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It was an evening like any other. The sun was slowly coming down to meet the horizon, and they were all weary, worn by yet another encounter with the Shadow's monsters. They had been dismayed to realise it survived, after thinking Wild had killed it for good. Nevertheless, they had put up a good fight and managed to learn new things about it too.
Time was a little disturbed to realise the shapes it changed into were all enemies he'd fought during his adventures, but it had given Warriors food for thought and strategy. Overall, even though this couldn't qualify as a true victory, it wasn't a defeat either, and the mood remained high.
Most importantly, nobody had been gravely hurt. Their rest would be needed and deserved; he could see Wind arguing with the captain about taking a potion, still shaken by seeing the enemy shift into their likeness but putting on a brave face. But they were all safe.
They were safe. Time rubbed a hand on his face. Terrible images kept running in front of his eyes, images that never came to pass and never would, but which haunted him anyway. He blinked, trying to chase them away.
Dark Link. Was that even the true form of the Shadow they were chasing, or just one more it took to unbalance them? How many more shapes did it have in its arsenal? Time couldn't say he wasn't relieved that it was no longer an Iron Knuckle, but this development was very troubling.
Where did it come from? What did it want? Why the portals and the growing army?
Why did it feel connected to him in particular?
Legend was coming back with wood; he dropped it in the centre of the spot Hyrule had cleared out of flammable grass, then Four set about lighting the fire. Wild was taking out his cooking supplies; Sky was offering him his help. The mood was light-hearted, domestic, ordinary.
Hyrule sat down next to Wind and Warriors. He elbowed the captain and whispered something to him, which had him burst out laughing and Wind snort.
They had everything well in hand, yet Time couldn't get the restlessness out of his mind.
“Hey, old man.” That was Legend, who'd plopped sitting on the ground next to him. “You've been even more broody than usual. I hope you're not hiding an injury too?”
Time huffed out, irritated. He wasn't in the mood for conversation.
“No, thank you. I'm fine,” he replied, gesturing to the metal plates he'd left next to him. “This armour isn't just for show.”
Legend narrowed his eyes. “I sure hope so. Because we have more than enough potions to go by, and these woods seem full of fairies.”
“Veteran, I am fine,” he snapped.
Legend only raised his eyebrows in disbelief, eloquently pointing out without a single word that Time had just proven how justified his question was. Time deflated with a sigh.
“I apologise. Your concern is appreciated, but I promise you I'm completely unharmed.”
Physically, that is. He looked into the fire that was slowly taking, and which reflected the glowing embers of the twilit sky. His heart tightened.
“I hope Wolfie will not find anything dangerous out in these woods, that is all,” he murmured, as Legend still wasn't budging.
Understanding lit up in the veteran's eyes. Time belatedly remembered that all of them knew who Wolfie truly was now, and that he might just have revealed more of his thoughts than he meant too.
“Yeah, Wolfie gave us all a fright last time for sure,” Legend replied. “He's gonna be fine. The woods are calm now. He's just sweeping the area out of habit more than anything.”
Time nodded. He knew that; he'd been repeating it to himself for twenty minutes.
The revelation of their enemy's identity raised a whole new set of questions about that incident. Time couldn't help but wonder if Dark Link had targeted Twilight on purpose. He knew, deep down, that Twilight had just been the one to hunt him down when he had tried to flee. The Shadow had been defending itself, nothing more.
And yet. It was obvious that it had a connection to him, and Time burned with questions. Where did it come from? How was it created? Why him? How did all of them end up together if that monster was Time's?
Legend hadn't moved. Time could feel him scrutinising him. He met his gaze and held it, bracing himself for all the questions he could see close to bursting from him. The veteran was curious and insightful. No doubt he had seen more in Time than Time had wished to show him.
But he could also read the room, it seemed, as one moment later he let out a huff. Without another word to him, he rose and headed towards Wild, loudly inquiring what they were having for dinner as he looked over their cook's shoulder into his pot.
They were all happy, unbothered, safe.
Time rose too. If Legend had picked up on his worry, then he should probably go for a walk, spend some of that energy before he inadvertently took it out on one of them again. He would take care to remain close enough to come back quickly if needed, just deep enough into the woods to clear his head.
So he headed out as discreetly as he could. The solitude was soothing; the greenery, doubly so. Fairies gathered around him, greeting him by brushing his cheeks with their wings and tingling as they did so. Time laughed at their affection, impossibly endeared, nostalgia surging in him.
Not for the first time, he wondered what Navi was doing and why she left him. The thought sent a familiar pang into his heart, one filled with longing but without bitterness. He hoped she was well, wherever she was.
He stopped next to a little creek and crouched, putting his fingers in the cool current. After all the walking they did in the warmth of spring, the sensation was welcome.
Here, surrounded by nature, with the creek cooing, the nightingale gurgling and the breeze rustling in the leaves, it was hard to imagine monsters jumping to attack. The shades seemed to invite to rest, not to hide danger.
Time sat down and sighed. He turned his face towards the gentle caress of the setting sun and let his heart be calmed down by the peace of the place.
Movement to his right made him tense, but he immediately relaxed upon recognising the wolf that emerged from the bushes. Wolfie was magnificent as always with his dark and silver fur, healthily soft and silken.
The wolf came to sit down next to him. Time scratched the top of his head in silent greeting then let his hand fall away as Twilight shifted back into his Hylian self.
“Nothing to worry about tonight, I take it?”
“Nothing at all.” Twilight threw him a pointed look to emphasise his point. “I didn't expect anything else, considering we dispatched all the monsters this afternoon, but one can never be too careful.”
Time nodded in agreement, choosing to ignore Twilight's tone. Ever since he had recovered from his wound, he had been bristling whenever Time expressed worry for him. It was difficult to curb it, however, and Time was unsuccessful more often than not.
At least Twilight was here now. Something had settled in Time upon seeing the wolf come back. It felt peaceful to sit here, in the quiet, with his descendant next to him.
Yet he couldn't lay all his fears to rest. Tonight seemed to be particularly bad. The long gone glint of a slashing blade overcame the sparkle of running water. The thump of a great mass crashing onto the ground vibrated in his chest, again and again, in step with the beat of his heart.
“Were you able to take care of your wound?” he couldn't help asking Twilight.
Predictably, Twilight huffed, rolled his eyes.
“Yes,” he said with exasperation in his voice. “I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Great Fairy Fountain nearby. I dare say nobody can take more than three steps while injured here.”
Time frowned. Even when Twilight felt he was being overbearing, he never was so outright hostile to him.
“That may be true, but that Lizalfos that got you was vicious.”
“It was a regular Lizalfos,” Twilight retorted. “And it only grazed me on the upper arm. I am ambidextrous. It was a very minor wound.”
“It was a black-blooded Lizalfos,” Time dryly corrected, annoyed at the way Twilight seemed to brush off his own safety. Hadn't he learned anything?
Twilight pursed his lips but held Time's gaze.
“It was a regular black-blooded Lizalfos. Its blade wasn't cursed. It hasn't even scarred, see for yourself.”
Time winced at being read so easily, but did steal a glance at Twilight's arm as suggested. Naturally, his protégé's words were true. His skin was unbroken, as if no wound had ever been there.
Time sighed, crushed by sudden exhaustion. Of course he had been overreacting again.
“I'm sorry,” he said, turning his face back towards the darkening sky. “You are brave and competent, and I shouldn't smother you so much with my concern.”
Twilight sighed as well next to him, all the defiance in his posture vanishing at once.
“That's okay,” he muttered. “I understand.”
Time shot him a small thankful smile and looked at their environment again, not wanting this tension to linger between them.
Everything was so serene here. He basked in it, feeling the remnants of his anxiousness slowly unravel, and wished this moment could last forever.
Twilight was hale. He was safe, he was here, close to him.
But he also didn't seem as settled as Time was trying his best to be. His restlessness was obvious in the way his posture shifted every few seconds, as if he had something to say and was bracing himself for it, or searching for the right words maybe. Time pretended not to notice, patiently waiting for him to be ready.
“I know it might take a while, but I promise you I will regain your trust,” Twilight eventually blurted out. “I know I made a huge mistake, one that endangered everybody. But I learned from it, and I intend on proving it to you –”
“Regain my trust?” Time asked, befuddled. Where had that come from? There was no one among them he trusted more than Twilight. What in the world had made him think otherwise?
His descendant shrunk under his gaze, but held it. Time's heart sank in his chest.
“Well, yeah. I know now I should never have run after the Shadow on my own. I won't do it again.”
Time stared at him with growing horror as the extent of their misunderstanding dawned on him. Did he truly believe that was what Time thought of him? Was that the reason he'd assumed was behind Time's behaviour all this time?
Was that why it had been so hard for him to accept Time's concern? Not because he felt stifled, but because he was hurt by the intentions he read behind it?
Time turned to face him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Link,” he said before realising he had no idea how to go on. Too many words pressed themselves against his tongue. He needed none but the right ones, the ones that would get his point across without a shadow of a doubt. It was unbearable that Twilight remain ignorant of the true nature of Time's feelings for even one more second, but that urgency was so potent it made it hard to focus on anything else long enough to explain.
He looked Twilight dead in the eye, not caring how intense or intimidating he might look, even as Twilight was unable to hold his gaze. All that mattered was that he understood.
“Hero of Twilight,” he said, emphasising every word. “My pride and my trust in you are unshakeable. They never faltered.”
Twilight frowned, confused, and the sight broke Time's heart. Just how much had he failed him?
“But...”
He trailed off without finishing his thought, hunching under an invisible weight. Guilt, perhaps. He always seemed to have too much of that. Time wished he knew how to take it away from him.
He let his hand fall away from Twilight's shoulder and looked into the sunset again.
“The reason I have been so overbearing lately is that I am afraid,” he quietly confessed. “This afternoon in particular. When that beast came for you, for a moment I saw you on the ground again, clutching a wound in your side that would not heal.”
He closed his eyes and let the images come over him once more, their icy current dissolving into his veins. Perhaps that was the key to banishing them, since every other way had failed.
“Back then, when you were lying injured and delirious, there was a time when we genuinely thought we were going to lose you. In my entire life, I don't think I've ever been so scared.”
There was a long moment of silence. Time glanced at Twilight again; his face had crumbled, and there were so many emotions on it he couldn't read any of them. Time wanted nothing more than to hug him, but he'd already gone far past his boundaries.
Instead he rose up and took a couple steps away, taking a deep breath to dispel the thousands feelings pressing down on his own heart.
“It will take a long time for the aftershocks of such fear to pass. I will try my best not to let them impact my behaviour towards you too much. But I am only a fallible old man, and so I must ask you to be patient with me.”
The sharp shadows of dusk had turned into the dull glow that precedes night, and the birds had stopped singing. The water of the creek was still murmuring its gentle song.
Time let his shoulders slump. He hadn't felt so tired in a long while.
“Why do you always feel the need to carry the weight of the world?” Twilight croaked out behind him. “It will crush you with regrets.”
Time turned around to look at him, surprised to hear his voice shaking. Before he could move to comfort him, Twilight cleared his throat and swallowed before shooting him a tiny, insincere smile.
A laugh nearly made it past his lips, a laugh without real joy but bubbling with tenderness. The gall that this boy had, to lecture him on such a topic when he himself was no better. Already he could see the way Twilight repressed his sorrow to avoid worrying him.
This wasn't the first time it happened. Time had seen this expression on his face before, in moments when Twilight looked at him and thought he didn't see. There was deep sadness in his eyes that Time couldn't begin to comprehend, resigned, knowing, grieving.
They were both hypocrites, he supposed. What a family trait to share.
“I think we all know something about that,” he said with a half-bitter, half-amused smile. “Come. The Champion must have finished cooking dinner by now.”
He pulled Twilight to his feet and passed an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him. Twilight laughed, wiping something from his eyes, and Time's heart felt close to bursting.
How amazing was this descendant of his, this kind farmer with such a big heart. If only he knew that there was just as much love for him in Time's heart as the reverse was true.
But he wasn't sure how to tell him in a way that he would believe. So he relished once more in his presence at his side – warm, solid, alive – and steered them both back towards the light and the bustle of camp.