Chapter Text
Time often stayed late for his watch, or got up early for it, for he was no stranger to lack of sleep. When he slept, he would dream the most vivid dreams, that almost felt real enough to touch. The only times he didn’t dream would be when he slept next to his wife, encased in her arms, but she couldn’t be with them out here on the road. He wouldn’t tell the other young men who shared his burden, but he would do everything he can to ensure they slept when he couldn’t. They were younger, they needed the rest. He would be fine; he wasn’t alone anymore.
But still he would dream of a green field, a lone tree, four little boys running and playing.
Truth be told, he was never alone on his adventures. Saria was with him in spirit long before she became a sage. His many friends helped him find his way when he had lost direction. So many people touched his life in his first adventure, but it was Navi who guided him through Hyrule and the river of time. She was, strangely, like the mother he never got to know. She comforted him when he cried in the night, she fought with him against foes ten times their size, and she never let him fall. Which is why it hurt him so badly when time corrected itself in that final leap that she flew away like she didn’t know him.
But still he would dream of two little fairies; one gold, one purple, with the voices of tiny bells.
Time dreamt often of the time he got lost in the woods looking for her. He had stumbled too and made a wrong turn searching for the grave of the fairies and wound up in a whole new world. The clocktower, the moon, the song he never wanted to hear ever again. There were times when he felt like that era was a dream itself. It was only the few tangible possessions he had that convinced him it was real. He had never been back there, he didn’t know the way, all he could do is hope it all worked out okay without him. He stopped the evil within the mask, but gave it away, and he always had this lingering fear that the evil would be born again.
And still he would dream of Giants and their song of sorrow.
But that was a different time and he’d grown since those days into the man he knew now. The dreams would come and go, the nightmares have long been conquered. And though he would be bleary eyed in the morning, those brave young men would be well rested and ready for whatever may come.
“Yo, Old Man, what’s the biggest thing you ever fought?” The Hero of Warriors called out, effectively snapping him out of his stupor.
“The moon.” He replied coolly without inflection in his tone.
The boys all laughed in disbelief and he heard their snide comments. He didn’t owe them an explanation or a reason so he wouldn’t go into it even though their pestering persisted. Though he knew they were all brought together for a reason, and he trusted them to watch his back, he didn’t owe them anything yet. He wasn’t a babysitter, he didn’t need to be their idol, he was a warrior.
Even though the Goddess made sure he wouldn’t be known as one.
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The group stepped from the portal and found themselves at the edge of a forest that nobody outright recognized. After some arguments and scouting, it was Time who noticed the weathered tree with a worn carving in it.
“I know where we are.” He announced to the group as he turned towards the north. Through the trees, that had grown in the last twenty years, he could see the stone pillars that all led to town. “We’re not in Hyrule anymore…” He said as he led the march onwards.
The group shared a few puzzled looks amongst themselves at Times cryptic words. As they got closer, they could hear the bustling town come to life. When they stepped through the south gate, Time felt like he stepped back in time. Carpenters were building stalls and towers, decorations were strewn around, and the air smelled like fresh baked sweets.
“This is Clocktown…” Time announced to the group while he was tried to hide the shock and awe in his voice but fell short and he was sure the others heard it. “We’re in a land called Termina.”
Twilight eyed his mentor, vaguely recalling a story Time has shared with him once. “You’ve been here?”
Time nodded as he looked around. “I have, a long, long time ago.” He looked up to the clock tower in the center of the town. For a split second he thought he could see the Skull Kid twitching in agony up there but within a blink of an eye, the mirage was gone. “It doesn’t look like it’s changed at all…”
Time starts to walk through the town, leading the group out of the way of the citizens preparing for the biggest holiday of the year. Everywhere they went, the dreams danced in front of his eyes. He smiled when he saw young Bombers in blue bandanas patrolling East Clocktown looking for good deeds to perform. Street performers practiced their craft in the street for tips in preparation of the big display that would occur on the eve of the carnival.
Wind eyed a vendor setting up their stall with toys and treats and the gremlin in him twinkled behind his eyes. “What are they getting ready for??”
“They’re getting ready for the annual Carnival of Time. Every year the whole country comes together to pray for good harvests and blessings for the year.” Time points to a banner plastered to a wall that has times for different aspects of the festival. “It’s custom that everyone makes a mask to celebrate to honor the old Gods that protect the four regions. Everyone gathers on top of the clock tower after midnight to send their prayers to them.”
“Can we stay for the carnival? Pleeeaaaasseeee???” Wind begged with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. The older boys snickered at the display of youth from the Hero of Winds.
Time smiled fondly and reached over to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Well it seems we’re stuck here for the moment, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Wind pumps his fists in the air and runs ahead of the group to inspect the stall, he was still a kid inside after all. Warriors follows his little brother, half to be responsible and half in curiosity. The two of them could probably talk the vendor into giving them a test run of the game.
Wild smacked Twilight in the arm and pointed when he saw two Zora’s with what looked like musical instruments made of fish skeletons walk into a building called The Milk Bar. “What’s…uh, going on over there?”
Time follows Wild’s stare and smirked. “It’s a member’s only bar. They have live bands play in there for patrons.” Oh what they would have thought if he had told them that he had played for a crowd in there.
“And why exactly do you know all about the members only bar, Old Man?” Four snickered as he elbowed Hyrule in the side. All he could think of was a drunken, slurring Time pretending he was a rock star.
“Guess we’re camping out again.” Legend groaned when an older woman with graying red hair started nailing ‘no vacancy’ signs outside the Stock Pot Inn. Time thought of stopping to say hello, but he doubted she’d recognize the kid she gave her couple’s mask too now that he was all grown up.
“There’s nothing wrong with camping Legend, don’t be a sour puss.” Sky said as he placed his hand on the younger hero’s shoulder.
“Forgive me for wanting a plush bed and some privacy every now and then.” Legend muttered as he crossed his arms across his chest.
Time listened to the banter coming from the other boys as he kept leading the way through the town. He led the group into North Clocktown and was thankful that even this area hadn’t changed. “This’ll be the perfect area to camp for the night. Shouldn’t even need anyone as a watchman since we’re still in town.”
The boys all scoped the area and started discarding their belongings where they decided to crash for the night. Wild started selecting items to make for a dinner, while a few of the others wanted to explore a little more before settling in. Time sat down against a tree and watched his charges disperse, no reason to object or to accompany. Why a portal spat them here, he didn’t know, but he’d be sure to take advantage of the little break they’d been given for now.
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Long after dinner, Time had excused himself to wander with his thoughts. Now he laid atop the Clock Tower and stared up at the moon. It was high in the sky, it no longer glared in rage, and again he felt like everything from long ago was just a fantasy. He found his mind wandering back to that fateful night when he freed the Skull Kid from that terrible fate. The fact that Wild now possessed the cursed artifact made him want to find the Mask Salesman and rip it out of his grasp, evil sealed or not. It was evident that the mask still held power to this day, it just may not have been as fearsome as it was when he was a child. He was so naïve back then.
But what could you do when the weight of the world was placed on your shoulders before you ever learned how dangerous the world was? It’s not like he as given a manual, or a tour, or even a map. He knew some of the new heroes he met had been young when they started, but he couldn’t help but be infuriated at the Goddess for making him save the world not once, but twice, before he even hit puberty. At least when he was brought to Termina, he’d had a little bit of experience under his belt.
Termina really was the land of masks. How they were coveted and treasured, he never put it together until he was older, but it was just a metaphor for hiding. No one was true to themselves in Termina, maybe that’s why he fit right in so well. Even from an early age, he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate his successes; he was the Hero of Time doomed to be unknown by all he saved. The only people who what he’d done here were dead.
Time still had them; Mikau, Darmani, and the Butler’s son. He kept them safe so their souls would never be bothered again. Now, after so many years, that he had finally found his way back to Termina, he wanted to find the time to slip away and give them their long awaited and well-deserved rest. He reached into him bag and gingerly pulled out the wooden masks, he ran his fingers over the grain, and he knew what he needed to do.