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Link sighed as he wandered through the partially dead woods.
Traveling alone hadn't bothered him in years. It shouldn't bother him, this was what he was used to!
But having to fall back into old habits, like sleeping in trees, caves, and maybe one meal a day (if he was so lucky) was difficult.
Admittedly, he'd gotten used to Wild's Slate and constant food. Too used to it. His stomach ached.
Part of him regretted not insisting on smaller portions, but.. his brother's food was so good. Legend called it delicious during their first week with all nine of them.
He missed them. The constant noise was dangerous, but it was also safe. He'd gotten used to falling asleep with the other's breathing and their snores. The gentle magic that brushed his own.
When he's in town, he'll see Wind in the kids. The way they laugh, their innocent smiles (Wind wasn't innocent. None of them were. They just had the bliss of childhood), their ignorance.
When he goes to the castle, he can't help but see Wars in those soldiers. Even if they are terrible, they have something in common with his brother.
He sees them everywhere.
But, the land had been slowly healing. There was more grass, the lakes had begun to heal (drinkable water! He was trying to make sure the nobles don't continue to hoard it), he'd even seen some leaves.
The grass was stiff under his feet, not soft like in Wild's world. Rocks dug into his feet at times, but they were so calloused that he barely felt it.
He was just walking out of one of the mother's fountains, though she wasn't the one who adopted him, they all loved him the same.
The land around their domain had begun to heal the fastest, and fae started to wander.
Even the monsters had slowed.
Of course, that didn't mean he'd get comfortable. He now had to make his way to Saria Town, apparently there were Eyes of Ganon harassing the townsfolk.
Unfortunately, though the monsters had slowed, the cult hadn't. It seemed to only expand now, but maybe that's just because there were more of them then there were monsters.
He knew Dawn was focused on trying to locate the cult so they could be rid of them, but that was slow going. The people (outside of Castletown that is) didn't trust the royals, nor did they respect their authority (which Aurora was working on).
It was just.. slow.
Not that it's a bad thing, he just wasn't used to having so little to do. The princess and the queen had invited him to live with them in the castle, but it didn't feel right in there. Unlike the warmth of Legend's castle, it was stuffy, full of poisoned magic.
He wondered how his mentor was doing.
The beginnings of a dirt road were starting to appear. More signs were placed, allowing him to no longer have to rely on his memory for directions (it's not like he could read the signs anyway).
He changed directions to the nearby lake. The water didn't rush through the bank anymore, like even it knew that the danger was over.
Even so, the most surprising thing, in Link's opinion, was that most of the Zora had left the lakes.
He kneeled in the mud, paying no mind to how it soaked into his pants and dipped his waterskin into the creek.
He took a sip from the container, his thumb rubbed over the string as he let his mind wander for a moment as he watched the water move by (were those fish?).
Link let out a sigh, his gaze moved up to the sky.
It was no longer smoke-filled and desolate. You could see the blue sky, the clouds as they trudged across the expanse. One of them looked like an ocarina. It reminded him more of Time's instrument rather than Legends, but that may just be because Ledge didn't like his ocarina.
Late at night, Hyrule had watched Legend wake with tears streaming down his face. He wasn't alert and about to run away like usual, but rather melancholy and blank. His eyes were unfocused, and the tears didn't stop. That night he learned of a love that never existed, a life that never was, and never would be.
Link stood and closed his waterskin, tying it to his belt again (Wars had insisted. It was one of the few things he'd allowed his brothers to replace for him) and walking back to rejoin the path.
It took days for him to reach the village.
Normally, traveling didn't take so long, but he'd gotten distracted by so much life and grass around.
Seeing his world have so much life, knowing he helped this land heal, it gave him pride unlike any other. Knowing he was the one to begin this regrowth, knowing he was the reason the Mothers and animals would return, he was just so happy.
The people still cowed from him, but they no longer harassed him. Sky had made sure of that.
He looked at the few vendors in the town center. It all looked relatively normal. Dried meat was being sold, an apothecary, and some water. The water stand was bigger than before, which brought a small smile to his face.
He turned towards the brothel. Apparently, sometime near the beginning of the end, it had been a temple. Obviously, it'd expanded to fit all of his brothers and sisters, but it had been a place of worship.
Really shows how much religion meant to his people.
Link pushed against the door, the door was still rough, it risked giving him a splinter.
The pub was bustling. Ariel was working the tables as normal, and he figured most of the others—those that weren't flirting with potential clients anyway—were helping with meals.
He sat at his usual table. He learned from the others that their benches were actually something called pews. It was a weird word.
Ariel was around his age (which was the only reference he had for that). Her skin was dark. It reminded him of.. what did Legend call them? Walnuts! Yes. Her hair heavily curled and less frizzy than normal. Her smile was warm. It was how he knew he was back home again.
“I knew you were comin’ ‘round here today!” She landed heavily in the seat across from him, clearly already tired from the day, even if it had only just began.
He rolled his eyes, his hand took hers and he pressed their palms together. His hand was ever so slightly bigger than hers, his skin only a few shades lighter than hers. His were more scarred and battle-torn than hers, though. Not that hers were any more untouched. Hers had just simply seen different uses with blades. When did his hand get bigger? “Yeah, well, I heard the cult was back again. They causin’ trouble?”
Ariel took his hand in both of hers, looking over the new scars and the harsher callouses. “Downtown. Right by that ol’ bookstore. Got no clue where, but they're certainly around.”
“They'll be gone,” Link promised. He watched her fingers trace his scars, old and new. The last time he'd seen her was when his brothers were with him.
Since she hadn't asked, he knew she already knew why he was alone now. If she did ask, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to answer.
Yelling from across the pub interrupted them. Ariel gave him a tired look, “gotta go break up another fight. At least you get to finish them.”
Link gave a small smile and nod, watching her walk away. He watched as she shoved the two men apart, and one spat on the floor before limping out the door.
Ex-soldier, skin light like royal scrolls. He had scars from beatings. They ran across his face and under his tunic. That'd probably get stolen soon, it looked very well stitched.
The only thing the people hated more than Ganondorf, were soldiers.
He let out a breath, his eyes wandered the room. Most of the bench– pews were in this room. The few others were in areas for documenting which people had clients, who those clients were, and how much money was owed.
The food looked the same. The portions were bigger than he remembered them being. His heart swelled at the sight of their smiles and the sound of their laughter.
The walls were old, falling apart. It wasn't bad enough to be concerned about, but every time it rains they have to put down buckets so the brothel doesn't flood. They didn't normally get many clients on those nights.
Link forced his eyes away from the room, sliding off the pew and onto his feet again. He reached back to feel for the hilt of his sword, an instinctive check.
He gave a brief wave to Ariel as he pulled the door open, making sure it shut behind him.
His pace was probably slower than it should've been, but he didn't feel a reason to rush. Even if he was too late (which, he wasn't. The cult didn't like relocating), he'd find them in a nearby cave, waiting him out.
There was an inn next to the bookstore. If he remembered correctly, there was also a basement you could rent out. That was probably what was happening. The chance of the owner also being an Eye of Ganon was incredibly low. Most just want the money.
Link grazed the door handle, only to hiss and pull back.
Stupid fucking silver.
He pulled his sleeve over his hand and pushed down the door handle, walking in with more inconvenience than what should've been necessary.
The owner was sat at the front, picking at his nails (other than brothels, very few hired help. Hired help was only a luxury given to and by those with rupees). His legs up on the desk, and his hair was mostly gone, only just beginning to grow back. You could see some bald spots that he was most likely trying to hide, but his hair needed to be cut again, “five rupees.”
“You got'a basement?” Link dismissed, pressing both palms to the edge of the front desk and leaning his weight by forward. He was only kind of trying to intimidate. It usually gave him answers faster.
The man wasn't intimidated, which wasn't surprising. Inns got robbed the most. “What'sit to you?” His eyes narrowed, finally deeming Link worthy of his time.
Link shrugged slightly, “heard you got a cult problem. Figured they'd hide out in here.”
The man was probably mid-thirties. It was an impressive age. Most barely made it to their twenties.
“Whatcha got?” He asked instead, his legs swung from the desk and hit the floor with a quiet bang.
The hero sighed. He didn't have much. Well, maybe dried meat would be enough. Money wasn't easy for him to come by. (Yes. He knew the princess and queen would both be happy to spoil him in riches if he wanted, but those rupees were better spent on repairing the kingdom and training better knights.)
He flipped open his bag and dug around. He pushed aside his water boots, his waterskin, and.. wow, he really needed to organize his bag. He didn't understand how Legend got around with that much stuff in there. Oh! There. It was under his potions.
Link placed it on the counter for inspection. The meat was only about a week old, so it was still very fresh.
The bag was opened and picked through. Almost every piece of meat was inspected, clearly taking his time.
But finally, he clicked his tongue and placed a key on the desk, nodding to the left, “the lonely door. Hurry it up.”
Link did hurry to the door this time, slightly worried about being suddenly denied. There was a reason he didn't like this inn much. Though, not many did actually like it. If people wanted a room, they tended to just rent it straight from the brothel.
He unlocked the door and shoved the key into his bag, skipping down steps. His hand reached back to his hilt and pulled it out, his thumb rubbed the ruby on it, letting his magic seep into the sword and light it ablaze.
The warmth enveloped him, it held him. The light was helpful, but the warmth was constant, comforting.
The room was quiet. There were decorations on the walls, half torn like they'd known he was coming but didn't have time to properly retreat. He pulled one of the torn flags down and put it in his bag for Aurora.
On the floor, a star was drawn in red. It was most likely blood. But whether they killed one of their own or an innocent was unknown.
Link kneeled and pressed his fingertips to the dried blood.
The magic was dark—necromantic. That was no surprise. It felt old, however. Sloppy. Whoever had originally made this was in a hurry, or maybe desperate. Desperation leads to either sloppiness, or concerningly strong magic. Thankfully it was the former.
He pushed his magic into the darkness, pushing it out of the ritual. The necromancy fled before his magic, fighting him for only a moment before fleeing to the corners of the room, and then sinking down into the floor to be influenced into a new type.
As he climbed the stairs, he let go of the flames before he sheathed his blade.
The basement was locked behind him, and the owner was no longer at the front. Link left the key on a shelf behind the desk so it wouldn't be stolen (and consequently blamed on him).
Link left the inn quickly. He didn't like them, and he didn't have a reason to stay there anymore. It was different with his brothers.
He hummed Epona's song. Surprisingly, a lot of their group had known the song, and those who didn't learned from them. It was one of the few songs Time had willingly admitted to knowing. Apparently Malon had made the song.
He missed her too.
Link had decided that he'd head towards the castle to hand over the flag.
Good, easy, effortless, even!
Yeah, he had no idea where he was.
Whenever lost, the idea was to follow the path. It led you somewhere, no matter the direction. But there was just.. no path.
His compass wasn't even working! It was absurd. He didn't even recognize the trees. They were alive!
He frowned and continued in a direction. He never thought that he would miss being in a town.
The magic was younger, which made him think that he'd time traveled again. That shouldn't be happening, especially since all of the portals had closed. No black blooded so far either.
He felt the magic guide him South, so he followed. It was the best he had, and magic doesn't lie. At least not to him.
He ran his fingers through his curls, frowning when they snagged against a knot and some sticks.
Oh well. He tried. Sorry Wars! In his defense, he doesn't even know how they got in there!
Four had made them all a kinstone necklace before they parted. He rubbed his thumb over the stone, hoping even when incomplete, it'd give him a little luck.
It's not that he didn't like wandering! On a normal day, he was completely happy with getting lost—even looking for it.
But when he possibly time traveled? There are very few good things that could come from it.
On the best end, it may be one of his brothers. He knows that the chances of any of them reuniting are very low, but he knows firsthand what the Hero's Spirit is capable of.
He noticed a path nearby. When did that appear?
The magic seeped into his skin and intertwined with his own. It pulled more insistently South, as if reprimanding him for even thinking of going another direction.
He followed the pull without hesitation.
His magic seeped into the grass under his feet, hooking into the new magic and reeling it closer for inspection. It seemed to laugh at his possessive nature, running further south, luring him further along.
He felt the light breeze against his face, the sounds of nearby deer moving through the wood. It was quiet, other than the wildlife. The dirt was warm under his feet, there weren't many roots poking out from underground, which he was very unused to.
He exhaled as he finally walked out of the forest. The magic still tugged him onwards, but he stood at the edge of the trees. It was so alive, full of color. It would be closer to Legend's era then. Was he there?
Link followed the pull, which led him to a path this time. The worn trail was always more uncomfortable than the grass—but by then his feet were so calloused that he could barely feel the rocks that pressed into his skin.
He walked for what he assumed was an hour—maybe two. It was always odd to be able to look at the sky and see blue skies and the sun so clearly. The sun was in the middle of the sky, so he thought it may be early afternoon. Time wasn't so important in his era.
He'd walked past many houses, even a village. Everyone was content, talking to each other outside and he had even heard faint music coming from deeper within the town. It was.. lively. Would he ever see his era ever be so happy?
Link walked on, taking a sip from his waterskin every now and then. He didn't trust the lakes, no matter how clear they looked. He'd learned the hard way (though, it really was the only way to learn).
There were very few monsters. None that chased ravenously him for his blood—only the ones that his brothers considered normal. It was a welcome change. He knew his brothers really didn't like his era, and he doesn't blame them! But even with all of the bad and fear, there's still so much hope in the people who go on even when it would be easier to give up.
He paused.
There was an orchard. An apple orchard.
"How?" He whispered, frozen, he could see Legend's house from where he stood, the back door was most likely unlocked—the wards protected against those with lesser intentions as well as monsters. His sisters from this era made sure of that.
He could hear the buzzing of Legend's bee farm, the one Ravio always refused to go near (he watched them argue from opposie sides of the orchard once. Ravio has an invisible line that he will not pass unless the bees are at risk of dying). There was a third hive now—he'd expanded.
Some of the apples were a bright red, others green. That meant it was autumn. Legend had told him that was the best time for apple harvest.
("For when you grow your own," Legend handed him three green, and three red apples. "The seeds are inside."
Hyrule frowned—he'd never seen an apple. Never heard of one. Legend talked of them like they could cure the sick. "Inside? Then why give me the entire thing?"
He got an annoyed look at the question. Hyrule watched the other brush back his pinkish-blond bangs and roll his eyes. "To eat. Why else?")
Link walked through the orchard slowly. He twisted a red apple off. It looked ripe enough. Either way—it was edible.
He bit into it, juice dribbled down his chin, and he let out a squeak.
It was as sweet as he remembered. None of the apples from the other eras were as sweet. He knew the others agreed, but didn't want to give Legend the satisfaction of agreeing.
He wandered towards the buzzing, the bees were active. He wasn't afraid of them. If they stung him, he probably deserved it.
Link sighed, watching them fly around him and take turns drinking from nearby flowers. He was excited for his era to do the same. He wondered when the bees would come back.
He spent more time than he cared to count watching. It was soothing, knowing that this is what life would become again. He's seen Wars' era, knew that's what his own would become. (He often wondered how that was the future of not only his own, but two other timelines. Was it Wars's adventures that caused it?)
He eventually wandered to the back door of Legend's house, lightly placed his hand on the knob, and soundlessly turned it, and pushed the door open.
"Hello?" The place was exactly as he remembered it. The living room had items scattered everywhere. There were paintings, weapons, other items hung up on the walls. The coffee table had books haphazardly stacked on it, so did part of the couch.
Ravio probably put effort into making it presentable for them whenever they crashed here. That made sense.
Even so, no one answered his greeting, so he stepped inside. He stomped on the welcome mat, but it didn't do much good since most of the dirt was stuck to his foot. Legend would be fussy about it later.
That thought brought a smile to his face.
He patted around the house—everything was the same, just a bit messier. It was fascinating to see how Ravio and Legend lived. Dishes piled up more than they did when they were on their adventure (whether it was due to Ravio actually cleaning, or because Legend wasn't there, he didn't know).
Hyrule let out a heavy sigh, tension released from his shoulders for the first time since they'd all split apart.
He was home.