Chapter Text
—
Weakness gets you killed.
That was one of the first things Link learned.
Even as an infant, cursed with a sickness in his blood beyond his control, his weakness took the lives of the only people in the world willing to call him family.
Yet as a dying father crawls up the steps of the ancient fountain, the site of a long forgotten Síthean, with infant cold and silent in hand, the man mustered an impossible amount of strength to pray one last time.
To give the newborn a chance.
No goddess would hear the final whispers of the man…
But a faerie would.
And for the first time in millennia, an exception was made.
Glittering silver poured out from the outstretched hand, as a court gathered around to witness the miracle.
Cold ruby mixed with enchanting gray, and a tiny heart beat once more.
On the young child's back, a pair of fragile wings sprouted.
In Emerald and Crimson Gossamer.
—
“Sorry, but you can't just do that and expect us NOT to freak out!” Twilight was in full mother cucco mode, pacing around like a mad man and raving complaints at the two heroes.
Hyrule, to his own credit, had absolutely no regrets. And if the smug grin on Wild's face told him anything, the champion likely had none of his own either.
Still, that wasn't going to get them out of a scolding any time soon.
“You both jumped into a ravine you knew was full of monsters and didn't tell anyone!”
The brunette made a point to snap his fingers for the rancher's attention, barely choking back his shit-eating snickers as he signed. “We left a note.”
It was like the wolf man was mere seconds away from popping a blood vessel, and the traveler could barely keep it together. Of course, if such a thing did happen, he'd rush to help his ailing brother in a heartbeat!
But as of right now, there has yet to be a cure made for being a wet blanket.
Twilight was now actively holding himself back from wringing their throats, and probably would've kept chewing them out till sundown had an armored hand rested on his shoulder.
“Pup, there's no point.” Time shakes his head, and he was playing dirty with the signature disappointed look.
The farm hand sputtered at the dismissal. “I- so were just supposed to let them do this?!”
At this, Time shakes his head again, dramatically sighing forlorn. “If we can't keep this from happening again, I suppose we'll have to keep them where we can see them.” The old man rubs at his chin. “Im sure Four would be willing to fashion some kind of person sized leash…”
He wouldn't …
A grin of his own drifted onto the Hero for Time's face, easily conveying ‘oh yes I would.’
“Ok- ok! Understood!” Wild salutes from where he sat, Hyrule quickly following suit and waving a pretend white flag.
Scolding finally concluded, the healer dramatically flopped next to Legend with a huff, burying his head in his knees.
“Can you believe them?? Wild just wanted to show me one of the springs.” He bemoaned, only to be met with a pitiless laugh from his fellow hero.
“If you numbnuts hadn't been so impatient, we would've gotten there by sundown anyway! Don't blame others for your own stupidity, sprig.”
He glowered at the nickname. Traitors don't get to use the nickname.
Instead, Hyrule glanced up at the veteran, carefully eyeing the distracted pink haired man. He was half paying attention to Rulie and half focused on the book in his hands, idly sipping at the small cup of tea at his side.
Veerrryyy carefully, Hyrule thumbed through his bag before easily locating his target. A small satchel he almost never had to use, but he kept handy anyway.
For two reasons, of course. 1, emergencies. 2, pranks.
He didn't dare do more than stick a single finger into the bag, tightly closing his airways as the tip came back out with a light dusting of finely grounded powder.
Just a little tap to the side of the glass, nowhere near where Legend would put his mouth to the cup, but close enough that the effect would still work.
Hyrule quickly dug the finger still coated in the stuff into the dirt and finally released his breath.
He leaned away as to not be in the range of the smell, and bit back a smile as the veteran raised the cup to his face again.
The smelling salt worked in an instant, the man's face screwing up like he'd been socked in the face and jerking his head back with a shout, fumbling with his book and furiously wiped at his nose.
“MOTHER FUCKER- What the shit, Rule!” He screamed, flinging the offending cup to the ground as Hyrule cackled out silent laughter.
Wind had been about to check on the commotion when Four slowly tugged the sailor back into his seat. “Don't, Sprig is on a warpath. Better to not get caught in the crossfire.”
Amber irises locked onto the multicolored man with a wicked gleam. Gray eyes shifted an array of colors at the menacing smirk from the traveler.
Oh if thats how its gonna be, your next smithy!
He didn't even break eye contact with the blond before shifting into his faerie form, darting off into the woods and out of sight. Already, Four was panicking, frantically glancing around for the chime of his laughter or the fluttering of dragonfly wings. Everyone else either laughed at the blacksmith’s impending doom or shook their heads in disappointment.
A mischievous voice in his head declared they were all going on the list later. For now, the hero could stew in his anxiety.
Instead of enacting his revenge immediately, Hyrule chose to flit off into the woods. Ok yes he did just get yelled at for wandering off, but he wasn't going far!
Wild had mentioned a fountain nearby, and he was eager to see some friendly faces.
The Síthean was bursting with life, so unlike the realms he grew up in. Color and light danced around the mound as a giant flower stood at its center, petals unfurling to reveal a majestic pool.
Just as he fluttered into the clearing, dozens of sprite sisters swarmed him, all eagerly chattering with the new stranger. His blood thrummed with energy at the attention, flecks of silver and red warming his face in embarrassment.
Before he could even get a word in, a large splash of water drew everyone's attention to the fountain, where a towering giantess burst from the pool. Her laughter echoed across the forest, jovial and deeply laced with a magic that washed over him like a warm hug.
The great faerie's eyes glistened with magic as she met his own gaze, a smile bright enough to rival even the largest stars in the skies.
“Deartháir níos óige, such a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from the leanaí.”
Hyrule wasn't sure he could blush any harder. Still, with nervous chimes, he bowed in reply to the elder. “It's an honor, Lady Mija. My sisters have spoken much of your greatness, as has my hylian brother.”
The faerie's luscious purple curls bounced as she laughed uproariously. “Ohoho! I simply must thank the young hero, then. I'm already indebted to him for cleaning up that atrocious malice from this place.”
She sighed wistfully as a soft breeze blew through the valley. “Akala is simply much more fitting for me than the cold chill of Hebra, and it never does well to be away from home.”
The traveler made a mental note to pass the great faerie's thanks onto Wild. It isn't every day that an Aos sí owes a debt to a mortal.
Then again… if anyone could manage to casually collect favors from demigods like spare rupees, it would be the champion.
Introductions out of the way, several sprites began pushing him towards the fountain's pool.
Play with us!
Tell us about your travels!
Rest your wings!
“Girls, girls!” A small voice squeaked up at the cloud of winged creatures. Standing at the lip of the pond, a nimble lady stood barely a foot tall. Ink black hair flowed from her head and down to her legs, adorned in a veil of similar length that obscured her face from view. “Your eagerness is going to scare the poor boy.”
Green dragonfly wings dove in front of the spirit, Hyrule eagerly grabbing and shaking the elf-faerie's hand. “You're an Ellyllon, right? I've only been able to read about them- is it your enchantment disguising the Síthean? It's fascinating craftsmanship!”
Large black orbs blinked at him through the veil before she barked out a cackle. “Maybe you don't need my help. Glad to see you'll fit right in with the other chatterboxes.”
A single large finger ghosted the top of his head, gently tousling his brown curls. “Now now, little one.” Mija's melodic voice soothed his bubbling excitement to a trickle. “Im certain keeping this form is taking its toll on you. Why not revert and take a dip? Just a quick splash to rejuvenate your magic stores.”
He swears, all great faeries he's met treat him like a child. He huffs and puffs at the coddling, but releases his transformation nonetheless, careful to avoid squishing anyone.
If he'd been anywhere else, the idea of pulling off his baggy tunic would set every nerve in his body alight with panic. The slim chance that someone could actually see what laid hidden underneath is what had been fueling his paranoia for years.
And that paranoia has kept him alive.
Now, however, he knew he was in the company of beings who would never share what they see, the scars that have haunted him- will haunt him for however much longer he remains on this plane.
Still, he was quick with discarding his tunic and sinking into the sacred pool, wishing desperately to ignore the small gasps and whispers from his brethren. If a few of the sprites and the Ellyllon chose to spend their time gently resting at his side, he had no reason to turn them away.
A bone deep weariness practically melted out of him as he soaked in the pond, aches and pains he hadn't even noticed fading away into mere memories. Though, as much as a little voice in the back of his mind urged him to remain just a little longer, he still chose to stand tugging his tunic over his head once more.
Jagged scars seemed much more tolerable to the coarse fabric stifling them after the bath.
Dozens of little sprites chimed at him, pleading to have him stay with them for the evening, but he knew his hylian brothers would get worried if he was gone any longer.
He bowed once more to the great faerie Mija, who brushed off the formality with a chuckle, and was just about to turn and head back to camp when an idea tickled at his mind.
A scheming grin on his face, he turned to his sisters one more time and chimed out. “Are there any Minish villages nearby?”
Later, when Four found the entirety of his belonging sprawled out on the ground and every item tied to each other with a variety of knots, he'd go on to wax poetic about betrayal and traitorous mice and how he was absolutely not helping the woodland creatures the next time their blupees got out of their pens.
Four knew Hyrule had been the instigator, of course. If the glare of sharp sapphire said anything, it was a warning that there would be consequences.
A challenge if you will.
Hyrule merely smiled with an innocent air that practically screamed ‘try me’.
—
Stumbling into Warriors's Hyrule right in the middle of a festival was not what the chain had been expecting.
And when Legend said ‘in the middle’ he meant it literally. All nine of them had been unceremoniously dumped in a heap smack dab in the middle of bustling crowds and roaring music.
If the fall straight onto stone paved roads hadn't given him a migraine, he was certain that the deafening commotion surrounding them would've done the job just fine.
He swore under his breath as he stood, barely managing to avoid getting trampled in the attempt, and turned to see the rest of the chain in a similar state of shellshock.
From the quiet and peaceful hills of Wild's Akala to screeching festivities on the streets of Wars's Castle Town. It was like a dozen bombs going off next to his ears, and with this group, that was something he was easily qualified to compare with.
Legend immediately jumped over to his successor, already catching the hero's overwhelmed terror at all the noise. Briefly, the veteran took note of the others similarly grounding the rest of those among them who were unaccustomed to the chaos of the city. Wild was entranced in a state of fight or flight similar to the traveler's while Wind tightly anchored himself to Time's side in fear of being swept away by the crowds. Twilight was gnashing at his canines, already grasping his ears tightly in an attempt to block out every shout and blare of an instrument that sent a jolt down the rancher's spine.
“It's the Summer Solstice!” Wars shouted to the group. “We can head to the palace, it's practically empty at this time of day!”
That's all Legend needed to hear to be convinced. Personal issues with castles be damned, he wasn't spending another second out in the streets with all of these maniacs parading around. Not without enough alcohol in his system to kill a hinox, anyway.
It was pure bliss as they waded through the streets into the castle courtyard, barely anyone mulling about and blessedly far away enough from the festival that his ears weren't ringing from the aftershock of all the musicians screaming into their instruments.
Seriously, whoever that clarinet player was, they were on thin ice. He could still hear the woodwind's broken notes begging for mercy.
A sizable distance from the festivities, most of the chain finally began to relax again. Hyrule and Wild were at least back from wherever they usually disassociated to during chaos like that.
Yet one of their party was still stiff as a board. Warriors pointedly refused to look anywhere but the ground as he muttered under his breath while they walked (was he praying?). The captain was making a beeline to his dwellings in the castle, practically rushing the group like they were in a battlefield.
A pit of dread grew roots in his stomach as he realized what must have made the hero so nervous, and was quickly proven correct as a voice shouted after their group mere meters from the front door of Warrior's apartment.
“Captain Link, just where do you think you're going?” General Impa called out from the end of the hallway.
Warriors swore something under his breath so foul it had Wind cackling, Time barely managing to slap a hand over the sailors mouth as the captain frantically stitched back together his composure before turning to the general with a poised porcelain smile.
“General Impa! It's a pleasure to see you again after so long away from home, but you simply must understand that myself and my brothers are exhausted from our travels, and we'll be spending the festivities resting-” Impa closed the distance in a few long strides, standing nearly a foot taller than the captain. She glowered at him with a look that could shatter weaker men, daring the perfect mask that the hero of warriors wore like a shield to crack.
“You all will be attending the garden party at sundown, especially with the spectacle you all made on your way in.”
Every single one of the Links held back respective groans of annoyance. None of them were built for the kinds of interactions these parties always entailed, and Legend had been so caught up in his desperation to get away from the bustling crowds to remember exactly why they avoided the palace in this era.
And they walked right into a trap.
Impa's command left no room for argument, so they were forced to relish in the brief respite between their arrival and when they'd inevitably be sent to the royal tailors.
At least they're not as strict about dress code as other places he tried to console himself, shuddering at memory of the abysmally complex conditions for clothing in Hytopia.
Still, it was clear no one was all that excited about the arrangement. Wars apologized for the third time in the last half hour, and Legend was so close to just cramming a sock down the captain's throat.
“I was so focused on getting us out of the crowds I had completely forgotten about the Solstice Eve gala. Maybe I could convince Artemis to just have me go-”
“Alright! That's it.’ Legend interrupted with a shout, making quick work of unbuckling the brass clasps on his boot before ripping the footwear off and hurling it at Warriors.
The prissy blond barely dodged the heel to the face, whirling around to the veteran with disbelief. “What-?!”
“Honestly, I was about to do the same.” Wind remarked, dragging his hands down his face. “Cap, we love ya, can ya please stop with the sorrys and just move on to the part where ya figure out how long we gonna be held captive at this damned thing.”
Several others nodded in agreement, most all too happy to see the captain shocked out of his guilt spiral with a vivid flush of embarrassment.
“I just- Well- all i-” he stammered, desperately fumbling with his usually well maintained guise of calm in favor of sending death glares to the snickering Hylians sitting on his couches.
“All of you fuckers. Every single one of you bastards are getting no help from me tonight.” The vulgar promise left most of them jumping at the threat and promptly swallowing their pride to apologize.
Legend just sat where he was situated on a loveseat. They all knew the captain was gonna find an out for them eventually, especially if he himself wanted nothing to do with the party.
If the veteran had to be honest, part of why he hated these functions in Warrior's era was because of what it did to the man.
Hours of kissing up to snooty nobles who wanted nothing more than the notoriety of his name. They all already knew how much masking took a toll on the older hero, how the social battlefront was a fight the captain could never seem to win.
Not to even mention all of the double crossing and backstabbing that happened in these social circles. A big reason for his own choice to remain unrelated to Fable in the public eye. Sure, he was still tossed around like a hacky sack for his title of hero, but it was leagues above how he'd be treated as some long lost prince.
Soon, the bell doth toll, and each of them were herded away to be fitted in outfits for the party.
He couldn't help but give a little cheer finding himself paired with Vanessa, a no nonsense seamstress who always gave him exactly what he wanted. The ivory braided woman smirked as he entered. “Thank Hylia they gave me the one who actually knows what he's talking about.”
“Ha ha, glad to hear I’m your favorite, you still owe me a drink for those Holodrum rubies I got you.”
The seamstress only smirked in response, reaching down behind a table to procure an aged green bottle with a fabulously decorated wax seal untouched.
At least this part of the night wasn't going to suck.
They shared glasses of Bordeaux while she worked on the pattern of a simple wine red dress that stretched down to his knees. The hem and shoulder straps were elegantly patterned with sprawling vines of gold and green.
Breathable and good looking, the best he could ask of any outfit.
The session ended far sooner than he would've liked, a part of him wanting to ditch the party all together and hang out with Nessa for the night. In the end, she shooed him out of the fitting room with the half empty bottle shoved into his hands.
“Ive got plans tonight, pinky, and they're gonna be a lot more entertaining than some stuffy old party.” She elbowed his side. “Though next time you're around, I wouldn't say no to some Gerudo topaz?”
“Ah yes, the most impeccable negotiation strategy. Kick your inebriated customer out with your alcohol leftovers and try to sweet talk them into handing over their valuables. Yaknow, you'd make a piss poor thief.” He snarked back.
“I guess I could keep an eye out for some, as long as you have the booze to back it up.”
She socked his shoulder with a wicked grin, already locking the fitting room door behind her before skipping down the hallway.
“Oh- be careful around the edges of the castle gardens, by the way!” She turned to warn. “It's pretty close to the south district, and some weird shit's been happening there.”
Legend only scoffed at the remark, the alcohol in his veins loosening his inhibition with every passing moment. “The only weird shit they're gonna be dealing with is me by the end of tonight. Fuckin hells, I aint lookin to remember anything by the time I wake up tomorrow.”
Vanessa cackled at the bold declaration, saluting as she rounded the corner. “And a happy Solstice to you too, pinky!”
Pinky? He'll show her, he aint some kind of house pet named pinky!
Wow this stuff was strong.
He merrily stumbled into Warrior's apartment, presently surprised to find he wasn't the only one finished with their outfits.
Wild was already dressed up in an elegant blue robe, motifs of snowflakes woven deep into the fabric. The flowing white leggings were the only thing that kept the outfit from matching him as a dress, but the flats were certainly high quality.
Wind was also already suited up, a bright blue buccaneer coat was altered to his measurements and paired well with the tan undershirt and black trousers.
Hyrule was the last to already be situated, though the traveler already had a formal outfit set aside in his belongings for occasions like this. All in part of the faerie's insistence that he not expose his bare body to anyone other than himself. The thought always tasted sour in his mouth, something akin to worry that would always prickle to life at the idea of whatever the healer could be hiding.
Whatever, his head felt far too fuzzy to pick that apart.
Regardless of it all, Hyrule's simple brown slacks and button up with a dark green vest did the job it set out to do.
That is making the man look slightly less homeless.
His attention was snapped back to the others present in the room as both rushed forward to admire his outfit.
Well, Wild was admiring his outfit. The sailor was far more interested in the bottle that Legend was holding.
“The stitching is great- Oh you got Nessa, didn't you! Ugh, I'm jealous. They tried to pair me with Mrs. Godan.”
Legend snorted. “As in ‘Mrs. God damn atrocious'? I pity you.”
“Yeah yeah, the tailor ladies are wack, you gonna share Lege?” Wind was faintly grasping at the bottle.
“Absoloutly not, Gully. This stuff is way too strong.”
Wind sputtered at the nickname. “Ya know damn well I can out-drink most of the group!”
“Uh, yeah, cause that half of us either have shit alcohol tolerance or have never drank, seagull brain.”
“SEAGULL BRAIN?!!” The sailor squawked at that one. Perfectly imitating a seagull, might he add.
“Alright, maybe we wean off the booze for the rest of the night.” Twilight plucked the bottle from the veterans hands, and damn this rancher he was holding it just out of reach.
“You can have it back in the morning.”
He scoffed at the farmhand. “When the hell did you get so lame, dog boy? Thought you were the one sneaking rum into the last one of these we got stuck in.”
Twilight seemed to prickle at the comment, standing rigid in his simple black dress shirt and pants, all the while still with that raggedy wolf pelt on his shoulders. “The fuck you sayin!? I'm plenty of fun.”
“I dunno bout that one.” Hyrule lazily signed, leaning on Legends shoulder. “You were a pretty big buzzkill the other day.”
Pure and utter disbelief flashed on his face. “There is a big difference between ‘having fun' and ‘throwing yourself into a hinox infested ravine’.”
“Sounds like a lot of talk for a wet blanket.” Wind chimed in.
A laughter echoed in from the entrance and Legend turned to see Sky dressed in an obnoxiously white tailcoat laced with blue swirls. The designer must've at least had some sense in them if they hiked up the bottom of the legs to make sure the blind guy didn't trip.
“As fun as bullying each other may be, the party is about to start. Everyone else is gonna meet us there.”
Ugh, that's right. The party.
Was it really a party if it felt like he was walking to his own funeral? Maybe he should've gone for black like Twi.
Free booze firmly placed on one of the highest shelves in the apartment (he totally could've gotten it, it was just too much effort and he was buzzed already) the group made their way out into the royal gardens.
The summer sun was already hanging low, bathing the world in a soft orange and pink hue as they stepped into the open. Hundreds of finely dressed people already milled about the courtyard, patches of flowers and bushes stretching its expanse all the way down to the city.
Suddenly, it was going to be a lot harder to find their friends.
Legend was happy for Hyrule hooking their arms together for support, his head was still a blurry mess and the only clear thought in his head was that he had not considered how awful heeled boots would be walking in grass.
Somewhere along the way, they'd decided to split off into pairs, each looking to find at least one of their brothers each.
Well, Hyrule was doing most of the searching. Legend was…
He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. This sometimes happens when he drinks too much.
But it has been one glass! Just how strong was this shit???
They skirted around the crowds of nobles and soldiers, the brunette flinching with each bush of the shoulder, and Legend’s fuzzy brain wanting to lash out every time something came near the boy.
Because apparently picking fights was the next part of the experience.
The veteran willed his brain back into the present, desperate to not be a useless drunk the whole night. He'd just caught sight of Warrior's familiar blue scarf in the crowd and was about to tug along Hyrule with him only-
Hyrule wasn't at his side anymore. The arm that had been linked to his own mere seconds ago had disappeared in the wind. He glanced around. Maybe Rulie had found Warriors himself and left a dazed Legend behind?
It only took a little more fumbling to break through the crowd and finally reach Wars, dressed in a prim and proper royal guard uniform and stuck in the middle of what seemed to be a heated debate between two wrinkly old bags.
Actually, it was less of a debate and more of a tug of war. And Warriors was the rope.
Something bottomed out in his stomach realizing he couldn't see any sign of familiar brown and green.
“Sorry, ladies. Gotta borrow the hero for a sec.” He managed to choke out without slurring his words, grappling the captain's shoulders and tugging him through the crowd back to where he'd last seen the traveler.
“Ow- Vet, you're still wearing your power bracelets- that hurts!” Wars yelps, and Legend releases his tight grip in an instant.
“Shit- sorry. I just-” he starts, only for Warriors's eyebrow to shoot up.
“Vet, are you already drunk??? Where the hell did you already get alcohol!"
Legend slams a hand on the captain's mouth. “Shutthefuckupforasecond- I can't find Hyrule.”
The warrior's face shifted from surprise to unimpressed in an instant. “Wow, not even half an hour into the party and we've already lost track of the faerie. This totally isn't going to go poorly.”
“No- Wars!” Legend was raising his voice now, whatever buzz he had left was quickly chased away by a sharp pang at his gut. Every part of him was screaming that something was wrong.
The captain finally seemed to recognize the veteran's seriousness, all playfulness washed out with a cold dread. “What happened then?”
“I just-” he stammered. “Sprig hates these kinds of events. Even if it was to go off to cause trouble, he'd have let someone know beforehand. Once second he was walking right next to me and then the next he was-”
The glare of the sun felt like a hammer to his skull and he winced, raising a hand to block the rays.
The sun is setting to his left… if that way is west then-
‘Be careful around the edges of the castle gardens! It's pretty close to the south district, and some weird shit's been happening there!’
He glanced behind him. The edge of the gardens wasn't even 10 feet away from where he stood.
Something as sharp as a blade cut through the drunken haze in his mind, a clarity fueled entirely by panic.
“Oh shit.”
“What?? What's going on, Lege.”
Legend was already moving. “Get the others, I don't care how, it's an emergency.”
He knew his voice was barbed with emotions. Rage, fear, guilt…
What mattered was that Wars listened, glancing over one last time before rushing back into the crowd.
Blessings be his refusal to ever leave behind his things, though all crammed into a much fancier magic bag that he only used for formal occasions, he quickly kicked off the heeled boots in favor of clicking on the brass clasps of his Pegasus boots.
He was tearing through the streets in seconds, fumbling with a bag of his rings until he finally pulled out the one he was looking for.
A single small and unimpressive band of silver (for Rulies sake) with a single red gem inlaid in the center. The ring had 8 matching pairs, each with their own corresponding colors.
Some time a few months back, after a nasty fight into a portal that had left Sky unconscious, the chain had been split up and scattered across Twilight's lost woods without any way to find each other. It had taken hours, all with each of them sporting various debilitating injuries, to find everyone again. Four had almost bled out in front of a panicked skull kid.
After that, Legend had spent weeks on crafting jewelry for every single one of them. Tracking rings that could ping the location of one of its pairs by flashing its respective color. The range was shit and most of the chain didn't wear the bands all the time, but they all understood the importance of keeping it on their persons.
Hyrule was one of the only Links who never took the ring off. After all, it was important to keep track of their healer.
Legend almost missed the quick flash of green in the glistening ruby, turning on his heel and frantically waving the ring around until another flash of green appeared.
He darted through alleys and in between shops, even rushing clear through one when he'd almost lost the signal.
The more he ran, the closer the outer wall of the city became.
No no no absolutely the fuck not.
He picked up the pace, storming through the crowds and shoving aside anyone in his way. The ring was getting brighter- brighter-!
A final sharp turn led him into a dead end alley. At the other end, limp and being dragged by the collar, was Hyrule. Two figures masked with a blank white cover stood facing the wall at the end, carving a sigil of some kind into the stone.
“GET YOUR GRIMEY FUCKING MITTS OFF MY BROTHER!” Legend screeched at the top of his lungs. He didn't wait for the strangers to turn around in surprise as he ripped his ice rod from his satchel.
The veteran unloaded his energy into the blast, the beam soaring past the figures before crashing into the wall, completely encasing it in ice.
Exit cut off, he turned to blast the one holding Hyrule when the other charged.
The only thing he could think was ‘shit, he's fast’ before a fist collided with his jaw.
His brain rattled around his skull as pain flashed hot in his jaw, and while it could've been the newly forming concussion or the booze still slowing his mind, he couldn't react to the next attack.
A small concealed knife buried itself in his gut, dark red just a shade off from the wine red of his dress.
The ice rod fell from his hands, pain and exhaustion from all the running crashing into him harder than the small blade ever did. One moment he was standing clutching his abdomen and the next he was on the ground.
He forced his clenched eyes open, looking back up at the kidnappers.
Hyrule was awake now. He was awake and his brown eyes were blown wide open at the sight of his brother bleeding out in front of him.
The traveler opened his mouth and tried to scream, maybe even call for help, but only a long wheezing chime came out. Brunette curls struggled in his captor's grasp as the one holding him pressed something against his forehead.
A brief flash of purple and Rulie was limp again, tears still fresh on his cheeks.
The other kidnapper raised a hand to the wall of ice, and a flash of red shattered the magic into a fine mist.
No. No. No.
Get up. He had to get up.
Stop them.
A pair of hands flashed a blinding white as the sigil carved into the wall collapsed out to the open expanse of Hyrule Field.
Stop them.
“Oi, get rid of the ring he's got. The thing is a tracker.” one said to the other. They ripped the silver ring from the traveler's hand and tossed it back into the alley. It rolled to a stop in front of Legends' growing pool of blood.
Stop. Them.
The arm not clutching as the stab wound collapsed under his weight as he fell back to the ground, gaze pinned on the two strangers dragging his brother off into the night.
A glimmer of green and silver sat in front of him, the veterans matching pair glowing brightly at the proximity.
You found me. It seemed to say.
Watery tears filled his vision as everything went dark.
—
Time really does think he's cursed when it comes to these festivals.
Not even touching what happened in Termina, every time he'd gone out for a major event in his life, something had to happen.
The first party he'd been to in Warriors's era, a moblin had set part of the eastern wall on fire.
His first harvest festival after getting engaged, a horde of cuccos rampage through the streets.
A simple little party with the sages at Kakariko, followed by a hurricane so bad that it's been recorded into Hyrule's history.
So when a giant plume of fire erupted from the center of the gardens, Time officially considered this party a bust too. He turned to nudge Four's shoulder, the smithy busy piling a laughably small plate high with pastries.
“We should probably check that out.”
A croissant fell from the blond's mouth at the sight, face frozen in shock as colors swam in his eyes before settling back into gray. “Yeah, ok. Sure. This stuff just happens.”
It wasn't hard to make their way through the group as guests seemed to be stumbling over themselves to flee from the pillar of flames.
What did surprise the old man was seeing Warriors at the center of the pillar, pointing a flame rod to the sky like a beacon as he issued orders to soldiers alongside a frazzled Artemis.
Wars' face was caked with sweat, but lit up as he noticed the approaching heroes. He was quick to dispel the tower of fire before jogging over to them.
“Sorry for the spectacle.” He gasped, out of breath. “I needed a way- to get everyone's attention.”
Artemis rushed forward the group, a wild look in her eyes as she glanced over them.
“The Hero of Hyrule isn't with you either?”
Something cold poured down Time's spine, an edge of anxiety jabbing at his heart. “What do you mean? Where's Hyrule?”
“Hes-” Warriors gasped again, still fighting for breath after expelling so much magic.
“Hes missing.”
The words cut through his reason like a blade through grass, his body already moving.
Where? Fuck if he knows. The only thing he does know is that one of his kids was missing.
“Mask-!” Wars latched onto the older man's arm, and Time couldn't help the fierce glare etched into his face like carved wood.
The captain's eyes were wide with fear, both for their brother and for the man in front of him, rapidly hurtling towards a breaking point.
“Legend- he went looking- for Hyrule.”
“So use the rings?”
The blond nodded, finally releasing his death grip on his wrist in favor of collapsing to his knees.
Artemis was already calling over people to help. The captain would be OK.
The real question was about Hyrule.
Four stood at his side, already slipping a silver band embedded with a diamond onto his finger. Time tugged a cord out from underneath the suit he'd been forced into, snapping the rope and pushing the silver band embedded with topaz onto his finger, right next to his wedding band.
Every flicker of light in the ring was a dead end, either leading to another frantic member of their search party or dissipating into a dead end.
They had to search the whole city, and his boys might not have that kind of time.
The sun was nearly set, faint moonlight peaking over the horizon when Time finally caught sight of a flash of red and green in his ring.
He rushed over with Four, dipping through all sorts of back alleys and pocket shops till they were skirting the wall of castle town.
It was there, under the fading sunlight, that they found Legend.
Crimson pooling on the ground was already turning the color of rust, hideously staining what had probably been a beautiful dress.
Time couldn't help but fall over himself to grasp at the young hero's wrist, and heaving out a shaky breath when his fingers caught a pulse.
Weak but there.
They turned the veteran over to find a sheet of ice covering what had probably been a stab wound, frost climbing up the wine red dress and patches of snow freezing against skin. Legend's lips were a dull gray, almost blue.
Next to the freezing young man, a small sliver of metal caught the now growing moonlight.
A silver ring with an emerald embedded at its top.
It was the morning already as Time sat in a stiff wooden chair.
8:35 if his internal clock was correct (it was).
Legend was still unconscious, the best healers in the palace having done all they could, but the veteran's last ditch attempt to close the wound had dropped his internal body temperature far lower than was safe.
If he did wake, it could either be as soon as the next morning, or it could take weeks.
Still clutched tightly in his hand was the silver ring left behind.
Artemis has sworn to them that an investigation was already underway, promises and oaths given to ensure that everything possible was already being done.
It was cold comfort to the gaping chasm growing in his chest.
They knew this was just what the princess had to do. For an honoured hero to have been kidnapped during one of the royal parties right under their noses, it was paramount that the royal family themselves put whatever they could toward resolving it.
Still, it wasn't hard to see the way ugly emotions festered just beneath the surface of their motley crew.
Warriors, the only member with any official sway, had just barely secured his own position in the investigation, arguments being made to question the priorities of someone so closely involved.
Because bringing the culprits to justice was just the perfect little bow to wrap this incident off with, and the officials couldn't get that if one of their investigators took matters into his own hands.
With how bitter the thought sat in his mind, a not so small part of Time hoped the captain would see things though on their behalf.
Aside from the captain and… the rest of the chain were all situated scattered around the room where the veteran rested.
After the panic and stress faded, they all had fallen into a silent vigil over their recovering brother.
A cynical voice nagged at him, prodding at all of the fresh wounds ripped open in his heart.
A family. Brothers. People who you've come to view as your own. All heroes, and yet the first two you lose weren't even on the battlefield. It was a party. An innocent little celebration and it ripped away two innocent lives.
No. They had no proof that Hyrule was gone, and until then, they weren't going to assume anything.
And the other? Poor little rabbit hearted boy. So many scars on his heart, and yet he dares to let more in. Truly it was only a matter of time before such weakness was his undoing.
He did not register the motion as he struck himself. He didn't even feel the initial blow.
Instead all he felt was the stinging of his knuckles and the throbbing pain in his jaw from the aftershock. The action seemed to shock the others out of their own heads as well, all glancing to their leader with looks of confusion and concern.
Time could offer no explanation, only rubbing at the forming bruise and using his voice for the first time in hours. “In the current circumstances, we’ve been advised to not get involved.”
His gaze was cast over the rest of the heroes. “I believe I'm not the only one who has issues with that.”
“You’d be right.” Four heaved a sigh, head in his hands as he slumped back in his chair. “But what can we do? Twi couldn't catch any trails after they left the field, and any information we try to get is gonna be monitored by the guards.”
A heavy sigh came from the furred beast loosely draped on the corner of the only bed in the room, Wolfie burying his head against the veterans side with a wine.
“Well, I know one thing.” Sky’s voice was soft, his face a perfectly blank mask and body still as stone. Only those who knew the hero well could see the storm brewing in those empty gray eyes. “I know that sitting around here isn’t going to fix anything.”
“So…” Wild begins, crawling out of the corner he’d cooped himself up into. “How exactly do we figure out where Hyrule could be?”
A wooden chair clattered loudly to the ground as Wind shot out of his seat, a manic smile as he clapped his hands together.
“I think I know just who to ask!”
—
The Wyvern’s Tooth was as busy as ever, still as rambunctious as the last time Wind had visited it. (Though that had been a trip he kept well hidden from his noisy brothers.)
The bar itself doubled as a tavern and as a bounty hunter outpost, tucked away just off to the side of the eastern gate of castle town. The sailor certainly wasn't new to such an environment, though he did have a hand in navigating this particular place on his first visit.
Said person was exactly who he needed to find.
Time hovered next to him over his shoulder, face as stoic as usual, though his body language easily gave away his growing unease at the cacophony of drunken escapades and shouting adventurers.
Wind had barely convinced everyone else to stay at the castle, as too many people would draw attention. They were looking to be discreet.
They marched up to the front desk with confidence, meeting the gaze of a sleepy young man who looked utterly unphased by the shenanigans trashing the dining room. Curly blue hair yawned into his hand as addressed the newcomers.
“Hello, welcome to The Wyvern’s Tooth bar and inn. If you're looking for food or drink, you may find our stores at the bar on the other side of the hall. If you're looking for rooms, please know we are currently at full capacity.” The monotone drawl of the teen was practically putting the sailor to sleep himself, shaking his head before leaning closer to the counter.
“We’re actually looking for a hunter registered here?”
The clerk stifled another yawn behind his hand. “Bounty work and registration is down the corridor on the left.”
The pair offered the sleepy man their thanks before making their way into the much calmer hallway, still brushing past the occasional scruffy looking adventurer or traveler. Stepping into the registry room, a towering wall of a man stood in their way. The bulky brute was at least a whole foot taller than Time, and he scoffed at the two before him.
“Since when was this place a daycare?” the brute scoffed, glaring at Wind’s smaller stature.
“Ahem- excuse us.” Time tried to push past, choosing to ignore the attitude of the moblin-built man, though this stranger clearly hadn’t heard a dismissal.
“Ey, ey! If you're here to register with you brat, then maybe someone should knock some sense into ya!”
A grimy calloused hand made a grab for the pirate’s shoulder, and he briefly saw a look of ferocity flash in the hero of time’s eyes before Wind intercepted the hand himself.
He never took off his bracelets of giant strength, and this was as good of an opportunity as any.
It only took a light squeeze of his grip on the man’s wrist before ugly red bruising welled up on the skin. The towering gentleman yelped at the force behind the grasp, ripping his hand away to see a sun tanned blond smiling up at him.
“I can handle myself, sir.”
Wind barely disguised his delight watching the man cower away, still clutching his bruising wrist before rushing out of the room in a panic. He loved knocking pricks like that down a peg.
The sailor pointedly chose to ignore the bewildered expression on the old man’s face as he sauntered over to the small counter at the edge of the room, a bemused lady having watched the scene unfold.
“Gotta say, haven't seen Grish humbled like that in a while. The asshole definitely deserved it.” She commented, reaching over to offer a hand to the sailor, which he was more than happy to meet with a high five.
“Regardless, welcome to the bounty hunter guild. I’m assuming you're here for registration?”
Time shook his head this time, crossing his arms. “We’re actually looking for someone, and figured this was the last place they’ve been.”
“Oh really?” The lady’s interest was piqued, though an air of caution stifled her easy going mode. A hand shifted to the underside of the table, where a concealed weapon no doubt laid. It was part of the business, afterall.
“We’re wondering if you've seen the Ivy Archer anytime recently?”
Unease rolled off her shoulders as the clerk rolled her eyes with a huff. “What has that girl gotten herself into this time?”
"She's not in trouble.” Time was quick to clarify. “We just wanted to talk with her about something important.”
A laugh of disbelief sprouted from the lady, raising an eyebrow to the two heroes. “Not sure if we’re talking bout the same lady, but that girl is always getting into trouble. If you really are looking for her, she should be back in-”
The door to the room was kicked open with a loud bang, and Wind was surprised the thing didn't break off its hinges. In strolled a figure clad in a green cloak, tall leather boots stomping into the room while dragging a heavy bag behind her.
“Marie, I thought we agreed to keep fetch quests off my mission board. So why exactly did you insist on me taking a commission for 80 bundles of fucking carrots.” The newcomer complained, tossing a heavy hood back to let twin braids spill out across her shoulders. A pair of frosty blue eyes that looked identical to the captains landed on the two figures standing between her and the counter.
Her face shifted through many emotions. Shock, surprise, confusion, anger, before finally settling on annoyance as she slapped a palm to her forehead.
“Cucco feathers.”
“Heeeeeyyyy Linkle!” Wind coyly smiles at her, doing his best to plaster on his most innocent act possible. The hunter whirled to him with a glare.
“Uh uh, Tune. You do not get to play innocent with this, We agreed you wouldn't reach out while I'm at work, and you end up bringing one of the heroes along with you!?” She waved at Time.
Said Time’s eyebrows had shot up on his face before an irresistibly smug grin stretched across his face. “Wow, who would've thought cap’s twin sis was out here dirtying her boots doing bounty work? Surely he doesn't know, right feather head?”
Linkle whirled her gaze over to time, eyes wide in surprise as she dropped the satchel in hand with a thud, stomping over to stand mere inches from the older hero’s face.
Her eyes were tight with concentration as she scanned the scarred face, her own slowly morphing into disbelief. “No way… little Mask?!”
“In the flesh, though I'm not so little anymore.”
The braided blond leapt forward, tightly wrapping an arm around Time’s neck before pulling him down and roughly ruffling his hair with the leather knuckles of her gloves. “Yall gotta warn a girl before dropping by!”
She and Wind cackled as Time tried to pry her off his shoulders, Linkle only conceding in favor of turning in the spoils of her commission.
A quick wave to the bounty clerk and the trio was situated at a table in the front room, chaos still reigning around them as the resident hunter ordered a round of drinks for them (nonalcoholic to the sailors immeasurable disappointment).
“So what brings you two misfits to my workplace? Which- by the way- you knumbnuts are sworn to secrecy about. Link would have my head if he knew anything about this.”
Wind laughed at the thought of a raging red faced captain while Time mimed sealing his lips shut, sharing in some jokes and drinks before the somber reason for their visit returned to the forefront of their focus.
“A friend of ours, one of the heroes we’ve been traveling with, was kidnapped yesterday at the solstice party.” Time finally addresses. Linkle's expression deepened into a scowl.
“Kidnapped during one of the royal parties? Either these guys are stupidly bold or your friend is pretty important.”
Wind sits up in his seat. “Rulie’s a hero just like us! I just don't get why they’d take only him if they had a chance to grab Legend too.”
“Well, is there anything else special about your friend?” Linkle pried, her face tense in the kind of focus she always uses when observing one of her hunts.
Time and Wind shared a look. It wasn't exactly information they were too open in sharing, but they both knew Linkle was a trusted ally.
“He’s Half Faerie.”
Color rapidly drained from Linkle’s face, and she stood from her seat with a screech of wood and slammed her hands on the table. “The fuck you mean hes half faerie?!”
Wind backed up in his seat with his hands raised while Time sat firm. “W-we don't exactly know all the details- but we know he can turn into a sprite and he can't actually talk- he uses sign instead!”
A mutter of swears spilled out of the girl’s mouth as she fell back into her seat. “Well a whole lot of shit changes if your friend is a Púca.”
The word is unfamiliar to Wind, but the bitterness they were spoken with didn’t lend well to his confidence getting any better. Time shot to attention at the word, anger flashing across his face as he nearly growled at the hunter. “Do not call him that.”
It was Linkle’s turn to raise her hands in surrender. “Hey- I'm not saying anything about the kind of person your pal is. It just-” she sighed, raking her hands through loose hair. “It complicates things. Actually, it was something I was gonna talk to Link about later today.”
Anger melted away to curiosity as the two heroes calmed enough for her to share the details.
“To put it short, you know how Link had a bunch of sprite and seelie pals during the War of Eras?” They nodded. “Good, cause some group has been trying to capture them lately. A weird market of traders looking to deal in magiks and faerie… components.”
The chill that washed over him was colder than any ice spell he’d ever been hit with. These people were going to put one of his brothers on the fucking black market.
“Linkle.” Time’s voice commanded attention, a tone she was clearly not used to hearing as the hunter jumped in her seat at the order.
“Tell us anything you can.”
—
Externally, Warriors was the perfect picture of calm, even as anarchy flared to life over the grand meeting table.
He stood perfectly still at Artemis's side, parallel to General Impa as soldiers and nobles of every variety spat venomous animosity at each other.
Inside, however, every word spoken felt like another strike on the match of his whittling patience. Sparks of rage threatening to ignite in a fiery inferno only further fueled by the ire in the air.
“It was the guard's fault for allowing such a travesty to occur in the first place! Imagine if the young hero hadn't been the only victim- what would you bumbling fools have done then?”
“Bumbling-! You really must have pig shit for brains to think this would ever occur on any other occasion! It was Duke Augustin's faction who insisted a majority of the guard be regulated to the eastern gate for the festival procession. Had we used the intended guard posts instead of catering to your overblown egos, this never would've happened!"
Guard captain Gerison looked inches away from leaping over the table and throttling the scrawny Minor Lord Fergus. Warriors had half a mind to let him.
Every sentence spoken was another piece of critical info he hadn't been told, and it took so much practiced self control not to glare over at the mutually stoic Impa, only able to pick up on the annoyance flickering in her eyes after years of working alongside her.
Rationally, he knew it was his own fault for being kept out of the loop. Allowing his discomfort with the festivities to be known had encouraged the soldiers to keep him far away from the happenings among the preparations, trying to spare their captain from any more unnecessary stress.
But Hylia, he couldn't help but think that things would've been different if he'd acted like he was supposed to. If he had shut up and gone about the preparations himself like he was supposed to, Instead of dawdling the day away in his apartment. He could've objected to the guard rotation changes, or maybe picked out the weaknesses in the security before it had even become an issue.
His brothers often joked that he was like a sponge for guilt, unable to do anything but soak it up for himself and leaving all the blame heavy on his shoulders. It was just who he was.
He was meant to be a leader, had to be ever since the day the triforce had made itself known to all by the sigil burned onto his hand.
Even among his fellow heroes, he was the one they all trusted in battle, the one they followed.
A position of power that oh so often left him blind to the knives pressed against his back.
Someone slammed a hand against the table, and he was shocked back to the present by Artemis's fury washing across the room from where she stood.
Glowing cerulean pierced through every person who dared to meet her gaze as she allowed those to tremble briefly under the suffocating presence of the queen, radiant energy seeping into the air and choking at their throats.
The rage dissipated in an instant, as Artemis stood tall and gently wiped at her dress with a sigh. She glanced around the room one more time before addressing the crowd.
“This is not a trial to determine who was at fault for the incident, nor is it a playground for childish insults to be hurled around like mud.” she grimaced as an edge settled in her voice.
“We are gathered here to set things right and find the missing Hero of Hyrule, whose safety and trust we all failed to guarantee. So unless one of your whining tangents happens to include information on how to rectify that, I do believe we must keep on topic.”
Her ferocity had shocked the people present back on subject, most desperately avoiding eye contact with their ruler.
All Warriors wanted was for this meeting to be over. To go back to his apartment and shed the perfect soldier mask he'd plastered onto his face and just collapse under the weight of emotions swirling in his skull.
When the conference finally came to a close, he refused to waste any time before marching out, determined to storm into the garrison and pick apart every piece of evidence and information they had available. Anything to get to his brother sooner.
A hand tightly gripped his shoulder, and his high strung nerves didn’t even have a second to whirl around at the presence before his surroundings flickered and he was no longer in the castle halls.
Instead, he was tucked away in the corner of Impa's office, with the woman herself having brought him here.
The room was small, what little that filled it aside from a single floor level desk was shelves of ancient artifacts and items collected from the War of Eras.
An ancient shieka mask sat on display in an enchanted glass case, a crowing owl statue stood by the front door, even the goddess harp itself was delicately hung up high on a shelf.
“Captain, I know what you're thinking.”
Wars couldn't help but scoff. “After thirteen miserable years of working together, I'm sure you do.” He moved to shove past her, to get back to his work, before she tightly grasped his scarf from behind.
The scarf she had gifted him with.
“Link- we can't let you storm off on your own.”
“And who's going to stop me?! You?” He spits out with as much anger as he can, whirling around to face the shieka face to face.
“We both know-” He gnashed at his teeth. “-that if it had been Artemis who was taken, you wouldn't have wasted a second before trying to get her back.”
The ivory haired woman scowled at him, something dark flashing across her face. “If that were the case, we'd be having a very different conversation.”
“Then why stop me!!?” He can't help but scream at her. The horde of emotions he's been bottling up since last night was close to bursting. The general had dared to try and crack his mask yesterday, and right now he was more than willing to show her what actually laid beneath, as long as it made her back down.
“Because-” Impa hesitates, releasing her hold on his scarf. “Because this is all part of something much bigger. Because if you rescue your friend, so many others may die in his place.”
The claim rocks him to his core, fury smothered in an instant as he rocks on unsteady feet.
“What… do you mean..?”
The shieka sighs, rolling her shoulders as she bends down to grab a document from her desk. “Sightings and reports of illegal merchants attempting to capture and sell fae and other magical organisms have been setting our garrison alight in activity for weeks now. Your friend Hyrule isn't the first, and if we charge in without a plan, he sure as hell won't be the last.”
He combed his fingers through his hair, forehead suddenly drenched in nervous sweat. “How could something like this-” a thought crashes into him with all the force of a moblin club.
“Proxi, is she-”
“Shes fine. As are the others. Though they were forced to leave the sacred spring in Hyrule Field, they've all been accounted for at the Tabantha fountain.”
He could've passed out from the relief that surged in his veins, the general thankfully lowering him onto a cushion on the floor as he desperately tried to screw his head back on right.
“So- what about this means we need caution.” He settles on asking, as Impa takes a seat on the cushion behind the desk.
“It means, unfortunately, that someone within the court is involved in all of this.”
The idea leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, phantoms of invisible blades ghosting the nape of his neck. “Of course.”
She nods with her own distaste. “This incident further cemented the theory, with guards intentionally pulled from their posts at the southern gardens, where suspicious activity has been on the rise nearby.”
“That means, if we rescue Hyrule without all the information we need…” puzzle pieces were coming together in his head, and Impa was one of the few people he's found who could match his thoughts with her own.
“It means we could lose the cleanest trail we have to evidence about the perpetrators, and more people like your friend could be in trouble.”
His heart was tearing itself apart, and it felt like he was in the eye of a storm.
Like he was back on a vicious battlefield, being forced to choose who lives and who dies.
The conversation draws to a close, a grim look from Impa the only thing she leaves him with as she pushes him out of her office.
Numb feet blindly lead the way as his mind wanders, not quite in the present.
Was the red in front of him the embroidered carpet lining the castle halls? Or was it the pools of crimson pouring out of his own soldiers.
Men and Women who trusted him to lead them to victory, to a tomorrow where they got to go home and see their families again. What a lie that had been.
Soon, it wasn't the corpses of soldiers whose names were long blotted out of his mind by the blood staining his memories, and instead it was a young man.
Brunette curls caked and matted in crimson with wisps of silver flicking through the sluggishly flowing liquid. Next to him, a small broken form glowing so faintly it could have been a trick of the light. Blue and yellow gossamer that had once been a gorgeous pair of monarch butterfly wings were crushed and twisted beyond recognition, the tiny body bleeding out what little silver blood it had left.
Choose. A voice whispered in his ear. Something he always faintly hears in his mind whenever in combat, when a snap judgement has to be made to protect the lives of his brothers-in-arms.
When Twilight had nearly been skewered by a Darknut, he chose to throw himself between the two, his shield splitting down the middle as the blade had cleaved through half of his arm.
When Legend was being rushed by electric chu in the pouring rain, he hadn't even hesitated in leaving himself unarmed to toss his fire rod to the veteran.
When Hyrule- when he'd been seconds away from tumbling into a fiery pit on death mountain, the captain had all but jumped in himself to pull them both out even as molten rocks crashed to the ground around them.
But he hadn't heard the voice this loud since the War. Volga had wiped out most of his squadron in a single strike and pointed his blade at two young figures. A trembling young man clad in a lavender bunny hood held a weak little girl close, burns marring her side as she muttered obscenities under her breath.
It had been the dragon knight himself who had spoken those words. “Choose. Either you give me an honorable fight with your own two hands, or I stain the ground with the blood of the children you sent out into the field of battle.”
Warriors didn't realize he was already standing at the front door of his apartment. He'd been transfixed in this spot for ages, if the sore stiffness in his knees told him much.
It wasn't a choice. Not like that. Never again.
He was through sacrificing one life for another, putting himself or others in harm's way just to try and make the outcome better.
If he was stuck on two options he hated with all of his might, then he'd just have to make a third.
He'd just cemented his resolve as he opened the door to find most of his brothers already packing their gear, all freezing like deer in headlights as he walked in.
“Heeeeyyyyyyyy cap! We uh- didn't expect you back so soon.” Wild, halfway through cramming a fresh stock of supplies and tools into his slate, was the first to speak.
The captain froze for all of two seconds before he sighed, firmly locking the door behind him as he turned to his brothers.
“If we're doing this, we need a real plan.”
—
It was dark. Cold. Colder than Hyrule ever thought he could feel outside of snow. The cold ached down into his flesh and through bone, sending shutters through his body until-
The slightest motion had his neck and hands burning. Something heavy was clasped tight around his wrists and throat, and every inch of his skin that came in contact with the weight lit alight like he was touching a fire brand.
Teeth weakly gnashing together, he tried to pry his eyes open, to glimpse at whatever was restraining him. His body was waking up slowly along with him, and the pungent smell his nose finally recognized felt like a knife to the head.
The scent of rust and corrosion, flicked with pieces of silvery blood drying- rotting right alongside it.
He knew this smell all too well, and the burning at his wrists and neck made all too much sense.
Cold Iron.
His eyelids finally obeyed, prying open to the dim light filtering into the room. Wood and stone lined the floor, walls and ceiling a mash of dark marble and moss. He was shackled with heavy manacles, faint traces of silvery blood that wasn't his own made an ugly bitterness lodge itself in his throat. An icey wind blew against his exposed back and he fought back the chill that came with it-
Wait, exposed?
It took the few frayed strands of rationality in his mind to not leap up from his place draped across the floor, already fearing the aching burns that would greet him if he did, and just barely managed to glance around the dark iron cuff on his neck to see his torso, shirt long gone and left out in the open.
The sight of his scars made his stomach roll worse than the burning did.
“Ah, welcome back to the waking world, little Daoine Sídhe.” A melodic voice rang out. His eyes flew around what little of the room he could see before catching sight of a towering figure.
A cold wind blew from where she stood, sickly gray hair looked unnatural framing such a beautiful face. Dark fur spattered human-esq features, with long deer like ears emerging from the folds of storm cloud curls. Jagged black horns stretched out from the sides of her head, sharp and shining like onyx. The otherworldly nature of her was muted slightly by the simple doctor-like robe draped over her frame, but the uncanny feeling reemerged with a vengeance as black lips parted to reveal razor sharp teeth in a smile just a bit too wide to be anything but inhuman.
An Unseelie.
She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat, heels languidly walking over with a nonchalance that set every hair of Hyrule's on edge. The closer she got, the colder the air became around him.
His shivering had evolved into full body shutters when she finally stopped an inch from his prone form, wincing in pain as each shake forced his skin to contact the crude iron shackles.
Sharp claw-like hands roughly grasped at his chin, yanking his face away from the floor and pressing the collar to his neck with an agonizing burn.
Shakey amber was forced to meet two pools of black, absolutely devoid of any light, that seem to take in the sight with something akin to amusement.
“My goodness, you really are a once in a lifetime specimen.” the smile with far too many teeth whispered in awe. “Just look at how much fight you have in you! I expected a lot more ‘writhing in agony’ after all.
Her free hand pressed down on the manacles on his wrists, pushing the metal to dig into flesh. Tears prickled at his eyes as his throat desperately choked out a sobbing chime.
It was a mistake, making a sound, as the unseelie just seemed even more bemused, her fawn-like ears flickered at the noise.
“And silenced as well? How does a little fake like you live amongst Hylians then?”
Her immediate curiosity satiated, she felt no qualms in dropping the boy from her grasp. His head pounded as it slammed into the floor, pulsing in time with his fluttering heart beat.
A strange chirping sound came from the unseelie, closely resembling a sigh. “If only you weren't such damaged goods. I know a dozen buyers who would've leapt over mountains for a pair of genuine Daoine Sídhe wings.”
She held her hands up at his broken form like she was taking a picture, a grin crawling along unsettlingly pale skin. “I can almost imagine them! Perhaps a green moss peacock? Ooh, or even a lunar moth! So gorgeous and dazzling with a brilliant emerald shade, perhaps even with some ruby accents!”
Elation practically brimmed from her before flickering away in the blink of an eye, sick joy gone in seconds. “But someone already beat me to them, it seems.”
Hyrule's eyes were still clenched tight, barely hearing a word of the lunatic woman's rambling as he fought the pain melting his body inside like hot magma while the surface of his flesh froze colder than ice. He didn't take notice of heels circling him until a talon hooked at the scars on his back, his body stiffening like stone at the contact.
“Such a shoddy job, after all. It's almost like…” she paused before he heard her toss her head back in laughter as cackles erupted from behind. “Oh this is too good! This really is a one in a million chance! A faerie who tore his own wings off! Such a valuable little specimen~”
One, two, three talons jabbed at the marred flesh above his thoracic curve, right where-
A panic washed over him, so intense he flung himself from off the ground and shoved away the woman, body flaring alight in pain at the cold iron tight on his bindings and his body heaved.
Whatever had once been in his stomach was long gone, and all he could manage to retch up was bile and acid.
The unseelie clapped from where she had been pushed, clearly entertained by the sight before her.
“What a bold move! Unfortunately, it seems our time to play has come to an end.”
She stood back on her feet, clicking across the floor as she rounded the corner to a table that had been tucked out of sight from where he was laying before.
Sprawling across its surface was a variety of tools that nearly made him hurl once again. Scalpels and blades of all sizes, with needles and empty bottles perfectly poised in a line.
“Right now, it's time to do what I was paid for.” She grins, tying a mask around the lower section of her face.
The first thing she grabs is a heavy chain, the metal emanating the same cold as his shackles.
She clips the chain to a notch in the floor before tugging at Hyrule's wrists, clamping the link of metal onto the handcuffs and collar.
“Can't have you running away, now can I?”
—
“And how exactly did you get this information?” The captain raised an eyebrow at Wind and Time.
Four watched the sailor sift through a variety of expressions in an instant before settling on an uneasy smirk. “Heh, wouldn't you like to know!”
Warriors, unimpressed, turns again to Time, who shrugs in response. “I've been sworn to secrecy. All I can say is it's pretty reliable.”
R=Wow, leave it to Time to render the captain speechless.
B=Are we really just supposed to go along with this? They won't tell any of us what actually happened while they were out.
V=It's the best shot we have! Wind claims to trust their informant and even Time has given it the go-ahead. If there's a personal reason behind the secrets, we aren't that entitled to know.
B=Aren't we??? We're the ones charging into enemy territory relying on info from a stranger!
G=Guys, hush. Wars is giving us the rundown.
The captain cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of everyone present. They were situated back into Legends room in hopes of mitigating the chance of eavesdroppers.
“Regardless of suspicious info sources.” He pointedly glanced at Wind, who only stuck his tongue out in response.
“... We at least have a destination in mind.” He sighed, glancing down at the photos and map sprawled out on the table before them.
The Temple of Souls, as they called it. Apparently, it used to be a proper reverence site before a mad sorceress turned it into a stronghold during the War of Eras.
Most of the monsters and magic left in the place had been long since cleared out, leaving a hollow shell of a building long abandoned over the years. Now though, it seems to have had a significant uptick in activity.
The smithy could quite easily recall several occasions where the place had been brought up in conversation with the soldier, none of said interactions being very pleasant.
“We may know where they're keeping Hyrule, but we still don't know what exactly will be waiting for us.” Warriors addresses the seven heros. “And if the princess's theory proves correct, the court will jump at any chance to bury the truth behind all of this.”
“So damned if we do, damned if we don't?" Wild heaves a full body sigh. “Just another Tuesday, I guess.”
V=Not exactly…
G=Vio, what does that mean? We can't understand you when you go all cryptic on us.
V=I'm just saying there's a way to do both!
B=And knowing you, it probably involves something illegal.
R=Or morally dubious.
G=Or so dangerous it'll probably risk our lives.
V=Ok, first off, fuck all of you. Second, you don't have to listen to my ideas!
R=And who'd we listen to then? Green?
G=Hey-
V=Oh Hylia, no. That would get us killed.
G=HEY-!
“We could just leave.” A purple hue swirls into Four's vision as he speaks, the comment bringing several pairs of confused eyes onto him.
“What- you mean just leave Hyrule?!” Wind sputters in disbelief, and the smithy raises his hands in a frantic dismissal at the notion.
“No- no not that. I mean we all just go to the temple on our own. We tell the court that we're heading out to take care of a monster sighting and then go get him ourselves.”
The captain was rubbing at the sides of his head, brow tightly pinched. “And the second we'd get back, the nobles would declare the whole situation done with, leaving no reason for an investigation to continue!”
Sparks of red, green, and blue flash in his eyes, the colors finally on the same page as puzzle pieces click together in their head. “That's the thing, we don't have to come back! Let them think Sprig is still kidnapped and leave the princess a reason to keep investigating!”
The idea settled amongst the group, a few of the heroes practically beaming at the simplicity of the plan, while others digested it with bitter grimaces.
“That'd not only mean lying to the crown, which is treason, but we'd also be unable to return for any reason. Whether it be for medical assistance or supplies.” Wars looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, tugging at his tangled mop of hair while Sky rubbed circles onto the back of the stressed man.
“Four.” Time's baritone voice made the man snap ramrod straight as orbs of four shifting colors met a single cornflower iris. “We'd be charging into enemy territory without any backup, while also having to protect an injured member who cannot defend himself.”
The old man motioned to the bed, but rather than seeing a figure lying prone under its covers, a pillow was hurled straight at Time's face. Six heads (including the blind one) whirled at the source so fast he could've sworn he heard a neck crack from someone.
Legend, red faced and panting at the monumental effort of just sitting up -let alone chucking a pillow at Time- practically growled at the hero.
“If you even try to delay any plans because of me, I'll shave Epona bald.”
Twilight yelped at the threat, but didn't seem to pay it much further thought as he and Sky switched into mother cucco mode. The two crowded either side of the bed, leaping to assist the strawberry blond in getting up as the veteran swatted their hands away.
“Not made of glass-” he grits out, a hand held tight against his side “All I did was get stabbed, the same thing literally happened to Wild last week!”
A forlorn look draped itself across the champion's face as he sulked. “It wasn't that bad.”
“YOU-” The rancher began, barely choking the rant back. They'd already had this same argument twice over, and now wasn't a time to go for number three.
“Anyway,” Legend finally stood from the bed, weak legged and shuddering at the chill in the room sinking into the single oversized tunic that failed to keep him as warm as the blankets.
“We're not wasting a second more in this damn palace.”
Wars stepped up to the veteran, a stoic ferocity the captain usually kept for his soldiers or for battle commands. He glared at the stubborn lavender eyes refusing to back down.
“You're not fit for combat.”
Legend grinded his teeth. “I know.”
“You could end up slowing us down.”
“I know.”
“And you're still willing to go along with this?”
The pinkette nodded. “Anything that gets us to Hyrule sooner. I-”
Legend's composure splintered, forcing his stare off with Warriors to end in a loss as he planted his eyes on the floor.
“I know what kind of people took him, and I'm not letting him spend a single fucking second there longer than he needs to.”
One ring filled hand was clenched tightly at his side while the other still furrowed its grasp at his wounded torso.
B=Oh he's absolutely blaming himself for this shitshow.
R=Can I please give him a hug? Just a quick one!
V=Later, when he doesn't look so close to passing out.
G=He's a moron. Why would he be blaming himself for something completely out of his control? He literally got stabbed over this!
B=It's called a hero complex, Green. We've all got it, and we sure as hell would be doing the same if we were in his shoes.
When Warriors finally stands down, it's Time's turn to approach the hero of legend. The interaction is short, for what it is.
Time only pressed something into the veteran's hands, the four colors dancing around his head silenced as fingers unfurled to reveal a familiar silver ring with a bright emerald embedded on top.
Four had helped Legend make the rings, though his part had admittedly been minimal. The setting of stones and enchantments had all been Legend's handiwork after Wild provided them with the materials. All the smithy had done was make the base of the bands.
He'd been amused by the strawberry blonds confusion at his choice of stone.
“I thought you'd insist on getting four different stones. That's one less headache I guess.”
“Ha! No worries. And it doesn't even have to be a real diamond, a white sapphire would work just fine.”
“Mind if I ask why?”
“Well, what's important isn't the color of the stone itself, but how it reacts to light. While I'm Four, the others are all reflections of me with their own unique hues and traits, just like how light refracts in a prism. Long nerdy rant short, it's what best reflects us.”
“Nah, you're fine. At least Rulie won't have to fight you for emerald.”
A few flakes of rusty blood still stained the side of the ring's surface, and Four almost walked over to polish it on instinct.
Legend stared at the jewelry for a moment before his face hardened, carefully setting the band on his right pinkie. It was the only digit that would fit its size, with how nimble their brother's hands were in comparison to the vet.
Everyone stood at attention when Time cleared his throat, all eyes on him as the Hero of Time looked over every single young man in the room.
“Pack, stock up, and be prepared for anything. There's no going back.”
—
Hylia must've been on their side, as reports of a small camp of strangely behaving monsters started flooding in the moment they were ready to head out.
The camp was even to the north, on the outskirts of Faron woods. Just a few hours away from the Temple of Souls.
Sky would have to thank Sun personally when they next crossed paths (as if he wouldn't find a reason to do so anyway.)
Artemis had obviously been hesitant sending their group out with everything happening, but with the chain being the only fighters experienced in handling black blooded beasts (as well as some skillful negotiation tag teams with himself, Warriors, and Four) the princess finally gave her blessing to allow them passage outside the city walls.
As Warriors bowed his head at Artemis, Sky swore his enhanced hearing could pick up the way the soldier's heart was beating out of his chest. Betraying the trust of the ruler had been a sour pill to swallow, but the skyloftian could only imagine how hard it must've been for Wars to go along with this, his oath battling his heart with every practiced word.
“You have my word that everything shall be handled safely, my liege.”
The wording caught Sky's attention, and he briefly considered the idea of Wars backing out on the plan and discreetly exposing their intentions to the princess.
He couldn't see Artemis's face, but from the contemplative hum she let out, it was obvious she had caught onto whatever double meaning the captain had slipped in.
Regardless, she still let them go.
Safely out of sight and hearing from any guards, Four had wound up a punch straight to Wars's shoulder.
“What the fuck was that?! Are you trying to get us caught!” He whisper-shouted, hands gesturing as much as possible to convey what his lack of volume couldn't.
Before the clammy captain could even scrounge up an excuse for his involuntary slip of the tongue, Sky placed a hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing at the tense muscle underneath the fabric and armor.
“It should be fine. I believe the princess had been expecting us to act on our own, and has conceded to give whatever plan we have a chance to work.”
His statement brought little confidence to the floundering captain, who he could hear groan into his hands. “That just means she doesn't have any better ideas for this. Golden three this is a disaster.”
The smith awkwardly rubbed at the fabric on Warrior's other arm, probably where he'd landed the punch, and tried to console the man. “Cmon now, we need our battle strategist up and ready for what we have coming.”
“Can't Vio take over for a bit?” Warriors bemoaned, begging for mercy.
A softer lit than usual came with Four's next words, though still filled with a mirth at their brother's current circumstances. “Sorry, but he's been overruled from any more plan making. We doubt the plan really needs more than two counts of high treason.”
One devastated sigh from the captain later, and the three finally went to meet with the rest of the chain at the northern gate.
It was hard to ignore the feeling of dozens of eyes staring at them, and Sky was silently grateful for Fi being left in Wild's slate so she couldn't transcribe the sight of the crowds watching the heroes.
Word had obviously gotten around about one of the legendary heroes being kidnapped under the watch of the royal family. The air was alight with whispers of emotions. Pity was the strongest, though there were sparks of rage on their behalf.
It felt tight around his already weak chest, like the haze of stares was a vice grip choking the oxygen out of his lungs.
Reaching the gate, the noise finally began to quiet down and it was easy to hear the familiar chatter of two particular voices nearby, yabbering on with another person whose voice he didn't recognize.
“Cuccos aren't that vicious! It's not like they're going to rip you to pieces at the drop of a hat!” A feminine voice chided, to which Wild's familiar tone rang out in horror.
“Yes they will! I tripped over a rock once and landed on one of the little demons, and they swarmed me! Honestly I'm surprised they didn't try to eat me or something.”
“Cmon, champ, surely that's a little extreme?” Wind's sailor accent was crisp like the salty ocean. “The birds are bastards, I agree, but they don't got the stomachs for hylian meat!”
“Wellll actually-” the stranger's voice began again. “Cuccos are technically omnivores.”
Well isn't that interesting! It's always fun to learn about more similarities between loftwings and Cuccos, the adorable little birds.
Regardless of his own joy, a cloud of dread seemed to wash over the other two as Sky and his group finally approached them, Wars suddenly jumping forward towards where the stranger's voice came from.
“Linkle-! I thought you'd be back on the farm. Do they have you running extra deliveries?”
The girl laughed nervously at the question, this ‘Linkle’ seemed to awkwardly accept a hug from the captain with the uneven ruffling of fabric.
“Uh- yeah! Business has been really picking up for the solstice, and Uncle has me running around a lot. What have you been up to?”
Warriors, seemingly oblivious to the stiffness of the woman's words, turned back to the group as his voice came out closer than it had been. “Ah- yes, introductions are in order. Everyone aside from Wind, this is Linkle, my twin sister.”
A pair of shocked sounds came from Four and Wild as Sky's own brows shot up in surprise. All the while, the champion clumsily handed back the mastersword to the chosen hero.
He briefly thanked Wild as Fi's hum rang out in his head, warmly buzzing at the back of his mind in greeting before pulses of information began entering his thoughts.
She described the area around them in minimal detail, only really focusing on his companions and the newly revealed sister amongst them.
‘Linkle’ was standing at Warrior's side, an awkward grin on her face as she tried her best to pose in a nonchalant way. She stood just as tall as the captain, easily the second tallest of their current gathering. Her hair hung in braids at either side of her face, framing cheekbones that Fi factually states match Warriors's with a 94% margin of error.
What caught his and Fi's attention was the compass that hung around the girl's neck, a small bell-like charm with a flower attached to its rope cord. The object hummed with the kind of energy that usually came from ancient artifacts.
Its magic was glaringly familiar.
Sky is the first to break out of his stupor, smoothly walking up to the girl with a hand outstretched.
“Lovely to meet you, Miss Linkle. I'm Link, but I also go by Sky.”
The girl stares at him for a moment, not so subtly looking at his milky gray eyes. She turns to Wars for a moment, signing to the man. ‘Isn't he blind???’
The captain seems to take great delight in his sister's confusion, failing to disguise a chuckle behind a cough before answering. “The master sword helps him see. He's the one who made it.”
Linkle's jaw drops at the information, leather gloved hand cautiously shaking his own. “I- I- It's an honor to meet you-”
She stops, just short of finishing her sentence as her gaze glances over Sky's sailcloth, a strange look of recognition in her eyes.
“Wait- you're the Link for the Zelda that lives in the sky! She wore a cape just like this!”
The chosen hero hummed at the fact, glad to know that at least this question would be easier to ask if she knew who his Zelda was.
“You're right! That does sound like my Sun. Speaking of whom, why exactly do you have a compass with her magic?”
Sky could've been convinced he'd magically grown a second head with the looks the twins gave him. Warriors had jumped from a sly grin at the girl's earlier confusion to eyes blown wide in shock as he glanced between the skyloftian and Linkle.
Linkle, according to Fi, had turned several shades paler than before, mouth agape in shock.
Behind him, Sky could hear various chokes and guffaws at the interaction, as well as the sound of at least two hands slapping themselves over Wind's mouth.
Fi supplied that his other three brothers were all in various stages of shock and amusement at the scene unfolding before them, Wild even thumbing through his slate and muttering something about ‘popcorn’.
It was then that the rest of the chain finally arrived at the gate.
The sun was already approaching its apex, and they didn't have much more daylight to spare.
“Again, it was lovely meeting you!” Sky cheerily waves the stunned girl goodbye, just as she turned to Wars and silently whispered “what the fuck man?!”
“I don't know! Gran never told us anything about the damn thing besides it being from ancient heroes!” Warriors whisper-shouted.
“Holy horse hooves, does that mean we're related to this guy!?”
“I. Don't. Know!”
Sky couldn't help the smirk creeping its way onto his face. He hadn't intended to start such chaos, and he really did want answers to the question himself.
Then again, they were pressed for time, and this was a pretty funny place to leave things off.
“Captain? We're burning daylight!” He chose to yell back as he walked towards the rest of the group. Fi gave him a wonderful visual of the captain whirling around and nearly tripping on himself, his sister barely catching him in a loud clatter of armor. They muttered something along the lines of ‘Talk Later’ and Warriors finally rejoined the rest of the group.
“Uh- Sky?” Legend was walking next to him, warily eyeing the still present grin on the Skyloftian's face. “Is there a reason why the captain is looking at you like you just dyed his scarf purple?”
“Oh, it's not a big deal.” Sky hummed, skipping along in his mischievous merriment. “It just means you might not be the only one related to me in this group.”
He'd allow himself this little pleasure, laughing at the way the veteran's face screwed up like he'd eaten a shock fruit whole. Somber times were just up ahead, but he didn't want to walk towards them with a heavy heart weighing him down.
For now, it was just another little fact about his future that he'd tuck away in his journal. Sky couldn't help but buzz in excitement at the thought of the equally proud and foolish twins being a part of his family.
They definitely got their sass from Zel.
—
It certainly hadn't been hard to find the monster camp, not with the putrid stench of the oily black blood wafting out for miles. Twi's wolf nose was awash in the stuff and it made him want to claw his eyes out with how bad it reeked.
The hard part, obviously, had been the fight. It always was.
Because it couldn't be a bunch of pain in the ass bokos or lizalfos, nono that was too familiar, too easy.
Instead, it was a bunch of these blue and black furred beasts, covered in plate mail and armed with dozens of razor sharp boomerangs.
Legend only vaguely recognized them as ‘Goriyas’, an enemy native to caves in Hyrule's era.
If only the hero best versed in these things was here.
Wild and the vet were relegated to covering fire in the trees, armed with bows and various magic staves. Meanwhile, the rest of them get the delightful honor of dealing with these freaks head on.
Great.
The first volley of boomerangs weren't even aimed at the chain, rather thrown to circle around and whisk through the air in between them.
Each step was another dodge to keep razor metal from flying into his head as Twi dropped into a roll. It was second later that he realized what was going on.
“They're spitting us up! Keep an eye on eachother!” He screeched out to his brothers, a veritable hurricane of blades blocking him off from the rest of them.
A snort from behind had Twilight spinning around just in time to deflect a spear from burying itself in his side. The pig-like beast seemed to scoff at him, tugging the spear with an unexpected amount of strength that pushed the rancher off his feet.
He fell to the ground with a thud. A sharpened boomerang landed inches away from his head, only for a passing goriya to stomp past his head and pluck it from the earth, pulling back and hurtling it into the storm of blades once more.
He took the chance to stab his sword into the distracted monster's side, pure luck gracing him as black blood spilled down the blade and pierced clean through its heart. It dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
Fantastic, one down…
And like 17 more to go- ok this wasnt working.
He took the brief respite to glance around the battlefield, where most of his brothers remained locked in battle and isolated from each other.
Time and Warriors were the only ones who managed to stick together, though that only meant twice as many goriyas swarming them. Wind was using his baton to try and still the air around them, but each attempt was met with a spear or a boomerang nicking him and interrupting the melody. Four was now the four colours, but Blue seemed to have taken a rang to the arm right as they split, which left Red to help with the injury while Green and Vio defended them.
All in all, Sky was the only one who seemed to be making real progress, a strange mallet in hand that opened up at the top. A single swing of the thing shook up a gale that sent dozens of boomerangs into the trees and dirt, some even landing in the heads and chests of the goriyas.
… an idea flickered into Twilight's head. It was a stupid one, admittedly, and only something he'd tried once before (it had ended very poorly)
Still…
“COVER ME!” He shouted, hoping Legend and Wild could hear him over the cacophony of blades whirling through the air. If the arrows and fireballs that buried themselves into the next goriya that tried to approach him said anything, it was likely they did.
He frantically dug through his satchel, searching for some little magic shards that stored two particular pieces of equipment- aha!
The purple crystals gleamed in the fading sunlight as he tapped them twice. In an instant, they expanded to full size and crashed loudly into the ground.
The spinner and the ball n chain.
He couldn't help grinning like a mad man, knowing full well the anarchy he was about to create.
They wanna call him a wet blanket? Say he's no fun? He'll show them fun.
He could hear Warriors shouting in the distance, the only other Link who possessed this equipment and the only one who had any idea of what he was about to do, as the captain began warning everyone to back into the tree line as far as possible.
Twilight dug the tip of the spinner into the ground as far as he could until he was certain it wouldn't be moving, leaping onto the small platform with the end of the chain in hand as the spiked ball on its opposite side gleamed, begging to be swung.
Here goes nothing… or everything… definitely his lunch, at least.
His heel pressed the hidden button on the spinner, and it began to spin.
The motor itself was already doing the work, picking up pace as the world around him vanished into a blur of color, but with the weight of the ball added to it? It kept going faster and faster and faster until he stood at the center of a ball n chain tornado.
As he dissolved into a maniacal glee, he faintly heard the dinks and clashes of metal as hundreds of boomerangs smacked into the metal spike ball, hurtling back at the goriyas with unforgiving speed. Each time one of the pig headed brutes tried to charge into the metal maelstrom, they were either crushed into a bloody pulp by the ball or cut clean in half by the viciously fast chain.
This was the greatest day of his life, never mind the laughter and various shouts from his brothers (even though he knew and dreaded the moment Wild and Wind would ask if they could try) he was having a BLAST!
And then the spinner dislodged itself from the ground.
The tornado of metal was now moving.
Laughter turned to panic as the heroes began to yell for Twilight, telling him to stop.
But, with sinking dread, he realized he couldn't.
Yeah- he finally remembered why this went so badly last time. It's because once the momentum was going, it couldn't just stop.
The energy needed somewhere to go, and every piece of it went to the heavy weight hurtling around him, giving the spinner more momentum.
He couldn't just use the brakes, that'd leave a giant metal ball hurtling towards him, and letting it go would definitely get someone hurt.
All the while, with the monsters long dead, he was stuck spinning around the camp, body aching from the force and desperately wishing he'd put even a second more thought into this idea.
Think- think! How did he stop last time?!
Every swing was plowing through trees, the woods felling with ease with every crash-
He crashed last time, that's how he stopped! He'd been trying it near lake Hylia and crashed the ball into the cliffside. Admittedly, the force had sent him skipping across the lake like a pebble, and the rash afterwards had been awful, but he didn't die!
There was a river nearby, with a giant boulder he climbed to scout out the camp
“MooOooOoOVvvEeE!” He managed to warble out, sending the spinner hurtling in the direction he vaguely remembered the stream being. Various shades of green and blond flung themselves out of his path as the tornado carved its way through the forest.
Please please please plea-
The farm hand didn't even get the chance to finish his desperate prayers as the ball finally crashed to a halt against the boulder, cracking it open with a thunderous noise.
The stagnant momentum traveled up the metal chain in an instant and-
His entire being seems to blip out of existence as he speeds down the river bank, skipping and skimming the water like last time before finally crashing underneath the surface.
Faintly, he could hear a familiar impish laugh.
Wasn't one time enough for you? Maybe fur-for-brains isn't too far off.
Hands are pulling him out of the cold stream with a gasp, and he greedily choked in the air…
Right before puking out everything he's ever eaten.
Seriously, as far back as the last time he tried this, that's what he tastes on his tongue as he upchucks everything into a bush.
A few hands clap him on the back while someone pulls back his hair and wolf pelt from the splash zone.
Opening his eyes shows the world twisting and turning in a way that has him sent through another round of throwing up, even as his body has nothing left to give.
“So-” he choked between gags. “Lesson learnt- never again-”
Time pulls him up from crouching by his shoulders, a bemused grin on his face. “You did good, pup. Just try and remember how to brake?”
“You can't, not during that.” Warriors drops in, a breathy laugh on his lips. Frosty blue met dark sapphire. “You're not the only one to try that, and no matter how effective it is for clearing out a battlefield, never try it without a backup plan.”
Twi could barely nod as his head lolled to the side, the world was still spinning circles around him.
“D'you wanna shift and piggy back for the trip to the temple?” Time mercifully offers, and the rancher can't transform fast enough.
Wolfie gladly lays draped over the old man's shoulders like a sack of potatoes, uncaring of the snickers from most and unabashed laughter from some.
Everything was still spinning
And everything would keep spinning for the next hour until he finally felt well enough to walk on two feet again.
The moment his hylian feet hit the ground, Wild was pushing the two purple crystals that contained his equipment into the rancher's hands, a toothy grin on his face.
“You know you're gonna have to let me try it sometime, right?”
Twilight swears he could feel his hair turning grayer by the second. “The day that comes is the day they bury me in the ground, cub.”
A swift glare at the approaching Wind was all he needed to send the sailor scuttling back to Warriors's side. A tiny voice in his mind cautioned the sight, remembering how weak willed the captain was to those ocean blue eyes when the pirate wanted something.
Oh well, not his apprentice, not his mess to clean up.
Wild was still grinning, wasn't he? Dear Ordonia, this kid was going to be the death of him.
Moonlight had just begun cresting over the horizon when the chain finally came to the edge of the Temple of Souls, a grim reminder of what they were actually here for.
Hyrule. They had to save him.
Even from the cliff face a good distance away, they could easily see several dozen people bustling in and out of the temple's front door, a few carriages parked out front with crates being loaded inside.
Before anyone could begin a semblance of a plan, Legend was tossing a cape over his shoulders and shoving a staff into Time's hands.
“You're the only one I trust to not trash this thing, just pour magic into it and it'll cover anyone nearby.” He decided soundly, leaving little room for argument.
Of course what it did was left a mystery until Legend tugged the cape's hood over his shoulders and disappeared from sight.
“Well? Hurry up!” The vets' voice spoke out from where he once stood. If he shifted into wolf form again, Twilight would probably be able to see the pinched grimace of annoyance on the invisible hero's face.
Warily doing as Legend said to, Time raised the staff up as a gleam of light erupted from its top. A curtain of magic seems to fall across the group, huddled close as the field settles around them.
Now inside, they could finally see the Hero of Legend once more, who was growing more and more impatient.
“Ive got a couple green potions to hold us up for as long as we can, but do not let anyone get close to the barrier.”
“Uh- why?” Four asked, rubbing at the fresh bandage on his shoulder from the injury Blue had taken earlier.
The pinkette groaned at the inconvenience of needing to explain. “Cuz if anyone touches it, they're gonna get electrocuted. Happy?”
Suddenly the group crowded around even closer together.
Whatever was going on in this place, Twilight decided he hated it the moment he caught a whiff of the cargo being loaded into the carriages. He clutched a hand tight to his mouth and actually felt grateful for having hurled up his lunch earlier, as now he was certain he'd have puked it up anyway smelling all of this.
Blood. Not just silver faerie blood. Hylian, Zoran, Goron, Gerudo, Monster, Animal, even hints of Dragon. It was like walking into a slaughter house of every living being to walk the earth.
Everyone seemed to be on edge at the scent, even without the ability to discern the types, it wasn't easy to mistake the metallic smell for something else.
Legend was leading the way as the group snuck into the front doors, opening into a giant foyer lined with old paintings and statues whose details had been lost to time but still made Wars grimace at the sight.
Every step the veteran took was unbalanced, off center as he favored his right side more and more. Even from underneath the cloak he could see his shoulders shaking and hear the wheezing of his breath.
One look at Sky told Twilight he wasn't imagining it, and damn being called a mother cucco, he wasn't going to let the injured vet rush into things on his own.
He nudged past Four, who seemed to be trying to convince Wind to let him borrow something, and peaked out to the front of the group where Legend was walking (hobbling. Limping even.)
He gently tugged one of his hookshots out of his satchel and -after triple checking to make sure no one was nearby- shot the blade into the ground next to the hero.
The strawberry blond leapt at the sudden noise, barely hiding a squeak before seeing the bookshot and the man who fired it.
Legend rolled his eyes. “What is it?!” He hissed through his teeth, carefully stepping inside the staff's barrier with the protection of the cloak.
“Your limping, the stab wound is bothering you again, right?” Twilight doesn't hesitate to confront the man, who only grimaces in response.
“Ill be fine-” he starts to whisper before the farm hand snatches the cloak from his shoulders. He squawked at the gesture, fumbling for the cape as Twilight tugged it over his own shoulders and head, stepping just outside of the barrier before the hero could reach him.
He could feel the cloak's magic drain at his magic, already his chest felt tighter, but he was technically the better scout.
“Don't worry, I got this.” He reaffirmed to Legend, who looked second from leaping through the barrier to strangle him, electrocution be damned.
Shifting into wolf form definitely didn't help with the magic drain, the hood just barely kept out of his eyes by stretching his ears up, but his steps were quieter and his nose was actually able to discern the smells that muddled the halls of this place.
At least now, Legend was being supported by a much calmer looking Sky, all while the pink haired hero whispered swears and promises of harm at the wolf's direction.
Yeah yeah, sure, Legend could get all of it out of his system once they had their brother back and could get the hell out of here.
Coming up on a split in the halls, Twilight began navigating down any way he could find that had a lingering smell of faerie or hylian blood, as Hyrule's had always smelt distinctly of both.
Faintly, he heard soft clicks and murmurs from behind, sparing a glance to see the smithy with Wind's picto box in hand. Several eyebrows were raised in question before Four signed. “Evidance for Artemis”
If Warriors was able to without revealing them, he'd have probably heaved the heaviest sigh of relief any of them have ever heard. Leave it to Four to find a way for the captain to keep his job after committing treason against the crown.
A strong scent caught him off guard, whirling around to catch its trail as he frantically paced to find it again.
There.
It was unmistakably Hyrule, from the traces of pine and mint to the tang of silver blood. He let out a small boof at the others before trotting down the hall.
Each turn further into the twisting mansion set Twilight's hair on end, and for some reason the further they traveled, the more tense Wars, Wind, and Time became.
He finally stopped at a large set of double doors, wide open and devoid of any people nearby. It opened into a large antechamber lined with paintings, probably the best preserved in the whole place.
Something clicked in his head as he realized every single painting was of Wars.
Said captain had now dropped to his knees with a small clatter of armor, several of the chain jumping in surprise.
Except Wind and Time, who rushed to his side.
Twilight padded back over to the group, stepping inside the barrier to sit in front of Warriors, whose face was pale and clammy.
His eyes were pinprick as he stared off into nothing, breathing short and rapid.
No one moved to react before Time carefully passed the staff to Legend, kneeling next to Wars.
“She's not here anymore.” The man whispered with a tenderness reserved for only the worst of nightmares, and Twilight could only dread to think what happened here to have their confident and proud captain reduced to such a state.
Sandy blond locks latched sun kissed arms around Wars's neck as Wind tried to chase away the panic with hugs alone.
The group sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do about the little world three of their members seemed to be lost in before Legend scoffs, padding over to tap Time on the shoulder and hand back the staff.
“This place is quiet enough, we don't need the invisibility further in. You and the kid keep the peacock company.”
“No- I…” Wars spoke for the first time in what felt like ages, voice splintered and trembling.
Sky tuts at the man. “If you say ‘I'm fine’, I'm pretty sure Lege is gonna set you on fire.”
Twi couldn't help but trod up to the man and nudge his cold nose at salty tears he probably hadn't realized were there.
“We'll handle getting Sprig, and you three can scout for our escape route.” Four compromised, the vague plan finally seeming to convince Warriors with a shaky nod.
Five heroes stepped out of the safety of the invisibility barrier and watched as three others disappeared down the corridor.
Glancing back into the large antechamber, Twi could see the scowl that had molded itself onto his cub's face.
“When we get Rulie back, can I set this place on fire?”
“Only if you let me help.” Sky grimly added.
Four raised a hand, eyes flashing a vivid crimson. “I vote to also help!”
“Pssh- y’all will have to be quick before I blow the whole building up.” Legend comments, idly holding one of his golden medallions in hand. Twilight felt for certain that the veteran wasn't joking.
Despite how big the room was (scars of a fierce battle marred every inch of the place, like the memory of whatever happened here still lived on) it was remarkably empty.
Save for a bunch of gaudy rotting carpets.
It's under one of these giant carpets that Twilight catches Hyrule's scent again, grabbing the dirt and mold crusted rug in his teeth (gross) and tossing it aside.
Underneath laid a wooden hatch, remarkably cleaner than anything else in the room. A look was shared amongst the five before Wild tore back the door.
It descended into a long and winding staircase, dark marble lining the walls and ceiling while the floor was a mish mash of wood and stone.
The final step opened out into a hallway, lined with iron bar cells.
Every hair of fur on Twilight's body shoots up, unable to keep the low growl in his throat. Memories of the palace dungeons kept flickering in his vision, juxtaposed to the cell lined hallway before him. He half expects to turn a corner and see his own form crumpled in one of the cages, a single chain tying him to the floor.
A hand ruffles the back of his neck, fingers grabbing a fistfull of his fur, and he turns to see Sky smiling down at him.
Ah, now it was time for the mother cucco to be fussed over.
He shook the memories out of his head, they were far far away from his Hyrule, and they were here for a reason.
Sprig's scent was everywhere in here, and so close to the source, he could easily smell the emotions that came with it.
Panic, distress, terror, grief.
It didn't take much convincing to urge the group to move faster down the halls.
A simple trot had broken into a sprint as he rushed through the corridors, turning a corner to finally see-
Their brother. Hyrule.
He's right in front of them, and the shaky wheezes from his prone form meant he was still breathing.
He's alive.
That was the first thing he noticed. The next was the putrid smells so awful it shocked him back to his hylian form, and even that didn't erase the imprint of the stench from his mind.
Twilight crumpled on the ground, furiously clutching and clawing at his nose to try and tear out the smell, but it wouldn't. Go. Away.
Everything about his body, every part of him touched by twili magic screamed at him how wrong the stench was.
Hyrule was right in front of him, Legend and Four already rushing to his side, and the rancher couldn't do anything except-
A pair of mismatched hands drag his own away from his face, Wild's pleas finally reaching his ringing ears.
“Twilight- stop! Your already bleeding-”
His nails were covered in crimson, rivets of blood dripping from the scratch marks on his face.
“Now now, don't go wasting all of that perfectly good blood.” a voice spoke.
Five heroes whirled to the source of the words, watching a lanky woman emerge from the hallway they'd just come through.
Cloud gray hair flowed down like water past black shard-like antlers and dark gray ears like a fawn. Black voids sat where eyes should, lightness and empty. Thin black lips parted into a disturbingly wide smile that stretched farther and farther-
Until the teeth began growing in size, sharpened to a wicked point. A jaw split out of its hinges with a nauseating crack while talons peeled back pale skin on the hands.
“NEAMH-SHÍTHEACH, GET READY!” Legend screeched from Hyrule's side, uttering a word in a language Twilight could hardly make sense of. Regardless, he listened to the veteran's warnings.
Whatever this thing was, it was looking less and less like a person by the second. Limbs stretched and snapped in places where they shouldn't before a clawed hand shot forward. The hand slammed into Wild's sword with enough force to send him flying backwards, crashing at Four and Legend's feet meters away from Twilight.
He barely had the chance to dodge out of the way when another hand shot forward, crashing into the floor where he stood with the force to pulverize the stone tile into dust.
A blinding flare of light shot through the hallway as a fire ball landed squarely onto the things chest. It screamed at the impact, the noise deafening.
The blind skyloftian crumpled to the ground, tightly clutching sensitive ears, and unable to block the next hand that shot out at them.
Pale talons raked across Sky's back in a gory show of force, tearing through his prized cape and forcing a scream out of the man.
Blood was pouring out of his back as the hero collapsed onto the floor, Twilight already rushing over with a potion from his bag.
Whatever that thing was, it stopped its merciless attack to watch the sight in amusement as the rancher forced his brother to choke down the potion. It held its bloodied talons aloft in front of its face, something wicked gleaming in its eye.
“A mortal touched by the goddess.” She drawled, speech slow and uncoordinated with her jaw out of its sockets. “What a rare specimen. Along with a shadow shifter. Who would've thought a pathetic little Daoine Sídhe would attract such fascinating subjects.”
The language meant nothing to Twilight's ears, but the words seemed to ignite a rage in Legend's eyes as he stormed forward with his flame rod again, briefly turning back to Wild.
“Champ? You mind giving the sailor a call? We're gonna make this quick.” A dangerous glow began emanating from the veteran's eyes, grasping at the rope of medallions on his neck.
The gesture did not go unnoticed by the not-person, whose warped face seemed to show the closest excuse to fear it had. “You would bring the whole building down.” It snarled. “That would kill everyone here, criminal and prisoner!”
“Nah.” Legend scoffs, glowing eyes glancing over the rest of their group. “All we gotta do is keep you busy while the place clears out.”
Understanding flickered between the eyes of each of the Links, even Sky as he came back around from his injuries. Something chimed from Wild's tablet as Wind's voice echoed throughout the room
“We're kinda in the middle of stealthing, Wild-” the sailor began, hissing out a whisper before the champion interrupted.
“Change of plans, Wind. We need you guys to make as much noise as you can, we're tearing this place down!”
—
Well you didn't have to tell him twice.
Wind didn't need to hear the reason for the sudden transmission, nor did he need tk understand why the mission had changed from stealth to a full siege. Sometimes adventures just be like that.
Honestly, ever since he stepped foot in here again, the sailor had been itching for a reason to start a fire.
He'd forgotten just how stifling these halls could be, blocking out the memories of man and monster clashing in bloody violence through the elegant manor corridors.
So much of it came rushing back when they stood at the entrance to that room. If he looked, he could probably find the gouge marks in the door where he and Mask had furiously tried breaking it down to reach their older brother's screams on the other side.
Now, he'd been given the green light to torch the place of his brother's nightmares. And he was going to enjoy it.
A brief glance at Time showed he shared the same vengeful excitement at the idea, and Warriors had his face frozen in a thin mask he'd scraped together with the last shards of crumbling composure.
One good look, one pleading set of eyes from Wind begging for permission was all it took for that newly scrounged composure to dissolve, the captain relenting with a sigh.
“This is supposed to be a natural heritage sight but, fine.”
No other words were needed as Time dissolved the invisibility barrier, they stood on the second floor of the main foyer. Black market merchants milled about the bottom floor completely unaware.
He could fix that.
Just above the main staircase was a giant tapestry that used to have a disgustingly descript image of Wars shirtless, though it had faded gray a long time ago.
One quick fire arrow to where the face used to be sent the flaming abomination crashing to the ground in a burst of sparks and fire, quickly setting the rest of the stairwell ablaze.
Panic cries and shouts rang throughout the manor as the fire spread, some leftover illegal merchandise even exploding at the contact with flames!
But it wasn't enough.
He needed more.
Time seemed to agree, holding his hands in front of him in a diamond shape as a small orb of light appeared between his hands. In an instant, dozens of paintings lining the opposite wall were lit ablaze, flames so intense that the opposing second floor balcony collapsed under the flames in seconds.
Yessssss
Not one to quit while the going was good, the sailor eagerly grabbed Warriors' hand (who was busy staring at the paintings of himself burning) and tugged him further down the hallway to the courtyard, where several old stone busts of the man were sprawled about.
He helped himself to plunge a hand into the captain's satchel and reemerge with his flame rod, shoving it into armored gauntlets.
“Cmonnnnn, you know you want to!”
“Listen to the kid. Trust me when I say it's therapeutic.”
“Both of you are like accursed devils on my shoulders.” Warriors swears, but relents as an effortless motion summoned forth a dragon wreathed in flames that tore through the courtyard and smashed every statue in sight, catching the shrubbery alight in the process.
All things considered, the fire was looking pretty healthy.
“Alright alright, arson aside, we've gotta look through this place and make sure no one else is inside if the others are actually going to bring it down.” Time interrupts, to which Wind groans.
“But we're making progress in the cap's healing!”
Metal covered hands ruffle at his curls. “Im sure my ‘healing’ will be a lot easier without the thought of innocent people caught up in a fire we started on my conscience.”
Fiiiiinnneeeeeeeeeeee but Wind was still going to pout about it.
When it came to finding stragglers, Wind was extremely smug at being able to pull out his Hero's Charm. Of course, it was normally used for combat and finding enemy weaknesses, but in a pinch he could always use it to see if there's a living being on the other side of a wall.
It was through this wall hugging routine that they came across multiple imprisoned people caught up in this hellhole.
A young gerudo teen was fiercely protecting a little Zora girl, though they managed to convince the girls to trust them before blasting an opening to the sprawling countryside from their cell.
Two Goron brothers were tightly bound in heavy chains, though they brightened up once they were free. The two were more than happy to make their own exit as a pair of Goron shaped holes crashed through to the outside.
Stumbling into the next cell, they found four hylians huttled in the corner. Two children, a teen, and an adult. On the other side of the room was another Hylian. An old man. Dead.
None of them knew him, they found out. Each of them had been picked up and imprisoned here as ‘test subjects’ for months. The old guy had volunteered for a test the day before in place of the young girl. He'd had a heart attack after returning to the cell.
They helped them bury the old man outside before sweeping through the mansion again.
When Time finally declared they were in the clear -with half of the building on fire by this point- Wind rang up Wild to give Lege the go on his plan.
One ringed, two rings, three rings before the call connected, and the sight of Twilight's bloodied face greeted him on the other line.
“Cyclos's ass hair, you look like shit.”
“Yeah- I figured.” Twi began, only for a howling shriek to cut him off. The camera panned briefly to show Wild locked in combat with a feral look on his face, facing down a-
Whatever the fuck that nightmare fuel is! It looked like a Re-dead and a big octo had a baby that got chewed up and shat out.
“ARE WE CLEAR?” Legend's voice was strained on the other end, face briefly popping into view as purple light blinded the screen.
“Yeah- yeah you're clear!”
“Fucking finally. TIME TO DIE, BITCH!”
A rumble shook the earth before the calling stone went silent. A boom rang out from somewhere deep beneath the temple before even more explosions rang out.
Boom, boom, boom, kaBOOM! As the explosions finally breached the lower levels and burst out from the roof in a pile of smoke and fire.
Just as the thought of ‘wait, how are they supposed to get out?’ breached Wind's mind, something shot out of the plume of smoke.
If the sailor remembered correctly, Wild had called it a Zonai Wing.
And it was hurtling straight towards them.
He tugged the wind waker out of his belt with ease as he conducted the ballad of gales, a current of wind catching both the wing and its screaming passengers moments before they hit the ground.
Six figures stumbled out of the craft, though Wind had not one in particular in the last two days.
“RULIE!” He wanted to latch onto the faerie and never let go, only for Four to put a hand up and stop him.
“Dont- whatever these cuffs are made of, they're burning him. Any movement is gonna hurt like hell.”
As if on cue, the healer chose that moment to come back to consciousness, only for his first waking moments to be silent screams of agony as he flailed from the metal restraints pressed against his body.
The brunette twisted from where he lay, leaving his back exposed to everyone as he writhed on the ground and-
Wind doubts he'll ever be able to match the feeling of pure unfiltered dread that washed through his body at the sight of his brothers’.
Jagged and marred scars of wounds that never properly healed puckered at his back. One was a jagged stab wound that stretched from the top to the base of his spine, an injury that absolutely had a matching exit point on the front of the man's chest. Two others were warped with the muscles on the back, a set of holes where flesh had been gouged or even ripped out left craters where something had been before. What haunted him the most was how old the scars looked, how newer ones had already begun healing over top. Like it was something he'd had for years -must have.
Everyone had seen it, if the stunned silence that overcame the usually obnoxiously loud group.
The sailors' stomach fought to keep whatever he had left down, he didn't need to be the second person to throw up today.
Their brother… has been hiding this?
And he was still laying on the ground in pain.
Stomaching the disgusting feelings welling up in his heart, he kneeled down next to Hyrule and glanced up at the smithy. “How do we get them off?”
Colors were still swimming around in the gray eyes, wide in shock and fear as his face dropped.
“FOUR!” He screamed at the man, dragging him back to reality. “How do we get them off?!” He could feel the salty tears prickle at his eyes.
“Shit-! Uh, g-give us a second!” Four stammered before vanishing in a blinding light, the colours sat in his place.
All in various states of disarray.
Blue, still nursing an injured arm, was glaring back at the temple. “Im gonna make sure that fucking witch is dead.” He stomped off, Warriors shaking himself out of his stupor to chase after him.
Green clutched a hysterical Red as the two seemed to dissolve into their own emotions.
The only one present in the circumstances was Vio, a fierce determination to his eyes as he glanced around at the rest of his brothers.
“Look- we're gonna unpack all this shit later. For now, anyone who isn't injured and/or having panic attacks better get their asses over here.”
That group turned out to be rather small as the only ones who joined Vio were Wind and Wild. Legend had passed out after whatever wack ass explosion he pulled off while Sky was barely hanging onto consciousness from the healing potion exhausting his energy. Even Twilight was shooed away after admitting that whatever metal was making up Hyrule's chains had him clawing at his face to the point of bleeding.
Time was unhurt but… no one really wanted to touch on the haunted look in his eye.
So, with only two functioning assistants, Vio was going to have to make do.
“Wind, hold his shoulders. Wild, you grab his legs.” He instructed, pulling out a set of large metal clippers before starting on the collar.
The lock gave away quickly, though removing the manacle was still a daunting task as unclasping it revealed the brunette's neck was marred with burn marks and infected flesh.
No one mentioned it when Wild brought out a bottled sprite as they pulled the collar away from the bleeding burn wounds, nor did they acknowledge when the little faerie soared out of the bottle to rest itself on Hyrule's head, where it refused to move from.
With the collar tossed aside (Wild had chucked the thing into the still burning remains of the temple) they began work on the handcuffs.
This ended up so much worse than the collar as now Hyrule was so much more conscious than before.
He was awake enough to open his eyes and meet Wind's teary ocean blue eyes as the sailor started back into the trembling amber.
Wind saw the moment the rough metal cuffs caught hard on skin, sending a brand new wave of fresh agony though the half-faerie's body as more silent screams were choked out of his brother's mouth.
Nearby, Time clutched his hands to his ears, understanding every single one of the mute chimes ringing out from the young man, and forced himself up on heavy feet to walk far enough away to hide from the screams.
He had to fight against his older brother's pain and push his body down as quiet sobbing wracked his chest, mouthing words almost as if to beg please stop please it hurts it hurts
Vio tore away the last link of the manacle with a growl, throwing the accursed thing into the same fire the collar had been tossed while Wild wasted zero time in thumbing through his slate and pulling out half a dozen bottles.
The purple smithy stood from his spot at Hyrule's side with a shout, finally done with being strong as he all but collapsed into a pile with Red and Green. Blue followed shortly after, having been recovered by Wars.
The captain now stood next to Wind as Wild quickly took up the spot that Vio had left, gently tipping one of the bottled concoctions into the brunette's mouth.
Two bottles in and Wind couldn't help but marvel at how much color had returned to Rulie's face, the tortured young man finally drifting off into unconsciousness.
He sat for a moment, letting out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding, before the champion handed him a bottle.
“If you can help, this'll hopefully make the burns a lot better.”
Wind didn't even need to think before grabbing the bottle.
They got to work applying the medicine and lotion, all while Wars took a seat near Hyrule's head and gently placed his folded scarf under the brunette's nest of curls. The captain chatted with the little sprite still resting on Rulie's forehead all the way up until Wild tied off the last bandage.
A flutter of pink light with gorgeous cerulean wings floated up to Wind's face and planted a tiny kiss on his cheek. While not the same as a usual heal from a faerie, he still appreciated it as the few scrapes and bruises he got were patched up.
She repeated the process for all of the chain, thank yous mutterered in an unfamiliar language before she darted off into the wilderness.
For the first time in what felt like an hour, Wind finally took a deep breath, though what came out next was more like a shuttering sob.
Breathing devolved into hiccups, his vision blurred with tears as he suddenly felt oh so very exposed.
Armored hands tugged him into a hug and Wind couldn't help but bury himself into it. Briefly, he caught a glimpse of Twi-turned-Wolfie padding over to curl around an exhausted Wild, who'd dropped like a stone once the adrenaline had gone cold.
Time was stalking back into their rough excuse of a camp, discarding his armor next to their belongings before joining Wind and Wars next to their injured brother.
The old man's hand briefly ghosted the bandages around Hyrule's chest, seemingly haunted by the memory of whatever laid just beneath the surface.
Instead, Time retracted his hand and chose to pull out his ocarina. A small thing, easily dwarfed by large calloused hands, but still able to play beautiful melodies.
A soft tune wafted over the clearing, calming, healing.
Eventually, the colors rose from the pile they'd situated themselves into in favor of dragging the other sleeping members of the party over to their vigil around Hyrule, all while Time continued to play.
Sadness and pain seemed to melt away with each note played, and Wind's exhaustion was quick to fill its place.
Someone lowered him onto the ground, placing a blanket over his shoulders, and he opened his eyes just long enough to fumble and grasp one of Hyrule's hands.
You're not getting away from me, little pixie. His tired mind thought, a jaw stretching yawn chasing away his last remains of consciousness as he drifted off to the ocarina's melody.
—