Chapter Text
☆ Act 1 ☆
A soft breeze met them as they stepped out of the portal - or in Four’s case, fell through the portal - and the warmth of the sun warmed their skin.
Twilight, one of the first to get through, whistled as he looked at the land before them, “Not a H’rule I recogn’se.”
Hyrule looked up from where he was petting Four’s back and beamed, “It’s beautiful.”
And that it was, they stood upon a cliff, before them a small village nestled into the hills. A strange house with something akin to a telescope watching over the small houses. The sky was beautiful and clear, making it that they could see far and beyond. The mountains, covered with snow in the distance, and on the very top a strange tower. To the right a wide and endless sea.
“Where the fuck are we now?” Legend grumbled, but it was obvious that he too enjoyed the view.
“HE SAID FUCK!” Wind cheered, arms in the air as he ran around, excited at the free pass to say the profanity.
Warriors groaned, “Wind, no! Bad!”
Time simply sighed as Twilight snickered at the antic of the others, “They’r treatin Wind as a dog.”
“You would know what’s that like, huh,” Legend drawled, rolling his shoulders, “Wolfie.”
Wind hollered as Legend ran past him, Twilight hot on his heels.
“Kids,” Sky chuckled fondly next to Time, “How fun they are.”
Time smiled, “You’re practically still a kid yourself,” He ruffled the boy’s hair, “Got over the portal sickness ‘lready?”
The chosen hero nodded and turned towards the village, “Do you think we’re getting a new hero?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
Sky frowned, “Fi hasn’t said anything,” When Time didn’t look alarmed, Sky elaborated, “She hasn’t spoken to me at all, not just about this era. That’s not like her.”
At that, a little frown did pop up on Time’s brows, “Tell me if something changes.”
Four stumbled next to them with the assistance of Hyrule, eyes trained on the village, “Do you reckon they have an inn?”
Hyrule pursed his lips, “Do’wer have the rupe’s f’r that?”
“Depends on how expensive the inn is,” Sky hummed.
That settled they began readying themselves to go down the hill. Luckily there was a small, seemingly unofficial, road
“Yar yar yar, house ahoy!” Wind pointed at a house that stood alone, separated from the village with a bridge.
“Quit your fake pirate speech, sailor,” Legend pushed the teen out of the way, peering at the house Wind had pointed out, “It looks abandoned.”
“Nah,” Twilight had his nose in the air, “Someon’s th’re.”
“Let’s go ask them about this era!” Wind excitedly jumped where he stood, “Maybe we get a new hero that’s younger than me!”
Time fondly chuckled, “Don’t count on a new hero, we’ve been travelling without getting a new hero for three months already.”
Wind pouted, “You never know!”
So they set out to the house that stood separated, that stood alone yet solidly, with its own pond right next to it. With its owner right next to it.
They slowed down as the person came into view, they had short but uneven blond hair. Their ears poked out, unusually large and droopy. Out of their blond hair small antlers poked out.
Time raised his arms, signalling the others to halt their approach. He looked back at them, nodded once and got closer to the person? Fae? Shape shifter?
“Hello, could you tell us the way to the closest inn?” Politely and carefully, Time approached them.
One of their ears twitched, a hum came from the being, “If the inn is what you seek, venture into Hateno village and you will stumble upon your destination,” Their (Her?) voice came over clear and gentle, somewhat foreboding though, “But, Hylia blessed travellers, is it truly the inn you seek?”
Time could hear the others tense, the clinging of armour and weapons softly clinking, his own hand also went almost unconsciously to his sword.
“Who are you?” Time asked.
The person laughed lightly, the sound chimed as if bounced upon crystals, “Sit with me, travellers, and you explain to me who you are?”
Not wanting to offend the stranger with obvious connections to the Goddess, he carefully skirted around the pond. Their face was fair and ethereal, tattooed tears under their closed eyes. He awkwardly sat down a small distance from them, behind him the others did the same.
They hummed, tilting their head so they could bathe in the sun even more, “Introduce yourselves,” They demanded, “Why are you here?”
“And why should we tell you?” Legend snapped from somewhere behind Time, he yelped shortly after that, “What?! I’m right!”
The person chuckled, “Perhaps you’re right,” They opened their eyes and trained it on them, “My name is Zelda, and you are?” A shudder went through the group as they finally realised they were talking to this era’s Zelda. A Zelda that was not completely Hylian. Her ears too big, her antlers existing at all and her eyes. Oh, her eyes. They were bright blue with specks of green in them. Her pupils instead of black, a deep green. The whites of her eyes shone a purple. They were unnatural. Beautiful and haunting.
“Huh, never thought I’d meet a Zelda stranger than Sun,” Legend remarked.
“Sun isn’t strange!” Sky immediately defended.
“She is literally a goddess incarnate,” Returned the vet.
The zelda of this era slanted her head, “So you’ve met previous reincarnations of me, have you?”
Sky and Legend stilled, looking at her with wide eyes.
Time, again, sighed, “Yes, your highness, we have,” She looked curious, “I’m Time,” Twilight took the cue and also introduced himself, the others quickly following.
“Well,” Zelda looked bemused, “One time is a coincidence, two times is suspicious, but eight is downright evidence.”
They looked at eachother with raised brows, unsure what she was on about, except Four, “So you’ve realised.”
“Indeed, I did. Hero of Four swords.”
“Well, that spares us time,” Legend murmured.
She smiled, “So, heroes of olds, what brings you to this time?”
Time squared up his shoulders, “Hylia has been gathering heroes to fight a new threat. Black blooded monsters. They have been spotted throughout our Hyrule’s, they are exceptionally strong and smart.”
Sky continued, “The attacks seem coordinated, some more than others, but it’s cause for concern.”
Zelda looked at them with her unsettling eyes that seemed to look right through them, sadness in them, “You’re here to take my knight away.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I’m afraid so,” Time said softly.
She closed her eyes, her ears trembled with emotion, “Hylia is cruel,” Her voice was ridden with sadness and resentment.
Legend huffed, “You can say that again.”
“L’gend, enough,” Twilight shot him a look.
Wind, always the most excitable, moved closer to the princess, “Are you Hylian? You don’t look Hylian,” He smiled.
“Wind!” Hyrule exclaimed.
Zelda chuckled and looked down at the boy with the utmost patience, “I am Hylian, yes. My physical… alterations are direct consequences of our second quest.”
The mention of quests sombered them even more, not to mention the second part.
“Can I ask where Link is?” Time asked carefully.
She shifted her gaze from Wind to Time, “My knight is a free spirit, I can not possibly know where he is at all times. He could be in the village store or Gerudo town for all I know.”
“So it’s a manhunt, just as it was for Legend,” Warriors said displeased.
“Oh fuck you, I already went on six quests! I didn’t want to join you, misfits!”
Zelda frowned, “So, you get no choice?”
Hyrule shook his head, “Th’r port’ls suck us r’ght in, ‘ven if we’r n’t re’dy.”
She looked at them all, silent and sad, “Link hasn’t got any rest yet and still, Hylia is already pulling him away again,” Her voice trembled, “You are welcome to stay at my house, I will go inquire to the whereabouts of my champion,” Zelda did not wait for a response, she gracefully got up and waltzed off.
The chain sat silently, staring at her back that got smaller as she walked over the bridge.
“Do you think Link will also have cool eyes?” Wind asked, breaking the silence.
“Wind! Read the room!”
“What?! It’s a valid question!”
Legend huffed, “I don’t know about his eyes but I do know that he’s gonna be fucked up.”
Twilight threw his arms in the air, “Whut’s up w’th y’all ‘nd not readin the room!”
Four, who had recovered somewhat by now, hummed, “Leg is right though, the new Link’s gonna have baggage.”
“Don’t we all?” Sky asked.
“Ya, but it’s something in the magic of this place,” Four looked around, “It’s…” They didn’t continue, not having the right words.
Twilight pulled his fur coat closer to him, “Weary,” He articulated the word carefully.
“Tired,” Hyrule added.
“Fucked up,” Legend concluded.
Wind pouted, “I bet he’ll be lots of fun!”
Time sighed, “Let’s go inside and wait for Zelda to return.”
--
The inside of the house was clean and comfortable, clearly lived in and loved. Pictures decorated the walls, decorations sat on shelves and tables. There were still plates from the breakfast the princess had enjoyed in the morning. To the right there were stairs to the loft with the only bed in the house.
“Why does the princess live in some small house in some small village,” Legend mused, “Doesn’t seem very royal.”
“Maybe it’s her vacation home?” Wind suggested.
Hyrule shook his head, “H’r magic’s rooted in the ‘ouse too much.”
Before conversation could continue the door opened to reveal Zelda who had returned.
“Link is in the domain, helping prince Sidon with the Lizalfos problem,” She cut right into the chase, “He will return as soon as possible.”
“We shall go help,” Time was already taking his back when Zelda shook her head, “Your highness, we’re seasoned fighters. We can help.”
Zelda frowned, “I am not questioning your abilities, hero of time. I am, however, questioning your understanding of distance.”
“Mine Hyrule is the b’ggest of us’ll, ‘nd it’s only ‘bout day travel,” Twilight explained, “We c’n make that.”
Twilight’s words visibly confused the princess, “A day?” She asked incredulously before she went to a closet, pulling out a map, “This,” She rolled it out on the table, and pointed out a symbol of a house, “Is Hateno and this,” Another house, “Is the Domain.”
Warriors looked puzzled, “No offence, your highness, but that does not seem all too far.”
“By Din’s name,” Zelda looked at them as if they spit in her tea, “If you were my Link, I would agree. But you are not. With the size of your group you would be mostly stuck to the road and without horses. So that would be about,” She hummed as she thought, “Four weeks.”
“FOUR?!”
“Yes, look,” She showed what roads they would have to take, how far they took them away from the Domain before they could go the right way.
Wind blinked curiously, “Why can’t we go like this,” He put a finger on Hateno and pulled it directly to the Domain, “That would be way shorter, right?”
“Oh sweet summer child,” Zelda murmured, “Yes, it would,” Wind already started grinning, “But no one does it except the champion. It’s dangerous, not only due to monsters, but the temperatures, cliffs, mountains and rivers are all highly dangerous. And even if you could, it would still take you about a week to get there.”
“What the fuck is wrong with this Hyrule?” Legend looked pale at the prospect of walking for weeks on end.
Zelda looked fiercely at him, “You will not insult my lands. Especially if you’re standing in my kitchen,” Her ears flared and her eyes brightened.
Legend took a step backwards, “Alright alright, I’m sorry.”
She did not look wholly satisfied but let it go, “As I was saying, you would not get there in time. In fact, by the time you got there my knight would have been able to travel all of the land and get back to the Domain before you. So stay and wait.”
Hyrule shyly chuckled, “W’r not good ‘t that, waitin ‘nd all.”
“You’re of the same spirit as Link,” Zelda stated simply before she abruptly turned to the kitchen, starting dinner without a word.
Twilight looked at Time with raised eyebrows but Time only shrugged in response, “Ah, pr’ncess,” Twilight began very eloquently, “C’n ya t’ll us ‘bout yar Link?”
Her ears drooped again but she didn’t turn to them, “I would like to ask you a question first, how long have you had before you got pulled into this quest?”
Time looked at everyone first for permission before he answered, “I’ve had the longest, about ten years. Wind has had the shortest time, about a year and six months.
The breath the princess took shuddered, her frame seemed to waver and blur, “Oh,” She leaned on the counter, her hands pressed against her eyes, “My-” She shuddered, “My knight, my Link has not gotten that grace.”
Wind sounded sad, “He got even less than me?”
Zelda squared her shoulders and turned to them, the blue of her eyes a storm, “It’s been two weeks.”
--
Later, when food was ready and they were sitting around the small table, when everyone was still processing what the princess had said, Zelda sighed and left the house without a word. She left behind silence and an oppressive weight in the air.
Two weeks.
When Time had found out about Wind and his journey, he had felt incredibly sad. The boy had been so young when his quest started, he was still so unbelievably young. Hylia had given the boy just the time for him to settle down again, join the normal life of his family and village again. And then she ripped him away from it all again.
But this Link, he hadn’t gotten that. The two weeks weren’t even down time, considering the fact that this Link wasn’t at home but at the Domain, fighting Lizalfos. He had gotten no time to recover, to settle down, none at all.
“What the fuck.”
Time sighed, “Laguage,” He was glad that Wind was too preoccupied with his thoughts to repeat the foul words.
“Oh I’m sorry,” Legend rolled his eyes, “C'est quoi ce bordel.”
Warriors put down his cup with a clang, “What even is that language?!”
The veteran smirked, “Oh? Does the fancy nobel not know the languages of Hyrule’s neighbours?”
“My nei’bours?” ‘Rule looked confused.
“The country Hyrule, not you fae boy.”
“About fae,” Four piped up, “What could’ve happened that left princess Zelda with such alterations?”
Hyrule pursed his lips, “Sh’s not fae ‘lright.”
Legend nodded, “She has the typical Hylia ass divine magic.”
“Please never say that again,” Sky sighed.
“What? Hylia ass?”
Wind had started paying attention sometimes and cheered, “HYLIA ASS!”
Sky ignored the teen and glared at Legend, “I will tackle you.”
“Come at me, sleepy,” Legend grinned as he stood up, rolling up his sleeves.
Twilight, who sat next to the veteran, also stood up, “No fightin in the ‘ome of the pr’ncess,” He literally plucked Legend of the ground and held him up.
“Put me down!”
“No.”
“Why is no one here normal?” Four sighed.
Legend struggled in Twilight’s grip, “Bitch, we have the same goddamn spirit.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“What the fuck are you doing in my house?”
Everyone stilled, Legend still in Twilight’s arms. Hyrule was snooping through the bookshelf. Wind was in the middle of egging Legend’s anger as Four just seemed uninterested. Sky had been looking amused at the whole debacle and Time was resigned to the chaos. But all of that had stopped, they turned their gazes towards the door from where they sat or stood.
In the doorway stood a man, sword out, other hand hovering over a slab that hung from his hip. A cape obstructed his face but they knew he was watching them intently.
“Oh shit,” Wind whispered.
“WIND! Language!”
The strangers' stand got even more rigid.
“Uh,” Twilight dropped Legend, “Ya wouldn’t be Link by ‘ny chance?”
The maybe-Link-maybe-not didn’t answer, instead he moved his hand over the slab. A bundle of perfectly ripe bananas materialised out of blue string. He threw it in the air once, catched it and threw it in the middle of the room, landing squarely on Legend.
Legend scrambled of the floor, throwing the banana’s off him, “What the fuck are you doing?!”
Time sighed and placatingly held up his hand, “Princess Zelda invited us in, we’re no threat.”
The hooded man looked him over carefully, and with another movement his sword disappeared in the same blue strings. His hands free he signed, “Where is Zelda?”
“She left about thirty minutes ago.”
With that information the man nodded, took the slab out of its holder and disappeared in blue strings.
“What the fuck.”
“Legend!”
Sky frowned, “That definitely was Link. Fi recognized him.”
Time sighed, he would go grey early with all these gremlins, “Of course he was.”
“He and this Zelda are rude,” Legend grumbled.
Warriors gasped, “Do no insult royalty! And certainly do not use her name without her respective title, not without her consent!”
“Oh, fuck you.”