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Time had always struggled with his body, ever since he was young. From being raised in a forest filled with children that never grew up, to being put into a coma and forced to grow into an adult, Time has never felt right since returning to that forsaken temple at the end of his adventure.
Growing up, properly this time around, he found it difficult with basic tasks. Traveling on his own in such a shorter body made it hard to do the things he found easier to do when he was sixteen, and when the Skull Kid became involved with that Hylia Forsaken mask, reducing him to nothing but a mere Deku Scrub. He felt more useless then, stumbling through Clock Town with doe eyes.
The habitants of the town saw him as nothing more than a lost tot, talking to him softly and helping him dress his wounds when he had fallen and scraped his knees. He had never had this kind of affection before, the only being that came close to it was Saria, but then she was gone, they all were by that point. Navi, the fairy that had stayed by his side, disappeared, and yet to this day, he still could not find her.
Malon changed everything though, when he stumbled into the ranch on a cold winter day, eyes bloodshot and body covered in scrape after scrape. She held him in her arms, whispering soft reassurances as she guided him into the house she shared with her Father, holding his face in her soft calloused hands, her blue eyes filled with sorrow.
“My Fairy boy, what happened to you?” She would whisper, placing a soft kiss on his forehead as he yearned for more of her soft touch.
Since that fateful day, he learned to heal, taking everyday in stride as he helped around the ranch, attending to royal business if it was ever needed. But some nights, when it became too much, he would sneak out into the barn, pull on the Deku Scrub mask and curl up against Epona as she wrapped her body around him, keeping him warm and safe. He felt safe, small and comfortable as he would fall asleep, his body not feeling too big or too clunky. He would then wake up early, feeling refreshed as he would pull the mask off, resuming his chores and avoiding his Wife’s question on his disappearance during the night.
It was his little secret.
Since his travels with the chain began, as well as finding out that fuzzy feeling in his head was known as age regression, a coping mechanism he had found out he shared with Wild. Though at first the feelings became confusing and jealousy sparked, causing a fight between the two, they began to figure out how to help both of them, with Time barely regressing around the group themselves.
He had them believe that he barely needed too, that only in dire times he would do it. Nights where he wanted too, he would fall back into his old habit, the mask in hand as he would head to a safe area he had scouted out hours beforehand. He always managed to return before the group awoke, knowing that the members of the chain who took up watch never questioned where he went during the night. All except Twilight, his descendant keeping a close eye on him with a worried expression, as if he were looking at a ghost.
“So,” Twilight began one morning, “Legend said you left again last night. Is everything alright? You know you can talk to me.”
Time chuckled as he looked at the rancher, eye soft as he placed a hand on the shorter man's shoulder.
“I couldn’t sleep so I went scouting. Keeps me busy until the sun rises.” He answered, hoping to Hylia that it would throw the wolf off of his trial.
Twilight scrunched up his nose at his answer, something Time noticed that he picked up from Malon, turning towards Wind and Wild as the two ran over to him, arms filled with many creatures that lived in the forest around their camp. Twilight sighed as he began to lead the two youngest back towards the camp's edge, helping place a frog back into the log Wind had picked it up from.
Finally feeling free from Twilight’s gaze, Time headed towards the fire pit, sitting down near Sky as the knight nodded in his direction. He knew that the knight wanted to question his disappearances too, but Time was grateful the knight knew not to push.
The day went ahead as it usually did, the chain moving onwards through the vast Hyrule that belonged to Wild causing them to barely be near civilization, but the Champion has informed them that they would reach Kakariko by nightfall. This caused Time’s ears to perk up slightly, knowing that the village was protected and the entire chain would be able to sleep for the night. It would be the perfect opportunity to sneak away and indulge in his little secret.
Through simple conversation, whether that be the boys complaining or shouting praises about finally having a bed for the night, they arrived at the village when the sun began to set, setting the village in a soft pink orange hue. Time felt himself relax at the quiet village sight, following close behind Wild as they headed down the hill. Several Shekai waved towards the scarred hero, the hero himself grinning and waving back. It was nice, Time thought, to see the champion had a calm and kind place to come to when needed.
“Are we nearly there?” Legend’s voice interrupted his thoughts, loudly putting a screech in the quiet aroma that surrounded the chain.
‘It’s just round the corner!’ Wild signed, turning around to walk backwards to make it clearer for the chain.
Time smiled to himself, grateful that he could finally rest for a while before sneaking away.
“What’s got you smiling, Old Man?”
Time jumped slightly, looking down to see Warriors looking up at him, a sly look on his face.
“Nothing that concerns you Captain. Why so curious about my feelings?” He replied, keeping his voice professional. He could not break, not now.
Warriors leveled him with a glare, one that used to make Time squirm when he was younger during the War of Ages, but the man kept on a brave face. If the Captain had any indication that Time was close to slipping, he would drag him by the ear to the inn and not let him leave. He needed to devise a way to seem fine, to throw the Captain off of his trail.
Luckily he did not need to, as Wild interrupted them with a high whistle.
“We’re here!” Twilight called out, standing next to the Cub as he took in the group. “It’s late, so I suggest we settle down now. You guys can explore the village in the morning before we leave.”
“I also think we should share rooms.” Warriors spoke up, moving through the chain to stand next to Twilight. Time noticed that his blue eyes did not leave his gaze. “We’re low on rupees and I know how much you guys spend here.”
“I’ll room with the Pup and Cub.” Time spoke up, stared hard as he challenged Warriors to object. The Captain looked startled for a moment, going to speak up before Twilight interrupted.
“Sounds like a plan. You don’t mind sharing with Wind and Four tonight Captain?” The Rancher responded, feeling satisfied as Warriors nodded his agreement. “Legend, Hyrule and Sky can take the other room.”
With the rooming plans settled, the chain began to head into the Inn, Time staying back as Twilight grabbed their key. The inn was quiet, thank goddess, as they headed to one of the rooms located on the ground floor. After a quick goodnight to the rest of their group, they headed inside the small family room Twilight had managed to grab.
The room was simple, the wood furnishings and soft light from the lanterns giving the space a warm feeling. It felt cozy, but to Time, it made him want to hurry up and slip away quicker. Wild headed towards the closest bed, pulling his hood down as he began to fiddle with his slate. Twilight stayed beside him, waiting for the right time to speak.
“So why the sudden urge to room with us? The Captain seemed disappointed that you didn’t want to share with him.” Twilight began, one eyebrow raised.
“The Captain worries too much, I’m a grown man, I can make my own decisions. Besides, I know you two are going to sneak anyway, might as well let your leader cover for you.”
Wild looked towards him, eyes blown wide as if he had just been caught stealing a thousand rupees. Twilight just nodded, confirming the man's suspicion.
“And here I thought you wanted to spend the night with your descendants.” The Rancher jokes, heading towards the window before signaling to Wild that the coast was clear. “We’re going to visit Impa, Wild needs to speak with her regarding the Yiga Clan. Purah informed us when we were in Hateno the other day that they have been skirting the outside of the village again.”
Time nodded, knowing his boys would be able to handle any threat they spotted during the night.
“Stay safe.” He relayed, watching as Wild slipped out of the window, Twilight following a moment later before transforming into his wolf form, shaking out his fur before they headed out towards the building the old woman resides in.
Perfect!
He waited a few minutes before taking action on his own plan. Checking that the coast around the window was indeed empty, he reached into his bag to pull out the desired mask he would need. Even with the threat of the Yiga, Twilight has said they were only sticking to outside of the village, which was quiet since the majority of its residents were asleep in their homes. He would not leave the village anyway.
He felt lighter and giddy as he jumped out of the window, feeling younger as his headspace began to filter over his hazy brain. Slipping the mask on quickly, the pain of the transformation felt numb, more comforting than it would have been when he had first been transformed into this form many years ago.
Stumbling slightly, it took the hero a few seconds to readjust his stance. When he felt ready, he felt a lot better with the smaller frame he now inhabited. True, this form had changed with him, such as still only having the one eye as well as being slightly taller, but he was still as tall as a five year old child. His headspace was now fully focused, stifling giggles as he ran his wooden hands through the soft grass that surrounded him. He needed to move quickly though, before someone noticed he was here.
But where could he go? He did not have time to scout out a safe area from when they arrived, as Twilight wanted the chain to be in the Inn as soon as possible. Huffing in annoyance, he kicked over a bucket that was next to him, jumping back slightly as a pink, flying object flew out towards him.
It took Time a moment to realize that he just freed a fairy, the flicking wings showing her annoyance as she flew into his face. It felt nostalgic for a moment, before Time remembered that this fairy was not her, not even her twinkles were the same.
“Hey! That was rude!” The fairy began, causing Time to shrink in on himself. “Next time knock before you - wait a minute, what are you?”
Time blinked a few times, wringing his hands together anxiously as he scuffed his foot in the dirt.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in there! Promise! I’d never hurt a fairy, I swear!”
“Hm well, I can sense fairy magic on you, even if it seems old. Wait! Hey! Are you cursed!? You have a human aura, but something is wrong with it!” The fairy began, panic filtering in her voice as she buzzed around his head. Time giggled at the action.
“No, I’m okay!” He retorted but it seemed the fairy did not hear him, tugging on his bangs as she began to pull him in a random direction.
“Follow me! I know someone who can help!”
With that, the fairy began to fly off, stopping to turn back to make sure Time was following. Unfortunately, Time did not understand why he needed to follow this fairy, but he knew that wherever she took him, he would be safe. Maybe this could be his own adventure for the night!
It took a while, Time’s short legs not helping his speed as he followed the fairy up a hill, outside of the village. The fairy kept an eye on him, fleeting back and forth to check on him, circling his head in the comforting manner that made Time remember a time where he had no worries, where he could just have fun and play with the other Kokriris.
Soon the fairy stopped, Time stumbled next to her as they came across what could only be described as a large flower in the middle of a forested area. The surroundings were quiet, only the sounds of twinkling wings from other fairies around the area filled Time’s ears. It was heavenly to the little hero, taking in the soft blue glow of the flowers that littered the ground.
“Cotera! Cotera!” The fairy began to shout, flying behind Time to begin pushing him towards the giant flower.
Just as Time stepped on the petal steps, the flower began to rumble, a figure shooting out of the water in the middle as a large woman appeared, her face looking worried as she looked around.
“Yes, what is it? Is everything okay?” The woman, Cotera, Time remembered, spoke quickly, her eyes softening as she noticed him standing there. Time finally clicked as to where he was. This seemed to be a great fairy fountain, and Cotera was the fairy who resided in it. “Hello there little one.”
Time waved shyly, putting his head down as the fairy that lead him there whizzed around, anxious beats of her wings indicating her feelings.
“Cotera this human boy seems to be cursed! He’s been turned into some sort of monster!”
Time flinched at the comment, not liking to be reminded of the form he was in whilst feeling little. He did not want his imagination of being that young boy again to be shattered, causing him to whimper slightly. Cotera softened slightly, shaking her head as she rested a finger to his cheek, Time leaning into the touch.
“He’s not cursed or a monster. He’s just a very sad little boy right now. Thank you for bringing him to me.” Her voice was so soft, like a thousand blankets, causing Time to lean closer into her touch.
“Oh! Well at least you can help him!” The fairy spoke up, turning around to him to fly over his head once more. “I’m going to go back and explore again now, take care little one!”
Time watched as she disappeared into the treeline, feeling upset as watching his new fairy friend leave.
“Don’t worry little one. She will miss you too.” Cotera grabbed his attention again. “Now, what shall I call you?”
Time thought on this. True, he could introduce himself as Time, but that would remind him of big him, and he did not feel like Time right now. He also felt too young to be Mask, that name belonging to a traumatized, sassy pre teen. Surely, this fairy would not question if he says his real name.
“Link.” He squeaked out, watching as her face formed into one of recognition.
“Well, I can tell you are not my Link. But, you have been blessed with Great Fairy Magic in the past, so you may be another hero hm?”
Time nodded at her guess, moving to sit down on the petal as he swung his legs off of the side.
“Wild is out sploring.” He added helpfully, laughing as Cotera ruffled his hair.
“I’m assuming you have some sort of magic to give you this form then? You’re body not feeling right when you want to be small huh?” Cotera could read him well.
Time nodded again, eye blinking slowly as a sleepy haze began to take hold of him. Cotera seemed to notice this, coaxing him to lie down before covering him with a loose petal, creating a makeshift blanket.
“Try and sleep little one, I shall watch over you.”
—-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Link!”
An urgent voice awoke the scrub from his nap, causing him to sit up and rub at his eye. He blinked a few times before turning to the Great Fairy behind him, waking up more as he noticed the look of panic on her face.
“Link you need to run, now! I sense danger and it’s too risky to keep you here.” Cotera began, picking up the boy before placing him on his feet and ushering him away. “Head back to the village and be careful!”
Time moved quickly after that, heading out towards the treeline he had seen the fairy leave through earlier. The area was quiet now, too quiet as he made his way through the trees, panic filling him as he could not place where the shrine he had seen earlier on his way there had disappeared too.
His breathing became more laboured as he ran, tears gathering in his eyes which caused his vision to blur. It became more difficult to see where he was heading, his path being interrupted as he ended up tripping over a rock, smashing into the ground as he landed. His knee suddenly seared with pain, looking down to see a few cracks in the wood that made up his knee. A sob catching in his throat, he wrapped himself into a small ball as he began to cry, his body shivering with each whimper. He felt so small, younger than he did earlier that night.
A rough hand suddenly grabbed the nape of his neck, yanking him up harshly as he came face to face with a masked face, the upside down eye symbol giving this stranger's identity away.
“Now what do we have here?” A Yiga Blademaster chuckled darkly, dangling the Deku Scrub above the air, Time struggling against the harsh grip around his neck.
If Time was in a better mindset, he would have ripped the mask off of his face and sliced this man down for even touching him, but he was too afraid and young to understand that he could get out of this danger himself.
“Let me go!” Time wailed, struggling more which caused the man to tighten his grip around his throat, threatening to crack it if he did not shut up.
“Now listen here, you will come back with me so we can understand what type of magic you are using, you little freak. And when we are done with you we will - ARGH!”
The Blademaster fell back, dropping time roughly to the ground. Time looked down, noticing an arrow sticking out of the man's leg, blood pouring from the wound. Quickly looking back to the man, he barely dodged as he reached for him, whimpering loudly as the Blademaster advanced.
Growling distracted the man for a moment, causing Time to crawl under a bush out of sight, his wooden form blending in as he peaked out from underneath.
“Stupid mutt!” The Blademaster shouted, looking around to try and spot his lost hostage.
He did not seem to have any luck, as a few seconds later Wolfie sprung into sight, latching onto the man's forearm as he bit down. The crunch that echoed around the area caused Time to flinch, shrinking in on himself more as the man shrieked.
Another arrow whizzed through the air, lodging itself into the man’s shoulder. Wolfie let go, darting out of the way of the windcleaver as the man attempted to slash at him with one arm. His aim became poor as another arrow wedged itself into the man's chest, too close to his heart for Time’s liking.
Wolfie barked, jumping onto the Blademaster’s back to knock him to the ground. Before he could get back up, a hooded figure descended onto the ground, landing square on the man’s chest before producing a small dagger, holding it towards his neck as a warning not to move.
“What are you doing around here!?” The figure spoke up, voice cracked but seeping with danger. “What do you want with the village? Does your new master not know how to stay in their place!”
“Revenge!” The man spat out, “And we nearly had it before that mutt of yours interrupted me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your weak leader! I followed him and waited until he was vulnerable before I struck! He’s more mindless and away with the fairies than you, Hero!” The last word was spat out like it was venom.
Wolfie snarled as the figure screeched, causing Time to cover his ears as the noise scratched his brain.
Time watched in fear as the figure plunged the dagger into the man’s chest, ripping it out before Wolfie dived into the fray, biting down on the man’s arm. The scream that erupted caused Time to whimper loudly, Wolfie swivelling around with a bloody mouth, eyes searching the bushes.
The figure flipped off of the man, pointing the bloody weapon at him as the man growled out a response, before disappearing in a puff of red smoke. They both stood quietly for a moment before the figure whipped his hood from his face, long blonde hair surrounding a scarred face. Wild stood there in the moonlight, the light surrounding him as it reflected in his blue eyes, making him look less human than before.
The silence broke as he cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Time!” He shouted, louder than Time has ever heard him before. He must be worried if he was shouting!
Wolfie barked, sniffing the ground to try and catch his scent. Time knew he should go out there, but he was still scared, the events he had just witnessed crashing down on him as he began to sob again, tears streaming down his face.
Wild’s head whipped in his direction the same time as Wolfie’s, the blonde boy running towards him before spreading the bush apart to find him. Time heard the gasp before he saw his fellow hero, struggling as hands picked him up, not wanting to be hurt.
“Shh Time. It’s me, it’s Wild. You’re okay little guy.” Wild soothed, Time felt himself being cradled into a warm chest as he latched onto the blue tunic. “It’s over, he’s gone. Let’s get you back to the Inn.”
A cold object pressed against his leg, Time peeking down to see Wolfie looking at him with concern.
“Come on Twi. Let’s get him back.”
The way back was quiet, an occasional whimper and soothing comment only being heard between the three of them. The window came into view soon, the dim light being the only one on throughout the Inn. Good, Time thought, Warriors was asleep. He did not need a scolding from his big brother on top of the one he was about to receive.
Twilight transformed back first, shooting a concerned glance in Time’s direction before climbing through the window, turning back to take Time from Wild’s arms as the other hero climbed through.
Time leaned into the warm body he was pressed against, clutching tight onto the wolf pelt as Twilight moved to put him on the bed, Time protesting as he refused to let go.
“Come on little scrub, we need to get that mask off so we can check you for injuries.” Twilight’s voice was warm as he spoke to him.
“No!” Time shouted, burying his face into Twilight’s chest.
He felt the sigh Twilight exhaled, his voice rumbling in his chest as he addressed Wild, asking the youngest to go fetch Warriors. This caused Time to begin wiggling, wanting to hide under the bed as he loudly protested with ‘no’s’ like a cranky toddler.
“Time, if you aren’t going to listen then we are going to get Warriors.” Twilight retorted, sitting on the soft bed with the Deku Scrub still in his arms. The commotion lasted for a few minutes of back and forth, distracting Time for not noticing the Captain trudge into the room behind Wild, eyes blinking away sleep, indicating he was woken up.
As soon as the Captain’s eyes laid on the scene in front of him, his demeanour changed quickly, moving towards Time as he kneeled to face him.
“Time, are you okay? Why is your Deku mask on? Can you take it off?” Time shook his head, gripping the wolf pelt tighter at the array of questions Warriors asked him, causing said man to look at Twilight. “What happened!?”
“We found him out in the forest above the village. A Yiga Blademaster had him, that’s all we know.” Twilight explained, his face hard as he challenged Warriors to retort.
“Wars, it isn’t Time’s fault. He was just playing by the Fairy Fountain.” Wild spoke up from behind them, causing Warriors to turn around as he gaped at him.
“And you let him? When he was regressed and alone!” Time flinched at the raised voice, watching as Wild’s face formed a scowl. Wild could really be scary.
“We didn’t know! Twi and I were doing a patrol around the village as a request from Impa, we did not know he snuck out! The main thing is he’s safe, but we need that mask off!” Wild bit back, turning towards his slate. “Get him to take it off whilst I make him some warm milk and get his plush.”
Warriors had the guts to look guilty at his outburst, but Time could not blame him. He really should have told Warriors he felt small when he had the chance.
“Come on Sprite, the sooner that mask is off the sooner we can hug and you can get your milk.” Warriors spoke softly, ruffling his hair lightly.
Time looked at the two of them, hitching his breath. Sure, milk sounded really good right now, as well as hugs from his big brother. But he would be too big if he did take the mask off. He wanted to be held, and they could not hold him when he was big.
“Can’t. Too big.” He mumbled out, feeling Twilight stiffen underneath him.
“It’s that why you’ve been wearing the mask and not regressing around us? Because you think you’re too big? Time, your size isn’t a problem, I’ve wrestled Gorons!” Twilight spoke up, his claim of wrestling Gorons causing Time to giggle.
“Yeah Time, all we need is one of Legend’s power bracelets and you won’t be a problem. No matter how big you are, you’ll always be my little brother!” Warriors chimed in.
The mass of positivity made Time feel accepted and safe, something he had not felt for a long time.
“Okay.” He sniffled out, crawling off of Twilight’s lap and onto the floor. He stood there, looking up at the two Link’s he called his family, before gripping the side of his face.
Pulling off the mask was quick for him, but as he came too, he looked down at the worried faces of his companions.
“Time you’re bleeding! How many scrapes do you have!?” Twilight spoke up, grabbing a potion out of his supplies and running off to find Wild.
“Oh Time, look at ya. Sit down, you look like you’re going to keel over at any moment.” Warriors grabbed him by the shoulders gently, rubbing circles with his thumb as he settled him on top of the soft blankets that covered the bed. Time could not help but sink into them.
Wild and Twilight returned a moment later, Twilight holding the milk as Wild held the stuffed wolf and loftwing in his arms. Time perked up at the sight of his plush, reaching out for the plush as Wild came closer.
“Here little buddy, I’ll let you borrow the loftwing too. I’m sorry if I scared you, I got really worried that man hurt you.” Wild softly explained, rubbing his own arm as Time whined, the reminder of his attack fresh on his mind. Wild seemed to think this meant a different reaction, as he began to panic, hands up as his eyes scanned Time for any other injuries. “I’m sorry Time, don’t cry! I’ll cuddle with you to make up for it and next time I feel small and you feel small I’ll convince Twilight to take us to -”
A hand on Wild’s shoulder eased the boy down, interrupting his rambling as Twilight shushed him.
“It’s okay Cub, Time knows it wasn’t your fault. He’s just really tired right now, and I think we should all settle down to sleep.”
With that, Twilight kicked off his shoes and climbed in the bed beside Time, grabbing the blanket from under him and dragging it over the two of them. He handed Time the bottle of milk, smiling softly as Time began to drink it, the mixed in red potion beginning to take effect as his injuries cleared. Warriors jumped in on the other side, throwing an arm around Time as he hunkered down, sleep taking over his body once again.
Wild stood at the bottom of the bed, looking for a clear space before settling on the bottom of the bed, curling up like a dog would do before light snoring filled the air. This caused Warriors to chuckle as he looked over at the boy.
“You’d think he would be raised by wolves.” Warriors whispered, causing Twilight and Time to look at each other before they broke out into giggles. “What? What’s so funny?”
Time chuckled around the bottle, finishing his milk before his eyes began to flutter shut. He felt warm and safe surrounded by his little family, glad to know that he did not need to hide anymore and that he was finally accepted for being him.
He was glad to know he was loved the way he was.