#reverse!legend

No there's a concept!

Now, the way I HC it, Legend's got 7 adventures under his belt: ALttP, OoS/OoA, LA, CoH, ALBW, and TFH.

If he started his adventures, at the same age (8-9) but with the Hytopian one, where he just needed to defeat a witch and save a princess from a curse that wasn't actually harming her, well, TFH would be the easy mode of heroing, and so he'd have been eased in gently to the life, rather than how it was in cannon with one of his most difficult ones being first! That would also mean, however, that it's a 10 year old Legend and Ravio who meet and save the world together, so Legend's early hero years would have been spent saving the world with companions who shared his same face, a lot!

CoH comes and, well, honestly, at that point, wee baby Legend (11) probably is beginning to wonder if he's following in the steps of Four because...companions who look like him? The descendant of Vaati? What's next, will he find the Four Sword? (Yes, actually).

Rather than trying to get home from his adventures though, LA takes place with a young Legend who's just setting out to explore the world, bright eyed and bushy tailed even after three adventures and ready for whatever will come. And then Koholint happens.

I don't think it makes a different what order the adventures are in, LA will still mess him up. But this time around, he doesn't have his mer curse yet, so he's stranded out at sea after LA with absolutely nothing working in his favor! Maybe this is where he gets;s picked up by the Skeleton Crew, who already know him somehow? (time travel, he hasn't lived it yet, but they have), and they take him as close to Labrynna as their curse will allow (Cap'n is cursed to never reach the shores of his home again, so...). This time around though, Impa would still be with Din, so Legend might stumble into Nayru all on his own, not bringing Veran to her as he goes, and perhaps it's Ralph instead who ends up being the unlucky puppet.

I think the Oracle games change a lot in this alternate universe. Legend's weakened and likely in shit shape after being stuck out at sea so long, and heartsick for all the people he thinks he's killed. He's not meeting Ralph's quips and barbs, he's not talking with him at all. He's also struggling physically because, again, being stranded without food or water, under the hot sun, will mess a person up, especially without that handy mer curse that would've made him able to eat raw fish and injest sea water safely. Additionally, he'd be newly acquiring most of his rings and magical items that aren't weapons, which does make a difference significantly, and would likely help compensate for his health.

Ralph and he would probably be more reliant on each other. Legend's already a storied hero by this point, with three known adventures under his belt that have had time to be told to others while he was at sea. Ralph already knows who he is and there's probably some begrudging respect for him, especially when he sees Legend actually struggling. they help each other, kinda rely on each other. Ralph, unlike Ravio, is the kind of friend who'd push Legend regardless of his grief, a person who challenged him instead of stopping to comfort, so Legend would probably harden some in that time, although not too much with Raven there to remind him of what matters most: helping people and being someone they can find hope in.

The Legend who'd come to Holodrum after is already a veteran, he's got the worst fight of his life already done and over with, because, let's be real, Veran, Twinrova and Ganon in one day is worse than anything else he ever does, so the Battle of the Black Tower takes the cake for Legend's hardest fight. With this in mind, Onyx isn't very hard, but the traveling..... I think one of the reasons our Legend turned out like he did is because, after LA, he stays in Hyrule for the most part and is working in familiar lands, so the wonder isn't as great. In Holodrum, I think legend would be revitalized, come to appreciate anew all that made him love adventuring to begin with. Labrynna would too, of course, but Ralph is a more serious companion, whereas Legend's animal crew in Holodrum are whimsy and bizarre. I think each of them would help him in a big way too, Moosh helping him learn to take his time and rest, Ricky making him see the world through new eyes again, and Dimitri gentling him again (rescues do that to you, trust me). I think Holodrum would revitalize and restore him, and the Onyx fight would be, honestly, one of his easier ones.

And then he comes back to Hyrule just to learn that the advisor to the king has turned against him. He witnesses his dear uncle getting killed and, well, instead of being a scared little kid, he is a newly returned home veteran who now has his sights set on Aganim and will not stop for anything to take the guy down.

It would be...harder, I think, for him to be a bunny in this AU, since he's been fighting back his strength and skills for so long just to have it newly ripped away, rather than just having his fear and inability highlighted as in the world where he's still small when it first happens. I do think it'd remind him of Ravio though, and since he's had some experience with talking animals already, he'd try and use that knowledge to overcome and even use this form to his advantage. In this world, the rabbit might become, for him, just another tool, rather than a handicap as it is for our version of Legend. He'd probably approach it more like Twilight does, rather than being embarressed and ashamed of it.

If we go off the comics, he's probably already aware of most of the lore at this point in life. He knows about the prophecy, likely realized that, as the last of his line, it's about him, and understands the stakes but, also, has already fought Ganon, who's also already faught him back in Labrynna (400 years ago).

I feel like instead of being gullible to Ghanti (the fox thief), he'd play her in return. Maybe, as adults (16-17) their dynamic would play out more like a enemies to almost lovers sort of deal where she's still trying to kill him for his family, but also kinda flirting because he's pretty fine, okay?Meanwhile, Legend's already lost the love of his life, but he has had the chance to heal in some ways and while I doubt he's eager to find love again, I think this other version of him might entertain her to some extent, sort of a flirty but deadly back and forth between them through the adventure that neither intends to act on, but enjoy the thrill and energy of anyways. They're friends, and maybe, in this version, Ghanti doesn't immediately get jealous of Zelda the second she shows up, especially if Legend and Zelda know they're siblings already. This means she likely never scurries off and thus Aganim can't use her against Legend in the same way though he likely finds a different way to do it).

This whole adventure though, Legend would already be a veteran. One who's never touched the Master Sword, yes, but I think, in such a world, the claiming of and reforging of the blade is, for him, like the confirmation of what he's already known for a long time now, rather than some great revelation or something to make him question who he really is. It's the final piece of a puzzle that's about to be Aganim's undoing.

This Legend would be bolder, I think. he wouldn't be hiding from the knights, wouldn't need the guidance that a younger version of him did, and he's already got a name for himself in Hyrule, already has the respect of his people, so I doubt they'd be ratting him out or betraying him like they did to Canon Legend. he'd already know how to navigate dungeons, have some items that he'd need already and be able to knock them out faster, save the maidens, and hunt down Aganim.

I think the Palace of the Four Sword would still mess him up though. Like I said, in many ways, this version of Legend likely compares himself to Four in some ways, and the fact that he's been wielding Caladbolg (CoH sword) rather than the Master Sword all this time (first claymore main Link LOL) probably mimics how Four never carried the Master Sword, in his mind. Facing the guy, after a short stint as a blacksmith himself, after meeting his own dark self and befriending him, after knowing either dopplegangers or being split himself (your interpretation), the kinship is probably so much closer that, in many ways, it feels like fighting anotehr version of himself, rather than just one of his predecessors.

I think that fight would be the first thing to seriously faze him, honestly. He'd need a whole day to process it.

When t comes to Ganon though, it's not a scared kid who's coming at him, it's a tired veteran who just came back from a tour around the world where he caught off every monster under the sun. A veteran who wanted to come home to his uncle and have a rest before his next trip, but who didn't get to do that because Ganon decided to come back. This Ganon didn't ruin his life, he ruined his summer vacation, but considering how badly Legend wanted that vacation, and how much bolder he is as an adult, that's the more terrifying thing, really. Especially because Ganon remembers this kid, and the fact that he looks about the same age means he's just as strong as when he sealed Ganon back for that 400 years and....well, Gaon knows he's toast. he still fights, but it's with the desperation of someone who knows they're losing but has to try anyways because being sealed again, for who knows how long, potentially just to face this kid AGAIN after THAT, well, he does his best.

Legend wins, obviously. Wins and acquires the Triforce for the first time and makes his wish and restores Hyrule and gets his uncle back, and goes home with him to finally have that vacation, drink some cider and talk about his travels and adventures.

And then a portal opens up, right in front of their house.

Legend is pissed as a pufferfish when he walks through, fully intending to speedrun whatever is next because he wants his vacation, darn it!

Just to meet the LU heroes.

They'd see him a lot like they do Time, where he looks young but acts older and while he's still jaded, it's not in the snarky, sassy, scared kid who's trying to make himself look big way that our Legend does it. He's calmer, I think, and more calculating and reserved. He and Time are rivaling anomalies that take the greatest pleasure in trying to out-do each other with being cryptic. "Oh, you fought the moon old man? How's the Moon Goddess (Lolia) doing? It's been a bit since I've seen her last!" or Wild says something about being dead and Legend just makes a comment about he could use a good stint being dead right about now, just long enough to nap at Death's feet for an hour or so before he has to come back, before then going on to ask if anyone knows where they are like he didn't just slide to being undead in some capacity.

Time says something about the Fierce Deity and Legend, who got that mask in his first adventure and likely has been using it since, just kinda nods along and then asks the mask (not Time) some kind of question, and then goes on to have a full blown conversation with it that seems entirely one sided to the rest.

This Legend is asking the trees for directions and discussing the lay of the land with the animals that they pass, like it's normal. He doesn't care if the rest think it's weird and he's not making a show of it either, he just does this, he always has. He's matter of fact with his skills and not nearly as secretive or untrusting (because he wasn't betrayed at every turn in his early days, just the latter ones). He makes an effort to be close to Four, but never lets on why. He's less wary of and contemptuous of knights, and while he's still got that aggressive and occassionally antagonistic relationship with Warriors, it's more akin to two knights messing with each other. Because this Legend never had a reason to hate knights. His Uncle was alive through his adventures and, while, yeah, ALBW sees the knights turning on him, I think Aflon would help young Legend understand that it's the spell, not them, that is making them act that way, and knowing that he comes from knights, but not being pressured to become one by his grandfather because OoS hasn't happened yet, means that maybe this Legend is a knight at this point himself, rather than being against them.

(Also, side note, but I just realized that this AU would have Aflon alive during ALBW and thus all but adopting Ravio in Legend's absence, protecting and caring for him while Legend runs around and handles everything, and I just know he was sobbing his bloody eyes out when they had to say goodbye to one another at the end).

Anyways, I think the Legend this produces is still very similar to ours, because at his heart, he's the same person, but his childhood isn't as hectic or traumatizing, and while he still had all the same things happen, the fallout afterwards is different and impact thus lessened. He's more grounded, more stable, calmer, but also more comfortable in himself and with others. He holds them at an arms length, because he's still lost a lot of people from an early age, but he still holds them rather than pushing them away.

I think he and Wild would get along the best in this version. They've both had to remake themselves after an accident that should have killed them and which took people they loved away. They both grew up into the hero's mantel from knightly houses, but the journey wasn't linear by any means. Still they're both eager to explore their worlds despite this, and may or may not be stealing hearts wherever they go as they do so.

.....