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1. Don’t accept food from the fae.
Before Wild joined the group and took over cooking duties, the small band of heroes shared the job. Hyrule knew how to cook. He wasn’t ever going to be impressive with his skills, but he had enough knowledge of herbs and spices to make a meal edible. Unfortunately for Hyrule, fairies giving food to Hylians was a big no-no. He didn’t want to trap his new companions in the fae realm, and he definitely didn’t want them to lose their taste for Hylian food. He had met people who had taken food from fairies. They stumbled around in a delirium, begging for food that would only taste like sand in their mouths. No, that was not the fate for these heroes, so Hyrule had to get creative. A little too much fire here, too much water there, and the meal he created had a lovely, gloopy texture. It smelled like burnt rubber, and Hyrule was almost proud of the monstrosity he created. Legend made a face at the cooking pot.
“What died in there?” He asked, poking the food and looking a little ill as it jiggled. Hyrule shrugged, putting on a self-deprecating look.
“I guess it didn’t turn out so great.”
“You guess?” Wind stared at the pot in mild horror, “Hyrule, I don’t mean to alarm you, but I think you’ve created a monster.”
Even Warriors, who was used to military rations that had less texture than whatever eldritch abomination had spawned in the cooking pot, seemed disgusted.
Twilight sighed, “I can go forage for something.”
Hyrule almost felt guilty at the exhausted look on Twilight’s face, but he knew deep down that this was the right thing to do. It was easier if they believed he couldn’t cook. He’d protect his secrets, and his friends wouldn’t suffer.
(He wondered when he started thinking of them as his friends. Surely he wasn’t so lonely he would latch onto people he’d lose after the adventure was over, right?)
Time gave Hyrule a strange look, clearly questioning how the survivalist of the group could ruin a simple meal so thoroughly, but he held his tongue. To avoid further scrutiny, Hyrule picked up the cooking pot.
“I’ll just… dispose of this.”
“Rest in peace, mystery sludge!” Wind called, bowing his head in mock grief, “Taken from us too soon! Gone but not forgotten!”
“Don’t be rude.” Sky chided, “I’m sure Hyrule tried his best. Not everyone is good at cooking.”
Something like that, Hyrule thought. He ducked into the surrounding woods to bury his most successful failure, passing Four on the way who gagged at the smell coming from the pot. He may have cemented himself as the worst cook in the group, but at least he averted a crisis.
2. Don’t thank the fae. It means you owe them something.
Normally it was Wild who broke his bones the most out of everyone. This time, however, it was Wind who approached Hyrule with his arm held flush against his body.
“I kind of fucked up a bit.” He admitted.
“Kind of?” Hyrule held out his hands and Wind winced as he sat down next to Hyrule. Potions were good and all, but nothing could compare to the healing of a fairy. Of course, the others hadn’t made that connection between Hyrule’s magic and fae magic. For all they knew, his healing spell was created by Hylian wizards. Still, when injuries happened and the person injured didn’t want Time to know, Hyrule was the best option. He let his magic do the work, repairing the break and speeding through what would have been a painfully long recovery.
“What happened anyway?” Hyrule asked, making sure Wind had full mobility in his newly healed arm.
“I was trying to prank Wars.” Wind admitted with a bit of a sheepish look, “He keeps saying stupid things about how young I am. I know I’m not the oldest or wisest one here, but I killed Ganondorf too. That’s got to count for something, right?”
“Warriors is… well, I think he’s just worried about you. He loves you, and he wants you to stay safe.”
Hyrule was beginning to understand why Warriors could be such a mother hen when it came to Wind. When someone you cared about was in danger, it felt like the entire world was about to shatter into a million pieces and leave you stranded among the wreckage. Hyrule didn’t really like that feeling.
“I know he wants me to stay safe, but it feels like he isn’t taking me seriously because I’m fourteen. He’s close to Time too, but he doesn’t tell Time not to do things!”
“That’s because Time is the de facto leader.” Hyrule dug around in his bag until he found one of his magic potions. He took a small sip to restore what he had lost while healing Wind.
“If it bothers you, you should talk to him. He’ll listen to you.”
Wind frowned in thought, “That’s… actually a good idea. Thanks, Hyrule.”
It was the times when Hyrule remembered how the rules of mortals and fairies clashed that made the adventure so difficult.
“Don’t thank me.” He said. It was meant as a warning, but Wind just laughed.
“You’re too humble. I’ll go talk to Warriors now. If you hear screaming, it’s just him discovering that I managed to hide all his things in the trees before I broke my arm.”
Wind ran off, and Hyrule buried his face in his hands. They kept thanking him, and he didn’t know how to tell them that it didn’t mean what they thought it did. Saying thank you wasn’t a polite thing to do with the fae, it was an admittance of being in debt, and debts to the fae could get dangerous. It was better that Hyrule ignored the steady stream of gratitude that made the fairy part of him start scheming, thinking of ways the debts could be repaid. Sadly, ignoring it only made his headaches worse, but he could handle a little headache if it meant protecting his friends.
3. Don’t lie to a fairy.
Hyrule loved his friends more than anything, but if one more person lied to his face he was going to lose it. Sky was staring mournfully at the rest of the chain? Don’t worry, Hyrule, it’s nothing. Four disappearing at random times and coming back looking healthier and happier than he had before? I went for a walk, that’s all. Even Legend, his own mentor, churned out lie after lie in conversation. Hyrule knew they all had things to hide, but did they have to be so up front about it? The only one who didn’t tell outright lies was Time, but Hyrule knew exactly how he was twisting the truth. It was a fae trick, which made sense given Time’s… interesting connection to fairies. Hyrule would never forget the bowls of sugar water scattered around Lon Lon ranch, nor would he forget the look on Malon’s face as she talked about the missing fairy. So Time didn’t lie, but the others still did, and while Hyrule knew that morals differed between species, it didn’t mean he had to be fine with being lied to. How could he help if he didn’t know what was wrong? How could anyone help? Being a hero seemed to involve steeping in your own guilt like a tea leaf in hot water, and from traveling and fighting alongside eight other incarnations of the Hero’s Spirit, Hyrule knew that none of his companions deserved that guilt.
“What are you thinking about, Traveler?” Time sat down next to Hyrule, who startled out of his thoughts.
“O-oh, just… a lot of things.” Hyrule waved his hand dismissively, “It’s nothing pressing.”
If anything, Time’s eye seemed to light up.
“Nothing pressing? You’ve been staring at the campfire for almost an hour now. Either you’re daydreaming or you’re thinking of something important, and we both know you’re not the type to daydream.”
“Maybe my thoughts are only important to me. After all, we’re separated by who knows how many thousands of years. What’s important to me may not be important to you.”
“Very well.” Time nodded in acknowledgement, “I believe Warriors may be hiding an injury. Would you speak with him for me? As our healer.”
Hyrule sighed in disappointment. At least when he hid injuries he had the decency to distract the others until a point when he could heal himself. The others tended to leave their wounds untreated, defending themselves with shallow sentiments about wanting to save potions. Hyrule marched over to where Warriors and Sky were playing some sort of board game, Time’s laughter echoing in his ears. Everyone in camp knew that hiding an injury was the least of your worries when Hyrule got wind of it, and Hyrule always found out.
“What’s wrong?” Hyrule asked, crossing his arms and giving Warriors his best no-nonsense look. He didn’t miss the look of fear in Warriors’ eyes.
“What? Nothing, I’m fine.”
“Try again.”
Warriors held up his hands in surrender, “I don’t know who’s been telling you things, but they’re lying!”
Instead of gracing that with a response, Hyrule cast Heal. The relief on Warriors’ face made Sky stifle a laugh.
“That’s our healer for you.” He said with a smile, “You can’t hide anything from him.”
Of course you can’t, I know when you’re lying.
Hyrule pointed a threatening finger at Warriors, “Hide an injury again and I’ll be forcing a red potion down your throat, got it?”
“Yes sir.” Warriors mumbled, looking abashed at the Hyrule’s brutal efficiency. Hyrule knew that in a few days Warriors would be back to hiding his injuries. Something stupid about not wanting to waste resources that all the Links regurgitated regularly. Hyrule himself was at fault for this occasionally, but he was good at avoiding major injuries. You had to be when the world was hunting you down for your blood. The Links were all terrible liars, but perhaps with Time’s help, Hyrule could learn to handle it.
4. Debts to fairies are always repaid.
“Hyrule gave me a shiny rock today.” Legend said, staring dumbly at the object in question. Twilight raised an eyebrow, prompting Legend to continue.
“I noticed that his bag had a hole in it, so I patched it to keep his bottles from falling out. Then today without warning he gives me this rock and wanders off again.”
Twilight nodded slowly, “He tends to do stuff like that. Last week Wild got Time to let them go exploring, and apparently Hyrule tried to teach him magic in return.”
Twilight glanced around before leaning in closer, “Everyone’s had at least one encounter where they do something for Hyrule and he goes out of his way to do something for them.”
“Really?”
“Is it something that comes from your Hyrule? After all, he is your successor.”
Legend frowned, squinting at the rock like it had all of Hyrule’s secrets hidden underneath some sort of puzzle.
“Not that I know of. It could be some sort of Calatian thing.”
“You don’t believe that.” Twilight observed. Legend shook his head.
“Not in the slightest.”
They trailed along after everyone else. The path was quiet, save for the crunching of fallen branches and the quiet mutters from those conversing. Hyrule was walking with Wild, of course, but Wind was tagging along with them as well, waving his arms around as he told a story.
“It… might be that he didn’t have much social interaction growing up, so now he overcompensates.” Twilight tried, attempting to come up with a reason for Hyrule’s odd behavior. While he grew up in a tight-knit village, he knew that Hyrule’s world wasn’t as friendly as Ordon had been. Legend also knew this, but then again, Legend’s social skills had never been great, but he never overcorrected as much as Hyrule had.
“He has a few mannerisms that just don’t add up.” Legend said, “I’ve been taking notes whenever he does something that doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.” Legend shrugged, elbowing Twilight, “It’s something for me to do.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Is fighting stronger than normal monsters with black blood not exciting enough for you, Vet?”
“When you’ve been around the block as much as I have, stronger monsters don’t do much to get the blood pumping.”
They trailed off into playful jabs about each other, Hyrule’s behavior temporarily forgotten. Still, Legend tucked the rock into his pocket. It was just another puzzle to solve, and Legend had plenty of practice with puzzles.
5. Don’t dance with the fae.
Occasionally the Links would be lucky enough to find a portal to a Hyrule that was celebrating something. It was a nice break from the fighting, the camping, and the shady inns. Time would always spring for a nice place to sleep, and rupees would be spent on the most ridiculous of things. No one was immune to festival cheer, and Tarrey Town wasn’t short on it. Hudson and Rhondson’s anniversary was a town-wide celebration. Game stands had been set up, foods from all over Hyrule were laid out on tables, and a band kept up a steady stream of upbeat music. Everyone was in good spirits, including Wild.
“I went to their wedding, you know.” He said with a grin, handing a plate to Hyrule and piling it high with some sort of spicy pilaf.
“Really? I never took you as the kind of person to sit through a wedding.”
“Only for my friends.” Wild winked, picking up a rock roast and taking a bite. Hyrule didn’t know how his teeth were still intact.
“So…” Wild continued, “They’ve got music going, and I happen to know some killer dance moves.”
“Are you asking me to dance with you?” Hyrule tilted his head, “After you’ve forced me to hold your plate?”
Wild took the plate and shoved it into Twilight’s hands as he passed. Out of the corner of his eye, Hyrule watched the plate get passed to Warriors, who handed it off to Legend, who gave it to Sky. Sky shrugged and started eating, and Wild grabbed Hyrule’s hands.
“Come on! When have I ever led you astray?”
Hyrule slowly withdrew his hands from Wild’s loose grip. He flinched at the look of hurt on Wild’s face.
“I don’t dance much, sorry.”
Hyrule did enjoy dancing, just in the right circumstances. The fairies in his world taught him to dance, beneath a canopy of leaves and glowbugs. They also told him what could happen if mortals danced with fairies, and Hyrule would much rather be safe than sorry.
“If you’re worried about looking stupid, don’t worry.” Wild reassured, “Everyone looks stupid while dancing. It’s part of the fun.”
“It’s not that.” Hyrule sighed, taking a step away from the action, “Just… you go. I’ll watch.”
“Are you sure?” Wild asked, not wanting to ditch his friend at a party. Hyrule nodded, and Wild reluctantly walked away to join the rest of the people dancing. He would have stayed with Hyrule, but there was an urge to move, to do something other than stand around. Hyrule sat down off to the side, petting a dog that had wandered over. It seemed as though Wild had forgotten about Hyrule’s refusal as soon as he started dancing, which was exactly what Hyrule had hoped for. The rest of the party passed without incident, and Time rewarded everyone for their good behavior with a few days of vacation in Tarrey Town before they set out again. That night, Wild practically dragged Hyrule into the room they would be sharing.
“Did you have fun today?” Wild asked, searching Hyrule’s face for any sign of discomfort.
“Yeah, I think I did.” Hyrule set his bag down by the door, “Did you?”
“Uh-huh. It would’ve been more fun if we could have danced together, but I get it. You were uncomfortable, right?”
Hyrule gave a slow nod, trying to appear sheepish. It was easier than explaining the whole truth. He trusted Wild, whose clothes shimmered with fairy magic, but he didn’t want to burden him with the knowledge that Hyrule wasn’t fully human. Wild seemed to accept that answer, lying down on the bed and stretching out, all gangly limbs and tangled hair.
“Well, we’ve got food for days now. Hudson’s insisting I take boxes of leftovers.”
“It’ll be like the party never ended.” Hyrule smiled, “Will it reheat well?”
Wild frowned, foot tapping a peculiar rhythm against the sheets, “Hm… I don’t know, probably.”
The topic of Hyrule’s avoidance of dancing was left in the dust as he continued to question Wild about food. Listening to Wild’s description of paella, Hyrule couldn’t help but relax. He may have had to avoid certain things, and he was sure he came across as weird, but he would do anything to protect the people who had wormed their way into his heart.
6. Don’t give the fae your real name.
The best part about Hyrule’s traveling companions had to be their names. Names were powerful, and the fae had a way of using that power that mortals couldn’t begin to comprehend. Fortunately, nicknames could negate this power, as could using the name of the fae in question. Since everyone, including Hyrule, was named Link, there wasn’t much that could happen in terms of magical mishaps. Still, Hyrule had to be careful with the names he had acquired over the years. Many of the people he spoke to regularly in his Hyrule knew what he was, and those that gave him their true name were few and far between. Even the Old Man didn’t share his name with Hyrule, despite how important he was in Hyrule’s quest. New eras, however, meant more trusting people who knew nothing about the fae blood in Hyrule’s veins. Warriors’ Zelda- Artemis as she was known in the group- asked the Links to help search for a potential group of traitors who sought to overthrow the crown in the name of Ganondorf. They were known to frequent a tavern near the castle, and Warriors insisted that they help out. He went off on some spiel about his duty as a knight, but it wasn’t as though the others were unwilling to lend a hand. Sky and Hyrule ended up sitting at a table in the corner, watching as Warriors, Time, and Twilight spoke to suspected insurrectionists, while Legend and Wild kept an eye out for potential problems. Four and Wind were waiting outside, both looking too young to pass for adults. If anyone tried to run, they were in charge of catching them. Hyrule and Sky were playing the same role as Legend and Wild, but as much as Hyrule wanted to go over and sit with them, he knew that the two lookout groups had to remain separate to avoid suspicion.
“This is kind of exciting, don’t you think?” Sky asked, stirring the soup he had ordered and making a face at the undercooked vegetables floating on the top.
“I wonder when they’ll catch on.” Hyrule mused as he stared at a woman sitting at the bar. She kept glancing over at the insurrectionists talking to Warriors, shoulders tensing up every time she took a peek. Perhaps they had already caught on to the fact that this was not a friendly visit to the tavern. Hyrule stood abruptly, and Sky got up to follow him.
“Did you see something? Do we need to tell Time?”
Hyrule waved him off, “I think I can handle this.”
He sat down at the bar next to the woman, and Sky shot him a questioning look. Hyrule ignored it and glanced over at the woman.
“I couldn’t help but notice your gloves from where I was sitting. Can I ask where you bought them?”
“Made ‘em myself.” She said, stealing another glance in Warriors’ direction.
“Really? Tell me, are they good for handling weapons?”
Her eye twitched slightly, and Hyrule pretended not to notice.
“I only ask because I’ve been getting blisters from my sword. People call me Traveler because I’m always on the road, and the roads have gotten pretty dangerous, wouldn’t you agree?”
The woman gave a noncommittal hum, and Hyrule tried weaving a bit of magic into his words.
“I’m sure you get people coming up to you and asking you questions all the time. Don’t worry, my motives are different than theirs.”
“Then why’re you still here?”
He gestured at her gloves, “I’m curious. What kind of material is it?”
Slowly but surely, Hyrule managed to keep up a conversation about the woman’s gloves. He learned all sorts of things about them, such as their ability to keep her hands warm while allowing a better grip. Then Hyrule moved to phase two of his hastily thrown together plan.
“I’d love to know the name of such a master glove maker.” He said casually, pretending to admire the fit on the gloves she had taken off and handed to him.
“Iri.” She said, glowing with pride at the praise. That was all he needed.
“Well, Iri, I have a few questions for you.”
Within a few minutes, Hyrule had all the information that the others had been trying to gather for hours.
“Thank you for your help, Iri.” He said, pushing more magic into his voice, “I think you should forget we ever had this conversation.”
With that, he got up and walked back over to where Sky was waiting.
“What did you just do?” Sky’s eyes were wide. Hyrule picked up the sandwich he had ordered and took a bite.
“Can you signal Time please? I’ve got the information.”
“How?” Sky stammered out, “You were only talking with her for ten minutes!”
Hyrule shrugged, feeling that it was better to keep quiet now. He had used a lot of magic and his head was spinning. Food first, half-truths later. With what Hyrule had learned, the insurrectionists were stopped. Hyrule wanted to feel bad for using Iri’s name to force the information out of her, but he found it hard to have sympathy for someone who would be hunting him for his blood in his own world. That evening he watched as Legend and Sky hunched over a notebook, whispering to each other in hushed tones. Twilight joined them, and Hyrule was tempted to ask what they were doing when Warriors slung an arm around his shoulders.
“Who would have thought our Hyrule here was such a charmer?” He declared loudly, ruffling Hyrule’s hair, “You must tell me how you did it!”
Hyrule ducked out of Warriors’ hold and right into Time’s. He didn’t like the knowing look in Time’s eye, so he left the room entirely.
“What was all that about?” Warriors frowned.
Time stared at the door and huffed a short laugh, heading for one of the chairs in the room. To the others, it was just another of Hyrule’s many oddities. Time knew better.
7. Keep your promises with the fae.
They were making camp somewhere in Four’s Hyrule when Time motioned for Hyrule to follow him.
“What did you do?” Wind crowed with all the maturity of a child watching his friend get called out by a village elder. Time silenced him with a look, and Hyrule followed him deeper into the woods.
“I’ll cut to the chase.” Time said when they were out of earshot, “I know what you are.”
This was it. The part where Hyrule either talked his way out of the situation or started to run. Even though Time obviously cared about the fae folk, he probably didn’t want Hyrule around where he could accidentally curse the others. He opted for silence. He had been doing that a lot recently.
“You don’t have to be nervous.” Time reassured.
He didn’t have to be nervous? What did Time mean by that? Of course he had to be nervous. Hyrule had gotten so attached to the other heroes that he didn’t know what he would do if Time told him to leave.
“Hyrule, breathe.” Time put his hands on Hyrule’s shoulders, startling him out of his thoughts, “I’m not mad.”
“Not mad? Time, I-”
“I grew up around fairies, you know.” Time mused, letting Hyrule go so he could lean back against a tree.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better!”
“What I mean is I know how difficult this must be for you. All the rules, and the fact that no one else follows them.”
Hyrule blinked dumbly. Had Time really been paying attention, or was he just obvious about the whole thing?
“Why don’t you tell the others? It might be easier for you.”
“I can’t do that!” Hyrule yelped, “They’d… I- if they knew how easy it would be for them to get hurt around me- I couldn’t live with that.”
Time tilted his head but stayed silent, and Hyrule took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself so his words would come out in the right order.
“It’s easier if I don’t tell them. I can just correct them when they do something wrong and hope they catch on. I don’t want them to change everything just for me.”
Time nodded with a soft hum, “They’ll figure it out eventually, you know.”
“Of course they will.” Hyrule sighed. He knew the others were smart. They may not have been chosen by Nayru and blessed by the Triforce of Wisdom, but they were smart enough to discover Hyrule’s secret. It’s not like it was easy to hide.
“Hyrule, look at me.” Time waited until Hyrule was looking up at him before continuing, “These boys think of you as family, and if I know anything about the hero’s spirit, family is more important than anything. They’ll accept the dangers that come with dealing with the fae.”
Hyrule didn’t like the look on Time’s face. It seemed almost scheming, like he was plotting something.
“In fact, I promise that they’ll love you the same as they do now.”
There it was. If anyone should know not to promise the fae anything, it would be Time. Why he was throwing the rules out the window, Hyrule didn’t know, but it was insanity.
“Take it back.” Hyrule pointed a threatening finger at Time, “I swear to Hylia, Time, I’ll curse you. I’ll turn you into a squirrel, or I’ll drive you mad.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Time said with a smug grin. Hyrule wanted nothing more than to scream. How dare he be so nonchalant about it?
“Hyrule, I’ve dealt with fae curses before. I’m not the greatest guest, no matter how I treat fairies now. I’ve broken most of the rules, and I’m still here.”
As if Hyrule needed any more proof that Time was an enigma. Time leaned back against a tree and crossed his arms.
“So, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but were you raised by humans or fairies?”
“A bit of both. I had family in Calatia, but in Hyrule the fairies mostly took me under their wing.”
Time nodded, almost looking impressed, “Interesting. Did you ever encounter some of the more… mischievous fairies?”
“Why are you asking?” Hyrule asked with a raised eyebrow. Time simply shrugged.
“I happened to know someone who was rather rude. She taught me a lot of… interesting terms.”
Hyrule tried to imagine Time swearing. The image was too foreign for it to take form in his mind. Time seemed to understand this, and gave quite the demonstration.
“I believe her favorite was… a slap on the Goron’s rocky asscheek.”
Hyrule stifled a laugh at that, and Time grinned, “I find that most people don’t understand just how different some fairies can be. I knew plenty of parental ones when I was very young, but there are just as many personality types in groups of the fae as there are in groups of humans.”
Time was obviously trying to distract Hyrule from the promise. The redirection didn’t go unnoticed by Hyrule, but he played along. He couldn’t forget the promise, but he could let it slide for the moment. After all, if things went awry, Hyrule could always lay claim to Time’s firstborn.
8. Fairies and iron don’t mix.
Hyrule saw the Yiga clan coming. Not that he knew they would be the ones to kidnap him, but he figured that someone in one of the Hyrules would know what he was and try to snatch him. He didn’t expect Four to be nabbed as well, trussed up and slung over someone’s shoulder. They made Hyrule walk, a little too tall to be easily carried. The chains wrapped around his wrists burned through his bracers, and his magic swirled around inside him like a trapped animal. The Yiga footsoldiers figured out his weakness to iron early on, and every time he stumbled some sort of iron weapon would be pressed against his back to jolt him into moving again. He was glad Four was too busy screaming expletives to notice his pain, as he didn’t think he could pass this off as an iron allergy. They were thrown into a cell somewhere in the hideout, and the footsoldiers ran off to inform their higher-ups of the heroes they had captured. Four instantly started searching for a way out.
“Are there any upside-down pots or anything?” He asked, scanning the cell.
Hyrule blinked slowly as the words forced through the fog of pain, “I don’t think so?”
“This is going to be harder than I thought. I might be able to pick the lock- oh, what about your magic?”
“What?”
Four’s eyes flashed, “Did you hit your head when they threw us in here?”
Hyrule frowned slightly. Was he acting strange? He had to ignore the burning slowly spreading throughout his body so he wouldn’t worry Four.
“I don’t think I can do any magic to get us out of here.”
“Right, so I’ll have to pick the lock then. Do you have any pins?”
Hyrule shook his head, and Four pursed his lips, “Right, give me a few minutes and I’ll try to figure something out. I’m sure the others will come for us, I’d just rather not sit and wait for them.”
One of the Yiga footsoldiers came back with a blademaster in tow. The footsoldier pointed at Hyrule, “That’s the one.”
“Oh hell no.” Four grumbled, putting himself between Hyrule and the Yiga clan members. The blademaster shoved him aside and pulled Hyrule's chains taut. He barely kept in a cry as the burning got worse, not wanting to alarm Four. Still, the blademaster must have seen something in Hyrule's expression. He chuckled, and twisted the chains around. They pressed against Hyrule's arms in a different place, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.
"Do me a favor and get some more iron. I'd like to see how far we can take this." He pushed Hyrule to the ground and left the cell, locking it behind him. Four was at Hyrule's side in an instant, "What was that?" He demanded, "Are you hurt?"
Hyrule didn't think he could give an answer to that without revealing his secret, and he knew he couldn't get the words out if he tried. Four seemed to realize this, as he nodded slowly.
“Okay… don’t worry, I won’t let them-”
“Don’t!” Hyrule grabbed onto Four’s arm, gasping in agony as the chains shifted against his arms. Four held him steady.
“I’m not… I’m not entirely human. You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Four’s eyes widened in understanding. He glanced away from Hyrule with an unreadable expression, and for a moment Hyrule feared that Four was going to leave him on the ground.
“Vio shouldn’t be allowed to make bets anymore.” He muttered to himself, making sure his own chains weren’t touching Hyrule, “Of course you’d turn out to be fairy-kind.”
“You’re not upset?”
“Hyrule, I’d never be upset with you for something like this. Nayru knows I have my share of secrets. Now, talk to me.”
Talk to him? What could Hyrule possibly talk about?
“Just talk and don’t stop.” Four ordered, getting up to go to the cell door. He rattled the bars a bit, searching for a structural weakness.
“I’ve been lying about my cooking skills.” Hyrule blurted out. Through the pain squeezing him like a vice, it was the only thing he could think of.
“Dawn, Aurora, and I used to sneak into the kitchens at night and we’d make food. They couldn’t eat what I made because of the fairy thing, but my food is edible.”
“Oh?” Four shoved his shoulder against one of the bars and it shifted a bit, “What do you like to cook?”
“Aurora taught me how to roast turnips with butter and cinnamon.” Hyrule mumbled, relishing the cool floor against the burning beneath his skin.
“That sounds interesting. I’ve never had roasted turnips before.” Four grunted as he continued to push on the bar. It made a screeching noise but stayed more or less in place, “Maybe when we end up in your Hyrule you can show us how to make them.”
It was at that moment when the Yiga blademaster and the footsoldier came back. Four stumbled back from the bars, but the blademaster only had eyes for Hyrule. The footsoldier hung back by the door while the blademaster knelt down next to Hyrule, something in his hand. Now, while running from monsters after his blood, Hyrule learned how to work through any sort of pain. He had to be at his best at all times or he’d be killed. When the blademaster brought the flat of his blade down on Hyrule’s side however, the world went white. Someone was screaming. It may have been Hyrule, but he wasn’t sure. Then his vision cleared, and he had a full view of Four, chains wrapped around the blademaster’s throat. The footsoldier ran forward, but Four kicked the footsoldier in the face, swinging around the blademaster’s neck. He was undoing his own chains as he wrapped them around the high ranking Yiga clan member. There was a thud as the blademaster joined the footsoldier on the floor, and Four grabbed Hyrule by the arm, dragging him to his feet.
“Sorry!” Four yelped as he heard Hyrule hiss in pain, “Don’t pass out!”
Hyrule allowed himself to be dragged through twisting hallways as Four searched for their things. He didn’t quite know how Four had gotten out of his chains, or how their mad sprint wasn’t attracting more attention, but everything was blurring together so Hyrule may have been missing some information. Someone was yelling, and then Four was yelling, and the next thing Hyrule knew the ground was coming up to meet him.
9. Kindness goes a long way
“Is he waking up?”
“Roolie, rise and shine. We can’t keep dragging you around.”
He burrowed his face into something warm and soft.
“I’m going to be honest, this is adorable.”
“Stop taking pictures, Wild.”
Slowly but surely, awareness started to come back to him. His eyes fluttered open and he frowned at the fabric his face was pressed against. It smelled like a forest, and he knew nothing in his cave had that scent.
“Good morning, Sprite.”
He shoved away from the mystery person, hand going for his sword. It closed around nothing and he muttered his protection spell quickly. Find his sword and keep from bleeding, those were the only things on his mind. He curled in on himself, the mantra repeating on a loop in his head.
Find the sword, don’t bleed, find the sword, don’t bleed, find the sword-
“Hyrule, breathe.”
Oh, that was Sky, wasn’t it? If that was Sky, then he was…
Hyrule stared in horror at the people around him. The other Links stared back.
“Well, that’s a hell of a way to wake up.” Legend said, drumming his fingers on his notebook. His expression was unreadable, and yet Hyrule knew that Legend had figured it out. He pointedly looked at the ground, not wanting to see the disappointment in the eyes of the people he had come to love. This was the point where Time’s promise was broken.
“I’d rather leave on my own if you don’t mind.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked with a frown.
Warriors leaned forward in his seat, “This is about the fairy thing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… it’s about the fairy thing.” Hyrule sighed, “I can’t keep you safe.”
He glanced up at the sound of someone standing. Wind had his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed in barely contained rage. Hyrule flinched, and Wind’s expression softened.
“I for one don’t want to be kept safe. I thought we talked about that.”
Hyrule stared at a rock on the ground. It was easier than looking at Wind.
“I’m trying to keep you safe from me.”
“I’ve worked with fairies before, Hyrule! Granted, they weren’t exactly normal fairies, but-”
“I too had a fairy companion.” Warriors interrupted before Wind could go off on a tangent, “I know the rules.”
“I didn’t know there were rules, but I’d be happy to learn.” Sky chimed in with a soft smile. Hyrule stared at him, looking for any signs of misdirection. His expression was earnest, and the knot in Hyrule’s chest slowly started to unravel. Then he caught Time’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He had an insufferably smug expression. No wonder Time said he wasn’t the best guest as a child. The fae were proud creatures, and an expression like that from someone they saw as a subordinate would result in some petty curses.
“Hyrule, no one minds if you’re not completely human.” Twilight said, “We trust you.”
Oh, and now he was crying. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and the tension in his body was washed away by waves of relief. Wild knelt down next to Hyrule.
“Can I give you a hug?”
Hyrule nodded, throwing his arms around Wild and sobbing into his shirt. Wild held him close, rocking him back and forth.
“I wasn’t lying back in the Yiga hideout.” Four said softly, “I understand why you’d keep this a secret, but you have nothing to worry about. You’re one of us. We’d never leave you behind.”
If anything, this made Hyrule sob harder. Finally, after sitting in uncharacteristic silence, Legend spoke up.
“Hey Time?”
“Yes, Legend?”
Legend’s expression was stony as he spoke.
“The next time I catch you cuddling my successor, there will be hell to pay. You’ve got your own successors to parent.”
Time chuckled. It turned into a full body laugh. Legend crossed his arms, “I’m being serious here!”
“Legend, it’s not that I’m stealing your protégé. I have an item that attracts fairies, so it makes sense that he’d subconsciously seek me out.”
“How’d you get your hands on something like that?” Warriors asked, probably already thinking of the uses of such an item. Just like that, the conversation moved on. Time and Warriors argued about magical items, Twilight chewed Wild out for some dumb stunt he pulled while Hyrule was unconscious, Sky pulled out his woodcarving tools, and Four grabbed a book. Wind then loudly announced that he was starving, and Wild suggested the group make honey candy.
“Even you, Hyrule.” Wild said with a sly grin, “Four told me you know how to cook.”
“The traveler knows how to cook?” Legend put a hand over his heart in mock surprise, “I feel betrayed! We had to sit and watch you burn water!”
Hyrule wiped his face on his sleeve, “It was either that or lose your taste for human food and starve.”
“Be grateful that none of us were brave enough to try that sludge.” Warriors shuddered at the memory, drawing a laugh out of Hyrule. Time sat down closer to the fire so Wild could teach him how to make the candy, “So, I assume it’s bad manners if I say I told you so?”
“You’re not out of the woods yet.” Hyrule warned, “If you ever promise me something again I’ll take your firstborn whether or not the promise is kept.”
A glimmer of fear passed over Twilight’s face, but he shrugged it off. Time laughed, ruffling Twilight’s hair in a move that could only be considered paternal. Sitting around a campfire with people who trusted him despite the amount of power he wielded, Hyrule felt safe for the first time in years. He almost considered telling them about the blood curse or the dormant Triforce hidden under his left bracer, but he decided against it. After all, they got to have their secrets, so why shouldn’t he keep some of his?
Hyrule didn’t know when he started viewing his fellow heroes as family, and deep down he knew that when their adventure came to an end he’d be alone in an unfriendly land once more, but for the moment he was content to be around the people he loved. The people who loved him unconditionally.
And if he managed to convince a few passing fairies to steal Time’s fae-attracting item (which was a garish mask of a woman’s face, by the way. Hyrule didn’t want to know where it came from), that was nobody’s business but his.