Chapter Text
Wind felt as though his insides were full of a thousand candles. What might have been small and faint lights were intense, searing, burning…
I require your assistance once more… Hero of the… Wild…
… and with a faint puff like wind, the lights were blown out. Wind shivered in the sudden cool breeze, blinking as his eyes adjusted. It was darker than the last world they had been in—or would it be the last time they had been in?
Wind looked around for the others. Generally they would all fall through at the same time, right? Shouldn't the others have fallen close by? Wind scowled at the empty woods. He cupped his hands over his mouth. "Sound off!"
Nothing.
"Oy! Guys!"
A cricket took issue with Wind's yelling and flew off in a whirl of wings.
But no other Links emerged.
"Well. This is. not great." Wind sighed, beginning to push through the bushes. "Hate when we get split up. Such a pain!" A low branch tangled in his hair. Wind yelped and wrestled it free. "Well this sure isn't my Hyrule. How do they all know anyway? 'Oh the magic feels familiar,' come off it Collector. You're just guessing every time. 'These trees look like home.' They're trees, Rancher. They all look the same." He looked around, in case his witty reparte had somehow summoned his brothers from the air. No such luck. "Whatever. Landmarks, landmarks… eh…" He cleared the woods, reaching for his telescope to scan the horizon. With a jolt he realized it was still in his bag, which he had left by the bedrolls while helping set up the camp. Hopefully one of the others grabbed it before going through the portal and could return it once they reunited. He didn't even have his sword.
Wind sighed and squinted, trying to will the fuzzy shapes into a landscape. He could make out a mountain, some fields, and a tall spire of a building against the moon a few miles away. In other words, anyone's guess. A sparkle of distant firelight drew his gaze. A monster camp? Or civilization. Either way, it was likely the others would also head towards the light. Maybe he would find them there.
The walk took an age and a half, by Wind's estimation. He missed sailing. No sore feet, just sore hands from pulling the ropes on the sails. Once you built up calluses it was basically painless. Not like walking all over creation on foot—clearly the sore feet were a sign from the goddesses that walking was evil. He only saw one monster on the way—a little Chuchu that he almost felt bad about smashing with a convenient tree branch.
The torches were not a monster camp, but a rough walled settlement. Tall logs had been erected in a palisade, with torches lining the top. A guard in an ill-fitting helmet stood by the gate, dreamily watching the sky. He heard Wind's griping about his feet, his gaze drifting down. "Huh? A newcomer?"
Wind sighed but tried to keep his voice friendly. "'Hoy! I'm looking for my friends. We got seperated. Have a bunch of blonde guys with swords come through here?"
The guard scratched his head. "Blonde guy with a sword… oh like Link?" Wind perked up. "Haven't seen him in a while." Wind deflated. The guard saw his expression and held up his hands placatingly. "Sorry kid, the Princess says he's off on an adventure or something. But he'll turn back up, he always does."
"Yeah, I know—wait, the Princess?" If anybody could help, or at least confirm where he was without thinking he was totally crazy rambling about time travel and alternate lives, it would be a Zelda. "Is she, uh… in the castle?" That was where most Princesses lived right? He had seen one of those while scanning the horizon he was pretty sure.
"Nah, not yet. I think she's talking with Purah." The guard shifted his weapon, which Wind realized was a garden hoe, and looked at him appraisingly. The flicker of suspicion for the kid who showed up in the middle of the night—suspicion that was honestly far overdue—only lasted a few seconds. "Never sleeps, she does. You might be able to see her on your way to bed."
"Bed? Oh, yeah! I guess I should. Go to bed." Wind tried to smile winningly. "Is there an inn?"
The guard pointed at a stone platform. "They're sleeping in the emergency shelter. Scorpis will open it up for you." He yawned. "When my shift ends I'll be right behind you. Stay safe, kid." He then resumed staring into the sky absently. The security here was terrible. He hadn't even asked what Wind was doing there or, you know, his name. But Wind needed to see Zelda, who was apparently talking to a Purah, and didn't that name sound familiar? Wind looked around the small settlement, trying to identify anything. A well, freshly dug; a few towers that were basically just platforms over the walls… but the far side had a large house built up over the gate, with what looked like a giant version of Wind's telescope, and a much bigger and more impressive tower that appeared to be under construction.
"Welp. Telescope house it is." Wind nodded at a guard who was squinting his way and scurried around the center of the settlement, climbing some wood stairs to reach the platform by the house. He could hear voices, hushed but clearly having an intense debate. He reached the top and saw a Sheikah woman, irritably tapping a flute in her hands as she argued with a blonde figure in a shade of blue that Wind immediately recognized.
Wild's Hyrule, then.
"—if I don't investigate the source of the gloom soon, many more could fall ill—"
The Sheikah, who Wind guessed was Purah, folded her arms. "And I'm telling you: it's far too dangerous for you to go alone, Princess. The gloom aside, the castle is still not very stable, and who knows what else is lingering in the void the guardians left when they clawed their way out."
"I am equipped to deal with a little gloom. The light magic is still in me, just faded."
"And monsters?"
"I can, ah…"
"You need to wait for Link to get back. He can go get the Master Sword and go with you." Purah—Wind realized with a jolt that Purah was the name of the scientist Wild had introduced them too, who Wind would have sworn had been his age when they were here last. Now she was, what, 20? 80? Hard to tell with the white hair and the darkness on the platform and Wind's slightly bad eyesight.
"We have no idea when Link will return. It's been a while, Purah. The gloom is getting worse every day." Zelda sighed. "I can't sit by when people are getting sick or hurt, not when I can do something!"
Wind felt a little swell of pride. Wild had told him how his Zelda had generally lacked confidence to stand up against authority when they were younger, and second guessed her actions when the Calamity struck. Clearly she was acting more decisively now. Wind climbed fully into the platform and cleared his throat.
"Wait, Lin—" Zelda's face broke into a smile that faded into confusion just as fast. "Oh. Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—you're one of Link's friends, right?" She stepped closer. "One of the other heroes! The Hero of the Wind, correct?"
"Yep!" Wind straightened up subconsciously. "We got seperated, so I came looking for them here. What's up with the castle?"
Purah tapped the flute on her hand. "Some bad magic vapors, which we call gloom, making people sick are emanating from crevasses that appeared in the castle. Hero of the Winds, care to help me explain to the Princess why our beloved leader shouldn't just jump headfirst into danger?"
Wind laughed. "Tetra—my Princess Zelda I guess—would already be down there. You're asking the wrong guy." He sucked on his teeth. "But Purah does raise a good point. You'll need help!"
"Well Link has been gone for six months, and unless he's with you—"
"He's not."
"—then I can't afford to wait much longer. People are going to die unless we stop this gloom." Zelda frowned, but Purah shook her head.
"It doesn't have to be you looking into it, Zellie. You haven't slept in two days. Get some rest, and tomorrow we can see if Link—our Link—is back." Purah looked at Wind imperiously. "You BOTH need rest."
Wind followed Zelda down the steps, grumbling that Purah talked a big game for someone who was his height not long ago. Zelda kept fidgeting with her sleeves, looking at the castle.
"You're really worried, huh?" Wind moved to walk level with Zelda.
"It's just spreading so fast, and people are hurting." Zelda's eyes darted back to the castle. "If I could just get the Master Sword… surely the sword that seals the darkness could fix this if my power is…"
"Well, why don't you?" Wind's eyes almost glowed. "Get the sword, I mean. Is it lost?"
"Not exactly. It's with the Great Deku Tree, resting and restoring power. But I can't just draw it. It let me wield it for a short time when Link… when we first fought the Calamity, but only to take it to safety. Only Link can wield it now."
"Well." Wind grinned. "Good thing you've got a Link right here!"
The sun was barely rising when they arrived at the edge of the Lost Woods, Wind clinging onto Zelda's back as she guided a golden mare up the path.
"Are you ok?" Zelda had to surpress a yawn. "The Woods can be kind of… eerie, at the best of times. And based on what Link told me, your era doesn't have a lot of forests."
"I'll be fine. Woods are just trees, and trees love me." Wind tried to not look too hard at the ominous mist or worry about the crackle of branches moving with no wind. "The Great Deku Tree and me? We're besties." That might have been a slight stretch. But the tree was, at least, the only keeper of a goddess pearl that had been able to speak to Wind directly in Hylian. Plus Wind had saved him.
"Really? I wonder if it is the same tree that grows here." Zelda dismounted, helping Wind off the horse. "He is quite ancient, though it doesn't feel polite to say that."
"I'll try not to tell him you said that." Wind grinned, trying to set her at ease. Zelda looked one broken twig away from collapsing or possibly snapping in half herself. "If it slips out you can just blame me for being a kid or something." He didn't like playing the kid card, but she did seem upset…
Zelda shook her head. "Strange… when I read your stories as a child, I always pictured you as... well, an adult. In the way a child a few years older than you is an adult." She laughed. "I suppose you are tens of thousands years older than me."
"Whoa, whoa, back up." Wind had to resist bouncing a bit. "You read stories? About me?!"
"Well, Royal records." Zelda turned pink. "I probably shouldn't tell you too much, tampering with the past is probably not allowed."
Wind considered this intensely. "Do we find a new land?"
Zelda was now red as a rupee. "I shouldn't—"
"C'mon, I'm the hero, you can tell me! Tetra is all wound up because the crew keeps calling her Queen Tetra."
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "The crew does?"
"Ok I do. But only when it's funny. Which is all the time!" Wind cackled, wincing when the trees echoed it back. "Does Queen Tetra get a land?"
"Let's just say the Royal records are a mess. There were several Royal families at one point, probably because of, you know, the time travel." Zelda's eyes sparked. "The Tetran dynasty is where the royal blue I wear came from. Apparently one of their kings was fond of it."
Wind was about to reply when her words registered, making him flush and snap his mouth shut. Tetra would have liked this Zelda, he bet. The trees suddenly parted around a hollow log, letting them through into a sun-speckled clearing. The Master Sword was slotted in a stone under the watchful gaze of a massive wooden face. Wind had just enough time to realize that must be the Great Deku Tree before he was swarmed by Koroks, making Zelda laugh.
"Mister Hero! Mister Hero is back!" One landed on his head. "Mister Hero got shorter!"
"Hey! I am growing!" Wind tucked into a roll, making Koroks scatter from him like leaves. "We can't all be giants like the Hero of Time."
"You have returned—" A deep voice rumbled from the face, making Wind quickly release the Korok he had in a headlock and straighten up. "Oh, but you are not the Hero of the Wilds."
Wind shrugged. "Close but no. The Champ is still off doing… something. But I figured it'd be ok for me to borrow the Master Sword, aye?" He looked up at the massive face, remembering belatedly to give a little bow like Orca had taught him to show respect. The Tree laughed quietly, or quietly for a giant tree.
"Not the Hero I expected, but a Hero nonetheless." He shifted to ancient Hylian. "Well met, Friend of My Father."
Zelda startled. "Wait, what was that?"
"Err, I think the tree I knew was his dad," Wind whispered back.
"You SPEAK ancient Hylian?"
"Just understand. Long story." Wind raised his voice again. "May I take the Master Sword, Great Deku Tree?"
"It is not my permission which you need, Friend-of-my-Father. The Sword alone judges who may wield her." The Great Deku Tree shifted back to modern Hylian. "Be warned, my dreams led me to believe the Hero of Wilds would be coming to claim this sword. She may test you before you are allowed to wield her."
Wind thought, briefly, of how his version of the Master Sword was embedded in Ganondorf's head at the bottom of the ocean. "That's fair." He stepped forward to the sword dais. "Hi, me again! Er. May I… please borrow you?"
He put his hand on the sword.
Nothing.
Wind pulled. The sword slid cleanly free, longer and heavier than he recalled, chiming as he held it up to the sunlight. He grinned at Zelda before stumbling. The blade was definitely longer than he remembered. A voice faintly echoed in Wind's ears.
You are not the Hero of the Wild. A pause. It has been some time, Hero of the Winds.
"Er, yep. Sorry, do you, uh… remember me?"
I remember all hands which have wielded me.
"Uh. And do you… remember what happened… last time?" Wind tugged at his collar, acutely aware of Zelda and the Great Deku Tree listening to his side of the conversation.
The Hero of the Wilds, used me to chop down apple trees so he would not have to climb them for fruit.
"Ah, but I meant, the last thing that I—"
He also used me to break ore deposits. A chime that might have been a laugh from anyone else but a sacred sword. Do you wish to claim that leaving me in the ocean to maintain a seal on the corpse of the evil one known as Ganondorf, using me to defeat darkness, as is my sworn purpose, is somehow a worse crime than using my sacred blade once to clean the scales from a salmon?
"He what—no! I just meant, uh. If you had to… test me? Or are we good?"
We are "good", Hero of the Winds. You have already passed any test I might set by restoring my power once. My blade has once more grown dull, but I will serve you as faithfully as I can.
"Good. Uh." He looked up at the others. "Sword says we're good to go."
"Be cautious, both of you." The Deku Tree frowned. "I sense great evil arising in Hyrule. One you may know, yet also strange."
"Strange is pretty much the norm." Wind tapped his shoulder. "Like this sheath? Wasn't even here a few seconds ago."
"I can't believe these ruins have been under Hyrule Castle the whole time!"
Zelda seemed much more cheerful, Wind thought. They had returned to Lookout Landing, as the new settlement was called, and been lectured by Purah for ten minutes before she actually called the guards on them to force Zelda to get some sleep. Apparently some bribery had been involved, as Zelda now had a full ten hours of rest under her belt, and a new slate similar to the one Wild used that hung from said belt. Wind had tried not to complain. He half hoped he would wake up to Hyrule throwing himself across the bed or Four returning his Phantom Sword.
No such luck. The Master Sword remained, hanging on the end of the cot where he had left it. Wind realized how used he had become to seeing the sword with Sky—having it be sort of "his" again felt almost wrong. Wind wondered why only he had been taken, and why to Wild's world instead of his own.
Would he be able to get back to them, once this ended?
He just had to focus on the task at hand. Zelda needed help, people were in trouble. Wild would have helped, but Wild wasn't here. While Wind was no knight, Purah had begrudgingly acknowledged that the Master Sword had accepted Wind's heroic credentials, and she therefore had to as well. He had descended under the castle with Zelda, following trails of black-red smog that made Wind's eyes water.
Zelda was apparently having the time of her life. She kept rushing ahead to take pictures of the ruins and ramble about ancient civilizations. "This statue seems to depict the Zonai, a race of godlike beings from before the founding of Hyrule!"
Wind looked at the giant ears. "Were they like, the gods of hearing or something?"
"The legends aren't clear, they just say 'godlike'." Zelda snapped a photo. "It's said the Zonai had a prosperous civilization in the sky and then founded Hyrule."
"I thought Tetra and… others… founded Hyrule." Wind felt the tiniest bit miffed that someone else would take credit for founding the country his definitely-just-a-friend founded. And a civilization in the sky? Ok sure that was pretty much exactly describing Sky's home, but still! Sky was not a giant ear-god! "You said the records said that."
"I said there were multiple royal families. Time travel, remember? Maybe these beings founded a little kingdom that combined with the others to form our… or I guess I should say my, Hyrule." She leaned down to look at some runes. "Hey, is this the same ancient Hylian you can understand?"
Wind squinted, gesturing for her to move the torch closer. The swirling script looked nothing like the ancient Hylian he was used to, almost like little pictures. "Nope." He frowned when a faint blue glow joined the torchlight. The Master Sword seemed to shiver in anticipation as he drew it, though the sword hadn't spoken since they left the woods. The blade glowed a bright blue. "Be on guard. Something's up."
A few carved archways later he found some Keese, slicing them out of the air a bit clumsily. The Master Sword was longer than his Phantom Sword, and he hadn't had much time to adjust to the new length. Why was it longer? Hadn't she fit in his hand pretty easily on his adventure? Weirder and weirder. Hopefully Zelda wouldn't notice his awkwardness. Wind stabbed the last bat with a hyah for added flourish to cover any stumbling.
Zelda still scuttled to him, checking him for injury, but he waved her off in annoyance. "Sheesh, I'm fine. I know how to fight!"
Zelda had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry, I know you're quite capable, but you seemed to be moving a little hesitantly." Oh she had definitely noticed him struggling with the sword. "Monsters beneath the castle isn't a good sign, but it has been abandoned for some time I suppose."
"The castle in my time—uh, the old one—was full of baddies. A lot worse than a few bats too." Wind sheathed the Master Sword carefully. "Just stay close and I'll protect you!"
Zelda looked up, gasping. "Oh! Look at these murals!" And she was off with the torch, leaving Wind to run behind her. He was honestly barely listening, a little worried about how hard it had been to swing the Master Sword. He'd assumed that having a sword in hand would make him feel more confident. Yet now, he was beginning to worry. His normal swift, acrobatic style would be no good with this longer sword.
He wondered, again, why it had been only him who got pulled through the portals.
"Oh, Hero of the Wind, look at this!" Zelda had moved pretty far down the wall while explaining the story depicted. Wind jogged to her.
"You can just call me Sailor, you know. That's what the guys do."
Zelda blushed. "Er… I suppose. I was just excited to get to spend time with a legendary Hero." She whirled back to the mural. "But look at this, Sailor! These murals depict a figure stealing something of incredible power from the young kingdom… and then this depicts the Demon King, and a fierce battle against him!"
"Wait. This guy…" Wind's mouth went dry, looking at the theif. The sword on his back felt like it was humming.
The sword's reaction made sense—he had left his version of that very same sword in the forehead of the man in the mural.
"This is Ganondorf…" Wind coughed as a wisp of gloom sucked into his mouth. "Zelda, I hate to say Purah's right, but maybe…"
"Are you kidding? This is an incredible discovery!" Zelda fumbled for the Purah Pad, making Wind have to dive to catch the torch before she dropped it. She snapped a few more photos before frowning at a rock fall. "Oh, but the rest are obscured. I don't suppose you could—"
"I don't have my bomb bag." She gave Wind a horrified look. "Oh. Oh you meant I could move them? No, I wasn't wearing my power bracelets when I came through the portal, sorry."
"Maybe there's more murals ahead. Come on Sailor, let's head deeper!" She set off towards a side door. Wind noticed the gloom was getting thicker as they worked their way down the steep tunnel. He drew the Master Sword again; the blade was heavy, but it gave him some comfort as the darkness grew more oppressive. At length, the tunnel was lit by blue and green, emanating from a chamber at the end. Wind kept himself in front of the Princess, wary of an ambush. Wild would be furious if Wind let anything get the jump on his Zelda.
A massive spiral of light filled the huge room, focusing down on a platform in the center. "What is that?" Zelda's voice shook. Wind gripped the sword's handle so hard that it hurt.
A mummified giant stood, almost bent entirely backwards, held in place by a glowing disembodied arm. Long red hair spilled around its feet. The spiral seemed to be coming from the arm, which suddenly crumpled upon their approach. A small, glowing gem skittered from the arm's jewelry, coming to rest against Zelda's boot. She knelt to pick it up, the gem flaring with light at her touch.
The corpse seized. Its eyes burned.
A tidal wave of dark ichor shot out, swooping towards the Princess.
Wind lunged in the way, raising the sword with both hands, but too slow, too slow!
Pain.
PainpainpainpainPAIN.
Wind screamed, clutching his right arm as a second wave of gloom crashed forth. He swung the Master Sword wildly, splitting the attack in two.
The blade shattered in his hands.
A sliver shot out, lodging itself in the bucking mummy's chest. The monster hissed as gloom bubbled like blood from the wound.
"Was that the sword that seals darkness? Pathetic." The mummy began to straighten, spine clicking into position. "A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me, Zelda…"
Wind's arm burned. He felt inches from collapse, as if the life was being sucked from his body. He could not feel the handle of the Master Sword, could barely see through the tears. Zelda cried out his name, but he didn't flinch.
"It's stopped you once, Ganondorf." His voice shoukd have been heroic, confident, but the words came out as a squeak. Wind raised the nub of the sword, pointing it at the mummy. Recognition flared in the demonic eyes, the bared teeth almost smiling.
"Ah yes… the one who bears a dull and lightless sword… Link…"
For a second Wind was no longer in a cave but in a fortress, holding a dying blade and facing the man who had kidnapped his sister. But the corpse facing him was even less a man than before, and the blade was beyond mere fading. Ganondorf laughed.
"They all put their faith in you… and that was the best you could do?"
"How do you know our names?!" Zelda staggered back. Wind thought of Tetra, of how Ganondorf knew, how he always knew—
A surge of power shot out of the mummy, making the room shake and spin. Wind instinctively turned, intending the drag Zelda away from the epicenter of the quake, and watched in horror as the ground split at his feet.
Zelda's eyes met his for a split second, then she fell.
Wind should have thought about how he didn't have his Deku Leaf. He should have thought about how he was turning his back to Ganondorf. He should have taken a second to think things through.
But all he saw was Wild's face as he cooked, telling them about his Zelda, how smart she was, how kind and brave. How the love he had for her simply poured off him in waves, making even Sky sigh wistfully.
He saw Tetra, brave and bold, holding out her hand to him as they fought for their lives against a maniac. He reached out his hand towards her—
He saw his sister, fading into the distance as a monstrous bird carried her away, and he jumped.
Wind dove down, the Master Sword left behind, hand reaching out as the faces of all those he loved cleared and coalesced into Zelda's as she plummeted into the dark. His fingers brushed hers, shooting pain through his damaged arm as he grabbed, missed—
Her eyes widened, a glow enveloping her, and she was gone.
Wind felt his downward momentum jerk to a halt, something grabbing his other arm. The breath was driven from his lungs, neck whipping around in time to see the glowing arm holding onto him, brightening to a blinding brilliance, and then nothing at all.