Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter Text
Oh have you heard of this great sword of old
That will hold fast our kingdom forever
And with great knowledge make the wielders bold
Be our support, hold us up, failing never
The wondrous Sword of Legend
It fought beasts on land and it scoured the seas
And six great quests has it attended on
Wielders cut down all their en’mies with ease
Without it our great kingdom would be gone,
Save for the Sword of Legend
Now come and hear tell of this hero of old
Whose name is gone and lost to legends past
A story we tell as always it was told
And therefore will his memory ever last
Wielder of Sword of Legend
In world of battle was this hero born
He came to fight and forged a mighty sword
And with the noise of his resounding horn
Called us to fight against a monstrous horde
Raised up the Sword of Legend
The good soldier’s background is dark and dim
And has been lost to time’s unrav’ling end
Few things are there that we do know of him
But that his honor drew him to defend
Us with the Sword of Legend
The city lay besieged, the kingdom scorched
About him wrath and ruin fell like waves
He raised his sword up like a mighty torch
And called the townsfolk to pick up their staves
Beside the Sword of Legend
The fight dragged on as if t’would never end
Our good soldiers were flagging from the fight
This true hero was then a goddess-send
He brought the kingdom back its mighty light
Empowr’d with the Sword of Legend
The battle won, the en’my routed out
He dropped his sword down on the dusty ground
Eternal safety would he bring about
But the great man himself was fin’ly downed
Put down the Sword of Legend
As he did breathe his last, he turned to bless
The mighty sword which now protects our land
Which such great pow’r imbued it doth possess
Will be endow’d to who has it in hand
And wields the Sword of Legend
The moment his hand touched the hilt of the ancient sword, Link knew something had changed.
He couldn’t tell what, exactly- he hadn’t grown into his natural magic quite yet, at least not all the way, and his meager learning could only take him so far.
This was Before- before the adventure, and the princess, before the Chain and the family it brought him. This was before, and all he knew as he held the hilt of the sword that would alter the shape of his destiny, was that something had changed.
Link knew better than to waste an opportunity, a resource, a good weapon. He lifted the blade, sheath and all, and strapped it to his back with the discarded cord he had been using as a belt. As he connected it carefully to his body, something was connecting in the back of his mind too- not exactly a presence, not exactly alive, but something that was being. Something active, something waking from dormancy to peer sleepily at the young boy who had just connected their threads of fate together.
A long forgotten sword woke up.
And later that day a boy went to sleep, sword at his side, trusting it (and what strength he had) to protect him.
Link woke up to the unfortunate feeling of a damp blanket. He rolled over, trying to ignore it, but the more he attempted to go back to sleep, the more noticeable it was. Cold and condensation drove him to start the day.
Sitting up, he made sure to do his usual checks- his bucket was by the cave wall, his bag was near the entrance, there was a small pile of wood sitting uselessly at the back wall, his knife was next to his bedroll-
And the sword was laid out on his other side, scabbard gleaming slightly in the faint sunbeam that streaked through the entrance to the cave.
He smiled. A bad morning had just gotten better.
It had been a few days since he found the sword, and he hadn’t quite decided if he wanted to name it or not. It looked very important, the sort of sword a hero might use on a quest to save the world. It did not look like the kind of sword that belonged lying next to Link in a dirty cave.
His things were all there, he wasn’t hurting any more than usual- it was time for breakfast.
Link knew exactly which berries would make him sick, which were safe but tasted bad, and which would probably kill him. It was important to remember, so every night he repeated the information in his head before going to sleep.
There was a new list, now. Things he would probably have to do to take care of the sword.
He wasn’t quite sure how to take care of swords. They were much bigger and more important than knives, but he did know how to keep his knife clean and sharp. That would have to work for now, until he had the supplies to stop by a town.
“Good morning,” Link said quietly to the sword on his back, once he felt awake enough to start talking without losing track of his surroundings. Sometimes he was like that- it had been a long time since he’s had a reason to talk, and starting again was hard. But a lot of things were hard, so Link didn’t let that stop him. “We’re out getting berries and bark and roots. If we find enough, then we’ll head back home. If not, I’ll try and get some sort of animal. I’m glad you don’t need food,” he joked, “ ‘cause then we’d be in trouble. Although, I guess you could probably get your own food, if you needed it. You look very powerful.”
And it went on like that. Evenings by the one uncorrupted pool of water Link had found, the sword propped up on the bank while he rambled on about the woods, about the day, about whatever thoughts he was having. He told the sword all the stories he remembered, and tried to make up new ones. Stories were some of the things he liked to repeat in his head before he went to sleep.
Sometimes, he liked to think about the hero that the sword belonged to. Someone tall and strong, probably, and maybe even nice. Someone with big glittering armor and a horse, someone who would drive the monsters away and make the woods safe for little creatures again. Make the woods safe for him, maybe.
He thought the sword deserved someone like that. He couldn’t wait to meet them, when they came to take it back.
During the worst nights, Link liked to imagine the knight trading him something for the sword. Giving him some kind of reward, or something. That wasn’t why he was doing it, of course, but he would daydream about beautiful warm pastries, and thick long cloaks, and maybe even a real waterskin.
When he felt really sad, he would wrap his arms around himself and think of the hero giving him a hug, maybe, for keeping their sword safe. Think about them ruffling his hair and saying something like good job, kid, and maybe-
Maybe even taking him with them.
It didn’t end up feeling right to name the sword. It probably had a name, a very heroic one, and Link didn’t want to mess that up for it. Maybe it would be mad, if he tried to call it something dumb. He didn’t want to risk it.
You’re not very friendly, he wanted to say to the sword, on some of his worse nights. Nights when anger rose up in him to hum in his chest, and he didn’t know where it came from or why it was stronger than him.
Why wont you talk to me? (He knew why, he wasn’t stupid. It hurt anyways.)
You’re going to leave.
He knew it was true, of course. He didn’t like thinking about it, but then, there were a lot of things Link didn’t like thinking about.
So he didn’t. He rambled on, starting to say his lists out loud every night instead of in his head, and the sword listened.
No matter what, the sword always listened.
Chapter 2: The Awakening
Notes:
We thought we might as well give you two chapters to start out with, hahah! Hope you enjoy!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was cold.
Sort of. It wasn’t cold like it knew, somehow, that it should be, but it was cold and it was somehow empty and it was drifting.
Everything was slow, and hazy, and it didn’t really understand. It found that it couldn’t muster the energy to care.
It drifted, for a little while, wondering if it should even bother trying to stretch out. To move, to be. There was something, some ancient, forgotten thing, telling it that was a bad idea.
But it couldn’t drift forever.
“See these ones? They’re my favorite. You can tell they’re not poisonous ‘cause of the color of the roots. The other ones are more orangey, and they make you real sick. So don’t pick those ones, okay?”
The words didn’t make much sense, at first. It still felt too vague, too empty, to really understand.
But it kept listening.
“But then, and I remember this part really well, then she said this land is stronger than you are, and she pushed back against the monster king, and her weapon finally worked, because he was surprised, I think. I don’t remember the end, but I think…”
The voice was… young. Too young, though it wasn’t sure where that thought came from.
It struggled through the fog, trying to chase the idea. It remembered…
It remembered battles. Swords clashing, ringing metal, screams and fear and blood like rivers. It remembered evil, dark and cloying, it remembered hand after hand on -
On its hilt.
And the Sword of Legend woke up.
The sword had been awake for a few days, now. It had tried to piece together everything it could about where it was, about its new wielder.
… It had been horrified, the first time it saw the state of the world. The water, which its wielder cheerfully said was poisonous, the sky, choked with ash, the woods, dark and twisted. It had been horrified, and then it had been determined to try and fix it. This was what it was forged for.
Except its wielder hadn’t been doing anything to fix it.
Its wielder was a child, barely big enough to wield it at all, who smiled at the trees and spoke to it as if it could speak back. He told it which berries were safe - and it found, somehow, that it already knew a few of them - he told it his plans for each day, and he told it stories.
He told it stories.
It didn’t really know what to make of him. He didn’t seem like the sort of person that would be sent to pick up a magical sword and take it on a grand quest. In fact, once, he had even gone to a shrine - it remembered, vaguely, a similar shrine in immaculate condition, and being set in a pedestal, and something angry and aching always stopped that train of thought - and sat there for nearly a whole day, waiting.
“Well,” the boy said to it as the sun dipped closer to the trees, “your hero didn't show up yet, but I bet they're coming! I bet they're real nice, too. You’re probably going to save the world together.”
He was borrowing it. He was borrowing the Sword of Legend, and… what, checking in to see if it was needed? Waiting for a hero to come for it?
… No one had ever borrowed it, before.
It wasn’t sure what to think.
But the boy kept talking to it. He told it that he was scared, he told it that he was alone, he told it that he didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to help him. He gave it hugs goodnight. He apologized for his attempts at keeping it clean and sharp, clumsy with a child’s hands.
The sword didn’t know what to think. It wasn’t supposed to think about its wielders. But it found itself looking forward to the stories, keeping an eye out while the boy slept, memorizing as much of the information he gave it as it could.
Its job was to protect the innocent, after all.
So, naturally, when the boy encountered a moblin on an outing to gather food, the sword was alarmed. It was even more alarmed at the boy’s stance - he was so small, he could barely hold it properly, and he had obviously never really wielded a sword before, not in a proper fight.
If it was hylian, it would correct his stance, his grip, tell him how to survive a fight like this. Hell, if it was hylian, it would fight for him.
But it wasn’t. So it just watched as the boy fought for his life, swings too wide and too slow.
He didn’t notice the second moblin. But the sword did.
WATCH OUT! The feeling of danger rang out like a bell, and as the boy instinctively turned and swung, the sword let itself get lighter. Not for long - it could only maintain that for a matter of seconds - but enough for the boy to get a good strike at his newest enemy. There was… a pulse, a flare, the softest hint of awe and shock that didn’t belong to the sword. And then the boy had to focus back on the fight, the sword going quiet and heavy again.
He managed to take out both monsters, eventually, and he stood on the bloody grass of the first battlefield where he’d wielded the Sword of Legend, chest heaving. And then he fell to his knees, dropping the sword, and started to sob.
It took the boy a few minutes to calm down. After a little while, he picked the sword back up, clutching it to his chest.
“Hello?”
The sword wasn’t supposed to speak. It wasn’t sure it could, not anymore, not after so long asleep.
But… sometimes, words weren’t necessary.
It focused, and for just a moment, it made itself lighter.
The boy gasped. “It was you?” His face was shocked, and he had to take a few moments to process the revelation. Then tears started to fall again. “Thank you, thank you, you saved me. Oh, I thought I was going to die.” Scrubbing his dirty, bloody hand across his face to clear away some of the tears, the boy clutched his scabbard even tighter.
“Were you listening? This whole time?”
That one, the sword wasn’t sure how to answer. It only had one trick for the time being, two, if you counted the sense of danger it had shoved at its wielder, and neither seemed very helpful for this.
It didn’t look like the boy minded the silence. He waited in happy anticipation for a few moments, but his face didn’t crumple when the sword didn’t respond. Blinking several times, he pushed to his feet. “Blood is a strong smell. I think we need to go to the pond, okay?”
That made sense. The boy was a survivor, he knew how to stay alive out here, and the sword was… weirdly proud of that.
After a few minutes of silent walking, the boy cleared his throat, and started telling a story. The sword had heard it before, but it found that it didn’t mind hearing it again.
It hadn’t expected to be picked up by someone like this. But it was starting to warm up to the idea.
Honestly, the day had been bad since Link had woken up.
He felt terrible, and he hadn’t even eaten any bad berries! His head was too full, and his throat hurt, and everything felt way faster than usual.
He didn’t even remember to talk to the sword until halfway through his morning trip, and felt guilty about it for the rest of the walk. Just because he was feeling bad didn’t mean he should ignore his friend!
He hoped they were friends.
Link wasn’t sure how much the sword knew, but it could probably see him, and maybe hear him sometimes. He spent more time making up new stories, so the sword wouldn’t get bored hearing the same ones over and over again.
Not today, though.
Today, he just curled up on his blanket at the back of the cave, shivering slightly even though it was sometime in spring, and the cold air had just started to give way to warm breezes. He ate the few berries he’d been able to gather, but didn’t have the energy to go get his emergency stash of dried meat. That was for emergencies, anyways, not just for days Link felt a little sick.
After a few hours, he stumbled over to the other side of the cave, and grabbed the sword, bringing it back to the pile of blankets and curling around it. It wasn’t really like a hug, but it felt better.
It had to feel better, right?
“...Are you there?” Link asked. His voice was raspier than usual, and he hadn’t even been telling stories today.
The sword felt a little bit lighter in his hands, just for a second.
“Okay. I think you said you are? Maybe I just imagined it.” He curled tighter around the sword, crossguard pressing into his shoulder so hard it started to hurt.
“I wish you could talk to me,” Link said, after a few minutes. “I really want someone to talk to me, I think.”
For a little while, there was no response from the sword, not that he’d really been expecting one. And then there was… a faint little flicker of something, the tiniest little feeling in the back of his head that things were going to be okay.
Link gasped. “Was that you? I thought- wait, I felt better for a second, was that you?” He pushed out clumsily with his own small magic, trying to give the sword something back. Some warmth, happiness, and his gratitude.
There was a faint feeling of amused exasperation that wasn’t Link’s.
“Are you in my head? Do- can you see my thoughts?” Link focused so hard on his own mind that his head started to spin, and he had to stop, pressing one of his hands against the ground of the cave to steady himself.
It wasn’t a word, really, still just impressions, but the feeling he got that time was no.
“Okay.” He almost felt like laughing, oddly. The sword could hear him, and it was trying to tell him things.
“Thank you,” Link said, pulling away from the sword to stare at its hilt very seriously (where would a sword’s eyes be? He didn’t know.) “I’m-” He surprised himself when his voice broke on a sob. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
A gentle feeling that it was okay. Things would be okay.
He brought the sword close again, turning over to lay down flat, holding the scabbard to his chest. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you stories today.”
There wasn’t a response to that, or at least not anything that Link could pull apart from his own scattered thoughts.
“I’ve been tired,” he continued. “I think I’m sick, really. It sucks, and I just want-”
He knew what he wanted. But the sword was listening now. It probably didn’t want to hear about his stupid little problems.
…He had to be strong for the sword, until the hero could be.
I want a hug, he thought. I want a hand on my forehead and a glass of water and I want someone to tell me I’m doing better, and I’m going to be okay.
“I want a snack,” he said out loud, “but I don’t think I’m gonna get up. It’s too far.”
There was a moment of quiet, and then Link felt the sword’s presence in the back of his head a little stronger than he had before. It felt like… like a lullaby, almost, if a lullaby didn’t have music or words.
Link stared up at the cave roof, hands on the sword’s hilt, and cried.
It felt a little like relief.
It had been a mistake.
He was trying to tell them, trying to tell everyone that it was an accident, but they wouldn’t believe him, and his words kept getting smaller and smaller.
Link was standing in the center of shards of broken ceramic, the pieces pointing at him, like the arguing people didn’t already know who had messed up.
“I don’t have any money,” he said again, unable to look at the face of the merchant whose pot he had broken. “Can I fix it some other way? Do you have glue?”
“Do I have glue?” he asked, as if it was a completely ridiculous question. “ Glue, for a pot like this? This wasn’t some normal pitcher, it was an artisan’s piece! You’ve ruined the design!”
“I’m sorry,” Link mumbled, feeling the eyes of the marketplace on him. The looks he was getting, the whispers. “I don’t know how to fix it.”
The man threw up his hands. “You don’t just fix pots like this! You pay for them. And you-” he jabbed a finger in Link’s direction, and Link flinched back, “are definitely going to have to pay.”
“But I don’t-”
“I don’t care. You broke it, you have to pay for it.”
Link really didn’t have any money. He’d come in to trade what herbs he could find and dry in the woods for more smoked meats, maybe even a new pair of shoes, if he was lucky. He didn’t have anything to give the merchant.
Trade your knife. The words were soft, barely audible over Link’s racing thoughts, but urgent.
Link startled, glancing around. He didn’t see anyone who could have said them, but his hands fumbled at the sheath tied to his ratty belt. “I- I have this? It’s a good knife, would- would you take that? I really don’t have any money.” His voice was still shaking, but at least he had a plan. He had something to cling to.
The merchant considered for a moment, then said, “bring it over here.”
He examined the blade for a moment, poked unhappily at the scuffs on the sheath, and cast Link a look that made him feel like his heart had just fallen into the floor.
“I suppose it’ll have to do,” the merchant said slowly, “if that’s all you have. But don’t come back, you hear me? I don’t want to see you fooling around in the marketplace ever again, or I’ll be asking the full price.” He turned away muttering something about the blade being well taken care of, despite its shabbiness.
Link took a deep breath. He couldn’t relax, not here- there were eyes on him, people watching.
He ran for the town’s gate.
About a half-hour later, his breathing had properly slowed, and he was thinking about the advice he’d heard in the market. There hadn’t been anyone there to give it,not that he’d seen, and there was a rising hope in his chest that he desperately tried to ignore.
The disappointment wouldn’t be worth it.
“What do we do now?” he asked dejectedly, “I can’t clean animals without a knife. I can’t cut bark or branches, either. You’re a sword, you’re meant for better things than that. It’ll probably mess you up, somehow.”
A blade’s a blade.
Link froze, his eyes closing. He knew it was dangerous, in the wood, but he had to-
He needed a moment.
“Is that… is that you?”
Yeah. About time, right? The voice - that’s what it was, now, a voice - felt almost bitter.
Link didn’t know what to say.
He’d thought about this moment, dreamed about something like this for so long. But now that he had it, he didn’t know what to do with it. He was frozen.
There was a flicker of feelings that weren’t his: a soft sort of urgency, a get going kind of feeling. That sort of thing was starting to become a more normal occurrence, little nudges from the sword, but… this?
His feet started moving automatically, stumbling a little, and he continued through the woods in awkward silence. It felt like the sword was burning hot on his back, a presence he couldn’t help but be aware of.
“Thanks for the knife idea,” Link offered quietly, carefully not glancing back, not bringing the sword to his chest like he’d found himself doing when he was nervous lately.
That guy was a cheap bastard, the sword nearly growled. Link felt anger humming in the words like he’d tapped the sword against something metal.
He nodded. He felt weirdly uneasy around the sword now. Maybe because it could talk back? He hadn’t really had good experiences with things that talked back.
Maybe if he just ignored it, the sword would go back to normal.
… He knew it wouldn’t. You couldn’t put a picked flower back on its stem. The sword could talk now, and Link was terrified of what it might say.
There was a pause, and then the hesitant, questioning feeling of are you okay why are you upset?
“I’m fine,” Link said, but the words sounded wrong. Weird, like they were only coming out of him because they had to. “Sorry.”
You’re not fine. The sword didn’t sound quite so angry anymore.
Link dropped his gaze, only focusing on the ground ahead of him.
“You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, you know. You can go find your hero. Just tell me which direction to walk.”
There was a pulse of surprise from the sword, then something… softer. More pained. Doesn’t work that way, kid.
Oh. “They have to find you? That’s okay, I’ll keep you, uh, doing well. Like I said, so I guess you already knew that.”
There was a longer pause, this time. When the sword spoke again, its voice was fainter. More tired. Link hadn’t realized swords could get tired. … What year is it? Do you know?
“No, sorry,” Link said. “But I could figure it out, maybe? I can ask.” He almost shivered at the thought of going back into a town.
… I think it’s been a really long time since anyone came looking for me.
Link felt an odd emotion sweeping through him. “But that’s not fair! You’re a hero sword, they can’t just leave you!” He gasped. “Is that why everything’s bad? Because they left you and now they don’t have you anymore and they can’t fight evil?”
Doubt it. The sword sounded really tired, now, the words slow and careful. I’m not the only magic sword out there.
“You’re the best one, though.” Link said stubbornly. “They shouldn’t have left you. I bet they… I bet they just forgot where to look. I bet they’re out there somewhere, still looking. And one day, they’ll find you, and-” And take you away.
Kid, I think you’re the only one looking.
Hey, kid.
“Yeah?” The kid looked up from where he was kneeling in the dirt prying up tubers, glancing over to the sword leaned up against the side of a tree.
The sword… needed to phrase this a little delicately. The kid was twitchy, he needed to be, out here, but he’d been extra on edge for the past few days as he tried to get used to the sword talking and the sword tried to get used to itself talking. It needed to make sure it didn’t scare him.
We need to talk.
… Nailed it. Great. Perfect.
The kid’s eyes widened. He dropped the root he was holding, sitting up and turning to face the sword fully. “What’s wrong?”
It sent over a small wave of calm. Nothing, I’m just kind of sick of calling you kid.
The kid blinked for a second, looking confused, then gasped. “Oh! I’m Link! Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that, when you could actually hear me.”
Link.
That was -
The sword didn’t have lungs, couldn’t breathe, but the need to take a deep breath was suddenly so strong it was almost overwhelming.
Link. That was an important name. It meant something.
Fuck if the sword knew what, but… but it was important, somehow. It was important that this kid had that name.
It… it needed to respond, probably.
… Oh, it said, trying its best to shield the kid from the whirlwind it had suddenly become. That’s… interesting.
“What about you?” Link asked, shifting to sit more comfortably. “Do you have a name? Or, a title?”
Link. Why couldn’t the sword stop hearing that name, ringing in its head?
… I’m the Sword of Legend, it told the kid, because that, at least, it was sure of.
“Oh.” Link looked away for a second, before glancing back, then focusing on the ground. “That sounds important.”
Every title sounds important, that’s what they’re there for, the sword told him with a scoff.
“I guess.” Looking thoughtful, Link asked, “Do you know- do you remember your hero, mister Sword of Legend?”
Which one? There had been so many. The sword couldn’t remember them all, not clearly, but it knew that much.
“Oh,” Link repeated. “You must be very important, then. Why…” Why did they leave you, the sword heard faintly, as it had started to when Link thought something particularly strongly.
The sword wished it knew.
Even legends get forgotten, it said quietly. People find other solutions to problems, they get a new tool that works better, and…
“I won’t do that,” Link said firmly, a determined frown on his face. “I wouldn’t do that. You’re very important. You- you listen. If you want-” if you want to stay-
The sword laughed. It couldn’t help itself. If it wanted to stay? That wasn’t a choice swords got to make.
“You don’t have to!” Link said, flushing with embarrassment and burying his face in his knees. “I just- I thought I would just say it, you know?”
Oh. The sword pressed sorry, sorry toward him and tried to pull together a proper response. That’s not how this works, Link. That’s not my choice.
Link raised his head again, frowning at the sword. “That’s not fair.”
Life isn’t fair.
The kid stuck his tongue out at the sword. “Fine. Then I’m going to choose, and I’m going to choose you .”
That -
No one had ever really chosen it before.
… If that’s what you want to do, he said quietly. He didn’t let Link get the full brunt of whatever was happening in his head, right now, but he gave the kid a little bit. Just enough to let him see that the sword was grateful.
“Of course!” Link got to his feet, racing across the clearing and then slowing before reaching the sword, picking him up very carefully. “You’re my friend! And you don’t want to leave, so…” There was a strange shift of emotions on his face, and he projected bittersweet surprise. “So you don’t have to.”
Fine. The sword felt weirdly… off-balance, somehow, and he reached for something else to say. But if we’re friends, you can’t call me Mister Sword of Legend, that’s too long and it’s gonna annoy me.
“...is Legend okay?” Link asked, moving to put the sword on his back again and pick up the tubers he’d left on the ground.
Legend works.
He could almost feel Link’s smile.
“Legend.” He said the name like he was savoring it. “Hey, Legend, do you think we should go to the pond today, or try and dry some more meat? Because it’s nice and light out, but…”
The sword - Legend - made sure to send across something light and teasing as he said The pond, you need a bath.
Link gasped. “Legend! That’s mean, no I don’t! You don’t even have a nose!”
I don’t need one, you’ve been playing in the dirt all day, Legend laughed.
And as Link started walking - toward the pond, because he had yet to go against one of Legend’s suggestions - Legend found that he was actually looking forward to staying with a wielder, for once. For as long as he would have him.
Notes:
we have a good bit of this fic prewritten, but comments always help with motivation!! thanks for reading!
Chapter 3: The Chain
Notes:
whoaaa, thanks for the huge positive reception for this fic! we appreciate it a lot :D here's where the plot starts to hit, so buckle up, hahah! It's a bit of a timeskip, but for those who want more tinyrule and bladegend content, we've got some plans for a snippet book after this :D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Honestly, the portal wasn’t the weirdest thing that had ever happened to Link. He was still immediately on guard, though.
Already in the branches of a tree, he watched the group below mill about confusedly- odd, seeing as they had teleported, and that usually meant choosing a location to teleport to- and listened in.
“Does anyone recognize any landmarks?” asked a man in full plate armor - plate, how rich was he? Rich enough for teleportation and plate, at least. Worrying.
There was a chorus of nos, one unfortunately not, and the youngest in the group grumbled something about another fucking forest.
“Language, sailor,” said a man wearing the fur of - was that a wolf? It looked like a wolf - as he ruffled the kid’s hair.
The sailor batted his hand away, scowling. “Easy for you to say, you like the woods! I haven’t seen the ocean in like a month!”
Well, the group certainly didn’t seem like they were looking for or expecting a fight, despite being worryingly well-armed.
Legend? Link tried, pulling on their mental bond, any suggestions? I’ve got seven strange warriors exiting a portal.
I see them. Keep your distance, Legend advised, and Link could sense his usual combination of concern and determination when facing a potential threat. Try to figure out what they want.
Got it. Link was pretty sure there was no way for the group to catch him in the trees, and he was tempted to just call down to them, but listening to Legend usually paid off, so he sat back against the trunk of the tree and listened.
One of the strangers, wearing a blue tunic and with impractically long hair, was looking around quietly, taking in their surroundings. “I think this forest is… big. It sounds big.”
“How big is big?” asked another man in armor, though this one only had a pauldron and chain mail, from what Link could see. He was also wearing a blue scarf, a deeper blue than the other one’s tunic.
“I don’t know, big. It feels…” the one in the blue tunic paused, thinking. “... old is the wrong word. I don’t know. It’ll come to me.”
Watching, Link thought. Aware. The forest always felt that way to him, anyways, and he could sense more than most.
“Keep us updated,” the one in plate said with a nod. “Twilight, do you think you can find Wolfie? Maybe he can give us some clue where we are.”
“Is it safe for him to go off on his own, though?” asked the stranger wearing a white cape. White, in the woods.
Legend’s amusement filtered into Link’s mind. I hope they try it. Watch out, by the way, they have a lot of magic items with them.
Thanks, Link told him. I’ll be careful, I always am. He let a little bit of teasing energy into the last few words.
You could stand to be a little more careful than you usually are, Legend shot back, but he was just worried. Link knew that grumbling at him was just how Legend showed he cared.
Apparently, while he and Legend had been talking, the group had decided to not let Twilight - the one with the wolf pelt - go off to find “Wolfie,” whoever that was. Now, it looked like they were trying to pick a direction to travel in.
They can’t get to me, Link thought at Legend, what’s the harm in just… calling out to them? I could help them get where they’re going. Further away from us.
Legend was quiet for a moment, then sighed. It was more a feeling than a sound. I’d feel a lot better about that plan if we knew where they were going and why they wanted to go there.
That’s why I should ask, Link tried, but knew it probably wasn’t enough to properly convince the sword.
“Why couldn’t we have gotten dropped off at the ranch?” the one with the scarf sighed. “That would be worlds better than this place.”
“I like it,” said the one with the blue tunic, his tone bright and cheerful. Much less wary than he should be, in Link’s opinion.
The man in plate shook his head. “We’ve all survived out in the wilderness for longer periods of time than this, captain. You’ll be fine.”
Twilight coughed into his hand, though it sounded suspiciously like the words “City boy.”
The captain shot him a dirty look.
“Do you think we’re here for monsters, or someone new?” asked the smallest in the group. He wore a bright, particolored tunic, absolutely awful for blending in.
Someone new, Link thought. That wasn’t a good sign. Not many people out here, he said to Legend, do you think…
Maybe. Keep your guard up.
The sailor’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I hope it’s someone new! It’s been ages since we found Four!”
“Do you think he’ll be… sort of like me, if he’s from here?” the one in the blue tunic asked, an odd note in his voice.
“Like you, as in a survivalist, or like you as in a feral pyromaniac?” asked the captain with a raised eyebrow.
Well, that was less than ideal, especially in the woods.
“We’ll find out,” Twilight cut in. “When we find someone new, we’re usually dropped somewhere close. I’m sure Link’s nearby, if he’s here at all.”
Oh.
Legend, Link said, pushing down his slight panic, they know my name. Does this mean I should talk to them more, or less?
This is why we need more information, kid, I don’t know. If they want to kill you, you need to run, you can’t take them all on at once.
I know, but what if they have a quest for me? You heard them about the portal, it was specifically looking for me. And to join their group, they wouldn’t say that if they wanted me dead, right?
Unless they knew you were listening, Legend pointed out, and Link could sense the simmering anger and tension. But then he sighed. … You’re the hero, though. If you think it’s important, I won’t argue. Just be ready to run.
I always am. Link smiled, then raised his voice, peering down through the leaves. “Looking for Link?”
There was a series of startled exclamations from the group below him as they all looked up through the branches to where Link perched. He gave them a wave.
“... Yes,” said the man in plate after a moment. “Yes we are.”
“Well, I can lead you to him,” Link said, with an added see, Legend? I do have a plan!
Smart, Legend conceded begrudgingly.
“You just have to tell me why you want to talk to him. Is it another quest, or something? I can’t take you to him if you want to kill him or something, I need him to take care of the woods.” Hopefully that would be enough.
The strangers exchanged glances, and then the one with the white cape spoke up. “It’s about a quest, yes. If I may ask, though - why would we want to kill him? Is that… typical, here?”
Link shrugged, excited that they hadn’t even considered it, but masking the emotion from his face. “If you don’t know, I’m not telling you. I already said I didn’t want him dead.”
“Fair enough,” the man in plate armor said with a nod. “Is Link nearby? We’d like to talk to him as soon as possible.”
Uh-oh. “Anything you can say to him, you can say to me,” Link said, trying to sound confident.
Careful, Legend said quietly. Don’t tip your hand. Link gave him a mental nod.
“... We’ve been sent by Hylia,” the one in the white cape began. “There’s a growing threat to Hyrule, and we’ve been traveling around and gathering allies to help us defeat it. We believe Link is the next person the goddess intends to join us.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s quite the story.” They’d choose something more reasonable if they were lying, right?
There’s something they aren’t telling us. But… look at that sword on his back. Legend gave him a little mental nudge of the sword’s magical signature to show him where to look.
Pretty impressive, I guess. Link focused in on the magical signature, closing his eyes for a moment to see what he could sense.
It was light. That was the first thing he felt. Light and holy. Golden energy, brightening, purifying. It could only be a blessing from a goddess.
…Well, they’re definitely not evil, he told Legend. Can I tell them now?
There was a flare of danger danger not safe be careful from Legend, and Link flinched back slightly, but it softened into … Whatever you think is best.
Link hoped this would work out. Legend got insufferable when he was right about something being dangerous.
He looked back to the group, realizing he’d spaced out for longer than was probably polite, and a few of them were giving him odd looks.
“I’m Link,” he declared, reaching down to swing under his tree branch and drop onto a lower one, then moving to the next, “and I think you’re telling the truth. But if you’re going to try and kill me, I just want to say that stronger creatures have tried and failed.” A lot fewer stronger creatures, technically, but it’ll be fine. If there was one thing Link knew, it was how to run.
“I don’t doubt that,” said the man in plate, and he seemed honest. “We’ve all faced threats to Hyrule before, and I’m certain you are no different. It’s good to meet you, my name is Link.”
… What, Legend asked, sounding completely baffled. Link responded with a pulse of mental confusion.
Link, apparently, continued, waving to each of his companions in turn. “And this is Link, and Link, and this is Link, and -”
Twilight - who had just been introduced as Link, too - sighed loudly, cutting him off. “What he’s trying to say is that we all go by nicknames. For obvious reasons. I’m Twilight, that’s Time.” He went around and introduced the others in a far more coherent manner.
Link had already taken a few steps backwards, one hand on the tree trunk behind him. “What are you playing at?” he asked, a little more panic than anger in his tone, despite his best efforts. “Link isn’t that common of a name. You’re goddess-blessed, and you came here to taunt me?”
“Link isn’t that common of a name,” the one in the white cape - Sky, evidently - agreed gently. “It isn’t a coincidence we were all brought together.”
And then he proceeded to explain how, exactly, seven people named Link had all ended up together on a quest from the goddess.
Legend was quiet for most of it. When Link tentatively sent out little questioning nudges, all he got in return were little blips of I’m thinking.
I don’t like this, the sword said eventually. It’s asking too much of you. You’ve already fought for her, why should you have to do it again?
I’m not the only one who has, Link thought gently. And if they’re telling the truth, it doesn’t sound like I have much choice. Or, um. You do, of course, but-
Like I’m going to let you go off on an insane quest on your own, Legend snapped.
Link smiled internally. Somehow, I expected that.
Good. You’re learning.
Focusing back on the world around him, hoping that he’d looked deep in thought, Link nodded. “Okay. If you want me in the group, I’ll help.” He was realizing how little he’d been around people, since he found Legend. Usually, he didn’t have to discuss things with the sword at the same time he was talking to people. Hopefully they thought he was a deep thinker, or something.
“Well, that was easy,” Four murmured, as Wind let out an excited whoop.
Link shrugged. “He’s goddess-blessed,” he said, gesturing to Sky, “and therefore, the obvious person to be on a quest like this. I’m always ready to help save the world,” he added with a small smile. Legend’s humor had rubbed off on him over the years.
“Usually people don’t believe Sky when he starts saying he’s been blessed by a goddess,” Warriors said with a snort.
“Well, regardless, it’s good to have you, Link,” Time said with a small smile and a nod.
“Thanks,” Link said awkwardly. He was going to need more practice talking to people that weren’t ancient swords.
“Do you have a hero title?” Wind asked, tilting his head curiously. “That’s how we all got our nicknames.”
Well, and wasn’t that an interesting question.
He’d never said it out loud, the title Legend had given him. He’d never heard it out loud, either.
But as he looked at the group in front of him, at the Links before him, he could feel a connection, something taking root nearly the same way a sword had done, all those years ago.
“I’m the Hero of Hyrule,” he said, and he meant it.
Notes:
shoutout to twixtthelines for their amazing comments which never fail to make me excited!!! The next chapter should come out sometime tomorrow! and we're getting some good theories and guesses in the comments haha, I can't wait till you see what we've got ready for you!
have a great day, take a stretch break if you need one, or go get water, food, meds, ect.
Chapter Text
Hyrule was an interesting addition to the group.
Wild knew the others weren’t really sure what to think about him - he was awkward, and skittish as a wild horse, and kept to himself nearly all the time. Wild was pretty sure he wouldn’t even camp with them if they didn’t feed him. Hyrule spaced out a lot, too, always staring into nothing with little smiles or concerned looks.
But Wild knew exactly what to think of their new hero. Whenever he looked at Hyrule, all he could see was himself.
Back when he’d been fairly new to the world, wandering between stables and villages and trying to find some sort of identity for himself, he’d been exactly the same way. Awkward, uncertain, skittish. He still was, in some ways.
When he’d asked if the others thought this new Link would be like him, he hadn’t been expecting the yes to be quite so all-encompassing.
That sense of kinship is probably what drove him over to Hyrule’s corner of the camp one evening, two bowls of stew in hand. He scuffed his feet a little as he approached.
Hyrule looked distracted as always, but as soon as Wild got close enough, his head jerked over and he made eye contact, probably having finally heard his footsteps. He looked away almost as quickly, though.
“Hey,” Wild said with a grin. “Mind if I sit with you?”
“Sure. Uh, I mean, No.” Hyrule made a frustrated expression, thinking for a second. “You can sit, yes. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Wild assured him, sitting down and handing him a bowl of stew. Food always helped build bridges between people.
There was an awkward silence, and Hyrule stared down into his bowl, looking miles away. After a moment, he looked up abruptly and asked, “What’s your favorite weapon to wield?"
“Oooh, good question.” Wild had to think about that one for a minute, taking a bite of his own stew to give himself time to think. He hadn’t expected Hyrule to just jump right into get to know you questions, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. “I’m pretty good with a bow, but I think my favorite is a lynel sword. You?”
Hyrule blinked, as if he hadn’t been expecting the question to be returned. “Sword,” he said immediately, “L- uh, my sword. Definitely.”
Wild had noticed Hyrule’s attachment to the sword on his back. They all had. He never went anywhere without it, not even when they were in a relatively safe area. Wild understood, though, the desire to be armed all the time. He himself could be fully equipped, armor and all, in a matter of seconds if he really needed to be, so he didn’t begrudge Hyrule carrying around a sword that had probably seen him through a lot. “It looks like a good sword, can’t blame you.”
“It is,” Hyrule said, smiling, gaze drifting over the campsite without really taking it in. A quick grin flitted across his face, and then he turned back to Wild. “I’ve had it a long time.”
“I’ve… never had a sword long enough to get really attached to it,” Wild admitted quietly, dragging his spoon absently through his stew. “Most of mine break. It seems like it would be nice, having a weapon you can rely on.”
Hyrule smiled, eyes going distant again. “It is.” Snapping back into focus with a grin, he said, “Did you know, I’ve had this sword since it was taller than me?”
Wild snorted at the mental image. “Goddesses, you must have been little!”
“I always thought the sword was just big,” Hyrule said, with the air of someone who had said that same thing a hundred times.
Hmm, big swords.
An idea suddenly occurred to Wild, and he pulled out his slate, quickly hunting through the map function. They were in his Hyrule, at this point, and it was a breath of fresh air to have access to so much information again.
Sure enough, a little glowing dot blinked innocently at him. Nice and close. Perfect.
“Hey,” he said, leaning closer to Hyrule with a conspiratorial grin. “Speaking of really big swords. Do you maybe want to go get a lynel sword with me?”
Hyrule looked concerned for a second, then his face turned awkward again. “Uh, no?” He scanned Wild’s face quickly, then again, and added, “Sorry? I have one already, hah, so- yeah.”
That was fair enough. Wild knew the others didn’t hoard weapons like he did, so it made sense that Hyrule wouldn’t be interested. He shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance. “It was just a suggestion.” He quickly took another bite of stew to hide his expression. He was not going to ruin this by looking too disappointed.
Hyrule nodded again, then looked confused. An exasperated look crossed his face, quickly followed by embarrassment.
“I don’t need one,” he blurted out, “But if you do, I can go with you. Uh, like, for support. Just in case.” He cleared his throat. “It’s important to… stick together. Yeah.”
Oh. Wild beamed, feeling that familiar itch for a good fight. “Oh! Great! And you’ve got to try swinging one, just once, they’re so fun.”
“Sure,” Hyrule offered, a small smile on his face, “just once.”
(When they snuck back into camp later, a new sword tucked into Wild’s slate and a few cuts and scrapes carefully bandaged and hidden, Wild let himself feel vaguely hopeful that he and Hyrule were friends now. He wanted to be, anyway.)
Notes:
I love them so much your honor
Chapter 5: The Excuse
Notes:
for those of you talking about how awkward hyrule (and legend) are, this is the chapter for you!!! hehehe, the plot thickens,.,.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hyrule was nervous about being alone with any of the others. Honestly, he was nervous about being with them in any situation, but especially alone. He just didn’t know what to say! It had never been a problem before, but in a group with seven other heroes, talking was harder for him than taking out monsters.
Time especially was a bit scary. He had a quiet, sure confidence that Hyrule had no way of matching, and was close to being the leader of the group. His opinion mattered in a very real way.
So Hyrule just kept quiet and did his very best to get water while avoiding eye contact, but not avoiding eye contact so much he looked shifty. Which was very difficult, thank you very much Legend, and magical swords didn’t get to judge him about that because they didn’t have eyes.
You’re too tense, Legend said unhelpfully. He’s gonna think something’s wrong if you don’t relax a little bit.
Hyrule tried to relax his shoulders, swinging his arms a little bit. Like this?
Good enough.
Frowning, Hyrule continued to try and walk casually. Good enough? Enough? Was there something he was missing?
Apparently so, because Time chose that moment to speak up, breaking the very uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the two of them. “So, Hyrule. You’ve been traveling with us for a few weeks now, may I ask how you’re getting along with the rest of the group?”
Does ‘fine’ work? Should I be more excited? He asked Legend.
Don’t look too excited, you barely talk to these people. Tell him Wild seems nice, Legend suggested.
“Wild seems nice,” Hyrule repeated, glancing up at Time to see if it was the right answer, then quickly following it up with, “not that any of you seem mean, of course! I- uh. He’s just nice, I think.”
“The two of you do have a lot in common,” Time agreed, a small smile flickering across his face. “I’m glad you’re making friends. This whole adventure is a lot to process, and having people to support you definitely helps. Besides, we can’t work as a team unless we trust each other, can we?”
Wow, Legend drawled. A bit preachy, isn’t he?
Shut up, I need to focus, Hyrule thought, floating it to Legend on a wave of lighthearted exasperation.
Legend sent back the distinct feeling of rolling his eyes.
Oh goddesses, what had Time asked him?
“Trust, yeah. I mean you all are heroes, so why wouldn’t I trust you?” He made eye contact for a moment, then looked away, unable to hold it.
“You would be surprised,” Time chuckled. “The life of a hero is rarely glamorous, as you know.”
Duh, Legend snorted. Literally anyone could have told you that, old man. Even me, and I don’t have eyes.
You don’t need eyes to tell someone something, Hyrule said exasperatedly, you certainly seem to manage just fine.
He nodded at Time’s comment absently.
The phrase is “anyone with eyes could have told you that,” Hyrule, except I improved it because as mentioned, I don’t have eyes, but I definitely knew that.
“... May I ask you something?” Time’s voice was soft, a little cautious.
Pretty sure you just did. It was as snarky a remark as ever, but Hyrule felt an undercurrent of wariness.
“Yeah, uh, go ahead,” Hyrule said, taking Legend’s caution to heart. Legend was rarely wrong.
“While you’ve been traveling with us, I’ve noticed that you tend to… drift, fairly often,” Time told him, slowing to properly turn toward him. “Is there a reason for that?"
Okay. Hyrule took a deep breath. He’d practiced this, he could totally say it.
“It’s part of my magic,” he admitted, letting all of his nervousness show and hoping Time assumed it was from embarrassment instead of wariness. “I can sort of… sense the things around me? And like, small emotions and things. It’s a little distracting, but it’s kept me safe. Like how I knew Sky’s sword was goddess-blessed.” Ever since he’d let that slip, he’d been waiting for someone to ask, and this was the best excuse he could think of.
“I see,” Time said, looking a little surprised. He looked Hyrule up and down for a moment, then nodded and kept walking. “Well, that sounds like a useful talent. You must have strong magic to be so connected to the world around you.”
Good job, Hyrule, Legend said quietly. Now get him off topic. Talk about magic in his era or something.
Okay, Hyrule returned, then shifted his focus to the conversation with Time. “I have to focus on specific things to get it to work, it’s not really that powerful. Was magic different in your time?” The transition felt clunky to him, but he kept the wince off of his face.
Time glanced over at him, his face unreadable, but to Hyrule’s relief, he went with it. “No, strong magic like that is rare. I’ve only encountered it in a few places.”
‘Like that’, Hyrule thought, panicked, is he still talking about me?
You’ve got to calm down, Rulie. Keep breathing, keep him talking. Ask him where he’s seen it.
Hyrule felt a smile creep onto his face at the nickname. It was new, he’d only heard it a few times, and each time he couldn’t help but smile hearing it. No-one had ever nicknamed him before.
“Um, where? Did you encounter it, I mean. If you want to tell me.”
“Mostly with the great fairies,” Time hummed. “The Great Deku Tree had something similar, as well.”
“Interesting.” Well, the fairy thing matched up with some of his spells, he could probably use that, if pressed. “Was it only in your time, then?”
Time shook his head. “No, I’ve seen similar abilities in other eras, always around a great source of natural magic. Or… similar sources, at least. Some entities draw power from other places. Natural magic tends to house the more friendly powers.”
“That’s me,” Hyrule said weakly, “naturally magical.”
Hyrule I need you to talk about literally anything except your own magic.
“Um,” Hyrule said, changing tacks quickly, “weird how we haven’t found water yet, huh?”
“We’ve only been walking for a few minutes,” Time reminded him, though it was in a tone he often used with some of the other heroes - exasperated, but vaguely fond. “And I believe I hear a stream up ahead.”
“Oh, great! Wow, I’m thirsty-” Hyrule said, dodging around a tree to run ahead.
Did that work? How was that? he asked Legend quickly, Ohh, did I mess it up? I feel like I did.
… We can salvage this, Legend said after a moment. It’s… it’s fine. We can work with this.
You’re kind of saying that in the tone that means it’s very much not fine, Hyrule thought back, pacing back and forth along a small section of the stream’s bank.
Legend hummed like struck metal, vibrating with tension and the urge to fix fix fix protect.
Hey, Hyrule said, forcing himself to calm down, you’re okay. You did fine. If anything goes wrong, we can just run.
… Yeah, Legend sighed. Telling him it’s a side effect of your magic was smart. I just… really hope he bought literally anything else you said.
Wait, Hyrule stopped walking, what was wrong with the rest of it?
… Rulie. You cannot be serious.
There was the scuff of a boot on wood, and Hyrule turned to see Time standing next to a tree, giving him a vaguely amused look.
“Sorry, uh. The stream is. Loud?” He winced. Don’t talk about the ‘magic’. “I mean, pretty.”
If Legend had a hand and a face, Hyrule was pretty sure he would be facepalming right now.
“It is,” Time agreed, tossing him one of the waterskins. “And it’s fast, which means it’s safe to drink. Come on, we should fill these and get back.”
Hyrule nodded, taking his word that the stream was safe with a nervous glance backward. From what he’d seen, that held true for most of their eras, but definitely not his own. He’d never had access to so much clean water before. “Yeah. Uh, dinner, and all that.”
Time raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face. “Yes. Dinner and all that.”
Is he making fun of me? Hyrule asked, as he knelt by the stream and started filling waterskins. Did I mess it up again? I heard Warriors saying ‘and all that’ yesterday, I thought it sounded good!
… I think he’s teasing, Legend said incredulously. Holy shit, Hyrule. I think he’s warming up to you.
Hyrule grinned widely. I did it! I told you I could do it! If he had been at home, he would have probably been spinning, or waving his arms around, but he had to just grin and fill the waterskins, waiting hopefully for a rush of affection from Legend.
Great job. Keep it up.
Hyrule pushed a wave of happiness and success down their bond, and then stood up, capping the last of the waterskins. “Um, are you ready to go?”
Time finished filling his last waterskin and stood, nodding. “I am. Let’s go, I’m sure the others are wondering where we are.”
“Good thing we were just at the stream,” Hyrule said, hoping that was nonchalant enough. Nonchalant was a word he’d gotten from Sky, actually.
Time gave him a bit of an odd look, but nodded.
Why is he so hard to get a read on, Legend hissed irritably. I’m going to figure you out, old man, even if it’s the last thing I do.
It better not be, Hyrule joked, even though it would probably take a while. I think he’s weirder than me. Is he weirder than me? It’s possible, right?
That would be an accomplishment for the ages.
Hey! Hyrule grinned again, skipping a few steps, and then slowing down again when he caught Time looking at him, giving him a nervous wave with a hand full of waterskins.
“May I ask what you’re sensing?” Time asked quietly.
Hyrule blinked. He could do this. He could do this.
“There were baby birds here,” he said, smile coming easily to his face. “They were learning to fly. It was funny.”
“I see.” Time’s face was weirdly blank for a moment, and then it softened into a smile. “It usually is funny to watch them, yes.”
Hyrule’s smile widened. He was doing it! He was keeping his secret, and even-
Maybe he was even making friends.
Notes:
thanks so much for your continued support! commenter shoutout to LocusThePocus for their appreciation!!! thanks so much, all of you, we're glad to have you on this wild ride with us!
Chapter 6: The Night Watch
Notes:
some twilight pov for yall! and a little more information for the Chain about their mysterious new member,.,.,.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Night watches weren’t fun. Everyone agreed on that. They were necessary, so they all took their turns without much complaint, but no one liked them.
What really sucked, though, was when you didn’t have a watch, but rather than let you have a night of blissfully uninterrupted sleep, your body decided to wake up anyway.
Twilight mashed his face a little further into his pillow with a muffled sigh. He absolutely refused to accept defeat. Never mind the fact that he didn’t feel sleepy, he was going back to sleep. Judging by the moon, it was only part of the way through second watch, he was not going to give in.
… Goddesses, laying there with his face buried in his pillow was so boring.
For lack of anything else to do, and with the vain hope that he would find something to lull him back to sleep, Twilight pricked up his ears and listened to the world around him.
He heard crickets, little animals scurrying in the undergrowth, a stream a ways off -
… and a voice.
“...you sure? I still think that it’s going to turn out okay. Time stopped being suspicious and everything.”
Twilight stilled, his ear twitching toward the sound. That sounded… close. And familiar. Who was that?
“Yeah, but we don’t know that. I think he liked the thing about the baby birds.”
Hyrule. It took him a second, but Twilight placed the soft voice. Hyrule was talking, more confidently and with more words in a row than he’d ever heard the kid use before. Who was he talking to?
“Yeah,” he could hear Hyrule laugh softly, “but not everyone is as grumpy as you. Some people like to appreciate nature once in a while.”
Someone he knew. Someone he was comfortable with. Someone Twilight couldn’t hear.
“Shut up, I appreciate nature the normal amount. Definitely the average appreciation type. Not my fault I live with so much of it.”
Goddesses, Hyrule sounded so relaxed. If Twilight wasn’t so concerned about who the hell he was talking to, he might be willing to just let the kid have this. He obviously needed it, he was always so high-strung. But something about this was setting Twilight’s teeth on edge, and he’d learned to trust his instincts, so he shifted just a little to the side, cracking an eye open to try and see what was happening.
Hyrule was sitting on the top of the small boulder where he’d seen the first watch (Four) take up his position, looking out into the woods with his sword in his arms, the tip of the scabbard on the stone and the hilt leaning against his shoulder. He was watching the woods, but he didn’t look like he was really seeing them.
Spaced out again?
Sure, Twilight spaced out sometimes too, but that was usually because he was listening to something that wasn’t immediately next to him, or trying to puzzle apart a weird smell. Or thinking, but Hyrule did it way too often for that to be the only explanation for it.
Was… was someone talking to him, when he got like that?
Hyrule sighed. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t help anyone, huh. Sorry.” He glanced down, then smiled softly. “Yeah, I know.”
Twilight almost felt bad for being so worried. Almost. Whoever this was, Hyrule obviously cared about them, but the lack of information was making him anxious.
Leaning back to stretch his arms above his head, Hyrule let out a yawn, then refocused, resting his head on one of his hands. “What do you think about the group, though? I think you were avoiding the question."
Oh?
Twilight forced himself to stay relaxed. Don’t tense up, don’t hold his breath, just pretend he’s still asleep.
Hyrule laughed. “Mean! I’m sure he’s trying his best. You try and lead a group of seven other heroes, see how well you do.”
Hm. This was about Time, Twilight assumed, and as much as he appreciated Hyrule sticking up for his mentor, he felt a little offended on Time’s behalf at whatever this mystery person had said.
“Of course he’s hiding something,” Hyrule continued after a short pause, “I bet there’s no-one in the group who isn’t. We fit right in, huh?”
That one was a little harder to guess. They could still be talking about Time, of course, but his own paranoia kicked in and suggested they were talking about him. Or… literally anyone else in the group. Hyrule had a point.
“I like his cooking,” Hyrule said softly, “and he didn’t make me get a lynel sword when I didn’t want to. I think he likes hanging out with me, for some reason? He tries to be all quiet and nice when he’s talking to me.”
Ah. That was his cub, Twilight thought fondly. Always trying to help. Wild had told Twilight about the little excursions he took Hyrule on - extremely edited versions, Twilight was sure - and he’d looked so excited to have someone he could share that with. It was good to know Hyrule shared the sentiment.
Hyrule shook his head with a small gasp. “Never! I’d- come on, you know me better than that! You’re always going to be my favorite,” his voice turned teasing, “whether you like it or not!”
… Should he really be listening to this?
On one hand, Twilight’s gut was telling him that this was a problem to be fixed, a mystery to be solved as soon as possible. Hyrule talking to the air could spell trouble for all of them, especially if Twilight’s guess about his spacing out was right. But on the other hand… this was private. This was Hyrule relaxed and genuine and vulnerable, and Twilight wasn’t supposed to hear it.
“I’m scared,” Hyrule said, almost too quiet for Twilight to make out, “I’m still scared. I might always be scared, I think. You know I’m not used to people, and- I don’t think I’m doing a good job at all.”
There was a pause, and Hyrule’s slumped shoulders relaxed a bit. “...Yeah. But there’s no way.”
Yeah. No. Forget gathering information.
Twilight shifted, pushing himself up onto one elbow with a yawn that was maybe a touch theatrical.
Hyrule startled, nearly falling off the rock, eyes sharpening and gaze honing in on Twilight as he blinked his eyes a few times as if to clear them. “Twilight?” he asked quietly, nervously, past confidence disappearing, “Um, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Twilight rubbed the leftover sleep from his eyes and yawned again, this one much more genuine. Then he stood, carefully picking his way around bedrolls and the other sleeping heroes toward Hyrule’s rock. “Woke up and can’t get to sleep again, is all.”
“Oh,” Hyrule looked suddenly panicked. “Um, how long have you been trying?” He hurried to add, “because sometimes it takes me a while, you know? To go back to sleep, I mean.”
Twilight nodded, giving him a hopefully reassuring little smile as he stopped at the base of the rock. “I’ve been awake for a few minutes.”
Hyrule’s eyes widened even farther, and his stammering got worse. “Oh! Uh, well, um, I hope I wasn’t- did I wake you up?”
“No, no, you didn’t,” Twilight assured him quickly. “I don’t think you did, anyway, you were pretty quiet. I, ah, I didn’t hear everything you were saying, don’t worry.” A lie, but hopefully one that would stop him from looking so panicked.
“...But you did hear some of it, right?” Hyrule looked nervous, hands twitching on the scabbard of his sword, and he moved his feet around- into a position that was easier to stand from, to run from.
“It’s fine,” Twilight said, as softly and gently as he could. “Really. I’ve got secrets too, we all do. You don’t have to tell us everything about yourself, so long as it’s - you know. Not a danger to the group.”
Hyrule shook his head several times. “Definitely not. Not a danger, definitely a help. Maybe even more of a help than me.”
“I doubt that,” Twilight chuckled. “But it’s alright, then. And… you know, if you ever need someone to talk to, right here, not… wherever that person you were talking to is, I’m willing to listen.”
Hyrule nodded, looking down at the rock, at the grass, anywhere but at Twilight. “Yep. Um, yes. I know that now. Thank you,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
“Just keep it in mind.” Twilight looked up at the moon, sighing. He really wasn’t going to get much sleep after this.
… Time had the last watch.
“Well, I’m probably not going to go back to sleep, might as well make myself useful,” he said with a chuckle, lacing his fingers together and stretching his arms up toward the sky. “I’m going to go patrol around, and I’ll probably be a while.”
“Um, okay.” Hyrule looked away for a second, then glanced back. “Alone? Um, I know you’re- well you’re a hero obviously, I just-” he shook his head as if clearing his thoughts, then paused, gaze dimming slightly. “I just mean, are you going to be okay? Do you… need company?”
Twilight smiled at him, soft and genuine. “I appreciate the offer, it means a lot. But I’ll be alright.”
“Okay,” Hyrule gave him a small, tense smile. “Um, good luck? I’ll be here. Guarding camp, y’know. Like I’m supposed to be doing.”
“I wouldn’t be leaving if I thought you wouldn’t,” Twilight told him, then turned and headed for the woods. If nothing else, maybe running around as a wolf for an hour or so would tire him out enough to sleep.
… Maybe he should have just asked Hyrule who he was talking to.
No, he thought, glancing back to be sure he was far enough away and wrapping a hand around his shadow crystal. If Hyrule wanted to keep it a secret, that was his business. Twilight wasn’t going to push the kid on it, not when he’d seemed that panicked.
He was going to keep an eye on him, though. Just in case.
Notes:
thanks for reading! Comment if you want, shoutout to cake for their long and hilarious comment, I was laughing when I read it! Hope you all have good days, take a stretch break, water, meds, whatever you need if you want to and have been putting it off <3 see you tomorrow!
Chapter 7: The Maze
Notes:
as usual, loving the response we're getting from yall!!!! Makes us very happy. Light warning through, we are straying into angsty, even whumpy territory, so if anyone needs to back out before the next chapter (The Mistake), that's totally fine <3
HUGE shoutout to Mythsee on tumblr, who made FANART (we were screaming in dms for like 20 mins i showed my mom and my partner and my best friend im still riding this high!!) [link: https://www.tumblr.com/mythsee/723471955093864448/the-wondrous-sword-of-legend-chapter-1 ]
Now, I'll let wars (and a little bit of reasonable paranoia) take it away!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Magic wasn’t Warriors’ specialty. He could use it, somewhat, but he didn’t understand it like a few of the others did. He also didn’t carry many magical items - plain metal was good enough for him.
He was quite glad of that decision as he watched the others lose about half of their gear.
“This sucks,” Wind complained, examining the new sword Wild had given him to temporarily replace his own.
“It should be quick,” Sky assured him as he carefully folded up his sailcloth. “We only need to find the center, after all, and according to the locals there aren’t many monsters here.”
Twilight was wrapping something carefully in an extra tunic. “We’ll need to be careful, though, a lot of us aren’t used to fighting without some of this stuff.”
“A good exercise in adaptability,” Warriors said cheerfully, his smile widening at the eye rolls the statement earned him.
Hyrule was standing with his back to the group, staring back the way they came with his sword- usually on his back- held tightly in his arms.
Wild, standing next to him with a plain longsword in his hands, was talking quietly to him. Probably trying to convince him to swap weapons, just while they were inside these ruins, like everyone else was having to do.
Time, staring critically at a pauldron, glanced over to Four. “... If I were to walk in there wearing armor with light protection and repair magic on it…”
“The magic would be useless and might not come back,” Four said curtly. He’d been on edge, too, saying anti-magic places like this gave him a headache. He had assured them he would be fine, though, and Warriors wasn’t going to argue the point. The smithy had proved by now that he knew his own limits a lot better than the rest of them tended to.
“Right,” Time sighed, and started taking the rest of his armor off.
Warriors took pity on him and went over to help. He knew from experience that an extra set of hands made dealing with armor far easier.
When Warriors glanced over, he could see that Hyrule had at least now turned to face Wild, and was eyeing the longsword skeptically.
“It’s only a few hours tops,” Wild told him, holding out the sword. “I promise. And I’ll make sure your sword is safe, nothing’s going to happen to it. You can swap right back after.”
“You know how long I’ve…” Hyrule trailed off, looking between his own sword and Wild’s face. “You promise? Seriously promise?”
“Pinky swear,” Wild said solemnly, shifting the longsword to one hand and holding up his pinky.
Hyrule blinked for a second, expression going vague and confused. Then he refocused, and gingerly wrapped his own pinky around Wild’s. “Okay.”
Wild beamed at him and offered the sword again.
Taking it, blade shaking slightly as it transferred to his hand, Hyrule held out his own sword, staring at it for a second too long before finally setting it into Wild’s hands. “It’ll be in your slate? It’s safe in there?”
“Perfectly safe,” Wild assured him, and like the rest of their magical gear, the sword dissolved into little wisps of blue light.
Hyrule immediately flinched backwards, hands going up to hold the sides of his head, expression distant and panicked. After a few seconds, he looked back at Wild, visibly mastering his fear, and nodded. “Sorry. Uh, thank you.”
“... No problem,” Wild said slowly, concern written all over his face. “You okay? You aren’t like… hurt, are you?”
“Um, headache,” Hyrule said weakly, “it’s fine. I just, I wasn’t expecting it, you know?”
“... Right. Okay.”
Warriors frowned as he helped Time with the last few buckles on his armor. That had been… odd. Suspicious, even, though he tried to fight that particular impulse.
“What is it?” Time asked, piling the armor pieces with a raised eyebrow and a glance over at Warriors.
“... I’ll tell you later,” Warriors decided, hoping Hyrule’s odd behavior would be gone by then and there would be no more reason to worry.
Wild went around collecting the last few magical items, storing them safely in his slate, then took out a sword that was nearly bigger than he was and gave them all a cheerful wave as they headed into the ruins.
Four winced as they crossed the threshold. “This is going to be a nightmare.”
“We’ve barely started,” Twilight reminded him, dropping back to put an arm around their smith’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be that bad.”
Hyrule was shaking his head, a motion Warriors had been registering out of the corner of his eye the last few times he turned his head to check on the group. He paused, and then did it again, face concerned and scared, before looking up to meet Warriors’ eyes and stopping suddenly, giving him a nod and trying far too hard to look casual.
Warriors hadn’t spoken to Hyrule that much, really. Wild was the only one he spoke to with any regularity, and Warriors already knew that as a captain, he could be sort of intimidating to people like Hyrule. But he had the itch to help and protect as much as any of them did, so he let Time lead the way and quietly drifted over to Hyrule.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly.
Hyrule nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Magic field. It’s… a little hard on my senses.”
Except he’d been acting like this even outside the ruins.
Warriors shook the thought away. “Ah, that makes sense. I’m sorry this trip is going to be so rough for you and Four, we’ll get it done as quickly as we can.”
Glancing up at him, Hyrule gave the captain a weak smile. “Thanks. I’ll be fine, though. It’ll be over soon.” He almost sounded like he was reassuring himself.
“Before you know it,” Warriors agreed, giving Hyrule’s shoulder a light pat.
Hyrule must not have seen it coming, because once the hand landed on his shoulder, he flinched sideways, almost smacking into the wall. “Uh, sorry. Yeah.” He kept his distance, though.
Warriors held his hands up in mock surrender, giving Hyrule an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Just… don’t worry, alright? We’ll be through this in no time.”
Hyrule nodded at him, then after a second, nodded again, as if he wasn’t sure the first one had been noticeable enough. His hands were twisting together in front of him, in constant motion.
Concerning.
Warriors moved away again to let Hyrule have some space, but… he wondered. That certainly wasn’t the sort of behavior he would expect from someone who was overstimulated or trying to settle their magic. Hyrule just looked… anxious.
Though it was also possible that he was overthinking everything. Hyrule could definitely be anxious because he was wielding an unfamiliar weapon in a place where he was having trouble using his senses. That made sense, and Warriors wanted to bonk his head against a wall until he stopped seeing patterns where there weren’t any.
Goddesses, he needed to get a grip.
Time led them through the crumbling maze of stone, keeping a hand on the right side of the wall. The most methodical way through, he’d explained, and though it would take longer, that seemed the best way to go about this. Twilight was the most alert of any of them, almost corralling heroes back into the group if they started to drift. It was a tendency Warriors had noticed before, and with most of their group unusually vulnerable, the behavior had ramped up to a level he had never seen from their rancher before.
See, he reminded himself fiercely. Twilight is anxious, too.
Twilight paused suddenly, his hand still on Sky’s shoulder from the guiding nudge he’d been giving the man a moment ago, his ears pricked up. “Something’s coming.”
They all listened, and - there. Snarls, metal on stone. Monsters.
Something brushed against his side, and he turned to see that it was the side of Hyrule’s tunic, the boy pressed closer to the group than Warriors had seen before, and more nervous at the awareness of monsters than he’d ever seemed.
“Hey, don’t worry,” he heard Wind whisper with a grin. “It’ll be fine! We’ve all dealt with monsters before.”
Hyrule muttered something that almost sounded like not alone.
… A reassurance, Warriors told himself. Hyrule wasn’t alone now, he had them to watch his back. Warriors knew all too well how mindsets could be ingrained, despite evidence to the contrary - it had taken him a lot of time and practice to stop automatically issuing orders on a battlefield.
Time drew his borrowed sword, and then a group of moblins rounded the corner.
They had limited room to maneuver here, but most of them had experienced that before. Warriors moved to the front, helping Time fend off the majority of them, and grimaced when he saw the dark stain of the blood. “Infected!”
Four hissed like an angry cat, and Warriors heard the growl of monsters from behind him.
Too many.
He turned, and realized in growing alarm that a few moblins had come up behind them, as well, neatly circling the group.
Hyrule, who was at the back of the group, spun around at the sound and held the line, hands tight on his borrowed sword. Sky backed him up, and then Warriors was out of time to safely watch that fight instead of his own.
He turned back, lashing out at the nearest monster, hoping that the fight would be done quickly. Hyrule was a little too out of it to be fighting like this, though Warriors was confident Sky would be able to keep most of the enemies away from their newest member.
Over the noise of the fight, he was just able to make out Sky saying “Hyrule, careful!” and that didn’t help his worries at all.
It didn’t take them that long, really, to take down the rest of the moblins. Twilight had kept most of his gear, and that along with how keyed-up he had been let him take down several enemies on his own. Time was fighting more cautiously than he typically did, but with his skill and experience, it almost didn’t matter. The others fought around and behind him, and finally, they cut down the last of the monsters.
Sky sighed, wiping the blade of his borrowed sword clean, and Warriors turned at the sound. “Hyrule, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Hyrule said, looking sheepish, “sorry. I missed that one.”
“You seem off,” Sky pressed, in that gentle but firm way of his. “You’re usually a lot more attentive on a battlefield.”
“I’ll do better,” Hyrule said, looking up to meet Sky’s gaze. “Sorry.” And Warriors realized what had felt odd about the conversation so far. About the earlier exchange Warriors had with him.
Hyrule had been entirely present. He’d responded quickly and appropriately to the questions, and hadn’t stared off into space once.
… That was really concerning, actually, Warriors thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Hyrule make it through a conversation without spacing out before. He’d initially thought it was just one of Hyrule’s quirks, something caused by being out in the wilderness alone so often, but…
There was a pattern emerging here, and Warriors wasn’t so sure he could ignore it much longer.
“It isn’t about you needing to do better.” Sky’s voice brought Warriors’ attention back to the conversation. “Just… I’m worried that you’ll get hurt, if you’re off your game.”
Hyrule nodded, looking embarrassed, and then had a very obvious realization. “Oh! I can go back and guard the things instead, and then Wild can help you fight! If I’m off my game, you know. I bet he’ll be more helpful.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own?” Time asked, sheathing his own sword.
“Better than I’d be in here,” Hyrule said, keeping the thread and tempo of the conversation perfectly. Responding immediately to a question, instead of considering it for several seconds first. “This place is… it’s weird with my magic. I don’t like being here.”
Time considered that for a moment, then glanced around at the other adults in the group for a consensus.
Warriors gave him a small nod. He had a nagging feeling that something about this was very, very wrong.
“... Very well,” Time sighed. “Tell him to hurry, we’ll wait for him here.”
“Thanks!” Hyrule actually smiled, a large, full smile that filled his face. “I’ll tell him. I’ll go quickly, too.” He was already half-running back the way they’d come. “Good luck!”
There was a beat of silence as Hyrule ran off.
“... That was weird, right?” Wind asked slowly.
“He’s been acting off ever since Wild put that sword in his slate.” Warriors didn’t want to be suspicious of another hero. He really didn’t. He wanted to be able to leave thoughts of traitors and daggers in his back in the War of Eras where they belonged, not drag them to the present with him. But the pieces of their mysterious newcomer were slotting together into a very uncomfortable puzzle. “He was completely present the whole time we were in here, did you notice?”
Twilight went very, very still.
“... Pup?” Time asked, looking over at him with concern. “What is it?”
“Since the sword went in the slate,” Twilight repeated, a dawning realization on his face. “And he hasn’t spaced out once - that can’t be right.”
Sky was already shaking his head. “No, he’s right. I thought there was something odd about that conversation.”
Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I… I have a theory. I caught him talking to the air a few nights ago.”
That seemed to get Four’s undivided attention. “Talking to the air? What do you mean?”
“He was just… talking,” Twilight said with an uncomfortable little shrug. “And I couldn’t hear whoever he was talking to. They were… they were talking about us. About what they thought of us.”
“And you didn’t tell us about this?” Warriors asked in astonishment. He felt a little hurt that Twilight had known something was wrong and hadn’t said anything.
“We all have secrets!” Twilight sounded oddly defensive. “He told me there wasn’t any kind of danger to the group, so I let it be, but… he was spaced out the whole time he was talking.”
“... What are you suggesting?” Sky asked slowly, his brow furrowed.
Time sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “He’s suggesting that every time Hyrule goes distant, it’s because he’s listening to someone we can’t hear.”
There was a moment of dreadful silence as they all thought about just how often Hyrule went distant.
“... It might not necessarily be anything bad,” Four offered weakly. “I’ve… I’ve seen people talking to… other entities, before. It wasn’t always a bad thing.”
“All the time?” Twilight asked softly. “All the time, Four? Every time someone asks a question?”
Sky made a quiet, wounded little noise. “Is… Is this entity… telling him what to say?”
“Likely,” Time said grimly. “I asked him about going distant, a few weeks ago, and he lied. He said it was due to his magic, and… it was a half-truth, I think, but later on he suddenly got so happy he was skipping, and lied about why. He was very foggy the entire time we were walking together.”
A noise, back in the maze.
They all turned, hands moving to weapons, but after a moment Wild rounded the corner and they all relaxed.
“Hey, Hyrule said you wanted him to switch with me?” he said, confused but eager as always. Then he caught sight of everyone’s expressions and faltered. “... What’s wrong?”
“I just had a thought,” Twilight said abruptly. “Cub, did you get Hyrule’s sword out for him?”
“Uh… yeah? Should I not have?”
Twilight glanced nervously over at Time, then asked “What… what was his reaction, when you gave it to him?”
Wild looked around at them all, his ears folding down a little. “... Uh… He was… happy? Really happy, actually, I think he was still holding it when I lost sight of him.”
“Oh,” Warriors breathed, the pieces suddenly clicking together. “Oh, fuck.”
“What?” Wind demanded. “What is it?”
“It’s the sword.”
Sky sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Oh.”
“What’s the sword?” Wild asked, looking thoroughly lost.
“There’s something talking to Hyrule through that sword,” Time said, his expression that sort of deadly calm that Warriors only ever saw when things were dire. “Something that tells him what to say when we ask him questions, that wants to know what he thinks of us.”
“... Something that doesn’t like Time,” Twilight said, very softly.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“... What do you mean, it doesn’t like Time?” Warriors asked quietly, feeling something terrified and almost angry simmering in his hands and behind his sternum.
Twilight let out a breath, obviously trying to remember exactly what he’d heard. “Hyrule said… he called it mean, and said he was sure Time’s trying his best. And… I hadn’t thought about it, but this is probably important. He sounded… relaxed. I’ve never heard Hyrule that calm.”
“You don’t think…” Sky looked almost nauseous. “You don’t think it’s… controlling him, do you? Or… or influencing him, or something? He’s never calm around us, he’s always… listening to whatever it is, do you think something bad will happen to him if he doesn’t do what it says?”
“I’ve heard stories about magic that can do that,” Wind said, sounding very small.
“I’ve seen magic that can do that,” Warriors said grimly, remembering Cia and the way she could manipulate people.
Wild shifted his weight back and forth, looking conflicted. “I mean… wouldn’t he have said something, if things were really wrong?”
“He never lets go of that sword,” Twilight disagreed. “If that’s really how this entity talks to him, then that means they’re always in contact. He wouldn’t have the chance to say anything, if Sky’s right.”
“So we should operate under the assumption that Hyrule can’t tell us the truth,” Time said, that same steely coldness on his face. “Let’s get moving, we have to clear this maze before he gets suspicious. We can plan our next move as we go.”
They moved through the ruins faster than before, all of them eager to get this over with. On the way, they filled Wild in on the details he’d missed, and hashed out the outline of a plan to handle whatever this was. They only had to pause and fight twice more, and when they reached the center of the maze, it was a matter of minutes to set right the goddess statue that had toppled from time and wear.
As soon as the statue was set back in place in her shrine, Four shivered, blinking rapidly. “Magic’s back.”
“Thank the goddesses,” Wind groaned, “I want my stuff back.”
Warriors looked around critically. This area of the maze was secluded, deep in but not too deep, once you knew the path… a good, defensible point. He usually hated the way he automatically cataloged every area he stepped into, but in this case, it was helping at least a little to calm him down.
“Let’s head back,” Time called, seemingly as eager as the rest of them to get out of there. “We’ve been in here a long time, Hyrule will be worried.”
The thing directing Hyrule would be worried, he didn’t say, but they were all thinking it.
Getting back out took only a fraction of the time as going in. Twilight led them confidently through, and no one really wanted to ask how he knew the way. There were only so many unearthed secrets that they could handle at once.
As they rounded the last corner, though, Twilight held up a hand, his ears pricked. After a moment of listening, Warriors heard it too.
“I know, me too. I… didn’t like being without you, in there. It’s been so long, you know? I barely knew what to do with myself without your help.” There was a pause, and then Hyrule laughed. “It’s true!”
Wild murmured, so softly that there was no way Hyrule would be able to hear him, “He told me he’s had that sword since it was taller than him.”
Time turned to lock eyes with Warriors, a grim expression on his face.
Warriors let out a breath and nodded, feeling the same determination settle onto his own shoulders.
Their newest brother was in danger, and they were going to help him.
Notes:
end notes: seems our boys may be making a little mistake,.,. heheheh,., see you next time >:3
Chapter 8: The Mistake
Notes:
here we are, at The Mistake! Buckle your fuckin seatbelts yall.
This is whump, so fair warning for that.
seriously though, this chapter is HEAVY, theres no shame in skipping it. I'm putting a summary in the chapter notes at the bottom. this chapter involves restraints, psychic violence, and (mistaken) presumed character death.
A reminder: everyone here lives. Everyone here lives, and grows from their mistakes, feels guilty and slowly starts to bond. They do end up as found family. This is the low point, things can only go up from here. Trust us, we wrote it /gen.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It looked like Wild was just as happy to have his slate back as Hyrule was to have Legend. He spent the walk into the shrine mostly quiet (outwardly,) talking to Legend as much as he could, reassuring himself that the sword was still there.
The group had wanted his opinion on the magic of the shrine, and Hyrule was much more confident than before. That, he could do. He had Legend to watch out for him. He could do pretty much anything.
I’m not that powerful, Rulie, Legend grumbled, but there was a hum of embarrassed pride.
I don’t know, Hyrule said, smiling, you’ve always won before. We have. We make a good team.
… Yeah. We do.
There was a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Hyrule startled, turning around sharply and mentally snapping out an upset feeling at Legend, who should have warned him, but then softening. Legend had been distracted too, and that was definitely Hyrule’s fault.
He turned his head to face whoever had tapped him. “Um, yeah?”
“We’re here,” Wild said quietly, nodding toward the front of the group.
Hyrule moved into the room, following everyone else, then approached the carving in the center. “Is this the, um, did you want me to check out the statue?”
“Yes,” Time said, stepping forward with him. “It appears to have been the source of the anti-magic field - when we righted it, Four claimed that magic returned to the area almost immediately.”
“Yeah, the magic’s back,” Hyrule confirmed quietly. He swung Legend onto his back with a rush of disappointment, and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the statue and seeing what he could sense, focusing in on the magic surrounding him.
He frowned, unable to quite unravel the threads of the energy in the room. There was a tension in it, almost thick in the air, an anticipation. Legend? I’m getting some foreboding, you sense anything?
I’m working on it, Legend murmured in concentration. There’s some goddess magic here, I think, but - yeah, it’s a little hard to see with all this -
A hand on Hyrule’s shoulder, the hiss of a knife, and -
And Legend’s scabbard fell, pulled away from him.
Legend! Hyrule pulled hard on their mental bond, spinning away from the statue and opening his eyes- or, trying to spin around, anyways.
The hand on his shoulder shifted immediately to his arms, holding him in place, grip strong as steel. Time’s voice, low and calm and dangerous, murmured “It’s alright. This is for your own good.”
Legend was giving off a steady thrum of confusion and worry. Hyrule?
I don’t know, wait- “what’s going on? Time, what- where’s my sword?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Time took a step to his left, pulling Hyrule with him. “Warriors?”
“Right here.” Warriors stepped in front of Hyrule, a small, tight smile on his face as Time grabbed his wrists in a tight hold. “It’s alright, Hyrule.”
Something was very wrong. He struggled in Time’s grip, but was unused to escaping hylian grasps, unused to escaping heroes. “Let me go!” Legend, he said, panic, near-terror flooding their bond, Legend, help! What do I do?
I don’t - I don’t know, Rulie, I’m not sure - they’re taking me out of the maze, I think? Legend’s voice was getting steadily more worried. Just… just do what they say for right now, okay? Stay safe, I can’t protect you right now.
Okay, Hyrule promised, tears welling up in his eyes, I’ll come get you in a minute, okay?
He turned to glare at Time and Warriors. “Give me back my sword. What’s going on?”
“You’ll get it back in a little while, there’s just some things we need to do first,” Warriors told him.
Time pulled him gently sideways again, then Hyrule’s back hit stone, and Warriors was quickly taking out a coil of rope.
Oh goddesses- Legend! Legend, they’re tying me up down here- what’s going to- are they going to leave me? I don’t-
"What are you going to do to me?” He tried to project rage, but the terror was definitely showing through, tears not quite falling yet, but threatening to, especially with all the thrashing he was going as he tried and failed to free himself.
I - Legend’s voice wavered, just a little. I don’t know. Fuck, Rulie, I don’t know, I’m sorry - i-if you need to fight back you can, I just - I don’t know what’s going on.
“We are not going to do anything to you,” Time said quietly. The rope currently being used to tie Hyrule to a pillar said otherwise. “You’re just going to stay here for a little while. Not long, an hour at most.”
What? Why were they tying him up, if not to leave him here?
“Why? Why do I have to- why are you tying me up? Wh- I don’t know what I did!” Hyrule hated being trapped. He hated it more than almost anything. He’d always been able to run, and it’d saved him almost as many times as Legend had.
They won’t tell me anything, he said, trying desperately to project calm, but he felt his own shock and panic sneaking through.
I need to listen, Legend said sharply, the way he only sounded when things got really bad. They’re talking, they might let something slip.
Thank you, Hyrule thought, closing his eyes in relief. He took a deep breath, then opened them again, glaring at the people tying him up, the ones he had almost let himself trust.
It seemed they might have answered him while he was talking to Legend, because they were looking at him expectantly.
“... So it isn’t a matter of proximity,” Time said thoughtfully. He didn’t sound pleased about that.
“It might be,” Warriors suggested, “they probably haven’t even left the maze yet.”
“Speaking of which,” Twilight spoke up, stepping into Hyrule’s field of vision. His head was spinning, trying to make sense of their words. “You go on, Time, Wars and I can handle this.”
Time frowned, glancing between Hyrule and Twilight. “... Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
After another moment of hesitation, Time sighed. “Fine. Just… be careful about this, Pup.”
Twilight nodded. “We will be, don’t worry.”
With one last glance at Hyrule, Time turned and left the shrine.
Oh goddesses, what were they going to do to him? He reached for his knife, sheathed on his leg, but the ropes wrapped around his hands wouldn’t let him stretch that far. “Proximity to what? Is this- is this about my magic?”
“Not exactly,” Twilight said slowly, glancing to Warriors. “It’s… more about the magic of something else.”
“Twi,” Warriors said warningly.
“He deserves to know something,” Twilight snapped.
Okay, good. Twilight was the one more likely to give him information. Hyrule’s mind snapped into the clear focus he and Legend often shared on the battlefield. Magic of something else. He could stop controlling his tears- Twilight was weaker to the emotions of the group-
Rulie. Legend’s voice sounded - Hyrule would say it sounded panicked, coming from anyone else, but… but Legend never panicked.
Yes? Legend, what’s going on? His head jerked up at the sound, relief flooding through him. What are they trying to do?
They think I’m hurting you. They think - Rulie, they’re going to try and - and cut the bond, I think.
Hyrule’s mouth dropped open. He stared straight ahead, completely missing whatever looks Warriors and Twilight might have been giving him.
…No. No, they can’t- they can’t just- Hyrule shook his head, then glared up at Warriors and Twilight. “He was right. He was right about you, all of you, and I didn’t listen. If you do anything- if you hurt my sword, goddesses damn you all, I’ll never let you rest.”
“What did he say about us, Hyrule?” Twilight’s voice was soft but urgent. “This is important.”
“I’m not telling you anything,” Hyrule snarled, straining to feel anything about Legend’s situation. They can’t do that! We- we’re gonna be okay, right Legend? It doesn’t work like that, right?
I - it shouldn’t, but they certainly seem to think - Legend broke off, then continued in that vaguely distant way where he wasn’t directing the words right at Hyrule. Hey, hey, no, stop - don’t you dare - DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!
Legend! What are they doing to you? Hyrule strained against the ropes again. “Let him go,” he yelled, “stop it!”
Legend sounded - shaky, scared, in a way Hyrule had never heard from him before. They… they unsheathed me and I think - I think I just made things worse, Rulie, I hurt them.
It’s okay, Hyrule offered shakily, we’ll figure it out. It’s gonna be okay, right?
“Hey,” Twilight said softly. “Hey, I know this is all scary. I know there’s a lot going on right now we weren’t able to explain, but it’ll be alright, and -”
“What,” Hyrule said, as calmly as he could, rage still shaking in his voice, “are you going to do? You can’t- you can’t break the connection, that’s not how this works!”
Twilight and Warriors shot each other alarmed looks.
“... Then how does it work?” Warriors asked, his voice carefully level.
“It works when you let us go. Just- stop doing this, pretend you never knew anything. I’ll leave you all be, we can walk away right now. Don’t try this.” He was trying so, so hard to keep his voice level.
Twilight let out a long, slow breath. “Wars…”
“Yeah,” Warriors said quietly. “I don’t think we’re talking to Hyrule right now.”
Hyrule blinked. “What?” then he shook his head, pushing the confusion aside. Not important. “I’m telling you right now, you cannot do this. I need this, I need him.”
“For what?” Warriors demanded. “Why do you need him so badly?”
“Survival!” Hyrule hissed, “Existence, it doesn’t matter, you have no right-”
Twilight shook his head. “Hyrule is our brother, of course we have the right.”
“I’m not shit to you, if this is what you decide to do to me!” Hyrule yelled, feeling the ropes cut into his skin as he kept trying to escape. “I’m not anybody else, I’m not- I’m not possessed, you have no idea what you’re meddling with!”
Hyrule. Legend’s voice was low, still shaky. Hyrule, they’re - they’re going to try and use the goddess sword, I think. I - I’m not that strong, Rulie, I don’t -
“No!” he cried out, in mind and body, “you can’t just-” He cut himself off, lowering his head and squeezing his eyes closed, focusing in on Legend with all the energy and magic he had.
Legend. You are strong enough. You are! Hyrule’s mental walls were crumbling, an ocean of fear sweeping over them. You have to be, he begged, don’t leave me, please Legend, don’t leave me alone!
… I’ll try, Legend whispered. I promise I’ll try. I won’t go down without a fight, Rule, come on, you know me better than that.
I do, Hyrule thought shakily, unaware of the tears that were flowing down his face. You gotta come back, okay? Don’t let them- you’re the Sword of Legend, they can’t- you’re stronger than them. You have to be.
“Hyrule?” Twilight asked softly.
“What?” Hyrule said lowly, voice breaking slightly at the end of the word, “what do you want? You’re taking everything from me!”
“A sword isn’t everything,” Warriors said quietly, sounding pained. “Even powerful ones. I learned that the hard way.”
“Everything I’ve ever known, my whole life is dependent on him! Please-” He cut himself off. He knew already, begging wouldn’t work.
Legend? You there?
Rulie, they have the sword out. Legend sounded almost panicked, now. I - I don’t know what this is going to do to me, I don’t know if this will work the way they think it will -
Hyrule focused everything he had on the bond, into his bond with Legend. Hoping to provide strength, hoping desperately for some sort of safety.
Hoping, as always, that Legend would think of something. That Legend would save them.
It’s - it’s okay, Legend told him shakily. Just… it’s okay, Rulie, even if the bond breaks you’ll be okay. I promise.
No, Hyrule nearly yelled, clinging onto Legend’s emotional signature as close as he could, it won’t be! Legend, don’t leave, you can’t- I’m not strong enough on my own! I don’t know how to be!
Yeah, you are. I know it. Then Legend’s fear flared, ringing like metal on stone. Rulie, I think they’re about to start -
I’m here, Hyrule promised, trying to push strength and magic into Legend’s signature, trying to ignore the taint of terror in it, slowly clouding his thoughts. I’m right here, I won’t let them take you. We won’t let them do this, right?
There was -
A hiccup, almost. A little flicker.
Legend?
Hyrule? Legend’s voice was small. Small and terrified. I - Hyrule - HYRULE -
And then he started to scream.
It didn’t sound like a hylian scream. It couldn’t. It was warped and humming like white-hot metal and it was wave after wave of agony.
Hyrule didn’t notice, but he was screaming too. Echoing Legend’s pain, desperately trying to fill in the cracks growing in the bond, shield Legend from the painful, searing light that was breaking apart their connection.
It wasn’t working. It wasn’t working, and Legend wouldn’t stop screaming.
Legend! He yelled, trying desperately to be heard, to comfort, Legend, I’m here. You’re going to be okay, just- just hold on. You’ll be okay. He was almost unaware of his physical body, too focused on his waning magical energy. He couldn’t keep this up. He was a shield with a time limit, and he was going to break before the goddess sword did.
There was something shaking his shoulder, panicked words muffled behind the roar of magic in his veins.
Hyrule cracked his eyes open, most of his energy still focused on Legend, ears echoing with his screams.
Twilight was in front of him, looking about half as panicked as Hyrule felt. “Hyrule!”
“S- stop,” he managed, slowly closing his eyes again, reaching back into his bond, “you can’t…”
“Hyrule!”
Legend’s screaming warped, wavered, and then got louder.
The thing about screaming the way Legend did it was that there was, really, no limit to the volume. His screams were his pain, they would be as loud as the agony he felt.
Hyrule’s ears rang with them, they echoed in his head. He didn’t think he’d ever hear anything else. “Stop,” he begged, “please,” and in his head, he called out for Legend. There was only screaming.
Whispers, too low to hear over the sound of Legend in pain. The hand still resting on his shoulder shifted to run gently up and down his arm, a pitiful attempt at comfort.
“The sc- the screaming, please- you- can’t you hear him?"
Legend, he begged, Legend, hold on. Just hold on, okay? I- I’ll figure something out. His magic was running dry, and the thin wall holding back part of the goddess sword’s energy crumbled, and broke.
Legend wailed, the sound like metal shattering.
Hyrule screamed along with him, gasping for breath as he felt the pieces of their bond slowly, inexorably, stretch and burn before the impossible heat of the goddess sword. He was pushed out of Legend’s head, inch by inch, and he could see, now- he could see Warriors and Twilight’s horrified faces.
He blinked. “Please,” he whispered, voice cracking, heart racing in pure terror, “Please, you’re hurting him, you-” There was another pulse of energy, tearing them apart, and Hyrule almost shrieked- he called out, as he always did, “Legend! Legend! Stop, you- you’re gonna kill him, Legend!”
Twilight stared at him for another heartbeat. And then he turned and ran.
Warriors made a startled noise and a small, aborted motion like he was about to call after him, then stopped. He looked back to Hyrule, some emotion Hyrule couldn’t focus enough to name swimming in his eyes.
“Please.” Hyrule wasn’t above begging. He wasn’t above anything. He’d do anything for Legend to be safe, for the back of his head to stop being shredded apart. He vaguely registered that he’d slumped over, fully held up by the ropes now, nearly crumpled to the floor. He choked on another sob, and then continued. “Please, just make it stop- stop hurting him-” Another wave of agony rolled over Legend, his screams increasing even further. “I can hear him dying!”
“... Twilight’s gone to stop them.” The words were barely loud enough to be heard over Legend’s screaming, but Hyrule heard them. He jerked his head up to stare at Warriors, who had crouched down in front of him, and - and he looked like he was about to start crying, too. “It’s - it’ll be alright.”
“He’s screaming,” Hyrule mumbled, unable to hear his own voice, “H- he, you have to make it stop, we can’t- he can’t handle it, it’s going to split him in two-”
“I… yeah. Yeah, I know, we made a mistake, I’m - I’m so sorry,” Warriors murmured, and Hyrule vaguely registered the hand carding carefully through his hair.
“S- stop being sorry,” Hyrule managed, around another sob. He could feel the bond fading, feel the energy leaving his body as the life left Legend’s presence. “Fix it. Stop, please he’s- I can feel it- don’t hurt him. He’s the hero, don’t-”
Warriors let out a shaky breath, and then Hyrule was slumping forward into his arms as the ropes holding him were cut. “Yeah. Enough talk, you’re right. Just - just hang on, okay?”
“He’s quieter,” Hyrule said, feeling like his head was going to crack open. “You did it. You won. Let me- go away. Let us sleep. Stop.”
“We’re heroes, Hyrule,” Warriors said gently, and Hyrule had to bite back another sob as his world suddenly tilted. It took him a moment to realize Warriors had picked him up, and another to realize he had started to run. “We don’t get to give up. Come on.”
“ ‘S fading,” Hyrule mumbled, trying to lift one of his hands. Trying to reach out to Legend. He clumsily pushed away from his physical body, grasping to the thin tether keeping him and Legend connected. Legend? Legend, it’s- Legend, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I couldn’t-
And then -
The screaming stuttered to a stop.
There was ringing emptiness in Hyrule’s head, a thread stretching out to nowhere clasped between his aching hands.
“Legend?” he tried, because sometimes when Legend was weak, it was easier for him to hear Hyrule if he talked out loud. “Legend, where are you? What- Legend?”
There was no response. Just that ringing silence, the echoes of Legend’s pain, and the faint golden traces of the goddess sword.
“We’re almost there,” Warriors said quietly.
“Legend,” Hyrule gasped, registering the tears on his face and raising a shaky hand to his cheek. “You… you really killed him. He’s gone.”
“Fuck,” Warriors hissed, and ran faster.
They reached the exit of the ruins a moment later, and there was a chorus of worried voices as Warriors ran outside.
He couldn’t feel Legend anymore, not really, but his head was slanted to the side, laying limply off the side of Warriors’ arm, and he saw the familiar scabbard, discarded in the dust.
Hyrule raised a shaking hand towards it.
“Legend… come back, Legend, stop-” his words were barely a whisper.
“Hey, hey, easy,” Warriors murmured, and a moment later Twilight was picking up the scabbard and sliding a familiar, horribly silent sword into it.
“Please,” Hyrule held out his arms, reaching for the one thing he could never have again. “You… please, can I-”
“Of course,” Twilight said softly, carefully handing him Legend. Or at least, what used to be Legend.
He clutched the hilt to his chest, just like he had been doing since he was young, since that first night Legend had saved him. Clutching him like a friend, like a savior. Like he was the last thing keeping Hyrule afloat.
“Legend?” He called haltingly, “Legend? Legend, come back, please. You’re still in there, right?” His shaking hands felt the familiar pommel and crossguard, his fingers traced the places where he’d worn grooves into the wrapping of the handle. “Legend? That’s not- not funny…”
“What’s going on?” someone asked very quietly.
“I think… we made a mistake.” Time, low and soft.
Sky whispered something too quietly for Hyrule to hear, but his tone was horrified.
“Legend?” Hyrule tried one last time, “It’s me. It’s Link, Legend I’m here. I’m here, you’re here, right? Say it back… Please?”
There was nothing but that awful, awful silence.
His head hadn’t been silent for a very, very long time.
Hyrule’s last thought before he slipped into the grasp of unconsciousness was another helpless call that he knew wouldn’t be answered.
Notes:
Here is the summary of the action:
they take Hyrule into the maze, and steal legend, tying hyrule to a pillar and taking legend outside. Warriors and Twilight stay with hyrule.
Hyrule and legend are panicking back and forth mentally. Hyrule begs to be let go but the others think they can't trust him because he's influenced/posessed.
Four tries to unsheathe Legend and Legend shocks him, confirming to the others that he is a negative influence. Sky uses the cleansing power of the Master Sword on Legend.
There is a lot of psychic screaming (and physical screaming, o7 hyrule.) Eventually, Hyrule says 'you're killing him,' twilight rushes outside and stops the procedure. By this point Legend has gone quiet. Hyrule is cut loose, collapses into wars' arms basically, about to pass out, thinks Legend is dead. They take him outside and give him back the sword and hes like 'you killed him' and then he passes out.
thats basically it lmao skdjfhlkshafkdhskhflkahakjsd
Chapter 9: The Reawakening
Notes:
YOU DID IT! YOU MADE IT! Its all uphill from here, we promise. Now, that doesnt mean there wont be struggles along the way... (ehe) but you're pretty clear as far as whump goes.
Enjoy your legend angst!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He was cold.
Sort of. It wasn’t cold like he knew, somehow, that it should be, but he was cold and he was somehow empty and he was drifting.
Everything was slow, and hazy, and he didn’t really understand. He found that he couldn’t muster the energy to care.
Everything… hurt.
That was wrong, he thought vaguely, and the realization sparked something. Some tiny flicker. He wasn’t supposed to hurt. Why did he hurt?
He was still drifting, still cold and hazy. What had happened? Had… had something happened?
Gold.
Gold, and pain.
He had… something, something important, that he needed to do, but he couldn’t quite catch the thought. He couldn’t remember what it was.
He became aware of a layer of familiar energy, resting over and around him. It was important too, but he didn’t know why. It felt like safety. But it didn’t take away the pain.
It would be nice, if it did, he thought; he didn’t want to hurt anymore.
Slowly, more on instinct than anything, he brushed against the layer of safety.
It paused for a second, then swirled almost dizzyingly, pressing in all around him and exuding worry, apprehension, and boundless joy. It was almost overwhelming.
He pulsed warningly, pulling away - except he couldn’t, really, there was nowhere to go. Not that he could move anyway. Everything was still so vague and slow.
The magic shifted away instantly, hovering around him but leaving space between them. It reached out a small tendril of energy, something warm and calming flooding in.
That was nice. He reached back, letting it curl around him as he drifted deeper. That was enough thinking for now.
The next time he drifted close enough to the surface to think, he felt a little more stable, a little more solid. This time, he remembered hazily what he’d been trying to think of last time.
Hyrule.
A warm presence, a little hero, and -
And hadn’t he been scared?
He reached out again, still syrup-slow. It was a brush more than it was words.
Legend?
It was faint, but familiar. A gentle nudge against his consciousness, hopeful and careful in equal amounts.
He sent back as much of a greeting as he could manage. It was tinged with pain, he knew it was, and he was sorry for it.
Hey, the energy said, it’s good to see you. There was something held back, behind thick walls, and only warmth and comfort flowed through with the words.
He appreciated that. It felt nice, it felt safe, and he was glad to see that Hyrule was okay.
You… a lot happened, Hyrule told him, I’m trying to take some of the pain, but it’s hard. You can go back to sleep if you need to, okay?
Hyrule shouldn’t be doing that. He, of all people, shouldn’t be hurting. He sent his disapproval over as best he could, though he wasn’t really sure how well it got across. He still felt all vague.
At least he wasn’t cold anymore.
I’m sorry, he heard, voice getting softer and further away, if I’m hurting you, I can go.
No. No, that wasn’t what he wanted, he just - Hyrule shouldn’t be taking on anything. He shouldn’t have to.
Okay, I’ll stay. The warmth increased, pushing towards him in waves instead of a smooth flowing motion.
Hyrule must be exhausted, he realized, pushing disapproval back a little stronger. Stop that.
Legend! The relief Hyrule was projecting was so strong it almost hurt, before he gathered it up behind his walls again. Legend, you’re okay! You- his tone changed, but it was a weak shift that Legend saw through easily. Hadn’t heard your annoying voice in a while.
Even sending across that much was tiring. Legend was drifting down again, but he reached out for Hyrule again as he went, holding on like fingers twining together.
Hyrule pressed his energy close, maintaining the connection even as Legend drifted deeper. Holding on.
The third time he came to some sort of awareness, Legend was reaching for Hyrule before he was even fully awake, if awake was even the right word. Rulie?
Legend, he heard, I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.
Why did Hyrule sound so tired?
Legend sent across a weak pulse of are you okay what’s wrong how are you , because real words were still a little much.
Everything’s okay. You held on, Legend. You did it. I’m… I’m proud of you. You stayed with me.
It took a lot of energy, a lot of focus, but Legend managed to scrape together the words You can’t get rid of me that easy.
There was a pulse of shaky humor, likely put together for his benefit. You’re the most stubborn person I've ever met. I should have expected this, but. It was bad, Legend. How are you feeling? You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.
How was he feeling?
… Terrible, actually. Shredded. Distant.
Legend offered Hyrule a vague feeling of pain. It still hurt, and he was starting to suspect that he’d be in pain for a while yet.
I figured, Hyrule said with a mental sigh. Here, let me just-
A small bit of the hurt started to be siphoned off, enough to notice but not enough to make much of a dent in the maelstrom of pain.
Stop that, stop that, Legend hissed, recoiling.
I’m helping! Sorry if I scared you, it’s just healing magic.
Legend didn’t have the energy to properly explain, so he just pushed careful stop take care of yourself at Hyrule and hoped he would understand. He sounded too tired to be worrying about Legend right now.
I’m fine, he heard, a faint sensation of distraction leaking through the fragile new bond Hyrule was holding open. I’m not the one who almost died.
Died.
That was… a weird concept, for him.
It had felt like dying.
Legend shook the thoughts away - there would be time for that later, when he could shield himself from Hyrule again. He brushed against that familiar magic with the faint accusation of liar, liar.
There was a silence from the other side of the bond, magic stuttering, then continuing to flow into him.
I’m sorry , Hyrule offered, and it sounded like despair.
For what? he sent across more than asked.
I couldn’t stop- I didn’t stop them. My magic ran out, and I couldn’t shield you.
Legend could feel his energy flagging, could tell he was going to have to drift again, but this was important, so he pulled together the dregs enough to say It wasn’t your fault.
Thanks, Hyrule said, and his walls crept higher. Just rest, okay? I’ll be here, I promise.
And that, at least, Legend could trust.
The next time he woke up, he could see.
It was almost jarring, being present in the world again, after so long drifting. He took a moment to adjust, sweeping his senses around automatically.
Everything felt… calm. He caught the magical pings of eight heroes, scattered around what seemed to be a forest clearing. There was a fire going.
Hyrule was sitting with his back against a tree, Legend sheathed and resting in his lap.
Rulie? he said quietly.
I’m here, he got back, and Hyrule turned to look down at him, taking the sheathed blade with both hands and clutching it to his chest. I’m here, Legend.
Legend took a second to listen to Hyrule’s heartbeat. Steady, calm. When he looked at Hyrule’s magic, however…
What happened? he asked in alarm, brushing against the frayed edges. Rulie, are you okay?
I got you back, Hyrule said firmly, that’s what matters. Magic returns eventually.
Legend sent across a pulse of worry. Magic overuse was dangerous, and Hyrule knew that. This amount of damage was… honestly a little scary. He’d never seen it this bad.
…You still there? Hyrule called gently, pushing what had to be a tiny drop of his remaining power into Legend.
Stop that, you need your strength, Legend hissed.
The heroes will protect me, Hyrule thought bitterly, they’ve been hovering very carefully for the last few days. I don’t need my magic the way you need your soul, Legend.
Legend felt an odd sort of pang at the word soul. He pushed the thought away to deal with later. I’m okay. Just tired.
Liar, Hyrule said gently, listing his head to rest against the trunk of the tree, turning his face upwards and away from Legend.
It didn’t matter. Legend could still feel the tears in his presence, leaning carefully into his own.
… I’m sorry, he offered very quietly. She was so much stronger than I thought she would be.
You held on, Hyrule said, then repeated, that’s what matters.
He had. He didn’t really remember much after that sword made contact with him, but he remembered fighting. Struggling to stay with Hyrule, to stay whole.
It hurt that he’d failed.
Hyrule was gently stroking a hand down the scabbard, the fingers of his other hand resting in their worn, familiar places on his hilt.
There was a presence approaching.
Legend pulsed with danger danger careful alert before he could even really process it, let alone focus enough to see what the threat actually was.
Hyrule fixed his gaze on the newcomer. “Wild. Has something happened?” His voice wasn’t cold, just wary.
“Other than dinner being ready, no,” Wild said with an awkward little smile, holding up a gently steaming bowl. “I… thought you might not want to leave him, so.”
Hyrule gave him a smile, gentle despite his earlier (and sustained) wariness. “Thank you. I… yeah. I don’t want to.”
“I get it. Not - not exactly, obviously, but… similar.” Wild handed him the bowl, and Legend caught a flicker of energy from it - subtle energy restoration, he was pretty sure. Smart, given Hyrule’s condition. “Just… yeah. I’ll.” He opened his mouth like he was going to say more, closed it, and headed back toward the fire.
“Thank you,” Hyrule called quietly after him. Not enough to be heard at the center of camp, but enough to be sure Wild heard.
Wild shot him a small smile over his shoulder, then turned back to talk quietly to Twilight.
Legend caught an aborted impulse from Hyrule to try and offer the sword some stew.
He sent Hyrule the feeling of an amused snort. That was sweet of him, even though he knew perfectly well Legend didn’t need to eat.
And didn’t have a mouth. That was also an important fact here.
I- Hyrule cut himself off, looking down at Legend with an odd expression. Obviously changing tacks, he said, What do you think we should do next?
Rest. It was both a suggestion and a light scolding. Heal.
You think we can trust them to keep us safe?
Legend hesitated for a moment. Logically speaking, he was in the most danger if they stayed, though he knew Hyrule wouldn’t go so quietly next time they tried anything. But Hyrule took priority, and he was in no shape to go off on his own. Besides…
“They’ve been hovering very carefully,” Hyrule had told him. They’d done all this to protect Hyrule.
Better than being alone, he said quietly.
There was a deep pang of emotion in Hyrule’s presence, and he jerked his head upwards again, impacting the tree with a small thunk.
Careful!
Hyrule sent back a pulse of affirmation, breathing unevenly. Sorry.
“Hyrule?” Wind’s voice, close enough that it triggered another alarmed ping from Legend. He was sitting a little ways off, a bowl of stew in his own hands. “Are you okay?"
“Yeah,” Hyrule said, voice a bit strained. “Fine. Sorry. Just… thinking.”
Wind hesitated, then asked “... About what?”
Nearly dying, Legend snarked very quietly.
“Probably exactly what you’d expect.” Hyrule sounded very tired, all of a sudden.
Wind nodded, his fingers tapping an absent rhythm on the side of his bowl. “... You haven’t told us a lot about him. Which I get! But… what’s he like?”
Hyrule paused, a spark of surprise in his presence. In the small bond Legend could feel him consciously sustaining.
“Snarky,” Hyrule said immediately. “He’s very smart. Knows a lot about battle and tactics.”
“But what’s he like,” Wind pressed.
Hyrule paused. “He’s… protective. And observant, I guess. He’s my oldest friend. And he…” Hyrule’s voice lowered, “he cares about me. A lot, I think.”
Of course I do. On any other day, Legend might not have said it, at least not that clearly. But he was tired, and everything still burned with the remains of golden light, and he was pretty sure Hyrule needed to hear it.
Breath hitching, Hyrule looked down at him, absentmindedly wiping a tear off of his hilt when it fell.
“He’s doing better,” he offered quietly, “he’s talking again, now.”
Wind blinked, surprised, but his expression quickly softened into a smile. “Good. He sounds nice.”
Hyrule snorted. “He hates it when I say that. But it’s true.”
Fuck you too, Rulie, Legend said, and he was too tired to hide the fondness that went with it.
“He’s cursing at us now,” Hyrule said quietly, but with a bit of laughter somewhere in his tone. “He must be feeling better.”
“I’m liking this guy more and more!” Wind laughed, though he quickly sobered again. “I wish I could meet him.”
Hyrule’s hands tightened around Legend’s scabbard. “He’s wonderful,” he said, evading the response he had been prompted into giving, signature flaring with protective energy.
“... I’m really glad he’s okay,” Wind said quietly. He wasn’t really looking at Hyrule anymore.
Hyrule nodded in response. His hands were tracing patterns on Legend’s scabbard again. “I am too. The pain’s getting better, I think.” There was a faint trace of anger in Hyrule’s energy, a whisper of spite. It wasn’t like him.
Wind glanced up at him, startled. “He’s still hurting?”
Looking up, gaze just barely not a glare, Hyrule nodded. “The goddess sword tried to evaporate his being. Just because you couldn’t hear the screams doesn’t mean I couldn’t.” There were cracks building in Hyrule’s fragile mental walls, and a thought leaked through, quiet and pitiful. I could hear them getting weaker, too.
Oh, Hyrule.
“She wasn’t supposed to!” Wind looked legitimately upset, holding his forgotten bowl of stew to his chest like a barrier. “She was supposed to help, we didn’t -”
“Oh, I know,” Hyrule said distantly. “If I thought you’d meant to hurt him, I’d be hunting you to the ends of the world.”
Rulie, Legend said, very quietly. He began pouring a little of his own energy into that fragile little bond, pushing it wider, anchoring it deeper, trying to send across as much reassurance as he could. He was right here. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Hyrule gasped slightly, eyes visibly going distant and head tipping forwards. He focused in on their bond, reaching to hold Legend’s reassurance as tightly as he could, energy sparking around the edges of his presence.
I’m okay, Legend told him, and he would do just about anything to make sure it was true. I’m okay.
Hyrule wrapped around his presence, saying nothing but projecting intense relief, tinged with a faint hint of disbelief.
“... Okay,” Wind said quietly, scooting back a little. He still looked pretty shaken. “Okay, you’re talking. Got it.”
“S- sorry,” Hyrule said, blinking his eyes open, “he was. Um. He just wanted to tell me something. It was important, so I, I went deeper.”
Legend recentered himself, pushing away the vague feeling that he should probably be taking it easy. Hyrule needed him, and he had a job to do, just like always. Hey Rulie. Tell him I said fuck you.
Hyrule laughed. “I’m not saying that,” he said, mental voice echoing slightly over his external one, “be nice to Wind.”
“... What’s he saying?” Wind asked, curiosity overriding the lingering hurt, like Legend had hoped.
Hyrule rolled his eyes, pushing playfully (and very gently) at Legend in his mind. “He told me to swear at you, but he’s just being grumpy. I can tell when he really means it.”
Wind laughed, just a little. “He’d fit right in with Tetra and her crew.”
“...That’s your pirate friend, right?” Hyrule asked cautiously.
“Yeah!” Wind confirmed, beaming. “She’s the coolest.”
“Nice.” Hyrule fidgeted with his hands, looking away. Legend, what do I say now?
Tell him… Legend thought for a second. Joking seemed to be going well, so maybe… Tell him I said I’d make a better pirate than Tetra.
Hyrule shook his head. Stop trying to make things worse, he said with a pulse of humor.
“I’m glad you have a friend,” he said eventually, glancing over at Wind.
“... I’m glad you have a friend,” Wind returned with a hesitant little smile.
Hyrule smiled back, wider than Legend had seen since he’d woken up.
Notes:
thanks for sticking with us! Leave a comment if you feel like it, have a great day!
Chapter 10: The Conversation
Notes:
hey, we get to see how some of the group is trying to resolve things, so kudos to them for that! I want to just remind you all that there is a happy ending, there is no major character death, and any Possible Magical Bullshit will get resolved, I promise. Everyone will be okay. So if anyone starts worrying during this chapter, there are further reassurances in the end notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hyrule hadn’t let go of Legend since the whole… incident. He was clutching the sword even tighter now as he approached the group for the conversation Warriors had asked him to have with them.
He sat down on the ground, out of reach of everyone else, mostly seated on bedrolls, logs, and stones. “So. What do you want to know?”
“One major question, really,” Warriors said. He seemed a little on edge, but no more than he had been every other time Legend was brought up. “How much can - can Legend hear of what happens around you? Or… sense, I suppose.”
Hyrule paused for a moment. Can I tell them?
It can’t hurt. Legend still sounded tired, and there were still faint traces of pain every time he spoke. They were disappearing, though, as Legend carefully built his shields back up, bit by bit.
“Pretty much everything. He sees things I don’t, even.” He can get distracted just like anyone else, though, Hyrule carefully did not say. Strengths were one thing, but telling this group about his and Legend’s weaknesses was definitely another.
“I’m sorry.” Sky said the words like it was physically painful to hold them in any longer.
Hyrule nodded. “I know. You were working with what you knew, and what you thought you knew. Trying to help.”
“No, no, I -” Sky took a breath, let it out slowly, and looked directly at Legend. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry.”
There was a soft pulse of surprise from Legend. … Oh. Oh, they - they’re apologizing to me.
Hyrule was surprised too. What do you want to say to them?
Legend was quiet for a moment, humming quietly with the feeling of considering his options carefully. Then he said … If I ask you to curse at them again, will you?
This time? Yes. Hyrule felt like tears were going to start gathering in his eyes again, but he pushed them down. That response was just so perfectly Legend, and the thought of his days in complete silence in his own head, Legend’s last screams ringing in his ears…
He shook his head. “I’m asking him.”
I want you to say “fuck you for hurting him.” Word for word, just like that.
Hyrule blushed with embarrassment, and stammered for a few moments, before taking a careful breath. “He wants me to say… ‘fuck you for’, um, ‘fuck you for hurting him.’” He stared down at his lap, not wanting to see how the others responded, desperately wishing Legend had said basically anything else.
Wishing he hadn’t been Legend’s first concern. Wishing he’d been strong enough to- Hyrule pushed the thoughts away again.
“If we thought it would hurt him, we never would have done it,” Warriors said quietly.
Hyrule looked to the side, staring at a clump of grass. Examining its short leaves, and trying not to think about anything.
… Tell them I know, Legend murmured. And… and it’s my job to protect you, so they can get in line next time.
Hyrule repeated Legend’s words, still avoiding eye contact. He felt increasingly useless, the thoughts that had been stirring in his head ever since Legend went quiet spiraling around him.
“There will not be a next time,” Time said, calm and serious as ever. “Not like this.”
“I think we can all agree that the next secret someone assures us is harmless should be left alone,” Four drawled.
Twilight sighed, long and loud. “Hear, hear.”
Hyrule nodded absently. He just wanted this conversation to be over. He wanted to curl up in the crook of a tree branch and cry. He wanted to just stare at the stars with an empty head and nothing but his own thoughts.
For the first time, Hyrule wanted to be alone.
… One more thing, Legend said quietly, and then you can tell them I’m tired again or something. Okay?
Okay, Hyrule said, holding his mental walls up firmly as he could. “Legend wants to tell you something else.”
… Tell them “thank you for trying to protect him, anyway.”
Hyrule stared at the ground, eyes widening.
He’d known, really. He couldn’t blame Legend for knowing what Hyrule had only just begun to suspect. But to make him come out and say it?
His face screwed up, tears of shame welling in his eyes. He tried to open his mouth several times, only finally managing a sob, which he quickly muffled by stuffing his arm into his mouth, moving his other hand up to shield his face, Legend falling sideways to lean against the inside of his shoulder.
Hyrule? Legend sounded alarmed.
Hyrule sat there and shook, letting the feelings hit his walls and slide off. Desperately trying to regain composure, to shore up his defenses.
Talk to me, Rulie, what’s wrong?
There were several worried voices from the heroes around him, some gently calling his name and some asking if he was alright.
Hyrule pressed his hands over his ears, rocking slightly forwards and backwards, but the dreadful energy flooding his body wouldn’t leave. It just splashed around like toxic stream water, burning everything it came in contact with.
He couldn’t even handle a conversation. Legend was right, they were all right. He’d just been too blind to see it.
Hyrule had to tell them.
“Legend’s the hero,” he choked out, “ not me.”
Rulie, what the hell are you talking about? Legend asked, with a pulse of genuine confusion. What’s… That isn’t true, and what does it have to do with literally anything?
Warriors spoke up, too. “What do you mean?”
Hyrule lifted teary eyes to look at him. “You all know. Talking about me like I'm something to be protected- ” Hyrule cut himself off, pushing down his anger. They didn’t deserve that, that was his problem. He took a shaking breath. “I’m sorry. But it’s true. He helps me in battle, he guides me, I don’t even remember life without him!” Hyrule deeply, desperately wished that he had been the sword, and Legend the hylian. Maybe things would have turned out better.
… Rulie, no. Legend’s voice was shaky, and there was an odd note in it that Hyrule couldn’t identify right away. After a moment, he hesitantly labeled it grief. No, you don’t want this.
Hyrule wanted to scream. He wanted to beat his fists against the ground like the useless child he was. You don’t deserve it. You deserve a body. You deserve to be a person.
And so do fucking you, Legend shot back, ringing with that thing that might have been grief.
“... We all received help on our journeys,” Time said carefully. “That doesn’t make you less of a hero.”
Hyrule closed his eyes. He could feel his throat closing up, and he pushed Time’s words out of his mind. You deserve better. You’re the hero. I was- I was always just some kid.
And Hyrule grabbed his mental walls and forced them together, shoved them into a ring, a circle. Pulled them in around himself and shoved his magic outside as much as he could, focusing it on keeping their bond connected, making it strong, even just for a short while.
He could barely feel his body slumping over, barely hear the startled shouts around him, or register Legend’s panic.
He curled himself tightly in his mind, and covered his presence with thick shields. It’s better this way.
Hyrule knew, somewhere, that he didn’t have enough energy to keep the bond strong. That he couldn’t keep this up forever, couldn’t just leave his body lying empty on the ground. But that was a problem for later.
Hyrule closed his eyes, and sank into comforting darkness.
Notes:
Shoutout to Mika_13 for their lovely comments! I always look forwards to them :D
second reminder: hyrule is fine. He is taking a break, he just needs a minute. This is the mental equivalent of going into your room and locking the door. He will be back, I promise.
thank you so so much for all the love we've been getting on this fic! It is something we poured a lot of energy and love into, and it is so so so wonderful to see that it gives back to you all too. Thank you for going on this journey with us!
Chapter 11: The Discovery
Notes:
welcome back to I Promise No-one Is Dead!!! please enjoy this chapter, i cant wait to see yall scream in the comments.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Four watched in shock as Hyrule slumped, boneless, to the ground, the sword clattering down with him.
Twilight was up and running over in seconds, gently shifting Hyrule enough to check his vitals and see if anything was obviously wrong, and Wild was right behind him, slate in hand just in case.
What just happened? Green asked worriedly. He wasn’t panicking hard enough to pass out, was he?
I don’t think so! Red sounded significantly more panicked.
Vio sighed. Calm down. Twilight doesn’t seem to be finding anything wrong, so it’s likely -
Hyrule twitched, suddenly, in a way that didn’t look entirely… right. His whole face scrunched up, then relaxed, and then his eyes flew open. “Hyrule!”
Twilight sat back on his heels, his hand hovering over Hyrule’s shoulder. “... Hyrule?”
“No, I - I’m -” Hyrule tried to sit up, but it didn’t look like his limbs were cooperating. Wild hurried over to help him. “What the hell did he do?”
“Breathe,” Twilight said in his nothing is fine but I have to stay calm voice. “Just relax.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking relax,” Hyrule spat, and oh.
Oh, that’s what just happened.
“That’s interesting,” Four murmured in surprise.
Several pairs of eyes snapped to him in varying degrees of alarm and confusion.
“Oh, is it? Is it interesting?” Hyrule - it wasn’t Hyrule anymore, Four was almost certain - asked with a touch of hysteria. “I’d like to be less interesting. Right the hell now. And I would like to stop having a heartbeat, this is so awful.”
Well, that clarified a few things.
“What do you mean you want to stop having a heartbeat??” Twilight demanded worriedly, and Four could see the train of thought and where it would inevitably lead.
We’ve done this song and dance before, Blue grumbled, and it was terrible.
Agreed. Let’s not do it again, Green suggested.
Four stood and crossed quickly to not-Hyrule - maybe-Legend - and shoved Twilight as gently as he could out of the way before sitting down cross-legged in front of him. “Legend, you need to calm down.”
“I’m fucking trying,” Legend in Hyrule’s body spat.
“What the hell,” Warriors hissed.
Wild looked like a deer in the headlights. “What?”
“... That… makes a lot more sense, actually,” Twilight said a bit faintly.
On Vio’s suggestion, Four held out his hand, palm facing Legend. “Let’s try something. Put your hand against mine.”
With a few false starts, Legend did. It seemed he didn’t have a lot of fine motor control while essentially puppeting his friend’s body - understandable.
Four gently pressed against his hand. Legend automatically copied him, pressing back. “I’m guessing you’re not used to any sort of physical sensation, so this is just to help ground you. Focus on how this feels and take a few deep breaths.”
Legend hesitantly followed his instructions, taking slightly deeper breaths and pushing a little harder against Four’s palm. “... Having a body sucks.”
“It does,” Four agreed. “Especially when you aren’t expecting to have one.”
“... How did he do this?” Legend whispered, something worried and hurt in his eyes. “I can’t… he’s still there, but…”
He isn’t used to having an expression, Green realized. He doesn’t know how to hide anything.
“If he’s still there, then he’ll be back,” Four said matter of factly. “He probably just needed space and didn’t know how else to get it.”
Legend shook his head. “He said it was - it was better this way and now I can’t talk to him. What the fuck did he mean I’m the hero - ”
“I think,” Four said on Red’s suggestion, “that he’s going through a lot right now and doesn’t know what to do about it. People do weird things when they feel cornered."
That got a short, bitter laugh out of Legend. “Yeah, Rulie especially. He hates being trapped.” Then his face twitched like he hadn’t meant to say that.
“... Do you know how long you can keep this up?” Four asked carefully.
Legend shrugged. “I don’t know. Rulie’s stubborn, and he’s the one holding this connection open, so… until he properly passes out, I guess.” His expression darkened. “I’m going to have a talk with that kid about his magic use, he needs to be resting , not pulling stunts like this -”
“How drained is he?” Time asked, leaning forward slightly, his brow creased in worry. “He’s been a bit lethargic since the maze, and I was wondering how much of that was worry about you and how much was magical exhaustion.”
Legend’s eye twitched. “Oh, has he?”
How the fuck did anyone ever think this guy was dangerous? Blue demanded. Does he ever think about anything except Hyrule?
I think it’s sweet, Red chipped in.
“I have some stamina potions, if that’ll help?” Wild offered.
“No,” Legend said with a sigh, taking his hand back. “Stamina and magic are related, but not the same thing. It won’t help enough to justify using up a potion. If we stop in an era with magic replenishing potions, though, those would be great.”
“How much magic do you think he has right now?” Four asked, shoving down the urge to talk shop with Legend about magic. There would be time for that later, hopefully.
Legend’s eyes went distant, just like Hyrule’s did, and he hummed thoughtfully. “... We’ve got a while, I think. He’s walled off pretty completely, so I can’t get a great read, but I’d guess at least ten minutes, since… I think it’s less of a trapping me in here and more of a holding the door open, so it’s less energy intensive.”
“... Wow,” Wind said, blinking in surprise. “He wasn’t kidding when he said you were smart.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fucking amazing,” Legend spat. “Just - I don’t want to… leave him empty. So. I guess I’m here until he runs out of energy.”
Time made a thoughtful little noise. “Well, then, if you’ll be here for a while, this seems like a good opportunity to learn a little more about you.”
Legend rolled his eyes. “Goddesses, you’re worse in person.”
“Hey,” Twilight said, a little weakly. “He isn’t that bad.”
Legend turned to give him a very pointed look and a raised eyebrow. “You’re lucky I've met some shit heroes in my time, rancher, or your old man would be bottom of the list.”
“What do you mean by that?” Warriors asked, his tone neutral in a way that told Four he was struggling to keep his voice even.
“I’m the Sword of Legend,” Legend said with a shrug. “I’ve had a lot of wielders over the centuries.”
Centuries.
Something soft and fond flickered across Legend’s face. “... Rulie’s the only one who’s stuck with me when the adventure was over, though. He’s been the best, too, but don’t tell him I said that, he’ll get all weird about it.”
“Powerful weapons can be… intoxicating,” Warriors said quietly, sounding almost pained. “They can make even good people blind to what’s important.”
“And the sort of people who go after powerful weapons don’t care about what’s important in the first place,” Legend snapped. “Like I said. I’ve seen some shit heroes. They don’t deserve their titles, they don’t deserve -” he cut himself off with a frustrated little noise.
“How did people who shouldn’t be heroes end up with a hero’s sword?” Wild asked, looking confused. “You hurt Four back at the maze when he tried to pick you up, and the Master Sword hurt me when I tried to pick her up and she didn’t think I was worthy yet, so why did you let them wield you?”
Legend went very quiet for a moment, staring down at his hands. Hyrule’s hands. “Didn’t have a fucking choice, did I? People were getting hurt. I was a weapon that could stop it, but I couldn’t do it without a wielder. Simple as that.”
That sounds like a hero to me, Red said very softly.
A sword can’t be a hero, though, Green pointed out. He didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Vio hummed thoughtfully. The Master Sword has a spirit, and she isn’t a hero. She resonates with us, but she isn’t a hero herself. She doesn’t have our spirit.
“And anyway, it’s not like I had bonds with them like I have with Hyrule,” Legend continued with a stiff sort of shrug. “They didn’t want a connection like that, and - you know, it’s not something that can be forced. That’s why, uh… well. I think that’s why the whole separating me from Hyrule thing was so…” Legend swallowed, hard, and deliberately skipped the end of that thought. “You can’t really break something like that by force, either, so…”
“If you can’t break a bridge, break the mooring,” Time said quietly.
Legend nodded, a stiff, jerky movement. “Yeah.”
“Why wouldn’t they want to be connected to you, though?” Wind asked with a curious little tilt of his head. “You seem cool!”
“They didn’t want me to be cool, they wanted me to be useful.” Legend ran his thumb over a scar on Hyrule’s hand - a little silver line on his knuckle. “I’m a sword, after all, that’s what I’m for. I have a job to do.”
Wild made a soft, almost wounded noise.
“Wild?” Twilight asked, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”
“You… you don’t have to be what everyone else wants you to be, even if you have a job,” Wild said, stilted and slow and painfully genuine. “You can do your job your way. I-I… I had to do that, and it’s hard, but…”
Legend was already shaking his head. “You’re a hylian. It’s different for you. You’ve got, like… a life, and a body, and the ability to walk places on your own. I’m a sword, I’m literally a tool. It’s… I don’t get to choose like you do. And that’s okay, I have a job and I’m good at it.”
Some things aren’t adding up here, Vio murmured. If he’s only a sword, why is he so…
So alive, Red finished.
“I was good at being a captain,” Warriors pointed out gently. “That doesn’t mean I enjoyed it, or that it was good for me.”
“You know, maybe Rulie had a point about not wanting to talk to you people,” Legend spat, bristling like Blue did when he felt too vulnerable.
“Then let’s talk about something else,” Four suggested, like he always did when Blue got like this. “What do you want to talk about?”
Legend blinked at him in surprise. Then he frowned a little, staring down at that little white line on Hyrule’s knuckle. “... How did you all meet? Not the edited version, I heard that one already, I mean what really happened.”
“Warriors walked into a doorframe,” Wind said with no hesitation or regret.
Legend barked out a laugh, sharp and loud, and Four watched with a bit of pride as his prickly defenses started to lower again. “Oh, this I’ve got to hear.”
Wind eagerly launched into the full story, sparing no details - and definitely not sparing Warriors’ pride, the man looked like he wanted to curl up under the nearest rock and die - much to Legend’s amusement.
Legend had a sharp, witty sense of humor, they learned; he gleefully added commentary to the story, offering little quips and one-liners. No wonder Hyrule had smiled and laughed so often before the maze, if this was what he was listening to all the time.
“Hey,” Wild piped up as Wind brought his story to a close. “How did you and Hyrule meet? All Hyrule said is he found you when he was little.”
There was a beat of hesitation, but then Legend’s hand drifted to the hilt of the sword next to him - the sword that was him, the sword he wasn’t in right now, the sword he’d been in for centuries, evidently - and he sighed. “I… don’t know all the details. Things are a little fuzzy that far back. But, uh… Like I said, most of my wielders used me for their adventure, or their battle, or whatever, and then they found a good spot to leave me for the next person. And… I guess at one point, they didn’t tell anyone where I was. I went sort of… dormant, I guess is a good word, for a long time. And when I woke up…” He shrugged. “There was a kid named Link in front of me.
“I could’ve stayed quiet, I guess, but he didn’t even need me for anything yet. He was just a kid trying to stay alive.” Legend ran his fingers along the worn leather of his own hilt. “So I helped. And he stuck with me.”
“How old was he?” Sky’s voice was soft.
Legend sighed. “I don’t know. Rulie doesn’t, either. Maybe… ten? Ish? A little younger? I was still remembering how being awake worked, Rulie doesn’t know his birthday, and he’s always been kind of small for his age, so. You know.”
This is sad, Red murmured, unnecessarily. All the colors could feel the heartbreak radiating from him.
He’s talking about himself like he’s not alive, Green said quietly, his tone a little sad and a little angry. He’s using phrases like waking up and staying quiet , and then he turns around and says dormant and he didn’t need me for anything. Like he’s a thing.
Technically, if he’s a sword, he would be a thing, Vio said slowly. But… you’re right, I think there’s more to this.
“But yeah, after that, Rulie and I started traveling around, we saved Hyrule, ran into you,” Legend said with a shrug. “Sunshine and rainbows for all, hooray.”
“... Can I ask what it’s like, being a sword?” Four asked, no longer able to help himself. Vio was too curious. “How do you hear? And you can obviously see, at least to some degree, how does that work?”
Legend blinked. “Uh… Well, I don’t know exactly how it works, it’s a little hard to test, you know. But, uh, with this right here as a contrast… I hear pretty much the same way, just… I don’t know, more full? More round? There’s more to it, I think it’s just the way I process things. I’ve got a good sense for magic, that’s a good chunk of the vision, but uh… I don’t know, the rest of it is kind of… similar to this, sort of, but a little sketchier. That’s the best word I’ve got.”
“Fascinating,” Four breathed. “Do you have blind spots?”
“... Uh.”
“Alright, smithy, let’s not interrogate him,” Time sighed. “Legend isn’t asking us about every detail of having a body, don’t ask for every detail of being a sword.”
“Alright,” Four said, a little reluctantly.
… He’s right, Vio whispered.
What, that we shouldn’t interrogate him? Green asked, confused.
No, that Legend isn’t asking us about having a body. Wouldn’t you expect him to? He was startled to have a heartbeat, Vio pointed out. I, personally, would expect him to be far more confused and disoriented by this experience. But once he got over the shock, he seemed… functional. Oddly so.
Red made a curious little noise. You’re right, that’s kind of weird. I wonder why.
… I have a theory. Vio’s voice sounded a little strained. I think… I think I will keep it to myself until I have more evidence. But… I have a theory.
Legend was blinking rapidly, swaying very slightly where he sat. “Oh - oh, I think… Rulie’s about out of energy, I think. I feel… Wow, that’s a little weird, I feel tired.”
“Do you want to go back to the sword before he passes out?” Twilight asked.
Legend shook his head, looking for all the world like a sleepy child determined not to fall asleep. “No, I’m… I’m gonna stay with him.”
“Okay. Here, let me -” Twilight helped Legend settle the sword in his lap, then sat down next to him, putting a very careful arm around his shoulders. “So he doesn’t hit his head when he passes out.”
“You guys are… are nice to him,” Legend mumbled, leaning heavily against Twilight. “That’s… good. That’s good.”
“He’s one of us,” Twilight said simply.
“If this makes me pass out, too, and he’s awake first, tell him… he’s a hero, because I said so, and I’m older so I know what I’m talking about,” Legend mumbled into Twilight’s shirt, the words ever so slightly slurred.
Twilight smiled fondly down at him. “Of course.”
Aaaand Twilight claims another one, Blue drawled.
Green snorted. I’m surprised it took him this long, really.
Legend’s eyes fluttered closed, and he slumped the rest of the way against Twilight, out cold.
“Well,” Time said mildly. “That went well.”
Notes:
this chapter is dedicated to the Stardust Server people who, immediately at the end of the last chapter, crafted 'an AU where legend takes hyrules body after The Conversation'. We were screaming in dms the whole time about this. stardust really does share one braincell
Thanks for reading!!! next time: hyrule and legend have a Talk Tee Em
Chapter 12: The Realization
Chapter by ImperialKatwala
Notes:
a well-needed conversation between our lads! And maybe a few lil revelations along the way,.,. ehehehe,.,.,.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INCREDIBLE BLADEGEND FANART we've been absolutely losing our MINDS over it, i (polynomialpandemic) literally made a tumblr for this just so i could reblog it ;-; im going feral over here ive shown the art to my partner, my best friend, my mom,.,. cant stop thinking about it
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Legend was tired.
Of course, he’d been a little tired ever since -
- gold, heat, searing pain -
Ever since the maze. But that he could handle, that he could deal with and shove away until Hyrule wasn’t paying attention. This?
Having a body was exhausting. He’d forgotten - no - no, he hadn’t realized how tired it would make him. How much work it was to breathe, to keep his heart beating, to be living. And added onto that Hyrule using up all his magic and passing out…
Legend was tired. He should really be resting, as much as he could rest as a magical sword and not a hylian who could sleep. But Hyrule was still sleeping, and so Legend was still watching, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Eventually, Hyrule stirred, the hilt of the sword sliding down off of his shoulder as he shifted, cracking his eyes open and groaning uncomfortably.
Legend? he asked, because that was what he always did.
Why did you do that. Legend tried to keep the exhaustion out of the words, the lingering pain, the worry . Maybe even a little bit of anger. He was pretty sure he hadn’t done a good job.
Hyrule’s eyes widened. “Shit," he said, mental voice echoing over his external one. Oh, yeah. That. His face flushed with embarrassment, but not in a positive way, frown growing and hands coming up to hug himself.
Please just fucking talk to me, Rulie, Legend sighed. He missed his friend. He hated not knowing what was happening, feeling like he was making mistake after mistake and getting nothing back about what he was doing wrong.
Sighing, Hyrule picked the sword back up, holding it lightly and uncurling so his hands rested on his knees. …I didn’t mean to scare you. I- everything was just too much.
Yeah, that was Four’s guess. Legend hesitated, just for a second, then asked quietly … Why didn’t you say anything? We could have said I was tired, or - or something, why didn’t you tell me you needed an out?
I didn’t know until I was breaking down, Hyrule thought, shame clear on his face. I thought I just needed to push through, honestly, and that I’d stop overreacting. That… didn’t end up happening. Sorry.
Overreacting to what, Rulie? You’ve been… you’ve been weird for days, and I get that I scared you, it scared me too, but this is… more than that, I think. Legend trailed off, not quite sure how to word the gnawing suspicion he was starting to get.
You did scare me, Hyrule admitted quietly, but that’s not- I’m not mad at you, I just. He took a deep breath. I realized a few things about myself. How I’d been behaving. And I’m working on them now.
What, so I’m just not allowed to do my job anymore? Legend snapped, the anger suddenly flaring. It was irrational, he knew that, it didn’t make sense to be mad at Hyrule, but…
Hyrule projected genuine confusion, looking over to focus on the hilt of the sword. What do you mean?
It’s my job to protect you, Rule, I can’t do that if you don’t talk to me! We’re - we’re supposed to be a team, I thought - Legend snapped off that thought before he could follow it any further.
Gasping, Hyrule hurried to reassure him, voice slipping out audibly as well as internally. “We are! I promise we are, I just…” I- he covered his face in his hands and took several breaths, then carefully looked just to the side of Legend’s crossguard. I realized how much I’d been… relying on you is the wrong word, but… I noticed that you were always the one to protect me. And when you were hurting, I failed. I couldn’t do anything. He took a shaking breath, then continued. I thought about everything you’ve given me, and then everything I’ve never given you. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about it.
It was Legend’s turn to project confusion. What the hell do you mean, everything you’ve never given me? Rulie - I don’t think you get how much you’ve done. Not just all the hero stuff, I mean for me.
Hyrule blinked, confused. Legend could feel the faint hope swirling in his cloudy emotional signature. I gave you a friend, you’ve been saving my life for years. You… You literally raised me! And I just, when you were- It took Hyrule a moment to be able to even think the words. I thought you’d left before I could even tell you how much you helped me. How much you mean to me. That’s all, I just… I freaked out a little. Sorry.
… Rulie, did I ever tell you what it was like for me, back in that shrine?
Shaking his head, Hyrule moved to brace his arms on his knees, then rested his head on them, one hand still idly tracing patterns on the sword’s pommel. I don’t think so.
Legend tried his best to gather himself. He didn’t like thinking about it, really, but this was for Hyrule. He could do just about anything for Hyrule. It was… dark. And cold, in a really weird way. And I was just… floating. I used the word dormant, yesterday, I think that’s the best way to describe what was happening.
Okay, Hyrule thought, listening carefully. Focusing his energy on Legend’s words, but careful not to surround him with it.
… Hyrule, I think if you hadn’t come and picked me up, I would have stayed that way forever, Legend said very quietly.
Hyrule’s eyes widened as shock flooded his presence. Oh goddesses. They really wouldn’t have- someone would have found you eventually though, right?
Maybe. I don’t know. Not for a long time, I’d guess, if they ever found me at all.
There was a rush of sympathy from Hyrule’s side of the slowly-healing bond, washing over him carefully like the ripples at the edge of a stream.
Just… I need you to understand what would have happened if you hadn’t become my wielder, Legend told him softly. Because I think about it sometimes, and… and even if someone else had found me, they wouldn’t have - they wouldn’t have stuck with me. They would have put me right back when they were done with me.
Hyrule ducked his head, slight impressions of disbelief leaking through the cracks in his walls. I’m sorry. But wouldn’t- sorry, nevermind.
What is it? Legend pressed. Hyrule was talking, he was listening, they couldn’t stop that progress now.
I just… wouldn’t someone have come back for you then, too? I know you would have had to be dormant for a while, and I know that was bad, but someone else would have come, maybe. And- He felt a burst of frustration. Anyone could have saved you. And if they’d been an adult, a real hero, who knows what they could have achieved. Could have given you.
Something in Legend snapped.
Hero of Hyrule, you listen to me, he snarled. You tried to fight a fucking goddess for me! You save people, you help people, you - you talked to me. I don’t fucking want another wielder, you fucking idiot, you said you were going to choose me and let me choose you, too!
There were startled tears on Hyrule’s face. He grabbed the scabbard, bringing the sword close. I am choosing you! I would always! I just… I wasn’t sure it was fair for you to have to choose me. That’s all.
I didn’t have to do shit, Legend hissed. A bond like this is fucking mutual, Hyrule. It can’t be forced and it can’t be broken with anything short of a fucking miracle.
A curse, Hyrule thought faintly. Legend wasn’t sure if that was supposed to slip over. That was no miracle.
Whatever! Divine intervention, whichever way you want to look at it. I’m not going to sit here and let you tell me you aren’t a hero when you’re the most worthy person who has ever picked me up.
Hyrule’s face was completely shocked, maelstrom of emotions stuttering to a halt. Legend could feel him going to ask variations on are you sure several times, but each time Hyrule backed off.
Okay, he finally responded, slightly blankly. I’ve. I’ve always trusted you. What’s one more thing? Hyrule smiled shakily. It didn’t quite still the emotions starting to swirl up in him again.
Great, Legend sighed, letting himself relax just a little. Fantastic. Glad we’ve worked that out. Next thing, don’t ever wall yourself off like that again, okay? If you need space from me, fine, but you were - empty. Don’t do that.
Hyrule’s eyes widened. “It worked?”
… Hyrule what the hell do you mean it worked.
Hyrule was sitting up straighter, full of nervous, excited energy. Did you do it? Could you use my physical body?
Legend suddenly got the feeling that this was very, very dangerous.
Hyrule was… honestly, he felt a little desperate. Four’s words came back to him, doing very little to make him feel better: People do weird things when they feel cornered .
But this was Hyrule. Legend didn’t want to lie to him. He’d just… have to be careful.
… Yeah, he said cautiously. It sucked.
It did? Hyrule let the hilt of the sword rest against his shoulder so his hands could fidget in his lap. I’m so sorry, I thought- yeah, that was probably really overwhelming, huh?
I forgot how distracting it is to have a heartbeat, Legend grumbled. How the hell do you focus with that going on in your chest all the time?
There was a pause. Hyrule’s fingers froze in their positions, and then his hands started to shake slightly. He lifted fingertips to brush against the hilt of the sword. Legend… Legend, what do you mean you ‘forgot’? Have you… were you a person? Like, a hylian, or something?
Legend froze.
… No. No, that was - that was impossible. He’d been alive too long. He was a sword, he didn’t have - he wasn’t a person.
I can hear you panicking in there, Hyrule projected gently, it’s okay if you don’t know. Or, don’t remember.
He wouldn’t have forgotten something like that, would he?
… Hyrule, he said, very quietly, too terrified of the implications to even try controlling what came across, when… when that sword was pulling me apart, why - why did I think I was going to die?
Hyrule’s hand stilled on his hilt. “Maybe because you were,” he whispered. Maybe because you knew what dying felt like, from sometime before.
How do I know what dying is like? Legend whispered. Rulie, I - I shouldn’t know that. I should not know that, swords can’t die.
Neither should I, Hyrule thought, but sometimes… people get close. Legend, I think you know that because you used to not be a sword. His tone got more excited, although still quiet out of probably respect for Legend’s current crisis, Remember how you said you’d been dormant for centuries? And it took you so long to wake up? Maybe while you were dormant, you forgot?
Legend, Hyrule gasped, I don’t think you’re a hero sword. I think you’re a hero.
But that didn’t make sense.
I - Legend started, stopped, reworked, but - but nothing he could say made any fucking sense. None of this was how things were supposed to be. Rulie, I - that’s - no. No, that can’t be right. I’m - I’m just…
You knew what to do when I was sick, remember? The time when the tree branch broke and I fell in the stream? You knew how to talk to those people in the marketplace. If you were just a sword, why would you know that? How could you teach me things that weren’t about fighting?
Because - because I’ve been alive for literal centuries, Legend said, maybe a little desperately. He knew how old he was, that made sense, this tiny thing made sense. You pick stuff up after a while.
I don’t know, Hyrule thought, biting his lip. I think… It’s okay to be scared, Legend. You don’t have to know what’s going on. I think maybe you should just, think about this being a possibility? Because I- I’ve always thought of you as a person. And sure, I was a dumb kid, but once you started talking to me… that connection was real. Is real. I’ve known you my whole life, and I feel like you’re more than just a sword. …Unless that’s like, offensive to swords or anything, if it is I’m really sorry.
Legend laughed just a touch hysterically. I don’t think it is? I’ve - I mean I’m, I’m magic, I’m obviously not a normal sword, but -
Wait- Hyrule interrupted him, his side of the bond practically quivering with energy, Legend. Do you want to be a person?
… What?
If you want to be a person, then you are! If you can process that, what makes you different from anyone else? I wanted to be a boy, because I didn’t know I already was! He calmed himself, taking a deep breath externally, before continuing, gentle as Legend had ever heard him, Do you want to be a person, Legend?
… That isn’t how this works, Legend said quietly, and there was something - grief, maybe? Something big and aching that he tried to shove away from Hyrule. I… I don’t get to want to be a person, Rulie.
“That’s what I thought too!” Hyrule hissed excitedly, “and then I realized I literally already was!” Legend, you just said, ‘I don’t get to want to-’ does that mean- Hyrule controlled himself again. You want to be a person, don’t you? You’re a person, aren’t you, Legend?
I -
Legend suddenly understood how Hyrule had felt yesterday. The urge to go, to hide, to disappear from what was happening. This… it didn’t matter if he wanted to be a person, if he did even want that at all, that’s not what he was. Hyrule was different. Hyrule could make that sort of decision, that sort of choice, because he was a person with autonomy and not a tool like Legend was. Tools didn’t get choices, and he was fucking lucky to have ended up with a wielder who let him make any decisions at all.
It matters, Hyrule told him firmly, and oh, some of Legend’s thoughts must have leaked over. It matters, because I care. You already make decisions all the time! You tell me what you think we should do, and I listen because I trust your judgment. You can choose this too.
Taking another second to just breathe, Hyrule’s energy focused very carefully around his. If you don’t want to be a person, he said, that’s okay. What’s important to me, Legend, is that you know you have the choice. Okay?
What - Legend paused, refocused, wished again that he could take a steadying breath. What would happen, if - if I said that’s what I wanted?
Well, Hyrule paused to think about it, I would help you talk to anyone you wanted. If you did, of course, it’s still up to you who gets to know you exist. I’ve always thought of you as a person, so I don’t know if I’d treat you any differently. Oh! We could get you a birthday, maybe? He pushed the excitement away from Legend. You’d get to choose what happened. Who got to know. It’s your life and your existence. I think- Hyrule paused again, sorting through his thoughts.
I think you definitely used to be a non-sword being. I think you’ve never stopped being a person. Maybe you just… forgot, for a while. But thinking things like ‘I forgot how much breathing sucked’- I think that means something. It doesn’t have to turn you into something you don’t want to be. You can be a weapon if it makes you feel better. But you’ve always been a person to me, and honestly, his internal voice wavered, and a tear slipped down his cheek, falling into his growing smile. Honestly, I’d be so fucking proud to introduce you to these people.
Legend had always been the cautious one. The one looking out for danger, warning Hyrule to be careful, teaching him things he would need to know to keep himself safe. He was the one holding back, again and again, keeping an eye out for danger in the things his fantastic, brave kid ran toward.
Maybe this time, just this once, he could be the one in front.
… Okay, he whispered, and it was terrifying. Okay.
“I’m proud of you,” Hyrule whispered back, gathering his scabbard into his arms and squeezing tightly in a way that could not be comfortable. “I’m so proud of you, Legend. That was probably really hard. And I’m so happy to see who you’re going to keep becoming.”
Shut up and go drink some water while I process this, Legend said weakly. You passed out from magic overuse and I’m still upset at you about that.
That’s fair, Hyrule agreed, grinning. I’m going to go get some water, and then come back and sit next to my best friend. Or anything else you want to be, of course. Anyways. I’ll be back! He pushed to his feet and leaned Legend’s hilt carefully against a clean-looking tree, then wobbled a bit before steadying himself and heading over to the main part of camp, only glancing back two or three times.
If anyone tries to take my spot as your best friend I’m going to kill them, Legend mumbled, then pulled his shields up as high as he could to try and sort through the mess that was his own head.
Notes:
Thanks so much for reading! THIS IS THE END OF ACT ONE! next chapter is the interlude, and then we go right into act two of the fic, so hold them horses, buckle them belts, all that shit, and THANKS FOR READING AS ALWAYS!
Chapter 13: Interlude - The Dream
Notes:
welcome to the interlude before act two begins!!! here, a lot of your theories may be,,.,. confirmed,.,., Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Link.”
Link woke up on a beach. Sand between his fingers, salt on his tongue. Seagulls overhead, circling and cawing.
He woke up at home. Still curled under his blanket, warm and comfortable, rain pattering against the window and the soft sound of footsteps outside his door.
He woke up in the woods. A sword in his hand, lying next to his pillow, the smell of ashes from last night’s fire in his nose.
He woke up.
“Link.”
He was playing the harp, a familiar melody. He didn’t really need to look at the strings anymore, he knew where to put his fingers based purely on muscle memory.
He was talking to - himself, but not. A mirror. A merchant, with a hesitant smile and purple hair. Link liked him, despite himself.
He was running, faster than he had ever run before, laughing with the joy of it, magic sparking under his heels.
He was running, young and terrified, the shouts of guards and the baying of dogs behind him. Link knew what they did to traitors, here, and he knew that not being caught was the only way to fix things.
He was underwater, shimmering pink scales along his arms, forming a magnificent mermaid’s tail where his legs used to be. He wondered a little distantly, a little frightened, if he would get his legs back when he needed them. Then he flicked his tail and swam deeper.
“Link!”
He had never felt so scared, too-big sword in too-small hand, tears streaming down his face.
He had never felt so scared, staring up at a beast - a man - a Gerudo - a monster, and knowing failure meant death for the entire world.
He had never felt so scared, watching a whole island fade and knowing it was his fault.
“LINK!”
He had never felt so scared, staring up at a sword on an altar.
“Please,” he begged, trying to twist and pull away from the hands on his arms, “please, you don’t - you don’t have to do this, this isn’t the right way -”
“Quiet,” someone hissed.
Link felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest. He knew what was about to happen. He knew, they all knew, and they were just going to stand by and watch.
“This is why you think you need me,” he snarled, stomping on someone’s foot and twisting his wrist away, only to have someone else catch him again before he could do anything. “Because I’m the only one who’s willing to fucking stand up when someone is doing something evil!”
“This is not evil,” said a man standing at the altar, his hand resting lightly on the stone. A wizard, Link could smell the magic crackling around him like ozone as he prepared for possibly the largest spell he would ever cast. “This is what is necessary. You have a duty to the kingdom, Link.”
“Fuck my duty to the kingdom!” Link shouted, struggling harder as they pushed him up onto the first step. “My duty is to the people, not you arrogant, selfish, egotistical -”
The wizard picked up the sword, watching calmly as Link was forced up to the altar. “Tie him down.”
Link struggled and spat and cursed, because he was a hero of Hyrule, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He had already fought, he’d taken out at least a dozen of them before they managed to overpower him. But he didn’t get to give up, he didn’t get to stop, because he was a hero and he had a duty and he hadn’t gone through six fucking quests from Hylia to lie down and die now.
He didn’t want to die.
The thought had carried him through nineteen years, five countries, six quests, and every impossible thing he’d ever been up against. He wasn’t going to just give up now, not for some two-bit wizard and a royal family who was too scared to let him rest.
“Fuck you,” he growled as they tied him down so tightly he felt his limbs starting to go a little numb. Fair, he would probably figure out a way to get out of them otherwise. “This isn’t right and you fucking know it, you goddamn coward!”
“I will do what’s best for the kingdom, Link,” the wizard said calmly. “You, of all people, should understand that. I would have thought we wouldn’t need to tie you down to help us.”
Link didn’t dignify that with a response, except for a snarl.
The wizard picked up a bowl full of some sort of sludge that had so much magic packed into it it nearly made Link sneeze, and began carefully drawing symbols onto Link’s skin. Some of the guards had to help hold him down so he wouldn’t squirm and mess up the lines.
“I hope you can live with yourself after this,” Link spat, and he pushed away the feeling of terror as magic settled over him like a second skin. He was tired, but he’d been tired before. He had to keep fighting.
“I’m sure I will.” The wizard tapped his forehead, and there was a buzz and an itch and a sting down every nerve in Link’s body as he froze stiff. He couldn’t even move his mouth. The wizard smiled, set down the bowl, and raised the sword. “Shall we, then?”
Link couldn’t move. When the point of the sword connected, he screamed anyway.
Centuries later, the Sword of Legend snapped back to reality, and desperately wished he could cry.
Notes:
thanks for reading as always, we love you guys! having you with us on this journey has made Bladegend even more of a wonderful experience.
Chapter 14: The Story
Notes:
today, we have for you a boatload of guilt. Tomorrow? who knows.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Sky took a deep breath, trying to ease the vertigo that usually came with a portal. He had it easier than some of the others - poor Four usually had a rough time - but it still took him a few moments to feel steady again and look around.
They definitely weren’t on Skyloft, he noted immediately with a small pang of disappointment, and it didn’t look like Wind or Hyrule’s eras, either. They were on the edge of a forest, overlooking a grassy meadow. It was lovely, but not very indicative of location.
“Does anyone recognize this area?” Time called, their usual post-portal sound-off.
“No,” Sky said with a sigh, and several of the others also answered in the negative.
Hyrule, who had been scanning the area, gasped and startled backwards. “Oh,” he said nervously, “um. I think I know where we are.”
“... Really?” Wild asked, blinking at him. “This doesn’t look like the era we found you in. Is it close to yours, you think?”
“Definitely not.” Hyrule ran a worried hand through his hair. “Okay, I think we need to have a conversation. Is this place safe enough to do that?” he tilted his head to the side, getting the talking-to-Legend look on his face. “All right. We should be safe here for a few hours.”
Sky exchanged alarmed glances with the others. Hyrule, initiating a group conversation? Whatever he had to say must really be important.
Despite Legend’s assurances, Time had Twilight do a quick perimeter check as they found a spot just inside the treeline to settle in for a talk. As soon as he returned, all eyes shifted to Hyrule.
“Alright,” Time sighed. “What’s this about?”
Hyrule looked extremely nervous. “I think it’s better if Legend tells you that. One second-” His face glazed over again for a moment, and then he smiled, blinking back into reality. “Okay. He’s ready. I’m just going to-” Hyrule moved to lean against a tree, presumably so he wouldn’t fall over when he left his body open for Legend to temporarily control.
Twilight made an aborted motion to move towards Hyrule, probably to hold him like last time so he wouldn’t hit his head, but it was a bit late for that.
Hyrule’s eyes closed, he twitched, and then his eyes opened again and he struggled to sit up with an irritated curse.
“I hate having limbs,” he hissed, and yeah, that was definitely Legend.
“Hi, Legend!” Wind said, as he had started to do occasionally when talking to Hyrule.
“Yeah, hi,” Legend said distractedly, pausing to make sure he wasn’t about to fall over from the position he’d gotten himself into. “... Okay. Great. This is a bad idea.”
Sky frowned. “What’s a bad idea?” He could feel Warriors tense next to him.
Legend made a complicated sort of face. “... So, uh. Rulie has no idea where we are. I know where we are.”
“... Is this… back before you, uh, went dormant?” Wild asked tentatively.
“Think so, yeah,” Legend hummed, looking up at the trees around them. “It’s definitely closer to when I was - when I first showed up than when Rulie found me, anyway.”
… That was an odd thought to hesitate on.
“So, where are we then?” Warriors asked.
“We’re about two days out from Castle Town, if we push.” Legend’s tone was… odd. Strained. “So, a fairly safe area, all things considered.”
Twilight frowned. “If it’s safe, why are you so tense? Something about, uh, being in Hyrule’s body?”
“... Legend,” Time said slowly. “Why is this information something Hyrule wanted you to tell us yourself? More to the point, why did you agree to something that puts strain on him like this?”
Legend took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sky noticed with growing alarm that his hands were starting to shake. “... Nothing gets by you, does it, old man?”
“That’s how you become an old man, in our line of work.”
Warriors tilted his head. “If this is dangerous information, we shouldn’t dance around it.”
“It isn’t dangerous,” Legend said immediately, then winced. “I, ah… shit. It’s not dangerous, it’s just… a lot. For me.”
“Take your time,” Sky said gently, fighting back the concern. He could panic later.
Legend nodded a few times, then stared down at the ground, his hands fidgeting in his lap. “So, uh… Rulie and I have been doing some talking, and… I’ve been remembering some things. Things Hyrule thinks you should hear, and I, uh, I agree. So -” he took another shaky breath. “Let me tell you about the Hero of Legend.”
The name felt like a rock dropping into Sky’s stomach. The Hero of Legend. Legend’s original wielder?
“Would that be the hero you started out with?” Wind looked like he couldn’t decide whether to be excited or apprehensive.
Legend let out a bitter little bark of laughter. “Yeah. That’s how it started. He was named Link, obviously - when Rulie told me his name I knew it sounded familiar, but… took me a while to put the pieces together. I… I forgot all this for a reason.”
“Not one of us, though,” Twilight said, checking everyone’s faces with a contemplative look. “So, do we have another Link we need to pick up?”
“Let’s pray to every goddess you can think of that we don’t.” Legend’s voice was tight, pained, and he had yet to look up at them. “He, uh - he died. So.”
“A lot of us have done that, at some point or another,” Warriors pointed out.
Legend shook his head. “Not like this. But, uh, I’m getting ahead of myself.” He laughed, softer and sadder than before. “Goddesses, Rulie would be laughing at me if he heard this, he’s way better at telling stories than I am. But… but anyway. The beginning.”
Legend laid out for them the humble beginnings of a hero. He described a princess’ voice, sneaking into the castle, the death of an uncle. He described a child too young for the burden given the job of saving the world. At some point, he started talking about we.
“We went to Labrynna, Holodrum… we even saved Lorule, at one point,” he said with a little flicker of a smile. “There was this… this merchant, he was Link’s counterpart, and he was annoying, but… but we liked him. I wish we’d gotten to see him more.
“It was six quests total, I think. That’s the number that’s sticking out at me, anyway.”
Wild let out a low whistle.
“Six,” Four murmured in disbelief. “Goddesses, he must have been tired.”
Something panged through Legend’s expression. “He was. I think he wanted to - to retire, at least for a little bit. Just… find some peace, you know? He was nineteen."
Sky felt the blood drain from his face. “Nineteen?” And he’d been on six quests?
“Life isn’t fair,” Legend said in the tone of someone who had said it so often it had lost its meaning. “That’s just how it was. Hyrule needed him, so he kept fighting.”
The reminders of how often heroes were called too young always made Sky’s heart ache, always made him wonder if their lives would have been better, easier, if he’d been a little faster or a little stronger. But this , the relayed grief from centuries long past, a hero who had been called over and over and over …
“And -” Legend’s voice cracked. He took another breath, visibly steeling himself. “And then he got called to the castle.”
Wild looked like a spring, wound too tight. Four seemed oddly tense, his eyes almost purple in the shade of the trees. Several of the others just looked confused - why would a call to the castle be so hard for Legend to talk about?
“For his last adventure?” Warriors asked, tone grave.
Legend laughed. It sounded almost like a sob. “Yeah, that’s what he thought. One last shot, one last trip, then he would go find someplace to lay low - maybe with Ravio, maybe in Labrynna, somewhere no one would look for him.”
“Was Ravio the merchant?” Wind questioned, obviously trying to be respectful of the story, but curious nonetheless.
“Yeah.” Legend seemed surprised, for half a heartbeat, then nodded. “Yeah. That was him.”
“What happened at the castle?” Twilight’s tone was wary, and when Sky glanced his way, he saw that Twilight was intensely focused on Legend and his story.
Legend stared down at Hyrule’s hands, running a thumb over the tiny scars littered across them. “... He, uh. He heard something he wasn’t supposed to. A - a plan, to make sure that the kingdom wouldn’t ever be defenseless. They were worried, you know, because he wanted to step down, so… so they came up with some alternatives.”
Warriors frowned. “Dangerous alternatives?”
“You can’t even imagine,” Legend whispered, and there was something haunted in his gaze. “He ran, of course, he needed time to figure some of this out, but… but they caught him. He fought, I don’t remember how many guards he took down before they finally disarmed him, but it was a lot.”
Sky had a sudden, visceral flashback to cutting Legend’s scabbard off of Hyrule’s shoulder. He had realized how horrible that must have been for Hyrule, of course he had, and he’d apologized, but the parallels here for Legend made him feel slightly sick.
Legend started swaying back and forth, just a little. Not like he was about to fall over, just small little rocks. “I… I might need a second.”
“Does Hyrule know this part?” Twilight asked seriously, “could he take over for you?”
“He could. But he won’t, and I won’t ask him to, because it’s important that you hear it from me.” Legend closed his eyes for a moment, still swaying. “Link, uh. They took him to - I’m not sure where exactly, everything was kind of a blur, and - and the details are kind of hard. But there was this… this altar. And they tied him down, and there was a… ritual, I guess is a good word, there was a wizard involved. Then they, uh. They killed him. Sort of.”
“Sort of?” Time echoed with concern, his hand drifting ever so slightly toward his bag.
Legend nodded, sharp and jerky, opening his eyes again. “They, um… They didn’t need the body, they needed the soul. Because he knew so much, and - and the experience is really what they would be losing when the next hero came around. So they wanted to keep it.”
Wild started making a low humming, grumbling noise, his ears flattening. Wind’s hands were pressed to his mouth, eyes wide as he listened.
Sky felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“They - they locked him away,” Legend said, tears starting to pour down his cheeks.
Twilight made a soft, sad noise, and stood up. He walked over to Legend, carefully watching his face for signs of distress, and then sat down next to him, leaning a side against Legend’s and offering his hand.
Legend took it, squeezing it tight. His voice broke as he sobbed “They knew. They knew what I was as soon as they picked me up, I told them and they wouldn’t listen - they lied to everyone, and - and then they just forgot who I was.”
Oh, goddesses.
Sky put a hand to his mouth as he felt himself starting to shake. Oh goddesses.
“You’re one of us,” Warriors clarified, not looking confused at all, seeking confirmation for what all of them suspected, “you were that Link?”
Legend nodded, roughly wiping tears away with the hand that wasn’t holding Twilight’s.
Nineteen.
The number rang in Sky’s head. Nineteen.
“And then they made you dormant?” Wind whispered, looking horrified.
“No,” Legend croaked, obviously trying to get himself back under control and failing. “No, they - I went dormant, because if I didn’t - they just… they always left me somewhere for the next person, and - and there was never a next person. Not until Hyrule found me.”
“I’m glad he did,” Twilight said softly, gently freeing his hand to put that arm around Legend’s shoulders and offer Legend his other hand to hold.
Legend took it, leaning against Twilight with another harsh sob.
Centuries, Legend had said. Centuries of living as a weapon, centuries of being used by people who either didn’t know or didn’t care who he had been, until even Legend himself forgot. Centuries of waiting for people who never came back.
But… something felt very, very wrong about this to Sky. Something that was making him almost nauseous, and it took him a moment to place it.
… Fi didn’t hurt her heroes.
Legend was a hero. He was a Link, one of them, a reincarnation of the hero’s spirit. Fi shouldn’t have hurt him.
And yet she had. Sky had. Sky had very nearly killed one of their own. A nineteen year old hero who had suffered more than any of them, nearly killed in a horrifically painful way because Sky had made a mistake.
(Twilight’s hand on his wrist. “Sky, you are killing him, STOP.”)
“... I’m sorry,” he breathed, though he didn’t know if Legend could even hear him past his own sobbing or the hand still covering Sky’s mouth.
“I -” Legend said through a sob, “I need to - I’m -”
And he went limp, Twilight carefully holding him up as he slumped over.
After a second, Hyrule’s body twitched slightly. He lifted a hand to his face, and gasped when it came away wet, looking up at the rest of them. “What happened? Did he tell you?” Hyrule hurried to wipe the tears off of his face and sat up, pulling away from Twilight to stand up. “Why was he crying? The story, or you?” He looked almost fierce.
“The story,” Twilight reassured, also getting to his feet. “It was… more upsetting to tell than it was to listen to, it seems.”
“And it was pretty upsetting!” Wind said, getting loud in the way he did when he was scared and trying to hide it.
Four let out a slow, deep sigh. “... I’ll admit, I’d hoped I was wrong about what Legend went through. That sounds awful.”
“Wait, you knew?” Wind spun to face him. “How did you know?”
“I suspected,” Four corrected him. “It was a lot of little clues. He seemed comfortable navigating a body once he got over the shock, he was more alive than any sword I’ve ever encountered, even swords with spirits, and some of the language he used was very person-like - he talked about waking up, and staying quiet, things like that.”
Hyrule had finished getting the tears off his face. “So. It’s his Hyrule. I’m pretty sure he’s blocking me out, so I’m just going to say, if any of you are cruel to him about anything, I will leave. I’m not saying you’re going to be, it’s just in case.”
“If anyone is cruel to him about any of this, they will be answering to me first,” Time said in that steely calm way of his. “They know better than that, of course - none of what happened was Legend’s fault. We know better than anyone how a quest can weigh on you.”
Hyrule bit his lip. “Could you tell me what he was most upset about? I already know the story, I just… if I can help him, you know…”
“... That they knew who he was and they used him anyway.” Wild’s voice was rough, the way it sometimes got when words were starting to get too difficult.
“Thank you.” Hyrule nodded a few times. “So, what are we going to do now?” It was a blatant attempt to change the subject.
Sky couldn’t even force himself to move. He wrapped his other arm around his stomach like a shield, Legend’s tear-stained face etched into the back of his eyelids.
Hyrule’s tear-stained face. It wasn’t even Legend’s. He didn’t even have that much.
Sky could feel the shifting of the log he was sitting on as Warriors stood up, the quiet murmur of the group discussing plans.
He should be contributing, he thought distantly. He should be listening, at least, but he just kept feeling Twilight’s hand on his wrist, seeing Hyrule in Warriors’ arms, hearing the words he was nineteen and you nearly killed him over and over and over and over. He was nineteen. He was nineteen and he nearly died and it was your fault.
There was a shift of the log again, and a careful hand on his arm. “Sky?”
Sky managed a shaky, acknowledging hum. His voice cracked in the middle of it.
“You’re probably feeling pretty bad about all this right now, huh? Do you want to take a walk with me?” There was a hand in front of him, offering to help him to his feet.
A walk?
Yes, Sky decided, slowly reaching out to take it. Yes, not being here sounded like a wonderful idea.
He was led a few feet away, and then there was something soft being wrapped around his shoulders. The hand kept pulling him gently onwards.
“We’ll be back in a minute,” he heard Warriors’ voice call over the quiet jumble of others talking, “we’re going to scout the perimeter again.”
And Sky was sure that there were acknowledgements of that - he heard Time’s voice, and Twilight’s - but the words went in one ear and out the other.
He nearly died and you would have been the one to kill him.
“Hey, Sky. Don’t get trapped in your head, okay? Talk to me. What’s going on in there?”
Sky took a breath, trying to focus, trying to say something. “I-I… I almost killed him, I-”
“So did we. Every one of us weighed in on that plan,” Warriors said, then sighed. “I tied Hyrule to a pillar and watched as he screamed. But we can’t go back, Sky. We have to stay in the present, and help them now.”
Sky shook his head. Warriors didn’t get it. “Yes, yes, but I held the sword, Wars, I - I could have stopped it any moment I wanted, and - and I was so sure we were right that I didn’t even think - ”
“Of course not. You were protecting Hyrule. You thought you were doing the right thing, and you were wrong, and it hurts. It’s okay for that to hurt, Sky.” Warriors gave his hand a little squeeze.
“Why did she hurt him?” Sky whispered, feeling the burn of building tears. “Why - Wars, why did she hurt him?”
“I don’t know as much about magic as some of us do. I honestly can’t say. Maybe she didn’t know either. The weapon that houses Legend was probably created through dark methods, it could be that she simply sensed that.”
Suddenly, Sky wanted to talk to Fi so badly it ached. He wanted to demand answers, he wanted to know why, he wanted to talk to the only other sword spirit he knew.
But he couldn’t.
“Wars, what do we do?” he asked, his voice breaking.
“We keep going,” Warriors said steadily, as if he had said it a hundred times. “We keep going, and the next time something like this happens, we’ll do better.”
Sky hiccuped a bitter little laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Because I know it’s not. I can’t tell you about the steps, they’re always different. The important thing is that we do better. That we never allow this to happen again.” There was a shift by Sky’s side, like Warriors had adjusted his own sword. “We make sure no-one hurts them like we did ever again.”
Sky closed his eyes and used a technique that had helped him stay sane through his adventure. He took a deep breath in, let himself feel every bit of grief and confusion and guilt, let it fill him until he felt like he was going to drown in it. Then he exhaled, imagining all of it pouring out of him like water from a bowl.
He looked up at Warriors, not better, not by a long shot, but functional. “Alright.”
“Do you need a few more minutes?” Warriors offered, eyes subtly worried. “We can actually check the perimeter, if you want.”
“... Yes, actually, I think that’s a good idea.” Another thing that had gotten him through his adventure whenever he got like this - doing something useful. Making sure the area was safe would probably help more than anything else right now.
And if he pulled Warriors’ scarf a little tighter around his shoulders, well. Wars was the only one here.
“We’re starting right now,” Warriors said quietly. “Every time we make sure they’re safe, every time we fight beside them, it’s a piece of an apology.”
“Well then,” Sky said with a little attempt at a smile. “Let’s get going."
Notes:
thanks everyone for reading! Take care of yourselves!
Chapter 15: The Warning
Notes:
here we go again!!! warning for violence in this chapter (temporary serious injury, if you want to know what it is look at the end notes) but i promise everyone is FINE also sorry for veering WILDLY away from all your speculations about paradoxes and time shenanigans and wizard fighting lmao
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Things were mostly the same after Legend’s conversation with the group. Sure, they all hovered a bit more, but that was to be expected. Hyrule had to edit a lot of his answers to well-meaning questions about how he was doing.
Other than an irritating level of concern for his well-being, though, things were… normal. Or settling into something like normal.
This is weird, he told Hyrule quietly one day as they were walking.
What, that people care? Hyrule smiled quietly, a joking lilt to his words, get used to it. I had to.
Legend hummed a not quite sort of feeling. Sort of? I expected them to be… I don’t know. I expected them to act different.
Because they know you’re a Link?
He forced back the weird, tangled surge of emotions at the words. Yeah.
Hyrule frowned. Do you want them to act different? Legend could feel a readiness building in him, defensive and protective.
… No? I - I don’t know. I just… I guess I’m not used to being a person anymore, and - and it’s weird that I can’t do the things you can, Legend explained, the words coming out stilted and wrong but the best he could come up with.
There was a pang of sadness from Hyrule, large enough to slip over his new walls. You can always borrow the body, you know? If you want to, anytime, just let me know, okay?
No, Legend shot back immediately, you know that’s hard on you, and I’m not gonna take your fucking body, Rulie, it’s yours.
And being a sword isn’t hard on you? Hyrule shot back. You don’t always have to be the one to suffer, Legend. His tone softened. You’re a person. Live a little, okay?
I’m not gonna pass out from being a sword, Legend huffed. It’s - Rulie, it’s fine. I’ve been like this for long enough that it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’ve just never had to… to be a person around people who can’t hear me, I guess. If that makes any fucking sense.
Hyrule nodded, absently course-correcting so he didn’t walk into a tree. I think it does. If you want to talk to people, I can always tell them what you’re saying. And I meant it about my body, before. Or… he trailed off, a rush of nervousness barely slipping through his walls, I mean, there is another option.
Legend did not like the sound of that. … Like what?
Well, Hyrule said, in the same careful tones he used to present plans he knew Legend would hate, you could always form bonds with them, too.
Legend flashed out a warning of no danger careful danger on pure instinct, then crushed the feeling down. … I don’t even know if I can, Rulie, and it’s a bad idea, besides.
Hyrule sighed. “I thought you’d say that.”
Wind, who was walking beside him, looked over at the barely audible words and grinned. “You talking to Legend? Hi, Legend!”
Hi, shorty, Legend grumbled. Go away and let me have my crisis in peace.
Hyrule gave Wind a small smile. “He says hi, and also he’s having a crisis and doesn’t want us to bother him. But I think he’s mostly joking.”
Where did this us come from?
Hyrule snorted a laugh, and clarified. “He doesn’t want people who aren’t me to bother him. But I still think he’s joking. If he doesn’t want to talk to you, I will.”
“Oh, okay.” Wind thought for a second, frowning. “Is this the same crisis as before, or is this a new crisis?”
“A new one, I think,” Hyrule said, lowering his voice conspiratorially (and uselessly). “I gave him an idea he didn’t like, and now he’s figuring out it's a good idea and he hates it.”
Fuck you too, Rulie.
Hyrule laughed. “And yeah, he’s still grumpy about it.”
Wind laughed too. “Time and Wars do that too! They hate when I have good ideas because it means I get to be right, and then I get to remind them of all the times I was right the next time I have an idea.”
Hyrule nudged Wind with his shoulder hesitantly, smiling when he saw it was received well. “Older brother behavior, honestly.”
“Right?? I think they’re all in denial,” Wind said with a grin.
“Twilight definitely knows,” Hyrule added, “but that almost makes him worse.”
“Oh, did you see him in the maze? I know you had, uh, other things to worry about, but he was like -” Wind moved his hands in a herding sort of gesture. “We saw these dogs in his era - I think they’re called sheepdogs, that’s exactly what he was like.”
“I was busy,” Hyrule said carefully, mental walls giving away nothing, “but I fully believe you.”
Legend offered a very quiet little nudge of I’m here I’m okay.
Closing his eyes for a second, Hyrule sent him a nudge back. Sorry I’m okay there’s nothing wrong.
That was clearly a lie, but Legend didn’t call him out on it.
“... Hey, what was the idea Legend didn’t like?” Wind asked curiously.
Hyrule hesitated, giving Legend’s presence a gentle, inquisitive poke. Asking for permission.
Sure. Fine. Why the hell not. Legend knew perfectly well why not, but he also knew the chances of Wind dropping the topic forever were slim to none.
“Legend wants to talk to people, sort of, and I asked if he wanted to make bonds with the rest of you, like the one he has with me. He’s grumbling about it, because it’s a solution that works but he doesn’t like it.”
Wind gasped, his eyes going very wide. “He can do that?”
We don’t know if I can or not, I’ve never done it before, Legend reminded Hyrule in what was definitely not a grouchy tone.
“We haven’t tried it before,” Hyrule said, “but when he’s up for it, we might.”
“... Could he try it with me?” Wind asked, a little of his excitement dimming into nervousness.
“... He’s thinking,” Hyrule said awkwardly, then focused in on Legend more. Want to try? You can always break it while it’s small, if you don’t like it. He wasn’t projecting much of anything.
Legend thought for a long moment, then said hesitantly … Maybe not right now. But… later. Maybe. I’ll try it, I promise nothing.
“He says maybe later,” Hyrule told Wind. “Making a bond is like, a literal attachment to his soul, so even though it starts small, he’s allowed to be careful about it.” It’s not that dangerous, but I won’t tell Wind that.
“Yeah, of course!” Wind said, nodding several times, his eyes wide. “Of course he can be careful, that sounds sort of scary.”
“I definitely couldn’t do it,” Hyrule agreed, even though he very much could and had.
Wind squinted at him. “... Don’t you have a bond with Legend, though?”
“Yeah, but I got that by talking to a random sword when I was a kid, not choosing to attach my soul to someone.” Hyrule shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change what I have, but I definitely didn’t know what I was getting into.”
“... You know what, that’s fair.”
Hyrule nodded, and then asked Wind a question about the ships he’d sailed on, and the conversation turned away from Legend and bonds.
But, just as Legend had suspected, that wasn’t the end of it.
Wind started out cautiously. He would ask Hyrule very politely if Legend had worked through his crisis yet, or if he had a definite answer, or if he wanted to talk with Hyrule as an intermediary. But as the days went by with Legend still unable to convince himself this was a good idea, Wind started escalating. He tried to make sure Legend wasn’t really angry - Legend caught him paying close attention to Hyrule’s judgment on his mental state - but he was also still a kid. Self control was still a work in progress.
And… Legend did have to admit, begrudgingly and only to himself, that it wasn’t bad, having the kid so excited to talk to him. By the end of the second week, he was pestering either Hyrule or Legend or both every day, and the attention was kind of nice. He felt weirdly included.
That thought was what eventually got him to very quietly tell Hyrule one evening, while Wind was rambling on about all the benefits of having a pirate in your head, Fine.
Hyrule gasped. “Really?”
Wind paused immediately, cutting himself off mid-sentence. “Really what?”
I promise nothing, Legend stressed, not a single thing. I don’t know if this is even something I can do.
You don’t need to promise, you just need to try it, Hyrule told him fondly. Then he told Wind, “Legend’s willing to try talking to you. Making a bond.”
Wind gasped, scooting over to sit right next to Hyrule so fast he nearly fell over, patting his hands excitedly against his legs. “Really???”
“I assume so,” Hyrule laughed, “he doesn’t usually lie to me.”
Can you unsheathe me? Legend asked quietly. I think that’ll work best.
I think I can manage that, Hyrule said, very lightly joking, and carefully unsheathed the blade, letting it rest across Wind’s lap. “I’m not sure how this works, but here we go.”
Wind held the sword carefully, almost reverently - one hand on the hilt, one resting on the blade. “So… do I just talk to him?”
Hyrule frowned slightly in thought. “I think it’s less about the talking and more about the connection. The talking is what woke Legend up, but the connection is what allows him to talk back. I just kind of… focused really hard on the sword, I think? And then I nearly died a few times, but we can skip that part, and then… we could talk. We don’t really know how it works.” Hyrule thought for a few moments, then decided, “just try and reach out, emotionally- sort of- and he’ll reach out to you, and I’ll try to guide you two with my magic.”
Wind nodded seriously and closed his eyes, his face scrunching up in concentration.
Legend, for his part, tried to relax. Let down his shields a little, reach out a little deeper than normal. He could feel the hum of magic sparking around the eight heroes in their little camp - Wild, with his slate and the food he was making, Twilight with that odd, shadowy aura around him, Time with light enchantments and a bag thrumming with magical items, all eight of them bright and calm - and Wind, right in front of him, with his sword and his pirate charm.
He’d never done it like this, before. Using Time’s metaphor of a bridge, every time he’d done this before he’d started out by calling across the river, then trying to hop across on stones. This felt more like throwing rocks into the river to make something to hop across on.
Still. He’d told Hyrule that he would try, so he reached out for Wind as best as he could.
Tell him to relax, he told Hyrule, the words feeling a little… fuzzy, for lack of a better word. He’s concentrating too hard, it’s making this difficult.
“Calm down a bit,” Hyrule told Wind quietly, “think of it as less of a stretch and more of an invitation. I’ll get you into the right place, just keep your mind open.”
“This is complicated,” Wind mumbled, but Legend could see and sense him relaxing a little.
“I mean, magical mind bonds generally are, in my experience,” Hyrule said, based on no evidence whatsoever but probably reasonably accurate.
Legend tuned out their voices and tried to focus. It needed to be like taking someone’s hand to get onto the bank, not running across the whole river by himself. Hyrule’s magic, warm and familiar, swirled around them both, helping direct him.
Come on, Legend murmured softly, come on.
They were close, he was pretty sure - he had a good grasp of Wind’s general presence, now, and Wind was doing a good job of keeping his mind open. It almost felt like he could just -
And then Hyrule’s magic pulled back with a burst of warning.
Legend let out a flicker-flare of danger alarm where in response as he immediately yanked himself back, trying to reorient.
“We’re under attack!” Hyrule projected and said, shaking Wind’s shoulder and removing Wind’s hand on Legend’s blade, so he could grab Legend back from where he was being held.
Wind stumbled to his feet, hand reaching for his own sword, as Legend registered the sound of combat on the other side of camp. Monsters. A surprise attack. Fuck.
Why now, of all times, he hissed, forcing himself to focus. Golden three this is such annoying timing, I almost had it!
You can always try bonding again, but there’s really only one time to win a fight, Hyrule thought grimly, already racing towards the other side of the clearing. You ready?
Always.
Hyrule entered the battle from behind where Sky was stabbing into the side of a monster, sword shining, and got his bearings within seconds. He twisted under Sky’s left arm to engage another that had been trying to circle around and attack from behind, calling his flames into being along Legend’s blade.
Legend took as much of his own weight off of Hyrule as he could, letting the magic sing through him and letting it amplify. Watch your left, Rule.
Hyrule slid into a block, still holding Legend’s scabbard in his other hand. He held his own against the pressure of the monster’s weapon for a few seconds, then darted to the side and slashed under its guard.
It screeched, but the sound was cut off abruptly as a massive sword cleaved through its neck. The monster collapsed, revealing Time behind it, who gave Hyrule a nod and moved on to his next target.
The battle went on, in the same way most of their recent ones tended to. Overwhelming odds at first, superior skill, and the regular dodge and weave of fighting. Legend calling out directions or ideas, and Hyrule moving to implement them.
The fight was actually winding down when everything started to go wrong.
Legend was scrutinizing the monster in front of Hyrule, trying to spot a weak point they could exploit, when he saw an unexpected glint of metal.
Wind was fighting off to the side, hand pressed to a shallow but probably painful cut across his stomach. He was too busy dispatching one monster to notice the one coming up behind him.
Suddenly, Legend wasn’t looking at a hero. He was looking at a scared, desperate kid in a forest just trying to stay alive.
WATCH OUT! he shouted on instinct, not even thinking twice.
Wind spun in alarm, and so did Hyrule, but Legend only had eyes for the attempt at a block, the slash of a blade, and the blood.
The kid crumpled to his knees and screamed as his sword - and his hand - fell to the ground beside him.
“WIND!” five people shouted at once.
Hyrule was already running towards him, the monster he had been fighting slowed enough by its wounds that it couldn’t hope to follow. “Wind! Just hang on-”
The monster attacking Wind raised its weapon again, but Wind managed to roll out of the way. It was clear he wouldn’t be able to handle that a second time.
Hyrule skidded to a stop in-between the monster and Wind, Legend raised protectively in his hand, but the monster suddenly ceased to be a threat, as a wolf lunged past them and sank its teeth into the monster’s neck. It made an awful screeching sound as the wolf twisted and tore, then immediately left its dying prey to hurry to Wind’s side.
Legend suddenly realized in a distant sort of way why, exactly, Twilight had that weird aura around him, but he didn’t have time to care about that right now.
Hunched over at Wind’s side, Hyrule was muttering reassurances, examining the wound, and Legend could feel him internally readying his magic.
“This is going to hurt, okay, Wind? It’ll feel way better afterwards, but it’s going to hurt.”
Wind sobbed, tears pouring down his face, but he nodded.
Hyrule gingerly picked up Wind’s hand, unclasping its limp fingers from around the hilt of Wind’s sword and pressing it to the rest of Wind’s arm. “I’m going to have to push, hard. I’m starting now. Try and stay awake, you’ve lost a lot of blood. Twilight?”
The wolf blurred, melting into shadow and then into the familiar shape of Twilight, who immediately wrapped an arm around Wind’s shoulders. “I’ve got you, sailor, it’ll be alright.”
Hyrule closed his eyes, drawing hard on his magic. Legend could feel it gathering around him like a storm, all the energy he’d called forth earlier to help form a bond ready and waiting. Taking a deep breath, Hyrule took Wind’s hand in one hand, and his arm in the other, and pushed them together.
Wind screamed. Magic flowed into the injury, flooding over and around Legend’s presence and towards Wind. There was a pause, and then it stuttered to a stop.
“It’s not working,” Hyrule gasped. “The hand’s already dead, it’s-” Twilight looked horrified, but Hyrule just threw it aside, gently picked up Wind’s bleeding stump in both hands, and closed his eyes.
The magic rose, pulling out of the useless hand on the ground, out of the grass around them, out of Hyrule. Legend could feel the potency of it, like trying to breathe through honey. It was overwhelming.
And Wind’s wrist didn’t start to scab over.
There was a faint glimmer, and a gossamer thread sprung out from the side of the injury. Then another, and another, and Legend could feel Hyrule pushing them in, weaving them together with each other and Wind’s skin, focusing all his considerable skill in mental precision into his healing power.
A ghostly hand started to take shape, glowing like the trail a fairy left behind.
There was noise around them, and movement, but Twilight held out a hand, barking something short and sharp. Hyrule didn’t notice, he was too deep in the process.
Legend watched sunshine-bright bones form, delicate and small. He watched flesh grow around them like creeping vines, and he watched as a new, whole hand slowly bloomed into being.
Hyrule’s eyes fluttered open. He set Wind’s hand down gently on his leg, and gestured to his stomach wound. “You might need to get a potion for that one.”
The words were imprecise, and Legend could feel the immense energy drain. Something like this shouldn’t have been possible for Hyrule, but it seemed that whatever had happened in the maze and their recovery from it had deepened Hyrule’s already impressive wells of magic.
Hyrule fell back, gasping, and Sky was instantly there, looking him over for injuries. He stared up at the sky.
Legend, he thought faintly, I just… I just-
What? Legend said, trying to push his worry and panic down into wariness.
I- Hyrule laughed desperately, turning to look at Sky, then down at Wind’s tear-stained face. “I gave him a hand!”
And then he passed out.
Notes:
SPOILER: the injury is a behanding (losing a hand) and it is rapidly fixed.
apologies to bringmeflowers for making them cry at work at Least twice,.,., our bad lmao,.,.,
Chapter 16: The Idea
Notes:
FIVE MORE DAYS OF BLADEGEND YALL EXCITED?!?!?! i dont want it to end honestly ueueueueuue im gonna miss the constant input from yall more than i can say ;-; here, have some time pov, and more four coming in CLUTCH with the ideas!!!!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Time was, quite frankly, a little sick of sitting around camp waiting for heroes to wake up after performing miracles.
… No, he took that back. He was a little sick of sitting around camp waiting for Hyrule to wake up after performing miracles.
It was impressive, of course - even with his rudimentary sense for magic, he was nearly knocked off of his feet by the sheer amount of power Hyrule had poured into Wind. It had been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
And then he had passed out cold. Understandable, but alarming, especially since this was becoming something of a pattern with him.
It had been a day or so since then. Wind had spent a good portion of that time asleep as well, and the rest of it in quiet shock. Also very understandable. It still didn’t keep anyone from worrying.
Four spent his time cleaning and sharpening every weapon he could get his hands on, including Legend. Wild disappeared, though he came back when it was time to make food, and Time saw him a few times in the trees surrounding their camp. Twilight spent most of his time as a wolf, curled around either Wind or Hyrule, and while Time was glad he wasn’t bothering to hide his ability anymore, he wished the revelation had happened under better circumstances. Sky and Warriors patrolled almost obsessively, either alone or as a pair, and Time decided that he would try to do something about the guilt hanging over them like stormclouds if it continued on after the boys had woken up, but… not now. He couldn’t shake his own guilt enough to try it now.
As for Time, he stood guard over their sleeping brothers, watching and waiting for when they woke up again.
Trying not to remember getting thoroughly distracted by watching the magic that unfurled and pooled around the camp, around Wind, around Legend.
Failing.
There was a noise at his side, and a light poke against his leg as Wind stretched, starting to wake up and elbowing Time in the thigh.
He reached down to gently run a hand through Wind’s hair. “Hello, sailor.”
“Hi,” Wind said quietly, blinking awake and curling up a bit more, rolling so his back was pressed to Time’s leg. “Anything happen while I was asleep?”
Time shook his head. “No. We’re still waiting for Hyrule to wake up, and the others have all been restless, but I’m sure you were expecting that.”
Wind nodded. Time could see his arms shifting, uninjured hand coming up to hold the wrist that had once ended right there.
“How did you sleep?”
Shrugging, Wind sat up, still pressed close. “Fine.” It wasn’t true. Time had seen him tossing and turning from nightmares throughout his time asleep.
He decided to let Wind drop it. If he didn’t want to mention the nightmares, Time wasn’t about to push him. “That’s good. How are you feeling?”
There was an uncomfortable expression on Wind’s face. “Weird. It’s like my body knows it should be hurting, but it isn’t, and it's freaking out about it.”
“That’s understandable.” Time kept gently carding his hand through Wind’s hair. “I’ve heard about side effects like that with strong healing magic - it should fade within a few days."
“It doesn’t feel like I should be fine within a few days,” Wind whispered, “I felt- the pain was one thing, but the shock- it was like I felt a whole life without my hand in a few seconds, and now it’s just… back.”
Time sighed. “That may take longer.” They all knew that mental scars could haunt a person long after the physical marks had faded.
Time could feel Wind’s head shake a tiny bit, and then Wind was reaching up to put his hand in Time’s hair, glancing over with a grin on his face.
“What are you doing?” Time asked, not really trying to hide his amused little smile.
“What are you doing?” Wind asked, still grinning, “I’m just copying you.”
Time chuckled. “Oh, are you?”
Wind nodded, then glanced over at where Hyrule was, body half-obscured by Twilight’s wolf form.
“... He’s been doing well,” Time told him quietly, knowing exactly where his mind was drifting off to. “We’ve been keeping an eye on him, and aside from the exhaustion, he’s alright.”
“Has anyone talked to Legend?” Wind asked. “I know he can’t talk back right now, but I feel like someone should.”
“Four has, I believe. He’s been cleaning and polishing anything metal he can get his hands on.”
Wind nodded again. “Stress.”
Time sighed and echoed “Stress.”
Wind glanced over at Hyrule again, then startled. “Hey, his eyes are open!” he scrambled to his feet. “Hyrule, hey! How are you doing?”
“Be careful -” Time started, then quickly determined getting Wind to stay still was a losing battle and simply hurried after him.
Hyrule raised his head and gave them a wave, lowering that hand into Twilight’s fur and making a surprised smile at its softness. “Hi, guys.” His voice was raspy from his long rest.
“You totally saved my ass back there,” Wind was rambling, “I don’t even know how, I didn’t even know that was possible- I didn’t see it, but Sky said my hand was like, growing from the bones outwards. So cool!”
Time set a gentle hand on Wind’s shoulder as a reminder to breathe, then gave Hyrule a small smile. “You gave us a bit of a scare, traveler. How are you feeling? You used quite a bit of magic all at once.”
“Tired,” Hyrule admitted quietly, “And my head feels… weird. It’ll take a few days to get my reserves back, for sure. But I think it helped that- wait, sorry- Legend, I’m-” He sighed. “One second,” and his eyes went familiarly distant.
“Take your time,” Time told him, knowing the words were falling on deaf ears but wanting to say them anyway.
Wind bounced slightly at his side, full of nervous energy. “Legend’s okay, right? He didn’t do anything, or, not anything unusual, I guess…”
“Not that we noticed.” They wouldn’t be able to see any changes in behavior, of course, but Time hadn’t noticed any significant change in the soft glow of magic around the sword.
Hyrule’s smile was going between soft and amused, cycling back and forth. Wind whispered, “Do you think he’s getting yelled at?”
“Almost certainly,” Time whispered back. From his limited interactions with Legend, he knew that the former adventurer had a protective streak nearly as large as Twilight’s, but he hid it behind defensive aggression. Or tried to, anyway. He didn’t doubt that Legend was shouting at Hyrule for being so reckless.
Hyrule’s smile shifted to a grin, and he refocused on the outside world. “He’s starting to repeat himself,” he said conspiratorially, “I think we’re good.”
“Is Legend alright?” Time asked, the thought hitting him suddenly. A wave of guilt accompanied it, because he absolutely should have thought of it earlier. “Since the two of you are so connected, is he affected at all when you drain yourself like that?”
“It affects how much I’m feeding into the bond, I think,” Hyrule told him, “but I’m pretty careful not to take any of his energy away. We had a… bad experience with that, and it’s not a mistake I’m going to repeat.”
Time nodded. “I didn’t think you would be careless with it, but it pays to double check.”
There was a sound from the edge of camp, and Sky came into view, Warriors right behind him. His face lit up when he saw Hyrule and Wind both awake, the stormclouds parting for a moment. “Oh! You’re awake! How are you feeling?”
Wind looked at Hyrule for his answer at the same time Hyrule looked at him.
Sky laughed, the first laugh Time had heard from him in a while, and came over to sit next to them. “Hyrule first.”
“A little drained,” Hyrule offered, “but pretty good, considering what I just…” he shook his head amazedly, “what I just pulled off.”
“It was very impressive,” Time told him, because Hyrule did deserve to hear that.
Hyrule flushed with embarrassment, and very carefully focused on petting Twilight.
“I’m fine,” Wind said, “just some weird body feelings that’ll go away soon. Time said it was fine.”
“Phantom pain, probably,” Four piped up from his corner of camp.
“Yeah, those.” Wind nodded, trying to look very serious. Hyrule stifled a laugh.
“I’m glad to hear the two of you are alright,” Warriors said from where he was standing behind Sky. “We were all concerned.”
Concerned was putting it a little lightly, but Time wasn’t going to argue semantics.
Hyrule grinned. “Someone’s telling me you were a little more stressed than that.”
Twilight shifted to nose at the sword, unnecessarily pointing out the snitch.
“And after I was so nice to you!” Four gasped in mock indignation. “See if I ever sharpen you again!”
Hyrule’s smile faltered for a second, and he put a hand on Legend’s scabbard, but it came back soon enough. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Four shrugged, though Time knew the smithy well enough to notice the stiffness in his shoulders. “I figured he’d be lonely with you asleep so long, and… I’m good with weapons. I was pretty sure it would be good for both of us.”
Hyrule nodded in agreement. Wind knelt down next to where Twilight was circling Hyrule, and pointed at Legend. “Can I ask him something?”
“Sure,” Hyrule said, looking slightly wary at the seriousness in Wind’s tone.
“How did he tell me that the monster was coming? I thought the bond didn’t work.”
Time’s breath caught in his throat.
“... Legend told you the monster was coming?” Sky asked, his eyes wide.
“Yeah, that’s how I turned around in time for it to just get my hand. It felt like someone poking my brain, kind of. A big ‘watch out’, and I spun around, and I didn’t die.” Wind shrugged. “Pretty cool.”
That certainly sounded like a bond of some kind.
Hyrule listened to Legend for a few seconds, then said, “He says he just kind of… reacted. Saw you in danger and shouted without thinking. I’m surprised it went through, with an incomplete- barely even connected- bond, but I guess the first time he warned me of danger it was kind of the same situation.”
“So… you’re saying it worked,” Four said slowly, that familiar light sparking in his eyes. “Legend and Wind are bonded in the same sort of way you are? Less strongly, of course, but still.”
“I think so,” Hyrule said quietly, then went distant again.
Wind was wriggling with excitement. “It worked! Oh, that’s awesome, now I can talk to Legend for real.”
“Bonds take time to develop,” Time reminded him almost absently, trying to work through his own emotions about this. It was a good thing, almost certainly, and it had been mutually agreed upon, and Legend had proved to be someone who kept the good of the group in mind. But still, Time thought about bonds to powerful magical items and the marks on his face and had to suppress a shudder.
“Legend says he can’t feel a full bond yet,” Hyrule said, blinking a few times as he returned to the moment at hand, “but definitely some sort of small connection. Like a pull, sort of. The same way you’d see something’s magic and be drawn to it, if it's the right kind.” He paused. “Sorry. I don’t know- that’s probably not a helpful example.”
“Like a tide?” Four suggested. “Or is that too… strong?”
Hyrule frowned slightly. “Sure? It’s hard to explain.”
“Yeah, bonds are weird.” The voice - Wild’s - came from the edge of camp, and Time looked up to see their cook hanging upside down, his legs hooked over the branch of a tree. “I caught dinner, by the way, there are deer around here.”
“Welcome back,” Time said perfectly calmly, smiling internally at the blatant surprise and confusion of the rest of the group.
“Nice,” Wind said with a grin. “I’m hungry. Maybe it’s all the sleeping.”
Wild pulled himself up enough to flip down out of the tree and hurry over to the remains of their campfire. “Just give me a few minutes, I’ll get you something to tide you over. You hungry too, Hyrule?”
"Sure," Hyrule said, moving to stand with a slight wince. Wind offered his hand- his sword hand, and they both stared at it for a second before Hyrule took it and stepped carefully over Wolfie.
Four wandered over to follow them, frowning thoughtfully. “Hey, Hyrule, can I ask - what did regrowing Wind’s hand feel like? Magic-wise? It seemed different than your usual healing.”
Hyrule thought for a moment. "It was. It felt less like a restoring-the-body and more like remaking it. Creating it. Honestly, I'm still shocked it worked."
“... That’s incredible,” Four admitted. “I didn’t know hylians could do that.”
"Me neither," Hyrule said, obviously still a little in awe about it.
“Could you do it on a larger scale? Make something else, possibly?” Four asked, switching into what several of them referred to as his nerd mode.
Hyrule shrugged. "I'd have to try. But it wasn't… hard? I know that sounds weird. The creation bit wasn't hard, it was having enough magic that was the problem."
“So it’s just a matter of having fuel for it, so to speak,” Four mused. “Interesting.”
Hyrule laughed, looking away. "Legend's being all uptight about experiments."
“That probably isn't a bad thing,” Time reminded him. “Magic of this kind usually comes with a cost.”
"It's kind of funny, though," Hyrule said, "he says we can't do it without his supervision. Without his supervision. I literally can't stop him from seeing everything I do."
Four smiled the slow, toothy grin of someone who has just found a loophole. “So what I’m hearing is that experiments are fine.”
"I mean, I assume so- no, no, you already said I could!" He laughed. "We totally can."
“Please don’t make yourself pass out again,” Time said mildly, meaning every single word.
Hyrule frowned. "I pass out a regular amount."
“You do not.”
“You’ve passed out more often than anyone else and you’ve been here about half as long as most of us,” Four added helpfully.
"But I'm a magic user, and I don't have to worry about beasts mauling my unconscious body anymore. It's safe," Hyrule shrugged.
Sky took a deep, deep breath. “Hyrule. Not being mauled does not mean good or healthy.”
"...That's fair." Hyrule moved to investigate what Wild was starting to heat over the fire. "Need any help?"
“Nah, I got it, but thanks. Here,” Wild said, handing him a freshly baked apple, then tossing one to Wind. “I’ve got some honey somewhere if you want it, but they’re pretty good on their own.”
Hyrule’s eyes brightened at the mention of honey. "Ooh, can I look?"
Wild hesitated for a second, glancing between Hyrule and his slate, then handed it over. “Don’t switch to any other tabs, I’ve got a lot of stuff in here.”
"I won't," Hyrule assured him, and after a few seconds, he had a bottle of honey in his hands. "Thanks, Wild."
Wind approached, making grabby hands at the honey. "Can I have some?"
Hyrule handed it over after he was done, grabbing a few bowls just in case and handing one to Wind just a second too late to stop his hands from being coated in honey. "Leave some of that for Wild, okay?"
Time watched them with a fond little smile on his face. It was nice to see them so relaxed, and it was doing wonders for the general atmosphere of the group. Warriors was starting to lose the captain’s set to his shoulders again, and he wasn’t sure if he’d heard Wild speak since Wind lost his hand. He was glad to see them coming back toward normal.
But, with no threats present, and the assurance that all of their own were accounted for and safe, Time decided it would be a good opportunity to examine something that had been bothering him ever since Legend had told them about his past. He got up and went to join the little circle by the fire, sitting down near Hyrule and ignoring the way his knees protested the movement. He got enough “old man” comments as it was. “Hyrule, Legend, would you mind if I took a quick look at Legend’s blade?”
Hyrule was instantly cautious, hand drifting towards his shoulder, but after a moment of silence- presumably conferring with Legend- he nodded and pulled the sword off his back, unsheathing it and handing the blade to Time as he sat down, close enough to make sure it would be undamaged.
Time took the sword with a nod of thanks, then began looking it over with both eyes to get a better view.
Legend’s magic was as strong and constant as it had been ever since Hyrule joined the group (barring those awful few days after the maze, of course), glowing softly in Time’s hands. But that wasn’t what he was looking for. He looked deeper, under the coat of Legend’s energy that had seeped into the metal itself after so long, and found -
Nothing.
No magic, no carefully shaped vessel. Just a sword.
“Four,” he called, a note of thoughtfulness in his voice. “Can you come look at this?”
Four frowned and hurried over. “What, what’s wrong?” Hyrule leaned forwards as well, scrutinizing Legend carefully.
“Just… look at the blade,” Time told him, holding the sword out. “Not Legend, not anything you can sense from him, the blade itself. I want to know if there’s something I’m missing.”
“I’m not great at seeing magic,” Four warned him, but he looked anyway. As he stared at the sword, his frown got steadily deeper. “... That’s… what?”
Time nodded. “You see it too, then.”
"What?" Hyrule asked, a panicked note creeping into his voice, "what's wrong? He feels fine!"
“He is,” Time assured him. “Nothing has changed. This is… something deeper, I think.”
Four hummed in agitated agreement, still staring at the blade. “There’s just… nothing. How the hell did they manage this? How the hell has Legend managed this?”
“I believe,” Time said quietly, running a thumb over the worn leather of the hilt, “that our brother in spirit is far more powerful than anyone - including himself - gives him credit for.”
“He has to be, what in the name of Hylia,” Four muttered.
"Could someone please tell us what's actually going on?" Hyrule said, voice a little too high-pitched to read as calm.
Time closed his right eye again and looked up at Hyrule. “This isn’t a magical sword.”
Hyrule thought for a moment. "It's a magical person inside a sword? A normal sword?"
“Exactly.”
“Which shouldn’t be possible,” Four stressed. “Hyrule, a vessel for a person’s soul has to be made carefully. I’ve - I mean, I haven’t seen anything like that myself, at least not often, but there needs to be something to… I don’t know, hold it, I guess is a good word.”
“I’ve seen a few vessels over the course of my adventures,” Time added carefully, because as important as this conversation likely was, he was not about to discuss the details of those vessels. “There needs to be something to anchor the soul to. A magic inherent in the object, if nothing else. This is just plain metal.”
Four shook his head in wonder. “I think Legend may be alive right now out of sheer stubbornness.”
"Sounds like him." Hyrule sounded slightly faint. "Is there anything we can do? If the sword needs magic, I'm sure I could give some…"
“No, trying to add an enchantment to the sword at this stage would likely make things worse,” Time said with a sigh.
"Then what can we do?" Hyrule was clearly making an effort to keep his voice even, and he kept spacing out for a few seconds at a time. Legend was clearly communicating with him.
Time considered that for a moment. “I’m not certain there’s anything we can do. It isn’t even a problem, really - Legend has been stable in this sword for centuries, it’s simply… worth being aware of.”
Hyrule nodded seriously. "Thank you for letting us know."
“Yeah, we’d basically have to start over with a different vessel if we wanted a more stable anchor,” Four snorted, kneeling to poke the sword.
"... Could you?" Wind asked, suddenly sticking his head between Hyrule's and Time's to stare down at the sword. "Give him another vessel, I mean. So he could be more comfortable."
Time blinked. “I… don’t see why not? It wouldn’t be easy, of course, and we would have to find a vessel to put him in, but… I suppose if Legend would be alright with that, we could try it.”
Hyrule shook his head. "Legend can form bonds, but he doesn't think he can transfer his whole self between objects. When he takes my body, it's like I'm holding a door open for him to go in. Without a bond, the door stays closed."
“If,” Sky said suddenly, then paused for a heartbeat. “If we could find a way to move his soul. Could we get a vessel? Would… would he be alright with that? Hypothetically?”
Hyrule took a second to ask. "Depends on the process and the vessel, he says."
Sky nodded a few times, worrying the hem of his sailcloth.
“What would you want to be?” Four asked Legend, poking the sword again. “I can make you a way better sword than this if you want.”
Hyrule snorted. "He's suggesting getting his body back. Which is silly, you don't want to be bones, Legend!"
Twilight twitched a little at that, but didn’t react when Time shot him a concerned look, so he let it be.
“... Would it have to be bones?” Four asked softly, his eyes going very wide.
"I assume the rest has rotted by now," Hyrule said, noticing Four's tone and speaking more cautiously, "why do you ask?"
Four reached over to hold up Wind’s sword hand, looking Hyrule directly in the eye.
"Goddesses above," Hyrule whispered, "it can't possibly be that easy." He shifted Four and Time's hands aside and picked Legend up, turning away from the group and sitting down, presumably having a deep conversation.
“I wouldn’t call it easy if he passed out for a day just from making a hand,” Four mused. “But possible, yeah.”
"Still no method of transfer," Warriors chimed in regretfully, "before anyone gets too excited about this."
Sky cleared his throat, looking deeply, deeply uncomfortable. “That… may not be true.”
The group turned to look at him, Hyrule's head snapping over too after a few seconds. "What?"
“I, ah.” Sky swallowed, looking at the ground rather than at any of them. “I… I had a thought. A few days ago, actually, but since we didn’t have any of - of this then I didn’t think it was worth sharing. I’m still not sure it’s worth sharing, honestly, Legend would need to agree to this and -”
"He can do that if he wants," Hyrule said very seriously, "share it anyways."
Sky very clearly did not want to do that. Time was starting to feel uneasy about this idea of his. “... Well, it - it might be possible to undo whatever’s tethering him to the sword with… with Fi.”
Hyrule took a step back, sheathing Legend and swinging him onto his back. "I think we're going to take a walk. Think about some things." He looked Sky right in the eyes. "That is a good idea. Thank you for telling us."
And then he turned and walked into the trees.
Sky made an uncertain little sound, glancing between where Hyrule had been and the rest of the group.
“It is worth knowing that that’s an option,” Time told him with a nod and as much of a smile as he could manage. “And ultimately, it will be Legend’s choice. He deserves to know all of his options.”
“I think it’s an incredible idea!” Wind said, eyes still wide, “I can’t believe this might actually work.”
Four nodded excitedly. “And even if Legend doesn’t like the Master Sword plan, there are other ways to do the same thing. We have time, we can do research.”
“What does having me in the group have to do with anything?” Time asked innocently.
“Shut up you know what I meant!”
“Do I?” Time had long since perfected keeping a straight face as he teased people, which only added to Four’s clear frustration.
Wild, who had been very quiet for most of the discussion, suddenly asked “So… we’re just going to make a body and stick Legend’s soul in it?”
“If that’s what he wants to do,” Warriors reminded the group, “It’s probably difficult for him to consider, after… everything that’s happened.”
Wild nodded, his ears still folded down. He wasn’t quite looking at anyone.
Twilight moved over to Wild and sat down next to him, still in wolf form, leaning what was probably a comforting weight against his side.
Wild made a little huffing noise, running a hand through Twilight’s fur as he focused back on dinner. He looked slightly more settled, so Time decided to just keep an eye on him and intervene if it got worse.
“There’s still the issue of power,” Four mused. “Assuming Legend agrees to the plan and we can get him unattached from the sword, Hyrule still needs a lot of energy to make him a whole body. We’d need a strong source of magic to get all of it done in one go.”
“Well, does it have to be a particular type of magic? I’m sure we’ve all found strong sources in our adventures,” Warriors said, moving to sit by the fire as well.
Four shrugged. “The type really depends on Hyrule. Anything he can channel is something we can use. We could maybe make a list of some magic sources that we know of, and Hyrule can tell us which ones sound like they could work and which ones don’t.”
They tossed around ideas for a while - fairy fountains were mentioned by nearly everyone, Time suggested the Kokiri Forest or, if they were slightly more desperate, the Lost Woods, and the others all chipped in with locations of powerful creatures or structures.
The brainstorming paused, though, when Hyrule came back into camp, Legend in hand.
“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath and crossing over to where everyone was standing, “We’re ready to discuss options.”
Notes:
thanks for reading, as always!! FIVE MORE DAYS im gonna miss yall so much. todays shoutout is to a_random_nymph for their comments!!
fun fact that we didnt say in the fic but is canon nonetheless: the reason none of the heroes who wielded Legend freed him is because the crown told them that Legend died trapping an evil spirit inside the blade and they shouldnt listen to any of its pleas
Chapter 17: The Plan
Notes:
apologies, VERY short chapter for yall today, but thats bc we're gearing up for a few Long Ones- this made sense to cut here bc it covers such a short period of time
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As soon as Hyrule was absolutely sure they were out of earshot- but not out of yelling distance- he pulled Legend off his back and sat down at the base of a tree.
Probably a bad question, he thought, but how are you feeling right now? About all this?
Legend’s only response was a wave of fear confusion overwhelmed panic panic hope pain.
Hey, okay- Hyrule projected as much calm as he could, curling around Legend’s presence, it’s going to be okay. Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to, and I’m sure we can find other options.
I know, Legend said quietly, and there was a noticeable effort to pull the whole snarled mess back behind his shields. I know, it’s just - Hyrule, I forgot I was a person until a few weeks ago. This is a lot.
Hyrule nodded, pulling the sword to rest against his shoulder and tracing the patterns embossed in the scabbard. Makes sense. You don’t have to figure out what you want right now.
… What if I hate it? Legend’s voice sounded very small, somehow. What if I agree to this, all of it, and we go through all this effort and it hurts and I end up with a body and I hate it? I know that sounds really fucking stupid but - but what if I think I want it and I’m wrong?
Well, Hyrule said, then I guess we’d find you a different vessel. I don’t know if it’ll hurt, but I see two options here, if we decide to try it- one, it doesn’t work and nothing changes, and two, you get to try out something new. And once we know we can give you a body, I’m sure we can give you a different vessel instead, it would be the same process. His voice softened. We wouldn’t mind, Legend. We can do it again if you don’t like it.
Legend sighed, humming with something bitter and sharp. It is so fucking stupid that I’ve been on so many quests, fought so many battles, I nearly died twice, and this is what scares me?
I think it makes sense, Hyrule offered quietly, those are all things you know. Familiar things. You’re in control, sort of, of what you do. This is offering that control and trust to someone else.
There was a little flicker of surprise, and then Legend went quiet with a thoughtful little hum.
Hyrule waited for him, tracing patterns and poking at the dirt with the toe of his boot. He kept his presence warm and reassuring.
… I don’t know, Legend said finally, the words slow and careful, if I trust the others that much.
Okay, Hyrule said, leaning his head back against the tree. Would it matter if I was the one holding the goddess sword? He kept his tone completely neutral and open.
A tiny spark of something painful, which Legend promptly yanked back behind his walls. I don’t want you touching her.
I don’t have to, that’s okay. Hyrule thought for a moment. Do you want to keep this as an idea, and then get to know the group more and see if you decide you want to do it? You ended up liking Wind well enough.
Legend thought about that for several long seconds. Then he sighed. … Yeah. Let’s - I’m positive they’re brainstorming back there, let’s go find out what they’ve come up with. I want details about this.
I’m proud of you, Hyrule told him with a smile, this is a lot. I’m proud, and excited, and so happy.
I haven’t even said I want to do it yet! Legend protested, and Hyrule could sense how flustered the words had made him.
You’re willing to talk about it. I’m not sure I would be, after only a few minutes. You’re strong, Legend. Like they said, stronger than you know. There was a small part of Hyrule that was saying the words to keep flustering Legend, but that didn’t mean that any of them were lies.
I just - information, Rulie, that’s rule one, you gather information, Legend hissed. He was like a puffed up cat, all fluff and scary noises.
“So, let’s go get some.” Hyrule stood up, continuing to carry Legend in his hands as he made his way back to the group.
“Okay,” he said, facing the group with Legend held securely in front of him, “We’re ready to discuss options.”
Notes:
thanks to cutebutalsostabby for their comments!!! we appreciate all of you a lot <3
Chapter 18: The Adjustment
Notes:
Woe, fluff be upon ye. We are building up to the Big Decision, the Big Attempt, it'll be something for sure! But Legend isn't quite ready for that yet... so, here we are!!! hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
In the end, the safest method seemed to be seeking out a fairy fountain to help Hyrule gather the power necessary, and doing the process there (for his own sanity, Legend refused to call it a ritual). Safe territory, lots of natural magic, and the connection that Hyrule still hadn’t mentioned to the group.
It felt vaguely uncomfortable to Legend for the group to be heading there when he hadn’t even agreed to the whole stupid plan yet, but it did make sense. He was pretty sure the discomfort was just from how tense he felt about this whole thing, and they weren’t anywhere close to a fountain, so they might as well start in that direction.
Legend spent their first day on the road keeping quiet, mostly, trying to pick apart his feelings about getting a body and not being a sword anymore and the goddess sword and everything else. He occasionally distracted himself by working on the tiny thread of a bond with Wind, but mostly he just thought.
Should he be spending that much time alone with his own thoughts? Probably not, but he didn’t have anything better to do, since Hyrule would just be really supportive and whatever you decide, Legend, and it’s up to you, Legend, which was nice, but not at all what he needed right now.
He was rudely shaken out of his thoughts, though, when they stopped to camp that evening and Wild came over to Hyrule with a more serious expression than he usually wore.
“Can I borrow Legend?” he asked quietly, so none of the others could hear. “It’ll be fast, I promise, I’ll be super careful. I just… I want to talk to him, if that’s okay.”
Hyrule, who’d gotten nervous at the beginning of Wild’s sentence, relaxed a bit. Legend?
Sure. It would, at least, be more interesting than thinking himself in circles again.
“That’s okay. Stay close-ish, though, if you can? Not like, so I can hear you, just so that- you know, if we get attacked or something-” he cut himself off. “Right. Yeah.”
Hyrule handed Legend over carefully, and then sat back down, suddenly looking a lot less comfortable.
Legend sent him a soft little pulse of reassurance as Wild gave him a nod and headed off.
Once they were out of earshot, Wild sat down and carefully set Legend on the grass in front of him, folding his hands nervously in his lap. “So. Um.”
Legend waited. He couldn’t really do much else, of course, but he was genuinely interested in whatever their cook had to say that he didn’t want to say in front of Hyrule.
“I, ah,” Wild waved toward him. “I put you down, so - I’m sorry, I’m bad at this, let me start over - I usually break pretty much every weapon I touch, so. I’m not planning to hang onto you more than I have to. But, um, that isn’t what I wanted to talk about, that’s - more of an explanation for why you’re on the ground.”
He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair and wincing when it got caught on a tangle. “I guess… I guess I wanted to say I get it? About a lot of the stuff you’re going through, actually. Not all of it, obviously, but… but some of it.”
Now that got Legend’s attention.
“I was, um.” Wild stared down at his hands, flexing the one with thick scars across the knuckles. “I died. Before my first adventure. I was - I’ll spare you the whole story, it’s kind of a downer, but… I died, protecting my Zelda. She got me to a place called the Shrine of Resurrection, and - and then I woke up, a hundred years later, without any idea who I was or what I was supposed to be doing.”
Oh.
Legend could feel Hyrule poking at their bond, questioning what Wild was saying to make him feel like that all of a sudden, but he just sent back a quick I’m fine and built his walls higher.
He remembered a sword through his chest, and the feeling of going dormant, and something in him ached.
“So, I don’t know, I just… wanted you to know that I know how it feels, trying to figure out being a person again. Maybe being different from who you were. Being…” Wild trailed off, then said very quietly, “being kind of scared about that. Because personhood is this, like - this huge thing that everyone expects you to know already, and when you don’t , it’s like you don’t even know where to start, and no one knows how to tell you.”
That summed it up really well, actually. Legend wondered suddenly if this whole thing would be less terrifying if he had a starting point. That was how he had handled adventures, after all - one step at a time, one goal leading to the next, one foot in front of the other. Looking at it on any bigger scale would have paralyzed him.
“And, you know, the whole body thing -” Wild gestured a little sheepishly to his scars. “The shrine didn’t… you know, make me something from scratch, but it had to do a lot of work to put me back together. So. I’m just saying, if you decide you want to go through with this whole idea, or even if you don’t, you’re not totally alone in all this.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds, then Wild coughed. “Yeah, that was it, I’m - yeah. I’m not great at this whole pep talk thing, but I thought I should try, you know?”
He carefully picked Legend up again - by the scabbard only, Legend noticed, not touching the hilt at all - and carried him back over to Hyrule.
Hyrule nodded at Wild with a nervous smile, holding his hands out to receive Legend and giving Wild a nod. Talk go okay? You don’t have to tell me what it was about.
… Yeah, Legend said quietly. Yeah, it was - it was fine.
“Thanks,” Wild said, carefully handing Legend back over. “I just - needed to say some stuff. I hope it helped.”
Hyrule gave Legend a mental nudge. Want me to tell him anything?
… He gave me some things to think about, Legend said after a moment. I don’t know if helped is the right word, but… tell him thanks for telling me.
“Legend says thanks for telling him,” Hyrule said to Wild, “and I say thanks for talking to him. He’s probably getting bored of talking to me all the time.”
I am not.
Sure. Hyrule’s tone was joking, but you do have actual options now. It’s okay if you want to use them.
Legend’s immediate reaction was to think no, he absolutely did not need to talk to the others because he had Hyrule and now Wind, so he was fine.
… But he had said that he would at least try to bond with the others.
I’d never be bored just talking to you, Rulie,
he said quietly,
but… thanks.
“Hey, Hyrule,” Four said the next day, wandering up next to them as the group traveled. It was nice, easy terrain, which unfortunately for Legend made it wonderful for chatting while walking. “Got a question for you, if you don’t mind. Nothing serious, it just kind of got lost in the shuffle the other day.”
“Sure,” Hyrule gave him a small smile, “go ahead.”
Four puffed out his cheeks a little in thought, obviously trying to word this carefully. “You looked… upset, I guess is the word, when I mentioned that I sharpened Legend while you were out. Can I ask why?”
Hyrule hesitated, a bit of embarrassment tainting his magical signature. “Uh, it’s a dumb reason.”
“It’s not dumb if it’s making you upset,” Four disagreed, “but it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”
“No, I can.” Hyrule sighed. “I just… I didn’t like the idea of me being passed out and anything being able to happen to Legend, you know? It wasn’t that I minded you sharpening him, really-” there was a hint of a lie in that, Legend noticed, “- it just made me realize people could kind of, do things and I couldn’t stop it.”
“I get that,” Four said with a nod. “But hey, I know better than anyone that if Legend doesn’t like something I’m doing, he’ll tell me.”
Legend remembered that flare of energy back at the maze, Four’s yelp of pain. It hadn’t felt good, back then - he remembered that sickening feeling that he’d just made everything worse, even as he got Four to drop him - and it didn’t feel good now, either.
“Oh!” Hyrule nodded. “I didn’t think of that, sorry. I’ve been so focused on rebuilding our bond that I… was thinking about just verbal communication, I guess.”
Four waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, don’t worry about it. You’ve had a lot going on.”
… Rulie? Legend said quietly. Tell him I’m sorry about the whole… thing.
Hyrule sent a bit of surprise and confusion down their bond. “Legend says he’s sorry about the whole thing- I assume he means what happened while I was in the maze.”
“You were protecting yourself,” Four said, glancing up over Hyrule’s shoulder at Legend. “I don’t blame you for that, I would have done the same thing.”
… That did help, weirdly enough. Legend realized that he had been thinking about lashing out like that as hurting Four, when really, he hadn’t wanted to do that at all. That hadn’t been the point. He had been protecting himself, and by extension, Hyrule. Thinking about it that way was… better.
… Tell him thanks, Legend decided finally. And thanks for the other day, too.
“Legend says thanks, and also thanks for what happened the other day,” Hyrule passed the information along.
Legend had been about ready to vibrate his soul out of the sword all on his own out of sheer worry, and Four picking him up and talking to him, accompanied by the familiar, steady shhhhing of a whetstone, had been… nice. It had been kind of him.
Hyrule picked up on his background contentedness, and smiled, then turned the smile to Four. “I also want to say thanks. It means a lot that you would, uh, ‘it means a lot that you’d remember to talk to him’ is a really bad way of saying it, but… yeah.”
“I get it.” Four’s smile was a little awkward, a little uncomfortable, but genuine. “... More than you think, actually, but I think that’s a story for another time.”
Hyrule nodded. “I look forward to it.”
If that ranch hand tries to fucking herd you one more time I’m borrowing your body so I can punch him, Legend grumbled.
Don’t do that, Hyrule said, projecting amusement, it’s really just his equivalent of your grumbling. He wants to keep us safe.
He can do that without treating you like sheep.
Hyrule snorted a small laugh. I think it comes naturally to him, especially given his other form.
That was probably fair, but Legend could still be annoyed. Hyrule was a wanderer, and while that maybe wasn’t great when he was traveling with a group, it meant Twilight hovered, just enough to set Legend’s non-existent teeth on edge.
Twilight, who had been walking close to them, looked over at Hyrule’s laugh. “Did Legend say something funny?” he asked, obviously trying to mask his awkwardness, but doing much better at it than Hyrule did.
“...Sort of,” Hyrule said, an amused but slightly strained smile on his face.
Call him a sheepdog, Rulie, Legend urged. It’ll be funny.
Hyrule bit his lip, then turned to Twilight. “Legend is a person,” he started, “and I have decided he can make his own bad decisions. So, I am telling you that he just told me to call you a sheepdog, because it would be funny.”
… Not exactly what Legend had been going for, but close enough.
Twilight raised his eyebrows. “Any reason for that?”
Hyrule glanced back uselessly at Legend’s pommel. “...Maybe?”
I’m not helping you explain it, Legend said maybe a little too smugly.
Sighing, Hyrule turned back to Twilight. “Because you’re always herding us? That’s what he said earlier.”
Twilight made a confused face. “What? I don’t do that. When have I done that?”
“...I don’t know,” Hyrule said, trying and failing to hide his smile, “I guess Legend will have to tell us.”
Rulie. Rulie he’s worse than you are, Legend whispered with delight.
Hyrule gasped. “Worse than me at what? What are you implying here?”
“Wait,” Twilight asked, “what am I being accused of now?”
The truth, rancher, shut up. He’s so oblivious, Rulie. How the hell has he not realized that he’s corralling you all yet? Legend genuinely could not understand how he managed to not notice something so blatantly obvious.
“Oh, he’s still talking about the sheepdog thing,” Hyrule explained, “...do you really not know why he’s saying that?”
“No clue,” Twilight said, peering around Hyrule to look confusedly at the sword. “You do realize I’m a wolf, right? I’m not a dog.”
You sure act like one sometimes.
Hyrule giggled. “He says you act like one.” Taking a deep breath, he offered, “...do you want to know why? Why he’s saying that, I mean.”
“Sure?” Twilight looked thoroughly confused.
“It’s because you… well, you kind of circle the group and make sure everyone is on track and no-one’s wandering away. Especially on the road, or in dungeons. Like a sheepdog, you know?”
Twilight blinked a few times. “I watch out for you, that doesn’t mean I’m- what, herding you?”
He was so oblivious.
That knowledge did sort of help, though. Twilight hadn’t meant to hover, it was just… instinct, maybe. Habit. It was still irritating as hell, but Legend could forgive him for it.
“He’s not wrong, though,” Hyrule was visibly struggling not to laugh. “You watch out for us, keep us together and safe, and you do definitely circle around the group a lot.”
Twilight’s expression shifted to horrified realization. “Oh.” Then he frowned, but there was no anger in it. “I do not. I would not be a sheepdog, thank you very much. I would at least herd goats. Goats are much better than sheep.”
“I guess you could classify some of us as goats,” Hyrule mused, “especially on particularly stubborn days.”
… That felt like it was targeted. Legend chose to ignore it, because as a sword, he could not be herded.
Twilight nodded with an amused smile. “That’s not the worst comparison in the world.” He sighed. “It just… makes sense, I guess. Why wouldn’t I make sure everyone is doing okay and staying safe? It’s just natural for me.”
Hyrule grinned. “Because you’re a wolf?”
“No!” Twilight sputtered, “Because- because I’m a hero, what kind of question-”
Hyrule was too busy laughing to answer him.
It was natural for him. Something about that phrase pinged at Legend, and he turned it over thoughtfully in his head. It was natural, because he was a wolf, no matter how much he protested otherwise. It was natural for wolves to protect their group, to keep the pack together.
… Hyrule, he said, surprise sparking in the word. I think he thinks of us as part of his pack.
Hyrule gasped. “He totally does!” He dissolved into more laughter, and refused to explain why to an increasingly confused and jokingly defensive Twilight.
Pack. Family.
Huh.
Night wasn’t Legend’s favorite time.
He was usually bored, more than anything. He didn’t need to sleep, for obvious reasons, and the sort of drowsy half-attention he slipped into during the long, uneventful nights was still far more awareness than he really wanted to have. It had been different back at the beginning, when Hyrule had relied on him to watch over them both while he slept. That was being useful, that was a stated goal. Just lying there while other heroes took turns on watch was not. He understood why none of them let him take a watch, he would probably have made the same decision in their shoes, but it still left him feeling bored and useless.
Legend watched, bored out of his mind and wishing for literally anything to keep himself occupied, as Twilight slipped into wolf form and then into the trees around them to do a perimeter check. Great. Now all he had to look at were sleeping heroes and the stars.
Which was why he noticed immediately when Warriors started to twitch in his sleep, especially because he was usually so still. At first he could dismiss it as a natural shift, but it kept happening, more and more frequently.
A dream, he realized. Probably a nightmare.
Warriors’ head jerked, hard, onto the dirt of the campsite, and he startled awake, instinctively moving into a half-crouch with his sword in his hand.
Just stars and heroes. Legend watched him panickedly scan his surroundings, obviously breathing hard, and then collapse back down onto his bedroll, looking at his shaking hands and then bowing his head.
When Legend said he wanted something to keep himself occupied, this is not what he meant.
Reluctantly - he’d noticed Hyrule yawning during dinner - he went to nudge Hyrule awake so he could deal with this, because it probably needed to be dealt with, then paused.
The bond was open.
Hyrule must be dreaming, too, or at least reaching out in his sleep. He did that sometimes. But in this case… With Hyrule’s consciousness still asleep, the “door” open, and a job to be done…
Legend moved into Hyrule’s body without letting himself think about it too much.
The transition always felt odd, like getting submerged in chuchu jelly and squished and stretched all at the same time, but then he was blinking Hyrule’s eyes open and flexing Hyrule’s fingers, and the soft edge of Hyrule’s sleeping awareness didn’t even flicker.
Legend took a breath and carefully pushed himself up.
Warriors flinched at the sound, head jerking over almost too fast, eyes wide. The moon was in the right position to highlight the small track of a tear on his face. He immediately wiped it away.
“Hyrule,” he said, quietly, voice rough from sleep and stress, “what are you doing up? Who has the watch?”
“Rulie’s still sleeping,” Legend whispered back. Whispering felt weird, but he found that he still remembered how to do it. “Twilight left to do a perimeter check maybe ten minutes ago.”
Warriors nodded, but the suspicion didn’t leave his face. Legend realized it wasn’t directed at him when Warriors glanced at the surrounding forest, checking both directions carefully.
“I… didn’t know you could do that,” Warriors said, “take over his body while he slept, I mean.”
“I can’t always,” Legend said with a shrug. “Sometimes he reaches for me when he’s sleeping, and that’s enough to open the door, apparently.”
Warriors nodded, then did it again. His hands were fisted in his scarf, laying in his lap. “Interesting.”
Okay, if he was going to actually do anything, he apparently needed to step it up a notch. Legend very very carefully crawled over to where Warriors’ bedroll was set up, because he didn’t trust himself to stand and not faceplant, then sat cross-legged facing the captain. “I’ve been bored out of my mind all night. There’s nothing going on. I think the nearest living thing is a cricket on the other side of the woods.”
Nodding again, Warriors had watched his approach carefully. “Makes for a safer watch shift, I guess.” He kept glancing at the woods, probably searching for any sign of Twilight.
“Yeah, that’s my fucking point. You were unlucky enough to get me as the only one awake, so congratulations, you get to sit through my attempts at being comforting,” Legend drawled.
Warriors raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think I need comforting.” From where Legend was sitting, closer than before, he could see that the captain’s hands were still shaking.
The captain would probably appreciate blunt honesty. “You were crying.”
Closing his eyes, Warriors turned his head away. “A moment of weakness. It passed.”
“Yeah, that’s not how that works. Nightmares suck, and I don’t get them anymore, but I know they linger. You don’t have to talk about it, or whatever, I just…” Legend shrugged, trying to hide how unbearably awkward and out of his depth he felt. “Rulie doesn’t like to be alone, when he has them, so.”
Warriors still wasn’t looking at him, but Legend saw his shoulders slump, just slightly. “It does… help. To have someone else to share the watch, when I wake up like… this.”
“Good.” Legend wished he was better at this, but he had learned over his time actually interacting with the others that he was good with Hyrule and only Hyrule.
They sat in silence for a while, until Warriors asked, “Do you think you’d get nightmares again, if you got a new body?”
“I’d be shocked if I didn’t,” Legend said with a sigh, letting his own shoulders slump a little. “I had bad nightmares before all this sword stuff, so…”
Warriors nodded. “So. I’m sorry in advance, or in hypothetical advance, for adding to them.”
“I wonder if that will show up before going dormant does,” Legend mused, feeling morbidly curious. “I bet Hyrule dying will be common, too.”
“I suppose you could find out,” Warriors muttered. “Those seem like common enough themes to me. Reasonable.”
Legend tilted his head to one side, scrutinizing Warriors a little closer. “What, like yours aren’t?”
Warriors shook his head. “Very normal, I’m sure. Replays and what-ifs, mostly.”
“We’ve got enough of those for a lifetime, right?” Legend snorted.
“Definitely.”
They sat in silence again, but this one felt a little more comfortable. Legend closed his eyes, stretching out his senses and brushing over the many little blips of magic surrounding the rest of the group. Just to look.
Warriors was right, it made things better to have someone to share the watch.
Sky had been… twitchy, for the past few days.
Legend hadn’t said anything to Hyrule, because the kid didn’t need to worry about it, but he had noticed every time Sky’s eyes had strayed their way, every time he looked anxious or made an aborted move in their direction.
The hero blessed by Hylia had something to say, and Legend was getting very sick of waiting for him to say it.
When he finally did approach them one evening, sailcloth and sword left by his bag and hands nervously fidgeting, Legend was almost relieved.
“Hyrule,” he said quietly, glancing around as if making sure the others weren’t listening. “May I have a word with you and Legend? In private?”
“Okay,” Hyrule nodded, standing up and waiting for Sky to pick somewhere to go.
Sky nodded back, then led the way out of camp, just far enough that they could talk without being overheard. He sat down, back against a tree, and gestured for Hyrule to sit, too. Hyrule pulled Legend off his back to set him in his lap as he sat down, and looked expectantly at Sky.
Legend felt a little uneasy, the two of them alone with Sky, but he tried to shield Hyrule from that feeling. It was stupid and made no sense. Sky wasn’t even armed.
“So, I -” Sky started, then paused, searching for the words. “... I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. Properly, this time. If that’s alright.”
Legend? Hyrule asked, you okay with this?
… Let’s hear him out, Legend said quietly.
“Sure,” Hyrule told Sky, hands nervously fidgeting with Legend’s crossguard.
Sky took a deep breath. “First, I’m sorry for what happened in the maze. We tried to sever the bond between you without your knowledge or consent, and we hurt you both badly in the process. I could have stopped it at any time and chose not to, because I felt it was the best course of action for everyone. Our reasoning is not an excuse. We were wrong, and I’m sorry.”
Hyrule nodded. “Thanks. I know you thought you were helping.” He waited expectantly for Legend to chime in.
That was, honestly, the clearest anyone had put it so far. Sky knew exactly what had gone wrong, and he was owning up to it, which Legend could respect. Tell him I accept his apology.
“Legend says he accepts your apology too.”
Sky nodded, a small smile flickering across his face. “Second, I’m sorry for not speaking up about my idea for separating Legend from the sword earlier. Without the additional context we discussed later, it didn’t make sense to me to bring it up at all, since it would be more of… I suppose it would be more of a threat, than anything, to bring up out of the blue that I might be able to separate Legend from his vessel, or at least that’s how I thought of it. Still, it might have been helpful earlier. I’m sorry.”
Hyrule wrinkled his nose. “Don’t apologize for that. I would have definitely taken it as a threat, or at least nightmare fuel.”
Same. Legend couldn’t really have nightmares, but he had thought himself into spirals often enough that he knew it would have been bad for him mentally anyway.
“Legend agrees,” Hyrule added.
“And third, on a related note -” Sky took a breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m sorry for suggesting we use Fi to help us. I… It would work, I’m almost positive, and if you decide to go through with this, Legend, I think it would be the easiest and fastest way to do it. But it upset you both, it’s still upsetting you both, and… and I’m very sorry about that.”
“Sky, you’re apologizing for things you did trying to help us.” Hyrule raised a hand. “I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it, but I feel like you’re carrying around a lot of guilt you don’t need to. I was always going to be upset about any process where someone used your goddess sword on Legend. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea, or that I shouldn’t be able to consider it.”
Sky laughed, and it sounded just a little bit hysterical. “I think carrying around guilt is one of our specialties, Hyrule.”
Hyrule considered that for a moment. “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean you have to carry this. I officially take it away from you. You can’t have it anymore.”
“I don’t think it works that way -”
“Too bad, ‘cause I already did. Swindled you right out of it. Legend’s proud of me. We’re co-conspirators.”
Legend hummed a vague acknowledgement, trying to piece together what was really happening, underneath all the guilt.
Sky felt bad about this. He felt guilty that he’d hurt them, he felt guilty that he’d upset them. He wanted them to know that he felt bad about this, that he’d thought it through and knew what he did wrong.
Rulie, Legend said suddenly. Ask him if he’s planning to do anything like this again.
Hyrule blinked in confusion. “Legend wants me to ask if you’re planning on doing anything like this again.”
Sky recoiled like Legend had slapped him. “What? No, of course not, I - no, I wouldn’t do that!”
“I think that was the answer he was looking for. Sorry for scaring you.” Legend? Hyrule asked for confirmation.
Tell him he was trying to help, he’s apologized, and he knows not to do it again. I accept his apology, and the guilt’s ours now, no take-backs, Legend said firmly.
Hyrule repeated that to Sky, grinning on the bit about ‘no take-backs’.
“... Well,” Sky sighed, giving them a wobbly little smile. “I suppose I can’t argue with that.”
“Do you need a hug?” The words burst out of Hyrule like they’d been trapped, and he looked as surprised as Legend felt to hear them.
Something in Sky’s expression crumpled, just a bit. “... I would like that, yes.”
Hyrule reached forwards awkwardly, like he’d seen the others doing, then wrapped his arms around Sky. After a few seconds, he whispered, “am I doing it right?”
“You’re doing fine,” Sky said with a watery chuckle, pulling Hyrule close and burying his face in his hair. “Thank you.”
“Uh, anytime.” Hyrule’s presence felt almost stunned. Like this was something he couldn’t disturb, or it would shatter.
That, Legend would later realize, was the exact instant he decided to go through with the plan.
In the moment, though, there was only some vast, empty sort of longing that he did his best to hide from Hyrule. He didn’t want to take away from this, this one thing he couldn’t do for his friend.
Sky, he decided, watching as the man started properly crying - silent tears, nearly hidden in Hyrule’s hair - wasn’t anywhere near the threat he had imagined him to be. Neither were the others, really. They were all just… scared. Doing their best to help.
Which left, really, only one person that Legend had been keeping a wary distance from. And, well. He
had
promised Hyrule that he was going to figure him out.
I want to talk to Time, Legend told Hyrule the next day, very carefully not thinking about the sentence as he said it.
Weird request, Hyrule said, but he didn’t feel too concerned. Am I allowed to know why?
Legend really wished he had a better answer to give, but all he had was I haven’t talked to him yet. He’s the last one.
Oh! Hyrule projected a pleased hum. Sure! Let me just- He sat down, leaning against a tree, and started pulling himself into his mental box. Have fun, good luck.
Thanks. He was going to need it, probably.
Hyrule pulled back, Legend stepped forward, and a few moments later he was opening Hyrule’s eyes and sitting up a little straighter.
Time, who had been sitting nearby and polishing his armor, looked up with a curious tilt to his head. “Was that a switch?”
“Yeah,” Legend said with a grumble, willing Hyrule’s heart to calm down, it hadn’t been beating this fast a minute ago. It didn’t matter that he was functionally alone with Time, that was irrelevant.
“Any particular reason for it?” Time asked, turning back to his armor. Probably to give Legend the illusion of space or control or whatever.
Legend thought about that for a moment, then decided to hell with it. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Time paused, glancing back up at him. “Oh?”
“What the fuck is your deal?” Legend hissed, leaning forward a little like if he got closer he could see Time’s secrets. “You’re always so… cryptic, and preachy, and I think if you ever called Twilight son or whatever old people call young people he’d start crying. What the fuck is your deal.”
“... Well,” Time said slowly, setting down the vambrace he’d been working on. “That’s… a bit of a long story that I’m not sure we want to get into right now.”
Legend crossed his arms with a scowl. “We’ve got time.”
He saw the minute little twitch of Time’s lips, but Time must have seen the preemptive rage on Legend’s face in turn, or maybe he was one of the few heroes blessed with social graces, because he wisely didn’t make the joke.
“I suppose part of my deal, as you put it, is always feeling like the things I’m supposed to do have a time limit,” Time told him, folding his hands in his lap. “The more important it is, the less time I have, or so my mind tells me. It means I often push us when I may not need to.”
… Well, that was… much more blunt and open than Legend had been expecting.
Time smiled a little, soft and knowing, when he saw Legend’s confusion. “You’ve been honest with us about your experiences, it’s only right that I return the favor.”
“... I guess,” Legend said, not really knowing what else to say.
“I’m also the oldest,” Time pointed out. “Except for you, of course, but - and please don’t take this the wrong way - you still act very much like a young adult.”
Wild was older than Time, too, but that was Wild’s secret to tell, so Legend kept his mouth shut and just glared. Time was right, he didn’t act like he was centuries old, but see if Time could keep all that maturity of his after getting stuck in a sword for a few hundred years. “I’m plenty old enough to take care of Hyrule.”
“You’ve done a better job with that than I could have,” Time agreed, and Legend was a little startled by how easily he admitted it. “But, as the oldest, I have a certain level of responsibility for the rest of the group. It’s my job to keep them all safe and keep us on task.” He suddenly looked a little more serious. A little more tired. “Have you noticed how they all look to me to make decisions?”
… He had. He and Hyrule both had, when they first joined the group. It was part of why Time had intimidated them both so much. Legend nodded, slowly, trying not to fidget.
Time sighed and shook his head. “While I appreciate their faith in me, all I have that they do not is life experience. It’s… humbling, sometimes, to remember that they look up to me.”
“... For what it’s worth,” Legend said quietly, “Rulie’s warming up to you a bit, I think. Which is impressive, given your…” He made a vague, all-encompassing gesture.
That got a laugh out of Time, startled but genuine. “I suppose it can be rather a lot for people who don’t know me. What about you, if I may ask? Are you warming up to me, too?”
Legend shrugged a little awkwardly. “I don’t know. You’ve been helping my kid, so.”
“Your kid?”
… Shit, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Legend felt his cheeks starting to heat up and ducked his head, glaring at the ground. “Well, yeah, ‘course he’s my kid. He’s been my kid, what did you expect?”
Time smiled, warm and fond. “I see.”
“Hard to do that with only one eye, old man,” Legend spat, immediately regretting the words, but he needed to say something to deflect from the way he wanted to hide.
Time didn’t seem offended, though. “Says the person without any.”
Legend blinked, the defensive anger and embarrassment fading for a second. “... You know what, that’s fair.”
“I tend to be,” Time said with a chuckle, then leaned forward a little, his expression going serious again. “Thank you for trusting me with your kid, Legend. I know how important that is.”
… Huh.
He did, didn’t he? Every time he let Time close without warning Hyrule away, every time he was scanning for threats and skipped over Time… he did trust Time around his kid.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to trust Time for himself, too, at least a little bit. He’d already proved himself trustworthy with the most important thing.
“... Yeah,” he said quietly. “Glad you’re taking it seriously.”
“Of course,” Time said with a serious nod.
Legend took a deep breath. “I think I need to go think through some things. Keep Rulie busy until I’m ready to talk again?”
Time smiled. “I can do that.”
Notes:
thanks for reading as always :D THREE DAYS LEFT YALL
Chapter 19: The Preparation
Notes:
HEHEHE I (Katwala) have control of the chapter notes this time >:D We're getting so close to the end!! I don't want it to be over yet, this has just been awesome. Thank you guys so much for sticking with us, and I love reading all of your comments, even if my coauthor is mostly the one responding haha <3 Enjoy some Hyrule and Legend bonding!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Getting portalled again was starting to be frustrating. After determining whose Hyrule it was- Twilight’s- they started trying to figure out if there was a particular threat, and where the closest fairy fountain was, and things like that.
Hyrule honestly hadn’t expected Legend to speak up, more than his usual poking fun.
“If it’s that far away,” Hyrule asked, “would it make more sense to just… wait for another portal and try again next time? Especially since Legend hasn’t decided yet.”
Actually, Rulie, Legend said very quietly. I did.
Hyrule’s eyes widened, and he swung Legend off of his back, holding the sword in front of him. “ Really?” What did you decide? He did his very best to hold back his excitement.
Legend’s magical signature pulsed with apprehension, but he said … I want to do it.
You want a body? Hyrule clarified, just in case. The excitement was filling his body, but he did his best to mask it, not wanting to influence Legend’s decision in any way.
Yeah. Yeah, I do.
“Oh, Legend!” Hyrule actually jumped, then spun him around, hugging the sword to his chest, “That’s wonderful!” He turned back to the rest of the group with a huge grin. “I guess we’re headed to the fountain anyways, ‘cause Legend’s decided he wants a body!”
Sky gasped, clapping his hands in excitement. “Oh, that’s fantastic!”
Time had a small, warm smile on his face. “I thought that might be it.”
Twilight and Warriors were both smiling, and Wind let out an excited yell and rushed over, assumedly tugging at his own bond with Legend. Wild had an odd look on his face - happy, but full of some tangled-up emotion, too - and Four gave him a pat on the arm even as he beamed at Legend.
They don’t have to be so sappy about it, Legend snapped, layering over the lingering apprehension and embarrassment with irritation, like he so often did.
“He’s calling you all saps,” Hyrule announced, still grinning. He pressed his face into the hilt of the sword, not caring how awkward it was. “Legend…” Legend, I’m gonna be able to give you a real hug!
… Yeah. The word was sent over on a wave of nervous excitement. Yeah, you are.
Hyrule’s grin widened. “Okay, what direction did you say the fountain was?”
Twilight started to explain. Hyrule wasn’t really paying attention, doing his best to keep his excitement from overwhelming his mental walls and swamping Legend.
He bet Legend gave the best hugs.
Hyrule was honestly pretty distracted when Legend decided to speak up. He’d been, embarrassingly, daydreaming about what an actual hug from Legend would feel like.
It was hard for him to think of anything else. His hug from Sky had been incredible, but it had shown him what exactly he’d been missing out on all those years. He wanted to hug Legend, and hold his hand, and climb trees with him and pull him along on silly excursions and sleep next to him at night, the way some of the others did with each other.
So he was a little preoccupied when Legend asked … What’s the body you make for me going to look like?
He… hadn’t thought about it. Well, I was hoping it would look like you, Legend. I didn’t really consider… he trailed off, thinking hard. Wind’s hand came back the way it was supposed to, so…
You knew what his hand was supposed to look like, though, Legend pointed out. You had the old one right next to you.
Legend! Gross!
It’s true! he protested. The point is, you’ve never seen me as a hylian, Rulie. You don’t know what I’m supposed to look like.
That’s true. And it would probably bother you, looking like someone else. Hyrule understood that feeling. …Could you show me? Like, try and project it? Or take the body and draw it? I was honestly hoping to guide the magic to you and kind of let it… do its thing. Create you as you were, as you should have been.
… I honestly don’t know if I remember it clear enough, Legend admitted very quietly.
Then maybe we can just trust how I think of you, and how the magic knows you should be? I didn’t know Wind’s hand that well. I wasn’t watching it, I was a bit busy. He hadn’t examined it after, anyway. Maybe he should.
Legend hummed with uncertainty, but then he sighed and said I trust you, Rulie.
Hyrule smiled, but there was a deepness of feeling to it that even he couldn’t quite figure out. Thanks. It means… a lot. And if you don’t remember what you looked like, then hopefully you might not miss it? It was a weak hope, but it was what he had to offer.
Maybe. I hope so.
Not Hyrule’s best reassurance effort ever. I’ll look at Wind’s hand again.
Legend was curling behind his shields, a much more common occurrence recently whenever he had a lot to think about and didn’t want to overwhelm Hyrule. Okay.
Hyrule hated it. He knew he’d been the one to start shielding emotions, but he hated knowing Legend was thinking about something bad enough that he didn’t want Hyrule to have to deal with it. Something he couldn’t help with.
When Hyrule ended up examining Wind’s hand, later that day when they broke for camp, he was pleasantly surprised with what he found. Scars from things Wind didn’t remember, like a slice on his thumb that he had noticed wasn’t there anymore seemed to be absent, but the scar of the cut on his knuckles he’d gotten the first time he tried to carve something for his sister had stayed. Important things had stayed.
Hyrule was just hoping Legend remembered enough of those things to make a body out of.
Hyrule was careful to bring it up when Legend was feeling mostly neutral. He didn’t want to ruin any good moods, or make any hard times worse, so he waited until Legend was comfortably pausing from making fun of Warriors, and asked, do you want to use the goddess sword? For the ritual? It would be easier.
Legend pulsed danger careful danger, then Hyrule watched as he pulled the emotion back behind his shields. What… would it entail? Exactly? What would Sky do with it?
Probably touch you with it like last time, but this time focusing on helping instead of hurting. Rehoming your soul, I guess? I don’t think it will hurt. But Hyrule didn’t know. He hated that he didn’t know.
… She could definitely do it, Legend murmured, a low hum of remembered pain underneath the words. She’s powerful enough.
You could always tell us to stop, if it hurt. We’d find another way. We can still find another way.
… Could you stop in the middle? Legend asked, like he was trying to break news to Hyrule gently.
I think so. I’m really just funneling the magic into a target, into a place where something is missing. If there’s nothing missing there, it should just disperse.
Once she pulls me out of the sword, I don’t think we can stop anymore, Rulie.
No. But if it hurt you, you could tell me and we’d stop before that. Hyrule thought. He hoped.
… Okay. Legend didn’t sound totally convinced.
If it’s going to hurt, it will hurt before it can fully work. It’s hard to detach a soul, and Sky will be being very careful. You’ll have time.
Legend hummed quietly. Okay. It was slightly more confident this time.
The moment you tell me to, all that magic I’m collecting can go right into shielding you, Hyrule reassured him, trying to project confidence and stability. Trying to say that he wasn’t going to let that sword hurt Legend again.
No, Legend said sharply. I saw how she shredded your magic last time, Rulie, I don’t want you doing that to yourself again. Just… you’ll know before anyone if it hurts, and - and they’ll listen to you this time. Don’t try and fight her.
Last time I was trying to keep her out for several minutes, Hyrule protested, this would just be in case Sky needs a few seconds to realize and stop.
Exactly. I’ll be fine for a few seconds, don’t get in her way again. Legend’s voice softened, just a little. This is scary enough with just me on the line, okay? I don’t want to be worrying about you, too.
…Okay. If Legend was hurting, Hyrule genuinely didn’t know if he’d be able to just… let it happen. He was a healer, it wasn’t in his nature, and this was Legend. He had saved Hyrule’s life over and over for years.
The least Hyrule could give him was a few seconds.
I saw Wind’s hand, Hyrule offered, scars that were important to him stayed. I didn’t even know he had some of them. So, that’s a good sign.
Yeah. There was a bit of an odd note in Legend’s voice, but it was buried too deep and gone too quickly for Hyrule to tell what it was. That’s… that’s good. It means you’re directing more than actually creating, just like you thought.
Means I was right, Hyrule teased, hoping to get Legend back to some sort of positive feeling, or at least something he wouldn’t shield away.
Legend sent him the feeling of rolling his eyes, though there was an edge of fondness to it. Yeah, yeah.
Upside, Hyrule said, You’ll be able to actually roll your eyes at me. So there’s that.
That actually got a laugh out of Legend. It was small, but it was a laugh, so Hyrule counted it as a win. Can’t wait.
Well, hopefully that had gone well. Legend wasn’t actively hiding, so it was better than some of their recent conversations. Hyrule didn’t know what he’d do when Legend could actually
hide
from him.
Hey, Rulie?
The question was quiet, and it came as Hyrule was settling down in his bedroll for the night, the others quietly getting ready for bed around them. They would hopefully be reaching the fairy fountain at some point tomorrow.
Yeah? Legend instantly had his full attention, and he rolled over to put a hand on Legend’s scabbard. What is it?
Are you doing okay?
…Damn Legend for being a perceptive bastard. Yeah. My magic’s full and everything. Should be ready to go.
That’s great, but it’s not what I asked, Legend said quietly. He sounded… subdued, almost.
I’m fine. I’m a little worried for you, but I’m fine.
You’ve been hiding from me the past few days as much as I’ve been hiding from you. You’re not okay.
Well, at least one of them had said it. I was trying to give you space, Hyrule said, trying to project slight confusion. Just a little, just enough to seem natural.
Legend sighed. Rulie. Just… just talk to me. Please.
I’m scared I’m losing you. It came out all in a rush, as if the words had been waiting to be freed for days. Maybe they had. I’m scared you’re going to get your own body and go live your life the way you want it, and I won’t be able to follow you. Isn’t that so supremely selfish? He curled around himself, taking his hand off of Legend’s scabbard and wrapping his arms around himself. I’m literally upset that you get to be free. I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be, and it’s not going to stop me from helping you, of course not.
Woah, hey hey hey, who said anything about me going away? Legend asked in alarm. Rulie, I’m not - I’m not gonna just leave after everything, come on.
Hyrule nodded, still looking away. Sorry. It was dumb of me to think that. I know you’re not. He couldn’t tell if he believed what he was saying.
No, it wasn’t. You’re not dumb, and you’re not selfish, okay? Legend paused for a moment, and Hyrule could sense how upset he was. Things are about to change, really fucking fast, and it’s okay if you don’t know how to feel about that. It’s okay to like how things are. But this is why you need to talk to me, because there is no way in hell I’m leaving you, okay? You’re - you’re my kid, and my best friend, and I’m gonna use all my brand new autonomy to stay with you, and there’s not a thing you can do about it.
Hyrule nodded again. Sorry. I just… it kind of reminded me of the beginning, you know? With the thing about the hero, and all that. It took me so long to… yeah.
Yeah, Legend sighed. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Rulie. You’re the most worthy person who’s ever picked me up. I’m glad you’ve been my wielder.
Your friend, Hyrule corrected, and then, much quieter, more unsure, and your kid.
All three.
Hyrule blinked, and when he opened his eyes, there were tears on his face. I’m still so scared. I didn’t stop being scared for so long, I’m not sure I ever did. I don’t know how to stop being scared of losing you.
This whole thing started because I didn’t want to lose you either, remember? Legend reminded him gently. We’ll figure it out, Rulie. Promise.
Okay. Hyrule didn’t stop crying. He just lay there quietly, and put his hand back on Legend’s scabbard.
Eventually, he said, everything’s gonna change tomorrow. I’m sorry I’m not happier for you. I promise I am happy, though.
You can be happy for me when it works, okay?
I will, Hyrule promised. And it will, too.
The air was tense with anticipation and magic. The great fairy of the fountain had agreed to let them use part of the space nearby, allowed them to draw magic from the well of power that lay under the fountain itself, although not without thoroughly revealing all of Hyrule’s still hidden connections with the fairies- more embarrassing to be caught in a lie than anything else.
Sky had gone off to a quiet corner and taken out the goddess sword, resting her across his knees and closing his eyes like he was talking to her the way Hyrule talked to Legend. Time was turning a lovely blue ocarina over in his hands, humming a very quiet tune like he was trying to remember how a song went. The others scattered, finding out of the way places to sit together and talk quietly.
Hyrule was focusing on his magic, making sure he was connected with the fountain and the land around it, running over in his head the way it had felt to heal Wind’s hand, the things he had done, and the things he could do better.
Eventually, Sky stood up, the goddess sword shining in his hands. “Hyrule, are you ready?”
“Yes. Legend?” He said it out loud, so everyone would know to wait. Do you want to pause first? Is there anything you want to say?
Legend hummed, reverberating with nervousness. If this works… The words trailed off, leaving behind a tense silence. … Just… let’s just get it over with.
Are you sure? Hyrule asked carefully, I can wait, if you need to figure out what you want to say.
These aren’t gonna be my last fucking words, I’m okay with not saying anything, Legend snapped, then sent him a soft sorry, sorry.
“Okay, he’s ready.”
Hyrule held the sword carefully, hand on the hilt it had rested on for seven years, and placed it gently on a tree stump next to where Sky was standing. Just call out if anything happens, okay?
Yeah, I will.
Time came over and sat down nearby, ocarina in hand. He gave Hyrule a small, reassuring smile and a nod.
Hyrule took a deep breath, and nodded to Sky, who held up the goddess sword and pressed his forehead against the crossguard, his lips moving like he was saying a prayer. Maybe he was.
Rulie, Legend said in a very small voice. I’m scared.
I’m right here, Hyrule responded, holding his magic ready around Legend and the clearing. I’m not going anywhere, Legend. It’s going to be okay.
Sky carefully rested the pommel of the sword against Legend’s hilt, closing his eyes.
And then things all started happening rather quickly.
Notes:
see you guys tomorrow! :D
Chapter 20: The Ritual
Chapter by ImperialKatwala
Notes:
HERE WE ARE FOLKS!!!! THE MOMENT YOUVE BEEN WAITING FOR! second to last chapter, and what a fucking ride it's been. Yall remember baby rulie and bladegend??? you remember The Mistake???? its been like. at least 15 chapters since then. feel old yet?
Just to remind some of yall who might be worried: happy ending. we promise.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Rulie. Legend was too afraid to even try to hide it. I’m scared.
I’m right here, Hyrule responded, and Legend felt his magic building, pooling, gathering. I’m not going anywhere, Legend. It’s going to be okay.
Sky carefully rested the pommel of the sword against Legend’s hilt, and then -
There was gold.
A chime, soft and deep and resonant as a bell, humming through Legend and vibrating down the blade and he was about to be torn apart -
Master, the sword said, recognition in her voice.
And then Legend was burning.
He nearly screamed, nearly called for Hyrule to tell Sky to stop, but - but it didn’t hurt. Not like before. This was the pain of pulling loose, of every bit of himself getting torn carefully from the recesses. Golden fire burned around him, and he wasn’t dying, and he could endure this. He could.
For Hyrule, he could.
“I think it’s working.” Sky’s voice, resonating through the sword like she was a tuning fork. “Hyrule, how’s Legend doing?”
“I think - I think he’s okay?” Hyrule’s voice, because Legend could always hear Hyrule. “Legend?”
Keep going, he managed, shutting as much of the feeling of golden fire out of the words as he could. I’m okay. I can do this.
A flicker of uncertainty, and then Hyrule’s magic swelled. It poured into the area around Legend, sparking with potential, possibility, life. Legend felt the energy latching onto him, flowing around all the places where the goddess sword was prying him out of his old vessel, and he let it.
It hurt, of course it did, but he’d endured pain before. He could do this.
“I think -” Sky started, but whatever he’d been about to say was cut off by the sound of Legend’s sword shattering.
Chunks of metal fell to the ground like rain, and Hyrule’s magic faltered as it diverted course on instinct - small cuts, just a few, based on the tiny flickers of energy. Legend realized a bit hysterically that he couldn’t actually see much right now, and he felt sort of cold and empty and they needed to hurry the hell up please please please.
The bright, clear notes of an ocarina began to filter through his panic, and Hyrule’s magic tightened around him, humming with something bright and fierce and a little desperate.
Golden flames still burned around him.
Legend felt the magic anchor in - Hyrule’s, and the whispers of something older and more stable. Time. The burn of the fire and the magic began to soften, very slowly, into something that felt like the burn of muscles after working them too hard, an old memory that sparked to mind. Legend felt like he was being cradled, almost, three powerful sources of magic curling around him, protecting him, bringing him back to being something sort of whole.
Is this what it was supposed to be like? he wondered. Should it have been like this?
If he had agreed to the plan, back then, would he have felt as safe as this, despite everything?
The ocarina stopped first, trailing off into a long, wavering note, then going silent. Then, a few moments later, the golden flames shimmered and faded away with one last bell-chime.
Only Hyrule was still going, pouring magic into the body he’d built.
Rulie? Legend’s mental voice was shaky, he knew it, and he felt too exhausted and wrung out to even try to hide anything from his friend.
I’m right here, Hyrule said instantly.
… Is it done?
There was a brief moment of quiet, and then Hyrule sighed, the flow of magic very, very slowly coming to a stop. … I think so.
Legend took a breath, air filtering into new lungs for the first time, and opened his eyes.
The light surrounding him nearly blinded him, and he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut again. “Shit.”
There was a gasp, from in front of him, barely audible.
A little more prepared this time, Legend cracked his eyes open.
Hyrule was crouched right in front of where he was sitting, worry and hope warring on his face, one hand raised as if to touch Legend’s shoulder. “Legend?”
“Hey, Rulie.” The words were raspy and bone-tired and, by the goddesses, they sounded like him.
There was a blur of motion and a sudden impact, and then Legend’s head hit the ground, and his arms were full of Hyrule, who had full-on knocked him over with the force of his hug.
Legend let out a grunt, his lungs not very happy about having their brand new air forced out of them, but he didn’t have time for any of that. He was too busy hugging Hyrule back as hard as he could, nearly sobbing at the rush of emotions and physical sensations he was having to parse. He didn’t care. He was hugging Hyrule.
Hyrule was crying and laughing, and kept saying his name, and then he was pulling back for just a second to look into Legend’s eyes. “You have a face,” he said, “And you aren’t even ugly.”
“Fuck you too, Rulie,” Legend said weakly, and then he was sobbing.
“Hey, hey,” Hyrule scrambled off of him, moving to help him into a sitting position, supporting his back. “There we go, easier to breathe like this, huh?” He rested his head on Legend’s shoulder, arm around him.
Legend couldn’t even find words for what he was feeling. He just let out a sort of keen and turned to bury his face in Hyrule’s hair, pulling him into another tight hug as sobs tore out of him.
It was Hyrule’s turn to let out a small oof noise, but he wrapped his arms around Legend too, murmuring soft reassurances and letting himself be cried on.
It worked, Legend said, and he was starting to shake, just a little. It worked, Rule.
It did, Hyrule agreed, running a hand through Legend’s hair. Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?
“I don’t think so?” Legend said, wincing as the words cracked coming out of his throat. I think I’m okay, I - ask me later.
I will, Hyrule promised. Take your time.
There was a small tug on Legend’s other bond, the one with Wind. He turned immediately, blinking away tears to try and actually see what was going on.
Warriors had a hand on the collar of Wind’s clothes, holding him back from joining the cuddle pile. He waved enthusiastically at Legend as soon as he saw him looking, and whisper-yelled, “can I join the hug?”
Legend laughed, a small, watery sound, and took one hand off of Hyrule just for a moment to make a come here gesture.
Warriors took his hand off of Wind’s tunic, and the boy rushed over, nearly skidding to a stop next to them, and paused, looking at Legend for a second. “Can I? Are you sure?”
“Shut the hell up and hug me already,” Legend said with a sniffle and a roll of his eyes (He could do that now! He had eyes!), reluctantly letting go of Hyrule with one arm to make space for Wind. Hyrule made an upset noise at the shift, and pressed closer into Legend’s side.
Wind entered the hug enthusiastically, wrapping his arms as far around both of them as they could go. “I can’t believe it,” he said excitedly, “I can’t believe it! You have a body now! Oh shit, we need to get both of you swords.”
Legend laughed, pulling both of them closer, and the laughter quickly devolved into sobbing again, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care.
Hyrule was projecting shock, relief, and overwhelming happiness. “Thank you,” he called across the clearing, “Thank you Sky and Time- all of you. This is… I can’t even describe it.”
“It was our pleasure.” Sky’s voice was warm. “Take all the time you need.”
Hyrule buried his face in Legend’s side again, letting out a muffled “I will.”
Thank you, too, Legend told him. You’re incredible, Rulie, you know that?
You too, Hyrule said, you literally built a whole body. I’m so glad you’re here. Like this.
Legend chuckled through his tears, pressing a kiss to Hyrule’s hair like he’d wanted to do for years. Yeah. Me too.
Notes:
we love yall so much, and hope you enjoyed some good good catharsis <33333
Chapter 21: The Future
Chapter by ImperialKatwala
Notes:
it's the end of the road, and we've been so honored to walk this path with all of you. Thanks for everything, for the hype, the comments screaming, and all he lovely compliments!
Here's your happy ending <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Legend took everything back, having a body sucked.
“This is terrible and I hate it,” he hissed, glaring at the sword on the ground like it had personally offended him.
“You’re doing much better!” Sky said brightly, twirling his borrowed sword in one hand like he’d been wielding it all his life.
Legend turned his glare on Sky. “Shut the hell up.”
“You are!” Sky sheathed the sword and came over to pick up Legend’s sword, which he refused to pick up out of principle. “Your fine motor skills have come a long way, and you are getting better at this.”
“I know what to do, Sky,” Legend growled, snatching the sword out his hands and pulsing frustrated irritation through the gossamer bond connecting them. “I - I know how this works, I know both sides of how this works, I just - I can’t do it.”
Sky smiled, his eyes a little pained. “... I’d like to show you something.”
Legend blinked, startled out of his frustration.
Sky pushed up his sleeve, revealing faint, feathery lines - lightning scars. He stretched out his hand, and after a moment, Legend saw the tremor in his fingers.
“... From your adventure,” he guessed quietly.
Sky nodded. “It’s gotten better with time and healing magic, but… it’s never gone away entirely. Some things aren’t as easy as they used to be, my penmanship especially. I can’t write as neatly as I used to, and it’s a very small thing, but… it’s frustrating. My hand just won’t cooperate.”
“... Oh.” Legend looked down at the sword in his hands. Plain, sturdy, meant to last him only until Four could beg, badger, or bribe his way into a place with a proper forge. His grip was right, he knew it was right, he just… didn’t have the muscle memory, anymore.
Quite literally, he realized. These muscles had never done the things he had asked of his original body, though they carried the echoes of those things.
“Do you want to try again?” Sky asked gently, rolling his sleeve down again and getting his own sword back out. There was a gentle flare of reassurance, of support, from the other side of their tiny bond.
Legend took a breath and nodded, sliding into a ready stance. He wanted to get this right.
“You know, it’s kind of funny that you called me a sheepdog for hovering,” Twilight said, turning to Legend suddenly, “because you are definitely just as bad.”
Hyrule, who was sitting nearby (and had been circled slowly over the course of the last hour, as Legend completed various tasks and paced) laughed. “We gave him legs and he uses them for
hypocrisy.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Legend hissed, aggressively folding the blanket he was holding. Embarrassment, more than genuine irritation, judging by the soft hum of emotions in the back of Twilight’s head.
“If I could think of a good enough sword and protectiveness joke, I’d be making it right now,” Twilight said, hiding a grin.
“Seems like a personal problem,” Legend told him with a vicious glare, very pointedly folding the blanket again. “With your brain. Get a better one.”
“Not all of us can just get new body parts,” Twilight pointed out. “I kind of need the one I have.”
“Once again: a personal problem.”
Hyrule was laughing again. Four and Wind had wandered over at the sound, looking excitedly for whatever interesting thing was going on.
“Who’s getting made fun of today?” Wind asked.
Twilight pointed at Legend. Legend pointed right back at Twilight.
Hyrule raised his hands in mock surrender. “No-one would ever make fun of me. I’m perfect and wonderful and above such things.”
“We all know that, Rulie.” Legend turned back to his blanket. “Anyone makes fun of you, I’m breaking their nose.”
Hyrule thought that was funny too, judging by the snort he was trying to muffle.
“Oh, is it because Legend is circling?” Wind asked. “I could see it from the other side of the camp.”
Legend jerked his head up, and Twilight watched as Wind’s eyes went a little distant, and then he started laughing. “Shut the hell up, sailor.”
“Fine, fine,” Wind laughed, “but the point’s already been made.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Four said with a mischievous grin.
Legend’s eye twitched.
“Many people have remarked on Legend’s sweetness before,” Hyrule mused, “none of them have survived. A pity.”
“I’ve called more prickly people sweet,” Four said, his grin widening. “I’m still alive, somehow. Funny how that works, isn’t it?”
“You have about ten seconds to run, smithy,” Legend hissed.
Four, in a remarkable display of having no self-preservation, asked “Or what?”
“Warriors poked you in the side our second week with the group. You flinched. You’re ticklish.”
“... Ah,” Four said, in the tone of someone who realized they just made a mistake.
Legend grinned viciously, standing and shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Five.”
“We gave him fingers,” Hyrule said, mock-sadly, “and he uses them for evil.”
“Self-preservation,” Legend corrected. “Four.”
“You should probably run. He’s been getting faster,” Wind chipped in.
Four let out a nervous little laugh and took off running.
“Three-two-one!” Legend said in a rush, taking off after him. He was still a little uncoordinated at high speeds, but he had longer legs than Four did.
“This is good practice,” Twilight mused. “Maybe we should make fun of him more often.”
“ I heard that!” Legend called back over his shoulder, twisting to avoid running smack into Time. “Sorry Time - get back here!”
There was a half-terrified giggle, then the sound of an impact. Screeches of laughter and joking yells soon took over the general environment.
Smiling, Twilight went back to sharpening his sword, the warm hum of his brothers having fun keeping him company.
The battlefield was cold.
Frost clung to the blade of the sword as Hyrule stepped forward, blood turning the dirt under his feet into mud. He looked scared, but determined. He looked like a hero.
The sword felt power gathering in the air around Hyrule, and around his opponent, too. A man towered over the field, a wickedly sharp blade in hand, stalking toward them like a predator. He was here for one thing and one thing only, the sword knew - to kill its wielder.
“We can do this,” Hyrule whispered, adjusting his grip on the sword.
And then the monster was on them, tusks bared. He gave them no space to breathe, no time to recover from each devastating blow, forcing Hyrule back and back and back. Hyrule fought better than the sword had ever seen him; parrying, dodging, slashing at the Gerudo when he could. He was brave and fierce and it wasn’t enough.
The man landed a kick on Hyrule’s chest and sent him flying, landing with the sound of something cracking, the sword jolted from his hand. Hyrule let out an agonized little sound, reaching out for it.
A boot landed on his wrist. Something crunched , and Hyrule screamed.
“Pathetic,” the man - the thing - the monster snarled, the word nearly vibrating the air around them. “This is Hylia’s chosen? This is Hyrule’s hero?”
Get away from him, the sword wanted to scream, but it couldn’t do anything except watch as the Gerudo dragged Hyrule up by the throat.
“I will offer you a kindness, little hero,” he said with a laugh that felt like metal scraping against stone, throwing up sparks. “I will kill you quickly.”
And then -
The sword was in his hand.
No no no no nonononononono
The monster flipped it casually, as if it weighed no more than a feather, then stabbed it directly into Hyrule’s heart.
“Legend?” Hyrule choked, small as the day he found it, eyes wide and brimming with tears. It had forgotten how young he had looked.
I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry
but it couldn’t
reach
him. It could only scream to no one as the man ripped it out of Hyrule’s chest and dropped him like he meant nothing at all.
Legend jolted awake with a strangled, agonized noise tearing out of this throat.
He heard a soft, alarmed question, and a small ping in one of the tiny bonds he was establishing, but there was no time for that. He turned, like a compass pointing north, to Hyrule on the bedroll next to him, and his heart sank into his shoes.
Hyrule was shifting restlessly, brow furrowed and eyes squeezed shut. His head twitched occasionally from side to side, and he was clearly deep in a nightmare, but he didn’t make a sound. A habit left over from traveling alone.
“Rulie?” Legend whispered, his voice shaking, reaching out to put a hand on Hyrule’s shoulder, and reaching out mentally as well, not caring how desperate he felt. “Rulie, c’mon.”
Hyrule’s eyes opened and he gasped, desperately shoving himself away from Legend’s hand and bringing his own hand up to clutch at his chest. He blinked a few times, then seemed to register who it was who had been reaching out. “Legend?”
Legend, who had recoiled just as fast as Hyrule had at the touch, nodded slowly. He could feel tears starting to build, and he took a deep, shaky breath to try and keep them at bay.
Hyrule noticed, and reached out, moving back onto the bedroll and opening his arms. “Hey, Legend. What happened? Are you okay?” Legend could feel a shaky press of reassurance around his presence.
Words were too hard. Legend just slumped against Hyrule, holding him tight, listening intently to the heartbeat under his ear. A little fast, but strong. Alive.
Hyrule was brushing a hand through his hair. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay, we’re camped near that stream we passed yesterday. Wild is on watch, you have a body. Everything’s okay.”
He killed you, Legend said with a wave of grief and guilt and fear. And he used me to do it.
Hyrule tensed, still as when he was hunting. Ganon? And he stabbed me through the heart?
Legend pulled away just enough to look at Hyrule’s face, startled. “... Yeah.”
Hyrule bit his lip, and nodded. I think we… we had the same dream, then.
… Oh.
How? he asked softly, trying to piece together whether that had been Hyrule’s nightmare, his own, or both.
I don’t know, Hyrule thought, somewhat distantly. Maybe… it’s going to just be like this, now.
Legend leaned back against Hyrule’s chest, taking in the sound of his heart beating. He was starting to calm down, maybe, just a little. I sure fucking hope not.
I’d rather it be you, Hyrule said, if it had to be anyone. I’d want it to be you. He paused. To help me. Not because I want you to have nightmares. Sorry, maybe I-
I got it, Rulie.
Okay. Hyrule nodded, then put his chin on top of Legend’s head. We’ll get through it. You’re not a sword anymore, and that couldn’t happen.
Legend took another breath. It couldn’t happen.
Hyrule shuddered for a second, then pressed closer. Yeah.
There was a very soft little nudge in the back of Legend’s mind. Now that he had Hyrule’s heartbeat in his ears, he could focus enough to identify it as Wild. He sent back a pulse of we’re okay it’s okay .
“It didn’t really happen,” Legend whispered, the sound muffled in Hyrule’s tunic. “But I’m sorry anyway.”
“Wouldn’t have been your fault. Even though it didn’t happen.” Hyrule was carding a hand through Legend’s hair again.
Legend remembered blood shining on metal and an unfamiliar hand on his hilt and, with a vague feeling of nausea, decided he didn’t want to think about it enough to argue. “... Okay.”
Hyrule leaned to the side, pulling them both back onto the bedroll. Think you can get back to sleep?
… Maybe. This wouldn’t be his first sleepless night, if he couldn’t. And it would definitely be better with Hyrule right next to him, very alive.
Hyrule kept him pressed close, Legend’s head still on his heartbeat. He curled his arms around Legend, one around his side and the other holding the back of his head gently. Let’s try, okay?
Legend nodded, curling a little closer to Hyrule and trying to just… breathe.
They were okay. Hyrule was alive. Legend had a body and a name. The nightmare could never happen.
They were okay.
Wind waved aggressively at Legend from the edge of the camp, signaling that Four and Time were far enough away- off gathering firewood- that they wouldn’t be able to notice anything.
Legend glanced around, making sure none of the others were paying attention to him, then hurried over to Wind, giving him a conspiratorial grin.
“Okay,” Wind said, “I think they’re wrapped up somewhere in his bag underneath his bedroll? But they also could be in Wild’s slate. In which case, we’re kinda fucked.”
“I can get my hands on the slate,” Legend said with more confidence than he felt, “it would just take a long time and we’d need to get lucky. They’ll probably be in his bag, though, that’s the logical place for them.”
“Okay.” Wind moved to stand in front of Four’s bag, between it and the rest of the group, and leaned on a tree, trying to look casual. “Go for it,” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.
Legend ducked behind Wind and started rummaging through Four’s bag. Like he’d hoped, the smithy kept it fairly organized, or at least as organized as you could get out on the road, so his target was fairly easy to find. He grinned, quickly shoving the item in question into his own bag and standing back up, pulsing excitement and success at Wind.
Wind turned his head away from the group to give Legend a huge grin, then moved faux-casually back to the spot they’d both put their gear.
Legend wished their bond was a little more developed so he could actually discuss this with Wind without the others hearing, but it wasn’t, so he waited impatiently until they were settled again before whispering “So when are we gonna go try these out?”
Wind gasped quietly. “I didn’t even think about that! Um, maybe we can volunteer to scout or get water or something?”
“Good idea,” Legend murmured with a nod. “I think I saw a meadow on our way here, that would probably be a good spot for it.”
“Less trees to bonk into,” Wind agreed.
Legend snorted. “Yeah, Rulie put a lot of work into my face, I don’t want to break it doing something stupid. We’d never hear the end of it.”
Grinning, Wind peeked over his shoulder. “I think they’re coming back! Damn, that was fast- okay, act natural!”
“ You act natural,” Legend hissed back, trying and mostly failing to stifle his grin.
Wind gave him a small shove, and then stood up, back audibly cracking as he stretched. “Wow, that was a long walk! I’m so glad we’re not walking anymore.”
Subtle as a brick, Legend thought with a fond roll of his eyes.
Time and Four came back into camp, talking quietly, and - thank the goddesses - didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Wind was trying and failing to hide his grin, looking back over at Legend and wiggling his eyebrows in excitement, and to allude to their recent thievery.
You need to calm down, Legend said on instinct, then shook his head to dispel the thought. He couldn’t talk to Wind like that yet, and he needed to be careful, or else Hyrule would hear it and get suspicious. He settled in to work on their bond, instead, just to give himself something to do.
Wind was loudly bothering Wild in the center of camp, looking suspicious but not giving away why. Knowing him, the others could assume it was for one of hundreds of reasons. They had gotten away with it.
“Hey,” Four said from his side of the clearing, “who moved my tools?” He glanced around at all of them, probably hunting for signs of guilt, then sighed. “You know, you can just ask to use them. Do that next time, please.”
… Had he just - had he looked through his bag and just not noticed that something was missing?
Legend sent a flicker of incredulous glee over to Wind. Holy Hylia they had gotten away with it.
Wind was staring at Four, a huge smile on his face. “Cool! Sounds good, Four. Great idea.”
Four gave him one long, suspicious squint, then reluctantly turned away to start putting everything back the way it was supposed to be.
No-one even blinked when Wind grabbed Legend’s arm later that night and loudly proclaimed that they were going to scout around. Hyrule looked up, but after a nod from Legend, let them go easily.
Legend grumbled a bit as Wind dragged him out of camp, just for show, and he made sure to keep up a steady stream of excitement to Wind to reassure him that he wasn’t actually upset about being pulled around. Once they got out of sight, though, he took the lead, retracing their steps from earlier that day to a large, grassy meadow.
The moon was bright, nearly full, and fireflies winked in the grass and among the trees. Without the cover of the trees, there was enough light that they didn’t really need a lantern, which was good, because Legend was fairly sure they would outpace the light of any item they tried to carry.
“Here?” Wind asked, gesturing to the open space in front of them, “Is that big enough?”
Legend hummed thoughtfully, scrutinizing the size of the meadow. “Should be. It’ll give me enough room to turn, so as long as I’m careful, I should be fine.” He sat down with his bag and started taking his shoes off.
Wind darted over while Legend was pulling out the pegasus boots and snatched Legend’s shoes away. “Hah! Got you!” Sitting down some distance away, he hurriedly took off his own shoes and swapped them for Legend’s.
“I’m gonna want those back, sailor,” Legend called over, but he was a little too focused on lacing up the boots to pay much attention. His hands still remembered how to lace them quickly, somehow, and something about that felt good.
“You’re not gonna care, with your cool new boots!” Wind said, standing up and bouncing a little on his feet to get used to the new footwear.
Wind made a good point.
Legend tied his laces and stood, shifting his weight and taking a few steps, getting a feel for his own new shoes. “I haven’t worn pegasus boots in so long. ”
“You haven’t had feet!”
Legend did not dignify that with a response. He took a few steps away from the treeline, then - from long-forgotten habit - clicked his heels together.
The magic of the boots surged up his legs, making his muscles hum, and he started to grin. “Time me, Wind!”
Wind started to count. The words were soon left behind, at the speed Legend was traveling.
He ran, the world blurring around him, and his feet felt like they were barely touching the ground. Legend laughed with the sheer joy of running like this, of speed, of freedom.
He was never giving these boots back.
Warriors sat down next to where Legend was lying in his bedroll, holding out the bowl of soup Wild had given him. Legend’s eyes were closed.
He set down the soup with a sigh, and gently placed a hand on Legend’s shoulder, his other arm curled protectively around the soup, just in case Legend reacted like many of the others did when startled.
“It’s soup time,” Warriors offered, wincing a bit at the phrasing, “are you awake?”
Legend’s face scrunched a little, and he blinked hazily up at Warriors, eyes fever-bright. “... No.”
“Sounds like you are,” Warriors teased. “Do you want to sit up? Wild made soup for you.”
“Don’ need soup,” Legend mumbled, turning to bury his face in his pillow. “G’night.”
“Yes you do,” Warriors said, gently pulling the pillow away. “Come on, sit up. You have to eat, or you’ll just feel worse.”
“Nooooo,” Legend whined, but he seemed a little too exhausted and out of it to really fight Warriors on this.
Warriors helped him sit up, and then held out the soup. “If I give this to you, will you drop it?”
“I don’t have hands,” Legend mumbled, squinting at the bowl like it held the secrets of the universe.
“You very much do have hands,” Warriors sighed. “I promise. You have hands. Now I need to know if they can hold soup.” He let go of Legend’s back for a moment to gently pull one of Legend’s hands up, showing it to him, and then hurriedly reached for Legend’s back as he slumped over again.
Legend blinked slowly at his hand, turning it over, then back. “... Huh. Weird.”
“Hyrule gave them to you,” Warriors informed him, with a small smile. “Do you think you can hold soup.”
“... How would I hold soup,” Legend asked with a serious frown, holding his hands out for the bowl anyway. “‘S all… liquidy.”
“With a bowl,” Warriors told him. “Right here, see? Soup, in a bowl. In your hands. Now put some in your mouth, with the spoon.” He gave Legend the spoon, and waited for possible disaster.
Legend blinked at the spoon, then the soup, then at Warriors. “... Why though.”
With a sigh, Warriors pressed on. “Because it’ll make you feel better.”
“‘S magic,” Legend said, a dawning realization on his face. “Ohhhhh.”
“Sure,” Warriors smiled. “It only works if you eat it, though.”
With an expression that would be more at home on someone facing a puzzle in a dungeon, Legend took a shaky bite of soup.
“See? It’s good. Have some more.”
He did, then frowned. “Y’ always… always do that.”
Uh-oh. “Always do what?” Warriors asked, trying to keep his voice gentle. He had a feeling that a more put-together Legend might not want him hearing whatever he was about to say, but it was too late now.
“Say that… that people gotta , ” Legend said, frowning at the words. “Gotta do things or go places. ‘Cause you’re a captain.”
Warriors let out a quiet breath. “I am,” he agreed, “or, I was.”
“Don’t like soldiers,” Legend mumbled, staring down into his soup.
“I’m sorry.” Warriors looked down at a fold of the bedroll. It wasn’t an uncommon sentiment. This wasn’t the first time someone had told him that, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Legend curled just a little further into himself. “I was just little. Magic is… it sucks. ”
Warriors pressed his eyes closed. This was definitely not for his ears. “Do you want to have more soup?” he asked carefully, “I can go get Wild, if that’s easier for you.”
“I don’t need to eat,” Legend hummed. “‘S fine.”
Warriors didn’t know whether to press or not. “Are you saying that because you’re full, or for a different reason? Because we have plenty of soup, and you do need to eat. You have a body, and it needs fuel.”
Legend shook his head. “Rulie needs it.”
Taking a careful breath, Warriors put one of his hands on Legend’s, moving the soup closer to him. “Hyrule already had his. He can have more anytime he wants it, but he’s sleeping now. This is your soup.” He tried to push aside everything he was learning, but it stuck to his thoughts.
“Oh.” Legend blinked down at the bowl, then took another bite.
“There we go,” Warriors sighed. “You just have as much of that as you can. Please,” he added carefully.
Legend’s ear twitched at the word, and he looked up at Warriors like he was trying to decipher an even more complicated puzzle than the soup. “Huh.”
“Yeah.” Warriors gave him a sad smile. “Do you want me to leave now?”
“No.”
He was genuinely startled by that. Warriors blinked several times, then managed, “Oh. Okay. I’ll stay until you finish your soup, then. I am on watch, technically, but I can do that from here for now.”
“Mkay,” Legend mumbled around his spoon.
Warriors smiled despite himself. It was small, but it was there. He pulled up the blankets that had slid to the side so they covered Legend’s legs again properly, and settled in to wait.
“So,” Legend said, leaning back on his hands. “You wanted to talk?”
Legend had almost entirely recovered from his sickness, especially with Hyrule’s help, but their healer wanted him to take it easy for the next day or two anyway, and Four wasn’t going to pass up the chance for a private conversation that was becoming increasingly necessary.
“Yeah. I thought it was time to share a few of my own secrets,” Four said lightly.
Are we three secrets or four secrets? Green wondered.
Technically we would be one secret, Vio corrected him, since the secret is the effect of the Four Sword.
Green sighed. You’re no fun.
Legend raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
“I told you that the reason I remembered to talk to you back when you were a sword was a story for another time,” Four said, looking down at his hands. Red had a habit of picking at his fingernails when he was nervous, and Four echoed the motions. “It’s… Well, it isn’t that long of a story at all, it’s just… a little complicated.”
“Most of the good ones are,” Legend hummed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “You’re not going to admit to being a sword too, are you? Or having a talking magical item?”
Four snorted. “No. It’s… related to my sword, though.”
Let’s stop dancing around the point, Blue grumbled. This’ll be done faster if we just say it.
We need to be a little bit careful, Blue, Green scolded him.
Red hummed. He won’t tell anyone else, though, he knows secrets like this are important.
Still.
“When I first drew the Four Sword,” Four began on Vio’s suggestion, “I didn’t know what it would do. A lot like Hyrule, I guess. I just knew I needed it for my quest. I didn’t realize until too late that it… splits you.”
Legend frowned. “ Splits you? What do you mean?”
“It split me into four people,” Four explained, moving his hands apart to illustrate. “Four copies of myself, but they weren’t exact. It’s… a little hard to explain, really.”
“Was it permanent?” There was an odd note in Legend’s voice.
Four shook his head. “No. We split and merged again a lot during that adventure. That might have made the end result worse, it might not have, we really don’t know. There’s a possibility that we were always going to end up like this, but… well, there’s no point in second guessing now, is there?”
Legend frowned. “When you say we… ”
“We don’t merge back completely, anymore,” Four said quietly, looking down at the ground. None of them wanted to watch Legend’s face. “We’re all just rattling around in here. Four is sort of… well, he’s us, he’s a person, he’s me, but he’s also an amalgamation, sort of. I am me and I am them and we are me and we are us. Like I said, it’s confusing.”
“... Oh,” Legend said softly, “ this is why you haven’t wanted to bond yet.”
“We aren’t sure what it’ll do,” Four admitted, glancing back up, slightly surprised by the curiosity and understanding on Legend’s face.
Legend shrugged. “I’ve got no idea either. Maybe I’d talk to Four, maybe I’d talk to the rest of you, maybe both. Who knows. We could try it, if you want - I’d probably be able to tell who I’m talking to early enough to break the bond, if you really want me to.”
If we’re going to bond, I want to keep it, Red piped up.
Of course you do, Blue snorted.
Vio hummed in interest. It would be a useful experiment, I’d be very excited to see what happens.
“You and Vio would get along, I think,” Four said on Green’s suggestion.
Legend blinked. “Vio?”
“It’s Blue, Red, Green, and Vio,” Four listed, ticking each Color off on his fingers. “Vio’s the smart one. Red deals with a lot of the emotions, Blue tends to be our fighter, and Green sort of keeps the team together.”
“... Huh. I guess you would need to be a pretty good team to make something like sharing a body work long-term,” Legend mused. “Rulie and I can only manage it when he’s either unconscious or intentionally staying out of my way. Or… we could, I don’t know if we still can. But having to share like that sounds… tiring.”
Four laughed. “Some days, it is! Other days we work together without butting heads all that much. It really depends.”
“Honestly, I’m impressed that you can keep it together enough to keep anyone from noticing,” Legend admitted. “The others figured out Rulie and I were talking pretty quickly, so it’s impressive that they’ve never noticed anything like that with you.”
“Maybe they have,” Four said with a shrug. “No one’s ever mentioned anything to me, but they could have noticed a few things here and there. I know my eyes change sometimes if one of the Colors is being particularly influential, and the mood swings aren’t as subtle as we’d like.”
Legend was frowning thoughtfully at them. “So I’d guess your eyes getting darker is a sign of… Vio, you said his name was?”
Four nodded. “Yeah, he usually has a lot to say when it comes to magic.”
Nerd, Blue said, but there was an edge of fondness to it.
I will take that as a compliment, Vio said primly, fondness tinging his words, too.
“Can you still split?” Legend asked curiously.
Four shrugged. “When we want to. There hasn’t been a lot of time for it recently.”
Legend nodded with a knowing look on his face. “Yeah, I hear that. I look forward to meeting you all, then, if you ever find time.”
“We look forward to meeting you, too,” Four said with a smile. They had known Legend would be understanding, but it was still nice to have that support. Someone knew, and would have their back if it ever came to light in a way they didn’t want it to.
The two of them sat in a comfortable sort of silence for a minute, just taking in the ambient sounds of the forest around them. Then Four happened to glance over to the small pile of gear Legend was starting to accumulate, and he frowned at the boots set carefully next to the bag.
“... Wait a second, are those my pegasus boots?? ”
It was only a matter of time, really, until the monsters found their camp again. Legend was honestly surprised it had taken this long.
He deflected another strike - wrong angle, nearly too slow - and slashed at the lizalfos in front of him - too wide. His sword cut into its shoulder and it screeched in pain. Legend had just a moment to feel proud of himself before the thing’s tail slammed into his chest.
He was sent crashing to the ground, and he only registered how close he was to the fire in the center of camp when his hand made contact with the flames.
Legend screamed.
The world narrowed to just the pain, just the feeling of fire on Legend’s skin as he curled around the injury, trying to breathe. He couldn’t focus he couldn’t see he couldn’t think there was just fire in his skin.
Legend! Hyrule shouted in panic. Legend, are you okay?
All he could do was pulse back pain pain pain and keep breathing. He needed oxygen, now, he had to breathe.
He heard screeching nearby, and the shouts of his friends, and the worried pulses from all of the bonds he was constructing. He should help, he should pull his own weight, but - but his hand hurt.
Legend had forgotten what hurting felt like.
Are you okay quiet calm hello hello, came a pulse, and Legend could really use some calm right now, so he reached back with a pained hum.
“Legend,” said Time’s voice, very quietly. “May I see your hand?”
Legend opened his eyes, blinking back pained tears to see Time kneeling in front of him. The others were all scattered around the campsite, dealing with the aftermath of battle and trying very hard to look like they weren’t hovering around Legend. The weight of their worry pulled at him.
Time had asked him a question. He nodded, slowly, uncurling his hand from his chest and holding it out.
The burn was fairly small. Just the side of his hand, only an inch or two, really. The rest was just singed. It certainly wasn’t worth Legend’s reaction.
He felt a curl of shame settle in his gut. All of that, for such a small thing?
Time took his hand carefully, turning it gently from side to side, examining the burn. “How are you feeling?”
“... I’m sorry,” Legend said quietly, trying to fight back the stinging in his eyes. It was just from the smoke. Maybe if he told himself that enough times, he would believe it.
“For what?” Time asked, rummaging in his bag with one hand while cradling Legend’s hand in the other.
Legend shrugged with one shoulder. Hyrule was an anxious livewire in the back of his head, and he was trying so hard to not let any of the guilt and shame that was starting to build filter through any of his bonds.
Time seemed to accept the nonanswer, because he took out a small container of something that smelled like mint and medicine, and started spreading it carefully over Legend’s burn.
He hissed, instinctively trying to pull his hand away, but he stopped when Time’s grip tightened, ever so slightly. “What’s - what’s that for?”
“Burn salve,” Time explained quietly. “It’s designed to help promote healing and fight infection. It should also provide some relief.”
… His hand did feel just a little cooler. Legend closed his eyes, wincing through the dull, aching flares of pain as Time gently spread the salve over the whole burn, plus some of the surrounding skin, just to be safe.
“... This is stupid,” Legend mumbled as Time put the salve back in his bag.
“Why do you say that?”
Legend took a deep breath, fighting back another wave of frustrated tears. “I’ve been through so much worse, why is this - why does it hurt so much?”
Time took out a roll of bandages and started to carefully wrap Legend’s hand. “You haven’t been physically hurt for several centuries. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that you would have a more extreme reaction to pain than someone more used to it.”
“But I was used to it!” Like he had been used to fighting, and running, and existing. “I shouldn’t - I just stopped, and I could have gotten myself killed, or one of you killed, and it’s - it’s stupid.”
“It’s easy to not be used to something anymore.” Time tied off the bandage, but he kept his hand on Legend’s. “When we stop at Lon Lon Ranch, I’m always surprised by how early Malon wakes up. I was used to it, before I started traveling again. I’ll get used to it again when this is over.”
Legend stared at the bandage on his hand. “... And I’ll get used to being in pain again.”
“Hopefully, you won’t have to, but… yes.” Time gave his hand a small squeeze, careful to avoid the burn, then let go so he could put the bandages away. “It isn’t a failing on your part. You’re adjusting, that’s all.”
It felt like a failing.
Relax kindness calm breathe, Time projected gently. “Now, are you ready to let the others fuss over you?”
“Like you haven’t just been doing that,” Legend snorted, but there was no bite to the words.
“So I can call Hyrule over?” Time asked with a knowing smile.
Legend winced, but nodded. “Might as well get it over with. Goddesses, he’s gonna be clingy.” Legend was probably going to be clingy for a while, too, but he decided not to mention that.
Time chuckled, then glanced over toward Hyrule. “Hyrule, can you come take a look at Legend’s hand?”
“Wait,” Legend said, frowning, as Hyrule all but sprinted over. “Why bother patching me up if you’re just gonna ask Hyrule to take care of it?”
Time didn’t reply. He just kissed his fingertips, gently tapped them against Legend’s bandaged hand, and backed away to give Hyrule room to fuss.
A memory pinged at Legend, one from a long time ago, back when he was little. His uncle pressing a kiss to Legend’s scraped knee.
“Oh fuck off, old man, you did not just try to KISS IT BETTER - ”
“This is a stupid idea,” Legend said for probably the fifth time.
“There are no stupid ideas,” Wild said cheerfully, also for the fifth time. “Just bad executions of ideas.”
“That is so unbelievably wrong. How have you not gotten yourself blown up yet,” Legend grumbled, inching his way down the steep slope of the hill. Hyrule and Wild were waiting at the bottom, and he legitimately couldn’t tell if they were so much faster than him because he was still working out how to have a body, or because they were both just insane.
Wild shrugged, beaming. “I dunno!”
“I think this is a great idea,” Hyrule said, grinning, “I mean, you did say you wanted more experiences, and this is definitely going to be an experience.”
“Exactly!” Wild agreed. “And come on, it’s just going out to get ingredients for dinner, how bad could it be?”
Legend had been using the small trees growing on the hill to keep himself from falling, and he chanced letting go of one of them to point an accusatory finger at Wild. “ Shut the hell up. Something’s gonna go wrong now, and it’s your fault, because you just jinxed it.”
“I was about to say,” Hyrule added, “you’ve totally cursed us now. I hope whatever it is is fun, at least. Entertaining. No injuries,” he said, glancing over at Legend.
“Oops,” Wild said, not looking sorry at all.
“I’ll show you oops, you maniac -” Legend hissed, stumbling the last few feet to the bottom of the hill.
Hyrule groaned. “Don’t ‘oops’ us, you scared me! I thought something had gone wrong already!”
“That would be a new record,” Wild mused. “We’ve only been gone from camp, what, five minutes?”
“We live to attempt the impossible,” Hyrule muttered.
Legend sent them both a wave of fond, exasperated irritation. “Can we go already?”
“Sure,” Wild agreed easily. “Pick a direction!”
“... I hate you both so much,” Legend muttered, then pointed more or less forward. “If that way has nothing good, I’m blaming you.”
Hyrule started walking. “It was literally your choice, but okay. There are two of us and one of you, who do you think the group is going to believe?” He flashed a grin over his shoulder.
“The only one who’s ever picked up a map!” Legend snapped, absolutely no heat in his voice, as he hurried after Hyrule.
Wild made a so-so sort of gesture as he started to follow. “I have a map built into my slate, I think that counts.”
“Nope. You never look at it.”
“It hardly ever works!”
“Irrelevant.”
“It’s not the slate’s fault that it didn’t plan for inter-era time travel, come on Legend. Have a little sympathy for a put-upon magic item.” Hyrule said with mock sadness.
Legend rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the soft pang of the statement in favor of being here, out in the woods with two of his friends, joking around. “If that thing doesn’t have the spirit of a long-dead hero in it, I don’t want to hear it.”
Wild took his slate off of his hip, stared at it for a moment, then shook it next to his ear like a child with a package. “... Nope, don’t hear any ghosts.”
“I’m not a ghost, idiot,” Legend huffed, giving him a light shove. “Ghosts and souls in vessels are different . ”
Wild shook the slate a little harder. “Mmmm, no souls either, I don’t think.”
“I mean, who knows what you have in that thing,” Hyrule said, with a fake shudder. “I wouldn’t put it past you, if you can store live bugs and milk, I don’t know what could limit you.”
“I’ve got hinox toenails, too,” Wild said far too cheerfully, and there was something bright and mischievous seeping through the bond.
Legend made a mock gagging sound.
“I hate that I actually believe you,” Hyrule sighed.
“Implying that I would lie to you?” Wild gasped, putting a hand to his chest. “To you? One of my friends? Hyrule, I would never!”
“I would,” Hyrule said without hesitation, “if it was funny.”
“So would I,” Legend agreed.
Wild held the mock indignation for another moment, then laughed. “Yeah, I absolutely would. I do have hinox toenails, though.”
Hyrule grimaced. “I don’t see how that’s a win for you.”
“They’re good for elixirs!”
Making a face, Hyrule started walking faster. “If you’re going to try and tell me what you actually put in those things, I’m leaving.”
“Lizards!” Wild told him, speeding up as well. “Lots of lizards. Monster guts, sometimes -”
Legend laughed, despite how gross the mental image was.
“Lizards aren’t that bad,” Hyrule said consideringly. “Sucks that they don’t have more meat, though.”
Wild nodded mournfully. “They’re so small.”
“You know, I think they need me back at camp,” Legend said, doing his best to give them a deadpan look. “Gosh. So sad that I can’t keep going on this stupid outing and discuss eating lizards.”
“You have literally watched me eat lizards for most of my life,” Hyrule said, “You have actively helped me find and hunt lizards to eat.”
“Yeah, but I have taste buds now, Rulie.”
“Tastes like cucco,” Hyrule shrugged.
Wild nodded along. “Some of them do. Different kinds of lizards taste a little different.”
Legend sighed, rolling his eyes again. “Can we circle back to our cook actively adding monster parts to elixirs?”
“What?” Wild asked with a laugh. “They’re necessary ingredients! And I haven’t even tried feeding you guys monster soup yet!”
“ What soup??”
“ Monster soup,” Hyrule told him, grinning, “C’mon, I literally just made your ears, they can’t already be broken.”
Legend sent him a pulse of fond annoyance. “I heard him, I just want him to elaborate . ”
Wild made a considering noise. “... No.”
“What do you mean no???”
“This is funnier,” Wild said with a grin.
“I bet I could make monster soup,” Hyrule said thoughtfully, “Some parts of them will probably kill you if you prepare them wrong, but I have eight test subjects right here to help me figure it out.”
Wild shook his head. “Hyrule, every soup you make is monster soup.”
Hyrule burst out laughing. “You take that back! I’ve been living on those soups for years!”
“And they’re monster soups!” Wild insisted. “You’re not good at cooking, we’ve established this!”
“I’m good at making things last,” Hyrule sniffed, “not my fault the rest of you want flavor, or whatever.”
Legend patted Wild’s shoulder. “I am so glad you’re here now that I actually need food.”
“The others were living on like… boiled potatoes and plain meat and leftovers when I joined up with them,” Wild said with a shudder. “It was awful. No one can cook.”
“I still see no problem with this,” Hyrule said, “food is food. Spiced food is better, sure, but I don’t need it.”
“Food is about joy, Hyrule! Cooking is supposed to make you happy!” Wild insisted.
Hyrule raised his eyebrows. “ Eating makes me happy. Cooking makes me food.”
“None of you have any appreciation for cooking,” Wild sniffed. “I am making food for uncultured animals.”
Legend snorted. “Bold words, champ.”
“ Please tell me you at least understand where I’m coming from?” Wild said, putting an arm around Legend’s shoulders. “Cooking is important, right?”
“I mean, yeah, obviously. Staying alive is important, but. You know. Things that help you want to be alive are also important,” Legend said with a little shrug. “Food’s good for that.”
“ Exactly! ”
“Your little baby tastebuds are weak,” Hyrule informed Legend, “I will outlast you in any survival scenario.”
Legend raised an eyebrow at him. “And whose fault is the state of my tastebuds? I didn’t make them.”
“... shit.”
Wild and Legend both burst out laughing.
“Wait,” Hyrule countered, raising a hand, “Wait, I gave you the magic and you made the form, based on what you remember of your old body. I didn’t even know what color your hair was supposed to be, I think the tastebuds are on you.”
“To be fair,” Wild put in, “It’s not hard to guess what color his hair is supposed to be.”
“...The pink was a surprise,” Hyrule muttered.
Legend sighed. “The pink was an unfortunate side effect of some magic way back when, and you are not getting the story.”
Hyrule grinned, and teased, “I think it’s cute.”
“Call me cute one more time and suffer the consequences,” Legend hissed.
“What, you’re gonna chase me on legs you can’t even run on yet?” Hyrule taunted.
Legend narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight just a little toward his toes. “I’ve been practicing. Don’t test me.”
“Whatever makes you feel better,” Hyrule shrugged.
Wild grinned, letting go of Legend and hurrying forward to take the lead in their little group. “I’m not getting involved here.”
“Coward,” Hyrule said jokingly, “come back here and tease him like a hero.”
“Nah, I know that look,” Wild said, glancing back at Legend, still grinning. “That’s a planning something look. I’m not going to be collateral damage, I know better.”
“I fear no danger,” Hyrule proclaimed, “Not even the second-cutest of Hylia’s heroes.”
Legend was about to snap back, then paused. “... Second cutest?”
Hyrule considered. “...Third, actually.”
“Who’s in front of me??” Legend demanded, feeling almost offended.
“Wind, because he’s just the adorablest little thing ever until you piss him off, and Sky, because he got a literal goddess. I’m sure she has better taste than me, so. First it is for our dear Sky.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s cute, ” Legend protested.
“He gives off very nice vibes,” Hyrule informed him. “He is probably the sweetest one of us. Again, until you piss him off.”
Wild snorted. “I was about to say, you haven’t seen Sky really angry yet. He’s terrifying. ”
Hyrule nodded. “ The anger of a gentle man , or something.”
“I haven’t seen him angry, but I’ve definitely seen him protective,” Legend said with a shrug, pushing down the memory of golden fire. “I really don’t want to see it again, if I can help it.”
Glancing over at him with a more sober look, Hyrule nodded. “We’ve got that on our side, now.”
“Yeah,” Wild agreed, slowing his pace a little to give Legend a little nudge with his elbow. “You’re safe if Sky’s around. If any of us are around, really.”
“That’s the general idea, for heroes,” Hyrule added.
Legend nodded, because he did sort of trust that, now. He probably wouldn’t trust it entirely until all that protective rage was pointed at something or someone else, on his behalf, and he saw the shield from the other side. But for now, he could maybe start to accept that if he needed it, it would be there.
Maybe being a hero was about being a sword, really. There to protect and deflect danger, to slay evil and follow the will of something bigger than they were. But he was starting to believe that being a hero also meant being a person, at the core of them, and laughing with their friends and taking care of each other.
He sent a soft little wave of something that might be love down all eight of his bonds.
Several of them sent affection back. Some sent gentle confusion, some amused fondness. All of them appreciated it, even if he would never tell them what it was about.
He had never had brothers, before. It might be nice, after all this time, to try something new.
Notes:
if anyone wants to create something based on this, as always, go right ahead! Tag us if you can, just so we can see it and shower it in love!
This has been such a wonderful journey. Thanks to everyone who kudosed, who commented, who just read along and enjoyed. This story affected us deeply to create and somehow meant even more as we got to share it with all of you.
Stick around, we've got another downfallduo and ensemble longfic in the works! >:3
And seriously, thank you for everything <3
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