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Chapter Text

Legend was sick of the tension in the camp. Everyone was tiptoeing around Vio except for Time and Wind. Though, Time's always been good at shrugging and going along with anything.

He can't stand it. "You look like shit," he says loud enough for everyone to hear. He gets a lot of dirty looks for that.

Vio shoots him a truly unimpressed look. Legend's almost proud of it. "Thanks," he says drily. "I'll try to remember that for the next time I get stabbed."

"He spent the night crying," Time adds nonchalantly.

Legend chokes on his retort.

Vio whirls around so fast he nearly loses his footing. "You weren't supposed to say anything!" He shouts with a surprising amount of fury.

Time lifts his hands. "Sorry," he sounds genuinely apologetic. "I didn't realize you wanted to keep it a secret."

"You're a fucking liar!" Vio shouts. He takes a single step forward and instantly Blue and Green are in his way.

"You need to calm down, now," Green commands.

"Yeah, man," Blue says physically pushing him back. "I mean, I'm having to hold you back. Kinda backwards don't you think?"

Vio continues to glare at Time for a few tense seconds. He shoves Blue away and returns to his work. While the glare and anger are gone from his face, his movements remain just a little too rough. If Legend wasn't looking so carefully, he'd think Vio was already over it. Whatever the hell it was.

Sky immediately pulls Time aside. It's weird to see the Old Man get vehemently scolded. Sky's furious enough that his voice nearly reaches the camp several times. Legend shudders. Being on the receiving end of Sky's ire is a horror in its own right.

"I don't think I've ever seen Vio get mad before," Red says quietly.

Legend merely raises an eyebrow. "You really expect me to believe he's always calm and collected?"

"He's gotten frustrated before, but... I've never seen him get like that before. I– I didn't think he could," Red says the last part quietly.

Legend glances at the other two colors. They're also giving Vio wary looks. "He mentioned you guys all being at odds before he joined the enemy," he says abruptly, "Have you fixed that?"

Red hunches his shoulders guiltily. "It's hard... Vio's so different."

He frowns at Red. "So what."

"It's just. Like Green's our leader, but Vio's smarter, so they butt heads a lot. And he fights dirty and Blue's our sense of honor so they end up fighting all the time too."

He doesn't respond, hoping his silence is enough to make Red nervous.

"He lies a lot, too, which I hate!" Red rambles. "And he's really good at faking emotions– usually to get something out of a stranger! It's so creepy! Why can't he just be honest?"

"So you're all still isolating him."

"We're trying to help!" Red insists loudly earning a few curious looks. He shrinks away from the attention.

"Are you?"

Red lowers his head in clear shame.

Warriors shoulder's his pack and turns to them. "Let's move."

"Yeah yeah," Legend says leaving Red to scramble.

"How long untill we reach your place?"

"'Bout two and a half days."

There's varying degrees of excitement as they set out. Hyrule and Wild periodically wander away to explore the forest now that the darkness is gone. Every time they come back, they're covered in more and more mud. Legend wouldn't be surprised if they have a bet on who gets in trouble first.

Wind and Warriors ask him about his home. If he has any family. What the town he lives in is like. Legend gives vague answers each time. Sometimes he purposely gives an answer so cryptic the other end up with more questions.

It goes on long enough that Blue ends up screaming in frustration for him to just, "Answer the damn questions already!"

He grins as most of the group snickers. Blue ends up grumbling with Warriors about how difficult Legend is.

Once they reach a defined path, Legend shifts to the side of the group. He's sick of walking with the sun in his eyes.

Under a particular large tree, the shade feels cooler. He shudders at the sudden chill.

Twilight turns sharply to him. "Drop it!" He snaps.

The chatter dies as the group turns to look at them.

"I'm not doing anything!" Legend retorts defensively. He then notices that Twilight's looking just past him. He turns around and nearly jumps a foot in the air at the sight of the millipede. It's massive, and shiny, and writhing, and it's a breath away from his leg.

He stumbles back with a shout, tripping over his feet and landing on the ground. There's a couple snickers from behind him.

The dark mass holding the millipede blows a raspberry. "You're no fun," he says flinging the insect over his shoulder. It snaps branches as it lands in a bush. He straightens up and glowing amber eyes flick around the group. "Come on! He doesn't wear pants, it'd be funny!"

Wild mutters, "He's not wrong."

Legend indignantly shoots to his feet. "Either of you do that," he threatens, "and I'm shoving it down your throat!"

The dark mass melts into the floor. The black puddle darts back in Twilight's direction.

"Millipedes hold a lot of protein," Wild shrugs.

Hryule nods in agreement. "The crunch is really nice too."

With a disgusted scoff, Legend stomps back into the sunlight at the head of the group. "And I'm wearing shorts!” He shouts for good measure.

--

By the time they've set up camp, Vio still hasn't spoken to Time. Doesn't even acknowledge the Old Man. Instead he throws all his energy into whatever card trick he's teaching Wind. Legend doesn't think he's ever seen Wind that focused on something that isn't training with Warriors.

Warriors circles the surrounding area as the others set up camp. He's not subtle about the suspicious glances he keeps shooting Twilight's shadow. He's kept his distance from Twilight all day, and he continues even now. He only calms down when Twilight wanders away with Wild in tow. Even Hyrule relaxes.

Over an hour later, Wild trudges back into camp with slumped shoulders. He beelines to Hyrule and hands him a small pouch of rupees. Hyrule immediately brightens, opening the pouch to count them.

"What was the bet?" Legend asks.

"Who'd get in trouble first for how dirty we got," Hyrule says.

He frowns. "I told you off hours ago."

Even from across camp, Hyrule's wicked grin is easy to see. "Double or nothing says Twi says something before we finish setting up camp!"

Legend snorts. Wild should've known better.

"Hey! It's Wolfie!" Warriors calls. "Where were you, boy? We could've used you yesterday."

Wolfie trots over to him. He play-bites at the mans fingers for a bit before actually letting Warriors pet him. He sits there for a few minutes before making his rounds around the camp. Though not without one final snap at Warriors' hand.

Wolfie lays between Sky and Hyrule until they get their fill of petting. He baits Wind into running around the camp with him. He ducks under Wild's hand and steals a piece of meat. He takes off before Blue can get a hold of him. He sits with his head in the Old Man's lap for a while with a quiet whine. Time absently rubs the wolf's head as he watches the others from a distance.

He then wanders over to each of the three colors. Green smiles and indulges in a few minutes of petting. Blue shoos him away, apparently still annoyed at the wolf for stealing a piece of cooking meat. Red's practically vibrating with excitement by the time Wolfie reaches him. He wastes no time showering the wolf with affection. Wolfie ends up growling at him when Red tries to place a kiss on his head.

Wolfie then makes his way towards the final color. Vio watches him sharply and Wolfie lays down trying to make himself as small as possible. He keeps his attention on Vio, and after a minut he crawls forward only to stop again with a whine. He does it a few times before he gets up and leaves Vio alone. Vio's shoulders slump slightly in response.

Legend watches the whole interaction with a frown. Wolfie and Four have never had a problem with each other. Four's even ridden the damn beast before. There's no way that would happen if they didn't trust each other.

He keeps a careful eye on Wolfie as it walks through all their packs. It's careful to step between the bags and never on them. Legend swears the wolf seems more like a well trained cattle dog than a wild animal sometimes. He watches as the wolf gets out from between the packs and walks around the pile of sleeping rolls.

He sits up quickly.

Wolfie's shadow doesn't blend. It's still defined even when he walks through the shadows cast by their campfire. It's too defined to be a normal shadow. He looks up and suddenly the intelligence in Wolfie's familiar blue eyes makes sense. "You're–!"

Wolfie lunges, tackling him to the ground. The wind gets knocked out of him in a wheezing whoosh. As he struggles to regain his breath, Wolfie settles on his body. The bastard even yawns in his face with his stinky dog breath. He shoves at the beast, debating if he really wants to throw a punch or not.

"Shut up! It's a secret." A voice whispers by his ear.

Legend jerks in surprise. Amber eyes and the beginnings of a dark figure peak at him from Wolfie's shadow. He realizes Wolfie laid down in a specific way to keep them hidden.

Legend stops struggling and lays back with an exaggerated groan. "Then do a better job hiding it," he grumbles.

Twilight—the absolute bastard—finally sits up and gets off him. Legend's glad to see at least someone was worried as Warriors stops hesitantly.

"You okay?" Warriors asks hovering nervously.

Twilight stares at him, as if waiting to see what choice he's going to make. Legend glares back. "I'm fine," he growls. "Damn mutt just got excited for no reason." That earns him a sneeze to the face.

Twilight doesn't bother waiting until Legend slumps back into his earlier position. He shuffles forward to lay in front of him and keep his shadow blocked by the two of them.

"Hey, can I jump in your shadow?"

Legend narrows his eyes at the dark figure. "Why?"

The mass wobbles—for lack of a better descriptor. "Cuz Twilight wants to talk to the liar and traitor for whatever reason," he sneers, "and I don't wanna be anywhere near him."

He raises an eyebrow at the blob. "Didn't you also betray your boss?"

"He was my Master not my boss!" Shadow spits. "I never wanted to be chained to him!" 

Legend hums noncommittally. Can it truly be called betrayal if you never wanted to work for them? "Okay, why me? I'm sure Sky would be more than willing to volunteer."

The sharp edges of the blob smooth out and blur. "You're the only one who doesn't react when I cross into your shadow," he mumbles. "Aside from Twilight."

"So that makes me safe," he nods. The blob bristles. "No, no, I get it," he smirks. "I am the one with the most adventuring experience. Of course you'd end up feeling safest with me. I'll even let you despite the bug incident earlier. That's how generous of a person I am–,"

"Agh you're insufferable!" Shadow shouts.

The others look over. "Shadow's with you?" Sky asks.

"Yep," Legend responds blandly.

"Since when?" 

"Since farm boy went to go jerk off in the woods," he responds only to yelp when Twilight bites him. "Fuck off!"

Hyrule watches them dubiously. "I'm surprised, considering he almost put a millepede up your pants not too long ago."

Legend shrugs with an easy smirk. "What can I say, he helped me put spiders in Cap's bedroll."

Warriors dives for his bedroll with a shriek. He'd set it apart from the others since he was taking first watch again. He unrolls it and starts furiously flapping it in hopes of dislodging the spiders.

"Legend," Time warns.

Legend immediately shrinks back from Time's disapproving glare. "I was just kidding," he grumbles. "Do you know how long that would take? No thanks."

The others are quick to tease Warriors for his reaction.

"So is that a yes?" Shadow asks.

Legend rolls his eyes. "Yeah." Twilight shuffles closer and noses at his hand. "Din's fire, it's fucking weird knowing it's you." He grumbles lifting his hand.

"He says put your hand on the marks on his head," Shadow instructions.

Legend does as instructed. "You understand– ow!" He yanks his hand back. The sting in his forearm fades and leaves behind a tight feeling. Like tying something too tight around his arm. "A warning would've been nice."

"Oops," Shadow says completely unapologetically.

Legend starts to snap at him but stops in surprise. Instead of the usual black mass and amber eyes, he can see the hints of facial features and actual shapes. He glares when he thinks he see a smirk on the shadow's face. With a huff, he turns to watch the group again.

Twilight stays with him for a few more minutes. He even goes so far as to make a show of sniffing Shadow curiously. When he's satisfied the others saw, he wanders over to Vio again. He does the slow crawling thing again as he gets close. Vio pats the ground next to him and Twilight wastes no time rushing forward.

"Man, that's fucking weird," Legend mutters. Do any of the others know? He knows Four tends to ride on Wolfie's back. Wild will occasionally sleep cuddled against the wolf. Wind will too now that he thinks about it.

"Do you hate it?"

He raises an eyebrow at Shadow. That was oddly subdued of him. "No," he replies honestly. "Never had a real problem with Wolfie. My biggest concern was the fact that everyone treated him like a dog. No matter how well behaved or nice he was, he was still a wild animal. Except turns out he's not. Now I can't stop thinking about how long I've spent petting Twilight."

Shadow chuckles weakly.

"Alright," Legend sighs, "what's up?" 

Shadow gives him a narrowed look.

"You clearly wanna talk, so what's up?"

Shadow turns away, sinking so far into Legend's shadow his head disappears.

Legend let's him sulk. He offered, but he's not going to push. Besides, it's not like they're friends. Shadow has kept to himself since he jumped into Twilight's shadow. The most he's interacted with the group was the millipede incident and now this. And that's been exclusive to him both times.

"Do you eat?" Legend asks suddenly.

"Huh?”

"Do you need to eat?" He amends.

"... No."

"Do you want to?"

"What's with the questions?"

Legend jerks his head in Wild and Blue's direction. The two are plating dinner for the others. "Do you wanna have dinner with us?" Shadow doesn't respond. He doesn't even poke his head out again. With an exaggerated eye roll, Legend leans forward to shout, "Hey, Wild! Mind making a plate for Shadow?"

Shadow hisses while Wild just nods. "Sure!"

Blue, on the other hand, narrows his eye suspiciously. "Since when does Shadow need to eat?"

Legend just shrugs. "Just cuz he doesn't have to doesn't mean he may not want to."

Blue scowls as he continues to portion the food. Wild, for his part, doesn't seem all too bothered. After a few minutes, they finish and call the others to get their food.

The two did a good job of portioning the food out. Everyone got appropriately sized portions. Except for Wind and Hyrule who get an absurd amount since they're still growing.

Legend wonders why as he waits for the others to get their plates. Wild doesn't usually serve them unless their food supplies are dangerously low.

"Why the portions?" Sky asks. "If you don't mind me asking."

Wild shrugs explaining that Blue was adamant about it. Blue pretends to not have heard the question as he settles next to Warriors and Green.

Vio apparently has no qualms about airing Blue's dirty laundry. "It's cuz he's obsessive about things being a certain way. Otherwise he gets twitch."

Blue growls at him. "I'll show you twit–,"

"Hey," Warriors interrupts. He does a damn good job at pretending to be an airhead that can't read the tension in the room. "You wouldn't happen to be knights would you? Or squires?"

Green makes a surprised noise. "Knights," he responds carefully. "When did you figure it out?"

"I had my suspicion last night seeing Blue getting ready for bed," he says turning back to Blue. "You fold your clothes the exact way me and my men used to. You pack the same way too. Very efficient."

Blue perks up a bit at that. "I knew someone would appreciate my meticulousness!"

"I'm surprised you knew what that word means," Vio cuts in.

Blue glares, continuing through gritted teath. "It's important to be put together. No one's gonna put their faith in some guy who can't even buckle his armor properly!"

"Exactly!" Warriors responds happily. "And it's not just how well your gear fits, you must be presentable at all times. After all, were representing–,"

Legend makes a disgusted noise deep in his throat. "Nayru help us, there's two of them now," he mutters accepting his plate from Wild. Wild laughs, handing him another plate. "What do you want me to do with that?"

Wild falters. "It's for Shadow?"

"I'm not his handmaid," Legend responds. "He can get it himself."

Wild is left looking around helplessly. Legend makes his way towards the circle the group is forming. He sticks close to Green and Time on the opposite side of Vio. He feels Shadow hissing at him the closer he gets. He decides to sit close enough to participate in conversation, but far away enough to still be apart from the group.

"What if I can't?" Shadow asks during a lull in Legend's conversation.

"Can't what?"

"Get it myself."

Legend fixes him with a truly unimpressed look. "Millipede."

Shadow sinks further into Legend's shadow. Twilight must have been wrong. There's no way this guy had expressed trust over Shadow first. Other than moving Vio out of the light, he hadn't bothered talking to any of the four Links– er the four Links that make up the wielder of the Four Sword. What the hell was that stupid nickname again?

Legend sets the empty plate down and scoots closer to the group. He throws jabs at Warriors until he gets the other man properly engaged in a stupid argument. Shadow emerges just enough to peak around. The others seem entirely distracted.

He sinks back into the dark and darts between shadows. He's careful to avoid all the other heroes as he goes. The one who'd been cooking with Blue left his plate off to the side with another plate on top to cover it. Shadow wonders where the long haired hero stores all his things. It's not like he has anything bigger than a few belt pouches.

Quietly, carefully, he emerges from one of the tree's shadow. He freezes at the sudden shouts from the circle of heroes. He grabs the plate and quickly retreats into the forest line. A quick glance shows him none of the heroes noticed.

Shadow sits behind the nearest tree. He keeps it between him and the camp. Finding another tree, he leans against it. The food is good. Surprisingly good. He didn't think meals like these could be made outside of a large kitchen much less in some random forest. He savors the burn of the spicy food on his tongue.

He returns the plates where he found them and darts back to the tree. The group has split into smaller groups after their dinner, and Legend sits with the two heroes with the most amount of Light surrounding them. Shadow climbs the tree and settles in for the night. He doesn't need to sleep, but he still enjoys the action. It makes time pass faster.

--

Shadow's jolted from his sleep by a loud scream. He startles so bad he nearly falls into the pool of sunlight. He scrambles at the branches to stay in the shade. He dives into the tree's shadow and works his way back to camp.

He finds the last thing he expected. Blue has Vio by the front of his tunic and is shaking him furiously. "I know you're stupid! But are you fucking stupid?!" He yells. "Why the hell would you do that?! What made you think it was a good idea! You've absolutely fucked up our hair!"

The other heroes are standing around in various states of alertness. Most of them have some form of weapon drawn.

Red yawns as he sits up, entirely unbothered by the screaming. "Blue? What's going on?"

Blue shoves Vio back with a wordless shout. He completely misses how Vio winces as he lands on his injured side. "Vio came up with the brilliant fucking plan to cut his damn hair!" He shouts.

Red immediately perks up, all traces of sleep gone. "We're picking our own hairstyles now?" He asks excitedly. He also doesn't wait for an answer as he pulls the hairband off his head and wildly shakes his hair out. It falls around his face in a mess. Later, when he's finished getting ready, he throws his hood over his messy hair.

"No!" Blue roars. "You are not fucking up our hair worse when we recombine!"

Green groans loudly from where he has his face buried in his hands. "Blue, shut the fuck up. It's too early."

"He fucked up our hair!"

"We'll be fine once we're Link–er, Four—again."

"No we won't!" Blue shouts pointing a shaking finger at Vio. "One side's longer than the other!"

Green groans loudly. "Fine! Captain," he calls. Warriors startles at being pulled into their argument. "Could you please do us a great favor by evening out Vio's hair?"

Warriors' eyes dart around the camp at the other rumpled heroes. A few of them are still shaking the adrenaline off while the rest have annoyed looks on their faces from being awoken too early. Warriors resists the urge to wince. "Alright, but we'll be getting an early start to the day now. Be ready to move out after I finish."

There's a chorus of grumbles and groans as the others start packing their gear. Warriors orders Blue to run laps around the camp when he hovers too much. Green pulls his hair back into a high ponytail and apologizes to the group for Blue's actions. Apparently he's also taking that as permission to alter his own hairstyle.

Wild works on a quick breakfast as the others finish packing. He sets a plate of food to the side as he calls the others to serve themselves. Shadow glares from his spot at the plate of food. It looks good and smells even better.

When the heroes finish eating Wild frowns at the untouched plate. "I guess he didn't like what I made this time," he says a touch disappointed.

A few of the others only glance his way before returning to their packs. Wolfie nudges at Legend to get his attention. He then motions towards Wild.

Legend wonders what the hell Twilight wants him to do. Wild usually doesn't want help when he cleans up after meals. Then he spots it. "Hey!" He calls jogging up to Wild. "Did you leave that out in the sun?"

Wild frowns in confusion. "Yeah? To keep it warm."

"Shadow can't reach it in the sunlight."

"Sorry, I didn't know." He goes to set the plate in the shade of a nearby tree.

"Legend, Wild! Hurry up!" Warriors calls.

Wild winces. "I'm sorry, Shadow," he says to the empty space of the tree's shadow. Shadow tries not to give himself away. Wild can't really see him, can he? The plate disappears into blue light and Wild turns his attention back to the tree's shade. "I'll stay in the shadows while we walk. I have traveling foods if you want any," he then turns to Legend with a sheepish look. "Okay, so I don't actually know if Shadow's around. Can you make sure you tell him I said that?"

Legend raises an eyebrow at him. He casts a glance up into the branches of the tree where Shadow's hiding. "Yeah. Now come on before Cap tries to make us run laps, too."

Shadow follows the two as they regroup with the others. Blue looks downright stormy as Green lectures him. Wind and Red don't even pretend to hide their snickering.

"Ready to go?" Warriors asks.

"Yeah, yeah," Legend responds walking through the group. "Let's go."

Shadow looks around the group for Twilight. Twilight's shadow is more familiar. Comfortable in a way only the Dark World is.

He winds up next to Vio and he feels his breath catch. Vio's hair looks exactly like it had when Shadow last saw him. It falls over his face partially obscuring one eye, and gives him that air of confidence that Shadow always loved.

Legend pauses and looks down at him. But worst of all, Vio notices him.

Vio's eyes widens slightly. "Shadow?"

The hope in his voice tugs at Shadow's chest. He pulls away on instinct.

Vio lunges towards him. "Wait–!" He winces, hand pulling to his side. Wolfie is at his side supporting his weight in no time. The others start gathering around them. Particularly the two with the strong Light. Shadow moves further away which only causes Vio to lurch in his direction again.

Wolfie whines loudly in response as he keeps Vio from outright collapsing to his knees. 'He's bleeding!'

"He's bleeding," Shadow relays automatically only to curse himself right after. He's not supposed to care damnit!

The two strong Lights help Wolfie guide Vio into the shade of a big tree. Vio fights them the whole time, insisting he's fine. He says he's just sore and he just overextended.

By now, Even Shadow can smell the blood. "It's getting worse," he tells them.

It only takes a few minutes of bullying before they have Vio sitting there shirtless. He glowers. "I'm fine," he insists. "Really Sky, Rule. You don't have to worry."

He gets dubious looks in return. "Then you won't mind if we just make sure."

"Sky," Vio warns.

"Vio," Sky returns the tone.

Hyrule has no qualms and slaps his hand on the center of Vio's stomach. It's far enough from the wound to not cause additional damage, but it's still close enough to cause discomfort. Vio instantly doubles over in pain. Hyrule's quick to undo the bandages while he's stunned. The wound is bleeding steadily again, though thankfully not that much. The exit wound on his back is still firmly closed much to his relief.

Sky and Hyrule work quickly to wipe the blood and reapply pressure to the wound. "You should have said something," Hyrule scolds.

"I'm fine," Vio says between grit teeth. "I can make it to town."

"What if we get ambushed?"

Vio returns the glare easily. "Our supplies don't account for three extra people. I'd be a liability regardless."

Sky sighs in that way that makes it clear he's hurt by the lack of trust. "I'd rather be low on supplies than know one of my friends was needlessly suffering."

Vio turns away with a frustrated scowl.

"Honestly," Hyrule mutters. "You're worse than Legend and Twilight."

"Hey!"

Legend goes ignored as they work on bandaging Vio back up. Hyrule tries to use his magic at one point but stops almost as soon as he starts. He apologizes for still not being able to safely heal him. Vio just grunts in response.

Sky and Hyrule help Vio back on his feet when they finish. Vio's a little stiff as they let go. Wolfie drops in front of Vio and gives him an expectant look.

Vio steps around him. He does an admirable job of hiding how much pain he's no doubt still in.

Wolfie steps into his path and drops again. Vio steps around him again only for Wolfie to repeat himself.

As Vio goes to step around Wolfie one more time, Shadow find himself snapping. "Just climb on the damn wolf already."

"I'm surprised you care," Vio shoots back.

"I've cared since the library," Shadow responds with a little too much vitriol.

Vio draws back like he's been slapped. Shadow should be vindictive. He should be happy to be causing Vio as much pain as he feels. Instead, he feels awful. There's a nawing at his chest and Vio's reaction just makes it worse.

Vio climbs on to Wolfie's back with no further issue. Shadow flees into the shade of the nearby trees.

Green looks downright embarrassed to be apologizing again. "I swear we're not usually this bad."

The day passes much like the previous one. They all walk at different paces. Hyrule still wanders into the forest to explore as he pleases. Though, Wild sticks to the group under the shadow of the trees, like he said he would. When the others are distracted Shadow makes himself known. He's surprised that Wild had been serious about his offer of food, and he ends up with a mushroom and meat rice ball.

Wolfie disappears almost as soon as they stop for camp. Shadow sticks to Legend until he goes to Hyrule. His Light isn't as sharp as Sky's but it's brighter and it makes Shadow's skin crawl. Instead he ends up hiding in the tree Wild's cooking under. He watches as the long haired hero works, and still can't quite figure out how he creates such tasty meals on the road.

Twilight returns after they've all finished eating and accepts his plate from Wild. He loudly asks Shadow if he wants to eat with him.

Shadow reflexively sinks further into the shade and darts for another tree. Except Twilight's still looking at him. He forgot Twilight can always see him, even better than Legend can. He's not used to it.

Twilight goes to the plate Shadow had been inching towards and sits down. He pats the ground next to him. "Come on, I don't bite. Promise."

Shadow slinks over but stays hidden in the shadows. "You bit Legend."

Twilight glances around, relieved when no one seems to have heard. "Just get out here and eat with me."

"What if I don't feel like eating?"

Twilight shrugs. "More for me then."

Shadow lunges out of his hiding spot when Twilight grabs his plate. "Hands off!"

Twilight just grins at him. "Glad you could join me."

Thankfully Twilight doesn't expect him to talk as they eat. He more than easily carries a one-sided conversation for them. Shadow, despite knowing how dangerous it is, finds himself grateful for the company.

Chapter Text

Legend stops the group the second they hit a paved road. "Okay, ground rules," he says turning to the group with a serious expression. He crosses his arms. "I live here, so chill the fuck out. We are not brothers. People here know me. Saying we're related is going to cause problems," he shifts to point a finger at every single one of them. His gaze is much colder and his words sharper as he continues. "I live with someone. If any of you threaten him—so much as raise a finger much less a sword!—I will make you regret it."

Warriors steps forward with a calm smile and a passifying gesture. "Hey, no need to get so intense." Legend fixed him with a glare so fierce he automatically steps back.

The other share unsure looks as Time takes Warriors' place. "You have our word, Legend," Time says gravely. "Right boys?"

"Of course," Warriors says automatically. The others nod their own agreement.

He glares at them all for another moment before promptly turning on his heal. The silence is tense as they continue.

Warriors, never knowing when to leave well enough alone, makes his way to Legend. "So," he starts with a teasing smirk. "When were you gonna tell us you're married, too."

Caught completely off guard, Legend chokes. He bites back the laugh in hopes of keeping his intense demeanour. The more wary they are, the more likely they are to think before acting. Despite that, however, he can't quite hide the fondness in his voice. "Hardly. He's more of a freeloading milksop."

Legend doesn't have to look to hear the shit-eating grin on Warriors face. "But...?"

He grumbles, unwilling to openly admit that Ravio's his best friend.

Warriors laughs, slapping him on the back. Legend shoots him a glare but knows his moment of intimidation is gone. He just hopes the others are still tensed and primed to go. While he's not worried about Twilight, he fears the others will sense the Darkness shrouding Ravio and assume the worst.

Even with Shadow now in the group, he's not sure how they'll react. Hyrule and Warriors have made it clear they don't quite like Shadow. The others are better, but are still obviously wary of him.

He casts a glance back and sees Twilight's shadow wobble as he and Shadow talk. He sees Vio not necessarily shying away from the sunlight but trying to stick to the shadows as he and Wind talk. The furtive glances Vio keeps shooting Shadow's way are starting to get obvious.

He walks them around the edge of town towards his home. He keeps an eye on their interest to explore. Maybe after meeting Ravio he can send the rest to town and keep Vio and the colors inside for a chat.

He stops a few feet from the door. "Alright, here we–,"

"Mr. Hero!"

Legend staggers as he suddenly has an armful of purple robes and a mouthful of bunny hood.

"It was so scary!" Ravio continues to practically wail. "I got dumped into a scary world with a scary war and no one would send me back! I had to fight so many scary monsters all by myself!"

Legend wrestles him off. "What the fuck are you–,"

"Ravio?"

Ravio positively shrieks in response. He jumps to put Legend between himself and Warriors. "No, no no!" He begs. "You said it was over! You said we were done! Miss Lana sent me baaack!"

Warriors slowly raises his hands and slouches in an attempt to be as least threatening as possible. "Hey, hey, it's alright," he says in a soothing tone. Legend almost can't believe it's coming from him. "It really is over. My being here is completely different, and we don't need your help."

Ravio practically collapses against Legend in relief. "Oh thank goodness," he sighs dramatically.

Legend doesn't move from between the two. "How the fuck do you two know each other?" He asks sharply.

Warriors keeps the nonthreatening stance. Apparently he's used to Ravio's flightiness. "I told you: My war caused people from different eras to slip in."

That just raises even more questions. And he remembers Warriors' initial explanation. He's itching to ask, but there's more important things to do. With an exasperated sigh he says, "Whatever, let's just get inside."

He keeps himself between Ravio and the group as he heards them through the door. "And don't touch anything!" He shouts when Wind immediately beelines to the jewelry. "Most of that stuff is cursed!"

Twilight's the last to go through. Legend runs into him when he pauses just past the threshold. With a quiet chuff, Twilight continues further into the house.

The second Legend steps into his house, he understands. He lets Ravio in behind him, and keeps an eye on the others as they wander around. Still the feeling doesn't abate. "What'd you do to my house?" He accuses more than asks.

Ravio smiles innocently and snaps. Suddenly the natural lighting returns. "Just a simple darkening spell, Mr Hero," he says bringing a hand to his chest and another to his head as if he were about to faint. "After such a scary year I needed some comfort!"

Legend can't help the deadpan look he knows is on his face. He rolls his eyes, though he notices how Vio squinted against the sudden brightness. "As long as it doesn't react with anything I own."

"Oh not to worry, Mr Hero!" He holds his hands together and the same magic darkens the space between them, "I tried it small scale before I cast it on the house! I know how much keeping your home clean and intact means to you."

Legend resists the urge to snort. He rolls his eyes again instead. Ravio's smile widens and the house falls into darkness again.

Hyrule's hackles immediately rise. He looks to the others to see if they react to the blatant Dark Magic, but they're all preoccupied with exploring.

Warriors, who had been browses the many weapons on his walls, now watches Ravio with a thoughtful frown. Sky and Twilight don't bother looking up from the chest of old clothes they're digging through. Green snatches a ring out of Wind's hand and starts lecturing him.

Hyrule clenches his fists in frustration. "Come on!" He shouts "That's Dark Magic!"

"Yep," Legend responds without missing a beat.

"You know?!"

"Yep."

"And you're okay with it?!"

"Uh-huh."

Time places a hand on Hyrule's shoulder before he can really start having a meltdown. "I believe proper introductions are in order," he says pointedly.

Legend pushes Ravio forward. He keeps a hand on his friend's back as he motions to the other heroes with his free hand. "Ravio, meet Link. All destined heroes chosen by the Goddesses to save Hyrule yada yada yada. All from different eras and points in history, blah blah blah," he points at each individual one, introducing them by nickname.

Ravio has his friendly merchant voice as he waves at them. "Truly a pleasure to meet all of you!"

"Guys," Legend moves his hand to grab a single bunny ear and pulls Ravio's hood back. Ravio jumps in surprise. "Meet Ravio. The hero's Dark World counterpart from my era."

He tries not to snicker at the slack jawed look from Hyrule and Warriors. Over the years, his and Ravio's appearances have changed. They no longer look like color-swapped versions of each other, but there are still obvious similarities between them. The people of Hyrule Castle and his home town have come to accept it as an uncanny coincidence.

"Now he's just a hack of a merchant, thought," he says when no one says anything.

That's enough to snap Wind out of his shock and curiosity. He drops what he's holding and rushes to Vio's side. "That's right! We needs supplies for Fou–Vio."

Vio tries to bat him away. Though, he gets bullied into a chair by Sky and Wind.

Ravio immediately perks up at the word supplies. Legend yanks him back by the hood the moment he takes a step.

"I've got supplies don't worry," Legend replies already digging through a nearby chest.

Hyrule tentatively makes his way over to look at the supplies. Ravio leaves to stand near the staircase and out of their way. Hyurle eyes him warily as he digs through Legend's supplies. Finding what he needs, he makes his way back to Sky.

Sky and Wind make quick work of the bandages under Hyrule's direction. Hyrule frowns as the wound continues to bleed sluggishly. "I don't get it," Hyrule murmurs. "Why isn't it healing?"

"Oh I know!"

Hyrule startles. He hadn't heard Ravio approach. He holds back a glare at Ravio's close proximity and obvious hovering.

"Please, I mean no harm, Mr. Light heroes!" Ravio says raising his hands in a deliberate motion. "Allow me the chance to prove I am here to help."

Sky and Wind don't hesitate. They steps away letting Ravio take their place.

Hyrule glances at Legend. He wants Four to get better, but he's still unsure of Dark beings. He barely tolerates Shadow, it's no wonder he's struggling with Ravio too.

Legend nods encouragingly. He can't make Hyrule agree, but he can reassure him it's safe.

Hyrule sighs and takes a step back.

Ravio smiles brightly at him. "Thank you Mr. Light Hero!" He turns to Vio and slowly starts examining the wound. "Oh dear, you look like you've been run through!"

Vio grits his teeth at all the attention. "You could say something like that."

"You really ought to be more careful, Mr. Purple Hero," he tuts.

"Any day now," Hyrule prompts.

"Yes, of course!" Ravio replies refashioning the dressings. "Mr. Purple Hero, here, has a Light Binding on him," he explains as darkness starts to condense around him. "It's interfering with his magic at such a fundamental level it's preventing him from healing."

Ravio works his hands slowly over Vio's chest starting over his heart. He's careful and methodical as he moves. He stops at a spot in the right side of Vio's chest near his shoulder. "A-ha!" In a spark of orange, a teal fractal starts appearing under Ravio's fingers. It's centered on a spiral that spreads to a more square design. The orange spark fades and the teal slowly turns black.

"Better?" Ravio asks.

"Much," Vio replies with a relieved sigh. "Thank you."

Hyrule steps closer and places a gentle hand over the bandages. This time, the healing magic works. "Why a Light Binding?" He asks. It's extremely dangerous to use on someone not being sealed away.

"I..." Vio falters, looking down at his hands now that Hyrule has finished using his magic. "I've been looking into Dark Magic for a long time," he admits quietly. "When I started getting the marks of a Dark Mage, I had Zelda place a binding on me so I wouldn't get corrupted." Vio snorts, smiling bitterly at the thought. All the good that did him.

"Oh, that isn't Dark Magic," Ravio says. "It's much too old. Quite the strange magic! Not quite Light, not quite Dark either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hyrule asks. "How is it not based in Light or Darknes?"

Ravio shrugs. "I couldn't say," he sighs dramatically, "All I know is it's a really old type of magic.

"It's Twili," Twilight breathes. He looks utterly awed at the mark on Vio's chest. "It's perfectly safe."

Hyrule crosses his arms. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because my Zelda has been using it for nearly three years now," Twilight replies.

Hyrule purses his lips. Not even he can argue with a Zelda when it comes to magic. He'll just have to trust Zelda on it, even if he hasn't met her. It's not like Twilight's one to lie either.

"Awesome, great," Legend says calling attention to himself. "Vio just needs to rest now, right?"

Hyrule and Ravio nod. The others breathe out a collective sigh of relief. They're glad Vio's finally out of danger.

"Perfect," Legend says. "Everyone else, get the fuck out."

There's immediate protest. He ignores them easily and waits for a lull.

"Let me be clearer. Everyone except for Four– all of him," he says pointedly making eye contact with all the colors, "get the fuck out. I have some words I wanna say. The rest of you, go explore the town or whatever."

There's still protests, but less than before. Wind clutches at Vio's sleeve.

Thankfully Ravio seems to be on the same page. He starts ushering the others out. He's in full blown merchant mode now. His hood is firmly affixed over his head and he successfully heards the others around.

Wind gives him the most trouble. "What about you?" He asks with a frown.

"Oh I'll be staying," Ravio says easily. "Someone needs to stay back and make sure Mr. Hero doesn't go too hard on them!"

Legend rolls his eyes. That's a lie if he's ever heard one.

"But–,"

Ravio shoves him out the door. "Sorry, shop's closed!"

The door clicks shut in Wind's face. "Jerk!" Wind shouts through it.

Ravio tries not to look too eager as he returns to Legend side.

Legend gives him a flat look. Whatever. He turns to the look at the colors and sees how tense they all are. He softens at the sight. "Come on, I think we could all use some tea."

They glance at each other in confusion.

"I'm not here to yell at you," he tells them, "but I do want to tell you a story."

He starts getting the tea ready as they start slowly filtering into the kitchen. Ravio offers to help, but Legend firmly tells him to sit at the table. He doesn't own enough chairs for everyone, so he opts to stay standing.

Ravio pulls his hood back and accepts his cup of tea. The others awkwardly offer their thanks when Legend serves them theirs.

He tries to wait for the tension to lessen before he starts. When it doesn't, he lets out a quiet sigh and begins anyways.

Legend tells them of a far away kingdom. A kingdom that destroyed its source of power in hopes of preventing greedy hands and evil hearts from coveting it. A kingdom that fell to ruin when the balance of the world was destroyed. Of a young princess who inherited a dying kingdom plagued by famine and crime and monsters.

The stress she went through to keep her tattered kingdom together. The grief and helplessness she felt at her inability to do anything. Of the advisors and friends she asked for help.

How one advisor whispered honeyed lies to her. He promised her a way to revive her kingdom with the help of a Hero and a wish from the Gods.

In her desperation, the princess listened. She was so desperate to help her people, she listened to the advisor's lies. She wouldn't listen to reason, not even when her own fiancé warned her of the consequences. He didn't want her to do anything she would regret. So he left.

The princess found the Hero the advisor spoke of and manipulated him into obtaining the Triforce of Courage. She captured the Princess of Light and stole the Triforce of Wisdom. She used her power to take control of her advisor who, had obtained the Triforce of Power, and tried to kill the Hero. She just needed the Triforce to restore her kingdom.

It wasn't out of malice, but of desperation fueled by grief.

The Princess of Light took back the pieces of the Triforce, and offered compassion to the grief stricken princess.

The defeated princess realized her mistake and finally understood what her fiancé had been trying to tell her from the beginning. The guilt ate at her, almost as strongly as her jealousy had, as she sent the two weilders of the Triforce home. So she sealed the link between their worlds as best she could and resigned herself to her dying kingdom.

Legend let's the story hang in the air around them. He takes a sip of his neglected tea. It's practically cold.

Red sniffles in the silence. Even Blue and Green blinks back tears. Vio resolutely stares at his cup.

Ravio remains deathly silent as he stares into the distance.

Vio awkwardly clears his throat. "That's all well and good," he says carefully. "But what does that matter?"

Blue glares at him. "Heartless bastard."

"Blue!" Green's quick to reprimand.

Legend doesn't respond. Instead he waits.

"Because when she sent Link and Zelda home... She banished me as well," Ravio says quietly. He pulls a thin chain from beneath his scarf and lets the ring hang in plain view. "She couldn't see that she was being duped. So I had to sabotage her. In the end, she understood why it had to be done, but... The betrayal hurt too much. I left on the day of our wedding to find the Hero of Light knowing he may kill her."

Red gasps, fresh tears escaping from his eyes. Blue's breath hisses from between his teeth. Vio flinches at the words.

"I'm sorry," Green offers.

Ravio smiles wanly at him. "It's hard," he admits, "but I owe everything to Link and Zelda. They used the wish of their Triforce to restore Lorule's. Even if I can never go home or apologize to Hilda, I can rest easier knowing she won't have to watch her kingdom die. I pray she can find happiness after everything I put her through. I only wish I had a way to may amends."

Ravio's words hang heavy around them. It's clear he still harbors the pain and guilt of what happened.

After a few minutes of silence, Vio awkwardly clears his throat again. "It's not the same."

Legend raises an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

"You didn't kill her. Ravio's betrayal didn't lead to her death."

"I had every intention to," he says plainly. He feels bad for the way Ravio flinches and worse for what he's about to say. Though he's glad to see Vio flinch as well. "She plunged Hyrule into chaos. She kidnapped Zelda and the sages. She tried to kill me to claim my piece of the Triforce. She was a threat, and I had every intention of ending that threat. Zelda ordered me to show mercy."

Vio makes a frustrated noise. "You're not listening! It's different!"

"Then tell me the difference," Legend pushes just as strongly, "because from where I'm standing, what you and Ravio did is basically the same."

"It's not!"

"How?"

"Because he's not a monster!” Vio shouts, shooting to his feet. The chair clatters loudly against the floor. "He didn't trick her into loving him for gain! I saw weakness in Shadow and I exploited it!" He slams an angry fist on the table. "I twisted and molded his love into something I could use! Hell, I've been lying to myself to look into Dark Magic, and look at where that got me! Dead and cursed in some decrepit crypt for who knows how many centuries!"

"Vio, that's not–," Green starts.

"Shut up!" He screams smacking the hand away. "I don't need your pretend sympathy! I know you hate me! I hate me! So stop lying to yourself and just admit it!"

"Hey!" Blue barks. "Don't take it out on Green!"

Vio whirls on him with a snarl. "Then who! You?! Give you the excuse you've needed to finally get rid of me?" He challenges. "Here, I'll give you a better excuse: You could've saved him! But you were too weak!"

Blue jerks back as if struck.

The anger flees him all at once as tears well up in his eyes. His voice is small and cracked as he says, "Instead I tried to kill him... And he used the last of his strength to help me anyways," his voice cracks, unable to hold back the flood of emotion. "I was a coward," he chokes out. "I panicked and ran like a fucking coward! I knew where Zelda was and I left her behind. Shadow had to set her free because I was too scared to do anything myself."

"You're not a coward," Red whispers.

Vio laughs. It's a bitter and ugly thing. "Aren't I though?" He asks. "I'm a coward and a liar and I use the people I love for my own benefit," he tries to smile but it's cracked and brittle and so very broken. "I'm no hero, I'm a coward. I tainted the Hero's Spirit and it's my fault we end up cursed."

His words weigh heavily on them. Vio's shaky breaths ring loudly in the silence.

Red's chair scapes against the floor as he launches himself from his seat. He slams into Vio, burying his face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry!" He sobs. "We should've been there for you!"

Vio allows himself only a second of comfort as he pats Red on the back before gently prying him off. "It's okay. You don't have to pity me. I'm undeserving of it."

Red only pulls back enough to grab Vio by the front of his tunic and shake him. Blue and Green are instantly on their feet, shocked by Red's aggressive actions.

"You idiot!" Red shouts. "You forget I feel everything! The guilt, the shame. The sense of failure and loneliness. The longing that leaves me feeling choked for days!" He finally stops shaking Vio. His voice trembles. "It's all from you, isn't it?"

Vio looks away, unable to meet Red's eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to fuck up our priorities as Link. I didn't mean to force us into this."

Red latches onto Vio again. If he won't meet his eyes, then he'll just have to hear the sincerity in his voice. Feel the sincerity of his touch. "That's not what I meant," he says softly. "Legend was right. We never stopped pushing you away. We never tried to understand you. I'm sorry."

"Red..." Vio whispers. He jumps at the hand on his back.

"Our memories are weird," Blue says, "it's so much easier to bury the memory of grief and guilt from Shadow dying behind the three memories of confusion at the fact that he helped. To bury a peaceful night under the moon behind the frustration and exhaustion of travel. The sickness and fear of hurting Green behind the fury and resentment from watching it."

He looks away. He tries to deny it with failing words. "You don't have to– ..."

"Vio," Green says sternly. Vio tenses at the attention. "We helped because it's something we all wanted to do. Losing Shadow hurts in a way that only the thought of losing Zelda and Grandpa can compare."

Red moves out of the way so Green can take his place in front of Vio. Blue keeps a comforting hand on Vio's back as Red takes one of Vio's free hands in his.

"You lost someone you loved on that day," Green continues in a kinder tone. "And no matter how much you try to bury that pain, it never went away. We can all feel that loss. That is why we helped."

"You shouldn't have to fix my mistakes," Vio insists.

Green pulls him into a gentle hug. "We are you, and you are us. We all make up Link. There is no me and there is no you. And we hurt you by making you believe you were all alone. For that, I'm sorry."

Vio buries his face in Green's shoulder and finally lets himself crumble. He lets everything rush out. All the guilt and pain and loneliness he's felt. The regret and shame of his actions. Of the fear and uncertainty of where he stands with Shadow now. "I'm sorry," he chokes out between wracked sobs. "I'm so sorry."

Green rubs a hand over his back. "We forgive you," he says gently, soothing Vio as they acknowledges the pain for the first time in their life.

Vio's free hand clutches the back of his tunic like a lifeline. Like he's terrified Green will leave it he doesn't hold on.