Tier/Loki

Vines flew, striking blindy, quick as vipers. It was indiscriminate about whom it attacked. Both pirates and Dream Catchers found themselves fighting for their lives. Plants, it turns out, can be truly terrifying when angered. 

“Jack!” Neo shouted, rolling beneath a lashing tendril of thorny doom and chopping through another as he rose to his feet. 

“Captain!” Jack called back. 

“Get out of there right now!” Neo blocked another thrashing vine, splitting it down the center. 

“Just a sec! I’ve almost got it!” Jack wrapped his hands around the glowing, pulsing mass in the center of the pool and pulled with all his strength. Around him, the vines had reared up and grown a thick canopy, as if to shield him from the chaos outside. Jack knew that in actuality, they were protecting the very Heart he was trying to steal and probably hadn’t realized he was there, but it made him feel dramatic nonetheless. The Heart shifted as he threw his bodyweight away from it, and, with a sickening squelch! it came free, sending Jack tumbled backwards into the pool. 

“For the love of-!” Captain Neo was suddenly next to him, hauling him to his feet. The captain was rather beat-up, Jack noticed. 

“I got it!” Jack said, wriggling free of the captain’s grasp and all but bouncing with excitement. “It’s ours! And look how big it is! Must be the biggest dream heart ever!” 

Neo had to admit it was an impressive catch, but he was also bleeding from a multitude of small stab wounds and praise really wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. “Great!” he said, grabbing Jack’s arm. “Now let’s go!”

They ran through the woods, heedless of the whipping branches and pursuing vines as the dream behind them began to melt away into a swirling black vortex. Just ahead they could see the break in the trees, but already the ground beneath their feet was becoming muddy and thick, losing its shape. There was no longer anyone telling it what to be, and so it did it’s best to cease to be at all. 

“Captain! Jack!” 

“Farrah!” Jack exclaimed, waving half in excitement, half in desperation. A rope was tossed to them as the Dream Chaser lifted into the sky. The two hauled themselves into the ship just as the last of the land melted away below. 

Jack was on his feet immediately, skipping across the deck babbling about their adventure to anyone who would listen, presenting the Heart of the Dream with beaming pride. 

“You good?” Farah asked, watching the captain with a critical eye as he leaned against the ship’s railing, watching the roiling black clouds below. 

Jack was beginning to think that he may have made a mistake. The man currently pinning him to the ground with his shield was quite heavy, and he was beginning to think that Captain Neo had not meant for him to spring the ambush just yet, though the groans of pain emanating from the pirate who’s leg had a big new hole in it, and the silence from the other two were rather gratifying. Despite the axe still poised above his head he couldn't suppress a grin “Four down, eight to go.” he thought to himself.” “Not bad for eleven on one.” On top of that he was sure the captain’s brilliant plan would become clear. Clever move lulling them into a false sense of security with his apparent surender, of course Jack wasn’t without a few tricks up his either. “Well,” Stella said, “that’s a sad excuse for an army Neo. Now be a good boy and let Cain tie you up. Try anything fancy and Danibar over there will cleave that idiot’s little smile in two before you get a chance to blink.” 

Captain Neo for his part had a remarkable poker face all things considered. He held out his empty hands as Cain approached with a wicked smirk on his face, holding an obnoxiously rough rope considering he could have summoned any rope under the sun and even a few that weren’t. 

“You know me Stella. Wouldn’t dream of trying anything fancy.” while at the same time thinking,” Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!” if only Jack had stayed put. Maybe he could have stalled them long enough for the rest of the crew to get here and ruin Stella’s day, but now he couldn't do anything without getting Jack’s head split like a melon. Cain was starting to wrap his rope around Captain Neo’s wrists. “Damnit! Maybe if I play along I can still manage to slow them down long enough to-” His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the pirate on top of Jack being launched twenty feet into the air screaming all the up and back down again until it was cut off by an audible thud. The culprit seemed to be a skyship piston now lying on its side, fully extended. 

Jack leapt to his feet cackling. Everyone including Stella was staring with a mixture of rage, and utter bewilderment, at the crazy boy laughing maniacally, while completely surrounded by pissed off pirates holding a wide variety of pointy things. 

Captain Neo took the opportunity to headbutt Cain right in that ugly nose of his, take back his hands and shout, “This way Jack run!” as Cain fell back spluttering. 

But Jack wasn’t done, sill laughing, he pulled his arm back behind his head revealing a grenade. At this even Captain Neo’s jaw dropped, he and everyone else could see exactly where he aimed to throw it.

The colour blue reminds me of you.

It is the colour of your eyes, of the clear blue skies, 

Of the ocean where you kissed me among the waves.

Blue is how I felt when you moved hundreds of miles away,

The distance between us so much more.

Blue is the space between the winter’s snow, so warm, and yet so cold.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,”  the captain thought to himself. He’d thought things were bad before, but now they were ten times worse. Stella and her band of Sky Pirates were terrible news in the best of times, but when they stood between you and both your prize and way out, they were worse than terrible- they were deadly. And they knew his name. His old name, the captain reminded himself. A name he’d left behind when-- He shook his head, stopping his brain from progressing any further down memory lane. A plan was what he needed right now. 

Fighting was a terrible choice, as he was both outnumbered and, though he would never admit it, outmatched. So sneaking it was. He would wait until they beat whatever was protecting the Heart, and then he would steal it from them. If he sent out more messengers, he might even have his crew before they were finished. Carefully, and a good bit more subtly than Jack, the captain dreamed into existence eight butterflies, and, with a whispered message, sent them on their way. He sat back in the underbrush and watched them disappear into the dark. 

“Mmm…. Captain?” 

“Shhh!” The captain clamped a hand over Jack’s mouth and leaned close to his ear. “Stay quiet.” 

But it was too late, the damage was done. 

“Over there! I knew I heard something!” Skimori stomped towards the place where the captain and Jack were hidden. His crew turned from their various locations partway into the thorn thicket to watch him. 

Neither Jack nor the captain dared to move. They held their breath, praying they would be overlooked. But fate was not with them that night. 

“Oh hello.” Skimori’s mouth split into an ugly grin. 

And the captain’s knife abruptly found itself in his heart. 

Jack flinched, but stayed silent. 

The captain stood up, leaving Jack on the ground, hidden behind the body. “Move,” he said, “and you will meet the same fate as this unfortunate lout.” 

For a moment, the pirates hesitated. Then Stella herself made her way gracefully out of the thicket. She smiled. “Hello, Skyspark. It’s been far too long.”

“Shaso Skyspark is dead,” he spat. “I left that name a long time ago,” 

“Forgive me, I’d forgotten.” Stella smiled. “Let me start again. Hello, Neo.” 

The way she said his name made the captain’s blood boil. He took a deep breath. “Enough chatter,” he said. “Leave this dream at once, and I shall spare your life.”

Stella’s pirates glanced nervously at one another. They’d heard stories of the prowess and heroism of Captain Shaso Skyspark, and they’d heard stories of the merciless Captain Neo Feng. But their captain stood calmly before him, and they were pirates. They got over their doubts in record time, and laughed. 

“You and what army?” the tall pirate, Cain, Neo remembered, taunted. 

He wished he could yell ‘this army!’ and his crew would appear out of the woods, but he had heard nothing yet, and was quickly running out of time. 

Stella also realized this. “You’re outnumbered, and outmatched,” she said. “Surrender quietly, and--” 

“Hiyahhhhhh!” Jack launched himself from his hiding place, sword flashing in the light of the rising moon, a pistol wielded threateningly in the other hand. 

The crew leapt into action, moving to protect their captain, though she certainly didn’t need it. 

Jack got off two shots, one hit a man in the leg, the other sunk deep into an enormous viking round shield that suddenly existed. He took down two more people with his sword before he was body slammed to the ground by the pirate with the huge shield.

The pirate raised his axe. 

“Stop!” Neo yelled.

All eyes turned to him. 

Dream Chaser

At first look the skyship Dream Chaser had a rather fanciful name, but to be fair it had a rather fanciful job. Patrolling the skies for loose dreams wasn't exactly run of the mill, even in a place such as Atuma’s Archipelago.

Aboard her decks, the crew hurried to and fro. The excitement was almost tangible in the steadily thickening air. This was the first Chase they’d had in almost two weeks. In the waters far below, the islands began to blink out of sight like stars in a brightening sky. The dream was nearly upon them.

 Dream Chaser rose until she settled atop a forming storm cloud. From the crows nest, his spyglass flashing in the light of the full moon, smiling, Jack was the first to spot their rogue dream. Cackling, he shouted for the whole ship to hear “Dream to starboard! Dream to starboard you cloud huffing slow pokes!” he watched as the scrambling below him increased tenfold, then somewhat more quietly but without loosing a trace of mirth “Damn am I good.” 

The ship’s course changed as she swung towards the starboard side, nearly tossing Jack from his perch. At the helm, the captain shouted orders, his lips set in a determined line. He did not share the enthusiasm of his crew. Something was off about this dream. He didn’t know what, but some sixth sense told him he was about to sail into a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, the danger of being broke and starving was also very real, and currently more important than some inkling of intuition. He got the ship on a collision course with the rolling thunderhead of a dream. 

“Full speed ahead!” he commanded. 

As they sailed into the dream, the world around them suddenly changed. It was a feeling akin to being underwater, one the young captain and his crew were familiar with. For a moment, the ship seemed to fall. Some of the crew screamed at the feeling, despite having experienced it many a time before. Their descent was abruptly halted, and the ship glided smoothly into the world of the dream. 

Hi! This is a small section of the Legend of Zelda FanFiction I just finished! Feel free to leave feedback! You can find the full version here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13257086/1/What-Binds-us-Together

Sheik lay awake, staring out at the crescent moon hanging low in the Western sky. What if Link was the only one who was safe? He hadn’t yet tried to harm Sheik with anything more than fists. Those hadn’t worked, but perhaps a blade would? Sheik thought that was unreasonable, but couldn’t shake the concern. The Goddesses loved their Hero. Of course they would protect him. But nobody loved Sheik, and if they died, they doubted the Goddesses would care. 

‘You’re the only one in love!” Link had said. Sheik knew this wasn’t true. Maybe they had thought that Link wasn’t such a bad person. Maybe they had stared at his sky blue eyes as they made their plans and thought of the bluest mountain skies, maybe they had spent most of their life thinking about this boy and preparing to kill him. But none of that meant that Sheik was in love. Obsessed maybe, but not in love. 

But then why was Sheik so upset that Link had actually left them alone in a hostile city? Sheik didn’t have an answer. 

The sun rose, and Sheik packed their things, preparing to leave. They had saved the king, and they couldn’t kill Link on their own, it was time to go home. 

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link’s anger had cooled by the time he had snuck back into his room in the castle. In the morning, he decided, he would talk to his father about Cousin Frennen, and ask for his father’s permission to travel Hyrule. Zelda was still waiting for him in Kakariko, much to his father’s displeasure, so he didn’t have much time to waste here. 

He slept fitfully, and in the morning he went straight to his father’s chambers. 

“Link,” the king said, sounding none too happy to see his son. 

“Father,” Link replied. “I must speak with you. In private if possible.” He eyed the attendants flitting about the room. 

The king waved them out and sat heavily behind his imposing wooden desk. He looked tired, his eyes sunken in their sockets, his skin pale and clammy. “What now, Link?” he asked. Even his voice sounded tired. It lacked the anger of the previous night, which reassured Link just a bit. 

“I tried to tell you last night,” Link began. 

Instantly his father’s eyes narrowed. 

Link hurried to get the words out before his father could interrupt. “Cousin Frennen is the one plotting to kill you. Shei-- er, someone else has dealt with the traitors in our army but he’s bound to try again. He’s the one who kidnapped me, and the reason why Zelda got poisoned.” Link stopped to gather his thoughts, but rushed on before the space was enough to warrant a response. “Also I want to go on a journey across Hyrule. Zelda said she wants to come with me. I hope we can have your permission,” Link said. 

The king’s frown had grown heavy while the prince spoke. “Duke Frennen is loyal to me,” the king said. He started to say more, but his voice what cut off by a coughing fit. 

“Father!” Link exclaimed, eyes widening with horror. 

Blood stained the handkerchief that the king had used to cover his mouth. 

Suddenly, something clicked in Link’s head. There had been a particular cup-bearer at the dinner last night, one who had refused the other nobles bids for her to fill their cups and had served only the king. He shot to his feet. “I’ll get the doctor!” 

The king continued to cough as Link sped from the room. 

 ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Sheik paused in their stealthy escape from the city, crouched low in a waterway. Ahead of them, they could hear whispering voices. The tunnels curved in such a way that their quiet words were carried clearly to Sheik’s ears. 

“Was the mission a success?” 

“It was. Our infiltration party was caught and all of them murdered, but they served their purpose as a distraction. The king drank the poison in his wine last night.” 

Sheik mentally swore. 

“Excellent. Master Frennen will be very pleased.”

Sheik heard the rustling of paper and cloth as something traded hands and was slipped beneath water-logged clothes. 

“May the dark sun shine upon you,” one of the voices said. The other repeated the phrase and Sheik crept hastily back around a further corner as two sets of footsteps went in opposite directions, one towards the tunnel’s exit, one back towards the city.

Sheik mentally swore again, this time in Sheikah, and turned around. If Link died, that was fine, but if the King died, Sheik would be breaking their word to protect him. There was still work to be done before Hyrule would be safe.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Zelda heard many things during her time in Kakariko. As soon as she was well enough to stand, she had begun helping the doctor around his shop. His hobby was studying new and interesting plants, which Zelda enjoyed immensely. Sometimes, she would work in the front of the shop, giving the people that came to the doctor for help the herbs and medicines he assigned or selling them various supplements and teas. In her time off, she spent almost every minute in the doctor’s lab and greenhouse studying the wide variety of unusual plants he had collected. It made the time go by quickly, and kept her from dwelling too long on how things were going back at Hyrule Castle. She hoped everything had gone well. 

In addition to a range of herbal knowledge, Zelda also heard rumors. One popular rumor was the story of the witch-summoner and her demon that had laid waste to a traveling band of mercenaries not too far from the village. This one made Zelda smile quietly to herself. But the piece of gossip that really caught her attention was a rumor about the disappearance of the Forest Sage. She couldn’t help but wonder if the strange dreams she’d been having and the growing unrest across Hyrule had anything to do with that. As of late her nightmares had been getting worse and worse. Once shadowy, vague shapes were beginning to solidify into figures and fears. Zelda wasn’t sure what they meant yet, but she was convinced that they were more than mere nightmares. 

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Link was sitting by his father’s bedside in the infirmary when the doors slammed open and a squad of guards marched in, hauling a struggling figure between them. 

“Prince!” 

Link recognized the voice immediately; it was Sheik. 

“Quiet!” snapped one of the guards, swinging his spear. Link heard a grunt of pain and the sound of Sheik’s body hitting the floor.

“Stop that!” Link ordered, getting to his feet. “Let him go, he’s no danger to me.” 

The soldiers gave him an incredulous look. “Sir, this is the monster that murdered 16 of our men last night and tried to assassinate you not a full month ago.” 

Link cringed at the number. He took a breath. “I know,” he said eventually. But he wouldn’t have come here unless it was something important. Out loud he said, “Even so, release him, but leave him bound. I will speak to him on my own.” 

“Your majesty-”

Link glared at the guard, silencing him. 

The guards shuffled from the room, giving Sheik dirty looks that promised pain as they left. 

As soon as the door closed behind them, Sheik awkwardly got to their feet, careful not to trip on the chains binding their ankles together. 

“Why are you here?” Link asked. 

Sheik’s red eyes locked onto Link, and he could practically see Sheik fighting down the urge to say something offensive. Instead, when Sheik spoke it was only to give Link directions. “Hidden in the bindings on my left thigh is a small packet and a letter,” they said. “They contain information regarding the poisoning of the king. Though I see my information comes too late.” 

Link turned back to look at his father. Only minutes before he had been well enough, now he was asleep on the bed, waking up every few minutes in coughing fits. “The doctors don’t know what type of poison was used,” Link said. “So perhaps you can be useful after all.” Link got up from his chair and moved over to Sheik. 

“Wait,” Sheik said, taking a shuffling step away from Link. “Unbind me, and I shall give you the evidence.”

Link snorted. “No way. You killed 16 of my men, a whole group of mercenaries, and would have killed me too, I know how dangerous you are.” 

Sheik had no good response to that, so they settled for “You suck.” 

“And you smell like a soldier’s dirty laundry,” Link replied. He took out a knife. “Don’t you dare cut those!” Sheik snapped, trying to move away again. 

Link merely reached out and grabbed their arm. “Shh,” he said, holding Sheik more or less still as he cut through the wrappings on Sheik’s leg. 

Sheik’s string of rude names was ignored as Link picked the note and oiled leather envelope off the floor where they had fallen. He moved to opened the envelope. 

“Don’t open that!” Sheik said. “If you breathe it in, it could kill you.” 

Link gingerly set the envelope aside. “Poison, got it.” He opened the letter. “This is hard evidence that Cousin Frennen is plotting against my father,” Link said. “Everyone will have to believe me now.” 

“Yes, I have saved the day, now release me.”

“No.”

“I just saved the king’s life! And yours… Damn.”

“True, but you also killed a lot of people.”

“They deserved to die.”

Link shook his head and walked back to his father’s side. 

“Ungrateful jerk. I shouldn’t have come to help you,” Sheik grumbled. 

The king did not open his eyes, but Link hoped he could hear him. “I’m going to save you, father. The doctors can find an antidote now. I know you don’t like the idea of me traveling, but I’m going. I’m sorry. I’ll stop Cousin Frennen and protect you and Hyrule.”

The thought was prompted by this image. With Loki dying like every Marvel movie, and always putting up a face of cocky confidence, it seemed applicable. Placed in a modern AU, though that isn’t particularly relevant. Also unedited. 

“I’m fine.”

The most frequently used lie.

It was one of Loki’s favourites.

Was.

Thor’s sigh left him deflated and slumped; a reflection of the weather outside of the corner store overhang.

Sif crossed her arms and leaned back against the grimy wall. “And I’m in love with Frandral. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Thor shrugged and idly swung the flimsy plastic bag in his hand. He said nothing.

With a sigh of her own, Sif pushed off of the wall. “Look Thor, I know you’re worried, and sad, and upset, but he’ll pull through. Loki wouldn’t die that easily.”

“But he said he was-” Thor’s throat constricted, cutting off the rest of his sentence. Fine, he thought. He said he was fine. The hospital had called less than twelve hours after Loki had left Thor at his apartment door with a flippant remark and his signature smirk. They had called to tell Loki’s last remaining family that he was in critical condition and they weren’t sure if he would wake up.

“I know,” Sif said, pulling Thor into a tight hug.

“Twice the lethal amount,” Thor choked out. He could feel the tears at the corners of his eyes, but he didn’t have the energy to care.

“I know.”

“Why didn’t he tell me that he needed help?”

“I don’t know, Thor. I’m sorry.” Sif pulled Thor closer. There were no words that could comfort her friend.

“If he’d just…” Thor’s shoulders began to shake as the despair finally overcame him. “I should have known.”

“No, Thor. There’s no way you could have known. This isn’t your fault.”

“But I’m his brother!”

“Even you don’t know everything about him. It’s not your fault.” Sif insisted. “Come on, let’s go home.” She steered Thor out into the rain and the two blocks to his apartment. She let them in and sat Thor down on the couch next to the phone where he had spent the past twenty-four hours. She left him there and went to the kitchen to make dinner.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

The darkness reminded him of water. A cold lake at night when the sky held no moon nor stars. Loki reached out in front of him, feeling the lack of anything. He couldn’t see his hand, but somehow, he felt he could see the darkness in between. He got to his feet. Or perhaps he was already standing. It was difficult to tell.

Loki moved through the nothing, searching until he came upon something. That something was a memory.

Hazy and faded, an image of his bedroom came into view. The room wasn’t the important part. It was the moment that was relevant. The moment when the child realized that he would never be good enough.

Loki walked onwards. Ripples moved around him, half-formed images that pieced together into a broken mosaic of a person.

Though he couldn’t feel anything, the nothing around him seemed to grow colder, sharp, almost. The thoughts became a little clearer, a little more cohesive, and Loki began to notice some other pieces, pieces that seemed a little brighter, a little clearer. Pieces that didn’t stab into Loki’s heart like shards of glass.

Ah, Loki thought.  And that is why I am here.

It was something of a final choice, he supposed. A chance to escape the years and years of hurt.

Or a chance to try again.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ .

It was three in the morning when Thor was snapped from his daze by the ringing of his cellphone. The caller ID indicated it was the hospital. Cold dread gripped his heart, but his hands moved of their own accord to lift the phone to his ear and answer the call.

“Hello?” Thor croaked.

“Thor Odinson? This is Dr. Eir. We’re happy to report that Loki Odinson has just woken up. All his vitals are stable, we’ll be keeping him here to monitor him for another day or so, but his body handled the toxins remarkably well, and he should be discharged tomorrow. It’s a miracle, really.”

Thor didn’t hear anything else the doctor said. “Thank the Norns,” He whispered, his face broke out into a huge smile. “When can I come to see him?”

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~