maybe?)

Masterlist

Set-up: Comfort [Yandere!Chain + Isekai!Reader]

Sky Route

Four Route

TW: Choosing not to disclose. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

You weren't sure exactly when the change had happened in Sky, except that it had started sometime after your attempt to return home (escape) that fateful night (that awful, terrifying, blood soaked night). What you were sure of though, was how absolutely screwed you were. Because while the boys had had their issues regarding boundaries and personal space since the damned near moment you'd met them, none of them had ever specifically targeted you as the object of their undivided affection (protection. possession. obsession).

Until now, that is. And out of all of them, it had to be Sky. The one man you knew, without a shadow of a doubt (you'd seen the red, red, red drip of it on his clothes, his hands, his face below lightning shattered eyes), had a body count hidden under that tired, heart-warming smile. Had killed someone (many someones) without remorse. Without a backwards glance (with his bare hands. with his bare fucking hands).

And honestly you were just so, so confused as to why this had happened. So damned anxious by the abruptness of it. So unsettled you'd barely had the stomach to hold anything down properly for the last few days (much to Wild's and Hyrule's concern). So terrified sleep did not come, even with the drag of exhaustion so strong against the strain of your bones it pulled tears to your eyes.

There had been no sleep last night either. Not when the object of your unease (your bone-deep terror) was pressed right up against your (vulnerable) back, hot, wet breath fanning across the sensitive nape of your exposed neck (so close you could feel the flutter of his long, thick lashes against your skin). Solid, heavy arms around your carefully still body, calloused hands (powerful hands. God killing hands) resting limply around your waist, lightly cradling you as though you were precious beyond compare (so gentle. so tender. so confusingly intimate when there was no reason for such closeness).

He was awake (but dozing). You knew this all too well. He was always conscious when he was this gentle with you (so, so gentle you almost forgot what he was under those warm, loving eyes and adoring smiles).

Your heart shuddered remembering his arms squeezing around you the first time you'd tried to pull away from his sleeping grasp. Unyielding hands digging into your flesh. Seizing, bruising, punishing. Possessing strength so great your bones creaked against the press of your veins and desperate gasps had fallen breathlessly from your gaping mouth. And through it all he'd gritted his teeth behind you in fitful slumber, his might so beyond you he hadn't even stirred at your pitiful struggles or breathless cries.

Blue had had to pry him off with every ounce of strength he possessed, Red beside him keeping Sky's clutching hands from digging straight through your chest. It had been Twilight (fucking Twilight) who had pulled you free at the end, taking a hit to the face with barely a flinch when Sky launched himself for you with the promise of death in his uncomprehending eyes.

Time had to comfort Sky after. When he'd awakened to the painful beating Wild was raining down on him while the scarred man was desperately trying to get him to let go of Twilight's throat (you'll give Twilight this, despite everything. the bastard would not let up, even with hands at his throat).

But at the end of it all, they had given you back to him. Looking so sorry for you and yet so fucking sympathetic and relieved as Sky had coddled you into his arms and apologized over and over for hurting you. Just please don't pull away from him like that. It hurts him. It drives him crazy. Don't leave him.

(Fucking insanity. They were all fucking insane. Sky was delusional. This was wrong. This was so fucked up. 'Help me. Please, someone help me.')

Sky, you had learned, was a man built of power so raw and ancient and primal it ripped mortal flesh from his bones and left something other in its wake (touched by the goddess' Hyrule had whispered to you, magic pulsing like a living thing in his wide, wonder-filled eyes). Like lightning rushing through his veins, intertwined so intimately with his blood they were one in the same. Always. And it was only through the will of his bleeding heart that that might had tempered to something almost human. Almost fragile (you shook to remember those hands on you. the quiet grinding of his teeth in your ear as you'd choked and gasped and struggled and he'd pulled you in so incredibly close his skin burned against you. his wet, hot breath against your sweat-slicked skin).

(You still remember him muttering, soft and snarled and whimpering, "Don't take them. Please don't take them. They're mine. They're mine-" as your lungs had burned and your eyes had clouded with silent tears. As Blue had pulled and snarled and Red had grunted and fought for every inch of breathing room you greedily clung to.)

You never tried to pull away from him again. He kissed the back of your head each night in silent apology. His hands caressing down your side, as though looking for wounds that were no longer there (so sweet. so loving as they hesitantly pressed against your skin and flesh. ever gentle. ever careful.)

(When sleep came to him, the firm press of his arms frightened you. Terrified you. Broke you down and left you numb and compliant to his tender ministrations.)

Just before dawn, Sky will loosen his grip and rest his arm upon your still form (dozing quietly. basking in your presence. your scent). Then he'll stretch around you with a jaw-cracking yawn. He'll lean forward (as though he's not already plastered to you already) and press his forehead to your nape, breathing in deeply (fortifying himself for the day, apparently). Then he'll grunt unhappily (just the once), hoist himself onto one elbow, tuck the blankets around your neck and shoulders with care and then finally pull himself out of the bedroll.

He'll stop in front of your still form, bend down onto his hands and press a soft, lingering kiss onto your forehead (eyes closed, cheeks and ears faintly pink). Then he'll make his way over to Wars to relieve him from watch. Wars will make a playful joke about your's and Sky's 'relationship' and bed sharing before marriage, and Sky will blush from ear to ear and all the way down his neck while never denying any of it. Wars will laugh, patting Sky on the back before heading off to sleep. After the other is gone Sky will smile dopily, ears pinned back bashfully as he stares into the pre-dawn sky and sighs in bliss.

Like clockwork.

It's almost time for Sky to get up. Any moment now he'll stretch against you (around you. damned near on top of you) and yawn in your ear. You just have to wait a little longer, and then you'll be free. At least until later that night when he comes to you (he never calls to you these days. he will always, always come to you). Or until he starts feeling uneasy with your distance (since Hyrule's 'incident', he never could stand his loved ones to be too far from his sight) and moves closer to walk beside you while Wars makes a light hearted comment and Time chuckles at Sky's reddening face.

If he's feeling especially bold, Sky will brush his fingers against yours. If you don't protest (you never do. you're too frightened to find out what will happen if you do. to have those desperate lightning-shattered eyes on you once more) he may even hold your hand (with Wind play gagging in the background).

He'll look into your eyes (his own so, so love struck it made your stomach clench with longing and fear both) and tell you how happy he is that Hylia brought you to him (gave you to him. made you for him). Then he'll smile, that hopeful, heart melting smile of his, and maybe chance a kiss to your cheek.

You hoped it didn't happen. These soft, domestic interactions that made you forget (if even for a moment) what they'd done to you. What he'd done to you. What they were still doing to you and would continue to do to you.

Your heart was already so battered and conflicted from all that had happened. Frightened and betrayed but desperate for comfort and security wherever you could find it (even from the fuckers who did this to you).

A yawn. The tensing of limbs arching around you and warmth finding home in the scarce space between your bodies. The rustling of Sky's night shirt against your own as he shifted and shivered (with cold or something else, you didn't know. you never knew) against you.

His muscles eased once more as he finished his stretching, his forehead pressing against your neck with a contented sigh.

And then, a hesitant kiss. Little more than the press of lips against your warm skin.

That. Was new. And it took everything in you not to tense. To not give away your sleepless state even though it was so obvious to everyone but Sky you did not sleep well in his arms (yet, whispered something quiet and despairing in your heart).

Another kiss. Bolder this time as his muscles flexed and he pulled you closer by the waist. And then, he spoke. Quietly. And your heart trembled at the words.

"I can't wait for our wedding day." He breathed dreamily, and you could feel the smile curving around his plush lips as he continued just as softly. "Meeting you has made everything worth it, you know. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." His breath hitched as he buried his face in your hair (hiding a blush. hiding his growing desire).

"I'm glad Hylia showed me the error of my ways that night. I was moving too slow, as usual." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, and your blood ran cold at the implications (at the realization that began to take form in your mind). "Guess I'll always have to risk losing what's important to me for me to appreciate it properly."

A hand (rough hands. powerful hands. hands that had killed a God) reached over and cradled the side of your face. Turning your head until you were looking up at him (when had you opened your eyes?), meeting his gaze as he hovered over you with a warm, sweet smile (wrong, wrong, wrong). "Don't hide from me anymore, my heart. Don't run."

You could see the fractures sparking bright and vivid in the intense blue of his eyes. Like streaks of lightning swirling great arches towards his pupils. Breaking down at the seams, but overwrought with power so great it was bleeding through.

"I will always follow. No matter where you go." And his smile, twisted, warped, fractured.

"Because in my dreams. I always catch you."

---

Back to the shadows to rest forever.

[shadedheart138]

I'll Be Here Until You're Okay

Legend was fine when they landed in Skyloft. It'd been ages since Sky had seen Groose or Sun, and he quite literally cried when he saw them again. Sky deserved to see his partners, deserved to see his Loftwing, his home. It was a blissful few days of rest, before they had to leave due to hearing of a group of black blooded monsters nearby.

Legend was fine when they landed in Outset, even with the memories of the waves, the sand, a girl and a dream. Wind had missed his grandma and sister so much, and he'd screamed as soon as they hit the sand. He ran faster than Legend had ever seen him run. Wind had smiled more than he had in a while too, and Legend got really sunburnt and quite miserable.

Legend was fine when they landed in Four's world. It was good to see Four's Grandpa again, to trade stories and fix some of Wild's broken weapons. Four had been excited to see the Minish again, and get a chance to talk to Dot.

They were fine when they landed in Time's. The ranch was quiet and felt almost like home. Malon was kind as always, and they had good places to sleep. Fighting was easier, almost, with the knowledge they'd have an actual bath and mattresses to sleep on when they were done.

Fine in Wild's. Flora had been ecstatic to see her partner again, and Wild relaxed a good bit around her. Seeing Farosh had been a rare treat, and the hot springs Wild had brought them all to were heavenly.

Fine in Twilight's. Ordon was just as quiet as the ranch had been.

Hyrule's. Good to see Hyrule acting confident for once.

Warriors'. The bars were good.

But they were most decidedly not fine once they landed in Wild's again, after only a couple of months away from it. ***

Legend stepped forward out of the portal, Hyrule right behind them. They blinked in the bright sunlight, expecting to see a familiar landmark, the house they shared with Ravio...

When none of that was seen and instead they were greeted by an open field, Legend froze. Why Wild's Hyrule again? Why? Hylia must really hate them if she won't even let them go home. Legend hated her just as much, she never let them rest, not even after all the adventures. No matter how many times Legend did her bidding, she was never satisfied. Legend clenched a fist, angry. They wanted to go home.

Home.

Oh, Ravio.

Legend's eyes watered. They let their hand unclench, suddenly gripping the side of their skirt instead. It'd been almost five months since Legend had seen Ravio. Legend bit their lip and didn't notice their name had been called until the entire Chain was watching them with worried expressions. Legend took their hands from their skirt and clasped them together instead, with a sort of finality. "Wild. This is yours, right?" Fuck, Legend's voice broke. Legend took a shuddering breath, watching Wild. Wild nodded, expression sad. Legend nodded stiffly right back, before turning around and beginning to walk, shaking. They didn't care where they went, not right now. If the road didn't lead to home then Legend didn't care.

"Legend-?"

Legend ignored Warriors, continuing to walk. The longer their mind dwelled on home, on Ravio, the worse they felt. Legend was quite tired of feeling sad already.

Ravio. Legend missed him so much. The space between his teeth, his scarf. Sheerow. His laugh. The feeling of his hands against Legend's. The gentle curve of the back of his neck against Legend's hand. The stumble when they danced together.

Legend hadn't even received a letter from their husband in what, three, four weeks? Almost a month? (Married for tax purposes, Legend always insists. Lies.) What if Ravio was hurt? Worse, what if Ravio was dead? Fuck. The thought alone... Legend choked, giving a soft whine. They brought a hand over their mouth, trying to stifle it. Tried not to cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't-

A soft hand came down on Legend's shoulder, encouraging them to turn. Legend turned, eyes squeezed shut, biting their lip hard to try and make the pain there worse than the pain in their heart. Legend was gently pulled forwards into someone's chest- Time, only Time had that height -and Time's hand came up behind Legend's head to cradle it close. Ravio had always held them the exact same as Legend was being held by Time right now. It hurt.

"I'm sure the next portal we go through will be yours, Legend." Time said quietly. Legend gave a soft sob- the way they were being held, how much they missed Ravio, the soft tone, it was all too much- and that was all it took for them to lose the tiny bit of control they had over their emotions. Legend shakily put their arms around Time, fisting the back of the man's shirt tightly.

"I miss Ravio." Legend whispered, crying harder as soon as Ravio's name was out of their mouth.

"I know, Legend. You'll see him again soon." Time soothed, hugging Legend for an undetermined amount of time. By the time they were done, the rest had set up camp most of the way and Wild was making lunch. Legend sat down next to the fire, close to no one.

Warriors offered Legend whatever Wild had made for lunch. Legend refused, staring into the fire. An apple was put into their hand.

Legend looked at it, and reluctantly took a bite. It wasn't long before Hyrule was pressed to Legend's left side, trying to comfort. The soft tingle of magic against Legend was soothing, even if only a little. Wind quietly came to rest against Legend's other side, small hands fiddling with a seashell. Legend tiredly watched the fire, tuning everything out.

Ravio, Ravio, Ravio. Every heartbeat pressed Ravio's name into Legend's head. If they closed their eyes they could see their home. The place they put their shoes. Where they packed up their gear. The rocking chair. A table with a cup Legend had carved out of wood, when their hands didn't shake. A blanket that Ravio had crocheted, at the end of their shared bed.

Legend hugged themself, bringing a shaky hand to an earring in their ear. Enchanted with both a minor protection charm and a resistance to lightning. Ravio had given them to Legend for an anniversary. Legend took a shuddering breath. Their anniversary had already passed, and Legend didn't even get to spend it with their husband.

That night, Legend slept away from everyone, and poorly. They were grouchy all the way to the nearest stable, and then some. Warriors didn't jab at them even once the entire trip.

xxx

A week passed in Wild's world. A week and a half.

Two.

Every day, Legend was worse and worse. Everyone was quiet around them, lest they shatter whatever fragile state Legend was in. They cried, and frequently. No further words from Ravio, no reassurance that he was okay.

Three weeks.

Four.

xxx

They spent a month and a half in Wild's world. When the next portal appeared, everyone cheered. No matter how pretty Wild's world was, blood moons were no fun and neither were the guardians. Legend stepped through the portal first, and even chanced a prayer to Hylia. Another one to Lolia for good measure.

Please, let this one be mine. Let me be home.

They landed in an apple orchard. Legend rubbed their eyes and turned around to help Sky through, then Wind. When everyone was through, Legend put a hand on one of the trees, thumbing an engraving on it. L + R.

Link and Ravio. They'd engraved their initials in every one of these trees, after an escapade with a good bottle of wine.

Legend was home.

Legend started stripping themself of their gear, much to the Chain's surprise. They got their boots off, ignoring the questions, and started pulling on the Pegasus Boots. They started cursing up a storm when they had to untie the left one. As soon as they were on enough to stand, Legend clicked their heels and fucking bolted.

It didn't matter that they ran into a tree on the way there. All that mattered was the man in the purple button up, sleeves rolled up and hands in the garden soil. What mattered was the way he hummed and the way his fingers moved and the wedding band on a cloth beside him. Legend wrenched the boots off their feet as soon as Ravio was in their sight, and yelled for him.

"Rav! Ravio, I'm home!" Legend had tears in their eyes, scrambling to get to Ravio.

"Link?" Ravio's head whipped around, and he dropped whatever he had been trying to plant. He'd barely risen to his feet before Legend barreled into him, hugging almost tight enough to bruise.

"Link-? Oh, honey." Ravio whispered, as Legend started crying hard.

"I missed you, I missed you so much, Rav. I love you. I was so worried when you didn't send any letters, I thought you could've been dead and-" Legend whispered, the rest of the words lost against Ravio's skin, holding so tight as if Ravio would disappear like the girl on the island. Legend wouldn't be able to take it if that happened again.

"Breathe, dear. I missed you too, and I love you just as much. If not more. I was equally worried, since I haven't heard word from you in months." Ravio said softly, and even though his hands were covered in dirt, he brought one of them to cradle the back of Legend's head very firmly. Even though Time had held them like this more than a month ago, it hadn't felt the same.

This was home, and it smelled like lavender and apple soap. The other hand landed on Legend's back. They were still swaying lightly together when the rest of the Chain caught up. Sky flopped down onto the grass, wheezing. After a few moments, both Hyrule and Four joined him.

Legend whined very audibly when Ravio tried pulling away, tightening their grip.

"Link, we've got visitors."

"Don't care. Please, stay, please. Just a little bit longer, Rav. It's been so long. I was so scared." Legend's voice was soft, barely heard, whispered against skin.

Ravio sighed, and kissed Legend on the forehead.

"A little bit longer, then." Ravio sniffled, tightening his hold.

Link's wedding band glittered on their right hand, the only ring that Legend had brought themselves to wear for a while. They'd polished and fiddled with it a little obsessively. Sheerow twittered about, pulling at Legend's hair, nipping at his ear tips, his own little way of saying, "Hello, welcome home, missed you."- no matter how irritating. Sheerow was gently told something by Ravio, and after a moment, Ravio's right hand had the same ring resting on the designated finger.

"You're alright, honeybun. I'm here." Soft, whispered against Legend's cheekbone.

"I'm real."

Legend sobbed, squeezing tight.

Ravio was here, and he was very, very real.

fin.

[miharuki]

First chapter of my series, I think, from Linked universe x reader

But first of all, I'll list a few things here

All Linked Universe characters are romantic partners

But one thing before reading the story!

Here you will be a girl, want to make this gender change fit into the story, as well as:

You are a heroine of your hyrule (I'll leave the stories to you) but you don't have the spirit of courage!

Your link is a prince! So he has two sides, being the son of Zelda, the triforce of courage and wisdom .

You will be a closed person at the beginning, because you are not intimate with the current, then only later will you show yourself

That's why, and my English isn't perfect! So, good luck

<prototype -ep list - Next>

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖆 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖔(𝖎𝖓𝖊) 𝔈𝔭.01

"I see it now... looking like death itself, that's what I see... it's not a gaze I saw in ancient heroes, no!... This is a look of pure rage, no, it's not that!... it's as if she simply has not a shred of mercy or kindness in her face, this gaze isn't of a brave hero as it has been in many years and reincarnations, no!... This gaze is that of a killer..."

The kingdom of Hyrule was thriving, having recovered from all the chaos it endured. Villages and markets were bustling once again, and all the realms lived happily, reminiscent of their best times. Queen Zelda was currently preparing to pass her throne to her heir, her son. It would take a while since she planned to hand over the crown , when he is ready—And when that day comes, you really don't want to miss it, not after everything you've seen, and what you've been through.

Unfortunately, you don't know how you can return. As you look around, you see those who call themselves heroes engrossed in their tasks. You move about, not quite remembering how you ended up there, surrounded by a bunch of blonde boys from different timelines. Despite being accustomed to being in a place full of men and even training with them, it feels like you don't belong to that group.

Everyone there is a hero, with stories, swords, and the soul of a hero—brave, something you're not. Sure, you saved your Hyrule, but that was because you were the last one standing in that shattered land. You had to do something; the land was in peril, your friend was in danger, and you couldn't let him go with it, not after you promised. You're just a mere key, lacking the soul of heroism, without a side of the Triforce like everyone else, not even a tattoo on the back of your hand.

"Hey! (Name), right?" Turning your head, leaning against a tree, you look to the side and see a boy of shorter stature compared to you, dressed in blue and carrying a compass or something similar.

"...yes?" Your voice sounds somewhat flat and even a bit cold, but you can't help it, not when you've been with them for less than a day.

"Well, Wild wants me to grab some things. Would you like to help?" He seems nervous, you can tell by his way of speaking and posture. Stepping away from the trunk, you simply nod your head, following the boy as he enters the forest.

Wind occasionally glanced at you, walking a bit slower as he began to walk beside you. He couldn't help but notice the two covered sword sheaths on your back, but he refrained from asking, aware it might be intrusive.

"Ah... what was your Hyrule like?" The boy attempted to start a conversation, nervous and unable to discern whether you were angry or something else. With a closed appearance, your expression remained unreadable, and he couldn't quite gauge your feelings, likely because you hadn't fully acclimated to them.

"Normal..." You speak in a voice that's somewhat normal, though low, not quite a whisper. Wind frowned, and you maintain your gaze forward. Clearly, you were a Hyrulian, given your pointed ears, but Wind couldn't quite determine if you hailed from a different Hyrule. Simultaneously, your clothing was and wasn't that of a hero; he couldn't quite figure out what you were.

"Ah... I see." Wind then averted his gaze, noticing a bush of fruits. He motioned for you to follow as he approached the bush.

"These fruits look edible, don't they?" He asked while picking one up and examining it. Unbeknownst to him, you also grabbed one, sniffing it. Detecting no strange odor, just a sweet scent like edible fruits, you opened your mouth and took a bite.

"Maybe someone knows what fruit this is. I think we should check other things before—" Wind glanced to the side, watching you grab a cloth bag and fill it with fruits. "Carry...? Don't you think it might be poisonous?" He said while observing you take one and eat it. You shook your head in denial, handing one to the boy, who looked somewhat scared and suspicious.

"They're not poisonous. The leaves are like any other, they smell sweet, and despite their appearance, they're sweet." You spoke while looking at the fruits and collecting them. Glancing back at Wind, who had a bead of sweat on his face, even though his expression was somewhat stoic, you saw that you were looking at him, expecting something. Not knowing what to do, Wind sighed before cautiously biting into the fruit and realizing they were indeed sweet.

Rising, you took the two cloth bags filled with fruit and placed them in the side bag you carried. Wind observed as you looked up.

"Did Wild ask for something specific?" You looked at Wind, awaiting a response."Ah... no! He just asked me to see if I could find something, maybe mushrooms!" He nervously explained, eliciting a noise of understanding from you. You walked ahead, and the boy hurried to catch up. He watched as you, a bit further ahead, handed a fruit to a white rabbit. Upon spotting Wind, the rabbit darted away with the fruit. He observed as you stood up from your crouched position and continued walking.

"B-well! How are you feeling?" Trying to initiate another conversation, he was met with a buzz.

"Normal..." He only realized he had returned to the camp when he heard the others talking. He paused, still confused about the entire situation, and walked over to Wild along with you. You handed over the bag filled with fruits, mushrooms, and plants, along with a large water container.

"When did she get this that I didn't see?" Wild didn't even have time to react and say thank you before you left and returned to your place leaning against a tree, gazing into the forest, never at the others. Wild looked at Wind, who just shrugged and sat down with him.

"Anything?" Wild asked as he opened the bag, examining its contents and grabbing a fruit. "Nothing, b-but she said these fruits are good!"

"Of course they're good!" Wild said as if it were obvious, starting to cut the mushrooms he had. From a distance, Time observed as the girl gazed into the forest, appearing thoughtful. Sky looked at Time, beside him, and also observed the girl.

"What do you think they have?" Sky asked, looking at Time, who had a stern look, sighing as he cleaned his sword.

"I think they're just not at ease. They've just left their home; let her get used to it gradually." With that, they both put the matter aside. Fiddling with your belt, where the two covered sword sheaths were, you felt a twinkle and sensed the small gift you carried.

"It's okay..."

[links-in-time]

Sword and Dagger

This fic is for @mmelete and anyone else who wants to see some reconciliation and comfort between Legend and Warriors. They are two of my favourite LU boys and I wish they got along more in people's fics.

------------------------~~~------------------------

"LEGEND!" Warriors voice rang out across the camp.

A smile curled the corner of the Vet's mouth as he continued adding wood to the fire. He managed to surpress his laughter. This was going to be hilarious.

The stomping of boots grew louder as Wars stormed across the clearing towards where Legend was kneeling by the fire. Something solid collided with Legend's shoulder, hard and fast. He dropped the last branch he had been holding and clutched at his arm. Looking down he saw the offending projectile. A squat brown glass jar filled with clear gel.

"Ouch!" Legend grunted, rubbing furiously at his new bruise. "What the fuck?!"

"What the fuck?" Wars echoed, turning the question back on Legend.

Around the clearing the rest of the boys couldn't help but stop what they were doing and turn their attention to this latest argument. Time let out a sigh and rubbed at his brow before turning back to his journal. Wild continued chopping vegetables for dinner. He hated it when the others were fighting, it made his anxiety spike and he would rather be literally anywhere else in the world when his brothers were at each others throats.

Four, Hyrule and Sky pretended to carry on with their own activities. Still keeping an eye on the argument about to break out by the fire. Wind was mercifully down by the stream, and hopefully out of earshot of the screaming match that had already begun. While Twilight was out on patrol.

"You arse! You put glue in my hair gel!" Wars bellowed, pointing accusingly down at Legend. His other fist balled and shaking at his side.

Time couldn't help but flick his eye up from his journal to Warriors. He also couldn't help the minute smile which crept upon his lips. Wars' hair, which was usually kept almost immaculate, was a mess. The left side was stuck down so flat it almost followed the shape of his skull. While the right side was stuck up in the air at odd angles. He looked like he'd been caught in a sudden gust of wind. Except there was no breeze. Only a livid scowl and the pointing finger which refused to leave its mark.

"You mean your hair CAN look even more stupid than normal?" Legend replied nonchalantly. His eyes remaining on the fire.

"You little shit! Now my comb is clogged up with glue and hair and I'm gonna have to get a new one, thank you very much! Not to mention what a pain in the arse this is going to be to clean out. What the hell man? What did I do to you?!"

Warriors continued to berate, oblivious to anyone except the object of his fury.

It wasn't really about his hair. Well, it was almost certainly about his hair. But Wars wasn't as vain as people liked to assume he was. Just because he was considered more handsome than most, didn't mean he was constantly preening himself. Sure he liked to look neat and presentable, but that was mostly from a life spent in the army. A soldier could be seriously disciplined for failing to dress correctly or for having scruffy hair. Every soldier was a representative of Hyrule itself. So heaven forbid that Wars always took care in making sure he was the best goddess damned image of Hyrule he could muster.

His real bug-bare was why Legend seemed to have singled him out for his pranks and jibes. Legend teased Wars for his good looks constantly. Not that Wars thought any of the others was less good looking than himself. Perhaps the Vet hadn't seen himself in a mirror for a while. If it wasn't his looks or his scarf, it was his military service, or his rank, or his loyalty to the crown. Legend could turn any trait of Warriors' into a snide remark aimed just right to get under the Captain's skin. Wars sometimes wondered if it was actually some special talent of Legend's. Like a little dagger specifically designed to be able to pick someone apart all the while laughing at them.

"Oh no, you'll have to spend some of that soldiers wage you keep bragging about!" Legend scoffed, batting the pot of gel and glue away from himself.

"What?" Wars shook his head in surprise. This was not the reaction he thought he was going to get. "Since when have I bragged about my wages?"

Wars finally looked around the camp at the rest of the heroes. Sky unfortunately managed to catch his eye and Wars latched onto his gaze.

"Sky, I don't brag about money, do I?" He asked furvently, still radiating rage and confusion.

"Um, well," Sky stammered, shrinking under Wars' intense gaze. "Not as such. But you're kind of the only one of us with an actual job."

Wars processed that for a second. He'd never considered soldiering to be a job, but it did come with a regular pay packet. So far as he could tell the only one of them who got payed for work was the Smithy. Four was an accomplished blacksmith with his own business. He had to make a decent amount of money for the work he produced. So that couldn't be the only reason Legend had singled Wars out. This couldn't be about money.

"Four has a job!" Wars pointed out.

"Hey, leave me out of this," Four stated firmly. "This is between you and Lege, figure it out without pointing fingers at the rest of us."

Four kept his eyes on the sword he was polishing, but Sky noticed they took on a verdent green hew as he spoke. He wanted to ask about it, but knew now was definitely not the time to be starting other conversations.

"Yeah Captain, why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Legend barked, drawing Warriors attention again.

"Pick on..? You're not that short!" Wars spat back.

"Oh so I am short, but not that short!" Legend retorted.

"Come on boys, please knock it off," Time groaned.

He tipped his head back against the tree behind him and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your screaming match is giving me a headache. Plus I can't imagine anything living within a mile radius of this camp is thanking you either." Time said with a sigh.

"But he..." Wars began, but Time put up a hand to stop him talking.

"Legend, apologise for your prank," Time insisted, fixing Legend with his one eyed stare.

Legend flicked his gaze away to the ground, avoiding the Old Man's piercing eye.

"M'sorry," he grumbled under his breath.

"Right," Time nodded.

"Really, that's an acceptable apology to you?!" Wars scoffed.

"Wars, I'll buy you a new comb and gel in the next town we find. And in the morning I'll help you wash the glue out of your hair. Alright?"

Time turned his gaze onto Wars, who knew from the look on his face that it was going to be alright whether he liked it or not.

"Fine!" Wars turned on the spot and walked decisively towards his bed roll.

He picked it up and dragged it a few metres further away from the fire and set it down with a resounding thump. Wars quickly shucked his armour and his mail and tunic, before shoving himself under his blankets and all but throwing his head onto his pillow.

The rest of the Chain didn't hear a single peep out of their Captain for the rest of the night. Sulking or sleeping, no one had the courage to go and find out. At one point Hyrule asked Legend if he felt bad about how far his prank had gone.

"He deserves being taken down a peg every now and then." Was his response.

But even as he said the words, Legend felt no real emotion behind them. No truth. He'd taken a strange disliking to the Captain not long after they'd all met. He was rigid and calculating. Absurd in the attention he gave to his looks and infuriating in the way that he never deviated from a plan. Legend felt no spark of curiosity or adventure when he took a peek at Wars' aura. His magic felt strong like the rest of the Links, but it also felt tame and rigid. As though it had been pushed into a box which was too small.

Of all the Links in his company, Wars was the one he just couldn't figure out. And the one who reminded him the most of some of the worst days of his life. So he lashed out. Made jokes at his expense, played pranks he knew would get a rise out of the Captain, because it was a laugh. And what else was he supposed to do with someone who was as stiff as a board?

***

Time didn't get a chance to clean Warriors hair. Hyrule woke everyone up in the middle of his watch to the news that a portal had appeared not far from their camp. He'd felt the unique magical signature the moment it appeared and quickly ran to see what had happened. The dark swirl of black and purple bridged the space between two trees. A void deadening all light and sound around it.

Hyrule had hurried back to camp and quickly roused everyone. Unusually, Wars was the last man to finish packing his gear. And he was at the back of the line as they broke camp and followed Hyrule towards the new portal. While no one could see him, Wars attempted to flatten down the worst parts of his hair, but with little to no success. The glue had done a fine job and he'd worked it through so thoroughly with his comb, that it perfectly coated his hair. Forcing it into its current state. He let out a defeated sigh and trudged through the forest without taking much notice of his surroundings.

The shady woodland was soon replaced by the now familiar unsettling feeling of being pulled through a dark place. Wars had the uncontrollable sensation of nausia and dizziness which was concurrent with a portal jump. He was one of the few who suffered the least from time jumps, but he counted himself lucky. Wind and Four often verged on passing out after walking through a portal. While Hyrule could be left feeling dizzy and disoriented for up to an hour. Not helpful if there was danger waiting on the other side.

As the blackness faded away and the sickening sensations passed, Wars felt the bitter chill of icy weather biting at his skin. He looked up and had to blink twice before he believed what he was seeing.

Everything was white.

Everything except the red, blue and streak of pink hair in the near distance, which could only be Legend.

Wars grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself as he shoved his chin into his scarf. This was not going to be a pleasant day.

"Cap?" Legend howled over the rushing of the wind pelting his ears.

His hair flew every which way and he held onto his cap to prevent it being tugged off his head. His tunic whipped around his bare knees and he winced against the sting of the snow as it hit his exposed legs. Surely the Captain would tease him for not wearing trousers at some point.

The Captain! Legend suddenly thought with a jolt. Where in Din's name was everyone else?

"Captain!" He called again.

Wars wasn't very far away, but still Legend's voice sounded like a whisper rather than a holler. Squinting against the driving snow and leaning into the wind Wars trudged towards the colourful blob in front of him.

"I can hear you Legend. Where's everyone else?" He called in reply.

"No clue. They were right with us when we went through the portal."

Wars heard something about Legend not having a clue. (Nothing new there) And the portal.

"Great," Wars sighed.

This wasn't the first time the Chain had been separated by portal jumps before. Usually they were only split up by a short distance. They never settled on a plausible theory as to why this happened, though Wars had some pretty convincing ideas of his own. However, upon a quick scan of the surrounding empty countryside, Wars couldn't discern any other notable figures in the landscape. Legend and he supposed he himself, were the only dots of colour in an otherwise colourless world.

The snow storm showed no signs of blowing over and even tall trees had been mostly hidden by the onslaught of snow and ice. When Wars reached Legend, his next move would be to look for shelter. Hopefully the sour veteran would be cooperative enough to help rather than hinder Warriors efforts to keep them both alive.

"Looks like we got split up again. And we don't have Wild or the Sailor with us to contact anyone. We need to find shelter or we'll both catch our deaths in this cold." Wars said through chattering teeth.

Legend shuddered at the thought of just trying to walk through the thick snow around them. He could already feel the chill in his core as he pulled his hat down over his ears, and shoved his hands under his armpits to keep his fingers from freezing.

"Any suggestions?" He uttered, struggling to breath with lungs full of ice.

"Let's walk downhill," Wars decided, trying to think logically while his brain was telling him to just stop and get warm. "The cold will be less intense if we reach a lower altitude, and there's more likely to be shelter the lower we go. If we stay up here on the hill tops we'll freeze to death."

"Downhill it is then," Legend nodded.

Wars raised an eyebrow at how easily Legend had followed his suggestion. But he didn't dare question it unless Legend suddenly decided to have an argument about it.

"You want me to go ahead or behind?" He asked.

"You can cut through the deep snow easier than I can, you go first."

"Right."

"Plus, if you fall in a hole I'll know not to step there!" Legend snorted.

"Right," Wars said flatly.

So they began their slow slog down the hill. The wind was mercifully behind them, but still bitterly cold. Wars took a leaf out of Legend's book and pulled his old hat out of his bag. He tugged it tight down over his ears and tucked the end into his scarf so it wouldn't flap about. Wars could feel his steel mail freezing but there wasn't anything he could do about that now. His undershirt would keep it from touching his skin, but it wouldn't do anything to keep him warm. He just preyed they would find some kind of shelter and soon.

They walked for what felt like hours before the ground began to level out. The trees became a more frequent sight and though the storm was still raging, even a meagre tree cover was better than nothing.

"We could stop and make a fire here?" Wars suggested, looking about at the tall pines around them.

"Our stuff will just get wet if we stop here. We should keep looking for shelter. A cave or a cabin or something," Legend replied with a shake of his head. Though it could have just been from the cold.

"How d'you know there'll be one?"

"I don't, but... I'd rather keep looking than stop here and freeze. At least if we're moving we're keeping some sort of body heat." Legend explained.

"Me maybe, aren't you freezing?" Wars scoffed, eyeing Legend's bare legs which looked raw and red.

"Yeah I am, thanks for reminding me!"

"Sorry, I was just thinking you might want to stop?" Wars remarked.

"Because I'm small and fragile?" Legend snorted.

"What? NO?" Wars balked. "Because you're wearing less clothes and you're more likely to die more quickly of exposure than I am."

"It's not a competition Captain!" Legend hissed over his shoulder as he continued to walk in front of Wars. "Besides, I'm far more adaptive than you anyway. Who's to say who would win that competition?!"

"It's not a competition to see who dies first either Lege!" Wars sighed, hurrying to stay with the turbulent Vet.

Their argument died as they continued to walk through the snow covered forest. Icicles hung ominously from tree branches over head. Wind whipped through the trees, shaking loose drifts of snow. The only sounds were the howling of the wind, and their laboured breathing as the two boys marched through the snow drifts.

"Hut!" Legend exclaimed.

Wars head shot up at the sound and looked ahead. A squat wooden structure sat among the trees just a few yards away from them. Legend immediately took off towards it, with Wars only a few steps behind him. The veteran hero threw his shoulder into the door as he turned the handle, but there was less resistance than he had anticipated and the door swung open freely.

It was an extremely modest dwelling and it clearly hadn't been used for some time. There was a single cot in one corner. A fireplace set into the back wall and boarded up windows on the opposing sides.

"I'll be damned, maybe the gods do love us after all," Legend sighed, as he spotted a stack of logs in the corner by the fire.

Warriors quickly shut the door behind them and hefted his pack onto the floor beside the bed. His first instinct was to leave some kind of sign for the others telling them where they were. If this storm didn't break soon, the two of them might find themselves stuck for a while. If the others came looking, Warriors wanted them to find him and Legend as soon as possible.

He pulled out a pouch of berries Wild had picked for him and stared at it, turning the object over in his mind. The colour would stand out against the stark surroundings, but he doubted the juice would stick to the door of the hut on its own. Another thought wormed it's way into his mind and he groaned at how good his idea was.

Wars searched for his old pot of hair gel and found it in his pocket of useless objects he kept meaning to throw away. He opened the lid and was relieved to find it hadn't completely hardened. Wars crushed a few of the berries into the jar and mashed the mixture together with his fingers. When the gel-glue had turned a vivid pink colour, he quickly left the hut.

"Hey! Where are you...?"

Wars heard Legend say as he pulled the door open and quickly used his fingers to write on the outside of the wooden door. It was rough and untidy. But his makeshift paint did the job. The bright pink of the berries having the desired affect. Wars spelled out the quickest and easiest thing he could think of before letting too much cold back into the hut. After he was finished he quickly washed his hands off with some snow, closed the door and threw the jar of paint back into his pack.

"What was that about?" Legend asked incredulously.

Wars sighed contently as he saw the fire blooming into life behind Legend. But he swallowed before answering his question.

"I was leaving a sign for the others in case they come looking for us. Hopefully someone will be able to see it even if they don't notice the hut right away."

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart," Legend nodded, turning to throw some more kindling onto his tender flames.

"Did you just call me smart?" Wars jibed.

"I called you pretty smart, you know, the same way seagulls are pretty smart," Legend scoffed, avoiding Warriors gaze.

"Right."

Wars shook his head and turned back to his pack. He pulled out his bed roll and set it on the floor beside the fire. Legend waisted no time settling himself onto it and rubbing at his legs to stimulate some warmth. Wars pulled out his blanket and pillow and some spare shirts to replace the one he was wearing. It would be wet with both sweat and snowmelt and would quickly make him cold if he didn't change it soon. Speaking of.

"Hey, um, Legend," Wars said tentatively. Hating himself for the next words about to come out of his mouth. "Can you help me for a minute?"

"Help you with what?" Legend groaned.

"I can't take my armour or my mail off, they're too cold to touch. Can you put some gloves on and help me?" He asked, trying to convey as much sincerity in his voice and expression as he could muster.

Legend let out the longest sigh Wars had ever heard. But still, the Vet pushed himself to his feet and crossed the cabin to where Wars stood.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

Wars quickly found an old pair of gloves in his pack (not fingerless ones) and handed them to Legend. Although Wars had to point Legend in the right direction a couple of times, Legend quickly helped Wars take off his pauldron and laid it on the floor near the fire for it to warm up. His tunic came off with ease but his mail was more difficult. Legend managed to buch it up around Warriors shoulders, then got him to bed over and slid the whole shirt off onto the floor over his head.

"Well that's just insanely stupid!" Legend scoffed, as he picked up the heavy lump of clinking metal.

"It's saved my life more times than I can count," Wars retorted, trying to shake out his hair before rembering he couldn't.

Legend layed the mail shirt out on the other side of the fire and Wars wondered at the care which the Vet showed to something he clearly disapproved of.

"Why don't you just try not to get hit. Then you wouldn't have to wear something so heavy?" He proffered.

"Is that why you stopped wearing trousers?" Wars remarked in return.

"Touche."

Wars quickly undressed and pulled two clean shirts over his shivering body. He wanted to put his tunic back on as another layer, but that was pretty wet as well. The garment and his scarf, joined his armour by the fire and he settled for pulling a blanket around his shoulders instead.

Legend scooted along the bed roll slightly to let Wars sit down in front of the fire. The warmth hit him in a similar way to the snow. His face and hands tingled as his skin came back to life.

"Ahhh," Wars couldn't help the sigh which escaped him. "Nice work getting the fire going."

Legend looked at him sideways but decided not to turn the simple statement into an argument.

"Thanks, and you're welcome by the way, for helping you out."

"Thanks for that, I'm usually alright doing it by myself. But, I've known people who touched frozen mail before and ended up with the pattern burned into their skin by the cold." Wars explained, his expression turning pensive as his memories trickled into his mind.

"Huh, yeah that would suck." Legend nodded.

Legend finally decided to take off his hat and tunic and let them dry out alongside Warriors clothes. He found his own blanket and draped it over his knees. After that the pair fell into an uncomfortable silence as their bodies began to warm. They could hear the storm raging on outside their little bubble of calm, but the hut was fairly draft free. Plus there were enough logs to keep them going for at least a few days if necessary.

Wars didn't want to sit in silence. He'd hated the periods of his life when he hadn't been able to talk. Since being with the rest of the Chain he felt like he could speak his mind or his emotions freely, and without reprisal. For the first time in a long time he had almost felt understood, among other people like himself. But then there was Legend. The impenetrable wall of stoicism and spite. It wasn't that they just didn't get on, they were totally different people. And it was infuriatingly difficult for the two of them to see eye to eye. Two heroes of Hyrule, both forged though danger and courage to defend their kingdoms. A sword and a dagger, both deadly weapons, weilded in very different ways.

To Wars' great surprise Legend was the first to break their silence.

"I am sorry about your hair," Legend uttered. If not for their complete quiet, Wars didn't think he would have even noticed the teen had spoken.

"Then why'd you do it?" Wars asked, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

"I dunno, thought it would be funny I guess. And it was kinda funny. But after that you were just cross and I knew everyone else would be cross at me for doing it. So, I dunno." Legend shrugged, turning his face away so Wars couldn't see his own confusion.

"Have I done something to make you mad at me for some reason? If I have it definitely wasn't intentional Legend," Wars questioned, searching Legend's posture for some kind of response.

"No, that's not..." Legend tried to push some words out his mouth. But his brain and his lips weren't complying with one another.

Why was he even trying to explain himself to the Captain of all people? He wouldn't understand even if Legend could organise his thoughts. He just knew he wouldn't. So why try at all?

"Forget I even said anything alright. You clearly don't know how to accept an apology."

Just like that Wars watched Legend's walls close in and his mask slip back into place. He radiated the energy of a feral animal, terrified something would come near him. Wars hovered beside him, torn between trying to comfort his friend, and dropping the issue altogether. The hero inside him couldn't bare to do the latter, so he grit his teeth and pushed on.

"Lege, do you hate me?" He asked softly, ready to take the answer he was anticipating.

That made Legend lift his head and face Warriors. A frown creased his brow.

"No, of course I don't hate you?" He said. "Why would you think I hate you?"

"I don't know, the relentless teasing. Hiding my stuff, the glue. You're constantly on my case. It's like you're trying to rile me up so much that I don't want to be with the group any more." Wars rambled on until he had said more than he meant to.

"You don't want to be with the group anymore?" Legend's frown deepend.

"No, I mean yes." Wars sighed, this was coming out all wrong. "Of course I want to be with the group. You boys mean the world to me. But I just get the feeling I don't mean anything to you. Or if I do it's not a good feeling. And that hurts Legend. Everything you do, I know it's little things and if they weren't so often I could brush them aside and maybe even laugh at them. But what you're doing to me, it really hurts. And I don't know why else you'd hurt me if you didn't hate me."

Wars closed his eyes and curled in on himself, his fingers dug into the blanket, knuckles turning while. He only realised he was crying when he felt a drop slip down onto his lip.

Legend sat stock still. He was so stunned he had to give himself a mental slap across the face and grab hold of the situation in front of him. The Captain, Warriors, their chief planner and strategist, his brother, thought he hated him.

"I don't, hate you," he said slowly.

Goddesses he was terrible with emotions. Turns out he was terrible at reading certain people too. Legend thought Warriors was all stoicism and army and, 'look at me aren't I so smart and better than every one!' How could he have got it so wrong.

He knew how.

Months of being hunted by royal soldiers haunted his nightmares. Days and nights spent on the run, accused of a crime he hadn't committed. A crime he was trying to stop for Din's sake! Shining steel and the sound of clinking mail made his skin crawl. Just helping Warriors take his off had sent him to the edge of reliving those memories. But he'd done it because his brother needed his help. Now he was hearing Wars doubted him so completely.

Legend was a difficult person to love. He knew that. He was all hard edges and scepticism. How Ravio not only put up with him, but genuinely loved him, he'd never know. The crazy merchant had latched onto him and never let him go. Ravio had opened his heart to the possibility that he could actually love and be loved in return.

"I didn't take to being the hero as easily as everyone thought I did," Wars said softly.

Legend raised an eyebrow, not at the words, but at the fact that Wars had spoken first. He was almost ready with a speach and everything. But Wars sounded like he was about to get something off his chest, and Legend was happy to hear him out.

"The war had just started. Cia's monsters were ravaging the lands. The Hero was on everyone's lips. And then the Hero was me. I was the one she was after. The spirit of the Hero lived inside me and she wanted it for herself. The lengths she went through to try and claim me, I shudder now to even remember it. I knew how to be a soldier. A Hero was something different. It's alright for a soldier to fail. That just means the enemy was stronger and better prepared than you. You can learn something from failing and do better in the next fight.

But as a Hero, you're not allowed to fail. You win or you lose and if you lose you'd better prepare for people to turn against you. When you're an image people cling to in times of dispare, you do everything you can to help and to live up to their expectations. I tried so hard to be everything people needed me to be. I hardly ever let myself think about what I wanted. Because it didn't matter. I had a job to do and that was all that mattered."

Wars paused and sighed, his chin resting heavy on his arms as they crossed over his knees. Though his voice sounded steady, tears slowly streaked down his face.

"I guess I still have it in my head that everyone needs me to be perfect. If I'm not, then I'm letting someone down. It doesn't matter how good a swordsman I am, or how many enemies I defeat. If I put a foot wrong, if I fail somehow, I fail Hyrule."

"I have a thing about soldiers," Legend sighed. If they were sharing he probably aught to do his bit. "On one of my adventures a guy called Agahnim accused me of kidnapping Zelda. He had some kind of hold over the soldiers and he made them come after me constantly. They put up wanted posters and ordinary Hylians saw me as the enemy who kidnapped their princess. I was on the run for months. Soldiers tried to grab me everywhere I went. I don't know if they had orders to kill me but they certainly weren't gentle in their efforts.

When you first showed up on this journey, for a brief moment I thought you were the enemy. The thing Hylia had sent us to fight. A knight gone rogue. I don't think I ever really got over that feeling. The idea that, at some point you were going to turn on me. So I kept you at a distance, kept pushing you away."

There was a brief moment of silence before Wars chuckled. He snorted a laugh as Legend shot him an incredulous glare.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. That sounds like a nightmare. But it's kind of ironic," Wars tilted his head as the thoughts swirled.

"Ironic?" Legend parroted, utterly bemused.

"I had my fair share of betrayals during the war." Wars replied, his tone souring. "During one battle, half my troops turned against me. They called me a traitor, claimed the war was my fault. I had to-to fight men and women I had fought alongside for years. They gave me no choice. I still hear their screams.

So it's ironic you thought I was going to turn out to be a traitor. When I've spent most of this journey trying to convince myself that all of you won't turn against me at some point. None of you ever gave me reason to think you would, but the memories still haunt me. So when you push and you tease and you torment me, it feels like..."

"Like your fears are founded in something?" Legend filled in, the bottom falling out of his heart as he spoke.

"Yeah, and when the others laugh and join in with the joke. Sometimes it's hard to make myself believe they don't mean it." Wars paused and turned his body so he was facing Legend more directly. "I'm sorry I make you feel nervous Lege. If I'd known I would have done something. Changed my clothes, I would have lost the scarf, the armour. If it stopped you thinking I would turn on you, I'd have done anything."

"You're sorry?!" Legend barked a laugh. He could feel warmth behind his eyes. But he hoped he would be able to keep speaking before he started crying. "Cap, Wars, I never thought about how what I was doing would make you feel. I - I suppose I did a bit and watching someone like you, a soldier, make a fool of themselves made me feel good I guess. I suppose that makes me a terrible bully." Keep going, deep breath, almost there. "And I know I can't take any of it back. Farore knows I wish I could. But since I can't I want to say how sorry I am. I'm sorry I singled you out. I'm sorry I made you feel betrayed, and I'm sorry I made you think I didn't love you."

"You love me?" Wars frowned as he sniffed.

"Of course I do you big dumb idiot!" Legend smiled, as tears began to overflow down his cheeks. Damn it.

"Haha, that's really sweet of you!" Wars laughed, but the sarcasm was clearly received.

"Sorry, I'm not good at emotions," Legend shrugged. "But I do mean it. I love you, and all the boys, and I will try my very best not to let you feel hurt by my awkward nature again."

"You really do mean it, don't you?" Wars said slowly, searching Legend's eyes for any sign this was another joke of his. He just hadn't reached the punch line yet.

But there was nothing but warmth and sincerity to be found. Wars hard hardly ever seen the Vet cry. But that wasn't important, he was crying too after all. Legend had opened up to him. Explained himself at last. All the pieces slotted into place and at last Wars could see Legend for who he really was. A frightened kid lashing out in order to protect himself. A kid who had seen more horrors and been through more hardships than any of their brothers. Perhaps more than all of them combined. And yet he had enough love left inside him for all of them. Even for Warriors himself.

"I love you too Legend."

Wars dropped his knees and spread his arms wide. Legend sniffed back a sob and crawled his way into Warriors embrace. Wars wrapped Legend up in his blanket, Legend's sightly damp hair tickling his neck. But he ignored it. They were both hurting and it meant the world to both of them to be able to comfort each other. Legend clamped his arms around Wars' waist, his face buried in Wars' shoulder. The warmth of the blanket and Warriors body heat spread through his frigid limbs and kindled a fire in his heart.

"Let's never fight again," Legend mumbled after a while. He felt more than heard Wars laugh against him.

"Yeah, like that's ever going to happen!"

"Alright, let's never fight over anything stupid again," Legend corrected, wiggling out of Warriors death grip slightly.

"Right, nothing stupid," Wars nodded.

The motion drew Legend's attention to Warriors hair. He really tried not to smile. He really really tried, but it was just so stupid how it was all stuck up on one side, even after being stuffed into Warriors hat.

"Would you like me to try and fix your hair?" Legend offered, already afraid Wars was going to shut him down.

"How? It's going to take days of washing to get this out?" Wars sighed, deflating a little.

"If I brush it carefully, I can stop it sticking up like that. Then we can wash it properly when we're out of, wherever we are!" Legend insisted more fervently. "Ravio did something similar to me once after I accidentally burned his favourite scarf. He helped me get the worst out of it."

"But I ruined my comb," Wars groaned, remembering the matted clump which had been thrown on the camp fire.

"We can use mine," Legend offered. "We already need to buy a new one for you, what's one more?"

Legend and Wars spent the rest of the evening huddled together by the fire. Though the storm outside showed no signs of letting up, and they hoped the rest of the Chain had found their own shelter somewhere, their little cabin remained cosy. Legend was true to his word and dutifully brushed the worst of the glue out of Wars' hair.

After he was finished, Warriors hair felt softer and was no longer stuck to the side of his head or sticking up in spikes. As Warriors ran a hand through his hair, he could still feel clumps of glue against his fingers. But at least it was workable. The simple act of kindness and repentance Legend had shown filled his heart. Maybe things would be different between them from now on.

"What did you write by the way?" Legend asked, as he sat back down by the fire.

"Write?" Wars frowned.

"On the door of the cabin," Legend reminded him. "You left a sign for the others to find. What did you write? Some kind of code?"

"Ah, no. Not exactly," Wars uttered, cheeks flushing a little pink.

"A symbol?"

"No," Wars sighed, a symbol would have been a good idea. The triforce would have been easily recognised.

"Then what?" Legend prompted, giving Wars a nudge with his elbow.

"I was in a hurry so I wrote the first thing that came into my head," Wars admitted.

"Right, and that was?" Legend urged.

"I um, I wrote Link."

"Link."

"Yep."

... "It's a good thing you're pretty."

---

Once again this became so much longer and went so much deeper than I intended it to go. I should probably go to therapy instead of venting all my stuff into these characters. But therapy is expensive and posting fanfics on Tumbler is free! So you guys get to enjoy my therapy with me, yay!

(Cries internally)

If you want to read more Legend and Warriors then my fic Hobby Boys is much shorter and has way less angst!

[occasionallyprosie]

"Gone Like The Wind"

Lana is desperate, the war has been going on for a while and she needed someone good. Someone who could help Link beat not just Cia, but also Ganondorf and Volga and all of them. Who better than the Hero of Legend who killed Ganon four times? Wait a second--That's not the hero, that's a merchant. Second try, surely this time--nope, that's a girl from an island. Third time is the charm, right? Wind saw that portal forming and he knew it was after his brother. There was no way he was letting it have him. TLDR: Wind gets yoinked into the War of Eras during the Linked Universe adventure. This results in some emotional struggles, some mischief, found family, and a lot of violence.

Read On AO3

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Implied Attempted Non-Con (Cia and Warriors), Swearing

----

Legend was having a very normal day, thank you. Nothing insane or abnormally absurd (aside from Wild deciding to try and test the group's spice tolerance for literally no reason this time, what the heck, Champion) happened, no ambushes or anything.

They were literally just walking when a portal--a different one than normal, blue and bright and not quite divine in nature, but powerful--tried to rip open.

Wind and Legend had been at the back, and both had spotted the portal. Legend went for his sword on instinct, but Wind shoved him just as the portal lunged at them.

Someone cried out. The portal was gone as quickly as it had formed and Wind with it.

Legend breathed an islander curse, one taught to him by their now missing hero and one he got scolded for saying by a red haired, bird-loving girl.

"What was that?!" Wild demanded, his voice higher than usual.

"Sailor?" Twilight called. As if that wasn't a portal filled to the brim with pure temporal magic, purer than Nayru's Harp.

Legend, still on the ground from getting shoved, stared at the place Wind had been not seconds ago.

He never thought he'd get angry at the protectiveness Wind displayed over him--it was understandable, he had been younger than him when they first met and even if he was older now by about three years, Wind was still his big brother in a way--but in that moment he felt it. Because of that, Wind had been taken alone. At the very least they'd both would've been taken or just Legend.

"You alright, Kit?" Time asked while Warriors tried to calm Twilight, who grew hysterical.

"Y-Yeah," he forced out, taking the offered hand to stand. "Just--" he cursed again, "I wasn't expecting that."

"To be pushed out of the way, or the... ambush?" Time asked, if Legend wasn't still staring at the spot Wind had been he would've noticed the worried look he was given.

"Both, honestly... he doesn't usually do that."

"Sailor, can you hear me?" Wild shook his slate, holding it to the sky to try and get a signal. "Sailor? Link?"

"LINK!" Four was yelling, Twilight transforming and running into the woods, Four giving chase and calling out.

Sky and Hyrule disappeared another way, Wild following them after only a moment.

Wind hadn't been expecting to see a portal--one he had never seen before--appear behind him and Legend. But some part of him told him that it was after his little (older) brother.

He shoved Legend just before the portal tried to snatch him, taking him instead.

It was disorienting, dizzying, and far worse than any of the other portals he had gone through. He internally apologized for every time he complained about any method of transportation, this was worse than taking tornadoes across the Great Sea.

He slammed into the ground and couldn't help but groan into his teeth, keeping silent as he tried to reorient his mind and get aware of his surroundings.

The ground was cold and hard--stone--and he could hear the chittering of bokoblins. He dazedly looked up, staying low and realizing where he was roughly.

A storage room, the light coming from the door meant it was an outdoor storage room, or one connected to a courtyard. Beside him was an overturned, empty barrel.

He heard footsteps, heavy and imbalanced, monster, approach and he quickly scrambled and pulled the barrel over himself. He needed to get a complete grip of himself before he fought if he wanted a good outcome. He could fight dizzy, hell, he has fought concussed before, but it wasn't his favorite thing to do.

Soon enough, he heard the door shut again and the footsteps fade, still hearing the chittering and snarls of monsters.

"Okay," he breathed. He internally thanked the goddesses or whatever it was that Legend and Twilight usually revered for not letting whatever it was that took him get a second try and drop any of his brothers on him.

He had all his supplies, he had a fairy and a red potion healing wise, and a week's rations for two people in case he was separated from Wild and needed food. He had his weapons, he could handle it, he'd be fine.

He had forged his hero's spirit, he could handle anything the world threw at him and he knew it. Besides, sneaking around in a barrel was familiar enough.

He managed to sneak out of the storage room--the door turned out to be a push/pull door and not needing a knob, lucky him--and just froze whenever he heard a monster nearby.

Then he heard distant battle. He rolled his eyes and after getting his balance standing, he shoved the barrel off.

He heard rapid footsteps and turned quickly.

A woman--scary woman, tall, easily taller than Time--with a huge blade stood there. One look at her and he knew she was dangerous, her eyes promised that, and she readied her blade toward him. She had the same symbol that Wild had on his slate, on her face.

He quickly drew the Phantom Sword and Hero's Shield.

There were monsters all around, but they didn't immediately attack. Wind figured that meant this woman was in charge of them. Wild had mentioned that there were some people who used to be Sheikah who betrayed Hyrule and became servants of Ganondorf (or was it Ganon?), he would guess this woman was one of them.

She attacked him first, and she was fast but extremely powerful. Wind yelped, falling back on his feet and fending off powerful, violent, reverberating blows that made his spinning head infinitely worse.

She dented his shield.

Wind evaded her and fought back, focusing on his evasive attacks and slashing at her whenever he could.

He could see her flagging, but he had a feeling he couldn't win this one.

No. He couldn't risk that. He had to get back to his brothers, he had to make sure--

He slammed into the wall as her blade hit his shield and threw him back. She came at him just as quickly as Warriors could lunge right after an attack. He barely blocked his skull in time, only to get hit in the head with his own shield.

His shield cracked. He rolled on the ground, pain flaring through his bruised body.

He couldn't move, he tried but that hit to his head was awful. He couldn't get to his feet.

Damnit, get up, Link! Get up!

He could hear the screeches of the monsters, bokos he's pretty sure, and the sounds of battle echoed. He got to a knee but swayed and almost collapsed again.

It's okay. Twilight's voice rang in his head. Jus' breathe, Ocean. Head injuries are bad, ya can't always push pass them.

He needed to this time. He was dead if he didn't. Better or worse, he could be captured. He had to push past it!

Black pressed at the edges of his vision.

A weight settled on his shoulder and he froze a whole moment late, seeing the weapon he had been fending off moments before.

"Stand down." The woman's voice sounded underwater.

He grabbed his sword, shaking and he tried to channel his Triforce. Legend said it would help them if they used it.

He could feel its strength flare through him, giving him the briefest moment of clarity and stability.

He slashed at her, throwing himself forward at the same time as she jumped back. She dodged his first slash, but had to block his second.

Be fast, begin your next move while you are doing your current one. Warriors' advice rang through his head, his Triforce flared once more as he cut the woman's side.

She landed one more hit and sent him flying across the stone courtyard.

He was out before he hit the ground.

Quiet chatter, wary sounds, distant grinding and warm laughter.

His body felt heavy, but not hurt. Something scratchy was over him, he felt it on his arms and his hands.

When he pried his eyes open, the soft light of a candlelit lantern greeted him. It took him a moment to adjust and focus, seeing multiple other beds, most of them occupied, and the woman who he fought talking with someone in a white tunic and chain mail armor beneath it. Beside her was...

"Cap'n," he murmured, not even loud enough to travel to them. None of them heard him, clearly, but he did get a better look.

That wasn't Warriors. That was a seventeen year old soldier, it looked like Warriors sure, but distinctly younger, face completely impassive and blank, lacking the scar along his jaw that Wind was familiar with.

Time travel. Wars' quest involved a lot of time travel and people displaced from their times.

He let out a soft breath. If that was where and when he was, he would be fine. He just had to convince them he wasn't against them, and considering the cuff around his left wrist, they didn't know that.

He sat up, noting his head didn't hurt anymore. They healed him, nice.

"You know," he spoke up, keeping his voice light enough that it wouldn't bother the injured soldiers sleeping around the tent, "it's rude to ignore your guests."

The woman who had beat him up turned and glared at him, mini Warriors gave a confused look, and the medic made a surprised noise. 

"Who said you were a guest?" The woman asked.

"I did," he replied, grinning at them as he propped his chin on his fist. "Considering someone here snatched me from my time, and considering you attacked me without reason, I'd say that gives me at minimum guest status. How's the war going?"

They stared at him.

"If you truly are displaced in time," the woman said lowly, eyes narrowing. "You would not know of the war."

Wind gave her a wry smirk. "But I do. How about this? My name's Link and I'm the Hero of Winds." He looked at Mini Wars. "I know that my story is still told in this era."

They stared at him.

"Captain," the woman looked at Mini Wars, "bring Lana here, and the kid, he said he could sense your shared spirits?"

Mini Wars nodded and Wind only just noticed the fairy beside him.

"Yes, General," the fairy said and Mini Wars left the tent. The woman approached Wind and he met her eyes unflinchingly.

"You are a skilled fighter," she said. "You fight like a Sheikah."

"I fight like my older brother, who was trained by a Sheikah, the royal army, and someone else he met when he was younger."

He studied her, she was strong, he experienced that firsthand. If she was acknowledging his skill after fighting him concussed, he wondered if he could win in a fair fight. Unlikely, but he'd do better.

"You've experienced time travel before," she stated.

He nodded. "Yeah, and I'll tell you that your portals fucking suck. Even a lizard could do better."

"Excuse me?!" A woman with bright blue hair had just entered the tent. "My portals do not suck!"

"Lady Lana--"

"Yea, they do." Wind argued, noticing a syringe on the table beside him. "Your portals are worse than flying across the ocean on a fucking tornado."

She made an affronted noise, the tent door swished aside as Mini Wars reentered with... a kid.

At first glance, he was reminded of Apple. Second glance, the kid couldn't have looked less like his little brother. Brighter hair, same shade and style's as Time's, a familiar green cap but also a yellow mask on the side of his head... a mask that Time had shown them before. He looked young, younger than Wind even, but his eyes...

He was tired, he had experienced a lot and his confident stance, his dangerous, angry eyes, the way he met Wind's eyes...

"He doesn't have it," the kid declared. "He doesn't have our spirit."

"Of course I don't," he spoke up, gaining their attention again. He didn't look away from the kid's eyes. "You have it. I don't need your special little spirit to be a hero, I forged my own. I made myself the hero when nobody else could."

He was honestly surprised nobody noticed, but he held up his unlocked, picked cuff that no longer clasped around his wrist.

"So, why don’t we talk about how I can help you guys in this war of yours, and you can make sure I get back right to the place and time I left when it's over. I was a bit busy."

"So you are not the famed Hero of Legend?" Lana asked him when they finally sat down to have an actually civil conversation. "The hero who slayed Ganon multiple times?"

"No, but we've met and if you try to drag him into this then we will have a problem," Wind warned her, glaring.

"We are seeking additional support and power," Lana argued.

"And you got me, try and touch my brothers and we'll actually start having problems," Wind retorted, standing from his chair.

Lana glared at him. "Fine." She held her hands up. "You are a renowned hero, I suppose you will suffice... even if you are young."

"I killed Ganondorf by driving my sword through his skull," Wind spat. "I can handle a war."

"If you say so," she sighed. "It has already been ongoing for a year."

Wind hummed. "Good thing I'm a fast learner."

The war apparently picked up soon after Wind arrived. Battles taking place near daily, monsters sieging military camps and towns. Wind found himself fighting beside Link and Mask, who he internally dubbed Mini Wars and Mini Time.

Both were skilled, Mask more than Link, but Link was... He needed help. After a particularly brutal battle not a week after Wind arrived--he hadn't had any time to talk to anyone, he had seen Legend's merchant friend, a familiar wolf who gave him a knowing look--he decided to make Link learn how to fight faster.

He was surprised Impa hadn't taught him it by now, but she seemed busy and everything Link did screamed 'soldier' in a way Wild did on bad days.

"You move too slow," he told Link after they left Mask in the medical wing.

Link flinched, it was hard to notice but Wind could read Legend and Time and compared to them, this kid was as obvious as Aryll.

"You fight like a soldier," Wind corrected before Proxi could yell at him for Link. "You fight like you have people at your side, giving blows when you’re planning your next move."

He frowned.

"Link is a soldier," Proxi said, fluttering in front of Wind scoldingly.

Wind rolled his eyes. "Yes, he is. But the thing is, he's expected to be a hero." He met Link's eyes. "People won't think to fight beside you and cover your mistakes." Sky had said that it was hard to adjust when he began to fight with the other knights. "You have to cover yourself, you have to follow up yourself."

There was a deep rooted sadness, a plea that Wind couldn't decipher in his eyes, and Link nodded.

"How?" Proxi asked.

Wind thought about it and recalled the clearing outside the camp.

"We'll train," he said. He recalled what Warriors had told him once. "You can't fight and expect to think at the same time, especially when you fight alone. You have to always be moving." He headed for the clearing, close enough to camp they weren't missing, but far enough nobody should see them. "My older brother taught me how to fight like a Sheikah," he informed them, "so I'll show you how to do the same, and then we'll see if Impa can help us get better."

"Us?" Proxi asked.

"Eh, I don’t mind learning more."

Between battles, Link--through Proxi--asked Wind to train more, especially after bad battles. Mask started following and throw in in advice, but neither Wind nor Link fought with heavy, two handed weapons like Mask did. So his advice wasn't bad, just didn't go very far.

Wind found himself missing his brothers fast. It was like Hytopia all over again, but this time he had them right there... they just didn't know him yet.

He slipped away from the camp at the end of the second week in this war and ten consecutive battles, and he found a spot to just sit.

He found himself humming, not quite singing but the wind sang with him. Trees rustling to the tune.

He felt someone disturb the breeze and looked over to see Wolfie padding over.

"Hey, Forest," he murmured. Wolfie lowered himself beside him. "Can't change back?"

He boofed.

"Good," he sighed. "I know you hate that... goddesses, when are you? Have you met the captain before?"

Wolfie bobbed his head in a nod.

"Okay, have you finished that quest?"

Wolfie boofed softly.

Wind hummed. "You’re older then... are you even displaced? You live until the Champion's era, right?"

Wolfie gave him a look and Wind wasn't sure how off he was.

"So Midna's displaced. Does she think you’re displaced?"

Wolfie nodded again.

"That must suck ass," Wind laughed, he knew it came out bitter but oh well, he couldn't keep face at the moment. His brother was doomed to live millennia beyond his time, they didn't even know if he'd finally rest after Wild, just that he would be there until him.

They fell silent and he messed with the winds, letting a soft song that he used to hear Wild hum all the time ring through the trees and between the branches and grass.

He buried his face against his knees, just trying to stop thinking. The worst part was that he was hardly anytime into this thing. Warriors said once the war had gone on three years. Time said it was the shortest three years of his life, which both Four and Legend had gotten upset over because how could a stretch of time take longer or shorter than another?

He was two weeks into this, and he was tired. He wanted his brothers back but they were right there.

The wind that brushed over Wolfie suddenly ran into something else. Wind didn't get the chance to look up before he was pulled into strong arms.

"I can't stay like this long, Sailor," Twilight murmured quietly. "They can't know 'bout me."

He wanted to cry. "I want to go back."

"I know, it'll be okay though," Twilight promised. "I'm right here, an' so's the Captain and the Old Man."

Wind laughed. "Ain't much of an old man, isn't he?"

"No, never really has been," Twilight said and Wind was certain there was something deeper to his words. "Alright. Listen to me, Ocean." Wind met his eyes and noticed the blue was much, much sharper than before. "Yer a hero, if you could remake the Triforce you can win a war." He laughed a bit. "You can train our Cap'n into the warrior we meet."

Wind swallowed and nodded.

"I'm gonna to change back now, an' I'm gonna go back to Midna, she ain't gonna be happy I left in the first place, but you come find me if you need me... I think ya'll be fine though."

Wind hugged him one more time before he transformed back into Wolfie.

"Link!" He jumped and saw Mask climbing over a log from the camp. He was glaring at him. "What are you doing out here?"

Wind looked to Twilight, but he was gone, he had disappeared.

"Just..." Wind trailed off. "Thinking."

Mask scoffed. "Right. Well the big Link wants to talk to you about you being here."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"You’re what, fourteen?"

Wind nodded.

"It's not legal to do anything as a kid here," Mask spat, "anything important at least. He's eighteen, almost nineteen. He had to fucking adopt me when I showed up so I could legally help in this stupid, fucking war that dragged me from my time. I'm guessing that's what he's going to do with you, or if you don’t like him, someone else from here and an adult will need to or you have to go to some orphanage 'til the war's over."

Wind stared, in part of what he said and in part of what he said. "That's--sorry, aren't you too young to be cursing?" That's what Time always told him.

"Fuck off. I'm older than I look," Mask snapped. "Look, three days can very easily become three years, that's all I got to say on that."

Wind blinked, then he shrugged. "Fair enough. But either way, their laws on kids is utter bullshit. I've fought Ganondorf, I killed Ganondorf, I sailed across the entire ocean when I was twelve!"

"And I've killed Ganondorf twice, and I fought the moon," Mask said bluntly, "they don’t care."

He groaned. "Fine. Fine! If it makes things easier, I don't mind the Captain adopting me."

Mask made a face--he must get better at controlling his face in the future--and Wind could tell he didn't like that.

He frowned. "Unless you don’t like that."

"I didn't say I did, fucking--"

"You didn't need to." Wind realized even if he claimed to be older than he looked, he was definitely still a kid. "Do we need to go back now?"

"No..."

"Why don’t you join me then?" Wind gestured to the forest floor beside him. "I was listening to music."

"What music?"

Wind grinned. "Listen."

He twitched his fingers, he didn't need the Wind Waker anymore to control the winds, it was a part of him. Soon, the wind sang around them. A song that Time taught him when he pestered the old man into playing his ocarina--the wooden one, the non-magic one--reverberated around him.

Mask froze, eyes widening as he looked up and listened to the upbeat song. The forest itself seemed to like it. Wind had noticed this particular song did well in forests.

"How..." Mask croaked. "What..."

"My older brother taught me," Wind said and Mask snapped his head toward him. Wind gave him a smile. "He said it's a gate to the past... a past we can't return to, but that doesn't mean it has to be sad, there's a future we can go to instead."

Mask was trembling a bit, his hand rested on his pouch. "Can you make it keep playing?"

Wind smiled and nodded. Mask sat down beside him and just listened.

"Do you know any other songs?" Mask asked, quiet as if he feared disturbing the song that was literally in the airs

Wind orchestrated with his fingers, small, imperceptible movements.

The song changed to the one Tetra taught him, a song she only vaguely remembered as the one her mother sang to her. He learned the whole thing from Legend.

"How... How do you know this one?" Mask asked.

"My best friend taught it to me," he said. "She only knows part of it, her mom sang it to her as a lullaby but she died and now my friend can't remember the whole thing anymore. My little brother knows the whole thing though, he taught me the rest."

"Little brother?  How many do you have?"

"Ah, technically I only have a little sister. Blood-wise at least." He smiled up at the sky, thinking of Aryll and teaching her those constellations that shone overhead. "But I've got eight brothers, most older, one of them was younger than me but time travel made him older, he's still my little brother though. I'm not related to them though."

Mask nodded. "So the little brother is who taught you this song?"

"Yeah."

"Is he a prince? Because this song is for the royal family. Ima guess your best friend is your Zelda, we found out both Captain Link and I have a Zelda."

 Wind smiled. "Her name is Tetra, actually, but yeah she's my Zelda. As for him... I don't know, if he is, he never told me. He did mention having a sister though."

"Maybe you should've asked," Mask said. "If he is... well, at least I know it's not completely impossible for the goddess to have sons."

Wind had no clue what he meant by that but he left it alone.

The song kept playing through the air, and a moment later, Wind felt Mask fall asleep against his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile softly, brushing curtain bangs aside.

He knew Mask would look like the little kid he clearly was if he just stopped scowling.

He felt someone draw near and he lightened their footsteps to force them to be quieter, and reached for his sword in case it wasn't someone he could trust.

Wolfie entered, ridden by Midna, followed by Link.

"There--"

"Shh," Wind hissed. Midna almost argued but fell quiet when she saw Mask asleep.

Link, who Wind had only seen tense and firm since they... met, lost all tension in his shoulders as he approached.

"He's fine," Wind whisper before Proxi could say a word. "I was playing some tunes and I guess the lullabies were too good."

"Tunes?" Link repeated, smiling softly and Wind startled a bit at hearing his voice. "Odd word. Suits you."

He stared at him for only a moment before smiling. "Thanks... I guess." He glanced at Mask, then at Link. "I think you'll have better luck taking him to bed than I will."

Link hummed. "Thank you, Tune."

Tune. He liked that.

"It's nothing," he promised quietly. "Kid needs his sleep."

Link laughed quietly. He reached over and Tune clapped silently when he managed to pick up Mask without waking the kid. Link rolled his eyes and lightly kicked him.

"Come on," he whispered, "you need sleep too."

Tune grinned at him and bounced up to his feet. He was about to retort when Mask shifted in Link's arms. They froze.

Tune mimed zipping his lips shut and Link nodded. They left the clearing and Tune flicked his fingers to bring the lullaby back to the air, Midna and Wolfie followed them while Proxi settled on Link's head.

Midna floated around Link to coo mockingly at Mask, he gave her a pointed look. Tune smiled softly as Proxi hissed warnings at Midna.

He startled when Wolfie nosed his hand. Then he just smiled and pet his head for a second, not enough to be petting him, but as an acknowledgment.

He wasn't alone. He had his brothers here. Some a bit younger--some a lot younger, and some much, much older, but they were still his brothers.

He wondered how long he'd be gone from the quest... he wondered if he'd ever return.

Warriors glared at the fire after everyone gathered again. They spent the whole day searching on the off chance that Wind had only been displaced in space and not time.

"Maybe we're not going far enough?" Sky tried.

"He should be getting a signal from my slate," Wild sighed. "He could call me all the way from Lurelin when I was in the Akkala Research Lab. Opposite sides of the country."

"I..." Sky sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

"Can I cook?" Legend asked suddenly. Warriors looked over at their veteran, who had hardly said a word since Wind was taken. He was flexing his hands and fidgeting.

Wild handed over his slate and Warriors shifted away from the fire as Legend knelt by it.

"What even happened?" Four wondered aloud. "That portal had a purpose. It wanted one of us, obviously, and Wind was just the one who it got. But why?"

Warriors wondered that too. It had looked a lot like Lana's and Cia's portals, but the war was over, Lana didn't do portals and Cia was gone. Nobody could form those portals anymore, so obviously that wasn't it.

An hour later, they were eating cookies.

Nobody knew how Legend made cookies in a cooking pot, but none of them decided to question it. Though Warriors was a bit concerned when he saw the veteran handing Wild a... a whole pie?

Tune was fifteen and staring at the carnage of their camp.

No, they weren't post battle, but he almost wished they were.

"Why?" He asked, voice strained.

Mask grinned at him. "Because."

"You dyed Impa's hair bright green."

"Yep."

"She's going to kill you."

"She doesn't know it was me."

Tune inhaled carefully. "Look, kid, I--Never mind. Just, next time get that guy who told Link--"

"That all he is is a pretty face?" A hysterical scream echoed through the camp as Mask's grin grew. "I already did."

 Tune looked over and lo and behold, a soldier was on fire.

"Good job," he said. Mask grinned brighter and he disappeared to oceans knew where.

Tune didn't know how Link couldn't tell it was Mask responsible for those incidents--Tune called them Mask Incidents--but he didn't and it was the funniest thing ever.

Mask hoped the war wouldn't end some days, the nice days, the ones he could pull tricks on Link and run off with Tune only for Midna and Wolfie to drag them back.

Other days, he almost wished he was back in Termina, at least it never got that bad there.

He never knew where Tune stood on that scale, he knew his big brother fellow hero missed his brothers and his family back home, but Tune never seemed to show that.

He noticed him start drawing, and for the first few months, Tune's scrapped sketches that Mask never got full view of were thrown into a fire. Almost an entire year went by like that until Tune stopped and then would hug his sketchbook to his chest.

Mask never thought Tune could be sad, not truly sad. He'd seen the older kid get mad, usually when someone was hurt, he'd seen him happy and everything else. Never upset or sad.

Not until one late night he woke up to screaming and crying.

Mask shot up. He saw the swish of Link's scarf and then saw the source of the screaming in Tune, who was now just sobbing in his bed.

Mask had felt fear before, but not often for another person. Usually he was the one in danger, this war had changed that to an extent but still.

In that moment, he feared to his core that Tune had been poisoned in the night or something. He scrambled up as Link wrapped Tune up in his scarf.

"Shh--it's okay, you’re okay, it's alright, Link," Link murmured softly into Tune's temple. Tune sobbed and cling to him.

It clicked. A nightmare.

"Please," Tune begged.

"Its okay. We're right here. Mask is with us, I got you, you’re right here. It's okay," Link promised. "You’re okay. It's okay."

"It's not," Tune sobbed. "I want to go back."

Mask frowned. What?

"I know," Link promised, and that just cut Mask deeper. "It'll happen eventually, don't worry, it'll be alright."

Several more minutes of crying and quiet platitudes, Link didn't talk to anyone except for Tune and Mask much and Mask almost worried all the talking would hurt his throat as bad as Tune's sounded.

Then Tune went quiet, his shaking slowly ceased. Link wrapped him tighter in his big scarf and looked over at Mask.

Link frowned. "Sprite? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Mask blinked, startling as he felt a tear fall. "I-I'm fine!"

"C'mere," he said softly. "We'll have a cuddle pile."

Mask huffed but he climbed onto Tune's bed with them.

"What's on your mind, Sprite?" Link asked quietly.

Mask sighed. "He wants to leave us."

Link squeezed his arm. "It's not that, it's... it's not us, it's them. You know he loves us, he's adopted you just as much as I have at this point." Mask snorted. "It's just... he misses those siblings he talks about all the time."

"But we're right here," Mask insisted, letting Link pull him close and feeling his interrupted sleep tug on him.

"I know, Sprite," Link whispered against his head. "I know, but we only miss what we don't have."

Tune was sixteen and staring at his Sheikah stone. He had tried to call Wild maybe a thousand times since he ended up here.

He was exactly sixteen, actually... it was his birthday. He was officially the same age as Four.

He had spent hours and hours learning how to draw well, and it got him a sketchbook full of pictures of the others. He stared at the group picture he'd drawn, then flicked a few pages, tracing the dark lines of Wild's scars, Four's eyes, Hyrule's ears, Legend's smirk, Twilight's tattoo, Time's nose, Warriors' smile.

He was so engrossed in memories he didn't even notice someone sit beside him until they spoke.

"Is that Captain Link? You messed up, he doesn't have a scar there." Mask pointed at the scar against Warriors' neck.

Tune jerked his sketchbook back against his chest, hiding the drawings from the kid.

Mask gave him a narrowed eyed look. "What? You've shown me your stuff before."

"Not them," he said, clutching his sketchbook tight. "Look, I... It's not our Link, that's my older brother."

Mask stared at him. "He looks a lot like Link."

"I know," Tune let out a strained, bitter laugh. "Oh trust me, I know."

He frowned. "Does... Does that bother you?" His words were careful and very strained. It didn't take a Mask expert to know he was uncomfortable with saying them.

Tune snorted. "Don’t hurt yourself. We both know that comfort ain't your thing."

Mask huffed. "Oh fuck off. I'm trying."

Tune laughed a bit. He trailed off, the dancing and crackling fire almost letting him pretend he was in a very different camp.

"A little bit," he admitted. "Sometimes I'll... Sometimes I look over and I think it's him, I think it's my brother--and yeah, Link is my brother, adoption or not. I wouldn't trade either of you for anything, I just.." he sighed. "I miss them. I miss Aryll and Tetra and my Grandma. Aryll's almost fourteen now."

"How... How old are you?"

Tune looked at the sky. "Sixteen."

"Wait really? As of when?"

He smiled sadly. "Today."

Mask made an affronted noise. "And you didn't say anything?! Okay, no more moping!" He grabbed Tune's arm and dragged him up. "Link!"

They had a whole, thrown together party after the others found out it was Tune's birthday. Between Marin's familiar islander singing and dancing, Ravio's ability to just have everything you need when you need it, and everyone else's just...

It was a good night; a good birthday.

Tune searched the battlefield, the blood and carnage around them, and more particularly, Link's absence.

"Mask!" He barked, turning the corner of the dark palace and spotting the young hero stumbling back after prying his sword free of a ribcage. "Where's the Captain?"

"He chased Cia somewhere," Mask spat, glaring at the bodies. He fixed his Keaton mask on the side of his head. "I couldn't keep up with all the monsters."

With Cia? Tune cursed Link's insistence on keeping Mask out of the loop on what Cia really wanted, even if he wholeheartedly understood and agreed.

"Which way?" He demanded.

Mask gestured down the hall. "That way, don't know from there."

"Keep up," Tune snapped. He pulled the Wind Waker from his pouch, he'd need the--what did Legend call it, a focus?--extra help from the baton. He extended his senses into the wind and blew it outward, running down the hall.

A moblin was blasted out a window and he finally sensed where Link--and Cia--was.

He stopped by a broken window, eyes narrowing. "They're on the top floor. Get there fast, I'm taking a shortcut."

"A shortcut? How--TUNE!"

A tornado flung him out the window and up into the sky.

He spotted the large windows to the top floor, and as they drew closer he could see the glint of Link's sword, the Master Sword, on the ground. He twisted in air and shattered the window as he dove right through it.

Cia snarled as she stepped away from Link, who was on the ground with his back against the wall.

"You little brats--"

"Get the fuck away from him!" Tune lunged at her. She cursed violently, stumbling back and swinging her wand at him. He batted it aside with his shield and tried to slash at her.

Between their anger, neither was quite losing to the other until Tune finally took a hit and wasn't able to get away before Cia grabbed him by the chin.

Link screamed. "No!"

Tune had never heard Link speak outside of safe moments between mostly just the three of them.

Tune froze with the wand pointed at his chest. "You’re... You’re not a hero," she said. "You lack that gorgeous immortal spirit."

"No. No--Stop it Cia!" Link begged, getting to his feet. "Let him go, please!"

Tune snarled. "My spirit is my own. I made it. You can go fuck yourself."

"Please," Link all but whimpered, "please, let him go."

Cia grinned slowly, her eyes slipping to Link.

Tune didn't let her keep her eyes on him long. He kicked her exposed stomach, kneeing the wand in the process. She gasped, falling back and he lunged right at her.

She fell back, but he had the advantage suddenly and she couldn't handle it.

Tune snarled when she used her magic and vanished. But that wasn't what was important.

He turned quickly and ran over to Link, sheathing his sword on his back.

"Link! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did she touch you?" Tune demanded, Link collapsed back to the ground, shaking.

Link made a strangled noise. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault--"

"No." Tune knelt down in front of him, ignoring the pain flaring through his knee. "No, don't you say that. You didn't ask for this--Link, look at me," he lowered himself to force Link to meet his eyes, "look at me. You didn't ask for this, you didn't ask for any of this. Now talk to me, are you hurt? Did she touch you?"

Link slowly lifted his chin and moved his hand away from his neck. Tune saw the line of blood from the edge of his jaw down to his collarbone.

He pulled out a cloth and a red potion from his pouch, uncorking the potion and letting Link handle drinking it and holding the cloth to the cut.

"Alright, let's go," Tune said softly. "We're going to find Mask and go back to camp, you’re going to clean up and rest, we'll keep watch."

"You need rest too," Link protested weakly.

"I've stayed up longer," Tune promised. "Trust me, I'll rest later. Do you want a hand?"

Link shook his head. Tune nodded and got up, he went and gathered Link's sword and shield as the captain stood unsteadily. He handed the weapons over and led the way out.

Mask was running around the corner just in time.

"You missed it!" Tune teased him. "Too slow I guess."

"You left me!" Mask shoved him. "Brat."

"Older than you."

"I'll kill you."

"And get left behind again?"

Tune kept Mask effectively distracted as they got back to the ended battle and then to camp.

Getting Midna and Wolfie to continue distracting Mask was easy, Tune left with Link and began his vigil for the shaking teenager.

"TUNE!" Mask screamed.

Tune rolled across the rocky battlefield, pain shooting through his head and body.

The battle had been going on for what felt like weeks but was probably only a day or two. It didn't matter either way, Tune had made a mistake that may be costing him his life.

He couldn't get up. He couldn't see. His left arm was broken for sure, he had no chance--

He felt the ground shake as the heavy monster he had been fighting lumbered toward him.

He shouldn't have messed that one up. He could handle big monsters, that was how he handled things. He used his size to his advantage. It shouldn't have caught him but a blade had caught his face right before the thing's mace caught his side.

Now he was laying injured on a battlefield without any support nearby. He was so dead.

An apology went out to the stars, a plea for his families to know he wouldn't come back.

His vision was already dark, but even then it slipped away as unconsciousness took hold.

Link hadn't expected Tune to be the first one down that day, but he heard Mask scream at the same moment he heard the cracking of bones. He saw Tune tumble across the battlefield.

He rushed to get close, but he couldn't manage it.

A burst of power fell over the field, a flicker of Lana's magic too, and Link saw the Fierce Deity unleash its and Mask's fury onto the battlefield.

He ran to get to Tune, slashing through the hordes, but when he reached the area, someone was already there and fending off the horde.

A teenaged girl wielding a cutlass was standing over Tune, Lana's magic around her and her unsteady movements showed she had only just been brought here, Link had thought Lana agreed not to displace more people, but he wouldn't complain when this girl was the only reason he could hope that Tune wasn't dead.

He fought his way to them as Fierce Deity cleared the rest of the field in minutes. The girl turned on him, raising her cutlass.

He halted and held his hands up.

"Who the hell are you and why the fuck is Link hurt?" She demanded.

Proxi flew forward. "We're trying to help him, he's our friend and a dark stalmaster got the drop on him!"

The girl hesitated. "Do you have healing supplies?"

Link nodded.

She moved aside and Link rushed to Tune's side. He called a healing fairy while pouring his water onto a clean cloth and wiping at Tune's blood-covered face.

The girl inhaled sharply. "Great Oceans," she breathed, "Link..."

Link couldn't blame her. Tune's eye was gone. The healing fairy murmured her apologies but she couldn't restore his eye. Otherwise, she healed him, even the broken arm, and he'd wake soon.

Link cleaned the blood from Tune's face. Closing the eye again.

"I... He'll need an eyepatch," the girl said. "To keep things from getting into it."

Link felt the power oppressing the field fade, he looked over and saw the Fierce Deity vanish...

Mask collapsed.

"Mask!" Proxi cried. "Watch him!" She ordered the girl.

Knowing a friend of Tune's was watching him, Link ran to Mask's side.

How had this battle gone so wrong that both his little brothers were hurt? Why was Mask's face covered in blood too?

He skidded across the dirt and pulled Mask into his arms. He shouldn't be injured, Fierce Deity swore to Link once that any harm that comes to Mask is only from the transformation itself, never anything else.

So why was blood gushing from Mask's eye when he hadn't been injured like that before he put on the mask? Why was he passed out?

Link looked over and saw the girl helping Tune to his feet. Tune wobbled a bit, but he was clearly distracted as he just stared at her.

Link shifted his hand to his sword, ready to run to Tune's aid in case this girl wasn't the ally he assumed she was--

Tune tackled her with a cry. "Tetra!"

Tune was a completely different person with Tetra around, Link noticed. Not in a bad or weird way, he just... seemed happier.

Mask was quiet for several days after that battle. His eye was white now, and he had colorful markings on his face. But when Tune was finally allowed to introduce Tetra to the kid, the two teenagers got Mask right back to high spirits.

It felt like ages since the day they both lost an eye, but Tune was glad they were able to make up for each other's blind spots. He was panting, breathing heavily as he and Mask searched for their next opponent yet.

A flash of white came and Mask was lowering his Fierce Deity mask, Tune tensed at seeing the familiar markings on his face and scar over his eye.

"Link!" Tetra jogged over with Midna and Wolfie in tow. "Is it over?"

"Not sure," Tune said. "We should go find the Captain. He'd be at the center of anything if it's not."

They nodded.

Soon enough, they did find Link, and they found Lana holding Cia's unmoving form.

The moment Tune met Lana's eyes, he knew. He grabbed Tetra's hand. She startled and shot him a glare but didn't pull away.

Tune looked over at Mask beside him, at how different he was since they first met. He was a decent bit taller now but not yet even taller than Tune. He was fifteen, Tune knew, the three years of war and three years in Termina put his mental age a year younger than Tune. Physically though, he was only twelve.

He tried to commit the kid he knows to memory. His face, the still red scar over his eye, the lack of sight in that same eye, the markings... the softer look he didn't have when they first met. He wasn't as jaded and exhausted anymore.

"Mask! Tune!" Link ran over to them. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Mask said dismissively. "What about you?"

"I'm okay," Link promised. Tune was proud of how much he grew since they met, how much more he spoke. "It's--"

"Link," Tune spoke, letting go of Tetra to move forward. "We're leaving."

Mask spun to look at him. "What?!"

Link stared.

Tune nodded to Lana, who was pressing her forehead to Cia's and not looking at them yet, whispering something.

"It's time for us to return," Tune said quietly. "Their magic is growing right now, I can feel it, can't you?"

Mask stared, then tears bubbled in his eyes. "I..."

"Yeah," Tune said. "We're leaving soon." He stepped closer. "I'll see you soon."

"Don’t say that," Link whispered and he pulled Tune into a hug, Mask too.

"Time's a weird thing, Captain," Tune laughed. "Who knows, maybe Mask here will be the oldest of us next time."

"I hope not," Mask grumbled. "I like being the youngest, even if being a kid sucks ass. Being the oldest means responsibility."

Link laughed. "And we all know you hate being responsible," Link teased.

"I... I don’t want to go," Mask admitted.

"I know," Tune sighed. "But hey, isn't there anyone back home you'd like to see again? An old friend, someone who helped you out? What about that horse of yours?"

Mask gave him a more vulnerable, sad look than he'd ever seen on the young hero's face. "But you..."

"Here." Tune suddenly pressed his Wind Waker into Mask's hands. "Keep this safe for me. Give it back next time I see you."

"Wha--but--"

"Nope. No arguments. Maybe you'll have some fun with it and the Song of Storms."

Mask clutched the baton to his chest. Link ruffled Tune's hair.

"You’re a good brother," Link told him. "Be safe, okay, sailor?"

Tune grinned. "Of course."

They could all feel the moment Lana and Cia were righting and returning everyone to their times. Tune quickly hugged Wolfie before he grabbed Tetra's hand.

"Wait!" Mask suddenly ran and shoved something wooden into Tune's chest. Tune startled and he stared in shock at the item he was given. He saw Mask wipe a tear from his face. "So--So you know I won't use it anymore."

"Mask--"

"No. Keep it--we'll trade back next time."

Tune laughed softly. "Alright, fine."

Link pulled them both into another hug, he signed a goodbye to the others as well, and Tune clutched the Fierce Deity mask against his chest.

Everyone waved goodbye, and he waved back as the world vanished around him, Tetra included.

Tune knew he was different from how he was before the war. He was older, for one. Two years older.

He looked more like a pirate, eye patch for his right eye, a scar along his lower arm, he couldn't fit his lobster shirt anymore--it got torn up beyond their ability to repair it, but he kept it in case maybe Legend could--but he still kept blue, though it was a darker shade and more of a jacket than a shirt, he thought he looked more like a pirate... the jacket definitely didn't look like Linebeck's either.

As he found himself standing in a forest, alone, he looked down at the mask in his hands, brushing a finger over the markings it shared with his little brother.

He sighed softly, put it away, swiped the tears from his face, and started to look around for any path or sign of hylian or human life.

It was dark before he spotted anything, and that was a fire.

He wandered toward the fire, moving as lightly as possible and not making a sound as he did so.

He came up to a fire where a familiar--painfully so, his art never did them justice, suddenly his heart hurt at seeing them--group of hylians sat around a fire.

He took a breath, backed up, made certain the closest person was Warriors who would attack but would hesitate when he saw him--he trusted that--and he entered the light of the fire.

The camp was quieter than usual. Legend knew exactly why.  

Wind was still missing, a week and one new era later, their youngest was still gone.

Legend didn't ever know he could... bake with a cooking pot, but somehow he could and did. He also didn't know that he stress baked still, but apparently yep, that too.

He wasn't sure how to keep morale up either, not anymore. Wind always helped in that regard.

Suddenly he heard branches cracking and someone stumbled into their camp. He grabbed his sword and was ready to attack.

"I have been looking for years--" the newcomer with extremely familiar magic began, "and I still haven't figured out where you got the gall to pretend you're responsible!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Warriors burst into laughter and Time groaned.

Legend blinked. "SAILOR?!"

Warriors cackled louder, Time held his head in his hands, and the newcomer--messy blond hair, an eyepatch over one eye, a dark blue coat with a lobster sewn onto the chest pocket, a huge, familiar smirk--gave Legend a bright smile in replacement of that smirk.

"Knew you'd recognize me, Apple." Wind laughed. "Honestly, how did you convince everyone you’re actually responsible, Mask? Myself included. You're an absolute menace and I have the scars to prove it."

"I never scarred you."

"Mentally you did!"

"Please. You were just as involved."

"Boys."

Sky made a surprised noise as both Time and Wind shut up at Warriors' voice, but Warriors was grinning like an idiot and Legend was so confused.

"Honestly, not even ten seconds back together and you’re causing problems."

"He's the one who set Impa's tent on fire!"

"You--" Time clicked his jaw shut and glared at Wind. "You're lucky I'm an adult now."

"As if that stopped you before," he retorted. He crossed his arms and redirected his gaze to everyone else. "So, it's been two years for me, I can tell you that war sucks and I'm still younger than my little brothers. Someone wanna remind me what shit is going down again? I have no clue what I've forgotten."

"I give up," Four declared, falling back onto the ground. "I think that makes me the youngest now. Yayyyyy."

"I don't even..." Wild trailed off.

Legend couldn't help but agree with all of them.

Twilight looked genuinely exhausted, Sky confused, Time seemed like he very much wasn't the annoyingly vague and mysterious sage person and instead an annoyed kid who got called out, Warriors looked rather content, Four and Wild seemed done, and Hyrule had visibly checked out at some point. Legend felt like he was some mix of all of the above with the exception of Warriors and Time, since they apparently knew what was going on.

He sighed heavily and scooted a bit closer to Twilight. He pat the open ground beside him. "Sit down, update us and we'll update you."

He knew that was the right move as he felt Wind's magic swell and envelop his like a tornado. Wind did sit beside him and immediately launched into a story about how he ended up in some storage room and got beat up by some "badass Sheikah lady" who was apparently Warriors' Impa, and who helped Wind teach Warriors how to fight like he does... because Warriors was the one to teach Wind how to fight that way.

He also talked about how Time was not responsible and was literally faking it til he made it because they put him on a pedestal, and Wind was certain that every time they turned to him for advice, Time internally panicked and gave some vague response to escape it.

He supposed he'd have to get used to it, Wind was back, Ocean was back... and older now. He wasn't so much younger than Legend anymore...

He also had dirt on Time and Legend was looking forward to how things changed from here.

"Hey, Tune."

Everyone glanced at Time as Wind tilted his head.

"Yeah?"

Time threw something at him and Wind caught it. Legend's eyes widened as he saw Wind holding his Wind Waker and smile softly.

"You actually kept it," he said, holding the baton carefully. He grinned at Time. "Thanks. Want your mask back?"

"Keep it safe for me, just a little longer," Time told him.

Wind nodded firmly, a certain look in his eyes as he glanced at his side where his pouch was, as if warning it to stay put.

[halloweenbitch2764]

How You Meet

Slenderman

Growing up, you had always been told to avoid the woods at the local park. Your father told you stories of a monster that hunted children in them. A horrible creature lacking any facial features and being as tall as the trees himself. You always felt an almost pulling sensation when around the woods, trying to get you into them. Never did you set foot into them, though.

Being older, you realized it was just a scare tactic to keep you out of them. Your father had likely not wanted you to go and get hurt. It was easier to watch you on the playground. Still, your relationship with the forest was complicated. You weren't necessarily scared of them, but you were weary.

After a rough day of work, though, you decided to go for a walk. You had driven past the park but decided to double back. After parking, you sat and stared at the trees for a moment. You parked and got out, heading into the heart.

The walk started off well. The birds chirping and dirt beneath your feet helped you relax. You nearly forgot your fear of the forest. Nearly. Until you felt eyes on you. You looked around, and nobody was there. Of course not. You hadn't seen anybody.

Suddenly, a sharp stabbing started at your temples as a headache set in. Great. Just what you needed. Surely, it was a side effect of such an awful day. You failed to notice how silent the forest had fallen. You felt something wet on your lip and saw a couple of blood drops meet the dirt.

You reached up to attempt to stop it as your mind became more fuzzy and clouded. You looked around, wondering if there was a source when you saw it. The same tall, featureless creature that you thought your dad had made up.

It was at least 8 feet tall, thin, had a suit and red tie, and a snow white, featureless face. Your eyes widened with shock, and you stumbled back. You caught yourself and turned before booking it out of the forest. The blood gushed from your nose, and you focused on just getting out of there.

You got to your car and got into your car, high tailing it out of there. You were so focused that you didn't notice said figure watching you speed away.

BEN Drowned

A new video game, how exciting. Even if it was probably a bootleg copy. Better than nothing.

You were a college student, and in being one meant you couldn't really afford much of anything. You had brought your N64 and some games with you, but you wanted some new games. So you started finding garage and yard sales to try and find some new games.

The first couple you went to were busts. But then you found a copy of Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask. One of your favorite childhood games. The label had been taken off, and the name was written in Sharpie on the front. Still, something was better than nothing. The old man who sold it to you didn't seem like someone who would have such a game. Maybe it was his grandchilds? You didn't put too much thought into it and continued on your search for some other games.

When you got back to your dorm, you booted up your console and noticed the first save file was named BEN. 'Guess it was his grandsons.' You thought before picking the second save file.

You played the game and decided to do a cheat to avoid the moon crashing into Hyrule so quickly. Soon enough, things started to go awry. The Elegy of Emptiness was randomly summoning and following you around. You would glitch to the Skull Kid fight and get set on fire, and then die. Or it would just glitch to show Link dead on the ground by Skull Kid.

The Happy Mask Vendor was also just doing some weird stuff. Then, the game would refer to you as BEN. "What the fuck?" You mumbled. Sure, you figured the game was going to be a little fucked up. But this?

After another death, the screen went black, and "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT" flashed on the screen. You rubbed your temples as you tried to comprehend everything that was happening.

"BEN WANTS TO PLAY" flashed next and was the final straw. You turned the game off at the console and tried to turn on something to help creep you out less.

Eyeless Jack

Everything had started off relatively normally. Well, as normal as it could be considering a kidney eating maniac was ravaging the town you lived in.

It was on every news broadcast even when there were no new updates. You sighed and turned the television off as you got ready for bed. You checked your doors and windows to make sure they were locked, considering the situation at hand. Then you went to your room and got ready for sleep.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't scared about the killer. Your town had been relatively peaceful until he came. You closed your blinds and double-checked that you had your knife under your pillow. It was just a kitchen knife, but it helped ease your nerves. You dressed in your pajamas and crawled into bed.

You had had a pretty busy day, so you slipped away to sleep fairly fast.

You woke up to the pitch blackness of your room (save for a small nightlight by your bed and the door). Initially, you didn't understand why you woke up. Usually, you slept through the night without waking up.

Your body shifted, and you locked eyes with...a lack of eyes. The person above you had a mask with blacked out eye sockets and a tar like substance that cascaded down the mask. There wasn't a mouth on the mask, and the person was dressed in all black.

Before you could scream, a gloved hand pressed itself over your mouth to stop you. You slowly moved your hand to try and reach the knife under your pillow without alerting the person.

"Don't even think about it." A rough voice commanded and before you could say something he had jumped off of you and ran towards the window he came in from. You felt frozen, just staring at the doorway, before you got up and found which window he used to get in. You closed and locked it, adrenaline slowly subsiding.

Hoodie

You had just started at a new college, and the butterflies were in full effect. You had moved to a new area to go to the college because they had a great program for film. Which meant you didn't know anybody. You hoped you would make at least one.

You walked into the building and sat down in the class. You set your backpack beside the desk and pulled your notebook out. You started making small doodles in the margin of the very back page when you heard someone clear their voice beside you.

When you looked to the person, it was a man. He was fairly tall, had sandy dirty blonde hair, a mustache, and had a yellow hoodie on. "Hey, is this seat taken?" He asked and motioned to the seat next to you. "Oh! No, it's empty. You can take it." He smiled at you, and the butterflies worsened. He wasn't bad looking at all. "So, are you new here? I haven't seen you in these kinds of classes before." You nodded.

"Yeah, I just moved here for school. Don't really know anybody in the area yet." You confessed, and he gave a smile as he nodded. "Well, I can give you a tour of campus." He offered. You smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice." He nodded in response, "I'm Brian, by the way. And you are...?" "I'm Y/N." You introduced yourself. "Nice to meet cha." After some small chit chat, the teacher came in.

After the class was done, you both packed up and grabbed your bags before heading out. After a bit, he had shown you around the fairly small campus, and he smiled at you. "I gotta get to my next class, but we should hang out later. You can meet my friends if you want." You smiled brightly and nodded, and the two of you parted ways.

Masky

You had been struggling with your mental health as far back as you can remember. In and out of different therapists and then psychiatrists. Nobody seemed to know what was wrong with you, but they decided on schizophrenia. You wondered if you'd be able to get the prescriptions. Your pharmacy had been a bit weird with refills lately. You were walking in when you collided with someone. You fell back and landed on your butt.

You looked up and were met with a man who appeared to be late 20s or early 30s. He had dark brown hair, sideburns, and matching eyes. He smelled of cigarette smoke and was wearing an off-yellow jacket, black t-shirt, and jeans. He had initially seemed annoyed before he softened and offered you a hand.

You took it and stood up, brushing any debris off your rear end. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that. I wasn't even paying attention." He apologized, and you smiled. "It's alright. I should have been paying more attention anyway."

He chuckled and shrugged a bit. "Well, can I take you out to coffee sometime? As a way to apologize." Normally, you would deny such an offer, but he was pretty cute. "Oh sure." You felt the heat rush to your cheeks. You grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote your number down, handing it to him. "Oh, what's your name, by the way? I'm Y/N." You smiled. "I'm Tim."

"Well, nice to meet you, Tim. I gotta go to my appointment but I'll talk to you soon?" He nodded in agreement and the two of you parted ways.

Jeff The Killer

You had known Jeff before the incident, though you hadn't been close. You had gone to school with him. Rumors of what happened spread like wildfire across town. You felt bad for him, of course, but life moved on. From the rumors you heard, he wasn't even in town anymore.

Years passed, and you were in college, staying in your own apartment in a nearby town. You had forgotten about Jeff until a news segment came up while you were cooking dinner.

"Breaking news! An unidentified man has killed two people by stabbing so far in T/N. No witnesses were at the scenes, and his appearance is unknown. Lock your doors and windows and stay vigilant."

You watched the TV curiously as you stirred the pot on the stove. "That's not good." You mumbled. You left the pot to simmer while you went around and double-checked all your doors and windows were locked. You kept a knife under your pillow normally anyway (for safety reasons).

Your night continued normally, and the news segment drifted to the back of your mind. You cleaned up and got ready for bed as usual. You laid down, and soon enough, you drifted off.

You awoke suddenly, though, unsure why. It didn't take long to figure out you were being watched. A man stood beside your bed and watched you sleep. The dark made it hard to make out any specific features. You could only make out shaggy, dark hair, and his lips looked abnormally long.

Before anything could happen, he dashed out of the room and into your living room. You grabbed your knife and attempted to chase him, but he was gone when you got to your living room. The only evidence left was the open window and curtains blowing in the breeze.

Laughing Jack

Your sister/brother had a sudden emergency come up and needed you to watch your niece, Lily. You didn't mind watching her. In fact, she was a pretty sweet little girl, around 4 years old. She was shy around most people except for you and her immediate family.

Soon enough, your sister/brother dropped Lily off along with some clothes and stuffed animals. You started playing a board game with Lily after her mom/dad left. It started off normally. You let Lily keep winning, and suddenly, you noticed she was staring behind you.

You raised your eyebrow at her behavior and looked behind you. Of course, nothing was there. Not that you could see. Lily continued staring before she giggled. "Lily, what are you looking at?" You questioned.

She stopped staring to look at you and grinned. "My friend, Jack!" Ah, an imaginary friend. A soft smile came to your lips. "Yeah? What's Jack like?" You pressed curiously. "He's a super, really tall clown! He's black and white colored." She described him to you, and you nodded. "He gives me candy sometimes. Well, he tries to. But mommy/daddy takes it from me every time." She frowned slightly.

"Ah, is that right? Well, maybe I can spare some candy after dinner. How does that sound?" She grinned once again at the offer. Suddenly, she seemed to be paying attention to Jack.

She giggled and went back to playing the game with you. You brushed off the incident, figuring your sister/brother already knew about it, and continued with the game. Soon enough, she got bored and headed to the guest bedroom to play with her stuffed animals.

It didn't take long for her to start giggling, and you could tell she was talking to someone (though you couldn't tell what she was talking about). Soon, she walked out with her stuffed dog in her hand and her other hand in a loose fist. "Jack said I should give you this. He wants to thank you for giving me candy since he can't."

She opened her hand, and she had a small bar/bag of your favorite candy in it. You had no idea how she had gotten the candy. You had finished your candy off a couple of days earlier and were positive there wasn't any left. 'Maybe she had some already on her.' You rationalized and took it from her.

"Well, you tell Jack that I said thank you." She giggled and nodded before going back to the guest bedroom.

[shadowy-suitcase-herring-neck]

Gull chaos

(Featuring wind in an au where the chain obtained Wings at some point which only gives wind an excuse to indulge in some seagull (food theft) shenanigans. Not without consequence it seems though...)

Ok maybe Wind was in the wrong here... In his defense One does not give a young pirate the ability to fly and not expect him to indulge in some winged heists. Especially if it includes fresh baked pie in the second floor open bakery window of the Lady who had wrongly accused him of stealing some sweet rolls he was considering BUYING. If he was going to be accused of something, let him actually commit the crime first for Hylia's sake! Was wind just proving himself to be exactly what She had accused him of? Yes, But will he get Pie from it? also yes! Wind snuck away from his brothers into the side alley and removed the cloak that currently covered his new feathery appendages. Wild had given each of them one to keep from arousing suspicion or unwanted attention during their supply run in the nearby town. It was a little uncomfortable but really not that bad. It only took a small running start, some wobbly flaps, and a few near misses with the walls to get up to the window. His wings were definitely NOT built for confined spaces, too long and much more comfortable with the open skies above oceans. He was careful to keep a good grip on the window ledge and inspected his target. Ooooo it was cherry! The smell made Wind's mouth water. He carefully maneuvered the desert into one hand and was beginning to plan the best route to ground so he could enjoy his prize in peace when a startled cry sounded from inside the building. The Baker had returned with another pastry in her hands too cool on the window ledge she had assumed was well away from thieves. Her face was frozen in shock and Wind stared back with a similar startled expression. It was then that the baker had spotted the pie Wind had in his grip. That seemed to break her stunned silence as she grabbed a nearby broom and started to the window. "STOP THIEF!- MONSTER-" Wind took this as his queue to leave, nearly avoiding a hit with the broom and letting out a squawk he would deny making for the rest of his life. He spread his wings to catch his fall and he was soon landing in a crowd of rather alarmed people. Not even bothering to contain the chaos now Wind Darted away from the bakery and in the direction he had last seen his brothers. Stolen pie held above his head as he ran. More Shouts sounded behind him as he made his escape. Where were the others? they hadn't been far when he had snuck off in the first place and even then he was only gone for a few minutes. Wait there was Legend and Hyrule by a potions stand! Both of his brothers seemed rather astounded as the chains youngest nearly ran into them yelling something about needing to leave while holding what looked like a cherry pie above his head and seemed to have lost his cloak somewhere. The shouts from behind soon gave them a rather good idea of what might have transpired. " REALLY Wind?!" Legend shouted as the now group of three were making their escape through the marketplace. "She insulted me!" "You STOLE an entire pie and have just maybe run all of us out of town!" Hyrule just as indignant about the situation as the vet. "I can't restock potions now!" "Not My fault everyone overreacts!" Wind protested. "Your Impossible!" Legend shouted again. "Wait can't we just fly away?" Hyrule seemed to remember that all three of them had recently been given wings and could therefore all escape relatively easily. They all went silent. "Well I guess we're just throwing subtlety out the window." Legend muttered but stowed his cloak in his pouch. His own Tawny and pink wings stretching out. "Technically that happened a while ago."Wind stated as he launched himself in the air "when I In fact stole this pie out a window." "We're going to pay that baker back, still you know that." Hyrule leveled beside Wind. Iridescent wings seeming to move impossibly fast.

Wind groaned. 

The trio soon landed back at the chain's camp a few minutes later. Legend confiscated the Pie, stating If everyone was going to be affected by this mess then everyone was going to get a share of the spoils. Wind had dejectedly slouched by a nearby tree. He would have shared anyway, he thought with a huff. It was about an hour later that the rest of the chain made their way back to camp, All but wild seeming to have varying levels of irritation written on their faces. Wind was starting to wonder again if he had made the right call…It did not take long to explain what happened though they seemed to already know the gist of it.

It also turns out now the entire Town was on guard for “winged monsters” that could disguise themselves as regular hylians and the rest of them had barely slipped away without suspicion. Without several of the supplies they had originally planned on getting.

Warriors was about to launch into (what was sure to be a very lengthy) lecture about responsibility or something when something seemed to dawn on Wild.

“So you lost my cloak?”

Ah. Well now Wind was definitely sure he had in fact, goofed.

[tenderleavesbob]

Flowers and Deities continue!

"Yeah," Warriors admitted freely. He shifted on the ground and saw Twilight twitch toward him. Hyrule confirmed that the moblin's club had fractured bone, and even sitting on his blanket was painful. If Twilight wasn't so busy hovering over Time, Warriors knew without a doubt that he would be hovering over him. Instead, Wind frowned at him and started digging through Warriors's bag for who knew what. "The Fierce Deity made me nervous as hell. Mask hid the mask from me for weeks after the first time I saw him put him on. I was ready to break it in two."

"Because that sounds smart," Legend said, but he wasn't looking at Warriors. He was looking at Time's bag. Warriors had no doubt that the vet was itching to investigate such a magical item.

"I didn't care if it was smart," Warriors said with a shrug. "I was terrified that Mask was going to put on the mask one day and the Deity would refuse to let him go. Or it would grow bored of the enemies on the battlefield and turn on my soldiers instead."

The only thing scarier than the Fierce Deity turning its sword on Warriors's soldiers was the possibility of Warriors needing to raise his own blade in turn. He couldn't imagine it. He had tried, and he failed every time.

"Wind braiding some flowers into its hair helped. It made it harder to be afraid of it when it would show up with purple flowers in its hair."

Wind scoffed at him, but Warriors saw him preening. He offered Warriors another pillow and didn't stop shoving it at him until Sky helped Warriors better adjust his position.

Time was still sleeping off wearing the mask, not as young as he used to be. Warriors wouldn't mind staying at their new camp for another day. Trying to resume walking in the morning sounded like a nightmare.

"Is that why you called Time 'Mask'?" Sky asked. He took one of the blankets Wind had pulled out and tucked it around Warriors's shoulders. Warriors had lost more blood than he had thought, and it left him chilled. Since Twilight couldn't fuss over him, Warriors thought wryly, he supposed the duty fell to Sky.

"Part of it," Warriors agreed. He accepted the bowl of soup Wild offered him with a smile. He had watched the younger man make it, frowning heavily and making a thick broth from fresh bones. While Warriors hadn't had a chance to see his wounds and the resulting mess, the rest of the chain had. Based on the stains on his clothes, there had been a definite pool of blood.

Wild carried a bowl of soup in each hand and sat beside Twilight. Twilight paused from where he was checking on Time to gratefully accept a bowl. Wild grinned at him and then turned to the group. "I found a mask like that during my adventure. It had power to it, but nothing like..." He held his bowl with one hand and waved vaguely with the other. Twilight watched the soup splash in the bowl with clear trepidation.

"I'm used to powerful spirits," Twilight said, reaching up and steadying Wild's bowl, "but I never want to see that again."

Fear lingered in his eyes. Warriors smiled in sympathy at him. He understood.

It wasn't just the flowers and braid, but Warriors never felt comfortable talking about the war. No one would judge him. Everyone kept their own tales tucked behind their tongues. Remembering his own trauma was bad enough, but remembering Mask's and Tune's? How they had barely recovered from their latest adventures before they were dumped in a war?

Warriors remembered the battle, the moment, which had been the turning point with Fierce Deity. It was certainly not a story he ever planned to share, no matter how much he loved and trusted his brothers.

The battle had been awful. It had been late in the war, and whatever sanity remained in Cia's corrupted heart was falling apart. Ganondorf wasn't completely freed from his prisons, but he was free enough. Warriors remembered desperately loving his boys and just as desperately wishing the Goddesses would return them to their own times. They had seen enough, suffered enough.

Warriors didn't remember the blow which dropped him. He just remembered that it didn't hurt. He just remembered how Tune had seen him and screamed.

Things blurred after that. The shock of the wound and the blood loss, Impa told him later. Warriors never forgot the important things, though, like how gently the Fierce Deity had carried him off the battlefield, how Warriors's blood had stained them both, how the Fierce Deity had cradled him to its chest like Warriors was a child.

How the Fierce Deity had walked so carefully, letting Tune's short legs keep pace with them.

That was the moment when Warriors decided to trust him, and the Fierce Deity had never let him down.

That was certainly not a tale Warriors ever planned on sharing, though. "You should have seen the Deity sit while Wind braided his hair," he said. "It was weirdly adorable."

Wind preened while the rest of the chain stared at Warriors like he was insane. He only smiled back and started sipping his soup.

Warriors would also never share how he still had some of Tune's unused violets tucked in his journal. Some things were for him alone.

[mushroomwoods]

Love me, Love me not

For the hero that you once thought that you knew, was never who he portrayed himself as, but really, did you expect that if the chains that bound him to good were to break, he would stay as the same old him?

character — Sky (and a hint of Zelda), romantic.

cw — a tadbit of self-aware!sky+zelda, +yandereish behaviour, homicide attempt..?

what a little chat about the absolutely terrifying self aware sky with the dearest @wayfayrr did iaksjdksnd. sky being the good n little ol' him is good, but sky being an absolute menace just because he knows he can? oh dear... (also tagging @yourlocaltreesimp, since they're one of the biggest sky simps I've ever seen).

edit 1: i don't condone unhealthy behaviour or toxic relationships, but i thought it'd be interesting to note that the feelings i portray in my yandere content are usually more love related than in this one. for this short I'm not sure, but i wouldn't call sky feelings “love”, but something more akin to... the desire you feel for something rare. yeah, i guess it fits.

It hadn't been long since you arrived at the skyloftian Hyrule and of course Sky was excited, you thought it was strange that Sky would totally disregard his best friend, possibly a past lover, presence to run straight to his loft, but from what he had told you what a skyloftian had with their loft was something akin to a soul bond, and from the woman's nonchalant reaction, maybe it wasn't that strange.

“Link is really attached to Crimson, as Crimson is as attached to him.” Zelda said, distant, while you watched him making a few rounds above the city.

You nodded, eyes fixated on the performance, though you could feel the woman soft eyes turning to you, you said nothing on her behaviour even as she smiled, shaking her head slightly and then going away.

It was only a few minutes after Zelda left, that Sky came back to the ground, his smile saccharine sweet as he naturally let his arms fall around your shoulders.

“It's too bad you didn't want to come with me... I'm sure Crimson would like you too.” He sighed contently against your neck, before looking into your eyes.

“Still, I'd rather not go. But I'm not against meeting her.” He agreed at the idea, quickly talking about how the both of you could go tomorrow to preen her since it had been a long time since he did it.

You followed behind his steps as he lead you to the meeting spot at the central plaza, quiet as you tried to push away the thoughts intruding on your peaceful mind.

The way his smile seemed so strained when near his friends, the way the other knights avoided his gaze, the way even the shopkeepers would never against his offers.

It wasn't until way past midnight that your suspicions were confirmed.

Everyone was already sleeping, vacating a few empty lodgings they had for the knights in training.

The air up in the Skyloft was too thin and cool for your liking and you could barely close your eyes without getting uncomfortable, so you went for a breather down the halls.

You could hear voices by the end of the dark corridor, recognising Sky soft tone you were about to call him out, but a loud thud resounding at quiet ambience.

You stopped.

A hitched breath and a low growl. You could see the ashen blonde back turned to you, a familiar figure knelt on the floor in front of him, vivid red hair far more disheveled than when you had seen earlier that day. Groose.

“It was too bad what happened to Zelda...” Sky started, a certain lilt to his voice that made Groose tremble, eyes falling to the floor. “I really expected you'd know better than to talk like that after what happened.” His voice was eerily calm.

“I didn't—” The red-haired started, but his breath was caught in his throat as the sole of Sky's boot made contact with his chest, no real impact. A threat.

“Groose. I gave you a warning before going away. I know you're stupid, but you should at least try to remember what other people say, shouldn't you?” No answer, but it seemed exactly what Sky was expecting as he huffed, getting his foot out of the man's chest.

“This is my last warning, next time you look at something of mine I will really let you free fall out of the isle without your dear companion to save you. Don't you ever think of looking at my deity if you want to keep those foul eyes of yours.” The... hero, continued, voice sweet as always and that was your cue to leave.

You turned on your heels, not looking back. That wasn't real, this was just a joke, he would never be like that, a monster, but even then, you could swear you saw him looking back at you, the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

You ran to your room, locking the door behind you and hiding inside the mattresses.

It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real, it—

Knock knock.

He was at your door. You stayed quiet, not moving a muscle in fear the person outside would hear. Another knock. You didn't move. And then you heard steps fading away, only then sighing in relief.

Click.

The door unlocked and you frooze in place, shutting your eyes to feign sleep. You couldn't even notice how much you were trembling.

“[Name]..?” You heard his voice, steps approaching the bed until it stopped beside you. “Poor thing. Must've been so tired.” The mattress dipped and his hand brushed against your cheeks, leaving a trail of goosebumps on your skin. “My sweet little [name], so frail...” His voice grew closer and you could feel his breath fanning over your face “I know you're awake, my dear.”

Your eyes shot open, but before you could scramble away from him, his hands locked on your forearms, pressing you tightly against the bed, a twisted smile spreading across his face, manic gaze focused on you, you, you.

“Did you—” You gasped for air, not even noticing how you had stopped breathing. “Did you push Zelda..?” You voice died, and his looked melted into something comforting.

He didn't, did he? It was a misunderstanding. He was just mad earlier. You held your hopes while staring at him.

“It was needed, my dear.” He slowly sunk into your space, arms wrapping around you a little too tightly for comfort. “She understood me, she accepted it, she knows that fake is not our goddess. But you...” His darkened eyes looked up to you, from the shoulder he rested his head on. “Our deity, so supreme above us, foolishly egoistical being”

It was strange seeing Sky, the pure image of calmness so... frantic, as if his mind was elsewhere. It was an alien feeling, uncomfortable and making your throat clog with something heavy.

You slowly moved your hands to try and rub at his back in a form of comfort, he easily accepted the touch, closing his eyes, but before you could question him on his behaviour, he started talking again.

“My deity, please, please, don't ever say you'll leave me. Never again, please, allow me to be selfish this once.” His grip tightened. “I don't know what I will do if you say something like that again.”

It all clicked when he said that. The last time you picked it up, too tired to pass through even the turorial. You thought it was strange that things had proceded too quickly, but maybe your memory was faulty. You shuddered when he huffed a laugh, too dark in comparison to his usual, as his hands ran up your back.

“Wait, Sky— I mean, Link, I never meant it like that, I—” A sharp inhale of breath forced you to cut your own words. “W- What's this?”

You could feel warm blood oozing from your right ear, a new earring attached to it. He finally let you from his hold, and your hands instantly flew to the newest addition, feeling a soft brush against your hands. A bloody red feather.

You shot a sharp glare to him, to which he shrugged, letting another earring hang on his hands. This one a vibrant tone of blue, that equally hung from one of his pierced ears. He smiled in mock compassion.

“Come on, dear, I have to finish putting it on you.” Our claim on you.

[bokettochild]

hello! I have an ask for you! I’ve seen a post or two of yours mention that four ends up corrupted and was curious if this is a head cannon and what it’s based on! I don’t know much about four at all, so I’d love more background on his cannon and what your head cannons for him are!

Alright, so this is somewhat founded in canon, but the long of the short is this.

Nintendo released a GameBoy copy of A Link To The Past that was packaged with LoZ: Four Swords. In this special edition of the game there was a bonus addition to ALTTP. In the dark world, at Ganon's Pyramid, there was a small hole in the wall of the pyramid that hadn't been there in the initial release. If you'd already completed Four Swords, you could enter this hole in the wall which would take you to a bonus dungeon: The Palace of the Four Sword

In this dungeon, Link (Legend) must face off against four hero look-a-likes as the bosses in different rooms, before reaching the main chamber where he faces off against all four together.

Because it's called the Palace of The Four Sword, some fans believe that the four beings within are, in fact, the Four Sword heroes. How would that happen though? Why would the hero still be alive almost a thousand years after his time? Why would he attack the new baby hero who stumbled across him?

A couple of theories include:

The Hero of the Four Sword (from here on he will be called "Four") died some time after his adventures and was buried in a crypt beneath Hyrule Castle as an honor for his service to the kingdom. Ganon's power animated Four's corpse, and when a young hero stumbled into the crypt through the Dark World, the demon used Four as his puppet to try and get rid of the hero.

After his adventures, Four decided to try and find a way to revive Shadow. This led to meddling with dark magics and becoming corrupted, forcing princess Zelda to seal him away. Because he's her dear friend (or lover, depends on the writer) she can't make herself kill him, but rather locks him away until she can find out how to rescue him. Corruption of his soul prevents him aging, so that when, a thousand years later, Legend stumbles across him, he's the same as he was the day his experiment failed and he became corrupted.

The beings within the Palace of the Four Sword are not Four, but rather the spirit of the damaged sword lashing out to protect their blade. Because he forged it, and was their only user, they maintained a similar form to his own.

Hope this helps!

[c0smoshit]

Quiet hero ࣪.⋆ ♡

⋆ ࣪. ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 ≫ Link x Reader

⋆ ࣪. ℙ𝕝𝕠𝕥 ≫ The hero of Hyrule's life took a new path and he was happy as long as it involved you.

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ≫ fluff, pure heart clenching fluff, slight angst, hugs, sobbing Link, loving kisses, not proofread

⋆ ࣪. 𝔸/ℕ ≫ This Link could be any of them so imagine your favourite!

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥 ≫ 2.832

Purple, white, yellow, blue... those were the colors of the flowers in front of you, some stood tall and pretty while others chose to hide themselves in the shadows of others. Hyrule's fauna never ceased to amaze you, along with the beautiful little fairies or those glowy little bunnies that hopped around happily.

The afternoon sun hit your face as you bent down, taking a flower in your hand and caressing it tenderly. The breeze had turned a little cold but it was still pretty warm there.

You sighed out as your eyes spotted a particular flower just a few steps away from you. That was his flower, you had picked it up for him not so long ago. Smiling softly as you remembered his face when you showed him excitedly the delicate flower.

He was a busy man, after all he was the personal swordsman of the princess so he was always out, fighting and protecting Hyrule. Oh how you wished he had more time to spare with you, he was your friend after all. You both had known each other for so long already, yet you didn't have to be with each other always to feel like the other one hadn't grown tired of you.

He had taught you how to ride a horse, patiently guiding you through it despite your clumsiness. He also cooked for you, and it was a 50/50 situation in reality because you brought him the ingredients almost always.

Snapping out of your daze you looked up as a strange ruffling sound filled your ears. While quietly getting up and inspecting your surroundings, nothing seemed to appear until your eyes fell upon a hand that was sprawled out on the ground.

When you came closer to the strange body, your eyes widened as they came to vision with some blonde locks, ruffled up and messily placed on the boy's face.

"Link! "

Your voice filled his pointy ears as he turned his gaze to you, grunting lowly as he got up from the ground he recently had fallen on. Helping him get up you moved his hand to rest on top of your shoulders, holding his side with your other hand before looking at his face.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

He huffed out, mumbling a quiet "I'm fine" as he leaned into you as he breathed out. You quickly became worried of the state he was in right now, so you chose the best option and took him to your home that luckily wasn't very far away from there.

The way home was pretty silent as you thought it wasn't the best idea to talk to him right now knowing that he would definitely reply with a "Don't worry about it" "I'm fine" or he would just stay silent like he always did with everyone.

Everyone but you, you had listened to him talk with you, explaining to you how to grip your bow or your sword properly or even he told you about some of his recipes. He was mostly known for his quiet demeanor, choosing not to talk as to keep his royal swordsman reputation clean. But not with you.

"I got you"

You whispered out as you opened the door for him, entering with clumsy steps into your living room where you placed him down on the sofa. He relaxed into it and now, when the dim light of your lamp had shined upon his form, you could clearly see his state. And it wasn't good.

He had scratches all over his right forearm, some bruises on his other arm too and he also got a cut on top of his mouth, ending at his chin.

You quickly rumaged through your kitchen, telling him to wait right there as you took some bandages and wipes from a drawer. This wasn't the first time you had seen him like this but this was in fact, the first time you had treatted him inside your home. And you couldn't care less, he was injured and he had let you take care of him, the hero of Hyrule, the one and only had let you clean his wounds as he rested on your sofa.

You sat yourself beside him, carefully inspecting his arm first, pouring some liquid into a wipe and cleaning them before they got infected.

"I know sorry"

You told him as he hissed, biting his lip to surpress any sound that escaped his mouth. By now he had told you almost 15 times that he didn't need help, he was fine, it was just a scratch which you had told him that he was obviosly not.

As a child that had to grow up early, he had to learn how to manage himself in the wild, you didn't put a doubt to that, but the fact that he probably hadn't had any help before (and the one you offered was declined) made your heart shatter.

You just wanted to take care of him, really, like he had taken care of you when you needed it. When you had fallen from your horse he was already beside you, helping you get up as he dusted off your clothes. When you had cut your hand while trying to mimick one his recipes, he had already a bandage out that was firmly placed on your cut. When you had run into a monster while getting back home, his shield was out to protect you behind him.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

He shook his head, his eyes wandering down to his arms and muttering a quiet "thanks". It was obvious that he was tired, he had probably walked miles that day and fought countless creatures while doing so.

You stood up and went into your kitchen, making him a warm herbal tea you knew he liked. While waiting for the water to boil you couldn't help but to feel a warmth enveloping your heart at the sight of him resting on your sofa. He had his face pointed up towards the ceiling, his head felt backwards and his hair sprawled messily around your couch. His eyes were closed as he sat there, just breathing, his chest heaved lightly and you could see his obvious exhaustion.

You poured the hot drink into a cup and you walked into the sofa again, shaking his arm lightly for him to meet your eyes again. You handed him the cup and he silently drank, taking a small sip.

And he couldn't thank you enough for everything you were doing for him, hell he wasn't even able to express himself with words with anyone how could he do it with you?

You were the only person he liked to talk and be around with, you were just so... calm? No, that's definitely not the word to describe you. Kind? Yeah you were but... Charming? Obviously, you always knew how to get a smile out of him.

He couldn't describe you, but he could describe how you made him feel.

You always were an escape through the endless hours of fighting and taking care of Hyrule. You brought peace to him, he liked to be just a normal guy, and you treatted him like one.

When he came back home exhausted and you were there, picking some berries or just doing some chore outside, he couldn't help himself but to feel his heart flutter inside. You were just so... beautiful, your smile, your voice, the way your hair moved through the air, your giggles... goddess Hylia.

And the feeling of you taking care of him so gently, the warmth of your hands as they carefully cleaned his wounds, your soothing voice as you talked to him through it all. He felt like he was dreaming.

No one had managed to get that feeling inside of him, no one had treatted his wounds like you, no one had brought him a cup of tea with such a sweet smile like you did.

"So... What happened out there?"

His head snapped in your direction again, holding the cup down in his lap before he spoke with a groggy tone.

"Something just attacked me and I fell down, I can't remember their face. I must have- I must have lost conciousness"

He blurted out the last part, as if he was ashamed of telling you the truth. You put your hand on his shoulder reassuringly as you shifted yourself closer to him.

"I'm so sorry"

You paused a bit before speaking up again, his eyes meeting yours and your gaze fell on his cut. God you had forgotten about it, he opened his mouth again to speak but you cut him off as you grabbed the wipe again.

It was indeed a deep cut, you figured out that it needed some stitches. So you grabbed them and started inspecting the wound again. From your position in the couch it would be a mess if you stitched him up now, and you didn't wanna ruin his precious face. So an idea popped in your mind, but you blushed ferveshly at the thought.

"Do you mind if I...?"

You muttered out shyly, your voice lowering at the end of the sentence as you pointed to his lap. He didn't really know what you meant but he shook his head and when you slowly sat on top of him, his eyes went wide. He hadn't expected such a move from you but he didn't mind, hell, having you so close to him was like a blessing.

His ears were red and he didn't even feel the pain of the stitches. All that was in his mind right now was you, your soft hands touching his face so gently, the smell of your hair, Hylia he could smell all of you right now. But he put those thoughts away, what was happening to him? You were his friend, Should he think like this about a friend?

"Almost done"

The tea was forgotten on top of your small wooden table as you placed the last stitch. His hands were placed near your thighs, not daring to touch them like the gentleman he was.

Your face was red too, his warm breath fanning your neck as you sat on top of the hero of Hyrule. How many girls would kill to be in your place?? You weren't stupid, you knew that many young ladies sent him love letters or they fantasied about him. And it kind of... hurt? Would he end up falling in love with one of them? Well you didn't think so but then, there was Zelda. Were they in a relationship? Link never really told you anything about her, just that she was the Princess and he was his personal guard. But you saw the way she looked at him, how she cared about him. Would he leave you for her?

You shoved away those thoughts, leave you? You were his friend, not his lover. Hylia you were going insane, you couldn't keep your mind away from him and having him bellow you right now didn't really help. He moved, shifting himself upwards as to get a more comfortable position. For how long have you been sitting on top of him after you had already done what you needed to do?

"Oh, sorry I-"

You tried to get up from your position, but two hands kept you from doing so, firmly placed near your knees. Your hands fell into his shoulders for support as you stared confusedly into his hands before looking at his face again.

"Stay"

His words made you freeze on your spot, he was telling you to... stay? Your mouth hung open slightly, not knowing what to say or what to ask.

"Please"

It was the first time you had heard his voice in such an emotional tone. But you did as you were told imediately, your eyes were on each other, your hands around the other, his breath tickling softly your face.

It was the first time you had experienced this kind of closeness with him, he was always reserved with everyone. A taciturn man who only seemed to care about his chores, but yet he was begging you to stay here with him, to have you close to him.

His eyes began tearing up and before a tear could escape his gorgerous blue eyes, he looked down to his lap, silently wishing that you hadn't noticed.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He didn't dare to look into your eyes, feeling ashamed of crying in front of you. He was supposed to stay strong like he was taught to, but instead he busted into tears right in front of you.

What kind of hero busted into tears so easily?

Your hand cupped his chin, making him face you as you stared down at him with a reassuring smile before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You had hugged him before, but why did this time felt different?

"It's okay, cry yourself out if you need to"

Your whispered words only made it worse for him, hiding his face on your neck as he sobbed into it. He held you so tightly like he was afraid you were going to vanish in front of him. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried himself out into someone and he didn't even know why he was crying.

It was all just a mess of emotions bottled up inside of him that happened to leak out with you.

He didn't know if it was your hand that was softly playing with his hair, drawing soothing circles, or how pretty you looked under the moonlight. But he wanted needed to feel you closer to him.

"I won't go anywhere, I'm here with you"

His face was staring at yours now, puffy eyes and red cheeks. Your hand slowly became in touch with his face, wiping out his tear stained cheek. You were so gentle and caring with him it hurt, he didn't really know how to react, no one had seen him cry like this.

You both didn't know when or how but your faces inched closer to each other, finally closing the gap you both had restrained yourselves to close.

Your heart drummed hardly inside of your chest as you pressed yourself closer to him, getting lost on the feeling of his lips enveloping yours. It felt so good all the feelings you had to hide finally setting free, his lips were a bit dry but you couldn't care less when you could soak them up yourself.

His hands rested on your waist as he held you tightly, pulling out to breathe before diving right back into the kiss, smiling when he heard your muffled surprised gasp. He needed to feel your lips again, Hylia, he had wanted to do this for so long, to finally feel your soft lips on his own ones. He never wanted to let go of you.

When he pulled off, his eyes teared up again, his emotions no longer able to control themselves as he stared at you with such a loving gaze.

"Why are you crying now?"

You asked as you giggled softly, your own eyes tearing up before he laughed too, mumbling an "I don't know". He hugged you tightly again, pressing his chest into yours to feel your racing heartbeat.

He had loved you for so long now, he just didn't know how to express those feelings to you or even understand them himself. But if he had to choose anyone to experience this new feeling with, it had to be you. And this just felt so right, he felt a tingling sensation inside of his guts only by the thought of you, a warmth inside his heart.

No one could make his heart beat as quick as you did, no one could bring a smile to his face whenever you made a pun or ruffled his hair. You were just so precious in his eyes, he could be a normal boy with you without thinking of his chores or his liabilities.

And those eyes, those beatiful eyes of yours that stared such sweetly at him, he might have melted on spot whenever you looked at him. The way you moved with such an energy. Your enthusiasm to learn new things with him even after failing. He admired you.

That night was filled with love and tears, the moonlight casting over your bodies and the tea long forgotten beside both of you. You both felt asleep into each others arms and rhythmic breaths. He couldn't wait to discover this new romantic path as long as it was with you.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober day 11 is driving me insane /pos

There’s so many things I’m thinking about them learning about each other

Wild’s amnesia and memory attacks

The fact that that aoc link pulled the master sword after being appointed as Zelda’s guard and getting to know her, rather than at around 12 like wild.

And therefore never had to really face a Zelda who resented him bc of her preconception of what the hero would be like

And while still quiet, never really got deep into that emotionally numb dissociative headspace wild did pre calamity—

because unlike him, aoc link had an established social circle/outlet with the other soldiers (as seen in several cutscenes)— bc he hadn’t spent years building up the persona of an unshakable hero

(Sorry I’m rambling lol)

I already had thought about aoc link vs botw link a lot, but I had never thought about them meeting before now!!!!

I would love to hear more about your thoughts on them!!!

(Also love the name Tyde !! 10/10)

AH tysm!!! I had a blast writing that fic, I'm glad people like it :)

I have many thoughts on them >:) It would take the two of them so long to figure out how to coexist I think, because?? For Wild, meeting an alternate version of yourself who seems to be everything you were supposed to be? Who's what he could have been if he hadn't failed?? Ouch. And for aoc Link, meeting a version of yourself who's what could have happened? Who he would be if he hadn't succeeded? Living proof of what the Calamity could have done to him and Hyrule as a whole??? ougghghg

Not to mention the complicated stuff surrounding their differing childhoods like you mentioned, how Wild had all that pressure heaped on him, how aoc Link (I'm going to start calling him Age it's easier), while still dealing with some stuff, didn't have it NEARLY that bad.

And Wild's amnesia/memory attack things would be a disaster, especially if he spent any amount of time in aoc Hyrule. Age mentions something about visiting his family in Hateno and Wild. Freezes. Age realizes pretty quick that that's a touchy subject, but when Wild does finally go to see them he's immediately sucked into a memory. It's so rough. I feel like everything everywhere would send him into one, it would be so, so rough.

They'd be a little like long-lost brothers who just have no idea how to act around each other. Wild is jealous, but also he's really happy for Age?? Age is horrified at what Wild's had to go through, but he also seems so free, is there something he knows that Age doesn't? They probably get into at least one fight. They probably cry in each other's arms. They're the only ones who might have any semblance of a clue of how the other feels and yet not at all and they're both disasters trying to figure it out. It's crazy.