Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A group consisting of 9 travelers were making their way through a Hyrule that was foreign to Link, or rather Wild, as they called him.

Seemingly moments before, they were resting at a forge that the smith, Four, called home. They had just finished fighting off a group of infected octoroks and had gone to introduce their newest member, Wild, to Four’s grandfather. They had stayed for lunch and only just finished eating when a new portal appeared. At least Hylia had the decency to let them enjoy a good meal. Before the pull became too strong, they quickly packed up their things and said their goodbyes before passing through.

As soon as they stepped into the new era, they could feel the buzz of magic fill the air. This was the first time Wild had ever felt this much energy in one place, and he was captivated. He looked to the others to get a hint as to who’s world they were in when he spotted Legend standing proudly with his hands on hips and a confident smirk.

“Welcome, again, to my home!” He announced.

With no clear destination in mind, they opted to just wander along the dirt paths until they found what they came for. The goddesses always seemed to guide them in the right direction, so they’d find whatever it is they’re looking for eventually.

It had been about two weeks since Wild started accompanying the odd band of travelers. Enough time to be comfortable with the group, but not enough to be truly close with them. Being the last to join meant the others all had close bonds with each other, leaving him to feel a bit excluded. Well, with the exception of Twilight.

From the day Wild first met the other heroes, there was something… familiar about him, that he couldn’t quite place. There was also the way Twilight acted around him when they first met. Unlike the others, Twilight didn’t seem to be as surprised at the scars that cover his face and creep down under his tunic. Wild appreciated that. He was always uncomfortable when people stared at them. Twilight was also the quickest to grow close to Wild, often becoming overprotective. He even addressed Wild with a fond nickname, “Cub” on multiple occasions. Not that Wild minded. Still, he found it strange.

‘I’ll talk to him about it later,’ Wild thought to himself before pushing the subject out of mind. He brought his focus to the group ahead of him and studied them for a moment.

To the right, Legend and Hyrule were walking side by side, talking to each other about the various schools of magic and how to apply them to different situations.

Over to the left, Wind, Four, and Sky were also together with Warriors just behind them. Wild couldn’t catch all of their conversation, but they seemed to be bickering over what to have for dinner. No doubt they would each be begging Wild to choose one or the other later on.

Finally, up ahead, there was Twilight and Time who both seemed to walk quietly, simply enjoying each other’s company. Although he would never admit it, Wild envied their relationship. They seemed the closest out of everyone, almost as if they had been friends long before they gathered for this journey. Wild wanted to be close to Time, but he was hesitant, almost intimidated by his presence. It was easy to be around him casually, and the old man was certainly reliable, but when it came to disciplining the group, he seemed a little too stiff for Wild’s free spirit.

Wild could think of several occasions where he would play games with Wind or joke with Legend or Warriors only for Time to intervene and give them a heavy lecture about acting appropriately. To be fair, they often deserved it, but Wild liked the fun that came with freedom and good-natured chaos.

But there was more to it than simply ‘wanting to be close to him’. Yes, Time was the leader and often acted as a father figure to the group, but something made Wild conflicted. Despite his love for freedom, he so badly wanted to please Time. He wanted to impress Time. He wanted to prove to Time that he was a capable hero. Somewhere deep inside, Wild felt obligated to do so, as if he owed it to him. This drive felt familiar to Wild, but not in a welcome way.

Wondering where this feeling was stemming from, Wild tried to focus and find its source, but to no avail. The more he thought, the more confused he became. With a defeated sigh, he decided to leave it for now and join one of the smaller groups for company. Hyrule and Legend seemed like a good place to start.

As Wild paced over to them, he saw Legend showing off his fire rod to Hyrule, explaining how it worked.

“It’s a very powerful tool if you use it correctly,” Legend explained. Hyrule had a look of awe on his face as he admired the elegant rod.

“Think you’d let me use it sometime?” Wild half-joked as he approached Legend’s side. The veteran, in response, turned to Wild with a flat expression on his face.

“Never in a million years, Wild. Knowing you, you’d break it just by testing it out on a rock,” he quipped.

Hyrule chuckled. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Harsh? No way. That’s literally how he broke his last broadsword!”

Wild laughed sheepishly. “Touché.”

They continued in small conversation until Time had ordered that they make camp for the night. They found themselves in a grove of trees, just off of the trail they were following, where they settled in a small clearing. As Wild began preparations for dinner, Wind, followed by Sky and Four, ran up to Wild, fighting over who would speak first.

“Wild, Wild!” Wind chimed. “PLEASE, can you make seafood curry tonight?” Wind looked up with bright blue eyes spread wide as if he were a puppy, and his lip was in a small pout.

“No, you got to choose dinner two nights ago, give someone else a turn!” Four shot at Wind, which was returned with a dirty look. A whirl of blue gleamed in Four’s eyes, but disappeared after a moment. Wild shrugged it off as his imagination. “I, for one, would like to have some of your spicy meat skewers!” He said with confidence.

“Um, I wanted to have some of your vegetable risotto,” Sky piped up. “It’s my favorite.” He offered a polite smile.

Wild was caught off guard by a slap to his back. In the corner of his eye, he saw a deep blue scarf and he looked over to see Warriors standing next to him. “Actually, I believe it’s MY turn to pick tonight!”

Wind huffed at Warriors, then turned to Wild. “Come on! Seafood curry is the best,” he whined.

Wild smiled softly. “Sorry, sailor,” he said as he ruffled Wind’s hair. “Warriors is right, it is his turn.” Wind deflated a bit but then shrugged it off.

“And I’m feeling in the mood for some Salt-Grilled Gourmet Meat!” Warriors gave Wild a shit-eating grin as he knew that was a much more luxurious meal that was rather rare and hard to make.

“You glutton!” Legend shot from across the camp where he was setting up the sleeping rolls.

Warriors growled. “HEY!”

Wild rolled his eyes, but smiled at the antics. “Well, I don’t have enough gourmet meat for everyone, but I do have more than enough prime meat?” Wild offered. Warriors nodded, seemingly satisfied.

As Wild prepared the dinner, he thought of his conversations and looked around the camp where the others sat idly, waiting for the meal. A giddy feeling of joy swelled in his chest. He was so thankful to have these eight people in his life. Although he was not much of a people person, spending months out in the wilderness and away from civilization was excruciatingly lonely. During his adventure, the only comforts he found on his lonely nights were in his few scattered memories of Zelda and a lone wolf who accompanied him occasionally. It wasn’t as bad in the villages, or in his house in Hateno, but he did not stay there often or for very long. The eight heroes were a nice change of pace, even if it was a bit uncomfortable at first.

A twinge of guilt clawed at the back of his mind. Wild had yet to fully open up to the group who trusted him so fiercely. Sure, he told them the gist of his journey, his amnesia, and he’s shown his scars, but they did not know the full extent of his quest. They didn’t know the fact he had di—failed one hundred years ago or the full extent of his memory loss. The exception being again, Twilight. He knew of Wild’s amnesia problem and its severity, but not much else as far as Wild could tell, though he couldn’t be sure.

Twilight was like that, he just knew. Once, Wild had an episode where he sat for 15 minutes, staring off into space as a memory returned to him. Twilight stayed by his side the entire time and consoled Wild when he came to. He had explained to Wild that he’d known two people with the same memory loss problem, and Wild, finding comfort in that, had opened up to Twilight.

Despite his trust in his friends, he could not bring himself to tell the full story. How could he explain that he was the only hero to fail at his journey? He dreaded the disappointment of the ones he looked to for comfort. Wild felt wrong for lying to Twilight still, even though he’d been the most accepting so far. Even if the others still accepted Wild along with his shortcomings, the thing he dismayed the most was confessing to Time. A scene played out in Wild’s head: He told Time everything. Time glared at him with disgust. He begged Time to forgive him, to stay with him, but Time simply turned away and said, ‘You bring shame to the hero’s name’ as he walked off leaving Wild standing there, hopelessly.

Wild shuttered at the imagined scenario. No. He couldn’t say anything. He’d simply keep his mouth shut and no one would need to know about—

“—ild. Wild? … Wild, are you ok?”

Wild was snapped out of his thoughts and he turned to see Hyrule at his side, face wrinkled with concern. Surprised, he looked down and saw he was leaning over the food he was preparing, which was now boiling over. ‘Shit. Must have zoned out there,’ he cursed himself.

“Uh, yeah!” Wild met Hyrule’s eyes and tried to put on a fake smile, all the joy from before now gone, and gave an awkward laugh. “I was trying to remember if I got all the ingredients in there. I just got lost in thought, that’s all.” He knew he didn’t sound convincing as the concern on Hyrule’s face remained, and he could feel the eyes of the others boring into him, making him feel hot and flushed. After a moment of staring at Wild with uncertainty, he seemed content and backed off. Wild took that as an opportunity to dish out everyone’s food.

————

After everyone finished eating- with the exception of Wild who had lost his appetite and barely touched his meal, so he stored it in his slate for later use- Wild stood up quickly and volunteered to take first watch.

He needed a chance to clear his head and honestly just to spend a bit of time away from the others. Though he enjoyed their company, Wild still became overwhelmed with the others from time to time.

Unknown to him, Wild’s odd behavior that night did not go unnoticed by Time and Twilight. Twilight had looked to his mentor as if to question if the champion was okay. Time simply responded with a nod as if to say, ‘let him go, he’ll be fine’. Twilight was still nervous, but trusted Time’s wisdom.

Wild found a large tree a small ways outside of camp. After climbing it, he sat on a branch where he could view the surrounding area, including the road and the distant figures of people sleeping back in camp. Finally, he decided he could relax a little and take in his surroundings. He had been so lost in his mind since arriving in this Hyrule that he hadn’t truly admired it.

It had been a while since Wild had been to Legend’s Hyrule, only coming once before, early in his journey with the others. There was a half-moon in its wane that hung in the cloudless sky, casting soft shadows around him that mixed with the orange hues from the fire off in the distance behind him. It was a cool night, but In a comfortable way, and the leaves of the trees swayed gently in a warm breeze. Wild closed his eyes and filled his lungs with a deep breath, then sighed comfortably. Something about the scenery was familiar as it reminded him of the comfort of his own home. He looked around once more, and when he was satisfied that there was nothing around that posed a threat, he smiled.

‘This is… peaceful,’ he thought.

With no danger around and nothing better to do, Wild pulled out his Sheikah Slate and started swiping through some of his newly acquired pictures of himself and the others. He smiled fondly at the gleeful faces and hoped he would never forget his time with them. Deep down, he knew one day they would have to part, but Wild was going to treasure every moment with them until then. He spent maybe another ten or so minutes lazily swiping through both new and old images and recounting the memories associated with each one.

A twig that snapped off in the shadows quickly stole his attention from his slate as he clipped it back onto his belt. His heart racing, he scanned the area desperately, searching for the source of the sound. He spotted a lynel not far from himself. His eyes went wide, and he gasped before clamping a hand over his mouth, careful not to give away his position. “Hylia, no!” He cursed to himself under his breath. The lynel was a bit different than his own, but he could recognize one anywhere.

It seemed to be making its way to investigate the camp. ‘Just our luck we’d camp in a lynel’s territory!’ Wild broke out into a sweat. Lynels on their own are quite dangerous and difficult to beat, but this one had a certain eeriness to it. If this beast was infected, then they would surely struggle.

‘How did I not see it? How could I have been so careless? I should have patrolled the area first. Damn it! How could I have let myself relax and drop my guard like that?’ His thoughts ran wild as his breaths quickened. ‘No, stop. You need to focus!’ he told himself to ground his thoughts.

He hopped down from the tree quietly and started to sneak back to camp. It wasn’t a good idea to fight in the dark, so maybe he could get everyone to safety and they could wait till morning to strike. Wild just had to make it in time without the lynel noticing. Of course, things are never that easy for the heroes.

Wild managed to make it to camp undetected and he jumped to Time’s side and quietly shook him awake. Time shot up, but Wild quickly put one hand over his mouth and laid his other hand with a finger to his lips. Eyes now deep with serious concern, Time looked at Wild intensely and willed him to explain.

Taking his hands back, Wild quickly signed, ‘Lynel on its way and fast. Need to get everyone out of camp to avoid fight!’

Time nodded and signed back, ‘You wake everyone up, I’ll direct them away from camp. Be quick.’ And with that, they split.

Wild woke each one up, urging them to stay quiet and follow Time. Twilight and Legend were easy. Twilight saw the look of worry on Wild’s face and gave him his full attention immediately. After Legend saw Wild mouth the word ‘lynel’, he immediately understood the situation and had no arguments about being woken. Warriors grumbled something about beauty sleep, but after noticing something was wrong, his attitude changed quickly. Four and Hyrule were a bit harder to wake, but complied easily. Wind offered some resistance, groaning loudly as he woke, but Wild muffled him with his hand. Sleep suddenly seemed less appealing to the sailor. The last one was Sky.

Wild, try as he might, could not shake Sky awake. Goddesses be damned, he was such a deep sleeper. He glanced over toward Time and saw most of the others had made it out of camp with the exception of Time and Twilight.

‘Go on ahead,’ Wild signed to them. ‘I’ll wake him then meet up with you!’ There was a look of uncertainty in Twilight’s eyes, so he continued with, ‘Trust me.’ With that, they nodded and joined the others.

Focusing back to Sky, Wild frantically shook him with force as he knew the lynel was nearing the camp and would arrive any second. “Sky… Sky!” No response. “Sky, wake up!” Wild hissed. Finally, the Skyloftian stirred, and still hazy with sleep, sat up.

“Wh- wha?” Sky managed, his speech slurred.

“Sky, we have to go. NOW!” Wild’s voice was barely above a whisper, but his words were sharp and his eyes wild and full of fear.

Sky had only just begun to register what was going on when a roar erupted from the lynel, who was now in the clearing. With a look of bloodlust In its eyes, it stared at the two left behind. It towered above them for a moment and stood menacingly. The two heroes hesitated to move as shock and fear set in. Then, the lynel raised his sword up and behind his shoulder to ready an attack.

————

They had made it out of the grove, but only stopped when they were sure they were a safe distance from the camp. Suddenly, they heard a deep, bellowing roar from the trees beyond. Twilight’s blood turned ice cold and his stomach dropped when he realized that Sky and the Cub had not made it out. He looked around frantically and saw that the others looked just as pale as himself. All except Time that is, who wore a determined gaze that was pointed toward the camp. If Time had faith, Twilight knew he could relax a little.

That is until the look was wiped off of Time’s face as a blood-curdling scream was heard from the direction of the camp, and Twilight panicked.

Chapter Text

Sky was having the nicest dream. He was riding on his crimson loftwing and drifting through the air, far above the land with a blanket of clouds below. Zelda, who was riding beside him on her lavender loftwing, held a bright and beautiful smile. He could almost feel the wind around them as they glided. Feeling at peace, Sky buried his head into the neck of his loyal companion and stroked his soft feathers. When was the last time he felt this… relaxed? He dismissed the thought and instead focused on the laughter that rang in the sweet tones of Zelda’s voice. 

If Sky could, he’d stay in this moment forever. He missed the open skies and the carefree life he lead before his journey. He missed Zelda’s innocent smile, free from burdens, and the way Groose and his gang would fool around. He missed the late mornings when he would wake and the colorful evening sunsets.

He’d have to leave this dream eventually, but for now, he enjoyed the freedom.

Suddenly, the world seemed to shake violently as it became unstable. He and Zelda’s loftwings struggled to stay in the air as they flapped frantically and cried in distress. Sky had an overwhelming sense that something was very wrong, and the way the world around him twisted and contorted only seemed to worsen the feeling.

“Sky,” Zelda called softly as if she was unaffected by the sudden chaos. 

Sky looked over in confusion. “What- Zelda, how do you know me as Sky? I haven’t told you yet-“

“Sky!” She cut him off, her tone now much more urgent and her face filled with worry. 

“What’s wrong, Zelda?” Sky pleaded.

“Sky, wake up !”

Sky was pulled from his subconscious as he struggled to sit up. His mind and eyes were still foggy from his drowsiness, but he managed to make out Wild kneeling in front of him with his hands grasping Sky’s shoulders. The same tension he felt in his dream continued to hang heavy in the air, making him unsettled.

He wanted to ask what all the commotion was about as he felt slightly annoyed that he was dragged from such a pleasant dream. But when he opened his mouth, all that escaped from his lips was a measly, “Wh- wha?”

“Sky, we have to go. NOW !” The grip on his shoulders tightened as Wild’s harsh words rubbed like sandpaper, wiping away any traces of sleep from Sky’s mind. He was starting to realize where the tension was coming from.

It was only then that Sky noticed that he and Wild were sitting alone in the deserted camp. His heart stopped for a moment as a panic grew in his chest. He was about to question Wild when his thoughts were interrupted by a deafening roar.

A massive, quadrupedal beast stepped into the clearing from the forest. It was bulky with fiery orange skin and fur and a long, dirty white mane that flowed from its head. Its eyes were narrowed and focused on the two heroes, glowing with an ominous red hue.

And for a moment, that’s all it did. It simply stared. Too afraid to make any movements, Sky held his breath. His heart pounded in his chest and his body screamed for him to run. Then, the lynel raised its sword and prepared to bring it down with a deadly force. He registered the movement just seconds too late. Sky clamped his eyes shut, bracing for an impact from a blow he knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge. But it never came.

Instead he heard a loud * CRACK * echo through the clearing. He opened his eyes to find Wild a few feet over to the left where he lay on his back, his chest making no movement as he struggled for air. It took a moment for Sky to realize what played out.

Wild had thrown himself in front of Sky, shield readied. Unfortunately, the wooden shield he had equipped could only handle so much force and it broke on impact, sending Wild flying to the side.

With its target decided, the lynel made a move toward the injured Link. Sky tried to scream out Wild’s name in desperation, but his voice came out shrill and cracked, surprising even Sky himself. Something must have worked though, because Wild stirred.

————

Wild landed flat on his back, knocking the air out of him. For what felt like hours, Wild lay there trying to draw in a breath. Goddesses, his arm hurt so much! The now shattered shield had done little to nothing to protect him from the weight of the swing. He could still move it though, which meant by some miracle, it wasn’t broken, but he couldn’t ignore the sharp pains that flared up his arm.

Through the ringing of his ears, Wild heard a muffled scream. ‘ Was that me?’ He thought. ‘ No, that was Sky!’ Wild in that moment could only think of protecting his companion.

All his senses returned with a jolt and his eyes shot open just in time to see the lynel lunge for him with its sword. Instinct took over as Wild stumbled to his knees, just barely avoiding the attack. With another attempt, the lynel hovered above him before thrusting its sword downward, aiming for his chest. With incredible speed, Wild rolled out of the way at the very last possible second and pivoted to slash at the beast’s side several times in a row using his Royal Claymore. 

The beast fell, temporarily stunned, allowing Wild to take in a gasp to fill his empty lungs. He continued to draw in air noticing how his lungs burned. Had he not been breathing this entire time? Shaking his head, he looked down at his claymore to find it coated in black, slightly viscous blood. His eyes narrowed as his theory was confirmed. There was no way they’d be able to defeat the infected beast. Not right now anyway. ‘We need to get out of here.’ 

Wild knew the beast would only be down for a few moments, so he took the opportunity to grab Sky by the wrist, pull him up and out of his trance, and start running in the direction of the other heroes. Each breath was sharp and scratched his throat, but he continued to sprint.

“Wild! You’re bleeding!” Sky’s voice dripped with concern and he was breathing hard. Sure enough, he was suddenly aware of something warm and sticky running down the back of his neck. He had only hoped he didn’t have a mild concussion, as that would only make matters worse.

Shaking his head, he pushed it aside. He wouldn’t be able to find out until later anyway, so he decided not to dwell on it.

As they fled, a memory clawed its way into Wild’s mind, one he was all too familiar with. As they ran through the wooded area, one moment, he was grasping Sky, the next it was Zelda. He could almost feel the mud, rain, and blood that coated him. Sky’s ragged breathing became Zelda’s sobs. Reality slipped away and Wild was trapped in a hundred-year-old vision. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes and he continued to run, not slowing himself to process the memory.

A few of Sky’s razor coughs from behind snapped him back to reality. The vision melted from his mind and he turned to see Sky clutching his free hand to his chest. ‘Sky is safe, that’s all that matters right now.’ His grip on the other’s wrist got just a bit tighter. There was another roar from behind, but it seemed much less disquieting now that he had put a good distance between them and the monster. He was sure it wasn’t following, but he wanted to press a bit further, just to be safe.

Finally, the two broke through the line of trees and entered a clear, grassy plane where the group was not much farther. When they reached the others, Wild doubled over, hands on his knees, and was panting hard. Sky broke out into a coughing spasm as he, in no way, had the kind of endurance to keep pace with Wild. Wind rushed over to Sky and started to sooth him by rubbing his hand in a circular motion over his back.

Legend stormed over to Wild and pulled him up by the collar of his tunic before yelling, “What the hell, Wild! You were supposed to be on look out! What happened?”

Wild simply looked back at legend, his eyes wide. He tried to speak, but no words formed as he was still shaken by the incident and the sudden flashback. 

Wild’s silence only made Legend’s temper worsen, and his grip tightened. “Well?” He demanded.

Although his eyes were angry, there was something hidden behind Legend’s glare. He could still see the frustration, but there was a hint of a grimace. Wild turned his eyes sideways to avoid Legend’s intense stare and said nothing. He was right to be mad after all. They could have gotten hurt if Wild had acted any later. 

Twilight ran up to Legend and grabbed his sleeve. “What do you think you’re doing? Put him down! Now !” His voice dripped with poison and Wild almost shuddered at the deadly glower he aimed at the veteran.

Legend growled but Time put a firm hand on his shoulder. “Legend.” Time’s voice was cool, but had an edged undertone. Legend turned his scowl toward time and met his gaze with a challenge. After a moment, Legend gave in. 

He let go of Wild and flexed his fingers. Twilight backed away. Turning his face downward, Legend muttered a bitter-sweet, “Sorry.” Wild nodded, quick to accept the apology. 

Time didn’t look satisfied with Legend’s sad excuse for amends, but did not press. Right now, his focus was directed toward Wild and Sky. 

————

Time turned toward Wild and Sky. “Are you two okay?” Although his face was calm, He was unable to hide his worry and his voice gave him away.

Sky finally found control over his breathing and rasped out, “Y-yeah. Thanks to Wild.” 

Wild blinked in surprise. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting thanks. “And what about you?” Time asked, bringing Wild’s attention back.

“Oh. Uhh. I may have hit my head on something and my arm is sore, but it’s nothing really!” 

Time knew this was bull. If Wild was hurt, it probably was much worse than he was making it out to be. Before Time could call him out, he was distracted by movement behind him.

As if he was unable to hold himself back any longer, Twilight pushed past Time and ran up to Wild, pressing a red potion into his hands. “Drink. Now,” he said bluntly, although worry seeped into his tone.

Wild looked like he was going to decline, but was too tired to argue, knowing this was a battle he couldn’t win. He took the potion from Twilight and downed it with a few gulps. He shuddered at the taste once he finished, but the color was already returning to his face. 

“Are you sure you’re alright, Cub? You looked like you saw a ghost.” 

Wild flinched at that last part, but recovered quickly and tried to give a reassuring smile. “Yeah! I’m doing fine now. I was just a little shaken.”  Time shot him a look, but Wild pretended not to see it.

Twilight frowned. He too was obviously not buying Wild’s lie. If anything, that just made Twilight worry more.

Time let out a tired sigh. He’d let the pup fuss over the champion. Instead, he took a second to survey the others. Sky joined the rest of the group who had been standing silently, merely spectating the ordeal. They all seem either too tired or too shocked to say anything. 

Wind, who looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over, had his head buried in Hyrule’s chest, holding the hero’s hand for balance. Hyrule and Four had as  much of the same look of exhaustion as Wind, but they were at least able to stand upright. Warriors was alert and monitoring their surroundings in case the lynel had decided to pursue them. Legend stood there, lost in his thoughts, still looking vaguely upset. 

Time was thankful they all still had their armor on and supplies with them, but they had left their sleeping rolls and camping gear behind in camp. ‘ We’ll just have to come back for them later,’ he decided.

Time cleared his throat to grab everyone’s attention. “Legend, is there anything nearby that would directly be in danger from the lynel?”

“N-No.” The question seemed to catch him off guard. “There aren’t any homes or villages near here.”

“Good. We deal with it tomorrow after we come up with a plan in the morning. After, we can collect our stuff and move on. For now, I want you all to try to get a little more rest. Hylia knows you need it.”

There was an assortment of nods and a few chuckles, and they settled for the second time that night between a few lone trees in the field. Time volunteered for watch.

————

A peaceful quiet had filled the camp as most had fallen asleep as far as Wild could tell. He sat with his back against one of the trees, leaning on it as he tried to relax enough to sleep. Unfortunately, his mind would not rest and he felt a headache threaten to form. 

He flexed his left hand. Thanks to Twilight’s potion, he was feeling much better. The sharp pains in his arm were reduced to a dull ache and the gash in the back of his head was fully healed. Despite his nagging, Wild was glad he had someone like Twilight who cared enough to bug him in the first place. The corner of his mouth turned up and he looked over at his mentor’s sleeping figure with a grateful smile.

There was movement to his left and a weight dropped beside Wild and shuffled to close the gap between them. Sky’s voice was soft as he spoke, “Thank you again, Wild. I appreciate what you did to help me out. And…” Sky hesitated, but continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t wake up sooner. Sorry I just froze in the battle.”

Wild looked over in surprise and saw Sky’s eyes focused ahead on nothing in particular. Wild wasn’t sure how to respond. “What? Sky, no!” he started. “You know I don’t hold you responsible for any of what happened, right?”

Sky was silent as he considered Wild’s words. Then, he looked over at Wild with a soft expression. “Thank you, Wild. You are very kind.”

Wild returned the compliment with a bashful smile. He hadn’t realized how much he needed those words, and he found them reassuring. A comfortable silence resumed between them.

After a few moments, Sky once again broke the quiet. His words were slow and careful. “Wild, what… happened out there? When we were running, I mean.”

The question slammed into Wild like a rock as he processed what he heard. After getting no response, Sky continued.

“I- you looked so… terrified. And I know it’s not because of the lynel, so don’t try and pull that on me.” Wild gave a sort of ‘heh’ but turned his head away, so Sky pressed on. “Please, Wild, I just want to know what happened. I want to make sure you’re okay!”

Wild considered this for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to share his flashback, but he knew he’d only make Sky mad with worry if he didn’t say anything. The thought of hurting Sky overruled his fear of judgment. ‘ Sky’s a good friend, ’ he thought. ‘ He deserves the truth. ’

Before he could change his mind, Wild took a shaky breath and opened his lips to begin explaining. 

“I- um,” he tried, not sure where to start. He wasn’t sure how to bring up the fact that this memory took place before his death, so he decided to omit that detail. He struggled to begin again, but Sky interrupted.

“Take your time. It’s ok if you’re having trouble…” Sky offered a patient  and sympathetic smile.

“N-no, I… want to do this,” he reassured. Sky nodded, so Wild continued. “Back before my first time up against the calamity, Zelda and I were trying to make our escape as we were overrun with enemies. Guardians, that is.”

Sky shuttered. Wild had told them about guardians. Although he’s never seen one, he had an idea of just how frightening they could be, at least from the stories Wild has shared.

“Zelda was exhausted, but I knew I had to protect her, that she had to survive no matter what, so I grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, just as I did with you.

“We ran for what felt like forever. I- she was so cold from the rain. But there was… something- I can’t remember what- that was after us, so we kept going.

Wild’s voice started to falter, but he continued. “She collapsed and was sobbing into me and- Goddess she was so tired and- “ Wild stopped. His emotions had been building up inside without him realizing, so he took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Sometimes when I’m doing or seeing something familiar, I get flashbacks to pieces of my memory. When we were running, it felt so similar to back then, and the memory just kinda took over,” Wild finished.

He looked over at Sky who sat there breathless, clearly taking time to process what he had just heard. When Wild couldn’t read his expression, he started to panic. ‘ Why would I share that? What was I thinking? What is he thinking? Ugh I should have stayed quiet, it’s not my place to- ‘

Sky suddenly pulled Wild into an embrace. It shocked Wild, but after a moment, he leaned into it and wrapped his arms around his friend in return. “Thank you for telling me, Wild. I promise it’s okay now. I’m okay. You’re okay.” Sky squeezed just a little tighter. Wild felt hot tears stream down his cheeks. He buried his face into Sky’s shoulder and for a moment allowed himself to grieve. He held Wild, providing silent comfort.

‘ Goddesses, I don’t deserve Sky, ’ he thought happily. ‘ He’s too good for this world. ’

“You know, if you’re going to be spilling deep, emotional secrets, then you should probably be more discreet about it.”

Sky and Wild pulled away from each other and looked up to see Legend standing over them. He gave a huff then plopped down to the right of Wild. Wild quickly wiped his tears and mustered a cool composure, not that he was fooling anyone. Still, he hoped Legend wasn’t able to see his face in the darkness.

Sky dared to ask what Wild couldn’t. “Um, Legend, did you hear… everything?” Legend simply nodded in response. 

Before that could sink in, Legend spoke. “Wild, I owe you a proper apology.”

“For what? Listening in? I can’t really blame you when we weren’t being exactly quiet.”

“No. I mean for snapping at you earlier. I want you to know that none of it was your fault. Lynels aren’t usually ever in this area, so I was surprised when you said one was near. I uh, I should have anticipated the worst considering our track record with dealing with unwanted monsters. But that’s besides the point. What I did was wrong, and I had no right to take my frustration out on you.”

Wild gave him an unimpressed look. “What?” Legend asked defensively.

“Did Time make you come and apologize? The Legend I know would never admit he’s wrong on his own. He’s too prideful to do that.”

Legend scoffed. “Excuse me? First, I think you’ve got me and Pretty Boy mixed up. Second, I am offended that you do not have enough faith in me to admit my mistakes! For your information, Time had no part in my moment of vulnerability!” Although his words were true, Legend could not hide the playful tone in his voice. Sky was roaring with laughter. 

Wild shrugged. “Huh. Guess I pegged you wrong.” Then, he too erupted into laughter when Legend’s face turned a light shade of pink. 

As the laughter slowly subsided, the trio once again found themselves surrounded by a comfortable silence as they drifted off to sleep, momentarily forgetting about their worries.

————

Time came back to the makeshift camp when he had finished his watch. He was looking for Legend who volunteered for the final shift when he spotted a pile of three people beneath one of the nearby trees. When he approached the sleeping figures, he smiled warmly. Wild was in the middle, surrounded by Sky and Legend. Sky was pressed up against Wild, his head resting on the champion’s shoulder. Legend was laying sideways with his back up against Wild’s arm.

The sight was heartwarming and Time decided not to disturb the three friends. He’d find someone else to take the shift.