Chapter Text
Lana bore down on the spell with all her concentration. They needed this, she needed this to work. It would all be for nothing if she failed here.
The portal fizzled before her, spitting and crackling at the edges like a fire devouring wet wood. The purple miasma that spilled from its maw coiled and curled as it expanded, lapping along the ground in waves. It contracted, then grew, then shrank again, pulsing irregularly like a stuttering heart.
Another Hero… she prayed. Please, find us a Hero who can stop this war!
The dark-light of the portal flared outward, washing over her with a burning cold. Lana struggled to hold the spell intact under the onslaught. Her wavering focus turned into fear as the portal began to collapse in on itself. Blue lightning leapt from the pages of her spellbook, filling the air with the scent of ozone.
A wave of dizziness overtook her as the last of her magic was sucked dry, snatched up by the portal’s matrix like water offered to someone dying of thirst. Despair filled the space it left behind. As her vision turned to darkness, Lana heard a thud — her spellbook had fallen to the ground. She bitterly regretted that she had nothing to show for her efforts…
***
Link ran through the midnight woods with Wind at his heels and Proxi shedding light at his shoulder. Why Lana had strayed so far from camp, he didn’t know, but he was determined to have words with the sorceress when they found her. They had a curfew for a reason, damn it, and just because she was a powerful mage didn’t mean she was safe from being targeted by the enemy.
He nearly stumbled into a darkened clearing, Proxi’s light doing little to illuminate the dew-slicked grass — but it was enough to keep him from tripping over Lana where she lay, unmoving. Her long blue hair draped across the ground like a river drawn on one of his tactical maps.
Even as Link stopped short, Proxi streaked past his ear, settling to hover over the other unconscious person in the clearing. Her willingness to approach the stranger was the only reason Link didn’t already have his sword out when he registered the presence of a second person. The sorceress was breathing, and a quick glance made him think she was uninjured, so he turned his attention to the stranger.
He was sprawled face-down in the grass, as though he was a doll that had been dropped there by some careless child. Link crouched down by his side, assessing him first for threats and then, when he didn’t stir, checking his vitals quickly. A strong pulse, normal breathing — if the young man had come through one of Lana’s portals, he may have simply fainted. Heavens knew it wouldn’t be an unreasonable reaction to the sensation of being yanked through time and space.
Link gently rolled the stranger onto his side to get a better look at his face. He almost didn’t hear Wind’s sharp intake of breath, but he caught it, and in the back of his mind he made a note to ask the pirate for his assessment later.
The boy — and it was a boy, he looked no older than fifteen — was dressed in navy blue, some kind of uniform that was loosely fitted to his wiry figure. It was covered in pockets, and more distinctly, covered in some kind of oil and black dust — soot or charcoal, perhaps? The boy was filthy with it. That couldn’t be healthy; Link would have to make sure the kid got a proper wash, and soon.
At first Link thought he was looking at a mirror image of Wind, down to the way the kid’s nose turned up at the end. But immediately he started to see the differences. The hair that puffed out from under his dark red cap was strawberry blonde instead of sun-bleached. Light skin and freckles under the grime, unlike the pirate’s tan. His jaw was slightly misaligned — an old break healed badly, if Link was any judge. A smattering of silver scars, well-healed, dappled his exposed face and arms, a mixture of markings from blades and small burns.
Link puffed out a breath through his nose. His mind was whirling. This was what Lana had snuck away from camp for? Did she summon this kid here, or were they meeting here in the woods? Did she think they needed more help? Why didn’t she talk to him about it first?
Did Lana not trust him? Or…
He stamped down on the thought harshly. He couldn’t stomach the idea that Lana was a traitor — not right now, with how new their allyship was. The sorceress was mysterious, yes, and she kept her secrets, but she had been nothing but helpful to the war effort, and her healing powers had saved many lives. Whatever happened here, he had to believe that Lana did it for the good of Hyrule.
But what if this wasn’t a peaceful meeting? What if Lana and the stranger had fought, and knocked each other out? What if he was an enemy? If that were the case, it would be better for Link to deal with him now…
Link didn’t realize his hand had strayed to his sword until Wind was gripping his shoulder.
“He’s no enemy, Cap’n,” the boy said in a rushed whisper. “I know ‘im, aye, and he’s safe as any. Lana must’ve called him, like she did me.”
Link glanced at his ward, eyes askance. “You know him? How?” he pressed.
The little pirate hesitated for only a moment — long enough to come up with a lie, the suspicious part of Link’s brain prompted. He squashed the thought.
“He’s my brother,” Wind said, forceful.
“I thought you only had a sister,” Link replied flatly.
“Well you thought wrong,” the kid said stubbornly, meeting Link’s eyes with defiance. “He’s my brother, and he must be here to help.”
“‘Help.’ Right.” Link looked over the unconscious stranger once more, taking in his gangly figure, the black dust under his nails, and the muscles in his arms. “No offense, Wind, but how is summoning one of your family members supposed to help us?”
But Wind brushed him off. “I’ll explain later,” he said, and Link wanted to shake the boy for speaking so dismissively to him — but when the pirate got it into his head that something was a secret, it was impossible to pry it out of him, no matter how Link begged or threatened.
“Does your brother have a name, at least?”
“Spirit,” Wind answered. And the way he was looking at the kid on the ground — a kind of heavy devotion in his eyes, and a mix of sorrow and guilt and joy that was all too familiar — Link could believe that they knew each other.
He had to trust that Wind would tell him the truth eventually. He couldn’t have anyone in his camp who wasn’t completely trustworthy. Even Sheik, who had appeared so mysteriously when their need was great, had proved his allegiance time and time again. But if Lana had managed to call this kid here, he was probably an ally, and Link would take all the allies he could get at this point.
But first, he needed to get both of them back to camp.
Link poked Wind in the ribs. “Go run and find the rest of the search party,” he told the teen, “and have them bring a pair of litters from camp. It’ll be easier to carry these two with some help.”
“Aye-aye,” the little pirate said, and he scampered away into the night. When Proxi hesitated, Link shooed her off to follow Wind.
That left Link alone in the moonlit clearing, listening to the summer insects trilling and wondering what to do next.
He breathed out — not quite a sigh of frustration — and got up to move Lana to a more comfortable position. She deserved that much courtesy from him, at least.
Link gathered the sorceress into his arms. He handled her delicately, the way he would hold a mews-hawk; despite the way he had seen her fight, he couldn’t help but feel, here in the depths of the midnight woods with the bite of magic still lingering in the air, like she was something both fierce and fragile, a creature made more of lightning and gossamer than flesh and blood. Her weight was negligible in his arms; it seemed as though the jewels on her belt and bracelets must outweigh her.
At the same time, Link was very aware that the sorceress was as mortal as he. He had seen her bloodied and bruised in battle. He had seen her fierce with anger, and he had seen her weep for the dead. Though she held herself aloof, Link had no doubt that beneath her breast beat a heart no different from his own.
Satin fabric shifted against the rough cotton of his uniform as he stood, threads catching. Her breath puffed against his neck when he lifted her higher in his grip. The hard metal parts of her attire contrasted with the softness of her bare skin, and the warmth of her legs draped across his arm…
He crossed the little clearing to nestle her in the roots of a tree, where moss and fallen leaves formed a slightly softer surface for her to rest on. She didn’t stir as he positioned her, her face slack with exhaustion — a deep weariness that Link had seen only a few times before.
Link spared a second to brush the loose hairs from her face, tucking the sky-blue strands behind her ears. Her ponytail was askew, and he considered trying to fix it for her before deciding it was better to let her rest. Goddesses knew none of them were getting much rest these days.
Besides, this might give me the chance to learn about the newcomer without… interference.
Link tried to squash that bitter thought before it bloomed, but like an insidious weed, the idea took root. Lana had been a great help, but they had only met three weeks prior, when Link and General Impa had traveled to Faron Woods following rumors of Zelda’s whereabouts. Link was aware that Impa held suspicions about the young sorceress, and he tried to follow her example in exercising caution around Lana.
But the more time they spent together, on the field and off it, the more Link trusted her. She seemed to truly care about the people of Hyrule and about defeating the darkness that encroached on the land.
His touch lingered for a moment along her jawline, the pulse there steady and strong. Then, abashed, he withdrew his hand.
With the sorceress situated to his satisfaction, Link turned back to the unconscious boy. He stared for a moment, lost in thought, before shaking himself briskly and striding back to the stranger’s side.
If Lana couldn’t give him answers right now, perhaps the boy’s possessions would.
The boy was clearly outfitted for travel, and dangerous travel at that. On his back he carried a sword scabbard, and slung across it was a wooden heater shield with an emblem in white. Link was quick to strip him of these, in case the boy awoke and decided Link was an enemy.
He lifted the sword scabbard and laid his hand on the hilt of the weapon. The crossguard was in the shape of wings, and its pommel was made of some green material, neither metal nor stone. Even just brushing his hand against the hilt was enough for Link to sense the Light imbued in it.
He drew the sword and examined the blade. Sharp and clean, he noted, well-cared-for but ancient in design — such a heavy blade would never be made today. The blade shone like mirrored glass, refracting the light from its facets, and though it was definitely metal, it was some alloy that Link had never encountered. It gleamed in the moonlight like the scales of a rainbow trout, pink and green and pearlescent.
Link sheathed the sword, placing it on the ground beside him. On the boy's belt hung a number of items, and Link decided it was easier to remove the whole apparatus than to try to unhook each item one by one. He lifted the boy’s shoulders with one hand and unbuckled his heavy leather belt with the other, letting it fall to the forest floor.
He checked again, but the boy showed no signs of stirring. So, Link efficiently searched through the stranger’s pockets, pulling out a wallet and several small metal tools. The tools he laid aside, uncertain of their purpose. A quick glance in the wallet revealed it was stuffed with cards written in an indecipherable alphabet, along with a handful of rupees in mixed colors.
Satisfied that the stranger had been divested of anything that could be used as a weapon, Link grabbed the utility belt and sorted through the chain of items.
Hanging from a pair of decorative rope tassels was a pan flute of pale wood banded with brass, which caught his eye. It seemed to whisper as he handled it, the way Mask’s ocarina did — Link kept thinking he heard a breath of music on the night wind, but when he listened closely it was gone. Clipped beside it was a golden compass. When Link held it in his hand, the needle refused to settle, instead spinning aimlessly around the cardinal points. It buzzed a bit in his palm, and he quickly put it back, not wanting to mess with unknown magic. He didn’t even touch the snake-headed whip that was next in line. The thing looked so lifelike that he had a vivid image of the serpent suddenly rearing up and striking at him with envenomed fangs. With a shudder, he used a stick to unclip it and lift it onto the shield, hoping he could convince someone else to bring it back for examination.
There was a document case, stuffed so tightly full of papers that they threatened to tear as Link pulled them free. His eagerness to obtain some information on the boy was quickly extinguished, however, when he realized every sheet was written in the same unknown lettering. Despite the neat handwriting on most of the pages, Link had no hope of interpreting what they said. He recognized a few as maps, but there were also things that looked like personal letters, official forms, and even one or two mechanical diagrams, all packed together with no apparent form of organization.
The sound of many people trampling through the woods reached Link’s ears. A glance between the trees revealed lanterns and fairy lights in the distance, and he almost sighed with relief. Wind was returning with help. Soon they would be able to get Lana and the stranger back to camp, and Link could get some sleep at last.
He scooped up the boy and hauled himself to his feet. If the lad’s portal journey had been anything like Wind’s, he would be out cold for a few hours yet. Apparently travel through time and space was rough on a person’s mind, and the disorientation could last for several days.
How Mask had managed to be on his feet mere minutes after his own portal deposited him in this time, Link still didn’t know. The child refused to explain anything.
Still, as Wind emerged from the darkness with Proxi lighting his path, Link allowed a bit of hope to blossom in his breast.
The allies who had joined the war — both from within Hyrule and from outside its borders (physical and temporal) — had been indispensable. Without them, the war would already have been lost.
Perhaps this boy, whoever he was, would be just what they needed to turn their fortunes around.