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Legend sat alone in a dark corner of a dark tavern of whichever dark Hyrule they were in. Maybe someone had figured it out earlier, but he didn’t really care enough to pay attention. The group had been relaxing at Time’s Lon Lon Ranch for a couple days, which many of them were happy to do. Things needed to be done; weapons repaired, tunics washed and stitched, supplies reorganized. They had switched late in the day but, surprisingly, wound up a mile outside of a bustling town. Seems like Hylia wanted to give them a break for once in their lives.
It seemed all that time with his wife had brought about a generous mood, because Time had been more than happy to spend half of his wallet on rooms for the nine of them. The innkeeper had been so thrilled, she had thrown in their meals for free.
All in all, after spending days relaxing and sleeping indoors, they should be ecstatic for one more night of relaxing and sleeping indoors. He should be ecstatic, right? Ding dong, you’re wrong. Legend was a pile of anxious nerves just ready to get it over with.
Really, he was fine.
Legend had laid in his bed, tossing and turning in the dark for what seemed like hours before giving up the notion of sleep. He had crept out of the room, trying not to disturb the other two men he roomed with—not that it had been a difficult feat with their snores filling the room.
At first, he just wanted to take a walk to clear his head; the damn thing had been clouded all day. Most of the other adventurers had chalked it up to his usual disgruntled attitude.
They had no idea how deep his wounds had been cut earlier that day.
It had been early in the day, long before the time shift. The group was still relaxing at Lon Lon Ranch. Legend was pitching hay to the horses in his undershirt, his gear all laid forgotten somewhere inside Times house. If there was an attack right now, they’d all be screwed and scrambling—though he was certain he could take a few fuckers out with his pitchfork.
Truth be told, it was rather blissful to live a normal life the past couple days. He thought that maybe, when he was done with his adventures, he could give up blacksmithing, could buy some land and turn it into something fruitful. The mere thought brought a soft smile to his lips, his usual frown disappearing in the light of such a prospect
Something changed in the atmosphere amidst his daydream. He felt it at first, more than he heard it. It was carried by a gentle breeze that just barely made the leaves twitch on their branch. Singing. There was a woman singing. No words, just notes that danced from tongue to the wind. He found himself searching it out before he realized his pitchfork had fallen to the ground.
On the wall of Lon Lon Ranch, a mess of red curls fluttered in the breeze. Legends heart lurched into his throat so fast he thought he would gag on it.
Was this real? Was it her?
As absurd as it was, he pinched his arm to be certain this wasn’t a dream; that she wasn’t a dream—he gasped when real pain flared to life, banishing his fears. His feet guided him towards her of their own accord; the closer he got, the harder his heart pulsed through his brain. Just as he was close enough to reach out and touch her, she turned to face him, fiery curls bouncing over her shoulders. His breath hitched, and for a brief moment it really all did seem real.
Marin…
“Oh, hey there, Legend! What brings you all the way up here?” Marin’s lips moved, but it wasn’t her voice that came from her mouth.
His brain practically had to reboot itself completely, before it all clicked with him. This wasn’t Marin, this was Malon; Times wife. The woman he’d spoken to countless times, the woman who had let them stay in her house.
Not the woman he loved dearly…
Malon waved her hand in front of Legends eyes, a wide, understanding grin on her face. “You heroes and your thousand-yard stare. I tell you what, you boys are all the same!”
Legend blinked and his world finally snapped fully into focus again. He flashed Malon his best smile, shoving down the anguish as he strung together an excuse within his racing mind. “Yeah, maybe we are. I, uh, I’m sorry I bothered you, I heard the singing and just let myself wander…”
Malon blushed, turning back to Hyrule field below them and twirling a lock of fiery hair between her fingers. “Aw, I’m sorry I bothered you, then. I only really sing to the horses and with my Fairy Boy.”
“No, it sounded lovely,” Legend reassured her, keeping his eyes on the field while his chest started mending his fractured soul. “You should sing more often.”
“Oh, sugar, you’re just being nice ‘cause you don’t have to sleep in the cold!” She smiled and laughed him off like he was the sweetest liar in the world. Legend noticed that even her smile reminded him of Marin, the way her nose crinkled slightly, and her teeth caught on her lip...
He laughed with her; it was fake but she didn’t know. “No, I’m not. It was a lovely song…” He hesitated, because, he really didn’t want to know but the words fell from his mouth before he could stop them “Where did you learn that song?”
Malon stopped, pressing a finger to her lips for a long moment as she thought. “You know, I really don’t know. I suppose it came to me in a dream!”
Legend winced, the knife residing in his heart twisting painfully at her words. He nodded, schooling his expression and taking a deep breath. “Would you… Would you keep singing it?”
She smiled her warm smile and sang her song; the song that came to her in a dream. What she didn’t know was that the person who last sang this for him was a dream too. He relished the moment, as her melody flowed from Malon’s lips and filled the air around them, and the memories it brought him—but he wouldn’t tell a soul about her.
Because then he’d have to admit she was really gone. That was something, that even years later, he just couldn’t do.
So, here he sat, in a tavern by his lonesome. He’d already drunk two beers, or ales or whatever they happened to call them in this Hyrule, and was nursing his third. They were tall, muddy drinks that tasted so bitter that they deluded the bitterness in his soul. He wasn’t Legend here. He wasn’t an adventurer, or a hero, or even Link here. Just another lost shadow of a man trying to forget.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t notice the man at the bar who poured his drink eyeing him with a scowl, nor did he notice the waitress who brought it to him look him up and down for weapons either. He didn’t care for their gazes. If they wanted a fight, he’d still give them one. Just because he was three sheets to the wind, doesn’t mean he couldn’t hold his own in a measly bar fight.
But they never came at him, just watched him drink until three turned to four and then five. He never even noticed that his drink tasted sweeter and sweeter with every sip, which made it much easier going down. Legend paid his tab, and probably left a purple rupee when he should have left a blue, and proudly stumbled his way back to the inn where his friends slept their troubles away.
His head was blank and he knew he wouldn’t dream of her tonight, and that was all that mattered.
It wasn’t until the sun peeled open his eyes the next morning, he’d realized what a mistake he had made. His head throbbed, his stomach bubbled, and the room just wouldn’t stay still. He audibly groaned when Hyrule pulled him out of bed after he missed breakfast. He kept his cap pulled low on his head to try and cover his eyes, the action helping minutely.
The longer the group trudged through Hyrule searching for a clue on what they needed to do next, the worse Legend felt. His mood turned as sour as his stomach, his tone sank as short as his temper. He didn’t want to deal with the other men in the hot sun, and he was thankful that they never even ran into anything they had to kill because honestly, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it. Between the nausea and the general fatigue coursing through his body, he doubted he could hold his own in a fight.
Legend vowed to never drink on an adventure again
Every time they stopped to rest or get their bearings, he swore he’d die, but he never brought it up and no one even asked. He felt worse and worse with each minute that the sun beat down on him; his blood pressure rose, a roaring filling his ears, his skin began to heat up, and every now and then he found he couldn’t catch his breath. That was probably the hardest part to keep from the group but, even then, no one gave him a hard time about it.
By the time they found a place to camp for the night, his whole body screamed at him. Every step hurt, every breath hurt, his eyelids begged to close. He still couldn’t eat any of the delicious food Wild prepared, the mere sight of it made his stomach lurch and if there had been anything in it to begin with, he probably would have lost it.
Honestly, Legend couldn’t tell where the hangover ended and the flu, that was apparently setting in, was beginning. He didn’t even complain when he was drawn for third watch because that meant he could turn in for the night now without anyone really hounding him.
As soon as his head hit his makeshift pillow, he was dead to the world.
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It was the early hours of dawn, before even Wild awoke. Legend poked at the fire to get it ready for the cooking pot Wild would be using soon, stifling a yawn with his free hand. It had been a quiet night, but he still wanted to take a quick nap while breakfast was cooking. He sat back against the stump he’d been using as a chair and looked to the sky as the darkness retreated with the early morning sun.
A gust of wind began to blow, strong enough to threaten the embers with flying out of the pit. He scrambled to keep the fire contained so no one awoke to a burnt bedroll.
Legend watched the ground with wide eyes as a shadow slowly encased the camp. He looked to the sky, ready to wake everyone for the fight of their lives, to investigate what could possibly make such a large void and still remain in the sky. He caught sight of an enormous, splaying tail just before it disappeared beyond the canopy of the forest and his heart stopped. He knew that tail, he saw it in his dreams over and over again.
Legend’s eyes stayed glued in the direction the monster had flown even as the pale sky turned a deep cerulean. He waited until Wild climbed out of his blankets before grabbing his gear together. The heat of Wild’s gaze burned his back even as he heard the tale-tell signs of breakfast being prepared. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he turned to face his ally. He thought he’d be better at this, but he didn’t have the words to apologize for what he had to do. Shaking his head, he began walking in the direction the creature had flown.
“What’s got you so uptight this morning?” The cook asked while pouring meat into the pot of whatever he was making.
Legend stopped at the tree line but didn’t turn. “I have to do something… Don’t wait around for me,” he said before stepping out of their camp. Wild’s harsh whispers of protest reached his hears, but he didn’t care enough to listen to them.
He fought through the forest for miles before finally reaching an open field. Shoving aside the branches blocking his way, he scanned the horizon for any sign of the monster from his dreams. The last time he had seen the creature it had been on the tallest mountain around, so he turned his eyes to the top of Death Mountain. It was a dormant volcano in this time period and he could see the dust rising in the distance of something disturbing the summit.
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Hyrule drew middle watch on their first night back out in the wilderness. He didn’t really mind, especially after the past few days of safety and relaxation. Glancing up at the moon, he noted the time with where it sat amongst the stars, sighing with relief as his watch was nearly over. He always felt bad waking someone up for watch when the group rarely got enough rest to begin with—he always found himself paying more attention to who was tossing and turning, rather than any disturbances in the forest that could mean an attack.
Hyrule watched Legend shift and mumble his whole shift and dreaded rousing him. He knew Legend had a soft spot for him so there was no threat of wrath, but the man hadn’t gotten nearly enough rest. He sighed to himself before rising to his feet to walk their perimeter one more time to give Legend another minute.
After Hyrule deemed the area safe and stoked the fire again, he sighed and made his way to Legend. He knelt beside the Veteran and gently shook his shoulder. When he barely got a mumble out of him, he tried again a little harder.
“Hey, Legend. You’re up for watch,” Hyrule said, leaning close to Legend’s ear so he wouldn’t wake any of the other boys sleeping close. Legend turned his face towards the sound but barely cracked his eyes before his head rolled back again. Concern twisted Hyrule’s stomach and his brows furrowed tightly; something wasn’t right. He placed his hand to Legend’s face but pulled it back at the heat that spread across his palm. Legend was practically burning alive.
Hyrule scrambled to his bag to pull out a potion and whatever herbs he had squirrelled away. He returned to Legend’s side and propped his head up to force some of the red liquid down his throat. It would help provide relief, but he needed to break the fever before Legend’s brain boiled in his skull. He needed help.
Hyrule didn’t want to do it, but he had no other choice. Placing Legend’s head back down gently, he tiptoed over to where Wild was curled up under a mess of blond locks and shook him awake. Wild sat up, ready to pounce at whatever threat was coming for them but only blinked away the sleep when he saw Hyrule’s desperate look.
“Legend is burning with a fever. I need you,” he pleaded to the Champion. Wild nodded immediately and grabbed his own blanket from under him. He raced to where Legend lay, lifting him up slightly and tucking them under him for comfort. Hyrule came to them with a third blanket in case Legend began to shiver, along with a damp rag to place over his sick friend’s forehead.
Wild began swiping through his slate for ingredients. “Did he seem sick before we all went to bed?” He asked while Hyrule read his mind and began preparing water to boil.
“I didn’t notice? Maybe a sniffle, but I honestly chalked it up to allergies. None of us are one hundred percent when we go through a switch.” Hyrule reasoned to himself while keeping his panic inside.
A pitiful whimper came from Legends lips and it made both boys froze in place. It didn’t sound like anything coherent but they knew that their friend was in a lot of pain. If they didn’t act fast, he might not make it through the night.
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The summit stood before him, just beyond the ridge he’d staggered along. Gritting his teeth, he pushed on, ignoring the screaming aches in his legs and fire in his chest. It had taken him two full days to get to this point and honestly, he was surprised none of his friends had tried to catch up to him. He never even saw signs of the wolf in his travels. He needed answers, was it really here? And why after all this time? This wasn’t even his Hyrule so did it exist in the different time periods? Was he really just fucking losing it?
Honestly, he hoped that was the case.
Legend climbed onto the flat ground that was the summit, flinching and almost falling back when he noticed the beast that floated before him. He held his breath as he slowly walked towards it. There was no egg surrounding it this time, so he could see all the details in the daylight: the Wind Fish’s feathers sparkled in the sun, its stupid, tiny wings neatly pressed against its back. Its smooth hide glistened and he found he had to turn away from the brightness, turning his heated gaze onto its half-lidded eyes.
“LINK, IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.” The Wind Fish boomed across the empty peak.
“Why are you here?” Legend was somewhere between seething anger and gaping horror, he couldn’t decide.
“I SEEK YOU, YOUNG ONE.”
“M-me??” he sputtered out before letting himself start to succumb to his rising rage. “Haven’t I done enough for you? I destroyed your nightmares, and in return and you destroyed my heart.”’
“THAT IS WHY I CAME TO YOU. I AM TIRED, YOUNG ONE. ALL I WISH NOW IS TO SLEEP AGAIN.” The Wind Fish closed its eyes lethargically, before its voice began to drone again. “YOU MAY RETURN TO MY DREAMLAND OF KOHOLINT.”
Legend’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening with disbelief as he stared at the deity with wide eyes. He could go back to Koholint? Even if the dream world didn’t remember him, he could see Marin again. He could hear her song, he could make a life on the island and just live. If she did remember him, then that would be just icing on the cake because he could finally do what he promised her and show her the world. His heart began to pound in his chest at the possibilities. But he knew Gods didn’t ask questions without a price.
“What do you need me to do?” He asked as evenly as he could to hide his excitement and his fear.
“USE YOUR INTRUMENTS AND PLAY ME A LULLABY. ONCE I SLUMBER AGAIN, KOHOLINT WILL APPEAR, YOU KNOW THE WAY.”
“That’s it? Just put you to sleep?” He pulled his ocarina out of his bag, the notes of the mournful song already resounding through his head, waiting to be let loose into the world. “What happens then?”
“KOHOLINT WILL REAWAKEN. BUT MY NEW DREAMS WILL SLEEP.”
“There are other dreams?” There it was, he knew there would be a trick to this—Gods were never merciful, after all. “What other things have you been dreaming?”
“I HAVE WATCHED OVER THIS LAND WITH THE GODDESS SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL. SLEEPING AND WAKING, WAKING AND DREAMING. MANY PEOPLE AND PLACES ARE OF MY DREAMS.”
“Like who?!” Legend’s gut tightened, twisting itself into knots at the Windfish’s words. He shouldn’t have followed his curiosity—but then again, if it wasn’t him it would have been some other poor sap for fall victim.
“HEROES ACROSS THE AGES ARE OF MY DREAMS. THE GODDESS HYLIA AND I PLACE THE HEROES IN TIMES OF CRISIS TO KEEP OURSELVES SAFE FROM THE EVILS.”
“So, I’m your fucking dream now!?” He screamed at the beast. First Marin and all of Koholint, now he was the dream and all his hoping was for naught? “That’s not a great plan, give me what I want to put you to sleep only for myself to die when it’s over.”
“YOU WERE NEVER A DREAM. YOU ARE FROM A TIME THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED. YOU WERE BORN OF A DREAM’S FAILURE.”
“A dream’s failure? What does that even mean? Am I your pawn or not?” Legend demanded, stomping closer to the wretched beast and placing his hands over his hips as he seethed. Couldn’t the damn thing be straight with him for once?
“I DREAM OF HEROES NAMED LINK WHO WIELD THE GODDESS’S MAGIC. A LINK WHO SAVED THE PICORI. A LINK WHO FOUGHT THE WHEELS OF TIME. A LINK WHO SAVED THE DROWNED HYRULE. A LINK TO WIELD HER SACRED BEASTS…”
Legend listened to the Wind Fish’s words and made a mental list of his companion; Four had mentioned the Picori before, Time was known as the Hero of Time, Wind was on the Great Sea of Hyrule, and Wild had to save the sacred beasts after he awoke. Twilight was a direct descendant of Time so he could probably disappear too. If Legend was born of a dream's failure, he was sure Hyrule would be safe as well. That only left themselves, Sky, and Warriors…
It was either save his friends or get the love of his life back.
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It had been hours since dawn broke and the heroes began to rouse one by one. Time had been the first to find Hyrule cradling Legend in his lap, using all the magic he had to try and heal the sickness from his friend despite how fruitless his efforts were—his magic just didn’t work like that. He could heal wounds, but he couldn’t cure them of sicknesses.
Wild was nearby making tea out of ingredients native to his Hyrule and though the pot was boiling, the liquid inside was cool to the touch. Time saw the sheen of sweat coating Legends pale face, saw the red roses blossoming on his cheeks, and knew that this wasn’t just a normal sickness. Under regular circumstances, the Veteran would have been a goner already.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Legends condition did nothing to improve. He shook to his bones and mumbled incoherently whenever someone touched him. Time noticed how badly the Traveler’s hands were trembling—he could only guess at how long Hyrule had been trying to stave off the fever that threatened their brother.
He placed his hand on Hyrule’s shoulder, apologizing softly when the man flinched, almost dropping Legend in his shock. Time shifted closer as the rest of the group began to stir around them, holding his arms out to take Legend, giving the other a much-needed break. Once the Traveler had relinquished hold of Legend, Wild came to pull him away to the fire to rest as much as he could.
Time looked upon Legend’s face and stroked his fingers through the boys matted hair. Legend’s eyelids fluttered briefly and his lips moved as if he was speaking, but no sound escaped his mouth. Legend looked absolutely pitiful; truth be told. Time could feel the skin beneath his fingers already beginning to flush with heat all over again. What could it be to make his body react so quick and violently?
As best he could, without jostling Legend too much, Time reached for Legend’s trusty ice rod as a desperate means to keep him cool enough. Hyrule didn’t have it in him to keep pushing himself to keep the fever barely at bay whether he wanted to admit it or not. Time wrapped his hand around the ice rod, icy magic creeping up his arm instantly. Within seconds it started emitting a radiating chill that he held close to Legend. It was probably foolish to use the weapon this way, but Time, in all his infinite wisdom, truly had no other means to keep the boy from boiling alive.
“Not… again,” Legend mumbled, barely above a whisper.
“What is it, Legend?” Time said softly, using his free hand to brush back the hair stuck to the boy’s face.
“’S a dream…again…” He tossed in Time’s lap, his eyelids fluttering rapidly. For a brief second his eyes open wide enough for Time to see how red and bloodshot they were.
“It’s okay, Legend. It’s just a dream. We’ll get you through this.” Time watched as Legend tried to keep his eyes open, but they only drifted around, unable to focus on anything.
“I can… save her, Uncle.” Legend’s eyes water at his own words and Time’s heart twists at the sight.
Time smiled softly as he wiped the incoherent boy’s eyes and he lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear. “Who do you have to save?”
“M…ar..in.” He choked out before sleep finally took him again.
Time watched him lose consciousness once more, his shoulders slumping in relief. Legend didn’t need to speak or otherwise push himself; he needed to rebuild all his strength in order to fight off whatever this sickness was.
Time sat studying the Veteran’s face for any sign of discomfort long after he faded away again. It took him far too long to notice the tiny flecks of blood speckled on his mouth and the blue veins leading to his lips.
“It’s poison! He’s been poisoned!”
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Legend ran his fingers over the smooth wood of his ocarina while he sat on the summit, his feet dangling over the edge of the cliff. The Wind Fish had ceased its droning, leaving him to make his decision. He could walk away from all of it right now and go directly to Koholint, no one had followed him to talk him out of it. No one needed to know. The only thing that stopped him was the overwhelming guilt he would feel for essentially killing his friends—but even then, he’d never have to see the aftermath of it.
The three that would be left would never even know he would still be alive, no one would have the tracking skills to find him. He could do it, he could forget it all, he wouldn’t have to be a slave to the Goddess anymore. Dark Link would succeed with his dastardly plans, whatever they are, and that’d be it.
On the other hand, he’d already lost Marin once. He couldn’t actually lose her again—she didn’t exist. How did he know that what the Wind Fish said was even true? It could all just be a ploy for the Leviathan to get what it wanted. He could die at sea trying to find the island all over again.
Come back to us.
Legend flinched, almost dropping his ocarina into the abyss below him when the words carried on the wind reached him. He looked around to see if anyone had crept up around him, eyes trailing over the rugged summit. But when he saw no signs of life, he shrugged and decided it was just his imagination, or perhaps his loneliness speaking up for once. He’d been alone for years and had talked to the void one or twice before.
But that was it, he wasn’t alone now. He had other people who knew his struggles; the expectations of a hero, the guilt, the unwavering loneliness. He had friends for the first time since Zelda spoke to him on that stormy night. How could he even think of doing anything to hurt them? He’d fought with them, bled with them, cried with them…
Please Legend… Just open your eyes.
Legend was losing it. He jumped to his feet to look for the source of the voice. It sounded like Marin, but then again, he kept seeing and hearing her in everything these days.
He clutched the ocarina in his hand and looked back to the Wind Fish. If he didn’t do it, the beast would just find someone else to do it, right?
He should be using this time to find a way to keep the dream world on this plane of existence. Then he wouldn’t have to lose anyone else. They could foil Dark Link’s plans and he’d go home to Marin, too. He could take his friends to meet her.
It’s time to wake up
Legend clutched his ocarina tight in his hand, the weight of his decision weighing heavily on his soul.
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Legend cracked open eyes slowly with the rising sun. He didn’t know where he was, but he certainly wasn’t on the mountain anymore. Verdant trees crept in on the edge of his vision, leaving only a small gap for the sky to peek through.
Legend tried to sit up but a hand on his chest gently held him down. He looked above him to find Time opening his one good eye to peer down at him, the corners of his mouth lifting.
“Well nice to see you again, Vet.” Time said softly, so the other boys wouldn’t pounce to their feet just yet.
Legend tried to take note of his surroundings the best he could while confined to Time’s lap. They were in a forest, he noted as the gentle hum of cicadas and the pleasant birdsong filled his ears. A mound of blankets covered both him and Time, tucked tightly around his body—his gross body, if the sweat that coated him gave him any indication. He needed a bath.
“Uh, nice to see you again too, Old Man. Wanna tell me why I’m in your lap?” Legend said hesitantly, eyeing off their surroundings. What happened to the Wind Fish? What happened to the mountain?
“You’ve been out of it for over a day now. Poison.” Time raised his brow as he helped Legend unbury himself and sit up. He took the younger man’s jaw in his hand to examine his face one last time before continuing. “Any idea how you were poisoned and none of us were?”
Legend stared in Time’s eye blankly. “No, no idea. Are you sure it was poison?” Of course, he knew. Those shady characters at the tavern all of a sudden made sense to him. But since none of the others knew he went to get drunk, and now would be the worst time to mention it. He mentally slaps himself for his stupidity on Time’s behalf.
Time nodded to answer his question. “Without a doubt in my mind. You probably would have been dead before daylight yesterday if you hadn’t drawn third watch.” Time looked over to the sleeping Hyrule not fifteen feet from them. “He found you and has barely left your side. I think we’ve all used all our magic supplies to break your fever.”
Legend looked away quickly as guilt twisted his stomach. In the end, they had all paid for his bad decision. He hung his head and shame and said a quiet, “thank you.”
Time puts his hand on his shoulder. “You’d do the same for us. Now then, we need to get some sustenance in you. Afterwards, if you want to talk about whatever you were dreaming about,” Time paused, his eye softening. “I’ll listen.”
Legend didn’t even ask; he could already tell by the look on Times face what he probably said in his delirious state. But he nodded and watched Time go to the fire to start preparing a morning meal. As Legend went to climb to his feet, he noticed his ocarina in his hand; something he kept buried in the bottom of his bag. He looked to the instrument, then to his companions, eyes widening in realization.
And he was glad it wasn’t a decision he really had to make.