Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A heavy sense of motion, the wind whistling in his ears, and a distant but clearly panicked shout were the first things to return to him after his consciousness roused from whatever dark depth it had been slumbering in. Who was shouting? Were they in trouble? He had to help!

He sat up just as his eyes flew open, the motion and blurred vision making him clutch his stomach with one hand and his head with the other. He couldn’t hear any shouting, panicked or otherwise. That was good, right? He tried his vision once more, this time without moving, and had much better results.

No wonder he couldn’t hear any shouting. There was no one around. No people nearby and even his mind was quiet.

Even his mind was quiet.

He gasped, looking down at his tunic even as his mind cried out. Green. All the panels of his tunic were green instead of the sewn-together pieces in four different colours. No wonder it was so quiet, he was split as well as being physically alone.

Green was in some sort of swamp, with bits of land, grasses and brackish looking water as far as the eye could see. He got to his feet, thankful that he hadn’t landed in any water, and turned in a slow circle. Off to one side were some trees. They appeared to be the start of a forest, and Green decided a forest was better than a swamp. He trudged over there, growling under his breath whenever his shoes plunged into water or squishy ground, giving a loud, sucking squelch as he pulled each foot free.

There were tiny little bugs flying around in swarms that kept getting in his face no matter how quickly or violently he waved his arms to disperse the bug cloud. By the time he reached the trees, he was spitting and sneezing, trying to get all of the tiny, winged nuisances out of his mouth and nose.

The others didn’t know about the Four Sword’s ability, and the smith had been unwilling to reveal it unless something came up. Green guessed that something had come up, so he should search for everyone - the rest of the group and the rest of him. He would take anyone he could find right now.

They had all been together before, and nowhere near a swamp as far as he knew, so the search could take a while. Unless the others were dropped off not too far away. Green stamped down the urge to shout out. He might get a reply from an ally, sure, but there was just as much chance of attracting unwanted attention.

Best to play it safe.

Didn’t stop him from grinding his teeth at every little noise.

After about ten minutes, Green’s ears perked up as they caught something other than forest creatures, birds, and rustling foliage. He would know the distinct sound of battle anywhere - the undeniable sound of steel singing through the air, and the metallic thuds of something impacting a shield. Green threw all remaining caution to the wind and ran, heading straight for the sounds.

In a thicket that was likely once very beautiful, there was devastation. Trampled plants, blood splattered and pooling on the ground, both red and the darker version tainted with black that they had come to associate with infected monsters, a couple of monsters lying slain and yet to fade away.

In the middle of it all stood Warriors and Hyrule, deftly battling the last of the monsters. They were outnumbered by one, and that one was sneaking around, taking pot-shots with a shoddy bow. Green wasted no time and raced forward, drawing his sword.

He came up behind the monster, one of Twilight’s Bokoblins if he wasn’t mistaken, and rammed his sword into its ribs, sliding the blade neatly between the bones and straight into its heart.

The Bokoblin sputtered and gurgled, trying and failing to draw air into damaged lungs that no longer wanted to work. It fell, coming off the blade with a wet squish followed by a thud as the body hit the ground.

Hyrule and Warriors, both having finished off their own opponents, looked at Green in relief and gratitude. The captain’s eyes narrowed though, and he threw out an arm to stop Hyrule from getting closer. The traveller glanced at the knight in dismay and confusion

“Who are you?” Warriors almost snarled, levelling the tip of his blood-stained sword at Green’s chest.

Oh, crap, Green thought. He very slowly placed his sword on the ground and raised his hands in surrender.

“Uh, Captain? That’s our smithy,” Hyrule loudly whispered, eyes darting between them both.

“Not a bad effort,” Warriors said, tone faux casual. “You got just about everything right, except for one of the bigger details. Very sloppy of you, whoever you are, not to know that our smith’s tunic is not all green.” At this, his bright blue eyes narrowed further, and his lips pulled back in a growl.

Hyrule immediately scanned Green from head to toe, horror dawning on his face as he realised the captain was correct. “What have you done with him?” he demanded.

“Whoa, whoa, wait! It is me, the smith! I can explain the tunic!” Green hastily said.

“This should be good,” said the knight, not moving his sword tip an inch.

Green took a deep breath. “So, you know the Four Sword is a magical sword, right? And that I would reveal its powers when the time came? I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it seems like the time has come.”

“He did say that,” Hyrule said softly.

Warriors rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to get us to believe that the sword changes the colour of your clothes.”

“Well, no,” Green admitted, awkwardly trying not to fidget and keep his hands where the captain could see them. “The Four Sword can split me into four me’s. Each of us carries the colour of one quarter of my normal tunic. As you can tell, I’m the green one. Er…hello?” he said with a short wave.

The knight lowered the sword fractionally as he absorbed the information. “Are you saying there are three other versions of you running around with different coloured clothes?” he asked after a long moment.

“Yes! Exactly!” Green said with a smile.

Hyrule squinted at him and put a hand to his chin, rubbing it absently in thought. “So, do you each have names? Because calling you all the same thing is going to get very confusing.”

Green finally let his hands fall to his sides and shrugged. “I’m Green and the others are Red, Blue, and Vio. Before you say anything, yes, I know they’re not the most creative! It was a decision made under duress,” he said sheepishly.

Warriors snorted at that and finally lowered his sword. There was no talk for the next couple of minutes as all three cleaned their weapons, though the captain continued to glance at Green now and then, as though looking or waiting for something. Green could understand the scrutiny and suspicion, but that didn’t make it any less irritating. It could have gone a lot worse, and Green only hoped the others were doing okay.

Where did everyone go? Why am I split? Where am I?

Red kept asking himself these questions despite the fact that he didn’t have any answers. He couldn’t help it. They kept popping up in his mind as he walked on, the quiet and solitude wearing away at him. He liked a bit of peace and quiet, but Red was a people person at heart and craved that interaction.

He was near the edge of a desert too, and you could hardly get more solitude than that. A big, sandy dust bowl of nothing. Sure, he’d seen some insects and a lizard or two, but they didn’t count because they couldn’t talk back. Red wiped some sweat off his face and tried to ignore all the uncomfortable ways his clothes were sticking to his skin.

A dot in the sky drew his attention and he watched it eagerly, hoping it was a bird that mimicked Hylian speech so he could chat with it.

It grew bigger as it got closer, and Red gave an eager little clap. His enthusiasm faltered as he noticed the lack of wings the bird had. Part of it was rather Hylian-shaped, nothing at all like a bird. Moments later he could make out Sky, using his sailcloth to glide. His enthusiasm returned tenfold, and he shoved both hands in the air, waving wildly.

Much better than a bird! he thought happily.

Sky landed a dozen feet away and kicked up a little spray of sand. He pulled the sailcloth down to his shoulders and fastened it with the efficiency of long practice, then strode over to Red with a bright grin.

“Good to see you, Smithy! The old man and I were wondering where everyone else ended up, so I went up the mountain there to scout and spotted you. Come on, I’ll take you back to him, he’ll be happy to see you,” Sky babbled, already walking off and waving for Red to follow.

Red cocked his head, giving a moment to ponder why Sky didn’t mention his tunic being different. Just a moment, mind, then he cast the thought aside and scampered after Sky, pleased not to be alone in this desert…whoever’s desert it was…anymore.

The thought of shade at the foot of the mountain spurred Red on, as did the easy chatter between him and the Skyloftian. Soon enough they left the sand behind, trading it for the firmer ground the mountain offered, and came to a natural little hollow in the side of the mountain. It was rather shallow, but deep enough to offer space out of the sun and wind.

Time was leaning against the concave wall, arms crossed and expression serious as he slowly lost a staring match against a large rock, half buried in front of him. Red decided it would make a perfect seat and quickly claimed it, smiling at the acquisition of his new perch, and feeling good that he had saved Time from a humiliating drawn-out defeat.

“Hello!” he chirped. He swung his legs gently, tapping his heels lightly against the rock.

“Who, exactly, did you bring back with you?” Time asked Sky, tilting his head at Red.

Red clasped his hands, fingers twining together, and cleared his throat before Sky could do anything else than look startled and confused. “Right, I suppose I should explain. So, here’s what’s going on…”

Stupid monsters with their stupid need to go after people because they have brains smaller than a pea that even a Minish would have a hard time finding!

Blue’s mind was very busy cursing up a storm. He channelled that anger into his arms, making his slashes harder and faster. He was doing more damage, but his swings were also more extended as a result. It was a good thing none of the monsters he was facing were smart enough to take advantage. Blue absently wondered if Tektites and Peahats even had brains. He had serious doubts.

An arrow flew by, striking a Tektite right in its one big eye, closely followed by a boomerang that knocked down a Peahat. Blue wasted no time in crowing about his good fortune and instead pounced, finishing off both monsters in seconds. He was panting but spun around to face the direction the arrow came from, sword held at the ready, a few drops of blood and monster juices falling from it to hit the ground silently.

Before him, bow and boomerang in hand, stood Wild and Legend. Both of them were eyeing him oddly and Blue mentally cursed them for being observant. If he had to get stuck with someone, why not the other parts of himself? Or a Link that would only notice something off with the smith if Blue started singing and dancing randomly.

But no, it had to be the veteran and the keen-eyed cook. Of course, that’s just how my luck goes. Why would any higher power ever decide to show a speck of mercy and grant me a break?

“Anyone in the mood for a snack? I’m thinking bananas,” the cook suddenly said.

“Are you serious?” Legend asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow and giving the longer-haired boy a look that clearly said, ‘what kind of weird mushroom did you find and eat?’

Wild absently hummed an affirmation and licked his lips.

“Keep your stupid bananas,” Blue said with a frown. “Am I the first one you’ve found?”

At Blue’s answer, Wild’s shoulders released most of their tension and he seemed more relaxed, if not still wary.

“And who, exactly,” Legend interjected, “have we found?”

“A magical sword called the Four Sword? A tunic that usually has four colours? You work it out,” Blue said with a huff, not in the mood for this. He really did not like being apart from his other selves. Experience had been a harsh teacher, but he’d learned that lesson well.

The mountainous terrain with rivulets of lava added its own level of tense atmosphere. The heat wasn’t too bad, yet, but it certainly did nothing to alleviate any negative feelings. The sooner they all got out of here the better off they’d be.

Legend hummed, looking him up and down. “So… doppel, clone, or fragment?” he asked.

Blue blinked, stunned, before a smirk slid onto his face. “Veteran indeed,” he said with a chuckle. “A mix between clone and fragment, I guess? The initial split was a bit messy. Name’s Blue.”

The champion was looking between Blue and Legend, clearly lost regarding the conversation.

“Creative,” Legend said dryly.

Blue made a rude gesture in return.

It did not take Vio long to deduce the shift in geographical location once awake, or that he was very much alone in more ways than one. His eyes drifted to his shadow, and he sighed, gently caressing the ground it laid on with a wistful expression. He needed to get up, move, and find the others. There was little point trying to work out why he was somewhere entirely different if he had no leads, and things would be easier with help.

He would likely have no choice but to come clean about the Four Sword’s ability if he ran into anyone else before meeting up with the other three parts of himself and merging back together. Hopefully whoever he came across first was the type to give him a chance to explain before attacking.

Vio looked across the lake he stood at the edge of. It was large to the point that he could only just make out the other side. The gentle fog that seemed to be rolling in wasn’t helping. He squinted, able to discern a shape moving around the edge of the lake. The fog made the shape hazy, blurring it enough to destroy most identifying features. Vio was left with the knowledge that it was some sort of creature, not a Hylian, as it moved low on all fours instead of upright.

He eased into a more battle-ready stance, waiting to draw a weapon or flee as the situation dictated. The shape made its way closer, details slowly becoming easier to pick out. Definitely a quadrupedal creature, mostly dark in colour, and quite swift. Also, it was heading unerringly in his direction. Did it have his scent?

Closer, closer…

“Wolfie?” Vio cautiously asked.

Now close enough to see, the shape was revealed to be a large wolf with dark green-grey fur and blue eyes, a familiar marking on its forehead. Wolfie wagged his tail, but it slowly ceased as he got a good look at Vio. He could see the wolf’s nose twitching madly as it scented the air, likely confused as his eyes and nose told him two conflicting things about Vio’s identity.

“I’m still the smith you know, just a part of him and not the whole,” Vio said matter-of-factly. “Have you found anyone else, Twilight? Can you track them down?”

The wolf gave a start, and black squares and rectangles floated upward from his form as it warped and changed. In a couple of seconds, Twilight was standing there, arms crossed, staring at him warily.

“You’re not the first I’ve found,” he said cagily.

He’s so unsubtle it’s almost physically painful. We may not have time for this, he thought with a sigh.

“Look, Twilight, the others may be in trouble, and I don’t want to have to waste time explaining more than I have to. Can you lead me back to whoever you’ve found so far?”

The ranch hand twitched, taking a step back in the direction he’d come from, but shifting from foot to foot instead of going any further. He seemed to make up his mind after several long seconds and jerked his head, marching off.

Vio rolled his eyes as Twilight’s back, jogging lightly to keep up with the Ordonian’s longer strides. He would’ve called the move petty and childish if he wasn’t fully aware that Twilight probably had no clue and just wanted to get back to whoever else he’d found as soon as possible.

The fog quickly obscured the spot Vio had been the one time he chanced a glance back. Time and distance seemed irrelevant while in the fog’s grasp, but both of them perked up at the sound of light and cheery humming. Twilight led him straight to Wind, the sailor cheerfully waving in greeting even as he ceased humming, though Vio noticed how careful he was to place himself between Vio and the sailor without appearing to be in the way.

“This fog came in so fast!” Wind announced. “I was a bit worried you’d get lost. But you found our smith!”

“I found part of our smith,” Twilight corrected.

Wind’s eyes went wide, and he bounced over, circling Vio as he looked for anything amiss. “You’re not missing a limb, are you?!” he blurted in horror and awe.

Vio raised an eyebrow, along with his arms, and spread his fingers so that Wind could get a good look. “No, I’m not missing any body parts. I am missing three other bodies though. They look exactly like me, except one is wearing red, one blue, and the other green. My name, before you ask, is Vio,” he calmly explained.

Something seemed to click in Twilight’s head, and he shuffled a bit further to the side. It was an olive branch and Vio nodded, taking it happily enough. Wind appeared boggled as he thought things over, his face twisting into all sorts of interesting expressions.

“Wait…” the sailor said suddenly. “Is that what the multi-coloured tunic is for? There are four of you?!”

May whatever power that is watching over me please give me the strength to deal with someone as bad as Red, yet even younger.

Chapter Text

The forest was beautiful. It was lush, healthy and alive, with a multitude of plants both edible and decorative growing in abundance. Green had already seen and taken note of more than one Minish portal he could use if need be. It was no passing thought either. The forest was beautiful, but the atmosphere was heavy, weighed down by tension so thick Green was sure he could cut it with the Four Sword.

He was walking just ahead of the other two, who flanked him from behind. His scalp itched and his spine tingled with tiny arcs of freezing lightning as eyes bored into him, their gazes assessing and judgemental.

Warriors was the worst of the pair by far, but Hyrule was not slacking in the distrust department. He just hid it better. Some part of Green appreciated the less overt approach, but it would be much better if there was no distrust at all. He knew that his unique circumstance made it… difficult. It had been very hard even for the parts of himself, so he completely understood where they were coming from.

Still annoying, he mentally grumbled.

If this went on for much longer, he would feel like a Minish being hunted by two cats on his tail.

“Why don’t you tell us about the other parts?” Warriors suddenly said, shattering the verbal silence.

He says ‘other parts’ like we’re some little jigsaw puzzle or toy! Green clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together, and worked very hard on not spinning on his heel and dislocating one of the captain’s kneecaps.

“Can you sense each other or communicate telepathically? It would make searching easier,” Hyrule said. His eyes darted between Green and Warriors, unseen to the smith.

At least that was worded nicely, he thought with a sigh, forcing his jaw to relax. “It would be really helpful, yeah. Sadly, the answer is no, or our quest would’ve been much easier.”

And we would never have had cause to doubt Vio…

“Is this why you don’t like magic swords?” Hyrule asked.

Green nodded. “You never know what could happen when you pick one up,” he said sagely.

“...that’s fair, actually,” Hyrule said after a while.

Green was starting to wonder if perhaps the brunet was beginning to change his mind and if he should try to encourage that. It would probably look even more suspicious to them if he did. Green resigned himself for an uncomfortable trip and mentally began praying to whoever might listen that they came across another Colour soon so the paranoia could be laid to rest.

Getting out of this forest might be nice too. Tree after tree became monotonous after a while, and Green would prefer more walking space than one trail. The other two would have no proper excuse to shadow him-

Green winced and cut off that thought.

“You do realise I’m as lost as you two are, right? And that I have no idea where I’m leading us?” he asked out of the blue.

“Well, there is only one visible trail,” Hyrule said.

“Yes,” said Warriors, “so if we’re going to be attacked along here then it won’t matter who is leading.”

“Your overwhelming concern for me being the first one attacked in such a scenario is truly touching,” Green said, his tone a mixture of deadpan and snarky.

Hyrule quietly coughed. “That did sound kind of bad,” he said softly.

Green was unsure if their traveller was aiming his words at Green, at the captain, or at both of them. After a few seconds he decided that it didn’t matter and turned his attention back to putting one foot in front of the other as an endless parade of trees went by.

There was no attack in the next few minutes, but it didn’t make Green feel any better. A soft mist began to creep in along the ground, gently curling around the grass, small ferns and little flowers. It was rather thin, and Green wondered if it would stay that way.

If this gets thicker and there’s a tree with a creepy face and spooky branches, I hope the captain screams, he thought uncharitably.

An hour or so later, the mist was now a thick fog, and progress had slowed considerably. To Green’s dismay, there had been no significantly spooky trees and no screaming. Oh well, there was still time. The forest didn’t seem to want to end, so there were plenty of chances. The fog was becoming a legitimate concern as none of them could reliably see more than half a dozen feet ahead. It could easily conceal friend or foe and even the sound seemed muffled and distorted.

The tense atmosphere had become much worse, with no end in sight as the air grew heavier and chiller, not all of it from the moisture.

Time and Sky had taken his explanation really well and Red was pretty happy about how it turned out. They were great to talk to, Sky more than Time, but they kept the loneliness at bay for now. Red would still feel lonely though, no matter how much fun they’d be having. He needed his brothers nearby, all of them, to completely erase that feeling.

They were moving away from the desert and heading into the mountains. It didn’t make his clothes sweaty and stick to his skin uncomfortably as much, so Red was all for this direction.

I really, really hope none of the others are stuck in the middle of the desert…

The mountain scenery was basically as bleak as the desert and there was little for Red to focus on or entertain himself with apart from his two older and taller companions. They were great, but Red was getting a little tired of looking up all the time. He grinned as he noticed their current path ascended. He bounced ahead, keeping himself far enough up the path that he was about eye level with the others.

Now we’re more equal! Much better, he thought in satisfaction.

People looking down on him made him feel inferior. Not a child, or childish, just inferior, as though the other knew better simply because they were taller. Looking up was something of a submissive move, while looking down was more dominant. Most people were not even aware of such things, so Red didn’t tend to make a fuss or mention it. But if there was an opportunity to level the playing field, Red always took it.

He wasn’t even sure if his brothers were aware of it, to be honest. They’d always let him do his thing and didn’t question it if he changed things. Attitudes towards them always subtly shifted to something more favourable for them if he managed to do his thing and the others had always put it down to some odd charisma Red had.

Red wasn’t entirely sure how to explain it even if they asked, so he simply let them think what they would.

Sky and Time had asked a few questions, just some basics, which he answered as best he could, but he knew neither of them wanted to push boundaries and were holding back. On one hand, Red liked that they were doing their best to respect his privacy. On the other hand, it annoyed him that they weren’t even giving him the option to answer or decline simply because they wouldn’t ask.

“I wonder how far away everyone else is,” Sky pondered aloud. “I found you almost right away, then came across…Red shortly after,” he said, pausing at the name.

“You feel as though, because of those time frames, we should have run across someone else by now,” said Time.

Sky nodded, humming in agreement. He was looking around constantly, obviously scanning for another companion. Time only had one eye to help, so Red decided to lend both of his to the cause.

Despite the desert still being some way behind them, the air wasn’t getting any cooler the further they went. All of them thought they would leave the heat back with the desert, but it was stubbornly hanging around.

“I haven’t seen a single monster of any kind,” Red suddenly spoke up. “Have you?”

“Now that you mention it, no,” said Time, frowning a little as he looked around, like the mere mention of monsters would summon one to attack them.

“Perhaps this is a peaceful area?” Sky mused.

“Perhaps,” Time said in a non-committal way. “Stay alert. Monsters aren’t the only dangers in places like this.” He nodded meaningfully at the ledges both above and below that were becoming steeper and more rugged as they went.

“Can we shout for the others?” asked Red. Sound was a better option in places like this if there was no chance of a rockslide and he was almost bouncing in place to find the others as soon as possible.

Time stared at him. “Just because we haven’t seen any monsters does not mean there aren’t any around. I would rather not draw attention to us.”

Red just wanted to do nothing more than scream the names of his brothers across the ridges in the hopes of one of them answering him. They’re out there, I need to reach them!

But Time was older and arguably more experienced, so Red held back even though it was on the verge of being physically painful to do so. They continued on quietly, most of the chatter now absent, leaving an indefinable void with its loss that Red desperately wanted to fill. He began to hum very softly to himself, slowly working his way through all of the songs he knew.

Blue growled and wiped his sleeve across his forehead, venting his frustration by kicking a rock. It tumbled down the path and then over the edge, lost to sight. “What being that utterly lacks a brain decided a volcano was a good place to drop us?”

“Volcanoes not your thing?” Legend asked airily.

Blue only gave him a filthy look in reply.

“I like this volcano,” said Wild. Blue and Legend both sent him incredulous stares and he shrugged. “It’s a whole lot nicer than my Death Mountain. I haven’t needed any special armour, no elixirs, and nothing is even on fire. Best volcano ever!”

“I’ll be happier when we’re off it, even though we’re not on fire now,” said Legend. He rubbed his fingers across his forehead and briefly pinched the bridge of his nose after looking away from the champion.

Blue understood the headaches induced by companions all too well. What I wouldn’t give to earn a headache from Green, Red or Vio right now though, he thought. The urge to smack his own head for the thought was strong but his will was stronger. This time.

“So, if volcanoes aren’t your scene, what’s your preferred place?” Legend asked. “You, too, Champion. You’ve got to like somewhere better than a volcano.”

Wild just grinned and nodded, raising a sardonic eyebrow all the same. “Of course,” he said, as though such an answer should be obvious. “My favourite place to be, out in the wilderness at least, is sitting in the shade of an apple tree that overlooks a field.”

Blue was surprised by the look of wistful nostalgia that crossed the veteran’s face for a second or two.

“Apple trees are great.” Legend’s tone was a touch sad but full of agreement. “What about you, Blue?”

The smith smirked, barely even having to think about it. “There’s this little inlet, like a miniature beach, right near the base of a waterfall near a cliff. Great spot to relax once you get there. And what little slice of nature do you enjoy?”

Legend frowned in thought, hemming and hawing. “You know, for all of the places I’ve been, I don’t think I have one.”

Both Blue and Wild made noises of protest and Legend waved a hand to get them to quiet down. Wild pouted, like a child denied a sweet treat, while Blue crossed his arms and huffed, feeling cheated.

“I knew a great spot on a beach once. A log between coconut trees that you could sit on and just stare out at the waves,” the veteran eventually said. His gaze was distant, staring at something else that none of them could see.

“Heck yeah, beach spots,” Blue said with a grin, keeping his tone light. It was enough to tease a tiny smirk out of Legend and Blue had to be content with that.

A Tektite leapt up from a lower ridge that was just out of sight. It landed right on Blue, bringing him crashing down to the ground. It bobbed there for several seconds, eye roving about, as Blue wheezed from the weight and shook off the disorientation that going from vertical to horizontal so quickly granted.

An arrow whistled over his body, barely missing the Tektite as it leapt away. He grunted at the force used and rubbed his sore stomach. That’s going to bruise later. He rolled over and got to his hands and knees, looking up in time to see Legend take out the monster with one precise stab of his orange blade.

Legend sheathed his sword and looked at Blue. “You good?”

One last rub to his tender tummy, cleverly disguised as a move to smooth out his tunic, and Blue nodded, now standing upright. He kept a wary eye on the path ahead for any more ambushes, fingers twitching to reach for the handle of a weapon. He would not go down so easily again, especially not to something like a Tektite.

Whatever power Vio had prayed to did not see fit to grant his prayer.

The enthusiasm Wind displayed, along with the energy and curiosity he put towards questioning Vio, made the smith with the violet tunic feel drained. It was as though Wind was syphoning the energy from Vio to keep himself going. Vio was used to dealing with the energy and enthusiasm of Red and Blue, but Wind was a whole other level of exhausting. He figured it was just due to the questions about himself and his brothers that Red and Blue had never needed to ask.

Vio answered what he could as best he was able without infringing on anyone’s privacy. It was a fine line to walk next to at some points, but he didn’t think that telling Wind what Green’s favourite colour was counted as classified information.

Wind had been elated and yet very disappointed to find out the answer was green.

“If I ask you what yours is, I guess you’ll tell me it’s purple?” he inquired, making a pained face.

“No, it’s blue,” said Vio.

The sailor looked like he was unsure whether or not to believe his answer, his expression contorting several times as his mind churned.

The smith turned his attention completely back to their surroundings. The trio had moved away from the lake heading in a more or less random direction at almost a right angle from where they had met up. The fog was a major hindrance, obscuring much of the landscape and anything that might be hidden within, along with muffling and distorting all sounds. If anything was going to ambush them then they would have very little warning, if any.

Would the Gust Jar work on fog? Although considering how large of an area this fog must be covering, it would probably be a futile endeavour anyway. A lantern may help clear some of it away around us, but it would be nothing more than a beacon announcing our presence and position to others.

They seemed to be moving over open terrain, though more and more trees were starting to appear. Vio couldn’t decide if walking into a foggy forest was better or worse than being out in the open on a foggy field.

A strange, tiny noise, like a mosquito, came to life. Vio’s ears flicked slightly, trying to find the source and track it, and he vaguely registered Twilight doing the same thing in his peripheral vision. A swift flash of movement then an impact. Vio stumbled back a step or two, blinking uncomprehendingly at the arrow shaft now protruding from his upper left arm.

The cogs turned, turned, clicked.

“Archers! Look out!” he yelled. Twilight and Wind immediately got their shields into place and Vio awkwardly followed using only his right arm. His left refused to move without licks of agony firing up and down the entire limb and into his shoulder.

Twilight dashed off in the direction the arrow had come from. Vio was unable to do anything more than stand there and huddle behind his own shield, feeling thoroughly useless. The feeling was only exacerbated by Wind appearing on his left side, helping to shield him from another attack.

“Are you okay?” the younger asked, his tone laced with worry.

“Been better,” Vio bit out with a sigh.

Garbled shrieks and guttural cries sounded out from the fog. Muted clangs and squelches accompanied them like the world’s ugliest symphony, made even worse by the atmosphere. Some soft thuds and then nothing but silence made Wind hunch his shoulders a little and move a fraction closer to Vio, while the smith raised his shield a finger width.

Twilight strode out of the fog like some mythical character of folklore and both of the smaller boys relaxed. A twig snapped and a figure came at Twilight from behind. Vio automatically went for his sword and hissed back a curse as his arm protested immensely. Wind had darted forward, a shocked but determined look on his face.

The Ordonian, seeing their reactions, immediately spun on his heel and brought his sword around. The blade clashed against that of a Lizalfos and the two traded blows back and forth. The Lizalfos was relentless, and Twilight couldn’t seem to find an opening to take advantage of.

A small blur, hazy in the midst of the fog, pounced at the Lizalfos from behind, blade flashing silver before they plunged it into the monster’s neck. It dropped its own blade and its claws flexed jerkily as it gurgled. It fell, revealing a small green figure standing on its shoulders and trying to retrieve the sword from the corpse.

Warriors and Hyrule ran at them from the same direction, alarm painted on both of their faces. It was quickly replaced as they spotted Twilight and Wind.

Vio jogged forward on partly shaky legs, huffing out a breathy chuckle as the sword was finally freed. “Green,” he said in greeting.

Green looked up so fast Vio almost winced from phantom neck pain. “Vio!” he happily replied, dropping the blade and wrapping him up in a hug.

“んのﾚﾘ のᄃｲの尺のズ ｲ乇刀ｲﾑᄃﾚ乇 の刀 ﾑ 丂ｲﾉᄃズ!” Vio yelled out, flinching back in Green’s hold.

Warriors, Hyrule, Twilight and Wind just stared at the pair in utter confusion, not understanding a syllable of the gibberish Vio had spouted. Green didn’t expect them to understand since it was the Minish language. The words made him hastily let go, eyes roving across Vio’s form and landing on the arrow in his arm with a concerned squeak.

“You’re hurt! What happened? We need to get that arrow out! Are you okay? Of course, you’re not okay. By the Force, Vio, sit down so we can treat that!” Green said in a barrage of words, making Vio roll his eyes and smile.

“Huh. Would you look at that, there really are two of them,” said the captain. His voice was steady, but his eyes swam with guilt and relief.

Vio could only imagine that Green hadn’t had the easiest time.

“There are still two to find,” said Twilight. “Plus, everyone else.”

Wind was looking between where their group had come from and where the others had appeared. “I guess we’ll need to pick a new direction. After Vio gets patched up though.”

Every eye swung to him and Vio resisted the urge to quail under the attention. “Did it go all the way through?” he calmly asked Green as the other ushered him away from the dead Lizalfos and sat him down on a patch of ground.

“No,” Green said reluctantly. “I don’t…”

Vio shushed him and patted the nearest hand. “Go get your sword and clean it,” he said firmly.

Green flushed and looked torn, especially as Warriors came over and sat down beside the injured smith. The captain nodded and only then did Green pull away to slowly shuffle off, his eyes glued to them the whole time. He only glanced away when his foot hit his blade, then he snatched it up and raced back over.

Warriors carefully grabbed Vio’s arm and inspected the injury. “I can help, but it won’t be pleasant,” he warned.

As if any injury is pleasant, he thought with a scoff. All he said aloud was, “Ready when you are.”

Chapter Text

After his blade was wiped clean and placed back in its sheath, Green sat on Vio’s right side and held his hand. Vio had rolled his eyes, but his vice-like grip betrayed how helpful it actually was. Green could only hope the circulation was not permanently cut off and that he would regain full use of his hand after Vio relinquished the appendage.

The way Vio tried to hold still and stifle his cries broke Green’s heart, making both of them cling even tighter. Hyrule was hovering nearby with a red potion held carefully in his hands, ready to swoop in the moment the captain was done. It was a good apology, on both of their parts, and Green decided not to hold their paranoia against them.

The arrow was carefully teased out and the red potion was downed in three big gulps. Vio shuddered, both at the experience he’d just gone through and the taste of the potion. It lingered on his tongue, a bitter aftertaste coating the interior of his mouth that left him yearning for a drink of water to wash it away.

A canteen appeared in front of his face and was wiggled, making the contents slosh invitingly. Vio went to take it when it was pulled back. He frowned at the culprit but Green only smiled and removed the lid for him before holding it back out, happily letting Vio snatch it this time.

Neither smith noticed their other companions watching with varying degrees of fondness and amusement.

“I never would’ve guessed,” Warriors said quietly.

“I suppose there are still things out there that can surprise even us,” Twilight said with a wry chuckle.

“So, where are we heading?” Vio eventually asked once the aftertaste was gone. He ignored Green’s disapproving frown with practised ease.

Wind raised an arm and pointed decisively. “That way is the best heading, judging from where we’ve already been.”

“Works for me,” said Hyrule with a careless shrug.

“At least it’s not a trail,” Green muttered under his breath. And now they shouldn’t be staring wary holes into the back of my head, either.

Vio only just heard the words and gave him an inquiring look, but Green shook his head and mouthed, “later,” at him. His violet brother nodded.

It took a few more minutes for everyone to get ready, but then the group, now six strong, set off along the sailor’s heading. The captain took the lead, though Wind would often overtake him as he bounced around, checking their direction and chatting away to whoever would respond.

Green could feel a number of on again, off again stares as he walked next to Vio. This time he was not the only target, nor were the looks fuelled by mistrust and paranoia. He sighed and relayed his story to Vio in a quiet voice, broken by the odd louder and unrelated comment to throw off suspicion and eavesdroppers.

Vio didn’t seem to visibly react, but Green knew he was secretly seething. He spoke of his own experiences and, when Green compared the two, felt his own anger start to boil over. He bit his lip and curled his hands into fists, using a lot of effort to hold a scream inside.

“I really hope… that Red and Blue… are doing okay…” Green huffed out in angry pants.

Vio went to pat his arm, but Green was on his left and his movement was aborted with a wince. Potions helped, but some damage was too much and often the pain of the injury lingered, even if the wound was no longer a problem.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” said Green, vaguely waving his brother off. “I envy your control,” he added with a wry grin.

“My outward control, you mean,” Vio muttered.

Yeah, he’s ready to tear someone to shreds. Not that I’m much better.

They both decided to engage in lighter topics, their volume increasing in response. The conversation between them bounced back and forth rapidly, leaving the others to gape at them on occasion as their quick chatter flowed almost seamlessly.

“Do you reckon Red’s in the middle of another forest fire?”

“Didn’t you just come through a forest? Did you see any smoke?” Vio quirked a brow.

“No, but with our luck…”

“Hopefully he’s with someone responsible.”

“Hopefully Blue hasn’t punched anyone,” said Green with a light chuckle.

Vio stared ahead. “Then he shall get no dessert when we meet back up with the cook,” he deadpanned.

“I guess you and I will have to step in and relieve him of it.”

“Like good brothers should.”

“Exactly!”

“What if Red steps in?”

Green considered this, crossing his arms and tapping his chin. “He can either share with us or we’ll have to sit on him to stop him from sharing his own with Blue.”

“Ah, the tough love method.”

“How will Blue learn if we don’t enforce things?”

“I’m glad we got that sorted,” Vio said, holding back a snort.

Green hummed. “I wonder who has found who so far. Only half of the group is here,” he said, doing a quick check.

“I hope no one landed anywhere-”

“Dangerous?”

“...detrimental,” Vio finished. “Anywhere can technically be dangerous.”

Green thought of monsters, turning even a peaceful stretch of road into a hazardous path. Rains creating slippery mud or flash floods, lightning and hail creating damage wherever they strike, strong winds whipping debris around. Fire sweeping through, leaving blackened husks and ash in its wake. Innocent looking plants brushing against bare skin, imparting rashes, itchy spots, swelling, pain, and even poison.

“Fair,” was all Green said in reply. “Landing in a swamp wasn’t all that bad now that I think about it.”

Vio sniffed, pulling at the cuff of a sleeve. “I’m glad that I landed on the lake’s shore and not in the water.”

“The wet look does nothing for you, huh?”

Green and Vio both froze, several awkward seconds passed before Green buried his head in his hands and let out a groan that was a borderline scream. Vio did his best to stifle his laughter as he managed to pat Green’s hunched shoulder consolingly. They attracted looks from the others, but Green was oblivious and Vio simply ignored them after offering a smirk.

End me now. I beg you.

He was on the third repetition of all the songs he knew and still nothing. No monsters, no sightings of missing friends, nothing. Just the uphill trudging, the warm breezes that barely ruffled his hair, and the unchanging vista of the mountainous landscape. It was boring. He was bored. He didn’t want to go for a fourth round of humming. The urge to yell was rising.

There was plenty of mountain range left to traverse, though he was undecided if that was a good or bad thing.

Just around the next bend. Over the next ridge.

He repeated it like a mantra, and it interfered with his humming, making him mess up sections of songs. Red glanced behind him at his two companions, blinking in bemusement when he saw how far back they were. Either they had slowed down or he’d sped up while distracted. He stopped on top of one of the numerous ridges. His humming faded into silence as his ears flicked, picking up a thin, distant noise that the breeze was only just managing to carry along.

Red frowned, straining his hearing, but it was too far away to identify, hard to even distinguish from the sound of wind through the ridges. It could be a voice. It could be the shriek of a monster. It could be nothing more than the wind travelling through and around channels in the rocky walls.

He couldn’t see anything that might be responsible. No moving figures, no other sign of life apart from himself and the two slowpokes behind him. Red thought he could see bits of orange here and there, but it just looked like discoloured patches of rock.

It would be really nice to find a Minish living around here! Any help would be great, I’m tired of travelling aimlessly without the rest of the group. I miss the way the captain strides when he walks, the sailor’s energy, the wandering feet and hands of the traveller and the champion as they explore and forage, the funny comments from the veteran, and the way the ranch hand slips off to patrol and come back as Wolfie…

“Ting along, tong along, walking on a mountain,” Red sang softly. “Ting along, tong along, looking for a friend!”

Another faint noise silenced him, ears straining yet again, his head moving like a bird trying to triangulate the whereabouts of their prey. Again, it faded, unidentified. Red’s only solace was that Time and Sky were only a few feet behind him now, having caught up while he was occupied. He shot them a smile tinged by weariness and continued on the trek, now conscious of his speed relative to theirs.

“Ting along, tong along, climbing ever higher. Ting along, tong along, wanting to be whole,” he sang under his breath.

Red liked sharing. Sharing something with another was a really great feeling! Red liked Time and Sky, and he enjoyed sharing chatter with them, and sharing in their quest to reunite with everyone else. But Red did not want to share this song. Not with them.

This song was only for the wind, the Minish, and the other three parts of himself.

Walking normally while your midsection protested every tiny movement was incredibly difficult. Every step, every swing of his hips, pulled on various muscles across his abdomen. Muscles that were only becoming sorer as they started to stiffen up from the pangs of pain that danced across them, like the flowing ink from a pen staining paper.

It was not the worst injury Blue had ever suffered, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant or painless to deal with.

Each time his left foot hit the ground he wanted to swear and curse. Each time his right foot hit the ground he wanted to scream in anger and pain. Blue kept it all inside, shoving it down, down, to be unleashed on whatever monster crossed his path next. He was going to use his hammer, not his sword, and pummel whatever it might be into oblivion.

Those that say violence isn’t the answer have clearly never had to fight for their life or to protect someone else. Who doesn’t want to hit something sometimes? It’s great stress relief!

Despite his best efforts, Blue was lagging behind just enough to catch Legend’s attention while the champion took the lead. He tried to ignore the stare of pale blue eyes cutting through him, but it was futile. Link was wise to the ways of Link after all.

“Spit it out already,” he bit out.

“You want me to reign in our cook?” asked the veteran.

The cook? What does he have to do with anything? …oh…

“No, it’s fine. If he wants to run himself ragged, let him. He might sleep better tonight,” he said with a defiant grin.

Legend laughed at that, his voice full and unrestrained as his shoulders shook. It made him look younger. Blue hoped it was enough to get the veteran off his back and so he patiently waited for the fit of mirth to die down, keeping a smile on his face the whole time. He saw Wild looking back at the sound of the laughter and merely offered a short wave, relieved when the champion shrugged and continued on his way.

He spied Legend surreptitiously wiping away a tear or two from his peripheral vision and fought the urge to frown. It was funny, but not THAT funny, he thought with some concern wriggling in.

“If you bust a rib, I’ll make him carry you,” said Blue casually. “Wear him out faster.”

Legend’s eyes gained a glint. “Sure, might slow him down enough for you too,” he said.

Blue stifled a growl. He supposed it was a bit much to ask to be able to get anything like this passed their most experienced adventurer. “Just because I’ve got shorter legs than you, you lop-eared lank,” he said, trying to pin the taller boy with a glare.

The vet choked on his next breath, eyes wide and freezing in place like a startled rabbit. It only lasted a second or two, then he answered the glare with an appraising stare. “Do the others have your way with words?”

“If you want words, talk to Vio,” Blue said with a snort.

“Yes, but does he use the fun words?”

Now it was Blue’s turn to give a bark of laughter. “Only if you’re lucky!” Laughing hurt but it still felt good.

He’d always wanted to join in when Legend and Warriors started bantering but the others always held him back as it wasn’t a ‘Four’ thing to do. Since the whole group likely knew their secret now, maybe his brothers would let him join in even if they were all merged. Something to look forward to.

Wild grabbed his bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string back in one smooth move, aiming at a point further down their current path. Blue and Legend rushed forward as the arrow was released, the noise of a hurt and angry Tektite easily reaching their ears. They got close enough to see just as the monster vanished in a puff.

Blue gave the spot a frown. Shame the cook got to it first. The next one is MINE!

No others bounced into view. Wild put the bow away even as his eyes constantly scanned ahead, checking for any possible hiding spots a monster could use. Blue wanted to do the same but Wild had a height advantage and would spot something before he did. It made him want to hit something even more.

Honestly, I don’t think the others appreciate how much restraint I actually have.

“Only two Tektites so far. I can’t tell if that’s a blessing or just really boring,” said Legend.

“Blessing!” Wild said happily, still thoroughly enjoying the place.

“Boring,” said Blue grouchily.

Legend glanced between the two and rolled his eyes. The next few minutes were spent in silence, though Legend was walking slower and Wild had decreased speed a bit to match, looking like the world’s slowest but most incautious scout. Blue wanted to march ahead and let them both eat his volcanic mountain dust, but his abdomen really did appreciate the more relaxed pace.

Infuriating.

Wild tensed, eyes locked ahead, and Blue saw a Tektite’s white and grey leg, barely distinguishable from the mountain’s rocky tones if not for being a few shades lighter. He waved at Wild to get back, making him pause as he went for his bow, and brought out his beloved hammer.

The champion, seeing the look in Blue’s eyes, wisely stopped and hung back. The Colour missed the raised eyebrow directed at the veteran and the shrug that was the reply, too focused on keeping his target in sight so he wouldn’t get pounced on again. He adjusted his grip on the handle and stalked forward. The moment he was in range he leapt, reaching an impressive height and bringing his hammer down with all of his might.

The Tektite startled and tried to jump away but Blue came down too fast, like an avenging bolt of lightning sent by the heavens. Its carapace cracked under the hammer, splitting apart like a starving person tearing open a crustacean. The crunch was loud and messy, the thud of the hammer against the ground paling in comparison.

Blue heaved his hammer out of the new indent in the ground and smiled grimly as the bits of monster started to evaporate into wisps of smoke. A good start, but not enough.

“I feel like, as a hero, I should say something noble and vaguely lecturing about vengeance and the dark paths it will lead you down and blah, blah, blah. Too much effort for something you already know, I’m sure. Nice swing. Feel better?” Legend was idly picking dirt out from underneath his fingernails as he spoke.

The smithy simply shrugged.

“Hey, Cook, leave the bounding beasties to Blue here,” the veteran called out.

Wild grinned, gave a short two-finger salute, and gestured for Blue to go ahead. This was good for his need to smack monsters, but bad for his now screaming muscles. He’d have to keep up a decent pace if he was going first, no matter if Legend seemed to know he was hurting or not. There was no way he was going to look like a baby and slow everyone down, logical reasons be damned. He wasn’t Red!

The bright patches of lava were becoming less common, mostly reduced to a few small rivers and streaks showing through the rock. It was a good sign as Blue was more than ready to get off the explosive mountain, and he knew Legend was too. Wild would probably build himself a home here if they let him.

They were slowly going around the volcano, the path winding like a coil of rope. Blue guessed they were on the opposite side from where they started, and further down, and wondered if sliding down the side would be better. It would certainly be faster than taking a path that circled all the way around and back.

Another Tektite appeared and Blue pounced, the monster quickly falling prey to the same crushing tactic as the one before. A second one came out of nowhere, forcing Blue to hastily roll to one side. He leapt once more, hammer at the ready, but the Tektite matched his leap a split second later, ramming its body into his gut at the apex of his jump and knocking him flying.

His hammer fell at the impact, his hands letting it go automatically to try and grab at his midsection, eyes squeezed shut.

“Blue!” shouted two voices.

The smith opened his eyes to see a swirling view of the sky and mountainside. They widened as he realised he was high in the air, falling fast, and there was nothing under him but a very deep valley between the volcano and a mountain next to it. He caught a passing glance of the stunned and horrified faces of his companions before he fell out of sight.

Vaati’s hairy, winged armpits! he mentally swore. Blue angled himself so that he could easily reach his bag and frantically dug a hand inside it, trying very hard to ignore the jagged looking rocks speeding vertically by. His fingers closed around a soft fabric, and he yanked it out.

His fingers, normally so nimble, felt beyond clumsy as he tied the fabric around his neck, painfully aware of the ever-closer ground below. When the fabric was finally in place he threw an arm back and flared it out, activating the magic.

His fall slowed dramatically as the fabric of his Roc’s Cape stiffened and caught the air, letting him glide. Blue wasn’t facing the volcano, instead heading for the other mountain, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His eyes were streaming tears from the sheer wind he’d experienced, and his vision was a bit blurry as a result. He could still make out tiny spots of colour on the side of the mountain that definitely did not match any of the surrounding rock tones.

Blue aimed for them as his ears picked up voices. One in particular stood out, screaming his name as they jumped up and down, arms waving madly. A small blob of red with blond hair.

The cape fluttered, the magic fading away and leaving the fabric at the mercy of the wind as it became pliable. Blue plummeted, still too high to land safely. This is gonna hurt!

Something caught him around the middle, wrapping around tightly, and brought his freefall to an abrupt halt. Blue coughed and wheezed as he hung there like a fish on a hook, his sore abdomen kicking off more internal screeching with a brand-new round of pain. His stomach was going to look like an amateur artist with a limited colour palette had just done big lines and splotches all over.

Whatever he’d been caught with was slowly hauled up, each stop and start motion punching some more air from his lungs and bringing fresh tears to his eyes. He furiously tried to blink them away, his trembling arms too tired to be lifted. He hung limp, head, arms, and legs dangling.

He jolted when he felt hands upon him, holding him under the armpits as the noose around his stomach was removed. Blue glanced at it and saw the whip Sky owned. He remembered Legend trying to bargain for it but failing. Blue was incredibly glad that Sky had kept it, or he would be a broken smear on the mountainside by now.

Sky was in front of him, giving him a worried frown. “Hey, are you okay?”

Sky’s mouth is moving. Oh, those are words. Wait, he’s talking to me, I need to answer!

“Blue!” cried Red, bouncing next to Sky and tapping Blue’s closest hand insistently.

“I just fell off a volcano,” he stated blandly. He was lowered gently to the ground, his legs wobbly but holding him up.

“True, but not an actual answer to the question,” said a voice from behind him.

Blue turned his head far enough to see Time kneeling down, his one eye roving over Blue’s form, checking and assessing. He felt naked under that intense gaze, like Time was able to pinpoint every fault, every injury, without any clues at all. A warm hand made contact with his cheek, slowly coaxing his head to turn back around, and he found himself eye to eye with Red.

The other smith tilted his head, his ears drooping. “You’re hurt,” he said with a sniffle, the thumb of the hand still cupping his cheek wiping away some remnants of Blue’s tears. “Where?”

It was so, so easy to forget that Red could be very perceptive when he wanted to be.

“Legend and Wild are over there,” he said instead of answering, raising his left to point at a spot he estimated he had been. His arm still trembled slightly but he couldn’t stop it, so he quickly brought it back to his side, hoping no one had seen.

“While helpful, again not an answer to the question,” Time rumbled.

It’s like having an armoured bear at my back, he thought, clamping down on the urge to shiver.

“I’m fine,” Blue hissed.

Red made a whine like a kicked puppy, his eyes wide and sad as they bored into Blue’s skull.

The distinct noise of a paraglider made all four of them look across. Following Blue’s path was Wild, gliding easily over the space, with Legend clinging to his back like a limpet. Their landing was much easier than Blue’s, without the mess of falling and being snagged on a lifeline.

The veteran unlatched his tight grip the moment Wild stopped staggering, lurching away for a few wobbly steps in an effort to find his equilibrium. Time stood up and clapped a hand on Legend’s shoulder, providing that final steady point that let the vet stand up straight. He took a couple of deep breaths and focused his gaze on Blue, his eyes showing a knowing of his injuries that Time had lacked.

Greetings were exchanged between the two groups, but it went over Blue’s head, his brain too wrung out to bother processing the sounds enough to make out words. Red stood close, a warm presence that he took comfort in even if he didn’t show it.

“What’s the red one like?” asked Legend.

“He’s a sweet fellow!” Sky answered happily. “Very open, fun to talk to. Far less reserved than we’re used to from the smithy.”

“Sounds a little like the opposite of Blue,” Wild said, folding down his paraglider and storing it.

“Did you not talk much?” asked Sky, his tone befuddled.

Legend snorted. “No, we talked plenty.”

The champion groaned, slinging an arm around Sky’s shoulder. “It was like having a mini version of Veteran around!”

“Hey!”

“But don’t take my word for it,” the cook continued, “I’m sure you’ll understand exactly what I mean soon enough.”

“...okay?” Sky said, sounding unsure.

Blue’s mind began to register some words, probably because they were so close. Red was singing something just loud enough for him to hear.

“Ting along, tong along, still upon the mountain. Ting along, tong along, I have found some friends!”

A smile crept across Blue’s face, and he opened his arms in invitation. “Careful of my stomach, it’s tender,” he whispered.

Red lit up at the action and stepped in, carefully wrapping his arms around Blue’s chest, both of them holding on tightly for several long seconds. Red breathed out a happy sigh of relief and something in Blue loosened, uncoiling from whatever it had been strangling.

Chapter Text

The moment the hug reluctantly ended, Red wanted to ask if anyone had a potion or a fairy. He wanted to swipe it off whoever produced one and nag Blue until he gave in and let himself accept the help. I’m not Green though, I can’t nag like that. Blue would never actually listen anyway, just brush me off and storm off all angry. I don’t want him to try and go off on his own, he’ll get hurt more!

So, Red did not ask, nor did he give away Blue’s injuries or someone else would nag and drive him away. He did note, however, that they had another problem he could address without a Blue-related snag.

“Hey, which way are we going to go now?” he asked, blithely interrupting whoever had been speaking.

His question brought all conversation to a halt as it sunk in. The others looked around, as if a sign was posted nearby that would conveniently point them in the right direction. There was no such sign and Sky looked a little lost while Legend huffed in annoyance. Both Red and Blue knew how much Legend liked having a clear path or, even better, a map of the area.

“Pointless to go the way we came from,” said Legend, jabbing a thumb at the volcano. “I’m guessing it’d be the same from where you three wandered?”

“There was a desert back there that I doubt any of us want to try crossing,” Time stated.

Red hummed and hawed, ears flicking a little and head tilting from one side to the other. “I think we should go that way!” he chirped, pointing in a direction away from the volcano and at an angle to the path he, Time and Sky had been taking, somewhat parallel to the desert.

It looked mountainous, as everywhere did, and didn’t stand out in any way.

“Is there a particular reason you chose that way?” Time inquired, wondering what he was missing that Red seemed to see.

After a quick glance in the direction indicated, Legend turned back to Blue and Red instead, his gaze moving between their identical faces. He raised an eyebrow. “Blue?” he asked in a prompting manner.

The blue smith shrugged, the corners of his lips turning upward. “He has the craziest knack for sensing where to go. If he didn’t, our adventure would’ve ended very differently and not in our favour. None of us know how he does it but it’s way too useful to ignore. You can come with or stay here, I’m following Red,” he said firmly.

Red spun around to face his brother, eyes sparkling happily, and hands fisted near his mouth. “Aww, I love you too!” he declared.

Legend let loose a burst of shocked laughter.

No one heard the little click of the Sheikah Slate’s camera function as Wild snapped a picture of Red. It was so different from anything he’d come to expect from Blue and the pose was adorable; he needed to preserve this moment. He also had to show the others when they were all together again. Wind might not care, but Twilight would enjoy such a scene.

The red smith, bolstered by his brother’s confidence, strode off with no sign of hesitance. Footsteps, eerily similar to his own, followed. He had to hold in the urge to sing again, so he settled for humming, grinning at Blue’s snort once the other recognised the tune. Heavier treads came after and Red was pleased that everyone else was giving him a chance.

He ignored any semblance of a path and spent half the time walking, the other half in a controlled slide down the side whenever it got a bit steep. Blue sounds like he’s having fun! he thought happily.

Indeed, Blue was grinning wickedly, Roc’s Cape fluttering dramatically behind him, looking like he was having the time of his life despite the occasional flicker of pain that crossed his face.

Wild was taking to the new path like a fish to water, looking a little bemused but mostly thrilled by the change of pace. Legend had sighed but didn’t say a word, coming along quietly. Time had tackled their new route with the same quiet determination he seemed to cultivate for such things. Sky had frowned slightly, apprehensive, but followed along after a glimpse around.

Red wasn’t sure what he’d been looking for, but he was glad the Skyloftian had joined. Going down the side of the mountain was much faster than the trek up had been, and he could see a vague trail at the bottom that seemed to wend its way through the stony peaks. The moment he stopped sliding, he kicked off and spun around, eyes glued on Blue and ready to help if he faltered.

Blue winced as he landed and automatically leaned forward due to momentum. Red wondered exactly how tender his stomach was and how far that tenderness extended. The whip Sky caught him with would not have done that much damage, right? When we find the others, I’m going to tell Green. He’ll sit on Blue to fix him if he has to.

When everyone was safely on the ground, Red set off again, humming a different tune.

“Hey, Red, do you have a favourite place in the great outdoors? You two as well,” Wild asked, pinning Time and Sky with a curious gaze.

Red spun around and started walking backwards. “Um… maybe that one spot in… no, no, that place with the - OH! How about that pretty part of the, but no, there was one like it near that town and it had flowers… Argh, I can’t pick just one!” he burst out, ruffling his own hair into a mess in his agitation.

“One of you answer or we’ll be here until we’re old and grey,” Blue said, turning around and pointing at the two tallest.

“Lon Lon Ranch is my favourite place by far. There is nowhere else,” said Time in a very matter-of-fact way.

Legend wiggled a finger at him warningly. “In the wilderness, Old Man. The ranch is wild sometimes, but it doesn’t count.”

Time raised a careful eyebrow. “I grew up in a forest. To me, the ranch, towns, and the castle are the wilderness.”

The veteran’s mouth opened and closed several times, his finger bent, and his arm tucked back in a little closer to his torso. His jaw shut with a click of teeth. “That is…”

“More than fair,” the champion butted in. He seemed to approve of Time’s statement.

His title IS the Hero of the Wild. If anyone would be an authority, it would be him, right? Red accepted Time’s answer far easier than Legend seemed able to. “The Lon Lon Ranch is an amazing place in the wilderness!” he declared stoutly.

“You, speak,” Blue ordered, pointing commandingly at the Chosen Hero, trying to keep things moving forward.

Sky blinked at Blue. “I see what you mean,” he said, nodding at Wild briefly. His reply was a mischievous grin. “Let me see… In my time there’s a place on the surface called Faron Woods. It has this absolutely enormous tree. Whether you’re on the ground looking up at it or in its branches looking down, the views are spectacular!”

“Can we go see it when we visit your time? Can we, can we, can we?” Red asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in his enthusiasm.

Blue walked over and clapped his hands on Red’s shoulders, pressing down in an effort to stop the bouncing. Red only gave him a bright grin and continued as if his hands weren’t there.

“If we end up there then of course,” Sky agreed, smiling softly at the bouncy smith.

“It’s like looking at a magnet,” Legend mused. “One is the positive charge, one is the negative, but the magnet needs both to work properly.”

“That’s right!” chirped Red.

“You’re not wrong,” said Blue in the same instant.

“What’s a magnet?” Sky asked, a befuddled expression on his face.

Time looked confused as well, though Wild was nodding along thoughtfully. Blue didn’t seem to know how to take such ignorance, but Red was only saddened by the fact that not all of his friends knew about magnets, or how fun they could be. Do we have our Magnetic Gloves with us? I should check!

“Magnets are the sort of thing you need a demonstration for, not just an explanation,” said the veteran, tipping his head at the Skyloftian.

“We can show you,” Red said quickly. His hands dove for his bag, eager to find those gloves.

Time gave his head a tiny shake. “Save it for later. We need to focus on finding everyone else before indulging in such things.”

Wild surreptitiously slid the Sheikah Slate back onto his hip, pouting with disappointment. Red left his bag alone looking a little crushed, like a hungry person being denied food.

“And I thought Vio and Green were buzzkills,” Blue muttered, just loudly enough to be heard by everyone.

“Not me?” Red inquired, tilting his head and staring at Blue.

Blue snorted and waved a hand absently at him. “You’re way too over the top to ever be a buzzkill,” he stated.

Red glanced at the others and smiled. “He says the nicest things sometimes!” he happily declared.

Everyone else except Blue were bemused or baffled by this response, though Legend couldn’t help but chuckle at it. Silence took over again for around twenty minutes and the path started to get a little wider as they went. A Tektite barred the way as they rounded a bend and Blue growled at the bouncing beast, left hand reaching for his hammer and right flexing gently over his stomach.

Red saw the motion and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Tektite fiercely. He went for his bag and pulled out his Fire Rod in an instant, so used to looking for it that searching took only a mere second. “So, it was one of you,” he said, voice low and deeper than Blue’s.

The Tektite merely bobbed in place, watching him idly. With a snarling cry, Red thrust the Fire Rod forward. A burst of flame shot from the jewel-like end, a horizontal torrent two feet in circumference, that went straight for the enemy. It jumped sideways as much as the path would allow, out of the fire’s warpath, its eye gleaming with fiery reflections.

Red merely slashed the rod to the side, the jet of flame following like a whip.

The Tektite had time for one distressed screech before it was reduced to ashes.

“Serves you right,” he said, crossing his arms and letting the rod rest against his shoulder.

“Four was holding out on us,” Legend remarked. His gaze was flicking between Red and Blue, a smirk on his lips.

The direction the group had chosen turned out to have mountains as its goal. Vio had been near a lake, Green had been in a swamp then through a forest, so Vio would lay odds that at least one or two others were among the mountains somewhere. I wonder if anyone had the unfortunate luck to be somewhere cold, trudging through a foot of snow. Or to be wandering the desert sands, wishing for shade and water while sinking slightly with every step.

While he did want to find all of their missing companions, Vio selfishly hoped they ran across Red or Blue first. Especially Red. Blue is quicker to fight back and so less likely to end up in some sort of trouble he can’t get out of without help. There was nothing to do but keep walking and hope.

Vio was good at both of those.

Hyrule came up alongside Vio’s right, trying and failing to look casual about it. The teen could be a beast in battle, despite having no formal training whatsoever, but he could also be painfully awkward outside of fighting. Vio kept his face neutral and barely quirked an eyebrow in inquiry.

“How’s your arm? Does it still hurt?” the brunet asked.

Vio moved his arm, flexing it carefully, and tried to ignore the way Green was keeping an eye on things. There was a faint twinge with each movement, but it was easily tolerable. “The potion has done its work well. I’ll be able to fight without hindrance if necessary.”

The taller teen looked nonplussed.

“He said it’s fine and it doesn’t hurt,” Green said from his left side, grinning at Hyrule.

“Oh, good… Yeah, that’s great to hear. I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Hyrule said a little dazedly. He nodded at them both and wandered away, looking very lost in his thoughts.

Green sighed fondly and shook his head. “Small words, Vio. Small words.”

“They were small words,” he said almost petulantly.

“Smaller words,” Green insisted cheerfully.

The largest word I said was ‘necessary’ and that’s a perfectly common word! How can I possibly go smaller? Vio frowned and shook his head. “I really don’t think I can,” he admitted bluntly.

His brother sighed again. “Just do your best and I’ll handle the rest.”

“Are you going to be my translator?” he asked, trying hard to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

Green slung an arm around Vio’s shoulders. “I know you’ll try… but yes.”

He was both touched and very offended and tried to convey those feelings through his expression and body language. He was unsure how successful the venture was as Green did nothing but reclaim his arm, grin, and continue walking. Vio’s eye twitched.

The mountains became closer at a Sluggula’s pace. Efforts to interact with Green and Vio were rare, which was relieving in a way, and disconcerting in another. Green looked content just hanging out with him, their chatter less frequent but light and entertaining.

Do we unnerve them? Are they just unsure how to treat us as opposed to when we are merged? …are they afraid of us?

There honestly weren’t that many people back home that knew, despite quite a few people around the kingdom seeing all four of them at one point or another. Among those that knew, some had been hesitant about them, merged or not, while a couple of them had been outright afraid, screaming and trying to ward them off like they were some sort of demonic entity.

Although Four had not wished to reveal this secret until the time came where it was needed, he had thought that his fellow heroes would understand. That they wouldn’t judge, or at least adapt and move on quickly, taking it in stride like many of the other strange things they’d likely seen on their own journeys. Vio now wondered if Four hadn’t been a bit too hopeful.

Wind came running over, jolting Vio out of his thoughts. “Hey, hey! Can either of you swim?” he asked abruptly.

“What?” was Green’s response.

“What a specific thing to ask,” said Vio, his voice noticeably lighter than Green’s and it made Wind blink. “Why do you want to know such a thing?”

“Weeeell,” the youngest said slowly, “I don’t know if Four can swim. And I had to ask because I just found out that Hyrule and Warriors can’t! It’s a tragedy!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air with a huff.

“Wait… the captain can’t swim?” Green repeated.

The sailor crossed his arms and leaned in. “No, and it’s weird, right?”

“Statistically speaking, not everyone has access to a safe or large enough source of water to learn. I don’t imagine the castle barracks provided such a place or let any of the knights and trainees out to practise such a skill if there was nowhere conveniently nearby,” Vio calmly stated.

“Small words,” Green reminded him, rolling his eyes.

Vio merely raised his chin slightly and gave his brother an unrepentant look.

“That… makes sense,” Wind said, brows furrowed. “I think?”

“Warriors either didn’t have anything bigger than a bathtub to splash in or just never learned. Or both,” said the translator.

Wind’s countenance cleared and brightened. “Oh, yeah, it does make sense then. Thanks! But you never answered my question,” he prompted.

Green grimaced and ducked his head a little, avoiding Wind’s eyes. “Oh, well, we can swim,” he said shortly.

Vio didn’t blame the dubious look the sailor was now sporting. “We had to learn during an adventure, and only with the help of some flippers. We have since learned to swim without them, but we are not well-suited to aquatic activities.”

This time the sailor needed no translation as he nodded. “So, you can swim, you’re just not the best at it.”

“Precisely,” said Vio, inexplicably pleased.

“Still just the traveller and captain then. I need to ask the others when we find them. Thanks guys,” Wind beamed, dashing off towards the scarf wearing hero and waving at them.

Vio suddenly felt a lot better and decided that he should revise his assessment. Wind didn’t seem to care at all. Perhaps Hyrule’s earlier reticence was due to lingering guilt over suspicions and treatment regarding Green. I shall continue to observe.

The mountains were quite drab, little more than various hues of brown and grey, but there was some colour right at the foot of where two mountains met but didn’t quite touch. There was a shine of silver metal, a flare of white and green, two spots of blue, one patch of dark green and red, and one that was red without the green. Scattered among all of the colours were various yellow hues.

“I do believe that we have just found all of our missing comrades,” Vio said as he shaded his eyes and squinted.

“Thank the Force,” Green said with a relieved sigh.

A shout from the captain and Twilight made sure everyone was now paying attention to the group of figures waving back at them. The little spot of red shot forward, coming right at them like an arrow from a bow, and Green and Vio both sped up until they were even with the others. The arrow had reached them and smacked into both of them, knocking them to the ground with a flurry of giggles.

“Green! Vio! I missed you so much!”

“Hi Red,” Green wheezed out.

Vio didn’t have enough breath left to attempt speaking and settled for patting Red’s back. The hug was nice, but the ground was not exactly comfortable and Red was partially leaning his weight on Vio’s chest and left arm. It gave a short, sharp spike of pain at the impact which had faded into a dull ache.

“That’s different,” said Warriors, somewhere just out of sight.

Green jabbed a finger into Red’s ribs, making him giggle and sit up to escape. “Off Vio’s arm. We healed it but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Red was off his arm the moment he sat up, but Vio waved it in both of their faces. “It’s perfectly fine,” he said firmly.

His hand was snatched out of the air and held between Red’s. “Blue’s hurt too,” he whispered sadly, sparing one hand to pat his stomach meaningfully.

“Did he take a potion?” asked Green.

Red shook his head. “I doubt it. I don’t think anyone else knows.”

“丂ｲひｱﾉり, ﾶの乃ﾚﾉ刀-ん乇ﾑり乇り, 丂の刀 のｷ ｲん乇 ひ刀んのﾚﾘ のｷｷ丂ｱ尺ﾉ刀ム のｷ ﾑ ｲ乇ズｲﾉｲ乇 ﾑ刀り ﾑ 丂ﾚひムムひﾚﾑ!” Green burst out, startling everyone but his brothers.

“What did you call me?!” shouted Blue’s voice.

“You heard me!” yelled Green. “Red, get off me.”

Red looked supremely uncomfortable at this request, his eyes darting to Vio for help. “Umm…”

“What did he say?” Legend asked, clearly intrigued by the tone.

“None of your business!” Blue snapped back.

There’s that abrasiveness I can’t believe I missed, he thought, rolling his eyes. This won’t end well.

“Oh, it must’ve been good!” Legend appeared right behind Red and offered the downed smiths a wave. “Hey, Green, right? What did you call Blue?”

The veteran was grinning, his eyes practically dancing with mischief, and Vio internally sighed. Legend had simply and casually defied all of his expectations and it chafed. He was the analytical one and he had just utterly failed.

“Hey, you stay out of it!” Blue barked, stomping up to Legend and glaring at him as though trying to impale him with his gaze alone.

“Aww, worried I’ll use it to insult you?” Legend all but cooed. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that without any help,” he proudly stated.

“So, everyone is here?” Vio heard Time ask.

“Yeah, we’re all together. Sort of,” Twilight answered, and Vio knew the ranch hand was looking over at them, one smith split into four.

Green took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and Red finally clambered off of them to his feet. Green and Vio both stood up and dusted off their tunics.

“I hear you’re the wordy one,” said Legend, attention focused on Vio.

Vio stared back unflinchingly. “If you are referring to the fact that I employ a much larger portion of our vocabulary then you are correct.”

“Small words,” groaned Green, one hand coming up so that he could pinch the bridge of his nose.

“How many words that could be taken as insults do you slip into your speech that hardly get noticed?”

Blue snorted, Red giggled, and Green pinched harder.

Vio gave a tiny smirk. “You would be amazed at what I manage to say to people’s faces that goes straight over their heads, even if I’ve spent the past several minutes casually insulting everything from their clothing, their attitude, all the way to their non-existent love lives.”

Wind was cackling off to one side, leaning on Hyrule who was looking befuddled and embarrassed. The Links that had come from the mountains were staring at him to varying degrees and Vio tried to ignore them.

Wild stepped forward. “Is that a thing that nobles do? I don’t remember a lot, but some of the things I remember Zelda saying…”

“Not all nobles,” the captain interrupted. “But it’s not uncommon. I swear they make a game of it.”

“Ugh, word games,” Blue grumbled.

“I hate to interrupt,” Time said, “but does anyone know where we are?”

The conversation came to a screeching halt and various negative answers floated around as the heroes all gave their surroundings a good assessment, looking for anything even remotely familiar. No one had recognised any landmarks at all, and the general consensus was that this was a time between heroes, when the lands shifted, people migrated, and towns moved. It could even be before the Great Flood of Wind’s era, there was no way to tell. All of them had traversed the landscape without seeing a single other non-hero Hylian or even a building of any sort, so asking for information had been a futile pursuit.

“When it comes to sentient life, this place is deader than a graveyard,” Legend said off-hand.

“Are we not counting the monsters?” Hyrule asked awkwardly.

The veteran hummed. “Fair question. I’m certainly not going to count the Tektites we ran into.”

Blue frowned at the mention of Tektites, his left hand softly brushing down his tunic over his stomach, and Vio recalled Red’s sad words from when he’d held their legs hostage.

“Did they give you any trouble?” he asked nonchalantly. The vehement denial from Blue was fully expected, though no less aggravating to hear.

“Define trouble,” snarked the vet.

Happy to oblige, he thought with a wicked smile. “Though it can be used as both a noun and a verb, I am referring, in this case, to the use as a noun. Did they cause you any difficulty? Did they harass you or otherwise cause annoyance? Did they place you in a distressing or unfortunate situation? Did the circumstances of their appearance or actions create an occurrence to which the outcome was negative in some manner of misfortune?”

“Small words,” Green whimpered. “Let me translate,” he added, holding up a finger for Legend to wait.

The veteran’s brows rose, and he shrugged. “Though the only manner of misfortune to befall myself and the champion was mere annoyance, Blue fell victim to a state of physical distress as the enemy proceeded to use the terrain to their advantage and initially succeeded in performing an ambush. This state of physical distress was further heightened later down the path by another, whose assault he was unable to dodge in mid-air. As a result, he was propelled into the air and over the side of the volcano we were geographically inhabiting.”

Blue was glaring at Legend, knowing the other was talking about him but not entirely sure what had been said. Green was also staring but only because he was gobsmacked.

Vio blinked. Then blinked again.

Did he just…?

“Are they speaking Hylian?” Sky asked dazedly. He received no answer.

His brain felt like something went clunk, and the jarred cogs started turning again. He couldn’t resist poking Green in the arm, grinning like a loon as his brother turned soul-weary eyes his way. “The heretofore unknown eloquence of your loquaciousness impresses me,” he said almost giddily.

Now it was Legend’s turn to blink. “Ah, shit, I knew that’d come back to bite me one day,” he muttered.

“Let’s make camp,” Time said, catching everyone’s attention. “Would you mind cooking?”

The champion grinned and set about sorting through his supplies and ingredients, leaving everyone else to linger or find something of their own to do. Green tapped the hilt of his sword jutting over his shoulder meaningfully, accompanied by clearing his throat.

“Aww, do we have to?” whined Red.

Vio whirled on Blue. “You fell off a volcano!”

“Yes. Yes, I did.”

“He glided over to me, Sky and Time, and Sky caught him out of the air with his whip,” Red chimed in. “It was scary,” he admitted softly.

Green let his eyes rove over his three brothers - the other parts of his own self. “Come on, let’s merge so we can’t wander away from each other and get into trouble out of our own sight.”

“Mother cucco,” Blue mumbled, even as he drew his sword.

Four swords were raised into the air, four flashes of light shone briefly, and four teenage boys became hazy and semi-transparent, their forms blurring together until one solid form remained. Four took a deep breath, stretched a little, and winced. If he didn’t drink a potion or use a fairy, then he was going to be sore and stiff for days from the Tektite attacks and the whip.

Every eye in the group was focused on him and various personal interactions ran through his mind, primarily filtered through four different perspectives. Four now had so many insights about a number of his fellow heroes. He pushed all of it aside to offer a ginger smile and a small wave.

“Hello,” he managed to say. “Sorry about all of that.”