Chapter Text
"What I don't be gettin' is why nobody be talkin' 'bout what happened," Wind hisses, kicking a rock.
The chain is trekking through the forest Hylia dropped them in, wandering in the direction of maybe-civilization. It's ridiculously nondescript, to the point that seven of them claimed ownership, resulting in a Time-led march in the direction of... somewhere. Legend hasn't got any better ideas and instead trails at the back of the group, trudging on as their days of endless travel increase by one.
Noticeably, the group is... quieter than usual. More spread out than usual. Conversation partners murmur in the sunny, green woods, walking as though some shroud hangs over their heads.
Noticeably, Wild is gone, having vanished into the brush once they'd acknowledged his arrival through the portal.
"Don't worry about it," Legend says in Wind's direction, glaring at the path ahead.
"But everyone be actin' all weird about it!"
"Don't worry about it," Legend hisses again.
Death is-- well, common, among the heroes. Somehow, for all that this quest drags on, they've managed to avoid the worst of such injury; Legend can remember one incident not long after he'd joined, when one of Hyrule's dairas had cleaved Warriors down and they'd needed to hole up in a town for a few days afterwards to fix what the fairies couldn't. It'd jarred the lot of them, but as the weeks dragged on and no such injury occurred again, the threat... faded, Legend thinks. The memory of the sheer number of fairies he'd burned through as a child sits heavy in his memory, yes, but memory is called that for a reason; the more time that passes, the less the bite of that anxiety gnaws at his bones.
Watching Wild fall, seeing the spark of a fairy, being too far to really see what happened and yet knowing regardless sat... uneasily. Whether because of how new Wild still was, whether because of how much work Wild had put in that night, whether because of how casually, silently he handled it, as though nothing unusual had happened... Legend didn't know. All he knew was that Wild was dull, after, quieter than usual. All he knew was that Wind, somehow, had missed the whole event, and the slim relief such a thing offered.
Wind levers a glare up at Legend, bottom lip sticking out in a stubborn pout that's plagued the sailor since he was younger. "I be knowin' what happens durin' all this heroin', Pinky. Somethin' happened, an' I be thinkin' we lot need t' talk about it."
Legend peels his lip back, hisses in the direction of the woods. He's still mad that in the first quest that brought heroes together, the sailor managed to be the oldest. At least Legend had been older than Ocarina; a feat he can no longer claim, Time now being young for a Hylian but comparably ancient to the rest of the heroes. Still-- Legend can't say that Wind is wrong about knowing too much. That he had known too much, too, at an age even younger than Wind. And, for all that he hates it, it's Twilight and Wind with the older-brother instincts in this group. Not Warriors, not Time, and certainly not Legend.
"Shit happens." Legend ducks under some fallen tree. "Problem's-- I dunno. That it happened."
"Nobody was talkin' t' Wild," Wind says.
"He's not exactly an easy conversation partner."
A scoff from the sailor. "That be coward's talk."
Legend rolls his eyes. "Okay, you talk to him next time he shows up."
"I will!"
Silence falls when Legend can think of nothing to say in return. Nobody in front of them acts like they heard the conversation, and all Legend can hear is the rustle of the trees. A sound that should be warm and yet which feels cold, cold.
He used to lean on Wind, he thinks. When he'd set out from Labrynna for Hyrule, it'd been the sailor's advice that'd kept him going, that'd let him even attempt to pick his way over the ocean. Always, the sailor had been older than him, wiser than him, until they met again and Legend was four years older and had to learn how to look down. And now they walk, silent. No secrets shared, no giggles, no gossip. Just one hero trying to be some shitty kind of role model and the other lamenting what had been.
Legend doesn't object when Wind eventually jogs ahead, leaving him behind. Blinks in soft air, in the tension tugging at his eyes. Wonders when he forgot how to be that kid again.
~~~
A fire crackles before them, flickering off the trees. They'd stumbled into Wild tending it right after they'd begun discussing where to camp for the night. He'd barely reacted to them, stared into its depths. Nine skewers, loaded with meat and vegetables, were planted in the dirt around the fire.
He still sits there, now. They all sit, watching each other. Silent.
"We should probably talk about yesterday," Time says.
Only the midnight song of the forest bugs reply.
Sky sighs, leaning back on his hands. "Well, I'll go first: after we were jumped by the lizalfos, I grabbed Sun and we ran south to see if we could shelter in the mines. We got cut off by lizalfos before we could get there, though-- Time, that's when you showed up. We took care of them pretty easily, and decided to shelter at the top of the cliffs instead. We were hoping to get a temporary camp set up and have everyone move on up there, but... well, before we could do anything, the Dark Lizal showed up. And then, so did Wild, and... well, you all know the rest."
"It chased you up there, or it happened to be there?" Warriors asks.
"It appeared, for lack of a better word," Time says. "Whether it was following us or waiting, it was almost impossible to tell."
Hyrule shakes his head. "Well, me and Four got chased by lizalfos, and Legend told us he'd chased after them but got split off our path. We took care of most of them, Wild and Legend showed up at the end and helped finish them off. We went to camp after that, and Wild and Legend went off to go find the rest of you lot."
"We had a pretty similar story," Warriors says. "Wind got chased by some lizalfos, Twilight and I followed, we ended up running around the quicksand for quite a while before finally taking care of them. Not long after we scaled the temple, Wild and Legend showed up."
"The whole thing was stupid," Legend huffs. "We were spread out so easily."
"Panic running was probably not the best idea," Sky says.
"I do agree that a plan for what to do should this happen again is a good idea," Warriors says. "Though-- were any of you able to get anything off the Dark Lizal?"
Head shakes from Time and Sky, and all eyes turn to Wild. Wild, who still stares numbly at the fire.
Eventually, though, he stirs. Looks up, blinks at Warriors as the question is repeated, before shaking his head.
'We've got no good luck,' Twilight says. 'But th' thing's showin' up more.'
"That it is," Warriors says. "We may have another chance before long."
Conversation peters out there, and Legend finds himself lying on his bedroll before long, staring at the stars as Hyrule and Sky murmur about something or other, as Wind goes to tromp around in the woods "lookin' for frogs," and the rest settle. Something still hangs over him, sits heavy in his belly, as he remembers the glitter of fairy dust. As he remembers the blood left behind in the sand.
He should've done something, Legend eventually decides, a cloud blotting out the moon far above. He should've been there. All he'd done was get lost in the desert, all he'd done was fight a bunch of weak, meager scorpions. All he'd done was follow, follow, follow, as Wild died so they could live. All he'd done was watch, and walk behind, and wait until it was too late to say anything. Wait until it was too late to do anything.
Heroes die, he thinks. It should be nothing.
~~~
Marin is not there. Link spends the day-night searching for her, wandering aimlessly around the island. Yet for all that he looks, he cannot find her. Yet for all that he tries, he cannot bring himself to worry, not with the seagulls dancing overhead.
~~~
Legend is one of the last to wake, stiffly clawing out of bed to blink in the morning light. His body aches and hurts in the chill morning air; whether from the cold, from the hard ground, from his protesting body, he doesn't know. Doesn't even care to try to pick that apart.
"Vet?" Time calls as Legend determinately hobbles to the fire.
"Just peachy," Legend hisses.
"Camp day, then," the old man says. "Not a bad thing, we have plenty of chores that need doing-- or catching up on, as it is."
Legend shakes his head, accepts a mug of hot tea from Sky. "I'll be stuck here, I guess."
"Oh, please," Sky says with a laugh. "You do have one job."
"And that is?"
"Resting."
"Oh shut up," Legend huffs, shoving weakly at the laughing knight.
"It's true, though!" Sky says, before digging out his latest carving project. "And besides, you need somebody to make sure you don't suddenly collapse into the fire."
Legend raises an eyebrow. "Do I now."
"Oh, yes."
"Or do you just need a nap buddy."
A wink is all Legend gets.
Around them, the day begins to move. Someone digs up a pile of dirty dishes to drop into Wind's arms; Twilight pulls out a washboard before trekking off with Warriors in Wind's direction; Four settles himself on the other side of the fire with all their various non-magical and very dull-able knives; Time sets to work managing the bitch that is his armor; Hyrule and Wild... dematerialize, for lack of a better word; and Sky, true to his promise, stays sitting next to Legend the whole time, carving away at what slowly becomes a spoon.
It's slow. Boring, really. Legend finds himself watching some sparrows dance in the woods while trying to figure out what, exactly, to do with himself. He'd forgotten to lug his bag over to the fire-- maybe he could ask Sky to grab it... ?
But when he blinks back to himself, Sky is gone. Almost everyone is, actually, except for Wild, who is now cooking something or other in a pot over the fire.
He'd forgotten to eat breakfast, Legend slowly realizes. "Where'd everyone go?"
'River. Bathe.'
Ah.
Silence between them settles. The fire crackles. A woodpecker knocks at a distant tree. Some squirrels argue over whatever it is that squirrels find important. Wild chops carrots with a comically large sword, rhythmic thunks against his cutting board.
"Are you sure?" Legend asks. "That you're okay?"
'Yes.' Wild swipes the carrots into the pot, pulls out a fatty cut of meat.
"But--"
'What you-know?' Wild doesn't glare, but the snap of his words might as well have been one. 'How live? How die?'
Live. A flick of the fingers upward. Die. Pointing at his right eye.
Legend doesn't begin to guess at the latter. Reads the translation Wild silently holds out. Tries to hold a gaze that avoids his own.
"We know a lot," he tries.
Wild rolls his eyes. Cuts through the meat hard enough that his sword sticks to the cutting board.
Legend doesn't say anything else. Watches as the stew takes shape; watches as it bubbles in its pot. Watches, watches, waits.
The others return, loud. Sky retrieves Legend's bag. Stew is handed out, steaming in wooden and clay bowls. It's creamy, seasoned well, served with fresh bread that had been stored in Wild's slate. It's warm, it's hearty, and Legend can barely stomach it.
~~~
They find a town the next day. It's small, lively, with three inns too many and a whole host of shops surrounding the town square.
"Woodlow," Wars says to nobody as they approach. "Traveled in this region once. It's a nice place."
"Your era, then," Time says.
"What else?"
Legend stops in their chosen inn only long enough to claim a bed before heading back out into town. He's in desperate need of... a lot of things, actually. Questing for months, now, has run some of his supplies thin, and others worn, and if nothing else he'd like to try keeping on top of replacing everything he's beginning to burn through. At least his magical equipment has held up, though even some enchantments are starting to need refreshing.
It's how he finds himself in a tailor's shop, looking at some of the pre-sewn tunics. He doesn't need to replace his magical outer tunic anytime soon, thank Lolia, but his undertunic... it's starting to become all patch.
"Looking for anything in specific?" the tailor calls from her machine, where she's working on some other project.
"Just something basic," he says in return.
"Well, I should have plenty of that," she laughs. "Even if you don't seem like the sorta folk for basic."
Plain linen tunics hang on the rack in front of him. None will ever fit quite right, because they're pre-sewn, and they're cheap for not being dyed. Legend knows he'll be sewing names into them once he gets back to the inn, a habit he learned from the Rancher; keep the names of those you care for close to your heart, your skin, and it's a sort of magic on its own.
But it's...
He's wearing black and red. Red is a plenty common dye; he was always confused why the weaker tunic was blue, for all the rarity of the color, but he suspects that that tunic was meant for some noble. Something lightly enchanted, just enough to exude wealth and mild protection, but nothing meant for actual use. Red, meanwhile, is common, cheap; a workhorse tunic can get torn and faded and re-dyed with minimal expense. Even so, the enchantment on the tunic keeps it as bright as the day it was first dyed; the black of his undertunic stark in comparison, even as its color slowly fades in the sunlight.
It's rich. The colors may not be, but Legend knows what their party looks like. Knows that only the royals are seen with colors of that level of intensity; knows that no worker should have a tunic as unsoiled, untouched as his own.
He needs a plain tunic for sleeping in. For wearing under all his other clothes. For when he eventually finds his way back home-- and he will, he must-- and he needs something lazy to wear about the house. And yet he looks wealthy enough to buy one of the dyed tunics to serve this very purpose.
It shouldn't be something that sticks with him, not as he buys a linen tunic anyway and waves goodbye to the tailor and walks out of the store. And yet it does. Because it was first in Kakariko that someone noted how different he looked, wasn't it? After everyone's memories had been wiped, and he'd tried to just go back to being a kid, and someone asked him why his hair was pink and where he'd got that new tunic from. Why he looked like he'd just been to the castle (because he had). Why he was suddenly wearing favors from the princess.
Wild is there, across the town square. Crouched and listening intently to some children who wave their arms and dance as though they're telling him some marvelous story. He wears his own red tunic, and yet he looks as though he belongs. Wears a bright yet worn, fading color, wears traditional embroidery, carries himself as though the weight of the world doesn't rest on his shoulders.
The others are easy to spot. They always are. They never fit in, wherever they go. Even Hyrule, for all his humble gear, can be spotted for the shining gem-encrusted blade at his hip.
Legend wears his black tunic to dinner. Sits at the corner of the inn's pub and watches the people go in and out. Pretends to be engrossed in a notebook (busy, busy) when the others come in.
It never bothered him, before, that he stood out. It never bothered him, before, when the tailors of Wars' era would point him to the wealthy tunics.
New linen sits on his skin. He doesn't know why it feels as though it doesn't fit. Doesn't know why he's surprised, as pre-sewn tunics never do fit.
~~~
Wild tries to talk to him, the next day, as they pack up to leave for the castle.
Legend turns away. Feels as though his hurt is justified. Feels as though he's cruel, when Wild turns away, hurt in turn.
~~~
"Really," Warriors says on the long march to the castle, "It's all gotten quite boring since the war ended."
"Uh-huh," Legend says.
"Well, picture this: you join the military as a new recruit, looking to be a hero. Three weeks later you're holding the master sword. Wouldn't you be bored if you had to learn what army life is actually like after all the fun stuff happens?"
Legend just shakes his head. "You and I have very different opinions on what is fun, captain."
"Says the guy who likes to spend his evenings sorting the same box of rings over and over."
Warriors is very lucky that they're in public, Legend decides. He's unwilling to make a scene out of himself in front of strangers, and is forced to settle for rolling his eyes and glaring at the shameless captain.
"Well, fine," he eventually says, "but don't you ever think about what it'd be like if that hadn't happened?"
"If I hadn't found the sword?"
"Yeah."
Warriors shrugs. "I'd be in the army anyway. I'd have fought in the war anyway. It wasn't the sword who made the choice for me, it was... well, me."
Legend hums. Fingers the handle of his own blade; the master sword as well, but enchanted. Restored.
"It's inevitable, isn't it?" he finds himself saying. "That we find ourselves where we need to be when the time comes."
"Makes me wonder how many of us didn't get the call," Warriors laughs. "How many Links are out there just in case, who never need to take up the sword at all."
Legend snorts. "Nah, I think we're all screwed."
"All right then, mister optimist. So what's your story?"
A shrug. "Uncle died while trying to save the princess, I took up his sword and finished the job. Brought him back with a wish on the Triforce, went off to save a few countries, saved Hyrule again, got kicked out of retirement to join you lot."
It's a story Warriors already knows, exemplified by the fact that the man just rolls his eyes back at Legend. "And what if it hadn't happened?"
It's a bitter thought. Who knows what would have changed? His uncle still would have died, in the end. He shrugs it off, though, as if it means nothing. "I'd be some guy running an apple orchard, wondering what it would be like if I could run off and save the world."
"'S why I joined the army," Warriors says with a grin. "Wanted adventure, wanted a fight-- didn't know just how much I'd get it."
Legend wanted adventure, back when he was a kid. Wanted a fight. Didn't realize until it was too late just how terrifying it would be once he actually got it, how much he'd wish for a simple life once it had slipped out of his hands. Wonders, then, who he was meant to be. Who he used to be, before it all.
"It really is ingrained in all of us, isn't it?" he finds himself saying.
"Yeah," Warriors says. "I guess so."
The castle, even a half-day's walk away, looms above them all. It's like a mountain, taller than almost any other building Legend's seen, save for the Black Tower. So much of his life has happened there, so much has changed, and he finds his gaze drifting to Wild without his permission. Finds himself watching as the other walks side by side with Hyrule, the traveler chatting away about this or that as he points to various landmarks that spot the countryside.
He wishes he could get Wild out of his head. Wishes he could stop fixating on the guy. Wonders, despite it all, who Wild was meant to be, if none of this had happened.
~~~
"It's good to see you all again," Artemis says with a smile. "Really-- and not just because of the recent monster uptick."
Snorts sound from various Links. They're all seated in Artemis's apartment, where she'd insisted they join her for lunch. An affair that is likely meant to be casual, but Legend can see how the heroes less familiar with royalty tend to shift in their seats. It's not their first time meeting Artemis, not by a long shot, but getting used to this sort of thing just takes time.
"Well, that's why we're here," Warriors says with a bold grin. "And to introduce our new member to you."
"Ah, yes. Wild, was it?"
"That's right," Warriors says as Wild nods. "He's only been with us for a little over a week."
"Welcome on board, then," Artemis says, reaching out to clasp her hands around Wild's. "It's good to see a new face."
Wild just nods in reply. Legend can't see his face, but he can see the stiffness in the kid's spine. It's odd-- Wild is rarely stiff-- and Legend isn't sure what to make of it, or whether to be concerned by it at all.
"We also," Time says, "have something of a change in strategy regarding the Dark Lizal."
"Oh? Do tell."
"We're searching for a piece of him," Sky says. "Ideally we'd rip a scale off or something, but if someone else was able to get their hands on something in the meantime, it would be quite useful."
Artemis nods slowly. "For a spell?"
"Something of the sort."
"Well, I'm afraid to say that I don't have any pieces of it lying around," she says. "But I'll be sure to ask Impa to put the word out to the troops. And, you may have luck yourselves-- a new horde popped up several days ago, and from what we can tell, it's full of black-bloods. I've given orders to stay on the defensive with this horde while we figure out a way to take care of them quickly."
Warriors nods along. "I suppose that's where we come in."
"I was hoping we'd be fortunate enough for you to show up," Artemis says with a guilty grin. "But we were going to attack tomorrow whether or not you'd appeared."
"Have hordes been generally staying the same since we last saw you?" Legend asks. The idea of a stronger horde now of all times...
"Not quite," the queen says. "They've been getting bigger, with more black-bloods than in the past. Until now, though, we've been able to manage just fine on our own. This one has been... strange."
"Strange?"
Artemis mimes something with her hands. "Large is the best way I can describe it. I honestly thought my troops were pranking me when they told me of a hinox the size of a house, but... well, they were not."
All eyes turn to Wild, and he just shrugs. 'That's probably mine.'
"And you were solo on your adventure?"
He nods.
"That's quite impressive-- any tips?"
'Aim for the eyes. And be careful of trees, they like to use them as clubs.'
Warriors shakes his head. "I'm almost afraid to see what your era looks like. Regardless, we'll be happy to join the troops tomorrow and get this camp taken care of. And, if the Dark Lizal is there, all the better."
"Excellent." Artemis's eyes sparkle as she looks over the group. "It'll be good to see you all in action. But for now, let me show you to your rooms."
The apartments that Artemis leads the group to are the same as the ones they stayed in last time-- reserved, apparently, for the chain, whenever they show up. The reason why quickly becomes clear: Artemis had had her staff shove as many beds as possible into two apartments the last time they visited, and apparently would rather not have to undo that work until she's sure they're not going to be returning anytime soon.
Legend quickly claims a bed in a corner, near a window, and sets to work laying his things out. His infinite pocket is in desperate need of reorganization, after several days of just pulling stuff in and out without any consideration for neatness, and he knows that if he lets it get too bad he'll just try to rip his own hair out.
About half the group sprawls behind him, the other half in the other apartment. Hyrule claims the bed closest to Legend's and flops on it stomach-first before lying there, unmoving. Sky and Twilight settle down in the seating area, blithely chattering about something or other, and Wild quietly sits on the final remaining bed. Pulls out his slate and stares at it, doing nothing.
He'd tried to reach out, at Woodlow. Legend had turned away.
Legend had tried to reach out, in the forest. Wild had pushed him off.
He's not exactly an easy conversation partner.
That be coward's talk.
The kid's spine is still straight. He's not slouched over the way most would be. He's not clicking the slate's buttons or swiping on the screen, the way he normally does. He's not writing in that new journal of his, the way he's started doing. He's just sitting there. Staring.
Legend's things are still a mess. He abandons them, walks over to Wild. Winces, internally, when Wild's eyes flick up to him, when they're cold. Distant.
"You good?" Legend quietly asks.
'Why?' The movement is stiff and sharp.
"What, a guy can't care?" Legend wants to turn away. "You're stiff. Something happened."
'Why tell-you?'
Legend watches Wild. Feels those blue eyes bore into his soul.
"Is it this?" he asks. "Or is it the cliff?"
Wild doesn't reply. Watches him, before slowly turning away. Back to his slate.
What you-know? How live? How die?
Legend forgot how to talk, he thinks, going back to his own things. Forgot how to connect. Forgot how to be a person, that day he walked into Kakariko with pink hair and a clean red tunic and more scars than any child should have. Forgot how to be that boy he used to be.
Who is he? he wonders. Who has he become?
~~~
Sometimes, in Labrynna, Link would look up from his work and see Ralph just standing there. Watching him.
He'd try to call out, whenever that happened, only for the other to vanish into the trees.
It was an oddity. One he never knew how to uncover, not until it was too late, not until he was already long gone.
~~~
Warriors' troops are, understandably, somewhat disbelieving of the heroes.
It's not an entire lack of trust. They're clearly happy, and somewhat awed, by both Warriors' and Artemis's combined presence in front of the troops. Time gets a bit of a berth, what with his decadent armor and gigantic sword, and Wind gets more than a few exasperated looks, but the rest receive something of a cautious skepticism. And Legend can't exactly blame them. Sky and Twilight might have the bulk and armor expected of a standard fighter, but Hyrule, Four, and Legend are all... well, short. Exceptionally so, in Four's case. They all rely on enchanted tunics over armor, and as much as Legend hates to say it, their swords aren't exactly confidence-inspiring if you don't know what you're looking for. Hyrule's sword specifically is often mistaken to just be some rich boy's trinket until he shows off exactly why there's so many gems shoved into it.
And Wild... is not helping by wearing clothing that is neither enchanted, nor significantly armored in any way beyond some leather ornamentation. Nor is he helping by carrying a half-chipped sword and beat-up shield.
A fact which, it seems, has caught the attention of Warriors' Impa. Who, herself, has some questionable armor choices (a plate over just one breast? really?), but who also has a sword bigger than the Biggoron sword and Sheikah speed on her side to make up for such shortcomings. Things that Wild generally lacks.
It's also in this moment that Legend realizes he's never questioned Wild's gear quality before. Probably something he should work on.
"Link," Impa snaps, dragging Warriors over by the scarf. "What have you dressed this one in?"
Wild pulls a hilariously offended look while Warriors tugs himself out of Impa's grip. "He brought his own gear, you know that about these guys!"
"This is not what I would consider sufficient gear!"
'It's been enchanted by a great fairy,' Wild scribbles on his slate. 'Four times.' The insulted look remains, eyebrows high as he faces Impa.
"Huh," Warriors says when he reads it. "That explains a lot."
Legend quietly thinks the same thing to himself.
"You didn't check that his gear was sufficient?!"
"He went through an entire adventure like this, I figured he'd be fine!"
'I did a lot of it in my underwear, if that helps.'
Warriors opens his mouth. Closes his mouth. Impa drops her face in her hands.
"You," she says, pointing at Wild, "need better gear."
He doesn't reply. Just shows her his slate-- presumably gear he has within the thing, though Legend can't see. He can see the way Impa shakes her head and stalks away, though, and grins when he hears Hyrule snickering next to him.
"...Do not fight this camp in your underwear," Warriors says, before walking away.
"Underwear?" Hyrule asks once Warriors is gone.
Wild shrugs. 'Didn't seem like a big deal at the time.'
A shout from Impa cuts off any further questions may have had, the general calling everyone to "start getting a move on, we're wasting daylight!"
The woods they start trekking into look remarkably similar to the forest by Woodlow. Warriors has, in many senses of the word, idyllic forests-- tall, healthy trees, leaves and shrubbery shining a bright green, dappled sunlight falling on the land below. It's a land that's thriving, showcased by its sturdy, healthy Hylian inhabitants, and the fortification they've been able to build. Whereas many of the walls in Hyrule's era are a product of desperation, these are a product of defense. And, plunging into the woods, Legend can feel the strength of the soldiers around them, can see the quality of the gear that they carry.
It's a somewhat hopeful scene. They're fairly confident Warriors comes later on down the line-- after Time, Wind, and Twilight, at the very least-- and Legend likes to know that things get better after Hyrule's era. That the decline isn't permanent.
Hyrule wanders closer during their hike, bonking his shoulder into Legend's. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Our eras." Legend nods to the woods. "The trees here are so healthy."
"Ah." Hyrule looks out at the soldiers ahead of them. "I hope they're okay. The people from my era."
It's been a few days, but Legend doesn't blame Hyrule for his anxiety. He knows he'd be anxious, too, if he found Kakariko ransacked. "There's a castle nearby, isn't there? And there were no bodies or blood. They'll be all right."
"Yeah." Hyrule lets out a breath. "Yeah."
It's Legend's turn to bonk his shoulder into Hyrule's. "And you'll get to take out your frustrations on a buncha bokos soon."
The traveler snickers. "Yeah, that'll be fun."
Leaves crunch underfoot, the general murmur of voices ahead of them spiking as several soldiers bark out a laugh. They aren't far from the camp-- it had set up worryingly close to Castle Town, not unlike the camp they'd fought all the way back in Time's era. A problem that Legend mentally notes, already planning on mulling it over later.
"Think this'll be done soon?" Hyrule asks. "I like all of you, but it's been going on for so long."
A year, now, Legend thinks. Maybe more. A year of chasing the same enemy over and over, of watching him slip through their fingers again and again.
"I don't know," he says. "I hope so."
He's watching Wild when he says that. He doesn't know why. Things haven't changed much since Wild joined, but they've seen the Dark Lizal more often. They've seen one of them die to it. If now was a time for anything to change...
Wild's steps stutter, and he stiffens. Legend frowns, but before he can say anything about it, Wild turns and bolts into the woods.
"Wild!" Legend shouts, dashing after the guy. "Hey, Wild!"
But Wild doesn't slow down. Runs faster, almost, when he hears Legend.
Legend curses. Ignores the new shouts coming from the group behind him and plunges into the woods after Wild.
He doesn't know why they're running. Has to go at a full sprint just to keep pace with the kid, launching himself over fallen trees and roots and praying to every god he knows of that he won't trip and break his face. It's almost more than he can do just to keep himself on his feet, and so he can't call out, can't figure out what's gotten to Wild. Only knows, deep in his core, that it would be wrong to let Wild go on his own.
At one point, Wild glances back at him. Keeps running the way he had been, not trying to shake Legend off his tail. Legend isn't sure whether to count that as a win or not.
Several minutes later, Wild abruptly stops, and Legend nearly crashes into a tree while trying to slow down himself.
There's a clearing in front of them. With... something. A creature that almost seems like the world's biggest octorok, except its legs are more skulltala-like, with claws at the end. Its body is conical, winding patterns engraved into it, the top portion rotating as it searches around for something. The whole thing pulses with an unearthly blue light that almost seems familiar, and the thing makes a noise like nothing Legend's ever heard before. Something creaking, pulsing.
"What," he whispers, "the fuck is that?"
Wild doesn't reply. Instead grabs Legend and drags the two behind a tree, right before what must be the creature's eye passes over their location.
"Wild--"
'Stay.' The kid's eyes burn into Legend with a ferocity he can hardly describe. 'No-move.'
"But--"
'No. Move.'
Legend grits his teeth. "I'll climb the tree and shoot the thing, all right? I'm not gonna sit here and do nothing."
Wild lets out a frustrated huff, but clamps his jaw shut and nods. Legend doesn't waste his time scrambling up the tree they're pressed against, pulling out his bow and whispering "okay!" as loud as he can once he's settled. Wild, meanwhile, exchanges his somewhat busted up sword and shield for two small devices Legend can barely see-- devices that, when activated, create a sword and shield with the same ethereal blue light as the creature before them. Even from up in the tree, he can hear a hum of power from them, and it takes everything he can to pull his eyes away from them.
So Wild knows what this creature is. Legend should've guessed from the fact that the kid heard the thing from the other side of the damn forest. He notches an arrow into his bow instead of thinking on it further, turning to the creature.
He's not entirely sure what he expected Wild to do. But sprinting in and full-body hacking at one of the legs, slicing it through in a single swing, was not on that list.
The creature makes a noise, whole thing flashing orange as its head-thing whirls to focus on Wild. Legend, armed with the knowledge that an eye is an eye, aims for the creature and strikes true. It shudders on impact, dropping to the floor, and Wild uses the opportunity to take a couple more legs off.
It's going well, and it's going fast.
Until it isn't.
Wild stumbles back as the creature recovers from Legend's stun. And as it pushes back onto its feet, some kind of laser shines out of the creature's eye, pinning itself on Wild's torso, an odd beeping suddenly sounding through the air.
Legend has no idea what that means. All he knows is that Wild's face suddenly goes still. All he knows is Wild whips out his shield and backs off at an angle where Legend can't see the damn eye.
Something about this is-- Legend doesn't know. Wrong, in a way that he suspects only Wild knows.
The beeping gets faster, causing Legend's heart to steadily climb up his throat. He tries shooting an arrow to the joint between the creature's head and the rest of its body, to see if he can find a weak spot besides the eye, but the creature doesn't even react. It moves, instead, getting closer to Wild as the beeping gets faster, faster.
Legend hisses. Aims somewhere else-- anywhere else-- tries pinning every available joint on the creature and nothing. Only the beep-beep-beep--
Right at the apex, right as Legend starts shooting arrows out of desperation more than anything else, a flash of light brighter than the damn sun shoots from the creature.
At Wild.
Who fucking bounces it back.
The creature practically wails as its own blast hits it in the eye, knocking it back far enough that it tips over and Wild can get at the belly of the thing, where he hacks away. Legend does his best to turn the creature into a porcupine, but it's as if its body is entirely impervious to arrows. By the time he figures out that it's a wasted effort to aim anywhere but the eye, Wild's backing off once more and the creature is flipping itself upright. Despite missing three legs, it still has enough remaining that it can move around, and move it does.
Its eye, finally, swings to a place where Legend can see. He reaches into his quiver for another arrow, but his hand hits empty air.
"Shit," he hisses. He hadn't been paying attention.
The creature flares. Whirls, pins its eye on him, and starts to beep.
Legend feels his body go cold.
Wild throws his sword at the creature.
It shatters on impact, causing the thing to whirl its attention to Wild instead, and Legend yanks himself from his stupor at that same moment. Grits his teeth, shakes his head, and--
And flinches back as Wild deflects another beam.
Legend... doesn't know if he can take this thing. Doesn't have any arrows, is left stuck in a tree as Wild fights a fucking monster of a beast, and apparently two of its own beams aren't enough to kill it. Legend doesn't know how many more hits it needs to die-- Wild probably does, some sinking feeling in his gut realizes-- and he doesn't know what he'd do if he were the one out on the field.
It's been a long time since he's felt helpless in a battle. He thinks he hates it.
Wild is running, now, circling the creature before throwing himself at it to hack at another leg. But he's switched to a normal sword, and it can't cut through as cleanly as the strange blue one could, and he's flung off before he can finish the job. Slams into the ground hard before lying there, stunned. And the creature rounds on him as he lies there, that damn laser pointing at his body.
Legend mentally chants every curse he knows, throws in a few creative ones he's heard Wind use for good measure, and jumps out of the tree.
The creature isn't expecting it when he attacks its leg, taking two-three hits to finish the job Wild started and ripping it off the rest of the way. It's still mobile, because Hylia hates them all, but with only four legs left there's an end in sight. Instead of attacking another leg, though, Legend backs off. Grits his teeth when the creature whirls to face its laser at him, yanks out his boomerang. Breathes through the panic that the beep-beep-beep sets in him and aims for the eye.
His boomerang strikes true.
Legend rushes forward when it falls. Hacks at a leg as gracelessly as is probably possible, doing his best to tear it off--
His effort fails. The creature recovers more quickly than he thought it would, and Legend is flung aside by that same leg moments later, slamming into a tree hard enough that he drops to the ground in momentary shock.
A sharp whistle pierces through the air-- Wild, who now has the creature's undivided attention.
Legend is not able to get off the ground quickly enough when the beeping starts. Is not able to reach for his boomerang fast enough when that beam flashes, and Wild succeeds in bouncing it back for the third time.
Finally, it seems the creature has been damaged enough. It lets out a high-pitched whine as it stumbles back, flashes a variety of colors, and then all lights blinking out as it slumps to the ground. Dead, hopefully, but Legend isn't sure he trusts that.
Wild hisses. Wipes his face (he's bleeding?) and throws his sword to the ground. 'I had it.'
"Bullshit," Legend says, sheathing his sword and dimly registering that he's panting. "You fell, if that thing had hit you once you would've died."
An eyeroll in response. 'No.'
"No? You can survive that shit?"
A glare.
Legend wants to throw this guy into a river. "Well, care to explain what the fuck this thing is, then? 'Cause last I checked none of us have death monsters coming out of our eras!"
'It-dead!' Wild snaps. 'All dead.'
"Well, clearly it wasn't!"
Wild flinches. 'Was dead.'
"Wild." The kid turns away. "Wild. If you've got shit like this coming out of your era, you need to tell us."
'Not supposed to!' Wild's pale, Legend slowly realizes. 'It dead. It--' he throws his hands up. Yanks the slate off his hip. 'They all died when I won. It's supposed to be dead.'
The slate is shaking from a tremor in Wild's hand. The kid's pale. Looks frantic, almost, in a way he never does.
"Wild," Legend quietly says, "what is this thing?"
All Wild does is point to his eye.
Die. Or, Legend thinks, turning to look at the creature's singular eye, death.
"And you were going to tackle this alone?"
Yet another glare. 'Always alone.'
And they always are, aren't they.
"You died," Legend says dumbly.
'What you-know?'
"We all have." Legend waves his arms at-- at something. "Fuck, I don't even know how many fairies I went through as a kid--" Wild gives him a strange look-- "it's not like we don't know how it goes, man. We were all alone, except Warriors. And now? We're not."
Wild lets out a frustrated huff. 'Fairies not-death.'
"What?"
'Not-death. Heal living.'
Legend frowns. "Yes, fairies heal."
'Heal living. Not-heal dead.'
Legend wants to retort that he wouldn't exactly call a deathly fall from a cliff, or a hit from a daira, living. After all, without the fairy, Wild would have died. But...
But no fairies could heal his uncle. It was something he'd tried, more times than he ever wanted to admit. They'd fix whatever was on the surface, but they never fixed the root of the problem. They never fixed Legend's joints. They never fixed Time's eye.
He'd wished on the Triforce itself. It could never change things enough. It could never reverse time perfectly, could only pause the eternal march forward.
He wonders who he'd be, if he'd never been called on by Hylia.
"What happened to you?" Legend asks, regretting the question as soon as it's out of his mouth.
Wild taps at his slate, tunic vanishing moments later in shards of blue light (blue, like the creature, like Wild's weapons, like the slate). Reveals a pale scar that covers his torso, leaving rippled, warped skin in its wake. A burn scar, flaring out from a circle of perfectly clear, smooth skin.
'Death,' is all Wild says, pointing to his eye.
The thing shot a beam brighter than the sun. Wild has a circle of perfectly clear skin. Legend can't tear his eyes away, knows he should, knows he need to.
"Was it worth it?" he asks before he can stop himself.
Wild raises his eyebrows. Grins, as if Legend figured something out. As if it serves as an answer to the question. As if Legend didn't already know the answer, long before he asked.
And Legend realizes why he recognized the creature's color. Looks at Wild's too-bright eyes and sees nothing but a familiar, blue, glow.