What You Look At, You Change: Chapter 8 (Palace of the Four Sword AU)
listening to c'mon non stop for hours did it once again lads
Chapter Eight: Fourâs Dream Isnât Real, It Canât Hurt You (Fourâs Dream: _________)
Blueâs hands dropped numbly from Vioâs tunic, his face pale as ice. âIâI donât know what youâre talking about.â His voice rose, brash and loud, but it could not hide the stutter that started the sentence.
âLying isnât your strongest point, Blue,â Vio said, his eyes narrowed and jaw set. âYou canât hide from yourself.â
Eyes blazed with blue fire, burning cold as ice. âI CAN TRY!â
âAre you saying our dreams were real?â Green said, his eyes narrowing, his fingers digging into the flesh of his arms.
âButâbut that doesnât make any sense.â Red was shaking, just slightly, his gaze bouncing back and forth between the other colors, his eyes wide and confused. âThe dreamsâthey were just nightmares, right? They, they contradicted each other, so thereâs no way they could be true!â
âThey did.â Vio said, voice low. âThey did contradict each otherâbut there were only three roads. As inâŚâ His voice died off, and he swallowed. The chamber was quiet, even Blue was biting his lip, shaking in rage or sorrow or stress as he clenched his fists. Vio looked around slowly, at the other colors, and then⌠at the other heroes, standing there and watching in confusion.
Except for Twilight, who had a glimmer of understanding horror in his gaze. âThree.â He said quietly, his voice falling like stones into the temporary silence. âThree, as in three timelines.â
âYes.â Vio said, and turned his head away. âTimelines that would not have been, had we never been sealed away.â
âAndâŚâ Twilight shoved a hand through his hair. âThe succession crisis, the queen that diedâthat was, that was Dot, wasnât it?â
Vioâs gaze dropped to the ground.
âBut I donât understandâŚâ Sky said, tilting his head to one side. âWhy would that cause a succession crisis? You left the little ones behind, right?â
Green flinched. Red let out a whimper. Blue ground his teeth. Vio didnât move, only letting a long sigh slip free.
âThe dream was hazy and confused, but with Dot and me gone, different groups tried to claim either Link or Zelda as the true heir, trying to get control of the throne.â
Greenâs voice was quiet. âWe dreamed of civil war. A war that ended, only⌠only forâŚâ
âGanondorf.â Blueâs growl dripped venom.
Windâs eyes went wide. Hyruleâs eyes darted around the circle of heroâs, brows furrowed in confusion.
Skyâs expression was tight, a premonition of unease tugging the corners of his mouth down.
Legendâs arms were tightly folded across his chest as he scowled down at his boots.
Twilight wasnât watching, for heâd closed his eyes, mind scrambling to remember what scattered facts of history had been passed down to him. The Veteran was rightâHyruleâs record keeping really was terrible.
âI⌠donât know anything about your son, but that doesnât really mean anythingâhardly anything is remembered of that era outside of the key players. The siblings of the Queen or King are hardly ever mentioned, unless they did something really memorable.â
All four colors flinched.
Twilight saw it and gulped, galloping forward with the rest of his sentence, âS-so that means he probably was all right, e-especially because your daughter would be the Princess of that time period, and the Hero saved her from Ganondorf! So even though you were sealed away, there was still a Hero who protectedââ
Red burst into tears.
Twilightâs mouth shut with a sharp click, his mind scrambling, trying to figure out just how heâd put his boot in his pie-hole.
Windâs face was screwed up in obvious calculation, and Hyrule and Sky exchanged concerned looks.
Legendâs face slowly whitened, his fingers digging in his arms.
Blue was rigid as a rock, his eyes burning with a cerulean fire. Vioâs expression was pained, his head turned away, but Green reached out towards Redâs shoulder.
Red jerked away, crouching down and hugging himself miserably. His small frame shook with every gulping sound, his eyes squeezed tight as he sucked in painful gasps in between wet sobs.
âRedâŚâ Sky said, gently, and Red flinched. Finally he dragged his gaze upward, tears spilling messily down his cheeks, his eyes the color of his namesake.
The words were garbled, barely understandable, squeezed out through a throat wet and tight.
âAfter⌠after everything,â There was a blank despair in his face, causing Skyâs stomach to drop down to his toes, âafter all that he did.â The word came out a strangled sob, he gasped, choked, and hacked again and again until he could continue, and everyone watching could only stand there, a swamping feeling of dismay freezing them in place as firmly and dreadfully as a redeadâs cry.
âWhy did it always end with himâŚâ he swallowed hard, and the final word was squeezed out in a whisper, almost unable to be heard at all.
ââŚalone?â
Blue shook once, a violent jerk almost frightening to look at, and then exploded with a yell. This time, his unfortunate victim was Green. Blue grabbed his shoulder and shook him, yelling loud enough as if he could hide the shake in his voice. âPurah promised sheâd look after him! Impa and Purah were supposed to work together to protect them both! It shouldnâtâhe shouldnâtâwhyâd it end up this way?â
Green didnât even try to get out of Blueâs grip, his eyes burning into Greenâs. âYou know why.â
His voice hurt to hear, like ashes and rust. Blue faltered, but he didnât let go. He tightened his grip on Greenâs shoulder, jaw clenched, teeth gritted.
âIâm supposed to be the bearer of Courage,â Vioâs said from behind Blue, his voice almost unnaturally cold and hollow. âYou know what the answer is. Donât try to run from it, hero.â
Everything froze for a moment. Blue sucked in a sharp breath through his nose.
Then he turned and in one smooth movement, punched Vio in the face.
Everything erupted. Red cried louder, jumping up and trying to pull Blue off of Violet, who instead tried to knee Blue in the gut. Everyone else started yelling. Legend, Wind and Hyrule jumped on Blue, and Twilight and Sky seized Vio, tugging them apart.
Blue was spitting curses that were too mangled and angry to even be words anymore, and Vio glared back at him, blood trickling from a split lip.
âSTOP IT!â Wind yelled, mainly into Blueâs ear, but somehow, it did the trick. Everyone froze, and in the sudden stillness and quiet, Green stepped forward.
He glared at both Blue and Vio, hands clenched into fists. âThis isnât helping anything.â He spat. âWeâre supposed to be united, not tearing myself apart trying to avoid the answer we all know! We all dreamed the same thing.â
The heroes stared at Green, hardly daring to breathe. Green took in a deep, shuddering breath, and glared at the floor.
âItâs my fault. Itâs all⌠my fault. If I had noticed Ganondorf was there, if I had been faster, stronger, good enough so that Zelda didnât have to seal us awayâif I had simply been there, NONE of it would have happened.â
He dragged his head up, and there was a depth of despair in his eyes that chilled to the bone. Greenâs eyes locked onto Wind, who froze, still holding onto Blue. âMy son never would have had to be a hero.â
He dragged his gaze over to Twilight, who stiffened, his grip reflexively tightening on Vio. âHe never would have had to grow up alone.â
Green turned back to Legend, but the veteran met his gaze head on, a dark look in his eyes and tenseness to his shoulders.
Green swallowed, and blood welled between the fingers of his clenched fists.
His eyes burned as he squeezed the words past the dryness of his throat. âMy son wouldnât have died alone.â
Legend closed his eyes and sighed.
âI hate being right,â he muttered.
âThenââ Twilight swallowed hard. âYour sonâwas the hero that fought Ganondorf?â
Red let out a quiet sob.
Windâs eyes were very, very wide. âWaitâthat meansââ Somehow they got even wider. âYour son was TIME?â
For a long moment, no one spoke. Blue had gone limp, glaring angrily at the floor with damp, reddened eyes. In the frozen lull, Red slowly stepped back from the huddle that had been holding Blue, arms wrapping around himself. âThat⌠that was what they called him, in the dream.â His voice was quiet, desolate.
âThose that remembered him.â Vio added, the torchlight gleaming redly on the blood on his lip as his mouth twisted sardonically.
Twilight swallowed hard.
Then suddenly, Wind spoke. âWe remembered him.â
The four Colors looked at him, and Wind met their gazes head on; his shoulders set, his chin raised, his eyes burning with determination. âWe remembered the Hero of Time. We wanted to be like him!â He faltered for a second, shuffling a foot. âI donât know about the other stuff, butââ he grabbed the fabric of his tunic, twisting it in his fist, remembering the green tunic he had once wore as he traveled across the sea. âBut to us, even when we forgot Hyrule, we didnât forget our hero.â
Vio let out a shuddering sigh, and covered his eyes with his hand. Green sucked in a deep breath and let it out. ââŚThanks.â He said.
The words scraped like glass in his throat, but he meant them. The next moment, Red tackled Wind in a hug, and Blue shrugged himself free from Legendâs and Hyruleâs gripâbut all he did was nod once at Wind.
Wind met it with a slightly tearful smile.
âWait,â Hyrule said, screwing his face up in thought. âIfâyour son was Time, then that means Timeâs Zeldaââ
Skyâs eyes lit up. âYour daughter is Lullaby!â
The Colors stared at him.
Sky smiled sheepishly, the expression slightly awkward but earnest all the same. âWe all have a Princess Zelda of our ownââ
âI have two,â Hyrule said, sounding incredibly proud.
Sky rolled his eyes. âYes, and Hyrule has two, which makes ten Princess Zeldas in all. We gave them all nicknames to keep them straight.â His smile strengthen and deepened, and he looked warmly at the pieces of Four.
âYour daughterâs nickname is Lullaby. Sheâs grown into a strong, lovely woman, and she rules Hyrule wisely and well as itâs Queen. She and Time are good friends.â
âAndâŚâ Legend added, slowly, shoving a hand through his bangs, âIf Lullaby is your daughter that meansâŚâ his gaze darted to the side, his expression wondering, âThat⌠Iâm youâre descendant.â
Every head snapped to look at Legend. He crossed his arms. âWhat?â
Sky grinned. âI guess being vertically challenged runs in the family, huh?â
âWHAT?â Legend spat, face turning pink as his bunny form. He was distracted when Red tugged on his sleeve, eyes wide.
âYouâre descended from Lullaby?â
Redâs eyes were wide and wet, desperate. Legendâs face was still bunny rabbit-pink, but his expression softened at the sight.
âYeah,â he said, and even quirked a smile. âMy house was founded by Sir Raven, your daughterâs younger child. He strove hard to be a knight worthy of your legacy.â
The Colors exchanged looks, something beginning to peak past the fog of despair in their gazes.
âHeck, guess I am, too,â Twilight said, a rueful grin blooming to life. âTimeâs my ancestor.â
There were several loud gasps, all from the heroes who were not a piece of Four, and Twilight smirked at Legend. âGuess my line took all the tall genes, huh?â
Legend scowled back at him. âIâll have you know Sir Raven was as tall as Time.â
âThatâs a point,â Sky murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. âWhy is Time so tall?â
âWell,â Hyrule piped up, rubbing the back of his neck. âI guess I got the short genes, then.â
Four gazes bounced to him, now. The traveller laughed sheepishly and shrugged. âUh, Iâm descended from Legend, apparentlyâŚ?â
âWait,â Wind said, propping his hands on his hips. âAm I the only one here thatâs not descended from Four?â
âWell, Iâm not,â Sky chuckled, and he, Twilight, and Legend exchanged a glance.
âYeah,â Hyrule grinned at the chosen hero, âYouâre just his great-grandpa-in-law,â
While Sky was sputtering to recover from that, Green, Red, and Vio exchanged a glance, too, and Vio stepped toward the sailor.
Vio smiled at him, and reached out, tapping the shield slung on his back. âDot gave me this shield, a long time ago. Iâm glad youâve taken such good care of it.â
Wind stared at him for a long moment, mouth hanging open.
Then, Vio let out an oof as the sailor tackled him with a hug. Wind squeezed Vio as tight as he could, and Vio wrapped his arms around him in return.
âIâm sorry about everything,â Wind whispered into Vioâs ear, âbut Iâm glad we got to rescue you.â
*-/-*-/-*-/-*-/-*
Now, really and truly, the only thing left to do was rescue Zelda.
After⌠everything that had happened in the Chamber of the Blue Sword, no one felt much like talking. They quickly administered what red potion they had saved to everyone that had sustained injuries after Blue's... multiple outbursts, and were on their way (Vio got most of it). Then, they set out, be-lining for their final objective. Almost no words were spoken as they made their way through the last chambers of the dungeon as quickly as they could, disabling an electrified gate and sprinting across an invisible floor to the other side.
Finally, they stood in front of the bossâ chamber. One finally barrier between Four and his wife.
âWhatâs waiting for us?â Green asked, fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword.
Legend frowned, fingers fidgeting with the clasp of his pack, staring up at the door.  âI⌠donât know,â he finally said, the words bitter in his mouth. âIn my timeline, wellâŚâ his shoulders slumped. âthe seal had been poisoned and cursed, and you⌠were long gone. You were the enemy I had to face.â Legend swallowed hard.
âI killed you.â
The colors exchanged grim looks. Legend stared down at the toes of his boots.
Then, red filled his vision, and warms wrapped around him. âItâs all right,â Red said, hugging Legend tightly. âWe know how badly things went in your timeline. Thatâs our fault, not yours. WeâŚ. Must have suffered a lot in that timeline. There was no rescuing us.â He squeezed even tighter, his voice thick with tears. âThank you, for setting us free.â
Legend let out a shuddering sigh, and slumped in Redâs arms. He stayed there for a long moment, before he finally slipped out of Redâs grip, swiping an arm quickly across his eyes. He cleared his throat and propped his hands on his hips, narrowing a glare at the door. âLong story short,â and he paused to clear his throat again. âI have no idea whatâs on the other side of the door. It shouldnât be you guys, because we freed you. Hopefully nothing, but this dungeon hates me, so I doubt thatâs the case. Are you ready?â
The Heroes exchanged glances, each one finding determination writ on their brotherâs faces. Green nodded.
âLead the way.â
Legend sucked in a breath, let it out again, and stepped forward, and the great stone door lifted up.
Beyond was a vast room, tiled with stone, and a great mosaic of four swords in the centerâred, green, blue, violet.
Wind peered into the room. ââŚit seems empty.â
Legend twirled the sword in his hand, expression tense. âAlways seems like that, doesnât it. Iâll believe itâs empty when weâve made it through to the other side.â He cast a glance at the group. âFollow me.â
In a wary clump they followed him into the middle of the room. The chamber echoed with an eerie emptiness, and Twilight and Hyrule stiffened, shooting each other a glance.
âDo you feel that?â Hyrule whispered. Twilight nodded.
âThereâs a strange magic in the air,â he said. Strange, but almost familiar, in a half-forgotten way. He cast his mind back to all the enemies he faced, trying to divine what the source could beâ
Legened stepped into the very center of the chamber, and a figure appeared.
The heroes froze.
It was a diminutive figure, about the same height as their smith. It seemed like it could be mirroring the Colorâs appearance, but it was hard to tellâthe figure glowed gold, so brightly that making out any features was nearly impossible.
The only thing that was clear about the figure was his drawn sword, pointed at the ground. Â
Eight heroes drew their swords, the sound ringing across the chamber, a bright song of battle.
The golden figure was unmoved, standing still as a statue.
âStand back, Heroes of Hyrule.â The voice that rang out seemed to surround the heroes, as if it was coming from the chamber itself and not the figure before them. It was a strange sound, outwardly young, but strangely double-toned with an echo of an old, deep voice. âIf you have found true courage, and you wish to wake the Sleeper from the horrors of her dreamsââ
The sword moved with a flourish, pointing straight at Greenâs chest. And as it did, the golden figure blurred, and suddenly three more figures split from its body and arrayed themselves in a line. âCome at me, Hero of Man!â
*-/-*-/-*-/-*-/-*
to be continued~
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