Link swallowed, his stomach churning unpleasantly as he realized this wasn’t a dream. It was too real for that, even among all of the realistic dreams he’d had before. But if it wasn’t... Where was this? Nowhere on Skyloft was this dark, and the Surface... was this the Surface? It must be, there was nowhere else he could be. The ancient cistern maybe? Somewhere in the desert?

Well wait, where had he been before here?

Link searched his memory, but all he could come up with was going to bed for the night, Zelda giving him a slightly worried frown when he’d coughed a bit. He’d reassured her he was fine, and then kissed her...

Zelda...

He tried to take in a deep breath, but his breath rasped in his throat, and he coughed, wincing at the gunk he heard rattling around inside of him. Wonderful. He must be on the Surface; the air down here was too thick, and it was aggravating the cold he’d already had.

He closed his eyes as his head throbbed, and couldn’t help the small groan that escaped him. This wasn’t good. He had no clue what was going on, aside from the fact that he’d been chained up and put in a dark room by someone (something?) and his cold was getting worse. Wonderful.

And then a noise suddenly rang through the cell, a soft growl that made the hair on his neck stand up.

He wasn’t alone.

He squinted through the darkness, and realized one of the nearby shadows wasn’t merely a shadow at all, but rather a creature, intelligent eyes staring at him in silence.

Link startled, but then looked a little closer, trying to figure out what exactly it was. It appeared to be a large, furry animal, snout muzzled and leg chained. It stared at him as he looked at it, exhausted blue eyes trailing across his face and pausing at the blood no doubt staining his forehead.

It whined, and Link stared at it, scooting a bit closer as his head throbbed.

Something told him this animal wasn’t a threat, despite its large size and multiple scary features. Some deep-rooted instinct was urging him to trust it, and so he scooted even closer, both steadily watching each other.

He slowly reached a hand out, and the beast gently bumped its head against his palm.

“You’re trapped too huh buddy?” he rasped, running a careful hand along it’s fur before gently scratching his ears, “looks like it’s just you and me. Wonder what they want with us.”

The beast whined again, and Link rubbed his fur, hoping he’d enjoy being petted in the same way remlits did. It seemed to work, the beast gently butting his hand again, and Link almost smiled to himself.

“Wish I could get that off of you,” he said after a few minutes of silence. “Having something like that around your face can’t be comfortable.”

The beast huffed, and nuzzled his hand as best as he could, almost like he was saying not to feel bad about it. Link chuckled, then broke into coughs, his throat aching as he breathed harshly into his arm.

The animal whined and shuffled closer to him, resting his head on his lap and looking up at him with what seemed like worry.

“I-I’m okay, I’m okay...” Link rasped, trying to breath and not agitate his throat. “The air down here it’s just... a lot.”

The beast in his lap studied him for several moments, then let out a soft huff, pressing his forehead against Link’s arm.

“Thanks buddy,” Link murmured, running his hand through his fur.

The motion soothed them both, and the animal’s thick fur helped warm Link, chasing away the chill that had settled into his bones, and making him sleepy instead. He knew he should probably stay awake, figure out a plan or something, but the beast’s fur was soft and warm, and his eyes drooped against his will.

Link curled up a bit further, the animal settled comfortably against his chest, and the two of them dozed off.

(...)

Link awoke to an angry growl.

He startled, brain even fuzzier then before, and quickly wiped the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up. The beast he’d been curled up with was crouched protectively over him, a low growl escaping its throat.

There was light in the room now, coming from a torch. It was held by a person in a strange red bodysuit, and three more of them were approaching him and the beast, weapons glinting at their sides.

Link sat up and scooted backwards, looking at the soldiers as his heart thudded.

“Who are you?” he croaked, throat unpleasantly sore. “What do you want with us? Did you put me in here?”

The strange soldiers didn’t reply aside from chuckling, and they both suddenly leapt forwards, grabbing the beast and manhandling him towards the door.

He was snarling angrily as his chain was yanked, but the creature couldn’t do anything to the people pulling him away, only struggle madly as he was dragged. Link strained at the chain his wrist was in, but it didn’t stretch nearly long enough to stop the soldiers from dragging his cell mate out the door.

“Leave him alone, let him go!” Link shouted, then broke down into coughs as he shouted.

The soldiers only laughed and pulled the beast further away, still struggling and growling angrily through the muzzle. Link managed to raise his head through his coughs, and met the beast’s eyes as he was dragged away, an intense worry directed towards him bright in his eyes.

And then he was gone.

(...)

It took Link hours to fall back asleep.

Which normally would be so concerning Zelda would’ve taken his temperature, but the reason for it this time was pure worry for the strange beast that had been his cell mate.

What was he? Why had he been imprisoned with him? Why did his captors even imprison them both anyways? Where had they taken him?

Was he just a food source?

The options kept his mind racing for hours. And when he finally did fall asleep it was in small restless increments, after which he would jolt awake, his right hand itching and mind churning with dreams he couldn’t remember.

And his cough only seemed to get worse.

He’d finally managed to fall asleep a bit more deeply when a loud clank woke him back up, some dormant reflex of his urging him awake. Link looked blearily up at where the sound had originated, then blinked, staring at what was going on. The strangely dressed soldiers had returned, the same who’d taken his companion, but they had no blue eyed beast held between them.

No, they were instead dragging a hylian along the floor, one who was struggling viciously against the men who were manhandling him inside.

And also wearing a tunic surprisingly similar to Link’s knight uniform.

The soldiers unlocked the cell and near flung the hylian in, one of them quickly crouching down and chaining him with the same line they’d used on the beast.

Link didn’t shout, knowing it would only make himself cough, but he did level the soldiers with a glare. They ignored him, and when the hylian leapt at the soldier who’d chained him again, the biggest of the group kicked him squarely in the chest, throwing him backwards with a grunt.

They stalked away, laughter echoing behind them, and the room went silent.

“Hey,” Link called softly once they were gone, trying to stop his voice from wheezing too much. The other hylian hadn’t yet moved from where he’d been kicked, but at Link’s words he grunted and slowly raised his head. “Are you okay?”

The hylian blinked at him, something odd shining in his eyes as he slid himself up into a sitting position. He sat up with a slight jerk, then clutched at his side, hissing at the movement that was obviously faster then he’d meant to make.

His darkish-blond hair hung in his face, looking unkempt and dirty, and there was blood smeared on his cheek, still leaking slowly from a cut dangerously close to his eye. He stared at Link for several moments before replying to his question.

“I’m... I’m okay,” he answered finally, and concern sparked in his eyes as he looked over Link. “I wonder if I should be asking you that.”

Link blinked at him.

“I’m fine,” he rasped quietly, confused at the man’s seeming familiarity with him. “Who... who are you? Do you kn-know—”

Link broke into a coughing fit, unable to stop himself, and before he knew it the other man was rubbing his back and telling him to breathe. His head felt fuzzy as he tried to catch his breath, and a chill shuddered up his spine, making him shiver.

But when he finally caught his breath, the man gave him a worried smile, and patted him on the arm.

“My name is Link,” he said gently. “And we’ve... well, we already met.”

Link stared at the other Link in disbelief, and the man chuckled a little, then winced.

“You uh... remember the wolf that was in here a few hours ago?” he asked, and Link hesitantly nodded, supposing that a wolf must be the large beast that had been keeping him warm. “Well, I’m... him. The wolf.”

“How is that possible?” Link said in a dumbfounded rasp.

“It’s a long story,” the other Link sighed. Something equally sad and angry flashed in his gaze, but it only lasted a few seconds. “And a bit much to explain right this second. Who are you?”

Despite how awful he felt, Link couldn’t help but smirk.

“Link.”

The other Link raised both eyebrows in surprise. “Your name is Link too?”

“Yep.”

The other Link let out a hearty laugh, amusement making his eyes twinkle. “What are the odds? I don’t suppose you’ve ever fought a fellow named Ganon, have you? Or been turned into a wolf?”

Link shook his head. “I never fought anyone named... Ganon. And I didn’t even know what a wolf was until you showed up.”

Other Link’s face turned more serious then, and he rubbed at his side, looking thoughtful.

“Hm. I don’t suppose... have you seen anyone else in here? A guy a little younger than me, blue tunic, blonde hair?” he asked, and Link shook his head. Other Link sighed in relief, and leaned his head against the wall. “Thank Ordona. He must have gotten away.”

“Pardon me for asking, but who?” Link asked, and Other Link’s face softened.

“Another Link. This is his world, I’ve been traveling with him. We were ambushed, totally and completely overwhelmed, but if he’s not in here with us then that’s a good sign. He must’ve gotten away,” he said with a smile. “We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Link coughed again, and Other Link’s face darkened.

“Well... maybe not nothing. You okay?”

“Fine,” Link croaked, blinking tiredly. He felt sore and exhausted despite only waking up a little while ago, and his head still felt fuzzy with sleep. Other Link placed a tentative hand on his forehead, and Link was silent as he hummed worriedly.

“You feel pretty warm,” he murmured, and Link shook him off.

“Doesn’t matter. I need to get out of here, Zelda... I can’t remember what happened and I don’t know if she’s okay—”

“Okay, whoa, hold your horses bud,” Other Link said, holding a hand up. His eyes were wide, but something knowing shone in them. “Your name is Link, you know a Zelda, and you were put in here with me? That’s too much of a coincidence. Have you ever heard of a fancy trinket called the Master Sword?”

Link blinked at him. “I forged it.”

Other Link blinked back. “You— Wow. Well that would explain a few things then.”

“Explain what?” Link said, starting to get annoyed. All of this Link talk was just making his head hurt even more. “What does this have to do with a-any—“

He broke down into a coughing fit again, one that went on longer than any of the previous. A hand rested on his shoulder, and Link probably would’ve flinched if he hadn’t been coughing so hard his lungs felt like they were on fire. The hand started to rub, and Link continued to cough, the sounds rough and quite honestly gross sounding, not to mention painful.

But he did eventually stop, and didn’t resist when the other Link pulled his head over to rest on his shoulder.

“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to keep secrets,” Other Link said gently. “I just... wow. Did you really forge it?”

“Reforged really,” Link rasped. “But I still don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

Other Link sighed, and looked around the darkened room, Link just barely able to see the blue in them. “It has to do with everything. And since I don’t think we can escape at the moment, I’ll try to explain.”

He smiled, and Link suddenly noticed how similar they looked, even apart from their clothing. Other Link’s eyes nearly matched his own blues, and their hair was close to the same color, even styled similarly.

They could’ve been brothers.

“I’m a Hero of Courage,” Other Link said, holding out his palm. “Just like you.”

“Drop your weapons heroes, or he loses his head,” the blademaster said smoothly, and Brownie felt his heart thud even faster. The assassins seemed closer than before, and his hands were growing sweaty.

Hemmed in on every side, claws getting closer with his sword out of reach—

He heard Era hiss in anger, but when the blademaster inched his weapon closer to Slate’s neck, he dropped his sword, as did the rest of them. Despite his common sense screaming at him, Brownie did as well, and he could hear the smirk in the blademaster’s voice when he spoke again.

“That’s better.”

A weapon slashing at him, pounding of feet and baying for blood that made his chest ache—

“What do you want?” Era asked, snapping Brownie out of his memories. “We did as you said, release him.”

“Not yet,” the blademaster said coolly, sounding smug. “There’s something more we need to discuss. See, a funny rumor reached our master’s ear... supposedly one of the heroes of courage has a... special kind of blood. Not just the blood of heroes, but something in addition, an old evil that somehow got introduced. Something powerful. Cursed.”

Brownie felt every bit of blood in his face drain away.

“We’re interested in it,” the blademaster continued, and Slate glared at him. “And a few of its uses. We also know it’s in one of you four, so don’t try to claim it’s not here.”

“Like we’ll just give any of our own up,” Light growled.

The blademaster ignored him aside from a scoff. “I’m proposing a deal: the cursed hero reveals himself and comes quietly... or the Hero of the Wilds dies.”

“Don’t you guys dare,” Slate said quickly. “I mean it, don’t—”

The blademaster swiftly twisted his blade around and slammed the hilt into the back of Slate’s head.

Light shouted angrily, and Brownie felt his stomach lurch as Slate’s eyes rolled back in his head, the hero falling limp against his captor. The blademaster raised a hand, and the circle of assassins around them closed somewhat, not leaving much breathing room.

“Well? Which one of you is it?”

Brownie took a small step back, mind screaming with panic.

They knew. Somehow they knew, and if they found out it was him they’d try to rip him open and use his blood, entirely destroy Slate’s world and maybe all their worlds, tear apart everything the champion and all of them had fought so hard to protect—

His breath caught in his throat and someone suddenly steadied him, a hand gently grabbing his shoulder. Brownie couldn’t help his flinch, but it at least snapped him out of some of his panic. He glanced over and saw that Cloud had set his hand on his arm, and was giving him a worried look.

Brownie quickly averted his gaze

He needed to get out of here. He needed to get everyone out of here, but he didn’t have enough magic for anything useful, and didn’t want to risk Slate’s neck, and he couldn’t guarantee that nobody would be hurt if he did manage something—

“We know it’s one of you,” the blademaster snapped, starting to lose his patience. “And if the cursed hero does not reveal himself in the next ten seconds, the Hero of the Wilds loses his head.”

“No!” Light cried, and Brownie swallowed, feeling bile rise in the back of his throat.

The blademaster began to count slowly backwards, and Brownie frantically looked around for a solution, an escape, anything they could use, but there was nothing. Just soldiers closing in and a weapon held tight against his friend’s throat.

Who would die if he didn’t reveal himself.

Brownie clenched his hands into fists, closing his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. I’m so sorry Zelda.

“It’s me!”

Brownie’s eyes flew open and he turned towards the speaker, stomach dropping with horror. Cloud had shouted the words, desperation on his face as the Yiga pressed the blade to Slate’s neck, but his eyes held a cold determination.

“Cloud no—” he choked out, but a Yiga cut him off.

“So, the cowardly hero finally reveals himself!” the blademaster crooned, looking at Cloud with a no-doubt delighted grin. “Our master’s been dying to meet you.”

Brownie felt like he was going to throw up.

Cloud’s eyes flicked to his for a mere second before he stepped forward out of their tight formation, holding his hands up in surrender. Brownie swallowed, but he couldn’t get his throat to work to try and stop him, tell them to take him instead.

“It’s me,” Cloud repeated, and even though he couldn’t see his face, Brownie had no doubt that the blademaster was grinning behind his mask.

“Excellent,” he said, eagerness coloring his voice.

He snapped his fingers and before anyone could react, Cloud had been forced to his knees beside Slate, whom the yiga had dropped to the ground. Cloud glared back at him, but the blademaster was unmoved.

“You’d better not be lying boy, or this one dies,” he rumbled, waving his weapon at Slate’s neck.

Cloud watched him in silence, but there was something almost electric in his eyes, a dangerous light that for some reason almost sent Brownie’s fight or flight response completely over the edge.

“I’m not lying. I am cursed,” Cloud said, meeting the mask of the blademaster with a steady glare. He’d said it calmly, but his voice held a faint crackle to it, like the air right before a lightning strike.

Brownie felt the hairs on his neck raise.

The Yiga seemed to feel it too, and the blademaster paused for only a second, but that was enough to be his downfall.

Cloud whipped out a leg behind him and hooked it around the blademaster’s, yanking him straight off his feet. He lunged backward and grabbed the blade that had been against Slate’s neck, and stood protectively over the champion with a glare.

“But not in the way you think,” Cloud snapped, eyes blazing an almost electrifying blue.

The blademaster jumped back to his feet with a yell, and pandemonium broke out, the Links all diving for their weapons as the yiga pounced. Brownie lunged for his sword and grabbed it just in time to stop a foot soldier from plunging his scythe into his shoulder, and shook off the dizzy feeling of being so low on magic.

Fortunately for him the fight didn’t last long even outnumbered as they were, the yiga rather thrown off by the disruption to their plan. The blademaster that had captured Slate put up a good fight, but Cloud was furious, and the assassin soon teleported away, clutching an arm to his bloodied side.

The other yiga left once the blademaster departed, and Brownie sighed in relief, shakily wiping some sweat off his forehead.

The others quickly went to Slate’s side the moment they could, the champion already stirring with a groan. Brownie held back though, his legs feeling shaky as he watched Cloud hold his arm, a bit of blood staining his sleeve.

The other hero caught him looking, and Brownie looked away, his mind stuck on the yiga gleefully discussing the curse in his blood, and Cloud not even hesitating to protect him from them.

Why did he do that?

Once Era decided everyone was okay to move, Slate dizzily supported by Light, they went a safe distance away from where they’d been ambushed, making camp for the night. Brownie went through the motions of helping set things up, but his mind was still whirling with the events from earlier, stomach continuing to roll.

Until suddenly someone tapped his shoulder.

Brownie jumped, and looked up to see Cloud standing next to him, giving him a apologetic smile. He suddenly realized the others were much further away from them on the other side of the clearing they were in, arguing about something, and he and Cloud were essentially alone.

Brownie swallowed, feeling even more nauseous.

“Cloud—”

“Don’t worry about it,” the older hero said gently, cutting him off before he could even start. Brownie hesitantly met his eyes, and startled at the kindness shining in them. “I’m not going to pry. I figured it out a little, but it’s your secret to tell, and I won’t ask if you don’t want me to.”

“But— why... why did you do that?” Brownie stammered. “Earlier, why...”

“I wasn’t going to let them hurt you, or Slate,” Cloud said firmly. “And I wasn’t about to let you give yourself up either. They wouldn’t have kept their word, and things wouldn’t have ended well. Besides, now the Yiga don’t have any clue who’s really cursed,” he chuckled.

He patted his arm, and Brownie suddenly felt tears of all things prick at the corners of his eyes. He stubbornly blinked them back, and Cloud smiled at him.

“I will say though, if the Yiga are after you, even if they don’t know its you they’re after... it might be good if the others knew,” he continued, his hand still resting on his arm. “I won’t say anything without your permission, but you should at least consider telling them.”

Brownie only nodded, feeling too overwhelmed to speak.

Cloud watched him a second, then pulled him into a short hug, giving him a quick squeeze before pulling back again.

“Get some rest now okay? I can see you shaking and you know Hibiscus’ll get on your case if you don’t rest and get your magic back,” he teased, and Brownie nodded again, something warm abruptly settling in his chest.

Cloud hadn’t told anyone. He wasn’t going to tell anyone, unless Brownie asked him, and he’d... protected him, from whatever the yiga wanted his blood for, a terrible fate for certain.

He wasn’t usually on this end of the protecting.

It was kind of nice.

Brownie suddenly realized how utterly exhausted he was then, and let Cloud lead him over to his bedroll without much resistance. He flopped down into it and began to fall doze almost immediately, and heard Cloud sit down next to him.

A conversation floated over his head, but he didn’t bother listening to it, beginning to nod off, one last thought pricking at him as he fell asleep.

He and the other Link had been here for a little more than two days by his guess, maybe two and a half. After the revelation that they were both heroes, they’d been excitedly lobbing questions back and forth at each other, finding out more of what they’d both done, as well as debating an escape plan.

They’d chosen nicknames to help differentiate each other too, Link going by the name his Link had initially given his wolf form (Gloam), and the other Link deciding on Cloud, due to his home (and the texture of his hair, Gloam had teased).

But now they were sitting in silence, Cloud too ill to do much other than doze.

He had steadily gotten worse as the hours trickled by, breath rasping and forehead burning up despite how cold the rest of him felt. Gloam could only watch him get sicker, with an increasingly frantic sort of worry.

He barely even knew Cloud, not really, and he was pretty sure the other hero was older than him, but he’d already slid him right next to the rest of his family on his “people to protect” list. He felt the same connection with him as he did with the Link of this time, and that only made the desire to keep him safe grow.

Especially with how sick he was.

Cloud shivered more violently from next to Gloam, and he pulled him even closer, trying to warm him up as much as possible. He let out a weak cough, and Gloam brushed his damp bangs out of his face.

He needed to get them out of here.

As if hearing his thoughts, the door creaked, and Gloam stiffened, moving Cloud off his shoulder with a quiet apology. Cloud only mumbled a little in reply, and Gloam gave him a worried look before returning his attention to the door. It swung open seconds later, and three Yiga sauntered in, the same, he assumed, from earlier.

Gloam stationed himself protectively in front of Cloud as they approached, lip curling into a snarl.

“Get out of the way mutt,” one of them grunted. “It’s his turn now.”

Gloam didn’t move, eyes narrowed.

A soldier sighed, and drew the rounded sickle from his back, spikes glinting in the faint torchlight. “We said move mutt,” he said darkly, continuing to approach, and Gloam clenched his fists. “Hand him over.”

“You’ll have to get through me first,” he growled, and the soldiers were quiet for a moment, then broke into laughter.

“Oh, we will.”

The one who’d drawn his weapon leapt forwards, but Gloam was ready for him and he twisted around, kicking out his unchained leg. He caught him right in the stomach, and soldier fell with a breathless gasp, the air knocked right out of him. The other two drew their weapons as the first fell, and quickly approached Gloam.

Gloam narrowed his eyes as he watched them try to circle around him, and jumped out of the way when one suddenly lunged. His weapon just barely missed cutting him, and Gloam snatched the wrist as it reached past, twisting it and forcing the soldier to drop his sickle.

The yiga slipped out of his hold, but Gloam dipped down and grabbed his weapon, sending the soldiers a grin as they fumed.

Oh you’re in trouble now.

The one he’d kicked had caught his breath, and all three approached him again, giving Gloam no time to think. He let instinct almost entirely take over as they swarmed him, thinking only enough to adjust for the fact that the weapon he held wasn’t a sword.

He managed a long slash across one of the soldier’s chests and he teleported away with an angry cry, a flurry of small papers flying through the air. Gloam felt a boost of confidence, but the remaining soldiers took advantage of his distraction and one managed to catch him on the arm.

Pain tore up his bicep, but Gloam ignored it, and despite the chain around his ankle, launched into a spin attack. One of the soldiers went flying and disappeared as well, but the other somehow stood his ground, dodging the attack and charging at Gloam again.

This one was smarter than the other two, exchanging blows with a fair amount of skill. Sweat trickled down Gloam’s brow as the fight dragged on, a few small cuts he’d received stinging the longer he ignored them.

He needed to finish this, before reinforcements came.

Gloam jumped backwards in the limited space, but forgot about the chain on his ankle and suddenly went sprawling with a startled yelp. He sucked in a gasp as he fell, and the yiga laughed and leapt after him, weapon raised high.

His sickle would have gone straight through his middle if Cloud hadn’t thrown himself forward and grabbed the soldier’s leg.

The yiga fell and Gloam lunged for him before he could retaliate, but he quickly disappeared just like the others, leaving the cell quiet once more.

Gloam let out a pant, wincing at the blood on his arm, but felt satisfaction warm him at the keys he’d managed to grab before the soldiers had all disappeared.

Cloud on the other hand was coughing violently into his arm where he’d jumped, and Gloam got to his side, rubbing his back as he continued to cough.

“Thanks for the help,” he smiled once Cloud finished, but the other only smiled weakly in reply, brow pinched.

Gloam felt at his forehead again, heat still radiating off of his face, and felt worry rise in his throat, stomach clenching. He quickly leaned over and first removed the chain around his own ankle, then unlocked the one around Cloud’s wrist, and sighed. The easy part was done, but now he had to figure out where the exit to this place was, all while keeping Cloud safe.

He exhaled, and shook himself.

Nothing I haven’t already dealt with before.

“Can you walk?” he asked, and Cloud nodded, looking determined despite his obvious exhaustion.

“Yeah...” he croaked, and Gloam helped him stand, Cloud swaying dizzily. But he managed to get his balance once Gloam slung his arm over his shoulder, and they began to walk out.

Gloam eyed every hallway they passed, distant footsteps making him tense. The yiga he’d fought off were no doubt gathering reinforcements when they’d teleported away, which meant the whole base would know they’d escaped soon.

They’d need to be fast and get out of here quickly, or they’d just get thrown back in the cell again.

Cloud suddenly slumped a little in his hold, and Gloam paused, looking over at him. The other hero looked dizzy, eyes half-lidded as he lifted a shaking hand to his forehead and groaned.

“You need a break?” Gloam asked him quietly, and Cloud grimaced.

“No... think I’m gonna...”

His face abruptly paled, and Gloam quickly pulled him over to a more sheltered spot where he promptly threw up.

Gloam winced, and patted him on the back as he emptied the meager contents of his stomach onto the floor. It didn’t take Cloud too long to stop, but he didn’t look any better once he’d finished, face sweaty and cheeks still flushed with fever.

“You alright?” Gloam asked gently.

“I hope nobody heard that...” Cloud groaned back, and Gloam squeezed his shoulder.

“You weren’t too loud, I think we’re okay. At least for— wait.”

Gloam froze and pricked his ears, and they both went silent. He was sure Cloud couldn’t hear it, but he could make out footsteps approaching, obviously trying to be stealthy based on the footfalls.

He put a finger to his lips, and looked towards the wall that they had ducked behind, narrowing his eyes.

A yiga abruptly charged around the corner at them and Gloam reacted immediately, shoving Cloud behind him and brandishing his stolen sickle. The yiga froze at the sight of him, and Gloam jumped, tackling him to the ground before he could teleport away and alert anyone to their location.

Gloam shoved the sickle up to the soldier’s neck, but he was squirming like crazy and trying to grab at his mask for some reason.

“It me, it’s me!” the yiga yelped frantically, and Gloam drew back in shock, immediately recognizing the voice.

“Puppy what in Ordona’s name are you doing here?” he gasped as the yiga finally took his mask off, revealing blonde hair and bright blue eyes. “How—”

“Saving you, what do you think?” he snarked back, but before he could further defend himself, Gloam yanked him into a hug. Link froze for a second, but then Gloam felt him sink into it, a relieved sigh escaping him. “I’m glad you’re okay Glo.”

“There’s not an ounce of common sense in you kid. You can’t just waltz into the base of the cult literally devoted to killing you to save me,” Gloam sighed, and Link sniffed.

“Well I couldn’t just leave you here,” he huffed, and Gloam couldn’t help but smile.

“Well I was doing just fine on my own you know.”

Link smirked. “Yeah, you were. Nice job escaping. And thanks for not taking my head off.”

Gloam winced, and set his sickle aside. “Sorry.”

Link waved him off, then looked over Gloam’s shoulder at where Cloud had leaned over and was gagging again, and his face took on a concerned look.

“Who’s the puking guy?”

Gloam let go of Link and rejoined Cloud’s side, giving him a worried look as he finished throwing up again. Cloud groaned dizzily, and Gloam patted him on the back.

“This is Cloud, he’s... well, he’s another Link,” Gloam explained. “We picked a nickname since things were getting confusing. He’s the Hero of the Skies.”

Link stared, and Cloud gave him a tiny smile, a warm look in his eyes despite his sickly appearance. Link stared at him in silence another few moments, eyes trailing across him, then sighed, and put a hand on his hip.

“Guess this means I need a nickname too, huh.”

Cloud laughed, and Link offered him some water to rinse, quietly introducing himself. Gloam then helped Cloud get to his feet, and they started walking again, the Link without a nickname taking the lead as he fiddled with his slate.

“Seriously, I can’t be the only Link without a nickname, it wouldn’t be right. You guys gotta help me think of one,” he said, and Gloam smirked.

“Sure. You’re Slate now.”

Link paused, and stared at him.

“What? That’s stupid, why not like, Wild, or Rune or something?!”

Gloam patted him on the head. “Because you’re always fiddling around with your slate, it’s perfect. Now shush, we’re trying to not alert the Yiga we’re here, remember?”

The newly-christened Slate grumbled a bit, but nodded, and they continued through the halls, more quietly now.

“...is Cloud okay?” Slate whispered after a while of them walking in silence. “How sick is he?”

Gloam looked over at Cloud, somehow still managing to stay upright.

“Pretty sick,” he replied softly. “He told me he’s from a city in the sky, and the difference in altitude sometimes makes him sick. But he already had a cold apparently, and being down here I’m sure made it worse...”

He trailed off, and sighed.

“He’s only gotten worse. The sooner we get out of here the better.”

Slate nodded, a sharp glint in his eye. “Then we’ll get him out. And we’ll figure out what’s going on here, and what the Yiga are up to and everything.”

He looked over at Cloud, and a flicker of guilt passed over his face.

They finally burst into the sealed temple, and Cloud looked around the room, his breath leaving him as he met the startled eyes of his wife.

Who was tied up and had a blade held to her neck.

“Link!” Zelda gasped as he looked at her, shock and relief in her voice. “Link you’re okay, I—”

“Silence,” the yiga holding his weapon to her neck growled. He turned to the other soldiers next to him, and began whispering, but still loud enough that the heroes could hear him. “We have what we came for. Get her out of here before the heroes interfe—“

Slate shot an arrow directly through the man’s wrist before he even finished speaking.

The soldier yelled and the heroes surged forward, a wave of yiga meeting them. The entire room broke into a fight, the whistle of arrows a background to the sharp clashing of swords as Cloud leapt into the fray. He tried to see where Zelda was, but there were too many people in his way, too many enemies blocking him. So Cloud continued to slowly work his way over to where he’d last seen her, trying to steady the fear in his chest.

He tried to help any of the other Links he passed in the fights they were engaged in, but every single one of them waved him forward, yelling that he needed to get to Zelda. Even the ones that were obviously struggling.

And then a cry suddenly cut through all the other noises echoing in the temple, the sound thick with pain.

Cloud felt his heart stop.

He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

He burst into entirely reckless moves, shoving his way past anyone who tried to stop him. He refused to let himself be deterred, steps speeding even faster towards where he’d last seen his wife. Another cry rang out, but it was a child’s voice this time, and Cloud saw Era snap his head up in a panicked way from across the room.

A blademaster jumped into front of him, but Cloud only took a few seconds to take him down, hacking at the cultist with little remorse. The man disappeared in a flurry of paper, and Cloud finally came into view of Zelda.

Who was lying prone on the ground, Sprite fallen beside her.

Cloud felt his stomach drop out, and he bolted to their sides, falling to his knees and pulling Zelda up into his arms. The clothes she’d been wearing had an ugly red stain beginning to spread across them, and Cloud felt ice clench around his heart.

“Zelda,” he said frantically, cupping her cheek as she breathed in a pained breath. “Zelda how bad is it?”

“I-It’s okay,” she breathed, clutching his hand when it slipped into hers. “It’s okay, it’s not too...”

She trailed off and looked over at Sprite, watching as Era ran to his side and began frantically digging in his pack.

“He saved me,” Zelda said softly, looking back at Cloud. “He jumped... in front of me after I was hit, I would... would have been hit again if he h-hadn’t...”

“Zelda, easy, just breathe, please,” Cloud murmured, trying to keep his panic down. “We need a fairy over here!” he cried as loudly as he could.

“Make that two,” Era said from nearby, voice tense as he ran a soothing hand through Sprite’s hair. The smaller hero flinched, and Era’s face went even darker. “Hibiscus! Get over here, we need you!”

The Hero of Legend joined them a few moments later, looking harried as he dodged an arrow.

“Sorry, Brownie’s unconscious and Windy got nicked with an arrow, and I was trying to fight— sweet Nayru,” he gasped, looking between Cloud and Era. He dropped down between them, doing a quick look over Zelda before doing the same to Sprite.

“What happened?” he asked in dismay, and Zelda shifted a little where Cloud was holding her.

“Those men decided if they... couldn’t have me, then nobody could...” she said in a slightly strained voice, and Cloud held her more tightly. “Took me by surprise... and after I was... hit, they were g-going to finish me, but your friend tried to fight them off... and took a h-hit meant for me...”

Hibiscus dug through his pack as Zelda explained, but his face grew dark as his search for supplies came up empty. He yelled behind him if anyone had a fairy, and Cloud dragged his gaze away from Zelda for just a second.

The fight around them was winding down, most of the yiga fleeing the scene once they realized their plan had been foiled. A few stubborn ones were still fighting, but Slate’s arrows were doing a good job of picking them off, and any hero that wasn’t dealing with an injury or a fight was digging through their bags.

The last soldier disappeared a few moments later, and the heroes clustered around Zelda and Sprite, faces horrified as they realized what had happened.

Hibiscus went around to check for healing supplies, seeing what everyone had left, but it didn’t take him long. When he returned, all he had cupped in his hand was a single bottled fairy. Cloud and Era stared, and Hibiscus shook his head.

“This is all we have,” he said quietly.

The room was silent for a few long moments, and then Cloud snapped his head back at where the Links were watching the scene unfold in horror.

“Sometimes there’s fairies in the woods in the back, you might be able to find one, go,” he snapped.

Almost everyone bolted out the back of the temple, and Cloud was left to look between Zelda and Sprite, both rasping weakly for breath.

“You’ll be fine Zelda,” Cloud murmured, pressing a kiss to her hand, ignoring the bit of blood on her fingers. “You’ll be okay. They’ll find another fairy and you’ll both be fine.”

“Link...” Zelda said quietly, and he met her eyes. “Give... give the fairy to hi...”

Zelda breathed in a gasp and stiffened, screwing her eyes shut before dragging them back open.

“Give... give it to him,” she bit out.

“No.”

Cloud and Zelda both looked at Sprite, curled in on himself in Era’s arms as a steadily growing stain of red spread out across his tunic.

“Don’t...” Sprite whispered, then shuddered a bit. “Let Ze... have her...”

His eyes flickered, but he forced them open, sucking in a shaking breath.

“Give her the fairy,” he whispered.

Cloud stared at him in dismay. “Sprite we can’t just...”

“You know one fairy won’t b-be... enough for us both...” Sprite murmured, his voice still tight with pain. “Let Z-Zelda... have her.”

“We can’t just let you die,” Cloud whispered, and Sprite smirked, then coughed.

“‘M not gonna die,” he whispered, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. “Give it ‘t her.”

“No, we can wait a few more minutes, okay?” Era said sharply, still putting pressure on the wound. “Give the others some time to find another fairy, you’ll both be fine. We don’t need to choose.”

“Don’t have time...” Sprite whispered, closing his eyes. “She needs it more.”

“He does,” Zelda stressed, meeting Cloud’s eyes again. “Link he’s...”

“You both need it!” Cloud shouted, and knew his hands were shaking as he squeezed Zelda’s. “And the fairy won’t be enough for both of you, we can’t...”

Zelda smiled at him just a little, and Cloud looked at her through the tears that were starting to gather in the corner of his eyes.

“Please Zelda, hold on,” he whispered. “Hold on for me, please, I can’t lose you again.”

She didn’t respond other than squeezing his hand, and the room went quiet.

Cloud looked over at Era, equally frantic but hiding it better as he cradled Sprite tightly in his arms. He was holding a cloth to the injury Sprite had sustained, and Cloud looked down at the younger hero, looking unusually small in Era’s hold.

Sprite looked back at him, meeting his eyes as blood trickled down his face, and the younger boy gave him a rare smile.

“You won’t,” he whispered.

Then Sprite snatched the bottled fairy off of the ground, popping the cork and throwing the bottle to land right next to Zelda.

“Sprite!” Era cried out, the fairy flitting from the bottle and immediately spinning around her.

Pink sparkles drifted across Zelda’s middle, the little fairy spinning in rather tight circles as she healed the injury below. Zelda let out a small sigh of relief as she finished, and the fairy jingled weakly, obviously exhausted as she fluttered away. Zelda then sat up a little in Cloud’s arms, and he felt relief hit him at the sight of her bright blue eyes, looking tired, but no longer in any sort of pain.

But his relief was short-lived as he looked over at Era and Sprite.

Throwing the bottle had obviously used the last of the younger’s strength, and he’d fallen limp in Era’s arms, eyes closed.

“Sprite,” Era said in a frantic voice, any steel he’d conjured up rapidly disappearing. “Sprite, don’t do this to me, stay awake.”

Cloud felt a sharp wave of grief hit him as Era clutched at Sprite, the normally vibrant boy in his arms lying eerily still. A small breath wheezed through his lips, but that was the only sign he was still alive at all, blood still leaking from his side.

“Wait,” Zelda said softly, and Cloud looked back at her, a light shining in her eyes.

Zelda reached out towards Sprite, faint light flickering around her fingertips and a glow in her eyes, and Cloud was suddenly reminded that his wife wasn’t exactly mortal.

He quickly helped her move closer to Sprite, and she took his small hand in her own, Era watching with tired acceptance already in his eyes. The light grew just a little as Zelda’s brow creased, and Cloud and Era stayed silent, not wanting to break her concentration.

After several agonizingly long moments, she finally drew back, a smile on her lips.

“I bought him some time,” Zelda said softly, her eyelids drooping. “Not much, but enough... for the others to find another fairy. He’ll be okay until then.”

She let out an exhausted sigh, and Cloud drew her into an embrace, leftover terror at what they’d almost lost making him feel dizzy.

“Thank you,” Era said, voice filled with utter relief. Sprite twitched just a little in his arms, and Era closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. “Thank you so much.”

Zelda nodded at him, then looked back over at Cloud, relief in her gaze.

“You had me worried sick sleepyhead,” she said with a smile, and Cloud finally kissed her, entirely uncaring of who was watching.

They drew back after what didn’t feel nearly long enough, and Cloud gently pressed his forehead against hers, their hands clasped.

“I’m so sorry,“ he whispered. “If it had been up to me I never would have left.”

“I know it wasn’t your fault, I could sense dark magic around the day you disappeared,” she replied softly, squeezing his hands. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I missed you, Link.”

Cloud held her close, breathing in her perfume and ignoring the smell of blood that still tinged the air, ignoring how close she and Sprite had been to dying, and ignoring the terror that still lingered in his heart that he’d been too late.

Mini could hear Cloud’s breath starting to rasp in his throat though, and his steps had slowed drastically in the past few minutes. He suddenly stumbled, and had to lean against a wall for a second, and Mini couldn’t stand watching him push himself any more.

“Cloud, I think we should stop,” he said quietly, coming up to his elbow.

Cloud swallowed and took a rasping breath, then pushed himself off the wall and kept walking. “No, we need... we need to keep going.”

Mini bit his lip and put a hand on Cloud’s arm.

”Cloud if you keep going like this you might hurt yourself more,” he continued, looking up at him worriedly. “I know you said it wasn’t bad, but...”

Cloud continued to walk, though it was more of a stumble now. “Mini... we’ve got to find Sprite and Hibiscus, or they...”

He stopped suddenly and hissed in pain, clutching at his chest.

Mini felt his stomach drop and darted around in front of Cloud, carefully pulling his hand off his shirt. He stared in dismay at the red starting to soak through Cloud’s tunic, crimson staining the green, and he gently tugged the hand still in his own.

“That looks bad Cloud.”

“N-no, I’ll be okay,”

Mini frowned. “Are you sure?”

Cloud winced, putting the hand not in Mini’s over his chest again. “We don’t have time to stop, we have to find, ngh, Sprite and Hib...”

Mini tugged on his arm. “Cloud, please sit down, it’s okay, they can wait a little longer.”

Cloud swallowed and looked down the hall, worry in every line on his face.

“But what if they can’t? W-what if we’re... we’re too—”

“Well you won’t be any use to them like this!” Mini cried, and couldn’t help the scared note that snuck into it. Cloud obviously needed to rest, why couldn’t he see that?! “I won’t let you push yourself until you drop, I don’t care what your reasoning is! You’re hurt!“

Cloud stared down the hall in silence for another few long moments.

Then he pressed his eyes shut and sighed heavily, squeezing Mini’s hand. His shoulders sank as the fight abruptly drained away from him, and he suddenly looked completely exhausted.

“You’re right Mini,” he whispered, then slid down the wall to land on the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Mini sat down next to him without a word, and gently began unbuckling his sword strap so he could help bandage the slice.

“We’ll find them Cloud, but we gotta wait and fix you up first,” he said, helping him tug his tunic off. He helped him get out of his under shirt and half-busted chainmail as well, then breathed out a short breath at the deep slice sluggishly bleeding across Cloud’s chest. “That doesn’t look even remotely okay,” he said quietly, and Cloud sighed again.

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” he said, voice taut with pain.

Mini didn’t bother arguing, and dug through his bag, sighing at the single measly potion he had left before handing it to Cloud. “Here. Let’s see if this’ll be enough.”

He was pretty sure it wouldn’t be though.

Cloud nodded then gulped down the potion, wincing as it began to work at knitting his skin back together, sealing flesh and fusing muscle back to how it was supposed to be. Mini leaned forwards once it was done, studying the slice. It wasn’t fully healed, but it was more of a shallow cut now, and a bandage or two would probably do it.

He sighed in relief and pulled out the roll, Cloud helping him where he could in bandaging it. They were both silent while he worked, and Cloud didn’t look Mini in the eye, only wincing a little as he was patched up.

“I think we should stay here a while longer and rest,” Mini said when he’d finished, sitting down next to Cloud. “We could both use a break.”

Mini looked up at Cloud, still staring quietly off down the hall. He knew mentioning directly they were stopping solely for Cloud’s sake would never go over with the other hero, but making it seem like they both needed the rest would hopefully convince him.

Cloud nodded.

Mini sighed in relief and settled in next to him, hoping his body heat would ward off the the chill from the stones they sat on.

The hall was silent for several long moments.

“I’m sorry for scaring you Mini,” Cloud suddenly whispered, and the small hero pressed himself tighter against his side. “I just... I hope they’re okay. I was late helping someone once, and she was hurt because of it. I... I can’t let that happen again.”

“It won’t,” Mini reassured gently. “The others are tough. They’ll be okay, I know it. And I know you weren’t trying to scare me. It’s okay.”

Cloud tucked the trailing edge of his sailcloth around him, and Mini leaned his head on his arm.

“...but don’t do it again, okay?”