Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link tried to slow the pounding of his heart as he stepped slowly along the sloping stairway leading to his final destination. He remembered the confining passage clearly, as if the events that kicked off this adventure occurred only yesterday. Holding the Master Sword out in front of him, he used its pale blue glow to help keep him from tripping, the light clashing with the wisps of the sickly red Gloom still seeping up from the collapsed chamber beyond.

He came to a stop as the corridor led out into what he remembered as a large chamber. The events of the Upheaval had changed it drastically, however. A large stone pillar stood in the center rising up from the darkness below and high up into the sky above, though he was too deep to see any hint of the surface from where he stood. The walkway that had extended to a large platform ended abruptly and left Link standing on the precipice trying to gauge how far down his destination truly was.

“He's waiting for you, he has been this whole time.”

Wild had felt it before he heard it, and already wearing a soft smile he glanced up towards the source of the voice. The smile turned into a gentle grin as he nodded to the eight spirits appearing before him, floating above the chasm. The one on the far left, Time, spoke again, “We thought we'd come see you before the end.”

Wild offered a slight nod, “I don't suppose you're coming to help down there, too?”

The eldest of them – (wait if they're all ageless isn't Sky the eldest now? Muse on that later, Wild, he's talking to you.) – chuckled softly before shaking his head, “No, this is a fight you must bear alone, I'm sorry. And we can't remain long; as Twi told you it takes a lot out of us.” He smiled sadly as Wild nodded in understanding. “So,” Time began with a twinkle in his eyes, “how’d you like the sword?”

Wild felt the tips of his ears grow warm as he glanced away with a bashful look, “I admit I didn't use it much. I didn't want to risk breaking it so… it's displayed on a stand in my house. Along with a few other special things I found.”

Time simply nodded with a small hum, “Hm, I suppose I can accept that. I did get to see you use it against that nightmare inside the Great Deku Tree, at least. Wind watched as well, since he's also familiar with it,” Wild turned his head to see an adult Wind grinning and nodding his way. They stood silent for a moment before Time exhaled a satisfied sigh. “Wild, you know that I – we all are very proud of everything you've accomplished. You've managed feats that have been beyond what should have been asked of you. Hold your head high, you've earned it.”

The champion instead ducked his head, unable to look his brothers in the eye as they all murmured their agreement. “But I didn't cat–”

“That's enough of that,” Time interrupted, voice firm. “You did all that you could, and sometimes fate requires us to fail so that others may succeed,” he stated plainly, gesturing to the shining sword in Wild's right hand. “Your best is all that anyone asks, and you gave and continue to give much and more.” Time closed his eyes as his form began to fade, “But now, only one more step remains. You've got this, Wild.” And he was gone.

Wild hung his head in deference, trying to swallow down his disagreements. Even though Time might not be there to rebut, he was sure one of the others wouldn't hesitate to do it for him. 

He heard one of the remaining heroes clear his throat and Wild looked up to see Four grinning down at him. The champion returned the smile at first but it faltered a bit as Four flickered just slightly while he noticed a shadow flitting about erratically on the pillar behind his brothers. Noticing the odd look Four glanced over his shoulder before sighing and rolling his eyes. “Ugh, don't give him the attention, he thrives off it.” Wild’s eyebrow perked up, but he didn't verbally question it. He did, however, fail to suppress a laugh as the willful shadow stopped long enough for him to be able to make out that it was giving Four the finger from behind his back.

“Anyway,” Four pressed on, trying his best to ignore his gremlin of a shadow, “I know you've been far less careful with the weapons I've so painstakingly maintained for you.” The smallest of the heroes folded his arms over his chest and sighing dramatically, “One might think of you as being unappreciative of my efforts!” he teased, causing Wild to rub the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “It was fun though. I haven't gotten to really smith anything in… a very long time,” he continued, ”And I'm not sure when I'll get to again so… thanks.”

“You were amazing,” Wild replied, his voice soft in reverence. “You should have seen people's faces,” he continued with a wide grin, “They were shocked I could find weapons that hadn't decayed, let alone of such outstanding quality. You mastered styles you were never even familiar with! Four, Smithy… I couldn't have done this without you.” He faded towards the end of his praise, his glance spreading around to the others. “Without any of you,” he whispered to himself, but the ghost of a breath that left his lips somehow reverberated clearly off the walls of stone and earth surrounding them.

Whatever somber mood might have been forming, however, shattered as Wild started giggling. He could feel the puzzled looks glancing down at him but he simply pointed at Four as he covered his mouth to try and stop himself. Behind the spirit, the shadow upon the wall pumped his fist up into the air triumphantly. “Seems he's happy to receive the praise, too.”

Four turned, and as he watched the shadow repeat the fist pump he shook his head with a look on his face that Wild couldn’t quite identify. The smith seemed to shimmer for a moment, and the colors he recognized from the phantoms in the Depths all seemed to wash over the shadow, though – he could swear the violet lasted just a touch longer than the others. “No he's…” Four hesitated a moment as he cleared his throat, “he's happy for me.” He let out a sigh, “He can't speak like that, of course,” Four continued, ”But I know exactly what he'd say.’” Wild waited for the words, but none came. He suddenly felt like he was intruding on a private moment. The sound of Legend clearing his throat seemed to snap Four out of his thoughts, and the smith just smiled fondly at the emoting figure upon the wall. He turned back towards Wild as he began to fade, “I'm just glad I could help.” Four’s smile grew into a grin before he vanished completely.

“My turn then, is it?” the Veteran's voice called, leaving little time for Wild to consider Four and his departure. As Wild turned to face him. Legend looked the same as he always did, clad in red with a pale blue hat (and no pants, of course). But his posture was something Wild had never really seen on the young man before. Legend was never the type to really stand up straight, to square his shoulders or present a posture of confidence. Sure, his mouth and fighting skills did all the heavy lifting there, but Wild thought it seemed like there was this weight on him that he couldn't – or refused – to shake off.

Here Legend looked positively relaxed. Granted, not having the responsibility of being a living hero might take a bit of stress off, there was something he felt had changed – he just couldn't identify it.

Snapping fingers broke the champion from his thinking, a teasing smirk meeting Wild as he looked back to the spirit facing him. As Legend shook his head in mock disappointment, Wild noticed something he'd missed before. “You looked like you were miles away there,” Legend began, offering playful admonishment, ”Here we are to see you off and you seem like you're not even in–”

“What did you do to your hair?” the question blurted out before he could stop himself, and he pointed to one of the Vet’s usual pink shocks of hair. It was elegantly braided, with two ribbons intertwined within it: one red, one violet.

Legend reeled momentarily, and even as semi-transparent as he was, Wild could see his ears were turning a bright red. A hand frantically tried to tuck the braid out of sight. “None of your business!” he protested. Wild could hear Wind snickering to the Vet’s left, and Legend gave him a grumpy side-eye until he stopped. “He’s just jealous I was the one who got to help you with the pirate ship out on the ocean,” he said blithely, smirking as an indignant squawk from the Sailor reached his ears. “You were pretty fucking cool there, if I do say so,” he continued, smirk growing into a grin as Wild ducked his head bashfully. “No, really! I have no idea how you were able to actually sprint across ice like that and not even slip a little bit, and the fireworks on the ship itself were very nice. I take it back, by the way, that thing definitely was a proper Fire Rod after all.”

Wild had to clear his throat before he could speak, swallowing down a bittersweet lump that had formed in his throat. “High praise, coming from you,” he replied in a shaky voice, “always going on about how all of your toys were the best, and all.”

Legend crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head up to present a mockingly haughty posture, “Yeah well don’t go around telling everyone, I have a reputation to uphold.” He glanced down at Wild, a soft smile on his face as he started to fade. “Still got a few more adventures to go before you catch up to me, anyway. But – I think I’d bet on you getting there someday.” Wild saw Legend grin right before vanishing, “I’ll just leave you with the advice I gave you on the beach: fuck ‘em up.”

Wild took a deep breath as he turned his head towards the next of his brothers. He felt like he was holding up well, the initial weight of the final talk he’d have with the rest of them having lessened slightly. He could hold it together, for now, at least. As he looked up he saw the first of them, though Sky wasn’t looking quite as relaxed as the others have been. He tilted his head in a sort of silent question, waiting for the other to speak first.

Sky opened his mouth, then closed it, repeating a few times before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he began, Wild’s eyebrows rising in surprise, “That we didn’t get to talk, I mean. Or anything, really. I feel like I should have said something maybe when you wo–”

“Stop,” Wild interrupted, the initial shock of the apology giving way to an expression of gentle incredulity. “Are you for real? Sky, you literally saved my life. Your loftwing even got me somewhere safe where I could rest and heal. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, truly. I’m – I learned a lot from it, actually, in a way.”

Sky finally seemed to relax, though he turned his gaze away at the praise, shrugging even as a soft smile grew on his face. “I’m … I’m glad, really. I panicked, I’ll be honest. I had volunteered to keep an eye on you since the others said you were around the sky islands, but I wasn’t prepared for a fight like that. They told me that most of the islands were peaceful.”

Wild paused to think for a moment, nodding slowly, “Yeah, for the most part. A few small constructs here and there, there were three that were super isolated with King Gleeoks on them though.” He stopped to chuckle as he saw Hyrule perk up in surprised horror, “ King Gleeoks?!” He gave the traveler a nod before continuing, “But the big box construct things are the common big things up there. I – they’re kinda easy to deal with so I got overconfident, I guess.”

The chosen hero murmured something under his breath (Wild thought it was probably something along the lines of ‘Goddess help me’) before shrugging, “I didn’t know what to do, I froze up for a moment since I wasn’t expecting any trouble, so I did the first thing that came to mind, like instinct. Falling from the sky, only one thing to do: I whistled.”

“Yeah, it was the last thing I heard before I blacked out,” the champion responded, “That and a screech, your loftwing – or, well… I’m not exactly sure.”

“I felt an answer,” Sky replied, looking up as if he could see through the stone to the skies above. “I knew it would be fine,” he said confidently, smiling upwards.

“When the Heroes of Courage call, the Land answers,” Wild whispered, and he felt the eyes of all the spirits remaining on him. “That’s what the Lord of the Mountain told me, when I woke up for a little bit. And I saw your loftwing, or a spirit of it, I think.”

“I see,” Sky said softly, and he took a moment of thought to himself, “It’s nice that Hyrule works for us as we work for it. I suppose we’ve always known that but – that’s something tangible. Something to think on for the future,” he nodded, looking back at Wild with a smile as he began to fade. “In any case, I’m happy I could help, and I know you can handle the challenge ahead of you. From me to you, our soul has risen to every challenge, and I know you will keep the streak going.” And with a final grin, Sky faded from sight.

“ King Gleeoks! I thought the 4-heads I had to put up with were awful, what do the kings have? Six?” Hyrule didn’t wait to begin his turn, still reeling from the idea of something worse than those awful things he had slain in those dungeon depths.

Wild laughed and shook his head, “Three heads, but I guess they were called kings because each head had a different elemental power, instead of all three having the same one like the others.” He paused, looking up at the traveler’s expression and chuckled, “You look even more terrified than before.”

Hyrule didn’t reply immediately, his brain not really processing the image Wild was describing to him. “Elements? Like fire breathing? I guess mine kinda did that, their heads would float around when I cut them off and they’d shoot fire or something at me.”

It was Wild’s turn to recoil, eyes snapping wide open as he desperately shook his head, “Uh, no, more like beams of pure elemental energy, I guess? Fire, ice, and lightning, so the kings had all three.”

There was a moment of silence before Hyrule whispered, “Holy fuck,” earning a snorted laugh from Wind directly to his left. “Ok, let’s talk about something less awful, maybe? How did none of us ever see you fighting one of those?! Oh well.”

Wild hummed, “Something less awful? Hmm, oh!” He placed his hands on his hips as he leaned forward, a glint in his eye Hyrule knew meant something embarrassing, though what – he couldn’t guess quite yet. “So that night in the swamp, it’s funny just that afternoon the great fairy who worked on your tunic called you, let me remember,” Wild tapped his chin, “oh right! Her ‘dear little pixie.’ Seemed to think of you rather fondly, actually. Anything to say about that?”

Hyrule huffed and folded his arms over his chest, and Wild could see his ears turning red, a trait he shared with Legend. “Nope!” he denied far too loudly, his voice echoing around the chamber. “Can’t say I have a clue, a mystery for the ages.” He noticed Wild glancing at the remaining heroes, and as he turned his head he saw the three to his left shrug or look confused. “Hey, actually, um…” he stepped closer, lowering himself to hover directly in front of Wild. “Can I see it? The tunic.”

The three feigning ignorance just a moment before suddenly seemed much more interested as Wild’s eyes widened and he gave a nod. “Yeah, it’s in here somewhere…” he unhooked the pad from his hip and slid his finger over the screen for a moment before a soft blue glow enveloped his hand. When it dissipated, a green tunic with a brown undershirt rested in his palm. Wild set the pad back on his hip as he took the tunic in both hands to gently unfold it. He could see out of the corner of his eye the other spirits leaning in to get a look, but he was focusing on Hyrule, who was gazing in awe at the enchanted garment.

“Oh, even like this, I can feel it. The magic – it’s like home,” the traveler whispered with a shaky voice. Wild watched carefully as he saw Rulie’s eyes flicking all over the tunic, focusing on each little ruby studded into it by the great fairy. He’d have to tell her how much he liked it when he saw her again. “Thank you, really. It means a lot.” Hyrule whispered as he closed his eyes, slowly letting himself begin to fade.

Wild swallowed a lump down and gently folded the tunic before stowing it again. “Hey, Rulie,” he said, strong and clear, “I’m proud of you. You worked so hard, and I am blessed to see the fruit of your toil.” He heard a soft gasp in front of him, and as the final bit of the traveler faded away, Wild saw his beaming smile, and a twinkle of light rolling down his cheek.

The next man floating before Wild was one he could hardly recognize. A tall, lean young man hovered in  the air, his arms over his chest and leaning back against nothing as if it were a wall. Gone was the boy he’d adventured with, now stood a grown man, and a hero of his own making.

“Hey, Sailor.”

“I’m older than you now,” Wind smirked down at him, “And don’t give me any of that century old from sleeping shit, or else I’m going to claim all the years since I’ve been dead, too.” He saw Wild wince, and his expression softened slightly. “What? I’m dead, I don’t like pussyfooting around it.” He stopped himself short of saying ‘we all are,’ instead clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I won’t dwell on it though, no need to upset you now of all times.”

“No, it’s… it’s fine,” Wild replied after a moment, “just kinda caught me off guard. Not used to your bluntness anymore, I guess.” The champion offered a grin up at the sailor. “And thanks to you, too. You also saved my life,” he held up a hand as he saw Wind open his mouth, “and yes, with much more style, I will say,” he laughed as he saw Wind puff his chest out and preen a little bit.

“Damn right! Had been awhile since I got to play the winds like that, I had fun. And you looked cool too, y’know, soaring through the air like that with your bow out.” The man rocked on his heels in midair, “Man, I dunno what else to really say, I guess. I didn’t …” he stopped, looking away for a moment and sighing.

Wild waited for a moment before gently pressing, “You didn’t what?” He had a hunch what the sailor might be getting at, but he didn’t want to pry the words out.

Wind was looking everywhere except for at Wild, a series of expressions flitting over the young man’s face as he battled his thoughts internally. “I didn’t think it would… be like this,” he began, still refusing to look at Wild. “I thought it’d be fine. That I’d be fine,” he took a deep breath, finally looking back to Wild with wet eyes. “You have no clue, really. No fucking clue just how long it’s been. Like sure, a few centuries between some of us but you…” his voice faded as he shook his head. Wild took a glance at the other two men still remaining, and both of them avoided his gaze, and he felt a weight in the pit of his stomach. “It’s been millennia, and more than a few. Like, it’s awesome that Hyrule was safe and at peace for so long but I – we miss you. So like, fuck, it didn’t really hit me on the ship because there wasn’t time to think about it but–”

“I miss you guys too,” Wild interrupted, his voice soft. Wind stopped his rambling, looking at the champion again finally. “I think of you all and our journey all the time, and while I am grateful every time you helped me, or how I’m happy to see you all now, it still… still hurts, but in that good way that fond memories tend to do.”

The sailor said nothing for a few moments. He had a distant look in his eye as he calmed himself down, and Wild saw his shoulders lower as he relaxed slightly. Wind took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right. I still hate it,” he murmured, fading away a bit quicker than the others had, “It was… good to see you, Wild.”

The champion kept looking upon where Wind had been floating for a good while, wishing he had a bit more time, but he had to accept the other’s will. He sighed and turned to the next, a brilliant blue scarf greeting him, reminding him of a little mote of light a few moons ago. “Captain,” he said, smiling.

Warriors nodded down at the champion, trying to smile but still under the weight of the sailor’s mood. He cleared his throat to try and refresh his thoughts. “Told you I’d be fine.”

Wild snorted, “Yeah well sorry when a disembodied evil force shoots concentrated darkness at someone I care about I might not be thinking clearly.” The two shared a little chuckle before Wild continued, “But that reminds me, how did you even pull that off? I can barely get the things to all face the same direction let alone actual battle tactics.”

The captain shrugged, “I had to ask,” he stated simply. “And I had to do it fast, there wasn’t much time to get into a support formation with you. Three were easy enough to convince, but that gerudo girl was quite a bit more cautious. Makes sense, chieftess and all – although I guess the shark is a king and he was the easiest to convince, so who knows.”

Wild blinked a few times, processing Sidon being referred to as a shark. He could kinda see it, but – he shook his head, not important right now. “That would have been so much more of a mess without you. And I’m glad you’re ok, I was really worried.”

“Not gonna lie, everyone else here didn’t like it much either. They were worried about – well, I can’t really explain it. But yeah, luckily all it did was weaken my connection to your Hyrule,” Warriors explained, “Seems to have been temporary as I’m fine now. So,” he clapped his hands together, “I know I don’t need to give you any sort of soldier pep talk, and the wolf here to my left has probably been going crazy since the start of all this, and highly regretting agreeing to us all getting to chat with you in the order we helped you so,” he flashed a grin and started to fade, “I know it was short, but hey, I know you’ll be fine. Do us proud, Wild.”

Wild took a moment to himself before turning to Twilight, the last one. He couldn’t help the memories assaulting him regarding the last time the two were together. It was the worst night of his life, and the failure still weighed heavily on his shoulders. The champion looked up to the other man, unsure of how to start the conversation they both didn’t want to have.

Twilight took a deep breath and nodded once, “Cub, I’m sorr–”

“You knew,” Wild couldn’t stop himself, he had thought about it far too much for him to be able to hold back now, “you knew what happened to her, and you were trying to what? To emotionally prepare me? Telling me how things will get better if things seem bad when you don’t even know if that’s true ?! Do you know how many times I’ve replayed that talk in my head? How none of it makes any fucking sense since you knew… you fucking knew what I’d learn!!” He voice had been rising through the accusation, and by the end he was shouting. His voice echoed around the chamber, and he realized he didn’t really even care if any of the minions in the castle ruins above him heard him.

Twi recoiled, taken completely aback by the ferocity of Wild’s anger. He shook his head, “N-no! No, it wasn’t that! It was never about–”

“About what?!” Wild interrupted again, “About how Zelda’s lost to m– to Hyrule? How I watched her seem to rise to the challenge given to her for her to just be lost in the blink of an eye? Tell me what it was for, then? Tell me why this had to happen!”

The other hero stood firm, stoically accepting the anger thrown at him by the one he cared for more than all the others. He took on this task, from the very beginning he told the others that he would be the one who would take on the burden of trying to get Wild through this. They all knew how it would affect him, they all knew how he felt about Flora, even if he’d never quite admit it aloud. He knew that if anything would break Wild’s spirit – it would be this. And so he stood in judgement by one who trusted him, and one who felt betrayed by that trust. “It had to happen. We saw it happen before she got sent back, there wasn’t much we could do. But also… it had to be her. Because only she could fix her.”

Wild felt his blood run cold as the understanding dawned upon him. He hated it, hated her. “The sword?!” he screamed, all the restraint he had left boiled away in his rage. “What, she decided my childhood, my family, my friends, everything I grew up around being burnt to ash wasn’t enough?” He tore the scabbard off his back, throwing it to the stone at his feet. He could see the blade’s handle glowing faintly, pulsing, trying to reach him. He hated her. “Should I just impale myself on her when I’m finished with the demon king, too? Might as well take it all, right?”

“ Link!” Twilight’s voice boomed, and Wild looked back to him with wet, red eyes. His chest heaved as he sucked in breaths of cold, damp air. The champion fell to his knees as his strength gave out, and he wept.

Twilight lowered himself to stand on the stone in front of Wild, a few paces away from where the Master Sword lay. He said nothing, and simply waited for the other hero to acknowledge him again. He wasn’t sure if Wild would – or if he’d just take the sword and jump down to do his duty. He’d accept either way, so he waited for the younger hero’s decision.

“It’s not fair,” Wild hissed after a few minutes, his voice raw, worn rough through his sobs.

“No, it’s not,” Twilight replied, and he turned his head towards the wall to stare through the stone, seeing the vast desert to the southwest, and the ruins within that his own pain festered in, buried under the sands. He understood, but it also meant he knew Wild had to process, he couldn’t do it for him. The two said nothing for a few more moments until Twi saw Wild reach his hand out to grip the scabbard, dragging it back to him and letting it scrape unceremoniously over the stone.

“How are you feeling, cub?”

Wild snorted as he buckled the weapon to his back, “Like I’ve been run over by a lynel, but I’ll get the job done.” Twilight winced at the continued chill in Wild’s tone, but he couldn’t fault him for it.

“We know you will, we never had any doubts,” the last spirit remaining said, slowly beginning to finally fade. “Please, take care of yourself, cub. You know we love you.”

Link looked up towards where the voice came from, but he was alone. “I know,” he whispered, “I love you guys, too.” He took a deep breath as he stepped onto the edge of the stone ledge hanging over the pit with the sickly red glow pulsing at the very bottom of the world.

“Watch me. I won’t let you down.”

He jumped.

Chapter Text

“And that was the last time I ever saw them,” the elderly figure sighed as he leaned back in his comfortable armchair. Blue eyes scanned over the three children sitting on the floor nearby, resting by the fireplace and listening to their grandfather with rapt attention. “I won, by the way,” he added, chuckling to himself before turning his head to glance out a nearby window. Orange rays of the sunset were beaming through, and the old man made a noise of surprise at the late hour. “You let me go on for this long? Your mother is going to let me have it if you’re late for supper.” He started to lift himself out of the comfy chair, grunting as his muscles complained after having been still for so many hours. “Go run along home, tell her your grandmother and I will be along shortly.”

After the goodbyes and upon hearing the sound of the children running across the bridge towards Hateno, Link took a moment of silence for himself. He hadn’t realized how long that moment was until he felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. He sighed softly, reaching across and up to place his hand over Zelda’s. “Sorry, didn’t mean to let the time get away from me – or get lost in my own head,” he said before turning to pull her into a warm hug.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to intrude on wherever you were in there,” Zelda replied, resting her head on Link’s shoulder as she started to sway the two of them gently while they talked. “You okay?”

Link took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly before answering, “I hadn’t thought of them for so long, it just got me missing them again, is all.”

Zelda hummed in reply before leaning up to kiss him gently on the cheek, “It’s ok to miss them, Link. I think it’s nice you told the grandkids about them, especially with how much they mean to you.” She leaned back with a soft smile, “So, ready to go for supper, then? Since I guess you told the kids we’d be making an appearance.”

Link chuckled and hooked his arm around Zelda’s as he began to walk them towards the door, “Mostly to mollify our daughter, the kids shouldn’t get a scolding because I was being a sentimental old man. And to maybe see if I can get them to repeat one of Wind’s phrases in front of her,” he schemed with a twinkle in his eye.

A slap on his arm admonished the thought, but Zelda couldn’t help but laugh along, “You are still such a menace! They’ve rubbed off on you, that’s for sure.”

Link’s smile grew wider at the statement, “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Wild could feel the warmth of the sun on his face as he woke, though he felt somewhat disoriented. It took him more than a few moments to realize that instead of his bed, he was lying on soft, warm grass. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, noticing the absence of the usual aches and pains present most mornings. His head felt a little heavy as he tried to look around, mostly seeing a blur of green rolling hills, though he could make out some sort of structure a fair bit away. He brought his hands to rub at his eyes to try and clear his vision, but he froze as his skin felt – different. Smooth, less saggy and wrinkled from the ravages of time. He tried to get a good look at himself and realized he was dressed in a familiar blue tunic and simple brown pants. He reached down to run his fingers through the grass, and everything seemed real enough, and the reality of things slowly began to dawn upon him. As unease and uncertainty swelled within him he heard a voice from far behind him.

“Oh shit! ” a man’s voice cried out, followed by a whoop and a cheerful laugh, “He’s here! Twi, he’s here!! ” Wild could hear other shouts, and he tried to turn his head to look over his shoulder, but his clouded head hadn’t quite cleared fully yet, and he could only make out blurred figures charging towards him. He leaped up and turned instinctively as if preparing to meet a threat, but the ground seemed to turn liquid underneath him as he lurched over to the side a bit too far. He caught himself before he fell, but his sense of balance felt completely upside down.

He stumbled backwards as gravity continued to mess with him, and yelped softly as he crashed into a body that had finally made it to him. Warm hands gripped firmly onto his shoulders as he was helped into a proper vertical position. “Woah there, cub. Try and move slowly for now, it takes a while for your head to catch up. There you go, I gotcha.” He could feel the sturdy body behind him turn a bit, “Go get the old man, he’s better at this than I am.” The first voice said something he couldn’t quite make out before he heard them running off.

“What–” he croaked, voice harsh and dry and yet still sounding sixty years too young. He let the other man help him turn around, and as his vision finally began to clear again a familiar face greeted him wearing a bright smile. “Twi..? Why are you–?” his thoughts were interrupted as he noticed another figure coming over the hill, followed close behind by a second. It was Time, striding purposefully towards the two of them, with Malon close behind him. The old man had a determined look on his face, but when Wild’s eyes met Malon’s she put him at ease with a soft smile.

As the two grew closer, Time’s expression began to shift as he slowed his strides. Able to see clearly now, Wild was able to take in the other man. Initially, he noticed that the markings on Time’s face were gone, and the scar over his eye had vanished. He was dressed simply, and he seemed to carry himself just different enough for Wild to notice, but not enough that he could point out any one thing about it. He saw both of Time’s eyes widen slightly as he seemed to realize exactly who was standing before him, and as he slowed further Malon reached out to gently squeeze his shoulder before pushing herself forward in front of him.

“Well!” she began as she beamed at Wild and Twilight, “It’s been an age and a half since we’ve had new guests coming about. Not sure I remember how to be a good host anymore,” she teased, and Wild felt his tension easing for the first time since he awoke. Warm hands rested on his shoulders as she studied him for a moment, and he could see the shine in her eyes before she pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s been far, far too long, dear. It’s so good to see you again.” Wild froze momentarily at the initial contact, but he felt himself smiling as his arms came around to return the hug.

The sound of footfalls approaching had Malon pull away slightly to look over her shoulder back at her husband. Wild got a good look at Time then, realizing just how different he seemed from his memories. Even the gravity that always seemed to surround him felt ephemeral, like a memory in and of itself. Or – an echo.

A realization washed over Wild, somehow both chilling and comforting in its finality.

“I’m dead.”

The bluntness of it seemed to lift a weight off his chest, and he felt himself become a bit more tethered to the ground he was standing on. Time nodded, and he felt Malon’s hand squeeze his shoulder lightly.

“You’ve already accepted it better than some of the others did,” Time stated, stepping a bit closer to the three of them. “But I know you still have questions, so let’s take a walk. I can guess what one will be and we have a place for it.” He smiled at his wife and Twilight, still standing behind Wild. “Wanna head back up and let the others know? I assume Wind’s already shouted it to everyone but just in case I guess.” Malon chuckled and nodded before clapping Twilight on the shoulder and leading him off with her towards the hill everyone had come from. Time, however, pointed off to the side, “We’re going this way, we can head up to the ranch after.”

Wild nodded to let Time lead, and followed behind him as they went their separate way. The silence aside from their footsteps felt strange to him. No wind could be felt, no birdsong could be heard, and off in the distance the landscape just seemed to fade away into a pale blue haze, like an outer limit trying to look like a natural sky.

Time briefly looked over his shoulder, watching the other man’s eyes dart around the faux horizon. “You get used to it,” he offered, “it’s… hard to explain.”

“Why here?” Wild found himself asking impulsively, “I mean why the ranch?” Not that he didn’t enjoy his time when they got to visit Lon Lon during their time together, but compared to the world Wild knew it always seemed so barren to him. Beautiful, but empty.

Time hummed up in front, “It’s not always the ranch. We can change things when we collectively want it. I’m not sure exactly how this place really works, but we’ve experimented and have been to places we’ve experienced. It was,” he paused, stopping suddenly. Wild almost stumbled into him, but caught himself to turn at his side to look up at the taller man instead. “It was how we got the vet to finally relax – no, that’s not the right word. He brought us to Koholint. Gave all of us a big tour, even. I think it’s finally what gave him peace. Shortly after – well, you’ll see when we get back. It’s the same with our own personal appearances, too. For most of us when we got here it just kinda defaulted us into our prime, you could say. But we are as malleable as the realm here itself.” He pointed out in front of him, and Wild could see a sort of depression in the field. “This is what I came to show you, though.”

Wild took a few steps forward as Time let him pass. He saw the grass give way to a sort of shimmer dissolving into what he could only describe as nothingness. Reality seemed to weave itself around it in a way his mind found itself unable to truly comprehend. Before he lost himself in the possibilities, Time called out from behind him, “Just think of what you want to see and push your will into it. Just be careful, it will take what you give and when you’re new to it you can quickly exhaust yourself. It can be personal so I’ll wait back here. Take all the time you need.”

He took in a breath and gently sat down near the edge of the … window? He could think of a name for it later, or just ask the others. Wild closed his eyes and reached inside of himself to focus energy on the area before him and thought of what – who he wanted to see the most.

He felt the energy drift from him, and he let out a slow breath as he opened his eyes. Looking down he saw just what he expected. It was as if a hole were cut in the roof of his and Zelda’s house and he was sitting on the edge to peer inside. He could see himself, lying in bed, looking as if he were still asleep. He probably would have thought it a dream if he didn’t see the other figure next to him. Seated in a chair pulled up to the bedside was Zelda. Both of her hands resting on the bed and holding one of his as her thumbs stroked gently over the back of it. He swallowed down a lump in his throat as he heard her breath hitch, and as he looked at her face he could see the tears running down her cheeks. She brought one of her hands away from his to gently brush her fingers through his hair. She leaned in, kissing his forehead as she whispered, “Say hi to the boys for me, won’t you?” He felt himself nodding as he looked on and she sat back up, a sad smile on her face, as if she knew he was listening. “I’ll see you again, someday. Goodbye, Link.”

Wild let the image fade, the tug on his chest halting as it shimmered and vanished. He wasn’t really sure how long he sat there afterwards, staring into the nothingness. Eventually, he pushed himself to his feet and made his way out of the small valley. Twilight had joined Time since he first went down there, and the two were talking quietly until they saw him walking slowly back to them. Time studied him for a moment before asking, “Flora?” Wild felt his eyes widen slightly at being read so easily, but he set his jaw and offered a short nod. At the mention of her name, he noticed Twilight tense.

It made sense to him why Twi might be a bit nervous about the topic, and when he reached the two he made a point to mention, “I…” he began, pausing as he tried to find the words. “I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you, Twi. I know why you couldn’t tell me.” Wild let out a shuddering sigh as he rubbed his hands over his face, still not quite used to just how young his skin felt again. “She pointed out to me that you guys wouldn’t have any idea she could come back. And that if… if she hadn’t done it in the first place she’d still be gone.”

Time glanced between the two men as neither said anything for a moment, and after figuring nothing more would come of it he motioned behind him. “You have all the time in the world to talk about it, but I think everyone’s waiting for us now. We should head back.” The other two men nodded as they set off.

No-one spoke as they walked, and Wild was glad to take the moment to take everything in and process it all for the first time since he woke up. Plenty of questions still bounced around in his head, but he found comfort in that he had all the time left in the world to ask them or figure them out on his own. 

All those thoughts disappeared from his mind as the ranch finally began to come into view. A wave of nostalgic happiness washed over him as he remembered his visits here during their group adventure. The outer fences were gone, but that made sense to him considering it wasn’t like there was any real risk of creatures finding their way in or anything getting out. He was pleased to see there were still horses galloping about. He recognized Twilight’s Epona and Time pointed out his own horse (also named Epona, go figure) that stood next to her. Time’s had a brighter coat, and was noticeably leaner than Twi’s.

He then noticed a trio sitting on the grass near the fence of the pen. Recognizing Ravio by his usual purple scarf, he assumed that was Legend’s head resting in the merchant’s lap. He noticed the vet’s hands were quite animated, gesturing as if he must have been explaining something or telling a story as Ravio grinned down at him while he stroked his fingers through blonde and pink hair. A third figure sat behind Ravio whom Wild didn’t recognize. She had bright red hair, and a large red hibiscus flower tucked into it. As he got closer he could see that she was rebraiding a bit of Ravio’s hair, weaving two ribbons in with it: one green, one red. He noticed the woman also sported a braid, the ribbons in hers’ being green and purple. Wild found himself grinning as he recalled seeing Legend with his braid decades ago.

Ravio was the first to notice the three approaching, and he absolutely lit up when he noticed Wild among their number. Lifting his free hand to wave, he bellowed a cheerful “Hello, Mr. Wild Hero!” startling Legend with the sudden shout. The blond his head up enough to turn and look at the men approaching the ranch. He offered Wild a smirk and a single wave of his hand before lying his head back down.

The shout from the merchant alerted others about their arrival, and figures from memory started to appear. The first he noticed were a trio coming out from behind the horse barn. He recognized Hyrule and Four, but another man stood between them. He looked remarkably like Four, but was dressed in black, had paler skin, and purple hair. He and Hyrule were plucking pieces of golden colored candy from a bag and popping them into their mouths. Hyrule beamed at Wild when he noticed them, tucking the bag of candy into a pouch on his belt and running towards him. Wild saw Four say something to the one in black, causing the man to give Four a look before taking the hand that had been grabbing candy and smearing it over the other’s tabard. Four let out an indignant shout and reached out for the other, but he danced away a few steps before blowing Four a kiss and turning to sprint away. He passed Hyrule quickly, and zipped around Wild while laughing. Four quickly gave chase, yelling something about “shoving you back in that mirror” as the two raced out of sight.

Wild was still looking off in the direction the two ran off to as a body crashed into him, nearly knocking him over. A hand from Twilight grabbed onto his shoulder to keep him from falling as arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. Hyrule’s cheerful laughter reached his ears and he hugged the other man back with a soft greeting of his own. The four of them continued on until the rest finally came into view.

He saw Warriors and Wind carrying a bundle of wood over towards an open area where a woman was lying stones down in a ring. He realized that he’d have to get used to seeing Wind all grown up, and he barely recognized Tetra as the one laying the stones. “I guess it’s been awhile since we’ve had a good bonfire to enjoy ourselves around,” he heard Time say behind him before heading over to help the other three with setting the area up.

As they finally reached the ranch house, they found Sky and Sun sitting on a bench outside the door. Sky looked up from a piece of wood he was whittling, and gave Wild one of the brightest grins he had seen in a long time. Sun stood to walk over to the three and gave Wild a quick hug. “I am glad your spirit found its way here,” she said, “The Goddess set this place aside as thanks for everything you’ve all done for us. So that you may find comfort after a lifetime of toil for Hyrule and her people.” Sun smiled at him before clearing her throat, “And now that the official stuff is out of the way, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we’ve missed you so very much.”

Wild felt a warmth deep inside him that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He felt truly blessed to be allowed to return to his brothers after a life of service. While a pang of sadness still echoed within him at leaving Flora behind, he knew that one day she would be welcomed as warmly as he had been, and that gave him peace. He turned to look at those beside him, and thought of those who were not but who he’d see every day until the end of time itself.

“It’s good to be home.”