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Two months. It had been two months since a strange man introduced himself as Link and asked him to join him on an interdimensional quest. Because of course he did. The first few days it was just Link and him, and he realized he was the man that guided him on his quest to defeat Ganon, and therefore knew his secret. Link had jokingly taken to calling him ‘Pup’ so he growled and responded by calling him ‘Old Man’. They stuck with those nicknames for a few days, until they were transported to another Hyrule. There they met the gentle Hero of Sky, as he introduced himself.
Twilight didn’t mention the way Time eyed the Master Sword. This new Link had called them the Hero of Time and The Hero of Twilight. Apparently the sword told him. At first, the newly deemed Hero of Twilight had no idea what he was talking about, then Sky had told them who had forged the Master Sword. Sky himself. And he had joined without a second thought, although he did seem sad when he mentioned leaving his Zelda. And now they were an official group of three, with official nicknames. The very night they found Sky, they were taken to another new Hyrule. Hylia wasn’t wasting any time, it seemed.
Finding the next heroes was much easier. Apparently Time had had a hell of a time finding Twilight. Sky’s Master Sword seemed to whisper to him when they got too far off track, leading them through deadlands and tall trees. There they found the Hero of Hyrule. He was sweet and shy, not quite knowing what to do with his hands when he talked to them. It was obvious his Hyrule had suffered and he had grown up in the scars Ganon had left on the land. He joined, although he looked at all of them wearily.
The next had been the Hero of Legend. Twilight thought he was an asshole. He was snarky and blunt and rude. Twilight had a hard time keeping his cool around him. Time had taken him aside and told him the Hero of Legend had been on more quests than all of them, and had most likely seen many horrible things. That made Twilight more forgiving. He still didn’t like him.
Once again they were thrown into a different Hyrule. This time the Master Sword led them to a small blacksmith shop. There they met the smallest teenager they had ever seen. The Hero of Four Swords. They had no idea why the sword called him that, but they didn’t know the meaning behind each other's names at all really. Sky lived in the Sky, Legend had been on many quests, Hyrule saved Hyrule? Maybe Time saved a giant clock or something.
An hour later they were in a new Hyrule. Hylia seemed to be getting more and more impatient. This time they found the Hero of Warriors, or as Legend called him, Pretty Boy. Twilight could see why. He seemed extremely popular with women in his Hyrule and he knew it. But he had a quiet power to him as well. Eyes that said he has seen war and triumphed. That explained the name. Hylia let them rest for a day this time, before tossing them somewhere else. How many Links were there going to be? Twilight didn’t know how much he could handle.
They landed on a beach. More specifically an island, with a vast ocean that hit their noses with a salty smell. There they found the Hero of Wind. An enthusiastic and happy 14 year old boy. It sent a small stutter through his heart when he realized how young Wind was, but he seemed happy enough. Hopefully his adventure hadn’t scarred the boy too much. Warriors and Wind had gotten on like a wildfire, almost instantly gaining a bond that Twilight wouldn’t admit he was jealous of. Wind barley got to say goodbye to his family before they were thrown to another Hyrule. But this time, the sword didn’t speak. Finally they could focus on the mission Hylia was going to give them. They were a band of eight Links.
It had taken two weeks to assemble all of the Links completely, and it had been six weeks since then. Over the few weeks they had managed to form some team dynamics. Time was the unanimous unofficial leader that no one really questioned, and that was fine with everybody. Twilight and Warriors would both try to assist him in leading when they split up or when Time was busy, which caused the two to butt heads on more than one occasion. No matter how annoying Warriors and the other boys got though, he still felt a strong kinship with them. Legend had taken a subtle shine to Hyrule, and Sky and Four had gotten close as well. Twilight shouldn’t be jealous, after all he has Time. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, something was missing. He never mentioned anything, he didn’t know if the others felt the empty hole in their dynamic, and there was no way he would be the first to mention it. Twilight knew Time was aware something was going on, but what was he supposed to say? Twilight himself didn’t understand what was wrong.
It’s not that Twilight thought he didn’t belong, the others had included him in conversations and he has befriended all of them to an extent. There was just a missing piece that he couldn’t explain.
“Pup. I’ve been trying to get your attention.” Time stated, not unkindly, causing Twilight to shake himself out of his thoughts.
“Sorry, Time. I was just distracted. What’s up?” Time gave him an incredulous look, and Twilight noticed all of the other Links were looking at him as well. It was then Twilight saw a dark swirling mass ahead. Oh, a portal. When did that get there?
“Seriously Goat Boy? You missed an entire portal? You really must be out of it.” Warriors teased, but Twilight could see a hint of concern in his eyes.
“Yeah.” Twilight scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just having trouble focusing today.”
“We’ll go through the portal and see what’s what.” Time thankfully changed the subject, though Twilight knew they were going to talk about this later.
The group gave affirmative nods and began cautiously wandering into the portal two at a time. Six weeks together had given them plenty of time to practice ehat worked best when facing a new world. Going two people at a time allowed them to better defend against immediate threats if they were right past the portal.
Twilight held his breath as he and Time went through the portal first, he always did. The portals all reeked of strange magic Twilight couldn’t place, yet still somehow reminded him of Midna. A lot of magic did...
What greeted him on the other side of the portal was slightly surprising. When he emerged, Twilight was immediately met with trees full of beautiful leaves, each a different shade of red, orange and yellow. Looking up, he saw they were directly under a natural arch beginning a canyon behind them. Looking behind them, he could see a brightly glowing blue structure on top of a tall rock formation that seemed to be a tower. What in Hylia’s name was that?
As the others emerged behind them, they were also slightly taken aback by the colors of this world, especially Hyrule. Twilight didn’t know much about his Hyrule, but he knew since he first visited that something bad had happened. Each of their Hyrules were beautiful in different ways, and this one was certainly no exception.
“Is this anyone’s Hyrule? Or are we in another strange one?” Time questioned, only receiving negative responses. “Guess we’ll have to find the threat in this one too.” Time ordered, but his voice was slightly wary. None of them had seen their Hyrules in awhile, and it was starting to wear on them a little. Twilight knew why it did with Time, he had a wife waiting for him. Wind had his family. And some of the others just missed knowing where to go and places of comfort.
They were all interrupted from their thoughts with a massive roar that echoed through the small canyon. Snapping their heads in the direction of the sound, they were met with a terrifying beast in the distance. He heard Legend shout something about a ‘Lynel’. It had the body of the horse, a huge face with beady eyes and two horns, and a long, proud mane. Before any of them could react, or ask Legend for advice on how to handle the creature, they heard the sound of an arrow being nocked, and a beam of light being launched at them.
“Move!” Time shouted, causing the boys to roll to the side just as multiple flames burst up right where they were standing, the portal disappearing now that they were all out.
“Run! We don’t have the supplies to take it on!” Legend yelled. The rest of the boys listened instantly, since Legend seemed experienced on the matter.
“They stop chasing eventually!” Hyrule yelled. Ah, seems he had them too.
They ran in the direction of the glowing blue structure, feet beating on the ground and hearts thumping with adrenaline. They heard the Lynel scream again, but this time it seemed out of pain. Looking back slightly, Twilight could barely see a yellow field around the Lynel that was… shocking it? Twilight stopped and turned around, the Lynel wasn’t focused on them anymore, it was looking around trying to find something, probably whatever had hurt it.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Legend yelled as he stopped too, about to drag Twilight away. Twilight simply pointed at the Lynel. Right as the others looked at the beast, an arrow pierced its eye from the trees. Whoever was helping them was apparently a skilled archer.
“Do we help? What if they get hurt?” Sky asked, looking on with worry. Before anyone could answer, a lean figure launched out of the trees with a gust of wind out of nowhere, using an odd cloth to glide down. In a blink of an eye, the figure shot one arrow, then two, then three into the Lynel’s shoulders and legs. The Lynel roared in pain and shot a flaming arrow right at the figure.
“Look out!” Cried Wind. The stranger simply dissipated the cloth in a ripple of blue before landing directly onto the Lynels back.
The group looked on in awe and horror as their savior summoned a weapon twice the size of him from the odd slate on his hip, and began cutting into the back of Lynel, avoiding being bucked off. The Lynel charged forward and the stranger gracefully flipped off its back and summoned a small colorful shield encrusted with bright jewels. The group could now see him a little more clearly. He was relatively small and covered in a large cloak, hood drawn. His tunic was sky blue, a bit lighter than Wind’s shirt, and he wore simple brown pants and boots. His posture was powerful and elegant. None of them knew this man, but they could see he was in his element. This was a battle fought many times. At the moment he was just standing in a loose defensive stance.
“What is he doing?” Sky whispered fearfully. He wanted to thank the man properly, but he didn’t want to jump in the fight and get in his way when he had no knowledge of the creature's weak spots. The rest of the heroes all looked on nervously as the Lynel raised slightly on its hind legs… a threw a ball of fire from its mouth?
“Holy shit!” Twilight yelled as he ran forward trying to get there in time. There was no way he would make it in time, but the stranger was just standing there! Did he give into fear and freeze? Before Twilight could make it even 10 steps, he froze in astonishment as the man parried the fireball at the exact moment of impact, launching it back into the face of Lynel, who screeched in rage and anguish. Whoever this man was, was absolutely terrifying. Wreaking elegant havoc on the battlefield without batting an eye.
“Twilight!” Sky whisper-shouted, gesturing madly to the now unwrapped sword on his back. Twilight recognized the faint glow and looked on in shock.
“He could just be vital to our quest. We haven't met another Link for six weeks, I doubt we’ll meet one now. Wrap the sword back up though. We don’t want him freaking out if he has a connection to it and he sees you holding it.” Warriors told Sky, who nodded and wrapped the sword back in its cloth. They had found it was better to explain first, then show the sword.
The stranger ran forward again, sending arrows forward ahead of him that exploded on impact, fire rushing all around him and the beast. The beast charged forward and swung its massive sword, which the man dodged at the last moment, sending an impossibly swift attack to the Lynel’s legs. The Lynel was only just beginning to weaken, and Twilight can’t help but imagine how it would have gone if this stranger hadn’t shown up. Once again the Lynel spit fire from its mouth. The man’s stance grew sturdier and he readied himself for another parry. Only this time, the shield shattered on impact, still launching back the blast to the Lynel, but burning the strangers arm in the process, pieces of metal sticking in his lower arm. The group shouted in worry, but the man didn’t even hesitate, pulling another shield from his odd device, and launching himself at the Lynel again. He shot a final arrow into the Lynel’s other eye, and swept himself onto it’s back to deliver the final blow. The Lynel disappeared with a final roar, and the stranger began casually collecting parts left behind. It took the group a couple of moments to process what in Hylia just happened.
An insane hooded stranger just rushed into danger, jumped on a Lynel, rode it while hitting it, burned all the area around them, and defeated the beast single handed. And destroyed his arm! Oh wait. He destroyed his arm!
“That was amazing but are you okay!” Sky yelled rushing forward. The stranger whipped around as Sky ran towards him, the rest of the group following him. The man whipped out a sword, and pointed it in front of him, causing Sky to skid to a halt a couple of feet in front of him.
“Put the sword down. We’re just trying to see if you’re okay.” Legend huffed only to receive a slap upside the head from Hyrule.
“I’m sorry, sir. We didn’t mean to scare you. We are very thankful for you saving us, we just want to make sure your arm is okay.” Four placated. The stranger had a white knuckled grip on his sword. While he seemed confident in taking the Lynel down, this was a different stance. This was a stance that showed he was more scared of people than he was of a terrifying fire breathing monster ten times his size. The man simply gave a thumbs up and stepped back slightly.
“Wait.” Time stepped forward from the huddled Links, but not close enough to cause any more aggression with the stranger. “We apologize for running to you so suddenly. Thank you for saving us. We grew up sheltered and are very new to this part of Hyrule.” The lie they used to not alert anyone of their unnatural presence in new worlds slipped off Time’s tongue easily now. “I’m sorry to ask this of you after you saved us, but is there a place to rest around here? Perhaps we could buy you a warm meal as payment, and help you with your arm if you would allow us.” Time had a talent of calming a tense environment, like a true leader, Twilight mused. To their shock, the man didn’t speak, only lifting the hand not holding the sword, now bloodied and burned from the fight.
‘I can take you to the nearest stable. I don’t need payment.’ The stranger signed simply, trying desperately to keep the shakiness of his hand at bay.
“Thank you!” Wind called out, a beaming smile on his face at the idea of a place with a roof. Wind certainly didn’t mind being out in nature, but it had been awhile since they got to stay in a building. Maybe this stable had a place to stay along the road next to it! Maybe it was in a large town he could explore!
The stranger simply nodded and walked ahead. The Links sent questioning looks to each other and followed behind. Wind ran ahead to be next to the stranger to see his hands, but kept a respectful distance. “What’s your name?” Wind asked enthusiastically. Warriors smirked. That little shit was gathering intel.
‘Link.’ The stranger fingerspelled shortly. Wind glanced back at Time to confirm he saw correctly. They all could understand some sign, but some were far more rusty than others, and only Time and Sky to an extent could physically do sign.
“Hi Link! My name is Wind!” If the stranger saw the name as odd, he didn’t show it. Only nodding politely. He kept a brisk pace, still having a tense hold on his sword in his non-injured hand.
“Um. Maybe we should stop and take care of your hand? If you leave those shards in, it could get infected.” Four reasoned. Link simply kept walking forward.
“Just because you saved us doesn’t mean you can be rude.” Legend snapped. Twilight attempted to put a calming hand on his shoulder, only to have it brushed off. “Why don’t you talk to us? We’re not going to hurt you.” Legend knew it wasn’t that simple. To just reassure the stranger they wouldn’t hurt him wasn't exactly an airtight plan. But past experience made being ignored absolutely infuriating. The stranger’s grip on his sword only grew tighter as he continued to move forward. No matter how much the group tried to talk to him, the stranger wouldn’t respond unless absolutely necessary, and never verbally.
After about two hours of walking at a brisk pace, they had emerged from the small cliffs surrounding them and were approaching an oddly shaped building. Along the way, Link collected any mushroom or plant that crossed his path. He was certainly an odd man. He seemed constantly on edge with the eight of them there, but had no qualms about gathering strange and brightly colored mushrooms and shoving them into his odd looking slate.
The building they were approaching had a large head that looked to be a horse, and had the structure of a large tent. It looked strange, but also very homey. As they grew closer, they saw some Hylians for the first time in this gigantic world. There was what looked to be a guard of some sort pacing in front of a man at a counter. He must have been the owner. Some other men and women were heading inside. Along with the Hylians was a soft brown dog trotting around some goats and horses. With the small gasp Twilight gave, the group of heroes knew they would have a hell of a time getting Twilight away from this place. Sky’s eyes lit up as he spotted two cuccos among the goats, dashing off to hold them as Legend retched in disgust. The rest of the group laughed at his excitement, but Time could see twilight barely restraining himself from rushing off to pet the horses and goats and hold the dog in his lap.
The new Link pointed at the man at the counter, most likely gesturing to speak to him as he made his way to the fire with a pot placed above it. Time nodded and went to discuss sleeping arrangements with the excitable owner. Having no other job to do, Twilight calmly made his way to the small corral of animals, before losing all composure and sitting amongst the odd-looking goats and cooing at how soft they were. Looking back at the new Link, he was throwing something in the cooking pot, before making his way over to Twilight. Twilight felt excitement grow in his chest. Now that they were in a safe place, would this new Link finally talk?
But Link simply sat down in the animal pen a good six feet from Twilight, placing his sword on the ground next to him, and reached out to pet the excited dog who had all but tackled him as soon as he sat down. Once the dog calmed down slightly, Link began to remove shield shards from his arm, not even flinching at the pain of removing metal from his skin. Twilight was surprised, but figured he should be the one to start the conversion.
“We have goats like this in my H- where I come from.” Hopefully Link wouldn’t pick up on Twilight’s mistake. “I helped raise and herd them.” Twilight finished, looking up at the new Link. Link shook his head, then signed something Twilight didn’t understand. “I’m sorry, I know sign but I don’t know what you just said.” Twilight apologized. Link froze in surprise for a second, perhaps not expecting Twilight to know any sign at all. Then pointed to the sheep Twilight was petting and fingerspelling what he wanted to say.
‘Sheep.’ The word spelled out. Twilight’s eyes widened in realization.
“Oh! Are these sheep?” Twilight asked, continuing to pet the creature beside him. Link nodded. Twilight wished he could see Links face, the hood did a great job of obscuring it completely. He didn’t think asking Link to take the hood off would go very well, so he just paid close attention to the little head movements he could see. Link abruptly stood, seemingly finished with taking the shield shards out of his arm, and summoned a pink liquid from his slate thing, and drank barely enough to heal his arm. Twilight was surprised and slightly worried with how little he seemed to care about his own injuries, musing on this as Link made his way back to the cooking pot to stir whatever he was cooking for himself, perhaps a meal to further help his arm?
The group could finally relax slightly. Sky loving on the cuccos, Time and Twilight paying attention to the horses and sheep, Legend and Warriors quietly chatting and bickering under a tree, Hyrule and Wind off running around and exploring, and Four reading one of his books, evening descended upon them peacefully. Twilight noticed a movement in the corner of his eye, Link seemed to be waving slightly to gain his attention. Twilight nudged Time and began walking over there.
“You okay, Link?” Twilight asked once he was next to the man. The man scooted away from Twilight, apparently deeming him too close, before signing a short ‘dinner’. That one took Twilight by surprise.
“For us?” Time asked gently. Link nodded his head. ‘Rice.’ He finger spelled. “That’s very kind, thank you Link.” Time said with a smile. “Boys!” Time called, causing all of the Links to look up and Hyrule and Wind to come running back from the treeline. “Link was kind enough to make us rice for dinner.” Causing Link to sink deeper into his hood at the attention and thanks he received from the group.
“Wait.” Legend said, stepping forward.
“Legend.” Hyrule warned, but Legend ignored him.
“No, Hyrule. We don’t know who he is. We haven’t seen his face. He could be a sorcerer trying to trick us.” Although it seemed ridiculous for some of them, they could see where Legend was worried. Link’s hands twitched. He didn’t know why he wanted these men to trust him, but he did. So without letting himself think about it too much, he yanked his hood down and glared at Legend with as much force as he could muster.
The first thing they saw were the scars. Twisting and webbing from his ear to across some of the right side of his face, before disappearing under his tunic, where the group could only imagine how horrible it was under there. The second thing they noticed was how young he was. Only a year or two older than Wind, far too young to have those scars. They had been calling him a man, but he was only a boy. Something seemed to click for them. This only confirmed it, this was another hero. Another hero they had not known existed. Why had Hylia waited so long? The sword singing in his head only grew louder,and without thinking, Sky unwrapped the sword from its cloth, and Link freaked out. Picking up his sword and backing away slightly, a hard look in his eyes.
“Wait! Don’t panic I can explain!” Sky rushed. Wild froze, but still kept his defensive stance.
“We are Heroes of Courage, just like you. We come from different worlds and different timelines. Hylia has sent us here to ask for your help. There is an unknown threat, strong enough to require multiple heroes. It’s an infection, spreading across timelines and Hyrules. I’m sure it will infect yours too. Please, join us.” Time figured that with this hero, short and to the point would be the best way of going about this, just like Legend. The boy looked skeptical, and didn’t put down the sword.
“I know you know this is the truth.” Sky said gently. “The Master Sword tells you it is.” Link froze. This man could hear the Master Sword? He had to be a hero of courage, no one else could feel it. Link lowered his sword, but kept his guard up.
‘Can I touch it?’ Link signed. Sky nodded and reached the sword out, not letting go, but allowing Link to touch a hand to its blade. Instantly Link knew it was true. The sword spoke no words to him, but he could feel with all of his being that this was a part of his destiny.
‘Okay.’ Link signed simply.
“Okay you’ll join us?” Wind asked carefully, cheering loudly when Link nodded his head. The others smiled at him, although Legend looked slightly guilty. He could see the scars on the kid’s neck. Maybe that’s why he didn’t talk…
Time tried to put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, only to have him jump back as if he had been burned, and pull his hood up once again. Time looked upon the boy with sad eyes. This confirmed Link didn’t just not trust strangers. He didn’t trust anyone. After Link handed out the food, the group sat around the fire, Link staying far away.
“Holy shit! He can cook!” Warriors cheered.
“Tbish ish amashbing!” Wind yelled with his mouth full, getting a smack on the head from Legend.
“We’re keeping him.” Four stated simply.
“Four, you can’t just claim someone.” Hyrule stated.
“I just did.”
“Guys. He’s trying to ask a question.” Twilight chided. Immediately the group swerved around to see Link with his hands up.
‘Are you all named Link?’ He asked.
“Yes. We all have nicknames based on our hero titles. The sword gives them to us.” Time answered.
“Speaking of.” Sky held up the Master Sword as if preparing for a ceremony. The group of Links all leaned forward eagerly awaiting their new friend’s name. Even Legend perked up.
“Welcome, Hero of Wild.”