Chapter Text
After Wars, Link never saw another wild ghost again.
He didn’t count the champions; they were another thing altogether. And the King of Hyrule, he was different too.
But days passed, then weeks, then months, and Link didn’t see hide nor hair of any new ghosts or any of the ones he had met within such a short timespan.
The wolf was the only exception; it visited him occasionally, to help with a fight or keep him company for an evening. He really appreciated it, and hoped that it had found true happiness with the person it was waiting for.
Despite their glaringly obvious absence, Link found himself thinking of them often.
He couldn’t help but think of Hyrule every time he went foraging, and when he went to check his material stash again after so long he felt a bit guilty to find he had accidentally messed up his and Legend’s hard work. Every time he found himself having an easier than usual time with enemies, he mentally thanked Time and Wars’ excellent teaching. He found himself at lurelin village at some point, and wondered if this is where Wind was from – it would really suit him, after all. He was now permanently aware of the fact that minish could be hiding anywhere, and every time he saw a tiny house, thought that Four would have loved it. When he eventually found his way back to rito village, he thought of Sky practically the whole time.
It wasn’t until one day, when a random dark portal appeared before him, that things started coming together a little bit.
So… it turns out that the ghosts he met – were actually the ghosts of heroes who had lived countless millennia ago. His own soul in other lifetimes.
He… hadn’t known exactly what to think at first. His companions didn't seem to recognise him, so he stayed quiet for the most part, remaining confused in the background. Most of them looked similar or the same as when he had met their ghosts – except Wind was a child, and wasn’t that weird? There was also one person there who he hadn’t met as a ghost – Twilight.
All of their names were Link, so the Master Sword gave them nicknames based on their hero titles. The master sword that Sky wielded, and carried like something precious. Apparently... he had been there when it was forged. There was also the obvious absence of the wolf – but it didn’t take long at all to work out that the wolf was actually Twilight. And apparently his wolf form was named… Wolfie.
Link – Wild, now – travelled with them through other eras and ages and put aside his confusion to get to know them.
He found himself enjoying their company – a lot, actually. They shared stories together, fought together, laughed together, and met each other's family and friends as they landed in each of their eras. He cooked for them, because apparently none of them had anything better than the most basic of skills – the shame – and found himself feeling so proud when they consistently loved it.
There were a few moments here and there which made Wild chuckle at the irony of it all.
He and Hyrule had been sent out to forage in Wild’s own Hyrule, and Wild’s mind was racing the whole time. Was Hyrule’s ghost watching himself and Wild go foraging together, and also remembering it? They weren’t in the same area as he had been with Hyrule before, but it was still possible.
Wild had been shocked when Hyrule had turned to him for guidance on edible plants.
“It’s your Hyrule, right?” Hyrule said, glancing away shyly. “I’d love it if you could show me the things that you would pick out of all this,” he finished, motioning to the endless forest before him.
Wild was not one to waste such a golden opportunity, so he proceeded to agree and teach Hyrule all he could. Of course, included in that, was what Hyrule himself had taught Wild as a ghost.
Wild found it hilarious, but he was also more than happy to be helping Hyrule learn new things that could be applied in most places, not just in Wild’s Hyrule. The two of them returned to camp that night loaded up with plenty of edible ingredients for their next round of meals.
As he removed what he needed from his slate, Legend watched him. “I swear, out of all this lot, you’re the only one with any organisational skills,” he scoffed.
Wild paused, turning to stare at him. Upon seeing the serious look on Legend’s face, he couldn’t help himself.
He started laughing. He started laughing and kept going, and didn’t stop even when tears filled his eyes and he doubled over, unable to breathe.
“What?!” Asked Legend, alarmed. The rest of the camp had turned their attention to Wild as well, wondering what all the fuss was about. Wild could do nothing but wheeze incoherently, tears slowly rolling down his face as he kept going.
Good goddess, Hylia had seriously outdone herself. He eventually calmed down, but refused to explain what had been so funny, only grinning and saying they wouldn’t get it.
Their journey had no clear goal – exactly as Time had once said – but there were plenty of monster fights along the way. Despite the fact that all of them – well, most of them – were unused to fighting in a group, they had such chemistry and flow together that it was as if they had been doing it their whole lives. Wild felt especially proud whenever Time or Wars – Warriors complemented his or any of the others’ skills.
Once again though, there were times when Wild felt like the entire thing was a massive divine practical joke.
“Wild, I’m truly impressed by those sword techniques you’re using,” Time told him one day. “I’ve never seen anyone else fight quite like that – I would like to meet whoever taught you,” He said.
Having learned from the Legend thing, Wild managed to keep his internal screaming down to only a rather forceful snort of laughter. Time raised an eyebrow at him. “Erm – they’re dead, sorry,” Said Wild, steadying his composure and trying his hardest not to grin like a maniac. “Uhh, asleep for one hundred years, remember?”
“Ah, yes,” pondered Time, sounding mildly disappointed. “I suppose I’ll just have to remain grateful that they taught you such eloquent techniques.”
“Are you two discussing fighting techniques?” Suddenly chimed in Warriors, having appeared from nowhere. Wild jumped slightly, but Time didn’t react at all.
“Yes, I was just noting how well rounded his sword fighting is,” explained Time.
Warriors nodded in agreement. “Yes, I couldn’t help but notice the same thing,” he said. “Not only the sword techniques, but also his other weapon types – what were they? Spears and dual handed weapons,” he pondered.
“Um – what can I say?” Said Wild, once again fighting off a grin. “My teachers were the best I could possibly get.”
The two seemed satisfied with that, and Wild decided not to think about it, otherwise he might start acting a bit too strangely.
Each hero filled their own sort of role within the group. Wild wasn’t sure exactly what his was – he felt like he was a bit of an all rounder, sometimes an older brother, sometimes a younger brother. But to Wild, and the rest of the group – a few of them were much clearer. Time as a stoic but caring father figure, Sky as a doting mother figure, Warriors as a chivalrous older brother figure, and Wind… well, Wind was the little brother, despite how much he seemed to resent the title.
It was still a bit odd for Wild, knowing Wind as he was, as opposed to someone older than Wild himself – though it meant he would not die and become a ghost while he was still a child, which obviously Wild was very happy with. He was still the same person – he held that same odd accent, and he liked to sing random sea shanties on long walks. Wild could never keep a smile off his face and couldn’t help but join in once he got a better grip on the words.
The two often teamed up, also often with one of the others, to cause mischief and chaos and put a long-suffering look on Time’s face. Once, while they were in Wild’s Hyrule, Wild snuck them both out to the beach where they found a raft lying, abandoned, in the sand.
“Let’s go sailing!” Wind had eagerly asked, and how could Wild say no? But the raft, exactly like another raft Wild had once used with Wind, didn't have the sail attached.
Wind, ever proud of his status as a sailor, had immediately rushed over to put it up himself, only to stop in confusion when he found the shape unfamiliar. “Wild, your world’s sails are fucked,” He said in frustration, unable to work out the correct way to hold it.
Wild let out a surprised laugh. So, it was this again, was it? “Here, I’ll show you how to do it properly,” he said, grinning. He proceeded to guide Wind through the process, recalling the instructions he had once received from Wind’s ghost.
“Aye, why doesn’t your world have proper sails?” Wind teased once they were finished, grinning. Wild rolled his eyes fondly, and the two got on the raft and sailed all the way down the coastline. Wild was somehow both surprised and not surprised to find out that when he sailed with Wind, the wind really did do whatever he wanted – and in a sense, it was because of his name.
Damn, what a little shit.
The two returned to many deadpan stares at their soaking wet clothes and windswept hair, but nobody actually minded that much.
As they travelled, they encountered every possible environment that their Hyrules had to offer. Snow, forest, mountains, volcanoes, deserts – all of it. And in each one, Wild couldn’t help but notice that Four always took a moment or two to crouch down and examine the bases of plants or underneath rocks or for little holes in the sand.
Four must be endlessly curious about the existence of the minish in other eras – so one day, while they were camping in a forest in his Hyrule, Wild took him aside to help him out.
“I know what you’re always looking for – the minish, right?” Said Wild, and Four’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“What? How did you know that?” Asked Four, gaping. Wild chuckled. “I have a friend who knows about them – he taught me where the best places to find them were,” he explained. “I can show you, if you want?”
“Yes please,” Said Four, smiling. Wild motioned for him to follow, and the two ventured deeper into the forest. Remembering something, Wild pulled out his slate, and swiped over to the key items section.
He tapped the screen, and the slate produced the blue kinstone piece he had been holding there for who knew how long. He turned around and passed it to Four, whose jaw dropped in surprise. “The first time I met one, they gave me this,” Wild explained.
“Whoa – wait a second…” said Four, examining the kinstone piece. “I think I have a matching piece,” he said.
“No way,” Said Wild, his eyes widening.
They both stopped, and Four fished around in his bag for a bit, before pulling out a stone the same colour as Wild’s. Four held up the two pieces, and – yeah, they definitely went together.
“Holy Hylia!” Exclaimed Wild. Four grinned, and pushed them together to form a fusion. The stone glowed for a split second, before –
“A chest!” Exclaimed Wild, stunned. Indeed, in front of them a chest had appeared, out of thin air. Four and Wild exchanged a look, before both rushing to open it.
The chest had 50 rupees inside, which both Four and Wild were very happy with. Wild proceeded to show Four where the minish liked to stay in the forest, and watched with fascination as Four held a conversation with a whole group of them. The two returned hours later, and Four could often be found chatting to what seemed to a lot of the others like nothing at all in Wild’s Hyrule from then on.
One of the unique things about Wild’s Hyrule that none of the others had, were groups of wild horses. In the early days of his adventure, Wild had often hijacked random horses, keeping the ones he particularly liked at the stable network across the country. The group often found themselves passing these gatherings of horses, and Wild noticed that Twilight tended to lag behind a bit whenever they did.
Every time, he was taken back to his first encounter with the wolf – Wolfie. The exact same thing had happened there. It was evident that Twilight liked horses, a lot. This was further solidified when they were in Twilight’s Hyrule and met his own horse, Epona.
So, Wild decided that teaching Twilight how to tame a wild horse was in order. One day, when they were having some down time in Wild’s Hyrule, Wild motioned for Twilight to follow him to the nearby field. Twilight gave him a questioning look, but complied with curiosity.
“Where’re we going, Wild?” Twilight asked as they descended down the grassy hill.
“You like horses, right?” Asked Wild, catching sight of a group of them in the distance.
“Of course,” Twilight said, sounding a bit confused. “What does that have to do with…” he trailed off, eyes widening and stopping in place as he caught sight of the group Wild had led them to.
“I’m gonna show you how to tame one!” Exclaimed Wild, and a brilliant smile bloomed across Twilight’s face.
“I – I’ve been wanting to know that for ages,” Said Twilight, lowering his voice as they approached the group so as not to scare them. “But I wasn’t sure how to ask you, so… thank you,”
Wild only flashed him a grin, before putting a finger to his lips to signify silence. He motioned for Twilight to come closer.
“Here – I’ll show you what to do,” said Wild. “Watch me.”
Twilight nodded, and Wild turned back to the group of horses. Crouching down, he set his eyes on one – white with a white mane, the closest one to him that was facing away. He crept up behind it, silently, before – he quickly leaped up to mount it, and it gave a shocked squeal as he began to soothe it.
He could see Twilight watching with wide eyes from his peripheral, and kept going steadily until the horse gave in and began to trot forwards. “Thank you,” he muttered, before jumping off the back and watching as it galloped away.
He went back to Twilight. “Whoaaaaa,” Twilight whispered, staring at the horse as it disappeared into the distance.
“You think you can also try?” Asked Wild, and Twilight hesitated for a second before nodding.
Twilight picked a blue horse, because – “It’s blue, Wild, how insane is that?!” – but didn't quite manage to sneak up on it properly. After that, he moved onto another one which he managed to mount, and much to Wild’s surprise, soothed it on his first try.
Twilight rode his new friend back to the camp, and Sky and Wind were so fascinated by it that Twilight looked even more proud than Wild thought was possible. He was satisfied with his work, and that evening, Wolfie came up to sleep with him as thanks.
Over the course of their journey, they passed through several of their birthdays. Time, Legend and Twilight had the luckiness of being home for theirs, but poor Sky didn’t get the same luxury.
Of course, the rest of them tried to make it a memorable birthday anyway. They surprised him with presents, sang him happy birthday, and the day’s activities were up to him – they went bird watching of course, and Wild was satisfied to see a smile on Sky’s face the whole time.
Wild, as usual, was in charge of dinner. The conversation he had once had with Sky’s ghost was all he could think about as he planned it out.
That evening, everyone was poured a flask of Tabantha beer (even Wind, who insisted) and merriment ensued, with music and stories and a general good time. Sky was the star, of course, and Wild couldn’t keep the grin off his face even as he was bound to the cooking pot. By the time he was done, everyone had settled down in a circle, chatting and laughing together. He motioned them up so he could give them their dinner.
Sky was first, of course, a big smile on his face as he approached. “I know that smell, Wild – pumpkin soup?”
Wild nodded eagerly. “I remember you said it was your favourite, so – how could I not?!” He said, making sure to ladle Sky an extra big helping.
Sky smiled in reply, but his eyes were clouded in a light confusion. “Thank you so much Wild – But I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned pumpkin soup. How did you know?”
“Oh, uh,” Wild said, his smile faltering. He hadn’t even been thinking when he said that. “I swear you’ve mentioned it at some point. You must just not remember,” he tried, not meeting Sky’s eyes.
Sky frowned, but after a few seconds, shrugged and his smile reappeared. “I don’t even care – this smells amazing, Wild. Thank you so much,”
Wild let out a breath of relief, then grinned at Sky.
The rest of the night was a wonderful time. Wild’s soup went down as a smashing hit, and they took turns telling stories until they were literally falling asleep where they sat.
Wild loved them. He loved being with them, he loved fighting with them, he loved talking to them, he loved just… existing with them.
They were his family.
But… they weren’t meant to all exist at once. Though their journey was long, it did eventually reach its conclusion with the defeat of Dark Link.
And… when that time came, Wild found himself truly unable to smile for the first time since meeting them.
In front of them were nine dark portals, one for each Link. They were expected to just… step through, and never see each other again.
Although – that wasn’t totally true, was it?
Hyrule was the first one to start crying, and a flurry of activity followed. Legend comforting him, Wind running over to hug him, the others giving each other melancholy looks in resignation. Wild went over to join the Hyrule hug, which consisted of Legend and Wind, and soon enough, all of them were trapped in one massive group hug.
“I don’t want to leave,” Someone said, muffled, and a slew of agreements followed.
“Goddamn Hylia,” said someone else, probably Legend. Even he sounded choked up – which for the normally stoic veteran, was quite an achievement.
“But Hylia brought us together,” mumbled Wild, trying his hardest for his voice to remain steady. “So you can’t hate her… entirely,” he said. Legend only gave a grumble in reply, so Wild had to assume he was grudgingly admitting Wild had a point.
All too soon, it was over – really and truly. They left their borderline group hug pile, and prepared to step through their gates. Wild gave everyone another, personal hug – Hyrule clung to him, sniffling, Legend held him back surprisingly gently, Time buried his face in his hair, Wind practically threw himself into his arms, Four stood on his tip-toes to meet him, Twilight kept a hand in his hair, Sky held him tightly, and Warriors didn’t say a single thing about his scarf getting wet.
“See you guys later,” Wild whispered, as one by one they all stepped through. He stepped though as well, and then… they were all gone, and Wild was alone in the emptiness of his massive Hyrule.
But he wasn’t alone – he never had been, had he?
It hadn’t taken much brain power to work out why they had been waiting after their deaths. Thousands of years separated them. The very concept of how far removed Sky was from him in the timeline was dizzying.
He only hoped… he only hoped that he had done a good job of being worth the wait.
“Thank you so much for waiting, guys,” he said into thin air, choking. And one day he would see them again, hopefully after a long, fulfilling life.
Wild! I’m so glad you’re here!
Tch, took you long enough, champion.
Welcome back, Wild.
Wild! Ya took yer time, didn’t you?!
It’s great to see you, Wild.
Champion – I was getting impatient!
Wild… I’m glad I waited.
Champion; let’s get going, shall we?