Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Okay, go through the tenses again.”

“I will eat soup,” Wild said, gesturing to his cooking pot where the soup in question bubbled merrily. “I am eating soup. I have eaten soup.”

“Good,” Legend nodded, gesturing towards the cooking pot. “So ‘eat’ is the future tense, ‘eating’ is the present tense, and ‘eaten’ is the past tense.”

“Wait, but can’t you also say ‘ate’?” Twilight pointed out. “Like, you could say ‘I have eaten’ or ‘I ate’ and they mean the same thing.”

One of Wild’s ears twitched in annoyance. He looked ready to strangle something as he unhooked his sekiban, begrudgingly tapping on the screen. “Watashi-wa sūpu-o-tabete,” Wild muttered to himself. “Jisei-no-rinikanaiite. Anata… word place is… not good…?”

“No fair,” Wind protested. “Our word order makes sense! Yours is the one that’s weird. You put all your — they’re verbs right? — verbs at the end of the sentence! If you do that no one's going to know what you’re doing until the end!”

Wild peered at Wind in confusion, until the younger Hero realized his mistake. He’d spoken too fast, with too many strange words for Wild to parse his meaning. Wind reddened, ears drooping back slightly. “Our word place is good,” he grumbled slightly, hunching his shoulders. “Yours is weird.”

“I hot soup eat,” Wild countered, ladling the soup into bowls. “Wakariyasui.”

Time sighed, giving a slight eye roll at the Chain’s antics. It had been nearly a month since they’d arrived in Warriors’ era and discovered not only was ‘Rinku’ actually ‘Link’ and a fellow Hero, he was also at least ten thousand years ahead of any of them. Since then, Wild — as they were calling him now — had progressed rapidly with the Chain’s Hylian. Teaching him new words or helping him with grammar became a central feature of their mealtimes. 

Furthermore, Impa’s gifts to Wild, a Sheikah-Hylian dictionary plus an alphabet and grammar guide, had quickly become semi-permanent fixtures in the hands of their new member. He would frequently reference them, and had even begun to grasp a rudimentary understanding of the Hylian writing system and the pronunciations of their letters.

They had been trekking through the woods for nearly a week in pursuit of the black-blooded monsters. For all they knew, they could have moved to another era, the forest of one bleeding into the next. Or perhaps they were in-between times, somewhere in Hyrule’s vast past-present-future.

Time fingered his pack, where the ocarina of his namesake rested. At times, he had contemplated trying to use it to return to Malon, to escape doing another godsdamned journey, but he hadn’t done so. He knew the ocarina didn’t have enough power to transport him across this scale of time. And if he tried, it would likely take the power needed from his lifeforce. 

And, well, he was the eldest. From one point of view Wind was half his age (and wasn’t that terrifying and shocking, that he had gotten this old, that he was so young) at an age where he should be playing in the waves with his sister, not questing through time. 

Time at least had the experience of multiple quests, of age, of time travel.

It should be him, the eldest. The others had their whole lives to live. 

Time was shaken from his thoughts by a sharp crack. He glanced over to Wild, who was rapping his ladle on the side of the pot, what had become his usual call for their bowls. Time passed his towards the serving area next to the Cook, leaning forward in anticipation. With Wild at the helm, morning and evening meal times had become something they all looked forward to. Even though he was routinely cooking for nine while traveling, it seemed Wild had no shortage of food (a Gods’ blessing if there ever was one).

“Make, making, make-ed? Iieh, gokan-wa nanidesuka … made?” Wild muttered rapidly to himself, then nodded. “Hai. Watashi-wa sūpu-o-tsukurimashita.” He looked up at the Chain, a smile tugging on his scars. “I made soup,” he handed a bowl to Sky, who sat nearby. “Here, try it.” 

The Chain blinked in surprise, then grinned at the Cook. The clearing was filled with the sound of applause, causing their cook’s head to dip as he blushed from the praise.

“You’re getting good at this, Wild,” Warriors commented, nodding in thanks as he took his portion of soup.

Wild’s long ears flicked forwards as he looked at the Captain. He squinted slightly, frowning. “Get?” he echoed, making a grabbing motion with one hand. “Give? To have?”

“Ah, no,” Warriors reddened slightly. “It means that you’re… doing better. Advancing. Improving.” Warriors faltered as the furrow in Wild’s brow deepened. Time chuckled internally. Wild didn’t know all those synonyms yet, nor did he know their expressions. It made it a challenge when they had to explain that they didn’t mean the ‘literal’ interpretation of a phrase. 

“You’re more good at speaking than you were,” Warriors finally said, wincing at his own phrasing. “You’re getting more skill.”

Legend cackled in the background. “Aw, is the city boy uncomfortable speaking without his big words?” 

“Pot meet kettle,” Warriors rolled his eyes, then glanced at Wild. “Er, that means he’s the same as me. Pot is the same as kettle. We both used big words.”

Wild smiled softly. “Thank you, Warriors.”

Dinner itself was rather quiet, save the sounds of the Chain’s spoons scraping the insides of their bowls. They were all far too focused on eating Wild’s meal as fast as hylianly possible than to concern themselves with speaking. 

Low chatter picked up again after they had cleaned their dishes. Sky set about whittling a piece of wood with a knife, the shape of a Loftwing slowly emerging from the formerly formless branch. Time contented himself with writing a letter to Malon, telling her about the other Heroes and the places he’d seen. Perhaps he could give it to that strange mailman they’d met who could, somehow, bridge space and time.

Though, for all Time knew, his letter could arrive before he’d ever left on this journey, after he’d already seen her again and left, or it could be years in the future. 

Time was tricky like that.

“He was the King of Hyrule! He helped me out on my journey as a boat.”

Hyrule frowned at Wind skeptically. “The King of Hyrule is a boat?”

“No! Well… yes, but not exactly.”

“I knew a guy like that,” Four commented. “He was a hat for a while.”

“Daphnus wasn’t really a boat, he just projected his mind into the boat. Anyways, he explained that everything was flooded, so that’s why it’s an ocean!” Wind gestured widely, as if that justified a talking boat. Time supposed he didn’t have much room to say otherwise, he’d met masks with souls in them.

“What about you Wild?” Wind leaned towards their newest arrival. 

Wild looked up from his sekiban. “Nanda? What?”

“How did your Hyrule get like… well, that? You know, all wild and stuff? It’s kinda like mine, but replace the ocean with the woods.” Wind bounced in place, and Wild winced slightly. Wind, oblivious of his words’ effect, continued. “So, what happened to it? Was it Ganon? Probably, right? I mean what else could—”

“Wind,” Time said sharply. “That’s enough.” 

Wind froze slightly, then sagged, his ears drooping. “I was just—”

“I know,” Time’s voice was softer. “But remember our rule? No one has to talk about their journeys. It’s only what we decide to share.”

Wind nodded, and Time resisted the urge to sigh. He wouldn’t deny that he was also curious. He wanted to know more about Wild, about his strange habits and behaviors that the Cook brushed off. He wanted to know more about Wild’s Hyrule, one that was filled with ruins and wilderness and so different and so far off in time that the language was incomprehensible.

But he wouldn’t.

It was perhaps the first rule they’d set amongst themselves. No one had to talk about their adventures. 

Their journeys, while a great source for stories, were also a great source for pain. Though some were more comfortable sharing their experiences, others remained very secretive about it. Time himself had barely shared more than some passing, contextless hints to his own travels. (“What’s the biggest thing you ever fought?” - “The Moon.”) 

They all had scars from the journeys. But in Wild’s case, his were harder to hide than others. Both the ones that adorned his skin, and his Hyrule.

“It’s okay,” Wild said, but Time silenced him with a look.

“No, it’s not. One of our first rules was that you don’t have to talk about your journey if you don’t want to. We all have our secrets. So long as those secrets won’t get you or any of us killed, you are not obligated to tell us your story.”

Wild narrowed his eyes at Time, and Time belatedly realized he’d likely spoken too much for Wild to understand. Damn it. 

“You do not need to tell us,” Time rephrased, leaning over to tap Wild’s chest. “Your secrets, if they are not dangerous.”

Wild stared at Time and then swept his gaze over the rest of the Chain, eyes betraying nothing of his inner thoughts. The silence stretched, the only sound in the clearing that of the crackling fire and distant buzzing insects. Finally, Wild gave a long, slow exhale, as if trying to empty himself of his worries.

“Ask me,” Wild murmured, sinking into the depths of his cloak. Time didn’t know why that was significant, but Hyrule seemed to understand. A ghost of a smile moved over the Traveler’s face, a wry quirk of the mouth that was tired and knowing in equal measure.

“What happened? To your world?” Hyrule’s voice was soft, but his words carried across the campsite. 

Wild pursed his lips, staring into the distance as some memory the others couldn’t see played out in front of him. “Yakusai,” he eventually said in a hushed tone. “Many…” Wild paused, brows furrowed as he parsed through the sentence. “Many killed. No victory. Yet… we live.”

“What is it? The yakusai? ”

Wild held up his hands helplessly. “You… have no word. Disaster, too small.” He looked down, staring into the crackling fire that ate away at the wood. He didn’t speak for a long moment. “It is death,” Wild said softly. “Yakusai means death.”

Time thought back to Rinku’s, Wild’s, Hyrule. Ruins and a dilapidated castle, a tragedy hiding in plain sight beneath decades of weathering and sprouting plants. The gādians, strange glowing monsters that fired beams of burning light. Monsters that Wild had been terrified of encountering, of having them encounter. 

Wild suddenly laughed, a crazed edge to his voice. He swept up his hair with a hand, exposing the twisted scars that covered the left side of his face. Time felt his stomach sink as he got what was perhaps his first good look at them.

Wild’s scars were horrific. Like burn scars, but so expansive that it was as though a bomb had gone off next to him. They crept down Wild’s neck, vanishing into his tunic, and Time had the distinct feeling the scars continued under his armor. Time was shocked that Wild still had his left eye, let alone his ear after whatever had done this. 

Injuries this size… How could he have survived this? Time wondered, his eye roving over the scarring. But… something was wrong. He felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, looming over a pit he knew was there, but he didn’t know how far down it went. And from below, voices whispered in discordant harmony, ‘but did he?’

“Yakusai means death,” Wild said lowly, his eerie blue-eyed stare — had his eyes always glowed? — piercing straight through them.

Time felt the cliff begin to crumble, the whispers getting louder.

“You… you mean you… died?” Wind whispered.

Wild gave a wordless nod.

The cliff gave, sending Time into an abyss surrounded by shrieking spirits of the dead.

“I die,” Wild said, letting his hair fall to cover the scars once more. “Yakusai … gādian… it killed me. Kaisei no hokora healed me. I wake… no, I woke up, and fought yakusai-to sore-no kāsu.”

Wild shrugged, as if fighting the thing that had killed him was barely of note. The clearing was silent — silent as the grave — as the Heroes tried to process that one of their own had died . Time felt like he was staring at a knife, lodged in his stomach. He couldn’t quite believe it was there, but he was still choking on blood. 

Wild took his sekiban off his belt, tapping the object for a minute, before a beam of light shone upwards from the box. A hazy veil of light took shape in the air, getting sharper and sharper until a picture had formed. The image made of light showed a castle, which Time recognized as the dilapidated structure they had seen in Wild’s homeland. It was incredibly detailed, true-to-life in a way that the best painters in Hyrule couldn’t hope to achieve even with months of work. But Time found himself wishing it wasn’t.

“By the Goddess… what is that? ”

Unlike the castle they had seen, this one was the epicenter of a storm. A hurricane of coiling darkness and flickering magenta lightning, twisting and choking. Within the boiling mass, Time could vaguely make out a head made of the mist — a snarling maw of a thousand fangs and tusks. This was no ‘creature’, it was a typhoon.

“What is it?” Four’s voice was barely a whisper. In his lap, the Smith’s hands had tightened into white-knuckled fists.

“Yakusai, ” Wild gestured towards the writhing storm.

“That’s whit caused sae muckle o ruinage?” Sky breathed. “And ye… ye focht that? Hou?" ¹

Wild tilted his head, giving the Chosen a slightly confused look. “Yakusai… it happen,” the Cook gestured to the hurricane surrounding the castle, as if that explained everything. 

It didn’t.

How had this thing come about? How had it caused such destruction? It certainly looked capable of it, but… how? 

He wanted to know. No, he didn’t.

Time looked at Wild, as if he might find his answer in the other’s eyes. Wild met his gaze, then sighed deeply. Expression resigned and understanding, he turned his gaze to the churning coils of mist of the yakusai. 

“Ichi man-nen… Ten… thousand years in past,” Wild began, voice gaining strength as he worked through his words. He touched his sekiban , and the light image changed from the castle to that of a tapestry. A strange dragon-like creature curled in the center, more pictures woven around it. In each of the tapestry’s corners was the symbol of an animal — a lizard, a bird, a camel, and an elephant — with a small figure atop them. “Yakusai-koto happened. They fight with gādians, shinjū. They win.”

Wild waved a hand, and the picture changed again, this time to that of a magnificent castle. It was the castle, Time realized. Wild’s Hyrule Castle, before it had been reduced to rubble. 

“One hundred years in past,” the Cook said, nodding to the picture. “Yakusai will be back, uranaishi say. We find gādians, shinjū, make ready like our sosen.” Wild turned his gaze on them, his eyes glowing an eerie blue. “Mistake.”

“Yakusai took gādians, shinjū,” the image changed to that of a gādian, similar to the ones they had encountered in Wild’s Hyrule. A single, sickly purple-blue glowing eye peered out of an armored body ringed with pinkish light. “They fight us, not yakusai.”

Flick. The picture changed, showing the crumbling ruins of a building, the dark husk of a gādian sprawled half over it. Flick. Another set of ruins, a gādian frozen with its spindly legs poised to climb over the rubble. Flick. A swampy field with dozens of gādian husks littering the ground, all turned towards a fortified wall, swarming over its sides like spiders.

“Gādians, shinjū, they fight us, kill us. This is yakusai-koto.”

Yakusai. 

Not just a thing, but an event. Not just a monster, but a force of nature.

Time felt his hair stand on end. It was all too familiar to (altogether worse than) another scene. A ruined and abandoned city with a golden-eyed man — a cackling masked imp — shrouded in darkness. He was laughing above the ashes of — a snarling Moon bearing down on — everyone.

“Three years in past, I wake,” Wild continued, tapping his own chest. “Zeruda fight yakusai since yakusai-koto, made tired. I grow, learn, travel. I… arau… wash?… make free shinjū.” The light picture changed, this time to show four strange… creatures. They were not animals of flesh and blood, but they had their shape, glowing lights shining from their bodies — a lizard, a bird, a camel, and an elephant. 

“With me, shinjū fight yakusai. Zeruda fight yakusai. We…” Wild paused, tapping his sekiban and grasping the apple that appeared in a shower of blue light. He held it up in an open palm, then clenched his hand, crushing the fruit in his fist. “We fight.”

“So, you killed it?” Legend said, eyeing the fruit juice running down Wild’s hand. 

Wild frowned, tipping his other hand back and forth. “Eh. Yes. No. We—” He waved the crushed apple he still held. “Kiyomeru.”

The scarred Hero sighed, setting the crushed apple aside and absentmindedly wiping his hand on his trousers. “We not win. Yakusai not win. No victory in war, dake… just the not-dead.” 

Wild tapped the sekiban, and the image changed to that of a vast landscape. Mountains ringed the horizon, vast forests spread across the land, and needle-thin towers that shimmered blue pierced the sky. Time could just make out Wild’s Hyrule Castle amid a vast grassland, its spires dwarfed by the natural monuments that surrounded it. The scene was awash with green and blue. 

“Daichi not dead, not gone. We live. We not win, but not lost.”

Wild put his sekiban down, lifting both of his hands, and seesawing them back and forth. “Death means life. Life means death. No life, no death. No death, no life.” Interlacing his fingers, Wild held up his clasped hands. “Mono-no-aware. Wabisabi. Kintsugi.”

“We are here.”

Link — No, Wairudo . Wild. Now he was Wild — smiled lightly as he looked over the campsite. His companions, the Heroes of Myth, were seated in a circle around the campfire, bantering and badgering each other. 

Despite what the title of ‘Myth’ suggested, he’d found that these Heroes were a little less mystical than what he’d imagined.

Fuaū snarked something at Towaraito, who responded by bodily picking the smaller Hero off his feet. However, Fuaū made Towaraito regret his actions. The quad-colored Hero wrapped his legs around the larger man’s arms, locking them in place before he wrenched himself downwards, bringing Towaraito along with him. The pair tumbled to the ground, Fuaū rolling from the fall and leaving the Hero of Shadows sprawled in the dirt.

Wild laughed, leaning over to pluck a twig from Towaraito’s hair as the other Hylian pushed himself up.

“You lot are ridiculous,” Wild muttered in his Hyrulean, smirking a bit as Towairaito looked at him in confusion. He had to keep some of his secrets.

Legando tugged on his arm, pulling the Hero of the Wild back to his place at the cooking pot. “Dōn tīnku yoru gita-ingu auto tatta izei.” Legando gestured to the pot of soup that Wild had been stirring, and continued with something about ‘go again’ . Wild rolled his eyes. Right, it was practice time.

“Aī ūiru ite sūpu. Aīma ite-ingu sūpu. Aī hafu ite-en sūpu.”  

Wild dutifully listed the phrases and tenses for ‘I eat’, ‘I am eating’, and ‘I have eaten’. Legando, nodded, smiling. Out of all of the group, Legando seemed to be the other one aside from Wild himself with the most experience in language and language learning, since Legando was the one that needled Wild to practice or tried to have conversations with Wild in Wild’s form of Hyrulean Common. Wild wasn’t about to object, the practice helped.

Legando went on to elaborate on the tenses for ‘eat’, repeating what Wild knew that ‘ite’ was future tense, ‘ite-ingu’ was present tense, and ‘ite-en’ was past tense. And then, Towaraito collapsed Wild’s firm grip on the tenses of ‘eat’, by introducing ‘eito’.  

Wild grimaced, putting considerable effort into not laying his ears back in aggravation. He pulled out his Slate, typing in another entry for ‘eat’ and its associated tenses and synonyms. “I am eating soup,” Wild muttered in his Hyrulean Common, a bit petulant. “My tenses make sense. Your… wādo purēsu… iza… notē goude?”

At least in Hyrulean Common they had a single root word that would be changed, but here it ended up differing entirely!

Wuīndo seemed to take offense to Wild’s protests, offering up his own. “No-fea. Āure wādo ōdā mēku sensu! Yorusu iza-tē on tatta’su ūirudo. Yu puta-aru yoru — teīra vebusu, rita? — vebusu ata enda ofu-tē sentensu! Ifu yu-dou tatta nou-on goingu tou noū wate yoru doingu untiru-tē enda!”

Wild squinted at Wuīndo, trying to puzzle out what the other Hero had said. He’d understood that it was about ‘yoru wādo’ or ‘your words’. He’d also understood something about ‘his at the end’, which probably had to do with verb order? In his Hyrulean, verbs like ‘eat’ always came at the end of the sentence.  Wuīndo caught on to Wild’s confusion, his cheeks flaming and ears drooping with embarrassment. “Āure wādo purēsu iza goude. Yorusu iza ūirudo.” This time, Wild could understand. Our word place is good, yours is strange.

Wild chuckled. Ah, so it was a defense of sentence structure. 

“Aī hotto sūpu ite,” Wild countered, arranging the words in the order of Hyrulean Common. Pronoun-adjective-object-verb. I-hot-soup-eat. “Makes perfect sense.”

After that, Wild stepped back from the conversation, focusing his attention on the soup. He added a bit more spice to the hearty meal, sniffing deeply and finding it to his liking. He rapped his wooden ladle on the side of the pot, summoning the others’ dishes. They were quickly passed forward, and Wild ladled the broth into the nearest bowl.

Hmm, perhaps he could practice a bit?

“Mēku, mēku-ingu, mēku-de? No, what’s the stem… mēdo?” He ran through what he knew of ‘make’ or ‘mēku’ and how to make it past tense, before finding the form he wanted. “Yeah, I made soup.” Wild turned to the Chain, smiling hopefully. “Aī mēdo sūpu. Hira, torai ita.” 

There was a moment of quiet, and then the other Heroes began to clap. Wild blushed, ducking his head as he began passing around the bowls of soup. 

“Yoru gita-ingu goude ata tisu, Wairudo,” said Waiāza, causing Wild to frown at the phrasing. Why would he need to ‘receive’ being good at something? Was it a strange way of saying he was good at the thing?

“Gita?” He repeated, and made a motion as if he was ‘getting’ something. “Givu? Tou hafu?”

“Ah, nou. Ita mianse tatta yoru… dōin bēta. Adobansu-ingu. Inpurūbu-ingu,” Waiāza continued, but his attempted explanation just left Wild even more confused. He had no idea what ‘ bēta’ meant, let alone the last two phrases. Waiāza huffed in frustration. “Yoru mora goude ata supīka-ingu tān yu waru. Yoru gita-ingu mora sukiru.”

Wild’s eyes widened in realization. Waiāza meant he was getting better at talking!

“Aw, iza-tē shiti-boi ankomuforutāburu supīka-ingu ūitāto hiza biggu wādosu?” Legando drawled. Wild’s brain checked out midway through the sentence as the horribly unfamiliar words swam in his ears.

“Potto mite ketoru,” Waiāza shot back. He paused, glancing towards Wild. “Er, tatta miansu hiza-tē saime aze-mi. Potto iza-tē saime aze ketoru. Uī botē yusu-de biggo wādosu.”

Pausing to parse through the sentence, Wild was able to determine the general meaning: ‘that means same as me’. Ah, it was an expression and accusation of hypocrisy. The words were the same, and so were the people.

“Tānka-yu, Waiāza,” said Wild, smiling at the other Hylian.

After they finished eating, Wild added the new words and expressions into his rapidly growing reference section on the Sheikah Slate. He had a dictionary, their alphabet, notes on grammar, and a rapidly growing list of idioms, greetings and other phrases that differed from the ‘literal’ meaning. Hopefully, Zelda and Purah could put this to use to craft some sort of translation feature, or even use it to decode undeciphered ancient texts!  

“Wate abyota-yu, Wairudo?” 

“What?” At the sound of his name, Wild looked up from his Slate. He glanced over at Wuīndo who was staring at him curiously. “Wate?” 

“Haū dade yoru Hairyū gita raiku… ūeru, tatta?” Wuīndo asked, gesturing widely as he repeated his question of ‘How your Hyrule got like that?’ Wild tensed minutely, the thudding of his heartbeat drumming louder in his ears, even as the younger Hero continued. “Yu noū, aru wairudo ande sutaffu? Ita kainda raiku main, buta ripureisu tē ōshan ūita ūddosu. Sou, wate hapunin tou ita? Wasu ita Ganan? Puraburī, rita? Aī miane wate airasu kōuda—”  

“Wuīndo, tatta inoufutē,” Taime snapped, and Wuīndo flinched slightly, stopping. 

Wild laid his ears back, retreating into his cloak as if it might help him hide from Wuīndo’s words. What he could understand of the younger’s questions cut deep. It wasn’t that he didn’t know his Hyrule was ‘wild’ but… he didn’t like to be reminded of how it had happened. Of why it had happened. 

Still, Wuīndo was just curious. He hadn’t known. There was no reason to punish him.

“Ita okai,” Wild said softly, but Taime shot him a sharp look.

“No, ita notē,”  Taime retorted. He continued, saying something far longer in his language, but Wild lost him in the first sentence. He stared at the other in puzzlement, until Taime realized his error and Wild’s confusion. “Yu dou-notē nīde tou teru asu,” Taime summarized, tapping Wild’s chest. “Yoru shīkurettosu, ifu teī arē notē deinjarosu.”

No need to tell us. Your story, if not a danger.

Wild searched Taime’s for any hint of deception, then looked over the rest of the Chain. There was no judgment in their faces. Curiosity and concern, but no judgment. Wild found himself conflicted. Should he tell them? Tell them why his Hyrule was rebuilding from ruin? 

He didn’t exactly want to, but… he wanted them to know. He wanted them to understand. Understand him, understand his homeland. 

But how did he begin to explain the Calamity? It was collectively known throughout Hyrule, of course. Memorials and mourning days were as common as ruins. But you didn’t typically address it directly. It was a hundred years past, a looming shadow that no one spoke of, because no one needed reminding. 

It was the Calamity. 

“Asuka mi,” Wild said softly, wrapping his cloak tightly around him. 

Ask me. 

He would tell them of the Calamity, but he could not begin of his own volition. You did not bring it up without prompting. It was omnipresent. In the villages, the children were told of the Calamity when they asked about the ruins, when they questioned why the world beyond held crumbling buildings they did not build on, but paid respects to. 

Hairyū gave a wry smile, and Wild saw the light of understanding in his eyes. “Wate hapunindo? Tou yoru wārudo?” 

Wild inhaled deeply, staring into the depths of the fire. He envisioned the Calamity, a writhing abomination that encircled the Castle, and a great tragedy that had bathed the earth in blood. “The Calamity,” Wild began softly. “Mani… mani kirudo. Nou bikutorī. Iete… uī raivu.”

No victory, yet we live.

Sometimes, when the claws of anxiety sunk particularly deep, that was how Wild could still stand to face the day. He had failed, but Hyrule was still here, and some of its people still lived. All was not lost, as the saying went.

“Wate iza-ita? Tē Calamity?”

That was the question wasn’t it? What was the Calamity, besides the Calamity?

Akushidento : incident, mishap, chance. The Calamity was no accident, no minor incident or something as simple as a broken bone.

Misufōchun : ill omen, bad luck, unfortunate. The Calamity, while an omen of ill, was far beyond simple bad luck. It was the progenitor.

Dizasuta : destruction, devastation. Even still, the term was too small, too localized. Tragic perhaps, a catastrophe certainly, but not the Calamity. 

What was the Calamity?

Wild contemplated the fire, watching as the flames licked at the wood. Burning it. Consuming it. 

His mind wandered to the words he had found, he had searched for, to describe the Calamity. Once he had gotten his dictionary, it had been one of the first things he looked up. A word to encapsulate Calamity.

“Ita iza desu,” Wild murmured into the fire. Death. Desu. The closest term he had found. “Calamity mianse desu.”

It was what It had wrought. 

Wild let out a chuckle, which turned to laughter, which turned hysterical. His voice cracked, and the scars on his throat burned. Suddenly, his scars were burning, pulling tighter and tighter and turning his laugh into a wheeze. The fabric against his skin became sandpaper, and he tasted ash on his tongue.

They wanted to know what Calamity meant? He’d show them.

Wild pushed up his bangs, exposing the left side of his face in all its horrifying glory. From his nose to his ear, the marks of his death wrapped their hands. Blast scars from the Guardians beams, destroying him and cauterizing him in the same instant, twisted the flesh. The faint purplish tint told of his Malice poisoning, the burning acid that had worked its way into his blood. (Another reason why the Shrine had held him prisoner for so long). It told a story of someone who obtained a hundred fatal wounds, but refused to die. 

Until he did.

“Calamity mianse desu,” Wild repeated, staring down the other Heroes.

“Yu… yu mian yu… dai-do?”

Wild nodded, releasing his hair to cover his scars again. And… he began his story. He died to the Calamity and the Guardians. The Shrine of Resurrection healed him. Then, he woke up and fought Calamity and its Blights. While the others stared with shock and horror, Wild just sighed, shrugging. Wild had (mostly) made peace with his death and his role in the events. At least, on good days he did. Other times, he felt guilty for being the one to survive. For being responsible for the death of thousands and the fall of Hyrule.

Unhooking his Slate, Wild opened the projection feature, casting a holographic picture into the air above the camp. A shimmering curtain of light took shape, solidifying into a photograph of Hyrule Castle with the active form of the Calamity twisting around it. The dark shape of the eldritch abomination writhed, the mass of malice forming into the Maw of the Calamity.

“Bai-tē Godesu… wate iza tatta?”

“Wate iza ita?”

“Calamity,” Wild said, nodding to the picture.

“Tatta wate kōzādo-a makkuru-o ruin'aje?” Skkai asked, staring at the rippling maelstrom of the Calamity. “Ande yu… yu fōto tatta? Haū?”

Wild frowned at Skkai. The Calamity wasn’t really a ‘tatta’ , a ‘that’. It was an It. It was an Event. And yes, he fought It, but it wasn’t just him fighting.

“The Calamity… ita hapunin.” A happening. He tried to communicate this sentiment, but when he looked at Taime, the other’s eyes were searching, confused. Wild sighed, turning his gaze to the picture of the Calamity. Where everything seemed to start and end. Looks like he’d have to start at the beginning for this one.

He touched the Slate that sat in his lap, changing the image from the Calamity and Hyrule Castle to the Divine Beasts. Rudania, Medoh, Naboris, Ruta. “Ten thousand years ago… Tenn… touzāndo īearu in-pasuto,” slowly, searching his memory for their words, Wild told the story of the Great Calamity. Of what had befallen his people, ten thousand years and a century ago.

He told them of the prophecy by the foreteller, of how they had sought to emulate their ancestors. Of how the very weapons they had to fight the Calamity, a hurricane and Death and Malice, had turned on them, reducing their world to rubble. 

Guardians, the Divine Beasts… they were weapons crafted to fight the Calamity. Even Wild had not fought the Divine Beasts directly, he had simply freed them from the Calamity’s influence. You did not fight Divine Beasts. Hyrule had attempted to fight to, in the days of the Calamity, when the Divine Beasts turned on the cities they protected and laid waste to the lands.

Their earthshaking footsteps? Their great beams of power that injured the Calamity? That could carve through a mountain?

Those were turned on the people of Hyrule.

While it had been the Guardians that destroyed Central Hyrule, it was the Divine Beasts that killed the other races of Hyrule. Naboris had trampled over the cities of the Gerudo, it’s storms burying what remained under dozens of feet of sand. Rudania clawed its way through the side of Death Mountain, lava following it’s footsteps that was too hot, even for the Gorons. Medoh’s laser swept through the sky, and the fleeing Rito fell like insects. Ruta’s rage destroyed the mountains, damming the rivers and flooding Central Hyrule, the water it touched turning dark with blood.

Wild tapped his Slate, and the projection shifted to form pictures of Guardians. As he flicked his finger across the screen, the image changed. It showed Guardians, frozen in the act of destruction as they crawled over ruins and swarmed Fort Hateno. A massacre preserved in time.

This is the Calamity.

The ancient past, the recent history.

My life and my purpose.

Wild spoke of his own role. Of how he had awoken and grown stronger as he traversed Hyrule, conquering the challenges of the Monks, and aiding the people he met along the way. Of how he had cleansed the Divine Beasts. Of how they had fought with him, fought with Zelda. All against the abomination known as Calamity.

“Sou, yu kirudo-ita?” Legando asked, head tilted in question.

“Yasu. Nou,” Wild frowned. They had, in a sense, killed it. But the Calamity was also an event, beyond simply a being. (And before, their ancestors, ten thousand years back, had also thought they’d killed it). But it was more correct to say they’d exorcized the Calamity. That they’d cleansed it from the land. 

Wild sighed, wiping the sticky juice of the apple off onto his trousers as he attempted to explain. They didn’t win. The Calamity didn’t win. There was no victory in this battle, only not ending up dead. Wild changed the image on his Slate, showing a picture reminiscent of the landscape he had looked out upon when he first awoke from the Shrine of Resurrection. Hyrule, not dead but alive. Not won, but not lost either.

There was no winning. They had lost, but not completely.

Every tribe, every town, in Hyrule had some form of vigil to specifically honor those lost in the Calamity. The first day was often a day of silence, a day of remembrance for the dead and the shadow that loomed in their history (that still loomed over the land). The second day was one of respects, where Hylians often took pilgrimages to the shrines that scattered Hyrule, statues made of rock that stood as markers and memorials.

But, on the third day, it was a day of celebration. A celebration of life, of the trees that still bore fruit and the fish that swam in rivers and the nature that was slowly healing and purifying the Calamity’s touch from the land. It also had been, and still often was, a remembrance to Zelda. Who had stood sentinel for a hundred years, entrapping the Calamity and keeping it from destroying the rest of Hyrule. 

The people of Hyrule, Link himself, knew death. They knew that without life, there was no death. That without death, you could not have life. They were an inseparable pair, two sides of the same coin that was existence. 

“Mono-no-aware. Wabisabi. Kintsugi. ”

Mono-no-aware, the awareness of impermanence. It was the passage of time, the knowledge of ‘this is life’. A melancholy for death.

Wabisabi, the acknowledgement and acceptance of transience. That nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. 

Kintsugi, more beautiful for being broken. To highlight cracks and repairs as events in something’s life, rather than its end. To celebrate continued life.

“We are here.”

We survived.

Chapter Text

“Deuk!”

At Sky’s call, Twilight fell into a roll. The Master Sword whistled above his head, skewering the moblin that had been attacking the Rancher. As he came back to his feet, Twilight raised his sword to block another strike. A strangled cry came from his throat as white hot pain flashed through his sword-arm. Twilight angled his sword to the side, redirecting the monster’s strike. The moblin tumbled forward, only to meet Twilight’s boot as he kicked it in the gut.

The monster choked, and Twilight quickly skewered it before retreating a few steps. He grabbed at his bicep, hissing in pain as he did so. Beneath his fingers, his mail and tunic were wet and sticky. Twilight risked a glance down, and sure enough, his hand was painted red. 

Ah, perfect.

Twilight fell back to Sky, eyeing his fellow Hero. “How are we looking?”

“Maist o the monsters are aither deid or fled,” Sky said, lunging to the side to take out a stray keese-like thing. “At this pint it’s juist e’ cleanin.” ¹

“Thank Hylia.”

As Sky predicted, the battle was short-lived after that. Sky directed them towards the rest of the Chain, while Twilight continued to press his opposing hand into his upper sword-arm. Blood stained his tunic and hand, but Twilight didn’t think he was in danger of bleeding out. Probably.

They met the Chain at the edge of the battlefield, sans Wild, who was doing his typical wild-ness of looting the battlefield and the monster carcasses. Meanwhile, Hyrule took one look at Twilight’s arm and grimaced. Coming to Twi’s side, the Healer set his magic to work, knitting the outer layer of skin together and slowing the bleeding. 

“I’m too tired for more,” Hyrule gasped as he sat back, sweat beading his forehead. “Red potion, now. ” 

In Twilight’s not-so-humble-bleeding opinion, it took too long before someone was able to pull out a red potion and pass it forward. Hyrule uncorked the bottle and held it to Twi’s lips and he gratefully took a swig of the ruby-liquid. With a vague pins-and-needles feeling, the injury slowly knitted itself together and blood clotted. 

“What got you?” Four asked, moving forward with some bandages.

“Darknut,” Twilight groaned. “I hate those giant swords.”

He removed his hand from the injury to let the Smith wrap the wound. As Four pulled back the fabric of the Rancher’s sleeve, he winced at the sight. “Ouch, it certainly got a divot in your arm, huh?”

“Less talking, more wrapping.”

“Do we have any more red potions?” Time asked the group. There was a patting of pockets and a shaking of heads as everyone came up empty. Time’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Well that’s not ideal.”

A few hours later, the Chain set up a temporary camp away from the battlefield. As it turned out, they had exactly one red potion left between all of them and their personal food stores were running low. Twilight stared mournfully at his last piece of dried salted jerky. So much for lunch.

“We need to restock soon.”

The assessment came from Warriors, who was examining the laid out contents of the Chain’s travel packs. It looked as if an organized hurricane had swept the camp. Weapons, magic items, spare clothing, bedrolls, dishware and other personal items were scattered about as everyone took stock of their resources. Each Hero’s own eclectic mess was shadowed only by that of their companions.

“We need more non-perishable food in our packs,” Warriors continued. “We can’t completely rely on Wild’s sekiban . What if it breaks, or if we’re separated? Having all of one resource allocated to a single person is just asking for trouble.”

Twilight glanced at Wild, who was absently flicking through his sekiban. The Cook had been the only one to not upend his inventory into camp, but considering what Twilight had seen on it in Time’s Castletown, he was thankful. He did not want to be swallowed in a flood of rupees, rubies and frogs. 

“Well Vet,” Twilight turned to Legend. “This is your Hyrule. Know anywhere close that we can stock up on goods?”

Legend grimaced, visibly thinking for several minutes before he sighed heavily. “Yeah, I know a place. Guy who runs it is the filthiest thieving son of a demon I’ve ever had the misfortune of interacting with, and he tries to overprice me off every chance he gets, but he’s also about the only person with any halfway passable goods this side of the country.”

“And he’ll have what we need?” asked Time, giving Legend an assessing glance.

The Veteran smirked, teeth bared in a smile. “You think I’m a hoarder? Well, let’s just say I pale in comparison to this bastard.”

A day later, Twilight and the others looked out over the large marketplace Legend had brought them to. It was a bustling hub of activity, the screeches of children and street vendors all clamoring for attention. The market stretched down the central road of the town, spilling out into the courtyard they now stood in.

“Alright,” Time said as he eyed the nearest stalls. “Grab whatever food you need and meet back here in an hour. Stick with someone else and please, try not to burn the market down.”

“And watch your purses,” Legend smirked. “I’m not going to save you from pickpockets just because I’m the resident Hero.”

“What about this friend of yours?” Wind asked. The Sailor’s eyes scanned the crowd, as if it might reveal to him Legend’s mysterious merchant friend. “Is he going to show up?”

“I’ll look for him,” Legend said. “He should have a few potions or can direct us to one of the better brewers. But, if you see a guy dressed all in purple and with a ridiculous bunny-hood on, that’s him. Do not engage. You’re all hopeless and he will scam, charm, or cheat the rupees right off you.”

“Scam?” Warriors frowned. “I thought you said your friend had the best goods?”

“Oh, he does,” Legend nodded resolutely. “He’s just annoying and will overcharge if given the chance.”

On that cheerful note, the Chain dispersed in search of food. Thankfully for his sanity, Twilight managed to shuffle Wild-watching duty onto someone else for a change. (If he cackled upon spotting Wild roof-hopping once again while Warriors chased the other Hero from the ground, that was for him to know). 

The Rancher wound up buying a large package of jerky from the butchers as well as some dried fruit. Meandering back to the rendezvous point, Twilight found himself munching on something fried. He wasn’t sure if it was bread-based or meat-based, but it was good regardless. As the sun reached its peak, the rest of the Chain began to join Twilight, each with their own snacks. Wind and Sky were eating what looked to be honeyed fruits, while Time and Hyrule had gone for some warm bread loaves. 

Warriors, meanwhile, returned whilst eating Wild’s dust. “Wild, for the love of Hylia,” the Captain pleaded. “Please stop climbing the roofs.”

“Why? It’s fast.”

“But… you can’t do that!”

“Why?”

Warriors let out a keening groan, burying his face in his hands. Twilight gave the Captain a sympathetic pat on the arm. Welcome to the Rinku Wild Support Group, cookies provided by the resident gremlin.

“Alright,” Legend began, surveying the Chain. “I couldn’t find the merchant, so it looks like we’ll be heading to my house next.” 

“You own a house?” Four asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Why is that so surprising?” Legend grumbled, rolling his eyes. “I have a life you know. Anyways, it being ‘my’ house is a little subject at times because… well you’ll see.”

With Legend leading the way, the Chain made their way off the central road and deeper into the fringes of the town. After several switchbacks, alleyways and at least one loop, they gathered at the front of a modest building. A sign was leaning against the outside, proudly advertising ‘Ravio’s Magical Merchandise!’  

Twilight raised an eyebrow. Did they have the wrong building? Or was this Legend’s merchant friend?

The Chain shuffled inside, and Twilight squinted against the darkened interior, willing his eyes to adjust. Once the darkness began to form into recognizable shapes, he was greeted with the sight of a room filled with stuff.

Twilight swept an incredulous gaze around, the stacks beginning to refine into groups of ‘things’ rather than one ungodly mess. There were numerous racks of weapons, where spears, swords, and staffs were artfully displayed. Several tables were stacked high with sheafs of paper, and treasure chests were shoved into every free corner, with even more balanced atop the lids.

“This is…”

“I really should have expected this,” Warriors muttered. 

“Mister Hero!” 

Twilight jerked in surprise as something alive emerged from the disaster zone. It was a strange creature, draped in purple and with a large rabbit-like face. Make that rabbit-like hood, as it dropped to reveal a dark-haired Hylian with a toothy grin. 

“You didn’t say you’d be getting back!” the purple-robed Hylian said, picking his way through the stacks towards them. The dark eyes swept over them with something that felt a little too close to hunger. “And you brought customers! ”

“Everyone, meet Ravio,” Legend huffed. “Merchant and perpetual pain in my ass. Also a home invader. Ravio, these are other incarnations of the Hero’s Spirit.”

“Heroes!” Ravio’s eyes landed on them again, his voice gleeful. “Why Link, you always do bring me so much business! How can I ever thank you?”

“You can start by getting out of my house,” Legend deadpanned, picking his way through the room. He paused, glancing back at the Chain. “Don’t touch anything, I’m not sure how many cursed objects I’ve got and Ravio is the type that would put them on display.”

Okay, that definitely wasn’t concerning. 

“You… you’ve got a lot of… stuff,” Hyrule murmered, staring at the literal heaps with shock. It was an understatement. Twilight was impressed that one, let alone two people were able to live within all of this. Did they even have room for beds?

Legend heaved a sigh. “Believe it or not, around half of this is Ravios. What I wouldn’t give to have a sekiban like Wild’s. Unlimited storage would be a godsend.”

“Sekiaban?” Twilight startled as Ravio appeared, draping an arm around Legend’s shoulders. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of that before. And unlimited storage? Why, Mister Hero, are you holding out on me?”

“No.”

Ravio huffed, poking Legend’s side. “Pleeeease, Link? I’ll give you a discount! ” 

“Go bother someone else. Or better yet, go bother Zelda. I bet she’d love to hear about your latest weapons.” 

“I just got back from seeing the Princess! Unfortunately, Mister Zelda said that since I’ve already sold weapons to all her soldiers, she doesn’t have anything else to buy from me. I tried offering some cursed jewelry, but no one would take it!”

“Don’t curse the Princess, Merchant.”

Ravio gave a long sigh, slipping off of Legend. He turned his gaze on the Chain, predatory eyes landing on Warriors. Twilight laughed as the Hylian started shaking the Captain’s hand vigorously. “Ah, hello Mister Sir Knight of Hyrule!” Ravio said with a smile. “You look like a well-off relative!”

“Oh please, he’s as broke as I am,” Legend called out from behind the stacks.

Warriors’ eye twitched. “Why you little—”

At the sound of debt, Ravio switched targets. He pounced on Wild, where the Cook was inspecting the swords. “Oh, you have a good eye, Mister Big Blue Hero! That’s an authentic magical blade made by yours truly! It’s been wielded by the King of Caveranth in battle against a dragon! It will never break!” 

“Don’t bet on it,” Four muttered from somewhere.

“Ravio, no. Stop harassing Wild. Honestly, he’s still learning Hylian! If you’re going to scam someone, at least have some respect and do it to someone who knows the language!”

“Why, Mister Hero!” Ravio raised a hand to his chest, clutching his non-existent pearls. “How depraved do you think I am? I would never scam anyone!”

“You’re a merchant,” Legend deadpanned.

“Anyways,” Time coughed, in a rather unsubtle attempt to redirect the conversation. “Ravio, you said? Do you happen to know the nearest location we could purchase some potions? We need to refill our supply and Leg–, er, Link says you’re familiar with the best places to buy in Hyrule.”

Ravio turned on Time, his answering grin stretching across his face.

“Why Mister Tall Hero, you should have said!”

After much shuffling, and retrieving those who had been lost in the piles of merchandise, the Chain was herded by Ravio towards one side of the store. Twilight blinked at the sight. Against the wall were several racks holding bottles of red and green potions. Small labels proudly declared ‘Health Potions! Red with Vitality to Heal All Your Ills!’ and ‘Magic Potions! Make Your Friends Green with Envy as You Heal Your Magical Maladies!’.  

Well, it seems like they wouldn’t need to go very far to buy their potions.

“Ravio, what are you doing selling potions?!” Legend groused, spinning on the dark-haired Hylian. “I thought you’d monopolized on magical weapons?”

Ravio gave a heavy sigh, bringing a hand to his chest. “I still do, Mister Hero, but save for you, so few are in the market for magical weaponry these days. No one buys, or even rents, my products! So, I’ve turned to potion selling. It’s far more profitable!”

“So, what, you’re buying and reselling potions?” Wind asked, raising an eyebrow. “How much do you get back on that?”

“Mmm,” Ravio hummed, nodding. “And it’s enough. Although, I have started my own brewing! I was able to apprentice to a Great Master—”

“Yeah right!” Legend laughed, tugging on Ravio’s collar. “Let me guess, this ‘Great Master’ are some books you bought off a poor travelling merchant?”

Ravio couldn’t quite hide his expression of having swallowed a lemon. “Er… no?” The Merchant huffed, shifting his weight to hold his head high. “Regardless, I run an honest business. My products are of the highest quality, worth their prices. I’m up front about my expenses. Unlike the rest of those thieves in town.”

Legend hummed. “Ah, driving the bootleg potion market out of business huh?” 

A pause.

“Bootleg potions?” Hyrule asked, his brow furrowing.

“Yeah, it’s where you buy a regular potion and then water it down,” Legend explained. “Most bootleg sellers only put a small amount of the original potion into each of the new ones, meaning it’s severely weakened.” 

“They’re a big problem in the army,” Warriors put in. “There was a whole thing about trying to crack down on bootlegging in the city. The thing is, bootlegs are actually dangerous because if you’ve got a bad injury, then the bootleg potion won’t be potent enough to do anything for it. They’re about as useful as regular water.”

“It’s not all bad though,” Twilight argued. “At home in Ordon, we needed to make one red potion last for months. If you got sick, we’d put a few drops of potion in some tea. It’s got a place, especially for us who can’t afford potions on the regular.”

“Perhaps, but those scammers are still charging full price,” Ravio sniffed. “Their products aren’t even worth that much! If it’s expensive, it should be worth the purchase!”

While the others continued chatting about the merits of watering down potions and expenses, Twilight turned back to the selection of bottles. Wild slid next to him, peering at the labels with squinted eyes. His mouth moved, soundlessly working through the alien letter symbols. 

“Kore-wa nandesu-ka? ” Wild asked, pointing to the potions. “This, what?”

Twilight’s brows raised in surprise. Had Wild never seen a potion before?

“They’re potions,” Twilight explained. He held up a red potion, the swirling crimson liquid catching the light. “They heal you, help with injuries.”

“Heal… yaku-ni niteiru-ka? Like a yaku? ”

“Yaku? ” Twilight frowned at the unfamiliar word. “What’s yaku? ”

“It…” Wild paused, then stretched his hands forward, palms facing up. He pushed them upwards a couple times, as if attempting to lift something. “Kyōkasuru… it makes you more.”

Makes you more… lifting… “Yaku… it strengthens you?”

“Hai,” Wild snapped his fingers, pointing at Twilight. “Strength. Yaku makes strong.” The Cook tilted his head, glancing between Twilight and the others. “Yaku means potion, what ‘boot-ega’ mean?”

“Bootleg,” Twilight corrected. “And it’s like… you’re lying about the potion, you’re cheating someone."

“Cheat…” Wild shook his head. “Why cheat potion?”

“For money,” Ravio commented, adding his rupees to the conversation. “Potions are a rich business.”

Wild still looked utterly confused. “Why buy? Why not make potion?” 

“It’s not that easy,” Four said with a sigh. “Potion makers guard the secrets of brewing closely. They don’t want people getting ideas and trying to brew themselves. They’d lose all their business. So, no one outside the brewers knows how to make them.” 

“I show you how,” Wild offered. Silence descended for a moment before…

“What?!”

“Since when could you do that?”

“Oh, please!”

Exclamations emerged from the Chain as everyone spun to face Wild after that bombshell. Ravio wriggled his way to the front, and practically fell to his knees before the startled Hero. “Oh please, Mister Potions Hero! Teach me! Teach me the secrets of your brewing!”   

“Yoshi, yoshi,” Wild said hurriedly, scooching backwards. “I teach you.”

Once Ravio had finished expressing his undying love and eternal gratitude to Wild, the Merchant guided them to a miniature courtyard at the back of the house. A small stone fire pit was set into the ground. Wild settled himself on the cobblestones, materializing one of his cooking pots and erecting a stand over the fire pit. One bundle of wood and a fire-arrow later, and tongues of flames began to lick the underside of the metal wok. 

“Okay,” Wild clapped his hands, drawing the Chain’s attention. Like eager children, they clustered around, eager to see potion brewing in action. “This kenkō-yaku. It gives health.”

Twilight nodded. So, it was basically like a red potion. 

After getting someone to fetch a bucket of water and setting it to boil in the pot, the Cook — now Potion Brewer — got to work. He unhooked his sekiban from his belt and tapped it lightly with a finger. Blue strings of light glittered in the air, and items materialized next to Wild. Twilight leaned forward, interested in what was in store. 

It took him a good minute to process what he was seeing. 

Finally he realized that yes, Wild had withdrawn a lizard, some beetles, a couple rocks, and a few disturbingly fleshy looking items from the sekiban and had piled them next to the pot. 

“Er… is that meant tae be thare?”² Sky asked cautiously, gesturing towards the pile of unspeakables. 

Wild titled his head, giving a nod. “Hai. This… parts? Zairyō, sozai… ”

“Ingredients?” Wind offered, and Wild nodded, pointing to Wind.

“Hai, ingredients. This kenkō-yaku ingredients.”

As if to confirm their doom, Wild proceeded to take one of the fleshy-things, holding it up for their inspection. “Moriburin no Kimo,” he said, completely unfazed he held it in his bare hand. The thing twitched slightly, and Twilight had the worst feeling that the fleshy thing was an organ. “Gives yaku power, gives Chikara.”

Wild tossed the moriburin no kimo — Hylia, hadn’t moriburin been the name of one of his monsters?! — into the pot.

There was silence for a long, long moment as everyone digested this. 

“WE’VE BEEN DRINKING THAT?!” Warriors screeched, his voice cracking several octaves.

Twilight’s stomach twisted, and he coughed, trying to choke back bile. He stepped back from the pot, in some feeble hope that he could distance himself mentally as well as physically from that godless concoction. He… he didn’t want to know. Goddesses, he didn’t want to know. 

Twilight wasn’t a stranger to eating weird things. He’d eaten bugs a fair few times. Hell, he’d even mauled monsters with his mouth as a wolf. It wasn’t even that the potions he’d had weren’t weird, he’d made a few tonics with chu-jelly. But that had been jelly. This…

This was made of organs, insects, lizards and Hylia damned teeth!!

Around him, the other members of the Chain were in ranging states of disgust and incredulity. Warriors, Sky and Four looked as though they had been utterly betrayed, and the Captain’s face was taking on a distinctly green tinge. Time and Legend looked very disturbed, though not ill. Wind appeared disgusted yet intrigued, in the typical fashion of young children when they found something gross and dared each other to eat it. 

Meanwhile, Hyrule and Ravio were the most unfazed. Hyrule looked interested if a little surprised. Twilight supposed that the Traveler had probably eaten weirder things on occasion. The Merchant, on the other hand, just seemed to be caught in the euphoria of learning about potions. 

“I see,” Ravio murmured. “So their reasons for secrecy are twofold. To monopolize the trade, and to prevent customers from running in fear.”

“Hyrule, please tell me you can do memory erasure magic,” Four muttered. “I have seen things I wish to unsee.”

Unfortunately, Hyrule could not do such magic. Warriors took to swearing that he would never be injured again, just please Hylia, don’t make me eat that, please. Twilight was fairly certain it was an overreaction… but it wasn’t an underreaction either.

Wild eyed his companions, trying to puzzle out their reactions. 

He’d only pulled out the ingredients for the hearty elixir, but the rest of the group had had severe reactions to it. In fact, his audience was dwindling as several of the other Heroes retreated back into the main house, looking rather green. Wild wondered if he should offer them some of the elixir when he was done. It might make them feel better. 

Eventually, Wild’s audience had been reduced down to Hairyū, Rabio, Legando and Wuīndo. He eyed the remainder, and waved a hand back towards the house, asking if the others were alright. Wuīndo simply snickered, seeming to find his companions’ suffering and/or discomfort. amusing. “Ya, ya. Teī arē shishi! ”

“Shishi?” Wild repeated the unfamiliar phrase. “Wate tatta mianse?”

“Ita okai,” Legando muttered. So ‘shishi’ meant ‘okay’ then? Unless it was a sarcastic statement… “Go-an.”

Wild shrugged, turning back to the elixir ingredients he’d laid out. For this batch, he’d decided on a hearty lizard, iron-shell beetles, some bokoblin fangs and a couple moblin guts. Nodding in satisfaction at the selection, Wild turned to his pupils.

Okay, time for Elixir Making 101!

“Tē arē tau pātsu ina Elixir,” Wild began, gesturing to his ingredients, the parts of the Elixir. He waved a hand to the hearty lizard and beetles, which would carry the effect. “Tisu tē efekuto, tē yusu.” He then pointed to the collection of monster parts, which were the powersource of the elixir. “Tisu tē pawā.”

Elixirs were, at heart, relatively simple to make. 

Making them required two main things: a base ‘effect’ and an amplifier. 

Things of nature were used to provide the desired “effect” of the elixir. Typically, it was a once-living creature that had the desired aspect the potion was based on. For a fire-proof elixir, Wild would have used creatures or plants from Death Mountain that had a high natural resistance to heat. This provided the framework for what the elixir would do, giving those who ingested the elixir similar resistances.

The second element was the amplifier, which is what monster parts were used for. These contained the “power” of the potion, amplifying the ‘effect’ of the creature used. The stronger the monster part, the stronger the elixir. And, since the amplifier only necessitated ‘power’, Link wasn’t limited to monster parts. He could also use dragon scales, which contained spiritual power instead of power distilled from malice.

It was rather funny, if Wild was honest. 

Monsters gained Power from malice, from the Calamity. But those who brewed elixirs turned that Power from something that would harm them into something that strengthened them. 

“These are moblin guts,” Wild lifted said organs up, the blue flesh squishy under his hand. He held it up to his audience, who recoiled slightly. Yeah, Wild didn’t like it that much either, but sacrifices of taste had to be made for practicality. As much as using sheddings of the dragons would have been nice, monster parts were far more common and easier to come by. “Monsute givu elixir pawā. Mora sutorongu monsute, mora pawā.”

Monsters stored their magic, their Power, in their bodies, and the stronger the monster, the more Power it had. This meant that higher tiered enemies like Silvers had both more vitality, and a greater ‘resistance’ to death. Even when dead, their organic remains still held potent enough Power to twitch in a feeble effort to live.

Horns and talons were the most common remains that monster corpses left behind. This was because they were both physically hard to deteriorate, and lent themselves well to the longer-term storage of magic. For Blins and their relatives, larger horns and talons typically meant there was more available magic, storing Power in their horns like fat deposits. 

But it was the softer and more “fragile” remains like the monsters’ guts that contained the most potent magic. 

Guts were valuable in potions. This was both due to their softness and fragility, which more easily dissolved in the brewing process, as well as the concentration of Power necessary in the monster itself to leave behind the guts. It was for this reason that organs typically only remained if the monster had abundant natural strength. They were the only ones with enough vitality in their bodies that some of their organs could remain while the rest of the body crumbled to ash. 

Wild had even seen stronger monsters like Silvers ingest gems and other objects that naturally carried magic to absorb the power contained within them. 

“Monsute mēku efekuto mora,”   Wild summarized to his audience. “Mēku efekuto sutorongu.” 

Gathering the various ingredients, he dumped them in the pot of simmering water. His audience recoiled again from the splash. Wild nodded to the pot. “Waen nou monsute, ita kukku-de.”

Wild’s trick was to let the concoction simmer until the remaining Power had been distilled from the monsters’ remains. Then, the organs would disintegrate like the rest of the creature had. Once the organs had crumbled, you’d pick out the boiled lizard and insects and fill bottles with the newly made elixir!

It was a rather simple yet elegant process, and Wild’s potent elixirs spoke to his success. 

The pot simmered for nearly half an hour until the last remains of bokoblin fang had crumbled away. After tucking away the boiled lizard (it could be useful for something else), Wild selected a few empty bottles from his Slate and scooped them into the amber-colored liquid. One cork later, and he handed Rabio the completed Hearty Elixir. 

“Finished!” Wild exclaimed, smiling brightly. “See, you don’t need to buy elixirs. It’s easy to make them.”

Rabio gave Wild a wide grin. “Tānka-yu, Misutā Pōshon Hiro!”

Chapter Text

“Sorry Legend, I think Ravio’s gone.”

“Lost.”

“Irretrievable.”

“We’re not getting him back any time soon.”

Warriors stared at the scene in front of him, nothing short of horrified. Talons, horns, and the gutted remains of monsters were heaped on the floor, intermingled with dried plants and insects. The sight and stench alone had Warriors’ stomach twisting into knots, acid burning the back of his throat. Not even the wind of the courtyard was able to banish the acrid smell.

In the center of it all, was Ravio. 

The merchant sat knee deep in the monster remains and assorted plant life, a bubbling cauldron next to him and a notebook in hand. Warriors didn’t know how the dark haired Hylian had gotten this many monster parts in the two days since Wild had instructed him in potion making. He was a little fearful to ask.

Uncaring of Warriors’ inner turmoil, the merchant threw some white objects resembling rocks into the pot. The merchant turned to Wild and gestured at the grotesque concoction. 

“How’s this Mister Potions Hero?”

Wild leaned forward, dipping a finger into the cauldron and then, to Warriors’ disgust, he stuck it in his mouth. It seemed, despite the excellent meals he created, the scarred Hero had no ability to taste. He grinned, nodding to Ravio. “Good!”

“So what potion will this make?” The merchant asked, pointing to the cauldron. “A red potion?”

Wild’s head titled, ears twitching back. He looked thoughtful for a moment, probably working out what Ravio had said. “Teeth soup,” he said, nodding to the cauldron. “Kenkō-yaku ni-naru.”

… What.

Four snorted, trying and failing to hide muffled laughter. Warriors didn’t see how this could be a laughing matter. Really, that was the Hylian who made their food. For all they knew, he could have made them teeth soup without their knowing!

Warriors stomach clenched, and he felt ill all over again.

Legend sighed, throwing a small stone at Ravio’s head. It missed, and went careening into the cauldron. Ravio gasped in offense. “Mister Hero!”

“Oops,” Legend deadpanned. “Now, Ravio, can I pull you away from your new potion fixation for five seconds?”

“It’s already been five seconds,” Ravio snarked, already turning back to his pot. 

The Veteran rolled his eyes, continuing as if Ravio hadn’t spoken. Warriors got the impression this was a frequent pattern of conversation. “We did an inventory and the group has some magical weapons and objects that could use your touch. Or is your regular business no longer running?”

“I’m driving the bootleggers out of business, Mister Hero, surely you can understand! It is a noble act that will protect many innocent souls!”

“Ravio.”

At Legend’s flat tone, the merchant huffed and made a grabbing motion. “Fine. Hand it here, let’s see what I can do.”

Legend handed one of his bracelets to Ravio, who twisted it around in his hands. “The main gemstone has a hairline fracture,” the Veteran explained. “It’s not bad but I want to get it now before it gets worse. There’s a few others too, Pretty Boy has a fire rod that needs recharging.” 

Warriors scowled at the nickname, eyeing Legend with distast. 

‘Pretty Boy’…  says the one who dyed his hair pink. I’m just the only one who makes half an effort to keep themselves clean around here! And I’m not pretty, I am gorgeous thank you very much. 

Warriors did have enough tact to keep his mouth shut however. He didn’t want to risk antagonizing Ravio and his potential solution to fixing the fire rod. Though, as it turned out, it ultimately wasn’t necessary.

“Sorry, can’t do it,” Ravio said as he handed the bracelet back to Legend.

“Don’t try to weasel your way out,” the Veteran threatened, but Ravio waved him down.

“I don’t work with magical items like that. I deal in weapons like swords, not physical amplifiers. Do I sell rings of power? Sure. Craft them? No. As for Mister Scarf Hero’s fire rod, again, it's not my field. You’re gonna want an artificer, enchanter or someone similar for that”

An artificer? 

Warriors had heard of those. The Hylian military in his home Hyrule had some under their employ. They were inventors and crafters who specialized in magical items, either in creating or repairing them. Despite having a fire rod, Warriors hadn’t met one himself. (When the rod’s magic ran low, he usually went to Lana to recharge the fire-stone.)

“And where do I find an Artificer?” Legend asked dryly. “Besides you, I’m not exactly swimming in options.”

“What about your Labrynnian friend? Mister Leo-something? They were just a town over, last I heard.”

Well this is unexpected, Warriors huffed in amusement. The Vet has friends? Other than us and the Merchant? I didn’t think he had it in him!

“Léonar?” Legend raised an eyebrow. “That bastard is in Hyrule? Gods, I haven’t heard from him in years, I didn’t know the goat was still alive.”

Ah yes, of course, an insult based relationship. I don’t know why I was expecting otherwise. What other sorts of friends does the Veteran have? One with manners? Outrageous. Impossible. Not even the gods could make it so.

“Yep,” Ravio nodded, rubbing his shin. "Alive and kicking. Hits harder than Mister Princess Zelda.”

“Wait a second…” Legend said slowly, eyes narrowing as he inspected the other Hylian. “You’ve never even met Léonar… though evidently you have now.” The Veteran’s scowl grew deeper as Ravio wrung his hands sheepishly. “Ravio… What did you do.”

The Merchant shrugged. “He was inspecting my weapons a little too closely. I can’t lose all my secrets, you know. Where would my business be then?”

“Still prospering, because he works out of Labrynna,” Legend muttered. “See, this is why I refer to you as a merchant in the derogatory sense, Merchant.”

Ravio smirked. “Well, Mister Hero, you’re the one who broke every pot in Hyrule. Hardly heroic, wouldn’t you say?”

Impossible. How could he know?!

Legend paled drastically. “You swore you’d never mention that.”

Ravio’s grin was innocence and mischief incarnate. “I’m a merchant, Mister Hero. I barter for a living.”

Ordinarily, Warriors would have teased the Veteran for ruining the hard work of the kingdom’s potters, but considering his own experiences, he decided to keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t risk Legend finding out about the Rupee Incident. Warriors had been young, foolish and far too gullible to the older soldier’s bets. He had spent a solid month as a potter’s apprentice trying and failing to remake all the pots in Castle Town. 

(These days, he respected the pots. Though he did allow himself to break one per year as revenge).

After Legend got Léonar’s location out of Ravio, the Chain congregated outside the Merchant’s shop, escaping the reek of the monster parts. They spent a few minutes tightening the straps on their gear and travel packs, until they were ready to depart. 

“Come back soon!” Ravio exclaimed as Legend exited his house-turned-store.

“Don’t burn the place down,” Legend responded. “Or get me evicted because of your experiments.”

Ravio rolled his eyes. “So little trust, Mister Hero.” The Merchant proceeded to wrap Legend in a hug. But what made Warriors raise his eyebrows was the fact that Legend accepted the embrace. The Merchant whispered something to the Veteran, who huffed and patted Ravio on the back.

The two separated, and Legend joined the rest of the Chain, leading the party down the cobbled road.

“Don’t forget to bring me back some souvenirs!” Ravio called, waving.

“I’ll have a little birdie send them!” Legend shouted back, flipping a raised finger behind him.

Ravio laughed.

With the Veteran guiding them, the Chain followed the road out of town. Warriors fell into the familiar rhythm of walking, time slowly being eaten away. A particularly hard stone made itself known under his shoe, and he grimaced.

I’m going to have to get new boots, Warriors muttered to himself. His stamina had gotten better over the previous weeks, but the long distance walking remained one of the hardest things about this whole Portal nonsense. He eyed Wild and Hyrule slightly enviously, who never even looked winded despite the miles they would cover.

In hopes of distracting himself from the ache making itself known in his calves, Warriors turned his attention to the Chain. “Any bets on who this Léonar fellow is?” He asked, eyeing the others. “Vet? Want to say anything?”

“Figure it out yourself,” Legend grumbled. “It’ll give me a good laugh.”

“He’s wise o magic, aye?” Sky commented thoughtfully. “Or, ‘at’s whit Ravio said. A say he’s a warlock, coud even be gyre carle.” ¹ Sky wiggled his fingers on the last phrase, so Warriors guessed it was some sort of supernatural creature.

“I’ve met a few merchants who dealt in magical items,” Time said, one hand coming to rest on his hip satchel. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Salesman knew how to fix his crafts… he could make them after all.”

Warriors got the feeling Time wasn’t talking about Léonar.

Hyrule waved a hand dismissively. “You’re all too complicated. He’s got to be an Old Man.”

“Old Man?” 

Warriors glanced over at where Wild had spoken. The scarred Hero squinted at Hyrule, repeating his question. “Old Man?”

“Old Man,” Hyrule said, putting a hand close to his chin and drawing it downwards as if he was stroking a beard. He then brought a hand behind his head and swept it forwards, like he was pulling up a hood. 

Wild’s eyes lit up and he nodded vehemently, pointing between himself and the Traveler. “Ojīsan! Old Man!”

“You too?” Hyrule leaned forwards, patting the hilt of his blade. “Mine gave me a sword and then threw me out of the cave, what about you?”

“Gave glider, uh… gake-kara nagesuteta… ” The Cook frowned in thought, mouth silently working through the words. “Throw me cliff?” Wild held one hand steady and mimed throwing with the other. 

“Threw you a cliff…. Wait, he threw you off a cliff?!” Wind clarified, incredulous. “Wouldn’t that hurt?”

“Glider,” Wild explained, and shrugged. “I throw… me off cliff?” He repeated the gesture, and Warriors wondered how their Cook had survived this long. It certainly sounded like he had been thrown off a cliff. But by an old white-haired elder?

I wouldn’t put it past Impa to do it, Warriors considered. He then paused, and immediately started praying. Because (a) he’d just implied Impa was old, and (b) she absolutely would throw him off a cliff without hesitation and she wouldn’t give him a glider, especially not after that last comment. Oh Hylia, I am doomed.

Ignoring Warriors’ internal crisis and impending doom, the two wanderers started a choppy conversation comparing their respective ‘Old Men’. As for the rest of the Chain, their chattering turned to other topics. Warriors tried and failed to needle an answer regarding Léonar out of Legend, so consigned himself to stew in ignorance.

Thankfully for his poor aching feet, they reached another village only an hour or two after they’d set out. As they approached the main entrance, Warriors swept his gaze around, finding it rather  quaint and cheery.

“Welcome to Kakariko Village,” Legend declared, sweeping his arms to the side. 

The Captain glanced upwards at the sign spanning the roadway, squinting at the characters written there. It didn’t quite match his own form of written Hylian, reading “Kakaryku” instead of the expected name. 

I guess spoken words aren’t the only thing that changes, Warriors thought as he glanced at Wild.

The Veteran stalked through the village, occasionally pulling someone aside to ask if they’d seen Léonar. Warriors wondered if it was really a good idea to have Legend doing it, since he wasn’t exactly known for being polite. But, his worry was unfounded. The Veteran was offered nods of recognition from those he passed, and soon they were directed to a low building on the south side of town.

Warriors squinted at the sign, parsing the garbled letters. “Mylk Barr.”

A bar? Really Vet?

The Chain slowly filed inside, and Warriors took a moment to admire the space. The interior was well lit and surprisingly spacious, with several tables and customers scattered about the hall. Soft music floated through the air, courtesy of a bard strumming his lute and the flute player in the back. 

Warriors turned back to Legend, only to find him stalking towards someone at the main counter. The Veteran halted just short of the person, and smirked widely. 

“Léonar! Vieux croûton, comment vas-tu ?” ¹

Warriors blinked at the abrupt language change. Since when could the Veteran speak other languages? He wondered. Though, considering he is “the Veteran” I really shouldn’t be surprised… he seems to know a bit of everything. 

Warriors himself could only speak a few sentences of his Hyrule’s Sheikah, mostly insults he’d picked up from Impa that were directed at himself or whatever stupid thing some of the soldiers had done. Time was fluent in a strange clicking language he called ‘the Language of the Forest’, and then there was Wild, who knew several other languages and was trying to learn their form of Hylian. 

The person whom Legend had spoken to turned around, and Warriors silently prayed the Veteran hadn’t said anything insulting. As the individual faced them, Warriors was greeted with a dark skinned man with rounded ears and a bright smile. As he laid eyes on Legend, the smile grew.  

“Link, ça fait quelques années !” The other man, presumably Léonar, chuckled. Warriors, catching their shared name in the sentence, hoped it was something complimentary. He didn’t want to get into the middle of an argument he could understand nothing in. “Et ne t'en va pas me traiter de vieux. Si je suis vieux alors toi tu es d'âge mûr !” ²

“Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici en Hyrule si loin de chez toi ?” Legend waved around them, and considering Warriors had caught the name of ‘Hyrule’, he guessed it was something on the order of: ‘What are you doing here?’ Though admittedly, it probably had more swearing. “ Je pensais que tu faisais du commerce avec Vasu en Labrynna ? Tu ne parles même pas Hylien de ce que je sais.” ³

“Il y a quelques bons artisans en Hyrule, j'apprécie de voir le travail des autres.” Léonar smirked, lazily waving a hand. “Et puis il faut bien que je voie comment se porte la concurrence.” ⁴

While Warriors knew nothing of what was being said, the toothy smile that Léonar had stretched across his face made the Captain abruptly understand why he and Legend were friends. It was the same crafty grin that promised ‘I have everything I need to make your life miserable’. Whether that was with a sword, being an annoyance, or both.

“Toujours aussi sournois,” Legend rolled his eyes, and jerked a thumb to point back at Warriors. “Ecoute, j'ai quelques anneaux qui bénéficieraient d'un petit entretien, et mon ami ici a une baguette de feu qui aurait besoin d'être rechargée.” ⁵

“On se fait des amis, hein Link ?” ⁶

Legend scowled, and abruptly switched back over to speaking in Hylian. “Hardly.” The Veteran looked back at the Chain and nodded, jerking his head forward. “Alright, hand ‘em forward.”

Warriors hesitantly withdrew his fire rod. The metal was cold beneath his fingers, and more than anything, that told him how drained the magical weapon was. The fire rod was usually warm to the touch, the heat of the central fire-stone radiating into the rest of the staff. 

The Captain had drained the magical energy of his fire rod a few times before. During the War of Ages, when he’d used it frequently, there had been several instances when the fire-stone went dark and the metal went cold. Luckily, Lana had been able to recharge the stone with her own magic. (There was a hairline crack in the stone from the memorable instance in which she overcharged the stone and nearly exploded the whole thing).

But it was a vastly different thing to trust a stranger with his weapon. Watching Léonar cautiously, Warriors looked over at the Veteran. “Are you sure this guy is trustworthy? He’s not about to rob me?”

Legend shrugged. “I’ve had all my items and body parts returned so far.”

Well that was probably the best assurance he’d get from Legend. 

Fire rod in hand, Warriors approached Léonar and slowly offered the magical staff. Léonar took it and began inspecting it, running a hand down its length and twisting the rod to view the staff’s gemstone. (It was some consolation that Léonar wasn’t amateur enough to look straight down the blast end). 

“Tu as dis qu'il fallait la recharger ?” Léonar said, eyes flicking between Warriors and Legend. ⁷

“Oui,” Legend nodded, so that was probably a ‘yes’. 

“J'ai juste ce qu'il te faut.” ⁸ Léonar set the staff on the bar counter and began rooting around in his bag. After several minutes, his hand emerged clutching a strange dull stone and some odd looking string. Léonar wrapped some of the string around the rod’s fire stone, then repeated the process with the dull stone he still held in his hand. 

“What’s he doing?” Four asked, leaning around Warriors to watch the process. 

“Na idea,” said Sky. “Airts an’ crafts?” ²

The twine now formed a loop between the two stones, wrapped around each one in a coil. Léonar’s fingertips glimmered slightly, magic dancing between them. He ran a finger along one of the threads, from the gray stone towards the fire crystal. Warriors’ eyes widened as Léonar’s previously dull stone flared to life, shimmering magical energy.

Across from them, light kindled in the fire stone, a dull glow that slowly gained in strength as minutes passed.

“That’s a power crystal,” Time muttered lowly. “How has he not been robbed?”

Legend repeated the question to Léonar, who snorted. Via Legend, he responded: “I’m an Artificer. If they rob me they’ll find out exactly how practically useful my creations are. I’ve got a spoon that can— Okay, not repeating that Léo,” Legend muttered. “How’d you even come up with that?”

Léonar shrugged. “Les jours sont longs.” ⁹

Once the recharge stone had been disconnected from the rod’s fire-stone, Warriors was happily reunited with his staff, now warm to the touch. He grinned widely, spinning the fire rod only to be thwapped on the head with something hard.

Rubbing his aching skull, the Captain turned to see the bartender, who’d been observing the proceedings, now holding a long wooden ladle. “No fire indoors,” the man said crossly.

Once Legend had finished laughing — the bastard — he pulled a box from his bag and stripped off a few of the bracelets and rings he wore. The Veteran laid it all out on the wooden counter with surprising care, and Warrior’s jaw dropped as the box was opened and he saw contents.

Rings. Dozens of them, of every shape, size and color filled the box to bursting. There were red ones, black ones, simple bands and ornately carved signets. It was something Warriors would have expected to find in the dressing room of nobility, not shoved in an adventurer’s bag.

“We really need to change your nickname from ‘Veteran’ to ‘Hoarder’,” Warriors muttered. “How many even are there?!”

“Over 64,” Legend replied. He fingered through them, picking out three in particular and then  closing the lid. He nearly caught Wild’s fingers as he snapped it shut, and their Cook yelped, snatching his hands out of harm’s way.

“Oi, no thieving,” the Veteran chided as Wild looked longingly at the box. “Some of these are cursed.”

“Cursed?” Twilight asked, eyeing the box more cautiously. “Why do you keep them?”

Legend shrugged. “Keeps them out of the wrong hands. That or they’d make great gifts to some particularly beloathed individuals.”

And Legend said he wasn’t like Ravio.

Waving a hand to the large pile of magical jewelry, Legend grinned savagely at Léonar. “Work your magic, Artificer.”

Léonar grinned just as widely. “Avec plaisir. C'est toi qui paies.” ¹⁰

Judging by Legend’s horrified expression, Warriors imagined the Veteran had just realized he’d need to pay for Léonar’s services. 

They spent nearly another hour in the bar as Léonar fixed or recharged Legend’s various magical rings and bracelets. The Chain dispersed around the tables, getting food or drink as they collectively took a break. Warriors grabbed a pint while he waited, flirting a bit with the bartender’s assistant, a lanky young man in an apron.

“Come here often?” Warriors tried, lazily looking out from under his eyelashes.

The young man gave him a dry look. “I work here.”

Shit! Bad line!

“Er, well I imagine you must be tired of customers telling you how handsome you are,” Warriors stumbled, attempting to recover and regain his suave.

“Yes, quite,” the bartender deadpanned. “Though most usually flirt with Cecilia.” The man nodded towards one of the servers who was chatting with some of the Chain as she refilled their drinks. She was, indeed, very gorgeous. “Surprised you aren’t.”

Warriors shrugged. “I would, but most women I’ve met at bars can suplex me without blinking. I would like my shoulder not-dislocated.”

The young man dipped his head. “Fair enough.”

After a few more minutes wooing the young bartender, Warriors was pulled away by Twilight, much to his chagrin. “Really Rancher?” Warriors muttered as they reached Léonar and the others. “He was really cute!”

“The Captain doing more bad pick up lines?” Legend asked.

Warriors sniffed. “My pick up lines are perfectly fine, thank you!”

Wind patted him on the arm. “They’re all so last century, Wars. Literally.”

“Putting aside Warriors’ poor attempts at flirting,” Time said, to which Warriors himself offered a half-hearted “Hey!” , before the eldest Hero continued. “Has Léonar finished repairing everything?”

“Yep,” Legend nodded. “Though he did say something particularly interesting: there’s been reports of monsters towards the forest, east of here. He ran into a few on his way into town.”

“Aye,” the bartender cut in. “They’ve been in the river east of the village too. We can’t go fishing at all.”

Well, I guess we know where we’re going next, Warriors thought.

After bidding farewell to Léonar — who sent them off with a “Ne meurs pas, Link,” ¹¹ — the Chain set off on the road again. As was usual for the group of Heroes, trouble found them first. 

“Fusero!”

“Hit the deck!”

Warriors obeyed the command in multiple languages, dropping downwards as a boulder shot over his head. Half a second later and he was rolling to his feet, sword unsheathed with a shing of metal on leather. His eyes darted around, analyzing the turned-battlefield for the threats. 

From the forest, he could see the hulking form characteristic of moblins as they advanced, brandishing crude weaponry. But even stranger were the monsters that accompanied them, balloon shaped creatures with rope-like legs and bulbous eyes. They reminded him of Gohma, if Gohma had twice as many legs and was somehow more disturbing. 

As Warriors tightened his grip on his sword, one of the creatures swelled and then a rock was being launched at his head. He dodged, rolling aside and eyeing the strange creatures with concern. 

Right, so we’ve got melee and ranged.

“Vet!” Warriors shouted. “What are we dealing with?”

“Octoroks!” Legend responded. “They shoot rocks and their tentacles have a nasty whip!”

“Wild, Rancher, you’re on ranged support! We don’t need those boulders taking us out!” Warriors ordered. He flicked his eyes to the side to see the rest of the Chain had gotten back to their feet, weapons ready.

It seemed his command was redundant however, as an arrow whizzed past his head, colliding with one of the apparently named ‘octoroks’. The creature hissed as Wild’s arrow struck it, imbedding in bony plates on the monster’s skin.

“Nanda?! ” 

Ignoring Wild’s shout, Warriors charged forward, meeting a moblin as it struck down at him. The heavy sword pushed against his shield, straining his arm muscles. Twisting, Warriors ducked to the side, letting the sword slip downwards. The moblin stumbled forwards at the lack of resistance, and Warriors spun, striking as quick as a snake. 

“What in Hylia’s name are these things?” Twilight yelled above the rising din of battle. Seems the Captain wasn’t the only one who’d never seen one of these ‘octoroks’ before. “It’s like someone made a skulltula out of worms! Oh, and they gave it hard skin and added a cannon! Vet, how do you kill these things?”

“Hit it more than it hits you!”

“Great, thanks! That helps so much!”   

The moblin Warriors was fighting bellowed with rage, forcing the Captain to tune out the talk of his allies. The monster stumbled back, trying to put distance between itself and the Hero. He didn’t give it the chance, and relentlessly pushed forward until it fell dead to the ground. A hissing shriek had him turning, only to find himself looking straight into the mouth of an octorok.

“Kawa-ga katai… me-o-utsu! ” Wild shouted distantly, and there was a hiss of air as an arrow sprouted from the octorok’s eye. It collapsed, deflating like a punctured air bladder. 

Good shot, Warriors thought. And good timing too. 

“Hit the eye!” Warriors called to Twilight, then spun back to face the moblins.

The next moblin was smart, keeping the Captain at a sword’s distance and forcing him to dance backwards from sweeping strikes. The wide cuts kept coming, until the monster had cornered Warriors against the trees. 

Damn it, he thought as he eyed the moblin. His eyes flickered to the side, catching an octorok with its tentacles wrapped around a tree. Okay, only one shot at this.

Warriors whistled, the sound catching the attention of the octorok. It inhaled, the moblin drew back its sword to strike, and— CRACK. The boulder collided with the moblin’s unprotected back, and Warriors flitted to the side, dodging the monster’s collapsing body. The moblin fell to the ground with a thud , and the Captain took a moment to breathe and survey the battlefield.

Thankfully, it seemed the battle was wrapping up, and a few minutes later the Chain had gathered once again. Warriors flicked his eyes between the various Heroes, assessing them for injuries, but thankfully it seemed they’d all escaped this fight damage free, save a few bruises.

Thank Hylia for small mercies.

Warriors pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood off his sword, sheathing it with a ring . He eyed the Veteran, where he was doing the same. “Those ‘octoroks’ of yours are strange things,” he told Legend. “They look like the air bladders I kicked around as a kid.”

“Ye niver seen an octarok?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow at Warriors. “Thay’re awwhaur!” ³

“Yeah, worse than fighting Zora, I swear to Hylia,” Legend muttered, rolling his shoulders.

“Are you kidding me? Zora are way worse!” Hyrule protested. “I’ve nearly gotten killed by them I don’t know how many times!”

Warriors opened his mouth to ask ‘what are Zora’, because that was yet another monster he didn’t know of. The term sounded vaguely familiar, perhaps one of the others had mentioned it? But he was pretty sure it had been in a more positive light at the time… (In hindsight, that should have been his first warning that things were about to turn ugly).

“You’re fighting Zora?!” Warriors spun to Twilight in surprise as the Rancher roared. The other Hero looked furious, his face was rapidly turning red, and his eyes were dark. He had his eyes locked on Legend and Hyrule, lip curling back to expose his teeth. “What the hell?! Why?”

“I would like to know that too,” Time rumbled, walking to stand next to Twilight.

“Why not?” Hyrule asked, looking genuinely confused. “They’re trying to kill me.”

Warriors looked between the rest of the Chain, which had been rather abruptly split as Legend and Hyrule faced Twilight and Time. Sky looked as confused as Warriors did, while Four and Wind looked more mildly concerned. 

“Any idea what ‘Zora’ are?” Warriors asked Sky, who shook his head.

“Na. Niver haurd o ‘em.” ⁴

“They are sentient beings!” Twilight argued. Behind him, Time nodded in agreement, his expression drawn tight. “Zora are a race of aquatic people, and more importantly, they’re non hostile! ” 

“For you, maybe!” Legend countered. The Veteran stepped forwards in front of the Traveler, between him and the Rancher. Warriors could tell the situation was rapidly deteriorating. 

“Er, ‘Zora’ nan-desuka? ” Wild’s voice came hesitantly. “Zora means what?”

“They’re like… Fish people,” Legend explained, and made a gesture by the side of his face that looked similar to fins. Twilight growled — literally, that sound may as well have come from a wolf or bear — and bared his teeth at Legend. Time had a hand on the Rancher’s shoulder, holding him back, but the Captain could see he too looked disapproving at the description.

Wild furrowed his eyebrows, reaching down to unhook his sekiban . He flicked a finger over its surface, then spun the object around to face the Chain. The magic box now showed a true-to-life picture, similar to the ones Wild had shown of the yakusai , except these were of a strange creature. 

A Zora, Warriors realized. Fish people. Not too far off.

“Yes! That’s a Zora,” Twilight confirmed, pointing at the image. He looked back at Hyrule and Legend and gestured sharply back at the sekiban. “See? They’re people! ”

Warriors looked closer at the image, which showed the red-scaled Zora in question (who admittedly looked rather handsome) wearing gilded silver armbands, a sharp-toothed smile directed towards the Chain. In the background, Warriors could see the vague depiction of what looked to be buildings or structures, some sort of elegant silver palace. 

“I didn’t say they couldn’t be,” Legend growled crossly. “That’s an ocean Zora, not a freshwater one. The Sea Zora are friendly, but the River Zora will tear out your throat as soon as look at you. They just try to kill us, most of the time.”

“Matte! Matte! ” Wild said quickly, frowning. “Zora… fight?” He looked between the two opposing groups of Links, his expression becoming panicked as they nodded. “Dōshite?! Why?!”

“Oh great,” Legend muttered. “Look, I don’t know why they’re different! They just are! You want to see for yourself, let’s go to the river and I can show you some of the Zora that are out to kill me.”

With that, the Veteran began marching off, and the Chain followed.

Warriors sighed. Seems they couldn’t go a day without drama.

As much as Wild was coming to understand his companions, it seemed they always managed to find something to shake things up. At first, Wild had thought his main excitement for the day would be watching Legando’s friend recharge a fire-stone. It was an incredible bit of magic he’d never seen used before! Though, to his chagrin, he’d been unable to convince the man to part with one of his weird rocks.

The next surprise had come in the form of the strange octoroks that had appeared. They were similar to the ones back in his home Hyrule, but these ones could not be popped using arrows. Instead, they had bony plates on their bulbous bodies, meaning Wild had to shoot them in the eyes if he wanted a quick defeat.

He thought that would have to be the most different thing he’d encounter today.

But, as it turned out, the group of Heroes was full of surprises. 

Wild jerked in surprise as Towaraito began shouting at Legando, the normally level headed man suddenly turning furious. The other Heroes began throwing words around, much too fast and heated for Wild to have a chance at understanding. He caught ‘faito’ or ‘fight’ a few times, but the rest was too garbled. 

Except for one. There was a single, repeated, unfamiliar word amongst the nonsense: ‘Zola’.

It took a few minutes, but finally, Wild attempted to get a word in. He hesitantly spoke up between the arguing parties, eyeing them cautiously but hopefully he could gain some idea of what the shouting was about. “Er, what’s ‘zola’? Zola mianse wate?”

“Teīra raiku… fisshu pīpuru,” Legando said, fanning his fingers out either side of his face. 

Fish people… That sounded like… But it couldn’t be!

Wild frowned, unhooking the Sheikah Slate from his belt and pulling up his photo album. After flicking through several pages, Wild found an image of Sidon he’d taken during one of his visits to the Domain. In the background, the luminescent spires of the Zora’s palace could be seen. He flipped the Slate around, showing it to the group.

“Yasu! Tatta’su a-Zola!” Towaraito nodded, pointing to the image in agreement. 

The others dissolved into arguing again, but Wild wasn’t listening. He couldn’t hear them over the blood roaring in his ears. 

Zola… faito… 

They were fighting Zora—

No, it couldn’t be! He must have understood wrong. 

“Wait!” He cut in, looking between the two opposing groups of Heroes. “Zola… faito?” His blood ran cold as they nodded, confirming his fear. “Wai?!”

Why? Why would they do such a thing?

Legando muttered angrily to himself, before huffing and turning away. He started marching eastward, where Wild’s ear picked up the faintest sound of moving water. The other Hero waved them to follow, and they had little choice but to obey. 

The water source turned out to be a small lake, the sound of moving water caused by the waves lapping its edge. Upon their arrival, Legando took to pacing the beach. His eyes scanned the relatively calm surface, until they landed on something farther out. Wild squinted, picking out the faint ripples of something under the lake’s surface. Hefting a small pebble, Legando wound back and threw it. The stone sailed out, and a distant sploosh reached Wild’s ears as it fell into the water. The disturbance paused in its motions, and then something broke through the surface of the lake.

It was a Zora, Wild realized. Or, something like a Zora.

It looked slightly different from those he was familiar with, but it was still a Zora. Fins flared either-side of its face, and there was no tail-lobe coming off its skull. Spotting them, it opened it’s mouth and hissed, baring sharpened teeth. The tongue retracted and then a torrent of water was spat straight towards them. 

Wild jumped backwards, dodging the water blast, which was remarkably similar to his Lizalfos. The Zora hissed, and Legando herded them back towards the trees and out of range of the Zora.

“Seī?” Legando gestured back towards the lake and the Zora that had attacked them. “Teī atakku asu!”

“Aru yoru Zola dou tisu?” Taime asked, brows furrowed. Wild had the same question. Do all your Zora do this?  

“Yasu,” Hairyū nodded. “Evuri-on.”

“Ya,” Legando hummed, tilting his hand. “Tē ribā zola hanto mi, buta tē ōshan zola aru furendorī. Notē shua wai tatta-iza.”

Wild titled his head, parsing through what Legando had said. The River Zora hunted him, but the Ocean Zora didn’t? They were friendly? That was strange… Wild’s own Zora were oceanic, and they mostly lived in the river delta region, but he knew they could live in freshwater and saltwater. Sidon said they were euryhaline, or that they could tolerate and adapt to a wide range of salinity. 

“It’s like Hylians and temperature!” Sidon had once explained. “If you move to Hebra, it’d be a shock at first, but you can adapt to living there.”

Perhaps the Zora in Legando’s time period were more restricted in their habitat? But then why were some more monstrous?

The River Zora are hostile and the Ocean Zora aren’t… that can’t be a coincidence, Wild thought to himself. But what’s different between them? Is it simply because they’re different species… or does it have to do with where they live? Freshwater versus saltwater?

“Legando!” Wild waved a hand, catching the Hero’s attention. “Ita oniri Ribā Zola?”

At the other’s nod, Wild hummed to himself. Only the River Zora then… He cast a glance back towards the lake. Well, no time like the present (or the past). 

Wild headed towards the lake, ignoring the calls after him. The River Zora had vanished, so Wild squatted down at the lake’s edge. Cupping his hands, Wild pooled some water in his hands and raised it to his mouth. He took a quick sip, brows furrowing as he processed the taste. Then he grimaced and spat out the water, rubbing his tongue against his sleeve. 

Yeah… that was malice.

Malice. On’nen. The physical form of the Calamity’s hatred, that poisoned the earth and water, whose touch burned like acid, that clogged the air like ash at the tide of the Blood Moon. Wild had seen malice turn parts of Hyrule barren. In Castle Town, the grass remained brown and sickly from the malice that had infected it at the root. He’d seen it turn pools of water to poison, potent enough to kill if you were exposed to it for too long. 

He knew the taste of it, cloyingly sweet yet bitter.

And this water? It tasted bitter.

Wild turned to look at Legando. “Iza tēru irūnesu? Is there sickness?”

Legando frowned at the question, but slowly nodded. “Bifō Aī kirudo Gan’non, tēru wasu irūnesu ande famain, īearu ago naū.” Wild couldn’t understand all of that, but he understood enough. Illness and famine had been present here, not long ago.

What would happen, Wild wondered, if the malice got into the groundwater? To be absorbed by plants and drunk from the wells? It would poison the ground, make it barren. It would certainly look like usual illness and famine.

“Ita tasute-ofu malice… ofu hāte,” Wild pointed at the water, deceptively clean. It showed nothing to hint of its true nature… that it tasted of hate. Of poison. “Ita… raiku poizon.”

“Poizon?!” Legando reared back, brows furrowing angrily, as he denied the claim. “No ita izanta!”

Wild made calming motions with his hands, cursing their language barrier. He pulled out the Sheikah Slate again, pulling up a picture of the Bottomless Swamp and the malice that dripped around it. “Seī? Malice.” He tapped the image, pointing to the brown, sickly, dying grass. “Deddo.”

“Tisu rookū deddo tou-yu?!” Legando waved around them, at the green forest and lush grass. It was, admittedly, in stark contrast to the blackened landscape of the Bottomless Swamp. Wild had to concede to Legando’s point: it didn’t look dead.

Wild raised his hands helplessly, then pointed to the water again. “Malice, ita… korūpute.” 

Because what would happen, Wild wondered, if something were to live in malice-tainted water for long enough? If it was constantly exposed to the physical form of hatred, for generations? 

It was hardly a surprise that it might make it monstrous , that it might become corrupted . 

That was the nature of malice, of hate. It corrupts.

Skkai came forwards, leaning down to sip some of the lake water himself. He grimaced and then spat it out, coming back to stand with the other Heroes. “ Ita desa-tasuto raiku marisu… hāte, as Wairudo saīdo. Aī hafu seīn ita bifō.” Skkai reiterated Wild’s statement that tasted wrong, but strangely, the other Hero used a different term.  

It tasted like ‘marisu’? Wild eyed Skkai with interest. The other Hero had seen malice before? Did that mean ‘ marisu’ was their name for ‘malice’?

Legando huffed, narrowing his eyes. He looked angrily between Skkai and Wild. “Ifu tē wōtā iza poizonde, wai arēnta tē Seī Zola monsute?!”

It was a good question. If the waters were poisoned, why weren’t the Sea Zora monsters?

“Ōshan iza biggu. Mora wōtā mianse ita’za uīkeru,” Wuīndo said. “Ora ita kōzā ita’za saruchi.”

Wild paused to translate, then nodded, pointing towards Wuīndo in agreement. The ocean was big. More water meant the malice taint would be weaker, explaining why the Sea Zora weren’t corrupted like the River Zora. Or, like the other Hero had said, it could even be that the ‘saruchi’ , the saltiness of the ocean, acted like repellent to the malice.

“ Marisu korūpuchion woūde eshupurain soma teingu, ” Hairyū murmured quietly, most of which Wild missed, but he caught something about ‘it explaining things’. “Legando, yu-noū ma Hairyū… ita mēkusu sensu…”

It makes sense…

Whatever Hairyū had said, it made Legando go quiet. The silence stretched on as the Hero looked absently into the distance. If Wild had to describe his expression, he would call it haunted. It was one the Champion knew well. The feeling of being gutted as some horrible realization wrapped its claws around you.

“Malice…” Legando breathed, using Wild’s name for it. “Korūpuchion…”

The Hero of this Hyrule looked up at Wild, his eyes searching for answers. “Wate dou Aī dou?”

What do I do?

Wild opened his hands, helpless. He couldn’t give an answer, at least not one that would satisfy the other Hero with their language barrier. “Purify it. Sutoraiku tē sōsu.” 

Strike the source. That was how he’d purified Naydra, how he was able to remove some of the malice pools he encountered. He’d struck the eyes of malice, the gateway to their powersource — the Calamity itself.

But in those cases, the corruption was more visible. 

With Naydra, pure malice had sloughing off its body, coiling in dark tendrils. It had only been possible for the Calamity to corrupt Naydra because there had been so much of the pure, condensed hatred. It was necessary, to try and control a being as powerful as Naydra. And even then, the Dragon had not been directly hostile towards Wild.

But in some cases, the corruption was subtle, insidious. 

Wild knew his ‘monsters’ were intelligent. He’d observed them speak with each other, and they even wore crude clothing for Goddess’ sake! But, he also watched their eyes turn crazed with the Calamity’s power, all reason lost as the Calamity pushed them to attack, attack , attack . And what chance did a mortal have, to resist against an abomination like the Great Calamity? 

What was a monster, but one taken by hatred?

And it was that type of corruption that Wild didn’t know how to solve. 

The solution found in his Hyrule was space, the Hyruleans secluded in their villages, and the ‘monsters’ left to roam the deep wilds. It was as at peace as they could be. At least, until they would encounter each other once again, and the Calamity would strike.

The true calamity was not the Calamity itself, but how much death it left in its wake.

“Teī arē notē monsute,” Wild said slowly, looking out towards the lake where he knew the Zora would be swimming. “Akate aze suche. Avōido, nou kiru.”

They are not monsters. So act as if they are not. Do not kill. And if you exhaust your other options, find more. If you must kill, recognize the act as such.

“Tatta ita?”

Wild shrugged. “Tatta ita.” 

What more was there? 

- - -

Sky's Speech:

1. “He’s experienced in magic, yes?” Sky commented thoughtfully. “Or, that's what Ravio said. I say he’s a warlock, could even be gyre carle.” *(gyre carle is a supernatural creature in Scottish lore that can be described as: an ogre, a witch, or troll). Back

2. “No idea,” said Sky. “Arts and crafts?” Back

3. “You never seen an octorok?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow at Warriors. “They're everywhere!” Back

4. “No. Never heard of them.” Back

Labryn (ie. French) Translations:

1. “Léonar! Old coot, how are you?” Back

2. “Link, it’s been a few years!” --- “And don’t go calling me old. If I’m old then you’re middle aged!” Back

3. “What are you doing all the way over in Hyrule?” --- “I thought you were doing business with Vasu back in Labrynna? You don’t even speak Hylian, far as I know.” Back

4. “There’s some good artisans in Hyrule. I appreciate seeing others’ work.” Léonar smirked, lazily waving a hand. ““Besides, I need to see how the competition fares.” Back

5. “Shifty as ever,” Legend rolled his eyes, and jerked a thumb to point back at Warriors. “Look, I’ve got a couple rings that could use maintenance, and my buddy here has a fire rod that could use recharging.” Back

6. “Making friends, huh Link?" Back

7. “You said it needs recharging?” Léonar said, eyes flicking between Warriors and Legend. Back

8. “I’ve got just the thing.” Back

9. Léonar shrugged. “Long days.” Back

10. Léonar grinned just as widely. “Gladly. You’re the one paying.” Back

11. "Don't die, Link." Back

Chapter Text

Sky huffed for breath as the monster fell, crumbling into dark smoke with a shriek. He brought Fi into a guard position, eyes sweeping the battlefield, but nothing more emerged. 

Safe, for now at least.

The Chosen Hero let out a long exhale, the tension bleeding from his body. He shuffled a few steps away from the monsters' remains, leaning into a nearby tree and taking comfort in the solid wood under his back. Feeling something wet against his lip, Sky wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grimacing when he saw it come away red.

Ugh, seems they got a good hit in.

"Are you well Master? " The voice, distinctly other but as cool as a mountain spring, brushed against his mind. Though Sky could not see the Sword Spirit, he could sense her, radiating out from the blade. "I sense you are injured."

Sky squeezed Fi’s hilt slightly, and the Sword returned the greeting, a melodious hum reverberating up his arm and soothing some of the tension in his muscles. "I'm fine Fi," Sky replied softly. Pulling out a cloth, Sky started wiping the black blood from Fi's blade with a careful hand. "And what are you doing, worrying? I've got you to take care of me!"

Fi's humming quieted, the light that shimmered around her blade dimming. For a second, she was eerily silent. Before Sky could think much of it, the hum was back, stronger than before, and he could feel her presence embracing him. It felt like a blanket, a shield. "You are my wielder, my Master," Fi said. "It's only natural I be concerned for your well being. I do not want to fail you."

The Chosen Hero blinked, looking down at the Sword in surprise. "Where's this coming from Fi? I have full confidence in you."

Fi continued to hum, but didn't answer further. 

Sighing and consigning himself to the mysterious messages of his companion, Sky sheathed Fi back in her scabbard, and pushed off from the tree. He picked his way across the battlefield towards where the other Heroes were beginning to gather. They were all a bit disheveled, and Wild was sporting several sticks in his hair, but that wasn't out of the ordinary.

"That da last of 'em?" Twilight asked as he rolled his shoulders, sweeping his gaze around the field and forest.

"Ya," Time nodded. "Aye think so an'ways." The Oldest Hero looked them all over, eyes pausing on Sky's bleeding lip and skipping over to a cut that Hyrule was sporting across his cheek. "An'one 'njured?" 

"It look 'ike it?" Legend snapped, showing his teeth a bit. "Na? Well lat's go a'ready."

The Veteran stalked off, ignoring the other Heroes exchanging looks. "We're fin'," Hyrule said, replying to Time's question. "That' a blessin' at 'east."

Sky agreed. They'd already had a rough time of it the past week, they didn't need more pain to add to that. After Wild had revealed the presence of "on'nen", what Sky had understood to be 'malice' in the waters of Legend's homeland, the Veteran had been on edge. A day hadn't gone by where the Hero hadn't snapped at someone, only to then close himself off, adding to the distance between him and the rest of the Chain. 

Only the Traveler had made any success at talking with Legend, due to their shared history if Sky had to guess. As for Wild, the Veteran couldn't seem to figure out whether he wanted to snarl at the other Hero or pepper him with questions. Unfortunately, the Cook didn't know nearly enough words to understand, let alone give answers. The inability to communicate had only widened the gap amongst them, leaving the Chain grasping at straws for explanations.

The revelation that the Zora could be corrupted had shaken a number of them. While Sky didn't have Zora, he was familiar with the fear of a friend being corrupted. The crippling guilt of needing to fight back, lest you be killed yourself. Those like you… they are eternally bound to this curse… Sky shivered, shoving the memories from his mind.

No, he couldn't think of that. Not now.

Looking after Legend, Wind huffed and elbowed Warriors in the gut. "Bet yer glad ye didn' get 'injured, ey? Else ye'd be havin' 'ome a th' pot'ions!" 

The Captain coughed, glaring at Wind as he held his stomach. "Keep doin' that an' it won' be me who needs it," Warriors growled, but he was smiling as he said it. Wind cackled, dancing away from Warriors’ hands. The others looked on in amusement as the Captain lunged after the smaller Hero, who darted around the attempt with ease.

Time chuckled as Wind ducked behind him, and the eldest became an impromptu set piece in the game of tag. In an effort to escape, Wind scrambled up Time until he was perched on the other's shoulders. Warriors attempted to haul Wind off, and the younger Hero grabbed hold of Time in hopes of staying on. Sky braced himself for disaster and a pile of Heroes but… Time remained standing.

In fact, the Eldest didn’t even sway, even as Wind wrapped himself around Time and Warriors attempted to pull Wind off. Warriors, realizing this defiance of gravity, slowly blinked at Time. Ignoring Wind, the Captain leaned into the older Hero, attempting to push him over. 

Time didn’t budge an inch.

"How are ye this groun'ed?" Warriors asked, baffled. "Ye're the tall’st o’ any of us!" 

Time's singular eye rolled, a smirk stretching across his face. "Practice. Aye'm use' ta havin' a half doz'n climbin' over me."

"Half a doz'n a what?" Four asked, leaning back to look at where Wind perched atop the Eldest Hero. The Sailor had transitioned to attempting to stand on Time’s shoulders, arms waving at his sides as he worked to balance.

Time shrugged, as if there wasn’t an entire teenager balancing on him. "Childr'n. Koki'ri. Sk'll kids. Tho’se in th' Los' Woods like me."

Sky chuckled despite himself, and glanced up at where the Sailor grinned down at them all from his perch. "You going to come down from there?" 

"Na!" Wind gave a toothy smile. "Aye'm th' King a Time!"

They all groaned. Well, all except for Wild, who gave Wind a confused frown, obviously missing the joke. The Cook turned to Four, making an exaggerated frown as he gestured to Time and Wind. “Kin’ a Time? Mean w‘at?”

While Four began to work on explaining it, Sky noted Hyrule shuffling after the Veteran, who was standing a chilly distance from the rest of the group. Sky shifted his gaze away, attempting to give them some semblance of privacy, but his gaze still flitted to the side, watching as the Traveler wrapped Legend in a one armed hug.

Sky may have been several paces away, but he still caught the way the Veteran went stiff, and then, ever so slightly, relaxed into the embrace.

Of course, since they were Heroes, the peace and quiet didn't last long.

Wild twitched violently, ears laying back and head jerking up to stare into nothing. Sky opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but then the world flared. Light and darkness twisted across his vision like sunspots, the world blazing into brightness, shrinking and twisting and he was

f a l l i n g

Sky gave a choked cry as he crashed into the dirt, the breath leaving his lungs in a whoosh. He lay for a moment, dazed and wheezing. His half lidded eyes flitted upwards, where his namesake was painted blue-grey, clouds drifting above. As awareness reasserted itself, Sky took stock, wincing at the nausea tying knots in his stomach and the deep ache settling into his bones.

Ah, joy.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Sky swallowed back the  nausea, which settled quickly. (His twists and dives with his Loftwing weren't for nothing.) A glance revealed the rest of the Chain picking themselves off the ground, no worse for wear. "Daijōbuka? " Wild called, already to his feet and helping the others up. Sky gratefully accepted the hand offered, Wild hoisting him to his feet.

"Yeah," Sky nodded. He recognized the term Wild had used, one that seemed to mean 'alright’ or ‘fair health.' "I'm okay."

"Hai, okay."

Sky glanced around, finally taking a good look at their surroundings. His first thought was that it was… eerie. They were in a forest, with shrubs and plant life opening to the sky, but it wasn't the green of the forests he knew back at home, on the Surface. While the trees around them held leaves, they were brown and shriveled, and it looked as if one strong breeze would be enough to tear them away. There was also a certain taste in the air, one that felt bitter and sat heavy in Sky's nostrils, but he didn't know how to name it.

And it was quiet.

With a start, Sky realized that he couldn't hear the sound of birds or insects. There was no skitter of small creatures through the undergrowth, but there was the creak and groan of the trees, snapping and scraping against each other. 

"Wher' are we?" Sky winced as Twilight's voice echoed around them. Though the Rancher had spoken normally, it felt as though he'd shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"T'is is my Hy'rule," the Traveler said softly, voice rising around them. Sky glanced at Hyrule, noting the way the other Hero's eyes scanned the forest. "We need ta get aw'y. Its dang'rous here."

With that weighing on their minds, the Chain wasted no time in grabbing their packs. They fell into step behind Hyrule, huddling close together as the skeletal trees loomed around them. Sky shivered as he swore one branch reached towards him with a clawed hand. "T'is place is creepy," Warriors muttered, echoing Sky's thoughts.

"It's a Miasma For'st," Hyrule replied, not looking back. "Thay're all lik’ this."

"Miasma?" Wind echoed. Sky saw the Sailor's brows furrow as he looked at Hyrule. "What's 'hat mean?"

"Sickn'ss," Sky looked over to Legend, whose voice was quiet and bitter. The Veteran was looking into the distance, beyond the brown trees that surrounded them. "It means sickn'ss." 

As Sky turned his attention back onto the trees, Legend's words rang in his mind. Sickness. He stared at the trees, nearly dead and dying but not quite, hanging onto some semblance of half-life. With a sinking feeling, Sky realized he had a name for the taste in the air, the heaviness that weighed in his lungs. It was decay, wet and cloying. A Forest of the Sick. Of the Not Quite Dying.

"Why do ye call it 'hat?" Four asked, eyes flashing violet and blue.

"Do ye really 'eed ta ask?" Legend muttered sullenly.

Hyrule nodded to Legend, but waved a hand towards the woods. "They're… well, folks call 'em curs'd," the Traveler began, voice soft, but still filling the silence of the wood. "Fer good reas'n too, the monsta' are thick'st an' strong'st here. An' the trees… well, don' eat anythin' from here, if it doesn' kill ya, ya'd wish it did."

Sky felt slightly sick, and it wasn't just due to the mist that burned in his throat.

A forest where the trees were poison… 

Sky had grown up hearing legends of the Surface. And those legends had spoken of the Surface as a single island that stretched to the horizon, with trees across the land like the sea of clouds below Skyloft. But the stories had also described the Surface as a land where everything was dead or dying, where the plants themselves were poison and the water burned like fire. It had been the battleground of gods and demons, and Skyloft the haven away from it all.

Looking around at the woods, a forest of the sick and dying, Sky felt like he had stepped into his own fables. Into the era where the Demise had raged. A place where Hyrule was slowly slipping towards the End, poisoned by Its hate.

A land that was Fallen.

They walked in silence for several minutes. Or, attempted silence.

While Wild, Hyrule and Time walked with nary the rustle of leaves to speak of their passing, the rest of them weren't so stealthy. It seemed for every step Sky took, he found another unsnapped branch, the fallen leaves rustling and crunching underfoot. And in the eerie stillness, each footfall sounded like a thunderclap.

Then Wild jerked to a stop in the middle of the path, and Sky stumbled, nearly crashing into the other Hero.

"Matsu—," Wild's voice rose through the silence, and Sky glanced at the Cook. He had gone still, his ears alert and swiveling on his head. Then, he stiffened. "Dang’r."

A second later, and a weapon was gripped in the hand of every member of the Chain. Sky raised Fi, her hilt humming softly in his hands in preparation for the approaching danger. They all looked to Wild, whose ears were angled forwards, focused on something out of earshot.

"Where?" Time asked, his massive broadsword at the ready.

Wild pointed into the trees, with his… what was that? A bent stick? "There… sanjū metōru? " Wild's ears twitched, and he paled slightly. "Nijūgo metōru." Wild gestured hastily towards the woods and made a beckoning gesture towards the Chain. 

It's approaching.

"Travell'r, what are we lookin' at?" Time asked softly, eyes locked on the forest.

"In thi' for'st, mobl’n," Hyrule whispered softly. "'Ey use spears, but wa'ch out fer arch'rs."

Quiet descended for another moment, stretched out into eternity. Sky was hyper aware of every breath he took, every rustle of leaves, every clink of the Chain's armor and metal. Then, he heard a crunching sound, like tearing paper, and that was all the warning they had before moblins leapt from the shadows of the forest.

The world exploded into movement. Sky locked his eyes onto an approaching moblin, and Fi sang in his hand as they rushed forwards. The moblin was tall and armored, and like Hyrule had predicted, wielding a vicious looking spear. It struck forwards at Sky with unreal speed for its size, and he was forced to dance away from the rapid strikes. But while the monster's strength and speed was fearsome, the spear was nothing against Fi.

Sky blocked the next strike, angling it aside with Fi's blade. As the moblin struggled to regain its balance, the Hero stepped close and killed it with a single sweep of Fi. 

Amidst the deafening sounds of crashing metal, Sky's ears twitched as he caught the snap of branches. He whirled around, catching another moblin's falling club with Fi, her blade cutting deep into the wood. Before the moblin could attempt to wrench its weapon away, Sky angled himself forwards, releasing his support of the club and letting the monster fall forwards. 

Sky gripped Fi's hilt tightly and twisted his body, pulling her away from the club and the moblin. The sudden strain and weight on his shoulders told Sky he'd taken the club with him. Spinning in a full circle, Sky sent a wide strike into the moblin, braining it in the skull with its own club. This had the happy consequence of freeing Fi from where she'd bitten into the wooden weapon. 

Another presence appeared in Sky's peripheral vision, and he spun. His heart sank as he saw the archer, and he readied Fi to try and cut the arrows from the air as something whooshed—

And the monster abruptly fell over as something collided with its head.

Sky blinked, but didn't waste the blessing.

He dashed forwards, stabbing the monster through to finish the job. In the moment of relief provided, Sky turned, sweeping his eyes across the battlefield. It was hard to distinguish exactly what was happening amidst the chaos, but he caught the whirls of colorful fabric. A short light blue that had to be Wind was darting around several moblins, and Time's greatsword threw the monsters back with every strike.

"Sky, down!"

Sky obeyed the command without hesitation, dropping as something flew over his head. He quickly got to his feet, looking over at where the voice had come from. Wild stood, holding that strange bent stick, and a toothed grin on his face. Sky watched, slightly baffled, as Wild hurled the stick forwards. It spun as it flew, colliding with the head of a monster and then swinging around in an arc, shattering against the head of another moblin.

Wild didn't even look put out, another weapon appearing in his hands in strings of blue light— …was that a ladle?!

Sky, deciding he didn't have the mental energy to deal with Wild's physics-defying sticks or use of kitchen implements as weaponry, turned back to using Fi to cut the moblins to ribbons. He could feel her hum sympathetically in his hands. "The Hero of the Wild is always like that Master," Fi sang, though her voice sounded… softer yet stronger, some weight behind it there wasn't before. "Be thankful they are not attempting to mine rocks."

Yep, Sky did not have the energy for this.

Thankfully, the battle wrapped up quickly, but Sky was left with a deep ache throbbing through his muscles. It hadn't even been an hour since they'd finished tackling the last monster camp in Legend's Hyrule before being portaled to the Traveler's lands and fighting the moblins. 

The exhaustion was showing in the others too. Everyone was lagging, their weapons drooping a little lower, and their eyes a bit more distant. Wild had a nasty cut across his thigh, and Legend had a matching graze on his jaw. Four was the worst off, having been rammed by a moblin into a tree. The Smith was alright, but even with a potion, Sky knew the Hero would be a full-body bruise for the next several days.

Four didn't even seem too reluctant to take the potion. The Smith eyed the reddish-orange liquid, grimacing only slightly. "Well, down the hatch." Four downed it, face screwing up as he did so. "Argh, knowing what's in it makes it taste worse."

Sky patted the other Hero's shoulder in sympathy. While the Chosen Hero didn't fully understand some of the other's severe adverse reactions to potions (Sky already knew that insects were used as an ingredient after all), he could understand the aversion to the monster parts. It was no wonder Bertie and Luv were private about their methods back in Skyloft, it was rather… off putting to customers.

"Oka', how do we 'et outta 'ere?" Twilight muttered, scanning the trees. "Aye don' fancy bein' here wh'n dark hits."

"This way," Hyrule took the lead, waving them forward through the trees. "Aye 'hink Aye know a 'lace we can shelt'r, we just need ta get ta th' base a th' cliffs." 

That was enough for Sky. He and the rest of the group followed behind the Traveler, who led them on a winding trail through the woods. Through the skeletal trees, Sky could see rocky cliffs looming towards the sky, at the foot of a craggy mountain. They encountered a few more moblins and octoroks on their way there, but thankfully the Chain was able to dispatch them fairly quickly.

When they reached the base of the cliffs, the Traveler began to pace its length, scanning for something in the rock face. 

Sky almost expected Hyrule to pull some hidden switch, revealing a passageway into the rock below. Instead, the Traveler finally let out a satisfied cry, and waved the Chain over. It took Sky several seconds to see what Hyrule had spotted: a crevice in the rock, almost invisible unless you were looking for it. It was barely wide enough for Sky to fit through, even if he shuffled in sideways.

"In 'ere," Hyrule said, shifting to angle himself through the crack. "Don' worry, we'll be 'afe." Then, Hyrule slipped nimbly into the darkness.

Wind and Four wasted no time in following Hyrule, their smaller bodies letting them go in easily. But outside, the rest of the Chain exchanged glances. It's not that they couldn't fit… just that it would be a bit tighter than most of them preferred. 

After much swearing and Time and Twilight nearly getting stuck in one particularly tight point in the rocks, they all finally popped out into an inner chamber. Sky's eyes widened as he looked around, taking in the sizable cavern. It was at least ten feet squared, and lit with twin braziers, whose flames cast a dozen dancing shadows on the walls. Sky also noted that the cave also didn't look entirely natural, with parts of it bearing scars and scrape marks.

"Woah," Wind whispered, eyes widening as his voice echoed around the cave, magnified tenfold. The Sailor drew breath, and Sky was already cringing in preparation for the air-shattering bellow. Thankfully for all their ears, Hyrule slapped his hand over Wind's mouth. 

"Plea'e don' shout," the Traveler said dryly. Wind gave Hyrule a petty glare, and judging from Hyrule's even drier expression, Wind had just licked his hand. The Traveler raised an eyebrow, and then pulled his hand away, wiping it on his trousers. "Okay, let's 'ead deep'r."

While most of the Chain followed readily, Sky noted that Wild lingered a bit near the entrance. The Hero's gaze seemed a bit distant, though it flickered to Sky when he approached. "You okay?" Sky asked, furrowing his brows. "Do you not like caves?"

Wild sighed, tapping one finger to his head. "Omoide," the Cook said with a shrug. 

The scarred Hero wandered after the group, fingers trailing over the walls, and leaving Sky with exactly zero answers. Ah yes, the Chosen Hero thought sarcastically. Thank the Gods for language barriers, they are not at all confusing.

The Chain wandered farther down the cavern for several minutes. The "hall" was narrow enough that they had to walk single file, forcing their progress to slow significantly. And the cave only grew darker, which was doing no favors for Sky's slowly progressing claustrophobia. The darkness and solid stone pressed in further and further, and he yearned for the open freedom of Skyloft. 

But as his eyes adjusted, Sky realized it wasn't entirely dark. While there were a few lingering orange shadows from the braziers, there was also a luminous glow that was slowly building in strength. 

In fact… it was radiating from the very stone around them.

Sky's eyes snagged on some of the luminous stone, which had a subtle blue-ish glow. It was unearthly, like water had been trapped inside rock. Shards of it glimmered from within the rock walls, like scattered stars, making the trek a bit more bearable.

Finally, Sky saw more flickering firelight dancing on the walls, overtaking the stone starlight and wrapping him in a warm, lit embrace. Ahead of him, he heard Hyrule say something indistinct, muffled and twisted by the cave walls. But as Sky shuffled farther, he heard more voices begin to rise, among them Wind and Twilight, but their voices didn't sound so joyous. If anything, they sounded like a warning.

Sky moved faster, shoving himself out of the crevice. He stumbled into open air, the cavern opening up into a large room. The Chosen Hero took in Wind, Twilight and Four, all with weapons out or nearly so, Hyrule looking caught in a panic, and the crowd of unfamiliar figures at the other end of the room. A crowd that consisted of at least three old Hylians and several moblins.

Sky's hand instinctually went for Fi's hilt, but it was a challenge to draw her in the crowded space behind the other Heroes, not to mention that the rest of the Chain was still emerging behind Sky. 

"Get aw'y from t'ere!" Wind hissed at the Elders, his sword pointed towards the moblins. The young Hero looked particularly furious. "Ye'll be 'urt!"

"Sail'r, wai—" Hyrule tried, but he was drowned out as Time stumbled into the cavern, his plate armor clanking like thunderclaps.

The monsters and old Hylians stiffened at the sound, the monsters’ lips drawing back to expose sharpened teeth. Sky's hands tightened around Fi's hilt, ready to fight, though his brain was whispering that something wasn't right. Think Link, think. What's wrong with this?

"What's goin' on 'ere?" Warriors snarled, his sword flashing. Sky shifted as someone — Four? — rammed into his side. The Chain were all pressed on one side of the cavern, but it left them with barely enough room to wield their weapons without hitting each other. 

"Don’—"

The largest moblin growled, the sound reverberating through the cavern. Wind let out a growl of his own, practically spitting at the monsters on the opposite side of the cave. "Com' an get some!" The Sailor roared, raising his blade.

"SHUT IT!"

Sky stumbled back, nearly dropping Fi as he clapped one hand to his ear in hopes of blocking out the sound. The roar thundered around the cavern, reverberating ten, a hundred, times. Finally, it petered out, and Sky was left in a stunned, pained haze. He squinted his eyes open, seeing the rest of the Chain clutching their heads in similar pain.

Slowly, Sky stood straight, looking warily around. His eyes caught on the fading, semi-translucent domes of light that covered the Chain, and the monsters at the other end of the cavern.

And, he caught sight of Hyrule, standing in the center of the cavern, looking absolutely furious.

"All of ye, shut it an' be 'uiet," the Traveler hissed, eyes practically glowing with magic. "Put yer swo'ds down an' fer the lov' of the 'ods, use yer eyes."

Hyrule stepped back, exhaling slowly. After a long minute, the Traveler opened his eyes, pinning the Chain with a narrow gaze. "Don' atta'k," he said shortly, waving a hand towards the moblins and Hylians in the opposing magical dome. "They're frien's, sa put 'way yer weap'ns."

Sky flicked his eyes to the moblins and finally realized what had been nagging at his subconscious.

The Elders, despite being right next to the monsters, weren't scared. They stood shoulder to shoulder with the moblins, but instead of cowering away from them, were eyeing the Chain with a mixture of fear and mistrust. Like they were the monsters. The memory of another "monster" arose in Sky's mind, of a demon that was kind, a monster that wanted nothing more than to walk among the village as one of its people. 

A monster, but only in name.

Sky sheathed Fi, stepping forward and bowing deeply in the direction of the moblins and Elders. "I'm sorry," he apologized, projecting as much regret as he could into his voice. "We were wrong to draw our weapons. Forgive us for the distress we caused you."

One of the Elders, an old man, blinked and then gave Sky a smile that was missing a few teeth and as bright as the sun. "Na worri's lad, its not th' firs' time somebod's trie' ta 'ttack this ugly mug of 'ine." The Old Man chuckled, and eyed Hyrule. "'Member when we met lad?"

Hyrule, easing from his tense posture, groaned audibly. "Don' remin' me," the Traveler muttered. With hands shimmering with magical energy, Hyrule banished the glowing shields made of light. "Aye near'ly gutt'd ya!"

"Good 'imes it was!" The Old Man laughed. "Aye don' think ya ‘ven react'd that badly ta Secret when ya firs' met 'em!" 

The Old Man patted the largest moblin — Secret? — on its shoulder. The moblin huffed, but the sound felt distinctly amused. "Ley'nk was ta sho’ked ta rea’ct."

"Uh, pard'n but… what? Ye talk?!"

Sky glanced over at Warriors, who was flicking his gaze back and forth between Hyrule, the moblins, and the Elders. Sky could almost see the gears that had stalled in the Captain's head. Finally Warriors sighed, running a hand down his face. “Let me 'et this s'raight… they're not host'ile?"

"No’ un’ess ye at’tack us," another moblin huffed. "So cal’m yer fire."

"Wha' are ye doin' down 'ere?" Twilight asked, looking around the cave. "Ain't it cramp'd? Why no' be on th' surf'ace?"

"Ye see'na it," the first moblin, Secret, rumbled. "Its to'xic. Ya sta'y too lon'g, yer driv'n mad."

"On'nen," Wild spoke up for the first time, eyeing Secret and the other moblins with a strange expression. It was… contemplative? "Seishin-wa on'nen-de kusaru. On'nen, malice, rot spir't, make monst'r. You free."

Malice — on'nen — it… rotted the spirit? 

Sky considered what he knew of malice. It was hate, malice, but specifically it was the hate of the Demise, given physical form. And… every “true” monster Sky had met had been driven by hate, their eyes practically shone with it. But… while Batreaux may have been monstrous in appearance, he’d held no malice towards Sky or Skyloft. Was the hate of the Demise what made them monsters?

This hatred and resentment… its embodiment will continue to roam in agony across this blood soaked sea of darkness along with you damned people for all eternity.

"That soun's aboot righ'," another of the Elders, this one an Old Woman, muttered. "Rots th' spir't in'eed."

“Tha’t Gan’non fer ya,” Secret rumbled, baring its — his? — fangs in a rather frightening display. “Tak’es wha’t it wa’nts, an’ da’mn wha’t dies. He tak’es ou’r min’ds.”

The cavern fell into an eerie quiet at the moblin's words, and Sky felt something in him shatter. Shards of glass crunched beneath his feet, and needles speared through his heart. Ganon, Ganon, Ganon— 

The curse did take him, the Demise took him, cursed him, made him part of this wretched cycle— The three who fought It, three who opposed It, Demise took us and bound us— my fault my fault myfault—

Groose… I’m sorry—

“Gan’on caus’d this?” Legend asked softly, watching the moblins. The Veteran looked somewhere between hope, fear, and desperation. It was the face of someone who needed answers. “He’s the sou’ce a this… rot?”

“Ya,” one of the moblins said quietly. “The mia’sma, it wr’ps ‘round yer will, leav’es ya in a haz’. So’me do join Gan’non free’ly, but mos’ are tak’en.” The moblins all shivered, and Sky wondered if they’d been taken by this “haze” and if so, how they’d become free of it. 

“What happ’ns when Gan’on is kill’d?” Legend asked, narrowing his eyes. “If he’s the sou’ce… wou’d it go ‘way?”

Is my Era safe?

The Old Man shrugged. “It fad’es. Som’ come ba’ck to themselv’s, oth’rs don’t.”

“Is t’ere an’ way a freein’ them? The monst’rs?” Time asked, eyes flicking between the cavern’s residents. The Elders and moblins exchanged glances. “Is it ‘ike a curse? What can ‘reak it?”

“Ya, how are ye ‘ere?” Wind asked.

This time it was Hyrule who answered. “We’re in th’ Und’rgroun’,” the Traveler waved a hand at the cavern. “It’s shelter’d from th’ surf’ce, the miasma doesn’ get ‘ere. Ev’n the water down ‘ere is safe.”

Hyrule grinned, his smile soft but nearly as bright as the brazier’s fire. “It may look ‘ike a wastelan’, but t’ere are safe havens, ye just hav’ ta know w’ere ta look.” 

If Hyrule was being honest, he hadn't been looking forward to when the Chain would inevitably come to his homeland.

The Traveler knew how his world appeared to others, to those who lived in kingdoms rich with green and villages. It looked dead or dying, no longer a kingdom but a world in decay. Forests of poison and wastelands filled with monsters, the survivors that remained huddled in caves or locked tight in their villages. It looked like a world that had Fallen. 

But, while Hyrule knew all those things were true, he also knew that his world was far from dead.

While the villages may have been far between, the people lived happily in their towns, protected by magic that was generations old and strengthened by every resident. The villages formed havens scattered through the Outlands, sheltered from the monsters in the forests. 

And then there was the Underground, where a thriving community roamed the cave systems under Hyrule. Monsters that were not monsters lived with numerous Hylians, including the Traveler himself, all sheltering from the miasma above.

And throughout all that was life. 

Yes, the surface may have been in decay, the trees seeping poison and the monsters roaming freely, but that was still life, no matter the fangs it bared. North of Death Mountain were fields of green, the forests and waters filled with creatures, some monster and some not. And below was seeping moss and bats and countless strange and extraordinary cave creatures.

And despite their shortage of farms or trade, there was no lack of food. Hyrule could always be assured of a meal in large insects like the Boons or Aches. Even a Leever if he could snag it.

But Hyrule knew that the others wouldn't see it that way. They'd see the Underground and think of it as a sign of decline, a sign that his world was a wasteland. He lived underground, while they lived above. He hid from the surface while they roamed it unafraid. But Hyrule was happy, and for the most part, so were his people.

The surface was not a wasteland, but the Outlands.

The forests were dense with the fog of miasma, which floated thick and cloying through the air. But if you looked a little deeper, the truth was quite different. 

Extending his magic and awareness outward, Hyrule could see the beating heart of the land, a deep, slow pulse of magic that echoed under his feet. He could see the sparking souls of life, insects scurrying below and birds flying above. He could see the souls of monsters, the taint of bitter and burning miasma — malice — that clung to them and corroded their souls like acid, until there was only a shadow remaining.

And that taint, that miasma, stretched across the landscape. The bitter acid threatened to take anyone who went too far into it, magically or otherwise. But for all the malice reached across the landscape, Hyrule could see how it moved, how it slowly, ever so slowly, vanished.

It wasn’t a fast process, far from it, it was as slow as the growth of trees.

But if you watched close enough, you could see it.

You could see how the vast, intertwined network of roots of the trees reached into the earth, pulling the malice from the land and into themselves. You could see how, with every rumbling heartbeat of the land, a bit more of the malice was broken down, and a bit more of the world was healed.

Within the fog of miasma, deep in the Outlands, Hyrule healed.

And Hyrule watched as something that sang of deep endless canyons, of the strength of mountains and towering trees, of shuddering earthquakes and was older than the gods themselves, cradled a bit of the world’s hate in its hands, and breathed love into it.

In the caverns below Hyrule, a Hero that bore the same name watched his friends begin to mingle together.

Some of the Chain were more hesitant than others to approach the moblins, like Warriors and Wind, but others like Sky and Wild had quickly begun to converse (or, in Wild's case, attempt to). In fact, the Cook had pulled out some strange hooded cloth masks that resembled the monsters from his homeland and was showing them to Mu'mr. One was reddish in color, and sported a pair of large ears and flat face, resembling the moblins.

Hyrule laughed softly as the scarred Hero pulled the moblin-like mask on and adopted a posture similar to the moblins' natural standing position. Wild grinned up at the moblins from behind the mask, pointing between them. "Same!"

From beside Hyrule, Se'kret huffed slightly. "Should I be offended or not?"

"Nah, be flattered," the Old Man patted Se'kret's shoulder. His eyes glittered with amusement as he watched Wild mimic Mu'mr and follow after the moblin. "You've got an admirer."

The moblin chuffed, his equivalent of an eyeroll. "Quite the strange group you're with, Ley'nk."

"Yeah, but they're good folk," Hyrule replied, eyeing where Wind looked up at the Old Woman, Agatha, with adoration. On the other side of the room, Twilight was attempting to carry out a conversation with Hou'dey, which had devolved into an arm wrestling match.

Se'kret ruffled Hyrule's hair with one clawed hand, the air from his breath warming Hyrule's face. "If they aren't, they've got me to deal with Cub." The moblin bared his teeth, in a smile that was both fearsome and comforting. A warning against anyone who'd cross him. "I'm here for ya."

Hyrule smiled up at the moblin, one of his oldest friends. His magic reached out, sensing the steady kindling flame that was Se'kret's soul, that sang with the hardy scent of wet earth and dry grass. "Thanks, Secret."

The nickname was from when Hyrule was younger, and couldn't pronounce the guttural sounds of moblin. So instead, Se'kret's name had been Secret, Mu'mr had been Murmur and Hou'dey had been Howdy. Hyrule remained embarrassed, but the moblin clan had taken the names as their own. And Link had been given his own name from his Underground family, Ley'nk. 

"Alright, enough of that, what have you been up to Link?" The Old Man, butted in, giving Hyrule a bright eyed smile.

Hyrule rolled his eyes at the Old Man's antics. "The usual, travelling through time and trying to fight another lingering evil. What about you?" Hyrule paused, and eyed the table shoved to one side of the room, covered in rupees and ancient playing cards, some of which had been replaced with leaves. "How's the poker club going?"

The Old Man cackled. "We've had some new players join us! And this time me and the others are winning!"

Hyrule eyed the Old Man and Se'kret skeptically. It was a long running joke that the Hylian Elders couldn't beat the moblin-side of the Underground in their poker games. In fact, Hyrule had become part of the poker game during his adventure. The moblins, having too many rupees they wouldn't use, had given them to Hyrule. And the Old Man and other Elders had then made Hyrule pay for their various goods so they could get back the money.

And thus, the poker game continued, with no new rupees ever entering the game.

"So who exactly are these new players?" Hyrule asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're not exactly swimming in options down here."

Se'kret snorted and the Old Man nearly toppled over wheezing, tripping over his own robes. Hyrule was almost worried the Old Man would crack a rib if not for the fact he knew the Old Man hopped around these caves like a jackrabbit. Once he finally got his breathing under control, the Old Man wiped a tear from his eyes. "Ah, but we are! The problem was we didn't go swimming!" 

Hyrule gave them a flat look. "You are making no sense."

The Old Man beckoned him to follow, wandering over to the tunnels that led to other parts of the cave system. "Come, come! I'll show you!"

Wind's ears perked up, swiveling over to the Old Man. "Oooh! Where we going?"

"We're going somewhere?" Four asked, leaning over from his inspection of Mu’mr’s sword. 

With that, the entire Chain became distracted and soon enough, the crowd of Heroes was looking attentively at the Old Man, eager for exploration. Hyrule choked back a laugh. He and Wild may have had more exploration and off-trail tendencies, but all the Heroes loved adventure. They just didn't usually admit it.

The Old Man blinked at the Chain of Links all looking eagerly at him. "They're just like you, Link!" He said with a chuckle. Shrugging, the Old Man waved them to follow, ducking into one of the tunnels.

Hyrule glanced at Se'kret and the others. "You coming?" 

Se'kret shook his head. "No, the caverns will be too loud already. We'll stay here with our knitting." Across the room, Mu'mr and the Old Woman held up two long sticks with thread looped around them, woven to form a trailing scarf. Se'kret gently nudged Hyrule down the hall. "Now go with your friends, I think you'll like the surprise."

With that wonderfully informative statement to guide him, Hyrule followed the Old Man and the Chain down into the caverns.

The tunnels were as dark as ever, with only the occasional brazier to light the way, but as they descended, the braziers switched to the glowing, luminous stones. A few had even been placed purposefully, if Hyrule was reading the scratch marks in the wall correctly. The glowing rocks lit the tunnel up with eerie blue light, which slowly grew brighter as Hyrule's eyes adjusted to the deeper darkness. 

As they descended, a faint noise began to brush against Hyrule's senses. But he didn't realize what it was until Wild's ears pricked forward and he said: "Water!"

"Water?" Hyrule eyed the Old Man. "You mean you found a new underground lake? I thought we'd found most of the water sources already?"

The Old Man gave him a gap-toothed grin. "We foun’ far more than that." 

After another couple minutes, the tunnel widened out into a massive cavern, at least twenty meters in diameter. The walls and ceilings danced with the signature ripple of light bouncing off water, half the room holding a black underground lake. Around the cavern, large luminous stones lit up the space with their cool blue glow, even leading into the shallows of the water. Stalactites and stalagmites stretched from the ceiling and up from the floor, strings of beaded rocks hung from the spires.

The Old Man signaled for all of them to stop, and the Chain did so, clustering at the edge of the cavern. The Old Man approached the water, and knelt down, slapping his palm flat against the water a few times. "We've got visitors!"

The water went still, the cave descending into silence for a long moment. 

Then, the lake rippled and something emerged from it.

It took Hyrule a moment to realize it was a head, since it didn't bear much similarity to the heads he was familiar with. The creature was a milky pink color, with several long whisker-like tendrils extending from its face and a pair of fins flaring gently downward from the crest of its head. Black dots freckled its flat snout, and at the corner of its wide mouth were two larger black spots, eyes, if Hyrule was right. 

It tilted its head, whiskers fanning out as it stared in their general direction, before looking back towards the Old Man. Some of the whiskers brushed the Old Man’s hands, twitching as they did.

“Tulit takaisin! ” The creature's voice was soft, the strange words a sort of growling hiss. The head fins flared as they moved closer to the Old Man, and it rose further out of the water. “Keitäs toit tänne?  Eh… Who they?”

“Friends,” the Old Man stuck his hand in the water, swirling it around. “Ystäviä, friends.”

The creature let out a chittering sound, and pulled itself out of the lake. Hyrule startled a bit as it emerged onto the bank, water dripping off its pale skin. It was a Zora, Hyrule realized, but not like any Zora he’d ever encountered.

It was relatively small, barely three feet tall when standing. Unlike the Freshwater Zora that roamed the rivers above, this one had a long, finned tail that sloped behind it, making it about four feet long. Its feet were thickly webbed flippers and it had a pair of shorter, clawed arms. From its shoulders were some fins that flared out a bit in the cool air, as if sensing the air currents. Nearly a dozen whisker-like tendrils stretched from its head, which also sported a pair of drooping head fins. And finally, its face was quite flat, freckled with black dots and split in two by a large toothed mouth.

The Zora looked in the group's direction, fins and whiskers fanning out from their head. “Terve, matkalaiset,” the Zora said softly, pressing one clawed hand to their chest. “Oon Torhola. Torhola.”

“Torhola,” Hyrule rolled the word around in his mouth, presumably the Zora’s name. He glanced between Torhola and the Old Man. “I’ve never seen a Zora like them before… they’ve been down here this whole time?”

The Old Man nodded. “Yep, Se’kret reckons Torhola here and the others of their clan are a branch of the River Zora that have been livin’ in these caves for centuries, maybe ev’n thousands of years. We’re slowly figurin’ out their language, and they’re learnin’ ours.” 

The Old Man beckoned Hyrule over, and he approached. Hyrule knelt down a few feet from Torhola, where he was about eye level with the Cave Zora. 

“This is Link,” the Old Man took Hyrule’s hand, and guided it toward Torhola. “Link.” The Cave Zora leaned forward, whiskers brushing against Hyrule’s hands. Slowly, the barbels explored his hands and then moved onto his head, gently touching his face.

They’re blind, Hyrule realized. Or at least, nearly so.

Instead of looking at the Traveler, the Zora was feeling him, building a picture of him through touch alone. Finally, Torhola pulled back, their whiskers twitching slightly.

“Link,” Torhola repeated, hissing softly. “Vaikutat tutulta, ystävä.” The Cave Zora then grinned, teeth bared in a smile. Torhola leaned forward and gently rubbed their cheek against Hyrule’s own. “Hauska tavata.”

Hyrule blinked, unsure of the words, but he recognized the affection in the gesture. “Nice to meet you too,” Hyrule said softly as Torhola stepped away.

The Cave Zora gave a low chitter, whiskers flaring up in a sort of ‘wave’ before they turned and dove back into the lake. They bobbed at the surface for a moment, then dove, their powerful tail sending them downwards with barely a flick. Hyrule ducked as water splashed over him, soaking his hair. 

“They like ya,” the Old Man chuckled as Hyrule stood and stepped away from the lake, shaking the water from his hair. 

Hyrule raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been visiting with them?”

The Old Man tilted his hand back and forth. “Ehhh, few months? There’s a few more Zora clans in the Undergroun’, but Torhola’s the main one we’ve talk’d with. They’re not used ta strangers.”

“That… that was a Zora?” Legend asked, eyes widening in surprise. “But… Roolie, I thought your waters were contaminated? Why weren’t we attacked?”

“We live in holy rock,” the Old Man said with a grin.

The Chain stared in confusion, Sky squinting at the Old Man. “Haly like Blisst?” The Chosen Hero asked, folding his hands into a prayer motion. 

Hyrule rolled his eyes, smiling at the Old Man’s usual cryptic words. “Yes and no. The stone around us, the rock this cave is made of, is infused with magic. All the land is. But the rock is also holey as in porous, it's a natural filter. Together, it can filter out the miasma from any water that flows into the Underground.”

The Traveler grinned. “I told you, there’s safety here. You just have to know where to look.”

- - -

Here's a picture of the Cave Zora, drawn by the amazing Luma! (Look at them, they're so cute!!)

Chapter Text

“Go fish.”

Legend grunted as he complied, reaching forward to grab two cards from the deck. The thin clay tablets clinked together as he added them to his hand. He eyed them, hiding a smirk at the sight of two Kings. Jackpot.

“I’m gonna lay down my hand,” the Veteran called, and as the rest of the table glanced over, Legend triumphantly displayed his cards on the table. “I matched four of a kind, all Kings! Beat that!”

Half the table groaned, laying their cards out to reveal their lesser hands, with no full matches. Wind leaned forward, inspecting the Veteran’s cards. “Huh, so that’s where they all went.”

“You yield yet?” Legend asked, chuckling. His victory was practically assured at this point.

The Sailor gave him a smile, the same one he’d had before shoving a live fish into Four’s hands and leaving the Smith to get slapped in the face by a scaly tail. Wind reached forward with his own deck, and laid his cards out with a slow clink, clink, clink of tablets on stone. With each clink, another card was revealed. Until the top four highest cards in the deck were all displayed, the face of the Queen staring up at Legend mockingly.

“A royal flush!” Wind crowed, sweeping the stones that represented his winnings to his side of the table. “Four matched Queens! Take that!”

Legend gaped at the other Hero, protest bubbling up in his throat. “How?!”

Wind smirked. “None of you knew what you were playing.” The Sailor held up one of the tablets, the ‘Jester’ card, which showed a rough Hylian figure in skin-tight clothing (Legend refused to acknowledge its similarities to the man known as Tingle). “You thought it was poker. But not one of you knew the rules, much less the tricks to it.”

“Wait, none of us?!” Twilight gave Wind a baffled look. “But I was following what the Captain did!”

“Me? I was following you!”

“Wait, if we weren’t playing poker, what were we playing?” Time asked, frowning as he looked around. “Because I didn’t know. Veteran?”

Legend blinked, then groaned into his hands. How was he supposed to say he was trying to play like it was Old Maid, and that he didn’t know a thing about poker? He’d been basing his plays off of Ravio’s advice on betting! “I have no idea,” Legend mumbled, then raised his eyes to glare at Wind. “Sailor, what were we playing?”

Wind grinned, all teeth. “I have no idea, it changed every few rounds.”

Legend groaned. “Next time, we go over the rules first.”

“There are no rules in poker!” One of the Hylians Elders, who Hyrule just called the “Old Man”, cackled as he gave them a smile missing a few teeth. “You learn to make up better rules than your opponents, it’s part of the game!”

“And when that fails, you eat the pieces,” Secret the moblin rumbled, giving a smile with a few more fangs.

Legend glanced at the clay tablets in his hands. “Is that why you don’t have regular cards?” He asked, tapping a tablet. He’d thought it was strange they didn’t have paper cards. It made it very hard to hold all of his deck. “Because you need to keep replacing them and can make the tablets?”

The Old Man shook his head. “Na, that’s why.” 

The elder gestured to the side, and Legend glanced over to see Wild and Sky clustered on the floor with three of the Cave Zora, evidently having set up shop while Legend was busy with the not-poker game. They were arranged in a circle, each holding several of the thin clay tablets, and with a larger stack on the ground between them.

Legend meandered over, looking over Wild’s shoulder as the scarred Hero shuffled the tablets in his hand. “Torhola, two?” Wild asked, looking over at the Cave Zora’s leader, who was holding their own set of tablets in their webbed claws. The Hero rapped his knuckles on the ground twice.

Torhola gave a hum, and the antenna-like whiskers on their face angled forwards, brushing over the tablets in their claws. “ Ei, no,” the Zora replied after a minute. They tapped a claw on the ground once. “Fish.” Wild nodded, reaching forward to grab a tablet from the central stack and add it to his deck. 

“What are you playing?” Four asked, looking between the players.

“Catch Fish,” Wild said, at the same time Sky said: “Feather Snitch.”

‘Catch Fish’, or what Legend guessed was supposed to be ‘Go Fish’, continued without interruption. One of the Cave Zora brushed their whiskers over their tablets, then ‘looked’ over at Sky. “Sk’i, viisi? Five?” They tapped a claw on the ground five times and after glancing at his cards, Sky nodded.

“Ay, here ye gae,” ¹ Sky handed two of his tablets over to the Zora, who, after taking a moment to feel Sky's outstretched hand with their whiskers, took the tablets. The Zora gave a triumphant toothy grin as they laid out a matched set of four ‘Five’ cards.

Legend blinked as the game continued. Weren’t the Cave Zora blind? How could they tell what was on the cards?

The Veteran narrowed his eyes, snagging one of Wild’s tablets. Ignoring the mild protest, he ran his eyes and fingertips over the ‘Three’ tablet, hoping to uncover whatever magic was in it. But there didn’t seem to be any magic infused into the carvings or symbols. The carvings were fairly plain, with three indents in the center and three tally-like ridges in the corners. Ridges… 

Wait, Legend looked back over at the Cave Zora, and the way their whiskers brushed the tablets. Feeling ridges… 

“That’s clever,” Legend murmured aloud. He eyed the tablets with new respect, at the ridges and bumps of the clay that could be read without sight. He’d heard of written languages for people who couldn’t see, but he’d never encountered one. “How long does it take to make these?”

The Old Man shrugged. “We’ve gotten pretty good at it. Can do nearly a whole deck in a day. Se’kret here shapes the body of the tablet, and we old fogies do the carving. Though, Mu’mr—” the Old Man gestured to another of the moblins, “—does a lot of the detail work. Then we bake ‘em in the fire.”

Secret huffed, a rumbling sound that Legend was coming to realize was the moblins version of laughter. “We break them often. The tablets are easier for claws to handle than cards, but we also play in the dark occasionally, and the carvings can get so worn that they cannot be read.”

“Why do you play in the dark?” Twilight asked, brows furrowed in confusion. “Isn’t that dangerous in caves like this?”

“Nah!” The Old Man waved them off, gesturing to an opposite end of the cave where some of the other Hylian Elders and moblins were knitting. Knitting with blindfolds. Was this their version of extreme and potentially very pointy sports?! “The Zora play in the light with us, so we play in the dark with them! Plus, my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, ya know? It’s good to learn and we don’t go through as many torches!”

Legend gave a muffled groan. “I feel like you’re going to stab yourselves with needles one of these days.”

“Oh, it already happens dearie!” One of the Old Women called from across the room. “But we take care of it. How do you think Link got so good at healing? They learned it from us!”

… Charming.

“Hyrule,” As the Veteran spoke, his successor looked over, ears pricked up. “Your Underground friends are…”

“Cool? Wise? Good at poker?”

“… I was going to say ‘analogous to Ravio’ but that works too.”

Secret tilted his head, snout curling. The sight of flashing fangs set Legend on edge, and it was only a conscious effort that kept him from pulling his sword. “Who is this… Ra’bio?” The moblin asked, and Hyrule (with the help of Wind) began a long ramble about ‘the nice Merchant named Ravio who had lots of nice trinkets’.

As the conversation shifted away from him, Legend suddenly felt the exhaustion clinging to his bones. He stepped back a bit, away from the chatter, moving over to the cavern wall to lean against it.

The stone was hard through his tunic, poking into his back and legs. The Veteran took a deep breath before giving a long, slow exhale. He imagined his various worries and the knots that twisted his stomach easing, spilling out and away from him with every breath.

In… out.

In… out.

In.

Out.

That’s the thing with problems, Legend thought listlessly, tracing the grooves in the cavern ceiling. For everything you let out, you have to take more in.

A rumbling grunt had him tensing and snapping upright, hand already moving to the hilt of his sword. But, as his mind caught up with his reflexes as he realized the source of the all too familiar noise was not a threat (not like it usually was). Instead, his eyes landed across the room, where the moblin Hou'dey was expressing his displeasure of a slipped stitch in his knitting.

Not a threat, not a threat, not a threat, Legend chanted in his mind, forcing himself to sit back again. 

But he couldn’t quite relax, couldn’t quite let go of the tension in his muscles. 

Legend felt like he’d been walking with shattered glass in his chest for the past week. It seemed everything he did, heard or said, shifted the shards lodged inside him. He was slowly being shredded to dust, from the inside out.

Because even when he’d torn himself apart, tried again and again to save his homeland, he still couldn’t seem to do it. The knowledge he’d been given, or maybe cursed with, had been haunting him, from dusk to dawn. From waking to unsleeping. From memories to nightmares. On’nen. Malice. Corruption.

On some level, maybe I always knew, Legend thought bitterly. After all, the River Zora had ranged from fully monstrous to being able to speak. But I’m pretty sure that’s worse than not knowing.

Not only were the ‘monsters’ sentient and with lives all their own before they were corrupted by Ganon’s malice, as Hyrule’s Underground was proving, Legend had been fighting them much of his life. If they were ‘monsters’ for being corrupted, what did that make him? It was bringing up questions he didn’t know how to answer, questions to which he was afraid of the answer.

Not only that, but Hyrule was his successor, and Legend couldn’t help but feel responsible. Not just for Hyrule’s well being — even though he was aware the other was a more than capable Hero — but for what his successor had gone through. Because Hyrule wouldn’t have had to be a Hero if Legend had done a better job. Hell, Legend hadn’t even done a good enough job in his own lifetime. He’d already fought Ganon three times in the span of a decade, and each time he’d thought: “This time for sure, Ganon won’t come back.”

On some level, he knew it was foolish to think he could have put down Ganon for good. The history of Hyrule was cyclic, and evidently, so was its future. The entire Chain had faced Ganon in some form or another, their Spirit and Zelda’s blood bound to the Demon King, the same twisted game of events playing out again and again (though, each time, slightly different).

“Legend?”

The Veteran cracked open one eye, looking up into the eyes of his successor standing above him. “Do you mind? You’re in my light,” Legend muttered, closing his eyes and pointedly leaning his head back into the wall. 

There was a brief moment of silence and then, instead of the sound of Hyrule walking away, his successor poked him in the shoulder. “Move over, will you?” Hyrule said and Legend felt another body slide into place next to his own. “Let me have some of that nonexistent light you’re talking about.”

Legend grumbled wordlessly, shifting slightly as Hyrule made himself comfortable. His successor leaned into his shoulder and Legend found himself leaning back. “Everything alright?” Legend said softly.

“I think I should be asking that.”

The silence deepened, stretching into an ocean of all things said and unsaid. “It scares me,” Legend finally admitted, his voice so soft Hyrule could only hear because his ear was inches from Legend’s mouth. “It scares me,” he repeated, and now that he’d said it, he couldn’t stop. “It scares me that my world is corrupted. And I can't do anything about it, because for you it’s already happened. It scares me that your moblin friends speak and play poker, because what does that mean for mine, for any of them?” Legend’s hands fisted together, nails biting into the calluses of his palms. “It scares me because I am tired of being a Hero, of fixing everything, but it seems to be all I’m good for, and yet this is something I can’t fix.”

Hyrule didn’t say anything for a long moment, before he finally hummed deep in his throat, and Legend felt a hand cover his own. “I’ve asked the same questions,” his successor finally said. “And I don’t know if I can give you answers. But, this isn’t yours to fix Legend, or any of ours.”

“I’m sure the gods would disagree,” the Veteran muttered, as weary as his name.

“How do you sense magic, Legend?” Hyrule asked after a moment, and he couldn’t help but blink at the abrupt topic change. “Do you see it?”

“Uh… I don’t see it exactly. I guess I… taste it?”

“And what do you taste, when you look at my world?”

Legend winced. “You don’t want me to say that.” They all loved their native Hyrules, that went without saying. And he knew that the acid he tasted in the air of his successors’, the sickness that stung his lungs with every breath of the air… Hyrule wouldn’t agree.

“I do,” the Traveller said instead, and Legend opened his eyes to see a serious (and somewhat thoughtful) expression on Hyrule’s face. “I want to understand.”

So, Legend told him.

He told Hyrule of how he tasted rot in the air. How he felt acid pooling in his lungs and pouring through his veins, an anger and anxiety that he wasn’t sure was his, or if it seeped from the dying plants around him. How he felt like he was walking on a graveyard.

His successor hummed, nodding. “You’re not wrong… Would you like to hear how I see it?” 

Legend nodded, and so, Hyrule told him.

He told Legend of the heartbeat of the earth, how it resonated through everything from rock to tree to Hylian. He told of the Forest of the Sick, but how, with every passing year and decade, it was a fading sickness. He told of the world, of its scars and open wounds, that were healing, tree by tree and stone by stone.

“But how do you know? ” Legend asked, halfway to pleading. “How do you know, when this ‘healing’ happens over decades or centuries? You’re still living in an era where it’s sick!”

Hyrule paused, considering. “Because I have learned,” he said slowly. “That change is constant.”

“I know that,” Legend muttered, looking at his lap. “But all too often it feels like it changes for the worse.”

The silence stretched, until Hyrule leaned down so he could look Legend in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Without question.

“Of course,” Legend said, because of that, he was sure. 

“Then trust me when I say that I've seen it changing. It’s slow, as slow as the growth of the trees, but it's only getting better as the years go by."

Legend pressed his lips together, looking back at the Moblins, Zora and Hylians across the cavern. He watched as they played poker and not-poker, knit scarfs and told stories. He thought of the monsters roaming the Surface and across Time, hatred burning in their eyes.

“I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

They spent another day in the Underground with the Elders, Moblins and Cave Zora, until they decided it was time to leave. After saying their goodbyes, Hyrule led the Chain deeper into the caverns, through twisting and narrow tunnels. Legend was more than experienced navigating dungeons and caverns, but even he found himself almost immediately lost in the stone labyrinth. The glowing stones that had previously lit their way vanished, and their only light became their torches and the occasional smoldering brazier.

But while Legend might have felt lost, he didn't have the air of uncertainty that clouded Wild and Sky. In clipped sentences, Sky said that he was claustrophobic, the 'please hurry it up' going unsaid. Wild on this other hand… Legend guessed the Hero was also claustrophobic, but it was a different sort. The Hero of the Wild's eyes would shift from flitting about in hyperawareness to having an eerie, glazed look about them.

Between that and the torchlight that lit up the scars crawling over Wild's cheek and jaw, casting eerie shadows under his eyes, the Hero looked haunted. 

But by what, Legend didn't know.

Thankfully for all involved, they made it outside within an hour or two of setting out. Wild practically kissed the grass as they emerged from the darkness, blinking in the harsh daylight. “Never again," the Cook swore, beginning to mutter to himself in his native language. "Nidoto an'na basho-de ikunai."

“Ye said it," Sky agreed, shivering. "Ugg." 

"Where are we off to now, Traveller?" Warriors asked, sweeping his gaze around them. They'd emerged from the caves at the base of a mountain and the ground, covered in loose gravel and low yellowing shrubbery, continued to slope downwards towards a river winding its way through the valley below.

Hyrule smiled, gesturing into the valley. "Saria Town is across the river. We should make it within an hour."

"Thank the Three," Twilight muttered, stretching his arms above his head and cracking something. "I love your moblins, Roolie, Howdy is great at wrestling. But gods, being unable to tell when it's day or night really weirds me out."

"The day-night cycle is a construct," Hyrule said, completely straight faced. "I sleep when I want."

They took a brief break to drink and rest their feet before setting off again. As Hyrule predicted, they made it to the river within an hour. The river wasn't the widest Legend had seen, maybe 10 meters across, but it looked quite deep and the current was fast. 

Following the Traveler, they moved along the water's edge. While Legend assumed they were looking for a place to cross — maybe a sandbar that stretched most of the way — he was pleasantly surprised when he spotted a wooden construct above the river. A bridge. Or… what resembled a bridge.

"Why doesn't it cross the water?" Wind asked, looking at the not-quite-a-bridge. Indeed, from the opposite side of the river, the structure went about a quarter of the way across, but no further. 

"Protection," Hyrule explained as he continued to approach the not-bridge. "They pull it back whenever there aren't travelers so monsters don't get into the town." 

"So how do we get over?"

"The Bridgemen," Hyrule pointed at a small wooden shack on their side of the river, directly opposite the structure. Despite its size, it looked remarkably sturdy, with heavy wooden beams and slats. The Traveler approached the shack, knocking on the side with his fist. "Beyard! You in there?"

There was a shuffling sound as the man emerged, his eyes widening at the sight of Hyrule. "Link!" the man exclaimed. His eyes darted past Hyrule to the rest of the Chain and something tightened in his expression. "Ah. Travelers?"

"They're safe," Hyrule said, understanding some unspoken question. "Though not well versed."

"Hmph," the man, Beyard, grunted. Still, his eyes watched the Chain, heavy with suspicion. Legend knew the type: small town, hostile to outsiders. "Ya hear about that guy who drowned in the river? Toward the south?”

“Yeah, good thing too," Hyrule muttered, even as Legend (and the Chain) turned to him in shock. Because what the hell Traveler!?! "I hated that guy."

"Hyrule!" Twilight hissed, concerned and halfway scandalized. "What are you doing?!"

Beyard watched emotionless for several long seconds. Legend wondered if there was about to be an attempted (and aborted) stabbing. Then, the man snorted, giving a wide grin. "Not versed, indeed," the man chuckled, ignoring the Chain's incredulous expressions at his 180 in mood. "Good to see ya, Link. It's been a few months. Make sure to say hi to Floo and Florp, they've been missing you."

"They're not here?" Hyrule looked around for 'Floo' and 'Florp', which were some of the strangest names Legend had ever heard, and he'd heard a lot.

"Nah," Beyard shook his head. "They're with Ashe at the north end of town, watching the farmers. Anyways—" Beyard paused, turning back to the opposite bank and the structure on it. He gave an ascending whistle, then gestured. There was a few moments pause and then the structure began to move. Legend's ears twitched at the sound of groaning wood and squeaking pulleys as wooden platforms were extended forwards, settling into place on top of stone struts placed at regular intervals across the river. 

Before Legend's eyes, a bridge built itself across the water.

Within a few minutes, the wooden bridge now linked both sides of the river, and Beyard was grinning at the Chain. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Legend huffed. "I've seen better." 

He had. After you saw giant temples of stone come alive with magic and mechanisms that could move entire rooms, a wooden bridge that built itself by pulleys and rope wasn't that impressive. "It ranks slightly above a cow I once saw stand on water. Frozen water, mind you."

Beyard's indignant face was a sight to behold, and Hyrule laughed lightly. "Sorry Beyard, they've traveled a bit farther than most."

The Bridgeman sniffed. "No respect for hard work these days. None at all."

Hyrule chuckled again, then narrowed his eyes at the guard. "By the way, what's up with asking me a question? Is Bagu's note not enough anymore?"

Beyard shrugged, gesturing towards the Chain. "I haven't seen so many people with swords and armor in the same traveling group in… I don't even know when. Maybe ever. Monsters might have tried to use you for cover. Besides, your friends are loud. People know better than to be loud. You can't fault me for being cautious."

Wild, head tilted and eyes narrowed as he parsed through the conversation, gave a huff. "Yes," he agreed, nodding. "Very loud, too many. It's like Yiga."

Before Legend could give an indignant reply, Hyrule was already stepping up onto the bridge. "Come on!" the Traveller gestured for them to follow. "Let's get going, we don't want the bridge down too long." The Chain followed, waving to Beyard as they crossed. The bridge was, for something built by pulleys and rope, remarkably sturdy, and they quickly stepped off onto the opposite bank.

As soon as they did, pulleys squeaked and ropes groaned and before their eyes, the bridge retracted. In sections, the bridge was pulled back and 'stacked' upon the previous section, until the entire contraption had been returned to their side of the river. Okay, Legend would revise his previous statement. 

The bridge was cool.

Now on the correct side of the river, they followed Hyrule towards the houses of Saria Town. The ground was marshy, their boots sinking slightly, but they were guided onto wooden boardwalks spanning the wet ground.

Just before they reached the houses, Hyrule stopped by a large pile of stones just outside the village. The stone pile reached higher than Legend’s hip, and seemed to be composed almost entirely of rocks all smaller than his fist. Legend blinked in confusion as the Traveller dug in his pockets, withdrawing a few pebbles that fit into the palm of his hand, and then placed them onto the stone pile as he muttered a few words.

His confusion only grew when Wild did the same thing.

“Uh, what?” Legend asked, and Hyrule turned from where he’d been sharing a smile with Wild. “What’s that for?”

“Custom,” Hyrule explained without explaining anything, before turning and heading into the village proper, forcing the Chain to follow. 

Thanks Roolie, real helpful.

As they stepped inside the village, Legend’s nose twitched at the smell in the air, one he could almost taste. It wasn’t… bad exactly, but it was some strange mixture of dust-in-air combined with earth-after-rain and the usual damp, slightly decayed smell of marshes. Strange.

The houses and huts of Saria Town built around them as they walked deeper into the village. Townsfolk flitted about between buildings of stone and wood, some with baskets in hand. But, while many of the villagers had hoods and shawls, it was hard to miss the eyes that followed their every step. 

The eyes filled with suspicion laced with fear.

"Why aren't we stopping in the market?" Wind asked, eyes trailing over the market stalls as they passed through something resembling a main square. "We could buy some more food!"

Hyrule laughed slightly. "Saria isn't the best place for that, Sailor. Besides, they don't have enough at the market to feed all of us, we'd take all their food!"

That, and Legend wasn't sure the villagers would even sell to them, given how they were being watched.

They moved through the main town, ending up near a cluster of smaller houses on the east side. Stepping off the boardwalk and over to one of the houses, Hyrule knocked on the door. "Kiski? It's Link!" As the Chain picked their way over to Hyrule across the soggy ground, the door opened to reveal a middle aged Hylian woman. She blinked out at Hyrule, then gave a happy chirp-like sound of delight.

"Link! Oh it's been too long! Where have you been?" She fussed with him a bit, picking at some of the leaves and burrs stuck to his clothes. "Oh, you need to keep yourself clean dear."

Hyrule shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry Kiki, I've been traveling." He gestured toward the Chain.

Kiski huffed. "Travelling is all you do—" As she caught sight of them, she froze slightly, something in her expression becoming shuddered and blank. In a word, fearful. "Link, what is—"

"Kiski, it's alright," Hyrule soothed, moving his hand up and down her arm in rhythmic motions. "Give me a moment to explain?"

Kiski shivered, but gave a wordless nod. She and Hyrule stepped away from the Chain until they were out of earshot, conversing softly with each other. Legend watched them, curious and a little suspicious himself. Because there was justifiable concern at outsiders, and then there was whatever the hell was up with this village. 

Something didn’t feel right.

Kiski and Hyrule returned after another minute, though now Kiski was alternating between shooting them half-worried glances and glaring at Hyrule. "Of all the… you exhaust me sometimes Link, I ever tell you that?"

"Only every few days, Kiki," Hyrule said sweetly. 

Kiski huffed. "Right. Now, I'm going to go eat to calm myself down. And you are going to explain things to them before someone loses a head or a few years off their life."

"Yes ma'am." 

With that, Kiski disappeared back inside her hut, leaving the Chain standing awkwardly outside. 

"Alright Traveller, what exactly are you meant to be explaining?" Four asked, raising an eyebrow. "This have anything to do with why everyone is looking at us like we killed their favorite dog?" 

Hyrule sighed, pinching his nose between his fingers. "Yes? It's complicated, okay?" The Traveller was silent for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "Okay, so you know how Se'kret and the moblins are friendly, yeah?"

Never let it be said Legend was slow on the uptake.

"Roolie… Roolie you have got to be joking," Legend said and when the Traveller shrugged, the Veteran's face found itself making an acquaintance with his hand. "Kiski too? How many friendly monsters do you know??"

Hyrule shrugged. "Enough?"

"Wait, but… Kiski doesn't look like a monster," Wind protested, waving towards the person (monster?) in question's hut.

"About that…" Hyrule shifted on his feet slightly, but kept his eyes on them. "Basically, a lot of people in Saria Town are actually monsters trying to escape the toxicity of the Outlands. Kinda like the Underground, but on the Surface. They disguise themselves as Hylians to avoid persecution or being killed, and Kiski's one."

Monsters… disguised as Hylians?

The blood in Legend's veins froze solid. He could hear someone swearing. It might have been him.

"Fuck, Hyrule do you know how dangerous that is?" Warriors hissed, eyes narrowed. 

"Yes, I do," the Traveller hissed right back. "And this is why I didn't say anything until now, because I knew you'd freak out about it!"

"Freak out— this is more than a security breach! This is a… a… an infiltration!" Warriors ran a hand through his hair, teeth half bared. "You're inviting enemies into your own home!"

"No, we're letting refugees seek safety," Hyrule snapped, magical energy crackling in his eyes. Magic swirled around his hands, and Legend could feel it getting more potent by the second. “Don’t tell me about my own home, Wars.”

Time stepped forward between the two Heroes. "Enough," the Eldest Hero said quietly. "Don't make a scene. Captain, you may be valid in your concerns but Hyrule is right, this is not our land. Trust that the Traveller knows his own home. Hyrule… mind explaining further?"

The Traveller took a few deep breaths, stepping back and letting the magic dissipate from his hands. "Look, you're not the only ones that think like that. A lot of people are wary. But… look you've met Se'kret and the others, you know they're sentient. A lot of monsters are like that, but the miasma, Ganon, takes that away. In my Hyrule, villages are places of safety in the Outlands. Havens. It's mostly Hylians in them, but in a couple, including Saria, there are monsters here too. They're hiding here from the miasma, same as Hylians, because they don't want to lose themselves, lose their minds to Ganon."

Hyrule ran a hand through his hair, fingers snagging on tangles and twigs. "Look, I won't lie. There have been a few monsters that came solely to hurt, but that's given the rest a bad name. Why do you think the village was looking at you suspiciously? We don't get large heavily armed groups here. Some are worried you're here to hunt them, others think you might be monsters."

Silence descended as the Chain processed that and Hyrule finally withdrew his curled fingers from his hair. "Come on," the Traveler said, gesturing towards Kiski's hut. "Let's talk more inside."

The Chain followed him in. It wasn't a large hut by any means, made up of one large room that held some beds and a fireplace with cooking implements. At Hyrule's direction, they took seats on the floor made of wooden slats and packed earth. Kiski still watched them nervously, but there was also a sort of… kindness? Though it might have been more along the lines of 'look at these idiots'.

"Alright," Legend said once they'd all seated. "Explain this to me, if the Surface is poisoned, how are these guys keeping their minds? I thought the Underground was alone in that?"

"Yes and no?” Hyrule see-sawed his hand. “I said it before, but the villages and towns are protected. Each town has a Sage who guards it and there's magical barriers that are empowered by every resident and traveller. Those protections keep the town's well water pure and protect any monster residents from losing themselves."

"But… daena ye wirry aboot unfreendly monster gettin’ in?" ² Sky asked, looking between Kiski and Hyrule.

"Remember back at the river, when Beyard asked me that question about the guy drowning?" The Traveller asked instead, and the Chain nodded.

"Yeah, speaking of which, what the heck Traveller?" Twilight asked incredulously, eyeing the other Hero. "What was that about?!"

"I'm getting to that," Hyrule laughed, waving him down. "It's a test, a test to see if the person is who they say they are. An unfriendly monster's first reaction wouldn't be to say 'yes, let them drown'. But for those in the know, they well, know. Yes, it isn't infallible, but if that fails, the sight of a sword usually breaks the enchantment."

Kiski shivered, a chittering noise escaping her throat. "Yes, the disguise breaks if we get too nervous." She cast a rueful glance at Hyrule. "That's how we first met, isn't it?"

Hyrule chuckled. "Yeah…" He glanced at the Chain. "Another thing to know is that a lot of the prejudice around monsters it's… well… Kiski, you want to explain?"

"It's reflexive," Kiski said, ears twitching down as she looked into the distance. "When we get nervous, when we see something we perceive as a threat, it weakens the spell. When Link here came through town, he made many nervous. The ease in his movement and the sword on his back? He was a Hero and a nightmare."

She gestured down to herself, and suddenly, Kiski was melting away. Her Hylian form wisped away like smoke until, seated where she'd been, was a creature resembling a large bat, an Ache, with purple-blue fur that was graying at the edges. The Ache — Kiski — made a gesture and a few whispered words and then the smoke reformed and a Hylian-shaped figure was sitting before them once again.

Wind, wide-eyed and gaping, reached forward and waved a hand through the air where her wing had been. But, it seemed the spell was no pure illusion. The Sailor's hand blew through the air as if there was no wing to speak of.

Kiski laughed at the gesture, though it quickly fell. "The spell gives us an Hylian form, though an impermanent one. But, when some saw Link, much less when he came to talk to us, the anxiety made it so we couldn't hold the spell." She gave a bitter smile. "When the spell drops, it's… terrifying. You know you're something that seems to be an enemy, and you see no way out but to defend yourself, to fight. To turn your back means death. It's led to a few misunderstandings over the years."

"I know similar," Wild spoke up, head tilted in thought. "Yiga. Hide as Hylian, but all enemies. Assassins." He focused his gaze back on Kiski. "You are pretty as bat, you have nice fur."

Kiski blinked, then snorted, poking Hyrule in the side. "Where'd you find this one, Link? He's just like you."

"More than you know," Legend muttered.

"I mean no offense, but… how are you not more worried?" Warriors asked, face twisted into a grimace. "I mean… I understand trying to hide for your safety, but wouldn't it be better to show your true forms and not worry about being attacked if you drop the disguise? And your test… it's not the best, frankly. If there's an enemy smart enough to be able to disguise themselves, then they're smart enough to find the true answer."

Hyrule grinned, which was a tad concerning. "Ah ha! But that's where Kiki and the others like Floo and Florp come in!"

"Say again?" Four asked, titling his head. "How?"

"We are citizens of this town," Kiski stated firmly. "It is our home, and we fight to protect it." She grinned, and it was full of sharp fangs. "If the Lost Ones — those who have lost themselves to Ganon — attack, then we defend. We protect the farmers and traders. While we cannot venture far for too long, we can make sure our haven stays a haven." 

Hyrule nodded in agreement. "Besides… sometimes a monster is a person, sometimes a person is a monster, and sometimes a monster is a monster." 

Before Legend had time to unpack that, the Traveller continued. "I've met Hylians who were worse to me than so-called 'monsters'. People who call me cursed, who say I herald misfortune and scream at me to get out. In a sense, they are not wrong. I've had Ganon's followers after me for years. But, I know we've all met people who were arguably more monstrous than monsters."

Phantom faces danced through Legend's head, and as he looked at his successor, he couldn't help but think: You shouldn't have ever had to go through this.

"When did you get the Triforce of Wisdom?" Legend asked instead.

Hyrule gave a toothed grin. "First journey." 

What.

“They going to be alright?” Kiki asked Hyrule as she looked back at the Chain. 

Hyrule glanced back. Wind had pulled out a deck of cards he’d brought with him — paper, this time — and was dealing them out while Legend and Warriors argued that they: “Wouldn’t be foiled this time, Sailor!”

“Yeah,” Hyrule nodded, hoping to ease her worries. “They’ll appreciate the rest, we’ve had a long week.”

Kiki sighed. “Fine, but if they break anything they’re replacing it.”

With that, the two friends stepped away from the hut, leaving the Chain to their own devices as they started walking through town. Without the crowd of unfamiliar strangers, the villagers were much more welcoming, and Hyrule exchanged greetings with many of them.

“Where have you been anyways, Link?” Kiki asked, tilting her head in a bird, or perhaps more correctly, bat-like gesture. “And why do they call you ‘Hyrule’?” 

“It’s a long story?” 

Kiki gave him a dry look. “That’s what you always say.”

“True,” Hyrule rubbed the back of his neck, a bit sheepish. “I’ve been sent on a journey through time. There’s this infection that’s been spreading through eras. It’s like miasma, taking more monsters into Ganon’s hold, but it’s… different.” Hyrule frowned, his mind going back to the intelligence of the monster’s they’d faced, yet no less lacking in malice. “They’re not mindless, not like a lot of Lost Ones, they strategize and plan. But they are thoughtless. They don’t seem to care, even when I try talking to them.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes as Kiski pondered what he'd said. “I’ve heard of something like that,” she finally said, her words careful and considering. “Our fighters, like Floo and Florp, they’ve said the Lost Ones that attack are getting wiser to our tricks and traps. And some of the newer refugees, the ones that escaped the Deep Forests, they’ve said the miasma has gotten… not thicker but more potent. More alluring and entrapping.”

“How are the protections faring?” 

Kiki shook her head. “That’s a question for the Sage.”

He hadn’t seen Saria’s Sage in ages… “Mind if we pay him a visit?” Hyrule asked, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The monster laughed, a chittering sound that reached above Hyrule’s hearing. “Oh, he’d love to see you! Besides, Kissi’s been working under him, did you know?” A fond smile passed over Kiki’s face. “She’s working on amulets that will create protective shields for us, so we can go outside the village without worrying about being Taken.”

“Kissi? The little fuzzball?” Hyrule’s eyes widened. “She’s already working on magic?”

“They grow up so fast, don’t they?” Kiki said, and a sly grin crept over her face. “My daughter was inspired by you, you know. She loved the magic shows you gave to the kits, she wanted to do her own.”

Hyrule felt his face heat up, and he rubbed the back of his neck. He’d inspired someone?? “If you say so,” he said, then looked up to see the Sage’s house looming above them. “Oh, look! We’re here!” 

With Hyrule in the lead they slipped inside, taking the stairs down to the basement where the Sage would be. They had just made it to the base of the staircase when there was a crackling sound, and in the next second Hyrule threw up a shield of magic just in time to intercept the incoming bolt of magical energy.

“This,” Hyrule said flatly as he dropped the shield, the magic around his hands fading away. “This is why you had to figure out Life, you madman.”

Across the room, the Sage of Saria — or Old Man Number Who-Knows-What — gave a delighted grin at the sight. “Ah, little mage!” the Sage cackled. “Good to see your reflexes are still intact! But you could have shown me how your proficiency with healing is!” He gave Hyrule a wounded look. “I’m hurt, really I am. Using Rauru’s spells instead of mine?”

“Link!” 

Hyrule blinked, and suddenly his arms were full of purple-blue fur and excited wings. When he was finally able to hold the bundle, he looked down to see Kissi’s grinning snout looking up at him. The young Ache wrapped her wings around Hyrule in a tight hug, and then she pushed off from him, flapping her wings to hover in the air above him. 

“It’s you! It’s been so long!” Kissi chattered in excitement as she swooped around his head. “Where have you been? Have you learned any new magic? Look!” She flew down again, landing in front of him, then presented something hanging from the foreclaws on her wings. “I’ve been experimenting with magic! I’m trying to make portable protection magic!”

Hyrule crouched down to match her height, carefully inspecting the amulet she’d presented. He extended his senses, feeling the various magics twisting through the stone. “Well done,” he smiled, ruffling the fur on her head. “Though… Did you happen to be responsible for that explosion?”

Kissi shrugged, smoke swirling around her until she had taken the form of a Hylian teenager. “Eh, it's part of the process. You dodged, didn't you?”

Kiski gave the Sage a dry stare. “See? You’re a bad influence. I’ve had to fix our door I don’t know how many times.”

“Who am I to deny a developing spell crafter?” the Sage put a hand to his chest in mock disbelief. “It’s part of the process!”

“Doors, Sage. Doors.”

After giving Kissi another hug, the young Ache and her mother left Hyrule to catch up with the Sage. Saria gave Hyrule an interested look, something knowing in his expression. “Travelling through time now, are we Link? Or should I say, Hyrule?” 

Hyrule blinked, then chuckled. “I suppose I can’t get anything past you.”

“I am the Sage of the Town,” Saria pointed out. “I watch the barrier and the magic. Your soul shines brighter than most, and it’s hard to miss when nine souls, each shining as brightly as your own, come within the bounds. Quite the group you’ve found yourself a part of.”

“You can say that again,” Hyrule rolled his eyes. “I swear I’m the reason they function at all. The heal life spell has saved their skins more than once.”

The Sage cackled. “See? I am better than Rauru!”

“Ready to go?”

Time nodded to Hyrule’s question, tightening the straps of his pack and rising to stand. “Yep, everyone else?” The rest of the Chain gave answering nods, rising to their feet as well. “We’re heading to the forest you said?”

Hyrule nodded. “Kiski said that the miasma there has been more potent lately. It’s as good a place to start as any. And it's close to Mido Town, we can stay there overnight and then go back out into the woods in the day. It’s safer than being in the woods at night.”

“Right, shall we?”

“Hold up!” Hyrule and the Chain turned at the sound of Kiski’s voice. She hurried over to them, stopping in front of Hyrule and pushing a large bundle into his hands. “Don’t think you’re heading off without some food, Link. And don’t worry, I’ve packed enough for everyone.”

Hyrule grinned. “Thanks, Kiki.” 

“Not at all, travel safe!”

With farewells said, the Chain followed Hyrule out of the village. Traveling northeast, they had a proper pathway this time as they ventured into the forests beyond Saria Town. 

The forest was simultaneously loud and silent as they walked, the rustle of leaves and the chitter of insects interspersed with moments of gaping silence as the shadows in the foliage swelled larger. Hyrule sometimes wondered if the shadows might have been alive, they always seemed to move by themselves in these woods. 

And as Hyrule knew well, even if the darkness itself was not alive, it hid things that were. 

They made it nearly an hour without being attacked by monsters, which for Hyrule was honestly a record. Goriya, weasel-like monsters similar to moblins, lunged from the underbrush, swords at the ready and eyes filled with malice. In moments, the Chain was meeting the monsters in combat, swords meeting shields and steel meeting steel with the sound of clashing metal. 

Hyrule ducked away from one goriya, keeping an eye on it as he called a warning. “Careful! The goriya have boomerangs! They’ll fly back and hit you if you’re not careful!”

As he said it, Hyrule was forced to duck an incoming boomerang. He rolled backwards, channeling magic down his arm and into his sword. Red energy crackled around the blade as he slashed it in front of him, and a mirror of the sword made in red magic shot forward, piercing the goriya through the chest.

The monster fell, and a slight rattling sound had Hyrule turning. His blade moved in a blur of silver, and the snake fell to the ground, cleaved in two before it could sink its fangs into his thigh. “Spirits,” Hyrule muttered. “Corrupted animals too?”

He paused for a short second, his eyes sweeping over the battlefield as he turned to his next opponent. The Chain were all engaged with monsters, some fighting goriya, others moblins, and a few having to fend off attacks by other corrupted creatures. And, though barely noticeable, Hyrule could see the slight hesitancy in their swings. 

It’s hard to fight monsters when they wear the faces of friends, Hyrule thought, parrying the sword strike of a moblin. It’s hard not to see them, to see their faces not corrupted.

This is the Demon King’s cruelty.

They fought for minutes and hours, fighting then walking then fighting some more. By midday, they were all exhausted, physically and mentally. They’d reached the stone canyon, and with Hyrule leading they were able to climb a narrow trail to the top of the ridge where they could take a rest.

“Fuck,” Legend said, sprawling on his back against the stone. “I hated that.”

(Hyrule had noticed. Legend had been forced to fight against a corrupted seagull, and couldn’t bring himself to kill it, instead knocking it aside with the flat of his blade.)

“Why were there so many animals attacking us?” Twilight asked, casting a pained gaze towards the treetops below. “That… that’s not natural behavior.”

“Miasma,” Hyrule explained in a word. “It doesn’t just take the minds of monsters, it takes animals too, Hylians even, if we stay too long, though most usually die and turn to stalfos.” The Chain sent him worried glances and Hyrule waved it off. “You don’t need to worry about it. It takes years of constant exposure usually, and we all have blessings. As for the animals, we’ve got different names for the corrupted ones. Ropes are the snakes, Myu are the birds, Boons are bees and wasps.” 

“Hyrule, no offense, but I really don’t like your forests,” Warriors muttered. 

Hyrule chuckled. “None taken. I know they’re pretty different from yours.” The Traveller settled down onto his rock, reaching into his bag and pulling out Kiski’s parting gift. He unwrapped the cloth and leaf packaging, and the smell of roasted and crisped exoskeleton wafted upwards. Hyrule popped one in his mouth with a crunch. “Nice, Kiki. Tasty as always!”

“Are those… crickets?” Four asked, leaning over to look in the package. 

“Yep!” Hyrule nodded, and offered one to the Smith. “Want one? Kiki packed enough for all of us. They’re really good.”

Four leaned back, looking a little green. “Uh… no thanks, I’m good.”

“I’ll have one,” Time said, reaching over to grab a few. “I usually eat them dried, but roasted is good in a pinch.” The Eldest Hero chewed thoughtfully for a moment, and gave a nod. “You said Kiski made them?”

“Yeah,” Hyrule tilted his head at the older Hero. “You eat them raw?”

“I grew up in the forest with the Kokiri,” Time explained, gesturing with a cricket. “Bugs are part of our menu.”

“May I have some?” Wild asked, and when Hyrule offered the insects, the other Hero eagerly took a handful. He ate a few, then grinned, eyes delighted. “ Oishī! Tsukuru… Teach me how to make? I have tried,” the Cook made a face. “Mine not very good.”

While Hyrule offered cooking suggestions to Wild, the roasted crickets were passed around the Chain. To Hyrule’s pleasant surprise, almost everyone took a few (though for varying reasons).

“Laftweengs,” Sky waved a hand to indicate the avian partners of Skyloft. “Crimson luves tae eat insects.” ³

“I’ve eaten bee larvae,” Twilight answered.

“Looks gross, can I have some?” was Wind’s response.

“I’m in the army, I’ve done it on a dare and by necessity,” Warriors shrugged, then sent a mischievous glance towards Legend. “You and Four are the only ones who haven’t tried any! You sure you don’t want some?”

“No thanks,” Legend said flatly, his face a little green as he watched Warriors crunch some more crickets. “I’m not looking to feel sicker than I already am.”

“Aw, come on! You call me ‘City Boy’ and you haven’t even tried any bugs yourself? For shame!”

“How do you know I was talking about the bugs and not your manners?”

Warriors gave the Veteran an indignant look, but then it smoothed into a crafty grin, and he offered the crickets forward. “So you’ll have some.”

“Not on your life.”

After their lunch of crickets, the Chain made their way down the canyon, reaching the eastern shore. The rocky ground turned to a mixture of sand and gravel, the occasional shrub clawing for a grip on the dunes. Salty air stung their faces, and they looked out onto the expanse of the Midorian Sea. 

“You have an ocean?!” Wind shrieked. “And you never told me?!”

Hyrule gave a half shrug. “It never came up?”

“Betrayed,” Wind muttered, even as he jogged faster down the dunes, towards the buildings of Mido Town in the distance. “Betrayed by my own brother.”

At last, they made it to Mido Town, built near the water’s edge. Before they could enter the town, Hyrule stopped at the cairn just outside the buildings, adding a craggy rock from the south and a river-smoothed pebble to the steadily growing pile. Next to him, Wild did the same, adding a glass-like stone and a porous looking rock that looked volcanic in origin.

Wild sent a smile towards Hyrule, and the Traveller did the same. It was nice to see someone else who understood the cairns. The rocks that traveled the farthest were the strongest after all.

“Okay, seriously, what’s up with that?” Wind asked, leaning forward to look at the cairn. “Is it some sort of weird money system made of rocks?”

The Sailor reached forward to grab a stone and Hyrule panicked. “No! Don’t take any!” 

Wind’s hand halted immediately, sending a wary look toward Hyrule. “What, why? Is it magic or something?”

“Or something,” Hyrule said, his heartbeat slowing. He took a few deep breaths. “Those stones protect the town from monsters. That’s why they’re not to be disturbed, except to leave offerings.”

“Are we meant to leave offerings?” Time asked, looking towards the cairn. “If that’s the case, we could find something—”

“It's not a problem!” The Traveller waved his hands, laughing slightly. “It’s fine. Not every citizen or traveler leaves a stone or offering when they come, but it’s considered respectful to do so. It’s like you’re paying back the village for hosting and protecting you, and asking for protection in turn.”

Confused faces looked back at him.

“Er… how about we go get some food at the inn, I can explain there?” 

A half hour later and the Chain was huddled around two tables at the inn in Mido. The innkeeper had recognized Hyrule and accepted the large traveling group with surprising grace, though she did send them to the corner of the room and told them to: “Try not to break anything.”

“Alright,” Four said when they’d all settled around the tables, food and drink in hand. “Now, what are those stone piles?”

“They’re called cairns,” Hyrule explained, something in his chest warming. This was part of his homeland the others would like, he was sure. “You remember the protections I talked about with Kiski? The cairns are basically that. They’re… many things really. They’re found in villages and along the roadways, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere. They’re memorial markers, places where you pay homage to ancestors and spirits, both in memory of them, and for protection.” 

Hyrule held out a hand, letting magic pool at his fingertips. The energy danced and sparked in his hand and he shaped it, forming a small dome over the table about the size of his fist.

“The cairns are built from the stones. Sometimes they start out as shrines, other times, travelers leave them at points of conflict. And when you pass by a cairn, you leave your own stone, your own offering, some of your thoughts and prayers and hopes and sorrows. It adds to the cairn, and with time, their power can grow.” Hyrule flicked a finger at the magical dome and it expanded, creating a glistening sphere nearly the size of his head. “They’re both an acknowledgement to the dead, and an ask to the dead for protection.”

“Hou daes that wark?” Sky asked, tilting his head. “Ye arena askin thaim tae be at peace?” ⁴

“Not exactly?” Hyrule titled his hand back and forth. “There’s conflict in the history of my lands, and we know spirits walk among us. We know they protect us, keeping us from meeting the same fate.”

“Hai,” Wild said, nodding. The table looked toward the scarred Hero, who was staring at Hyrule with a strange intensity. “Same in my home. After yakusai, many dead. There are… shrines. I leave fruit, stones, and happy thoughts with them. They protect towns and roads, and gifts give the protection strength.” 

Wild paused, a somewhat grim and melancholy smile settled on his face. “Don’t always know what happened. Maybe shrine is by ruins, or burned building. But you leave a stone, tell the dead: ‘I see it, I know it’.”

Hyrule could see a bit of understanding beginning to spark in the other’s eyes. A bit more respect for the cairns that stood outside the village, that lay scattered across the roads and in the Outlands. Perhaps they did not believe in them the same way Hyrule did, but they respected them, and that was enough.

Hyrule exchanged a glance with Wild, and in that, he saw someone who’d seen the same things he had.

A land, of miasma and malice, with death and destruction in its recent history. A land of people that lived among graves, but also paid homage to those gone and those still here. A land, where death was as present as life, and both were honored.

In memoriam, Hyrule whispered to the wind, the words he spoke at every marker and stone and shrine. In memory of.

He breathed, extending his senses out. With eyes that did not see, he sensed the rippling magic that pulsed through the ground, the threads of magic that linked every soul to the ground they walked on. A shelter and haven made by those who lived there. He traced the threads to the cairn, a low, drumming heartbeat, and the not-quite-there souls that circled it.

They were souls, but they were not. They crackled with the song of parent, sibling, child. Family twined with those who’d never met, singing of soldier, farmer, traveller.  

Protector, each one said in words that filled the towns and roads.

In memoriam, to the living.

In memoriam, to the dead.

In memory.

- - -

1. “Yep, here you go." Back

2. "But… don't you worry about unfriendly monsters getting in? Back

3. “Loftwings,” Sky waved a hand to indicate the avian partners of Skyloft. “Crimson loves to eat insects.” Back

4. “How does that work?” Sky asked, tilting his head. “You aren't asking them to be at peace?” Back

Chapter Text

“Traveler, your monsters are… something else,” Four muttered as he leaned back against the rough wood of a tree. It was nice… maybe he should just stay here for a few minutes… or hours… or eternity… 

“That’s one way to put it,” Twilight groaned.

“Smart and kind, living in villages, and also terrifying as hell to fight,” Wind listed off. Four cracked open an eye, glancing over at the Sailor, who was sprawled flat on his back on the forest floor. “Did I mention that last one? ‘Cause I’d like to say it again… and so would my bones. Ow.”

Four’s own bones echoed the sentiment. The Chain had been in Hyrule’s lands for the past weeks, working out of Mido Town as they went into the surrounding forest, rocky beaches and canyons, fighting any corrupted monsters they came across. While they’d been successful, everyone was becoming very exhausted. Hyrule’s monsters hit like a Darknut thrown by another Darknut. 

Hyrule gave a half shrug. “Yeah, kinda how it goes. The longer monsters had been in the miasma and the deeper in the forest they are, the stronger they are. Not that the villagers can’t hold their own in a fight but the miasma is… well, it’s miasma. The black blood doesn’t help either.”

“It’s like hysterical strength,” Legend commented, chewing methodically on a piece of dried something. Might have been a carrot. Or a boot. It was hard to tell. The part of Four’s mind that was Vio couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. “Usually we’ve got like… mental blocks against it, but maybe the miasma takes that away. Hmm… we know the infection has been giving monsters unusual intelligence and vitality. Maybe the infection is linked to the miasma, to malice?” 

“Either way, I’d like to file a complaint,” Wind grumbled. “Can we get the Zelda’s to donate some of their Divine Powers for a bit?”

“All in favor, say ‘aye’,” Warriors raised his canteen in a toast as a resounding chorus of ‘ayes’ filled the clearing. “There you go, unanimous vote. Sky, mind talking to Hylia for us?”

“Hnngh, whi?” Sky mumbled. Across the clearing, Four watched the Chosen Hero jerk slightly from his state of half-asleep to blink groggily at the camp. It was rather impressive, he’d basically fallen asleep standing up. Like a bird, Four thought with a snort. “Ah, shiur… fiv’ mair meenits…” ¹ The Chosen’s head drooped down and within seconds he was breathing deeply again.

“How he do that?” Wild muttered, staring at Sky in fascination. Maybe he was interested in seeing Sky asleep. Four could count on one hand the number of times he’d actually seen the Cook sleeping, and that included when the Smith was on nightwatch.

“Chosen Hero, but he chooses sleep,” Four chuckled.

“Then, I choose a soft bed,” Time said, his armor giving an audible clank as he struggled to get comfortable. “You all may be young but my back isn’t.”

“You’re the Hero of Time,” Twilight pointed out. “Not the Chosen Hero.”

“Fine, then as the Hero of Time I declare that we should have more time to sleep in a soft bed.” 

A few hours later and all too soon, the Chain’s break was over and it was time to tackle their next target. Twilight slipped into the woods to scout and returned with a scowl plastered over his face. “It’s a big encampment,” the Rancher explained as they all laid eyes on him. “Near forty, at least. There’s lookouts too. Mostly moblins and bokoblins, but there’s also two weird horse-like things…”

“Lynels,” Legend cursed, grimacing. “They’re powerful and they hit hard. Individually, they’re definitely the biggest threats on the field, but with nearly forty monsters in total… that’s a lot of arrows and swords and clubs knocking around.”

Four winced.

Ouch, this isn’t going to be fun, Blue groaned, Four’s annoyance and the painful anticipation echoing out from his mind.

We’re going to need a solid plan for this… Vio hummed as Four started going over the numbers, thinking over his equipment and taking stock of the available potions. (Those at least, they had plenty of, thanks to Wild’s brewing.) We have to assume they’re all black-blooded. Best case, they’re not. Worst case… well, better to plan for the worst.  

With that, the Chain descended into preparation mode. They pulled out weapons, made sure armor was fitted, sketched plans in the dirt and shifted uneasily as the wind howled through the forest of monsters and miasma. 

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Warriors said, drawing their attention. The Captain, their primary strategist, took the helm as the Heroes gathered around. Drawing in the dirt, Warriors detailed the plan of attack and in the end, everyone agreed. There was only one problem… their ever present language barrier.

Wild, despite the leaps and bounds he’d been making, wasn’t yet adept enough to understand their attempts to explain. And on the Chain’s end, there was only so much gestures and drawings in the dirt could do. While typically they could let Wild do his own thing since the Hero excelled as a solo fighter, in this case they needed everyone on board.

However, they had realized something that made combat with Wild slightly easier.

“Mandata capate!” ¹

Slightly.

Warriors had admitted early on that he didn’t know the language of his era’s Sheikah, so he wouldn’t be of much help communicating with Wild. But, as the Captain had realized in their attempts to explain the battle plan to Wild, he did know the military commands used by Impa. Military commands given in Sheikah. And so, he was currently trying to explain their battle strategy to Wild.

The plan involved the Chain splitting into two groups, spreading out into the trees and then advancing forwards to flank the monster camp that was their target from both sides. They may have been nine against a large camp, but each of the Heroes was an army in and of themselves. If they could spread the monsters’ forces thin, their attack would be a lot easier.

“Medii partitis. Largia ad ambas partes, equaliter ambula.” ² Warriors spread his hands apart, fanning his fingers as he visually demonstrated the advancement while attempting to explain the idea. And on the plus side, Wild seemed to understand what the Captain was saying!

On the downside, he didn’t seem to like the plan.

“No,” Wild said, shaking his head. “Transmuta.” ³

“Serva miliz ordinem positum,” ⁴ Warriors argued, waving his hands. Whatever Warriors’ said, Wild stiffened in response and scowled, looking rather affronted. Hooray, Red thought sarcastically. What progress we’re making!

“I don’t think you said that right,” Legend muttered and Warriors sent a brief scowl towards the Veteran. 

“Do you want to try, then?”

Legend raised his hands in surrender, backing off a few steps from the two irate Heroes. “Nah, all yours. But really, what’d you say? I think that’s the most anyone’s gotten of getting the Cook to look insulted. Impressive, honestly.”

“I just said what Impa does when the soldiers fall out of line!” Warriors protested and Four snorted, wondering exactly how many times Warriors had those words spoken to him. “It’s the closest thing to ‘stick to the plan!’”

“The’re yer problem,” Sky nodded sagely, patting the Captain on the shoulder. “Wild daesna follae a line ner plan, or onything we can ween.” ²

Wild waved for their attention, and the Chain turned back to him. He started to say something in Wars’ Sheikah, but quickly halted, biting his lip in evident frustration as he sought to communicate. After a minute, he snapped his fingers, tapping his sekiban, blue strings of light flickering into being around Wild for several seconds. When the light vanished, he wasn’t wearing his usual tunic and cloak but instead a completely different outfit. This one was a dark blue and gray, with form fitting padded armor. It also featured a symbol that, while not found in Four’s era, he recognized as the Eye of the Sheikah from the others’ eras.

Warriors seemed to recognize the outfit too, both eyebrows lifting. “Sheikah stealth armor?”

Four found a grin working its way onto his face, Vio cackling in his mind. Is Wild going where I think he’s going?

“Silentium, reverte,” Wild said as he gestured to his new outfit, then held a finger to his lips. Silent. The Hero unhooked his bow from his back and held it up, a wide smirk crossing his face. “You,” he waved at the Chain, “ Parati. I,” Wild gestured to himself, “Vos turbatis.” Wild then pointed to the Chain before driving a fist into the opposing palm, a vicious smile on his face. “Percute.” ⁵

“Non vos turbatis?” ⁶ Warriors asked, brows furrowed as he tilted his head.

“No,” Wild shook his head then held up his bow again, nocking and drawing back an invisible arrow. The grin stretched wider, giving the Hero a look of crazed excitement. “Vos turbatis … Ignis.” ⁷

Warriors’ mouth formed an ‘O’ and suddenly, the grin was matched on the Captain’s face. Green wondered if they should be worried. Blue rubbed his hands gleefully at the promise of mayhem. “Vos turbatis,” Warriors agreed.

Wild and Warriors exchanged a few more words in Old Sheikah — or, Four thought, ‘Future’ Sheikah, from their perspective — before settling on the strategy. “Okay,” the Captain said as he stood, turning to the Chain. “Wild’s going to sneak around the side and snipe the lookouts. He’ll create a ranged distraction that’ll leave us free to attack while the monsters are disoriented.”

The Chain nodded consensus and together they moved through the forest until they could see the camp through the thinning trees. Columns of smoke lifted into the air from the fires the monsters had going and lookouts roamed about near the edge of the camp. 

Twilight was right, Green thought as Four focused on the many, many monsters. Fourty… at least.

Wild, with his bow at his back, nodded to the Chain as he stepped into the brush, movements already becoming cautious and deliberate. While Four was no slouch at sneaking, he had to appreciate the way Wild could walk on the forest floor near soundlessly, despite the neverending branches and leaves that snapped and crackled with each step.

“Sive pugnas sive seques inimicum sive aequalis facies, non forte minare ut ne sparges tu suum ordinem,” ⁸ Warriors called out softly to Wild’s retreating back. 

That’s a long way to say ‘good luck’, Four snorted.

Whatever was said, the Hero of the Wild twisted, giving them a mock salute as he walked back into the brush. “Parati,” he called. Be ready. He slipped into the shadows of the forest like a ghost, and then it was only the eight of them, crouched in the undergrowth. A few minutes passed as they waited, shifting from foot to foot and trying to keep as silent as possible.

Eventually, Wind turned to Warriors from where he’d been watching the clearing. “What does ‘vos turbatis’ mean?” the Sailor whispered curiously.

"Well, Impa usually said 'non vos turbatis' to us to tell us to not be disorderly or cause chaos. In this case though…”

Warriors paused as the ground shook beneath them, the panicked squeals and roars of monsters reaching them amidst a succession of distant, resonant booms. Through the trees they saw a flare of light blossom into the sky, casting sharp shadows in all directions as explosion after explosion rocked the monster encampment. 

"In this case… we want disorder."

Warriors turned to them, a wide smirk stretching across his face. The light of the now burning monster camp cast strange shadows over his face that made him look like some demonic creature.

"We want wild."

They limped their way back to Mido Town what felt like hours later, black and red blood streaking their bodies, just barely keeping themselves from keeling over with exhaustion. Luckily, the innkeeper didn’t kick them out despite the state they were in. Unfortunately, the innkeeper did demand they wash themselves before coming in.

Four’s mind was little more than fog as he fumbled to soak his tunic in the water trough. At some point, someone pushed another potion into his hands and guided him to swallow.

While it didn’t chase away the haze of mental exhaustion, it did ease the physical exhaustion and pain that Four hadn’t known he’d been feeling. It managed to power him long enough to finish washing his clothes and then stumble up to the room he shared with Sky, throw his tunic onto the back of a chair to dry, and then aim towards the bed as he collapsed.

Four didn’t even remember his head hitting the pillow.

At some point in the emptiness that was unconsciousness, Four squinted open his eyes. He blinked up at the sky above, the gray predawn slowly being replaced with the warm light of the rising sun. Hmph, he could still sleep then. Four rolled over, snuggling his face deeper into his arms, attempting to find a comfortable position despite how prickly his bed was. He lay there for all of five seconds before his eyes snapped open. 

The inn had a roof.

Four bolted upright, only to have the ground itself shift beneath him. His hand closed around empty space as he reached for the Four Sword, and his heart leapt into his throat. A few panic filled seconds later and Four had managed to get to his feet, frazzled and as tense as a wire, his eyes darting across his surroundings.

He was on a beach. 

Now, Hyrule’s Mido Town was built adjacent to a beach, one of loose gray gravel that led into the cold Midoran Sea. You could see the ocean from town, could even hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

This was not that beach.

The sand beneath Four’s bare feet shifted and moved as he looked around, his gaze following the white sand and foam of crashing waves that washed into shore. Orange and pink rimmed the horizon where the sun was rising quickly over a vast ocean, casting light onto the leaves of the palm trees that arced above Four’s head. And scattering the beach around him were his companions, sleeping soundly.

I swear these portals have a sense of humor, Blue fumed as Four located his clothes in the sand nearby. He picked up his shoes, watching as a stream of sand poured from them. Oh great, I’m going to be finding sand everywhere now, aren’t I?

The fact that we are on a beach implies there is already sand everywhere, Green chuckled in amusement. Leaving the boots for later, Four picked up and shook out his multicolored outer tunic, sliding it over his head. Where’s my sword and pack?

Luckily, Four’s gear had traveled with him, despite not being attached to him. He sighed in relief as he strapped the familiar weight of the Four Sword to his hip. 

Carrying his shoes in one hand, Four picked his way over the beach to the rest of the Chain. Sky was closest, his head pillowed on his cape and the Master Sword tucked nearby. The Smith chuckled when he saw Warriors and Twilight using each other as blankets, boots and gear spread in a messy circle around them from where the portal had deposited it. In fact, the only two unaccounted for were Time and Wild. 

Where are they? Red wondered as Four attempted to stamp down the thread of anxiety that had appeared. Everyone else is here and fine…

Those two are our early risers, Vio reasoned. They probably decided to let everyone sleep, especially after the battles yesterday. Or perhaps more correctly, the ones years apart from where we are now.

A soft whistle had Four’s ears perking up. He twisted towards its origin, and something in his chest settled as he saw Wild waving to him from farther up the beach, just within the brush at the edge of the jungle skirting the sands. Four quickly jogged over, the anxiety vanishing completely as he spotted Time as well, back braced against a tree as the oldest Hero nursed a cup of Wild’s infamous coffee. 

“Morning, Smith,” Time said, raising his cup in Four’s direction. “Good to see you up.”

“Good morning,” Wild said, ears flicking slightly with happiness as Four nodded approval at the pronunciation and returned the Cook’s greeting.

“I’m guessing this is Wind’s Hyrule?” Four asked as he swept his gaze around.

Time nodded. “I’d say so as well. The Sailor will be able to say for sure, but it’s been a while since we were in his lands, so it’s the most likely option. That or we’re between eras.”

“How long have you been up?” Four asked, settling himself on a relatively flat rock. 

“I woke when we arrived,” Time said with a shrug. “I told you, my back isn’t as young as it used to be, I could tell the difference. I stayed on watch, but there wasn't a need. It’s been quiet save for the lizards and the waves.” Time nodded towards the ocean. “Quite the sunrise too.”

“What about you, Wild?”

“Wake… two hour ago?” Wild looked at Time for confirmation, lips quirking into a smile when the other Hero nodded. “Yes, two hour. I explore beach, made tea.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Kani!” Wild tapped his sekiban. One flare of light later and he was holding a small crab. “I am kenkyūsuru!” The Hero paused for a moment, then pointed to the crab. “Name?”

“It's called a crab,” Four guessed, and Wild nodded, putting the creature back in his sekiban and then tapping on the object. With that done, Wild offered Four a cup of tea, which the Smith gladly accepted. The three of them relaxed for nearly half an hour, watching the sun rise over the ocean, painting the sky in streaks of blue and orange.

The growing daylight was enough to wake up most of the other Heroes, who stumbled across the sand towards their makeshift camp. Wind, in particular, was absolutely ecstatic. 

“I’m home!” the Sailor exclaimed, waving around the vegetable skewer that Wild had offered them for a morning meal. Four ducked as the breakfast turned weapon came dangerously close to his face. “This is Outset Island! I can introduce you to Lola! And Aryll! And Tetra too!”

“Aryll… That’s your sister, right?” Hyrule asked, leaning back as Wind whirled around.

“Yes!” Wind nodded eagerly. “You didn’t meet her last time ‘cause we were on the wrong island but now you can! Oh, she’s going to love you and come on, what are you waiting for? Let’s get going already!”

“Easy there, Sailor,” Twilight said, grinning at the other Hero, who was acting more like a teenager than ever. “We will, but we need to eat first. You included.” 

The Rancher nodded to the skewer that Wind was holding, whose contents had, somehow, miraculously managed to not turn into flying projectiles. Wind blushed slightly, the tips of his ears reddening. “Ah, okay. But still! Hurry up!”

Four didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone inhale food that fast.

By the time the Chain had gathered their gear and was ready to depart, Wind was pacing the beach impatiently. With the last of them assembled, Wind clapped his hands. “Finally! Okay, follow me!” With the Sailor in the lead, the Chain followed him along the beach. 

“Hou big be this island?” ³ Sky asked, looking up the long strip of white sand ahead of them.

“Not too big,” Wind said, spinning around to face them as he walked backwards. “You can walk the perimeter of the main island in a day, except for the north shore, that’s all sheer cliffs. We’re on the east side of the island, the village is on the south side.” Wind waved an arm inland, where the ground sloped upwards into a mountain ridge that looked about a thousand feet high. “The Forest of Fairies is at the top of the ridge, and there’s a colony of bokoblins in the marsh.”

Wind shifted their course to the trees and soon they were walking along a trail in the shade of the jungle. Four looked around in awe at the sheer variety of plants surrounding them.

“What kind of tree is that?” Four asked, pointing at a weird tree that looked like it had thirty small trunks that merged into one further up the plant.

“It’s a walking tree!” Wind explained, pointing to the spindly miniature trunks which did, admittedly, look like a series of tiny legs. “Those skinny things are the roots. It takes years, but they can actually move around.”

“I thought for sure you’d say they walked around at night,” Legend muttered.

Wind shrugged. “I mean there’s plenty of other plants that do walk. Koroks, for one.”

By the time the Chain had emerged from the trail to the sight of buildings tucked along the shoreline, Wind was practically vibrating with excitement. The moment they emerged into the village proper, the Sailor took off like an arrow, leaving the Chain to jog after. Villagers jumped aside as the blue streak that was the Hero of Winds raced down the path, casting curious eyes on the Chain as they passed.

By the time the Chain had caught up to Wind, they found their youngest member outside one of the houses, an old woman wrapped in his arms. 

“Link! Nag-alala ako! Mabuti ka ba?” the old woman said and Four watched the exchange with interest, despite not knowing a word. Was this the grandmother Wind had talked about? It must be. “Kamusta ka? Saan ka nanggaling? Nakarating ba sa’yo ang mga liham ko?” ¹

“Mabuti po ako, Lola,” ² Wind said and Four’s eyebrows climbed his face. Wind knew the language too? The Sailor drew back from his grandmother’s hug, looking around. “Where’s Aryll?”

“Kuya!”

A tiny blond blur flew past the Chain, nearly tackling Wind to the ground. Wind laughed in utter joy, catching the figure and whirling them around before pulling them into a hug so tight Four heard a distinct ‘squeak’. Once the pair had stopped moving, Four was able to see Wind hugging a young girl in a blue dress.

“Aryll!” Wind exclaimed, pulling his sister tight against him. She hugged him back just as tight, and then hit his arms, laughing all the while.

“Let me go, kuya! You’re gonna make me pop! And you smell! ”

“What, like this?” Wind hugged Aryll tighter and she squealed in joy. The Hero did set her down though, looking her over. “How have you been, ading?”

“Good! Tetra showed me how to open locks! She said she’s gonna teach me how to do swords!” Aryll giggled, grinning up at Wind, who just smiled at his little sister’s apparent lockpicking skills. “I’m gonna be the best in all of Hyrule!”

“I bet you are,” Wind laughed. “Is Tetra here?”

“Nah,” Aryll shook her head. “But she’s supposed to be back soon!” Aryll then turned to look the Chain over, eyeing them with wide eyes before looking back at Wind. “Who are all these weirdos, kuya?”

Four snorted as Twilight heaved a drawn out sigh. “Everytime.”

Wind knelt down next to his sister, taking her hand and staring deep into her eyes. He attempted to make his tone serious, but the mischief leaked through regardless. “Aryll… what would you say to getting eight more brothers?”

Aryll narrowed her eyes, squinting at Wind suspiciously. “Did you copy yourself kuya?”

“No!” Wind laughed, then gestured to the Chain. “These are other Heroes, like me! They’re my brothers… so that means they’re yours too! If you want, at least. And you’re right, they are weirdos.” Wind pointed at Time. “See that old guy? He’s the Hero of Time , and Wild there, he can make a soup nearly as good as Lola’s!”

Aryll jerked back, looking aghast. “No one can make soup as good as Lola,” she protested, shaking her head. She looked over at her grandmother, who was standing nearby with an amused smile. “Right, Lola? No one makes soup as good as you!”

‘Lola’ chuckled. “Well, I don’t know about that, dear. But if there’s someone competing for my title of ‘Best Cook in the Isles’, well I’ll just have to challenge them, won’t I?”

“Uh huh!” Aryll nodded vigorously. She marched up to Wild, poking him in the chest. “ Lola’s gonna out-soup you!”

“Uh… yes?” Wild asked.

The siblings’ grandmother smiled, laughing softly. “How about we bring Link and his friends inside for breakfast, Aryll? I’m sure your brother will have lots of stories to tell us while we eat.”

Aryll clapped, nodding. “Okay! I’ll go haul some water!”

The little girl ran off and Wind’s grandmother turned to the Chain. “Well, if my grandson hasn’t said it, welcome to Outset Island. Now, before breakfast, you all will be having a bath.” Hyrule made a noise of protest, only to be pinned down by the old woman’s stare. “No buts! You smell like a bunch of fish left in the sun!

The Chain exchanged glances.

“We do?” Twilight asked, tilting his head. 

The old woman raised an eyebrow. “Well, you lot are more noseblind than usual. Yes, you do. Now, you can store your clothes and weapons by the house and I’ll have Aryll bring some water so you can wash those too. No worries, no one will steal them. Link, you take your friends to the beach.”

“Opo, Lola,” Wind nodded. The Sailor turned the Chain, waving at them to follow. “This way, we can dump our things then head to the beach.” With that, the Chain followed, though Wind’s grandmother left one more comment ringing in the air behind them.

“And make sure to wash behind your ears!”

The Chain stripped themselves of their weapons, armor and outer clothes, leaving them on the deck of Wind’s house. Left in nothing but their undershirts and pants, the troupe of Heroes followed the Sailor down to the beach. Four winced as his bare feet hit the burning sand, shifting from foot to foot to try and avoid the worst of it as they made their way along the shoreline.

While it wasn’t a long walk by any means, not after having been in the lands belonging to Wild and Twilight, Four was finding the shifting sand a struggle to walk on. No wonder Wind’s so agile and balanced, Green thought as Four remembered the Sailor’s almost supernatural abilities. If he’s walking on this stuff or on ship’s most of the time.  

However, while Wind might have been able to skip over the sand, the rest of them weren’t having as much luck.

Warriors let out several curses as he stumbled in the sand for the tenth time. “Gods, how do you not twist an ankle in this stuff?” 

“It helps to walk closer to the water’s edge, on the wet sand,” Wind gestured to where he was walking and at the footprints marking his trail in the sand. “It’s firmer and more stable. Now come on! The sooner we’re clean the sooner we can have Lola’s soup!” The Sailor started jogging down the beach, kicking up spray as he went through the surf.

The rest of the Chain exchanged glances, then Hyrule gently shoved Legend and started sprinting after Wind. “Hah! Last one there’s a rotten cucco egg!”

“No fair!” Legend retorted, stumbling after.

Seconds later and nine Heroes were running down the beach, sand and sea spray flying in their wake. Four laughed as he bypassed Sky, dodging Twilight’s failing arms before finally stumbling to a spot next to an out of breath Wild and Wind. Time was the last to join them, having been strolling casually down the beach. 

The eldest Hero raised an eyebrow as he looked at them all, heaving for breath. “Have fun?”

“Come on,” Wind said as he pulled off his undershirt and tossed it aside, leaving him in only his shorts. “Lola said we needed to have a bath, so let’s get in the water already!”

Twilight grinned. “Last in the water has to eat Time’s cooking!”

The Rancher started to make a headlong dash for the surf, only to trip and fall flat on his face. Time withdrew his foot, idly watching his protege spit sand out of his mouth. “Oh really,” Time said as he walked towards the water, mischief twinkling in his eye. Twilight struggled to stand, lifting his head only to find the rest of the Heroes already running towards the water. 

Four snorted as Twilight made a keening whine that was a little too wolf-like. 

Time chuckled. “Well then, I’m sure you’ll love my cooking, pup.”

“Noooo,” Twilight moaned.

Four rolled his eyes at the antics of the two, shivering slightly as he trudged deeper into the surf, the water causing the skin of his legs to prickle. Little bit at a time, Red commented as Four cautiously walked further into the water. Don’t want to shock myself, you know?

Four’s inner thoughts were interrupted as Wild charged past and threw himself into the surf, subsequently soaking the Smith as a wave of water crashed over him. Four came up sputtering, head barely above water as he glared at the other Hero, who just grinned unapologetically. 

“Mizu-no ikagaka?” Wild asked with a toothy smile.

Four narrowed his eyes, sweeping his arm and splashing the other Hero over the head. Wild coughed, squinting at Four through the dripping hair plastered to his face. “How’s the water?” Four asked smugly. 

Wild stuck out his tongue. 

And Four, like the legendary, dignified Hero he was, did the same.

After they had all thoroughly soaked each other, the Chain found themselves stretched out on the beach. Four was busy being sprawled on his stomach, muscles soaking up the heat of the sun. Wind and Hyrule had taken to burying Time, leaving the eldest with his arms free and draped over his chest and the rest of him buried in sand.

Wild and Legend were building a sand castle, with Warriors and Sky attempting to provide building instructions. It was a mixed success, with the ‘castle’ being slumped half over. Four didn’t think it would stand up against an invading force. If anything, it’d topple over the minute it was struck. Though, if it fell on the invading army that could be a pretty efficient tactic to take down their numbers.

Once Time had been thoroughly buried and the sand castle ended up a slightly larger pile of sand, the Chain started trading conversation. Wind suggested they compare scars — which were all on prominent display considering they were all nearly naked — but Legend just rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, I think Wild has everyone beat,” the Veteran said, pointing at the Hero in question. 

Indeed, the burn-like scars wrapping themselves over Wild’s torso and the left side of his body were fairly impressive. While Four had a few good nasty scars, there wasn’t anything that could match the Hero of the Wild for sheer size. With that option of entertainment out of the way, Twilight offered up the next line of conversation. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask… you know another language too?” the Rancher asked as he turned to Wind.

“Yeah!” Wind nodded. “I learned it from Lola. She says the story behind it is that people learned it from the ocean itself! Most people speak Hylian or my grandma’s language on Outset and Windfall Island. But I did learn another language from my friend, Linebeck! Toki, it’s used in some distant parts of the archipelago and by merchants like Beedle.”

“Wait, back up,” Warriors waved his hands. “How many of us actually know other languages aside from Hylian? Raise your hands.” The Captain proceeded to blink as hands went up around the group. “You too, Old Man?”

Time shrugged, or as much as he was able to when buried in sand up to his armpits. “Kokiri, the Language of the Forest was my first, if I’m honest. I also know Hylian and Hyrulean sign language, and a handful of words in Zoran and Goron. I can’t hold a decent conversation in the last two but I know enough to ask for directions or buy things.”

Warriors sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, round the circle. Name the languages you know.”

Legend apparently knew six languages, including Hylian, Lorulian, Labryn, Hytopian and two types of sign language. Twilight knew one and half, that being Hylian and a smattering of a language he called ‘Twili’. Sky and Warriors only knew Hylian, aside from the Captain’s smattering of Sheikan military commands and Sky’s Hylian arguably being a different version of the language altogether. Four himself knew Hylian and Picori, while Hyrule knew two, Hylian and, somehow, Fae. And lastly, Wind knew three: Hylian, his grandmother’s tongue, and one he called Toki. 

Once they got around to Wild, the Cook muttered under his breath for a moment before saying: “Nine… I think.”

“You think?”

“Nine and part?”

Sky chuckled. “Ye be quite ‘e linguaphile.” ⁴

Wild tilted his head, looking questioningly at the Chosen Hero. “Lin-ga-fi-el?” the Cook tried, sounding out the unfamiliar word.

“Linguaphile,” Legend repeated. “It means someone who loves language.”

Wild hummed. “Linguaphile,” he repeated, then broke into a wide grin. “Yes. Me.”

The Chain chuckled at the antics of their resident, well, linguaphile. Time turned to Wind, awkwardly managing to rub his chin despite his sandy burial. “Your grandmother’s language is similar to the language my Zora speak,” Time commented thoughtfully. “I only know a few words of Zoran, but they sound nearly the same. Perhaps that’s how they learned it from the ocean?”

“But we don’t have Zora in my Hyrule,” Wind pointed out. “They’re said to have evolved into the Rito to escape the Flood.”

“The fish people… evolved into birds to escape water?” Warriors asked incredulously. 

“It’s magic water?” Wind offered.

Warriors took a moment to digest that answer, then shook his head. "Nope. Maybe it'll make more sense if I'm drunk." The Captain stood, walking down the beach.

"Where are you going?" Twilight asked.

"To get some moonshine!" Warriors called back. "And some clothes!"

After digging Time out, the rest of the Chain joined Warriors at Wind’s house. Dressed in their underclothes again, they set about the task of vigorously scrubbing the rest of their clothes free of any bloodstains or lingering smells. At some point in the process, Aryll poked her head out of the house. 

“Kuya! Lola wants you to head to the pier and get some fish from tito Orca! And to ask Beedle for some spare mats for your weird friends to sleep on!”

“But I’m busy cleaning!” 

“But Lola says so!”

Wind groaned, getting to his feet and throwing his tunic over the railing. Aryll lobbed a woven basket at her brother’s head, which he caught easely. “Okay, okay, I’m going ading. Hey, Four, come on, I’m gonna need a hand carrying all this.” Four dutifully set aside his own washing, accompanying the Sailor into the village proper.

They followed the walkway down to the docks, where several fishing vessels were beached onshore. Four saw several canoe-style vessels, including some boats that looked like a canoe, but had a second, smaller wooden hull attached parallel to the main hull. When asked, Wind called the boats bangka or ‘outriggers’ in Hylian.

“A lot of folk on the islands have ‘em,” Wind explained. “Tito Orca uses one too , they’re great for fishing. See? That’s his.”

Four followed Wind’s pointing finger down the pier to where an old man was dragging his boat ashore. “Tito Orca!” Wind called out in greeting, jogging over to meet the old man, who looked up at their approach.

“Link! Good to see you, anak.”

Wind huffed, wrinkling his nose. “I’m not a kid, tito!”

The old man huffed in amusement, aiming to ruffle Wind’s hair, only to have the Hero dodge out of the way. “When you’re my age, everyone’s a kid. Sino silá?” the old man looked over at Four curiously, and Four guessed he’d said something to the effect of: ‘ Who’s this?’

“This is Four!” Wind exclaimed, looping an arm around Four’s shoulders. “He’s travelling with me! Him and his brothers. Four, this is Orca, but everyone calls him tito, or uncle.”

Orca nodded to Four, giving a gap toothed smile. “Nice to meet you, welcome to Outset.” Then, he turned back to Wind, raising an eyebrow. “You, him and more on that little boat of yours? How do you all fit? Or has that pirate friend of yours been by? I haven’t seen her ship.”

“We’ve got… an alternate mode of travel,” Wind eventually said. “Most of them haven’t met Tetra.”

Orca hummed. “Still can’t be as good as my pating,” the man patted the hull of the ship next to him, smiling softly in obvious fondness. “Fastest bangka in all the Isles. Don’t know how you or your pirate friend can stand one of those big hulled ships, they’re so cumbersome! No agility!”

“They carry cargo,” Wind pointed out. “They’re not fishing like you!” The Sailor blinked, then snapped his fingers. “That’s right! Lola wants some fish, what have you got?”

The old man walked along his boat and after a bit of shuffling, hoisted up a few fish by the tails. “First catch of the day! Went out at dawn to the reef, I’ve got a half dozen good sized talakitok if you like,” the man wiggled the fish for emphasis. 

Wind nodded. “Can you spare three?”

Orca raised an eyebrow. “Got a lot of visitors then, huh?”

“Eight,” Wind admitted and Orca whistled.

“Well then, I’ll make sure to get some extra while your guests are around,” the old man took the woven basket Wind had brought, setting three of the ‘talakitok’ fish inside. “Here, 40 rupees for the three, and I’ll add a fourth if you can get some bait for me.”

Wind nodded, pulling out the requested rupees. “Will do! We were just headed to Beedle next.”

They waved goodbye to Orca, Four carrying the fish basket while Wind made a beeline for a small boat tied along the docks. Stabilizing supports similar to those of Orca’s boat stuck into the water, though these were made of barrels lashed together. A colorful sign was painted onto the wood along part of the hull, and while the writing was slightly different from his own, Four could make out: “Beedyl’s Shoppe.”

“Ayo! Beedle!” Wind called to the boat. “You here? jan li lon anu seme?” ¹

The distinct clunk of things falling over sounded from within the boat, and a high voice called back. “mi poka! mi kama lon tenpo lili! o kama insa!” ² After what presumably must have been an invitation, Wind hopped easily onto the wide flat deck of the ship and Four followed. While Wind stood easily on the gently rocking boat, Four stumbled a bit more before regaining his balance.

After a few more assorted banging noises, a head popped out from behind a canvas flap leading into a sheltered part of the boat. Four blinked in surprise as a somewhat familiar face peeked out. “jan pona Link! sina pilin pona anu seme?” ³

“mi pilin pona. mi pona,” Wind nodded in reply. “telo li pona anu seme? Many monsters?” ⁴

While the exchange continued on over Four’s head, he was now deeply contemplating the possibility of additional reincarnation. Because this man, Beedle, bore an uncanny resemblance to the shopkeeper of the same name that Four had met during the Picori Festival. And between that and the same name…

We know that Ganon, Zeldas and Links are reincarnated across the ages, Vio hummed as Four worked through the various possibilities. Maybe reincarnation is present in all people, not just us? That would make sense, but the fact that names are similar…  

Maybe there’s a second Triforce, Blue thought sarcastically. Impa, Beedle and Twilight and Time’s horse, Epona. The Triforce of Guidance, Customer Service and Being a Horse.

“I need some mats or hammocks,” Wind said in Hylian, drawing Four’s attention back to the shopping at hand. He shook his head, focusing back on the two. “I’ve got some guests and not nearly enough floor space.”

Beedle laughed, nodding. “pona, pona! mi jo e lipu lape lon tomo monsi.” ⁵

While Four held the fish basket, Beedle led Wind inside his boat. A few minutes passed, accompanied by some crashes and swears from Wind, until the two emerged with Wind carrying a tall stack of rolled fabric and bamboo mats, all lashed together with rope. “pilin li pona tan esun mi!”⁶ Beedle exclaimed as Wind handed over the rupees, pocketing the money.

Four nudged Wind with his foot. “The bait? For Orca?”

“Oh right!” Wind nodded, then shifted sideways so he could talk to Beedle around the massive stack in his arms. “sina jo e pipi anu seme? mi wile esun e pipi tan jan Orca. ona li alasa e kala.” ⁷

“mi jo e pipi lon tenpo ale,” Beedle said, and pulled a pouch of… something from his pockets. What on earth? Beedle added the pouch to Four’s basket of fish, while Wind struggled to pass over a few more rupees. “ni li ale anu seme?” ⁸

“Yep!” Wind nodded. “That’s it. pona a! mi tawa!” ⁹

With great care and several swears from Wind, they clambered off the boat. Four had to give Wind directions, since he couldn’t see beyond his fabric stack. Instead of heading back to Orca’s boat, they trekked back up to the village, stopping by Orca’s house on the way to Wind’s. The fisherman, standing outside as he gutted his fish, waved as they approached.

“Ah, my bait!” the old man said as he plucked the pouch from Four’s basket. “Thank you, Link. Here, your promised fish.”

Now with fresh fish, fabric and mats aplenty, the two Heroes and their purchases made their way back to Wind’s house. When they’d returned and deposited their items by the door, they discovered the Chain circled around Wild’s sekiban. As Four came closer, he saw Wild tap the device and the customary strings of light materialized something into the air. Once they had vanished, Four found his eyebrows raising to see it was Warrior’s prized scarf. 

The Captain took his possession, turning it over in his hands. “It’s clean!” he crowed, and the rest of the Chain aside from Wind and Four broke into cheers.

“What’s going on?” Wind asked, and Sky turned to them with a grin.

“Wild’s sekiban can clean onything,” Sky explained. “See? It remuived the bluid frae my hauberk!” ⁵ Sky said, holding up his chain link armor, and showing the metal free of stain and rust. 

Four blinked, then nodded sagely. “Ah, yes. Time to abuse the heck out of our magical gear.”

Nearby, Hyrule nodded in agreement. “I’ll never have to do laundry again.”

After sending a few more loads of clothes and boots through Wild’s magical sekiban laundry, the Chain were mostly dressed once again, though this time with armor and weapons tucked in the upper loft of Wind’s house. They crowded the downstairs level, sitting cross legged on the floor while Wind’s grandmother ladled soup into bowls for all of them.

“Kain kang mabuti!” ³ she said, spooning a generous helping into the Traveller’s bowl. “You all are far too skinny.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hyrule said, dipping his head in thanks. 

“None of that, call me Gran Gran,” ‘Gran Gran’ said, waving a hand. “Or lola if you like, we’re all family on the island. And if my grandson says you’re his brothers, then you are.” The Chain chorused their thanks to Gran Gran, then started devouring their soup. Four hummed in pleasure as he sipped his meal, which between the combined food prowess of Wild and Gran Gran, numbered as one of the most delicious things he’d ever eaten.

As they ate, Warriors leaned forwards, eying Wind. “So this language of your Gran’s, it’s used a lot in the isles?”

Wind shrugged. “I guess? There’s a scattering of folks who know it, but it's mostly here on Outset. I didn’t meet anyone on Windfall that knew it. I do know the language pretty well, not as good as Lola though,” 

“Say something then,” Warriors challenged, eyes gleaming.

Wind gave a toothy grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Hindi ka kasing ganda ng iniisip mo. Alam kaming lahat na inilagay mo sa scarf ang pabango para mang-akit ng babae pero ‘di pa rin matagumpay." ⁴

“… You just insulted me didn’t you,” Warriors said, narrowing his eyes.

“What, no,” Wind denied, waving a hand dismissively. “Why would I do that?”

“He said you’re not pretty and that your smell-good doesn’t work on girls,” Aryll said.

“Aryll!” 

“I’ll have you know the perfume is to cover up smells!” the Captain protested, wrinkling his nose in offense. “Battlefields don’t exactly smell nice, it’s practical! … And it’s not just for girls either,” Warriors muttered, pulling up his shoulders as he honest to gods pouted.

“It’s not like you’re denying it! What’s that supposed to mean?” Wind asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight snorted. “When you’re not as small as a baby goat, then you might get it.”

Wind growled. “Why you… you little—” 

“Little, huh? Isn’t that you?” Twilight teased, laughing as Wind lunged forwards, aiming to tackle the Rancher to the floor. He was stopped by Time, who had snagged the neck of Wind’s tunic and was holding him back in a way that reminded Four of a hissing cat caught by the scruff of its neck.

"Ibaba mo ako!” Wind exclaimed, trying to wiggle out of Time’s grip only to have himself hoisted bodily into the air. “Dapat turuan ko sya na hwag makikigulo sa magdaragat!" ⁵

“Not in the house, boys,” Time sighed.

“Kumalma ka,”⁶ Gran Gran chuckled, walking over to pat her grandson’s head. The fight left Wind in a rush and he hung from Time’s grip, giving his grandmother pleading eyes.

“Pero lola!” ⁷

“Nye,” Gran Gran leveled a stern look at Wind. “I know better than to trust those seal eyes,” Gran said in Hylian and Wind somehow slumped further. “Like the nice young man says, no fighting in the house. Now come on, let’s not have this soup go to waste. Eat up!”

After eating, Wind and his companions set about helping Grandma and others in the village with various tasks. Four fixed some of Orca’s spears, Sky and Legend helped with repairs to some of the boats, Twilight went to help Abe and Rose on their farm, Warriors set about doing some sewing repairs, Time attempted to give Mesa farming advice, and Wild went to help Orca with some fishing.

And finally, Wind spent several hours with his little sister and Grandma, reveling in their presence. Grandma didn’t want him to work but Wind insisted on fixing the roof and, alongside Aryll, the two of them found one of Grandma’s favorite flowers on the island and potted it so she could enjoy it in their house.

Late in the afternoon, the Chain had returned to Wind’s house, sprawling in the shade away from the heat of the sun. Despite being in their loose shirts, without armor or boots or hauberks or tunics, even Wind was getting hot.

“A’m meltin,” Sky muttered sullenly. “It’s waldin-het.”

“Big brother! Big brother!” Wind jerked his head up as Aryll ran over, jumping up and down with excitement. “Tetra’s here! Tetra’s here!”

Tetra!

Wind bolted upright, running to the edge of the porch. And sure enough, in the distance he could spot the faint speck of a large ship. He glanced back at Aryll, who grinned and hefted up her telescope, offering it to him. “See? It’s her ship!”

Gently taking the telescope, Wind raised it and looked through the eyepiece. And, sure enough, that was the distinct design and flag of Tetra and her crew. Wind handed the telescope back and ran over the Chain, who had propped themselves up to see what the fuss was about. “Tetra’s here!” Wind exclaimed, grinning widely. “Come on, you have to meet her!”

“Tetra?” Wild repeated, tilting his head. 

“She’s my captain!” Wind explained, bouncing in place. “Also kinda my Zelda? Ish. Anyways, she’s coming and you have to come meet her!” 

“Okay, okay,” Legend said, hefting himself upright. “I’m gonna go dunk myself in the ocean first though. It is way too hot right now. Did you secretly replace Hyrule with the Gerudo Desert?”

“You’re gonna dunk yourself before meeting royalty?” Warriors muttered incredulously. 

Legend raised an eyebrow. “Hyrule and Four have already left.” 

A distant splash reached their ears and sure enough, there was the Traveler and the Smith standing in the water, with the Smith’s eyes barely peeking over the waves. Wild whooped, and, befitting his name, jumped over the balcony to the ocean below. Wind hoped he didn’t miss.

About half an hour later and Tetra’s ship had navigated through the reef and dropped anchor in Outset Harbor. The Chain, still dripping water from their dip in the ocean, stood alongside several of the villagers while the ship came alongside the pier. Ropes were thrown over the sides and Wind wasted no time in snagging them and tying the ship in. He waited just long enough for the ship to drop the gangplank before he was racing up.

“Ahoy, Captain!” Wind called, balancing on the gangplank at the edge of the deck. “Permission to come aboard?” 

Tetra gaped at him, evidently startled by his presence, then laughed. “Get over here.” Wind hopped aboard, the familiar feel of Tetra’s ship grounding beneath his feet. He jogged over, wrapped his captain and friend in a tight hug. Tetra returned it, then pushed him back, holding him by the shoulders as she looked him over. “Good to see you, Link.” 

“You too,” he grinned.

“Uh… Link? These ones yours?”

Wind looked back to where Nudge was eyeing the Chain who had followed up after him, spilling onto the deck of the ship. “Yeah, they’re fine! Okay, everyone, this is Tetra!” Wind exclaimed, gesturing to his captain and sweeping into a mock bow. “The best captain in all of the Great Sea! You definitely want her on your side in a kraken fight.”

Standing straight again, Wind’s eyes bounced between his two families of Hero and Pirate. Legend squinted at Tetra, then looked at Wind, jerking his thumb at the pirate captain. “She’s your Zelda?” Legend asked, only to blink as a sword found itself resting under his chin. 

“That. Is. Not. My. Name,” Tetra said sweetly, and Legend eyed her scimitar with a raised eyebrow.

“Know how to use that?” the Veteran asked.

“I can give you a demonstration if you like.” 

“I’m good,” the Veteran stepped back and Tetra returned her blade to its sheath. The Chain, who’d been tense after Tetra drew her blade — though, hadn’t reciprocated since a) Wind had said not too, and b) because they left their weapons back at Grandma’s house — relaxed slightly. “Though, if you care for it, I’d like to see your skills later,” Legend continued to Tetra. “I haven’t seen someone fight with a scimitar in awhile.”

Tetra grinned toothily at the Veteran, nodding. Meanwhile, Sky tilted his head, looking at Tetra with puzzlement. “Sae yese’re nae a princess?”

Tetra blinked at Sky’s thick accent, taking a minute to process the words, then sighed as she shook her head. “No, I’m not, regardless of what centuries-old dead kings seem to think. Hyrule doesn’t really have a government or monarchy anyways.” She waved a hand out over the ocean. “The isles are pretty independent.”

Wind nodded. “Yeah, the government only exists when Tetra wants to steal something without people arguing.”

Tetra rolled her eyes, wordlessly denying it. Well it was true! And when Wind called her out for it, she always said she was just ‘finding it a happier home with someone who would appreciate it more’ Or? Herself. “So who are these weirdos, Link?” Wind’s captain asked, looking over the Chain. “You trying to wiggle out of my crew? And why are you telling them my name is Zelda?”

Wind grinned. Showtime. “So… you know how you mistook me for the Hero of Time, once?”

“Once,” Tetra said shortly. “Never again.”

“So rude,” Wind huffed, clutching at his nonexistent pearls. “Anyways, see the old guy?” Wind pointed at Time, who’s face adopted a slightly pained look. Well he was old. Honestly Time, just accept it. “Guess who he is. The Hero of Time.”

Tetra rolled her eyes, snorting. “Really, Link? Heh, if you’re gonna joke, at least put some effort in next time. He’s not even wearing green.” She paused as Wind continued to stare at her, unblinking. “Why are you making that face? You can’t be… Hold up,” she gaped at him, then pointed back at Time. “Link, you can’t be serious. Him?”

“Is it really so unbelievable?” Time muttered quietly. “Honestly, I got less surprised reactions when I was ten.”

“You were just a terrifying child,” Warriors muttered back.

Wind nodded, stoutly ignoring his companions. “Yep. And you want to know what else?”

“Not particularly,” Tetra said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But why do I feel like you’re gonna tell me anyways.”

“You see all these people?” Wind waved a hand at the Chain, and then sent Tetra a toothy grin. “They’re all Heroes.” 

Tetra watched him for a long moment then walked forward, putting a hand to Wind’s forehead. “I think you’ve been out in the sun too long,” she muttered under her breath, though since she was right in his face, it wasn’t like she was being subtle. “Or maybe you’ve caught scurvy. Oi, Niko! Get some fruit in here!”

“Aye, captain!” 

“I’m fine!” Wind said, pushing Tetra off him. “And they really are Heroes!”

“Nah, I think the woman’s right,” Hyrule said, tapping his chin. Wind whipped around, only to see a toothy grin spreading over the Traveller’s face. Oh no. Traveler don’t you dare. “You do look a little pale. And us? Heroes? Are you sure?”

“True,” Twilight nodded, and waved a hand at the Chain. Wind glared at the smiles growing on all their faces. “Have you seen this lot? Terrible, I tell you. Couldn’t be legendary Heroes, absolutely absurd.”

“I am going to throw you in the ocean,” Wind promised.

“Now, now, Link,” As Wind looked over, Tetra propped her arm up on his shoulder. She leaned in close, pretending to speak in a whisper, but looking the Chain straight in the eye. “That’s not very pirate of you. If they’re imposters of the Heroes of the Past… well we’ll just have to stick them in a cannon won’t we? How far do you think basalt that large will go?”

“… She’s jeestin… richt?” Sky asked hesitantly. 

“Oh naw,” one of the deckhands snorted, shaking her head. “One time the captain launched Link into a fortress with the cannon. It’s still a miracle he didn’t become their newest decorative wall art.”

“It worked, dinnit?” Tetra pointed out.

Wind rolled his eyes, jabbing her in the side. “Not the point. And you’re far too trigger happy.”

“You know, the crew is always happy to have someone else take over cleaning the bilge,” Tetra said thoughtfully, tapping the hilt of her sword. “Why don’t you be a hero and take over for them?”

Wind stiffened. “Uh, thank you but no, captain!”

“Really? Then behave yourself.”

“Yes, captain! Thank you, captain!

Tetra chuckled, giving Wind a punch in the shoulder. “Good to hear, sailor. Now… Heroes of the Past?”

“Yep.”

Tetra sighed, pinning Wind with a dry look. “Someone tells you to wash the dishes and you end up finding yourself in the distant past or banishing some sort of ancient evil. How you continue to stumble into trouble like this is beyond me.”

“Arguably, you’re the one who gets into trouble,” Wind argued. “The Helmaroc King.”

“I had it covered.”

“Ghost Ship.”

“You’re the one who didn’t get aboard fast enough.”

“Bellum.”

“I was biding my time to escape.”

“You are very frustrating,” Wind muttered and Tetra gave him a toothy smile.

“Pirate,” she said, flipping her hair behind her. “And, it’s my job, my duty, and my pleasure as your friend.”

Chuckles came up from both the Chain and Tetra’s crew. Legend, who’d been eyeing the other group, wrinkled his nose. “So you’re pirates?” Legend asked, narrowing his eyes. “Not the kindest career, stealing from people or preying on ships.”

Wind slapped his forehead. “Not this again! I told you, that’s not what pirates do!”

“It’s literally in the definition,” Warriors argued, waving a hand. “Pirate: someone who steals.”

Gonzo, Tetra’s first mate, shook his head. “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but that’s not what a pirate is.” He waved a hand across the ship. “We haul cargo most of the time. We’ve got a bigger hold than almost any other ship between the isles. And it’s not stolen,” Gonzo said, pinning Warriors down with a mild glare.

“Unless someone pisses me off,” Tetra said, patting the hilt of her scimitar. “Then we steal from them.”

“Like the bomb-maker!” Niko, the ship’s primary cook and steward, exclaimed. “He tried to sell his stuff for thousands of rupees!”

“Right, if we’re stealing, we’re making sure it's from the people overcharging for stuff.” Tetra gave a smile that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a shark. “If someone’s jacking up costs… well we give them a talking to, and then show up after hours with some much more reasonable prices.”

Wind snorted. “I remember when you did that to Mickey McJerkface. Orca told you to ‘keep it down next time’.”

“Is… Jerkface his real name?” Hyrule asked hesitantly.

“No,” Wind shrugged. “But why give him the satisfaction of me remembering it?”

“Anyways, while you might have a different understanding of it, here a pirate is more someone who lives on the ocean,” the ship’s engineer, Mako, explained. Mako waved a hand over Tetra’s crew. “None of us are attached to any one island, we have no home port. Our home is our ship, and we are beholden only to the rules of the sea.”

“What about Beedle?” Four asked, pointing towards the small boat that bobbed in the harbor. “Is he a pirate then?”

“Nah, Beedle’s a merchant,” Wind said, waving away the question. “They’re similar, but merchants are more regular with what they sell and where they go. They’ve got routes and a schedule. Pirates? There’s a lot more variety. I’ve got another friend named Linebeck who’s a pirate, but he operates his boat solo.”

“Yeah, there’s another crew that follows a guy named Silverfish and he’s a menace, more like what you’re thinking,” another of the crew, Senza said, scowling. “He gives pirates like us a bad name. He’s messed with the travelling merchants and Beedle before, even stole some their stuff.” 

Senza waved a hand towards the village, where they could see Nudge offloading a few crates of goods to waiting arms. “Like, if you mess with supply lines, how are people on the islands going to get supplies with any sort of predictable regularity? Idiots. As if everyone isn't going to know you're fencing stolen goods when you show up with a hold full of bulk goods and the usual traders come with nothing but bitter words.”

“Sturgeon still thinks you’re iffy, though,” Wind said with a laugh. “You should hear him complain over dinner sometime. He’s always griping about ‘gallivanting off to sea’ and ‘no contribution to the community’.”

“I contribute plenty!” Tetra protested. “I haven’t flattened his house with a cannon yet!”

“No, no, he’s right,” Niko muttered. “It’s a disservice that we haven’t flattened the old man’s house yet.” The crew paused, exchanging glances with each other. 

Warriors, watching the proceedings, choked out a protest. “You can’t be serious!” Warriors argued. “It’s his house! You can’t destroy his house!”

“No… you’re right,” Wind sighed, tipping his head back. Then, inspiration struck. “Wait, doesn’t Sturgeon usually order a crate of goods from you lot?”

“I’d have to check with Nudge,” Tetra hummed. “As quartermaster he’s in charge of the ship’s hold. But as far as I remember, yes.” She paused, a smirk working its way onto her face. “What exactly did you have in mind, Link?”

Wind grinned. “Front door delivery.”

Later that evening, as Tetra joined the Chain at a campfire on the beach, they all heard the distant scream of fury from Sturgeon’s house, echoing across the village. “DAMN YOU PIRATES! NO RESPECT! NOT EVEN A SHRED OF DECENCY!” 

Wild tore his gaze from the village and turned back to Wind, eyes wide. “What you do?” 

“Front door delivery,” Wind smirked, then gestured at some of the large crates resting near the pier. The boxes were as tall as Wind himself and four times as heavy. “The ship carries goods in those crates, unpacks them when we get to port, then loads them up again. They’re as heavy as you’d believe and Nudge is just about the only one who can lift them.” Wind smirked. “I had him leave Sturgeon’s order at his front door.”

“… At his front door?” Time repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep. He’s going to have a hard time opening the door to his house.”

Legend snorted and broke down laughing. Even once the Veteran had found his breath again, he was still holding his sides. “Oh, I have to remember that one,” Legend chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes. “I need to pull that on Ravio at some point. He’s going to be so mad. It’ll be great.” 

Wild eventually went in to help Grandma with dinner, leaving the Chain to relax on the beach by the fire. By the time the sun was sinking below the horizon, the Cook and Grandma had returned. Wild set down a large pot and Grandma laid out the four roasted talakitok that Wind had purchased from Orca. “Dinner!” Wild exclaimed and started passing food around.

After thanking the two for the meal, Wind took two bowl and walked a few paces away from the rest to join Tetra, who was looking out over the ocean.

“Thanks,” Tetra said as she accepted the bowl. She took a bite of her meal, making a noise of appreciation. “I will say this about land dweller’s food… It's good. No shame to Niko, he does what he can, but your grandma cooks better than anyone, Link.” Tasting the fish, she gave a groan at the flavor. “Mm, this reminds me why I visit so much.”

“That and Aryll,” Wind pointed out, poking her side. Near the fire, his little sister was busy braiding Wild’s hair while Legend and Hyrule passed her flowers and, in Hyrule’s case, slender leaves, to add in.

“And Aryll,” Tetra agreed. 

“You know what’s funny?” Wind wondered aloud as he inspected his soup, the vegetables bobbing in the liquid like islands in the ocean. “Ganondorf said to me at one point that the Great Sea had no fish… that there was nothing across the waters.”

“He did?” Tetra raised an incredulous eyebrow. “But there’s loads of fish!”

“I know!” Wind nodded in agreement. “But… I think it was the… apparent emptiness that got to him. He wanted the Hyrule below the sea, with greenery and forests and whatnot. The ocean, with water as far as the eye can see…” Wind hummed. “I think it scared him. It does look empty, at first glance. Just you and the waves.”

A brief explosion had them whipping around, looking over at Tetra’s ship. “Sorry!” the distant voice of Mako called. “Just testing the cannons! … And seeing if we can launch a coconut into the sun!”

“You, the waves, and a crew that can’t shut up,” Tetra rolled her eyes.

“But that’s just it,” Wind gestured around. “There’s you and people like Linebeck out on the ocean, or places like Outset and Windfall. And underwater, you’ve got more fish and sea creatures than you can count. They say the tuna shoals in places run so thick, you can walk from island to island across the backs of the fish.”

“And your point?”

Wind shrugged. “I dunno, that Ganondorf was wrong? It’s just… nice I guess, to know that you’re out there, that Grandma and Aryll are here, even when I’m not.” Wind hummed, flopping onto his back and staring up at the sky, which was darkening to a deep blue-black. Soon, it would be filled with millions of pinpricks of light, awash in stars. “I can see why he was scared though… He wasn’t in his own time. He was centuries removed, and the ocean Hyrule is now felt just as uncaring as his old country. In a way… he wanted a home.”

“Are you sympathizing with the guy that kidnapped me?”

When he didn’t answer, Tetra gave a sigh. Wind felt himself get shoved slightly, the pirate captain nudging him over as she lay down in the sand as well. She stuck an arm up, and Wind could see her trace a shape in the sky, one of the constellations the sailors used for navigation. Called the Hunter by some, others said it was the Hero of Time, who had moved on to the heavens for his next journey. While Wind didn’t exactly believe the latter, considering the Hero of Time was currently sitting at his campfire eating his grandmother’s soup, it was a nice story. 

“Okay, if I’m honest, I get it too,” Tetra muttered quietly, dropping her hand. “Not that I like it, but… yeah. Ganondorf was still an idiot though… he couldn’t let go of the past.”

The pair of them sat in silence, listening to the low murmur of their companions and the waves crashing against shore, while the gods that Ganondorf had so dearly hated gently turned the celestial sphere high above. 

“… Promise not to try and destroy Hyrule anytime soon?”

“As if you could stop me,” Tetra snorted, then went silent. “Yeah. Promise. You?”

“Of course.”

And so, on an island in the middle of a great sea, a Sailor, his Captain and their family of Heroes and pirates sat together, beneath a sky speckled in a thousand stars. 

- - -

Old High Sheikah (Military Commands):
1. "Hear the orders!" [Back]
2. "Divide the middle. Expand on both sides, advance uniformly." [Back]
3. "Change position." [Back]
4. "Soldier, keep the position assigned," [Back]
5. "Silence, re-enter," ... "You, get ready. I, create disorder." ... "Charge." [Back]
6. "Not create disorder?" [Back]
7. "Create disorder. Fire." [Back]
8. "Whether you fight, whether you chase the enemy, whether you keep the row, do not charge impetuously not to break the formation." --> aka, Warriors' attempt to say: "Don't take risks." [Back]

Sky's Hylian:
1. “Hnngh, wha?” Sky mumbled. Across the clearing, Four watched the Chosen Hero jerk slightly from his state of half-asleep to blink groggily at the camp. It was rather impressive, he’d basically fallen asleep standing up. Like a bird, Four thought with a snort. “Ah, sure… five more minutes…” [Back]
2. “There's your problem,” Sky nodded sagely, patting the Captain on the shoulder. “Wild doesn't follow a line or a plan, or anything we can understand.” [Back]
3. “How big is this island?” [Back]
4. “You are quite the linguaphile." [Back]
5. “Wild’s sekiban can clean anything,” Sky explained. “See? It removed the blood from my hauberk!” [Back]

Tagalog Speech:
Assorted Terms: Lola - Grandma, Kuya - Brother, Ading - affectionate term for younger sister, Tito - Uncle or an older familiar man
1. “Link! I was worried! Are you alright?” the old woman said and Four watched the exchange with interest, despite not knowing a word. Was this the grandmother Wind had talked about? It must be. “How are you? Where have you been? Did my letters get to you?" [Back]
2. “I'm fine, Grandma,” [Back]
3. "Eat up!" [Back]
4. "You aren’t as pretty as you think you are. We all know you put perfume in your scarf to try and make yourself seem cool to girls, but it hasn’t worked once." [Back]
5. "Put me down!” Wind exclaimed, trying to wiggle out of Time’s grip only to have himself hoisted bodily into the air. “I need to teach him not to mess with a sailor!" [Back]
6. "Settle down," [Back]
7. "But Grandma!" [Back]

Toki (Toki Pona) Speech:
1. “Anyone home?” [Back]
2. “Aye! Just a minute! Come aboard!" [Back]
3. “Link! How have you been my friend?" [Back]
4. “Good, good," Wind nodded in reply. “How has the sea been? Many monsters?” [Back]
5. “Yes, yes! Here, I’ve got some in the back." [Back]
6. “Good doing business with you!" [Back]
7. “Do you have some bait? I need some for Orca, he's hunting fish." [Back]
8. “I always have bait!" Beedle said, and pulled a pouch of… something from his pockets. What on earth? Beedle added the pouch to Four’s basket of fish, while Wind struggled to pass over a few more rupees. "That all?" [Back]
9. “Thanks! See you!" [Back]

Chapter Text

Twilight had experienced the occasional storm in Ordon. 

His first storm happened when he was a child and Twilight hadn’t been sure whether to hide behind Rusl’s legs or run around in the pouring rain. After he moved into his own place, the next large storm saw Twilight huddled in his cellar as wind shook the giant tree he’d made his home in, water seeping in from every unsealed crack. By the end, several massive fallen branches caved in his roof and it took Twilight over a week to fix all the damage, even with the village's help.

But those storms were nothing compared to the one that now shook Tetra’s ship. The wind howled in agony beyond the walls, begging to be let inside. The waves rocked the ship like a child’s toy, a tantrum that threw anything not tied down into the nearest wall. For all the monsters he had faced, Twilight couldn’t help but flinch every time the timber groaned and the floor shifted, fearing the thin wood separating them from wrath of the sea would break, plunging them all into the depths below.

Despite everything, Wind didn’t seem concerned. If anything, he looked excited. “It’s just a small storm!” Wind had said with a shrug. “This is nothing compared to a typhoon.”

A small storm, he said. As if the spirits weren’t roaring their fury beyond the meager walls.

Every peal of thunder shook the ship, a deafening rumble that resonated in Twilight’s bones and made his heart skip a beat. A few times every minute, light flared from outside. A jagged streak of lightning would tear apart the dark sky, illuminating the clouds and ocean below for a split second and searing into his eyelids.

It was awe inspiring. It was terrifying.

It was exhilarating.

The hours passed slowly and the Chain quickly turned to ways of alleviating their boredom. All of them save Wind had been exiled to the lower decks thanks to their inexperience. “You’ll just get in the way,” Tetra had said bluntly, which was harsh but true. Twilight didn’t know the first thing about ships. 

Legend was the only other Link in the Chain that knew about handling boats, but his experience was limited to a small skiff and he didn’t have the best experience with storms. Thus the Veteran was dismissed to the lower decks unless they were actively sinking or being attacked. Legend had taken to sitting with Wild and Warriors, puzzling through Wild’s native language and attempting to learn more of it. Time had leaned back to take a nap, humming a strange cyclic tune under his breath, which left the rest of them to play cards, this time with the rules explained.

After a number of nerve wracking hours, the clouds thinned and the Chain were allowed to step out above deck. Surprisingly, everything was still intact. The deckhands were smiling, though they still hadn’t relaxed, tying knots and scaling the network of ropes that led to the sails like spiders. 

Wind sauntered over, grinning. “I see you survived your first sea storm! Congrats!”

“I feel like I just got tossed in a barrel and rolled down Death Mountain,” Four muttered. Twilight seconded that.

“Why’d we even go out to sea anyways?” Twilight asked, looking at the mass of clouds he could still see. “Couldn’t we have stayed on Outset Island?”

Wind laughed. “On a big ship like this one, it’s safer to be at sea during a storm. If you’re too close to shore, the ship could be shoved against the rocks or reef by the waves.” Wind patted Twilight’s arm. “Besides, we’re meant to be chasing monsters on this quest right? We aren’t going to find many of those on Outset.”

From there, the Chain joined the crew of Tetra’s ship in their voyage toward Windfall Island. The journey was slow and while Wild’s Hyrule might have been comparable in size, the sheer emptiness of the ocean and the endless horizon was isolating in a way that Wild’s was not. But Links were never ones to stay idle and the Chain picked up some rudimentary skills as they helped around the ship and below decks.

Legend was very good with handling the rigging, despite his experience being with smaller vessels. Wild became a favorite of the ship’s cook and was almost always down in the galley, at least when he wasn’t scaling the mast. Sky had been helping Tetra with navigation since he had a keen eye for the stars and Wind was already Tetra’s second hand. The rest of them were assigned assorted tasks, Twilight’s being to carry anything large or appropriately heavy.

Despite the clear skies the spirits had blessed them with, it didn’t stay for long. Barely seven days out and they ran into another squall. This time, Wind and Tetra actually seemed unsettled. 

“That storm’s not right,” Wind muttered, eyeing the clouds at the horizon. 

“Whit dae ye mean?”¹ Sky asked, tearing his gaze from the thunderheads.

“The storm is in the wrong place,” Wind said, scowling. “With how the winds are right now… it shouldn’t be there, shouldn’t be staying there. It can’t be Cyclos,” the Sailor continued, the emphasis he gave ‘Cylos’ telling Twilight it must be a proper name. “Unless it's magical in origin, in which case…” He exchanged a look with Tetra.

Tetra hummed. “I think I’ve heard of this, I heard a dock worker in one of the Isles call it the Sleeping Storm, named for how it stays still.” She looked out at the clouds on the horizon. “We’re going in?” she asked and Twilight’s alarm spiked.

“We’re going in,” Wind confirmed, then spun back to the Chain. “Okay, get ready for your second ocean storm!”

“You don’t go towards the weird weather phenomena,” Warriors grumbled lightly and Wind rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, we do, we always do.” 

To Twilight, the storm seemed very similar to the first. However, according to Wind, it was very different.

“All the wind is blowing towards the center of the storm, like spokes on a wheel,” the Hero had told them, spreading his hands and bringing them together. “That’s not normal storm behavior, which either means this storm god decided to get creative, or–”

“Or there’s something at the center causing this,” Legend finished, gripping the wooden rail with white knuckles. While they hadn’t entered the storm proper yet, still skirting its edges, they could see the boiling clouds.

“Yep,” Tetra nodded from her place at the wheel of the ship. She glanced over at Wind. “Got your stick ready?”

“Stick?” repeated Time.

Wind scowled. “It’s not a stick,” he muttered, reaching into his bag and withdrawing what was definitely a stick. It was white and about two hands long, and Twilight couldn’t help but shiver at the similarity of it to Ganondorf’s white sword. It had nearly the same curving crossguard. 

Brandishing the stick, Wind flicked it as if trying to dislodge a bug from the end. “Say hello to the Wind Waker,” the Sailor said, giving a smile that was all teeth. “It gives me the power to conduct the winds and my Hero title.”

“Conduct the winds?” Hyrule echoed. “What’s that mean?”

“Hang on and find out,” the Sailor said, exchanging a nod with Tetra. Then Wind braced himself, raising his stick and waving it through the air. Twilight felt the breeze buffeting his back shift as it began to follow the Sailor’s aiming stick, swelling in strength until Twilight had to grip the rail so he wasn’t blown over. 

“Onwards!” the Hero exclaimed as his wind filled the sails, canvas snapping taut and carrying them into the storm. The thunderhead quickly swallowed them, the sun vanishing behind the dark clouds and the waves growing bigger and bigger. Tetra’s crew flew to their posts while the Chain hung near the back of the ship, gripping tightly to the railings. 

“Captain! Alimpuyó, off the starboard bow!” 

The cry of the lookout had Tetra and Wind running to the right side of the ship and Twilight followed after. Up ahead he could vaguely make out some sort of… large tower rising above the waves. It reached up into the clouds almost becoming part of them, while the base vanished into the waves.

“Is that a building?” Twilight pointed, raising his voice to be heard above the wind and water. 

“It’s a waterspout!” Legend shouted, looking up at the tower that had started twisting like a snake. As they crested the next wave, Twilight caught sight of the ocean below, which was twisting upon itself in a manner that looked similar to the twilight portals. Legend and Tetra began swearing.

Tetra started shouting commands to her crew, her voice carrying over the storm. She replaced the helmsman at the wheel of the ship, her eye catching Wind’s. “Take the wind around Link, we need to get clear of that vortex!”

Wind nodded but as he waved his baton, the Sailor frowned. “Something’s up!” he shouted to Tetra, continuing his rhythmic arm waving. “The wind… it’s resisting me!”

As if to drive the point home, a gust tore past them, pushing them closer to the vortex and spiraling tower of water, which loomed overhead like a mountain. Twilight squinted upwards with salt-stung eyes, but he couldn't see the top, if it even had one. Then the deck of the ship dropped out from under him, sea spray lashing his face. The ropes snapped and the timber groaned. Amidst the roar of wind and water, Twilight could almost begin to make out words.

You try to control me? the wind howled, the crest of a wave surging over the deck.

"Mako, fire!" Tetra called just before a succession of explosions ripped through the air. Twilight caught the fair blur of cannonballs launching towards the waterspout before he lost sight of them in the raging waters. He didn't have time to wonder if it'd work when a massive gust caught the side of the ship and Twilight skidded across the deck, toppling against Warriors.

The gale shrieked and blew harder. Twilight’s stomach leapt into his throat as the ship rolled beneath him and the ocean flashed foaming white teeth, their wooden lifeboat in the middle of its hungry jaws.

YOU CAN’T HARM A STORM! it thundered, the waves drawing them closer. 

Tetra stayed on her feet, keeping the wheel of the ship steady as she roared over the storm. “Link, keep the wind blowing in our favor, got it? Gonzo, keep us abreast of that thing! Mako, get the fireballs! The rest of you,” Tetra looked at the Chain. “We’re fighting that thing from a distance, if you’ve got anything that can keep us ahead of a storm, get it ready.”

Right. Grabbing hold of the railing Twilight hauled himself upward, exchanging a glance with his fellow Heroes. Fighting a storm, new but doable. Maybe.

“Elemental magic and weapons are our best bet,” Legend called, drawing Twilight’s attention. The Veteran was sweeping a narrow-eyed gaze at the storm around them. “If it really is the storm itself that’s angry, physical attacks aren’t even going to phase it. Best thing we can do is weaken it. Wild, head up to the crow’s nest! Yumi-o-tsukau, uē-no-iku!” ¹

“Right,” Warriors nodded, glancing at the rest of them. “Fire or ice if you have it, bombs if nothing else. Vet, pass me your fire rod.” 

The Chain scattered. Wild began scrambling up the mast with a bow strapped to his back, and Legend pulled out some of his many magical items. Twilight braced his back against the mast, unstrapping his bow and pulling out a canvas-wrapped bundle of bomb arrows from his bag. Pulling out an arrow, Twilight glanced back towards the towering waterspout. 

So did he just… shoot it?

Before he could decide, Twilight jerked in surprise as Hyrule thudded against the mast next to him. “Room for one more?” the Traveller asked, giving a grin, before his eyes strayed to Twilight’s bow. “Is that… effective?”

Twilight scowled. “Not all of us have the Veteran’s hoard.”

Hyrule chuckled, eyes gleaming with light as he gave Twilight a toothy grin. “Cover your ears.” Before Twilight could obey, the Traveller raised a fist to the sky and then wrenched his hand downward like he was pulling something. A split second later and the world went white and the air tore itself apart.

When Twilight blinked away the afterimage from the lightning, he glared at the Traveller. “Cover my ears?! How about closing my eyes!”

At least Hyrule had the decency to look sheepish. “Whoops.”

Twilight huffed, gripping his bow and turning back to eye the waterspout and the wind whipping around them. On a hunch, he pulled out one of his flagged arrows, firing off the side of the ship into the storm. Before he lost sight of the colored flag, he watched it whip sideways into the wind and go spiralling off. Okay, note to self, can’t correct for wind.

Taking a breath, Twilight nocked a bomb arrow, pulled back, and fired over the side. He lost sight of it again but with the way the waterspout was sucking everything in, it’d pull Twilight’s bomb arrows in too. At this point, it was less about accuracy and more disrupting the storm enough so they could get out. 

A glittering streak of white pulled Twilight’s attention upwards to spot Wild, where the Cook was firing a ray of five white arrows towards the water. Like his own, Twilight lost sight of the arrows, but he could see their effect: flash freezing the water into jagged icebergs. Ice arrows.

Wild wasn’t the only one using ice magic. Legend was wielding an ice rod and sending blasts of magic into the ocean behind them from one side of the ship and on the other Warriors was wielding a fire rod.

“Cover your eyes, Rancher,” Hyrule muttered and Twilight quickly shut his eyes. “INCOMING!”

Despite his eyes being closed, Twilight could feel the sound of the Traveller’s lightning strike. When his bones stopped vibrating a few seconds later, he blinked his eyes open, only to spot Time across the deck, gripping something in his hand. In the next second, Twilight was scrambling backward as a dome of fire swept over the ship. 

The fire burned brief but hot. When Twilight blinked his eyes open again he was slightly singed and the seawater was steaming off him and the deck (at least until the next wave crashed over the deck or the rain soaked them through again.) 

“What the fuck, Old Man?” Legend roared. “We’re on a wooden ship!”

Twilight couldn’t hear it, but he saw Time blink and then his lips move in the indisputable word of, “Oops.”

With no further immediate danger of being set on fire, Twilight returned to shooting bomb arrows into the storm. It went smoothly for about fifteen seconds before Hyrule yelped and Twilight turned to see Time disappear over the side of the railing. 

“Old Man!”

Leaving Hyrule with the mast, Twilight skidded over to the side of the ship where Legend was throwing curses after Time and using his ice rod to blast the ocean below. In the heaving water beneath, Twilight spotted Time scrambling his way onto one of the ice flows formed from Legend’s efforts. The Rancher saw the other Hero pause, then put a hand to his chest and whip his arm out, a wave of fire following the motion. The fire proceeded to turn the ocean surface to steam and melt Time’s meager platform under his feet.

“Did he just—”

“Yep.”

“For spirit’s sake, Old Man,” Twilight cursed. He exchanged a look with Legend. “Any ideas how to get him back on the ship?”

As it turned out, Time took care of that problem for them. A crunching sound drew their attention downward to see the teeth of the elder’s longshot digging into the hull of the ship and several seconds later Time was running over the water’s surface, the air rippling beneath the soles of his boots.

Soon enough, Twilight and Legend were hauling a soaking wet Time over the railing, glaring at him all the while. “What the hell was that Old Man?” Legend snapped, but Time just shrugged. 

“I had a plan.”

“Did you?”

The deck dropping out from under them as the ship went over another swell was enough to stop the argument. Twilight half slid, half fell back to his place at the mast, digging his nails (which might have been claws) into the wood as he fought to scramble upright. Water crashed over the deck and he came up sputtering, catching Warriors as the Captain slid into him.

“We’re gonna go under at this rate,” Twilight swore, trying to keep a handle on both Warriors and the mast. “So much for a ‘sleeping storm!’”

“Sleeping storm,” Warriors muttered, then jerked, his eyes widening. He spun, eyes darting around before they narrowed on Wind at the front of the ship. The Captain braced himself on the mast, roaring above the howling wind and water: “Sailor! Stop your wind magic!”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Legend shouted, echoing Twilight’s own thoughts. “That’s the only thing keeping us from getting swallowed!”

“No, hear me out! This storm is the ‘sleeping storm’ right? Well your stick thingy is called the Wind Waker! What if it's pissed about being woken up?”

Twilight paused, considering. It… did make sense, in a weird way. He glanced over toward Tetra and Wind, because ultimately it was their decision. He could see them look contemplative for a brief second before another swell knocked into the side of the ship and Twilight dug his nails-turned-claws into the mast to keep him from being sent sprawling. When Twilight glanced back, Tetra was nodding to Wind, a grim look on her face.

“BRACE!” Tetra’s voice roared over the gale and Twilight grabbed ahold of Warriors’ tunic, twisting to properly dig his claws into the mast as he readied for impact. Some of the wind that had been straining the sails dropped, relaxing the canvas for a moment before they snapped full again. The ship crested another wave and Twilight closed his eyes, ready to have his stomach in his throat.

The deck dropped out and they rode the next wave down, but it wasn’t quite as rough. The wind and water still howled around them, but it had lost some of its edge. Twilight blinked open his eyes, tugging his hand free of the gouges he’d dug in the wood. He exchanged a glance with Warriors.

“Did it… work?”

“Yeah it did,” Wind said, striding across the still rolling deck and hauling Twilight upright. The Rancher stumbled and pitched forwards, saved from faceplanting by one of the deckhands. “You might not feel it, but the sea isn’t fighting us anymore.” The Sailor shot Warriors a grin. “Nice going, Land Captain.”

Tetra nodded. “Now, let’s get outta here. Gonzo, prepare to come about! We need to wear the ship and ride the storms' wind back!”

Several very stressful hours later and they were finally, finally , exiting the storm. As the sun began to burn through the clouds and onto the ship, Twilight sank to the deck, his legs like jelly. “I never, ever, ever want to do that–”

Twilight didn’t get a chance to finish as the world warped around him and his stomach lurched as he was falling—

Twilight hit the ground and tasted sand and heat.

He lay dazed for a minute, before finally pushing himself upright and spitting the sand from his mouth. Twilight squinted in the harsh sun, taking a second to identify the other members of the Chain scattered around him in similar states. 

“Are we on the beach again?” he muttered, plucking at his tunic and watching some grains of sand release. “I just got the sand from Outset Island out of my tunic…”

“This is no beach,” Wind muttered and Twilight glanced over to see the Sailor getting to his feet. He staggered slightly, glancing around and then slumping. “We’ve left my Hyrule already? But we hadn’t even reached Windfall…”

“It’s alright, I’m sure you’ll be back soon!” Hyrule offered as he stood, or attempted to anyway. The Traveller’s legs shook like those of a newborn foal and he barely managed two steps before stumbling to his knees. “Ack, why is it so hard to walk?”

“Land legs,” Wind chuckled, the Traveller’s aborted attempt at walking making him perk up. “You know how you all had a rough time getting used to walking on the ship? Getting used to the roll of the sea? Well, the same goes for land. It can take a bit to readjust to walking while the ground isn’t moving underneath you.”

Twilight groaned, a sound echoed by several others of the Chain. 

“Seriously?” Warriors moaned, flopping backwards. “But I just figured it out!”

To Twilight’s supreme annoyance, Wind was back on his feet easily, with Legend and Wild not far behind. Meanwhile, the rest of the Chain slowly attempted to regain their ‘land legs’, stumbling around like fawns.

“So this is why you don’t blink at portal sickness,” Four muttered angrily.

It took the Chain a good ten minutes until they could all walk with any sense of normalcy, at which point they finally determined where and when they were. As Wind had said, they weren’t on a beach. No, instead the air was hot and dry, the humid smell of salt and sea only a distant memory. The ground was made of sand and baked earth with only the occasional shrubby plant sprouting up and at the horizon, the earth and air warped into a rippling haze.

"I think I recognize where we are," Four hummed, eyeing a number of mountain peaks south of them. "Those look like the Crenel Hills, which would mean were in my Hyrule, in the Desert of Doubt." The Smithy squinted, holding out a hand and mapping a distance with his fingers before nodding. "If we keep heading towards the Crenel Hills we should hit a Zuna settlement where we can rest and restock."

Time nodded, waving a hand to Four. "We'll follow your lead." After collecting their scattered belongings and stowing those they didn't need, the Chain packed up and followed Four. 

Twilight was quick to remove the fur he wore and some of his outer layers, but left his long sleeves. He hadn't spent much time in the Gerudo Desert of his era, but he knew enough that he needed to keep his skin covered if he didn't want to burn more than he already had. Others had similar thoughts. Time was quick to shed much of his armor and use one of his spare tunics as a head covering, Sky and Warriors doing the same with cape and scarf respectively. The rest of the Chain also pulled out spare tunics to shield their faces from the baking sun, Wild even changing into another set of clothes entirely.

The walk was long, hot and arduous, with no reprieve from the sun's gaze. After what Twilight guessed to be an hour or two, the gravel gave way to larger rocks, more small plants and shrubbery taking root in the dusty soil. 

A handful of minutes later and Twilight spotted the trees. They stuck up incongruously from the landscape, a wall of green in the middle of sand and gold. As the Chain got closer the broad green brushstroke thinned into spindly palm leaves and thick shrubbery, into pale houses of brick and stone and brightly colored stretches of fabric. 

As they entered the shade of the trees, Twilight nearly fell over in relief. It was still hotter than he’d care to admit, but even being out of the sun was a welcome change. He collapsed at the foot of one of the palm trees, resting his head against the trunk and digging for his water. The rest of the group did much the same, sprawling in the shade. 

After a handful of minutes, a tall figure approached, dressed in long blue and green robes that fully covered their body. Four and Time stood to greet them, nodding to the newcomer. As the figure stopped a few paces from the Chain, it became apparent how comically tall the robed person was compared to Four, even Time, who barely reached the newcomer’s shoulder.

"Yom tov," the figure greeted, at least Twilight hoped it was a greeting. "Anachnu lo qibeil nosaya'im b'midbar, ma shelach chomeir?" ¹

"Y-yom tov, yada-atta Hylian?” ² Four said and the robed figure looked down to Four, then dipped their head further in a half-nod. 

“Ah, I apologize,” they said. “We know some, from traders and the Ha-Ish'oht Loteim."^2.5

“Call me Four,” Four said, and pressed a hand to his chest. “Good to see you, Abijah.”

Twilight saw ‘Abijah’ blink behind their headscarf, then they laughed, kneeling down to clasp Four’s hand. “Arba! Mamash nifla lir'ot otha shuv! It has been several years since you visited, where have you been? I did not recognize you.” ³

Four smiled up at Abijah. “Sorry, I got busy and now I’m travelling again. My friends and I were hoping to stay in your village for the night," Four said, waving a hand back towards the Chain. "As well as buy some goods in your market. We could pay with gem or by taking care of any monsters that might be bothering you." Four patted the hilt of his sword. "We're all experienced fighters."

"Thank you, but no need. Ha-Ish'oht Loteim take care of mifletz'im,”^3.5 Abijah said, waving a sleeved arm. They paused, leaning their head back as they looked over the Chain. “Pardon, but why are you speaking? Why not your elder?” Abijah gestured towards Time.

Four smiled easily. “Yeah, but I’m also the only one who’s been to this desert and who knows the Zuna.”

Abijah hummed, seeming to accept the answer. “Nisayohn ha-eim shel chachamah,” ⁴ they muttered idly.

Whatever had been said, Four didn’t seem too concerned, if he’d understood it at all. “Could we cool down in the waters?” the Smith asked, gesturing further through the trees and buildings. 

“You are welcome in the oasis, k'nosay'im v'chaveir'im,” the Zuna said, tilting their head. “Nehena bikoor shelach.” ⁵

Abijah walked off and Four turned back to the Chain, grinning. “Come on, we can cool down in the oasis. It’s the best way to get out of the heat.” With that the Smith grabbed his satchel and vanished into the trees, while Twilight was left wondering what an oasis was.

As it turned out, an oasis was a gift sent by the spirits. 

All of the Heroes stripped to their underclothes and jumped into the water pool, much to the amusement of the village residents. Twilight sunk up to his nose, closing his eyes to enjoy the pure bliss that was the surrounding water. Wind was splashing about like a fish alongside Legend, while others like Sky and Wild preferred to just sit and rest.

“This is really nice,” Warriors murmured, stretching back against a rock. Legend flicked water at his face and the Captain opened his eyes to glare. “Oi, don’t make me come over there.”

“Yeah, the Zuna are very kind,” Four said, ducking as Wind tried splashing him, and sending a wave of water back. “When I came through the desert before, during my journey, they were very welcoming. They, or their ancestors anyways, actually built some pyramids farther out in the desert. The Zuna moved away, but the Gerudo recognize the grand pyramid as a sacred place.”

“Are the Zuna part of the Gerudo?” Time asked, glancing at the Smith.

“I don’t think so,” Four hummed. “Their cultures are different, the Gerudo prefer hunting in general and the Zuna have a bigger focus on cultivation of desert fruits.” Four pointed to some of the palm trees that arched over their heads, which had large bunches that made Twilight think of a full fishing net. “See those? Those are date palms. Their fruits are a staple here, and the trees are utilized in many other ways.”

“Do they taste good?” Wind asked, pausing in his splashing to eye the trees.

Wild looked similarly interested. “They used in meals?”

“Um, yeah,” Four nodded. “I don’t know any recipes for dates. You’d have to ask Abijah or one of the other Zuna for that.”

Wild nodded thoughtfully and the conversation turned to further idle chit chat. After thoroughly cooling themselves down, Hyrule and Sky decided to set out and explore more of the village and oasis while Time headed to the place offering what Four called a ‘sand massage.’ 

Twilight didn’t say much longer either, climbing out of the water and pulling his clothes back on. He headed for the shade of the trees and after digging around in his pack, pulled out some paper and charcoal to begin penning a letter to his friends and family back home. They hadn’t been to his Hyrule in awhile but the Postman had a way of turning up. Eventually.

He wrote to his Zelda, Dusk, and told her about their progress with the black-blooded monsters, to Rusl and Ilia about the sights he’d seen in the other Hyrules and finally to Shad, telling him of history and even more cities in the sky.

After finishing his letters, Twilight folded the paper closed and stowed them away. He stood, stretching the stiffness from his body, then began to wander through the houses, admiring the vibrant colors of the fabric swaths stretched between the houses. After several minutes, Twilight spotted Wild and Legend standing just inside one of the buildings. Curious, he changed direction to come closer.

“What are ya doing?” Twilight asked, looking over Legend’s shoulder.

The Veteran turned, glancing at him. “Wild and I wanted to buy some of their clothes,” the Veteran explained, gesturing to where the Zuna merchant was pointing out different parts of their robes to Wild. “Keshet’s family weaves these themselves, apparently.”

“Would you like thwab too, my friend?”^5.5 the merchant, Keshet, asked, spreading their arms to indicate the many colors of the fabric bolts that lined the walls. “They are ideal for desert travel! You must consider a headscarf at least, to protect your face from the sun and sand.”

“Doesn’t that get hot though?” Twilight asked, wrinkling his nose.

“If done incorrectly,” Keshet said, then waved to their own headscarf. “They’re made of linen, the loose cloth allows air to flow. I have any color you could wish… ah, are you interested in that one?” Wild was inspecting a robe a bright blue, similar in color to his favorite tunic. 

Legend hummed, rubbing a black cloth between two fingers, then flicking his gaze back to the merchant. “Why black though? It warms fastest in the sun, isn’t that counterintuitive?”

Keshet pressed their fingers and thumb together, chuckling. “Patience. Yes, it does warm in the sun, and it is true that brighter colors are favored, but that does not mean it is lesser. With a thick black robe, the fabric warms so you do not. And among the Ha-Ish'oht Loteim, black symbolizes magic and nobility.”

Twilight glanced back at the swaths of fabric. It could be useful… it would have certainly been nice to have one of these robes when they trekked through the desert earlier.

“Yeah sure, I’ll take one,” Twilight gave in and the merchant nodded.

“Tov m'ode!” ⁶

Twilight picked out a white scarf with golden stripes, while Wild and Legend took the time to pick out an entire robe for themselves. The merchant showed the three of them how to wrap and tie the long fabric — it took Twilight several tries to twist it correctly — but soon the three Heroes were grinning, eyes peeking from the fabric.

“Todah l'eisek shelach,” ⁷ Keshet said, putting a hand to their chest. 

Wild bowed to the merchant, pulling the fabric down from his mouth to smile at them. “Thank you. How much?”

“2000 force apiece for the thwab , and 500 for the scarf, please.” 

Twilight paused. “Force?” He repeated, exchanging a look with Legend. He could guess it wasn’t a call for physical force… maybe magic? Some dialects in southern Ordon used force as another name for magic. But as a currency…

“Kein, kesef,” ⁸ Keshet nodded, curling their fingers toward their hand with palm down.

“I’m not familiar with force,” Legend said, glancing back at Keshet. “Do you accept rupees?”

The merchant clicked their tongue. “Force, unless you have suitable items to trade.”

“Do you have anything Vet?” Twilight asked.

Legend scowled, shaking his head vehemently and putting a protective hand over his pack. “I’m not parting with anything of mine, what I would is back in my Hyrule. What about Wild? Maybe we could trade food goods or precious stones?” The last question was directed toward the merchant, who hummed, considering. 

“Food, perhaps…”

“We also need that food,” Twilight pointed out. “Wild’s been cooking multiple meals a day for nine . Plus, after sailing, the Cook hasn’t been able to hunt or forage like he usually does.”

The Veteran huffed. “Well then I don’t know. Ask the Smith?”

“Ask me what?”

Twilight yelped and jumped several feet in the air, Wild in his haste to draw his sword stumbled into Keshet’s fabric bolts and Legend began cursing to the twilight realm. “For goddesses fucking sake,” Legend hissed, clutching his chest. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t be so easy to startle then,” Four snickered. “But really, what do you need?”

“What’s force?” Twilight asked and Four blinked, glancing over to the merchant before his eyes lit with realization.

“It’s currency,” Four explained, then turned to Keshet. “ Slichah, ta'oot shel'ee. How much?” The merchant repeated the sum and Four shuffled in his purse, pulling out pyramid-shaped multicolored gems. “Kahn, todah.” ⁹

The merchant took the gems, nodding to Four. “Todah, Arba. Mazal V'b'ti-chut! ” ¹⁰

The Heroes left the fabric-seller, meandering through the streets now with their newly acquired clothes. Legend turned to Four curiously. “You don’t use rupees in your Hyrule?”

“We do,” Four hummed. “There’s a couple types of currency in my Hyrule. Force Gems are the older form, they’ve been phasing out of use in the main part of the kingdom for the past several decades. But, some people still prefer accepting Force Gems since they’re more potent sources of magical energy. I actually used them to empower my sword, once upon a time.” Four patted the hilt of his weapon with a fond look. “Rupees have only entered into use as a currency more recently, so it’s still a toss up on who accepts what.”

“Well, thanks for paying for us,” Twilight said, Legend and Wild nodding in agreement. “We can pay you back or…?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Four waved a hand dismissively. “But if you really want to, I wouldn’t object to you buying me some honey candy next time we come across a vendor selling them.”

Twilight laughed. “For how much you just spent for us? I’ll buy the whole stall.”

The Chain stayed the night in the Zuna’s village, camping in the open air. The desert was surprisingly chilly at night, a stark contrast to the heat of the day. With their hosts’ permission they made a low fire and when Twilight woke the next morning it had dimmed to black coals. They set out before the sun rose, saying goodbye to the Zuna and following Four through increasingly rocky terrain towards ‘Mount Crenel’. 

The way was slow going as they scrambled over loose gravel and rocks, climbing their way up through the pass. They stopped midday to rest and eat, finding seats on rocks beneath the shade of Crenel’s peak.

“So what’s the rest of your Hyrule like Smith?” Warriors asked, leaning back on a rock as he chewed his jerky methodically. “We’ve seen your desert, but I haven’t visited your time.”

“Yeah, you were like, the last before Wild?” Hyrule mused. “Twilight also joined fairly late.”

“Not that late,” Twilight protested. “You arrived in my Hyrule about a week after Four joined, right? Besides,” he gestured towards Wild, “the Cook joined a couple months after the rest of us. That’s late, not my couple weeks.”

“I am fashionably late,” Wild said, sniffing. The Cook glanced at Legend. “That correct use?”

“Yep, exactly,” Legend gave Wild a nod, smiling, which turned slightly devious. “Fashionably late to crash the party.”

Several of the Chain groaned, vividly aware of Wild’s eccentries. In fairness, it wasn’t like the rest of Links were any better, Wild was just even more unhinged. If there was anything remotely climbable or slightly flammable, he found a way, and if there wasn’t a way, he made one. Twilight shivered. He clearly remembered the time Wild set the forest on fire after using an excessive number of bomb arrows against skulltula. 

Wild grinned, pointing at Legend. “I understood that.”

Four rolled his eyes, gently kicking a stone over to Warriors. “In answer to your question Captain, normal I suppose? Though we have some things I don’t think the rest of you are familiar with. Does Vaati ring a bell?” The Smith evidently saw their confusion and chuckled. “Yeah, figured. Though…” Four hummed in thought then looked back at the Chain, a range of emotions crossing his face. “What would you say to taking a detour on the way to Hyrule Town?” 

Twilight looked at the others, mentally weighing things in his head. “I don’t see why we couldn’t,” Time said, shrugging. “We don’t really have a set direction whenever we land in one of our respective Hyrules. We’re chasing the source of the infection, but it's not like we’re avoiding the monsters either. Though… if it’s halfway across the continent I will object.”

“It’s not,” Four reassured. “It’s technically still on our way, we just take a less direct route down Crenel.”

“A gree wi Time,” Sky said, nodding. “Ye’v been awa frae hame, ye shoud see yer freends.”²

“Yeah, you suffered through meeting Ravio,” Legend joked, grinning. “What’s your friend like, anyways?”

Four gave a smile, secretive and excited all at once. “Friends,” the Smith clarified, his eyes glimmering. “And they’re… small, you could say. They enjoy hiding, but they’re also very generous and love leaving gifts. These friends in particular actually helped me forge my sword, initially.”

“Hear like korogu!” Wild muttered, his eyes wide.

“Sounds like korogu,” Legend corrected. Wild blinked then nodded, his ears reddening. 

“Wait… korogu, like koroks?” Wind asked, turning to focus on Wild with rapt attention. “You have koroks too? I thought I was the only one! Where do they live? Is Mekar still the sage?” Wind and Wild descended into excited chatter, punctuated with hand waving and Wild and Wind taking out their sekiban and pictobox respectively. 

“I look forward to meeting them,” Time hummed, looking wistful as the blue-tunic Heroes chatted in the background. “They sound like some old friends of mine, as well.”

Four smiled. “I think you’ll like them. Just make sure to look closely.”

After they’d finished their break, the Chain packed up and set off down the mountain trail once again. Four let the group on a winding path through caves that tunneled into the side of the mountain. By some spirits’ blessing, only a few monsters bothered them in the caves. The ones that did included some chu chus and insect-like creatures, and even though they were black-blooded, with the combined might of nine Heroes they were barely a threat. 

Though Twilight did accidentally kick one of the rolling pill bug-like creatures like a football when it startled him, straight into Wild’s stomach. Thankfully, the other Hero seemed to find it amusing. However his wheezing laughter as he lay face down in the dirt did nothing to help Twilight’s concern.

Aside from assorted flying insect monsters, their other issue was the lack of light. The caves held no natural light sources so their only reprieve from the oppressive darkness was their torchlight, lanterns or glowing magical weapons as the case may be. That didn’t stop them from tripping every five steps though.

“Ow, where are we anyways?” Wind asked, cursing as he stubbed his toe for the nth time.

“These are old mining tunnels,” Four said, his voice echoing back from where he led the group forward. “I think they were originally made by the Gorons but were abandoned after they moved up to Death Mountain. It actually used to be a dungeon called the Cave of Flames, but after I defeated Gleerok and took the Fire Element, the magma that bubbled up in here cooled down.” 

“So that’s why there’s all this lava rock,” Twilight muttered, stumbling as he caught his foot again.

It took a couple hours, but they finally exited the tunnels in time to greet the afternoon sun on the far southern side of Mount Crenel. The Chain spilled out into the sunlight, welcoming the sight of the sun after the pitch black of the caverns. Twilight sent a quick call of thanks to the sun spirit before finding a somewhat comfortable rock.

By unspoken agreement the group took a break but even as they all rested their feet, Four was looking around with a delighted smile on his face. 

“Awricht, Smith?”³ Sky asked and Four nodded, still somewhat distracted as his eyes scanned the ground.

“Yeah! My friends are just nearby,” Four murmured and Twilight sat straighter, curiosity burning.

“Really, where?” Twilight glanced around, but they were on the side of a steep mountain and he couldn’t see any sign of habitation, nor see how any structures could be built on the cliffs. Though that didn’t rule out Four’s friends having builts their homes in caves, like Hyrule’s Underground friends had done.

“Didn’t I tell you to look closely?” Four smiled, raising an eyebrow. 

Leaving the Chain to ponder, Four headed over to one side of the rocky outcropping where jagged boulders blocked the rest of the ridge. The Smith bent down on his knees, inspecting the boulders, seeming to be searching for something. After a few minutes, Four came back, this time with his hands holding something.

“Whatcha got?” Wind asked, leaning over to look. 

Four’s eyes twinkled. “Remember what I said? Look closely.”

Carefully, Four unfurled his hands to show the Chain what was cupped within. Twilight frowned in confusion. That was… a mouse, wasn’t it? But as he looked closer, Twilight realized that though it may have resembled a mouse, it was not. An amber-colored feather took the place of the tail and the tiny being had wrapped itself in small clothes of leaf and cloth.

The small mouse-like creature looked up at them, ears and whiskers twitching. It glanced at Four, who nodded encouragingly, then glanced back to the Chain. “Tohi-ōkī, hachinin'ko!” it chattered, bowing its feather-tail back. “Mayatsute no picori no yajika mijīme, Melari ha nubuji.” ¹

“This is Melari,” Four said, raising his hands slightly. “He’s one of the Minish, or Picori, as they refer to themselves. Melari is the master blacksmith and elder of the Mountain Minish of Mount Crenel.” 

Time bent down to get to Melari’s eye level, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Master Melari.”

Melari eyed Time, his nose twitching, then nodded and flicked his tail feather. “Mika no rimo shiudo.” The Minish tilted his head, stepping forward on Four’s palm. “Shīreusude kigen de chida modoko no masa ki no Deku.” ²

Four’s eyes widened in surprise briefly, his gaze darting to Time. “Huh… he recognizes you.”

Time’s grin turned mischievous and a bit mysterious. “No surprise there.”

Several of the Chain rolled their eyes at Time’s antics and Four bent down to let Melari to the ground. The Minish scurried to the boulder outcropping and gave a low chitter, and then several other mice — no, Minish — emerged from the crevices in the rock. Melari walked back to Four, this time crawling up to perch on their Smith’s shoulder. From there, the Chain and Minish sat together, enjoying each other’s presence. Some of the Minish were Melari’s apprentices, as Four called them, and they seemed to find particular fascination with the Chain. Twilight currently had a couple nesting in his fur ruff, and Wild was busy offering other Minish some berries and nuts pulled from his sekiban .

Meanwhile, Melari seemed to prefer Four’s presence, hanging out on his shoulder and watching over his fellow Minish and the Chain with a close eye. After a time, the Minish said something in Four’s ear and their Smith nodded, letting Melari hop down to his lap while Four dug in his pocket to pull something out. 

“What’s that?” Wind asked, leaning over to look. 

“It’s a kinstone,” Four said, pausing to show it to Wind. Twilight shuffled over as well, seeing a small colored stone in Four’s palm. It had an engraving on it, but was broken and missing half. “These are a common thing in my Hyrule. When you meet someone, especially friends, you usually fuse kinstones. If they match and fit together, it means good luck and prosperity.”

Four focused on Melari again, holding out his half of the kinstone to the Minish. Melari scurried forward with his own piece and slotted it with Four’s, then stepped back, his feather-tail flicking. In Four’s palm was now a completed coin-shaped kinstone. 

Four chuckled, showing it to those gathered. “Sometimes people will keep the full kinstone from partially important meetings or events. The castle has a couple matched kinstones done during diplomatic events and treaty signings. It’s particularly good luck if multiple people fuse a full stone.”

One of the Minish in Twilight’s fur ruff suddenly chattered loudly and Four laughed. “Some of the apprentices want to fuse kinstones. Here, I have lots, take some,” Four took out a small purse and pulled more of the colored stones from the bag, passing a few to each of the Chain. “Just hold them up to match.”

Twilight looked at the small broken stones in his hands, a little uncertain. The Minish that had been snuggled in his fur climbed down his tunic, settling in his lap and talking to him in their language. Twilight laughed. “Alright, alright, here, help me figure this out, yeah?”

The Minish nodded, pulling out their own kinstones. The colored sigils were very large in the grip of the mouse-like creatures, the full ones nearly the size of a small plate in their hands. But they were insistent, so Twilight carefully sorted the kinstones he’d received, trying to match one with his companions. He was able to get a match with one of the Minish, to their great enthusiasm, while the other one wrinkled their snout and kicked Twilight’s tunic in frustration.

“Sorry,” Twilight said, rubbing his neck. “You could try fusing them with some of the other Heroes?” The two Minish exchanged glances and then nodded, jumping of Twilight's lap with their kinstones in paw and scurrying over to other members of the Chain. 

The kinstone fusing continued and after several successful fusions, the younger Minish seemed very satisfied. They disappeared back into the boulders for a few minutes before returning with rupees and what Twilight recognized as force gems clasped in their paws. Twilight’s eyes widened as the two Minish he recognized from his ruff climbed back into his lap, presenting him with a purple rupee.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, carefully taking it. “I… what can I give you in return?”

The Minish shook their heads, climbing back up to settle in Twilight’s furs. Glancing to the rest of the Chain, it seemed they’d all received a gift of rupees and/or force gems. Warriors examined his rupee, eyeing it curiously and twisting it around to catch the light.

“Why the gifts?” the Captain eventually asked Four, glancing at the Smith.

“You know how you can find rupees in the grass?” Four asked. The others save Wild nodded. Meanwhile, Wild paused and squinted into the distance for a long moment in what Twilight recognized as his ‘translating’ face, before sending the Chain the most baffled look imaginable and promptly turning away from the conversation. “Well the Minish are the ones who leave rupees for people to find.”

“Really?” Time’s eyebrows rose. “Why?”

“I’ve talked to some of the Minish in Minish Woods about it, and they say it’s about the ‘cycle of magic,’” Four said, humming. “Rupees and force gems hold a little bit of magic in them and they pick up some magic with each person whose hands they pass through. Minish give lost rupees to the grass so they can return their magic to the earth and then the rupees are taken by Hylians and others.”

“Huh,” Legend hummed, drumming his fingers on his thigh. “That… makes sense. I know about magic cycling but the fact that rupees can hold magic explains why the Great Faeries are interested in them. I never understood why such powerful magical beings were interested in money of all things, since they can’t spend it.”

“It’s a magic built from a thousand hands,” Hyrule said, looking thoughtful. “Makes sense the Great Fairies would want it, they thrive off the magic of the world and its people.”

Unfortunately, all too soon, the sun began to dip closer towards the horizon and the Chain and Minish had to depart. Melari and the other Mountain Minish returned to their village beneath the rocks and the Chain waved goodbye. Four smiled, somewhat sadly. “It was good to see them… I don’t come up Mount Crenel nearly enough.”

“Well, you got to see them today,” Wind pointed out. “So just make it a ‘next time’ and not a ‘never’.”

Four nodded at the Sailor. Then, the Smith took a breath, letting it out slowly. “Well, we’ll need to camp up on the mountain tonight. Come on, I know a good place where we can sleep.” 

With the Chain at his heels, Four led them along a narrow trail. Twilight wasn’t a stranger to heights, but he’d admit his heart was in his throat as he eyed the sheer drop on one side. He kept his hookshot close at hand. Just in case. 

A few grey-hair inducing trails and turns later and Four led them inside another cave entrance. However this cave was different. Instead of rough stone and hardened lava rock, the floor was smooth and carved columns led to a large central water pool, a fountain in truth. The fountain was illuminated from within, casting dancing light upon the walls and ceiling. 

“Is this…?” Hyrule muttered quietly and Twilight glanced over to see the Traveller looking around the room in wonder.

Four approached the fountain, pulling three purple force gems from his purse and dropping them into the pool. The water rippled, the light from within growing brighter. Then the water moved upwards, solidifying into a large figure that towered over them all. Her dress rippled like the water it was formed from, the quartet of wings twitching lightly with their veins glimmering in the light, her antenna arching backward to form a luminous crown.

“Greetings adventurers,” the Great Fairy said, looking down at the group of Heroes. “What business do you have at my fountain?”

“I’d like to ask if we can shelter here for the night,” Four said, bowing his head.

The Great Fairy tilted her head, eyeing Four closely. “Why are you not as four, warrior?”

Twilight couldn’t see Four’s face, but the Hero froze slightly. He didn’t speak for a few seconds before sighing, his body slumping. “I… was afraid of judgement, at first. Then I didn’t think of it, didn’t feel the need. Now… I don’t know.”

“You are honest,” the Great Fairy said, nodding her head. “Let it be known that I, the Great Mayfly Fairy, permit you to shelter in my chambers.” She looked over the rest of them, the weight of her gaze pinning them all to the ground. “You are all on a great journey,” she said, her wings flaring. “With my powers, I bless you with safety. Take care, warriors.”

The Mayfly Fairy’s form blazed and when Twilight could see again, she was gone, vanished into her fountain. Four exhaled and then turned back to the Chain, smiling. “Well, I’ve got us a place to stay!”

“Pardon my Labrynn, but what the fuck Four.”

Four was home. 

The familiar smell of sunbaked earth, of cut grass and the metallic tang of the forge filled his nose. He could almost hear the clang of a hammer on metal, the hiss of steam. He could almost see Dot’s dress whirling in the breeze as she dashed through the field, calling for him to catch up already! Four looked at the house he’d grown up in, hesitating at the door. 

How long do you think we’ve been gone? Red hummed nervously in his mind, anxiety staying his hand from knocking. Do you think Grandpa’s okay? What about Father?

I won’t know standing out here, Green muttered. Let’s go!

Four took a breath and knocked, fist thudding against the wood. There was a pause and then familiar footsteps sounded, thudding against the floorboards in that rhythmic cadence. Four could hear the slight unevenness in the steps, the lingering injury that had remained from service as a swordsman to the crown. The door opened and then, there he was.

Four lurched forwards, wrapping his arms around his grandfather. Grandpa jerked in surprise but then two solid arms, strong and thick as the trunk of a tree fell around his shoulders, holding him tight. Four inhaled the scent of oil, soot and leather, the sound of a heartbeat pounding rhythmically in the chest beneath. 

“Hi Grandpa, I’m home,” Four whispered and the arms tightened. 

“It’s so good to see you, Link,” Grandpa murmured. “Please tell me you're staying, at least for a while? Hyzan will be devastated if he misses you.” 

“Father?” Four asked, glancing up to see Grandpa’s smiling face, his eyes shining. “He’s at the castle?”

Grandpa nodded. “You know how he is. You best let him know you’re back, same with Zelda and Daltus. They’ll want to know how you’re doing.” Grandpa paused, glancing behind Four to where the Chain was standing, giving the family privacy. “You’re still on your quest?”

“Yeah,” Four nodded. “Zelda knows, so does the king regent. How long have I been gone?”

“A few weeks, nearly a month,” Grandpa said, tightening his arms around Four. “Longer for you?” Four hummed in answer, snuggling closer to his Grandpa and immersing himself in the hug. When this ends, it’ll be too soon, Vio murmured.

Indeed, the hug had to end at some point and Four disconnected from Grandpa. He turned back to the Chain, waving a hand to Grandpa. “Everyone, this is my grandfather, Smith. Grandpa, you’ve met… most of everyone I think? You haven’t met Warriors or Wild yet though, Twilight too maybe. You do know Hyrule, Time and Sky though.”

“Nice to see you again, sir,” Time said, nodding.

“Hullo,” Sky greeted, waving. “Ye’re leukin guid, Maister Smith.” ⁴

“Hello to you all,” Grandpa greeted, nodding to the familiar members of the Chain and newcomers. “You been keeping my grandson out of trouble, yeah?”

“Yes, sir,” Warriors nodded, straightening his posture. He put one fist to his chest and bowed to Grandpa. Just like Father and the other castle knights, Blue thought. All stiff formality with new people. “A pleasure to meet you Smith, it’s good to know Fo– er, Link has people like you waiting for him.”

Grandpa chuckled. “Just like Hyzan. No worries young man, no need for formalities here,” he smiled at Warriors, then stepped back to open the door. “It might be a bit crowded, but come in, all of you! Link tells me you’re like family so, you’re family to me too.” 

Grandpa insisted they send a pigeon to the castle to let Dot know that Four was back, even though Four pointed out they’d be going over to the castle in a few days or so. Grandpa carefully took a patchy white and purple-gray pidgeon from the coup and tied the paper to its leg. 

“Here you go,” Grandpa murmured, stroking the bird’s head and then releasing it. The pidgeon took flight, wheeling back toward Hyrule Town and the castle beyond. Grandpa led them back inside, glancing back at Four. “I know you won’t leave without seeing Zelda, but she’ll at least want to know you’re back.” Grandpa laughed. “Who knows, maybe she’ll bring all of the Maidens down here.”

Four blanched. “Oh please no, between us and the Maidens… something would explode or be set on fire.” Most likely us, Blue muttered.

“Ye knaw yer Zelda weel?”⁵ Sky asked, tilting his head in question. 

Four nodded, joining in the Chain in the main room where they were sitting on various chairs, stools, stairs and the floor. “Yeah, Dot and I are childhood friends, we went to school together when I was younger.”

“You attended royal tutoring?!” Twilight gaped, his eyes wide.

“No?” Four wrinkled his nose. “There’s a public school in Castle Town. It’s typical for the royal children to attend there for their initial education — a way of making sure the school stays up to standard. Dot and I went there together, but yeah, she did eventually go on to get her own personal tutors to learn more royalty specific stuff.” 

“I also knew the king regent,” Grandpa pointed out. “Daltus and I have been friends since your father was still in training to be a squire.”

Four grinned and looked back to the Chain. “Dot’s wonderful, you’ll love her.”

Time nodded, somewhat distractedly. “I’m just jealous you got to go to school… I didn’t properly learn to read and write until after my adventure really. Wasn’t a need for it in the forest and my fairy and the townsfolk helped me after that and  then… damned time travel.” Time scowled at the floor then shook his head, glancing back up to Four and Grandpa. “Would you mind telling me more about this school system of yours? I’d be curious to see if I could implement something similar back home.”

Grandpa nodded. “Of course! I’m sure Dot would be happy to explain more of the administrative side she learns about from the royal angle too.”

The Chain descended into idle chatter, scattering to find their own methods of rest and recovery after their trek down Mount Crenel. Meanwhile, Four followed Grandpa to the side of the house that contained the smithy. The workshop was built from brick and stone, a pair of large doors allowing part of the room to be open to the air and look out into the grassy field that surrounded the house. The sound of footsteps thudding against flagstone echoed through the room as Four walked around, inhaling the smell of soot and metal.

“I’ve missed this,” Four hummed, exhaling. 

“It’s good to have you back, Link, for however long you and your friends stay,” Grandpa said, putting an arm around Four’s shoulders and tugging him close. Grandpa chuckled, the laughter reverberating through Four’s chest. “I’ve missed you on the bellows and anvil too, I’ve had to get another assistant from town to be my striker.”

Four laughed, leaning his head back against Grandpa’s stomach. “You’re not replacing me, are you?”

“Never,” Grandpa said firmly. “You’ll be the one getting the smithy, I’m just vetting some candidates to be your assistants. Though, I suppose you won’t need it, since I’ve got four grandsons in one,” Grandpa laughed, ruffling Four’s hair.

Four gave a startled laugh, letting the hair ruffle continue for a few seconds before ducking out from Grandpa’s hold. He struck a pose, grinning. “Four master blacksmiths in one,” he grinned. “No one knows how so many orders get done so fast, it's almost like the smith is in four places at once.”

“I do have some things to repair for the local farmers,” Grandpa said, tapping a finger to his beard. “Some horseshoes and a bent plowshare. Want to help?”

Four grinned, grabbing his heavy apron and tugging on his headband, tying his hair back. “Always. I could use the practice, I haven’t been able to forge anything in months. Don’t want to get sloppy, you know?” 

They started the bustle of movement that came with the forge, Four going to get the fuel and fire stones while Grandpa got the items that needed repairs. After the coal had been thrown in, Four headed to the bellows, beginning to pump the air needed to build the heat. Grandpa pulled out the necessary tongs, pliers and hammers they’d need, sorting to prioritize the horseshoes with the worst damage.

Grandpa came over to add the fire stones to the furnace, crystallized essence of fire that made the furnace heat faster and stay hotter for longer so they needed less fuel and less time to achieve the same level of heat. Of course, the bellows were still important for managing the temperature, hence Four’s presence at them. With each press of the bellows the heat permeated the room further, sweat running down his neck beneath the heavy apron.

Using the tongs, Grandpa put the first horseshoe into the furnace, heating it until the iron was the yellow-orange of forging heat. With the tongs gripping the horseshoe in one hand and a hammer in the other, Grandpa took to the anvil. Under the careful and precise strikes of Grandpa’s hammer the horseshoe was bent back into shape, restoring the flat curved ‘U’ shape. Some of the holes needed to be repunched too, so the chisel was taken out.

The repair process for the horseshoes and farm tools took longer than Four remembered. At one point he had to leave the bellows to wield the striking hammer while Grandpa took over the fine control of the tongs and rotated the metal. But after several hours, they finally stepped back, shutting the mini-doors to the furnace and cleaning the forge before shedding their aprons. 

Four leaned back on one of the benches in the smithy, resting his head on the wall with a relieved sigh. “Oof, that was harder than I remember,” he laughed, shaking his arms out. “I really am out of shape, aren’t I?” Four glanced over to Grandpa, only to blink when he saw Grandpa hadn’t moved to react and was instead staring at him. “Grandpa?”

“Link…” Grandpa looked hesitant for a second. “I may be reading this wrong but… Why haven’t you split? Usually I’m greeted by all four of you, and when we’re at the forge you’ll split so you can multitask at working the bellows and striking the hammer”

… He’s right, Green muttered. I didn’t split…

Four’s stomach twisted slightly and he chewed his lip. “I… forgot I guess? I haven’t been splitting much… at all, really.”

“Why?” Grandpa asked, his eyes… not pleading exactly, but desperate. For answers, or maybe to help. “I mean… you don’t have to tell me, but I want to understand. Is something wrong with your magic? Or are you uncomfortable doing so? Is… is it your friends?”

“Why are you not as four, warrior?” The Mayfly had asked, seeing through his fragmented and concentrated soul.

“I… no?” Four asked. “Or maybe? I don’t know…” Four sighed, twisting his fingers. Grandpa didn’t interrupt, just sat quietly, a mountain of strength, scratchy beard, and iron-smelling comfort. “I… I didn’t know them. We met when I was One and at first I just didn't need to split. And then things kept happening and at what point can you really say: ‘Oh hey, by the way, I am one person but also am four but not exactly.’’ 

Four hissed, raking his hands through his hair. “I mean sure, I’m not exactly shy about being Four around here, but mostly people still think I’d either gained a duplication spell or had discovered several long lost siblings. Which, yes but no?” Four glanced at Grandpa, holding his hands up helplessly. “What do I do?”

Grandpa considered for several minutes in silence, then hummed. “It’s your decision. You don’t owe them the full knowledge of yourself, but if it makes you more comfortable, then be all of yourself. Being One and being Four is part of who you are. And who says you need to give them an explanation? Simply be.” Grandpa huffed a laugh. “Of course, it's easier said than done. I’m always willing to explain if you want me to, though I could never explain it like you could.”

Four smiled. “You do pretty good, for someone who doesn’t know it. And you give pretty good advice.”

“Good to hear these years of mine are good for something!” Grandpa laughed. He stood, sitting next to Four and Four leaned into him. “And, if any of them need talking to, I have several decades of sword fighting knowledge and I’m armed with a sledgehammer. That’ll set ‘em straight.”

“Grandpa, we are not threatening the other Heroes,” Four stated firmly.

“Whatever you say, grandson,” the blacksmith laughed.

Four decided that yes, he was going to tell the Chain about being Many, but he also decided to have some… fun with it too. With Grandpa watching on, Four gripped his sword and went from One to Many, from One to One-as-Four. When the light and dizziness had settled, Link was left looking at himself from four different angles.

“Urgh, it’s been awhile since I did this,” Red muttered, lacing his fingers together and stretching his hands above his head. “Or is it we? Did I ever decide that?”

“I think I decided it’s too much of a headache,” Vio said, shaking his head with a sigh. “We know we’re the same person but also not and the Hylian language is failing in the ability to describe plurality.”

Grandpa glanced between Four, then chuckled. “You manage to confuse me and also make an indescribable amount of sense when you talk about yourself as yourselves.” Oh, that’s good, write that one down, Blue thought. “Either your friends will get it, or they won’t but it doesn’t matter, you’re still you, all four of you.”

Four grinned at their grandfather. 

“See?” Green said, gesturing to Grandpa. “You get it already.”

In order to create maximum mischief, Four decided to go out separately. Vio left first and headed to the back of the house with a book, Blue went out to tend to Grandpa’s garden, Red stayed in the forge to work on finishing some blades, and Green went to the kitchen to see about starting dinner. Operation doppelganger was a go.

Four grinned, Three slipped out of the forge and One stayed.

Vio found Time sitting on a rocking chair overlooking Hyrule Field, one of his tunics on his lap and a needle and thread in hand. He looked over as Vio approached. “Smith,” Time said, nodding, his eyes flicking over Vio’s appropriately colored clothing. “A different tunic? Purple looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” Vio hummed, leaning against a nearby tree and keeping comfortable with his book. A History of Masks… Time had some masks didn’t he? Perhaps he would enjoy the book too.

They sat in contended silence doing their respective activities, happy to enjoy each other’s presence. After some time, Legend came up from the direction of the river, hair sopping wet. Probably took a bath, Vio considered. They were all starting to smell a little.

“Hey Legend,” Vio called in greeting and the Veteran glanced over, giving the two a nod before ducking inside.

Vet’s headed to the kitchen! Vio told himself, then scrambled up the tree. Time’s gaze followed him, obviously confused and Vio gave the older Hero a pleading look. “Please play along,” Vio muttered quietly. Time blinked slowly, glancing back to the house and then gave an impish grin, the opportunity to make mischief too sweet to turn down.

In the kitchen, Green was chopping vegetables, adding them to a large pot he was preparing a stew in. He heard the sound of Legend’s footsteps approaching, and feigning ignorance, Green turned to face Legend, smiling. “Hey Vet!”

Legend froze, looking at Green for a long, long moment. Then he spun on his heel, stomping back outside. Up in the tree, Vio tucked himself deeper in the leaves as Legend came out.

“Where’s Four?” Legend demanded, eyes flicking about before focusing on Time.

Vio had to hand it to the Old Man, his poker face was unmatched. Time looked over to the Veteran, furrowing his brow in confusion. “The Smith just went inside, didn’t you see him?”

Legend narrowed his eyes at Time. “Let the record show I know you two are playing a trick on me.”

The Veteran turned and headed back into the house, stopping to stare at Green in the kitchen. Green stared back. I can do this all day, Green thought smugly. I’ve won staring contests with myself and with my shadow . And shadows don’t blink. The moment was interrupted when Hyrule walked in, looking between the two of them.

“Hi Vet! Oh, Four, you’re back from the smithy already?” Hyrule asked, glancing at Green. “Oh, you changed out of that red tunic— shame, it’s a good color on you.”

Yes! Red chanted in the space between Four’s mind. I knew I looked good!

Legend’s gaze shot to Hyrule, then back to Green. “I’m watching you,” the Veteran promised, retreating back into the main room. As Legend vanished, Hyrule turned back to Green, frowning in confusion.

“What was that all about?” 

Green smiled. “No worries, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Meanwhile, Blue was in the field in front of the house, where Grandpa kept a small garden. Farther out, Blue could see Wild, Sky and Warriors sparring together with wooden staffs. Twilight was there too as Wolfie, bounding through the field and challenging the three to a game of tag. It was rather hilarious watching the Hylians chase after the Hylian in the shape of a wolf.

Blue snickered as Wolfie ducked aside from Warriors’ grab, tripping the Captain face-first into the tall grass. Warriors disappeared from view, popping up a few seconds later to chase Wolfie with even greater fervor. Wind approached, hair sopping wet — He must have been swimming in the river with Legend, Vio observed— and upon seeing the ongoing game, threw himself into the fray.

“Come on, Four!” Wind called, spotting him watching from afar. “We need another to chase!”

Don’t have four, but how about two ? Blue thought and Red gave an answering smirk.

Blue headed down into the field, the long grass nearly swallowing him. Red came in from the side of the house, bending down to disappear into the grass. While Red lay in wait, Blue charged in, running and chasing with reckless abandon. But soon, Four was ‘it’ and the time came to put his plan into motion.

Ducking down to hide in the grass, Two sprinted through the field. Together, Red and Blue wrecked havoc, never tagging at exactly the same time, but doing it close enough that the others were left utterly confused on where he could be. At one point, Blue fell and Red jumped back up shortly thereafter in a dazzling color change. 

Eventually Green hummed that it was time for dinner and the Four altered their companions. They headed back to the house, kicking the dust and dirt off their boots and the front door and filing inside. It wasn’t until they were inside and Hyrule and Green were passing around stew that Warriors realized there were a few too many heads at the table.

“Nine, te— wait… Why are there fourteen of us?!” Warriors exclaimed. The Chain (save Four) turned in confusion, then glanced among themselves, doing their own headcount. Slowly, each of the eight Heroes realized exactly what was off about the situation.

“There is four… Fours?” Wild asked, looking between the helpfully color coordinated Link(s).

“I KNEW IT!” Legend shouted, pointing at Four. “I knew something was up!”

Blue gave a slow clap, smirking. “Indeed, and yet.”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Hyrule muttered, gaze flickering between Four. “I know what Four feels like but all of you feel like Four… and there’s no other threads of magic linking you that would say cloning or duplication or anything, because they feel different… you’re just–”

“Four,” Four said, smiling.

“Bide a wee… hou daes it wirk?” Sky asked, looking between him and them. “Are ye ane person inower fower bouk? Or fower people whiles inower ane?"⁶

“Yes,” Vio said, smiling. 

The Chain looked at Four, baffled.

“I am Link,” Green said, putting a hand to his chest. “Individually, we are Link and collectively we are Link. Link is me and Link is us. One and Many at once.”

The Chain just looked more confused, and Blue huffed. “I’m just making it more confusing. Look, it’s kinda like the worship of the individual golden goddesses in different capacities. You wouldn’t ask the Wisdom of Nayru to grant you safe travel through the Frozen Lands, right? Even though both wisdom and ice belong to Nayru. Or Farore, Life and Death are both hers but you wouldn’t ask Death for help with childbirth, yeah?”

“Wisdom and Water are both, individually, Nayru,” Vio explained. “But they also both refer to Nayru, not a separate deity. We’re not a god or spirit, obviously, but the principle is the same. I’m Link and I’m the aspect of my logic, while Red is also Link and the aspect of our emotions and empathy. I’m not limited to logic as an aspect, it’s just my focus.”

“Cool,” Wind breathed, his eyes sparkling.

“How well do you fight like this?” Warriors mused.

“Can we learn?” Twilight asked, ears perking forwards. 

“Alright, that’s enough chatter,” Grandpa said, looming behind the Chain. “Sit down and eat yer dinner. You can ask my grandsons more questions after ye eat.” Grandpa settled in his favorite chair, then leveled his spoon at Wind, who had opened his mouth wide to start scarfing down his food. “Chew.”

Four answered more of the Chain’s questions into the evening. Some, he didn’t answer, leaving them to their mysteries, but he did grant Warriors’ request. In the morning, as the sun rose, it shone upon the Chain standing in the field in front of Four’s house. Four had decided to give them a demonstration of how he fought like this— if he used it in combat, the rest of the Chain would need to know how to respond and potentially accommodate.

Unsheathing the Four Sword, Four held up the blade and as the sun shone along the blade, One became Many. Holding up four identical copies of the sword, save for the color, Four grinned at their fellow Heroes.

“Who wants to go first?” Green asked, leveling the blade in challenge.

It was decided that Sky would be the one to spar with Four, since the Chosen was undoubtedly the best sword fighter among them. Warriors would be watching at the side, seeing how Four’s skills and fighting tactics changed with his numbers. Grandpa gave them padded armor as well as some practice swords that wouldn’t cut, but could still leave a bruise. While the rest of the Chain stood at the sidelines, Sky and the four took stances opposite each other. 

Sky swung the practice blade a few times, getting used to the weight and balance, then raised it, daring Four to approach. Four raised their own blades, eyeing the Chosen Hero warily, but confidently. There was a reason Sky was regarded as the best sword fighter, but the four had a trick or two up their sleeves.

They faced each other, carefully watching each other as they waited for someone to make the first move. One, two, three—

Now! Green said, darting forwards. Sky brought up his shield, catching Green’s sword and leaving Red open to attack Sky’s unprotected side. Red lunged but then Sky twisted and a flash of glittering metal blocked Red’s blade. The Chosen Hero whirled, spinning his sword in a wide arc and forcing the Colors to back away.

Vio, at you! Blue warned as Sky came out of the spin at a lunge. Vio dodged from the attack and then Blue moved in, the sword whistling as he struck. Sky jumped away, eyeing the Colors carefully as he shuffled back a few steps, keeping them in front of him.

Red, flank him, Green ordered. Vio, watch his attacks. Blue and I will keep him busy.

A wave of color advanced on the Chosen Hero, colliding in a whirl of steel. Four harried Sky, attacking and retreating, like hunting dogs on a deer. Sky was the superior swordsman, but he was fighting an opponent with four swords and twice as many eyes. In response, Sky kept them at a distance, kiting around and only engaging them one or two at a time. 

The dance continued, but it was clear the four were wearing Sky down and that he was struggling to combat the greater numbers. He couldn’t keep up his careful defense and avoidance forever and eventually Vio saw a gap in his defense.

Green, forward now! Red, hit from the back!

Green lunged and Sky blocked, just in time for Red to stab him from the back, the practice sword striking against the padded armor. Sky grunted in pain, pushing Green off and turning to try and defend himself against Red, only to have Vio’s dulled sword draw close to his neck.

Sky was still for a breath, then bowed his head. “Yield,” Sky said, and Vio immediately withdrew his blade.

“Good fight,” Green said, grinning up at Sky. “You fight well.”

“Thanks, ye and aw,” Sky replied, rolling his shoulders. “It’s nae easy fechtin aw ye.” ⁷

“I believe it,” Warriors said as he and the rest of the Chain approached. “This is definitely a case where numbers have an edge over skill. Have you got some mind speech going on?” Warriors asked, glancing between Four. “Because you have unreal coordination.”

Green grinned. “We’re the same person, why wouldn’t I know what I’m thinking?”

Warriors paused. “Good point.”

Four and Sky’s spar had the added effect of getting the rest of the Chain interested in sparring practice. Several paired off, borrowing Grandpa’s practice swords or using assorted sticks. Four and Sky took a break, getting water and sitting back to watch the others go at it. While looking over the others, Vio’s eyes caught on Wild, who instead of fighting another member of the group, had decided to test his weapon against one of the trees near the house.

Four decided to approach, curious and a little concerned for Wild’s treatment of his sword. At a distance, this one looked similar to the weapons their father and the soldiers at the castle wielded, though Four could hardly say with certainty without a closer look.

The four came closer, watching Wild’s as he practiced. The Cook’s movements spoke of significant training but at the same time they also had an element of wildness to them, raw strength and a sort of desperate energy put into every blow. It was a curious, paradoxical mix that Four still didn’t completely understand, but it was a combination that fit the Hero well.

Of course, that was when Wild’s blade shattered.

Blue cursed, stumbling back while Green and Red shielded their faces. Vio looked to Wild in desperate concern, but Wild just gave a grunt of dismay. The Hero recovered as he usually did, barely batting an eye at the broken weapon. He stopped his movements, scowling at the broken blade in his hand. The handle was still intact, as was about six inches of blade below the hilt but the rest had splintered apart.

Wild had broken yet another sword.

“For the love of— give me that,” Blue snatched the broken blade from Wild’s hands. “For goddesses’ sake! How do you break so many weapons? Swords are meant to last for years! Decades! And you go through them like they’re cheesecloth! Wait no, cheesecloth lasts longer. This…” Blue looked at the former sword mournfully. “This is an insult to the swordsmith’s work.”

“Four!” Twilight barked, his tone outraged.

“Sorry,” Wild muttered and Four glanced over. He immediately felt mollified as he saw Wild’s guilty expression, his ears drooping down. “I do not intend to break.”

“I’m sorry Wild,” Green said, his own ears flatting. “That was rude and uncalled for.” 

Rejoin, Green said shortly to the rest of himself. We’re too… reactive, like this. The four came together and as the itch between his mind faded, Four took a breath. Now one, Four looked at Wild, bowing his head in apology. “I’m sorry,” Four repeated.

“It’s fine,” Wild said, shoulders slumping. “I do not like it, too.”

“It is a problem though,” Warriors said, some of the other Heroes approaching after presumably having been drawn by Blue’s rant. “While you handle your weapons breaking in battle well, adapting and improvising, it’s still not good. It could get you or others hurt or killed, and it’s a waste of good weapons.”

The Captain continued talking, questioning if Wild might not be cleaning and sharpening his blades correctly, but Four’s attention was drawn downward to the broken sword he still held in his hand. It was shattered midway down the blade. He inspected it, looking at the make of it and how it fractured, partly hoping it could tell him something on how to help Wild.

“This sword is cast iron,” Four realized, looking over the blade. 

“What’s that mean?” Wind asked, eyeing the blade curiously. “Like, spellcasting?”

“No, it means it was made with a mold,” Four explained idly, thinking back to Grandpa’s lessons. “It’s faster for getting the shape you need for a piece in metal work. It’s generally only used for things with such complex shapes it's hard to make them using any other method, but some blacksmiths use casts for things made in large quantities.” Four tapped the flat side of the broken sword against his palm, careful to avoid the snapped edge. “But cast iron is a lot more brittle and prone to fracturing.”

Four pointed to the Master Sword on Sky’s back. “Swords are usually made with wrought iron and any impurities are hammered out, which makes the blade stronger and far less likely to fracture. Not to mention you can get enchantments done on your sword that will make it even stronger, reduce how much you need to sharpen it, et cetera.”

“Are swords often made with cast iron?” Time asked, looking at Four. 

Four made a face. “Uh, not usually. Cast iron can be used for a lot of things, but weapons are one of the things it’s least suited for, since it’s not good for anything flexible or that needs a sharp edge.”

“Both of which are necessary for swords,” Legend muttered wryly.

Nodding, Four ran a finger over the broken blade. It was a desperate swordsmith that made a sword with cast iron. The brittleness extended to the forging process, not just the final product. Four couldn’t imagine a swordsmith making a cast iron sword out of choice, not if they had better materials. “Wild, where did you get these weapons?” Four asked, glancing at the other Hero.

“Found them,” Wild said, shrugging.

“Found them? Found them where?” Warriors frowned, furrowing his brows at the other Hero. “Please tell me that’s not a euphemism for ‘you stole them’.”

Wild scowled at the Captain. “I found them,” Wild emphasized, waving a hand expansively. He paused to pull out a metal three-pronged boomerang with a wicked edge, holding it up. “This, stole from monsters,” he pointed to the broken sword, “that, I found.”

“Stole from monsters?” Four repeated, increasingly confused. “Can’t you go to a swordsmith? Or at least buy one from a merchant?”

Wild shook his head. “No, none make sword.”

“No one makes swords?” Legend repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. “Then how’d you get this?”

“Found them,” Wild repeated sharply, his patience evidently wearing thin.

Four chewed his lip, thinking. If this broken blade was made of cast iron, what were the odds some of Wild’s other broken weapons had been made of cast iron? “Wild… could I perhaps see one of your other swords, please?” 

The Cook eyed him, but complied. He pulled out a better quality looking sword, passing it over to Four along with the boomerang. Examining the blade, Four focused on what he could tell about its materials and forging process.

“This is cast too,” Four muttered incredulously. He rotated the sword, the golden tinted winged guard and once vaguely purple leather of the hilt giving it a passing resemblance to the Master Sword. He eyed the discoloration of the blade and the magical runes that had been stamped into the flat part of it, near the hilt.  

Those are… maintenance sigils? Vio muttered. Something meant to preserve the state of the sword. But it looks like they were part of the casting mold… they don’t have nearly the power they should.

Four grabbed the boomerang, the one Wild said he’d stolen from monsters, quickly inspecting it. It was cast iron too. 

“Why would you use a mold for a sigil?” Four wondered aloud. “And how do you not have any swordsmiths? Not to mention, how do you have more poorly made swords? You’re farther in the future than any of us, arguably your metal quality should be better, not this sloppy.” 

“Needed weapons, quickly,” Wild said and Four turned to look at him, confused.

“What do you mean?” Four asked and Wild grimaced. 

“Yakusai.”

The one word explained so much and left him with even more questions. Four remembered Wild telling them in halting tones of the disaster that had devastated his Hyrule. He remembered when the Chain had first arrived in Wild’s Hyrule and found weapons corroded beyond repair. Four turned his gaze back to the broken sword, made with a mold, made quickly, made for the Yakusai that hit Wild’s Hyrule a hundred years ago.

Mass production, Vio whispered. 

Wild’s Hyrule… they had been readying for a war, sacrificing the quality of their swords to make as many as possible. And then after the devastation had swept through, the weapons that were left were abandoned in the ruins and exposed to the elements, the knowledge of making new ones lost to the fire.

No wonder Wild breaks all his weapons, Green muttered, if this is what he has to work with.

Four stood, handing Wild back the likely century-old broken sword. “I am going to make you a new sword, the best dindamned sword I’ve ever made,” Four promised, looking at Wild. “And, I’m going to show you how to swordsmith, so you can make swords again, got it?”

Wild stared at Four, utterly baffled. Then, as he realized what Four had said, and that he was serious, a delighted smile stretched over the Hero’s face. “Domo arigatō gozaimasu,” Wild breathed, bowing deeply past his hips. “Thank you. Thank you .”

Four grinned, rolling his shoulders in preparation. He had a lot of work ahead of him. Let’s see… a one-handed sword, those seemed to be Wild’s favorite since they let him use a shield. Four would give it extra strength, maybe even get some proper maintenance enchantments cast on the sword. Showing Wild some proper sword care techniques wouldn’t hurt too.

Grabbing Wild’s hand, Four towed him towards the forge. “Grandpa, get the furnace ready! We have a sword to make!”

- - -

Wild's Common (Japanese):
1. "Use bow, go up!" [Back]

Sky's Hylian (Scots):
1. "What do you mean?" [Back]
2. “I agree with Time,” Sky said, nodding. “You've been away from home, you should see your friends.” [Back]
3. "Alright, Smith?" [Back]
4. “Hello,” Sky greeted, waving. “You're looking good, Master Smith.” [Back]
5. "You know your Zelda well?" [Back]
6. “Wait, how does it work?” Sky asked, looking between him and them. “Are you one person in four bodies? Or four people sometimes in one?" [Back]
7.“Thanks, you too,” Sky replied, rolling his shoulders. “It’s not easy fighting all of you.” [Back]

Zuna (Hebrew):
1. "Good day," the figure greeted, at least Twilight hoped it was a greeting. "We don’t get many visitors out in the desert, what business do you have?" [Back]
2. "H-hello, you know Hylian?" [Back]
2.5. Ha-Ish'oht Loteim, lit: Warrior Women, is a term I came up with for how the Zuna refer to the Gerudo. [Back]
3. "Four! Good to see you! It has been several years since you visited, where have you been? I did not recognize you." [Back]
3.5. mifletz'im, to mean creatures, monsters, etc. [Back]
4. "Experience is the mother of wisdom," [Back]
5. “You are welcome in the oasis, as travelers and friends,” the Zuna said, tilting their head. “Enjoy your stay.” [Back]
5.5. (Arabic technically) Thwab, term for a long loose robe worn in the Middle East and Levant [Back]
6. "Very good!" [Back]
7. "Thank you for your business." [Back]
8. "Yes, money," [Back]
9. “Sorry, my mistake. How much?” The merchant repeated the sum and Four shuffled in his purse, pulling out pyramid-shaped multicolored gems. “Here, thank you.” [Back]
10. "Thank you, Four. Luck and safety!" [Back]

Minish / Picori (Mirrored Japanese):
1. "Hello, hylians!" it chattered, flicking its feather-tail back. "I am Melari, Master Smith of the Picori of the Iron Mountain." [Back]
2. “Fellow forest spirit,” The Minish tilted his head, stepping forward on Four’s palm. “I am happy the Deku Tree’s children are well.” [Back]