A Song On Repeat

by moonphoenix23

Summary:

Legend loved music, goddesses, half his adventures revolved around music and he loved it. Was he surprised that Time turned to him, the veteran who also knew music, and confided in him his musical back-up plan? A little, but he understood taking precautions.

He was more surprised when that precaution paid off, but its a good thing Nayru owed him one.
----
Febuwhump 2024
1. Prompt 11: Time Loop
2. Alt Prompt 7: Last Words

Notes:

MCD are temporary, I mean its a time loop guys.

Chapter 1

Legend liked music. His earliest memory was of a lullaby, sung by his grandmother in the ancient Sheikah language that was also his mother tongue. He was raised on folk songs, marching cadences, and work tunes.

And as soon as he began his adventures, music just became more important.

On his eighth adventure, if he included the dream and counted Holodrum and Labyrnna separately, he found himself humming more often than not. He didn't have much opportunity to dance but he was always humming or quietly singing. Oftentimes Wind joined him, or Twilight, but they were really the only singing inclined ones of the group. At the campfire, when spirits were low, high, or just mediocre, and he wasn't locked in conversation, Legend found himself pulling out one of his instruments--the few he brought with him, his flute, his harp, his ocarina, his violin--and playing something to help the atmosphere.

It was a late night after a particularly bad battle. They only barely scraped by with injuries that they could stand with afterwards, and only thanks to Time suddenly pulling Wild out of the way of a particularly huge axe.

Legend was quietly humming a song of healing he was taught when he was young.

He was on watch, as one of the few with minimal injuries--as usual--and he had been paired with Time, who seemed particularly unsteady.

"Veteran," Time spoke up and Legend looked over, "you mentioned having encountered time travel before."

Legend could recognize that Time was asking about his past experience. He hummed an affirmative, looking up at the stars.

"It was my third adventure," he explained, "I was in Labyrnna, and Impa and I were looking for the Oracle of Ages, Nayru."

Time was listening closely.

"Nayru had this harp, and it focused her magic into time travel. I ended up 400 years into the past, and had to jump between then and now to save Labyrnna, save Nayru, and try to keep Ganon from rising again. It sort of worked, he was only partially revived, he came back as a mindless beast, and I killed him again. Anyways yeah, number three involved a lot of time travel."

"I see..." Time looked thoughtful, he was holding his ocarina and seemed unsure.

Legend didn't prod, he didn't need to know what was bothering Time and it wasn't his place to provide comfort or assurances. He wasn't close to their resident pessimist.

"I would like to teach you a song," Time finally said, "it's a magic song and only works with this ocarina, but... I think I can trust you the most with it."

Legend took out his own ocarina. "If you want me to. What does it do?"

"It can turn back time."

A few pieces fell into place, how Time had practically ran from one side of the battlefield to the other for no obvious reason yet he saved Wild from a possibly lethal wound, how he had been holding that blue ocarina now that Legend thought about it.

He met Time's eyes. "We're all going home after this, right?"

"So long as I breathe, I will make sure of it."

Maybe that's all Legend needed to know, after all this little lesson was little more than a precaution. In case Time couldn't do it himself.

"Alright," Legend raised his ocarina near his lips, "how's it go, old man?"

 

 

 

 

Someone screamed.

They were ambushed in the middle of the night, Sky and Warriors had been on watch and had caught the ambush with only enough time to alert the group so they could grab their weapons before the monsters were on top of them.

Legend learned who was most accustomed to late night, sudden battles. He was as he took down the charging lynel. Wild was as he charged a trio of lizalfos. And Hyrule was as he dodged a daira's axe and decapitated it in his next move.

Wind was not, and neither was Twilight surprisingly.

Legend heard the scream and it made his blood go cold. Nobody here screamed, he had heard a couple yelps, gasps, even a cry for help, but never a scream.

"SAILOR!"

"TUNE!"

Time and Warriors converged to Wind's side, the youngest the source of the scream and Legend hadn't quite seen him.

He turned to the nearest monster and moved faster.

"TRAVELER LOOK--"

The Smithy's voice was cut out by a choking sound. Legend whirled around and he saw an arrow digging into the side of Four's throat. He dodged a boko and caught the Smithy as he fell, eyes already dulling as he choked on his own blood. Across the field, Hyrule had managed to dodge whatever attack Four had warned him about. Legend frantically released his fairy before he ran to defend the distracted Hyrule from another daira. If the fairy couldn't help, Legend wouldn't be able to.

The fairy left Four and went to hover by Hyrule, they both knew what that meant.

Another cry pierced the air and Legend cut apart a lizalfos. He turned to see Sky standing over both Four and Wild, the Chosen Hero was radiating power but even he was being overwhelmed.

A clear note pierced the air. Unconsciously, he identified it.

A D F A D--

The song was cut off; Warriors cried out.

Legend met Hyrule's eyes and they turned to have their backs pressed against each other.

"I need you to buy me some time," Legend told him. "Not long, not even a minute, no matter what it takes."

Hyrule nodded, he took a breath and Legend watched him cut his hand.

Monsters heads snapped toward them, Legend could feel Hyrule's magic grow thick in the air, the scent of his blood with it.

"Come and get me!" His successor screamed to the horde that promptly rushed them.

Legend was running. He ran to Time and Warriors and Wind. He ignored Twilight's body with his torso torn by a huge claw, he ignored Sky's trembling form above Four's cold and Wild's cooling one. He dove over Wind's limp body, and ignored Warriors' startled noise as he grabbed Time's ocarina from his cooling hand.

He rolled back to his feet and ran further, bringing it to his lips and letting a few clear notes sound.

A D F A D F

Before he could shift his fingers to the next note, the world twisted.

 

 

Legend found himself sitting in camp, ocarina at his lips, during watch. Considering that Wild was across the camp and scanning their surroundings, it was the night before the ambush.

He continued playing the ocarina, the song of healing playing over the campsite. Wild glanced over and smiled, shaking his head fondly.

Legend flipped him off best he could, and Wild laughed.

He had seen their bodies plenty of times before, and that brief and distant moment didn't compare to most of his nightmares.

In a few hours, Wild got up.

Legend took a whole minute to remember who he was meant to wake up, and to his relief, it was Time.

He moved over to the old man and shook him awake easily. A part of him feared he wouldn't wake, but as usual, Time woke up. Legend met his eyes as he gave him his ocarina back.

Time went still, not quite horrified but clearly unsettled.

"Tomorrow night," Legend murmured as he heard Wild waking Four. "Ambush during second watch. Probably being followed."

Time nodded silently, his grip tightening on his ocarina and Legend went to his bedroll to crash.

Despite the anxiety cursing him, Legend fell asleep, his body well trained to do what he needed it to, when he wanted it to.

 

At dawn, nothing was odd, it was a perfect repeat of the day prior for Legend except Time was a bit different, he was tense and constantly on edge. Legend went through the motions, teasing and laughing as necessary while they walked. He did, however, convince most of them to run ahead in a bit of a childish activity, stealing Warriors' scarf or getting Wind to grab Sky's woodcarving knife. They got farther down the path much quicker than last and even found a cave to make camp in.

Legend put his bedroll by the entrance, Time organized the watch rotation and it didn't even involve him. A shared glance and Legend knew he was staying up the whole night. Time took vigil on the opposite side of the cave, blocking the interior tunnels from the others.

Every watch, someone would try to tell Legend he needed to sleep, not noticing Time was awake too since Time was hiding it and Legend outright was not.

"Vet, you need to sleep. Sailor and I are on watch," Twilight tried.

"I'm fine Rancher, just a bad feeling," he assured.

Twilight scowled but after several more failed attempts, he went to sleep.

Sky and Warriors were second watch, Legend found himself with Sky at his side by the entrance to the cave. Neither spoke, but he could feel the worry from the other hero. Legend just listened cautiously, ears pricked for the slightest sound out of place. He  didn't dare make a noise of his own to overlap with it all.

Nothing came.

Four and Wild had third watch and Legend saw the sun come up. He overheard Twilight question Wild about Legend staying up and hearing them also confer with Sky.

 

 

 

The following night, Legend couldn't do anything to get them to a decent campsite, and that was just how it was sometimes.

Except during second watch, which Time had let Legend take despite both resident big brothers (Twilight and Warriors) and the mother hen (Sky) speaking to Time separately about Legend not sleeping the night prior, but Time had looked at Legend and his quiet nod, and he told the others that their veteran could handle himself.

When watch came, Legend was on it with Time. He had all his senses on overdrive, too aware that their current campsite was a very ambush-able location and just like last time they had been traveling for days on end, and therefore were high-strung.

Unsurprisingly, the ambush came.

Legend met the first wave with a viciousness he himself hadn't expected. Time had woken the others and by all means, they held their own for far longer than last time. Legend saw every single monster enter the battlefield and he realized it was an exact repeat of (for him) two nights prior.

Warriors fell first. Legend couldn't see what had happened.

"Captain!" Time exclaimed, Biggoron Sword decapitating the monster that had harmed the knight before dropping to his knees and calling out for the traveler.

Legend fought his way to Wild and Twilight, barely arriving in time to use his mirror shield on the huge ball of fire that rocketed at them from a lynel. Wild quickly charged the lynel, and Legend was turning when he heard another scream.

It wasn't Wind this time. Hyrule's feet wasn't touching the ground as a stalfos had gutted him and lifted him off the ground. Legend felt himself freeze.

Hyrule was supposed to be with Time and Warriors. He wasn't supposed to be alone but--last time, Legend had been fighting with him and he'd left--

The stalfos was a mess of bones on the ground and Legend was catching his body.

"No, no--Rulie, stay with me," blood soaked his shoulder as Hyrule coughed.

"I'm sorry," he rasped. "I'm sorry--fire, please. B-Burn--Please, Vet, burn me."

"It won't come to that," Legend released his fairy, "just hold on."

"No--I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please--I don’t want to die--"

Someone yelled to look out. Legend supported Hyrule with one arm and blocked the swing of a bokoblin's sword with his own. Hyrule's weak begging, his pleas, slowly silenced. More monsters flooded and the fairy whispered an apology to Legend just as he realized he couldn't feel Hyrule's breath on his shoulder.

Goddesses no.

A D--

During that second note, another cry broke out. Legend knew what he had to do.

A prayed apology to Hyrule for the mistreatment, a swing of his fire rod that was empowered by his own magic, and monsters near him screeched. He heard Sky call his name.

Hyrule's body was burning. Legend reminded himself to focus, to never lose himself to his emotions during a battle. That got Din captured in his fourth adventure.

Time had warned him about timelines left behind, Wind's was the timeline left behind and Legend was almost certain his own timeline was the combined timeline of all the instances where Time outright failed, after all there were far too many instances of how the Fallen Hero had died.

"Veteran!" Sky carved his way to his side, and Legend let him. "Everyone is--"

"I can go back and fix it," Legend told him, flames burning a protective shield around them both. "I just need to get to the old man."

"Go back--Why am I not surprised?" Sky huffed. He cut down a moblin that forced its way past the fire wall.

Unlike last time, Legend gave a warning to the so-far survivor. "This timeline might remain, I may be leaving you alone to fight this, I don’t know how this works, and the old man isn't here to explain."

Sky just nodded, eyes burning colder than Legend had ever seen them. "Go. If there's at least one timeline where things end well, I'll be happy. I trust you."

Legend nodded.

"I'll get you to the old man. Just make sure we all live," Sky told him and suddenly Legend felt his hair stand on end, the scent of ozone filling the air. "Drop the fire."

He did as told and flinched violently, barely not crying out as lightning struck Sky's raised sword and the crackling energy was shot in a slice at the monsters.

Shoving the shaken fear from his mind, Legend ran forward and with Sky a step behind him, they carved their way to Time's body. He heard Sky gasp in pain and didn't dare look back.

He dove over Time, dropping beside him and found his throat closing up as he looked at the gruesome scene, an arrow driven through his throat, blood covering the ground and the ocarina held in equally bloodied hands, one eye dull while the other was outright blank. He could see a tear stain falling from his blind eye, the colorful markings were much duller than Legend remembered and almost faded.

He took the instrument and ran. He heard Sky let out a yell as lightning flashed and thunder boomed louder than Legend preferred to hear.

With puffing exhales, Legend played the slick instrument.

A D F A D F

 

 

"Vet? Are you crying?"

Legend had switched songs once he felt the world settle and his body suddenly change positions from him running to him sitting. He kept his eyes closed. A song of mourning his grandmother sang when his uncle passed the second time had come to mind. He opened his eyes, unsurprised that the blood was gone from his hands and the ocarina. It was still wet and slick, but that was from his tears.

Wild looked concerned, and clearly felt awkward.

"I'm fine," he assured the Champion, voice steady. "Just... memories."

"Oh... uh, isn't that Time's ocarina?" He asked, almost visibly searching for something else to talk about.

Legend hummed. "He loaned it to me, don’t worry, I'll give it back once I don't need it."

"You have your own though?"

"It's pink."

Wild shrugged. "You know what? Sometimes a new color is nice, that's fair. Promise you’re okay?"

Legend laughed softly. "I'm fine, don’t worry about it Champion."

He was still worrying about it, but he left Legend alone to his music.

He switched his song to the song of healing his aunt taught him, closing his eyes again.

The image of Hyrule dead, the scent of burning flesh still on his tongue, the way Sky had stood and fought, the viciousness Legend had never seen from him before, the tears that stained Time's pale face. All of that ran through his mind as he let go of reality for just a moment.

Next thing he knew, a hand was on his shoulder and then he was standing with his blade at Time's throat.

He dropped his sword before anyone could say a thing, not even Fi.

"You alright, vet?" Time asked, seemingly unfazed. His eyes flicked to the ocarina that Legend had in his other hand.

"Yeah, fine," he said tersely. He held the ocarina out. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

Time just nodded silently, clearly wanting to have words with him but both Wild and Four were there. Legend used that to his advantage as he went and laid down in his bedroll, forcing himself to fall asleep.

 

Again at dawn, Legend was repeating his day. Again, he pushed them to go further than that first time, again they stayed the night in a cave, and again he couldn't find a safe place the second night. The whole time, he searched for a sign they were being followed and found nothing.

This time he warned the others, saying he was sure they were being followed and to rest but be wary.

He didn't sleep again, either night, Warriors called him paranoid, Time said to trust him and listen.

The attack came and it was worse.

More monsters in the first wave, stronger monsters in the second.

Hyrule took an arrow to the head beside Legend and he didn't even get to beg to be burned this time, a fairy didn't have to shake its head to tell him the boy was dead. His successor was gone, bleeding out on the ground, and Legend had been right there.

"TRAVELER'S DOWN!" Someone cried. Legend hadn't said it. He saw the archer, just as another arrow flew and barely missed Wind, who had seen its arrow incoming.

The world bent and Legend cut through the archer. A second later he heard someone scream for the Rancher.

He ran and found himself tearing apart a lizalfos, Wild not ten feet from him in a blinded fury. An electrical current exploded off him as he tore through monsters. Twilight was behind him, a spear in his chest. The fact that it pierced his chain mail...

Legend already knew the monsters had to of been sent, the Shadow had to of organized this. The ambush being during second watch? When those on watch would be a bit bleary eyed and those who weren't were asleep.  But these monsters were also armed, armed with more than the usual haphazard, makeshift weapons.

He had to save at least one person. Please, Farore, Nayru, Din--just one.

Legend let down every single restraint he had as he worked through the eternal horde, an arrow digging into his back, his front, a deep gash in his side, but he kept moving because no matter the injury he avoided it being an instantly fatal one.

Sky was the next body he found, Fi lodged in his chest with half his torso cut open.

Then it was Four, his shadow seemingly cradling his body as he coughed up blood. Legend dove to release his fairy, but she just shook her head and stayed in the jar, eyes filled with sadness.

He took another slash to the arm. Any cries of pain, screams to alert someone, was tuned from his mind. He didn't get to Warriors fast enough, only sliding to his side after his eyes turned glassy and distant. He didn't reach Wild soon enough, the champion taking a sword to the throat and then he kept fighting until an axe lodged into his chest. Legend didn't know how that had happened.

He protected Wind from an arrow with his body, it lodged into his lower back, the third arrow he took and fifth bad injury.

Next thing he knew, the ground was soaked with blood and he was panting as he stared at the massacre.

The clearing was filled with bodies, monster and hero alike, but beside him was Wind.

"Ya know, Apple," Wind panted, blood covering his body, "I... I think we lost."

A hysterical laugh fell from the younger hero's lips and Legend wanted to collapse, his legs threatened to give out and his vision was fading.

He staggered over to Time's body, shoving a monster off it and rummaging in his bag.

"A--Vet?" Wind called, limping toward him.

"I... I'm not..." his fairy could save him, but he pushed the bottle to Wind's chest. "I'm going to go back, this is... This was the... third time," he told him. "I'll try again, until I fix it."

Wind stared, but then his eyes widened. "Vet you’re got to--"

A D F

"--heal first! You'll--"

A D F

 

 

 

He felt the world settle and promptly put the ocarina away. He sighed softly, sliding down and sitting back.

He needed to actually make a plan this time, a proper plan and not just "find a safe camp" and "fight better".

He also needed to sleep, he hadn't slept in days and he felt it, but his body had the energy.

First of all, they had to be being followed or watched somehow. Otherwise they wouldn't have not been ambushed in the caves. He couldn't talk to anyone about it in case it found out and made it worse, or worse, killed him before he could go back again. He had the most information right now, he had to make it count.

Nayru, you still owe me one. Mind giving me a bit of wisdom for this problem?

He sighed softly. He needed to first of all figure out who and what is following them, second he needed to talk to Time to get details on time travel with the ocarina. Thirdly, he would have to tell Time that, under no uncertain circumstances, were they to stop and make camp anywhere but a cave tomorrow night.

He did the third during watch change, giving Time his ocarina as he did so. Time had just nodded.

He actually slept the next four hours away before getting up at the crack of dawn. He met Time's eyes before he packed up his stuff--ignoring Four and Warriors, the only other two awake--and left the camp.

It wasn't hard to make his presence--magical, physical, metaphysical--fade from all senses. He had been trained to hide in the shadows since he could walk, and how to walk through the shadows since then as well.

So he searched and he searched. Then he heard a battle.

No.

Time already had a sword dug through his chest when Legend arrived, and the ensuing slaughter was exactly like the past few times.

 

 

 

"You don’t need to know the details of my time traveling adventures, veteran," Time had said when Legend got him to walk with him alone during watch change.

Legend gave him his ocarina back. "I really do."

Time's expression grew horrified and then closed off. "How many?"

"Eh, only once," he lied. "But I want more details in case it continues."

"What happens?"

"A fight gone wrong, you got stabbed through the chest. I couldn't even use my fairy."

Time nodded slowly. "I see... I suppose you have a right to hear it, to some extent."

Legend learned about Majora, a pair of masks that sounded scarily familiar, and an eternal repeat of three days until Time finally defeated Majora.

"Thank you," he said after a long pause, "for telling me. I'm sorry to bring up memories."

Time shook his head. "Don’t worry about it, veteran. I knew I may have to do this when I taught you that song. Now you know the two possibilities with it, an eternal loop until you reach a conclusion you consider success, or a much more specific leap through time that leaves the timeline you left behind."

Legend nodded. He wondered how many more times he had to travel back before it became a time loop.

Monsters leapt out at them in that moment, and Legend couldn't think "it's too soon," before Time shoved him to the ground, his body heavy on Legend's and pinning him.

He heard Time gasp in pain, his body grow limp slowly, and felt blood soak through his shirt and something sharp piercing the skin over his collarbone but not sinking.

He didn't move, didn't breathe.

Time's arm moved sluggishly, he coughed blood above Legend's head.

"I'm sorry," he rasped as the sound of their camp being attacked hit Legend's ears. The scream for Sky and the certainty he was dead.

Time was dead weight on Legend, but despite it all he pushed the other man off him and begged a fairy to save him.

She tried, but when his wounds were healed, his eyes did not regain awareness.

Someone screamed for Wind.

A D F

He was never going to tell anyone that he was repeating again.

A D F

 

 

One time Wild survived to the end but revealed to Legend that the arrow he had seen him take to the chest had killed him, just that the ghost of his dead girlfriend saved him.

Another time, Four split into four people and his shadow solidified into a fifth, only the blue one survived that time and had told Legend he better make it right.

Another time, the red one survived and asked if Legend could save his brothers next time.

Wind survived again and this time wasn't frozen by shock, instead sobbing over Warriors and begging him to get back up. Legend had seen the captain take a hit meant for the sailor that time.

After the tenth, Legend stopped returning the ocarina.

He started a journal on the twelfth and filled it with the last words he heard. Like the rest of his items--somehow, the time travel applied to his items but not his wounds--it traveled with him.

Warriors had told him to take care of himself and to show that Shadow the true power of a hero.

Hyrule asked him to burn his body again (and he asked him again, and again, and again, and--) and Legend did it every time.

Wild whispered out a request to take his slate to Flora. Legend handed Wild his slate back when he was on watch with him the first night, saying he left it by Legend's bedroll on accident.

Time reached for his ocarina as he bled out, but as he saw Legend take it out himself he cried and apologized. Told him he was sorry he had cursed him with this terrible fate.

Twilight had asked Legend to watch out for Wild while he was gone, he had died first that time and Legend somehow kept Wild alive that loop.

He also asked Legend to kill the thing responsible for all this.

Four told him they still had to make that unbreakable sword for Wild, so he better finish that project for them both.

The journal slowly filled with a thousand requests. People to tell they loved them, people to tell they thought of them in their last moments, people to give their items to, people to protect while he was in their eras, people to give their final goodbyes too. There was a thousand indirect ways of telling Legend to survive where they did not, a thousand direct ways they told him to survive. There were a thousand orders to take care of himself, to kill the Shadow, to save the whole of Hyrule again.

Every damned time he survived. He found himself asking Fi before he left how many he killed, she never remembered the loops when he got back and she was telling him higher numbers each time.

He found himself getting better at disappearing from notice, at searching the dark corners around and near them for unwanted listeners. He found himself always playing a song on his own ocarina or Time's. Only ever the time travel song on Time's, but mourning and grief and a few songs of courage on his own.

The feeling of blood in his clothes, on his skin, under his nails, became more familiar than it had on any other quest before.

The caress of time became far more familiar than ever. It remembered him.

The darkness of the shadows was slowly re-becoming home as he searched them for their stalker.

The secrets of his comrades filled a second journal, one sectioned off very clearly that he would--when it was all over--share with the group so they were aware of what he knew.

The colors and their past, the reason why they were so short, Shadow, their father and grandfather.

The blood curse, his heritage, how much he already knew about Legend's past, the Triforce remaining on him, the fact that he didn't know he could use it and it would fade back to the Sacred Realm.

Demise's curse, the lightning abilities, the chandelier (he had said that in an attempt to raise Legend's spirits, it had worked to an extent), Sun's identity.

Malon was pregnant, he had traveled through time more times than he could count due to having to prevent a specific outcome (Legend could relate at this point), the whole story of Majora and his masks, never finding Navi and wishing he had, he was the little boy in the War of Eras and Warriors hadn't recognized him yet though Wind had, he still didn't quite feel like an adult because of Fi putting him to sleep for seven years.

Being able to transform into a wolf, the Twilight Realm, Midna and being unsure if he'd loved her but knowing he loved Ilia now, knowing Time would die on this quest because he met Time's ghost during his quest and Time had died without being able to pass down his knowledge, and that Time had died in the armor he wore now.

Cia's motivations, knowing companions of basically all of their brothers, having a wife to return home to, adopting two little boys during the war and fearing one was dead because he wasn't on this adventure.

The champions spirits following him, their gifts remaining in him for him to use, dying and sleeping for 100 years.

Being able to see ghosts, knowing his Grandma was getting closer to death every day and every time he saw her because she was slowly feeling more like a spirit than a person... and having a crush on Tetra.

Legend wrote it down during the first night, he searched in the days, he knew these forests as well as he knew his own bag at this point. He could slaughter half the horde himself but one of his brothers would still die and he was playing that song.

He kept trying.

He stopped sleeping, his body reset each loop anyways and that was precious time lost.

At some point, he altered their pathing enough that on the second night they were able to camp in a defendable grove.

They weren't attacked until the third night, but they were all slaughtered and Legend was still fighting when he found himself back in camp, on watch with Wild.

"...an eternal loop until you reach a conclusion you consider success..."

How long did he have then? Three days from... it was midnight now, then...

He had seventy-two hours. He just had to make certain that their path would reach the cave tomorrow night, and the grove the next night. He could work with this.

He had to find the source. Where was the monsters coming from? Where was the one who sent them? That was his goal, find the cause and save his brothers, and nobody was going to stop him.

He was the goddesses Hero of Legend, he would save his brothers if it was the last thing he did.

 

 

 

"The forest to the south is clear," Legend muttered to himself as he mapped out the forest, another one of his spare journals being used.

He learned that unless he reset on purpose, it would reset after exactly 72 hours. He was slowly getting a pretty good internal countdown for that.

"East is just mountains and ravines, we go west and the area between us and there is completely clear the whole time."

Nobody was acknowledging his muttering at the moment, just chattering happily as they walked and he was speed walking ahead, leading them to keep up. It was his way of ensuring their established safe path.

"North is also clear..."

He'd taken a dozen loops to search the whole surrounding area. It left west.

He'd have to leave them alone for good ahead.

"Hey," he called back as he shoved his journaled map into his pouch. "I'm going to patrol ahead."

"Alright, just be careful," Time told him.

"I'll be back before time's up," Legend assured and jogged ahead.

"Before time's up? What does that even mean?" He heard Wind grumble.

 

 

 

"Damnit!" Legend punched a tree after sneaking away from camp and Wild. He punched again and again until blood covered his knuckles.

Then he dropped to his knees, holding his head in his bloodied hands.

The whole region was devoid of monsters for the entire seventy-two hour period until the ambush took place. Which meant they were being watched magically and he couldn't fix that! He couldn't change that! He couldn't cut this problem off at the source!

"I can't do it," he whispered. "I can't. I can't--"

Master? What is wrong?

Fi, bless her, she didn't remember and she always did just want to help.

He choked on something of a sob. "I can't, Fi. I can't--I'm tired."

This is sudden, Master. I'm afraid I do not know what has caused this train of thought. What has caused this?

"It doesn't--I don’t--I can't--I can't tell you," he forced out. "I'm sorry. "I just need to--Give me a bit, I'll be fine."

He has to be. He can't give up. Damnit Link, you’re a hero, you can't just give up because it's hard! You've killed Ganon four times, you can fix this.

 

 

Wind begged Four not to die and said they still needed to talk about their matching shields, that they might be family.

Legend made another note in his journal.

Another ambush, more of his brothers deaths.

He could feel his ability to care slip away as every time he cradled one of his dying brothers, he felt it less and less. He wondered if he was becoming desensitized to it, but he also stopped caring as much when they survived and that used to hit him with an unparalleled relief.

 

 

Another fight but this one had Warriors and Sky dead in the first ten minutes, Hyrule begging the latter to survive and Wind having screamed when the former took the axe to the chest.

Time fell next to a spear through the head. Twilight quickly after with his chest caved in. Wild, Hyrule, Four--

Dead. Dead. Dead. DE--

Legend found himself activating the Quake medallion, the earth itself trembling and tearing apart, the bodies of monsters and heroes alike falling into the crevices, some were screaming, none of those cries came from the heroes.

They were dead after all.

Legend realized then that it still hurt, he still felt it. Goddesses he felt it far too much.

But then even when he ceased the earthquake, the ground decided to tremble and break open.

A moldrum screeched as it emerged, jaws clamping on nothing. It was huge, far larger than any moldrum Legend had ever seen, maybe even as big as Jabu Jabu.

From its mouth outpoured monsters and it occurred to Legend that, one, this moldrum was too much like Jabu Jabu, and two, he hadn't looked down.

He quickly switched his Pegasus boots for his hover boots, pulling on a Pegasus anklet in replacement. Then he ran forward, unhindered by the destroyed ground, and launched himself at the horde.

He had forty-three--forty-two minutes until his seventy-two hours were up. How many monsters could he kill in that time?

According to Fi, the answer was all of them.

 

 

His magic was drained completely when he returned to the first day.

He spent that loop resting and he reset before the ambush could take place on night three.

With his magic... mostly back, three days of rest did him enough. He looked down at the ground, and then his Quake medallion.

He wondered if he could focus the power of the medallion, he hadn't tried before, but... it couldn't hurt.

"Vet, what are you--"

"Everyone get back, I want to try something."

"Oh great," someone--Warriors--muttered. But Legend had been one of the responsible ones so they did as told. He held the medallion in one hand and his sword in the other. He had a huge open area ahead of him and the heroes behind him...

Time to be stupid.

His sword plunged into the ground and with all his magic constricting yet empowering the quake medallion, the ground ripped open in a single concentrated circle. He heard screams but the ground continued to rumble even as he let his magic cease.

He grinned. "There you are. Stay here!" He called back and promptly jumped down the hole despite the screams from the others.

The giant red eyes of the moldrum was in full view, it turned its giant maw up toward him as he fell rapidly down the deep pit. He fell for far too long, but it had been plenty of time to put on his roc's cape, switch a ring or two for magical replenishment, and take a potion.

Then he fell right into the moldrum's open mouth. He could hear someone screaming his name.

This whole thing was far too much like Jabu Jabu in Legend's opinion, leading him to declare the Shadow unoriginal and stupid.

He rolled along the mushy ground and popped up, grinning wickedly as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness--an inherited trait--and he set his gaze on the horde of monsters waiting to escape the belly of the beast so they could slaughter Legend's brothers.

He spun the Golden Sword in one hand and his fire rod in the other.

"Who's first?"

The monsters attacked.

A slaughter ensued.

Legend tore his way through the belly of the beast, sliding along the cylindrical walls as the moldrum must've moved up and down and side to side. He didn't know what was going on with the others, how they were, where they were, or anything. He just tore his way through monsters, fighting freely with nobody to worry about.

The Bombos medallion ripped apart the monsters nearby, the Ether medallion froze the ground and let him slip and slide as he liked. He pulled out his switch hook and jumped around, his hook shot, his various rods, cast a spell or two--

The moldrum at some point stopped moving completely. Another explosion ripped its side open and the light of day entered Legend's battlefield.

He dodged a fireball from a lynel and directed it into a hinox with a swing of his mirror shield, landing neatly in front of the new escape route and not letting a single one escape.

Another explosion ripped the hole bigger as Legend gutted a daira and activated the Bombos medallion one last time, exhausting the last of his magical stores.

It tore apart the last of the monsters. He looked around for more enemies before running toward the hole.

He had to make sure the others were alright. He had to--

Daylight blinded him for only a brief moment, he rolled out onto soft grass and was back on his feet, sword held backwards and his ice rod brandished to immediately go onto the attack.

"Vet! You’re alright!"

"Are you insane?!"

"What did you just do?!"

Eight voices overlapped, all yelling at him and demanding an explanation for his actions. A gentle wind breezed past him, one that felt like a secret shared, a promise that it was over.

He just grinned, feeling a weight fall from his shoulders as the caress of time released him, promising a favor paid and a fate avoided. His body began to sway, the magical exhaustion of using his medallions four times setting in.

"Whoa!"

"Oh goddesses."

"What's wrong?"

"Are you hurt?!"

He was covered in blood, a lot of which was his own, so a laugh escaped him.

"Yeah," he leaned against Sky. "Took... a couple hits... used a few too many spells..." he grinned at them, counting heads, they looked like they'd just ended a fight and the giant dead moldrum explained why, but they were all alive and the horde of monsters were dead too and... "You..." He pulled out the ocarina with blood slick hands. "You can have your ocarina back, Old Man."

Several voices yelped and told him to stay awake, but his body gave out.

He was done. He did it.

Notes:

Since y'all liked the "meanwhile w/ Wild" last time...

Legend: "you can have your ocarina back old man" *mcfrickin passes out*
Time: *internallly* wtfwtfwtfwtf
Wind: "Why would you let the vet have your ocarina? You're so possessive of that thing."
Everyone else: ???
Twilight: He just jumped into a moldrum the size of Hyrule Castle, came out alive and covered in blood, passed out and THE OCARINA IS WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT???

Chapter 2

Summary:

Legend may have passed out, but he was also now accustomed to staying awake for three days straight. He didn't stay down long, and he wasn't going to sleep until he knew for certain that the loop was over.

Notes:

Alt Prompt 7: Last Words

Legend couldn't sleep the night after he woke up. The magical exhaustion had knocked him out to start with, but once he could wake up he did and falling back asleep was a hard no.

The others didn't question him immediately, clearly he looked worse than he thought if they were all shooting him concerned looks.

They made camp in the same place as the night prior, and Legend ended up staying vigil the whole night despite the clear reservations and opposition.

"You need rest, vet," Sky told him softly. "You passed out, we don’t know what's going on but we know that something happened... at some point, and the Old Man knows what, even he says you need to rest."

"I'm fine," he said in an equally low voice. "I just... I need to make sure."

What if the moldrum wasn't the answer? What if that horde was a distraction? What if--

He startled as a weight settled around his shoulders and another presence took up the place on his left, opposite of Sky.

"Then let us keep you company," Warriors said, Legend realized it was his scarf that was settled over his shoulders and he couldn't help but stare before huffing softly.

He redirected his attention to the wider area, letting out a steady breath and just waiting, watching.

He knew it wouldn't prove anything to himself, this was a defendable camp, there was a reason why he never had to fend off the ambush within the first six hours of the seventy-two.

He'd stay up tonight, and he'd let them get to the original second night camp, the original scene of the slaughter. He'd stay up then too, none of them could or would stop him.

Nayru may have released her hold on him, Farore may have promised that it was over, but Legend wasn't going to let his guard down until these three days were up.

He wasn't sure if he'd dare explain anything beforehand, he wasn't sure he could share it multiple times.

Warriors stayed by his side, Sky too, Sky got up and woke Twilight and Time before he returned to his side and slipped into a half sleep. Warriors did well at staying up, settling in a restful state that wasn't quite sleeping. Twilight shot Legend worried looks but Time was the one to approach.

"Veteran," Time crouched down in front of him, drawing his attention, "is it over?"

Legend gave a bitter smile, he felt Warriors shift at bit at his side. "We'll find out, won't we?"

"What can I expect?"

"We'll find out," he repeated because he didn't know. He slaughtered the horde, they killed the moldrum, but was that enough? Did the Shadow have more up in the wings to drop on them through a portal? Would another battle begin that didn't count for the three days? He didn't know what would happen.

All he knew was that he had to make sure they all survived the next 54 hours.

"Will you rest?" Time asked this time.

"When it's over," he promised. "When it's done, I'll rest and then I'll explain, I promise."

"Alright," he agreed quietly. "I'm sorry--"

"If you say you're sorry for cursing me with this terrible fate, I'm going to stab you."

Time startled, he stared at him in surprise before he laughed weakly. "Why am I not surprised."

Legend glared. "I don’t think you realize how many "terrible fates" I've been apologized to about. I've experienced worse, even if this is up there."

Koholint and it's un-reality would continue to be the worst experience of his life, the ideality of it, he would've loved that life. Koholint and Marin, living on a quiet island but maybe having a ship to go and explore with, an ever-changing and ever dangerous ocean to traverse, a lover who would voyage with him, who had just as much wanderlust as he did. Koholint had been perfect, but what made it the worst thing he'd ever experienced was the fact that he experienced it and it wasn't real.

He had been given what he wanted only to have it stolen from him. Even then, this time loop thing also didn't compare to the people who he had lost and couldn't save. 

 

 

 

The second day, Time spoke to everyone individually, quietly, and nobody demanded answers from Legend, they only pestered him about his health.

He let that slide, he ate the food Wild shoved into his hands every hour of the day, he let Hyrule cast diagnostic spells and Sky hover. Twilight would appear often and Wind hadn't left his side, but he was chattering on about various stories that Legend always enjoyed listening to.

Warriors hadn't taken back his scarf, and Legend wasn't going to give it back at the moment. He'd seen the captain get strangled and killed for it more than once that he didn't mind seeing it absent from his shoulders... it was also extremely soft, comfortable, and warm, he found he couldn't fault the Captain for always wearing it.

The day went by smoothly, as Legend was used to at this point, and they made camp in the questionably defendable grotto.

Legend took up vigil again, much to the dismay of his companions but Time somehow had stopped them from bothering him.

The night went by the same way the previous had, quickly, quietly, and surrounded by the other heroes.

The day repeated and Sky told him he needed to rest when they stopped for lunch.

He didn't have the energy to argue, he just shook his head. Twelve more hours, only twelve more.

 

 

Legend found himself beside Warriors and Time that night during second watch. Time seemed a bit anxious but as nothing happened. He counted down to midnight.

"How long, old man?" He muttered, head dropping against Warriors shoulder.

"It's midnight now, veteran," Time reported. "Is that it?"

His body said yes, that it stayed awake the whole time like he'd asked of it. It begged for reprieve, to finally rest.

"It better be," he huffed. "I don' think I can stave off the rebound of cutting off how much rest I got after getting magical exhaustion much longer."

"You can get some rest then," Time told him. "Time's up, you’re done."

Legend hoped it was, because he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He passed out on Warriors.

 

 

 

Legend woke up to being carried. He tried to move only for whoever was holding him to tighten their grip.

"It's alright--I got you vet, it's okay. You can sleep."

He was frankly too tired to actually make a coherent response, much less be coherent, and just hoped his curl tighter into the warm arms and chest translated to: I'm trying.

The chest rumbled as they laughed. "Alright--hold on then, we're headed through a portal."

He didn't get the chance to process that before he was hit by the dizzying slam of a portal and its magical drain.

 

 

 

The next time Legend woke up, he was someplace soft and warm and listening to murmuring and chatter.

They turned out to have arrived at Time's Lon Lon Ranch by noon after Legend passed out.

Malon all but force fed him a meal that he willingly ate, although a bit reluctantly considering how much meat filled the plate. He held back the usual nausea that came with that and just sat back as she went to let the others know he was up... and that dinner would be ready soon so they better clean up.

Soon enough, everyone cleaned up and fed, Legend sat perched by the warm hearth and waited until they settled.

They did so quicker than usual, which wasn't too surprising to be honest.

"So, do we get an explanation now?" Wild asked. "Because I really want to know about the giant worm in the ground and why you jumped into it."

Legend blinked and realized... did they even know about the horde inside the moldrum?

"Yes," he said before anyone could comment on Wild's choice of focus. "It's... simple, honestly. Temporal magic is very powerful and provides a lot of options. Certain items are good focuses for temporal magic, I have a harp that is one, and I used an item that allowed me to travel back in time and retry after... after things went wrong. I did it to such an extent that it set a loop, seventy-two hours from midnight to midnight, that would remain until I achieved what I aimed for."

"Which was?" Warriors asked.

Legend faced the fire, the burning hearth and its warmth was welcomed, it also let him hide his face from the others.

"Making sure everyone survived."

Someone made a strangled noise, Wild--Twilight too, Legend was fairly sure. Sky inhaled sharply.

"How many times?" Time asked.

Legend hummed. He pulled out the three journals, flicked through the one of everyone's last words.

"I... I'm not sure. I lost count at some point, and... And I never tried to track how many."

He worried that if he knew how many, then he would lose hope of it ever ending.

"What's that?" Wind asked, he had moved the closest of everyone.

Legend glanced at him, then the page in front of him.

"I promised Aryll I'd teach her how to fight with a sword. I'm sorry..." -Sailor, axe in side pierced spine.

Legend let out a shaky breath. "I... I don’t know if you want to see this one, Sailor."

Wind frowned, more confusion than indigence. "Why?"

"Because..." Legend tried to take in a steadying breath but all it did was hitch and make him shudder. "Because it's your last words. I... I wrote them down."

It let him cling to sanity, keeping track of their unfinished promises, their wishes, making note of things asked of him, of goodbyes to make...

Of people to take care of if it happened to end without everyone surviving.

"Oh," Wind breathed. "I... Can I see mine?"

"I don’t think that's a good idea," Warriors intervened.

"No, it's not," Wind agreed, but he met Legend's eyes. "But I know you, and I know you'd feel responsible for anyone and anything we said. So I want to know what I said, even if it might be a bad idea, because I don’t want you thinking you can take my responsibilities from me."

Warriors faltered from pulling Wind back.

Legend stared at him, then he let out a laugh. "You’re not supposed to call me out like that, Ocean."

"It's my job dumbass. Now tell me."

Legend shook his head. "I can't. It's not just your words."

"Does anyone have a problem with anyone else reading theirs?" Four spoke up, eyes flashing blue.

Legend was quick to speak before anyone else could. "I-I didn't include secrets in that one."

They all looked at him, confused.

He moved his hand to one of the other journals. "I kept things separate... just in case. This... This one is more carefully partitioned and I was going to share it with everyone individually, but--This is of secrets, information, that I didn't previously know but that got revealed at some point. I... I figured you'd want to know exactly what I do, but it's also sectioned off so nobody else might read yours when reading their own. T-The last words doesn't really include much of that kind of information aside from names and vague references... goodbyes and the like."

They stared at him, all of them, varying degrees of surprise, concern, and some guarded wariness.

Sky was the only one with pity, somehow that made it worse.

"We'll do that one later," Sky said gently. "Individually, like you said. How about we all work through the other one together?"

"What for?" Hyrule asked.

"Trust, and so we aren't sitting here for ages just reading the same things over and over. It saves time, and then we can all address anything that needs to be addressed with everyone."

"Of course you're willing," Wild breathed shakily. "You don't have any secrets."

Sky didn't react but Legend snorted.

"Throw whatever idea you have about everyone here and how many secrets they have out the window, Champion. I promise you it's inaccurate. Everyone surprises you, in quantity and quality. There's no ranking."

Wind promptly burst into laughter. "Why did three people look at me?!"

Legend snorted while Hyrule, Four, and Twilight all startled.

"You're always telling us stories! I figured you'd run out of stuff to tell us!" Four protested.

"Well if that's how this will go," Time spoke up, "then I am fine with it."

"Me too," Hyrule agreed. "I... I have a feeling I know what mine are."

Legend bit his tongue. He moved over to the coffee table and dropped the journal onto it. Everyone shifted to gather while Sky took the book.

Legend moved back to the fire, other two journals tucked close and away.

""You better fix it this time," from the Smithy," Sky read. ""Please save them next time?" also the Smithy... "Please burn my body, please.""

Hyrule flinched.

"That one was the Traveler, and there's a tally underneath it... five--ten--seventeen sets of five."

Legend watched them, Hyrule looked at him and he just looked guilty.

"I'm sorry," Hyrule said softly.

"Everyone has a right to a final request, and to dictate what happens to their body after they die," Legend responded. "Keep going, Chosen. We'll be here all night at the rate you’re going."

He did, Legend noted he adjusted his position and everyone was leaning to read with him as he spoke one from everyone every now and then.

Legend could vividly remember every single moment.

"I don’t want to die." Spoken by Wild, a blade impaled in his chest and blood filling Legend's vision.

"Take care of the Champ for me?" Spoken by Twilight, he was the first down. Wild survived that time.

"I'm sorry, Malon... I'm so sorry." Time, he didn't know Legend was there, he was already too far gone.

"I'm sorry, Zelda." Wild again, thirty-seven times. 

"If you keep going, tell my Grandma I'm sorry. And tell Aryll that I'll watch her." Wind, his whole arm cut off and legs mangled, the blood loss had take him.

"I've cursed you with a terrible fate, haven't I?" Time, eighty-eight times.

"My world isn't your fault." Hyrule, fifty-three times.

"Tell Zelda I'm sorry." Sky, one-hundred fourteen times.

"One more. Just one more, come on Link." Warriors, three arrows in his back and one in his chest. He took out seven more before an arrow to the throat took him down.

"I'm not done yet!" Twilight, a deep cut in his side and his guts threatening to spill out. He did manage to take out a few more before he was decapitated.

"Come and get me!" Hyrule, he charged the horde... Legend didn't see how he died.

"Fucking try me you sons of bitches!" Wind, he took out fourteen more before he was overwhelmed... and screamed when he was killed. A lot of Wind's last words were spoken with a lot of profanity.

Voices and scenes echoed in Legend's mind, Sky reading the ones that Legend had actually written down faded to the back of his awareness while the ones he never wrote down came to the forefront.

"Please--Vet please, I can't."

"Sailor no!"

"CUB! NO--GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"I can't die--I can't--I can't leave Malon alone with this."

"H-Hey, Scholar? I-I don’t think... I don’t..."

"Mi...Mipha?"

"I-I promised Ilia I'd come back, I promised, vet." A bitter laugh. "I should've known better."

"Shit... Linkle's gonna kill me." Blood fall from his mouth. "Well... She might not have to."

"Link! No! Don’t--" an arrow through the skull.

"S-Sprite?"

"Hey--Hey no, don’t cry. It'll be okay, you did so well just now. You've done it before, right? You're our veteran, I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry we had to... leave you to finish the job. But... But I know... I know... you... you can do it."

"No, no, why are you crying? I'm fine. It's okay--O-Oh... I-I guess it... I guess it isn't okay, is it Vet? Huh... adrenaline's pretty insane, isn't it? I didn't... I didn't... even..."

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

"No--SMITHY MOVE--"

"There's a Hinox! Look--"

"You’re repeating... That sounds like hell. Have we really not survived? ...Not even once? Oh Hylia..."

"Linebeck? What are... oh..."

"Link! Captain, no, no, no-- where's my-- ...Vet?"

"VETERAN MOVE!"

"Look--Look, you g--you go back and... and you... You kick their asses, you hear me?"

"Make sure you win this one."

"N-Navi?"

"YOU WANNA FUCKING GO?!"

"Alright... Alright. One more time, let's go."

"Please, for once in my life I'm begging you... make it stop."

"Th...Thank you."

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, please--Please, I don’t--I'm sorry."

A thousand apologies.

A thousand battle cries.

A thousand names whispered with last breaths.

A thousand last words left unwritten because it explicitly revealed a secret.

 

Suddenly, something was touching him and his mind snapped into gear.

He jerked back, knife in his hand and he moved blindly, on instinct--

"Gah!" That voice--

Legend dropped his knife, horror shooting through him as he realized it was Warriors who'd touched him, it was Warriors who now had blood dripping from his cheek from Legend's blade. He had drawn blood from his brother.

He tried to move back but painful heat shot up his palm, his hand hitting the heated stone of the hearth and burning him. He yelped and jerked away.

"Oh s--Scholar no!"

He hit his head against the stone fireplace, and against everything, tears welled in his eyes. A damned head bump just made it all boil over, voices in his head growing loud but at least the visions to accompany them only flickered.

"No, no, hey." Warriors took his hand from the heat and wrapped a hand around the back of his head. "No, it's okay. You’re alright--ohhh, Sky? Hey, he burned his--Scholar, it's okay, just breathe, you’re alright."

"I'm sorry--I-I--"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine, I swear. I shouldn't have touched you, I'm sorry." Warriors stopped him from trying to pull away again, instead gently moving him away from the fireplace and making him give his hand to Sky, who'd appeared with a cold rag in seconds.

He was shaking, why was he so shaky? What was wrong? Why was he wrong? Why did he break from a touch? Why--

"Link," Warriors said firmly and he looked up fast. "Breathe... Do you need to take a break?"

Break--No.

"No, sorry," he forced out, struggling to wrangle his emotions back. His hand hurt. He hated burns. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just--zoned out."

"We noticed," Sky said, a note of softness to his tone. "But that's alright, we don’t mind. How about we all just head in for bed now? We can pick up the secrets tomorrow. I don't think we need to read the rest of that book."

"So many names," Four muttered in a voice that Legend barely heard. "I hadn't even thought of half those people in years..."

"You were about to die," Time said in equal volume. "Being so close to death puts things into perspective."

Legend nodded shakily. "Tomorrow, yeah--If that's what you want, okay."

Sky gave him a soft smile, Legend was distantly aware of the worry behind it but that wasn't what was keeping his attention as he stared at the two older heroes trying to help him.

He was more focused on the blood trickling down Warriors' cheek. If he blinked, the blood was coming from eyes that had been gruesomely carved out by keese.

If he listened, the screams of his brothers still plagued his thoughts. Their last words echoing in his mind.

Notes:

Will this be continued further? Probably not but there's a possibility. I don’t know what I could do with a further aftermath to be honest so if you've got any ideas or requests... hit me.

Chapter 3

Summary:

Secrets are shared, tears shed, flower crowns made, and bunnies cuddled :)

Notes:

The promised (kinda) fluff :D

Legend stared at the ceiling of the room he'd been left in.

Nobody had bothered him in the past nine hours, they had told him outright to stay in bed and just rest until someone came to get him for breakfast.

He wasn't sure if that was the best idea, leaving him in the silence of a small bedroom, listening to voices of times left behind. Their words continued to echo through his mind, images flashed around him, and he wondered just how real the farmhouse was...

What were the chances this was some... random dream? That the goddesses had been watching him fight that impossible battle and decided that, since he refused to give up, they would just place him in an unreality where he could and did succeed? What if that was what happened? How would he tell? Koholint had its failings, but it was forged by a small, ocean deity, not the goddesses themselves.

What if it wasn't the goddesses but the Shadow? What if it locked him within his own mind in a world he would believe, all so it could finally win for good.

He sat up and reached for his bag by the bed. He pulled out his ocarina, the ceramic one that he'd painted a soft, tropical pink... hibiscus pink, and he raised it to his lips.

The first note, a clear one that filled the air was a clear A and he dropped the instrument. It fell from his lap onto the hard floor, thudding loudly, not breaking but that really didn't matter as that damned song played through his mind.

Behind the screams, behind the cries of pain, the pleas for it to cease, the broken promises voiced in their final breaths, behind their last words, was that song Time taught him late one evening that felt to be so long ago it had to of been a lifetime.

Something grabbed his hands and he startled.

A vivid bright blue eye met his own and he stared.

Time held Legend's ocarina in one hand, and had his other settled on top of his clenched fists.

"What song were you trying to play?" Time asked gently, and Legend would've expected an accusatory tone behind it but there was none, not that he could hear. Though his auditory senses were not reliable, even if Time was speaking, the screams only faded, they did not cease.

"O-One I learned on one of my adventures," Legend managed to force out. "I'm sorry, I didn't--"

"Vet, it's okay," Time cut him off softly, "I'm almost certain that you know that I understand how this feels. You had it worse though, I imagine, watching those you care about die again and again..."

"Don’t compare trauma," Legend scolded weakly. He glanced at his ocarina and reached for it. Time offered it out and he took it back.

With Time there, he tried to play again. Instead of the Song of Time, the Ballad of the Wind Fish filled the room.

He just wanted to hear it, he just... wanted to at least believe that this unreality was reality.

When the song came to an end, Time hummed softly. "Does that help?"

"Only if I play it," he answered in a quiet tone. "It... It doesn't... It doesn't mean anything for anyone else."

"I see... How are you feeling?"

"Like I burned my hand," he deadpanned.

"I meant aside from that." Time placed his hand on Legend's again, covering the ocarina he held as well.

Legend frowned. "You mean, how am I doing with the events of yesterday and the repeat of the previous three days? I..." the voices had quieted since Time came in, "I've been better."

"What can we do to help?"

If Legend didn't know better, Time was asking the questions he needed asked when he had gone through his version of this, except he had a feeling that was exactly what Time was doing.

Time waited for his answer, and Legend just stared at him. He didn't want to admit to what he was aware would help, but he also just really didn't want to deal with the sounds and images anymore. "I... I don't want to be alone. I can't be alone," he corrected himself. "I can still hear them."

"Hear... You can hear them?" Time repeated, frowning.

He nodded, not willing to elaborate.

"All right, would you like to come downstairs for breakfast?"

He hesitated. "I... I do, but..." he glanced over at the three journals set. "We have a minute, if you wanted to get yours out of the way."

"Are you ready for that?" Time countered. "Everyone is waiting to learn what you know about us, but after last night..."

Legend's hand twitched as the phantom burning pain shot through his hand and arm.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Besides, it's really just... just making sure you read your section."

Time hummed doubtfully. "I won't say no, I would like to find out what you know--not because I don’t trust you, but--"

"Knowing what information others know about you is..." he didn't have a word for it, assuring, maybe?

"If, and only if, you’re ready, then yes," Time agreed.

Legend leaned over and grabbed the leather bound journal. He flicked it open to a section near the front before he gave it to Time.

It was a brief list, nothing elaborated on except for notes Legend had written himself.

---

• Termina (check on masks when home)
• Age (Malon is 37, assumed to be same age physically)
• Navi
• Malon is pregnant (!!! Make sure he survives this)
• Mask; War of Eras (Cap doesn't know, Sailor does)(make him tell Cap when this is over)
• Kid at heart (wait why is he the leader?)
• Master Sword; 7 years 

---

Time was smiling, Legend was surprised by that fact.

"It would be the Rancher's fault that I'm usually in charge," he said, sounding amused but it faltered a little. "What masks?"

Legend hummed. "You showed--you used the Fierce Deity mask once, when you tried to go back the second time Captain got hit and killed in front of you and you realized I had the ocarina. I have that back home, and the same mask that the Champion fooled around with that one time."

Time stared at him. "And the spirits?"

"Still inside. Dangerous, sure, but as far as I can tell I just have to keep them separated and make sure Ravio doesn't sell them." He didn't mention that Majora was a constant annoyance with its extremely menacing requests to play a game.

"I... see. Aside from that, I'm not surprised at any of this... though, I do appreciate the note with Malon."

Legend huffed. "You’re going to be here to raise your kid, old man. By my dead body."

"Don’t you say that," Time admonished and Legend startled when he placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair lightly. "I'll tell the good captain, I did want to see how long it took him but I think I'll take heed to your words."

Legend stared at him before nodding slowly. He didn't say why, but he knew Warriors was under the impression that Time--Mask--had died since the War of Eras, and that was why the kid wasn't on their quest. He also knew that multiple loops had Time telling Warriors with his dying breath and that visibly shattered the captain's heart.

"Make sure you do that," he said quietly.

 

 

 

Out of pure spite he managed to get a portion of the farm chores--the easier ones, they may think he doesn't know it but he had lived on a farm for a little while--and was very thankful for the distraction.

He still saw blood soaking his hands, the bandages around his one hand that he'd burned would catch his eye and he'd swear the white was exposed bone.

"Vet?"

He looked over, having been brushing an old white maned, russet mare when Warriors appeared.

Judging by the slight streaks beside his eyes where tears had to of been badly wiped away, Legend would wager that Time had talked to the captain.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Spr--The old man said you'd asked not to be alone this morning," he said, leaning against the paddock fence. "I thought the Rancher was helping you?"

"He's taking care of the other horses, said this one would be easier and honestly, I'm aware being allowed to do anything right now is pure luck on my end," Legend said honestly. 

"That's Epona," Warriors said, drawing closer and stroking the mare's neck. "She's one of those who some of us share in common."

"Like Impa?"

"Like Impa," he confirmed. "S--the old man, Rancher, Champion, and I all have had her. She's the best horse in all of Hyrule."

Legend hummed.

Silence settled and Legend averted his gaze to the sky when he saw blood that wasn't there. He forced out a slow breath.

"You talked with the old man?"

"I did."

"He talk about what we went over this morning?"

"He did... Thank you, for telling him to tell me. I can't believe I was so oblivious," he sighed.

"You expected a kid who was mad at the world and its goddesses," Legend pointed out, "not a middle aged man with a wife who was content in his farm lifestyle."

Warriors snorted. "With that first description, you'd think you were that kid."

Legend rolled his eyes and looked over at him. "I've never been mad at the goddesses, nor have I been mad at the world for what I've gone through."

"You seemed like it when we first met."

"Yeah well... I was trying not to get attached." He gave a grim smile. "Clearly that didn't work too well."

Warriors frowned.

Before he could mention it, Legend pushed ahead. "So, want to guess what I have on you or just want to read?"

"I'll read."

Legend produced his journal from his pocket, petting Epona as he ceased brushing her and flipped the book open. It took a moment to get to the right section before he handed it off.

---

• Why Cia started the war; problems with the hero's spirit
• Sailor doesn't have hero's spirit (not new info but)
• Meeting Ravio & other people the rest of us knew during the war
• Adopted Mask & "Tune" (Sailor) during WoE (I can tell the sailor that I'll snitch on him to his dad and it wouldn't be wrong)
• IS DATING SOMEONE(it's a she) I CALLED IT

---

Warriors snorted, he had paled the moment he started reading but at the end he seemed a bit amused.

"Yes, I'm dating someone," he chuckled. "Do you know who?"

"Zelda."

Warriors startled. "What--I actually told you?"

Legend gaped. "No! I just guessed! You’re dating your Zelda? And you tease Sky for it."

"Oh shut up, you talked about snitching on the Sailor to me," he retorted.

"I would! He snitches on me to the Rancher all the time," he huffed. "And it doesn't work for him because he could care less about what he thinks!"

"Aww, you care about what the Rancher thinks?" Warriors teased. Legend glared at him but he didn't refute or argue, just sort of ducked his head as he snatched the journal back.

"Don't you have your own chores to do?" He bit out, turning to finish with Epona.

"Technically, yes, but like I said, Sprite said you didn't want to be alone, so until the Rancher is back, I'll be here."

He clenched his jaw, staring at the russet fur in front of him. A hand landed on his shoulder, slowly and within the peripheral of his vision.

"You’re not alone," Warriors said gently, "we may not be fully familiar with your situation, but I know the old man has gone through something similar, and I for one am familiar with seeing everyone around me die and having to come to terms with that--even if it didn't stick for you."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Just... Just keep talking. I don’t care about what."

Maybe the voices in the back of his mind would eventually silence if he focused on the voices in front of him.

 

 

Eventually, Twilight finished with the other horses and Warriors left to finish whatever chore he had been assigned. Legend was walking with Twilight, having helped clean out the stalls in the stable, when a flash of bright red caught the corner of his eye.

He looked over, instinct hitting him more than anything, and for a moment he saw Hyrule, greens and browns tainted by bright, vibrant red. For a moment, he could hear Sky screaming for his successor, he could hear Hyrule begging to be burned, he could hear Wild snarling, feral and livid.

The moment was gone as a hand settled over his eyes and he was pulled into someone's side.

"Breathe, kid," Twilight's voice cut past the screams, snarls, and begs. "It's okay. It's not there."

He let out a shaky breath, grabbing the wrist beside his head but not pulling the hand away.

"We're all alive, you did it," he assured softly, low voice rumbling and vibrating in the chest he pulled him against. "Who was it?"

"Rulie," he croaked.

"Want to go see him? I think the old man had him and Cub working with the fairies."

He nodded.

"Alright. I'm gunna move my hand now, okay, Apple?"

He nodded again and the blinds were removed.

They were at Lon Lon Ranch, it was just a flowering rose bush, nothing more, there was no blood.

Twilight had moved in front of him and drew his attention to his eyes, bright blue and not unlike the summer sky or the deep cores of ice. Once their eyes met, he smiled slightly. "Come on, let's find the Traveler."

Legend just nodded silently, following after him. He wouldn't ever admit to having to restrain himself from grabbing onto Twilight, his hand, sleeve, tunic, or pelt.

 

 

Hyrule and Wild were indeed by the little grove Time had dedicated to fairies, a natural fairy fountain. They both clearly had gotten distracted from their other chores, or Time knew they wouldn't end up leaving the area and didn't give them more. They were sitting in the grass with flower crowns.

"Vet! Rancher!" Hyrule called once they came into view.

"Join us! We can make you crowns too!" Wild exclaimed, nearly leaping to the flowers.

Legend glanced at Twilight, who was smiling at them and he went over to join. Legend followed behind him.

Hyrule grabbed his hand and pulled him down.

"What colors?"

"I... blue? Purple?" Not red, he didn't need to be seeing red in the corners of his vision right now, not after earlier.

"Okay," Hyrule agreed easily. He picked flowers near him. "I'd teach you but..."

But he couldn't use one of his hands, fair enough.

"Explain it anyway," he requested and Hyrule smiled as he nodded and launched into a step-by-step explanation of what he was doing.

 

 

They eventually went inside for dinner, each of them wearing flower crowns and bringing new ones for the others at Wild's insistence.

Things were light, casual, he enjoyed it. Dinner was a short affair, but the conversations begun there stuck as they all remained around the table and just talked, even once the food was cleared and a couple of them got up to clean the table only to return to rejoin the conversation.

During the chatter, the voices and screams that had been echoing in the back of Legend's mind since they'd started reading that other notebook finally faded.

As it got later and Time decided to turn in, Malon at his side, they all slowly dispersed.

Legend found himself alone with Hyrule, who seemed unsure.

He sighed softly, then pulled out his journal and began flicking to find his successor's section.

Hyrule let out a soft breath. "Sorry."

"Don’t be," Legend murmured in return. He slid the journal on the table a bit to show him his page.

---

• blood curse (if Ganon comes back I am going round five)
• Half-fairy, half-prince (combination + defeating Ganon = curse?)
• Knows about adventures (except 5)
• Has the whole Triforce (doesn't know how to return it to sacred realm)

---

"Do you?" Hyrule looked at him from the book. "Know how to return it?"

Legend huffed softly. "If I didn't then I'd still have it, Rulie. You use it."

"Use..."

"Make a wish. Not now, obviously, but if the point ever comes where only the goddesses themselves can help you, then channel your wants and desires into that little triangle on your hand," Legend explained. "Or that's how I always did it."

"You have the Triforce?"

They both jumped to see Sky standing in the doorway, eyes wide.

Hyrule glanced at Legend worriedly before silently nodding. "I... I-I do."

"It's fine," Legend cut in. "He's protecting it, that's all."

"No--that's not what concerns me," Sky walked over and took the seat across from them, "I trust him, I trust you both, it's more specifically the way you described how to use it."

Legend nodded slowly. "That's just how I used it when I had it. I had a goal--a want--and just sort of channeled that into the Triforce."

"No," Sky looked a bit ill, "Fi said specifically to verbalize your wish or else any internal thoughts, or even underlying desires, may conflict with the process. Anyone who you've once wished would keel over, any life lost that you wished hadn't died, all of it could've been brought into it."

Legend gave him a mildly confused look. "Considering my first wish did virtually nothing, my second wish successfully got my friend back to her home, and my third wish restored Lorule's Triforce. I don’t think that's what happened, I believe Fi and all, but..."

He tried to think of anyone he'd wished dead in the past, lives he'd wished survived, an underlying desire...

"I don’t know, I can't remember ever wishing someone was dead. My aunt was very clear from an early age that death was never the answer and it never solved the problems a person caused. A guy kills another guy, the murderer dying won't bring the victim back," Legend shrugged. "An underlying or hidden desire... I guess I always wished Ganon hadn't defeated the Fallen Hero centuries ago, that I didn't need to become the hero to fix it."

"But clearly you’re still the hero," Hyrule pointed out. "The Legendary Hero."

Legend snorted. "That's such a stupid name."

"That's odd," Sky spoke up, clearly still caught up on the previous subject and not Legend's eventual moniker. "Fi was very clear about the Triforce not being picky, if allowed, it would take your deepest desire no matter how hidden or how much you outwardly denied it. The fact that you used it three times and... it worked is..."

"It worked twice," Legend corrected. "The first time nothing really happened."

"But you wished on it."

"Yeah? It went back to the Sacred Realm--or as much as it could with Zelda and I still having our pieces."

Sky looked so confused.

Legend sighed and just to change the conversation, he flipped the journal open and shoved it across the table to the older hero. Hyrule took the hint and quickly darted from the room, squeezing Legend's hand before he went.

Sky faltered and he looked down, frowning as he read the list and grew more pale.

---

• Demise (and curse)
• Can summon lightning naturally
• Chandelier (and they said he's the good one)
• Hylia
• Other hero (from before, another fallen hero)

---

Sky let out a shaky breath, closing the journal and pushing it back. "I... I figured as much. So--"

"I don’t care."

Sky startled. "What?"

"You apologized a million times every time you told me that, saying it's your fault we all went through what we did," Legend pointed his journal at him, "but you listen to me when I say that's completely wrong. Even if Demise's curse did cause it, you didn't. Understand me? You did not force that curse to be placed, it is not your fault."

Sky stared at him, then he just nodded as tears brimmed in his eyes and he jerkily swiped them away. "I-I wasn't ready for that, goddess above."

"Anything else?"

"N-No. That's all. Do... Do you have questions?"

"Not any that need answering."

He'd admit, he really wanted to know what other stuff Sky got up to aside from the chandelier, but he didn't need to know.

 

 

 

He didn't expect to wake up crying, or screaming for that matter.

But images of blood, of bones separated from flesh and that flesh still pouring more blood, of dead, sightless eyes, burned into his vision. He didn't even know whose arms were wrapped around him, but that didn't stop him from choking on sobs and curling into the warm chest and strong arms that wound around him, distant whispers and promises of safety, assurances that it's over.

He didn't know how long it took the tears to stop, but it took twice as long for his throat to stop closing and his breath to stop hitching. He slumped exhaustedly into the warm, safe, embrace.

"There ya go, it's alright," a soft baritone murmured.

He reached up blindly, just trying to grip onto something to ground himself, an instinctive reaction and his fingers brushed a hole in fabric to feel cold and dark surge around him.

A noise of shock echoed above him as he collapsed into the softness below, exhausted, and emotionally, mentally, and now magically dazed.

 "Shiiitttt, oh that's not going to help--"

Something thudded against the wall and all that echoed through his mind was Danger!

A wolf. There was a wolf. He could feel its spirit right there.

He didn't move, hoping desperately that the predator hadn't spotted him before he scented it.

Something landed on Legend's back.

He tried to hide, his instincts screaming louder tenfold, but as he tried to dart away, the darkness blocked the oddly soft barriers around him and had him tripping and flopping onto the soft material.

He couldn't see much, he had awful night vision after all, rabbit or not. He scrambled to get back up and upon his second attempt to run, his nose hit skin.

"Hey, calm down--Apple--"

He froze as the soft walls came up around him, ears dropping low as he realized that he was trapped, promptly followed by hands grabbing and picking him up. He scratched and squirmed until they hissed and let go, dropping him. He landed on the soft, cushy ground again and tried one more time to run.

The ground disappeared from under him.

Hands caught him again with an accompanying: "Whoa! No-no-no--it's okay, you’re okay, you're safe."

He was placed back down and quickly learned he was back in that trap of soft walls.

"Link, breathe, you’re a bunny right now but you’re safe. You’re in a bed at Lon Lon Ranch, it's safe."

The same idea was repeated at least five times before the panicked instincts of Run and Danger and Escape settled and his mind settled to something more human.

He couldn't see, but he could press up against the soft walls he realized was blankets, and once that realization set in, he quickly burrowed under them for some fake semblance of safety just until his instincts and emotions settled.

Eventually, he could place the voice as Twilight's, and he gingerly poked his head out to try and figure out where he was without use of light. Him continuing to detail surroundings and just talking helped him pinpoint where he was, and he carefully padded toward him.

The air shifted and he startled as his nose bumped the calloused skin of the rancher's hand. He scrunched his face up as he retracted before slowly trying again and sniffing his open palm.

"Yer a lot more like a bunny this time," he heard Twilight say. "Not so... Hylian."

He huffed softly. He didn't like speaking as a bunny, the body wasn't made to speak Hylian, but he'd taught himself to do so when he first was transformed.

He wondered if he could get away with just not, so he didn't. Instead he moved closer again, trying to reach Twilight, only to bump his face into more blankets.

Twilight chuckled softly. "Y'have no night vision, do ya, Kit?"

Legend scowled, or best he could as a bunny, and he glared in the general direction Twilight's voice was coming from. He could hear well enough to figure things out... usually. When wind was involved.

"Alrigh', I hear ya," he assured warmly. "Are you okay like this? Or am I gonna have to go get th' Master Sword fr'm the Woodcarver's room?"

He wanted to make him go get the Master Sword, but frankly he didn't mind being a bunny as much as he'd tried to convince the Rancher last time this had happened. Inside Lon Lon, someplace safe, he certainly didn't mind. He minded the restrictions on changing back, but he'd have to deal with it for now.

He placed a paw on the blanket and tried to climb over. It was as tall as he was--which was maybe six inches--but Twilight was kind enough to push the fabric down and help him climb over.

"Don’t go t' yer left, you'll fall," he warned.

Legend huffed softly and he moved over to Twilight's side and flopped down beside him.

"Hmm? Stayin' a bunny f'r the night, Kit?"

Legend let his ears drop completely.

"Alright," Twilight agreed, sounding incredibly soft and quiet. "Can I pick you up? I'm jus' gonna re'range things so we can both sleep."

He lifted his head reluctantly and moved so his front paw was set on Twilight's leg, almost on his lap.

"Bite me if I'm taking this as a yes and it's a no," Twilight warned just before hands scooped him up.

He did not like being held, but he didn't squirm free this time and let Twilight tuck him against his chest with one arm. He listened to the rustling of fabric and blankets and soon enough they were back in the bed and Legend tucked himself against Twilight's chest, arms wound around him, but not quite trapping him. Or at least, he was too blinded by darkness to be able to tell if he was trapped and he wasn't going to test his ignorance currently.

He just wanted to sleep and hopefully not get nightmares.

Chapter 4

Summary:

Brothers being brothers and a couple more secrets revealed

He woke up bundled in cloth against a warm chest and it took a while to draw his hazed mind from the dregs of sleep and recall what happened.

He very much was still a bunny.

He nudged the blankets away with his nose until he could squirm out, thankfully not held captive by the sleeping Rancher. The morning sun filled the small room--Legend normally roomed here with Hyrule, he wondered when Hyrule had left. 

He noticed Twilight's wolf pelt in a heap across the room... He genuinely had no idea why.

He gingerly moved to the edge of the bed and tried to gauge the drop. The problem with bunnies were that they were extremely fragile, he'd learned dropping a rabbit just from holding them at your chest could kill them, or just injure them enough that euthanasia was the only option left.

He didn't know what was a safe distance to fall. He really didn't want to find out, but his bag was on the ground and he needed his moon pearl.

He could try... goddesses knew he wasn't fragile, no matter his form.

He moved closer to the edge and began to slide his front paws down the edge, trying to lessen the gap before he completely dropped--

A squeak escaped him as a hand the size of him pulled him back.

"Careful," Twilight rumbled, voice slightly strained. "Bed ain't that low to the ground, Apple."

He twisted and glared best he could at the Rancher, who'd apparently awoken just in time to stop him from jumping. He would've been fine! Maybe.

Twilight—who looked a little pale—leaned over the edge and set him on the ground before he sat up. "What're ya up to?"

He bound over to his bag and with some struggle, nudged it open and promptly stuck his body into it.

"Need help?"

He scrabbled further into his bag and out of pure memory of location his nose brushed the little pouch which held his moon pearl. Teeth catching the fabric, he kicked himself back out of the pouch and sort of flopped back onto the wooden floor.

Twilight made a noise that Legend would've hit him for. It was soft and almost cooing.

He glared up at him and tried to pull open the pouch.

"Oh Ordona help me," Twilight rasped, his voice too strained. Legend didn't deign that with a response.

He startled as the air shifted and Twilight's hand entered his vision. He darted back on instinct. Twilight slowed, then continued to open the pouch and let the pearl roll out onto the floor.

Legend darted and grabbed it, everything twisted and he found himself sitting back on the floor, bright pink bangs falling over his face.

Twilight laughed softly, knelt in front of him and he mussed his hair.

"Ge'off!" He shoved him, scowling and glaring.

Twilight just grinned. "You’re adorable, Kit."

"Don’t you start calling me that," Legend threatened, throwing that demented pinecone at Twilight. It hit his chin but he just laughed at him.

"Too late, you’re a little kit, a baby bunny, you’re smaller without that cute little tunic."

"Go die in a hole!"

Legend huffed, slumping into the floor and base of the bed, holding his moon pearl tightly.

"Alrigh'," Twilight said, smiling softly and he offered his hand. "Come on, it's probably about time for breakfast."

"You say a word about this and I will kill you."

"Aw, we both know ya ain't gonna do that. All bark and no bite, ehh, Kit?" 

"I'll show you no bite!" He lunged at him and Twilight laughed, easily wrestling him off and pinning him to the ground. That didn't stop him from kicking his stomach and shoving him off.

Legend jabbed his fingers into Twilight's ribs.

He squawked. "You little rat!"

Legend managed to escape his returning attack and he ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him for the seconds it gave him on his escape.

"You want to go that way?" Twilight challenged.

Legend darted down the hall, far more agile than the rancher who pursued him. He slid down the stairs and called a good morning to Malon and Wild in the kitchen, both looked startled for the brief moment he saw them but next thing he was doing was jumping overtop the sofa and skittering to the side as Twilight tried to follow.

By the time Twilight landed and adjusted himself in the living area, Legend was darting out the door to the side.

"Catch me if you can, Rancher!" He taunted.

"Items?" He called back.

Legend debated with how he would handle a wolf chasing him and decided, fine, let's play cat and mouse--or rather, wolf and rabbit. He may lose a bit of sanity, but he trusted Twilight not to hurt him.

"Sure!"

And he was gone.

Running around the farm was easy, he was familiar with escaping responsibilities by doing so, and this wasn't too different.

He got out to the overgrown, unused training paddock as he saw Wolfie sprinting down the path from the house toward Legend.

He grinned. 

The shadows--not darkness, not the twilight--wrapped around him and he was in full control of his transformation.

He heard the startled yelp from Wolfie as he ran back toward the stable through the untamed growth. 

Legend slipped through a gap in the wooden walls, a gap Wolfie wouldn't be able to follow through, and he hid in a corner of crates and hay bundles, flopping down and letting the warm, content feeling simmer as he held onto it.

In time, he heard the doors open and he hid further behind the crates, deciding on his escape route.

"How did you even get away?" Twilight questioned aloud. "You just disappeared."

Oh if he wanted to do disappearance acts, Legend could accommodate.

"Kit."

His voice was far closer.

"You expectin' me t'move the hay ta find ya? It ain't that heavy."

Legend moved to the edges of the crates.

Twilight was about to grab one of the bundles and as he did, Legend darted out past his legs.

"What the--How?!"

Legend transformed back, the shadows guiding his form and he landed neatly atop the railing to keep the hay from falling down the stable.

He grinned at the rancher, knowing his magic--his innate magic that was normally left untouched--caused his eyes to gleam just a little.

"Ain't ever seen a shadow magic user before, Rancher?" He taunted.

Twilight stared at him, then his eyes sharpened. Legend had to give it to him, his lunges were fast. He yelped as they both fell to the first floor of the stable. They rolled and tumbled, he got up faster but Twilight stayed down as he instead dragged Legend back down by the ankle and tried to pin him.

Legend knew exactly what would be coming for him if Twilight successfully got him down, and he was not about to give in to that. Instead he fought him off, kicking and snarling.

Unluckily for him, even if he was a fairly decent boxer, Twilight was a certified wrestler.

"No--" Legend was cut off as he snapped his mouth shut to hold back the burst of laughter as Twilight danced his fingers under his ribs. He screeched and squirmed.

"Ge--het--stohohop!" He scrabbled at his hands but to little effect.

"Nuh-uh, you made me run 'round the whole farm, I'm gettin' my revenge."

"Don’t you--Forest! You--You jerk!" He screeched, forced laughter drawn from him.

"Jerk? Jerk?" Twilight sounded scandalized by the insult. “I ain’t a jerk, this is a jerk move."

Instead of going for his upper ribs, he went for where his ribs stopped and Legend made some embarrassing, high whine-squeal sound. He tried to kick him off, shoving at his chest and hands, but to his luck he was significantly weaker than the rancher.

 

Eventually, thank the three, Twilight let up and Legend whined weakly as he collapsed into the ground.

"Not even barking now," Twilight teased.

Legend glared at him, breathing heavily.

"I... I hate you," he wheezed.

Twilight just grinned. "No ya don't."

"Yes I do. Now get off me."

Twilight snorted. “A'ight."

He got off him and offered him a hand, Legend had half the mind to ignore it but he, stupidly, took it.

Twilight pulled him up and then over his shoulder. Legend yelped.

"Hey! No--"

"Boys."

Legend went quiet and he dropped his head so he could see past Twilight's hip to see Time in the doorway, amusement clear on his face.

"Yeah?" Twilight's grin was audible in his voice.

"Breakfast is ready. And the Champion wants to talk with the Collector."

 

 

 

The warm feeling from screwing around with Twilight had faded by the time breakfast was finished, and Legend was left alone with Wild in the kitchen to clean the dishes.

"So..." Wild began hesitantly. "What... do you know?"

Legend hummed softly. "I know about the spirits and their gifts, I know what happened by..." he thought carefully, picking through various memories of his own, "the fort. Hateno, I think. I know that. And how many years Calamity Ganon held Hyrule Castle under his power. I also know about how you got into Gerudo Town, and the snow and sand boots."

"You--" Wild stared at him, jaw agape. "Gerudo Town? How did that come up?"

Legend ground his teeth, clenching his jaw for a long moment. He redirected his gaze down at the dried plate in his hands while forcing his jaw to loosen before he spoke. "I didn't reset the moment the battle was over every time."

Wild frowned, he looked over at Legend with confusion in his eyes. "Huh?"

He inhaled carefully before he met his eyes. "It was a 72 hour cycle, Champ. Sometimes it was mid-battle that it happened, sometimes it was hours after, sometimes I was caught in shock to use the spell and..."

"And...?"

"There was so much blood," he murmured. "So… so much blood." Legend saw blood blurring the edges of his vision, he could almost see that forest and not the kitchen they were in. "Goddesses, there were a number of times it was just the two of us left and you—I… Neither of us were very… present. Sometimes you told me stupid stuff just to make me laugh, even if you were still crying. Like Gerudo Town and that guy you snagged those shoes from."

"Oh, sweet Hylia, Vet," Wild breathed, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry."

Legend just cracked a weak smile. "It's alright. Don’t worry."

"It's not alright--I'm sorry, but--We all know it."

He took the next dish to dry off, avoiding eye contact now. "It will be fine. I've dealt and handled worse."

"Doesn't mean you’re okay now."

"If I was, I don’t think I would've woken everyone up last night screaming."

Wild startled. "Rancher said he didn't think you really remembered."

"I may not have the Triforce of Wisdom but I'm not an idiot, I also have very good memory, thank you.”

A rhythmic knocking caught their attention.

“Sorry,” Four said immediately, “but, uhh, I was wondering if when you guys are done, if I can steal the Vet?”

“We’re almost done,” Legend said, gesturing to the almost empty basin of dishes. “Meet you…?”

“I’ll be out on the deck.” Four vanished around the corner.

“So…” Wild began. “About Gerudo Town—“

“I have so many outfits and we’re about the same size.” Legend shot him a smirk. “Remind me next time we’re at my house, I have a huge collection.”

Wild lit up.

Notes:

This'll be the last chapter for this story for a little while. There's only one more chapter, but I haven't even worked on it at all and there's a lot of other things I want to do and need to do first.

Chapter 5

Summary:

Four could care less about what Legend knows about him, and more about what he doesn't know about himself.

Legend has to learn how to breathe a bit easier on the road when he can't reset and know what is to come, but Wind and Twilight are just good big brothers. They all are, but the Triforce Heroes stick together.

"So," Four asked as Legend joined him outside, "what dirt do you have on me?"

"Dirt? Really Smithy?"

"Am I wrong?"

"I'd put it more like, 'what of your past traumas did you dump on me while on your deathbed', not dirt." Legend shook his head, honestly more amused than anything.

Four shrugged. "Same difference. Oh, can you recite from memory?"

He sighed. "Well... Splitting, for one. That came out real fast when people started dying. Your second adventure as a result of splitting, so all four of you, the craziness, your fifth, etc. You definitely trauma-dumped a lot about your Dad and would info-dump about your Gramps, which for the record, I will be punching your Dad in the face next time we're in your era."

Four snorted. "Nothing surprising there. Is that it? I figured there'd be something worse."

"Well--the reason why you’re so short."

"Huh, better, still nothing crazy. I was hoping for some life-changing secret that only me on my deathbed would even be aware of."

"I think the number of times I heard one of you confessing some kind of thievery or something to another might make up for it," Legend said. He winced slightly, the number of times that he'd only be able to protect or save part of the Colors... their screams for their counterparts. Theirs were the worst. No one else's compared, not Warriors' cries when Wind and Time were both dead, nor Wild begging Twilight to stay awake. Wind's shaky push of Twilight's shoulder or Warriors' or Time's, Twilight catching Wind as he fell, Sky's call for Wild, Hyrule's hand reaching for Legend--

"Vet?" A hand gently grabbed his, pulling it from his mouth. "Hey, you with me?"

Legend inhaled sharply, falling back. He couldn't breathe.

Four knelt in front of him, squeezing his hand and then loosening, and squeezing again. He hummed, some kind of gentle folk song. A walking cadence.

Squeeze, inhale. Let go, exhale. Repeat.

After too long, Legend squeezed back when his breathing steadied.

"What'd I say?" Four asked softly. "Will you tell me what triggered it?"

Legend grimaced, shaking his head. "N-Nothing you have to worry about."

"I'll worry about whatever I want, thanks... you sure?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sure. I just--mind wandered too far back, that's all."

Four hummed, noncommittal, not believing him. Legend supposed it would be a long time before anyone believed he was okay.

 

 

 

A portal eventually came.

They were back on the road.

And in all honesty? That probably was the best thing for Legend to do. He could breathe fresh air, and while it felt no different from the ranch, his mind had shifted.

The ranch was safe--the road wasn't. He couldn't risk panic attacks, and even if he knew objectively that he couldn't bottle things up, he also knew that his way of dealing with things worked. It wasn't the same as suppression, but it was... it was working through them one drop at a time, and in safe spaces, he couldn't limit the flow. On the road, he could.

He didn't react well to their first fight though.

An ambush hit, and body moving on instinct, he was meeting the first monster before it even swung.

There were less than a dozen monsters. Maybe half.

Once they were dead, Legend spun to look at the others and Wind grabbed his arm.

"You’re okay, App'." He stared at Legend, daring him to contest. "No one's injured... we're alright."

"Right--Yeah, right. We're alright," Legend found himself repeating, a bit dazed.

Wind nodded.

He didn't let go of Legend's hand. Their group kept walking until they found a good camping site.

Legend's hand twitched as he noted how it was exposed. He wanted the Ocarina--He never want to see that instrument again.

Wind squeezed his hand. Twilight came up on his other side, shoulder brushing his.

Legend let out a single breath.

He was fine.

 

They sat around the fire, light laughter echoing around it. A bit of teasing. Legend got himself back at ease for the most part, but he was mostly just hanging out on the edge of the camp with Wind, who had refused to leave his side since the ambush.

"How come you haven't asked about your stuff?" Legend found himself asking.

Wind snorted. "You, of everyone here, you’re probably the only one I'm alright with knowing everything. I don’t care what you know, and I don’t need to know what you know. I trust you."

Legend looked over at him. Wind fiddled with some kind of carving--Sky had started teaching him a couple months years weeks ago. It looked... kind of like a bird.

"You trust me with the knowledge of your--"

Somehow Wind knew exactly what he'd say and his little whittling knife was in Legend's face. "I said I trust you, Apple. You ain't gonna make me regret that, are ya?"

Legend shook his head, smiling softly. "Nah, I suppose I'll honor that trust."

Wind backed off, eyes glittering with mirth. "I got my eye on you."

"I'm pretty sure the entire group does, but thanks."

"Yeah cause you’re traumatized."

"We all are, idiot."

"Well yeah but you got bad at hiding it."

"Give me like a week."

"Fair enough."

"What are you two talkin' about?" Legend and Wind both jumped as Twilight literally appeared behind them.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing!"

Twilight gave them both a look.

Legend glanced at Wind.

"We were talkin' secrets," Wind said, "ya know, the ones the Vet's got on everyone, I was tellin' 'im he ain't gotta tell me because I don’t care how much he knows about me and my bullshit."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Alright," he conceded. "If ya say so. An' Kit, the same goes for me."

Legend tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"Don’t worry about tellin' me whatever I told ya. Ordona, tell Ocean if ya want, I don’t care... You two already know the worst bits, the rest don’t matter to me if ya both know it."

He moved back to the rest of the camp.

Legend propped his chin on his leg, smiling a little to himself.

 

 

He hadn't lied, within a week, he was functioning fine on his own. Had a few panic attacks and breakdowns along the way whenever someone got injured but after a week, he was fine.

He could handle it.

And if he told Wind how Twilight had a major crush on Ilia and then Twilight how Wind had a huge crush on Tetra, then well, that was just his job as the youngest in their dynamic--to sow chaos.

Notes:

And it's a wrap! Finally! What'd that take, two years? 🥲

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 10 of Febuwhump 2024 | aka I whump LU Legend for a month again