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Link was in a predicament.
He was currently standing on the shore of lake Floria bordering Ebara Forest south in the Faron region. His feet were planted solidly on the lip of land that fell away sharply into notoriously deep water, waving his flame spear aggresively at the unusually great number of Bokoblins that had swarmed from the pavilion that loomed like a tree among the shoreline.
He had went to clear out the monster camp apon hearing complaint from the fruit gatherers of the multiplying number of monsters roaming through the Ebera Forest, only for there being many more than he originally planned for ranging from Gold or Silver and strangely bleeding black ichorous blood.
Link had not a moment to dwell on this discovery as the hoard closed in on him, a bokoblin on his right snarled and lunged giving him just barely any time to wrill and empale the creature on his spear. Having left his back open another bokoblin lunged at him, latching onto his back and sinking cold claws into his shoulders as he started writhing on instinct.
He faintly registered a ripple in the air, the air filling with the sweet familiar scent of something devine that he recognized coming from Zelda filtering through the strong stench of blood both not his own and his own at the same time. Another Bokoblin took his brief distraction as a opportunity just like its kin had and lunged at him from the front. He didn’t have any time to whirl around his flame spear and catch it like he had the other one.
The bokoblins weight smashed into him full force, elicitic a panicked yell from him as he was knocked back feet slipping on the muddy ground that made up Lake Floria’s shores. He caught only the briefest sight of the air condensing just beyond the hoard- a Hylian with a bright blue scarf impossible to miss stepping through before he wheeled backwards and was submerged in the suprisingly icy clutches of the lakes waters.
His body went stiff, muscles cramping and locking up from the sudden chill rushing along his skin. He felt weightless for a moment, spinning and twisting in the water as the bokoblin on his back writhed, not as affected by the sudden temprature as him. The bokoblin that had tackled him clung on too, sinking cruel claws into his waists in a cruel mock imitation of holding him.
The added extra weight dragged him down through the water, his body coming back to him in agonizingly slow disoriented seconds as he tried not to scream when the claws in his shoulders twisted. Normally Bokoblins would let go by now, instinct to survive overwriting their need to kill him for merely existing too close to them.
Down..
Down… down..
He struggled to open his eyes, water stinging and his eyelids not coapperating under the pressure and instinct to keep them closed. He finally felt his hands again and began to claw at his waist trying to pry the bokoblin off of him, kicking widly in a half vain attempt to get back to the surface. His lungs were beginning to scream for oxygen, his throat burned with the need for air to cool it but his mouth remained clamped tightly shut, the need for survival overriding panic.
His head was starting to get fuzzy, he finally managed to pry his eyes open spotting the light of the sun now high in the sky shining through the waters. It would’ve almost been beautifull if his blood wasn’t staining it a ugly red colour as it drifted upwards in coloured clouds only disturbed by the violent currents.
Black was starting to creep in, his fingers and legs going numb and giving up trying to get the bokoblin off. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterall… he felt almost peacefull.
He saw something dark dive into the water, its lithe form shooting towards him. He couldn’t help himself as his mouth finally opened in a attempt to draw breath, he registered the sudden burning and he let out a silent scream as the situation briefly sunk in.
He was dying.
Someone was prying the bokoblin off his shoulders.
He was dying.
Someone was kicking away the one at his waist.
He was dying.
Arms wrapped around him.
And the world seemed to slam down on him as everything went black.
Everything burned.
He faintly registered hands jostling his shoulders, panicked yells blurring between pitched with panic and strangely eerily calm. Something suddenly pushed down on his chest hard . And he wheezed, air getting stuck in his throat as his waterlogged lungs spasmed in a vain attempt to purge the water from where it does not belong.
Warm hands firmly rolled him onto his side as his diaphragm convulsed and he curled in on himself, foul water mingled with the sweet iron taste of blood streamed from his mouth as he hacked painfully. He was lying on the cold damp earth, the tropical familiar air of the Faron region surrounding him in an uncomfortable blanket of humidity and serving little to dry off the wet clothes that hung heavy and clung to his thin form.
Link felt a stinging, heavy and grounding in both his shoulders and around his waist. The feeling of sticky warm blood sticking to skin with no way to escape between the already soaked clothing he wore and his writing body. He convulsed as a sharp jab elicited a gasp from his aching struggling lungs, his writhing having torn the wound open further like ripping paper.
The same hands that had rolled him onto his side were now suddenly pinning him down, trying to contain his pained convulsing and twitching. Everything felt like agony, something bone deep tearing at his exhausted muscles and now clammy(no doubt from bloodloss) skin.
‘’You- —-to —still!’’ A voice, sweet as honey but rough as bark, spoke loudly, the words washing away like stains on beach sand too close to the pulling tide in his water clogged ears. His muscles screamed, part of him wished to sink into the warm hands holding him still as someone poked and prodded delicately at the wounds no doubt scoring horrid lines through both marred and unblemished skin on either side.
His struggling stilled, breath catching in his lungs again as he managed to open his eyes to the sun glaring bright and angry onto his face. He winced, squinting against its harsh light. He suddenly felt a show drape over his sun exposed face and he widened his eyes, blinking away tears and lake water in an attempt to make out what- or who- it was that was now looming in front of his face.
It was a Hylian, he recognized as he tried to breathe through teeth clenched in agony. The hands by now have gone, realizing he had stopped his vain attempt at wriggling out of his own skin in pain leaving him only with the feeling of wet clothes, open wounds and an indignant feeling as this person was leaning a bit too close for his comfort.
But he was bleeding out anyways, so what's comfort right?
The man before his eyes had wide brown eyes, flecks of gold dancing in its depths and fluffy brown hair falling just past his sharply pointed ears. Freckles peppered their fairly toned skin, dancing across his cheekbones and nose bridge where a light warm flush of pink remained probably due to the heat.
Link roughly knew every traveler and person in his sparsely populated Hyrule, this man.. boy? They seemed rather young, older than him certainly, but not by a lot. He was not one of those people still roaming here and certainly not one in the isolated Faron region. Were they a Yiga? Did they retrieve him from the swirling depths of Lake Floria only to prolong his pain or finish the job themselves?
He was momentarily distracted from his pain with the questions flooding through his hazed and pain-addled mind. The hylian hovering above him disappeared, moving away as he suddenly felt warm hands again, this time pressing down on the wound exposed to the open air trying to staunch the flowing.
The hands suddenly became hot, not a hot as in burning hot, but an uncomfortable hot, a hot like the healing hot springs of death mountain. Hot as in magic. He lurched upright, panic ceasing him and adrenaline washing away the pain. Only Yiga really knew magic-
he tried scooting backwards, away from the Hylians glowing hands his eyes narrowed dangerously and a scowl playing on his face and contorting his features. He grabbed the hands still trying to press down on the wound with an icy grip, hands still weak but plenty strong enough to wrench the Yiga’s hands off as they lost focus in surprise of his sudden movement.
Now hands free he used the palm of his hands to drag himself away, backwards towards the forest- only to bump into something solid, hands wrapped around him from behind pinning his arms against his sides and effectively immobilizing him. Panic sunk its claws deeper into his heart and he yelled, a garble of panicked inhuman sounds and pleas in hylian tongue.
There was more yelling and talking but it could not break through his clogged ears and panicked brain. Something akin to dust floated in front of his face- the powder-like substance dancing in the beams of light. His eyelids started drooping- what- no- he couldn’t go to sleep now!
He gave one last buck, throwing himself back wildly against the one restraining him and kicking out vainly, feeling his foot catch on a warm body and barely nudging it backwards with an unregistered grunt. His eyes slid closed before he could tell who he hit, he was unable to keep them open.
Everything suddenly muted into a gentle hum, his panic simmered into something thin and wavering, the pain and aching flooding back into his conscious thought. He inhaled, sharp, ragged, and shuddering. The sent one last prayer to Hylia;
Please let this death be a kind one.
Sleep came a lot gentler this time around.
‘’You didn’t have to knock the poor kid out!’’
‘’Well excuse me mister ‘got kicked by a half unconscious teenager bleeding out’ he would have probably kicked someone else! Think of it as a sacrifice Warriors, for the chain-‘’
‘’Shut the fuck up, Legend-‘’
Link groaned as voiced flooded into his ears, the steady stream of talking dragging his mind back from the depths of blissfull unconciousness. There was a pressure around his waist, like being hugged. He recognized the familiar roughness of bandages tenatively tightened against skin, the wounds they were no doubt covering stung even with the slight pressure and the jostling didn’t help-
Jostling?
He was swaying, he could feel strong long arms supporting him bidal style as his head leaned carefully against a shoulder his hands neatly tucked to rest on his stumach with clear care. It was clear he was being carried somewhere telling by the rytmic thump of boots and the light jostling with each step.
The voices around him has seemingly quieted when he groaned, and it took him a considerable effort to even think about opening his eyes. His head pounded, each wave of pain sharp and jagged in count with the blood rushing past his ear beating in time with his heart. Thank fuck they shut up, if they were loud enough to wake him from a sleep that deep- he would never want to travel with these guys in a forest.
Hopefully he won’t have to any longer. He just needed to open his eyes.
It took a little time before he finally managed to crack open his eyelids, blinking heavily and sluggishly against the light. Someone was looking down at him, a Hylian with smooth pale skin and big blue eyes that shone akin to lapis. Gentle features seemed to grace the young man staring down at him with a conflicted concerned expression.
Pretty, a fleeting thought passed by him and he shook himself. No time to admire strange hylians, the more pressing point was who this man was, why he was carrying him and what happened.
He frowned up at the face involuntary, no doubt looking quite sour with the stinging headache twisting it into more of a grimace. He mentally reached back, clawing at a semblance of context to it all when he spotted the royal blue scarf draped around the man's neck and it all clicked.
It was the same scarf he saw on that Hylian that stepped through the portal before he-
Panic seezed his heart, mind stuttering to a frantic start from its haze as adrenaline suddenly cleared the fog. His eyes went wide and his grimace turned into a unfriendly scowl twisting his features, the mans eyes went wide as Link suddenly surged into motion.
He lifted his head off of the mans shoulder, lifting his arms and pushing against his chest plate armour - since when did yiga wear armour?- the man yelled something, his companions starting to move but not quick enough as Link gave a hefty shove and launched himself out of the fumbling young mans arms.
He fell to the ground, forgetting to account for gravity as he impacted with the harsh earth. Stones dug into his spine and back and his injuries started screaming at them, whatever semblance of healing progress they had made while he was out being undone as he could feel blood seeping through the bandages making them cling wetly to his skin.
‘’Oh my sweet Hylia Warriors you dropped him you idiot!’’ Someone yelled, he looked up to see another man with blonde hair and a stark pink streak colouring one of his bangs glaring at the man with the blue scarf who was wheeling to regain their balance at the sudden loss of weight.
The blue scarfed man gave a indignant yell, ‘’he was shoving me- what did you expect to happen??’’ He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exhasperation before glancing down at him laying winded on the ground wheezing.
This was a mistake.
‘’Oh great he’s bleeding again- Hyrule can’t heal him any more, he spent all his wierd ass fairy magic on his shoulders. We dont have any supplies anymore! We are fucked!’’ The pink haired one exclaimed, glancing down at the struggling teenager. ‘’atleast he’s not trying to kick you-‘’
Link promptly kicked the blue scarfed man in the shins.
Something in his mind cheered as he jumped backwards with a yelp and a hurt look, lifting his leg and rubbing tenderly at the impact site. He grinned, that should teach them about knocking him out.
And for having dumb blue socks, who even wears blue socks? well… this guy apparently.
He was already starting to get out of breath though even with that small movement, he took hold of the few strands of strength he still had left and reached for his slate. He tapped at the screen, if he were to teleport he would bleed out before anyone at whatever stable he landed noticed.
He swiped to his inventory, eyes roving over the screen in seconds as his hands shook and the slate began slipping from his blood slicked hands. There.
He clicked on the bright yellow image of bananas, strands of blue coiling in front of him just slow enough for him to catch before it would hit the ground. Not that it mattered much since he was half laying half sitting-
He grabbed hold as the yellow fruits faded into existence with a small barely audible zap . He could faintly feel the strangers eyes on him, he smiled. if they were Yiga at least he was doing something right-
He wound back his arm and threw the bananas into the bushes, it landed with a rustle and a thud a few yards off in the depths of the forest.
None of them moved.
His thoughts were beginning to slow again and he frowned. Not Yiga then? What? But he didn't know them! He’d traveled so far, so much- he knew everyone!
Someone was crouching besides him, hands slowly coming up to hover in his peripheral. He looked over, ears twitching as he came to meet the stark blue eyes of a brown haired man. His face was slim, clearly a young adult, sun kissed skin tanned and splotched from irregular light exposure similar to a farmer. There were deep blue markings on his forehead, intricate and carefully twisting smoothly across his skin like they belonged there all along.
Link knew they didn’t, he could smell the magic though. It reeked like nayru did when infested with malice. Of magic not belonging there, not having been born there, having gained, magic forcibly having made its way into a soul already crowded with something distinctly strong and all encompassing.
Courage.
He did not know that, he could only feel the faint stench of misplaced magic brushing softly against his senses.
He blinked, dazed from blood loss and aching pain, the smell and feeling of odd magic just sending his mind tripping even further into confusion.
The man looked him in the eyes and he couldn’t look away, there was something in his eyes he recognized. Odd. He wished he could sit here for however long he needed to pry and question and find out why it felt like home.
‘’Hey there, I know it might be a little strange to be waking up like this. And I know you don’t know us but we mean you no harm. Could you tell us your name?’’ The man asked, voice sounding rough, scratchy in a soothing way, the way that spoke of a long hard day of shouting across fields of crops or conversations carried on too long into the night.
He felled the words bubbling up into his throat, slipping past his prickly defenses towards these strangers. ‘’It’s Link…’’ he rasped, wincing at the sound of pain and blood loss making his voice thick and small.
The man in front of him smiled, teeth way too sharp for a Hylian glinting in the light. His smile seemed as bright as the sun, so openly given and to him nonetheless, people in Hyrule didn’t smile often, it was an expression reserved to indulge their youth or to congratulate their kin. People didn’t just smile at strangers. But this man seemed so willing to.
They were so odd. He glanced around at the others, counting eight of them in total, they were all staring at him weird, some were giving him the same blinding smiles, some were murmuring to each other and some even looked downright shocked.
Odd indeed.
‘’Nice to meet you Link, my name’s Twilight and these here are my companions so no need to fret about ‘em, they’re big softies’’ the sharp toothed Hylian spoke again, earning a few indignant shouts from the others. The man held out a hand for a handshake, tanned and calloused , he could see scars lashing over soft skin each their own story.
Maybe there will be time to ask about them; he wondered, gripping the man's hand with his own shaking one. He could feel a crusting blood crunch between him and the man's hands and winced, hand retreating. Now the man's hands were all bloody-
‘’I'm so- .. sorry’’ he muttered, eyelids already drooping a bit, he tried to rouse himself a bit. He sagged suddenly instead, something warm and cold flushing through his body. Someone caught his upper body before he could totally collapse in on himself.
The man- Twilight was shushing him. Dragging him into strong arms and hefting him up with seemingly barely a thought or strain. ‘’Don't worry about that, let's get you fixed up first. We can talk after.’’ Twilight reassured, and Link relaxed at those words.
He sighed, heavy and soft at the same time. Something in his chest stirred, warm, preening at the company of these strangers. Maybe strangers. They didn’t feel a whole lot like strangers now that he thought about it. They felt sort of familiar.
Like how fire in a forest felt dangerous, but at a campfire felt like the only reprieve from the night's chill.
Perhaps this is more like the latter.
With that thought stirring lazily in his mind his eyelids finally slipped shut and he let himself be carried off into the sweet blissful cool of unconsciousness.
He was in good hands.