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It started with a knock on the door.
Specifically, Legend’s door, as the group had been dropped practically on his doorstep by a previous portal and decided to take a much-needed break from traveling. The veteran had immediately taken to complaining about ‘more freeloaders’ and how they were ‘invading his personal space,’ all the while pulling extra blankets out from underneath his bed and clearing places for the other heroes to sleep. Strangely, he had deliberately placed his own things near the table rather than next to his bed, silently relinquishing his bed to someone else.
Well, that probably wasn’t that strange. They all likely would’ve done the same. That did lead to the problem of fighting over who actually got the bed, but Legend remained entirely unhelpful and simply tended to his own area. Though, it was plain to see he was straining to fight off an amused grin at the bickering.
Yet the dull thud of a fist against wood made the house go completely silent, the chattering sputtering out like a dying candle flame. There was an inflated pause as nine heads swiveled to the door, tension instinctual at the unknown intrusion. Everyone’s gazes then snapped to Legend as he rose from the floor, quietly and nimbly stepping around the others to get to the door, wooden floorboards creaking in protest at his movements.
His hand wrapped around the door knob, lingering for just one hesitating moment before he abruptly swung open the door with an aggression that startled both the group inside and the individual standing just outside, who jumped back with a shout of fright. As far as random people who showed up at other people’s doors went, he was certainly…interesting-looking, to say the least. His outfit was primarily blue, laden with ruffles and bright patterning that obnoxiously screamed nobility.
Yet there was something so comical about him with his oversized belt buckle and his huge, pointy shoes. He wore a cape which had a collar that rose so high it very nearly obscured the bottom half of his face yet perfectly framed his wild, red hair that seemed to have a mind of its own as it stuck up in different directions. To top it all off- quite literally- the stranger wore an obnoxiously tall hat that, at its tallest point, drooped downwards in a semblance of defeat as it could not possibly hope to carry its own weight.
His green eyes had widened comically, leaning back so far that it was a surprise that he hadn’t fallen over, before he seemed to attempt to compose himself, straightening his posture and lifting his chin proudly. Clearly he planned to pretend that he did not just scream like a five year old child.
Legend, for his part, was standing stock still. His expression was hidden by the fact that his back was to the group, but his stance didn’t relax at the sight of the other person. He didn’t say anything, either, simply waiting, completely silent.
The person outside cleared his throat. “Greetings-”
“No.” Legend slammed the door.
Everyone stared at Legend as he turned back around, his face carefully blank. They waited for him to explain- perhaps there was some kind of wild and elaborate story full of whimsy and mystery to explain his reaction to the stranger- but he instead simply walked back to the table and started sorting through his things. Like nothing ever happened.
After a few minutes of silent debate of who was going to actually address whatever just happened, Wind finally stepped forward.
“Um, vet?” He called out.
Legend didn’t look up. “Yeah?”
“Who, uh,” Wind gestured uselessly at the door. “Who was that?”
That did make Legend stop what he was doing. He slowly turned, making very deliberate eye contact with the young sailor. The silence stretched on for an awkward few moments, the other heroes glancing at each other with baffled expressions. But then-
“Who?” Legend asked with a subtle twitch of his lips.
Wind clearly did a double-take, squinting incredulously at the veteran hero. “The- the guy? That you just slammed the door on?”
Legend just stared blankly. One moment passed, then two. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned back to his items, effectively ending the conversation.
Wind looked at the rest of the group, shrugging helplessly.
A few of the others attempted to prod him on the subject, but to no avail. Clearly, this was a mystery that would be left unsolved, at least for right then. So with one final look towards the veteran, who was adamantly ignoring everyone else even though he had definitely been spending way longer than necessary examining his ice rod, the group reluctantly went back to chattering amongst themselves.
Only a few of the heroes noticed that, on the next morning, two mugs sat emptied on the kitchen counter.
Yet they all noticed the unusual cheer of Legend the very next morning.
Everyone had mostly waved off the incident by the next day; considering Legend remained stubbornly tight-lipped on the matter, it was hardly fruitful to pester him about it. It could’ve been some persistent salesman, perhaps one of the townsfolk that had annoyed Legend one too many times, or even just…a random guy the veteran didn’t want to deal with. It was all left entirely to the imagination considering Legend seemed to want to ignore his existence entirely.
However, that brief encounter was not the end of things, as it turned out.
Half of the group had split off- specifically Time, Wind, Four, Twilight, and Sky- to head to Kakariko Village for supplies and for whatever information the residents might have on mysterious swirling portals or recent monstrous nuisances that might’ve invaded the area. The rest chose to hunker down in Legend’s home for the time being, Wild quickly making himself busy with preparing a lunch for the group, accompanied by Warriors chattering away as he fiddled idly with his scarf. Legend himself had dug a broom out from somewhere and was attempting to tidy the house a bit to…mixed results.
Hyrule had taken to sitting at the table, flipping through the many pages of his magic book. He wasn’t actually reading the thing, he was just…incredibly bored. Not fighting for his life was great and all, but just sitting around made his feet tap impatiently against the floor and with each passing second he wanted to just spring up from where he was sitting and sprint out the door.
Tap.
He might’ve, too, if it weren’t for the fact that Legend’s Hyrule was so charted . Paths were everywhere, signposts were far too frequent- what was the point of exploring when all it became was just following paths? Really, he didn’t get why Legend was so adamant about knowing where to go all of the time. It took so much life out of adventuring. Admittedly though, that wasn’t the real reason. He also had to concede that more than ever it was…not the smartest idea to go charging off into the unknown by himself, as tempting as it was.
Tap tap tap.
Maybe he should’ve gone to Kakariko with the others. At least he’d have something to do there, even if the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of townsfolk he didn’t know made him a bit uneasy. It was…uncomfortable… having so many prying eyes, well-intentioned or not. But having been staring at the pages of his book for so long that the words were more equivalent to squiggles to his unfocused vision, he was about ready to brave the dangers of society just to relieve his boredom.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Okay, so he definitely heard that.
Hyrule’s gaze swiveled to his left, confusion quickly burning through his boredom, only to see-
Huh.
He hadn’t really been in his thoughts at all after such a brief encounter, but he was wholly recognizable regardless. The ridiculous hat, the over-the-top red hair- it was definitely the person they had seen just the day before. Why was he knocking at the window this time, though?
Well, he supposed that knocking on the door hadn’t really worked last time. Fair enough, random guy. Weird choice, but fair enough.
Now curious- and really just desperate for something mildly interesting to do- Hyrule stood from the table and approached the window. The person visibly perked up as he reached the glass and pulled the window open. He smiled, and it was a similar reflection of his bravado from the time before. Yes, the very same confidence he exuded after nearly falling over from fright.
“Did Link actually make friends? I’m surprised.” Were the first words out of his mouth.
Kind of rude, but alright. He was still curious enough to continue this conversation.
“You..know him?” Hyrule asked instead.
The person sighed, donning a very exaggerated expression of weariness. “Yes, it is quite unfortunate, but we are…acquainted.”
“Huh.” He laughed quietly. “Funny thing, because he was very adamant that he didn’t know you.”
The stranger didn’t seem particularly surprised at that. In fact, he even rolled his eyes.
“He tends to do that. I can’t imagine why . He should be honored to know me!” He harrumphed, face scrunching up haughtily.
Hyrule just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I’m starting to understand why he says he doesn’t.”
The stranger gave him a glare, mouth opening to protest, when they were both startled by the sound of the front door tearing open. Hyrule whipped around, only just catching a flicker of red disappearing around the corner.
Mere moments later, Legend came into view, his broom brandished like a weapon on a collision course towards the stranger who was- wow he was running . He almost looked like he could keep up with Legend’s pegasus boots.
Understandable, considering Legend seemed to be on a warpath. And the stranger definitely could not keep up with the pegasus boots. Nope. Hyrule watched the straw bristles of Legend’s broom collide with the poor guy’s shoulder and silently sent his condolences.
“I SAID NO FREELOADERS.” Was Legend’s war cry as he pursued the stranger out of sight.
…Huh.
Hyrule waited a minute for his successor to reemerge, fingernails idly tapping against the window sill. After five minutes had elapsed with no sign of him, Hyrule tilted his head confusedly before returning back to his spot at the table, casting occasional glances at the window. Should he have followed them?
Well, the mysterious stranger didn’t seem to be a threat, at least, considering Legend’s weapon of choice was a broom and not the sword that very clearly rested within reaching distance against the table. So, he’d likely be fine.
Considering the speed the two disappeared, he wasn’t sure he would be able to catch up, anyways. Good luck out there, random guy. Hyrule resigned himself to listlessly leafing through his book again.
Legend only returned an hour later, broom loosely gripped in his hand, and a surprisingly fond grin on his face.
Despite his burning curiosity, Hyrule decided to let the mystery lie for that day.
After Legend’s return, everything remained normal for the remainder of the day and well into the next one. The group had decided that they would take the opportunity to lie low for the time being aside from gathering information on any potential movements from the shadow or sightings of ‘weird, swirly, purple portals’ as Wind chose to put it. Said portals were unpredictable at best, after all, and without any real leads there wasn’t much use in wandering much in one of their own eras.
So, the third day staying at Legend’s house was nice. With supplies mostly restocked, most of the group stuck around the house, choosing to spend the day outside. Legend proudly showed off his apple orchard, and that led into Wild and Legend having a surprisingly long conversation about various apple-related dishes. Everyone else found their own ways to enjoy the peaceful day- Hyrule eventually doing a little bit of wandering himself with Wind tagging along to take various goofy pictures of the two of them, Time and Sky playing music together, Four making an odd habit of looking around in the grass and into tree stumps, Twilight trying to make music with said grass, and Warriors idly looking over some maps Legend had lying around- and slowly the day bled into evening, the coming night’s chill had the group filing back indoors.
Wild bustled about the small kitchen as he prepared dinner. He had opted to make a stew, and the warm aroma of broth and seasoned meat enveloped the house in a blanket of homeliness. Everyone was hovering close by, chatting amicably about some of the funnier highlights of their adventures.
“And before I knew it, I was inside the barrel of a cannon about to be blasted straight into the fortress!” Wind eagerly recounted, arms waving enthusiastically to emphasize his tale.
Twilight chuckled. “Well it’s good to know that being shot out of a cannon isn’t just a me thing.”
Wind grinned proudly, making a show of lifting his chin as he placed his hands on his hips. “It’s a heroic rite of passage!”
A round of amused cheers passed around the group.
“The only time I got shot out of a cannon was when I got scammed by a clown.” Sky sighed. “You guys at least got to do cool stuff.”
Four leaned forward, raising an eyebrow good-naturedly. “Seems like there’s a story there.”
The chosen hero simply shook his head. “Nah, just having to lug a giant wheel into the sky to get the sweet sweet reward of falling on my face for the chance of getting rupees.”
Amidst the ensuing laughter, Warriors gave him a pat on the back consolingly. “That’s rough, buddy.”
Sky threw his hands up, exasperated. “Tell me about it.”
Wild silently gauged the pot in front of him, idly watching the thick slices of swift carrot and specks of Hyrule herb swirl amidst the prime meat with each gentle stir of his ladle. It was almost mesmerizing; watching it, hearing the others’ voices fill the air, feeling the warmth of fire under the pot. It was a taste of a home he couldn’t quite remember yet he loved all the same.
Lightly tapping the ladle against the side of the pot to shake off excess broth, he turned to Legend, who was lingering the closest. “Could you get some dishes out? The stew’s ready.”
It was a testament to how relaxed he was that Legend simply gave a small smile- no snarky grin or sharp smirk in sight- before hurrying over to a nearby set of shelves. He was more at ease than Wild had perhaps ever seen him. Though, Wild could admit that being in the comfort of your own home with people most dear was a sure way to settle one’s nerves.
Within a matter of seconds, Legend returned with nine- no, ten - bowls, setting them out neatly on the small counter.
“Who’s the tenth bowl for?” Wild asked as he ladled a serving into the first one. “Is uh…” He paused to remember the name. “Ravio gonna be here?”
“Ugh, I sure hope not.” Legend scoffed with mock-disgust. “The last thing I want to do is encourage his visits more than I already unfortunately have.” The champion smiled amusedly at that.
Legend sighed, rolling his eyes. “I just need an extra serving for the rat.”
That gave Wild pause. “The rat..?”
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Legend smiled, slipping away from the kitchen area. “That rat.”
And as Legend approached the door, gently pulling it open, the group descended into a mildly stunned silence as a familiar red-haired stranger stood there, just like a couple of days prior. And even further, the veteran let him in ; a complete turn from before where he had delivered a very clear rejection of the other’s presence via the slamming of a heavy wooden door in his face.
“I see you haven’t bothered cleaning the place.” Was the boy’s remark as he stepped inside.
Legend shrugged. “I was too busy beating your ass with the broom to sweep.”
The stranger rolled his eyes- fondly?- and unclasped his cloak, hanging it on a hook near the door in a well-practiced motion.
“You’re so difficult sometimes, you know that? I come all this way and you slam the door in my face.” He grouched. “Your disrespect for nobility knows no bounds.”
“Nah,” Legend waved him off, “I reserved all my disrespect just for you.”
“Wonderful.” The stranger deadpanned.
Legend’s smile sharpened, clearing his throat to address the other heroes. “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the one, the only, the most annoying, pompous dipshit I have ever met, the number one Nayru-”
The stranger cut him off. “I’m actually going to kill you. I’ll do it.”
“I think you need a few more sword fighting lessons before you say shit like that.” Legend shot back.
The red-haired boy shook his head, irritated, before looking at the group. “The name’s Ralph. Link and I met a while back in Labrynna, and- since I was in the area- I’m here visiting this ingrate for some reason.”
“‘For some reason.’” Legend parroted mockingly.
“Oh, shut up. I don’t even know why I missed you. You hit me with a broom.”
The hero snickered, yet the edge of his smile softened. “I don’t know why I missed you either. Besides, what’d you expect? You’re the one who was snooping around my windows.”
Ralph glared. “...Because you slammed the door in my face .”
Legend pretended to think for a moment. “Hm…nope don’t remember doing that. Anyways,” He cut off whatever retort was on the tip of Ralph’s tongue, “dinner’s being served, hurry up unless you want cold stew.”
And with that, the two settled closer to the group like nothing happened, Legend passing a bowl to Ralph before grabbing one himself. A few moments of silence followed, but the heroes were nothing if not used to exceedingly strange occurrences.
“Question for you, Vet.” Twilight started, “How many friends do you have that are going to try and invade your home whenever we visit?”
Legend glowered as he took a bite of stew. “Too many.”
“I resent that.” Ralph chipped in, a slow grin creeping onto his face. “We’re not friends.”
“‘I basically thought of you as a friend, kinda .’” Legend’s voice adopted a higher, mocking pitch.
“I thought we agreed not to talk about that!” Ralph shouted, cheeks flushing red.
He shrugged nonchalantly, smirking. “Maybe you agreed not to in your head, but I made no such promise.” Some of the other heroes laughed as Ralph spluttered indignantly.
The group dissolved into easy conversation after that, Ralph and Legend’s banter being a new- and very amusing- addition to the evening. Warmth encompassed the small home, and even as empty bowls were swept away the laughter and light-hearted teasing extended far beyond the sunset. For all of their quips and jokingly denying their friendship, Legend and Ralph had hardly left the other’s side, playfully nudging one another and exchanging warm grins from time to time.
Eventually, however, the night did have to come to an end as exhaustion began to weigh on the group, Ralph included.
“It’s, uh, been nice catching up, Link. Your friends are totally out of your league, though.” The noble spoke as Legend quietly led them outside, shutting the front door with a soft thud.
“Oh, shut up.” Legend shoved him. “Did you talk to Zelda?”
Ralph nodded. “Ah, yeah, she cleared one of the guest bedrooms for me to stay in while I’m here. …Thanks.”
“Keeps you out of my house, so…”
Ralph rolled his eyes at that. “Anyways what is the deal with your friends, anyways? New adventure?”
“Got it in one. Actually, more time travel, too.” Legend sighed. “And, no, before you freak out, it doesn’t have anything to do with Nayru.”
“Good, I don’t wanna hear about you getting Nayru into more trouble.” Ralph harrumphed. “But…you’re alright, right? Not taking everything on by yourself?”
Legend snorted. “I don’t think they’d let me even if I wanted to.” He paused, mind briefly flicking to the black-blooded monsters, the Shadow, Twilight near death- “I’m alright. All nine of us are heroes across the ages; we’ll get through it. I, uh, don’t know when I’ll pop back up here… but… you can send letters, if you want. The postman is crazy, trust me.”
Ralph simply smiled. “If you insist, Link. Take care out there; don’t trip and fall mid-battle or something stupid like that.”
“Oh, so don’t do what you would?”
“That was one time and that rock had it out for me I swear-
Legend interrupted him with a laugh, bright and brimming with mirth. A wide smile spread across his face; a rare, open display of fondness alighting in his expression. In a moment of impulse, he slung an arm around the other’s shoulders, pulling him into a brief side hug.
“We’ll see each other again.” Was all he said.
Ralph stilled, words dying in his throat, and he managed a quiet nod. “...Right. You owe me a spar, anyways.”
“Sure do! As soon as I get back, make sure to come visit again so I can kick your ass.” Legend released the embrace, stepping back towards the door.
Just as he placed a hand on the cool brass of the doorknob, Ralph spoke again.
“Don’t be stupid, okay?”
He glanced back for a moment, considering.
“...You too.”
The door was opened and shut again, silence enveloping the night as if nothing had ever happened.
Eight heroes slept, no monsters stirred, the nearby village was still, and the castle remained in its quiet vigil.
Despite that, two twin smiles lingered through the night.