A Thing

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Book 1- Five Years Back Home

Wind stood at attention, sweat dripping off him as he fought to stay upright. Warriors always loved his drills, but they were never as intense with the chain as they were here. He glanced up at the lookout tower. General Impa always visited their tent after major drills like this one. They slept in what they called the newbie tent. The handful of people who came through white portals to help them were stowed away into that tent, but they wouldn't be for long. Impa's visits were to give them tips and advice, as well as to explain to them what was to be expected for the future. Today marked the final test. If they made it through the end of the drills, they would be on a list of candidates who would march as a member of the Captain's company.

Wind held his place in the formation as one of the soldiers collapsed beside him. They were part of this, too. Most wanted to be apart of the 'Hero's Company.' Wind drew in a deep breath as he carefully practiced the techniques as Impa described to him. He wasn't about to let Toddler Time beat him.

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Wind couldn't run. His legs would no longer support that. Regardless, he made his way over to the list as quickly as possible. They had placed a list of all those who made it into the Hero Company on a large, wooden board, and Tetra had asked him to report back to her about it. He watched in anticipation as many left the board, disappointed.

Tune

Tetra

Ravio

Mask

Those were the first names on the list. Relief washed over him like tsunami. He would not disappoint the Captain. Well, he would try not to later. In the meantime, he needed a nap.

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"Tune, get up." Impa shook him awake. "You cannot sleep here. Return to your tent."

Wind nodded wearily and stumbled to his feet. "Yes Ma'am."

With a grunt, Wind sat up from his spot in the grass to watch General Impa enter the Captain's tent. He took three steps towards his own tent before stopping. He was supposed to report back to Tetra. He did not. Dang it. He'd have to come with some kind of peace offering, but what could he bring?

He grinned. It'd been a long time since he'd had any himself and he was certain Tetra would love to have some, too. Maybe he could find some in the medic tent. It was a good emergency pain killer with the pirates.

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Yes, there was plenty in the medic tent. No, the medics were not in bed yet. But that's fine. He'd done this plenty whenever the crew decided to put someone competent on guard duty. Although, this situation allowed for more than one strategy.

Toon slipped quietly beside the medic's tent.

"Do not let them know that you are under the age of eighteen." Wind whispered to Tetra.

"Good evening, miss." The Captain arrived before he could elaborate. "I am Captain Link. I'm one of the people in charge of handling those who come out of the portals. Who are you?"

"You can call me Tetra. Looks like ya'll've had quite the battle here. Who are you fighting?"

"We are at war with the sorceress, Cia." The Captain paused, pulled out a paper, and started writing. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-seven."

The three of them stared at each other for a moment or two.

"Ok, then. From what we know of the portals, they seem to be sending us people to help fight this war. Are you willing to fight with us?"

"Sure."

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Worst. Decision. Of. Their. Entire. Life.

Toon and Tetra were both stuck in drills. Tons, and tons, of drills. After awhile, Toon started to hate the Captain, as his very presence was the harbinger of misery.

The bell rang from the food tent.

"At ease!" The Captain called. "You are dismissed."

Time stood next to Malon and held her hand. He was nervous, but excited. He’d been standing next to Malon for a while now, contemplating the oldness of their bedroom. Throughout the slower points in this long process, the two midwives had brought in a big tub of water to bathe the baby in whenever he or she decided to show up. That, and a crib that he’d made personally, were the only new additions to their room. Malon pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Link, dear. I've decided.” The look of excitement on her face made him concerned. “I want you to do some Irish Stepdancing to distract me.” 

“What? Um, ok. Uh…” 

Time scanned his memories for whatever kind of dance he was supposed to be doing, and glanced back at Malon. He did not get the ‘just kidding, come back and hold my hand’ that he was hoping for, so, under the excited, watchful, merciless gaze of his wife, he began the dumbest, most wonky dance he’d ever witnessed. The other midwife walked back in, and the three of them were barely holding back their laughter. Time looked back to see Malon’s tired laughter, and fell, coming back out of the tub soaked through.

“Thank you, dear, but perhaps now isn’t the best time to start mopping.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m just trying to make a memorable first impression.”

“Well you’re doing a wonderful job.”

Time returned to Malon’s side and she squeezed his hand hard.

Time pulled a piece of paper out of his drawer.

“What’s this?”

“This is a list of all the dad jokes I’ma be tellin’ everybody. Would you like me to read them off for you?”

“Oh no.”

“Ok I’ll start.”

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“It’s a girl.” One midwife gently began to hand her the baby, but the other stopped her.

“Bathe that one. I’ll take the other one.” 

“Other one?! Malon looked distressed.

“A healthy little boy.”

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Time staring at his kids. Malon held both of them as the midwives cleaned up the room. 

“Is it my turn yet?”

“No.”

“But you’ve been holding them for months! It should be my turn.”

Malon laughed, but loosened her grip on the one closer to Time.

Hey Guys, I've been reflecting on my writing thus far and i've decided to fix the mess I've created. I'm going to delete the Time and Hyrule chapters and rewrite them. They were both rushed through and disappointing, but I've rethought my writing process and I'm going to write them again.

My thoughts currently (please offer suggestions and feedback I need it desperately) are to write Time's story kinda like bluey episodes, and Hyrule's story a more fun, adventurous, and happy time in comparison to the rest of the chain's stories (other that time).

If you have any ideas that you have but don't want to write yourself, please send them. I may change it up a bit to fit my understanding and writing ability, but I will do my best. Lastly, I you have any unfinished writings that you aren't going to finish yourself, please send them to me.

Wind slept soundly until he heard the Captain's warning call. Looking up groggily, he realized that the Captain was not looking at him, but behind him.

Wind pulled out his sword and stood quickly, just in time to be overwhelmed by a bright, white light.

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Wind came running into the Captain's Hyrule with all his belongings on his back and his sword in hand. He slammed into a moblin.

'Is that Captain?' Wind wondered. He looked different, but he couldn't quite place it. They were on a battlefield of monsters and soldiers. He could see the whole battlefield from the hill he was on. It was massive. Wind got to work.

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"Absolutely not." General Impa spoke to the Captain while he and another stood at attention. "They are way too young."

"They are excellent warriors. They'd be better off than most of the soldiers in the entire army." The Captain argued. "Besides, both of them are heros. They have experience being in extreme situations and would be valuable assets to Hyrule."

"Regardless, it is against the law. I will not approve this."

There was silence for a minute or so while the two commanding officers stared at each other. Out of the castle window, he watched as a portal dropped off Tetra in the field. He'd have to warn her about this stupid age restriction.

"The children of commanding officers are allowed to join their parent's company. Yes?"

"That is correct, Link, but I don't see how...oh. I suppose we could arrange that."

"Arrange what?" Mask asked incredulously. "Is that really necessary?"

"If you prefer the army over an orphanage, then yes."

"How quickly can we sign the stupid papers?" Wind was becoming impatient. He needed to warn Tetra before she became caught within the age trap. Stupid age restrictions.

Wind noticed that the general was gone just in time for Impa return holding a few pieces of paper, Zelda following with ink and pen. Neither Link nor Mask had noticed her leave, but all three of them they were caught off guard by her re-entry.

With the papers laid out on the table, Impa turned back to look at Link. "What are their names?"

"Well, technically both their names are Link, but my troops and I have taken to calling them Mask and Toon (Tune, technically. But I'm going with the in-game spelling unless someone prefers otherwise).

"Ok then. We can ignore the surnames for now, but they will legally be known as Link Mask and Link Tune."

Zelda looked very amused as she signed her approval on both papers. Link signed the adoption papers, then motioned for the two of them to sign.

"So we're good to fight now?" Mask asked.

"So long as you are fighting with or under the command of your Captain."

"Thank you, your highness." Wind bowed the way his Brothers taught him to, but left hastily to greet Tetra.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

"Chief Aster! We've been searching for over a month, are we really going to find him here?"

Aster glared at his fellowsolider.

"Yes. If my sister says he is here, then here he will be."

"Who knows. Maybe she's come to correct herself." Another solider commented.

"Do you care to repeat that?"

"Sir, she right there. Headed our way."

Aster jogged to where the soldier was standing, and he saw her, too, walking toward them. Aster ran to meet her, egar to know why she had come.

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Hyrule tried to hold himself steady as a hand quickly fumbled the bottle out of the bag.

"I am so sorry, Lord Hyrule!" Aster opened the bottle and released him. "Please forgive me."

Lord Hyrule? He froze in place as the soldiers around him knelt.

Adina stepped forward. "My Lord, of you will follow me this way, I can explain."

He and Adina stepped away from the search party and into the woods, just out of sight.

"Lord Hyrule. I apologize for mess we've made. I am Adina Askari, the clan Seer, and my brother, Aster, is the Chief. We learned after you left that you are beloved of our great Goddess Hylia, and we seek to do no harm to her lover."

"..." Hylia's lover? What? Some mistake was made.

"I sensed that your spirit bore this title after my brother asked me to located you."

Oh. That mistake was Sky. He had Sky's spirit. Sky was dating Sun, the reincarnation of Hylia. Hence 'Hylia's Lover.'

"Um," how to explain this, he wasn't sure.

"I also found the curse on your blood planted by the power of Demise, and we have begun to build you a castle for your protection. The outer wall should be completed by now. Is there anything you need before we leave?"

"Just a few questions. Um, do you really have slaves?"

"Oh! No not at all. We just bring people along with us until they're out of the danger zone. Though we can't seem to find the edge of it anywhere around here. I believe it is because of your curse."

"I see. Well, I guess I'll introduce you to my sisters and then we can leave." Hyrule waved them over. "From oldest to youngest, it's Talia, Lyra, Cora, Mira, Nuri, and then me."

"Ah, yes. I forgot about your fae lineage. Its an honor to meet you all. Are you ready to set out?"

"Uh, I'm not sure if we..."

*fairy chimes*

Hyrule looked at Nuri. "Are you sure? It might not be a good idea."

*pleading fairy chimes*

"Fine. We're ready to go."

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Hyrule was in awe at the amount that they could build in a month. It looked a lot like Wild's Castle walls, but brand new, needing a few renovations, not in ruin, and no castle in the middle.

He was shown to a large, fancy tent, that was not designed as a holding cell this time. He made him and himself comfortable for the night, before talking to Talia about what they were going to do in the morning.

"Well, Link, I don't think we should stay." Talia stood on his shoulder, taling away from his ear, so avoid being too annoying. "You are cursed and and I don't know if these people can handle that."

"I agree. I feel bad being here, having already caused problems, and only being welcome because of a misunderstanding. Sky is Hylia's boyfriend, not me. We just happen to have the same soul."

"So do we leave tonight or in the morning?"

" I'm not sure."

A horn sounded from outside the tent.

"To arms! We're surrounded! Gather at the walls!"

Well, there goes the leaving option.

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Hyrule flew out of view from the camp and walked through the night and and the following day before stopping to rest for a night. Having stopped earlier that evening, Hyrule sat down to make dinner, but got distracted by a certain pile of mushrooms in his bag.

"Well excuse you, Cora, but I think it's looking great."

*concerned fairy chimes*

"I did forget to make dinner. This is probably it."

Silence

"Hey! It's not that bad!"

Hyrule could understand all fairies both as a fairy himself and as a hylian, but that silence spoke a lot clearer.

*hesitant chimes*

"Thank you, Lyra. At least one of you is somewhat reasonable."

Hyrule looked a little fearfuly at all his sister's looks of death, but only for a moment before enjoying his latest mushroom mix. The same mushroom that always tasted good, but the consequences held the opposite. Like poisoning people. Or melting through wood.

Oh. Melting wood...

And that was his last thought before he blacked out.

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The mushrooms strike again. Hyrule woke up a fairy, and unable to transform back.

After passing out, Talia realized that his hylian form could not handle the poison he'd just consumed. So she pushed him into his fairy form. His fairy form knows that transforming back would kill him, so it has him locked in this form.

"Thank you, Talia." Hyrule spoke sheepishly after being rescued from himself.

"If you're not more careful from here on out, I'm going to tell aunt Cotera." Nuri warned.

"Actually," Mira corrected. "Aunt Kaysa is closer."

The six of them stood in the nest of a bird who was willing to shelter them, so with Cora on watch, they actually slept this time.

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"We'll rest here." Aster called everyone to a halt. They'd just gotten out of a battle with a hoard that was probably looking for the same deity that they were searching for.

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With Hyrule still stuck as a fairy, the six of them backtracked there own trail, away from the nest and the monster that'd found his scent.

"Link! Watch out!" Nuri called from behind him.

He hit some kind of glass wall, and the air stilled. the breeze was gone, and the smell of fresh air disappeared into the scent of old soup. He rubbed his eyes, opened them, and looked around.

He was in a glass bottle. His sisters were in the woods, unwilling to get any closer, but committed to staying close by. Aster held the bottle was trapped in, showing him off to some other people he didn't recognize. Unable to do amything in a bottle, he watched as he was stuffed into a bag where he waited in silence until he was needed, though he knew he wouldn't be able to help much if it came to that.

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Time handed his daughter off to Emery once the sun rose. He had tasks from yesterday that still needed done. Two thought kept his mind occupied as he accomplished them. One, what would the twins name's be? And two, his daughter had colorless fierce diety markings on her face. All the markings were there, even the ones he didn't have, and they were barely noticeable. Similar to Twilight's tri-force symbol, it was as though she'd had those birth walks slightly tanned before she arrived. He wasn't sure what to make of those.

Eventually, he pulled himself out of his yhought to focus on the tasks at hand. But when he did, he noticed something odd. We're those...footsteps?

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Malon waited with the twins as Emery left to deal with a customer in the barn. No she had no idea what to name them. She'd forgotten about that part. Her son was in a bassinet by the bed, but her daughter was in her arms. Having hit her head a little as she was putting her down, the baby was now crying with her little infant wail...or she was. She was now holding her breath. Mouth open and mid-wail, she was o longer breathing.

Emery, the very young midwife/nanny, had warned her about this. She said lot of things, but staying calm was one if them. It was also the only thing her former pregnancy-brain could remember.

Her daughter still refused to breath.

"Emery!" Malon was hesitant to call Emery away from the customer, especially knowing that she was specifically told not to panic.

"...Emery!!" Malon was scared now. Several minutes had gone by and baby continued her dramatic episode.

"Emery!"

"Comming!"

A hint of blue touched the baby's lips.

"EMERY!!!" Terror struck. Fearful tears began to blurr her vision as Emery burst into the room.

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Time was on the other side of the ranch, still following the footsteps. It was a little suspicious how obvious the trail was. He continued down the path anyway, until he came to the edge of the fence where the trail seemed to end. He leaned over the fence, but as he was looking over the cliff, the ground opened up beneath him, swallowing him whole.

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Emery swiftly closed the distance between herself and the baby. Leaving the baby in Malon's arms, she blew fast, hard, and sharp once on the baby's face.

She was breathing.

Tearfully and trembling, Nalon looked at Emery. "That's it? That's all I had to do?"

Malon cradled her daughter closely, and Emery put a smaller blanket over her shoulders. Sitting on the bed with Malon, Emery rubbed her back in an attempt to help her calm down.

"Yes. That's all." Emery wasn't from Hyrule. She had arrived a couple months prior to Time's return, and tended to Talon. He'd had a stroke and the doctors couldn't help him walk, or talk at all. She was able to give him and Malon one last chance to talk to each other again, and their conversation lasted almost half an hour before Talon finally passed. She was then hired as a ranch hand upon Time's arrival.

Emery stayed next to Malon until she was able to put the baby down. Once all was settled down again, she headed down to make dinner.

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"Thank you for bringing my sister. Let her in."

"Aster, what's wrong? You've never called me before."

"Adina," Aster motioned for her to sit down. "Have you checked on the Thorne company?"

"I have. They will all be alright."

"Yes, but I want justice. I know it's partly our fault for leaving a new slave unsupervised, but I want to hunt him down and put him in his place."

"I see."

"As the clan seer, would you please call on the power of Hylia and tell me where I will find him?"

"I don't see why not. I could use the practice."

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"Good morning, Aster." Adina found him, and led him to her tent. "I have Hyrule's location, but I must discuss something with you."

"Make it quick. I have things to do."

"Firstly, he is cursed. Hyrule's blood and scent will attract monsters everywhere to him. It would be unwise to bring him back or to kill him. Killing him will leave him to the monsters, who will use him to resurrect a demon."

"...what? That seems a lot for a warrior so young."

"There's more. His spirit is marked with a claim. Hylia's claim. It seems old for some reason, but I believe Hyrule is Hylia's lover."

"We had a god is our midst?"

"No. He is not even immortal, but he is Hylia's."

"So our beloved Goddess has chosen this one as her own?"

"Yes."

"So we need to protect him, but he is cursed, so that will be significantly more difficult because he is cursed."

"Yes."

"...So no vengeance?"

"That is correct." Adina replied very patiently, and Aster sighed.

"Fine. I'll begin preparations to build a permanent fortress here."

"He makes ground quickly, you need to set out now."

"He MAKES GROUND? I thought he wasn't a god." Aster's face held a huge grin at the opportunity.

"He's not! That means he going fast. Now go north till you find him!" Adina was face-palming as he left. Little brothers sometimes.

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1. Names Please

Girl's Name Poll

Boy's Name Poll

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Time was shaken awake by Legend. Almost imedeatly he noticed the small white portal hovering ever closer to Wind. As the portal's inching became a little faster, he jumped up and woke Twilight before shouting to the rest of the chain.

"Everybody up!"

He and Twilight leaped into action when Wild nearly fell through the floor holding him up as best they could, but Wild fell through as Time was consumed by white light.

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Time sat just outside his and Malon's room with the midwife. Emery. Everything went well. Twins. A boy and a girl. He'd been with Malon for the duration of the delivery, but they left her to sleep in peace after everything was cleaned up.

The decision to have children came after two months of fruitless searching for any info on the chain. The decision that had not come, was what to name them when they got here. So now, he and Emery sat in the living room holding nameless(the girl) and no-name(the boy). Or so it was in his mind at the moment. He'd have to ask Malon what the kid's names were going to be in the morning. In the meantime, sleep sounds wonderful.

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