Febuwhump 2024

by The_Golden_Wolf

Summary:

February 2024's whump stories.
Writing all 29 + 10 extras + 1 bonus (Day 28, second story) = 40 stories
Stories are not related. Each are their own one-shots.
Linked Universe =)

The nine Links are going to have very hard time both mentally and physically. Time ends up getting into the hell more often than the others, though.

Chapter 1: Info and Index

Index of the stories coming up during February (and 10 days in March).
I try to update this whenever I have stories written.

The Chapter will be updated on Finland's time so the chapters might end up to "wrong" dates depending on where the readers are.

Linked Universe belongs to Jojo56830 at Tumblr. The Legend of Zelda franchise belongs to Nintendo. Yet, the stories are creation of my own mind. =D

 

So, Time is actually my favorite character and hence, sadly, he gets the most of the hell. I tried to get something for the others too but we'll see how that goes.

 

Putting up some things that might come up now and then on my stories. Just things that probably would be good to know before it confuses too much:

Time:

- Only one to call Warriors as Wars

- Fairy Language was his first language, Hylian is second

- Learns magic differently compared to others since his magic is connected to fairies (he was surrounded by them 24/7 for 10 years + Navi and Teal). Not to mention several of his magics come from the Great Fairies themselves.

- Can have a mental talk with his four masks (Goron, Zora, Deku, Fierce Deity) since those are, in my opinion, soul-bound items

- Knows what the clock is. He's not sure if this is a curse or blessing gained from Termina. He doesn't know the date or weekdate or such, just clock. Aka it's 12 hour clock in his head.

Warriors:

- Only one to call Time as Sprite

- Had really rough past which is why he's trying to be perfect and worthy of the Hero's and Captain's titles.

 

Story length explanation:
- Short = 1 - 10 pages
- Medium = 11 - 20 pages
- Long 20+ pages

 

FEBUWHUMP 2024 LIST ------------------- CHARACTER ------------------------ STORY LENGTH
DAY 1: Helpless------------------------------ Time ----------------------------- Short
DAY 2: Solitary confinement ------------------- Time ----------------------------- Long
DAY 3: “Bite down on this” -------------------- Twilight / Wolfie -------------------- Short
DAY 4: Obedience --------------------------- Twilight / Wolfie -------------------- Short
DAY 5: Rope burns --------------------------- Four (+ Hyrule) --------------------- Short
DAY 6: “You lied to me" ----------------------- Time ------------------------------ Medium
DAY 7: Suffering in silence --------------------- Time (+ Warriors, Twilight and Wild) ---- Medium
DAY 8: “Why won’t it stop?” -------------------- Hyrule ----------------------------- Short
DAY 9: Bees --------------------------------- Hyrule and Legend ------------------- Short
DAY 10: Killing in self defense ----------------- Hyrule ------------------------------ Short
DAY 11: Time loop --------------------------- Warriors ---------------------------- Short
DAY 12: Semi-conscious ---------------------- Time (differently Hyrule and Legend) ---- Short
DAY 13: “You weren’t supposed to get hurt” ------ The Chain (- Legend) ----------------- Short
DAY 14: Blood-stained titles ------------------- Warriors (partly whole Chain) ---------- Short
DAY 15: “Who did this to you?” ----------------- Time (+ Warriors) -------------------- Short
DAY 16: Came back wrong --------------------- Wind (+ Time) ---------------------- Short
DAY 17: Hostage situation --------------------- Time, Warriors and Twilight ----------- Medium
DAY 18: Too weak to move -------------------- Time ------------------------------ Short
DAY 19: “Please don’t” ------------------------- Time ----------------------------- Short
DAY 20: Truth serum -------------------------- Twilight and Warriors --------------- Short
DAY 21: Unresponsive ------------------------- Time ----------------------------- Medium
DAY 22: “You weren’t meant to be there” --------- Time ----------------------------- Medium
DAY 23: Presumed dead ----------------------- Wild ----------------------------- Medium
DAY 24: “I’m doing this because I care about you” -- Time and Warriors ( partly whole Chain) - Short
DAY 25: Waterboarding ------------------------- Wind (+ Time and Warriors) -------- Medium
DAY 26: “Help them” --------------------------- Time ( + Hyrule, Warriors, Legend) ---- Short
DAY 27: Left for dead -------------------------- Four ----------------------------- Short
DAY 28: “No… Not like this” --------------------- Warriors ------------------------- Short
DAY 29: Not allowed to die --------------------- Time ---------------------------- Medium
EXTRA 1: Human shield ------------------------ Time ---------------------------- Short
EXTRA 2: “I love you” -------------------------- Time and Malon ------------------- Short
EXTRA 3: Found footage ----------------------- Time, Sky, Wind, Hyrule ------------- Medium
EXTRA 4: Human weapon ---------------------- Sky and Time ( + Fi) ---------------- Short
EXTRA 5: CPR -------------------------------- Time ---------------------------- Short
EXTRA 6: Immortality ------------------------- Time ----------------------------- Medium
EXTRA 7: Last words -------------------------- Time ---------------------------- Short
EXTRA 8: Killing game ------------------------ Time ----------------------------- Short
EXTRA 9: Lighting strike ----------------------- Time ---------------------------- Short
EXTRA 10: Last man standing ------------------ Time ----------------------------- Short

As bonus for this whole thing:

Day 28: "No.... Not like this" (second story) ------- Time ----------------------------- Short

Chapter 2: Day 1: Helpless

Summary:

Time + Blood Moon + Monsters = Very bad moment for Time. He's lucky he's not alone.

Notes:

CW: Time freezing at wrong moment, cursing, no blood but description of attacks and wounds, monsters torturing their victim, monsters not dying, decapitating monsters... More or less like what it's in the Zelda games (think about Twilight Princess, Wolf-Link's attacks and some of Twilight's attack skills also Breath of the Wild's Blood Moon)

Uploaded: 01.02.2024 between 1:00 and 2:00 in the night at Finnish time (if I remember right)

Time had been feeling agitated for the whole day. He tried not to snap at the others but his words still came out rougher than what he meant them. He just wanted to be left alone for a moment, to clear his head.

Wild’s Hyrule was one of the most beautiful lands Time had ever seen but it also was one of the most dangerous ones too. They had just some hours earlier dealt with a Hinox and about a dozen Lizalfos. It hadn’t been an easy fight. Especially when their leader wasn’t capable of fully concentrating into the battle.

Time really felt bad of having forced the others to deal things nearly fully on their own. He had moved away from the camp to lean against a close by tree to watch the field bath in the evening’s calm light. “Time?” Wild called and the one eyed male turned his gaze into him. “You okay? You’ve kinda been… Off, for the whole day.” The Champion queried tentatively.

Time sighed heavily and dropped his gaze to the ground. “Sorry, Champion.” He started before raising his gaze up into the sky. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The whole day’s been…” He continued before trailing off and shrugging. “Something agitates me and I have no idea what that is.”

“You want to talk? I can be a good listener.” Wild offered while leaning against another tree. Time chuckled and shook his head.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine after some sleep.” The Chain’s leader replied with a small, bit tired smile. “Though, maybe some good meal can change my mood around.” He hinted with a slight grin.

Wild nodded eagerly. “Consider it done!” He half shouted before dashing back to the camp to start with the evening meal. Yet, he never got a chance to begin the cooking.

Time frowned when the light of scenery changed. His breath caught into his throat as he raised his gaze up into the rising moon. It was red. Blood red. He stared wide-eyed at the round orb while just barely being able to breathe. Slowly, with shaky hands, he drew out the Biggoron Sword.

“What’s with the moon?” Wind called out while pointing to the sky.

“Oh shit…” Wild whispered in near terror. “EVERYONE UP! NOW!” The Champion screamed out while going to wake up those whom had chosen to take a short nap before night shifts. “UP! UP! UP! GET UP! EVERYONE, PICK YOUR WEAPONS!” Wild shouted frantically while harshly getting his brothers to wake up.

“Wild! What the heck’s going on?!” Warriors shouted while preparing himself for a battle.

“It’s a blood moon!” Wild replied fearfully while going to put out the fire. “It revives monsters! Makes them stronger and wiser!” He explained while already clearing the camp. “We need to move! That Hinox and Lizalfos group weren’t far from here!”

That got everyone to work and gather their things. Getting their armor on was done in a record time. Suddenly the group noticed one extremely important thing. “Where’s Time?!” Twilight shouted while realizing that the Old Man wasn’t with them to clear the camp. As soon as that question was voiced, the air was split by a pained scream. Everyone’s gazes snapped towards the sound before already scrambling to its direction.

Time was staring at the red moon rising. He was trembling while just barely breathing. He wasn’t able to tear his gaze from the moon nor was he hearing a thing that was going on around him. Wild’s frantic shouts went right past him without registering within him. Any other time it would’ve snapped him back to reality but now… He couldn’t do a thing.

The Hinox and its Lizalfos companions were moving surprisingly fast. They saw Time being like a guardian by the tree which got them to slow down a bit. Yet, it soon ended up being very clear that the warrior didn’t see them even though they were fully in his sight. Smirking, the beasts sped up and attacked.

Five of the Lizalfos dashed right past Time and the Hero didn’t even flinch at the situation. The Hinox swung the tree trunk it had picked up from earlier battle. The full force of the attack struck cruelly into the one eyed male and sent him flying into the field.

Time screamed in pain at the impact of the unexpected weapon. The strike broke several of his ribs and he gasped his lungs empty as he crashed to the hard ground. The Biggoron Sword had ended up stuck into the trunk of the tree that the Hinox used like a club. Time growled as he forced himself upwards but the second his gaze caught the sight of the red moon, he froze to his place.

The rest five Lizalfos swiftly attacked Time while he was immobilized by clear terror. They were going to have fun with their victim instead of just killing him off. Their opponent didn’t see them come and very soon he screamed again as a sword stabbed him through his left shoulder. The air was gasped out again as another beast jumped onto his chest. Soon new scream tore its way out of his mouth as a sword was struck into his right leg.

Twilight turned into a wolf and dashed past the five Lizalfos. He stopped only for a second to bark five times just to give the others a warning. Right after that he dashed forward. It was clear as the brightest day that Time was needing help. The second his gaze fell into the five Lizalfos swarming in one spot, his rage boiled over.

Wild had quickly taken into the trees to get a chance to attack with arrows. “Five coming!” Four shouted just a moment before they clashed with the Lizalfos group. The monsters quickly surrounded the Heroes but their numbers quickly went down by one as Wild already sniped the beast dead. The six swordsmen attacked fast and fiercely. There just was one problem to the battle.

“The hell?!” Legend screamed when the monster the Champion had clearly killed rose back to its feet. He stared horrified as the beast smirked with a head where three arrows were sticking in. With a snarl, the monster attacked fast and hard.

“It’s the blood moon! It keeps bringing them back to life!” Wild shouted and glanced up to the sky. His fear only increased as he realized it would be way too long night for them to survive.

“Clear the path! We need to get to Time!” Warriors commanded while slicing one Lizalfos’ throat. “RUN!” He shouted while leading the way out of the forest. At least they hadn’t heard another scream since that third one. They partly feared for the worst while mainly praying that Wolfie had gotten to their leader in time.

The Sacred Beast had attacked fast into the closest beast. The strong jaws snapped around the lizard’s throat and quickly slammed the beast away from its victim. As soon as the monster was down, the wolf transformed and Twilight attacked furiously with his sword. Somehow he managed to force the Lizalfos group away from his mentor.

Twilight’s freak out didn’t come from the state Time was in. It came in the form of the monsters rising back to life from having been killed just seconds ago. “Oh fuck…” He mumbled as the creatures smirked at the realization of dealing with just one fighter in there.

Time, with the beasts blocking the blood moon, had tried to defend himself. Unfortunately, that didn’t end too well. The beasts happily tore him to pieces with their claws and teeth. Very quickly his right arm was useless from countless scratches and bites. One of the beasts was sitting on his left leg to keep him from kicking. His left arm, chest and face were soon filled with rough scratches which kept going deeper with each strike. It was clear to him that these monsters were toying with him as their attacks were shallow and easy at first before going crueler, deeper and harsher with each strike.

“Twilight!” Legend shouted to catch the Rancher’s notion of backup being there. The six Heroes quickly attacked the five Lizalfos and forced them further away from their leader. Very swiftly the seven Links had surrounded Time to keep him safe. “Hyrule, help him.” The Veteran simply said while giving a swift nod towards their leader. He did not want to see the hellish damage Time had gained.

The Traveler nodded and quickly crouched down next to Time. “Sorry, Time, this is going to hurt.” He half whispered while taking hold of the sword in Time’s shoulder before pulling it off. Time growled while gritting his teeth. He was just barely conscious but his mind still recognized the voices around him. Soon the other sword was being pulled out and he growled again. He tried to concentrate into breathing to dismiss the pain he was feeling. Yet, soon his breathing got easier and the pain began to vanish as Hyrule worked with his healing magic.

“I can’t heal all.” The Traveler told worriedly. “There’s so much of damage…” He gulped while stopping his work while he still had enough of strength to fight. “Ledge, Time needs a potion. You got one?” He nearly pleaded and sighed in relief when the Veteran quickly dug out a bottle of red liquid. “Come on, you gotta drink this.” Hyrule coaxed while helping Time to drink.

Suddenly there was a rough explosion on the group’s left. The Hinox stumbled backwards from the strike of two Bomb Arrows and one Fire Arrow. Soon another blast followed and forced the beast even further away. Third was struck close to the edge of the forest where the five Lizalfos were trying to get into the battlefield. Wild was working to keep the rest six monsters at bay with his archery skills.

Suddenly the Champion shot one Bomb Arrow that wasn’t aimed at any of the monsters. Instead, it was struck into the tree trunk the Hinox had used as a weapon. The shot was as precise as always and freed the Biggoron Sword from its prison. Yet, the strike sent the weapon spinning towards the way where the Heroes were defending Time.

Wild winched slightly when the blade cut one Lizalfos’ head clean off before lodging in a killing blow into another lizard warrior. Warriors, Legend and Four were quite startled of the unexpected aid. “Well… Never thought to see that.” Four commented bit awed. Surprisingly, the beheaded Lizalfos never came back into the battle unlike its comrade.

“Cut their heads off!” Warriors shouted the second he realized the situation. Before the beast the Biggoron Sword had killed by lodging into its heart could do much of other than to come back to life, the Captain already cut its head clean off. The beast sagged back to the ground and never got up again. Wild kept blowing up the Lizalfos and Hinox in hopes of keeping them away for long enough for others to clear the three other Lizalfos.

With the new strategy and bit more of hope, the Heroes attacked roughly against the monsters. They worked to kill the beast first normally to get them down and unable to avoid, block or fight back as they cut the heads off from the monsters. Surprisingly, with solid plan, the three Lizalfos were down very swiftly.

“Keep the Hinox off but let the Lizalfos through! We got this!” Warriors commanded before turning to Hyrule. “Traveler, stay with Time. Someone needs to keep eye on him.” He told before dashing after the others to handle the battle to end. Hyrule had simply nodded while understanding the reasons. Even though he was conscious and ready to fight, he still had used far more of his strength than he cared to admit.

Time had managed to sit up with Hyrule’s help a while ago but now, with the others having left to continue the fight, the blood moon came back into his sight. He tried to concentrate into his breathing while hiding his face into his hand. Yet, he knew he was trembling and each of the breaths he took wavered. “Time?” Hyrule called worriedly but he wasn’t able to answer. He barely even heard the call.

The Traveler felt very concerned for the Chain’s leader. He had never seen Time like this before. He didn’t even react when Hyrule gently placed his hand over the older male’s shoulder. He even shook the Old Man a bit but even that didn’t get a reaction out of him. Hyrule glanced up to the blood red moon and felt like it was somehow at the fault of Time’s condition. “Just get down from that sky already!” He begged inwardly before bit uncertainly pulling the Chain’s leader into a hug. “You gonna be okay, Time. I promise.” He whispered even though he wasn’t certain if Time even felt or heard him.

“I’m running out of Bomb Arrows here!” Wild shouted while keeping the Hinox at bay. He glanced at the others and felt slight bit of relief. Three out of five Lizalfos was already fully down. The remaining two were trying to avoid more than to attack. It was clear the beasts had realized the situation and were actually scared in there.

“We’re in there in a moment, Champion!” Sky replied while striking the Master Sword into one Lizalfos’ back and forcing it downwards. Wind acted quickly and struck hard to cut the head off from the beast. The remaining one looked around in near panic before all six attacked nearly simultaneously. The creature was pinned to the ground in an instant before Twilight already slashed the head off. Right after that they six of them dashed to Wild’s side.

“Cutting that head off won’t be an easy feature.” Four commented while trying to figure out how they’d do such an action.

“We don’t need to.” Wild told while checking the moon’s position. “We just need to keep it at bay for now. The moon will leave the sky soon and then we can just kill it normally.” He explained while taking aim with his last Bomb Arrow. Yet, very soon he was fully restocked as the others offered their versions of the Bomb Arrows to him. The Champion simply nodded his thanks while accepting the extra arrows.

Once the moon was gone and the Hinox was dead, the seven Heroes quickly moved over to Hyrule and Time. “He’s not responding to anything.” The Traveler told in full worry. Before Warriors had a chance to start his work as the medical expert, Wild already moved in front of Time.

The Champion placed his left hand over Time’s right while snapping his fingers in front of Time’s face. “Time! Hey, Time! Wake up! Listen! Wake up!” He almost shouted the half commands before Time eventually seemed to react to one of the words. The leader of the Chain jerked a bit while beginning to blink several times. He groaned a bit while shaking his head.

“T-t-the… T-the moon….?” Time’s voice was weak and trembling while he took deep breaths. He clearly was distraught and fully out of it.

“It’s gone. The moon’s down.” Wild replied and jerked backwards when Time snapped his head up. His gaze was filled with terror as both of his eyes were open.

“W-what do you mean it’s down?” Time queried with both fear and anger within his voice. His gaze was rough as he stared at Wild.

“I…” The Champion started and glanced at the others in bit of shock. He gulped once as he returned his gaze into their leader. “I mean the normal thing. You know, the moon making room for sun and all that…?” He explained bit uncertainly.

Time sighed heavily and slumped while hiding his face into his hand again. “S-shit…” He mumbled before letting his hand fall and shaking his head. He ran his hand through his hair while slowly returning back to the present. He gulped once and closed his eye. “W-what happened?” He eventually asked while fearing for the answer.

The Chain looked at each other before Warriors crouched down between Wild and Hyrule. “You spaced out, Sprite.” He told and watched with breaking heart how Time hung his head in shame. “Pretty roughly too, I’m afraid.” The Captain continued before pulling Time into a hug. “I’m just glad we didn’t lose you.” He half whispered while feeling his brother calm down after first shock of the action.

“We probably should re-set the camp.” Wild told while getting up and nodding to Twilight to follow him. “I’m sure some food, checking for wounds and nap would be quite well appreciated. Right?” He offered and looked at Warriors with a raised eyebrow. The Captain simply nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go ahead to check its safety.” Twilight told while already taking his wolf form. Yet, in all reality he was heading off to make sure Time’s stuff were still there. After all, no-one had been guarding them when the monsters had attacked. Luckily he found Time’s things untouched. He sighed in relief and began to relight the fire. Wild came over to there just when the flames started to gain life again.

Four, Wind and Sky left to the newly set camp while Legend and Hyrule stayed with Warriors and Time. The two of them were mainly there just in case either fighting or healing was needed. Eventually, after eternity felt time, the Captain got their leader up from the ground. He picked Time’s Biggoron Sword and the four of them started to head back to the camp.

Time didn’t fight back even one bit while Warriors cleaned and bandaged rest of his wounds. He stayed silent for quite a while and simply gave a slight smile and nod as thanks when Wild brought the food in. A while after the meal he finally spoke again. “My second quest was in a land called Termina. It was under the curse of a time loop of three days. I don’t know how many times I repeated those days. Too many, I fear. Five places and way too many people to save. And whole time… No matter where I was… There was…” He trailed off before raising his gaze up into Wild. “C-can I draw something? Please?” He nearly begged.

Wild was bit surprised but he nodded and gave the Slate to Time. “I’m not good with drawing but…” The Hero of Time began while doing swift work with his drawing. He clearly wasn’t happy of his creation but it was more of fear than displeasure of his ability. Uncertainly he turned the Slate around and showed a picture of very menacing looking pale full moon. “That was looming on the sky whole time. Slowly coming downwards while threatening to crush everything beneath it.”

Time sighed heavily after giving the Slate back to Wild. “It’s been haunting me ever since. Can’t sleep during full moon nights. Sometimes I’m up even for few nights before and after.” He explained before shuddering at what he had seen last night. “A-and… L-last night….” He trembled and shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that before… It… I-it felt worse than back at Termina.”

“How old were you back then?” Sky inquired while already shuddering at the whole situation. The Blood Moon had been… Different. And yet, it hadn’t been that of scary if it wasn’t for Wild’s freaking out and the monsters not dying. Other than that, it hadn’t felt threatening at all. Still, he understood perfectly what Time explained and how it must’ve felt to him. Nonetheless, the answer to his innocent question was something that made things far worse than he ever believed to be possible.

Time sighed again. “I was ten.” He nearly whispered the words out while staring at the ground in front of him. The whole camp went silent around him with the crackling of the fire being the only sound around. Suddenly most of the Chain was startled by Time’s yelp and they snapped their gazes into the scene.

Warriors had pretty much planted his scarf over Time’s head before wrapping the rest of it around him. Time blinked in surprise quite a few times before moving the blue fabric off of his sight. He looked questioningly at the Captain whom was just grinning at him. “Feeling any of safer now?” Warriors inquired calmly.

Time blinked few times in surprise just to process the given question. A moment later he chuckled, shook his head and leaned against Warriors while closing his eye. “Yeah… I think I’ll be fine now.” He half whispered while relaxing and letting sleep take him over. He was safe and sound while surrounded by people who cared about him very much.

Notes:

If someone gets inspired to do fanart for my story then go for it! =D The only thing I ask for is: Give me the link to the work! If I have an account at the site you update the work, I'll comment there. Otherwise I'll comment here below Your comment which includes the link. All fanart is very much appreciated! Thank You! Also, if someone rather sends it through e-mail, just let me know and I'll put my e-mail up on my profile page. ^.^

Chapter 3: Day 2: Solitary confinement

Summary:

Termina two thousand and five hundred years after the Hero of Termina was there. Time's not having good time at Ikana... At least not until his boys save him.

Notes:

CW: Lot of cursing, held as guinea pig for mad scientists, torture, temporary major character death, killing the bad guys quite cruelly, fake smoking

Published: 02.02.2024 around 1:25 in the night at Finnish time

“Where am I? Why can’t I see? Am I blindfolded or… Am I blind? Shit… Calm down. Just calm down. Breathe. That’s it. In and out. Just breathe. Stay calm. Figure this out. If you think, you’re alive. Right? Yeah, absolutely. I’m still alive. Just stay calm. Just keep breathing. It’ll be fine. Just breathe. That’s it. Just keep on breathing. Stay calm. Listen…”

*Sound of water, bubbles hitting to surface*

“Crap… That’s not good… Shit, shit, shit… A-Am I underwater? Fuck! Am I drowning?! Shit! Calm down! Freaking calm down! Breathe! You’re alive! You’re still alive! You’re breathing. Take it in, hold it, let it out. See? You’re alive. Just breathe. Calm down. Don’t freak out. You need to stay calm. Just breathe. Keep listening. You’ll figure this out. Just breathe and calm down. Just stay calm.”

*Quiet murmur of talking*

“There’s someone… Are they the fault of my situation? Or are they there to help? Or just watching? Fuck… No. Nope. Don’t go there. You’re not on display…. Right? Crap. How the fuck should I know?! Shit! Shit, shit shit… Just calm the fuck down. Just breathe. You’re alive. Just keep on breathing. Stay calm. Just concentrate into breathing. Just stay calm and breathe. It’ll be fine. I’m alive. Yeah, I’m definitely alive. Just stay calm…”

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“This is odd. Time’s the last one to be found, huh?” Legend queried from around the fire. “He’s never been alone as the last to meet with the rest of us.” He stated out while bringing up the worry.

The portal had separated the nine Heroes once again. It had taken quite a while for the eight to find one another. Legend had found Wind by the edge of a lake. Warriors had picked Wild as he was traveling through a forest and the Champion sniped a Bokoblin right from behind the Captain. Hyrule had been frantically lost when he literally stumbled onto sleeping Sky. Twilight had been in his wolf form when he finally caught a familiar scent and tracked Four down.

Wind and Legend had followed the lake’s edge while keeping eye on the forest. A sound of battle had gotten them to investigate and that ended into them aiding Warriors and Wild to battle off six Lizalfos. Wolfie, rode by Four, tracked down Hyrule and Sky whom were both entirely lost in the forest and walking in circles. After that it was for wolf’s ‘pack’ to follow the scent of smoke coming from a campfire to find the rest of the Chain.

“That’s true. He seems to have this uncanny knowledge of where the rest of us are. He just… Finds us.” Hyrule commented with a shrug. “I know I love to explore but I’m still entirely lost, like always. Time… He just tells he’s got this feeling and picks a road which leads to the rest of you.”

The others nodded in agreement. Time had always known where the others were. He extremely rarely hit wrong unless the others were traveling and ended up going past each other. Even then he stopped with a frown before changing his road. There were even times when Twilight failed to catch the scent of his brothers but Time knew where to go.

“Maybe he’s found a town and booked rooms for us. He’s prolly restocking and waiting for us.” Warriors suggested while not wanting to think about the alternative possibilities.

“I’ll call for him.” Twilight told while getting up. “He recognizes my wolf’s howl. If he’s in the hearing range, he’ll know we’re safe.” He explained before taking up his wolf form and howling as loudly as he could. After that he transformed back to his Hylian form.

“I think he’d be here already if he was capable.” Legend muttered under his breath.

“Stop thinking like that!” Warriors snapped and got everyone’s gazes into him. “He’s fine. He has to be.” He nearly growled while dropping his gaze into the fire.

“And… If he’s not…?” Sky inquired tentatively. The Captain shot him quite a glare and got the Chosen Hero to slump and avert his gaze away.

“We’re not going to think like that.” Warriors commanded firmly. “This is Time we’re talking about. He can take care of himself. He’s fine.” He stated out with a voice that left very little of room for arguing. Yet, he couldn’t help the fearful feeling lodging into him. “I’m not losing him… Not like this…” He mumbled while hiding his face into his hands.

Twilight moved bit uncertainly next to Warriors and wrapped his arm around him. “Wherever he is and whatever’s happened, he’s still alive.” He reassured before bit shrugging. “It’s just a feeling. I… I want to think that I’d know if…” He began but trailed off after a moment.

Warriors sighed but he nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. When I last saw him on my era back when we actually shared time in the war… I knew he was alive even though not anymore in my timeline. It’s… Crazy.” He replied sorrowfully.  He took once a deep breath and finally raised his gaze up. “I’m sorry for snapping. This just freaks the living hell out of me.”

The others nodded while bit relaxing. “We’re all worried, Captain.” Wild half whispered before bit grinning. “And yet, we all know he’s probably best equipped for anything. Besides for Ledge there, though.” He told with a slight chuckle and nod towards the Veteran.

“Well, we’ll head forward tomorrow. See if we can find a town.” Warriors stated out while bit calming down. “And maybe I’m right. Maybe he’s there and just waiting for us to find our way to the said town. You know, restocking and getting info. Stuff done just to get to playfully nag at us for not doing our share of the work.” He continued with a chuckle. That lifted the mood a bit and the others half chuckled, half laughed too.

 

-.-.-.-

 

“Can’t move. Damn that… Can’t see and can’t move. No fun at all. Just stay calm and keep breathing. Try and get your surroundings… Other than being freaking underwater. That’s just not fun… Um… Mikau? You here? Can you hear me? ... You giving me silent treatment or what? ... Shit… It’s not the mask… I didn’t put it on. I know I didn’t. I… Fuck… Where’s the mask? What happened? Where the fuck am I?”

*Sound of mechanics and beeping*

“Ooooh shit! That does NOT sound good! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Shit… Can’t do a freaking thing! Can’t move and can’t see! Shit! The hell’s going on? Crap, crap, crap! Just… Cam down, damn it! Calm the hell down! You can’t do a thing while panicking! Just breathe, damn it! Just listen. Just figure it out. It’s not… It’s not one of those upgraded Beamos Wild calls Guardians. It’s… Different. The hell it is, actually? Fuck, why can’t I just see it? And why can’t I move? Damn… Just calm down. Stay calm.”

*Knocking on glass*

“SHIT! That’s rough! Just stop it! Ugh, thanks… The hell was that about?”

*Sound of talking*

“Damn… Why can’t I make out the words? It would so much help to figure out what’s going on. Come on! Talk louder! Give me something to work with in here!”

*Sound of door opening and shutting*

“Oh freaking… Am I trapped into a damn Temple? Is that where I am at? Shit… I don’t… Don’t recall of having heard of such… Nnno…. There’s no Temples around the town… Right…. I got to an Inn and…. What happened? SHIT! THE BOYS! WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?! They’d better be alright or I’ll…! Fuck… Like I could do a freaking thing right now… Shit….”

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The eight Heroes arrived to a town around four o’clock. They asked for directions to the local Inn and got to there about an hour later. “Got room for nine travelers and a horse?” Warriors inquired from the receptionist.

“Nine and horse? One earlier guy asked for the exact same.” The man told with a surprised frown before nodding. “But, it’s quiet and—“ He continued before being interrupted.

“Who?”

“What did he look like?”

“Is he here?”

The questions flew straight off around the receptionist as eight pairs of eyes looked at him with hope. The man was bit taken aback of the situation before gulping. “Um… I…” He stuttered.

“Guys! That’s Time’s handwriting!” Sky called excitedly while getting a check on the guestbook. “He’s here! We found him!” He nearly shouted while turning towards the receptionist. “Where’s his room? Please! We got separated several days ago!”

The man blinked in shock before taking a deep breath and calming down. “He did reserve rooms for nine and a horse. Paid for a week so far. The stable’s at back. Just pick a free one from there.” He informed while fully realizing that these eight were the guys his customer had mentioned. “Just write your names down while I’ll get your keys.” The receptionist continued before already leaving to backroom.

The Chain happily wrote down their names right below Time’s. “Ha! I told ya he’d be here!” Warriors told smugly while grinning widely. Yet, even with the good news he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. All they needed was to know where Time’s room was and just wait for the man to come back if he wasn’t in his room at the moment.

“Here are the keys.” The receptionist told while offering four keys. “Though, I… Um… I’m afraid the man you’re searching for haven’t been seen for couple of days.” He apologized and seriously dropped the mood of the group.

“W-what…? W-what do you mean… H-haven’t been seen for couple of days…?” Twilight asked while staring wide-eyed at the man. He glanced fearfully at the others in search of aid or answers.

“I’m afraid I didn’t ask where he was heading off to but—“ The man started before he was interrupted by her wife whom was the Inn’s cook and maid.

“He told me.” The woman told while clutching towels to her chest. “I asked from him if he’d be back for dinner and he promised to be here at then.” She started and shrugged. “I just wanted to know how many of our customers would be eating so I’d get the amount right. Anyways, he inquired where he could restock on arrows and potions. I gave him the directions to the market and…” She trailed off as she tried to gulp the lump in her throat down. “H-he… He never came back….” The woman nearly whispered the words while holding onto the soft towels even tighter.

“Something’s happened…” Four whispered while trying not to freak out. His gaze slowly moved to the door while praying that Time would just walk right in at the moment. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

“Where’s the market?” Warriors asked while keeping his voice calm. He didn’t want to freak out their only aid. And yet, if Time had been gone for two days when heading off to do simple shopping… All he could think was that he had been blindsided or ganged up on.

“I…” She began before already shaking her head and getting determined. “I can know one’s person quite easily and he seemed nice and caring. Trustworthy. Please, find him.” She nearly begged while putting the towels down onto the receptionist’s desk. “Give the map, please, dear.” She requested and her husband did as told. “Come here.” The woman called and the eight Heroes surrounded her to get a better check on the map. “The Inn’s here and the market’s here.” She told while pointing to their rightful areas.

“We’ll find him. That’s a promise.” Warriors stated firmly. He was already trying to strategize the whole situation. He desperately tried to figure it all out. He scanned the map for alleyways and all while trying to push his fears down.

“Start from these.” The woman continued and snapped everyone’s notion right back into her. “I told him the best places for shopping. Just tell the sellers that Mirmir from Hopping Bucket Inn sent you. That’ll get them to talk. We won’t be doing business with them without their absolute honesty towards the customers we send to them.”

The Chain calmed down slightly at Mirmir’s explanations. “Thank you. This will certainly set us on the right path.” Warriors told with a small smile.

Mirmir nodded before getting bit startled. “OH! There’s a watchtower of sorts. It’s just a structure on middle of the market area but there’s always this one guy. He’s there from the cucco’s call to wolf’s howl. And he sees everything. He doesn’t take part but he certainly will know all that’s going on in that market. The knights and guards sometimes count on his knowledge. Try and talk to him. He… Um…” She explained before getting bit hesitant. “He doesn’t talk to too many. Yet, I’m sure he’s willing to help.”

“Thank you! You’ve no idea how much you’ve aided us!” Warriors told while entirely meaning his words from full heart. “We’ll find out what’s happened.” He swore before already talking bit harder: “And we will bring him back.” He gave one last nod to the owners of the Inn before leading the Chain out of there.

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

“So… Things aren’t changing. I don’t feel a damn thing. I can’t move. I can’t see. I can only hear. The masks are back at the Inn so I can’t even get a freaking conversation created with them. I have no idea of what’s going on around me. Can’t get any of words out. I CAN HEAR YOU TALK, DAMN IT! Damn… Yeah, they defs can’t hear me… Darn… So… I’m sure the others are already searching for me. The portal… It separated us. I really hate it when it does that. Damn… Why did I have to be the one to find the freaking town? Thought it was a good idea to check around and get rooms from the Inn for everyone. Thought they’d come to there soon. Fuck. I should’ve gone to search for them. What if…? CRAP! DON’T GO TO THERE! They’re fine! They’re definitely just fine. They can look after themselves as well as of each other. They’re Heroes for crying out loud! Shit… How long I’ve been in here? Is it just hours? Feels like eternity. Days? Weeks? How far am I from the town? They’ll find me, right? Yeah… Of course they’ll find me. They always have when we’ve separated. It’ll be fine. Just breathe. Just stay calm… And just fucking wait. That’s all I can do…”

*SCREEECH!*

“Shit… That didn’t sound good. Maybe they’re just remodeling around the place, yeah?”

*Sound of recharging something electrical*

“Okay… I’m not sure I like the sound of that. Jus—“

*Sound of lots of bubbles bursting in the water’s surface in very fast pace*

“…..”

*Sound of bubbles hitting the surface but much less in number and far calmer in pace, quiet murmur of talking*

“F-fuck… T-that hurt… S-shit… T-the hell was that…? S-still can’t move or see… S-shit…”

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain arrived to the market while trying to act all normal. They didn’t want to cause a scene or letting possible bad guys see they were being searched for. Twilight had swiftly taken Epona into the stable before catching up with the others. The Chain’s notion soon found the man sitting on a tall wooden creation that clearly seemed like a watchtower of some sort. “I’ll talk with him. You guys check around.” Sky told while already heading off towards the lonely man on his high place.

“Wind, go over to the watchtower and just lean against it. Sky might need to catch us all once he gets information. He’ll need you at then.” Warriors stated out while dividing the rest of them into three groups. Wind nodded and followed Sky.

The Chosen Hero knew the man was keeping a very close eye on him but he totally ignored it. He climbed up onto the structure very quickly before taking a deep breath. “Aaah, I love the high ground. The air’s so much cleaner in here.” He commented while taking a look around. “And the view’s awesome. One can see so far from places like these.”

The man chuckled and grinned. “I take it you live on mountains or such?” He half inquired while glancing once at his new friend before swiftly turning his gaze into his surroundings.

“Something like that.” Sky replied happily while taking deep breaths even though it wasn’t that high. “From a place like this… Sheesh… This is perfect place to keep eye on everything.” He complimented while sitting down next to the guy. “I’m Sky.” He introduced himself.

“Korama Rosa.” The man replied while smiling.

“Nice to meet you.” Sky nodded with a wide smile. “I heard from Mirmir at Hopping Bucket Inn that you’d know absolutely everything that’s going on around here.” He started and nodded in understanding. “I can see the reason for such unique statement. This is absolutely wonderful place.”

Korama chuckled and shook his head. “Just tell me what you want to know.” He told with a knowing grin. Sky was bit startled and he ended up blushing. Yet he soon sighed heavily and nodded.

“Our friend is missing. He was here at the market two days ago. After that no-one’s seen him.” Sky started with grave voice. “He has golden hair and facial markings of—“

“Blue sword tip on forehead and two red stripes on right cheek. Scar over right eye.” Komara finished for him with a nod. “I saw him. Hard not to notice with such unique markings.” He confessed and smiled slightly. “I kept eye on him. He noticed me when he came to the market. Smiled and nodded. No-one’s ever done such. No-one’s ever paid attention to me. Somehow it felt like… Like he knew me.” Sky was rendered speechless and all he could do was to nod. “I saw what happened. I wish I could’ve done something but… I don’t want to catch attention into me. I want to be of help but… N-not by putting myself into danger.” Komara told sorrowfully.

“Tell me what happened. I and my friends can still help him.” Sky nearly begged. “No-one will know that you took part into this.” He swore as he realized fully what Komara was telling. No-one was checking up. No-one was looking at them. No-one cared of what was going on in the watchtower. Not even the pickpocketer at one of the stalls even though he was perfectly seen from the said tower.

“I can do you better.” Komara answered and narrowed his gaze. “I can show you one of those who kidnapped him.” He stated out and nodded towards one of the stalls. “The bomb shop. Black cape with a hood. Red markings on the fabric.”

“Thank you. I owe you hugely.” Sky replied while being entirely grateful of finding a solid lead. “I’ll—“

“Not yet.” Komara half pleaded. “There’s more I can tell about him and his group.” He told firmly. Sky nodded before glancing down at Wind.

“Let me inform the others. They’ll keep eye on him if he leaves the market.” Sky half begged and his new friend nodded. The wielder of the Master Sword sighed a bit in relief and quickly climbed down. He told the characteristics of their enemy to Wind while telling to just follow the man and the youngest Hero quickly left to inform the rest of the Chain. Sky climbed back up and kept his gaze in their target. “I’m listening.”

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

*Door opening and closing*

“….C-crap…. H-how many…? S-shit… L-lost the count... A-at least there’s something new… H-hurts…. S-still can’t move or see. J-just hearing… And the pain…  F-fuck…  J-just breathe. J-just concentrate… B-breathe… T-take it in… J-just breathe… W-will the pain down… J-just breathe…“

*Sound of nothing else than the bubbles hitting the surface*

“I-I guess they stopped for now… W-whatever it is they’re doing… S-shit… I don’t like the silence… C-can’t tell if it’s night or day… And I really hate the darkness… C-can’t there be at least bit of change of light or something…? D-damn… B-boys… I-I’d really need you to come already… I… I don’t know how long I can hold on…. S-shit…”

 

-.-.-.-

 

The Chain had both truly bought stuff to restock as well as just browsing around the stalls. They kept close eye on their target while Sky stayed up on the watchtower with his new friend. Only when the man left the market, the Chosen Hero finally climbed down from the wooden structure. He left a Gold Rupee of his own time for the guy as his thanks for his help. He walked calmly until running after his brothers only once he was out of sight.

The caped man never glanced behind him. He never noticed being followed. Wild stayed to high ground while staying silent. The rest acted as nonchalantly as possible while throwing in normal conversation and laughing now and then at one’s joke or such. They were just group of people going the same way.

The Chain separated few times just to avoid getting caught. The main team always kept following their target. Legend was last to keep tracking the bad guy when they came to town’s edge. As the man finally turned to look behind him, he only noticed a youngster lighting a cigarette. He scoffed while turning around and continuing deeper into the forest without noticing the boy’s gaze following him.

The second the guy was out of sight, Legend put the burning paper out and signaled others to him. “You smoke?” Warriors asked disbelieving in quiet voice as they continued to follow their target through the forest.

Legend made a disgusted face and shook his head. “Never tried and never going to. That was just piece of slowly burning paper. It’s a very good way of taking notion off of me.” He explained calmly before bit grinning at the Captain’s sigh of relief.

“Time would’ve had had one hell of a talk with you, Veteran, if you did smoke.” Warriors noted before giving a sharp look to Legend. “Unfortunately for both me and you, I would’ve had that talk with you before him.”

Legend chuckled and shrugged. “Glad I don’t smoke, then.” He replied with a wide grin. Yet, his gaze got back into serious as he returned it into the guy they were stalking. “Yet, I sure as hell would love to burn that bastard down.” He nearly growled the words. The Chain around him nodded in agreement. Yet, they needed to find where their target would lead them into.

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

“Just breathe… That’s it… The pain’s leaving… Okay… So…. What happened? I remember… Market. Right. I went to restock on supplies. Just doing something worth with my time while waiting for the boys. I was… Arrows. One of the most important thing that we seem to always be short of. The woman… Mirmir? I think… Yeah… She gave me the instructions to it… Can’t deny her good knowledge. I was just… I was… What? Paying? I can’t remember… There was… I… Pain? I think… Maybe… I just… What the hell happened?”

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

“Guys, wait.” Sky called when they got an old structure into their sight. The man they were following made his way to the door. He looked once around before opening the sturdy looking blockage and going inside. “There’s something I should let you know of.” The Chosen Hero told while eyeing the place.

“Make it quick, Skyloftian. We’re this close to get to Time. I don’t want him to be there any of longer.” Warriors warned while wanting to storm the place. The night had already fallen as they had made their way around the town while following one of the bad guys whom were behind Time’s disappearing.

Sky nodded while fully agreeing with the Captain. “According to Komara, that’s a place where three scientists live. Their expertise…” He trailed off while feeling bit sick of even thinking about what he was up and about to reveal.

“Come on, Sky! We don’t have whole night in here.” Twilight half barked before bit flinching at his own voice. “Sorry. Not meaning to snap.”

Sky, along with everyone else, flinched bit at the rough words. Yet, he soon nodded and took once a deep breath. “They work to uncover one’s subconscious mind. They target strong fighters as they believe them to have the strongest minds. The market is easy place to snatch someone. It’s often full of people so one’s disappearing isn’t noticed. Plus people rarely wear heavy armor in there. They knock their target out with a drug of their own. Inject it to neck. Swift, almost unnoticed hit. Unconsciousness hits nearly instantly.” He explained before gulping.

The Chain was rendered silent at how Time had been taken down. If just one of them would’ve been there with him… Sky shook his head to be able to explain the rest of what Komara had told him. “They bring their victims here and…” He gulped before taking couple of deep breaths. “They’re kept unconscious. They’re….” He didn’t want to say it. Sky closed his eyes. “They strike with electricity…” He whispered while trying to stay intact. He needed to keep himself from breaking down. Time needed them all at the moment.

“Fuck.” Wind whispered quietly while feeling like that wasn’t all. He wondered how the guy in the watchtower knew all that. Yet, he kept his mouth shut. “We need to get Time out of there. Now.” The youngest Hero stated out firmly while turning his glare into the place that looked like a fortress to him.

The others nodded firmly while turning their notion back into the rescue mission at hand. “How do we get in?” Hyrule queried while eyeing the door. He could feel the magic pulsing from the whole place. With the knowledge he had… He seriously wanted to bring that strange house of sorts into ground.

“There’s a secret pathway.” Sky told while being grateful of the change of topic. “Come on. This way.” He told while starting to lead the way before sighing heavily. “Komara was one of their victims. It was from beginning of their experimentations. That’s the only reason he managed to escape.”

“Don’t they recognize him?” Four asked while wondering how the guy went so unnoticed by his old tormentors.

“The original trio was taken down. He made that happen.” Sky explained as he reached the place’s backside. “This is another trio. Another group of fools too curious of the instructions and explanations of experimentations. In fact… This is fourth group continuing with this shit.” He told before bit biting down to his lower lip. “Komara’s been trying to figure out the third guy. He knows two but the third one’s been out of sight whole time. And this place…” He continued before taking the Master Sword out. “Protection and illusion magic. Keeping everyone from finding here.”

“Wait… How do we see this place?” Legend asked while watching how Sky quietly and slowly jammed the sword into the wall. Slowly he sawed the blade downwards until a quiet click sound was heard. The square piece of rock next to the blade quietly moved aside.

“The reason is in your hand, Legend.” Sky told while giving a knowing look to the Veteran. “According to Komara, one of us visited these lands quite a many generations ago.” He told before slipping inside of the place they needed to search thoroughly through. “Just signing from there on out.” Sky whispered out as the others entered the place. They nodded in agreement since silence was their best key to stay out of being found.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

*KA-BOOM!*

“SHIT! T-that… That was new… Did they actually break something? If so, I hope it’s whatever they strike me with. Shit… Still don’t know what it is they cause the pain with.”

*Knocking on the glass*

“STOP THAT! Shit… Really hate that sound…”

*Louder sound of talking*

“Come on. Just a bit louder. I almost got a word from there… Damn… Yeah, sure, just stop talking just when I’m up for getting something! Fuck. Where the hell are you, guys?!”

*Sound of shattering glass*

“Shit… That came from far closer than before. And… Wait… I’m actually feeling something… Like rushing? … The water. It’s… It’s actually moving!”

*Sound of more shattering glass*

“Hold him! I’ll free him!”

“Wait… That voice… Legend? Is that you, Veteran? S-shit… Cold… W-wait… I-is…? A-am I feeling…? S-someone’s close… Two, actually. Shit, it’s cold…”

“Sprite! Sprite, can you hear me? Come on, wake up!”

“Wars? ... Damn… I… I think I can feel the gravity… Felt kinda nice… Being weightless… S-shit… C-cold…”

“WAKE UP!”

 

-.-.-.-

 

The Chain had moved quickly and stealthily through the place. They surprisingly managed to find the guy they had followed earlier. “We found our guide.” Sky signed while being in front. Komara had given as much of knowledge of the place as he remembered. Surprisingly, the place hadn’t changed even one bit as the Skyloftian followed the given instructions. Yet, with the earlier target of theirs, they couldn’t go wrong anymore for certain.

The Links were bit taken aback of the fact how close they had been already. It simply was couple of corners and stairs up. “Just like Komara remembered.” Sky signed as they let their guide get inside of the last room. They moved closer to the door while searching for a way to open it. Yet, they soon froze as they heard talking.

“So, how’s things going in here?”

“The same.”

“Should we strike with electricity again? That seems to have an effect in there.”

*A chuckle* “Nah, we shouldn’t kill our test subject. Let him recover first.”

“The mind’s going pretty much the same whole time. I think he’s trying to piece things together.”

“Let’s see… I don’t know what he’s meaning about a portal but whatever that is, it separated him from his boys…” *a short moment of silence* “Though, it seems like he’s married so maybe he got kids along… Anyways, he’s worried for them.” *a pause* “Waiting for them to come for him.”

“Seems like their fighters too, then. Maybe we can get more test subjects from there.”

“We’ve never had more than one.”

“There’s always first time for everything.”

“Anyway, that sword of his, well, actually it’s more like a big knife on him, but anyways, it reminds me of an old ancient story about a boy with gilded sword whom saved these lands.”

“Ha! Just a fairy tale!”

“Dunno. That stream we cross was once a mighty river of Ikana.”

“Heh, two and half thousand years ago! That’s long enough while for change.”

“Anyways, I think we could actually zap him again. See how fast he recovers this time.”

“You sure? Last strike was pretty rough on him.”

“Oh yea. I kinda like it that his mind snaps shut. His body doesn’t even twitch during the treatment.” *laughter*

“Okay. You’re the boss. Let’s set it up.”

The Chain looked at each other in clear fright before they already moved away from the door while being even more desperate to get inside. Their time was running out. “Bombs?” Wild signed while giving a questioning look. The rest of the group nodded as they all realized it would be the only way to open the door. Its movement reminded them all of all kinds of Temples… Well, except for Warriors who had the least of experience of going through Temples.

Wild took out his Bomb Arrows before getting bit surprised when his three were soon joined by four more. Wind and Four had quickly moved in front of him while Warriors and Twilight were on his sides. “This is going to be one hell of a blast. On three.” The Champion whispered before beginning to count.

*KA-BOOM!*

The door exploded into millions of pieces and the Chain dashed straight through the rubble and smoke. They had drawn their weapons out while being ready to face anything for Time’s sake. And yet… What they saw was far from what they could’ve ever expected of.

Time was held in a semicircle glass tank. It was filled with see-through greenish liquid which was something of a mix of water and Chuchu. It was moving as air was coming from the bottom and the bubbles burst on the surface about a meter above Time’s head. Yet, the movement was still quite sluggish. Time himself was strapped against the straight, smooth wall of the container. The straps were clearly made out of metal and they were around his ankles, wrists and throat. Even though Time’s head was bit hung, the liquid’s movement was keeping him from choking.

Time was unconscious and only having underwear on. There was a see-through mask over his face with a tube attached to it. The pipe was connected into the ceiling of the container and vanished somewhere into the whole structure.

Time’s clothes, boots and weapons were on a desk close to the first scientist from the door. The three men in the room stared wide-eyed at the group of eight well armored males whom had barged in so unexpectedly. Yet, they very soon realized where the gazes of their intruders were in. “You came for him, huh?” One of the scientists queried before smirking a bit. “Want a demonstration?”

The sound of speaking snapped the Chain out of their shock. “NO!” The shout came out simultaneously and the eight men dashed forward. Before the three scientists had a chance to do a thing, they were already shoved away from their desks. The trio was quickly on their backs on the floor. Each of them had two out of eight holding them down. It was clear the six males would’ve loved to do more than just keep them to their places.

“How do we free him?” Warriors asked while looking at all the equipments, buttons, levers and whatnot connected to the desks as well as the countless sheets of paper with text on them scattered around in there. He feared to press the wrong thing and end up hurting Time like these three bastards had. His worried gaze fell into Time.

“Go ahead. Try.” One of the scientists spoke with a smirk. “See if you can find the right combinations of actions.” He chuckled while not being scared of the situation even one bit.

Legend moved to the glass tank. He hesitated for a moment before starting to knock on the glass. He watched carefully for any kind of reaction from Time but there was none. There was no twitching of ears, no scrunching of face, no fisting hands… Absolutely nothing.

“The hell you’ve done to him?” The Veteran questioned quietly while turning towards the scientists. “THE FUCK YOU’VE DONE TO HIM?!” He screamed louder than ever before. His hand tightened and loosened on his sword with each breath he took as he glared at the tormentors of his leader. Slowly he returned his gaze into Time. He moved bit away from the container before giving a loud scream and slashing hard at the glass of the tank.

“The hell you’re doing?!” One of the scientists screamed as the red blade cut a clear opening into the glass. “That’s not going to…!” He continued in bit of fear. Suddenly the glass started to crack until bursting even more open at the weight of the liquid which had been already pouring out from the first strike.

Legend didn’t care of the odd gooey liquid as he went to break the glass even more to enter the tank. “Captain!” He called out in near panic and Warriors swiftly moved to his side. “Hold him! I’ll free him!”

Warriors quickly supported Time’s head to keep him from choking into the metal strap around his throat. He partly leaned against his leader too to keep him from crashing to the floor once Legend would get up to free Time’s wrists and throat. Without thinking, the Captain snatched the see-through mask off of Time’s face. “Sprite!” He called worriedly. “Sprite, can you hear me?!” He nearly shouted into Time’s ear but there was no reaction whatsoever from him. “Come on, wake up!” Warriors nearly begged in desperation.

When Legend got Time freed from the straps, the Captain carefully readjusted his hold on their leader. The Veteran moved out of the tank first while watching bit fearfully as Time was carried out. He was ready to aid in any way possible as Warriors gently laid Time onto the gooey floor of the room. “Shit…” He whispered in near panic as he checked for Time’s vitals.

“Help me, Vet.” Warriors half commanded, half begged as he began CPR. Time wasn’t breathing. Legend swiftly took the place from next to Time’s head and worked with the part of blowing air into their leader’s lungs. “Come on, Sprite, don’t do this to me.” The Captain begged in quiet whisper. “Not like this. Not here. Not now. Don’t you fucking die, Sprite.” He whispered while desperately working on getting their leader back. “Goddesses damn it! Breathe!” He growled. “WAKE UP!” He screamed while crying and fighting to save his brother.

Suddenly Time began to cough. Warriors and Legend were both shocked and relieved. The Captain quickly helped Time to his side while rubbing his back. “Ssh, it’s okay, Sprite. Just calm down. It’s okay.” Warriors whispered while relaxing and bit smiling. “Whoa there! Take it easy!” He nearly shouted when Time weakly and shakily tried to push himself upwards from the floor. “Let me help.” The Captain simply told while gently aiding his leader upwards… And to lean straight against his chest. “You’re okay, Sprite. We’re here.” He whispered while circling his arms around him.

“Wars…” Time’s voice was a quiet whisper from its original strength but the pure joy was still very clear in there. “Knew… You all… Would come…” He nearly fought for each word as he smiled and slowly opened his eye. “Hey… Ledge…”

Legend had been just sitting there and staring when Time came back to them. He smiled a bit lopsidedly when Warriors had, more or less, pulled their leader into a hug. Yet, when Time’s notion fell into him, the Veteran couldn’t hold back the tears of joy anymore. “Time!” He choked out and sandwiched his leader between himself and the Captain.

Time gasped a bit at the sudden action before already chuckling. He simply sighed and slowly circled his left arm around Legend while raising his right up to top of Warriors’ head. “I… I’ll be okay…” He whispered while closing his eye and feeling entirely at safe.

“Even though I like the moment, I think we should leave.” Time whispered while weakly starting to push Legend off. After all, he wasn’t going to get up without getting the Veteran off first. “And I really would like to wash this shit off of me…” He continued while grimacing at the sticky goo all around his body.

Legend whined a bit but he did eventually move. He gave a displeased look when he realized how much of that slimy stuff was on his clothes. “Yeah… Washing up sounds good.” He replied before already aiding Warriors to get Time up. “Maybe we should…” The Veteran half offered while realizing how weak their leader seemed to be.

Time shook his head. “No… I’ll walk.“ He stated out before swiftly continuing: “With aid.” With the duo’s aid, he stood up to full height. He turned his gaze into the rest of the Chain and the scientists his boys were holding down. They had, luckily, tied the trio by then. “Hey there.” Time called with a lopsided grin. “Missed me?”

That question was all the six members of the Chain needed before they already dashed to their leader. None of them cared of the odd goo Time was covered in as they hugged him. Warriors and Legend pretty much kept the one eyed male upright when the group hug was initiated. Time chuckled while smiling widely at his boys. “I missed you all too. Very much.”

“So, what do we do with that trio?” Twilight eventually asked when the situation had calmed down enough and the six members of the Chain had pulled away from Time. Their leader, while leaning against Warriors, turned his gaze into the trio before turning it into Warriors.

“Your call, Captain.” Time told calmly. He knew what he wanted to do but he also knew he wouldn’t go for it. He wasn’t like that. Not in this kind of situation. Yet, as he looked around at his boys and reluctantly thought them on his place… “If I’d choose, I’d bring this place down on them. Burn it to the ground and crash it to be their grave.”

The Chain looked at him quite shocked and Time just turned his gaze back into the trio whose fault the whole situation was. He didn’t want to see the look on his boys’ faces. He bit felt like he should’ve kept his mouth shut but then again… He knew, deep inside, the eight Heroes were feeling exactly as he was. They were in the position where Time tried to imagine himself into.

“Do we have the rights for that action?” Wild inquired while having already taken out a Fire Arrow. To him, these three were as bad as the Yiga. And those were people he didn’t hesitate to kill.

Time was bit startled of the question and he snapped his gaze into the Champion. There was no hesitation in the boy’s face. The Chain’s leader blinked few times before looking around the group of eight Heroes. Some were bit uncertain while others seemed as sure of the correct action as Wild was. Yet, there was one thing he could see in each of them. They all wanted to follow the plan Time had voiced out.

Time gulped once while knowing this wasn’t what he wanted his boys to be like. Yet, he knew that he himself was one hell of a hypocrite when it came to this kind of situation. If it was him that was tortured, he couldn’t care less. But if it was any of his boys… Nothing would stop him from taking revenge. So, who was he to stop them?

Time took once a deep breath before nodding once firmly. That actually surprised all eight around him. “I know how you all are feeling. I’m no different from you boys. If it had been any of you…” He started before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t stop at anything to take these bastards down. So… Who am I to stop you eight from taking revenge on my behalf?” He half inquired before bit smiling lopsidedly until already chuckling and shaking his head. “Fuck… Never thought I’d be the one someone would take revenge for.”

The room fell into absolute silence. The Chain stared wide-eyed at Time. “Sprite…” Warriors whispered in full shock before pulling his brother into a tight hug. “The eight of us… We love you far more than you probably can comprehend. We…” He began before trailing off and trying to gulp the lump down from his throat.

Time gently pulled off from the hold and placed his finger over Warriors’ lips when he tried to speak again. “It’s okay. I understand.” He half whispered before bit shrugging. “I worded it bit wrong.” He confessed with a nervous chuckle. “I meant… Well…” He started before chuckling and shrugging. “I’m rarely the one who ends up getting hurt or caught.”

Time shook his head. “Back when that Moblin struck me… Shit. I was more embarrassed of the situation than anything else. Yet… The way you guys took it down… Damn…” He smiled and chuckled. “To be honest, I’m actually surprised how well you guys are holding yourselves back.”

The Chain blinked in surprise before glancing between the trio of scientists and their leader. Time grinned and shrugged. “If it was me who had stormed through that door…” He glanced at the trio on the floor. “The first one, closest one that is, I would’ve punched the ass on the face. Maybe broken a nose, possibly even jaw. The second one, I would’ve broken an arm, probably both of them. Third guy, I would’ve broken a leg and either punched the bastard on the face or slammed that said face on the desk. After that I would’ve…” He told before taking a check of his own prison before looking from Legend to Warriors and back. “Which one…?”

“I broke the glass of that container.” Legend told bit sheepishly.

Time nodded and shrugged. “I would’ve done the same.” He confessed before nodding towards the way out. “Now, I know each of you would want to bring this place down but…” He started before searching for right words. He noticed his boys glancing at each other and going a silent conversation through before turning their certain gazes back into him.

“Captain and Wind will take you out. The rest of us deal with this place.” Twilight told firmly with a nod. “We’ll begin once Wind contacts us.”

Time chuckled and nodded. “Alright.” He agreed even though he still felt bit uncertain of the situation. Yet, he knew he would’ve done exactly the same as what was going to happen soon. “Is there a stream or such anywhere near here?” He inquired and the Chain nodded. “Good. We’ll meet at there.” He half commanded. “Let’s go.”

Warriors supported Time through the whole road back to the opening in the wall they had entered from. Wind walked ahead of the duo while glancing at them every now and then. Yet, even though their leader wasn’t exactly capable of walking on his own, his steps were getting steadier whole time. Warriors had wrapped his scarf around Time already after Legend had pulled away from having sandwiched Time between the two of them.

Wild had been the only one whom had noticed the slight nod from Time when he was picking their leader’s stuff into safekeeping into his Slate. That was the only reason he wasn’t asking after his clothes or weapons. He already knew they were with his boys and he’d get them back soon.

When the trio got out into the forest, Time took a deep breath and relaxed. The clean air and beginning of morning with birds singing were something he really had been missing. Warriors and Wind gave him a moment to calm down before continuing the road towards the stream. Once far enough, the Sailor took out the glowing rock and took contact to Wild. “Fire away.” Was all the pirate Hero said before already ending the call.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The second the call was over, Wild shot the Fire Arrow into the leg of the scientist he believed to be the leader. The man began to scream and trash. The other two tried to scoot away from their comrade. “You want to know why one’s mind goes blank when struck with electricity?” The Champion asked but he didn’t wait for an answer. He had already taken out the Shock Arrow and sent it off instantly after his words.

The scientist screamed in agony the second the arrow struck into his arm. The Chain of Links around Wild stared quite shocked at the scene. “Got enough of demonstration?” The Champion inquired while snarling the last question. He had another Shock Arrow ready for firing as he eyed the trio.

“Cub…” Twilight called worriedly while being clearly freaked out of the situation. Sure, he and the others had been ready for doing this too but the cruelness of his protégé was something that had taken him entirely off guard.

“Shut it, Twi!” Wild growled and shot him harsh glare. “These three are like Yiga! They kidnapped Time! They tortured him! What more reason do I need?!”

Twilight glanced at the others while gulping. “None.” He answered before gently placing his hand over the Champion’s shoulder. “But… In the end, we’re not like this. Time wouldn’t want us to do something like this.”

Wild breathed fast and heavily while glaring at the three scientists. He wanted them to suffer like Time had. He wanted them dead. He growled and lowered his Shock Arrow while turning his gaze away.

“You kill the Yiga but you don’t torture them. You don’t go down on their level.” Sky stated out firmly. Wild sighed heavily while slumping. “I know you’re angry, Wild. I know you want them to suffer. But, that’s not the right way.”

The Champion nodded while putting the Shock arrow away. Yet, he picked three normal arrows out. “May I or does someone else want to take them down?” He inquired while already aiming at the frightened men before them.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Legend inquired bit worriedly. Wild took once a deep breath to stay calm but he nodded firmly. The Veteran glanced at the rest of the Chain before nodding. “Fire away.”

It was fast and swift death through three perfect headshots. Wild lowered his bow while deep inside knowing he did the right thing. And yet, he was still seething with rage. His gaze fell into the desk filled with all kinds of papers and mechanical things. He frowned as he read a line from here and another from there. At the third line he realized what it all was. His rage hit the surface on that second and he swiftly pulled out three Fire Arrows. Without thinking, and letting out a scream, he shot the flaming projectiles onto the desks.

The Chain was quite startled and they swiftly moved away from the closest table. “Wild, what…?” Four called out but the Champion was firing more Fire Arrows at the desk just to burn it all down.

“Time asked to bring this all down. To destroy it.” Wild stated out while making sure all of the papers would burn to ashes. Once he was certain of the destruction of the papers that contained his leader’s thoughts and explanations of the experiment, he turned towards the place Time had been held in. “Nothing is to be left of this place.” The Champion told firmly as he took out three Bomb Arrows.

The Chain nodded while taking out their own Bomb Arrows. At least this was something they could freely take part into. The six of them demolished the whole room so entirely that there was absolutely nothing to be salvaged or re-discovered. From there they blasted each of the rooms on their way out.

When the place started to crack and fall into pieces around them, the Links began to run. And yet, they kept blowing the place up. They kept increasing the place’s own destruction. They shot several arrows upwards to send the falling rubble away from them and to cause even more damage to the strange fortress of sorts.

Once the Chain was out of the place, they still weren’t done. They took distance to the crashing strange house of the scientists but they still had Bomb Arrows out. Once in safe distance, they already started to shoot at the place they had just left. As Wild had said: Nothing would be left of the place. They would destroy it to the very core of its foundations.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“We crossed the stream as we were following one of the scientists to that place.” Wind heard Warriors explain as he returned to the duo from having made the call. “Saw a small waterfall of sorts too.” The Captain continued while knowing it was what their leader was actually hoping for.

“Good. Makes things bit easier.” Time replied before running his hand through his hair… Or at least trying to. He grimaced as he pulled his hand away from there and shook it in disgust. “Freaking…” He half cursed before sighing. “You up for helping me a bit, Captain? You always were good in fixing my hair back then.”

Warriors chuckled and nodded. “Certainly. The water’s going to be cold so the less of time you’ll be staying in it, the better.” He commented just before they reached the stream and headed towards their left. The small waterfall was already in their sight by then.

“Would you clean this for me while I help Time?” Warriors called while taking the scarf off and offering it to Wind. The boy nodded eagerly while already getting onto the task as the Captain helped their leader into the water and underneath the waterfall.

Time shivered a bit but he closed his eye and began to work the sticky goo off of him while Warriors worked with his hair. The trio jerked a bit and shot their eyes open when the first loud boom sound came. Soon more followed and the trio continued their washing. Once done, Warriors helped Time back to the shore while wrapping the scarf around him. It was damp and bit cold but it certainly was better than nothing.

The duo kept close eye on their leader as they worked their own clothes and shoes clean while waiting for the others. “How did you guys find me?” Time asked while trying to fill the silence. Even though the explosions kept going, he still felt like needing to hear actual voice of a living being.

The duo began to explain everything from the moment they had come to this world to the point of finding him. Time listened silently without making much of sound. “I heard the explosion of blowing up the door.” He finally commented after the duo had finished their explanations. “As well as the knocking on the glass. I know someone spoke after that but I didn’t get the words or voice. After that… Shattering of the glass. I heard Legend and you, Captain. Last thing I heard before waking up was a pretty much a command to do exactly that.” He explained and chuckled a bit.

Wind nodded but Warriors stared at him bit shocked. “Um… Y-you do realize you were entirely unconscious there? Right?” The Captain inquired bit tentatively. “I… Y-you didn’t react to anything. Not to the tapping of the glass, to our voices or to being touched. There was no reaction from you. No twitch of ears, no scrunching face, no fisting a hand… Nothing…” Wind blinked in full surprise. He had been aware of Time having been kept unconscious but he hadn’t waited for Warriors’ explanation.

Time was quite shocked to hear that explanation. “I… W-what?” The question came bit disbelievingly. He dropped his gaze down onto the ground while frowning. “That… Didn’t really feel like that. I… I couldn’t see or move. I could only listen while trying to keep myself together in there.” He explained while trying to put the pieces together. “I… Last clear memory I have is that I was at the stall that sold arrows. After that… It’s… Bit vague. Rather a feeling than knowledge.”

The duo nodded before already turning their notion towards the way they had come from. They had heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and were ready to defend both themselves as well as Time. It took them a moment to realize that the bombing had ended. “The place is brought down. Entirely.” Twilight told as he and the others came into sight. Wild moved straight off to Time’s side before already working with his Slate. Soon a clean and dry towel appeared out of nowhere.

“Thank you.” Time said with a wide smile while picking the soft fabric up and began working in getting dried. Wild simply nodded while feeling happy of being of use in both giving what was needed as well as helping Time to stay on his feet. The others began to work with cleaning their own clothes off. Wild simply waited until their leader was done before he already brought out the still clean clothes of his leader’s one at a time. “Feels much better.” Time told while bit stretching after having put his clothes back on before already sitting down onto the ground. He had his Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield strapped behind him again.

Time watched his boys work with cleaning the goo off of their clothes with a small smile on his face. Even though he was far from his best condition, he was getting better whole time. He could feel his strength return with each breath he took. Yet, he still stumbled when he stood up. If it wasn’t for Warriors and Sky, he would’ve crashed pretty roughly back to the ground. “Whoa! Easy there, Time.” The Captain half shouted. The duo steadied their leader whom simply nodded.

Time still refused to be carried but he did let Warriors hold on to him as they headed back to the town. Sky stayed close by just to be ready to catch him if he faltered again. The rest of the Chain kept glancing at him every now and then. Nonetheless, each step the Chain’s leader took was bit more steadier than the earlier one.

By the time they reached the market area, Time was walking on his own without support. Warriors still stayed very close to him while worrying for how long his brother’s strength would hold. Their leader smiled widely when he got the watchtower into his sight. He waved and the man on the high ground returned the action.

“Do you know him?” Sky asked while staying as close to Time as Warriors was.

Time shook his head. “No, I don’t. Saw him for the first time on the day I got snatched.” He answered before shrugging. “Yet… I don’t know. Something in here feels familiar.” He explained with a slight frown.

“You probably shouldn’t climb.” Warriors worried as they reached the watchtower.

“Oh, shut up, Wars. I’m going up and that’s it.” Time stated out firmly and began to climb. The Chain watched in slight concern while staying very close to the watchtower in case Time fell.

Komara reached out to Time when he got close enough. “Thank you.” The Chain’s leader said while accepting the aid. He sat down next to the man before already bowing. “I owe to you for your help.”

Komara chuckled and shook his head. “Not even one bit.” He replied firmly. “I’m just glad to see you safe and sound again.” The man told with a smile. “You are one of the very few whom see me. Not to mention actually dare to climb up to my kingdom. Your friend, Sky, is equally unique one.”

Time chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, Sky has a thing for heights.” He mused with a fond smile. “By the way, my name is Link but the boys down there call me Time.” He introduced himself with a nod.

“Komara Rosa.” The watchtower’s man said while returning the gesture. Time was bit startled before blinking few times.

“I… I’m sorry. Your name just sounds familiar.” Time apologized while turning his gaze off. He frowned while looking around the busy market. He knew he had never been there before and yet somehow he felt like he had been there long ago. Time shook his head to clear his mind. “Sky told that you went through the same as I did. I’m sorry about that. But, rest assured, that place is brought to ground and nothing of its experiments is left for later usage.” He told firmly.

Komara sighed in relief and relaxed. “Thank you.” He half whispered while smiling a bit. “Those are the best news I could get.” He told but there was still that small regret of having not been able to help more, to have prevented the kidnapping of so many.

“I think I can do more.” Time offered while taking out the Ocarina of Time. “I know a song that can help one to ease their regrets. It’s called as Song of Healing. May I play it to you?” He explained while hoping to get rights. Komara blinked in surprise and turned to look at the man beside him.

“Song of Healing?” He inquired in disbelieve. Suddenly he recalled the sword Time carried. Komara gulped once while staring wide-eyed at his comrade on high ground. “Hero of Termina.”

Time blinked in shock and gulped once. He chuckled nervously and nodded. “Haven’t heard that title for a while.” He told before sighing heavily. “How long is it from the Hero’s time?” He inquired while raising his knee to rest his elbow to it just to lean his jaw against his hand.

Komara blinked several times in shock before shaking his head and chuckling. “I’ve no idea how the hell you’re alive.” He half whispered before shrugging. “Two thousand and fife hundred years.”

Time jerked in shock and snapped his head straight into Komara. “What?” He whispered the word while staring wide-eyed at the man. “Where… Where exactly in Termina are we?”

Komara chuckled and shook his head. “Ikana.” He replied with a shrug.

“You’re kidding me.” Time stated out in disbelieve. “This can’t be Ikana. Ikana was… It was just… Rocks. Sand. It was bare. Cliffs and caves. This… Shit… This is nothing how I remember it.”

Komara laughed and snapped Time’s gaze back into him. Part of the Hero wished that the man was just joking. Yet, the feeling of having been there long ago still lingered. The watchtower’s holder shook his head. “Two and half thousand years is a long while to change the outlook of any place.”

Time sighed heavily and nodded. He wasn’t certain if he was feeling sad or relieved. It was quite a mix of lot of feelings. Soon he smiled bit lopsidedly and sorrowfully. “You’ve heard about Kamaro and Rosa Sisters?” He inquired while feeling like his guess would hit right.

“The Rosa Sisters are my ancestors. Kamaro taught his moves to the Hero of Termina whom taught them to the Rosa Sisters.” Komara answered and Time simply nodded. “Sadly, the dance Kamaro taught has been forgotten. So many different versions are out in the world but the original… No-one remembers those.”

Time grinned. “I do.” He answered and this time Komara snapped his shocked gaze into him. “You here tomorrow evening?” Time inquired and the man nodded. “I’ll dance tomorrow evening then. I gotta teach the song to one of the boys to get some music to go with.” He promised and winked once before standing up.

“You’re not going to…?” Komara asked and Time grinned widely.

“If you know the legends, then you know that the Hero of Termina was quite a daredevil.” Time answered mischievously and put the Ocarina of Time away. “I never grew out of that.” He told with a wink while taking as much of room as he could before running those two steps and jumping.

“TIME!” The Chain shrieked in absolute fright before already dashing after him in hopes of catching him before he’d hit the ground. Yet, they weren’t fast enough in their actions. Nonetheless, their worry was for once misplaced as Time swiftly somersaulted before already standing up.

“THE HELL, SPRITE?!” Warriors screamed while wishing to either hit or shove Time. “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” He queried in full shock.

Time just smirked and shrugged. “I’d rather call myself a daredevil.” He replied before bit chuckling. “I move better without the armor.” He simply told before snickering as Warriors facepalmed.

“Gods! You’re the death of me, Sprite.” The Captain grumbled while shaking his head. Time chuckled before raising his gaze up into Komara and waving to him.

“Come on, let’s get to the Inn.” Time told while nodding towards the Inn. “We can restock tomorrow. Right now I want to get some answers from the Hopping Bucket Inn. Or at least I hope they got some maps I could take a look at.” He continued while starting to walk. The Chain’s leader grinned when Warriors came to his side again quite swiftly. The Captain gave him his best disappointed look he could muster but Time just chuckled and shook his head. That got Warriors to facepalm again.

“What maps?” Wind inquired while bit hoping for treasure hunting.

“This area’s, obviously.” Time replied with a shrug. “Very old ones and the current ones. There’s some things I gotta figure out.” He explained while leaving it vague. It still was bit hard for him to accept that Ikana had changed so dramatically in two and half thousand years.

Eventually they got back to the Inn. “You’re safe!” Mirmir shouted and bit startled the whole Chain of Links. Time chuckled a bit nervously while blushing a bit. He never was good with things when he got notion from women other than his wife.

“Yeah, I owe it t—“ Time started before gasping in shock and slight pain. The woman had stormed over to him far faster than any of the Links were prepared for and slammed their leader back first against the wall. She looked quite enraged which only got Time even more confused of the situation.

“Get off him!” Warriors growled and roughly pushed other one of Inn’s owners off. “The fuck was that?!” He almost snarled while coming in front of Time to defend him.

Mirmir was bit surprised but her hard gaze fell back into Time straight off. “I didn’t consider you as a liar!” She growled while fisting her hands. “I was worried for your sake!” She screamed in anger.

The whole Chain blinked in both surprise and shock at the situation. “Mirmir… Time was kidnapped. It’s only several hours that we got him out.” Warriors stated out as calmly as he could.

The woman’s glare didn’t soften. “He certainly doesn’t look like having been held hostage for three days.” She growled out.

The Chain slowly turned their shocked gazes into Time. “T-that’s actually true… You look way too good for what’s been going on.” Hyrule half whispered while gulping.

Time was thoroughly startled of the claim. He frowned while dropping his gaze down. “That goo…” He half whispered while starting to freak out a bit at there.

“I got proof.” Wild suddenly told while taking out his Slate. Everyone’s shocked gazes fell right into him at that statement. He felt bit uncertain of the fact that he had taken several pictures of that hellish place. The Champion’s own curiosity had been the only reason for having snapped the photos. Or at least, that was what he put it as. He gulped once before going over to Mirmir and showing the truth.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Once the trio of scientists had been taken down after the eight of them had entered the room, Wild had taken his Slate out. He was trying to get information of the place and its machinery. He was entirely hoping for the Sheikah Tech to give them the answer of how to free Time.

Yet, sadly, he wasn’t given answers he searched for. The Champion had sighed heavily before taking the camera out. He snapped a picture just before Legend broke the semicircle container holding Time captive. He had no idea why he wanted to save the current situation for later usage.

The next pictures he took on swift going. Legend and Warriors working on getting Time out of the container. Warriors laying Time down onto the gooey floor. Warriors and Legend doing CPR on Time.

He had been bit too freaked out at then to get pictures. Yet, like the rest of the Chain around him, he was entirely relieved when Time returned from the brink of death. Out of that feeling, he snatched another picture where Time was standing but still supported by both Warriors and Legend.

Wild had thought for a split second about taking a picture of the room where Time had been held but he had chosen against it. He didn’t want there to be any of proof of what the place had been. He couldn’t risk any of the papers to be seen. Those were what kept the most dangerous information within them.

The next picture the Champion had taken was the hole in the ground where the strange place had been. Just rubble and hole. He had taken it as a proof for Time of the place having been destroyed as perfectly as possible.

After that the last picture was of five Links washing the strange goo off of their clothes and shoes. Right after that Wild had gone to wash his own clothes. He wasn’t certain if Time had noticed him take that picture but he didn’t really care. He’d show the pictures to their leader if he asked for them.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Mirmir stared shocked at the pictures Wild slowly went through. He didn’t explain a thing while letting her make her own decision. “C-can I see the f-first one again…?” She eventually asked with bit trembling voice. The Champion felt bit uncertain but he quickly brought the first picture back up. “Is that… I-is that how…?” The woman inquired without finding the right words to voice her actual question.

Wild simply nodded before sighing. “I think that was how he was for the past three days.” He voiced out his sorrow. He shrugged a bit and continued: “I don’t know for sure but I think that gooey green watery stuff was what, um…” He trailed off for few reasons. First, he wasn’t certain how to word his thought. Second, he wasn’t certain the others wanted to really think about this. Third, it was bad enough that he had actually taken pictures of the whole hell.

“Kept him alive and well.” Mirmir finished for him before already taking support from close by chair. “Shit…” She half whispered while staring at the table in front of the chair. The Chain of Heroes stayed silent as the woman processed the situation through.

Eventually Mirmir closed her eyes and took a deep breath before standing up straight. She turned her apologetic and sorrowful gaze into Time. “I’m sorry. You’ve gone through hell and I…” The woman started before trailing off and shaking her head. “My actions are unforgivable.” She told firmly while hanging her head in shame and sorrow.

The Chain felt bit uncertain of the situation but Time sighed a bit and carefully moved next to Mirmir. He leaned against the table before gently forcing her to look at him. “It’s okay. I didn’t realize the situation either until it was brought into daylight. I didn’t even think twice about gaining my strength back so fast. Hell, I didn’t even know how long I had been there until I heard it from Captain and Wind at the stream. Even then things didn’t really click. Not until now.”

Mirmir stared Time straight into that one eye while bit blushing. The Chain’s leader smiled a bit sorrowfully before gently kissing her forehead. “Thank you for having worried for me. Thank you for having sent the boys to right direction. Thank you for having told about Komara. Thank you for having stated out the plain truths.” He half whispered before leaning his forehead against hers. “I owe to you hugely. If it wasn’t for you, I might’ve been there even longer.”

The woman sighed but she smiled a bit as she pulled away from Time and took couple of steps backwards. Soon she grinned widely. “We’re both married and I’m not going to cheat on my husband.”

Time blinked in shock before blushing brightly. “I’m not trying t—!” He started nearly frantically when Mirmir suddenly burst into laughter. The Chain’s leader blinked few times before groaning and facepalming. Suddenly his boys joined into the laughter too.

As the laughter died off, Time chuckled a bit and shook his head. “If you lot are done humiliating me, I would actually have something to talk about.” He told while taking his hand off of his face and turning his gaze back into Mirmir. The woman nodded to show she was listening. “You had a map of this town. I was wondering if you had a map from wider area as well as from much, much older maps.”

The woman frowned and bit tilted her head to side. “How old?” She inquired and Time chuckled bit nervously.

“Uh… Like, um…. Two and half thousand years old or so…? A-and maps between the times…?” The Chain’s leader half inquired, half stated out. Both the Chain and Mirmir blinked in shock and just stared at him.

Yet, soon she started to frown a bit. “Two and half…” Mirmir whispered before raising her gaze up into Time. “That’s from the time of the Hero of Termina.” She stated out and Time gulped once before nodding. “Why are you interested of that old legend?” The woman inquired while feeling entirely confused of the situation.

Time chuckled nervously and shrugged. He could feel his boys stare at him in shock. He knew for certain that the eight Heroes had figured it out. “Curiosity?” The Chain’s leader half suggested, half stated out.

“I’m sorry but you gotta do better than that.” Mirmir stated out while crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to take ancient maps out just because of curiosity. Those are important piece of history and legend.”

Time sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair before nodding. “I understand. Perfectly.” He answered before sighing. He glanced at the Chain whom was looking bit hopeful and curios before dropping his gaze down into the floor for a moment to think for what to do until turning it into Mirmir. “The crazy and hard to believe truth is that the nine of us are chasing some monsters that use strange portals which jump in the time both back and forth. Due to this shit going on, I actually am the Hero of Termina.”

Mirmir stared wide-eyed at Time. “I don’t know if I can prove it, though.” Time apologized before frowning a bit. “Yet, there might be few things I have with me that could be considered as such. Just give me a moment and I’ll fetch them.” He offered and the woman nodded. “I’ll be right back.” The one eyed male told before heading off to get to his own room. Warriors swiftly half ran after him just in case his support was needed.

It didn’t take long before Time and Warriors came back down. The Chain’s leader returned to the table and began to put things on it one by one while explaining them: “The Gilded Sword. More to its name to a ten year old than to me now. Gained the gold from Goron Race and got it forged by Zubora and Gabora. The Great Fairy’s Sword. Gained it by finding and saving fairies from Stone Tower Temple. Took them back to the Great Fairy at there and she gifted me with this.” Time smiled fondly at the sword even though he hadn’t really used it.

He brought out some of the masks he had gained while naming them. “Deku Mask, The Deku Butler’s son. Zora Mask, Mikau. Goron Mask, Darmani III. Fierce Deity’s Mask. Garo’s Mask. Giant’s Mask. Blast Mask. Captain’s Hat. And that’s not even half of them.” Time stated out while wondering what else he could bring out until something hit him. “Oh, two more: Moon’s Tear and Bomber’s Notebook.”

Mirmir stared wide-eyed at the arsenal of items on the table. Even the Chain was quite shocked while wishing to hear the story that certainly was connected to each of the things. “Mikau was a guitarist of the Zora band. Darmani III was the leader of the Gorons.” Mirmir whispered quietly while recalling the legend. “The Great Fairy’s Sword… Not just anyone could gain something as sacred as that.”

Time chuckled a bit while looking at the sword fondly. “The fairies call me as one of their own.” He confessed with a small smile before bit chuckling and grinning: “They flock me whenever I’m close by.” Yet, he noticed where the woman’s gaze kept going again and again while not wanting to say a word about it.

Time picked the mask up. “Garo’s Mask. The Garo were the enemy of Ikana. They haunted the lands of Ikana after death. Fought against their leader at Stone Tower and after that they were gone. The mask itself, though, I got from Gorman Brothers. They tormented the local ranch, Romani Ranch. Raced them and won.” He chuckled a bit while grinning. “The horse we travel with is Twilight’s.” The Chain’s leader told while nodding towards the Rancher. “The horse I have is by the same name. Epona. Fastest horse and most loyal. Couldn’t get a better steed.” Time almost smirked as he said: “Two adult horses couldn’t beat a ten year old boy riding a filly.”

Both the Chain of Links and Mirmir were silent as they took in Time’s explanations and story. “The maps… Why do you want to see them?” The woman finally asked.

Time sighed while starting to put the items away. “Back when I was here, this placed looked thoroughly different. It was barren and rocky. There was a canyon with wide, deep and strong river. Above it, further towards the Temple, was a Music Box House.” He explained what he remembered before shaking his head. “This all… It’s hard to imagine something as deserted as the area I remember to have turned into something as green and alive as this. I just…” He told while trailing off with a shrug. “I just want to know what happened… And how.”

Mirmir nodded before heading to the reception desk. “Time, nature and people can do lot of change.” She told while rounding the area and crouching down. “There aren’t as many of maps as I’d wish of but I’ll bring out what I can find.” The woman promised while starting to place scrolls onto the desk.

“Anything between here and the Hero’s time would be appreciated.” Time replied while being grateful that the Chain hadn’t touched even to one of his items. They were clearly curious but they stayed silent while letting him explain things at his own time. And of that he was far more grateful than he could ever show to his boys.

After getting everything back, Time moved to the reception desk with the whole Chain following him. He opened the first map which ended up being the current area’s outlook. Carefully he placed couple of pens to hold it open before starting to open the other maps. As he uncurled the fourth one, he grinned. “Yeah, this is what I remember.” He told while laying out the map of Ikana as it had been when he had been there.

“Shit… That is rocky.” Wind commented while checking the map. Time chuckled while placing the map next to the current area’s map. “I can see why you’re so shocked about the change.” The Sailor whistled while checking the stark contrast between the two maps.

Time moved the map to other end of the table and began opening the other maps again. Mirmir watched as the Chain’s leader worked the timeline out between what he remembered and how things were at here and now. Slowly he began to frown as he realized few simple things.

“The Stone Tower Temple is still there.” Time noted while pointing to the structure on top of each of the maps. “The Music Box House…” He started before getting uncertain and nervous. “That’s… Shit…”

“Is that were you were held?” Four inquired and Time simply nodded.

“You okay, Sprite?” Warriors called bit worriedly while placing his hand over Time’s shoulder.

“I… I just…” Time started without really knowing what to say. Eventually he sighed heavily and sorrowfully. “Back then a girl, couple of years younger than me, lived there with her father. He was, um… He studied monsters. Gibdos to be exact. He was struck by a curse when I was there. Luckily I was able to help and save him.”

“Scientist, right?” Legend half asked bit rougher than he meant to. Time sighed heavily and nodded. The Veteran kept his mouth shut but he knew what everyone was thinking. “Maybe her family continued in the profession of scientists and just went further with things.”

“Well, that’s unexpected…” Time half whispered while starting to grin. “Anyone gotten inside there?” He inquired while pointing to a small mountain that the town partly surrounded.

Mirmir shook her head. “No but many has tried. According to the legend, a local thief called Sakon used it as his hideout.” She answered and Time nodded in confirmation.

“If we get it open, we’ll loot it first.” Time told with a smirk. “What’s in there is centuries old so I doubt anyone’s missing any of that stuff anymore.” He told before shrugging. “Though, after that this town can pick whatever they wish from there for all I care.”

“You’re confident in getting it open.” Mirmir noted while raising an eyebrow at him.

Time chuckled and grinned. “Oh, I’ve been there. If the mechanics work, I know how to open it.” He told confidently before shrugging. “If not, we’ll blow it open.”

“I doubt brute force opens it.” The woman replied confidently. Time shrugged while clearly planning on something.

“Has the Gorons tried?” The Chain’s leader inquired and Mirmir shook her head.

“They’re not interested of it.” The woman explained and Time nodded in understanding.

“They certainly have far more valuable things than what’s in there.” He stated out firmly. “Anyways, thank you very much for the maps. This helped a lot to piece things together.” He explained with a smile while pushing himself off of the reception desk.

“May I... Um... I mean…” Mirmir started uncertainly while putting the maps away. She took a deep breath before voicing out her worry. “Have you eaten anything at all for the past three days?”

Time blinked in start before frowning. Even the Chain was shocked but that was mainly of the fact that they had entirely failed to even offer such an idea. “I… Uh… I…. I don’t think so…?” He answered bit sheepishly while bit blushing.

“Then I’m making a feast.” Mirmir stated out firmly. “Go sit down at the dining hall. This’ll take a while but you need food. I highly doubt that goo to have been a good way of replacing real food.” She told before heading off towards the kitchen.

“Uh… Wait, please!” Time shouted after her while noticing the looks on the faces of his boys. “I know I’m asking way too much but, um… Could these eight help you, please?” He queried while giving his best pleading look he could create. The woman blushed a bit before sighing and nodding. “Thank You!” Time shouted happily before already ushering the Heroes after her while grinning widely. At least he was doing something right for them.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“I CAN’T BREATHE! H-HELP! S-SOMEONE! I-I CAN’T…! I… I’M… I’M DROWNING…! F-FUCK…! HELP! I CAN’T…! I CAN’T MOVE! I CAN’T MOVE! I CAN’T…! P-PLEASE! A-ANYONE!? … H-help…P-please……. I can’t……. I…….”

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Warriors woke up groggily by someone’s restless movement. It took a moment before he realized to be hearing frantic gasps from right next to him. He shot his eyes open and sat up in instant. “TIME!” He screamed out as he saw their leader’s desperate fight for air. Without thinking the Captain already roughly pushed the other Heroes off of Time “Sprite! Wake up!”

The others groaned while waking up from being shoved away. “W-what…?” They called while being half asleep before realizing the situation. They stared wide-eyed as Warriors was over Time and forcing him to look at him. “What’s going on?” Wind asked bit fearfully but the Captain ignored them while concentrating fully into their leader.

“Just breathe, Sprite! Breathe!” Warriors half shouted. “Look at me! Keep your gaze in me! You’re okay. You’re safe. You’re alive. Just breathe with me.” He nearly commanded while taking deep breaths and having Time follow his example. As his notion was entirely in his brother, he simply snapped his fingers couple of times and pointed at his scarf. Four quickly fetched it and Warriors, with expertise gained from countless times of doing the movement, wrapped the blue fabric around Time. “Just hold on to this, Sprite. Keep on breathing. Everything’s okay.” He told soothingly while having bit eased Time’s breathing towards normal.

It took quite a while before Time finally calmed down. Warriors moved off of him as the Chain’s leader sat up. “I…” Time started before sighing. “I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.” He told bit sorrowfully. He had no interest of falling back into nightmares. So, with too much of time to kill before morning, he decided to handle the song’s teaching then and there.

“I knew Komara’s ancestors.” Time began while fetching the Fairy Ocarina he had gained from Saria. “He told that his family’s dance moves were forgotten with time.” He explained before shrugging while sitting back to the king sized bed. “I know those moves so I promised to show them at today’s evening.”

The Chain stared at him with bit wide-eyes. “You gonna dance?” Wind queried and Time chuckled bit nervously but he did nod. “This I need to see.” The Sailor stated out while grinning widely.

Time sighed but he nodded. “I’m going to need some music so, who’s ready to learn it to play it tonight?” He inquired while looking from Hero to another.

“I want to dance too!” Wind told and soon there were sounds of agreement followed that simple statement. Time blinked bit surprised before chuckling and nodding.

“I’d like that.” He half whispered. “It’s only a few moves but it will look damn perfect with more than one doing them.”

“You can consider having background dancers, then.” Wild stated out happily.

“But… Who’s going to play the song?” Time inquired while raising eyebrow.

“I can’t dance.” Warriors stated out firmly. “So, I guess I’ll play the song for you lot.” He told while bit grinning. Time nodded in acceptance and waited for the Captain to fetch his ocarina. After that he began to teach the song… Yet, he didn’t dance. That would be left to be seen at the evening.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The day was bright as the nine Links walked to a huge boulder blocking a cave. “If the mechanics work, this should open up soon.” Time told while moving in front of the blockage. He ignored the curious and hopeful looks behind him as he took a deep breath. “Open Sesame!” He half shouted but nothing happened. Time cursed and shook his head. He shrugged as he turned around to face the others. “Guess two and half thousand years is bit too long.”

The eight Heroes stared at him bit disbelieving. “Open Sesame? Seriously?” Legend queried.

Time rolled his eyes while moving away from the boulder. “Don’t blame me. It’s Sakon’s password.” He replied while taking out his bow and Bomb Arrow. “Let’s try another road then.” He told while already aiming. “Come on, guys, all in. The bigger the blast, the more certainly it’ll open up.”

The Chain nodded and took out their bows and arrows. “On the count of three!” Time called before beginning to count. Soon enough the deadly projectiles were sent off. The explosion was rough but it didn’t break the rock. Time cursed again while grimacing a bit. “One last thing.” He called before heading back to the boulder. Yet, as the Chain was up for following him, he turned around and pointed a finger at them. “NO. Keep the distance. And take shields out just in case.” He commanded before turning around again and walking to the boulder.

“Shit… I hoped I wouldn’t have needed to use this…” Time muttered as he took out the only Powder Keg he had. He would need to either go to Clock Town or to Snowhead Mountain. Neither piqued his interest while knowing how much Ikana had already changed. He wasn’t yet eager of getting to see the changes in the other areas too.

As soon as Time set the fuse on fire, he turned around and ran. “Shields up!” He shouted before getting to the front of the Chain and crouching down while taking his Mirror Shield up for his protection. “Bit further back! Now!” He commanded and luckily the group followed his words as they moved several meters further away from the upcoming blast.

The explosion rattled the ground and mountain around them. “Watch out!” Time screamed out as the pieces of the rocks flew and fell down towards them. He listened to the sounds around him while fearing to hear someone get hit. “Is everyone all right?!” He shouted the second the rain of rocks had ended. Time already had turned towards his boys before he even got all the words out.

The Chain’s leader sighed in relief as he saw the eight males safe and sound. “That was one hell of a blast!” Wild shouted excitedly. “Where can I get something like that?!” He inquired while being ready to give anything for it.

Time chuckled and shook his head. “Gorons create them. But, the thing is, you gotta be a Goron to get one.” He explained before nodding towards Sakon’s Hideout. “Check it out.” He simply told while looking quite smug. There was a clear hole in the wall of the mountain.

Time led his boys to the entrance before grinning widely. “Welcome to Sakon’s Hideout.” He simply said before entering the place first. The treasures were straight off in their sight. Everyone watched wide-eyed at the gold, jewellery, rings, pendants and everything else. “It’s all stolen.” Time began while calmly walking around the place. “And yet, the people it belonged to are long gone.” He continued when he noticed the bit uncertain looks on the faces of the Chain. “No-one will miss any of this.” Time half whispered while feeling like it would be in better hands with those who could actually have some use to it all.

The Chain was still bit uncertain of taking stolen stuff but soon they were going through it simply out of curiosity. Time was mainly just looking around without really searching for anything. He picked a thing from here and there but he didn’t keep anything. Somehow it simply felt wrong to him but he wasn’t going to deny any of the loot from his boys no matter what they’d pick from there.

Yet, much to Time’s surprise, no-one took a thing along when they finally left the area. Not even Wind whom held himself as a pirate. “It just doesn’t feel right…” The boy had told with a shrug. Time nodded in understanding.

They returned to the Inn and gave the rights for checking the thief’s hideout and to take whatever they wanted or needed. Soon there was a note about Sakon’s Hideout having been opened. Time followed the first looters just to make sure things went well. The Chain followed him just to aid him in the task as well as to still keep eye on him.

With the nine Heroes keeping eye on the situation, the cave’s robbery went calmly and safely.  No-one asked for the rights but no-one took more than what they either needed or really wanted. The whole town came to check the place but the cave was still surprisingly full by the time the last ones left from there.

By then the evening was falling and Time returned to the town with his boys. Yet, instead of the Inn, he moved to the watchtower as he had promised. “Komara!” He called before nodding to Warriors. The Chain’s leader threw him the Ocarina of Time. “I want that back.” He simply stated out with a grin and a wink. The Captain was bit surprised but he simply nodded before starting to play the song Time had taught him just last night.

Time let the music flow for a while before he took a deep breath and began to go through the moves. He tried his best to ignore the audience of seven Heroes and Komara as they watched him intently. He could even feel Warriors’ gaze in him while the man was playing the music for him.

Yet, the Chain stayed silent as they watched. After Time had performed the moves once, the group stood up and moved behind him. When he began another round of the moves, he was bit startled during the pirouette to see all seven following his example. Yet, he soon smiled a bit and actually felt happy of having taught them something new and different.

Time had at first felt like he’d be up for humiliating himself with the moves. He knew he wouldn’t be having the dance as fluently and perfectly as back when he was kid. Nonetheless, he had given his promise to Komara and he kept the promises he gave. When it turned out that his boys were going to actually watch him dance those few moves, he had felt bit scared and worried. He wouldn’t only humiliate himself but also be the laughing stock for his boys. Yet, none of them said a thing about them. Instead, as they had planned at last night, they joined him once they knew what they were meant to do.

Once the seven had joined him to dance those several moves behind him, he couldn’t help but relax. He actually enjoyed of the situation and let the music take him along. He closed his eye while smiling. That was the only reason he failed to notice Wild having left from the group, climbed up to the watchtower and taken a picture of them dancing before already returning to his place as one of the background dancers.

When the dance finally was over, Komara, along with the whole Chain, was applauding Time. The Chain’s leader blushed brightly while scratching the back of his head. This was something he certainly hadn’t waited for. Yet, he had given Komara something that had belonged to his family for long while.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Few days later Time was bit reluctantly making his way towards the Snowhead Mountain with the Chain following close by. He wasn’t too eager of going to see the changes in the area he recalled to be entirely different. Yet, he felt like he’d need the Powder Keg. It was mainly for just in case but he was certain he’d curse his bad luck if he didn’t pick it up when he had the chance.

Before beginning to climb up to the summit and Goron Village, Time put the Goron Mask on. He introduced the old leader of Gorons to the Chain before leading the way up to the mountain. Yet, for Time’s luck, they didn’t need to travel too high up before already finding a shop. Inwardly Time sighed in relief when he managed to buy the Powder Keg this easily. Right after that they made their way back down and Time took the mask off.

The screams of agony had startled and freaked the Chain out. Yet, they couldn’t do a thing to stop their leader from doing what he believed to be right. Still, the most worried out of the eight were Twilight and Warriors. The duo actually understood what that mask was.

Time shook his head a bit before straightening to his full height. “I’m fine, guys.” He reassured while putting the mask off. “We can—“ He started when suddenly a ball of rock crashed into the ground only few meters from them. As soon as it has landed, the Goron uncurled and stood up.

“I thought I heard the Double Scream.” The rocky person stated out. “Let Darmani III know that his bloodline still continues.”

Time was quite shocked of the revelation but somehow he managed to nod. “He has heard you.” He told as calmly as he could. “We were just—“ The Chain’s leader began while wanting to explain why they were in there.

“No need to explain, Hero of Termina.” The Goron told calmly with a grin. “The explosion was heard and felt all the way to the Goron City.”

Time blinked bit in shock before already blushing. “Uh… Yeah…. Quite a blast for sure…” He half stammered before blushing even more as the Goron laughed. Yet, soon the one eyed swordsman chuckled and shook his head. “How are things up there? Any trouble from monsters?” He inquired while finally calming down and actually smiling at the current leader of the Gorons.

“All has been safe and sound since the incident with the moon.” The Goron replied calmly.

Time sighed in relief and nodded. “Glad to hear.” He glanced at the Chain behind him watching and listening to the interaction with great curiosity. “I’m afraid we’d need to get going. I would love to stay and chat but there’s always lot to be done.” Time half apologized while not really knowing what to do.

“If you wish, I could give you a tour around the Snowhead Mountain.” The Goron offered calmly.

“Maybe at another time. Right now…” Time started before bit chuckling and shaking his head. “I got enough of a freak out at Ikana. I don’t think I can take seeing Snowhead Mountain changed from how I remember it.”

“Understandable.” The Goron replied with a firm nod. “Maybe at another time, then?”

“Absolutely.” Time answered with a wide smile and firm nod. “Let everyone know that the spirit of Darmani III has graced You with his visit.” He offered before bowing deep. “May the Giant of the Mountains bless You and Your race.”

The Goron nodded before bowing deep too. “May the Four Giants guard Your and Your companions’ travel.”

Time simply nodded and began to walk while showing for the Chain to follow. The Goron nodded back and moved aside. Once all nine had passed the current leader of the Snowhead Mountain’s Gorons, she turned towards the mountain and left the area. Once far enough from the start of the pathway to the Gorons, Time raised his hand to stop the upcoming inquiries. “No questions.” He simply commanded while still walking forward. The Chain was bit startled and they slightly complained underneath their breaths but otherwise they stayed silent.

Suddenly a portal opened about sixty meters from them. The nine Heroes stopped on that second while reaching for their weapons. “Well, at least there’s a way forward.” Warriors noted before already drawing his sword and shield as the monsters rushed through the portal.

Yet, the Heroes didn’t get a chance to attack the beasts when suddenly huge boulders were thrown from higher ground. The rocks crashed precisely onto the creatures of Darkness and killed them easily. The Chain snapped their gazes up into the cliff where several Gorons were. They were ready to throw more rocks down onto the beasts if needed. The portal was still open but no more monsters came through it.

Time smiled and turned fully towards the Gorons that had handled the battle for them swiftly and easily. He waved to them before already kneeling down as a knight he was. The Gorons bowed at the high ground. After that they left from the cliff and Time led his boys through the portal.

Notes:

Few notions:
I have NO idea where I came up with Legend smoking! O.O It just felt like something he’d do in modern AU story and so it ended into here. ^^; Not to mention about how well a fake smoke would work as redirecting the notion from the target one is following.

Also, notion for Kamaro and Rosa Sisters. ;)

Time’s claim of Moblin: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/181812978409/deep-shadows-pt1-archive

Wild actually was originally supposed to torment the three scientists even more but that changed… Probably better on Wild’s case, though.

I’ve no idea where the thought comes since none of the videos I checked had confirmation but for some odd reason I feel like Sakon said “Open Sesame” to open the boulder of his hideout.

Also, as said on earlier chapter, all fan art is much appreciated! Just give me the link to it if you're up for it! Thanks! Also, for this chapter, in case someone's up for it, I got a small picture request: The Chain having stormed into the room where Time is head and being entirely shocked of seeing Time and how he’s held captive. OR Just Time in the container and the three scientists in the room.

Chapter 4: Day 3: "Bite down on this"

Summary:

Wolfie did NOT mean to start the forest fire. It just happened.

This ended up more of funny than whumpy. XD

Notes:

CW: Breathing smoke, maybe bit of burn damage which is not said aloud, coughing, yet all is more of indication instead of saying it aloud.

Inspiration picture for the story: https://themortaldraw.tumblr.com/post/738163143813038080/when-you-wanna-kill-a-bug-in-the-fireplace-but
If anyone has Tumblr account, please let the creator know of the story. THANK YOU! =)

Published: 03.02.2024 at 1:45 in Finnish time

Twilight had chosen to take the form of the wolf for the time being. It had been just for the fun. Just to see how the others would react and, most of all, when they would start to worry of where he was. And sure, things had been very fun to begin with but… THIS wasn’t what he had waited to happen!

The wolf was surrounded by blazing fire. The stick he had been given was still in his teeth. He was scared to death without anywhere to go. “I’m going to die! I’m going to die!” He panicked while circling around and whining miserably. Eventually he did the only thing he could do: Howl.

Several days earlier the Rancher had left and Wolfie had arrived. Time and Wild kept telling that Twilight would be just fine, that there was nothing to worry about. The others accepted that for a while but as days went past, they got more worried. Still, Time, Four and Wild didn’t worry even one bit. That only got the others both confused and even more worried.

Sure, the wolf was lot of fun and aid. From time to time they could play fetch and hide-and-seek with the beast. Occasionally it even allowed to be petted. The four legged furball was great at scout and a fierce fighter.

The only problem that really rose up was the times when the wolf got hurt and needed healing. The beast was hard to keep down and he certainly didn’t want to drink a potion. It usually ended with Time and Warriors wrangling the creature onto the ground and holding him down. After that only Hyrule could handle the healing. Sometimes, unintentionally, Wolfie ended up biting either Warriors or Time as they were only ones to hold it down. Yet, each time the beast very clearly was sorrowful and apologetic afterwards of the situation. And each time it allowed to be petted and hugged by the one he had ended up biting. It was the only way he could apologize.

Yet, on the day when Twilight decided that enough is enough, Wild ended up giving him a stick. His canine mind first thought for playing fetch. “Just bite down on this.” The Champion had told to him and the wolf had done as commanded. He sat there proudly while holding the stick in his mouth. Wild didn’t seem to pay attention to him afterwards as he kept digging deeper into his backpack.

Wolfie gave out a questioning half whine, half growl while moving in front of the Champion. “Just a sec, Wolfie. I know I have it here somewhere.” Wild told while searching even more. The wolf tipped his head to side in confusion. He had no idea what was being searched for. Yet, he waited for things to go on their own weight and just sat there while watching… Until his gaze caught a notion of something far more interesting.

Twilight turned his canine’s gaze into the small bug and started to growl. He knew this kind of insects and he was not going to let it live. Wild raised his gaze up and bit gasped as the wolf pounced away from him. He followed the movement before chuckling as he saw the beast chasing a small critter around the camp.

The camp was nothing more than the fire anymore. The Chain was up for moving forward and it had been cleared just a while ago. Twilight and Wolfie were the last at the place anymore. The others weren’t far while waiting for them. In fact, they were just filling their water skins at the close by river. The fire was just in case anyone wanted something before fully leaving.

“Ha!” Wild shouted when he finally pulled out his own water skin. He hadn’t been needing it that of much due to the fruits and berries he had gathered throughout their travel. Sure, he had shared them a lot so others wouldn’t need to use their water skins either. Yet, now and then the Portals separated them and hence it was important to keep the water skins filled. “Come on, Wolfie! Last check on others about the need of the fire before demolishing it off.” He called but the beast was too far into trying to kill the bug. The Champion just shrugged and headed off to meet with others.

Twilight glared at the small living thing with absolute hatred. He remembered the Gohma and the small larvae that had appeared after beating the big arachnid. And this thing… This thing reminded him entirely of those small bugs that scattered around the room back then.

The wolf kept trying to squish the bug underneath his paws. As that kept failing, he began to strike with the stick he still held in his teeth. He didn’t even hear Wild’s call as he kept frantically to take the insect’s life. Soon he was alone by the fire with his enemy.

Wolfie didn’t even realize when he had gotten close to the fire that the branch he carried had caught on fire. With a smirk, he tried to kill the bug with the flames. It had felt like a brilliant idea at then… Until the fire spread all around him.

“Wild… The hell you’ve done again?” Time queried when he noticed the stronger smoke in the air. It was far from the calm burning of wood in a fireplace.

“That’s not my work!” Wild exclaimed in shock while turning around. “Oh, dear Gods…” He half whispered in shock as the flames started to be seen. “WOLFIE!” He screamed out in near panic the second the wolf howled for help and caught everyone’s notion into the situation.

Time swiftly stopped Wild from rushing into the flames. “Let go! We need to save him!” Wild screamed while staring horrified of the rough beginning of forest fire.

“Hold him.” Time commanded and pushed Wild into Warriors’ arms. The leader of the Chain took out the Ocarina of Time while ignoring the questioning, confused, panicked and fearful gazes around him. “Get ready to be drenched.” Was the only warning Time gave before he played the Song of Storms.

The rough and fast storm gathered in seconds and the downpour began instantly. While the others were bit too shocked of the situation, Time already dashed into the forest. The fire fought against the rain and Time knew he didn’t really have much of time in there. The song’s effect would end soon and then the flames would pick up on strength again.

“TWILIGHT!" Time shouted while searching for the wolf. The howl pierced through the roar of the flames and the Chain’s leader changed his path slightly. The wolf was drenched and the fire in the stick had died. It looked entirely miserable in middle of a burning circle while begging for someone to save him.

Time didn’t think twice as he already ran through the fire and to the beast. “What the hell happened, cub?” He queried without waiting for an answer. He simply picked the wolf up and turned around. The rain was already dying off but it didn’t matter to him. He needed to take the beast out of there and to safety so he just ran straight through the fire again.

Luckily the small river was a safe spot away from the growing fire. The Chain watched in near terror as their leader dashed into the blaze after bringing out the hard storm. They wanted to head after him but they also realized that it would only worsen the situation. They heard Time’s coughing before he and the wolf appeared from the smoke and flames. Wild blinked in shock when he realized that Wolfie still held on to the stick he had given him.

Time half dropped, half let go the wolf in his arms before already half crashing, half leaning against the rocky surface of the stream. He was coughing roughly while sliding down to sit on the ground. The wolf was whining miserably around him. The Chain surrounded them both while offering all kinds of help they could come up with. Eventually Hyrule’s healing magic and water from the small stream were what was needed to clear the situation.

Time was still sitting on the ground as his bit rough gaze fell into the wolf. Wolfie hit the ground on that second while whining and flattening his ears. He wanted to explain but he wasn’t certain he’d find the right words. Eventually the Chain’s leader turned his gaze away. “We need to leave. There’s nothing we can do about that fire.” He told while standing up.

“What about that song? Or ice magic?” Warriors inquired bit worriedly while following Time and making sure everyone of their group was along.

“It has too short effect and takes too much to keep calling it over. Besides, I don’t know how much it’ll affect the nature’s own ways by calling a storm forth with magic. And using ice magic would take too much from us.” Time explained as he searched safe road out of the forest after having crossed the river for slight blockage for the fire.

When they finally settled down again and made up a camp, Wolfie left and Twilight returned. He tried to act normal but he ended up sitting down next to Time bit uncertainly. With a sigh, he explained what had happened.

Time sighed and finally relaxed. “It’s fine, cub. What matters is that that you’re safe.” He simply told and pulled Twilight into one armed hug.

After a moment Twilight pulled off a bit and gave Wild one of his best glares… And threw the stick he still had right at Wild. “You and your stupid stick…” He grumbled before leaning against Time and closing his eyes.  His mentor chuckled while wrapping his arm around him again.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos! ^.^
I would love to get reviews too if any possibility. =)

If anyone gets inspired to do fanart of my works, I would love to see those works! ^.^ Thank You!

Chapter 5: Day 4: Obedince

Summary:

Wolfie was the proud Sacred Beast. He would NOT do as his kidnapper commanded. Yet, would he be obedient for the chance of escape?

 

Published: 04.02.2024 at 1:45 of Finnish time.

Notes:

CW: animal abuse, swearing

Changed Archive Warnings since some chapters will be quite rough.

Ruka and Hossa are places in FInland. Yeah, I'm bad with coming up with names.

Wolfie growled while glaring at the man. He lunged while being more than willing to sink his teeth into the man’s flesh. The guy moved to side to avoid the attack and struck harshly with the thick stick right into the wolf’s side. Wolfie howled in pain while crashing to the floor and sliding on the planks. “Sit!” The man shouted while the proud beast forced himself back up.

The room was made out of sturdy planks. There were no windows and only one way in and out. The two of them had been in the room for several hours. The man was still standing without having even gained one scratch from the wild canine. Wolfie was beaten quite roughly but he still forced himself back to his feet while growling.

“I’m going to tame you whether you want it or not.” The man stated out firmly while glaring at the wolf. “You’re mine. Get that through your head already and accept your fate.” He told while avoiding yet another attack and striking at the creature roughly to rear leg.

The man shook his head while taking out a strong looking net from his pocket. Wolfie started to be out of strength and stamina since he wasn’t fast enough to get back to his feet before the heavy thing had been already thrown over him. He trashed and tried to get free as the man came next to him while taking a muzzle out of his pocket. He quickly sat over the beast while moving the net enough to get the thing swiftly and expertly on.

Wolfie freaked out even more as his chances to bite was taken from him. He desperately tried to scratch at it but the thing didn’t budge. While his notion was in the muzzle, the man removed the rest of the net while bringing out harness. The wolf yelped when the heavy thing was attached to the parts of the muzzle that went behind his head.

The man quickly folded the net before putting it away. He took hold of the harness’ handle and began to drag the four legged creature with him. Wolfie fought and trashed. He even went all limp to increase the weight but even that didn’t bother the guy’s going. With a scowl, Wolfie noticed the Power Rings the guy was wearing in each of his fingers.

“Still having hard time with that one?” Someone called once they had come out of the room and the duo stopped walking. The new man shook his head. “I really don’t think you’ll break that one’s spirit, Hossa. You should just send it back where you took it.”

“Mind your own business, Ruka. I do with this creature as I please.” Hossa replied while having forced Wolfie’s front downwards to keep him from trying to do anything. “I’ve gotten through quite a few beasts so far. I can tame this one too.” He stated out before yanking the wolf along. Ruka watched how his neighbor returned to his house. The man simply shrugged and returned to his own business.

Once inside the house, the man dragged the Sacred Beast to a cage and roughly threw him in. Wolfie gave out a pained whine when he crashed against the bars of too small container. “Until you understand your place we keep continuing with this.” Hossa told calmly while fully ignoring the creature’s desperate trashing, growling and whining.

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

Twilight had told to the Chain he’d scout around. It had been morning and they were just heading off forward in search of a town. After all, those places would give them answers and maybe few safe nights too for everyone.

He had changed forms and went off. He searched for enemies, followed few trails of scent and… Ended up struck with an arrow with tranquilizers. He had given out only a slight yelp before already whimpering as the drug struck fast. He saw a guy coming towards him with a grin on his face before he already lost his consciousness.

When he woke up, he was in a small cage. It wasn’t big enough for him to really move. He couldn’t stand up. He couldn’t move his legs as they were entirely too tightly against the bars. He whined and trashed as much as the small container could give.

“You’re awake. Good. I worried bit that I had given too much.” The man from earlier stated out. “I’m going to tame you and you’re going to just accept that.” He stated out but Twilight just let Wolfie growl even louder than ever at that line. The man chuckled and shook his head. “You’ll see. You don’t have a choice.”

Twilight thought about just changing back to his Hylian form. He could have more chances of doing something other than trash and growl. Yet, he bit feared what the guy would do to him at then. As long as he was the wolf, he seemingly would keep his life. That was all he needed to make his choice to stay as he was.

The man just ignored him throughout the whole day. He barely even glanced at the wolf at all. The guy even slept peacefully through the night even while Wolfie was growling, trashing and howling. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep as he was awoken roughly by being yanked out of the container before the muzzle was already over his face and strapped strongly onto him. The harness followed instantly afterwards.

Before he even realized a thing, he was already being dragged along. Once they reached the storage house of sorts, the net was already dropped over him. The guy worked swiftly as he set him free of the muzzle and harness. Wolfie simply waited for a right time to attack but before he got his chance, the rough stick already struck him and the man took some distance between himself and the wolf.

The guy threw in the commands. “Sit! “Lay down!” “Bark!” Wolfie just kept growling and attacking. He ignored the rough hits while forcing himself back up after each hit. He tried to figure a way to strike his teeth into the guy’s flesh but the man avoided each of his tries.

Wolfie lost the count of time. He simply got too tired to keep on going and the man had easy work of putting the muzzle and harness back on. He just followed back to the house where he was forced into the small prison.

The next day he was dragged back into that room. Wolfie fought back as he tried to escape on that short distance between the house and storage house. This time, instead of attacking when he was freed, he moved away and sat down. He raised his head skyward and howled. He put his full strength into that sound which caused him to lose track of where his enemy was… Until he was struck cruelly with the stick.

“You can try and howl all you want, mutt, it won’t help. This place, as well as the house, is under the soundproof spell.” The man stated out with a smirk. The wolf was entirely shocked of the information before that turned into a snarl and growling. Without thinking, the canine attacked again fiercely. He either needed to get a chance to escape on his own or then to wait for the others to come to save him.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Wolfie was limping while quietly growling. This had been fourth day the man had tried to break his spirit. He still wouldn’t follow Hossa’s commands. He’d rather die than ever give up to his tormentor.

Suddenly the wolf struck on the breaks. He had caught familiar scents in the air. The Sacred Beast began to bark, growl and whine along with making all possible other sounds while praying it would be loud enough for the others to hear. The muzzle was making it hard but he did what he could.

Wolfie gave out half a bark, half a whine of happiness as well as he could while his mouth was harshly restrained. The Chain had come into the there. They saw him. He was safe. “Silence!” The command startled the wolf before he already gave out a miserable, pained half howl, half whine. He crashed into the ground while giving a weak glare to his assailant.

“WOLFIE!” The Chain screamed out in shock. Yet, before the seven others could do a thing, Time had already stormed over to the scene. He was giving such a glare that it could truly kill someone. The Chain’s leader snatched the stick out of the man’s hand before already striking cruelly.

The hit collided into the man’s chest and send him flying backwards. “THAT’S how it feels!” Time snarled while coming between Wolfie and the man. He desperately wanted to beat the man to the inch of his life but he stayed to his place.

“Hey! That’s MY wolf!” The man growled after somehow having managed to scramble back to his feet. He glared at the people behind his assailant. They were getting the wolf free from the muzzle and harness.

Time glanced behind him to know how things were going. Yet, at the man’s claim he returned the glare right back into him. “He’s ours.” Time snarled before continuing: “Those markings on his forehead already give that out.” He dearly wished from whole his heart that Wolfie would for once understand that he wasn’t claiming him the way the words came out. “We can prove it.” He continued as confidently as he could. Yet, would the wolf, for this one time, do as they asked without fighting back? Time wasn’t certain but he truly hoped the wolf and Twilight within him would understand that such would free him from this situation.

Wild was hugging the beaten wolf while trying to hold back his tears. “Twi… Wolfie… I hate to say this to someone as amazing and proud as you but… For once… For your sake… Follow our commands. Let us prove that you’re with us.” He whispered quietly into the Sacred Beast’s ear. He pulled away to look the wolf straight into the eyes. Wolfie nodded once and Wild sighed in relief.

“We can and we will prove it.” Wild stated out firmly while standing up. Time inwardly sighed in relief.

Hossa snorted and shook his head. “I highly doubt that.” He stated out while fully doing all he could to avoid Time’s glare. “Show it then. Each and every one of you.” The man challenged while painfully crossing his arms over his chest. That one cruel strike certainly had broken some ribs in there.

“Alright.” Wild started while looking at the others. “Let’s make a line so he can see what we have with Wolfie.” He told as firmly as he could. The Chain took randomly places while leaving enough of room between each of them. “Wolfie. Go to Wind.” Wild half commanded.

Wolfie stood up and walked carefully while limping right over to the youngest Hero. He sat down and looked the kid straight into the eyes. Wind gently petted the creature that rarely allowed such actions. “Sorry for this pal.” He whispered quietly. “Roll over.” Wind commanded loudly enough for everyone to hear. Wolfie did as told without a hesitation. “Go to Legend.”

Wolfie moved over to the Veteran and sat down again to look at him. Legend gently scratched the wolf’s ear. He gulped once as he picked a close by thin stick and threw it only few meters away from them. “Fetch.” He nearly begged while trying to make it sound like a command. The wolf let the stick fall to ground before fetching it. He wasn’t in the condition of running after anything at the moment. Wolfie dropped the stick in front of the Veteran and waited again. “Good boy.” Legend told while again scratching the beast’s ear. “Go to Traveler.”

The proud creature got up and limped over to Hyrule. The youngster watched with growing worry and fear at the wolf’s movement. He hugged Wolfie the second he sat down. “I’ll heal you once we’ve gotten you to safety. Just hang in there.” He whispered before pulling off and bringing out his flute. “Howl to this tune.” The Traveler half commanded before starting to play a short part of a song. The wolf listened for a moment before closing his eyes and howling with the music. “That was perfect.” Hyrule complimented. “Go to Four, yeah?”

Wolfie walked to the Smithy and sat down again. “High-five!” Four straight off told before already flinching. The movement was way too painful for the proud creature. “Stop, stop, stop! No!” He nearly shouted and Wolfie whined while tipping his head in confusion. “Uh… How about nose-touch?”  The Smithy inquired while raising his hand as high as before. Due to the wolf being quite well on same height as Four was, it was much easier feature to get done. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect. You’re a wise wolf.” Four complimented while feeling hellish to have gotten the proud beast to do something that hurt him. “Go to Time.”

The wolf stood up and moved over to the Chain’s leader. Yet, Time shook his head and simply waved his hand to move forward. The wolf tilted his head for a moment before nodding and going over to Warriors. The Captain crouched down and hugged the beast straight off. “You’re amazing. I’m proud of you, Wolfie. You’re perfect scout. You’re amazing tracker. You’re awesome fighter. You’re absolutely great at comforting. I love you, my precious war canine.” He told proudly while gently running his left hand up and down the wolf’s back. “You’re both amazing. I love you both.” Warriors whispered before pulling off and standing up. “Go to Sky.”

The canine limped over to the Chosen Hero and sat down once again. Sky crouched down and picked a small rock up. “Stay still, Wolfie.” He requested and carefully placed the rock onto the wolf’s snout. “Hold it.” He simply said while picking up another and placing it there too. After fifth rock, Sky stood up and moved bit backwards. The wolf still sat there very still while letting the rocks stay on his snout. “Strike them.” Sky commanded and gave a hard glare to the tormentor of their friend. Wolfie made a swift movement of his head and sent the rocks up into the air. As the pebbles were coming downwards, the canine had already stood up. He made a quick pirouette of sorts before giving a growl and striking at the falling small rocks with his front paw. The rocks were sent flying towards the man.

Hossa yelped and jumped to side as the pebbles struck into his leg. He glared at both Sky and Wolfie. The duo looked absolutely pleased of the situation. Even the rest of the Chain was smirking. “Wolfie.” Time half commanded, half called. The wolf nodded once to Sky before moving to Time. The whole time, as the beast was going from one member of the Chain of Links to another, he had stayed behind them. Keeping the wall of warriors between him and the man. And so, even now, he moved over to Time from behind.

The leader of the Chain kept his gaze whole time in Hossa. He listened and simply struck his hand straight with fingers pointing towards the ground when the wolf was right behind him. “I don’t need words to command Wolfie. He is far more wiser than you ever can dream of being.” He stated out before simply by movements of his hand got the wolf to do as he requested.

While his hand was still to the same position, he waved it bit forward. Wolfie moved right next to Time. Fingers bit diagonally upwards while rest of his hand down towards the ground. Wolfie sat down. Hand flat, the palm downwards. Wolfie laid down to the ground. Hand to fist and thumb up. Wolfie stood back up to his feet. Hand to fist while straightening both the index and middle finger, doing a firm movement with them towards left. Wolfie moved forward and walked right past all of the Heroes from front while the wolf himself was between the Links and Hossa.

Wolfie moved proudly and calmly right back to Wild and sat down next to him. “Do you need more proof?” Time inquired coldly while having whole time kept his gaze in the man. Hossa stared before gulping once until finally shaking his head. “Good. We’re leaving.” Time stated out before already moving next to Wolfie and crouching down. “I know you hate being carried but you’re far from the condition of walking.” He stated out while looking the wolf straight into those intelligent eyes.

Wolfie didn’t think twice as he already placed his front paws over Time’s shoulder. The Chain’s leader circled his left arm behind the wolf’s back while the right arm supported the canine’s weight from hind legs. After that he carefully stood up and the Chain left while giving this one last proof of Wolfie belonging with them. Hossa could’ve sworn that the wolf was smirking right at him as the beast was carried away.

The Chain returned into the forest that surrounded the town before Time carefully put the wolf to the ground. “Let Hyrule heal you before you change forms. Okay?” He inquired carefully but the wolf didn’t even get to nod when Hyrule already told he was already handling the healing. That bit startled Time but he nodded his thanks to the youngster. “Once you’ve changed, you’re up for a potion. No exceptions.” He sated out as Legend was already offering the said red liquid for the usage.

“Hyrule?” Time called when he suddenly realized the kid overdoing him. “Traveler, that’s enough!” He commanded and pulled the healer off. He grimaced as the youngster was already half asleep. “Damn… Legend.” The Chain’s leader called and the Veteran came over to let Hyrule lean against him. The Traveler was nearly instantly asleep at then.

Wolfie changed into Twilight and with Time’s help took the potion. “Better?” He inquired and the Rancher nodded. “Good.” He nodded and stood up. “Captain. Sky. You two support Twilight.” The Chain’s leader commanded before already crouching down in front of Legend. He smiled fondly and shook his head. “You really don’t know when to stop, Rulie.” He half whispered while gently picking the youngster into his arms. “Let’s get to the Inn. Two of us seriously need rest.” Time half commanded while carefully standing up.

While the nine Heroes made their way to the Inn while staying in the safety of the forest, Ruka approached Hossa. He shook his head while big grinning lopsidedly. “I told ya you should’ve set that wolf free.” He told while going to support his neighbor’s weight. “Come on, you fool. I’ll take you to the infirmary. Maybe you’ll think twice from here on out about continuing your stupid work of taming wild beasts.”

“Shut up, Ruka.” Hossa growled while being certain of catching that strange wolf again. Yet, he never crashed with the Sacred Beast again. Twilight didn’t change into his wolf form until several months and about dozen portals later. They never came back to that specific Hyrule or to its timeline.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos! ^.^

I hope Time's acrions with his hand were clear enough. Just ask if something wasn't understandable and I'll try to explain it better. =)

If someone wishes to do fanart, go for it! Just give me the link once you upload the picture! ^.^

Chapter 6: Day 5: Rope burns

Summary:

Expoloring a high place was all fun until someone goes over the edge in the wrong way.

Published: 05.02.2024 at 1:15 in Finnish time.

Notes:

CW: Mild cursing, rope burns and healing them, fighting against monsters..... Quite easy chapter this time around, actually.

Hyrule had come to him just couple of hours earlier. Wild had been banned from exploring since his latest stunt had been very close of having taken his life. Sure, it had freaked the Champion out too but he rarely learned from his actions which was why he was being kept at the camp. The area had been deemed safe by Wolfie aka Twilight so according to Traveler, it was safe to be explored too.

The duo had reached a side of a cliff. The climb didn’t seem too long and the surface looked like it would be easy to climb. Somehow Four began to get excited of the idea the further Hyrule explained things. They’d simply climb up, check around a bit and enjoy of the scenery. Then they’d return to the camp. Maybe even take another climb if possible with Wild’s Slate or Wind’s Picto Box. They’d take some photos for memories.

In Four’s mind the plan was solid. He had nothing to worry about it. So, off they went. Out of the Smithy’s request they tied a rope around them. Just for safety reasons.

The climb was easy and simple, just like he had anticipated. The scenery was cool and certainly worthy of taking a picture or few of. There was a small forest and the duo left to check it out. The rope was still around them and neither bothered to start to undo the knots.

Just as they reached the edge of the forest a Lizalfos jumped up from the ground. The camouflage ability of those beasts was exactly the reason Four hated Wild’s monsters the most. It had entirely taken them off guard and they had dashed to different directions.

The rope twanged and struck the duo backwards with a gasp. The Lizalfos chuckled cruelly while taking hold of the rope. It clearly had some bad ideas in its head. Hyrule and Four weren’t eager of finding out what those plans were. They attacked fast and hard.

In the scuffle the rope somehow ended up cut. That gave them more freedom to move around and get to attack easier. But the beast was fast and wise. It easily avoided the attacks and kept notion on both of them. Suddenly it twirled around and the strong tail struck into Hyrule. Four had managed to duck underneath it but the Traveler was taller than him. He had tried to avoid but the hit came too swiftly.

The strike sent the healer roughly against the ground. “HYRULE!” Four screamed out in fright before already dashing after him. The youngster had been knocked out and he slid dangerously close to the edge of their small mountain of sorts. The Smithy lunged and managed to get hold of the rope just when his brother fell over the edge. “NOOO!”

Four dug his feet into the ground and desperately tried to stop the movement. The Lizalfos was watching with a smirk on its face. The rope was slipping in the shortest Hero’s hands no matter how he tried to hold on to it. He was slowly moving towards the edge too since the Traveler was far heavier than him. He couldn’t take other one of his hands off of the rope to pull the Four Swords out for splitting.

“HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE! HELP!” Four screamed while praying his brothers would hear. He had informed Time of him and Hyrule going off for exploration. They hadn’t left without notion so they’d be keeping their ears open for them, right? At least he really wished they would.

Four growled in pain as the rope kept slipping and burning his hands. He held on as tightly as he could but he felt the blood. It would only lubricate the slipping and making holding on even harder. He kept screaming for help from the top of his lungs.

The Lizalfos just watched with a cruel smirk on its face. It had laid down and camouflaged itself again. Yet, as Four knew where it was, it couldn’t hide from him. Still, knowing it was there and just watched was entirely unnerving.

Four stared terrified as the edge kept coming closer. There was nothing he could use for his help. No tree, no bush and no boulder he could take hold of or round the rope on it. “Shit… Hyrule… I’m sorry…” He whispered while crying. If he didn’t let go, they’d both fall. And yet, he was the Traveler’s only chance for survival at the moment. He had to hold on!

The Smithy began to wonder which would end first, the rope he was holding onto or his road to the edge. Neither was appealing even one bit. Suddenly he stumbled backwards as the rope got loose. “H-Hyrule…?” He called weakly while scrambling to his feet. “HYRULE!” Four screamed in panic and dashed towards the edge to see what had happened. Yet, he never got to there as the Lizalfos suddenly jumped up and attacked him.

The shortest Hero screamed in pain as the strong tail struck into his chest. He gasped his air out when he crashed into the ground back first. He was gulping for air as the monster jumped high and was up for finishing him off. Four stared wide-eyed at the monster. It was simply a reflex that got him to force himself to roll off of the way.

Yet, just as he got to his feet, he heard a thud. The Smithy turned around in a flash while drawing out his sword. But the beast was dead with three arrows through its head. Four turned around while searching for Wild.

The Champion was standing right on the edge of the area with bow and arrows still raised. Four sighed in relief before already grimacing at the pain on his side. Yet, a second later pure terror returned into him. “Hyrule! Where’s Hyrule?! Is he all right?!” He shouted while dashing to Wild and entirely ignoring his burning hands and painful side.

“Hyrule’s down safe and sound.” Wild told and Four sighed in absolute relief. “We need to get you down from here too.” The Champion said and snapped the Smithy’s notion back into him. “Just hold on tight to me. I’ll get us down from here in no time.”

Four nodded and moved over to hug Wild. “Sorry for messing your clothes with my blood.” He apologized just before screaming in slight terror as the Champion jumped off from the cliff. Yet, nearly instantly he took out the Paraglider and brought them both down safe and sound.

The whole Chain was there waiting for them to land. Hyrule was still unconscious but his head wound was healed. Legend probably had somehow managed the Traveler to drink a potion. “What happened?” Time inquired in worry before noticing the Smithy’s hands. “Captain!” The Chain’s leader called and Warriors came on that second over to them. Time simply nodded towards Four’s hands.

“Damn…” The Captain muttered before gently starting to usher their smith to the close by river. “We need to treat those rope burns.” He simply told while taking out the needed things to fix the situation. “I know it’ll hurt like hell but put your hands into the water. It’ll soothe a bit.” He instructed calmly.

Four grimaced at the pain but he followed the half commands, half instructions of the Captain’s. He knew that Warriors knew what to do and how so that the wounds and whatnots could be properly healed. A while later he had checked the tail strike too but surprisingly that strong hit hadn’t broken ribs.

Things had calmed down when the duo returned to the camp. Hyrule was just waking up which was entirely good news for Four. He walked over to Time and sat down before already starting to explain what had happened. His leader and the Chain listened quietly until Time nodded firmly.

“You did well in there, Smithy. Your actions quite certainly saved Traveler’s life in there.” The one eyed man commented and Four relaxed a bit. “Things happen, Four. We just need to handle things the best we can. Just be bit more careful next time.” He told calmly before giving a one armed hug to the shortest Hero. “What matters is that you’re both safe and sound.” The Smithy just nodded and leaned against his leader’s side before closing his eyes and calming down. It had been quite a freak out and he needed to get his emotions under control. Right now, in the safety of the camp, he knew he could handle that task without a worry.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos and bookmarks!

If someone wishes to do fanart, go for it! Just give me the link once you upload the picture! ^.^

Chapter 7: Day 6: "You lied to me"

Summary:

A calm and happy day goes to hell for Time when he's asked to handle a "simple" solo mission. Shouldn't be hard for a Hero, right? Yet, whom ends up being the monster: the attacker or the attacked?

Published: 06.02.2024 at 1:25 of Finnish time.

Notes:

CW: Blood, sword wounds, monsters, curse, attempted murder and murder, transformation from monster into human and human into monster, revenge, taunting, cursing.... If I forgot something, sorry. This is quite rough chapter.

“YOU LIED TO ME!”

The furious shout startled everyone in the Inn. The Chain watched shocked as Time stormed his way to the owner of the Inn. The guy was at the receptionist’s desk at the moment when the one eyed male cruelly hoisted him over the desk and slammed him back first against the closest wall. He was seething with rage as he glared at the man.

“TIME! The hell you’re doing?!” The Chain shouted while scrambling up from the chairs at the dining room. They quickly made their way into the hall with wide-eyes. Warriors was the only one whom dared to go next to their leader and force him away from the Inn’s keeper.

Time was growling while glaring daggers into the man. “You’re fucking lucky that I didn’t kill anyone!” He snarled while clenching and unclenching his hands. He so wanted to punch the guy’s lights out but he somehow held back while all of his boys were watching.

“What?” The Captain asked in shock and confusion. He partly forced Time backwards away from his target before glancing between the two several times. Yet, his gaze snapped into the Inn’s keeper when the man started to laugh.

The man smirked as he understood to be in safety from getting killed by his current target. “And here I thought I had had it perfectly.” He stated out and chuckled while shaking his head. “What stopped you, huh? The kid herself? Her parents? Their pathetic story? Come on, tell me. What kept you from fulfilling the mission?” He provoked cruelly.

Time’s gaze hardened and he growled even louder. He clenched his hands fully while being ready to ignore the Heroes around him. Suddenly he got the shock of his life as Warriors punched the Inn’s keeper hard and fast.

Time gasped while taking a step backwards and just staring. His target was fully knocked out by one strike. “Wars…?” He called tentatively while slowly turning his gaze into the Captain.

Warriors was breathing bit heavily while glaring at the unconscious man on the floor. “No-one… No-one puts my brother through hell and gets away with it.” He stated out firmly while trying to calm down. He was clenching and unclenching his hand in anger. Eventually he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to relax. “What happened, Sprite? Where were you?” He inquired the second he opened his eyes and turned his worried gaze into Time.

Time blinked few times before sighing heavily. He leaned backwards against the desk behind him before running his hand through his hair. “I…” He began before already trailing off while keeping his gaze on the floor. Eventually he closed his eye and hung his head as his ears drooped in both sorrow and shame.

“Come on, Sprite. Talk to us.” Warriors nearly begged while gently placing his hand over Time’s shoulder. “No-one’s blaming you. Nor is anyone going to judge you.” He told confidently.

Time snorted and shook his head. “You don’t even know what happened and you claim that?” He half queried the statement with a voice that had poorly hidden self-loathing within it. He hid his face into his hand while shaking his head.

“I know you, Sprite.” Warriors stated out firmly. “Whatever happened wasn’t your fault. Besides, you haven’t killed anyone. You told that already.” He continued and slightly calmed down when Time nodded in confirmation. “Come on, please, Sprite, talk.” He nearly begged but the older male just stayed silent while letting his hand drop from his face and his gaze was fixed into the floor.

Warriors glanced at the rest of the Chain before turning his notion back into their leader. “Would it be better if you only told to me? Some privacy and all that?” He inquired but Time shook his head.

“It’s… Better that everyone knows.” Time half whispered while still fighting against himself. He wanted to tell, to explain, but he couldn’t find the words or the courage to open up. He glanced once at the unconscious man on the floor before growling. He tensed up while gripping the edge of the desk overly strongly. He took several deep breaths in hopes of calming down while running his hand through his hair rougher than ever before. Eventually he closed his eye as he let out a deep and wavering breath.

Time barely could believe what he had almost done. He hid his face into his hands as he slumped forward. He shook as he began to cry. If he had… Dear Goddesses, he wasn’t certain he even deserved the title of a Hero anymore. It had been so very close that he would’ve taken an innocent life. Slowly and very uncertainly with a broken voice Time began to explain what had happened.

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

The day had begun nicely. Time had awakened the Chain up surprisingly gently and happily. He had ushered the boys down for breakfast while smiling and enjoying of the moment. “Okay, if you guys can get things done in, let’s say, three hours, I’ll buy you all hot chocolate. How about that?” Time had offered and gotten the Chain, especially Wind and Hyrule, very eager of the idea.

“So, what’s on the task list?” Sky inquired while being equally interested of the offer of hot chocolate. As Time knew, they all had sweet tooth and hot chocolate was one of the best things they knew of. With that it was easy to get any of his boys to do as he either told or requested of.

“Well, let’s see…” Time started while leaning back on his chair. “Restocking on arrows and potions. Asking around if there’s any of knowledge about monsters causing trouble. Finding out if there’s a Fairy Fountain anywhere near…” He started before shrugging. “You know… The normal stuff like usual.”

The Chain nodded eagerly before already finishing their breakfast and heading out of the Inn. Warriors stayed behind with a grin on his face. “You’re way too soft.” He told as he looked at Time.

Time chuckled and shrugged. “I just wonder where I learned that.” He replied mischievously before chuckling as Warriors shook his head. “What can I say? You spoiled me back then.”

Warriors rolled his eyes. “I did no such thing.” He claimed while crossing his arms over his chest.

Time smiled like Cheshire’s Cat. “Oh, I certainly remember quite a few times you bribed me with hot chocolates and cookies.”

Warriors blinked once in surprise before groaning and facepalming. Time laughed at his action before shaking his head. “Honestly speaking, I just thought to brighten up the day for the boys. It pretty much has been doom and gloom lately. Some fun and joy is a nice change for a moment.” He explained with a shrug.

Warriors chuckled and shook his head. “You certainly will spoil them, Sprite.” He told before starting to head out of there. “See you after three hours!” He called while waving his hand.

“See ya, Wars!” Time replied while taking his time at the dining area. It would be bright day and things were calm at the moment. The whole Chain was on happy mood while being actually fully eager to handle the tasks. He was really enjoying the situation at there.

Just as Time was going to leave the Inn, the keeper of the place approached him. “You’re in charge of the group of warriors here?” He queried straight off.

Time frowned slightly at the question. “Well, that depends on what kind of group of warriors you’re referring to. But, I guess I am in head of one of such.” He replied warily.

“Good. I got something for you.” The Inn keeper told surprisingly calmly underneath Time’s gaze. “There’s a monster living in one of the houses at the edge of the town. It’s scaring the hell out of everyone in here. It has powerful guardians protecting it which is why we haven’t yet gotten rid of it.” He explained and Time nodded slowly.

“If you just wait for few more hours, I and my team will take care of the problem.” Time replied calmly.

“No. No teams.” The Inn keeper stated out firmly. “This is a job for one person. It needs to be swift and efficient.”

Time narrowed his gaze at the guy before him. He felt bit contradicted of the situation. In one hand there was a monster to take care of but on the other hand it would be foolish to go to deal with the situation alone.

The Inn keeper easily saw how Time was trying to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. “I overheard one of your teammates calling you as ‘group of Heroes’. If that is correct, then this shouldn’t be a big deal for you.” He challenged with a shrug. “One monster and its guardians. Swift and clean mission.”

Time sighed and nodded. “Alright, fine. Where?” He queried before following the man to the receptionist’s desk. The Inn keeper took out a map of the town before showing the target house and the Inn’s locations. “I’ll handle it swiftly. If I crash with my teammates, I will ask them along.” He told firmly before leaving the house.

Time had tried to count the distance between the Inn and his target house while being quite certain of returning to the Inn in time before his boys. Part of him actually wished he’d crash with one to few of his boys. Something felt bit wrong in the given quest of sorts but he couldn’t really figure it out. He shook his head and pushed the feeling off so he could concentrate into the given task.

Time wasn’t happy at all when the walk to the house took over hour and half. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t been lucky enough to crash even one of his boys. The damn town wasn’t that big, for Goddesses sake!

Time just shook his head and approached the house. He decided to round the place first to check around. He didn’t even know what his enemy looked like let alone what its guardians were. He needed to be careful of the situation and get as much information as he could before going in. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to really make up plans for his attack.

As Time was taking a check into the house through the windows, he saw something entirely shocking. A beast, which reminded him of a Bokoblin from Wild’s timeline, with human clothes on was slowly and silently approaching a couch where a woman was sleeping. Time didn’t think twice as he already crashed through the window and attacked the monster fast and hard, the Gilded Sword in his hand swifter than ever before.

The creature screamed first in terror but next in pain as the weapon cut through the being’s chest. The beast flew backwards and crashed against a wall. Terror alone got the monster to scramble to its feet and run. Time kept his gaze in the beast as he chased it. He just barely registered the woman’s scream as he had dashed past her.

The small Bokoblin of sorts was screaming and running while trying to keep the kitchen table between itself and Time. The wound was bleeding heavily but the being didn’t seem to even notice it. Eventually Time jumped onto the table and attacked from higher ground. It was just inches from the blade cutting into the creature’s neck. Time cursed, jumped down from the table and ran after the monster again.

Suddenly the beast stumbled and Time was on it. He stabbed hard and fast but the small being was still surprisingly quick. The attack missed the death blow but it still did quite a much of damage. Time pulled the sword out and readied for another attack when suddenly a sword collided with his blade.

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” Enraged man screamed while swinging the sword again. Time just barely managed to get up to his feet and back off while hitting his Gilded Sword against the offending weapon.

“The hell!?” Time half shouted before giving a glare to the man. “I just saved the woman from that beast!” He explained but when his gaze fell into the situation behind the man, he was entirely taken off guard. The woman was cradling the monster while crying. It was simply reflexes that got him to raise his weapon just in time to block the new attack from the man. Yet, the shock and abrupt attack got him to lose the hold of his sword.

“SAVE?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” The man screamed while bringing the sword to Time’s throat. “YOU ATTACKED MY FAMILY, YOU BASTARD! I SHOULD KILL YOU!” He growled while wishing to kill the invader in his home.

Time stared in absolute shock and horror at the situation. His gaze had found the framed photos on the walls. Each of them were of the beast dressed in girl’s clothes. Some of them were even of the monster with one or both of them adults. “T-the hell…?”

“If she dies I will hunt you down.” The man growled while still holding Time at the sword point. Time gulped while being too fearful to actually move.

“I-I… I’ll accept the death. B-but before that… I can help… Please.” He half whispered. “I won’t attack. I’m just taking a bottle out…” Time explained while moving very carefully and slowly. He took out a bottle with a fairy in it.

The man narrowed his gaze. “The fairies have never helped us.” He snarled while glaring at the pink being in the bottle.

“I swear this one will.” Time stated out while letting the creature free. “Save the girl. Please.” He spoke in Fairy Language and nodded towards the still heavily bleeding creature. The fairy flew over to her before sounding an alarm and coming right back to Time. “Don’t you DARE back off!” Time snarled at the small creature. “Save her or this’ll be the last time I speak to any fairy!” The fairy was quite startled of the threat and roughness from the one the fairies called as one of their own.

Time glared at the fairy until the small being flew back to the woman and the beast. The magical creature glanced once more at Time whom simply nodded firmly before beginning to heal the monster. Time sighed in full relief at the scene.

The man stared in pure shock of the fairy healing the creature in his wife’s arms. “H-how…?” He inquired quietly.

“I grew up with fairies. They taught me their language. And they call me as one of their own.” Time explained while calming down slightly since the main danger was gone. He wanted answers but he didn’t dare to ask for them.

The man pulled the sword away and looked Time straight into that one eye. “Did the Inn’s keeper send you here?” He inquired bit roughly and Time simply nodded as an answer. The man cursed under his breath. “That bastard’s sending people at us constantly. It doesn’t matter if we move. He’ll find us each and every time.” He growled angrily.

Time stayed silent but he simply nodded to show he understood. The man sighed heavily. “I’ve told him billion times that our daughter was cursed because she was born at the night of the red moon. She’s nice kid even though her outlook’s wrong.” He told even though he wasn’t certain why.

Time nodded again before gulping. “Um… I-I might have a way to help…” He replied while reaching out for his pocket again. “Just bringing out a musical instrument called ocarina.” The Chain’s leader explained and brought out the Ocarina of Time. “I know a song which has broken a curse before. It’s called as The Song of Healing. May I?”

The man was still bit wary but he nodded. This was first time anyone was offering any kind of help. Most never even paid for the damage they caused around their home. Time nodded, closed his eyes and began to play the song. He played the notes three times just like he had done back at Termina.

The heavy and sorrowful sigh was all the answer Time needed as he opened his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered in defeat. This was first time the song had failed him.

“At least you tried. That’s more than anyone else has ever done.” The man stated out before going to pick Time’s Gilded Sword up. He threw it to Time and glared at him. “Get out of here and don’t you dare to come back.” He growled before going over to his wife and daughter.

Time simply nodded and picked the sword up. He took the money pouch of his and left it to the closest table. It would be more than enough to fix the window he had destroyed. And yet, the rupees could never fix the damage done.

Time left the house while feeling entirely hellish of the situation. He cleaned the sword and sheathed it while beginning his trek back to the Inn. He had been only inches from having killed an innocent, cursed child. That left him so thoroughly rattled.

Yet, the closer to the Inn Time got, the more raged he became. The man knew how things were and he still was sending all kinds of fighters to murder a family whom had been struck by a curse. Time still recalled very clearly the House of Skulltula from Kakariko Village. He shuddered at the memory but he had managed to free them from their curse unlike today.

Time knew that the man had wanted to kill him for having broken into his home and attacked his daughter with the full intent of killing her. He felt like the fairy had also saved his life since otherwise he certainly would’ve accepted the death. He would’ve deserved it for his actions. Yet, maybe, hopefully, there would be a way to break the curse. He just needed to find the answer.

When Time finally reached the Inn, he was seething with rage. He slammed the door open so cruelly that it almost broke out of its hinges. The words left from his mouth the second he saw the man whom had send him off to handle the bastard’s dirty work. “YOU LIED TO ME!”

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

Time fell silent and just stared at the floor in front of him. The silence was so tangible that he almost felt like choking in it. “You said that… She was born at the night of the red moon, right?” Wild inquired bit uncertainly and Time simply nodded without raising his gaze up.

Wild frowned while thinking the information through. “You got something in mind, Cub?” Twilight inquired while hoping there’d be something they could lift Time’s mood up.

“Maybe…” Wild half whispered while still frowning. “I heard tonight’s red moon.” He started slowly while still feeling uncertain. He glanced at Time before making his choice. He sighed heavily before raising his gaze up into their leader. “In my time, the red moon is called as Blood Moon. It revives and strengthens monsters. While it’s up on the sky, the beasts can’t be killed. They just come right back to life.” He explained as confidently as he could.

“That certainly doesn’t sound good.” Warriors commented while bit shivering at the thought. “But how can that help on this case?”

“Maybe… With the red moon up on the sky… Um… We could strengthen Time’s song?” The Champion half inquired.

Time sighed heavily. “It should’ve worked on its own.” He told while finally raising his defeated gaze up into Wild. “This is first time it failed on me.”

“You’re not alone, Time.” The Champion stated out firmly. “Seven out of eight got instruments. Teach us that song and we’ll aid you to strengthen its magic.”

Times partly snorted and shook his head. “They won’t let me anywhere near them. Honestly, I understand that choice perfectly. I wouldn’t either if I were them.”

“I and Wind can go ahead.” Four stated out. “Two kids without weapons and just musical instruments. We’re no threat.” He suggested calmly.

Wind nodded eagerly. “And we can introduce the rest of you.” He told while really wishing to aid on this. “Besides, the father told that you were first one to try and make it right. That has to count for something.”

“Yeah, as an apology for trying to go for murder.” Time grumbled while feeling contradicted. In one hand he desperately wanted to help and break the curse. On the other hand they didn’t want him anywhere near them.

Wind flinched a bit at the tone of voice as well as at the words. Time sighed and hid his face into his hand. Warriors gently wrapped his arm around Time’s shoulders and pulled him close to him. “We’ll figure this out, Sprite.” He whispered reassuringly before turning his gaze into the rest of the Chain. “So, let’s plan this out. Four and Wind go first and try to talk to them. If things are a go, they’ll give us a signal. Twilight, sorry, you’re a wolf. Wild…” He started to half command since Time clearly wasn’t in the condition of being the leader at the moment.

“I’ll keep eye on the moon.” Wild stated out firmly. “I’ve seen Blood Moon often enough. I know what to wait for and when to do something about it. I’ll be at the roof to keep eye on things.”

Time sighed and raised his gaze up into Warriors. “You think this’ll work?” He inquired while having very slight amount of hope in his voice.

“It’s worth a shot.” The Captain replied with a slight shrug. His gaze fell into the unconscious man on the floor. “What do we do with that guy?” He inquired with a slight growl in his voice.

“Kill him?” Time thought but he ended up shrugging. “I’ve no idea. Yet, he needs to pay for his actions somehow.” He answered while fully being entirely willing to take out his Gilded Sword and make the man pay for having sent so many after the cursed child.

“I think we should take him along.” Twilight suddenly told while glaring at the man. “Tied and gagged. The family has the rights to do as they please with him. He is at the fault of their hell.”

The Chain nodded in agreement. Time frowned a bit before slowly nodding too. “I like how you think, Cub.” He commented with a slight smile. “So, let’s make this right, then.”

Even thought the Chain took their weapons off, Wild took them into safekeeping into his Slate. On that way they were still armed but at least it wasn’t in actual sight. The group, with the gagged, tied and still very groggy Inn’s keeper with them, walked to the house where the latest attack had happened. Time and the rest of the Chain stayed far from the house but still in sight when Four and Wind went to knock on the door.

The man came to open the door while keeping the sword in his hand. He narrowed his eyes at the two kids. “What do you want?” He asked with bit crueler voice than he actually meant to use.

Wind and Four gulped once before taking a deep breath. “We heard what happened.” Four began and chose to handle the talking. “The one lied to about the situation is brother of ours. We vouch for him.” He explained while feeling like he just chose the wrong going.

“We have an idea how to break the curse!” Wind half shouted before the guy managed to slam the door onto their face. “We also have the Inn keeper along. You and your family can choose what to do with the guy.” He explained while fully ignoring his Hero’s side telling that such an action wasn’t exactly by the code of Hero.

The man frowned while thinking the information through. “One of our brothers is aware of the effects of the red moon. He believes that the song can be strengthened and the beast to be taken out of your daughter. Tonight’s the first chance as the said red moon rises tonight.” Four said as calmly as he could.

“I need to talk with my family.” The man simply stated and slammed the door shut. Wind and Four sighed heavily while looking at each other. At least they had tried. Yet, they weren’t going to leave from the door just in case the family chose to give it a shot.

The wait felt like an eternity before the door was opened again. Wind and Four quickly stood up from the stairs and turned to look at the man. “My wife is up for giving it a go.” He started and the duo sighed in relief while relaxing. “NO weapons. Not even one weapon into my home. Understood?” The man told fiercely and the two Heroes nodded eagerly. “Ten o’clock. Sharp.” The said before slamming the door shut again.

Wind and Four swiftly returned to the rest of the group. “We’re accepted.” Wind told straight off. “No weapons as we already chose before even coming to here. And we’re supposed to be here at ten o’clock, sharp.” He explained very swiftly. Time sighed in relief and relaxed. At least he had one more chance of making things right.

Since Time was the clock expert, the group was knocking on the door exactly on time. The man narrowed his eyes when he saw their latest assailant and Time dropped his gaze down in shame. “You all are staying by the door. Inside but not further in from there.” The man commanded while letting the group in.

“Is it alright that the brother of ours whom is expert with the red moon will be on your roof to keep eye on the situation?” Four inquired and the man simply nodded. Wild nodded once and returned outside before already making his way up to the roof.

“What do you wish to be done with this guy?” Time inquired once everyone had gotten inside but staying as close to the door as possible. He shoved the tied and gagged Inn’s keeper into the man’s sight.

“Keep him the hell away from me or I’ll murder him here and now.” The man snarled while glaring at the one at fault of his family’s turmoil.

“As you wish.” Time simply stated out and roughly tackled the guy into the floor. He slammed the man into the corner of the door and wall while making sure he’d stay there. He couldn’t help but bit smirk at the pained sounds the Inn’s keeper made at the actions.

“The red moon’s rising! Play the song!” Wild called suddenly from the roof and the seven Heroes took out their instruments. Wolfie waited for the right time to join in into the music. Time began playing The Song of Healing. The others started to play the same tune after they had heard the right notes for it.

When the moon hit its peak, the girl began screaming. “Keep on playing! This is part of the healing!” Wild shouted from the roof. Time was the only one whom had just flinched but not having wavered from his playing. The others had partly stopped since this was their first curse breaking moment with a song. Once everyone was back on track, the magic of the song began working on full force again.

Suddenly the monster separated from the girl. The beast was something of a mix of a Bokoblin and Lizalfos. “They’re separated!” Warriors shouted to Wild since Time and the others kept playing the song just in case.

“Kill the monster! NOW!” Wild screamed back nearly frantically.

“You have the rights as this is your family at stake.” Time stated out to the man with a firm nod. The others were still playing the song since it seemed to keep the creature to its place.

“Finish your mission.” The man snarled and threw the sword to Time. The Chain’s leader caught the sword easy before already taking those couple of steps towards the monster. With a fluid and swift movement the sword went through the beast’s throat and out from the neck, nearly severing the head off. Time slowly pulled the sword out while glaring at the monster.

The second the strange thing crashed to the floor, it already vanished with a puff of purple smoke. On that second the girl in the woman’s arms inhaled sharply and shot her eyes open. “Mama?” She called with a slight confused frown on her face. Her mother cradled her close to her chest while crying out of joy.

The child’s father sighed in relief and relaxed while leaning against the wall behind him. Time cleaned the sword before offering it back to the man. The man simply nodded while accepting his weapon back. “We’ll make our leave now. I’ll try and figure out a punishment for that asshole.” Time half whispered before nodding once to the man.

Just as Time turned around to usher the group out of there and back to the Inn, the man called after them. “Wait!” The Chain turned to look at him slightly uncertainly. “Thank you.” The man stated out with a smile on his face. “You’ve done far more than I could’ve ever asked for.”

Time shook his head. “I…” He wanted to say he had only done what he had seen right but it felt like wrong choice considering how things had started. The simple line of ‘Hero’s work’ felt equally futile. Eventually he just gave a slight smile and node. “I… I’m just glad we could help.” He eventually said while still feeling like those were empty words.

“Unlike anyone else, you actually did all you could to help.” The man pressed while feeling like he should somehow truly show how thankful he felt. He finally got safety for his family. Especially for his daughter.

“Time, I know how to deal with that bastard.” Warriors suddenly said while grinning mischievously. Time frowned but he nodded to accept whatever plan the Captain had. “We’ll deal with this fool accordingly. Your family will be entirely safe from here on out.” He told calmly before getting the Inn’s keeper up and ushering everyone out of the house. Warriors gave one last firm nod to the family before leaving.

The Captain checked the sky once they were out of the house. The red moon was still in the sky. “Perfect.” He grinned. “Come on, Wild! Let’s leave!” Warriors called while leading the confused Chain out of there. Yet, when they reached the first alleyway, he already took it. “Wolfie, change.” He commanded and soon Twilight was on there.

Warriors took the gag off and undid the ties but he didn’t let go of the man. “Twilight, let him get in touch with that transformation magic of yours.” He half commanded. The words took everyone off guard but nearly instantly when the implored idea hit, the whole Chain was smirking cruelly. The Inn keeper was terrified and he tried to get free from the Captain’s hold but the knight had him well restrained.

“Have fun being a hunted beast.” Twilight smirked and swung the necklace of his into touch with the man’s skin. The man yelped before already changing. Suddenly Warriors was holding something that was mix of a Tektite and Octorok. He gasped a bit in shock but he didn’t let go of it.

“So, what do we do when we see a monster?” Time half inquired while smirking cruelly.

“It’s taken down without a second’s thought.” Hyrule replied while already turning towards Wild for his weapons. The Champion swiftly took everyone’s swords and shields out from his Slate.

“That’s quite small beast. I doubt everyone can get a hit in.” Sky commented while feeling like Time should handle the killing blow. After all, he had been the asshole’s latest victim.

“I know a better idea.” Time told while sheathing his sword. “Give the bows and arrows.” He requested while grinning. “How high you can throw that creature, Captain?”

“Definitely high enough for everyone to land a strike with an arrow.” He promised while taking his bow and arrows. He put them to hang from his shoulder. “Just let me know when to throw.”

Time looked around and saw everyone being more than ready to take the ‘monster’ down. “This is what you requested of me. I’m just finishing the task you gave me.” The Chain’s leader told to the creature in Warriors’ arms before nodding firmly.

The Captain threw the ‘beast’ into the air and swiftly took his bow and arrows while already aiming. “NOW!” Time shouted and everyone fired their arrows into their target. The dead creature came down with nine arrows sticking from its body. Just as it hit the ground, it vanished into purple smoke.

“We’d better leave from the Inn already tonight.” Four commented. “Someone might’ve seen us drag the gagged and tied Inn’s keeper out of the Inn.” He explained and the rest of the Links nodded in agreement.

The group returned to the Inn and quickly packed the rest of their things. Twilight fetched Epona from the stable and the Chain left as quickly and silently as possible. For their luck the next portal appeared couple of days later and they sighed in relief as they left the timeline behind them.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos and bookmarks!

If someone wishes to do fanart, go for it! Just give me the link once you upload the picture! ^.^

Chapter 8: Day 7: Suffering in silence

Summary:

Time had been very lucky about his marking all the way until now. Before this place, people had been simply curious but never cruel. Now..... He had never truly understood how much words could hurt.

Published: 07.02.2024 at 2:15 of Finnish time.

Notes:

CW: Taunting, isolating, attempted murder, facial / arm markings (all already given by Jojo in LU), property damage, cursing, calling bad guy on some very cruel names

Inspired by this rough comic: https://www.tumblr.com/bloodybloob/730853042627411968/while-the-rest-of-the-group-were-out-getting
Go check it out and let them know of the story, thank you! ^.^

Time didn’t know how to feel. Part of him was seething in rage of what had been said. And yet, in bigger part, that had hurt. Far deeper and harder than he had ever thought to be possible. The only thing he was grateful of was the fact that neither Wild nor Twilight had been there with him.

He tried to ignore the stares and glares he got from the people around him as he returned to the woods to fetch the others. He had, luckily, gotten couple of rooms for them from the Inn… Well, after paying far more than the place was worth of. At least, he hoped, the guy would keep his mouth shut for the time they would stay there.

Before getting into their sight, Time took a deep breath and forced his feelings into the back. He didn’t need to let the others know what he had encountered. “You guys up for getting settled into an Inn?” He called calmly while checking his boys through. The Chain nodded while carefully getting up from their places. That last battle really had done a number in them. Yet, Hyrule and potions had helped a lot. Now, with few good and safe nights in an Inn would do the rest.

“Wild, do me a favor and keep that hood on while we’re staying at the town.” He requested while gently already putting the hood over the boy’s head. “And Twilight… Cover that marking, will ya?” He called while trying to figure out how to do such. “The people at there… Well, let’s say they got bad experience from people with facial markings.” The Chain’s leader explained while just shrugging it off.

“Your markings aren’t going to be easy to hide, Time.” Warriors stated out while watching Four giving his bandanna for Twilight for the time being.  The older man just shrugged.

“They already saw me. It’ll be just fine.” Time replied while expertly hiding his uncertainty and hurt. He held his head high and gaze straight as they entered the town. He ignored the gazes and whispered words around him. “Just don’t pay attention to any of that.” He told to others while leading them to the Inn.

“What a freak.”

“Can’t believe he dares to move around like that.”

“Are they thugs? Thugs always use facial markings and whatnot.”

“What the hell he’s done? Broke the law and got marked for it?”

“Don’t look, dear. Keep your gaze down. Don’t catch their notion.”

“I’m surprised the Inn lets him stay there.”

“Probably paid whole year’s worth of stay for it.”

Time sighed heavily and sat down onto the bed the second he was in the safety of his own room. He hid his face into his hand while trying to stay intact. He needed to show to others to just ignore it. That he wasn’t paying even one notion to those cruel words. That he was confident enough in his own outlook that this didn’t hurt… And yet, he was breaking down.

Time concentrated into breathing. He needed to get himself back in control. They’d be going down for a meal soon and he needed to show he wasn’t scared to show his face around. And yet, part of him just wanted to stay in the room and not come out ever again.

A moment later he took a deep and wavering breath before getting up. He started to take the armor off before placing his stuff around the room. They’d be staying there for few days, at least, so it was better to get settled in.

Time took a deep breath before he left the room and went to knock on the doors of the rooms the others were in. “Food time, guys! Come on, out of the rooms and down for meal!” He called while keeping his voice strong. He had to stay as an example for the others.

“How can you put up with what’s going on in here?” Warriors asked nearly raged. Time placed his hand over the Captain’s shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

“I just ignore it.” He replied and looked at the others. “Don’t pay attention to it. Don’t let it get to you. Just… Let it come in from one ear and out the other.” He advised and looked meaningfully at Wild and Twilight. “Stay proud of who you are.”

Time tried to follow his own words. He really did but the words and actions kept lodging into him. The looks, the avoidance, the glances, the whispers… He desperately tried to lock his ears and eye from it all but it struck deeper than he wanted to admit. Yet, he kept his appearance and pretence up just for the others. Especially for Twilight and Wild. They needed to know it would be alright and yet… He wasn’t going to put them through this as straight to face as he was.

At the dining hall the other customers moved away from them. They kept at least few tables between them and the Heroes. “Don’t mind of it.” Time told to his boys and grinned slightly. “At least we got our own privacy here. No-one eavesdropping, eh.” He commented with a shrug. Yet, he hated the fact of how much it did hurt.

When everyone else, even people whom came after them into the room, started to be served, Time had enough. “Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” He huffed while holding back as much of his anger and hurt as possible. The people could treat him as they wished but NOT his boys!

“I’ll handle this.” Warriors told firmly as Time was getting up from his place. He couldn’t stand the way his brother and leader was being treated. The Captain wasn’t as easily fooled by Time’s acting of everything being fine. After all, he shared actual past with their leader and had learned to search for those small things that gave him out.

“Captain, it’s fine.” Time stated out while giving a meaningful look to Warriors. He couldn’t let others handle his problems. Especially not this. The leader of the Chain stood up and headed off to the kitchen. Inwardly he was freaking out while worrying of what the cooks would dish out at him. And yet, he had to show he could handle his own shit on his own.

“Get out, freak!” The shout came right after he entered the area.

“Just—“ Time started before yelping in shock as a knife was pointed right at him. “I’m not—!“ He tried while raising his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat.

“We don’t serve to your kind.” The cook snarled while glaring at Time. “Get back to whatever Goddesses damned hole you and your followers came from.”

Time gulped once before facing the glare with his own. There was so much he wanted to say. And yet, he swallowed the words while trying to stay calm. “The group I’m with… They have nothing to do with the way I am. Serve to them, at least.” He tried to keep his voice calm and collected but he knew some of his anger seeped into there. “Just know this…” Time continued while hardening his glare and letting his voice become colder than he actually meant for. “…If you harm them, even one bit, I swear I’ll have your hide.”

While Time dealt with the cooks, the Chain tried to keep up a conversation. They fully ignored the fact how others looked at them and how they were given far more space than needed. Most of the boys even joked about it. Yet, Warriors stayed silent and kept his gaze fixed into the way Time had gone to.

The Captain couldn’t close his ears from the whispers around them. He couldn’t shut his eyes from the looks and actions of the people around them. He had seen the hurt and shame in Time’s eye even though the older male hid it all behind well practiced act.

“How can that group be with that freak?”

“Are they under a spell or something?”

“I’ve no idea but I don’t want that being to even look at me. Gah, those hellish markings make me shiver!”

“Stay away from them, dear. They’re dead men walking.”

“That freak should be kicked out of the whole town!”

“Oh, better yet, killed.”

“You dare take him on?”

“….Point taken.”

Warriors seethed with rage as he listened to the people around them. They were talking about his brother! He forced himself to concentrate into the talks at his own table. He looked straight at Wild and Twilight. He searched for anything that could show they were affected about what was going on. Yet, all he could see was the same rage he felt about the way their leader was being treated. The duo, luckily, didn’t associate the talks into their own markings.

Time returned to the dining hall while acting all calm and collected again. He simply gave a slight shrug to Warriors’ questioning look while taking his place again. Deep inside he was scared of whether or not he’d be served. Part of him even feared the cooks would try and poison him but he felt like that wasn’t a possibility. They’d have eight swordsmen right at their throats if they did such. Time highly doubted the cooks and the Inn’s keeper would be that stupid.

It didn’t take long before the food was brought in. Time inwardly sighed in relief when the food was brought to him too. He gave the guy a smile and a nod which probably freaked the crap out of the waiter as he hurried right back to the kitchen.

“I can say one thing for sure.” Wind told after tasting once at the given food and giving bit of a scowl. “Wild can do million times better with less ingredients.” He stated out while quite well unwillingly eating the meal. The others nodded in agreement.

Time agreed with the claim but instead of saying it aloud, he simply shrugged. “I’ve had worse.” He simply told while knowing that what Anju had served back at Termina had been seriously better than this. And she had been a terrible cook.

Time felt thoroughly relieved when he finally got to his room for the night. It had been hellish to claim that everything was fine. He was certain that Warriors had seen right through him but he was entirely grateful for the Captain to have kept his mouth shut. And for him to have let Time to try and deal with the situation on his own. Time couldn’t deny the fact that he felt happy of Warriors having tried to fix it for him. It meant a lot to him even though he couldn’t say it aloud.

Time sat down to the bed. He leaned his elbows into his knees while hiding his face into his hands. He let the tears come while staying silent. He didn’t want anyone to notice how broken the whole day had left him. At least, back at his own time, people knew him and didn’t care of his markings. They were more of curious than scared. It had felt quite nice and he had thoroughly forgotten that there were people who would shun others with such markings. He had entirely forgotten how much it hurt.

The next day rose and Time got up slowly. He didn’t want to leave the room but he couldn’t stay in there either. He was the Chain’s leader. He had responsibilities to handle. He forced himself to get ready for the day and the things to be handled. They needed to restock while having a chance.

Time took a deep breath and forced back into usage his yesterday’s act of things being absolutely fine. He kept his voice strong and normal as he went to get the others up and about. He smiled to them while checking even more carefully on Wild’s and Twilight’s moods and actions. He was grateful of the duo still hiding their markings but not having fully registered that the words and actions could easily be thrown at them too. He seriously didn’t want the duo to go through what he took from the townspeople.

Time walked his boys down from the second floor while making sure no-one was going alone. He even made Warriors to promise he’d look after Wild and Sky to stay with Twilight. The two of them were the most confident people he knew besides Twilight himself but he wanted to make sure the duo got protection if needed. Hyrule and Legend stuck together as usual. Wind and Four tagged teams while already planning where’d they go to.

Time listened silently with a small smile at the plans being made. He was grateful that none of them realized to pick him along. Part of him wished to join at least one of the teams but he held back. They’d be safer without him. Not to mention they certainly would be treated far better too.

Time wondered for a second about just staying at the Inn but he left it anyways once he was certain his boys were far enough from there. At the moment he seriously didn’t want to be associated with his group for their sake. He thought about going back to the forest they had come from and staying out of sight until evening. It felt like the safest idea and after moment’s contemplation he chose to go with it.

Time moved fast through the streets while being grateful of the early morning. Very few were up and going but most of the shops were already open. He was quite certain of having gotten to the forest without having been seen. Once far enough, he sighed in relief and leaned against the closest tree. At least the nature itself didn’t shun him.

Time closed his eye and listened to the waking forest. The singing of the birds, the calm sound of a small stream not far away, the gentle wind rustling the leaves… It was all sounds from his childhood. All sounds that easily calmed him and let him leave all the worries for another moment.

Time didn’t know how long he had been there when a rustle not far from him caught his notion. “Who’s there?” He called out while pushing himself off of the tree and turning towards the sound. It was pure reflex, instinct and experience that got him to move out of the arrow’s way. An arrow that was coming from behind him. As soon as that threat had passed, two men armed with swords attacked him.

Time swiftly drew out his Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield to counter the attacks. He stayed on defense while having no interest in attacking these men. “Leave me alone! I’m not a threat to anyone!” He shouted while trying not to get surrounded by the trio as the archer quickly joined into the battle with a sword.

The men only laughed while circling around and attacking every now and then. They smirked as they realized that their target seriously wasn’t going to attack them. “Freaks are dealt with death!” One of them shouted before all three attacked simultaneously. Time wasn’t able to block than two out of three which was exactly what they went for… And Time thoroughly cursed inwardly for having not put the armor on.

Warriors jerked at the scream splitting the air. “Time!” He half shouted before already turning towards Wild. “Get the others! Time’s in trouble!” He commanded just before he already dashed towards the forest. The Champion had simply nodded and dashed off while already calling Wind’s mysterious rock to catch the notion of two out of six.

“Three against one is seriously cowardly!” Warriors shouted when saw the situation. Time was still standing but he was bleeding quite well. There were wounds in both of Time’s legs as well at his back. The rest of his body, so far, had been well enough protected. The attackers, though, were still fully unharmed. Each of the three men had blood in their swords while Time’s was still clean besides from the small bits that had come from the blades colliding.

“Get the hell out of here unless you want to die!” The Captain threatened while blocking an attack that was aimed at Time’s back. The Chain’s leader was blocking two attacks which were coming diagonally from in front of him. Without Warriors, that third attack would’ve found its target.

“Don’t hurt them.” Time nearly commanded while slightly relaxing. If Warriors was here, the rest were coming soon. It was just matter of time.

“I’m not letting them go without a wound or few. At least.” Warriors snarled back while glaring at the guy he had blocked just moments ago. He wanted to kill all three for having attacked Time… And most of all, for having hurt him.

The trio attacked again after a moment’s contemplation. They had gotten this far, they could take it to end too. Suddenly an arrow flew right past one guy’s face and the man jerked backwards in shock. “LEAVE! Or the next arrow pierces your head!” The raged shout came hidden from the forest. The swordsman looked around in search of the attacker. He held back but his two comrades continued to attack while trying to circle around their target’s friend.

Yet, very soon people started to arrive into the scene. The six, men and boys, quickly surrounded the trio’s victim. “If you want to keep your pathetic lives, you leave on this instant.” Warriors snarled in rage while fully fighting with himself. He so wanted to attack and rip these bastards into pieces. Yet, Time had given an order and he wasn’t going to challenge him by going against the given words.

The trio looked at one another before fleeing the scene. “I’ll make sure they’ll stay away!” Wild called from the tree and left after the trio. He had noticed the bow and arrows with one of them and feared them to try and snipe his brothers.

Time sighed in relief when the trio had left the area before half sitting, half crashing into the ground. The group around him screamed out his name but he simply felt grateful of being still alive. “Thank you. You guys pretty certainly saved my life.” He half whispered before getting bit surprised as Hyrule sat in front of him. Time simply smiled a bit and nodded.

The Traveler quickly started with his magic since none of them had had potions along. It had been one of the things they needed to buy but the said shop had been closed at the time. The note on the door had claimed the owner to have gone to search for needed ingredients. Yet, to both Hyrule and Legend it felt like an excuse to keep from selling to their group.

“Did you boys get what we need?” Time inquired while fully ignoring the situation he had just been in. He knew the reasons for having been attacked. And deep inside he knew his boys knew them too. Still, he wasn’t up for talking about it or bringing it up. He honestly didn’t want them to realize that it could’ve happened to Wild and Twilight too… Until his gaze fell into Warriors’ arm.

“Shit… I totally forgot that.” Time thought as he had noticed the burn marks that Volga had left in there. While the others were telling about their work of getting the things they needed, Time unnoticeably moved the Captain’s tunic’s sleeve down. He gave a swift and meaningful look to him and Warriors simply nodded.

When they finally returned back to the Inn, the cruel smirk on the Inn’s keeper’s face didn’t go unnoticed by any of the Heroes. That was the last straw for Warriors. Even though he didn’t give a glare to the guy, he made a choice which he knew Time wouldn’t allow if he was aware of his decision.

Luckily, this time, the food was in the form of a buffet. At least it kept the cooks from needing to face the group. Yet, if also brought even more out how little they were wanted around. The ‘normal’ people had their own section to fetch food from.

As Time led his boys to get their food, Warriors, with full intention, pulled his sleeves up. Time clearly jerked in shock when he realized the situation. “What the hell are you doing?!” He hissed quietly. “Put the sleeves down!” He commanded while keeping his voice down.

“Not a chance.” Warriors replied with normal voice. “If people can’t accept war scars, then it’s their own problem. Not mine.” He told firmly while giving a swift check around. He fought to keep his smirk off of his voice as he noticed to have caught some attention from the people around them.

When the nine Heroes sat down to eat, Warriors turned towards the people behind them. He grinned while letting them see his arm’s burn scars. “Fought against a dragon and lived to tell the tale.”

The group was bit taken off by Warriors having actually spoken to them. Soon one of the four people snorted and shook his head. “Dragon. What the fuck’s that?”

Other one of the two women laughed and smirked cruelly. “He prolly burned his arm by boiling water. Telling tales to cover for his stupidity.”

Warriors shrugged while turning towards his brothers. “Tough crowd here. Can’t take the truth when it’s told straight from the source.” He stated out before giving a grin to Time. Their leader had very much narrowed his eyes at the other table’s exclaims. Yet, as the Captain took things nonchalantly, he calmed down slightly. He still wasn’t happy of the situation but he let it slide for his older brother’s sake.

“Thanks for the loan.” Twilight suddenly said while offering the bandanna back to Four whom simply nodded and accepted his accessory back. Time was entirely shocked and watched the situation with growing fear. Yet, the Rancher didn’t pay even one bit of notion to it. Instead, he started to smirk as he noticed the looks he was getting from another table.

“There’s a wolf inside me. These marks and my fangs are the proof of it. Hurt this group I defend and I will bare these teeth at you.” Twilight told calmly without the smirk leaving from his face. The group in the other table quickly turned their gazes back into their own food while falling entirely silent. Few of the other Heroes tried desperately to hold in their snorts and laughs. Even though the Rancher spoke truth, it still was worth to see the reaction his words gained around them.

Time was fully startled of his descendant’s actions. Yet, he soon bit sighed and relaxed. It was clear that Warriors and Twilight were taking things seriously while being confident enough of themselves to not let the words hit and stick. Unfortunately, his worry grew again when Wild pulled the hood down and let his scars be seen. “Wild?” Time called bit worriedly.

“I’ll be okay.” The Champion replied with a small smile. “I got you all to defend me if needed.” He reassured while turning back to his food.

“Yeah, you certainly do.” Time replied while feeling proud of his boys. They were ready to take the rough words for his sake. Time was just beginning to calm down while feeling actually safe with the eight Heroes when suddenly things decided to start going downwards again.

“So what’s this? You marking your followers, freak? You working on a freak show or such?” The Inn’s keeper suddenly spoke from the doorway. Time flinched slightly and gave a quick check around. The others were clearly, luckily, ignoring the claims.

Unfortunately, the Inn’s keeper was far from finished. “Freaks with lies is what you are. Dragons, ha! Such fucking bogus!” Warriors just snorted and shrugged while giving Time a lopsided smirk. “Facial markings are the creation of the demon himself! Only his followers wear markings on plain sight!” Twilight rolled his eyes and shook his head before giving a reassuring grin to Time.

Time was grateful of how well his boys were taking the cruel claims. He fully felt content of their confidence but he couldn’t stop his rage from rising. This fool was slandering his boys. That was a line he wasn’t willing to let anyone cross. Just because Warriors and Twilight seemed to be taking things easy, he still would have to have a talk with the bastard about his words.

Sadly, the Inn’s keeper still wasn’t done. As he realized his words weren’t working in the first two victims of his, he turned his notion into the last one. He smirked as he noticed the youngster trying to be far more confident in the situation than what he was feeling. “Markings like that are clear show of how much the demon takes. Is the kid even truly alive, huh? Or just a vessel for the demon himself? Half the face is gone. Prolly half deaf too. Better that way just to hear the demons speak, eh?”

 Time’s eyes flashed in rage when he noticed the flinch from Wild. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Time screamed out as he slammed his hands against the table while getting up roughly and storming over to the guy with a full death-glare in his only eye. He took hold of the guy and slammed him back first against the wall. “You can shit talk about me all you want. I don’t care. My markings are my stupidity with powers I shouldn’t have used. But do NOT trash talk my boys. I might be barking now but I swear, next time I’ll bite.” Time snarled while knowing that everyone was staring at him. He gave one last jolt to the guy before backing off by couple of steps. He glared at the man for couple of seconds before turning away and returning to his place at the table.

Time breathed heavily while leaning his elbows into the table and digging his hands into his hair. He was partly glaring at the table while trying to calm down. The Chain was bit startled of Time’s outburst but they quite swiftly started to try and comfort him when he returned to their table.

The Inn’s keeper was shaken of the situation but he soon smirked. The guy hadn’t hurt him. His victim was holding back for a reason or another. He chuckled and shook his head. “If the trio hadn’t toyed with you, demon, we would’ve gotten rid of you already.”

Time flinched. That had been the only line he had dearly prayed that the bastard wouldn’t say. The confirmation of an attempt on taking his life. He had really hoped his boys wouldn’t have found out that it had been planned and paid for instead of spur of the moment thing. “Don’t.” He commanded when the Chain stood up while glaring daggers into the Inn’s keeper. “We’ll leave tomorrow. It’s not worth it.”

“Not worth it?” Warriors nearly snarled. “Not worth it?! Are you out of your mind?!” He screamed in rage. “Those bastards nearly killed you! And that asshole’s at the fault!” He shouted while pointing at the Inn’s keeper. “This is your life we’re talking about!”

Time flinched roughly. “I know.” He pretty much whispered the words. “But it’s not worth of getting the whole town against us. It was enough that they hated me. Now you three put yourselves into jeopardy because of me.”

“Time…” Warriors nearly pleaded while looking from their leader into the Inn’s keeper and back. He so wanted to swipe that smirk off of the guy’s face.

“Sit down. Please.” Time spoke with bit more strength within his voice than before. He sighed a bit when the Chain sat down. It was clear they were torn between what they wanted to do and what Time asked of them. “Thank you.” He nearly sighed the words out. “Currently it’s just barking. Ignore it.”

The Chain returned into eating the food but the eight Links were keeping very close eye on their surroundings. If they heard even one whisper of cruelty towards their leader or the other three, they shot the hardest death-glare they could muster towards the one whom spoke. Very soon the room fell into silence as no-one wanted to get death-glares into themselves. Even the Inn’s keeper had snuck out of there when he realized how close it was that the eight swordsmen would attack him for real.

Once the nine of them were ready, they didn’t go to their own rooms. No, instead they piled into Time’s. The Chain’s leader was bit startled and confused when the eight boys of his just barged in after him. He gave them a questioning look while sitting down to his bed.

“Gather your stuff. We’re staying in one room for this last night.” Warriors commanded while leaning against the door to keep it open. The other seven nodded firmly before dashing off to empty their rooms.

“Okay… What the heck’s going on?” Time inquired while bit wondering if this was the Captain’s way of making sure they all would be safe and sound through the night. Things had taken quite a turn, after all.

“You’ll see.” Warriors simply told while grinning mischievously. Time gulped once while bit dreading what was coming at his way. Very soon the others came back and just dumped their stuff into empty spots in Time’s room. Warriors left and fetched his own things before all eight sat down onto the floor in front of their leader. Time felt quite unnerved of the situation while looking from one Hero to another.

“That scar and those markings make you look really badass!” Wind told with a wide grin while thoroughly startling Time.

“I like the colors. They’re bright but not too bright.” Hyrule commented and got Time to blink in slight shock.

“The markings and the scar tell a story of rough life but it doesn’t change who you are.” Sky told fondly and got Time to whine while slumping forward as he hid his face into his hands.

“The markings gotta have a meaning. And I’m not meaning about the way you got them. I’m meaning about the original reason to the main place where they come from.” Legend noted out and got Time to chuckled bit nervously.

The Chain kept going on like that until everyone had gotten a good word said about Time’s markings and scar. By then Time was blushing but also bit smiling. He understood perfectly well what his boys were doing… And he couldn’t have felt any of happier of how well they were handling the situation.

“Alright, alright! Enough about me!” Time half shouted while bit chuckling before nodding towards Warriors. “Your turn.” He stated out with a grin. “Taking a dragon’s breath and surviving that is one hell of a feature.” He began while remembering that situation from their shared life. Warriors chuckled a bit while grinning at the notion he gained from his brothers.

“The amount of getting your arm to work after that gotta have been insane!” Twilight commented awed.

“I want to hear the whole story of that battle!” Wind nearly shouted while giving his full notion to Warriors.

“I fought once against a dragon… In a way… But breath as hot as the fires of Death Mountain… That’s rough. It really is something to take that.” Wild told while bit thinking about Naydra but very swiftly scratching the thought. That had been ice dragon underneath the effect of a curse.

“You’re next, Ranch Hand.” Warriors stated out while having fully enjoyed of all of the compliments and comments about his scarred arm. He glanced once at Time and smiled slightly at how at ease their leader was. This seriously was helping him and he couldn’t have felt happier of it. “Those markings are far from a curse. I’ve seen similar in most of our shields. It’s more of a blessing than anything else.” He told calmly while not only surprising Twilight but everyone else too.

“Actually, when you mention that, I can relate to it.” Four told with an eager nodding. “But, other than that, those markings make your wolf stand out from all the other canines. And that’s cool.”

“I like your wolf’s coloration. It’s kinda foresty. Gives you stealth, I think…” Hyrule commented while bit blushing.

The comments kept going and Twilight simply smiled through them all. It wasn’t often he got compliments about the markings or of his wolf in overall. Yet, once everyone had done their round, the Rancher’s notion fell into Wild. “Okay, Champion, you’re up.” He stated while smiling fondly. He gave a swift glance to Time as he chose his words carefully before turning his notion back into the Champion. “The way you carry those scars is nothing less than commendable, to be sure.” Wild blushed and Time blinked bit surprised of Twilight having actually remembered that line from so long ago.

“Those scars mark the victory of a Hero. Clearly telling of determination of never giving up.” Sky commented firmly and yet gently.

“They tell the story of not even death can stand in the way of the Hero fulfilling his work.” Wind stated out grandiosely. He grinned widely at the chuckles around him. Even though his words were thoroughly true, the way he gave them out was overly expressional.

The others gave their own comments and compliments to Wild. The Champion blushed while feeling bit nervous and uncertain. Yet, he knew every word the others gave, were absolute truth to them and on that way to him too. It meant a lot to him to be accepted and loved so unconditionally.

“Okay, that’s enough for today.” Time called once the all four marked members of their Chain had gained their compliments. “The rest will have to wait for another day. Now…” He told while looking around bit uncertainly. “How are we going to get you all fit into here for sleep?” He queried while knowing the room wasn’t that of big for all nine.

The Chain looked at each other before starting to grin mischievously. Time frowned in bit of worry as their gazes fell into him. Suddenly, the eight Heroes scrambled right onto his bed. “Wow, wow, wow!” Time half shouted when his boys were trying to get fit into his bed. “I’m not sure the bed’s big enough for—“

*CRASH!*

“…nine.” Time finished before the room fell into full silence. The bed had given out underneath their weight. Only a moment later they all burst into laughter. “Okay, okay, that wasn’t…” Time started while chuckling but he trailed off with a shake of his head. “Is everyone okay? No-one got hurt?” He queried while checking on everyone’s expressions. Yet, for his relief there were confirmations of things being just fine.

It took a moment but eventually all nine found comfortable position on the crashed bed. Time smiled fondly at the eight boys of his while bit petting Wild’s hair. During the past several hours he had realized how wrongly he had handled the situation straight from the beginning.

He had thought to have shielded and protected the others but truth was that he had simply allowed the cruelty to hit harder by doing nothing. He should have stood up straight off instead of waiting for the others to show their support to him. There were no chances he’d let such happen ever again. Their markings, his and the other three’s, weren’t something to be ashamed of. It was part of who they were and there was no changing it. They knew where they got them and that was all that mattered. Everyone else could go to hell for all he cared for. They didn’t know, they didn’t care and it sure as hell didn’t belong to them unless they came to ask about it and actually accept the freaking truth.

Time closed his eye and let the sleep claim him. He was safe and cared for just like the others around him. That was all that mattered. He smiled happily while fully enjoying of having the eight Heroes all around him.

The morning rose bright and the whole Chain was surprisingly chipper even after all that had been going for the past couple of days. Time was first awake but due to being surrounded by the others, he had to wait for them to wake up too. And for once, he actually let them sleep as long as they wanted to.

Eventually, as everyone was up and having gotten ready to leave, the Chain looked at each other again before grinning mischievously. “I’ll wait for an hour. Then I come to fetch you. Understood?” Time told sternly but his expression was giving entirely different story. He knew what his boys were up for and they wanted to do it without his knowledge.

“Yeah, yeah, got it! Just go already!” Wind ushered while grinning widely. Time chuckled and shook his head as he left the room. He gave a harsh look to the receptionist while walking past him. The guy kept his mouth shut and Time grinned slightly as he left the Inn. Right after that he already leaned against the wall next to the door and began waiting.

Time had been entirely ready to wait for two hours but just before hour was done, Wild already came out. He smiled sweetly at Time and came to lean against the wall next to him. Time wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “You okay?” He inquired bit worriedly.

Wild smiled and leaned against Time. “Entirely.” He replied while truly meaning it. Time nodded while feeling far calmer than for the two earlier days. He was actually smiling and enjoying of the day. Yet, he still threw a harsh glare to anyone whom looked at him or Wild the wrong way. That got them to quickly avert their gazes and move swiftly away from there. Time simply grinned at it while actually feeling like protecting the kid by him.

“You know, there’s probably something you should know.” Wild suddenly spoke as they were waiting for the others. Time hummed to show he was listening. “Captain is probably going to punch the Inn’s keeper, that close-minded bastard.” The Champion told while giving bit nervous chuckle.

Time shrugged. “The guy has it coming. I think I stopped Warriors twice already. Not doing that for third time.” He replied calmly and bit surprised Wild. Time gave him a grin and a wink when the Champion raised his gaze up into him. “So, where’d you learn that swearing?”

Wild chuckled a bit while grinning. “From Captain.”

Time chuckled. “Should’ve guessed. I was going to guess from Sailor but he’s probably having more colorful word for it.” He commented calmly.

“You want to know what Wind called him?” Wild asked bit excited. Time chuckled but he nodded nonetheless. “Shitfaced bullshit.” Time half laughed, half chuckled. Wild smiled while bit chuckling too. “You want to hear the others?” He queried eagerly and Time nodded. “Rulie called him as blindfolded fool.”

Time chuckled and shook his head. “Aww, that sweet boy. He just can’t swear.”

“Legend’s words were horseshit with bugs as brains.” Wild continued while going through all the rough names the Chain had come up with.

“So, what’s your version of it?” Time eventually inquired while having heard seven different names for their Inn’s keeper.

Wild shrugged but he did give his answer: “Brain-damaged blind.” Time simply nodded while realizing that Wild didn’t curse much either. “What about you, Time? What’s your word for him?” The Champion inquired curiously.

“Dead man walking…” Time thought but shook his head while knowing he wasn’t going to come back and kill him. He even knew that Warriors wasn’t going to kill the guy either even if he’d beat the living hell out of him. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Haven’t really thought about it.” He finally replied with a shrug.

Wild raised an eyebrow at that. “I really can’t believe you with that one, I’m afraid.” He answered while really wanting to hear Time’s name for their tormentor.

Time sighed but he gave up on trying to hold back his own version. “Fucked up son of a bitch with mouth full of crap.” He finally stated out while actually feeling bit good for having let it out.

Wild chuckled and grinned. “That’s a mouthful.” He stated out and Time chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” He replied but that was as far their conversation went. Six out of seven Heroes came out and gathered around Time and Wild. “Captain taking his time?” Time inquired while raising an eyebrow. Inwardly he was smirking at the thought of what was going to happen soon. The others glanced at one another while just shrugging. Suddenly a loud CRASH sound came from inside. The eight Heroes slightly flinched but no-one entered the Inn.

“Y-you’re not going to check that…?” Twilight asked bit surprised as Time still stayed to his place.

Time shrugged. “Eh, I’m quite sure I know what that was about.” He replied with a smug look on his face. The others blinked and glanced at each other again. The only one looking bit sheepish was Wild. He had given that part out but at least it kept Warriors from getting barked down by Time.

“You done?” Time inquired when the Captain finally came out. Warriors simply nodded and Time finally pushed himself off of the wall. “Okay. Let’s get going then.” He stated out while taking the lead once again. The others stayed very close to him while giving more or less a glare to anyone whom even dared to look at their way. Time grinned while feeling the protective energy coming from behind him.

Once they had entered the forest and gone far enough from the town, Time glanced behind him with a knowing smile. “So, come on, boys, tell me what kind of property damage you caused.” He requested and grinned as the Chain behind him stopped. Their leader turned around. “Oh, come on, don’t be so surprised. I was ready to wait for two hours to be honest. You guys got things done faster than I believed, I give you that.”

The Chain glanced at each other again while feeling bit uncertain of the situation. “Um… Y-you’re not mad…?” Wind eventually asked.

Time chuckled and shook his head. He leaned against the closest tree and shrugged. “Honestly, I would’ve loved to burn that place to ground. But, unfortunately, that would’ve been bit too rough. So, next best thing is property damage.”

The Chain blinked in surprise before starting to grin widely. “You’re still a gremlin, Sprite.” Warriors told with a chuckle and a shake of a head.

“I never grew out of that, Wars.” Time told as his grin matched that of his boys. “I just hide it far better than any of you.” That got the other eight to laugh while Time just chuckled and shook his head. “So, come on, don’t keep me wondering. What did you boys come up with?” On that second the Chain burst into talking as they listed all they had done during that one hour.

“We unscrewed the doors so they’ll fall on the next person who opens them!”

“We cut the bed’s legs so they’ll crash on the next person. In fact, we checked your bed and, um… It was rigged. It’s a surprise it hadn’t crashed earlier.” That statement got Time bit startled but he knew he should have suspected it.

“We did the same to the chairs!”

“We jammed the drawers!”

“We broke all the vases. Sadly, no loot inside.”

“I tore the bed sheets and curtains as Wolfie. Left even claw marks on walls.”

“We threw the screws into the first drain we could find!”

“And I took back your money.” Warriors ended while throwing a wallet bag to Time. “Left less than the actual stay’s worth for the asshole. You know, for mental damage and all.” He explained with a shrug before narrowing his eyes. “You really were up for paying far too much to that sickening bastard.”

Time had listened silently with a grin on his face at the damage his boys had caused. Yet, he was entirely startled of getting most of his money back. He wasn’t certain if that had been a good idea but he couldn’t be more grateful of the last strike on the Inn’s keeper. “Yeah, I… I know I dealt the whole situation wrong.” He told with a sigh. “I just…” He began before shrugging and trailing off.

“Sprite.” Warriors called and got Time to raise his gaze up. “It’s fine. Things are dealt with and we know better at next time. You just did what you looked right at the moment.” He stated out while moving next to his brother. “Next time… Don’t you dare to suffer alone. We’re here for you no matter what.” He told firmly before dropping his scarf over Time’s head. Time yelped before already bit chuckling.

“Yeah, I learned my lesson, Wars.” He told while moving the scarf around his shoulders. “So, shall we head forward, hmm?” Time called while nodding towards the road they were heading earlier. “At the next place which actually treats us right, I’ll buy you guys cookies.” He half offered, half promised. The Chain cheered while swiftly surrounding their leader. Time chuckled while enjoying of the happiness of the whole group.

“You are so not leaving yourself out of those cookies, Sprite.” Warriors stated out firmly before bit frowning as Time chuckled and grinned.

“Oh, I certainly wasn’t planning on such. I said I pay for them, I didn’t say I wouldn’t take my share from them.” He stated out mischievously while sticking his tongue out at Warriors. The Captain blinked before groaning. He wondered a bit how many cookies he and the others were going to have if their leader took a piece from them all.

Time just chuckled while grinning. He would let the boys keep on wondering just like when he told about having fought against the moon. Or at least until they’d get to such place and he’d have to fulfill his promise. Obviously, he was going to make it even for all nine of them.

Notes:

Thank You for all the kudos, bookmarks and reviews! =D

If anyone's up for doing fanart, go for it! ^.^ Just give me the link to the work! =D

Also, couple of more links which lead out to Jojo's work but which were implied / talked about in my story:

Twilight’s words to Wild, page six: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/182019132204/deep-shadows-pt2

Time’s claim of having fought against the moon: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/180839981764/im-working-my-way-through-the-story-with-big

Chapter 9: Day 8: "Why won't it stop?"

Summary:

Hyrule's having a rough headache and nothing seems to help. Time, seeing something others don't, takes the Traveler to somewhere where the youngster hasn't been for a long while.

Published: 08.02.2024 at 1:30 of Finnish Time

Notes:

CW: None really.... I think I kinda failed at whump here. XD Mainly just Hyrule's feelings there. Headache, secret coming out into knowledge, Legend not fully trusting Time..... Yeah..... Not too whumpy. -.-'

Hyrule hadn’t been feeling well for a while. It had already started before they came to the current Hyrule. First the headache had been easy to ignore but little by little it had gotten worse.

The others had tried their best to help. Wild had gone through all of the drinks and foods he knew to aid in headache. Legend kept giving him massages. Sky tried out some soothing music with his harp but that seemed only to worsen things. Wind tried to avert Hyrule’s notion into his wild stories. Twilight tried his wolf form to give as much comfort he could through the soft fur and worried whines. Four and Warriors worked in searching any spot of water to get cool cloths for their brother’s forehead.

Surprising thing was that Hyrule was able to get bit of sleep while being next to Time. He seemed to be the only one whom gave the Traveler at least some comfort and aid. It wasn’t much but it helped him to stay to his feet as they traveled forward.

“Captain!” Time called at one evening while getting up with Hyrule. “You’re in charge until I and Hyrule come back.” He told firmly before giving a check around the rest of the Chain. “Keep everyone from coming after us.” He commanded before gently ushering the Traveler with him.

“Where are you taking him?” Legend questioned bit harshly but that was simply brought out by worry.

“I do what I can to help him.” Time stated out calmly. “You should have bit more trust in me, Veteran.” He simply told before leaving the camp. He held his arm around Hyrule’s shoulders while gently guiding him forward. Time knew he hadn’t handled the situation well but currently he was worried for Hyrule’s wellbeing.

“Where are we going?” Hyrule queried while rubbing at his forehead. “Ugh, we’ve tried everything but… Why won’t it stop? This headache…. Why won’t it stop already…” He grumbled bit painfully.

Time glanced behind them to make sure they were far enough from the others. “I know you’re a fairy, Hyrule.” He finally confessed and Hyrule stopped dead on his tracks which forced Time to stop too. “I recognized you the moment I saw you.” Time continued gently. “Don’t get me wrong. We haven’t met before that day but…” He explained and shrugged. “I just knew.”

Hyrule stared at him with wide eyes. He gulped once and glanced towards the camp. He wasn’t certain if he should be afraid or relieved of Time knowing his biggest secret.

“The others don’t know.” Time assured and nodded towards the way they were heading. “As a fairy, you need to get rid of that excessive magic. I think that’s the reason for your headache. There’s a pond close by. It’s where I’ve been leading our current road whole time. Bit away from the town we should’ve gone to.” He explained calmly.

“H-how…?” Hyrule asked with quiet voice. He was still too shocked of the situation to know what to do.

“I lived ten first years of my life surrounded by fairies night and day.” Time confessed with a small sorrowfully fond smile. “They call me as one of their own.” He told while turning his gaze away from Hyrule. “My magic is different compared to yours or the others. Mine comes from the fairy magic. In fact, four of those are given by the Great Fairies themselves.” Time returned his gaze into Hyrule. “Unlike the others, your glow is same whole time. It doesn’t change even when we’re around healing fairies. In my opinion its foresty green, bit lighter than moss.”

Hyrule still stared at Time but he slowly began to calm down. He relaxed and moved next to his leader again. His explanations gave lot of answers and he allowed Time to circle his arm around his shoulders again as they continued forward towards the pond.

“So, um… H-how much do you know…?” The Traveler eventually asked. He still felt bit nervous of the situation but he did trust Time to keep them safe.

“Quite a bit.” Time replied with a small smile. “Navi, my first fairy companion, taught me a lot.” He started before grinning mischievously. “She, along with the other fairies, taught me the Fairy language.” The Chain’s leader continued while changing the Hylian language into Fairy language. Hyrule jerked in surprise and snapped his gaze up into Time. Time chuckled while grinning. “Honestly speaking, I feel like Fairy language is my native language. I learned that before Hylian.” He confessed with a shrug. “Besides, you and the others have seen me talk with the fairies before. This shouldn’t be that of big surprise.”

Hyrule blushed a bit and nodded while turning his gaze back into their road. He frowned slightly as he realized that his headache was lessening. “Getting better there?” Time inquired and the Traveler nodded. “Thought so. When I saw the pond from the hill few days ago, I knew I should take you there. I’m not a fairy but I have that of much of their magic within me that, well…” He began before bit trailing off. “It’s hard to explain.”

“It’s like a pull, right?” Hyrule inquired and bit surprised Time. “That pond calls to me. I don’t know why or how but I feel like I should go to there.” He explained and Time nodded in agreement.

“Exactly like that.” Time answered and took a deep breath. “The air feels much cleaner here. Easy to breathe. It feels… Alive.” He described while feeling like Hyrule would be the only one to fully understand him.

“There’s fairies around. Hidden but I know they’re here.” Hyrule told while actually feeling fully relaxed and at safe with Time. The older male nodded while looking around but neither of them saw the other fairies. “It’s beautiful.” The Traveler commented when they finally reached the pond.

“It certainly is.” Time agreed before gently pushing Hyrule towards the pond. “Go ahead and change. Dance. I’ve seen fairies do this before.” He told while taking out the Ocarina Saria had given to him all those years ago. “I’ll play for you. I’ve heard music whenever I’ve been to Fairy Fountains. There’s a rhythm that keeps repeating in each of them even though they all have their own songs. I’ll try and recreate that.”

Hyrule was once again taken off guard by what Time revealed about himself. “You’ve heard the Song of Fairy Fountain?” He inquired in slight shock and Time simply nodded. “I… I thought that was only for fairies to hear… A call of sorts…” The Traveler confessed before calming down and smiling a bit. “I think I can start finally to understand why the fairies call you as one of their own.”

Time chuckled and nodded. “Just go on. I’ll provide the music.” He promised before winking once. “Trust me. You’ll feel far better after this.” He stated out before moving over to one of the trees, sat down and leaned against the uneven bark of it. After that he took once a deep breath while closing his eye before starting to play the Ocarina.

Hyrule watched him for a moment before closing his eyes and letting the familiar music take him over. He quickly changed into his fairy form and flew to the surface of the pond. He stayed well above the water as he began to dance. With each movement he spread the green magic around him. Every passing second lessened the hold of the hellish headache that had been plaguing him for almost a week now.

It didn’t take long before other fairies started to come to the pond. Time felt them there and opened his eye. He smiled as he saw Hyrule enjoy of the situation and dance on the surface of the pond. The other fairies came first to him as in querying for rights to join the fairy with green glow. Time simply nodded and the fairies gave their acknowledgement of the acceptance by a simple nod, bow or curtsey right in front of him. Only after that they joined Hyrule on the pond’s surface and began to dance too.

Very soon the whole pond’s surface was filled with fairies. All possible colors were there as they got enthralled by the music they all knew by heart. And yet, they still gave Hyrule the room he needed to get rid of the excessive amount of magic he hadn’t been able to let go before. In his Hylian form, he spread the unnecessary magic much less than in his Fairy form.

In fact, even Time himself was spreading the fairy magic around him when he moved. It was little since his magic and the way he had gained it was different from Hyrule’s. And yet, he was covered in fairy magic and Hyrule had seen that the second they had first met. It had confused him since Time wasn’t a fairy but the magic that the fairies sprinkled around stuck in him harder than in anyone else. The others, unknowingly, washed it away but with Time… He really couldn’t get rid of it just like that. It clearly was part of him but his color was mix of all of the fairies he had encountered throughout his life. Though, main colors within him were blue and gold. And Hyrule decided he needed to talk with Time more to find out the reasons.

The hours moved past without Time, Hyrule or any of the other fairies noticing it. The dance, music and the pond gave Hyrule new strength and stamina he hadn’t realized to have. Yet, he also knew when his headache finally let go and he had done what he had needed to do. The excessive magic was gone and they could return to the others. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn’t stay awake once he’d change forms. The whole thing had taken a lot from him even though in his fairy form he didn’t feel that. It was quite a contradiction as he felt both renewed and exhausted. He was ready to end the dance when the air was split by a Great Fairy’s scream which was instantly followed by her laughter.

The fairies, Hyrule included, moved aside and gave the Mother of the Pond the room she needed to appear into the middle of the pond. All of the fairies showed their respect either by bowing or curtsying to her. Time was entirely startled of the situation but he was swift to scramble to his feet before already kneeling down as a knight he was.

“Oh dear creators of fairies! I did not think I would ever return!” The Great Fairy half shouted while stretching. “It has been an eternity since I last saw these lands.” She commented while letting her gentle gaze take in her surroundings. She smiled at the hundreds of fairies that were surrounding her above her pond. “My dear brothers and sisters… Oh, how I have missed you all.” She told until her gaze fell into Time.

The Great Fairy smiled sorrowfully fondly as she moved to the edge of the pond. “Hero of Time, one of our own, do not bow before me.” She stated out firmly but gently.

Time gulped while slowly standing up. “Your Highness—“ He began but the Great Fairy stopped him instantly by her laughter.

“Dear brother of ours not by blood, do not use such words.” The Mother of the Pond almost commanded and Time flinched slightly while blushing. “You have far more rights than anyone else. You are equal with us all.” She continued gently and Time finally raised his gaze up into her.

The Great Fairy was startled by the outlook of the Hero of Time. “Dear Deities…” She half whispered while seeing far more than she wished to understand. “You are far from home, my dear brother not by blood.” She said while trying not to think about all the Hero before her had gone through in his life.

“Yes and no.” Time answered with a slight smile. “I might be far from my own timeline but I am not far from home.” He told and smiled when Hyrule flew to him. He chuckled a bit when the fairy with green glow perched himself on top of the one eyed male’s head. “There are several places where I feel at home. And currently, this is one of them.”

The Great Fairy nodded while smiling at the scene. “I understand perfectly.” She commented before doing a curtsey before the Hero of Time. “I believe I owe to you, my dear brother not by blood.”

Time carefully shook his head. “Not even one bit.” He answered while trying not to bother Hyrule sleeping on top of him. “I and Rulie here… We came here for other reasons I’m afraid. Yet, I am more than grateful that we, with the aid from all of the other fairies, were capable of bringing you back to your full strength.”

“Well, be it as it may, I still wish to repay you both for your aid.” The Great Fairy stated out before looking at the fairies that had calmed down and began their own dances and movements around the surface of the pond. The Mother of the Pond smiled fondly at what she had been given back before turning her gaze back into Time. “My gift will be the healing fairies, one for each of the Chain of Heroes. The nine will follow you when you two leave. Use their aid well.” She promised before curtsying again.

Time nodded firmly. “Thank You. This is far more than I ever could ask for.” Time replied and watched the Mother of the Pond return to the middle of the pond. Yet, instead of vanishing back into the water below as he believed to happen, she began to dance. The fairies soon surrounded her and joined in the dance. Slowly and quietly the music Time had been playing began. Time was quite surprised since it was exactly the way he had created it from the basic rhythm he had managed to catch from all of the Fairy Fountains.

“Thank You for the song, Hero of Time.” The Great Fairy whispered with a fond smile. After that she twirled around and vanished into the pond. Yet, the music continued to play as it was now the Mother of the Pond’s own. The fairies kept flying around while some kept dancing to the rhythm which now was the place’s own.

Time stayed awake through the rest of the night even though he knew they were in perfect safety. The Mother of the Pond and the fairies would certainly look after them and alarm them if any of threat were close by. Yet, he enjoyed of the music and watching the fairies. It was calming and peaceful to him.

When the morning began to rise, Hyrule yawned and fluttered down from top of Time’s head. “You awake, Hyrule?” Time inquired fondly while watching the youngster change forms. Hyrule simply nodded while stretching a bit. “Well, we’d better get back to the others. Legend’s probably been worried sick for you.” Time stated out while getting up. Yet, he soon nodded towards the pond as nine pink fairies approached them.

Hyrule was bit surprised of their new companions. “The Great Fairy’s thank you gift for having revived her.” Time explained as he and Hyrule began to walk back to the camp with the nine pink fairies surrounding them.

“Time?” Hyrule called after a while of walking. Time simply hummed to show he was listening but his notion was quite well in the pink fairies that seemed to surround him bit more than of Hyrule. “A-actually, it’s nothing…” The Traveler told while averting his gaze off. He didn’t want to bother Time when he was concentrating into the fairies with them.

“It clearly is not nothing. What do you want to know?” Time inquired while turning his gaze into Hyrule. They both bit gasped when a fairy landed on their heads. Time chuckled and grinned slightly. “Seems like we’ve been claimed.”

Hyrule chuckled too and matched Time’s happy grin of the situation. “I was just wondering about your glow. It’s a mix of lot of colors but… There’s two constant ones in there.” The Traveler observed while still feeling bit uncertain of the topic. He wasn’t certain if Time actually wanted to talk about things that were connected to his past.

Yet, the leader of the Chain nodded in understanding. “Navi, my first companion fairy, her glow was blue like the summer sky. Tatl, my second companion fairy, her glow was gold like, um… The Shock Arrows Wild has.” Time explained and raised an eyebrow at Hyrule’s chuckle.

The Traveler grinned widely at Time. “I like your way of describing colors.” He told happily. Time chuckled and simply shrugged at the compliment. “Anyone else would’ve just told that my glow’s green. But you… You gave it a meaning. Something far more than I could’ve imagined for. Thank you.” Hyrule explained while clearly and entirely liking the way Time had described his glow’s color.

The walk back to the camp felt far shorter than when they had headed to the pond. “Better change the language or we’ll give you out.” Time whispered before they reached into the hearing range from the camp. “Just us, guys, no worries!” He called out just to make sure the others wouldn’t attack them.

The Chain stared at them as the duo entered into the camp site. Yet, their notion soon fell into the pink fairies with wide eyes. “Go ahead. Pick your favorites.” Time told in Fairy language with a grin on his face. “Yeah, we picked some friends on our way.” He commented as the fairies flew around the camp before making their places on the top of each of the Heroes. Time and Hyrule just grinned at the scene.

While Hyrule made his way over to Legend to explain things while still avoiding of telling too much, Time perched himself next to Warriors. “You know, I remember the time Proxi used to do that to you.” He commented while grinning widely at the Captain having a pink fairy on top of his head.

Warriors rolled his eyes while bit wondering if he should just take an empty bottle and offer it to the fairy. “So, where were you two last night?” He inquired instead while turning his gaze into Time.

Time shrugged while enjoying of the calm moment. “Oh, you know me. Talking with fairies and asking for help from them.” He told nonchalantly with a shrug.

Warriors groaned and facepalmed. “Yeah, I definitely hit the spot when I named you Sprite.” He told and Time only chuckled at that. “But, seriously speaking…” The Captain started while turning his gaze into Hyrule. “…Whatever you two were up for last night has clearly helped. That’s all that really matters, right?” He continued with a small smile.

Time nodded while knowing deep inside that he and Hyrule would still have lot to talk about. “I promised to keep last night as a secret. It’s up to him how much he’ll let out.” He simply told before taking a bottle out. “Please?” He simply queried while knowing that the bottles weren’t the best of way to travel in. And yet, as healing fairies, they would be inclined to heal even the smallest cuts in a heartbeat. It would be safer for all of them, both the Heroes and the fairies, if the bottle was accepted.

The fairy flew to the edge of the bottle and nodded. “Can you let others know too?” Time inquired and the fairy nodded again. After that she made a quick fly around the camp to inform of the travel method. The fairies soon rose to their wings and gave a notion towards empty bottles. Time’s fairy returned to him and carefully landed into the bottle. “Thank you very much. I appreciate your aid.” He told with a small smile and a nod. He carefully closed the bottle before pocketing it.

“Well, that cleared one problem from everyone.” Warriors commented after having put the bottled fairy away very carefully. He wasn’t too fond of the way either but he knew the reasons as well as Time did. Even though he couldn’t speak the Fairy language, he still had had Proxi with him. That, as well as Sprite himself, certainly had given him a new insight into the life of fairies.

Time watched how Hyrule cleared things with Legend. The Veteran kept glancing at him several times while clearly trying to get his head around whatever the Traveler was telling. Eventually the Hero whom had gone through more quests than any of them stood up and walked over to his leader.

Legend took once a deep breath before raising his gaze into Time’s only working eye. “Thank you. Hyrule told you talked to fairies on his behalf.” He began before getting bit uncertain and glancing at Hyrule until returning his gaze into his leader. “I… I’m sorry about last night. I just…” The Veteran tried while searching for right words.

Time shook his head while smiling. “No hard feelings.” He started calmly before shrugging and bit chuckling. “I guess I’m bit of a magnet for fairies so I thought I’d check if they’re capable of aiding. Luckily they were. That’s all.” He simply told while going by Hyrule’s explanation of the situation. Legend simply nodded and returned back to his place next to Hyrule.

After the breakfast the camp was quickly cleared and the nine Heroes continued their road forward. This time their leader made it straight towards the town and they reached it few hours before sunset. After getting rooms at the local Inn and evening meal, they all headed off to bed. Especially Time and Hyrule were quickly asleep due to one having stayed up whole night and another having exhausted himself while working to undo the headache of his. The three Links whom had had the night shifts were next to fall asleep. The rest four followed soon after. It was much needed peaceful and safe night of sleep for all nine Heroes.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos, bookmarks and reviews! =D

If someone's up for doing fanart, go for it! ^.^ All I ask is to get a link to the work!

Chapter 10: Day 9: Bees

Summary:

Bees can be of harm as Hyrule and Legend will find out. And yet, those same stingy insects can be lot of fun too! The whole Chain will certainly enjoy of that part.

Notes:

CW: beestings.... That's all... No curse words this time. I thank Hyrule for that. Yet, I think this is pretty much short and sweet chapter. XD

Published: 09.02.2024 at 1:40 of Finnish time.

Wild and Hyrule were just having fun. It had started by simple banter and laughter. It continued from there into slight shoving. Still, everything was done in full acceptance from both sides. They were simply laughing and slowly it started to turn into trying to get the other one knocked off of their feet by rough enough push.

The duo’s little playful scuffle was easily heard into the camp. Legend checked on the duo now and then just to watch their little play fight for a moment. The whole Chain was on good mood and the duo playing off only increased it.

“They’re kids. Let them play.” Time simply told to the other older boys of their group. He was smiling fondly while listening to the laughter and yelps. “I still remember how you and I were playing it rowdy.” The Chain’s leader told to Warriors while grinning widely.

Suddenly the air was split by a scream. The Chain was on their feet, weapons drawn and running towards the sound on that instant. Each of them hoped that there had been just an accident. An unnoticed rock, unlucky stumbling or something of such. Yet, they feared for monsters or other kinds of attacks.

All of sudden Wild ran past them. “Wild! The hell?!” Twilight shouted and dashed after his protégé. The rest of the Chain dashed further where the screams and pained yelps were coming from. Soon the pain was accompanied by the sound of buzz of bees.

Hyrule was crouched down on the ground with hundreds of bees surrounding him. The small insects were mad as their home had fallen off from the tree. Seemingly one of the two Heroes had crashed against the tree and jostled it enough to drop the beehive down.

Legend already dashed into the scene while ignoring the enraged bees. He simply needed to get the Traveler up to his feet and into running. The way Wild had dashed into had a river. Yet, the Veteran wasn’t certain they’d make it that far.

Warriors already brought out his fire rod which he had more or less gained from Legend. “Don’t. It’ll only break or you’ll burn something far more precious.” Time told suddenly while already taking out his Ocarina of Time. “Get ready to be drenched!” He called to everyone before already playing the Song of Storms.

In seconds the heaven opened up and rain came down harshly. The bees were swift to return into what was left of their home. Legend forced Hyrule up and back to the camp which, by some miracle, was outside the storm’s reach. Warriors followed them instantly to help check the strikes gained from the bees.

Yet, after the crying Traveler was in the Captain’s capable care, Legend returned to the beehive. “Legend, what are you doing?” Time asked firmly as he noticed the Veteran take a glass bottle and swiftly putting the beehive into there.

“For later usage.” Legend simply told while grinning mischievously.

Time narrowed his gaze. “Legend.” He warned sternly while being entirely worried whom would end up into getting attacked by those bees.

“On monsters, Old Man.” Legend nearly snapped while putting the bottle into his pocket and returning to Hyrule’s side. Time blinked in surprise but soon he grinned. He definitely liked that idea.

Hyrule was just drying his tears when Wild and Twilight came back. The Champion was fully wet but the Rancher wasn’t. They were just up and about to explain the situation when they saw everyone else being drenched and the Traveler still bit sniffling. Wild moved to Hyrule’s side while feeling bit hellish. “I’m sorry. I thought you were running right behind me.” He told while feeling ashamed of having not checked whether or not his brother was following him.

The Chain stayed very close to the fire in hopes of drying up. Hyrule, once he had calmed down enough, finally healed the spots where the bees had hit him. After that he took a nap while fully leaning against the Veteran. Yet, he jerked awake the second he realized that Warriors had bandaged Legend too. “May I? Please?” He nearly begged while looking his friend and brother straight into the eyes.

Legend wanted to say no but he eventually sighed and simply nodded. After all, those little stinging spots weren’t going to take much form the Traveler. Eventually the Chain calmed down and Wild began to handle cooking. The calmness and happiness slowly returned but everyone stayed in the camp.

Few days later they found a monster camp. “Wait. Let me do something that’ll bring lot of fun for us.” Legend requested and Time grinned as he nodded his acceptance.

“There isn’t high ground to drop that fun thing into there.” Time observed before already digging out his Slingshot. “Use this.” He told while offering the small weapon to the Veteran.

Legend smirked while nodding and accepting the item. He fished out the bottle which contained the bees. “Watch this.” He simply said before shooting the bottle into middle of the camp. The Veteran returned the Slingshot back to Time just when the bees rose up from the shattered glass and attacked the monsters.

The Chain was laughing at the misfortune of the monsters. Surprisingly there were enough of bees to clear the whole camp off. “You want those bees back?” Wild asked while putting on his sneaking clothes. “I’m going to loot that place anyways and bring the stuff here for sharing.” He explained while being ready to head off.

Legend shook his head. “Nah. If the bees survive until the next time there’s monsters, they’ll be having fun little surprise there.” He told while smirking widely. The rest of the Chain chuckled and soon Wild snuck into the camp while being extremely careful of not disturbing the bees in any of way.

Wild came back soon after having taken all worth of looting. He kept the monster parts for the elixirs but the rest, money, weapons and jewellery, were shared between the nine Heroes. Legend got the rights to choose first since those had been his bees that handled the monster camp.

Notes:

Thank you for all the kudos, bookmarks and reviews! =D Reviews make my days the best! ^.^

If anyone wants to do fanart of my stories, go for it! ^.^ All I ask is to give me a link to it!

Chapter 11: Day 10: Killing in self defense

Summary:

All the way until now Hyrule had been lucky in his own kingdom. He knew he had lot of people after him for several different reasons. Yet, until today, he never had needed to take a life....

Notes:

CW: killing in self defense (as said in the title), threatening one's life, the Chain talking about the lives they've taken (other than monsters or Demise / Ganondorf / Ganon) to help Hyrule, very slight cursing

Published: 10.02.2024 at 2:05 of Finnish time

He ran. He knew he should’ve gone back to the camp but these fools chasing him were keeping that road blocked. He knew he should’ve screamed for help but the words were stuck in his throat. He simply searched for somewhere to hide, to get away from the bad guys. Yet… Were they truly bad guys in the way the word was understood?

Hyrule wasn’t certain at all. All he did know was that he wanted to stay alive. He wanted to continue the quest with this unique family of brothers. It felt far more than he had ever had. And he didn’t want to give up on it.

These people that were chasing him, they wanted him dead. His blood was something both blessed and cursed. He was a fairy and hence a great help for people. And yet… His blood could also revive Ganon which was very, very bad news for Hyrule. And as such, some people rather had him gone than help take down monsters.

Hyrule cursed when he realized where his path was going. There was no turning around anymore as the dead end was coming forth. It was his Hyrule and he had run straight into the worst possible place. He inwardly cursed as he understood how panicked he had been to lose notion of his surroundings.

“Nowhere to go, huh?” One of the men after him chuckled as Hyrule turned around. There was only one way out and the four men blocked the road quite damn well. On the other three sides were rocky walls. If he had had enough of time, he could’ve tried to climb but now he was truly and literally between hard place and wall.

“I don’t want to fight you. Just, please, leave.” Hyrule stated out as firmly as he could but it still came out as a pathetic plea. Inwardly he winced at his own voice. The four laughed at him which only got him to scowl. He drew his sword and shield.

The men smirked as they drew out their swords. Well, at least they weren’t going to try and burn him alive. For a moment Hyrule thought about turning into his fairy form and fly away. It would be smaller and but not so much faster than he was in his Hylian form. He glanced upwards. Maybe he could fly up, hide and get back to the camp for both safety and help?

As he returned his gaze back into the four, he gasped in shock and just barely managed to bring his sword up to block the downwards slash. “Seriously! Back off!” Hyrule growled while blocking a horizontal attack with his shield and catching a diagonal one with his sword. At least, with the rocky wall behind him, only two out of four was attacking him. There just wasn’t room for all four.

“Not until you’re dead!” One of the men snarled while going for a tackle. Hyrule jumped over the move before already swiftly ducking down from another diagonal attack. This certainly wasn’t going to go well for him.

“We could just burn him alive.” Another one suggested while watching the duo handle the battle. Hyrule gulped while staying on defense. He didn’t want to harm these people since they were Hyruleans. People, whom he was supposed to protect. And yet, they were up and about for taking his life.

“Maybe but it’s not as fun as this.” One of the attackers chuckled while striking again and again with force into Hyrule’s shield. He was seriously trying to tire out his arm and get an easy attack in. “We’ll just burn everything once we’re done with him.” He shrugged before going back into whacking at the shield.

It hit him at then. These four really were going to kill him. They’d do it one way or the other. And he was cornered. There was no escaping unless… Hyrule gulped as he understood that the only way to survive was to kill the four before they’d kill him. Part of him hoped he could just wound them enough to get away and back to the camp for safety. Yet, the other two were just waiting for their turn to attack. He’d need to kill two or three at least before he’d get out of there.

As Hyrule’s mind was slightly distracted, the one hammering on his shield finally struck it enough down to get a strike in. Hyrule screamed when the sword stabbed into his shoulder. It was simply reflex that got him to raise the sword to block the downward strike. He growled as the sword was pulled out.

Hyrule truly prayed he wasn’t too far from the camp, that the others had heard his scream. He really wished for them to arrive and save him from having to take these lives. Yet, somehow he knew the aid wouldn’t come in time even if it was coming.  He had nothing left. It was either him or them. Only one would walk out of this alive and he intended it to be him.

Hyrule let the shield fall to ground since he couldn’t hold its weight anymore. Even though it hurt, he took hold of the sword by both hands. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He hissed before attacking with a scream. The duo jumped backwards and out of the horizontal attack’s way. That allowed the other two to attack too but it still stayed as two against one as the Traveler kept the rocky wall behind him.

Hyrule recalled the way Time fought with the Biggoron Sword. Sure, the Traveler’s blade was normal one hand wieldable weapon but he was holding it with both hands at the moment. As such, he decided to try and see if their leader’s moves could work here too.

When the new duo attacked, Hyrule parried one attack before already avoiding the next. As he moved to get past the downward strike, he got closer to his enemy. While using the same movement from blocking the diagonal attack, he slashed the other attacker’s side fast and hard. The man screamed out a growl of sorts while backing off. Hyrule used that moment of vulnerability for his advantage and stabbed his sword into the man’s chest.

Hyrule felt sick at his actions but he didn’t have time to think about it as one of the earlier attackers struck again. He needed to back away to avoid the diagonal strike before already turning to side to avoid another strike coming at his way. “Murderer.” One of the men growled at him and attacked with series of fast diagonal strikes. Hyrule kept backing away but that was exactly the man’s intention.

Hyrule screamed when one blade stabbed him into leg and another slashed at his side. He crashed to the ground before already looking in wide-eyed horror at the third sword coming down towards his chest. He didn’t think as he leaned to side and brought his sword upwards. He flinched at the strangled sound as his sword struck into his attacker’s chest. Luckily, the killing strike meant for him had missed just by an inch or so. Yet, that was very small relief for Hyrule as he forced himself up and pulled the sword out of the man he had just killed.

Unfortunately, he still didn’t have time to let his mind wrap around the fact of having killed two Hyruleans so far. The other two were even more enraged as they attacked. It was only adrenaline and reflexes that kept him moving and fighting. With just the sword in his usage, he had to block one attack while avoiding the other.

Hyrule kept whole time trying to get past the duo in hopes of getting away from there. Yet, with the stab wound in his leg, he wasn’t entirely sure he could run. Though, he would’ve loved to give it a shot instead of keep on fighting this battle.

Suddenly he screamed out in start as other one of the two remaining men tackled him to the ground. That was soon followed by a scream of pain as the same guy struck his sword into his still working shoulder. Nearly instantly afterwards he felt his own blade against his abdomen as the guy stepped onto the blade. “NOOO!” The Traveler screamed out as the other one’s sword was coming down towards his chest.

Yet, that blade never found its target as both of the attackers were yanked backwards. Hyrule stared in shock as the Chain came for his rescue. Time had pulled the one trying for killing blow while Warriors had the other guy. While the Captain had the easy kill, Time was really breaking the other man’s sword into pieces with each strike of his Biggoron Sword before delivering the last strike. The rest of the Chain surrounded Hyrule in worry that there would be more enemies close by. Legend and Sky came to his side to check on the damage. Wild had climbed up to the rocky wall with his bow and arrows ready for any enemy that were foolish enough to approach at then and there.

Hyrule half screamed, half gasped when the sword was pulled out of his shoulder. “Here, drink it.” Legend commanded as he handed the red potion to him. The Traveler didn’t think twice as he already drank it with aid. He closed his eyes while letting his own fairy’s magic mingle with the potion’s work and strengthen its effect to heal more than it normally would be capable of.

“Can you walk to the camp or should you be carried?” Legend asked while helping Hyrule up to his feet. Sky offered him his shield back. The Traveler simply nodded his thanks while still feeling very shaken of the situation.

“I… I-I can walk…” Hyrule nearly mumbled the words before starting to be ushered towards the camp. “W-wait!” He suddenly shouted and fought against the movement. The whole Chain looked at him bit startled and confused. “We…” He started before gulping. “We should burn them. E-especially the blood…” Hyrule nearly begged while raising his gaze up into Time. “Please.”

The Chain’s leader nodded in acceptance. “I just want to know why we’re doing such an action.” He requested while letting Wild handle the burning with his Fire Arrows. After all, the Champion was bit more of pyromaniac than the others.

“Uh… T-the blood…” Hyrule started while feeling bit uncertain. He gulped once while hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him. “The Hylian blood attracts the notion of monsters. They crave for it.” He explained while fully leaving the actual truth out of it.

Time nodded slowly. “Well, we certainly don’t want monsters close to our camp. Better safe than sorry, then.” He stated out and nodded his acceptance to Wild whom was quick to shoot the arrows down. “Let’s go. We’ll be keeping better guard tonight.” He told while starting to get all of his boys back to the safety of their camp.

Once at the camp, it was clear that Hyrule wasn’t fully alright. The Chain very swiftly surrounded him while offering all kinds of support to him. Wild did hot chocolate, Sky gave his sailcloth, Warriors wrapped his scarf around him and Twilight took out his wolf form and let to be petted. Legend stayed as close as he could while holding him securely. Wind began to tell one of his wild tales. Four checked Hyrule’s weapons just to be sure while staying very close to him.

“First time?” Time inquired while sitting in front of the Traveler. Hyrule simply nodded while trying to concentrate into all that was going around him. Yet, everyone had quite well silenced by that inquiry. Even Twilight changed his forms again. “First time is always the hardest. It doesn’t matter what you kill but it hits the worst.” The Chain’s leader continued bit sorrowfully.

“H-how do you deal with it…?” Hyrule queried with small and wavering voice. Time sighed heavily and shrugged.

“That depends on lot of things, I’m afraid.” He replied sorrowfully. “Back then, when I took first kill, I knew pretty much nothing. I wasn’t prepared even one bit.” Time confessed and shrugged. “Hit hard, I admit. My only luck back then was that I had other things to think about. My own mind worked with it while I dealt with my first quest. And that was first monster I took down.”

“A-and w-what about…?” Hyrule started but he didn’t know how to finish it.

“Hylians?” Time inquired and the Traveler nodded. “Harder situation, that’s for sure. My first was at war I fought in with Captain. Both actual traitors as well as those turned against us by mind control magic. Cruel, for sure.” He explained and glanced at Warriors before returning his gaze back into Hyrule. “Back then, like today, it was either us or them. You don’t really think about it. It’s instinctual at then.”

“I… I’m feeling…” Hyrule whispered while looking quite pale.

“If you’re feeling sick, just throw up. It’ll be fine.” Time replied calmly while wishing he could do more to help than offer simple words. The others were closer to give actual aid in the situation. “The thing is, Rulie, that back then I didn’t know how to deal with things either.” He told while thinking back to his first times on taking a life. “My first monster was a Deku Baba. My first Hylian of sorts was my own Shadow, plausibly even the one that we might be chasing on this quest. Next one was Ganondorf himself. After that… At the war and next by all of those that are after the Ocarina of Time. Recently it’s been Yiga. So…” Time shrugged. “I guess I’ve taken quite a few lives so far.” He gave a slight lopsided smile while actually feeling contradicted of the situation. Most were on the line of either him or the others. And yet… Were any of those truly necessary kills?

“How can you….” Hyrule started while bit wondering how to word out his question without it sounding wrong. “I mean that… Um…”

“It’s not easy.” Time confessed while being quite certain of what the Traveler was trying to ask. “Sometimes it’s easy to keep in mind that it was either you or them. Other times it’s counting them as the followers of Ganon. And sometimes…” He explained before trailing off while feeling uncertain. “Sometimes you just have to let yourself grief over the lost lives.” The Chain’s leader turned his gaze off as he spoke. He felt everyone’s gazes in him but he wasn’t going to elaborate on the matter. It was hard enough as it was.

“With me it’s the pirates.” Wind suddenly told confidently. “I’m one too but pirates don’t like other pirates. We’re kinda always on each other’s loots and all.” He explained and shrugged. “It’s both hard and fun to be a pirate and sometimes you just can’t avoid the skirmishes. And sometimes those… Don’t end well.”

“As Time told, I faced Hylians first time in the war. It certainly wasn’t easy to fight against those that you had battled alongside for quite a while already. There was no knowing real bad guys from those brainwashed. That made things worse.” Warriors told sorrowfully. “To this day, not everyone has accepted the losses and hence many are against me. Sometimes it feels like the war’s still going and I haven’t achieved a damn thing. Each life lost is one too many but…” He confessed before shrugging. “In the end of the day, it’s either you or them.”

“Yiga. Obviously.” Wild stated out with a shrug. “Traitors. Killers. Murderers. Call them as you wish but they’re the bad guys and on Ganon’s side. That’s all I keep in my mind as I face them. They’re as low as monsters go in my eyes.”

“I get to be chased quite a damn much whenever I’m in the wolf form.” Twilight began with a nervous chuckle and look on his face. Yet, he soon sighed heavily and dropped his gaze down into the ground. “So far I’ve been lucky. I’ve only taken one life as Wolfie. The Sacred Beast panicked. Cornered. Nowhere to go. Didn’t have a choice. Either change and freak the crap out of the people and let the secret come out. Or….” He explained while unconsciously paying with a small pebble. “The wolf was panicked. I had no control over the situation.” He sighed heavily and threw the rock into the forest. “To this day I still regret that situation. To this day that was a life that could’ve been spared. And yet, I can’t change it. What happened, happened. And I just have to live with it.”

“Mine’s knights and guards of Hyrule. Mind control magic.” Legend told with a shrug. “Claimed me as the enemy.” He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know how many I ended up fighting against. I tried not to kill but…” He trailed off with a shrug while leaving it there.

“I know this might not go along what’s so far told but… Ghirahim. That’s the guy I fought.” Sky started and shivered. “A real Goddesses’ damn freak.” He shook his head to take the image of his enemy out of there. “Fought three times against him. He was actually like Fi. A Sword Spirit. Demise’s sword.”

“I’ve fought against my own shadow like you and Time. I’ve also fought against a Minish called Vaati. That’s kinda as close to Hylians it gets for me, I’m afraid.” Four put in while feeling like he wasn’t aiding much compared to everyone else’s explanations.

“You’re not alone with this, Hyrule. We’ve all gone through what you’re feeling at the moment.” Time reassured gently. “The main thing is not to hold your feelings back. Just work it through. If you want to fight, we’ll spar with you. If you want to scream, just let it out. If you want to cry, let us hold you. We know what you’re dealing with so just let us help. Okay?”

Hyrule nodded before already breaking down. On that second he was straight off in a group hug. The reassuring words were given from all around him and he picked them up here and there. He was so emotionally drained that eventually he ended up crying himself into sleep. The Chain didn’t let go of him even for a second. It wasn’t exactly the best of position but it certainly was the most safe he had felt for long while.

Time kept the watch through the whole night. Warriors stayed up with him for quite a while before Sky took his place. As third guard with Time was Wild. The Champion usually took the last shift just so he could get an early start with breakfast. Sometimes he just wanted to do something bit more unique and time consuming which was why he was grateful of the extra time to deal with the work.

It still took some talking, holding, screaming and crying before Hyrule started to get over the situation. As everyone agreed, that would sadly end up haunting him for the rest of his life but at least he would learn to live with it. Surprisingly, this had aided the other Heroes too as they had confessed to things they hadn’t talked much about with anyone. Well, except for Time since he had talked everything through with Malon. Still, this had been a good way to deal with things and gain the support from those who truly understood the situation and his feelings while fully accepting it all.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos, bookmarks and comments! =D Those comments make each of my day the best! ^.^

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Chapter 12: Day 11: Time Loop

Summary:

It's Warriors' first Temple and he's far from having fun at there. And all that the other Heroes had ever told to him about how to clear a Temple? NOTHING was going like they had instructed!

Notes:

CW: time loop and lot of emotional crashing, cursing, dead bodies

Published: At 11.02.2024 at 3:00 of Finnish Time

The Captain hated it. With full and absolute passion.

It was his first Temple. A place he had excitedly been waiting for. He had looked forward to getting to go through something like this. Yet, nothing went by plan. Nothing went by what the others had told.

Warriors was lost. He was frustrated. He was angry. He couldn’t loathe anything more than what he was going through at the moment.

The Chain’s second-in-command screamed in rage and frustration. He could’ve sworn that he was going in circles at there. The rooms and hallways looked the same no matter where he went. To make matters worse, he was alone in there.

Warriors sighed heavily and slumped against the closest wall. He stared at the old, uneven rocky floor. For first time in his life, he felt like crying. He felt so alone and abandoned, like the whole place was just mocking him and laughing right at his face.

The Captain slid down to the floor and let his head hang. He pulled his knees close to his chest while digging his hands into his hair. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He had so waited to get to handle a Temple with the Chain. To get their expertise and knowledge into his usage while seeing the whole ‘clear a Temple’ thing in full go. All that the others had told, all that they had claimed of the Temples… Nothing held true for this place. And those eight brothers of his were as far as professionals went with this kind of thing.

Warriors had no knowledge how long he had been going through the place. Turning to left from corner on hallway, room, another hallway and to right, new room and so on. It felt like he was getting nowhere. Hours had gone past and he had gone both back and forth while desperately trying to find something, anything from the rooms. He had tried the ‘walk to middle to trigger things’ method but the room stayed empty. He had checked the walls as carefully as he could but there was no writing to read or cracks to blow the wall up. Even the floor was without anything that could’ve caused a trigger of one kind or another. He had checked the hallway as carefully as he could but he still came empty handed from that task.

Everything, absolutely everything the others had told didn’t hold true. Warriors started to wonder if the others had just joked with him, made fun of his lack of knowledge. But… Why would they do something like that to him? He shook his head to throw the idea out of there. He couldn’t believe they’d play such cruel joke on him. It just didn’t make sense to him. And yet… Why didn’t anything of those explanations and stories work in here?

Suddenly Warriors realized to be crying. He growled and roughly dried the tears off. He glared at the floor while swearing the others would hear some very chosen words from him about this shit. It was their fault he was in this predicament. They had encouraged him into this.

Warriors sighed and broke down. He hid his face into his hands as he cried. He had been so fucking curious and eager that he had entered the place first. The bars had suddenly slammed down behind him, separating him from the others. He had turned around in shock. Clearly, that hadn’t happened ever before to the others as they were equally stunned of the situation. Then, without warning, the floor vanished from below him and dropped him into darkness. He had screamed in shock, just barely hearing the freaked out screams of his name from the others. He had seen them rush close to the bars while trying to get a hold of him. Sky and Twilight had even sent off their Clawshots but it had been too late. Next thing he recalled was waking up in similar room that he was sitting in right now.

“WARS!”

The Captain snapped his head up and roughly dried his tears. “Sprite?” He called out but didn’t see Time anywhere around the room. Was he just hearing things? Had the others found a way in? Were they coming for him? The questions just flashed in his head as he slowly stood up.

Warriors looked between the two roads in the room. He had no idea where the call had come from. Nothing had changed while he had been feeling miserable of the situation. He growled and punched the wall next to him. He was a Hero for Goddesses sake! He had no rights to crash like that!

Suddenly he frowned and looked at the wall next to him. His hand hurt but at least there was a slight dent in the wall. That was good, right? He could keep check on things by that, right? Checking that he wasn’t going in circles at there, right?

Warriors snorted and shook his head. Why hadn’t he thought about that before, huh? He took once a deep breath and picked back up his determination. He was going to get out of there with or without the help from the others. He would beat this Temple like the others had done in their own quests. He was not going to let it win.

The Captain chose the closest road and went into the hallway. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was backtracking but he didn’t really care. One road forward was better than no road at all. As he came to the next room, its walls were dentless. He smiled bit while drawing out his sword and slashing at another wall. He made a clear ‘X’ into there for easy seeing. After that he left from the opposite road and took right from the T-section.

The room he entered was clear of any markings. At least he was getting somewhere, right? He clearly wasn’t going on circles or one of his markings would’ve been found. Warriors slashed at the wall again with two horizontal lines with one diagonal crossing them. After that he simply nodded in acceptance and left the room again.

“STOP!”

The Captain jerked into a stop and looked around. “Sailor?” He called while once again wondering where the call had come from. The hallway was empty. He didn’t see anything that could be of danger. “Is there… Something ahead of me?” He queried while wondering if Wind would even hear him. He gripped the sword even tighter as he scanned the road ahead of him. He listened to anything but all that met him was silence. “Wind?” He called out even louder while praying for an answer. Where were the others?

“GO! BACK!”

Warriors flinched a bit but he soon frowned. “Veteran?” He half shouted out while looking around again but not seeing anyone. He gulped while slowly turning around. “Okay… Going back to the room… Sure…” He half mumbled. He was starting to feel very unnerved and freaked out at there.

The second the Captain entered the room, he stared in shock. The marking he had created onto the wall was gone. “The fuck…?” He half queried in quiet whisper as he tentatively walked to the wall he had slashed. With trembling hand he touched the wall. Nope, his eyes weren’t deceiving him. There wasn’t any kind of marking. Not even slightest bit of slash in there.

“T-the hell’s going on in here?!” He screamed out while looking around in frantic. “Guys! I need answers, damn it!” Warriors shouted as his panic was trying to overtake him. He didn’t remember anything like this having happened to the others. At least, they had never mentioned of such.

The Captain leaned against the wall behind him and closed his eyes. He needed to concentrate into his breathing. He needed to calm down. “Figure it out, damn it. Figure it out.” He half mumbled and opened his eyes to stare at the floor. “You’re tactician. Just think. Clear it off.” He nearly commanded himself but as he thought everything through so far, he just couldn’t find the answer. “There’s magic going on, right? Yeah, sure. The room wouldn’t change without such…… Right….?” He tried to reason it out but his own certainty was leaving him quite swiftly.

“WE…. CLEAR…. OFF!”

Warriors snapped his head up. “NO! Don’t leave me here! Please!” He begged while trying to find the others. He still had no idea where the words were coming from. That had been Sky’s voice. They… They wouldn’t leave him, right?

The Captain gulped while sliding back down onto the floor. He was alone. He was trapped. The others… He didn’t know what to believe anymore. After everything… Would they really leave him there? He didn’t want to believe that but what had the Chosen Hero meant then? Did he just not hear all the word or was that all there was of his sentence?

“STAY! PUT!”

Warriors snorted at Four’s words. Like he could do a damn thing other than stay in there.

“WE! WILL! COME! FOR! YOU!”

Warriors raised his head up into the darkness that was the ceiling. At least Twilight was telling they weren’t leaving him. That was good. He smiled a bit and nodded even though he wasn’t sure they’d know of that.

“WE! WILL! FIND! THE! BOSS!”

“SHOULD! CLEAR! THE! TIME! LOOP!”

The Captain frowned a bit while trying to figure out what Wild and Hyrule were telling. He sighed heavily and slumped a bit. “Right…” He mumbled while realizing that one simple thing each of the stories had in common: the ‘Beat the boss and things return to normal’ method. “Firs Temple and I can’t even beat the crap out of its main enemy. Fuck this…” He growled while crossing his arms over his knees and resting his head over them. He had nothing else to do than to wait.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The nine Heroes didn’t really get to do much of other than to book their stay at the current Inn when they already heard of a close by Temple causing lots of trouble. The Chain had glanced at one another and shrugged. They were still in full armor, they had had very good breakfast and it wasn’t even midday yet. Clearing a Temple shouldn’t be too hard for them. Besides, Warriors seemed to be more than eager to get to tackle his first Temple ever.

They asked for bit of info and explanation about the Temple before heading off. That hadn’t taken more than about an hour and the walk to their destination hadn’t been longer than half an hour. There still was plenty of the day left to get things done. And with eight experts on the work, it should be done swiftly and easily.

The Temple looked old but no-one had known about it until only couple of weeks ago. That was strange already considering how close the place was to the town. Even more so since nothing out of ordinary had happened to bring such a place into sight. No monsters, no nature’s own catastrophes nor curious people digging around. It just had appeared out of nowhere.

Obviously, people had gone to investigate. The bad thing was that everyone whom entered the place never came back. Many thought they were dead, some thought they had been kidnapped. There were as many theories as there were people in the town. And that was lot. So, obviously, it was up for the Heroes to figure out what was going on and how such a place had appeared just like that.

Time felt like wanting to say something when they reached the Temple and saw the entrance of it. Yet, what he could say to seven Heroes who had gone through this kind of places before? He glanced at Warriors whom had been listening with full interest to everything the Chain had had to tell about the Temples they had cleared off. The Chain’s leader was quite certain that the Captain remembered all there was to know about this. Eventually, all he could say was simply: “Alright, let’s get this done with.”

“May I go first?” Warriors nearly pleaded while trying to act all calm and collected. Yet, everyone could see his excitement of getting into his first Temple.

Time glance at the others before shrugging. “Sure, alright.” He told while feeling bit worried of the situation. Yet, there had been first time for each of them and they had gone through the places alone. The Captain had eight professional Temple clearers right by him. What could go wrong?

Clearly, everything.

The second Warriors had walked past the doorway, the bars slammed down and separated him from the others. “The hell?!” Legend already shouted out while the Captain turned around. He was as freaked out about the unexpected situation as everyone else was. Before the Captain could question a thing, the floor vanished from beneath him. He screamed as he fell into the darkness.

“CAPTAIN!” The whole Chain screamed out while reaching out to their brother. The distance was bit too much and the drop had appeared too swiftly for them to react fast enough. Sky and Twilight were quick to take out their Clawshots and shoot them into the suddenly appeared hole… But those came back empty.

Time gritted his teeth while trying to stay calm. As sudden as everything had happened, the floor was already solid again as the bars came back up. Part of him wanted to just walk right onto that thing and follow his older brother but he knew that would be a bad idea. “Get over that piece of trap. We’ll try to break it from the other side.” The Chain’s leader stated out while hoping for his plan to work out.

Surprisingly they all got over the trap unharmed. Even the bars hadn’t fallen down as they took one by one bit of speed and jumped into the Temple. Time already took out his Biggoron Sword once everyone was over the hidden trap and started to slash at the floor. Yet, he couldn’t do much of other than scratches into the rocky surface. He couldn’t even jam the blade between the pieces to force them up.

“Let me try.” Wild already offered while taking out his Bomb Arrows. Time nodded and moved off of the way. The Chain took cover behind their shields as the Champion used nine arrows to blow the trap up. Yet, when the smoke cleared, the floor was still surprisingly intact.

“Clearly, we’re not going to get through here.” Twilight commented while carefully inspecting the trap. “Our only choice is to head forward and hope for the best.” He told while getting up from the floor.

Time nodded while holding back his heavy sigh. He took the lead and the eight Heroes moved deeper into the Temple. None of them dared to say that one simple thing: This was Warriors’ first Temple and it certainly wasn’t starting well for him. Each of them bit wondered if the Captain would ever enter another Temple after this.

For the eight Heroes the Temple was like any other ancient place they had gone through before. Shortish corridors, rooms with traps, rooms with monsters, switches, leavers… Just things they had gone through so many times already before. Even though each Temple had been unique on their own ways, they still weren’t that much different when being compared. Since they weren’t going it through alone, they cleared the roads and rooms much faster than ever before.

“Guys!” Wind suddenly called and pointed to a wide, smooth wall of the next room they had entered. Everyone’s gazes turned to find out what was up and about for doing in the area… And they all gasped in shock.

There was a window that gave out to a lower being area. A room with two opposite being pathways which ended into T-intersection. At the end of all four roads were something that looked like a dead end but it was glowing with magic. The room’s doorways were covered with same kind of magic glow. And Warriors was in that room. He was sitting on the floor with knees to his chest and hands in his hair.

Time didn’t need more than that one glance when he already knew where their brother had ended into. “Time loop.” He half whispered while holding back the growl. Everyone’s gazes fell into him as he moved to the glass and knocked on it but Warriors didn’t hear that.

“You’ve been to a time loop?” Hyrule inquired while glancing between their leader and trapped Chain member.

Time sighed heavily and nodded. “Not in a Temple, though.” He confessed while watching his brother break down. It was fully destroying his heart to see the always so confident man lose everything in such a cruel place. He leaned against the glass while growling. This wasn’t good at all.

The Chain moved bit away when Time pulled off from the glass and drew out his Biggoron Sword. With a scream, he slashed at the window with all he got. Yet, that didn’t even do a scratch to the smooth surface. Time growled while trying to hold back most of his anger. He would take his anger out on this place’s keeper instead of here and now. Yet, he couldn’t leave the Captain like that. There had to be something he could do. Without thinking, he just screamed out as loud as he could: “WARS!”

The whole Chain with him jumped in shock at the sudden shout. Yet, they all blinked in surprise when Warriors jerked and looked around in search. Time sighed in relief. At least the Captain regained some of his confidence back. “We need to get him to know what’s going on.” The Chain’s leader stated out as they watched the room’s magic work when Warriors left the room and again when he reached one end of the hallways.

“STOP!” Wind screamed out and got the others to flinch at his loud voice. The Sailor fully ignored it while following Time’s command of sorts. He was taking deep breaths to get ready to give more advices to trapped Warriors. At least he had stopped right after having left the room once again.

Legend narrowed his eyes and nodded. He realized the situation of how they could help Warriors to understand where he was trapped into. “GO! BACK!” He screamed out and was grateful that the others didn’t flinch much at his sudden and loud voice. Yet, at least Warriors did as told… And realized that he hadn’t really gone anywhere from that one simple room.

“WE WILL CLEAR THINGS OFF!” Sky shouted before inwardly cursing when it was clear that Warriors hadn’t caught all of the words. “Shit… That didn’t go well.” He muttered as he felt really hellish to have made the Captain feel even worse. “We’re not leaving you, Captain. You should know that…” He whispered sorrowfully before raising his bit surprised gaze up into Time.

 “It’s okay. We need to get one word out at a time, it seems.” He reassured while trying to come up with simple and short lines. Yet, he didn’t need to think long since the others were already working on the right lines too.

“STAY! PUT!” Four screamed before bit shrugging at the confused looks the others were giving him. “He’s not getting anywhere from there without help. It’s just waste of strength and mental health if he keeps trying to walk out of there.” He explained while feeling like he should’ve chosen better words.

Time nodded. “I guess you got a point in there.” He replied before returning his gaze into Warriors. He really wished he could’ve done more for his brother.

Twilight took once a deep breath before screaming out, one word at a time: “WE! WILL! COME! FOR! YOU!” He smiled a bit while trying to catch his breath. Warriors had caught the words. Time nodded his gratitude before making room for Wild and Hyrule.

“WE! WILL! FIND! THE! BOSS!” Wild screamed out next while making sure to put each word out alone. He hoped Warriors remembered enough of the explanations about the Temples the eight Heroes had gone through.

“SHOULD! CLEAR! THE! TIME! LOOP!” Hyrule clarified and just shrugged when the others looked at him. “Just to be certain he understands the situation.” He explained before already returning his worried gaze back into the window.

“I’m afraid that’s as much as we can do for Captain.” Time told while being fully reluctant to leave. “We need to find map and compass. Those should help us find our way to him.” The others nodded before they followed their leader forward. None of them wanted to leave Warriors alone but they couldn’t do a thing for him by just standing there and screaming out worthless reassurances. The only way they could help was to clear the Temple and break its magic.

The Temple didn’t give them the needed items. Instead, it led them straight to the boss of the place. “OH!” He beast exclaimed surprised when the eight Heroes came into the creature’s room. “Seems like my latest toy didn’t come alone.” It continued before smirking as it already drew out two swords. “Been quite a while since I last fought. This’ll be lot of fun!” The monster chuckled and dashed forward towards the invaders of its Temple.

Time had drawn the Biggoron Sword out slowly while getting more and more raged as their enemy talked. When it attacked, the Chain’s leader screamed and dashed forward. The blades collided with a loud CLANG which echoed all around the room. While Time was taking the boss of the place head on, the Chain surrounded the beast swiftly.

Even though the one eyed male didn’t get a strike in, he still forced the monster straight into the waiting attacks of his boys. His attacks were fast, hard and cruel even though each of them was blocked by the two swords over and over again. He growled when he realized that the enemy’s weapons weren’t going to break as they clearly were made of something far stronger than any other blade or then magic or blessing were used on them. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop him from attacking far fiercer than ever before.

The Temple’s boss realized eventually that it wasn’t going to win the battle. Its main attacker wasn’t giving it a chance to do anything else than be on defense. And the rest seven had surrounded it so thoroughly that at least one or few got a strike in without a trouble. The monster growled and pulled out its wings. It thought for a moment to attack from high ground but decided that fleeing would be much better choice. Yet, it never had a chance for that as several different kinds of Hookshots and Clawshots suddenly ripped through its wings and crashed it right back to the ground. Before it could react even one bit, Time already stabbed the sword through the beast’s head before pulling off and stabbing it into the monster’s heart just to be certain.

Sudden bright flash of light got the Heroes to gasp and take a startled step backwards while trying to cover their sight. When it was gone, they found that that beast had vanished and there were two chests in middle of the room. Carefully and bit warily they opened the chests just to find both the compass and the map. “Let’s go get Warriors!” Twilight already shouted while starting to lead the way to a pathway that had opened up with the flash of light.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The room suddenly flashed brightly and Warriors gasped while bringing his hands up to shield him from the unexpected light. When the lighting in the room returned to normal, he blinked several times to clear his sight. As he lowered his arms to get a better check of his surroundings, he screamed and scrambled up to his feet.

The room was littered with both bodies and skeletons. He stared wide-eyed at the scenery while wondering how many he had walked over. Yet, there seemed to be some kind of pathways between the dead people. Maybe he had been going through those and hence not having felt them. But, then again…. He had checked the whole room through at some point….

Warriors was trembling while breathing bit heavily. He shut his eyes while realizing that these were the people that had never returned from having come to investigate this place. And clearly, the Temple had somehow changed places every now and then. He wrapped his arms around himself as he understood that without the others, he would’ve been one more body within them.

WARS!”

The shout snapped the Captain’s gaze back up. This time he could pinpoint the call but he frowned as it seemed to come from behind the wall. There were two roads he had been using but now he could see the magic shimmering in the doorways. It clearly had been just looping things and returning the room back to its original state.

*KA-BOOM!*

Warriors gasped and instinctively brought the shield out as the wall opposite to him exploded. He flinched at each clang of the rocky parts that hit into the protective material of his. Soon afterwards there were eight voices calling out his name and nicknames. He slowly lowered the shield while turning his gaze towards the hole in the wall. He tried desperately to ignore the death that was within the room.

“Oh, freaking hell…” Legend muttered as he saw where the people that had gone to investigate the Temple had ended into. He quickly stopped the rest of the younger and more sensitive Chain members from entering the area. Even though they all had seen lot of nightmare giving materials, he still wasn’t going to let them get a check on this.

“Wars?” Time called as he moved over to the Captain. He could easily realize how much the room reminded his brother of the warzone. That certainly wasn’t helping a damn thing. “Are you all right?” He queried while placing his hands to Warriors’ shoulders. His brother slowly raised his gaze up into him.

“I’m never going into another Temple ever again.” Warriors snarled in near rage before forcing himself free from the gentle hold. Without a second glance to Time, he walked to the way out of the hellish room.

“No-one’s going to force you into one, Captain. I swear that.” Time stated out while following him out of there. The Chain swiftly turned around in the hallway and began to show the road out of the Temple with the help of the map and compass. Warriors simply followed without a word. He knew this would haunt him for quite a while before he could put it into the back of his head and lock into somewhere safe and sound. Time, even with the Captain snapping and growling at him, stayed close to him while offering gentle reassurances, silent moral support and eventually even a comforting hug. The rest of the Chain did all they could to help and to show they were there right by him. Eventually, at the Inn they were staying at, Warriors was in middle of a pile of sleeping Heroes. And he felt safe and sound while, for his surprise, no nightmares bothering him at that night.

Notes:

Thank You all for the kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^ [Comments gets Time to reveal what kind of situations their quest has held in. ;) ]

If anyone gets inspired to do fanart of my stories, go for it! =D Just give me the link to it! ^.^

Chapter 13: Day 12: Semi-conscious

Summary:

Time very much hates the aftermath of failing to fight against Hylians as hard as he fights against monsters. The only thing he's grateful of is the fact that he's not on this quest alone.

Notes:

CW: Semi-conscious mind, cursing, implicated torture / beating one up very roughly, nausea

Published: 12.02.2024 at 1:20 of Finnish Time

He couldn’t move. Even breathing was hard. The chains were tied around his wrists but that wasn’t the worst. Those heavy metal pieces were all over him. His bruised chest and broken ribs certainly weren’t liking that weight at all. And it really wasn’t helping that he was gagged and blindfolded.

Dear Goddesses, his head was swimming. He barely could concentrate into anything while teetering between darkness and consciousness. He wasn’t certain at all of how long he had been in there. Was it just hours? Or days? He couldn’t know. The damn clock in his head didn’t give him the answer. Especially not when he had been unconscious several times already due to the hits to his head.

Hyrule? Legend? They… Shit, he knew they were somewhere there. He had heard them. Their screams. And he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. At least they didn’t hear his screams. The others… They certainly were searching for them. Right? Of course they were. Shit… He needed to concentrate but the thoughts were hard to grasp.

“TIME!” Four? Was that their smith? He groaned in pain but it was muffled by the gag in his mouth. He gasped when the blindfold and gag were taken off and the light of the area reached him. “Time? You with me?” The question got him to blink his eye open.

He frowned. He knew he had a concussion but he didn’t think it was that bad. Was there four of Four? Shit… He really was seeing things. “Time! Hey, stay with me!” He groaned again while trying to stay conscious. Hell, everything hurt. At least the weight of the chains was vanishing.

“H-Hyrule…” He whispered out but the word was so damn hard to bring out of his mouth. His hands were free. Good.

“Sorry, not Traveler. It’s me, Four.” He heard the shortest Hero state out. He grimaced. Damn it! Didn’t the kid understand the situation? He growled while trying to move but his body was really fucked up. “Easy! Easy! Let me help!” Yeah, sure… Not like he could’ve done anything on his own at the moment. He groaned as the two Fours carefully got him to lean against the bars of his prison… Wait… Where the fuck was he? No, wait… Wrong question. He shook his head before already grimacing at the pain and nausea that threatened to throw him into darkness.

“W-where…” The words weren’t much of other than whisper. He really hated that. He couldn’t get anything done like this. Let alone to help Legend and Hyrule in any of way.

“I’m not entirely sure where this place is but—“

“I think he’s not asking where he is but where Hyrule is.” He frowned. The hell? How come one of his boys was talking from two different locations at the same time? He opened his eye again. Was he really seeing four persons or was his mind really messing with him? He wasn’t sure. The concussion did make people see things in double or more…. Right?

He shook his head before groaning. Damn, that really was a bad move. It only made him feel even more sick. “Time, take it easy.” The voice came from next to him. “Hyrule’s found. He’s unconscious and beaten but alive.” That came from further off. Shit, his hearing was fucked up too.

“L-Legend…” He tried but just barely got the name out. Should’ve gone for the nickname instead.

“We haven’t yet found him.” He cursed quietly under his breath. “But we will! It’ll be okay!” All he could do was to nod. Damn… It was hard to concentrate into anything. He had… Was Four talking? Shit… He couldn’t concentrate. Ledge… He had heard him, right? Just… Bit further, maybe?

“If blue sits on red’s shoulders they should be tall enough.”

He frowned. The hell did that mean? Wait… Colors… There was something… He forced his eye open. He was still seeing Four as four different persons. Not good. What was going on? He really didn’t get it.

“It’s okay, Time. Just stay conscious. We’ll get you out of here.” Reassurances. At least that’s what it sounded like. Yet… Wait… No. They couldn’t leave. Not yet… Wait…

“L-Ledge…” He whispered again. He needed to get up. Right? Yeah, certainly. Get to your feet. Exactly that…

“EASY!” Suddenly he felt someone grab him. “Let us help. The others will come here soon. They’re dealing with the bad guys bit further off. I came here to check the prisons.” He tried to listen. He really tried to understand what was being said. And yet, most of the words just went past him. He shook his head again before whining and bringing his hand up to his mouth. Shit… Not going to throw up. Not here. Not like this. Nope. Definitely not… Shit… He had…

*Sound of snapping one’s fingers*

He struck his eye open in start. “Stay with me, Time! Stay conscious! I’m sorry but I can’t let you sleep until Captain has checked you. Okay?” He blinked few times while trying to concentrate his sight into something. Conscious. Concussion. Right… He needed to keep staying awake.

“A-ahead… L-Ledge…” He fought to get the words out before giving a sharp nod towards backwards. It’s where the screams had been. Right? Not to mention the curses. He had heard him. He was certain of that even though his mind was hazy. He wouldn’t forget something like that. He… He had been grateful that they hadn’t heard him… Right? Yeah… I-it was rough enough for them already. Not needing to add into it…

“TIME! STAY AWAKE!” He snapped his eye open again. Damn… That darkness really wanted him…He shook his head before whining again. Damn…. This wasn’t good. Wait… Someone was supporting his weight.

He glanced to his side. Yeah, there certainly was two Fours, one on top of the other. Crap… He really was having the concussion bad. Yet… Wait… Four was shorter than him, wasn’t he? He wasn’t certain anymore. His mind was really messing with lot of things.

“We should get back to the others.”

“But what about Legend? We need to find him.”

“We can do much more with the others along. And Time… He’s not exactly in right mind at the moment.”

“L-Ledge… W-we…” He tried to fight the words out. He was not going to leave the kid here. Where were the others? In here? Outside? N-no… He wasn’t… They needed to…

“HEY! STAY AWAKE!” He snapped his eye open again. Damn… Why was the ground so close? Shit… Right… Stand up straight. “That’s it. Just lean on us. Stay with us.” That came from the lower Four… Um… Red tunic and red eyes… Crap… He really didn’t like red eyes… The other one, the upper Four… Blue…. Seems angry… Yeah, not exactly eager of crossing him.

He gasped as the duo forced him along. A-at least they were heading to where he had heard the screams. It was slow work. The green clad Four was behind them and the violet clad one was ahead. Pretty good. Yeah. He could accept that. Safety reasons and all.

“Legend!” He snapped his gaze up from the floor and just saw the violet Four vanish into another prison. He tried to strain his hearing but didn’t get anything else than mumbling out. Shit… Was Ledge okay? He had to be. If the kid wouldn’t make it… Shit… He’d come back here and burn it to ground.

The duo moved him into the same prison as where Legend was laying on the ground. His gaze stayed fixed into the figure. There was movement. He sighed in relief. Legend was alive… Good… Now… Just… Wait… Damn, his mind kept snapping shut every now and then. What was he…? Right… N-needing to get his boys out…

“TIME!” He snapped his eye open again just to stare into green eyes. Wait, what? Green? None of his boys had green eyes. Right? At least not when he last had checked. The boy was talking but he couldn’t catch the words. Something about Legend… Shit… He needed to concentrate… Damn, his head was so freaking fuzzy. Why couldn’t he get anything to stay in there?

“Legend. Is. Alive.” Okay… He got that. A small nod of understanding… Good. His head wasn’t swimming by that movement… Or did he even do a thing… Crap… He wasn’t certain. His head felt so damn light…

Sound of snapping got him to open his eye in a flash. “Come on, Time, don’t you dare to fall unconscious on me. It was hard enough to move you into here.” He shook his head. The words still didn’t fully register in his mind. A groan…. He snapped his gaze towards it… Ledge? Was he moving? Damn, that was good… Right…

He smiled a bit as the Veteran sat up. This was something he could concentrate into. A difference. A movement. Something out of the constant uneven floor and walls. Four was there… Right? Or at least one of them… Shit… That still didn’t make sense in his head.

“THE FUCK?!” He jerked a bit at the shouted curse. Shit, he should reprimand about the language… Right? He did do that, didn’t he? Usually? Normally? Probably… Damn, he wasn’t certain. “How the hell there’s four of you?” Okay… That confirmed it… He wasn’t seeing things… Right? Or did Vet have concussion too? Wouldn’t be a surprise… Right?

“That’s beside the point in here! Right now you’re needed to keep Time up. We’re going to make our way back to the others. They’re keeping the bastards at bay.”

Okay… Wait… Okay, he might’ve understood something from there… Maybe… At least the others were around… Right? Yeah, that’s what keeping bastards at bay meant…. Correct? But… Ledge’s not much taller than Four… Was he? Okay, maybe by a head… Probably.

“OH, FUCKING HELL!” His gaze snapped back into Legend. “Time? Oh damn it… You look like shit, Old Man…” He could recognize shock, yeah. He tried to give a reassuring grin but he wasn’t certain if that hit right.

“B-been… W-worse…” He muttered out while trying to sound better than what his voice actually gave out.

“I highly doubt that.” Great, yeah, don’t believe then… Shit… Concentrate… What should… The next move…. D-damn….

“TIME!” The shout got him to snap his eye open again. Damn. It was so freaking hard… “Stay with us! Come on, Veteran! We need to get out of here. The sooner we get to Captain and the others, the better.”

“Okay, up with you, Old Man.” He groaned as he was shifted. His gaze checked the Veteran out of the habit he had picked during the past months. He needed to do that. He had to know. At least the boy was moving better than him. And he certainly had a look of both concern and determination. Good… He certainly lacked in that, right? Crap… He should be trying to help somehow… Right?

“Hyrule! Shit! They took him!”

“We’ve found him, Vet.”

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive. Unconscious and beaten but alive.”

“That… That’s a relief…”

Concentrate! Concentrate into the voices… Shit…. The darkness was right there… Damn…. His sight… C-crap…

“TIME!” He jerked awake. “Damn it, Old Man! I can’t carry you on my own! You need to walk with me!” He blinked. Staring at the floor. Crap… T-this wasn’t going to go well… They… S-shit… T-they should leave him. He wasn’t… They were too short to save him. They needed to…

He gulped, trying to get the words out. “You… You should… L-leave me…”

“HELL NO!”

“DON’T YOU DARE TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!”

“WE’RE HERE FOR YOU TOO, DAMN IT!”

“I know your reasons but there are no chances that we would leave you here.”

“JUST STAY CONSCIOUS! THAT’S ALL! JUST STAY CONSCIOUS, PLEASE!”

He shook his head. Trying to make it stop swimming so badly but the action only worsened it. He blinked, trying to stay conscious and coherent… Which certainly didn’t feel like working at all. His mind just couldn’t pick on anything. He had heard five disobeying his command… Well, had it been command, really? Probably more of a plea… Shit…. He… He needed to try again… Right? Make them do as he said… S-shit…

“SPRITE!”

He snapped his head up again. He blinked, searched. He had heard that, right? Or was he just making things up? Someone was talking. He couldn’t get the words understood. Damn… That darkness seemed like a good place to go at the moment… He just… Couldn’t concentrate… What was…? S-shit….

“DRINK!” W-what? There was something on his lips…. Liquid? What was going on? He could feel himself swallow. Damn reflexes… Where was the ceiling? He could’ve sworn they were inside just seconds ago… Right? Oh, well, the calmness seemed nice… As did the outlook of those bright spots in the black… Wait… Stars? On night sky? Right… And that feeling…. Oh, yeah, that’s… Potion in work? Right? At least breathing’s bit easier… No bones threatening to poke at his lungs. That’s nice. The pain’s lessening too…. Might just… Yeah… Feels safe…

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground. “SPRITE!” He snapped his gaze up into Warriors and frowned a bit. He shook his head while sitting up fully. “Are you alright? Sprite? Can you hear me?” He blinked again few times while trying to get his head back in order.

“Yeah… I…” Time started before he jerked and looked around. Searched. He sighed a bit when he saw Legend among the others by the fire but… His gaze continued to search until it found Hyrule. On a bedroll. “Rulie?” He called worriedly while feeling his fear beginning to rise within him.

“Hyrule’s all right.” Warriors replied and snapped Time’s gaze back into him. “He was awake about an hour ago. He just needs rest.”

“Did he…?” Time started while still feeling way too concerned about the situation. Yet, he sighed a bit in relief when the Captain shook his head. “Good. He certainly…” He began before trailing off while frowning.

“Sprite?” Time just showed him to stay quiet. He needed to think. He needed to get his head straight. To understand what had happened. He could feel seven worried pairs of eyes on him but he ignored it. Eventually he closed his eye and sighed. He leaned against Warriors before opening his eye and staring up into the morning sky.

“The group stormed into the Inn. Attacking everyone for no reason. Didn’t think twice.” Time started and snorted a bit. “I only had the knife with me. Not the best of weapon against multiple swords but…” He shrugged. “Never stopped me before. Yet…” He trailed off while dropping his gaze down. “They overpowered me. I wasn’t… I’ve never been too eager to fight against Hylians. Monsters, yeah. People, no. It just…” He shook his head. “That probably gave them the chance to knock me out. When I woke up I was chained, blindfolded and gagged. I…” He trailed off for a moment before glancing at both Legend and Hyrule. “I heard your screams, threats and curses.”

“We were maybe a day’s walk from the town.” Legend started after Time fell silent. “We had just set the camp and calming down when the group arrived. They acted all nice and…” He trailed off for a moment while feeling bit stupid of what had happened. “We let them close. That was stupid but we didn’t really have a reason to doubt them. Not until there was a knife to our throats.” The Veteran shuddered at the memory. “They weren’t interested of our stuff. Just of the two of us. We tried to fight but… They knocked us out and we woke up from the prison cell.”

Legend fell silent and bit down to his lower lip for a while in hopes of staying in one piece. “We… W-we didn’t know you were there, Time.”

“Better that way.” Time reassured with a small smile. “It was bad enough already for you two. There was no need for you guys to know what was going on in another cell.” He shrugged a bit and grinned. “We’re all still here. Alive and healing.” He told calmly before looking upwards to Warriors. “So, one last story. How did you guys find us?”

“I, Sky and Four had stumbled to Legend and Hyrule’s camp. It was clear straight off that something had happened since the fireplace was out and cold and their stuff was still there. It took a moment before we got the notion of the group’s footprints. After that it was simply tracking.” The Captain explained calmly.

“I was with Wind and Wild. We had managed to find the Inn and heard that you had already booked places from there.” Twilight started calmly before getting bit uncertain. “And then we heard that the local thugs had attacked and taken you, Time, with them. We didn’t think twice. I changed to wolf and tracked you. We met with Captain, Sky and Four at the doorway of the hideout. Shared what we knew of the situation. After that it was simply going in and finding you three while taking the bad guys down.”

Time nodded slowly before frowning. “Wait… Why aren’t we at the Inn?” The Chain looked at each other bit uncertain, except for Legend whom was equally confused and Hyrule whom was asleep. “Boys?” Time called out questioningly.

The six Heroes gulped once before looking tad sheepish. “Uh, yeah… My fault, kinda…” Twilight told while slumping.

Time blinked few times before groaning and facepalming. “You did not transform right in front of all of those people at the Inn, did you?” The nervous chuckle was all he needed as an answer. “Oh freaking…!” He growled and shook his head.

“I wasn’t thinking! We freaked out and…!” Twilight started while being bit out of words. “Uh… Wild snuck back into there after we had found you three and fetched your stuff. They’re still in his Slate, though.”

Time sighed and let his hand fall down before nodding. “Thanks.” He sighed slightly before smiling a bit and shrugging. “Well, it’s safe and things are well at the moment. Night at the Inn would’ve been nice but can’t risk it now. Anyway, did anyone get a chance to restock?” He looked around while hoping that at least one or few could’ve gone to the town’s market.

“I and Four handled that.” Sky called calmly. “We hadn’t yet been to the town so no-one knew of us. Got all we needed.”

Time smiled and nodded. “Good. Then everything’s fine.” He simply told and closed his eye while relaxing.

“Um… Sprite?” Warriors called while realizing what the Chain’s leader was up for.

“Shush it, Wars.” Time playfully snapped while grinning. “You’re my pillow now. And I have no intentions of moving at least for few hours.”

Warriors rolled his eyes at the comment. “Gremlin.” He muttered while grinning. Time simply chuckled and pulled his blanket up around him. Yet, he soon took hold of the Captain’s scarf and pulled it over his head to block the rising sun’s light. It didn’t take long from there before he was asleep. Warriors just smiled fondly at him while recalling all those times back in the war and bit afterwards when Sprite had done similar things. The Chain calmed down and relaxed. Things were going to be just fine again.

Notes:

Thank You all for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks! [ Comments gets Time to tell more about their quest to me for writing them up for you all to read. ;) ]

If anyone gets inspired to do fanart of my works, go for it! ^.^ Just give me link to the work! =)

Chapter 14: Day 13: "You weren't supposed to get hurt"

Summary:

Legend is going to learn the hard way why it's important to always inform others where you're going.

Notes:

CW: strike from electricity, getting hit by falling rocks, cursing, temporary character death, CPR

Published: 31.02.2024 at 1:20 of Finnish time

The day was calm and sunny. The Chain of Heroes were just having a whole day to do as they wished. The small village they were up for helping didn’t have an Inn and no-one had enough of room to accommodate nine people. And Time wasn’t eager of separating the boys into different houses. It didn’t feel wise or safe. That was the sole reason they were camping close of the village. Besides, the monsters that terrorized the area weren’t going to show up until at night.

Time was just writing off a letter to Malon while glancing every now and then what his boys were doing. So far things had been relatively calm. Sky, with actual rights, was sleeping the day off without a care. At least he’d be well awake for the possible fight to come at the night. Warriors was checking his weapons just like he had learned during the army and war. Twilight had gone to help the villagers with their farm work. The Rancher swore he wouldn’t overdo himself, that he’d be more than ready for the night’s battle. Four was reading a book not far from Time in a tree’s shade. Wind, Wild and Hyrule were, for once, just sharing stories and laughing at the clearing Time saw perfectly well. Legend….

Time frowned a bit and looked around. The Veteran wasn’t anywhere in sight. Sure, neither was Twilight but at least he knew where he was. “Has anyone seen Vet for a while?” He called out while trying to quell his rising worry.

The others raised their gazes up from their current fun, besides sleeping Sky. They looked around in check of confirming their leader’s claim of Legend not being around. Before anyone could reply into the query, there was loud sound of thunder followed by a rough earthquake. While everyone else ended up gasping in shock while being grateful of having been low enough for not losing their balance, Sky woke up with a scream.

“It’s okay, Sky!” Time half shouted while swiftly moving over to the Chosen Hero. Sky looked around in slight panic before realizing where he was.

“W-what happened?” He asked while blinking his shock away. Suddenly another thunder struck with harsh earthquake coming right after it. “The hell’s going on?!” The Skyloftian half shouted the question while fearing for Demise to have returned.

“No clue.” Time replied while getting up to his feet and picking up his Gilded Sword. “But we’re going to investigate.” He stated out while already heading off towards the way the sounds were coming from. The Chain scrambled to their feet and snatched their weapons along while following their leader as quickly as possible.

Soon the seven Heroes were joined by a huge wolf. The beast quickly transformed into Twilight before already dashing after his brothers. “What’s going on? The thunder and earthquakes are scaring the hell out of the villagers!”

“We don’t know yet.” Warriors replied while glancing once at the Rancher. “But we’ll find out soon, I’m sure.”

The Chain’s road took into a close by canyon. The thunder struck again and this time they could feel the static in the air. The ground shook harder than before while leaving small cracks around the area. “This is not good! Be prepared for anything!” Time shouted while hoping Wild could snipe out whatever was causing the danger from higher ground as the Champion followed the edge of the canyon instead of going into the canyon itself. The Chain of Links wouldn’t be able to take the electrical strike too well. Especially not without being prepared and that they weren’t.

Just when a new thunder was being brought down, the seven Links rounded the last corner. “Legend?” Time called out in full surprise as he saw the Veteran and slowed down into a stop. The others quickly came around him to get a check of the situation while throwing in confused queries.

The rocky ground around their snarky brother was covered in cracks and broken rocks. Some areas even had ice covering the surface of the uneven walls and ground. Legend gasped and turned around in a flash when he heard the call of his name and the confused queries of what was going on. Yet, there was absolutely nothing he could do as the magic had already been initiated and brought into motion. He could only watch in shock and horror as his combined magic of Quake and Ether medallions came to life and struck hard.

Time didn’t have any of chance to scream out a warning when the lightnings were already coming their way. He simply prayed that the others were fast enough to either take cover or shield themselves. He crossed his arms over his face while forgetting to be holding the Gilded Sword in his hand. The others brought out their shields while being wise enough to drop their swords and kick them behind them. Twilight quickly turned into Wolfie and jumped behind the closest rock.

The air was split by multiple screams as the magic attack struck. Time, being in front with a sword in hand, took the hardest hit of the electricity. Four was struck onto his back by the strength of the electrical ball colliding into his shield. Warriors screamed when the electricity bolt that was going to move past him suddenly changed direction and struck into his armor plate on his shoulder. He had been the only one with actual armor still on while everyone else had taken it off as they had decided to take it easy for the day. Hyrule screamed behind him as he hadn’t realized to have jumped behind the Captain for protection and now the electricity moved from him into the Traveler.

The ground and walls shook and crumbled around them right after the electricity had gone past. Wolfie howled in pain when a piece of rock struck into his hind leg. Wind shouted out as he partly fell into a fissure on the ground. Luckily it wasn’t deep and only one leg dropped into there.

Sky had tried to control the electricity like he had done when he fought against Demise. At first it seemed to work and he felt like he could send the danger away from them and then… The earthquake struck and he lost both footing and concentration. The electricity got free and struck down right into him. The Chosen Hero screamed.

Wild had tried to back away from the edge of the canyon’s high ground. He had sighed in relief when the electricity had passed him without harm but he had forgotten the earthquake that would follow it. The Champion had returned to the edge when he heard his brothers scream out. His scream accompanied them when the edge broke with the strength of the shaking.

Wild managed to jump off of the falling rocks and take out the Paraglider. He somehow had enough of luck to glide for a while in the safety of the middle part of the canyon. Yet, he took downwards and closer to the walls bit too soon. One rock, that got loose by the after-tremors, fell right into the Paraglider and struck it into wrong angle. The Champion tried to fix his falling but he couldn’t soften his landing by much before the ground already came to greet him.

“No… This wasn’t… You weren’t supposed to get hurt!” Legend shouted as he watched in horror the Chain get struck because of him. When the magic had fully vanished, he dashed to his brothers. “Wild!” He shouted while getting to the closest one. “H-how bad…?” He inquired while glancing from the Champion into the others.

Time had fallen to the ground while being entirely out cold. Warriors was on the ground while trying to deal with the electricity still crackling in his shoulder plate. Wolfie had limped out of his hiding. Wind was carefully working his leg free. Hyrule was slowly pushing himself up to sitting position while being clearly shaken by the situation. Four was sitting up while shaking his head. Sky was groaning while moving slowly.

“I might’ve broken my leg.” Wild replied before nodding towards the others. “Go check them. Especially Time. He took the most of the strike:” He stated out while gritting his teeth at the pain but feeling far more worried for his brothers. Legend nodded and dashed forward.

While everyone else was moving, Time was still. “Oh, dear Goddesses… NO!” The Veteran screamed out when he realized that their leader was way too still. “Shit… Nononono!” He growled while starting to check for Time’s vitals before already starting the CPR which Wind had taught to them all.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen! You guys weren’t supposed to come here!” Legend screamed while crying and working his hardest to bring their leader back to life. “You weren’t supposed to get hurt! None of you! Fucking hell! Why the fuck did you come here?!”

The Chain slowly, as they got through the worst of the shock, turned their notion into what was going on. Warriors was growling as he slowly got the piece of armor off. He gasped and took several gulps of air once the electricity was off of him. “Hyrule, the second you’re coherent enough, we’ll be needing your aid.” He stated out and the Traveler simply nodded while still trying to orientate himself. The Captain already scrambled over to Legend and Time. “Let me. You work with the air.” He commanded while taking the Veteran’s place.

Soon Hyrule scrambled up to his feet and dashed over to his brothers. He knew there wasn’t anything he could physically heal from Time but he also knew his magic. It could heal but it also could do some more unique things. And right now he needed to concentrate fully and get Time’s heart and lungs to work again. He hadn’t done something like this before but he knew the theories and he had heard the stories as well as the explanations. Now it was just putting all that into actual usage.

Warriors, Legend and Hyrule pretty much gasped and backed off a bit when Time inhaled sharply before already starting to cough. The trio sighed in relief while the Captain aided their leader to breathe. Hyrule looked around before moving over to Wolfie whom had slowly limped closer to them all. The Traveler knew that the wolf wouldn’t transform until the hit leg would be either healed or at least checked to make sure it wasn’t broken.

“R-remind me never to take a damn sword into a battle against a lightning bolt.” Time half coughed, half grumbled while leaning against Warriors’ chest.

The Captain chuckled a bit while feeling entirely grateful of everyone being still alive. “Fine, but I’d rather remind you to let go of the said sword, Sprite.” He replied with a grin before already chuckling at Time’s groan.

“A-anyway, check on the others, will ya.” Time partly commanded while pulling away from the hold. Warriors nodded and got up from his place to get a check on the situation. Soon enough he walked over to Wild to get to look at the Champion’s leg. It luckily wasn’t broken, just bruised with a slight wound. It wouldn’t take much from Hyrule to get it fixed. From there his next check was on Four. Twilight had changed forms by then and Wind had stood up. Sky was bit shaken but otherwise regaining his composure. Hyrule had already moved past the Chain’s second-in-command to help Wild.

“Considering the situation, we got off surprisingly easy.” The Captain reported once he returned to Time’s side. The Chain’s leader nodded while sighing in relief. He had feared for the worst but for once the luck had been on their side.

“So, Veteran, what’s with the attempt of breaking a whole canyon and freaking the close by village entirely with the show and earthquakes?” Time finally inquired while turning his gaze into Legend. Yet, before the Veteran could actually answer, the Chain’s leader sighed a bit and carefully moved closer to him until already pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay, Ledge. Everyone’s safe and sound. Just bit of freaking out but nothing of worse.”

Legend tried to stay in one piece but eventually in the gentle hug, he broke down. Time simply tightened his hold a bit while cradling the Veteran in his arms. He whispered reassuring words while letting one of his boys cry out his shock and freak out.

It took a while but eventually the most experienced Hero calmed down and pulled off a bit. He dried his tears while keeping his gaze in the ground. “I…” He started while searching for the right words. A moment later he sighed heavily and slumped. “I came here to practice. I’ve been meaning to get two of my magics to work together. Thunder and Earthquake. I… I thought I was far enough from the village and everyone. I thought….” He explained and simply shrugged.

“Did you tell anyone you were going to come here to practice?” Time inquired calmly and Legend shook his head. “Well, that’s probably the biggest mistake of today. If you had told, we would’ve been aware of the situation and not rush in like that. And maybe Wind could’ve given the glowing rock to you so that we could’ve actually contacted you without getting close.” He suggested while trying not to reprimand the Veteran. The situation had been rough enough already for all of them. “Do you want to keep on practicing or are you done for the day?”

“I…. I think I’m done for the day.” Legend replied quietly. “I… Probably should apologize to the people of the village.”

“That would be a good idea but you don’t have to do it alone.” Time told while getting up and offering his hand to the Veteran. Legend took it and allowed the Chain’s leader to pull him up. “All’s fine, Legend. We’re all bit shaken but alive. Just one new experience richer, you know.” He told with a slight grin and shrug.

Legend partly snorted but he nodded and smiled slightly. He certainly had learned his lesson. Next time he’d let others know if he was heading off on his own. After all, that was a very basic safety action.

For the Chains luck the monsters didn’t come at that night. They probably had gotten quite a fright from the Veteran’s practicing. In fact, it took couple of nights before the beasts finally came. And they were easy to take down since they were fully skittish of what had been going on at that one day.

Notes:

Than You all for the kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^ [ Each comment will get Time to tell about their quest to me for writing up for you guys! ;) ]

If anyone gets inspired enough to do a fanart of my fanfics, go for it! ^.^ Just give me the link to the work, thanks! =D

Chapter 15: Day 14: Blood-stained tiles (and titles)

Summary:

Warriors is feeling quite down when they end up into his timeline and into specific area at there. Time's up for trying to talk with him but he realizes straight off that this is a topic which is for everyone to go through. As Warriors asks: "What are our titles besides blood-stained?” it's up to all nine to try and figure out an answer to that.

Notes:

CW: The title gives a lot already but it's mainly about talk and just feelings going around. Cursing. Talking about killing and death as well of revenge... You know, all that which comes up when you're a Hyrule's Hero and getting that title. There's lot of stuff going in those games. ^^;

Published: 14.02.2024 at 2:15

It was the Captain’s era. He had recognized the area the second he had walked out of the portal. Even Time seemed anxious of being in the area. Yet, he didn’t straight off realize where they were. Only when they made camp to ruins on a field he finally understood where they had ended into. After that he kept glancing worriedly at Warriors every now and then. The Chain stayed silent even though they wished to get answers.

Eventually Warriors excused himself from the camp and walked to one of the walls of the ruins. He could feel Time’s gaze on his back whole time as he climbed up to the destroyed wall. He sat down and stared into the darkening field. There was too much going through his head to really get much of coherence into there.

About an hour later the Chain’s leader finally got up and walked over to that piece of wall. “I remember this place.” He half whispered while looking at the silent field. Warriors stayed silent while staring ahead of him. Time sighed slightly and climbed up to the broken piece of wall. He moved over the Captain to his other side before leaning against still up being pillar. “I can see the Temple Cia had as her home.” He told and noticed Warriors shuddering at the mention of the sorceress’ name.

“What are our titles besides blood-stained?” The Captain queried quietly while looking at his own hands. He failed to notice as Time showed with simple hand move for the rest of the Chain to come closer. He was certain this was a conversation they all needed to go through. “So much death… So much suffering…. For what?”

Time sighed heavily while crossing his arms over his chest. He raised his gaze up into the star filled sky while feeling grateful of the moon being gone from there. He needed the calmness to aid his brother. “I know what you mean, Captain.” He half whispered while raising one hand into his sight. “There’s lot of lives I wish I could’ve saved. Lot of things I wish I could’ve done differently.” He told while letting his hand fall down. He rested his head against the pillar while raising his gaze back into the sky.

“Half the kingdom holds me at fault, Sprite.” Warriors whispered while pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He rested his chin over the knees while keeping his gaze at the field. “And I don’t blame them. That war…” He trailed off with a shake of his head.

“You can’t please everyone no matter how you try.” Twilight suddenly spoke while leaning against the broken wall. He didn’t know what the duo was watching or what the place reminded them of. All he could see was the field in the light of the stars. “We make the choices with the knowledge we have. That’s all we can do.” He half whispered while thinking about his own quest.

“Most of the blood we’ve shed is that of the monsters.” Sky took part into the conversation. “Peace of the kingdom and safety of the people are the reasons we fight.”

Warriors snorted and shook his head. He ignored thoroughly the eight staring at him. “That’s all grand and beautiful thought but….” The Captain started before trailing off with a shake of his head. “That’s not the full reason.”

“No, it’s not.” Time stated out and snapped everyone’s gaze into him. “No matter how much I want to deny it, my reasons were simply revenge and request.” He told surprisingly calmly and firmly while having returned his gaze into the stairs.

“It begins easy but it turns hard the further things go.” Wind half whispered sorrowfully. “My quest started off from the kidnapping of my little sister. From there on forward…” He shrugged. “Things got complicated.”

“Death and blood follow those titled as Heroes.” Wild said quietly. Everyone’s gazes rose up bit startled since the Champion had climbed to the top of the broken pillar Time was leaning against. “Monsters and followers of Ganon want us dead. Innocent lives end up between and their families won’t easily forgive that. And yet….” He began before sighing heavily. “We can’t be everywhere at the same time. We clear one situation at one place but at the same time another place would be needing our help. No matter how much we try, we can’t save everyone.”

“And yet, as long as we live, we can keep on doing our best to save as many as possible.” Hyrule continued for Wild. He was in front of the wall while standing and leaning against the uneven surface.

“The titles might be blood-stained but the reasons those are given are far beyond our own comprehension.” Time told while trying to keep his voice calmer than what he was feeling.

“We don’t think we deserve them. That we only did what we had to when no-one else could or would do it.” Legend commented while sitting on the ground beside Hyrule. “It’s the only way the kingdom can truly thank us for the sacrifices and hard choices we’ve had to make.”

“No-one will ever truly understand what we’ve gone through.” Four said sorrowfully while being on Hyrule’s other side. “There’s all of those stories and legends but… None of them truly describe the truth. None of them tell of the fear, uncertainty and loss. They make us grand and glorious when that’s far from the reality.”

“We do.” Twilight stated out firmly. “The nine of us do understand. Even when we tell only bits and pieces of our quests, we still understand far more than anyone else ever could. To everyone else it’s just stories but for us—“

“It’s life.” Wild finished for the Rancher. “It’s raw and cruel. It’s hell and death. It’s pain and loss. It’s… Everything the kingdom will never truly understand. And we’re the ones to go through it all while everyone else is oblivious to what we feel.” He spoke bit cruelly with anger and pain within his voice.

The Chain was silent for a moment after that. “We hide it behind the smiles and laughter. We hide it behind the stories and scars. We’re the Heroes. It’s what we do. It’s what they wait of us. It’s all we are.” Sky spoke sorrowfully.

“But, that’s not the truth, now is it?” Time half queried without waiting for an actual answer. “Not entirely, at least.” He continued and shrugged while closing his eye. “We’re as much of people as anyone else is. We’re not deities. We’re not going through any of it without it affecting us. We bleed and scream just like anyone else. We’re scared and end up haunted by nightmares. We got our regrets and wishes. We’re just….” He trailed off while searching for right word. He was breathing bit fast while trying to stay intact.

“Lucky.” Warriors finished in a whisper. “We’re just fucking lucky to still to be alive and continuing with this shit.” He half growled while letting everyone’s feelings affect him. And yet, he couldn’t deny the fact that speaking and listening to others confirm things for him actually felt good, that it really was helping.

Time actually chuckled at that before shaking his head. “That’s actually to the point being truth. Goddesses, the lack of knowledge I had when I started my quest….” He snorted and shook his head. “If it wasn’t for Navi, I highly doubt to have survived. I was so fucking clueless about everything.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Warriors mused with a lopsided grin.

Time laughed. “That was my third quest, Wars! I had had enough of practice by then on how to swing a damn blade.” He chuckled a bit before shaking his head and sighing. “But, honestly speaking…” The Chain’s leader trailed off for a while as his good mood changed into sorrowful one. “It entirely depends on which side you’re looking of things.”

The Chain was silent for a while as they thought through all of their battles and hardships. Sky, Twilight and Four had been the luckiest of the nine of them. They hadn’t really faced actual people that would’ve wanted them dead. On Twilight’s case it was simply the wolf form of his that had attracted the need to kill from the people. Sky had faced Ghirahim whom actually was a sword spirit. And Four had faced a Minish called Vaati. None were the way the others had fought against people. Not to mention that some of them still had people after them with full intention of killing them.

“From the enemy’s side our titles are the most blood-stained than anything else. But, from the side of the kingdom, they look past the death and blood in our hands.”  Wild whispered while having bit calmed down from earlier moment of anger.

“In most of the situations it’s either us or them.” Hyrule told bit gravely. “And I’d rather keep my life intact, thank you very much.” That gained a short round of chuckles from the others. The Traveler bit grinned as he had slightly lifted the grim mood going on. Yet, that mood was soon dropped with the next question that came into the quiet night.

“Sprite? Are we murderers?” Warriors inquired silently while having a feeling he’s heard those words before. Yet, he wasn’t fully thinking straight at then and there as he stared into the field and recalled the battles of the war.

Time jerked a bit at the question and shot both of his eyes open. He blinked few times before smiling sorrowfully at the Captain. He remembered that question clearly like the day he himself had asked that question from Warriors during that war. It had been right after that battle when half of their army had turned against them. Time sighed and pushed himself off of the wall and crouched down next to his older brother. He smiled sorrowfully while placing his hand over Warriors’ shoulder and gave the same words, with few differences within them, right back to him:

“No. No, we’re not, Wars. We’re just people in shitty situations. They made their choice and we did what we had to survive. The lives we’ve taken… We didn’t have a choice in the matter. Some might say we’re blood-stained. But the truth is, we did what we had to. For ourselves and for those we care about. It’ll be okay. Eventually. Until then we just have to live with the knowledge and keep in mind that it was either us or them. For now… Just be grateful we’re alive and able to continue to fight for what we consider to be the right and true. Just know that we love you for who you are and not what the kingdom believes you to be. You’re not alone in this world. We got you, Wars. Before, now and for as long as the Goddesses allow. We’re right here by you, Wars.”

Suddenly Warriors chuckled and half facepalmed. “You asked that question once, didn’t you?”

Time nodded with a sorrowful smile. “Yeah, I did.” He grinned slightly. “I just recited back what you told me at then.”

Warriors chuckled and shook his head. “How come I found such meaningful and perfect words back then?”

Time shrugged while still bit grinning. “You were talking to a ten year old kid. Reassurance was all that you really wanted to bring out.”

Warriors shrugged. “Maybe. But, then again, I wasn’t talking to any ten year old kid. I was talking to my brother in there.”

“Good point.” Time replied while grinning a bit more. “So am I right now.” Warriors laughed and shook his head. “Honestly though, Wars….” The Chain’s leader started before getting bit uncertain.

“I know, Sprite.” Warriors cut his thoughts short. “This place just…” He shook his head with a sigh. “So much death.”

Time sighed heavily and nodded. “I know, Wars, I know. I was there.” He whispered while raising his gaze up into the starry sky. Yet, very soon he gave a reassuring squeeze onto Warriors’ shoulder until already pulling him into a tight hug.

The Captain wrapped his arms around his brother while surprisingly still staying in one piece. Yet, the hold was still quite desperate. “You had seen death already before entering the war.” It was rather a statement than a question.

“I had. Quite a few times too.” Time confessed sorrowfully. “Still, it didn’t make the things of the war any less painful or hellish.”

“You don’t get the title of a Hero without taking out the threat to the kingdom.” Wild suddenly stated out while jumping down from the pillar to Time’s earlier spot. “And when that enemy is Ganon himself, death is the only way to deal with him.” The Chain nodded in agreement.

“When it’s monsters that we fight against, it’s easy to forget that those are one kind of life forms too. When it’s people… Things get harder and trickier to deal with.” Wind thought aloud while bit frowning. “And yet… Like with Yiga… There are people who follow Ganon and hence are as much of our enemies as the monsters are.”

“And as such, we keep circling around the simple facts.” Time mused and shrugged. “We fight for what we believe to be right. And that, sadly, taints our titles with blood. We know this. The kingdom knows this. Even our enemies know this. And yet…” He shrugged a bit. “The kingdom we live in still gives us that title. For them, that blood is justified. And on that way… Well…. In the end, do we really have a choice in the matter?”

Silence was all that answered into the Chain’s leader’s question. Time let them have a moment to really think things through. “None of us asked for these quests. None of us knew of the Hero’s Spirit to be within us. None of us knew to gain the Triforce of Courage. And yet… Here we are. Gone through one to several quests. Fought for those who can’t fight for themselves. Saved a kingdom or even several. Gone through hell and back again. Gained nightmares, items and scars. And still… If we were given a chance to do things differently… We’d still stand up and fight. And the sole reason for that is…” He trailed off with a sorrowful smile and shrugged. “That’s just who we are.”

“The Spirit, that sword, the Triforce…” Time shook his head. “None of that held any of value when we started our first quest. We began our rough trek for entirely other reasons than those three or even the kingdom itself. We started this cruel road because of those whom we care the most of. For me that was the Guardian of Kokiri Forest.” After a moment of hesitation the others began to give the actual reasons for the start of their first quest.

“The kids of Ordon.”

“Sun, my love and best friend since childhood.”

“Princess Zelda and my uncle.”

“My little sister Aryll.”

“Army, Princess Zelda and simple command to defend the castle and Hyrule.”

“Princess Zelda and Impa.”

“Dot… Well, I mean my era’s princess Zelda.”

“Um… My memories are bit hazy but, um…. I was in the army and Flora’s personal guard and well… I had the Master Sword and… Yeah, we kinda were aware of Ganon sooner or later coming back and um… We were trying to get prepared for that and, um….. Yeah….”

Before Warriors spoke, he had pulled off of Time’s hug. The Chain’s leader sat down too and just listened to the reasons that had started the quests of his boys. He gave them a moment to think it all through and realize that even though they all had different reasons, there still was one thing in common. They didn’t do it for Hyrule. They didn’t do it because of being forced on the path simply for having the Hero’s Spirit within them. They had done it for what they held dear and important in their hearts while doing what was right. That all just evolved into something far bigger than they had ever believed to be possible. And that led into their titles.

“Our titles might be blood-stained but no-one can say we wouldn’t have done it all without good reasons.” Sky finally summarized everything. “In the very end of it all, we are still clean. Our actions are justified. And we are all here because what we are doing is what we truly believe to be the right thing. We fight for the safety of our loved ones.” The Chain nodded in full agreement at those claims.

“Sprite.” Warriors simply stated out within a sigh. He might never admit it to anyone, but that brother of his became his reason to keep on fighting and to win that war. And with Time by him, he knew he had done the exact right choice back then.

“I’m right here, Wars.” Time half whispered without really knowing what was going through his brother’s head. He smiled bit lopsidedly while giving a questioning look when Warriors turned his fond and loving gaze into him.

The Captain chuckled shortly and shook his head while turning his gaze away. “I think we all have missed our bedtime here.” He stated out while getting up. “We’re having long walk ahead of us tomorrow so some actual shut-eye would be recommended.”

Time chuckled and shook his head. At least his brother was on better mood again. “You heard the Captain. Up and to bed. All of you.” He commanded firmly but fondly. “I’m taking the first shift. Not that there’d be many left, though.”

“I’m staying up with you, Time.” Warriors stated while climbing down from the wall. The Chain was already heading back to the camp. Time watched Wild climb down while knowing that the Captain was ready to react if needed. Once the kid was safely on the ground, he climbed down too.

“If that’s what you wish.” Time replied with a shrug. “I’d rather you had some sleep too, you know.”

Warriors chuckled and nodded. “I know, Sprite. But right now… I just want to spend some silent time with you.” He half whispered with a small smile. Time simply nodded while making sure all eight got to the camp safe and sound. After that he took a place from around the fire with the Captain.

Warriors simply leaned against Time and wrapped the scarf around the Chain’s leader. This was their timeline, after all. This was one of the battle scenes they had been in. Quiet moral support was all they needed from one another, just the simple knowledge of the other being there by them alive and well. Blood-stained titles might’ve been what they had but those weren’t defining them even one bit.

Notes:

Thank You for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks! ^.^
Given comments gets Time to tell about the quest to me so I can write them down for you! ;)

If someone gets inspired to do fanart, go for it! All I ask is to get a link to it! =)

Also, even though this was a whump story (or at least trying to be), happy Valentine's Day! ^.^

Edited: 16.02.2024
I just realized that I read the title wrong back when I copied the list of Febuwhump. >.< It was supposed to be TILES and not titles. XD No wonter I had hard time coming up with this story. ^^; Sorry for the mistake. =/ Failed there pretty bad. I only realized when I just read a story from Tumblr and wondered why it had nothing to do with titles. XD Oh, well, won't be changing that anymore. Maybe I'll see if I can do one extra chapter with the RIGHT prompt. *shrug*

Another edit: same date
I was just thinking my story through and even though it's not entirely said in there, I guess the wall Warriors, Time and Wild climbed up to could be blood-stained in there. ^^; After all, its ruins and there was one hell of a battle gone through so..... Yeah, I guess I did manage with the actual prompt too. XD I bit fixed the title of the chapter, though. =)

Chapter 16: Day 15: "Who did this to you?"

Summary:

Dead Hand is an absolute trauma trigger for Time. Especially when the Old Man thought he was over the nightmares.

Notes:

CW: Dead Hand, unconscious self-harm (scratching at one's throat), chocking / unable to breathe, unconscious friendly fire by a fist, panicking

Published: 15.02.2024 around 1:20 of Finnish time

“NO! L-let me go! L-let go…!”

The Chain snapped their gaze into Time. Their leader had taken most of the day’s battles in the Temple they had left just few hours ago. Hyrule had overdone himself as he healed his brothers. Yet, the Old Man, he had seriously exhausted himself with the battles against ReDeads, Gibdos and Stalfos. That last battle of the Temple had been against something that Time had named as Dead Hand. It clearly had been new creature for everyone else except to him.

They had noticed the slight tremble in Time when he had taken unconscious step backwards in the room. He had been entering the area first and seen the hands. He had startled everyone when he stopped the group from going further even though the door behind them had locked on them. His voice had trembled but he had stayed functioning as he explained what he knew of the beast.

Sadly, the creature’s hands hadn’t taken a hold of anyone else than him. And even then it had happened on the second he got into the reach of the first hand. The rest had just vanished and reappeared around him. Time had screamed in terror and trembled but he still had been functioning. Especially when the main body had appeared and the Chain helped him to get free from the hold of those thin hands. The other Heroes had pretty much moved away from him as their leader had gone berserk on the monster. After he had taken their enemy down, it had taken a while before Time had calmed down and realized where he was. After that he had quite well acted all normal again.

Now, in the safety of the camp and having gone to bed early, he was fighting for air while scratching roughly at his throat. “L-let g-go!” He nearly whined the words out while clearly not being able to breathe.

“TIME!” The Chain pretty much screamed out and dashed over to his bedroll. They screamed out his name while trying to shake him awake. Time kept begging of being freed. He screamed and fought when they tried to restrain him from scratching at his throat even more. It was already bleeding from several cuts.

Suddenly Time got his right arm free. The movement was unexpected and rough which caused Warriors to get the fist right into his face. He gasped and crashed to the ground. That released Time’s other arm and he was back at scratching at his throat, clearly trying to get himself freed from a hold that wasn’t in there.

Warriors didn’t think twice as he already took out his water skin and dropped the water onto Time’s face. Time gasped in shock while bolting right up and coughing. “Sorry ‘bout that.” The Captain half whispered while starting to work on helping Time to cough the water out and to breathe. “You with us, Time?” He called carefully.

“W-what…?” Time half whispered before shaking his head and frowning in confusion. He blinked few times and looked around. He jerked a bit when he noticed the strike mark on Warriors’ face. He tentatively took hold of the Captain’s jaw to get a check on the damage. “Who did this to you? I don’t recall you having caught a hit into face.”

“That was you.” Legend stated out while crossing his arms over his chest. Warriors shot him a glare but the situation was already on.

Time was fully startled of the claim while already letting go of the Captain with that slight flinch of his. “M-me…? What…?” Time questioned while still trying to figure out what was going on. “I… I’m sorry. I… I don’t…” He stumbled with the words while feeing both ashamed and guilty. He had no idea what he had done or why.

“It’s fine. Just bad luck is all.” Warriors waved it off before taking a careful hold of Time’s jaw. The one eyed male gasped a bit in both surprise and slight pain. “I’m more worried for the scratch marks here. You did damn good job breaking the skin.” The Captain commented before already letting go of him and turning to take out the needed things to work with the wounds.

When Time saw the bandages and realized what was going to happen, he recoiled backwards. “NO!” He screamed out while staring wide-eyed at the white fabric. “P-please… D-don’t….” He begged while beginning to tremble again.

“Time?” Warriors called worriedly before glancing at the Chain. They were watching the scene shocked while being uncertain and bit fearful of what was going on. “Time, it’s okay. We’re out of potions and Hyrule’s out cold so I just need to clean the wounds and bandage them. It’ll be just fine.” He whispered calmly and soothingly. He started to work to get a piece of cloth wet with antiseptics and bringing it towards Time.

The Chain’s leader recoiled backwards again before gasping as his back struck against a tree. He was trembling and staring wide-eyed at the situation. “P-please… N-no….” He whispered with wavering voice.

“Sprite?” Warriors called and got Time to snap his gaze up into him. “It’s okay, Sprite. I just need to clean those wounds. It’ll be okay.” He whispered and very slowly moved forward. “You’re doing great, Sprite. Everything’s okay. Just bit of freaking out going on here. Nothing to worry. I got you.” The Captain kept whispering while every now and then calling for that nickname to keep Time rooted to his voice.

Another idea came into Warriors’ mind as he realized his voice wasn’t fully helping in the situation. “Just hold on to this.” He told calmly as he carefully gave the edge of his scarf into their leader’s hold. The Chain’s leader gasped a bit before already bringing the soft fabric to his face for a moment before dropping his hands down. He was breathing heavily and fast but at least he was letting the Captain to fix the damage.

Time flinched roughly as Warriors worked to clean the first scratch mark. “P-please… W-wars…” He whispered quietly while trembling and crying. He flinched at each time the cloth touched him.

“Who did this to you, Sprite?” Warriors inquired while still whispering soothing words and keeping his voice calm and comforting. Time closed his eye but he nearly instantly flinched and shot his eye wide open. Something bad was clearly going on.

“D-Dead Hand…” Time eventually whispered while the nightmare was staying in his memory. It had struck him to his knees. It had held him tightly, given no chance for escape. The hand hadn’t snapped his head back to reveal a place to bite into. No, it had rounded around his throat and began to squeeze. The beast that ate its victims alive was going to choke him. He had fought so hard against it. And yet… Time shook his head roughly while trying to throw the nightmare out of there.

“Dead Hand? The beast we fought in the Temple?” Four queried with a frown. “I don’t think it got a hold of Time’s throat there.” He told while thinking the situation through to see if he remembered wrong.

“Time did mention he had fought two before. Maybe those had?” Wind offered while feeling bit freaked out as he watched Time panic right in front of them. Suddenly Warriors snapped his fingers few times to catch the notion of the Chain. Right after that he pointed at his own blanket. The Links were frowning in confusion but Sky brought the blanket over.

Time was panicking even more when Warriors had bandaged the bleeding scratches around his throat. The Chain’s leader had thoroughly fought against himself to prevent pushing the Captain away from him. He was entirely scrunching the blue fabric of the scarf while trembling far more than before.

Suddenly the air was cut by the sound of ripping. Time and awake being Chain pretty much jumped at the sound. Yet, soon Warriors carefully wrapped the ripped piece of his blanket around Time’s neck.

Time began to frown at the softness around his neck. “W-Wars… Y-you didn’t…. T-the scarf…?” He queried while feeling bit like crying all over again. He couldn’t even imagine that the Captain would rip his precious scarf for any reason.

“Nope. Just my blanket.” Warriors replied with a grin while finishing his work. “There. All done.” He stated out while pulling backwards. “Wasn’t that of bad, now was it, Sprite?”

Time blinked few times while shakily brining one hand up to his throat. He was still frowning before sighing a bit at the soft feeling. “I… Um… T-thanks…” He nearly mumbled while feeling bit ashamed of the situation.

“Nah! Don’t mention it.” Warriors waved it off while beginning to gather his medical things and putting them off. “Stupid question, Sprite….” He started and Time simply hummed a bit to show he was listening. “You mind if I hold you for tonight?” The Captain asked and turned his bit worried and yet slightly hopeful expression into him.

Time blinked few times before sighing and finally relaxing. He let go of the scarf to give Warriors more room to move around. “I… I think that would be good idea…”

“You mind if the rest whom aren’t on watch duty for tonight pile on us?” Warriors continued with a grin. Time blinked in surprise before slowly turning his gaze into the rest of the group. He slumped and turned his gaze down while gulping once.

“I… Um…” Time started while being contradicted of the situation.

“You can say no, if that’s what you wish. No-one minds. We’re just worried for you.” The Captain told while returning to sit right in front of Time. “You okay, Sprite?” He queried worriedly while gently bringing his hand up to Time’s cheek.

Time sighed heavily and closed his eye. He leaned a bit into the touch while unconsciously seeking comfort from there. “It’s the nightmares.” The Chain’s leader eventually told with strong enough voice. He raised his own hand and placed it over Warriors’ just to keep it there. “I told a lot about the beast but what I didn’t tell is that I was only ten when I faced the first one. With the second I was seventeen… By age but not by mind…. And it grabbed my throat. Squeezed. Made it hard to breathe but not enough to fully cut the air out. But… I….” Time trailed off and pulled Warriors’ hand off as he shook his head before already hanging his head with ears bit drooping. He held onto the Captain’s hand, though. “Clearly, I never got over the nightmares.” The one eyed male squeezed his shut eye even tighter shut while strengthening his hold on Warriors’ hand. “I…I hadn’t had nightmares of that beast for years and now… I-I…” He half whispered while beginning to tremble again.

“Sssh, it’s okay, Sprite. It’s okay.” Warriors whispered and pulled his hand free from the tight hold Time had on it. The Old Man gasped a bit while beginning to tremble even more. Yet, that was only less than a second as the Captain already pulled him into a hug. He whispered reassuring words while wrapping the scarf around his trembling brother.

Very slowly Time started to calm down again. When he finally fell asleep in Warriors’ hold with the scarf around him, the Captain carefully laid them both down to Time’s bedroll. The Chain watched the duo for a while before being certain of things being all right again.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 17: Day 16: Came back wrong

Summary:

Wind has won something of which Time isn't too happy of. Yet, there is very little he's able to do when the youngest Hero is up and about for trying the item in action.

Notes:

CW: Not much, mainly freaking out and bit of bad memories. ^^; No-one gets physically hurt.

Published: 16.02.2024 around 1:55 of Finnish time

Also, this was one of the harder prompts to figure out what to do with. ^^;

“Guys! Look what I won!” Wind called out excitedly while dashing over to the group. He had seen the notion of monthly raffle held at the town they were currently staying. Taking part into such lotteries was something he did constantly back at his timeline so to him taking part in here for similar thing just felt absolutely right. He didn’t do it for the prizes or the victory. He did it simply for the excitement and fun of it all. If he won, awesome! If he lost, he just shrugged it off and thought that better luck next time.

Now the Sailor was holding a pendant of an hourglass with owl’s wings in his hands. It was the most unique thing he had so far won in any of lotteries and raffles. It even had a golden lace for wearing it like a necklace.

The Chain was just enjoying a moment of calm at the terrace of the only café the area had. They had handled things off already at the town’s vicinity but so far the portal hadn’t appeared. So, the nine had chosen to move forward at the next day and see if they crashed with anything before the next town. Or, if nothing comes up before the next place, then at least wishing the place would have answers or the needed to task to figure things out better.

The eight Heroes raised their gazes up into the youngest member of the Chain. “I want it back.” Wind stated out while giving the necklace to the closest brother of his. Legend simply nodded while checking the small sculpture.

“No sand in it.” The Veteran observed before shrugging and giving it forward to Hyrule. “It looks quite cool but it’s nothing of worth. Congrats, though.”

Wind snorted and just shrugged. “It doesn’t always need to be valuable or magical to be of worth.” He stated back while going through the piece of paper that came with the item. Soon the Sailor grinned. “It says here that I can get it filled with protection magic with bit of money and sending it to the given address.” He raised his gaze up while his grin only widened. “I’m going to do it!”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Sailor.” Time told while still waiting for a chance to get to check the item.

“Oh, shush it, Sprite.” Warriors playfully snapped. “It’s his victory. He can do what he wants with it.” He told while taking the pendant. “It does look cool. Congrats on the victory, Sailor.”

Wind beamed in happiness and nodded. Yet, he frowned when Time visibly jerked when got the item for inspection. “You okay, Time?” He queried worriedly as their leader clearly was shaken of the small item in his hands.

“Y-yeah… Just reminds me of something.” Time replied while trying to calm down. He gave the pendant back to Wind. “It’s beautifully created. Congrats on the victory.” Wind simply nodded while bit wanting to ask more but deciding against it. Yet, Time didn’t go against the Sailor’s wish of sending the item for enhancing. Still, he was entirely uncertain of it being the right choice of doing. Nonetheless, Wind did send the item off while hoping that the mailman was able to bring it back to him even though they were traveling a lot and rarely stayed long at one place.

Few days later the Chain was camping in middle of a forest. Their road so far had been uneventful which clearly indicated that they had caught all of the monsters from the area. Time snapped his gaze towards the edge of the forest before Sky even came over with the letters in his hands. “The mail’s here, guys!” The Chosen Hero called while waving the envelopes.

Time gulped while trying to calm down. He was hearing faint music from within the letters. A song he recognized from his past. The Song of Soaring. He glanced around but no-one else seemed to notice anything being off. They were all eager of seeing which of them got envelopes to rip open.

“HA! I got it back!” Wind shouted gleefully as he dangled the pendant from its cord. Everyone raised their gazes up, gave a smile or grin and simple nod before going back to their letters. Time had just barely been able to give a nod as thanks to Sky as he had kept eye on the Sailor. Now he simply stared at the item while barely breathing.

“It’s…. I-It’s not protection magic that’s in it…” Time warned and got everyone’s gazes into him. “That’s come back wrong, Sailor. Don’t… Don’t use it.”

“It feels that to me.” Legend stated out while poking at the thing as he was sitting next to Wind. “Bit old magic, maybe, but protection for certain.”

Time gulped and shook his head. “M-maybe from the outside but…. Not from inside.” He nearly stammered while keeping his gaze in the hourglass with owl’s wings.

“You know what it is, Sprite?” Warriors called while trying to return Time back to the present. Their leader blinked few times as he tried to calm down.

“I… It’s….” The Old Man started before gulping. “I-it’s travel magic. I…. I used it back during my second quest. Made traveling fast by being in one place first and then, in a blink of an eye, at another spot. It… It does have protection magic but it’s just for the fact of keeping the transportation safe.”

“Nice~! I wanna see where it takes me!” Wind nearly shouted and put the necklace on while standing up. Suddenly he screamed out in pain as huge white wings appeared out of nowhere onto his back. As soon as they had spread out, they already wrapped around the youngest Hero.

“NO!” Time screamed out and while everyone else was stunned by shock, he dashed forward. He ignored the wings trying to engulf the Sailor as he took hold of the boy. As the wings weren’t able to hide their traveler, the spinning didn’t yet begin. That gave the Chain’s leader the needed chance to rip the necklace off and back off by couple of steps.

The wings vanished on the second the pendant wasn’t on anymore. Wind gasped in shock and fell back down onto the log. Legend swiftly steadied him while the others came around to make sure their brother was alright. Time backed off while breathing fast and heavy. “Where do you wish to go?” The question suddenly echoed in his head and he gasped while dropping the necklace.

“A-are you okay, Sailor?” Time finally called with bit shaking voice as he raised his gaze up from the necklace. The kid was still shaking while staring wide-eyed forward. The one eyed man carefully moved to the group and crouched down in front of the pirate. “Wind?” He called worriedly while gently placing his hand to Wind’s chin.

The Sailor gasped and blinked few times before frowning. “Time?” He queried and the Chain’s leader nodded. Suddenly Wind moved forward and hugged the older man tightly. He was shaking and crying. “T-that was scary.” He half whined, half mumbled.

Time sighed and wrapped his arms around the youngster. “It’s okay, Sailor. You’re safe.” It took a while but eventually Wind calmed down and pulled off. He dried his tears and smiled a bit. “You okay?” Time queried and the Sailor nodded.

Wind chuckled a bit and turned his gaze into the pendant on the ground. “I still want to know where that transports.” He told before getting up and bit uncertainly went to pick the thing up.

“You’re not going alone.” Time pretty much commanded while narrowing his gaze. He didn’t want to go back to Termina but if that was where it would lead into… He did not want any of his boys going through that hell.

“You coming with me?” Wind half queried, half begged. Time nodded while taking a deep breath and steeling himself for what was to come. The Chain watched worriedly as their leader took hold of their youngest Hero before the Sailor put the pendant on. This time, while being prepared to what was to come, the pirate-Hero didn’t scream when the wings appeared. Even with the slight pain, the wings still didn’t cause actual physical harm nor did they tear any clothing. Yet, when the spinning ended and a flash of light had momentarily blinded everyone, they heard a scream.

“NO!” Time screamed out when the Sailor vanished from in front of him. “FUCK!” He growled in anger and fear. He dug his hand into his hair while biting down to his lower lip. “Damn it… Fucking hell…. Why….” He half grumbled before he already screamed out and got the Chain to jump a bit in start.

“Sprite…?” Warriors called while tentatively moving closer to his brother. “What happened?” He queried while clearly seeing what had happened.

Time sighed heavily and sat down onto the ground. “Clearly, that magic doesn’t take two along it.” He half growled before taking out the Ocarina of Time. “I don’t….” He started before gulping. “I’ve no idea where it took him. And the song I have…. The one I heard in that pendant….” He shook his head while staring at the instrument. “I haven’t played that song for couple of decades. I don’t know if it even would take me to same place. Let alone…. There were several choices back then. All connected to owl statures I found.”

“Should we try?” Wild inquired while feeling bit contradicted for having even suggested it.

Time sighed heavily while trying to figure out the right move. “I might end up back to Termina and never find my way out of there.” He whispered while fearing of the outcome.

“Or it might not even work.” Warriors offered with a shrug. “We don’t know unless we try.”

Time took a shaky breath before nodding. He didn’t want to do it but he needed to check. He needed to find Wind. “If… If this goes wrong….” He started and gulped once. “Just know that I’m proud of you all.” He stated out before bringing the ocarina to his lips and closing his eyes.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Where do you wish to go?”

The question echoed in his mind, so he replied the same way: “Home.” Wind gasped when the spinning began and he closed his eyes. He was scared and confused while praying that Time would come along with him. Where was home, though? Back with Grandma and Aryll? With Tetra? With the other Heroes? Or was it even his home that he’d be taken to?

Suddenly the spinning ended and Wind gasped again. He took few stumbling steps while trying to stay upright. It was nighttime. And he was alone. “Time?” He called out worriedly while looking around. “Time!” He half shouted while feeling the fear rise but there still was no reply. “TIME!” He screamed in near panic but the Chain’s leader wasn’t there.

“Link?” The call got him to whip around and gasp.

“Grandma?” Wind called out while feeling tears in his eyes. The old woman moved slowly but as he saw her, he knew where he was. He recognized the area and the houses. He truly was at home. “Grandma!” The Sailor shouted and dashed to the one whom had raised him and Aryll. He hugged her tightly while being entirely happy of having gotten back to her. It had been too long since he had had a chance to visit as his own timeline.

“Are you alright, Link?” The old woman inquired worriedly while holding the crying boy in her arms. Wind simply nodded while feeling both relieved and happy. She took a look around but saw no-one else around there. “Are you alone? Where are the eight you’ve traveled with?” She inquired worriedly.

Wind pulled off while feeling bit uncertain. He showed the necklace. “I… I won this and…” He started and looked around in hopes of seeing Time. “It… It brought me home but…. I… I guess it just…. Didn’t allow anyone else along with me…” He explained sorrowfully.

“Are you done with the quest?” The Sailor’s grandmother asked while already knowing the answer before her grandson shook his head. “Then I guess you should go back.” She told fondly before kissing the boy’s forehead. “Don’t worry about us. Aryll’s asleep so it might be best not to wake her. And I’m perfectly fine. Tetra and her crew visited here couple of days ago.” The old woman reassured with a small smile.

Wind looked bit contradicted before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Let Aryll and Tetra know I visited. I’ll see you guys again soon.” He promised while backing away. “Gotta take some room. Those wings are big.” The Sailor told with a small chuckle. He smiled a bit and dried the tears. “I love you, Grandma.” He whispered before taking a deep breath before turning the pendant around to get the sand flowing again.

“Where do you wish to go?”

Wind closed his eyes and flinched slightly when he felt the wings appear all of sudden. “I want back to my brothers. To the Heroes whom are all named as Link.” He thought as an answer while fully wishing that he would get back to where he left. He feared for the pendant to drop him off to wrong place. Yet, that was as best an answer as he could give.

The wings surrounded him and the spinning started already before he was done with his request. He kept his eyes closed as he felt the magic take effect. And soon he vanished from the Outset Island.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time didn’t even get the first note out when he already snapped his gaze to his left. Without thinking, he scrambled to his feet and ran. The Chain was entirely shocked but they quickly dashed after him. “Time!” The group shouted and almost crashed into their leader’s back as he stopped abruptly.

Only few meters from them a bundle of white wings appeared before spreading out and leaving bit disorientated Wind into its place. “WIND!” Time shouted out and dashed straight to the youngest Hero. “Are you all right?” He queried after having hugged the boy before already checking him for wounds and whatnot. The Chain’s leader was fully freaked out but more than grateful to have the Sailor back with them.

The Chain quickly followed Time and surrounded the duo very swiftly. The questions were flying around but Wind didn’t pay attention to them. Instead, he blinked few times before raising his gaze into the Chain’s leader. He smiled a bit and suddenly glomped him tightly. Time gasped a bit in shock before already wrapping his arms around him. “Sshh, it’s okay, Sailor. You’re safe.” He whispered while feeling the youngest Hero breaking down in his hold.

After a moment of listening to Time’s reassuring words and feeling the worried gazes of the others on his back, Wind eventually pulled off. He was smiling a bit while drying his tears. “Sorry.” He half mumbled but the smile didn’t falter.

Time returned the smile while gently helping to dry the tears off. “No reason for apology. If anything, I’m sorry that I couldn’t follow you.” He replied sorrowfully.

Wind shook his head while taking the pendant off of his neck. “This thing asked where I wanted to go and…” He started before shrugging. “I, um… Kinda said to home.” He confessed while bit blushing but he soon sighed happily. “It took me to Outset Island, back to my timeline.” He explained and smiled. “I met with Grandma. Told all’s fine at there.”

Time sighed in relief and nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. How are you?” He replied while feeling worried for how the whole thing would affect the boy.

Wind chuckled a bit while putting the necklace to his pocket. “I gotta say that was quite rough going.”

Time chuckled a bit and nodded. “Yeah, I know. Should’ve warned that the first time’s hard. The whole spinning and sudden change from one place to another….” He shrugged a bit. “I confess, I was sick after the first time. Second time was bit better since I knew what to wait for.”

Wind nodded before bit frowning as he noticed the blue ocarina in Time’s hand. “Were you…?” He queried bit uncertainly.

Time chuckled and brought the ocarina up. “Yeah, we were up for checking if the song would work. Didn’t get to play it, though.” He answered before putting the instrument away. “Yet, the question that pendant asked was different than what I got back at Termina.”

“What did it ask from you back then?” The Sailor inquired while bit tilting his head.

Time sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Choose a place to teleport to.” He replied before shrugging. “After that it gave me a map of Termina with the spots where I could go. Pointed to one and…” He made bit of an explosion imitation with his hand. “Poof…. I was there.”

“You’re not too fond of Termina, are you, Sprite?” Warriors inquired while feeling bit bad for having put his brother into the situation. It was clear the Chain’s leader wasn’t eager of going back to that land.

Time sighed and shrugged. “Termina’s a contradiction for me.” He answered before starting to usher everyone towards the camp. “Come on, some calming down would be recommended right now.” He told while feeling grateful that no-one was pushing him to explain more. Yet, as Wind sat right next to him and even leaned against him, the Chain’s leader felt like he owed an explanation to his boys.

Time wrapped his arm around the Sailor and held him close. “I was ten when I ended into Termina.” He started while dropping his gaze into the fireplace. “It was under a curse of a time loop. Three days to be exact. Lost the count of how many times I repeated them. According to Malon… Well, she was wise enough to count the times as I explained things to her…” He told before shaking his head. “Anyway, I was trapped into there for two, maybe three years. Lost the count of how many times I used that song and the owl statues to make my travelling quicker. Time was… On card back then. There were lot of places I had to be at specific time.” He snorted a bit and gave a grim grin. “The clock in my head is the result of that.”

Time sighed and shook his head. “There’s lot more to tell about that land and of my second quest but this’ll be more than enough for now. I know there’s billions of questions but… I’ll explain everything at some day.”

The Chain stayed silent as they just simply stared at their leader. Those several small bits of information about Termina and Time’s second quest were something that fully shocked them. It was hard for them to even imagine the whole situation let alone to even start to think about what kind of things he had to deal with to handle that quest and save Termina from that curse.

Wind took a deep breath and held it in as he made his choice and threw his pride out of his mind. He let the air out and raised his gaze up into the one eyed male. “Time?” The Sailor called bit uncertainly and Time turned his gaze into him. Wind gulped once while holding on to his decision. “Would you….” He started before trailing off while blushing as he dropped his gaze down. He closed his eyes while feeling the worried gaze of his leader’s. “Would you hold me tonight, please?” He finally inquired with a quiet whisper.

Time blinked once in surprise before smiling fondly at the youngest Hero. He gently kissed the top of the boy’s head. “Just let me know when you’re ready for bed.” He simply told while feeling bit grateful of being able to help the Sailor. Wind simply nodded while slowly calming down.

Luckily the rest of the Chain stayed silent about the situation. The pirate-Hero wasn’t certain if Time had given them a meaningful look or not but he was happy of the lack of questions and comments. Those weren’t brought out even at the next day when everyone had seen him snuggle close to their leader.

The very truth was, that they all simply were grateful of the Sailor being safe and sound with them and getting the help from such a simple action as being held. Besides, that in its own showed a different kind of courage. Asking for help and shoving the pride off of the way was something that the nine Heroes weren’t used to doing. And when one would show this kind of courage, there were no chances they’d ever tease about it. In fact, it was something they simply hoped to learn from and getting similar courage for themselves too.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 18: Day 17: Hostage situation

Summary:

When the the leader of the Chain and his two second-in-commands are kidnapped, how well can the rest of the Chain deal with the rescue mission? And who are these Flock of Heroes?

Notes:

CW: Cursing, kidnapping, bit of burning, getting impaled by stakes, almost drowning, emotional off loading

Published: 17.02.2024 around 1:40 of Finnish time

The Chain had just returned into the Inn after dealing with some black blooded monsters from close by. It had been rough battle and none of them had gotten out of it without some kind of damage. Luckily it still was minor and was easy to deal with some bandages along with the safe rest they were up for getting soon.

The group had been surprisingly lucky and they all had gained their own rooms. It was nice to have own privacy for a change. Yet, even though Time was grateful of both the calm and quiet, he still worried for the others since he wasn’t able to know fast enough if everyone was safe and sound. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to complain about it since solo rooms were what some of them had been wanting for quite a while now.

The Chain never had a chance to get their armor off when a loud CRASH was heard from the downstairs. It was quickly followed by terror filled screams. The nine didn’t think twice as they already were up for leaving their rooms and head downstairs. Main thing was at least to investigate if not take part into the situation. Unfortunately, three of them never made it downstairs.

Time never had the chance as the attack came from behind. He only had a feeling of something being wrong before he was already struck down. Warriors had bit better chance and the scuffle between him and five assailants was very much destroying the room. Unfortunately, he was easily overpowered by the skilled attackers. Twilight had swiftly turned into a wolf when he felt a presence close by. Yet, as he moved away before attacking against the unwanted guest, the invader swiftly pulled the cover off of the bed and threw it over the wolf. The battle was over for him before it even began.

The rest six dealt with the situation downstairs while being fully oblivious of what was going on with their brothers. When the three Lizalfos were killed in the dining room, the Chain finally checked around. The second they realized to be three members short, they already dashed back upstairs in worry of there being another situation going on.

The group called out for their leader and his two second-in-commands but the second floor was eerily silent. They crashed the doors open while going into three teams. “There’s been bit of a battle in here.” Hyrule commented from Twilight’s door.

“More so in here, I’m sure.” Sky stated out while looking in worry of the smashed room. “Captain didn’t go down without a fight….” He half whispered while going deeper inside. “But… Where is he…?”

“Guys!” Wind called out bit frantically as he and Wild came out from Time’s room. The Sailor was waving a piece of paper in his hand. “They’ve been kidnapped!” He shouted while trying not to panic.

“That was pretty obvious by now…” Legend muttered as they gathered around Wind to get to know what was written in to the note. The youngest Hero tried to stop trembling as he tried to get the words read. Yet, he eventually gave the note to Sky.

The Chosen Hero swiftly scanned through the note. “They want to make an exchange. Our brothers to three other guys. We got two hours to find the trio and get into the right place.” He quickly summed up before already showing to follow as he dashed back down to the first floor.

“Where are you going? Shouldn’t we just barge into the place and get our brothers?!” Wild queried while wanting nothing more than to get the trio back safe and sound.

“We need information!” Sky replied while heading off to the reception desk. “And this is as best a place as one can come up with.” He stated out as he already rang the bell at the desk. “We need to know whom the trio is that they want to make the exchange with. And why.”

The Chain with him nodded before already turning their gazes into the Inn’s keeper as he arrived. “Hi. We’re in serious need of help.” Sky started while already giving the note to the man. “While we dealt with the Lizalfos down here, three of us were taken off guard. Now we’re—“ The Skyloftian explained before he was show to stop talking.

“That asshole’s still at it.” The man grumbled while shaking his head. “I’ll get the trio. Yet, I’m not sure how much of help they’ll be to you.” He stated out before already leaving with the note. The Chain blinked in surprise before looking at one another.

“Okay… What’s going on?” Four queried while turning his worried gaze towards the way the man had left. “Should we follow him? He clearly knows more than what we do at the moment.” He reasoned while trying to figure the situation out.

“I….” Sky started while bit feeling like he was in charge of their Chain at the moment. He hesitated while making his choice. “I think we should just wait.” He finally stated out and got everyone to stare at him.

Sky took once a deep breath while trying to stay calm. He wasn’t leader material and he knew it. And yet, someone had to make the choices. “The Inn’s owner clearly realized who’s behind this. This isn’t first time. But we’ll make it to be the last. One way or another.” The Chosen Hero told while gaining confidence from somewhere unknown to him. “We’ll get our brothers back. I’m not accepting any other choice. And yet… I’m not up for exchanging innocent lives in the process.” The Chain stared at Sky in silence before slowly nodding. “We’ll get the trio along. We get to that place. And we get our brothers. As simple as that.”

“I wish it were that simple.” Someone spoke and snapped the notion of six Heroes into him. “Raven’s not easy to talk around.” The man stated out while crossing his arms over his chest. Three more men came next to him while the Inn’s keeper moved back to the receptionist’s desk.

The Chain was feeling bit uncertain of the situation. “The note spoke only of three. Not four.” Wind stated out while checking the group as closely as he could.

“Raven’s not wanting to include Seagull into this. He never has.” The man kept talking on the behalf of the whole group. “Nonetheless, we’re all coming.” He stated out firmly while waiting for the group to challenge his choice.

Sky glanced at his brothers before making a choice. He took once a deep breath before nodding firmly. “I’m Sky. And these are my brothers Wind, Wild, Four, Hyrule and Legend.” He introduced their little Chain. “The one’s taken are our leaders of sort. Time, Twilight and Warriors.” He explained as calmly as he could before nodding towards the four before them. “And you four would be…?”

The group of four glanced at each other before the leader of theirs shrugged. “Name’s Crow. These are my brothers in arms. Seagull, Magpie and Hummingbird.” He showed for his small group to follow and started to head out of the Inn. “Anyways, enough of chit-chat. We need to get to Raven before he decides to do anything worse than he’s done so far.”

The Chain let the four pass before following them. The group clearly knew where to go. “I’m sorry to say this but I get the feeling Raven was once part of your group…?” Wild half inquired the statement of his.

Crow sighed heavily before glancing around him at his friends. The trio shrugged before one of them nodded firmly. “You’re right about that. The thing is, there used to be nine of us. Raven just never got over the loss of four of our team’s members.” The small group’s leader explained very shortly.

The shortest male glanced at his group’s leader before rolling his eyes. After that he turned around and walked backwards while looking at the six following them. “Raven’s redoing over and over again what we went through. Big group’s leaders caught and rest forced to attempt a rescue. I have to warn you, though. He’s never let anyone free.”

“Why do I have an eerie feeling about that line?” Legend grumbled while hardening his gaze. Hummingbird flinched a bit while dropping his gaze down. Yet, the man soon took a deep breath and his determination back.

“Death is all that comes from this situation. Owl, Hawk and Eagle were caught by the main bad guy. We did what we could by answering to questions while trying to figure out a way around it all. They were dropped to their deaths before we could come up with anything.” Hummingbird explained and shook his head sorrowfully. “Swallow took it hardest. Few months later he killed himself. He was closest with the trio and the loss just broke him beyond repair. Raven….” The man trailed off uncertainly.

“Raven was the one whom found Swallow.” Magpie continued for him. “That was the last straw. He left the group and we’ve been following his trail ever since. We keep on trying to talk to him. But… He doesn’t listen.”

“Raven’s just hurting.” Seagull told sorrowfully. “He’s lost so much and gone through even more than any of us. I was close with him and this kills me. He wasn’t…” He sighed heavily and shook his head.

“This kingdom is big.” Crow started while feeling like he could actually trust the six they were showing the road. “It wasn’t able to deal with just one Hero like in the old legends. Nine areas, nine enemy leaders, nine Heroes.” He stated out and raised his right hand to show the Triforce.

The Chain gasped in shock behind him but soon they frowned in confusion. “That’s…. That’s not intact….” Wind nearly whispered in uncertainty.

“Nine pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Or well, eight actual pieces and one with the frame of it.” Seagull clarified with a shrug.

“Owl had the frame.” Magpie told sorrowfully. “I guess that made him the leader. The rest eight of us just had pieces of what should’ve been inside of it.”

“Raven has five parts now. His own piece, Owl’s frame and the three other pieces.” Hummingbird explained while dropping his gaze into the ground. “Told he’d keep them safe.” He snorted and shook his head. “Never thought he’d change sides.”

“He’s just hurting!” Seagull snapped roughly. “He’s just… Not knowing how else to deal with it.” He mumbled sorrowfully. “I guess… He’s hoping this could fix something but…. It only makes things worse.”

The Chain glanced at each other. “How many times he’s done this?” Sky inquired bit tentatively. He feared to be asking the wrong question but also wanting to know. Part of him wished to save the small group’s friend while bigger part, which he tried to silence as well as he could, wanted to punish the guy for having kidnapped three of their brothers.

The four glanced at each other uncertainly. “This is third time.” Crow finally told. “I have no idea what he has in store for your leaders. Just… Try and be ready for the loss.”

“We’re not allowing that.” Wild snapped roughly with a growl. “If there’s even one slight bit for rescue, we’ll do exactly that.” He stated out while fully fearing to lose Twilight.

“Just a warning.” Crow replied with a shrug. After that the two groups fell silent. The forest got darker the deeper they went. Eventually they found the cave mentioned in the note the Chain had found. The group of four let the group of six go first since this was their situation.

The dimly lit pathway led into a huge hall like area. The Chain gasped in shock when they saw the missing trio of their group. All three were unconscious and heavily chained. They were all hanging above a square fall. The group could hear the crackling of fire and slight waves crashing against walls but nothing indicated what third was up for.

“AH! You made it here.” Came a victorious remark with a clear smirk on its voice. The Chain snapped their gazes to the other side of the area. There was a see through glass like square and inside it was a man with a clear sinister delight on his face. “So, where’s the trio I told you to bring along, hmm?” He queried while taking a check around the Chain.

“We’re here, Raven.” Crow called as he and the other three came into the area from the pathway.

Raven’s gaze narrowed and he growled. “What the fuck is Seagull doing in here?!” He snapped while pointing at the man in question. “I told three not four!” He shouted angrily before smirking. “Maybe I should just drop the first one for the lack of following clear instructions.”

The Chain dashed over the edges of the three squares. Time was above a fall into deep looking water. The six knew he’d sink fast with that armor on and the Biggoron Sword on his back. Warriors was hanging over sharp stakes. Twilight had fire below him and the group could feel the heat of it all the way up to the edge of it.

“I can save Time if he falls.” Legend whispered quietly while counting on his transformation magic. So far he hadn’t let anyone see his water creature’s form but, well, there was first time for everything.

“I can get Twilight.” Wild stated out while being very much ready to take distance and jump already.

“I got Warriors then.” Sky replied with a nod. “Rest of you… Just be ready with Hookshots. We’ll be needing those to get out of the pits.”

“Raven, right?” Four called while turning towards their tormentor. The Chain glanced at him before returning to the situation at hand. “I know how you’re feeling.” The shortest Hero continued while carefully moving bit away from his brothers.

“No-one does!” Raven snapped roughly while glaring at the youngster. “I was the one whom had to make choices!” He shouted before shaking his head to snap the memories out of there.

When the four others in Raven’s old flock tried to start to argue against the claim, Four already raised his hand up to silence them. “True. I haven’t been to your place but I’ve been to similar situation.” He started as calmly as he could. He was seething in rage of the danger his brothers were in. And yet, part of him understood the situation better than what he wanted to admit.

The Smithy took once a deep breath and sat down. He kept his gaze fixed in Raven whole time. “I gained a brother during my first quest.” Four began slowly. “Unfortunately, he was a pawn to the main enemy. I and he… We played rough game of mind tricks, lies and bluffs. Trying to figure out the other one’s plans and act accordingly. Yet…” He explained while turning his gaze off with a sorrowful smile. “The more I learned, the more I realized how much he had been lied to.” He gulped once and sighed. “I changed the whole situation around.”

The shortest Hero took a wavering breath while trying to stay intact. “I got attached to him. I wanted to save him. He and our enemy… Their lives were connected to a cursed mirror. I got… I managed to get him to see the truth. And he….” He shook his head while trying to blink the tears away. “I told him I’d come up with something. That I’d figure it out. That I only needed time….”

Four trailed off while feeling himself break down. His ears drooped and he kept his gaze on the ground. “He broke the mirror. Condemning himself to death. I….” His voice wavered. “I tried to stop him. But… Like our enemy, he was gone the second the mirror shattered. I don’t….” The Smithy shook his head and tried to dry his tears. “I don’t know if he’s trapped in the mirror or if he’s dead. According to Princess Zelda, it’s too dangerous to recreate that mirror. So… I’ll never know.”

Raven watched and listened quietly. Somewhere deep within him, he felt bad for this boy before him. Just like had felt hellish for the other two groups he had forced into this situation. And yet, he soon smirked and snorted. “Too bad.” He simply stated out with a shrug. “At least you’re more ready for what’s to come.” The man stated out and snapped his fingers.

“NOOO!” The scream cut the air and Four snapped his gaze back into his brothers that were held hostage. Legend dived into the square where Time fell, Sky jumped after Warriors and Wild dashed to catch Twilight. The shortest Hero scrambled to his feet and ran towards the square pits of death to see what was going to happen. A splash told Time to have struck into the water. A scream of pain told clearly that Sky had struck into one if not more of those stakes. Silence was all that was coming from third area.

Wild hadn’t thought even for a second as he already ran and jumped. He didn’t even consider about taking the Paraglider out. The fall was too short. He needed the speed.

The Champion crashed against the unconscious mentor of his. Luckily that changed the direction of the fall a bit. They both gasped a bit when they crashed against the wall. Wild had already wrapped his arms and legs around Wolfie before the impact came. Unconsciously, by the teaching from rough situations during his own quest, the newest Hero took hold of the uneven wall while holding even tighter to the beast with his legs.

The fire was way too close and Wild was having hard time breathing. Nonetheless, he concentrated into the task at hand. While hanging from one hand, he forced himself to get the wolf upwards. Luckily he was able to get the help from his legs with the action before already having the unconscious Wolfie over his shoulder.

With the Sacred Beast in slightly bit safer area, Wild, while still using his legs as well as possible to keep his mentor to his position, took a hold of the wall with his feet. After that he scrambled the Slate out and searched for the right action. Next part was trickier as he pointed the needed part at the chains around his closest family member. “You’re gonna be okay, Twi.” He whispered before activating the thing and beginning to lift Wolfie towards the safety of the room.

Soon he was hoisted out of the pit with the magic Wild’s Slate had within it. “Wild! Damn it! Climb higher, you fool!” Wind screamed while trying to come up with a way to help. As Four came over, he could see the flames licking at the Champion’s clothes.

“Not until Twi’s out of here!” Wild snapped back while carefully moving his mentor’s unconscious body by the help of those chains binding him. The moment he had gently laid him to the floor, he swiftly started to climb upwards. Four and Wind were quick to start to work the chains off of their brother’s wolf form. Soon the Champion had gotten high enough and he jumped off of the wall before already taking the Paraglider out. It wasn’t a big job for him to get to the safer area.

As Wild had gone for Twilight, Sky had dived after Warriors. He too used the speed for his aid before crashing into the Captain. Yet, the sharp stakes were getting closer much faster than the Chosen Hero wanted to think about. Sadly, his speed and angle hadn’t been right to push them to crash into the wall like it had been with the Champion.

Sky tried to take a hold of Warriors while taking the Sailcloth for usage. It ended up being the worst idea ever as his angle changed before the speed would be reduced. Too soon the stakes of different heights came to greet them. It was simple instinct of protecting his beloved brother that got the Chosen Hero to move the Captain into such position that he’d get into the gaps between the deadly stakes. Unfortunately, that meant for Sky to get struck.

Four moved over to Warriors’ pit and flinched when he saw the situation. “SKY!” He screamed out in fright. There was one stake through the Chosen Hero’s left leg and another through his right shoulder. The position seemed very awkward and painful.

“I’m alive.” Sky replied with a grimace. “I’m not able to get free, though.” He told bit unwillingly. “How’s Twilight? Did Wild catch him?” He inquired with full worry in his voice.

“Rancher’s fine. Wild’s bit scorched but nothing of too bad.” Four replied before turning his notion into the Champion. “Wild!” He called and showed him to come over. “You’re probably only one to get to Sky and Warriors.” The Smithy explained when Wild gasped in shock as he saw the situation.

The Champion nodded before already getting back into usage his earlier function of Magnesis from his Slate. “I’ll get Captain up first. After that I’ll climb down and come to help you.” He promised while taking hold of the chains around Warriors. Slowly and very carefully he started to pull him up. Sky and Four watched quite awed at the unknown magic as their leader’s second-in-command was brought out of the area.

Once Warriors was in safe, Wild put the slate off and began to climb down. Four called out to Hyrule and the duo began to take the chains off of the Captain. The Champion moved carefully through the stakes before reaching Sky. “Sorry. This is going to hurt.” He apologized while bit climbing onto the stake to get into better position. After that he took one deep breath before already beginning to gently push the leg free.

Sky tried not to scream but he was growling in pain. Wild kept apologizing as he worked as carefully and slowly as possible. Once the leg was free, he held on to it while helping the Chosen Hero to get himself angled into better position while avoiding the close by stakes. After that the Champion moved to get the pierced arm free.

“We need Hookshot lift!” Wild called once he carefully pulled Sky up from the floor and helped him to move closer to the wall where the road to safety was on high ground. Hyrule was swift to pull out his Hookshot while praying it was long enough.

“Just tell me when you’re ready!” The Traveler called while already aiming. Soon enough Wild nodded firmly and Hyrule sent the weapon off. The Champion held onto the Chosen Hero as tightly as he could while taking hold of the Hookshot’s chain. Once the duo was up and in the safety with the healer already on the work of fixing the damaged leg and arm, Four moved to the last pit.

Legend had dived the second the chains were set free. He gave out a quiet growl when he saw Time crash into the water. Yet, he followed soon after. He tried to snatch a hold of the chains but he had been that one small bit too slow and his swing missed. He cursed while closing his eyes and letting the transformation happen. It wasn’t as instantaneous as it would’ve been with sea water but fast enough.

Nonetheless, with Time’s armor on and the Biggoron Sword on his back… Legend growled and dived as fast as he could. He could see the Old Man unconsciously panic as he was breathing water in instead of air. Luckily the mer-form was faster than what the Chain’s leader’s sinking was.

Legend didn’t think twice as he already wrapped his long tail around Time to slow if not stop the sinking. Right after that he pinched Time’s nose shut before already blowing air into his mouth. “Wake up, damn it!” He growled while repeating the action few times to get the invading water out of his leader’s lungs.

The Veteran started to work on getting the chains off of Time while every now and then repeating the earlier action. “Fuck… This won’t be good….” He mumbled while realizing that the sinking was still happening even though much slower. He couldn’t see the bottom and even the surface started to be out of his sight.

Suddenly Legend remembered something that Time had once shown. It had been another evening as they had talked about masks. That time it wasn’t just overall talk but more about ones with magic. Even though their leader had been giving very little out he had shown three specific masks and one of those had been a Zora mask.

“Where, where, where…?!” Legend growled while going through Time’s pockets nearly frantically. He gasped a bit in start when he found the right pouch. “A-ha!” He half shouted when he pulled the mask out. Right after that he repeated his earlier work of getting air into Time’s lungs before already putting the mask onto his face.

The Veteran nearly screamed out when Time began screaming while throwing his head back. It had been close that he would’ve let go of his leader but for his luck the instincts got him to keep his snake like body wrapped around Time’s body. Soon there was a Zora in his grip and the weight that kept them going downwards was simply because of the chains.

“Time?” Legend called tentatively while watching the Zora shake his head. “You with me, Time?” He called out again while starting to work the chains off of him.

“Time…? Who…?” The Zora queried while blinking in confusion before already starting to struggle against the chains. “The heck…?” He growled before his gaze fell into the being around him. The aquatic male stopped moving on that second before slowly raising his gaze upwards.

Legend had unconsciously tightened the hold when the Zora fought against the restraints. “Time?” He called out again in worry before bit frowning. The Zora had both eyes open and normal. The markings on the male’s face were so dim that they nearly were unseen.

The Zora blinked few times before sighing and shaking his head. “Sorry. Name’s Mikau. The Link you call as Time is….” He began before frowning. “Oh, fucking hell!” He growled as he suddenly realized the situation. “Give me a moment.” He simply told while relaxing and closing his eyes.

Legend stared in absolute confusion and slight shock. “The fuck…?” He half whispered before shaking his head and getting back into getting the chains off of the Zora. At least once the aquatic male would be free they both would be capable of getting back up to the surface.

“LINK! WAKE UP! HEY! YOUR BOY HERE IS WORRIED SICK FOR YOU! GET THAT EYE OF YOURS OPEN! LINK!”

“…. Ugh…. W-what….?”

“Oh thank the Four Giants! Are you alright?”

“…Mikau?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Lucky your boy there was wise enough to put my mask onto you.”

“What…?” Time shook his head before blinking few times. “What’s going on?”

“Beats me.” Mikau replied while shrugging. “All I know is that you’re underwater and Legend put my mask onto you. The rest is as much unknown to me as it is to you.”

Time frowned in confusion. “I…. I remember someone injecting me at the Inn and…. Then waking up now.”

“Well, we’ll figure things out later or get the answers from the others. Right now our main concern is getting us two and Legend out.”

“Wait… You said we’re underwater.” Time started while starting to feel dread lodge into him. “LEDGE! The hell he’s doing…!”

“Relax! He’s fine!” Mikau half shouted before grinning. “Let me show you.”

Mikau opened his eyes just when Legend got the last of the chains off and the Zora’s hands freed from behind. “Hi.” He called and bit startled the Veteran. “Thanks for freeing me. You can let go now.” The guitarist of the Zora band told calmly.

Legend pulled off bit uncertainly but he sighed in relief when the Zora stayed to his place instead of sinking. “Um… You okay…?” He inquired while being uncertain of what was going on.

Mikau smiled and nodded. “I am now. Thank you.” He replied calmly before bit stretching. “I know this sounds odd but that mask…” He started before trailing off for a moment. “It’s soul-bound. And that means there’s actual real life connected to it. Also known as me right here. Yeah, hi. Name’s Mikau as I told before. And the Link you know as Time, he’s here.” The Zora explained calmly and pointed to his head. “He’s awake now and fully aware of what’s going on around him.”

Legend stared with a small frown on his face before shaking his head and blinked couple of times. “Okay, fine, whatever. Right now we need to get the hell out of here.” He stated out and glanced upwards while trying to not freak out.

“So, Link wants to know if that’s magic or item at your usage.” Mikau suddenly told and snapped the Veteran’s notion back into him. “Also, in opinion from both of us, that’s a very amazing form of aquatic being you got there.”

Legend blinked few times in confusion before getting startled of the compliment. He turned his gaze off while blushing a bit. “Uh… It was an accessory of sorts but I wasn’t aware of it being cursed back then. After few uses it kinda melted into me and…” He explained before shrugging. “It’s used to sea water. That’s where the transformation is quite well instantaneous but on anywhere else I have more control over it.”

“Sounds like something that I and Link could help a bit in different circumstances.” Mikau told with a nod. “Anyway, you certainly saved Link’s life there. For that both I and him are more than grateful of. Thank you.”

Legend sighed in relief and nodded. He was starting to get used to the Zora’s odd way of talking about both him and Time. “Just glad I was fast enough.” He replied before nodding upwards. “Let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”

Mikau nodded firmly and the duo started to swim back up. “I admit I feared I might’ve needed to get that armor off you. Um… M-maybe even the Biggoron Sword….” Legend confessed bit worriedly.

“May I?” Time half queried and Mikau nodded. He let Link take the control of their currently shared body.

“Ledge, it’s okay.” The Zora told with a fond smile. Legend frowned a bit before gasping in shock and recoiling bit backwards. The markings were much clearer now as was the scar. The Zora was even holding his right eye closed. “Yeah, bit unexpected, eh?” Time half queried with a chuckle.

Legend just stared while being utterly out of knowing what the hell was going on. “Like Mikau told, I and him share a body when the mask is used. Helped a lot in handling few places during my second quest.” He explained with a shrug. “Anyway, even though it would’ve been quite a loss with the armor and sword…” He shrugged again. “Well, rather you and I both staying alive instead of worrying over something I probably can get recreated back at my own time.”

“So…. Um….” Legend started while not really knowing how to voice his question.

“I’ll let Mikau introduce himself better at another time. Right now we need to get out of here.” Time replied with a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s get up.” He told while gently coaxing the Veteran in mer-form. “I’ll race you.” The Chain’s leader suddenly told with a wide grin before already dashing upwards.

“HEY! NOT FAIR!” Legend screamed before putting all he got into swimming upwards. Time just chuckled while being grateful of having averted the Veteran’s notion enough to get him out of the shock and confusion. “HA! You’re slow!” The younger male shouted and struck his tongue out at the Zora as he swiftly got past him. Time just laughed before slowing down a bit as they started to reach the surface.

Legend jumped high into the air while letting his whole long mer-creature’s body feel the air around it. After that he adjusted his fall and dived back into the water. The Zora simply popped onto the surface before already chuckling as the waves struck onto him. Once the Veteran had broken the surface again to check how they’d get out of there, Time already grinned and gave that whistle which everyone in the Chain had learned to mean that they should snap their notion into him.

Four had stayed by the edge of the pit where Time had fallen into. Yet, there was absolutely nothing he or the others could do. Maybe Twilight was the only one whom could go and dive since he had that Zora Armor. Yet, at the moment the Rancher was still unconscious and in his wolf form.

The Smithy had turned his notion into the others. Wild and Wind were trying to wake Twilight up. Hyrule and Sky were with Warriors. He turned his gaze into the group of four whom were trying to talk with Raven but the man’s notion was fully fixed into his current target group. The man was fully ignoring his old group while smirking as he was certain of the Chain having lost one if not two lives.

Suddenly the air was pierced by familiar whistle. Four snapped his gaze into the pit he was sitting next to. Hyrule, Sky, Wild and Wind scrambled swiftly to him in both shock and relief. They saw Legend with a Zora. “Hey, boys! Fancy sending a Hookshot or such to pull us up from here?” The Zora called with a grin on his face.

“TIME?!” The Chain half shouted, half exclaimed in shock. “The hell…?” They half queried before shaking their heads. Hyrule already took out his Hookshot again and aimed it down.

“Just wrap yourself around me, Legend.” Time half commanded before nodding his acceptance. Luckily the Traveler’s weapon was long enough and the Zora didn’t need to figure out if he’d be able to pull out Time’s Longshot out to meet the shorter one. He wrapped his arm around the Veteran just before taking hold of the chain.

Hyrule pulled the duo up while Time did his best to keep Legend from hitting against the uneven surface of the wall. “Just bit of magic trick there. He simply needs to dry up.” The Zora told to the shocked and confused looks the Chain was giving the Veteran. Legend kept his gaze down while feeling both embarrassed and ashamed. Yet, he was bit startled of Time’s explanation which pretty much held his secret still as such.

“Sorry, guys, this won’t be easy to hear.” Time continued while carefully standing up and moving bit away from the group. “Transformation magic’s not the fun thing to play with.” He apologized while taking hold of the mask’s edge. “You ready, Mikau?” He inwardly queried from the Zora.

“Ready when you are.” Mikau replied with a firm nod. “Just remember that you were underwater. There’s still some water in your lungs.” He warned before taking a deep breath with Link.

“I got that, thanks.” Time replied before starting to pull the mask off. He tried to hold back the scream but the literal transformation from one species into another was agonizing no matter how he’d try to get ready for it. The scream began as Mikau’s and ended as Time’s. He gasped and staggered a step backwards before crashing to his knees as he began to cough the water out.

The Chain watched in horror and worry before Sky and Wild already dashed over to him to help him to get the water out. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” Time half stated out once he caught his breathing. That was when he finally started to check his boys through. “What’s been going on?” He queried while taking in the situation he was seeing.

Sky began to explain things while telling straight as first thing that everyone was safe and sound even though Twilight and Warriors were still unconscious. Yet, that didn’t aid Time’s worry even one bit. In fact, it only grew the more he heard and more he noticed things.

The Captain and the Rancher unconscious. Wild’s scorched clothes. Sky’s bloodied clothes from the two parts where there were quite a hole in them. Legend’s mer-form. The worry in the remaining members of the Chain.

“Who’s at the fault?” Time held back the snarl from his voice even though his gaze hardened the more he understood of what had been going on after he had been knocked out. He stood up slowly when Four pointed to the guy in the safety of his small glass area. “Wild, you got those remote bomb things, right?” The Chain’s leader inquired and the Champion nodded. “How much do you need to get one of such inside there?” He inquired and nodded towards what the guy thought to be safe place.

“Not much. Why?” Wild inquired while frowning at the look on Time’s face.

“I’ll give you that opening.” The one eyed male stated out as he turned towards the enemy. “Get the hell away from there.” He commanded to the four surrounding the square place. The group flinched before glancing at each other until bit reluctantly making room to Time. The Chain’s leader drew out his Biggoron Sword slowly while keeping his glare in Raven.

“You picked the wrong people to torment, asshole.” Time snarled as he raised the sword above his head. “And I don’t forgive easily those whom go against my boys.”

“This is bomb safe place! Not even that sword can break this!” Raven claimed while actually feeling bit worried.

Time smirked at his words. “We’ll see about that.” Right after that he gave out a battle scream and struck downwards hard and fast. He wasn’t going to slash at the glass. No, he aimed at the corner. Right into the connection between the glass pieces where the sealing would make things weaker.

Raven jumped backwards when the loud screech rang in the air before the tip of the blade already got into his side of the place. He stared wide-eyed as Time forced the blade deeper before twisting the handle. With brute force the sword turned ninety degrees and forcing an opening into the enemy’s creation of safety.

Raven gasped in shock when suddenly a square and glowing box appeared into the area. Time smirked as he yanked the sword free and let the pieces of glass get together again. “You got three seconds before that blows up.” The Chain’s leader stated out while raising his hand up with three fingers held up from a fist.

“You’re bluffing!” Raven screamed while backing away from the oddity. He was trembling in fear since this was first time the people he tormented had a strike at him.

“Try me.” Time simply replied while dropping one finger down. “See what your own life’s worth of.” He nearly snarled while letting another finger fall.

“NO! I’M SORRY! PLEASE!I” Raven screamed while falling to his knees. He dug his hands into his hair while shutting his eyes tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He begged while waiting for the blast to tear him to pieces.

Instead of dropping the last finger Time put all of the rest up before waving his hand dismissively. Wild vanquished the bomb while bit feeling like having wanted to blow it up. The Chain’s leader knocked on the glass while still glaring at Raven. “Get anywhere near my boys, one, few or all of them, and I swear I’ll tear to you to pieces.” He snarled before glancing at the four members of Raven’s old group. “You’re lucky no-one died today. Otherwise a bomb would’ve been something considered as mercy.”

“Sprite?”

Time’s ear twitched at the call and he sighed a bit in relief. “That and your group along with my boys watching is the only reason you’re still alive. Don’t fuck up your second chance.” He snarled before turning around while sheathing his sword. As he moved, he took a deep breath and let that death-glare vanished from his face. He smiled bit sorrowfully at his boys while returning to them. His smile widened a bit when he noticed both Warriors and Twilight awake and with the rest of the Chain.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Time partly commanded while taking in the fact that the whole Chain seemed coherent enough to move normally. Even Legend had managed to change forms by now. He avoided to look Warriors in the eyes since he knew his older brother wasn’t too happy whenever he was ready to go over the edge. And yet, if he had lost even one of his boys… He refused to continue on that thought.

“Wait!” The shout stopped the nine Heroes right after the Chain had gotten up from the floor. Time flinched slightly while gritting his teeth. He did not want to deal with that guy any of longer. He took a deep breath as he was ready to throw another death-glare at the man’s way when the next words got him nearly to stop breathing: “You’re the Hero of Time.”

Time gulped once before sighing heavily and slumping a bit. Well, it wasn’t that hard to figure out but it still always took him off guard when someone actually recognized him. He narrowed his gaze as he turned to look at Raven. “So what if I am?”

Raven gulped once while dropping his gaze down into the floor. “Owl was that too.” He told before biting down to his lower lip. He leaned his hand against the glass wall before placing his forehead against it.

Time frowned while thinking through all that had been told to him by Sky. And even more so about the group of four and Raven. He wanted to get out of there mainly because he didn’t know where those whom had taken him, Warriors and Twilight down were at. Part of him felt like it wasn’t something to worry about but he couldn’t push it out of his head. “That group that took us down… Where are they?” Time finally asked while raising his gaze up into Raven. He simply needed to know for the safety of his boys.

“They’re gone. They simply take one assignment at a time from the one whom pays the highest. Once done they leave the village, town, city or whatever place they’re currently working at.” Raven replied and Time nodded while calming down. At least it was one worry off of his list.

Raven clearly wanted to talk but he didn’t find the words. Time watched him before his gaze fell into the other four. He frowned while slowly looking his boys through until turning his gaze back into the men of a flock. He sighed heavily while turning his head to side and closing his eye. The Chain’s leader shook his head. “Fuck this…” He mumbled before returning to the glass box of sorts and sat down. The Chain stared bit shocked at the situation.

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” Time started when Raven had gasped and backed away from the glass. The man stared at him with fear, worry, confusion and sorrow. The Old Man wanted to hate the guy whom had attacked them but he couldn’t find it in himself to do such. Instead, he saw the connection. He saw several of his boys in these five men named after birds.

Time took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm down. “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” He began while inwardly grimacing at the words he chose. He dropped his gaze into his hand. “Lost so many lives dear to you. I know how that feels.” He shrugged and snorted. “Wasn’t far from going down on your path to be honest. Just one wrong person at the wrong time and….” He trailed off while shaking his head. “Anyway, that’s not what you want to hear. What you do want to hear are the hard facts.”

Time raised his gaze up into Raven firmly but that soon melted into sorrowfully fond one. “There are few things that are the hardest things in the world. Being the Hero isn’t one of those even though that job’s fucking hard.” He shook his head. “Nope, there are three things that go down into that category: Letting go, living for those lost and living for those still alive.”

“You hold the Triforce pieces of those brothers of yours whom are lost from this life.” Time started and nodded towards Raven’s hand. “You have to let them go. Those aren’t your pieces.” He told before shrugging. “Who knows, maybe by letting them go, those parts find new people whom you can call as brothers again. And maybe, just maybe, letting those pieces go might even bring back those lost. You don’t know unless you give it a shot.”

Rave gasped a bit and stared at his hand. He had thought to have protected the pieces. To have upheld the memories of his lost family. He had never even considered that there’d be a chance for those pieces to be reassigned.

Time let Raven think about the situation for a while before he continued to talk and snapped the man’s notion back into him. “Living for those lost isn’t as hard as it sounds. We’re the only ones whom remember. We’re the ones to uphold their memory. Who will remember the lost if those who knew them are gone? The legends don’t tell the full truth. It leaves far too much unsaid. There’s a saying I once heard. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened. So, in other words, remember the good times instead of the bad. Let them live in your heart and mind. That’s the last home you can give them while being sure that you’re one of the few who knew who they truly were.”

Raven slowly sat down while trying to stay intact. His ears were struck back while drooping. He was fully distraught of the situation but the words struck far harder than anything before. And he saw so much of Owl in Time that it broke what was left of his heart.

Time was silent again for a moment to let the words sink into Raven. “Living for those who are still alive….” He started and glanced at the group of four. He wanted to check on the Chain too but decided against it. He needed to keep himself in the situation instead of getting distracted. “Well, sometimes that’s hard and sometimes it’s the easiest thing in the world. It depends entirely in the situation and the people that matter. Yet…” He trailed off for a moment to fully get the words out right. “You’re still not alone. Four brothers of yours are still alive. And they never gave up on you. Even after all you’ve done, they’re still here right next to you.  They don’t want to lose you.”

Time frowned for a while before making his choice. “You guys were on a quest before any of this, right?” He inquired and five nodded. “Finished it?” He asked and got five shakes of head. The Chain’s leader chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Thought so…” He half whispered before returning his gaze into Raven.

“I don’t know how long this situation’s been going on but look around you, Raven.” Time half commanded. “These four ditched the quest for your sake. And fucking hell, I know my boys there are the same. Those we care about always come first. Kingdoms and quests be damned if those hindrance the safety and wellbeing of our own family.” He stated out firmly before bit shrugging. “You still got a chance, you know.”

Raven blinked in shock and raised his gaze up into Time. “W-what do you mean?” He half whispered the question while not really believing he’d get redemption or second chance of doing things right.

“You got Kingdom in desperate need of help. You got four brothers right beside you ready and willing to continue the quest with you. What else do you need?” Time nearly challenged him before getting up. “I can’t change your wrongdoings but I’m pretty sure there’s a way of fixing things if you’re ready to take responsibility. And they’ll be standing right next to you through it all. No doubt there.” He told while turning around and heading back towards his boys.

“There’s just one problem.” Raven called sheepishly while standing. Time held back his groan while rolling his eye. Raven gulped while slumping. “I can’t get out.”

“What?” Time asked fully confused while turning around. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

Raven gulped again and shook his head. “Um…. K-kinda was ready to end it all here. Having had enough of living with the pain, regrets and guilt.”

Time facepalmed and shook his head. “You really are an idiot.” He grumbled before coming back to the square glass box. He started to look the thing through as well as he could while hearing the Chain coming close in hopes of helping. “Just give me room. I’m going to need wide swings.” He warned while taking the Biggoron Sword back out.

Time had already moved the glass pieces off of each other once. It wouldn’t be hard to redo it. Yet, he feared that the whole glassy place would come crashing down and he wasn’t certain how heavy those pieces were going to be. He needed different path to get things done. “Fierce?” He called out while bit feeling like he’d need more strength than what he had.

“NO.”

Time sighed nearly exaggerated at the given answer. Yet, he soon grinned while realizing the other side of the given word. “Thank you for trusting in my strength.” He simply told while taking a deep breath. He closed his eye while holding the air in. When he finally let it out slowly, he opened his eye and nearly straight afterwards slashed with a loud battle cry.

Raven had luckily moved away from the glass to give the sword the room to enter into his side of the container. He gasped in shock when the weapon cut neat diagonal opening into the see-through wall. Soon another, opposite way being slash was struck but Time wasn’t ready with his work. He attacked the blockage with one last move. This time it was on lower area while going horizontally. Smirking, the Chain’s leader kicked the lower triangle and crashed it inside the square.

“Never underestimate unbreakable weapon.” Time told with a mischievous grin while moving away from the opening. “And especially not when the said weapon’s crafted by the Biggoron.” He continued while sheathing the blade.

Raven came out bit fearfully while knowing that the group of nine had all the rights to attack him for what he had put them through. Yet, the Chain of Links stayed to their place. Instead, his own group of four quickly took him entirely off guard by a group hug.

“Remember my words, Raven, and give yourself a chance.” Time simply told before fully returning to his boys. He nodded towards the way out while making sure all eight were following him.

Once the Chain was out of the cave, the others started to get Warriors and Twilight filled in on the happenings. Time didn’t fully listen as he had already heard it all. Yet, he couldn’t help but keep on comparing the flock of Heroes into his boys. Slowly he moved next to Legend and wordlessly pulled him into a one armed hug. He kissed the top of the boy’s head. “Thank you for having saved me, Ledge.” He whispered while ignoring the start and shock of one of his boys. “You’re safe and very much loved by all eight of us. Never forget that.” Time told calmly before letting him go and heading back to the top of the group. Yet, he let Sky and the others lead since they knew where the town was.

Warriors moved next to Time while feeling worried for him. “You okay, Sprite?” He inquired quietly while trying to keep their conversation between them. The Chain’s leader simply nodded. The Captain sighed a bit before relaxing slightly. “I know you know that I don’t always accept your actions. And yet…” He started before smiling fondly at the one whom once was his younger brother. “I’m so very proud of your actions today.”

Time jerked a bit in surprise and he turned his gaze into Warriors. “Even after everything that had happened, you helped that guy.” The Captain stated out and shrugged. “You got a big heart, Sprite.”

Time turned his gaze off before shrugging. “Eh, maybe.” He replied while hoping the others would never realize the connections. And yet, part of him wished to confess to Warriors and to really talk things through. Suddenly he knew what he needed to do. “Thank you, Wars.” He simply stated out as by just being close to his brother had once again cleared his mind enough to understand the most important things. Time left confused Warriors to his place as he half dashed into the front of the Chain. He swiftly turned around while stopping the eight Heroes. “A moment, guys!” He half shouted before taking once a deep breath.

He needed to get this out. He needed to make everyone understand. He needed to make sure they all would do the very right thing if they’d ever ended into similar situation as the local Heroes had.

“First of all…” Time started while knowing he was going to be damn emotional in front of his boys. “I love each and every single one of you far more than any of you probable ever can comprehend. Second, I’m so fucking proud of you all. Besides what I have in my own timeline, you guys are the best I’ve ever been given the rights to have.”

The Chain stared at him quite shocked. Yet, as the words sank in, they blushed and turned their gazes off. Time just smiled fondly at them. Yet, he soon took a deep breath as he tried to get ready for what he needed talk about.

“Now… I know this is something none of us want to think about but….” The Chain’s leader started uncertainly and getting everyone’s notion right back into him. “That situation… The loss of their group’s members….” He struggled to get the words out since he didn’t want to think about things. He even bit feared to be jinxing something by simply talking about any of this. He sighed heavily. “Hate to say this but something like that is possible to happen. Even to us. I just… I need to…” He trailed off while biting down to his lower lip. This ended up being far harder than he had waited for.

Sky looked around while knowing he wasn’t the Chain’s leader’s second-in-command but still feeling like the others waited for him to talk on everyone’s behalf. “We understand, Time.” He told as confidently as he could. Time snapped his gaze into him. “I know I’m talking on everyone’s behalf when I say that none of us will go down on Raven’s path. We got each other. If we lost one of our brothers…” He trailed off and glanced around again. “We’d mourn first, obviously. The quest can be dropped to a hold for a moment. If possible, we’d take the body to right timeline to be buried the right way. If not, then we’ll give the right kind of burial where we are at then and there. We’d talk. A lot. None of us would be left alone with a grief we all share. We’d only get more tightly knit together if anything. And we’d use those feelings to keep on continuing on this quest. The main fault’s the one behind all of this.”

Time sighed and relaxed while closing his eye. He smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” He half whispered while opening his eye and returning his gaze into the Chain. “You’ve no idea how much it means to me to know that no matter what, this Chain of ours won’t break.”

“There’s couple of more things that should be said too.” Sky continued while feeling like he had fully picked the right words from Time’s talk with Raven. Time frowned slightly but nodded to show he was listening. The Chosen Hero glanced once again around him just to make sure he still was the one to talk. “We all love you as much as you love us, Time. And we’re equally here for you as you are for us. Not to mention that we’re fully proud of you too.”

Time blinked in full surprise before already blushing. He had not waited for his boys to return his words to him. “T-thanks…” He half mumbled while being fully out of words for the given situation.

As the conversation went around him, Legend had fully thought things through. He picked easily the meaning of the birds as well as Time’s actions and words just moments ago. He just hoped he did the right thing when he finally opened his mouth: “That flock was us.”

Time flinched a bit while snapping his gaze away. It was all the confirmation the Chain needed to draw the lines between the dots. The Chain’s leader’s ears hit back when the recognitions started to fly around.

“Seagull!” Wind shouted gleefully.

“Guess I’m Hummingbird.” Four mused with a shake of his head. He was at the moment right beside Twilight. The Rancher had confessed that there had been similar situation for him with a Mirror of Twilight. They had promised to talk bit more at later time but Four was actually grateful that he wasn’t entirely alone with his experience and broken heart.

“Magpie. Certainly.” Hyrule chuckled with a small grin.

“Crow.” Sky stated out firmly.

“Hawk. No doubt there.” Twilight said while feeling bit proud of the choice of bird.

“Eagle. Glad it was something as grand as that.” Warriors grinned while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Swallow.” Wild almost whispered before gulping. “I’m not going down on that road. I’ve lost close friends and family before. I’m having too much of reason to live to even think about taking my own life.”

Time sighed in relief at the Champion’s exclamation. Yet, right after that he raised his sorrowful gaze into Legend. Nonetheless, he stayed silent without claiming the bird that clearly was his.

“Raven.” Legend stated out firmly and evenly while looking Time straight into that one eye confidently. They both ignored the rest of the Chain getting bit surprised while snapping their gazes into the Veteran. “I’m not going down onto his path. I know I don’t let people close easily because I’ve lost lives close to me. And yet, I’d never abandon the family I’ve gained. And you eight are probably the most I’ve ever had. Not giving up on that for any reason.”

Time sighed heavily in relief and nodded. That was all he really needed to know. “Twenty-five years ago…” He started while dropping his gaze down into the ground. “…I doubt I could’ve given as strong promises as you two have. I was…. Broken back then.”

“Sprite…” Warriors called while getting fully worried of where their leader was going with this kind of start. He really had wished for Time to have just lied a moment ago to Raven. And yet, he knew deep inside that every word his brother had spoken to that broken member of the flock had been absolute truth.

Time sighed and shook his head. He glanced around before moving over to closest tree and leaned against it. He kept his gaze in the ground. “It was after I was forced out of Captain’s timeline. I was eleven and half. That had been third family and home I had had.” He started while feeling his voice break more and more the further he talked. And yet, he felt like he needed to get this out for once and for all.

“I had nothing back then. No friends, no home, no family… I was entirely alone.” Time tried to keep his voice strong but it slowly ended into whispers. “I tried to find my way back to Captain but… Such road didn’t exist anymore. Searched for years but….” He shook his head. “Only several days after I had been forced back to my own timeline…” The Chain’s leader trailed off while closing his eye.

Time hid his face into his hand as he felt the tears. “I was contradicted. Part of me never wanted to get attached ever again because of the pain that would follow such action. And yet, part of me desperately craved to be cared of. I know…. If someone wrong would’ve shown me some kindness back then….” He gulped and shook his head. “I don’t know how far I would’ve gone. I had hit the bottom hard and fast. I… I felt like…” He trailed off while trying to calm his breathing.

“I felt like I didn’t deserve to be loved. I felt like there was something wrong with me. That no-one could care about me long before already ditching me one way or another.” Time explained before gulping. “I already then knew that the Goddesses hated me. I mean, why wouldn’t they? I shattered the Triforce of Courage. And now I’ve learned that I broke the timeline. I left one timeline without a Hero and another I let to plummet into darkness. What else would they need to keep fucking my life?”

Time leaned his head against the tree while raising his gaze into the sky as he let his hand fall. “I didn’t think my life mattered. I didn’t think it was worth of anything. That…” He gulped while being unable to get the lump down from his throat. “T-that it would be better that I’d just die. I had fucked up enough already. Why should I keep doing that if there was a chance of doing something right?”

Warriors desperately wanted to go to Time and hug him. He had never thought how that separation would affect Sprite back then. He had been searching for couple of years for him until that portal had opened up. And yet, even though he had been heartbroken by his little brother’s disappearance, he hadn’t realized how that would be affecting his brother wherever he’d be. Yet, as he tried to move through the others, Twilight already stopped him and simply shook his head.

As the Captain had moved, Time already continued to talk. “So, I…. I-I climbed up to the very top of the Death Mountain. Sat there while thinking which to hit, the hard ground or the lava. At least the lava would hide my body, right? A-anyway, I sat there through the day and night. Making a choice that once the Cucco would call, I’d jump. No matter which I’d hit, I’d just jump and get over with it. A-at least…. I-it wouldn’t hurt anymore….”

Time had wrapped his arms around him as he spoke. He had closed his eye and let his head hang. He tried to dry the tears but those salty droplets just kept coming. “When the morning started to rise, I suddenly made a startling realization.” He chuckled a bit and shook his head. Slowly he raised his gaze up straight into Warriors. “You.” He half whispered with a small smile. “Since you had done so fucking good job at keeping me safe, I had nothing to prove that our time together had been real. My heart was shattered and my mind couldn’t be certain if I had just made everything up simply because I was so fucking desperate for someone, anyone to care about me. And yet…” He shook his head again and chuckled shortly. “Fucking hell, there was one thing I knew for certain. Whether you were real or not…..” He gulped once. “I never wanted to disappoint you.”

Time chuckled darkly and shook his head. “And fucking killing myself would’ve definitely been the hardest possible way of disappointing you. I just….. I just couldn’t take that.” He sighed and turned his gaze away. “I climbed down from there and went to Lon-Lon Ranch. It was the only place I could think of while praying that Malon would remember me and that Epona would be there.” He shrugged. “Maybe, for once, some Deity actually heard me and….” He shrugged again. “I think Malon pretty much saved my life back then.”

Time fell silent while still trying to dry his tears. He kept his gaze in the ground while feeling everyone’s gazes in him. He had no idea what to wait for as he understood the Chain to be fully processing all he had told about one of his hardest moment of his life.

Warriors forced himself free from Twilight’s hold and moved firmly through the Chain. He didn’t think twice as he already pulled Time into a tight embrace. Time gasped in shock but he broke down even harder when the Captain whispered quietly: “I’m sorry.”

Time shook his head desperately. “Not your fault, Wars.” He muttered quietly. “I was a fucking brat back then. Just a foolish child on a battlefield. What the fuck else were you to do than to defend someone as idiotic as me, huh?”

“Stop that!” Warriors pretty much snapped while partly forcing Time off of him to look him into that sole eye. “I didn’t understand you back then as well as I do now. You were never a brat, Sprite. And you definitely weren’t foolish either. I just…” He growled while hitting his ears back and letting his head hang. “I just wish I would’ve been wise enough to give you something to remember me by. Fuck, I wish I had given you my scarf!”

“Wars…” Time whispered while shaking his head. “It…. I….” He tried to find something to say. Yet, he soon gasped a bit as Warriors pulled him back into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Sprite. Wish I could’ve seen you grow up.” The Captain whispered before bit smiling. “I really am proud of you, little brother. And for the record… You’ve never disappointed me.”

Time gasped as his air got caught in his throat. He returned the hold desperately while entirely breaking down. Warriors tightened his hold while whispering reassuring words.

“I hit the rock bottom after Koholint Island. I kinda fell in love with a girl at there and….” Legend started while keeping his gaze away from everyone. The whole Chain turned to look at him. Even Time gasped a bit and pulled his head up from the crook between Warriors’ neck and shoulder to look at the Veteran. “I…. T-the island vanished after I had woken up the Windfish. I-it told that nothing on there had been real… I….. I-I felt like a murderer….”

The Chain fell into absolute silence while trying to find right words to comfort the Veteran. Time dried his tears while taking few deep breaths to regain his composure. “Let me ask you one simple question, Legend.” He called and got the Veteran slowly to turn his broken gaze into him. It fully shattered the Chain’s leader’s heart. He took once a deep and wavering breath. “D-did you get anything from that island? Scars, items, magic… Something?” He queried while praying he was right.

Legend nodded once while already dropping his gaze into the ground. Since Hyrule was the closest to him at the moment, the healer had already hugged him as he had been talking. Now he simply tightened his hold. “M-most of my instruments are from there…” The Veteran whispered with a small shrug.

Time took a deep breath and let it out waveringly. “Then she’s real.” He stated out as firmly as his shaking voice allowed. Legend snapped his shocked gaze into him. “If you get something along with you from one place or another, then everything you’ve gone through is as real as the air we breathe.”

“B-but… I-it was…. J-just a dream…” Legend stammered while dearly wishing to believe Time’s words.

“It might’ve been a dream but the people in there must’ve been real.” Time stated out. “As such, I’m going to be foolish enough and send you to one last quest after this one is done.” He continued and gave a look that clearly told there was no going against his words. “Find her. No matter where you need to go or how far or how long it’ll take… Find her. And while we’re on this quest, write to her. That postman’s going through nine different timelines so I’ll be damned if he can’t find one girl from one of your quests.”

Legend stared wide-eyed at Time while desperately trying to find something to say. The Chain’s leader shrugged. “You can beat the crap out of me if I end up being wrong. But, it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot, right?”

The Veteran gulped once before smiling and drying his tears. “Thank you.” He half whispered while finally having something to fully wait for. And once they’d get back to the Inn, he certainly would write that letter.

Time smiled a bit and nodded. “Just glad I can help.” He replied before sighing and closing his eye. After that he fully leaned his whole weight against Warriors. The Captain gasped in surprise while being very swift in wrapping his arms around him to keep him steady.

“You okay, Sprite?” The Captain inquired after a moment. “And, please, be honest with me.” He nearly begged while bit fearing for Time to just reply like any of them would into that question. “I still remember how we swore we’d never lie to each other nor would we keep secrets.” Warriors whispered while wondering how much they truly were holding back from one another. He himself still hadn’t told much of his past. Not even to Sprite. Yet, back then his brother had been just a kid but now…. Older and taller than him.

Time slowly opened his eye while thinking the question through. He turned his gaze into the Chain behind them and smiled fondly. The group was keeping close eye on their surroundings while letting the Captain and their leader have the moment for themselves. And yet, they all had surrounded Legend and Hyrule while offering all kinds of comfort and help they could come up with. They also were putting lot of notion into Four whom had revealed one of his secrets in hopes of saving three brothers of his. Sure, the Veteran had already gotten better after Time had given out what he believed in. Even the Smithy was clearly doing quite well after Twilight had talked with him. Yet, seeing them all being there for one another in any given situation was far more than he could wish for.

The Chain’s leader closed his eye with a content sigh. “I’m better than okay, big brother.” He replied while truly meaning the words. Only few seconds later he finally pulled fully off of Warriors. He took couple of steps away from him while turning towards his boys. “So, are we going to reach the Inn anytime today? Or do we continue with the emotional offloading since I bet there’s damn lot more of that to be done from all of us.” He called out with a slight mischievous grin on his face.

The Chain blinked bit in surprise as they had snapped their notion back into Time as he began to talk. The group glanced at each other before shrugging. “Getting back to the Inn sounds like a perfect idea.” Twilight replied while stretching a bit.

Time chuckled and shook his head. “So, breakfast if that’s served by the time we reach the Inn and then getting a nap. How about that?” He suggested while realizing that the Chain’s been up and about since last morning. Not to mention of them having been going through some rough moments during the night.

The Chain nodded eagerly at the given idea. “Alright, lead the way then! I, Twilight and Captain are the only ones whom are fully unaware of the right road in here.” Time reminded with a small smile. Sky took the lead surprisingly swiftly which only gave the Chain’s leader the knowledge that the youngster had it in him if he needed to take the leadership for a reason or another. Then again, he already had had that and proven to be very much ready for such a title.

Still, as long as the Chain allowed, Time would hold that title while making sure that it was, in fact, shared by them all. His word might be having the strongest effect but he sure as hell wouldn’t make plans without everyone having their opinions heard. They were in this together after all. And as such Time knew from full experience one simple thing: Sharing was caring. He took a look around while not just counting that everyone was along but really checking them while searching even for the smallest things that would tell that something wasn’t all right. Yet, after all that had happened, the Chain of Links was stronger than ever before.

This wasn’t just a quest. This wasn’t just a group of Heroes. This was family. Strong and caring connection between nine persons across time and space. And they would do absolutely anything for each other.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

P.S.
I know Raven's probably Time in one of mangas but I liked the name and, if I understood right, Raven's in one of timelines with Legend. So, in that way it works for him too. Owl, just by going Jojo's drawings of Time with an owl, works perfectly in my opinion. =)

Chapter 19: Day 18: Too weak to move

Summary:

It is very bad news for Time when the portal crashes him right into middle of a monster camp.... At least while he's sick.

Notes:

CW: Sickness, coughing, getting beaten by monsters (blood, wounds, broken and smashed bones), Wolfie mauling monsters, cursing

Inspiration picture through a reblog, original picture belongs to Tumblr account cricketflour: https://www.tumblr.com/freezingwhitefire/742735996976807936/febuwhump-2024-chapter-19-thegoldenwolf
If someone has Tumblr account, please, let them know of my story, thanks! ^.^

Published: 18.02.2024 around 1:00 of Finnish time.

The moment he came out of the portal and right into middle of a monster camp, Time knew he was in serious trouble. It wasn’t because of the monsters or the number of them. He could easily deal with about dozen Bokoblins in no time with the Biggoron Sword.

It was simply because he was sick. He had fallen down with something just couple of days ago. As he was being feverish and feeling seriously nauseous while ending up getting rough coughing fits were going to definitely hindrance his fighting. With a quick check around, he understood to be alone. That damn portal had separated him from the others.

Time gulped while slowly reaching for his Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield. The monsters were staring at him before slowly starting to smirk while going for their weapons equally slowly. Just as he drew the weapons out and was going to get ready for the battle, he doubled over with rough coughing before already falling to one knee.

The monsters were bit startled of the situation before already attacking as they saw their enemy weak. Time screamed out when the first weapons, sword and club, struck into him. He growled and forced himself up to his feet to be able to do something for his defense. The monsters were swarming on him while attacking simultaneously. The Chain’s leader was simply grateful of his armor or else he would’ve gone down way too fast.

The nine Heroes had been heading to a town when the portal had opened up. They had thought about just mark its place and ignore it. After all they were more willing to get their leader into the town for better chance of healing. Sure, it wasn’t worse than common cold but they all would feel much better with the safety of the town, bed to rest in and possibility of restocking. Yet, there was also that one small chance that the portal would lead them to Time’s Hyrule and to Lon-Lon Ranch. It would’ve been closer than the town they were heading. With prayers to the Deities and wishes of getting to right place, the Chain of Links walked through the portal.

Time didn’t get to land than couple of hits before another rough coughing fit struck. He tried to stay to his feet and fight but soon a strike onto his back crashed him to his knees. It was simply instinct that got him to bring the shield up to block the slash aimed at his head. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared even one bit to receive the strength of the impact.

With a gasp he fell to his back and the monsters swarmed him fast while already attacking anywhere they could. Time curled up while trying to defend his head with the shield. He tried to keep the screams in since he didn’t want to give that satisfaction to his tormentors.

Suddenly, during one of his coughing fits, the monsters yanked his shield to side. Pure terror struck him as he waited to get a sword or club or some other weapon smashed into his face. Yet, the monsters, as they had fully realized to have all rights to do as they pleased with him, had become very sadistic. Instead of taking the fast and easy kill they were capable at the moment, they rather tore him to pieces. As such, they didn’t deliver a killing blow. They started to punch and kick his head.

Time tried to swing his sword. He tried to pull the shield back for his defense. He really tried but he was too weak due to both the sickness and the beating he was getting. All he could pray for was that his boys were close enough to save him. He wasn’t going to get out of this on his own.

Suddenly his coughing was cut by his own scream. One of the Bokoblins had struck a heavy club down onto his left arm. He heard and felt the bones break. Another scream tore out of him when the weapon was struck again into same spot to smash his bones even more profoundly.

Just as Time was hoping the beasts would knock him out before delivering the death, the air was split by a new kind of scream. The monsters jerked in shock while already raising their gazes up from their victim. The Chain’s leader wasn’t fully able to comprehend what was going on around him. He curled up his broken and bleeding body as he began to cough again. At least the monsters had something else to concentrate into at the moment.

“TIME!” Twilight screamed out while already coming to his side. The portal had dropped him into a forest. He had straight off cursed as he realized that no-one was with him. His worry only rose while knowing that Time had been in pretty bad condition when the portal had appeared. He fully cursed even more while knowing they should’ve stayed put at the camp when it had turned out that Time was sick instead of trying to get to the town.

The Rancher took out his wolf form in hopes of sniffing out his brothers. Yet, before he could concentrate into tracking, several Bokoblins already attacked him. “Fuck you! I don’t have time for this!” He thought while growling and attacking ferociously at the beasts.

Just as he tore the last monster to death, the air was split by a scream. The wolf’s ears jerked up and he turned his gaze straight towards the sound. On that second the Sacred Beast was already running on full speed.

There were several more screams before the wolf finally reached the monster camp. “NO!” Was all that rang through Wolfie’s head as he already attacked as ferociously as before. After tearing several first Bokoblins to shreds, he already turned to his Hylian form. The sword was on his hands faster than he could think and two creatures of Darkness were already cut into two before he even realized what he was doing.

Twilight inwardly sighed in relief when the monsters’ notion had fully turned into him. He couldn’t tell what was Time’s condition at the moment but at least they weren’t attacking him anymore. The battle was over far faster than he had anticipated. He had, in fact, wished to tear those freaks to pieces far more and harder than what he had done. Yet, he needed to get to Time so the speed was far more important at the moment than taking actual revenge.

“Cub…?” Time half whispered while slowly opening his eye. Yet, nearly instantly he already shut it tightly as he started to cough again.

“Yeah, I’m here.” The Rancher replied while already taking in the condition the Chain’s leader was in. “You’re gonna be okay. I got you now.” He reassured as confidently as he could while already searching out a red potion. It wasn’t as strong as he wished it to be but at least it would be enough for now. “Here, you need to take this.” Twilight told while showing the bottle.

Time shook his head a bit and got the Ranch Hand to nearly glare at him. “M-my arm…” The one eyed male just barely got the words out while having closed his eye again.

Twilight was bit startled but he quickly dropped his gaze into Time’s arms. He grimaced as he saw the damage. “I don’t think splint’s going to help on that one.” He replied uncertainly while carefully checking the broken part and straight off apologizing when his mentor hissed in pain. “The potion’s going to be only thing at the moment that’ll help.” The Ordonian swordsman told while moving to Time’s other side and carefully lifting him a bit to get him into better position for taking the potion.

Time didn’t fight back as he drank the red liquid. He closed his eye and relaxed a bit as the magic began to work on the rough damage around his body. It wouldn’t heal even half of the hell created but at least it would keep him alive. Once the slight red glow vanished to mark the work being done, Twilight changed his place again.

“I’m gonna carry you out of here.” The Rancher told while crouching down as well as he could. Luckily the potion had fixed Time’s arm so that he could wrap his arms around Twilight’s neck. “Sorry, this might hurt.” The younger male apologized while as carefully as he could pulled the Chain’s leader onto his back. Time tried to hold in the hiss of pain at the movement and adjustments as Twilight stood up with him on his back.

The Ranch Hand moved back into the forest since it still felt like much safer place than the plain field where Time had ended up into. Besides, they needed to find the others as well as a safe place for a camp. “I’ve got you, Old Man. Just hang in there.” Twilight whispered as he noticed the Chain’s leader falling unconscious. The sickness and the failed fight against Bokoblins really had taken what he had left of his strength before they had gone through the portal.

It was a huge luck that they didn’t end up crashing with more of monsters. Twilight moved as far as he could before the evening started to dim the forest too much. Yet, that was when he noticed the faint glow of fire. He hesitated for a second before heading towards it.

The closer he got towards the camp, the more uncertain he was. The simple thought that kept going through his head was: “What if it’s a monster camp?” He prayed dearly that it wasn’t meaning danger. And yet, he very much doubted his luck to last.

“Who’s there?!”

The question and clear sound of weapons being pulled out jerked Twilight into an abrupt halt. Yet, he nearly instantly sighed in relief. He had recognized Warriors’ voice. “Just me and Time!” The Rancher called back while moving closer. His relief grew as he saw all seven brothers of his.

“Dear Goddesses!! The hell’s happened?!” The Captain straight off shouted the second the duo came into sight. “Hyrule!” He called before he even had gotten up and dashed over to Twilight and Time.

“He’s had one red potion.” Twilight told as he gently, with Warriors’ help, laid Time down to one of the bedrolls. Hyrule was instantly on the Old Man’s side while already starting his magic. “I think the portal landed him into middle of a monster camp.” The Rancher explained shortly before taking a check around. The whole group looked like they had had a battle or few since he had last seen them.

“Yeah, none of us were lucky this time around.” The Captain told while carefully taking Time’s armor off. “I ended up right into middle of three Lizalfos. Hyrule had to take down about twenty Miniblins. Legend dealt with two Moblins from Time’s era. Sky had two Dark Nuts. Wind fought with four Stalfos. Four went against Chuchus. Ten of them, in fact, and several different elements too. Wild was the only lucky one even though he had to beat six Goriya. Forest gave him excellent place to deal with those fuckers.”

Twilight nodded while listening to the battle stories from the others after Warriors had explained what they had faced with. “Bokoblins. For both me and Time.” He told before giving his own explanation of his own fight against those monsters. “I… I don’t think Time had much of chance to really fight back. He was coughing pretty roughly when I got to him. Those beasts’ must’ve used that for their advantage to take him down.”

“Well, he’s safe now.” Legend stated out while helping Hyrule to his own bedroll. The youngster was asleep the second his head was on the pillow. The Veteran sighed a bit before returning to the trio of leaders. “And we’re not leaving this camp until he’s fully healed.” He stated out while waiting for either of the two second-in-commands to argue against him.

“Agreed. We made that mistake once. Not going to repeat that.” Warriors nodded firmly while dropping his gaze into Time. Without a word he got up and went to fetch needed things to clean some of the blood off of his brother.

Twilight had simply nodded in full agreement. For all he cared Time could command as much and fiercely as he could but they wouldn’t budge from this spot until he’d be off of that sickness once and for all. He was not going to let his mentor intimidate him with that disappointed look which he was certainly going to give the second he’d realize that none of the eight Heroes were going to follow his orders for the time being.

Yet, when Time finally woke up at the next day, he didn’t fight back even one bit as the Chain looked after him. He took the fussing over silently while letting Warriors to actually feed him. The other Links were feeling even more worried about their leader’s way of acting even though they could see him keep on shivering no matter how much of blankets and whatnot were over him.

Luckily, at the next day, Time’s condition was bit better. Nonetheless, he still didn’t fight back against the fussing the Chain was doing. Even with the improvement in their leader’s condition, it didn’t lessen the worry. The compliance from someone as strong willed as the Old Man only got them to fear how strong the sickness actually was. Yet, the Chain’s worrying was unneeded as Time’s condition kept getting better on daily basis.

Eventually, after almost a week since they had arrived to this new timeline, the Chain finally undid the camp to head forward from there. Even though Time had already thanked them during the first day of his recovering and explained his part of the battle, he now caught everyone’s notion into him by that specific whistle.

“First of all, and I know I’ve said this before but, thank you Twilight for having saved my life there and getting me into safety.” The Chain’s leader started as calmly as he could. “Second, thank you all for having looked after me while I wasn’t in the best of condition. I’m sorry if I worried you guys but…” He shrugged while trailing off. “None of us like to feel helpless and be the one being looked after. And yet…. Sometimes that’s the only road to recovery.” He smiled bit lopsidedly. “As a leader I have to give an example, right?” He queried before bit chuckling. “I admit it wasn’t easy to keep my mouth shut and let you guys fuss over me but….” He shrugged again while grinning. “I think I did pretty damn good job with that, eh?”

The Chain blinked in slight shock before they started to grin until already bursting into laughter. “Damn it, Sprite.” Warriors half muttered while shaking his head before bit chuckling. “You little gremlin really are wiser than any of us so far.” He stated out while coming next to his brother and wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “And for that I’m fucking proud of you.”

Time chuckled while smiling widely. “Okay, time to head forward!” He half commanded while giving a nod to a direction they’d be heading off to. He gave a swift but very sharp check on everyone. They had shared their parts of what had happened after they had come to this timeline. Even though everyone was fully healed and clearly moving without problems, the Chain’s leader still wanted to make sure of their safety and wellbeing. Once he was certain of things being fine, he already turned his notion into the road ahead of them.

Time smiled while fully knowing that he was entirely safe and sound with these eight boys of his. And maybe, just maybe, next time when one would end up sick, looking after and healing would be done much easier. At least he was doing his best to give the right kind of example to the Chain.

What the Chain’s leader was most surprised of, was the very fact that he wasn’t feeling ashamed of his own actions even one bit. At first it hadn’t been easy but during the second day of letting the Chain fuss over him… He had actually enjoyed of being looked after and cared for so unconditionally. It was something he wasn’t used to but which he certainly had realized to have unconsciously craved for for very long while. He knew that Malon had tried several times by now but he simply hadn’t given her the rights. But now, that would change.

The Hero of Time finally fully accepted the very fact that he was being loved unconditionally by ten people whom were fully in his life: The Chain of eight Heroes, his wife Malon and her father. All the way until now he hadn’t believed to deserve such strong love let alone to be worth of such. And yet, these ten would pretty much do anything and everything for him. It was something entirely shocking for him but with the realization….

The Chain noticed Time relaxing and calming down. They had no knowledge what was going on through their leader’s head but seeing him loosen up was something that calmed them down too. Sure, all nine were still very alert about their surroundings but the calm chatting began around the eight Heroes behind the Old Man and all he could do was to smile fondly while listening into the conversations while taking part into them every now and then. He fully realized to have both home and family and he finally truly accepted to be that fortunate after all he had gone through in his life. This was far more than he ever could’ve asked for…. And he’d do anything to keep it as long as this quest of theirs would last. With absolute certainty he knew it went the same way with the others too.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 20: Day 19: "Please don't"

Summary:

How can Time ever forgive himself when possession forces him to attack the eight Heroes he loves from full heart? All he can do is to watch and scream as his boys fall before him.....

Notes:

CW: Possession, cursing, multiple near death situations (all nine), broken bones, blood, battle, arrows through shoulders, sword through abdomen from behind, mental break down (doubts).... I hope I got them all....

Published: 19.02.2024 around 2:15 of Finnish time

“NOOO! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

Time couldn’t do a thing to stop what he was seeing. Whatever it was that had taken him over was controlling his body. That blade… The Biggoron Sword… It had been too powerful, too strong. His boys fell. One by one. Right in front of him.

“PLEASE DON’T! I’M BEGGING OF YOU! STOP IT!”

He couldn’t do anything else than scream. He couldn’t control his body. He could only watch. They were all bleeding. They were all laying on the ground around the clearing they had chosen for their campsite. They hadn’t wanted to attack.

The laughter in his head was cruel. The thing watched with a smirk on his face. “Sprite? The hell?” Warriors called while staring up into his brother and leader. Time could hear the disbelief and shock in the Captain’s voice.

“IT’S NOT ME, WARS! IT’S NOT ME! PLEASE! I’M BEGGING OF YOU! GET UP! FIGHT!”

But he knew there was nothing to be done. They were struck down. Broken bones and deep wounds. They’d need much more than potions. Fairies or Hyrule. And yet, the kid… Dear Goddesses! The boy was unconscious! The ground was filled with blood.

“Just watch them. This is all your fault.” The thing spoke cruelly within Time’s mind while turning to look at him. “You led them here. You set their death. And these are your hands that will take their lives.” The creature spoke while moving over to Wind.

“NO! PLEASE DON’T! NOT HIM! NOT ANY OF THEM! PLEASE! LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

Time was desperately trying to fight against whatever it was that held him from controlling his own body. He fought and struggled but he couldn’t move. He screamed and cursed but the creature only laughed. “I could make it swift.” The monster told while shrugging within Time’s own mind. “But what’s the fun in there, huh?” The being laughed while making Time’s body do its bidding.

“Time…?” Wind called while staring in fear at his own leader. He was bleeding heavily with both arms broken. Time knew that none of the eight had much of time anymore. The blood loss would claim them if nothing else.

“SAILOR! NO! FIGHT, DAMN IT! STAY ALIVE!”

“Keep on screaming. They can’t hear you.” The being simply stated out while looking around the place. It failed to do what Time always did. Count the boys. The creature forced Time’s body over to Legend. The Veteran glared vehemently at him before coughing out blood as the kick struck hard into his stomach. Yet, one kick wasn’t enough.

“LEDGE! NO! PLEASE, STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!”

The creature laughed within him. It forced Time’s body to shake his head before moving back over to Wind. It forced Time’s body to crouch down and take hold of the youngest Hero’s throat. “Watch the light of his life die out, Hero.” The creature mocked while picking Wind up from the ground by that one hold.

“NOOOO! NONONO! PLEASE! STOP THIS! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?! JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE ALREADY! YOU WON!”

Time stared terrified while crying and trembling. His boys… He’d never forgive himself if they by some miracle would survive from this. And yet, it seemed like the end was right here. It was all his fault.

Suddenly both Time and the creature screamed out in pain. Time’s body screamed out too while recoiling backwards and letting go of the youngest Hero. Wind fell roughly onto the ground before already starting to cough. Time saw the arrow on his body’s left shoulder. He recognized the end tip of the projectile instantaneously.

“What the hell’s going on, Time?” Wild called from the safety of the forest. Time knew he was in equally shitty condition as the others were but the Champion had beaten death itself once. Maybe he could stand against it a while longer than the others?

The beast searched for its target but soon two more arrows came, one to both shoulders. Another scream came out from the body as well within it.

“DO IT, WILD! DO IT! KILL ME! SHOOT THE ARROW INTO MY FUCKING HEAD, CHAMPION! KILL ME!”

“He can’t hear you.”

“Doesn’t matter! He’ll tear you to pieces!”

Time knew his threats were empty. The eight cared about him too much to take the killing blow. They’d strike him down but they wouldn’t kill him.

“Please… Just do it, Wild. PLEASE!”

The creature laughed before gasping as two more arrows found their target. Each strike forced Time’s body to stumble backwards. Time couldn’t feel more proud of his wild Hero. At least they’d have a chance. That was all that mattered at the moment.

“NOW!” The shout startled both Time and the monster. Unlike Time, the monster didn’t understand why such a command would be given. He hardened his gaze while still trying to find the Champion from the surrounding forest. Suddenly another scream tore out from all three: the body, its master and its invader.

Yet, while Time within his own body fell silent, the beast kept screaming. Time smiled a bit as he could feel the control shift. He could feel his body again. He could feel the sword that had struck into him from behind and come out from front. He could feel it being pulled out. He could feel his body start to fall. He smiled a bit while feeling of being freed from his invader’s hold.

“The fuck is THAT?!” The shout registered in his head just as he saw the being hovering above him.

“Kill it. Please. Destroy it.” Time begged while laying on the ground and weakly glaring at the monster. He wasn’t entirely free yet. He could see the curtain like wall between himself and the creature.

“If I’m going to die, so are you!” The sharp clawed, black bodied, ghostly figure screamed. It lunged downwards while fully intending to regain its hold on the Chain’s leader.

Time shut his eye in defeat. “Please don’t… Please… No… I can’t…” He begged while waiting to lose that little control he had of his body at the moment. Yet, more than that, he feared to be the one to take the lives of his boys.

Suddenly two screams cut through the air. One came from Time’s left side while the other came from his right. And both were battle cries instead of pain. Sky swung the Master Sword in hopes of severing the connection between the monster and their leader. Wild had shot a new arrow but it was far from normal.

The second the projectile struck into the ground just less than inch away from Time’s side, bright light flashed in blinding strength. Both Time and Sky gasped in shock but the beast above him began to scream in agony. Only seconds later so did Time. They were still connected as Sky’s attack had been cut short by the Light Arrow. The scream of his leader snapped the Chosen Hero back into the situation and he struck again.

Time gasped as the connection finally broke for real. The beast took distance while glaring down at Time. Their enemy was too high for Sky to reach and the beast was capable of opening its ghostly body to let arrows fly right through them. “Sky, back off.” Time growled while finally fully glaring at the monster.

This was the one whom had taken his body’s control. This was the one whom was at fault of the condition his boys were in. This was the one whom had tried to use him to kill the others. This was the one whom he had tried to fight against from the moment he realized the situation. This was the one whom hadn’t given him even one small chance to warn his boys of the situation. This was the one whom he wanted to tear into pieces.

“Come and get me if you dare.” Time snarled while giving his cruelest death-glare to the beast. He was still laying on the ground while having pretty much ripped one of Wild’s arrows off of his shoulder. The beast certainly knew he had a weapon but the creature didn’t care.

“Don’t mind if I do!” The being shouted and came down like a shadow spreading over Time. “This time you won’t get free!” The monster threatened while bringing its claws underneath the shadowy figure while being more than willing to let them strike into its target first.

Time gave a slight nod which he knew Wild would see. And as he anticipated, the Champion shot a new Light Arrow. This time the beast’s notion wasn’t in the upcoming attack but in the body he was willing to take back. Just as the arrow struck into the ground right next to the earlier one, Time turned and struck his own arrow laced with Light Magic onto his other side. He put all he got into that attack while praying that the two Light Arrows would be enough to take this shit down.

The beast was just an inch from having struck those sharp claws into Time’s chest when the magic struck. It was too close to avoid the full strength of the attack. The creature screamed while trying to get away from the onslaught but Sky had been ready this time. He began to slash with the Master Sword while cutting the monster into pieces. Wild struck a new Light Arrow while stumbling to the clearing.

Luckily that had been enough and the beast died with an explosion. Both Sky and Wild sighed in relief while crashing to their knees. The Champion fell unconscious while the Chosen Hero fought to hold on a while longer. “Time…?” He called weakly before crashing to the ground.

“J-just hang in there a moment longer… Please.” Time begged while raising his left hand towards the sky. He concentrated as hard as he could while calling out for his magic, for every single one of them. “If fairies are here anywhere, hear my call. One of their own requests for aid. ARRIVE, PLEASE!” Time spoke in Fairy Language, the first one he had learned back in Kokiri Forest, as he felt his magic of Din’s Fire, Nayru’s Love, Farore’s Wind, Spin Attack, Ice and Light gather into his hand before, as he shout the last two words, send the combined creation of his skyward. The pulsing ball of magic rose high before exploding into array of colors. “Please… I’m begging of you…. Help….” Time begged quietly while crying and staring into the sky.

For a moment Time already believed that there were no fairies in this Hyrule. “Please… Please no…. Don’t do this to me…. Please…” He pleaded desperately while staring at the sky. Suddenly a ball of light arrived into there. It was flying tentatively and bit fearfully. Then, it threw in alarmed chime before already vanishing back to where it had come from. Time was crying while fearing that his request would be denied. Yet, very soon the sky was filled with fairies.

Time sighed in relief before already freaking out as the small beings were coming towards him. “NO! THE OTHERS FIRST! NOT ME! SAVE THEM! PLEASE!!” He shouted in near panic while staring wide-eyed at the scene. Luckily the fairies listened to him and spread out instantly. Time sighed heavily while relaxing.

The Chain’s leader ignored the arrows in his shoulders as well as the cruel sword stab on his abdomen. He couldn’t care less for his own well being at the moment. He simply forced himself upwards from the ground. He had to see the others wake up. He had to see the others healing. He had to know that they’d be okay.

Time watched fearfully around him as the fairies worked with the eight boys of his. He sighed in relief when he saw a movement here and there. He relaxed a bit when he heard the pained moans. He let himself crash to the ground when he was entirely certain of the Chain surviving.  He closed his eye while letting the darkness fall around him. He just barely heard the freaked out call of his name.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

He hadn’t even felt it. He hadn’t realized when the control of his body had shifted. It all happened so unnoticeably… Until his Biggoron Sword was drawn out and the slash initiated before he even realized a damn thing.

Captain took the first strike roughly across his chest. He had been moving behind him on his left. Twilight took the second strike as a stab through his left leg. Four was sent flying backwards by third strike.

The Chain was too shocked, too freaked out of the situation. Hyrule ended up stabbed through stomach. Legend got deep slash into his back as he tried to save the Traveler from another attack that could’ve behead him.

The shouts and questions started to fill the air. Wind managed to avoid the first attack but not the second which ended up stabbing him through his leg. Swords clanged together when Wild attacked with a blade instead of arrows. Sky joined into the attack while shouting to Wild to help the others.

The swords struck together fast and roughly until he had ducked and moved closer. Sky never had a chance to block the slash at his side. The kick to back crashed the wielder of the Master Sword fully to ground. By then Warriors had managed to get up and attacked. The Captain forced him away from the Chosen Hero.

There was at least one thing he could do. He could keep the enemy from using his magic. That was very small consolation while watching the sword slash and stab here and there along with kicks and punches being delivered cruelly whenever possible. Soon the blade was covered in blood which wasn’t his enemies but belonged to his boys.

Even though they were all Heroes and skilled swordfighters, the beast controlling the Biggoron Sword had something they didn’t. Reach and strength. The wounds given were cruel and deep. It was simply luck, reflexes and experience that kept the eight fighters from gaining a death-blow.

He was screaming and fighting. He was doing all he could to hindrance the enemy’s movements. And yet, it all had been futile as he watched his boys to be struck to the ground one after another.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time woke up with a groan while shakily forcing himself upwards from the ground. “Time?” The call came from next to him before it already was followed by a gentle touch. Time gasped in shock and recoiled away from it. He held his eye tightly shut while trembling. “Sprite?!” The bit freaked out call only got Time to flinch roughly.

He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve their acceptance. He didn’t deserve their forgiveness. He didn’t deserve the title of leader the others had given him. He didn’t deserve them.

Time hid his face into his hand as he began crying. All the words he had in his mind. All the apologies he could come up with… All those felt futile, useless and empty. How could he even dare to think about asking for forgiveness after what had happened?

“It wasn’t your fault, Sprite.” Warriors whispered while keeping his distance. He desperately wanted to just pull Time into a tight hug but he didn’t dare to.

“How can you lie like that?!” Time nearly snarled while opening his eye and snapping his gaze into the Captain. He saw everyone staring at him. His ears were struck down. He was crying. He was shaking. His roughness was brought out by shame and anger of having not been able to do a damn thing to stop it from happening.

“You weren’t in control, Sprite.” Warriors told while forcing to keep his voice strong and calm. He just barely was able to hold back his own tears at the sight of his friend’s turmoil. He just desperately wanted to hold his little brother and make everything right again.

“It doesn’t matter!” Time shouted back while slumping and closing his eye. He dug his hand roughly into his hair while bit feeling like he deserved the pain the action caused. “It was my sword. It was my hands. It was my body. It. Was. MY. Fault.” He growled while roughly pulling his hand out of his hair and snapping his glare back into Warriors.

“It matters to us, Sprite.” The Captain said while keeping his voice calm and even gentle. He smiled a bit and shrugged. “Sky and Wild told what happened.” He grinned a bit and chuckled. “Never knew you could call fairies. How did you do that?”

Time opened and shut his mouth few times before dropping his gaze down. The feelings were still raging within him but somehow he managed to keep himself from snapping again. “I…” He started before already trailing off. He gulped once while running his hand through his hair much gentler than before. “I…. I-I didn’t know I could do that. It… Was just desperation.”

Warriors nodded before grinning mischievously. “Let’s call it as Last Hope, then.” He stated out with a chuckle. Time blinked in shock and snapped his gaze back into him. “Come on, little brother, no-one’s holding this against you. You had no control over things. And when you finally did, you took that thing down the same daredevil way you fought back at the war.” The Captain continued with a shrug. Time blushed slightly and swiftly turned his gaze away again. “And not just that. You were dying as much as we were but you call forth the fairies and fix us first.” He stated out before biting down to his lower lip to keep himself in one piece. Yet, his voice cracked when he whispered the next line: “We nearly lost you there.”

“Would’ve been better.” Time half muttered before gasping in shock and snapping his gaze back up again as Warriors finally took a strong hold of his arms.

“Don’t you dare say that!” The Captain shouted furiously while nearly glaring at the Chain’s leader. This time though, as Time stared at him bit shocked, he finally pulled his little brother into a tight embrace. Time gasped and went fully rigid while just staring forward wide-eyed. “We all love you, Time. Please. We can’t lose you.” Warriors whispered desperately.

It took couple of seconds before Time began to tremble. He closed his eye as his ears drooped. He slumped when the tears returned. “I….” He whispered quietly before gulping once. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry!” He half shouted while somehow managed to free his hand and hide his face into it. “I… I tried… I tried so hard to stop it… I… I had… I had no control…. At all… I just… I could only scream…. And watch…” He explained with broken voice while reliving the hell he had gone through.

“Sssh, it’s okay. Everything’s okay now. We’re all alive and well.” Warriors whispered while feeling himself break too. He couldn’t even imagine what Time had gone through. It had been one hell of a shock and freak out when Time had turned against them. It had happened so suddenly without a warning. And yet, none of them had been ready to harm their leader in any of way. They held back. That was only reason things had gone so wrong and so fast.

And yet, even when their death had seemed certain, none of them had held Time at fault. None of them had believed it to be their friend that was attacking them. Few of them had thought for it to be a clone of some sort, illusion or even Dark Link himself. Some of them had believed more in the line of possession. The only reason for going on these lines was one simple fact: They knew Time.

They had traveled with Time long enough to learn his style of fighting. They had talked and interacted with him enough to figure out how his mind worked. They had even heard Time share his past now and then to figure out what kind of things affected him the most. They even had encountered a Dead Hand once and seen what kind of trauma trigger it was for him. At then they had seen their leader in his most vulnerable state. All this and so much more made them to know for absolute certain that Time would never attack them.

Even now as they saw Time act the way he was only confirmed their knowledge of him.  That shame and hurt wouldn’t be there if he didn’t care of them as much as they cared of him. Slowly and carefully, bit fearing to freak Time out, they moved close to the duo and turned Warriors’ hug into a group hug. The Captain kept whispering reassuring words while giving simply a nod and a smile to the rest of the Chain as they came close.

At some point Time finally relaxed and fell asleep. It took quite a while before the Chain pulled away from the hug. That action was done reluctantly but they still needed to find a safe place for a camp and set it up. As it eventually was only Warriors holding Time anymore, the Captain wrapped his scarf around his brother like he had done so many times during the war so long ago. He smiled fondly when Time unconsciously snuggled into the soft fabric. That was all it had needed to make things right again.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 21: Day 20: Truth serum

Summary:

Warriors has a past he doesn't want anyone to know. Not even Sprite. Yet, when he and Twilight are caught, part of that past is forced out of him.

Notes:

CW: Cursing, torture of sorts, death of the bad guy (bit ambiguos, though)

Inspired by the next picture: https://www.tumblr.com/ovegakart/706652545696825344/i-joined-tumbler-just-to-join-this-fandom-lol
If someone has Tumblr account, please, let them know of my story, thanks! ^.^

Published: 20.02.2024 around 2:05 of Finnish time

The portal had once again separated them. This time, though, it wasn’t sending everyone to be on their own. Or at least Twilight and Warriors had been close to one another. They checked around while calling for others but they found no-one and no-one replied to their shouts.

“You think it struck us into pairs this time around?” Twilight inquired as they had chosen a direction and just began to walk.

“If it’s pairs then one is alone.” Warriors replied bit grimly. “There’s nine of us if you forgot. Not exactly a number you can divide into groups of two.” He stated out. Twilight flinched slightly and simply nodded.

They walked in silence for a while. “It’s going to rain soon.” Twilight commented while glancing up into the sky. It hadn’t yet gathered much of clouds but he knew the feeling. The wolf always knew what the weather would be.

“How do you know?” Warriors asked while having bit calmed down. Even though he wasn’t in charge of the group, he was still the second in command. As such, his work was in keeping their little Chain of Links in order and working.

“It’s in the air.” Twilight simply answered while shrugging. Warriors simply rolled his eyes. There were lot of things he didn’t understand and things he didn’t even care to understand. This was one of such.

A while longer in silence and suddenly there was a sound of thunder’s rumble. The rain followed it soon. Warriors groaned while pulling the scarf over his head. Twilight just grinned while enjoying the nature’s shower. “You’re weird.” Warriors grumbled while rolling his eyes. He really hated what the rain was doing to his hair and appearances. He had an image to uphold after all.

“So are you.” Twilight replied with a chuckle. He shook his head and laughed a bit when Warriors yelped and moved bit further from him. “You’re wet already. Big more of water doesn’t change a thing.” The Rancher stated out before bit frowning. “I just don’t get one thing, Warriors.”

“And what’s that?” The Captain asked while grimacing as the water kept trying to do its damage on his perfect outlook.

“You.” Twilight replied while tilting his head a bit. “Even though you’re with group of friends and brothers, you keep making sure you look perfect. None of us would care even one bit of how you look.” He told before bit shrugging. “Well, except if you look like you’re sick or hurt or something obviously.” The Ranchers quickly corrected his wording. “Nonetheless, you’re always… I don’t know. Polished. Like… I’m not sure… Like waiting to be, um, an idol or such.”

Warriors stayed silent while keeping his gaze straight forward. Twilight waited for a moment for him to say something but when the silence continued, he decided to break it: “You do realize, you don’t need to keep up the appearance with us, right? None of us does that. We’re just making sure to stay clean enough and all but…” He shrugged while wondering how to word his meaning. “…Not like the way you do it.”

“It’s none of your concern.” Warriors stated out bit roughly without glancing at his traveling companion.

“Sorry. I crossed the line there. Sorry.” Twilight straight off apologized. Yet, he felt like there was more to Warriors than the man let out. He had just wanted to hear the reasons but he clearly had handled the situation the wrong way.

The silence returned between them. “Why don’t you go around and sniff others out, wolf-boy?” Warriors finally suggested but Twilight shrugged.

“Can’t really track anything in rain. It washes all scent away.” The Rancher replied with a shrug. “Maybe we can get a check of surroundings from higher ground.” He offered while noticing old ruins. Warriors simply nodded and they changed their path slightly.

“You really are a farm boy.” The Captain commented when Twilight picked a straw of hay on their way to a small ledge and began to pick his teeth with it. The Rancher just laughed and shrugged at the words. Soon they reached the edge of a ledge. Twilight knelt down while leaning against a small rocky structure of an old fence or such. Warriors crouched next to him.

The duo noticed an opening in the lower area into the ruins. “You probably want to get out of the rain, eh?” Twilight half inquired with a smirk. Warriors rolled his eyes as he wasn’t going to admit how much he liked that idea. “Come on. Let’s go and wait for the rain to stop.” The Rancher stated out while getting up and heading to find a way down from their spot. Warriors followed while feeling grateful but not daring to show it even one bit.

A moment later they were inside the old Temple. Warriors pulled the scarf off once they were well enough away from the rain’s reach. “We probably should figure out a way to put a fire up. It’s bit chilly in here.” Twilight observed while bit wishing to go back into the rain. It had actually felt warm and welcoming to him.

“Let’s check around then. I’m sure we can find something.” Warriors replied and the duo moved deeper into the structure. Suddenly sound of talking caught their notion.

“Friend or foe?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. Part of him wished that they’d find few of the other Links to have come here too. Maybe from different path, maybe from same they had used. Yet, the wolf within him felt bit agitated and uncertain of the situation.

“Only one way to find out.” Warriors replied as he already headed towards the sounds. Twilight put in notion how the Captain changed his ways nearly unconsciously. He walked bit more straighter and with far more confident steps than before. He frowned slightly at the show while moving cautiously forward with his brother.

They unconsciously chose to stay out of sight until they’d know who they were sharing the old Temple ruins with. Part of them hoped for friends, a warm fireplace and maybe food. And part of them worried for enemies and battle. Not that they wouldn’t be ready and willing for it but if it could be avoided, it would be better.

The second they had entered the room, the bars behind them slammed down. They both jumped a bit at the sound. “Seems like I got what I want.” Someone spoke until something rose from the middle of the room. The area Twilight and Warriors had entered was filled with all kinds of boxes which the duo had been up for using as their hiding before getting good enough check on the situation.  “Two, actually.” The creature stated out with a smirk.

Twilight and Warriors swiftly pulled their weapons out while being ready to face the room’s enemy. “Nighty night.” The strange being suddenly said wickedly. That got the duo to frown in confusion. They were just going to dash to the middle of the room to fight the creature when a sound of a snake’s hiss caught their notion. They checked around in search of those serpent enemies but instead of something to fight against, there was blue colored gas coming from above them.

“Find a way out!” Warriors suddenly shouted and dashed away from the wall. He instinctively took hold of Twilight and dragged him along. They moved towards the center of the room where their enemy still stayed. The strange looking beast was still watching them from the high ground it was at.

“Taking that thing out should bring the bars back up!” Twilight told while being ready to attack their enemy. He put the sword and shield away as he changed into bow and arrows. The beast only chuckled at his work.

Yet, what was more alarming was the fact that the strange gas was coming down from the ceiling while whole time falling upon them. “Don’t breathe it!” Warriors commanded while trying to stay away from the below the falling foul fog. He followed Twilight’s idea of taking out bow and arrows. They needed to get out and fast.

Unfortunately, it was easy for the monster to avoid the attacks. It didn’t matter what kind of arrows they were using or how fast and coordinated they fired them. The thing avoided each and every one of them. As the two swordsmen moved around the room in hopes of staying out of the blue smoke, more kept coming down. Soon there was no space which wouldn’t be taken by it. They couldn’t hold their breath long enough to figure out how to deal with the beast…

Warriors woke up groaning. He shook his head and tried to move only to find out he was tied. He shot his eyes open and took a fast check around. He was tied to a chair while Twilight was tied to another chair right across him. “You okay, Rancher?” The Captain called as Twilight woke up too.

“I… I think so. You?” Twilight replied while shaking his head and taking a look around the room. “Seems like we’re in a different room. Smaller, no boxes, wooden door behind you.” He commented while starting to try and get freed. Warriors nodded to the explanation while struggling too but the ropes were too tightly around him.

“Ah! You’re both awake! Perfect!” Someone half shouted while entering the room. The man smirked while gently striking couple of times at a syringe he had in his hands. He moved over to Warriors. “You look like a Knight.” He stated out and Warriors simply glared at him. “Knights always have the best stories to tell.” The man simply told before striking the syringe into the Captain’s arm. Warriors simply flinched slightly at the hit while feeling the purple colored liquid enter his body.

The man pulled the empty syringe out and took couple of steps backwards before sitting down onto the floor. He watched with curious look on his face as Warriors shook his head several times while blinking quite a much. “It’s fast to affect, ain’t it?” The man queried happily.

“The hell you’ve given him?!” Twilight shouted while struggling even harder. He could see Warriors beginning to sweat and breathe heavily. His worry only grew as the Captain leaned his head against the backrest of the chair and closed his eyes to concentrate into breathing.

“Nothing that will kill him.” The man replied calmly while watching the symptoms going through. “It’ll be something you’ll gain after him.” He half promised before smiling widely. “Okay, Knight… What’s your name?”

Warriors fought against the burning he felt as the liquid traveled through his body. He could feel his mind beginning to cloud when it invaded his head. “…L-Link…” He half whispered while inwardly cursing. He had not meant to say that.

“Link, huh?” The man half queried quietly with a slight frown. Yet, he soon shrugged it off. “What are you?”

Warriors desperately wanted to say knight. He even hoped to throw in Hero. More so, the word Captain would’ve been absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, whatever it was that had been struck into him, forced him to say a word he hadn’t told to anyone, not even to Sprite: “Street rat.”

That shocked both Twilight and their tormentor. “Well, that’s certainly new…” The man whispered before beginning to grin. This guy had one hell of a story to tell for sure!  “How did that happen?”

“I…” Warriors started while desperately fighting against the effect of the stuff he had realized to be a truth serum of some sort. He did all he could to keep his mouth shut but the injected liquid was too strong. “I’m orphan. I was found just before monsters would’ve taken my life. A certificate gave my name and I was left into an orphanage. Didn’t like that place so I escaped. Grew up on the streets until I was old enough to join the army.”

Twilight stared wide-eyed at the Captain. He never could’ve even guessed something like this from Warriors. The guy was too confident and certain to have had this kind of life. Part of him prayed that their Chain’s leader’s second-in-command was just lying, just throwing some shit up. Yet, somehow he doubted for things to be that easy.

The man smirked widely. This was a gold piece he was gaining. The guy had the name of a Hero from the legends. And he had had a life no-one would ever believe to be belonging to a Hero. “What did you do as a street rat?” The man inquired as calmly and nearly commandingly as he could.

Warriors shook his head roughly. He was crying as he desperately tried to fight to keep the truths locked far deep inside of him. Yet, he soon heard himself speak and spill out all he had wished to have left into past. “I stole. Mainly food. But sometimes I took things. Weapons. Sold them to pawnshop. Slept in abandoned houses. Once I… I killed someone…. Caught me stealing from their house… Cornered me… I…. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to… It just… Happened… I… I ran… I…” He shook his head forcefully.

“Shit…” The man muttered. “I really gotta figure out how to make the effect longer.” He grumbled before turning towards Twilight with a smirk. “Your turn.” He stated out while getting up and taking out a new syringe. “Your comrade will be sleeping for couple of hours so don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine. I’ll continue with him tomorrow to let him recover a bit.” He half reassured as he injected the truth serum into Twilight.

The Rancher gasped and growled. He screamed and trashed when the stuff began to rush through his body. Unlike Warriors, he had two entities within him and the wolf desperately tried to avoid getting struck with the thing. The man watched shocked at the scene but eventually his new victim was in same receptive state as Warriors had been. He grinned and began with the easy question: “What is your name?”

Twilight, with the wolf’s aid, tried hard to fight against the effects of the truth serum. He feared for what the guy would be asking from him. He didn’t feel like he really had anything to really hide but there certainly were secrets which he didn’t want to come out. “Link…” He finally whispered and forced his eyes open to stare at the ceiling.

“Same name…” The man half whispered while keeping his back towards Warriors. The Knight was out cold by now so he wasn’t worried but he was bit sad that the other guy wouldn’t hear this one’s truths. “What are you?”

Twilight sighed in defeat and stopped fighting. It clearly hadn’t helped Warriors so what was the point in making things harder than needed. Besides, this guy would be the only one to hear the answers. Nothing he told would go further from there. He’d make sure of that. And he would never say a word about what the Captain had revealed. It would stay between them. “Hylian. Ordonian. Ranch hand. Wolf. Swordsman. Hero.” He just let the words drop out of his mouth.

The man blinked in surprise at the given answers. Twilight forced his head back straight to look at his tormentor. He would face this stuff head held high without fear. The man before him grinned lopsidedly at his effort of being more ready for the questions than his friend was. There were so many questions the man could throw in since the earlier answer had been so wide. He wasn’t certain where the question came from as he asked: “Who do you least want to disappoint?

Twilight smiled widely while letting his fangs be seen. “The man behind you.” He simply told while being ready to give more explanation for his answer.

“What?” The creator of the truth serum asked in confusion. He partly doubted his current tester of the liquid he had created to mean the other guy whom he had questioned earlier. Suddenly he screamed out as he was roughly yanked up from the floor by a hold in the neck of his shirt and slammed against the wall.

“He means me.” Time stated out while glaring at the man he had in strong hold against the wall. “Now, what the hell you’ve done to two of my boys?” He nearly snarled the question.

“Truth serum. Injected it through one’s arm.” Twilight replied on the man’s behalf while shaking his head. He was already beginning to be drowsy as the effects were wearing off. He barely noticed Legend and Hyrule being in there with them and untying him and Warriors.

“Is it dangerous?” Time inquired while returning his gaze back into their enemy. Twilight shook his head again while trying to stay conscious but he knew he would lose the fight soon as had Warriors.

“N-no… K-knocks out a-after c-couple of questions…” The Rancher explained while trying to get the answer out swiftly enough. “G-gonna… B-be out of… C-count f-for… F-few hours…” He nearly whispered the words before falling unconscious.

Time had snapped his gaze back into Twilight as he spoke and simply nodded. At least he didn’t need to worry for the duo. “Can you two get them out of here?” He inquired while turning his notion into Legend and Hyrule.

The Veteran and the Traveler glanced at each other. “Um… Maybe one at a time while working together.” Legend answered bit uncertainly. After all, he was actually bit shorter than Hyrule. And the healer didn’t look like he could carry either of the two older males on his own.

Time nodded while returning his gaze into the man. “Then we’ll wait.” He simply stated out before taking hold of the man’s head and slamming it hard against the wall behind him to knock him out. He let the guy fall to the floor before both gagging and tying him up. After that he went to help in getting Warriors and Twilight off of the chairs and onto the ground. It certainly would be better and safer place.

Several hours later the duo began waking up. Warriors started to groan first while forcing himself upwards. “Easy there, Captain.” Time called while carefully aiding him a bit. Warriors blinked few times before already frowning and shaking his head. A moment later he raised his gaze up into the Chain’s leader. “You all right?”

The Captain nodded while sitting up fully. He felt grateful of not feeling that fogginess in his mind nor the liquid rushing around his body. Suddenly everyone snapped their gazes into Twilight as he groaned. Time moved over to him as he was certain of Warriors being aware enough of his surroundings.

A moment later Twilight was sitting too while smiling at the fact of Time, Legend and Hyrule being there with them. He frowned when Warriors’ gaze hardened and he followed where the Chain’s leader’s second in command was looking at. As he saw the man, he growled slightly.

“Up to you two what to do with him.” Time stated out and snapped the duo’s notion right into him. “I’m not going to ask what he forced you two to reveal. That’s not for my ears without your consent. And neither is it for you two.” He told firmly and gave a meaningful look to both Legend and Hyrule. The duo dropped their gazes down and simply nodded in understanding. “We’ll be waiting outside. Come when you’re ready.” Time stood up and began to usher the Veteran and the Traveler out of the room.

Twilight and Warriors watched the trio leave before their gazes met. Without thinking they went over to the man whom was beginning to wake up and the duo started to go through his pockets. They grinned when they pulled out a syringe of purple liquid. “Want to get some answers?” Twilight inquired and the Captain nodded firmly.

Warriors snatched the gag off and put the man to lean against the wall. “Your turn, bastard.” He snarled and nodded to Rancher whom struck the injection into their tormentor’s arm.

“What’s your reason for tormenting people with truth serum?” Warriors started with a growl.

“Curiosity.” The man replied bit fearfully. He wanted to say he would’ve given the needed answers even without having been needed to use the last injection he had.

“Do you have more of the truth serum?” Twilight inquired while wanting to destroy them all.

“No. You just used the last one.” The guy answered and the duo sighed bit in relief.

“Do you have a way of doing more of the truth serum?” Warriors asked while bit fearing for the answer. Such powerful liquid was dangerous in any hands, be it good guys or bad guys.

“Yes.” The man answered while knowing the duo had only one question left. So far it only lasted for as long as four questions. Twilight hadn’t needed the inquiries to give the answers he had gained from their tormentor. He had only needed bit of time to get them out of his mouth and that had given Time the chance to give the questions.

“Where is the knowledge of how to do the truth serum?” Twilight queried while knowing that depending on the answer, they might end up leaving some knowledge still into usage for someone else.

“In my head.” The man answered and smiled lopsidedly. “Nothing’s on paper. All’s in my own mind. Makes me important like that.” He explained nearly proudly.

Twilight and Warriors smirked as they glanced at each other. The answer had been far better than they had dared to wish for. The only question was: How would they take the guy’s life without the action tormenting one or both of them?

Eventually they backed away and took out bow and arrows. “Head or heart?” Twilight inquired while already aiming.

“You’re letting me choose first?” Warriors asked bit disbelievingly. He knew they both wanted to take a headshot but unlike Wild, they weren’t certain of managing on such feature while shooting at the same time. Twilight simply nodded once firmly. The Captain wondered for a moment before making his choice.

 

-.-.-.-.-

 

“Captain, wait for a second.” Twilight called just as they were going to leave the room. Warriors turned around while feeling entirely uncertain of the situation. “I want you to know that what was revealed here without your consent will never come out of my mouth. I swear I’ll take your secret to grave and beyond time itself.” The Rancher swore firmly and certainly.

Warriors sighed in relief and relaxed. He leaned against the door behind him and nodded once. “Just one more thing.” Twilight called and got the Captain to snap his gaze back into him. “At least I understand you better now. And I still care about you the same I did before any of this. You’re my brother. Be the way you wish to be. Your past won’t define you.” The Rancher stated out while coming next to him.

Warriors stared bit wide-eyed at Twilight before bit smiling and calming down. He nodded and wrapped his arm around the Rancher’s shoulders. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He whispered while feeling bit more certain of himself while realizing that his brother’s words were true. Who he had once been wasn’t who he was now.

“Besides… The ass failed to get much out of me. My name which you already know. And the fact of me being Hylian, Ordonian, ranch hand, wolf, swordsman and one of the Heroes.” Twilight told with a shrug before chuckling. “His third question was about who I don’t want to disappoint.” He grinned nearly mischievously.

Warriors blinked in surprise of Twilight actually sharing what had been forcefully taken from him. “How much did you tell about Time to that asshole?”

Twilight laughed and shocked Warriors quite thoroughly. “That’s the thing. I didn’t tell a damn word about Time.” He stated out while nearly smirking. “My answer to the guy was: ‘The man behind you’.”

Warriors blinked in shock before starting to grin until already bursting into laughter. “I’m glad I intimidate you that much.” He said with a wide grin. Twilight blinked once in surprise before laughing and shoving the Captain a bit. Warriors just chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, Time’s certainly someone you don’t want to cross.” He told before grinning widely. “Yet, we both know he won’t stay mad at any of us for long. He’s just worried for us which is why he snaps.”

“I know.” Twilight replied with a smile. “Come on, let’s get going before he does come to fetch us.” He told while opening the door and letting Warriors into the hallway first before following him close by.

“You two done?” Time inquired when the duo came out of the old Temple. Twilight and Warriors simply nodded firmly. “Good. We need to move. The others are still somewhere and we’d better find them before they too end up into trouble.” He stated out while beginning to lead the road once again. He glanced once at the duo before smiling a bit as he turned his gaze forward. This ordeal certainly had gotten his two second-in-commands closer to one another and that was something he was entirely grateful of.

Surprisingly it didn’t take long to find the rest four members of their Chain. They were, as Twilight had inquired, in teams of two. Wind and Wild had been close to each other as had Sky and Four when they had entered the separating portal which had led them to this current Hyrule. As there were no marks of anything having happened, Twilight and Warriors were saved from being bombarded with questions from the rest of their brothers. Even if there had been, Time certainly would’ve silenced them fast and easily.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

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Chapter 22: Day 21: Unresponsive

Summary:

Time is kidnapped and drugged. While one of his kidnappers simply wants ransom, the other one is more interested of putting their captive through hell. By the time the Chain gets their leader back, his state is fully unnerving them.

Notes:

CW: Kidnapping, drugging, beating / torture, broken bones, bleeding wounds unresponsive / incapable of any kind of movement, ransom which is never meant to be given to right persons, slow recovery, cursing

Published: 21.02.2024 around 1:30 of Finnish time

Time couldn’t move even though he wasn’t restrained in any of way. He couldn’t even look anywhere else than straight forward. He felt and heard everything but he couldn’t do a damn thing about any of it.

“You’re going to kill him by overdosing.” Someone spoke not far from him. He had felt the injection pierce his skin. He felt the liquid invade his body and spread around. It kept him from doing a thing as he simply was breathing through the mouth.

“Does it matter? He’s going to die out of starvation anyways… Unless I beat him to death before that.” The person right next to Time told. He blurrily saw the shrug from the corner of his eye. Suddenly he could feel the cruel kick to his stomach. And yet, he didn’t gasp. He didn’t scream. He didn’t even flinch at the hit. He heard the chuckle and felt the kicks.

“That’s not what we planned for. We need him alive.” The first speaker told firmly. “Kidnap, throw in ransom, release. That’s as simple as it gets.”

“It’s far from fun.” The second one just replied. Time felt the grip on his hair and the pain of the hold as well as of being forcefully pulled up from the uneven ground. He didn’t react in any of way nor did any of sound leave from him as he was struck roughly against the wall. He was let go and he fell roughly to the floor. There were no chances for him to catch himself from hitting his head.

Time heard the laughter before his tormentor crouched down to be in his sight. “You’re going to die in here.” The man simply said while smirking cruelly. “And I’m going to have so much fun before that.”

Time couldn’t shut his eye even when the punches and kicks began to rain all around his body. He couldn’t shield himself from the cruel attacks. No sound, no movement came from him as he was beaten. He couldn’t even scream as his bones were snapped.

All Time could be grateful of was the very fact that breathing was unconscious thing. It was all he could concentrate into when his tormentor finally left him. His mind was clear even though his body was in agonizing hell of pain. He couldn’t do a thing to change his position as his own body was holding his broken arm in wrong position. He couldn’t stop the bleeding from the wounds the rough wall and floor had created. The strange tranquilizers were keeping him awake and all he could do was to count the time.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain of Links had gotten to the town much faster than they had anticipated. The Inn had enough of rooms for them which all were also connected. There was even a stable for Epona. Not to mention that they were just in time for lunch at there.

Time was fully happy of the situation. They were just making plans while enjoying of the calm moment. He really wanted to repay the boys somehow and suddenly he recalled what he had seen in one stall as they had walked through the market area. “Are we heading off already?” Warriors inquired when Time got up.

“Not you guys, just me.” Time replied calmly. “I’ll be back in an hour. You guys just enjoy of the moment and keep on making plans. Okay?”

“I’m not sure it’s safe to go alone.” Hyrule told and the others nodded.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, ‘k?” Time reassured while already heading off out of the room. “I’m not unarmed.” He reminded them while taking out his hidden knife and swirled it in his hand high enough for his boys to see it. After that he hid it again as he left the Inn.

The town was small but Time wasn’t one best with directions. He knew he’d get lost eventually which was why he had requested for the hour. Yet, he followed the sound of people and soon got the market into his sight. He smiled happily while already scanning the area for the stall he had seen.

What he was going for was none other than stall selling sweets. Wild had run out of chocolate so there hadn’t been hot chocolates for the Chain for few weeks. That was his main target to get. Yet, he wasn’t going to leave the rest unchecked. They all had sweet tooth and he was going to please that. He smiled happily as he remembered that Warriors had pretty much given him a piece of chocolate each day after the war. Dear Goddesses, how much he had waited for that moment from the second he had woken up to the moment he got the treat. It had felt like bliss back then.

Time was just passing an alleyway when he moved bit to his right to avoid colliding with a guy coming towards him from the market. He rather felt instead of heard someone move swiftly behind him on his right. As he turned around, the guy already took hold of his right arm before something was struck into his neck. He gasped while backing off by couple steps and taking the knife out. Yet, whatever was in that syringe worked fast. He fell unconscious within couple of seconds.

Time woke up to a kick struck into his stomach. The knock-out stuff was still working in his system and making waking up slow. He gasped and doubled over when the next kick was brought into contact with his body. He coughed few times while trying to move and find his assailant. He heard the man chuckle cruelly. Time gasped when he was injected with something.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Someone suddenly inquired and got the kicks to stop. Time hated the fact of how his body refused to act. He barely even heard himself make a sound as the attacks struck into him.

“Having my fun.” Time’s attacker stated out calmly before he already continued to land the kicks.

“Get the hell off him!” The first one spoke again and suddenly Time heard his assailant yelp a bit and the attacks ended. “This isn’t the plan. We need him alive.”

“HA! No, we don’t.”

“He’s a knight, you dumbass! And high ranking too. They’ll search for him.”

Time heard the assailant snort. “I highly doubt that. That group he was with is far from knights. Except for one, maybe. And that guy’s lower ranked.”

“They’re rich. That’s all we need to know.” There was a hesitant pause. “Don’t kill him. It’ll be safer for us to release him once we get the money. As high ranking as he is, they won’t come after us if they get him back alive. You know, shame and all that. Anyway, I’ll go and write the ransom note.”

“Yeah, yeah, you do that.” Time could feel the smirk on the man’s voice as he spoke again. “I’ll keep him alive for sure. Longer fun like that.” Time heard the other guy start to walk away just before the kicks began again.

Time had no idea how long he had been unconscious before his hell had begun. He only knew the clock which gave him the knowledge that the guy injected him once in an hour with something that kept him fully paralyzed. The kicks were eventually joined by punches. That was when he finally saw his attacker. The guy was the same he had sidestepped to avoid colliding with.

“You’re giving him too much.” The earlier guy suddenly spoke as Time was once again injected. “Anyway, here’s the ransom note. Go take it to them.” He commanded. Time could hear his assailant scoff before letting him drop to the floor.

“Fine. I’ll be back soon.” The man replied and walked away. Time heard the snatch of paper as the steps got further away from him. He felt bit relieved of the situation. At least this gave him a moment to regain his strength. Maybe he could fight against the stuff that had been injected into him but he fully doubted that. Suddenly he realized someone was walking towards him.

“Sorry about that asshole.” Someone spoke and crouched down into his line of sight. He realized the guy to be the same whom had actually injected him with the knock-out stuff. “I didn’t know he had sadistic side to him. This is first time he’s beating someone we’re holding for ransom.” The man explained before moving behind Time and carefully pulling him up from the floor. “It’s just water. For obvious reasons I can’t give you actual food. Sorry.” He told while bringing a water skin to Time’s lips. At least the swallowing happened as unconsciously as breathing did.

The man laid Time back down as carefully as he could. “I’m afraid I can’t keep that fool off of you but at least I can give you few hours from the beating for now.” He told while getting up. “Don’t try to fight against the drug. That’ll only prolong things.” He advised and already took few steps away from him before stopping. “Once we get the money, hopefully tomorrow, you’ll be set free.” He tried to reassure before leaving.

When the other guy returned from his trip, the kicks and punches were accompanied by striking the back of Time’s head cruelly against the uneven wall. He couldn’t fall unconscious. He couldn’t scream when breaking his bones was included into the attacks. He couldn’t catch himself when the man let him crash to the floor.

Time couldn’t know day from night as the area he was in didn’t have windows. The only thing that gave him the idea of night having fallen was the fact that neither of the guys were coming over. All he could do was to let his mind wander while feeling like being a fish on the dry ground with the exception that he actually could breathe unlike the poor fish.

Was he still at the town or had he been moved somewhere further away? The boys certainly were searching for him. Would Twilight as Wolfie catch his scent? Were they close? How long had he been there? Considering what he knew of the clock he had been about nine hours in there, at least. The clock had been four when he had left the Inn, six when he had woken up and now it was three.

Three hours later Time’s assailant returned and injected him once again with the paralyzing liquid before kicking him hard. The one sided battle had started and Time had no rights to say a word against it. The hell lasted for nine hours straight while new injection was struck at the start of each hour. At three the other guy came to command his comrade to go to check if the ransom had been paid. While the attacker was gone, the other one carefully gave water for Time to drink. At least it would keep him alive if nothing else.

Four hours later the beater returned again. “They haven’t paid. Seems like they don’t care about this guy.” He told with a cruel smirk.

“Or then they just need time to get the money. We’re asking quite a much after all.”

“They’ll get it easily by selling this fools armor. Gold’s a fortune in here. The army will certainly give him a new armor to show they own him.”

“True. Let’s give them time till tomorrow.” Time could feel the hesitation in the guy. “Just… Do not kill him.” That was all he said before walking out of there. Inwardly Time cursed since he had understood two things by now: This one was in charge and he was the only one to keep him alive. His assailant grumbled something underneath his breath before continuing to beat him up.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time never saw them come as they arrived from his right side. His tormentor was holding him upwards while kneeing him to stomach. There was no sound as he unconsciously gasped the air out. Suddenly the man was yanked backwards. The hold on him vanished as the man was forced away from him. He couldn’t catch himself as he fell roughly onto the ground. No sound or any kind of action came from him as the impact happened and he just laid there. The breathing was all he could do as he stared right forward.

“TIME!” He could recognize the voice as Four’s but he couldn’t see him or the rest of his boys. They were out of his line of sight. “Dear Goddesses…” He could feel the gentle hold on him as he was moved to his back. Inwardly he was growling as the broken bones were moved but no sound or action came into being seen by the others.

“Hyrule!” The call was frantic and Time could hear someone else come to him too. He assumed it was the Traveler even though he couldn’t see him. All he saw at the moment was the ceiling of the place. “I… Um… I’ll set his bones. You heal as much as you can.” Four told bit uncertainly. “Sorry, Time, this is going to hurt. I just… Shit… Do you even hear us? A-are you even in there?” The Smithy queried before starting to work with the bones.

Time wanted to scream. He wanted to let his boys know that he was still there. He just barely heard through the pain the scuffle going outside his vision. He was certain the others were taking his assailant down thoroughly. Yet, he was bit worried for the second guy. He hadn’t seem as bad as his attacker.

“What the hell’s been done to him?!” Time could recognize the Captain’s raged voice. He was grateful that someone was asking the right questions. It meant that at least one of his kidnappers was still alive.

“It’s a paralyzer.” Time inwardly sighed in relief that the one speaking was the one that had been trying to keep him alive.

“Don’t tell them a fucking thing! Keep your mouth shut!” The other guy snarled. Time inwardly scowled at the fact of the guy still being conscious, the least.

“Shut up! You were going to kill him!”

“I told ya! We don’t need our victims alive. We just need the money.”

“Fuck you! I’m not going to keep checking from over my shoulder when the raged families and army come after us! I’ve told you! It’s safer to return them alive!”

“HA! You just don’t understand the fun of beating someone to inch of their lives! To watch that spark of light vanish!”

“You… Fucking hell… You’re insane!”

The assailant laughed manically. “It just took some time before I got a chance to have my fun. Your paralyzers are awesome, pal! No sound and no action. I can do what the hell ever I wish.”

“…You never took the ransom note to them, did you?”

The assailant snorted and smirked as he spoke: “Nope, never. They caught one, though.”

Time heard the other guy chuckle. “Good thing I led these guys right into here, then.” There was a slight pleased grin within the words before the guy sighed heavily. “The paralyzers…” He began while fully ignoring his companion’s raged shouts and threats. “Your friend is entirely conscious in there.  Yet, sadly…. He can’t fall asleep nor can he be knocked out. He can’t move. He can’t make a sound. And yet, he knows perfectly well what’s going on. He can feel and hear. He can see what’s in the line of his vision.”

The Chain was rendered silent by the explanation. Someone had either gagged, killed or knocked the other guy out since he was quiet too. “Is… Is there a way to reverse the effects…? Potion, fairy… S-something…” Warriors inquired tentatively.

“No, I’m afraid not.” The man sighed heavily. “It just has to be waited out. Considering how much that bastard injected into him… It’ll take several days to fully let him free.” The silence returned before the guy spoke again: “Oh, reflexes work. I’ve given him water a few times. So, um, liquid food would be good idea. Couldn’t do that since I didn’t want him to know of my work keeping him alive.”

“Hyrule!” Four’s sudden shout brought Time back into realizing of the situation around him. “Damn… You really overdid yourself there…” Four commented and got Time even more worried. “Um… It’s okay, Time. Hyrule just knocked himself out but he’ll be okay with some sleep. Twilight can carry him back to the Inn. Captain’s gonna carry you, Time.” Four explained while carefully coming over Time’s head to look him straight into that one eye. “You’re gonna be okay, Time. I promise.”

Time wanted to say something. He desperately wanted to show he heard the Smithy’s words. He tried to get his body to do as he commanded it but he stayed put. His gaze was fixed straight forward. He could see the uncertainty in Four’s face before he pulled away. Dear Goddesses how much he wanted to reassure his boys but there was absolutely nothing he could do or say.

“Time.” Wild called while carefully coming into Time’s sigh. “Four, can you pull him up to sitting for a moment?” He queried while glancing at the Smithy. Soon Time felt careful arms around him before he was already lifted upwards. “I think bit of food will be good before potion.” Wild explained while bringing out a golden colored bottle and showing it to Time. “Smashed pumpkin mixed with water. Should be easy to drink.” He explained before carefully and gently helping Time to get the food down his throat. “Just bit of water.” Wild told while bringing the water skin up to Time’s lips after putting the empty bottle away. After that Legend already gave a bottle of red potion which Wild again let Time see before helping him to drink it.

Warriors came into Time’s line of sight. “Hey there, Sprite.” He called with a sorrowful smile while gently laying his hand onto Time’s shoulder. “Sky, Legend and Wind are going to take that one asshole to the local guards. The other one…” He started before glancing at the second accomplish of Time’s kidnapping. “We… We’ll let him free.” Captain told before turning his gaze back into Time. “We’re gonna take you back to the Inn now. You’re going to be okay.” He reassured before carefully starting to pick Time up from the harsh ground.

Warriors contemplated for a moment after having pulled Time into leaning against him. He was entirely uncertain of his choice but he carefully wrapped his scarf around Time and hid his face. It was partly for comfort since he knew Sprite had always liked his scarf. But it was also partly to hide the fact that Time couldn’t blink nor close his eye at the moment. He simply bit feared if people thought him to be carrying a corpse instead of his living brother.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The hour went past surprisingly fast. “Shouldn’t Time be back already?” Wind queried when he checked the clock and interrupted the current conversation. They had just been sharing little stories of how, when and why they had entered different towns during their quests. Most were similar but there were some differences too.

The Chain snapped their gazes into the clock on the wall. “You’re right.” Warriors stated out while getting up. “Let’s go find him.” He told while showing others to follow. “Though, in case he happens to come back to here before we find him, Four and Wind, you two wait here.” He commanded.

The two shortest Heroes whined a bit but they accepted the plan. Wind had the way to contact Wild and since the place still felt like not the safest place, it was safer for two to be waiting instead of one alone. Besides, the duo went easily from kids which caused most of people to not pay attention into them.

“We probably should spread out in groups of two.” Twilight suggested while checking the street up and down. No sign of Time in any of direction. “I could, you know…” He told while realizing the street was surprisingly empty of people.

“Not yet.” Warriors replied while thinking through the situation. Suddenly he grinned. “Does anyone remember where the market was? I might have an idea of where Time’s gone to.”

“I do.” Legend stated out while nodding towards the right road. “If he’s gone to market that means he’s up for buying something.” He observed before raising an eyebrow at Warriors. “And you know what he’s up to…?” It was more of an inquiry than statement.

“I have a hunch.” Warriors simply said while letting the Veteran lead the way. He had remembered the stall he had noticed as he had given a swift check on the market on their way to find the Inn just to know if there were stalls selling things they were short of. If he was right and he’d see Time at the market, he’d let the man handle the shopping on his own. He wasn’t going to spoil the surprise their leader was up and about for. After all, he could easily recall the first time he had introduced Sprite to chocolate. Dear Goddesses, that was one of the best memories he had. That bright smile, those shining eyes, that eagerness… He’d never forget that day. After that he just had wanted to see the kid happy and eager which was why he gave that one piece of chocolate on daily basis to him.

“Guys!” The sudden call brought Warriors back to the present and he turned around. Hyrule was at the start of an alleyway on their right and he was holding a knife in his hands… Time’s knife.

The shocked gasp rang through them all as they surrounded the youngster. “It….It was right here. On the ground.” Hyrule explained to the inquiries of where he found it. “Its… It’s Time’s, right?” He inquired bit fearfully.

Warriors carefully took the knife from the Traveler’s hands and inspected it. “It certainly is. He doesn’t go anywhere without it.” He commented while looking around with raising worry. “Twilight—“ He started but the Rancher had already had moved into the alleyway and swiftly turned into Wolfie.

The huge wolf began to sniff around in search of trail to follow. He caught Time’s scent easily but instead of following to anywhere, he just kept sniffing around. A moment later he transformed back to his Hylian self. “I…” Twilight began before already gulping. “There… There’s no trail….” He told with bit freaked out voice. “There’s… There’s the one that comes from the Inn’s way but… It ends here.”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Legend nearly snarled the question while glaring at Twilight. “A scent trail just can’t go missing!” He snapped roughly.

Twilight flinched a bit. “Its… It’s like, uh… Maybe…” He tried to explain while thinking back to his own quest. Midna had had the magic of transferring them from one place to another. Such magic could easily sever the scent trail.

“Magic.” Hyrule suddenly stated out. He had been checking around and trying to find something of use. He ignored the gazes on him as he was crouching on the place where Time had last been at. “He was snatched with magic.”

“Someone must’ve attacked.” Sky thought aloud before frowning. “Unless he left the knife for us to find as a marker.”

“I highly doubt he’d give up on his only weapon.” Warriors stated out while crossing his arms over his chest. “He certainly would’ve thrown something else than his knife. He’d need that to fight back.”

“There was someone else too. Out of the scent trail, Time moved off the way.” Twilight told while looking at the way the other scent was going. “I can take back onto Wolfie and see if I can track the person down. He or she might’ve seen something.” He suggested.

Warriors nodded slowly. “We’ll divide into two groups. Half of us go to the market and ask around if anyone saw something. The rest will follow the scent trail.” He decided and the rest of the group nodded. “We’ll meet at the Inn. Let’s hope we get information.” Twilight as Wolfie with Wild and Hyrule left to check the trail. Warriors continued forward to the market with Sky and Legend.

Wolfie followed the scent trail slowly just to keep his two brothers along. “Should we inform Wind and Four that Time’s gone missing?” Hyrule inquired but both the wolf and Wild shook their heads.

“Let’s not freak them out. We’ll know more soon.” Wild replied while knowing that the duo back at the Inn was blissfully unaware of the current situation. He wanted to let them know but at the same time they needed more information.

Suddenly, after couple of corners and streets, the scent trail led to another alleyway. The trio got ready for anything as they moved into the darkness of the area… Until Wolfie stopped and whined.

That first startled the duo with the wolf but before they could ask if he was alright, the wolf was already desperately searching for the scent trail. Hyrule moved closer before scowling. “I’m afraid there’s been another usage of magic.” He told before growling. “You think the person actually purposefully was forcing Time to move aside towards the alleyway?” The Traveler asked worriedly.

“The alley was on his blind side…” Wild whispered quietly while hating the brought out idea.

Twilight growled even though he had changed back to his Hylian self already. “Time was targeted.” He glared at the spot where the scent trail had ended. “Should we actually go back and see where this scent trail begins from?” The Rancher inquired while wanting to ignore Warriors’ plan.

Wild and Hyrule glanced at each other before nodding firmly. “I think that’ll be the best idea.” Hyrule stated out. “We might actually find where they’ve taken Time. If Captain, Sky and Ledge see us, we’ll pick them along.” The Traveler continued surprisingly firmly. The other two nodded and Twilight swiftly changed forms again before already following the scent trail.

Warriors, Sky and Legend were checking the stalls closest to the road to the market. Mostly they were just watching and nonchalantly asking stuff about whether or not they sellers had seen anything out of ordinary. Unfortunately, the day had been busy and there had been way too many people at there. That was the main answer they gained.

Warriors wasn’t certain if the people were entirely truthful with them. Maybe they were just avoiding of getting into trouble. Nonetheless, it wasn’t getting them anywhere. All they got at the moment was hope for Twilight to have found the person they were tracking.

“Captain.” Sky called and caught Warriors’ notion. He turned to look at the Chosen Hero. Sky nodded back towards the way they had come from. The Captain frowned when he noticed the huge wolf followed by Wild and Hyrule.

“What are they doing?” Legend asked with a frown.

“I have a very bad feeling of this.” Warriors muttered before already showing to follow him. The trio walked over to the others. “What’s going on? Did you find the person?” He queried straight off when they got close enough, yet the looks on Hyrule’s and Wild’s faces were already an answer on its own.

“Same magic. Trail vanished.” Hyrule told uncertainly.

“We’re trying to track down where the scent trail begins from.” Wild answered steadily even though he too was getting even more worried of the situation. Warriors simply nodded and the five Heroes followed the wolf.

Sadly, the trail ended up into another dead end. “We only have one more chance.” Wild stated out as they returned back to the crime scene. This time the wolf followed the scent of the person whom had snatched their Chain’s leader.

That trail led them to nowhere. The person the scent belonged to had moved around more than the owner of the other scent. That still didn’t give them any more of answers than the earlier scent trails. By then the other three had told about their futile attempt of getting information from the people at the market.

The six of them returned back to the Inn while feeling entirely defeated. Wind and Four could straight off realize from the looks on their brothers’ faces that something entirely hellish had happened. The eight Heroes sat down to the dining room and shared what they knew so far.

“What do we do now?” Four inquired while looking straight at Warriors. With Time gone, the Captain was next in line for the leadership.

“We can’t stop searching!” Twilight nearly snarled before already apologizing for having snapped. He sighed heavily and slumped against the table while digging his hands into his hair.

“We need to think this through carefully.” Warriors started while trying to stay calm. “The clock’s almost ten in the evening. The shops are all closed by now.” He told while checking the clock from the wall. “If Time’s taken off guard like that, no-one’s moving around alone.” He half commanded while checking around the table. The rest of the Chain nodded in understanding.

The Captain sighed heavily while turning his gaze into the window. “We need information.” He half whispered. “Maps. Knowledge. Abandoned places. Anything that could help us figure out where to start searching.”

“The Inn’s keeper gotta know a lot!” Four half shouted and snapped the notion of the whole Chain into him. That statement got them all to get up from the table and nearly rush back to the hall and to the receptionist’s desk.

Wind was first to the desk and began ringing the bell. He didn’t care if he woke up the whole Inn. He just needed to get the receptionist over and as fast as possible. They were fighting against the clock here!

“Stop that already! I’m coming as fast as I can!” The man shouted annoyed while limping over to the desk. He gave bit of a glare to the youngest Hero before his gaze checked the whole group. “Something wrong?” He inquired when he realized the worry written across all eight faces before him.

“Our brother is missing. We have so far understood that he was kidnapped.” Warriors began as calmly as he could. “We need information. And we need it fast.” He continued before the Chain took part into the conversation.

“We need map of the town and its close by areas!”

“We need to know the abandoned places where the bad guys could hold him!”

“We need information on whether or not there’s known bad guys around the town or its vicinity!”

“And we need the knowledge of the said bad guys if such are here!”

The receptionist blinked bit in start before raising his hands in calming manner. “Whoa there! I’m just one guy here!” He half shouted. “Okay, so, let’s see… Maps…” He began to go through the shelves around the desk before pulling out couple of maps. He spread them open. “This is small town and quite well populated so there aren’t much of abandoned places…” He began while checking the town’s map through.

“Any ruins or such? Old Temples? Anything one could use as hideout?”

The man slowly shook his head while turning to the map of the surroundings of the town. “Not that I’ve heard of.” He replied while trying to find anything of useful of the maps. “If there are any of bad guys here then I’m really sorry to inform that such knowledge hasn’t come to my ears.”

The further the information went, the less appealing it became. There hadn’t been any of temples or ruins for centuries. The houses were all occupied by people. The place was way too lively to be considered as luck this time around. “I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve helped.”

“Do you know anything about a magic that could, like, take one person fast from one place to another? Like, um, disappearing from one spot and appearing to another kind of way.”

The Inn’s keeper frowned while thinking the question through. When the man slowly nodded, the Chain’s hope began to rise up again. “I’ve heard of such.” He whispered while trying to recall the information. “It’s old magic. I think it was once called as Farore’s Wind. Travelers told it works well in Temples and dungeons. Kinda like fast way back to start. The magic vanishes from the first place when it’s used in a new area. Doesn’t work outside such places, though.”

The Chain glanced at each other while feeling their hope being crushed once again. “Could one somehow upgrade it? Figure out a way to make it work differently?”

The receptionist shrugged. “I guess that’s possible.” He replied before sighing. “Yet, I haven’t heard of anyone knowing such magic.”

“Alright. Thank you for your time and information.” Warriors nodded before ushering the group back to the dining room. The man nodded back while watching sorrowfully after the eight males.

“So… What now?” Wind inquired after sitting down again while feeling fully defeated. This certainly hadn’t been what he had wished to happen.

The Chain fell silent while trying to come up to a solution. They felt the time ticking away as they just sat there doing nothing. Each second felt to them like a moment closer of losing their dear brother.

“That magic…” Hyrule started slowly while still frowning. The Chain raised their gazes up into him while hoping for some good idea. “The Inn’s keeper told that it works specifically. I got the understanding that it’s kinda like anchored into somewhere to work as a road giver. It has to have at least one point which is constant.” He explained while staring at the table as he still tried to figure it out.

“I think we should keep eye on the two spots where the bad guys came from.” Wild suggested before bit shrugging. “Maybe those too are constant?” He half queried while hoping to be right about his own hunch.

Warriors nodded slowly while thinking it through. “It might be a good shot.” He said while starting to figure out how to handle the situation. Inwardly he cursed that there wasn’t third item that they could use as a calling mechanism. It would’ve helped tremendously right now.

“Wild and I take one place. Hyrule and Legend takes the second.” Twilight suddenly stated out firmly. “We’ll call Wind after few hours for change of spots. We’ll keep check on the places from the close by roofs. Until the call, you guys should try and get some sleep. I know it’s not an easy thought considering the situation but we gotta somehow keep up our strength.” He continued while already getting up.

“I guess we won’t be having any of other choice in here.” Warriors sighed heavily while nodding. “Stay safe out there. Nights are never calm.” He warned while getting up with the rest of the group.

The eight Links divided to their own jobs. The four staying at the Inn desperately tried to get sleep. They were tired but the worry for Time’s safety along the knowledge of Time being missing by the action of kidnapping wasn’t helping even one bit. Yet, Wind still jerked awake when Wild called him. The youngest Hero woke the rest of the group and the four left to release the others for some sleep.

The other one of the two spots was close to market. While one of the two was keeping check on the alleyway, the other was keeping eye on the market. Even though they had no idea who they were searching, they hoped to recognize some odd behavior when they’d see such.

Next day, around three o’clock, one of the two spots were used. “Twi!” Wild hissed quietly as he saw the man appear out of nowhere. Twilight quickly moved over to him and narrowed his eyes as he saw the guy.

“Inform the others. I’ll follow him.” The Rancher told while already making his way down from the roof. He needed to round couple of corners but he made a swift change into the wolf to figure out which of the two they were dealing with. He simply took the scent of the newcomer before already transforming again. Just as he was up for going after the guy, Wild already joined him. “He’s the one Time avoided.” He told while wanting to just attack the man.

“Twi… We can’t be entirely certain he’s involved with the situation….” Wild reminded uncertainly as they followed the guy to the market. The man had no hurry to anywhere and soon he found a nice dining place.

“I’m going to talk with him.” Twilight stated out while pushing his anger and worry for later dealing and using. Right now he needed to get information. And that guy was going to be the source of it whether he wanted or not.

Twilight took a deep breath and walked over to the guy. “Excuse me, hi.” He started as calmly as he could. The man jerked his gaze up into him. “Sorry to bother but I heard from a seller at here that you might’ve seen brother of mine.” He explained and noticed the man glance towards one of the stalls close to the way where the kidnapping had happened. “He’s gone missing and he was last seen yesterday. He’s bit taller than me. Golden hair, markings on his face, a blue sword tip on forehead and red waves on right cheek, scar over his right eye.” He described as well as he could.

The man nodded slowly. “Yeah… I think I did notice him…” He started slowly while thinking for a moment before nodding again. “Nearly collided with him. I was bit on my own thoughts there, didn’t mean to hog the whole road.” He half apologized.

“Did you happen to see what happened to him?” Twilight inquired bit hopefully.

The man shook his head. “Sorry. I only passed him on the street.”

Twilight sighed heavily. “Shit…” He mumbled before nodding. “Thanks for your time.” He told while beginning to head away.

“I hope you find him!” The man called after him and Twilight nodded with a small smile. He felt the guy’s gaze on his back as he moved out of the market and back to the street where the kidnapping had happened. Wild had stayed close by but kept his distance as he followed his brother out of there.

Warriors, Sky, Four and Wind waited for them out of sight. “Any news?” The Captain asked straight off.

“Go talk to the bomb seller. The guy I just talked with glanced at him when I told someone had seen him pass Time.” Twilight replied straight off. “That guy’s involved. I’m sure of that.” He half growled while wishing to go back and drag the guy into an alley to have a bit better ‘talk’ with him.

Warriors nodded before heading off with Sky. Wild had shown the guy Twilight had talked with. Wind and Four moved to the market to keep better eye on their target. Wild and the Rancher stayed out of sight since their target already knew them. They just waited for news and ideas for how to continue from here.

“Currently we still got nothing to pin on the guy.” Wild reminded Twilight bit warily. The ranch hand simply nodded while feeling like they were doing a big mistake by letting the guy go.

“I talked with the seller. He insists of having not seen anything.” Warriors told as he and Sky returned to them. Twilight growled even louder. “I guess the guy only thought they were seen.” The Captain told while wondering if that was enough to go force the man to open up.

Wind and Four had slowly moved closer to the guy. They did all they could to stay out of the man’s notion while inching closer. They hoped for their target to meet with someone. Preferably with the other attacker. Yet, that didn’t happen. Still, they got something that actually could be considered as proof.

“HAY!” The Sailor suddenly shouted and dashed forward. “Starting a fire in a place like this is dangerous!” He nearly snarled at the guy as he snatched the burning paper from him and swiftly put it out. “Use safer place for this kind of stuff.” He grumbled while storming away with the charred sheet of paper.

The guy was entirely taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the kid. He blinked in shock but by the time he realized the situation, Wind was already out of his sight. He searched the crowd but the child was gone.

“I got something!” Wind half shouted once he had dashed back to the others with Four close behind him. With shaky hands he unfolded the paper. He gasped in shock when he read the few lines from the burned white sheet.

“What does it say?!” Twilight half barked out before already snatching the paper and reading aloud: “Your friend is in our custody. Description of the man: Golden hair. Tall. Blue sword tip on forehead. Two red wavy lines on right cheek. Scar over right eye. Left eye blue. Wears a golden armor and has a gilded sword but….” Twilight’s voice was wavering the further he read before being unable to continue.

Warriors gently took the paper and continued on his behalf: “…he didn’t have them with him the day we snatched him. We want one million rupees as ransom. Leave the money next to the only empty stall at the market. Once we have our money you will get your friend back. Alive.”

“I… I don’t think this is going to happen…” Sky whispered while taking the paper from the Captain’s shaking hands. “That guy was going to burn this.” He half whispered before looking towards the market. “He wasn’t going to deliver this.”

Twilight’s fearful shaking slowly turned into shaking caused by rage. “Permission to take that bastard down now?” He snarled and looked at Warriors straight into the eyes. The Captain was still freaked out of what they had just confirmed so he simply nodded. On that second the Rancher changed forms and dashed to the market as Wolfie. The Chain snapped into action and ran after him.

Unfortunately, the man had already fled from there. They scent trail led them to another alleyway and into the usage of magic. Twilight growled, changed forms and struck the close by trashcan into two with his sword while screaming out. “We lost him! We fucking lost him and now Time’s…!” He shouted while turning his glare into Warriors. “If you just had…” He snarled before trailing off and dropping his gaze down. He screamed and punched the wall next to him before falling to his knees as he broke down.

“I know, Rancher. I’m sorry.” Warriors whispered while feeling like he just failed as leader. He sighed heavily. “If we lose Time, we’ll track that bastard down and kill him the cruelest way possible. But, until we get confirmation of the loss of our brother, we keep check on those two spots. Maybe the second guy comes. And this time we’ll snatch him.” The Captain stated out firmly while making the plans on the go.

The Chain nodded and Twilight slowly stood up. He gave an apologetic look to Warriors and nodded in agreement to the plan. After that they changed places with the ones looking at the two spots.

At the next day the second spot was used. Wind called Wild the second the man appeared into the alleyway. The duo swiftly came down from the roof and followed the guy while glaring at him with full hatred in their eyes. After all, they were the shortest members of the Chain. They were Heroes, no doubt there, but they needed to get their target alive.

Surprisingly the man was heading towards the Inn and soon he was surrounded by six Heroes. “Wind. Four. Fetch Hyrule and Legend.” Warriors commanded while keeping his hard gaze in the guy. “And you… Where the fuck is our brother?” He snarled while slowly reaching for his sword.

The man raised his hands up in an instant. “I’ll take you to him!” He shouted straight off and startled the Heroes around him. “My teammate’s going to kill him and I don’t want that. It’s not our plan.” He explained straight off while looking fearfully around him. “I… I can take three through magic but… D-do you have a map? I can show where our hideout is.” He suggested without waiting for the questions.

Wild glanced once at Warriors whom simply nodded. The Champion brought out the map on his slate. He had taken couple of pictures when the Inn’s keeper had shown the maps to them. With the guy’s instructions he zoomed in and searched out where they were before zooming out to give better check of the surroundings. Wild marked the place of extremely old underground ruins. “The only road inside there is lighted by torches. You shouldn’t get lost in there.” The man explained.

Soon all eight were together and Warriors swiftly explained the situation. The Chain checked the map to know where most of them were going to head without magic’s aid. “Hyrule. Four. You two are coming with me. Time will be needing you guys.” Warriors commanded while making his choice. Hyrule was important for healing. Four might be short but he could easily keep the healer and their leader safe while the Captain himself dealt with the main bastard.

The five members of the Chain began running right after Warriors had chosen those who’d go with him through the magical transportation. The travel was bit of a shock for both Warriors and Four but Hyrule took it easy. After catching their balance they already followed Time’s kidnapper into the ruins. “Follow the torches. I’ll wait for your comrades just to make sure they’ll find to here. As you saw, the hatch is well hidden.” The man stated out and the Captain simply nodded.

The trio felt bit uncertain of the situation. Part of them felt like this was a trap and they had eagerly walked into it. Yet, bigger part of them just thought the man to run off after having done his job. Still, the tree Heroes moved fast and quickly through the hallways.

Finally, after several corners, they found Time whom was being held against a wall. Warriors, Four and Hyrule weren’t certain whether or not Time was just knocked out or worse, dead, due to the lack of sound and movement while getting roughly beaten up. The trio didn’t think twice as they already dashed into the scene. The Captain yanked the bastard away from Time before Four and Hyrule already went to check on their leader…

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time knew he was unnerving his boys by that straight stare. The lack of sound didn’t aid either. And that lack of movement besides the breathing while looking like a fish on dry land probably made things even worse. And yet, he couldn’t do a damn thing about any of that.

The only thing he was grateful of was the scarf around him. Even though he couldn’t hold on to it, Warriors had gently tucked a piece of it into his hand. It was small comfort as he laid on the bed without moving other than his breathing. All he could do was to listen as the Heroes talked around him and recognize the voices.

Sky: “You sure we can trust that guy?”

Warriors: “He brought us to Time. If he wanted Time dead, I doubt he would’ve led us to him.”

Twilight, growling: “In my opinion he’s still as bad as the other guy!”

Legend: “And yet, we got nothing else to go by than his words.”

Four, sorrowful: “And Time can’t confirm or deny anything at the moment.”

Wild, huffs: “You guys realize he’s actually listening in on your conversation?”

The Chain fell silent and suddenly the Champion was right in his sight. “Hi.” He called with a small smile even though he knew his leader couldn’t respond. “Thought you’d like to eat a bit more.” He half suggested while bringing a bottle of reddish liquid. “Just smashed berries mixed into water this time around.” Wild explained while carefully pulling Time up and getting him as comfortable against the bed’s headboard as possible. After that he very carefully aided Time to take the drink before giving bit of water to get it all down.

“I know you’re not happy of the situation. None of us are.” Wild told while being extremely careful as he lowered Time back down again. “It’s not fun to be helpless. I’ve kinda been in the same situation.” He continued while making sure to stay in Time’s line of sight before already shrugging. “You know. The Shrine of Resurrection and hundred years long sleep.”

The Chain watched how the Champion tried his best to make things better for their leader. The seven Links felt bit bad about how they had been acting. Soon Warriors moved next to Wild. “Hey, Sprite.” He called with a small smile. “You’re prolly wanting to hear what we did when you didn’t come back to the Inn.” He half suggested before starting to explain it all. The rest of the Chain moved closer and gave their explanations and information when needed but making sure Time actually saw who was talking.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“TIME!” The scream freaked Time out and he snapped both of his eyes open. He hadn’t even realized to have fallen asleep sometime at the night. He blinked several times while seeing the worried and frowning face of Wind. He frowned a bit while seeing the Sailor’s expression change towards relief.

“W-what’s… w-wrong…?” Time pretty much croaked out before getting even more worried when he saw tears on the youngest Hero’s face. Yet, the kid was smiling widely. “S-Sailor…?” He called weakly while waiting for answers. Yet, soon the kid’s face was gone from his sight. He groaned a bit while fighting to get up but his body didn’t even twitch. He desperately looked around and noticed movement. Wind was waking everyone up around him while still being eerily silent.

Time licked at his lips in hopes of getting the words out better. He desperately tried to find any of his boys but they were out of his sight. “S-Sailor…?” He called out weakly but the kid didn’t reappear into his line of view. “C-come… o-on… S-peak… to me…” He nearly begged before sighing in relief when Wind came back into his sight.

“I’m here, Time.” The Sailor told while drying his tears but the smile stayed on his face. “You’re gonna be okay, Time.” He stated out firmly with full confidence.

“He’s right, you know.” Sky spoke while coming into Time’s sight. “You’re actually looking around and frowning there.” He commented with a relieved smile.

Time blinked few times in shock before closing his eye while sighing.  “G-guess… he was… r-right…” He told even though his voice was still rather a whisper. He opened his eye and smiled a bit. “G-good… to see… you all…” The Chain’s leader said with a small smile. Even though he couldn’t see them all, he heard the collective sigh of relief around him.

The day moved forwards very slowly for Time. He still couldn’t move even one bit but at least his voice was getting bit stronger and better. He was able to follow the Chain around him with his gaze. This was something that had brought great relief to his boys as well as to him.

Yet, Wild still refused to give him anything else than liquid foods. Time knew that it would be like that for several days longer so he didn’t fight against the chosen method of getting fed. He wasn’t going to be able to get up from the bed anytime soon after all.

At the next day he got slowly but certainly the control of his hands and arms back. The first thing he did was to force himself to sit upwards. It took seriously lot from him but he luckily had more than enough of time to handle the task as his boys were asleep around him. He smiled fondly at the eight Links while being entirely grateful of their caring and support.

When the Chain woke up, it was quite a shock for them to see their leader leaning against the headboard of the bed while grinning mischievously. The first obviously question asked was who actually helped him up but no-one confirmed to have done such. Eventually Time raised his hands while grinning even wider. “My own work.” He simply stated out.

The Chain blinked in shock before a wide smile spread to their faces. On that second Time was in a group hug. He simply chuckled while trying to hold each and every one of them. “Still can’t move my legs but maybe tomorrow then.” Time confirmed bit sorrowfully before already shrugging. He tried not to worry about things and even less to worry his boys. After all, he had already healed this far. He would get off the bed soon and walk on his own two legs again.

Since Time was in much better condition, the Chain was less worried of the situation. They began to come and go from the room while actually handling the needed restocking at the market. Yet, none of them went around alone. They weren’t going to risk things going to hell for second time.

When Warriors came back from his own errand, he pretty much kicked the rest of the Chain out for an hour. He sat down next to Time, and once he was certain that no-one would be behind the door eavesdropping on them, he took out a chocolate lollipop. Time was bit startled but the look on his face was the same the Captain remembered from that day he had given the first chocolate piece to Sprite. “It’s just you and me here, Sprite. Just enjoy. You’ve definitely deserved it.” He told calmly and smiled fondly at the blissful look on Time’s face when he put the lollipop into his mouth.

“When we left to search for you, I realized what you were planning.” Warriors started calmly. “It reminded me of that day you got your first contact to chocolate.” He continued and chuckled a bit at the memory. “You looked so confused and even suspicious of the situation. I know I was grinning there when I offered you the first piece. I’m just glad you went for it anyways. You’ve no idea how happy I was when it was clear that you enjoyed of the treat.”

Time chuckled and shook his head. “One of my best memories for sure.” He mused happily. “I guess I should’ve realized you’d figure it out sooner or later.” The Chain’s leader stated out with a shrug before sighing. “Failed on that mission, though.” He half whispered.

Warriors shrugged. “Eh, I doubt that.” He replied before grinning. “I simply told to them that I was handling bit of shopping on your behalf before I went for that stall today. You can expect hot chocolate later today.”

Time chuckled happily. “This day just keeps getting better.”

At the next day Time got the usage of his legs back. It was slow and took most of his strength but it was needed progress forward. With full support from both Warriors and Twilight, he got up to his feet. Yet, that already swapped pretty much everything from him. Nonetheless, it was at least bit of knowledge on how things were going.

Time slept through most of the day and night. The Chain pretty much woke him up only for food. Otherwise they let him rest and regain his strength back.

Few days later Time finally was back on his feet. He still wasn’t able to go far without support but each step was practice on his unused muscles. Eventually the Chain asked that one simple inquiry: “What do we do with the other guy? The one whom beat you up is in jail and will stay in there. But… The other one?”

Time sighed bit sorrowfully while thinking it through. “Is he free at the moment?” He inquired and the Chain nodded. “Then let him be. Sure, he kidnapped me but he didn’t harm me. In fact, he kept me alive and told to just wait the effects of the injected liquid off. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would be dead.” He half explained and his boys nodded in understanding.

“I know it’s not easy to take but the guy did it for money. He had no intentions of harming me.” Time told firmly while looking straight at Twilight. The Rancher sighed bit heavily but he nodded while accepting his ancestor’s decision.

About a week later a portal opened up and the nine Heroes left the timeline behind them. Time walked on his own two feet steadily and confidently. Nonetheless, the Chain still kept close eye on him for quite a while longer just to be certain of him having regained his full health and strength back.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 23: Day 22: "You weren't meant to be there"

Summary:

Calm day is never an option for Heroes. And sometimes simple curiosity brings the worst kind of hell upon them.

Notes:

CW: Cursing, disrespective manners, being weak (headache, stiffness and such), threats, kidnapping, getting crushed by a crashing house, bomb wounds, hit by debris, pierced by sharp planks, close to death situation

Published: 22.02.2024 around 2:00 of Finnish time

The new town was huge. In fact it was only days from gaining the new name of a city due to its size. The Chain had arrived to there just couple of days ago after a very badly gone battle against black bloodied monsters. After having gained rooms at the Inn, they pretty much had just been lights out the second they got to the beds. Next day had gone just by healing and regaining strength back.

Now, with everyone being capable of being up and about, the group had decided it was good time to restock and gather information. While most had gone to the market area to handle things off, Hyrule and Wind had gone to the dock. The Sailor wanted to see the ships and the sea. Hyrule simply wanted to explore and the dock seemed like as good place as any.

Wind’s gaze widened as he saw the ships. “Whoa!” He gasped in absolute awe before already running down to the edge of the piers. The grand sea travelers were a mighty sight for him. Most weren’t decorated and only few had flags flapping in the wind to announce where they came from. Some clearly were meant for fishing while some were military ships with cannon hatches in sides. Some then again clearly were made for calm going and enjoyment. Some, at least in the Sailor’s mind, very much looked like pirate ships.

Some of the piers were locked with gates but such was mainly for keeping land-dwellers and uninterested people at bay. The fence was easy to climb around. Not to mention about the always being chance of swimming to any of the ships. Still, Wind wasn’t up for either at the moment.

The Sailor didn’t want to cause trouble in such a huge place as the soon to be city was. There were too many chances for enemies as well as for being ‘lost’. Besides, Hyrule was with him and he didn’t want to get his brother into trouble because of him. Even though he was a pirate, he wasn’t a fool. The Chain wasn’t yet in the condition of handling a trouble he could get into by going against the law in there.

Soon enough they found a section of the docks that weren’t locked behind gates. There still were huge and amazing looking ships in wait to be set back to the sea. “Come on, I want to see if he’ll let us check around his beauty.” Wind told when he noticed one of the captains at the dock. “Let the sea monsters sleep when you set sail!” The Sailor called with a wide smile and a wave while approaching the man.

The tall and bulky guy jerked a bit in surprise before turning towards the duo. He grinned a bit and shook his head. “Seems like you’ve been lot to docks, kid.” The man stated out and Wind simply nodded while ignoring that last word.

“Beautiful ship.” Wind commented while letting his gaze take in the grand look of the wood and decorations. Hyrule stayed close while just watching around. “May we board the ship?” Sailor requested with a hopeful look.

The man laughed. “Children are forbidden to set sail.” The guy stated out with a smirk. “You might know the words but you’re way too young to know the waves.”

Both Wind and Hyrule jerked in shock at the man’s reply. The Sailor’s gaze hardened as he realized how much the man was mocking him. “You should recognize a fellow sailor when one stands before you. And that’s a fine boat but it’s no ship.” Hyrule defended his brother while trying to hold back his growl.

Both the man and Wind were quite startled of the Traveler’s choice of words. Yet, soon the Sailor grinned. “He’s right.” He stated out while crossing his arms. “Only pirates don’t let people on their ship. So, what’s your favorite loot? Do you strike other ships or do you rather steal from land? Pirate knows a pirate.”

“Shut your trap, brat!” The man snarled while glaring at the expert sailor before him. Wind’s grin only widened at the roughness of the man’s reply.

“What? Hit the truth there, huh?” The Sailor taunted before laughing and shaking his head. “Rowdy waves, mate!” He stated out before turning around and already half forcing Hyrule away from there while leaving the man shocked to his place.

“What did you actually say to the guy?” The healer inquired once they were back to the main area of the docks. They were still checking the ships in search of getting to board one with rights.

Wind chuckled and grinned. “I pretty much told him to sink his ship.” He replied nonchalantly. “There’s lot of saying that all sailors use. It’s bad luck if we say something like ‘safe sailing’ or ‘good luck with expedition’ or such. That’s why we round things by words that mean the same but are more meaningful for the sailor.”

Hyrule nodded slowly. “Calling one’s ship as boat is pretty rough one, right?” He inquired while bit blushing at his own words.

Wind laughed. “That’s the hardest insult one can give!” He confessed while grinning widely. The Traveler gasped while bit flinching before already blushing brightly. The Sailor patted the healer to back happily. “Thanks for the backup.” He told with a wide smile and Hyrule simply nodded.

“Let’s check if he’ll be more friendly.” Wind suggested while nodding to another ship’s owner. Hyrule nodded back and the duo approached the next captain. “Let the sea monsters sleep when you set sail!” The Sailor called while waving as the man turned to look at them.

The guy was much more agile looking. He didn’t seem to be much older than Time but he clearly had seen lot of the world. “And let the waves be calm to you as you travel.” The man countered with a firm nod. “How may I help you two lads?”

Wind’s smile widened as the man replied equally to him. “May we board your breathtaking ship, Captain?” The Sailor requested while feeling fully hopeful of his chance.

“Of course. Allow me to give you two a tour around.” The man replied kindly while nodding towards the road up. “You know the seas well?” He inquired while leading Wind and Hyrule.

“I explore. Love to find new places.” Wind replied while taking everything in with wide-eyes. Hyrule wasn’t as interested but he looked around since Tetra’s ship wasn’t as big as this was.

“That’s admirable. My ship doesn’t go far, I’m afraid. More for joy rides and such.” The captain of the ship explained with a shrug. “Pays the bills well.”

Wind nodded understandingly. “It’s nice to get to know new people.” He commented and the captain nodded.

“You’ve been far?” The man inquired calmly.

“Quite far. But I keep returning to home often enough. Don’t like to be long away from my sister and grandmother.” Wind replied while feeling slight bit of homesick.

“That’s understandable. Home and family are the most important things in one’s life.” The ship’s owner told with a nod. “It’s the reason my longest travels are only a week.” Wind nodded while knowing his travels kept taking him further and further while lengthening the stay away from his family… Yet, he now had eight brothers by him which very much eased that homesickness.

“Thank you very much for the tour.” Wind bowed slightly and the man returned the action as the three of them had returned to the pier. “Calm winds and gentle waves, my friend.” The Sailor told with a smile.

“Flap of the sails and cries of the seagulls, dear lad.” The captain replied before watching with a smile on his face as the duo left back to the main area of the docks. It wasn’t often that another sailor showed their interest in his ship and work.

“He was nice.” Hyrule commented while feeling happy for the youngest Hero. Wind nodded happily while already having ideas for how he’d decorate his own ship once the quest would be over and he’d get a chance to really own one. So far he pretty much worked at a ship but he didn’t own in.

“You want to know what other wordings there are for sailors?” Wind inquired and Hyrule nodded. “Okay. So, you know the words to telling one to sink their ship. Now… ‘Rowdy waters and sea monsters’ is a saying where you pretty much tell them to sink their ships and to drown themselves in the progress.” He started and Hyrule shuddered at the words. “When you want to warn someone and tell them to stay at the dry land, you can say ‘Still winds and clear skies’. You already heard two different ways for wishing good sailing.”

Just as the duo was walking around the piers and admiring the rest of the ships, their gazes fell into a rundown looking house. The healer and the pirate grinned widely as they realized it very much looked like abandoned place. “Fancy checking for some loot?” Wind inquired while already starting to think all about those bad guys who could use such a place as their hideout or loot storage.

“Oh, you bet!” Hyrule replied as the duo already dashed to the house. “I doubt a place like this will hold much of nature’s weather anymore.” He commented as they rounded the house.

The house looked very aversive. Most of the windows were shattered and the glass shards were inside the structure. Several walls had holes in them. Some of the supportive girders were broken. Part of the roof had fallen in.

“Looks quite well like a ghost house to me.” Wind grinned and chuckled. “Should check this late at evening instead of now but…. Too tempting!” He stated out as they came back to the doorway. The door of the place was hanging on its hinges while looking quite destroyed like some beast would’ve really taken its rage out on it.

Hyrule chuckled a bit at the Sailor’s enthusiasm. “Watch your step. We don’t want this to crash on us.” He warned as they entered the house.  Wind simply nodded while looking around in the dimly lit area. He quickly took the lead and the duo started to explore the rundown place.

The house had two floors. The first one seemed to have had kitchen, two living rooms, bathroom and couple of bed rooms that might’ve once been guest rooms. The second floor was bit hard to reach with the stairs being quite well broken. Yet, the duo didn’t get far in the second floor which surprisingly looked to be more intact that the first floor.

*CLICK!*

The Sailor stopped dead on his tracks when the metallic sound was heard. Even Hyrule stopped breathing as he froze by the unexpected thing. “I…. N-never though a place like this….” The healer started with trembling voice.

“Rigged.” Wind whispered quietly. “T-this place is rigged. I… I-I noticed few traps at downstairs too. Snares of sorts…” He told while bit trembling.

“We need to run.” The Traveler stated out while checking around. They needed to get out. Luckily the road to the front door of the place was straight. “On three.” He told firmly while taking hold of Wind’s arm. The Sailor nodded while taking few deep breaths to calm down. The Hylian fairy carefully started to count before screaming out the last number. He yanked the youngest Hero off of the pressure plank and dragged him along.

The duo partly screamed and flinched when the bombs around the house started to go off. They jumped over the holes in the stairs while dashing down as fast as they could. Just as they got out of the place and had gotten several meters of distance between them and the crashing house, the air was split by a scream.

Wind and Hyrule turned around in a flash with wide-eyed horror. It wasn’t simply because of the scream that came out of the house. The main reason was the very fact that they recognized that scream.

The Sailor fumbled the glowing rock into his hands. “WILD!” He screamed over and over again until the Champion answered with equal scream and command to stop shouting so loud. Yet, Wind ignored that. “IS TIME WITH YOU?!” He frantically asked while praying for the best.

“No. He stayed at Inn, remember?” Wild replied while being even more confused. The others surrounded him while taking in the absolute horror and terror on the youngest Hero’s face. “Wind? What’s going on? Are you and Hyrule all right?”

Wind gulped while raising his teary gaze up from the rock. “G-go check on him. Please.” He begged with wavering voice.

“Sailor, what’s going on?” Warriors nearly commanded while getting more and more worried by every passing second.

“Please. Go check on him. I’m begging of you. Please.” Wind pleaded without looking at the rock. His gaze was entirely elsewhere while the tears started to fall.

Suddenly Hyrule snatched the rock from the Sailor’s hands. He clearly was equally distraught as Wind was but at least he gave answers: “We need to know that Time’s alright. That…. T-that he’s NOT underneath all that debris.” Slowly he turned the rock and showed the debris of something that once had been a house.

The members of the Chain with Wild stared horrified at the pile of planks, rocks and heavy girders. “T-the hell…?” Sky whispered before already gulping. “W-what happened…?” He inquired with quiet voice.

“We need to know we heard wrong!” Wind screamed out. “We need to know Time’s all right back at the Inn! PLEASE!”

“Where are you two?” Twilight inquired while recovering from the shock the quickest.

“A-at the docks.” Hyrule answered while still praying that they had heard wrong. That it had been someone entirely different that had screamed out.

“Legend, Wild! Go check on Time at the Inn. The rest of us head off to the docks.” Warriors commanded on that second. “MOVE IT!” He growled out and the rest of the group nodded. The team quickly split and headed off to the correct ways.

Twilight, Sky and Wild had only several minutes earlier joined up with Warriors, Legend and Four. The Rancher’s group had been just checking around while gathering information from people. The Captain’s group had been to market to restock on things. They had met just when trio had been done with shopping and heading off towards the Inn. The other three had done several widening circles from the Inn while not having been up and about for getting lost in the huge town, soon to be city. The six of them had been up for going back to the Inn just when the frantic call had come.

Legend and Wild ran as fast as they could while dearly praying they’d find Time. They quite well slammed the door of the Inn open very roughly while already screaming out for their leader. They ran frantically into the dining hall where they had last seen him but the Old Man wasn’t there. Just as they were going to run to the second floor to check on the one eyed male’s room, the Inn’s keeper stopped them dead on their tracks. “He’s not there.” The duo turned around in a flash and stared at the man.

“He left about an hour ago with another guest.” The owner of the place told calmly. He crouched down a bit and took Time’s Gilded Sword out while placing the blade onto the counter. “He left this into my care for the time being.”

Wild and Legend stared shocked until moving shakily over to the receptionist’s desk. “W-who did he go with? Why?” Legend queried while touching the sword with trembling hands.

“Don’t know. The guy’s been here for about a week or so.” The Inn’s keeper told with a shrug. “Just one customer among others.” He explained while knowing he wouldn’t be able to find the guy’s name from the guestbook. “Your friend didn’t give much of reason, though. And I didn’t ask.”

The duo gritted their teeth at the answers but deep inside they understood. This was simply a place for rest and safety. Everything else was the problem of the guests, not the Inn’s keeper’s. In such a huge town as this was, lot of people came and went so it wasn’t worth of getting to know anything else than how long they’d be around.

“T-thanks…” Wild muttered while taking Time’s weapon into safekeeping into his Slate.

“T-that means then…” Legend started while realizing that what Wind and Hyrule had head was the hellish reality. He sighed heavily and slumped. “We’re going to need help. I doubt the eight of us can dig him out of that debris.” He told sorrowfully.

“Dig whom out of what debris?” The receptionist asked and snapped the duo’s notion into him.

Wild took once a deep breath to be able to talk but Legend beat him to it. “We came here in hopes of our two comrades being wrong but clearly that’s not the case.” He started while fighting to keep his voice calm and collected. “A house came down in the docks and seemingly our friend’s trapped into there somewhere.”

The man stared at him in shock. “Fuck.” The whispered before blinking few times. “Head to there. I’ll get the whole town down to there to help.” He promised while heading off to the back rooms of the house. Wild and Legend simply nodded before dashing out of the Inn and towards the docks.

Soon the town was ringing with loud chimes of a bell. The sound was surprisingly soft for such an instrument. The duo glanced once behind and noticed the several different bells on the Inn’s roof. Above the bell, on a square and smooth area, was couple of wavy lines. The other bells had some kind of markings too to indicate which area of the growing town was in need of aid.

By the time Wild and Legend got to the docks, a small crowd had already come to aid the Chain in clearing the debris off. The duo swiftly explained what they knew of the situation. The information shocked the six others but it also got them to work harder to get to their brother. Little by little more people arrived into the scene and the debris was moved surprisingly quickly from its place.

It still took several hours before they reached to him. “SPRITE!” The Captain screamed out when saw the Chain’s leader at the bottom of the area they had cleared. Time was laying still on the hard ground. His hand were tied behind his back. His clothes were shredded by a blast of a bomb or few. There were several other bleeding wounds caused by the falling debris of the rundown house of which worst looking one was on his forehead. Three sharp and thin blanks had impaled him. One had him pinned to his side as the wooden piece had struck into his right shoulder. Another piece had gone through the lower area of his left leg. A pool of blood was around his side as third thin girder had slashed into him from between his ribs.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain had slowly gathered into the dining room for breakfast. The good rest had helped a lot and Hyrule was going through his brothers to check if anyone needed healing. Yet, it seemed like what they really needed was to just walk the stiffness off and maybe get a massage later on.

Even though Time had been first up and at the dining hall, he looked worst to wear. “Did you get any of sleep, Time?” Sky inquired worriedly.

Time waved his hand dismissively. “Some.” He simply replied while trying to ignore his aching body and rough headache. “You eight think you can handle the restocking and information gathering without me supervising?” He inquired with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Oh, you can so count on that!” Warriors stated out straight off while bit feeling like their leader was challenging them. Yet, he felt far more worried for his brother than he dared to show at the moment.

Time chuckled and nodded. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.” He replied while leaning backwards and trying to find good enough position for a while. “I think I’ll just stick around here for the day.”

The Chain felt worried for their leader but they started to plan the day’s going when Time closed his eye. Yet, the Old Man kept listening to their talk just to know where everyone was going to head off to. Wind and Hyrule to dock. Warriors, Legend and Four to the market.  Twilight, Wild and Sky to wander around to talk with people while making sure they wouldn’t end up lost in the growing city.

Time smiled a bit while realizing that no-one was going alone. He was fully grateful of the safety measures his boys were taking in a new place. And especially when the area was as huge as the current city they were at. The bigger the area, the more certainly there were bad guys to be around too. In smaller places people usually knew one another so newcomers and unknown faces were quickly noticed and kept eye on.

The Chain’s leader opened his eye when he heard his boys getting up. “Heading off already?” He inquired while taking in how his boys were moving. There was some stiffness but each of the eight clearly was moving far more fluently than him at the moment.

“The quicker this is done, the sooner we can come back.” Legend replied while stretching. “Besides, I’m pretty sure everyone is up for some massages.” He stated out while noticing others stretching too to get some stiffness off of them.

“Alright. Just be careful out there. We’ll see after few hours, yeah?” Time nodded while actually looking forward to get the Captain to give him a massage. He had been up for asking for it already yesterday but the others were in the need of it far more than him…. Or at least he was far more worried for them and wanting to make sure they’d be in as good condition as possible. Besides, Warriors had pretty much overdone himself while handling over half of the massages while Twilight had handled the rest. Time didn’t doubt any of his boys’ abilities but the Captain was his brother and in this kind of situation it very much mattered.

The Chain left the Inn and Time tried to relax on the chair for a moment before he’d get up and head back to his room. Yet, sleeping the day off didn’t really appeal to him. Instead, he thought he’d talk with the Inn’s keeper, maybe check on some maps the Inn certainly had and try to plan out the next days. Even though he was keeping check on his surroundings while having his eye closed, he didn’t deem anyone as a threat at there. That, along with everyone still being recovering from the battle, was the reason he failed to notice someone keeping eye on him and his boys.

The man had seen the group come to the Inn couple of days ago. He had narrowed his eyes as he already at then had seen how much the nine cared for each other. Even in the condition the men and boys were, it was easy to see how they looked after each other. The man nearly gagged at what he was seeing. Yet, he also knew they’d be his next target.

At the next day he had watched the group again while feeling even more repulsed of the situation. He had fought to stay calm and uncaring of what was going around him just so he wouldn’t catch the group’s notion. In his opinion such caring as what those nine had was nothing more than weakness. It would end up being their downfall and he was more than willing to prove it.

At the third day he was feeling seriously sick of the group of nine. Nonetheless, that was also the reason he knew perfectly well that his magic would work beautifully and so very strongly. He had also put into notion one important thing: The one whom stayed behind was the group’s leader. That only gave him the full knowledge that taking this guy down would hit very hard on the rest of the group. And that would make them vulnerable and easy targets later on.

The man waited for ten minutes before finally getting up. He fought his smirk down as he realized that the guy wasn’t waiting for enemies to be this close to him. There was only a slight twitch of his target’s ear that showed the swordsman had noticed him but otherwise he didn’t react even one bit as he didn’t deem him as a threat.

As the man approached Time, he already put the magic into usage. The Chain’s leader gasped and snapped his eye open when the guy put his hand onto his shoulder unexpectedly and with bit more force than needed. He swiftly turned his gaze up into the man with slight worry and confusion. Yet, his eye soon narrowed at the man’s grin. Before he had a chance to question a thing, he gasped again as a hidden knife was brought out and he could feel the cold blade on his bare skin at the back of his neck.

“Don’t make a scene.” The man half whispered while already brining out a white sheet of paper in front of Time. “I got archers on your group. Enough to make them look like hedgehogs. You don’t want them dead, now do you?” He queried while smirking. The man in his hold jerked as the illusion magic worked strongly and made him see what the guy had just described. Dozens of archers on the rooftops of the houses while aiming at his boys.

“What do you want?” Time queried while trying to keep his voice calm. There was no chances he’d let the eight get hurt in any of way. Besides, the way he was seated at the moment didn’t give him a chance to fight back. And he had no way of warning the Chain of the danger that followed them.

“You to come with me.” The man stated out. “No funny actions. If I don’t take contact to my team soon, they’ll shoot those arrows.” He warned while putting the empty white paper away while fully knowing that his target had seen what he had wanted him to see. “Slowly.” The sorcerer warned while tightening his hold on Time’s shoulder while letting him get up. “Leave your weapon here.”

Time moved slowly while desperately trying to figure out a way to handle the situation. He looked once around while bit praying that his boys would already return for a reason or another. Yet, that didn’t happen. “Can I leave my sword in to the care of the Inn’s keeper?” He half requested while not really wanting to leave his sword into such place where anyone could take it.

The man shrugged. “Fine. But remember what’s on stake here.” He stated out while half pushing Time towards the receptionist’s desk. Time simply nodded while going through all possible ways he could clear the situation.

“Hi.” Time started as calmly as he could. Part of him wanted to give the guy heads-up about the situation but he didn’t want to risk anything at the moment. “Could you look after my sword for me for a while?” He requested while placing the Gilded Sword onto the counter. “Got something to handle off and weapons aren’t exactly appreciated at there.” He explained while just coming up something to explain the situation.

“Certainly.” The receptionist answered while putting the sword out of sight. Time nodded his thanks before the man behind him already pushed him to head out of the Inn.

“Can you, please, let go?” Time requested while very much hating the hold. He shivered a bit as the blade scraped at his skin while most of his kidnapper’s hand was hiding it. Even couple of the bastard’s fingers was touching his skin and he didn’t like the tingling feeling that touch left in its wake.

“Not going to risk it.” The sorcerer replied while giving a swift check around before already pushing Time forward. They used the back alleys and other well hidden roads to stay out of sight. The Chain’s leader desperately tried to look around and more so check the rooftops but he didn’t catch a notion of his boys nor of the danger. Still, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be one of such around.

It didn’t take than maybe half an hour before they came to the docks. Time gulped once while bit fearing for the guy to be up for drowning him. Yet, he was feeling slight bit grateful of not having his armor on or the Biggoron Sword along. At least he wouldn’t sink straight off. “What do you want of me?” He inquired while being bit relieved when they headed towards a rundown house instead of the edge of the water.

“Of you? Nothing.” The man replied with a cruel chuckle. “More so of your group there. A teaching of sorts, if you will.” He continued while making sure the duo of Time’s group wasn’t in sight. At least the wind kept the place from gaining dust which then again meant that the two of them wouldn’t leave footprints into there.

“What kind of teaching?” Time inquired while fearing for the answer. The man forced him forward and past the stairs from right. At the next room they turned towards left into some kind of living room. Suddenly he gasped as a bright flash indicated the usage of magic. When he opened his eyes, they were in different room. The Chain’s leader gulped as he noticed all of the wires and traps all around the room. There was no getting out of there without triggering at least one of them. And that certainly would start a chain reaction.

The man behind him chuckled evilly. “A lesson why it’s bad idea to care about others.” The sorcerer stated out firmly before bringing up a foul smelling rag over Time’s face. His target gasped in shock but before he had a chance to start to fight, the guy took his hand off of his shoulder and wrapped his arm tightly over his chest from behind to tie Time’s arms to his sides. Right after that he kicked him into back of his knee to hit him down onto the floor. Unfortunately for Time, both actions had caused him to inhale and soon he was knocked out.

The man chuckled and let go of his victim. He quickly tied Time’s hands behind his back before taking couple of steps backwards. “That kid of yours looked too much of a curious fool. I highly doubt he’ll leave a place like this unchecked.” He stated out even though he knew Time couldn’t hear him anymore. After that he used the earlier magic and easily returned to the lower being room. Next he simply left the house and hid into another alleyway to keep eye on the situation. He smirked when his observation had hit true as the two youngsters eventually entered the rundown house.

Time woke up to the sounds of explosions. He groaned groggily while trying to get up. Yet, before he could’ve realized or done a thing, another bomb went off below him. He screamed as the strength of the explosion send him upwards before already dropping him into the hole it had created. As the bombs kept blowing up, the debris they created flew all around. Before he even fell fully through the hole that once had been a floor, a piece of wood struck cruelly onto his forehead and knocked him out. The strike had sent him backwards which was when his shoulder ended up impaled by a poking horizontal girder. Another explosion broke the area behind him and struck him to plummet towards the basement of the house. Before he reached the hard ground, two more pieces of thin girders impaled him.

The only luck Time had was a sturdy girder. It had broken couple of times into shorter pieces but those had only ended up to create a slight cover for him from the falling debris. Even though he didn’t end up crushed by the crashing house, he still was in extremely shitty situation.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain was cramped into a small room at the Infirmary of the city-to-be. It had been few hours since the eight had allowed to get into the room with their leader and now nothing could get them to leave the area. Hyrule had exhausted himself as well as the others had as they had worked to get the debris cleared off. And since Time was out cold, the doctors had denied potions. All they could count on was their expertise.

A sudden groan snapped everyone’s notion onto the bed. The eight males quickly rounded the area where their leader was laying. “Easy, Sprite, don’t move.” Warriors called when Time tried to get up. The oldest of the nine snapped his eye open and turned it into Warriors.

“Wars?” He half queried before swiftly, much to the Captain’s as well as everyone else’s protest, he forced himself up into sitting with a pained growl. Yet, he quickly looked around and unconsciously counted. When he had recognized everyone and gotten to the count of eight, he sighed heavily in relief and flopped back down onto his back. “Thank Goddesses you’re all okay.” He half whispered while closing his eye.

“Time?” The Chain queried in full worry before glancing at each other. “Uh… You do realize you’re the one who’s gotten hurt, right?” Four pointed out bit tentatively while wondering how roughly their leader had hit his head.

“You weren’t meant to be there!” Wind suddenly shouted and quite well glomped Time. The second he wrapped his arms around their leader, he broke down. The one eyed male gasped in both shock and pain at the rough action. Yet, before anyone could pull the Sailor off of him, he already hugged the youngest Hero.

“Sssh, it’s okay, Sailor.” Time whispered quietly before raising his gaze up into Hyrule. The Traveler came to his other side while looking like he’d break down too. The Chain’s leader frowned a bit but moved his other arm to indicate for him to get into the hug too. “It’s okay. Both of you, I’ll be okay.” He whispered while wondering what got the duo to break down like this. Yet, he wasn’t going to leave them without reassurances and calming down.

“So….?” Warriors started with a raised eyebrow once Wind and Hyrule had finally calmed down and pulled off. Time tilted his head in confusion and raised an eyebrow right back at him. “What were you doing at that rundown house, Sprite?”

Time blinked few times before dropping his gaze down while frowning. After couple of seconds he closed his eye to recall what had happened. His frown deepened for a moment before he sighed and shook his head. He opened his eye before he began to talk: “If I could’ve chosen, I never would’ve been there….” Slowly a mischievous grin crept to his lips. “At least not in the condition I was in the morning.” The Chain’s leader continued after a moment to the disbelieving gazes he had gained.

“Actually, that was yesterday.” Legend stated out while crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve been out cold for almost whole day.”

Time bit jerked at the given information. “Oh…. Ouch…..” He half mumbled before shrugging but nearly instantly flinching. “Damn… That hurt…” He partly grumbled before taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. He closed his eye again before starting to explain what had happened.

Wind and Hyrule glanced at each other before they both slumped. What Time had told had already freaked the whole Chain out but the way the duo was acting got the leader worried. He called out their names while fully wishing they’d just talk. The duo glanced at each other again before Wind took once a deep breath and explained what had happened in the rundown house.

Time nodded before smiling bit sorrowfully. “That place was fully rigged.” He commented and nearly shrugged but managed to stop himself just in time. “It would’ve been a miracle if you two hadn’t set a trap off.” He explained before sighing heavily. “Besides, that room where I was…” He shook his head. “There was no way of getting out of there without setting something off and that would’ve created a chain reaction straight off. I think…” He frowned a bit while thinking the chaotic situation at the house through before smiling a bit. “I think the fact that things started off from somewhere else than of the room where I was actually saved my life there.” At the bit hopeful look on Wind’s face, Time gave a slight warning look. “I’d still rather you didn’t go bringing down more of rundown houses. Got it?”

Wind huffed and rolled his eyes but he nodded. Time chuckled a bit and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Good.” He sighed a bit while starting to think through how to get the guy behind the situation down. Yet, he didn’t get far before a red potion was brought right into his sight. He chuckled a bit and nodded. The quicker he’d heal, the better he could keep his boys safe.

“So, what did the guy mean about the words “lesson why it’s bad idea to care about others”?” Sky inquired while feeling fully confused of the wordings. Yet, he couldn’t push away the dread that slowly lodged into his chest.

“And how are we going to take that asshole down?” Warriors asked while putting his tactician’s mind into use. Yet, he kept thinking about the archers Time had mentioned. Still, he felt like there was more to the whole situation that had been given out.

“I know what he wanted.” Wild whispered while having dropped his gaze down. Everyone’s gaze fell into him on that second. The Champion took once a deep breath to steady himself. “He wanted Time dead. To show how much it hurts. That…” He gulped while wrapping his arms around himself.

Twilight swiftly pulled his protégé into a tight hug. “That it’s better not to let anyone close than bear the pain that comes with the parting.” He finished for him and Wild could only nod.

With the potion having done its work, Time had sat up again. At the Rancher’s words, he growled and dropped his gaze down onto the bed. He ignored the confused and worried gazes as he glared at his hands. “I’ve been there.” He confessed. “That kind of way of living makes one bitter and cold.” He closed his eye and shook his head before running his hand through his hair. “It’s a lonely road. It….” He shook his head again before he raised his bit sorrowful gaze up into his boys. “I know it’s going to hurt like hell when this quest of ours is over but…. I’d rather go through that than not care about you eight. You guys have made my life perfect.” He told before bit chuckling and drying the few tears. “Shit…. Sorry….” He smiled slightly before raising his gaze back up into the eight Heroes. “I love you eight. So freaking much. And I’m so proud of you all.” He told while still trying to dry the tears off but smiling fondly at the Chain of Links.

The eight males were bit taken aback by their leader’s confession before already blushing and slightly averting their gazes. Yet, soon there was simple confirmations that they’d rather take the pain of separation than not care about one another. “So, what do we do with the bastard?” Warriors inquired while bringing the topic back into present.

“I know what we can do.” Legend suddenly told with a grin. “The only question is: How good are we at acting?” He inquired mischievously before starting to explain his plan. The Links started to grin and they nodded eagerly in agreement.

Couple of days later the eight Heroes were at the docks. They were fully crying and cursing at whomever it had been to have put their brother into that rundown house. After all, it had been clear Time’s hands had been tied and so indicated that he hadn’t been there out of his own choice. They fully were mourning at the loss of their brother and leader.

The sorcerer had been waiting and watching. Only the eight had been allowed into Time’s room at the Infirmary so he hadn’t been able to know what was the guy’s condition. Yet, now, while watching the Chain break down, he smirked. Clearly something had gone wrong in the healing and they had lost him.

The man quietly drew out his sword and started to approach the group from behind. His cruel smirk widened as he realized none of the eight was paying attention into the surroundings. He picked his target and attacked once he had gotten close enough.

Suddenly the air was pierced by a loud metallic CLANG sound. The attacker stumbled backwards in absolute shock as his strike had been blocked. “Surprise, asshole.” Time simply said while pulling the hood of Legend’s Magic Cape off. The Chain had very swiftly pulled their weapons out and surrounded their enemy. “Not dead yet.” The Chain’s leader told with a shrug while taking the whole cape off and giving it back to the Veteran.

“The fuck?! How?!” The man growled while looking bit frantically around. Yet, he frowned when he once again counted to eight. He looked around in full fright while wondering if someone else had just taken on the invisibility magic.

“Truth is, what you tried to teach backfired miserably.” Time replied calmly while leaning against his Biggoron Sword. “I’m still alive simply because they care. Without them I would’ve died into that place. Without them realizing the situation and acting fast in both checking for where I should’ve been compared to what they heard and communicating with one another as well as for this city’s community…” He shook his head. “Yeah, I’d be long dead and still beneath that rubble.”

The sorcerer narrowed his gaze before smirking. “Yeah, well, those two are at fault of—“ He started before already being cut off.

“DON’T YOU DARE PUT IT DOWN ON MY BOYS!” Time snarled while glaring at the guy. He pulled the sword up while wanting to slash. Yet, he soon grinned as the guy had fully jerked at his outburst and backed off by couple of steps. The Chain’s leader lowered his weapon back down to rest against the pommel of his Biggoron Sword. “It would be so easy to take your life here and now but…” He started calmly before shaking his head.

“Wind, can you hear me?” Wild’s voice suddenly was heard from the Sailor’s way. Wind took the glowing rock into sight before replying to the call. “The roofs are safe. No archers anywhere.” The Champion told before continuing with a clear grin on his voice: “Except for me, that is.”

“Where are the archers you claimed to be here?” Time inquired while narrowing his gaze at the man in middle of their circle. The guy was getting more and more frightened of the situation while looking around. “There were none, right? Just trick of the mind.” The man gulped and the Chain’s leader smirked a bit. “Guess what….” He started almost wickedly while sheathing his sword. “You’re alone. No-one would come for your aid. That’s the downside of not letting anyone close.” He told calmly while crossing his arms over his chest. “Unlike us. If one of us is in trouble, we know back-up’s on the way already.” He narrowed his gaze again at the sorcerer. “And we won’t stop until we get our own back no matter what it takes. But you…. You’re on your own. There’s no back-up. There’s no-one who’ll come looking if you go missing. You have to deal with everything by your own actions. You got no-one to share your problems. You got no-one to help you through the hard times. And you got no-one to share the good times either.”

“You know nothing about me.” The mage growled while snapping his gaze into Time. Yet, the look of sympathy in the Chain’s leader’s gaze got him to flinch and back off by a step. He dropped his gaze down while knowing he was as good as dead if he attacked. And he had heard there was an archer on the rooftops. That certainly wasn’t a good thing for him.

“No, I don’t.” Time agreed with a slight sigh. “I don’t know how you ended up like this. I don’t know why you want to keep up with this. I know nothing and yet…” He shook his head. “My boys here would love to tear you to pieces for what you did to me. And yet… Us nine… We’re not like you. And we won’t go down on your path.” Yet, right after that he narrowed his gaze again. “Yet, let me be clear with one simple thing.” His gaze hardened into near glare. “Get anywhere near my boys and I swear I’ll tear you to pieces by myself.” The sorcerer gulped while bit trembling beneath his victim’s gaze.

“You’re up for letting that bastard go?” Warriors asked bit disbelieving while seething with rage. He wanted to give that monster a beating of a lifetime. Yet, he wasn’t going to go against Time’s words.

“Up to you guys.” Time told while raising his hands and took couple of steps backwards to leave the circle. The seven swiftly moved and kept things intact. The man gulped while looking around. His sword skills certainly wouldn’t be a match to these seven. And he only had couple of magics while knowing none of them would be of worth at the moment. His illusion magic needed constant physical contact and his warping magic needed area either below or above him which meant that in open air it was rendered useless. The rest of his magic was so weak that it was quite well pathetic and worthless to be even considered of using here and now.

The seven Heroes gripped their weapons even tighter while glaring at the man. “Tell what you did and you just might keep your life.” Twilight snarled while feeling his wolf side being desperate to sink its teeth into someone whom harmed his pack.

Surprisingly the man replied to the question while very slowly putting his sword away: “Illusion magic.” He gulped while keeping his hand up in surrender. “I can show.” He suggested while trying to form a plan. “I just need one of you close enough for it to work. It’s quite weak and not reaching far.”

Legend chuckled and shook his head. “Are you really thinking we’re that stupid?” He queried with a smirk. “Time told you kept a hold of him whole time so you need contact for that magic to work.”

The man cursed under his breath while bit flinching. Time grinned while watching the situation unravel. He truly was proud of his boys. They were holding back from attacking the one whom had nearly taken his life. And they understood to keep their distance to avoid getting struck with the guy’s magic. Yet, he still wondered how this would end up going.

“The only reason you’re not dead yet is simply our respect to Time.” Four told while sheathing his sword. He backed out of the circle and the others tightened it up again. Yet, they still kept at least sword’s length from the bad guy of theirs.

“Even though I hate you from full heart right now, you’re only lonely bastard. If Time had died, you’d be mincemeat already.” Legend stated out while sheathing his own sword and backing away from the circle. He kept glaring at the man while being entirely ready to attack if needed even though the others tightened the circle again.

“We’ve all lost lives dear to us. And yet, the biggest thing we can do to those lost is to remember them.” Hyrule said bit sorrowfully before putting his sword away. “You think being alone and not letting anyone in is the right way but you’re wrong. The best things are shared.” He told before leaving the circle.

Sky, Twilight, Warriors and Wind were still keeping their weapons ready while glaring at the man whom had been up for taking their leader’s life. Suddenly Wild’s voice was heard from the glowing rock: “Like Hyrule said, we’ve all lost lives. You clearly have lost far more than you wish to admit. I’m not going to shoot you. But like Time said… Get anywhere near my family and I’ll hunt you down like the wild life I hunt for food.”

The Champion had kept the connection open to the rock ever since the bad guy had showed himself and Time had simply signed: “He’s coming. Stay still. I got this.” They had agreed on letting their leader be the lookout and deflect the certainly upcoming sneak attack on them. The strike from the Biggoron Sword had been by the flat side of the weapon which had kept the sorcerer’s sword intact. If it had been the sharp edge…. Yeah, the sorcerer’s sword would’ve been in two right then and there. But truth was that the Old Man had understood far more than he had wanted to which was why he hadn’t wanted the guy dead even though he knew his boys would be more than willing to tear the man to pieces on sight.

It didn’t take long before Wild had landed with the Paraglider and joined his brothers. They all were still very ready to react if the guy was up for something foolish like attacking. The four remaining Heroes were keeping one side quite well still blocked while the rest of the Chain was on the other side even without weapons out.

Twilight glanced from Warriors into Time and Wild before turning his gaze into the bad guy. He felt contradicted and the wolf within him was snarling loudly. He sighed heavily and sheathed his sword. “Fuck you.” He growled out while wondering if he was doing the right thing. “You’re disgracing those whom cared about you by your own fucked up actions. You’re a disappointment.” The Rancher stated out before leaving the circle and going next to Time and Wild. He felt like there would’ve been more to say but he couldn’t find the right words.

“If we had known…” Wind started uncertainly. “We never would’ve entered that house.” He told while sheathing the Phantom Sword. “We would’ve figured something out to undo the traps and make our way to Time. There’s no chance that we would’ve endangered his life like that.” He stated out firmly while moving to the others.

Now it was only Sky and Warriors anymore holding their weapons out while fighting against their want to strike at the one whom had harmed their brother. Time stayed silent while keeping his gaze fixed into the mage. He didn’t want to give anything out to claim one way or another. This was their choice, not his.

“Making friends and connections is one of the best things in life.” Sky started bit sorrowfully and sheathed the Master Sword. “And yet, there’s always a parting in a way or another. But still… I’d rather get to know and care about lot of people and creatures even with the pain to come. I hold on to the good times and great memories. That makes the life rich in ways one can’t realize until it is felt.” He told with a small smile. “The hurt is proof of our love.” He finished before walking to his brothers.

Warriors stood right in front of the guy while glaring at him. He glanced few times at Time but the Chain’s leader refused to lock gazes with him and even more so he refused to give any of indications for what would be the right choice of action. More than anything the Captain wanted to attack but he was alone against currently unarmed man. Only one word kept going through his head: “Traitor.” Yet, was that truly the right word to call the guy in front of him?

Warriors sighed heavily and sheathed his sword. He moved off of the way and next to his brothers to know that if the guy did anything stupid, there’d be all nine of them to react to it. “Sprite would never forgive me if I hurt you due to revenge.” The Captain told while turning his gaze into Time. Yet, he wasn’t really seeing their leader in there. He saw that ten year old kid whom wished no harm to anyone while fighting for what he believed to be right. As he continued to talk, he turned his gaze back into the sorcerer: “I admit I want to take revenge for what you did. And yet… I do understand too. And that makes one hell of a contradiction which means that I’m going to go by what my brother wishes of me instead of what I want to do. I need to be an example to my little brother, after all.”

Time was actually surprised of Warriors’ words and he snapped his gaze up into him. Yet, he smiled bit lopsidedly before turning his gaze into the man whom had kidnapped him. “Before you go…” He started while moving calmly right in front of his boys. “Know that I was once in your place. I decided never to let anyone close because nothing good comes from it. And yet….” He shrugged. “Here I am. Married to a wonderful woman and having eight awesome brothers by me. Couldn’t be happier even though I know that once our quest together is over I will have to say goodbyes. And still… Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The man stared in shock. “Pretty unexpected, huh?” Time inquired with a lopsided grin. “The guy you wanted to kill is the only one who understands what you’re going through.” He stated out and the sorcerer averted his gaze at the words. “You’re pretty stupid too, you know.” The Chain’s leader continued and startled all nine men around him. Yet, Time just grinned lopsidedly. “Look around you. There’s ways to prevent your loneliness. There’s ships that probably are looking for crew. There’s an Inn that possibly wants aid. There’s groups of travelers going in and out of this city. And that’s just from the top of my head ideas where you could find company.”

The man slumped while keeping his gaze in the ground. Time sighed a bit and shook his head. “You’re not the kind of guy who’d find happiness by reading a book or watching the days move by or of the colors of the sunrise and or sunset.” The guy just shook his head. “You need company. I know I can find the calm and quite entertaining now and then but, fucking hell, I’m not changing what I have. These guys here and my home miles from here are what makes me happy. They’re all I need.” The Chain’s leader shrugged a bit. “All you need to find is what makes you happy. There’s lot of places and ways to get company. Just figure it out.”

The guy nodded while still keeping his gaze on the ground. Yet, he started to inch away from there while still bit fearing that the group would want to spill his blood. “Just get out of here already.” Time stated out and the guy bolted down the road as fast as he could get. The one eyed male sighed a bit and shook his head.

“You okay, Sprite?” Warriors called worriedly while coming next to their leader and gently putting his hand on his shoulder.

Time took once a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding. “Yeah. Just… Not too fond of the situation.” He replied before bit smiling fondly and turning to face his boys. “I’m proud of you all. That certainly wasn’t easy thing to tackle there.”

“We probably shouldn’t stay long in here anymore.” Warriors commented while trying not to think what else this place had in store. Time nodded while feeling slight bit unwilling got return to the Inn while knowing the guy’s in there.

“If you guys are up for it, I’m pretty sure I can get us a ship ride.” Wind offered with slightly hopeful voice.

“That sounds like a good idea. Anyone against it?” Time answered while letting others make the choice this time around. When everyone shook their heads, their leader shrugged and turned his notion into the Sailor. “Work it off then.”

Wind beamed and nodded eagerly. “This way!” He called before heading off to the ship which captain had given him and Hyrule a tour around. He was fully grateful of the ship still being in the dock and the owner on the pier once again. “HI!” He already shouted from afar while waving his hand. “Let the sea be deep enough for your ship to travel!” He greeted happily.

“And let the lullaby of the ocean calm your racing heart.” The man replied with a happy grin. He nodded to the group the youngster brought with him. “Customers, I assume?” He half inquired.

Wind shrugged while bit blushing. “In a way, yeah.” He replied before taking a deep breath. “We’d need transportation forward.”

“So, no joy ride, I see.” The captain of the ship nodded slowly. “To an island or main land? I can take you as far as Sea Queen can go in half a week. After that, if you need road forward, I can recommend next ship once I know where we’ll head.”

“Which one’s furthest from here?” Wind queried calmly.

“The Island of Turtles.” The ship’s owner replied. “It’s quite big place and very popular. Getting a ship forward from there should be easy.”

Wind nodded firmly before getting bit uncertain. He wanted to ask if he could help around the ship but then again he didn’t want to leave Time. “Sounds like a good place to head to.” The Chain’s leader commented with a nod and smile. Yet, he soon grinned a bit. “I know this is a lot to be asked but Wind here would definitely love to help around the Sea Queen if it’s alright with You.” He partly requested and got the Sailor to snap his gaze up into him in both shock and hope.

The ship’s captain chuckled and grinned. “All hands on the deck.” He simply stated out and Wind snapped his beaming gaze into him.

“Go get your stuff, Wind. I’m sure you’d love one extra night in a ship.” Time commented before raising his hands. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Just head off already.” He continued when the youngest Hero gave him a worried and uncertain look. “Besides, I highly doubt I’ll be alone tonight.” The Chain’s leader commented while glancing at Warriors while knowing the Captain wasn’t going to leave him out his sight for a while.

“Hyrule, you coming with me?” Wind inquired with hopeful look and voice.

“Sure. Seems fun.” The Traveler replied with a nod.

“You two are not going alone.” Legend almost snapped while inwardly groaning at having to supervise the duo. Yet, he was not going to say how much he did want to check the ship.

When Wild looked bit uncertain while also feeling like wanting to aid around their transportation vehicle, Time already gently pulled him into the ship’s owner’s sight. “I know You certainly have a cook already but Wild here would love to both learn new recipes as well as share his own knowledge.” He offered while fully ignoring the blush on his boy’s face.

The captain chuckled and nodded. “New foods are always a welcome.” He replied kindly. “Our cook is up for starting the food within an hour so you’re just in time.”

“Go ahead. Get ready for the sea travel.” Time ushered the Champion towards Wind, Hyrule and Legend whom were waiting for their brothers. Twilight bit sighed but he followed his protégé without a word as they joined the others to the trip to the Inn and back to the ship. “Sorry about this.” Time apologized from the ship’s owner as he turned towards him again.

The man shook his head while waving his hand dismissively. “Nah. All’s fine. That eagerness is something I’ve missed for a while. Besides, like they say: The more, the merrier.”

Time chuckled and nodded. “Thank you. They really need something else to think about than what’s been going on for the last couple of days.”

“So, how are you?” The captain inquired while looking bit worriedly at the Chain’s leader. Time turned his notion back into the man bit surprised. “You’re the one that was pulled out of the debris just few days ago, right? Your crew there was really freaked out but they certainly handled most of the work of getting you freed.”

Time smiled and chuckled fondly. “Thank You for Your concern.” He started before glancing at the remaining members of his Chain. “I’m perfectly fine. Thank You and Your crew for Your help back there.”

The captain waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, just glad you’re back to your feet.” He answered before bit grinning. “So, rest of you already up for boarding my ship?”

Time chuckled and shook his head. “Not yet…. Unless someone’s up for the offer…?” He started to but nearly instantly turned his gaze into the rest of the Heroes that still were with him at the pier. Yet, the others shook their heads in answer. “Yeah, the rest of us will come tomorrow.” The Chain’s leader confirmed while turning back to the captain.

The man nodded firmly. “Understood. We’ll be seeing at then.” He stated out as the group started to make their leave back to the Inn. Time nodded back before already ushering his boys out of there.

The Chain’s leader wasn’t too worried for his boys going to the ship. The Sea Queen’s captain seemed very nice and caring. Besides, there were five of the Heroes there. That certainly would be enough to handle any situation while one of them was actual captain of a ship of his own accord.

Once at the Inn, the rest of the Chain pretty much emptied their rooms and took a place from Time’s. Their leader knew it to happen so he wasn’t surprised even one bit of the company he’d get for the last night at there. After the four of them had calmed down, the Old Man looked at Warriors with a questioning but still hopeful look on his face.

The Captain chuckled. “Certainly.” He simply answered while sitting down behind Time onto the bed. The Chain’s leader closed his eye when Warriors started to give him a massage. He fully ignored the curious looks as he pretty much turned into jelly under the treatment he was getting. “When was the last time you got a massage, Sprite? You’re stiff as a plank.”

Time was pretty much giving pleased sounds while thoroughly enjoying of the massage while every now and then asking the Captain to work on some specific part. “Uh… Malon’s tried few times but, um…. Since the war?” He gave bit of a sheepish look. “Um, like, never?”

Warriors stopped for a moment just to stare at his little brother. “You serious?” He half queried and Time simply nodded. “Damn it, Sprite.” He half growled before returning to give him the massage. “I have to change that then.” The Captain stated out while putting even more of notion into his work.

Once Warriors was done, Time pretty much flopped onto the bed with a content sigh. “Better?” The Captain asked and the Chain’s leader nodded with a smile on his face. “Either of you wanting a massage?” Warriors queried while turning to Sky and Four but the duo shook their heads. “Alright.” He simply nodded.

“What about you, Wars? Willing to let me give it a shot?” Time inquired with a slight grin.

The Captain chuckled and shook his head. “I know you got good hands for it but I’m fine. Besides, I’d rather you take it easy for a while.” He answered fondly while remembering those several times the kid had done a massage for him by Warriors’ instructions. Little by little his brother had figured it out and he was certain Time still got the talent even though he probably hadn’t had a chance to really use it.

“Alright. Just don’t complain to me when you’re stiff.” Time replied with a wide grin. The Captain chuckled and shook his head. The Chain’s leader turned his notion into the duo with them. “You two sure you’re not up for the massage? I might not be as good as the Captain here but I’m willing to give it a try. Besides, it might take a while before we get next chance for it.” He offered but the duo still shook their heads. “Alright, your loss then.” He told with a grin before shrugging. “Yet, the offer’s up indefinitely.”

At the next day the Chain boarded the Sea Queen and headed forward. The captain of the ship talked with the next ship’s owner and got a ride forward for the nine Heroes. Even though the island was huge, it didn’t offer the group a road forward in the way of a portal. It took few ship travels more before they found the needed portal. Yet, before they left the current timeline behind, they did inform their latest ship’s owner of the change in the plans.

Luckily the captains of the ships were friends and so the news reached all the way to the Sea Queen’s owner. The five were great friends while having unvoiced agreement of each of them having their own areas and not going to other’s sailing roads without a good reason. Besides of that, they all had taken a liking to Wind as he clearly knew what he was doing as well as all the sayings of the sea dwellers.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Notions:
I’ve no idea if sailors of all sorts have any of unique saying. ^^; I only know that actors say “Break a leg” when wishing for good luck. Which is odd way for it if you ask from me. =/ So, anyway, by that going, I thought it would be cool if sailors had words to round such saying as “stay safe” and “safe sailing”. =) It was fun coming up with those wordings in there.

Time’s claim of having been in the same situation as the bad guy:
https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/180474221139/yes-honesty-is-necessary-particularly-for-these

Chapter 24: Day 23: Presumed dead

Summary:

When everything goes to hell, Time ends up doing something absolutely idiotic. Yet, for him, there is NO chance whatsoever that he'd lose even one of his boys so he's ready to do the ultimate exchange.

Notes:

CW: Major character death x 2 (temporar both), cursing, major injuries, absolute torture (really leaving one into brink of death), suicide (to save others)

This is really a rough chapter, sorry. ^^;

Published: 23.02.2024 around 1:20 of Finnish time

Time gently laid Wild’s dead body on to the cold surface of the pedestal before the huge Goddess Statue. He put the Ocarina of Time next to him while keeping it out of every one else’s sight. Out of respect and out of what the Champion had explained about his quest, Time wasn’t wearing much of other than underwear.

The Chain’s leader glanced up into the statue before taking once a deep breath and submerging into the water. When he stood back up all wet, he swiftly pulled his hair off of his face. “If you ever have listened to us, grand me one wish. Let me turn back the time and take his place. I don’t want to lose even one of them. Please.” His thoughts came out as an absolute beg while closing his eye and hanging his head.

“As you wish. Play the song.”

The words echoed in the sacred place and startled the Chain. Yet, Time didn’t raise his gaze up nor did he check behind him as he slowly picked the blue instrument up and placed it to his lips. He heard the others question what was going on while shouting out his name. Yet, he ignored it as he began to play the Song of Time. He knew one thing for certain: His boys didn’t know the song or how to play it. This was his choice and he’d change everything. He would not let Wild die. “Take me to the portal before we walk through it. Let me change it all.” He told just before raising his hand up and snapping his fingers. Right after that bright flash engulfed everything.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Everything had gone wrong the moment they had walked through the portal. First of all, they had been separated. Second of all, they all ended up into battles. Four and Wind clashed with several Lizalfos. Sky and Hyrule got surrounded by Bokoblins. Time and Warriors fought against a Lynel. Wild, Legend and Twilight had crashed up with the Yiga.

When the groups had finally found their way to the close by town, Wild had been missing. None of the Chain had managed to survive without injuries and most were quite bad too. They couldn’t head off after their lost member in the condition they were in. The eight of them booked a stay at the Inn and Hyrule, even though already exhausted from the battle and having healed himself, Legend and Sky, did all he could for the others. It wasn’t much but it helped a bit.

The Inn’s keeper knew of the Yiga. “He’s as good as dead by now.” The man had stated out when they had talked with him at the next day. It had been hell to wait to regain enough of strength to even attempt a rescue mission. Yet, they got the directions and set off on that second. Even if they’d get to there too late, they would not leave Wild’s body into the hands of the Yiga.

They had originally been up for sneaking in but due to the condition they were in, their group had been soon noticed. The battle was even harder than what they had gone through in the earlier day. Still, none of them backed down even one inch as they forced their way further into the lair.

By the time they had reached their lost member, he was pretty much half dead already. Sadly, they never had a chance as Wild had been brutally murdered right in front of their eyes. That brought such fury and rage forth that even word chaos was too lame word to explain the hell the Chain unleashed upon the Yiga.

When they finally got to Wild and surrounded him and Hyrule, there was nothing to be done. They were out of fairies and potions as those had been needed already to fix the damage gained from yesterday. And Hyrule’s magic couldn’t beat the black blood the knife that had taken Wilds life had been coated with. There was no fairy fountain anywhere near but there was a Goddess Spring. It felt like mockery when they realized it was for Courage.

Time didn’t think twice as he made his choice. He gently picked Wild up and carried him all the way to the Goddess Spring of Courage. He didn’t explain a thing while making sure the others stayed off of the water. He had to change it all.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time gasped when he stumbled. He blinked few times in shock before already looking around. “Time, are you alright?” Twilight called from his side. The portal wasn’t far from them.

“Everyone, STOP!” Time commanded on that second and startled everyone. He quickly looked around to make sure everyone was still on this side of the portal. He sighed a bit in relief before already raising his hand up to silence the Rancher’s questions. “Call it a gut feeling or whatever but I’m changing things in here.” He continued with firm voice while playing through all he recalled. “We’re going in the next order: Sky and Hyrule. Legend and Wind. Captain, Twilight and Wild. I and Four.” He stated out while planning the right actions against the right enemies.

Time still held the group from walking through the portal. “Hold on to one another and don’t you dare let go.” He desperately kept the snarl off of his voice. The Chain was watching him bit uncertainly but they nodded firmly. “Few last things.” The Chain’s leader continued before quickly taking out his notebook and beginning to scribble into it very swiftly. “Read these once you’re through the portal. Not before.” He told firmly while moving over to Sky and Hyrule. “Beware of Lizalfos.” He whispered while giving the note to Sky. “Find as many fairies as you can. Force them to come with you if you have to. We’ll be needing them.” He whispered to Hyrule before moving to Legend and Wind.

“Bokoblins. Stay back to back.“ He whispered while giving the note to the Veteran. He moved over to the trio. “Lynel will charge you from straight ahead.” Time told to Warriors before turning to Wild. “Keep your bow and arrows out. You’ll be needing them the second you come out of the portal.” He walked to Four and nodded firmly.

The Chain was watching him fully baffled. “Be ready for a battle. Don’t falter. You all got what it takes.” He stated out firmly before giving a nod towards the portal. “Let’s go. In the given order! And no-one lets go!” Time commanded roughly while trying to be ready for what was to come at them.

“Time… What are you leaving unsaid?” Warriors asked in full worry while facing his brother’s gaze. He couldn’t help the icy cold dread lodge deeper and deeper into his chest. Something was wrong and he knew it for certain.

“I’ll explain everything later. Now we need to move. Go!” Time replied while almost snapping the command. The Chain flinched slightly but they nodded and headed through the portal.

“Time? What are we facing?” Four inquired as they moved towards the portal. Time gulped once before giving a sorrowful look to the shortest Hero.

“I’m sorry, Smithy, you’re not facing anything. I’ll take on the Yiga. This is for Wild.” He answered before swiftly forcing Four’s hold off of him. “Once you’re through, head east. Book rooms from the Inn and wait for the others. Head to north after that.” Time commanded just before the portal separated them from one another.

Four screamed out when he stumbled backwards on a slope. He somersaulted several times before ending up into an open area within tree’s roots. He slowly sat up while looking around. “Shit…” He mumbled while realizing that out of all of his brothers, he was the only one small enough to get through that fall without harm. Even Wind would’ve hit his shoulder at least if nothing worse. Suddenly a sound of battle cries and swords clanging got him to snap back into present.

Four scrambled to his feet and desperately fought a way out of the small dry ravine. By the time he managed to climb up, the sounds of battle had gone silent. Yet, he ran towards the way it had been. He gasped in shock and fear when he saw Time’s Biggoron Sword and armor on the ground.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Sky and Hyrule didn’t really have much of trouble in dealing with the Lizalfos. There were five of them but unlike the lizard warriors, the duo was actually ready for the fight. The first two beasts went down before the creatures even realized the situation to be on. The third one was swiftly dealt in teamwork. After that it was one on one anymore and that was no trouble for the duo even one bit.

Once the last Lizalfos was on ground and having vanished, Sky took the note out. “North.” He read the word with a frown.

“What’s in north?” Hyrule asked while concentrating into sensing the close by fairies.

“No idea. That’s all what’s on this note.” Sky replied with a shrug. “Gotta be important because Time wouldn’t write it for any other reason.” He told and the Traveler nodded. “Found any traces of fairies yet?” The Chosen Hero inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Hyrule slowly started to smile as he nodded. “Yeah. And they’re not far, luckily.” He replied before starting to lead the way. Soon they came to a pond that was filled with fairies. “From your kin and from one of your own, I request for your aid.” The Hylian-Fairy called from the edge of the pond while making sure not to touch the water.

The fairies all stopped moving before coming over. “What do you need, brother?” They inquired almost in unison.

“I need healing fairies. As many as are willing to come with me.” Hyrule replied calmly. Yet, he was nearly instantly startled when a Great Fairy appeared as silently as a stalking cat.

“No, you do not.” The sacred lady of the pond stated out firmly. The fairies moved aside as she walked to the edge of the water. “You have felt it too. The repeatance with difference.”

Hyrule was bit startled but he nodded firmly. “Yes. But I don’t understand it. How? Time…..” He started but trailed off nearly instantly while dropping his gaze down as he thought things through. “Hero of Time…” The Traveler whispered before snapping his gaze up in to the Great Fairy in shock. “What did he do, Mother of this area?” He queried in near fright.

“I am not entirely sure, my dear brother.” She replied sorrowfully while already placing a bottle of sacred fairy magic in liquid form into Hyrule’s hands. “He will explain things. Until then… This will be what you need.”

The healer of the Chain nodded in understanding while gently putting the bottle into his pocket. “Thank you.” He simply replied while fearing for the reason to get something as power us that pink and glowing drinkable magic. After that he turned around and ushered Sky with him.

“What’s going on, Hyrule?” The Skyloftian inquired in worry.

“I’ve no idea but I sure as hell don’t like it.” The Traveler replied before already beginning to run towards north. “We need to get to the others. NOW!” He nearly snapped as the duo did their best to speed up.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Lynel roared and charged on the second it got the trio into its sight. Wild already shot at it and forced it to stop its attack and to back off. Warriors and Twilight quickly drew out their swords and charged. The trio swiftly surrounded the monster. As it tried to charge at one or two, the third one already attacked and quitted the creature’s charge.

The Lynel wasn’t able to get out of the small circle. Each time it tried to escape and get into open area, the closest ones attacked and forced it to back to earlier place. The beast swung its axe and blade but its opponents easily avoided the wide swings.

It took a while but the monster was soon enough brought to ground. “How did Time know we’d face a Lynel?” Twilight inquired worriedly while cleaning his sword.

“I don’t know but I feel like he’s aware of far more than what he so far let out.” Warriors replied while sheathing his weapon. Wild listened the conversation while picking up the loot for later usage. The trio had managed to get off of the battle unharmed which was quite a feature considering they had gone against a Lynel.

“What did he write into the note?” The Rancher inquired while bit tilting his head. The Captain fished the folded piece of paper out and opened it.

“North-West.” Warriors read while already frowning. He turned the white sheet around in hopes of finding something more. Both Twilight and Wild stared at him confused. “That’s all it says here. North-West.”

“I guess we’re supposed to head that way then.” Wild told while putting the last of things away. “I’m sure we’ll understand once we reach whatever’s in North-West.” He told with a shrug while already picking the right road. Warriors and Twilight glanced at each other before following the Champion.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Legend and Wind fought back to back against the Bokoblins as Time had instructed. It gave them full safety from behind coming attacks while covering both sides for them. There were around twenty monsters surrounding them. The duo had somehow ended up right into middle of that circle.

The Veteran used mainly his Fire Rod to take out most of the monsters to quickly decrease their number. Wind chose his sword and shield while mainly keeping the monsters at bay instead of getting too many killed. Yet, the Fire Rod used Legend’s magic which then again meant for exhausting him.

“Okay, I think that’s enough!” The Sailor called after over half of their enemies had been burned to ground. “I can’t do much if you end up knocked out by lack of magic, you know.” The youngest Hero continued bit exaggerated.

Legend chuckled and nodded while switching to his sword and shield. “At least it’s bit more even now.” He commented as he counted there to be three for both of them. Yet, that was no problem for them as they easily caught up on one another’s style and way of fighting. That got them to fight in such unison that it seemed like they were reading each other’s minds to know how, when and where the one was to strike for the other to aid in the best possible way.

The Sailor and the Veteran chuckled and high-fived after the last monster was down. “Well, that was fun and easy.” Wind commented while sheathing his sword. “So, what did Time write for us?” He inquired while being eager to know if the words would help to explain how their leader had been aware of what they’d face.

Legend pulled the paper out and opened it. He frowned in full confusion. “The fuck…?” He half queried before looking around. “It only says ‘West’.” The Veteran told while giving the paper to the Sailor just to let him see it for himself too.

Wind frowned before shrugging. “Okay. Let’s go West then.” He stated out calmly while putting the note off. Legend shrugged too and the duo started to walk.

“What do you think is in that direction?” The Veteran inquired while frowning until he already snorted. “Damn… It’s actually crystal clear.” He stated out while shaking his head. “For some odd way he knew where we’ll end up and against what beasts. Now he’s simply getting us all together by pointing the right direction. So, on this way, we’ll crash with the others eventually.”

Wind blinked few times in surprise before frowning until nodding slowly. “I think you’re right.” He replied slowly. “And I guess he put the groups in such a way that we’d have the best of chances against the upcoming monsters.” He mused with a small smile before already frowning again. “Yet, the question is…. How did he know?”

“Well, we’ll have to ask him that once we meet up with him.” Legend replied calmly while ignoring the fear that was slowly starting to rise within him. If Time had known of these fights to come…. What had he put himself into?

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain’s leader had been ready for the Yiga. He had been quick to draw his sword out and attack the moment the assassins appeared with the explosive poof. Yet, there was one thing he didn’t know. He was fully unaware of how these bastards had taken the Champion down… Until a dart struck into his neck. “Oh fuck… So that’s how…” He mumbled before falling unconscious onto the ground.

Time woke up to a scream. His own scream. The Yiga was beating the crap out of him even while he was unconscious. And now they were snapping his bones. They knew he wasn’t the Hero of Wild. They had no use for him…. Other than their own twisted enjoyment of torturing him.

His hands were tied behind him. They had been just kicking and punching at first. Then came the breaking of his bones. Several were done by twisting them cruelly while others we snapped by kicks. His shoulders were dislocated. When they were done with their current way, they brought out weapons. Swords, whips, clubs… All they could come up with was used to strike at him. While his bones earlier were simply snapped into two or three parts, now they were being shattered into small pieces by heavy clubs. There was no chances he’d be able to walk or use his arms.

Time fell into darkness several times during the torture. He could only tell the hours and minutes and seconds but he couldn’t figure out how long he had been in the hands of the Yiga. Yet, as long as his boys weren’t there, he couldn’t care less. As long as they were safe, he could accept his death which certainly would eventually arrive. He wasn’t going to last for long anyways in the condition he was in.

Suddenly, in the midst of his own screams and the laughter of the Yiga as they shattered his body even more, came the unmistakable sound of battle. “Fuck… No… Not yet…” Time thought blearily while realizing what it all meant. “I exchanged my life for his! Don’t let this happen!” He begged as the Yiga grabbed him and started to drag towards the sounds. Yet, the death he had hoped to receive wasn’t going to come by the hands of the Yiga.

“TIME!”

The scream got him to snap his head up and give a slight sorrowful smile to the Chain. He gasped when the tip of the sword was brought to his throat. “Let’s make an exchange. This guy for the Hero of Wild.” One of the Yiga spoke with a clear smirk in there.

“No.” Time growled out before crying out in pain as a knife was struck into his side. The Chain screamed out his name but being unable to do much. The Chain’s leader took few deep breaths to quell the pain down again. “He’s not with them.” He stated out as firmly as his broken and hoarse voice could allow.

Time gasped in pain again when a punch was delivered into the other side of his ribs. He coughed several times while bit wondering how come the broken ribs hadn’t yet poked at his lungs. “Lies.” The Yiga spoke while eyeing the Chain.

“He’s right.” Warriors suddenly spoke while desperately trying to buy some time. “The Champion’s not with us.” He stated out as firmly as he could.

“A shame.” The Yiga replied and shrugged. “We don’t have use for this guy then.” He stated out cruelly while pulling the sword off to slash at Time’s throat. The Chain’s leader closed his eye and just accepted the situation. At least his boys would still live.

“NO!”

Time flinched at the shout while knowing the Yiga were smirking victoriously. “Oh?” One of them queried with clear smirk within it. “I guess we can make a little deal, eh?” He stated out while tilting his head a bit. “You drop your weapons now or you’ll see him die here and now.”

“NO.” Time snarled the command while snapping everyone’s notion into him. He gave one hell of a glare to his boys. “I will never forgive those who drop their weapons here and now.” He growled while letting his gaze check each and every member of the Chain. Yet, nearly instantly after that he already half gasped, half screamed when he was stabbed into back by a knife.

“I don’t think you’re in the position of talking.” The Yiga snapped at him.

Time growled while raising his glare up into the Yiga. “I’m still the leader. My word goes.” He snarled while knowing it was only matter of time before his boys would surrender for his sake. He sighed heavily while closing his eye. “I’m sorry boys. Better me than any of you.” The Chain’s leader almost whispered while feeling the tip of the sword at his throat…. And he forcefully moved forward right into the blade.

The Yiga was quite surprised as their captive had taken his own life through their weapon. “Oh fuck…” Was all the one holding the said sword whispered while unconsciously letting the body slip off of the sword. Slowly he raised his gaze up into the shocked Chain.

“NOOO!”

All hell broke loose on that second. To Time it felt like all those time he had put the clock to move slowly with that reversed song of the Song of Time. Yet, he was already taken by the darkness before he even struck onto the ground. The shouts and sound of battle was long lost to him before Hyrule came to his side with the liquefied fairy’s magic.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Do you have any of idea why he did that?”

“Let alone why he didn’t talk to any of us?”

“Stop blaming him. He certainly had good reasons.”

“Which are…?”

“How the hell should I know?!”

“…You think he’ll heal?”

“He has to. I won’t allow any other choice on that matter.”

“Like you’d have any power in it.”

“Shut up!”

“…”

“…I might have some answers…”

“Go on, Wild, talk.”

“Four, you said Time did it for me, right?”

“Yeah… What are you getting at?”

“…Maybe I died.”

“…”

“WHAT?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“You’re clearly alive.”

“That’s…! That’s not…! I mean that…”

“Let him talk, damn it!”

“Maybe, somehow, Time turned the time back to prevent whatever happened to me?

“Why didn’t he talk then? Explain? Why didn’t he…”

“I don’t know.”

“He gave quite well info of what we’d face. Why not the rest then?”

“Yeah, especially when the time was on card at there and—”

“Because I was an idiot.”

The Chain snapped their gazes into the bed where their leader was laying. “TIME!” The shout was out of pure glee as the eight males swiftly got up to their feet and scrambled right to his side. “You’re awake! Oh thank the Goddesses!” The group pretty much stated out while drying happy tears from their eyes and smiling quite damn widely.

“How are you feeling?”

“Any pain?”

“Hungry? Thirsty?”

“You wanna sit up better?”

Time blinked in shock at the eight boys of his. He barely even found his own voice while trying to comprehend the situation. He couldn’t help the tears appearing to his eye as one simple realization struck him. They didn’t hate him. He hid his face into his hand as he cried.

He had woken up a while ago. It had taken a moment from him to realize that he actually was alive. Then it took a moment to realize the conversation going around him. He stayed silent while keeping his breathing steady as he listened into the talk. As he listened to his boys throw in the questions and trying to figure things out, he had time to think…. And realize how foolishly he had handled the situation.

The Chain’s leader had been certain it had been an exchange. Life for a life. His for Wild’s. He hadn’t even considered the idea that he could’ve changed everything from there. If he just had talked…

“Time?”

“A-are you okay?”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Sprite?”

“Please, talk to us.”

Time took shakily few deep breaths. “I…” He whispered before gulping but not being able to take the lump out of his throat. “I thought you guys would hate me…” He finally brought the words out while refusing to look at the Chain of Heroes. The silence was tangible and he slumped with ears drooping.

“Why the fuck would we hate you?” Legend almost snarled the question in anger. Time flinched while fully feeling he deserved the hatred and rage aimed at him.

“Because of what I did.” Time replied quietly while feeling both ashamed and bit scared. The silence returned and only made him feel even worse by the every passing second.

“Alright, alright!” Warriors half shouted. “Everyone calm down.” He half commanded while having noticed the Veteran being ready to snap again. “What did you do, Sprite?” The Captain asked as calmly as he could. He really hated to see his brother like this. And he knew that it was a bad idea to make things any of worse for him by letting the feelings rage out freely around the Chain.

Time shakily took a deep breath. “I turned back the time.” He replied while trying to keep his voice steady and strong enough. “Wild died in the hands of the Yiga. I couldn’t allow that.” The silence returned as he had confirmed the Champion’s guess. “I thought…” The Chain’s leader continued before trailing off. He sighed heavily and shook his head. “I thought it was an exchange. I thought I couldn’t give too much out or I’d fail on my part of the deal. I didn’t…” He gulped while feeling so stupid of his own actions. “I didn’t think even for a second that… That I could’ve…”

“That you could’ve changed far more than just our safety.” Sky continued for him and Time simply nodded wordlessly. “Our safety and Wild’s life for yours?” The Chosen Hero inquired and the one eyed male just nodded. “Where and how did you turn back the time? And how much backwards can it be done?”

Time gulped before slightly shrugging. “I’m not sure of how far back I can go. Three days been furthest so far.” He started uncertainly. “It’s through a song. I… I used it a lot during my second quest.” He half whispered before gulping. “A-at the Goddess Spring of Courage.”

“When you told to me to gather fairies…” Hyrule started uncertainly.

“I didn’t wait for them to be used on me.” Time confessed sorrowfully while snapping everyone’s gazes back into him. “I was more worried for you guys. Lynel’s a hell to take down. Not to mention about getting surrounded by other kinds of monsters.” He told before shaking his head. “I wanted to make sure you’re all safe and sound.”

Hyrule snorted a bit and shook his head. “Yeah, well, lucky for you the place where I found fairies was actually a Great Fairy Pond. Didn’t know that until she came forth and instead of giving fairies to come with me, she gave liquefied fairy magic. Damn stronger stuff than fairies.”

Time finally pulled his hand off of his face while snapping his bit shocked gaze into the Traveler. “You didn’t…” He started while fearing for the answer.

Hyrule shrugged while grinning. “Luckily I didn’t need more than half of it to save your life there.” He replied before already narrowing his gaze. “And don’t you dare say I shouldn’t have used it.” The Traveler almost growled the words out before sighing and dropping his bit angry gaze down. “You’re part of this family. I was more than ready and willing to give all of it if needed.” He told before raising his sorrowfully happy gaze back into their leader. “You’ve no idea how grateful and happy we are to have you back.”

Time sighed and closed his eye while turning his face away from the Chain. “On times like this I feel like I don’t deserve you guys.” He whispered sorrowfully.

“On times like this we learn from our mistakes.” Warriors stated out before their leader could go further with his words. He even wanted to stop everyone else from snapping an argument or such at his brother. The Captain could easily see that his brother was fully broken at the moment and he really didn’t need more of shit dropped down on him at the moment.

Time simply nodded while still feeling uncertain of looking at the Chain. He felt like he had failed them even though everyone was alive and he himself was healing. He felt like he had done more of damage than good by his choices. And he just couldn’t understand how the Chain was so willing to forgive him so fast and easily.

“You did what you looked to be right.” Four suddenly spoke while having his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze in the ground. “I can understand your way of thinking. I can understand your actions. And yet…” He told before raising his gaze up into Time. “I truly hope that if next time comes, you’d actually talk with us first. That even if time would be turned backwards, you’d let us into the full situation so that we could handle things better and quicker.”

“I… I promise I will.” Time whispered while having actually turned to look at both Warriors and now at Four as they had talked. “I…” He started before already trailing off and gulping.

“You were heartbroken.” Sky whispered gently. “People don’t really think straight at then.” He told before smiling sorrowfully. “In the end of the day, Time, you did the right thing. We’re all alive thanks to you.” The rest of the Chain nodded in agreement.

The eight Links all wanted to ask for one simple thing: That Time would teach them that song. After all, who’d be up for turning back the time if something happened to their leader? None of the eight wanted that to happen and it had been way too close call for their liking. Yet, they all were certain that Time would flat out refuse to give the notes to them. Even though they’d swear to not use the song unless it was an emergency… Yet, what could be considered as such? One’s death was good implication of it but… What about everything else? Not to mention about the fact of Time having split the timeline by that song. What kind of outcomes would follow from the usage of the song if others played it? There were too many questions and way too little of answers and each of those were as good a reason as any to refuse to teach the song.

“Now, for easier questions…” Wind suddenly piped in while trying to push the bad feelings into the back of his head. “How are you feeling?”

Time blinked once in surprise before bit chuckling. “Mentally or physically?” He inquired with a weak grin.

The Sailor blinked once in surprise before shrugging. “Both.” He replied while starting to feel bit uncertain.

Time sighed and turned his gaze into the ceiling. “Mentally…. Hellish. Physically…” He started before frowning. “Actually, quite well. Which is a surprise considering the condition I was in before waking up in here.”

Hyrule started to chuckle before laughing. “Well, I for one am not surprised even one bit.” He told knowingly while grinning. “Fairy magic in liquid form is pretty much ‘Heal all’ method while fixing things even without putting broken bones and dislocated shoulders into right places.” The Traveler stated out before his grin widened. “Hell, you could just stand up right now and swing that Biggoron Sword of yours without trouble.”

The whole Chain stared at him in bit of shock. “That’s… Powerful.” Twilight half whispered and the rest simply nodded in agreement.

“You’ve no idea.” Hyrule replied before sighing. “Which is why it’s rare and hard to come by.” He told before smiling at Time. “Yet, I’d rather use it to save any of my brothers. If I have a way to keep my family alive, there’s no chance I’d leave it unused.”

“Agreed.”

“Definitely doing that.”

“No doubt there.”

“You can count on it.”

Time blinked few times in start as the Chain around him confirmed the Traveler’s words. “You’re part of this family, Time.” Sky reminded gently. “We love you as much as you love us. And we’d do absolutely anything to keep you safe and sound.” Time closed his eye and simply nodded.

“It’s a two way street, Sprite.” Warriors coaxed with a fond smile. “One rarely can care of another person without getting equal amount of caring right back at them.” He told with a slight shrug when Time looked at him.

“I…” The Chain’s leader started while still wondering if he was doing the right thing. He gulped once. “I’ll think about whether or not to teach the song. I won’t promise anything but… We’ll see.” He half whispered while fully praying this would be only situation he ever needed to play that song and yet… He feared for the worst.

“That’s more than we could’ve asked for.” The Captain stated out before anyone could try and start any kind of conversation about the topic. “Anyways… You hungry, Sprite? You’ve been out cold for two days straight while healing.”

Before Time had a chance to reply, his stomach answered on his behalf. The Chain’s leader flinched slightly while blushing until simply nodding. The Chain tried to hold back their chuckles. Yet, very soon Wild already pulled cooked skewer of meat and fruits out of his Slate and offered it to him. Time took it with a small smile and nod. “Thank you for having saved my life.” The Champion half whispered with a small smile before dropping his gaze in sorrow. “I’m just sorry you ended up into my place at there.”

Time sighed a bit and gently took hold of the over hundred year old youngster’s head and pulled him downwards to kiss his forehead. “Don’t be. I gladly took that place.” He told with sorrowfully fond smile. “As long as you all are safe, that’s all that matters to me.”

“You know….” Twilight started uncertainly while keeping his gaze off. “If you just had waited for couple of second longer…” He sighed and shook his head. “Wild could’ve sniped those bastards down.” Time blinked in full start before dropping his gaze down while slumping. “That didn’t even cross your mind, did it?”

Time closed his eye while sighing heavily and letting his ears droop as he shook his head. “I honestly thought it was an exchange.” He whispered quietly.

“Well, like I said, we learn from this kind of situations and act better at the next possible time.” Warriors stated out firmly. “Anyway, you should actually eat before you end up starving to death.” He told with a slightly mischievous grin on his face. Time shortly chuckled and shook his head before starting to eat the skewer.

The Chain sighed in relief while relaxing a bit. The past few days had been hard while praying that the magical drink would honestly work on someone that had been pretty much dead by the time it was used. It had been hellish to see Time in the condition he had been and even more so to watch what he did to keep them safe. Even though it hurt, they did understand that their leader hadn’t doubted them in any of way when he had made his choice.

“You know, Wild, you didn’t fail.” Time spoke once he was done with his skewer and turned his gaze into the Champion. He had used the moment of silence to think things through. He picked up on the fact of his boys having been in perfect condition which meant they had dealt well and fast with the monsters. They clearly, out of how intact and bloodless their clothes had been, had gotten through things unharmed. It meant for them to have gotten to the Inn and regrouped swiftly. He was certain that hadn’t taken than maybe couple of hours, max of three. Booking a room was definitely the swiftest thing to have done considering that Four probably had it already done as he quite surely had been first at there. After that, with all eight together, they without doubt had straight off headed to north to the Yiga’s lair. That was bit less hour trip. Going through the said lair undoubtedly was done in quicker way than back during the first round. So, all this summed up into max of five hours. And from there the minus of short battle he had had with the Yiga before being knocked out. The blackouts he had had… That had been created by the pain instead of being knocked out by a hit to head and hence short lived.

Once Time had figured out how long he had been in the hands of their enemy, he had turned his notion into the area. He hadn’t been in the condition back then to put his mind into the details. But now, with time and clear head, he figured the area’s outlook better. There had been very little of chances to get into right place to snipe the Yiga next to him. The Chain had tried to shield and protect Wild as he tried to find the right place for his archery skills. And yet, they couldn’t really move much in fear of what the bastards would do to him. All that had made Wild’s work even harder and the only spot he could’ve gone to… Even with the youngster’s climbing skills it was quite a gamble. And yet… Time was exactly what they had been lacking in and their leader certainly wasn’t going to risk anyone’s lives in there.

The Champion snapped his gaze into the Chain’s leader bit startled. “The area was filled with too many turns and crooks. Getting a straight and perfect shot wouldn’t have been easy. Not impossible, though, I give that. Yet…” Time started before shaking his head. “I admit I wasn’t in right mind at there. Both with what I believed in as well as with the condition I was in. And I wasn’t….” He trailed off and sighed. “The situation was a standoff. There were no right choices.” The one eyed male sighed again while shaking his head. “I’m sorry that you guys had to see that. I really am sorry of that but….” He trailed off for a moment again before giving sorrowful smile. “I’m not regretting my choice.”

Time blinked bit in start when Wild offered him another skewer, this time of fruits and honey with few pieces of chocolate in between. The Chain’s leader blushed a bit at the treat while accepting it. “You need to eat.” The Champion told with a shrug and smile. “Besides… You’re right. Getting to a right place without being noticed wasn’t an easy feature. And from your place… Well, you couldn’t see the spot I chose which meant you couldn’t know I was going for it.” He explained and shrugged again. “You did what you had to to protect us.”

The rest of the Chain nodded in agreement and Time sighed a bit in relief while relaxing. He smiled a bit and nodded before starting to enjoy of the little treat. Only a moment later Wild already handed out similar skewers to others.

Since the explanations had been given and it was clear that Time was truly and fully with them, the Chain calmed down and relaxed. None of them had really slept as they had waited for their leader to wake up. But now, with things having gone back to normal as well as possible, they fully piled on their leader for some much needed rest after the skewers had been finished. Time simply sighed contently while watching with a small fond smile on his face how his boys rested around him. And he truly understood that as these eight meant the world to him, he meant equally much to them too.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 25: Day 24: "I'm doing this because I care about you"

Summary:

Time's having a rough nightmare and after that he's not sleeping too easily. Warriors is VERY adamant about letting his little brother sleep.

Notes:

CW: Major character death (once in nightmare), cursing

This fic is actually one of my own favorites I've written. I just love the moments between Time and Warriors and even more so of the ending. XD You'll see my reasons when you get to there. ;)

Published: 24.20.2024 around 2:35 of Finnish time

He recognized the room instantly before he even heard the splash of water beneath him. He shivered at the dampness of the area but more so of what he had faced in there. Water Temple. Dark Link. One of the hardest battles of his whole life.

“LOOK OUT!”

The scream wasn’t of Navi’s. He didn’t see her anywhere around him. Yet, he could feel the weight of his plate armor. He could realize of having only one eye open. He knew he wasn’t that seventeen year old youngster he had been when he had faced his Shadow.

Time moved off of the attack’s way simply due to the shouted out warning and instincts. His enemy looked exactly like he remembered from that battle as he turned to face him. It was then he noticed his boys.

The eight Heroes were there but they couldn’t get to the battle area. There was a see-through wall which separated them from him. Dark Link smirked as he realized the situation. Right after that he already dashed towards him again.

Time narrowed his eye as he drew out the Biggoron Sword. As long as he wouldn’t go for a stab, he’d beat this battle. He had done it once, he could do it again. When the Shadow came close, he swung the blade horizontally. He scowled when his opponent did a swift backflip before already coming at him again.

Time moved to side while ducking beneath the black Master Sword. He swung his own sword again but it was met with the dark version of the Hylian Shield. The two of them backed off to get bit of distance.

The battle kept going from swing to swing. He tried to keep in mind not to stab but, eventually, he went for that foolish attack. Dark Link smirked even crueler as he easily jumped onto the blade. Before he had a chance to react and get the bastard off of his weapon, his Shadow already dashed those few steps and backflipped while kicking him roughly into face.

Time heard the others scream out his name as he crashed onto the wet ground with a loud splash. He growled more at his own stupidness than in pain while already rolling over to get away from possible upcoming attack. Yet, he didn’t even get to his feet before already screaming in pain. Dark Link had struck the black Master Sword through his left shoulder from behind.

Dark Link smirked widely at what he had while swiftly drawing out Time’s Gilded Sword. He twisted his own weapon to draw out pained cry out of his light side. Right after that he struck Time’s own weapon right from above Time into the exposed area between his right shoulder and neck.

Time screamed before already growling in pain as Dark Link let go of his own sword. The blade changed position without a hand holding it to its place. The one eyed male growled as he forced his body to move. Somehow he managed to pull his Gilded Sword off of its place and take a hold of it the right way before already slashing at his Shadow to force him to back off. After that he concentrated into getting the darker version of the sacred blade off of its place. He needed to get a chance to fight back.

Unfortunately, that was never given to him. While Time failed to put notion into Dark Link’s actions even though his boys were screaming out warnings, the Shadow pulled the Biggoron Sword up from the ground. With a cruel smirk he rammed the blade through Time’s chest.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time woke up screaming. He sat up straight while staring wide-eyed forward. The whole camp woke up by that sound. Yet, the one whom dashed over to Time’s side was Warriors.

“Time!” The Captain called while already reaching out to his brother. Time gasped in shock at the touch to his upper arm before already recoiling backwards while reaching for a sword on his back that wasn’t there. “Sprite?” Warriors tried and bit calmed down when that fear on his leader’s face turned into a confused frown.

“Sprite?” Time repeated while blinking and shaking his head. “Wars?” The call came quietly and uncertainly.

“That’s right. I’m right here, Sprite.” Warriors replied calmly while gently reaching out to Time again. “Everything’s okay.” He whispered while slowly pulling Time towards him. “Just a nightmare.”

“I…” Time whispered while not really knowing where he was. He shook his head before leaning against Warriors’ chest. “I… I lost a fight… Against Dark Link. You… You all were there… S-saw it happen… I…. My sword… I-it was used against me… Killed me.”  He whispered uncertainly while recalling the battle. He flinched several times and trembled as he went through the battle.

 “It’s okay. It was just a nightmare.” Warriors whispered before glancing at his bedroll and making a choice. “I’ll be right back.” He told as he let go of Time. Time flinched slightly while already hanging his head in slight shame.

The Captain moved to his own place and picked his stuff up before returning to Time’s side. He dropped his thing down and spread the bedroll right next to Time’s. After that he swiftly and expertly wrapped the scarf of his around Time, especially hiding his head. Next he took a strong hold of him and forced him down with him.

Warriors gave a sharp look around the camp. “If anyone says a word of this, I will hold that said brother of mine at the next night while having cocooned him into my scarf. Entirely.” He stated out while holding back his grin as Time tried to stifle his snickering. Yet, the shake of his shoulders gave him out. Nonetheless, that was enough to get the others back to their bedrolls… Well, except for Legend whom was still on nightshift.

Wild woke up about an hour before sunrise. He frowned at the situation before turning to look at Legend. The Veteran showed him to stay silent as the Champion moved next to him by the fire. “You were supposed to wake me up for my shift.” He told before frowning even more as his brother only nodded towards Time and Warriors.

“Sorry, forgot.” Legend replied with a shrug. “It’s just rare to see him sleep that peacefully.” He explained while watching their leader’s sleep. Wild turned to check on the situation and soon he smiled a bit. He nodded in agreement before quietly taking his Slate out. He contemplated for a second before going over the duo and taking a picture of the scene.

“I think it’ll be better to let him sleep. He’s always first up and last asleep. So, um, postpone the breakfast, yeah?” Legend half requested. Wild simply nodded while sitting down next to him.

About an hour later Time began to stir. He half growled while trying to get up. “Get up, Captain…” He stated out before bit yelping as Warriors simply pulled him down. “Son of a…! Let go!” He grumbled while trying to fight back against the hold.

Warriors simply gave a displeased sound while holding Time even tighter. “No, not yet, Sprite.” He told while taking a deep, slow breath. “It’s too early.”

“The army’s—“ Time started but he was nearly instantly cut off.

“—Can manage on their own for a moment.” Warriors continued for him while turning to his side and holding onto Time even tighter. “But you, Sprite, had rough day yesterday. You need rest.” He stated out firmly. “Besides, I’m doing this because I care about you.” The Captain stated out firmly but gently. He could feel Time go rigid in his arms before hearing the shaky and deep breaths. He tightened his hold around his brother while pulling him even closer as Time started to cry. “I love you, Sprite. You’re my brother and that will never change.”

Back at the war and even for long while before it, it had been so very rare times that he would’ve heard someone tell to him that they cared about him. Those words just broke him to pieces as they were what he dearly wanted to hear and especially to believe. That was the reason why Time eventually snuggled even better into the soft fabric of the Captain’s scarf before moving as close to his brother as possible. Warriors kept whispering quiet reassuring words while the Chain’s leader slowly calmed down back into sleep. His big brother followed him soon after.

Legend and Wild watched bit shocked at the scene. It was clear that neither Warriors nor Time had been awake. “Memories?” Legend inquired and Wild simply nodded.

“They do share a past. Bit crazily, though.” Wild replied before shrugging. “Considering that I once heard Time call Captain as his older brother… Well… I think the portals caught us in different spots in our timelines which knocked Time’s and Captain’s ages upside-down.” He explained and Legend nodded in agreement.

It took longer for the Chain to wake up since there was no breakfast’s scent to indicate for waking up time. They all were quite confused of the situation and even more so when both Legend and Wild showed them to stay silent. Yet, soon they realized their leader and his second in command being still asleep. And quite peacefully too which was a welcome change in their opinion.

About half an hour after Sky having woken up, Time stirred again. He groaned and tried to get up but Warriors snatched him back down again. “Not yet, Sprite.” The Captain simply stated out. “You’re not in the condition of getting up.”

“Ugh… Like you’d know.” Time grumbled.

“I definitely know better than my little brother.” Warriors replied and clearly grinned at Time’s growl. He chuckled and swiftly stopped the older male from elbowing him. “I know you, Sprite. Just enjoy the sleep in.”

“You fucking…! The war’s raging and—“ Time snarled before yelping as the scarf was pulled even more onto his face.

“The war can wait couple of hours. We’re far enough from it.” Warriors stated out firmly. “Now, sleep.” He commanded. Time huffed angrily but took a better position before calming down again.

The Chain watched in shock and awe at the scene. They stayed silent while just keeping their full notion in the sleeping duo. “Time was a gremlin.” Wind finally stated out and after blinking once in surprise, the others desperately tried to stifle their snickering.

Some hours later the waking day’s bright sunlight woke Warriors up. He groaned a bit before blinking his eyes open. He glanced once at the fireplace where seven pairs of eyes were watching the situation very intensely. Suddenly Time’s whining snapped the Captain’s notion back into him. He readjusted his position and blocked the sun’s light from hitting into his brother’s face. “He needs rest.” Was all Warriors stated out and the Chain simply nodded.

About two hours later Time finally yawned and slowly sat up. He still kept his eye closed as he stretched while being fully oblivious to the fact of everyone else being awake already. “Feeling better?” Warriors inquired and got Time to blink his eye open.

“Yeah.” The Chain’s leader replied with a small smile. “That’s probably the best sleep I’ve had so far on this quest while camping.” He told before stretching again. After that he started to frown. Something felt entirely wrong. He raised an eyebrow at Warriors’ knowing smile. The Captain only nodded towards the fireplace.

Time gulped once before slowly turning to look at the fireplace. “Morning, Time!” The Chain called before already grinning. “Or should we say, ‘Good day’?” There was bit of snickering when one of them whispered: “Rather ‘Good evening’.”

Time blinked few times before groaning and facepalming. Yet, he soon smiled a bit and shook his head. “Fuck you, guys.” He mock grumbled before taking the scarf fully off of him. The Chain simply chuckled at his reply. Yet, before he got up, he swiftly took hold of his pillow and struck Warriors with it. The Captain just simply laughed while bringing his arms for his protection.

“Your fault. At least I know I’m going to take the first shift tonight.” Time simply stated out while getting up. He turned his notion into the Chain while realizing that there weren’t any kind of cooking equipment out. “You guys eaten yet?” He inquired with a raised eyebrow. As the seven Links shook their heads, Time facepalmed again. “Ugh… Just get the food going, Champion. I’m going to get washed up a bit.” He half commanded while heading off towards a small stream not far from their camp.

Yet, after couple of steps, Time turned around and very quickly and very quietly returned to his bedroll. Without a word or warning, he picked up his pillow and struck Warriors again into the back of his head. This time he got his brother off guard.

“The heck?!” Warriors screamed after yelping at the hit. Time didn’t say a word as he was simply grinning widely while heading away to the stream. “You do realize I did it because I care about you, right?!” The Captain shouted after their leader.

Time’s grin didn’t falter even one bit as he waved his hand dismissively. “Same here, Wars, same here! You still can’t catch my sneak attack!” He replied smugly while miserably failing to hold back his chuckle as Warriors groaned. The Chain by the fire blinked once at the scene before bursting into laughter.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 26: Day 25: Waterboarding

Summary:

Sailor has gone through the worst kind of hell. In hopes of finding how to help the youngest Hero of his boys, Time does something absolutely stupid.

Notes:

CW: Waterboarding x 3 (2 actual ones and 1 mentioning), cursing, freaking out, wounds and blood

This is once again bit rougher chapter. =/

Published: 25.02.2024 around 2:35 of Finnish time

“DON’T BREATHE! HOLD THE AIR IN!”

Wind was so happy he was good at holding his breath in longer than any of his brothers. He had no idea what was going on. He and Warriors had been snatched from the battlefield. They had been bit separated from the others when suddenly they were knocked out by a dart.

The Sailor had woken up only a while ago and realized to be tied into a chair. The chair was tied into such a position that it was tilted back. When their captors had noticed him to have woken up they already placed a cloth over his face. And now they were pouring water onto him.

If it wasn’t for the Captain commanding him to hold his breath in, he would’ve been in worse situation. Yet, the longer he was able to prolong the situation, the slower they poured the water over his face. Eventually he had to breathe. And that’s when the hell started.

The ones whom had caught them, had acted all nice just couple of days ago. They had heard the Heroes call him as Sailor. That had gotten them interested of him. Wind had had been happy of the notion and chance to talk about ships, boats, seas, oceans, the monsters that lurked beneath the surface, the navigation by stars and everything else that came with the job of steering a vehicle on all kinds of waters. Yet, all that had led into this. The group had simply wanted to find someone who’d take the hell the worst. And who would be better victim than one who loved everything that was connected to water?

Warriors desperately tried to free himself from the chains while watching horrified as the trio tortured his little brother. He screamed out threats and curses while desperately trying to get the Sailor to hold his breath in for as long as possible. All they needed was to hold on a while longer. The others were certainly coming.

The trio which had taken them had nothing to do with the black blooded monsters. That battle had just been very good luck for them as it had averted the group’s notion from what they were planning. Even more so the luck was on their side when their target and one of the other eight were forced to move away from the bigger group. The monsters had done all they could to separate the fighters from one another for easier dealing. Another lucky moment was when the beasts decided that it was enough when the duo was knocked out. The creatures probably though they had managed to kill them and hence turned their notion back into the rest seven. That gave the trio the chance to kidnap the duo. After all, what fun would it be if no-one was there to see the sailor’s hell?

Suddenly, after seventh bucket of water had been poured down on the youngest Hero’s face, a gigantic wolf dashed in. It was furiously growling while already attacking the closest one of the three men. The group was entirely taken off guard by the attack that it took them a moment to draw their swords and knives. By then the rest of the Chain had already dashed in. The trio was taken down so quickly that they never had a chance to even initiate an attack. Wind and Warriors were swiftly untied and the Sailor was helped to cough and calm down from the experience of being drowned.

Only couple of days later a portal appeared and brought them to Outset Island. Eight out of nine were relieved of the place as they were certain it would help their brother. Yet, within couple of days it was clear that something was entirely wrong with the Sailor. He didn’t dare get close to the water while sitting underneath a palm tree and just staring at the sea. He shuddered at the suggestions of sailing, swimming or anything else that had anything to do with more water than just drinking it, washing in it or using it for cooking.

“What did he go through in there, Wars?” Time asked while staring at Wind. He absolutely hated to see the once so bubbly and happy-go-lucky kid be so out of it. This wasn’t the boy he had learned to know.

“Drowning.” Warriors simply replied and saw Time’s gaze harden.

“I need more than that, Captain.” The Chain’s leader almost snapped.

“That’s all I can tell.” Warriors told while dropping his gaze down. Time’s gaze narrowed even more when he noticed the Captain shudder at the thought.

“How do we help him?” Time inquired while keeping close eye on his older brother. Warriors simply shrugged. “What are you leaving unsaid, Wars?” The Captain gulped while slumping. He kept his gaze down while thinking it through. “Wars?” Time called worriedly before glancing between the Sailor and Warriors. Soon he frowned as he slowly made connections. Yet, he knew one thing for certain: His brother didn’t go through that hell with Wind but clearly long before it. “When, by whom and why?”

The Captain sighed heavily before shaking his head. “After I was promoted and given Captain’s title.” He started quietly. “It was done to let us be aware and ready of all kinds of torture methods. To make us stronger by mind and more loyal to the kingdom. No markings were left from it. Everything was healed from those times. They even made sure we could talk about it all and everything. To make sure we’re strong and loyal.”

Time stared at him in shock and horror. “What the fuck…?” He whispered while trying to comprehend what had just been told to him. “W-why…. Why didn’t you ever….?” He stammered before shaking his head.

“You were just a kid, Sprite.” Warriors whispered sorrowfully. “During now…” He shrugged before slowly raising his gaze into the Sailor. “I don’t know. It just never came up and….” The Captain shrugged again. “I hadn’t thought about it until now and… I didn’t see a reason to talk about it.”

Time sighed heavily and slumped against the tree the two of them were underneath of. He dropped his gaze into the sandy ground while thinking it through. “I doubt simply talking is going to help Sailor.” He whispered while turning his gaze into Wind.

“Yeah, words aren’t worth in this kind of situation.” Warriors replied sorrowfully.

“How about you? Are you all right?” Time asked while raising his worried and sorrowful gaze up.

“I’m not a sailor, Sprite.” The Captain replied with a weak grin and shrug. “I never needed to worry about fearing water. I was long over it before we set sail on Wind’s ship.”

Time nodded slowly while turning his gaze into Wind. “I need to know what he went through.” He stated out firmly while standing up straight. “Will you recreate it for me?”

“WHAT?! “ Warriors screamed out in shock while jerking up onto standing straight too. “Are you out of your mind?!” He snarled while glaring at Time. “Not in billion years, Sprite! NEVER!”

Time didn’t even flinch as he took in his brother’s rage. “I need to know, Wars.” He simply stated out as firmly as he could while crossing his arms over his chest and facing the Captain’s gaze calmly. “I can’t help him if I don’t know exactly what he’s gone through.”

“I told you already. Drowning. That’s all you need to know.” Warriors replied in a growl.

“You’re not going to help me, are you?” Time queried while looking him straight into eyes.

“Not a fucking chance.” The Captain snapped while feeling cold dread at how calmly Time nodded and accepted his choice.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll figure out something else.” Time simply replied while returning his gaze into Wind. Warriors had very bad feeling of the situation but there wasn’t much he could do at the moment. Yet, he decided to keep eye on the Chain’s leader for the time being. Unfortunately, his plan would end up failing…

At the next day Twilight, Wild and Hyrule took him to other side of the island. With each passing moment he was even more agitated and worried as he had no idea what Time was doing. According to the Rancher the four of them were in the area to check for monsters but everything was way too calm. “What the hell are we truly doing in here?” The Captain eventually asked when he felt like they were coming back to the same area for umpteenth time.

Twilight glanced at the others before shrugging bit uncertainly. “Um… Time asked us to keep you busy for an hour…” He finally confessed and Warriors stared at him in full shock and horror.

“T-the hell…?” His voice trembled when he realized what those words meant. “D-do you know… W-where did Time… Go…?” Warriors continued while barely getting the words out.

“With Legend. There’s a cave they were up for exploring.” Twilight replied before frowning at the Captain’s trembling and clear terror. “Warriors? What’s wrong?” He inquired in full concern.

“Where’s that cave?” Warriors inquired with a quiet voice. Twilight glanced at the others whom simply shrugged. The Rancher swiftly gave the cave’s location. “Pray I’m wrong!” The Captain simply shouted before dashing off with cold terror freezing his chest. He heard the others scramble after him but he couldn’t care less. Time was doing something entirely stupid and he knew it.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Chain’s leader had set the place during the night while everyone else was asleep. Chair, bucket of water, ropes and a rag. It should be more than enough for things to work out. He even had the chair tipped against the uneven wall while locking it into the position with rocks. “Looks right.” He had simply thought while thinking back what he had seen when they had saved Wind. After that he nodded once and left the area.

The harder thing had been to get the Captain off of his back. Eventually he had managed to convince Twilight to gather a group to check the forest in worry of monsters lurking in there. He had made it crystal clear to drag Warriors along.

After that he simply needed Legend to come with him. It had taken lot of convincing and reassuring words before the Veteran had complied with his plan. He knew he was running out of time by the time he was tied to the chair with the rag over his face. “You sure of this? This seems pretty damn wrong.” Legend stated out while picking the bucket up.

“I know what I’m doing, Veteran.” Time replied confidently while forcing himself to breathe normally. He couldn’t help the rising fear but he needed to get to know what the youngest boy of his team had gone through. “Just do it, Ledge. It’ll be just fine.” He reassured while deep inside knowing he was doing the worst decision of his life.

“Alright. Here comes, then.” Legend told while tilting the bucket and letting the water hit onto Time’s face. The Chain’s leader, unlike Sailor, forced himself to keep on breathing.  The effects stuck within seconds from beginning the waterboarding. Time’s trashing and panicking freaked the crap out the Veteran and the bucket fell onto the ground on that moment. “THE FUCK…!!” He screamed out while already quickly throwing the rag off of Time’s face in absolute terror.

Time was coughing and gagging while desperately trying to get air in while Legend cut the ropes. Within seconds the Chain’s leader was on all four on the ground with the Veteran doing all he could to help him breathe. “The fuck did you put me to do to you?!”

“SPRITE!” The scream came just moments before Warriors was already in there. “WHAT THE HELL’S WRONG WITH YOU, YOU STUPID BRAT?!” He screamed in terror while already being on his knees on the ground next to Time and holding his shoulders and glaring at him.

“The fuck did I do?!” Legend screamed out while pacing in panic. “He said… ARGH!” He growled while digging his hands into his hair. “The fuck…” He snarled while pacing as he turned his freaked out and horror filled gaze into Time.

“You waterboarded him, Veteran.” Warriors replied while having bit calmed down as Time was starting to breathe normally. “It’s a method of torture. Very effective method.”

“I needed to know…” Time whispered while still coughing every now and then.

“Needed to know what?!” Legend screamed while glaring at Time. He was so entirely out of his head that he wasn’t certain how he should be feeling.

“What Wind went through…” Time replied quietly. “I needed to know.”

“So you thought it was a perfect idea to put me to torture you?!” Legend screamed while still pacing and totally ignoring the freaked out trio by the doorway of rocky room.

“Wars refused.” Time told.

“No fucking surprise there.” Legend grumbled. “I would’ve refused too if I knew what you were up to!” He snarled before glancing at the trio. “Every. Single. One of us. Would’ve.” The Veteran stated out while still pacing. He was very slowly calming down since Time was still actually alive.

“I know.” Time coughed before leaning against Warriors and closing his eye. “That’s why I didn’t tell.”

“Why me?” Legend finally inquired surprisingly calmly while kneeling down in front of the Chain’s leader and his second-in-command.

“Because you got the strongest mind for this.” Time answered before bit shrugging. “Besides, Four would’ve been too short to get it done.”

“Sprite…” Warriors whispered while wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. “I never wanted you to go through this…” He told with breaking voice.

“I know.” Time replied and slowly raised one hand into Warriors’ hair and gently petting him. “But I also know how to help Wind now.” He told with a small smile.

“So…. Wind went through….?” Legend asked worriedly and Warriors simply nodded. “Fuck… That explains so fucking much…” He mumbled while turning his gaze off. “How can we help him?” The Veteran inquired while returning his gaze into their leader.

“I’m going to need money to get it done.” Time replied while planning things through. “Not sure how much, though. But, I’m hoping the postman will be extra fast with this one.”

“We all pitch in.” Sky stated out while entering the area fully with the other three. Hyrule moved over to Legend and hugged him tightly. “You okay, Time?” The Chosen Hero inquired worriedly.

“I will be.” Time replied while carefully pulling off of Warriors. He moved the wet hair off of his face. “Ledge…” He started while turning his gaze into the Veteran. “I’m sorry.” He told sorrowfully. “I’m sorry I put you into this situation. But…” He trailed off with a shake of his head. “I didn’t know who else I could turn to.”

Legend sighed heavily and nodded. He glanced at the others before bit shrugging as he returned his gaze into Time. “Well, rather one of us than someone who would’ve put you through far worse.” He told with a small smile before bit grinning. “At least you’re safe with us…. Even with this kind of shit.”

Time snorted and nodded. “Yeah. Exactly the reasons.” He told while carefully getting up. “So… Let’s clear this place off before anyone else gets as idiotic idea as mine was.”

“Well, I agree with that entirely.” Warriors stated out while giving bit of a glare to Time. The Chain’s leader just shrugged before starting to pick the rope pieces up. “So, what do you have in mind in order to aid Sailor?” The Captain asked while picking the chair up.

“Transformation mask.” Time simply stated out while noticing that Sky had picked the bucket up. “I don’t know how much it’ll cost. The most I’ve ever paid for a mask has been around 30 rupees or so. But that was a normal mask without magic in it.”

“Transformation mask?!” Warriors snarled while glaring at Time even more in shock.

“Not like my own, Wars.” Time stated out calmly while starting to lead the way out of the cave. “One connected into one’s own magic.” He reassured and shrugged. “Got one of such but it won’t help in this case. Wrong kind of transformation. What I need is one for changing into Zora.”

“Why?” Twilight inquired while feeling actually fully worried for Time.

“Underwater adventure of sorts.” Time replied with a shrug. “I want to give Wind a way to enjoy of the water again and get over the fear. He’s a sailor for crying out loud. Respect towards the water is very much required but this fear of his…” He shook his head. “I’m not letting him to give up on everything he’s dreamt of.”

“How much do you think is needed to get such mask?” Hyrule inquired while staying right next to Legend. He had pretty much glued himself into the Veteran’s arm to give his support.

“I don’t know.” Time replied with a sigh. “I’ve never bought this kind of mask.” He confessed before taking a deep breath. “Everyone who wants to pitch in can give what they’re capable of. This isn’t a competition of who can pay more than the others.” He stated out and gave a meaningful look to the five with him. “Understood?”

The group nodded and quickly dispersed once they had left the things into a close by storage room of sorts. Time walked over to Wind whom was once again staring out to the sea. Warriors followed him while still feeling both worried and angry. The others had gone to tell about the plan to the rest of the Chain.

“How are you doing, Sailor?” Time inquired while sitting down next to Wind. The youngest Hero shrugged before already frowning.

“Why are you wet?” The Sailor asked with an eyebrow raised.

Time chuckled and shrugged. “Bit of stupidity. That’s why.” He simply replied calmly before pulling Wind into one armed hug. “You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of that.” He promised before kissing the top of the boy’s head.

On that evening Time wrote a letter which he addressed to a mask shop that would sell Zora transformation masks. He didn’t know where such a shop would be but he was certain that the postman would find it no matter what. The Chain’s leader was entirely taken off guard of how much the seven boys of his were up and about for pitching in with the money. Yet, that gave him the chance to ask for more than one mask.

Just the day before Time received a package containing the masks, he had asked Wild to do magic enhancing drink. He had requested for it to be as strong as possible while telling he’d need three of such. The Champion had simply nodded while having heard from the others of what the money had been needed for and now he was more than eager to handle the elixir. He tried all kinds of ways to make it last as long as possible but the longest he was capable to get it last was half an hour.

“Wind! Captain! Legend! Come with me, please.” Time called once he got the masks and smiled as there were enough for everyone. He led the trio to the shore before offering the masks. “Do you trust me, Sailor?” The Chain’s leader inquired as he kid shakily took the mask. Wind nodded while still being bit uncertain of being so close to the water. “Then believe me when I say that I won’t let anything to happen to you.” Time swore before bit frowning as Legend declined from the mask.

“I got my own way.” The Veteran stated out with a grin. Time simply nodded and put the mask off.

“I doubt you’ll be needing this, then?” He half inquired while bringing out the elixirs for lengthening magic’s use.

“Nope. Not even one bit.” Legend replied before he already grinned. “I’ll see you three in the water!” He shouted before already dashing off to the dock. The trio watched as he dived into the seawater. It didn’t take long before a long mer-creature jumped high into the air while letting all eight on the dry land see his full red snake like body before already adjusting his dive.

Time chuckled a bit. “Shall we join him?” He inquired calmly and the duo nodded while looking bit eager of the situation. “So, with that potion of sorts we got half an hour before needing to be back on surface.” The Chain’s leader warned before taking his own mask out. “Mikau, may I stay in lead this time around?” He queried while looking at the face of a Zora.

“Whatever it takes to help Wind.” Mikau replied calmly before taking few deep breaths with Link.

“Thank you.” Time replied before looking at his boys. “Sorry, this is going to be rough to hear.” He warned before taking a deep breath and letting it out calmly. After that he put the mask on… And screamed.

Mikau stayed at the back while letting Link keep the control of the body. Yet, he gave his abilities and knowledge into the Hylian Hero’s usage. “I’ll keep a check around when we get into the water.” He promised while being more than willing to let Link do whatever it took to help the Sailor to enjoy of water again.

Time staggered a step backwards before shaking his head. He opened his eye and grinned a bit. “Come on, you two. Underwater exploration awaits us.” He told calmly while nodding towards the sea. Wind blinked few times before grinning and putting the mask on. In a flash he was looking like a Zora. He glanced at the Captain whom sighed a bit and nodded before putting the mask on too. After that the duo drank the elixirs before following Time to the dock. “Just dive in!” He commanded and watched the duo dash forward and jump. “We’ll see you guys after half an hour!” Time called to the rest of the Chain before following the trio while feeling grateful that Wind decided to push his current fear into back of his head and go with this.

“So, come on, lead the way, Wind.” Time coaxed while coming over to the trio as they all were under the surface of the sea. “Wherever you wish to go, we’ll head there.” He promised while letting the Sailor look around before starting to swim.

“What?!” Wind partly snapped when he noticed the slight grin on Time’s face.

“No offence, Sailor, but that’s slow going.” The Old Man stated out while coming next to the young Zora. “You need to move like those, um… What did you call those beings that follow the ship and jump off the water every now and then?” He queried with a slight frown.

“Dolphins?” Wind replied and Time nodded.

“Right. Dolphins. You gotta move like them.” Time told while showing the fluid movement. “Come on. Up and down.” He ushered gently while getting the Sailor to pick up on the speed. “That’s it. You’re doing great there.” He complimented before bit grinning and nodding towards Warriors. Legend was doing his best to teach the Captain the right kind of movement.

“Come on, Wars! Stop being like a whale on a shore!” Time chuckled while moving over to the duo. “Just watch us and mimic the movement.” He told while grinning at Wind’s stifled chuckling of the Captain’s failing swimming.

Warriors shot a glare at Time. “Well, some of us have never swam like expert fishes in here!” He snapped while trying to follow the given movement.

“Ouch…” Mikau whispered in Time’s head while feeling the slight jerk Time ended up doing by the words.

“You’re right about that.” Time answered while leaving unsaid how hard it had been to get used to let Mikau show him the right ways. He turned off while nodding once to Legend to keep coaching the Captain. The Chain’s leader returned to Wind’s side. “So, how do you like the underwater world?”

“It’s pretty damn cool.” Wind replied while watching eagerly all the fishes going around them. “Feels like we’re part of this world.” He commented as he noticed how little the colorful beings were afraid of them.

Time chuckled while leaving Warriors’ words out of his mind. “Well, currently we are part of their world.” He reminded while still checking now and then that Legend and Warriors were following them. He relaxed slightly as the Captain started to figure out the right kind of movement.

As the four of them slowly started to really enjoy of the sightseeing of sorts, Mikau suddenly snapped Time’s notion into upcoming danger. “Guys, we got incoming.” He warned while getting everyone’s notion into him. “School of Skullfish. Not sure how many.”

“How do you know?” Wind queried while wondering if he’d be able to fight at all.

“You could say I got extra senses at the moment.” Time replied before bit grinning. “Besides that, I’ll show what else this body got. Just stay at back. I got this.” He told before nodding to Legend whom had already brought out a sword. “Keep Wind and Captain safe in case some get past me.” The Chain’s leader half commanded before turning his gaze back into the upcoming bony fishes. “Watch this.” He simply told before swimming towards the creatures.

Time let Mikau more into the control as the Zora swam towards the school of about twenty Skullfish. Once far enough from his boys, the electrical force field appeared around him. The aquatic being chuckled as he dashed through the bony beings and easily took out about half of them by one strike. After that he quickly turned around and sent the arm blades off. Both of them killed two before coming back to him. Time/Mikau made a swift backflip after catching the blades until starting to slash at the remaining beings.

“So, whatcha say, guys? Pretty damn good, eh?” Time called with a grin on his face. He could see the bit baffled looks on the trio’s faces. Suddenly Mikau screamed out for danger and he turned around as fast as he could. Unfortunately, neither had been waiting for the Desbreko to be following the Skullfish.

The creature struck cruelly its sharp teeth around Time’s right arm. He screamed out in pain as the beast started to trash and cause more damage than just a bite. “TIME!” The trio screamed out and dashed towards him. The Chain’s leader was growling while trying to keep the huge bony creature from pushing him towards the rocky walls close to them. At the same time he kept striking at it with his left arm’s arm blade.

Legend was first to him and struck with the sword several times very fast. It was enough to get the Desbreko to die and vanish. “Shit… That looks bad.” Warriors commented while carefully inspecting the bleeding arm.

“We gotta get you back to the shore. NOW!” Wind snapped and started to drag their leader. “Blood attracts both sharks and monsters.” He told while leading the way. He kept glancing at the bleeding arm while cursing the fact that they didn’t have anything to wrap around it.

They moved as fast as they could. Mikau tried to keep check on the surroundings while feeling fully worried for Link. The seawater wasn’t doing much of good for the bleeding wound. Yet, that concern had decreased the wideness of his perception and hence, he didn’t notice the Big Octo coming at them.

Just as they got to the shore, a tentacle came out of the water and wrapped around Time. He managed to give out a startled scream before already being pulled backwards and underwater. Legend dived straight back after him while Warriors and Wind stared horrified from the shore. “Not on my watch!” Wind snarled in rage before already dashing to the closest boat and borrowing it for the battle. “Be ready with arrows! We’ll bring that beast to shore!” The Sailor screamed as he steered the wooden thing towards the monster with the swift and precise usage of his Wind Waker before taking out his own bow and arrows.

The tentacle was squeezing hard while making it impossible for Time to even try to attack it. He was simply wishing it wouldn’t break his bones even though the beast was probably going exactly for that. “TIME!” Legend screamed out and got him to look upwards. Soon the aquatic snake like being was right by him and slashing at the tentacle.

Time gasped when the thing let go of him. “Come on!” The Veteran ushered while already forcing the Zora to move. He was ready to strike at the offending tentacles when the gigantic Octorok jerked and turned notion elsewhere. Legend chuckled and grinned while putting even more of speed into getting Time out of the water. “That’s Wind. He’s attacking the beast from above the surface.” He explained when he noticed the boat.

Wind hadn’t even noticed when the mask fell onto the deck of the boat. He kept glaring at the beast that had attacked his leader and brother. It would pay for that. As expertly as ever before, he steered the boat fast and precisely as he kept rounding the creature while shooting at its many eyes. He was far from being scared. He was raged.

Time had given him a glimpse of the world the Sailor had been ready to give up on. The Chain’s leader had even showed a unique battle style as he took down those Skullfish. It all had brought back his need and wish to keep sailing those seas and oceans. He would not let his fear take over. He would respect the sea as before but he would not let it force him to stay at the dry land. He was a sea dweller for crying out loud! A freaking pirate!

The Big Octo was contradicted. In one hand it had enemy on boat shooting at it. On the other hand it had wounded snack trying to escape. It ignored the arrows and swamp after the Zora and merman. Unfortunately, in its need for food, it forgot to have gotten very close of the shore already. As it re-emerged from the sea, the six archers on the shore were ready and very much eager of shooting those arrows into it.

With attacks coming from both front and back, the aquatic monster was quickly struck down. When it died, Warriors and the others quickly went to help Time and pull him further up to the shore. Legend, in the form he was on, wasn’t able of following. Yet, he did pull out the red potion and gave it to Hyrule to take to Time. While the others were tending to their leader, the Veteran pulled himself up to the dock and laid down to let the sun dry him off.

Wind brought the boat to the spot where the monster had died. He just barely noticed the Zora mask on the deck of the boat before he already dived. The Sailor didn’t think twice as he swam to the golden necklace and picked it up before coming back to the surface. He climbed onto the boat and gently steered it back to its place before tying it up. He picked the mask up and jumped to the dock.

“You okay, Legend?” Wind inquired as he frowned at the Veteran whom was still in the mer-form.

“Yep. Just waiting to dry off.” Legend replied calmly while knowing that Time was in good hands. “Go check on Time. I know you want to.” The Veteran ushered him off before closing his eyes and just enjoying of the warmth.

Wind nodded and carefully moved around the snake like body of his brother’s. Suddenly a scream startled both the Sailor and Legend. Yet, the Veteran couldn’t do anything else than sit upright and stare while Wind dashed to the shore in fright. Yet, before he reached to their leader, the others already moved off the way and let the duo see Time standing there unharmed. The potion and Hyrule’s magic had done its work and with the arm fixed, the Chain’s leader had taken the mask off. Wind walked over to them bit uncertainly. “Time?” He called worriedly.

“I’m okay, Sailor.” The Chain’s leader reassured calmly. “Sorry about the monsters. Wasn’t part of the plan.” He told before grinning. “But that boat sure moves beautifully in your command.”

Wind blinked bit surprised before chuckling a bit. “I guess… I just needed, um…”

“A reason.” Time finished for him with a smile. “Come here.” He called and the Sailor moved bit closer before already yelping once as the Chain’s leader pulled him into a hug. “All’s fine, Sailor.”

Couple of days later Time shared off the rest of the Zora masks. There ended up being one extra since Legend didn’t need it. Yet, that didn’t matter as the nine of them, eight in Zora forms and one in merman, had some very much needed fun in the shore and water close to it. Even after the magic was over, Wind, Legend, Warriors and Time kept going for a game of Tag for a while longer. After that they all enjoyed of the warm summer and letting it dry them off.

It was in middle of the night when Warriors woke Time up. “Sprite, can we talk?” He queried bit uncertainly as the Chain’s leader blinked himself awake.

“In middle of… Uh... Y-yeah, sure.” Time replied while feeling worried for the reasons. He got up carefully while avoiding of waking anyone up before following the Captain out of Wind’s home. They walked to the palm tree that was closest to the shore. “Wars? What’s wrong?” He queried worriedly while frowning in concern.

Warriors sighed heavily while leaning against the uneven trunk of the tree while keeping his gaze in the calm sea. “Sprite… I’m sorry.” He started while dropping his gaze into the sandy ground for a moment. Eventually he raised it up into Time. “I’m sorry about my words few days ago.” He explained before getting uncertain and turning his gaze off. “I…”

Time sighed and slumped against the tree’s trunk. “I’m sorry too.” He whispered while raising his gaze up into the starry night sky. “I was putting more notion into Sailor than into you. Pretty bad move from a brother.” He told sorrowfully.

“Wha…? NO!” Warriors half barked out while turning around to face Time. “That’s not…” He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.” The Captain stated out firmly. “I’m glad you put your notion into Wind. He was needing that very much. What I meant is… Well, I snapped at you because I was feeling embarrassed of my lack of knowledge of how to swim like a Zora. And I took your and Legend’s aid as, well, mockery.” He explained uncertainly while averting his gaze again.

Time blinked bit in start before sighing and relaxing. “I would never mock you, Wars.” He stated out before shrugging. “Teasing, yeah. Mocking, no.” He told calmly before closing his eye. “Back when I first put Mikau’s mask on…” The Chain’s leader started quietly before shaking his head sorrowfully. “It was quite a battle, really. My word, wishes and everything against his. We had…. Very different opinions of things.” He explained before shrugging. “Well, except on what’s the right thing to be done. Meaning for saving lives and all that.” He chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Our first swim was a disaster. My way versus his. Something really messed up.”

Time opened his eye while smiling bit sorrowfully and turned his gaze into Warriors. “Compared to my first swim with Mikau’s body versus your first swim as a Zora…” He grinned. “You were far more graceful than I was.”

“You’re just staying that.” The Captain partly snapped but he was blushing slightly. Time chuckled and shrugged.

“Believe what you want, Wars.” The Chain’s leader replied while returning his gaze up into the sky. “You didn’t see it so of course you can’t believe it.”

Warriors sighed and relaxed a bit. “Changing topics here…” He started as a slight warning before looking with full concern at his brother. “How are you? I mean, seriously, how are you… After you know…”

Time sighed and shrugged. “It wasn’t first time drowning for me.” He confessed sorrowfully.

“What do you mean, not first time drowning?!” Wind suddenly shouted and snapped the duo’s notion into him. Legend was with him as the Sailor had snuck after their leader and second-in-command.

Time sighed again and dropped his gaze down into the sandy ground. “During my first quest I was dealing a Water Temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia. I had a Zora Tunic back then which prevented drowning.” He started and shrugged. “It broke during one dive that was bit too deep. It was just matter of seconds that I might not have made it back to the surface. Took a while before I had the courage to swim out of there and back to the Zora Domain to get it either fixed or a new one to replace it. My only luck was back then, like this time, that I had something else to concentrate into instead of my near drowning experience. A quest back then. This time around helping you, Sailor.”

“W-wait… W-what are you actually saying?” Wind inquired while frowning in full confusion while starting to get bit fearful.

“He put me to do same to him what those bastards had done to you, Wind.” Legend stated out and Time snapped his gaze away from the duo. His ears were struck back too as he slumped. It took a moment before the Sailor connected the dots.

“Wait… A-about a week ago… W-when you were wet…” Wind stammered before looking bit nauseous. “Oh fucking shit…”

Time took a wavering breath. “I needed to know, Sailor.” He whispered quietly. “Captain’s explanation just didn’t fully make sense in my own head.”

“Fuck… That actually explain damn lot…” Wind whispered while thinking through the fact that it had been them four whom took the first underwater exploration. He had been wondering why Legend had been with them but it all made sense now. The Sailor took a deep breath and glanced between Time and Legend few times. “How are you two? In real, that is.”

Time shrugged while raising his gaze back up into the stars. “I’m fine. It took me off guard, I admit that. But… Not first time drowning. And I had more important matter at hand.” He explained and shrugged. “Like back during my first quest, I let my subconscious mind work things through. Having something to handle that actually had to do with the water on both turns… Yeah, I guess that pulled me through it.” The Chain’s leader turned his gaze into Legend. “I still am sorry I put you through that hell, Veteran.”

Legend sighed and shrugged. “I’m fine. Seeing you two having managed to clear off that hell… Yeah, I think I can put it past me.” He told and turned his gaze into Time. “Besides, I understand why you chose me. Warriors declined. Wind had gone through it. Four’s too short to get it done. Wild, Sky and Hyrule are bit too sensitive for this kind of thing and Twilight would’ve talked with Warriors before even thinking about going with your plan.” Time simply nodded while still looking sorrowful for having put the Veteran through that action. “I was the only one who wouldn’t ask too many questions. Yet…” Legend shook his head and sighed. “I wish you would’ve warned me about what was to come.”

“Would you have gone with it if I had told the truth?” Time inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Veteran sighed exaggerated and shook his head. “No. I would not have done it.” He stated out firmly.

“Then you know why I didn’t explain too much.” The Chain’s leader told bit sorrowfully.

“Why did you need to know?” Warriors asked bit desperately.

Time sighed and closed his eye. “To relate.” He whispered quietly. “Drowning during a quest is different than drowning through a torture. Similar outcome, sure, but the feelings and reasons are different. During a quest you’re capable of doing something but when you’re tied and all… That leaves you helpless and your life’s not in your own hands.”

“Sprite…” The Captain whispered sorrowfully.

Time took once a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m okay. You’re okay. Sailor’s okay.” He listed out before turning to look at Legend. “Are you okay?”

Legend thought for a moment before grinning and shrugging. “I’m okay. I can’t exactly drown.” He told with a smirk. The others were bit surprised before ending up chuckling.

“Good point.” Wind nodded before frowning. “But that’s not exactly what Time meant and you know it.”

The Veteran snorted but he was still grinning. “Well, you guys are fine so I clearly didn’t do lasting damage there.” He told with a shrug. “None of you three are afraid of the water anymore.” Legend continued before his grin turned into a small smile. “And Time figured out a way to help you so I guess it worked.” He finished while turning his gaze from Time into Wind.

“The monsters were NOT part of my plan.” The Chain’s leader stated out firmly. The trio blinked once in start before starting to grin until already laughing. Time blinked few times in confusion.

“Yeah, I think we figured that much, Time.” Legend told after a while with a grin. The Chain’s leader snorted while turning his gaze off. Yet, he was smiling.

“Anyway, enough of chitchat for the night. We’re all in the need of actual rest.” Time stated out while starting to usher the trio back to the house. Yet, once he had gotten them back inside, the trio snuggled up around him. The one eyed male was bit taken off guard by that action but he smiled fondly. Yet, nearly instantly after the trio had calmed down the rest of the Chain came over too and searched such places that they could be in contact with him. Time chuckled and shook his head.

This kind of situations only got the nine of them to stick together even tighter. It fully got them to fight fiercer for each other as well as to aid in every possible way to get the hurt members to heal from the hell they had gone through. And sometimes the best way to show they’re there for the others while giving full comfort was through group hugs one way or the other.

The extra Zora mask was given to Wild. He knew a guy by the Lake Hylia in his own Hyrule whom wished to investigate the lake but he was bad at swimming and diving. The Zoras had tried to teach him but failed quite well. The guy had lot of magic but he wasn’t capable of creating a lasting air bubble for himself. So, with his strong magic and Zora mask, he could finally fulfill his dream.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 27: Day 26: "Help them"

Summary:

Threat lurks in all possible ways in Hyrule's timeline. When Time ends up having only Fairy Language as the one he speaks and Hylian for signing.... Getting help isn't the safest thing. And when he finds out the reason for not being able to speak Hylian.... His heart breaks.

Notes:

CW: Unconscious, broken arm, impaled by stake, death of a fairy (NOT Hyrule), fairy funeral, sad moods and self-blaming

This is kinda sad chapter, sorry. ^^;

Published: 26.02.2024 around 00:40 at Finnish time

The air was split by screams and one of those was his. Time growled as he forced himself upwards. The ground had shattered beneath them and dropped them into a cave of sorts. He looked around and saw Hyrule, Legend and Warriors not far from him. He shouted out their names but the trio didn’t even twitch. The fear replaced the pain he was feeling.

Time stared at the trio intently while praying that they were alive. He sighed heavily in relief when he noticed the telltale marks of one’s breathing. He tried to move again only to growl in pain once again. Yet, this time he realized what was wrong.

He was impaled. He could feel the thin and long rocky piece coming into him from behind. Yet, it didn’t break the skin from front. Time cursed while knowing he’d die out of blood loss if he pulled off. And yet, he needed to get to check on his boys.

Time knew it would be a bad idea to call for help in the timeline they were. Hyrule’s area was filled with monsters and those beasts were after the boy far fiercer than in any other kingdom. Yet, the Chain’s leader also knew that Hyrule was a fairy and his blood was what attracted the notion of the creatures of Darkness. Unfortunately, he didn’t know why.

Nonetheless, Time hoped that the others would be close by and hear him so he started to shout out for help. Suddenly, at the doorway of the short cave, was movement. Time shouted out even more for the one to notice them while dearly praying it wasn’t any kind of enemy. He sighed in full relief when a Hylian male came into his sight.

“Please! Help them! I… I can’t move!” Time pleaded while ignoring the confused look on the man’s face. “I’m begging of you! Please!” He shouted as the guy was clearly contemplating whether or not to do something. When the guy came in, the Chain’s leader sighed in relief. “Oh thank the Deities! Help them!”

The man was still entirely confused. “What language is that?” He queried while looking at the scene. Time blinked in shock. He opened and closed his mouth few times while trying to figure out what was going on.

“I…. Y-you don’t understand…?” Time half whispered before shaking his head. “Can you understand me now?” He signed while thoroughly wishing his attempt wouldn’t go to waste. He sighed once again in relief when the guy nodded.

“Thank Deities! Please, help them! I can’t move. I can’t…” Time started while looking fully pleadingly at the guy. “Check them, please.” He signed while fearing for the worst but still being relieved as the man began to look the trio through. “How are they?” He inquired while fearing for the worst but praying of the best.

“Tell me first what language you spoke.” The man stated out while coming closer. Time quickly checked around before inwardly cursing as his Gilded Sword was out of his reach.

“Tell me first how they are and I tell my language after that.” The Chain’s leader replied as confidently as he could. He couldn’t really do a thing if the guy attacked him or his boys. “Please.” He pleaded while hoping he wasn’t dealing with a murderer or robber of any kind.

The man contemplated for a second before sighing. “They’re fine. Just knocked out. The middle one has broken arm but it’s in good position already. I don’t have needed things to do a splint, though”

Time sighed in relief and nodded. “Thank you.” He signed before taking once a deep breath. “Besides Hylian, I only know the language of the fairies.” He gave the answer even though he feared it to be the worst choice he’s ever done.

The man’s eyes flashed in shock and he reached towards his sword. “Fairies?” He inquired while narrowing his gaze. “Are you the Hero of Hyrule?”

Time gulped and glanced at the trio with him. “I am.” He replied while technically not lying. He and all of his boys were Heroes of Hyrule even though only one of them was the Hero of this specific timeline.

“I should kill you.” The man stated out while drawing his sword. “You’re threat to the kingdom.” He told while slowly moving towards the Chain’s leader.

Time kept his gaze fixed into the man’s eyes. “I might be the threat but I am also the Hero.” He started while keeping his signing as steady as possible. “Do you really think the kingdom will hold you as a savior if you take my life?” He inquired while hoping to prolong the conversation while waiting for the trio to wake up. “As long as I’m alive, I attract the notion of the monsters. This will keep the beasts from everyone else. Including you and your family.” The Old Man stated out while having noticed the wedding ring the man had.

The man was bit startled and he stopped approaching Time. The one eyed swordsman calmed down a bit while knowing he got the guy’s notion. “As I’m of fairy’s blood, I can give you the blessing of theirs.” He offered while knowing he’d need one fairy to handle the said offer but he and the other three didn’t have one along. The only fairy they had, or at least he hoped they still had, was with Wind.

The man lowered his sword while thinking about the situation. “You do know what a blessing from a fairy means, right?” Time inquired and the man nodded. “Do you have a fairy with you? I cannot give it without one of my kin sharing the information with others.”

The man sighed and shook his head. He sheathed the sword and sat down. Suddenly there was movement and sound of talking just at the doorway of the area. The man stood back up while drawing his sword. Time easily recognized the voices and quickly whistled. The man flinched at the sudden sound and turned his bit freaked out gaze into Time. “It’s okay. I know them. Just put the sword away.” He reassured and the man nodded.

He sheathed the sword again just when three members of the Chain came into the cave. “Time!” Twilight straight off shouted while being bit contradicted about who to check first.

“I’m okay. Help them.” Time replied straight off before turning his notion into Wind. “Do you guys still have the fairy with you?” He inquired while being grateful of Wild helping Twilight to check the unconscious trio.

“Yeah, I got her.” The Sailor replied while taking the bottle out. “Do you need her help?” He inquired while trying to figure out which of the four needed the healing the most.

“Yes but not for myself.” Time replied while being grateful of the youngster bringing the bottle to him. He smiled and nodded before already letting the fairy out. “Listen to me, my dear friend. First, forgive me for impersonating as this timeline’s Hero but I am doing it only to keep him safe. Second, this man here has helped me and my boys. I promised him the blessing of the fairies. Please, do make this into reality.” The Chain’s leader half commanded while being aware of his language being of fairy even without consciously choosing the language.

The fairy nodded and flew to the man. “You have been chosen as one of the blessed ones. BUT, this comes with one condition.” The small being started firmly and the man was bit startled before glancing once at Time until already returning it into the pink fairy and nodding. “The condition is as follows: If you harm the Hero of Hyrule and his companions and or his family or you go against the kingdom’s well being, the blessing will be taken away from you and your family. Do you understand?”

The man blinked once in surprise before nodding firmly. “I understand.” He replied while feeling like the condition was very easy to follow. He looked at Time before glancing once towards the way out until already returning it back into the one eyed man.

Time smiled and nodded. “You may go to your family. We’re safe and sound.” He promised calmly and the man nodded.

“Stay safe.” The man simply replied after returning the nod. “All of you.” He continued swiftly before leaving the cave and heading off towards the way he had been going when he had heard the strange language spoken with frantic and pleading tone. It had been just curiosity that had brought him into the given situation.

Wild had moved to the doorway of the small cave just to keep eye on the surroundings while Wind and Twilight simply waited for the situation between Time and the man to clear off. When the man was out of hearing range, the Champion simply nodded and Twilight snapped his gaze into his mentor. “Why are you signing?” He inquired straight off while feeling even more worried of the situation.

“And why haven’t you moved from your place? I just mean, well…” Wind started before trailing off while feeling bit foolish of having asked the question. He had turned his gaze off for a moment before returning it into Time with worry fully within them.

Time sighed while trying to figure out what to say. “How are they?” He instead started while needing to know bit more of the trio’s condition.

“Warriors got broken arm but I splint it so it should be fine. Hyrule and Legend are simply knocked out. Didn’t find any of broken bones or bleeding wounds.” Twilight replied and Time relaxed while nodding. “Your turn, Old Man. What’s going on?”

Time took once a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not sure. Maybe I hit my head but currently I can only speak in Fairy but I can sign in Hylian.” He started as calmly as he could. “We were just heading off to east while searching for you guys and Sky and Four when the ground broke underneath us.” The Chain’s leader explained before feeling uncertain of continuing. “I can’t move because I ended up pierced by a rocky stake.”

“Time…?” Twilight called worriedly when his mentor had turned his gaze off. “H-how bad…?” He inquired while carefully moving closer to take a look of the situation.

“It’s not through and through.” Time replied as calmly as he could. “It’s best to wait for Hyrule to wake up. Unless, of course, you guys got potions along?” He continued while feeling tad hopeful but pretty much already knowing the answer.

Twilight and Wind shook their heads. “Nope. Potions are caput. And as far as I’m aware, that fairy which left with the guy was our only one.” The Sailor stated out before frowning. “Why did she go with the guy?”

“He helped before you three came over. For that I promised the blessing of the fairies.” He explained and shrugged. “For that to happen, the fairy needed to go with him. She needs to know all of those whom belong to his family before she can inform the other fairies of them having the blessing.”

“Okay… Just try not move too much.” Twilight nearly pleaded and Time nodded. “Wild will keep eye on the front and Wind will stay here to make sure all’s fine. I’ll go to check around and hope I’ll catch the scent of Sky and Four.” He continued while getting up.

“Stay safe.” Time signed before already bit grimacing when the Rancher had already turned his back towards him. He raised an eyebrow and gave a questioning look to the Sailor.

“Time said to stay safe, Twi.” Wind passed the message forward. Time smiled and nodded his thanks.

“I will. Don’t worry about me.” Twilight called before turning into his wolf from after leaving the cave. After that he was soon gone to scout around.

As the time kept ticking away, Time had a chance to really think everything through. He needed to figure out why he couldn’t speak Hylian at the moment since he had checked his head for possible wounds in there. He had done it again after Twilight had left couple of hours ago but he still didn’t find anything that could’ve caused the only language for him to speak to be Fairy. Yet, he soon started to frown as he recalled the screams… There had been five of them. And he was absolutely certain of his counting.

The Chain’s leader gulped as dread lodged inside of him. He had heard fairy’s scream several times. “Oh fuck…” He muttered and got Wind to snap his gaze into him. “Dear Deities, Goddesses and Gods, please, let me be wrong…” Time begged while starting to pull himself off of the stake.

“Time, what are you saying? I can’t understand fairy, you know.” Wind called before getting entirely shocked. “TIME! Don’ you dare move!” He shouted while dashing over to him in fright.

“Get Hyrule awake. I might need him.” Time simply signed while fully ignoring the youngest Hero’s attempts of stopping him. Suddenly Twilight was already next to him.

“TIME! Stop that! Y-you’re gonna…!” The Rancher started with freaked out voice. He glanced towards the doorway of the small cave while hoping help from Sky and Four whom he had managed to find. “Come on, the help’s here. Just stop moving!” He half snapped but Time refused to stay still. “Damn it, Time! Even if Hyrule would wake up I doubt he’ll be able to do healing any time soon.”

Time shook his head. “If I’m right, and I pray I’m not, I won’t be needing Hyrule’s magic.” He quickly signed before gasping as he finally pulled off of the stake. The sharp inhale that Twilight did was all he needed for confirmation of what he had already feared for. “Fuck.” The one eyed male whispered while slumping fully.

Slowly and fearfully Time turned around to look at the stake that had impaled him. He gasped in shock when he saw the small fairy that had ended up between him and the sharp rock piece. Somehow, maybe with the fairy’s magic, the tip of the rock had bent without breaking. That was the reason the fairy had stayed to her place as he pulled off.

“Dear Goddesses and Gods… Why…?” Time whispered while slowly breaking down. He shakily brought his hand up to gently touch the small being. “It’s my fault…”

Twilight slowly turned his gaze into Time. “It’s not your fault. It was accident.” He tried to reassure while deciding not to tell to Time that he was capable of speaking Hylian again.

“I…” Time started but he didn’t know what to say. Suddenly there was a freaked out scream and Hyrule was in an instant by them.

“Dear Goddesses! What the hell?! How…?” He queried while staring wide-eyed at the small being. “NO! Nononono! Why?! WHY?!” The Traveler screamed while breaking down. These small beings were part of his family.

Time gulped but the lump in his throat didn’t leave. “I…. I’m sorry, Link.” He whispered while uncertainly putting his hand over the shaking Hero’s shoulder. “I…. It’s my fault.” He told before growling until with a scream he punched the tip of the rocky formation with all he got. That startled everyone whom actually were awake in the cave but the Chain’s leader’s strike did break the tip of the thing. “Where’s the closest Fairy Fountain, Hyrule? She deserves to be laid to peace by her own kind.”

Hyrule blinked few times before nodding and getting up. He held back the strangled scream as Time gently pulled the dead fairy off of the rock. Twilight stood up too when the Chain’s leader got to his feet. Yet, Time shook his head. “I’m sorry, Cub, but not this time.”

“I’m coming.” Wind suddenly spoke while getting up from the floor. Before either Hyrule or Time could object, the Sailor already continued: “I’ve had a fairy companion. Maybe I won’t have as strong bond to the fairies as you two but I want to pay my last respects too. Please?”

Time looked at Hyrule while letting him choose. The Traveler sighed shakily but he nodded before starting to lead the way. Time held the small fairy in his hands as carefully and respectfully as he could while Wind kept the back. While the duo didn’t notice, he nodded once firmly to his brothers whom stayed at the cave. They all knew that their leader and healer weren’t in the condition of looking after themselves at the moment so the Sailor’s work was mainly to ensure their safety.

It didn’t take long before they reached the Fairy Fountain. Hyrule glanced once at Wind before turning into his fairy form. The Sailor gasped a bit but otherwise he stayed silent while keeping his distance. Time knelt down in front of the fountain while gently laying the dead fairy onto the edge of the water area’s railing. After that he bowed his head while staying kneeling like a knight.

Hyrule took a deep breath before flying over the water and bowed. “Great Fairy of this Fountain, I call for you.” He started while being unable to keep his voice from breaking. “I… I have grave news… Forgive me for bringing this information… But…. O-one of our sisters has perished.”

Slowly the Great Fairy appeared. The moment she opened her eyes, she shrieked while feeling her heart break. She knelt down and hesitated for a moment before gently touching the lost fairy. “What happened?” The keeper of the fountain queried while looking from Hyrule to Time and back.

“It is my fault.” Time whispered while breaking down. “I… I didn’t…. I…. I-I’m sorry.” He tried to explain but he couldn’t find the words. He bowed his head even more as he hid his face into his hands.

“Look at me.” The Great Fairy commanded and Time flinched but he slowly followed the given words. He nearly stopped breathing when the sacred area’s owner gently brought her hand to his chin. “You are not at fault.” She told after a moment of looking Time straight into that one eye.

“B-but… I….” Time started quietly but he was silenced very swiftly by the Great Fairy’s finger over his lips. She shook her head while giving a sorrowful smile.

“It was only bad luck.” The Great Fairy told before sighing. She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. “Things happen. No-one could’ve predicted this.” She stated out before taking a deep breath and bringing back her determination. “You are not at fault. And she is far more grateful of knowing that you survived than to worry about her own life. She kept you alive even though she was struck inside of you. That is the reason your language was only of fairy. She only did what her kind always does. Heal.”

Time kept staring at the Great Fairy while listening to her words. When she let go of him, he closed his eye while ears drooping and simply nodded. “Please, place her into the water.” The Great Fairy requested gently. The Chain’s leader took a shuddering deep breath while opening his eye. Very gently he picked the small body of the fairy up. He hesitated for a second before following the given wish.

“Fairies of the Fountain of Forest,

Hear me and come forth,

One of your sisters has left from this land.”

The Great Fairy spoke gently and with slightly wavering voice. Slowly the room started to fill with all kinds of fairies. The first ones landed to the railing surrounding the body of water. The others hovered behind them while simply waiting.

“It is time to bid farewell,

To remember, to laugh, to mourn,

But one’s life is never meaningless,

She fulfilled her duty to the very moment of her last breath,

Let her live in our hearts and memories.”

The Great Fairy of the Fount of Forest continued her ceremony and the fairies around her, few at a time, changed places at the edge of the water. They all stood still for a moment before making room for the next one. Wordless goodbyes were given through mind instead of saying them aloud.

“Remember her name,

Remember her personality,

Remember her duty,

Call her name when the time is right.”

The Great Fairy fell silent and bowed her head. The fairies kept changing places calmly while patiently waiting for their turn. Eventually, once all of the fairies had paid their respects by the edge of the fountain, a quiet chant began. Time and Hyrule joined into the whispering of the fallen fairy’s name.

Wind wished he could’ve understood what was being said. He wished he could’ve known the fairy’s name but he didn’t dare to say a word nor did he dare to move either. All he did understand was the very fact of taking part into funeral.

Slowly the quiet call of the fairy’s name ended. The silence felt almost eerie to the Sailor but he held back the shudder. Luckily the moment didn’t last long and the fairies started to leave the area. Yet, none of them left without having said their condolences to both Hyrule and Time. To Wind the small beings gave a simple nod of acknowledgement. All the Traveler and the Chain’s leader could do was to nod and give a small and sorrowful smile.

Eventually the only ones left in the room were the Great Fairy, Hyrule, Time and Wind. “Thank you for having brought her here.” The keeper of the fountain started after having raised her head up again and looking at the duo. “She will rest in peace now. Do not blame yourself, Hero of Time. It was her time to go. And she died grateful of knowing that you will live on, knowing that the last life she rescued was one of the most important ones. Continue on your path. No-one is at fault in here.”

Time nodded while slowly standing up. Hyrule came next to him while changing forms back to Hylian. The Great Fairy nodded once before disappearing from sight. Slowly the duo turned around and left the fountain. Wind followed quietly while feeling both sorrowful and bit uncertain. Part of him felt like he had intruded in something that he hadn’t had rights to. Part of him felt like he had been left outside of something he had really wanted to be part of just to be more of support for two of his brothers. And yet, biggest part of him was confused while simply wishing he would’ve understood the spoken words.

By the time the trio returned to the cave both Warriors and Legend were awake. The whole group of six was by then aware of what had happened. Time glanced once at the stake that had taken the fairy’s life. “Let’s go. We can’t stay here.” He simply stated out while giving a sharp nod to show to follow.

The mood was low as the whole Chain could feel the sorrow their leader and healer were in. Warriors desperately wished he could’ve gone to comfort his younger brother but he didn’t dare to. The time for solace came only after they had set the camp and settled down.

Legend had finally moved next to Hyrule and simply held him as his successor broke down. Time tried to stay in one piece but he too broke down when the Captain sat down next to him, wrapped his scarf around him and pulled him into a hug. The rest of the Chain surrounded them while offering the silent moral support. That was all they could do since none of them could fully understand how much of a family the fairies were to both Hyrule and Time.

For the several next days the only topic that was talked around the Chain was the fairies. It had been unconscious agreement between the seven Heroes and they made sure that both Hyrule and Time took part into the talk as much as possible. The topics ranged from colors to magic to overall life along with everything else that ever was connected to those small flying beings. Slowly, little by little, the talk started to truly help to heal the duo. They had lot of knowledge and, with little coaxing, they eagerly shared what they knew. There were even things that one of the two hadn’t been aware of while the other had known of them for as long as they had lived.

Eventually all this started to bring small smiles and slight chuckles and laughter out of the duo again. It was slow but they truly were healing and life kept going on. And the Chain did all they could to help their healer and leader. Besides, even though they hoped the circumstances could’ve been better, the situation gave them all new information and knowledge of two of their brothers. And that only made the nine Heroes to care of one another even more.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 28: Day 27: Left for dead

Summary:

The nine Heroes escape a wrongly gone battle through a portal. Unfortunately, it separates them from one another. Four, hoping help from two travelers, ends into hellish situation. When Time and Warriors hear what’s done, nothing holds them back from taking revenge.

Notes:

CW: VERY harsh bleeding wounds and sword through one's stomach, broken bones, cursing, torture of sorts (Time and Warriors lose it), death of the bad guys (not sure if it can be considered murder, though =/), guilty feelings

This is quite rough chapter again. =/

Published: 27.02.2024 around 1:10 at Finnish time

Four staggered and fell to one knee. The quick check around told him the extremely bad news. That last portal had separated them once again. He really started to hate that. Especially since teamwork was his expertise. He needed the others by him.

The shortest Hero glanced at his bleeding wounds while trying to figure out how bad it was. That last battle had gone to hell. There had been too many black bloodied beasts to deal. They had swiftly been outnumbered and separated from each other. The monsters had fully targeted Time as they saw him as the biggest threat. Four knew by now of the Chain’s leader’s masks but the creations of Darkness were so relentless in their attacks that the Old Man hadn’t had a chance to pull the Fierce Deity mask out.

When the portal opened up, it had felt like salvation. Time screamed out the command to retreat and they had dashed through the portal while hoping the monsters wouldn’t follow them. And more so that it would bring them somewhere safe. Not to mention about letting everyone through too. They had tried their best to aid one another to reach the portal but the Smithy wasn’t certain that everyone had managed and that freaked him out even more.

Four sighed heavily while returning his notion back into his wounds. The worst one was on his side. He didn’t have a fairy or potions so he had to do with bandages which he luckily did have. The next worst was on his left leg. A deep stab of a knife but he couldn’t do much of other than to bandage it too. The rest were luckily minor.

The weapon maker of the Chain snapped his gaze up when he heard someone approach him. He staggered up to his feet and shakily drew his sword out. He wasn’t going to be able to get away so all he could do was to try and defend himself. Four thought for a moment about splitting but quickly chose against it. Each of his parts would be wounded which would leave him into even worse situation.

Soon two travelers came into his sight. The duo stopped bit startled. “Uh… Hi. Bit help?” Four queried while hoping to have at least bit of luck with him. Yet, the moment the duo started to smirk, he knew he was in serious trouble.

The duo quickly took out their swords and attacked without a warning. Four tried not to put weight on his wounded leg but it was quite difficult to avoid. He couldn’t attack back as the men struck hard and fast from both sides of him. Sword against sword and sword against shield as well as he could but the earlier battle had left him out of strength and stamina. Suddenly, as he blocked a sword with his shield, the guy kicked hard into his leg. He stumbled to side which was when the other one seized the situation and kicked him into his wounded leg.

Four screamed out at the pain while crashing to the ground. The next attack easily forced his sword off the way while the other one took hold of his shield and pried it away from his hold. Without the cover of the protective metal, the guy stabbed him into his still working leg. Another scream tore out of him before third followed it as the other one impaled his shoulder. The sword fell from his hold and other one of the two men kicked him roughly into chest.

The Smithy crashed onto his back with a pained gasp. He growled as the sword was pulled out of his shoulder. Four gasped in shock and stared horrified as other one of the two picked his Four Swords up. Inwardly he was grateful of the fact that the blade didn’t split the guy into four but even more he was worried of the guy stealing it. Yet, suddenly the shortest Hero gasped as the other guy took hold of his hair and started to drag him backwards.

Four cursed and struggled against the hold. Soon he gasped as his back was slammed against a tree. Before he could regain enough of comprehension of the situation, the guy already yanked his arms backwards and tied them around the tree. The other one came over with a smirk before striking the Smithy’s own sacred blade through his stomach.

“T-the f-fuck…? W-why…?” Four queried while coughing few times and staring wide-eyed at the duo. The two of them shrugged.

“You were easy target.” One of them told calmly while cleaning his sword.

“Been a while since we had a chance to draw our swords out and soak them in blood.” The other told and chuckled while lifting the Hero’s head upwards by the tip of his sword. “Pray that you’re dead before the monsters find you.” He laughed while taking his weapon off of him and sheathing it. After that the duo just walked out of there.

Four struggled to get his hands free. He was bleeding even more from his earlier wounds since the short battle against these two assholes had pretty much undone his earlier work of bandaging them. His own sword was making things even worse for him. As his struggles got weaker, a hazy memory made itself back into his mind. Suddenly, like a lightning from a clear sky, the realization struck him. He knew exactly what he needed to do. The Smithy took once a deep breath and whistled twice. All he could pray was that at least one of his brothers would be close enough to hear him instead of monsters or other bad guys.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Hey! Listen up!” Time called but the group kept on chatting around the fire. “Boys!” He barked out but the only one turning his notion into him was Warriors.

“You need something more than that, Time.” The Captain stated out with a slight grin. Time groaned and rolled his eye. Warriors chuckled and shook his head.

“Fine.” Time muttered and took once a deep breath before whistling sharply. It started off straight, got slight bit sharper, did a slight lower tone after it before ending into very high and sharp note. That snapped everyone’s notion into him. “Good. Now, that’ll be our call sign when one needs to catch everyone’s notion.” The one eyed male stated out. The group had clearly chosen him as the leader but so far they weren’t giving him as much of notion such title would deserve. Yet, that was up for changing. “Be it just for needing to discuss about something, having something important to say or just needing to catch the notion for any other reason.” Time continued while looking at the eight males with him. “Try it out. One at a time, thank you. We’ll need to recognize each other’s sound of signals. If someone can’t whistle, we’ll teach.”

It took a moment but soon each of the eight had figured out the signal whistle. “Good. Now, we need few more whistles. For example, one to inform of danger since obviously we do not want the said danger to notice us. Any ideas?” Time stated out while looking around.

It took a moment as the eight tried to figure out a good whistle to alert the others of monsters or other danger. Suddenly Wild whistled two quick and sharp sounds. “That’s pretty good.” Time complimented with a nod.

The Champion blushed a bit at the words and shrugged slightly. “Like a bird.” He half muttered.

“Like a bird. Really good idea. Doesn’t catch the notion of the enemy if the sounds come from the nature itself.” Time nodded before mimicking Wild’s call. The others picked up on the whistle one by one.

Little by little they came up with whistle signs to different meanings. One long, straight whistle meant for good camping spot. A whistle that was swift, short and sharp meant for stopping. It would be for a short rest after walking bit too long and needing to regain bit of strength before searching for camping place. Two long and almost frantic whistles meant for one needing help. Two short and swift whistles that ended with very sharp note to mean that one’s call had been heard and help was on the way. Three short and very quick whistles for asking where the others were at when it was known that they were somewhere close by. One long and straight whistle which ended into high note to answer into the query.

Time kept things simple and short enough. He made sure that there wouldn’t be too many whistle sounds so that those wouldn’t get mixed or forgotten. He even checked every now and then while everything was safe and sound that everyone still got the whistles. Sometimes he simply asked them to give a specific signal and sometimes he whistle them himself while asking which one it was. Eventually the Chain got the whistles figured out by instinct while hoping some of them would never be needed. Still, it was good to have something that caught everyone’s notion into the needed thing be it danger, a reason or place to stop or just to catch everyone’s notion into them. Yet, more often than not, the I-need-your-notion-now-whistle was done by Time himself.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

They had been scattered around the forest by the portal but Wolfie had found them surprisingly quickly. The calm breeze had probably brought everyone’s scents over to him. Yet, as eight out of nine had gotten together surprisingly easy, it dawned to them that Four had been at the way where the wind blew into.

The Sailor had tried to change the wind’s direction to allow the Sacred Beast to catch their missing member’s scent but he couldn’t fight against the nature’s path. “Well, we know what way to go.” Time told as calmly as he could. He had checked the boys and seen the state they were in.

The wounds were bad but each of his boys had done what they could to bandage them. Hyrule had been only one to do healing but he needed bit of time to catch his strength back. Wild had offered a stamina potion and the healer had taken it straight off with a grateful nod. Right after that he had started to check on everyone’s wounds to fix the worst ones.

The Chain’s leader wasn’t happy of the Traveler working himself into exhaustion but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Legend had already given out the potions he had had after having drank one for himself. Time and Warriors had fixed the bandages of the unhealed wounds. Hyrule took another elixir to both regain his strength as well as to be able to continue his work but the one eyed male flat out forbid him from that. Things were as good as they could be at the moment while they still were missing one of their members.

The laughter was the first thing the Chain heard. The eight Heroes glanced at each other before Time, Warriors and Sky already drew out their weapons very slowly and got up to their feet. In Wild’s Hyrule one could never be overly wary of the travelers they met. And the conversation they heard only got them to know that these two had encountered their missing Link.

“The look on his face!” *laughs* “Dear Goddesses!”

“Clearly wasn’t waiting for an attack there!” *chuckles, grin visible in the next words* “Oh, hey, check what I took.”

*whistles* “Nice~! Haven’t seen that kind of feather before. Did you loot anything else?”

“Nah. Could’ve gone for his rupees but… Eh, besides that blade and the ear accessory… I don’t think he got anything of worth.”

*snorts* “Bird-brain.”

*laughs* “Can’t help it! Birds are cool. Besides, I’ve never seen this kind of feather before. Pretty damn small. Maybe from a chick?”

*laughs, mocks* You know any chicks that got that bright color of red and white?”

“Good point. Probably made the feather himself.” *snorts* “Probably worthless piece of ear decoration. Oh, well, colors are cool.”

*chuckles* “Anyway, which do you think takes him first, death or monsters?”

“Pray it’s neither or you two face death far crueler than any monster ever could give you.” Time suddenly snarled as he and Warriors attacked and struck the duo to the ground fast and easily. “Wolfie! Track their road! Hyrule, Wild and Legend, go with him!” He commanded on that second while glaring at the man he pinned to the ground. “What the fuck did you do to him?” The Chain’s leader queried with entirely raged voice.

Suddenly the other guy screamed out and Time glanced what the Captain was doing. Yet, he was not going to stop him from taking whatever kind of revenge he saw fit for these two. Unfortunately, all he had done was to rip the Minish Feather ear accessory off of the guy’s ear. “THIS does not belong to you.” Warriors snarled coldly.

Sky moved carefully closer and gently took the ear accessory from the Captain. He moved bit away and started to very carefully and precisely clean the item of blood. The Chosen Hero kept eye on the surroundings with Wind.

“Talk and we just might let you leave with your lives intact.” Time stated out while wanting nothing more than to kill these two whom clearly had attacked one of his boys. A wounded boy of his. He would not forgive such an action for any of reason.

“But very certainly not unharmed.” Warriors continued with a clear smirk on his voice. Suddenly the air was pierced by two swift and frantic whistles. “For your luck, he’s still alive.” He told as he and the other three had snapped their heads up and towards the way the sound had come from.

As the short conversation between the two travelers had registered in Twilight’s head, he had already turned into his wolf form. Since the wind was blowing from wrong direction, he needed something else to follow and these two were coming from their brother’s direction. The second the bastards were on the ground, he had already moved close to get their scents. Time had barely even given the order before the Sacred Beast had already dashed towards the way the duo had come from.

The wolf kept his pace slow enough for his comrades to be capable of following him. Yet, the urgency of the situation made him anxious and nearly whole time glancing behind. He knew the others weren’t able to go faster but he still desperately tried to usher them to put more speed into their movements. Suddenly the whistle for need of help pierced the air. Wolfie stopped, struck his ears up and turned towards the right road. The duo whose scent he had been back-trailing had been going quite damn well in zigzag way. He growled, barked twice and dashed into the straight path.

Hyrule, Legend and Wild had simply nodded and let the wolf run off. They had heard the call and knew perfectly well which way to go. The Champion quickly whistled twice to let Four know they had heard and were on their way to him. Right after that he dashed after the Traveler and Veteran.

The second Wolfie saw the condition Four was in, he transformed back into his Hylian form. “FOUR!” He screamed out in shock and terror. “Dear Ordona…” He whispered while taking in the damage. “Just hang in there. Hyrule’s on his way. You’ll be okay.” The Rancher promised while starting to cut the ropes to free the Smithy’s hands.

“Twi…” Four whispered with a small smile. He had already sighed in relief and relaxed a bit when the reply had come to his plea for aid.

“You’ll be okay, Smithy. You’ll be okay.” Twilight whispered while quickly starting to work on re-bandaging the wound in Four’s leg. He wasn’t able to do much to the one on his side while the sword was impaling him.

Soon enough the other three arrived into the scene. It was quite a huge shock for them but Hyrule pushed the freaking out and nauseous feelings to back of his head. He could deal with those later. Right now he needed to save his brother’s life. The Traveler nodded once to Twilight and the Rancher pulled the sword out swiftly while hoping to avoid doing worse damage than what had already been done. The healing magic was on work the second the tip of the blade was off.

Legend took the sword from Twilight and started to clean and check it. The Rancher kept eye on the surroundings after having fetched Four’s shield close by. Wild contacted Wind to inform of the situation. The Champion glanced once at the Smithy before making his choice and giving full explanation of their shortest Hero’s condition.

When Time, Warriors, Sky and Wind heard the damage done, they all glared at the duo. The Chain’s leader was fully contradicted in what to do as he desperately wanted to beat the living hell out of the duo whom were at the fault of them having nearly lost their brother. But, then again, he had the youngest Hero with him along with one of the most kindhearted persons he knew of.

“Traitors, Yiga, followers of Ganon and those who leave people for dead are dealt with death.” Warriors suddenly spoke with dreadfully calm voice. His gaze was far harder and crueler than what Time had ever seen in his brother’s eyes. Yet, that brought absolutely cruel smirk right onto the Old Man’s lips as he returned his full death-glare into his own captive.

“You had your chance and you fucked it up. Wish Hell has mercy for your soul since such isn’t given to you in this life because I do NOT forgive those who try to murder MY boys.” Time snarled and yanked the guy up from the ground. He entirely ignored the three Heroes with him as he let his rage boil over. He closed his ears from the screams as he begun to land hellishly cruel punches and kicks. His smirk only widened when he broke bones by his strikes. The guy kept stumbling backwards with each harsh hit he gained while the attacks were raining in such speed and ferocity that there wasn’t a chance to avoid or even think about escaping. When the receiver of Time’s hatred backed into a tree, the one eyed male swiftly pulled his Gilded Sword out and slit the guy’s throat in one fast and fluid movement.

Warriors had pulled his captive up and slammed against the closest tree. He didn’t give even one bit of chance for escape as he landed his punches and kicks. Unlike Time, though, he didn’t end up breaking the man’s bones. Yet, he did something else. The Captain drew out his knife and started to slash and stab with it. He would’ve loved to let the guy to bleed to death but he too ended up killing the guy with a slash to throat.

When the Chain’s leader and his second-in-command had dragged the duo up, Sky had swiftly turned around and forced Wind around too. Much to the youngest Hero’s protests, the Chosen Hero clamped his hands over the boy’s ears. This was something the Sailor did not need to see or hear.

Warriors pulled off and backed away by couple of steps from the dead body. He calmly started to clean his knife as this kind of killing wasn’t new for him. There were lots of people in his own timeline that wanted him dead. The Captain raised his gaze up into Time and bit frowned. Yet, that soon melted into bit sorrowful one.

Time was breathing heavily while glaring at the guy he had just killed. His mind kept trying to convince him for having done the right thing. Yet, somewhere deep inside of him, he wasn’t certain of his actions. This wasn’t like him. He didn’t kill people. Not like this, at least. And yet… These two had left one of his boys whom had been heavily wounded into worse state than when he arrived to this timeline. If they hadn’t been this close to him… The Chain’s leader shook his head while closing his eye.

“Sprite?” Warriors called carefully while slowly starting to approach his brother. Time’s ear twitched once before he took a shaky deep breath. “You did what you had to, Sprite.” The Captain continued gently. “They would’ve continued with this kind of shit. Who knows how many others they’ve left for dead.” He told calmly before very tentatively putting his hand over the Chain’s leader’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Sprite.”

Time hang his head while hiding his face into his hand as he began to cry. Warriors sighed heavily in sorrow as he gently pulled his brother into embrace. He still recalled very clearly how much harder Sprite had taken the battle where their own people had turned against them. The kid could’ve easily dealt with monsters but Hylians…. That had thoroughly broken the child. Besides Ganondorf and his own Shadow, it had been the very first time he had been forced to kill another human being. Clearly, even to this day, Time still couldn’t take a life, no matter how righteously it would’ve been done, without feeling hellish about his own actions.

The Captain kept whispering reassuring words while carefully moving Time away from the dead body. “Let’s get to Four and others.” He half commanded while nodding towards the way Wolfie and others had gone to. Sky nodded and let Wind free from his hold while still keeping him from looking towards the way where the two dead bad guys were at. The two younger Heroes, though, did give concerned looks to Time.

Eventually Time pulled off of Warriors with a heavy sigh. “Sorry. Hate it when that happens.” He half mumbled while still feeling hellish of the situation and of his own actions.

“You okay, Sprite?” Warriors inquired while giving him concerned look. Time simply nodded while keeping his gaze off of him. “It’s all right, Sprite. You did what you had to. Besides, you don’t feel this bad when you deal with Yiga.” He commented gently while trying to avert his brother’s notion to elsewhere.

The Chain’s leader snorted a bit. “They attack first.” He stated out with a shrug. “It’s self-defense at then. This… This was….” He trailed off with a huff before shaking his head. “This was revenge.” He growled and glared at his hands. “I’m not…” He started without being able to find the right words. He sighed heavily while slumping before running his hand through his hair. “I… I don’t…”

“You’re not like them, Sprite.” Warriors stated out firmly while wrapping his arm around Time’s shoulders and pulling him close to him before gently kissing the side of his head. “We’re at Wild’s timeline. Those two could’ve been on the road of becoming part of the Yiga. Their actions already were going that way for sure.”

Time sighed and nodded while closing his eye. He knew that the Captain was right but he just couldn’t get the words to stick within him. Suddenly he bit jerked when Warriors gave out the whistle of inquiring where the others were at. The Chain’s leader sighed heavily and forced himself off of his brother’s hold. He could deal with his feelings later. Right now he needed to know that the Smithy was all right…. And not let everyone see how rattled he was at the moment.

The reply came swiftly and the four of them changed their road towards it. Time’s gaze straight off checked his boys before already staying at the shortest Hero. His gaze narrowed when he took in the story the youngster’s clothes were telling.

“I’m okay.” Four stated out with a small smile when the rest of the Chain arrived. “I’m just bit angry of having lost the Minish Feather.” He told with a heavy sigh.

“No need to be anymore.” Sky told while taking out the red tipped white feather and offering it to the Smithy. The shortest Hero’s gaze lighted up and he smiled widely as he gently took the ear decoration from the Chosen Hero.

“Thank You!” He pretty much shouted in glee while carefully putting it back to its rightful place.

Sky chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t thank me. It was Warriors who took it back for you.” He told calmly while nodding towards the Captain. Four nodded in understanding before already going over to the leader’s second-in-command with a wide smile. Right after that he hugged him while whispering his thanks.

Warriors chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t mention it.” He replied with a smile while returning the hold.

Time relaxed a bit and smiled slightly at how easily Four was moving. The fact of how much that ear decoration meant to him and the happiness getting it back brought… The Chain’s leader just was fully grateful of seeing their smith happy and well. Yet, from there his gaze turned into Hyrule. The healer was asleep while fully leaning against Legend.

“He’s alright.” The Veteran reassured when he noticed Time’s gaze. “Just overdid himself.” The Chain’s leader simply nodded while fully recalling what Wild had told about the Smithy’s condition before the healing. He tried to keep that knowledge in his mind to justify his own actions but he failed with it very thoroughly.

It was late in the night when Time finally was capable of accepting his actions. The needed thing came in the form of Wild having gone to scout around. Yet, even though he had checked around the camp for a while, his main target had been to go check the two dead bodies his leader and his second-in-command had left behind. It wasn’t for loot but to make sure nothing else had been stolen from his brother. Yet, what he found had made his blood run icy cold.

“Time.” The Champion called when he returned to the camp.

“Took you long enough, Champion. How far did you check around?” Time commented while keeping things light. He was grateful of the extra checking but he didn’t really feel it had been that important.

Wild took once a deep breath while coming next to his leader. “I went to check the bodies of the duo that hurt Four.” He confessed and averted his gaze a bit when Time’s own gaze hardened at the explanation. Yet, the Champion soon took a deep breath and raised his gaze up. “I’m glad I did since I found these from their possession.” He told with bit harder voice due to anger and brought out two Yiga masks as well as two invitations.

Time was entirely shocked of the revelation. His gaze narrowed even more as he took one of the two pieces of paper and started to read it. “How far is this place? And how soon the meeting is meant to be?” He inquired while understanding that the Yiga was recruiting new members.

“Two week walk from here and about week’s wait once we reach the spot.” Wild answered as calmly as he could.

Time nodded slowly. “We’re going to break that meeting.” He stated out firmly and the Champion nodded in agreement. The Yiga was big enough already. That group certainly didn’t need more members than what it already had. In fact, it would’ve been so much better to make their numbers smaller.

The Chain set towards the place at the next day once Wild and Time had explained what had been uncovered from the bodies. Unfortunately, they never made it to the right area. Monsters and portal forced them to leave the timeline and head elsewhere.

Then again, the timeline had been before Yiga had fully been founded. This meeting the nine Heroes had been up and about for breaking was the first stepping stone in creating the enemy clan. Without it, Wild’s own timeline would’ve changed dramatically.

Even though the Chain wasn’t happy of having not intercepted the meeting, they had far bigger quest in their hands. Yet, the knowledge of having taken down two soon to be Yiga members had been what Time had needed. Even though he still wasn’t fond of taking a Hylian life, he was bit more able to convince himself of having done the right thing.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Notions:
It was fun to think for the different whistles. ^.^
For the fact that they do whistle to catch notion: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/post/186993224334/shady-escape-pt1
-> Check all but the whistle's on page 5

Chapter 29: Day 28: "No... Not like this"

Summary:

When Time's unable to wake Warriros up the normal ways, he's forced to do something he hasn't done for years: Sing..... And he's FAR from happy of doing that since he's not believing his voice to be any of worth of listening.

Notes:

SONG FIC of sorts!

CW: Several temporary major character deaths in lot of different ways (in a nightmare, ROUGH parts (two parts from LU comic: the Moblin and the Stalfos)), cursing, humiliation of sorts (Time got traumas from past), taunting / fights (Time's past)

Warning for rough start.

Notion:
The song Time sings is from Bon Jovi and it’s called These Open Arms. Time sings the lyrics DELIBERATELY wrong. It’s how I had originally heard them before I finally checked the real words. ^^; So, yeah, Time’s singing the words the way I heard them. Which is why Warriors is up for fixing his wordings. =)
The second song, which is sang by Warriors, is lyrics to the Song of Healing. There’s two different lyrics for the song and I thought these worked better for this story.

Singing voices: These are my choices so one can throw in their own ideas.
Time: I just can't really find right one for him. =/ Yet, I really love his voice in Ocarina of Time. ^^;
Here's one of my own favorite songs I really love to listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMDXmRR1h2Y
You can hear his battle cry bit before the first minute, around two and half minute part and bit before third minute. =)
BUT, if I had to choose one, then maybe Stratovarious could be close enough. =/

Warriors: I feel like he'd have bit rougher voice due to being war hero and having been screaming out commands through the battle field and all. ^^;
Maybe Rhapsody could be close enough. Thought for a while about Disturbed too but I guess that might go bit TOO rough. =/

Legend: Dunno why but I thought about him when I checked The Offspring in search of singing voice for Time and Warriors. ^^;

The rest haven't yet revealed their singing voices to me so I'd appreciate all ideas for them. =) Though, I think Sky could be another one who'd have as pure (and beautiful) voice as Time has. ^^;

Published: 28.02.2024 around 3:10 of Finnish time

“No… Not like this… Please… Stop!”

Warriors screamed as he desperately tried to dash to Sprite. The monsters were overpowering the ten and half year old kid. The Fierce Deity mask had been struck out of his hands before he could put it on. And not just that… Those beasts had cut the whole hand off from wrist. “SPRITE!” He screamed out as he saw the beasts cruelly murder his brother right before his eyes.

Suddenly the scene changed and he heard his brother scream out in pain again. The Captain swiftly turned around and screamed. Volga, in his dragon form, was breathing down the fire and burning his closest comrade into crisp. He ran as fast as he could. “No… Not like this… It didn’t go like this!” He screamed while knowing he had been between them. He had taken that fire to protect Sprite. It had taken quite a while before he had had his arm healed well enough to continue fighting.

A flash of bright light and another scenery appeared. A startled yelp. A gasp. Warriors turned around towards the sounds that were coming from much older person than what his brother had been during the war. His eyes widened as he saw Time on the ground with the Moblin over him while being ready to strike that spear of its into him. A swift check around and he realized that the others were missing. “No… Not like this… It wasn’t like this… SPRITE!” He screamed out while dashing forward. He couldn’t do anything else than watch as the spear was struck repeatedly down into the Chain’s leader’s chest.

Next scene and Stalfos dropped down onto Time. Wind wasn’t there to deflect the attack. The swords struck into the exposed area of his brother’s neck and shoulders. There wasn’t much he could do to save Sprite.

Warriors fell to his knees as the situations kept coming. He couldn’t change any of them. He couldn’t get to his brother in time. He was crying and trembling. “No… Not like this… Please… Sprite…. Please…”

Suddenly a quiet voice snapped the Captain’s gaze up. He flinched roughly as another death befell upon his brother. Yet, he slowly recognized the words that slowly got stronger. But more importantly, he recognized the voice.

Warriors rose to his feet shakily and started to head towards the singing. He closed his eyes and just followed the voice he knew by heart. “Sprite…” He whispered with a small smile while leaving the sceneries of death behind him.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Time, wake up.” Hyrule called carefully while shaking the Chain’s leader. Time groaned while slowly opening his eye and looking up at the healer. “Something’s wrong.” The Traveler continued before bit gasping in start when the one eyed male’s hand came to his forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Time inquired with slight frown. “You don’t feel warm but that doesn’t mean anything. How are you feeling? Nauseous? Feverish? Sick in overall?” He slowly sat up while keeping his worried gaze in the younger male. “Or did you have a nightmare?” He glanced once around to check on the sleeping Chain before switching into Fairy Language: “Problems with different matter?”

Hyrule blushed and pulled away a bit. He already raised his hands up and waved them in declining manner. “No, not me. I’m fine.” He stated out swiftly and Time sighed in relief before nodding. “It’s Captain.” The healer of the Chain of Links told while glancing at the sleeping Warriors. “I can’t get him to wake up. I… I think he’s having a nightmare.” He told bit worriedly. “And… Um… He keeps calling for Sprite.”

Time had frowned first in worry before eventually sighing bit heavily and nodding. “War memories.” He half mumbled before nodding. “Give me a second.” The Chain’s leader half requested while starting to get up and put his shoes on. After that they moved over to the Captain’s side.

Hyrule stayed bit away as Time crouched down next to his brother and started to shake him. “Hey, Captain, wake up.” He pretty much started with a command but it didn’t aid a thing. He shook bit rougher on the male’s shoulders. “Come on, Wars. Don’t do this to me, ‘k.” The Chain’s leader partly growled while feeling like he was going to humiliate himself soon. “Wars, seriously big brother, I’m not exactly up for barking at you here now.”

Unfortunately, the Old Man’s calm attempts of waking the Captain up failed fully. If anything, Warriors only curled up even more like wanting to hide away from the whole world. Time sighed and shook his head. “Fine.” He partly grumbled. “You asked for it.” He stated out before giving an apologetic look to Hyrule. “Sorry, this is something I did back in the war.” Time explained before taking a deep breath and closing his eye. He took couple of more deep breaths while letting them out slowly to calm down and get into the right kind of mood.

When the Chain’s leader opened his eye, he was pretty much glaring at the Captain. “Fucking hell, you jerk, get your dumb ass off of the bed already! The war doesn’t wait for sleepers!” He barked out as roughly as he could while trying his best to ignore the startled jump from Hyrule. He even could hear some of the lighter sleepers wake up too but he kept his gaze in his brother. Time partly growled when his best option had failed. “Damn you…” He mumbled while fully contemplating about dropping water on Warriors’ head. Yet, he chose against it since if his two first ideas had failed, he was not going to endanger the Captain’s life by unintended drowning.

“Okay, fine…” The one eyed male mumbled before gulping once. He closed his eye and tried to calm down. “Just know that I’ll hate you for this.” He whispered before taking few more deep breaths… Until he started to sing very quietly and bit uncertainly. Yet, his voice got bit more strength the further he went with it.

“What if everything you always took for granted was gone

And everything you ever thought was right was wrong

What if everyone you ever loved was torn

From the pages of your life

Would you reach out for tomorrow or try to turn back time

 

These open arms

Will wait for you

These open arms

Can’t pull us through

Between what's left and left to do

These open arms

These open arms

These open arms

Will wait for you

 

Did you really love the ones you said you'd love

That's right – did you make a damn of difference in somebody else's life?

Tell me, is there someone you can count on when you need a friend?

Can you say I need a friend?

 

These open arms

Will wait for you

These open arms

Can’t pull us through

Between what's left and left to do

These open arms

These open arms

These open arms

Will wait for you

 

Can you live in your skin? Walk in your own shoes?

You can't win if you don't know how to lose

Crawl, fall

Jonny gotta learn to fly

 

These open arms

Will wait for you

These open arms

Can’t pull us through

Between what's left and left to do

These open arms

These open arms

These open arms

These open arms

These open arms

Will wait for you”

Time had heard the shuffling when Hyrule left from his side. Deep inside he knew the healer was waking up the others but he tried not to pay attention into it. Instead, his whole notion was in the words of the song he knew Warriors loved. He simply wished he remembered the words right.

“Are you deliberately singing the words wrong or is that how you learned them?” Warriors suddenly inquired while opening his eyes.

Time jerked and snapped his gaze right into his brother. “You’re awake!” He exclaimed with full relief and wide smile. “Hyrule couldn’t get you to wake up and I…” He started before trailing off and shrugging. “Just glad you’re okay.” The Chain’s leader simply said while feeling bit contradicted. He quite well wanted to hug Warriors tightly but then again… He noticed his boys staring at him and he didn’t want to get them more freaked out than what he had done so far.

The Captain shook his head before running a hand through his hair. “Just a stupid nightmare that wasn’t up for letting me go.” He told with a shrug before grinning. “Heard you sing and followed that.”

Time groaned and rolled his eye while turning away. “Should’ve dropped the water on your face.” He muttered under his breath.

Warriors chuckled and shook his head. “Glad you didn’t.” He stated out while still grinning. “So, just for the next time, little brother: It’s not ‘can’t pull us through’ but ‘can pull us through’. It’s not ‘Can you say I need a friend’, it’s ‘Can’t you see I need a friend’. Plus, there’s no names given. The last lines before the last chorus goes as ‘Crawl, fall, try, You're gonna learn to fly’.” The Captain corrected before shrugging a bit. “It’s supposed to be very encouraging song. Kinda like telling that one’s strong enough to carry both himself as well as those he loves and cares for.” He explained with a small smile.

Time had turned his gaze back into Warriors with a frown. “I…” He turned his gaze off. ”I always thought it was quite sad song. Kinda… Hopeless in a way…” He whispered while thinking through the differences in how he had heard it and how it should’ve been. “I… I never saw the lyrics. Just… H-heard you sing it.” The Chain’s leader partly mumbled while feeling like he had just ruined the song.

“It’s fine!” The Captain told with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Glad to fix the mistakes and get you to see the actual truth of it.” He told before smiling fondly. “Besides, I’ve always loved to listen to your singing. Been missing that for a long while.”

Time half groaned, half whined as he slumped forward while hiding his face into his hands. “No, you don’t! My singing’s shit!” He partly growled while hitting his ears back.

The Captain and the whole Chain was entirely shocked about that claim. “Sprite?” Warriors called worriedly before sighing heavily. He recalled very clearly how little his brother had wanted anyone to hear him sing. In fact, if he had been caught in action of it, he’d get fully freaked out, dash the hell out of there and be gone for few days. It worried the Captain greatly back then but he didn’t get much out of the child. In the end, all he could do was to listen him in secret. He had been meaning to address the problem and get into the bottom of the whole thing but he never was given the chance. And now… Now his brother was claiming something like this.

“I seriously should’ve just dropped the damn water on you, Captain.” Time partly snapped while still keeping his back to the whole Chain. “Would’ve saved you all from my croaking.” He mumbled with slightly broken voice while desperately trying to fight back against the tears and concentrating into keeping his breathing calm.

“What?!” Warriors quite well snapped in shock. “The hell…?” He stumbled with his words while opening and shutting his mouth few times before bit growling. He moved right in front of Time and placed his hands onto the older male’s shoulders. “Now, you look at me, Sprite.” The Captain commanded and held back his own flinch as Time flinched slightly at his words but he did raise his head up a bit. The broken, slight bit hopeful but more so fearful look thoroughly broke Warriors’ heart. “Sprite… I promised back during the war that I would never lie to you. Remember that, yeah?” He started and the Chain’s leader gave a slight nod. “Then, pray tell me, why the fuck do you think I’m lying now when I’m saying your singing’s amazing.” Time dropped his gaze down while looking entirely uncertain.

“Your voice is so much better than mine. It’s more harmonious and gentle. Mine’s damn much rougher. Unpracticed, if you will.” Warriors stated out. Time snorted and shook his head. “Sprite?” The Captain called worriedly. “Who the fuck’s been lying to you? Whoever that bastard is, I will wring their necks for it.” He partly growled.

“It doesn’t matter, Captain.” Time stated out while still keeping his gaze off. “It’s none of you eight, that’s for sure.”

“Obviously since this is first time we’re hearing you sing, Sprite.” Warriors replied bit roughly. “Now, who was it that got you to think you’re not good singer?” He inquired firmly. “Talk to me, Sprite. We’ll be clearing this shit off right here, right now whether or not you like it.”

Time partly growled as he sighed almost exaggerated. “Does it really matter?” He snapped and finally turned his angry gaze up into his brother.

“To me it does.” The Captain simply answered while not letting Time’s gaze faze him.

“Why?!” Time snapped roughly while fully wanting to be off of the topic.

“Because it’s hurting you.” Warriors replied calmly while softening his gaze. “I care about you, Sprite. It hurts to see you hurting.” Time huffed and dropped his gaze down again. “Please, Sprite, let me help.”

Time sighed sorrowfully and slumped. “There’s nothing you can do about it.” He whispered quietly.

Warriors sighed heavily before glancing at the Chain behind Time. The seven Heroes were watching the scene with full uncertainty. They wanted to help but they didn’t know how. At the moment the Captain had the best chance of aiding their leader but it was clear he wasn’t getting through. “How about I sing that same song and the seven there can choose between the two of us? They can tell off the differences between our singing voices and tell which of us two is better. Okay?” Warriors offered while feeling bit hopeful.

Time sighed but he shrugged. “Fine.” He half whispered before taking a deep breath and closing his eye. “They’ll choose you for certain.”

“We’ll see about that.” The Captain told with a grin before turning his gaze into the others. “You heard the plan, right?” He inquired and the Chain nodded. “Okay. You’re the judges here now.” Warriors stated out before taking a deep breath and starting to sing the same lyrics Time had sang just a while ago but going for the correct words.

Yet, the Chain’s leader’s second-in-command didn’t get even as far as to the first chorus before he already quieted his singing voice. He was trying to hold back his grin as he had noticed Time first having started to mouth the lyrics until already whispering the words. Little by little the Captain quieted down while letting his brother take the singing.

This was something that Warriors had noticed to happen every now and then during the war. The kid liked to sing but he didn’t dare to let anyone hear him. And sometimes, when the Captain himself had been singing, his brother had slowly picked up the words and started to sing with him. Yet, if he commented about Sprite’s singing in any of way, it always resulted into same outcome: Freaking out, bolting away and staying out of sight for few days just to make sure the topic of his singing would be dropped.

Still, whenever Sprite, and now Time, picked up on the Captain’s singing and quietly brought his own voice into it, Warriors quieted down and just listened. And so, he was smiling a bit while listening to his little brother’s voice sing the words of the song in the right way this time around. The Chain listened quietly while fully being taken off guard by the beauty of their leader’s singing voice.

When Time finally fell silent after reaching the end of the song, the seven Links started to applaud while smiling widely. Their leader gasped in shock before already slumping forward while being entirely ashamed of his own actions. “Sprite, you can’t claim your voice to be shit. The eight of us with you… Honestly, we wouldn’t lie to you about something like this. So…. Who is it that’s been lying to you?”

Time sighed heavily before sitting up straight. “Mido.” He finally whispered while keeping his eye closed. “He….” The Chain’s leader started before sighing again and shaking his head. He opened his eye and dropped his gaze into his hands. “It was at Kokiri Forest. Before my first quest. Mido… He’s a Kokiri. And, well, kinda like the leader of sorts. He… I….” He bit down to his lower lip after trailing off and thinking his words through.

Eventually Time sighed heavily. “I thought I was one of them. A Kokiri. But… Unlike them, I didn’t have a fairy. And, obviously, I grew up unlike them. Kokiri are… Well, they’re eternal children. And, if I’ve understood right, Koroks once were Kokiri. Anyway… Um… Mido…. He, um, really hated me. We fought quite often and, um….”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Warriors suddenly interrupted him and snapped Time’s gaze up into him. “Why did he hate you?”

“Um… Because I wasn’t a Kokiri?” Time partly stated it out, partly inquired before sighing and shrugging. “I don’t know, Wars. He just did. I was different. I wasn’t like them. I had fairies around me whole time. Saria… S-she was like sister to me. The only friend I had in there. And Mido wasn’t happy of that. He really… Wanted me gone.” He explained while having dropped his gaze back down and feeling fully uncertain.

“And… The singing…?” Warriors inquired worriedly.

Time bit down to his lower lip again. “He, um… C-claimed my singing’s like frog’s croaking that’s out of tune.” He whispered and shut his eye tightly while waiting for his brother to snap at him. Yet, the Captain was fully rendered speechless by such a claim. The Chain’s leader slowly calmed down. He gulped once and continued: “Nine years straight…. I think… Never said it while others were around. Just him and I. I… I was only one year old, I guess, when it started. I was… S-singing with the fairies back then and….” He trailed off with a shrug.

“Didn’t the fairies ever back you up?” Hyrule asked while being thoroughly shocked of the situation.

Time flinched roughly as he had fully forgotten the others to be there too. For him, at the moment, it had been just him and Wars. For him, they were back in the Captain’s era, back in the war and just talking. He had entirely forgotten who and where he was. “Um…It wasn’t that simple back then. I was still learning their language and, well, Mido was part of their family far more than I ever could be. They…” He started before sighing and shrugging. “They didn’t care of one’s singing voice. Never mentioned to one way or the other. They just… Sang with me.”

Hyrule sighed and shook his head. “The kindness of the fairies.” He half whispered sorrowfully before bit smiling and changing his language. “From fairy kin to the one fairies have claimed as one of their own… Your singing is beautiful.”

Time jerked at the given compliment and snapped his shocked gaze into the Traveler. “I have no idea what Hyrule said but I’m going to say this: Your singing is very pleasant to listen.” Legend stated out calmly and the others nodded in agreement. The Chain’s leader was fully taken off guard as he turned his gaze from one to another as they all gave out compliments about his singing.

Warriors was grinning quite victoriously as he watched his brother get the praise his singing voice deserved. “As you can see, we eight are determinated to change your own opinion of your singing voice, Sprite.” He told after the last one had given his compliments and got Time to snap his gaze back into his brother.

Time was feeling entirely shocked, quite ashamed and bit fearful of the situation. The Captain’s grin changed into a soft and fond smile. He gently took hold of his brother’s chin before kissing his forehead. “If there’s one thing you can count on, Sprite, it’s our honesty.” He whispered quietly as the Chain’s leader closed his eye while looking bit defeated and sorrowful. Warriors gently pulled him into a hug.

“Can I sing a song for you, Sprite?” Warriors inquired and Time simply nodded. “This is something I heard you sing every now and then.” He confessed bit uncertainly while feeling like the words would fit perfectly for the moment. “I just hope I can get the words right.” The Captain told before taking a deep breath and beginning to sing:

“With this song, bring no wrong
Lift me from this curse.
Let this form, like a storm,
Fade and disperse

 

In your mind walk through time
Back to brighter days.
Days filled with ways that could
Chase fears away.

 

Like the sun shining bright,
Light will soon find you.
Bringing a promise that
You’ll be okay.

 

Cast away all your fears,
Follow your heart.
With this mask I’ll ask
To grant a new start.”

Time jerked in shock when he realized what Warriors was singing. He pulled off and stared wide-eyed at his brother. Part of him wanted to stop him but at the same time… Those words had helped him during the war. He sighed quietly and relaxed while closing his eye again. He wanted to sing along but this time around he kept his mouth shut and just listened. It was first time someone else sang the words.

“That’s the Song of Healing.” The Chain’s leader told once the Captain had ended the song.

“Sounds fitting.” Warriors stated with a slight grin.

Time gave a short chuckle and shrugged. “I guess.” He half whispered while bit frowning and thinking through everything that had happened since Hyrule woke him up. Slowly he started to smile a bit as he raised his gaze up into the slowly brightening sky. After a moment he closed his eye but the smile stayed on his face. “I guess I’ll be okay.” He whispered but he soon frowned a bit as he heard the seven Heroes move behind him. Yet, before he had a chance to do much, the eight boys of his already had him in a group hug. All he managed was the slight startled yelp before bit chuckling and calming down. He closed his eye and relaxed. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

The Chain made sure they didn’t overdo things but they did get Time to sing every now and then. Yet, they made sure he wasn’t the first one. It usually started by someone else and from there the others joining in by singing one of their own favorite songs or something that would fit the mood or topic or something else. After a while, if their leader hadn’t picked things up on his own or started to unconsciously co-sing with Warriors, they’d coax him to sing something.

The biggest thing they did was to get Time to sing to Malon when they next time were at Lon-Lon Ranch. The Chain had entirely and thoroughly promised to be out of the way and giving the duo a private moment…. Yet, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try and eavesdrop one way or another… Like through an open window. Yet, even though Time probably was aware that the eight of them would try something like that, he never brought it up. Neither did the Chain as they simply were grateful of having aided their family member to change his thoughts around about his singing voice.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 30: Day 29: Not allowed to die

Summary:

Time is eternal and so is the Hero of Time..... The eight Links are NOT happy of this claim.

Notes:

VERY emotional chapter!
Though, that does feel kinda right for the end of Febuwhump. =) BUT do not worry! There's still ten more stories to come as I handle the Extras too! ;)

CW: Cursing, major character death.... Everyone dies eventually, right? Just... Where do Heroes go after death?

Slight picture inspiration:
https://www.tumblr.com/lolabearwrites/718268505134333952/time-angst-anyone
If someone has Tumblr account, please, let them know of my story, thanks! ^.^
ALSO, I will be doing at least one story more based on that picture. ^^; It's just VERY emotional AND great story inspiration.... Though, I DO feel bad for Time there. ^^;

Published: 29.02.2024 around 1:10 of Finnish time

The calm night was chilly but the nine Heroes were warm by the blazing fire. Things had started just by sharing few stories of their adventures with Wind being most active one talking. Time rather listened than shared but he did say a thing or few now and then.

“I think I’ve died few times… Or at least been very close to it.” Twilight told while bit grimacing as he unconsciously touched a light scar over his throat.

Wild chuckled and grinned. “Well, I think I can beat that one.” He told and chuckled as the others just shook their heads with a smile on their face.

“I don’t think you actually were dead but, well, close to it.” Sky commented while seriously not wanting to think about any of the Heroes dying.

Wild just shrugged. “Either way, I think I still beat anyone’s claims.”

“What does happen after death, though?” Wind inquired while frowning. “Is there even anything after it?”

“Ghosts.” Wild replied with a shrug.

“I know that.” The Sailor bit snapped. “Seen enough of them.” He muttered bit angrily while thinking about the sword he carried. “I just mean that… Well….” He shrugged while trying to find the right words.

“Well, I for one will certainly get some much needed rest.” Legend stated out with a grin. The others chuckled a bit while nodding in agreement. “This is my sixth quest. I think I’ve done more than my share by the end of this.” The Veteran told with a shrug.

“Ouch…” Four muttered while bit wincing at the amount of quests. “My third.” He offered and the others started to give out their numbers. Yet, Time stayed quiet while staring at the fire. “Hey, Old Man!” The Smithy called and snapped the Chain’s leader’s notion into him. “What’s your number on quests considering this one we’re on?”

Time blinked few times before bit shrugging. “Um… F-fourth…” He partly mumbled while dropping his gaze back into the flames.

“Sprite?” Warriors called and got the one eyed male to glance at him. “You okay?” He inquired and Time just shrugged. “Come on, little brother, what’s going through that head of yours right now?” The Captain coaxed carefully.

Time sighed and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, really. Just…” He sighed again and shook his head. “Just realizations, I guess.” He muttered quietly.

“Such as…?” Warriors continued to coax as calmly and gently as he could.

“Eh, nothing of worth mentioning.” Time stated out with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Actually, Sprite, you’ve piqued everyone’s interest right now.” The Captain stated out with a slight grin.

Time groaned and hid his face into his hands. “Just get off of my case, will ya, Wars.” He partly grumbled while returning to stare into the fire.

“Sprite?” Warriors called worriedly as he recognized the hesitant and bit sorrowful look on his brother’s face. It was clear he wanted to talk but at the same time he wasn’t eager of sharing. “Come on, Sprite, please?” The Captain partly begged.

Time sighed heavily and closed his eye. “I’m not going to be allowed the get the rest you guys will gain after death.” He whispered sorrowfully. “The Goddesses… I’m more sure of this than of anything else in my whole life: I’m not allowed to die. At least… Not the way you guys get it. It won’t be… Permanent.” The silence that followed his words was tangible.

Time sighed heavily while feeling everyone’s shocked gazes in him. He kept staring into the fire as he began to talk: “Warriors come and go. Winds can be changed and stilled. Hyrule can either grow through alliances or diminish by wars. Four is a number and its context depends on what’s connected into it. Wild is the world around us. Legends are made and sometimes they are forgotten or left entirely out of knowledge. Twilights are all different, there’s no two of the same. Sky can be bright, clear and sunny as much as it can be clouded and dark. But time….” He shook his head. “It keeps going. It can’t be changed or tampered with. You can split it but you can’t end it. It’s uncaring straight line.” The one eyed male sighed heavily. “You don’t get a title like mine without fucking good reason. And hence….” He closed his eye in sorrow with his ears drooping. “I’ll never be allowed to die and gain the rest like you eight will.”

The Chain’s leader tried to dry his tears while smiling sorrowfully. “When your times come… Find each other again. But….” He gulped once but his voice still kept wavering. “Don’t search for me. I won’t be there.”

The Chain stared at Time for a long while in absolute silence. This had never even crossed their minds. “NO.” Warriors suddenly stated out far firmer than ever before. He glared at his brother while seething with rage. “There is NO fucking chance I’ll let this happen.” The Captain snarled while fisting his hands before pointing at Sky. “We got fucking GODSLAYER among us! I don’t care who the fuck I have to fight but I will NOT let you be kept away from getting the rest and afterlife you fucking well deserve!”

Time just sighed and shook his head. “It’s not like you’d have a choice, Wars.” He half whispered. “My path’s already set.” He stated out and glanced at Twilight with a sorrowful smile.

“What the fuck that’s supposed to mean?!” Warriors snapped while feeling like screaming and starting a fight right here and now.

“It means that Time’s going to be my mentor.” Twilight suddenly spoke and got the other’s to snap their gazes into him. “I didn’t know until much later.” He explained sorrowfully and sighed heavily.

“Hero’s Shade. That’s what you called me.” Time partly mused and shrugged. “At least I’ll get to see one of you after this quest is over.”

“Hero’s Shade?” Hyrule queried with a frown.

“A ghostly Stalfos of sorts.” Time answered with a shrug. “Twilight recognized me when we first met even though I had no idea who he was. Yet…. When I’ll be teaching him, I’ll be knowing him but he won’t know me.” He explained and chuckled shortly. “That’s the downside of time traveling.”

The Chain just stared in silent shock once again. “We’ll figure out something, Time. I’m sure of that.” Sky told calmly but Time just shook his head.

“Don’t bother. You’d only get yourself into shitty situation. It….” The Chain’s leader trailed off while knowing the others wouldn’t take his words no matter how he’d say them. He simply sighed and shook his head. “It’s not worth the hell you guys would go through. I was doomed from the start.” He thought sorrowfully while just staring into the fire.

The silence returned as the Chain thought the words through. Time sighed heavily and shook his head. “I’ve already accepted it.” He started quietly while knowing that everyone was staring at him again. “It hurts, I admit that. But….” He shrugged with a small, sorrowful smile. “A-at least I’ll have the memories. It’ll be all I’ll get. Just….” He trailed off and simply shrugged without knowing what to say. “Just don’t forget me, please.” Was all he could think of but he didn’t dare to say it aloud as he tried not to break into pieces right then and there.

 Warriors was growling while glaring at the fire. It was clear he wasn’t going to accept Time’s fate. He was already working for a solution even though he had no idea what such would be. Yet, as he glanced around, it was clear that the others were pondering for a way to save their leader from the eternity lasting loneliness he clearly was doomed into. None of them were going to accept that. Yet, at the moment they couldn’t do a thing about it.

As the quest went forward and they closed in on the main enemy, the Chain kept talking about Time’s revelation every now and then. The conversations were kept whenever their leader wasn’t around. It was clear that the one eyed male wouldn’t accept their plans as he clearly had accepted what would come to him in the future. As the plan slowly formed, they simply wished they’d still remember it before and after the death would claim them. At least Wild would be up and about for putting things into motion once the quest would be over.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

It wasn’t longer than two years after his quest with the eight Heroes was done when Time knew his life was coming to an end. He could feel the call of the Lost Woods and no matter how he fought against it, he knew he’d end up wandering into there anyways. Yet, he hadn’t waited to end up into one last battle as he had already retired from everything that considered swinging a blade against enemies. Yet, when Princess Zelda had requested for him to handle one last mission for the kingdom, he hadn’t declined. Even though the call to arms had come from head of the kingdom, he didn’t fight for Hyrule or for the royals. He fought for the safety of his family and home.

The harder thing for him was the fact that Malon was pregnant with their first child. It broke him harder than anything before to know he would never get to see the kid or even know if they’d get a boy or girl. He’d never know their little one’s name.

Time had fought so hard and desperately in hopes of being wrong. He kept praying that he’d get at least couple of years with his family. If nothing else than for few short months just to get to meet his child but, as so many times before, the Goddesses refused to hear him.

Time had put all precautions into work from full armor with the helmet to his best weapons but, just like he had known, it didn’t matter even one bit. Even though he lost his life in one form, he took a breath in another. Things had happened too fast to even think about using the Ocarina of Time to turn back the time and retry. After the lost battle he had tried to walk out of the Lost Woods only to realize that unseen barrier was keeping him trapped in the forest. All he could do was to wait…. And he had no idea how much of time and generations were between him and Twilight.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Hero’s Shade felt the change in his own heart. He had wandered around the Lost Woods for so long that he couldn’t call the forest as what its name suggested anymore. He knew every single fucking inch of the area. He knew its magic and ways of changing everything. He was beyond its effects by now even though he hadn’t been allowed out of there… Until now.

Even though Hero’s Shade had more room to move around, he was still guided to specific road. Before he even realized, he had changed into the Golden Wolf. The Sacred Beast moved around fast while taking in the scents of the living. It was something he hadn’t had for centuries. It was thrilling but also bit scary. And yet, he kept moving to the way he had been allowed to… To where his heart was leading him into.

The Golden Wolf came into the vicinity of a small town. He frowned at first before his gaze found familiar person. The creature smiled at his Cub. Part of him just wanted to dash in and be part of his life but he knew better. He couldn’t, and the Goddesses certainly wouldn’t allow him to, intervene into the youngster’s life. Not yet, at least.

It took couple of months before the Golden Wolf took part into the life of the town’s people. The sword they were meant to guard was pulled out. “Not on my watch!” Time thought out as he dashed into the scene and dragged Link out of the danger. It was quite shocking when the town and all of the people vanished before his eye. Yet, out of Twilight’s explanations eternity ago, he knew this had to happen.

The Golden Wolf ran as fast as his feet could take him as he made his way straight into Ordon. This was the home his Cub was meant to have. Part of him desperately wanted to raise Link by himself but he knew he had no rights to do such. He couldn’t go and change things. Even one difference would end up turning too much into wrong way and…. Well, for once he was partly selfish as he wanted to Twilight meet with him in different outlook in a quest where the Hero of Twilight would gain one hell of a family out of all Heroes of Hyrule. That was his only consolation as he silently bid goodbye to the boy as he left him into Ordon.

Time had been certain he’d be forced back either into the Lost Woods or then into the Sacred Realm to wait for the time Hero’s Shade would be needed. Yet, that wasn’t the case. Instead he was given a chance to move around Twilight’s Hyrule and get to know it. Still, he kept returning to Ordon just to keep eye on how things were going with the eventually to be Hero of Twilight.

As the Golden Wolf, he visited at the places where the song rocks were at. Out of Twilight’s explanations he knew which songs to howl and instill into them. Yet, after each rock, he kept returning to Ordon as his travels kept taking him further and further from there. Eventually, after the last rock, he stayed close to Ordon… Until Twilight’s first quest began.

Time dearly wished he could’ve done more. He wished he could’ve aided Link in the battles. He wished he could’ve followed him into those Temples and whatnots. And yet, all he could do was to howl with him, let him chase the Golden Wolf and eventually, as Hero’s Shade, teach him the moves.

After having watched from afar his Cub beat Ganondorf, Hero’s Shade returned into the Lost Woods. He had done his part. Twilight would be perfectly fine without him. And when that portal opened up, the Golden Wolf patrolled the fields and around the towns and cities. He defended the Hyrule his Chain’s member kept as his home. It was the least he could do and which, oddly enough, was allowed by the Goddesses.

When the quest was finally over and Twilight returned to his timeline… Time stayed away. It wasn’t his own choice. He wanted to meet up with his Cub. He desperately tried to go to him but there was an invisible wall blocking each and every attempt he made to let Twilight know he was there with him.

Time’s heart ached as he was forced to stay out of sight as his Cub desperately called for him. All possible actions and names were brought out but he kept from appearing. “I told you. Don’t search for me. This isn’t allowed.” Hero’s Shade thought while desperately wishing to cry but skeletons were denied such actions.

Time didn’t know if it was done to mock him or to give him some consolation as he was allowed to watch his Cub live his life. Defending Hyrule. Getting married. Gaining children. Actually growing old and, for once, allowing a peaceful passing. He even attended into the funeral even though he was breaking into pieces without being able to show his feelings in full.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The centuries went by and Hyrule changed. Time just kept watching and waiting. Eventually Wild came into the world. “I’m so sorry, my dear Rascal, for what you are going to go through.” He thought as he followed unseen the events he had only heard about to come into life. It hurt so hellishly to just watch while being unable to help in any of way.

Time screamed and fought against the unseen wall as he saw Wild being struck down by the Guardian Stalkers. Even when Zelda, later to be named as Flora, awakened her powers to save them, she couldn’t see him. He was torn between which to follow, Zelda or Wild, but he eventually followed his heart and went after the Sheikahs and one of his boys.

When the Shrine of Resurrection was sealed, Hero’s Shade stood in guard. His form as the Golden Wolf tore the beasts to pieces while his ghostly skeletal form as the Hero’s Shade took down the Guardians that wished to break into the mountain. Time pretty much fought night and day for the first few years before the number of the enemies had been cut down well enough. Even though he didn’t have his Biggoron Sword, Gilded Sword, Great Fairy’s Sword or even the Master Sword, his work still managed to render some of the Guardian Stalkers into death and some into that alive being things that couldn’t move. All he could think of was to let his boy sleep safely for those hundred years.

When the Sacred Wolf of Twilight’s appeared, Time knew he had done all he could. Before the wolf could notice him, Hero’s Shade was already gone. He returned once again into the Lost Woods to stay out of interfering further into the actions. His Cub would handle everything rest. Though, none of that was his own choice. The Goddesses just refused to let him take part into anything that didn’t fit into their plans.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time had long since given up on keeping notion in the hours, days, weeks, months and years. He knew he’d be there forever so it was futile to figure out how long it would’ve been since he had been alive. He only followed the feelings and acted by that.

Hero’s Shade desperately wanted to cry when Wild came to look for him after the quest with eight other Heroes. He approached the Champion but once again the Goddesses denied him the chance to meet with one of his boys. All he could do was to watch as the Hero walked past him. “I love you, Wild. I’m so proud of you.” He whispered but not even his words got through the barrier before him.

Eventually Wild stopped coming to the forest to search for him. Time wasn’t sure but he felt like that hurt even more than anything else before. It felt like the Champion had given up on him. Hero’s Shade fell to his knees while simply wishing that his dear Rascal had found a life he wanted. Time had tried to leave the Lost Woods to check on his last boy but once again he found that he was trapped into the forest. He was nothing more than a prisoner and a pawn to the Goddesses.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The ache in Hero’s Shade’s chest was the only indication of something having changed. He swiftly followed the feeling while being slight bit grateful of being allowed out of the Lost Woods. The world had once again changed a bit. What once had been destroyed was now in good shape of being rebuilt. It was slight consolation even though there still was lot to be done.

The ghostly Stalfos gasped slightly when Wolfie came to him. The old canine clearly didn’t have much time left and it broke Hero’s Shade’s heart once again. “Twilight.” He simply whispered while sitting down and letting the wolf lay down by him. “Get your rest, my dear Cub.” He whispered sorrowfully while petting the greenish fur of the Sacred Beast. “You’ve done well. I’m so very proud of you.”

Once again he wished he could’ve cried as Wolfie took his last breath. Yet, as long as he would be allowed, he’d stay by the wolf and kept petting him. Unfortunately, that was short lived when Wild came forth. Hero’s Shade carefully stood up when he heard someone approach him from behind. He knew those steps by heart but he didn’t dare to turn around.

“Time?” The call was quiet and tentative. Hero’s Shade jerked a bit in shock before slightly chuckling.

“Well, that’s a name I haven’t heard for eternity.” The ghostly skeletal warrior replied sorrowfully. Yet, he nearly instantly sighed heavily. “Do Wolfie one last favor and bury him to the place he loved the most.” He requested quietly.

“I will.” Wild replied while clearly trying to stay in one piece. “Time! Wait!” He called straight off when the Hero’s Shade was up for leaving. “Turn around, please. I want to see you.” He begged quietly.

Hero’s Shade shook his head. “No, you don’t.” He replied with breaking heart. “I don’t want you to see me like this, Rascal. I want you to remember me like I was during our quest.”

Wild chuckled slightly. “I haven’t heard that nickname for quite a while either.” He commented before slowly moving closer to the Hero’s Shade and Wolfie. “Please, Time. Twilight once drew a picture of Hero’s Shade for me. I know how you look.”

Time gulped once while trying to stay intact. “Picture and reality are rarely one and same thing.” He warned while being fully contradicted. He wanted to see Wild again but then again he didn’t want to freak him out.

“Let me be the judge of that.” Wild stated out as firmly as he could.

Hero’s Shade took a deep breath. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you then.” He told and slowly turned around. The Champion gasped in shock and Time flinched roughly. “I knew this was a bad idea…” He mumbled.

“No, just shocked how well Twi could draw.” Wild replied with a grin and snapped Hero’s Shade’s gaze into him. The ghostly being chuckled slightly at the words. Wild smiled slightly as he half whispered: “It’s good to see you again, Time.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you, Wild.” Hero’s Shade apologized sorrowfully.

Wild shook his head. “Don’t say that. You did lot during our shared quest. I’m just…” He sighed and shook his head again. “I’m just sad of the fact how long you’ve been alone. I tried to find you before but…”

“The Goddesses refused to let me through.” Hero’s Shade replied sorrowfully before shaking his head. “Anyways, you got lot to be done. I’m sorry I’m leaving you alone with everything again.” He apologized while staring to back out of there.

“Wait!” Wild begged and stopped the ghostly Stalfos from leaving. “I….” He gulped while thinking through the plans he and the Chain had made. “Will you, please, meet with me at the Spring of Courage two weeks from here?” He pleaded desperately.

Hero’s Shade sighed heavily and nodded. “If the Goddesses allow I’ll be there.” He promised before backing out of there and right into the Realm he was quite well trapped into. “I’m proud of you, Rascal.” Were the last words he said before vanishing from Wild’s sight.

Hero’s Shade refused to return to the Lost Woods. He made his way straight to the Spring of Courage while hoping he could be allowed to stay in there. Sure, he was out of sight but at least he was in the right place. Maybe, if he concentrated well enough, he might be capable of leaving some kind of marking of having been there. Yet, he doubted his luck with such.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Two weeks went by slowly. For once Hero’s Shade ignored the strong call of the Lost Woods and just stayed to his place. He desperately wanted to see what his Rascal had in mind even if he wouldn’t be able to really take part.

Eventually the Champion came to the sacred place. The ghostly Stalfos smiled sorrowfully as he watched him. Wild had checked around but he hadn’t seen him. Still, he moved forwards with his plan and took his weapons and clothes off until he was in his underwear before going into the water. He moved to stand in front of the Goddess Statue before submerging and clearly throwing in a prayer. “Time? Are you in here?” He called worriedly after he had managed to push his long hair off of his face and turned to take a look around.

“I’m here, Rascal.” Hero’s Shade called while taking couple of steps closer to the edge of the water.

Wild gasped and turned around in a flash. He smiled widely while clearly being fully grateful of him being there. “Time! I’m so glad you came.” He stated out while actually wanting to get out of the water and, if allowed, to hug his Chain’s leader. Yet, he had different things to be done.

Hero’s Shade thought for a moment about saying the words from his mind but chose against it. There was no need to let Wild know that he had been there for those two weeks just in case. “Just glad the Goddesses are allowing me to be in sight for now.” He simply replied with a slight shrug.

“Let’s hope they’ll let you stay a while longer.” Wild told while grinning. “There’s something I really want you to be allowed to gain.” He stated out before closing his eyes and turning to face the sky above them. Hero’s Shade watched bit confused as the Champion raised his hands up and circled them a bit before intertwining his fingers. As he brought his arms back down he bowed his head a bit until, as he freed his hands to his sides, he faced the sky again.

Suddenly bright flash of light surrounded the area. Hero’s Shade gasped a bit in shock while flinching backwards from the unexpected thing. When he lowered his hand, he gasped in shock and just stared. “Hello, Sprite. Long time no see.” Warriors grinned right behind Wild on the dry land of the pedestal where the Goddess Statue was on.

“W-Wars…?” Hero’s Shade stammered in absolute shock. He gasped in even bigger shock when one by one his boys appeared into the area. They all greeted him while clearly being happy to see him again. And once more the skeletal ghost wished he could’ve shed tears as he felt his heart clench in happiness of seeing his boys after so long. Yet, he soon frowned in confusion. “Wait… Where’s Sky?”

The Chain glanced at each other while grinning. “Sky will join us bit later. He got some things to handle.” Warriors replied almost smugly.

Hero’s Shade did not like the way the words were spoken and he gulped once. “Boys… What the hell you’ve done?” He inquired while fearing for the reasons why this kind of meeting was allowed.

Warriors chuckled and grinned even wider. “It’s more of what we haven’t done, Sprite.” He stated out before nodding towards right from Hero’s Shade. The being frowned in confusion before gasping in absolute shock at two simple words spoken by a voice his heart had been aching for for centuries.

“Fairy Boy?”

The ghostly Stalfos turned around in a flash and gasped as he saw the red haired woman. “M-Malon…” He whispered while once again cursing that he couldn’t cry. Yet, as the woman moved towards him, he took a step backwards while turning away. “I… I-I don’t want you to see me like this…” He mumbled while knowing it was already late.

“Your outlook doesn’t matter a thing, Link.” Malon stated out firmly while moving closer and taking hold of his hand. “I love you, my dear Fairy Boy.” She stated out while getting Hero’s Shade to turn his gaze back into her. “You’re still my husband.”

The ghostly being snorted. “Doesn’t it say ‘until death do us apart’?” He inquired with a slight mischievous grin.

“Do you really believe in that?” Malon inquired while hardening her gaze. Hero’s Shade sighed and shook his head. Suddenly he gasped when the woman pulled him into a hug. He sighed heavily and waveringly while returning the embrace tightly.

“I missed you, Mal.” He whispered quietly before finally pulling off. “Tell me, please, which did we get? I never got a chance to…” Hero’s Shade nearly begged.

“A girl.” Malon replied with a fond smile.

“A little princess.” Hero’s Shade whispered with a smile. “Oh, how I wish I could’ve been there…” He told while gently pressing his forehead against hers. “What did you name her?”

“Linnea.” Malon answered quietly. “I told her everything about you and the boys.”

Hero’s Shade chuckled slightly. “Beautiful name.” He told fondly. “Wish I could’ve met her. Wish I could’ve…” He trailed off while shaking his head. “It is as it is.” He mumbled while sighing heavily. He glanced at the boys by the other side of the Spring. “I guess this just has to be enough to carry me over the next thousands of years…” He sighed while returning his gaze into Malon. He really wanted to kiss her but he didn’t feel like it would be right in the form he was in.

“I don’t think that’ll be the case, Link.”

The ghostly Stalfos snapped his gaze back towards his boys but into the water instead of the dry land. “Mikau?” He called bit baffled while staring at the Zora. The aquatic male grinned and nodded.

“Not just him.”

The Hero’s Shade’s gaze flew up to the rocky ceiling and he blinked in shock. “Dextri?” He queried while being bit confused of seeing the Deku Butler’s Son.

“We’re all here, my dear Sworn Brother.”

Time struck his one eyed gaze back to the shore at the other side of the Spring. “Darmani III.” He nearly stated out before bowing before the leader of the Gorons.

“Don’t bow before me, Link.” The Goron chuckled and shook his head.

If he could’ve, the Hero’s Shade would’ve blushed at the half command. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.” He answered bit sheepishly.

“My dear friend, you are far from being alone in here.”

Hero’s Shade turned around in a flash. “Fierce?” He nearly whispered the word out while staring fully shocked at the Deity. “Oh, for the love of….” He gulped and smiled sorrowfully. “I’m so grateful that you’ve gained your body back. And rest. Oh gosh… I just….” He was fully out of words.

The Fierce Deity smiled at the Hero that had used his mask the most respectively. He moved forward and gently pulled Hero’s Shade into a hug. “I’ve been wishing to do this ever since I met you for the first time.” He told fondly.

Hero’s Shade returned the hold desperately. “I hope Wars hasn’t threatened you too much.” He mused with a grin and chuckle.

Fierce partly laughed, partly chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, my friend, I and he see eye to eye in these days.”

Hero’s Shade sighed in relief and nodded. “That’s good. Really hated that I wasn’t able to really explain things the right way to him.” He told calmly while pulling off. Yet, he soon gasped a bit as Fierce gently ran his hand over the ghostly being’s face.

“Do me a favor, my friend, and kiss your wife there.” Fierce told and grinned at the baffled look on Time’s face. “Legend allowed me to borrow his shield.” The Deity continued while bringing out one version of Mirror Shield out and let it reflect the Hero’s Shade’s face…. Which wasn’t anymore all bony but actually how Time had looked so very long time again.

Time gasped in shock and recoiled backwards. “H-how….?” He whispered while staring at the reflection.

“I am a Deity and hence I do have some unique powers.” Fierce answered calmly. Time closed his eye while breathing bit shakily.

“Gosh… I haven’t cried for eternity…” The one eyed male whispered as he felt the tears run down his face. He chuckled a bit and shook his head. “You’ve no idea…” He started before trailing off before bit gasping as Fierce gently dried some of the tears from his face.

“Just do as I asked.” The Deity told with a grin. Time partly laughed, partly chuckled. He shook his head while still grinning happily. After that he turned around and faced Malon again. Without a word or any kind of warning, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, almost desperately. Malon answered with equal strength in the emotions.

“Clearly, even after all this time, I don’t have a chance with you.” Time gasped and snapped his gaze back into the water. He blinked in shock as he saw Ruto at there. He quickly bowed before her out of pure habit of his past. “Ugh, stop bowing before royalty that are your friends!” The Zora Princess snapped.

Time chuckled a bit while actually blushing. “Sorry.” He partly mumbled but his awkwardness was short lived as the rest of the Sages, one by one, appeared to there. He was entirely shocked but also more than beyond grateful of seeing everyone he had learned to know during his life. Even Ruto’s father came forth and Time bowed to him too.

“There still room for more royalty?”

Time swiftly turned around at the call and gasped when all of the Princesses he had met and learned to know during that quest through timelines came to there. He didn’t think twice as he already knelt down to one knee like a Knight of Hyrule. “Ruto and Darmani truly are correct. You are incorrigible with this kind of thing.” One of Hyrule’s leaders stated out with a fond grin.

Time chuckled sheepishly while standing straight. “Forgive me. I just seemingly can’t get rid of that habit.” He answered while scratching the back of his head.

“Time.”

The one eyed male turned around bit startled before already grinning lopsidedly. “Birdy. I was starting to fear you’ll miss all this.” Time stated out as he saw Sky appear not far from behind Malon.

The Chosen Hero chuckled and grinned. “Sorry. Had to get few things done.” He apologized before moving bit aside. “Besides, there’s someone you simply need to meet with.” He told fondly. When the First Hero appeared out of nowhere into the area, Time gasped in shock and dropped straight to one knee while bowing his head and bit trembling. “Time?” Sky called quite shocked of the situation.

“Hero of Time.” First called calmly while walking to him and kneeling down in front of him. “You clearly recognize me.” He observed fondly while very gently placing his hand to Time’s chin and raising his head up.

“I… W-we were at Skyloft… I…. I-I was curious….” Time whispered while being bit afraid to look at the very first Hero, the one who’s Spirit was within each of them.

First smiled fondly at the third Hero. “I’m so very proud of you, Hero of Time.” He told softly and Time gasped in full shock while staring wide-eyed at him. First smiled fondly before very gently pulled Time into a hug. “You haven’t done even one thing wrong. I am so sorry for all you have gone through. I am so grateful that it was you who led the Heroes during that one quest.” He told calmly while feeling the one eyed male go first all rigid in his arms before already breaking down.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

As more and more of Time’s friends and acquaintances appeared to the area, Wild finally pulled himself up from the water and onto the pedestal before already sitting down. His brothers were watching the situation with a fond smile on their faces. “Time’s really needing this.” The Champion commented while smiling happily at how much seeing everyone again meant to their leader.

Twilight crouched down next to his protégé. “How are you doing, Cub?” He queried while glancing at Time before returning his gaze into the Hero of Wild.

“Doing well enough, Twi.” Wild replied while smiling at the Rancher. “You did warn me well enough into how Time would look like.” He explained while turning his gaze back into Hero’s Shade. Yet, soon his gaze went into Warriors. “You think this’ll work, Captain?”

Warriors sighed heavily while leaning against the wall behind him. “It has to.” He stated out firmly before sighing. “We’ve done all we can. The last part is up with Sky.” He told while keeping his gaze in his brother. “He deserves to be given the rest.” The others nodded while feeling grateful of how much seeing everyone again meant to Time. If their plan would fail, at least this was a day their Chain’s leader would remember for long while.

When Sky finally came with the First Hero with him, the whole Chain stood up and got ready. “Alright. Here it starts.” Warriors warned while being bit shocked by Time’s actions with First. “That I didn’t wait for…” He muttered and the others nodded while feeling quite baffled of the situation.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

When Time finally calmed down, First gently pushed him bit away from him. “How are you feeling, Hero of Time?” He inquired bit concerned.

Time sighed heavily while slumping. “Tired.” He mumbled sorrowfully. “So fucking tired of seeing so much but being able to do so little. To watch…” He trailed off with a shake of his head while starting to cry again. “It’s so hard.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll get rest soon.” First reassured before bit frowning as Time snorted and shook his head.

“I highly doubt that.” The one eyed male stated out and sighed heavily. “Not with my title. I’m not given such luxury as rest. I’m as eternal as the time itself is.”

First felt his heart break for one of his incarnations. Time had gone through way too much in his life. If someone deserved rest, it was him. “Hero of Time, listen to me very carefully. Your title—“ He started firmly but he was very swiftly cut short by a commanding female’s voice.

“Hero of Time.”

Everyone’s gazes fell into the being that all of sudden appeared and was just hovering above the water. “Hylia.” First pretty much stated the name out. He bit flinched when Time swiftly returned into kneeling before the Goddess like the loyal Knight he was. “Do not harm him, Hylia.” First warned while standing between the third Hero and the Goddess.

“Stand aside, Link.” Hylia commanded while firmly walking towards them. “Stand up, Hero of Time.” She commanded and Time flinched roughly before already doing as said. He still held his eye closed and head bowed. First glanced between the two before uncertainly stepping off of the way.

“Look at me, Hero of Time.” Hylia almost snapped and Time raised his head up and opened his eye. He fought back against the trembling as the Goddess almost glared at him. “That is not how you look in these days.” She stated out and made a swift and sharp wave of her hand in horizontal strike. Time gasped in pain and recoiled to side like he would’ve been slapped roughly across the face even though there never was any of contact. “That is more like it.” The Goddess mused as Hero’s Shade stood before her.

Hylia entirely ignored the shocked and horror filled looks everyone around her was giving. Time just stared at her while being ready to take whatever she would drop on him. He flinched roughly when the Goddess placed her hand onto his chest. First called out her name in warning tone but the sacred woman didn’t even glance at him. “Sleep.” She simply stated out and gave a slight push.

Time gasped as he started to fall backwards. The thoughts and understanding slowly faded from his consciousness while darkness took place in his mind. The unblinking red eye slowly dimmed out. Just before he would’ve hit the ground, his body simply vanished. “What the hell did you do, Hylia?!” First growled in pure shock. “This wasn’t what we agreed in!”

Hylia ignored her love and turned towards the seven Heroes around the Goddess Statue. “Hero of Time is waiting for you to wake him up. Go before I change my mind.” She simply stated out before vanishing from the Shrine.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Wild, we’ll be seeing you once the time’s right. Don’t rush your life to end. Understood?” Warriors stated out firmly once Goddess Hylia had vanished. Wild nodded while standing up to fully see all of his brothers. “I got Sprite to wake up. Take good care of yourself, Champion.” The Captain told with a grin and wink before vanishing.

“Take care, Cub.” Twilight told and gave Wild a tight hug. “I’ll see you again once the time’s right. I’m proud of you. And I love you.” He told before taking couple of steps backwards. The Champion simply nodded with a smile on his face.

One by one the Chain bid their goodbyes to him. He smiled and nodded. Part of him felt like his heart was breaking but more so he felt very loved and cared for. At least, like Time, he had gotten to see their brothers again.

As the Spring of Courage slowly emptied of everyone, only he and Flora were soon left into there. Yet, suddenly four beings appeared around Wild. He smiled at the Champions while feeling fully grateful of seeing them all together once again. “Thank You all for having been around for backup. It means the world to me.” The Hero of Wild told and the four nodded firmly before vanishing. After that Wild took once a deep breath and slid back into the cool water of the Spring before returning to the other side of it.

“So, what actually was the plan, Link?” Flora inquired while Wild dried himself off before starting to get his clothes back on.

“Simply the fact that they won’t start a war in the Sacred Realm as long as Time’s allowed into there.” The Champion stated out nonchalantly. “I just wish I could’ve helped more.”

Flora chuckled and shook her head. “Whose idea was it?” She inquired calmly.

“Captain’s.”

Flora laughed and grinned. “The one whom fought to end a war threatened to start one?” She shook her head. “That certainly is something.” The Princess mused before smiling fondly at Wild. “Besides, you did a lot.” She told and got the Champion to look at her. “You figured out a place where everyone could come into. Farore certainly aided too as you guys are the wielders of Her piece of the Triforce. Plus, you found Time and got him to come to here.”

Wild nodded slowly. “You’re right.” He mused and smiled happily. “Thank you for reminding me.” He chuckled a bit before stretching. “At least I know my brothers are safe and sound while waiting for me. I’ll see them soon again.” The Champion mused while giving one last glance to the Spring of Courage before turning away from it and leaving the area with the Princess of Hyrule.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“SPRITE!”

Time groaned while forcing himself up from the floor. He shook his head while wondering if he had just imagined the call. “SPRITE!” Suddenly he jerked backwards as Wars all of sudden was right in front of him.

“W-Wars…?” The ten year old child queried with tears in his eyes. “WARS!” He screamed out just when the Captain pulled him into a tight embrace. The young Hero broke down while clinging to his brother with all he got. “Wars, please, I don’t wanna wake up! Please, don’t make me wake up again!” He begged while fearing to go back to watch the world change around him. “I can’t take it anymore, Wars! I’m so tired of it all!” He exclaimed with entirely broken voice.

“Sssh, it’s okay, Sprite.” Warriors whispered while cradling the child in his arms. “I swear you’ll never need to go back again.” He promised before bit pulling away to look at him. “Besides, little brother, you gotta be asleep before you can wake up.” He told with a grin.

“What…?” The young child asked while blinking in confusion. “Whatever.” He mumbled while just leaning forward and just hiding his face into Warriors’ chest. “I just don’t want you to let go.” He stated out while gripping the green tunic into his small hands.

“TIME!”

The boy in Warriors’ hold jerked and pulled away. All of sudden he was grown up with only one working eye. “Boys…?” He called bit startled while watching the six Heroes dashing towards them. “I…” He frowned before freaking out. “THE FUCK?!?” He screamed out while having no idea how he had without a warning changed age and outlook.

 “Calm down, Time. It’s alright.” Warriors stated out while avoiding of calling him Sprite. “It’s just a small thing we can do in here.” He told calmly while placing his hands onto Time’s shoulders.

“SMALL THING, WARS?! I JUST…! I FUCKING WERE…!” He screamed without finding the right words. The rest of the Chain slowed down bit startled while staring at the scene. “The fucking hell’s going on in here?!” Time half barked while trying to get his mind wrapped up around what had just seconds ago happened.

“Listen, we can change our outlook in here.” Warriors started calmly. “I know that’s unexpected and even bit freaky but it’ll be lot of fun when you get it under control.” He continued while trying to calm his brother down a bit.

“W-wait… W-what…?” Time half mumbled while frowning and shaking his head. “Are you saying that…” He started before trailing off as he thought through the Captain’s words.

“Fairy Boy!”

The call snapped Time’s gaze towards Malon. Without thinking he had again changed his outlook. He gasped and bit flinched at the sudden whistle from his boys while already blushing a bit. He was certainly looking much younger with longer hair and both eyes working without markings on his face.

“Well, that’s a face I remember well.” Malon told with a lopsided smile. Time blushed even more before standing up and walking over to his wife. After a second or two of admiring her, he pulled her into a tight hug without a warning. A moment later, once he had calmed down enough, he pulled bit off and kissed her lovingly.

Warriors showed to others to stay quiet. He didn’t want to ruin the moment from his brother. Plus, Time really needed a moment to calm down. “Give me a moment, love. There’s few things I gotta figure out before the loving lot I call as my boys will be having way too much fun on my expense.” The Chain’s leader told after pulling off and sitting down in front of Warriors. He showed to the others to sit down too.

“Okay, so, let’s start with the easy questions.” Time started while glancing from one to another. “Where the fuck are we? And… Is this for real? I mean that…” He trailed off without really being able to voice out his fears.

“This is the afterlife, Time.” Sky started and all eight Heroes flinched a bit when their leader changed outlook again just like that. “So, um, yeah, you’re finally allowed the rest. And yeah, this is for real. No going back anymore. Just calm and safe place with family and friends.”

Time nodded while letting the words sink in. He closed his eye and sighed heavily in relief. “Fucking hell….” He mumbled and smiled a bit. “I never thought I could…” He trailed off with a shake of his head. “How?” He finally inquired while looking at his boys in search of answers.

“We pretty much threatened with war.” Warriors stated out and snapped Time’s shocked gaze into him. “The eight of us got one hell of an amount of people right by us. Not to mention about Fierce Deity himself. Four Goddesses versus all of those beings the three Golden ones created. Not exactly a favorable situation for them.”

“You do realize you guys could’ve…” Time started in absolute worry.

“Not a chance when Goddess Hylia herself loves one of the Heroes more than anything in the world.” The eight turned around in full surprise and faced the First Hero. “Your title, Hero of Time, does not come from the time itself.” He continued firmly before crouching down in front of him. “It comes, as you originally believed, from the Ocarina of Time as well as from having done time traveling to save both Hyrule and Termina. Nothing more, nothing less.” First explained calmly before looking sorrowful. “Your own thoughts changed at some point and, sadly, the Goddesses picked up on that.”

Time sighed heavily and nodded. “I guess I gave them a perfect chance at me, huh?” He queried sadly.

“I’m afraid so.” First admitted before pulling him into a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t face Hylia earlier. I should’ve stopped this long ago.”

Time relaxed in the hold and shook his head. “No need for apologies. Sometimes the hardest things are done by love.” He told and shrugged before pulling off. “Besides, none of us chose to fight because of your Spirit, Triforce or kingdom. We fought for those we care about and for what is right. That’s what makes a Hero.”

First chuckled and ruffled Time’s hair with a grin. Time yelped and recoiled backwards in bit of shock. “That kind of understanding makes you a great leader.” He told calmly and gently kissed Time’s forehead. “I’ll let you guys continue to talk. I’ll be around if you ever wish to spend time with me.” He told with a grin and a wink before walking away.

Time watched him leave before sighing and relaxing. “So…” He started and turned to look at his boys. “How does this whole change outlook and age thing happen?” He queried with a raised eyebrow before starting to grin. “And are you guys up for picking up age between ten and eleven and half just to have some much needed childish fun with me?”

The Chain glanced at each other before starting to grin. Right after that they started to explain how things worked. Time listened carefully to each given advice and information. He already knew that there were several things that easily triggered a change in him: The nicknames of Sprite and Time as well as Malon’s voice. Yet, he didn’t want the change to happen without his consent so he really needed to learn to avoid such unconscious transformation. With the safety of his boys and his wife, he pushed the pride and shame out of his mind, and just concentrated into learning the trick while getting it away from happening involuntarily. Yet, much to the Chain’s and Malon’s surprise, he was very quick in getting the knack of it. Soon Time grinned very mischievously. “You guys are going to learn why the Captain believes I’m more of a gremlin instead of a Hylian.” Warriors facepalmed at the comment and whined. That only got Time to laugh.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time learned quite quickly that in the afterlife there were no such things as time, day or night. Even the landscapes and places were just the trick of the mind. He could create anything he ever wished for. Even such things as hunger, thirst or need for rest didn’t exist but that didn’t mean they couldn’t take a nap or eat. They truly and thoroughly could do as they pleased.

Time’s own favorite place was none other than the Lon-Lon Ranch. He was more than delighted when he got to meet and learn to know his daughter. The two of them had lot to talk and share. From there, generation by generation, he slowly made his way into Twilight’s family. The Rancher, even though his family at Ordon was closer to him, had finally learned to know his biological family. Even he had worked backwards from his own parents right back into Time and Malon. Crazily enough, it was nine generations between them.

Time played all kinds of pranks on his boys while his main favorite was to freak his boys out by the form of the Hero’s Shade. The next part he loved the most was him and Twilight chasing one another in their wolf forms. Usually at then, unlike Wolfie, the Golden Wolf very much loved to be petted and snuggled with. While the green Sacred Beast made his own choice by checking who’d need him the most, the golden one picked anyone who wanted to pet and snuggle him.

The third best was being a child. Sometimes he just played pranks but, more often than not, he spent time with Warriors and taking back those years they had been denied. Besides that, he very much was up for giving all of his boys a chance to really have brothers and make new childhood memories with each other.

Fourth was his young adult form. Usually he had it for showing off and practice. Even though they didn’t need their battle skills anymore, Time wasn’t willing to give up on them. And neither did the others. As such, the Chain’s leader finally had all the rights to really put his boys through their moves while doing things such as backflip or almost matching Sky’s speed with the blade.

While Time was very much enjoying his time in the afterlife and getting to know his friends like Fierce Deity and Saria even better, there still was something he kept waiting for. And that was none other than Wild. Eventually, like so many times before, his heart finally led him to the right place.

Time had made sure everyone was with him. He wasn’t entirely certain of things and part of him feared that the Goddesses were calling him back to the surface. That was the reason he needed his family by him. Just a reassurance as well as a hope they could do something if he was going to be pulled away from them. Yet, his worry wasn’t needed as they found Wild.

Time stopped everyone else except Twilight from going next to the Champion. The Rancher called out to his Cub and soon there was one hell of an emotional reunion for whole Chain. And the Hero of Time couldn’t have been happier even if he tried. His family was fully and thoroughly right by him. He was entirely at home.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 31: Extra 1: Human shield

Summary:

Warriors ends up facing one of the biggest fears of his life: Being unable to protect Sprite.

Notes:

Welcome into the extra chapters! =D

CW: Temporary major character death, cursing, freaking out

Published: 01.03.2024 around 1:00 of Finnish time

“WARS!”

The scream startled the Captain. He snapped his gaze towards it before gasping in shock. There was a Dark Nut right in attacking range from him. There was no chance for him to avoid, counter or even to block the upcoming attack. He gulped once while trying to get ready to take the strike when suddenly his gaze widened in absolute horror.

The air was split by an agony filled scream as the strong and fast swing of the Dark Nut’s blade cut deeply into Time’s back. The diagonal strike started off from the shoulder, crossed his back and came off at his hip. The screech rang in the air as the sword bit into the bones. As the Chain’s leader sagged to his knees, the enemy already moved the weapon and stabbed it through him from behind. The one eyed swordsman only gave out a silent gasp at the strike. The sword was yanked out of him and he closed his eye while falling to his side.

Warriors stared in horrified terror as Time, the Chain’s leader, his little brother, his Sprite had gotten between him and the attack. Everything felt like going in slow motion as he was unable to do a thing to save him. What felt like hours was simply several swiftly past going seconds. He barely even realized the tears in his eyes. Suddenly the air was split by another kind of agony filled animalistic scream.

The Captain didn’t even realize to be screaming and having fallen to his knees. The battle and shouts felt like coming from miles away. All he could do was to cradle his brother while crying and begging for him to wake up.

All of sudden hands were on him and pulled him backwards. “NO!” Warriors screamed and fought back. Sprite was taken from his hold and he fought even harder. “NO! SPRITE!  GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!” He screamed while desperately trying to get to his brother.

This couldn’t be happening! Where was Proxi? Why wasn’t she here with him? Where were all of those fairies that always swarmed around Sprite? Where was the backup? Why the fuck didn’t he have potions or fairies with him?! NO! He could NOT lose his brother! This couldn’t be happening!

“Captain! Knock it off!”

“We’re trying to help him, you stupid fool!”

“Damn it! Hold on tighter!”

“You hold better, Rancher! I’m using all of the strength rings, bracelets and gloves I got!”

Warriors couldn’t recognize the voices around him. His subconscious mind only informed that it wasn’t a threat. Yet, his sole presence wasn’t with the Chain. It was back in the war. And his little brother had just been struck to ground right before his eyes. All he could think was to get to him. The people around Sprite… He couldn’t recognize them and he could only think of danger. He needed to get to his Sprite. He needed to help him! And yet, he couldn’t get free from the hold as he struggled with everything he got. He was screaming and cursing, begging and pleading along with threatening with everything he could come up with.

The Captain’s mind just kept replaying all those times he had saved the kid’s life from getting either killed or cruelly wounded. And now he felt so entirely like he had failed. He hadn’t been able to protect his brother. He hadn’t been able to keep him from getting hurt. He hadn’t…

Suddenly the Captain heard the most beautiful sound he could imagine: A sharp inhale of air. He stopped fighting for a moment. “Sprite?” He called out tentatively with shaking voice. The people around his brother had jerked a bit away but now they moved off the way to let him and the duo holding him see Time sitting up.

“Time in condition of getting into a bear hug?”

“Let it come.”

The second Warriors felt the hold loosen around him, he ripped himself free from the hold. He scrambled quite ungracefully over to Time and without a warning just roughly pulled him into a tight embrace. “SPRITE!” He half shouted while breaking down.

Time gasped in shock and snapped his eyes open but he soon sighed and relaxed. “It’s okay, Wars.” He whispered while gently wrapping his arms around his brother. “I’m okay. Everything’s okay.” Suddenly he blinked once in bit of surprise as Warriors pulled off…. Until yelping in shock as the Captain hit him into the back of his head.

“DON’T YOU DARE TO THAT EVER AGAIN!” Warriors screamed while glaring at his brother. Time blinked few times in surprise while raising his gaze up into his brother. Yet, he yelped again when the Captain pulled him into another tight hug. “Fucking hell, Sprite… You freaked the living crap out of me!” He mumbled with trembling voice while crying and keeping his hold tight. “I can’t…. I can’t lose you, Sprite… I fucking can’t…” He mumbled.

Time sighed while relaxing and closing his eye. “You won’t, big brother.” He whispered while wrapping his arms around his brother again. “Just glad you’re okay, Wars.” Yet, right after those words he gasped a bit when Warriors pushed him off... And the Chain’s leader ended up yelping again as the Captain hit him again to the back of his head.

“What the fuck about yourself, you stupid brat?!” Warriors growled while glaring at him. “You stupid…! You fucking…!” He partly screamed out a growl before shaking his head. He sighed heavily before leaning his forehead against Time’s. “You little fool…” He whispered affectionately before pulling Time into much gentler hug. “I love you, Sprite.” The Captain whispered before kissing the side of Time’s head. “I hate to see you get hurt. It kills me.”

Time sighed and relaxed again. “I know, Wars. I feel the same, you know.” He replied calmly.

Suddenly Warriors jerked and he pulled off in shock. “The beast!” He exclaimed while realizing to have not dealt with the Dark Nut…. Let alone of the rest of the monsters around them.

“Wild took it down with few very precisely shot arrows.” Sky told calmly from behind the Captain. “The rest of the monsters are handled too.” He confirmed while still keeping eye on the surroundings with the others.

“Shit… I….” Warriors half whispered while bit slumping. Having seen Time go down like that… It just had struck him back into the war and he lost the notion of everything around him. He shook his head before bit gasping when the Chain’s leader gently pulled him into a hug.

“Sssh, it’s okay, Wars.” Time whispered calmly. “We got great team by us. Fast, caring and precise. Everything’s alright now.” He told while feeling Warriors calming down. He tightened his hold a bit while feeling fully grateful that everyone was safe and sound and, most of all, alive.

It took a while before they finally got up from the street. They had been doing simple restocking and information gathering when the monsters had dashed into the town. They hadn’t had the armors on but luckily still carrying weapons along. Yet, even that was lacking in lot as they had fully believed the town to be a safe place.

The attack had taken them off guard by the harshness of it and, even more so, of the hard enemies within them like the Dark Nut and Moblins. Still, even though underprepared for the battle, they had been certain of managing the fight with minimal damage. Wild had swiftly took to the roofs to start to snipe the beasts off. Time bit cursed for having not taken the Biggoron Sword along but he didn’t have much of trouble in dealing with the beasts by the Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield. Twilight, Sky and Legend had dealt with the Moblins. Wind and Four took on the Lizalfos as they did great teamwork as the shortest Heroes. Warriors dealt with the Stalfos while the Miniblins had surrounded Time. The Dark Nut had entered the area only when no-one was paying enough of attention to its arrival.

Time’s actual plan had been to push Warriors off of the attack’s way. He had lost his Mirror Shield when those small beasts had pretty much swarmed it and pulled it down from his hands simply by their weight. The Chain’s leader knew that deflecting the attack with the Gilded Sword would’ve been a bad idea. Maybe with the Biggoron Sword or with the Master Sword it could’ve worked out but not with what he had at then. His own timing had just been wrong and the attack came down sooner than he had anticipated.

After having calmed down from the surprise attack of the monsters, the Chain quickly checked the streets of the town. Wild stayed to the roofs just to be of the best aid. Twilight thought for a moment about changing into Wolfie but he didn’t want to freak the townspeople by that. The Chain stayed together just to make sure none of them would end up overpowered like before.

By the time they returned to the Inn after having made sure the town to be safe for the time being, Warriors hadn’t left Time out of his sight even for a second. Even now he straight off camped into the Chain’s leader’s room. In fact, for that first night, the whole Chain stayed in their leader’s room just to make sure he was alright. Eventually the Captain held onto to his brother while laying over him. He only calmed down as he listened to the steady rhythm of Time’s heartbeat while feeling his chest rise and fall.

Time smiled bit sorrowfully while remembering all those times during the war when he had done the exact same thing just to make sure his brother was safe and sound, alive. He knew that Warriors would keep doing that for the time being just like he had done back then. And honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 32: Extra 2: "I love you"

Summary:

The bad guys will learn the hard way to NEVER attack or threaten Time's family.

Notes:

CW: Killing or at least very close of such, keeping one at knifepoint, cursing, torturing, bleeding wounds and bruises, Time losing it (he REALLY beats the bad guys)

Published: 02.03.2024 around 3:30 of Finnish time

The air was split by a scream. Time gasped in shock as he already dropped the digging fork on that second and dashed out of the stables. He slammed the door to the main house open before already snatching the Gilded Sword from right next to the door.

That one eyed male narrowed his eye in rage as he saw the unknown man in living room. With a scream he attacked furiously by swiftly tackling the guy to the floor and while already slitting the guy’s throat without thinking. “MALON!” He screamed out while dashing up the stairs.

Time growled as he swiftly ducked underneath the horizontal slash before already ramming his whole body against the man. He crushed the guy against the wall before already turning around and stabbing the sword into the attacker’s back. When he turned to head further into their home, he froze in pure horror.

Three guys came out of their bedroom. Malon was held tightly against the middle one’s chest with a knife to her throat. Yet, she wasn’t exactly scared. She was furious of these men having invaded into their home.

“Let. Her. Go.” Time snarled while gripping the sword in his hand even tighter. “And I just might let you three live.” He glared at the trio with such intensity that it could very clearly bring the words “If looks could kill” into reality. The duo behind the middle one took a startled step backwards but the one that clearly was the leader faced his gaze unfazed.

“I doubt you’re in the position of making such threats.” The man replied calmly while drawing out a slight gasp out of Malon by pressing the blade closer to her skin. Time flinched and quickly turned his worried gaze into her. “Those eight that were here earlier… Who are they?”

Time tried to calm down as he returned his gaze back into the guy. “They’re no-ones. Just travelers in need of safe place for few days. Food and resting place for bit of work. They got nothing to do with this. And they certainly aren’t up for wanting to take part into this either. And they’re not even coming back for few hours, at least.”

The man chuckled and nodded with a sadistic grin. “Good. Then this’ll be more fun.” He stated out calmly. “Drop your weapon and kick it down the stairs.” The guy simply commanded.

Time growled at first but that nearly instantly turned into a heavy sigh. He let go of the weapon and kicked it behind him into the first floor. His gaze stayed in Malon while fearing for her safety. The woman slightly shook her head while feeling tears in her eyes. They both were certain of knowing where this would lead.

“Perfect.” The man chuckled and nodded towards Time. “Take him down a notch. Don’t kill, though. We’ll be having far more fun with him bit later.” He half commanded the duo behind him started to smirk wickedly as they drew out knives.

Time gulped while taking few deep breaths to stay calm and get ready for what was to come. “I love you, Malon.” He told with slightly wavering voice. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry.” The one eyed male half whispered just before the first strike landed into his body.

Time held back his screams and gasps while keeping his gaze in Malon. He wanted to fight back but he didn’t dare to. At the moment, with his wife at knifepoint, he wouldn’t do a thing to endanger her life even one bit. The man holding Malon knew it and just watched the scene unfold. The red haired woman wanted to struggle but the knife kept her to her place while watching her Fairy Boy get slashed and stabbed with the knives while kicks and punches were following the attacks every now and then. All she could do was to cry, scream and beg but her words went to deaf ears.

Eventually Time was laying on the floor while grunting as the kicks kept coming all around him. “Alright. That’s enough.” The main bad guy stated out and the duo backed away from him. “Pull him up.” The guy commanded and one of the duo took hold of Time’s hair and forced him upwards to face him. Yet, his gaze stayed in Malon instead of anywhere else.

“You’re supposed to be the Hero, huh?” The man inquired and scowled as Time refused to look at him. “Doesn’t seem like it.” He stated out disappointed.

“Let her go and I’ll show you what I’m made of.” Time snarled while finally raising his glare up into the man threatening his wife.

The man smirked and chuckled. “Now, that would be very foolish of me. I got the leverage here.” He stated out and his cruel smirk only widened. “This is the reason Heroes are loners.” The leader of the group laughed before nodding firmly. “Knock him out.”

“I love you, Malon!” Time half shouted before the duo injected something into his neck. “Don’t hurt her….” He begged quietly as the darkness fell around him.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The sound of battle and pained screams were what led the Chain through the abandoned Temple of sorts. The only thing they were grateful at the moment was the fact that they didn’t recognize the screams. Whatever was going on, Time wasn’t the one being tortured at the moment.

The eight Heroes had been doing errands for the Lon-Lon Ranch. It consisted mainly of delivering the dairy goods to several locations around Hyrule. They had gone off in pairs for both safety and help. Twilight and Wild had gone to Lake Hylia. Hyrule and Legend had taken Kakariko Village and Gorons at Death Mountain. Four and Wind had chosen Gerudo Valley. That had left the Market and the Castle for Warriors and Sky.

When they had returned back to the ranch, something straight off felt off. It sounded too quiet. They had called out for both Time and Malon but no answer had come. The body in the living room was shocking telltale information of something being hellishly wrong. Next in line they found Time’s Gilded Sword from the bottom of the stairs.

The Chain screamed out for Time’s and Malon’s names while dashing up the stairs. The amount of blood at the start of the second floor was too much for having come from the second body. The fear started to rise even more within the eight Links as they started to go through the rooms in there.

They found Malon from the guest room. She was tied and gagged but relatively unharmed. “Time’s not here!” One of the Heroes shouted once all rooms had been checked.

“They took him!” Malon nearly shouted in fright. “T-they…” She shook her head while trying not to break down.

“Who took him, Malon? What they wanted?” The Chain queried while setting her free from the ropes.

Malon took few deep breaths to calm down. “I don’t know who they were. There were five of them. They just barged in with weapons and attacked on sight. They…” She gulped while feeling the tears. “T-they held me at knifepoint… Link….” She shook her head again. “They beat him up. Badly.” The woman whispered while fearing for her Fairy Boy’s life. “Boys…” She nearly pleaded while raising her gaze into the eight Heroes. “Find him.” Malon pretty much commanded and the eight nodded firmly. Yet, Sky and Wind stayed with her just in case as the rest, with Twilight as Wolfie already having picked up on the scent trail, left to save their Chain’s leader.

Now, after having passed the last corner between them and whatever was going in the Temple, the six Heroes stopped dead on their tracks at the scenery they faced. At the end of the hallway of four prisons was Time standing between two bodies while holding third guy against the wall with a bloodied knife on his hand. The duo on the ground was as cruelly beaten as the man their leader was holding. “SPRITE!” Warriors screamed out just before the one eyed male would’ve stabbed the weapon into his victim.

Time’s ear twitched at the call of his name and his attack halted on the second. He was breathing heavily while very certainly glaring at the poor, half dead man in his hold. “Captain.” The Chain’s leader’s voice was rough and cold while wavering with rage. “Do NOT lie to me. NOT even one fucking word.” He commanded while keeping his gaze in the man who had held Malon at knifepoint. “Is Malon….?” The Old Man queried but his voice broke and he was unable to finish his question.

“Malon’s safe and sound, Sprite.” Warriors replied as calmly as he could. “I swear it.” He promised while not daring to approach in worry of Time ending up doing something stupid. “I would never lie to you, little brother. And if those bastards had hurt her, I would’ve gladly let you deal with them. You know that.” He continued while holding the others at bay. Yet, he was far more worried for his brother’s wellbeing that the duo on the ground or the man in Time’s hold.

Out of what Malon had given about Time’s condition, the trio certainly had continued with it. Yet, somehow, their victim had managed to turn things around and really show why it is a bad idea to attack against his family. The one eyed male was pretty much covered in blood while his clothes were torn by stabs and slashes. The Captain wasn’t entirely certain how bad the wounds were but at least at the moment the Chain’s leader was still standing.

Time sighed heavily in relief while relaxing. He took a step backwards while letting go of the guy. The beaten man slid down onto the ground while staring in terror at the one that was originally supposed to be in his place. The one eyed male threw the knife to side to keep the trio as well as himself from picking it back up. “Take these fucking bastards out of my hands before I murder them.” The Old Man nearly snarled the command.

Twilight, Wild and Legend swiftly moved to the area. They glanced once at Time but their leader had closed his eye and turned his face away from them. The trio swiftly started to drag the beaten men out of there.

Once the enemies were taken away, Time sighed again and moved to lean against the wall he had kept one of the trio against just moments ago. “They…” He started while keeping his head bowed. He gave out strangled sound while sliding down onto the floor and his hid face into his hands as tears came. His ears drooped as he moved his hands into his hair and stared at the bloody ground while still crying. “They said they had killed her.” The one eyed male whispered with broken voice and shook his head. “I… I lost it. I….” He shut his eye tightly before mumbling: “I can’t live without her.”

Warriors carefully went to crouch down in front of Time. “You haven’t lost her, Sprite.” He told calmly while tentatively putting his hand to his brother’s shoulder. “She’s worried sick for you, though, and waiting for you to come home.” He continued with a small smile when the one eyed male raised his gaze up into him. “Come on, little brother, let’s get you home, yeah?”

Time sighed heavily and dried the tears before giving a slight smile and nod. “Y-yeah…” He half mumbled while standing back up. Warriors’ worry only rose when he saw the pained grimace on the Chain’s leader’s face.

Yet, before the leader and his second in command of the group of Heroes could even think about heading out of the area, Hyrule already moved to them. “May I?” He half offered while very much wanting to heal the wounds.

Time blinked few times in start before dropping his gaze down. He sighed bit sorrowfully and nodded while closing his eye. “You’re… You’re not, um…” He tried to find the right words but he felt bit ashamed of the Chain having seen him beat the crap out of the trio.

Hyrule shook his head while working with his magic. “Being scared of you?” He half queried and Time slumped while nodding once. “Not a chance, Time.” The Traveler stated out and smiled a bit when his leader snapped his startled gaze into him. “The worst you throw at us is that disappointed look of yours. You never even glare at us. Let alone that you’d hurt us. That’s as good a chance as a snowball has in hell.” He started with a chuckle and raised his gaze up into the Old Man. “If it had been any of us eight, you’d still do the exact same thing you did here. We’re family and you defend us all fiercely. You’re a protector, Time.”

Time smiled a bit and sighed in relief. He leaned his head backwards against the wall while closing his eye and relaxing. He might’ve freaked the crap out of his boys but they didn’t think any of different of him than before. “Thank you, Rulie. I needed that.” He whispered quietly while feeling fully grateful of the acceptance he had from the eight Heroes.

“I healed the worst but there’s still quite a few minor wounds bleeding.” Hyrule told after he pulled off. He knew Time didn’t need more to worry so he had made sure not to knock himself out this time around.

“I’ll handle those.” Warriors stated out while already taking out bandages. With Hyrule pointing to right places the Captain handled the work swiftly. Time simply held his eye closed while letting the duo handle the wounds. He wasn’t in the condition of arguing or fighting back. Yet, that was mainly due to emotions instead of the actual exhaustion.

Once the duo was done, they stayed close to their leader as they headed out of the old Temple. While the trio of Wild, Legend and Twilight had gone to take the beaten bad guys to jail, Four had been staying with the healer and the Chain’s top command just to make sure no enemies were left unnoticed.

“I heard Malon scream.” Time started quietly as they headed off towards Lon-Lon Ranch. He shook his head a bit while explaining his side of the situation. “I woke up to being kicked repeatedly. I wasn’t tied which was a bad move from them.” He told and snorted bit darkly. “The moment they claimed….” He trailed off and shook his head. “I guess they thought I’d give up. They certainly weren’t waiting for the hell I unleashed on them after that.” He glared at the ground for a while. “The worst they had done was what they forced Malon to watch. The wounds I gained back at where they took me into….” He shook his head. “Rage and broken heart are powerful emotions that can fuel and enhance one’s actions.”

The trio was silent for a while as they let the words sink in. Eventually Time sighed and shrugged a bit. “The only thing I’m actually surprised is the fact that I didn’t kill the trio.”

Warriors shrugged before gently circling his arm around Time’s shoulders. “Maybe part of you felt that Malon was still alive and the bastard’s words were just lies. Or maybe that’s just you. I know you don’t take a life easily.” He suggested carefully.

Time snorted and shook his head. “I killed two today, Wars.”

“Actually, crazily enough, the duo’s still alive.” Four told and startled his leader that of roughly that he stopped walking.

“What?” Time queried with very quiet voice.

“Four’s right. The duo that you took down in your home is, in fact, alive.” Warriors confirmed as the Captain had turned to look at his brother. “I don’t know how but that throat strike was shallow and the back stabs missed all important organs. Unconscious actions or just damn good luck, either way, they’re alive.”

“I was certain I killed them.” Time partly growled while turning his gaze away. He glared at the ground on his left while thinking it all through. “Then again…” He started before trailing off with shake of his head. Soon he snorted and shook his head again while smiling a bit. “I just fucking can’t kill a Hyrulean.”

“I think that’s admirable.” Four told calmly with a smile. “You clearly know the value of one’s life and avoid with all costs to take one without damn good reason.” He continued and shrugged. “Besides, you only had his word in there but no proof.” The Smithy grinned. “I wouldn’t believe an attacker and home invader without any kind of proof. As such, they hadn’t gone for murder which means their punishment wouldn’t be such either.”

Time nodded slowly while frowning a bit as he thought the shortest Hero’s words through. He relaxed a bit as he knew for certain that Four was telling the truth. “Thanks.” The Chain’s leader half whispered while turning his gaze back into the trio. “Sometimes hard truths are what one needs to hear.” He told before a fond grin appeared to his lips. “Yet, right now, I seriously need to see my wife.”

Warriors chuckled and shook his head as the four of them started to head forward again. Hyrule and Four smiled widely too and nodded in agreement. Eventually, which certainly felt WAY too long while for Time, they arrived to Lon-Lon Ranch. The rest of the Chain was already there with Malon while waiting at the doorway of the house.

“LINK!” The scream snapped Time’s gaze right into Malon. A wide and happy smile spread to his features before he already dashed forward. His wife was running towards him from the moment she had seen him.

“You’re okay.” The Chain’s leader whispered as he hugged Malon tightly. He entirely forgot the Chain to be there as he started to trail kisses from the crook between her neck and shoulder towards her lips. When he reached there, the kiss was desperate and strong. Malon fully answered into the kiss as she had been fully scared for her Fairy Boy’s safety.

“How are you, Fairy Boy? I… They…” She stared after they had pulled away from the kiss and just leaned their foreheads against one another. Time sighed a bit while keeping his eye closed. A moment later he pulled her back into a tight embrace while feeling like never wanting to let go.

“I’m okay. Hyrule and Wars fixed the damage.” Time whispered quietly. “What about you? Are you alright?” He inquired while straight off pulling away and holding her at arm’s length. His hands were on her shoulders as he quickly took in her outlook and wellbeing just like he did with eight boys of his.

“I’m alright too, love.” Malon told with a smile. She very much liked the bit concerned look on her husband’s face as he checked everything through. She had seen that gaze go through the eight Heroes nearly every single morning and evening while the nine were staying at the ranch. “Just bit freaked out but unharmed.” She reassured calmly. Time sighed in relief and nodded. After that he pulled her back into a loving embrace.

The Chain had actually wanted to watch the duo but they had very swiftly decided that their leader and his wife needed some private time. So, instead of staying outside, the eight Links went inside the house they all called home and began to fix the place up. Four checked the door, Legend cleaned and checked Time’s Gilded Sword and the rest started to wash the blood from the first and second floors as well as from the stairs and walls of the second floor.

When Time and Malon finally came back inside, they were bit startled of finding the others working on the cleaning and fixations. “Just leave it, guys. We can deal with all that tomorrow.” The Chain’s leader partly commanded but the eight boys of his shook their heads.

“Nope. The stains are easier to deal with when it’s not too dry.” Warriors stated out firmly. “Besides, I’d rather that there were no marks of those bastards in here any of longer than needed.”

Time sighed and nodded. “Alright. Alright, you guys win.” He replied with a small smile before kissing Malon’s cheek. After that he moved over to aid Warriors, Sky and Twilight. Yet, before he had a chance to crouch down, the Captain already stood up.

“Nope.” Warriors stated out very firmly while pointing a finger at his brother. “You’re going to go get changed and after that you spend some much needed time with your wife.” He told calmly and grinned. “And that’s an order, Sprite.”

Time blinked in start before chuckling. He shook his head with a small smile. “Got it, Wars.” He simply replied before moving carefully around his boys. He winked once at Malon before heading up to the second floor.

Malon chuckled and shook her head with a smile. “Well, if the two of us are going to supervise you eight, I think some hot chocolates would be much needed.” She mused while going over to the kitchen to get the treat done.

When Time finally came back down, he sat by the table and pulled Malon right onto his lap. He held her securely while just feeling grateful of still having her in his life. The eight boys of his smiled fondly at the duo.

With so many working on the cleaning and fixing, things were done quickly and precisely. Soon enough they all were around the table while enjoying of the hot chocolates and of the fact that they all were right there alive and well. Yet, as they headed off to bed, it was Time whom pretty much pulled Malon into the guest room of theirs and had all eight snuggle up close to them. He couldn’t have felt safer and happier in his life even if he tried or search for such feeling.

Still, out of Warriors’ idea, for the next few days the nine Heroes gave several lessons to Malon about how to defend herself with and without a weapon. She even gained a knife from Four to keep along at all times. This finally calmed Time enough as he knew she’d be perfectly capable of defending herself if this kind of hell ever happened again.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 33: Extra 3: Found footage

Summary:

Wild finds a Shrine but he knew to have found them all during his quest. With two of his brothers next to him, the Champion tries to enter the place..... Only to gain access to footage of what's happening inside the Shrine.

Notes:

CW: Cursing, wounds from both weapons and Guardian beams / lasers, getting struck by falling rocks

Published: 03.03.2024 around 2:15 of Finnish time

Wild was scouting around when he noticed something strange. A Shrine was shining in the darkness of the forest. The Champion frowned as he approached the structure. Its coloration was red so he clearly hadn’t been to it before. Yet, bigger worry was the very fact that he knew his Hyrule thoroughly. He was absolutely certain of having found all of the Shrines so…. How had he missed this one?

Wild walked towards the thing carefully while fearing for it to be a trap or some kind of illusion. He stopped about dozen meters away from it while actually thinking the situation through. If he would’ve been alone, he wouldn’t have thought twice about going over and placing the Slate onto the strange table of sorts. But he wasn’t alone. The Chain, or at least most of the Chain, was back at the camp. And if this was a trap or trick of the mind, he didn’t want to end up endangering his brothers.

For once the Champion turned around and returned to the camp. “Twi. Ledge. Could you two come with me for a moment? I… I think I found something….” He called bit uncertainly once he came into the light of the fireplace. The duo glanced at each other before turning their notion into Warriors and Four.

“What did you find, Cub?” Twilight queried while getting up with Legend.

“A Shrine.” Wild answered and shrugged. “I thought I found them all so I’m bit uncertain of this one.” He explained while feeling bit fearful of actually going to the creation.

“You said there were 120 of them, right?” Legend asked and Wild nodded. “That’s a lot. No offense but…”

“I counted them right!” Wild almost snapped before flinching at his own roughness. “Sorry. Just worrying for the others and this…” He sighed and shrugged. “I had Impa, Zelda and Purah count the Shrines too. I didn’t miss any.” The Champion stated out firmly.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Legend reassured while raising his hands up a bit.

“You three sure it’s safe to check something like that in middle of the night?” Warriors inquired while feeling like this was something compared to the Temples the others had been talking about.

“I’ve seen the Shrines before. I’m pretty sure I can figure out if its safe or not.” Twilight answered calmly. “Besides…” He started and grinned bit proudly. “…for once Wild actually decided to think instead of rushing in to check things.”

Wild groaned and facepalmed. “You’re ruining my reputation, Wolfie.” He stated out with a mischievous grin. Twilight jerked his shocked gaze into his protégé. The others snickered while their Rancher blushed.

“Alright, alright.” Warriors calmed things down after a moment. “Just be careful. If this isn’t part of what those you found, Champion, be ready for a trap. Ranch Hand, you check around. Legend, keep eye on surroundings. Wild… Just be really careful.” He half commanded and the trio nodded firmly while actually getting serious of the situation.

“We’ll be back soon.” Twilight promised before nodding to Wild. “We’ll check the Shrine and maybe, if possible, open it up. After that we’ll actually fetch you two along before we check it through together.” He planned out firmly.

“Sounds wise to me.” Legend commented and the Champion actually nodded in agreement. “Let’s get this done then.” The Veteran stated out while leaving the camp with the duo.

The trio arrived to the Shrine quite swiftly. “From first sight, it looks like the ones you went through.” Twilight commented before carefully rounding the place while keeping a safe distance between him and the structure just in case. “Doesn’t seem different.” He continued before changing into his wolf form.

Wolfie rounded the sacred creation while taking in its scent. He carefully moved closer while taking in the feelings and everything but he didn’t feel threatened even one bit. The wolf returned to the others before changing forms again. “Doesn’t smell different either. Nor does my wolf sense any danger from it.” Twilight told with a shrug.

“Okay.” Wild half whispered with a slight nod before going over to that round platform. Twilight followed him but stayed off of the sacred area. Legend stayed further while looking around and staying ready to react if any danger showed up.

The Champion glanced once at his brothers before taking his Slate out and bit uncertainly touching the strange table like pad with it. He flinched slightly when the Shrine flashed and changed the red shine into blue. Yet, nothing else happened.

Wild frowned while taking his Slate up and looking around. “This is odd…” He half mumbled since the doorway hadn’t opened nor had the elevator thing worked either. Suddenly there was a slight flash in his Slate and he snapped his gaze into the screen.

“Cub? Shouldn’t something more have happened?” Twilight called while eyeing the Shrine uncertainly. Wild just nodded while staring at an icon that had appeared onto his Slate. Bit uncertainly he tapped on it while being ready for either the door to open or the descending to start. Neither happened but slowly an image started to come into view. It was blurry and too zoomed in while slowly getting into better check.

Suddenly the Champion gasped in shock while moving the Slate as far from him as possible. Twilight and Legend snapped their gazes into Wild whom clearly looked quite freaked out of what he was seeing. Suddenly the air was pierced by a familiar pain filled scream.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time stood only couple of meters away from a deep pit. On the other side of the area was a long ledge where one of smaller versions of Wild’s hellish Guardians was standing. Behind the Chain’s leader were Sky, Hyrule and Wind. The trio was unconscious while clearly having gone through hell.

Time was panting while holding the Biggoron Sword and glaring at the mechanical thing. His armor had so far kept him alive but anywhere else where the armor didn’t cover… He was bleeding from wounds caused by normal weapons as well as from burns taken from those lasers the oddities shot from their only eye. He glanced once behind him while checking the trio with him. From there his gaze rose up into the ceiling. There were several boulders that threatened to fall down onto his boys.

Time couldn’t get to any of the trio without the small Guardian shooting at him. He was the only guard between the cruel attacks and the unconscious Heroes. When he had gotten to this specific area, none of the three had been awake and the strange creature was just going to shoot that deadly beam. He hadn’t thought even for a second as he dashed between and struck with his sword. The one eyed male had sighed in relief when he had managed to redirect the attack before getting a chance to take a check on things.

Time had been already in bad condition by the time he had gotten to save his boys from that hit. He had woken up inside the odd Shrine with just the information Wild had shared from his own quest. The second he had left the square room of sorts through the only open door, two small Guardians already attacked him. The Chain’s leader had had just barely enough of time to draw out his sword and counter the attacks.

Battle after battle with the mechanical things attacking him from all around with clear intent of killing him, Time had made his way through the place. The further he got, the more enemies came at him simultaneously. He had switched from Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield into his Biggoron Sword to get more damage done with less attacks. Still, he was getting tired and the wounds were quite a hindrance to his movement. Nonetheless, when he heard Sky scream, he ran.

Time had no idea what his boys had faced but out of the damage and the state of their clothes, he was certain their path hadn’t been too much different compared to his. Now, as he had been dealing with the lone small Guardian out of his attack’s reach, he had slowly started to understand what kind of things triggered the being to shoot that beam at him. He had tried to work things off with the Mirror Shield but no matter how he tried to adjust his aim, the reflected beam always missed. This was the reason he finally went for another way.

Time slowly crouched down while gripping his sword tightly. The thing followed his movement and started to recharge the attack. “Let’s do this…” The Old Man half whispered when the beam was sent at his way. With a scream, he struck the beam right back at the being. He cursed as the mechanical thing easily struck at it. The deadly volleyball match had once again started.

Time screamed out when he failed to strike in time and the beam burned a bleeding wound into his arm. He had lost the count of how many times he had failed already. The Guardian just kept beating him in the game no matter how hard and precise he’d try. Still, he wasn’t going to give up. He would keep on trying to land the attack even if it was the last thing he did.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Slate fell from Wild’s hands just seconds after Time had screamed out when the beam struck into him. “Get… Get Warriors and Four… NOW!” He shouted while with shaking hands picked the Slate back up. “S-somehow our missing brothers are in there…” The Champion almost whispered while raising his wide-eyed gaze into the Shrine.

“W-what?!” Twilight shouted after the first shock. He dashed over to his Cub to get a check on the Slate’s screen. Even Legend had gotten close right after he had recognized the voice from the scream. He cursed under his breath, turned around and dashed back to the camp.

“We need to get inside.” Wild whispered in fear. “We have to help them.” He told quietly while slowly dropping his gaze back into the Slate. “This isn’t good… Not good at all…” He mumbled while watching what was happening with his brothers.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Sudden groan snapped Time’s notion back into his boys. “Sky! Stay still!” He commanded while trying to keep notion in both the Guardian and the boulder above the Chosen Hero. The heavy rock had started to move as Sky shifted his position unconsciously. It was just matter of time before it would fall.

“Time?” Sky called quietly while shaking his head. He blinked few times while slowly sitting up.

“SKY!” Time screamed out before dropping the sword and turning around towards his waking boy. He dashed as fast as he could. “MOVE!” He shouted but he could see the Skyloftian to be too confused and still between dream and reality to understand the situation. He needed to be fast enough as he saw the rock fall.

Time didn’t think even for a second as he took a rough hold of the Chosen Hero and yanked him up. He turned around while still skidding towards the startled Hero’s place and put all he got into throwing his beloved boy out of the harm’s way. Right after that, just mere seconds before the rocks would’ve been too close, the Chain’s leader scrambled out of the way.

The sound of the beam being recharged snapped Time’s notion back into the Guardian. Even though he was panting and very much out of strength, he stumbled up to his feet and ran once again. “NO!” He screamed out while drawing out his Gilded Sword and slashing right after having gotten past Sky.

Time stumbled backwards and fell roughly to the smooth floor after having somehow managed to deflect the beam and strike it away from them. Sky stared wide-eyed at the situation. “T-Time…?” He called bit fearfully.

Time was panting hard while forcing himself back up into sitting position. “I… I’m okay…” He gasped out while trying to even out his breathing. ”You?” He inquired worriedly while letting his gaze take in the state the Chosen Hero was in.

“I….” Sky started while equally checking his leader through. “Better than you for certain.” He replied while inwardly cursing for having no potions or fairies along.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage.” Time stated out while turning his gaze into the small Guardian. He growled and narrowed his gaze as there were two of them now. “Fuck… One was already enough…” He grumbled while getting up with a hiss of pain.

“Should we check on Wind and Hyrule?” Sky queried while looking at the duo worriedly.

Time shook his head while keeping his gaze in the two small Guardians. “We gotta deal with those first or they’ll make things way too hard.” He replied while nodding towards the enemies. The Chosen Hero nodded while facing the danger out of their reach. “Do as I say and we just might be able to deal with them swiftly.” The Chain’s leader stated out while carefully going to pick up his Biggoron Sword.

“Just tell what to do.” Sky nodded firmly while slowly taking the Master Sword out.

“The left one only got one sword.” Time observed with slight grin. “Follow my movements. When they shoot the beams, strike it into the left being creature. If we’re lucky it can only parry one strike instead of two.” He explained while carefully moving more to left for both safety reasons since his Biggoron Sword was long as well as for getting the mechanical thing into different position.

Sky nodded and stayed to his place. He watched worriedly how much each movement hurt the one eyed male. Still, at the moment, there was nothing he could do to help. When Time started to crouch down slowly, the Chosen Hero mimicked him and turned his notion into their enemies. “Be ready.” Time called as the small Guardians started to charge their attacks.

When the beams were shot at them, the duo stood up swiftly and swung their blades. They both aimed the attack at the same creation but the thing was far wiser than its outlook gave out. It quickly struck the first beam back before already jumping over the second one. Sky heard Time curse before the laser was already sent back at their target. Yet, it was quickly returned.

The Skyloftian watched worriedly as the Chain’s leader tried to get the attack hit into the enemy but luck wasn’t with him. Sky raised his sword up to charge a Sword Beam in hopes of striking at their enemy while it was occupied with the volley. Unfortunately, he never had the chance as the other one send an attack off and forced him to quit the charging to reflect the beam. He send it at the one Time was fighting against but again the thing jumped over it before actually ducking beneath the one the Chain’s leader returned at it.

“This doesn’t seem to work.” Sky muttered while trying to come up with a new idea to deal with the situation.

“You think?” Time partly snapped before sighing heavily. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.” He continued nearly instantly while glaring at the two mechanical things. “Okay… You know electricity magic, right?” He inquired with slight bit hopeful voice.

“Yeah. Why?” Sky replied with a frown.

“I got another idea.” Time simply told while putting the Biggoron Sword off and taking out his Mirror Shield. “Can you strike the electricity into the shield’s mirror three times?” He requested while taking a stance while aiming the mirror at the small Guardian on right.

“You sure about this?” Sky inquired worriedly and Time simply nodded. “Alright…” He half whispered before starting to call out the magic. Once he could feel it, he send it off at the shield while fully hoping his leader knew what he was up for. For his shock the shield absorbed the magic.

Time slightly flinched but he stayed to his place. “Two more.” He commanded while trying to keep notion on both enemies. The things were clearly watching the situation and he didn’t like that even one bit. Sky had simply nodded and called the magic out again before sending it off. This time the Chain’s leader was bit more ready to take the hit into the Mirror Shield.

After the third electrical magic attack had been sucked into the shield, the mirror part started to crackle while beginning to glow in both yellow and blue. Suddenly, with Time gasping at the strength of it, the electricity was struck out of it. The power that was within the attack got him to slide backwards but he was grinning as the one he aimed the hit into hadn’t been waiting for such speed and roughness. The small Guardian on right took the full strength of the reflected electricity and started to spasm.

Sky watched in shock at the situation. Yet, he suddenly noticed the other mechanical being charging up on a beam attack. “Look out!” He screamed out but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get to slash the strike away. It wasn’t simply due to distance between the two of them. It was mainly because of the electrical attack being between him and the enemy. He’d need to circle Time to get to right side of the situation and that would cause him to lose the precious time from saving the Old Man.

Time gasped and started to move the shield to strike at the other one but he knew he wouldn’t be fast enough. He quickly checked behind him and scowled. If he moved off of the way, Wind would end up getting hit. He wasn’t going to allow that. So, without better choice, he crouched down while hoping his shoulder armor to be enough to deflect the attack.

The beam struck hard into the golden plates. Time gasped as the edge of the strike almost hit on his ear. The strength of the impact got him to fall to his back with a pained grunt. At least the enemy’s hit had been redirected without harm.

“TIME!” Sky shouted in shock while dashing over to him. “Are you okay?” He queried in full worry while carefully helping him upwards.

“I’m okay. I’m okay.” Time waved his hand dismissively while raising his gaze back into their enemy. At least it wasn’t yet doing anything of threatening. “At least we got one down.” He noted while nodding towards the ledge. Sky turned his notion into the Guardian and sighed a bit in relief.

Suddenly the duo gasped in shock when a loud explosion rang in the quietness of the area. “The hell…?” Sky looked around in search of more danger to have arrived into the area. Yet, nothing had changed in there.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Once Legend came back with Warriors and Four, the Rancher and the Champion were already trying to figure out a way into the Shrine. “Are you sure they’re in there?” The Captain inquired while eyeing the structure.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Wild answered as firmly as he could. Yet, he didn’t feel certain at all. Even though the Shrine had reacted to his Slate and given the connection, he couldn’t be 100 % confident of the feed coming from this Shrine.

“Alright. So, how do we get inside?” Warriors continued while noticing the wolf sniffing around and doing digging here and there. So far the canine hadn’t gotten far with the work.

“I’ve no idea. Usually it should’ve opened up by my Slate.” Wild replied while showing what was going on inside the Shrine. Both the Captain and the Smithy gasped when the saw the state their brothers were in. The Champion didn’t dare to voice out the worry they all felt.

“So… This has some kind of mechanics, right?” Four queried and Wild simply nodded. The Smithy moved closer to the table like pad while taking a check of it as well as he could. “Legend, can you dig this thing more into sight?” He requested as calmly as he could. “I need to see how it’s connected to everything.”

The Veteran nodded and pulled out the shovel. Wolfie snapped his notion into the action when he heard the sound of digging. As he hadn’t been able to get any kind of opening from around the Shrine, he moved over to Legend and helped with the work.

“It usually connects earlier.” Wild half whispered while watching the duo keep digging the core of the thing into sight from deeper and deeper. “I… I don’t think that’s going to help.” He finally told while stopping the duo. “We need something else.” The Champion nearly just mouthed the words while dropping his gaze back into the Slate.

The four of them surrounded Wild to get a check on things. “Let’s blow it up.” Twilight suddenly growled out. The others were bit startled but they quickly nodded and moved away from the Shrine. Everyone took out their versions of the Bomb Arrows. “Hit into the doorway.” The Rancher partly commanded while aiming.

The explosion was cruelly powerful but it didn’t make even a dent into the locked door. The five Heroes growled and kept shooting the arrows. They even tried few on the platform but the result stayed the same. They couldn’t even scratch the sacred creation.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“If we’re lucky, that’s the rest of the boys.” Time mused with slight relief while listening to the bombs going off.

“And if it’s not?” Sky asked worriedly. He couldn’t rule out the idea of more enemies coming their way. Maybe even something harder than what they had faced so far in the Shrine.

Time shrugged. “Then we’re fucked.” He simply told before sound of movement and groan snapped his notion elsewhere. “Wind!” He shouted out and got Sky to turn his gaze into the Sailor. The almost fourteen years old boy was sitting up while holding his head. And Time, even though clearly ignoring the pain in his legs, was running as fast as he could. The electrical charging got the Chosen Hero to snap his gaze back into their enemy. He gasped in shock when he noticed there to be two small Guardians once again. Yet, the one they hadn’t managed to take down, was aiming upwards. Sky struck his gaze into the place the thing was aiming at. The pure horror lodged into him as he realized that the strange being was going to shoot at the rock that had just started to fall down towards the youngest Hero.

“Catch him!” Time screamed out and startled Wind by the fact of Time’s voice coming from right next to him. He gasped when the Old Man took strong hold of his tunic and flung him towards Sky. The Sailor screamed out at the unexpected action. The Chain’s leader flinched when he heard the explosion of the beam hitting into something above him. He desperately tried to scramble out of the way but the beam had broken the boulder into smaller pieces that had scattered around. Time screamed when one of those rocks struck into his leg.

“TIME!” The duo screamed out as they saw the Old Man crash to the floor. They dashed over to him in full fear of worse having happened. “Hang in there. We’ll get this off of you.” Wind stated out while starting to push on the rock with Sky swiftly aiding with the action.

“NO!” Time suddenly shouted in full fright and startled the duo next to him. Yet, before they had a chance to say or react, the Chain’s leader had already moved. He quickly took out his shield while forcing Sky and Wind down. He struck the protective thing’s sharp edge into the smooth tiled floor and tried to get ready for the impact. He growled when the two beams struck into the reflective part of the shield and ricocheted off. “Keep eye on those two.” He commanded bit harshly while slowly sitting up.

Sky and Wind were fully taken off guard and bit freaked out but they nodded firmly. “I got power bracelets. You keep eye on the enemy.” Wind stated out while going back into moving the heavy rock off of Time’s leg. The Chain’s leader was already pushing on the boulder while growling in both pain and stress of the action. The Chosen Hero simply nodded while standing up, drawing out his sword and keeping watch for more attacks.

“The explosions have ended.” Sky observed while realizing the deafening silence again.

“Guess they’re not getting through, then.” Time growled out before gasping as his leg got free. With another growl, he moved it from beneath the rock before he and Wind let it fall back down. Sky glanced at the duo before already turning his gaze back into the enemies.

Time was panting hard while sweating but he was still fully conscious. Wind quickly checked his pockets before giving a slight sigh of relief as he found the bandages. He looked around but found nothing to use as splint. There was nothing more than the rocks on the smooth floor around them. “Try this.” The Chain’s leader partly growled out in pain as he brought out a Deku Stick. He simply gave slight mischievous grin and shrug to the confused look the Sailor gave him. Nonetheless, the youngest Hero was swift in cutting it into smaller pieces before bandaging the one eyed male’s leg.

“You really shouldn’t get up, Time.” Sky warned as the Old Man forced himself back to his feet. Wind was watching the situation with full concern.

“We need to get that bastard on left killed.” Time stated out with slight growl of pain. “It’s beginning to have learned bit too much for my liking.” He continued while picking up the Mirror Shield. “Wind, keep eye on the situation. Sky, same work as before.” He commanded while trying to get ready for sending the electrical attack off at their enemy.

Sky nodded firmly and began to call out the electricity. Wind watched curiously at the situation while keeping eye on the two Guardians. He gasped in shock when the Chosen Hero sent the magic towards Time. Yet, he was even more taken off guard as the shield took the strike right into it and held it. The Sailor had no idea what was going on but he trusted his two brothers to know what they were doing.

Wind narrowed his gaze when one of the two Guardians sent that beam towards them. He quickly volleyed it back before growling as it was reflected right at him. Yet, he didn’t strike it back at the original sender but at the other one. The Sailor grinned a bit as he had managed to force the thing to stop charging its beam attack. Suddenly he gasped in shock when strong electrical attack flew right past him and, with the slight distraction he had created, hit fully into the target.

“Gotcha.” Time half whispered with a grin as he watched the thing explode a bit as it died. He tried to redirect the ongoing attack of his into the other one but the magic ran out of it before he got to the small Guardian. “Alright. One more to go.” The Chain’s leader stated out firmly while aiming the Mirror Shield towards the remaining mechanical enemy of theirs and waited for Sky to strike three new electrical attacks into his shield.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Wild, Twilight, Warriors, Four and Legend kept blasting the Bomb Arrows at the Shrine until they all had only about ten arrows left. “Okay! That’s enough! This clearly isn’t working.” The Captain commanded with a frustrated growl. “We need to figure out something else.” He stated out with heavy sigh. Out of the given footage in the Champion’s Slate, they had gained the needed confirmation. The four members of their Chain had heard the bombs so they surely were trapped into the Shrine.

“Let’s try magic, then.” The Veteran offered while taking out several different kinds of rods. He passed them out to those whom didn’t have elemental weapons. “How about we begin with fire…” He mused while aiming the rod at the doorway. The others nodded and got ready with their magic and weapons.

The combined attack had no effect on the shut doorway of the Shrine. It didn’t even get hot underneath the extreme heat of the flames they struck at it. “Ice then.” Legend almost snapped while switching his rod. Still, the result was the exact same. Not even frost appeared onto the smooth surface.

The Chain went through all of the magic they knew but nothing worked. Wild had moved bit away and kept eye on how things were going inside the Shrine. He sighed a bit in relief when they got one of the two Guardians dealt with. Still, he was getting more and more worried for their leader. And yet, he wasn’t going to voice out the worry they all felt.

As the bombs and magic were ruled out, the Chain started to run out of ideas. “Maybe we can get a sword or other weapon between the edges? Kinda like trying to lever it open by force?” Wild offered while having checked his Slate’s abilities but nothing seemed to get latched on the smooth surface of the Shrine.

“I guess we can try that.” Warriors replied while fully feeling uncertain. “So, who is going to sacrifice their weapon on this rescue mission?” He inquired while looking around even though he was already drawing out his own sword for the job. He’d rather break his sword than lose any of his brothers. Especially when one of those was his little brother.

Even while the Captain had been talking and throwing the question out, the four others were already drawing their blades. Each of them were ready to give up on their choice of attacking methods than let their brothers stay imprisoned and fighting a battle in the condition they were in. Though, even if the four would’ve been in their best of condition, they’d still go for this. It simply was how much they cared about one another.

“NO!!”

Wild had just been going to check his weapons in search of best one to try and jam into any given small hole in the Shrine’s smooth surface when he screamed. He stared wide-eyed horror at the screen while feeling tears start to form in them.

“Wild! What the hell happened?!” The others screamed out while dashing over to him. One swift glance at the Champion’s Slate and they got their answer. Warriors gave out strangled noise before backing off by couple of steps. The sword fell from his hands just seconds before his legs gave out and he crashed to his knees while crying. Twilight turned around while feeling sick and horrified as he already clamped his hands over his mouth and slightly bend over. Legend stared at the screen for a moment before simply crumbling to his knees and slowly closing his eyes as he hung his head and cried. Four just stared at the screen of the Slate in silent horror before closing his eyes and hanging his head as the tears came.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Unfortunately, the trio didn’t get a chance to attack against the small Guardian as Hyrule started to stir. “Time, don’t.” Sky commanded in fright while Wind simply was confused of the situation. Yet, the Chain’s leader ignored the words as he already ran towards the waking boy of his. He would not let any of the eight get hurt as long as he had a word in it!

Time knew he didn’t have what it would take to get Hyrule off of the danger. He didn’t have the strength anymore to haul the youngster into safer area. The Traveler was too slow to wake up to be able to aid in any of way. Sky and Wind could’ve been better choices for this attempt but there was no chance he’d endanger their lives to save another.

“STAY DOWN!” Time screamed out as he already came over Hyrule. The boy gasped in shock before already yelping as the Old Man swiftly moved him. Yet, right after that he screamed in terror as the rocks fell onto them.

Hyrule shut his eyes and curled up in fright while just barely hearing the pained grunts and gasps from the Chain’s leader. The Traveler gasped again and shot his eyes open when he felt the weight over him. “T-Time…?” He called tentatively in the dim area beneath all of those rocks that had crashed onto them. He couldn’t move as Time’s own body was pinning him down. “T-Time… W-wake up, please….” He begged quietly while being unable to find out if the one eyed male was even alive.

The Sailor and the Chosen Hero stared horrified as the boulders fell over two of their brothers. The small Guardian had shot two swift beams into the single, gigantic falling rock to bury two of four opponents of its. “TIME! HYRULE!” The duo screamed out before already dashing to the small mountain of heavy rocks.

The duo worked as fast and carefully as they could as they moved the uneven blocks off. They kept eye on the ledge where now were two small Guardians once again. Sky bit felt like they should’ve tried to deal with the threat but he knew it wasn’t going to work out. They’d need the Mirror Shield and right now that was buried with Time underneath the rocks.

Surprisingly the two mechanical things didn’t attack even once as the Sailor and the Chosen Hero worked with clearing the heavy rubble. “Check Time! Check Time!” Hyrule frantically commanded the second he got the duo into sight. Sky reached down into the hole and pressed couple of fingers into Time’s throat. He closed his eyes while fearing for the worst. Wind and Hyrule pretty much held their breaths while waiting for their brother’s judgment.

Sky sighed heavily and relaxed. “He’s alive.” He whispered quietly with a small smile. The conscious due with him sighed heavily in relief while relaxing at the good news. “We need to get him out.” Sky stated out firmly while getting the Sailor to work on clearing the boulders off.

The further the duo got, the clearer the damage was. There was rough wound in the back of their leader’s head. His left arm was crushed by several rocks. Right hand was underneath one smaller rock but the bigger boulders above it had very much given the smaller rock one hell of a crushing power. Right leg was only pinned but not harmed while being between two boulders. Left leg was smashed from both behind the knee as well as by whole foot which certainly had broken the ankle. The Mirror Shield, Biggoron Sword and the armor certainly had saved the shoulders and back from getting hit too roughly other than by getting pinned underneath all of the heavy weighting boulders.

Hyrule didn’t dare to move until the rocks over Time’s back were removed. He bit felt like those would’ve changed positions and on that way caused actual damage. Yet, while he stayed to his place, he’d keep the situation unchanged.

Once the only rocks over Time were on his legs and arms, the Traveler, with the help from his two brothers, slipped out of the area. Right after that he already started to aid in clearing the rest of the rocks away. The trio pretty much had moved the boulders behind them to create a slight wall of sorts between them and the two small Guardians. It was the only safety they could get while knowing what kind of damage those mechanical things could cause.

On the second the Chain’s leader was fully free from the rocks, Hyrule already started to work with his magic. He concentrated into the worst and deadliest wounds to secure Time’s life. After that he went for the next worst parts while knowing he couldn’t do as much as he wanted to. It wouldn’t be a good thing if he knocked himself out while his brothers needed him to aid them in getting all four of them out of there.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“Time and Rulie are alive!” Wild suddenly screamed out in pure relief. The other four snapped their gazes right into him. They scrambled right back to the Champion and struck their gazes into the screen. A massive sigh of relief went through all four as they watched Hyrule heal their leader. All of them were very well aware that the Traveler couldn’t heal anyone whom would be dead.

“We need to get into there.” Legend stated out firmly. He returned his gaze into the offending doorway that kept staying closed. Yet, before he could pick his sword back up to go and try their earlier plan, Warriors had already walked to the blockage.

The Captain glared at the door before screaming out his battle cry and starting to slash with all he got. The others were bit startled and they ended up staring bit shocked at the onslaught their leader’s second-in-command unleashed onto the smooth door. Warriors was panting hard when he finally stopped attacking. His glare hardened when he saw no scratch or dent in there. He growled and moved to check the area between the door and its frame.

The Captain smirked when he found an opening. He took a step backwards while raising his sword above his head. With a new scream, he plunged the weapon down while aiming as precisely as he could. The screech and jamming was all he needed to know he had hit into the right spot. “Fucking hell, you’re going to open up even if it was the last thing I did.” He growled while forcing his sword even deeper into the fissure.

Suddenly another sword struck into the area from bit higher. Warriors blinked in start before glancing at Twilight. “We’re doing this together.” The Rancher stated out while forcing the blade deeper into the area. Four and Legend moved to the other side of the door and struck their blades into another gap between the door and wall.

“Let’s get this shit open.” The Captain stated out while beginning to saw the sword downwards. He was up for checking where the door was connected to the frame before they’d start to use their weapons as levers. Twilight worked in similar way upwards. Four and Legend mimicked the work while Wild kept eye on what was going on with the rest of the Chain.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“We need to get those two down before we can continue.” Sky observed while fully hoping these were the last enemies they’d face. The other two nodded. Hyrule had done what he could for Time. They had carefully moved him away from the area where the rocks had fallen from since they were bit worried a new boulder would simply appear out of nowhere.

“Time had a working plan in there.” Wind stated out while having carefully taken Time’s shield. “I keep the beams off of us while you two work with the electricity.” He planned and the duo nodded.

“I got electricity magic too.” Hyrule commented while bit unsteadily standing up. “Yet, I doubt I can do much of magic without knocking myself out soon afterwards.” He partly apologized.

“It’s fine. I handle the magic, you deal the strike.” Sky partly commanded while the Sailor gave the shield to the Traveler. “Plan is simple. I strike electricity into the shield’s mirroring surface three times and you simply point the shield at our enemy. Be ready for the fact that the attack will be rough. You might slide backwards by the force of it.” He explained while giving that simple warning out.

Hyrule nodded before taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” He stated out before glancing once at Time. “The quicker we deal with those, the sooner we’re out of here.”

The trio left the safety of the small rocky wall of theirs. Wind held his sword out while eyeing the two small Guardians. Hyrule took a deep breath and chose his target. Sky took bit of distance before starting to charge the electricity magic before already sending it off. The Traveler had bit of hard time in keeping the shield in right angle and high enough as it was way too big for him. Nonetheless, he was not going to fail on this action.

Hyrule gasped in shock when the shield sent the electrical attack off. The strength of it knocked him onto his back which, for once, had been lucky thing. The small Guardian had jumped upwards as high as it could get to avoid getting struck by the deadly magic. Yet, as the Traveler fell, the constant attack of the electricity followed the movement of the shield and struck into the enemy.

“O-okay…. I didn’t wait for this rough strength.” Hyrule commented while carefully sitting up after the attack ended.

“You okay, Rulie?” Wind queried and the Traveler nodded.

“Yeah…. Might be best if I crouch down for the next strike.” Hyrule thought aloud and the duo nodded in agreement. Yet, unfortunately, as they struck a new attack at the remaining mechanical oddity, the thing moved off of the way by taking few steps to right. The healer of the Chain wasn’t capable of moving the shield’s position easily which ended up getting the attack to end before he got much done.

“You think you got enough of magic to hit the shield three times without knocking yourself out?” Sky inquired while coming next to Hyrule.

“Yeah but you’re not that much taller than me.” The Traveler commented while giving the shield anyways.

“Maybe I’m not but truth is that I’m starting to run out of magic.” The Chosen Hero replied with a shrug. “And I doubt you two can carry Time out of here if he doesn’t wake up.” He continued while feeling grateful of the rocky wall of theirs protecting their unconscious leader at the moment.

“Okay, that’s a good reason.” Hyrule stated out while standing up. Wind stayed ready to defend his brothers if the small Guardian was up for attacking them. Sky took some distance from his brothers and aimed the shield at their target. “Here comes.” The Traveler warned while striking with electricity for the first time.

Sky took the hit with slight slide backwards. He steadied himself bit better before the second incoming of the electricity. This time he managed to stay to his place. The Skyloftian kept his gaze in the strange and dangerous being while getting ready for the third hit. He was capable of taking the impact easily but the attack that left from the shield took him fully off guard.

Sky slid backwards quite a bit before he managed to get the control of the situation. Right after that he already moved the Mirror Shield’s angle and chased the small Guardian while using same swiftness he had with the sword. The thing had no chance of avoiding the upcoming attack.

As soon as the small Guardian was done with, the ledge those enemies had been on started to move. It came into full contact with the area the Heroes were on before the wall of the former ledge lowered down from middle. A road forward had just appeared.

“Keep eye on the road.” Sky half commanded before already heading to their leader. “We need to take Time’s armor and weapons off or I won’t be able to carry him.” Hyrule nodded while following the Sky Knight to aid with the task. Wind stayed on the other side of the rocky wall while bit fearing if more enemies would end up coming at them.

The duo tried to wake the Old Man up while working with the heavy plate metal armor and the weapons. For a moment both Sky and Hyrule wondered which of them would take Time’s stuff into safekeeping but they eventually managed to place them into their leader’s own care. With the Traveler’s help, the Chosen Hero carefully picked the one eyed male up.

“Everything safe for us to come out?” Hyrule called once they were ready to head forward.

“All’s clear!” Wind replied while turning to check on things. He slightly flinched at the state their leader was in. “Is Time going to be okay?” The Sailor eventually asked with full worry within his voice.

“He will be once we get out of here.” Hyrule answered as calmly as he could while forcing his own worry out of his mind. “I’ll continue with the healing when we’re somewhere safer than this odd place.” He promised while knowing neither of his brothers were too happy of what would be the end result of those words.

“I think Wild called this kind of place as Shrine few times.” Sky mused as they headed towards the open road forward. Hyrule was in front of him while Wind was keeping the back. The trio wasn’t happy at all of the situation but they needed to find a road out.

“Should we just wait for Time to wake up?” Wind queried but Sky shook his head.

“Hyrule healed a lot but there’s still even more of work to be done.” The Skyloftian explained sorrowfully. “I doubt he could walk at the moment. And he certainly wouldn’t allow Hyrule to continue with the healing.”

“Right. Easier for all of us this way, eh?” The Sailor half joked before already sighing.

The group walked forward in silence while Hyrule and Wind were ready for anything. They kept as close eye on their surroundings as possible while fully fearing for enemies to come at them. None of them were eager of thinking about what kind of hell they’d end into if more of those small Guardians would come at them anymore.

Eventually, after couple of empty rooms, they came into a dead end. “Did we miss something?” Hyrule asked while feeling the dread lodge within him.

“Should’ve checked the walls better. Maybe there was something hidden or a button to press or…” Wind half whispered while starting to fear of an enemy to be somewhere behind them.

“There’s a platform ahead.” Sky observed while nodding to a round place at the end of the room. The duo with him turned their notion into the thing. “Better to check it out as it is the only thing different in here.” The Chosen Hero stated out while carefully moving closer to the place.

“Elevator of sorts?” Hyrule queried after he and Wind had rounded the platform while checking it as fully as possible.

“Only one way to check.” Sky told before nodding sharply towards the podium of sorts. “Get up on it and help me get Time to there.” He half commanded, half requested. The duo nodded and quickly climbed up while bit fearing for the thing to take off before they all would be on it. Luckily it stayed to its place and they reached downwards to pull their leader out of Sky’s hands. After that the Skyloftian climbed up too. The second he was on it, the round platform shook roughly like an earthquake would’ve hit it.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Warriors, Twilight, Four and Legend sighed heavily as he yanked their weapons off of the fissure. The only one whom had broken several swords was Wild. The five of them had checked the opening while feeling bit confused of how much freedom was between the door and the wall. Yet, the blockage was fully connected to the frame from above and below.

They had been sawing and striking at what had seemed like the most vulnerable areas but again their actions were entirely futile. Even the bending of their swords didn’t do a damn thing to the door. It was fully and thoroughly shut. “Maybe… Maybe we could try on the platform…” Four suggested while catching his breath. The others nodded while leaning against the doorframe of sorts.

Suddenly mechanical sounds startled the Chain. Wild had lost the feed of their brothers after they had left the room where they had gotten together. The Champion had done all he could to regain the footage but the Slate had fully lost the connection to the Shrine. With a heavy sigh, he had gone to aid with the attempt of forcing the door open by brute power.

The group turned around while being ready to fight even though they had used most of their strength and magic already. They were quite startled when the round platform opened up by sliding some kind of hatch off of the way. They all gasped in shock before already smiling widely as their brothers were brought into sight. The names were screamed out as the five of them dashed that short distance to their Chain’s members.

The reunion was gleeful even with Time being unconscious. Legend and Wild gave out potions while Warriors gently picked Time up from the platform. After that they all returned to the camp. The moment their leader was laid down onto soft bedroll, Hyrule was already by him. He had quite well forced Legend to give him one of the green potions. Now he was not going to let anyone to stop him from healing the rest of the one eyed male’s wounds.

Legend sighed bit exaggerated when he caught Hyrule as the Traveler fell unconscious after having handled his work to end. The Veteran had simply moved right behind him and just waited. He shook his head a bit while picking the youngster up and carrying him to one of the bedrolls to get some rest.

Sky and Wind told their sides of how they had woken up in the Shrine and pretty much fought their way through the place. They all had come into that one room from different directions. That had, unfortunately, forced them to move through specific tiles which had caused an invisible wall appear and trap them. Before they even realized a thing, they had felt a slight sting of a dart and soon they were out of count.

It was already long past midday when Sky and Wind were done with their explanation. The whole night had been used in desperate attempt of getting inside the Shrine while the others had worked hard to get out of there. The Sailor and the Chosen Hero snuggled down onto their bedrolls while pulling the blanket over their heads after getting some much needed late breakfast done by Wild.

Hyrule woke up only couple of hours after the duo had gone to sleep. He eagerly took the offered food before going over to their still unconscious leader. The Traveler fully ignored everyone’s disappointed looks as he called out for his magic and checked that Time was as fully healed as possible. He sighed a bit in relief when he found nothing to fix. “He just needs to wake up.” He told while returning to his bedroll and leaning against Legend. The Veteran pulled him into a hug while feeling grateful of everyone being around alive.

Three hours later Time finally woke up. Only moments earlier Wind and Sky had gotten up too. It wasn’t because they wouldn’t have needed more rest. It was simply the worry and need to know that their leader would be alright. Even with Hyrule’s comforting words of having healed everything there was to heal, it was more of relief when the Old Man groaned and slowly sat up.

“Hey there, Sprite. Nice to have you back with us.” Warriors mused while sitting next to the one eyed brother of his.

Time smiled a bit and, going just by hearing, leaned against the Captain. Warriors was bit surprised of the action but he was swift on making sure his brother hit right with his guess. “Where’s that scarf of yours?” The Old Man queried with a slight grin. Warriors chuckled and shook his head while bringing the blue fabric around Time while smiling fondly. “That’s better.” The Chain’s leader mused happily while snuggling into the softness of the wide accessory of his brother’s.

Just before Warriors could suggest that Sprite would actually eat something, Time already sighed bit exaggerated. “I can feel you boys staring at me with that worried look of yours.” He stated out before slowly opening his eye. “I’m fine. Honestly. Just bit out of strength. Which means….” He trailed off while searching out Hyrule whom bit slumped while giving a sheepish look. “I hope you didn’t do it while we were within that Shrine.”

“I swear I didn’t!” The Traveler straight off confirmed while raising his hands up in defense. Time stared at him for a moment later before searching out Sky and Wind.

“He only healed what was needed to keep you alive and get to move you out of there without causing further damage.” Sky explained when their leader’s gaze fell into him. The Sailor nodded firmly in agreement.

Time nodded before bit sighing and relaxing while closing his eye. “Good. Knew I was in good hands in there.” He grinned a bit before sighing and shaking his head slightly. “I’m sorry for having left you guys to handle the rest of the place without my backup.”

“No apology needed.” Wind stated out while smiling widely. “You did lot already. Saved us and figured out a way to deal with those things. You honestly gave everything needed to get out of there with all of us alive.”

Time sighed in slight relief and nodded. “That’s good.” He half whispered before opening his eye and letting his gaze fall into the cooking pot.

“You up for getting some food, Sprite?” Warriors inquired while trying to hold back his grin as he noticed where his brother’s gaze went into. Time simply nodded and Wild was already on that second getting the food served for him. “You need to get your hands out of my scarf if you plan on eating.” The Captain stated out before raising an eyebrow at his brother’s grin.

“Few things, Wars: One, I’m way too comfy at the moment to move. Two, currently it’s my scarf.” The Chain’s leader started almost smugly and grinned even wider at the baffled look on Warriors’ face. “And three, it’s not like you haven’t fed me before so why not now.”

The Captain blinked few times in start before chuckling and shaking his head. “You were ten and half back then, Sprite.” He stated out while nodding to Wild as he accepted the brought food.

“So?” Time simply queried with raised eyebrow. “Last I checked you weren’t caring about our age difference having been knocked around and all while still being my older brother.”

Warriors blinked couple of times before chuckling. He shook his head while smiling fondly. “Got it, Sprite.” He mused happily before nodding once. Time grinned a bit while closing his eye and letting his older brother feed him.

The Chain watched bit startled at the scene before bit shrugging. Even though they had seen the duo banter off like this before it still took them off guard. Nonetheless, it was very clear that their leader was alright and that was all they needed. Hyrule, Sky and Wind were all healed and well functioning. Time was just needing to catch his strength back but otherwise he was in as good condition as could be.

Most of the Chain took naps during the day while sharing the night shifts between the five brothers whom had been trying to get inside the Shrine. After all, they hadn’t gone through hellish battles even though they had kinda exhausted themselves in the action of trying to open the stubborn door. Nonetheless, they were in better condition than the others after several hour long naps.

The Chain of Links cleared the camp at the next morning. Time stretched a bit while checking his boys as unnoticeably as he could. His notion especially was in the trio whom had been with him inside the Shrine. Yet, he smiled a bit as everything seemed to be as well as before they had walked through the latest portal that had separated them from the others.

The four of them weren’t too confused of having ended into the Shrine. Those were quite well equivalent to everyone else’s Temples and Dungeons. Still, what did confuse the group was the fact that only about half of them had ended into there. Usually it was everyone but Time shrugged it off.

The portals were still something he hadn’t figured out and each time he thought he had gotten an idea of how they worked, the next one quite well ruled his conclusions into oblivion. Eventually he gave up on trying to understand the portal’s functioning and just decided to deal with whatever those things threw at them. So far they had been lucky and he just hoped that luck would stay with them. Nonetheless, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of: Whatever was thrown at their way, he and his boys were more than ready to deal with it together.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 34: Extra 4: Human weapon

Summary:

Sky is put into hellish situation and he makes the best choice he can to save Time's life. Yet, Time is FAR from happy of that choice. Unfortunately, the Chosen Hero's decision only puts the Hero of Time into a situation he'd rather NOT be in.

Notes:

This is something I struggled with for long while. =/ Didn't fully know how to take the title until Fi came into mind. XD Also, this is a chapter which ending originally was going to be the only one with sad ending. =( BUT, then I figured out to fix that with bit of extra by new visit to Skyloft. ^.^ Which is also known as the last five paragraphs of this fic. ;) You know, just to let you, my dear readers, to know where it originally ended.

CW: Cursing, sacrifice (meant for human but ends up sword), emotional hell

Published: 04.03.2024 around 2:35 of Finnish time

Things had gone to hell the moment the nine Heroes had walked through the portal. They hadn’t walked into middle of a monster camp. Nor had they been attacked and left just seconds to draw their weapons out. No, nothing that could’ve given them a chance to get out of the situation with their lives and conscious minds.

They had been darted with tranquilizers and knocked out within seconds.

“Since the First Hero does not walk with these nine, the task falls to the Second Hero. The sacrifice, with the reasons to be told, will be the Third Hero.”

Time groaned and slowly blinked his eye open. He was tied onto an altar of some sort. Seven out of eight Heroes were tied close by to poles. They were all gagged but clearly freaked out and struggling to get themselves free. Sky was standing next to him with an old looking sword in his hands.

“Kill the one whom is titled as the Hero of Time. Kill the one whom broke the sacred timeline. Erase those shattered roads of lives that never should have existed.”

Time looked around and saw people hiding in the shadows. One looked like a priest or such while being not too far from them. He was the one calling the shots in there. Time turned his gaze back into his boys. He couldn’t deny the man’s words. He had shattered the timeline and hence the seven were there. He was the fault of their hell.

“I can do you a better offer.” Sky nearly whispered but in the eerie place, the words were easy to hear. He put the sword down to the floor before drawing out the Master Sword. “I can sacrifice something of far greater value than a Hero’s life.”

“Sky… Don’t.” Time commanded while realizing what the Chosen Hero was up for. “It’s not worth it.” He stated out before glancing one last time at the others. “I’m not worth it. Just kill me with the other sword, Link. He’s right, you know. I am at the fault. You heard it yourself just few weeks ago. Just do as he says. Maybe… Maybe this is what it’s all about for this quest, yeah?” He tried to talk calmly while desperately wishing to change Sky’s choice.

“I’m not going to kill you, Time. Not you nor anyone else. This is not the reason of our quest and you know it.” Sky replied. He gulped once and raised the sword above his head. “Just pray I’m right about this.” The Chosen Hero almost whispered before plunging the sword downwards fast and hard.

“SKY! NO!” Time screamed out. At the moment he wasn’t scared of dying. He was prepared to do that for any of his boys. There was no trouble or second though in that. But this… He couldn’t let their Skyloftian member destroy something as valuable as the sacred Master Sword.

Time stared in shock and terror as the sword began to vanish from the sharp tip the closer it had come to him. “I’m sorry, Fi.” Sky half begged, half whispered as the weapon vanished from his hold.

“W-what the fuck did you just do, Sky?!” Time nearly snarled while still staring wide-eyed at Sky. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done!?!” He growled while letting the rage take over his shock. “How the hell do you think we can finish the quest now, huh?!”

Sky turned his gaze off while closing his eyes. “I told you, I won’t kill you or anyone else.” He told calmly before taking out a knife and starting to set Time free. “We’ll figure this out. It’s what we always do.” He simply stated out with a shrug.

Suddenly Time’s gaze snapped into someone approaching one of the other Heroes. “Touch him and I’ll rip you to pieces.” He snarled while glaring at the woman. She gasped a bit before raising his hands up in surrender. There was a knife in her hand.

“I… I’ll only let them free. No harm.” She stammered. Time glared at her for a moment longer before nodding. Yet, he kept close eye on her doing until Sky had him freed.

“This talk isn’t over.” Time half hissed to Sky before going to free the others. Sky simply nodded and went to help with the work of freeing their brothers. Once everyone was free, the crowd around them moved aside to let them through. The Chain’s leader ushered his boys out of there while making sure the people stayed far enough from them.

The Chain moved fast and far before they stopped. The whole walk was done in utter silence since the situation was something entirely unexpected. Twilight as Wolfie kept checking that they weren’t followed. “I know where we’ll find Fi.” Sky finally told.

“I think we all do know where to find that blade.” Time snapped while still being raged of Sky of all of his boys to have sacrificed the sacred sword. “But I sure as hell won’t be drawing that weapon from its resting place. No matter the time or place.”

“There’s no chance I’d ask for such.” Sky replied while trying to stay calm. He understood Time’s anger better than well. He himself was still bit shocked of having even gone for such an idea. The Master Sword had once vanished in Wild’s hands and he had been raged about that. Luckily back then the blade had returned to him soon enough. But now… The sword was still missing.

It was three nerve wracking days before the portal finally opened up. The tense mood wasn’t because of the monsters and Sky needing to fight with a loaned sword. It wasn’t because of the people whom had been ready to sacrifice Time to destroy the extra timelines. It was simply Time himself. He hadn’t held a grudge this long before but everyone was on edge and careful around him even though his anger was mainly pointed at Sky.

It was immense relief to the Skyloftian Hero when the portal brought them to Skyloft. “This way! Follow me!” He half shouted before already dashing off the second everyone had come through the portal and realized where they were. Sky led them straight to the underground Shrine. He slowed down and sighed in relief when he saw the Master Sword on its pedestal.

Sky, followed by the others, walked to the blade and knelt down as a knight for a moment. “Fi, forgive me. I didn’t have a choice.” He half whispered but in the room the words almost echoed around. He stood up, took once a deep breath and took hold of the weapon’s handle. After that he started to pull.

The sword didn’t even budge. It was entirely stuck into its place. Sky was bit startled of the blade fighting against his hold. He took a deep breath and more determination as he pulled even harder than before. “Sky? Everything all right?” Legend called out bit worriedly while watching the situation.

“I… I’m not sure…” Sky started while putting more and more of his strength into his work of pulling the Master Sword from its place. He even growled while fighting to get it freed. “She… The Master Sword… She’s not….” The Chosen Hero gasped and backed way while panting. “I can’t… I can’t pull her out…” He whispered in disbelief while staring at the sword with a confused and bit freaked out frown.

“Let me try.” Legend stated out while taking Sky’s place. He used all of his strength giving rings and bracelets which he was wearing as he began to pull. The harder he tried, the more he growled. Yet, the blade stayed to its place.

Time watched as the Heroes tried one after another. Each of them failed to pull the Master Sword off. He was not going to try. Trusting that his boys would figure it out and get the sacred weapon with them, the Chain’s leader turned around and headed out of there. Just as he reached the stairs, the room echoed with a gentle chime. His boys gasped in shock but that went past the one eyed male’s notion. “Hero of Time.” Time flinched and froze to his place as the call bounced gently all around the room.

Time could feel everyone’s gazes in his back. He desperately tried not to tremble as he stayed to his place. He was not going to face Fi. He was not going to touch that sword. He had sworn it to himself long ago. Yet, right here, right now, he was forced into a situation he couldn’t handle.

Time leaned against the wall next to him while glaring at the steps in front of him. He desperately tried to concentrate into his breathing to keep it normal. He wrapped his arms around himself in hopes of staying calm. He wanted to walk away. He wanted to leave the problem to his boys while counting on them to figure it out. He did not want to turn around and begin to throw the accusations the anger was up for bringing fort. And yet, he couldn’t move to one way or the other.

Time’s ear twitched slightly as he heard someone coming towards him. He growled quietly while dearly praying it wasn’t Sky. He couldn’t take his apologies at the moment. He couldn’t take the begs of pulling the sword up for them. He couldn’t—

“Sprite?” The call was worried and gentle. Time sighed in relief and slightly relaxed. He could take Wars’ attempt of getting him to handle the task. The Captain was his older brother after all. He could deal with this…. Maybe.

The Chain had been entirely shocked when the female being had jumped out of the Master Sword. Sky had called her name with a wide smile but the blue spirit had locked her eyes into the retreating back of Time’s and called out his title. Everyone’s gazes had struck into their leader. The worry began to rise as Time stayed to his place, the tremble almost unnoticeable. Warriors had eventually shown to others to stay put as he went to approach the Old Man. Everyone knew that the two shared some past so they let the Captain try and figure the situation out.

Warriors didn’t dare to touch Time in worry of freaking him out. Instead, he just rounded him and sat down to the stairs in front of him. He glanced once towards the rest of the Chain while making sure none of them would see him sign. “Sprite? What’s wrong?”

Time sighed heavily and bit shakily freed his hands to sign back. “I can’t do it.”

Warriors frowned in concern. “No-one’s asking you to do anything, Sprite.” He stated out firmly. “We’ll figure out something. Sky’ll talk to Fi. They’ll clear it out.”

Time nodded but he entirely doubted things to work out. “I can’t pull that sword up, Wars.” He signed while trying to stay intact. “I… I’ve fucked up enough. I can’t…”

Warriors’ worry only grew. “You haven’t fucked up anything, Sprite.”

Time snorted and shook his head. “That’s a lie!” He pretty much snapped with the rough movements. “You’ve heard it. I left one timeline without a Hero and the other I let to plummet into hell! It’s just… It’ll be just matter of time before I fuck up my own timeline too. I just…. I can’t do anything right…” Time’s hand trembled with the last line while he felt like breaking down.

Warriors watched his brother’s hell while desperately wishing to pull him into a tight hug. “Now that’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.” He stated out firmly but calmly. Time snorted and shook his head. “How much did you know when you set to your first quest, hmm?” The Captain inquired while praying his hunch of the information he had so far gathered about the Hero of Time would hold true. Time averted his gaze while clearly feeling entirely uncertain. “Come on, Sprite. Tell me. How much did you know?”

Time bit down to his lower lip while feeling his ears droop as he slumped a bit. “…Nothing.” He finally confessed while remembering how clueless he had been of the world outside Kokiri Forest back then. No-one had told him a damn thing. He hadn’t known what would happen if he drew the Master Sword back then.

Warriors nodded slowly. “This will be a conversation for later, Sprite. I won’t force you down on this path here and now with everyone watching.” He promised while truly hoping he was right about what he was up for putting up next. “Maybe, Sprite, this isn’t about the past. Maybe it’s about the recent situation.”

Time frowned and slightly raised his gaze up into Warriors. “What’s that supposed to mean?” His movements were bit sharp but nothing of too rough.

“The Master Sword was used against you, Sprite. It vanished to save your life.” Warriors signed out calmly but firmly. “Maybe this is all the reason it wishes you to pull the sword up.”

Time frowned while thinking it through. He wanted to glance behind him but he didn’t dare. “Last time I drew the Master Sword, I let Ganondorf into the Sacred Realm and fucked everything up. The blade, Wars….” He started while wanting to explain but still feeling entirely uncertain. “It…. I-it stole seven years from me, Wars.” The Chain’s leader finally confessed with trembling hands. “I… I can’t…. W-what if….? What if it happens again? What if I—“

Warriors couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up and pulled Time into a tight hug. “I’ll be right with you, Sprite. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear.” He whispered right into his brother’s ear. “I’ll keep hold of you. That blade can’t do a fucking thing to you without taking me too. And if it harms you... Fuck it, if it even tries to harm you, I swear I’ll break it to pieces. Sacred blade for us Heroes doesn’t matter a damn thing if it’s up for doing something you’re not allowing.” The Captain promised before gently pushing Time bit away to look him. “I swear it, Sprite. I’m right here with you.”

While Warriors was having a silent conversation with Time, Sky tried his best to talk Fi around. He did not want to put their leader into a situation he had sworn never to take part into. Hell, he had even given his word that Time didn’t need to touch the Master Sword. And now… He was failing and breaking that promise.

“Fi, please!” Sky begged desperately. “Just listen to me.” He pleaded while trying to get in front of the unique being to block her from looking at their leader. “I’m really, really sorry about what I had to do. If there had been any other way, I would’ve figured it out.” He explained but Fi didn’t even look at him.

“Please, Fi, don’t put the Hero of Time into this situation.” Sky was entirely desperate and praying he could get through to the Master Sword’s Spirit. “Why him, Fi? Why do you wish it to be the Hero of Time? Please, I’m begging of you, please, don’t force him into this.”

Fi still held her gaze in the back of the Hero of Time. She stayed silent even though she heard her second master’s words. She felt and saw the other Heroes around her. Every single one of them was more than right one to pull the blade out but they weren’t the one whom had been tried to be killed by her. She needed his acceptance before she could give the rights to anyone else. He was the one whose life had been in jeopardy. She had had to vanquish herself to protect one of her own wielders.

Time was grateful that he wasn’t yet crying. He took several deep breaths to calm down as he listened to Warriors’ reassuring words and quiet whispers. Eventually he pulled off. “You sure?” He inquired quietly while praying that his brother was right about his claim.

“It’s worth a shot.” Warriors replied with a shrug. “I don’t think you need to even pull the blade up. Just tell Fi that everything’s fine and all that. Yeah?”

Time bit down to his lower lip while thinking it through. “I doubt it’s that easy, Wars.” He signed sorrowfully. “Words can be lies but one can’t lie in their heart. And by touching that blade, one creates a connection. She’ll know everything at then.”

“Does she need to, though?” Warriors countered with a raised eyebrow. “You’re a Hero. Why would you lie?”

Time grimaced before snorting. “Why indeed?” He forced the words out and the Captain could easily see the snarl within the words. The Chain’s leader sighed heavily and closed his eye. “Let’s get this over with.” He stated out before already feeling uncertain. “…Just pray that nothing happens when I pull that cursed blade up.”

“I’ll be right by you, Sprite.” Warriors whispered as they began to return to the pedestal. The Captain didn’t think twice as he already gently placed his scarf around Time’s shoulders. “I’m right here, little brother.” He reassured quietly when Time glanced at him bit surprised. Yet, that simple action of comfort got him to smile a bit and nod.

Time tried to ignore the stares his boys were giving him. He glared at Fi whom slowly moved to stand behind the pedestal. Yet, the second she was up for making a move to force Warriors away from the vicinity of the blade, Time already moved between them. “Force him away from my side and it’ll be the last time you’ll see me.” He snarled while pointing a finger at Fi.

“Time, I…” Sky started but Time raised his hand to silence him. Yet, he didn’t even glance at the Skyloftian while still glaring at the spirit that looked like having been crafted out of blue crystals. Finally Fi nodded and moved those couple of steps away from him and Warriors.

“I’m right here, Sprite.” The Captain whispered while readjusting the scarf around Time’s shoulders. Time simply nodded while dropping his gaze into the blade in front of him. He tried to keep his breathing in order but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was terrified. “It’s okay, Sprite. Just calm down. I got you.” Warriors kept talking while moving bit closer and taking a hold of Time while still not being of hindrance to his movement.

Time closed his eye for a moment and just listened to Warriors’ voice. He needed to root himself into the present instead of letting the past memories take him over. Eventually he took a trembling deep breath and opened his eye as he let the air out. He did try not to shake. He tried to keep his hands steady as he slowly and hesitantly brought them around the handle. Dear Goddesses, how much he wanted to just turn around and leave. “You can do it, Sprite. I’m proud of you, little brother. Everything’s going to be okay.” Warriors reassured while wishing deep inside that Time would’ve just talked to Fi instead of going for this.

After a moment Time finally closed his hands around the handle of the Master Sword. He flinched slightly while shutting his eye tightly. Yet, nothing happened as he desperately just concentrated into breathing. “W-Wars…?” He called quietly before bit gasping as the Captain tightened his hold on him. Slowly his panicked mind began to pick up on the reassuring words his older brother was whispering.

Carefully Time opened his eye and took several deep and wavering breaths in hopes of fully calming down. He didn’t dare to raise his gaze up into Fi or he’d blow up with all the rage and hatred he had. He couldn’t… It wasn’t the time or place to start doing emotional offloading. And he knew if he started now, he wouldn’t be able to stop. It all would just come out and he wasn’t ready for the Chain to hear it all. It was too much and too rough. He wasn’t ready to deal with what would come afterwards. And he certainly wasn’t up for dealing with this stuff with Sky. He couldn’t be the reason his thoughts and believes about the Master Sword and Goddesses would change. The kid was perfect the way he was. He didn’t want to change that even one damn bit.

“Just listen to my voice, Sprite. It’s okay. You’re here, Sprite. You’re safe.” Warriors told firmly but gently right into Time’s ear. Little by little it rooted him right back into the situation and present he was in. The Chain’s leader took one more deep breath before beginning to pull.

Time, along with all of his boys, flinched slightly when the slight screech was heard as the blade moved upwards. Time’s breathing fastened the higher he drew the sword. He desperately tried to concentrate into the Captain’s voice but his terror was slowly overtaking him. All he had gone through and all he had learned during this quest were making him question his actions. His fears raised their heads and he knew he was trembling.

Time gasped and stumbled when the blade came out. Warriors was fast to steady him. The Chain’s leader was breathing fast and shallowly while staring wide-eyed at the sword. It was in his hands. Warriors was right by him. Fi was standing in front of him just behind the pedestal. And she was offering the sheath for the sword.

Time took the cover with shaking hand. He took deep breaths while forcing himself to calm down. His hard gaze was in the sword. Deep inside there were several ideas going around his head for what he could do.

Slash at Fi with the blade. That’ll take her off guard.

Just slam the blade into the ground and walk away.

Throw the fucking the sword into wall with a scream. That might make you feel better.

Slam it back into the pedestal. You did what was asked. Now just seal it back.

Strike it into the ground and snap it into two. Maybe that could silence the stupid spirit.

Time took a deep breath, shook his head and steeled himself. He carefully sheathed the sword before raising his glare up into Fi whom was still there. “I hate you.” He growled out before turning his gaze away. He took another deep breath to calm down. After that he took the scarf off of his shoulders and moved to stand in front of Sky.

Time knelt down to one knee while bowing his head with his eye closed and offering the Master Sword by two hands. “This blade has been forged by the First himself and many after him. You tempered this sacred sword. I have done neither for I only wielded it. As such, I do not have the rights to carry this weapon. What You did was right within Your heart. I do not hold grudge against such actions. Please, accept the Master Sword and be its wielder once again.”

Sky, along with the rest of the Chain, was utterly shocked of Time’s actions and words. Physically he was the oldest of them but through the timelines of the Heroes, he was third. Sky stared at his leader and the blade for a moment before he tentatively reached down to the sheathed sword. Carefully, like fearing it to either strike at him or vanish once again, he picked the Master Sword from Time’s hands.

Sky sighed in relief when the sword was still in his hold. He slowly pulled the blade out while still being entirely worried of how things will go. Yet, he sighed even more in relief and relaxed as the blade stayed in his hands. “You are forgiven.” Fi spoke before vanishing into blue smoke that swiftly was sucked into the sacred blade.

With Fi’s words, Time finally stood up. He backed away from Sky by a step while keeping his gaze down. “I… I need fresh air…” He half stammered before turning his gaze into the way out and began to walk. He didn’t look around as he forced himself to stay calm and collected.

Warriors snapped into action the second Time spoke. “You’re not going alone.” He stated out while jogging after him. Time didn’t say a word but he had bit flinched. The Captain glanced behind them at the rest of the Chain. “Don’t worry about us, guys! Just let us have a moment of peace, thanks!” He called as carefreely as he could. Yet, the second he turned his gaze forward again, it was filled with worry. He quickly placed his scarf over Time’s shoulders again. “I got you, little brother.” Warriors whispered calmly. “Let’s just find a secluded place to calm down. I’ll keep my mouth shut if that’s what you need. You know, moral support and all.”

It took a moment before the duo found a corner at the island that was hidden by a wall. With a heavy sigh Time sat down and just stared out into the clouds and blue sky. Warriors sat next to him and stayed silent for a while before finally inquiring one simple thing: “Are you all right, Sprite?”

Time shook his head and leaned against the Captain whom simply wrapped his arm around him. “You’re going to be okay, Sprite. I’m right here with you.” Warriors whispered and gently kissed the top of Time’s head. “You don’t need to tell me a thing but it might help us both eventually. All you need to know, Sprite, is that I love you no matter what.”

“I love you too, big brother.” Time whispered while closing his eye. “I just… Need rest, I think…” He mumbled while not wanting to think about facing the Chain of Links to explain things. He knew he had acted oddly and worried them all. And yet, he wasn’t certain if he ever could really tell a thing about what had just happened or why.

“Just sleep, Sprite. I got you.” Warriors whispered while making sure Time was in as good a position as possible. “There’s no rush to anywhere. We’re safe and sound in here.” He kept on talking calmly and soothingly while his brother fell asleep. Even after that he didn’t stop talking even if his voice would go raw. If this was what Time needed, he’d do it without hesitation. Even though he had the closest friendship with the Chain’s leader, he’d do this exact same thing for any of the others too.

It was sunset when Time woke up with a groan. Warriors let him sit up and stretch while keeping close eye on him. “You okay, Sprite?” He inquired bit worriedly.

Time simply shrugged. “Not sure.” He half mumbled while opening his eye and noticing the low being sun. “You think the boys have been wise enough to get to bed by now?” He inquired while watching the colors of the sunset.

Warriors glanced to his right very swiftly before chuckling nervously. “Uh… I highly doubt that. They’re worried about you as am I.”

Time groaned and slumped forward while hiding his face into his hand. “Ugh! I’m not in the condition of trying to explain a damn thing!” He half whined before bit snapping at Warriors’ chuckling: “It’s not funny, Wars! There’s…! You don’t…!” He growled and returned his gaze into the sky.

“Sorry, Sprite. I know the situation’s not favorable.” Warriors started while being unable to keep the grin off of his voice: “Yet, you’re the funny thing in here.” Time half groaned, half whined.

“You are so—!“ He started while turning around to face the Captain but his words were cut short when he saw the Chain not far from them. “Shit…” He mumbled before first dropping his gaze down to the ground until turning it away back to the sky. “How much did you tell?” He inquired quietly while feeling uncertain of the situation.

“Nothing.” Warriors swore firmly. “They’ve been here for the past couple of hours. Twilight tracked us down. I made it crystal clear to stay quiet and not to ask a damn thing or I’d have their hide for it.”

Time sighed in slight relief and relaxed a bit. He nodded while keeping his gaze away from the others. He needed to gather both himself and his thoughts back together. Eventually he leaned back against Warriors while raising his gaze upwards. “You guys already know that I’m not fond of the Master Sword nor of the Goddesses.” He started as calmly as he could before gulping. He closed his eye and slumped. “The very short version is that the Master Sword stole seven years from my life and the Goddesses have denied three homes and families from me so far.”

The silence that followed his words was tangible. The eight Heroes around Time barely remembered to breathe. Warriors had already learned about what the Master Sword had done but the info about the Goddesses was new even to him. Yet, he was certain he was one of those three families Time referred to. “I’m sorry, Sprite.” He finally whispered and wrapped his arms around the Chain’s leader. That was all it needed for the one eyed male to break down.

Warriors tightened his hold while wrapping the scarf even better around Time. He wasn’t certain how much of comfort he was but he’d do all he could to help his brother get better. “I…” Time half whispered while opening his eye and staring into the darkening sky. “I’m scared… Terrified… Everything I have now… This…. This is the longest I’ve had the rights to hold on to home and family. I can’t… I don’t… I don’t think I can take it anymore if I lost all this…”

“You won’t lose us, Time.” Twilight suddenly told firmly and moved next to the Chain’s highest ranking persons. “We’ll be right by you till the end. I swear.”

“And what about after this quest, Cub?” Time queried with broken voice.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Sky replied on the Rancher’s behalf while going next to him. “I’m sorry I put you into this situation, Time. I never… I didn’t…. Shit… I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine, Sky… You couldn’t really know.” Time whispered while fearing how the quest would end. Would he be left with nothing more than memories and possibly few new scars? After all, that was all that had been given to him from three earlier quests. From the first and second he actually got some items and weapons too but not from his third. And now… What if the last portal was going to drop him back to the start and erase it all from Malon’s and even from Princess Zelda’s memories? Deep inside he was certain this was what was going to happen. He wasn’t going to voice it out to his boys. And yet…. Maybe he should warn them. Give them a chance to get prepared to what would happen. But what if they wouldn’t be put into such situation but he would be? After all, you don’t get such a title as a Hero of Time for no reason.

One by one the others came over while trying to give some reassurances to Time. He smiled slightly and nodded while trying to push his fears back. He could deal with that some other time. He knew Warriors was going to pick the topic up someday just to get it fully through but until then… Maybe he should just concentrate into the present and be grateful of what he had. Just etch it all into his heart and mind for as long as he lived in a form or another. It was all he could do since he had no idea whatsoever if he’d be given the rights to hold on to even one shred of proof afterwards. Even all those letters he had written to Malon and photos they all had taken…. They’d be all gone if the time was turned back once again. All he could count on was his own heart and memories. There was nothing else he ever could have and claim as his own. Everything else was possible to be taken from him. And that was what he was the most terrified of. No amount of reassurances could ever take away this fear of his.

Several portals later the Chain came back to Skyloft. In the given time Sky had had lot of time to think through Time’s words and fears. And finally he had figured something very important. This was the first timeline of theirs. The furthest to the start they could so far get. Anything created in here had the best chances of surviving into the later timelines. That was the reason the Chosen Hero didn’t think twice before he already spoke with Sun. After all, she was the first incarnation of Goddess Hylia in mortal form.

At the very next day Sky sat the whole Chain down before bringing all kinds of things into middle of their circle. Yarn, wood, metal… You name it and it certainly was there. “This is the earliest timeline we’re aware of.” He started as the eight brothers of his looked at him with full confusion. “And as such, what is created in here will have far more chances of surviving through any portal than in a timeline forward from here. That’s why we’re going to create something for each other from this timeline’s materials. It’ll be something very concrete to remember each other once this quest is over and we return to home.”

The Chain was entirely startled of the idea but they very soon grinned while already starting to plan what they’d create for the others. Time was more than startled of the situation. He was fully shocked for a moment before absolute relief washed over him. He tried to hold back his tears while smiling a bit. This was far more than he ever could’ve asked for. A chance to truly gain something to remember these eight wonderful boys of his while being able to give something back to them. Once he had calmed down enough, he moved next to Sky and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. I’m going to be in debt to you for the rest of my life.” He whispered before already kissing the top of the boys head.

Sky chuckled and shook his head. “Not even one bit, Time.” He replied while smiling a bit while knowing he had found the perfect way to help their leader. In fact, he wanted to say it was his way of apologizing for what he had done as well as of the situation he had forced Time into. Yet, he felt like that would’ve destroyed a lot so he kept his mouth shut.

It took its time but eventually the Chain had managed to create eight little things for each other. Sun used her magic to enhance the preservation of the items through the time and space. At least now they all had something entirely certain of this quest having happened. And more so, having gained a family out of eight Heroes across time and space. Those days of creating and sharing the things made at the Skyloftian’s era were the very best the nine Links ever had truly had in their lives.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Due to all that Time's got against the Goddesses and the Master Sword, I do have another idea for this story too. It'll be harder for Time due to the emotional offloading he'll be doing at wrong time. ^^; But, we'll see when i get that written. =)

Chapter 35: Extra 5: CPR

Summary:

Time shows how he learns magic. Things don't go as he planned.

Notes:

CW: Cursing, temporary major character death, electrocuted by lightning, CPR

Published: 05.03.2024 around 00:40 of Finnish time

The day was calm and beautiful. The weather was warm and quite sunny. Time watched as his boys were playing with electricity. Those who knew the magic were teaching it to those who were still unfamiliar with it. They had tried to get their leader into the whole thing too but Time had declined from the offer.

The Chain’s leader would’ve loved to learn the magic but he couldn’t. His magic was different to his boys. It wasn’t found from within him like with seven out of eight nor was it inherited like it was for Hyrule. And Time was certain that their healer was a fairy. At first he had just suspected it but with time he knew it to be true. The youngster didn’t say a word nor was he ready to give his secret out. And it wasn’t Time’s to tell.

The simple thing that gave the Traveler out as a fairy was the constant glow he had. He tried to hide it but Time, whom had been surrounded by fairies for most of his life, could easily see it. It didn’t change coloration like with the other boys when they were surrounded by pink healing fairies or other normal fairies. It didn’t wash off like it did with the others since the exposure was short. Time knew he had the fairy dust all over him and it wouldn’t wash off even if he’d try. Yet, he wasn’t certain of his own glow. He had a feeling it was some kind of odd mix depending on which fairies decided to be close to him. Nonetheless, he couldn’t care less. He simply enjoyed of their company and acceptance.

Yet, due to that amount of fairy magic he had been exposed to from birth to ten year old and then traveling with two different fairies for who knows how long… Yeah, Time’s magic didn’t work like with everyone else’s. His magic came from the fairies even though he wasn’t one of them. And as such, he couldn’t learn the magic the way everyone else did. There were two different ways he could learn magic. Either by Great Fairy’s blessing and teaching or…

Time narrowed his gaze as things changed in the playground of his boys. Wild had shot one of his Shock Arrows into the air. Probably just wanting to show off with its might. Yet, the Champion hadn’t taken into notion the Sailor’s mischievous grin. The youngest Hero had taken out his Wind Waker and now he took the control of that arrow. Laughing all the way as he forced the projectile to follow his command. That had surprised and bit shocked everyone else but they soon were grinning and enjoying of the show. Unfortunately, Time had a feeling something was going to go wrong.

“Send it off! Send it off! Stop pulling it closer to you!” The shouts got Time to get to his feet and dash into the scene. Wind had lost the control of the situation. He had brought the electrical weapon too close to himself and now it was trying to hit into the boy despite the wind’s strength. And Time couldn’t allow that.

The Chain’s leader ran past the other worried Heroes and just barely avoided the arrow from hitting into him. Without thinking, he tackled the Sailor to the ground and quickly took hold of the arrow with his right hand. It was instinctual and he was ready to get the full force of the strike but oddly enough it didn’t hit him. He sighed in relief and relaxed a bit. “You okay?” He inquired while turning his gaze into Wind.

The Sailor nodded while staring with wide and excited eyes at him. “Good. Move out of the way then.” Time half commanded while slowly fully standing up. He had quite well crouched over the boy to protect him with his own body if needed. Wind scrambled to his feet but he didn’t walk away.

Time raised an eyebrow at him before sighing. “Get to others.” He stated out and nodded to the rest of the Chain. He glanced at his boys before making his choice. “My magic’s different to yours. It’s the reason I can’t learn it the way you boys do.” He told while watching the Sailor accompany the others. “My magic comes for them fairies. It’s not internal like with you boys.” He explained while twirling the arrow in his hand.

Time carefully, with the help of his own teeth, took the gauntlet off of his left hand and let it drop to the ground. “I have two ways to learn. I’m either taught by the Great Fairies or…” He shrugged and carefully brought the electrical tip towards his hand. “…I’ll steal it.”

Without more explanation, Time struck a cut into his left hand’s palm. He growled while inhaling sharply. The electricity in the arrow was sucked into the bleeding wound. Time growled in pain while shutting his eye tightly while fisting his bleeding hand. He was shaking and the electricity was clearly all around his body. He took several deep and wavering breaths while trying to let them out slowly.

Time moved slowly as he performed similar moves as with Din’s Fire, Nayru’s Love and Farore’s Wind while still making it bit different. Eventually he struck his left hand skyward while screaming out. The electricity was struck on full force, much harder than any of his boys had brought out, right towards the cloudless sky. The golden and crackling lines flew high into the air before coming down fast and hard. Time let his hand fall down while trying to stay calm.

This was the hardest part. With Ice and Light he had struck them down into the ground. But electricity… It came from the sky itself so it had to be struck back up too. When the lightnings struck into him and the ground around him, he screamed. The roar of the thunder nearly drowned his voice from the other Heroes. Time had no control over the excessive magic of his but he still, by pure will power and need to protect his boys, managed to force the lines of electricity to avoid hitting into the eight Heroes. The thunderbolts suddenly and sharply changed ways while dividing into two right before the Links.

As the electricity and statics in the air vanished, the Chain saw their leader crash to the ground. “TIME!” The scream was full of shock and fear as they already dashed over to him. Warriors quickly turned him to his back before already checking for pulse.

“SHIT!” The Captain cursed before already beginning CPR. “Come on! Don’t do this to me, Sprite Come back!” He half growled, half screamed while working his hardest to revive his brother. The Chain watched in horror at the scene. Wind, being the sailor and needing the knowledge of how to save one from drowning, took a place from next to Warriors and took over the breathing air into Time’s lungs.

The time seemed to slow down if not stop for the eight Heroes. This certainly hadn’t been what they had waited for. Wild tentatively picked his Shock Arrow up before frowning. The strange tip of the projectile was grey. There was no magic left in the weapon. Somehow he felt like there was no chance of recharging it with one either. It was nothing more than normal arrow with fancy tip.

Suddenly Time inhaled sharply before already coughing. Wind pulled backwards while Warriors aided their leader into better position. “Shit, Sprite, you freaked the crap out of us.” He half whispered, half growled.

With the Captain’s help, Time sat up a bit. “Shit… That was stronger magic than I anticipated.” He shook his head to clear his mind a bit. “Usually I work with much weaker magic when I want to learn one.”

“The hell was that about?” Warriors asked while still feeling shocked. It was hard to believe that Time had struck one hell of an electrical attack just moments ago. The Chain’s leader chuckled a bit.

“Can I?” He inquired while looking at Wild and extending his hand towards the arrow. The Champion simply gave the projectile to him. “Before now, I got four out of six from the Great Fairies. Two, well, now three, I had to learn by myself. Ice and Light with Electricity now.” He started to twirl the arrow once again. “Arrows are easier to take the magic from. They’re small and light. The thing is…” Time explained before licking at the still bleeding wound in his hand and bit grimacing.

“May I?” Hyrule queried while kneeling down in front of Time. He pointed to the wound with hopeful look on his face. Time gave a slight smile and nodded. The Traveler smiled slightly and began to work with his healing magic.

“So, as I was saying, the only way I can learn a magic is to take it from a weapon or such. Kinda like inhaling it. Pulling it inside of me. Making a place for it within. Yet, the bad thing is that I only need a small amount but I end up taking all of it from the weapon. That’s why…” Time explained and shrugged. “I gotta get the excessive amount out. And I don’t have much of control at then. It just goes as it wishes with the strength that’s left in it. Maybe even stronger, not sure.”

Once Hyrule pulled off with a nod, Time nodded back before bit grinning. “At least…” He began and snapped his fingers. His grin widened as the crackling piece of electricity appeared above his hand. “I got the magic now.”

Time sighed and let the magic vanish. “Yet, as I learn the magic differently, I also use it differently. Unlike with the rest of you, it’ll affect me physically. Too much Fire and I overheat. Too much Ice and I’ll get hypothermia. Too much Electricity… Yeah, don’t touch me unless you want to get one hell of a shock.” He shrugged a bit with a lopsided grin. “Or at least I think that’ll happen. Not sure. Not exactly eager of finding out.”

“Wait… I haven’t noticed anything of such happening before.” Warriors told with a frown. He thought back to all of those times Spire had used the magic as well as when Time had used magic. Yet, he didn’t recall even one moment of overheating or gaining hypothermia.

Time chuckled. “Yeah, I’m usually careful with my magic. I rarely use it overly much. And I often change the magic itself to counter the effects of the earlier one.”

Warriors nodded slowly while realizing that his brother really had been switching between ice and fire in all of the times he had seen Time use magic. He had thought it was just his way but now… It just made things rougher than he wanted to think about.

“So… About this arrow…” Time continued and let others see the weapon. “It’s not going to be electrical anymore nor can it hold any other magic in there. I seriously sap its magic and render it normal. It just looks fancy anymore but it’s entirely a normal arrow now.” He told and shrugged while giving bit of a sheepish look to Wild. “Sorry. Should’ve asked for rights first.”

The Champion blinked once in surprise before grinning. “Not even one bit.” He stated out while smiling widely. “I’m happy to have given you a chance for a new magic. I got few things still if you want to add into your reservoir of magic.”

Time chuckled and shook his head. “Thanks but one magic a day is more than enough. Especially as strong as this one had been. It was bit out of my league there.”

“Some other day, then?” Wild offered with hopeful look.

Time chuckled and shook his head before pulling the Champion into a hug. “Yeah, another day.” He replied while letting the boy free. “Can I keep this?” The Chain’s leader inquired while bringing the arrow into sight.

“Of course!” Wild exclaimed happily with a nod.

Time smiled widely and nodded. “Thanks.” He twirled the arrow for a while longer before putting it off. “Not yet sure what I’ll strike with it but I’m sure I’ll figure out worthy enough target for it eventually.” He picked up his gauntlet up before already starting to put it back on.

“Do you always do the same thing to get the magic?” Hyrule asked bit worriedly.

Time shrugged. “It’s the way I figured it out. So far I haven’t learned any other way for learning. Ice was bit rough as it was my first magic I learned without the aid from the Great Fairies. With Light I was bit more ready for what was to come. With this new one…” He explained and chuckled again. “Yeah, the strength of it took me off guard.”

Time stood up before already offering his hand to Warriors whom was right next to him. “Anyways, I think we’ve all had enough of electricity for now. Let’s just head back to the camp to calm down, yeah?” He suggested while watching everyone getting up. The group was still bit shaken but they followed their leader out of the calm clearing.

Wild began to work with dinner since the magic and the situation afterwards had shaken them all and he needed to do something to get his mind off of things. Yet, he also made hot chocolates to really calm things down. Little by little everyone began to relax and things returned to normal. Time was still bit static since few of his boys got a slight shock from him but luckily that didn’t last longer than couple of hours. At then he finally leaned against Warriors since he was sitting right next to him. The way of gaining the magic had quite well sapped his strength and hence he was soon asleep. The Chain smiled a bit at the scene since the Captain wrapped the scarf around their leader with a small fond smile. Things were fine again and each of them had the magic of electricity in their usage. That was quite a win for the day even with the fright that had happened.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 36: Extra 6: Immortality

Summary:

Time ends up going through absolute and utter hell to protect his boys. When the fairies inform him of something entirely shocking, his reasons to take the bad guy out only strengthen. Unfortunately, his situation only goes worse when his sight is rendered useless...... Or does it?

Notes:

VERY rough chapter!

CW: Cursing, temporary major character death x 3 (VERY brutal ways >.< Sorry Time), bleeding wounds, slit throat, stabbed heart and lungs, death of the bad guy equally brutally

On better note:
There WILL be one bonus chapter after these extras! =D I did two different stories for Day 28 and I decided to upload that second story as the last chapter for this whole creation. ^.^

Published: 06.03.2024 around 00:25 of Finnish time

Time woke up groggily. He whined and shook his head while slowly sitting up. He frowned as he heard muffled voices that somehow seemed frantic. He blinked few times and slightly grimaced at the hardness of the light. Slowly his vision cleared and his frown only deepened as he saw the harsh rocky floor.

The Chain’s leader shook his head again before turning his gaze towards the muffled sounds. He gasped in shock at the sight that met his gaze. His boys were tied, chained and gagged in a half circle ring. He didn’t think twice as he already scrambled to his feet and dashed to the closest one whom happened to be Warriors.

“The fuck’s happened?!” Time queried as he forced the gag off of the Captain’s mouth. “Are you alright?!” He straight off asked while swiftly taking in the state the eight were in. He didn’t see any blood or bruises. The boys were moving while trying to get themselves freed. There weren’t any of pained looks on their faces. “Just a moment. I’ll see if I can get those chains opened.” The one eyed male stated out before Warriors had a chance to say a thing as he already leaned over him to get a swift check on the situation.

“BEHIND!”

Time recoiled a bit backwards from his brother at the screamed out warning but the attack came too fast for him to react in any other way. He gasped nearly silently as the sword was struck through him from behind. “NOO!” Warriors screamed in horror as the blade was yanked backwards and out of his brother. The Old Man fell onto his back with a pained growl. He blinked his eye open to glare at his assailant.

The man smirked as he crouched down and swiftly took hold of Time’s throat. His victim gasped and started to struggle as he tightened his hold before already forcing the Chain’s leader up to his feet. The smirk only widened as he let go. Time gasped few times to get air in but that was all he got before the attacker already kicked him cruelly into the sword wound.

The Old Man screamed out as he half stumbled, half flew few meters backwards by the strike. He gasped in pain as he crashed back onto the floor. Through the pain he heard Warriors’ screams and begs. Yet, bigger notion went into his attacker walking towards him.

Time growled and forced himself to move. He opened his eye and glared at the man. Slowly and carefully he forced himself upwards while keeping his gaze in the guy. “What do you want?” He nearly snarled the question as he staggered up to his feet and stumbled few steps backwards.

The man only smirked while readying his sword for a swing. Time tried to back off but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid the attack. Soon the guy dashed forward and struck hard and fast. The impact sent the Chain’s leader flying backwards before crashing into the ground roughly back first. He slid few meters further after landing and gasped when he hit against a wall.

Time opened his eye and stared at the ceramic pot not far from him. “I know you’re in there, my little friend.” He started quietly in Fairy Language. “I need your aid. Yet, do not appear when you’re freed. Do not heal me until I’m at death’s door. And most of all, when the man has turned his back to you, fetch your sisters and brothers. Ask them to free my boys. Will you, please, do this for me?”

The man laughed as he came over to his victim. “Saying your prayers, huh?” He derided but Time didn’t even look up to him. The guy jumped very slightly when the oldest of his captives kicked the pot into the wall on right. Yet, he soon laughed when nothing rose up from the pot. “Tough luck, fool.” He stated out with a wicked smirk while forcing the Chain’s leader up again by a hold on his throat. Right after that he threw the severely wounded Hero of Time towards his group with the strength of few power rings.

“SPRITE!” Warriors screamed out in pure horror as his little brother hit the floor only some meters in front of him. He flinched at the clear sound of breaking bone as Time had tried to catch himself but only ended up hitting the ground harder with his arm in wrong position. “S-shit… Sprite…..” The Captain was entirely crying while fully cursing the fact of being unable to do a thing to help.

Time coughed few times before forcing himself upwards. He glanced once at the approaching enemy of his before turning his gaze into his second-in-command. “Don’t worry, Wars.” He started with a slight chuckle. “I can’t die in here.” He told surprisingly firmly before swiftly checking the others. “I’m not allowed to.” The Chain’s leader whispered the words out before returning his gaze into their tormentor.

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?!” Warriors quite well screamed the question. Yet, before he could even think about Time giving him the answer, the bad guy was already there. “Don’t you dare touch him…” He growled while glaring very sharp daggers into the man even though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop the guy from hurting his brother even more.

The man once again lifted Time up from the floor while choking him and forcing him to fight for his air. He smirked and threw his victim away from the others. He flinched slightly before already laughing as the Chain’s leader’s flight was abruptly stopped by a wall. “You want to know why I’m doing this, huh?” The guy asked while calmly walking over to his latest victim.

Time shot him a glare but he wasn’t exactly in condition of doing much of other. His tormentor only chuckled while crouching down and staring at him with a wicked grin. “This place is home for death. The more lives are taken, the better. And I have fun way of doing this.” He explained and glanced at Wind with sadistic smirk before returning his gaze into Time. “The best is when the group I take for this little fun of mine has different ages.” He chuckled while standing up. “I start from the eldest one.”

“Lucky me…” Time grumbled while desperately trying to come up with any kind of plan to survive. Yet, he knew there wasn’t much he could do at the moment.

The man chuckled and shook his head. “After you comes the youngest.” He stated out and Time’s gaze flashed before he already gave far crueler glare than before. “Next in line is the second oldest. Then the second youngest.” The guy explained and shrugged. “You get the gist of it, right?” He partly questioned while only smirking at the roughness his victim’s gaze held in that one eye.

“You will NOT touch them.” Time snarled out while inwardly cursing the fact of them having been checking their full gear before having been taken off guard since that had left them unarmed.

The man just laughed. “I doubt you got even slightest of chance to do a thing about that.” He stated out before shrugging. “Unless, of course, you got lives like cats do.”

Time smirked. “Nine, huh?” He glanced once at his boys. “Well, lucky me, I got exactly nine lives in my hands.” He stated out with a short chuckle which unfortunately ended into coughing out blood.

The tormentor blinked once in surprise before chuckling. “Fool.” He stated out before shaking his head. “Your time’s up.”

“You’ll touch them only over my dead body.” Time growled while raising his gaze back up into the bastard.

“Fine by me.” The guy answered before swiftly swinging his sword. The hit cut Time’s throat open and he fell with a shocked look on his face back onto the floor. His killer snorted before turning around and locking his gaze into the Sailor. “Your turn.” He simply stated out while starting to walk towards him.

Only halfway to the youngest Hero, the man stopped dead on his tracks. There was a sound of sharp inhale from behind him. Wind, along with the whole Chain, was glaring at the murderer with the cruelest gaze they could bring out. Yet, at the sudden sound, they all snapped their gazes back into the body of their leader.

“Fuck! That hurt!” Time growled while carefully standing up from the floor with the help from the uneven wall next to him. “Guess what, bastard. “He started while turning his glare into the man. “I’m still alive and standing. You fucked up.”

The man snorted and shook his head. “Well, seems like you had a fairy or something by your side.” He replied with a smirk while turning around. “More fun like that but you’ll run out of luck eventually.”

“We’ll see about that.” Time replied roughly while trying to take up a stance to fight back. He wasn’t too good with weaponless battle but he wasn’t going to give up just like that either. His killer dashed forward while readying his sword for a horizontal swing. Time narrowed his gaze and took a deep breath to stay calm and ready for the upcoming fight.

The Chain’s leader ducked underneath the blade while moving forward. Once off of the danger, he turned around as swiftly as he could while already standing straighter and punching. Unfortunately, it was martial arts versus sword. Time had far less of reach than his opponent. The next slash came too quickly for him to avoid it easily.

The Old Man gasped when the slash cut into his side. He backed away but the guy kept coming at him with the strikes. Without the gauntlets, it was pretty foolish idea to try and block the fast and strong swings. And he certainly didn’t want to get his arms cut off.

The Chain was unable to do anything else than watch as the attacker cut deep wounds into their leader. Warriors was screaming and cursing but that had no effect in the situation at all. Eventually they ended up watching in horror as the assailant struck the blade through Time’s chest, right into heart. “Let’s try this again.” The guy smirked while slashing swiftly and cutting his victim’s throat once again.

The man shook his head while standing up straight, stretching a bit and turning his gaze into the Sailor. With a wicked smirk he started to approach the kid again. He got bit closer this time before another sharp inhale made him turn around in shock.

Time took few deep breaths while forcing himself upwards. He smirked as he raised his gaze up into his assailant. “Surprise, bastard.” He quite well stated out while bit shakily standing up. “You’re not getting rid of me that of easily.”

“Sprite…?” Warriors called quite freaked out.

Time chuckled shortly and gave much gentler glance to his brother. “I told you, big brother. I can’t die in here.” He stated out while turning his gaze back into his enemy. “Not here. Not now. Not like this.” He continued surprisingly calmly.

“Freak.” The man snarled while gripping his sword even tighter. He growled and started to walk towards the victim that just failed to stay dead.

“Call me what you wish but I won’t allow you to touch my boys there.” Time replied before slightly frowning and turning his gaze bit to side. His assailant smirked and dashed forward as he realized the Chain’s leader to have been distracted by something. Warriors’ scream of warning snapped his gaze back up before he already gasped in shock and half jumped, half stumbled backwards.

The man swung the blade fast and precisely while Time desperately kept backing off and avoid the attacks. He flinched whenever the sword cut into his flesh as he knew to be way too close to his enemy but being unable of getting out of the attacking range. Suddenly, after a slight twitch of his ear, the Old Man’s gaze narrowed.

Time just barely managed to duck beneath the blade before already moving forward. He rammed his whole body side first into the guy’s chest to get him to stumble backwards. He followed the movement and struck a hard punch into the man’s face. As he kept following to stay close enough to land the attacks, his next choice was a kick right into the bastard’s stomach.

Unfortunately, that struck the guy further backwards while crashing him into the floor. The man gasped but he was quick to recover and somersault backwards. “Few lucky hits.” He chuckled while smirking gleefully. “That’s all you’ll get.” He swore while readying to attack again.

Time grimaced at the fact of having lost the upper hand in the situation. Yet, he tried to get ready for the next round. He glanced once at his boys before returning his notion back into the fight at hand. As the enemy dashed towards him, the Chain’s leader moved one leg backwards while taking bit of speed for his actions. As the horizontal swing started, he ducked once again. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed the slight flash of a metal in the man’s other hand.

Time gasped in shock and pain when the knife was struck into his stomach. He staggered a step backwards when the blade was roughly pulled out. He gave out slight startled shout when his assailant tackled him down to the floor back first. Sadly, the man followed the movement while already starting to stab and slash at the important places of the Old Man’s body. Wrists were slit and both of lungs as well as heart were stabbed before the guy slit the throat for third time. “If you keep coming back, let’s make this more fun.” The man sneered before stabbing the knife into Time’s only working eye.

As the guy started to approach Wind once again, both the sword and knife were leaving a bloodied trail behind them. The startled and bit horrified jerks from his victims was the only telltale sign of the oldest male of the group having risen from death once again. “You know why you can’t kill me in here?” Time queried while standing surprisingly calmly on his place. He held both of his eyes closed as he evened out his breathing.

“Why don’t you enlighten me?” The man answered with a cruel sneer. “You certainly are a freak of nature, that’s for sure. I checked that none of you had fairies. So what the fuck are you?”

Time smirked. “I’m immortal.” He stated out before shrugging and continuing almost nonchalantly: “At least in here.” Yet, right after that he got serious again. “I’ll show you why.” Nearly instantly he had said those words, he already raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Everyone with actual sight at the moment gasped in shock as the whole area filled with fairies when they came out of the magic that hid them from being seen. Most of those small flying beings were right behind the eight Heroes while trying to figure out a way to free them. “The hell…?!” The man screamed out while looking around with wide-eyes before it turned into glare filled with loathing and hatred. “So, what, you’re a fairy, huh?” He sneered while gripping the sword and knife even tighter.

“Quite the contrary.” Time replied while grinning. “I’m not a fairy but they call me as one of their own. And as such they certainly won’t allow me to die.” His grin widened as he extended his left hand away from him. Several fairies flew right below his hand while forming couple of lines.

“Let me give a little crash course about fairies.” The Chain’s leader stated out before doing a swift downwards grabbing movement with his hand. With a swift flash of light the fairies had turned into a sword. “Fairies are the most benevolent beings in the whole world. They hold no ill will to anything. Hell, not even against Ganon.” He started while bringing the blade into better check even though he couldn’t see it at the moment. “And yet…. When one truly goes against them, their hatred and contempt are far stronger than anyone ever could imagine. As such….” He chuckled cruelly and gently touched the flat side of the blade to his forehead. “They create the best weapons for the ones who’ll take care of those whom have defiled them.”

“I have not—“ The guy started bit baffled.

“Oh but you have!” Time snarled while cutting the guy short and slashing the sword down. The further he talked, the colder and crueler his voice became. “I already have very good reasons for taking your life since you fucktard threatened to murder my boys. Not to mention for having almost killed me three times by now. Harming my boys is a line I do NOT accept to be crossed. But, besides personal vendetta….” He chuckled cruelly. “This fucked up place of yours is above something as sacred as the Fairy Fountain. Each death in here is desecration against the fairies and the life itself. Not to mention that that’s second line I do NOT accept to be crossed.” The Old Man gave the cruelest smirk he could create. “I want you dead. The fairies want you dead. And guess what…. I got indefinite amount of lives while you got only one. I only need one strike to fulfill the plea of the fairies and I sure as hell will make it happen. So… Come at me if you dare.”

The assailant grit his teeth while holding the sword and knife in iron grips. His gaze hardened and he breathed bit heavily. The situation had changed quite a much from easy kills into upcoming deadly battle. Yet, soon he smirked. “I’ve killed you three times already. I can do it for fourth time too.” He chuckled cruelly. “And this time I’ll make sure you stay dead. I highly doubt these little healers of yours can save you if I cut that head of yours off of your body and burn everything.”

“Give it your best shot, then.” Time pretty much taunted. He fully ignored the shocked and freaked out gazes from his boys. Even the Captain’s silence was unnerving but the one eyed male put his full concentration into the battle. Yet, even though he couldn’t see a thing at the moment, he sure as hell wasn’t blind. He relied fully into the aid of the fairies.

The man hesitated for a second longer before giving out a raged scream and dashing towards Time. The Chain’s leader sighed his air out while letting himself relax and calm down. The guy smirked even more as he was certain of his victim having actually given up. Yet, the situation was entirely different.

The moment the attacker was close enough and having initiated the horizontal attack, which clearly was the man’s favorite slash, Time already moved. He easily ducked beneath the sword, changed the blade to his right hand and slashed at the guy’s side while going behind him. The man screamed out more in shock than pain while swiftly turning around.

Time held his fighting stance while having both of his eyes closed. “Lucky hit.” His opponent half whispered with a smirk before already dashing in for a new attack. This time he went for diagonal slashes. The Chain’s leader started to back away but only after third step, he already moved forward right past the sword. He struck the knife out of the man’s hands with the Fairy Blade. He swiftly seized the other one’s shock and slashed diagonally across the man’s chest.

Time backed off after that one hit while taking back his fighting stance to wait for the man’s next move. The guy had stumbled backwards while, out of instinct, having brought the sword downwards. The Old Man had clearly sensed the threat which was why he had avoided rather than continued to attack.

The small fairies had caught the knife to keep it from causing actual harm. Right after that they had just let it drop down to the floor as it was quite heavy thing for them to keep in air. Time hadn’t been too worried about where the small blade was going to fly off to as he knew those small friends of his would keep everyone safe and sound for him.

When the man attacked again with yet another horizontal attack, Time bit shook his head while once again ducking beneath it and going past the guy from the other side. He changed the weapon to his free hand while moving and struck his enemy to other side. Yet, right after having passed him, the Chain’s leader already turned around and took hold of the guy’s shoulder. “You’re too predictable.” He half whispered as he already brought his weapon to the guy’s throat and slashed cruelly.

Time backed off by few steps as the man fell down onto his back. He stayed ready for the battle to continue but he slowly started to calm down as he was certain of having finished the fight. He sighed heavily and slumped back first against the closest wall. “You boys all right?” The Chain’s leader called out while facing the eight even though he couldn’t see them. As the confirmations were given, he sighed again in relief and relaxed. After that he carefully started to clean the sacred weapon of his of the bastard’s blood.

“Sprite…?” Warriors called worriedly while staring at his brother. He didn’t know what to say or how to react. The whole situation was far freakier than he ever wished to admit. Let alone to have ended up witnessing.

“I’m okay, Wars.” Time reassured with a small smile. “Just quite exhausted.” He told with a shrug before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I’ll get my sight back. It’ll just take couple of weeks to heal.”

“Stupid question, Time…” Legend started while trying to push his own freaking out to back of his head. “How the fuck were you capable of actually fighting?!” He nearly barked the question out. “I mean that…. Well…..” The Veteran tried to ease out his harshness but he was unable to find the right words.

Time chuckled a bit. “Okay, my friends, let them see.” He simply said in Fairy Language and right after that ten fairies came into sight as they rose up from his shoulders and head. “Meet my eyes for the time being.” The Chain’s leader half introduced with slightly smug smile on his face. “They’ll be joining me until I get my sight back.”

The eight Heroes stared at the fairies in full shock. They ended up blinking few times in surprise as the small beings carefully landed back down onto their leader before already vanishing from sight. There were three on both of his shoulders and four on top of his head.

Time frowned slightly and turned his notion into his boys. “Wild, what’s going on in there?” He called out while hearing the quiet murmur of conversation.

The Champion blushed. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He answered while having instructed the small fairies on how to use his Slate to take a picture of the Fairy Blade.

Time frowned for a while longer before sighing and shaking his head with a small smile. “When fairies plan, mischief is the only outcome of that.” He mused calmly. Hyrule blushed brightly at that comment while dropping his gaze down on that second.

Once Time had cleaned the weapon in his hand, he made similar movement with his hand as when he had been granted the weapon. Yet, instead of grabbing the blade, he let it go. On the second he set the sacred item for fighting free, it already broke into the fairies that had created it. “Wish I could’ve seen the blade….” He half whispered while crossing his arms over his chest.

The Chain’s leader fully wanted to go and set his boys free but without actual sight other than that of the fairies, he wasn’t certain of how much help he would’ve been. “Help the others first, Wars. Please.” He half stated out when he heard the Captain getting freed from the bindings. He could feel the uncertainty, discomfort and contradiction within his brother even without the information from the fairies with him. “Once at least one other brother of yours is free, you’re free to come over.” Time promised and Warriors nodded before already moving behind Legend whom was right next to him and the fairies moved out of the way to let him take over the work of freeing him.

Time listened to the fairies around him to get the full information of the situation. The rope burns in Warriors’ wrists were healed the second he had been freed. So was Legend’s once he was unchained and untied while already moving to the next member of the Chain.

The Captain stood up and bit uncertainly walked over to his little brother. “No need to look so worried, Wars. I’m honestly and truly all right.” Time reassured while pushing himself off of the wall and taking those couple of steps over to Warriors. Without hesitation or waiting for his older brother to react, he simply pulled the younger male into a tight hug.

After the first shock was over, the Captain wrapped his arms around Time tightly and securely. He couldn’t help but break down out of pure relief of the one eyed male being alive. “You freaked the crap out of us, Sprite.” He whispered after a moment.

“Sorry.” Time replied and bit shrugged. “Dying wasn’t part of my plan.” He told and gained a snort from his brother which only got him to grin a bit. “The actual plan was to keep the guy occupied until the fairies could get you guys freed. But….” He sighed and shrugged again. “That plan kinda changed when I heard what is beneath this fucked up place.”

“Time?” Hyrule called as he came to the duo. “May I check your eye? I might be able to do something about it.” He suggested while having already talked with the fairies to find out what truly was the condition of his leader’s.

Time pulled off of the hug before shaking his head. “Thanks for the offer but there’s nothing you can do. There’s bit too much of healing magic already going within my body. My sight will heal but it takes time.” He explained and bit shrugged. “Besides, it was bit more important to keep me alive instead of worrying about something as trivial as sight.”

“Your sight’s not—!“ Warriors started furiously before blinking once in shock as Time placed his hand over his mouth.

“I know, Wars. I know.” The Chain’s leader stated out. “And yet, which would you rather pick, your life or your sight?” The Captain sighed almost exaggerated while pulling bit backwards before Time let his hand drop down. “Anyway, once everyone’s free, there’s still one thing to be done.”

“And that would be?” Warriors inquired while still worrying over his brother.

“Bringing this place down.” Time stated out firmly with slight hatred within his voice.”Wild! Legend! Will you two come here for a moment?” He called out just after the last of his boys was freed. The duo glanced at one another as well as at the others before shrugging and going over. Hyrule had stayed to his place while bit wondering if he should let the trio talk. “Stay, Hyrule. This concerns you too.”

The Traveler was bit surprised but he soon simply nodded. Unlike the others, he fully understood where Time gained his knowledge even when he couldn’t see a thing at the moment. He glanced at the rest of the Chain whom moved closer while still letting them have relatively private conversation at the moment.

“For the sake of the fairies and the Fairy Fountain, this place needs to be destroyed.” Time started while extending his hand again and the fairies gathered underneath it into half arc. “And I mean thoroughly. Not even one pebble is to be left of this place.” He stated out while doing that same grabbing action and suddenly the fairies had turned into a bow. “You three will be given both the bows and needed arrows.” The Chains leader continued while bringing his free hand up and suddenly the fairies dropped unique looking arrow into there. “The Fairy Arrows are similar to your Ancient Arrows, Wild, but they’re far more vicious than yours are.” He explained while taking aim towards the dead body of the place’s owner. “Let me show what I mean.”

Time shot the arrow with a look that clearly told the guy he had killed had gotten off easy. The arrow struck into the body and suddenly it exploded in the might of tens of bombs. Yet, the blast was quite stationary which meant that its blast wave or heat or anything else didn’t spread out. Nonetheless, the body was torn to pieces far crueler than any bomb ever could be capable of doing. As the pieces and blood was flying around, they already started to vanish so that absolutely NOTHING was left of their enemy.

“This is the reason you three need to be extremely careful with the Fairy Arrows.” Time stated out while letting go of the bow and allowing the fairies to return to their original forms. “You three will be given the Fairy Bows but, please, return the bows once you’re done. If you still have Fairy Arrows in your usage after you’re done tearing this place to pieces, you’re free to keep them. But, please, think very carefully when and how you use those.”

The Chain stared in absolute shock at the scene. Wild, Legend and Hyrule listened to Time’s explanation and requests while taking each word right into heart. “I know I shouldn’t be questioning this but…” Twilight started while being aware of why Wild was chosen but not of the other two.

“Hyrule has as much of connection to fairies as I have so, hence him. Besides, I’d love to tear this place to smithereens if I could but I’m not having what it takes at the moment. Legend is one of the three because I once saw him shoot Wild’s arrow into two at one beach when our Champion was up for shooting a seagull. And, well, everyone knows that Wild’s a master archer.” Time explained his reasons for the chosen three.

The Chain nodded in acceptance. Hyrule, Wild and Legend took the offered weapons while still being bit freaked out by the strength of the destruction the arrows were capable of bringing. “Anyway, time to leave.” Time stated out and nodded once firmly at the trio who would stay behind to handle the situation. “We’ll see you three back at the Inn. Listen to the fairies. They’ll give you where to shoot and they will guide you out of here back to the Inn.” The trio nodded back and watched the six leave the place.

It still was quite a confusion for the five Links to watch how well their leader was moving. Even though Time was keeping both of his eyes closed, he was far more aware of the obstacles on their way as well as of the correct path. They knew the fairies were with him but they still couldn’t really comprehend the whole situation. “Shall I demonstrate?” Time queried all of sudden and startled the Heroes with him. He grinned a bit as the ten fairies came out of hiding and began to talk in Hylian instead of Fairy.

“Ten steps before going to left.”

“Five steps to door. We’ll be outside after that.”

“Double doors. Use left one. Push.”

“Ground’s slippery.”

“Watch your step.”

“Branch. Raise left hand…… Now.”

“Slope. Careful.”

“Boulder. Move to right two steps.”

“Middle’s safe. Step to left now.”

“They’re baffled.”

Time grinned mischievously and chuckled a bit. “Enough of proof?” He queried while following the fairies instruction of the safest road forward. The Chain just watched and listened before slowly nodding. After that the fairies picked back their magic of hiding and resumed to talk in Fairy Language. Even though the Chain’s leader was listening to the fairies with him, he still kept notion of what his boys were doing. Yet, the five Links had been fully rendered silent by that simple show of how well the fairies were looking after the Old Man.

Eventually they reached the Inn and Time headed straight towards the room he was staying at. “Can you guys check on our gear? The fairies aren’t aware of our stuff so I’m not much of aid in that one.” He requested while bit feeling like needing some time alone to fully gather himself.

“On it!” Sky called straight away while already dragging three out of four Heroes with him towards the room where their stuff was at the moment. Warriors nodded once in thanks while following the Chain’s leader.

“Shouldn’t you be checking that all’s there, Captain?” Time queried while sitting down to the bed and facing his brother.

“You might have the fairies as your eyes but you’re still unarmed.” Warriors stated out firmly while closing the door after him. He sat down onto the floor in front of Time. “Are you all right, Sprite? I mean, honestly, after everything that’s happened….” The Captain started worriedly while fully taking in the state the Chain’s leader was in.

Time sighed heavily and slumped forward. He placed his elbows at his knees while hiding his face into his hands. “I don’t know, Wars. I’m exhausted. I’m hungry. And….” He sighed heavily while shaking his head. “I feel absolutely hellish for having freaked you and everyone else out of your minds by…. Dying…..”

Warriors sighed bit heavily and moved to sit next to Time before already pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay, Sprite. Everyone’s safe and sound. It was hellishly freaky, I admit that, but…” He shrugged a bit. “We all have gone near death situations in our quest or few. It’s part of the whole thing. And yet… Actually witnessing that….” He shook his head with a sigh. The Captain tightened his hold before bit chuckling and grinning. “Should I actually fetch my scarf?”

Time chuckled and shook his head. “That would be nice but no.” He replied while having fully relaxed in his brother’s arms. “I’m comfy just about now.” He mused happily while feeling fully grateful that his boys were so fast and willing to forgive and forget what they had just witnessed him going through and, especially, what he had done.

Few hours later the trio returned to the Inn. By then the other five had already moved into Time’s room for few simple reasons. First of all, obviously, to show they care and accept his actions. Second, to keep eye on things and making sure Time’s truly in as good condition as he claimed to be in. Third, to protect him even though everyone’s weapons still were in different room. Though, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have already picked their knives along with having brought, out of Time’s request, his Great Fairy Sword.

“The Fountain’s in sight.” Hyrule straight off stated out when the trio entered Time’s room. “The place that had been above it is fully and entirely vanquished.” He promised very firmly while still feeling bit disgusted of such a place having been build above something as sacred as the Fairy Fountain.

Time sighed in relief and nodded. “Thank you. This means the world to me.” He told before bit frowning and turning his notion towards the fairy that had been the trio’s guide back to the Inn. The small being seemed quite frantic while talking with one of the ten fairies that were with the Chain’s leader. Suddenly the duo dashed over to Time while throwing in the alarmed chimes. That got the rest nine equally out of it.

“WOW! HEY! Easy, please!” Time partly shouted while trying to make out what had freaked his small companions out so thoroughly. “Calm down!” He partly commanded before slightly wincing at having tried to command fairies. “What’s….” He started before bit yelping as the little flying beings started to try and drag him along. “Okay, okay! I’m coming! Sheesh…” Time partly shouted, partly grumbled while getting up.

“Time, what the heck’s going on?” Twilight queried as he, along with everyone else, were watching bit shocked and worried at the scene.

“I’ve no idea but they’re desperate to get me to follow them.” Time answered while trying to calm down a bit. “Just..:! Wait a sec…! Argh!” He growled before shaking his head. “I gotta go with them.” He told with nearly exaggerated sigh. “Okay, okay! Just stop pulling, damn it!” He partly barked out as the fairies kept trying to drag him along.

The Chain had already stood up while feeling fully uncomfortable about the situation. “They’re not going to wait. Sorry.” Time apologized while heading off towards the door while expertly avoiding of crashing against any of his boys. “Just tell me… Thank you. The Fairy Fountain you three dug out. We’ll meet at there.” He stated out as he already opened the door to the hallway.

On that second the Chain was on move. They swiftly rounded Time as he headed towards the stairs. The door to the room where their gear was, was flung open and the first one inside already sheathed Warriors’ sword and threw it to him. “GO!” Legend pretty much shouted while starting to throw the swords to his brothers as they came to there. The Captain simply nodded and dashed after his brother while fastening the weapon’s belt.

Time had been meaning to actually walk but the frantic fairies weren’t having that. With a sigh, he had picked up onto a jog already at the stairs while counting on the fairies to keep informing of his surroundings even while being so out of it. Luckily the little beings were wise enough to inform of the road and obstacles and what not.

“That was fast.” Time commented when Warriors caught up to him.

“Not letting you go alone.” The Captain stated out firmly. The Chain’s leader simply nodded while turning to face the road again. “So, what’s with the desperation? The fairies seemed pretty freaked out if I understood correctly.”

Time sighed and bit shrugged. “I’ve no idea. They’re not telling me.” He answered bit worriedly. “They’re just telling it’s urgent and that I’m needed there.” He explained before giving lopsided grin to his brothers. “When the fairies call and ask for my help, I’m not turning my back to them. I just wish I could’ve given you guys at least five mins or so to get ready. But….” He shrugged again. “Gotta do with what we got.”

One by one the Chain caught up with their leader. They had really put all into their run while actually feeling worried of the situation. It was really rare for fairies to be this frantic. Even Hyrule had no knowledge of what was going on.

As soon as they had reached the unearthed Fairy Fountain, there was a rumble of thunder above them. The eight Links glanced upwards while feeling bit worried of carrying swords. Time on the other hand had only brought out the Ocarina of Time. “Don’t worry. The lightnings won’t hit here.” Time reassured calmly. “And you won’t get wet either. Fairy’s promise.” He stated out while closing his eyes and bringing the instrument to his lips. Yet, he waited until the rain started before he began to play.

The Chain was quite startled when the fairies came out of their hiding places and began to fly around them. They redirected the falling droplets of the water into the dry rocky formation of the Fountain. “That sounds somehow familiar…” Twilight whispered quietly while listening to Time’s playing.

The Chain’s leader was slightly frowning as he could hear the Song of Healing within the notes he played as he followed the Fairy Fountain’s repeated rhythm that he always heard within them. Yet, each of the places had their own versions of the song that fit the area and what the Fountain was about. Nonetheless, he had never thought that the song he had learned in Termina would be incorporated into one of Hyrule’s Fairy Fountains. It just didn’t feel right to him. Still, he followed the music he heard and played accordingly.

The water quickly filled the Fountain but the fairies didn’t leave it there. They let it overflow while allowing the nature’s own pure water clean the bloodied rocks of the sacred area. It was shocking to see how red the water turned as it came away from the square area and rained onto the railings and back wall of the square place. Slowly, as the rain started to end, the water had turned into clear see-through color of it.

Time stopped playing once the rain was over. He sighed a bit while bowing his head to show his respect towards the defiled sacred place. It would’ve deserved far more than this but it was all they could do at the moment. The fairies would eventually with time handle things to end by hopefully finding a Great Fairy for the Fountain.

“Hero of Time.” The call bit startled Time and he raised his head up even though he couldn’t see the small fairy that had just risen from the clear water. The fairies around him gave him the answer of the small being in front of him being blood-red by color. Yet, he could’ve figured out the coloration to be something unexpected by the shocked gasps from his boys. Still, he had seen some red fairies but never had he encountered one with the coloration of the blood.

“Let me give you back what was wrongly stolen from you.” The fairy spoke in Hylian. It slightly confused Time since it was rare for the fairies to speak to him in a language that his boys would understand. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to decline from whatever the fairy had in her mind so he simply nodded in acceptance. The fairy flew right in front of his face before already gently touching his closed left eye. Instantly afterwards there was a red flash and the Chain’s leader gasped in slight pain while staggering a step backwards. He simply raised his hand to calm his boys as they already were shouting out his name in fear and worry.

Suddenly a Great Fairy appeared to stand just above the Fountain’s water. “Hero of Time.” She called gently while Time raised his head up into her. “Forgive for the urgency of the situation.” She apologized straight off while crouching down to be more on his level. After that she gently moved the Hero’s hand away from his face. “The time was an essence in here.” She spoke softly while gently running her finger over the recently wounded eye of Time’s. The Chain’s leader gasped a bit and winced. “Sshh, it is all right.” She whispered soothingly while repeating her action few times. After that she pulled away and stood back up. “Open your eye, Hero of Time.”

Time was bit uncertain of doing such but he followed the request nonetheless. He blinked few times before frowning until already gasping in shock. He snapped his gaze up into her without really knowing what to say or do. The Great Fairy smiled warmly at him and nodded.

“This is the Great Fairy Fountain of Healing.” The mother of the area explained calmly. “As such, as our thanks to you, Hero of Time, we needed to get you here fast enough for us to be capable of giving back what was taken from you. Your blood, your lives, you sight. You were already ready to give up on all of these for the Heroes with you. You were ready to give up on all of these for the sake of this Great Fairy Fountain. You were ready to give up on far more than what was taken from you for the Heroes with you as well as for the Great Fairy Fountain.”

“The Blood Fairy contained your blood and your lives.” The Great Fairy continued with a slightly sorrowful smile. “The time was an essence as the rain would have washed your sacrifices away had you not been here to receive them back. With the blood you shed and the lives you gave having been returned to you, I was capable of undoing the damage done to your sight. Be assured, my dear brother not by blood, you have not lost anything here today.”

Time sighed in relief and bowed his head for a moment. “Thank You.” He half whispered while raising his gaze back into the Great Fairy of Healing. He felt bit sorrowful of having to let the ten fairies go but he wasn’t in the need of their aid anymore. “Thank you all for your aid. I appreciate it greatly. I doubt I would have managed to handle the battle without the backup you provided to me.” The fairies giggled before, one by one, coming to him and either bowing or curtsying. After that they flew to surround the Great Fairy like their siblings before them.

The Chain’s leader smiled bit sorrowfully before nodding once firmly before taking deep breath and a step backwards. As he let his air out, he turned around and showed to others to follow him. “So…. What’s the road back to the Inn?” He inquired after a moment of silence with a sheepish grin. “I’ve only walked the road but I haven’t seen it.”

The Chain blinked once in surprise before beginning to chuckle. They swiftly surrounded their leader while taking the lead on showing the road. “You’re in good hands, Sprite.” Warriors promised with a wide grin. Time just chuckled and shook his head while enjoying of the clearly happier mood of the group.

Once back at the Inn the nine Heroes returned to the room where their weapons and items were at. Though, Wild left for a while as he pretty much took the Inn’s kitchen for his usage for the time being. Yet, when he finally returned, he had hot chocolates, berries, Creamy Meat Soup, pieces of chocolates, few different jams and pieces of toast. The Chain was fully taken off guard by the treat but they were more than happy to dig in.

The Champion sat down next to Time while taking out his Slate. “This is what I and the fairies were talking about.” He told while taking out the album of pictures before tabbing at one. After that he gave the Slate to his leader.

Time gasped a bit in surprise before smiling fondly. “The Fairy Blade.” He half whispered while taking in the picture of the weapon the fairies had given to him for that one battle. It was about the same size as his Gilded Sword. The outer rim of the blade was pink like the healing fairies. The middle was stripes of different colors like the rainbow but with more variety within it. The handle was golden with the hand protection being in the formation of fairy wings.

“I know you got the Fairy Bow but these are the four that were used today.” Wild told while swiping next picture into sight. “Yours.” He stated out while sky blue bow with pink glowing yarn came into sight. “Hyrule’s.” A picture of forest green bow with golden glowing yarn. “Legend’s.” The bow was red like the fire with electrical blue glowing yarn. “Mine.” Deep blue bow with silvery glowing yarn.

“And here’s one of those Fairy Arrows.” Wild continued while taking the arrow out. Time gasped a bit but he tentatively took the weapon when the Champion offered it towards him. The Chain’s leader carefully checked the deadly projectile while fully admiring its coloration and outlook. The used wood was pink, the feathers were in the shape of fairy wings and the dangerous tip was sharp with four jagged edges. Each of those jags were filled with fairy magic that was sparkling gold and blue like a lightning.

“Be very careful with this.” Time stated out while offering the arrow back but Wild shook his head while raising his hand in decline.

“No.” The Champion simply told. “That’s the only arrow we kept. The rest we returned with the bows.” He said before smiling bit fondly. “We want you to have that.” Wild stated out and both Hyrule and Legend nodded firmly at the words.

Time was fully out of words but he managed a smile and nod eventually. “Thank you. All three of you, thank you.” He half whispered while carefully putting the weapon away. The trio simply nodded. The Traveler and the Veteran returned to checking their gear but Wild still stayed to his place. The Chain’s leader fully hoped he wouldn’t ever need to use it but at least it was good to have something far more powerful than the normal Bomb Arrows.

“Once Wind’s done checking his gear, I’ll have him take out the pictures of the weapons for you.” Wild told calmly before bit gasping as Time pulled him into a hug while whispering his thanks again. “You’re welcome, Time.” The Champion replied happily while being entirely grateful of having aided their leader and given him a way to see what the blade and the bows were like. After this he returned to his place next to Twilight to continue with his own gear’s checking.

After the gear was fully checked through and needed maintenances done before putting them all away, the whole Chain ended up going right into Time’s room. The Chain’s leader had no objections against the eight piling on him with Warriors over him the most. The one eyed male had tried to apologize for the freak outs he had given to the eight boys of his by the guy taking his life three times. Yet, before he could really start, the Links already shut him up and just shook their heads. “What happened, happened. You’re here with us, alive and well. That’s all that matters.” Sky stated out firmly while waiting for Time to argue back.

The duo stared at each other for a moment before Time shrugged. “Eh, if you guys are fine and over it, then so am I.” He told with a slight grin. The Chain stared at him for a moment before few facepalmed and groaned while others chuckled and shook their heads. Time just smiled and felt entirely grateful of having these amazing boys by him.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

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Chapter 37: Extra 7: Last words

Summary:

Time sees one of his boys in life-danger and his instincts kick in. Unfortunately, the result of that is him at death's door.

Notes:

CW: Cursing, arrow hits (very rough), close of death situation

Published: 07.03.2024 around 2:40 of Finnish time

Time saw the situation like in slow motion. The beast Four had taken down fell onto him, pinning him to the ground. He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t push the Moblin off of him and he couldn’t even pick the sword up from close of him to split. The archer was right there with a smirk on its face. The Chain’s leader saw the tip of the arrow being aimed at the helpless boy of his. He didn’t think, he just acted out of pure instinct.

The attack had come in middle of the night. Three different Moblins: two from Time’s era, one from Sky’s and three from Wild’s. Four Lizalfos, which all were from Time’s era. And two archer Bokoblins from Wild’s era. Wolfie had sounded the alarm but they still didn’t get enough of time other than to grab their weapons before the battle was already on.

Wild, as usual, had taken up to the trees to work with his archery skills. Time took out his Biggoron Sword even though it was harder to wield without the gauntlets on. Warriors worked with the Fire Rod he had claimed as his own from that one battle where Legend had thrown the weapon to him. The rest were going fully with swords and shields.

“Archer!” Time shouted out while already dashing to Four. He couldn’t take the beast out and the sword, even though heavy and deadly, wasn’t wide enough to block the arrow easily. All he could think was to protect the smallest Hero of his boys. And so, he went right between the arrow and the target.

Time screamed out when the arrow struck right into middle of his back. The next arrow hit into his shoulder before he even had fallen to his knees. The sword fell from his hold. “TIME!” The screams rang all around him but the archer had a perfect target to shoot at. New arrow was struck into his other arm. He half growled, half screamed out. After that, the attacks came faster with two arrows at a time and hitting deep into his back.

Time crashed to his knees while leaning against the Moblin while still managing to block Four from the onslaught of the arrows. The Smithy stared horrified at the pained look at his leader’s face while hearing his half screams, half growls as the attack kept going. He didn’t see the archer or where the arrows were struck. “Time! Goddesses damn it, Time, move away!” He begged while fearing to end up being the fault of the Old Man’s death.

Time just shook his head before gasping, half screaming as the new projectile pierced his arm. Several new ones followed it soon. From there the arrows struck into his legs. He couldn’t really move. He wasn’t certain if it was because of that one arrow having lodged into his spine or if there was some kind of poison or tranquilizers at work. Either way, he couldn’t do a thing of other than to stay as a human shield for Four.

“KILL THAT FUCKING ARCHER! TAKE IT DOWN!”

The screams and commands were going around the battle. Time tried to move but he was fully pinned down. Partly, somewhere in the back of his head, he wondered how much he looked like a hedgehog at the moment with all of those arrows sticking off of him. He was in so much of pain that all he could do anymore was to growl as the new arrows kept striking into his body. Yet, through it all, he heard someone walking towards him.

“Say your goodbyes.” Someone suddenly sneered and Time gasped in full shock and shot both of his eyes open as he felt the sharp tip of an arrow at the back of his head. He stared horrified forward while feeling himself tremble. He shut his eyes as he began to cry. This was it. His last moments alive. He gulped once before opening his eye and looked Four straight into eyes. He gave a small, sorrowful smile.

“S-sorry, Smithy. I… I-I guess this is the end for me.” Time whispered while trying to accept his death. “I… I want you to know that I love you. Okay? That I’m proud of you. You’re amazing, Link. I…” He gulped while praying he had enough of time to tell everything out before the arrow would pierce his skull from behind. “L-let everyone know that I love them too, yeah? T-that I’m proud of all of you. I-it’s been an honor to get to know you all and to travel with you all. I….” He took few deep breaths while trembling even more as he heard the string of the bow being stretched. “L-let Malon know that I’m sorry. T-that I love her from full heart and I… I….”

Suddenly there was a loud sound a wood snapping which was followed by a thud of something crashing onto the ground behind him. Time flinched roughly while shutting his eye tightly. “Time! TIME!” It took a moment from him to realize he was still breathing, heavily and fast, but still breathing. That he was still alive. Slowly he opened his eye. “Time?” Four called worriedly before bit sighing in relief when the Chain’s leader’s gaze found him. “You’re not going to die! And you’re gonna say all that by yourself! I’m not going to deliver your last words, damn it!” The Smithy snapped bit roughly. Time flinched slightly before giving a slight lopsided smile.

“FUCKING HELL! TAKE THAT LIZALFOS DOWN!”

“I’M TRYING! IT’S A FREAKING BLACK BLOOD! IT DOESN’T JUST DIE!”

“NOOOO! TIME!”

“Oh shit…” Time half whispered while realizing that even though the archer was down, there was another threat coming right at him. “I’m sorry…. I fear you’re going to be my messenger anyways.” He stated out quietly while wishing he could’ve gotten upwards but his body refused to move. At least, if it had done as he commanded, he could’ve protected Four better by redirecting the sword that certainly was coming at his way. He closed his eye and just waited for another attempt on ending his life.

Suddenly the air was split by a raged battle cry which was instantly followed by a metallic CLANG and screech as blades collided together and were forced against one another. “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY BROTHER YOU GODDESSES DAMN STINKBREATH!” Warriors screamed while slashing hard and fast to get the monster to back away from Time.

Time sighed in relief and relaxed as he realized that the backup had arrived. “Y-you gonna be okay, Four….” He whispered with a small smile before he fell to his side with a pained gasp. The arrows in his other arm ended up getting twisted and forced deeper into his limb as he collided with the ground. He was in hellish pain and bleeding quite well. As the adrenaline was leaving, he felt the exhaustion of the situation struck hard. He just barely heard the others scream out his name as the darkness closed in around him and dragged him into unconsciousness.

Somewhere, far in the back of his head, he could recognize the worried talk around him. The shouts and apologies while feeling firm but still gentle hold on his body. He half gasped, half groaned as the arrows were pulled out one after the other from his body. He felt like he was between life and death, just inches from both without yet knowing which way his own body would choose. Yet, he luckily didn’t need to make that choice as warmth began to spread around his body while taking the pain away. It was nice feeling and he welcomed it eagerly.

Time groaned quietly while opening his eye. The first thing he noticed was the blazing fire not far from him. He smiled slightly at the sight and warmth of it. “Time?” The call got him to move a bit and groan in slight pain. “Whoa! Easy!” Someone shouted and the Chain’s leader’s mind managed to recognize it as Four’s.

Suddenly there was careful and gentle hold on him while forcing him back down. “Easy there, Sprite.” Time blinked few times while letting his sight adjust. He smiled a bit when he saw both Warriors and Four by him. Yet, very soon the other six came into his line of sight.

“Glad to see you’re all safe and sound.” Time half whispered while feeling fully relieved of his boys being right there. The Chain clearly was relieved to see him awake again. “Help me up, will ya.” Time half requested while already trying to sit up.

“I…” Warriors started before already taking a hold of him and carefully aiding him to sit up. “I’m not sure it’s wise for you to be up yet.” The Captain commented before bit gasping in shock as Time leaned against him.

“I just…” Time started while adjusting his position before with a slight grin pulling Warriors’ scarf around him. “I just want to say few things.” He told as he felt relaxed and safe while being surrounded by the eight boys of his. He looked at each of them with a fond smile. “First of all, I didn’t hit my head. I’m not delusional or anything of such. Alright?” He confirmed and relaxed a bit more when the Heroes nodded in understanding.

“Okay, so….” Time took a deep breath while getting himself ready for being actually emotional in front of the men and boys he was supposed to lead and protect. Yet, he didn’t want these words to be his last. He had had enough of fright as the situation had been. “I love you all. Very dearly. You eight mean the world to me. And I’m so thoroughly proud of each and every single one of you. I know I don’t say any of this often enough but… I’m honored to be getting to know you all and to be on this quest with each of you. I… “ He trailed off while feeling the tears in his eyes. He chuckled a bit as he shook his head. “Why does one have to be near death’s door before they realize to say the words that are the most important to be given?” He half inquired before trying to dry his tears. “I know I’m strict. And I know that I snap easily. I just….” He trailed off while bit biting down to his lower lip. “I just care about all of you so much that… I’m just worried at those times. I just… I’m just wanting to make sure you all get through this quest safe and sound and that you get back home alive. So, I… It’s just…” He trailed off with a frustrated sigh as he felt like he wasn’t getting the words out right.

“We love you too, Time.” Wind stated out with a wide smile. Time blinked once in bit of surprise and raised his gaze up into the Sailor. He had fallen down into his own thoughts while searching for right words to explain everything the right way. “Group hug?” The youngest Hero queried while feeling hopeful. Time chuckled slightly and nodded. On that moment Sailor already glomped him. The action, in much calmer way, was nearly instantly followed by the rest of the Chain. Time closed his eye while smiling happily. These boys, plus Malon, her family and the Ranch, were what he lived for. He’d do absolutely anything for them without second’s thought.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 38: Extra 8: Killing game

Summary:

When the Chain ends up trapped into a room with only two options of either to kill one of their own or to die out of stravation, Time doesn't think twice as he already makes up his mind. He simply wishes that the Chain can forgive him eventually sometime in the future.

Notes:

Bit rough chapter again. =/

CW: Turning against own family, cursing, bleeding wounds, lies, near death situation

Slight inspirational for this chapter:
https://www.tumblr.com/myfavlinkistwilight/739004479402344448/the-chain-is-told-they-have-to-fight-to-the-death

Published: 08.03.2024 around 1:40 of Finnish time

It was just one simple house. One room and couple of corridors. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, here they were. Trapped without a road forward. The walls and floor checked inch by inch. The doorway they had entered the area blasted with bombs and Bomb Arrows without even dent caused into the blockage.

“Kill one and the rest will be set free.”

It was such simple line but giving a huge NOPE vibe for the whole Chain. There was no chance they’d raise a weapon at one another for any of reason. After everything they had gone through they were far too close to each other to even think of harming the others. If anything, they were sometimes smotheringly overprotective and caring. Nonetheless, they wouldn’t want to change the others for any of reason. They loved their little group of nine far more than anything in the world.

“So, it has come this, then.” Time half whispered and snapped everyone’s gazes into him.

“What?” Four queried with a frown.

Time snorted and shook his head. He slowly drew out the Biggoron Sword. “I didn’t think it would end like this.” He continued while praying deep within him that his boys could someday forgive him. “But, I gotta admit I’m not surprised. Double crossing is always the name of the game when it comes to demons and evil kings.” He stated out while holding the sword tightly by both hands and holding the weapon on his side just half a meter above the floor.

“Time?”

“What are you saying?”

“What’s going on?”

Time ignored the questions as he locked his gaze into Warriors. “I’m done with this game. I’m done with the hell of the quests. It ends here today.” He spoke as calmly as he could while keeping his voice steady and unwavering. Right after that he dashed forward before already initiating the slash.

Warriors stared shocked at his own brother before instincts kicked in. He drew out his sword as swiftly as he could before already bringing it for his defense while backing away. He didn’t pay attention into the very fact that Time changed his sword’s position so that the blade’s wide side struck into the Captain’s weapon instead of striking with the sharp edge. Nonetheless, the impact was still strong and got Warriors to partly stumble, partly fly backwards.

Time skidded to a stop before already turning around. He noted the fact of everyone having drawn out their swords and shields. Most of all, he was grateful that Wild went for actual blade instead of sniping him off with that precise archery skill of his. Nonetheless, he needed to get the Chain to actually attack him.

“Sprite! What the fuck is this about?!” Warriors shouted while staring way too shocked at the Chain’s leader. “Is this some kind of possession or what?”

Time forced a smirk onto his lips. “You sure I’m the one that would deserve such nickname, Captain?” He queried while hating to sneer out his brother’s title. “Twenty-five years is fucking long while to change.” He continued and shrugged a bit. “I might not even be from the timeline you knew me back at.”

“I know you, Sprite!” Warriors snapped while bit frowning as Time started to tap the floor.

“You know nothing, Captain!” The Old Man screamed out and dashed for another attack. Again, as he struck, he changed the sword’s angle to keep Warriors’ blade intact and just forcing him backwards roughly. “You weren’t there! You know nothing about my life!” He shouted as roughly as he could while feeling his heart break by every single word he let out of his mouth.

“Time, stop! Please!” Wind screamed out while staring horrified how Time once again forced Warriors backwards with hash strike.

“Stay out of this, kid, or you’ll be my next target!” Time snarled while shooting a rough glare at the Sailor. Dear Deities, how he was dying from inside as he saw the rough flinch and shock being replaced by anger. He desperately wanted to take each and every word back but he needed to make sure his boys would get forward. He needed them to survive…. And this was the only way he could make sure they’d get out of this room alive.

“Old Man, what the hell’s gotten into you?!” Twilight shouted while being fully uncertain of the correct action. He frowned when Time started to tap the floor again with the tip of his blade. There was something odd in the way he was doing it but he couldn’t figure out the reason or meaning of it.

“I’m not the one who trained you, wolf.” Time told with a cruel smirk. Twilight gasped in shock and backed off by couple steps. “But, while we’re at it, I think I can erase few mistakes of mine.” The Chain’s leader continued while turning his notion into Legend and Hyrule. The duo gulped while picking up their battle stance and get ready for the attack.

Time narrowed his gaze and dashed towards the two whose timeline he had doomed by being killed by Ganon during that final battle. He swung the blade fast and hard while once again changing it to hit with the wide side first. Yet, before the impact, he took a step to side to lengthen the distance between himself and Hyrule. Nonetheless, inwardly he flinched as he cut very shallow wound by the very tip of his Biggoron Sword right into the boy’s upper arm.

The Traveler gave out a very startled pained sound while backing away even more. He didn’t want to fight but he didn’t want to die either. “W-who are you?” He stammered the words out while staring wide-eyed at his leader.

Time grinned cruelly while entirely hating what he was doing. “Now that’s a good question.” He mused almost wickedly while once again tapping at the floor. Yet, before he talked further, he already dashed for another attack while going at Legend this time around.

The Chain’s leader ended up gasping in shock as Sky dashed between and slashed with a borrowed sword from Wild. Time’s first instinct was to hit the ground and slide beneath it but he just in last second managed to keep himself from going for it. Instead, he moved to side while allowing the blade to cut into his arm. He gasped at the impact while turning around to face his new opponent. Instinct brought the blade up to face the next attack. Yet, it was also for the very fact that the Chosen Hero’s strike would’ve only clanged into his armor without causing much of other than to get him to stagger backwards.

Time kept blocking the fast and rough attacks while backing away. “Damn it, Sky… Those hits are not good enough!” He thought before landing his own strike into the blade, once again by the flat side, and forced the Skyloftian to back away. The Chain’s leader backed off a bit too to gain some distance. As he eyed the group around him in the tense situation, he began to tap the floor again.

“You could call me a fixer.” Time stated out with a chuckle. “There’s lot that was fucked by the third Hero. And all that needs to be made right again.” He continued cruelly while glancing between Hyrule, Legend and Wind. Eventually his gaze stayed in the youngest Hero. He forced back the need to gulp while feeling the lump in his throat. “The Goddesses got all the power in their hands. So…. Why do they need us? Why did they drown a whole kingdom? Why didn’t they just snatch the third Hero back to there to do their bidding? Why didn’t they fucking choose another Hero? Do they just enjoy to watch everyone’s pain and misery?” He threw out the questions that had been going through his head ever since he learned that the Hyrule he had left into ruins had become an ocean where Wind lived. He fully felt to be at the fault of the whole situation.

Suddenly Time dashed forward while readying his Biggoron Sword for a new slash. The youngest Hero gasped as he realized that their leader was coming towards him. He readied himself for the attack while deciding to do what Four did: Relying on his shortness. As the swing was initiated, the Sailor ducked down and moved past the Chain’s leader.

Yet, Wind frowned a bit when he noticed the sudden change in the angle of the deadly blade along with the height of the strike having been forced higher the second he had started to crouch downwards. It was odd but he didn’t have time to ponder about it as he slashed at Time’s leg before already turning around and backing away. “We don’t want to fight you, Time!” The Sailor half shouted out while hoping they could just wear the one eyed male out and get some answers after that.

Time gasped a bit at the slash but he was grateful of it. Even though it was quite shallow, it was a strike nonetheless. He turned around and backed away again. There were eight warriors in the room and he needed to keep eye on each of them. Yet, he let that smirk appear to his face once again as he made his choice.

The Chain’s leader started to tap the floor once again. “I’m not the one you call Time.” He stated out as firmly and convincingly as he could. “I’m not the third Hero.” He continued before wider smirk appeared to his face as he found the perfect words to bring out: “I’m his equivalent on this timeline but guess what…. I chose the different side.” Right after that he dashed forward to attack against Twilight.

The Chain was entirely shocked but the words gave them what they needed as their eyes narrowed. The blades of the Biggoron Sword and the Ordonian Sword clanged together. Once again, while the Rancher attacked with the sharp edge, Time struck with the flat side. The one eyed male held back most of his strength while his Cub was putting all in. Yet, their duel was cut short when Four and Wind came into the battle and the Old Man quickly pulled off of the attack. He knew they weren’t yet ready to kill him as there was one more question they needed answer into.

“Where the hell’s our brother?!” Sky screamed out the question.

Time kept that smirk on his face while tapping the ground again. “I’m pretty sure you’ll get him back once one dies like it was told.” He stated out with a shrug. “It just might not be me who’ll die.” The Chain’s leader couldn’t feel lousier of himself even if he tried. And yet, he needed to get the boys to attack him and, most of all, to land that death blow. He simply hoped that Warriors wouldn’t feel too guilty once he’d make out what he had been tapping every now and then. The Captain would eventually be the only one who’d know the truth.

Time attacked as fiercely as he could while still making sure he didn’t actually cause real damage and that he didn’t break anyone’s weapons. The Chain was furious of an impostor to have made his way into their family. Still, somehow, they felt like something was entirely wrong in the whole situation. Nonetheless, they attacked hard and fast.

Time, even with the powerful Biggoron Sword, was quite slow when facing eight fast and agile swordsmen. As he blocked or attacked against one to few, the rest had perfect opportunity to land a strike. Eventually the death blow came as Legend struck the Tempered Sword into the Chain’s leader’s back from between the plates of the armor. The blade cut through the chainmail as the stab was aided by the Power Rings and Gloves.

The Veteran pulled the sword out slowly before already backing away. He tried not to cry as part of him still failed to accept the words of their enemy’s. Time had gasped in pain and shock as, even though he knew one would eventually strike him down, he still hadn’t been prepared even one bit. When the weapon was out, he fell to his knees. “Guess I was wrong…” He half whispered with a slight grin while playing his part to the very end. The Chain’s leader closed his eye while letting himself fall to the ground. Part of him waited for someone to cut his throat or for Wild to shoot an arrow into his head but neither came.

Time fought back against the relieved smile when the doorway on the other side of the room opened up. The Chain hesitated for a moment while glancing at each other. As their opponent was still dying, they were certain they wouldn’t be able to drag him along into the corridor. Much to their uncertainty, they left him there while going to the hallway. They didn’t see their leader sigh in relief when the doorway shut right after his boys had gotten through.

Time knew he didn’t have much of time left to live. He simply curled up while turning his back towards the way the Chain of Links had gone to. After that he hid his face into his hand and cried. He absolutely hated himself for having forced the eight boys of his to kill him. And even more so for all that he had said.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The door slammed shut behind them. The eight Heroes flinched slightly before sighing heavily. They all dropped their gazes down onto the floor while staring to walk forward.

“We just killed Time.” Warriors suddenly stated out firmly as he stopped walking. He snapped his glare into the door blocking their road back. “That fucking fool has so little care for his own life.” He growled while starting to storm back to the door while drawing out his sword. With a scream of rage, he attacked the smooth rock door and struck as hard as he could.

The Chain blinked in shock and turned to look at him. “Captain?” Wild called worriedly as he watched Warriors desperately trying to destroy the blockage.

“Uh… You heard him, right? That wasn’t Time.” Four replied while wishing the words were true and Time was somewhere safe and sound waiting for them.

“That tapping…. That meant something….” Twilight nearly whispered with trembling voice.

“It’s a code.” Warriors stated out while panting hard. He backed away from the door while trying to figure out a way to either break it or force it to open up. “I and Sprite came up with it during the war. Something just for the two of us.”

“What…. W-what did he say…?” The Rancher asked while staring fearfully at the Captain.

Warriors gulped once while trying to stay in one piece. “His words were….” He gulped again even though it didn’t aid him even one bit. After that he took deep and shaky breath before starting to translate his little brother’s code: “Forgive me, big brother. I’m doing this for everyone’s sake. I love you all. I don’t mean even one word of what’s coming out of my mouth. I just want you boys to survive. I’m sorry.”

The Chain stared at the Captain in horror struck shock. Slowly their gazes fell into the blocked doorway. Warriors was trying not to cry but he felt the tears fall anyways. “I… I should’ve….. I should’ve translated his code rather than let his words hit.” He mumbled while feeling his heart break.

“Not on my watch!” Legend suddenly snarled and looked around the Chain. He had already gone to the door and checked around it. “Anyone go a fairy? I’m going to need one if we want to save Time’s life!” He snapped while already taking out Ravio’s Bracelet. He had noticed the gap between the door and its frame.

“I got one!” Wild replied while bringing the small being with pink glow out.

The Veteran simply nodded and went swiftly to snatch the creature into a bottle. “Once I’m through, concentrate bombs into the gap.” He commanded while already going next to the door and striking the bracelet against the smooth surface of the blockage.

The Chain gasped as Legend turned into a painting. They stared both confused and bit freaked out as he moved into the gap and to the other side of the door. “Break the door!” The Veteran shouted as he already ran to the unmoving leader of their group of nine. “Fucking hell, Time! You are NOT going to die! Not by my hands, at least!” He growled furiously as he already threw the bottle into the hard ground. The glass shattered only less than half a meter away from Time. He did it just to get the fairy to start her work before he’d get close enough otherwise. After all, he was fighting against time itself in there.

The small fairy gave out her alarmed chime before already starting to circle around the unconscious body. Legend watched with fear in his throat as the small being did her best to save a life the fairies considered being one of their own brothers even though not by blood. All he could do was to pray that he wasn’t too late. As his full notion was in the situation right before him, he fully ignored the explosions behind him. Only when the rock pieces struck into the floor and walls did he turn around to check the fact that the Chain had actually managed to break the blockage.

When Time groaned and slightly moved bit upwards from the floor, the Veteran returned his notion straight into him. “Time?” He called worriedly.

The Chain’s leader gasped in shock and shot his eyes open. He barely breathed for a second before he swiftly turned around and stared wide-eyed at Legend. “W-what the….?” He nearly whispered the words out while not wanting to think what it meant that Legend was in the room with him. “You just…. You just did not….” He mumbled while fearing that his plan had just gone to hell.

“TIME!”

“SPRITE!”

Time gasped and flinched at the shouts before snapping his gaze into the seven Heroes dashing straight towards them. Legend glanced behind him while having slowly started to smile. “Guess who I just revived.” He called with a grin while drying his tears as the Chain came to them. Some hit the ground and slid the few meters while others just slowed their run and crouched down.

Time blinked in shock at the overly happy group around him before dropping his gaze down. He closed his eyes as his ears drooped. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to explain. And yet, he couldn’t find the right words while just feeling absolutely miserable and hellish of what he had put the Chain through. He wanted them to be angry at him. He wanted them to bark him down. He wanted—

“FUCKING HELL, SPRITE!” Warriors suddenly screamed furiously while glaring at his brother. Time flinched and waited for the hit that he knew was to come. Yet, that never happened. Instead, the Captain sighed heavily and pulled the older male into a hug. Only a moment later, he pushed the one eyed male off. “Let’s get the fuck out of here while we still got a road for such.” He stated out while getting up and forcing the Chain’s leader along the movement.

Time silently followed as Warriors took the lead. The younger male kept a strong hold of the Old Man’s armor from the edge of the shoulder plate that actually was above the tunics. The rest of the Chain was bit uncertain of the situation but they followed the duo close by into the corridor. The pathway ended into an unlocked door which actually led them out of the house.

The Captain didn’t even glance behind him as he dragged the one eyed male along while knowing that the rest of the Chain would follow. He made his way straight into the Inn and right into Time’s room. For some reason, that was always the biggest room the nine of them got.

The moment they were inside, Warriors already pushed his brother down onto the bed. Without a word he began to take the Chain’s leader’s armor off. Time aided as well as he could while still staying silent and bit uncertain of the situation. This was the longest in his whole life his brother had stayed silently mad at him. And that freaked him out even more than anything else in the world as he had no idea of what to wait for.

The Chain just watched while feeling bit like being in the wrong place at the wrong time but they just couldn’t get themselves to leave the room. They all were bit fidgety while, without really thinking, finding a place for their stuff in Time’s room. Once they had gotten more or less comfortable, they noticed the Captain sitting down next to their leader and just watched the situation unravel.

Time still waited for his brother to hit him into the back of his head for what he had said and forced the Chain to do. He tried not to flinch when Warriors sat next to him but he couldn’t hold it all back. The Captain sighed heavily before turning his gaze from the floor into his brother. The Chain’s leader gulped but he very soon gasped in shock as the scarf was wrapped around him. Right after that, Warriors pulled him into a tight and loving hug.

Time went rigid for a second or few before sighing heavily and finally relaxing. The tension in the room vanished on that second as the rest of the Chain let out the air they hadn’t even realized to be holding in and just relaxed. The Chain’s leader carefully wrapped one arm around his brother while holding him tightly. “I wish you could promise me that you’d never do this kind of shitty stunt ever again.” Warriors whispered sorrowfully.

Time sighed heavily and nodded. “So do I, Wars.” He replied quietly before pulling off. “Anyway, you probably should get that armor off. Everyone else clearly is already in more comfortable attires by now.” He stated out with a slight grin.

“Alright, alright.” Warriors replied while getting up and starting to get the armor off. “But you’re not getting rid of any of us for the night.” He stated out firmly.

Time chuckled and grinned. “I wouldn’t even dream of such.” He replied calmly before sighing heavily. “Listen, I….” He gulped once while desperately trying to find the right words.

“You already apologized.” Hyrule stated out and shrugged when Time snapped his gaze up into him. “Warriors translated what it meant when you tapped your sword against the floor.” He explained and the Chain’s leader turned his gaze up into his brother.

The Captain shrugged. “I wasn’t going to lose you, Sprite.” He stated out before glancing around the Chain. “None of us were.” He continued firmly before facing the one eyed male fully. “We would’ve eventually found a way out even without that stupid stunt of yours.” Time sighed heavily and nodded while dropping his gaze into the floor. “Anyway, the day’s been hellish emotionally so I think a nap wouldn’t hurt anyone. Right?” Warriors continued while raising an eyebrow at his brother whom had raised his gaze back up when he had started to talk.

Time chuckled a bit and smiled slightly. After that he moved bit better onto the bed. “Alright. Get in. All of you.” He called while giving an inviting movement with his hand. Yet, the Chain waited until the Captain had taken his place from next to their leader and holding him tightly. Only after that the rest piled in on the one eyed male. The Old Man sighed contently. “I love you all.” He whispered while calming down and closing his eye to get some much needed rest.

On the next day the Chain burned the hellish house to ground. They certainly hadn’t been the first ones into there but they sure as hell would be the last ones. It had been pure luck that the door hadn’t locked as tightly as it had been when they had entered the place. And even bigger luck, for once, was the fact that Wild had had that fairy with him. Not to mention about Warriors having figured out the coded text of Time’s fast enough to give them a chance to save him. They all understood their leader’s reasons even though they couldn’t fully approve with it. Nonetheless, none of them held a grudge over it in any of way. They all simply were grateful of everyone still being alive and well. That was all that truly mattered.

Only few days later as the Chain was calmly camping between towns, Warriors walked over to Time and, with a grin, slapped him into the back of his head. The Chain’s leader yelped and shot a glare at him. “What was that about?!” He half barked while rubbing at his head.

The Captain chuckled while grinning widely. “For you being an idiot, Sprite.” Time rolled his eyes while the rest of the Chain chuckled.

“I thought we were over that.” The Chain’s leader mock grumbled while actually grinning. He had been waiting for this to happen but he had had no idea of when the surprise attack of sorts would come.

“We are now.” Warriors simply answered with matching grin.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 39: Extra 9: Lightning strike

Summary:

Time never thought that the monsters would be so foolish that they'd take hold of his armor to try and drag him along......... He was so very wrong.

Notes:

CW: Multiple hits of electricity (one arrow, several lightnings), near death situation, battle against monsters, cursing

Published: 09.03.2024 around 1:45 of Finnish time

The battle had been going well for the nine of them all the way until Bokoblins riding horses came into the scene. “Gather your scarf, Wars!” Time almost snapped while yanking his older brother further away from the fast approaching enemies. “We do not want them to drag you out of here.” He nearly hissed as he swung the Biggoron Sword to strike about a dozen Miniblins into two by that one strike.

“Wild! Take the riders out!” Twilight shouted out to the Champion. Their archer had once again picked a place from the trees while sniping the enemies out fast and easily. Yet, most of the bigger beasts were black bloodied which meant that those either needed far more arrows or then to be left for the others to deal with.

Wild looked around while hearing the horses coming closer. He tried to get ready but the thick forest was blocking most of his perfect shots. “There!” He thought the second he figured out a best moment and aimed already. He smirked as he timed his attack once again perfectly and got the archer down by one hit.

Unfortunately, that had been only one out of two. The sudden gasp from the Chain’s leader and scream of “TIME!” from the Captain snapped the Champion’s notion into the remaining one. He swiftly took aim but the enemy had already moved behind the trees. The pain filled scream of Time’s was the next thing that fully registered in his head. He was just going to dash after the one eyed male when a shouted warning turned his notion into the group of ten Keese coming right at him. Those beasts weren’t from his timeline as they looked far more like bats than eyeballs with wings

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Time had noticed the other rider coming at them. Yet, he was more worried for Warriors since his scarf was something that those beasts could’ve easily taken hold of. He wasn’t too worried of the monster dashing past him since he didn’t see any of actual weapons. Nonetheless, he had NOT waited for the Bokoblin to take a hold of his armor from behind.

The Chain’s leader gasped in shock as he was yanked backwards and off of his feet. He had entirely relied his armor to be too heavy for this kind of foolish stunt. He ignored Warriors’ scream while growling more in anger than of anything else while reaching towards the beast. Oh, he would SO pull that bastard down and show why its action had been entirely idiotic.

Sadly, the creation of darkness wasn’t as stupid as Time believed it to be. The Bokoblin reached out to a bag which had been out of the Chain’s leader’s sight and pulled out a Shock Arrow. Smirking, it struck the electrified weapon into the exposed area between Time’s neck and shoulder. The one eyed male screamed in pain as the magic struck fast and hard.

Time groaned while desperately trying to get his paralyzed body to work. He absolutely hated electricity as it was something he just had no tolerance against. Most of his boys fared against the element far better than he ever could even imagine of learning to fight against. All he could do was to concentrate into breathing. He pushed the fear of getting killed while being so vulnerable out of his head even though he was certain that would soon happen.

The Old Man gasped in shock when the Bokoblin suddenly let go of him and he crashed into the uneven ground. He growled as he partly rolled, partly skidded like a ragdoll. Yet, his feeling of humiliation turned into terror when he heard the rumbling of a thunder. He gulped when his gaze found the dark clouds above him. “Oh, this just keeps getting better…” He though miserably and, like on cue, he snapped his gaze into a Lynel as it roared. “Well fuck.”

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

“I’m going after Time!” Sky screamed out before already dashing after the road where the rider had dragged their leader.

“Got it! We’ll be there as soon as possible!” Warriors replied while trying to pick up on Time’s leadership for the time being. He was keeping eye on everyone while dealing with a Lizalfos. At least everyone was teamed up and Wind had aided Wild with the Keese.

The Champion gasped in shock as he realized what way the Skyloftian had gone to. “Oh, fucking hell…” He mumbled before gulping. “We need to get this cleared NOW!” He screamed out with bit freaked out voice. “There’s a….” He gulped before shaking his head to gather himself. “There’s a Lynel in the way Time was dragged into! And I doubt he’ll manage against it for long!” He shouted while shooting three arrows into the Lizalfos the Captain was dealing with.

“Time can deal with a Lynel, I’m sure.” Twilight stated out as firmly as he could even though he had picked their leader’s Biggoron Sword into safekeeping.

“Not against a Thunder Lynel with the amount of armor he got.” Wild replied almost coldly. That snapped everyone’s notion into him. “Yeah, there’s always thunder going wherever that beast is.” He told before already shivering as he heard the far being rumble of thunder. Everyone’s notion fell into the same direction. Suddenly the flash of light got everyone’s blood run icy cold. As soon as the flash had appeared, the scream split the air.

“Hyrule! Come on!” Legend screamed out and dashed after Sky. “We’re the only ones besides Sky who can deal with the magic of electricity!” He shouted while dragging the Traveler with him. “Get there as soon as you guys are capable of!” He continued while already vanishing into the forest.

The rest of the Chain simply nodded and continued to deal with the rest of the monsters. Each and every one of them would’ve gladly left the battle there and head to aid Time but they knew better. The beasts would follow them and only make things worse if they’d end up between Lynel and the current amount of enemies while trying to defend their leader.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The Lynel had charged at him and swung that huge axe in wide arc. Time had just barely been able to push himself to something of resembling of being on all four when the attack struck into him. He held back the scream while fully thanking the armor and chainmail as the strike would only bruise at the moment instead of causing actual damage. Nonetheless, he gasped his air out when he crashed into the ground.

The Lynel stayed to its place as the lightning came down. “I hate this day…” The Chain’s leader thought as he shut his eye and tried to get prepared into the taking the cruel impact. The second the electricity struck, he screamed.

The one eyed male was like a fish on dry land when the lightning vanished and left him paralyzed all over again. He heard the gallop of the Lynel and felt the rumble on the ground as the beast attacked. Time tried to move but his body refused to follow his command. He gulped once and just waited. The scream came out without his consent as the axe struck onto his chest’s plate armor. For once he was glad to have curled up before the lightning had struck into him. At least that had redirected the hellish axe from finding an opening between the plates of his armor.

Nonetheless, the Chain’s leader flew through the air before crashing roughly against rocky wall that partly surrounded the Lynel’s area. Time gasped at the first impact before gasping again as he fell into the ground. He could feel the crackling in his armor as a new lightning was preparing to come down.

“TIME!”

Time snapped his gaze open as he heard the freaked out scream of Sky’s. He tried to move but he couldn’t do much of other than slowly shift his position. Yet, that’s when the lightning came down. He shut his eye and tried to get prepared. He heard the terror filled scream just before the nature’s rough element struck and his scream rang through the air.

The Lynel watched as another lightning was already charging up in the dark clouds above it. It smirked while knowing perfectly well that with the amount of armor its current victim had, this would be the killing strike. Sure, it would’ve been fun to actually fight sometimes against the poor fools the rider Bokoblins brought in but it couldn’t deny the pure glee of watching the nature handle the job of death’s while listening to the agony filled screams.

The Lynel snorted when Sky suddenly dashed into the scene and raised the Master Sword skyward. The beast was smirking while waiting to get to hear two screams instead of one. Yet, it ended up frowning as the electricity crackled in the blade but the person holding the weapon didn’t get struck. The beast’s eyes widened when the Chosen Hero suddenly swung the slightly glowing and crackling Master Sword in an extremely fast and sharp strike.

The electricity flew out of the sword and right towards the Lynel. Sky growled a bit when the beast avoided the attack. He stayed on his fighting stance while breathing deeply and calmly. Controlling the lightning had never been easy but he needed to stay to his place to protect Time. He would need to figure out a way to keep the enemy at bay until the aid would arrive.

Sky glanced at Time and felt slight relief wash over him as he saw him breathing. “You’re going to be okay, Time. I got you now.” He told firmly while returning his gaze into the Lynel. The creature was eyeing him suspiciously while trying to figure the situation out.

“S-Sky… G-get… O-out… O-of… H-here…” Time fought for each word while fighting to keep breathing.

“Not gonna do that, Time.” Sky replied calmly before raising his sword skyward again. The beast kept watching curiously at the situation. “If it was any of us in your place, you wouldn’t leave either.” The Skyloftian stated out and, once the weapon was pulsing with light and the Chosen Hero could feel the charging having ended, he swung the blade fast while sending the Sword Beam at the strange thing that was something between horse, human and lion…. With horns.

The Lynel gasped and jumped away from the attack’s path. It narrowed its gaze before roaring. This was one of rare cases when it got an opponent whom actually fought back. With a smirk, it dashed forward while readying the axe for a swing.

Suddenly another fighter entered the area and struck hard into the Lynel’s hind leg. The beast roared in pain and swiftly jumped away while ending the charge abruptly. “Hyrule, help Time!” Legend shouted while keeping his very angry gaze in the enemy.

“Time! Open your eye, please.” Hyrule begged while having already skidded next to the Chain’s leader. Time slowly opened his eye. “I’m gonna take the electricity off of you. Okay?” The Traveler stated out while being certain the one eyed male understood what was going on around him. “And before you argue, I’ve done this before. I know what I’m doing.” He told firmly before taking once a deep breath until carefully placing his hands onto Time’s armor. “This might hurt a bit but I swear it’ll be less than taking a strike from a lightning.” He warned before starting to concentrate into his work.

Suddenly a new lightning was already coming toward them. Time stared horrified at the situation as Sky raised the Master Sword skyward. “N-no…” The Chain’s leader pleaded quietly while fearing of the Chain losing three lives instead of one. Yet, he didn’t dare to close his eye this time around.

“I got this, Time.” Sky simply said while charging his blade for the beam. “This is going to be fun attack.” He mused with a grin. “Hey, Legend! Keep the beast’s notion!” The Chosen Hero shouted and the Veteran nodded before already attacking the creature that had been just watching the situation. The monster scowled as Legend attacked and forced it to avert its gaze from the fun of watching someone get electrocuted.

Time’s horror turned into absolute confusion before it was already in admiration as Sky took the lightning into the sword. His gaze followed the blade as the Skyloftian moved the Master Sword to his side before already sending the combined attack of a Sword Beam and electricity of a lightning towards the Lynel with such speed and grace which the Chain’s leader hadn’t seen ever before. With the Veteran having the Lynel’s notion, the beast realized the upcoming danger too late. It roared in agony as the attack struck hard into its side.

Suddenly there was sound of running. Time tried to get a check of what was coming at them but he still couldn’t move much. Hyrule was doing good job in taking the electricity off but it was slow and very careful as he really didn’t want to cause actual harm to his leader. Sky glanced towards the sound and grinned. “The others are here!” He shouted out while bit calming down.

Warriors took one check on the situation before making swift choices. “We’ll help Legend to take that Lynel down!” He shouted while drawing out his sword and shield. The others followed his command while giving worried glances to Time, Sky and Hyrule. “Time’s in good hands! We need to make sure of the area’s safety!” The Captain slightly snapped before already flinching at his own voice’s roughness. He hadn’t meant to let his own worry and fear to seep into his actions. Yet, it had worked as the Chain with him turned their notion into the enemy.

The Lynel that had never truly fought against multiple enemies was in huge trouble. It had the strength and vicious attacks but it lacked in experience. And that was exactly what the six Heroes had on their side.

When the next lightning came down and Sky took it into the blade of the Master Sword, he only gave one warning to his brothers: “Clear off!” The six swiftly moved away from the beast and smirked as the roughness of the combined attack of Sword Beam and lightning struck right into the target. Once the danger of friendly fire had passed, the six Links attacked again.

The Lynel wasn’t far from dying when Hyrule finally stood up very slowly and carefully. He was breathing bit heavily while the electricity crackles in his hands. “Off the way!” He screamed out before already turning around towards the enemy. There was lot of rage within the Traveler as he thought about the very fact of this beast having been more than eager of just watching the Chain’s leader die agonizingly through the one of the elements that the healer was capable of controlling. He grinned as he sent the full strength of one Shock Arrow and two lightnings right at the monster. “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.” He half whispered while actually, for once, enjoying of the agony filled scream of the Lynel. Right after that the creation of darkness vanished with an explosion.

With the electricity off of him, Time slowly sat up. Yet, both he and Sky frowned a bit at Hyrule’s whispered words. Yet, before either could actually wonder about them or ask of their meaning, the Traveler already turned around with worry all over his face. “Time! Are you okay?” He queried instantly while crouching down. The rest of the Chain dashed over the moment the beast was gone.

Time smiled a bit and nodded. “I am now.” He replied calmly before standing up with Hyrule’s and Sky’s aid. “And that’s pretty much thanks to you all.” The Chain’s leader continued before glancing upwards as the light of a setting sun reached them. “Seems like taking that Lynel down cleared the storm too.”

“The Stable’s not far anymore.” Wild suddenly stated out while fully wanting to get all of his brothers somewhere safe.

“Then, let’s get going. The quicker we’re there, the better.” Time stated out while keeping the command out of his voice. “Show the way, Champion.” He continued with a nod. Wild nodded back and started to lead the way. “I can walk. Don’t worry.” The Chain’s leader reassured but he couldn’t help the slight happy grin as his boys stayed close to him just to make sure he stayed to his feet.

Few hours later the Chain had bought a stay at the Stable and put Epona into a stable. Wild cooked up several different omelets the way his group of Links enjoyed of them. It was something fast and simple while still having very wide variety within them. Yet, he also did some quick Wildberry Crepes with melted chocolate over them.

After the late evening meal Time watched first with a slight frown before already grinning while chuckling and shaking his head. His boys were pulling the night tables away from between the beds. Right after that they began to push the beds towards his.

The scraping sound confused and bit worried the receptionist. “What’s going on in there?” The place’s owner queried while coming to the tent’s inside area. He watched bit uncertainly at the situation.

“Nothing!” The eight Heroes straight off answered in near unison. Time just chuckled and simply shrugged in apology which clearly meant that he had no control over the situation. Yet he was grinning as the beds were brought together and the eight Heroes climbed onto them before already snuggling down as close to him as possible.

The place’s owner smiled at the group and shook his head. He had seen similar happen with actual families but this was first time nine male travelers did this. Yet, with everyone having the same name as the kingdom’s Hero had, he had a feeling there was more to the situation than met the eye. Not to mention the Hero of Wild seemed very comfortable with the eight he traveled with. In his eyes, it was as clear as the cloudless summer day that these nine were a family. And as such, what they had just done was perfectly normal action.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 40: Extra 10: Last man standing

Summary:

The Chain is captured by sadistically curious bad guys. Due to the amount of armor, Time is put to go through something the bad guys call as "The Test of Shock".

Notes:

I'm glad this isn't the last chapter. This ends bit sad in a way. =/

CW: Electricity shocks, near death experience, cursing, death of innocent victims, death of the bad guys

Published: 10.03.2024 around 2:15 of Finnish time

Several agony filled screams echoed in the room. The air was crackling with electricity. Five men, in different amount of armor, were in middle of the area. They all were chained which only made their situation worse.

Time was gasping for air while desperately trying to stay to his feet while holding on to his consciousness. Each time he or the other four couldn’t stand, the chains tightened and held them from crashing to the blood stained floor. They’d lean heavily onto their collars that would choke them if the electricity didn’t kill them first.

“TIME!”

“NONONO!”

“LEAVE HIM ALONE, DAMN IT!”

“SPRITE!”

“STOPI IT, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!”

The Chain of Links was trapped into a different room. They were given a full view into the room where the five were tortured with electricity. The rules were simple. The one who’d still be standing would be set free with their unharmed group. The cruel part was, that the one who’d be going through this test would be the one with the most armor. And so, that had fallen down onto Time. And if he’d fail, Warriors would be the next one to endure the hell.

The Chain’s leader absolutely hated the situation. If it wasn’t for the Chain, he would’ve let one of the others win. But now, for once, he was being selfish. He needed to survive for the sake of his boys. “I’m sorry.” He whispered quietly while forcing himself once again back to his feet.

Time kept his eye closed since he didn’t want to see the agony of the four other innocent people. People he’d be damning to death. He was shaking and fighting for each and every breath. No matter how he tried not to pay attention to the other four, he couldn’t close his ears as only three stood back up with him.

The four of them felt entirely hellish as they listened to the fifth one choking to death. The guy was desperately trying to stand back up but with the full armor and helmet, he was first to fall. Time knew he wasn’t having the best of chances in there with the plate armor, Mirror Shield and two swords. Yet, as he glanced beside him, two out of three were going to fall before him. Those two had armor around their arms and legs too while other one of them had some kind of metallic earrings too. The fourth man had less of armor than him which would make it hard to beat him in this cruel game. Not to mention the fact that he was younger than him too.

Suddenly the electricity struck again and they screamed. Time growled as he forced himself to stay standing. He flinched as he heard two start to fight for air as their feet gave out beneath them. The Chain’s leader was trembling but he wasn’t certain if it was because of tears he shed for the others or because of the electricity coursing through him and crackling in his armor and weapons.

Time had lost the count of how many times they had already been struck. The short moment to breathe and catch their strength kept getting shorter. He still fought against coughing but he knew it was only moments apart before his blood would adorn the floor too. One of the two heavily armored men was already coughing blood. He wouldn’t last long against the electricity anymore. And the one eyed male felt hellish as he thought it was one less to fight against.

Time knew that the Chain was certainly shown what was going on. He was sure they were screaming and cursing at the moment. Part of him was grateful that he didn’t hear their panic, terror and desperation. And yet, part of him wished to hear their voices just to make sure they were still alive and well.

After the next strike it took him bit longer to get his feet to work and force himself back up. He gasped for air after choking against the collar. Inwardly he cursed as he began to cough and the blood fell onto the already rusty colored floor around him. “I’m sorry.” He whispered once again as he unwillingly opened his eye and checked the guys next to him. He was the last on right clearly for the very fact that he only had one working eye. Whomever was behind this hell truly wanted to let them see the situation for themselves too.

Two out of five were down and Time couldn’t do anything else than mourn after the lost lives. They didn’t deserve this. None of them did. And yet, here they were, sadistically tortured while knowing only one would have the chance of surviving… If any of them even were strong enough to still be standing after other four had fallen.

Time closed his eye and thought back to what had happened. He needed something to concentrate into. Something to take his mind out of the hellish electricity trying to take his life. He fought for each breath and for a moment just concentrated into taking the air in and letting it out again. Something simple, something easy, something that would keep him alive. All he could do was to apologize even though he wasn’t at the fault of the hell the three of them were still going through.

The next strike left Time even weaker. He was shaking and coughing. He was gasping for air while fighting to stay to his feet. The two next to him were in equally shitty shape but other one gave up. A quiet curse was all that came out of the guy’s mouth when his feet gave out. Time inwardly tried to coax the man to stand back up but there was nothing he could do. He hit his ears back in sorrow as he listened the guy die. “You and me left, pal.” The remaining man croaked out with a weak grin.

“I’m sorry.” Time whispered while trying to hold back the tears. He didn’t need more of reason for the electricity to hit harder at him. And yet… These lives next to him and their groups… They deserved to live.

“F-for what…?” The man queried but Time didn’t reply. He just kept his eye closed while concentrating into staying upright. He wasn’t doing this for himself. He wasn’t even doing this for Malon. He was doing this for his boys. He was doing this for Warriors. Sure, he was certain the Captain could’ve lasted against this far better than him but the guy was his big brother for crying out loud! He would not let anyone hurt him as long as there was something he could do about it!

“T-this ain’t your fault.” The guy kept talking. Clearly that was his coping mechanism and Time was slight bit grateful of it. At least it was something else to listen into. “H-how’d you get caught…?” The man asked before snorting but that soon turned into rough coughing. And Time realized in full shock that even though the guy had less of armor than him, he was in worse condition than him. They both were coughing out blood but the man by him looked far weaker than he let out.

“W-we were—” The chained victim started but his words were cut by new strike of electricity that got them both to scream once again.

“J-just stand… Back… Up…” Time growled while knowing he wouldn’t survive long anymore. He wasn’t able of taking hold of the chains around his wrists to aid pulling himself back to his feet. He had to trust solely to his own shaking feet. “Y-you’re… Sick…” The Chain’s leader whispered as he took in the guy’s outlook. The paleness and sweating wasn’t caused by the electricity.

The man choked out a barking laugh which ended into cruel coughing. “Y-yeah… W-we were… C-camping… I was… W-we fought… A-against few m-monsters… D-don’t know… H-hazy…” The guy tried to explain before shaking his head until already coughing roughly.

“I’m sorry.” Time whispered once again as the realization struck him. He had a chance of survival. Goddesses, how much he hated that relief the understanding brought him.

“H-how… M-many…” The man inquired with a small, weak smile.

“Eight with me.” Time whispered before coughing and silently cursing. He wasn’t certain why he was able to talk better than the other guy. Yet, he probably concentrated more into the breathing than his fellow victim by him.

“J-just two…” The guy grinned weakly. “Y-you got… Big group…” He stated out before sighing and coughing. “W-was sick… A-all life… T-they…. T-they didn’t… C-care… G-gave me…. A-adventure…. L-life…. I wanted…” The man gave out a coughing laugh while splattering the already blooded floor even more. “N-no regrets… Y-you…?”

Time smiled weakly. “Regrets…?” He half questioned while fighting to talk with the air he got every now and then. “Few.” He wanted to shrug but the chains prevented that. “N-not of my boys, though.” The Chain’s leader told with a small fond smile. The other guy coughed out another laugh and shook his head. “W-what…?” Time queried with a slight frown.

“The way… You talk… About them…” The man grinned. “You proud.” He grinned knowingly. Time blinked once in start before bit blushing. “W-who are they…?”

Time sighed while knowing for certain that the other one wasn’t going to live through the next strike so he felt like he could give him the answers as parting gift. Besides, it was nice to talk for a while. “Heroes.” He started as firmly as his condition allowed. “Brothers.” He stated out with happiness in his voice. “My boys.” He told fondly while closing his eye with a sigh. “Besides being married…” The Chain’s leader continued while using the air he had to talk. “…They’re the best I could ever have.”

“Stay alive… For them.” The guy told just before the next electrical attack struck. Yet, long before Time, the guy fell silent and slumped as darkness and death claimed him.

The Old Man wasn’t certain how or why he was still standing. He hung his head and shook it in sorrow. Four innocent men had died just for him to live. It was far from right. He just prayed the bastard would really keep his word.

“So, we got our winner, I see.” The words echoed in the room but Time didn’t search for the speaker. He had done that before but there was nothing to see. Wherever that asshole was, was well hidden.

Suddenly new electrical attack struck. It was far stronger than any of the earlier hits. “I’m sorry.” Was all that went through Time’s head before darkness fell around him.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

The nine Heroes had been checking some ruins close to the latest town they were staying at. It was mainly out of curiosity and precaution since monsters usually made their camps around ruins. There hadn’t been any of reports of beasts but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Surprisingly they had found a road to underground area. The circling staircase was quite thin so it unfortunately forced them to move in a line. Time didn’t like of it even one bit since the others wouldn’t able to help even one bit if the first or last were attacked. And neither him or Warriors were in those places. Hyrule was on front and Wind was holding the rear. The Chain’s leader had no idea how in earth that had happened. Sadly, there was no chance of changing the order anymore.

Suddenly a loud sound of something slamming down startled the nine Links. Soon it was followed by the sound of hissing. “Gas! Turn around! Out!” The nearly panicked shouts got them to scramble back up the stairs… Only to find out their way out was blocked. “Hold your breath! Get back down! There has to be a way out!” The commands were going around them and Time cursed the fact that he wasn’t able to get past the others to try and break the obstacle…. On either side of them as they crashed into a solid wall at the end of the stairs.

Next thing the Chain recalled was waking up in a square room which had no door in it. The ceiling was too high for them to reach and the walls were too smooth for Wild to climb. Yet, there was a hatch in the ceiling which clearly had been the way they had entered the prison of theirs. Suddenly one of the walls came to life and an image appeared into it.

The eight Heroes gasped in shock as they saw Time and four other men chained and laying on the floor. As they woke up, the chains were pulled and the five prisoners were forced up to their feet. There were chains around their wrists and ankles along with a collar around their necks.

“The last man standing after our little game of shock will be set free and their group let go unharmed.”

The Links tried to find the one whom spoke but, like the five chained men, they couldn’t find the enemy. They watched and listened how their leader and other four victims fought to get free while throwing in commands, curses and threats. But only silence answered before the first electrical shock was struck and the five screamed.

The Chain desperately tried to get out of the room but all they could do was to watch how Time and the others were tortured again and again. At first their leader had done all he could to keep the others conscious and fighting. He had commanded and coaxed. He really wanted all of them to survive and yet… The further the hell went, the more silent he fell. He needed to concentrate into breathing and standing back up. There was nothing he could do for the others. They were too far from each other to aid in getting freed or support one another’s weight when things started to get too much.

The short conversation between Time and the last guy next to him was the last consolation he could give. The Chain screamed in terror and horror as their leader was struck once again with such strength that he couldn’t stand it anymore. Yet, as he fell, the chains and the collar opened and he crashed unconscious onto the floor. Right after that the room the Chain was in started to fill with same gas that had knocked them out at the ruins. As they were falling unconscious, Wild pressed couple of buttons on his Slate before bit grinning as two shining objects appeared into the room. A parting gift, if you will.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Four groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He frowned as he heard the crackling of electricity not far from him. The second the realization hit him, he sat up abruptly. “TIME!” He screamed out and turned to look at the Chain’s leader.

The electricity was crackling in the armor, shield and two swords. Time was fighting for each breath like a fish on a dry land. The Old Man was unconscious and clearly in pain.

The shortest Hero scrambled over to the one eyed man. He swiftly looked things over before bracing himself for what he needed to do. He took once a deep breath and took hold of the Gilded Sword. While growling in pain as the electricity struck into him, he pulled the weapon out of its sheath. He was gasping for air as he dragged the blade away from Time and the others before striking it into the ground. He fully hoped that would take the electricity off of it before he already dashed back to Time.

By then the others started to stir too. Yet, the second they heard the electricity crackling close by, they already were wide awake. As Four struggled with the Mirror Shield, Twilight appeared next to him. The Rancher quickly took hold of the Biggoron Sword and started to pull it out. Legend came to help Four with the shield and they managed to drag it over to the Gilded Sword. Soon the Biggoron Sword came next to them. Wild and Wind threw in the Golden Gauntlets they had managed to wrestle off of Time’s arms.

Warriors swiftly took off his own armor to prevent getting hit by the electricity before already starting to work the Chain’s leader’s armor off. Twilight, Four and Legend quickly came to help him. Suddenly Time started to cough and blood splattered onto the green grass. As the Chain’s notion fell into that alarming situation, they noticed the fact that this wasn’t first time he was coughing out blood as the grass was quite red already.

“We need to work faster! He’s not having much time left!” Warriors half shouted and snapped the group’s notion back into their current work. The armor came off slowly as the electricity kept staying on it. The four of them were growling and cursing underneath their breaths. Very quickly Wind and Wild came to aid them in hopes of sharing the danger of the electricity and to get the heavy armor off faster. The moment it was off and moved far enough, Hyrule already came next to their leader and began his magic. The others dragged the armor next to Time’s weapons and shield.

The Traveler concentrated into healing the Old Man’s lungs and other internal damage caused by the electricity. Only once he was certain of having secured his life, he started to work with the rest of wounds and burns around his body. As long as Time was unconscious he wasn’t exactly capable of drinking a potion. A fairy would’ve been the best option but they didn’t have any along.

While the few potions were shared by the members of the Chain that had worked with the electrified things of Time’s, Sky moved over to the weapons, shield and armor. He had wanted to do it already while those had been on but things had been already in motion by the time he regained enough of understanding. Besides, he wasn’t certain of how much damage he would’ve caused instead of actual help by what he had in mind.

The Chosen Hero took out the Master Sword and took once a deep breath to calm himself down. He glanced at the others before turning his notion back into his work. After that he carefully touched the electrified accessory of the Chain’s leader. He concentrated while bracing himself as the sacred weapon pulled the electricity off of the original place before already crackling in the blade.

Sky was breathing heavily as he fought to control the wild element of the nature. He could notice that everyone whom were awake, were staring at him. Slowly he moved the sword to his side. He took couple of deep breaths before screaming out his battle cry and slashing diagonally skywards. The ball of electricity flew off of the Master Sword just when the weapon pointed just over the top of the trees around them.

The wielder of the sacred blade fell to his knees while panting hard. It had been a while since he had last controlled electricity. “H-how’s Time?” Sky inquired while turning his gaze into the others while still gasping for air.

“Unconscious but alive.” Four answered while slowly calming down. They all were still freaked out but at least things seemed to be quite safe at the moment. “What about you? That looked pretty rough.”

Sky took a deep breath to ease out his breathing. “Controlling electricity isn’t the easiest thing to do.” He told with a small smile while forcing himself to his feet before sheathing the sword. “I did bit think that I should’ve done it while Time still had everything on but…” He continued before trailing off worriedly. “I might’ve done more damage than good by that.”

“Well, Time will be fine. We still got one potion if you’re needing that, Sky.” Warriors told while having relaxed when Time had started to breathe easier.

“Thanks but no need.” Sky replied while sitting down next to his brothers. “Unlike you guys, I didn’t actually touch the electricity.” He commented calmly but looking fully worriedly at Time.

“If Time hadn’t had full armor on, I would’ve been on his place.” The Captain told sorrowfully. “And I would’ve gladly taken his place.” He whispered while gently petting Time’s hair.

“Every single one of us would’ve been ready and willing to take his place, Captain.” Wild told firmly while wishing he would’ve had had his Knight’s Armor on back then. At least it might’ve taken him into the situation rather than their leader. Yet, he wasn’t certain how well he would’ve lasted against the electricity.

“You boys sure you could’ve actually withstanded the electricity?” Time queried quietly while opening his eye with a small grin on his face.

“SPRITE!”

“TIME!”

The Chain’s leader chuckled a bit at the shouts. He carefully started to sit up before Warriors and Legend already were aiding him. “Thanks.” Time half whispered before already leaning against the Captain. “So… Shall I count the electrified enemies I’ve faced and gotten hit by?” He inquired while being more than ready to name the beasts.

The Chain glanced at each other before shrugging. “You sure you want to?” Wind inquired bit worriedly.

Time just grinned and started to list them off: “So, my first quest… There were Tailparasan, Biri and Bari, Barinade, Phantom Ganon and Ganondorf. On my second there were Dragonflies with electrified stingers. On third, at the war…” He started and glanced upwards. “What did we face there? Mainly electrified weapons instead of actual monsters with electricity around them?”

“You’re probably missing the electrical Chuchus from your list.” Warriors replied with a grin.

“Right. Those suckers. Hell to deal with.” Time scowled before shrugging. “Plus then all of those that we’ve faced so far. Not sure if I forgot something from the list but that’s most of them.”

“That’s…. Quite a list.” Legend whispered while he and everyone else were just staring at Time. “And here I thought I would’ve had the longest list to give out.”

The Chain’s leader shrugged. “Eh, not the most fun list to give but…” He started to grin. “I gotta beat you at something.”

“W-what…?” Legend stuttered out while staring shocked at Time. The Old Man tried to hold back his snickering before already bursting into laugher. The Chain was taken off guard and they just stared at him. Even Warriors was bit startled of the situation.

“Sorry.” Time half apologized before shaking his head. “Sorry. It’s just bit crazy. I’m the oldest and yet I’m not the one with most of quests. Not even the one having the most of enemies faced.” He shrugged.

Warriors rolled his eyes. “You’re a gremlin, Sprite. That’s what you are.” He stated out before frowning at Time’s wide grin.

“Was there ever any doubt in that?” The Chain’s leader asked very mischievously. The Captain blinked few times at him before facepalming and groaning. Time just ended up laughing all over again.

“Anyway, the more important question is: Are you all right, Time?” Twilight queried once things had calmed down a bit.

Time turned his notion into his Cub with a small smile. “Bit sore and stiff but okay otherwise.” He answered before bit blinking when Legend brought out a red potion for him.

“Just take it.” The Veteran pretty much commanded. “Hyrule fixed what he could but there’s still some burn marks around you.” He stated out before pointing to Time’s hands.

“Guess you got a point.” The Chain’s leader replied with a nod before taking the potion. He relaxed a bit when the magic fixed the rest of the damage around his body. “Yeah, definitely better now.” He confirmed calmly before once again grinning. “I can recommend never to deal with electricity with full armor, two swords, shield and Golden Gauntlets. Definitely not worth it.”

The Chain rolled their eyes and Time simply chuckled. “How did you manage through it?” Wild asked worriedly.

Time sighed heavily and bit slumped. He turned his gaze off while remembering the four lost lives. “Luck. Just plain old luck.” He mumbled quietly and the whole Chain fell silent. “If that kid hadn’t been sick…” The one eyed male whispered and shook his head before sighing heavily. “I wasn’t going to last long anymore.”

Warriors tightened his hold on Time and buried his face into the older male’s hair. “Even though the loss of their lives is tragic, I’d still rather have you with us.” He stated out firmly before pulling his scarf around the Chain’s leader.

“They didn’t deserve to die…” Time whispered quietly while breaking down. The Chain carefully moved closer to hug their leader and second-in-command.

“No. They didn’t. But neither did you.” Sky told gently. Time simply nodded but he couldn’t help the way he was feeling. In one hand he felt hellishly selfish and on that way miserable. After all, he had survived while other four had died. But then again… He was quite certain that the lost one’s group wasn’t going to be set free safe and sound which meant… He couldn’t even go further on those thoughts as he just couldn’t think about losing any of his boys. And he knew, from full heart, that he’d stand back up till the very end just for keeping the Chain alive and well.

“Does anyone know where we are?” Hyrule inquired while taking a swift check around. The small clearing of sorts didn’t ring any bells for him.

“I doubt we’re anywhere near that place or the town.” Time whispered bit bitterly before sighing heavily. “This is one of those battles we lose.” He mumbled while being certain they weren’t going to be given a chance to take that bastard down.

“Well, I left a present for them.” Wild suddenly said while taking his Slate out. He grinned wickedly and simply asked: “Detonate?” He looked at Time for confirmation.

The Chain’s leader was fully startled before biting down to his lower lip as he thought the situation through. He wanted to say yes but he looked around him for confirmation. There still could be innocent lives at stake. Yet, as he checked around for the thoughts and opinions from his boys, he saw determination and nods. He took once a deep breath and nodded firmly. “Detonate.”

After that the Chain finally got up and Time took his weapons and armor back. He fully thanked Sky for having taken the electricity off of them. Along with everyone else for having acted fast in saving his life. After that they picked a direction and started to walk.

Far away from them the two bombs blew up in the underground lair of their captors. They didn’t have any new victims at the moment in their hold but the whole group of bad guys were in there. Their plans, besides torture and killing, had been to see how long one can withstand the electricity. Now, as the two bombs weren’t next to one another, they created a chain reaction of explosions. The place came down fast and hard while creating a dent into middle of the ruins. Few days later the hole was filled by water through the rough storm that hit the area. Couple of years later that area was a Fairy Fountain.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Chapter 41: Bonus: Day 28: "No... Not like this"

Summary:

Time gets some much needed answers to unvoiced questions when the Chain crashes into his room after he's woken up screaming.

Notes:

I'm so glad this is actually the end of Febuwhump stories. ^^; The earlier ended without the Chain getting actual knowledge of their actions. THIS ends up happily. =)

Besides the start, this is kinda happy chapter in overall.

CW: All in dream part: wounds, broken bones, major character deaths

Published: 11.03.2024 around 00:15 of Finnish time

Time knew what he was seeing was nothing more than a dream. He had had enough of good dreams, nightmares and prophetic dreams to figure out when he was witnessing something that his own mind was simply bringing out from his own subconscious mind. Usually he had been good at fixing things and end the bad ones far before it would go too bad. Prophetic dreams where ones he had no control over. Things happened as they pleased. Good ones… Well, he just let them play off while enjoying of the ride. Those were rare ones after all.

Most nights the one eyed male didn’t even dream. Part of the reason was too short nights. He was first up and last to sleep, after all. Just enough to be capable of working on the next day but not enough to let his mind create anything from his tired mind’s cacophony of scattered happenings, thoughts, memories, fears and wishes of his. After all, he had had enough of hellish nightmares throughout his life so far. He certainly didn’t need more.

Unfortunately, sometimes the Chain’s leader just couldn’t shut his mind up and keep the nightmares from appearing. And right now, all that had happened during the day, had been going in circles around his head ever since that last battle. Of course, that led into the current nightmare he had fallen into.

Time knew that what he was seeing hadn’t happened. And yet, his tired, worried and stupid mind just needed to go through all the possible outcomes of the day’s situations. Just to see if he had done something wrong or if there had been something he could’ve done to prevent from happening. Just to figure out if there was something that needed working with and on that way to find a way to make things better next time. In other words: Watch and learn.

It was this kind of nightmares that the Old Man hated the most. He wanted to stop them and crash them out of his head but his mind was too stubborn to go through the scenarios from every single possible angle just to see the truth. He couldn’t do anything else than watch, scream and curse while trying to change the outcome that he could easily predict to come.

The first battle didn’t change by much. “No… Not like this... It was less of beasts. They weren’t of black blood. The wounds were shallow.” Time reminded himself while watching the number of the monsters being doubled and the wounds dealt being deeper and rougher. At least he didn’t lose anyone in there.

The second battle arrived straight off after the first had ended. “No… Not like this… We had few hour of walk before the second attack. There were only two black bloodied Bokoblins. Not five black bloodied Lizalfos and four black bloodied Aeralfos. No, there even wasn’t any Aeralfos to begin with! It was just four Lizalfos, one Moblin from Wild’s era and the two black bloodied Bokoblins. Those Bokoblins gave us hell but otherwise it was quite simple.” The Chain’s leader snapped at himself while watching how the Aeralfos were making things seriously hard by attacking unexpectedly and trying to not just kill but snatch Wind and Four from the battle. Eventually Wild and Twilight managed to take them down. The raging Moblin was striking hard and sending anyone too close being flying. Even other monsters. Wild lost all of his arrows and even most of Twilight’s before the thing was brought down. The Lizalfos were swarming Sky and Warriors but the duo was working well against them with Hyrule and Legend dealing with the Bokoblins. The end result was broken bones and deep wounds. Yet, at least everyone was still alive.

Third battle came forth before they were ready even one bit and things just ended up going even worse. Time didn’t even have time to recall the true way of how things were when the beasts already swarmed him to keep him away from aiding as his boys were separated from one another. There wasn’t going to be any backup in any of easy way for any of them. The monsters were fast, rough and relentless. They attacked simultaneously while making sure at least few got a strike in. He was doing all he could do cut their numbers to reunite with at least on one of the other Heroes but the amount was overwhelming. FAR too many compared to what they really had fought against. And then…. One by one… His boys fell. Stabs, slashes, magic….  Last thing he saw before the monsters forced him to the ground was a Miniblin having climbed up by Warriors’ scarf and cut his throat with a knife.

Time woke up with a scream and bolted up abruptly. He was pretty much panting before finally sighing and trying to relax. Suddenly the door to his room was slammed open with such ferocity that it barely even stayed intact. The Chain’s leader didn’t think twice as already grabbed the knife from beneath his pillow to defend himself.

The one eyed male blinked in start when his mind picked up the understanding of his eight boys having barged in. With swords ready and looking quite freaked out. “We heard you scream! Are you okay?” The queries came faster than he could really comprehend. The group swiftly looked around in search of enemy while staying close to the door.

Time sighed heavily while relaxing. “I’m fine.” He finally stated out while waving his hand dismissively. He put the knife back to its earlier place while shaking his head. “Just stupid nightmare. Not to worry about.” The Chain’s leader reassured before starting to shoo the eight Heroes out of his room. “Now, get back to sleep. All of you. It’s middle of the fucking night so get out. Back to bed for everyone. Got it?”

The Links started to relax while nodding and starting to make their way back to their own rooms. The Inn, luckily, wasn’t currently having any of other guests than them. Yet, Warriors stayed to Time’s doorway. “You sure you’re okay? Want to talk?” He queried worriedly.

Time rolled his eye while shaking his head. “I’m fine, Wars. Go to bed.” He stated out before letting out an exaggerated sigh when the Captain started to investigate the door’s lock he had pretty much rammed broken. “Leave it, Captain. We can figure it out in the morning.” He pretty much commanded.

“You sure? Just because we’re the only ones in here at the moment doesn’t mean it’s safe without a lock.” Warriors replied while ignoring the straight command for once.

“I’ll put a chair against it or something.” The Old Man simply said while trying not to snap. “I’ll be fine. Just go.” He stood up and started to push the younger male out of his room. “Go back to your bed, Wars.” The Chain’s leader commanded and quite well shut the door right in front of his brother.

Warriors blinked bit in start. He hesitated for a second before sighing and going back to the room he shared with Wind. He glanced once more at the closed door of the group’s leader before entering his room. Part of him desperately wanted to stay with Time but part of him understood that his brother wasn’t up for showing vulnerability at the moment. After all, he was on top of their little chain of command at the moment.

Time sighed heavily once he heard Warriors close the door. He returned to his bed and sat down. Yet, he knew he wasn’t going to be sleeping anymore. That nightmare had freaked the living hell out of him and then he nearly had a heart-attack by the Chain crashing in like that. It was bit too much to think about calming down for sleep.

But, as the Chain’s leader had time to calm down, he couldn’t help but smile at the situation. He chuckled a bit and shook his head. The group had acted fast by scrambling out of their beds, grabbing a weapon on their way and barging right into his room without second’s hesitation. As he thought it through, he did notice the keen eyes checking every little inch of his room. Four and Wind had even crouched down to check underneath his bed just in case. Legend, Twilight and Warriors had checked the window before giving a swift check around. Sky and Hyrule eyed him through to make sure there weren’t visible wounds in sight. Wild had been very ready with three arrows to shoot at anything that even seemed threatening.

Time stifled a laugh while shaking his head. Right now the whole moment seemed so funny to him. His boys crashing in simply because he had had a nightmare. But, he soon sighed as he realized how it must’ve been to the eight Heroes. Just hearing him scream but not knowing the reason. He smiled slightly while knowing he would’ve acted exactly the same way in a heartbeat.

Nonetheless, this situation had brought out more answers than he had dared to ask for. They hadn’t been traveling as a team of nine for longer than couple of months or so and Time hadn’t been entirely certain how close this team could become even in such short time. He knew he could count on the Captain and Twilight. The two of them felt the closest to him but the rest were bit of mystery to him. They all were Heroes and having gone through a quest or several alone. They didn’t exactly need him as a leader or as a protector in any of way. They easily could’ve dealt with things on their own. And this was the reason he was so uncertain of the leadership and how much he’d actually mean to them.

As Heroes it was clear that helping others was part of what they did. And even without that title it was who they were. Still, when one of those whom were as skilled as they were…. Well, the Chain’s leader hadn’t been certain they’d really be up for checking up on him quite like that. Maybe get startled and come to investigate but not force their way in so abruptly and definitely not so fast. It couldn’t be longer than second or few from his scream that everyone was already in his room while being so extremely ready to take out whatever was the cause of his scream. He could’ve easily waited for all this from the Captain and Twilight but having everyone at his door…..

Time shook his head while smiling. He reached out to his bag and took out his journal and a pen. After finding an empty page, he began to write a letter to Malon. He’d be ripping this one as well as the few earlier ones off tomorrow before putting them into envelope and send them off to his wife. They had come late in the evening to the Inn so the thought of sending letters back home hadn’t even crossed their tired minds back then. Yet, the one eyed male knew he’d let the Chain have hour or few to write letters in the morning once everyone was awake.

When the morning started to light the sky, Time finally put the letters into an envelope and wrote Malon’s name and address on it. After that he went to the door and started to check the lock through. Once he had good enough understanding of how damaged it was, he began to work on fixing it.

About an hour later Warriors came out from the room he shared with Wind. “Sprite?” He called out quietly while making his way towards Time’s room. The Chain’s leader poked his head out with a slight frown.

“Oh! Sorry if I woke you up, Wars.” Time apologized straight off while going back to working with the lock. Warriors frowned while coming over.

“Nah, wasn’t really sleeping. Anyway, need help with that?” The Captain asked while crouching down. He kept close eye on his brother while inspecting the part where the lock would hit into.

Time shrugged a bit. “I think I got it well enough but it’s not exactly working as it should.” He replied before demonstrating that the lock didn’t hold well.

“Should I wake Four up? He might know what’s the problem.” Warriors suggested while taking check on the lock. “At least you got it aligned right.” He observed while moving the door close to its frame.

“Did I hear my name being mentioned?” Four suddenly queried while coming behind Warriors. Time and the Captain bit gasped while raising their gazes up into him. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle. Just…” He shrugged. “Didn’t really sleep.” He partly apologized.

Time chuckled and shook his head. “I guess no-one slept last night.” He mused while nodding his approval. “Just take a check on the lock. See if you can get it fixed.” Time continued while moving off of the way with Warriors.

Four crouched down before already looking around. “A small piece is missing.” He explained before shrugging a bit. “But I doubt we’ll find it. That strike was quite strong.” The Smithy mentioned and looked at Warriors.

“I wasn’t caring about the door and lock at the moment. I was more worried for Time.” The Captain replied almost defensively.

“Wasn’t accusing you of anything.” Four stated out while raising his hands. “Just an observation. Nothing more.” He continued and bit grinned. “In fact, it was more of a compliment.” He told calmly before frowning as Time had gotten up and gone to one of his tunic’s pouches. Soon he came back with a stick.

“You think this’ll be good enough material to create the needed piece?” Time asked calmly while offering the Deku Stick. Four and Warriors stared at him bit baffled. Their leader shrugged. “What? Wild carries bundles of wood. I’m not exactly capable of that so I gotta work with something easier. Besides, Deku Sticks were few of the first items I ever gathered.”

The duo just shrugged before Four took a check on the thin branch. “I think that’ll be enough.” He stated out while pointing to one of thinner pieces of the item. “May I?” He queried and Time simply nodded before the Smithy already snapped the needed piece off of the main one. The Chain’s leader returned his Deku Stick back into the pocket before returning to the door.

Four took out a knife and started to cut the needed piece off of the stick. He carefully pushed the thing into the small hole in the door. “This should work.” He told while standing up. “Let’s give it a try.” He suggested while closing the door…. And successfully locking it.

“Nice~. Well done.” Time complimented happily just before there was a knock on the door. The trio glanced at each other before shrugging. “Who’s there?” He called out with a slight frown.

“Just us.” Came the simple and bit hesitant reply. Time chuckled a bit and facepalmed while Four opened the door to the rest of the Chain. “None of us really slept. Sorry.” The group quite well stated out while giving fully sheepish look.

“Well, since everyone’s up, why don’t we just head down for early breakfast?” Time suggested before already ushering the eight Heroes down to the first floor. He did feel grateful when it turned out that the Inn was very prepared for early birds to start their day. The selection of food was wide and they even got hot chocolates besides the normal coffee and occasional chances of tea.

The nine of them had just finished eating and were enjoying of their hot chocolates when Time decided it was perfect moment to start talking. “So, first of all…” He smiled when everyone’s notion fell into him. “Thank you. All of you, thank you for last night.” He shook his head a bit while smiling. “I admit that I hadn’t been ready for—“

“Okay! I’m going to stop you right there!” Legend suddenly partly snapped and got Time’s bit startled gaze into him. The Veteran was pointing a finger at him with slight glare. “We’re all aware that the nine of us are Heroes and that we haven’t really gotten used to having backup and that more often than not we’re capable of handling things on our and all that shit but here’s the thing: No matter which one of us would be in need of help, each and every single freaking one of us would be there to help. No second thoughts, no wasted moments, just freaking dash straight into the situation. You scream, we’re there.”

Time blinked few times before he already grinned slightly. He ended up chuckling and shaking his head before bit facepalming. He was still smiling lopsidedly as he ran his hand past his face. “Okay, that’s quite feisty defense there.” The Chain’s leader pointed out before smiling fondly. “But, I’m grateful of that one.” He told before giving a meaningful look to Legend. “Don’t interrupt me, okay?” He partly queried, partly commanded and the Veteran simply nodded. “So, as I was trying to say, I’ve had my doubts while wondering lot of things about the nine of us. And I admit, backing each other up was among those thoughts. I’ve already put notion into the closer friendships between some of you, which is good, don’t get me wrong there, but I have been thinking more in the bigger picture most of the time and…” He shrugged bit uncertainly. “…I wasn’t certain where I fit in. But….” He trailed off again with a slight chuckle and shake of a head. “Last night gave me far more answers than I’ve even dared to think to form questions for.”

The Chain stared at him with confused frown on their faces. Time’s fond smile slowly turned into a mischievous one. The Chain gulped once in slight worry of what he had in mind. Yet, their leader soon chuckled a bit and shook his head before that fond smile returned to his lips. “I knew two of you cared about me already but to know that the rest of you care about me too…. Yeah, it sure as hell does feel amazing to know to be cared of. And that’s something I know each and every one of us haven’t really had much contact to.” The Chain blushed and averted their gazes. “Just know it goes the other way too. You eight are as important to me as Malon is.” He continued softly and the Links returned their gazes into him. “I just want you all to know that it means the world to me to know that you eight care about me equally much.”

The eight Heroes looked at each other bit surprised. They had created quite swiftly some kind of acceptance and comradely friendship between each other. Yet, when Time put things into words, they actually realized that this simple shared quest had slowly turned into something far greater between them: Brotherhood. And that meant that each and every single one of them finally had a family they had never thought to gain. And they sure as hell would do anything and everything to uphold it.

Notes:

Thank You all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! ^.^
Comments make my day so much brighter! =D Also, those get Time to be more cooperative in telling about the situations during their quest. ;)

If anyone's inspired to do fanart of my writings, go for it! =D Just give me the link to the finished work! ^.^

Notion:
It might take a while before I upload next. ^^; Not entirely sure, though. Got stuff written but I'd like to get bit more done before I start to put them out. But, we'll see.

I am trying to do April's whump stories but so far I only got one written. ^^; We'll see if I manage to figure out something. =) (Time's going to go through even more hell. >.<)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Time's boys (Linked Era)
• Part 10 of Time Through Hell