Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Legend really hoped this was a good idea.

He wasn’t going to back out now, of course - there was too much at stake, and too many people were involved now. He’d committed, and he was going to see it through. 

Still. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. If he was, it would be far more than his own life on the line.

“So,” he said, pulling on the familiar mantle of calm confidence and resting his elbows on the dinner table turned war room table. “What’s the plan?”

Time, sitting in his usual place, slid a sheet of paper across the table to him. “It’s already started. We made sure to begin circulating rumors during the initial outcry, after two ‘traitors’ and the prince vanished from the heart of the castle.”

“We weren’t going to do anything else without your permission, of course,” Warriors said, obviously trying to reassure him, “that was mainly for safety reasons. The more confusion there was around your disappearance, the less chance someone would find you.”

“A dual purpose,” Time agreed. “Safety, and groundwork for later in case we might need it. The second part of the plan is a contact among the nobility.”

Legend picked up the paper. The handwriting was rushed but surprisingly neat, and he caught mentions of your friend and happy to help as he quickly scanned it. “Okay. Who is it, and why are they important?”

“I’m not telling anyone else precisely who our contact is,” Time said with a shake of his head. “Once again, for safety reasons. He also doesn’t know precisely who you are. I’ve told him I’m passing correspondence to an associate of mine who is far more well-versed in the dealings of nobility than I am.”

“Passing correspondence?” Legend echoed with a frown, setting the paper down.

Time nodded. “Your job, for now, will be communicating with our contact. You’ll understand what he’s telling us better than anyone, and you can help him plan how best to sway the nobles to our side. Warriors, I’d like to ask you to do the same with some of my contacts in the army.”

“Absolutely.” When Legend glanced over, Warriors was still watching him with a slightly worried expression.

“Something wrong?” Legend asked, because he was keyed up enough without worrying about whatever was on Warriors’ mind, too.

Warriors sighed. “I’m just a little wary at the moment. The idea of putting you, and of course the rest of us, back into danger is something I’ll have to adjust to.”

“This is, unfortunately, not the first teenager who has walked up to me and absolutely insisted on being useful,” Time said dryly.

There was a light thud, like Warriors had gently kicked Time’s leg under the table. “Stop it. I already know, I’m experiencing your struggles right in front of you, isn’t that enough?”

“I never wanted you to,” Time said, his expression softening slightly. “And I will do my best to make sure we all get out of this in one piece. On that note, I have a suggestion that you may not like, Legend.”

Well, that wasn’t promising. “What?”

Time took a breath. “I think it would be best if we waited for this. If we move after your eighteenth birthday, there will be no room for anyone else to claim power. You will have sole claim to the throne, once your father is off of it.”

“That’s two years!” Legend protested, something twisting in his gut at the idea of waiting so long.

“It is. But if we move now, there could be a substantial argument made for appointing a regent,” Time pointed out. “You’re only sixteen, Legend. In the eyes of the law, you aren’t old enough to rule alone.”

And that did make sense. Legend knew how it would go if a regent took the throne - his life would be in constant danger, if he wasn’t outright thrown in jail as soon as he was out of the public eye.

“It’d have to be a suitable regent, too,” Warriors added, “someone noble and distinguished, with a wide power base and significant influence. All of those things are risky for our operation.”

Legend slouched a little, because he was allowed to be irritated and show it, but he reluctantly nodded and picked up the paper again. “Fine. We’ll wait.”

“Thank you,” Time said, and there was genuine relief in the words. “The good news is, that gives us plenty of time to plan. We don’t have every detail ironed out yet - that will be part of what you two will be helping with - but we have the beginnings, and two years will allow us to coordinate everything exactly right. We have to get this right on the first try. There are no do-overs for a revolution.”

“That’s a fair amount of time to help stir up civil unrest, as well,” Warriors said, resting his chin on his hand. “Not too much, though, we don’t want people starting their own revolution without any backup.”

Time nodded. “Leave that to the rest of us. I want you two - and Hyrule, if he decides to help us - away from the city until it’s time to move, just in case you’re seen and recognized. We can’t afford to have the manhunt start up again.”

“So we’re just writing letters,” Legend grumbled, glancing over the paper again. The contact had signed it with a little bunny doodle, that was cute. And smart, it wasn’t a good idea to have a name attached to something like this.

“For now, you are coordinating aspects of this revolution that I would do a bad job coordinating myself,” Time corrected. “You are uniquely situated to help with very important parts of this campaign, and communication is crucial.”

“Two years might be more than enough time to establish a change in the people, but the schemes of the nobility work a bit slower,” Warriors put in, “so you’ll need all the time you can get.”

Legend nodded slowly, looking a little more intently at the lines. “Looks like he’s already starting to work on it. He’s going after - oh, the lower ranking families first, smart. Getting a foothold.”

“You see, you actually understand any references to which families he’s talking to,” Time sighed. “It didn’t make much sense to me, which is why I’m handing it off to you.”

“He’ll need time and money to go after the bigger families,” Legend mused, only half paying attention now. “Probably lots of money. Do we have money? I should probably ask him if he has a plan for that.”

“He’ll definitely have some ideas,” Warriors said, looking at the letter over Legend’s shoulder. “Especially if Time picked him specifically for this. Means this guy’s at least as paranoid as the old man is.”

“He has reason to be,” Time said with the calm sort of crypticness Legend had come to expect from him. “As do I, which you’re well aware of.”

Warriors winced. “The only reason I’m not still apologizing for that is because I could tell when it started to annoy you.”

“It has been more than a decade,” Time said with a raised eyebrow. “I think we’ve moved past it.”

Legend frowned, glancing back and forth between them. “What did you need to apologize for, Wars?” The captain was always careful about things, especially things to do with Time’s secrets.

With a sigh, Warriors leaned back in his chair. “I mishandled a situation and led Time to believe I was going to turn him in. I wasn’t, but it was still… bad.”

“You weren’t aware of the stakes yet,” Time said gently. More gently than Legend had been expecting. “You didn’t actually do anything, and it was a good reminder to me to be more careful. You are forgiven, captain, and have been for many years now.”

Warriors looked away, managing a small nod. Legend could tell he didn’t quite believe Time, despite his smile. “Anyway. I’m sure this contact has some ideas. Maybe you do, too- you could share them in your first letter.”

“For now, we’ll be keeping it to one a week, for subtlety’s sake.” Time said, looking back to Legend. “If you feel that needs to be adjusted at any point, let me know.”

Legend nodded. He could make once a week work while he figured out what this contact knew and what he was already planning.

“And the same to you, Warriors,” Time added. “If you need more time, or more frequent communication, we can do that.”

“Alright.” Warriors glanced over at Legend again. “Is that everything for now? Anything else we need to know about, or help arrange?”

Time shook his head. “Not at the moment. We’ll have two years, so a lot of what we’re doing right now is laying groundwork. If something comes up, I’ll let you two know immediately. Warriors, I have all of the letters from my army contacts in here for you to look over before you start writing.” He slid a large envelope across the table.

“Oh boy,” Warriors said, raising his eyebrows. “Lots of homework for me, then.”

“You always said you wanted to help out with paperwork,” Time said with a smug little smile. “And you have more than Legend because I have more than one army contact. The nobles have been much trickier.”

Warriors poked at the envelope, looking slightly disgusted. “I’m well aware it’s logical and reasonable, but that’s not going to stop me from complaining.”

“Sucks to be you,” was Legend’s input as he calmly folded up his single letter.

With an eye roll, Warriors poked Legend in the side with his elbow, partially hidden in the guise of pulling his large envelope closer. 

“Children, please behave yourselves,” Time sighed.

“I’m just sitting here!” Legend said indignantly. “Wars is the one being horribly cruel to me.”

“I’m simply evening out our workloads,” Warriors said with a grin, “giving you your fair share of annoyances, paper or otherwise.”

Time stood with a fond roll of his eye, and in a blink, it seemed like they were sitting around a dinner table again. “Go read your letters, both of you. I have paper in my office when you need it.”

“It’s not an office if there’s wood shavings all over everything,” Legend said with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s an office if I use it like an office.”

“You don’t.”

“There is paper in my office,” Time repeated calmly, already starting to walk away. “Have fun with your homework, Warriors.”

Warriors grinned at Legend. “He doesn’t want you to have any fun. Go suffer over your letter, Legend.”

“My contact signed his letter with a doodle, bet none of yours did,” Legend huffed.

“Normally I’d take that as a sign of this whole thing not being taken seriously, but nobles are weird.” Warriors shrugged. “If that’s the only win you can find, then take it.”

“Fuck you.” It was a cute doodle, but Legend was very aware that actually saying that would win him no points here.

“Can’t hear you over the rustling of my mound of fun paperwork,” Warriors told him, standing up and heading towards their room. 

Legend scowled after him. He’d been planning to read his letter in there. Well, up on the roof it was, and he would not be paying attention to any reprimand he got about it.

[An excerpt from the letter:]

To my dear new confidant-

Our mutual friend has recommended you highly! A rare honor, especially from him. I’m happy to help, and excited to communicate and work with someone who shares my particular feelings and sensibilities on so many things.

[…]

And you don’t need to be worried about me, my dear confidant, because this is all great fun! I enjoy talking to people, and am of a persuasive persuasion, so it is no hardship.

I cannot help but wonder where you are in all of this, but I know better than to ask. I will simply hold onto the mysterious hope that anyone I pass at an event or a ball could be you in disguise, helping me to do our work. If all goes well, of course, we may meet someday, but until then I remain affectionately,

[A small doodle of a rabbit. It is holding a flower in its mouth.]

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

To my new friend,

You must forgive me, I have not written a letter in some time. My skills may have become rusty, so please bear with me as I iron out the creases. 

I must admit, I am surprised our mutual friend is putting so much faith in me, but I am happy to do what I can. It is a pleasure to be working with you.

[...]

I am glad this is not a hardship for you. It certainly has been for me, and I would like to prevent as much of that for other people as I can. And of course, for safety, I cannot tell you who I am or where I am, but it is a very nice thought that we might see each other and not know it. 

All will go well. That, I am sure of.

[A small doodle of a sword]

Warriors stared into the bottom of his empty coffee cup and tried to muster up a reasonable level of frustration. 

It was late enough that the moon had moved over the roof and towards the other side of the farmhouse, leaving the window in Time’s woodworking room dark. Warriors was on his fourth candle of the night, the other nubs resting in a careful pile on the desk. 

He stifled a yawn, and stood up. An empty coffee cup meant it was time to take a stretch while he got a refill.

It would have been a perfectly normal nighttime trip into the kitchen if Four hadn’t been sitting on the couch. The moon did come through the windows on this side of the house, and the glint off of Four’s eyes had Warriors startling so hard that he would have spilled his coffee all over himself- if he still had any.

Four didn’t say anything. He just nodded to Warriors in greeting.

Warriors stopped himself from saying it’s late for you, anticipating the probable response about it being late for him as well. He probably shouldn’t offer the kid coffee, either. So, he just nodded back and headed into the kitchen, turning towards the counter that held-

Nothing. The coffee pot was gone.

He blinked a few times, just to make sure, then stuck his head out of the kitchen doorway and back into the living room. “...Wasn’t there coffee in here?”

“Yep,” Four agreed calmly.

Warriors wasn’t in his sharpest frame of mind at the moment, but he still squinted at Four suspiciously. “And it isn’t here now.”

“Nope.”

Great. Warriors sighed, stepping out into the living room and leaning against the wall, stifling the urge to say something hypocritical again. “Hope you enjoyed your cup,” he ended up with, giving Four a small but genuine smile. He could chat for a minute, before he brewed a new pot.

“Oh, I didn’t have any, it’s too late to be drinking coffee,” Four said with a pointed look at the mug in Warriors’ hand.

Goddess damn it.

“Kid,” Warriors sighed, “please tell me you didn’t throw it out. I really do have to get these letters off tomorrow morning.” He considered for a second. “Well, at this point it’d be today morning, I guess.”

Four shook his head. “I didn’t, it’s just in a place you won’t find it. There’s only like a quarter of it left, I know it wasn’t that empty yesterday.”

…And if Four said Warriors wouldn’t be able to find it, he was probably right. Four had a way of being right about things, Warriors had learned. “It wasn’t,” he admitted, “but it was made specifically to get me through tonight, so I’d rather have it back, please.”

Four gave him a long, considering look. “... How important are these letters?”

“Important enough that I probably shouldn’t be telling you they exist,” Warriors tried, hoping that would be serious enough to stifle Four’s curiosity. Well, at least to stop him from asking any more questions.

Next time he was just going to keep the coffee pot in Time’s woodworking room in the first place.

“More secret projects?” Four asked with raised eyebrows.

Warriors nodded. “As our strategists are much fewer than other groups’, some of us have to work long nights. And need our coffee.”

“Too much coffee is bad for you,” Four corrected him.

“Not as bad as people-” dying because of- “...trying to use plans I make while sleepy and unfocused,” Warriors pointed out.

Four frowned. “Then why aren’t you making them when you’re not tired?”

“I am. There are just a lot of plans to be made.” And he maybe wanted to spend some of his waking hours with those he’d come to consider his family, but that was something he tried very hard not to think about in order to avoid the guilt that came with it.

“... Is this a time sensitive secret project?”

“This part should go out this morning, definitely, but it’ll be a bit before I get the papers I need to plan the next steps. I promise I don’t do this every night.” Warriors put a little more energy into his smile to combat the eye bags he probably had, trying to look convincing and put together. To present this as an aberration from his normal routine.

Four thought about that for a minute. “... You’re not trying to do everything by yourself again, are you?”

The fact that Warriors had to genuinely think about that wasn’t a great sign. “There aren’t that many of us who’ve had my level of strategic training.” It still embarrassed Warriors a bit that there were others, but he was still considered the best choice.

“That doesn’t mean you have to do everything,” Four pointed out.

“...Fair. But the more papers are passed around, the greater the risks. It’s hard to feign innocence if someone is caught mailing me stacks of copied maps, especially when some of them are protected locations.”

Four raised an eyebrow at him. “There are people right here who can copy maps, you know.”

Warriors opened his mouth to protest instinctually, then closed it. 

Huh. 

“That’s a good point,” he admitted, “but who…”

Four raised the other eyebrow.

“Oh,” Warriors said, his confusion changing into a slightly different type of confusion. “Are you sure?”

“I couldn’t help last time,” Four said stubbornly. “I just had to stand there and watch and be told what was happening after it was already over. Give me the papers and I’ll get you caffeine.”

“I’ll give you the maps I still need copied,” Warriors said as a compromise, “and you can have some caffeine too, if you want.”

“Deal.” Four stood up and moved past Warriors into the kitchen, taking the mug as he went. “You’re getting tea, though, you’ve probably had plenty of coffee already.”

Warriors sighed, but that was probably the best he was going to get. “I should have known when you said caffeine instead of coffee.”

“It’ll do the same thing and it’s better for you.”

“I’ll take it.” It didn’t feel like tea had quite the same effect as coffee, but that meant Warriors would probably just have to drink more of it.

“Good, because you’re definitely not getting a look at any of my hiding places for things,” Four told him, setting the mug on the counter and rummaging through a cabinet for the tea.

Warriors nodded. “A strategic mind. I can appreciate that. I think we’ll work well together.” And despite the hint of teasing in the first two sentences, he found he meant every word.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

[...] 

By the way, I’ve heard an absolutely delightful variant on one of the rumors about the missing prince- this particular noble genuinely seems to believe he is secretly hiding beneath the castle in escape tunnels dug by his, quote, ‘rebel spies.’ I wish I had access to secret tunnels- I’m sure it would make coordinating alliances much easier, with all the things I could overhear.

Your advice, dear confidant, on the matter of continuing to communicate with a contact during the sudden scrutiny and flurry of their engagement, was extremely helpful. I am always glad to hear from you, and even more so when you have such wonderful ideas! 

I remain respectfully yours,

[A doodle of a bunny, sitting on a swing attached to a very thin tree which stretches up the margin of the page]

“So,” Time sighed, setting down his cup of tea. “Let’s get down to business.”

Sky adjusted his loose hold on Wind, who was sitting in his lap, gave Hyrule’s hand a small squeeze, and hoped this wouldn’t be as important of a meeting as he was starting to suspect it would be.

Time had gathered the whole group - everyone who lived at or was currently staying at the ranch had been called into the living room for some kind of discussion. All Time would say beforehand was that he had something important to talk to them about.

Sky tried very hard to force down the rising panic that they were all finally being kicked out. Or maybe they had been discovered, or they were suspected, and they needed to move. 

He glanced around the room, and his eyes caught on Warriors - more serious than he had been in a while - Legend - spine straight, gaze focused - and, very unsettlingly, Four - glancing back and forth between Warriors and Time, something calculating in his eyes. Those three knew something.

“Okay, who’s going to start?” Warriors asked, “because I think the number of people panicking in this room just increased exponentially.”

“I think I should,” Legend spoke up, in a voice that was steadier and stronger than Sky had been expecting. He sounded… well, just for a moment, he sounded like a leader. Legend glanced around the room at all of them, then said “I’ve decided that I’ll be going after the throne.”

Wind audibly gasped. Hyrule’s grip on Sky’s hand tightened, and he was very carefully staring slightly to the side of Legend’s head. 

“And we’ve made plans,” Warriors added, “truly outrageous numbers of plans. We’re being smart about this.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “When?”

“Two years,” Time told him, though he looked around at the rest of them, too. “We’re waiting until Legend turns eighteen. We can’t afford to leave anything to chance here.”

“None of you have to help,” Legend put in quickly. “It’s going to be dangerous, and I won’t ask any of you to put yourselves at risk for me again.”

Wind poked Sky in the leg, and when Sky looked at him he was frowning. “This is gonna be too dangerous, right?” His tone was about the amount of bitter that Sky had expected- they’d talked at length about Wind’s and Sky’s separate inputs on the boundaries of his magic, but that didn’t mean either of them were fully happy with the result.

Sky forced himself to take a long, deep breath. “We’ll - we’ll talk about it.” He made no promises on the outcome of that talk, but… he’d promised Wind he would try not to dismiss things like that out of hand.

Four was frowning at Warriors, and after a moment, raised an eyebrow at him with a simple “Secret project?”

Warriors nodded with an expression startlingly similar to Wind’s when he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. “I did say it was important.”

Four grumbled something about communication and secrets under his breath, but he didn’t push it.

“I want to help!” Wild piped up. He was bouncing in his seat next to Malon, beaming.

“We will discuss your involvement in this later,” Time said with an almost-sharp look. He glanced to Twilight and added “Both of you.”

Twilight nodded. Wild slumped against Malon with a bit of a pout, but he nodded too.

“Four,” Sky said slowly, looking between him and Warriors. “Why do you know about this?”

“Warriors has a coffee addiction and tries to do too much by himself,” Four said bluntly. “I’m helping.”

“Warriors has a perfectly reasonable relationship with coffee,” Warriors put in, “and is very appreciative of your map-copying efforts.”

Map-copying?

“How long has this been going on?” Sky asked, fighting to keep his voice even.

“Maybe four months?” Warriors guessed.

“A few weeks,” Four said at the same time.

Sky took a deep breath in, held it, and let it out. He let go of his sudden death grip on Hyrule’s hand with a murmured apology. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I was just copying maps,” Four said with a shrug and that familiar, determined look in his eye. “I wasn’t actually doing anything dangerous.”

Being involved at all was dangerous. Sky swallowed back that answer and took another measured breath. “We’re going to discuss this later.”

“But -”

“We are going,” Sky said slowly and deliberately, giving Four a warning look, “to discuss this. Later.”

Four wavered for a moment, then crossed his arms and looked away.

“If we’re gonna talk about everything later, why are we having a meeting?” Wind asked, fidgeting slightly by tapping his fingers on the side of Sky’s leg.

“Because we wanted to make sure you were all aware of the situation,” Time said calmly, taking back control of the conversation. “The details - including your involvement in all of this - will be up to each of you. And please remember that you have time to decide. We won’t be making our move for two more years.”

Sky caught Warriors giving Four a very apologetic look, probably about the slip-up earlier.

“... Rulie?” Legend said very quietly. “You okay?”

Hyrule nodded, leaning back against the wall behind him. “Just thinking.” His face was neutral enough for Sky to read no danger in it, but also enough for someone nervous to misinterpret it as negative.

Sky took Hyrule’s hand again and gave it another gentle squeeze.

“You don’t wanna help?” Wind asked, surprised and a bit reproachful.

Pulling his hand out of Sky’s, Hyrule crossed his arms. “I said I’m thinking.”

“Wind,” Sky said quietly, “Hyrule doesn’t have to do anything he isn’t comfortable with. This is a big decision, he’s allowed to take his time. And he’s allowed to decide he wants to stay out of this, if that’s what he thinks is best.” He wished a few other people had made that decision, quite honestly, but evidently that wasn’t up to him.

Wind gave him a skeptical look, but dropped the topic. 

“And there are plenty of very safe ways to get involved as well,” Warriors added hurriedly, glancing at Sky, “like copying maps!”

“I would think,” Sky said, sharper than he’d meant to, “that you, at least, would think to tell me about this sort of thing, safe or no.”

Warriors was visibly nervous now, but only because Sky knew where to look. “He made good points, and it’s not like he was doing anything dangerous. He was just copying maps.”

“Being involved is dangerous,” Sky snapped. “And you know that.”

“There is no way for anyone to tell who drew those diagrams,” Warriors said, obviously trying to placate him, “the only way that he’d get caught is if all of us got caught, and there’s no way Time would let that happen. No one would be able to accuse him of anything except living here.”

Sky had to make a conscious effort not to tighten his hold on Wind. “And what happens,” he asked, low and dangerous, “when he decides that’s not enough? What happens when he wants to do more, and you let him, and I still don’t know about it? What happens when I can’t protect my fucking kids?”

After a careful pause, Warriors said, “I know there’s no way for me to prove I’d let you know if he was asking to do anything more dangerous, but I do want to say that I would , if that means anything.” He hesitated for a second, then continued gently. “And you can’t protect them forever.” 

“And you would know,” Sky said softly, fixing Warriors with the steeliest glare he could manage.

Warriors’ face became suddenly unreadable. After a second, he gave Sky a nod, and got to his feet. Legend reached out to him as he crossed the room, but Warriors just gave him a shake of the head and a small smile and continued.

The door closed quietly behind him.

“I think that’s everything we needed to discuss,” Time said in the most neutral tone Sky had heard from him in a while. “Thank you all for your time.”

Legend hesitated for a long moment, then practically ran out of the room after Warriors.

“What the hell, Sky?” Four demanded, turning to glare at him.

“Wild,” Malon said quietly, getting to her feet and nudging Wild with her. “Twi, come help me with the horses.”

Wild frowned. “But -”

“Now, honey,” Malon said gently, steering him out the door, followed closely by Twilight.

Time stood, too, quietly following Legend and Warriors and leaving Sky’s family alone in the living room.

Four hadn’t stopped glaring at Sky. “Why the hell did you say that?”

“Because,” Sky said carefully, trying to force the anger back down. It wasn’t going to help anyone right now. “He knows how dangerous this is.”

“That doesn’t mean you should just throw it in his face!” Four insisted. “That was too far, and you know it. I’m fifteen, I can decide if the risk is worth it!”

Fifteen was still so young, too young to be involved, too young to be in danger. If Sky had his way, Four would never have to be in danger at all. “Without even mentioning it to me? How long would this have gone on if it hadn’t been brought up? Would you ever have told me?”

“Maybe I didn’t want you in danger!” Four shot back. “We’re allowed to try and keep you safe too, you know!”

“That’s not your job!” Sky insisted. “It’s my job to keep you safe, and -”

“You’re as bad as he is!” Four burst out, smacking his hand against the arm of his chair. “Just stop trying to do everything all on your own! You’ve never been doing this all on your own and I’m sick and tired of you pretending that you have!”

Sky faltered at that. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been working since I was twelve!” Four reminded him, ticking things off on his fingers. “Before that, I was watching Wind every day. I had to be the one who stayed home with him, or waiting for him when he wandered and you went out looking, and I had to be the one picking up as many extra hours as I could, and taking care of you, because you wouldn’t! You were too busy trying to take care of us to even think about how we felt watching you run yourself into the ground!”

Sky had known, on some level, that what he’d had to do to Four hadn’t been fair. He had put more on Four’s shoulders than he should have, and neither of them had had a choice in it, and that wasn’t fair. But hearing it all laid out like this, with so much anger…

“And now,” Four continued, “I have the chance to actually help with something that’s bigger than us, that could actually make a difference, where I don’t have to just sit back and watch it happen again, and you want me to - what, just ignore it? Not try to help? Trying to help is all you ever fucking do, what else did you want me to learn from you?”

And that broke something in Sky, just a bit.

“I just -” he paused, took a breath, tried to hold back the building tears. “I just wanted you to be safe.”

“I’ve never been safe,” Four snapped. “There’s always been something to worry about. None of us have ever been safe. This is the safest we’ve ever been and we still aren’t safe, because the system is fucking broken and you’re too scared to let me help fix it.”

Sky couldn’t break down in front of his kids. 

The thought appeared unbidden but absolutely unignorable. Sky could not break down in front of his kids.

“I think,” he said very softly, shifting a still and silent Wind off of his lap and standing up, “that it would be a good idea to talk about this tomorrow.”

“Oh, so now that I’m finally standing up for myself you’re just going to walk away?” Four demanded.

He could not break down in front of his kids he could not break down in front of his kids.

Sky took a breath and forced the tremor out of his voice. “I need to think about this. I’m - I’m not ignoring the issue, I promise. I just… I need to think.”

Four crossed his arms and looked away.

That was as good as he was going to get. Sky turned and quietly left the room, closing the door as gently as he could behind him. Then he started walking.

Time to find some out of the way corner where he could break down. Somewhere where his kids couldn’t hear him.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

[...] 

After that particular scheme, I gave myself a full five hours off and away from any form of social activity, political or otherwise. Sleeping in can be absolutely incredible if you do it right- and it is a luxury I am able to indulge in a little more than others would be, due to my station. There really is nothing like opening your eyes to the soft light of an already-begun day and realizing you have absolutely nothing you have to do. I hope you get to sleep in sometimes, my dear confidant- you’re certainly working hard enough with all these ideas! Although this is a collaboration, of course, your insight has been invaluable. 

I eagerly await your next letter and your ideas on the situation with the two frustrated minor lords, even if your suggestion is to leave them and spend our time on different targets- wouldn’t that be a break for me! 

Mostly joking! 

Sincerely,

[A doodle of a rabbit. It is running, with bread in its mouth. The opposite side of the page has a spiky speech bubble with a scribble in it, as if to signify the rabbit is being chased.]

Sky took a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly, pretending it didn’t shake in his lungs. 

He’d had his breakdown. He’d had his time to fall apart, and now he needed to be put together again so he could fix everything he’d torn open on his way down. 

We’ve never been safe, Four said in his memory, and Sky breathed through it. 

There was… a lot to fix. But Sky was an adult, he could take responsibility for his actions and his words, and he had three people he needed to talk to. Maybe it made him a coward to have the easiest conversation first, and to avoid talking to his boys more than a quick good morning until he knew what he wanted to say, but… well, he needed to start somewhere. And Warriors deserved an apology.

Sky knocked quietly on the bedroom door before he could talk himself out of it.

After a moment, the door opened just enough to reveal Legend, who looked surprised to see him. The look quickly melted into a scowl. “What do you want?”

“Is Warriors here?” Sky asked quietly.

Legend just stared at him for a moment, then turned to glance into the room. He nodded and turned back to Sky. “You’d better not upset him again.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sky promised him. 

After another second of scrutiny, Legend opened the door wide enough to slip out of the room and down the hall. Probably to give them some privacy to talk.

Sky took a breath and tapped his knuckles against the partially open door. “Warriors?”

The door opened wider, and Warriors stepped back behind it to let Sky into the room. “Good to see you, Sky. No hard feelings from yesterday, I promise.”

Maybe there should be, Sky thought, stepping into the room with as much of a smile as he could manage. “Well, that’s a better start than I’d hoped for.”

Warriors shrugged. “You were right, for better or worse. I just hope there’s a way for me to reassure you that I would have involved you in any conversation about Four doing more pressing work.”

He’d thought a lot about that since the meeting. He’d had plenty of time, staring at the ceiling as his brain wouldn’t shut up and calm down long enough to let him sleep. Sky nodded, keeping the smile on his face as he said “I trust that you would. I just… I’d hoped you would have told me before he got involved at all. Or after, as a courtesy.”

That conversation very well may have led to an incident like this, but it wouldn’t have stung as badly as the knowledge that neither of them had told him for four months.

“I honestly didn’t think about it,” Warriors admitted, not meeting Sky’s gaze. “I don’t know if I assumed you knew, or something, but… I didn’t make a decision to exclude you.”

Something flared in the pit of Sky’s stomach that maybe he should have thought a little harder, but he tamped it down and didn’t let it show on his face. “I do appreciate that. It… really upset me, though, and while I think that was justified… what I said to you wasn’t.”

Warriors shrugged. “You weren’t wrong. That’s why I said what I did, because I had experience with it.”

“Still. I shouldn’t have said it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Warriors looked slightly confused at the continued apology.

Sky nodded, and - it didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel satisfying, but he’d said what he wanted to say, so he had to move on now. “So - you’ve all been working on plans for four months?”

“I’ve been planning for a fair bit longer, that was just when Four happened to catch me at it. There’s a lot to do, even without our new plans.” Warriors sat down on the bed, gesturing to the chair across the room for Sky.

Sky went over and sat down, because he really did want to know about this. If he was going to help - and he would, if his boys were involved, of course he would - he would need all the information he could get.

“Scheduling alone is a decent amount of work, and I’ve been doing some of that to free up other people, especially since I’m no longer of use in the castle,” Warriors said, sounding vaguely guilty. “But I have to coordinate with our contacts farther away, and those at the front lines- we don’t communicate much under normal circumstances, for safety, but with our new plans there’s a lot to work out.”

“That sounds like a big job,” Sky said, trying to keep his hands still. He didn’t want Wars to see how anxious all of this was making him.

“I have the most strategic training in the Castle Town group,” Warriors told him, “so I was the clear choice. That’s why I had so much to do, and probably what led to Four asking to help.”

Sky nodded, turning that over in his head. “So… what would we all be helping with, if we get involved?”

“Completely depends on your comfort level,” Warriors said immediately. “That’s the first consideration. After that, the easiest choices are spreading rumors, helping with letters, or just hanging around places of strategic importance and telling us if anything odd happens. Honestly, just helping with the ranch upkeep while some of us are busy would help, if that’s all you’re comfortable doing.”

“Alright.” That didn’t sound too bad. He would have to work to convince Wind and Four to hang back and stick to the safer options - we’ve never been safe - but they didn’t sound awful. That made sense, he supposed; they had plenty of time before the action started.

“You don’t have to decide anything right away either,” Warriors assured him. “And you can stop anytime, of course.”

Sky nodded a few times, and he caught himself running a fingernail over the hem of his tunic. “I’ll… get back to you on that. I don’t think it would be fair for me to decide anything like that before I’ve talked to the boys about it.”

“Understandable.” Warriors nodded back. “Take as much time as you need.”

Hopefully it wouldn’t be too much time, but Sky appreciated the sentiment. He opened his mouth to make an excuse to leave, because as much as he cared about Warriors this conversation was grating at him, then paused. “... Warriors… if you don’t have an answer for this, that’s alright, but… I’m still a little confused. I just… why didn’t you even think about asking me? About Four, I mean.”

After a second of consideration, Warriors said, “maybe because at that age, I didn’t really have anyone to ask. I was seeing him as independent in the way that I was, but I might have been wrong, considering-” he made a general gesture at Sky “-all of this.”

Oh.

Sometimes, Sky forgot that just because Warriors and Legend (and Hyrule, for a while) had been warm and fed and housed, that didn’t mean they were safe or looked after.

None of us have ever been safe.

“Oh,” he said, very quietly, understanding a little better just how broken the whole system was. Right up to the very top.

Warriors sighed, picking up on Sky’s shock. “It wasn’t bad, I promise. Most cadets just don’t really have much use contacting their families, that’s all. They’re in a more regimented structure. And I couldn’t exactly ask my trainers if they thought joining the rebellion was a good idea.”

“What do you mean, they don’t have much use for it?” Sky asked, trying to imagine Four or Wind going off to join the guard and not being able to talk to him anymore. He felt almost sick at the thought.

“It’s assumed they’ll form close bonds with each other,” Warriors said, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Less distractions outside the palace walls, more motivation for teamwork and cohesion.”

The nausea got a little stronger. Sky forced it down, forced himself to breathe. This was making Warriors uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to break his promise to Legend. “... I see.”

He could tell that Warriors had noticed his hesitation, but he didn’t say anything about it. 

“That makes sense,” Sky said a little stronger, with as much of a smile as he could manage. “Thank you. Just… keep it in mind for the future?”

“Absolutely.” Warriors gave him a firm nod. “You’ll be completely in the loop.”

“Thank you,” Sky said again, and he found that he believed it. Warriors, at least, wouldn’t be keeping any more secrets like this.

Warriors glanced over at the stack of papers on the other chair in the room, almost quickly enough that Sky could have missed it.

“I don’t want to keep you,” Sky said as he stood up. He knew what that look meant. “I should probably be going to find the boys, anyway.”

“I think Wind was in the garden,” Warriors offered, standing up and moving over to the chair, rifling through the papers and picking out several maps and a few envelopes.

Sky nodded to himself, moving over to the door. “Thank you. Good luck with your paperwork.”

“Thanks.” Warriors headed out after him, probably on his way to Time’s office-woodworking room.

One conversation down, two to go. Sky made his way out to the garden before he could talk himself out of it.

He found Wild searching around in the edges of the flowerbeds, skirting the small hedges to peer underneath them, muttering to himself. When he noticed Sky, he shot him a grin and explained, “Wind’s hiding, I’m seeking.”

“Have you been looking long?” Sky asked. He didn’t want to interrupt their game - Wind deserved as many chances to play as he could get - but this was important.

“Ages and ages,” Wild sighed, only to be interrupted by a voice from above their heads.

“Liar,” Wind yelled down from the tree where he’d been hiding, “It’s been like, five minutes!”

“Found you!” Wild responded gleefully.

Wind shook his head. “Nope, I revealed myself. That means I get to hide again, after whatever dad needs me to do.”

“Those are the rules,” Sky agreed, a genuine smile on his face for the first time that day. “It shouldn’t take too long, Wind.”

“I didn’t even give up,” Wild grumbled, but he picked up a nearby discarded weeding tool, heading out of earshot. He’d probably noticed the tension, even though Sky had done his best to hide it.

Sky waited until Wild was out of sight, then looked back up at Wind. “Do you want help getting down?”

Wind frowned, but didn’t make the half-expected comment about not being a baby and being able to do it himself. He just made his way down the tree, stopping to sit on the lowest branch and dangling his legs off of it.

Ah. Sky reached up to help him down, and couldn’t resist giving him a brief squeeze before letting him go. “So. First things first, I’m sorry about yesterday. You didn’t need to be there for that conversation.”

Shrugging, Wind sat down on the edge of a garden bed. “I was happy Time asked me to be there. I wanna help as much as I can.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Sky sat down on the ground in front of him. “If I thought you shouldn’t have been there for that, I wouldn’t have brought you in there in the first place. I meant the conversation with Four, and… and what I said to Warriors.”

“You don’t get mad a lot,” Wind said, quieter. “I didn’t like it.”

Sky’s heart broke a little. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Wind nodded. “It’s okay.” His knees were pulled up to his chest, and he wasn’t quite looking at Sky.

“It’s alright if it isn’t, you know,” Sky said very quietly.

“It’s not your fault.” 

Sky nodded and took a breath. “Wind… is there something I can do, right now? I just… I don’t want to let this sit. That never ends well.”

Wind gave him a small shrug. “I’m okay. It wasn’t really bad for me.”

“But you’re still upset.”

After a moment of hesitation, Wind nodded. “Four… said a lot of stuff.” He didn’t seem to know how to continue the sentence.

Sky nodded, breathing through the memory of what had been said, because Wind needed him right now. “He did.”

“He wasn’t wrong.” Wind glanced up, looking almost defensive, like the words were a test.

Sky rested his hands in his lap and tried to keep them from shaking. “... No. He wasn’t.”

Wind hesitated for a second before standing up and moving toward Sky, sitting down half-curled against him. 

Sky put an arm around his shoulders and tried not to squeeze too tight.

After a moment, he felt Wind shake slightly, and made out a muffled “sorry.” 

“Why are you sorry?” he asked, glancing down at his little brother. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Things would’ve been a lot better if you hadn’t had to take care of me,” Wind muttered, still clinging to Sky’s side. “Four had to do all that ‘cause I couldn’t take care of myself yet, and you had to get jobs and I ran away and-”

“And all of it,” Sky interrupted him very gently, “was worth it, because it meant we got to have you in our lives. I wouldn’t give that up for anything, Wind, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, and we love you enough to do what we have to do to keep you safe.”

“I just wish it wasn’t all you that had to do it. I wish I could’ve helped.” There was a small sniffle, and Wind’s face was pressed closer into Sky’s side, muffling his voice slightly. “I didn’t do anything, and you were hurting and sometimes I didn’t even know.”

Sky closed his eyes and steadied himself. “... You want to help Legend, don’t you.”

He could feel Wind nod. “Time says I’m already pretty powerful. And Legend wants to make things better for everyone, so I’ll be helping you too.”

Deep breath, don’t panic, keep his voice even. “Okay.”

Wind gasped. “Okay? I really can?”

“You have to promise me that you’ll be careful,” Sky told him, gently running a hand up and down Wind’s arm. It was more to comfort himself than Wind. “And you’ll need to do exactly what Time tells you, and I need you to listen to me about what’s safe and what isn’t. But… yes. You can help.”

Instead of wiggling away to be able to express his happiness, like Sky had been almost sure he would, Wind stayed where he was. “I want you to be safe too, dad. That’s why I’m helping. You don’t have to do things alone anymore, and neither does Four.”

Goddesses. As much as it terrified him, sometimes Sky was so proud of his kids that he wanted to cry.

“I know,” he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of Wind’s head. “I’m going to be careful, too, don’t worry.”

“Good.” Wind sighed, then pulled away. Sky’s rush of disappointment was quickly turned around when Wind used the opportunity to wiggle under his arm and into his lap. “You better be.”

It struck Sky very suddenly that Wind was almost too big for this. He ignored the thought and hugged Wind close, focusing on the fact that his baby brother was here and safe and calm, if not quite happy yet, rather than what he had just agreed to.

They sat there for a few minutes before Sky made himself send Wind after Wild. They had been in the middle of a game, after all, and he wasn’t going to keep Wind hostage all morning just because Sky needed a hug and the reassurance that Wind was alright.

Two down, one to go.

It took him a while to find Four. Malon was the one to tell him, eventually, that she had seen him headed for the barn. 

Four had found himself a little nook in a back corner, evidently, on one of the hay bales. He had a book in hand and didn’t even look up as Sky came over.

“Hi, Four,” Sky said very quietly.

“Hi.” The word was short and clipped.

Sky took a breath. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Four flipped a page in his book. He still hadn’t looked up. “For what?”

“For what I said.” Sky could do this. He was an adult, he was Four’s older brother and his guardian, he could have this conversation. He owed Four that much. “You… I know you want to help. It’s just -”

“Apparently,” Four huffed, snapping his book shut and turning to glare at Sky, “you don’t know. If you did, you wouldn’t have a problem with this. All I was doing was copying maps!”

Sky tried to keep the tremor out of his hands. “I know.”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d make me stop, and I don’t want to stop, I want to help!” Four continued, setting the book down and standing up. “I’m fifteen, I deserve to make that choice!”

“You’re fifteen,” Sky agreed quietly. “I… you were right.”

Four paused. “... What?”

“You were right. I - I know I’ve put too much on you, and it isn’t fair of me to turn around and say that you’re too young for the things you want to do.” Sky tried to just breathe, to blink back the tears, to just keep it together for a little bit longer. Just until he’d said what he had to. “I just… Four, I love you, and I worry about you, and I can’t do my job of protecting you if you sneak around like this. If… If you want to help, that’s - that’s okay. It is. Just… no more secrets.”

Four was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed, some of the anger seeping out of him. “... Fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Sky said again, a little helplessly. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

“I know.” Four shifted his weight, hesitating, then slowly stepped forward and gave Sky a hug.

Sky hugged him back maybe a little tighter than he should, burying his face in Four’s hair. This was - it was fine. It wasn’t ideal, but it would be fine. “Just be safe.”

“I will, Sky.”

Somehow, the words didn’t make him feel better.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

My dearest confidant,

I don’t mean to pry- I save that for my working hours- but I detected a hint of melancholy in your last letter. Doubt is understandable, fear is understandable, of course, but if you are doubting yourself, I would urge you to reconsider. You were hesitant to offer plans this time, perhaps stifling your own input out of worry, and I wish to reassure you that I greatly appreciate your ideas. They are becoming nearly vital to my process, in fact!

Don’t waste your time doubting. Move ahead with confidence, even if the path seems unsteady. I believe in your ability to balance, no matter how precarious your metaphorical footing. And perhaps I might even miss your lovely letters- it’s possible, of course, although I confirm nothing. 

I keep my cards close to my chest, but remember, that just brings them closer to my heart. This job is as important to me as it seems to be to you, and I believe you’ll get through this period of doubt (if I am indeed reading the situation correctly.)

On to business! 

[...]

Deepest regards,

[A doodle of a rabbit. It is doing a cartwheel.]

Just once, Legend would like making a decision to be uncomplicated.

He wasn’t having second thoughts, of course he wasn’t - this was too important, and they were all in too far for him to back out now, anyway. But the look on Sky’s face from the meeting wouldn’t leave him alone, and neither would his father.

Legend could picture him far too clearly, sitting behind his desk with his hands folded in front of him, deeming Legend unfit and unworthy every. Single. Time.

I tried, Legend wanted to scream, I tried and I learned even when you didn’t want to fucking teach me. I’ll be better than you ever were.

But could he?

He let out a quiet huff of frustration and leaned back, laying down on the roof and staring up at the stars. The night was warm and peaceful, and the silence was broken only by the crickets, the frogs, and the occasional call of an owl. On any other night, he would be out on the porch swing, maybe with Warriors or Hyrule. Maybe he would let one of the others rope him into a game of tag in the dark, no matter how much Time sighed about it. But tonight, he was up here. Thinking.

Sky had been so upset. Warriors had done his best to hide it, but what their friend said had hurt him, and Legend hadn’t even been able to help. He had just been shown that cheerful, pleasant mask until Time showed up to shoo him away. 

What made him think he could lead, when this is how things turned out?

There was a scrape of boots against the roof behind him- probably intentional- and then Hyrule settled himself next to Legend, close enough to touch but not enough to crowd. He looked out over the garden, just being there. A quiet support, if Legend needed one.

Hyrule hadn’t looked particularly happy at that meeting, either, Legend remembered with a little ache in his chest. He looked back up at the stars and tried not to think about it.

After a few minutes, Hyrule gently bumped their shoulders together. “You look like you’re thinking about something heavy. Wanna share?”

“I’m always thinking about something heavy recently,” Legend sighed.

“Not reassuring.” Hyrule scooted closer. “Is this about the taking back the throne thing? Or the meeting? It looked like Warriors was… upset.”

“All of the above.”

Hyrule nodded. “That’s somewhere to start. Are you worried about the plan, or us?”

Legend watched a cloud drift past the moon. “Yes.”

Looking down into the garden again, Hyrule sighed. “I trust Time with the plan. I think you probably do, too. Are you worried because it’s dangerous?” He sounded unsure, but he was pushing through it, probably for Legend’s sake.

“I just…” Legend took a breath, staring up at the stars like they might spell out the right words for him. Why was this so hard? “I hate that the only way for me to help puts all of you in danger again. And Time put me in charge of writing to one of our contacts and I’m trying my best, but I can only do so much from here and I don’t know how valuable my advice even is, and - and even if everything goes perfectly, then I’m going to be in charge, and I’m going to be shit at that, so -”

“You’re going to be amazing,” Hyrule reassured him, laying a hand on Legend’s arm. “You’re going to try and help, which already makes you a better ruler than your father. Sure, you might mess some things up, but…” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine a world where you create more bad than good.”

Legend sat up, hugging his knees to his chest and glancing over at Hyrule, trying to breathe through the surge of emotion at the words. “I’ve just never felt like I was good at any of this.”

“Is that maybe your father talking?” 

“Probably,” Legend mumbled into his knees. “He always seems to show up somewhere.”

“He’s been insulting you for most of your life, it makes sense that some of that is sticking around.” Hyrule scooted over to lean against Legend’s shoulder, putting an arm around him. “He’s a shit king and a shit father, and you shouldn’t listen to his bad advice. I’m not sure that’ll make it any easier to ignore, but it is true.”

“He’s a shit person,” Legend added, leaning into the hug. “I wish I could just - shove him out of my head.”

Hyrule sighed, turning his head so he could lean it against Legend’s too. “It’s hard to make those things leave. When you’re hurt, you do your best to remember so you don’t get hurt again. You’ve been hurt a lot, so there are a lot of things your brain tells you to be careful about.”

“Yeah,” Legend mumbled. It was true, he’d been in danger for a long time, and a year of safety wasn’t enough to erase all of that. He just wished that he was a little less fucked up about authority and responsibility, since everyone was currently planning out how to put him in the biggest position of authority around.

“And you’re worried about us too, right?” Hyrule asked, voice still gentle. “I can try and help with that, if you want.”

“... How so?”

“Talk about it? Tell you what I’m seeing, maybe?” Legend could feel Hyrule’s shrug.

Getting the thoughts out of his own head sounded like a great idea, actually. And Hyrule was more paranoid than Legend was, if something was really wrong he would notice it. “... Sky was really upset.”

Hyrule nodded. “Sky hates us being in danger. Especially when he can’t control it, or when we’re running right in and leaving him behind. He wants to help so badly that sometimes it loops around to being constricting. Being told Four was secretly doing something he sees as risky without his help or input probably scared him pretty badly.”

Legend was honestly still getting used to that concept, so he just nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Imagine how Warriors would feel if you were sneaking out to visit Castle Town every night. That’s what it’s like. Both of them are so deep in protecting other people that not being able to is one of the things that upsets them the most.”

Legend didn’t bring up the fact that he had, in fact, snuck out frequently at one point in his life, and Warriors had caught him doing it almost immediately. He had a better frame of reference for how Warriors had probably been feeling about that, now, having seen him relaxed and calm in a way he had never been back at the castle. 

“Wars was upset, too,” he mumbled, leaning against Hyrule just a little more. “And Time didn’t even let me help.”

“Warriors keeps you safe. He might put your comfort over his, and pretend he was fine. Time knew he could help because, well. He’s what Warriors is to you, but for Warriors. Time’s the person who gave him an out, just like he gave you one.”

Legend huffed in annoyance. “ My comfort involves him being comfortable. The idiot.”

Hyrule ruffled Legend’s hair. “Would you go cry on Wind if you were feeling overwhelmed? It’s kind of like that.”

“I happen to be sixteen,” Legend grumbled. “Wind is nine. It’s different.”

“It doesn’t feel different to him,” Hyrule said quietly. “That’s why Sky never lets me help him with the big things, too.”

That did sort of make sense. Legend knew how Warriors could get when Legend’s safety was involved - he was actively trying to get Wars to stop being so fucking self-sacrificial, but he was aware it was probably a losing battle - so applying that concept to Sky did help put everything in perspective. Still, it was frustrating not to be able to help.

He took a breath and said, very quietly, “Rulie, how am I supposed to lead a whole country when I can’t even help my brother?”

“You just have to try your best,” Hyrule said. “It’s different. You can’t change the way Warriors thinks as quickly as you can order the guards to stop conscripting people for sleeping in the wrong places. Just because you can’t do some things doesn’t mean you can’t do others.” 

Suddenly even more serious, Hyrule lifted his head and turned to meet Legend’s eyes. “You can’t jump rooftops, I can, so what? I could never run a kingdom. I don’t even think Time could. You can. And that’s what we need.”

… He could. Legend was the only person in the whole country who could. He was the only one with the training and the skills to do it, and the only one with a legal right to even try. 

Everything I’m doing for you, Legend’s father said in his memory, is to set you up to be a ruler the kingdom can be proud of. They are all counting on you, Link. You cannot fail them.

I won’t, Legend promised, breathing in the night air and the safety and the support of his brother. Not like you did.

“Okay,” he said softly.

“And speaking of helping brothers,” Hyrule continued, “what do you need? From us, or from me.”

Legend took a moment to actually think about that. What did he need?

“I think,” he said slowly, “I really need someone to do this for me every now and then. Just… remind me that I’m not trying to do all this by myself, and that I’m not actually a failure who’s going to ruin the kingdom the second I’m crowned.”

“I can do that,” Hyrule said, and then took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he managed, “I’m going back too. With you. I want to help.”

Legend blinked, a little startled. “Are you sure?”

Hyrule nodded. “It’s my city as much as it’s yours. I want to stop running. And if I can help other people do that too, if I can help my family, well… That’s a good deal, you know?”

“Yeah,” Legend agreed, pulling him into a tight hug and trying to breathe through the sudden burn of tears. “... Thanks, Rulie.”

“Always,” Hyrule said, just slightly strangled. He brought his hands up to return the hug, and rested his head on Legend’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, you know. You’re going to do it, and things will be better.”

“Things will be better,” Legend echoed. He would make things better. This was his country, and he was going to drag it kicking and screaming into being better if he had to. “We’re going to fix things.”

“As many as we can,” Hyrule agreed. 

Legend almost felt lighter, knowing Hyrule would be doing this with him. That Hyrule agreed they needed to do this. “I still have that list, we can prioritize.”

“Tomorrow.” Hyrule gently disentangled himself, then pulled Legend to his feet. “C’mon, Malon and I made cookies. I think you’ve had enough brooding time for today.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Legend grumbled, but he let Hyrule lead him down off of the roof without resisting. The night was calm, and it really was beautiful out here, but Hyrule was right. In the light of the fireplace, cookie in hand and his family talking and laughing and moving around the house around him, all of his problems seemed so much smaller.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

My friend,

Thank you for the words of encouragement. I will admit I have been concerned about my role in the plan - there is a great deal happening, and many moving parts, and much of it I am not privy to. My part will not truly come into play until much later. It is easy to feel extraneous in such a position, and (if you will forgive me being blunt for a moment,) I want to help, not to sit on the sidelines.

I am glad that at the least, whatever else I may be sidelined for, I am helping you.  

Do not, however, downplay your own contributions! I merely contribute; you are the one who must implement our ideas, no matter how good they may be on paper. That takes talent.

But I have limited time to write today, so on to more pressing matters.

[...]

Most sincerely,

[A small doodle of a sword]

Wind groaned in frustration as he flopped onto the bed. Sometimes his dad was just so… so impossible! All Wind wanted to know was if he was okay, really okay, and Sky just deflected and smiled and it wasn’t like Wind couldn’t tell when he was lying after living together for his entire life!

“If dad would actually talk to someone- not even me! It doesn’t even have to be me- I bet that the emotional issues in this house would literally halve themselves,” he grumbled into the pillow, then rolled over to stare at the ceiling. 

“I mean, I know he got upset about what Four said, which is fair even though he was right, but how the hell am I supposed to know how to help him when he won’t even tell me how he’s feeling? He just came and sat in here for an hour and there’s no way for me to tell if he was even crying, ‘cause he hides that too!”

He was.

Wind froze, eyes wide. After a second, he slowly sat up, scanning the room for anything out of place. 

Nothing. 

“What?” he tried, really hoping that there wasn’t a secret but dumb spy in the walls of the ranch house.

He was crying. The voice sounded… familiar, almost. Like he’d heard it a long time ago.

“Oh.” Wind felt weirdly calm, for someone who had just heard a mysterious voice coming out of thin ai-

Oh. 

“Are you a spirit?” he whispered, holding very still. Wind knew Time could talk to them sometimes, but him? Out of nowhere? He hadn’t even been focusing!

There was a quiet giggle. Of course. You speak to me often, should I not speak back?

Okay. That gave Wind a hint as to where this was going.

There were four choices, and Wind had always had a very firm idea of his dolls’ personalities… 

“Emmaline?” He turned to look at the shelf, something between hope and fear making his hands feel tingly.

Hello, Wind, she said with another little laugh.

“Hi!” Wind laughed too, a little panicky but definitely still excited. “I didn’t- oh goddesses, you can talk, I can hear you!” 

This was, quite possibly, the coolest thing that had ever happened to him. 

Being around another Medium is good for you, Emmaline agreed. You’re learning to listen.

“Okay, so it’s a me thing,” Wind whispered, trying to figure out if anything in his head felt different, “good to know.”

You have heard us all before, Emmaline reminded him. You listened when we told you our names, and you helped to anchor us. And now, you are getting stronger, so you are able to listen more closely. She laughed again. As far as I know, anyway. I was not a Medium myself.

“I thought I just kind of… I don’t know, absorbed the names or something? It didn’t feel like something I heard.” Wind stood up, hurrying over to the shelf and sitting on the floor in front of it, watching Emmaline excitedly. “How did I just get stronger all of a sudden? Is it just part of growing up?”

You have been learning, Emmaline said gently. I may not see everything that goes on in this house, but I know that the other Medium has been teaching you. Magic - again, so far as I know - is like a muscle. As you train it, you will find yourself able to do things you previously could not.

“Like this.” Wind ran a hand through his hair, still caught in excited disbelief. “”Okay.”

Then he paused. 

Wind tended to pay attention to what Time told him about magic, and the hints that he’d heard about powerful spirits and overwhelming presences, about ghosts who controlled mediums instead of partnering with them… 

“I need to go talk to- the other medium, I think,” Wind said, caution pulling him towards the door. 

He hesitated in the doorway, though.

“Do you want to come too?”

If there was something… dangerous about Emmaline, Time would be the best person to deal with it. And if there wasn’t, well…

His dolls had been there for him. He’d like to be able to return the favor, at least a bit.

If you will bring me, Emmaline said, though her voice sounded fainter now. I may need to rest for a while - it is hard to speak for so long.

“That’s fine,” Wind hurried to reassure her, “That’s totally fine. I’ll just-” he was very careful as he picked up the doll, suddenly mindful of the age of the fabric. She was well patched, but what would happen when the base fabric gave way? He hadn’t exactly been gentle with his toys when he was younger, not knowing that there were literal people in them. 

He could still make out her laugh, quiet as it was. You do not need to take such care.

Wind flushed slightly in embarrassment, heading down the hall. “I’ve never done this before! Knowing there are spirits hanging out in my dolls and knowing they’re present enough to talk to me are two very different things!”

You’re very kind, Emmaline said fondly. It was getting hard to hear her now.

He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, so he just glanced down and smiled at the doll. 

Knocking quietly but repeatedly on the door of the woodworking room, Wind called, “Time? Time, are you there? There’s ghost shit happening!”

There was only a moment of quiet before the door was quickly pulled open and Time stepped out, wood shavings still dusted on the cuffs of his sleeves.

“What kind of ghost shit?” he demanded, with the sternness that Wind had learned came from worry.

Wind held up Emmaline, still cradled carefully in his hands. “She’s talking.”

Time blinked at him, then at Emmaline. Then he pushed the door open a little wider and stepped aside so Wind could come in. “That certainly merits an interruption.”

“I know, right?” Wind almost hissed, rambling in his still-moderate panic as he headed into the room and started pacing, “I didn’t even do anything!”

“She just… started talking to you?” Time asked, closing the door behind them.

“Well, I did kind of ask a question,” Wind admitted, “but it wasn’t to her! I didn’t think anyone was listening!”

Time hummed thoughtfully, absently brushing the shavings off of his sleeves. “And this is… Emmaline, right? How long have you had the doll?”

“Since just after I started to really talk, I guess, ‘cause I remember naming her.” Wind kept circling, feeling a little dizzy from trying to watch Time while he was moving. “So, super long.”

“Wind. Stop for a second and take a breath,” Time told him.

Wind paused, about to shake out his hands before remembering he was still holding Emmaline. “Okay. Okay, yeah.” He started tapping one of his feet against the floor, as quietly as he could.

“May I?” Time asked, holding out a hand for her.

Almost reluctantly, Wind handed the doll over. He knew Time wasn’t going to do anything to her, not unless something was very wrong, but still. She’d picked him to keep her and protect her, and it felt like that meant something.

Time was very careful with her, even as he opened both eyes and began to look the doll over. After a minute of inspection, he handed her back. “The anchor seems stable, I’m not sensing anything I wouldn’t expect from her, and nothing seems to be different than it was yesterday. I think this is just you getting used to properly channeling your magic.”

Wind sighed in relief. “So she was right. It’s a me thing.” He looked up at Time worriedly. “She’s not… weirdly powerful or anything? You’re sure it’s okay? I didn’t hear anything from the others.”

“She isn’t weirdly powerful,” Time assured him. “And even if she was, just talking to her isn’t inherently dangerous. We can start focusing on what specifically you should avoid when talking to spirits, but for right now… you aren’t doing anything wrong, nothing has changed with Emmaline, and we have been working on strengthening your magic. All the signs are pointing to you just learning something new, which is fantastic.”

Fantastic. Wind couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “I can tell everyone, right? Can I tell dad?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great!” Before he could second guess himself, he grabbed Emmaline, then took Time’s hand and pulled him towards the living room- Sky had been in there talking with Malon, last time he’d seen him. 

Wind burst into the living room, Emmaline in one hand and dragging Time along behind him with the other. “Dad, I can talk to ghosts!”

Sky whirled around, obviously startled, then paused as he registered the words. “... What?”

“I can talk to ghosts.” Wind lifted Emmaline triumphantly. “I was just talking, and then I asked a question and Emmaline answered it, and then we had a full conversation and Time doesn’t think she’s evil!”

“Wind appears to be getting stronger,” Time confirmed with a small smile. “It’s impressive that he’s able to do this so soon.”

Sky took a breath, then knelt down to Wind’s height and smiled. “That’s wonderful, Wind. I’m so proud of you.”

Something about that made Wind pause. 

They were the perfect words, he was smiling, but… something felt off. He knew Sky was pretty much always worried about something, so being scared about ghosts talking to Wind made sense, but…

It almost didn’t feel right, without his dad fussing over him. Like Sky was lying, or hiding something, pretending to be okay but then breaking down crying in an empty room with only dolls to watch him.

“Thanks,” Wind said, quieting down significantly. 

“... What’s wrong?” Sky asked, frowning at the sudden shift. “Is - You seemed excited about this, did something happen?”

Wind shook his head, willing a smile back onto his face. Thinking about how cool it was he could talk to his dolls- spirits- now, how many things they could tell him-

And circling right back around to thinking about his dad sobbing alone in their room. Fuck.

His smile trembled for a second, then faded. “I’m fine. I just… remembered to be careful, I guess.” Hopefully that was an answer that Sky would like.

“... How so?” Sky asked carefully.

Wind scrambled for an answer. “Spirits can be dangerous. I mean, you always say how important it is to be careful, right dad? I guess I just remembered that when I saw you.”

“... Oh.” Sky’s expression faltered for a second, and then he smiled again, much smaller and much more forced. “Well… it’s good to be careful, but - but you already talked to Time, right? So there’s nothing to worry about.”

Time hummed quietly, glancing back and forth between Sky and Wind. “He did, yes. The way he’s interacting with these spirits is perfectly safe, as far as I can tell.”

Wind was totally doing this wrong. Sky only looked more upset than before. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that, I guess.”

“I’m sure Sky doesn’t want you to stop being excited, though,” Malon spoke up gently, and Sky quickly shook his head.

“No, no, I - This is part of you, Wind,” Sky said, taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze. “I don’t want you to be scared of it. Be careful with it, yes, but…”

“But celebrate it, too,” Time finished softly.

“Okay,” Wind said, holding Emmaline a little tighter. “I will. I mean, I do.” He couldn’t stop looking at his dad’s face, at the little hints of sadness he was still trying to cover up. 

Sky took another breath, then asked “So… what did Emmaline say?”

Wind looked away, but it was too late. He was already crying. He brushed the tears off with the back of his hand, making sure not to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Wind?” Sky asked in alarm.

“Oh, honey,” Malon murmured.

It was stupid, and it wasn’t going to help, but Wind stepped forward and buried his face in Sky’s chest, hugging him as tight as he could. Even if his dad wouldn’t come to him for help, that wouldn’t stop Wind from trying to make sure he felt better. 

Sky pulled him in close, running a worried hand through his hair. “What is it? What happened?”

“She-” Wind tried, then remembered they weren’t alone, and pulled back. “Dad, she said something about you.”

Time took a step back, and he and Malon made eye contact. 

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Malon told Sky quietly, and the two of them quickly left the room.

Sky watched them go, and as soon as the door closed behind them, he turned back to Wind. “... What did she say about me?”

Wind wiped his eyes again, and pulled his arm back to hug the doll close to his chest. “She- she said you had been crying. That you were alone in our room, crying, and I didn’t even know, and I couldn’t do anything-”

“Oh, Wind,” Sky breathed, hugging him close again. “Wind, I - I just needed some space, that’s all. You don’t have to worry about me, I’m okay.”

“You’re not,” Wind said reproachfully, tone slightly ruined with another small sob, “and you won’t ever tell us!”

Sky let out a small, shaky sigh. “I’m better now, I promise. I just… needed to process some of what Four said.”

“I was in your lap when he was yelling at you, why can’t I be in your lap when you’re crying?” Wind grumbled, not meeting his dad’s eyes, “I’d be more useful there, anyway.”

“You don’t need to be useful, okay?” Sky said quietly. “You shouldn’t have to worry about any of that - if I’d known it would escalate like that, I wouldn’t have had you in my lap at all. It’s not your responsibility to make sure everything’s okay, that’s my job, alright?”

“That’s stupid!” Wind was trying so, so hard not to yell. “You don’t have to make everything okay, dad! It’s not your job to fix the world for us, we just want you to be here! That’s all we want, that’s enough!” He choked on another sob and sank down to sit on the floor. “Just let us help.”

Sky stared at him, just for a second, eyes wide. Then, slowly, he shifted so he could pull Wind into a side hug, carding a careful hand through his hair.

Wind let himself cry, for a little. It made him feel better, until he remembered that Sky didn’t cry on anyone, and then he got sad again for a few minutes. But eventually he let out a last sigh and wiped his eyes again.

“It’s not putting stuff on me to let me hug you when you cry, dad.”

“... I’ll try to remember that next time,” Sky said softly. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“It’s okay,” Wind mumbled, and he found out that he actually meant it. He curled a little closer into Sky’s side. “Just, next time don’t cry alone. Crying alone sucks.”

“I won’t,” Sky assured him, running a hand up and down his arm.

Wind nodded. “Good.”

It wasn’t a big win, but it was a lot better than before. Maybe that would be enough for now, for Wind to know his dad could actually count on him to be there. That his dad would let him be there.

He could talk to spirits, that was cool. But knowing that he didn’t need to rely on them to know what his dad was feeling felt even more important.

Chapter Text

Spite was a very dangerous motivator. Four knew that. It led to rash decisions and biting off more than you could chew, and getting caught due to rash decisions led to dire consequences for people like them. 

But . 

Sky would hate this, he thought as he eased open the door to the print shop. Something vicious and petty in the back of his mind shot back, good.

The plan was simple. Scout the shop, see if he could maybe sneak in later on to print things they would need in greater quantities than a few maps. He wasn’t even doing anything tonight, just looking. Sky couldn’t scold him just for looking, at least not if he spun it right. (Unless he was caught, but he wasn’t going to worry about that unless it happened.)

He was, at least, being smart about this. It was after hours, no one should be here. Four quietly ducked behind the counter, heading for the door into the back of the shop. That would be where the printing machines were kept.

Four quietly lifted the latch on the door, then winced when it stuck. 

Applying a little more force, there was a shift and a curse behind the door, and then it slammed back shut, latch falling back into its slot for a few seconds before the door was angrily opened.

“I was leaning on that, what-” The boy behind the door paused, eyes narrowing as he took in Four’s appearance, and his position in the shop, behind the counter.

“Ah,” Four said, desperately fishing for something to say. “Sorry about that.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. There was a book discarded on the floor behind him. 

“You’re sorry about trying to sneak into the back? Not likely. What, were you gonna try and cart away a whole printing press?”

“Oh, goodness, no, I meant I’m sorry for disturbing you,” Four said with a raised eyebrow of his own. “I see you were busy, I’ll come back later.”

“To steal stuff when I’m not around?” the boy said skeptically, crossing his arms.

“I’m flattered that you think I’m strong enough to lift any of the stuff back there,” Four shot back, because he was a middle brother and he’d spent the last year living with Legend. He knew how to be a little shit when sufficiently motivated.

“You might be right,” the boy sighed dramatically, “it does look like a full inkwell would be a bit much for you. You could start with a piece of paper, maybe? Or start with getting out of my shop?”

Ah. A fellow smartass. “Your shop?”

He gestured vaguely towards the door to the outside, keeping his eyes on Four’s face. “My name’s on the sign, isn’t it?”

“Well, since I don’t know your name, I can’t tell you if it is or not,” Four pointed out.

“Shadow Vaati,” the boy responded, with a mock bow. “Now, may I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the esteemed master thief in front of me?”

Vaati was, indeed, the name on the sign outside. Fuck.

“Vio,” Four lied through his teeth, and he really hadn’t thought that through before it came out of his mouth, had he? “A pleasure, though I’d hardly call myself a thief.”

“Especially because you haven’t successfully stolen anything,” Shadow agreed, with another dramatic sigh. “So ends your short stealing career.”

Four gave him a little head tilt and a grin. “Stole your attention, didn’t I?”

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “This is literally my job.”

“Mm. To entertain people after hours?”

“Oh, are you entertained?” Four could see the beginning of a slow grin on Shadow’s face. “Interesting.”

Four shook his head with a mock sigh. “Not right now, sadly. You aren’t very good at this.”

“I should hope not,” Shadow retorted, “It’s not exactly my job to make potential thieves feel comfortable in my shop, especially not when it’s after hours, as you so kindly reminded me it was.”

“I prefer the word sightseer.”

“Well, if you wanted a tour,” Shadow said, the side of his mouth quirking up, “you could have just asked nicely.”

Four felt a smile forming on his own face as he replied “Now where’s the fun in that?”

Shadow gave him a wink. “I don’t know, you seem like you might be interesting, putting aside your honestly embarrassing attempt to sneak in.”

“I’m hurt,” Four said, channeling Warriors at his most dramatically wounded. Hand to his chest and all. “I did try to tell you I wasn’t a thief, but calling it embarrassing is just hurtful.”

“You literally hit me with a door,” Shadow deadpanned.

“Well, maybe you deserved it if this is how you’re going to talk to me,” Four sniffed.

“It’s possibly the worst thievery attempt I’ve ever seen,” Shadow told him, still teasing under his mock-disappointed tone, “Deserved or not, hitting the owner with a door by accident is possibly the worst way to start out your attempt.” He paused, eyes flicking away for a second before meeting Four’s gaze again with a slightly taunting smile and a raised eyebrow. “Why were you in here, anyway? Saw something you liked ?”

Four wasn’t quite sure why he said it. It could be the pattern of the banter they’d established, or perhaps he was more of a flirt when he was nervous than he’d thought, but he gave Shadow a little tilt of his head and replied “Maybe.”

“Sure is a shame I can’t let you steal it away, then.” Shadow gestured towards the outer door. “I’m afraid your great burglary career ends as it began.”

“Well, you’re not in the right spot for me to hit you with another door,” Four said innocently.

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Look, Vio, I could say that this has been a pleasure, but you’re keeping me from my book, and you did try to sneak in. Get out of here before I call my father down.”

Ah, not the owner after all. Four had wondered about that. “I’m sure he’s far less interesting than you.”

“You’ve got that right,” Shadow huffed quietly, before continuing. “How interesting my father is will be much less of an issue as how lenient he’ll be for someone found sneaking in.”

Right. Right, of course, he wasn’t here to have fun, he needed to get out of here. Four sighed, taking a step back toward the door, then paused and gave Shadow a teasing little smile. “Are you here often, Shadow?”

Shadow’s smile faltered, just barely. “Every day. So don’t even think about trying your little stunt again, because I’m onto you.”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing there’s only one thing back there that’s caught my eye,” Four said, the smile widening to a grin as he turned and left the shop.

He somehow, miraculously, managed to get back to the ranch and back into his favorite reading nook in the corner without Time or Sky seeing him. He spent the rest of the night replaying the whole conversation back in his head, over and over.

Fuck. He was going back, wasn’t he?

To his credit, what little there was left, Four went back to the shop during working hours. He had a map of the country with him - Wars had originally asked him to copy it for mapping troop movements to the south, but it was an innocent enough thing to want copies of. Far more innocent than the map of the castle he’d copied, anyway.

He walked into the print shop as confidently as he could, and he had to fight back a grin at the sight of Shadow at the front desk, just as he’d hoped.

Shadow looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. “Gave up on sneaking around, Vio? Or have you changed your burglarious ways overnight?”

“You’re thinking of my brother,” Four said cheerfully, setting the map on the counter. “My name’s Red. I’d like to put in an order, please.”

“ Red?” Shadow’s other eyebrow raised to join the first one. “You’re telling me-” he cut himself off, shaking his head, then settling on a smile. “Your brother’s a bit of a troublemaker, huh?”

Four sighed the long-suffering sigh of a put-upon older brother. “Oh, you have no idea.”

“You’re not going to be allowed in the back, even if you do have an order,” Shadow told him, still stumbling around Four’s bold-faced lie.

Four beamed at him. Somehow, this was even more fun than the banter. “Of course not! Wouldn’t dream of it. That would be silly, allowing customers in the back.”

“Sure would be,” Shadow managed, “Silly, right. You know, your brother is a bit silly too.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Four asked, borrowing Wind’s innocent questioning face.

“Because,” Shadow gritted out, “he seems to have missed that fact, the one about letting customers just roam wherever they want.” He paused for a second, grasping for something to say, before blurting out, “he hit me with a door, you know.”

Four gasped, eyes wide. “Really? Are you okay?”

“Fine. You had an order?” Shadow put his book down with slightly more force than was necessary.

“I need five of these, please!” Four chirped, sliding the map a little closer to him.

“Great.” Shadow took the map, nearly swiping it off the counter. “Wonderful. Tell your brother not to come back anytime soon, okay?” He set the map on a slanted table surface in the back and sat down behind it, blinking down at the wooden surface in exasperated bewilderment for a few seconds before refocusing on Four.

Four knew better than to push his luck, so he just smiled and headed for the door, turning back to say, “he was right, you’re very interesting!” before ducking outside.

He just barely made out a strangled curse before the door closed behind him.

Sky was maybe a little bit right to be worried with how often Four was trying to leave the house. In his defense he had an order to pick up, not that he could tell Sky that, because then Sky would ask why he had an order to pick up and the whole thing would become a massive mess.

So he was perhaps a bit grouchy when he finally made it back to the print shop, and maybe he closed the door behind him just a touch too loudly. It was admittedly a little funny to see Shadow jump, though.

“ Fucking goddesses-” Shadow swore, scrambling behind the counter for his book. He popped back up with a sulky frown. “What, you decided to just rob this place instead of sneaking in?”

“I’m picking up an order, do you consider that robbing?” Four snapped. May as well lean into the irritation this time.

“Okay, okay,” Shadow said, hands raised in placation. “I have the maps ready. Uh, Red, was it?”

“No, that’s my brother,” Four huffed, crossing his arms. “I’m Blue.”

“...Great.” Shadow’s smile seemed a bit forced. “How many more of you are there? Just curious.”

Four had not thought that far ahead, but… the thought of precisely how many brothers there were nearly smacked him in the face, and it took every bit of acting talent he had not to laugh out loud. Four of them. There were fucking four of them. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Shadow turned around and headed into the back, leaving the door open behind him. 

He tried not to be obvious as he watched Shadow go, a mild glare on his face. It was perfectly normal to be interested in the back room of a shop, but Shadow probably wouldn’t take it well.

Glancing back several times as he collected the bundle of papers, it soon became clear that Shadow had left the door open to keep an eye on Four. When he made it back to the counter, he rummaged around in a drawer for a second, maps still out of Four’s reach.

Four smacked the payment down on the counter, trying not to be too aggressive. He was going for Legend on a bad day, not ‘will punch anything that moves.’

Shadow picked up the rupees, and as his hand moved over the packaged maps, Four saw him slip two of them into the folded papers, letting the rest hit the bottom of the drawer with a clatter- probably to distract Four from the sleight of hand. “Thanks for your patronage.” 

“A pleasure,” Four said dryly, taking the maps. He pretended not to notice the rupees.

“Hope your day gets better,” Shadow said, more quietly. “Good luck with the maps.” He faltered for a second, then pulled his unconcerned look back onto his face. “Tell Vio I said to stay out of trouble.”

“Oh, our dad is making very sure of that,” Four grumbled, some genuine irritation filtering into his voice, despite the lie about their relationship. He took a deep breath; talking like that wasn’t fair to Sky. “I’ll tell him.”

Shadow nodded, reaching out to give Four’s shoulder a quick squeeze, then quickly pulling away. “I- I get that,” he said, avoiding eye contact, hands fiddling with his book. “Good luck with that too.”

“... He’s just - worried,” Four said, feeling sort of off-balance. “I… he’s not that bad. Just. He’s protective. That’s why I’m late.”

Glancing up at Four for a second, Shadow nodded. It almost felt like he was pulling back, face just on the calm side of sympathetic. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Four, setting his book back on the counter, then picking it up again after a few seconds. “At least you didn’t hit me with a door,” he said, a grin creeping back onto his face.

Four glared at him, a little more playfully this time. “Don’t tempt me.”

Shadow’s grin looked a lot more confident, and Four could see him relax slightly. “It didn’t take any temptation last ti- ah, with Vio. I hope you’re a little more well behaved.”

“Hope you’re not hoping too hard.”

Rolling his eyes, Shadow tapped his book on the counter. “Alright, I’m sure you have places to be. Brothers to keep out of trouble.”

“Nah, I’m not the one who keeps everyone else in line,” Four snorted, turning to face Shadow right before going through the door. “That’s Green, you haven’t met him yet.”

“There’s more of y -”

The door closed behind Four, cutting off Shadow’s incredulous exclamation. 

Four pushed open the door to the print shop and nearly stumbled to a stop in the doorway. Shadow was there, as he always was, but there was someone else behind the counter as well: a tall man with a scowl on his face.

No turning back now, but he would need to pivot fairly hard from his original plan of action. The rupees Shadow had slipped in with the maps weighed heavy in his pocket. He had originally planned to return them, but that would probably reflect poorly on Shadow, so Four just kept a small smile on his face and walked in like nothing at all was wrong. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Shadow said, a larger smile on his face than Four had seen before. Something about it felt fake. “How can I help you?”

“Well, there were a few small things, if that’s alright,” Four said, clasping his hands behind his back. Perfectly pleasant. “First I wanted to make sure my brother wasn’t any trouble yesterday? I know he has a bit of a temper sometimes.”

“Always happy to help a customer,” Shadow said, turning away from the tall man slightly. His smile was distinctly strained. “Do you want anything copied or printed?”

The man behind the counter wasn’t smiling. He was watching Four carefully, eyes lingering on his carefully patched clothes. 

“Not just yet,” Four said with a self-effacing little smile. Keep it together. “I had a question about pricing, though. How much would you charge for a large order of flyers, or something small like that?”

Shadow nodded absently, thinking about Four’s question. The man next to him was still regarding Four dismissively. “A large order of small items?”

“About how many?” Shadow asked Four, glancing over at the man to make sure he wasn’t interrupting. 

Four considered, then said “A hundred or so? I’m assuming the price scales.”

“It does,” Shadow nodded, giving him an estimate.

Four nodded, tucking that knowledge away for later use. They would need to be careful, of course, but pamphlets could be useful as the time to move got closer. “Thank you. I’d have to speak with my father before putting in an order like that, of course, but we’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

The man behind Shadow put a hand on his shoulder, turning Shadow gently but firmly to face him. “I trust you have this handled, Shadow?”

Shadow nodded, and the man turned away, heading into the back of the shop.

The door that Four had once hit Shadow with closed behind him, and Shadow seemed almost relieved at the sound. 

Four raised an eyebrow at the door, then gave Shadow a look that said Is he always like that?

Shadow gave Four a strained smile, leaning against the counter but still keeping his stiff posture. “Was there anything else you needed?” He paused, then offered more quietly, “Is there anything I could help you with?”

“I just came to ask about prices,” Four said with a small smile and a shake of his head. After a moment, though, his smile widened, just a bit. “And to pass on my brothers’ thanks for excellent customer service.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shadow gave him a small, disbelieving nod. “ Excellent customer service. That’s an interesting response to their… excursions here.”

“Oh, Red was pouting all morning because it was my turn to stop by,” Four chuckled. “No complaints from any of them, even Blue, which is impressive.”

Shadow seemed to be relaxing a bit. “Oh, you must be Green then. Unless there are more rainbow brothers out there, of course.”

“That’s me. And no, it’s just the four of us,” Four assured him.

There was a loud clatter from the back room, which visibly startled Shadow for a moment before he relaxed. The noise continued, loud even through the thick door that separated the back of the shop from the front. 

“Sorry,” Shadow said, then clarified, “that’s one of the presses. I guess- uh, Vaati decided to start it up early.”

Ah. Four connected a few dots and winced. “I see.”

Shadow nodded, biting his lower lip nervously while he scanned Four’s face. Whatever he thought he saw at least didn’t upset him more. “Could I interest you in any of our other services? Or will you- uh, would you consider-” he cleared his throat, then continued. “Will you be back to discuss your order again, at some point? I can recommend the earlier hours of the day, we tend to be less- busy.”

“That would be great, thank you so much.” Four glanced at the door again, then took out one of the rupees Shadow had given him and slid it across the counter with a smile. “And this is for excellent customer service.”

Closing his eyes for a second, Shadow took a deep breath and then reached for the rupee, sliding it into the drawer behind the counter. “Much appreciated, Green. Please co- uh, feel free to stop by anytime, we are open every day.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good day,” Four told him genuinely, lowering his voice just a bit, before turning to leave the shop.

“Thanks for coming in,” Shadow called after him, voice much more level- much more regulated, now that it was at a volume that might be heard over the sound of the press working in the back.

Four gave him a grin and a wave over his shoulder. Earlier in the day might be a little tricky, but he’d make it work.

The rainbow boy had listened, because Shadow heard the loud creak of the door hinge and looked up to see him entering several hours before lunchtime, when Shadow was manning the counter alone. 

“And who am I talking to today?” Shadow asked, shooting him a grin.

“I’d like you to guess,” he said with a smile of his own.

Shadow crossed his arms, leaning against the counter and mentally rifling through their past encounters. ‘Blue’ had been more upset- harder to read, as well as harder to lip-read when he was mumbling angrily, so Shadow didn’t know as much about him. ‘Green’ had been neutral and a bit on-guard when Shadow had totally mishandled that situation, and ‘Red’ had been very nice, in the ‘I am a little shit and you can’t prove I’m making fun of you’ way.

‘Vio’ had been the one who seemed most ready to engage in wordplay.

Of course, there was always the possibility that the rainbow boy would tell Shadow he was wrong no matter who he chose, but he settled on saying, “I’d expect this sort of attitude most from the little thief I caught sneaking around.”

“I see you’re as rude as the last time I saw you,” ‘Vio’ said with a raised eyebrow, though the smile didn’t go away.

Shadow faltered a bit internally, trying to scan back over the conversation they’d had when his father was in earshot. Had he been rude?

…Oh no, he was a total fool. The rainbow boy meant the last time Shadow had spoken with ’Vio’ . Shadow could work with that easily.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing up at the rainbow boy’s eyes for a second before shifting his gaze back to his whole face. “The time you hit me with a door? Is that the time you’re talking about?”

“The time I nudged you with a door,” the rainbow boy said, rolling his eyes. “And yes, of course, when else have we seen each other?”

Little shit. 

“I’m terribly sorry,” Shadow said dryly, “I must have confused you with one of your brothers. My mistake.”

The rainbow boy sighed and Shadow caught him waving a dismissive hand out of the corner of his vision. “We do look similar, I’m rather used to it by now.”

“I’m sure you are,” Shadow told him, consciously trying to focus on his eyes. Lip-reading or not, he could not get caught staring at the rainbow boy’s mouth, at his lips . That would be incredibly embarrassing.

“I do hope they haven’t been as irritating around you as they are around me?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Not compared to you, for sure. Much more respectful. Which makes sense, as they are actual customers instead of would-be thieves.”

“Well,” the rainbow boy said with a raised eyebrow, “if I’m such a thief, then please explain to me why I’m here to return something.”

“Something you stole?” Shadow asked, putting on an offended look, then deciding to play along with the rainbow boy’s running joke. “I can’t believe this. I bet Green made you return it, he seems to be the most polite of you all.”

“He was planning to return it himself, but ah. He thought it may not have been a good idea to return it with company around,” the rainbow boy said delicately, setting a rupee on the counter. One of the ones Shadow had slipped in with the maps.

Shadow glanced down quickly to make sure the rupee had landed somewhere safe, then looked back up to the boy’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said, stumbling slightly searching for what to say, “we- we actually don’t do returns. It’s in the rules.”

The rainbow boy tilted his head slightly and gave Shadow a long look. “I’ll keep it if you tell me why you gave it to Blue in the first place.”

Great.

Just barely stopping himself from fidgeting uncomfortably, Shadow shrugged. “Seemed like he was having a bad day. And maps are expensive.” His father had taught him about how to size up potential customers, how to figure out how much money you were likely to get from each, and therefore, who to prioritize. The rainbow boy’s clothes were properly mended, which made him well cared for, but didn’t eclipse the fact that he hadn’t just gotten new ones. Not the kind of customer he was supposed to pay as careful attention to as he had been.

Also not the kind of customer his father would expect to have the money to buy multiple copies of maps. Rainbow boy was just full of surprises, and Shadow was intrigued more and more every time they met.

“Green was worried there might be trouble if your generosity was noticed,” the rainbow boy said quietly. He hadn’t picked the rupee back up yet.

Shadow ducked his head defensively, breaking eye contact but keeping the boy’s face in his line of sight. “My trouble’s not any of your business,” he said sharply, then held back a wince. The rainbow boy was trying to be nice, and what was Shadow doing? Snapping at him like an asshole? Goddesses .

Rainbow boy shrugged. “Maybe not. We can leave it alone, if you want.”

‘We,’ this boy really was committed to his ridiculous cover story. Shadow was so busy rolling his eyes that he almost missed the second sentence, hurriedly shifting his gaze back over as he saw the rainbow boy’s hands move into a gesture that usually accompanied talking. 

“...friends have had some trouble like that, and we don’t want to contribute to it if we can help it.”

Ah .

Hopefully that wasn’t pity. Shadow had the feeling that the rainbow boy was more… respectful? Experienced? More something than that. The comment made Shadow bristle anyways, but he took a calming breath and purposefully relaxed his shoulders. “I’m not sure I would call it trouble,” he said carefully.

“No?” the rainbow boy asked with another little tilt of his head. “Define it how you want, I suppose. We’d just rather solve problems than help cause them.”

It would have been a problem. Vaati didn’t care to be in the shop as much as he made Shadow be in there, but he was very meticulous in checking over the records, especially where money was involved. Sure, Shadow could say the transaction was only for three maps, and the disparity in the amount of map paper was due to his own copying errors, but that was risky for its own reasons. 

His gaze had fallen to the rupee on the counter, and he caught the faint hiss of a consonant too late. 

“...take the money back rather than cause any trouble,” the rainbow boy said, and shit, it had definitely been several seconds. 

“It won’t be trouble,” Shadow said quickly, hoping he’d interpreted the fragment of a sentence right. “We don’t need it, not really. Father makes enough-” he cut himself off with a slight shake of the head, then tried again. “We won’t miss it. And you can consider it an apology, if you want.”

The rainbow boy frowned, just slightly. “An apology for what?”

Double shit. “For-” Shadow desperately cast about for an idea. “For being awkward when Vaati was here. I could have been- nicer. More friendly.” It would have been a risk, but he could have done it.

That got him a long, considering look. The rainbow boy didn’t look the slightest bit convinced, though he did slowly pick the rupee back up. “According to Green, you were just fine, but… if you’re sure, I won’t push it.”

‘According to Green’ nearly made Shadow smile in exasperation, but he held it back. It was a good thing the rainbow boy had taken the rupee, probably. He might need it, at least according to Vaati’s explanations. 

“Not like you pushed me over with that door?” Shadow managed after a few seconds, quirking the side of his mouth up in what he hoped read as a sarcastic smile.

The rainbow boy sighed dramatically as he slipped the rupee back into his pocket. “Goddesses, you’re never letting me live that down, are you?”

It’s a great way to change the topic, Shadow carefully didn’t say.

“Definitely not.” Shadow paused for a second, then asked, “hey, did your dad decide about the order you wanted to place? I can look it over for you if you want.” He leaned forward across the counter, trying to see if the rainbow boy was carrying anything.

Shadow looked up to make sure he wasn’t missing any words, and found himself very close to the rainbow boy’s face.

Huh. He had tiny, just barely visible freckles.

His eyes were very pretty. Shadow glanced down at his lips, then quickly looked away, and refocused on his whole face, only including his mouth for lip-reading purposes. 

“Um.” The rainbow boy’s eyes had gone wide, and there was a very light blush forming on his cheeks. “We - it’s. He’s thinking of starting a business. It’s just - I thought it might be helpful.”

Oh shit, Shadow was still really close to the boy’s face. He hurriedly leaned back, picking up his book so it looked like he had something to do. “A business! Great. Great, uh, what kind? Because I can- uh, we have different options, we have non-letter blocks. I’m sure I could carve you a special one. Uh, for his business.” 

Goddesses, Shadow wished he could look away. He was absolutely sure he was blushing too. Hopefully his r- the rainbow boy couldn’t tell.

“He’s a sewist. I, um. It might not be for a while? And I didn’t get the chance to ask him yet,” the rainbow boy said, still blushing, shifting his weight just slightly toward the door.

Okay, yep. Shadow had definitely made him uncomfortable. “Well,” he tried weakly, “I could- uh. I could get it started for you, if you want. The block, I mean. I could carve- I don’t know, maybe a spool of thread? Something like that.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Shadow said, much more softly than he’d meant to. He caught himself with his hand half-outstretched, trying to turn the boy back towards him, trying to take his hand , and quickly pulled back. “Uh, all I do in here is read the same books over and over. I wouldn’t mind being able to carve something. I’d have a real excuse for it, you know? Since it’s a request from a customer?”

“Okay.” The rainbow boy cleared his throat, taking a proper step toward the door. “I, ah. I need to get back, my brothers will be worried. I’ll - One of us will come by to let you know what our father said.”

“Okay,” Shadow repeated quietly. 

He didn’t want the rainbow boy to leave. He didn’t want to sit alone in the shop and re-read the same book he’d read a hundred times. 

Shadow wanted to talk to the most interesting boy he’d ever met- never mind his bright eyes and the way he smiled, the rainbow boy was funny and clever and perceptive, and Shadow wanted to know him. As much as the boy would let him, Shadow wanted to know everything he’d let him discover. 

“Have a nice day,” he said instead, “good luck with asking your dad.”

The rainbow boy nodded, then turned and left the shop much more quickly than usual.

Shit. Triple shit, at this point, actually. 

Shadow had scared off the one interesting thing to happen to him in months. He bit his lower lip, leaning over to try and see the rainbow boy through one of the windows, but it looked like he must have gone the other way down the street, out of sight. 

Shadow wondered if the rainbow boy had said something, when he’d left. Something like ‘whatever,’ or ‘see you later,’ or ‘ew’- or even ‘thanks.’

He was pretty sure he’d never be able to find out.

Shadow had been counting the days.

Not because he was stupid enough to think the rainbow boy was coming back! For completely unrelated reasons. Taxes would be due soon- Vaati was certainly stressed enough about it- and Shadow had to make sure that he was being properly productive, and not ‘daydreaming about nothing’ and ‘wasting valuable time.’ 

So, he was thinking about taxes, the book of accounts laid out in front of him and several papers and scrolls scattered across the counter. Definitely not waiting for the slam of the door to the printing room, or for the one-two pattern of loud stomps that meant his father wanted him upstairs.

And absolutely-not-definitely-never-again thinking about the rainbow boy’s faint freckles and laughing eyes. 

Vaati had replaced the door hinge with one that (assumedly) didn’t squeak- and therefore, one that Shadow couldn’t hear. Apparently to make sure that Shadow was properly focused on customers, paying attention enough to see them coming and going, never mind the fact that he was trying to concentrate on the complicated bookkeeping process.

Vaati had replaced the door hinge, and so Shadow didn’t notice that anyone had entered until he saw someone’s fingers tap the counter out of the corner of his eye.

Goddess damn it.

Shadow looked up, quickly putting a smile on his face, then faltered when he saw the rainbow boy standing there.

He stood up without even thinking about it, hands scrambling to close the large accounts book.

“Can I help you?” Shadow managed, voice feeling tight and crackly as he spoke- he couldn’t tell if it had come out wrong or not, shit!

“I hope so,” the rainbow boy said, fidgeting with the cover of a book he was holding.

“Great,” Shadow said, slightly panicked, “great. Um, what with? I-” ‘ I’ve drawn out a few ideas for the special printing block’ would probably be weird, especially since the boy had left so uncomfortably last time.

“I’m happy to help a customer,” he finished weakly.

“Well -” the rainbow boy took a deep breath, eyes on the counter. “I left in a hurry last time, and - I wanted to say sorry for that. I just. Was surprised.”

“I was just trying to check if you had any papers, or drafts, or something with you!” Shadow said hurriedly, then tried to keep himself in check, telling his racing heart to quiet the fuck down. “Sorry I got in your personal space, and uh. Startled you.”

The rainbow boy shook his head, glancing up to meet Shadow’s eyes. “I - I didn’t mind, really. Like I said, it just surprised me.”

“Enough to startle you away,” Shadow said, carefully not grumbling. “Seems pretty significant to me, uh- Vio, right? Since you said you were here the other day?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I - yes. Still me. Would you… have gotten that close on purpose? If I said I didn’t mind?”

Shadow’s eyes widened before he could stop them. “I- uh, what?” He had to have misread that, that whole sentence- that was just wishful thinking, there was no way-

He scrambled for alternate sentences, alternate words he could have confused with these ones. On purpose - what words looked like that? Words where the lips met in that particular way, a ‘p’ or a ‘b’ sound repeated- 

All Shadow could see from his analysis of the rainbow boy’s mouth movement was the shape of his soft lips as they moved, over and over, and that was not what he was trying to think about right now, thank you very much! 

“Uh,” Shadow managed, “Sorry, could you say that again?”

The rainbow boy took another deep breath, then asked more confidently, “If I said I was okay with you getting that close again, would you?”

Shadow almost felt frozen, but he shook it off, desperately trying to seem casual. “I- sure, I could. If-” his eyes widened again, “if you wanted.”

If the rainbow boy wanted him to stand close. That was basically what he was saying, right? Or, no. He was neutral about it, he was okay with it. Shadow had to stop jumping to conclusions.

The rainbow boy hesitated, just for a second, then leaned against the counter, glancing very deliberately down at Shadow’s lips for a moment. “Well, I did say something here caught my eye, didn’t I?”

Goddess above.

Shadow started to step closer, but his foot caught against the rung of the stool he’d been sitting on, and he stumbled, nearly falling onto the countertop before he felt surprisingly strong hands on his shoulders, keeping him from faceplanting.

He looked up into the beautiful eyes of the rainbow boy, and couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“Careful,” the rainbow boy said - quietly enough that Shadow didn’t catch any sound at all, a small smile on his face.

Shadow spluttered for a second before coming up with, “well, it got me closer, didn’t it?”

“You didn’t have to trip for that, you could have just asked,” the rainbow boy pointed out.

“Maybe this is all part of my evil plan,” Shadow said, bracing his arms against the counter so he was leaning on it instead of being held up. “Maybe you’ve fallen for my dastardly tricks.”

The rainbow boy raised a teasing eyebrow at him. “Oh? And what evil scheme might this be?”

“I could show you,” Shadow blurted out, still feeling off balance even though he wasn’t falling anymore, “if you want.”

“Interesting.” The rainbow boy leaned in just a tiny bit closer. He was blushing again. “Do tell.”

“Well,” Shadow breathed, leaning in close enough that the rainbow boy could probably feel his breath on his cheek, “I could show you, if you’d like.” His eyes darted up, searching for a reaction, for permission.

“Please do.”

Shadow closed his eyes, pressing his lips to the rainbow boy’s cheek for a brief moment. He pulled back blushing, and slowly raised a hand to hold the boy’s face, brushing his thumb across the cheek he hadn’t kissed. Yet . 

“What if I told you I was working on an evil plan too?” the rainbow boy asked, so soft that Shadow could only see the motion of the word.

“We could- we could collaborate,” Shadow said, maybe a little too quickly. “Especially if our plans, uh, run along similar paths. Unite in a common cause, you know?”

“Sounds good to me.” Slowly, giving Shadow plenty of time to pull away if he wanted to, the rainbow boy leaned in for a proper kiss.

Shadow had read a lot of romance novels. His mother had liked them, and it was her collection that he read to stay entertained in the shop, so he thought he knew a lot about what kissing would be like.

He was wrong.

There wasn’t a lightning strike of connection. The rainbow boy didn’t taste like moonlight, or sweet honey, or a forest in bloom. Their lips met, and his were soft and warm- and Shadow found he didn’t need any of the things in the romance novels to happen, he didn’t even miss them. 

This was enough. This was perfect.

He lifted his free hand to cup the rainbow boy’s other cheek, and went back in for another soft, quiet kiss. When that one ended, Shadow leaned his forehead against the rainbow boy’s, eyes fluttering closed as he stroked his thumb across the boy’s smooth cheek, pressed close despite the counter between them.

Shadow felt the rainbow boy’s warm hands against his sides, pulling them closer together, and he smiled breathlessly, tilting his head back down for another kiss.

After that one, Shadow just leaned against him, enjoying the closeness, until he felt the vibrations of the other boy’s chest and quickly leaned back, trying to lip-read as fast as he could.

The rainbow boy’s lips were slightly pinker than usual, and that was distracting too. With the delay, Shadow only caught the last word of the sentence.

“- collaborating,” he said with a shy little smile. Or at least, Shadow was fairly sure that’s what he said.

“Definitely,” Shadow replied, half on autopilot. “Collaborating, yep. Sounds- sounds like a wonderful idea.”

The rainbow boy laughed, just a bit. “Goddesses, I’m not that good at this, am I?”

Fuck, Shadow definitely missed something important in that sentence. “I thought you were-” he stammered for a second, then changed course. “You seem to be an excellent partner in crime. Worthy, and- uh- committed. To evil… like me.”

“If you didn’t hear me very well you can just ask me to repeat myself,” the rainbow boy said gently.

Shadow flushed, wanting to look away but not daring to- what if he missed something again? “I- uh-” He bit his lip, pulling back and crossing his arms instead of wrapping them around himself, like he wanted to do. “I can manage.”

“Shadow -” the rainbow boy paused for a second, obviously trying to think through what he was about to say. “If we’re going to spend any time together, not just - just doing this, I mean any time, I don’t want you to just have to manage. That’s not fair to you.”

Blinking a few times in confusion, Shadow searched the rainbow boy’s face- for what, he didn’t know. “I- it doesn’t have to be fair, that’s not-” he sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously. “I can keep up, I promise.”

“Shadow.” The rainbow boy reached out to very gently take Shadow’s hands in his. “Do you want me to say it again?”

Shadow hadn’t even known he was holding his breath. He looked down at his hands, feeling the careful way they were being held, feeling his own heartbeat pulsing in his head. 

After a few seconds, he felt brave enough to meet the rainbow boy’s eyes.

“Yes,” Shadow whispered, “please. If you don’t mind.” It felt terribly vulnerable.

“I think I like collaborating,” the rainbow boy said, giving him a small smile. “Which, having had time to think about it, sounds a lot more stupid than it did in my head.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Shadow said, somehow feeling almost as breathless as he had during the kissing, “I- I’m glad I got to know what you said. It was sweet.”

“Luckily for you, I like the sound of my own voice enough to repeat myself anytime,” the rainbow boy said, leaning in to give Shadow a quick kiss on the forehead. He only moved after he was done speaking, though.

Shadow could feel his own blush, hot and embarrassing on his face. He wanted to say he liked the sound of the boy’s voice too, but it was just as indistinct as anyone else's. It was the tone that mattered, the way he talked to Shadow. 

The way he was already being careful to say things where Shadow could pick them up properly.

“Hey,” Shadow said, trying to push away the honestly embarrassing level of affection and panic rattling around in his head, “do I really get to know what your lips feel like before I get to know your name?” He managed a grin, which strengthened by the moment. “If we’re going to be collaborating, that doesn’t seem quite fair.”

The rainbow boy laughed at that. “You’re either going to laugh at me or not believe me.”

“I’m going to take you at your word,” Shadow countered softly, squeezing the boy’s hands just a little, “and if your word is funny, that’s not my fault. But I won’t laugh at you, I promise.”

His expression softened, just a bit, and he quietly said “It’s Four.”

Shadow blinked. “Wait, why’s that funny?”

“Count how many brothers there are.”

After a second, Shadow got it. He rolled his eyes with a joking groan. “Your entire disguise was based on a bad joke about your name?” Shadow couldn’t stop his grin from showing through as he added, “truly despicable. Perfect for my partner in crime.”

“Oh, good,” Four said with a grin of his own. “My sense of humor only gets worse from here.”

“Mine only gets better,” Shadow told him, dramatically raising his chin to look down (slightly) at Four in dramatic haughtiness. “Never fear, collaborator, my skills will keep us both to our, uh, evil quota.”

Four raised an eyebrow at him. “We have a quota?”

“Maybe,” Shadow said, searching for something smart to say. “What, your plan doesn’t have a quota? Embarrassing, truly.”

“Mm. I had a thought for a quota, but I don’t think it would be very realistic,” Four said, glancing at Shadow’s lips again.

Shadow blushed again, leaning in. Their lips were just about to meet when he felt a vibration in the building, heard an indistinct noise just loud enough to register for him. Two thumps, coming from upstairs. 

“Shit,” Shadow blurted out, pulling away and scrambling to set the papers on the counter back into some sort of order. “My father needs me, I have to go, I’m sorry-”

“Right, right -” Four cleared his throat, taking a step back from the counter. He hesitated, then asked “... I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Shadow said, then repeated, “Tomorrow.” He reached back over the counter to squeeze Four’s hand one last time, then hurried into the printing room, unable to stop himself from glancing back before he latched it shut.

Four was still standing by the counter, and he gave Shadow a smile and a little wave.

“See you,” Shadow said breathlessly, and then he was latching the door and calling up the stairs. “I’m on my way, father!”

He didn’t hear Four leave, but then again, he hadn’t expected to. He just knew that when he got back to the counter, nearly an hour later, Four was gone.

It was ridiculous to feel disappointed about that, Shadow knew it was. But he already missed Four, embarrassingly enough.

He picked his romance novel back up, and flipped through it unenthusiastically, setting it back down and pausing.

The book that Four had been holding was on the counter.

…It looked interesting. There was a dragon on the cover, etched into the leather with a slightly rough hand. It was curled up on top of a pile of… something, represented by round dots.

Shadow curiously flipped it open, and began to read.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

[...] 

A small portion of conscripted magic users in the city seem to be going missing every so often. I am, of course, wholly in favor of being able to go do what you want, but I’m also very interested in how they escape unseen. Send me no details however, beloved correspondent! I must curb my curiosity until our scheme succeeds, for it is much too dangerous for me to know such things right now.

[...]

From your mysterious and yet close confidant,

[A doodle of a rabbit sitting inside a basket]

There had never been a reason for Hyrule to break his no-magic-in-the-town policy until now. But something about the way the clearly panicked woman was asking around about her missing child felt much too familiar. 

It wouldn’t be that risky, he told himself as he leaned against a wall and closed his eyes, focusing in on any sort of signature he could pick up from the mother that might tell him if the child was nearby.

Hyrule found the traces of the child, lingering around hir mother’s apron strings, and very carefully stopped himself from gasping.

This was most definitely a magical child. A shifter, from what he could tell, and the urgency of the mother’s search seemed more significant.

“I think I saw heo,” Hyrule said, quietly approaching the near-frantic mother. “Hie was headed this way.” He pointed to a slightly more secluded street, somewhere he could explain the situation more safely.

“Really?” she asked, hurrying toward it. “How long ago?”

“A few minutes,” Hyrule told her, but it was a risky guess, depending on how long the child had been gone. He just had to stall for a few more seconds, and it seemed to work well enough. They entered the side street, and Hyrule stopped, meeting her gaze and letting his eyes flash green for a second. “I have a way to find where hie went.”

The mother blinked, then nodded, her expression serious. “What do you need from me?”

“I can follow hir… trail,” Hyrule said, choosing his words cautiously in case anyone was listening. “This was just to make sure you wouldn’t point it out or be suspicious if I stopped to concentrate.”

She nodded again, taking half a pace back to give him room.

Hyrule took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reaching out again for the faint traces of magic and personality- the little footprints faintly glowing in his mind were a good start.

“This way,” he said, and led the mother through a few streets, pausing near a cart to sense more before following a slow, winding trail to a smaller bridge over the river. There was an unaccompanied child leaning hir head on the railing and watching the water. Hyrule pointed out where hie was standing.

An invisible weight fell from her shoulders, and she hurried over to the child with a shout of “Piper!”

“Mama!” The child - Piper - darted over to hug hir mother. “I went to the river like I was supposed to.”

“That’s good,” the woman sighed, wrapping her arms around Piper and holding heo close. “But how did you get so far away? You were supposed to stay right next to me.”

Piper looked away, burying hir face in her shoulder.

“Piper. What happened?”

The child whispered something too quietly for Hyrule to make out, and the woman closed her eyes, a familiar sort of expression flickering over her face. Hyrule had seen it on Sky before, when something happened with his or Wind’s magic. The look of someone who knew that they couldn’t make a situation safer, and didn’t know how to try.

“Let me know next time, alright?” the mother said quietly, smoothing her hand over Piper’s hair. Then she looked over to Hyrule and said, slightly louder, “Thank you.”

He gave her a nod. “Happy to help.”

The woman glanced around, and when she didn’t see anyone nearby, she added “... And thank the fairies for me. Please.”

Hyrule blinked for a second in confusion. “Who?”

“The fairies,” Piper said, pulling away from hir mother enough to beam at him. “They’re really nice.”

“Okay,” Hyrule said slowly, wondering if he was missing information on a common saying or something. “I’ll… tell them?”

“... You don’t know who they are,” the mother realized, and she sounded worried. “You can’t be - It isn’t safe to be doing this on your own.” She looked nervously around again, then led Piper over to Hyrule so she could drop her voice to a whisper. “Go to the bell tower and use that trick that helped you find Piper. You’ll find them.”

“Thanks,” Hyrule told her, a little awkwardly, and waved to Piper as he continued over the bridge towards the bell tower.

Doing this on your own. He was nearly sure she had meant magic, and if the fairies were supposed to help him not be on his own… 

Well. That made them a potential group of magic users that Hyrule should definitely get in contact with, even if just to warn them about Time and Legend’s plan.

A trace of hidden magic on the bell tower led Hyrule to an engraving scratched into the outer wall of a shop- a picture of the main bridge. He picked up another trail there, this time ending by circling around a street sign, before bringing him to a small, empty garden plot with a mailbox next to it. Upon examination, there were several wooden buttons labeled with letters hidden under its roof, and Hyrule had to retrace his steps to the street sign, noting the first letter of its name and returning to press the appropriate button.

The box opened, and there was a strong sense of magic from its left wall- a secret panel? 

Definitely a secret panel, Hyrule thought as he found the small latch. The hollowed out space within the mailbox held several small pieces of paper- one side with an address, the other with a map.

He closed everything back up carefully, and started to follow the map up the hill.

Turning left on the fifth street from the garden, then right and up three more, and Hyrule found himself in front of the eighth building on the right side of that block. A bakery. 

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. 

“Welcome in!” the woman behind the counter greeted him. “What can I get you?”

“Uh…” Hyrule hadn’t brought any money. A question might be rude- or worse, dangerous- so he just approached the counter and held up the map. “I followed the trail. From the bell tower, I mean. The unseen parts too.”

The woman went very still for a moment, giving him a much more thorough and much more critical look. Then she nodded, leaning back toward the kitchen and calling “Tael?”

“Yeah, Tatl?” a man asked, stepping out of the kitchen and dusting the flour from his hands. He looked very similar to the woman - siblings, maybe. 

“We have a guest,” she told him, tilting her head toward Hyrule.

Tael also paused for a moment, then made a come here gesture to Hyrule. “You’ll want to see the kitchen, then.”

He nodded, trying to look more confident than he really was. Lifting the part of the counter that swung up, Hyrule cautiously approached the entrance to the kitchen, glancing between the other two to make sure he was doing the right thing.

Tatl was already back to the way she had been when he first came in, a smile on her face and no further acknowledgment of Hyrule. Tael led Hyrule through the door into the kitchen, though rather than show Hyrule anything he took an immediate right and pushed a shelf to one side, revealing a door.

“Sorry for all the smoke and mirrors,” he said with a rueful sort of smile, opening the door and ushering Hyrule down the steps behind it. “We don’t get a lot of guests, and those that we do get tend to be expected.”

“Sorry for being unexpected,” Hyrule offered, “Someone just told me to go to the bell tower and I went on from there. I didn’t start my day looking for… whatever this is.” He gave Tael a nervous smile.

“Who told you that?” Tael asked, pausing before the door at the bottom of the stairs.

“A kid named Piper.” Hyrule tried hard not to make that sound like a question. “I helped hir mother find heo.”

Tael relaxed a little at that. “Piper’s a good kid. We help heo out when we can.” He opened the door, leading Hyrule into a room that looked too large to be a cellar. There were tables and chairs scattered around, maps of the city up on the walls, several cots lined up in a corner, and two women watching them enter.

“Tael,” one of them said with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t mention anyone new would be coming by.”

“Piper sent him our way,” Tael explained.

Hyrule gave them a small wave. “I wouldn’t have intruded, but I think I might have important information for your… group?”

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, giving him the same calculating look Tatl had, then nodded, and the two of them went to sit at one of the tables. Tael and the other woman whispered to each other for a moment before he hurried back up the stairs.

“What’s your name?” the first woman asked, gesturing for him to sit.

“Hyrule.” He sat, carefully pulling the chair out so he could get out of it fast if he needed to. “Are you the fairies?”

She nodded. “I’m Navi, and this is Proxi. What information do you have for us?”

“There’s a… movement,” Hyrule said, choosing his words carefully, “that wants to change things for the better, including the treatment of magic users. I’m included in the group planning it, and I was wondering if you had any input or advice? Things we should avoid, things you want help with, things we should change, and stuff like that.” Goddesses, how did Legend do this? He felt deeply uncomfortable.

Navi sighed, leaning back in her chair. “That’s been tried before, you know. Revolutions rarely go well.”

“We have some special support.” Hyrule wasn’t sure how much he was supposed to say, but he decided to take a chance. “A leader with a legitimate claim to the throne.”

“... Interesting,” Navi said quietly.

“That’ll count for a lot, with the prince gone,” Proxi put in.

Navi nodded. “It will, assuming this works.”

“You don’t have to help us,” Hyrule put in, “especially since it’s risky. I just wanted to let you know it was happening, and if you had anything you wanted us to maybe do.”

“Do you need help, kid?” Proxi asked, leaning her elbows on the table. “People with enough power to vie for the throne don’t care about people like us, especially with a war on. If you need to disappear, we can make that happen.”

Hyrule shook his head. “He’s my friend. They’re my family. I’m as safe as I would be anywhere else.” He debated for a second, then slipped a finger under his mask and lifted it, shifting it to the side so they could catch a glimpse of his magical markings, watching their glow reflect in the women’s eyes. “They keep me safe.”

Something in Navi’s posture shifted, just a bit. “... That’s an interesting bit of magic. Someone in your group gave you that?”

He might have already said too much, but something about telling them Time was involved didn’t feel right. “They got it for me, anyways.”

“... I think I’d like to talk to whoever’s in charge of your group,” Navi said thoughtfully. “I’m still skeptical, but… you know where to find us, now. I think a conversation is a good idea.”

Hyrule nodded. “I’ll ask them. I don’t know if anyone specifically is in charge, but I think I can get our main planning and safety person to come.”

Proxi was frowning, but Navi nodded back. “Good. Let Tael and Tatl know when we can expect you.”

With another nod, Hyrule stood up and walked towards the stair, turning and giving them a wave as he started up. Hopefully that was fine.

He told Tael to expect him and a guest at some point in the next month, and made his way out of the city, busily planning and wondering about their new potential allies. 

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

To my friend,

Everything is on schedule. I have located the item in question, and our mutual friends are willing to help deliver it.

Pardon my transparency, but this is important, and I have been assured that steps will be taken to prevent anyone encountering our friends if this letter should fall into unfamiliar hands. The item will be delivered at midnight, at the north wall of the nobles’ district in two days time from the night you receive this letter. The one delivering it will be, in our mutual friend’s words, “your sort of company,” and then he smirked the way he does when he thinks that he’s being clever. So I assume that phrase will matter greatly to you, or if it does not, it will make sense when you get there.

Be safe.

[A small doodle of a sword]

Twilight could tell his dad was nervous.

That was a bad sign, given the fact that Time tried his best to be unreadable, and had enough practice to mostly succeed. Twilight spent more time around him than most, but he was pretty used to his father expressing calm neutrality near-constantly.

“You have the package?” Time asked, for the second time in five minutes.

Twilight pulled it out of his pocket, hoping that a visual confirmation might calm him down. “Right here, dad.”

“Of course.” Time took a deep breath, visibly schooling his expression. “Of course. You’ve already said that. My apologies.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight told him, keeping his voice as comforting as he could without letting it sound like the voice he used to soothe the younger kids. “You’re just checking.”

Time nodded a few times. “And you know your route? There and back?”

Twilight nodded back. “And I have a map, if I need it.” 

He wouldn’t. Twilight had been sure to study exactly where he was supposed to go, on edge about his first mission and anxious not to let anyone down. Not to let the kingdom down.

Not to let his family down.

“Of course,” Time said again, and it almost looked like he didn’t quite know what to do with his hands. “You should - You’ll need to leave soon to get there in time. Remember, don’t linger, don’t step into any patches of light if you can avoid it -”

Twilight put a hand on Time’s arm. “Dad. You’ve already been over it with me, I remember.”

Trust me, he wanted to say, please, believe I can do this. 

“I know you’ll be careful,” Time said quietly, covering Twilight’s hand with his own. “Just… your life comes before the mission, alright? If something goes wrong, your job is to get to safety. Once this is done, we won’t be able to slow down again, but this… we can have more than one try at this.”

As long as I don’t lose the ring, or get anyone else caught, Twilight thought.

“You can trust me to do this, you know?” Twilight said, trying to sound lighthearted and not quite sure he was succeeding. “Hell, with all the sneaking around I’ve done, it’s almost like I’ve been training for this forever.”

His father’s eye widened, just a bit, as he took a shaky breath. “... Don’t say that.”

“Okay,” Twilight said quickly, “I won’t. I’m sorry.” Seeing Time this worried was shaking something inside of him, rocking a strong foundation he’d built his certainty on for years. He gave his father’s arm a quick squeeze. “I didn’t mean it.”

“... I know.” Time closed his eye, his shoulders relaxing like he was forcing them down. “I know. I’m… My apologies. You’re going to do well, I know that, I just… I never wanted you boys involved in this.” He opened his eye again, meeting Twilight’s gaze. “I am proud of you for this. You’re using your talents to help people, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, I just… worry.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s your job,” Twilight said, trying for another joke. His father was proud of him. His father was more nervous than he’d ever seen him before. The whole situation felt like when Twilight was in wolf form, and two scents became so intertwined that he couldn’t tell them apart. Mixed together, they became just overwhelming enough to put him off balance.

The corner of Time’s mouth twitched up in a little half-smile. “I suppose so. Now, you should get going. You don’t want to be late.”

Okay, Time was smiling now. That was good. “Good thing it’s me. If you were sending Wild, he’d probably have to leave an hour early and still get distracted on the way.”

At the sound of Wild’s name, something cracked in his father’s expression, like a fissure in one of his masks. “I - yes. Yes, I… suppose so.”

Oh.

“You’re scared,” Twilight whispered, at the same time as he realized it. Time was scared.

He didn’t- 

Twilight had never considered that happening before. Worried, yes, maybe even nervous, on occasion. But… this was different.

“Did you think I wasn’t?” Time asked, very softly.

“I- Honestly, I didn’t consider it.” Twilight leaned back against the doorframe. “You… you always seem to know what you’re doing, especially with plans like this. I thought you just-” didn’t trust me to be able to complete one.

Time laughed, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “That, pup, is called lying. I’ve gotten very good at it.”

“Dad…” Twilight didn’t know what to say. The enormity of that implication had smacked him in the face like a hidden tree branch, and he was still reeling from it. 

Has he always been scared, been uncertain?

Twilight wanted to ask why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you trust us? But then he considered how absolutely integral his father’s calm, unwavering reassurance had been throughout his childhood, and faltered.

“I am scared,” Time said, resting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder, “because I would rather walk up to the king in his own throne room and read off a list of my crimes than intentionally put you in danger. I am scared because I have to let go and trust you, and doing that might get you hurt.”

The only thing Twilight could do was nod, and reach out for a hug. He pressed his face into his father’s shoulder and took a second to just breathe. 

“I’ll come back, I promise, I will. It’ll just be a few hours-” Twilight’s voice suddenly caught, and he had to push back tears. “Dad, I can do this. I want to do this, let me help you.”

Time held him tightly and murmured “I know you can do it. I know. You’ll be there and back, and then everything will start to move faster. You’re going to start this, Twi, and I am proud of you. Don’t let my worrying stop you.”

Twilight pulled away after another moment, because he had a job to do. He was going to start this, because his father trusted him with the responsibility to do so. “I’ll take your worrying with me, instead. It’ll make me extra careful.”

That got a small smile out of Time - a genuine one. “Alright. Stay safe, be quick. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Twilight told him, quietly unlatching the door. “I’ll be back before sunrise.”

It was a warm night, and the breeze ruffled Twilight’s hair as he stepped outside, carrying the very distant scent of the city. He breathed it in, then closed his eyes, focusing on that little twist of magic that sat next to his heart.

Hands shifted to paws, skin shifted to dark fur, and Twilight shook himself off as the change fully settled in, like he could physically shake away his lingering doubt. He could do this. He could do this. With the warm glow of the house at his back, he took off running down the road.

(Behind him, Time watched until the wolf was out of sight, and then a little longer.)

Twilight knew what to do. They had gone over the plan a dozen times, and he knew where to pause in the journey to roll in dust or run through a stream. Hopefully, he would end up looking like a stray dog rather than a well-loved wolf.

He wouldn’t be going in through the gate. That way was too heavily guarded, and the guards liked tormenting stray animals too much for his father’s taste. Instead, Twilight made his way to a culvert in the wall. The thick metal bars made a gap too small for any human, or any wolf, for that matter, but with another little twist of magic, he shifted into the far less familiar form of a mouse. 

Twilight really hated alternate forms. Being a wolf felt right, felt like home in a way no other animal did, and being so small and vulnerable made him uneasy. Thankfully, he only needed the mouse form long enough to hop between the bars, and then he quickly shifted back. 

The culvert was very close to the nobles’ district, thank the spirits - or, more accurately, thank Warriors. He had been the one to suggest the route. It was a matter of minutes to creep through alleys until he came to the district walls. 

A bird would probably be the smartest choice to get over, if Twilight could fly. But he couldn’t. There was too much going on all at once, and if he somehow managed to get into the air, he looked like he was having a seizure, according to both Wild and Legend. He was also very liable to crash.

Thankfully, flight wasn’t the only option. Twilight shifted into a squirrel and skittered up the vine-covered wall, then down the other side. Going down as a squirrel was very disorienting, and Twilight had to find a shadowy corner to shift back to a wolf in so he could feel more steady.

Then, there was nothing to do but wait.

After a few minutes, Twilight heard light footsteps approaching. Thankfully, he was feeling a bit better, so he could carefully track the cloaked figure’s progress towards the wall. 

The person sat down on a stone bench next to the wall itself, leaning back against the stones and settling into stillness, although from his angle Twilight could catch the shifting of light as their eyes scanned the area.

Slowly enough to be casual, Twilight slid out of the shadows and made his way over to the bench. If this was their contact, then…

They started to hum quietly, the melody of an old folk tune about a squirrel who planted a tree, eventually building a home for its entire family using one acorn.

That was the signal.

Twilight stepped through a patch of deep shadow and emerged on the other side as a human.

The person startled slightly, humming trailing off as they stood. “Oh, hello! Care to sit with me for a moment? The stars are lovely tonight.”

“I’d love to,” Twilight said with a nod, moving over to sit on the bench. 

In between them, the person’s hand was lightly resting on the stone, palm up. Easily ignored as an unimportant detail, unless you knew that they were waiting to be given something. 

Twilight had pulled enough pranks with Wild that it was simple as anything to pull the tiny package out of his pocket and drop it unobtrusively in their contact’s hand. No one watching would be the wiser.

“I hope you have a nice night,” they told him after a second, “and a wonderful tomorrow. I have a feeling things will only be getting better from here.”

With a nod, Twilight’s contact slipped the package into an inside pocket of their robe. From where he was sitting, Twilight could see that they were actually wearing two hoods, one on top of the other. The purple lining of the inner hood was just barely visible, with gold accents glinting faintly as they stood and offered him a hand up.

“You know,” Twilight said, accepting the hand, “funniest thing, I have a feeling you’re right.”

He could make out a grin through the shadows obscuring their face, and they stepped back with an almost courtly wave. “I look forward to meeting you in brighter times, then. The moon will set soon enough.”

Twilight grinned, and just a hint of fang peeked through. “Lucky me, I like it that way.” 

Sure enough, the shadows were deepening, and it was easy to find a place to shift back into a squirrel. He had a bit of a longer path to the culvert this time, as well as another small delivery to make, but soon he would be back home.

Mission success.

(And as he watched the squirrel scramble up the wall, the man in the cloak hummed a few more bars of the song to himself. Starting down the winding path back to his manor, he stuck a hand into the pocket where he knew the prince’s signet ring was safe in its package. 

Ravio smiled to himself. Brighter times, indeed.)

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

[...] 

My increasingly dear confidant, I find myself distracted by your wonderful schemes in ways that leave me awaiting your next letter- and our possible meeting, once our schemes come to fruition. For in truth, your words are so clever and compelling that they leave me little choice but to read, enraptured. Letters with you seem to be a greater entrapment than even my own dedication- they certainly keep me in this little insurrection plot with ease!

Do you remember what I said, oh, several years ago now, about how I see you often? Or, at least, I like to pretend I do. It certainly keeps me entertained! When you could be around any corner, everyone I talk to and pass by becomes that much more interesting- just because they might be you. 

[...]

I remain forever yours, 

[A doodle of a rabbit, holding a stick of hard candy in one hand. It is pointing it out towards the reader, as if offering it to someone]

Four almost made a joke as he stepped through the open door into the back room of the print shop. Almost. A quip about their first meeting was right on the tip of his tongue, but glancing at Shadow, he didn’t want to spoil this.

“Are you sure this is alright?” he asked instead, after pulling gently on Shadow’s sleeve to get his attention.

Shadow nodded. “Vaati is out for a big business deal, he won’t be back for at least a few hours, and even then he might not check in here.”

“Okay.” Four would have to get back to the ranch by then, anyway, so hopefully Shadow was right and it would be fine. He glanced around at the machines lining the walls, giving them a low whistle of appreciation. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Shadow said, watching his face carefully, “they’re pretty interesting. We have several different kinds, and I know how to use pretty much all of them.”

“Impressive,” Four said genuinely, turning to smile at Shadow. “I’d love to see, if you’d be willing to show me?”

Shadow grinned. “Which do you want to see first?”

This led to a short whirlwind of being shown around the machines. Shadow let him arrange the letters on one of the smaller machines, and operate the hand crank on another. There were an assortment of machine sizes- for different sizes of paper, Shadow told him- and a truly dizzying number of drawers packed with wood and metal type.

“This is so cool,” Four said with a grin, looking away from the machine they were working with just long enough for Shadow to see his face as he said it. 

“Thanks.” Shadow sounded a bit shy, and he quickly refocused on reorganizing the letter blocks inside the machine. “I guess it is. I hadn’t really thought about that.”

Four gently tapped his arm and waited for him to look up again before saying “I know how long it takes to learn things like this, and you’re good at it. It’s amazing to watch.”

Shadow was clearly blushing, but he didn’t look away again. “It’s just like writing backwards, and all the drawers are labeled, so it’s not hard to find the right font for the typeset. Honestly, copying maps is probably harder.”

“Which you can also do incredibly well,” Four pointed out, shifting just a bit closer and resting a hand on Shadow’s arm.

Shadow shifted a little, clearly unsure of what to do with all of the praise. “I’ve been practicing for a long time, I guess?”

“I can tell.” Goddesses, he was cute when he blushed. “Can I kiss you?”

Nodding excitedly, Shadow leaned in for a kiss, pulling away after a long moment and smiling at Four, reaching out to take his hand. 

“Thank you,” he said, almost painfully genuine, “for thinking this is cool. I’m really glad you liked seeing all the machines and things.”

“Are you kidding? I love learning things, and getting to spend more time with you is a bonus.”

“Was it a bonus when you accidentally splashed ink on the screw mechanism?” Shadow teased, pulling Four a little closer, smile shifting closer to a grin.

“When he what?” asked a quiet but dangerous-sounding voice near the door.

Four stiffened, but Shadow didn’t turn his head- the man had been too quiet.

“Four?” he asked worriedly, pulling back to give Four more space. “What’s wrong?”

“Company,” he said quietly, then looked toward the door.

Shadow looked confused for a second, then followed his gaze. Four was still holding Shadow’s hand, and could feel when he flinched so hard in surprise that he practically jumped. 

“Vaati!” Shadow said, tone just a bit too loud, “We-”

“ You, ” Vaati interrupted, “were what? Just letting random riffraff from off the street into the back of the shop, where they could get their dirty fingers on my machines?” He advanced towards the two of them, and Shadow turned, pulling Four further from the machine and slightly behind himself.

“I was just showing Vio around. He’s a friend ,” Shadow added defensively, “and a paying customer.”

“And he’s making my son into someone who thinks he can get away from lying to his father,” Vaati hissed, tilting his head as if considering the facts while advancing even closer. “Because I seem to remember you calling him Four just a moment ago, when you were too busy staring into his eyes to pay attention to the room. You didn’t even hear the door close, did you?”

Shadow looked down at the floor for a second before Vaati stomped his foot to call his attention back up to his face. “And you will not ignore me when I’m talking to you!”

Goddesses, Four wanted to speak up so badly. He could come up with a cover story for this, he could talk his way around it, but - anything he said right now could be used to hurt Shadow later. Standing up for him would do more harm than good.

Still. That didn’t make just standing there any easier. Four took a breath and bided his time, ready to speak up if there was something he could say that would actually diffuse the situation.

“I wasn’t trying to-” Shadow said, glancing between Vaati and Four.

Vaati scoffed. “You’re really going to try and tell me that any excuse this random stranger you let in here is just as important as what I’m saying?”

“I didn’t-”

“You sure seemed to be watching him more than me,” Vaati said, fury building up in his tone. “And you know damn well that right now, you should be paying attention to what I’m saying. Because it looks to me like you’re practically handing the keys to the kingdom over to this boy. You let him spill ink in one of the mechanisms? You’re ignoring me to-”

Shadow made a distressed noise, eyes trying to track Vaati’s words. “Could- I can’t, would you maybe…”

Vaati rolled his eyes, and pointedly exaggerated his words. “ You’re a disobedient brat, and your ‘friend’ is leaving now forever. Is that clear enough for you?”

Holy goddesses Four wanted to punch him.

“Yes, father,” Shadow said quietly. Four could feel Shadow’s shaking grip on his hand loosen. He didn’t turn around when he said, “Four, would you consider…”

Vaati scoffed. “I think you meant to say get out of here before my father has you arrested for trespassing, Shadow.”

“Please leave,” Shadow told Four, eyes still fixed on Vaati’s face, just in case he said something. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Four told him, even though it wasn’t likely to be heard. He gave Shadow’s hand a little squeeze before letting go and taking a small step away. He had more to say, of course he did, but Shadow was facing away and Vaati didn’t need any more ammunition. Four looked to Vaati, who was still next to the door, and said in the most frostily polite tone he could, “Will you allow me to leave if I try, sir?”

“It would be my pleasure to have you out of here as fast as possible,” Vaati told him. “I will personally escort you to the door to make sure you don’t damage any more of my valuable machinery or merchandise.” 

“Thank you, but that’s unnecessary. I know where the door is.” Four didn’t think about standing on a street corner three years ago. He didn’t think about soldiers leading his friend away. He didn’t think about how much he hated feeling like there was nothing he could do to help. He just walked calmly to the door, and as he opened it, he glanced over to Vaati again. “And I think you’ll find that the machine is spotless.” Then he turned and left the room before he could actually punch the man in the face.

“It is,” he heard faintly from behind the door, “we cleaned it, and I promise…”

And then the door swung closed, effectively barring Four from the conversation, leaving him behind the counter and staring at a book propped against the register. One with a familiar leather cover, that he remembered Time carefully etching a dragon onto several years ago.

Four allowed himself ten seconds to close his eyes and breathe. Just… breathe. Get calm enough to walk home without causing a scene. Then he quietly left the store, already planning ways to get around Vaati.

He wasn’t going to just sit by again.

They were holding hands as they walked back through the door to the shop, slightly sunburnt and clothes a little wet from stray splashes of water.

That was Shadow’s first mistake- acting like that inside the shop. Taking that risk.

Vaati was leaning against the counter, leafing through a book the way he did before he sent it out, checking for any printing errors. He looked up with the smile he saved for customers, which quickly darkened to a scowl when he took in Shadow frozen in the doorway, holding Four’s hand.

Four gave his hand a small squeeze, and Shadow saw him out of the corner of his eye taking a tiny step backward. Staying just on the other side of the doorway.

“When I said your friend was leaving forever,” Vaati said, controlled and too quiet for Shadow to properly hear, “Did you think I was joking?”

“No,” Shadow said hurriedly, “No, I- he wasn’t going to come inside, we were just-”

Vaati gestured to Four sharply. “He certainly looks like he’s headed inside. Walking through the door holding my son’s hand, splashed in who knows what-”

Shadow had to stop himself from avoiding Vaati’s gaze. “It’s just water,” he said quietly, but then Vaati was pulling the exasperated expression that meant Shadow had been too quiet or too loud, so he repeated himself slightly louder, hoping his voice wasn’t shaking. 

“ Water,” Vaati said, drawing out the word so it was hard to understand, “Great. Of course, that makes it totally fine! I’m so glad that my son has been fucking around in dirty clothes in the lower city, but thank the goddess it’s just water!”

Shadow winced. Vaati getting sarcastic always sort of hurt- he could have been much meaner, of course, but it still didn’t feel good.

“I wasn’t in the-”

“ Don’t you lie to me,” Vaati said, pointing an ominous finger at him. “You were either at the river, or knee-deep in some sort of fountain up here, and if that’s the case, you’re out and never coming back.”

Four’s grip on his hand tightened again, just slightly. Not quite a squeeze this time, more like he was getting upset and trying to hide it.

Shadow took a deep breath, trying to keep himself steady. “I didn’t do anything that would disgrace you, Vaati.”

“I’ve told you how to behave a million times, and you still believe that?” Vaati scoffed, throwing his hands up. “Gallivanting all over the lower city with some random boy- not even a customer -” His expression changed, and his voice dropped out of Shadow’s hearing entirely. “When I said I didn’t want him in here, you decided to go make a fool of yourself out there. ” 

Shadow just stared. He had no idea what to say, how to defend himself.

Vaati raised his voice again, emphasizing the words in that way he liked to do when he thought Shadow was being especially stupid, “Absolutely unacceptable! ”

Four spoke up from behind him, and Shadow was panicking a little too much to catch anything more than the end of what was said, but the tone was icy. “...rainwater on the streets today.”

Vaati raised an eyebrow. “A cart? And why should I believe that, when Shadow had ample opportunity to explain himself and never mentioned such a thing?”

Oh, Four was so smart . Shadow squeezed his hand gently, risking a glance over to give him a quick smile.

Four smiled back, just a little flicker of warmth, and then the ice was back in his eyes as he looked at Vaati. “He did tell you he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“He’s lied for you before,” Vaati said, presumably to Four, gesturing dismissively. “He’d certainly do it again. Honestly,” he continued, “I’m caught between disappointment and approval. On one hand, he didn’t try to give me any false excuses, but on the other, he wasn’t even clever enough to come up with one before you did, as rudimentary as it was.” He gave Shadow an unpleasant smile. “Even your excuses are disgracefully lackluster.”

Shadow was too caught up in trying not to react, so he missed what Four said in response. He was grateful that Four was standing up for him, but he also just wanted this conversation to end. He didn’t want the best person in his life to have to deal with the worst.

“Excuse me if I don’t believe the word of a low-class interloper who’s trying to corrupt my son away from his duties,” Vaati replied, and Shadow nearly gasped, but caught himself.

“Don’t call him that,” Shadow said instead, trying to sound firm and determined, but keeping his volume low and ‘respectful’ enough that he couldn’t tell if it came across right.

Vaati pointed threateningly at him again. “Don’t you dare try to give me orders, son.”

Shadow flinched, and let go of Four’s hand.

There was a light tap on his arm a moment later, and Shadow startled, then quickly turned to see Four giving him a thin little smile. “You don’t have to, it’s okay. I’ve heard worse.”

Well, Shadow hated hearing that.

“Doesn’t mean people should say it,” he said lowly, looking back at Vaati, “ especially not ones who say that politeness in the shop is the second most important part of business.”

That was definitely and completely the wrong thing to say, but right now, Shadow didn’t care. He took Four’s hand again and lifted his chin, staring at Vaati with a confidence he didn’t truly feel.

After a moment, Four laced their fingers together.

Vaati just looked at Shadow for a moment, nearly expressionless. Then, overemphasizing his words, he told Shadow, “go upstairs, now.”

“No!” Shadow felt just brave enough to raise his voice to a level he could hear. 

“Go to your room now , or lose it forever!” Vaati yelled, pointing towards the door to the back. 

Four tapped his hand, and when Shadow glanced over, said too quietly for Shadow to really hear, “If he kicks you out, you’d be welcome with us.”

Vaati clapped his hands to get his attention, and Shadow turned to see him smiling. 

“That,” he said slowly, “sounds like a wonderful idea. Shadow, you’ve repeatedly defied me, you obviously are putting this lowlife over your father, and…” he turned slightly to face Four, “since you seem to think you’re so full of good ideas, I’ll give you the gift of letting this one happen.”

Shadow felt like every window in the room had shattered around him.

“Dad-”

“No!” Vaati yelled, then quieted, pulling his smile back onto his face, “no. Your disrespect has made it very clear that I’m not your father anymore. I’ve told you again and again, Shadow, you’re only as useful as you make yourself- and you’ve certainly outlived that usefulness.” He clapped his hands together again. “All right, that’s settled. I honestly should have gotten a new assistant before this- one who can actually communicate. ”

Four gave Shadow’s hand a light tug. A suggestion, more than anything.

“I barely did anything, you can’t-” Shadow started, but Vaati stood up and slammed his hands down on the desk. 

“Listen to yourself, Shadow! For once in your life, you’ve actually got it right: you barely do anything. I’ve kept you around out of sentimentality for long enough. Get out.”

“But my things-” Shadow gasped, feeling lightheaded, “my- my books, I need to-”

“Property of the shop, I think,” Vaati said with a grin, “unless, of course, you want to buy them back with all the money you’ll earn when you’re jobless and on the street?”

Another tap brought Shadow’s attention back to Four, though the boy was still glaring at Vaati as he spoke. “He isn’t going to be either of those things. You think I’d lie to him about that?”

“That’s not my problem anymore,” Vaati shrugged. “I think it’ll be up to Shadow to figure out exactly what kind of misery he’s trading this for.”

“Vaati,” Shadow said, almost completely sure his voice was shaking, “What about Mom’s books? She would wan-”

Vaati’s face went deadly calm. “Do not speak of her,” he said, in what looked like a whisper.

Shadow tried again anyway. “Would she want you t-”

“I said get out!” Vaati roared, reaching down to the desk and throwing a book at Shadow’s head. He ducked, and it went sailing out into the street, spinning and tumbling its way through a deep and dirty puddle, its hand-carved dragon cover splattered with mud.

Shadow just gaped at him. He felt frozen and burning at the same time, and he couldn’t move.

“Oh, you’re not leaving? Do you want to talk about your mother?” Vaati said, low and dangerous, and Shadow took a hurried step forwards, only to be tugged back by Four’s hand in his.

“Do you want to hear that she was the only reason I kept your useless ass around? That you’ve only had a roof over your miserable head for years because I was too damn sentimental to throw you out when I got rid of her old clothes?”

Shadow choked on a sob, still too frozen to even wipe his eyes.

“That’s enough.” The words were sharp, and loud enough for Shadow to hear. He glanced over to Four, who looked nearly murderous. “You’ve made your point, you’ve made him upset, now stop. ”

“Get out of my shop,” Vaati responded, loud enough to be heard over the too-fast beating of Shadow’s heart. Shadow just stared out into the street past Four, to where the book he’d lent him lay, soaking in the rainwater and mud.

Shadow automatically turned his head at the sharp clapping noise from behind him, meeting Vaati’s gaze and therefore, able to lip read the next few words. “Good luck. When they figure out how useless you are, you’ll need it.”

Four lightly tugged on Shadow’s hand again.

Shadow let himself be pulled out of the shop, staring back over his shoulder at the man who’d taken care of him for almost ten years of his life. 

The door closed between them, and he kept staring, taking in the faint indents where he’d carefully painted over scratches and scuffs, the familiar doorknob that just barely shifted when you turned it too far to the left-

Four gently led Shadow away from the shop and into a nearby alley. As soon as they had some privacy, he pulled Shadow into a tight hug.

Shadow blinked, and as soon as he had snapped out of his daze, struggled free to run back to the street right outside the shop, kneeling in the muck and gently reaching out for the ruined book. It dripped dirty water as he picked it up and cradled it to his chest, feeling the water soak through his tunic. 

He let his tears fall where they would. It wasn’t like the book could get any wetter.

Four crouched beside him, giving him a gentle tap on the arm. 

Shadow couldn’t tear his gaze away from the pages of the book. He knew that if he spread them quickly, if he lay it in front of the fire, they might recover- but not from damage this bad. Four’s gift had been thrown out into the street along with Shadow, and he wasn’t sure which one of them was worse off for it.

“I’m sorry,” he managed through another sob, “I’m- your book, it’s ruined!”

Four didn’t move for a moment. Then he put a careful arm around Shadow’s shoulders, pulling him in close.

Shadow leaned his head on Four’s shoulder, closing his eyes and uncurling one hand to desperately pull Four closer. 

“You- you don’t have to- I don’t know if you meant it, but I’ll be- I’ll be fine out here, I can-” Shadow rambled, face pressed against Four’s neck, arms shaking. He stopped suddenly when he felt the faint reverberation of Four talking, peeling himself away and looking up at Four’s face.

“Of course I meant it,” Four said, cupping Shadow’s face in his hands and carefully brushing a tear away with his thumb. He almost looked like he was about to start crying himself. “You don’t need to apologize for a goddess-damned thing, this isn’t your fault. I’m sorry that this is happening.”

“I could have just gone inside,” Shadow mumbled, avoiding Four’s eyes, “Or been more careful in the first place- now you have to- to take care of me, and…” 

And Vaati’s always right, sooner or later.

Shadow didn’t want to have to see Four realize how useless he was. 

“You’ll fit right in with the rest of us,” Four said with a tiny, sad, crooked little smile. “I know this sucks, but you have friends now, okay? We’d be happy to help, if you let us.”

“The place you said I could stay- are they okay with that? Whoever your ‘rest of us’ are?” Shadow leaned into Four’s hand despite himself- taking all the comfort he could get, an automatic reaction in the midst of the turmoil.

“... I may need to do some fast talking,” Four admitted, “but they’ll understand. We’ve all been - well, not exactly where you are, but we know what it’s like to not have anywhere to go. And even in the very unlikely scenario that I’m wrong and they aren’t okay with it, they won’t just throw you out. We’ll make sure you’re okay. Promise.”

Shadow wanted to believe him. He couldn’t stand being directionless and helpless in this situation, so he forced his doubts away and stood up shakily, offering Four one hand and clutching the book tightly in the other one.

Four stood with him, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together again, giving Shadow an encouraging smile. Then he turned and started leading the way down the street.

He moved through the city in a daze, barely seeing the streets around him, just focusing on Four’s hand in his. The world seemed as muffled and blurry to his eyes as it did to his ears, and he just let it all flow by.

Until they reached the gates.

Four tapped for his attention. “Have you ever been out of the city before?”

Shadow shook his head, holding on a little tighter. He looked up at the tall wooden doors, currently open and guarded, but impressively reinforced.

There was no turning back, not after he passed the walls of the city. 

But then again, there had been no turning back since he walked into the- into Vaati’s shop holding Four’s hand.

He glanced back to Four worriedly, just in case he had any reassurance to give, just in case there was some sort of protocol for him to follow. And because Four was the one steady point in his crumbling life. 

If anyone could fix this, it would be Four. Shadow damn well couldn’t.

“I’ve got you,” Four said, giving Shadow’s hand a light squeeze. “Just follow my lead, it really isn’t that bad.”

‘ That bad’ didn’t seem like a good sign, but Shadow truly had nowhere else to go.

“I trust you,” he said, squeezing tighter onto the cover of the book, so he didn’t hurt Four’s hand.

Four smiled at him, warm and a bit flustered, and led him through the gates.

The guards stopped them as they passed through to look them both over, but Four did all of the talking, and they were soon waved on, out beyond the city and into the sprawling fields surrounding it.

Shadow started the walk wide-eyed, taking everything in, and turning to look back as Castle Town’s gates slowly got smaller behind them. But the longer he walked, the more his mind was taken over by doubt- where was Four taking him? Who owned this place, and what was it? Would they let him stay? If they didn’t, would he have to walk back to Castle Town alone?

He didn’t think he could handle that.

After several minutes of walking, Four tapped his hand again. “So, there are a few things you should probably know before we get there.”

Shadow gave him a small nod, blinking back into focus to watch Four’s mouth carefully- he didn’t want to miss any of this.

“So. I mentioned my dad.” Four glanced away, looking vaguely uncomfortable as he said “That wasn’t really true. Sky’s my brother. I have two brothers, actually - neither of them are identical to me, though, that part was just to mess with you.”

“Okay,” Shadow said, repeating the words in his head and trying to keep the information straight. “Where do they live? Is it far?”

“Not really, it’s just down this road,” Four told him, gesturing down the path they were walking on. “We live on a ranch, the guy who owns it is named Time. There’s a lot of us living there, actually; my family, Time’s family, a friend of ours, and some of Time’s friends from town. We, ah.” He paused, frowning, like he was trying to word something correctly before he said it. “There’s… a lot of things happening behind the scenes. You shouldn’t need to worry about most of it, at least not until you’re settled in.”

Okay. Probably some sort of crime, right? Shadow wasn’t sure- he really didn’t know much about crime, and he was starting to figure out he didn’t know much about the world outside of the printing shop either. Anyway, Four had said he didn’t need to worry about it, which was most likely a ‘ don’t ask.’ Shadow gave him another nod. “Okay, got it.”  He wanted to ask what Four’s other brother’s name was, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to remember it long enough for the question to matter.

Four squeezed his hand gently. “I know this is a lot. The kids are probably going to ask you a million questions, you don’t know anybody here but me, and I know I didn’t have a clue what happened on a ranch when we first moved out here. But they’re all really good people, and they know this is confusing and scary.”

“You’re giving me somewhere safe to stay,” Shadow said, “I can deal with anything else that I have to.” For Four, he was pretty sure he could deal with a lot of things.

“Just… tell me if you want to slow down, or want to be alone, or anything, okay?”

Shadow gave him a nod that he didn’t quite believe. Oh, he trusted Four would try to give him space, or anything reasonable he’d ask for, but Shadow had no idea how this Time- who seemed to be in charge- would react to such a request.

Four was already risking enough for him, and Shadow didn’t want to seem impolite in front of the stranger who was going to decide his fate.

His worries increased with each step down the side path, as Four unlatched the gate, and as he was led through the (assumedly) quiet garden, up to the porch of a wooden house. The porch swing was moving slightly in the breeze, and it shouldn’t have made Shadow shiver, but it did.  

No noise loud enough for him to hear, so either the area wasn’t busy, or any threats here would be quiet, and/or person-shaped. But where were the people? Goddesses, the last thing he wanted was to be startled by someone, and he was already at a double disadvantage, because he didn’t know the place.

He was outside the walls. Everything was going to be different here. Shadow wasn’t safe anymore- if he’d ever been.

Shadow tried not to squeeze Four’s hand, keeping his grip as relaxed as he could manage.

Four paused with his hand on the doorknob, then turned to Shadow. “Don’t be intimidated by Time. He’s tall and he has a resting bitch face, but he’s nice, really.”

“Okay,” Shadow said, genuinely unsure if it was audible or not- he was too scared to risk being loud. Better unheard than in trouble.

Four turned back to the door, took a breath, and pushed it open.

The inside of the house was bright and homey. There were rugs on the floors, a bookshelf in the corner, and - and two people sitting on the couch, staring at them.

“... Four, what the fuck,” said the younger one.

“I can explain,” Four said quickly, or at least Shadow was fairly sure he got that right from the context and his panicked glance sideways.

Shadow hunched his shoulders slightly, gaze flickering back and forth between the people on the couch, trying to look nonthreatening.

“Please do,” the older one on the couch said, standing up and moving so he was angled slightly in front of the one who had spoken first. Defensive, and protective too. Not great for Shadow, especially if the man saw him as a threat.

“This is Shadow.” Four took half a step closer to him, a defensive signal of his own. “He needs a place to stay.”

The younger one - and he had pink hair, what was up with that - stood too, putting a hand on the older’s arm. “And you brought him here why?”

Shadow glanced over at Four to see his response.

“Because I like him, and I trust him,” Four said, keeping his chin up. “And his dad is a bitch who kicked him out.”

“...never heard of him before?” Shadow saw the older one saying as he shifted his attention back to the couch area. 

Four hesitated for a second. “... I may have met him while doing something I shouldn’t have been doing. Maybe.”

Shadow nudged Four in confusion. He had said he was getting information about flyers for his dad’s- his brother’s- business. What did he mean, something he shouldn’t have -

Tilting his head slightly towards the other people in the room, Four redirected Shadow’s attention.

The older man had his arms crossed, and pretty much looked like the opposite of welcoming. “...-most more suspicious than your reasoning- his dad?” he gestured towards the one with pink hair. “What, you trying to get Legend on your side for this? Honestly, Four, I thought you were more careful than this. You know what you’re risking here.”

Four’s grip on Shadow’s hand tightened just slightly, and when Shadow glanced over, his expression had settled into a proper glare. “... -thing I would lie about! I do know how serious this is, you think I would do this if I wasn’t sure about it? About him?”

Shadow shrunk backward towards the wall, nearly completely hiding behind Four. Like his shadow, but Shadow couldn’t even get enough humor together to laugh at the joke. His brain was scattered, and he couldn’t follow the conversation properly, and he was missing important things. 

The man had said that Shadow being here was risky, and called out Four’s reasoning. There was definitely something going on here that they didn’t want discovered, and that was bad news for him.

He hoped Four wouldn’t get in too much trouble for this, but he couldn’t check, he couldn’t look away from the man standing by the couch. Dark hair, deep blue scarf- the voice in the back of his head that sounded like Vaati whispered, decent enough to be a valuable customer, but Shadow shook the thought away. The man was tall, and looked strong, definitely stronger than Shadow- not that it took much- and upset. Upset at Shadow, and with no reason at all to let him go safely now that Shadow had seen the place, much less keep him around and give him somewhere to sleep.

Shadow trusted Four to do his best to defend him, so he kept his eyes on the strangers, terrified of what they might say.

“This does seem like a group decision sort of thing, though, Four,” the pink-haired boy - Legend? - said with a raised eyebrow.

Four gave him a little shrug, and there was the soft sound of a response.

“What, you couldn’t have let him sit by the river for an hour while you came back to ask?” the taller man said, raising an eyebrow as well, and still staying carefully in front of Legend.

Four bristled as he said something back, sharp and a little louder than before. Probably defending him. Shadow felt guiltily grateful that Four was trying so hard to help him.

The man narrowed his eyes. “You’re risking a lot of people’s lives over it being too wet out , Four. I trusted you to be smarter than this.”

Four squeezed Shadow’s hand and lowered his voice again.

“Doesn’t fucking look like it,” the man responded. “I want to trust your judgment about him, but just the fact that you thought this was a good idea makes it more suspect.” Then, his eyes widened, and he said something that could have been ‘wind,’ or ‘bend,’ Shadow couldn’t tell, none of it made sense-

There was a sudden impact against Shadow’s side, and he startled hard, letting out a yelp so loud he could actually hear it and tumbling over sideways against the wall. He scrambled to press himself into the small corner between the wall and a wooden set of shelves, looking up at-

A boy, maybe eight or ten years younger than him, with light hair and a worried expression, standing shocked in the same place Shadow had been.

And then there was a blur of movement and blue fabric, and the kid was scooped up by the tall man- was that Time? Maybe? Tall and scary, it made sense- and pulled away.

Noise, indistinct and wavering, but loud and sharp in the way that signified anger. Shadow pressed his hands over his face, unable to face whatever was happening, whatever was going to happen to him once the kid was safe and Time decided what to do with Shadow.

There were a few more seconds of noise, and then quiet. After a moment, there was a gentle tap on his arm.

Shadow knew what that meant. Even if he was in trouble, someone wanted his attention, and not giving it would only make things worse. He lifted his head, breathing hard, and looked up at- oh . It was Four.

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “That was my little brother. Everyone just kind of - reacted. You’re okay.”

He wanted to nod, to agree, to reassure Four, but Shadow was pretty sure he was not okay, so he just stared for a second before scanning the room.

Time with one arm holding back Four’s little brother, the door slightly open, Legend glancing between them like he didn’t quite know what to do. Another man had appeared in the doorway, and it looked like he’d just sprinted across the whole house out of worry.

“I’m sorry,” Shadow finally managed to say, and it was such a relief that he couldn’t seem to stop. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-”

“Hey, hey, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Four said, carefully holding out a hand. “Deep breaths, it’s okay. You aren’t in trouble. Promise.”

Shadow gave him a jerky nod, scanning the room again, and then starting over. Four wasn’t the threat here. He was the one safe thing in this entire situation, and Shadow wanted to trust him so badly. 

The man in the doorway took a few cautious steps into the room. “Four?”

Four quickly looked over to him, startled enough to reach a volume Shadow could make out reasonably well. “Sky!”

Sky, apparently, frowned at Shadow. “Is this that boy you mentioned?”

“Y- you talked about me?” Shadow tried to joke, words probably coming out with a little more of a wheeze than he had intended- oh, Four had told him to breathe, hadn’t he? Oops. “I’m- I’m flattered.” He broke off again to suck in another breath, continuing to scan the room as fast as possible. He could not afford to miss anything.

“He asked for advice,” Sky said, taking a few more cautious steps closer. “Four, what’s going on?”

“He needs a place to stay,” Four told him, turning back to Shadow. He still hadn’t moved away.

Shadow decided to risk addressing the most dangerous man in the room, trying to keep his words calm. “I don’t care about whatever- whatever secret you’re trying to protect, Time, I just- Four said I might be able-” he cut himself off in frustration, then tried again. “I won’t tell anybody. I don’t even know what I would tell them, I don’t have anyone to tell-”

Four frowned, just a bit, then glanced back at the room. “Oh. No, that’s - okay, yeah, tall and a resting bitch face doesn’t really give you much to go on. That’s not Time, that’s Warriors, he’s - he’s protective. And I was hoping to talk to Time before him because he doesn’t like listening when plans change.” The last half of that sentence was said with a little sideways glare.

The man who was apparently called Warriors crossed his arms, leaning sideways to stop Four’s little brother from sneaking around him. “I don’t like it when people change plans unexpectedly in a risky way. That’s different.”

Sky made it over to where Shadow was still huddling in the corner and knelt down, just behind Four. He gave Shadow a gentle little smile. “Hi, Shadow, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sky.”

Shadow managed to give him a small wave and a strained smile. “Sorry I’m in your house- all of you people’s house, I mean. Uh, the house that belongs to Time that you are also in, maybe even live in, ‘cause I think Four said he lived here-”

Four gently took his hand, giving him plenty of time to pull away if he wanted to, and gave it a light squeeze. “Breathe, Shadow.”

“We do live here,” Sky confirmed. “And you don’t need to apologize. Four should have told us you were coming -” he shot Four a look - “but you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“And he’s having a panic attack in our living room, calm down for a second, Wars,” Four snapped, glancing over his shoulder.

Oh. Shadow might have missed something. 

Well, this had gone on long enough. He’d had his little moment, and now it was time to get it together again. Shadow forced himself to breathe deeply, pulling a smile onto his face and shakily pushing to his feet, using the shelf for support, and looking over to Warriors- since Four had directed the comment at him, he was probably the one who had spoken. “I’m fine. Sorry. I- I just got startled, that’s all.”

Four stood with him, still at an angle where Shadow could see his face and he was between Shadow and the rest of the room. He hesitated for a second, then tapped for Shadow’s attention and asked “... Are you fine enough for me to make a hitting you with a door joke?”

Shadow blinked, startled. “Uh, go ahead?”

“It runs in the family, apparently,” Four said with a small smile, tilting his head toward Wind.

“...He hit me with a door?” Shadow said, uncomprehending, before finally putting the pieces together. “Oh! Is that why I fell- that was a door ?”

Four’s smile widened. “Yep.”

Shadow shook his head, wanting to look away in shame but not daring to- he still wanted to keep Warriors in his line of sight. “Shit. At least I didn’t-” he looked down at the ruined book in his lap, faint smile turning sad, “...drop my book this time. Or, your book. If it even counts as a book anymore.”

Four startled and twisted away to look at the doorway, where a new man was standing, arms crossed. He had a scar across one eye, and magic markings on his face.

Oh shit. Goddesses damn, a deserter, a magic user, and probably a fighter, given the eye situation. Shadow felt his legs get weak again, but held on tightly to the shelf, trying not to let his fear show.

“I was wondering where that book went,” the man said evenly.

Shadow couldn’t stop a nervous laugh from escaping. “I- Four just- uh, I thought it was his! I was going to return it- in much better condition, of course, I wouldn’t do this to a book, but-” he stopped short, blinking away sudden tears at the thought of who had done this, tossed out this book right beside Shadow himself. 

He sniffed hard, putting the book on the shelf to wipe his face with his free hand, trying not to shiver- his clothes were still wet, and in the warmth of the house he was starting to notice it even more. “I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- this is so silly, give me a moment-”

“Shadow’s dad threw it in a puddle,” Four said, turning back to Shadow so he could see the words. “Because he’s a bitch, and Shadow deserves better, and-”

“Four,” Shadow hissed, quiet as he could, “don’t- it’s fine, don’t make them mad.”

“The truth isn’t going to make them mad,” Four insisted.

Shadow bit his lip, glancing around the room at all the people who could use context to figure out what he’s just said, the vulnerability he’d just shown.

He wanted to lift his chin and shift his expression, he wanted to seem confident, he wanted to walk out of here and go somewhere safe, without his father or these strangers to stare or yell at him.

But Shadow couldn’t do any of those things. He just shivered again, and leaned sideways against the wall, his gaze doing its weary circuit of the room again.

It caught, for a moment, on Legend. He was watching Shadow with something like understanding. Like empathy.

Time sighed, and the motion of his shoulders caught Shadow’s attention. “Four, I think you and Shadow should come to my office for a talk. The rest of you, go back to what you were doing. We’ll have a larger discussion later.”

Oh great, Shadow thought, with no small amount of panic, he has an office, too! Just like home!

“It’s not an office,” Four grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Time tilted his head slightly. “It’s an office if I use it as an office.”

“It’s his woodworking room,” Four told Shadow, lowering his voice enough that Shadow couldn’t hear it anymore, like he was sharing a secret.

Shadow gave him a small smile, then pushed away from the wall gently, staying close to Four and letting him lead the way through the house, glancing back several times to make sure none of the people in the living room were following quietly enough that he couldn’t tell.

Time brought them to a room that did, indeed, seem to be a woodworking room. There were curls of wood shavings dusting the desk and the floor, and there was a block of wood and some tools laid out like Time was about to begin a project. Rather than acknowledge the desk, though, Time pulled the chair away from it and turned it around, then sat and gestured to the other two chairs in the corners of the room. “Have a seat, both of you.”

Four dragged one of the chairs over next to the other before sitting down.

Shadow sat in the other one, wanting to scoot even closer but not daring to while Time was watching, especially when it might make a noise and give the motion away without him even knowing it. 

He wished he was closer to Four, but at the same time, he wished Four was slightly in front and to the side of him- if Four wanted Shadow to follow this conversation closely, he might have to turn back and forth a lot.

“So,” Time said calmly. “Explain.”

Four started talking, and after several seconds of not-great lip reading, he glanced over at Shadow and paused. He made a one second gesture at Time and shifted his chair - forward and to the side, just a bit. Just enough to make it easier for Shadow to see him. Then he took a breath and kept going. “I know I wasn’t supposed to be doing that, I know it was a bad idea, you don’t have to give me the lecture. But Shadow’s cool, and I like hanging out with him. And his dad is awful, you should have heard the things he was saying when he caught us in the shop together -” Four cut himself off, visibly forcing himself to relax. “Anyway. His dad kicked him out, and it was sort of my fault, because he was just threatening and I said Shadow could come stay with us if he actually went through with it, and then he did, so. I didn’t exactly have time to run it by everyone before trying to help.”

Time listened without much change in his expression. When Four was done, he shifted the weight of his attention to Shadow. “Shadow, anything to add?”

Shadow desperately tried to think of something to say. “I won’t bother you, if you decide to let me stay. I don’t know much about farms, but I’ll do anything you ask me to. I can carve, and I’m good at taxes and looking over account books-” he cut himself off, mumbling “shit, no you won’t let me see those,” before trying again. “I- I can read, and talk to customers-”

“Shadow,” Time said, surprisingly gently, despite cutting him off. “I didn’t mean a list of your qualifications. I meant about Four’s explanation of why you’re in my house right now.”

Oh.

“Well,” Shadow said quietly, letting himself look at Four for a second to get a little boost of encouragement before continuing, “He’s made it very clear that I’m replaceable, at least for the past six years. I guess he saw this as an out? Especially after I invited Four into the back of the shop? Maybe he figured I was more trouble than I was worth.”

He was probably right. Shadow’s best marketable skill now was his ability to size up and interact with people he could only understand when they were facing him.

Time blinked. Then he looked at Four, who had his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. Then he nodded. “I see.”

“We’re helping him.” It didn’t look like Four had said it as a question.

“We’re helping him,” Time agreed. “Bringing him directly here without any warning was a big risk, and I will be asking for input from the others before deciding whether or not he can stay here, but,” he looked back to Shadow, “if nothing else, I may have an associate with a place for you.”

Shadow nodded. It was much more than he had expected, and the chance of getting to stay with Four made him feel something warm and unidentifiable beneath the turmoil that was the rest of his emotions. “Thank you, sir. I’ll do what I can to make sure you won’t regret it.”

Time nodded, then shifted his gaze back to Four, expression turning more stern. “Now. You’ve been going behind our backs, making very risky decisions, and putting everyone on this ranch in danger.”

“I wasn’t -” Four protested, but Time cut him off.

“You got lucky. That does not mean you were being safe or smart. I am not your parent, so I will not be deciding your punishment, but I will be asking Sky to consider one.” He took a breath, and the next words were kinder. “I understand why you did it. I’m not asking you to stand aside, I’m asking you to be smart, and to consider the risks before acting.”

For a moment, it looked like Four was going to keep arguing, but then he nodded, turning his glare to the floor.

Shadow took a risk and leaned over slightly, nudging Four’s ankle with his foot and giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Four glanced up at him and gave him a small smile back. Then he turned to look at Time, obviously reacting to something.

“... find-” Time was saying, followed by what must have been a name. “She’s in the barn with Twilight. I know what her answer will be already, so if you could, send Twilight and the other boys back here, if you see them. We’ll discuss this while you’re out there.”

Shadow tried to decipher the name- closed mouth, tongue to the teeth, then nearly shut. Probably started with a B, P or M, a T or an L in the middle, maybe ending with an N. He’d probably have to figure it out later. But he’d gotten another name- Twilight. Apparently one of ‘the boys-’ good to know.

Shadow looked to Four for an indication of what to do or where to go.

“Fine.” Four stood, then held out a hand to Shadow. “Come on, they’re both nice. A lot nicer than Wars, anyway.”

Taking his hand, Shadow stood up too, giving Time a quiet “thank you,” before following Four out of the house, watching the floor instead of the people who might still be in the living room.

As soon as they were outside, Four tapped his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Shadow blurted out, thoroughly confused. “You’re risking everything for me.”

“I thought -” Four paused, thought for a second, then started over. “I didn’t think they’d be that hostile. I know Wars is - he’s - we’ve got a lot going on, I know that, I know I probably should have warned them, but… they scared you, and I’m really sorry.”

Shadow ducked his head slightly, avoiding Four’s eyes. “I’m okay. I wasn’t- I’ve been scared before. It wasn’t bad.”

“Still. I told you it would be okay.”

“And it is,” Shadow shrugged. “Time said he’d find a place for me- that’s better than I could have asked for. Better than anything I’d have gotten without your help.”

Four took a breath and nodded. “Okay. Oh, I forgot to ask - did you catch who we’re going to meet?”

“Twilight, and someone else,” Shadow said slowly, “I couldn’t figure out her name- does it end with ‘lon’? Like the ranch name? I thought it might have been lon, but it could have been ton, I guess-” he cut himself off, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Can you- could you spell it?” He felt deeply embarrassed, even though he didn’t expect Four to be mad at him, or even disappointed in him.

“M-a-l-o-n,” Four said, giving his hand a small squeeze. “Malon. She’s Time’s wife.”

“His wife,” Shadow repeated, “Okay. With an -on like iron, or like moon?” He didn’t want to pronounce it wrong- some people got very particular about that.

“Like iron.”

“Thanks.” Shadow squeezed Four’s hand again, trying not to blush. Four offering help like it was nothing, like it was normal… it felt amazing. He felt so incredibly lucky- but it wasn’t even luck, it wasn’t even him! Four was just… kind. Shadow was sure he’d be that nice to anyone he met.

“ Malon .” Shadow repeated, glancing at Four to make sure he’d got it right. “Okay, let’s go meet Malon.”

Four gave him an encouraging smile and kept going.

The barn door was open when they got there, and as Four led Shadow in, he saw a woman and a young man brushing a horse and talking. They both looked up as Four waved and called out a greeting.

“Who’s this?” the young man asked - and oh, fantastic, he had magical markings too, on top of looking just as strong as Warriors had. Shadow really wished he had his desk to hide behind, but that wasn’t an option anymore.

Four remembered to shift a little sideways before speaking this time. “This is Shadow. Time wants to talk to everyone about him staying here.”

The young man - Twilight, probably? - and the woman glanced at each other, and with a nod from her, Twilight set his brush down and headed out of the barn with a nod to Shadow.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the woman said with a smile. “I’m Malon, that was Twilight who just left. Welcome to the ranch.”

“Thanks,” Shadow said, doing his best to return her smile- he was pretty good at faking things under medium levels of stress, and he was feeling a bit less like the world was falling apart. “Sorry for just- showing up here.” 

“Not a problem at all, hon. You aren’t the first to show up here needing help, and I doubt you’ll be the last,” Malon told him warmly.

Any more apologizing about the lack of warning felt like throwing Four under the cart, so Shadow just nodded. “Thank you for helping so many people, then.”

Malon laughed, just a bit. “That’s why we’re here, sugar. Now, you look like you’ve got to be freezing, how about we go back inside and find you something dry to wear?”

Shadow looked down at himself, like he needed to confirm that there still was water on his clothes, which made him feel absolutely foolish. “Uh, that would be nice. Thank you.”

Malon shepherded them both out of the barn and into the house by a side door - “so we don’t disturb that meeting they’re having, and you don’t need to get stared at, hon” - and into a bedroom. Four immediately began rummaging around in the drawers and came up with an outfit very similar to his own. It probably was one of his, Shadow realized. They were close enough in size that Four’s clothes should fit him.

“Here,” he said with a little smile, handing the outfit over. “Try this on, we can go wait in the hall.”

Shadow gave them a nod, closing the door gently behind them and taking a deep breath, the first moment of internal silence since that book hit the dirty street. 

He kept an eye on the door while he changed- he hadn’t heard it close, so he wouldn’t be able to hear it open, and he was in a new place. In Four’s room , which he was also trying not to think about, especially because it was obviously one he shared. 

The clothes were soft in a worn way, instead of the slightly silky way that he was used to, but they didn’t itch- it was just different. The colors were softer, but when Shadow looked at the careful stitching on the elbow patches, the way the threads of the tunic were carefully pulled over the new fabric and sewn down as close to their original places as they could be, he thought these were nicer than his old ones. People cared about these clothes, and that made them better than Vaati could ever understand, patches or no.

Shadow opened the door when he was changed, not wanting to risk calling through, in case they responded too quietly.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, fiddling with the edge of a side pocket in the tunic, “I didn’t really realize I was that cold, I guess.”

“It’s no trouble, hon,” Malon assured him. “It looks like those fit, good. I can wash yours later today - you’ll be here at least for the night, I’m sure, so they should have time to dry out no matter what everyone decides.”

Four didn’t say anything. When Shadow glanced over at him, he was just staring, his cheeks slightly pink.

Oh.  

Shadow managed the beginning of a smirk. “Are you admiring the clothes, rainbow boy, or is there something else on your mind?

Four immediately went red. “Rainbow boy?”

It seemed to be time for Shadow to join Four in being flustered and blushy. “Y- yeah, you know, the thing you did with the colors?” He glanced at Malon for a second, unsure about how much he should reveal.

“Rainbow boy,” Four repeated, presumably to himself, still blushing furiously.

“What else was I supposed to call you?” Shadow said, putting his hands to his face to try and cover his blush, “you wouldn’t tell me your name!”

“What, and ruin the joke?”

Malon was just glancing back and forth between them, a warm, knowing little smile on her face.

“Okay,” Shadow said with a grin he almost felt, deflecting like it was his job, (which he actually didn’t have anymore,) “there are people downstairs deciding my fate, let’s focus up.”

There must have been a sound from the direction of the stairs, because Malon and Four both looked over. Shadow followed their gazes, catching a flash of blond hair disappearing behind the top of the stairs.

Four called something, and after a moment, the blond hair reappeared.

“What?” the kid from downstairs said- Four’s little brother, who had apparently also hit Shadow with a door- “I was just looking. I live here too, y’know?”

Four crossed his arms and waited.

“You’re standing in front of my room,” the kid huffed, crossing his arms, “I couldn’t get through. So I- I decided to lie down. Because I was tired, and I was going to lie down, but the bed is in my room.”

Shadow glanced over to see Four’s response.

“You want to talk to Shadow, don’t you.”

“Maybe! So what if I do?” the kid shrugged, a grin sneaking onto his face. “ You’ve definitely been talking to him a lot, huh? Maybe I wanna see why he’s so interesting.”

Four glanced over at Shadow. “Is that okay with you?”

Shadow nodded, leaning against the wall and trying to look casual, like someone visiting for the day, instead of someone who’d curled into a panicked ball against the shoe rack and then been taken inside for a change of clothes because his were too wet. 

“Great!” the kid grinned even wider, nearly running over to Shadow and looking up at him. “Why did you get kicked out?”

“Wind!” Four hissed, lightly smacking his arm.

“Wars didn’t say why,” the kid- Wind- complained to him, “and you know I couldn’t ask Time.”

“That’s not polite, and you don’t need to know why,” Four said firmly.

“Ugh, fine.” Wind turned back to Shadow. “Where’re you from?”

“...Castle Town?” Shadow said, a little confused, “why?”

He tilted his head slightly. “You’ve got an accent. I haven’t heard it before, where’s it from?”

Shadow winced. I haven’t exactly heard it before, either. He hated having this conversation, but it was much better on his terms than on Vaati’s.

“I can’t hear myself talk unless I’m really loud,” he explained, strangely gaining confidence as he went through the sentence, glancing to the side and not seeing any large reactions, “so, you learn how to pronounce words by hearing them, but I can’t always hear them, so I pronounce them differently.”

Wind’s face scrunched slightly. “Why can’t you hear yourself?”

Shadow bit his lip. “I can’t really hear anything quiet. It’s not just my voice.”

“So make sure he can see you when you’re talking to him,” Four said with a nudge to Wind’s shoulder.

Wind nodded to him, not looking away from Shadow. “You can see words? Like, you’ve figured out what mouth movements mean?”

“Mostly,” Shadow admitted, “some of them look similar, but I’m able to guess based on what words they’re next to.”

Four shot him a smile. “Which is very impressive.”

Shadow tried not to blush. “Thanks, Four.”

“Don’t you mean rainbow boy?” Wind said, smirking mischievously.

“Wind!” Four was blushing again, too. “How long have you been listening?”

“A while,” Wind said, trying to look innocent for a second before slipping back into his grin. “You don’t know, maybe I’ve been here the whole time.”

Malon spoke up, and Shadow missed the first few words, but she looked fond when he looked over at her. “... be nice, Shadow’s had a long day.”

“I’m being plenty nice to Shadow,” Wind said, with a joking frown, “I’m only being a menace to Four, and that’s allowed.”

“That’s fair,” Malon chuckled.

Four gave them both an offended look.

“You could go be a menace to someone else,” Shadow offered weakly, “it might be more fun.”

“I’ve lost hope on that one,” Four said with a sigh, the offense melting into a small smile. “Little brothers are like that.”

“Bothering Hyrule’s no fun,” Wind said, turning to Shadow. “He either ignores it, or bothers back, but he’s too sneaky about it.”

Hyrule. Hm. Shadow glanced at Four. “Can I get a double check on that name?”

“H-y-r-u-l-e, yes like the country.”

“Thanks.” 

Wind was looking between them curiously, but Shadow decided to move on quickly. “Hey, Wind.”

“Yeah?” Wind said, properly distracted by the question.

“How’s it going downstairs? What are people deciding?”

Wind tilted his head to the side. “Well, Wars is being paranoid, Time’s being neutral, and Sky’s just kind of surprised, I guess. They’re not full-on arguing anymore, though.”

“Well, that’s a good sign, I suppose,” Four sighed.

Shadow nodded, reaching out to take Four’s hand again. 

Wind wrinkled his nose. “Four, are you dating?”

“... Uh.” Four blinked, then looked at Shadow. “Are we? I don’t think we ever. Talked about that.”

“No,” Shadow said, looking back at Wind to avoid whatever expression Four would decide on showing, “we didn’t exactly have the time.”

Wind looked at him skeptically, but then shook his head, rolling his eyes at Four. “Seriously? You’re slacking, Four.”

Before Four could reply, there was movement on the stairs, and Shadow turned to see Legend giving them all a raised eyebrow.

“Okay, what the fuck did I just walk in on?” he asked.

“Four didn’t even ask Shadow-” Wind said, turning around before Shadow could catch the rest of the sentence.

Four let go of Shadow’s hand in favor of putting a hand over Wind’s mouth.

Legend just looked confused. “... What?”

“Nothing!” Four said quickly. “Hi, Legend, why are you up here?”

“Everyone finally stopped arguing,” Legend told him, looking back and forth between Four and Shadow, eyes narrowing slightly. “Whatever this is, I don’t think I want to know, actually.”

“Have they made a decision?” Shadow asked, trying to stay calm. 

Wind glanced over his shoulder with a slightly annoyed look- shit, he had probably been saying something.

“Sorry, Wind,” Shadow said quickly, and Wind nodded begrudgingly, turning back to Legend.

“You can stay,” Legend said, turning to face Shadow properly. “For now, anyway, Time’s worried about having enough space for everybody.”

Four immediately perked up. “We could probably set something up in the attic? Or something like that, there’s room.”

“Which is why he can stay,” Legend said with a roll of his eyes. “Fair warning, Four, Wars is still kind of pissed at you, and Sky’s planning a punishment for going behind everyone’s backs. If you have suggestions, take them to Time.”

Malon set a hand on Four’s shoulder, and Shadow looked over in time to read a fond “... to me, and I’ll tell Time.”

Shadow was trying to deal with the sudden wave of fear that had reappeared at the mention of a punishment for Four. He had no idea what sort of thing that would be, what this group of people considered reasonable, and anything that happened to Four because he was helping Shadow was going to be Shadow’s fault.

Four turned to give Shadow a smile, though it faltered a bit at his expression. “Hey, you okay?”

Shadow nodded, trying to adjust his expression back to neutral- he hadn’t even realized he’d been biting his lip. “Yeah, just… a little worried for you, I guess.”

“It’s Sky,” Four said with a shake of his head. “Whatever he comes up with will be something annoying, probably, but that’ll be the extent of it.”

“Okay,” Shadow said quietly, trying to believe him. He had no idea what Sky was like, even if Four said his name like it was obvious he’d be lenient.

Legend shifted his weight, resting a hand on the railing, and the movement was enough to draw Shadow’s gaze. That weighty understanding was back on his face. “They’re not like that here. I know that’s not really - I know it doesn’t feel like it. But they aren’t.”

Shadow gave him a slightly skeptical nod. It was possible that both of their standards of fair treatment were warped, but the way Legend had told him that actually made Shadow feel a little better.

Malon stepped into his peripheral vision and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. “Are you hungry at all, sugar?”

“A little,” Shadow mumbled, a bit embarrassed despite himself. Asking for things, especially from these overly kind strangers, was difficult . “I’ll be fine until morning, though.”

“Nonsense, nonsense. Come on, I’m sure we have something in the kitchen,” she told him with a smile, gently steering him toward the stairs. “No one’s going hungry on my ranch.”

Shadow looked back at Four as she led him past, not sure whether he wanted Four to see his apprehension or not. Making Four stay with him would be unfair, but this was all deeply unfamiliar and Shadow… as much as he hated to admit it, Shadow was scared. Scared, exhausted, hurt, and cold, and the only thing he had to cling to was Four, and the ruined book he had- 

Oh no, he’d left it on the shelves by the door! 

He couldn’t go get it now, Shadow reminded himself, taking as deep of a breath as he could. There were people in there, including Warriors, who was apparently still upset.

Four quietly moved to his other side and took his hand with a small, encouraging smile.

Goddesses, what would Shadow do without Four? He hoped his smile properly conveyed his appreciation as he navigated the stairs and hallways.

The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur. Shadow spent most of it standing in the corner of the kitchen, nervously snacking on the baked goods Malon handed him, watching whatever parts of the conversations that he could.

Four had spent a fair amount of time arguing to sleep in the attic as well, to help Shadow adjust and keep him company, and for various other reasons Shadow didn’t catch or wasn’t focused enough to remember. But eventually, there was a familiar hand in his, and the opening of a door in front of him to reveal a small room with a pointed roof and crates along the walls, a freshly stuffed mattress placed against the wall below a little window, which was letting in the faint moonlight.

Shadow- who had placed his shoes by the front door a little earlier- sat down on the soft spare blanket, leaning against the wall with a sigh and tiredly watching Four put the extra pillow in its place.

Four gave the pillow a little fluff, then sat down next to Shadow with a soft smile. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Shadow replied, leaning against him lightly, resting his head on Four’s shoulder in a way where he could both relax a bit and look up at Four’s face.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m a bit stressed,” Shadow said, trying not to let a hint of hysteria creep into his tone, “but I think that’s normal, given the situation.” He sighed, and put an arm around Four. “Also, so, so grateful.”

Four put an arm around him, too, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. “I’m sorry today’s been such a shitshow for you.”

Shadow took a moment to process the kiss, and hoped the darkness was hiding his blush. “It’s okay. Really, it is- you kind of saved me, and you risked a lot to do it.”

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t do something sooner,” Four told him, too quietly for Shadow to hear.

“You didn’t need to,” Shadow replied, meaning every word. “I was doing okay, before. You helped me when I needed it.”

Four just hummed in reply, the sound vibrating in his chest.

Shadow shifted slightly. “Are you tired? We can go to bed if you want.”

“I think I should be asking you that question,” Four said with a small smile. “You’ve had to deal with a lot today.”

Shadow wasn’t sure he could sleep, honestly. But Four was right next to him, outer tunic off and headband removed, sitting on the bed, and Shadow realized that the thing that was most likely to help him feel safe enough to rest was right next to him.

Could be even closer to him, actually, once they were under the blanket.

“I don’t mind,” Shadow said awkwardly, before following it up with, “I mean, we can sleep. I’d like that, I think.”

He shifted his head to take in more of Four’s expression- calm, and a little tired, probably physically and emotionally. Shadow leaned over to pull back the blanket, nudging Four gently towards the opening. “C’mon, it’s definitely sleep time if you aren’t awake enough to make fun of me for being flustered.”

“I’m being nice to you,” Four chuckled, though he did get under the covers and hold the edge open for Shadow. “I’m always awake enough to make fun of you, it’s one of the many skills you learn having a brother like Wind.”

“I bet,” Shadow said, scooting over to lie next to Four and pulling the blanket tighter around them. “He’s a bit of a menace, huh?”

Four’s expression was fond as he said “Yeah, he is. I love him, though.”

Shadow smiled, pressing closer to Four and wrapping an arm over his shoulders to rest a hand on his back, smoothing back and forth with his thumb. “Are you comfy?” He asked, feeling a little out of his depth all of a sudden. 

“Yeah.” Four’s gaze flicked down to Shadow’s lips for a second, and he smiled, a hint of a blush on his face. “... Would it be weird for me to ask if I can give you a goodnight kiss?”

Shadow laughed softly. “A goodnight kiss? That’s so cute, Four. And-” he leaned forwards slightly, pressing their lips together and spending a moment savoring the closeness before pulling away, “if it’s weird, it certainly doesn’t bother me.”

“I’ll be sure to ask more often, then. And, um -” Four hesitated for a second, then said “Speaking of asking things. Earlier, when Wind asked if we were dating, you said we weren’t, because we didn’t have time.”

“I said we hadn’t had time to talk about it,” Shadow corrected gently, continuing to rub reassuring circles on Four’s back, “not that we weren’t dating.” He paused, gathering his courage before asking, “would you like to be?”

Four groaned, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. “Shadowww, I was so ready! I was going to be like we have plenty of time now and it was going to be so smooth!”

Shadow couldn’t hold back a giggle. “Oops. Guess it’s just hard to be smoother than me,” he shrugged. “Tragic.”

“You’re terrible,” Four grumbled, though there was a smile on his face. “I can’t believe I’m dating someone who steals my thunder.”

“You did want to be partners in crime,” Shadow said, giving him a gentle, joking poke in the side, “ I think that maybe you should have been more prepared for the realities of a life of evil and scheming.”

Four laughed quietly and kissed his cheek. “Good thing I have you, then.”

“I’ll pick up the slack on the wickedness front under one condition,” Shadow joked.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

Shadow snuggled closer, tucking his head under Four’s chin. “Hold me?” He was pretty sure it came out quieter than he intended, but Four was probably close enough to understand anyway.

He couldn’t see Four’s face anymore, so he couldn’t make out the soft response beyond the rumble of sound in Four’s chest, but the arms wrapping around him and pulling him closer were a pretty clear answer.

Shadow exhaled, relief flooding his chest. He snuggled in as much as he could, face nearly hidden under the blankets. Four was sheltering him in more ways than one, and after a long day of fear, Four had been steady beside him the whole time. 

He could just let Four hold him for a minute. He’d be safe.

And eventually, Shadow felt safe enough to fall asleep, Four’s heartbeat close enough to feel, beating softly under his cheek.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

My confidant,

[...]

That is certainly kind of you to say. Writing to you so often has certainly shaken the cobwebs from my letter writing skills - About time they came in handy again, I think! I certainly spent enough time acquiring them in the first place. And your own wordplay is a delight.

I must confess that I occasionally pretend to have seen you, too. I do not see many new people, as my role is rather confined to behind a desk, at least for now, but those new faces that I do see always make me wonder. 

You, my dear friend, are a breath of fresh air in all of this. As important as our task is, doing it with someone like you makes the burden far easier.

Yours,

[A small doodle of a sword]

In Wild’s defense, it wasn’t his fault. He had been minding his own business, it wasn’t his fault that other people had decided to be terrible and he had to step in.

He and Sky had been sent to town to sell some of the extra produce from the farm, and also to keep an eye on things and listen in on what rumors were being spread. Sky was friendly enough that people liked talking to him, and Wild was young enough that he could move through the crowd without many people paying attention to him. It worked out pretty well, and it was a way for Wild to help, as much as he’d like to be doing more.

He had just finished a circuit of the marketplace and was getting ready to make his way back over to Sky when he heard a raised voice that cut off as quickly as it had started.

Frowning, Wild wove through the edge of the crowd toward the noise.

There was a general shift of people away from the entrance to a very small alley- barely wide enough to walk through- and he could vaguely see movement in the shadows. 

As Wild got close enough to peer inside, he could just barely make out a voice, lowly whispering threats, and the shuffle of boots on dirt.

The tiny space was currently occupied by a muscular woman pointing a long curved knife threateningly at what looked to be a minor noble or courtier of some sort. Her tunic had what seemed to be a stylized eye on the front.

Wild’s mom said sometimes that he needed to think about things a bit more before he did them. His dad called it “a lack of impulse control.” Wild called it much better and more effective than thinking about things for a really long time.

He threw an apple at the lady’s head.

It connected with a satisfying smacking noise, and she made a noise of pained surprise, gaze going to the apple on the floor (half-mushed by the impact,) and then up to Wild. 

“What the hell was that?” she demanded. “Kid, you better get the hell out of here before your lousy attempt at playing hero gets you hurt.”

“You’re not supposed to point knives at people,” Wild told her matter-of-factly. “It isn’t nice.”

“Neither is throwing apples,” she shot back, “but it’s not nearly as bad as getting stabbed. Which is what’ll happen if you don’t fuck off right now.”

Wild considered that.

Then he threw his second apple at her.

She dodged this one, face full of confusion. “Kid- did you not hear me? I guarantee I’m faster with a knife than you are with a fruit.”

“You have to catch me first,” Wild pointed out with a grin. Even Twilight had trouble catching him sometimes.

“Sure, whatever.” The woman rolled her eyes, glancing down at Wild’s hands to make sure he was out of apples before returning to glare at the person she was most likely robbing. “Purse, now. Or both you and the kid get it.”

“You can’t stab me if you can’t catch me!” Wild reminded her, trying to figure out what else he could do. Usually, if he wanted someone to chase him, all he had to do was make them annoyed enough to drop what they were doing. How could he make her mad? “Bitch!”

She blinked in confusion again, but remained focused on her potential money source. “Purse in ten seconds. I know you can count, you rich fuck.” 

The tall man backed up against the wall reached for his pocket slowly, glancing over at Wild and looking almost perturbed by his presence.

Well, that hadn’t worked. What else could he do?

Getting a lot closer was probably a bad idea. He was out of stabbing range right now, and he’d really get in trouble if he came home hurt. He didn’t have any more things to throw right now, and saying things at her probably wouldn’t help.

… Oh. Oh, he didn’t have anything else to throw, but he definitely still had a weapon.

Ten seconds.

Wild grabbed a rock off the ground, took his slingshot out of his back pocket, and fired at the woman’s hand.

The rock impacted and she cursed, dropping the knife, then bending down to reach for it. The noble took this opportunity to move surprisingly quickly, bringing his knee up hard into the woman’s face as she stooped, and hurriedly stepping out of range on the opposite side of her, eyeing Wild with the same sort of expression Wind got when he wanted to team up on some sort of mischief.

Wild laughed, bright and excited, partially because that had been cool as hell and partially because it made people mad when you laughed at them.

The woman on the ground let out a frustrated yell, standing with her knife in hand and glancing between the two of them as if trying to decide who to chase. “Oh, you are so fucking screwed now.” 

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Wild disagreed cheerfully. “You’re the one getting your butt kicked.”

“You’re gonna regret those words, kid,” she growled, focusing on him as the noble slipped away behind her with a thankful nod, “this whole market’s gonna be ours soon, and we’ll squish you like a bug.”

Ours?

“I like bugs,” Wild hummed, shifting his weight like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was really getting ready to run, but he knew how to make it look like he wasn’t. “Do you not like them?”

“They matter almost as little as you do.” The woman was slowly advancing on him, knife held behind her back. “Now, if you apologize really well, I might even let you go home to your little parents today with all of your fingers attached.”

“My mama says not to apologize to bullies,” Wild chirped, taking a step back for every step she took toward him, still grinning.

She shrugged. “Last chance.”

Wild had been coming to the market with his mom and Twilight his whole life. He knew every back alley, every place he could hop up onto a roof, every hiding place. She couldn’t catch him here.

“She also says not to apologize if you don’t mean it,” Wild told her.

The woman shook her head, turning as if to leave before spinning back towards him, pushing into a run with her knife out and ready.

Wild sprinted. He was out of the alley and back in the crowd in moments, and he led the woman on a merry chase through the marketplace, stifling his laughter so he could duck around and backtrack and confuse her.

After a few minutes of running, he was able to lose her in the crowd. 

Wild kept moving for another minute or two, just to be sure she couldn’t see him anymore, then made his way back over to Sky, who looked like he was packing up the remains of their produce.

“There you are,” Sky said with a warm smile. “I hadn’t seen you for a while, I was getting worried. What did you get up to?”

Wild shrugged, grabbing an apple slice from the cart. “Just running around and listening to things. I saw a noble, I think, or at least somebody fancy.”

Sky frowned, just a bit. “Interesting. You may want to pass that on to your father, just in case.”

“I will.” 

Wild couldn’t help it, he glanced over the crowd as they left. This whole market’s gonna be ours soon. Who had she been talking about? Why did they want the market? 

What could Wild do to stop it?

Wild’s mom liked to say he was a trouble magnet. 

Sometimes she said it fondly, and sometimes she said it like she was a thousand years old, usually right after he did something dangerous.

Wild was very good at finding trouble, which meant he was also very good at finding the people that woman had been talking about.

They were everywhere, now that he was looking for them. Practically every trip into the city, he was sneaking around and stopping a robbery, or breaking up a secret meeting, or something similar. Nearly every single one of them had an eye symbol on them somewhere - a cloak pin, embroidery on their tunics, a necklace, a hair pin.

None of them had caught him yet, Wild was proud to say.

They had all tried, of course. They hadn’t seemed to appreciate his skill with a slingshot, or the time he tripped them into the river, or the deliberately slippery cobblestones, and they especially hadn’t liked the time he dumped a whole basketful of rotten tomatoes on their heads.

He was still proud of that one.

This incident, though, was shaping up to be his best yet.

He carefully adjusted the rope, nudging it just a little further out of sight, and stood up with a happy nod, dusting off his hands. That should do it. Now all he had to do was get today’s unsuspecting bad guys through the right section of alley.

Now, where had they gone?

“Where’s he gone?” he heard from outside the alley, followed by someone shushing whoever had spoken. 

Careful footsteps, and someone poked their head around the corner of the building to peer into the alley.

Wild waved cheerfully at them. Nice of them to come to him instead of making him go look for them.

“Damn it,” they cursed, rushing forward and waving their allies over, “he’s in here! Now we’ve got you, you little menace.”

“You said that the last three times!” Wild laughed, sprinting for the other end of the alley, where he’d set up enough boxes to jump up onto the roof, not that the people chasing him knew that.

They also didn’t know where to avoid stepping.

The person in the lead tripped right over Wild’s hidden rope, and the rest of the hidden rope snapped taut, drawing a massive net up around them and trapping them all inside.

… Okay, it didn’t work out quite that well. It mostly turned into a snarl of rope around their feet, and one or two in the back managed to avoid the pile-up, but almost all of them were tripping and cursing and falling over each other trying to untangle themselves. It was glorious, glorious chaos.

Wild laughed as he darted up the boxes, kicking them down as he reached the roof. He knew enough by now to hop to the next roof and get out of sight as quickly as possible, though he liked to stay within earshot to listen to the fallout of his brilliant schemes.

It was mostly cursing. Wild made a promise to himself that his mom would never hear most of the new words he was learning.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

My friend,

I am glad to hear of your success over our most recent conundrum. It has caused me more than one late night, though I did not doubt you would be able to pull it off somehow. You always manage to, somehow; I don’t know how you do it, but I am grateful.

[...]

I hope that in all of this, you are taking time for yourself. This is not easy work, and I don’t want you burning yourself out trying to get it all done as quickly as you can. I understand the urgency - perhaps better than anyone - but we have the time to do this slowly so that we can do it well. 

Wishing us both time to rest,

[A small doodle of a sword]

“You’re sure this is a good idea?” Time asked Hyrule quietly, stepping around a couple on the street.

Hyrule nodded. “They seemed willing to consider helping, as long as they met with you.” He paused, then hurried to add, “I didn’t tell them who you were, of course. I just said ‘maybe you could meet with one of our leaders’ and I assumed it shouldn’t be Legend-”

“No,” Time agreed quickly, “no, that was a good call.” I don’t want him anywhere near this place until the action starts, he didn’t say. Hyrule already knew his reasoning for that. It just made him a little nervous to have other groups running around that he wasn’t aware of and couldn’t predict. 

Continuing to lead him through the streets, Hyrule kept quiet. Time could tell he was uneasy by the set of his shoulders and the way he was fidgeting with the hem of his tunic. He was reasonably sure it was an uneasiness for the conversation ahead, not necessarily of the situation itself- Hyrule seemed to have been at ease discussing the other group, and he tended to err on the side of caution most of the time, especially in new circumstances.

Still. Better to be sure. “You said they’re expecting us?”

Hyrule glanced back at Time and nodded. “I told them we’d be coming, but I didn’t know when. Does that count?” 

Time nodded back. Not ideal, he liked to have more concrete plans in place when meeting with people to avoid accidents, but it would do.

Pausing at the door to a bakery, Hyrule took a deep breath and shook out his hands. “Okay, we’re here. Should I go in first and warn them, or should we both go in? Is having you wait out here suspicious?”

“Likely.” Time didn’t let himself think about it too hard; hesitation drew more attention. Better to pretend he knew precisely where he was going. “After you.”

Hyrule opened the door. There was a soft chime from the bell tied to it, and the man behind the counter looked up, focus intensifying once he saw Hyrule. 

“You here to visit again?” the man asked, almost casual, walking closer and leaning on the counter. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Time, then turned back to Hyrule and asked, “Is this your friend?”

Hyrule nodded. “He’s here to help.”

The man took a moment to scrutinize Time again. “All right. You two want to see the kitchen, then?”

“If you would be so kind,” Time told him politely. Hyrule had mentioned where the entrance to the lower floor was located, and it was a clever bit of phrasing.

The man nodded, and lifted the part of the countertop that swung up, allowing them both to enter. He turned to the kitchen and called, “Tatl? More guests.”

There was a clatter and a quiet curse from the kitchen, and a woman poked her head out, wiping flour off of her hands. She looked like the man’s sister. 

“Oh, you’re back!” she said to Hyrule. “Come on in.” She waited until they were both in the kitchen with the door closed behind them before turning right, lifting a shelf with a slight twist and pulling it aside to reveal a doorway. 

Clever. Time had to shake off the automatic interest, the curiosity about installing secret passages in his home or in the castle. There would be time for that later. First, they had a meeting to attend.

The woman - Tatl, presumably, and that name sounded vaguely familiar but Time couldn’t place it - led them down the revealed staircase and through another door, and then they were stepping into a large underground room. Perhaps calling it a bunker would be more accurate.

And standing in front of a table, arms crossed, hair pinned back in a way Time recognized like his own -

“Ah,” said a woman Time knew, “welcome back.”

“Thanks for having us,” Hyrule responded from behind him, sounding slightly awkward. “I brought one of our leaders, like I said I would, so- Time? Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he said automatically, fighting to keep the shock off of his face. He had thought she was dead. Taking a breath, he gave Navi a polite nod. “A pleasure. My apologies, I - you reminded me of someone.”

Navi gave him a look - sharp, searching, so familiar it made his heart ache - then stepped back and took a seat at the end of the table. “Shall we get to business, then?”

Hyrule stepped forwards around Time, moving towards a chair but hesitating as he reached it, glancing back at Time. Watching for direction.

Be relaxed, be confident, be a leader. Time sat down across the table from Navi, a quiet acknowledgement of both her status and his.

Following his lead, Hyrule sat down, looking anxiously between the two of them. 

“I don’t think what you’re doing is a good idea,” Navi said simply. Right to the point, as always. 

“And why not?” Time knew why not. He knew better than anyone why not. 

Navi tilted her head at him, just a bit. “Because rebellions rarely end well for anyone involved. Your friend tells me that you have a candidate for the throne lined up, if you manage to pull this off.”

“We do.”

“Why should we help you get yourselves killed?” Navi asked, her tone sharpening. “And even if it does work, what guarantee do we have that this new leader will be any better than the one we have now? What guarantee do we have that the conscriptions will stop, that the war will be won, that the guards will leave the city in peace?”

“He’s my best friend,” Hyrule said, more firmly than Time had expected given his discomfort with the situation. “He’s going to change things for the better. He’s a good person.”

Navi’s gaze flicked to him for a moment. “And you’ll stake the fate of every person in this country on that?”

Hyrule bit his lip, looking away. “I’ve staked my fate on it before.”

“It’s good to be loyal to your friends, but this is far bigger than your fate,” Navi said in a slightly gentler tone. “This is about a country, not an individual.”

“We cannot guarantee that his reign would be perfect,” Time said quietly. “No reign is. But he will be better, and that I can guarantee.”

Navi folded her hands on the table in front of her. “Why should we trust your word?”

“... You used to.” The words were out of Time’s mouth before he could stop them.

Navi went very, very still.

Hyrule shifted in his seat, glancing at Time with a questioning look, but Time couldn’t tear his gaze away from Navi long enough to meet Hyrule’s eyes.

“... Did I.” Navi’s voice was whisper soft as she stared at Time like she could see straight through the wood covering his skin. “You’ll forgive me if that doesn’t mean very much anymore.”

“I didn’t expect it to.”

“Then why say it?”

“Because it means quite a bit to me.” Time should stop, he shouldn’t say anything else, but - this was Navi. This was a woman who had been a mother to him, back before everything. 

Navi’s eyes narrowed, just slightly.

“... I didn’t expect you to still be doing all of this,” Time admitted, waving a hand to encompass the whole bunker where they were seated. “Quite honestly, I thought you were dead.”

“Better for everyone that way,” Navi told him without so much as changing expression. “It gave me a clean break.”

“And forced you to leave some people behind.”

“After what they did? I was glad to be rid of most of them.”

“Most?” Time echoed quietly.

Navi’s jaw tightened, just a bit. “Most.”

“Is your sprite still running around somewhere?” Time asked, keeping his tone purposefully light. “Or was he part of that minority?”

“Why do you care.” It wasn’t a question. Navi’s tone had shifted, now, sharp and dangerous as a dagger.

Time took a breath. Keep calm. Keep calm. “I’m just curious about what he’s up to.”

“Well, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave him out of this,” Navi snapped. “He’s been out of this life for a long time, and so help me if you try to pull him back in I’ll have you dragged out of this bakery in irons.”

She was trying to protect him. She obviously didn’t know where he was, but she was trying to protect him. That somehow soothed a wound deep in his heart he hadn’t realized was still hurting.

“Hey,” Hyrule interjected weakly, “maybe we stop threatening each other for a moment and just… explain some things? Or we can leave right now, you don’t have to work with us. Or see us again, actually.”

Navi’s voice was cold as ice as she said “I think that might be for the best.”

“I know where he is,” Time said before he could process or stop the words. 

Navi froze, like she couldn’t decide whether to be furious or terrified. “What?”

“He misses you,” was the next sentence that Time couldn’t have stopped if he tried.

“Does he.” Navi’s hands were folded so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

“And he hopes you won’t be upset at him for choosing to help people, like you did,” Time said quietly. Before he could actually think about what he was doing, he reached up and took off his mask.

It took her a moment. He was much older, after all, and the scar and the markings were eye-catching. But Navi’s gaze flitted across his features, her eyes slowly widening as she pieced together the truth.

“... Hello again, Navi,” Time said with a tiny, self-conscious little smile.

Navi stood, the scrape of her chair on the stone floor loud in the sudden silence, and slowly rounded the table. Time stayed where he was, letting her set the pace. When she reached him, she hovered for just a moment as if unsure, then carefully cupped his face in her hands.

“... Sprite?” she asked, very softly.

“I missed you,” he said again, and he almost felt like sobbing.

Navi took a shaky breath, and her own eyes looked misty. “The scar is new.”

“Would you believe me if I said it was from doing something impressive?”

“Not a bit,” she said with a helpless little laugh, then pulled him into a hug.

Time hugged her back just as tightly. Like this, sitting down while she was standing, he almost felt small again, going to her for the reassurance that things would be alright.

“I missed you too,” she whispered into his hair, and Time had to breathe slow and deep to force back the tears. They would come later, when he could pull Malon aside and tell her everything, when he didn’t have to explain why this was affecting him so deeply. For now, he just breathed in the truth that she was here and alive and holding him.

It took several minutes for Navi to pull back, and when she did, she didn’t go far. She sat in the chair next to Time, his hand in hers. Time tried not to think about the fact that his hands were larger than hers now. “So. This is what you’ve been doing?”

“This and constructing a spy network,” he admitted, more freely than he’d ever admitted it before, and her answering laugh sparked a sort of joy he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a heady sensation.

“I’d imagine the masks were helpful,” she said, glancing to the wooden face on the table. “You’ve gotten so much better. Hyrule showed me his, the last time he was here, but… I was hoping…”

“That you were wrong?” Time asked, because he knew how it would feel for him, now that he had children of his own.

Navi took a breath. “Yes. And that I was right. I have missed you, sprite, but you deserve the chance to live normally, without all of the deception and fear.”

And betrayal, she didn’t add. They were both thinking it.

“I couldn’t stay away for long,” Time told her, giving her hand a little squeeze. “It was too important. You taught me that.”

“Evidently I also taught you enough to stay safe doing it,” Navi said, though her eyes caught on the scar. 

Oh, Time realized suddenly. Oh, this was what the other side of it was like. This was what it felt like, having someone who wanted you away from the greater good for your own safety. Someone who felt guilty letting you become involved.

“You did,” he said quietly. “You did. And enough to keep other people safe, too.”

Time could see Hyrule nod out of the corner of his eye. He’d been staying quiet through this exchange, letting them have their moment of privacy, and Time would need to do something for the kid later on to express how grateful he was for that.

The reminder that they weren’t alone in the room seemed to snap Navi back to focus, at least partially. “And now you’re going after the big fight.”

“It’s already in motion.” Time laid out the basics: where they had contacts, the delivery of the signet ring, the steadily mounting rumors. Everything was on schedule. All they needed to do was wait for the right moment.

“You’re certainly organized,” Navi said when he was finished.

Time chuckled. “I’ve had to be. It isn’t easy coordinating this many people, and even worse when it’s something on this large of a scale. Besides, the more I plan, the safer everyone is.”

“Plans can fall apart.” The reminder was gentle, despite the pain of it.

“I know.” I’ve seen it happen. “That’s why we make backups. Abort procedures. We discuss worst case scenarios. I’m - We have to be careful, Navi, I know that. We only get one shot to get everything perfectly right.”

Navi examined his face for another moment, searching for… something. Time wasn’t sure what. But whatever it was, she must have found it, because she asked quietly “You’ll vouch for this replacement of yours?”

“I will.” Legend was a good kid. He was brave and thoughtful and he had the biggest heart Time had ever seen; he would be a good leader, if they could only get him there.

“Then we’ll help where we can.”

Hyrule was smiling. “And we’ll help you, too. Do you have any ideas? Advice, information, stuff like that- only if you want to share, of course.”

“Of course. Here, this will be easier with a map.” Navi led the two of them over to one of the large maps on the wall, then began hashing out which parts of the city were safer than others. 

The whole time, she didn’t let go of Time’s hand.

Time’s heart did something complicated as he realized that he was a head taller than her, now. She was the same as ever, if a little older, but he had grown up. He wasn’t a child anymore, and that fact had never hit him quite this hard.

But Navi was here. His hand was in hers. Maybe that was enough, for now.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

My wonderful companion of paper and ink,

I think you will be pleased to know that the placement of the items (which has come to a close, as they are being returned as I write) seems to have gone well. I was given intelligence that, while both items may not have been in the same condition as they were when they were placed, they most likely have important information, as several meetings have taken place in those rooms, some with the king in attendance.

[...]

Ever awaiting your next response,

[A doodle of a rabbit, sitting on a boat. There are sketched waves covering the bottom of the paper, surrounding it.]

Wind had spent maybe ten minutes sitting on the couch before he shifted to the floor. Now, fifteen minutes later, he was lying on his back next to the door with his legs stretched up the wall, tilting his feet back and forth and humming a song that had been stuck in his head. It wasn’t his fault Twi was late, and he wasn’t wearing shoes this time, so he wasn’t going to mark up the walls. Again.

There was a click of the latch, and then the door opened with a soft creak.

Wind immediately slid over onto his side, pushing himself to his feet and trying not to jump up and down with excitement. “Twi! Twi, did it go well? What happened? Why are you late?”

“Easy there,” Twi chuckled, slipping the strap of his bag off of his shoulder. “Just - had a little delay, that’s all. Where’s Sky and Dad?”

“Time’s carving, Dad’s in the kitchen,” Wind said, quickly scooting between Twi and his bag, unfastening the flap and plunging his hands in, digging for his dolls. “Lemme see!”

Twi made a little sound of alarm. “Woah, hey, hang on a second, Wind -”

Wind’s hands caught something fluffy, and he tightened his grip, pulling out-

Wait, why did his hand close almost all the way? Did Twi have some fluff in his bag or something?

Opening his hands, Wind looked down at a sad mound of fabric scrap stuffing, and a singular button eye.

He screamed, collapsing onto his knees and clutching the tiny pile closer, digging psychically for any idea of who this was- of who this might have been.

“Spirits,” Twilight hissed, kneeling next to him. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I found all of it, I think, ‘s what took me so long -”

He was cut off by the sound of hurried footsteps, and Sky darted into the room with panic written all over his face. Time wasn’t far behind him, knife still in hand.

“We’re okay,” Twilight said quickly to them both. “There was a bit of a, uh, mishap at the castle.”

Wind sobbed, curling in around the remains of the doll, still sending out desperate psychic calls for whoever it used to be.

There was a gentle pulse of energy, and for a second Wind thought it might be the spirit in the doll, still present, not gone yet - but no, it was just Time, sending him energy as he and Sky hurried over.

“Oh, dear,” Sky breathed, kneeling down and putting a gentle arm around Wind. “What happened?”

Wind couldn’t get enough air to speak. All of it was being wrenched out of him as he cried, tears only coming faster the longer he went without a response, no way to even identify who he’d lost.

Wind? The voice was quiet, and it took Wind a second to focus through the tears enough to tell it was coming from Twilight’s bag, not the fluff in his hands. Wind, it’s alright.

That was Cordell’s voice, which meant-

Which meant the scraps of cloth in his hand once belonged to-

“ Emmaline,” he sobbed, looking up at Sky with panicked anguish, “Dad, Emmaline , she’s-” 

“Ah,” Time said very quietly, and after a moment, gently rested a hand on Wind’s shoulder. “The anchor was damaged.”

Sky sucked in a breath through his teeth and held Wind closer. “Oh, Wind.”

“How bad was it?” Time asked Twilight quietly.

“Pretty bad,” Twilight admitted, also trying to keep his voice down- but it didn’t matter, Wind could still hear them. “My guess is that a dog got to her.”

The image of a dog grabbing Emmaline, tearing her apart, seemed to take over Wind’s mind. Careful loving stitches ripped apart, her connection to the world shredded-

“Wind,” Sky said softly, “can I see her? Can you show me?”

Wind uncurled slightly, shakily lifting the pile of shredded stuffing up, like this was a scraped knee that his dad was going to kiss better. 

The button fell out of his palm, and he scrambled to pick it up, slammed with another round of sobs as the guilt hit him. He’d dropped her, when she was already dead, and even worse, he’d sent her to the castle!

He’d killed her.

There was shuffling behind him, and the sound of shifting fabric. Wind looked over his shoulder to see Twilight handing Time a handkerchief-wrapped bundle, then searching in his bag and scooping a few more scraps of fabric out to place carefully on top of it.

“Here, here,” Sky murmured, taking some of what remained of Emmaline out of Wind’s hands as gently as he always handled things when Wind was upset. He looked over the scraps, matching a few tattered remains of seams together, then glanced over at the bundle Time had been given. After a few seconds of deliberating, he looked back to Wind with a sad, heavy expression. “... I don’t think I’ll be able to fix all of her. There’s a lot of damage here.”

Wind shook his head in sorrowful agreement. She wasn’t coming back from this. 

Emmaline had been a person, and a friend. And now she was dead.

Double -dead. What happened if you killed spirits?

“Time,” Wind said, choking slightly on another sob, “did she- did she go somewhere nice? Or is she just- gone?” He took another shaking breath before asking, “did it hurt?” 

He couldn’t control his crying after that. 

“... We can’t be sure where spirits go when they move on,” Time said softly, his thumb rubbing gentle circles into Wind’s shoulder. “But it’s difficult to force that, especially when the damage is only to the vessel. Usually, for a spirit as strongly anchored as Emmaline, it would take a magic user destroying the doll to fully break the connection.”

“But it was just a dog,” Twilight said, crouching down a few steps behind Time so Wind could see him, “so her connection might not be broken, right?”

“Her connection to what, a fabric haystack?” Wind said bitterly, sniffling and wiping his face with his free hand. “We’re gonna have to put her in a jar or something so bits of her don’t blow away.”

Time shook his head. “No, not to her vessel. To you.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t connecting to spirits like that,” Sky pointed out, with that blend of confusion and concern he often had during discussions about magic.

“He isn’t. But he and Emmaline have been sharing energy for years, and they have a bond,” Time explained. “He was the one to anchor her. That sort of thing matters, especially if the vessel is well-cared for. She’s not likely to have drifted or moved on.”

“So, she might be here?” Wind asked, eyes widening as he looked around (pointlessly). “Can she hear me?”

“Likely. But she probably won’t be able to respond,” Time warned him. “It isn’t likely that it forced her to move on, but a vessel being destroyed is rarely… pleasant for a spirit. She’ll be a bit scattered.”

Wind nodded. “Emmaline?” he said, looking down at the button in his hand and rubbing it gently, “if you can hear me, I’m sorry, and I love you, and please come back.”

“Spirits can be re-anchored,” Time said gently. “Sky, you said you couldn’t repair all of her. Can you repair some?”

Sky nodded. “Yes, I should be able to. There are several larger pieces, and what we can’t save, we could use to replace any stuffing that was lost. I’ll just need enough new fabric to fill in the gaps.”

“That will work. A new doll entirely would work too, more than likely, but it’s always easiest to repair a vessel rather than transfer a spirit entirely,” Time said with a nod. He looked back to Wind with a small smile. “She’ll be alright.”

Wind managed to return a smile of his own, even if it was a bit wobbly. He leaned into Sky, holding the button close to his chest and closing his eyes for a second, just listening to his dad’s breathing. Reminding himself that things were going to be okay. 

Sky held him close, pressing a kiss to his hair. “We’ll fix her up, Wind. I promise.”

Wind nodded, wrapping his arms around Sky and taking a deep breath. He knew he was getting tears on Sky’s tunic, but he didn’t care. “ Thank you. ”

“She’s your friend, bud,” Sky told him softly. “Of course we’re going to help her.”

Reaching his free hand back, Wind grabbed Time’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you, too. And you, Twi. You got her back.”

Time squeezed his hand back, gentle and careful. “That’s why I’m here.”

They let him cry for a while, until the tears had stopped and he was just letting Sky hold him, and then Time gave his hand another small squeeze. “Do you want to debrief with Cordell while Sky goes to get his sewing supplies?”

Wind nodded, pulling gently out of his dad’s arms and standing, then offering both of them a hand up.

Sky stood as well, very carefully taking the button from Wind and the bundle of fabric from Time, then gave Wind another kiss on the head before heading to their bedroom.

Watching him go for a second, Wind already felt smaller and colder outside of his dad’s hug. He shivered slightly, then turned to Twilight and held his hand out hesitantly for Cordell. He didn’t want to put his hand back into Twilight’s bag, even if there could be lost pieces of Emmaline in there. 

Maybe because there could be lost pieces of Emmaline in there.

Twilight startled Wind out of his thoughts by placing Cordell into his hands, and Wind gave him a small smile of thanks, then turned to Time.

“Come on,” Time said quietly, steering him very gently toward the woodworking room. “Let’s get some privacy.”

It was darker inside the woodworking room once the door was closed. Wind still felt weirdly vulnerable, like a crab out of its shell, but he tried to look serious and helpful. The rebellion was more important than- than a hurt spirit who could be fixed. 

Wind sat down in the extra chair, already placed in front of the desk. He had no idea what to expect- this was his first official meeting, and he’d kind of expected his dad to want to be there with him, but it was just Wind and Time and Cordell, alone in a dark room.

He was holding up important business. Wind took a deep breath and questioned, “okay, do I just ask her what she saw?”

Time nodded as he sat down in his own chair. “Yes. Remember, this doesn’t have to be anything formal - I am not expecting a full debrief from you or from her the way I might ask for one from the captain. All we need is anything useful she might have seen or heard.”

“Okay,” Wind said, making his voice steady even though it wanted to shake. He closed his eyes and reached out to Cordell. 

Cordell? Did you see anything we should know about?

There was a meeting, she hummed, and there was a tiny brush of energy like a hand over Wind’s head. It seemed important, but you are still upset.

Wind shook his head, frustrated. I can do this! He had to be able to do this. Please, he added after a second, just tell me.

… Very well. It was a meeting between the king and some other noble types, possibly the ones in charge of the treasury. They seemed very pleased with themselves about a tax, Cordell told him. She said the last word like she was looking at a dead rat. 

“The king’s made another tax,” Wind told Time, “and he’s happy about it, so that’s probably not good.”

“The tax on fish, most likely,” Time said with a heavy sigh. “They’ve been telling the people it’s to offset the loss of trade from our southern neighbor. I assume that is not the case?”

Cordell snorted. A politician telling the truth? Truly, a miracle. No, it seems they will be pocketing the majority of the gold. They said no numbers, but I assume the profit will be quite large, given their boasting.

“She says that the king’s gonna keep most of the money, and it’s a lot,” Wind said, looking down at the doll in his hands. He should probably repair all of them, or at least make them stronger. Making tiny sets of armor would be weird, but just putting them in a leather case felt wrong.

“Mm. That could be a problem. Does she think the money will fund the war efforts, or just luxuries?” Time asked.

Wind gave the doll a gentle little squeeze, a silent question.

Likely both, Cordell told him. 

Time nodded with a thoughtful little hum.

Wait .

“...Time?” Wind asked, something hot and angry building in his chest as the tears threatened to return, “can you hear her?” Was he completely useless in this whole process?

Time paused, eye widening just a fraction. “... Not as clearly as you can.”

“Great,” Wind said, feeling somewhere between empty and mad, “Great. Okay, so I’m actually not helping at all. You’re just babying me so I feel less useless.”

“I am not babying you,” Time said quietly. “I am asking you to help me debrief your friend. You know Cordell much better than I do, which means you know what to ask, and what she means when she says something.”

“ You know what to ask better than I do! You’re literally in charge of the rebellion!” Wind stood up, walking behind the chair and starting to pace, trying to get his frantic upset energy to calm. “And it’s not hard to figure out what someone means when they say ‘there’s a tax and it’s bad!’

Time shook his head. “For an issue like this, yes, there may be less nuance. But that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be - we had no idea what she might have seen until she told us.”

“Sure.” Wind’s hands were shaking, and he wanted to just slam Cordell’s doll down onto Time’s desk and storm away, but after what had happened to Emmaline he… just couldn’t make himself do it. “Whatever. How about the two of you have your fun little debrief without any more distractions.” 

Wind didn’t even slam the door on the way out. He was almost proud of himself. 

Four was out helping Malon in the garden, so Shadow would definitely be there too. The attic sounded like a safe, empty place to cry right now, so Wind headed up the stairs. 

He opened the door quietly, not slamming it only because he didn’t want anyone to find him, and froze as he met Shadow’s eyes.

“Shit,” Wind groaned, putting a hand to his face and sinking down to lean against the wall. He didn’t even have the energy to try and find another place- if Four’s stupid boyfriend was going to be here, Wind just had to suck it up. There wasn’t a better place to cry inside, anyway.

Shadow put his book down, slowly standing up and walking over before sitting back down a few feet in front of Wind. “Do you want to talk about it, or just sit here?”

“I just wanna sit,” Wind said, pulling his knees up to his chest and trying not to start sobbing right then and there.

“Okay,” Shadow said softly, putting his elbow on his knee so he could prop his head up with his hand. “If you need anything though, just ask.”

Wind looked away and didn’t answer.

He didn’t last very long before everything just bubbled back up, and he rubbed at his eyes to try and keep the tears back. “It’s not fair.”

“What?” Shadow asked sympathetically. He looked like he was ready to listen, but not too ready- not because he wanted to cause trouble or anything. And he already lived here, he already knew about everything, so…

“I just want to help,” Wind sniffled, “and - and I’m just in the way, and now Emmaline’s -”

She could be fixed. They were going to fix her, Sky had promised and Time had said it would be fine, so why did it still hurt so much?

“Why do you think you’re in the way?” Shadow asked, “I’m sure if they didn’t need your help, they wouldn’t ask, right?”

“Time can talk to Cordell just fine without me!” Wind snapped, hugging his knees to his chest. “And Emmaline -” he faltered on the name, but kept going. “Emmaline is going to be fine, she’s - she’ll be okay, but a dog got to her, and I -” Wind hiccupped out a sob. “It’s my fault she was even out there, because I wanted to help.”

Shadow shook his head slightly. “If she agreed to go, it’s not your fault.”

“I thought she was dead,” Wind admitted, the tears finally spilling over.

“Oh,” Shadow said softly, letting his arm fall so his hand was between them, close enough for Wind to reach. “I’m so sorry, Wind.”

Wind sobbed again, and because Shadow was the only one here and he really needed somebody here right now, Wind reached out and took his hand. “She’s been my friend forever and she almost died because I wanted to feel like I was doing something.”

“I’m sorry,” Shadow said again, “I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”

“Sky promised we could fix her,” Wind sniffled. “A lot of her is gonna be new, though, I think.”

“Well, if Sky promised, I’d believe him,” Shadow told him, “but it’s still scary, right?”

Wind nodded several times, burying his face in his knees to stifle another sob.

Shadow scooted closer, putting his other hand on Wind’s shoulder. “That’s okay. I know it sucks anyways, though, but being scared for her just means that you care about what happens to her.”

“I just wish I could talk to her,” Wind mumbled. It took him a second to remember that Shadow needed to look at people’s faces when they talked, and as soon as he did, he looked up and repeated himself, trying to wipe the tears off of his face. How was he supposed to prove that he could be useful and helpful if he kept crying like a baby?

“But you can’t because she’s hurt, right?” Shadow guessed. 

“Sort of. Time said she’s… scattered?” Wind frowned, trying to remember exactly what he’d said. “She can’t really talk right now, but she’s still around.”

She was most likely still around, but he didn’t want to think about that right now.

“Okay,” Shadow said slowly, “well, maybe giving her some time to rest and recover will help her too.”

“Probably,” Wind mumbled. He didn’t want to wait, he wanted to make sure Emmaline was alright.

“If Time invited you to talk, he probably had a reason,” Shadow said cautiously.

“I mean yeah, we needed to talk to Cordell.” Something sour curled in Wind’s gut, and he bitterly corrected himself. “He needed to talk to Cordell.”

Shadow nodded. “Was Cordell there when Emmaline got hurt?”

“... I don’t know,” Wind realized. “I don’t know exactly where they got put, I just know they were in the castle someplace.”

Raising his eyebrows, Shadow nodded again. “...Huh. Yeah, sounds dangerous.”

“I hope Cordell wasn’t there,” Wind said quietly. It’s rarely pleasant for a spirit, Time had said, and Wind knew how to read between the lines. It had hurt her. Probably really badly.

“Well, did they get what they needed?” Shadow asked. “I know that doesn’t make her getting hurt okay, but it might help her feel better.”

“Cordell heard some important things, I don’t know if Emmaline did,” Wind told him, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the rest of the tears. “She - she won’t be able to tell us until she’s feeling better.”

“Understandable.” Shadow patted Wind’s shoulder gently. “I’m glad you did get some information, though. I hope it was helpful.”

Wind shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know, it was about taxes.”

Shadow wrinkled his nose. “ More taxes? Hasn’t the king had enough of them already?”

“This one’s about fish, apparently? And the king’s not gonna use the money for what he said he would,” Wind explained. “He’s just gonna keep it all.”

“That’s not fair,” Shadow said, stating the absolute obvious.

Wind shook his head. “No, it isn’t. Time thinks he’s gonna use it for the war.”

“The last thing we need is more war,” Shadow said, sighing and shifting into a more comfortable position. “Do you need anything, Wind? If you want to sleep, I’m pretty sure nobody will come up here for a few more hours.”

… A nap did sound nice.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “Are you sure?”

Shadow gave him a nod. “Absolutely. I was going to go find Four soon, so you can be alone if you want.”

“That would be nice,” Wind said, not quite looking at him.

“Have a good rest,” Shadow told him, standing and heading to the door. He looked back just before closing it, giving Wind a reassuring smile.

Wind gave him as much of a smile back as he could manage, then curled up on the mattress. Hopefully, by the time he woke up, Sky would be done fixing Emmaline, and things would be better.

Wind woke up uncomfortably, taking a second to register that he was being carefully shaken awake. “What?” he grumbled, squinting disgruntledly up at Four, who was kneeling next to him on the bed, looking irritated.

“Where’s Shadow?” Four asked, sitting back and crossing his arms. “I know he was up here.”

Rubbing his eyes, Wind tugged on the blankets that Four was currently sitting on and holding in place. “He said he was gonna go see you. What, did you get stood up on your date?”

“... What do you mean he said he was gonna go see me?” Four asked. “I haven’t seen him all day.”

Wind frowned, sitting up and focusing despite his frustration. “What do you mean? He’s not dumb enough to get lost on the ranch, is he? We do have a fence.”

“I doubt he’s lost,” Four said with a roll of his eyes. “And he isn’t dumb. You’re sure you saw him?”

“Sure,” Wind said, confusion just overcoming the urge to mock his brother. “We had a whole emotional talk and everything. Did you seriously lose him?”

Four blinked. “An emotional talk? What did you have an emotional talk about?”

“You’d love to know,” Wind told him with a grin. “Guess you’ll just have to ask him when he turns up.”

“I guess I will,” Four grumbled. He kept glancing around the room, like Shadow might be in some corner that he hadn’t seen yet.

“What time even is it?” Wind asked with a yawn, peering at the small window- the sky seemed fully dark.

Four shrugged. “Almost time for dinner, that’s why I came up to get Shadow.”

Wind blinked in surprise. “I talked to him like, an hour after lunch. Where is he?”

“... That,” Four said quietly, eyes going very wide, “is a good question. What exactly did he say?”

“That he was going to find you,” Wind said, thinking back over the end of their conversation. “He wanted to let me sleep.”

“Wind, I think whatever you were having an emotional conversation about might be really important, actually,” Four told him, a bit of urgency in his tone.

“The doll mission went kinda wrong,” Wind said, shifting embarrassedly, avoiding Four’s eyes. “Emmaline got damaged, and I got upset about it. He found me- uh, being upset.”

Four let out a breath. “I mean - yeah, that makes sense. Sorry. That - I’m not sounding sympathetic right now, sorry, but that sucks.”

Wind nodded, still feeling a bit self-conscious and hoping it didn’t look like he’d been crying anymore. “That’s okay. Dad’s gonna fix her.”

“Good. If Sky has her, she’ll be fine,” Four assured him. “Did you tell Shadow about it?”

“Yeah,” Wind confirmed. “He was really nice about it. And about the Time thing- Four, Time can hear all my dolls, and he was pretending he couldn’t so I didn’t feel left out.”

“... And you told Shadow this,” Four said slowly.

“Yeah,” Wind said warily, “why are you saying that like I’m in trouble?”

Four took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Wind. Shadow didn’t know you had magic.”

“He didn’t what?” Wind nearly screeched, “Four, you let him in and he didn’t even know?”

“It was an emergency!” Four shot back, nearly shouting himself. “I didn’t exactly have time to give him the full explanation! I was going to let him get settled, then - you know, break it to him gently!”

“Wait.” Wind shook his head, holding his hands up in between him and Four, “then did you lie to him about Hyrule too? How’d you explain the whole escape thing?”

“... I mean he sort of didn’t know about that either -”

“ Shitting Goddesses! Four!” Wind’s eyes widened, and he froze as a terrible thought struck him. “...Four. Uh, is there anything else important that you… decided not to tell him?”

The color drained from Four’s face. “Oh fuck. Wind, what did you say?”

“Okay,” Wind said hurriedly, “this is on you, ‘cause you didn’t tell us we had to be super secret around him-”

“What did you say??” Four asked again, his voice a little more shrill.

“...I told him that the dolls were in the castle listening to the king,” Wind admitted, wincing at how bad the words sounded, “but you didn’t tell me-”

“You WHAT?? ”

The door slammed open, Warriors in the doorway with a small dagger held in a reverse grip. He quickly scanned the room, then hurried over to Four and Wind once he decided it was enemy-free. “What’s happening?”

“Four didn’t tell Shadow anything!” Wind complained, flopping onto the bed with his arms outstretched.

“Good,” Warriors said, careful in the way he tended to get when someone was poking too close to Legend’s sensitivities, “that’s as it should be.”

Wind scowled. “Well, nobody told me that!”

“Wind ran into Shadow up here after lunch, Shadow said he was going to go find me, and I don’t know if anyone else has seen him since,” Four said, still a little shrill.

“And Wind told him something?” Warriors demanded, now focused on Four even though Wind was the one who’d last seen Shadow.

“Apparently!” Four waved an arm in Wind’s direction. “Ask him what he said, but he definitely mentioned the dolls and the king!”

“Just ‘cause he was talking like he already knew everything!” Wind protested.

“ Shadow is really good at pretending like he knows what the hell is going on -”

“So, we’re looking at an active threat, then,” Warriors said, sheathing the dagger and immediately turning around. “Four, Wind, come with me. We need to tell the others, now.”

“He wouldn’t turn us in!” Four protested. “Wars, he’s not a fucking threat, he’s probably just really fucking confused!”

“Then why has he been missing for hours?” Warriors asked, fast and serious. “Why didn’t he come to you with questions? He could be inside the castle walls at this point, if he left immediately. Come with me.”

Four glared at him. “And if he is, what’s running around like chickens with our heads cut off going to do?”

“I am going to take you and Wind to Time so we can figure out what the hell is going on as fast as possible,” Warriors said, deadly calm, “and then I am going to give that book to Twilight, so he can catch Shadow’s scent and find him before he finds the guard.”

“He’s not going to the guard, he wouldn’t do that!” Four insisted. “Just because you don’t know him doesn’t mean you can keep ignoring the fact that I do.”

Warriors crossed the room and picked up the book, then turned back to Four and Wind. “Are you going downstairs with me right now , or am I going to have to drag you there?”

Four stared at him for a second, then slowly stood up, hands curling into fists. “Fine.”

Wind hurried towards the door, slipping past Warriors and speeding down the stairs. “Time!” he yelled, “Shadow knows, and now he’s gone!”

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend]

My friend,

My apologies for the short letter today, there have been some developments here that may present a problem. We have been mostly focused on that, so I have few things to tell you. 

[...]

Please do not worry too much. Our mutual friends have been as vigilant as ever, and with luck, this will not be too large an issue. Without luck, we have enough contingency plans in place that we will be safe.

Yours,

[A small doodle of a sword]

Four sat on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at the floor like he could set it on fire that way, because glaring at the floor would cause fewer problems than glaring at Warriors.

This was stupid. Sure, Shadow hadn’t been seen in hours, and sure, that was concerning. Four was itching to go out there and help Twilight look for him. But there was no way Shadow was going to turn them all in. Four absolutely refused to even consider it.

“What if he got kidnapped?” Wind asked, presenting the theory for maybe the fourth time, “and that’s why he’s missing?”

“Kidnapped between the back door and the garden?” Warriors asked derisively, “not likely.”

“He could have gone for a walk,” Four grumbled. “You know. To think. And process.”

“If he’d done that, Twilight would have found him within twenty minutes,” Warriors said. “Denial is unhelpful in this situation, Four.”

Four briefly turned the glare on him before looking back at the floor. “Kidnapping’s a lot more feasible if he went on a walk. Just saying.”

He could see Warriors let out a careful breath. “He ran, and he didn’t come back. I want to be able to believe you, I really do, but we cannot take chances with this.”

“I’m telling you, he wouldn’t have gone to the guard!” Four snapped. 

“Captain,” Time said softly from his spot in the corner. He had been mostly quiet since Twilight had left, but now he pushed away from the wall and stepped toward the couch. “I am not suggesting that we don’t take this seriously. I am not suggesting we stop looking for Shadow, or that this isn’t something to worry about. But… not everyone who runs is running to the guard.”

Warriors visibly shivered, eyes widening. “This is different,” he said, so quiet it was almost a whisper, “this could so easily be different.”

“It could,” Time agreed gently, “which is why I have not argued with anything that’s happened. But Four trusts him, and I think the possibility shouldn’t be entirely dismissed out of hand.”

“No,” Warriors admitted, voice still quiet, “but I can’t let myself believe that. Not until it’s proven. Not until I know we’re safe.”

Four wasn’t entirely certain what was happening - it felt like there was something big being referenced here, something very personal to both Wars and Time - so he just stayed quiet, staring at the floor, trying to hold on to his certainty that Shadow wouldn’t have told anyone about what Wind said.

Warriors cleared his throat. “I’m not as strong as you, Time, and I’m not as good, either. I’ve been trying, but I can’t make myself be.” He took a deep breath, and Four could just barely hear it shake on the exhale. “But what I can do is try to keep us safe. I can do that, and I will.” It almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“And you’re doing admirably,” Time told him, resting a hand on Warriors’ shoulder. “You don’t have to be a copy of me, captain; you have your own strengths. Just keep an open mind. It’s possible he’ll surprise us.”

Before Warriors could reply, there was a quick knock on the door - one-two-three-four . Then it opened to reveal Twilight, who stepped into the house and closed the door behind him with a grim look on his face. Shadow wasn’t with him.

Warriors stood immediately, serious and intent and very different from the way Wind nervously leapt to his feet as well. “Twilight. Any news?”

“He definitely went to Castle Town,” Twilight reported with a heavy sigh. “I lost track of him once I got there, there was just too much else going on.”

Four’s heart dropped into his shoes. 

“Could you follow him at all inside the city?” Time asked. “Or did you lose him immediately?”

Twilight nodded. “I tracked him for a few blocks. He was heading toward the wealthier parts of the city, from what I could tell, or at least not toward the river.”

Turning around abruptly, Warriors paced to the back of the room, bracing one arm against the wall and closing his eyes. His hands were shaking. 

“So it’s as we expected,” he said lowly, no satisfaction in the words even though he believed his theory to have been proven right.

“Well, I didn’t see any sign of guards after us yet,” Twilight told him carefully. 

Warriors nodded, still leaning against the wall. “That’s something, at least.”

“Four,” Wind asked suddenly, “where would he go? Did he know someone in the upper districts, or something?”

Four blinked in surprise. “Uh - probably not? He’s not rich.” Where would he go? Four tapped his fingers against his arm as he tried to imagine where Shadow might have run to. “... He wouldn’t have gone back to his dad, probably. It wouldn’t have ended well if he did.”

“So he’s effectively disappeared.” Warriors straightened, turning back to face the room and pulling his composure back together. 

“Why, though?” Four asked, mostly to himself, still trying to think. “Figuring out where would be easier if we knew why.”

“He left quickly,” Warriors said, “which most likely means he had a plan, or something immediate to take care of. He didn’t tell anyone, so it’s probably something he knew we wouldn’t approve of.”

Time nodded. “It’s impressive that he came up with a plan that quickly. He didn’t strike me as the sort of person to act on something half-baked.”

Not usually. Four knew how careful Shadow was, how few risks he took -

… Unless Four was involved.

“Another reason this was probably an extreme reaction, in either direction,” Warriors pointed out seriously. “Positive or negative, something about this information hit him right into action.”

“He already knew some of us have magic,” Twilight pointed out, gesturing to his markings. “That can’t be what did it.”

“And from our reaction to his presence at the ranch, he likely already suspected we were doing something illegal here,” Time said thoughtfully.

“So it must have been the implications of rebellion, or the tax itself,” Warriors finished. “One of which has him headed straight to the authorities, and the other sends him… where?”

Shadow had a plan. Something he felt confident about, something in the upper districts of the city, something related to hearing about a tax and the king’s plan for it.

Four remembered their first meeting, and the pieces clicked.

He was going to the print shop. Not to talk to Vaati, but to use the machines.

“Beats me,” Twilight was saying with a sigh. “I didn’t get to know him very well before this. The marks made him nervous, I think.”

“He’s also effectively risking his best chance for food and housing by leaving, according to Four,” Warriors pointed out, “so this could be personal, something with enough strong emotion tied to it that it could override common sense.”

“What is personal about taxes to a teenager?” Time muttered, starting to pace slowly.

“I don’t know,” Four found himself saying. He didn’t want to be wrong, and he really didn’t want Wars to just brush him off again. If he was right, Shadow would be back by tomorrow. “None of this is making sense.”

“If he felt his task was so urgent, we’ll be finding out about whatever it is soon enough,” Warriors said grimly.

Shadow wasn’t back the next day.

He wasn’t back the day after that, either, and by the next morning, Four was about ready to start clawing at the walls just to release a bit of anxious energy.

It didn’t help that everyone else on the ranch was anxious, too. Warriors roped Twilight into patrolling the property, Sky hovered, Wind never went anywhere without at least one doll, Legend somehow had more papers every time Four saw him, Hyrule took on as many chores as he could, Time barely left his “office,” and Malon and Wild made enough food to feed an army. Tension sat like a thick blanket over the whole ranch.

It only got worse when Sky and Wild came back with a flyer.

Your new tax is going directly into the royal treasury, it read, above a representation of two hands, one holding a fish and the other a pile of coins. He’s feeding his pockets and letting the army starve. It ended with large, blocky letters that looked like they were dripping: your money, stolen!

“No one else knew about this,” Time pointed out, laying the flyer down on the dining room table. “Unless one of you has been working on this in secret -” he glanced at Four, but didn’t press the issue any further than that - “then this has to be Shadow’s doing.”

“But why hide it?” Warriors asked, greatly relaxed from before- back to his usual state of semi-wariness. “If we were letting Wind help, why would he think we’d stop him ?”

“Hey!”

Because he was the outsider in the group, Four thought grimly, or at least that was probably how he saw himself. He wanted to be useful. Had he even thought about the danger? Had he even realized how dangerous it actually was to get involved in this sort of thing?

… Would he tell anyone how he got the information on that flyer, if he was caught?

“I’m not sure,” Time said with a sigh. “It’s possible he wasn’t thinking about it in those terms.”

“Where’d he get the money for all that?” Wind asked, bouncing slightly on his toes in what was either excitement, worry, or both.

He didn’t. Four knew he hadn’t paid for it, not when Vaati had thrown him out like that. The question now was why he wasn’t telling them that.

He stared at the flyer, remembering that afternoon in the back of the shop, and couldn’t make himself say anything.

“Four?” Wind asked, tugging on the side of his sleeve, “do you know how Shadow would get the money for that?”

“No idea,” Four said quietly.

Time hummed thoughtfully. “It’s possible he didn’t pay for it.”

“Right,” Warriors said, eyes widening, “he worked in some sort of print shop, didn’t he?”

“According to Four, yes,” Time agreed. “And he can carve, so it’s possible he carved the blocks for the images himself.”

Warriors turned to Four. “Could you show us the shop? He might be nearby, especially if he can’t go home.”

“Well, his bitch of a dad runs it, so I doubt he’s there,” Four said with a shrug, trying to downplay the awful feeling he was starting to get about all of this. “That isn’t the only print shop in town, though; we could split up and try searching near the others.”

Looking over to check with Time, Warriors gave Four a nod. “Seems like a good plan. I’m less familiar with the town- how many people do you think we’ll need?”

One. Four knew where he was going. “Three or four, maybe.”

“And you will not be one of them,” Time said with a raised eyebrow. “Need I remind you that you are a wanted criminal, captain?”

Warriors sighed. “Twilight, then. That’s one.”

“And me,” Four put in. “That’s two.”

Sky, who had ducked into the kitchen to grab food for himself and Wild, stepped out and raised a hand. “I’ll go, too.”

“Acceptable,” Warriors said, in a tone just barely reasonable enough to not be considered a grumble.

“Three is probably best for now,” Time said with a nod to Four and Sky. “Thank you both. If you could ask Twilight about going with you -” he gave Wars a meaningful look - “and head out soon, that would be appreciated.”

“Of course,” Sky agreed, and Four was out the door almost before he finished the words.

Twilight, of course, agreed to go with them with barely a question asked, and they made it to Castle Town before midday. Four gave Sky and Twilight suggestions on where to start their searches, they agreed on a meeting point, and then Four made a beeline for Vaati’s shop.

Doing this would almost certainly mess everything up for Shadow, if he hadn’t been caught. But there was something dark and terrified clinging to Four’s lungs like tar, and he couldn’t make himself believe that everything had gone according to plan.

Four pushed open the door to the shop without letting himself hesitate.

Vaati was behind the counter, and stood when he saw Four, giving him a stony glare. “ You again. I told you that you are not welcome in my shop.”

“Amazingly, I don’t care. Where’s Shadow?” Four demanded.

“Why do you think I’d know?” Vaati said archly, with an odd hint of satisfaction, “If I saw him, I’d have him dragged out of my shop.” 

Four latched onto the irregularity like a bloodhound. “Oh really?”

“Absolutely. He has no business being on my property- and neither do you.”

“What did you do.” It was barely a question.

“Just what any good, law-abiding citizen would have done,” Vaati said, shrugging and pretending to examine the spine of a book on the counter. “It really is just terrible, the influence you’ve had on him- trespassing, theft, and spreading treasonous papers? I’d like to say I never would have thought it possible, but that boy was always so easy to direct. Pity he started listening to you instead of me.”

Four’s hands curled into fists. Shadow had definitely been caught, and the thought terrified him. “Maybe he just got tired of you telling him he wasn’t worth anything.”

“ I was being realistic. You, on the other hand, just swanned in here, planting thoughts of rebellion in that poor boy’s head, and turned him into a liar and a thief.” Vaati shook his head. “I imagine he’ll soon realize just how good he had it here, if he didn’t figure it out in whatever hellhole you took him to when I kicked him out.”

“Where is he?” Four hissed.

“Wherever the guards take traitors,” Vaati said, with a shrug and a cruel smile, “I can’t imagine it’s pleasant, but that’s altogether his problem.”

Vaati had called the guards on him. Four’s hands were starting to shake a little bit. “You called the guards on your son?”

“That boy hasn’t been my son in years,” Vaati snapped. “Maybe he should have thought about that before trespassing, stealing, and trying to use my business to spread dangerous slander.”

“It isn’t like he attached your name to it,” Four shot back. “And it’s a good thing he isn’t your son anymore, because you are the sorriest excuse for a father I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting!”

Vaati didn’t even give that sentence the attention needed to shrug it off. “He used my supplies, and my shop could easily have been implicated if they were traced back.” He picked up the book on the counter, opening it and pointedly looking down at the pages, away from Four. “Now get out, you’re dirtying the shop.”

“Make me.”

Vaati’s eyes flicked upwards, gaze meeting Four’s with exasperated dismissal. “Of course you’re going to be difficult about this.” He stood, walking around the counter and heading for the door. “Why would I expect anything else, you haven’t been anything but difficult so far-”

Four was a middle child who had lived with Legend for the past three years. He excelled at being difficult.

He had also been taught to throw a punch by a trained knight.

The instant Vaati was close enough, Four darted forward and elbowed him in the gut to make him double over, then punched him in the face as hard as he could.

Vaati gasped, head snapping back as he fell to the floor. He pushed himself up with shaking arms, watching Four warily. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.”

“I really doubt that,” Four growled, shaking out his hand. “And you can save your threats, I won’t be back.”

“You certainly won’t be.” Vaati moved towards the door again, this time circling slightly around Four so he stayed out of reach.

Four took a step into Vaati’s path to the door. Anger was still simmering under his skin, humming in his lungs every time he took a breath. “I’d advise you to go back behind the counter and just let me leave.”

Eyes narrowed, Vaati stared at Four for a moment, then shoved him over, running past him through the door.

“Guards! I’ve been attacked!”

Fuck.  

Four scrambled to his feet and ran too, completely ignoring Vaati in favor of getting into an alleyway as quickly as possible. He’d gotten to know the streets around the print shop, he could get away if he wasn’t caught by this initial group.

There was more indistinct shouting behind him, but Four managed to weave through enough different alleys and streets that the guards never got close enough to be a threat.

Sky and Twilight were waiting for him back at the agreed meeting point, and as soon as Sky saw him, he tensed. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain later,” Four told him, barely even slowing down as he headed for the gate. “Right now we have to get out of here before the guards talk to each other.”

Sky hurried after him and wordlessly draped his cloak around Four’s shoulders, Twilight right behind them.

Four pulled the hood up and tried to breathe. His lungs felt tight, and he was still shaking, just a bit. He couldn’t tell if it was from anger or not.

He held it together through the Castle Town gate, down the long road to the ranch, up the stairs to the porch. He wasn’t calm, but he was holding it together as he stepped into the house.

“Did you find anything?” Warriors asked, standing up and quickly moving closer while scanning them for injuries.

Four took a deep breath.

Then his knees gave out and he sat down hard, choking on a sob.

“Four?” Sky asked in alarm, immediately kneeling next to him and pulling him into a side hug. “Are you alright?”

Four shook his head, turning to bury his face in Sky’s shoulder with a keen.

“Four,” Warriors repeated, voice steadier but with no less tension, “are you hurt? What happened?”

“This -” Four cut himself off with a sob, curling tighter into Sky’s side. “This is my fault.”

“How?” Warriors asked, softer than Four had expected. “Tell us what’s wrong. We can’t help until we know.”

Four took a deep, shuddering breath. “I - I didn’t tell him, and he just - he wanted to help, Wars, this is my fault.”

“We don’t need to discuss fault right now,” Warriors told him, “just tell us what happened so we can help fix it.”

“His dad called the guards on him,” Four whispered. He couldn’t make himself say it any louder.

“Oh,” Sky breathed, shifting to hold Four more securely. “That’s - Four, I’m so sorry.”

“Do you know where they sent him?” Warriors asked. Twilight had disappeared into the hallway, probably telling Time they had returned.

Four shook his head, biting back another sob. “I didn’t - didn’t see it, he just said he did and I fucking believe him, he’s an asshole ‘n I should have hit him harder.”

“You hit him?” Sky asked, gently undoing the clasp of the cloak. When Four nodded, Sky pressed a kiss to the top of his head and quietly said “Good. That was dangerous, and you aren’t going back to Castle Town for a good long while, but… good.”

“He won’t have to stay away for long, if all goes well,” Warriors pointed out, “the attempt on the castle is only a few weeks from now.”

“Shadow got arrested,” Four sobbed, another wave of crushing guilt slamming into him. Shadow had gotten arrested, and it was entirely Four’s fault.

“And Legend will free him,” Warriors tried to reassure Four, “he just has to hold on for now. Less than two weeks.”

But who knew what could happen in those two weeks? What would happen if some asshole guard took Shadow’s trouble hearing the wrong way? Would they question him? If they thought he was a traitor, would they torture him?

Four had no way of knowing. He was just stuck here, on the outside, while someone he cared about was locked up and in danger, and he’d only found out after it already happened.

Again.

Goddesses, here he was again.  

“I -” Four started, but - not again, why did he have to do this again - he cut himself off and just clung tighter to Sky with a soft, muffled wail.

“Shh, shh,” Sky murmured, rocking him back and forth just slightly and running a hand through his hair. “I’ve got you.”

There were quiet footsteps, and a deep voice - Time - murmuring to Warriors. Four ignored it and just sobbed.

This was all his fault. He was the one who brought Shadow back here, who fought for him to stay on the ranch, who didn’t tell him what they were doing so he knew the risks. This was his fault. Maybe Vaati was right - he really was a terrible influence.

There was a familiar quick pattern of thumps from the nearby wall, and Four didn’t even need to look up to know Wind was turning the corner from the staircase at full speed. “Four! Dad! Did you-” 

“Wind, go upstairs, please.” Sky’s voice was gentle but firm.

“Four?” Wind asked, quiet and apprehensive, “Four, what happened? Is he…”

Dead?

Goddesses, he could be, and Four wouldn’t even know. Another keen tore out of his throat as he curled even further against Sky’s side.

“Shadow ran into the guards,” Sky said, an anchor in the storm, still running his hand gently through Four’s hair. “Details later, Wind, Four needs a minute.”

“Okay,” Wind said uncertainly, stepping away. There was another quiet noise in the hallway, and Four could just make out Hyrule’s voice. A few seconds later, there were two sets of footsteps on the stairs, much quieter than before.

Four sobbed again. “‘S my fault.”

“No, no, it isn’t,” Sky soothed. “Shadow made his own choices, and so did his dad. That isn’t your fault.”

“If I didn’t -” Four didn’t let himself finish that thought. There were a lot of things he could say, a lot of things he’d fucked up, and he didn’t want Sky hearing most of them.

Sky pressed another kiss to his hair. “You did the best you could. That’s all I ask of you, you know that.”

Four didn’t answer. He just hiccuped with a wave of fresh tears, trying not to think about the horrible things that could be happening to one of the people he cared about most. Or the fact that he hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye.

Two more weeks. Four prayed to every goddess he could think of that Shadow would be okay for two more weeks.

They had to get this right.

Chapter Text

[An excerpt from a letter, sent by Legend’s correspondent]

My Most Witty Wordsmith,

I am sorry to hear about your recent troubles. I will keep an eye out as much as possible for our mutual friend, but I simply pass in much different circles than they would, and there are so many struggling under those distasteful systems. I am afraid I will not be able to do much without compromising my position- and while I would endeavor near anything for you, my dearest confidant, I would humbly plead that you not ask this of me, as I fear I am of better use loose in the castle than behind bars along with your ally.

[...]

Apologetically yours,

[A doodle of a bunny wearing a large sun hat]

Honestly, Legend finding Hyrule was pure luck.

He had been out for a walk around the ranch, spiraling out further and further from the house as he tried - and failed - to clear his head enough to write back to his contact about a recent issue with one of the major families. He had nearly been ready to call it quits and go bother Wars for a while when he saw the boot.

It was poking out from behind a tree, and as Legend took a few curious steps around, he saw a figure curled in on themself, hugging their knees to their chest. A few more steps, and he was close enough to identify them.

“Hyrule?” Legend kept his voice down, but in the quiet around them, it sounded much louder than it was.

Startling, Hyrule let his arms fall, looking up at Legend in surprise. He sniffed quietly, then gave Legend a not-quite-convincing smile. “Hey, Legend.”

“... Are you okay?” Hyrule didn’t look okay. His eyes were red, like he’d been crying.

“Yeah,” Hyrule said, standing up and leaning against the tree. “Decent. Just a bit tired, I guess.”

Legend wondered, just for a second, if he should push this. Hyrule had a tendency to either shut down or run if he felt cornered. But this was his best friend, crying behind a tree, and Legend needed to at least try to make sure he was actually okay. “You sure? You don’t look so good.”

Hyrule tilted his head to the side slightly. “Isn’t this how I usually look?”

“Well, usually you don’t look like you’ve been crying.”

With a sigh, Hyrule looked down, studying a piece of bark he was holding, avoiding Legend’s eyes. “Everyone cries sometimes.”

“It sucks less when you do it with someone,” Legend pointed out quietly. He certainly felt better when he cried on Wars than when he cried alone.

“Well,” Hyrule said, tone unusually short, “I came out here specifically so I wouldn’t bother anyone.”

Legend frowned. “What? Why? If something’s wrong, we can’t help if you don’t tell us.”

Hyrule made a frustrated noise. “Haven’t I made my issues everyone else’s problem for long enough?” He sighed, dropping the bark and rubbing his face with his hands. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“... What did you mean?” Legend asked cautiously, feeling like he was opening a door to something he hadn’t even realized was there.

“I just,” Hyrule took a deep breath, “I don’t need help with this. I didn’t want to bother anyone just because I needed a little cry. You’re all-” He cut himself off again. “Things are complicated right now. I don’t want to make them more complicated.”

“If you let us help, they’ll get less complicated again,” Legend pointed out. He could kick himself for not realizing Hyrule was upset later, right now he needed to figure out what was wrong and fix it.

Hyrule forced another smile, but Legend could see the hurt in it. “The last thing I want to do is bother you all, especially right now.”

“What if we want you to bother us?” Legend asked, crossing his arms to try and hide his own hurt. “What if I want all of you to be okay, even though things are getting complicated? What if I don’t care about you being a bother, I just - Rulie, I want to help.”  

Smile fading slightly, Hyrule nodded. “I know you do. But there are more important things you’re focusing on, I don’t want to distract from that.”

“You -” Legend took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say this right. “You don’t have to tell me why you’re upset. But you’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to be upset if I can help it, so - so if you want to tell me, I promise it won’t be distracting me. You’re important too.”

Hyrule bit his lip. “I know. I know you want to help. Goddesses, Legend, that’s why you’re doing all of this! Because you want to help so badly. But there are so, so many people out there whose lives you’re going to change.” His voice had started to shake, and there were clearly tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t- I’d never fucking forgive myself if I took that attention away from them. You’re saving the kingdom, Legend, I can manage an hour or so of tears.”

Oh.

Legend took a careful step toward Hyrule, holding out a tentative hand. “It’s not all on me, Rulie. Things aren’t going to fall apart if I take an hour or two to make sure my friend is okay.”

“But asking you to make that choice? I couldn’t-” Hyrule was struggling for words. “How am I supposed to put myself above all those people? How am I supposed to be so fucking selfish as to make you deal with my impossibly small problems when you’re preparing to run an entire government?” He threw his hands up, taking a few paces away from the tree then circling back. “I can handle myself.”

Hyrule brought a hand up to wipe his tears, turning away with a choked, angry sob. “I should be able to handle myself.” 

“Like I should have been able to handle myself?” Legend asked, sharper than he’d meant to, thinking of all the times he’d been so angry at his own inability to just suck it up and do what his father wanted.

Blinking in confusion, Hyrule turned back to him. “Wait, what? When?”

“Oh, I don’t know, the last seventeen years of my life? Every single fucking time my father talked to me? Take your fucking pick,” Legend snapped, and he shouldn’t be snapping at Hyrule, but somehow the anger had never really gone away, and it needed to go somewhere.

“That’s completely different,” Hyrule said, slowly going from confusion to frustration, “you didn’t have anyone to go to, and I’ve had nearly three years of this luxury-” he gestured around them, as if indicating the ranch, “-and I’m still running off to sob like a child because-” he stopped short, turning around again and covering his face with his hands.

“Because of what, Hyrule?” Legend asked, finally managing to shove some of the anger away. “I’ve sobbed like a baby over the stupidest shit while I’ve been here, because I’m really fucked up, and three years of people being decent to me doesn’t magically fix that.”

“That’s trauma,” Hyrule mumbled into his hands, “it’s different.”

“I don’t know if it’s different or not because I don’t know what you’re upset about,” Legend reminded him, though he faltered just a bit on the words. “You don’t - you don’t have to tell me. Just. I won’t know what’s wrong if you don’t.”

Hyrule paused for a long moment, then his shoulders slumped even more. “...I’m mad because I am selfish. Because none of this is fucking enough for me. Because we’re trying to save everyone-” he flung an arm out, turning back to Legend, tears streaming down his face. “-and I’m pouting about how many fucking hours I get to-” He cut himself off again, stomping a foot on the dirt, hands shaking, then took a breath. 

Hyrule’s voice shook as he said, “I just want to spend time with you. And that makes me feel so terribly self-serving, because you’re doing fine, because it’s been helping you focus, and you have Wars, and-” he slapped a hand over his mouth, then met Legend’s gaze with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean that, I promise I didn’t mean that. I’m so sorry-”

Legend almost felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Hyrule… I - Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hyrule let out a frustrated wordless shout. “Because I knew you’d respond like this! Because I knew you’d get worried and want to help, because you care so much and now I’m using it against you to get what I want!” 

“No you aren’t!” Legend protested. “You think I don’t want to be spending more time with you, too? The only reason I’m not losing my mind is because I’ve got a lot of other shit to distract myself with!”

Goddesses above, he hadn’t really let himself think about it, but he missed Hyrule. He missed when they could just run around and have fun together and not worry about anything. Actually saying the words, naming the feeling he’d been shoving off, was a sort of relief.

“And those things are important, ” Hyrule said, suddenly quiet again, like he was desperately trying to convince Legend of his point. “It’s- it’s not about what we want. Especially not now, not so close to the revolution. It’s about what matters, what you need to do.”

“... Rulie, you matter,” Legend said, suddenly feeling like he might start crying. “You - You’re my best friend, and that fucking matters, and - does it not matter to you?”

“No-” Hyrule hurried to say, suddenly breathless, “no, no it- it means everything to me, I just-” he couldn’t quite hold back a sob, and covered his mouth with both hands. “I can’t just take this from you!”

“Take what from me?” Legend nearly demanded, rubbing his eyes to force the tears back.

“I don’t know! Attention, affection , time and energy- things you could use to help people who are actually dying out there, things that you need to memorize plans to keep yourself alive-” Hyrule took a shaking breath, then continued. “I can’t be the reason you get yourself killed.”

Legend’s breath stuttered in his lungs, and he stared at Hyrule in shock. “... What?”

“This isn’t something I can fix,” Hyrule said, tears nearly stopped, quiet and deadly serious. “This isn’t something I can heal, this isn’t something I can show you. I am completely and utterly out of my depth and it’s fucking terrifying. I can’t help you in any way that matters.” He shrugged, stepping back and wiping his eyes with a resigned little laugh. “I showed you the world outside the walls, and now it’s your turn to decide what to do with it.”

“I want to go skip rocks with my best friend,” Legend whispered, finally giving up on wiping his eyes. It was a losing battle, anyway. “I want - I want twenty minutes where things are normal, and no one’s life is in my hands, and I’m not anyone important.”

Hyrule put a hand on his forehead, leaning against the tree again, mumbling something quietly enough that Legend could only pick out the word ‘ Wars’.

“What about Wars?” Legend asked with a little sniffle.

“He’s someone who can help , who can defend you here and in the castle.” Hyrule shrugged. “It’s safer to hang out with him.”

Legend shook his head, wrapping his arms around his stomach like a shield. “I don’t care if it’s safer, I want to hang out with both of you, because you’re both my brothers and I love you and I want to spend time with you!”

“You shouldn’t,” Hyrule grumbled, wiping his eyes again.

“Well, maybe I don’t care if I should or not!”

Hyrule shrugged, letting out a wet laugh. “That’s fair, I guess.”

Legend sniffed again, brushing the tears from his cheeks with the hem of his sleeve. “Rulie, my people matter to me. That’s why I’m doing this. But I’m here because of you, and I’ve never met most of them, but you are my brother and my best friend, and you being happy matters to me.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “So, can - can we go run around in the woods? Please? Just for a little while?”

“Okay,” Hyrule said, after a moment’s pause. He scuffed his boot against the dirt. “Sorry for being… weird about this.”

“It’s okay for you to be weird,” Legend said quietly, holding out a hand in invitation. “I care about you anyway.”

A slow smile grew across Hyrule’s face as he took Legend’s hand, hesitant at first until Legend gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Want to go find some bugs? I bet Wild would love to see any new ones.”

“Bet I can find more than you.” It was a weak attempt at teasing, but Legend tried for a proper smile anyway.

“Not if we’re holding hands,” Hyrule grinned, tightening his grip and gently pulling Legend towards the tree line.

“Well shit,” Legend said, making absolutely no attempt to let go. “I guess we’ll just have to find them together.”

“Terrible,” Hyrule said dryly, smile making it clear that he was still joking, “it’s impossible to escape. No competition for you today, Legend.”

Legend scrubbed the tear tracks off of his face and smiled back, more genuine this time. “My worst nightmare. How will I cope?”

Hyrule shrugged, gently bumping their shoulders together. “I guess I’ll just have to help you out.”

“Like always.” Legend’s tone was a little more serious than he’d meant it to be. He did mean it, though; Hyrule was always helping him, in one way or another.

“Not always,” Hyrule said gently, “sometimes you’re helping me. Or we’re both helping each other. Actually, it’s probably mostly that last one.”

Legend bumped their shoulders again. “That sounds good to me.”

They returned to the ranch a few hours later, pleasantly exhausted and carrying three bugs to show Wild and Wind. Hyrule risked one of them escaping by putting it in his pocket so he could keep holding Legend’s hand. 

Legend didn’t care if the bug got away or not, despite the time spent searching for it. His best friend mattered more, and his hand in Legend’s reassured him that Hyrule wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter Text

For once, Legend had enough self-control to not go up to the roof when he needed to think.

Everyone had been on edge all day, and Time and Wars had barely come out of Time’s office at all. They had known that the moment of the coup was coming, soon, but now, on the edge of it? It felt like the whole ranch was holding its breath. Legend didn’t want to add any extra stress. He wasn’t sure he could take it.

So he was just sitting out on the porch swing, watching the stars, rocking the chair back and forth just a bit with one foot. It felt like a fucked up sort of meditation.

Forward, and he pictured Hyrule in the city, face uncovered, unafraid. Back, and he pictured Wind in the palace dungeons. Wars laughing by the water mill. Sky being executed.

Forward, back, forward, back. Success, failure, success, failure.

“You’re up late,” Wars said from the doorway. Legend turned to look, and Wars let the door softly creak shut, moving to sit next to him on the swing.

“Couldn’t sleep.” It was true, probably. In all honesty he hadn’t tried. He couldn’t imagine getting restful sleep tonight, of all nights.

Wars nodded, leaning back slightly against the bench, which made the swing rock slowly back and forth. Forward and back. Success or failure.  

“You know, you’ll need your rest tonight more than ever,” Wars told him gently. “It’s not what you want to hear, and I know it probably doesn’t help, but it’s true.”

Legend shrugged, resisting the urge to push the swing back into the steady rhythm he’d had going.

There was a minute of silence, and then Wars sighed. “I can’t think of a better way to have this conversation, so I’m just going to ask the annoying question. How are you doing?” His tone was wryly amused, but when Legend glanced over he could see that Wars’ face was serious.

“Great,” Legend said dryly. “Never been more calm and emotionally stable in my life.”

Wars patted his shoulder. “I was looking for something to tell me where to start, kid. I don’t want to put more worries into your head than you already have crammed in there.”

“If we fuck things up tomorrow, everyone’s probably going to die.” The words felt like ashes in his mouth.

“We’ve been planning this for years. Time’s built a truly worrying number of backup plans, and just as many possible escape routes.” Wars leaned towards him, putting an arm around Legend’s shoulder and gently scooting him closer. “We’ll be there to help you. Something always goes wrong, but the plan doesn’t hinge on every piece of itself going perfectly.”

“I guess.” Legend did know that. Time had gone over the plan, and the backup plans, and the backup plans for the backup plans, and the escape routes, and the backup escape routes so many times with all of them that it had started to make Legend’s head spin. He knew how many points of failure were necessary to get all of them killed. 

But people could get unlucky. And the feeling of being hunted down in the street, Hyrule’s hand in his, had never quite gone away.

“I can’t tell you that things are going to be fine,” Wars said quietly. “But whatever happens, you’ll survive it. I give you my word.”

I don’t want to survive it without all of you. Legend bit back the words, because it didn’t matter how true they were, Wars didn’t want to hear them. “... Okay.”

“You’re not sounding very reassured.” Wars elbowed him lightly in the side, worried expression once again contrasting with his joking tone. “Legend, if you don’t tell me what you’re worried about, I can’t help you with it.”

Legend hesitated for a long moment, then took a deep breath. “... Wars, can - can I be really selfish for a second?”

“You can always be whatever you want around me.”

“... Please promise you won’t sacrifice yourself for me,” Legend said very quietly. “I really don’t want to have to live with that again.”

Wars closed his eyes, turning his head away. He took a deep breath before saying, “There’s no way to guarantee who will live or die in battle, Legend.”

You’ll survive it. I give you my word.

Legend leaned a little more into Wars’ side and tried not to think about it.

“I won’t make a promise I can’t keep,” Wars whispered into the night, staring up at the clouds that were slowly shifting across the sky. “Not to you.”

“I love you,” Legend said on impulse, because there was a very real possibility he might be running out of time to say it. “You’re my brother, and I love you, and I’m really fucking scared I’m about to lose you.” Then, after a moment of hesitation, he added “You’re the only good thing my father ever did for me.”

Wars wrinkled his nose. “I made my choice, let’s not give the soon to be ex-king that credit.” He sighed, and continued, “You helped me believe that things could be better. My trust was earned by you, Legend, and it’s not something I give lightly. You’re my brother, and that’s why I fight for you. Not because of a promise I made years ago to an unjust king, because of the person that you are, and who you continue to be.”

And that should feel good. That he had earned Wars’ trust, that Wars trusted him to do this right. But all Legend wanted to do was curl up in a ball and scream that he didn’t want Wars to fight for him.

He wondered, for a brief, distracted moment, if shaking Wars by the shoulders and shouting in his face that he wanted his big brother to stop thinking like a bodyguard for two fucking seconds would get through to him. Probably not.

“Thanks, Wars,” he said after a moment, giving him a shaky little smile.

Wars looked at him for a long moment, and Legend could see the exhaustion in his eyes, could see just how hard Wars was working to keep himself together. 

Shifting to face Legend, Wars dropped off the swing, halting its motion by kneeling in front of it and putting his hands on Legend’s shoulders, deadly serious. “It’s okay to be scared, Legend. I’m scared, too. And I can promise you that I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Legend nodded, because while he and Wars had different definitions of unnecessary, that was a promise he could trust. It was something.

Wars was searching his face, and didn’t seem to find what he was looking for. “I don’t want to die for you, kid,” he said, words coming out slightly rushed, like he was as desperate to convince Legend as Legend was to convince him. “I promise, I don’t. I want to live with you, to see what you make out of this mess of a kingdom, but that can’t happen if you’re gone. Do you understand?”

“I guess.” It made sense. Legend hated thinking about himself as more important than anyone else, as being worth the sacrifice of someone else’s life, but… Wars had a point. Legend was the only one who could do this. Without him, they didn’t have a chance.

“I am honored to call you my brother, and I would be honored to live until I’m older than Time in the kingdom you fix, and I would be fucking honored to be the reason you’re able to do those things, through my life or death. You’re going to change the world, Legend, and it needs you. If I didn’t- if something happened to you, and I-” Wars cut himself off, breath stuttering slightly, before continuing. “I’ve never believed in anything more strongly than I do in you, my absolutely brilliant little brother. I want to make this happen. I want to help people, and I want to help you. You are the hope the people need.” He blinked hard, unable to stop the first tear from slipping down his face. “Do you want to know how I know that?”

Legend took a breath, trying to steady his own emotions, and quietly asked “How?”

“Because you did it for me.” Wars’ smile looked like it was breaking through the pained expression on his face, like the rising sun chasing out the last of the night. “You were the hope I needed. You’ve given me more than you could ever know, and- I see what you give to others too! You’ve built a family out of a couple broken little groups of people, and-” he took a deep breath, tilting his head to wipe his tears on his shoulder so he didn’t have to let go of Legend. “And me. If I can help you bring that to others, it will mean more than almost anything else.”

Wars took a moment, then continued. “But what means the most, more than the kingdom, more than the others, is that I have the chance, the honor, the opportunity, to keep my little brother alive. I’m going to fight for that, Legend. But I promise, I promise, not to forget to fight for myself too.”

There.

Legend’s vision went a little blurry with tears of his own as he nodded, relieved in ways he couldn’t really put words to. “Okay.”

Reaching forward to pull Legend into a hug, Wars shifted so they were both sitting again, one hand slowly carding through Legend’s hair from where he was tucked close against Wars’ chest. “It’s going to be okay, you know that? Whatever happens tomorrow, you’ll be okay.”

“It’s never been me I’ve been worried about,” Legend mumbled, burying his face in Wars’ tunic.

He felt Wars huff out a tiny laugh. “That’s why I’m here. To worry about you, when you won’t.”

“And I do the same thing for you.”

Wars sighed. “I left myself open for that one, huh?”

“Mhm.” Legend tried to just breathe, blinking back the tears. “We’re all just a bunch of fucking idiots who don’t worry about ourselves.”

“Caring about others is exactly what’s going to make you such a good king,” Wars told him, and there was a shifting of fabric that told Legend that he was wiping the remainder of tears from his face.

Legend laughed at that, just a little. “Fuck, I’m going to be king if we pull this off.”

“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Wars reminded him gently. “I haven’t forgotten my promise from before, either. I’ll remind you to fix things, as many times as you need me to.”

“You remember that?” That had been an awful night. The first time he’d nearly lost Hyrule, paired with the anxiety of getting caught and worrying that Warriors would tell his father, paired with the harsh reality of just how much there was to fix in this country he would inherit. He had sobbed like a little kid on a near stranger - Wars hadn’t even known him yet. Legend had halfway thought he made the promise to make him stop crying. And that had been years ago.

Wars swung the seat slightly with his foot. “I promised to, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you did, I just - I wasn’t sure you meant it,” Legend said quietly.

“I wasn’t going to lie to a kid who was crying on me,” Wars said, “not on purpose. I could promise to remind you without guaranteeing how long I would be around. Of course, I was only just starting to figure out who you were, so I thought I’d just… get my job done and then leave.”

… That was interesting.

“Get your job done?” Legend echoed, brow furrowing in thought. “Your job was… being my bodyguard, though.”

Except…

I’ve been wanting to introduce you two for a while. Ever the game of chess with you, captain. I see why you wanted me to meet him.

“... Unless,” he said in barely more than a whisper, “it wasn’t.”

“My real job was to assess if you were a danger to any rebellious proceedings in the palace,” Wars told him, sounding a little embarrassed. “It wasn’t a mistake that I was assigned there. It took Time a lot of work, actually, given my reputation.”

“Reputation?” Legend hadn’t heard about Wars having any sort of a reputation, aside from his title. By design, probably.

Wars sighed, leaning his head against the backrest of the seat. “I was not exactly… well liked by the other guards.” 

Legend frowned, sitting back enough that he could see Wars’ face. “Why not?”

“That,” Wars sighed, “is a very complicated question.” Legend could see the moonlight glint off of the remaining tear tracks on Wars’ face as he turned his head, avoiding Legend’s gaze. “It could have been so many things. It was so many things.”

“What’s one of them?” Legend asked, trying to keep his voice gentle. One at a time, instead of everything all at once.

Wars was still looking away, out across the garden to the barn. “I was a little overconfident when I started my training, for one thing. I was cocky, and I didn’t have the skills to back it up.” His tone turned a little wry. “First impressions are very important, after all.”

“And I bet they were so much better,” Legend huffed sarcastically, leaning back into Wars’ side. 

“Strength in numbers, if not in skill.” Wars pulled him closer, arm around his shoulders. “I did get better after a while- I earned my place as a captain fairly.”

Legend never had any doubt of that. Wars wasn’t the sort of person to get or to take a promotion unfairly. But… something was pinging in the back of his mind. Strength in numbers, what did that mean? Had there been that many people who didn’t like him? And something else, too, something Wars had said back before they started planning, back when they’d first arrived at the ranch.

Knight training had been a little hard on me for a lot of reasons, so one day Time raised his voice at me and I kind of freaked out. Once I told him why, he was careful not to do it anymore.

Legend was really starting to not like this.

“... Did they yell at you a lot?” he asked quietly. Better to know than assume.

Wars winced. “There’s a lot of yelling in training, in general. It was more the anger than the yelling, especially from Time.”

“Oh.” Legend really didn’t like that. “What did they do, then?”

“Various things,” Warriors said, obviously trying to be casual. Legend could see his discomfort, though, feel it in the way he’d gone a bit stiff and his hand had stopped rubbing Legend’s shoulder. “Some insults, some thievery, a few bruises. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

And then there was everything else. All the subtle shit no one else ever saw, the kind that always set your teeth on edge and made you slip up more, the kind that got its teeth in you. Legend was very familiar with the subtle shit.

He hugged Wars a little tighter. “That fucking sucks. They shouldn’t have done that, and you’re way better than them, anyway.”

“Maybe that’s why they did it,” Wars joked, looking down at him with the start of a smile. “They knew I was too cool for them to ever match up to.”

“The correct response to that is to learn,” Legend grumbled.

“They multitasked.”

“Yeah, well, they must have sucked at that, too.”

“No, actually,” Wars said, shifting his gaze back to the night sky, “they managed it pretty well.” He shook his head, blinking a few times, then gave Legend another smile. “That’s all in the past, though.”

They hadn’t managed it at all, actually, because Wars was still worlds better than they could ever hope to be, but Legend let it drop. “Yeah. Adding that to the list.”

Wars let out an exhale that was almost a laugh. “Go ahead, kid.” 

He looked back to the sky, and there was a long, quiet moment of just… enjoying being next to each other. Soaking up the feeling, just in case all this was shattered tomorrow.

“I love you,” Legend said again, softly, more because he meant it than because he was afraid.

“I love you too,” Wars told him, voice gentle even as his arms tightened around Legend slightly. “My impossibly brave little brother. I’m so proud of you, you know that, right?”

Legend buried his face in Wars’ tunic again to hide the embarrassed little flush on his cheeks. “Mhm.”

“Good. Just wanted to make sure.” Wars rested his hand in Legend’s hair, carding through it gently.

Half a minute passed, and then Legend felt Wars take a deep breath, hand stilling, and knew that something important was going to be said.

“Legend, I need you to know that… you have options in this. Okay? There’s a sort of- backdoor, I guess- to the plan, if you need it.”

“... What kind of back door?” Legend asked cautiously.

“You don’t have to be here when everything goes down,” Wars told him, all in one breath like he was worried how Legend would react, then steadied his tone as he continued. “It’s arguably safer to have the heir somewhere secure until we know if the attempted coup is going to be successful-”

“Hold the fuck up,” Legend told him, bristling just a bit despite himself. Out of irritation or worry, he couldn’t exactly tell. Maybe both. “I’m not a chess piece, Wars, and you’re going all formal again.”

Wars exhaled with a minute head shake, then restarted. “As long as you’re somewhere else, safe and alive, you can always try again. Even if this revolution fails, you can keep going. Get power from other countries, I don’t know, just- it’s the safest option. For you, and the country.”

“I’m not leaving you guys,” Legend said firmly. “Not when you’re doing all of this because of me. I’m not gonna just - hand all of the danger off and let you risk your lives while I hide.” That was something his father would do. Legend refused to be like that, to be that sort of leader.

“You don’t have to fight, though,” Wars argued, “you’re more important to the effort than any of us. You can help your people more by staying safe than being another sword in the action.”

Legend shook his head. “No. I’m staying to help.”

“Legend, please.” Wars put a hand on his arm, and Legend could feel it shaking, just slightly. “If you’re somewhere safe from the fighting, I don’t have to watch your back. The whole ‘dying for you’ problem goes away!”

“No the fuck it doesn’t! You dying in something I started, trying to help me, is still dying for me,” Legend pointed out hotly, sitting back so he could look Wars in the eye. “I’m staying. You can’t talk me out of this.”

“You wouldn’t have to see it,” Wars said, hands balling into fists in his lap. “If something goes wrong, right there in front of you, if someone- you wouldn’t have to see it.”

“What, so I don’t see the consequences of my decisions and feel much more comfortable sending other people into the line of fire next time?” Legend snapped. “Say it however you want, I’m not abandoning my people.”

Wars stared at him for another long moment, then nodded. “Understood. I’ll keep you as safe as I can, then.”

Legend wasn’t sure if that was meant to be a dig, but he found himself setting his jaw and looking down at the boards of the porch anyway. He didn’t want to put Wars in more danger, but… he also didn’t want to be the sort of king who started conflict on a whim, without it affecting him in the slightest. Like his father. If he was going to start something like this, he was going to see it through, whatever that meant. And he wasn’t going to just watch from the sidelines.

“Our exit plans are still in place,” Wars said, after a minute of silence. “And those are non-negotiable.”

Legend nodded, a little stiffly. The exit plans were different. He didn’t want to leave his family, but escaping came before anything else, if things went sideways. “I know.” 

“Everything else is still in order, too,” Wars said, a bit softer. “And I meant every word I said earlier.” His tone turned a bit teasing. “ Especially the ones about getting some rest.”

“You’re still out here too,” Legend huffed, and he sounded fonder than he’d meant to when he added “Hypocrite.”

“I’m out here because you shouldn’t have to be alone right now,” Wars pointed out. “I’ve fought on less sleep than this, but you haven’t. We need you at your best tomorrow. All of us.”

Legend shrugged. He still felt a bit wound up, but he hadn’t really been expecting anything different, and the anger was starting to seep away. “And I need you at your best, because I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing, and you usually manage to point me in the right direction.”

“Great,” Wars said, tugging at Legend’s arm as he stood up. “Sounds like we’re in agreement. It’s sleep time.”

Legend rolled his eyes, but he let Wars pull him up. “Fine. No promises, but I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Chapter Text

[Seven Hours Before]

Tetra was supposed to be belowdecks.

She didn’t exactly care, even though the once-safe docks were actually an-incredibly-dangerous-place docks this morning. Or, tonight- she wasn’t quite sure if it was dawn yet. The sky over the river was too foggy for her to tell.

Her parent didn’t even look surprised to find her watching the proceedings. They approached, leaving against the railing she was resting her arms on and looking over, joining her in watching the unloading of supplies and the organizing of people. 

The lanterns were blurred and indistinct through the mist, lending the whole thing a sort of ghostly air. Hushed conversations floated over despite the lack of breeze, rolling over the edges of the fog that always brushed the edges of the town from the water this early. 

Everything familiar, everything she’d seen and heard a hundred times, the air tasting exactly the same as it always did in the Castle Town Docks. Tetra took a deep breath of it, savoring the smell of water in the air, the cool air against her skin. One last morning, before everything changed.

“You’ll be well out of the way before the fighting starts,” her parent told her, a lighthearted but honest warning. 

“I know,” Tetra sighed, resting the side of her head on the railing. “We’ll get away fine, we don’t ever have to go back, I know.” She was repeating what she’d been told, what had been used to reassure her for weeks before this.

There was a short silence, before her parent put a hand on her back. “You’re worried about your friend, right?”

“Maybe,” Tetra grumbled, strangely unwilling to pull away from their touch, even to express frustration or embarrassment. Not today, not when everything was about to change.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He lives outside the town, doesn’t he?”

Tetra nodded, not looking over at them. Watching the fog rolling over the edges of the pier, dropping like a honey-thick waterfall onto the surface of the slow swells of river water. 

“And you’ll be safe too,” Tetra told them, almost a challenge. “The crew needs you here.” I need you here.

“We’re the ferries , not the Fairies,” they agreed quietly, “there’s no danger for us.”

Looking up into the dusky dawn, past the swirls of concealing fog up the hill towards Castle Town proper, Tetra almost wished there would be.

[Six Hours Before]

Wind couldn’t sleep.

It was the night before everything happened! How was he supposed to be able to sleep? 

Well, maybe the morning of everything happening, at this point. He wiggled around until he had enough room to roll over and check the window- the sky was lighter than before, stars paling as the sun approached- but stopped when he noticed his dad was shifting around too.

Sky looked uncomfortable- which made sense, he was wiggling like he couldn’t find a good place to sleep, but Wind could tell that he was more upset than uncomfortable just by looking at his face.

His dad never looked like that when he thought people were watching.

“Dad?” Wind whispered, scooting closer and tapping his shoulder, “dad, are you okay?” He didn’t have to worry about being too loud- Four was sleeping in the attic on the mattress that was originally supposed to be Shadow’s.

Sky shifted away from the touch, his expression twisting.

“Dad, it’s okay,” Wind reassured, rolling over so he was pressed against Sky and pulling his dad’s arm over his shoulders like a hug. “I’m right here, see?”

At the additional motion, Sky’s eyes snapped open, and a startled, terrified sound escaped him as he pushed himself halfway up on his elbow. It took him a second or two to blink and notice Wind curled against him, and a few more seconds to relax and lay back down.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Wind asked quietly. He felt like he already knew the answer.

“... Maybe a little one,” Sky whispered back with a forced little flicker of a smile. “Did I wake you?”

Wind shook his head. “Nope. Couldn’t sleep. What was it about?” Hopefully Sky would still be sleepy enough to actually tell him.

Sky hesitated for a moment, then let out a small, shaky sigh. “Just - picturing how things might go. About what you’d expect for a night like tonight, I suppose.”

“We’re gonna be okay,” Wind reassured. “You’ll probably be scared anyway, but I’ll just keep telling you until you believe me.”

His dad gave him a small smile and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s my job to worry about you, bud. You’re going to behave for Mrs Malon, aren’t you?”

“As much as I ever do.” Wind rolled his eyes with a smile, hoping it would cheer his dad up. “And just ‘cause you’re supposed to worry doesn’t mean you should do it so much. You barely do anything else!”

Sky’s smile grew pained. “Wind. Please. Just… just for today, please be on your best behavior. Don’t get out of earshot of the house, listen to everything Malon tells you. Please. For me.”

“She’s not gonna kick us out if I do the wrong thing,” Wind protested, “we’re already allowed to stay here, and things will get even better after Legend’s king!”

“I know. I know, that’s… that’s not what I’m worried about.” Sky paused for a moment, biting his lip in thought, then said carefully “I need you to listen to Malon, because if something goes wrong…”

“Well, of course I’d listen if something goes wrong!” Wind complained, rolling over so his back was to Sky and crossing his arms, “I’m not just gonna ruin everything on purpose like that.”

Sky’s hand shifted to run soothingly up and down his arm. “I know. But if something goes wrong, you might not have a lot of warning, so I need you to stay within earshot and be ready to do what Malon tells you. That’s how you can stay safe, and… and I need you to be safe today. If you can promise me you’ll behave, that’s one less thing for me to be worried about, and I can focus on what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“I’m not gonna do anything stupid,” Wind promised, grumpy that his dad wanted him to promise to behave like he was a little kid. “I’ll stay where I can hear her and stuff.”

“Okay,” Sky sighed, like a weight had been lifted off him, at least a little. “Okay. Thank you.”

“It’ll be okay,” Wind repeated, rolling back over and snuggling closer, trying not to think about how Four and Sky were going to be in Castle Town during all of the dangerous bits of the rebellion.

“It’ll be okay,” Sky whispered back, holding him tight. Wind pretended he sounded certain.

[Five Hours Before]

Ravio’s hands did not shake as he sketched out the lines on his skin that would become protective sigils of the Goddess. 

He was used to making sure his hands didn’t shake, especially during this process. Watching the line of plant-based dye making its way out of the cone was almost meditative, and he knew the patterns by heart.

He was about halfway done with his left arm, protective runes spiraling into the classic designs and patterns associated with Lolia. This was his armor, this was his battle gear- invisible to all under his robes and hood, the perfect defense in a court where there was always someone watching. There would be no way for anyone else to know just how many hours he’d spent drawing these sigils on his arms and forehead.

Ravio’s arms would move with purpose, guided by the Goddess’ strength through the sacred designs. His mind would focus, clarity provided by Lolia’s wisdom guiding his thoughts and actions. 

His magic items were assembled, laid in a careful row on his bed. His inner hood was waiting, the one with the most protective designs, another layer of security hidden under his outer robes. 

Ravio let his mind wander to the motivations and weaknesses of other court members, going over them in his head as he often did before a difficult encounter, listing out escape routes, alliances, possible attendance and any hidden weapons he knew of. 

His preparation would be complete within two hours, mental and physical, and he could start his quick scouting of the palace, grab an early breakfast in the great hall to catch any whispers he could, and head down the long tunnel that would lead him to the secret entrance, where he would personally welcome in a new reign.

[Four Hours Before]

Time scanned the map again, tracing the route out of the city with his gaze. Turn left at the mill, down two streets - unless the guards had been alerted to their presence in that part of the city, in which case it would be three, then turn right, then down another -

“You’re up early,” came a soft voice from the doorway of his workshop.

Time blinked, startling slightly, and turned to see Malon leaned against the doorframe. She looked exhausted. He shook his head to clear his own exhaustion away and murmured “I couldn’t sleep.”

“I know.” She slipped into the room, closing the door behind her, and crossed over to stand behind him and put her arms around his shoulders. “You were tossing and turning.”

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” he replied quietly, resting a hand on her arm.

“You didn’t. I couldn’t sleep either,” she whispered, leaning down like she was telling him a secret.

Time sighed, leaning his head back so he could look up at her. “I know I can’t ask you not to worry.”

Malon hummed quietly and turned her head away, just a bit, to bury her face in his hair. “No. Not when all three of you are going out there.”

“Wild will be out of the way,” Time reminded her, but he knew that wouldn’t help much. He had the same twist in his stomach at the thought of their children being in danger, after all. “And I’ll be right there with Twilight the whole time. We won’t be in the palace at all.”

“I know.”

“I’m proud of our boys,” Time admitted softly. “I’d give anything to keep them out of this, but…”

Malon hummed, her hold on him tightening just slightly. “But they’re helping people.”

Time nodded and quietly echoed “They’re helping people. They’re going to help make this kingdom better, just because it’s the right thing to do.”

It terrified him, how willing his children were to put the good of the country above their own safety. But he couldn’t be more proud of them for helping.

“Are you coming back to bed?” Malon asked softly.

“There isn’t much time left before I need to be awake anyway,” Time pointed out, gaze drifting back to the map.

“They’ll need you as rested as you can get.”

That was true. Time had gone over the backups and emergency plans so often they were burned into the back of his eyelids, so he sighed and very reluctantly stood to face his wife. “Alright. Just for another hour or so, and I can’t guarantee I’ll actually get any sleep.”

Malon smiled at him, leaning up to give him a kiss. “Just try. That’s all I ask.”

Time could certainly do that.

[Three Hours Before]

Wild should probably still be in bed. But the sun was starting to rise, he was starting to get nervous butterflies in his stomach, and there was too much happening today for him to sleep any more. So he left the house as quietly as he could, headed out for the barn.

It was pretty quiet in there when he carefully pushed the door open. Most of the animals were still sleepy, but it looked like someone had already been through to feed them. 

And there, poking out of the open door of Epona’s stall, was the end of a fluffy tail.

“Twi?” Wild called very quietly.

The tail quickly flicked out of sight, soon replaced with the nose of Twilight’s wolf form.

Wild snorted. “I can still see you.”

There was a loud sniff from behind the stall, and then Twilight was walking towards him on silent paws, stifling a sneeze from the hay dust he’d stirred up when he stood.

Wild knelt down to meet him, running a hand through his brother’s thick fur. “You couldn’t stay in bed either, huh?”

Twilight shook his head, then did it again more aggressively, leaning forwards so the dust swirled off into Wild’s face.

“Ack!” Wild sputtered, trying not to sneeze himself, then playfully shoved Twi’s face away from him. “Stop it!”

Twilight looked back with a silly wolfy grin, then butted his head into Wild’s shoulder, gently pushing him over and rubbing his side against Wild’s back as he circled him.

Wild didn’t fight the rearranging, just reached out to run a hand over Twilight’s side and give him a few pats. “Were you out here to spend time with Epona?” His brother usually did that when he was feeling overwhelmed.

Twilight’s nod turned into a little flop as he laid his head on Wild’s leg, body curled around his back.

Wild quietly started scratching behind his ears. He knew being around animals helped Twilight feel better, but being around Twilight, wolf form or not, always helped Wild feel better. Somehow, problems didn’t seem so scary when he was surrounded by wolf fur.

With a little boof noise, Twilight shifted around again, tilting his head so he could look up at Wild.

“Are you nervous too?” Wild asked quietly, giving Twilight’s ear a little ruffle. “You’re going to be up by the gates with Dad.”

Twilight rolled his head from side to side, ear flicking as Wild touched it.

“I know my job is gonna be safer,” Wild continued, busying himself with scratching little circles all over Twilight’s head and under his jaw. “Dad did that on purpose. And I know I asked to be involved, I still want to be, it’s just…” he hesitated, then admitted very softly, “I’m just kind of scared.”

Twilight let out a little huff, poking his nose into Wild’s hand and laying a paw over his leg.

“Your nose is cold,” Wild muttered, giving it a little boop. “I know it’s gonna be fine. Dad and Wars know how to do this right, and everything’s gonna go the way it’s supposed to, and Legend’s gonna be king. I know that.”

He just didn’t feel like he knew it.

With a little whine, Twilight pressed the side of his face into Wild’s stomach, then started a low, soothing rumble deep in his chest.

Wild wrapped his arms around his brother’s head and buried his face in the fur, trying to breathe slow and even.

It would be okay. There would be a lot more moments like this after everything had settled. Twi would be fine, and so would their dad, and so would Legend and everybody else.

“Thanks, Twi,” he whispered.

He could feel Twilight gently shift, nodding slowly and getting comfortable in Wild’s lap. He gave Wild another low boof, and settled.

Wild settled, too, happy to wait in the quiet calm of the barn until it was time for them to start moving.

[Two Hours Before]

The sun was up.

Four could see the sunlight coming through the small attic window, so he knew the others would be up and awake by now, if they ever went to bed at all. He’d heard footsteps last night, and the door had opened a few times. Somehow, he doubted anyone in the house had gotten much sleep.

He leaned back against the wall, the pillow that used to be Shadow’s hugged to his chest, and tried not to think about much of anything.

In a matter of hours he would be in the city, helping Sky and Wild incite a riot, and Legend would be in the palace. This was potentially the most actively dangerous thing he had ever done - that any of them had ever done. There would be no alibis for them if they were caught.

Some tiny part of him, in the very back of his mind, wondered if he would find out where Shadow was if they caught him.

Shadow wasn’t worth the mission, he reminded himself harshly, his grip on the pillow tightening. Finding his boyfriend wasn’t worth the lives of his family or the fate of the country. It wasn’t worth his own life, especially since Four knew how the king treated traitors. There was a decent chance there wouldn’t be anything to find.

Still. Some part of him wondered.

They would be moving out soon. Maybe an hour or two left until they started to mobilize. Four - like everyone else in the house, he was sure - would need to be careful about breakfast; he needed something in his system to provide the high level of energy he’d need to maintain, but his stomach was currently tying itself up in knots. Choking anything down without feeling nauseous would be a challenge.

He could hear movement in the house below him, with the soft clink and clatter of dishes and cutlery. Malon was starting breakfast.

Four took a deep breath, then carefully set Shadow’s pillow back where it belonged. He may as well head downstairs and help, while he could. It was better than sitting up here alone and thinking himself in spirals.

One way or another, this would be over soon.

[One Hour Before]

It felt odd, entering Castle Town after so long.

It hadn’t felt as odd leaving it, but then, Warriors had much more important things to deal with at the time.

Three years. Two years of planning, one of recovery. Plenty of time.

He still didn’t feel ready.

There were a million ways the plans could go wrong, and just as many backup plans and ideas, but the unknown was waiting to strike every second they weren’t in full control of the city.

There was a shift next to him, and he looked down to see Legend - wearing a mask and cloak - leaning into his side.

“Hey there. You okay?” Warriors asked. He couldn’t quite tell through the mask.

“Fine.” Legend’s voice was the sort of even he only heard when leader mode came out. “Just… thinking.”

“We’ve got plenty of plans. It’s going to work out. We even have adaptability for things going wrong,” Warriors pointed out, oddly feeling better himself as he reassured Legend.

Legend nodded, leaning a little further against him.

“We’re in sight of the guards at the gate,” Twilight reported quietly from the front of the wagon. “Should only be a few more minutes.”

“It’s been three years,” Legend said, very softly, glancing up at the walls of Castle Town.

“It has,” Warriors confirmed, unsure how to feel about that fact.

“We’re ready, though,” Hyrule added. He was leaning forward slightly, watching the gates of the town as they grew closer. 

Legend took a deep breath. “Yeah. We’re ready.”

“The king isn’t,” Hyrule said, a small smile growing on his face. “He won’t know what hit him.”

“The look on his face is gonna be fucking priceless,” Legend agreed with a little snort.

Hyrule nodded. “Too bad Time won’t be there to see it.”

“I think Dad would pay a lot of money to see that, on any other day,” Twilight chuckled. “Hang tight, we’re getting close to the gate.”

Warriors hadn’t needed the reminder, but it was good that Hyrule and Legend had been able to relax enough to talk instead of focusing fully on what loomed ahead.

They were going to be fine. They had plans upon plans to work with, and Warriors was prepared to do his job or die trying. 

Legend would be king. And things would get better.

No matter if they were ready or not, Castle Town had been waiting for their return for years, unconsciously. Waiting for the peace that Legend would bring. 

This reckoning was long overdue, and Warriors didn’t intend to be late.

Chapter Text

[A note, sent by Legend]

I’ll see you in the throne room. Be safe.

[A small doodle of a sword]

The public audiences the king held in his throne room were often both boring and depressing. Ravio tended to avoid them as much as he could, but today he was on edge for a very different reason.

This audience session would change lives- and for once, change them for the better. 

None of that would be the king’s doing. Well, the current king’s doing, anyway.

Glancing to the side, Ravio made eye contact with one of the lesser nobles who was committed to their cause, second in line to speak with the king. She nodded at him, and he hid a smile under his hood, scanning the room and identifying the pockets of people who were on their side. Those ready for change, ready to take it instead of waiting for it to be given.

Especially the person right in front of her- one of the people Ravio had secretly let in to the castle, and possibly his two-year correspondent.

“Come forward, and let your grievance be known,” the king called to the first person in line, and they stepped forward obligingly, moving to stand in the center of the circular mosaic on the floor, the spot from which the throne looked most impressive. It nearly towered above them, with brilliant tiles and ornate carvings. The king was leaning sideways, resting a hand on his elbow- relaxed and in control, looking down on the figure in the plain dark blue cloak.

They said nothing. The crowd shifted slightly.

The king frowned. “Did you come here to waste my time, townsperson?”

Still nothing. The unmoving figure in the simple cloak stood strong before the king, who shifted on his throne in irritation.

“I asked if you had a grievance. State your problem or be removed.”

“My grievance is not mine alone,” the figure said, loudly and clearly. Their voice rang around the room, commanding attention almost more effectively than the throne itself. “I share a grievance with this entire country, and have come to set it right.”

The figure pushed back their hood, then put a hand to their face and pulled. The ordinary features fell away, revealing pink hair and an echo of the king’s face.

“My problem,” said Prince Link, “is who’s sitting on that throne.”

Absolute silence. The crowd sat and stood like people transfixed, like a house of cards between two opposing breezes, trembling while they waited to see which way they would fall.

Ravio stifled a gasp. He hadn’t properly seen the prince in years. His head was spinning, trying to connect his childhood playmate to the distant prince to his recent confidant, whose letters had kept him devoted to the cause as well as to the mysterious person writing them. 

Prince Link, who was not only alive and well, but coming to take his rightful place himself. Ravio had thought him an accomplice, when he’d let Warriors and two strangers inside, had expected a quiet assassination plot with the prince placed on the throne once things were definitively settled, but no.

Prince Link, leading and planning a rebellion for years right underneath the king’s nose. Ravio felt honored to be a part of it.

“You have dishonored your oath,” Prince Link said, head held high, utterly sure of the words. “You vowed to protect our people, to keep them safe and serve them as they serve you. Instead, you have let them fall by the wayside in your quest for power and control. You have tarnished your crown, your throne, your very word. You no longer have any right to that seat.”

The king was sitting up straighter now, stately and powerful as he glowered down at his disowned heir, returned from exile to challenge his right to absolute authority.

“Setting aside your baseless lies,” The king said, “Are you saying that you do? Link, you abandoned any claim to the throne the night you released traitors from our prison and disrupted the rule of law. You try to claim authority, after disappearing for years, conspiring with criminals, and living in hiding from the law?”

“Living in hiding from you.” Prince Link’s voice cracked like a whip. “You, who threatened to have me disposed of more times than I would care to count, who threw an innocent thirteen year old boy into the dungeons and would have executed him to prove a point! If I had stayed, you would have had me killed. Not because I did anything wrong, but because I was trying to be the best ruler I could be, and that meant you could not control me.”

“Hearsay and conspiracies,” the king sighed, making a show of leaning back and shaking his head disappointedly. “To hide from me is to hide from the rule of law, and to slander me with false claims is just as treasonous. I had no wish to control you, only to mold you to properly care for and defend our people. It was you who snuck off with traitors in the night-” he gestured at the mask in the prince’s hand, “-and used unlawful magic to break my trust, and that of my people.”

Prince Link’s glare hardened. “It was I who saw what things are really like in this city. I saw hardship I could not have imagined, and when I attempted to help, you called me a traitor. You called human beings castle resources and conscripted them to serve in a war that does nothing but bolster your ego and slaughter our people.”

The king stood, framed by his throne, on the dais above the prince- but the mosaic on the floor seemed to halo the prince in light, standing strong before a towering opposing force.

“You have no proof of this terrible slander.” The king’s voice echoed loudly, a skill born of long practice. “I am here to hear the woes of my people and to aid them, not to have absurd lies from upstart disowned heirs hurled at me.”

“And the child you branded and threw in the dungeons?” the prince challenged. “The one who would be dead, if you had your way? Were you aiding him, too?”

“I know of no such person,” the king scoffed, “if you’re going to try and lie to the people, Link, at least have the respect for us to make them believable. Such a child does not exist.”

“I wouldn’t have, certainly,” said a new figure, stepping out from beside Ravio, pushing gently but firmly through the crowd, “if you’d gotten what you wanted.” They planted their feet firmly next to the prince, visibly taking a breath before removing their own hood. 

“My chosen name is Hyrule,” the person said to the crowd, flashing them a strained smile, “but when I was born, my parents named me Link. I grew up completely opposite to the prince next to me, left to fire, disease, and starvation on the streets. But despite all this, we became friends. I told him of our struggles, and that,” he said, pointing at the king, “is when you started to consider him a threat to your power.”

“This has nothing to do with-”

“Hyrule wasn’t finished,” the prince interrupted sharply.

“I ask you,” Hyrule continued, voice measured and cold, “to consider the way the king treats his very own son. If he is willing to exile him, have him disposed of, for the crime of asking to be able to help the people, if he is willing to destroy Prince Link for trying to aid us, what do you think he would do to a Link of the streets?”

“You still have absolutely no proof of any of this,” the king said, waving a dismissive hand at them. “Your little speeches are not compelling, and your complaints are untrue.”

“You don’t have to answer my question,” Hyrule told him, “I didn’t expect you to. I already know the answer.” He lifted a hand to his forehead, pulling outwards harshly and revealing a bright, unnatural green glow. 

Dropping the magical mask onto the tiled floor, Hyrule looked around at the crowd, gesturing to the bright magical markings on his face. “I am that child. I am the Link of the streets, and for the crime of healing your son, you had me forcefully conscripted to fight in a war I do not believe in. For the misfortune of having strong magic, you locked me up in the castle and marked me so I could never freely walk the streets under your rule. And for daring,” he said, taking a step towards the dais and the throne, “to try and free my best friend from your abuse and threats, you had me imprisoned. Scheduled to be executed.”

“You rely on fear to keep control of us,” Prince Link continued, stepping forward with his friend. “You threaten and intimidate and force us into line, but you miscalculated. I was not a threat to you isolated, but I am not isolated anymore. I have lived among these people for three years, and I have seen the power in community. You do not scare me anymore, father, because I am no longer alone, and therefore you no longer have any power over me. You have no power over any of us, because together we are far stronger than you could ever hope to be, and I have come on behalf of our people to tell you that we have had enough.”

There was a murmur through the crowd, a slight shift, as if people were leaning towards the speakers, towards the center of the room and away from the throne. Even the guards were shifting uncomfortably.

Next to Ravio, Warriors tore off his mask and stepped through the crowd. “I guarded you for a decade. I vowed on my knees in front of you to keep the prince’s life safe, and when the only threat to him was you, you had me scheduled to be executed.” He raised a hand, just barely shaking with anger. “But I know now that vow was meaningless. An oath to a false king is nothing compared to a promise made to a brother.”

Warriors put a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “You kept him isolated and alone in your fucked up power structure, just like me. Because I wouldn’t fall in line for pay or protection, the environment you fostered tried to beat me down for years.” He spun to face the crowd, fully turning his back on the king. “He chose to make a toxic system that elevates the cruel, and we deserve better.”

A few of the guards in the room moved slightly, and Warriors immediately turned to them. “There has to have been a time,” he said, slightly quieter but just as strong, “when you wanted to help people more than hurt them. You can start now.”

“Actually,” the king said, sitting back down onto the throne and tilting his head slightly, “I think they’ll start by arresting you traitors.”

Ravio startled forwards, but he was never going to be faster than a trained soldier. The room was set alight with motion, and the crowd surged backwards, nearly knocking him off his feet.

When Ravio managed to steady himself, it was too late. The three brave people in the center of the room were entirely surrounded.

Chapter Text

Warriors’ sword was out, but there was no way he could fight all the guards in the throne room.

The loose circle of guards around them slowly tightened as they moved closer, and he glanced up to see the king’s satisfied smirk, leaning back against the throne with his arms crossed.

“I’m surprised, father,” Legend called up to him almost conversationally. “Weren’t you the one who taught me not to act until I was sure of myself? I got several lectures about that, if I recall correctly.”

“And what reason do I have to be unsure?” The king responded, raising an eyebrow, “I have you surrounded, and you will be summarily executed within the hour.”

“Sure,” Warriors said over his shoulder, “assuming you control the people. But I think they’re starting to realize they don’t have to be under your tyrannical thumb anymore. I think they want to end this.”

The king shrugged. “I suppose I can oblige you. Guards? I believe he told you to end this. Kill the traitor, leave the prince for me.”

Three guards broke off from the group, moving towards Warriors. He recognized their faces, knew their names. Their swords were out and readied. 

There was no way for Warriors to survive these numbers.

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile as the guards turned in unison, backs to the group in the center of the room and swords leveled against the other guards. Just like they’d planned.

“I told you,” Legend said, smiling for the first time since stepping into the city earlier that day, his voice ringing through the room. “I’m not alone anymore.”

“You can’t separate us, and you can’t keep us down,” Hyrule called up to the king.

“You’ll be separated from your heads soon enough!” the king yelled, “guards, kill the traitors!”

All of the guards in the outside circle moved as one, but Warriors knew that another three were coming to their defense. Enough to help him make sure Legend and Hyrule were safe- as many as they could manage to sneak in, add on to the roster, and replace.

He dove into battle fully prepared, trusting his brothers and comrades to cover his back as he was covering theirs.

The fight was quicker than he’d expected- some of the other guards had unexpectedly switched sides to join them, and once enough of them were subdued, Legend had managed to fight his way up the dais to hold a sword to the king’s throat.

“I suggest,” he said in a tone like ice, “that you surrender.”

The king glared back at him, glancing around the room to see his guards defeated or disarmed, a few townspeople revealing hidden armor and weapons, and the whole crowd turned towards him. 

After a few seconds, the king sighed. “I surrender. But you-”

“Oh, shut up!” Warriors called, hurrying around his scattered allies and the guards on the floor, “you don’t get to dictate terms.” He wanted to get to Legend as fast as possible, just in case somebody tried a last minute attack.

“We get to dictate terms,” Legend agreed, and there was a hint of Twilight’s wolfishness in his expression. “And those terms are immediate, total surrender, or your head on the floor.”

There was a moment of tense silence, before the king mumbled, “I accept.”

“Good choice.” Legend lowered his sword, though he kept it pointed at the king. “I think a trip to the dungeons is in order.”

Two of their allies moved to surround the king, both with weapons at the ready. Warriors gave Legend a nod once he was sure the king couldn’t retaliate, a signal that he was safe.

Legend turned to face the crowd- to face his people- and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Warriors saw the glint of light as a throwing knife sailed towards him.

He moved on instinct, shoving Legend behind him and out of the path of the deadly weapon.

Of course he did, this was what Warriors had been training his whole life to do. Years ago he’d asked Time, would you rather I die serving the king, or you? That had always felt like an inevitability, not an if but a who for . Warriors was built to give happy endings, any way he could. To give, no matter what the cost.

He’d sworn an oath to a king he didn’t believe in, a king the people no longer believed in, to keep Legend safe. To ensure the future of the kingdom, to give his little brother the chance to live for one more moment, to smile just one more time. Warriors would give anything for that. 

The knife spun closer, and Warriors remembered his words to Legend, just the night before.

“But what means the most, more than the kingdom, more than the others, is that I have the chance, the honor, the opportunity, to keep my little brother alive. I’m going to fight for that, Legend. But I promise, I promise, not to forget to fight for myself too.”

Warriors was worth more than his death could give. And he’d promised his little brother to try to believe it.

His sword was already unsheathed, and he managed to deflect the knife off the flat of his blade as he raised it in front of both of them. 

It clattered to the floor, rolling down two steps of the dais before slowing, blade teetering off the edge of the step. 

Warriors could see Legend’s realization, his relief , breaking like a sunrise across his face. He returned the smile, slightly shakily, and stepped forwards to hug his little brother, to hold Legend and reassure him that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Someone pushed him forwards, a shove in the small of his back, and he pulled up short, blinking in annoyance and ready to turn.

And then Hyrule screamed.

Shit. Hyrule was behind him, he’d taken his eyes off Hyrule, and he’d promised Sky, promised himself-

Warriors’ legs stuttered slightly underneath him, and he held his arm out to keep his balance, bracing himself on the side of the throne. But the world was swaying around him, and the walls wouldn’t hold still-

The throne wobbled next to him, and standing was sending shocks of pain up his legs and into his arms, and he couldn’t see Hyrule-

The ornate wooden curve he’d been holding on to snapped, and Warriors slowly slumped downwards, face pressed into the carved wood no matter how hard he tried to hold himself up.

Wait. That wasn’t right. Warriors blinked, and-

There was screaming. 

Someone was screaming, someone familiar, and there were hands on his shoulders, pulling him sideways. Pain radiated from his back like lava bubbling up from a volcano, like he was tearing apart from the spine outwards.

Warriors was a letter with a candle held to its center, and it was only a matter of time before he burned up.

He coughed, then choked, and each stifled breath fed the fire inside of him like a bellows full of air.

Hands, on his face. Familiar hands. 

Warriors managed to open his eyes, weak and fluttering, to see Legend in front of him.

Legend. 

He smiled as best as he could, but he just felt so tired. His eyes drifted to the side, to the wood of the throne next to them, and the wide streak of red still dripping down it.

Oh shit.

It took a while for Warriors to get his mouth to work, but eventually he managed to mumble, “L’gend, y’ hurt?” 

“No.” It sounded more like a sob than anything. “No, I’m - I’m okay - HYRULE!”

Shit, he’d forgotten. “ Hyrule, ” he repeated, trying to form the name through numbing lips, “‘s he hurt?”

“Stop worrying about us for two fucking seconds,” Legend sobbed. “He’s okay, we’re - we’re not hurt, Wars.”

“Oh.” That was good, but Warriors didn’t think he could quite manage a smile. His head felt impossibly heavy, and it tilted forwards without his permission. 

“Wars? Wars, no, don’t you fucking dare - ”

That sounded like Legend.

There were hands on his face, hands propping him upright, carefully leaning him on his side against something hard and smooth. 

“Don’t you dare, don’t you dare,” Legend was saying over and over. “Not here, not now, don’t you dare.”

Words were swimming in his ears, confusing and terribly loud. He didn’t know what was going on, just that everything hurt. There was a knot of pain in his center, pulling him in piece by piece, and the rest of him was unraveling to join it.

Legend sobbed again. “ Please. Please don’t make me do this without you, you promised.”

He’d promised. Something important, he’d promised it, and he didn’t want to break it. It was. There was something important.

He was just so tired.

“‘ll do it later,” he mumbled, “promise. Just- need. Need a secon’...” 

The world was melting into a pool of agony, and the last words he caught before he was swept away by brilliant green light were, “ Please don’t leave me.”

Legend’s old room was just as he remembered it.

The walls were the same, the paintings and the fireplace were unchanged, even the books on the bookshelf were the same ones he remembered from three years ago. The single, glaring difference was Wars, unconscious on the bed.

Logically, they should have taken him to the castle healers, and let them cart him off to the medical wing. But the castle was still in an uproar, Legend didn’t trust any stranger with Wars right now, and he knew his bedroom was one of the most defensible areas of the castle, as well as one of the places he knew best. So here they were, Hyrule leaning against the headboard and resting while he had the chance, and Legend sitting on the edge of the bed holding Wars’ hand, keeping an eye on the door.

He was trying very hard not to think about the blood probably soaking into his bedspread. Or the knife. Or Wars’ uncomprehending look of shock as he staggered into the side of the throne. Or Wars passing out - 

“You’re panicking again,” Hyrule said quietly. When Legend looked over, he could see Hyrule watching him, a tired half-smile on his face.

“No shit.” Legend couldn’t find the energy to be properly snarky about it.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Hyrule told him, with a calm certainty that Legend couldn’t possibly reach right now.

Legend knew first-hand how powerful Hyrule’s healing was. He knew Wars would make it. But right now, all he had was the weak pulse under his fingers to reassure him. “I know. I just… I’ll feel better when he wakes up.”

Hyrule nodded, shifting so he was lower down in the bed, leaning his head against the headboard and curling up on the pillow. “Should be soon, I think.” He yawned, then blinked sleepily. “I gave him a lot of energy. He’ll be fine.”

“Get some rest, Rulie,” Legend sighed. “There are people guarding the door, and I’ll keep an eye out. Sleep while you can.”

With a hum of acknowledgment, Hyrule spent a few more moments moving around, then relaxed with a sigh. Legend was pretty sure he was asleep within minutes. 

Legend turned back toward the door, carefully rubbing his thumb back and forth across Wars’ knuckles. He knew there were guards on the other side, handpicked by Wars to keep him safe if something were to go wrong in the throne room - if something were to happen to Wars so he couldn’t do it himself - but it still somehow felt like he was the last line of defense for two of the people he cared about most.

A fairly shitty line, all things considered. He took a breath and didn’t think about it.

“An inspiring first few hours as king,” he muttered to no one, hopefully soft enough that it wouldn’t disturb Hyrule. “I cried like a baby in front of half the court and hid in my bedroom.”

“Showed them you care.” It was almost a sigh, but when Legend looked up in surprise he could see Wars’ eyes were open, and Wars’ hand moved jerkily in his, trying to hold tighter.

“Wars!” Legend quickly shifted around so he was properly facing his big brother, giving his hand a squeeze. “Thank the fucking goddesses.”

“Hey,” Wars said, with just the breath of a laugh, “I’m okay. Hope you- weren’t too worried.” He had to pause to take a breath between the two sections of the sentence.

Legend managed to school his expression into a deadpan. “You took a knife to the back.”

“Ah,” Wars sighed, “That would do it.”

“... How are you feeling?” Legend asked carefully, because the answer was probably like shit but he still needed to ask.

Wars shifted slightly. “Tired. And ow .”

Legend couldn’t help it, he snorted at that. “Yeah, I figured. Hyrule fixed everything important, but you did still take a knife to the fucking back, so.”

“You sound-” Wars had to take another breath, “upset. I didn’t- mean to do it.”

“I know.” Somehow, that was the most incredible part of all of this. He hadn’t meant to. Legend had seen the first knife, the deflection instead of just taking it. He hadn’t seen the second until it was too late, and Wars evidently hadn’t seen it at all. “I know, I - you know I’m more of an asshole than usual when I’m worried.”

“Aw, worried,” Wars said, shooting him a mischievous smile, “so sweet. A real softie, Legend.”

Legend scowled at him. “Shut the fuck up. You were just as bad when it was me that got stabbed.”

Wars’ expression darkened, like he was remembering the incident. His eyes went a little distant, and he didn’t reply.

“... My father is in the dungeons,” Legend said quietly, running his thumb over Wars’ knuckles again. “So are all the guards who surrendered, I’ll be working on pardons for them soon. Time and the others should be getting everyone calmed back down.”

“Shit,” Wars said, blinking back to full awareness by going straight to worry. “I need to- Legend, I need to get up-” He shifted, trying to push himself to a sitting position, then let out a long pained hiss, slowly lowering himself back onto the blankets.

“No the fuck you don’t,” Legend said sternly. “We planned this out so this stage could happen without you if it has to, so it’s going to, because you got fucking stabbed and need to recover.”

Wars was breathing heavily, his free hand hovering over his side like he wanted to reach around to feel his injured back. “That- that one’s on me.”

“No, it isn’t. Because you didn’t mean to.” Legend hesitated, just for a second, trying to put into words the way that felt. “... Thank you for not meaning to.”

“Get stabbed?” Wars managed through gritted teeth, fingers just barely touching the bandages on his back, “I don’t- usually plan on it.”

“Oh, fuck, did you fuck something up? Do I need to wake up Hyrule?” Legend asked in growing alarm.

“‘M fine,” Wars said, taking his hand off of the bandages to wave it vaguely in Legend’s direction, “Just investigating.”

Legend called bullshit, but he very grudgingly let it slide. “Fine. … And I didn’t mean getting stabbed, I mean… I mean thank you for keeping your promise.”

Wars hummed in acknowledgment. “I didn’t plan on breaking it.”

“I know.” Wars didn’t break promises, Legend was starting to realize. Even promises made to sobbing or panicking princes.

Squeezing Legend’s hand gently, Wars gave him a nod. “I said I’d try. I’m going to.”

“Yeah.” Legend squeezed his hand back. “And - Wars, we did it. We fucking did it.”

Wars gave Legend a large but tight smile- shifting around too much seemed to be painful for him. “We did. Now- now it’s time for my other promise.”

“Which other promise?” Legend asked, frowning just a bit, trying to remember what other promises Wars had made in the rush of the past few weeks.

“The one about not letting you forget,” Wars said, nudging Legend gently with his hand, “Years ago. I remember it.”

That one. The one that seemed so small, right now, so unnecessary, but Legend knew how important it would be later on, when the dust had settled and he hit his stride. It would be easy to sit back and just… let things happen, let them be as they were. But he had surrounded himself with people who would fight for change, would fight to help people. They wouldn’t let him do that.

He gave Wars a smile, small and genuine. “Yeah. Thanks, Wars.”

“Anytime.” Wars closed his eyes, face still tense- maybe with pain. “Always.”

“... You can go back to sleep if you need to,” Legend said quietly. “I’ll keep an eye out, and the door’s guarded. We’re safe in here.”

Wars sighed, then winced. His next breath was more carefully controlled. “I’ll try. T- thank you, Legend. I’m proud.”

And that, somehow, made everything worth it.

“Maybe wait until I actually do something as king before you say that,” Legend said past the lightness fizzing in his lungs.

“Surviving,” Wars said, with an aborted attempt at a shrug, “is enough, sometimes.”

He’d survived. He’d been threatened, exiled, hunted, he’d staged a rebellion, he’d stood up to his father, and he’d survived all of it. Maybe Wars was right - maybe ruling a country wouldn’t be so hard, next to all of that.

But he had no idea how to put any of that into words, so he just gave Wars’ hand another small squeeze. “Thanks. Now go to sleep, you can’t keep moving and hurting yourself if you’re unconscious.”

“Mm. Good point.” Wars relaxed a bit, and it was only once the tension was gone that Legend could see how carefully Wars had been holding himself, how he’d raised his head off the pillow enough to see Legend properly. Wars’ hand relaxed in his, and Legend pushed back his moment of panic, keeping his hold gentle.

“We’re safe in here,” he said again, quietly. Halfway to Wars and halfway a reminder to himself. “I’ve got you.”

Wars nodded, eyes still closed. “I trust you.”

Legend breathed through the weight of that sentence and turned back toward the door to keep watch. Someone, probably Time or one of the others, would come by eventually to check on them and give them updates. He could let his brothers sleep until then. After everything they’d done for him, it was the least he could do.

Chapter Text

It had been a few hours since Wars had gone to sleep again. Hyrule had woken up, given Wars another pulse of healing magic, and fallen back to sleep. Time, with Mask’s face, had stopped by Legend’s room to give them a report: the riot had calmed down, the castle was now more firmly under their control, and the guards were being driven off, turned to their side, or detained as much as possible. Everything was going well.

Legend still had Wars’ hand in his, and was paying enough attention that when it twitched, he noticed immediately and turned to his big brother.

“How’s everything?” Wars asked, still sounding slightly disoriented, “have we secured the castle?”

“Pretty much,” Legend told him quietly, mindful of Hyrule curled up on the pillow. He gave Wars’ hand a light squeeze. “Everything’s going just about perfectly, for the moment. Something else will probably break eventually, but we’re doing okay right now.”

Wars nodded, lifting his head slightly to peer at the door. “Did Time come by? Have you heard from him?”

“About an hour ago, yeah. Everyone’s okay, you’re the only one who really got hurt,” Legend reported.

“And the door’s still guarded? By someone trustworthy?”

Legend nodded. “Time brought new people with him, and he said they’ll swap out again next time he comes by.”

“Good,” Wars sighed, “good. Any minor injuries, then?”

“Just a couple. Time didn’t go into details,” Legend told him. At the time, he’d been too worried about the big picture to ask for the minutiae, but now he wished he’d asked more questions. Or at least that he hadn’t been the only one awake. “Twilight got banged up a bit, I think, and Time had a bandage. Anything else I’m not sure about, I just know you were worst off.”

“So, neither of you are hurt?” Wars asked, shifting slightly to glance over at Hyrule.

Legend shook his head. “I’m not, and if Hyrule was, he didn’t tell me and probably already fixed it.”

Wars met Legend’s eyes, gaze earnest and worried. “He screamed when we were in the throne room. I couldn’t check on him.”

“He screamed because you got hit in the back with a fucking knife,” Legend told him, suddenly feeling very tired. Wars had been bleeding out and all he could do was worry about them.

“Hey,” Wars said, putting his other hand on Legend’s arm, “it’s okay. I’m fine.”

“... I know.” He did know. He was just having some trouble separating that knowledge from the memory of Wars bleeding out in his arms.

“You’re still worrying, though.” Wars gave him a small smile. “I get it. It’s hard to get over a scare like that. I’ll just keep reminding you that I’m okay until you can believe it.”

Legend smiled back. It was small, and tired, but it felt real. “Thanks, Wars.” He ran his thumb back and forth over Wars’ knuckles, almost absently. “I’m - I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I said I would be,” Wars told him with an affectionate sigh, “and I like to think I’m pretty good at getting my way.”

“... Hey, speaking of things you want,” Legend said slowly. “And. You know. Being here. I’ve been thinking, and… I’m king, now. I can do pretty much anything I want. Which means I can do anything you want, so… I guess what I’m asking is, what do you want to do now?”

“There actually is something I’ve been meaning to do,” Wars said, shifting his arm to prop himself up and moving to stand, moving cautiously so as to not aggravate his injury.

Legend immediately moved to help support him. “Careful.”

Once Wars was properly standing, he gently pushed Legend’s hands away, going down on one knee and bowing his head. “My king.”

Legend just - stared, for a moment. It hit him, suddenly, what had really happened. The weight of it. What it meant.

“Speak and be heard,” he said, very softly, because anything else - anything more personal - didn’t feel quite right for this.

Wars lifted his head, and the enormity of emotions in his eyes nearly took Legend by surprise. “My king,” he said again, “it would be an honor to serve in any way necessary. For my country, my monarch, and my brother.”

Legend hadn’t been to many of the ceremonies where knights swore fealty to the king, and in those he had attended, his father’s self-congratulations and overly flowery acceptance of oaths had just made him bored. So now, faced with the most important oath of loyalty he would ever receive, he took a breath and did his best. “And it is an honor to be served by you. The needs are many, and I will not ask you to see to them all. Where do you feel your service is necessary?”

“At your side, for whatever may come to pass. Where you send me, if need be.” Wars took a slightly shaky breath. “I want to help you, your majesty. In whatever way you need.”

“So it shall be.” Legend held out a hand, offering his brother a small smile. “Now please, rise. You’re still injured.”

Wars took his hand, wobbling a little as he stood, and choosing to simply lean sideways until he was sitting on the bed instead of taking any actual steps to get there. 

Legend sat next to him, leaning against his side in a way that was half hug, half support. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” Wars looked deadly serious. “I needed to. This is real, and it means something. I know you know that, and I wanted to show you that I do as well. Your position is earned and won, and not something to be taken lightly.” His gaze softened slightly. “That being said, you’re still my little brother, so don’t expect that level of respect all of the time.”

Legend remembered the last time he’d consistently gotten that level of respect from Wars and winced. “Yeah, no. I’d lose my mind.”

“You’re still a person,” Wars agreed quietly. “On top of being a ruler. Sometimes one becomes more pressing than the other, but both are important.”

And Legend had, somehow, managed to find people who understood that and were willing to act accordingly. He had a brother who was willing to both ruffle flour into his hair and get on one knee to call him my king.