Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, Twilight… What’s this?”

Twilight looked up from where he’d been examining a fallen palm fruit in the sand. Wild stood a few feet away, staring intently at a round, brown fruit held gingerly between his fingers. The sight of the teen twisting the fruit in his hands and peering at it from every angle, as though expecting it to bite him, caused Twilight to snicker. “That’s a coconut.”

Wild glanced over at Twilight, brows furrowed in obvious bewilderment. “What’s a coconut?”

Twilight bend down and picked up the palm fruit, adding it to the ones already in his pack, before approaching his protégé.

The group of Heroes had most recently ended up in Wind’s Hyrule, on Outset Island, and were taking a much-needed break from fighting monsters and wandering around like destination-less vagabonds. The Island was peaceful if one didn’t go looking for trouble, and Twilight had been thoroughly glad to get a reprieve from constantly being on alert. Wind’s grandma and sister had been overjoyed to meet all of them and had kindly let them stay in their home, even though space was a bit limited.

Yet after just two days of serenity, Wild’s antsiness had started to show. He’d hardly been able to sit still, constantly bouncing his knee and tapping his foot. His hands twitched and his eyes darted around, and finally, Twilight had been unable to take it anymore. He knew Wild loved his freedom and loved traveling and exploring more than anyone (even Hyrule). Being cooped up in one place for too long was bound to get under his skin.

So, Twilight had gently, but firmly, suggested they take the opportunity to replenish some of their food supply and explore a bit in the process. Wild had been thrilled, and within a few minutes of their task, he’d calmed considerably. They’d found palm fruit, and crabs, and seaweed, and now coconuts, though the last one stumped Wild.

Twilight shook his head at the teen. “It’s edible, if that’s what you’re asking. Anyway, I thought you have beaches in your Hyrule. How have you never seen a coconut?”

Wild knocked his knuckles against the fruit, frowning at the sound it made. “These definitely don’t exist in my Hyrule. Trust me, I’d know.” He shot Twilight a suspicious glance. “How do you even know what this is? I thought your Hyrule was landlocked.”

“It is,” Twilight agreed, “but we’d sometimes get travelling merchants from the coast bringing all sorts of exotic things. They were always very expensive though. Only the nobility could afford them.”

“Uh huh. I guess it’s a good thing you were friends with the princess,” Wild said dryly, to which Twilight only laughed. Wild narrowed his eyes at the coconut, picking at one of the thin fibers on it suspiciously. “How exactly is this edible?”

Twilight chuckled. “You have to crack it open. There’s liquid and some softer bits that are good to eat.”

“Huh.” Wild stared at it for a few more seconds before shrugging and stowing it away in his bag.

The two of them continued their foraging, collecting more palm fruit, coconuts, and even a strange spiny fruit that Wild told Twilight was a durian.

Wild moved farther from the shore to see what else was available. Twilight let him go, more interested in the small creatures he had found in a tidal pool. But when Wild called out to Twilight barely a minute later, voice tinged with worry, Twilight didn’t hesitate to rush over.

He found Wild standing wide-eyed and pale just in front of a very familiar, darkly glowing portal. Outlined in a bone colored lattice, the swirling vortex of black and purple twisted and writhed angrily, beckoning its victims closer. Twilight merely sighed at the sight.

“Another one? It hasn’t even been three days since we were brought here. And where did this even come from?”

Wild didn’t answer, still frozen at the sight of the portal.

Twilight sighed again. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen one before. They’d traveled through one not three days ago. “Come on, we better go tell the others.”

Wild threw Twilight a panicky look, eyes pinched with fear. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly. But when he tried to move closer to Wild, he found he was rooted to the spot.

Oh. No wonder Wild was freaked out.

Twilight was physically unable to move his legs. It was as though the limbs had been turned to stone. He could still move his upper body, but that did little good. As he strained against the invisible force holding him in place, willing his muscles to cooperate, the portal pulsated ominously.

“What’s happening?” Wild asked. He reached down and tugged on the fabric of his trousers. “Why can’t we move?”

“I don’t know.” This had never happened before. Something nefarious was at play, and Twilight didn’t want to even consider what could be on the other side of the portal.

A harsh wind began to blow, buffeting against their backs, and Twilight struggled not to bend over from the force. But after a few seconds of enduring the wind, understanding dawned on Twilight, and his blood turned to ice in his veins. The wind wasn’t pushing against them at all.

The portal was pulling them in.

The swirling vortex tugged at them like they were magnets, also drawing in everything that surrounded the two of them. Air was sucked in, trees bent under the force, small stones rolled across the earth, and Twilight’s frozen feet inched forward, carving a deep groove into the soft earth.

“It’s pulling us in!” Twilight shouted over the gale around him, though Wild was already aware. He too was being forced forward. Closer and closer, they were both dragged towards the swirling vortex. Twilight tried to dig his heels in, but it was no use. The force was too strong.

Inches ahead of Twilight, Wild gave a yelp of fear as he was fully drawn in. Twilight watched him pitch head first into the depths of black and purple, fading away as though he’d never been there in the first place. Twilight’s lungs constricted as he watched Wild disappear.

No use in resisting anymore, he thought.

The wind whistled in Twilight’s ears. His hair whipped into his eyes. As he was inches from the portal, he could only think, I hope the others are alright. No longer trying to get away, his muscles unlocked. He took a deep breath and stepped forward to take the plunge.

~*~

“Oof!” Wild exited the swirling vortex and landed on his hands and knees in the dirt, wincing as something sharp bit into the skin of his left palm. Twilight landed beside him barely a second later, though his mentor was far more graceful and managed to stay on his feet with only a minor stumble. Wild sat back on his heels and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that they were no longer on a beach. The trees around them were pine, tall and thick as trees in old forests always were. It was also nighttime, though it had been late morning in Wind’s Hyrule. Unfamiliar scents wafted through the air and filled his nostrils.

The second thing Wild noticed was that he and Twilight had landed right in the middle of a camp of monsters. 

The Heroes’ abrupt appearance had obviously startled the monsters. They all stared at Wild and Twilight with wide eyes, frozen in mid-action. Wild saw several bokoblins holding half eaten hunks of meat and two moblins that had apparently been in the middle of a fistfight. Wild wondered if he and Twilight could just run away before the monsters' brains caught up to their eyes, but sadly, the shock was short lived. Only a second after he thought it, a single, angry bellow from a moblin broke the spell, and the monsters reached for their weapons with cries of rage.

“Crap!” Twilight cried. He reached down to grip the back of Wild’s tunic and hauled him roughly to his feet.

Wild’s head was still spinning from his journey through the portal, but he quickly found his footing and drew his sword. Thankfully, both he and Twilight had gone foraging fully equipped. He stood back to back with Twilight and gripped his blade tightly.

Taking a moment to exchange a glance with his mentor over his shoulder, Wild nodded, eyes hard, and Twilight mirrored him. No words were needed. As one, they sprang apart and into battle.

There were maybe fifteen monsters in total. Wild counted at least a five bokoblins and Four moblins with about an equal number of lizalfos. He’d faced worse odds in the past and prevailed, but he and Twilight were at the disadvantage, having landed in the middle of camp, surrounded on all sides, with no time to prepare a strategy. Well, it wasn’t as though Wild was the best strategist anyway, he liked to wing things too much, but Twilight would no doubt have come up with something clever.

There was no time to dwell on those thoughts too deeply, however, as it took all Wild’s concentration to fend off the attacks from multiple foes. Breathing room was nonexistent. The clearing the monsters’ camp occupied may have been big enough for them to sleep and eat, but it certainly was not big enough for a battle. Trees impeded the monsters’ movements, and the creatures themselves jostled each other in their eagerness get to Wild. It was his saving grace, the only reason he hadn’t yet been skewered. He watched two monsters crash together just before they reached him, and he easily dispatched them while they flailed and shrieked at each other.

At least they’re not stronger than normal. These beasts did not possess unusual vitality, nor did they seem excessively smart. Still, Wild fought cautiously, much more than he usually did. He and Twilight were still outnumbered, so he waited for openings to slice at his foes.

Wild took down six monsters before it happened. Parrying a strike from a bokoblin in front of him, he was unprepared for the sudden heavy blow to the middle of his back. The wind was knocked from his lungs and the force sent him tumbling to the ground. Gasping weakly, Wild rolled onto his back and found one of the moblins bearing down on him with a twisted expression of glee on its grotesque features. It raised its club once more, preparing to finish him off where he lay.

Despite the sharp pain in his ribs, Wild rolled, barely avoiding the heavy club as it impacted the dirt. Pushing himself to him feet, he managed to duck under the moblin’s next swing and dart in close to deliver a vicious slash to the moblin’s midsection. The beast roared in pain before collapsing.

Wild didn’t get to rest just yet, however, for a spear-wielding lizalfos immediately stepped in to take him on. Wild gritted his teeth. He hated fighting lizalfos, especially when they had spears. Lizalfos were quick and a pain to deal with. Thankfully, Wild was quicker. He waited for the right moment, just as the lizalfos overextended its reach with its spear, and he capitalized, stabbing it in the side and leaping back before it could retaliate. He needed have worried however. The creature gave a pained squawk and fell to the ground with its dead brethren.

Wild didn’t see any other live foes, and sighed in relief, wiping his sword off on the grass and sheathing it. He was surprised it hadn’t broken in the fight.

He turned at the soft sounds of footfalls and saw Twilight approaching him, also sheathing his sword.

“You okay?” the older Hero asked.

“Yeah, you?”

Twilight smiled. “As well as I can be considering the circumstances. Do you recognize this place?”

Wild shook his head sadly. He could have checked his Sheikah slate just to make sure, but… he just knew it wasn’t his home. The smells and sounds of the forest were all wrong.

Twilight sighed and turned to survey the forest around him.

That was the moment everything went wrong.

The lizalfos, the last enemy Wild had taken down, wasn’t dead. Its beady eyes were fixed on Wild with deep hatred, and in its heart, it longed for revenge. While Twilight and Wild had been speaking, it sat up and gripped its spear, reeling its arm back and taking aim at the teen.

When Twilight turned, he caught sight of it just as it began its deadly throw. He didn’t have his sword or shield out to deflect the weapon, so he did the only thing available to him.

He tackled Wild to the ground

The two landed in a heap of limbs upon the forest floor, and the lizalfos expended the last of its energy and succumbed to death. Wild groaned, having landed directly on the spot he’d been struck by the moblin. The pain intensified, radiating across his entire back, though it didn’t feel like anything was broken. But when he realized that his mentor wasn’t moving, his pain faded from his mind.

Blood pounded in his ears as he desperately scrambled from underneath Twilight and turned the older Hero over. Wild gasped, and Twilight groaned.

Twilight’s tackle had spared Wild from being skewered on the spear, but Twilight hadn’t been fast enough to completely avoid the weapon himself. The spear had nicked him. Badly. The serrated blade had cut at least three inches into Twilight’s left side, just below his ribs, shearing through flesh, and muscle, and organs. Blood poured from the wound, pooling on the ground in an ever-growing puddle. If Wild didn’t stop it, and quickly, Twilight would die.

With shaking hands, Wild pulled clean bandages from his pack and pressed them into the wound. Barely conscious, Twilight groaned again, head lolling to the side as he tried to pull away from the source of his agony. It cut Wild to the core. The bandages were rapidly turning red as they soaked up Twilight’s blood, and yet the flow showed no signs of slowing. Keeping one hand atop Twilight’s wound, Wild dug through his bag for a potion, relief crashing into him like a mountain when he found one.

But only one.

He had to release pressure from Twilight’s side to help him drink, and Wild’s heart skipped a beat when the flow of blood increased as he took his hand away. Averting his eyes from the gruesome sight, Wild slipped a hand under Twilight’s head and tipped the bottle to his lips. Ruby red liquid poured into his mouth and disappeared down his throat.

Wild prayed it would be enough.

Twilight had lost nearly all color in his face, and the tiny breaths he took were erratic and shallow. His brow scrunched up in pain, his eyes fluttered behind closed lids, and he barely stirred.

But the flow of blood had slowed. Now only a slight trickle instead of the gushing river it had been.

Wild exhaled shakily, squeezing his eyes shut and willing himself not to cry. Crying wouldn’t help Twilight.

Twilight started mumbling, words impossible to make out, and his head lolled upon the ground. Wild hurried to dress the wound before he fully woke up. It was gaping and horrible, and Wild’s stomach churned just looking at it. He pulled more bandages from his pack, tossing away the soaked ones, and bound Twilight’s side as tightly as he could, cringing in guilt when Twilight groaned again. Once he was done, he sat back on his heels, panting and shaking. Even though Twilight was no longer in immediate danger of bleeding out, he’d still lost far too much blood.

Twilight's eyes fluttered open, hazy and filled with pain, and Wild leaned forward. "Twi? Can you hear me?"

Twilight made a small noise of affirmation. His eyes drifted over to Wild, and he blinked slowly. His fingers twitched.

Wild swallowed thickly, forcing himself to keep breathing. He reached for Twilight's hand and murmured, "You're going to be alright. You're going to be alright." He almost believed himself.

But that was when he heard it. Above the sounds of his own shaky breathing and pulse pounding in his ears, Wild caught the distant sounds of monsters drifting on the air. After a few seconds of straining his ears to hear, the sounds grew louder. The monsters were getting closer.

Perhaps they were drawn to the sounds of battle or the smell of death on the wind. Whatever the case, Wild knew he and Twilight couldn’t stay there.

Wild squeezed his eyes shut for a second, allowing himself a single moment of fear and doubt before he steeled himself. Opening his eyes, he slipped his arm underneath Twilight's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Twi. This is going to hurt, but we have to move. Can you walk?"

Twilight met his eyes, and the two of them stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. There should have been fear in Twilight's azure eyes. Any normal person would be afraid in the same situation. But all Wild saw was trust, and Wild's heart clenched against the staggering force of it. Finally, Twilight nodded, closing his eyes again and gritting his teeth in preparation. Taking a deep breath, Wild hauled Twilight up, cringing in guilt when Twilight's breath stuttered and he groaned between his teeth. Wild continued to murmur apologies as he ducked under his mentor's right arm, laying it across his shoulders. Wild wrapped his left arm firmly around Twilight’s waist and clamped his hand down atop Twilight’s wound in an effort to further stem the flow of blood. He worried that movement would undo some of the healing the red potion had managed, but he had no choice. Finally upright, Twilight panted and moaned in agony.

Each step away from the site of battle was painfully slow. Twilight was so weak, he could barely stand. His head hung low from his shoulders, and each ragged breath grating from his chest grew shallower and shallower.

Wild wished he had the raw strength Twilight possessed so he could carry Twilight on his back, but the older man was simply too heavy. Warriors liked to joke that Twilight was built like the goats he favored so much, but humor aside, Twilight was a hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle, and Wild simply wasn’t strong enough to carry him.

He’d been murmuring useless platitudes to his mentor since they began their trek. He told himself it was for Twilight’s sake, but he knew deep down that it was really to keep himself from falling apart. He was in an unfamiliar place, possibly infested with monsters, dragging his terribly wounded friend in a random direction, all while hoping he wasn’t leading them both farther from wherever the others had ended up.

If they had ended up there at all.

He had no guarantees that the rest of the Heroes had been pulled into the forest as well. It was just as likely that they were still in Wind’s Hyrule, relaxing on the beach and wondering why Wild and Twilight were taking so long. It could be hours before they started looking for them, and then what? Would they find the same portal and be sucked in as well, or would they find nothing but vanished footprints in the dirt? Wild couldn’t bear the thought, and he forced his mind to turn to other matters.

Twilight hadn’t said anything for some time, likely focusing on breathing and staying conscious. But when he let out a groan far more pain-filled than the last, Wild stopped, icy terror flooding his veins. Then Twilight’s knees gave out completely.

Wild yelped, trying his best to keep his grip on the older Hero, but the weight was too much. As gently as he could, Wild lowered Twilight to the ground. Twilight lay there, gasping and clutching at the wound in his side. He was far too pale, and a sheen of perspiration covered his exposed skin, just barely visible in the dim moonlight. Despite the pressure Wild had been keeping on the wound, the bandages were soaked with blood.

Wild didn’t know what to do.

“Twi?” he asked gently. His eyes stung, and he tried to blink away the tears before they could fall. He needed to be strong. “Twi, I don’t know what to do.”

Twilight’s breathing had eased a little, and he cracked his eyes open, though it seemed to take all his energy just to manage that. He turned his head slightly to better see Wild and reached towards his protégé with a shaky blood-stained hand.

Wild immediately took the hand in his own, clinging to it with desperation he’d never felt before. “Twi, just tell me what to do. I don’t know where we are or where everyone else is. I… I don’t have any more potions.” Disobedient tears dripped from his lashed, running in earnest down his cheeks and onto Twilight’s blood soaked tunic as Wild leaned over him. “I don’t know what to do.”

Twilight gave his hand a gentle squeeze, chalk-white lips twitching upwards just slightly. “You… you know… exactly what to do.”

Wild shook his head.

Twilight sighed, letting his eyes drift closed again. “I’m… sorry… I’m sorry I can’t… continue on.” The words were hauntingly familiar, though before they’d come from Wild and not his mentor.

“No. No, no, no. Twi, don’t say that!” Wild’s voice climbed higher in distress.

Another squeeze of his hand, barely more than a twitch of Twilight’s fingers. “I’m sorry.”

And then Twilight’s hand went limp.

Wild froze. His blood turned to ice in his veins. There was a roaring in his ears that drowned out all sound. His heart refused to believe what his brain was telling him. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening.

Stomach churning, Wild leaned forward and pressed his ear against Twilight’s chest. He waited, not even daring to breath, and finally he heard it. The faint beating of Twilight's heart.

He leaned back, squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a sob. Twilight was still alive. He wasn’t dead.

But he would be soon.

Wild opened his eyes again and stared down at his mentor through his watery gaze. Even if Twilight was alive for now, there was nothing Wild could do to help him. He had no potions, and he couldn’t leave Twilight alone to search for the other Heroes. Wild had failed Twilight.

He always failed.

“Oh my, what do we have here?”

Wild had been on the cusp of spiraling into a despair too deep to climb out of, but the sudden voice to his left jolted him from the edge. He whirled, hand going to the hilt of his sword, and was met with the sight of a figure cloaked in black standing at Twilight’s feet.

The edges of the cloak were frayed and tattered, and the hood was drawn up over the person’s face, covering their features in shadows too dark for Wild to see into. The voice sounded like a woman’s, though, cracked with age. Staring at the figure, Wild felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

There was a feeling of wrongness in the air, and it took him a moment to realize that all the sounds of the forest had ceased. No sounds of night creatures scrambling through branches of trees. No sound of crickets chirping songs to their friends. Not even the breeze was there to stir the pine needles carpeting the forest floor. The unnaturalness of it burned.

He eyed the figure cautiously, tightening his hold on his weapon.

The woman cackled. “Should you really be threatening me like that? When your only hope of saving your friend lies with me?”

Wild’s surprise was enough that he loosened his grip. Unbidden, hope blossomed in his chest. He had no reason to trust this woman, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was Twilight. “Can you really heal him?”

The woman vanished. Wild blinked, staring at the space where she had been not a moment before. The snap of a twig drew his eyes to the right. There she was, squatting on the ground on the opposite side of Twilight, poking his still form with wizened fingers and muttering to herself under her breath.

Wild jumped, badly startled. How had she even gotten there so quickly? This time he fully drew his sword and sprang to his feet. He pointed the blade at her. “Get away from him.” he snarled.

The woman grunted. “Oh, stop it already. You’re like a puppy.” And with a wave of her hand, Wild found himself holding onto nothing but air.

He gaped, looking around helplessly for his weapon, only to realize that it was nowhere to be seen. He was now weaponless and facing down someone who had power he could not even comprehend. He curled his fingers into useless fists at his sides.

“Hmm, he’s in dire straits, no doubt about that. But there is still a way.”

Hope once again filled Wild. Forgetting to be afraid, he sat back down across from her and asked, “So you can heal him?”

The woman barked out a laugh. “There are few powers in this world that could heal one so close to death as he. But,” she added as Wild’s expression fell, “I can make an exchange.”

Wild blinked. “Exchange?”

“Yes.” She lifted a hand, palm to the sky. A ball of blue light appeared, floating just above her skin. It was beautiful, pulsating and flashing. It almost looked alive. Wild stared in awe.

“This,” she said, “is life essence. Some call it life force. Every living thing in all the realms possesses life essence. It is what fuels our bodies, what keeps us alive. It makes up who we are. But when it’s gone,” she closed her hand into a fist and the light disappeared; Wild felt cold and troubled, “then life can no longer exist in that vessel. Life essence is continually lost as a vessel ages, and every injury and sickness also drains it away. Minor ailments will eventually heal, and life essence lost from injuries can usually be regained. But for something like this,” she gestured at Twilight, “there is no coming back.

“He has already lost too much life essence. Though he still breathes, his spirit has nothing to hold on to. What you see before you is a shell.”

All Wild’s hopes were dashed apart at her words. Despair filled him, and he felt like he was falling. “So… that’s it? Twilight is going to….”

“I didn’t say that did I? I told you, he can’t be healed,” her voice took on a sly tone, “but if someone were to offer up their own life essence, I could replace his.”

Wild stared, hardly daring to hope. He didn’t fully understand the mechanics of what she offered to do, but if there was anything at all he could do, then there wasn’t even a choice in his mind. “Can you use mine?”

The old woman cackled in delight. “Ooh, what a brave boy! Yes, I can use your life essence, but you may not be so willing to give it when you hear the catch. Any life essence you give to him cannot be replaced. It will permanently shorten your life. That is the price.”

That hardly mattered. “How much does he need?”

“Hmm,” she considered Twilight, hands hovering over his prone form. Her knobby fingers twitched as she moved them. “For as much as he has lost, for as dire as his injuries are… I think that half of your remaining life will be enough.”

Wild nodded. “Okay, take it.”

The woman paused, tilting her head beneath the hood of her cloak. “Do you not understand what I ask? Half of your life essence will be gone. You will die twice as soon as you would were you to do nothing.”

“I understand,” Wild said, narrowing his eyes at her just slightly. “And it doesn’t matter. Take my life and heal Twilight. Please.”

“Hmm, you are very interesting. Very well,” she lifted her hands, “best brace yourself.”

Wild tried to, but he was wholly unprepared for what happened next. The woman spoke in dark undertones, chanting words that Wild was unable to make out. As she gestured towards him with her hands, Wild felt a tugging sensation deep within him.

And then came the pain.

He gasped at the sudden agony, unable to fully comprehend what he was feeling. It was as though his very soul was being torn apart and every fiber of his being was being shredded. It stabbed and burned and crushed, and Wild could barely hold onto his mind.

It only lasted for an instant, but Wild was left gasping and panting. He trembled, both from the memory of the pain and from the sudden exhaustion weighing him down. He felt drained, more tired than he ever had before. Barely able to remain upright, he looked up through hazy vision to see a ball of blue light, much larger than the one the woman had shown him before, hovering in the air above their heads. Even as he watched though, the ball shrunk, growing smaller with each passing second. The woman held her arms aloft, still chanting in an unknown language. Within a few minutes, the light was gone, and Wild looked down at Twilight.

It suddenly occurred to Wild that he had no idea if she had even used his life essence to heal Twilight. She could very well have used it on herself, maybe to replenish what she had lost over time. He had trusted her without any guarantees, but before he had a chance to panic, he saw Twilight’s breathing ease, and the sickly pallor of his skin gave way to a healthy pink. When Wild reached forward and tore the blood-soaked bandages away from Twilight’s side, he saw unmarked flesh instead of a gaping wound. There wasn’t even a scar.

Relief greater than anything he had ever before felt washed over him. The tension that had been holding him up disappeared, and he tipped forward, letting his forehead rest against Twilight’s chest. He could hear the strong beating of Twilight’s heart.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The woman cackled. “Don’t thank me. You’re the reason he’s still alive after all.”

With effort, Wild pushed himself back into a sitting position. He was so tired, but he knew he couldn’t allow himself to collapse yet. “How-“ he licked his dry lips, “how much time did you take?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she chortled. “But no man can know the hour of his demise.”

Wild sighed. He badly wanted to know, but she had just saved his brother, so he decided to let it go. “I understand. Still, thank you for doing what you did.”

“As I said, don’t thank me, Hero. There may come a time when I need your assistance. Until then.”

And then she was gone. The wind and forest sounds that had been missing since her arrival returned. Wild looked around dully, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to find her. Sighing, he settled in to wait.

It didn’t take long for Twilight to wake up. Barely ten minutes had passed since the woman had vanished when he began to stir. Wild watched anxiously as Twilight’s brows furrowed and he groaned. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, and he blinked in confusion at the tree canopy above him. He looked to the side and met Wild’s eyes.

Wild smiled in relief. It had been one of the craziest days of his life, and definitely the most terrifying (at least that he could remember). Exhaustion still pulled at his limbs and he wanted nothing more than to throw himself at Twilight and sob against his chest like a little kid. He restrained himself, opting for a more mature, “Hey.”

Twilight’s brows drew together. “Wild, wha-“ he froze suddenly. His right hand had reached automatically for his wounded left side. Whatever he felt made him sit bolt upright, and Wild had to quickly lean back to avoid being headbutted.

Twilights fingers scrabbled over his bare flesh, searching for any sign of the wound. But of course, he found none. There still remained the terrible gash in his tunic and chainmail, and his clothes were nearly saturated with his own blood, but there was nothing to show what had caused such things.

Twilight turned disbelieving eyes on Wild. “What… what happened?”

Wild had spent the last ten minutes formulating his response to that inevitable question. But as soon as his eyes locked with Twilight’s, the carefully planned words flew out of his head. He blanked.

“Umm…”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, and Wild winced. For the very first time, Wild resented the bond he shared with the older Hero. Twilight could read him like an open book, and Twilight surely saw in Wild’s eyes his every uncertainty and hesitation.

“Wild. Tell me you didn’t do something stupid.”

Indignation reared up within him. Wild frowned. “It wasn’t stupid.”

“Wild!” Wild flinched, and Twilight took an audible breath to calm himself down. He closed his eyes briefly. “Just… tell me what happened.”

Earlier, when Wild had been waiting for Twilight to regain consciousness, it had occurred to Wild that maybe Twilight wouldn’t be pleased when he heard what had happened. He might even get angry. An angry Twilight was not something Wild wanted to deal with.

But he couldn’t lie either.

He gulped. Twilight was still waiting, eyes hard and mouth set in a thin line.

“I… found a way to heal you.”

Twilight blinked. “How?”

How could Wild possibly explain it? “I… you…” he groaned, reaching up to rub his face in frustration before catching sight of the dried blood still coating his hand. He dropped his hand back down and sighed again. Goddess, he was tired. “An old woman appeared after you lost consciousness, and she offered to heal you.”

Twilight regarded him flatly. “Really?” he asked, voice dripping with disbelief.

“… yes.”

“You really expect me to believe that an old woman just magically appeared and was able to heal me?” Twilight gestured to his side. “There’s not even a scar! That shouldn’t be possible!”

“It’s true, though. I swear!” Wild stared at his mentor, eyes pleading for Twilight to believe him.

Twilight matched his gaze for a few moments before sighing in resignation. “Fine. I believe you. But I doubt this woman just offered to heal me for free. So, what did you give her in exchange?”

“Um… that’s… uh…” Wild swallowed heavily. He could feel beads of perspiration slide down the side of his face. This was the thing he really didn’t want to say. He knew Twilight would not be pleased.

“Wild.”

But he could not withhold the truth forever. “H-half my remaining life,” Wild whispered. “S-she took it from me to give to you. So, you could live.”

Silence. For a moment, neither Hero spoke. The only sounds came from the forest around them. The wind whistling through the trees. The night creatures chirped and called to each other. Wild was locked in place by the weight of Twilight’s gaze. Twilight searched his eyes, looking for deception, looking for the truth. Twilight found it.

And then the spell broke.

“YOU WHAT?” Twilight exploded with more rage than Wild had ever seen from him. The normally easy-going ranch hand snarled with as much ferocity as his wolf counterpart, eyes flashing dangerously. Wild hadn’t thought it was even possible for Twilight to get that angry.

“What were you thinking?!” Twilight demanded. His hands curled into shaking fists, and Wild wondered if Twilight wanted to punch him or strangle him or both. “Do you… do you even realize what you’ve done?! How could you just throw your life away like that?! Why would you do something so completely idiotic?! Did you even stop for one second to consider the consequences?!”

Something dark welled up inside of Wild, and he replied defensively, “You would have died!”

“SO WHAT?” Wild recoiled, taken aback at the sheer fury radiating off Twilight, fury that was directed at Wild. “Do you expect me to thank you for what you did?”

Pain so deep it was practically physical tore into Wild. He had expected anger from Twilight. He had expected disappointment and sorrow. He had expected so many things. But he hadn’t expected that. Wild's shoulders slumped in defeat, all his remaining energy fading away like smoke on the wind.

“You just blindly trusted an old woman to heal me by taking your life?! What if she had taken all your life?! Did you even think about that?!”

He wanted to go home. He wanted to crawl into his bedroll and sleep for another hundred years. Tears stung his eyes once more. He couldn’t even look at Twilight anymore. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Twilight stared coldly at him. “Sorry doesn’t bring your life back.” He got to his feet and reached for the crystal around his neck. “Let’s just find the others.”

“We-we don’t even know if they made it here,” Wild said tentatively.

“If they did, I’ll find them,” Twilight said shortly. Without another word, he transformed into a wolf.

Wild watched as Twilight poked his nose into the air, sniffing. He walked in a circle, testing the scent in each direction. Wild sat nearby in a daze, and he almost missed it when Twilight bounded off into the forest. Wild quickly scrambled to his feet, wincing when his ribs twinged and black spots danced across his vision. Blinking away pain and dizziness, he hurried to follow.

A few tears disobediently leaked from the corners of his eyes, and he brushed them away impatiently. Twilight was fast. It was hard enough to keep up with him on a good day, and now Wild was fatigued from the night of ordeals. He stumbled and tripped over loose stones and fallen branches, all the while desperately trying to keep Twilight in sight.

Twilight didn’t once pause or look back. Wild tugged the hood of his cloak up over his head, trying to hide in its depths. He felt so lost.

It took maybe fifteen minutes at a brisk walk before Wild caught the sound of voices drifting towards him. Sure enough, just ahead of them, he saw the flickering light of a fire and the familiar figures of his friends. With the odd whooshing sound that normally accompanied his transformations, Twilight stood and marched forward. Wild ducked his head and followed. Not even relief at knowing that he and Twilight were not alone in the forest could overcome the negative emotions swirling within him.

The others had heard their footfalls and had reached for their weapons, but they relaxed when they saw who approached.

Not everyone was there. Warriors, Time, Hyrule, and Four were all missing, leaving just Sky, Legend, and Wind gathered around the fire.

“There you two are,” Legend drawled, sheathing his blade. “What took you so long? We’ve been looking for you for hours.”

“We were worried you hadn’t made it here,” Sky added, standing beside Legend.

Wind bounced on his toes. “Did you guys get sucked into a portal too?”

“Obviously, or they wouldn’t be here,” Legend said, and Wind glared at him. Legend rolled his eyes. “Everyone else is still out looking for you, so you’d better… have…” He trailed off as Wild and Twilight finally got close enough for the firelight to illuminate their ragged state. The three Heroes stared in open-mouthed shock.

Twilight was positively covered in blood. Everything bit of fabric below where his wound had been was saturated with the dark substance, and the skin visible beneath the tear in his tunic and chainmail was coated as well. Wild wasn’t nearly as bad. Only the front of his tunic and the knees of his trousers sported crimson stains, though his hands were also coated with dried blood.

“What happened?” Sky cried, eyes wide with horror, stepping forward nervously.

“Are you guys alright?” Wind asked, eyes darting from Twilight to Wild and back again.

Twilight didn’t answer. Everyone watched the older hero stalk to a free patch of ground and throw his stuff down. He then proceeded to unbuckle his baldric and remove his blood-soaked clothing piece by piece.

“Um,” Wild said, realizing that Twilight wasn’t going to answer. “We… we’re fine.” What an obvious lie.

“Like hell!” Legend said hotly. He pointed to Wild’s stained tunic. “Where did all that blood come from?”

Wild didn’t know how to answer that. Twilight was mum; everyone else was looking at him. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He tugged the hood of his cloak farther forward.

“It doesn’t matter.” Twilight’s voice startled the group. He’d removed all the clothing from his upper body and was washing away the blood still stuck to his skin with a damp cloth. There was a lot of it.

“What the hell,” Legend breathed, eyes glued to the sight.

Sky approached Wild slowly. “Are you okay?” he asked gently.

No, Wild was most certainly not alright. “I…” he swallowed, blinking his tears away. “I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep.”

Sky nodded, shooting Legend a silencing glare when the other Hero opened his mouth. “Of course. You can sleep over here.” Sky led him to a patch of ground on the other side of the clearing, far from Twilight. “If you want, I can try to get the blood out of your tunic for you.”

“Thanks,” Wild said. He sat down and tugged off his cloak and Champion’s Tunic. His pants could wait until morning. Sky took the soiled clothes with a smile, though it faltered when Wild merely averted his eyes. Wild didn’t see Sky walk away, nor did he see him return a minute later. He did, however, see Sky sit down right in front of him and take hold of his bloody hands. Wild jumped and automatically tried to pull away.

Sky didn’t release his grip, though; he held on firmly until Wild ceased his weak struggles. Then, holding Wild’s hand’s gently, he took the damp cloth he’d brought with him and began to clean away the dried blood.

Wild watched the process listlessly. Normally, he’d hate such treatment, but he was too tired to protest. Sky shot him quick, concerned glances as he worked, and the silence grew heavy as Wild did nothing more than watch the blood disappear from his hands. Wild vaguely saw Sky shoot Legend and Wind a panicked look.

Wind hesitated a moment before coming over and sitting down a few feet from Wild. Legend remained where he was, watching everything with an unreadable expression.

“The others will be back soon,” the youngest Hero began, glancing at Sky. “I’m sure they’ll be happy you guys are okay.”

Wild kept silent. Nothing about this night had been okay.

Sky bit his lip and looked over at Twilight, who had changed into clean clothes and was making up his bedroll. “They’ll want to know what happened. I don’t really know what to tell them, though.”

Wild sighed. He tugged his clean hands from Sky’s grip. He then unrolled his own bedroll and lay down on it, pulling the blanket completely over his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

He didn’t see Sky and Legend exchange laden looks, nor did he see Wind bite his lip and look at Twilight. He wouldn’t have cared if he had.

In the small amount of privacy afforded by his blanket, Wild let the tears fall without restraint.

Eventually, he drifted off into exhausted sleep.

~*~

Wild woke at the sound of voices. The blanket had fallen away from his face at some point, and he had an unimpeded view of grass and tall pine trees and the distant darkness of the forest. Behind him, the fire crackled, casting flickering orange light all around him. For a moment, Wild struggled to remember why he felt so sad, but all too soon, the memories rushed back in a heart-wrenching torrent.

Somewhere behind him, several of his companions held a whispered discussion.

“I’m telling you, something’s not right,” Legend’s voice said. “I don’t know what happened, but I’ve never seen that much blood on a person that wasn’t dead or close to it.”

“We found a camp a monsters,” Warriors voice came next. He and the others must have returned from their search. “Some were alive, but most were dead. At least twenty. It’s not impossible that they killed them, and it got a bit messy.”

“No way,” Legend hissed. “I don’t care how many monsters you kill, you don’t come out of it looking like that.”

“It wasn’t just the blood though,” Wild heard Sky say.

“What do you mean?” Hyrule asked.

“They…” Sky sighed. “They weren’t acting right.”

A pause, and then Time spoke. “How so?”

Wild could practically feel Sky’s discomfort. “They… didn’t talk to each other. Twilight didn’t even look at Wild. And Wild…” he trailed off.

Wild’s curled his fingers into the fabric of his blanket, wishing it was Wolfie’s fur. He wanted Twilight beside him to comfort him and tell him it would be alright. But that might not ever happen again. Wild may have messed up too badly this time.

“What about Wild?” Time asked, voice far more urgent than before.

“He… he looked so sad.”

“Something definitely happened,” Legend said again.

“Well, what was it?” Warriors asked.

“How should I know?!”

“SHHHH!” Wind hissed, far louder than Legend had been. “They’re asleep!”

Wild wondered if Twilight, far away on the other side of camp, lay awake as Wild did, listening to the poorly hushed conversation.

“We can finish this discussion in the morning,” Time said firmly, “In the morning,” he repeated, and Wild could only imagine that Legend must have been trying to speak again. “Baseless conjecture does us no good. Now, off to bed with you.”

Wild heard soft grumbles and hissed mutters, but the others did as they were told. Within a few minutes, the camp was silent once again.

Wild wondered what the dawn would bring. Would Twilight be just as angry? Wild expected that he would. This time felt different than all the other times when he’d done something to make Twilight mad at him. Twilight’s anger had always been far more like disappointment or frustration, and it was always quick to disappear if Wild expressed remorse. This time…

Wild didn’t regret what he’d done. He’d do it again if given the choice. But even if he did feel sorry, he didn't think Twilight would be so quick to forgive.

He didn’t know what would happen come morning, but he did know one thing. He wouldn’t do anything else to hurt Twilight, so unless the older Hero spoke of what had happened, Wild would keep completely silent on the subject.

Once more, Wild closed his eyes and drifted off into slumber.

Chapter Text

Something was terribly wrong.

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out, though Legend didn’t consider himself to be a dullard when it came to intellectual matters. He’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not notice the dark cloud that had been hanging over the group of Heroes for the past four days. The dynamic of the Heroes had shifted drastically during that time, and it seemed to only be getting worse.

Legend could hardly believe how much could change in just a few short hours. One minute, they’d all been happy and relaxing in Wind’s Hyrule. The next they’d shockingly been sucked into one of the mysterious portals they kept running into, landing in yet another Hylia forsaken forest in the middle of the night. And then just two hours later, their two missing companions waltzed into camp out of nowhere, covered in blood and not speaking a word to one another. Twilight’d had an expression like thunder, angrier than Legend had ever seen him, while Wild had just looked lost and unsure, worse even than he’d been when the Heroes first started travelling together. And the blood…

There had been so much of it, mostly on Twilight. It had saturated his clothing and coated his skin. Legend wanted to believe that it had just come from some monster, but he had seen that awful tear in Twilight’s tunic and armor…

Legend didn’t know what to think. Trying to explain the situation to Time, Warriors, Four, and Hyrule had been less than pleasant. Time’s expression had been downright scary, but there had been little to tell them. Just the state the two Heroes had walked into camp in and the small fact that they somehow, impossibly, weren’t speaking to each other.

And they still weren’t.

It was getting ridiculous. It had been four days already. Four days of walking through a never-ending forest and the two of them hadn’t once exchanged words, not even during dinner. Twilight stalked around in a perpetual cloud of anger and refused to even look in Wild's direction. Meal times had been incredibly awkward with the two of them. And Wild…

The poor kid had withdrawn, looking sad and lost like a kicked puppy most of the time. He’d stopped participating in conversations unless someone specifically asked him something, and he shuffled around with his hood drawn up all the time. It was a flashback to their early days as a group, when everyone was just getting used to each other.

Worst of all, neither Twilight nor Wild would speak of what had happened that fateful night. Every time they were asked, the answer was always the same. Either heavy, troubled silence or a curt dismissal. The other Heroes were left in the dark, unable to help without any information.

Legend didn’t know what to do, but he knew the group couldn’t continue on like this. The suffocating tenseness was affecting them all, making them twitchy and anxious. In their current state, battle would be a nightmare, so it was fortunate they’d not run into any monsters for a while. But their luck would not hold forever; something needed to be done. So, Legend sought out Time, hoping the older man would have some insight.

He waited until they set up camp in the evening and volunteered to help collect firewood when Time announced his intent to do so. Time gave him a long, shrewd look but ultimately accepted his offer. They walked in silence, winding through the tall trees and picking up dry branches from the ground, until Legend deemed they were far enough away to not be overheard.

Reaching for another stick, he asked, “Are we really just going to ignore what’s going on?”

Time sighed, the rush of air leaving his lips was longsuffering and full of regret. The eldest Hero sounded old. For as much as everyone joked about it, no really thought of Time as an old man. But now, he certainly sounded like it, as though the burdens he bore weighed far too heavily on his shoulders.

Legend reconsidered whether talking to Time had been a good idea after all, but the older Hero soon answered. “I’ve already spoken to Twilight. Multiple times. But he’s being incredibly stubborn.” A muscle in his jaw tightened, irritation flashing in his eye.

Legend gazed at him in disbelief. “You really expect me to believe you can’t get him to talk?”

The words came out before he really thought about how they sounded, and when Time glared darkly at him, Legend couldn’t suppress his flinch.

Time’s gaze didn’t falter. “And how exactly would you like me to confront him? In front of Wild? Twilight is not is his right state of mind. Who knows what he might say.”

Guilt prickled at Legend’s conscience. “And Wild’s not in a good place,” he said. It was an understatement though. Wild was so far from good, he might as well have been in a separate realm.

Time nodded, glare easing. “Yes. His state of mind is delicate right now. I don’t want to risk something pushing him over the edge. I don’t know that he can handle it.”

Legend sighed, frustration and helplessness mounting with every second. “So, what? We do nothing?”

“I didn’t say that,” Time said patiently. He returned to gathering up dead branches. “We do what we do in any battle. We wait for an opportunity. And then we take advantage of it.”

~*~

Wild wasn’t an idiot, no matter what the others thought. Sure, he did some crazy things at times. And sure, his sense of danger was probably skewed. But he wasn’t stupid.

Plus, his fellow Heroes weren’t exactly being subtle about their plan.

The forest they’d traveled through the portal to was vast. After a week of walking, they still hadn’t reached the end of it. Wild was half convinced that whatever mysterious Hyrule they had ended up in was nothing but forest, extending farther than the eye could see.

They’d been following a rough trail through the woods when they’d come across a fork in the path. Wild had listened to a very fake dialogue between Legend and Warriors about the merits of splitting up, to which everyone besides Twilight and Wild had heartily agreed. So, it was decided that Time, Twilight, Hyrule, Four, and Wind would take the left fork while Wild, Legend, Warriors and Sky would take the right.

Wild sighed. Obviously, they were trying to separate him from Twilight. As for the reason why, though, Wild couldn’t be sure. Either they thought that separation would make Wild more amenable to talking about what had caused the rift between himself and his mentor, or they thought that separating the two of them would magically repair their relationship. Either way, they were sorely mistaken.

Wild exhaled slowly, mind wandering as his feet plodded along automatically, boots crunching against old needles long dead. Boughs of evergreen shaded his path and sent a fresh aroma drifting by on the breeze. Wild tried to let his calm surrounding ease his troubled mind, but his thoughts pressed too heavily against his skull. The last week had been one of the more trying in his life, and he’d had no shortage of trials he’d overcome.

Follow a meandering trail in the pouring rain while constantly being shot at with shock arrows? Easy.

Sneak into the hideout of the Yiga Clan, trying not to get caught while also stealing all their bananas and treasure? Easy.

Defeating the Calamity and freeing the trapped souls of the Champions? Easy.

Repairing his relationship with Twilight after saving Twilight's life by giving up his own? Impossible.

Wild didn’t know what to do. He truly hadn’t expected Twilight’s anger to last this long. He had given Twilight space in the hope that it would help, but it hadn’t. If anything, it was just making it worse, for now the separation between the two of them was beginning to feel normal.

As Wild considered these things, he knew there remained one single spark of hope. In the other group, Twilight was likely getting grilled by the most intimidating person Wild had ever met. And if anyone could pull Twilight out of his fog of anger, it was Time. Twilight had been avoiding Time all week, but now that was impossible for him. Maybe this poorly executed attempt at getting Wild to open up would actually do some good.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Wild blinked as Legend’s voice cut into his musings. He turned to the teen walking beside him. “What?”

Legend glared at him and turned away, muttering something under his breath. On Wild’s other side, Warriors sighed in exasperation and stepped a bit closer. Wild tensed, realizing he was sandwiched between the two Heroes.

“Wild, you realize the reason we’re doing this is because we care, right?”

Wild shot him a confused look. “Um, yeah?”

“And we want to do everything in our power to help you.”

“…yeah?”

Warriors threw his arm around Wild’s shoulders, drawing him even closer and making Wild’s throat constrict and his fingers twitch with longing for his sword. He had to remind himself that Warriors was not an enemy, and it wouldn’t be acceptable to stab him for getting too close. Warriors continued on blithely, oblivious to Wild’s internal turmoil. “Well, we are unable to do anything if we don’t know what happened.”

Wild said nothing. He did try to free himself from the awkward, travelling side hug, but Warriors just tightened his grip. Wild sighed. “Look, I don’t care how many times you ask, I’m not going to say anything until Twilight does.”

“But, Wild…” Wild had to crane his neck around to see Sky, who was bringing up the rear of their small travelling party. “You know it isn’t right. The way Twilight’s acting… nothing justifies that!”

Wild winced and turned back around, ducking his head as much as possible. Of course, he knew that. But, what could he do? This whole mess was his fault. If he had just finished off that lizalfos to begin with, none of this would have happened. He deserved everything he received from Twilight.

He was nothing more than a failure.

Warriors gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We just…” he sighed. “We hate to see you guys like this. Both of you. Whatever happened, you shouldn’t have to go through all this alone.”

As Warriors continued speaking, Wild consciously tuned him out. A distant noise had drawn his attention, and he became painfully aware of how wrong the forest felt. It was a different wrongness than he had experienced the night he’d met the old woman. This felt sinister, full of malice, and sudden unease coiled in his stomach like a writhing snake.

Wild stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Warriors, still with his arm around Wild’s shoulders, to stop as well. Legend and Sky exchanged confused glances as they too halted their steps.

“What’s wrong?” Warriors asked Wild. Wild just shushed him, ears straining to catch the sound again. After a few seconds, he did, though it was faint and barely audible above the breeze. Warriors stiffened as he too heard it, and Sky and Legend did the same.

Wild’s eyes darting around frantically. His instincts told him to run, but he couldn’t even tell what direction the noise was coming from.

“What is that?” Legend hissed, looking around nervously. He reached up to grip the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it in an instant.

The sound grew louder with each passing moment. Wild strained his ears, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to improve his hearing. In a way, it worked. No longer looking for the source, he could better distinguish the sound.

Metal scraping against metal. The rhythmic pounding of something large striking the forest floor over and over again. The splintering of wood as trees were ripped from the ground.

His eyes shot open in horror, and the blood drained from his face as the sound continued to grow closer. He recognized the noise, there was no way he couldn’t. It was something that would haunt him for his entire life.

“Oh no,” he whispered. The others glanced at him, but he didn’t even have time to shout a warning. It was already far too late.

Through the gaps in the trees, two hulking metal monstrosities could just be seen. Their long, spider-like limbs crashed into the earth and pushed aside trees, tearing roots from the dirt to make room for their wide girth. Their single pulsating eyes were already fixed on the frozen Heroes.

They shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be possible. This wasn’t Wild’s Hyrule, and the Calamity was gone, but that apparently didn’t matter.

Wild felt a hand seize his arm, tugging him away from the horrible sight.

“Run!” Warriors yelled, eyes wide with panic, giving one final pull on Wild’s limb to get him moving. Legend and Sky were already beating a hasty retreat.

It was a natural reaction, even for those with the Hero’s Spirit. Wild remembered the first time he’d seen a guardian after he woke from his hundred-year slumber. Without even knowing what it was, he’d taken one look into its malice filled eye before his instincts told him to run, that it was an enemy he had no hope of defeating in his current state. Those self-preserving instincts were present in all the Heroes, and none of them even contemplated facing the metal beasts.

Wild let Warriors tug turn him around, and he pushed against the ground in a mad sprint. Everyone bolted away from the danger before them. The guardians didn’t like that though, and Wild saw the red beams from their guidance lasers fall on the trees around him and his friends. Then, with a sound unique to the guardians, the lasers fired, shooting beams of blue energy that exploded against the forest. The tree next to Wild blew apart, and he threw up his hands to shield his face from splinters of wood. Beside him, Warriors cursed.

Wild chanced a look behind him immediately wished he hadn’t. The guardians were practically on top of them. And no wonder. Guardians were fast, far faster than Hylians. The only reason they hadn’t reached the Heroes yet was the forest itself. The trees were their saving grace, slowing down the bulky guardians just enough to give the Heroes a fighting chance at escaping. Wild faced front again and put on another burst of speed. The red targeting beam followed him closely.

Just as Wild was desperately casting around in his mind for a way out of their predicament, the Heroes broke through the trees and found themselves facing a vast expanse of open ground. It was a huge field, totally empty save for the softly waving grass. In the distance, they could see mountain spires reaching high into the sky. After so many days surrounded by trees, the sight of bare earth was disconcerting, and they all stood frozen there for a moment in shock, blinking stupidly.

But the guardians hadn’t stopped. They barreled through the trees just behind the Heroes.

Warriors cursed again, whirling around and raising his sword. He had realized the same thing Wild had. With no more trees, their defense was gone. There would be no more running.

They would have to stand and fight.

None of the other Heroes had fought a guardian before (they’d never even seen one), but Wild watched them face the metal behemoths with grim acceptance. They would not back down, nor would they quietly accept their demise. They would fight to their final breath.

Wild felt a rush of affection.

One of the guardians immediately set its sights on Legend and Sky, skittering towards them and targeting them with its laser. The other guardian stomped towards Warriors and Wild.

Crap. That was bad. Wild’s cheap blade would be virtually useless against the guardian.

Good thing he had something that would be useful.

Darting to the side, he called over his shoulder, “Warriors! Distract it for a minute!”

“What?!” Warriors yelped, jaw falling open in shock as saw Wild’s hasty retreat. “What do you mean distract it?! Where are you going?!”

“I’ll be right back!” Wild said. Warriors was unable to reply as the guardian took a swipe at him with its leg. He cursed and dodged the blow, raising his sword to counter strike.

Wild was glad the guardian had left him alone for the time being. He just needed a few seconds. Circling around behind the guardian, he ducked behind a tree at the edge of the forest, pulling his Sheikah Slate from its holster as he did so. He winced when a tree to his right exploded from a wayward laser beam.

His most powerful weapon was too dangerous to keep in his quiver all the time, so he’d safely stored it away in the boundless inventory of his Slate. With a few taps, the weapons materialized in his hands with a whirl of blue light. Five ancient arrows, all that remained from his fight against the Calamity. After he defeated it, all the guardians in Hyrule had become lifeless, and the arrows no longer had a purpose. But he’d kept them, the last five, just in case.

He wished desperately that he had more.

He slid all but one of them into his quiver and drew his bow. Arrow nocked, he peered around the tree. Warriors was trying to hack off the leg of his foe, but the sword bounced off without any effect and he was forced to dodge the guardian’s retaliating beam. He barely avoided it.

Wild, about to jump into the fray, froze mid-step. That wasn’t right. Warriors sword was finely forged and well cared for. It should have been able to deal the guardian some damage, no matter how small. If it was ineffective…

Were the guardians more powerful than Wild remembered? Were they somehow affected by whatever was strengthening the other monsters the Heroes encountered? Would ancient arrows even be effective anymore?

Fear gripped Wild’s heart. A trickle of sweat ran down his temple. He hesitated.

Sky and Legend were busy dealing with the other guardian, but even as Wild watched, the guardian shot a beam towards Legend. Legend dodged, but he wasn’t far enough away to escape the explosion of the beam impacting the earth. His scream of pain as fire licked at his left leg made Wild’s breath freeze in his lungs. Sky roared in anger and attacked the guardian from behind, hacking at its leg with the Master Sword. After a few hits, the leg was cleaved from the guardian’s body and the metal behemoth stumbled. It quickly scrambling away from the sword that harmed it. Sky didn’t pursue but used the brief reprieve to rush to Legend’s side.

Wild exhaled. He had seen what he needed to see. The guardians could still be hurt. And if they could be hurt, they could be destroyed.

Warriors picked himself up again, but the guardian’s laser had already come to life and was trained on him. He had no one else to distract it and no guarantee of dodging it a second time.

Wild moved.

~*~

Warriors was having a bad day. A bad week. A terrible week. First, he’d been unwillingly pulled through a portal into a Hyrule made up entirely of forest (or so he’d thought). Then, he’d searched for his missing companions all night, only to return and find them already there (although apparently, they’d returned covered in blood and refusing to speak of what happened). And finally, being the good person he was, he’d tried to help Wild out of his melancholy mood only to be chased through the forest by terrifying metal monsters that could shoot fire out of their eyes.

He was exhausted.

And now this. Wild had abandoned him. He’d told Warriors to “distract” the monsters and then he’d run off, back into the woods. Warriors didn’t know what Wild was doing, wasn’t sure if he’d even come back, and all Warriors could do was raise his sword and pray that he would make it through this alive.

He was out of his element. He didn’t know what he was facing or how to kill it. The pulsating eye-like thing in the center of what he took to be the head was probably it’s weak point. Unfortunately, the beasts were very tall, and unless Warriors wanted to use his sword like a javelin, that option was out.

Well, the legs looked like a decent place to start.

Warriors hefted his sword and shield and let out a battle cry as he charged towards his foe. The guardian skittered away, but it was also trying to aim its laser at him, making it much slower than it had been whilst chasing the four of them in the forest. He could do this. It was just another enemy.

The metal behemoths were terrible to look at with their scuttling legs and rotund bodies. But the worst part was their eye. It pulsated, and flashed, and targeted that awful red laser on Warriors. He’d seen the destructive force of those beams on the trees, and he didn’t want to find out what it felt like to be hit by one.

Unexpectedly, a different beam shot past him and hit a nearby tree. Warriors let out a startled shout as the tree practically exploded and the nearby vegetation was set ablaze. He winced. He was close enough to feel the heat, though he had escaped harm. One good thing came from it though; his guardian’s aim had been disrupted and it had to refocus the laser on him. This was his chance.

Warriors lifted his sword and brought it down on the guardian’s leg with all his strength. He swore as the blade bounced harmlessly off the metal leg and shooting pain lanced up his arm. His grip slackened, and he barely managed to keep hold of his weapon. The beast wasn’t amused, and Warriors, with sudden dread, instinctually threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the white-hot beam that passed over his head.

He rolled to his feet, less confident than he had been at the start of his fight. He considered himself fortunate that he’d avoided harm, but sadly, the others were not so lucky. Warriors gaze was drawn towards the second metal monster at the sound of another beam firing, but it was the scream of pain that made his blood run cold. Legend was on the ground, clutching his leg in agony. Warriors instinct to run and help rose up within him, but Sky was already there, roaring in rage and hacking at the monster’s leg. Shock filled Warriors when he realized that Sky’s blows had an effect, and he soon witnessed the entire appendage detach from the main body of the metal beast. It quickly moved away, and Sky rushed over to Legend. Then it hit Warriors.

“The Master Sword,” he breathed.

Unfortunately, the realization that the Master Sword could harm them did him little good, and his brief distraction meant that his guardian had now had ample time to aim its laser at him. Warriors gritted his teeth. He had dodged it once, he could dodge it again.

He never got the chance though. A sudden sharp whistle cut through the air, drawing all eyes—metal beasts’ included—to the sound. Warriors could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Wild was sprinting, faster than Warriors had ever seen him, right towards Warrior’s foe. Wild didn’t pause as the metal monster tried to aim its laser at him. He darted past the stomping legs, leaping up and finding a foothold on the beast’s body only to push off and somersault in the air, landing in a crouch on the contraption’s head.

Warriors’ jaw dropped. If he hadn’t seen it, he definitely wouldn’t have believed it. The metal monster that Wild perched on went crazy. Its head spun and legs skittered as it tried to catch sight of its prey. Warriors backed up hastily to avoid being crushed but hesitated when he noticed a red laser focusing on Wild. He turned and blanched. Wild’s whistle had also drawn the attention of the second beast, which was coming over quickly, abandoning Legend and Sky in favor of more interesting prey.

And as the icing on the cake, the one that Wild was sitting on finally gave up on finding Wild and once again targeted Warriors. Warriors simply stood there for a moment in disbelief.

“Great,” he muttered, wondering how he was going to survive this one.

He needn’t have worried. As soon as the guardian had stilled its head, Wild launched himself off the top, twisting in midair and drawing his bow in the same instant. But the arrow… Warriors gaped as blue tendrils of energy swirled to life around the arrowhead, and he watched as Wild moved impossibly fast, firing the arrow into the eye of the guardian, drawing another arrow as he continued to twist in midair, and firing it at the exposed eye of the second guardian, following the line of the laser that still targeted him. This all happened so fast that Warriors could barely see it. The arrows found their marks almost in the same instant, and the metal creatures shuddered for a moment before their bodies were torn apart. Wild hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop just a few feet from Warriors, but he quickly pulled himself to his feet, panting as though he’d just sprinted across all of Hyrule Field.

Warriors stared at Wild in shock for a moment before looking to where the guardians had been just seconds before. Nearby, Sky and Legend were also gawking in awe. They made their way over, with Legend’s arm draped over Sky’s shoulder as he limped. Warriors turned to Wild.

“What… What was that?” Wild didn’t answer immediately, staring at the bow still clutched in his hands. “I couldn’t make a dent in those things, but you just…” Warriors trailed off, lost for words.

“What were those things?” Legend demanded once he was close enough to be heard, eyes pinched with pain.

“Guardians,” Wild answered, looking up into the distance. Sky winced but no one paid it any attention.

“Are they always so hard to kill?” Warriors asked. Wild looked troubled, and when he met Warrior’s gaze, the Captain could see thinly veiled fear there.

“No,” Wild said. “I mean, they’re not easy to kill, but… normally, regular weapons will hurt them a little. And you should have been able to at least cut off their legs.” He shook his head, clenching his fists. “I don’t know why these were different.”

Warriors thought of the monsters they’d been finding lately, with black blood and vitality that shouldn’t be possible. But those had all been living things. These guardians were machines of metal. They shouldn’t be affected.

A question for another time. Legend was speaking again, looking thoroughly put out. “If they’re so hard to kill, how did you one-shot them?”

“With this.” Wild pulled out an odd-looking arrow. Warriors could only stare at it, for it looked nothing like what Wild had shot at the guardians. Where the head should be was a cylindrical tip, extending into a rectangular protrusion with a thin, flat metal piece laying against the entire bottom. It glowed orange in several places and was bound to the arrow shaft with nothing more than weak looking twine. The whole thing appeared ungainly, unwieldy, and not at all capable of the mass destruction Wild had just performed minutes ago.

Warriors opened his mouth to ask if the shoddy looking arrow was really what Wild had used. Before the first word left his tongue, however, Wild flipped open the back portion of the arrow head, revealing a hidden compartment housing a small metal ring. With one finger, Wild tugged on the ring, and the flat bottom of the arrow head snapped outward, extending from the edge of the circular part. With a quiet ‘doon’, a glowing blue blade made of pure energy glimmered into existence. The arrow hummed with power, causing the air around it to flicker and shimmer like in a heat wave. Warriors gaped at it in awe, having never seen anything quite like it before.

Wild tugged on the metal ring again and the blade disappeared, the flat section snapping back to lay flat along the device. Wild closed the cap and stowed the arrow back in his quiver. His mouth set in a grim line, he faced the others.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but there could be more of them in the forest. We need to find the others.”

Warriors couldn’t disagree, nor could Sky or Legend. If there were more guardians, and they were as hard to kill as the ones they’d just fought, then the others were in trouble. Only the Master Sword and Wild’s blue arrows could harm them, and both those weapons were with their group.

They forced Legend to drink a red potion so he’d be able to run without help. Though his leg still pained him and the burn looked terrible, he assured them he’d be fine. They backtracked along the path of destruction the guardians had wreaked until they reached the path they’d originally been following. From there, they returned to the fork and rushed along the opposite trail, the one Time and the others had followed. They prayed that they’d find nothing, that the two guardians had been all there was.

Of course, they weren’t that fortunate.

It didn’t take them long to find signs. The forest had been terribly damaged, underbrush burned and trees ripped from the ground. It was a horrendous sight, all too familiar to Wild. They pressed on, following the path of destruction.

Finally, they saw something up ahead, but when Wild realized what he was seeing, icy terror flooded his veins. The guardians had obviously chased the other group of Heroes to the forest’s edge, much as they had with Wild’s group. Wild could see the open field just beyond the trees, bright sunlight glowing against green grass. But there, at the very edge of the tree line, was a person.

Twilight was on the ground, scrambling back weakly from a guardian, dragging his right leg that was covered in blood and looked horrendously mangled. Peering farther into the field, Wild could see Time and Wind dealing with their own guardian while Hyrule and Four dealt with another.

Three guardians, three arrows. Of course, it would play out that way. Wild gritted his teeth and steeled his nerves. He didn’t have time to give into fear. They were steps away from the tree line where Twilight was.

“Warriors, get down!” he shouted. To his credit, the Captain didn’t hesitate, dropping to one knee and hunching over. Wild used his friend as a launching pad, pushing off his back with one foot and leaping upwards. Suspended in the air, he swiftly pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow.

In his mind, time seemed to slow. The world around him froze, every detail locked in place like an image on his Slate. Nothing existed in this single, suspended moment other than the guardian and Wild’s arrow. Wild could see the pulsating eye of the guardian with perfect clarity. For as fast as his mind was running, as slow as everything else was, the guardian’s laser still throbbed with malicious energy.

Wild narrowed his eyes, exhaled, and released the arrow. It found its mark and time returned to normal. Wild landed lightly on his toes as the guardian was torn apart from the inside out.

“W-Wild.”

Wild glanced down at Twilight. The older man was looking up at him in shock, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. It was a nice change from the burning anger Wild had been dealing with the past week, but there wasn’t time to do more than appreciate it. Wild could do nothing for Twilight right now; he needed to leave him to Warriors and Legend, who had taken all the potions the small group had carried. He turned away, though his heart hurt to do so.

The others needed his help.

They had briefly discussed strategy on the way over, and now that they knew how many guardians there were, it was time to put the plan into action. Wild began running towards the nearest guardian, ignoring Twilight’s frantic calls as he shouted, “SKY!”

“On it!” the Hero of the Sky drew the Master Sword and headed towards the far guardian that Time and Wind were trying to both distract and avoid. Sky could harm it and hopefully give those two a breather. Wild focused on his chosen target. He needed to get its attention without alerting the other one. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and, reeling his arm back, launched it at the guardian’s head.

The sword shattered against the metal hull harmlessly, but it served its purpose as a distraction. The guardian turned away from the panting, wide-eyed Hyrule and Four and targeted its gaze on Wild. Wild had already drawn his bow though, and he let the arrow fly as soon as he saw the guardian’s eye. The guardian was quick though and dodged out of the way. Wild cursed. That was mistake he couldn’t afford.

The guardian’s laser trained on him, and Wild knew he had only moments. Wild didn’t have a sword any longer, but he had a shield. He pulled it out quickly, waiting for the right moment. He followed the line of the laser, listened to the whine of its beeps. Sensing the final buildup of power, he thrust his arm outward at the exact same moment the beam impacted his shield. The shield shattered, but the fired beam was bounced right back into the guardian’s eye, stunning it and giving Wild the needed time to draw his last arrow and launch it into the eye. The guardian self-destructed, and Wild looked over at Hyrule and Four, shaking out his stinging left arm.

“You good?” he asked. He saw several minor cuts and burns on their exposed skin, and they both looked exhausted, but otherwise they seemed fine.

They both watched him in open-mouthed shock. Finally, Hyrule composed himself enough to answer. “Y-yeah.”

Wild nodded in satisfaction and turned away. He prepared to hunt down his last arrow, but several shouts drew his attention.

The last guardian, perhaps noticing its comrades’ end and growing desperate, used one of its limbs to send Time, Wind, and Sky flying. Wild’s breath caught in his throat. Earlier, he had told Sky to try to whittle down the guardian, breaking its legs until it was unable to move, so he could attack the eye with the Master Sword directly. But Sky had been flung far away, and the guardian had only lost two limbs. Wild gritted his teeth even as the guardian focused its laser on the fallen Heroes hastily trying to get to their feet and run.

There was no time. But there…

Wild spotted his fallen arrow, lying innocuously in the grass close to where the final guardian stood.

He ran. He didn’t pause long enough to consider what he was doing. He just ran. Lifting his fingers to his mouth, he whistled shrilly. The guardian whirled towards him at the sound, successfully distracted away from Wild’s friends. They were safe for now, but they would only stay that way if Wild’s reckless plan was successful.

He was sprinting even as the dreaded laser locked onto him. The guardian skirted out of his path in order to keep him in its sights, but Wild didn’t care. The arrow was right there, just yards away, but he could feel the heat from the laser and knew he had only moments. This was his last chance. He dove the final few feet, fingers closing over the arrow as he rolled over his shoulder and sprung to his feet, the arrow already nocked.

It was hauntingly familiar. Wild could remember standing before a guardian a hundred years ago, agony and blood loss making his legs unsteady. The weapon he’d held then had been the Master Sword instead of his bow, and the one he was fighting to protect had been the princess instead of his eight brothers. But the feeling was the same, staring into the eye of the monsters that had taken so much from him, determined to not let them take any more.

This time, he wouldn’t fail.

He released his arrow the same instant the guardian fired its laser.

Agony erupted in his left side, a burning piercing pain that he was more familiar with than he should be. His mind blanked out, and he couldn’t focus. Was he still standing? Had he hit his target? He didn’t know. Distantly, he thought he heard voices, but even that, he couldn’t be sure of. There was so much pain.

Darkness encroached, and Wild fell into its blissful embrace.

Chapter Text

Fifteen minutes after the less-than-merry band of Heroes split up, Twilight was still waiting for the inevitable.

Twilight was not so naïve to believe that his friend's motives in suggesting the group split up were totally altruistic, especially after everything that had happened over the last week. The days had been filled with awkward encounters and stilted conversations. Practically every member of the group had approached Twilight at one point or another to try to extract ‘the story’ from him, prodding and pushing him as far as they dared. Twilight had made himself as unapproachable as possible, without actually straying from the group, and rebuffed each attempt to extract the tale from him, and yet he knew that it wouldn't be enough. Everyone had a limit to their patience, and Twilight could sense that the last strands were rapidly unraveling. Especially Time's. 

Twilight changed a glance at his mentor. The older Hero trudged along a few steps ahead of Twilight on the road while the others brought up the rear. To anyone passing by, nothing would look amiss, but Twilight knew Time better than that. The hard line of his shoulders was just a bit too tense, his footsteps a tad too heavy, and his silence felt like a thundercloud threatening to lash out at any moment. Over the last few days, Time had appeared remarkably accepting of Twilight’s refusal to discuss what had happened. He’d approached Twilight twice, but not pushed when Twilight didn’t talk. At first, Twilight had been surprised by this. Out of all the Heroes, Time was the one least likely to let Twilight get away with silence. But after a few days of considering this, Twilight realized that Time was doing nothing more than giving Twilight an opportunity. 

And now that opportunity had finally passed by.

Twilight ducked his head for a moment, watching dappled sunlight flicker and dance on the ground. Emotions warred within him, fighting for dominance. Twilight took a few steadying breaths, pushing them down as best he could. After a few long minutes, he felt sufficiently in control of himself and lifted his chin again. He nearly jumped when he saw that Time was now walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

Time caught Twilight's eye, and Twilight nearly recoiled from the sheer disappointment he saw in his mentor's gaze. He'd thought there was nothing he hated more than Time's disapproval. He'd been wrong.

“Twilight, it’s time to talk.”

Twilight turned away and clenched his jaw. A spike of anger, now as familiar to him as an old friend, rose up within him. “There’s nothing to talk about,” Twilight said. 

“Oh, I beg to differ.” Time stepped in front of Twilight abruptly, blocking the way forward with his imposing figure. 

“We’ve been patient,” Time continued. Twilight heard three sets of footsteps halt behind him and then, as though their owners feared being drawn into the confrontation, shuffle a little further away, though Twilight was sure they'd stay close enough to listen in.  “You’ve had your chance to make things right. But enough is enough. What you are doing is not befitting of one named ‘Hero’.”

Twilight cringed, dropping his gaze. His initial spike of frustration withered in the face of such blatant truth. Now, shame welled up within him, hot and heavy in his stomach and far more unpleasant to deal with.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked up again. Something in Time’s expression had softened, and when he spoke, it was no longer the same unforgiving tone he’d been using before.

“Now, why don’t you tell me exactly why you’ve been pretending to be angry for an entire week.”

Twilight couldn’t help it. He gaped at his mentor, startled at the knowing look Time gave him.

Of course Time had seen right through Twilight’s act. Twilight should have expected it from the very start, from the undeserved patience he had been given from the older Hero. The two of them hadn’t even known each other all that long, and yet they had a bond that transcended time and space. Time could read Twilight like a book, the same way that Twilight could read Wild.

Wild. For the first time in days, Twilight really allowed himself to think about the teen, to examine the painful emotions that threatened to consume him ever since that fateful night.

Twilight had been angry. Initially. He’d been so consumed with rage that it had frightened him. The anger had continued to simmer the rest of that first night, bubbling just beneath his skin and roiling in his gut. But when he’d woken up in the morning, the anger had evaporated, vanished like smoke on the wind, and Twilight had been left with the more unpleasant emotions he’d been trying to push down.

Guilt. Wild was such a selfless, caring person. He wouldn’t hesitate to help someone else in need, no matter what it would cost him. Twilight should have been stronger, should have seen the threat sooner. If he had, then Wild would never had felt the need to make that terrible decision. It was Twilight’s job to protect Wild, and he had failed at it.

Fear. Twilight didn’t know what the future would hold. Wild had not told Twilight how much of his life he’d given away. It could have been years, or it could it have been weeks. All Twilight knew was that it was half. He didn’t know how much time had been stolen from the teen, how much time he’d have remaining. Would Wild pass on when the Heroes’ task was done, and they’d all returned home? Or would Twilight be forced to watch his little brother die right before his eyes.

Despair. A sorrow so deep that Twilight was on the verge of being consumed by it. This wasn’t an injury that would heal nor a problem that would fade as time passed. Wild had given up something that could not be gotten back. He had permanently altered his life. For Twilight. Twilight could not help him; he could not fix it. He was powerless.

The feelings had been too much for Twilight. He could not face the coming days drowning in his own ineptitude. So, he hid behind a wall of false anger and avoided interactions with the others as much as possible. Especially Wild. Every time Twilight even looked at the teen, he felt his façade waver, and tears would well up in his eyes. So, he’d avoided and hid and pushed away.

But now his façade was gone, shattered under the blow Time’s words had dealt. His eyes stung, his throat constricted, and his hands shook from the weight of his emotions.

When he looked up at Time, he saw nothing but compassion on the older man’s face. Time meant far more to Twilight than just a mere mentor ever could, and knowing that whatever Twilight had done would be forgiven by him finally gave Twilight the strength to let the last vestiges of his guard down.

“I messed up,” he whispered.

Time said nothing, but his expression was open, urging Twilight to go on.

“I…” Twilight swallowed thickly, drawing in a ragged breath. “I tried to protect him, but…” he clenched his hands into fists, hating the way they shook. “I wasn’t good enough. And Wild, he… he…” Tears spilled over onto his cheeks. “He gave up too much for me. I-I made a promise… to look out for him, but,” the tears came harder, faster, and Twilight’s could barely draw in enough breath to continue on, “I couldn’t even do that one thing.”

“Oh, Pup.” Time stepped forward and took hold of his shoulders. Then, after searching Twilight's face for a long moment, he pulled Twilight into a warm embrace. Twilight froze for a moment, overcome by surprise. Time didn't show affection easily, not even with Twilight. Only Malon seemed capable of smoothing his rough edges and drawing out a softer personality. To everyone else, Time gave claps on the back and the very occasional arm thrown around shoulders, but this was the first real, true hug Twilight had even received from him.

That realization broke Twilight out of his momentary stupor. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around his mentor and buried his face in Time's shoulder. The metal of Time's armor bit into Twilight's cheek, but Twilight barely felt it. Time radiated comfort, and Twilight tightened his hold, clinging to that comfort like a small child. 

Time’s voice soothed as he continued speaking. “I’ve told you this before. You are not responsible for every bad thing that happens around you. If you keep blaming yourself like this, you will reach a point that you cannot return from. Whatever Wild did, whatever he gave up, he did it freely. He is he own person, and his decisions are his alone to make.

“You have not broken your promise, and you have not let Wild down. Nor would he want you to think that you have.”

“I know,” Twilight murmured, and as he said it, he realized it was true. “I know.” Breathing deeply, he pulled away. He wiped away the wetness on his cheeks with the heels of his hands, and looked up as the soft sounds of footfalls reached his ears. Four, Hyrule, and Wind all approached cautiously, deep concern written across each of their faces.

Time nodded when Twilight glanced at him. The older Hero was smiling softly, and Twilight returned it with a watery one of his own.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” he said once the other three were close. “I know I’ve been… not myself. I… I’ll make things right. I promise.”

Relief was palpable in the air as three sets of shoulders instantly relaxed.

“Thank goodness,” Hyrule said, then immediately flushed. He cleared his throat, averting his eyes. “I… I was just worried that we’d never be able to go back to normal again.”

“We know what you meant,” Four told him, lips quirked in amusement. To Twilight, he said, “We’re a family, with all that entails.”

“Thanks,” Twilight smiled.

“I’m just glad you’re feeling better!” Wild said with his usual enthusiasm. “It’s been really depressing lately.”

Twilight scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“The past is in the past,” Time said. “What matters now is how you move forward.”

Twilight nodded. Looking around at his fellow Heroes, he felt a surge of gratitude for his family. They understood him in ways no one else would, and they wouldn’t hesitate to help him through the coming days and weeks and all the heartache that would entail. He smiled at them, a true genuine smile, feeling better than he had all week.

But when a faint noise reached his ears, his grin slipped away and he stiffened.

“What is it?” Time asked, seeing Twilight’s unease.

“I don’t know,” Twilight whispered. His hearing was the best of their group, even without being a wolf. Whatever it was it was getting louder. He drew his sword. “Something’s coming.”

The others all hurriedly drew their own blades, looking around tensely. The noise grew steadily louder, and now the others could hear it as well.

“It sounds like something metal,” Four said. The noise was now a cacophony, and Twilight barely heard him over it. “But what could- “

He never got the chance to finish. The five Heroes finally spotted the source of the noise through the gaps in the trees. Quicker than it should have been possible, three hulking metal giants approached, each one carried on six spider-like legs. Their rotund bodies glowed with red light, and a single pulsating eye rested in the middle of their narrower heads. They were tearing through the forest, uprooting trees and crushing vegetation heedlessly.

“What are those?!” Wind cried out, backpedaling in fright.

Twilight’s heart leapt into his throat. He’d never seen one in person, let alone three, but Wild had once shown him a picture on his Sheikah Slate and quietly explained what they were. Twilight didn’t know if Wild had ever spoken to anyone else about the specifics of his close brush with death, but it hardly mattered. These things were not to be underestimated.

“They’re guardians!” Twilight yelled. Only Time's face sparked with recognition at the name, his good eye widening in shock.

“We can’t fight them!” Twilight continued.

“Then what do we do?” Hyrule cried.

“Run!”

Twilight turned and booked it, and the others followed his lead barely a second later. The five of them dashed through the trees as their foes pursued them. Twilight could hear the sounds of splintering wood and toppling trees just behind him. the ground shook with every step the metal giants took, and Twilight didn’t dare turn around for fear of tripping. The only thing keeping the guardians from catching up to the much slower Heroes was the thick forest.

Then beams of light shot past Twilight, and he cursed when a nearby tree exploded. The others cried out, similarly dismayed. Each streak of blue that narrowly missed the five retreating Heroes rained fire and destruction down on the forest, and the underbrush quickly began to burn. Twilight hated the thought of such needless loss, but he was also thankful for whatever persistent luck the Heroes all possessed, for that had to be the only thing keeping them from being hit.

As though to prove his thoughts correct, Twilight quickly ducked under a low hanging branch and a beam whizzed through the air scant inches above him.

“Keep moving!” Time ordered, shouting above the sounds of grating metal.

They couldn’t keep it up forever. Twilight knew they’d tire before long and then they’d be at the mercy of the guardians. If they could find some defensible position, then maybe they’d stand a chance. These foes were unlike anything Twilight had ever faced, and he was sure it was the same for the others. But every monster had a weakness. They just needed to find and exploit it.

He really wished he’d asked Wild more questions about them when he’d had the chance.

Twilight looked around desperately, clinging to his thinly laid plans. But there was nothing. Nothing but trees. Although, as he looked around, he wondered if the forest was getting thinner or if it was just his imagination.

He found out mere moments later, the same instant his meager hopes were dashed. The forest ended, and the five Heroes spilled out onto a large grassy plain. Twilight gasped and came to a stop beside his equally shocked friends. It was jarring, having spent the last week surrounded by trees, to suddenly find themselves in the open. Twilight squinted in the uncomfortably bright sunlight, feeling warm rays soak into his skin, no longer hampered by thick boughs of pine. 

The guardians were still coming, however, and he quickly turned back to the forest, grip tightening on his sword.

“Split up!” Time shouted. “We need to work together to keep them distracted! When they are, get in close and attack!” The ideal thing would have been to have two of them to every guardian. One person to keep its focus, while the other picked away at its health. But there wasn’t enough of them, and the grim look on Time’s face told Twilight that the older man knew it. They didn’t have a choice though. They no longer had the forest to slow down the guardians. They’d be sitting ducks if they tried to run.

Twilight steeled himself.

The three guardians broke through the tree line a moment later, instantly zeroing in on the Heroes. The five of them scattered away from each other, and the guardians pursued, but instead of continuing to run, the heroes faced their foes with determination. Hyrule and Four had ended up with one, while Time and Twilight had another. But that left…

Twilight looked to the side where Wind was all alone with his own guardian. Time saw it too, but he hesitated.

“Go!” Twilight said. “I can handle this!”

Time was reluctant, Twilight could sense that clear as day, but wasting precious seconds could be the difference between life and death, so all the older Hero could do was nod and dash towards Wind. Twilight refocused on his own foe. He needed to keep close to it. Too much distance would take away Twilight’s ability to defend himself and allow the guardian to easily pick him off.

The guardian’s red, targeting laser was already trained upon him. Twilight knew that if the real thing hit him, it would be over. He darted in close, between two of the monster’s legs, swinging his sword at one of the guardian’s limbs as he passed. He cursed when the blade bounced harmlessly off the guardian’s metal plating and sent an agonizing jolt down the length of his arm. It seemed it would be even harder to take these things down than he had initially feared.

The guardian did not like that he had run beneath it and was stomping furiously, trying to find him. Twilight tried jabbing its underside with his sword but found it just as impossible to damage as the legs. Then, the guardian stilled and raised itself higher on its metal limbs. Twilight’s intuition told him to move, and he threw himself out from under the guardian just as it dropped to the ground, the impact creating a small crater in the earth. Twilight rolled to his feet and immediately struck the monster’s leg, aiming for the chinks between the metal plates. Just as before, his sword couldn’t make a scratch, and all his effort got him was a painfully numb sword arm.

“What the hell?” he growled.

The guardian quickly picked itself back up and tried to put some distance between the two of them. Well, Twilight wouldn’t let it. Twilight gave chase, and he was relieved that he was able to keep up. But he cursed when he realized that the laser was once again focused on him. To make matters worse, the guardian’s eye beeped rapidly, signaling it was about to fire.

Twilight didn’t want to, but he didn’t think he had a choice. With an additional burst of speed, he once again darted beneath the guardian to escape its beam. Thins time, though, it was ready for him. Almost as soon as he entered it's shadow, it stretched upwards, and Twilight knew he had made a huge miscalculation. He ran as fast as he could and dove for safety, but he didn’t quite make it. The guardians body crashed down as it had before, right on top of Twilight's right leg.

The pain was one of the most intense things he had ever felt. He could feel the bones in his leg crunching and snapping from the immense pressure and his skin tearing from forces within and without. He didn't even try to hold in the scream of agony that tore from his throat. The pain blocked out everything around him, encasing him in a cocoon of pure misery.

Then the pressure eased, and Twilight gasped, willing away the black spots that danced across his vision. He turned his head, and through bleary eyes, he saw the guardian looming over him, its mechanical gaze locked with his own. Through the ringing of his ears, Twilight thought he heard his name being called, but it was impossible to tell. Not that it mattered. The others couldn’t help him. Not unless they wanted to die too.

The guardian did nothing for a long minute, simply stared down at him like a wolf that had cornered a rabbit. In that moment, Twilight recognized exactly what he was: nothing more than helpless prey. The predator the lurked within him was too far out of reach, hopelessly buried under his own suffering.

And yet, Twilight had never been very good at being prey.

Twilight took a deep breath. Then another. Slowly, painfully, he began to drag himself backwards, away from the metal contraption. The trees were just a few feet away. He knew, deep down, that it was pointless. Even if he reached the trees, hiding behind them would do no good. The guardians were too fast, too strong.

But he couldn’t just lie down and give up. He wouldn’t. He dragged himself backwards inch by inch. Every movement sent waves of agony lancing through his leg, but he kept going, gritting his teeth and pushing back the darkness encroaching on his vision by sheer willpower.

Then, the guardian’s laser came to life again, and the red light settled right over his heart. The guardian wasn’t even moving. It didn’t need to. It knew it had won. Twilight had stared death in the face many times in his life; it wasn’t an unusual experience. But this time felt different. As he stared up at the metal abomination, he sought for the reason why.

Then he found it. Every time he had been about to die before, he would think about his family, his friends, his home. He would recall the reasons why he fought, why he pushed himself beyond the point that any other man would have given up at. He would remember and find himself renewed, and from the very depths of his soul, he would dredge up the strength to continue on. But now…

All he felt was soul-crushing sorrow, a sadness born from knowing he would never get the chance to make right his wrongs.

Twilight closed his eyes and prepared himself for death. But they snapped open again when he heard a sudden shout.

“Warriors, get down!”

He turned to look, and his mouth dropped open at the sight before him. The other half of their group was just emerging from the forest, Warriors in the lead followed closely by Wild, Sky, and Legend. At Wild’s shout, Warriors dropped to one knee and leaned forward. Wild didn’t stop running. Instead, he used Warriors’ back as a spring board, launching into the air like a gazelle.

What happened next was so fast, Twilight’s eyes could barely follow. Twilight saw the Hero of the Wild fly through the air over his head, pulling out his bow and nocking an arrow in one smooth motion. But it wasn’t an ordinary arrow, for as soon as it was set against the string, the arrowhead glowed blue. Swirls of light danced around the tip, shimmering in the air with an incredible amount of energy. Wild released the arrow, and it quickly embedded itself in the guardian’s eye. The metal beast shuddered and fell to the ground in an explosion of shrapnel.

Just like that, the guardian was destroyed. Twilight hadn’t been able to even scratch it, yet Wild had effortlessly ended its life in less than three seconds. Wild landed lightly beside Twilight, and Twilight felt what he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Awe.

Wild had always excelled with a bow. No one else’s skills could compare to Wild’s abilities; they didn’t even come close. But it wasn’t that skill that made Twilight look at the teen in such a way.

It was the way he stood, watching the guardian fall to pieces in front of him. These things had caused him so much pain. They had scarred him, nearly killed him. He should have been terrified. He had every right to be terrified. But he wasn’t. His stance was strong, but not rigid with fear. He gripped his bow firmly, but not with a white-knuckled grip of terror. And his face… it was hard and unforgiving. He was angry, but at the same time, he was completely in control of himself.

“Wild,” Twilight whispered.

Wild glanced down. The anger faded, and Twilight thought he saw a flash of concern in those cerulean eyes before the teen turned away again. Wild surveyed the scene before him. There were still two guardians that Time, Wind, Hyrule, and Four were doing their best to take down, but Twilight knew there was no way they could. They were merely buying time. Wild had to know this too because he started sprinting towards the nearer guardian, the one Hyrule and Four were battling, while shouting “Sky!”

“I’m on it!” Sky responded, veering around Wild’s target as he sped towards Time and Wind, the Master Sword held confidently in his right hand.

Terror took hold of Twilight’s heart. “Wild! Wild!” The teen didn’t stop. Didn’t even slow down. “WILD!”

“Easy, goat boy.” Warriors knelt beside him. He placed his hands on Twilight’s shoulders and pushed him back down. Twilight hadn’t even realized he’s been trying to get up. He could barely even feel the pain in his leg over the icy terror in his veins. “You’re not going anywhere on that leg.” Warriors grimaced at the sight of the crushed limb.

Twilight trembled, but he didn’t know if the shaking came from fear or from blood loss. Maybe both. “We have to help them!” he insisted.

“You think we’d be sitting here with you if we’d do any good?” Legend demanded, appearing on Twilight's other side and sitting down with a grimace. Twilight could see Legend’s left leg was badly burned. Legend pulled a red potion out of his pack and shoved it in Twilight’s hand. “Heal yourself or you’ll just be in the way.”

Twilight had stopped paying attention to them though. His eyes were once again locked on the Heroes still fighting, and he could do nothing but watch the battles before him in amazement. Sky was hacking away at Time and Wind’s guardian farther into the field and was actually making progress with the Master Sword. Already, one limb had been shorn away by the Blade of Evil’s Bane.

Wild didn’t have the Master Sword though, and Twilight’s breath hitched as Wild pulled out his flimsy sword. There was no way that would do any good.

Wild apparently knew that already. The guardian faced away from Wild, changing its focus between Hyrule and Four as the two darted around its legs. Wild pulled his arm back over his shoulder and threw the sword at the guardian’s head with all his strength. The sword shattered against the hard metal, and the guardian whirled around, its focus successfully diverted from the two exhausted Heroes.

Wild was ready, another glowing blue arrow nocked on his bow. He let it fly, but the guardian dodged with the terrible speed Twilight had experienced firsthand. Twilight could hear Wild curse as the guardian’s laser focused on him. Twilight wanted to shout out a warning, but Wild didn’t miss a beat, pulling out his shield just before the laser fired. Using what looked like a variation of a shield-bash, he somehow reflected the blast back to the guardian. The shield shattered and the guardian dropped to the ground, stunned, but that was all Wild needed. Another arrow flew into the guardian’s eye and the beast exploded in the same way Twilight’s had.

Beside Twilight, Warriors whistled. “Damn. I don’t think we give the kid enough credit for his skills.”

“That’s because most of the time he chooses not to use them,” Legend said flatly, taking the opportunity to shove the red potion to Twilight’s lips. “Now drink this before you die.”

Twilight did as he was told, mindlessly swallowing the bitter potion even as his thoughts whirred at what he had seen. He had never seen Wild fight like that, and if he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he would have dismissed the notion that it was even possible. It wasn’t as though Wild was a terrible fighter—in fact he showed great promise sometimes—but those were the times that he really focused, and sadly, Wild was not the best at focusing. Perhaps it was the nature of the threat or what was at stake, but the Wild Twilight currently watched was a different person altogether. Twilight saw him stand confidently beside Hyrule and Four, exuding safety and reliability. Twilight couldn’t help but smile slightly.

A sudden shout caused Twilight and his two companions to freeze in horror. The last guardian had wised up, having lost two limbs to the Master Sword. It rammed one of its remaining legs into Time, Wind, and Sky and hurled them away from itself. Now with distance, it fired up its laser and pointed it at the fallen Heroes, scooting back to maintain its advantage.

“No,” Twilight breathed as he saw his mentor get to his feet painfully, and much too slowly.

“Shit, what’s that idiot doing?” Legend’s comment had Twilight turning his head once again, and his breath caught when he saw Wild sprinting towards the last guardian. “He doesn’t have any arrows left!”

Twilight was helpless, left to watch in growing panic as Wild brought a hand to his lips and whistled shrilly. The guardian immediately turned towards him, sparing the others, but Wild was now in its sights and unarmed except for an arrow-less bow clutched in his left hand. The guardian skittered away from Wild even as its laser focused on its new target. But Wild totally ignored it, diving to the ground and rolling to his feet, glowing blue arrow nocked and pointed at the guardian within an instant of standing up. Time seemed to slow. Twilight saw both guardian and Wild, completely still, facing each other down. It was a sight to behold, but Twilight could only feel a terrible sense of foreboding.

It happened so quickly Twilight could barely follow it. Wild released his arrow and the guardian fired. An explosion rocked the field, and the guardian was torn apart while Wild was flung back, hitting the ground hard. He didn’t move again. There was a moment of stunned silence before several cries rang out.

“WILD!”

Twilight struggled in Warriors grasp. “Wild! Wild!” Time, Wind, Sky, Hyrule, and Four were all dashing towards Wild’s prone form. Twilight could just barely see him where he lay in the grass. “Let me go, Warriors!”

“Stop it or you’ll die too!” Legend shouted.

Twilight froze, and Legend grimaced as he realized exactly what he’d said.

“He’s not dead. He’s not. So, drink this, and we’ll help you.” He handed Twilight another red potion.

Twilight didn’t want to drink it. He’d already had one, and he could tell that his leg would be fine. Probably. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he drank it when Wild needed it. He pushed it away. “I’ll drink it once he’s been treated.”

Legend glared but didn’t argue. He put the potion back in his pack and together with Warriors, they heaved Twilight to his feet.

The sudden change in height made Twilight’s stomach churn. Black spots danced across his vision, and a fresh wave of pain lanced through his leg, but he didn’t care. Gritting his teeth, he hobbled his way towards the others with Warriors and Legend.

It didn’t take long to get there, but every second felt like an eternity to Twilight. When he was finally close enough to see Wild, he had to swallow back bile. The bottom of his whole word dropped beneath his feet.

No one had come out of the ordeal unscathed. Time clutched the shoulder he had landed on, and Sky was keeping his weight off his right leg. Wind, Hyrule and Four just had cuts and burns. But Wild…

The guardian’s laser had hit him on the left side of his stomach. A gaping wound of charred and ragged flesh now lay where his scars previously had. Twilight could see the injury bleed sluggishly in a few places, but most of the wound had been cauterized. Wild’s face was bone white, and his breathing was much too shallow.

Hyrule was kneeling beside Wild, close to the injury, casting his healing spell even while Four was pouring red potions down Wild’s throat. Wild was so still, if it wasn’t for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked…

Dead.

“Whoa, Whoa!” Warriors panicked cry made Twilight realize that his leg had given out. Warriors and Legend had been forced to take on his full weight and were sagging beneath it. There was a ringing in Twilight’s ears, and the edges of his vision were rapidly darkening.

Legend swore, and he and Warriors gently lowered Twilight so he was sitting on the ground. It was hard to breath, and the world tilted precariously. Twilight could barely make out Wild’s form through blurry vision. He reached out a hand, desperate to hold on to his cub.

“Wild,” he whispered. And then the darkness claimed him completely.

Chapter Text

Small moments of consciousness drifted across the inky blackness of Twilight’s mind. A whisper here, a touch there, mere sparks of reality that penetrated the void. Each one beckoned to him, urging him to wake.

Twilight pushed them away. He clung to the darkness, wrapping it around himself like a well-worn coat, comfortable and familiar. He harbored no desire to wake. He knew, deep within the very reaches of his soul, that nothing but pain and sorrow awaited him should he leave the warm embrace of oblivion. So, he rejected the flickers of light, ignored the quiet voices, and turned away from the gentle touches.  Diving deeper into his own mind, he remained safe.

Of course, such things were never meant to last.

After what felt equally like an instant and an eternity, Twilight found the darkness slipping away from him, cascading through his fingers just when he tried to grasp it, and fading away. He experienced a disorienting moment of grayness and confusion, and then he found himself blinking up at a canopy of pine needles. Stars twinkled like diamonds in the deep velvet of the night sky, and everything around him flickered with orange light from a nearby campfire.

For a long moment, Twilight’s simply lay there, confused and tired. Soon enough though, he became aware of a terrible ache in his right leg, like a fire deep within his bones. With the pain came remembrance, and he sat bolt upright with a gasp.

“Easy. Easy. You’re alright.”

Ignoring his pain as best he could, Twilight turned and saw Time sitting beside him, looking far older and wearier than he’d ever looked before. Tired lines creased his brow, and his eyes were shadowed by dark rings, but Twilight could also sense an air of relief about him.

“How—” Twilight’s voice cracked as he forced air through a throat that felt like sandpaper. Time wordlessly pushed a waterskin into his hands, and Twilight gave him a grateful look as he gulped down the water. It was stale and warm, but it tasted heavenly all the same. Once finished, Twilight wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried again. “How long was I out?”

Time sighed. “A day and a half. You lost a lot of blood, but there shouldn’t be any permanent damage as long as you’re careful for the next few days.”

Twilight glanced down at his leg. It had been splinted with two long, straight branches and tightly bound so that every inch of injured flesh was covered. It still hurt more than he cared to admit. Twilight winced at a particularly unpleasant throb that ran up the limb and turned away, pushing it from his mind.

He looked back up at Time and swallowed heavily. The question he desperately wanted to ask was also the one he dreaded hearing the answer to. “And Wild?”

Time grimaced, and Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. “He’s not out of the woods yet, but… he’s a fighter. He’ll make it.”

Twilight averted his eyes, unable to bear the pity on Time’s face. After a long moment of getting his emotions under control, he asked, “Can I see him?”

Time didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

Getting to his feet was a challenge Twilight hadn’t been prepared for, and if Time hadn’t been there, Twilight wouldn’t have managed it at all. Twilight leaned heavily on his mentor, gritting his teeth and sweating as every movement resulted in stabs of agony amid the endless, throbbing aches. After a bit of laborious effort, the two men managed the task, and Time wrapped a supportive arm around Twilight’s waist to assist him across camp. Time didn’t once ask if Twilight was alright or if he wanted to wait even though Twilight was panting and groaning through his teeth. Time understood that nothing short of death would keep Twilight away from seeing Wild, and for that, Twilight was immensely grateful.

Slowly, with Time’s help, Twilight managed to hobble to the other side of camp. A heavy atmosphere of exhaustion hung like a shroud over the tiny clearing. Wind was fast asleep, curled up against a softly snoring Sky. Dried tear tracks stained the younger Hero’s cheeks. Nearby, Hyrule was also fast asleep beneath his blanket. The dark shadows under his eyes spoke great volumes about how hard he’d been pushing himself.

And then there was the last grouping. Four and Legend sat beside one another, faces pinched with fatigue and worry, but their gazes remained sharp, fixed on the prone Hero lying before them.

Twilight allowed his eyes to rest on Wild’s still form. The teen’s face wasn’t quite as pale as the last time Twilight had seen it, but his breathing was still far too shallow, rasping through his throat in a painful sounding wheeze. His tunic had been removed, and his entire torso was obscured by the white linen bandaged wrapped around him. Small spots of blood stained the otherwise pristine fabric.

Twilight stared at his protégé for a few moments and then extricated himself from Time’s support. He managed a single step forward on his own before he dropped gracelessly to the ground, barely conscious of the pain in his leg. He scooted a little closer and reached for Wild’s hand, taking it in his own and bringing it up to rest against his forehead. Wild’s skin was too warm. A fever had set in.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

No one spoke, but Time crouched down next to Twilight and laid a hand on his shoulder.

And if tears began rolling down Twilight’s cheeks, no one commented.

~*~

The next few days were some of the longest of Twilight’s entire life. He spent every waking moment beside Wild, only moving when one of the others forced him to eat or dragged him off to bed. His dreams were plagued by visions of Wild being shot by the guardian’s laser, fire burning him up until there was nothing left but ash and bits of bone. Twilight would be powerless to do anything but cry out in anguish. Waking came as a relief, and he would return to Wild’s side to continue his vigilance.

Twilight’s own recovery progressed much faster than he’d expected. Through the careful ministrations of his friends, his bones set, his skin healed, and the pain in his limb lessened to a tolerable level. After four days, he discarded the splints, and after five, he barely had to limp. Everyone was relieved, but Twilight cared little about his own fortune. If he had been crippled for life, it wouldn’t have been anything less than what he deserved. He would have gladly cut off his leg if it meant that Wild would wake up and be okay.

At least Wild was showing signs of improvement. They fed him red potions twice a day and changed his bandages once a day. Every time his wound was exposed, Twilight could hardly bear looking at it, the gaping, charred hole where flesh should be. Slowly though, Twilight could see it beginning to heal. Blackened skin faded to pink and began to knit itself back together. But despite all this, Wild would not wake up, and Twilight was growing very worried that he never would.

“It’s probably the shock of the injury,” Hyrule said when Twilight voiced his concerns. “He just needs more time.” Hyrule looked as though he was trying to convince himself as much as Twilight.

And yet, every encouraging word said, every hopeful smile given, did nothing to ease Twilight’s pain. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find even a shred of optimism about the situation. Perhaps that was just his nature. Or perhaps it came from a knowledge that no one else in the group possessed. Knowledge of a certain night two weeks past.

~*~

Seven days after the battle, Twilight sat in his usual spot next to Wild. He stared down at the teen, lost in the labyrinth of his own thoughts. His mind was a jumbled mess of emotions, full of sorrow and guilt and, worst of all, fear. Twilight was trying desperately not to think too deeply about what it meant if Wild never woke up, if he slipped away quietly in his sleep. A lump rose in his throat at the thought. Even… even if that was to happen, Twilight would make sure that Wild wasn’t alone in his last moments. No one deserved to die alone, unknown, least of all Wild. Twilight would sit with him until the very end.

Twilight took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It would be hard, he knew, when that time came. And the pain of it would likely never fully fade. But Twilight would continue on, for Wild’s sake, because that was what the teen would want, what he had traded his life for. Twilight would honor that wish.

Twilight opened his eyes and looked down at his protégé with sad fondness, and then he froze.

Wild was looking back at him.

For a few seconds, Twilight could do nothing more than gape in shock, hardly daring to believe his own eyes. Finally, he managed to find his voice. “Wild?” he whispered.

Wild blinked, and his hand twitched in Twilight’s direction.

Twilight scooted closer, taking Wild’s hand in his own. “Wild!”

His shout woke up Hyrule, who dozed lightly nearby, and alerted the rest of the group milling about camp. Everyone hurried over, but Twilight didn’t look up.

Wild’s gazed around vaguely, not quite meeting anyone’s eyes.

Twilight squeezed his hand. “How’re you feeling, Cub?”

When Wild didn’t answer, Hyrule leaned forward and lay a hand across Wild’s forehead. He grimaced. “He still has a fever. He might not be fully aware of what’s happening.”

Twilight's throat tightened, and he swallowed heavily, guilt threatening to overwhelm him once again. He closed his eyes against the pain his heart, but they snapped open when the feverish hand he held tightened around his fingers.

Wild’s eyes had cleared. His lips parted, murmuring syllables that were lost in the breeze before they could reach Twilight’s ears. Twilight leaned closer, and he could just barely make out what Wild was saying. “L… leg?” Wild’s voice was raspy but unmistakably concerned.

Twilight stared at him in disbelief before laughing softly. Of course, that would be the first words out of Wild’s mouth. He was so selfless, it was staggering.

“I’m fine, Cub. We’re all fine.”

And now, they really would be.

 ~*~

Over the next week, Wild made great progress towards recovery. He still spent most of his time sleeping, but he would wake up for meals, and he chatted with whomever was currently sitting with him. His wound was better too, fading away into scar tissue that looked almost exactly as it had before. He could sit up on his own too, though they were still feeding him potions once a day to be on the safe side. All in all, there was little doubt that Wild would be back to normal very soon. And Twilight…

Twilight was a coward.

That was not a word Twilight had ever expected would describe him. It was the antithesis of the Hero’s Spirit, the opposite of what Twilight embodied, but it was the only word that fit.

A long-overdue apology rested on the tip of Twilight’s tongue. He knew that the longer it stayed there, the harder it would be for him to say the words when the time came. But every time he looked over at Wild, prepared to ask for forgiveness, he’d lose his nerve.

Wild was never alone. At all times, there was at least two Heroes sitting with him, keeping him company and making sure that all his needs were met. Twilight knew that they stuck close to Wild because they were concerned and because Wild had badly scared them. But saying his apology in front of the others—especially with the thought that he might not receive the forgiveness he so craved—was more than Twilight could handle.

So, he distanced himself. Since the first night that Wild had regained consciousness, Twilight no longer spent all his waking moments beside Wild. He took shifts on watch, ventured into the nearby town Warriors had discovered to restock their potion stash, and practiced swordplay until he was tired enough that he could pass out on his bedroll each night. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Wild staring down the monster that had once taken his very life, and he watched as that life was snuffed out like a candle.

The others—Time especially—were giving him “looks”. He avoided their gazes as much as possible, and conversations even more so. He knew they expected something different from him, especially after the promise he’d made to them. They were right to be disappointed in him.

But Twilight was a coward.

He avoided even being near Wild, unwilling to be seen. He hovered at the fringes of camp and listened with a heavy heart as the other Heroes interacted with Wild. For the first day or two, Wild had slept so much that there hadn’t been much opportunity for them to talk to him. But as Wild began staying conscious longer and longer, the others finally began to voice the things they’d been holding in since the incident.

Twilight heard Time ask Wild about the arrows he had used to defeat the guardians, and Wild patiently explained to Time—along with Hyrule, Four, and Wind when they drifted closer in interest—about the mechanics of ancient arrows. Twilight listened in when Warriors approached Wild and commended him on the skills he had displayed during the fight, and Twilight could only imagine the expression Wild must have had as he denied having done anything special, saying that guardians were only dangerous when there were a lot of them. Every conversation, every word, every answer, drove another spike of guilt into Twilight heart.

And yet he did nothing.

Before long, it had been two weeks since their run in with the guardians. An air of exhaustion still permeated the camp, but it was slowly fading as Wild continued to recover. There were more smiles and jokes and less tears and sorrow. None of them would ever forget what had happened, and they would fight to make sure it never happened again.

Twilight would fight to make sure it never happened again.

Twilight was on final watch that night, the other Heroes all fast asleep. He sat on a log, staring into the darkness and telling himself the same things that he had all week. They would soon renew their travels, and Twilight knew he needed to make things right before that happened. He couldn’t succumb to the negative emotions festering inside him. He had to let go of his doubt and shame and fear and just talk to Wild.

He just wished it wasn’t so hard.

Twilight sighed and looked over his shoulder to check on the camp. As his eyes scanned the sleeping forms of his friends, he froze in horror when he spotted an empty bedroll near the edge of camp. A bedroll that Wild should have been asleep in. Heart in his throat, Twilight just barely restrained himself from waking everyone up and initiating a manhunt for his missing cub. Likely, Wild had just stepped away for a moment and would be back soon.

There was no way Twilight was going to wait that long. He reached for his crystal without hesitation and, spending only seconds to catch the scent he needed, loped off into the forest as a wolf. He followed Wild’s scent for about ten minutes before he finally caught sight of the teen at the edge of the forest, looking out onto the field where they had fought the guardians. Soft light from the full moon made the entire field glow with ethereal beauty, marred somewhat by the metal husks littering the ground, all that remained of the terrible guardians.

Wild was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree with his right leg drawn up to his chest. His head was tilted back against the trunk, and his eyes gazed up at the moon. Twilight wanted to shout and rage and shake Wild until the teen understood what an idiot he was for running off and scaring Twilight half to death. But he couldn’t do that; he wouldn’t. So instead, he transformed back and approached Wild slowly, stopping when he was only a foot away.

 Wild didn’t acknowledge Twilight’s presence, but his shoulders did noticeably stiffen. Twilight’s anger evaporated when he saw the reaction, and his guilt returned tenfold. Wild had every reason to be nervous around Twilight, but it still broke Twilight’s heart. Would their relationship ever be the same again?

This was the first time the two of them had been alone in three weeks. The privacy that Twilight had told himself he needed had finally been granted, yet the fear in his heart still remained, as steadfast as iron. Twilight swallowed and took a deep breath, steeling himself.

“You shouldn’t wander so far from camp.” Twilight winced as soon as the words left his mouth, wishing he could take them back.

Wild exhaled slowly without looking at him. “I know.”

Twilight chewed on his lip. “Then why did you?”

Wild shrugged slightly. “I just felt… caged. And smothered. I needed to get away for a minute.”

That was… actually valid, Twilight thought with surprise and another flash of guilt. Wild had been cooped up in camp for two weeks (even though one of those weeks he’d been unconscious), and he hadn’t been left alone for even a minute. There had constantly been someone around him, giving him a potion or checking his bandages or simply talking with him. Wild had borne it all with patience, but Wild had never been one to sit still or stay in one spot for very long. He was the Hero of the Wild who blazed trails and traveled to places beyond the reach of lesser men. Maybe if Twilight had been around him more, he would have seen the signs of Wild’s restlessness.

Feeling ashamed, Twilight sat down beside his protégé, leaning against the tree so that their shoulders touched. Twilight’s heart soared when Wild didn’t pull away and some of the lingering tension melted off Wild’s shoulders.

“Sorry,” Wild murmured.

Twilight shook his head. “Don’t be.”

They sat in silence for a while, gazing out over the field. Even though it had so recently been a place of destruction, it was beautiful in its own way. The long stalks of grass rippled in the breeze, dancing and rolling in the moonlight.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence. It was time to stop skirting around the real issue at hand. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Why did you do it?”

The question was ambiguous, but Twilight knew Wild would recognize its true meaning. Why did you sacrifice so much of your life for me? Wild sighed and didn’t speak for a minute. Twilight let him gather his thoughts. “Do you ever think about what we’ll do after this is all over?”

Twilight blinked. That was … totally off topic, but Twilight decided to humor the younger man. “Not really,” he admitted. “I suppose we’ll all go back home. Go back to our lives…” He trailed off. Now that he thought about it, he found he didn’t like the thought. Even though he had friends and family back in his Hyrule, life without his eight brothers around sounded… bleak.

“I think about it all the time,” Wild said, still gazing at the moon. “I’ve thought about it from the moment that I met all of you and every day since then. When I first woke up after a hundred years, I didn’t know who I was or what was going on. The first thing I learned was about the Calamity and that I needed to destroy it. That was my purpose, my whole life. When that was over, when I’d finally killed the thing that had destroyed so many lives, I… I didn’t know what to do. My purpose was gone, my whole reason for existing. I had nothing.”

Twilight’s heart clenched at the note of despair in Wild’s voice. “You had Zelda.”

Wild laughed lightly, a huff of air humorlessly forced between his teeth. “Yes, but… I barely remembered her. And she remembered a person who didn’t exist anymore. We travelled together for a bit, after it was all over. She loves to talk, and she would always be chattering away, but sometimes… more than sometimes actually… she would start talking about the past and things from before, and she’d turn to me and ask if I remembered something or other, or what I thought about this or that… and then she’d remember that I couldn’t. She’d get quiet and sad, and there was nothing I could do to make it better, because I couldn’t be the person that she needed. It was hard to be around her during those times.

“She started travelling more on her own, doing research with Purah and Robbie or visiting Impa. It was…” he sighed, “kind of lonely actually. But still, it was better that way. She’d come back and tell me stories of things that she had done and seen, and she’d ask me what I had been up to. We could move on from the past that way but… I still had no purpose. I couldn’t even be the knight my princess needed. I felt… empty.” Wild tore his eyes away from the moon-lit sky and stared out across the open field with a sorrowful gaze. “So, when I met you guys, I was so excited to be able to travel again, to do something heroic. And I thought that if anyone could understand and relate to what I had gone through, that it would be other Heroes. Even though I was so different, we got there eventually, and you all became the family that I’d never had.” He smiled wryly. “Or just forgotten, I suppose. The family I’d do anything to protect. Life without you guys wouldn’t be worth living.”

Twilight knew he was blatantly staring at Wild, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. His heart felt close to breaking for his Cub. Wild had gone through so much, more than he ever openly spoke about no matter how many times he laughingly said that he’d spilled all his stories. There was so much depth to Wild, it was staggering.

The teen wasn’t done yet, however. “I should have died a hundred years ago. Even if I had defeated the Calamity when I was supposed to, I’d still be long dead. I’ve always felt somewhat that I’ve been living on borrowed time, so when I got the change to give some of that time to help one of my brothers, I did it. And you know what, I’d do it again. I’m not sorry for it.

“Someday it’ll all be over. Whatever brought us together will be gone, and we’ll all go our separate ways. I want to have as much time as possible together before that day comes.”

“Oh, Cub,” Twilight breathed and, abandoning his last shreds of self-doubt, drew Wild into a hug. The teen stiffened for a moment, before relaxing into the embrace. He turned his head, burying his face into the Twilight’s furry collar. A moment later, Wild’s shoulders began shaking with silent sobs as he clutched onto his mentor. “I’m so sorry,” Twilight continued, blinking away his own tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you right away. I was angry that you’d be so quick to throw your life away, but I also felt guilty for being the reason you had to do so, and I was scared because I can’t stand the thought of life without you in it.” Twilight tightened his hold on Wild. “I’m so sorry.”

Wild’s face was still buried in Twilight's collar, so his words came out muffled—Twilight could barely understand them. “So, you forgive me?”

“Cub, there’s nothing to forgive.”

Twilight wasn’t sure how long they stayed that way, but Wild’s sobs finally petered out, and the teen pulled away, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands. After a few more minutes, he turned to Twilight with a small, genuine smile. “Should we head back?”

“Definitely. I’m surprised no one has come after us yet.” The sky had already lightened with the first streaks of dawn, and there were several members of their group who were early risers, present company included. Twilight got to his feet and held out a hand to Wild.

Wild gripped it, and Twilight pulled him to his feet. Almost immediately, Wild’s face paled and his knees buckled.

“Whoa!” Twilight caught him before he managed to hit the ground. “This is why you shouldn’t be moving around so much yet.”

Wild smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, last time I had a hundred years to rest. I should probably take it slow.”

Twilight rolled his eyes and crouched down, helping Wild get situated on his back. “Your jokes are as terrible as ever.”

Wild laughed and rested his cheek against the soft fur of Twilight’s hood. It was slower getting back to camp than it had been leaving. Twilight took his time and picked his way slowly and carefully, both for Wild’s sake and his own. Twilight’s leg had healed, but it still gave the occasional twinge of pain that made him wary. His leg would probably never be quite the same, but that knowledge didn’t trouble him. Everyone was alive, and that was all that mattered.

When camp finally came into view, Twilight smiled. “We’re home, Cub.”

Wild murmured something unintelligible, and Twilight glanced over his shoulder at him. Wild seemed half asleep, unsurprising considering his early-morning escapade.

Twilight wore a fond smile as he walked into the camp proper, but the smile melted away when he met the angry stares of seven Heroes.

“Where were you guys? We’ve been worried!” Wind cried out, looking equal parts mad and close to tears.

“Pretty lame move after everything that’s happened,” Legend sneered, but there was genuine concern in his eyes.

Twilight winced and glanced back at Wild. Twilight knew everyone was just worried, justifiable so, but he didn’t want Wild to feel guilty for needing some space.

Warriors crossed his arms. “Did you think about what you were doing at all? If the Old Man hadn’t seen you leaving camp, we wouldn’t have known what happened!”

Twilight looked over at Time. Out of all of them, he looked the least angry. He didn’t even look particularly disappointed. He simply raised a brow and asked, “Is everything alright, now?”

Twilight could hear the real meaning of the question. Was everything alright between Wild and himself? Twilight felt glad that he could smile and say, “Yeah. Everything is alright now.”

Time’s lips quirked upwards, and he gave an approving nod.

“That still doesn’t answer where you’ve been,” Warriors reminded.

Twilight rolled his eyes. “Wild was feeling claustrophobic, so we went out to get some air.”

“He nearly died, though, and he’s still badly wounded,” Hyrule said, biting his lip. “He shouldn’t be moving around!”

“I’m fine. I’ve had worse.” The sleepy voice from Twilight’s back startled everyone, judging by their expressions. Distressed glances were exchanged as no one quite knew how to take that statement.

Technically, it was true.

Chapter Text

The veil of oppressive sorrow over the camp had finally been lifted, and the nine Heroes spent the next week reacquainting themselves with normal interactions. Sunny smiles replaced wary glances, and everyone breathed a little easier now that Twilight and Wild had renewed their easy friendship.

Wild’s health improved with each passing day. His pain ebbed and his vigor surged, and he no longer had trouble walking around for extended periods of time. Once he assured his companions that he was all but back to normal, the Heroes finally allowed themselves to consider continuing their journey.

Their feet itched to be back on the road, eager to travel to their next destination—none more so than Wild. He never once complained, but the young Hero had nearly exhausted every scrap of his patience, and he was beginning to go stir crazy. When Sky had suggested staying a little longer (just to be sure Wild was fully healed), Wild had given him such a scary look that Sky avoided Wild for the rest of the day. The gleam in Wild’s eyes was full of promise to run off by himself if they didn’t get moving soon.

And the Heroes had long ago learned that an unsupervised Wild was a dangerous Wild.

~*~

How long does it take to pack up camp? Wild couldn’t help but wonder this as he watched the abysmally slow progress his fellow Heroes were making in the task. Perhaps they had grown too comfortable due to their long stay in one spot, or maybe they were simply stalling so that Wild could “rest” more. Either way, he didn’t like it. He was sick of looking at the same trees night after night. Just the sight of them made him want to blow them up with his bombs or light them on fire and watch them burn.

He restrained himself from acting on those impulses. But only just.

Wild sighed, glancing around the clearing. It was strange seeing it so empty. Over the past two weeks, it had felt so stifling, pressing against his consciousness like the iron bars of a cage. He’d been tempted so many times to run away; only the thought of needlessly worrying his friends stopped him. But the itch was still there, even now when much of their gear was packed away and half his friends weren’t even around. Twilight and Time had disappeared somewhere together, and Warriors and Four were making a last-minute trip to the nearby town for one final restock on potions. Only Sky, Legend, Hyrule, and Wind were left, haphazardly packing up camp.

Sadly, the four of them were not a good combination.

Legend and Wind were bickering, Hyrule kept getting distracted, and Sky was bouncing around, trying to help everyone at the same time but predictably being unsuccessful with his lack of focus. None of them would let Wild help, even though he’d tried. Multiple times.

Wild sighed again and looked longingly over his shoulder at the empty forest, so inviting in its serenity. He chewed on his lip, considering. His friends still had a long way to go before they would be ready to leave, and they weren’t paying attention to him anyway. He could probably take a short walk and be back before they even missed him.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he left. He turned around and slipped through the trees, as silent as a Sheikah. His friends’ voices faded away with every step he took, and Wild grinned to himself, only a tad contrite.

It was a beautiful day. Dappled sunshine warmed his skin, and the breeze wafted the scent of fresh pine towards his nose. Small, scurrying creatures enjoyed the peace, chattering to each other as they went about their business.

Wild let his mind wander a bit, trusting his instincts to tell him when it was time to return. He was glad he and Twilight were speaking again. As much as Wild cherished his time to himself, it had been so lonely without his mentor by his side, talking and laughing about anything and everything. But now everything was back to normal, and Twilight seemed to have all but forgotten that terrifying night a month ago—

Wild slowed his steps and then stopped completely. Painful memories whirled across his vision fast enough to make the forest blur around him. He staggered and quickly leaned against the trunk of a nearby pine. The coarse bark pricked his skin through his tunic, the minor pain uncomfortable but welcome as it centered him. Taking a shaky breath, Wild pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. After a few seconds, bursts of color appeared against the darkness. They flickered and danced like a million multicolored fish splashing in a pond.

During the last few weeks, Wild had done his best not to think about that night, especially around the others. He hadn’t wanted to fall apart in front of them, not after he’d already worried them so much. They didn’t deserve that, so he’d buried the unpleasant memories and let his friends distract him with their constant presence.

But now he was alone. Alone with his regrets.

He’d been so stupid. So very stupid. He’d been too distraught at the time to realize the full implications of what he’d done, how wrong it all could have gone. He should have asked more questions, should have done more to ensure that he was being told the truth, should have demanded guarantees that Twilight would be healed as promised.

Because could Wild really dare to hope that Twilight was the same as before? Could he really believe that Twilight’s life would not be cut short, as Wild’s would be? Could he really trust that Twilight would live out all the years he should, growing old and gray and dying peacefully in his sleep after a long fulfilling life?

No, Wild could not dare to dream that any of these were truth.

He didn’t have the answers to his questions, nor reassurances for his worries, and he likely never would. One more line in the book of Wild’s deepest regrets.

With a mournful sigh, Wild finally took his hands away from his eyes. The forest looked far less cheery than it had only minutes before. Gray and lifeless. Even the sun had disappeared behind a cloud, leaving the air cold.

Wild had been gone too long; the others would surely have noticed his absence by now. The thought of their anxious faces gave Wild the motivation to push away from the tree and turn his feet back towards camp. He hoped his friends wouldn’t be too upset.

Busy trying to push unpleasant thoughts from his mind, it took him a few moments to realize that the only sounds in the forest were his own soft breaths and quiet footsteps crunching lightly on dead, fallen pine needles.

Wild froze, plunging the forest into absolute silence. In the stillness that followed, Wild realized that something was terribly wrong, and his heart began to race. The air felt unnatural and cloying around him, pressing against him and muffling his senses. He glanced around nervously, all his instincts screaming at him. Hardly daring to breathe, Wild reached for the dagger at his waist, wishing he’d brought a sword with him.

Something about the situation seemed horribly familiar, but it wasn’t until he heard a voice behind him that Wild realized why.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the young Hero who sacrificed his life.”

Wild whirled around, drawing his dagger in the same smooth movement. A familiar figure stood there, one he had last seen only four weeks ago on the night that had forever changed his life.

An old woman in a hooded black cloak.

Wild gaped. “You.”

“Me,” the old woman agreed. She cackled. “You look surprised to see me.”

Wild eyed her narrowly and didn’t lower his dagger. The old woman’s parting words came back to him. “There may come a time when I need your assistance.” Was that why she was here? A shiver ran up his spine as he stared into the depths of the woman’s shadowy hood, unable to make out her features even in the light of day.

Who was she, this woman who could manipulate a person’s life energy with such ease? And why did she need his help? Wild swallowed. He felt as though a cage was closing in around him. He could practically hear the click of a key turning in a lock, trapping him.

He clenched his jaw, drawing himself up a little straighter. He’d willingly danced to her tune a month ago, but Wild refused to be cowed as easily this time. He wanted answers.

“I have questions for you,” Wild said slowly.

“Too bad. I’m not answering them.”

Wild’s lips curled in anger, and he almost took a step towards her before thinking better of it. “You owe me answers,” he said.

“Owe you?” the woman trilled. “Oh, no. No, I don’t owe you anything. Not a thing.”

Wild snarled. “Then why are you here?” A horrible thought occurred to him that made his blood run cold, and he darted his eyes in the direction of camp, where Twilight surely was.

The woman cackled again. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to take your friend’s life. I don’t go back on my deals.”

Wild could feel the blood draining from his face. He took a step away and tightened his fingers around the hilt of his meager weapon. His hand trembled. “Who are you?” he whispered. “What do you want with me?”

“I felt bad for you, so I thought I’d offer you another deal!” the woman threw her arms out to the side, revealing wizened hands and a tattered black dress beneath her cloak.

“You felt bad for me? Why?” Wild asked, furrowing his brows. Nothing about this made sense.

“’Why?’ Because you gave up half your life for your friend! Such a selfless act, but so sad for you.” She leaned forward, and Wild barely restrained himself from taking another step away. He refused to give her any more power over him. “What if I could restore some of that life of yours, hmm? What would you say to that?”

Wild already knew that he was going to reject whatever offer she gave him, but he also knew that this was potentially his only opportunity to learn anything more about her. Maybe if he played along for a bit, he could get some answers. “How?”

“Simple. All I’d need would be three years of life from each of your friends. Such a small amount to them, but it would be such a large amount for you!”

Wild stared at her in shock, his brain unable to process what he’d just heard. “W-what?” he choked out.

“It wouldn’t restore all the years I took from you, but it would be better than dying so young, hmm?” she stepped closer to Wild, and he felt as though invisible hands had seized his ankles, preventing him from moving away. “What do you say? Three years from your friends in exchange for a long, happy life for you.”

There were many thoughts rushing across the forefront of Wild’s mind. He thought of Time and his ranch and his wife waiting for him, he thought of Wind and his grandma and little sister, he thought of Sky and his Zelda, of Legend and Hyrule, of Four and Warriors. He thought of Twilight and the conversation they’d had just barely a week ago.

Disgust and outrage wiped the fear from Wild's mind. He snarled and swiped at the witch with his knife. She leapt back, surprisingly agile for someone so old. “You really think I’d agree to something like that?!” he pointed the blade directly at her face. “I swear, if you even think of harming my friends, I will make you pay.”

For a moment, she said nothing. Then she laughed, but her voice was different. More melodious. Younger. Wild was startled enough that he lowered his knife, at a loss about this unexpected development.

“Spoken like a true Hero,” the woman said. She reached up with a youthful hand and drew back her hood. Wild could only stare at the beautiful woman before him. Her clear blue eyes and perfectly shaped ruby lips stood out vividly against flawless skin the color of fresh cream. Her long blonde hair hung in soft waves down her back, and a golden circlet rested on her brow. She had a proud smile on her face.

Wild blinked, too stupefied to do anything but stand there. “Um… what?”

She laughed lightly, the sound like tinkling bells, and Wild’s heart gave a strange flutter. “You care deeply for your friends. This was shown by your willingness to give up your own life for that of the Hero of Twilight. But your care runs deep enough that you won’t even entertain the notion of causing them the smallest amount of harm.

“Three years from each of them would not have been much compared to what you had given, but you have displayed true love and heroism by rejecting my offer. Your selflessness has saved you, for had you taken my offer, you would have shamed the lineage of the Hero, and your previous deal would have been rescinded.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Wild said weakly, almost dizzy. He rubbed his forehead, hoping to ease the pressure there.

The woman looked down at him with eyes far older than one would expect from someone that looked so young. Wild knew, though without knowing how exactly he knew, that those eyes were ancient and had seen things he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. “Don’t you, Hero of the Wild?” she asked. “Can you not feel the truth inside of you? Look deeper, and you shall know.”

It was not until she’d spoken those final words that Wild understood. As though he’d been blind for the past four weeks and only now could see, the answer lay in front of him, clear as day.

And it made him furious.

Wild didn’t know any words to adequately describe the tempest that rose up within him. None that even came close. When Wild looked into the woman’s crystal blue eyes, as cool as the sea, he knew there could be only fire in his own.

“You didn’t take any of my life.”

“No,” she said simply. “I did not.”

Wild took a deep breath, and then another. He willed himself to calm, at least until he knew more. “Then how was Twilight healed? I saw you take my life essence. I felt it.” Wild would not forget the memory of that in a hurry.

“You saw what you expected to see. You felt what you expected to feel.”

“And Twilight?”

“He was healed by my hand,” she said gravely. “But the price was paid by another.”

“So then, what? It was all for nothing?” Wild thought of the weeks he’d spent in misery, coping with Twilight’s anger and resentment, spiraling into a pit of guilt for being the cause of such heartache. He thought of the battle the nine Heroes had fought, of the hard-won victory, and how none of their pain and suffering would have been necessary if they’d all been together. Wild thought these things and his anger grew, boiling over like too much water in a pot. He curled his hands into shaking fists. “Was it all just a game?”

The woman shook her head, unperturbed by Wild’s seething tone. “Not a game, but a test. A test of the Spirit.”

Wild barely heard her. “You toyed with us!” He all but screamed, voice shaking with emotion. “With me and with Twilight!”

“No.”

“Why couldn’t you just heal him?!” he demanded, blinking away sudden tears. “If you could have done that all along, why did you make us go through all that?”

“Because I could not,” the woman said patiently. “Without a paid price, I would have been powerless to do anything.”

“What price?”

Once more, the woman smiled, and she lifted a slender finger towards him. “You.”

Wild met her stare, confusion dulling the sharp edges of his anger. “You didn’t take any of my life, though.”

“No, for the price you paid was far more precious than your life.” She rested a hand on her chest, over her heart. “Self-sacrifice.”

Wild frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“You were completely convinced that you were giving up a portion of your life. Even knowing it was going to save your dear friend, there are few who could be so selfless when faced with such a loss. And even those who would freely give up their own life would find strong temptation in the promise of regaining what they had lost. You did what many before you have failed to do, and because of that, the price is paid.”

Wild stared, barely able to comprehend what he’d just heard. His head hurt terribly from trying to keep up with the woman, and he rubbed at it wearily. “So, basically what you’re saying is, I’m fine and Twilight’s fine and we’re not going to die any sooner than we originally were?”

“That is correct.”

Wild sighed, letting his hand fall back to his side. He was too tired to keep a hold of his rage any longer. He finally understood what Twilight meant every time the older Hero complained that being a part of the group of Heroes aged him. Wild felt every bit a hundred and eighteen in that moment, and he really wanted to just fall asleep and forget the last month altogether.

A thought suddenly occurred to Wild, and he narrowed his eyes at the woman once more. “You said that if I’d chosen differently, that my deal would have been rescinded. You’d have taken Twilight’s life if I made the wrong choice?”

“Not Twilight’s but your own.” The woman nodded when Wild’s eyes widened. “As I said before, you would have shamed the lineage of the Hero, and not half your life but all of it would have been forfeit.”

“Wonderful,” Wild murmured, rubbing at his brow. “It doesn’t matter what you offered; I wouldn’t have taken it.”

“I know, and that is why you were given the choice in the first place.” The woman looked over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to Wild. “Your friends grow concerned over your absence. You should return to them.”

She turned to go, but Wild took a hurried step towards her, reaching out in desperation. “Wait!” She paused, eyeing him with those fathomless eyes, and Wild snatched his hand back. He swallowed. “Who… who are you?”

She smiled again, and this time, the sight stirred something within Wild. A familiar warmth that made the tension in his muscles ease. Looking at her, Wild got the same feeling he always did when on the cusp of regaining one of his lost memories.

“I think you already know the answer, young Hero.”

And then she was gone. Vanished into nothingness with only a slight stirring of the air to mark her passing. Wild’s ears popped, and the pressure that had been pushing against his skull vanished. The forest came alive once more, sounds and smells racing by on the breeze.

Wild looked around blankly for a few moments, but he knew he wouldn’t find her. Mind reeling from the absurd conversation he’d just had, Wild once again began making his way back to camp, this time in a bit of a trance.

He was barely aware of anything during the short walk, but his instincts didn’t fail him, and before long he slipped through the trees and stepped into the clearing that had been home for the last three weeks. The angry glares of his friends drew him out of his daze.

He winced, expecting to be heavily berated. He was surprised, however, when the anger dissipated, and the glares turned into concerned looks.

 “Are you okay?” Sky asked, taking a single, hesitant step towards him.

“You’re white as a sheet.” Warriors frowned, exchanging an anxious glance with Legend.

Wild jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned and saw Twilight, worried lines creasing his brow. Just over Twilight’s shoulder, Time watched the two of them with an unreadable expression. “Wild?” Twilight asked tentatively. “You okay?”

Wild closed his eyes briefly. He hated hearing that level of concern in his mentor’s tone, especially when he was the cause of it. Taking a deep breath, he plastered a smile across his lips, banishing thoughts of the mysterious woman to the deepest, darkest corner of his mind. He prayed they stayed there long enough for him to reassure his friends.

“Yeah, I’m… I’m good.”

His friends exchanged many skeptical looks among themselves.

“You don’t look good,” Legend said unhelpfully. His gaze narrowed in on Wild’s hands, and Wild belatedly realized they were still shaking. He quickly hid them behind his back, but the damage was done.

“You should take another potion,” Hyrule said, already reaching for one.

Wild shook his head. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Sure you are,” said Warriors. He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s obviously why you can barely stand. Because you’re fine.”

Wild glared. That was a blatant exaggeration, but before he could verbalize his displeasure, Hyrule waved the promised potion under his nose.

“Here.” Wild took the bottle sulkily, and Hyrule’s lips twitched. “It won’t kill you.”

“You don’t know that,” Wild muttered, uncorking the red potion. “Nobody knows what goes in these things.”

“Probably not teeth,” Hyrule said, completely deadpan.

Twilight coughed and turned away to hide his smile while Wind and Legend snickered behind their hands. Wild grimaced and, ignoring the rest of the Heroes’ confusion, downed the bitter liquid in a few gulps.

To his surprise, the potion helped. The small ache behind his eyes eased and the shaking in his hands ceased. He handed the empty bottle back to Hyrule with a grateful smile.

“Do you still feel up to traveling?” Time asked, not unkindly, though the mere suggestion of staying made Wild’s whole body twitch.

Twilight laughed at Wild’s sour expression and threw an arm around his shoulders. “That says it all,” he said, gesturing to Wild’s face.

Time shook his head and sighed, casting his gaze heavenward.

Within a few minutes, everyone had shouldered their gear and started walking. No one looked disappointed to leave the camp behind. Too many unpleasant memories lingered between those trees. It felt good, liberating even, to be able to leave them behind. A burden lifted off the shoulders. A prison door swinging open.

The Heroes set their feet towards the road. They had to pass over blighted earth to reach it, scars left by the wild rampage of the guardians. Toppled trees and blackened undergrowth that turned to ash and crumpled away whenever one of their steps disturbed it. None of them spoke as they carefully picked their way through the destruction, and there was a collective sigh of relief once they were past.

Wild couldn’t help looking back over his shoulder, letting his eyes linger a little longer on the sight. His mind traveled farther, to where the guardian hulls lay in ruins. Uncertainty hovered over those remains, filling Wild with unease.

Guardians were machines. Not monsters. They had no blood, no brain, no will of their own. Malignant energy could hijack control, but Wild had thought that kind of occurrence had ended with the Calamity.

More question without answers.

“Wild?”

“Hmm?” Wild shook himself and looked over at his mentor. They’d been walking shoulder-to-shoulder in companionable silence, but now Twilight was eyeing him strangely. “What?”

Twilight said nothing for a moment, though his eyes sharpened minutely. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve been saying, have you?”

“Um,” Wild scratched the back of his neck. “No, sorry.” When he caught Twilight’s eye, he hastily added. “I’m fine, I was just thinking of some things. What were you saying?”

Twilight shook his head, though his gaze remained fixed on Wild, as though if he looked long enough, he’d be able to see into Wild’s thoughts. “It wasn’t important.”

Wild nodded, but as he faced forward again, he saw Sky and Four watching him over their shoulders. When they realized they’d been caught, they quickly turned away. Wild looked looked over his own shoulder and found Hyrule and Legend giving him similar looks, questioning and concerned, but they dropped their gaze when he met their eyes.

Wild sighed. It seemed he hadn’t fully convinced anyone that he was okay. It was more than a little discouraging. He’d been trying so hard over the past week to show them that he was better, growing stronger, and it had worked for the most part. His friends had started treating him less like an invalid and more like they had before his injury. But now they were back to watching him like he was going to keel over at any moment.

Perhaps it was to be expected. He could hardly expect to look normal after the conversation he’d had not an hour ago. It had rocked him, shaken him to his core, and of course the others would pick up on—

Wild blinked. Wind was beside him, frowning up at him with wide, concerned eyes. When had the younger boy gotten there?

“S-sorry,” Wild said, “were you saying something?”

Wind’s eyes flicked past Wild, and Wild knew the younger Hero was exchanging a look with Twilight, but when Wild whipped his head around, Twilight wasn’t looking anywhere near him.

“I just thought you seemed sad,” Wind said, drawing Wild’s attention back to him. Wind smiled up at Wild, but there was a distressed edge to it. “I never like being alone when I’m sad, so…” he trailed off, shrugging slightly.

“I’m not sad,” Wild smiled at him, “The only reason I’d be sad is if we had to stay another day back at that camp. But thanks for checking.”

Wind gave him a sunny smile. “Of course!” and with that, the young Hero bounded away to walk next to Time.

Feeling eyes on him, Wild looked at Twilight askance. “What?”

Twilight raised a brow. “I didn’t say a word.”

But you were thinking it. Wild grumbled to himself. He kicked a loose rock in his path and looked up just in time to see Sky slowing his steps and sidling closer to Wild.

Wild sighed. It was going to be a long day.

~*~

Over the course of the next few hours, Wild was visited by every single one of his friends, sometimes multiple times, each of them very concerned over his well-being.

What should have been a pleasant day of traveling turned very quickly into an exhaustive test of patience. Wild loved his friends, and he loved talking with them, but sometimes silence was his preferred companion. He would have been perfectly happy just walking beside Twilight, taking in the new sights and enjoying his surroundings. Usually, if given the chance, he could spot new species of plants or mushrooms that could be carefully preserved in his slate and given as a gift to Zelda at a later date.

But his fate this day was limited only to giving reassurance after reassurance and listening to well-meaning companions’ idle chatter. He had no time at all for a spare thought to himself.

As the day drew to a close and Time found them a campsite to settle down in, Wild’s nerves were frayed, and he dumped his gear at the edge of the area with a little more force than necessary. His friends fell into the usual rhythm of preparing camp, forgetting for a moment their need to keep an eye on Wild. Twilight patted Wild on the back before joining the preparations, and some of Wild’s irritation faded. At least one person understood him.

Hyrule was already working on building up a fire, so Wild gathered his cooking utensils and ingredients and got to work.

It took him around an hour to finish. During that time, Wild looked up from his cooking pot several times to simply bask in the normalcy around him. Sky leaning against a tree, busily whittling away at something, likely a soon-to-be present for one of the Heroes. Legend and Wind quibbling about the best way to remove chu-chu stains from clothing. Warriors and Time sitting side by side, deep in conversation as they tended to their armor. Four resting cross-legged on the ground, a pile of swords in his lap and a whetstone making careful strokes along the blade in his hand. Twilight and Hyrule exchanging blows with their own weapons, smiles on their faces and eyes sharp with concentration.

The sight was so cheerful and loving that Wild thought Pikango would have liked to paint it. The artist might have called the finished work “Normal Interactions Among Friends” and Wild would have prominently displayed it in his house in Hateno.

With that image in his mind, Wild quickly pulled out his Slate and snapped a few photos.

Dinner was the most enjoyable affair Wild had experienced in weeks. All the Heroes sat on logs around the fire, digging into Wild’s stew with gusto.

Looking at his friends’ happy faces, Wild decided he no longer cared about anything that had happened. He didn’t care about mysterious old women turning young. He didn’t care about going through weeks of mental torment for nothing. He didn’t care about being attacked and nearly dying. Everything was in the past. The nine Heroes had faced another trial and come through it without being worse for wear.

Wild was content.

“Wild, are you okay?”

Wild twitched. He should have expected it. He really should have. He’d been left in peace for too long, and with dinner winding down, his friends were all too likely to remember that he was still “recovering”. Wild understood that this all stemmed from his friends’ deep care for him.

But he hadn’t expected Twilight to be the first one to shatter Wild’s small moment of serenity. Wild’s mentor had been quiet during the long walk that day, so surely he understood that Wild needed a little less smothering. Hadn’t they had that conversation a mere week ago?

As though a barrier had been lifted and they’d been given free reign to do so, the others also jumped in with their own comments.

“You’ve been really quiet all day.”

“And you looked really bad earlier.”

“You still look bad.”

“I have another potion if you want one.”

“Did something happen in the forest?” Wind asked astutely among the babbled words. Several Heroes threw surprised glances in the youngest Hero’s direction. He noticed them and shrugged. “I mean, you were fine before that.”

Apparently, they had all thought Wild’s injury was the cause of his earlier distress.

“That’s true,” Warriors muttered, looking thoughtful. “Did something happen?”

Wild felt like he was a lute string, stretched and taut, and every word spoken was another twist of the peg he was attached to, pulling him tighter and tighter across the instrument. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

“If something did, you should tell us. We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us,” Twilight said gently.

Twilight’s small admonition was not just another twist, but a careless pluck that made Wild snap. The end of his patience had been reached, and the dam holding his frustration at bay crumbled away like a castle made of sand. Wild knew deep down that Twilight did not deserve the angry glare Wild sent him, but the wounded corner of Wild's heart felt vindicated for relishing Twilight’s taken aback look.

“Alright, fine. You want to know what happened? I met that old woman again.”

It took a moment for Twilight to drudge up the memory. Wild could practically see the wheels turning in Twilight’s mind as he struggled to recall. Finally though, confusion turned to horror, and all the blood drained from Twilight’s face. Twilight stared at Wild with wide, frightened eyes.

“W-what?” he choked out. “When?! Why didn’t you say anything?! Are you alright?”

His mentor’s worry caused a prickle of conscience to make it through the fog of Wild’s ire, but it was too small to fully dispel the angry cloud. Wild waved away Twilight’s concern. “I’m fine. She didn’t do anything.”

“What old woman are you referring to?” Time asked, looking between Twilight and Wild with a narrowed gaze.

Wild considered the question for a moment. He’d planned on telling everyone the whole story eventually, but… well, now was as good a time as ever. Besides, it might relieve some of his aggravation.

“I met her a month ago on the day we all came to this Hyrule while Twilight and I were separated from you guys. She was an old woman who could manipulate life essence, basically life energy, the stuff that keeps people alive. Apparently she could suck it right out of you and give it to someone else. She was scary powerful.” Wild frowned and cocked his head. “Actually, now that I think about it, I think she might be a goddess.”

A brief, stunned silence followed Wild’s words.

“W-wait, back up for a moment,” Warriors held up his hand, taking over the questioning as Time’s eyebrows threatened to mate with his hair line. “Did you just say goddess? And why if you met her a month ago are you only mentioning this now?”

Wild didn’t get a chance to answer. Four, looking shrewdly between Twilight and Wild, spoke into the brief lull. “Hang on. Does this have something to do with why you were mad at Wild?” he asked Twilight.

Twilight flinched. “I wasn’t mad,” he protested quietly.

“Couldn’t fooled us,” Legend said, crossing his arms and raising his brows. Hyrule elbowed Legend sharply and shook his head, tossing a meaningful glance over at Wild.

A hush fell over the camp as everyone waited for Twilight to speak. Twilight didn’t meet their eyes for a minute, and Wild, watching Twilight struggle through the unpleasant memories, felt hot, bubbling shame stir in his gut. He shifted on his log, wishing he could go back and change his words, ease his friends into the story more slowly.

Twilight finally looked up and met Wild’s gaze with an unspoken apology in his eyes. He smiled a little sadly. “I wasn’t angry. I was scared.” He sighed and turned to Four. “But yes, you’re right. That day, when Wild and I were separated, we came through a portal right into the middle of a monster camp.”

Twilight looked over at Wild, pain and sorrow filling his eyes. “I got hurt, and Wild saved my life.”

Now all the eyes swiveled to Wild. He grimaced. “Yeah, about that…”

“No, it’s okay,” Twilight said, holding up a hand. “They deserve to know.” Twilight sat up a little straighter and squared his shoulders. “As Wild told you, the old woman could manipulate life energy—or whatever it was called. I was dying, so Wild… made a deal with the old woman. He… he gave up half his remaining life so that she could heal me.”

For as much as Wild had earlier wished for a bit of peace, a slice of quiet, he now realized that not all silence was equal. The silence that descended after Twilight’s final words pressed down on Wild’s shoulders and crawled into his throat. Twilight’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and Wild couldn’t bear it.

“Um, that’s kind of what I need to tell you—”

“Are you joking?” Legend demanded, his voice swallowing up Wild’s words.

“W-what do you mean half your life?” Sky asked weakly, turning pale. “You… you’re going to die soon?”

“You can’t do that!” Wind wailed, eyes shining. “You can’t!” Hyrule and Four just looked at Wild with wide, heartbroken faces.

Time was staring at Twilight with something like dawning realization, and Wild saw the eldest Hero reach over and squeeze Twilight’s shoulder.

“Wild,” Time said, “that was an incredibly foolish thing to do. You knew nothing about this woman, and yet you put blind faith in her. She could have killed you both, or worse. People with that kind of power can’t be trusted.”

He paused a moment to let his words sink in.

“But,” Time continued, lips stretching into a smile, “it was also very brave.”

Wild blinked, realizing that Time was looking at him with pride, and it was such a rare thing to see, that Wild found himself blinking away sudden tears.

“Hold on, hold on,” Warriors said suddenly, lifting his hands and motioning for everyone to wait. “We’re all forgetting something very important.” He gestured to Wild amid the confused looks he received. “You told us you met the old woman again. Today. And you said she was a goddess.” Warriors looked at Wild expectantly. “So… I’m guessing something happened.”

Wild nodded, relieved. This entire conversation had run away from him like a disobedient horse, and he regretted ever losing his patience and starting it in the first place. “Yes. She found me in the forest when I, uh… wandered off, and she,” Wild paused, gesturing a little helplessly. Words were suddenly slipping from his mind, and Wild wondered how he could possibly explain everything properly. “Well, she told me she hadn’t actually taken any of my life.”

Wild cringed a little under the owlish looks he received.

“W-what?” Twilight leaned forward, eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like hope. “She… you…” Twilight licked his lips. “You’re okay?”

Wild nodded, wearily remembering his conversation with the woman. “She said that my willingness to sacrifice my life let her heal you, and when I refused to take a little bit of life force from each of you to replace what I had lost, that paid the price.” Wild frowned. “Or something like that. Then she said if I’d made a different choice that she’d have taken all my life force and I’d be dead, so…” he shrugged.

“Since when were our lives a part of the bargain,” Warriors asked, looking troubled, but everyone ignored him.

“So, you’re really okay?” Hyrule asked. “You’re not going to die soon?”

Wild met Twilight’s eyes once more and smiled, the first genuine smile he’d given all day. Some invisible tension eased, and Twilight returned it, relieved and joyful.

“Yeah. You guys are stuck with me.”

“What I want to know, though, is what kind of crazy, loony old woman would play a messed-up game like that?” Legend demanded hotly, and Wild felt absurdly pleased that he wasn’t the only one who thought the whole ordeal had been terribly unfair.

But he didn’t tell Legend that. “She wasn’t an old woman,” he pointed out instead.

“Right,” Legend rolled his eyes, “she was a goddess. Like we’re actually going to believe that.”

“You don’t think it’s possible?” Sky asked abruptly before Wild had a chance to answer.

Legend glared at Sky. “You really think that a goddess would come down for something like that? After all the crap we’ve been through while they’ve stayed up in…” he gestured vaguely towards the sky, “wherever they are?”

“The fact we’re all still here means they must be doing something, right?” Hyrule chimed in, only to wilt under Legend’s renewed glare.

Time stood up. “The goddesses do not interfere with the lives of mortals,” he stated flatly, “though they may choose to guide us in their own way. Or not,” he added as a bitter afterthought.

Wind looked over at Wild, brightening a little. “Maybe it was a fairy!”

“I’ve never seen a fairy with that much clothing on.”

And just like that, the remaining vestiges of melancholy vanished. Warriors burst out laughing, while Four and Sky snickered. Even Twilight didn’t restrain his smile. Time just rolled his eyes, but Wild could tell he was slightly amused.

“Whatever the case, it’s over now. I hope that in the future,” Time fixed his stern gaze on Twilight and then Wild, “there will be no more incidences like this.”

Wild winced and saw Twilight do the same.

“There won’t be,” they said in unison.

~*~

Far away, in a place no mortal had ever stood, the golden-haired woman with the ancient blue eyes watched the happy scene through a shining silver mirror. She smiled and waved her hand, dispelling the image. All was well in the lives of the Heroes.

It hadn’t been easy, making the choice to interfere the way she had. Such acts were forbidden, and her decision could have resulted in dire consequences if anyone had learned of what she’d done. Consequences too great to imagine.

And yet, she knew that if given the chance to do it over, she would make the same decision. Some choices were that significant. Too pivotal to merely observe. The terrible future she had foreseen should the Hero of Twilight have perished was not one she had been prepared to allow. She had stopped it, and she did not regret it.

And yet, for all her power, she was not omniscient. As she turned away from her mirror, she was unaware of the tiny tear that rent the very fabric of reality.