#glassbound

Four huffed, then breathed deep and held it. He heard his heart pounding in his ears, felt the blood rushing through every part of his body. Mentally, he counted to ten, then slowly blew out the air he’d been holding.

Twice more through the cycle, he finally felt calm enough to think.

He crouched in front of Hyrule, trying to catalog the injuries he saw without disturbing the other Hero.

The bruises around his ankles weren’t bad enough to worry about, and he’d already taken care of the dislocated thumb, though it was bruising pretty badly now, too. He'd somehow managed to obtain another bruise on his left index finger, but a quick, gentle examination of the digit didn’t yield another dislocation, so he left it.

The blood dripping down Hyrule’s face and onto his tunic was concerning. Four followed it to a large lump above his left ear…gentle probing revealed that the bleeding cut wasn’t too wide or deep, thankfully, but Four was unsure if Hyrule had a concussion, and he wasn’t quite ready to rouse him enough to properly check.

Four gently checked under the bandages on Hyrule’s left arm – the slice had stopped bleeding, but there was a large bruise surrounding the wound.

A shadow near Hyrule’s hip caught his attention, and he leaned closer to examine it through the faint glow filling the bottle. Lifting the green tunic, a shallow puncture wound met his gaze. When had Hyrule received that?

The wound bled sluggishly, and in the absence of bandages, Four pulled out Hyrule's brown tunic to place against the cut.

Finally, he turned his attention to the injury he’d been avoiding until all his emotions were balanced. Hyrule's right arm hung limply from its socket – he assumed this had been the cause of all the distressed bells he’d heard as he was trying to escape the soldier. The Traveler’s upper arm was already a mess of purplish bruises from the trauma.

Four took a deep breath, trying to channel as much Vio energy as he could, then gently tapped Hyrule's uninjured cheek. “Rulie, you still with me?” He was glad the Traveler seemed to understand Picori – it was much easier to speak in this form than Hylian was.

The other Hero flinched and groaned, a tiny shimmer of bells following the sound. Hyrule slowly lifted his head, short, sharp breaths escaping as he did.

When Hyrule met his gaze his eyes were unfocused, but to Four's relief his pupils were the same size, and when he leaned subtly side to side, Hyrule's eyes followed smoothly.

“’m here,” the fairy mumbled tiredly. “Don' wanna be…” His eyes fluttered closed.

“Hey, no, Link, stay with me!” Four admonished, slight fear of being left alone in the bottle rising within. “We need to set your shoulder and try to straighten your wings.”

The wind chime effect of Hyrule's sigh would have made Four smile in any other circumstance.

Four settled in front of Hyrule, gently taking his forearm and shoulder into the proper grip. Fortunately, while on their second adventure Vio had read all sorts of useful books, and the knowledge had stuck around when they rejoined as Link again. “It’ll be okay Rulie, just relax,” he said as he carefully pulled down on Hyrule's arm, rotating the forearm as he did.

Hyrule whimpered as the joint dropped into place like a key in a lock, then sighed in relief once Four had checked for full range of motion.

“Thanks, Four.” Hyrule smiled wanly. “My wings don’t feel too bad right now…can I rest, please?”

Four couldn’t tell if it was some sort of Fae magic or imagining Red's puppy dog eyes, but he found himself powerless to refuse. “Sure, buddy. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

Hyrule immediately curled up on his left side – head cradled in Four's lap due to the limited space inside the bottle – and dropped into slumber faster than anyone Four had ever known, leaving Four alone with his thoughts.

The thick glass and the cork made it nearly impossible to hear what was going on outside. He absently preened his tail and rubbed at the handful of bruises under his fur as he watched the world wobble around them. Eventually, the soldiers joined with their Boss – Rulow, if he’d heard correctly. Voices raised in angry tones reached his ears, but he couldn’t understand the words.

His stomach bottomed out as the bottle was lifted suddenly into the air, and he hissed, curling protectively around Hyrule's still form as a giant eyeball peered at them through the glass. The deep, gravelly tones of the Boss sent vibrations rumbling though the enclosed space, rattling Four's brain.

Suddenly, their bottle was shoved deep inside a pouch on someone's belt; Four did his best to brace Hyrule through the shuddering transfer, until they were rolling smoothly side to side once more.

It was almost pitch dark inside the pouch, the only light coming from Hyrule's faint glow. He hated not being able to see, not knowing what their fate was to be.

Hyrule still slept, peacefully by the look of it, and the rocking gently lulled Four into a doze.

He wasn’t aware of when exactly they stopped, but he was very aware when brazen sunlight pierced their glass prison.

Four winced and hissed as the bottle was withdrawn, curling around Hyrule as they were jostled. A bleary smear of bells that cut off into a pained rattle told him Hyrule was awake.

Their captors set the bottle down onto a hard surface, and Four shook off the disorientation, trying to make sense of where they were.

He saw light brown, concentric arcs under his feet, leading away to what could conceivably be complete circles outside his horizon of vision. Nearby, a solid arc of a darker brown dropped off into nothingness. The edge of a tree stump, maybe?

He looked further out and up, the glass distorting his view.

Tall greens and reds. Trees.

High and wide yellow and blue. Sun and sky.

Nearer, green and red…clothes?

Yellow and blue…hair? And a snake?

No. A scarf.

The Chain! Warriors and Legend, at least.

Quickly, he bent to drag Hyrule further off the bottom of the glass. “I think Warriors and Legend are here!” he hissed excitedly.

“What? Really?”

“Look!!” Four pointed to where a Hylian-shaped smear of red and green was gesticulating wildly, angrily. A nearby smear of green and blue was making calming gestures towards the first.

“That is them! Legend! Warriors!” Hyrule's strident bells nearly deafened Four, but he couldn’t blame him. He was ready to get out of this bottle, too.

Hyrule tried fluttering his wings in his excitement, only to groan and collapse as they seized.

“Oh, Rulie,” Four crouched down next to the fairy. “Let’s get those wings straightened out. We won’t be able to do anything until they work something out with those soldiers.”

“Yeah,” Hyrule panted, “sounds good.”

Four kept one eye on the conversation above them as he painstakingly straightened the delicate membranes of Hyrule's wings, trying not to aggravate the tears. Warriors looked like he was getting upset, too.

The light inside the bottle dimmed suddenly as a large hand wrapped itself around their prison. That was all the warning they received as the bottle was lifted swiftly into the air, pinning Four and Hyrule to each other at the bottom of the glass. Whoever was holding them stopped moving with a jerk; Four found himself weightless for a short eternity before gravity reclaimed its hold, slamming him back down onto the unforgiving floor.

Coughing breathlessly, Four picked himself up, checking himself and Hyrule for any new injuries. He scrambled to the side of the bottle, trying to see what was going on.

The only opening left him a good view of Boss Rulow's smug, malicious grin. Shouting finally echoed through the bottle, but he still couldn’t understand what was being said.

The sunlight returned as the hand disappeared; Four had one brief moment to appreciate the extra light before he processed what it meant.

Freefall.

No matter how many times he’d fallen or jumped from a high place, the weightlessness that tugged at his stomach never got more comfortable, and that was when he had a way to catch himself. Now, terror filled his tiny body as he fell – five and a half feet at Minish size might as well be miles – trapped and utterly helpless, unable to do anything to stop their descent.

He found his terror reflected back from Hyrule's eyes, and the two tiny heroes clasped hands, bracing for the impact that would almost certainly kill them.

The impact came. But it wasn’t hard, shattering, deadly. It was gentle, cushioned, safe.

Heart thrumming in his chest, Four looked around, wondering who had saved them. Callused hands cradled the bottle, hands covered in glittering gold bands. Legend.

A sob tore from Four’s chest, fueled by Red-induced fear and relief. He clung to Hyrule, whose wordless chimes cycled through fear, relief, concern and excitement so fast it was dizzying.

Or maybe you should breathe, his mind helpfully supplied.

Oh.

Four sucked in a deep gulp of air as the cork was gently wiggled free, stumbling to the lip of the bottle as Legend slowly tipped it over.

Four and Hyrule collapsed in the Vet's palm, the forest sounds loud after the oppressive silence inside the bottle.

“Those Din-blasted thugs better hope Wars doesn’t catch them,” Legend was muttering to himself as he looked around the forest. “I cannot believe they had the nerve to just drop you.” His attention turned to Four and Hyrule. “Are you two okay??”

Four simply nodded, still trying to regulate his breathing.

Hyrule chimed agreement as well, but Four had finally gathered himself enough to shove an elbow into the other hero's ribs. “Uhh…” Hyrule amended, “I could use a potion, if you have one.” He gently fanned his wings for emphasis.

“For more than just your wings, by the look of it.” Legend always tried to hide it, but Four knew he cared deeply for all the heroes, and had a special soft spot for his successor. “What did they do to you?”

“Nothing much.” Four spoke in Hylian for Legend's benefit. “They weren’t particularly happy we kept escaping, is all.”

“Oh, is that all?” Legend snarked, teasing heat behind the words. He shook his head as he helped Hyrule with a red potion. “Lucky idiots, both of you.”

Four couldn’t refute that.

Once Hyrule's wings and injuries were healed, Legend helped Four find a Minish portal. With a few words and a trip through a nearby stump, both heroes regained their normal forms.

In a rare show of affection Legend pulled both Four and Hyrule into a hug. “Don’t,” he warned, “do that again, you hear me?”

“We’ll try,” Four said.

“No promises,” Hyrule teased, relief at being reunited shining from his eyes.

Legend growled playfully before releasing them. “Did you at least get some names?”

Four and Hyrule exchanged a look before matching grins spread across their faces. “We did,” Four confirmed.

He allowed the emotions to run for a few more shaky breaths before taking a deeper one, gently pushing them down and away. They needed to make a plan.

Carefully, Hyrule sat up, still encircled lightly in the Smithy’s arms. “How long was I asleep?”

Four's head tilted as he deliberated. “Most of a day, I’d say,” he finally replied. “You must be starving.”

A distinct grumble accentuated Four’s words, and Hyrule flushed. 

Four chuckled. “C'mon,” he said, standing and helping Hyrule do the same. “It's nothing fancy, but I found some berries and nuts that should help. We’ve got plenty of water, too.”

Hyrule staggered but kept his feet as Four led him out of the room towards a veritable feast of foraged items. Four left his water skin then strode to the base of the stairs, keeping watch.

Hyrule selected a plump purple berry and broke the delicate skin between his teeth. Juice sweet as honey spilled into his mouth, and he sighed in bliss as the sugar fed his magic stores. 

He chose another fruit, more tart but still wonderfully sweet, to follow the first berry before picking up a handful of nuts and mushrooms. He inhaled their earthy aroma as he popped each one into his mouth, their woody crunch a perfect counter to the rich sweetness of the fruit. 

It certainly beat the bread and cheese the Boss had given him. Certainly beat what he could usually forage in his own Era.

He ate until he no longer felt hollow, saving some of the delicate, sweet wafer cakes for last. He could have eaten double the amount and still had some left over, but he didn’t know how long it had been since Four had eaten. 

Washing everything down with several long, sweet gulps of water, Hyrule finally left the food and picked his way to where Four was watching the stairs. 

Four's ears twitched as he approached. “How certain are you that they’ll take two days to come back?” the Smithy asked, turning around.

“I’m not,” Hyrule shrugged. “It’s just that they came the first time after I’d been alone two days, and two days later they came again. Since we can’t go more than three days without water, and they presumably want us alive…it lends itself to a pattern.”

“Do you feel strong enough we could leave early?” 

Hyrule probed at his internal magic store. It twinkled back at him, reassuring in its presence. “I have enough to turn into a fairy now, but I’d be pretty dizzy after.”

Four tilted his head, eyes jumping around the room as he thought. “Then, why don’t we go finish what we foraged, and make a quick turn around the keep. If we don’t see anyone, we can head out. What do you think?”

Hyrule didn’t have to think long. He desperately missed the sun. “Sounds good.”

Four insisted that Hyrule eat most of the food, though when Hyrule tried his best to mimic Time's “Disappointed Dad” face, he did take a handful of nuts and berries, along with half the remaining wafer cakes. The extra sugar and nutrients – coupled with his full day's rest – boosted his magic stores, enough that he’d be able to function as a fairy, though he still wouldn’t be able to use any of his other spells.

As they ascended the steps from the cellar – for the final time, Hylia, please! – Hyrule's heart pounded a staccato rhythm in his chest. They passed the place they’d been ambushed yesterday; when nobody blocked the stairs the rhythm eased slightly. Finally, they made it out of the cellar and into the main keep. 

Dazzling sunlight burst through the tall glass windows, assaulting Hyrule's dark-adjusted eyes. He welcomed the pleasant burn, squinting through the glare until his vision settled and he could take in the beautiful green forest surrounding the keep.

His heart ached to be out there already, but they had to be certain it was safe.

“You couldn’t just stay put and behave, could ya?”

Ice tore through Hyrule's veins at the sound. He whirled and froze as the Boss stalked up to the pair of Heroes, growling. 

The giant man drew a dagger from his belt and gripped it tightly in his right hand. “We finally find the Captain, give him our message, and come back to take you quietly, but you had to make this difficult.”

The Boss made a motion that Hyrule recognized. It was the one Warriors used when he wanted them to surround an enemy camp; Hyrule’s breath caught in his throat as the two tall soldiers emerged from the shadows to flank them.

“We weren’t gonna hurt ya too bad, but all that’s off the table now.” 

“RUN!” Four shouted, grabbing Hyrule's hand and ducking between the Boss and the soldier on his left. The Boss made a clumsy swipe with his dagger, the tip just catching Hyrule's left shoulder.

Adrenaline dulled any pain from the cut, and Hyrule welcomed it as they sprinted away from the soldiers. Four led them on a convoluted path through the keep, trying to lose the three men. They ended up in an abandoned kitchen, judging by the pots and bowls scattered around the room.

Hyrule slid to the floor under a countertop, panting. He winced as he clutched at the cut in his shoulder. He almost used his Life spell to heal the wound, but remembered he was saving his magic for Fairy instead. 

He hissed a gentle curse, then let his head hit the wall behind him with a satisfying thud.

Four had been hovering just inside the door, listening for following footsteps. He sighed, then joined Hyrule on the floor. “I think we lost them, for now. Let’s take a look at that, Rulie.” He helped Hyrule take off both tunics to get a better look at the wound. 

Hyrule carefully shifted to see it better. It was long and wide, but not too deep; a potion would heal it easily, if they had one. Blood seeped from the surface, winding a thin thread down his bicep.

Distantly, Hyrule watched Four dig through his pack, pulling out empty bottles and a handful of items before he extracted a nearly empty roll of clean bandages. Next came the water skin, swiftly unstoppered and poured over a clean piece of gauze. Hyrule flinched as Four gently cleaned the blood from his arm.

“Sorry,” Four murmured as he efficiently wrapped and tied off the last of the bandages. “That should hold it for now.”

Hyrule shifted his arm, still feeling the cut, but pleased with Four's work. The bandages were too bulky for his brown undertunic, so he replaced just the green, sleeveless overtunic, handing the brown to Four to keep in his pack for now. 

Four was nearly done repacking his bag when they both froze, hearing voices echoing down the hall. Hyrule's heart took off, unwilling to face his captors again. “We need to shrink, now,” he insisted, standing. “Do you have a portal nearby?”

“There’s always a Minish portal in a kitchen.” Four's eyes darted around before settling on an overturned pot in the far corner of the room. “There!”

As Four dashed towards the pot, Hyrule muttered the words of the Fairy spell. A beautiful golden light enveloped him as his surroundings expanded. Delicate gossamer wings grew from his shoulders and back, and he gave them an experimental flap before launching himself into the air. 

He flitted to the pot Four was just tumbling out of, chiming gently as Four brushed off his tunic. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Four chittered back, multi-colored tail waving languidly. The language he used wasn’t Fae, and it wasn’t Hylian, but Hyrule understood it well enough. “The exit from those portals always looks worse than it really is.”

“Good. I can hear those soldiers coming closer, we need to go.”

Four nodded, then turned to scamper along the wall. Hoping he knew where he was going, Hyrule hovered after him.

They wove through several hallways, staying low and near the walls. After a while, they lost the echoing voices, which loosened the knot of anxiety in Hyrule's belly. He landed near Four to rest his wings when the Smithy stopped to contemplate an intersection.

“Ey, lookit ‘ere!” A raucous voice shouted out. Hyrule released a startled chime and whirled around, hand grasping for a nonexistent weapon. “I found me a genu-ine fairy!”

The two tall soldiers advanced from further down the hallway, arguing loudly. “Naw, ya can't've. It ain’t in a pot!”

“No, but lookee, Toralt!” the first speaker gestured towards Hyrule broadly. He tried to dim his glow, but it was too late. “It’s a light fairy, wearin' the Hero's clothes! Mebbe someone let it go!”

“What's that mouse it’s with?” the other soldier – Toralt, apparently, which made the first Vitch – asked.

“This isn’t good,” Four whispered to Hyrule, bristling. “Get ready to run for it.”

“Does it matter?!” Vitch was giddy with his apparent discovery. “Gimme your bug net an' that bottle you found in the kitchen! We’ll catch ‘em both and bring ‘em to Rulow! Mebbe they can help us find those Hero brats.”

Toralt leered down at the miniscule pair. “Ya gonna be nice little beasties an' hold still for us?”

“Not on your life!” Four chattered angrily in that odd language.

Hyrule chimed his agreement, then shot off the ground at the same moment Four scampered away from the soldiers. The two men yelped and gave chase.

Hyrule tried every maneuver he could think of, heart hammering as each swipe of the bug net came closer and closer. His energy was waning; he had to get away now, or he wouldn’t last much longer.

The net passed by him again, so close that the displaced air sent him tumbling for a moment. 

That was all it took.

The return pass enveloped his body in poorly woven mesh, fouling his wings and ensnaring his arms and legs. Hyrule gasped and struggled but only succeeded in tangling himself further. A desperate peal of bells left him as his wings crumpled and tore in the unforgiving net.

A massive hand closed around the mouth of the net, sealing his exit and shifting the mesh enough that his trapped right arm was pulled dangerously far behind his back. Before he could get enough leverage to shift the pressure, the joint of his shoulder popped, and tore; a discordant jangle erupted from the depths of his soul as the pain washed over him. 

Blinking black spots from his vision, Hyrule tried to focus on his surroundings through the pain in his arm, but the world whirled dizzily as Vitch jogged over to his companion who, once Hyrule could see clearly, had managed to capture a struggling Four in one fist.

“Get that bottle open, Vitch. This’n bites like a devil!”

Through the haze of mesh and pain, Hyrule watched Four hiss and struggle as the bottle – bulbous and familiar, they must have left one in the kitchen on accident – drew closer. Toralt shoved the little Minish inside, and Four immediately tried scaling the glass to escape, only to be shaken back to the bottom.

The net shifted, and Hyrule screamed a string of bells as his injured arm was jostled. Vitch moved his hand, opening the net, but Hyrule had no hope of escape. Not with his wings crumpled and torn and his shoulder dislocated. 

He could only hope the man would be gentle.

“Gotcha good, didn’t I?” Vitch sneered down at him, all giddiness gone. “Serves ya right, fer tryna get away so long. Don’t you fairies want ta help people?”

Hyrule chimed weakly in response, but he was fading fast. 

The strong, callused hand of the soldier grasped him firmly around his middle; Hyrule shrieked as his ribs protested the pressure. Bumbling fingers extracted his limbs and wings, and merciful darkness briefly stole his consciousness.

When Hyrule roused, the soldier was holding him by the back of his tunic and upper wings, pinning him firmly in place. The man pulled a dagger from his belt and held it threateningly against Hyrule's stomach. “Ya better start behavin'. Better be worth the work it took to catch ya.”

A spasm of pain rolled through Hyrule and he shivered, the movement causing the tip of the dagger to pierce the skin above his right hip. 

Hyrule could only manage a pathetic tinkling of bells in response.

Vitch scoffed and tossed Hyrule into the bottle with Four. His head hit the rim of the bottle so hard he saw stars; immediately he felt warm blood begin to trickle down his face.

“HYRULE!” Four exclaimed, still in that non-Hylian language. “Stay with me, Link!”