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'No…no…no' Sky's mind screamed as the child's body came into view.
He was bound by icy chains off to the side of a luxurious throne. Body curled in on himself, trying so desperately to keep the little warmth he had left.
"TIME HE'S OVER HERE!" The chosen hero dashed forward. Nearly tripping on the floors made of ice as he neared the youngest. "Sailor," Sky whispered as he carefully checked for a pulse.
A weak stir, a weaker voice,"Chosen…." Rolled off the youngest hero's blue chapped broken lips….Bluer than the crystal around sky's neck.
"It's me I'm here," The chosen hero answered in desperation. Gentle wiping his hands across Wind's face, attempting to knock off the snow that stuck to the child’s eyelashes, and any hair it could find.
Wind weakly lifted his hand. Unable to raise them higher because of the heavy iron wrapped around them. "Cold…." Was all he could muster.
The chosen hero wanted to cry. His littlest brother's hands were blue with tints of purple around the still alive skin. He took the hand in his own, a shiver buzzed down his spine, somehow the Sailor’s body was colder than the room surrounding them.
"Oh chick," why did it have to be him, why? Out of all nine heroes, why did the one least equipped for the winter have to be the one this ice temptress picked? He only donned two layers, both incredibly thin. Maybe that was the reason? She saw the sailor as easy prey. Anger boiled in Sky’s veins.
"Chosen…" Wind brought sky's attention back to reality. "She–she did…something….she kissed me–me on the forehead, a–and now I can't get…get warm." His teeth chattered, as he made his plight known.
Sky didn't know how to take the information, but it made one thing clear. Sky carefully lifted Wind up and ever so softly wrapped him in his sailclothe. It wasn't much but it was definitely better than nothing. Then pulled his brother close, attempting to bring any additional warmth to the boy's body.
"You found him!" Time's concerned voice echoed through the chamber. Time frozen in the doorway.
Sky glanced back, "Yes, but Time he's in really bad shap–"
Time dashed forward, icy floors not daring to make him trip as knelt beside his. "Oh–oh my strong young sailor. What did she do to you?" The old man, cupped the youngest cheek, eye flashed with the same horror sky felt when he was met with the deathening cold.
Wind let out a long breath, neither hero could see it in the air. "A…a lot lad…a lot…" The sailors' eyes began to daze.
"We need to get him out of here now!" Sky barked as he began to stand with his chick safe in his arms.
The old man nodded, taking his sword, and with all the fury of a father, slashed it into the deadly chains. Releasing Wind from the confines of the sun’s forsaken floor.
"The others aren't too far behind, If we go now we can catch them–"
An ear piercing screech rang out, making the ground feel like they would give way.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM!" A woman demanded, hair as snow's white, and skin as blue as the sky with jet black eyes full of fierce distraught. "GIVE ME BACK MY WINTER HOWLS!"
Time stepped forward ready to defend the boys with all his power. When Sky side stepped blocking the old man from engaging. Gently placing the sailor in his arms, and placing a kiss on chick’s temple.
"Get him to the others. I'll take care of her." The chosen whispered in a dark tone. Time dared not protest the first hero in their line, especially once he saw sparks light up his eyes.
The old man made a dash for the door, youngest safe in hand, seeking further protection behind ice pillars that line the pathway to freedom.
"NO!" The temptress screamed, cut off by a blast of pure purple light, stopping her path forward.
The chosen Hero stood, master sword drawn. The air around him started to thicken. Gone was the face of the soft hearted hero, the one who let any pass be shot at him. The one who with calm composer was belittled and threatened.
No gone was he. What stood before the ice temptress was the god slayer, a man that made lighting bow to his will.
She fell back in fear, "If–if you kill me he will be lost forever, you can never save him!"
Thunder cracked at her word.
"Then Madame, you better start talking…"
….
Sky watched the flame as he adjusted the wood with a steel poker. He needed to make sure the fire was strong. He needed to make sure the room stayed warm. He listened to the soft footsteps of Time, once again checking the state of their youngest.
It was always the same. He was still so cold, and he would stay that way until the others came back with the items to make a remedy.
The ingredients the ice temptress instructed were ingrained into the chosen hero’s mind.
….
“One blue potion, mixed with red chuchu jelly, a bottle of Goron spice, and the dust of a great fairy. That will break the frozen kiss!" The women backed away, but in vain. There was nowhere she could escape the enraged hero.
"And you swear by this," Sky didn't ask, he demanded. Clenching his sword just a bit tighter.
"I swear!" The ice temptress knew better than to lie.
"Very well, now answer me this," he allowed no room for argument. "Why have you done this! Why? Surely your heart is not so cruel that you kidnap a child and freeze him to death!"
The ice temptress looked mortified. "No-no! I would never, I mean. He wasn't going to die! I just! He–he, my son. My son, he was like my son." Tears started to stream from her eyes. "He reminded me of my son. Once the transformation was complete, he could be my son. My sweet winter howls could be with me again."
It was the chosen hero’s turn to have a heart made of ice. "He wasn't yours to take, and he will never be your son. Your son is gone."
A ghostly wail.
….
"It's warm enough, Cucco." Time placed a gentle hand on the sky's shoulder. "Any hotter and you may cook us both alive."
The old man softly chuckled.
"But the sailor…." The chosen hero protested.
A weak voice, "I'm okay Sky." The two older heroes turned around, gazing upon their youngest.
It was quite a sight. The sailor laid in an oversized bed that made the boy look so small. Almost all of Wind's body needed to be bandaged, especially his hands and feet. He would have looked like a mummy if not for the bountiful warm items his brothers had shared with him. Twilight's wolf pelt, Warriors scarf, four's bandana carefully wrapped around the boy's ears, Wild and Legend offered up their enchanted jewelry, and Hyrule had given his healing magic, and of course Sky's sailcloth. All items engulfed the boy, acting as stand-ins for the love his brothers so desperately wanted to share.
"I'm okay Sky," Wind repeated, making sure the older one heard. Reaching out his hand, the sailor requested for the two heroes to come near.
Both eager to oblige, walking towards the bed, the chosen hero took the boy's hand in his. Careful not to add any additional damage. Still startled, as the icy touch seeped through his bandages.
"Oh, chick…." Sky's heart was filled with guilt once again.
"Oh, stop that you big… Old man, what did you call him again?" Wind asked.
"Cucco," time sat down next to wind's head. Back pressed against the wall.
"Thank you, oh stop that you big cucco."
Sky was taken aback. Expression full of confusion.
"Oh, don't give me that look. You were blaming yourself for what happened to me. Don't lie, I saw it in your eyes." The sailor let out, voice still very weak.
"I was, I mean I was." The chosen hero was at a loss for words.
"Uh huh, come here." Wind with little strength pulled the chosen hero closer, wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck, and whispering in his ear. "Hear me, you saved me. If it weren't for you, I would probably be dead right now. Despite what that lady said, I be dead. You saved me sky, I’m safe. You can relax now.”
Like magic, all the tension the chosen hero had been building up, was released. Wrapping his arm around his youngest brother, sky fell forward, burying him in a hug.
Wind let out a squawk, forcing time to take his arm and guide the young man to a safer position. So he would not crush his young sailor. Once safely adjusted, the chosen hero buried his face into the young one shoulder and began to weep.
Both heroes were startled. Wind looked to Time for an explanation that he did not possess. The sailor carefully held his brother tightly, while the old man began to rub circles into the chosen hero's back. "It's okay, young knight, you did well."
"Yeah! Please don't be sad Sky….you really did save me!" Wind snuggled in.
A long wet breath, "I–I wish that were true…."
He hadn't saved them. No, he had doomed them. His failure, his negligence is the reason these men, boys, children had suffered. He was the reason the Veteran woke up with nightmares, the Champion had his scars, why Time hated Hylia, and the Captain’s mistress was death. Why the Traveler was forced to survive and the Smith was forced to split body and mind? He's the reason why Wind never had a Hyrule, to begin with, but he could never admit that.
Hero of courage. No, the chosen hero was a coward. Who could not bear the idea of his brothers knowing the truth? That he failed them. That he was a failure.
"No… chick…. I didn't." Waves of guilt washed over Sky, and heavier tears seeped down his face.
A warm hand softly scratched the chosen hero’s head, as Time’s voice spoke softer than the boys had ever heard before. “Cucco, whatever you failed to do on your journey will never shape how we perceive you. You were given the greatest burden of us all. You were chosen to go first. What you could and could not do then is not the deciding factor of, if we should be grateful for what you do now. You saved our youngest link, and we’re grateful for that.”
The tears in Sky’s eyes began to subside. “Yeah and besides,” Wind pulled the chosen hero a little closer, stealing the warmth from the older boy's body that the younger’s could not make. “Some of us chose to be Heroes, Sky. How could we be mad at you when we did this to ourselves?”
The chosen hero wanted to argue, only his body protested. Allowing himself the freedom to express his emotions exhausted him, and he felt a sense of overwhelming safety and comfort nested between his family.
Time chuckled, “Rest now, chosen one. You have done more than enough.” As the old man spoke those words, sky's eyelids closed.
“I love you, old man, I love you chick….” Sky’s mind drifted, but not before hearing the words. “We love you, Cucco.” Come from the sailor.
Both Time and Wind waited for the chosen hero’s breaths to even out before speaking. “What do you think all that was about?” The sailor whispered.
“I don’t know the full extent, but I can take a few guesses.” The old man responded, carefully covering the young man with a soft blanket.
“Care to share?” Wind raised an eyebrow.
“Hmmmmmmmmmmmm,” the eldest hero pondered.
“Oh, come on, you're not that old that you forgot basic communication skills.” The youngest huffed. “It’s quite simple. You take your mouth and open it and close it, and say the words in your head.”
“Oh like this? Shouldn’t you be frozen solid?” Time smugly smiled.
Wind popped his mouth. “Shouldn’t you have both your eyes?”
“Ouch, I see your heart is definitely frozen solid.” The old man acted offended. With the sailor simply sticking out his tongue at him. Time retaliating the same way, before ruffling his young sailor’s hair. “I promise we’ll talk about it more when you're better. For now you've been through enough for one day.”
The sailor rolled his eyes but knew the old man was right. “Okay finnnnneeeee,” He took time’s hand in his. “However, your hand is mine now.”
The eldest hero chuckled, “Oh no, what a shame.”
“Uh huh, keep laughing like that old man until you remember my body is frozen!”