Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Legend all but threw himself down on the ground as soon as they made it a fair enough distance into the dungeon, using a pillar to keep him from falling. He yanked his hat off his head and slapped it against the ground beside himself. It smacked wetly and Legend resisted the urge to tear off all of his other layers to get the wet as far away from him as possible. His face felt stuffed, his body ached as if someone had trampled all over him and jabbed their elbows into his old wounds, he felt like he was swimming through the world, and his limbs were having trouble responding to him. He hated being sick. “Give me five minutes, then I can help set up camp.” 

“Legend—” Warriors cut off sharply. Time or Twilight must have cut him off with a look, gesture, or touch. Legend bristled. Just because he was feeling terrible didn’t mean he had to be coddled and taken care of. “Can you please take watch? It's important that nothing sneaks up on us.” 

Legend scoffed and flipped him off. However, he drew his sword across his lap, glared at the hallways that branched off from the main protected courtyard, and listened to the others set up camp half-asleep and half sick as the torrentious rain and all-encompassing thunder continued outside. 

The lightning storm had surprised them all, and nobody was too happy about the impromptu sleep-over in the unexplored dungeon they were hoping to get to tomorrow. 

To top it all off splendidly, Legend was sick. Four was still shivering despite the many blankets piled on him, and Wind almost knocked himself over one time because of a coughing fit, but they were all helping out in some way, even if it was just unrolling the bedrolls. 

Legend glared hard at the hallway across from him and wished his body wasn't feeling so terrible. It would make it easier to focus. 

Wild laughing made Legend's ears twitch and brought his focus back to the group. “I carry bundles and packs of flint with me everywhere. Of course I can start a fire here! Just give me a minute and I'll get a nice warm soup going, too.”  

Legend sighed and felt his shoulders drop some tension. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillar. “That sounds wonderful, Wild. Thank you.” 

Something whispered and Legend cracked his eyes open. A dark shape whizzed past him, and the sensation of a magic portal opening tugged at his chest. 

Legend lurched forward with a warning yell, but the world took a nasty spin right at that moment as the amount of magic in the area overwhelmed him. He fell forward and cursed as he shoved his sword out of reach, which he supposed was a better alternative to accidentally impaling himself, but now he was weaponless. 

Legend’s vision blurred, but the screams and shouts of the others as they tried to form some cohesive form of desperate, rushed attack and then terrified, screaming defense against the shadow amidst the portals trying to collect the heroes was all too clear. 

He struggled to get his arms under him, to push off the ground and reach his sword, to raise his head and see the damage done. The sounds dwindled to only his own pained whimpering and he hadn’t done more than get his muscles to quiver in response. 

Something dragged across the ground towards him. The heavy panting of some monster brushed against his ear, its hands grabbed his face, and then 

The sound of gentle breathing and a crackling fire. 

Someone hummed gently. 

Link’s ear twitched. It was a familiar tune that haunted his dreams. 

His mouth was dry. 

The scent of blood-iron and fire stung. 

Link had to wake up. Something wasn’t right. 

Link forced his eyes open as fast as he could once his brain and memory started to catch up to him. 

Something bad had happened. Or something bad was going to happen. And the people he had been traveling with would get hurt. Or they had gotten hurt. 

Link exhaled softly through his mouth and tried not to sniffle against the pressure in his nose. He hated getting sick. He put a hand to his head as he collected his thoughts and more information about his surroundings. 

The clearing was cluttered. Signs of a group of people settling in for the night was evident. Sleeping bags were sprawled across the ground, there were pots and pans left out in such a disarray that it indicated a meal, and a fire was burning merrily. What the camp lacked was people. There was only one, crouched in front of the fire and humming softly. Link squinted as he tried to make out which of them it was. 

They had long, wavy red hair that was half done up in braids and half down. Their skin was sun-kissed and freckled, they had a bracelet and a necklace, and they wore a blue dress, pink sash, and sandals. 

It wasn’t one of the other Links, he decided. Nor was it any of the other adventurers he had ever worked with. Neither was it Ravio or Hilda or Zelda. 

Link raised himself up on his elbows. He almost didn’t dare breathe, and he didn’t blink as he sat up, then stood. He took one step forward, swaying as the world threatened a trip, and the humming stopped. The stranger reached for the sword on the floor beside them, so he stopped. Both of their ears twitched with anticipation as two of them stayed frozen, waiting. 

"Link," they said softly with a hurt frown. Their voice brought back memories, fake memories, of sea and sand and sleep. It reminded him of a promise he'd forgotten, but a girl he never would. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me." 

Link licked his lips and opened his mouth. It was another second before he could make a sound, and even then it came out mangled as it scratched against his throat. 

“Marin?” 

She whirled around with her weapon at the ready. Her brown eyes blinked at Link for a second before she lowered the sword and burst out laughing at his incredulous expression. She set the sword down and opened her arms. “Live and in the flesh." 

She took a step closer to him as she reached for him, but she stopped when he flinched away. 

His chest heaved, up down up down up down , as his jackrabbit heart pounded against his ribs. 

Her expression softened, and her movements were considerably slower as she reached out again. Her hand was warm and rough as it settled on his cheek. She brushed her thumb over his cheekbone, brushed her fingers through his bangs, and cupped his face oh so gently. 

Link choked on his hyperventilating, and he closed his eyes against the tears. He leaned into the touch, his hands shook as he reached up to grab her wrists, to keep her steady, and he stifled a sob. He had missed her. 

So much. 

If this was just a dream, he didn’t want to wake up. 

Marin offered him another serving of soup. Link smiled and took it gratefully. The warm broth was doing a good job at soothing his throat and making some of the worst of the stuffiness subside. 

“You can rest, Link. They're tough and can take care of themselves. Besides, you said those portals were the ones you've been traveling through for a while, right? Maybe it was bringing them to safety. Besides, there's no portal here that we can go through right now, so it looks like we'll have to wait to go after them regardless. We can look for our own portal after you're rejuvenated. Please, get some rest.” 

Link felt warm and safe and full; nothing but his jackrabbit heart still making laps on his lungs and thoughts prevented him from settling down. He swallowed and winced at the pain. “I can't. I'm terrified of losing you again.” 

Marin sighed and opened her arm. Link set the bowl down on the ground and scooted himself to her side. He picked the bowl back up and leaned against her. Her voice resonated in her chest, thrummed in his ears. He closed his eyes and breathed. 

“Would you like me to talk or would you like to talk until you can sleep?” 

“You can. I can fill you in tomorrow, when I wake up.” Not that he believed she would be there when he did. “Tell me about yourself. What happened to you since we last saw each other? How did you come to this place?” 

Marin hummed and her eyes glazed over as she thought back. Her fingers combed through his hair, and he braced himself against it as half of himself screamed, “it's not real, so don't get used to it!” while the other screamed “it's not real, so you should enjoy it while you can!” 

“Well, I suppose you know that I made a wish to the Wind Fish.” 

Link’s heart skidded to a halt for once in his chest. He felt his ears perk up and forward as it strained with hope to catch what she was going to say. “This is real,” his heart said. His brain said, “This is just another dream.” 

“I asked to be able to see the world beyond the island, that I could live while the others didn’t, and that I wouldn’t just be a dream.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “And the world has been tough. It wasn’t as nice as I expected it to be sometimes, but after experiences like that, my heart would fill with a love for the land, for the people, for the life I get to have as a budding flower, a helpful hand, a new experience would remind me of life’s joy.” 

“I became an adventurer, Link, just like you. I worked to make people’s lives easier, whether it was planting a garden that could sustain them or fighting a monster that was threatening them. And it makes me happy to see them happy.” She pressed her thumb and fingers into her hand in a gentle massage like Link often did to himself and stared at the fire for a moment, gathering her thoughts. 

She took a deep breath and continued. “It was hard to learn how to fight. Not a lot of people wanted to teach me. But I ran into one of those other adventuring buddies you once told me about, and they taught me well. I bet I can fight just as well as you can, now.” She said and smiled as warmly as the sun. 

Link smiled back. “I’m sure you can.” 

Her brown furrowed together and she gripped his hand tightly. “Link, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m alive, I’m happy, and I can take care of myself.” 

“I won’t.” Link said with a nod. “I’m proud of you.” 

Marin sighed, nodded, and, after a moment, nudged him playfully. “Well, it looks like you won’t be getting sleep any time soon, so why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to? Who were you traveling with? Ooh," she leaned forward with that devilish smile of hers that would show up when he'd started doing something he shouldn't and she egged him on, "what are they afraid of?” 

Link laughed and gently held her an arms length away. “You can’t use their fears against them, okay?” 

“I solemnly swear it. I won’t start anything, silly.” She held up her hand as if swearing an oath. 

Link shook his head, but a smile was on his face. "Okay." 

His throat hurt when he spoke, but he had never wanted to tell anyone anything as much as he did now. “I've been traveling with eight others named Link. As you could imagine, it would be insanely difficult to get the right person’s attention if we kept our names, so,” Link faked a grin and did jazz hands as he named the goddess, “the lovely Hylia, through the Master Sword, gave us fantastic, original nicknames.” 

“I'm sure they're not all bad.” 

Link laughed. “One of them is named Warriors. Because he fought in a war with other soldiers. That is to say, warriors.” 

“Oh dear.” Marin said. She held her hand to her mouth and tried not to grin. “Sounds absolutely horrifying .” 

“Oh, he is. One big, ugly brute.” Link said. He grinned and went on. “There's Hyrule. And Sky, Four, Time, Twilight, Wind, and Wild.” 

“Huh. Those are quite some peculiar names.” 

Link laughed again, agreed whole-heartedly, and sighed with contentment. Talking to her was easy, as it had been before. Falling into a familiar friendship had never felt so freeing before. 

So he took a deep breath and he told her. Everything.

Chapter Text

“How about you start with the youngest?” 

Link chuckled and shook his head. “You’re going to hate how young he is. 13.” 

At Marin’s pained ‘oh,’ Link reached over and patted her back. 

“He's tough. Like all of us, he'd fight through hell and back to keep those he loves safe. But he's young and hates when his age gets called out. He thinks he has enough experience to hold his own against the world, and he's right.” Link closed his eyes, leaned forward, and rubbed his temples. “But a lot of us see our younger selves in him, so we want to keep him safe, to let him experience being young and carefree. He hates it.” 

Link sighed and looked up at Marin with a gentle smile. He watched her hair catch the light of the fire so it seemed to glow, too. He reached out and, when he wasn't stopped, gently tucked her hair behind her ear. He blinked slowly at the realization that something was different. Her hair was still red, curly, thick, and prone to tangle. A second longer and his brain offered the lack of a flower in her hair as what was different. He wondered where it had gone. From what he remembered, she hadn't gone anywhere without it. Then again, maybe she couldn't find more of them here and didn't want to try wearing any other flowers. He had some in his garden back home that he could offer her if she decided to stick around and travel with them. 

Marin frowned at his stare, and he startled away and gripped the bowl of broth with both hands with a mumbled apology. She tapped her knee against his. "You're just fine, Link. I don't mind. Really. Are you okay? You looked troubled." 

"Yeah. I'm fine." He smiled at her before he kept his gaze on the meal as he continued speaking. "As for what scares him, I think he fears getting replaced, or at least abandoned. He throws himself into the world, striving to be cheerful despite the odds. He's resilient, reliable, and loyal. But the way he puts himself in the group seems to almost be an insistent defense, so we can't get rid of him.” 

“Not that we would get rid of him!” Link snapped and held his hands up defensively to ward against Marin’s concerned expression. “I just think he's afraid we will.” 

She reached out a hand and held his own with a comforting smile. “It's okay, Link. I believe you.”

Wind tripped over the bedroll he'd just laid out neatly when Legend shouted a warning. He dislodged his shield from his back and yanked it in front of him to parry a blow as he reached for his sword. His fingers wrapped around the weapon’s hilt just as the world spun purple. They must have fallen through a portal. 

He gasped in a breath as soon as he could and held his breath again to combat the itch of a cough waiting to happen. His stomach churned, and he barely managed to lean to the side before throwing up. He didn't really feel like attacking anything, not with how his muscles were starting to ache. He hated being sick. Wind groaned and kept his shield arm up to block out the glaring sun of all things as he further curled up behind it. 

“Oi!” He spat at the monster as it attacked him again. His arms shook as he adjusted his grip on his sword and shield and tried shoving the monster off him as he stood up. 

The bokoblin screeched as it stumbled backwards. There wasn't just one monster anymore, there were multiple. The portal had dropped them in the middle of a camp in Wild's Hyrule. It was complete with four- now five - bokoblins of various colours, two moblins, and a screaming lizalfos. The smoothed stones around the camp pressed into his feet through the thin soles of his shoes, and the sky overhead was clear blue. 

Wind scowled and kept his attention on the monster as they circled each other, though he kept scanning his peripheral vision for the others. 

Warriors stood up from where he'd landed on a bokoblin, skewering it with his sword in a move Hyrule must have taught him, and wiped gunk off his face with a grimace at the state of his scarf. Four seemed to be taking on one dastardly moblin with Wild as the two of them took turns darting in to strike. Time cleaved a bokoblin in two just as Hyrule ducked out of the way after stunning it. Twilight and Legend were holding their own against two separate bokoblins, and Sky seemed to be taunting the lizalfos. 

A snap startled him as a lizalfos’ tongue struck the air beside his ear. 

"Make that two screaming lizalfos," his brain needlessly supplied as he brought his sword up to slice the attempted attack away from him. He grinned as the lizalfos screamed and clutched at its nicked tongue. 

“Wind!” Warriors called. He could recognize the anxiety in his voice, no matter how veiled it was. This time it wasn't that hard to spot. Surely he hadn't been close to dying enough to elicit that response. Wind sighed at the captain's unnecessary stress and rolled his shoulders to try and ease the increasing ache. 

“Wars!” Wind called back as chipperly and loudly as he could without bursting into another coughing fit. It was strangled as the sharp inhale to get enough oxygen to fuel his movements and respond in a timely manner aggravated his throat. 

He danced out of the way of the bokoblin’s stick and spun an attack at the lizalfos, who just hopped out of range. He stuck his tongue out at it in return, but followed through on his spin to face the bokoblin again. 

Black blood spurted in his face as he successfully scored a strike. He took a step back and raised his shield to give himself a moment to wipe the blood out of his eyes. His breath caught as something sharp shoved past his ribs, snapping one on its way. 

“Bloody bastard .” Wind gasped as the shaft of the spear shifted with the lizalfos’ grip. He dropped his sword and let go of his shield to grab the spear in hopes of preventing more damage. “You can't go around stabbing blokes in the back!” 

It didn’t listen, or maybe it did and its shitty apology was taking its spear as it moved back. 

The point tore through Wind’s palms and shredded its way through his flesh again. He couldn't stop the scream that tore at his throat. The spear left a cavity between his ribs just in time for him to get smacked in the face with the bokoblin's club. His head snapped to the side, and his body tumbled after. 

Wind's side stung as he shoved himself up to his knees with shaking arms and tried to swallow back another coughing fit to no avail. His lungs begged him to breathe despite his throat declaring that it was agitated enough that everything had to halt until it was sure whatever was bothering it was no longer there. 

“Wind!” Warriors dropped to a knee at his side with enough force that he could hear the rocks under him grate against each other. 

Wind tried to respond as he had before and tell him off for dropping his guard, but seeing as he couldn't, he flipped him off. He hated the taste of iron in his mouth and his blood that speckled the rocks as he continued to cough. 

Warriors shushed at him and put his hand to the wound on his back. When that sent the sailor tumbling off balance, he set his other hand on his shoulder to keep him upright. “Easy there, sailor. Let me see your hands.” 

Wind bit back a sob then fought another cough as he peeled his hands away from his wound. His tunic soaked up the blood that oozed down his front. Wind exhaled through gritted teeth at the knowledge that it would be intensely irritating when it dried. 

Warriors raised a healing potion to his lips, and Wind downed the potion as fast as he could, gasping for breath as soon as it was finished. He didn’t like potions as much as he did his grandmother’s soup— potions were hardly palatable and couldn’t even begin to compare, if he was being honest— but it worked to various degrees, so he didn’t complain. Well, he didn’t complain about the results. The healing itself always itched and burned. 

Instead of getting up and leaving him as soon as he had drunk the potion, the war captain moved closer. He put a hand to his back and drew soothing circles into it with his shield hand. “Just breathe, kid. You'll be fine. The others can deal with the rest of the monsters.” 

And they did. 

Wild's two volleys of three arrows each thudded into the lizalfos’ eye socket and throat and Time defeated the bokoblin the same time Sky gave the other lizalfos a taste of its own lightning, Twilight finished off the last bokoblin, and Legend froze the final moblin for Four to smash it to bits and pieces. 

Wind sighed with relief and only really relaxed as soon as the monsters were gone. His hands shook as examined them. They seemed fine enough, but there was still an angry line of beading blood drops across them. He’d still have to wait for them to heal on their own. His chest ached, and a glance down proved that it was about as healed as his hands. Most of his innards had stitched themselves back together, but he could still see them. He cursed and quickly looked away before he could get nauseous about it. 

“Let me help with that.” Warriors said. He already had his healing kit out and needle and thread at the ready. 

“Cyclos give me strength.” He mumbled after heaving a sigh. He loosened the neck of his tunic and undershirt and pulled them down so he didn’t have to raise his arms before he dug his fingers into the ground. He tried to root himself to the ground and focus on the happenings around them so he didn’t lash out as Warriors stitched him up. 

“Wow, that looks like quite a hit there, Wind.” Twilight said. He crouched beside him and tried to meet his gaze. “Are you okay?” 

Wind scowled. “What do you think? I’m just peachy right now.” 

“I believe that was sarcasm, Twilight. You don’t have to look so confused.” Hyrule said as he scampered up the supports of the monster’s camp to break into the treasure chests there before Sky could. 

Twilight hummed a concerned note. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” 

“You can stop crowding.” Warriors said, his calm tone doing nothing to betray his annoyed state. “I can’t do anything with you this close.” 

Twilight flinched as if he had been hit and slunk off to stick close to Wild’s side. The champion was crouched next to one of the lizalfos as he methodically dissected it and occasionally took pictures with his slate. 

Warriors finished stitching Wind’s chest and gave the sailor a moment to breathe before he worked on the deep cut on his back from the stab wound. 

“You weren’t much help in that fight, were you?” Four asked from where he examined Wild’s sword and the damage it had taken to decide if it was worth trying to save. 

Wind bristled. “I was, too!” 

Warriors mumbled a warning and Wind braced himself as he cleaned the wound then started the set of stitches on his back. 

“Wind, please.” Legend said as he sat beside Four and made a face at the damaged sword. “You dealt one blow before almost dying. Meanwhile, Four and I, who are just as sick as you, downed two monsters. What else would you call your lousy performance?” 

Wind raised his head and stared at the doubters with a confused smile. “I’m sorry. I really don’t need to hear this right now, you guys. Would you mind taking your doubts elsewhere? Thank you!” 

While Four didn’t respond, too busy working on the blunted edges of Wild’s sword, Legend held up his hands defensively. 

“I'm just saying! Why did Hylia even bring you on the quest?” Legend said with a scowl and watched Sky walk down the ramp with Hyrule trotting beside him with a great big grin and a stash of weapons and rupees. “I don’t see the point. You don’t have the hero’s spirit, we didn’t really need you for this fight— or any of the others, if we’re being completely honest. It’s not like we need you. And you’re so young.” 

“That's not— I didn’t— I mean– fuck .” Wind cut himself off with a sharp whine as the pain of being stitched up became too much to ignore. He closed his eyes and gripped the rocks in his hands tightly as the needle snagged and thread slid through his skin. 

Sky, defeated in the treasure-finding by the current reigning champion, went over to Wild and Twilight who had moved on from examining the monsters. He sidled up to them with a chipper smile and looked over Wild’s shoulder that Twilight wasn’t leaning on to get a glimpse of the slate. “So, Wild, where to?” 

“I wish I knew. All I’m getting is static.” Wild said with a frustrated sigh. 

Warriors finished the stitches, bound his wounds, packed away his kit, and offered a hand to Wind. The sailor sat still and breathed for another moment before he shook his head and shoved himself to his feet without Wars’ help. He almost tipped over as he clipped his shield in place. Warriors held his shoulder to steady him and Wind offered a small smile in gratitude as the two turned their focus to the trio gathered around the slate. 

Wild suddenly dropped into a crouch, throwing both heroes next to him off balance enough that they almost fell, and thwacked the slate onto the rocky ground forcefully a few times before standing back up. The collective groan was enough to know it hadn’t worked. Wild grinned and knocked Twilight with his hip, which did absolutely nothing, but the shepherd seemed to appreciate the playful gesture. 

“No need to look so glum! Walking in any one direction should get us somewhere eventually!” Wild tapped at his slate for a few more seconds, spun on his heel, held out a finger like a dowsing rod, took a couple steps in a direction, and nodded. “We’re somewhere in the Necluda area, so East or South are our best bets. Just a few hours, really, and we’re bound to be somewhere, so if we get moving now, we can get to a village or stable in time for dinner and a good night's sleep.” 

“Thank the goddesses.” Four said. He stood up, held out Wild’s sword to the hero, and brushed the dust and small dead weeds off the blanket he had sat on and now wrapped around his shoulders. He looked absolutely miserable as he shivered in the warm weather and Wind couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him. At least the healing potion he’d taken seemed to have helped fight off his own sickness. 

After only a couple minutes of walking, storm clouds rolled in with the intention of chasing them. An hour later, it still grumbled threats when Wild told everyone to stop walking. He quickly changed into his sneaky outfit and crouched as he snuck forward into the foliage and a few sparse drops of the storm began to fall. 

Wind flinched as one hit his face and rolled down his cheek, leaving a slimy trail as it did so. He grimaced and wiped the unsettling sensation away.  

“Hey, sailor.” Twilight said, gently putting a hand on Wind’s shoulder before he could examine what he'd touched. The others reached for their weapons and checked their armor and potion supplies. “You should sit this one out. It’s okay to take a break.” 

Wind squawked in disbelief and grabbed his sword. He bit back a hiss as his scuffed palm rubbed against the worn leather of his sword’s grip as he held it at the ready. “I can fight just as well as the rest of you.” 

Sky nodded, and his expression was full of pity. “We know you can, but I agree with Twilight. I think it’d be a good idea for you to not engage this time. We don’t want to use another healing potion if we can help it. If we’re having difficulties with Wild’s slate and aren’t able to get more ingredients or potions for the time being, which we are, it would be best to prevent as many injuries as possible.” 

Wind scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Please, I—” 

“Wind.” 

It was the first thing Time had said since leaving the portal, and his tone implied that he wasn’t going to be taking any response other than obedience as an answer. Lightning flashed bright enough that the world went pitch for a second after. The darkness was tangible and suffocating as the storm broke. The afterimage of Time’s solemn expression and the way the shadows of the trees had played like tentacles made Wind's heart skip a beat. 

Wind shut his mouth with an audible snap as his dark vision returned. He glared at the oldest hero, but he put his sword and shield away. 

“Happy?” Wind snapped and held his arms out to his sides to show that he was unarmed. Twilight patted him on the back before pulling him into a big bear hug. The sailor yelped and squirmed out of his hold just as Wild appeared again and waved the heroes forward with the instructions to stay as silent as possible so they could ambush the next camp of monsters. 

Wind folded his arms, pinned his ears back to further express his displeasure, and scuffed his boots with a scowl. “Great. I guess I’ll just wait here while you guys enjoy getting your asses whooped —!” 

Time whirled on Wind and clamped his hand over Wind’s mouth with something close to murder in his gaze. His touch was rough and stuck like suckers as his grip squished his cheeks, but the pads of his fingers squelched when it met with the resistance of bone as if there was only sludge under Time's skin. Wind swallowed hard and cowered backwards in a faint effort to get away from the grasp on his face, but he still glared back at him. Time leaned close and whispered. “Shut. Up.” 

Legend leaned over to Four and mumbled something about standard kid behavior as he adjusted another of his power bracelets, and Sky laughed and agreed. 

Wind ground his teeth together for a moment before Time nodded as if he had given confirmation that he would behave. 

The others slunk through the trees after Wild. After a minute of hearing shouts and blows exchanged, Wind stomped after them with a grumble that was covered up in the next lightning strike and near-immediate crash of thunder. He burst out into the clearing with his shield up to block out the rain and sword swinging at the nearest bokoblin’s head. It yelped and turned to face him, but he had already darted away. He nodded to Hyrule, who took the distraction he’d supplied to stab the monster in the neck. 

“Wind?” Hyrule spared him a glance, but otherwise kept his focus on his opponent. 

“What is he—” Sky turned from the monster he’d just gutted, his shawl snapping with the sudden spin, grabbed Wind’s shoulder and yanked him back before he could engage with the next monster. “What are you doing here? Get back to the sidelines where you’ll be safe.” 

“I’m going to help.” Wind said, yanking his arm back. He winced as he shifted his grip on his sword and shield and faced his next opponent. 

“No, you’re not.” To prove Sky’s point, a swarm of keese dove to attack the two of them. The hero of the skies grabbed the young sailor again and pulled him close, protecting them both with his shield. The wet grass pressed their wet pant legs against their shins as they knelt. “You’re making the situation more dangerous by vying for attention, Wind. Just sit this one out!” 

Wind’s chest heaved as he struggled to keep his tears at bay. He snapped at Sky just as another lightning struck, bleaching the world around them, and thunder roared, drowning out his words, “I’m not going to! Not when you guys are—” 

The keese storm squealed as a blast of fire ambushed their bombardment and Legend appeared at their side as soon as it cleared up. 

He brushed his sopping bangs out of his eyes, grabbed Wind’s upper arm and yanked him to his feet. “We're doing great. Now is not the time to get all stupid heroic, Wind, so sit back and calm down. It’s going to be okay.” 

Sky nodded his thanks to Legend before he ran to support Warriors. Legend blasted another fireball that quickly fizzled out into the screeching keese swarm above the camp and took steps back toward the edge of the fight, dragging Wind with him. 

“I can fight .” Wind said and tugged on his arm to try and squirm out of Legend’s power bracelet-enhanced grip. Their skin was slimy thanks to the rain. “Just let go and I can show you !” 

Time approached, wiping monster guts off his sword before sheathing it and nodding to Legend to get back in the fight as he stood next to the sailor. Wind bristled and his lip curled in disgust and distress as he realized they were taking turns babysitting him. For a moment they stood still facing each other with their arms crossed. Then Time sighed and settled his weight on one leg, loosening his stance to something less threatening. “You’re not going to be a spoiled brat and make someone else sit out, too, are you?” 

Wind grunted as if something had physically slammed into his chest. Something about that comment had hurt. He sucked in a breath and released it in a scoff. “No. Of course not. You guys don’t have to babysit me if you just—” 

“Good. I don’t want to hear you interfering with a fight again.” Time brushed more monster goop off his armor, hefted his sword out of its sheathe, and moved away without another hint of acknowledgement. 

“What are you gonna do about it if I do, huh? Huh ?” Wind yelled as the chain’s unofficial leader disappeared back in the fight to take a swing at a rock monster’s wobbly legs. He screamed wordlessly, and another flash of lightning and boom of thunder drowned him and his surroundings out. 

Wind sobbed as he sank to his knees and watched the other heroes defeat the monsters without him. If he shed a few tears now, at least none of the others would notice. 

Wind's tears had dried by the time the fight was over, but the storm’s had not. It kept pummeling anything under it with its weird rain, even after they had found a stables and began to settle down. 

The inside of the stables was comforting. It was dry and smelled of musty wood and fresh hay. Paired with the drumming of rain on the tarp roof and the warm pumpkin soup that Wild had mucked up from somewhere that tasted almost like home, Wind wanted to do nothing more than immediately claim a bed and curl up. 

However, he had more pressing matters to attend, so never mind that he was running on fumes. 

Wind sat on the edge of the raised floor of the stable’s entrance and tugged his soaked boots back on, trying hard not to flinch at the discomfort of wet and slimy sliding over and sticking to his skin. 

“Wind.” Hyrule said gently, standing just a few feet inside the comfort of the stables. “You don't want to go out there just yet. It's not pleasant.” 

“I know, Hyrule.” Wind wiggled his foot around before he tugged the laces up tightly and knotted them in place. He lost his grip at the last minute, so he accidentally stomped into the mud and splashed himself. He bit back a curse and wiped the muck from his face. “Trust me, I know. I'd much rather be inside with you and sleep. But I have to talk to Time.” 

“He's just moody because of the portal hopping and time changes. I wouldn't bother him.” 

“It’s not about that.” Wind got to his feet, folded his arms, and hunched over against the rain as he faced Hyrule and the inviting comforts of inside the stables. “Look, Hyrule, don't worry about it. I'll be back soon.” 

Hyrule hesitated and glanced between the storm and the beds. After a moment, he trotted forward, sat down on the step, and grabbed his boots from where he'd left them to dry. 

“I'm going with you.” He said, mimicking Warriors' “my word is final” voice as he pulled on his own boots. “I don't like the idea of you going alone with him.” 

“And if you get some exploring in, too, no harm done, am I right?” 

Hyrule grinned impishly and shrugged as suspiciously as anyone knew how. 

Wind laughed and shrugged. “Don’t look at me like that. I'm not going to prevent you from going wherever you want to go whenever you think best. I just care that you stay safe and have fun. Thanks for telling me about your plans.” 

Hyrule nodded and stood up. “Then let's be off like a dirty shirt. May your traveling go well.” 

“As may yours.” Wind said with a smile. He nodded back before he turned on his heel and sludged through the mud over to where Time was standing in the rain, still dressed in armor and armed, and watching the fire pit. 

“Oi! Old man.” Wind said with a chipper grin. He brushed his hair out of his face and kicked the edge of the pit. “That fire's not going to light itself, especially not in this weather.” 

Time sighed and looked up, spotted Hyrule, and called him over. 

Wind waved his arms to signal that Hyrule shouldn't come over and Time was over reacting. “No! No, Time, that's not necessary. Please, I'd just like to talk about a few things with you. I–” 

Time ignored him and spoke only to Hyrule. “It's past the kid's bedtime. He shouldn't be out here. Get him back inside.” 

“No, Time, please —” Wind grabbed his forearm and flinched as his hand sank slightly into the Time’s slimy flesh with a burble. Whatever ooze now made up the older hero bubbled and rolled under his touch. 

"I was right," Wind thought with a dry laugh. Flashes of triumph and terror zapped through his body as Time and Hyrule talked before the latter walked away. 

Wind hadn't wanted to be right. He hadn't wanted to be trapped in another dreamscape where he had to fight nightmarish monsters that took his friends from him. But he was, and he knew what to do. 

He backed up a step when Time grabbed for his arm and chuckled to keep his nerves under control. “ Damn , Bellum. Back to stealing my parental figures away, are you? What kind of trauma are you hiding?” 

“I'm not Bellum. I'm simply a Nightmare.” It grinned with Time's face and lightning struck again, washing everything in light so brilliant it got rid of color then so dark Wind couldn't see Time standing right in front of him. 

Wind huffed and brought his guard up, drawing his sword and raising his shield. The slap that sent him tumbling into the mud was expected but terrifying in the pitch. 

He rolled to break his fall and popped to his feet with a vicious swing. 

The Nightmare grinned and let it hit. His sword met resistance from armor and bone, and Time's corrupted blood spilled to the ground. “You'd kill your friend just to get to me?” It burbled a coo and Wind's skin crawled. “I feel honored.” 

“I really wouldn't be if I were you; I'm still going to kill you.” He said calmly, evenly, and scanned Time for a hint of the monster. If it worked like Bellum, it'd have a vulnerable spot at his back. He bet it revealed itself in the pitch right after a lightning strike. He'd have to time it perfectly. 

Wind sucked in a deep breath and lightning struck with a thunderous boom. He lunged forward and darted around Time. He grinned as he spotted a pulsing shadow spot on Time's back just as the pitch hit. He swung an attack that collided with decidedly not flesh or armor, and he raised his shield as he counted seconds before he regained his senses. 

"One hit down, two more to go," he thought with a grimace.

The monster was waiting for him next time. As he dashed close, it wrapped its tentacles of shadow that somehow remained intact despite the bright flash of lightning, and yanked him out of the way, but not before he managed to hit it again. 

“You—!” The Nightmare slammed Wind on his back, making a decent splash that momentarily drowned the sailor. It loomed over him and drove one tendril through his sword arm right below his wrist and down through the earth and drove another through the stab wound he'd suffered earlier. 

Wind screamed as a shadow string wormed past the stitching and under his skin. He grabbed it with his shield hand as he gasped for breath and struggled to keep his thoughts coherent. The pulsing slime burned as it slipped and squirmed itself alongside his veins. 

Nightmare twisted Time's face into an unnatural grin as it loomed closer. Its shadowy limbs dug into the ground, too, trapping him in a cage. 

“ Damn you, Nightmare.” Wind choked out. He grinned even as tears leaked out the sides of his eyes when he closed them. He let go of his sword and the monster as he forced himself to relax into the mud as lightning struck. The monster chittered and took back its hold on his sword arm in surprise after knocking the weapon away just as the darkness hit. 

Wind used its shock to his advantage as he shoved himself up, wrapped his arms around the shadow monster in a hug, and stabbed it in its core with the knife Time always had on him. 

It screamed and thrashed as it started to seize up. 

"Like a spider," Wind's brain offered, and he breathed a laugh. He fell back as soon as the monster recoiled its grip from him and closed his eyes again as the Nightmare warbled its death throes. The heroes had to be exiting the stables sometime soon with the amount of screaming and fighting, but at least they would find an alive Linebeck. 

He hesitated. No, Time . They would arrive and find a bruised and bloody but alive Time. 

Wind smiled in triumph and let the strange rain drumming against his skin, pure exhaustion, and knowledge that it was an adventure done well lull him to sleep. 

Chapter Text

“Who's your favorite?” 

“Hands down, it has to be Hyrule.” Link said with a fond smile. “Sweet kid, great—” 

“Kid?” Marin’s smile hesitated. “Another one?” 

Link shook his head and squeezed her hand three times. “He’s a teen. I don’t think anyone other than maybe Four, who is an enigma, is young like Wind.” 

“Hyrule has great instincts. The biggest thing he fears is raising Ganon or Ganondorf, I think, which is why he's careful about injuries. He loves to explore, is down for chaos, and he doesn’t take banter as a direct insult to his character. He’s got a knack for snappy comebacks, and existing beside him is easy.” 

Marin laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. “No wonder you like him. I can't wait to meet him.” 

“We could go now to find them.” Link said. If this was in fact a dream, though, he didn't want to break the illusion, wake up to find the Chain perfectly fine, and realize he'd missed time with Marin. 

Marin set a hand to his knee to stay him. “You're still sick, Link. Please take it easy.” 

He sighed, set his bowl to one side, and rested his head against hers as he wrapped his arms around her. “I know. I don't really want to go right now. I just want you to stay.” 

She smiled, “Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere.” 

The rain had stopped, the ground was dry, and the air was salty. There was the gentle babble of water lapping against the side of a boat. 

Wind sighed and opened his eyes as he sat up and glanced around. He ran his hand along the familiar grain of old wood and smiled at the layout. It was the King of Red Lions, but Daphne's spirit had long since left it. He stood up and leaned against the figurehead, reaching out and petting its snout as he whispered in its ear. “Hey, old friend.” 

“I'm not that old.” 

Wind's ears twitched at the sound of an unexpected voice. He grabbed his weapon and brought his shield up as he whirled to face the unexpected visitor. After a second of processing the voice and person in front of him, Wind sighed in relief and put both sword and shield away. 

The Ocean King’s appearance was that of an old man with a big smile, a full beard, and the aura of a god. His weathered face was barely visible under the amount of hair he had, but what could be seen was wrinkled with lines that suggested mirth and ease rather than strife. 

Oshus nodded at him. “I am glad to hear you see me as a friend.” 

“I can't say it's good or bad to see you again.” Wind said and shrugged as he feigned indifference while glancing around for a bobbing blue light. It was rather easy to keep his expression under control when he started to worry about why Oshus was appearing in his Hylian form. “Why are you here? Where's Ciela?” 

“I am not dying if you are afraid of that. Ciela and the others are fine. I am here to offer you a chance to help your current traveling companions.” 

Wind winced, put his fingers to the hole in his tunic, and flinched at the pain. “The others? Are they okay?” 

“The others weren’t in your dream. They’re trapped in their own nightmares. As for how they are, well– how was your nightmare?” 

“Tolerable.” Wind cleared his throat, lowered his hands to his hips, steadied his stance, and grinned with a confident and carefree attitude. “I’m doing great.” 

Oshus hummed in disbelief. “And if Time walked onboard right now and gave you a disappointed look?” 

Wind gave him a flat stare. He grabbed the mast of the boat to steady himself as he spun himself in a circle and gestured to the vast openness around them. “We’re in the middle of an ocean. It’s rather obvious that—” 

He blinked, and the babble of the ocean turned to the rise and fall of conversation. The warm wood under his hand turned into smooth glass, and the gentle breeze turned stagnant with the sharp smell of coffee grounds and alcohol. They were seated at a table in Gillian’s Cafe Bar. 

Wind sighed and leaned back in his chair. He cupped the glass with both hands and took a sip of whatever mystery liquid Oshus had ordered for him. Despite being a dream, the sensation of warm water sliding down his throat was all too familiar. He bit back a cough at the unexpected sensation, though he knew he should have expected it. “It’s obviously a dream; I’m not scared of him, regardless.” 

Oshus humphed but nodded. “Very well. Now, let's discuss saving your friends.” 

He set an empty hourglass on the table between them. He pressed his fingertips to the top, and sand started to fill it. 

“This will track how much time you have left. In this time, you- or another hero- will have to murder the Nightmares.” 

Wind nodded and took another sip of his drink. “How many are there?” 

“As many as you have traveling companions. Kill the Nightmare, and you can move on to the next. When the last Nightmare is killed, you will wake up back at the camp in the mouth of the dungeon.” 

“And what do you want in return?” Wind looked into his cup to avoid Oshus' gaze. “I don't want to owe a god anything.” 

“I just want the Nightmares gone, son.” 

Wind set his head down on the table, using an arm as a pillow, and stared at the sand that remained still at the top of the hourglass for the moment. “What happens if it goes out?” 

“Everyone left in a Nightmare-induced dream will die.” 

Wind flinched. “If I don't help them?” 

“They will still die if they're in a dream when the time runs out.” 

The first grain of sand fell, silencing the area around them momentarily with an audible tick like a clock. 

Wind startled at the sound and chuckled to himself to ease his nerves. 

“What is your answer, Wind Waker?” 

He set his sword on the table and smiled through a sigh. “Let's exchange hourglasses and go kill the bastards.” 

Oshus smiled. He reached across the table, pressed the timer hourglass into the phantom sword, and offered it back to him. Wind accepted the weapon with a grave nod. 

Tock . The second grain of sand fell; the world twisted. 

One second, Hyrule was reaching for his sword to fight whatever had slipped through Legend's defense. 

The next, he slipped through a portal, and his hand closed on empty space. He screamed as he fell and landed weirdly on his half-opened hand that he'd put out to soften the landing. His cry of pain was cut off as he got a mouthful of dirt and a busted nose as his head smacked against the ground. 

“No, no, no, no—” Hyrule shoved his hand under his nose to catch the spurt of blood and quickly sat up. His breaths came in short gasps as panic settled in. He couldn't raise Ganondorf, especially not because of some stupid accident like this. He pinched the bridge of his nose, which caused a pain that brought tears to his eyes. His nose must have landed on an exposed root or rock. “Please stop bleeding.” 

He blinked hard to make the tears fall in hopes that his vision would clear some so he could see. His breathing hiccuped as he glanced around for the others. Surely he hadn't been the only one to fall through. 

He took a deep breath and counted seconds as he listened for signs of danger or any of the other Links. He doubted they were nearby. They had the habit of shouting to catch the other's attention when searching for them. Hyrule sighed and put his free, non-bloody hand to the ground in search of his weapon and shield. 

The dirt thrummed warm against his skin with the promise of life and reassurance of hate. The land was cursed. Yes, it was alive, but at what cost. 

Link flinched when he felt blood leak past the hold he had on his nose. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears and throat. 

His blood thrummed warm in his veins against his skin with the promise of life and reassurance of hate. The hero was cursed. Yes, he was alive, but at what cost. 

Link took a deep breath and licked the blood dripping from his nose off his lips. He lifted his head to blink up at the thick foliage above him.

He recognized his surroundings. The forest was dense with trees that were old, thick, and solid from weathering ancient storms. Magic was sickly sweet, tangy iron, cloying the air and breathed by every plant. There was the dry rustle of leaves and deep groan of branches high above his head as they shifted in a wind that didn't reach him. The light failed to reach him, too. There was enough to see a few feet in front of him, but not more than that. 

He was back in his era. He had to tread extra carefully now. 

Link swallowed, winced at the feeling, and wiped his bloody palm against his tunic. It would be fine. He breathed out slowly as he grabbed a handkerchief Legend had gifted him that he kept on his belt and brought it up to his nose. 

Link counted to two to steel himself before he released his nose, put the handkerchief to it, and pinched it in place. He rocked forward, curled up, and ground his teeth against a scream of pain. He'd be fine. 

Everything would be fine. 

Link took a deep breath through gritted teeth only to have someone grab his hair and yank his head back. 

He blinked away tears, glared at the bat-demon, and grabbed its knobby wrist to dissuade it from pulling him around. “In five seconds,” he promised, “you'll be crispy fried chicken.” 

It simply grinned at him and took a step back to further unbalance him. Within a second, magic built under Link's skin, fizzed between his fingers, and released in a burst of fire that obliterated the beast’s wrist, ran up its arm, and toasted it from the inside out. It wasn't quite a conduit like his sword was with all the flesh and organic material it was made of, so instead of letting the Fire pass through, it took the brunt of the spell and ended up burnt. 

Link shoved his hand through his hair to dislodge the monster's remaining hand as he shot to his feet. He glanced around with his hand out in front of him to prepare to cast another spell if there was more of a threat. He realized, then, as he turned in a circle, that he really should have just started the encounter with Thunder. 

A host of the Eyes of Ganon choked out the trees around them with how densely they were packed. Hylians and demons carried torches and pitchforks while standing ominously in anticipation. To be honest, Link didn't know how many of the Hylians were disguised as Aches and how many were normal citizens who had been forced to come or went willingly to see him die. 

Link released a short breath that sounded like a sob as he instinctively reached for a sword he already knew wasn't there. Melee fighting was out of the question. His ears pinned back against his skull with the screeching of the Aches and he figured simply flying out of the situation would not end well. If he cast Thunder, first, it might stun enough of them that— 

Link scoffed immediately at the thought because if he conjured lightning and turned into a fairy, he wouldn't have enough magic left to heal himself. But he had a healing potion. At least one. 

“So,” he reasoned as he raised his hand above his head, “what is there to lose.” 

Snap!  

Lightning arched between the nearest group of monsters. Chaos broke out with a roar and crash of thunder. Link jumped into the air and transformed himself into something brimming with magic, lightweight, and capable of flight. 

With his tiny, winged form, he shot for the canopies of the trees to get to the branches that wove together thickly enough that it would be impossible for even his winged enemies to shove through. 

But no matter how hard he pushed himself, safety always remained out of reach. While he couldn't move, the enemies sure could. 

The bat-like Aches among them swooped and snatched at him, their claws snaring the thin membrane of skin and wings. 

Link screamed as he fell. And fell and fell as if he logically should have made it to the safety of the branches. At this rate, he'd splat. 

Link closed his eyes and pulled on magic again. He curled up as he lost his wings, grew in size, and thudded against the ground. What a waste of a transformation. 

Link growled a threat as he held his aching side and stood. He had dropped the handkerchief at some point, and the extensive heart-pumping mad dash to survive had blood gushing down his face. 

Link brushed away as much as he could with his sleeve, spitting more blood onto it to get the cloy taste out of his mouth, and held his hands up defensively. Monsters could try to take him, kill him, whatever it was; but, weapon or no, he was going to put up one hell of a fight before they could. 

However, there was no rush of monsters swarming to attack, no sudden flare of pain from a blow he hadn't seen coming but should have expected, or any other hint that there were monsters around. The area was quiet and still again. 

Link lowered his fists and kept an ear out for an ambush as he stared at the absence of monsters. 

Instead of the expected hordes, there stood a familiar old man from a cave Link had left long ago. He held out two potion bottles, one green with magic and another red for healing. His smile was kind. Old men dressed like this one had yet to prove an enemy. “You fight well, little lamb. Take a rest.” 

Link's ears flicked this way and that to catch signs of an ambush as he took a step forward, rolling his weight from the side of his foot to his toes to anticipate running away, then another. He snatched the potions and retreated back three steps rapidly. He kept an eye on the old man as he popped the cork of the healing one and downed it quickly. 

He closed his eyes against the pain of his nose snapping itself back in place and the itch of all the scratches he’d sustained closing back up. He wiped the remaining blood off his face and searched the old man’s. 

There was no sign of a fight that would have had to take place for the monsters to leave him alone. The old man remained patiently standing, his hands clasped in front of himself. 

Link tilted his head. “I thought you died. Why are you here ?” 

“To help you. Just like I have before.” 

Link hummed and situated the now empty bottle in his bag. He then took the cork off the magic one, chugged it, and tucked it beside the other. 

“It's dangerous to go alone,” The statement was not comforting nor encouraging as the old man held out a sword Link had seen but not used before. It was well crafted and goddess blessed with its sharp blade and blue hilt. It was Fi. 

Link flinched and shook his head. “Where did you get that?” 

“Take this!" It seemed like that was all the old man was going to say on the matter. 

Link shifted his weight onto one foot, then the other as he glanced around and debated his odds. Yes, the monsters were gone for now, but they'd be back again to kill him. If he met up with Sky again, he could give it back. He sighed and stepped forward again, his steps quick and confident this time. 

The sword was cold, heavy, and silent in his hands as he took it respectfully and raised it above his head to show his success. 

The old man did not disappear like he normally did. Instead, he smiled at Link, turned around, looked back at him over his shoulder, and then walked away. 

Link glanced around. Having no sense of direction or planned way to go thanks to the portal and lack of companions, he shrugged, sheathed his new weapon, and followed the old man. 

It took a few minutes of mindless walking before both of them emerged into a clearing. It was filled with broken trees in the middle of being chopped into slats that had sprouts of new ones pushing up from their corpses; shards of stone that lay discarded and half buried under mulch and dirt and infesting, desperate roots; two sturdy poles with hooks in them, set up to skin an animal; an old stone altar carved with inscriptions of angels and hellfire and stained with packed mud; and an old shed that leaned haphazardly to the side and looked like it would provide as much shelter as a caterpillar-eaten leaf. 

Link knelt beside one of the chopped trees and ran his hands along its split trunk and the sapling that struggled to grow from it. He wasn't surprised at the desperate, greedy magic that ran through it and claimed its life for its own. The forest was a parasite to itself. “Is this where you live?” 

“It's where you die.” 

Link spun on his heel and raised his sword in a defensive maneuver, and it met with flesh. The old man had not attacked him– he remained smiling near the altar– but an Acheman had. 

Link cursed himself for lowering his guard. Just because he had thought someone or something to be safe did not mean they were. 

He kicked himself into a backflip to get out of the monster's way only to remember that he had his back to a busted up tree. Link yelped as he collided with and fumbled through it. 

Nothing slowed the monster down. It lumbered after him, shoving aside trees and grabbing branches to hit him with. 

No matter how many times he hit it, it didn't die. A series of strikes left a suspicious lack of dents in the monster. Despite the fact that the blade had to have gone through its flesh, there wasn't a scratch on it. 

Link yelled in frustration and lunged forward, magic collecting and shooting from Fi, blasting the monster with Fire a second before he stabbed it. 

The monster wrapped its talons around his throat and jaw before it lifted him off the ground and roared, blasting his face with spittle and the rotten stench of decaying corpses that it feasted on. 

Link scrabbled for relief from the grip. If he could bite the monster, Link would, but the hold it had on him didn't give him that option. He resorted to kicking the monster, but none of his blows seemed to land. 

Its grip tightened as it brought him to the old man. More monsters were in the clearing, but they didn't immediately attack him. They seemed to be waiting for something. The ‘something’ seemed rather obvious when the Acheman brought him to two posts with metal hooks on them. 

“Careful, we don't want him broken again. We have to raise Ganondorf correctly this time.” The old man chided as he drew a long knife from his sleeves. 

Link resumed squirming to try and get out of the monster’s grip. He bared his teeth in a soundless snarl as more Achemen grabbed his arms to keep him from pummeling the first. Before it could release him because the others had a grip on him, Link gathered magic energy and shoved it into the monsters touching him as another round of Fire. The stench and sizzle of scorched flesh filled the area as each that had a grip on him burned. 

If only magic could hurt the monsters, Link would have assumed Fi could do a number on them. But apparently she didn’t count. He left her in the first Acheman’s gut as he landed on the ground and looked for the quickest escape. 

He was surrounded with snarling enemies before he could blink. Link heaved in a breath, brushed his bangs out of his face, and roared back at them as fiercely as he could. Magic energy built under his skin, stinging as it bubbled and zapped through his arms. He snapped to trigger Thunder and lightning arched down around him. 

It vaporized the first line of monsters around him and succeeded in hitting the old man. Link nodded at the mild success of it as the old man yelled and dropped to one knee to combat the pain. He tried not to hurt civilians if he could help it, but the old man didn’t seem as Hylian as he claimed and was trying to kill him. 

Half distracted by trying to figure out how the old man hadn’t died like the rest of the monsters he had targeted, Link narrowly avoided the second line of monsters that stepped forward. 

He wove around one, ducked under its neighbor’s swing, and grabbed its shield on the way. He kicked its elbow to dislodge its grip on the shield, and he magically strengthened it as he managed to yank it upward in time to block another attack. 

His brain scrambled to do magic point math and he wished he had the ability to slow down time as Wild did in order to chug another magic-boosting potion. Link rolled past another monster only to be met with another attack that would have bashed him in the face if he hadn’t raised his shield in time. 

The daunting line of trees was only a few paces away, but the amount of monsters swarming the area, snatching at his hair, grabbing at his arms, reaching for his legs, scrambling for any grip on him made it impossible. 

Link rolled to break his fall as he Jumped over a monster that had launched itself into his path only to stand up into a monster’s reach. It hugged him close as another yanked his shield away. Link quickly gathered a defensive force of magic energy around himself to forge his own Shield. He clawed and bit and squirmed his way out of the monster’s grip only to scramble up the monster’s shoulders and Jump off its head, snapping its neck in the process. 

He reached for the lowest branches of the trees in the treeline that he could pull himself onto and disappear into, but a swarm of Aches diverted his path. He skidded across the ground, rolling like a rag doll as he collided with the dirt and stones and rotting wood that were strewn about the area. 

Link bit back a sob as he shakily dragged himself back up to his feet and raised his hands defensively again. His Shield flickered as he powered up for another spell. One last one, and he’d be too magically exhausted to try anything else without passing out. He bared his teeth in a feral grin and laughed with tears in his eyes at his predicament. He couldn’t get out of this if he tried, and he had tried, but he still had to try. 

“Who’s next, huh? Huh? Come on! Come at me.” Link’s throat hurt, and his chest ached as he screamed. Sparks flew from his fists, and the monsters that had been coming at him paused, glancing at the old man and the crisped bodies of the monsters at his feet. His ears swiveled as he kept as much attention as he could on the monsters behind him without removing his focus from those in front of him. “Come at me, or leave me the fuck alone !” 

“Now, now, little lamb.” The old man chided. He ignored the monster’s concerned expressions and waved at them to attack. They advanced, and Link flinched to combat the instinct to take a step back. “Fight all you want, but you know you need to rest.” 

Link shook his head. “I can’t do that.” 

As if his admittance had been the cue, the monsters rushed at him. 

Link ground his teeth together and punched as much Fire as he could muster into his next strike. The monster was charred in an instant, and the light touch of the next monster reaching for Link scattered its form. But his show of power didn’t stop the onslaught, and the monsters snatched him up and manhandled him the entire way to the old man, tossing and kicking him like a stone. 

The hands holding him, touching him, grabbing him didn’t let up as they forced Link to kneel in front of the old man and look up at him. 

“Little lamb.” The old man sounded sad and worn out as if he had been the one fighting and losing. He caressed Link’s cheek, brushing away stray tears, and smiled. 

Then the old man nodded at the monsters. He followed them as they dragged Link to the poles and pulled his arms away from his body and above his head. 

Pressure on the back of Link’s wrists built and built until it pierced through his Shield, and his skin gave way to the hooks. The monsters secured him with rope, and the wood drank his blood, staining itself red with its appetite. 

Link was exhausted. He blinked back tears as he wheezed for breath. The stress position he was in right now really didn’t help. His wrists stung, and his chest ached. 

The old man pressed the knife to the side of Link’s neck. Pressure built and built and built again as Link’s Shield struggled to defend him. “You’ve fought well, but it’s time you let yourself rest.” 

The edge sliced into his skin and dragged a deep line of red across his throat. Link lurched forward and choked on a cry of pain as his lifeblood wept from the carved semblance of a smile. The world spun, and his vision tunneled as he gasped for breath. 

The old man chanted as he walked back to the altar with a chalice of Link’s blood. He raised it above the altar, and Link strained against his bonds. The familiar sting of magic in his blood flooded down his neck, and he knew the amount of blood seeping into the collar of his shirt was going to kill him if he tried to get over there, but he had to try. He had to give everything to save the kingdom of Hyrule from the mess his blood would get them into. 

“Oi!” 

Link froze as something flashed into his vision, and the cup fell to the ground outside the altar. A young kid with blond hair and dressed in blue finished reeling the grappling hook he was holding back up as he raced forward. He wound up and threw it again so it latched onto the old man as he tried to run away. Wind pulled out his sword, yanked the old man close with the grappling hook, and stabbed him in the back. 

The old man wailed, leaning against the altar and clawing at the weapon in his back. Blood geysered across the ground as Wind removed his sword. The old man turned into a void that choked and gagged on shadow blood, but another stab to its mass cut it off, and it disappeared in a splatter. 

Link relaxed in relief and let his eyes close once he'd seen no gore had gotten into the altar itself. Yes, it took his blood to raise Ganondorf right and proper, but others’ lifeblood could still be used to resurrect a faulty copy. 

Link could rest easy knowing that he had fought well and that the crisis was averted. 

Hyrule gasped in a breath and opened his eyes again to find Wind hovering over him with a worried look on his face that immediately morphed into a blinding smile. 

He held out a healing and a magic potion. “Hey, Hyrule. It’s good to see you. I was worried you’d gone for a second.” 

Hyrule hesitantly reached out for the healing one and sipped on it as he glanced around the clearing from where he leaned against the poles he had previously been hanging on. It was littered with corpses of an old man, monsters, gravestones, an altar, and trees. 

“It’s over, Hyrule. You’re okay now.” Wind said, pulling his focus back to the sailor. The young hero rubbed Hyrule’s arm comfortingly and smiled. “You’re okay now. Everything’s okay now. You can wake up.” 

Hyrule’s brow furrowed as he glanced around the clearing again. Something tugged at the edges of his consciousness, and he looked back to Wind. He dropped the bottle as he put his shaking hands to his throat. For a second, his brain supplied the feeling of muscles and blood and broken sinew as he scrubbed his newly scarred skin. If his throat hadn’t been slit and healed minutes before, he would have been fooled by the lack of pain into imagining it had happened ages ago. “It feels so real.” 

Wind hummed and nodded as he corked the potion and put it in Hyrule’s pack. “I know. The fear is. But it’s just a nightmare.” 

Hyrule blinked back tears and rested his head against the pole as he stared at the dark sky. He wrapped his hands around the edge of his tunic and bunched his hands into tight fists. His muscles ached, and his body shook. His heart was still racing, and his head still spun from the recent brush with death. Hyrule shook his head and closed his eyes. “It feels too real.” 

“If it’s any comfort, I’ll prevent this from happening in real life. You know any of us would.” 

The world shifted, and suddenly the rest of the Chain was there, too. If Wind was there, of course the rest of the Chain was there, too. Hyrule looked between the others and their worried expressions, not quite paying enough attention to hear their concerned comments, and then back to Wind. 

“See? Things like that don’t happen in real life. You’ve probably experienced other inconsistencies recently.” 

Hyrule’s brain supplied the instances of the monsters not taking damage, and he nodded. He was glad that the threat of resurrecting Ganondorf hadn’t even been possible since it had just been a dream. “Right then.” He smiled shakily and squeezed Wind’s hand in return. “I’ll see you guys when I wake.”