#ashes writes

Without missing a beat.

Twilight clenched his jaw. It could have just been a coincidence, right? Chili is a normal thing to make on cold nights. A completely normal answer with no comedic value at all. But Twilight knew his predecessor too well and when he glanced at Time’s bloodied face, there was that undeniable glint of mischief in his single eye.

Not again, Twilight thought while suppressing a sigh. The best thing to do was to ignore him and not give him any encouragement or satisfaction. So they spent the last minutes walking to the camp in silence.

Finally they broke through the tree line into the camp.

“What the hell happened to you guys?” Warriors was the first to spring to his feet.

“Monsters,” Twilight grunted and gently eased Time to the ground next to the fire.

“I gathered that much,” Warriors said while helping Time sit.

“Didn’t we agree to be extra careful since we ran out of potions?” Four chided.

Hyrule rushed over with the medical bag and began pulling supplies. “We can at least get him patched up for now. The map we got shows there should be a town a day’s hike from here. He’ll be okay.” He pressed a cloth to the deep wound on Time’s leg and the elder hissed at the sudden pressure. “Sorry. Just rest and lay down, we’ll take care of you in no time.”

“I’m fine…” Time barely managed to say through slurred words and stubbornly remained sitting upright.

“Time, you’re bleeding out and you have a concussion. Lay down,” Twilight demanded.

“No.” Despite his protests, Time’s gaze seemed to fade out of focus and his body wavered with fatigue.

“You’re being stubborn, Old Man.”

Time’s eye refocused and slowly drifted to meet Twilight’s stern glare. “Stubborn,” he repeated weakly. “One might even say I’m…resisting a rest…”

Warriors and Twilight exchanged a pained look. Twilight though he had stopped Time’s onslaught earlier, but it was apparent Time was only just beginning. Don’t react, Twilight’s frown read. He turned his glare to Time and forced him to lie down with an unrelenting hand.

“What caused this?” Wind asked, innocently cutting through the tense atmosphere. The Sailor scooted closer to Time and Twilight eagerly.

“He took a lizalfos spear to the leg,” Twilight indicated toward the persistently bleeding wound under Hyrule’s hands. “And a stalfos got him in the head with a club.”

Hyrule removed one hand from his task to rummage through the medical bag, handing Twilight a cloth to dab at Time’s bloody face. “I’m just glad you guys got here when you did. Any later and things would have gotten critical.”

“Then you all would have been Timeless,” came a mumble from their stoic leader’s mouth.

Somewhere behind Warriors, Legend sighed heavily and Twilight cleared his throat loudly to get the Veteran’s attention. When they met eyes, Twilight shook his head with a fierce scowl in warning.

Sky joined them with a bowl of water to help clean Time’s wounds.

“Thanks, Sky,” Twilight said and took the bowl.

“Anything else I can do?” The Skyloftian asked with concern written in his features.

Twilight shook his head. “Let’s just give him some space.”

“Wouldn’t want too many of you working over-Time,” the Old Man added quietly from the floor.

It took every ounce of strength in Twilight to remain passive as he continued to dab at Time’s wound with a wet cloth.

“That must have been a pretty nasty blow to the head,” Wild commented from his place by the cook pot. Twilight couldn’t tell if Wild was commenting underhandedly about Time’s crappy puns or if he was just making an innocent observation. Either way, he wished everyone would keep their mouths shut so they wouldn’t fuel Time’s bad jokes.

“That stalfos was just trying to kill time,” Time continued, sufficiently egged on by their lack of acknowledgement. “But he didn’t have the guts.”

Twilight closed his eyes, trying to maintain composure. “Enough ‘time’ jokes. Just rest and save your strength,” he growled.

Time placed a feeble hand over Twilight’s. “Forgive me, Pup,” he relented. Maybe he was tired enough to concede with ease, Twilight hoped silently. “I didn’t intend to make you feel second-hand embarrassment.”

Up until now, Twilight commended his companions for remaining unresponsive to Time’s jabs in an effort to stem the flow of nonsense spewing from his mouth. He didn’t fault Wind for letting out a snort, it was a miracle the kid even lasted this long.

Unfortunately, Wind’s reaction allowed Time to zero in on him. “Hey, Sailor. I’d like your expert insight on something.”

“Yeah?” Wind was practically trembling in anticipation.

“Wind, I swear to the Goddesses.” Twilight didn’t hold back his stinging tone as he glared at the teen.

Time paid no heed to his Pup’s heated warning. “Where do boats go when they’re sick…?”

Before Twilight could snap at either of them, Legend groaned from the far side of the camp. “If you say ‘to the doc’, you’re dead to me.”

“To the doc?” Wind ventured as if he didn’t hear Legend’s threat.

Time closed his eye and nodded sagely. “To the doc,” he repeated in affirmation.

The man was delirious. He had lost so much blood that all fronts of authority and seriousness fell away and he resorted to his inner childish impulses. Once a Kokiri, always a Kokiri, Twilight thought and sighed sharply.

“I wonder…” Time was far from done, it seemed. He continued his focus on Wind. “If we call gulls that fly over the sea ‘seagulls’, then wouldn’t it stand to reason that gulls that fly over the bay be called ‘bagles’?”

Wind burst with laughter and Twilight seethed.

“He could at least make them good jokes,” Four muttered across from them.

Twilight needed to distract Time not only from his jokes but because his words were slurring more and his eyelid kept threatening to fall. He shouldn’t sleep with a concussion this soon, so Twilight diverted Time’s focus to his two favorite topics: Malon and sweets. “Tell me something, Time.”

His mentor turned his head slightly to shift his attention to his protégé.

“You never told us about the cake you and Malon had at your wedding. What flavor was it?”

Time hummed with a soft smile at the memory. “Vanilla with strawberries. Simple, but it’s her favorite. I didn’t think she could look more beautiful,” he rambled. Twilight silently celebrated his success in deterring more jokes. “But when she walked out with that dress…and her hair was like fire…and the cake…” Time trailed off, so Twilight gently jostled his shoulder. “Mm…She was so beautiful that the cake…was in tiers…”

“Merciful Din,” Twilight cursed. Another distraction- he needed to keep throwing distractions at him.

Four seemed to have caught on to what Twilight was attempting to do, so he offered another question. “Did you mean it when you said you fought the moon once?”

“Mmhmm,” Time nodded.

“What was that even like?”

“It was out of this world, Smith.”

Four, Farore bless his heart, pressed on. “That must have been pretty tough.”

Time shrugged, like fighting the literal moon was no big deal. “It was weird, if anything. It had a face.”

“Whaaat!” Wind exclaimed and rocked back in disbelief. “Did it have hair, too?”

“Nah.”

A strange question to ask, Twilight thought. He glanced up at the Sailor and saw a devious grin spread across his face. “Wind, whatever you’re about to say-”

“If it did have hair, how would the moon get it cut?”

Time’s shit-eating grin mirrored Wind’s. “Eclips it…”

Twilight was so close to throttling the kid, but he resigned to changing the subject again. “Anyway,” he shot a glare at the Pirate.

“Twi, just give up,” Legend groaned. “He’s too far-gone.”

“Your ocarina,” Sky piped up, pausing his work on a new carving. “How long did it take you to get the hang of playing it?”

“Well,” Time rubbed a hand over his tired eye. “It wasn’t that hard. I had people teach me the magical songs and I had to play it by ear.”

“Wow, that’s some talent,” Sky said. The poor knight didn’t know what he had walked into.

“Yeah, playing by ear isn’t easy by any means. But now I just use my hands…”

“Okay, enough with the dad jokes, already!” Twilight couldn’t hold himself back any longer. This had to end.

“They aren’t dad jokes.”

“Yeas they fucking are. Now please would you just-”

Though his voice was weak, Time plowed on and interrupted him without hesitation. “I don’t have kids, so they aren’t dad jokes.”

“Fine, whatever, I really don’t care. Just stop-”

“Anyone who makes dad jokes without actually being a dad…it would be a faux pa…”

“I am literally about to murder you, Old Man.”

“Hey, Captain.”

“Please leave me out of this,” Wars grumbled.

“What do you call a smart clock?”

“Now is really not a good time. You’re bleeding out, you have a concussion and we have no potions and you’re making puns.”

Time didn’t care. “Clock-wise…”

Warriors threw his hands up in defeat.

“Magic can do a great many things, Traveler.” Time aimed his next barrage at Hyrule, who nodded in agreement with Time’s statement. “But I know a way to make a handkerchief dance without imbuing it with magic.” He paused for dramatic effect. “You put a little boogie in it.”

Wind was in stitches on the ground and Twilight was seeing red. He envied Hyrule for his strength because the entire time, the Traveler wore a passive smile while continuing to bandage Time’s leg without a single complaint. Four groaned and plopped his head on Sky’s shoulder, who couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene. Wild was biting his lip in an earnest attempt not to laugh. Legend pressed his hands together as if in prayer and bent his head down with his eyes closed. Perhaps he was pleading to the Goddesses to end their collective suffering.

I have written Solangelo, Snowbaz, and Pynch! Click on the ship heading to view my tag for that ship, click on the titles to bring you to a specific fanfic. 

Solangelo

Atramentous: (Chaptered Fic, High School AU - Angst and Fluff)  Four years ago, Nico’s life was perfect. He had two loving parents, a caring older sister, and a beautiful house in Italy. Then a fire started in their house and everything Nico loved crumbled along with the walls and family photos. Now, Nico and his dad live in America with Nico’s step mom and sister, but Hades is almost never home and Nico has hardly smiled since the fire. Maybe the boy who just moved in across the street can help him bring a stop to the relentless bullying Nico has been dealing with for two years, and maybe he can teach him to smile again in the process.

Fulmination: (Chaptered Fic, Superhero AU)  Will is a part of the city’s elite force of superheroes and he’s only one who can defeat The Wraith, a fearsome entity born of shadows and violence. (But recently, Will is starting to think that maybe The Wraith isn’t the villain he seems to be.)

|part 1| |part 2| |part 3| |part 4|

Take A Break: (Mortal College AU - Mindless Fluff) It turns out that Nico can barely function when Will kisses his neck

Get Better Kisses: (Mortal Childhood AU - Fluff) They’ve been best friends forever and Nico may or may not be abusing Will’s “magic kisses”

Song Current: (Siren AU - Lots of Plot ?? Kisses ??) Will is a siren. Nico is weak.

Smoke: (Mortal AU - dOMestIC, Steamy Kisses) Will is distracting and Nico burns dinner.

Upside-Down: (Non-AU - Mindless Fluff) Nico and Will sittin’ in a tree…

Without Words: (Undefined - Steamy Kisses) Basically, Nico and Will are kissing and being sweet (a lot of these are kiss prompts from a prompt post okay)

Ticklish: (Non-Au - Fluff) Nico claims he’s not ticklish, Will isn’t so sure

If You Insist: (Mortal College AU? - Steamy Kisses) exactly what it sounds like (the last of the kiss prompts!)

Unconventional: (Mortal AU - Fluff) Will has been worrying himself sick over this for months, trying to make it perfect, so why in the world does this seem like the perfect time? They’re not even wearing pants, they’re watching Groundhog Day for gods’ sake

It Goes Like This: I Want and I Want and I Want: (Mortal AU - Unprecedented Amounts of Fluff and Angst) Of the course of love and heartbreak

It Goes Like This: I Hurt and I Heal and I Break: (Mortal AU - Angst and fluff) Part 2 of the It Goes Like This duology

Sshh, Sshh: (Non-AU - Mild Angst, Fluff) Will asked Nico out on a date and Nico is hopelessly, ridiculously late

Cursed: (Soulmate AU - Angst) The name on Nico’s arm is “Solace” and Percy tells him he’s lucky, but he’s not so sure

Bloody Knuckles: (Mortal AU - Mild Angst, Fluff) Nico is always getting into fights and Will is always cleaning up his messes

A Rush of Chemicals or a Vital Thing: (College AU - Enemies to Lovers) Will is optimistic, Nico is cynical, and they both have very different views on love. (And someone definitely has a sense of humor, whether it be God or fate or their philosophy professor.)

Truth: (Mortal AU - Angst and Fluff) Will doesn’t want to lose him again and Nico doesn’t want to leave

Where Have You Been: (Rockstar AU. Singer!Will - Angst and Fluff) - Will Solace is the lead singer of Day Fighter, a rock band that’s gotten wildly popular since they released their album Of The Angel. Will has everything he’s ever wanted, he should happy, but the irony of it all is that the boy who inspired the album that brought him so much fame is the exact reason he’s not happy. Nico di Angelo disappeared three years ago, leaving a three-word note and the necklace he used to wear every day as the only evidence that he ever existed.

Overheard: (Mortal AU - Fluff) Will and Cecil really need a new phone and Nico is weak for boys with freckles

Mercurial: (Singer!Nico AU - Fluff, Very Vague Nudity) Nico di Angelo has a voice like charred cinnamon and Will Solace is addicted

Abandoned: (Angel of Death!Nico - Fluff and Angst) Will Solace finds love hidden in a hauntingly abandoned theme park and it’s not quite what he expected.

Ticket Boy: (Movie Theater AU - Fluff) Nico likes movies, but he likes the boy who works at the theater a lot more

Earth Angel: (50s AU - Fluff, Very Minor Angst) 1954 isn’t the most progressive year, Will’s family isn’t the most open-minded, and Nico di Angelo isn’t the safest boy to have set his sights on. But Will is stubborn.

Pretty: (Mortal AU, Fem!Nico - Minor Angst, Fluff) Nico has never felt quite right– he’s always liked pretty things and he’s always been afraid to express himself. And Will wants to fix that.

Keeper of Words, Keeper of Worlds: (Fantasy AU, Angst & Fluff) Nico has a divine gift and uses it to search feverishly for a sister whose death is his fault. Will might be his answer.

Snowbaz

Hungry and Wild Things: (Canon Divergence - Angst, Fluff, Steamy Kisses, Slightly NSFW) Simon is going on and on about Wellbelove and Baz has had enough of it

Just This: (Canon Divergence - Angst, Fluff) Their fate has always been laid out for them, Baz will kill Simon unless Simon gets to him first, but neither of them really wants that

Tastes Like Destruction: (High School AU - Slight Angst, Steamy Kisses) Baz and Simon are best friends, but lately Baz is distant and Simon is frustrated. (But really Baz is desperate and Simon is flustered and they’re both hopeless.)

With C With Course Charcoal and Crumbling Chalk: (High School AU - Minor Angst, Fluff) Baz Pitch doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, he wears it on a wall because walls are impersonal and Simon Snow can’t get too close.

Flour, Flower: (Bakery/Flower Shop AU, Fluff) Baz manages the family bakery, Simon works at the family flower shop, and one day their worlds collide.

Afflatus: (Artist!Baz and dancer!Simon - Fluff, Pining) Baz is an artist and Simon is his unwitting muse

Pynch

A Myth More Real: (Fairytale AU - Fluff) To find Glendower, they must first find the Greywaren. (Or: Ronan is a legend, Gansey is the son of a Lord, Adam is intuitive, and the Greywaren isn’t as aloof and powerful as he’d like to have them think.)

Honeyed: (Non-AU - Fluff, Vague Nudity) There’s the lake, and it’s beautiful, but Adam is better. (Or: Adam and Ronan skinny dip in broad daylight and are massive dorks.)  

Rhyme and Reason: (Non-AU - Fluff) With everything going on, Adam and Ronan haven’t really talked yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honesty was essential in Malon and Time’s relationship.

In the early years when their friendship had only just begun to evolve into something more, the importance of transparency was established firmly, complimented with the understanding that Time could trust Malon with anything and the conversations held in confidence would always be a safe space. Of course, the opposite was true when Malon trusted Time with her thoughts or feelings. It took a while for her guarded hero to open up to her, but she was patient and he was always grateful for that. Eventually, he had gained enough courage to go into the darker and stranger parts of his journeys- details what would be dismissed as fantasies or nightmares but never reality. Malon took every word as the truth and when Time said that something actually happened, she believed that in its entirety.

When he told her he had been raised by a tree, she believed it (though she had always assumed that anyway since he was from the Forest). When he told her he had to re-live the same three days countless times to avoid the moon crashing into the earth, she never questioned it. She even believed the fact that he had a mask that imbued him with the spirit of a literal god.

More recently, she had received letters from him explaining that other Chosen Heroes from across time and universes had been brought together and she took the information as easily as if he had told her the time. If there had been any doubt, it was dashed now that she had all nine Links at the Ranch for the first time.

But this? She just couldn’t wrap her mind around this revelation, and she was as frustrated as her husband was about her hesitation.

“He is not,” she refused stubbornly with confusion knotting her brow into a frown.

Her husband tiredly dragged a hand down his face with a groan. “Why would I lie about this?”

She tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow as if it was obvious. “To set up some elaborate prank, why else?”

“It’s not a prank,” he insisted flatly. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“You want me to believe that boy out there, who also happens to be our descendant, is a-”

Time rushed to cover her mouth with his hand before she could finish. “Would you keep it down?” He hissed in a hushed voice. “Not everyone knows!”

Malon swatted his hand away. “Oh, yeah? Who else is in on this joke of yours?”

She noticed how he pointedly ignored her remark about it being a joke and continued to answer in a low voice. “Just Wild and Four, but please don’t mention it out loud. It’s a secret to everyone,” he insisted.

“Almost everyone, you mean,” she corrected sarcastically.

Time rolled his eyes. “Right, whatever. We can prove it to you tomorrow if he’s up to it.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, incredulous and gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder as she brushed by him. “I’m sure you will.”

“Exactly, we will.”

“Good night, dear,” she sighed with a smile and crawled into bed, ignoring his grumbling about her being more stubborn than an old mare.

~*~

The sun hung high just as the morning chores had been finished. The work went much faster with so many extra hands and she knew she’d lament the day they would have to set back on the road. Everyone was lazing around the Ranch while the alluring smell of the lunch Wild was cooking wafted through the kitchen window.

She had just rounded the corner of the main barn to show Time a fence that needed fixing when she remembered another task she wanted done. She stopped and put her hands on her hips in thought as she watched the cattle grazing in the field.

Time stopped and tried to look where she was, wondering if there was something wrong. “What is it?”

“Well, I was thinking since there are a good handful of you who know how to ride, I wanted to move the cattle to the lower field before the season’s out.”

“I can do that in a matter of minutes singlehanded, if you’d like.” Twilight, who had been reclining on some bales of hay in the loft, began to descend the ladder eagerly.

“Could you really?” Malon, for the second time in twenty-four hours, was in disbelief.

“Sure,” Time said proudly and patted Twilight on the back when he had gotten close enough. “Our boy here is the finest rancher any Hyrule has ever seen.”

“I’d be impressed, but the only way I can see it being possible is with herding dogs at your side.”

The Rancher gave a toothy grin and rolled up his sleeves. “No need.” He started marching confidently to the pasture but made no effort to whistle for his horse.

“Aren’t you forgetting Epona?” Malon called with a laugh.

Twilight scanned the area around him for a moment and, seemingly satisfied with what he found- or didn’t find, he broke into a run and prepared to hop the fence.

Two boots left the ground and in the blink of an eye, four paws landed on the other side of the fence. Malon was frozen in shock while her smug husband was in stitches beside her.

The cattle didn’t take being circled by a wolf very well, and in record time, the lower field was occupied with disgruntled cows and a large wolf trotted happily toward her.

“It’s…” Every instinct she had told her to run from the approaching predator, but her eyes had shown her a different story. She crouched slowly and raised a tentative hand to the wolf. “It’s really you.”

The wolf pressed his furry head into her outstretched hand and continued to pant at her with bright eyes. Time and Twilight were expecting some sort of profound exclamation or a slew of questions, but not for Malon’s expression of wonder to melt into a frown.

“You’re filthy.” The words made Twilight cease panting and Time stiffened at her critical tone. “When was the last time you had someone even brush out your coat? I won’t even bother asking when you last washed your fur because it’s obvious that it’s a rare occurrence.” She had a point and Twilight admitted it with a bashful whine and drooping ears. He had mats throughout his coat and burrs stuck to his legs. Dried patches of mud and, well…Farore knows what else were clumped in his tail and his paws, not to mention his nails could definitely use a filing.

“We never exactly have time to do much self-care on the road,” Time defended valiantly.

“It’s a wonder, then, that you all don’t look like this.” Malon shot back. Time inhaled to reply but she continued now that she was fired up. “This is serious. A coat in this state is perfect for housing fleas, the mats will soon cause irritation and hot spots and I’m genuinely surprised he doesn’t have mange.”

In a huff, Malon stood and brushed off her skirts. “Go to the wash stalls, I’ll be there in a minute with the grooming kit.”

Twilight grumbled a protest, which earned him a stern look from Malon.

“Any creature staying on my ranch is cared for by only the highest standard. Now go,” she shooed the wolf off and spun on her heel to fetch the kit.

~*~

Working with animals for a living, Twilight could understand Malon’s tough love approach. She cared so much about the quality of their lives that she would never take no for an answer. He soon gave up his attempts at refusing the grooming and now lay on his side under the shade of a tree by the wash stalls.

He wasn’t used to this level of attention, but a part of him now wondered how he had gone so long without it. Malon sat beside him and hummed idly and the methodical pull of bristles combing through his fur soon had him dozing. The sun dappled his coat and he savored every serene second that eased by, punctuated by cardinals singing in the trees and soft breezes rustling the leaves and grass. Occasionally, Malon would have to be rough if she encountered a particularly stubborn mat or a cluster of burrs, but otherwise the sensation of being brushed was heavenly.

Before the conversation the other night with Time and Malon about him being their descendant, Twilight would have found this interaction awkward or out of place. But now, as gentle hands picked through neglected fur and singing graced his ears in soft hums, he felt like he was in the care of a loving mother. More and more, she and Time seemed to fit parental roles whether they knew it or not. Being able to feel so safe letting his guard down while Malon groomed him- on top of the fact that Time had said he was proud of him- made his heart swell.

“Okay,” Malon sang, breaking Twilight from his thoughts. “This side’s done! Let’s see.”

Twilight complied with a yawn and a stretch, then shook out his coat. Malon giggled when she took in the sight of the half brushed wolf.

“What a difference!” She exclaimed with a satisfied smile. “Let’s finish the other side.”

He didn’t need to be told twice, so he gladly laid down and allowed her to start working on the new knots.  

Everything was perfect…

Until it was time for a bath.

If the weather was one degree cooler, he would not have agreed to sit in the shallow trough he now found himself in. The water was refreshing yet borderline too cold and it took him far too long to inch his way into the bath.

His fur was drenched now, the weight unintentionally causing his ears to droop to the sides slightly. Malon reached into the jar of shampoo again and began lathering it on the top of his head. She laughed when she pulled her fingers up through his fur and shaped the locks into spikes which Twilight was painstakingly enduring. He had just thought that it couldn’t get worse until Wild and Four rounded the corner.

“What…” Wild stopped dead in his tracks and Four gasped. The moment of silence hung dreadfully heavy in the air for a second longer than Twilight would have liked before the two burst into fits of laughter. Twilight growled under his breath. To his horror, Wild took out his slate and snapped a picture, turning it around to show off the moment. “This is what you look like,” he said through strangled laughs.

Twilight let out a string of grumbles and growls at the sight.

“He says he wants you to delete it now,” Four translated.

That wasn’t the whole message, Twilight thought, so he emphasized his demand with a stern bark.

“Sorry, sorry,” Four amended. “He wants you to delete it now, bitch.”  

“Ha!” Wild waved the slate at a taunting distance from the wolf’s nose. “Fat chance! I’m not deleting this comedy gold.” In frustration, Twilight slapped the slate out of the Champion’s hand with a sopping paw and a menacing growl.

“You can be a grump all you want, it’s not happening,” Wild touted and wiped off the mud from the slate. He turned with his chest puffed and a dumb grin plastered on his face. Twilight had almost resigned himself to wait on dealing with this until after the bath, but that was before he heard Wild’s next words.

“Oh, Legend is gonna lose his shit when he sees this!”

That does it.

Absolutely drenched and half covered in suds, Twilight leapt out of the trough and set murderous beastly eyes on his target.

“Wait! You were almost done!” He heard Malon call from behind.

The Champion didn’t take long to hear the thundering of paws behind him and when he turned to investigate, his eyes widened in terror. “Shit!” Wild wasted no time and booked it toward the peaceful farmhouse.

The kid was fast, Twilight gave him that credit, but the wolf was faster. They nearly barreled over poor Wind who was carrying a pail of chicken feed to the coop. The Sailor yelped and just barely dashed out of the way before predator and prey bolted up the path.

Wild hazarded a glance over his shoulder and laughed nervously when he saw that Twilight’s bared fangs weren’t far behind. He swiftly vaulted over the picket fence, followed dangerously close by Twilight. Confused shouts and curses erupted from their friends as they passed, but he paid them no mind.

Unfortunately, Wild played dirty and the boy hooked a sharp turn toward the house. If they caused a ruckus in there, probably knocking over and breaking a few things in the process, Malon was going to murder them. A smart man would give up the chase, which was what Wild was betting his pursuer would do. But Twilight was stubborn and concluded that he would have to catch Wild before getting to the house. Putting more speed in his stride and focusing solely on the prize, Twilight shot as straight and true as an arrow. With a final leap, his paws and teeth met their target.

Wild shouted in surprise and they went down in a tangle of legs and fur. Defensive hands deflected Twilight’s insistent maw from reaching the Sheikah Slate and the wolf let out snarls that would terrify literally anyone else. But his Cub still had a shit-eating grin on his lips while he cursed and shouted.

Suddenly, a large hand clamped around the wolf’s scruff and Twilight yelped as he was torn away from his victim. Time’s stern boot planted itself on Wild’s chest and held him squirming in the grass. “What in Din’s name is going on here?” Their elder growled.

“Awow-woo-wow!” Twilight yowled accusingly. Four Wasn’t there to translate, so this was the best he was going to do for now. Judging by Time’s frown and his glare turning on the Champion, Twilight figured he didn’t need words- his tone conveyed enough.

“What did you do?” Time sighed.

“Nothing!” Wild squeaked.

Twilight once more tossed his head back in exasperation and let out a string of yowls and barks in protest.

“Champion,” Time warned.

“It’s just a picture!” Wild scrambled for his slate and showed Time the cause of the scuffle. The old man pressed his lips into a thin line and Twilight knew he was suppressing a laugh.

Twilight howled and squirmed in the grip Time still had on his scruff. This was so unfair! The indignity!

Just then, Malon finally strode up to the confrontation clearly annoyed. Finally, Twilight thought, someone who will be on my side. But she looked far from willing to advocate for him when he noticed the front of her skirt and blouse were drenched from when he leapt from the water.

“I just got you clean and immediately you tear through the mud and grass!” She pointed a finger in the direction of the wash stalls. “Back in the bath.”

Unintentionally, the next howl of complaint sounded far too much like he was saying, “But, Mom!” Twilight wasn’t leaving until Wild deleted that picture, so he struggled in Time’s grasp with more fervor. He managed to slip away and try once more to get a hold of the slate.

He didn’t get far because he was dragged away again, this time by Malon and she hauled him back toward the bath.

Watching in horror and helpless to stop it, his friends began gathering around Wild to see the picture and soon everyone was laughing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a picturesque evening. The sun was beginning to set behind bare mountains, painting a soft pink hue across the sky as clouds drifted lazily above. Birds began to settle in for the on-coming night as a few jays and doves darted between trees with their dinners held in their beaks. The rolling hills the Chain had found their way to were peaceful, imbued with the sweet smell of late spring and wet grass. They set down for the day on top of one of these hills and not soon after, the campfire was crackling warmly and the heroes unwound for the night.

They had been hiking for the whole day, the terrain they passed the majority of the time was a stark contrast to the gentle hills before them now. The foothills of the mountains nearby were relentless and steep and it didn’t help that the sun was beating down on them without respite. Needless to say, the group was tired. This was confirmed perhaps too readily by the resident knight of Skyloft when he dumped an armful of firewood by the fire and, having completed his chore for the night, leaned up against a nearby tree and promptly fell asleep.

Time smiled to himself at the sight, adding to the peacefulness of the setting.

But having eight other companions, Time wasn’t surprised when the peace didn’t last far as long as he wished it would. It started off innocently enough and he wasn’t the only one who noticed their slumbering friend.

“All-together too comfortable, if you ask me,” Legend murmured from his place on a log beside the fire. He was watching Sky with what appeared at first to be disinterest. But Time knew all of his boys too well and he could recognize the mischievous glint in Legend’s eyes from a mile away, like a predator sizing up its unsuspecting prey.

“I bet he could be comfortable enough to fall asleep in the heart of a volcano,” Wild added while he stirred the pot above the fire.

“I bet he already has,” Hyrule said with an amused smile.

Four laughed and considered the man in question with his head propped in his hand thoughtfully. “I swear, sometimes waking him up is a divine quest in itself.”

Warriors snorted and bumped the smith’s shoulder with his as he took a seat beside him.

“Right?” Wind leaned forward with a playful smile. “He doesn’t even wake up when Twi sneezes!”

Twilight stopped chopping potatoes to squint at the pirate. “I do not sneeze that loud. I don’t know what you guys keep complaining about!”

Hyrule put a consoling hand on the rancher’s shoulder. “Twi. Your sneezes can-and have-caused avalanches from miles away.”

“That was just a coincidence!” Twilight cried and Time could see Four considering taking the knife from the rancher’s hand.

“Yeah, but it happened,” Wind jabbed.

“Once. It happened once.”

“Anyway,” Legend brought everyone’s attention back to the subject with a dismissive wave of his hand. “The point is the guy can sleep through anything.”

“I feel like we can take advantage of that somehow,” Wind hummed with a devious smile curling onto his face.

“Maybe just let the poor guy rest?” Twilight sighed and scraped the freshly cubed potatoes into the pot.

“I’ve got an idea,” Wild said, a smile of his own tugging at his lips.

“Wild,” Twilight growled and rolled his eyes.

“We take turns stacking sticks on his head and the last one to put a stick before he wakes up loses.”

Immediately, Wind darts to the nearest tree and pulls off several thin branches. Twilight shoots a look at Time in a silent plea to step in, but is answered with a simple raised eyebrow. He was curious, too and there was no harm in a little fun. As the sound of snapping twigs filled the air, Twilight sighed a labored breath and took over the cooking while Wild helped with the sticks.

They all took turns, save for Twilight who was cooking and Time who watched with silent curiosity. With each twig placed on the sleeping knight’s head, the players’ giggling increased in intensity. Time figured it would take a few twigs before the Skyloftian noticed the foreign weight on his head or the poorly suppressed laughter surrounding him. To all of their surprise though, Sky didn’t stir. In fact, at one point after Wars placed another twig, the knight began softly snoring. Time thought Wind would pass out from holding in his laughter as he rolled in the grass with a face as red as a Rupee.

Now the stack was comically high and Wild whipped out his Slate to take a picture while Legend placed another stick, biting his lip and holding his breath. Hushed debates on who would go next turned into a silent elbowing match as none of them wanted to risk losing.

Time, the ever supportive leader, would be remiss to neglect an opportunity to give his boys a nudge when they needed it. He schooled his amused expression to be as dead-pan as possible. “Loser gets first watch tonight.”

All eyes darted to Time with varying degrees of surprise as they considered the stakes. Wind was the first to take on the challenge with new motivation.

“Well, if you’re raising the stakes like that, Old Man, it’s only fair you participate,” Legend taunted and wiggled a stick between his fingers. Time waited a silent moment to watch the anticipation grow on their faces.

With an exaggerated sigh, he made a show of standing slowly. “If I must.” The sly grin breaking his passive mask gave away his eagerness to join as he reached the others and took the stick from Legend. He took his time assessing the pile of sticks for the optimal position and he could feel everyone’s unspoken excitement radiate from them. Finally, he found a good spot and gingerly rested his stick at the top of the pile.

After a moment of wary glances and held breaths, the stack did not tumble and Time returned to his seat proudly.

Just then, Sky shifted in his sleep with a soft hum and to everyone’s horror, half of the stack tumbled onto the knight’s lap. The whole camp was dead silent, waiting for Sky to wake.

Sky snored comfortably and undisturbed.

Wind bit down hard on his lip and was practically bursting at the seams from holding in his laugh, alleviating his inevitable hysterics by repeatedly batting Legend’s arm, who had his own mouth agape in disbelief.

“Should we keep going?” Four whispered.

“Hell yeah.” Wild marched up to sky and replaced one of the sticks.

Hyrule followed and tentatively balanced another but when the stick began to slide off, he rushed to catch it and Wind squeaked behind him. The squeak made Hyrule panic even more and surely enough caused the rest of the stack to fall from his shaking hands.

“Huh…?” Sky croaked and opened his eyes, followed by muffled cursing from multiple teammates. Sky squinted with bleary eyes in confusion as he took in the scene, his eyes wandering over a panicked Hyrule and then to Wind as the pirate flung himself onto the floor in stitches. The glare that returned to Hyrule demanded answers.

“You had some sticks in your hair, so we were…” Hyrule gulped down a laugh. “…helping.”

Now noticing the assortment of sticks strewn in his lap, Sky looked down, which caused the remaining few twigs to tumble from his messy hair. The look on his face warned of impending doom and his eyes roved the six heroes frozen in front of him.

“Who started it.” It came out less like a question and more like an order. Five fingers spared no time pointing directly at Wild, causing the Champion to shrivel under the accusations. In the blink of an eye, Sky shot to his feet and lunged at Wild, who did his best to bolt in the other direction with a yelp.

“Looks like you’ve got first watch, Traveler,” Legend gloated as he leaned an elbow on Hyrule’s shoulder.

“No fair!” Hyrule pouted. “Wind made me mess up with his noises!”

Shoulders tensed and restless boots shuffled.

“What did she look like?” Four asked hastily.

The two older men hemmed and hawed for a moment and scratched their chins. “Couldn’t get a good look at her. Just a pink-ish dress.”

“That’s all? Nothing else?” Twilight insisted.

“Sorry, son but that’s all we could see. Don’t have much else to tell ya.”

“You boys take care, now. Be careful out there.”

The three men went on their way down the busy street of the town, leaving the Chain to stew in the new information.

“I don’t know about you guys,” Legend crossed his arms. “But the only girls that shadow guy would go after would be a princess.”

“They did say she was wearing pink,” Wind hummed and tapped his foot on the ground.

“But not all of our princesses wear pink,” Wild offered with a raised eyebrow.

“Well,” Time finally spoke, drawing all eyes to their leader. “That just narrows down who exactly we’re looking for.”

There was a moment of thoughtful silence before Hyrule spoke. “So…to the mountains, then?”

“Let’s save a princess!” Wind cheered and threw a fist in the air.

~*~

The mountains were riddled with caves, so the Chain could only assume Dark and his monsters were lurking in there. It was like a labyrinth of interconnecting tunnels and snaking passageways, but soon they found their monsters. Every so often, there would be a small group of three or four monsters which made taking them down much quicker.

“Are we there yet?” Wind groaned as he slashed at another bokoblin. Black blood coated the floor and the heroes’ clothes.

Time finished taking down the last of this cluster of monsters and looked around. His boys were tired and they’ve been at this for a couple hours now. He was starting to think they wouldn’t find their princess at this rate.

He motioned for them to press on. “Just a little further, men. If we don’t find anything soon, we’ll come up with another plan.”

The monsters that they have found thus far were low-level threats. Some bokoblins here, some weaker lizalfos there. If they were getting close, they would have run into stronger enemies, like a stalfos or a moblin or-

“Shit.” Legend hissed as they wandered into a wider cavern.

“Darknut.” Four squared his shoulders and hefted his sword.

Yup, Time let out a long breath. They were getting close.

Considering that Darknuts were heavily armored foes, Time sheathed the Biggoron sword in favor of his Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield. May as well have some fun with this, he thought to himself.

Sky and Legend darted in first, exchanging blows with the enemy with flawless teamwork. Time nodded in approval. Those two seemed so different, but worked so well with each other and it reflected in their careful strikes and footwork as their moves complimented the other’s.

Soon, the Darknut grew bored with his opponents and slashed a heavy-hitting arc with its massive sword, knocking Sky and Legend away.

The others swooped in and buzzed around the Darknut while Time hung back. He slashed with his sword when there was an opening but wasn’t fighting for a spot in the action. Instead, he was biding his time to deal the final blows.

It took a good while since the monster’s armor was thick and its attacks quick. The boys fell into their routine, pairing off and landing a few blows before letting the next pair jump in. They had practiced this formula tirelessly since their journey began and now it was muscle memory.

Time tightened his grip on his sword and watched Wild and Wind take up the fight. Their style was chaotic, to say the least. It always involved a lot of shouting and explosions, but Time had to admit it worked. With the series of bomb arrows going off from where Wild was in mid-air and Wind’s own bombs, The Darknut’s armor fell off piece by piece. When the two blue-clad heroes leapt back to allow the next pair to charge in, they both threw their final volley of bombs which left a thick curtain of smoke.

Time and Twilight took advantage of the low visibility that was quickly fading and pressed through the smoke, catching the Darknut by surprise. Twilight rushed the enemy and thrust his shield when he got close enough, causing the Darknut to stumble, its armor clanking and feet scrambling to regain balance. Before it could, Time dashed up from behind his protégé and vaulted over its head. He wasn’t as nimble as he once was, but with practiced skill he twisted in the air, landing a blow and splitting the Darknut’s helm before he even touched the ground. As he landed, he slashed the Gilded Sword in a sharp arc causing the foe to stumble forward before it even knew what had happened.

Knowing what Twilight planned to do next, Time swiftly jumped back a few feet. He watched the Rancher quickly roll to the side and as he sprang back up, he spun in the air and sliced with his sword. The force was enough to make the Darknut land forward hard on the ground.

Time smiled to himself with pride as he watched his Pup, then took this chance to shift his grip on his sword so the tip was pointed downward. He leapt and with a shout and drove his sword into the Darknut in one final blow.

The enemy dissolved into dust and the fight was over.

Twilight wiped the inky blood from his blade and sauntered over to Time. “You’re a little stiff on that Helm Splitter, Old Man.”

“Watch yourself, kid,” he laughed and jabbed Twilight with his elbow.

Among their group, a couple healing potions were passing around. After all the fighting they had done over the last couple hours, they all had gotten their fair share of cuts and bruises.

“It was guarding this passage way,” Sky pointed.

The Veteran rolled his shoulder, resulting in a pop from the joint. “Then let’s get moving. Can’t keep our princess waiting.”

Wild exaggerated his scrunched up face at Legend. “Ugh, Vet. Get new joints.”

Legend didn’t hesitate to deftly trip his teammate as they all marched into the tunnel, causing Wild to stumble with a muffled swear. “Wow, Champion. Get new feet.”

Time ignored the harmless bickering and took point between Hyrule and Twilight.

“I wonder which princess Dark was stupid enough to take,” Twilight mused.

“You think maybe this isn’t the first princess he’s taken?” Hyrule suggested.

Time frowned at the notion. “Like he’s gathering all of them for something?”

Hyrule shrugged. “I hope not, but it does make the most sense.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time powerful women were stolen away for some cursed ritual,” Four added from behind. Legend agreed with a solemn nod.

The group mulled over the implications in thick silence as they made their way through the dim tunnel. Time couldn’t imagine any Zelda would submit to capture without putting up a fight. From what he had heard of the other Zelda’s throughout time, each one had a fiery personality and each was a force to be reckoned with. With all of them in one space with their combined powers and tempers- it made Time wonder if they even required rescuing. In fact, he half expected to hear a fight up ahead or feel the air thicken with the familiar taste of magic.

But nothing prepared him for what he actually heard a mere second after the thought. He stopped suddenly and motioned for the others to do the same, holding up his hand and tilting his head. He waited and held his breath until he heard the creaking of metal hinges and slamming of a barred door. A feminine voice growled out curses, answered by a deep and vile laugh. Time couldn’t distinguish the voice from what little he heard, but he knew the timbre did not match that of his Zelda’s. Besides, his Zelda didn’t curse so freely. He drew a breath to ask the others if they recognized the woman, but the pained cry echoing down the tunnel stilled his tongue.

“Link!”

It felt like an ice arrow was driven deep into his chest and he gripped a tense hand on Twilight’s shoulder to stabilize himself from his knees threatening to give out. He was expecting Zelda. It was supposed to be a Zelda.

No.

“MALON!”

Nothing mattered anymore. He broke into a sprint and left his teammates reeling behind him as he plunged deeper into the tunnel toward the subsequent screams.

Toward his wife.

His breathing was strained and quick through the tightness of his throat and his bared teeth. This couldn’t be happening. It shouldn’t be her. Why was it her? How did Dark Link find her? Sweat beaded on his temples and was quickly whisked away by the speed at which he took each twist and turn in the tunnel. He shoved off the rocky walls and slid around each corner in a blind panic. The last turn revealed a fork in the path, one passage dowsed in the bright light of day not far ahead, but luckily he didn’t have to guess which one would lead him to his wife. Her voice rang down the brighter tunnel with a string of curses. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Time would have laughed in amusement.

He drew the Biggoron sword and darted to the left. Brightness grew and grew and each frantic step filled him with more and more rage until he finally burst through the mouth of the cave.

He found himself on a generously wide ledge carved into the side of the mountain. The cave had obscured just how high up they had climbed and now the world was sprawled dangerously far below him. But he didn’t care about the view- his eye was locked on the struggling form of his wife in Dark Link’s hand. A rather bulky lizalfos whipped its tail from where it stood behind its master.

The doppelganger smiled with overconfidence. “I didn’t anticipate you all finding us so early on in the plan.”

Whatever that meant.

“Release her.” Time demanded with his voice low and dangerous.

“You may want to reconsider your words.” Dark’s smile only grew and he effortlessly hefted Malon by the collar of her shirt and dangled her over the perilous drop. Time could see her arms that were bound behind her struggling to get free and her eyes were wide in a silent plea.

Just then, the rest of the Chain caught up and emerged from the tunnel with weapons brandished and shields at the ready. Dark took in the scene before him with hungry eyes.

“Now you may want to mind your manners, boys. I really would hate to kill our lovely Malon just yet.” His red eyes locked with Time’s murderous gaze. “One wrong move and she falls.”

Warriors dared to speak up. “What do you want.”

Dark’s white teeth flashed a stark contrast to his shadowed face. “Leave.”

“Like hell,” Time growled.

“My, my. So willing to consign your beloved to such a premature death, I see.”

Time ground his teeth and fought to think of something- anything­ to keep his wife from falling. He could afford to think of nothing else. So much so that he didn’t notice Malon’s continued and methodical struggle at her bonds. Nor did he notice Legend’s ever vigilant and calculating gaze watch Malon’s eyes flick from Time to the drop below her to the ebony Master Sword sheathed on Dark’s back.

The next moment happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like it was all transpiring in slow motion and Time was helpless to act so quickly.

The sound of rope being cut free gave way to Malon reaching for the cursed sword on Dark’s back and unsheathing it in one carefully thought out motion. Time felt Legend tense beside him. As Malon’s hand wrapped around the hilt, she let out an agonizing cry but managed to draw her arm back and thrust the point into Dark’s side before dropping the sword like it was scalding hot. The sword clattered over the side of the ledge and fell out of sight. Dark hissed in pain and his hand involuntarily- or voluntarily, Time didn’t know or care- released its grip on Malon’s collar.

She fell and Legend moved faster than physically possible to close the distance while his boots seemed to shimmer with magic. The Veteran dove just in time to catch Malon’s wrist and the force dragged him down with her.

Everything was dead silent but the rushing of blood in Time’s ears, grappling with what had just happened and he refused to believe his wife and his friend were-

The familiar sound of a hookshot rang through the air followed by metal finding its target and a strangled grunt. Twilight moved first and peered over the edge. He braced himself with a wide stance and reached down, seconds later pulling up a chain in his straining hands. Warriors was close behind and reached down. The group effort made the work go by in a moment, Legend being hauled up followed by Malon.

Elsewhere, Dark was curled in on himself and his lizalfos guard stood in between him and the Chain. Its bared teeth let out a guttural growl and it brandished its curved cutlass defensively.

Time finally rushed to Malon’s side and quickly checked her over in disbelief that she was actually here and that she was alive.

“Link-” Malon barely got a word out before Dark roared and pushed himself to his feet. The Shade furiously ripped the lizalfos’ sword from its scaly claws and stormed over to the interrupted reunion. Time stepped up with his sword ready for a fight, but he wasn’t ready for the speed at which Dark Link lunged and struck. Time was barely able to parry the blade before Dark’s foot slammed into his gut. Time staggered back a few steps.

This was going to take a while and he wanted Malon as far from this demon as possible. As Dark marched closer, Time gripped Twilight’s arm.

“Take everyone and get her out of here.” His tone left no room for argument and Twilight nodded. “Wars and Sky, with me.”

His eye blazed with pure rage as he locked onto his target. The Fierce Deity would look like a joke compared to what he was about to do to this imp.

~*~

Malon didn’t question her safety now that she was surrounded by her boys. The safety she did question was that of her husband’s and the other two left to fight that shadow.

Now she and the others were setting up camp in a cave at the foot of the mountains. Thankfully, this cave was not a part of the network she had been rescued from. Instead, it was isolated and just big enough for the group to settle down comfortably.

“Are you sure they won’t need help?” Malon asked again, as she had the entire time they were making their way through the caves.

Twilight smiled as he unlatched Epona’s girth strap, causing the mare to heave a deep sigh and shake out her neck. “Sky is the best swordsman out of all of us.”

“And if you were to choose anyone to have your back, it’d be Wars,” Wind added, plopping down by his bag and stretching out.

Four poked at the growing fire in the center of the cave with a stick. “Not to mention how scary powerful Time is when he isn’t pissed.”

Malon drew her knees to her chest. She made a point never to be in harm’s way when it came to monsters and things like that, which meant she hadn’t really seen how her husband fought. She knew plenty from what he had told her over the years and she knew he wielded incredible strength, but simply knowing did little to ease her mind.

She clenched her right hand as it throbbed and demanded to be inspected. When she had held Dark Link’s sword, it had burned her like the hilt had been sitting in the heart of a furnace. Had she held on any longer than she did, her hand would have been in far worse condition. Pain and heat radiated from her palm as she carefully unfurled her fingers. The criss-cross pattern of the blade’s hilt was now branded into her skin. Thankfully, this was the worse injury she had sustained from the whole debacle.

Legend entered the cave with Hyrule, having done their rounds to secure the surrounding area. As winged boots passed by Malon, she reached up with her unscathed hand and grabbed Legend’s. The Veteran stilled and looked at her with a tilt to his head.

“What you did back there, Vet…I can’t thank you enough.” Malon smiled warmly and squeezed his hand to emphasize her words. “I owe you my life.”

Legend’s face and ears immediately flushed red and he looked away, scrubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “It was nothing. Just doing what I could,” he grumbled. Malon squeezed him one last time before letting him go.

“Careful,” Twilight said with a teasing air to his voice as he sat beside her. “If you show that one too much affection, he’ll short-circuit.” Malon giggled.

“I can hear you, y’know!” Legend barked from the other side of the fire, followed by his hat being chucked at Twilight’s face. The Rancher caught the projectile with too much ease and playfully threw it back over the fire.

“That’s why I said it, softie.”

“Ey! Watch it, flea bag!”

“I got fleas one time, Leg!”

Four intercepted the hat before it could cross the flames again. “Sure, let’s throw stuff over a literal fire. That sounds like a smart idea, guys.”

“Yeah, there’s only room for one pyromaniac, thank you very much.” Wild joined in as he set up the cooking pot over said fire.

The ‘fleabag’ comment from Legend had her wondering. Malon leaned close to Twilight and whispered. “So, do they all know about…y’know.”

Twilight smiled at her and nodded. “After certain events, the secret about Wolfie had to come out.”

“Ah.”

“Here.” He handed her a bedroll. “It’s Time’s. It beats sitting on a cave floor.”

She unrolled it, careful to use her good hand, and scooted onto the soft cushion. A fond smile played at her lips as she ran her fingers over the embroidery around the edges. She had done that for him many years ago, adorning the bland cloth with imagery of horses and fairies in hopes he would think of her every night.

Her reminiscing was interrupted when Hyrule sidled over to her with a leather potion kit in hand. “May I?” He asked as he crouched beside her and she nodded, holding out her burned hand. As he took it with delicate fingers, his other hand hovered over her palm with a soft green glow. “It’s not so bad. Is there any other injury?” The glowing hand passed over her to assess anything else that may be wrong.

“Other than being exhausted, not really.”

Hyrule hummed in response and was about to cease his inspection when his hand halted halfway up her body. His brows furrowed for a moment before he seemed to understand what he was sensing. His eyes widened a fraction and flicked up to meet hers as if burning with a silent question that Malon was afraid he would voice.

Fuck. Of course the keen healer would notice.

But he seemed to also notice how she froze uncomfortably under his stare, so he remained quiet while he rifled through his vials of potions. He held up a red potion but stopped himself as he looked at her again, calculating- considering something. Slowly, he put it back and brought out a glimmering pink potion vial instead.

“This should help with the pain and start the healing process,” he said finally. She took it and he quickly scooped up his bag before ghosting back to his place next to Wild by the cook pot. Immediately upon taking the potion, the burning sensation in her hand lessened to a dull annoyance.

Everyone seemed to settle into their own activities while Wild cooked. Hyrule had offered to help but was unanimously shot down. Wild had the sense to be gentler about it, but the bottom line was a firm ‘no’.

“He can’t be that bad, boys,” Malon tried.

“Last time he made something, he served us charred mystery meat,” Legend explained and ran a tired hand down his face.

“It was edible!” Hyrule protested.

Wind, who was lying flat on his back, raised a hand in exasperation. “It literally was not, though.”

“Do you even remember what meat you used?” Twilight grilled.

“Yes! It was…” Hyrule cleared his throat to give himself time to think. “…pink.”

“Not for long, it wasn’t,” Legend muttered. There were a few light hearted laughs before the cave fell into comfortable silence again for a long while.

Rain began pouring relentlessly from the darkened sky and Epona was forced to cease her blissful grazing, which she seemed very grumpy about.

Malon turned in her seat and extended a hand to the mare. “C’mere,” she offered softly.

Epona drew closer with the promise of affection and lowered her head into Malon’s arms. Malon breathed in her scent and closed her eyes, imagining being back home. She imagined the goats and cattle finding shelter under the old oak trees in the pastures as the rain clinked against the tin roof of the barn. She loved the rain. It always made her feel a sort of closeness with the creatures as they huddled for dry ground and warmth. The rain also reminded her fondly of the time she and Link had first expressed their feeling for each other, having dashed through the pelting rain laughing as they ducked into the barn. She had been freezing up until his warm lips pressed against hers for the first time. She forgot all about the cold after that.

The smile the memory caused quickly faltered when she thought of him. Worry wormed its way back into her mind and she picked nervously at some dried mud on Epona’s jaw. Those boys had been fighting for a while now. What if something had happened…

Epona must have picked up on her anxiety and began snuffling Malon’s fiery hair and nickering softly. “Where are those boys, huh?” She asked the horse in a smooth tone.

Epona abruptly lifted her head and craned her neck behind her and her ears pricked forward.

“Yeah, they’re out there somewhere,” Malon assured the chestnut mare.

When Epona didn’t ease her alert stance, Malon picked upon the body language. Something was out there. Fear didn’t have time to creep into Malon’s chest before Epona whinnied loudly, the call reverberating off the walls. That wasn’t a call of warning, Malon noted. It was a greeting.

Twilight must have interpreted that tone as well, because he pushed himself up expectantly. “They’re back,” he announced.

She stood slowly, allowing her sore muscles to adjust, and waited. Soon enough, three figures hobbled into view and she could hear the rain hitting her husband’s armor. They broke through the threshold of the warm cave and her eyes locked with Link’s- her Link’s.

He had an arm slung over Warriors’ shoulders and he favored one leg. Blood drenched the wounded leg and coated his boot. Further up his body, a massive dent marred the joints in the metal protecting his abdomen and rivers of blood streamed from the rupture. There was also a nasty wound to his head that trickled blood down his face and neck.

Malon set her jaw at the sight. She had work to do, it seemed.

When Link had seen her, he broke away from Warriors- who protested uselessly- and limped up to her in haste. She wanted to say something, but his strong arms wrapped around her tightly and he buried his nose in her hair, taking a deep breath in relief. She returned to tight hug with the realization that Link was alive. He’d returned to her, like he always had before. They stood in silence for a moment longer, simply basking in each other’s embrace.

She had missed him terribly…

The world fell away and it was just him as he pulled away to wander over her with a scrutinizing eye. “Are you hurt?” He breathed.

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Reality rushed back when Hyrule tactfully coughed from across the fire. “She’s as stubborn as you are, Old Man.”

The two looked at the Traveler with questioning glances. Hyrule nodded to her and she felt her limbs freeze. Was he going to say…

“Her hand,” Hyrule clarified. She shouldn’t have been as relieved as she felt, resorting to a sheepish glance at her husband as he took her hand in his. His gentle fingers barely brushed over the burn marks.

“The sword?” He guessed.

“Yeah. I didn’t know it would do that…”

“I suppose it follows similar rules as the Master Sword,” Sky offered and began removing his armor by the fire. “Those not meant to wield it simply cannot.”

“A discussion for another time,” Malon said, setting her sights on Link’s wounds. “We need to take care of all this.”

“It’s not so bad,” Link attempted to smile down at her. She wasn’t buying it and she stared up at him, sure to let him know with just a look that she believed him as far as she could throw him. “Honest!” His stubbornness knew no bounds.

“Mhmm,” she pointed an accusing finger at the ruined armor. “And I suppose your best armor isn’t actually punctured, then, is that right?”

“You’re seeing things.”

All she had to do was simply place her finger next to the break and he stifled a wince. Satisfied, she lifted her finger and tugged at his breastplate. “Off.”

Link made a show of looking aghast and leaned forward, whispering loudly. “In front of the children?”

Somewhere by the fire, Wind made a puking sound. Malon crossed her arms with a huff and fought to keep her ears from tingeing red. “So I can take care of your actively bleeding wounds, Fairy Boy.” Link laughed and she tossed her head to the side. “Ugh, you’re impossible.”

He began unclipping his armor with care, but kept up his playful attitude. “You know you love me.”

“You should count yourself lucky, or I’d have no problems leaving you to rot.”

Twilight settled by the fire next to Sky with a potion. “Ah, the joys of marriage,” he sighed wistfully.

Once the armor was successfully shucked, Link began to carefully peel his soaking undershirt from his body. Malon watched and waited for him to ask for assistance, but she didn’t have high hopes that he would. There’s a first time for everything, she thought optimistically. But as Link winced and suppressed strained grunts, she knew he would suffer through the ordeal before asking for help.

Rolling her eyes, she stepped closer and shoed his hands away. “You’re hopeless,” she grumbled through a faint smile.

“I’d be lost without you,” he agreed softly.

“You’re damn right.” She tried her best to be careful when separating the sopping fabric from the tender wound, but there was no way to avoid it, so she bit her lip and tugged at it as fast as she could.

Link cried and hissed through his teeth. “I take it back,” he choked. She smiled sweetly up at him.

“Take a seat, dear.”

~*~

Grumbling, Time did as his wife told him and slowly settled onto his bedroll next to the fire. His side flared with pain, his leg throbbed as he tried to keep it straight and his head pounded relentlessly. Not to mention he was soaked to the bone and freezing. The fire was helping, as well as Malon’s warm hand as it brushed his bare shoulder when she rounded in front of him. In her hands were a red potion and the medical kit she had packed for him when they were at the Ranch last. As soon as she settled in beside him, she handed him the potion and then unfurled the kit as he drank. The magic worked quickly to stop the bleeding and the massive headache, but the wounds were quite deep and would need external assistance if they were going to close successfully. Even if he knew this, he couldn’t help but cast a wary eye at the needle and thread Malon was preparing- his least favorite thing.

Malon began working on the gash over his knee and he searched for something to distract himself. Luckily his beautiful wife was all the distraction he needed. He actively ignored her hands poking the sharp needle through his skin and tugging at the thread through his raw flesh. Instead, he studied her face, trying to place that expression she was wearing. Usually, she’d chat with him or ask him about the places he’s been recently, but this time she focused all of her attention on her task without a word.

He didn’t blame her- they had yet to breach the subject weighing on all their minds. Better now than never, he thought to himself. “Hey,” he said in a soft voice. She glanced up at him with a smile, but something flashed so quickly across her face that he didn’t know if he had actually seen anything. “So, how did that bastard get a hold of you?”

Time didn’t miss the eight sets of ears that twitched and eyes glance up at his question. They were all curious.

Malon took a moment to tie off another suture before answering. “I was just turning the horses out for the day when this portal appeared. I remember you describing the portals you all had gone through, so I thought it was you. But the man that came out only shared your likeness, which was rather unsettling.” She lowered her voice almost sounding ashamed. “I didn’t stand a chance…”

The fact that Dark Link knew where the Ranch was, let alone that it even meant anything to Time, made a pit settle in his stomach. “What did he say to you? How did he find you- and why even take you at all? He said something about a plan and not wanting to kill you yet.”

Malon nodded wordlessly, carefully forming her answer. “He didn’t really elaborate on the details, just that I’d be leverage against you.”

“That’s all?”

Her eyes darted back to his leg and she worked on him in silence. This wasn’t like her at all. He wanted to press the matter, but he also wanted to be sensitive. Years ago, she had shown him incredible patience when he struggled to tell her about his adventures. The least he could do was offer the same patience to her now. That didn’t mean it was easy to ignore her tense expression and uncharacteristic silence. A part of him wondered if she learned that silence from him.

She finished with his leg and began working on the wound on his side. “What happened to Dark anyway?”

“I’m curious, too,” Four said.

Sky let out a sigh that turned into a groan. “He got away…”

“But not before we did some serious damage to him,” Warriors added with a bit more enthusiasm.

“The only Triforce he has is of cowardice, if you ask me,” Wind scoffed in disappointment.

Malon nodded her mute approval and tugged at the thread through Time’s side. Her unusual behavior didn’t sit right with him. Any other time, he would expect her to have more to say on the matter, but she looked distant- distracted by something running through her mind.

He was about to give up and resign to asking her about it later- until she finished suturing his side and then brought a potion soaked cloth to the gash on his forehead. She was so close to him now and he could hear and feel her shallow breaths and feel the nearly imperceptible tremble in her hand as she dabbed away the blood. Enough is enough.

He very carefully wrapped his hand around the one at his face, stilling her motions. He could see the split second of reluctance in her features as she forced an easy-going smile.

“I’m almost done, I promise.”

He shook his head and held her gaze. “Are you okay?” The question was quiet enough that only she could hear him.

“I told you, silly. I’m fine.” The look on her face told him that she knew he had noticed something was amiss, but she still banked on the small chance that he hadn’t by insisting she was okay.

“You’re not acting like yourself, I’m just worried.” He rubbed a tender thumb over her knuckles, hoping to come off as genuine and not like he was cornering her.

She thought for a moment and her eyes wandered to her lap. “I’ve never been kidnapped before, so this is all very…jarring.”

Oh. He hadn’t considered that. Now that she said it, it should have been obvious. Guilt washed over his face. “I’m sorry, I should have been more sensitive about that. Do you want to talk about it?”

She shrugged. “And a couple other things, but we can talk later. Now really isn’t the best time.”

He studied her with a questioning frown. What other things? He really didn’t want to push, but now he was assuming the worst. Was her father okay? Did something happen to Epona or the Ranch?

As always, she had an uncanny ability to read his face like a book. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.” She finished dabbing his forehead and planted a lingering kiss on his lips before she pushed herself to her feet. “Let’s get you some dry clothes, shall we?”

Once Malon found some dry pants and a tunic for him and he finished changing, Wild tapped the side of the cook pot with his wooden spoon.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Time’s stomach growled and he hadn’t noticed how hungry he was. Casting an eye to his wife, he wondered how hungry she must be. Dark Link’s hospitality probably wasn’t stellar, so she was bound to be starving.

Her enthusiastic smile confirmed as much. “Wild, it smells amazing! I can’t wait.”

Time was the first to the stack of bowls, so he took two and Wild filled them generously with creamy potato soup.

“Ever the gentleman,” Malon said when he handed her a bowl.

“For you my dear, always.” He crooned softly as he sat closely beside her. They waited until everyone was served before digging in.

Wild out-did himself yet again. The soup was hearty and rich and the potato chunks were tender and filled with flavor. He was happy to find salty chunks of bacon in each bite, rounding out the taste nicely. All thoughts of anything awry with Malon were dashed only for a moment as he reveled in the warm meal.

But soon he couldn’t help but notice the lingering glances Hyrule was casting her way across the fire. It was unexpected, to say the least. The look was a mixture of anticipation and suspicion, and if Malon had caught on, she didn’t show it. She was slowly spooning small bites into her mouth with far less gusto than a starving ex-captive would have and her eyes were distant as they stared into the fire. Perhaps she was lost in thought, he assumed and took another bite from his own bowl.

Within minutes, he and his companions were scraping their bowls clean and he was about to ask Malon if she wanted seconds. Except it looked like she hardly ate any of her soup and her bowl was practically full. Wild noticed, too and tugged at his ponytail anxiously.

“If you think it needs something else, I can fix it for you,” the Champion offered.

“Hmm?” Malon looked up and seemingly for the first time noticed everyone watching her with concern. She shrank visibly under the pressure and cleared her throat. “No, it’s perfect, Wild. It’s just that I don’t feel very well suddenly.” She wrapped a careful arm around her middle nervously. “I would hate for it to go to waste, though.”

“No worries,” Wild extended his hand with a cocky smile. “Not only am I the resident arsonist, I’m also the resident dumpster.”

Malon laughed weakly and handed over her bowl.

Time clenched his jaw. This wasn’t right. Tactfulness be damned, if something was wrong with his wife, he needed to know. “Are you sick?”

“No.” Malon hunched in on herself a little. “I’m just a little nauseous I guess.”

“You’ve been off the whole night. I was fine letting it slide until you wanted to talk about it, but now you’re not even eating.” He wasn’t going to let her dodge this any longer and held her in a stern gaze. If that shadowed demon did something to her to cause this…

“I’ll be fine, just stop worrying.” Now both of her arms hugged her stomach defensively.

Like hell. “What happened back there that is bothering you so insistently?”

He could see her throwing up her walls and shutting down. It told him he was close, but not quite. “Nothing happened!”

“Did Dark hurt you?”

“No.”

“Did he say something to you?”

“No.”

“Did he do something? Did he touch you at all?”

“No, Link.” Her eyes moved from her feet to meet his gaze head-on. “Now is not the time to have this conversation.” She motioned to the other heroes desperately trying to find something to busy themselves. Sky was carving a hunk of wood in record time and Wild was scarfing down his food, among other things.

He threw a hand up in exasperation. “What conversation are we even having? I’m so lost!”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“And I would love to wait until you want to, but how the hell am I supposed to know you won’t keel over before then?”

“I won’t.

“Just tell me what’s going on. Please, Malon.”

Her hands balled the fabric of her shirt and he expected to be faced with her fiery glare. Instead, her face softened a little to give way to a mixture of emotions he couldn’t even begin to place. “I’m pregnant.”

Any words he had prepared to fight back with died in his throat. He froze and both of his eyes went wide.

The heavy silence that crashed over the camp was interrupted only by Wild violently choking and coughing on his food. Twilight patted his Cub’s back, but kept his surprised eyes fixed on his ancestors.

Malon let out a resigned sigh and explained. “That’s why Dark Link wanted me. I don’t know how he could have possibly known- I had only just found out the day before he took me. I demanded to know what he hoped to accomplish now that he had me. His plan was to keep me hostage until the baby was born. He figured if it was just me, you would still put up a decent fight, but if the life of your new born child was at stake, he could make you do anything.”

It was a bold assumption on Dark’s part, but deep down Time knew there was truth to it. Anger boiled in his chest at these words. How did that bastard even find out?

The quiet that once more covered the camp was thick with emotion and all Time could do was stare at his wife. The news was slowly seeping into every facet of his mind like water soaking into a sponge. Malon was left unprotected and was captured almost too easily. Dark Link had intended to force Time to do his bidding, daring to use a child as leverage- his child.

His child.

Despite it all, the corner of his mouth twitched into a slight smile. His hand reached across the small distance and his fingertips brushed lightly over Malon’s arms that were still wrapped around her middle. She responded with a tender smile and took his hand, drawing it close so his whole palm rested against her stomach.

His breath hitched against his will. There was no perceptible difference that he could feel, but he didn’t need to feel it to know that just beneath his hand was the beginning of a new life.

It seemed so far away from his attention, but somewhere near him Warriors stood and spoke with the tone of a commander. “Well, boys. Looks like the rain stopped, let’s scout one more round before it gets too dark.” Some of the others agreed hastily while a couple sounded perplexed at the break in routine. Either on their own or having to be dragged, Time’s companions shuffled awkwardly past him and left the cave. The privacy was welcome and Time was grateful for Warriors’ initiative.

Time was speechless for the next few minutes and his mind reeled with so many questions that he didn’t even know where to start. His hand was still held reverently against Malon like he was frozen in place.

Malon tilted her head in amusement. “Well, Fairy Boy?”

In an instant, Time pulled her into a tight embrace and he squeezed his eye shut, unwilling to even try to stop the choked laugh that escaped his lips. Malon was taken by surprise for only a second but soon she held him just as ardently.

She laughed into his shoulder. “Are you crying, Link?”

“Absolutely not,” Time bit out another short laugh and sniffled as a tear rolled down his cheek.

It had taken him years to accept that he deserved to live the life he wanted to, regardless of feeling like the Goddess’ pawn. He had worked through the mental blocks he didn’t know he had subconsciously placed until he found peace- that peace being the woman currently in his arms. She had proven to be a pillar of unyielding support and love, showing him that the life he wanted was possible. He wanted the simple life at the Ranch, he wanted the companionship of his wife and he so desperately wanted a family of his own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, I take it we’re in your Hyrule, Old Man?” Wild managed between rolls. The giant floating plant that Time had called a ‘peahat’ angled its blade-like fronds and spun them violently at the Chain. Currently, it was focusing in on the Champion, who grumbled in annoyance. Why couldn’t it pick on someone who knew how to kill it?

Time seemed unbothered, like he was out for a pleasant walk through a park as he sauntered behind the stinking plant. “Yup,” he replied simply and drew back on his bow, aiming for some weak spot that Wild couldn’t see beyond the stupid leaf blade things. Time loosed his arrow and the thing fell to the ground instantly. It deflated and released a gust of humid air that reeked like the rotting foliage in Faron before disintegrating into dust.

“Why are your peahats so fucking massive, though?” Legend complained and kicked at the pile of peahat remains with his boot. A resounding chorus of similar remarks echoed through most of Wild’s companions, which made Wild a little jealous. Why did it seem like everyone else had these monsters but he didn’t? No fun.

“That looked like a giant version of mine,” Sky chimed in. “Spinning blades and weak spot included.”

“Okay, okay hang on.” Twilight waved his hands to demand the group’s attention and then crossed his arms. “Do all of your peahats try to kill you guys?”

The Peahat Club blinked at the Rancher in surprise for a silent moment before Four pointed at him with quizzical finger. “…Yours don’t?”

Twilight gesticulated theatrically and placed a hand over his heart as he boasted. “The peahats from my era are benign creatures.”

“Here we go again,” Legend sighed and rolled his eyes.

“They are but simple creatures that dwell in the desert and in the sky, allowing travelers with the proper tools to utilize their generous services of transportation. The only suffering these gentle creatures have caused me is dirt from their roots falling into my eyes.”

Wild leaned over to Warriors while Twilight carried on with his lengthy monologue. “You know what they’re talking about?” Wild whispered, hoping he wasn’t the only hero deprived of such a common enemy.

“Not a clue in hell, my guy,” Warriors whispered back looking just as lost as Wild did.

Twilight didn’t seem anywhere near the end of his spiel and his hand flourishes only got more ridiculous. “Without them, my battle against Argorok would have failed and my Hyrule would have been reduced to a-”

“Alright, we get it, peahat brain,” Wind interrupted with a playful elbow to the Rancher’s side.

“Besides,” Time finally intervened with his usual note of authority in his voice. “We have a slightly more pressing matter.”

“Oh?” Hyrule tilted his head.

“Yes, we’ve run into monsters from my era, but…” Time’s eye swept over the forest clearing they were in. “I don’t recognize this place in the slightest.”

“Maybe it’s a place you haven’t explored before?” Wind asked innocently.

Time shook his head with confidence. “I know every inch of my Hyrule. This is not it. Nor is it Termina.”

“So what you’re saying is…?”

“We need to be on guard, we don’t know what this land may hold in store. For now, let’s set up camp and settle in for the evening.”

Wild and his companions nodded in agreement and went about their usual chores. Wild had just built a rather nice looking fire and began rummaging around in his bag for ingredients when his face fell in disappointment. “Hey guys, dinner may need to be a little late tonight. Gotta restock some ingredients.”

“I’m sure whatever you make with what you have would be better than what any of us could make,” Four suggested in hopes that he didn’t have to wait for food longer than he would like.

“Usually, I’d agree but I don’t think frog and mushroom skewers would go over well with everyone.” Wild shrugged. He spoke like it was a normal thing for him to eat and less like it was a joke. Wind gagged somewhere in the camp. “I suppose we could fight to the death over the final chicken thigh I’ve got in here somewhere.”

Twilight shooed the Champion with eager hands. “Do what you have to do, Cub. We’ll survive a few more minutes.”

Wild hoisted himself onto his feet and brushed off his pants. “It won’t take long.”

“I can come with you,” Hyrule offered with an eager smile. “I’m pretty good at foraging. And it may help things go faster with a second pair of eyes.”

“Sure!” Wild beamed and before anyone could protest, the two jogged off into the woods.

Somewhere behind them, Warriors spoke under his breath. “Are we going to regret letting those two loose in the woods?”

Twilight and Legend sighed in unison.

~*~

Deep in the woods a mile away from the camp, the sun was still shining in the early summer evening, dappling the forest floor with rich golden rays. A pleasant breeze nudged the two heroes’ backs as they stepped leisurely through the brush. Their task was straightforward: hunt some meat and gather some roughage before heading back to camp. Simple enough.

“Hey, I see something!” Hyrule pointed out in a hushed voice. Wild crouched and tightened his grip around his bow, his sharp eyes scanning the ground where Hyrule was pointing. “It looked like a rabbit.”

Wild licked his lips in anticipation and crept forward, careful not to make even the smallest of sounds. He deftly pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it and drew back on his bow in one fluid motion. Just then, a hide of light blue fur hopped into view and Hyrule gasped.

“A blupee?” Wild muttered, still not wanting to startle the creature. “What’s it doing here?”

“What’s a blupee?” Hyrule asked from behind.

“They’re forest spirits who drop rupees if you shoot them.”

Hyrule frowned. “Why would you even consider shooting a spirit in the first place?”

Wild shrugged. “Man’s gotta eat.”

“Don’t hit it,” Hyrule demanded firmly.

“Fine, fine.” Wild carefully released the tension in his bow but kept his arrow nocked. At this point, the blupee had definitely noticed them and Wild let out an amused ‘huh’ when it didn’t skitter away. He dared to take a step forward and the blupee bounded away a few feet and then looked back at them expectantly. “I think it wants us to follow it?” He exchanged a look with Hyrule before they both shrugged and proceeded to follow the spirit.

It would stop every so often to look back and then resume its course with the two heroes in tow until they came to a cliff face that loomed high above their heads. The spirit looked back at them one more time and then squeezed into a small hole in the wall with a squeak.

“Well that was pointless,” Wild huffed and slumped his shoulders. Hyrule hummed and inspected the wall more closely.

After a moment, a proud smile broke over Hyrule’s features as his fingers traced cracks in the rock. “Maybe it wasn’t.”

It took a second, but soon Wild saw the cracks as well and cackled as he summoned a square bomb from his Slate. He tossed it at the wall and they stepped back a safe distance before Wild detonated it. Dust and rocks flew in all directions, causing them to cover their faces until the debris settled.

Before them now was a gaping tunnel that stretched deep into the rock face, practically inviting them in. Wild took a few steps toward the tunnel but stopped when Hyrule grabbed his arm.

“Wait. Are we sure this is a good idea? The others are waiting for us.”

Wild thought about it for a moment. “Stuff like this happens all the time to us heroes. Hylia wouldn’t lead us here if it wasn’t for a good reason, don’t you think?”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Devious grins spread on their faces and they made haste to plunge into the darkness of the tunnel, all thoughts of dinner forgotten.

~*~

The narrow tunnel stretched deep enough that the light from outside was soon blotted out with shadow and Hyrule was quick to take out his lantern.

“Gotta get me one of those,” Wild commented when he saw the usefulness of the lantern. Hyrule laughed and they pressed on until the air was cool and damp and their footsteps echoed along the roughly hewn walls.

Soon the tunnel opened into a small room with nothing but a switch on the floor in the center and a door at the far end. “Easy enough,” Hyrule said and walked up to the switch. He stepped on it and the door jiggled, but didn’t open. “Uh.”

“Is there another switch?” Wild wondered and looked around. “Oh, hey!”

Two simply glazed pots sat tucked into the corner of the room behind them, so Wild slid them to the side to see if there was another switch under them.

Nothing.

He turned and fished his hand around in the pots, hoping to find a key or something but came up empty-handed. “Maybe if we break them-”

“Wait!” Hyrule rushed over to snatch a pot from his companion’s hands before he could smash it on the ground. “We might need those!”

Wild’s shoulders sank and he looked slightly disappointed at being denied the satisfaction of smashing a pot. “So what now, then?”

“Maybe it’s weight sensitive.” Hyrule wrapped his arms around a pot and walked back over to the switch. The door only shook slightly at the new weight, but remained shut.

“More weight?” Wild suggested. He grabbed the second pot and carefully balanced it on the one in Hyrule’s arms.

Still nothing.

“More.” Hyrule said resolutely.

“Get on my back, let’s do this.” Wild crouched and Hyrule put the pots on the ground before climbing on. Wild stepped on the switch, to no avail. No matter, he gingerly bent his knees and picked up a pot, handing it to Hyrule. Well, there weren’t two pots for nothing, he thought, and picked up the second pot in his hands.

The door remained firmly shut.

“Okay, what the hell?” Wild nearly dropped Hyrule and the pots and began pacing the room in thought.

Hyrule calmly went up to the stubborn door and scrutinized every inch. It was made of thick metal, but no other message or indication of what to do. That is, until his eyes came to rest on the single keyhole in the middle of the door. He pursed his lips and bent down to peer through the hole into the next room.

“Hah!”

Wild spun around in excitement. “What is it?”

“There’s a switch on the other side of the door!”

The Champion deflated as quickly as he had gotten his hopes up. “That’s not helpful if we can’t get to it!”

“Correction: if you can’t get to it.” Hyrule planted his hands proudly on his hips as if he solved the puzzle. Wild squinted in utter confusion.

“You lost me, ‘Rule.”

Hyrule let out a small laugh. He wasn’t as tight-lipped with his secrets as the others were. Sure, he’d never just bring them up randomly but if the situation called for it, he figured why not? On the other hand, he didn’t want the information to be thrown around so easily, he wanted to control the spread of the knowledge.

“If I show you something, promise not to tell?”

Wild nodded hastily.

In a flash, Hyrule cast the all too familiar spell and before he knew it he was several feet off the ground and significantly smaller with iridescent wings fluttering from his back. Wild’s jaw dropped.

“You…how…when…” Wild floundered to choose one of the million questions whirling through his mind, but couldn’t decide, so he ended up pointing a trembling finger at his tiny friend. “…Fairy.”

Hyrule laughed- which sounded a couple pitches higher now- and he spun around once so Wild could see all of him. “Fairy,” he confirmed.

“That’s…amazing. Incredible. I’m honored that you showed me this, so don’t take this the wrong way, but…how does this help us?”

Without another word, Hyrule darted through the keyhole with ease and in a matter of seconds, the door rumbled and slid up, revealing the next room with a normal-sized Hyrule standing on another switch.

Luckily, the switches stayed depressed and Wild dashed into the next room bubbling with excitement. “What else can you do?”

“That would take a while to explain, but what I can safely say is that it would probably be more helpful if I’m a fairy while we work out way through these puzzles.”

Wild nodded in understanding. “Cool, we got this.”

Another flash and Fairy Hyrule flitted over to hover by Wild’s head. They looked around and took stock of this new room.

The space was far more extensive than the first room and the floor they stood on went on for a few more feet before dropping off into a bottomless pit that stretched for a couple hundred feet. A couple of narrow pillars offered as platforms dotted the expanse, but the distance to reach any was far too much to reach with a jump or even a glider. At the other end of the pit was another ledge with a door at the end of the room with bars across the door. Flitting in the air throughout the room were several keese, squeaking and chirping as they flapped with less grace than the fairy in their midst.

Something caught Hyrule’s attention above the barred door and with the speed only a fairy could have, he zipped across the room in seconds. “Look!” His voice echoed across the room. The glow that constantly enveloped his fairy form turned a bright yellow and he bounced excitedly in the air around a switch in the shape of an open eye above the door.

Not a problem for a master marksman, Wild thought proudly. He readied his bow and drew back an arrow while closing his non-dominant eye to focus in on his target. “Watch this!” He waited for the perfect timing when several keese crossed his line of sight at once. He held his breath and waited…waited.

There!

Letting his fingers go, the arrow shot straight and true toward the eye switch, hitting five keese on the way. With a click, the eye shut tight when the arrow struck and a multitude of moving stone platforms materialized and hovered between the pillars, making a path to the other side. Wild was about to leap to the first one when Hyrule shouted out a warning.

“Wild, wait! Listen!”

Wild had to reel his arms to catch his balance as he stopped the momentum he had just built up. Straining his ears, he focused past the sound of the remaining keese on a new noise of ticking, like a timer. He listened and counted the seconds, but the ticking also aided in telling the time remaining as it got faster and faster until it stopped and the floating platforms disappeared. He figured it was just enough time to get to the first permanent platform, so he nodded at Hyrule and shot another arrow at the eye.

The platforms materialized again and he hopped effortlessly to the first pillar before the time ran out. A giddy smile broke over his face and he shot the eye again. Repeating this cycle a couple more times, he landed on the last pillar.

Again he shot, and again the platforms appeared and he began the final leg, but something caught his eye as he was almost to the end. A couple of floating platforms branched off toward the wall where some vines climbed up for several feet before stopping abruptly. Odd, he thought. He changed course and Hyrule flew to his side with concern.

“What are you doing? Time’s almost up!”

Wild bit his lip as the last few quick ticks rang through the room. He was so close. With the last chime sounding, he was barely able to push off the platform before it faded, so he didn’t get as much distance as he wanted. Hyurle shouted and the tips of Wild’s fingers brushed the wall as he plummeted-except he didn’t fall far because his fingers latched onto a vine and his body crashed against the wall with a grunt.

“Got it,” He managed through the strain. He swung his other arm above him, getting a good hold of the vines and began scaling the wall until he reached where the vines stopped. “Hmm.”

“Hey, there’s something weird about this wall…” Hyrule murmured as his glowing aura turned a rich green. His small hand reached out to touch it- only for his fingers to pass right through.

“Where would I be without you, Traveler?” Wild snickered and hauled himself through the fake wall.

“Stranded on some vines,” Hyrule answered with an airy laugh.

Wild didn’t have a second to even stand when something loomed in front of his face. “Woah!” He instinctively jumped and almost fell back through the false wall, luckily catching himself with half an inch of ground behind him to spare. Before him, a cylinder of goop pulsated menacingly. “What the fuck is that?!” He drew his sword and Hyrule zipped above the goop and glowed yellow again.

“It’s a like-like! Don’t get sucked up or you’ll lose your shield!”

Wild swatted at the thing but his blade bounce off the glob harmlessly. “But I have a lot of really nice shields!”

“Then be extra careful or it’s going to have a really nice dinner!”

Wild struck at it again, to no avail. “Any tips?!” This thing was getting way too close for comfort and was demanding ground. It also smelled like Warriors’ rotten socks on a hot day, which didn’t help.

“Hit it when it’s about to suck you in!”

“Fucking great,” Wild growled under his breath and waited. A second later, the like-like began to extend and arch toward him and Wild could see the disgusting maw of the thing as it began sucking in air. Wild struck, this time with success so he took this opportunity to roll between it and the wall to gain more ground. The like-like recovered and seemed to be angry because now it was pulsating faster. “You like-like that, bitch?”

The goo demon squelched furiously in reply and hastened for another attempt at sucking him up. One more calculated swipe with the sword and the putrid monster melted to the ground with a gurgling screech and disappeared.

Wild rolled his shoulders and took a stabilizing breath. “That wasn’t so bad.” He turned to face the new corridor. “Don’t know why you were freaking out so much, ‘Rule.”

“I was the one freaking out? Pfft.” The fairy bumped playfully into his companion’s head.

They made their way down the corridor until the walls angled away for a new chasm to open wide below. At the far end of the room was a small chest encased in bars on a pedestal flanked by two floor switches, the only way to get to it being a narrow bridge of land before them. On a separate ledge off to the right with no access to it was a glowing red diamond switch with boulders on either side of it.

“What’s that do?” Wild wondered aloud at the diamond. He exchanged a look with Hyrule and then shot at it with an arrow, causing it to turn green. Far behind them, they heard the sound of bars sliding.

“I think it opens the door in the last room,” Hyrule postulated. After a few moments, the diamond turned red again and bars slid once more, indicating that the door in the other room closed again. “Wonderful…”

“Let’s see what’s in here.” Wild started across the thin bridge of land toward the imprisoned chest and wondered absently how the bridge could even hold weight.

Landing on the other side of the bridge, Wild circled the chest once and then stepped on one of the two floor switches. When nothing happened, he looked at his fairy companion with crossed arms. “You may have to be a Hylian for this one, ‘Rule.”

Hyrule sighed. “Fine.”

Wild blinked and suddenly full-scale Hyrule was in front of him and moving toward the other switch. Stepping on it, the bars guarding the chest disappeared into nothing making Wild shake his head. “Magic is so weird.”

Hyrule barked a laugh. “You’re tellin’ me.”

“Wanna do the honors?” Wild gestured elegantly for Hyrule to approach the tiny chest. Hyrule grinned and walked over to the chest. He opened it and reached in, pulling out a small key.

“Nice,” He hummed, but his satisfied smile fell as the ground began to rumble. “Hey, do you feel that?”

Wild’s eyes widened with realization. “Run.”

Wild grabbed Hyrule’s hand and booked it across the bridge, noticing the ground crumbled beneath them with each step. He let out a string of curses and urged his friend to run faster behind him.

“Hit the thing! Hit the thing!” Hyrule cried behind him frantically.

“Shit!” Wild let go of Hyrule as they continued to sprint and in a blink of an eye, he whipped out his bow and shot the diamond switch square in the center. He quickly stowed his bow and caught Hyrule’s wrist again. They were almost there…

“Wild!” Hyrule yelped and Wild lunged forward with all his strength when the weight of his friend suddenly yanked down on his arm. The floor crumbled beneath them and not a second too soon Wild’s fingers grasped the ledge of the stable tunnel leading back to the previous room. The two dangled precariously over the inky blackness below.

Wild’s fingers were slipping with their combined weight. “Can you grab my belt?” He managed through grit teeth. Hyrule gulped and nodded and reached for Wild’s belt, his other hand only being released when he had a firm grasp with the free one. Now that Wild had both hands free, he grabbed the ledge more firmly and began the slow process of inching up. If it was only himself, he could hop up in a second, but with a passenger things were a little more difficult.

Somewhere above them, they heard the diamond switch chime and the bars of the door close. “Damn.”

With immense effort, Wild dragged himself and Hyrule onto solid ground and they collapsed in heaps as they regained their breath. Wild was the first to get on his feet, offering a hand to Hyrule who took it gratefully. He leaned on the champion after picking up his lantern that hand been equipped on his belt up to this point.

“You good?” Wild breathed.

Hyrule answered with an exhausted smile and raised his other hand in front of him to present the key he still held on to despite the crisis. Wild laughed and fumbled for his Slate.

“The others are going to be so jealous when they see how much fun we had without them!” The Slate made a snap as it took their picture, reflecting their dungeon-worn clothes and smudged faces. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

“But the door…” Hyrule pointed sadly at the room behind them where the switch was.

“Shit, you’re right.” Wild inched along the edge of the tunnel to see if he could get a good shot of the switch. “Damn, those boulders next to it are blocking it.”

“So we can’t progress?” Hyrule gathered, sounding disappointed.

“Well…” Wild backed all the way to the wall of the tunnel to get as good of an angle as he could and leaned dangerously over the ledge. “I may just be able to…” He stuck out his tongue and pulled out his bow. Drawing back an arrow, he focused and leaned until he saw the slightest glow of red from the corner of the diamond switch. “Gotcha,” He breathed and let the arrow fly.

The switched chimed and the bars slid open.

“Let’s go! Are you gonna be a fairy or should I hold on to you while I glide?”

Hyrule pulled out a vial of magic-restoring potion and downed it in a gulp. Wild hadn’t considered how much magic it took his friend to change forms so many times. He was glad Hyrule was prepared. “Let’s go,” Hyrule agreed, handed Wild the key and transformed in an instant.

Wild glided down from the mouth of the tunnel into the room with the first chasm, landing on the new ledge and hurrying through the door, fairy in tow.

In this new room, a rather fancy-looking chest sat at the end wrapped tight in chains. Luckily, they had the key to those chains, so Wild sauntered over and put it in the lock.

“Wait,” Hyrule warned. Wild froze and raised a brow at him in question. “Something is bound to happen when we unlock that, so be ready.”

“Right.” Wild turned the key and the chains fell away. The chest opened freely when he pushed at the lid and he peered inside. “Woah…”

Hyrule peered over Wild’s head, eyes wide with curiosity. Wild straightened and held up two rupees made of pure gold. “How much is that worth?” He breathed.

“Each one is worth three-hundred rupees…at least in my era.”

“There’s gotta be a catch to this,” Hyrule mumbled skeptically. They spun around and waited in heavy silence for any sign of floors falling away or a fight. After a long moment, though, nothing happened.

“I think almost falling to our deaths counts as the catch.”

“I don’t buy it, but whatever. Let’s get out of here before this dungeon changes its mind.”

It didn’t take long to navigate through the platform room and reach the first door. Before opening it, Hyrule returned to his Hylian form and held out his hand expectantly. Wild frowned in confusion for a moment and Hyrule flicked his eyes to Wild’s pouch. “Right! Sorry.” Wild fished around in his pouch and placed one of the gold rupees in the outstretched hand. Satisfied, Hyrule pocketed the spoils and lifted the door to the first room.

Wild beamed and crossed into the room. “I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they s-”

All smiles quickly melted away and Wild could feel his hands and feet go cold when their eyes fell on what awaited them.

Sharp beastly eyes glared through the dim light given off by Hyrule’s lantern. A dreadful beat of silence pressed onto the two heroes and Wild gulped. They were in so much trouble.

“Wolfie!” Hyrule gasped, blissfully ignorant of how dead he and Wild were about to be. “What are you doing here, boy?” He reached to pet the fuming wolf, expecting soft fur and a wagging tail. What he got was a bone chilling snarl and a warning snap with bared teeth. “Woah! Are you okay, Wolfie?”

“Hyrule,” Wild managed, still eyeing the wolf like he was going to maul them. Honestly, Wild would bet his gold rupee that Twilight was seriously considering it. “Let’s just go…”

Hyrule looked nervously between the wolf and his friend. “O-okay…”

Twilight turned abruptly and began leading them out of the tunnel.

“Well,” Hyrule managed a tentative smile when they almost made it out of the cave. “I’m glad your wolf friend found us. Now I just wonder how mad the others are…”

Wild eyed the wolf warily. “Oh they aren’t mad, they’re furious.” He winced when Twilight’s ears pinned back with a growl. “Trust me, I can tell.”

~*~

“Do you have any idea how stupid that was?!”

Twilight stormed into the camp with eyes that could murder with a look. He’d let the two stragglers walk into camp alone and in shame before changing forms to avoid suspicion.

Wild opened his mouth to say something but got shut down with another look.

“No, Wild. You had us worried sick! What the hell were you two thinking?!” At this point, no one else even dared to step in lest they get a taste of Twilight’s ire.

Wild wasn’t really sure if he was supposed to answer these questions because every time he tried, he was thrown another accusing glare warning him to keep his mouth shut.

Hylia damn him if he was gonna try, though. “A blupee-”

“A fucking blupee?!” Twilight raged. “You were gone for almost three hours. Three hours! Did you even get anything for dinner?”

Silence.

“No warning, no food and you come back banged up after three hours of what, exactly?”

Now, Wild was certain, he was allowed to answer because Twilight fumed as he waited for a good excuse. “There was this mini dungeon and…uh…”

Seven pairs of eyes glared at them, some disappointed and some jealous. Wild shrank under the pressure and trailed off. They got the general idea anyway. Twilight looked like he was about to continue his tirade when Time stepped in with the sharpest look of disappointment Wild had ever seen.

“Did I not make it clear that we have no idea where we are and that we should be careful?”

Hyrule and Wild averted their eyes. Under Twilight’s wrath, Wild could keep himself relatively composed. But with Time? He couldn’t even speak. His mind forgot the years of training under superior officers as a knight, but his body sure as hell remembered.

We were careful, Wild signed hastily.

“Really? Traversing a dungeon without telling any member of the team where you were- not to mention having little to no healing items- is not being careful.”

Hyrule, Naydra bless him, cleared his throat. “There were only four rooms…It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.”

“So how many times did you almost die?” Time challenged with his arms crossed. Neither of them answered for a long time. “How many?” Their leader repeated with a firmer tone.

“...Two.” Hyrule winced.

“Just two?”

And a half, Wild added sheepishly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Twilight growled.

I was next to a ledge and a like-like was there and… Wild’s hands stilled before he dug himself into a deeper hole.

“A like-like? You almost died from a like-like?!” Twilight was about ready to rip his hair out.

Time scrubbed his eyes with a weary hand and muttered prayers to the Goddesses.

“We got two gold rupees though,” Hyrule offered brightly like that made up for the constant heart attacks their teammates had probably suffered.

Twilight threw his hands in the air in surrender. “How either of you survived on your own is a mystery.”

Hyrule leaned toward Wild and muttered.

“Still think Hylia led us there for a reason?”

No Anesthesia/ Kidnapped/ Left Behind/ Chronic Pain/Spiked Drink/ Won’t regain Consciousness

Thunder had been rumbling behind the Chain all day as the heroes made their way toward a jagged mountain range on the horizon. The storm had slowly inched closer and the menacing black clouds rolled in above them along with the harsh wind leaving a chill at their backs. As the day went on and the temperature dropped quickly, Wild would get twinges of pain flashing along his extensively scarred body- although he refused his companions every time they offered assistance. He would wave them off with the excuse that it happened all the time when a cold front came in, which was the truth. What he actively neglected to admit to the others was that his joints were acting up as well, which had only happened a few times before during the worst storms he had encountered.

It wasn’t long after the setting sun had been blotted out by the inky black clouds that they found a well-worn dirt path with a single sign post pointing toward the mountain they had been walking toward all day. The sign was scrawled in script that seemed to be an amalgamation of different Hylian letters from different eras, so no one could read the whole thing, but they assumed it meant there was a town ahead.

“We should get moving at a faster pace if we want to out run this storm,” Warriors suggested as they began down the path. Wild grunted in agreement. His hand was clutching his left side and a pained frown was firmly set in his features.

“We’ll get there, Cub, just hang on,” Twilight softly reassured Wild beside him.

They walked for another hour before they came upon a surprisingly bustling town. They houses were sturdy and reinforced with iron supports and as the streets continued toward the mountain, the houses and store fronts became hewn into the rock face. The masonry of the structures was expertly done and Legend suggested that it may be a mining settlement.

“Let’s find somewhere to get some food and maybe some directions,” Time decided. Cold rain began to fall from the sky and the wind picked up even more.

“Food…” Wind whined beside the elder.

It wasn’t long before the group was pointed in the direction of a rather lively tavern- just in time, too, before their clothes began to get soaked. Villagers ducked into buildings and homes with coats over their heads, a few dashing into the tavern before the group was at the door. The tavern itself seemed to be half of a stand-alone structure that got smashed into the side of the mountain. Entering the tavern, they could see that it extended into the mountain itself. Many tables were filled with jovial villagers with boisterous laughs that echoed off the rock walls. There were also the usual few loners tucked away in corners, and of course the heroes took stock of each one in case one could be a threat.

But Time decided there was no threat and sidled up to the bar while the others squished two tables together. A brief exchange passed between Time and the woman running the bar. Time flashed a charming smile and made his way to the group’s table.

~*~

Wild groaned and clutched his side before resigning himself to resting his head on the table. A roll of thunder rumbled the strong timbers of the tavern.

“Easy, Cub,” Twilight patted Wild’s back.

Wild winced as another jolt of pain lit up his scars. He hated how vulnerable he felt when this happened. He would usually hole up in a cave or at a camp site while he waited out a storm. His joints were better now, but that may just have been because he was sitting. There was no doubt it would hurt once he put weight on them.

Suddenly, a pair of feet appeared on the edge of Wild’s vision that were quickly accompanied by a cheerful voice. “Welcome travelers!” The voice said. In Wild’s opinion, it was far too cheerful. The Champion turned his head just enough for him to squint up at the stranger in displeasure. The man that stood beside him wore a simple tunic with a skulltula web pattern embroidered on the hem complemented by tattered trousers and scuffed boots. He had a satchel slung over his shoulders that seemed to be stuffed with Hylia knew what.

The few heroes that sat at the end of the table closest to the stranger said nothing but blinked up at the man. They were all too tired to care much about manners. When the man received no response, he only smiled wider and continued on. “Knox is my name. I want to welcome you to our humble town.” He continued to be met with indifferent silence, but his smile didn’t falter. “I can’t help but notice one of your friends here is in distress!” Wild returned his head to face downward and let out a growl. He wished he would be left to suffer alone. Thankfully, Twilight was his voice when he had none.

“Not to worry, we’ve got him taken care of,” Twilight said with a friendly smile.

“Ah, but I happen to specialize in ailments- rather…curing them, I mean!” Knox insisted. His hand rummaged through his satchel excitedly.

“Really, man, we don’t need anything,” Legend scoffed in a stark contrast to Twilight’s response. “Whatever you’re selling, we ain’t buyin’”

“But my friends, I also struggle with these pains that come with storms!”

At this, Wild’s eyes opened slowly in suspicion. How did he know-

“Trust me, I’ve gone through this enough to recognize the symptoms,” Knox’s voice lowered and he pulled up his sleeve, revealing an extensive burn scar that ran up his arm. “This one is on me, friend. This storm is predicted to rage on well into tomorrow and I would be a poor representative of my town if I did not offer assistance.” Knox gently placed a small vial of liquid so purple it was almost black beside Wild.

Wild heaved a laborious sigh and hoisted his heavy body to sit upwards. He picked up the vial with far less grace than Knox had put it down and pulled the cork. A cursory sniff revealed a pleasant fruity scent, almost inviting.

“Enjoy, my friend!” Knox was gone in a blink of an eye, lost in the waves of rowdy tavern-dwellers.

Wild glanced at his friends. Legend was shaking his head in warning next to Wind who was enthusiastically nodding. No help, Wild thought. Hyrule reached across the table silently offering his assessment. Wild gave him the vial and the Traveler held the vial up to the light for a few seconds to examine it with a sharp eye. Then he sniffed the liquid, swirling it quickly. He handed the vial back to Wild with a shrug and a nod.

Wild raised an eyebrow at his mentor, who pursed his lips. “If the expert says it’s not bad…”

A grunt was Wild’s only reply before downing the liquid in one shot. The taste did not match the smell. Instead it was a bitter taste that clung to his tongue and the back of his throat. Deceptive, Wild thought.

The rest of the time at the tavern passed with nothing of note, aside from Wild finding his head hitting the table once more. He was far more exhausted than he realized, he thought to himself. The storm was raging on outside, so he chalked it up to his body protesting the change in pressure and temperature. Time made a comment indicating that they were preparing to head out to find an inn that would house a party of nine, so Wild decided he would use this time to find a restroom before he braved the elements.

His legs trembled as his knees screamed in protest at the weight. Through grit teeth, Wild trudged on toward the back of the dining hall, where the walls transformed from wood paneling to roughly carved rock. He followed the hallway until he walked down a narrower passage with sparse lighting. Many doors dotted the dark hall and if Wild felt livelier he would have explored. But he finally found the washroom and clumsily stumbled through the door.

He leaned heavily over the sink and he realized he was breathing quickly and his vision blurred. He blinked but to no avail. He’d never experienced this during a storm before, but he was also exhausted and the pain running through his joints and scars were beginning to make him nauseous.

Just breathe, he coached himself.

~*~

The group moved out and braced against the harsh gusts of wind that forced the rain to cut at their clothes and their skin like freezing knives. Time had been pointed in the direction of an inn, so he led the way though the cobbled streets to a warm looking inn.

Finally, Legend thought to himself. He wished he had put on some long pants, but his knees remained bare and red from the cold. He was grateful for the cover of the inn and tried to hide a shiver that ran down his spine while he waited with his friends by the front desk.

“Good evening!” The woman behind the counter beamed through a thick and unfamiliar accent. “Rooms for eight?”

“Nine, actually,” Time corrected pleasantly.

“Waiting on one, then?” The lady guessed.

“No, we have everyone…” Sky counted his companions and frowned at the result. “Where’s Wild?”

Twilight sighed and face palmed. This happened far too many times to the point where there was a rotating ‘Collect Wild’ shift. They almost always found him harvesting herbs for their dinner or something else food related- a harmless hiccup in their routine. “Whose turn is it?”

“Mine,” Legend grumbled. Grudgingly, he shouldered his sword onto his back once more after having just unclasped it. “Can’t promise he’ll come back in one piece when I’m done with him,” he added under his breath. All Legend wanted was to change into something warm and curl up by a fire, not go back out into the cold storm and get soaked to the bone.

“I’ll go with you, Vet,” he heard Sky offer. Legend grunted in approval and swung open the door to the raging elements outside, Sky following after him.

“Let’s start back at the tavern, ask around,” Legend huffed against the biting wind.

The two heroes quickly found their way back to the tavern. The warmth of the establishment was a welcome balm that drew the cold from their bones. The crowds seemed to have thinned in the time they were gone, seeing as there were only a few tables occupied by straggling groups. Legend caught the questioning glance the bartender threw his way.

“Back so soon, I see?” The bartender observed brightly.

“We seemed to have left behind one of our friends,” Sky began.

“Have you seen a teen with unnecessarily long hair and a cloak leave the tavern this evening? He probably looked like a moblin punched him in the gut,” Legend expounded.

The bartender tapped her chin in thought and cast her eyes to the ceiling. “I remember seeing him with your group, but… the last time I saw him, he was with you all. But I didn’t see him leave.”

Legend held back a long sigh and instead opted to express his frustration with pursed lips. “I saw him go to the washroom before we left. Sky?” He tossed a glance to his companion.

The knight shrugged and looked defeated. “I saw the same, but nothing more.”

“Washroom is down the hall and the third door to the left,” The bartender instructed without much thought like she was used to reciting the directions far too often.

The two nodded in thanks and headed to the dimly lit hall stretching deeper into the mountain face. They came across a door with more mixed Hylian scratched on it, but they assumed it was the right door. Legend knocked on the door but was met with no response. “Wild, you better be conscious in there, I swear to the Goddesses,” Legend barked.

Silence.

“Din help me, Wild, I’m gonna break this door down-“

“Looking for your friend, friend?” A familiar voice interrupted Legend’s threat. The two spun around quickly where they were met with Knox’s eager smile a little too close for comfort.

“You again. You seen him?” Legend asked curtly. Sky elbowed Legend in a silent reminder to keep his sour mood in check.

“Why, Yes!” Knox nodded and clasped his hands together. “I saw him exploring the other doors down the hallway and he entered the very last one on the left.”

Legend snorted. “Figures.”

“Thanks!” Sky waved at Knox and the heroes continued to the end of the hall.

They opened the door but there wasn’t a room. Rather, it was a tunnel crudely carved into the mountain with small lamps dotting the walls every several feet. The path curved to the right and climbed a steadily sloped incline. “I’m gonna kill him,” Legend growled, readjusted his sword on his back and lead the way into the tunnel. Sky started picking nervously at his nails, a habit he had when he was anxious. He hated tunnels.

“Looks like fun,” Sky offered sarcastically in an attempt to cheer up his off-put friend (and himself). Legend replied with a sharp laugh and nothing more.

They climbed the incline after the turn and were met with more blind turns and twists in the tunnel. The air was moist and was dropping in temperature rather quickly. Legend was starting to feel cramped until the walls began to widen gradually.

“I wonder if the miners used this as a short cut to the tavern,” Sky mused, ignoring Legend’s grumbles about it being Wild’s shortcut to his ass being handed to him.

After a few more minutes of walking, the tunnel led them to an open circular cavern with other smaller tunnels lining the edge unevenly spaced from one another.

“Not as meticulously planned as I’d expect miners to dig their tunnels,” Legend hummed. The two stood in the center of the space and deliberated on which path Wild would have gone down. “Any ideas?”

“Not a clue.” Sky shook his head helplessly.

“Well…let’s try this one,” Legend pointed to the tunnel directly in front of them. He had only taken a few steps before he stopped dead in his tracks, which caused Sky to crash into him with a yelp. “Listen.”

Their ears perked to scan the deafening silence that surrounded them. A nearly imperceptible sound of debris shifting behind them caused them to pivot quickly on their heels. Nothing to see but an empty cavern dimly lit. Satisfied, they turned back to the tunnel before them. Now, though, they were on alert for the smallest sound.

Legend got a feeling that there was something wrong. He’s been through enough to know that an empty cavern is never what it seems.

Another shuffle behind them echoed through the cavern and once more the pair looked behind them. Again, Knox was in their midst with clasped hands and a bright smile. It appeared that he was standing at the mouth of a different tunnel from where Legend and Sky came from.

“I do hope you find him, this place isn’t for young folk like yourselves.” The warning from Knox’s lips betrayed the pleasant grin on his face.

“Where did you come from…?” Legend’s hand twitched to reach for his sword.

“There are more ways than one to enter this place, dear friend!”

Sky was starting to get on edge and the kindness he had previously offered the strange man was waning. “What exactly is this place?”

“You know, we don’t get many visitors here in our humble town.” Knox spoke like he didn’t hear Sky’s question, which only raised even more suspicion. “There are rumors that they always end up going missing. Of course, this is all just talk. You know how people are!” Knox waved his hand dismissively. “I wanted to try to change that misconception by offering your friend some free assistance. And I now wish to make sure that you, my friends, are safe as well.”

“How hospitable of you…” Sky wasn’t even faking a smile now.

“We do this for a living. Thanks but we can take care of things from here.” Legend didn’t know what this guy’s deal was, but the fewer variables in the way, the easier it will be to find Wild.

Legend thought Knox would insist, but the merchant simply nodded and disappeared into the shadows, his laugh echoing down the tunnel.

“Let’s just get this over with. I’m exhausted,” Legend sighed. Once more they headed for the tunnel they had chosen to go down before.

As they crossed into the mouth of the tunnel, Legend swore under his breath when he heard more shuffling behind him. “How many times do we have to tell you to get lost, man!”

When he and Sky wheeled around, they were not met with Knox. Instead, eight red eyes glared through the darkness and the largest skulltula either of them had ever faced lowered itself to the ground. Legend felt like he had shrunk to Four’s height, the monster dwarfed him so greatly.

Swords were drawn immediately but there wasn’t much space to work with as the tunnel was now blocked and they could only go further into the maze they have found themselves in. The skulltula began to press into the tunnel.

“Move.” Sky pushed Legend to follow the tunnel while he held up the Master Sword in defense. Legend didn’t need to be told twice and he booked it into the depths of the mountain. There were fewer lamps lining these walls, but he was still able to guide himself well enough. The glow from the Master Sword helped as well and softly lit up the walls for them to see if they were going to hit a sharp turn.

Knox’s laugh echoed once more through the tunnel amidst their growing panic.

Sky soon fell behind in an effort to slash at the creature. Some unholy shrieks indicated that he landed some blows, but Legend feared it did nothing but make the skulltula angrier. He turned in time to see the monster bite down on Sky’s sword arm, eliciting a sharp cry from Sky and he tugged his arm helplessly in the creatures maw but it wouldn’t come free. Legend plunged his sword into one of the glowing red eyes and only then did Sky’s arm get released.

“Sky-“

“It’s fine!” Sky hissed through grit teeth. He clutched his arm tight to try to stop the bleeding now staining his sleeve. “Just keep going!”

Legend grabbed Sky’s tunic in a fist and dragged him along the pitch dark tunnel before them. His companion’s breathing grew labored far more than it should have been. Sure, Sky wasn’t one for having much stamina, but he sounded like he was having trouble breathing altogether.

Before Legend could think further on it or ask Sky how he was feeling, the ground fell beneath their feet. The soft glow of what little light they had didn’t illuminate that they had been headed full tilt toward a sudden drop.

They fell for long enough to gain dangerous speed, which caused Legend to barely process the splitting pain erupting from his left arm before his head hit the hard ground and he blacked out.

~*~

Legend was shaken awake by familiar hands.

“Leg, c’mon.”

Legend frowned with confusion that soon melted into one of annoyance. “Wild. What the literal fuck…”

Wild would have usually jabbed back, but his voice was serious. “That guy. The one who gave me the potion? I don’t know what happened, but I blacked out in the washroom and then I ended up here…He’s working with that skulltula I think.”

“Yeah, I kinda gathered that much when he laughed as we got chased down a dark tunnel by his pet.” Legend grumbled. He took stock of what he could feel. His head was pounding and there was an almost unbearable pain radiating from his left arm, but other than that, he felt just fine.

“Sky still won’t wake up and I don’t’ see a way out.” Wild sounded like he was looking behind him in earnest. Legend cracked his eyes open. Wild had started a small fire with what few sticks he had left in his inventory. The hole they have found themselves in had walls far too high to climb and thick skulltula webs covered every inch of the surrounding rock- so much so that they couldn’t actually see the dark stone underneath the white threads. Sky was on his back and was still, save for his shallow breathing. He looked pale and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Legend tried to sit up but it felt like his arm was plunged into a meat grinder and he let out an involuntary cry.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Wild warned. “Your arm is…” the Champion picked his words carefully. “Well, it’s gonna need some work.”

Legend turned and upon seeing jagged white bone jutting through flesh and leather, he nearly threw up his dinner. He’d never had a break this bad. Could it be saved? How bad would it hurt? It’ll get infected. Does Wild have any potions? Would a potion even heal this?

His breathing kicked up speed in a panic.

“Breathe, Veteran,” Wild forced himself to sound at least a little reassuring. “I managed to make a sling from one of my old shirts. That should be enough to keep it still until we get Hyrule to do something for it.”

Legend struggled to finally sit up and Wild helped him to gently slip his mangled arm into the makeshift sling. “Anything in that freakishly deep bag of yours to help us?” He scowled through the words.

“Not really. I’m low on a lot of things,” Wild sat back on his heels and his hand returned to his side.

“You still feelin’ the storm?” Legend asked when he saw the wince Wild tried to hide.

“Yeah,” Wild admitted sheepishly. “Also why I haven’t done much more than set a fire.”

Legend hummed. He scooted over to Sky and shook him. “You alive, Sky?” He tried to keep a cool demeanor, but the pallor to Sky’s face was worrisome.

“Look at his arm. Do you know what happened?” Wild joined Legend beside him. Sky’s arm was torn up pretty badly and the skin around the open wounds was turning a sick green.

“That’s where he got bit by the skulltula.”

“There’s a chance he got poisoned.” Legend looked at Wild with a raised eyebrow in a silent question to explain further. “Well, I’ve been doing some thinking. I’ve seen the skulltula check in on me a couple times and Knox said something weird about ‘feeding time’. Maybe this is where they keep the people they lure into this nest. I wonder if the bite is how the thing prepares its food for predigestion.”

When it came to wild things, Legend trusted the one who knew it best. “Well that’s just wonderful. Are his guts being liquefied or what?” He rubbed his forehead in frustration. Wild shrugged. “Okay, well...”

Legend turned around toward the fire and poked at it with a stray stick as he began sifting through the problem. He had no idea how to climb out with an unconscious companion, one who can hardly walk upright- let alone how he’d climb with one functional arm.

His arm hurt and he refused to look at it in case he couldn’t hold down his dinner at the sight. Maybe the others would catch on that something was wrong and they’d go looking, but it would be a longer time than they had to find him and his incapacitated friends. Legend was actively bleeding and he didn’t know how long Sky had before he was meal-ready for their eight legged captor.

In anger, he swore and threw the burning stick he was holding and it bounced helplessly against the web-infested wall.

Silence fell over the hopeless trio for several long moments that seemed like hours. Legend hotly plopped his head in his one good hand and held his bangs and a trembling fist. He had been through many adventures and gotten out of countless situations that should have killed him. There was a way out. There had to be and he knew it. He just had to think.

“Well, that’s something,” Wild remarked with mild interest.

Legend dared to peek at Wild with a sharp glare. What could possibly-

“Oh. Yeah I think that could be something.” Legend followed where Wild was looking and the smoldering stick that he’d thrown had caught some web fibers on fire- a fire that was quickly spreading.

They watched with mouths slightly agape as the flames licked up the walls and around the sides. The fire was hot, but it burned quickly enough that it wasn’t unbearable. When all of the webs had disappeared, a small tunnel was revealed and Legend could feel a chilly draft seep from it. He exchanged a heavy glance with Wild.

Without saying anything, They scrambled to get Sky draped between them, each holding one of Sky’s arms over their shoulders. Between Wild’s stumbling from his storm-ridden pain and Legend’s only good hand, the feat was much more difficult to achieve than it should have been, but they trudged through the void nonetheless.

~*~

“What in Nayru’s name happened to you?” Four gasped when he laid eyes on his friends. Legend and Wild crashed through the door of the inn with little grace, Sky dragging limp between them.

“I got drugged,” Wild said like it was no big deal.

“Sky got poisoned,” Legend helped shrug Sky into Warrior’s arms and Hyrule handed the Captain a potion, his sights set on a certain crushed arm. “And my arm is…well. You can kinda guess.”

Hyrule’s hands hovered over the broken arm preemptively to assess just how bad it was, then looked at the shocked inn keeper who had watched the whole thing. “Is there a medic that can help nearby? This is pretty serious.” Hyrule asked calmly despite the worry in his eyes.

“Not near, no,” the inn keeper replied with her eyes still fixed on the horrific sight before her. “We don’t get any visitors, you can see the inn is empty aside from you all. The only medic is at the other end of town closest to where the mine is. It’ll take too long and that won’t be much help.”

Hyrule took a deep breath and a determined look set itself in his gaze as he swept his eyes over his friends. “I’m going to need help. It won’t be pretty.” His friends nodded solemnly in reply.

Upstairs, they gathered in one of the rooms and Legend grudgingly did as instructed and laid in a bed. All eyes were on Hyrule and ready to do whatever he said.

“This is a compound fracture and I need to set the bones before I can even begin to heal the break.” Hyrule explained.

“How bad is this going to hurt?” Legend dared to ask. Hyrule answered with nothing but a dark yet apologetic look. Legend gulped.

“Time, I need you up here to hold his shoulders. Wars, you hold his good arm. Twilight, you have his legs, and Four I need you to stabilize his upper arm so I can work on him with as little trouble as possible.” All notions of perceived low self-confidence was completely gone and replaced with calm authority. If anyone knew what to do, it was Hyrule and the others were more than happy to follow.

He then took a wash cloth and folded it several times and eyed Legend warily. “What’s that?” Legend dared to ask.

“I need you to bite down on this,” He moved like he was waiting for Legend to oblige.

“You’re fucking kidding.” Legend balked.

“It’s this or accidentally biting through your tongue or chipping your own teeth.” Hyrule waved the cloth impatiently.

“I won’t.”

Hyrule sighed. “Wind,” He called the youngest over and handed the cloth to the sailor.

“What do I do?” Wind asked innocently.

“When he opens his mouth, quickly put it between his teeth.”

“This is over the top, ‘Rule-” Legend began protesting, but Hyrule cut him off.

“We’re running out of time, Legend.” Hyrule was serious and his tone reflected the severity of the situation. Legend knew there was no arguing with him now, so he closed his eyes and focused on evening out his breath. Hyrule nodded to the others who had taken up their assigned positions and only continued when each of them nodded back.

Hyrule got to work carefully cutting the fabric and leather brace away from Legend’s forearm. The slight movements were enough to send a jolt through Legend’s body and he grit his teeth. Hyrule had hoped he’d open his mouth to hiss profanities so that Wind could slip the cloth into his mouth, but the Veteran was stubborn. He didn’t worry, though. Legend would be screaming soon enough, Hyrule thought darkly.

He had finished peeling away the blood soaked fabric and laid his hands on either side of the break. Nodding one more time so the others knew to be ready, he began shifting the bone. Immediately, Legend’s body involuntarily fought back. His legs and arms fought to lash out but were pinned down by his companions. The bed shook and shifted violently as agony ripped through the veteran’s body. Grit teeth bore stubbornly, but soon his throaty and pained growl gave way to inevitable screams.

Wind was quick to put the cloth between open teeth, followed by Hyrule barking at Legend to bite down. It took a few moments for the words to process though Legend’s anguish-ridden mind, but soon his teeth clamped firmly onto the folded fabric. The screams were muffled now, but that didn’t mean they were any less heart-wrenching.

Although Four was more than helpful with stabilizing Legend’s affected arm, Hyrule still had to fight against twitches. His hands were slickening with his friend’s blood and each tug of Legend’s arm made Hyrule’s grip slip and he had to reposition multiple times.

Tears streamed from Legend’s eyes and Time glanced anxiously at Hyrule. “How much longer, Traveler?” He asked desperately over the tortured cries of their companion.

“Almost…done,” Hyrule breathed. His jaw was clenched and all of his concentration bore down on his task. Seeing the pain radiate from his friend, he noticed that he was also shedding tears. He never liked causing anyone distress, let alone any of this level.

But soon, the bone was set and a blue-green glow filled the room as Hyrule began the healing process. The screaming died down and his lurching body calmed to uncontrolled trembling. The whole party took collective sighs and their shoulders slumped in relief. It was over.

Wind carefully lifted the cloth from Legend’s teeth and like uncorking a bottle, Legend spewed every swear and profane phrase he knew between labored panting.