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Proxi was just a little fairy, and unlike the elemental fairies, she had little power in her to defend herself. What she had in spades was determination, and she devoted herself to encouraging people to boost their confidence and determination. It was the least she could do.
So when Link asked her to follow his younger counterpart to keep him company, she gladly did so, even though at first Proxi did not know why Link had an intense interest in him.
“He looks like he could use the company” was all that he said, an unreadable expression on his face.
However, that unreadable expression set off a ping on her radar, that there was more to Link’s reasoning than his verbal excuse.
She put off from asking because while she joined Link as his companion (she was not going to call herself Cheerleader even if that was what Midna snarkily called her as she did cheer Link and the others on), they weren’t still close enough for them to tell each other’s personal information. Proxi was not the type to pry into things if they weren’t ready to talk about it.
Well, she wasn’t the one to pry as long as she sensed it wasn’t affecting her friends’ well-being.
Proxi gladly followed the younger Link (“You can call me Mask if you want” he had said with an uncaring look, but she did care and refused to use the name, calling him Keaton or Kit instead), and she began to see the picture that she believed Link detected: lonely, pained, and bitterly weary eyes masked underneath a cheerful-looking grin and a sarcastic attitude.
Signs that told her that he needed a companion; someone he could lean on.
Well, not literally; Proxi couldn’t do that given the size difference, but she could sure do the figurative side of that phrase!
So she did what she was best at: give encouraging words when he got knocked down, cheered when he succeeded, laughed together when something funny happened, and stayed by his side when he felt low. Proxi never let the sadness show in her emotions every time Kit gave her a bewildered look whenever she comforted him.
That reaction told the fairy so many stories; how he hasn’t really experienced things that others would take for granted.
Every now and then she went back to Link and talked about what she had seen so far, and her suspicions about Kit’s past and his mental health. Link only gave her the encouragement that she continues what she is doing right now and the phrase “give it time”.
However, it seemed that her going to Link and back to Kit again frequently made the younger hero suspicious about them.
———
“Kit, this is all a misunderstanding…” Proxi tried, but it seemed the younger Link wasn’t having any of it.
“None of your flimsy excuses! You came to me just because He” Kit growled out as he pointed an accusatory finger at the silent soldier, blue scarf fluttering ever so slightly, “Asked you to, right?!”
“He did ask, but I was pla-”
“And you came to me to become ‘friends’. I’m guessing to get more information about me, huh?”
Proxi was speechless. She did not like the tone she heard in the younger hero’s voice. It was implying as if all her interactions with him were not genuine.
“So,” the ruffled hero huffed, a finger tapping at his waist where that mask hung, “What’s your game, Captain? ”
To give credit to Link, the newly-appointed captain did not change his expression aside from the slight tilt of the head. “ I don’t think you would believe me that I had no ulterior motives-” he paused when the child snorted, “but I really do not have any besides the fact I thought you would want the company.”
Kit raised an eyebrow. “If you thought I would want company, then why didn’t you offer your own?”
“Because I can tell, that you don’t trust adults, people physically older than you, and you see me as an adult. It was my guess that you would be more comfortable with beings that don’t have a concept of age, hence why I asked Proxi to be your companion.”
Proxi knew that Link had hit right on the nail about his younger counterpart and his trust issues, as she spied Kit’s eyes widening just a little bit.
“...I guess I didn’t give you much credit; you are far more perceptive than I thought. But even that, there still begs the question of why you thought I would want, or need a companion.”
The fairy knew what Link’s answer to that was, so she kept herself silent as she hovered between the two heroes. Although Proxi was a bit confused when Link averted his gaze to the side.
“No matter how strong one makes themselves to be, it’s still an act. Everyone needs someone to be a shoulder to lean on, a person to rely on. In fact, I believe the ones who are trying to act strong are the ones who need the unwavering presence of a companion, of a friend, a partner that they can trust, the most.”
Proxi stared into the Captain’s eyes and witnessed a haunted look appear in his gaze as he spoke.
There must be a story behind the belief to show such emotion.
And it seemed that Kit managed to pick that up.
“What happened?”
Only the fluttering of the captain’s scarf in the breeze and the twinkling of her fairy wings were the sounds heard in the evening field.
Proxi, sensing a change of emotion in the atmosphere, flew toward the silent captain and softly landed on his shoulder, dimming her fairy lights to comforting, soothing levels.
Kit kept a respectful distance, patiently waiting for his older counterpart to speak up, which was a stark contrast to how he had been acting just a few minutes ago. All of that aggression that was spewing out seemed to have faded away, perhaps mitigated by the look in Link’s eyes.
“... Just as perceptive as I thought you would be, brat,” he sighed in a tone that was an odd mix of fondness and... melancholy? Regret? The fairy couldn’t exactly pinpoint what the emotion was, but she knew that negative emotion was directed at himself. She brought herself closer to his cheek, emitting a soft, warm light.
That seemed to help Link a little, as the glassy look in his cerulean eyes dissipated a bit. “Thanks Proxi.”
She silently let out a pulse of magic in response.
Link slowly let his gaze raise to the evening sky, eyeing the last rays of bright orange giving way to the waves of midnight blue.
“The way you present yourself, as a strong-willed loner, kinda reminded me of a childhood friend of mine,” the captain started. “A stubborn guy who was putting up a strong face and always doing things on his own, saying that he was a lone wolf. I occasionally had interacted with him, saying that we should train together if we were aspiring to be swordsmen. He resisted at first,” Link let out a small snort, “but you could say that he wasn’t the only stubborn one either.”
Ignoring the small “at least he admits it” comment from Kit, Proxi silently encouraged Link to continue. She knew that Link needed to let this out.
“I thought I was close enough to him to understand him, for me to read his more subtle emotions. Boy was I wrong on that assumption.”
The captain ran his fingers through his bangs, a self-deprecating grimace slowly appearing on his face. “I rarely even tried to persist on hanging out together just for fun, since he stubbornly said no, he had something else to do. One time he even said that he was a lone wolf and he wanted to be left alone. I took that message literally and left him alone.”
Another sigh punctuated the somber air. “But you know what wolves are? Pack animals. They don’t do well when they are by themselves and no one to rely on. I believe that’s the same with Hylians.”
It seemed that comment resonated with Kit or something because she could see his posture shift a bit.
“Trying to show a strong front and pushing people away wasn’t healthy for him, and the end result… wasn’t pretty either. I had the chance to intervene had I realized the signs; that he actually needed, craved for any friend that would support and help regardless of what he says.”
Sensing where this was going, Proxi fluttered up to Link’s face and rubbed his cheek. “But it also isn’t your fault it happened since he pushed you away. One needs to grab the hand that offers help, you can’t force help onto them if they don’t want it.”
The soldier let a small grimace slip as he raked his fingers through his hair. “I know. It’s a fine line to walk on, knowing when to offer help and how much, and when to back off. But if there is anything I could do to help ease the pain, mental or otherwise; any chance, I would take it. That’s why I asked you to watch over and befriend our little hero here.” His eyes swiveled toward the aforementioned hero, and the blue fairy did the same.
Kit’s expression was taut; a bowstring that was ready to give way to the tension. “So you looked at me and saw your childhood friend?”
Link shook his head. “No, but the attitude reminded me of him and his struggles. While you may mask it well, there is no need to say that you have gone through many struggles, horrifying events that you feel like you can’t talk to anyone if they haven’t lived through it with you.”
Link’s gaze softened. “And I caught a longing glance in your gaze when you first saw Proxi and I together. Forgive me if I’m being forward, but… I’m guessing you used to have a fairy companion like Proxi, right?”
Proxi suddenly understood everything; why Link asked her of all beings to be by the younger hero’s side, the misty, nostalgic glances and far-away looks she sometimes got from Kit, the fact that some heroes of old had fairy companions…
Kit looked away, practically confirming Link’s inquiry.
Silently leaving Link’s side, she glided toward Kit, sending out pulses of warm fairy magic as she patted the young hero’s cheeks.
“I don’t know if you have anyone back home in your era, but while you are here I’ll give you a listening ear to speak to, a support to lean on to, a warmth to be embraced in,” Proxi declared, voice soft with affection.
“You have a friend in me if you’ll have me, Link.”
She quietly wiped the single tear that trailed down his cheek as the young one brought a finger close to her.
“N- Proxi…” he choked out, raw with emotion he had never shown before. “You would still be my friend even after what I said and implied?”
The blue fairy lightly flicked him on the nose. “Of course, silly! Now I ask of you, are you my friend?”
Kit quickly wiped his misty eyes before declaring “Yes!” with a large smile.
He then turned toward his older counterpart, a sheepish smile on his face. “I guess I owe you an apology as well. Forgive me,” he said with a little bow.
Link waved it off. “The outburst was understandable, but all’s well that ends well, right? That said, I would also like to be friends as well, so…” he trailed off as he extended his hand.
Kit took the hand and grasped it tightly. “Friends.”
Proxi positively beamed at the sight. She was extremely happy for all of them, and she showed her pleasure, glowing brightly as she quivered in the air around them.
Kit giggled with delight, and Link smiled at her antics before it morphed into a look of curiosity.
“Proxi?”
“Hm?”
“I was curious, why did you give the midget the nickname ‘Kit’ when he offered to be called ‘Mask’?”
“Oh it’s because I didn’t really like the name Mask, it kinda implied that he wasn’t showing his real self, that it’s all a mask. And the name ‘Kit’ came from the Keaton mask he has, a small fox, hence ‘Kit’. Besides,” she giggled, “the name fits with his mischievous, yet also wise personality.”
Kit hummed. “Makes sense. I was curious about that myself.” The younger one suddenly got a mischievous look in his eye, just like what he was named after.
“So what would his nickname be then?” he asked, pointing at Link. “It wouldn’t be fair if I was the only Link to have a nickname.”
She agreed to that point and began to think. “Hmmm… Captain would be too boring… oh, I know! Cadet! That would be your nickname!” The fairy declared as she pointed at the older Link.
Said hero spluttered at that. “Proxi! I’m not a cadet anymore!”
“But I met you out in the field, without permission, while you were still a cadet, so Cadet it is!”
She did not regret the swatting she almost received when she heard Kit’s genuine laughter.
———
The hero is back!
The hero is back in this era!
He is heading toward the castle!
Proxi was quivering in anticipation as soon as she got the news from the fairies living near the fairy fountains. The great fairy fountains were interconnected, and as such anything that happens in the land of Hyrule is shared among the fairies. It has been more than 2 months since Link left to investigate these space-time warps that the purple portals were now known as, and she was very antsy to meet him again.
Probably smack him in the nose for not visiting the castle last time when he had apparently appeared near an outpost at the edge of the Faron Woods.
He could have at least sent a message, the inconsiderate man!
Not hearing from him for weeks had frayed everyone’s nerves in the castle.
Which included the fairy companions that Link had rescued and opted to stay with him and aid him during battle.
The tension in the fairy gardens was getting a bit too much for her, with all the bickering between Cinder and Leesha. Even Loyla and Tyda, the patient ones of them all, were starting to get annoyed.
So it was with great glee that she left the gardens to greet Link. Her being with Link the longest among all of them, Proxi had the advantage of sensing his signature aura from great distances.
She hadn’t expected to sense 8 other auras, one being a bit more familiar to her than the rest. But that didn’t really register in her mind when she spied Link leading 8 other Hylians.
“Liiiiiiiiinnnnkkkk!”
Proxi yelled out at the top of her lungs, not really paying mind to his companions whose hands instinctively went to their weapons, and lunged straight toward her friend.
Link, on the other hand, just laughed as he raised his hand in greeting. “Heya Proxi, you missed me?”
“Don’t ‘Heya’ me, you dolt! Of course I missed you, and all the others too! Why didn’t you come to the castle earlier?! Or at least send a message?! Don’t lie to me, I know you popped out near the outpost near Faron Woods one time a few weeks ago! Cinder and Leesha are getting antsy and bickering all the time, and even Tyda is getting irritated!” Proxi rambled, her vexation bleeding through after her initial joy at seeing Link.
The fairy paused when she heard someone chuckle. “Still a spitfire like I remembered, huh?”
Proxi stared at the man with one good eye who spoke. His aura seemed vaguely familiar…
She took a double-take. “Wait. Kit? ” she spoke in disbelief.
“Hey Proxi, long time no see.”
No longer was he the short, weary, and prickly child whose smile never seemed to reach his eyes, but a tall, rather dashing adult whose eye seem to shine in genuine happiness. Scars and peculiar markings aside, he looked a lot better than when they first met him.
“Oh my, you’ve grown so much! How many years has it been for you?”
He gave the little mischievous smirk that she remembers so well. “Far too long, Proxi. Far too long.”
“ Kit? What’s with the name?” Someone in the back asked in an incredulous tone.
Kit (he wasn’t child-sized anymore, would the nickname still work?) answered the blond guy in red with a pink lock. “Long story short, I somehow got whisked here during the war he was in when I was younger and met them. Proxi here gave me that nickname to differentiate Warriors and I.”
Proxi suddenly realized something as she took a good look at the rest of the group. They looked pretty similar to each other. Not to mention how their aura was also somewhat similar to Link…
“Let me guess, you are all named Link,” she deadpanned.
“Right in one, little fairy.”
“I thought two was a lot, but now nine individuals with the same name?” the blue fairy mumbled a bit before she stopped, coming to one realization.
“Wait, that means I can use that nickname for Link again!”
“Proxi, don’t you-“
“So the pretty boy has a different nickname as well?”
“Yep, it’s Cadet! He still acts like a cadet sometimes, the irresponsible and inconsiderate man! He’s always a cadet in my mind no matter which rank he now has!”
Receiving the hearty laughter again after not hearing it for years made it worth being chased by her companion again.
Just like old times, huh?