Four horrors, one brother

by Worried_Mouse

Summary:

Legend was fine. Even if one of his brothers looks exactly like the foe he faced in the palace of the four sword.

Link, now Legend, was pretty unhappy when the group of other heroes appeared at his door. But he had to do his job so he reluctantly went on another adventure.

He wasn’t used to traveling with others, sometimes they’d find a new hero too, but he guesses it could be worse. He kind of likes these guys, even if he wants to stab the captain from time to time.

That was until they met the smithy. The small hero opened the door of his house, greeting the group with a customer service smile, and Legend froze.

He looked exactly like the figures he faced in the palace of the four sword. Even the four colors on his tunic were the same as each of the smithy clones he fought and killed.

But… it couldn’t be him, right? No, definitely not. There is only one smithy, after all.

Even if he adopted the name of Four.

So no, Legend wasn’t worried. Absolutely not. And if it makes it easier he’ll just avoid bonding with the new hero…

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

…Ah fuck they became friends.

 

Four gawked at Legend’s collection of weapons, the group having arrived at his home.

“These are of spectacular quality! Where did you even get those?” The smith asked as he ran his finger over the flat side of one of Legend’s many swords.

 

“I’m not telling you.” Legend huffed as he stole the sword from Four’s hands.

“You’ll want to go on a whole adventure just to speak to the smith.”

 

“What? I’m not that obsessed with smithing!” Four defended. Legend just looked at him.

“…Ok maybe I’m a little obsessed. Can a man not have a hobby?”

 

“Addiction. It’s an addiction at this point.” Legend said, not meeting the smiths gaze as he placed the sword back where it belonged.

 

Four grinned.

“So we don’t have to call your gathering hobby a hobby anymore then?” He asked, pointing behind him to piles and piles of ‘artifacts’.

 

Legend glared at him, walking towards him and standing pretty close, forcing Four to look up to see his face.

“Watch it, shorty.” He hissed.

 

Four punched him below the belt. Legend yelped and fell to the ground.

“Ok.” Four said as bubbly and kindly as he could.

 

“Good one…” Legend squeaked.

Funnily enough though, He could almost forget how much Four looked like the most horrible foes he ever faced

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Legend had basically forgotten about Four’s likeness to the monsters of the four sword palace. When he looked at the smith he just saw a brother.

But then a battle went wrong. Most of the chain were down, two injured gold lynels were the only monsters left and Legend and Four, also wounded, were the only ones left standing.

Legend was struggling to hold his own against his lynel, Four was similarly struggling.

 

“We need to retreat!” Legend said as he blocked another of the beast’s attacks with a grunt.

 

“And leave the others?!” Four shouted back, being interrupted as he had to dodge a fireball.

“We can’t carry them out of here!” He said, nodding back towards the seven unconscious heroes.

 

“What do we do then?! Drop dead here?!” Legend snapped.

 

Four, still fighting his opponent, was in quiet thought for a moment.

“We need backup.” He said eventually. He stepped back and raised his sword high.

Legend felt the magic in the area, so similar to the magic he felt in the palace of the four sword. He couldn’t look around without being struck by the lynel, but he was certain he already knew what that magic did.

When he saw two Fours, both in a different colored tunic, the sound of two more fighting the other lynel, he felt a chill go down his spine.

Four was the foe he faced.

Four was the foe he killed in that cursed palace.

Four was his brother, saving him and his other brothers from the two lynels.

And Four was also his enemy, the toughest foe he had ever faced, one that almost killed him.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Time?” Four asked, approaching the eldest of the group as the man was polishing his armor.

 

“Yes, Four? Am I polishing my armor wrong?” He asked with a smile, making Four chuckle.

 

“No, no. Unlike some of the others you actually know what you’re doing. No I wanted to ask if you noticed Legend acting weird lately?” The smith asked, glancing back at the veteran.

Legend was sitting at the edge of camp, arms crossed and one finger tapping his arm nervously. He kept glancing to Four, giving an awkward smile when they accidently made eye contact, then he swiftly looked away again.

 

Time paused his polishing. He also looked at the veteran and let out a thoughtful hum.

“He has been acting a bit more paranoid as of late. But we had that battle a few days ago. Those lynels almost killed us. Maybe he’s a bit shaken.”

 

Four frowned, remembering how Legend looked at him with this horrified stare when he had separated into the colors. He had rushed to explain and Legend seemed to listen but he looked at him so differently after that.

“I… the battle was tough and I think I did something that scared him.” Four said quietly.

 

Time looked at him questioningly.

“Is that so?” a nod.

“Hm. Maybe try talking to him? Maybe if he understands he won’t be as worried.”

 

“…Maybe.” Four said. Time gave a hum and continued polishing his armor. Four realized the old man wasn’t going to let him avoid the conversation with Legend by talking to him.

He sighed and walked to the veteran. He saw Legend twitch.

“Legend?”

 

“…Four.” Legend replied, not turning to meet his eyes.

 

Four shuffled his feet awkwardly and took a breath.

“Can we talk in private? About a few days ago?”

Legend froze for a second. Four let him mull over his words.

The veteran ended up just giving a quiet nod, wordlessly grabbing his sword and walking into the forest.

Four let out a relieved sigh and grabbed his own blade before following.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Legend’s mind was running wild. Ever since he saw Four become four his head wouldn’t stop screaming at him. Something was going to happen to Four. The smith wasn’t an evil person but in that cursed palace it was clearly him that almost cost the veteran his life.

He thought of the boomerang and blade from the green one, making no corner safe as skin was cut open. The fire magic from the red one that burned his flesh. The massive hammer wielded by the blue one that crushed his bones. And the bow sending a hail of arrows at him shot by the purple one.

 

“I’m glad you agreed to talk.” Four said with a smile, snapping Legend back to reality.

 

“Sure. What is it?” Legend said, carefully neutral. Four’s smile faltered at the tone but he continued talking.

 

“Well, I noticed you’ve been acting weird since the… Lynel incident. Did…” Four thought about his words for a moment.

“Did my splitting ability scare you?”

Legend took a breath. The face of the brother in front of him also the face of the enemy.

What was going to happen to the small hero? Was he going to get corrupted? Would it hurt? Could it be prevented?

“Legend?” Four asked. Ah, he had been silent for a while. Legend opened his mouth to answer but only cursed when a portal appeared beneath their feet.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Legend hit the floor first. Four fell on top of him and Legend tossed the small smith off of him as if the contact burned him.

The others didn’t appear. Looks like they were far enough away for the portals to split them up.

Four stood and looked around. It didn’t take long for him to notice the mosaic of four swords on the floor. They looked exactly like the four sword when he split.

He knelt down, running a finger along the colored stones. It was clearly his sword that it was supposed to represent. His other hand ghosted over the hilt of the four sword.

He was about to ask if Legend knew where they were when he gasped, a sharp pain going through his body as the tip of Legend’s blade emerged from his chest. He turned his head just enough to see the veteran in the corner of his eyes.

“…Le-gnd…” he managed to force out, blood bubbling out of his mouth.

Legend, looking panicked, pulled his sword free with one swift move. Four collapsed forward to the stone floor. He gasped, his vision darkening quickly. The ringing in his head defining the world around him as he faded.

 

- - - -

 

Legend had barely registered the fact that he had ended up in that cursed room when Four fell on him. He threw him off of him immediately but he struggled to stand, too afraid of what this room would do to him this time.

He saw Four observing the mosaic. Right behind him stood the dark lizard, it’s red eyes staring at the smith, reaching its hands out to corrupt the hero.

It hadn’t noticed Legend yet. And although the veteran wanted to call out to warn the smith it might create more danger.

So he quietly but quickly snuck behind the two. Then he readied his sword, stabbing at the dark.

It turned its head and grinned with sick joy. Then it faded away. An illusion.

And Legend looked in horror as his sword was stabbed through Four’s back, far enough to emerge from the front.

 

“…Le-gnd…” Four managed to say softly, blood dripping from his mouth. Legend panicked and pulled his sword free despite knowing one should never do that. The smith fell forward with a gasp.

 

“Four?” Legend said with trembling voice. Four didn’t reply. In fact, he didn’t make a noise at al. He lay on the ground still as a corpse, blood flowing from under him in a crimson pool.

“No, no, no, FOUR!” Legend fell to his knees, shaking the smith. No response. He turned him around, seeing the spot where his blade had emerged and damaged the smith’s tunic.

Right through the heart.

Four’s eyes were open and unmoving. And Legend realized he was holding a corpse.

He grabbed his bag and rummaged through his items. He has been on so many adventures. Surely he had one thing in this stupid bag that could save Four? Please, let there be something!

He was so focused on finding a solution that he didn’t notice the shadow looming above him. He looked up just in time to see the dark lizard, the real one this time, standing over him, four sword in hand.

The beast raised it skyward.

And black smoke floated from Four’s body.

“Fuck no!” Legend shouted, jumping up and slicing at the lizalfos’s exposed belly. It didn’t attempt to dodge, instead keeping the sword raised where it stood.

And then both Four and the four sword disappeared in black smoke rising to the ceiling.

The lizalfos let out a cackling laugh before stepping away. It used its magic to create a small portal, step through, and close the portal again before Legend could follow.

Legend cursed as the dark gate vanished when he was only a hair’s length away.

He stood in this room, the exit locked, the floor still red with his brother’s blood, and no brother.

He shrieked in horror and anger, bashing his fist on the floor until it bled. He screamed until his voice gave out. And then he tried to scream more until his vision became spotty. When he no longer had the breath he collapsed on his side and sobbed.

He didn’t know how long it took. But eventually the door opened and his brothers walked through, worried sick when they saw the blood on the floor and Legend a bit further away on his side gasping and sobbing.

 

“Legend!” They shouted, Hyrule the first to reach him and worriedly calling on his life spell, getting confused when he only found damaged knuckles.

They were confused but Legend was in no condition to explain, barely managing to gasp for air.

So instead they tried to figure out what happened by looking around the room. They quickly noticed the mosaic on the floor representing their smithy’s sword, the pool of blood where it looked like there was a body before, and the blood on Legend’s blade.

Then they realized the mark in the blood was that of a small body. And the group was missing only one person.

 

“Legend?” Time started, his voice carefully neutral.

“Where is Four?”

 

Legend started screaming again.

Notes:

Eh, I wrote this in one go while I should be asleep. I hope you enjoyed the story anyways.