ViDoesStuff

“Maybe you should go find firewood too. We surely don’t need the latrine hole all your stomping is going to dig,” the Captain remarked.

“Maybe if I keep at it, we’ll finally have a place for all your jokes.”

Warriors raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed, his tone more serious, “I know you’re worried-”

“Of course I’m worried,” Legend hissed. It was a gargantuan effort to keep his voice quiet, but it was for the others’ sake. “Even when we’d first met him and he didn't know who we were, he never looked at us like that. He had no fear. Whenever we face any of these stupid infected monsters, he only moves with intention. Determination. He was confident that he, that we, would be victorious. He smiled at us during thunder storms. Reassure us anytime he was hurt.

“But the way he looked at us… I’ve never seen him so scared before.”

Legend had spent the latter half of is life living in fear.

Fear that came from knights convinced a child was worth killing, monsters who were no better than wild animals with knives, and even fear of the person he was becoming. The world was a scary place for a boy without a parent. Or, in his case, an uncle. It still was. The fact that his spirit was that of a rabbit was no mistake. Sarcasm and dark humor was his way of coping. Laughing in the face of fear seemed to throw it off most of the time. And turning your back on the things that you fear only kept them trailing behind you.

That intense fear was out of place on Sky, because Legend only saw it when he looked in the mirror.

It was then that he realized he had stopped pacing. So much for burying the things he hated.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Warriors had moved in front of him and was starting to lean over.

Legend scoffed, “Don’t you dare kneel to look me in the eyes.”

The Captain paused, as if debating whether to address it or not. He did not. “I know.”

That caught him off guard.

“What?”

“I said, ‘I know.’ Finding Sky back there might very well have been the worst sight of my life. And I’ve seen a lot, war is not pretty, after all. Death became familiar. It became a simple product of my life.” Warriors looked sick standing there. “But it was never so personal. I don’t have a family that had to get wrapped up in it all. Friends, comrades, sure. I froze the first time I saw someone get killed in front of me. My inaction caused another life to end.”

Legend looked anywhere but Warriors’ gaze. He caught sight of Sky leaning into Wild’s touch, making for an awkward hug. Four’s eyes were shining.

It tugged at his heartstrings.

Though it tugged hard enough to hurt.

Warriors continued, “I only felt that kind of fear once I met some young boys and claimed them as family. I learned the hard way that family hurts substantially more than any friendship did. I suppose having brothers has it’s own kind of troubles. And I had hoped my troubles were over once those boys of mine made it back home. Though I longed for such a connection as theirs, I hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with the same fear that plagued the daily battles.”

“It’s hard to.. do anything other than worry on a battlefield.” Legend commented.

The Captain nodded his agreement. “I knew that I had to be the first one in once we finally found Sky. Maybe I could stop the younger boys from seeing, just in case…”

“...In case he didn’t make it out.”

Warriors hand left his shoulder. He didn’t say anything. The pain in his eyes spoke for him.

They stopped talking long enough for them to hear Sky’s quiet words: “You did.”

Then Legend’s heart dropped to his stomach.

Sky’s voice continued, “Or… it looked like you. And sounded like you.” He paused again. Then, he raised a shaky hand and cupped Wild’s face. “But, you would never do that.”

Warriors stepped forward, as if unable to leave it be. He stopped after two steps.

Those weary blue eyes met the Captain’s. Sky’s hand fell from Wild’s cheek and dropped to his torso. “And you…” He traced his fingers over the sword wound. “Are not so cruel.”

It was true. Warriors was a mercy-killer. Be it beast or man, he never left it to suffer. It was kindness even with death. The sword left in the Skyloftian’s chest had been there for hours. Days, perhaps.

The color drained from the Captain’s face, coming to the same conclusion.

Sky’s gaze moved to Legend. Eyes calculating. Wheels in his mind turning.

Legend’s sword lay back by the fire. He was unarmed. It would stay there. Grateful for his earlier laziness, Legend moved to stand beside the Captain, closer to the trio on the ground.

“It was your…items,” The Knight trailed off, eyes darting to the bag over his shoulder. While it didn’t seem possible, Sky paled further. “That, um…”

Without giving himself time to think over it, Legend pulled the bag off himself and immediately threw it behind him, uncaring just how far it got. He pulled the medallions up from around his neck dropping them into the pouch at his waist. Next, he pulled every ring off his fingers, one by one feeling their effects fall away into nothing. Ravio’s bracelet was next. The silver ring that itself held no magic yet held an ocean of meaning was last.

He tied off the pouch and fixed it to his belt, which he then unbuckled, dropping it, along with the remainder of his tools and items, right onto the grass. He stepped away from his items and toward Sky.

Though still fully clothed, he felt naked, in a way. No magic coursed through him along with the pulsing of his heart. No protection sat over him like a second layer of skin. He felt vulnerable, as if he was back underneath Hyrule Castle, watching his uncle collapse to the cold, unforgiving ground-

No, Legend told himself. Now was not the time for that.

He focused his gaze back onto Sky’s, watching for any change in his expression as Legend slowly lowered himself to the ground. His hands rose in surrender. Sky’s jaw dropped, though his eyes still held an inkling of unease. Uncertainty.

Never before had Legend truly, and willingly, humbled himself before another like this.

But this was his brother. One who so severely needed the reassurance that he would not be hurt again by those that he thought loved him. Some evil thing had used their visages against him, to do horrible, awful things, for an entire month. Legend was sure that there were still wounds that he had yet to see—or might never see. Selfishly, Legend hoped he would not have to learn the extent of those wounds. He didn’t know if he could take it.

There only remained a handful of people Legend could say he trusted. He was so used to back-stabs and betrayal that he had stopped trying to form new relationships, rather, he clung with all his strength to the few he still had.

Meeting these heroes had changed that.

It had been a rough start- Legend did whatever he could to rub them the wrong way, just waiting for the day that they would snap and he could be assured knowing that he hadn’t wasted his suspicions. Yet they continued to see past his prickly words and his snarky demeanor. They stuck around and defended him, protected him, and made him feel loved. Truly, each one of them he considered a brother in everything but blood.

Though he held onto them now, he knew he would have to let them go. Back to their homes. Their families. Their lives. This adventure would be just like all the other ones; it would have an ending. His brain had known since the day they’d met. His heart was the one who had yet to keep an opinion about the heroes: fear then love, they’re enemies but now family, make them leave, keep them here. 

For now, he would do anything he could to soften the fear in Sky’s eyes when they fell upon him. He had to.

“What can I do to prove to you?” Legend begged. “Is there anything I can-”

“Legend.”

Sky was crying.

Legend was too.

With help from Four, Sky inched forward, until he was within arms reach. Had Legend not been frozen in place, he didn’t know what he would’ve done now.

Sky, beaten and worn, scuffed and bleeding, hurt and scared, wiped the tears from Legend’s face. He smiled. “It wasn’t you back there. It couldn’t have been.”

There, until Sky fell asleep and was settled back with the Smithy, they simply cried.

- - -

Notes:

It's not long after this that Time and Twilight return (Chapter 4), hence the 'quiet atmosphere.'