#wild west! Twilight

[luimagines]

*walks in tiredly, waves, hands you a cup of hot chocolate, does not elaborate* Hey there, how have you been doing? Hope you've been doing well lately and once again thank you for all your work in the fandom! ^^

I've been busy lately (and frankly way too sleep deprived), so I'll save the gushing over your writing after I properly catch up and refresh myself so I can yell my thoughts in here, but for now I will get this au idea out of my system that's definitely for the Warriors fans and elaborate a bit on the Twilight and Reader Wild West Rivalry Au aka the Cousin of Cattle Raider Reader, though it's still something I need to polish so apologies if it doesn't make much sense. Also, uh, apologies for the long ask ahead xD

First would be Warriors and Assassin Reader Friends to Enemies to Reluctant Friends to Lovers, also known as "Warriors Keeps Stressing Out" in my docs with the single one shot that will likely turn into a series who will never see the light of day (or won't see the light of day until I finish the Fairytale Collection who knows, that's a problem for future Wintertime).

So in medieval times most knights come from noble families right? The case would probably be the same in Hyrule though we do see two exceptions: Impa, by a technicality since the Sheikah work for the Hyrule royalty, and Warriors, who presumably lived with Linkle and probably raised her all alone and worked hard for the rank of knight so he could give them both a better life (which would explain a lot, knights get a lot of benefits in medieval times and good pay, so even without having a hunch he's the Hero he'd probably see it as the best and quickest route to get them both a better life if it's been just them, given most Links are orphans), Reader signed up as a knight because it's obligatory for their family before they inherit the ruling seat and as the eldest child of the family it's their job to do good as a knight to be eligible to the seat, Warriors and Reader thus trained together and defended one another fiercely, the kind of Ride or Die kind of friendship because Warriors wasn't of noble birth and thus had to work twice as hard as everyone else and Reader recognizes his talent (while also being in a quiet panic about possibly having a crush on him) and Warriors can see how much the pressure from Readers family is not doing good for their overall health and because they have to watch their back constantly so they won't be sabotaged by the rest of their family (and maybe he also has feelings, but doesn't process it because training comes first), everything is going well until about three years before the events of the War of Ages when Reader gets framed for a crime they didn't commit by one of their rivals to the noble seat agaisnt the crown, but when they go to Warriors to try and at least convince one person they didn't do it Warriors doesn't believe them (because he was trained to trust the word of the crown first) or is forced to not stand up for them (because he can't lose his position as a knight since he has Linkle to worry about), which causes him and Reader to fight and break up their friendship with Warriors feeling guilty but determined to rise up the ranks to find out if Reader was really guilty or not because he can't really believe his best friend is guilty no matter how hard he tries (which reinforces his hatred of traitors later on), and Reader leaving betrayed and resentful to the knights and the Hyrulean crown, eventually becoming so good at disguising themselves they decide they can monetize this to get by since they're labelled a traitor and to try and find evidence to clear their name by becoming an assassin since their reputation is already on the ground. Being always just one step ahead of the knights and never caught.

Fast forward to the War of Ages and Cia needs a strategist to keep her little rogues gallery in line while she frees Ganon, gets the Triforce and Warriors, she hears about Reader being the best Assassin in Hyrule who has a deep resentment against the crown and decides to take them in with the good ol' "Hey do you wanna tear down the monarchy that failed you and get payed a hefty sum while doing it? You'll be able to be free in full again too", Assassin Reader who has grown more bitter by the day being "Do I? :D", and accepts the position, switching between being a spy, keeping a tight ship on the others following Cia and strategist who is definitely not being payed enough to deal with all this but hey, it will get their name clean. On the day Hyrule Castle is seized Assassin Reader impersonated Artemis briefly to let the monsters in and cause confusion while sabotaging the royal army and after their work is done and Wizzrobe and Volga don't look like they're going to do too big of a mess to their strategy they try to leave as themselves, running into Warriors, marking the first of their many clashes as enemies on different sides of the war with Assassin Reader determined to bring the Hyrule monarchy down even if it kills them and Warriors trying to capture them or to at least talk, because he can probably try to help clear their name now and he's been investigating the charges and trying to find them to talk or at least apologize.

Mind you that Assassin Reader is unaware that Cia started this war not because of the Triforce or anything, but because of Warriors. Until they aren't because one day after sabotaging the Hyrule army, dealing with Volga and Wizzrobe and clashing with Warriors (and yelling at him for presumably dragging Wind, Tetra and Mask into the war because "THEY'RE KIDS LINK WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" "YOU THINK I HAD A SAY IN THIS?! YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT READER-!" "SAYS THE MAN WHO POINTED A SWORD AT MY THROAT WHEN I JUST WANTED TO TALK, YOU TELL ME IF I EVEN KNOW YOU-" While Wind, Tetra and Mask are watching the drama from the sidelines, Mask half approving because while they are trying to murder Wars at least they are against children fighting when they shouldn't be while Wind and Tetra both wonder why Reader ain't trying as hard to murder Warriors like they do literally anyone else) they hear Cia going off about what she'd like to do to Warriors and just receives maior psychic damage.

Assassin Reader, to Cia: Wait wait a darn second, you're telling me, you started a war, recruited monsters and all sorts of unhinged folk from across time and space, and is currently planning on gathering a magic wish granting mcguffing and to resurrect the King of Thieves, all over a man who doesn't even know who you are or want you? You started an ENTIRE WAR because you were thirsty?

Cia, eyes narrowed: ... Yes. I mean have you seen him? Why? Problem?

Assassin Reader, smiling even as they're holding back the urge to shank her right there and then because while they still feel very hurt by Warriors not standing by them and practically kick-starting their villain arc they still care for him: Not really as long as the pay keeps coming boss lady.

You know, like a liar.

So they get in contact with Sheik, whom they had a hunch was Artemis after Cia stole the Triforce, and practically become a triple agent, and by that, while they still make Cia's strategies and command her forces, they now feed information to the royal army and sabotage Cia's force instead in exchange of their name getting clean after the war is over, when asked why they simply shrug non commitaly and said "I still have some standards." (Aka Link was my best friend), Even disguising themselves as a common knight to aid in combat or be more effective in sabotaging Cia's advance (and also aid Mask and Wind into pranking Warriors/tricking him into resting, because they're a bit petty still but they like the kids well enough, and it helps them keep an eye on their friend), the jig is mostly up when the Temple of Souls thing happens, because Assassin Reader heard about it in advance and disguised themselves as Warriors to try and either end Cia right there or to stall her enough so she'd be more tired when facing everyone, getting gravely injured in the process, Warriors finding them there and Artemis coming clean about their role in all this after they drive Cia away.

Warriors, incredibly frustrated and low-key terrified as he forces a red potion down Assassin Reader's throat: Why would you do that you idiot?!

Assassin Reader, coughing up blood but grinning ruefully: Your idiot. Comrades protect one another right? About time I start paying you back for letting me go all those times. *Coughs, shaking their head with a chuckle* By the way, you still hesitate on your left thrusts, specially when I'm involved, focus less on looking pretty and fix that would you?

Warriors, hit by Realization™ but sighing: ... Just shut up and rest, I missed you too. I am, however, yelling at you later and letting Linkle crush your ribs.

Assassin Reader, nodding as they lean agaisnt him: Fair enough, I deserve that.

So Artemis decides to pair the two of them together or the remainder of the war and after until Assassin Reader's name is clear and so they won't do a runner (absolutely not because she's a meddler and also realizes the best way to make sure Assassin Reader isn't scamming them is to have Warriors, who basically knows all of Reader's ticks and tells as well as he does his own, keeping an eye on them *cough*), with time they start building up their relationship from the ground up again and there's two ways this can go: either the neutral dramatic route, before LU and during it, or the chaotic dramatic route, fully during LU, either way the Chain is baffled because even while being at each other's throats Warriors and Reader are acting like an old married couple (minus Time and Wind, Time definitely saw it coming and Wind was already used to it), and I think it would personally be hilarious if Legend and Assassin Reader teamed up to mess with Warriors.

As for Wild West Rivalry with Twilight, the most I'll elaborate on for now is that Time gets framed for a crime by Dink and Twilight and Wild tag along to try and find a way to clear his name (and because Dink brought shame to Midna, who here is Twilight's best friend, and it caused her to her to leave the west entirely, making it a double revenge quest, Wild is an amnesiac mercenary with a bounty of his head he has no idea what he's in for they picked up along the way), all three of them basically becoming outlaws and recruiting the other Links along the way for various different motives (minus Warriors, who is a sheriff and covers and bails them if they get too careless during several questionable jobs and leads and feeds them information on possible bounties they can go after to get by while on the road), Reader themselves is an outlaw because their sibling was wrongfully imprisoned and their parents framed for a crime they didn't commit and who is trying to avenge them post-mortem and clear their sibling's name by going after Dark Link, and whose bounty later got bigger because their partner double crossed them and stole their horse so now they're after them too in a revenge quest of their own, the rivalry starts when Twilight and Reader both somehow end up going after the same bounties and kill steal from one another (Twilight,baring his teeth and leveling his gun at Reader: Why, we need to stop meeting like this missy/lad, I believe you have something of mine? Reader, smiling as they heft the dead criminal up their stolen horse: Hah! As if, you need to stop stealing from me first), and then straight up rolls into enemies when Reader steals Epona temporarily, his money, has one of their guns to his head and shoots one of Wild's kneecaps in the process when trying to get away from law enforcement while undercover at a cabaret, now they're both after each other's throats and bounties while also low key not finding the other too bad in a "If only thing were different" sort of way and it's all downhill from there, the lovers part comes much later in a story that also likely won't see the light of day similar to it's estranged siblings Trigun Au and Fantasy Wild West Rivals to Enemies to Lovers au which I also will not elaborate on.

And that's all I'll say for today because I shall not elaborate. And also I need a nap and to work on the Fairytale Collection, hope you're having a nice day!

-Just A Tired Anon on A Stroll/WintertimeStoryteller 🐚

Oh my goodness- I feel like I just the whole fic XD

And yet it's not enough- like buddy, when you finished the fairytale series I'd love to read both of these. You keep teasing with just snippets of the wild west story but I want more... I love wild west concepts DX

BUT TRIPLE AGENT READER

HOLY COW- can one person have so many hats to wear and complete them all?!?

And poor Warrior- the series should probably be tilted In Which Warrior Suffers ^.^*

He just can't seem to win. And having Reader be on Cia's side for a hot second-?!?! Good golly miss molly!! That's gotta sting XD