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Legend threads his fingers together on his lap, staring up at the blue, cloudless sky. The sun is far too bright for his taste, as it often is out on the open ocean, but it’s far preferable to the alternative. He tugs his hat over his eyes in an attempt to block it out, then lets out a long sigh, willing his stomach to settle.
The rocking is normal, he reminds himself. Nothing is wrong—
Someone trips over his legs.
“Legend! What are you doing?” Four complains, his voice edged with the slightest lilt of panic. “This ship is not nearly big enough for you to lie around on deck!”
He’s sympathetic. Operating a sailboat is a lot of work, even one as small as this, and Four’s definitely not used to the process. Still, he has to swallow down his own annoyance before he speaks.
“Seasick,” he grumbles. It’s at least partially true.
“Not you too…” Four groans. “I knew this was a bad idea. How are we supposed to crew a ship with only two people…?”
“I did it with one!” Wind calls out from where he’s manning the wheel.
Legend rolls his eyes, then slumps over to continue his attempt at napping. A few moments later, he’s bothered again.
“What is it now?” Legend sighs, rubbing his cheek where Wind had jammed his finger into it.
“I know what seasickness looks like,” Wind says. “What’s the deal?”
“Can’t a guy nap without it being a whole thing?” Legend complains.
“Not on this ship, you can’t,” Wind teases. “Four’s running himself ragged. I need either you or Hyrule helping, and between the two of you, you’re in better shape.”
“What’s wrong with Hyrule?” Legend asks, pulling his hat back up. The moment he does, his question is answered. Hyrule is bent over the side of the ship, throwing up. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Wind nods. “So, get moving! I know you know how to sail. I recognize a man with sea legs!”
Legend frowns. Technically, every ship he’s ever been on has shipwrecked. But somehow, he suspects Wind might be the superstitious type, and it’s probably better not to mention that.
He forces himself to his feet and saunters over to Hyrule. The traveller is still looking a bit green, but he holds himself up against the railing, forcing himself to stare out towards the open ocean.
“Hey, Hyrule. You feeling alright?” Legend asks.
“Ugh…” Hyrule mumbles. Legend can sympathize. “I’m fine. Wind says someone needs to keep lookout—”
“I can take over,” Legend says. “Go lie down.”
“But—”
“No buts. I can handle it,” Legend assures him. “I’m the Veteran, remember?”
Hyrule offers him a wobbly smile and nods. “Thanks,” he says quickly, then stumbles off. Legend politely does not stare as he nearly trips on his way to the small cabin below deck; instead, he focuses on the view.
Yep, that sure is the open ocean. No islands in sight, just gentle slopes of rolling waves for miles. Just watching it begins to make him feel a bit sick again. But, there are no storm clouds creeping up the horizon, at least. Just the bright, overbearing sun, beating down on them directly.
It could be worse.
“Oi,” he calls back. “What am I even looking out for?”
“Anything new,” Wind explains. “On the Great Sea, sometimes things can pop up out of seemingly nowhere, very suddenly.”
Legend narrows his eyes. “What kinds of things, exactly?”
“Oh, you know. Cyclones, ancient towers, giant, man-eating octos…”
“Man-eating?”
“Eh, don’t worry too much about them,” Wind assures him. “Just, if you see any seagulls flying around even if there’s no land nearby, make sure you say something!”
Legend scans the skies. No such anomalies there. But, in the water…
“What about dark, ominous shadows beneath the waves?” he asks. A dark-colored fin peeks out, approaching their ship.
“Oh, you mean gyorg?” Wind laughs. “For a ship this size, those aren’t a problem. They’re way too small to do any real damage—”
The shadow rams into the hull. The ship rocks violently from the impact. Legend swears, clinging to the railing to prevent being thrown from the deck.
“Wind!” Legend yells, still watching the water. The gyorg—a large, black sea creature nearly the size of their ship, mouth full of razor teeth—circles their vessel, rearing up for another attack. “You said these things were small!”
“Well, they’re supposed to be!” Wind retorts. He ties the wheel in place to prevent the ship from veering off course, then reaches for his sword. “Everyone! Get ready for a fight!”
“Hyrule’s still below deck,” Legend realizes. “We need to—”
“It’s going underneath the boat!” Four announces from his side, gesturing frantically.
“Aw, hell,” Wind says. “Brace yourselves!”
Wind hugs the mast. Legend instead chooses the most grabbable thing in reach—the railings, and wraps himself around them as tightly as he can. The gyorg slams into them again with a dull crunch.
The ship lurches upwards, then side to side. Legend’s stomach jumps as the thin wood creaks under the pressure. He swallows down his nausea, the phantom sense of heavy rain pattering against his skin, anticipating the next lightning strike—
And then the ship steadies again.
“Sound off!” Wind commands.
“Here,” Legend croaks.
“Here,” Hyrule echoes, having finally emerged from below, shaking. “What’s going on up here? I slammed into the roof—”
“Where’s Four?” Wind asks, panicked. Legend scans the deck. Their smith is nowhere to be seen.
He turns back towards the ocean. Uh oh…
Sure enough, Four’s head is barely peeking out through the waves, struggling to keep himself above water in the rough ocean. A short distance away, a black fin circles the ship. It’s only a matter of time until it notices him.
“I’m going in after him!” Legend declares, one foot already over the railing. “Keep an eye out for us!”
He jumps off of the railing and into a dive. As he hits the water, he activates his mermaid tail, slipping on fins and scales as though they’re a pair of pants.
It sort of is, when he thinks about it. Enchanted fabric that goes over the legs…
Enough thinking about it. He takes a deep breath through his gills and scans the ocean for a Four-shaped object.
“Four!” he calls out as he swims towards the multicolored blob. “Four, I’m here!”
“Legend?” Four startles as the merman breaches the waves next to him, gasping for breath. “Have you always been so… sparkly? Or am I dead?”
“You’re not dead, but you will be if we don’t get moving!” Legend grabs Four’s arm and slings it over his shoulder. “C’mon, we gotta go!”
Behind them, the dark shadow is rapidly approaching. Legend ducks his head back under, and finally glimpses the full shape of the thing. It’s huge. Wind was right—this is no normal gyorg.
Legend swims back towards the ship. The monster is fast, but in this form, he’s faster. Or rather, he should be, but he has a very un-hydrodynamic smith on his back, slowing him down.
The shadow looms closer. Legend can practically feel the beating of its fins on his tail. Suddenly, he recognizes that he’s not going to reach the ship before it does, much less get them both out of the water in time.
He reaches into his pouch.
“Keep swimming!” he tells Four, then lets him go to flip around and face the gyorg directly. He adjusts his grip on his sword.
“Take this, you overgrown set of teeth…!” he growls, veering around to ram into its side. His sword scrapes across its rough skin, deflected, but it successfully forces the monster off-course. Black blood leaks shallowly from the injury.
Of course, Legend thinks, rolling his eyes. He flips around again, swimming towards the ship—and Four—as fast as he can. Once he’s in range, he speeds up, and leaps out of the water like a dolphin, aiming for the deck.
Midair, he twists, pulls out his switch hook, and fires it at Four. The two of them swap places—Four, unceremoniously slamming into Hyrule, and Legend, landing back in the water with a splash.
He lets out his breath. Now, he just needs to do that again—
Sharp teeth sink into his hip. The gyorg has caught up with him. Legend’s vision flashes white from the pain, and it takes a second too long for him to reach for his sword again. By the time he does, even that small motion sends seizing waves up his torso.
Legend hisses out a swear. The gyorg drags him downwards, away from the surface, pleased with its catch. Legend forces his eyes to stay open, arm creeping up to reach for the thin chain around his neck. He’s never tried one of these spells underwater, has never needed to try them underwater, but there’s no time to second-guess this—
“Ether!” he casts. A bolt of lightning strikes the surface of the ocean. But, instead of scattering, it reaches down, down until it hits the gyorg. The shark seizes in pain, its grip on Legend releasing. Numbness sparks across his own skin where its teeth held him.
Trembling, he forces himself to swim back towards the surface, relying heavily on his arms. Though he gets closer and closer, the light seems to get further away the longer he swims.
This is a bit too familiar, he realizes as his strokes turn to helpless floating. His eyesight flickers, his body veering distantly off to its side—
“—egend? Legend!” Hyrule calls out. It’s brighter behind his eyelids. When did they manage to pull him out…? “Oh, no…”
“Heal him already!” someone—Wind, his brain reminds him, shouts.
“I’m trying! It’s not working!”
Cloth presses into the sore spot on his hip. He groans.
“It’s this spell or whatever,” Hyrule complains. “It’s… blocking it or something? Or maybe my magic just can’t repair whatever this is…”
Well, yeah, he thinks, distantly. The mermaid tail is magic, not flesh.
…He’s never tested what would happen if he transformed back with an injury. The realization sends a spike of adrenaline through his heart.
“Hyrule,” he chokes out.
“Legend?” Hyrule glances back at him. “Are you awake?”
“Do not let me dry off,” he says. And then, he’s gone.
Link takes in shallow breaths, every motion sending waves of pain down his side. He sinks further beneath the water, but he’s not drowning. His body is so heavy that he couldn’t pull himself back up if he wanted to.
Thunder booms. Rain patters against the window. Link jolts awake, but only for a moment. Everything aches.
Link, his uncle says, sword in hand. I’m going out for a bit. Don’t leave the house.
“Uncle—” Link chokes out, trying to force himself upright. Even the blankets are too heavy for his weak limbs. He struggles until he rolls over and out of the bed. Something tears.
The bandages won’t stay on, someone complains. Everything’s too wet—
Lightning flashes. Link desperately clings to the wooden planks beneath him, salt water assaulting his eyes. A wave crashes into his small vessel, and the floor tips, sending him over—
Haven’t you ever sewn stitches before?
Not on a fish, a new voice retorts. Can you keep him still?
And then, he’s back in bed again—panting, heart racing. He stares at the ceiling. It’s not his home, or a house he’s ever slept in before. Flowers line the windowsill, and a cuckoo clock ticks on the wall. With great effort, he forces himself to turn over and face the door—
There is a man standing in the entrance.
“Tarin?” he gasps. Short, round face, bushy mustache. Though, Tarin never had such an affinity for red. Regardless, the man’s mouth opens in a smile, welcoming.
“It’s a-me, Ma—”
He wakes up.
His head is underwater. In a panic, he forces himself to sit up, but as his faculties return, he realizes he hasn’t drowned. The gills on the side of his neck flick open and closed, like the slow expansion of lungs.
Still, he doesn’t particularly want to stay under the surface. Slowly, he peeks his head out of the pool, scanning his surroundings. The midday sun is glaringly bright, again, but someone has set up a thick canvas umbrella above his head to protect him.
It… looks like he’s at a resort.
“What the hell…?” Legend mumbles.
“Cannonball!” Wind shouts from somewhere nearby. A moment later, something splashes into the water, sending a huge wave rippling across the pool.
“Wind!” Four scolds. “Legend is trying to rest!”
“Warriors said to keep the water circulating, right?” Wind says, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes.
“This is not what he meant!”
“Well, it’s not like Legend’s gonna notice how—” Wind turns his head towards Legend, who’s watching the pair argue in dazed confusion. “He’s awake!?”
Four shoots to his feet. “Guys!”
A moment later, to Legend’s shock, he’s surrounded by his companions, all fretting over him and asking him questions.
“Are you feeling better?” Sky asks.
“I don’t know how your spell works, but we kept you in the water, like you asked—” Hyrule explains.
“Do you know how annoying it is to sew stitches on fish skin without damaging the scales?” Warriors grumbles. “Be more careful next time you try to wrestle a shark—”
“When did you all get here?” Legend asks, choosing to ignore their prodding. He’s fairly certain the reason he, Wind, Hyrule, and Four had acquired a ship in the first place was to go looking for the rest of them, so how—?
“Oh, you’ve been out for a while,” Wind comments, flippantly. “I sailed us to my island so you could recover, and then found everyone else later.”
Legend’s eyebrows raise. “Your island?”
Wind steps back, opening his arms, emphasizing the gorgeous waterfall views and luxury cabana. “Welcome to my private oasis! Please enjoy your stay.”
It takes a little while for Legend to accept the concept that Wind is a bonafide property owner. It takes a bit longer for him to transform back, at risk of him ripping his stitches and reopening the wound. But, he does achieve it, and afterwards, they move him into a real bed in the cabana proper, leaving him to rest while they take the opportunity to enjoy the amenities.
“Got any threes?” Wild mumbles, sounding a bit bored.
“Go fish,” Time says. With a dramatic huff, Wild draws from the pile.
Legend, for his part, has been attempting to solve this obnoxious sliding puzzle, courtesy of the cabana’s butler. He’s been working on it for hours and still can’t get it right. He’d have quit by now if he had anything better to do, but he doesn’t. He leans back in bed with an annoyed sigh.
“You should take the opportunity to get some more sleep, Vet,” Twilight offers, putting down his cards. “It’s not often we have the chance to relax like this.”
“I know,” Legend says. “It’s just… I’ve slept too much already, I guess.”
Wild snorts out a laugh. “I feel that.”
Legend can’t help but laugh, too. “After a certain point, the dreams start getting kind of weird…”
“Ah, are you having nightmares?” Twilight asks, tilting his head.
“Not exactly,” Legend says. He searches for some kind of description for what he saw. “I mean, I guess there were some memories in there, but…”
“Tell me about it!” Wild cackles. “After a certain point, I started having dreams about riding mechanical horses on top of clouds.”
Suddenly, Sky lifts his gaze from his cards.
“Mechanical horses?” he questions. “Like… a motorcycle?”
“You know what a motorcycle is, too?” Wild gasps. “I thought I was the only one!”
“Well, not really… but, I’ve seen them?” Sky blushes. “One time, I got this really bad concussion, and I dreamt I was in some kind of racing tournament…”
“What!?” Wild nearly jumps to his feet. “You’ve been in the tournaments, too!?”
“We’ve had the same dream?” Sky echoes, baffled.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Legend grumbles. “My dream was weird, but not that weird.”
“Yeah? What did you dream about, then?”
Legend tries to remember what happened. It’s all blurry, a mix of images and sensations, but…
“I was in some kind of kingdom inhabited by mushroom people,” he explains. “I was sleeping at an inn, and there was… some guy there. He almost told me his name, but then I woke up.”
Time raises an eyebrow. “It wouldn’t happen to have been Mario, was it?”
Legend nearly jumps. “Wha—how did you know that?”
“I’ve had such dreams, too,” Time says, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of shared alternative dream realities. “Except, I was in a fighting tournament, not a racing one. Mario was there.”
Twilight blinks, realization dawning on him. “No way. I’ve seen him, too. Is that even possible…?”
“We’ve all seen the hat man?” Wild says.
“Literally what are you all talking about?” Four comments, having just walked in through the front door.
“Four!” Wild turns to the tiny smith. “Have you ever had a concussion and met the hat man?”
Four walks back out.
“I can’t believe it,” Sky mumbles. “I just thought it was just a me thing, this entire time…”
“How long has this been happening…?” Twilight echoes.
“Apparently, always,” Wild says, plopping back down on the floor, legs crossed.
Legend just gapes at the four of them. Sure, they all had things in common—they were all reincarnations of the same guy, for the Goddesses’ sake—but this is next level insane. This is small and stupid and—so, so baffling.
“So…” he says slowly, “we’ve all been having near-death experiences featuring a guy in a red hat, and none of us said anything?”
“To be fair, I didn’t really know it was worth mentioning,” Sky says.
“To be fair, I’m the one who brought him up,” Wild says.
“You brought up motorcycles,” Twilight corrects. “You didn’t even mention the hat man thing until later.”
“Yeah, but it was relevant—”
Legend stares. He thinks about waking up in the middle of the night, a girl’s voice whispering in his head. He remembers being caught in a storm and waking up on a beach. And then, he sees Mario, with his jolly grin and bright attitude, and realizes this, this is what they all have in common. No matter how strange or unbelievable, they have this.
And then, he barks out a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sky asks, blinking.
“Nothing,” he says. A tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying releases from his chest, and he sighs. “Can you deal me in? I want to play.”
Wild whoops. “Finally!”
Time shoots him a small, knowing glance, and then says nothing at all.