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Chapter Text

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(stars indicate stories that span multiple chapters, whether continuations or multi-part. I'd color-code them but AO3 doesn't love that!)

Chapter Text

Having grown up in a small jewelry shop, and then having spent his young adult years not just in the military, but managing pieces of it, Warriors knew how to notice things out of the ordinary. It wasn't something he did consciously, which made for some awkward situations when someone wanted to keep things hidden. 

But he was seriously worried about Hyrule. 

When they'd picked the kid up from his, frankly, terrifying homeland, he'd been more than a little paranoid, and more than a little hungry. Warriors had started keeping mental tabs on everyone's calorie consumption at that point, which got a little confusing when they met up with Twilight and Wild and Wind, bringing the group total up to nine rather than five or six. 

He'd felt relieved when both Hyrule and Legend had stopped being wary of the unfamiliar food and started eating enough, or at least closer to it, for their weight. It helped that when Wild began cooking, he used a lot of rice and meat and eggs—good, healthy, energy-dense food. 

Over the last seven days, Hyrule had gone back to being suspicious of any food he didn't prepare. Warriors didn't know what caused the shift, but he noticed. 

He noticed how the baby fat in Hyrule's cheeks drained again, leaving him more gaunt than seven days should have. Hyrule had started lacing his bracers up with an overlap again, just so they'd stay on. He had to stuff the legs of his new boots—purchased in Wild's world and gifted with a lot of blushing and stammering—with extra clothes. He'd gotten irritable, too, literally shoving people aside and snapping far more often. Darker bags hung under his eyes. 

He still took watches, but when Warriors had begun feigning sleep to keep an eye on him, Hyrule left camp, taking only his bag. He always returned in time, looking a bit happier. Warriors worried about substance abuse, but he hadn't seen anyone or anywhere Hyrule could've gotten something like that. 

Warriors wasn't the only one to notice the strange behavior, either, once it got bad enough. Everyone gave Hyrule side-eyed looks of pity, suspicion, and concern. But nobody wanted to bring it up. Warriors hoped Hyrule would figure it out himself, but a growing dread in his stomach worried otherwise. 

The most recent battle, the first during this weird episode of Hyrule's, had really pushed the issue into the light. 

"All right, this has gone on long enough," Legend snapped, standing over where Hyrule sat in the shadow of a tree. "What's up, really?"

Around camp, the others paused to listen and exchanged looks. Warriors set down his logbook and stood to back Legend up. Legend glanced back at him, but didn't protest. He must also know how bad this had gotten. 

"Nothing," Hyrule said sulkily, tugging his bag closer and not looking up. 

"No." Legend didn't let that slide. "It's not nothing , 'Rule, don't give me that."

"What's in the bag?" Warriors asked, crossing his arms and looming. He was willing to play bad cop in this, if it meant Hyrule would open up to Legend again. 

Hyrule's head snapped up to meet Warriors's eyes, his face locked in a snarl very unlike the sweet kid Warriors knew. A bit of panic shone through his honey-colored eyes, weighing Warriors's heart down. 

Legend took his cue and crouched down, softening his voice. "'Rule, we're just worried about you. You're not eating, you leave during watches, you barely did anything last battle. What. Is. It?"

"Nothing," Hyrule insisted. His knuckles turned white around the strap of his bag. 

Biting his lip, Legend glanced up at Warriors, silently asking what to do next. 

Warriors stepped closer. "Hyrule. Link. This is a problem. You know it is. If you don't say something now, I'm taking your bag by force. Whatever this is, it's coming out today, one way or another."

He saw how Hyrule's eyes turned away from everyone, and how his breathing picked up. In his mind, Warriors begged Hyrule to please, just say something, make the good decision here. 

After a moment, Hyrule looked back at Warriors. His lip lifted in a snarl. "I'd like to see you try."

Warriors felt as if a bucket of cold water had dumped over his head. He froze with the chill, but as soon as Hyrule shifted to stand, Warriors's hand shot out to grab his too-thin wrist. Even under the bracer, Warriors could feel bones grind. 

Hyrule's hand began to glow with magic, a spell Warriors recognized. He braced himself for pain, hardly believing Hyrule would turn magic on them. 

"Hyrule!" Legend surged forward, and wrapped his arms around Hyrule's chest, pinning his arms. 

The spell faded as Hyrule thrashed. "Let me go! No! Give that back!" He snarled as Warriors pulled the bag from his grip. 

Somehow, Hyrule managed to bite Legend's arm. Legend grunted, but didn't let go. 

"What are you waiting for? Help!" Legend snarled, looking up at the camp, who'd frozen. At his snap, Twilight shook his head once and ran forward. 

Hyrule was no match for Twilight's strength and size. With Twilight's arms wrapped around him, Hyrule looked like an angry, sad, tiny cat. He didn't stop his efforts to free himself, but his magic didn't make another appearance, thankfully. Warriors expected Hyrule to break down soon and get emotional, but he just got madder. That didn't seem in character, either. 

"You're being an idiot, Hyrule," Twilight said firmly and calmly. 

"Let me go! Give it back! Stop!" Hyrule's protests got angrier and angrier as Legend took the bag from Warriors and untied the closure with one hand. "I hate you!"

Legend looked over, mouth and eyes pinched. "You don't mean that."

"I do!"

Warriors set his hand on Legend's shoulder, offering support. His heart hurt, but he could feel his walls coming back up. That would help. "I can do it," he offered. 

"No." Legend opened the bag, and Hyrule started to scream in protest. 

Legend sorted through the things in the bag. Jars clinked, fabric rustled. After a moment, he swallowed hard and reached inside to grab something. He pulled out a jar just big enough to conceal in his hand, and dropped to sit on the ground, slumping. "No, no, no."

"What is it?" Warriors asked, kneeling down. 

"Hyrule." Legend sounded like he was about to cry. He worked the cork off the jar and gently slid whatever it was out onto his hand. 

Warriors leaned over his shoulder, and felt his world stop for the second time that day. He barely registered how Hyrule's screaming in the background had shifted to maniacal laughter. 

Lying cradled in Legend's hands, barely dressed, a fairy with a familiar face struggled to breathe. 

"Is that…" Warriors began. His fingers dug into Legend's shoulder. 

"The real Hyrule," Legend confirmed quietly, letting out a shaking breath. In his hand, the fairy shifted and made a keening noise audible under the laughter. Legend stroked an impossibly gentle finger over Hyrule's hair. "It's okay. We got you."

Chapter Text

Sky woke up with his head throbbing and a bad taste in his mouth. Ow. At least it was dark, no bright light searing its way past his eyelids. 

Hold on, dark? Was it nighttime? He put his hand to his head, or tried to, and quickly became aware of a few facts. 

First, his sword arm ached whenever he attempted to move it. Second, his hands were tied behind his back, and someone had fastened something around his mouth. Third, he could open his eyes, but saw absolutely nothing but heavy blackness. Fourth, he sat in some kind of small, soft enclosure that didn't let him move very far. 

Sky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't particularly like small spaces. Walls, padded for some reason with what felt like flat pillows, pressed in against his sides, his back, and his knees. It was far too small in here for him, he wished he could black out again. 

He consciously slowed his breaths, imagining the sun on his face and Zelda sitting next to him, talking him through it. Even far away, even just imagined and remembered, her voice settled his heart. 

He'd be okay. 

Okay, so, what did he remember? He remembered getting to a tavern on the edge of a town in Warriors's world, along with everyone else. He had some good food, and they'd decided to spend the rupees to stay the night, as it had begun to rain. Sky had noticed a few uneasy glances toward a narrow stairwell, and reasoned that everyone felt uncomfortable about staying somewhere with a potentially dark and creepy basement. As the Heroes prepared for bed, Sky had volunteered to check it out, just to ease everyone's fears. 

He'd been an idiot and not brought a weapon along. In fact, he'd not brought anything along but his pants, loose tunic, and boots.

When he went downstairs, he'd walked in on a small meeting of criminals. He'd first tried to talk his way out of it, but one of them recognized him as someone who was friendly with the Hero and the Queen of the land. Sky didn't remember anything past that. He must've blacked out. 

So he'd been kidnapped for ransom. Great. Excellent. Definitely how he wanted to spend the night.

Ugh, he was so tired , even with the involuntary nap. He must have been really out of it to get successfully jumped by unskilled lowlifes like that. 

On the upside, the others knew where he was, or at least where he'd been. There was bound to be a trail. He just had to wait. 

It would be okay. 

He would be found. 

Sky sighed and leaned his head on the side of the box. Needles stabbed his arm whenever he tried to move it, which put getting out of the bonds out of the question. Sprained, maybe, nothing terrible. He didn't smell blood, just dirt. That was a good sign. 

He settled in for another nap, or at least some peaceful stressing out, when some faint noises filtered into… wherever he was. He sat up and listened hard. 

Low voices, footsteps. He thought he heard someone calling his name. He made noise behind the gag, and heard the sound get immediately swallowed by the pillows around him. A second, more insistent try got the same result. 

All right, new plan. There wasn't much room to maneuver, in here, but Sky did his best to throw himself against the walls. Unfortunately, not only did nothing shake, but he heard almost no sound at all, and none of the pillows moved. The same thing happened when he tried kicking the ceiling and the floor. 

"Sky!" someone called again, from closer. It sounded like Twilight, and he sounded almost panicked. "Where are you!"

Right here, Sky wanted to call back. He made the loudest noise he could, a sort of loud hum, and prayed that Twilight could hear him. Twilight had great hearing. 

After a moment, he heard Twilight's voice again, but too far away to make out any words. Warriors answered him. Something crashed to the floor, and Twilight scolded him. 

"...not gonna help… fight they want… nothing in here… find Sky."

So he hadn't heard. Sky groaned. Plan C, plan C… oh, duh. 

He had to get this gag off, then maybe Twilight could hear him past whatever this enclosure was. Awkwardly, Sky tried to rub his cheek against his shoulder, hoping that the fabric's grip would pull the rag off. 

It budged, but not quickly enough for Sky's taste. He tried the other side, and oh-so-slowly, the gag began to slide down. 

Twilight and Warriors kept talking, and Sky's stomach felt cold. He was on a time crunch, here. He had to—

The sound of a door slamming shut reached his ears, and Sky froze. They'd... left?

His stomach dropped. His heart seized. 

No. No way. 

That hadn't just happened. It couldn't have. They'd been right there. He was stuck in this tiny box, and they hadn't even noticed. 

Sky didn't notice he'd started crying until his tears reached the gag. The water helped move it the last bit, freeing his lips just in time for a sob to rip its way out of his throat. 

"Come back," he said, hearing his voice reflected back at him. He raised his volume, praying again that any sound would get through, and kicked the wall again. "Twilight! Warriors! Don't leave!"

Sky paused to suck in a few breaths, and listen. Ringing silence bored into his skull. The walls pressed in on him again. 

"Anyone? I'm right here." Sky brought his knees up and rested his forehead on them. "I'm right here."

He struggled to get control of his breath and his tears. 

After a few minutes, and nothing new happening, Sky managed to stop crying. He felt horrible, physically and emotionally, but he needed to conserve water, he didn't know how long he'd be here. The other Heroes were competent, though, so he doubted it would be too long. 

---

How long had it been? 

The darkness and the silence was beginning to drive Sky insane. He only heard himself. He was beginning to see things in the dark, things farther away than was possible in the small space. 

He worried he'd been buried, and that this was a coffin. He imagined a portal taking the others away and leaving him here to rot. He shied away from the idea that someone else would find him, someone with cruel intentions. 

He wanted Zelda. He was hot, and the memory of her cool fingers on his face made him want to cry again. Did he feel her stroking his hair? He opened his eyes. 

No, just another hallucination. He resisted the urge to cry. 

---

Sky tried to sleep. But even he couldn't sleep twenty-four hours in a day. His arm was twisted in such a way that it hurt no matter what he did. 

He sang to himself. His whole repertoire took two hours to perform in ideal conditions, he knew that, and he sang through it no less than four times in a row. He lost count. He sang children's songs, he tried kicking and smashing and whistling and praying. 

No response. And his throat was too dry to try screaming again. 

---

His arm hurt. His throat hurt. His hips hurt.

Sky wanted to stretch his legs out, but they were stuck folded up, no matter how he twisted and turned in here. He stretched his back, feeling a few bones crack back into place. 

"Well, that feels a little better," Sky whispered, just so he wouldn't have to hear the way his neck squished as he turned his head. "What now?"

Nobody answered him. He closed his eyes, but couldn't avoid the colors that bloomed under his eyelids. 

"Okay, what about a poem? Let's see. There once was a hero named Link. His hair was definitely not pink. He went and got tied up, And now he's inside a… Box that he'll die in, I think. Oh, that was depressing. And horribly rhymed. 

"All right. Again. There once was a Hero of Skies, Who didn't like to tell lies. In here he's pinned, He misses the wind, And everything hurts but his eyes. Actually, that's a lie. My eyes are tired. Can I sleep yet?" 

Sky groaned, swallowed to try and wet his desert-dry throat, and tried to fall asleep again to escape the illusory colors. 

---

A sound besides Sky's own breathing finally interrupted another fitful nap. He rubbed his face on his knees and sat up a bit. 

That was definitely a voice. 

Or, Sky thought it was. He might have been hearing things too, now. 

"Hello?" he croaked out. Ow. He cleared his throat. 

"It pointed right to this closet," Legend's voice said, not responding to him. It sounded too real to be a hallucination, or so Sky decided to believe. "But there's nothing here."

"Where is it going now?" Twilight asked. 

A long pause. 

Sky heard scratching somewhere close by. Wood of some kind splintered and tore. 

"No way," Legend said. 

Metal clattered. A knock echoed through the space, making Sky's headache worse, but he couldn't even care, because Twilight was talking. 

"Sky? Are you in there?"

Sky had no more tears left to cry, but he sobbed out loud anyway. Relief rolled over him like a rainwall. "Yes!" he said. His voice still sounded horrible. "Yes, you found me!"

"Oh, Goddesses. Sky." Twilight sounded so close. His voice echoed with a metallic note. So the box was metal? That made sense. "We found you. Are you okay?"

"Yes," Sky answered, keeping his voice just loud enough to get through. He was always okay.

Twilight barked out a short laugh. The sound was such a relief. "Right  Are you hurt at all?"

"Not badly. Can you get me out?" That was his primary concern at the moment. He needed to stretch, and he would adore seeing something other than darkness. 

"I'll go grab Wind," Legend said, and footsteps indicated his departure. 

"Get Four, too!" Twilight called after him. "We were so worried, Sky. What happened?"

Sky leaned his head back and kept his breathing level. Just a few more minutes, and then he'd be out. He could do a few more minutes. "Some thugs jumped me, and I stupidly didn't have a weapon. How long has it been?"

"You've been missing for two nights and a day. The guys were gone when Wars and I tried to find you dow here."

"I know. I heard you, but you didn't hear me."

Twilight was quiet for a moment. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Sky said, as if he hadn't spent thirty-six hours crying alone in a dark metal box. "Did they get the ransom?"

"...no. We went to the meetup spot, but when we challenged the guy, and told him that we had no intention of paying, he… drank some poison." 

Sky winced. 

Twilight continued. "We panicked, because nobody knew where you were. Legend figured out how to use the Master Sword's dowsing, and we've been looking for you all night."

"I'm glad you found me."

"Me too."

"I'm here!" Wind shouted, his steps getting closer. "Man, they shut him in a safe, put up a false wall, and locked the closet door? Why?"

"For two million rupees," Four grumbled, joining the party. 

"I'm offended," Sky said, just glad he could hear things again. "Only two million? I'm worth at least five." He laughed, which disturbed his throat again, and he coughed. 

"Goddesses, Sky, you need water," Twilight realized. 

"Probably," Sky said when he could breathe again. He let his head hang. The colors under his eyelids were back. 

Just a few more minutes, he kept telling himself. The walls were closing in again, now that freedom was within sight. He was in a safe. A metal safe with a combination that nobody knew, since they had to get Wind and Four to break in. 

"We're getting you out." Tapping and metallic clicking told him that Wind was working on the lock. It was deafening, but not worse than silence. 

Sky shut his eyes tightly and waited. 

It took maybe ten minutes of Wind and Four working together to get the combination right, or break the lock enough. Sky zoned out. 

All at once, something clunked, and a sliver of bright light appeared. Sky shut his eyes against the light, but cracked one open as soon as he could stand it. The door of the safe swung open on creaky hinges. 

Twilight crouched in front of him, eyes bright with concern, haloed by the light coming in from the room. Wind and Four stood a bit behind him, with Legend and Hyrule and Warriors and Wild and Time beyond the dim closet, all watching him with clear worry.

"There you are," Twilight said, reaching out. 

Sky all but fell into his arms. As it turned out, he did have some tears left, after all. 

Chapter Text

In hindsight, Wind shouldn't have snuck away from everyone to try and snatch one of the many pens belonging to the morally gray scholar lady. He'd thought that it would make a good gift, plus he was a sucker for anything brightly colored. It had just been a cheap fountain pen. 

Of course, he knew what they said about hindsight: it's 20/20.

Wind closed one eye, and then the other, judging his own vision. At the moment, if he had to guess, his was more like 5/7. Something really bad, anyway. Everything looked like it was underwater. 

Not that there was much to look at. He already knew what the inside of a middle-class carriage looked like—green carpeted seats, wooden beams on the ceiling, curtains over the windows. Mostly boring. He faced the ceiling, which was arguably the most boring part of the entire carriage. He'd move, but he couldn't see anything anyway, and he might throw up if he shifted. 

The scholar lady sat on the bench across from him, muttering to herself as her pencil scratched in a book. 

The carriage rocked over a particularly large bump. Wind groaned and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. The lady said something unintelligible. Wind wondered where they were going. 

At one point during the short ride, the lady grabbed Wind's hand, inspected it from multiple angles, and dropped it again. Wind tried to ask what the heck she thought she was doing, but his lips didn't want to cooperate. She laughed at him. He could understand that much from her. 

He really should start building up immunity to poisons. This sucked. 

As the carriage finally rolled to a stop—Wind could tell because it stopped rocking back and forth like a boat in a storm—the lady got up. She snapped a bit at him, but Wind couldn't parse the words, much less feel offended at anything she said. Her hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him up and out. 

She'd taken him back to camp. Wind relaxed in her viselike hold and stumbled on the grass as she towed him toward the campfire. Why had he ever left?

People were talking. Someone shouted. The lady kept her cool. 

Wind felt the world pitch, and the lady's hand left his arm, only for cold, hard dirt to come up to meet his forehead and elbow. He grunted, gritting his teeth to try and keep himself from throwing up all over himself. 

Seriously, what had that stuff been?

Someone's hands, warm and calloused instead of cold and sharp, rolled Wind onto his side and stroked his hair. Voices argued above him. Firelight flickered. Shadows danced. Wind did not feel good. 

Whoever held onto him made him sit up. It was Warriors, Wind decided, based on the soft texture of the fabric that pressed up against the back of his neck and the breadth of the chest he leaned on. Shapes swam in front of Wind's eyes, and he looked up to see if he could make it to the surface in time. 

…Oh, he'd stopped breathing. 

The hand that pressed up against his chest made him suck in another breath, but it also made him pitch forward to vomit onto the dirt. A part of his brain was glad that he'd missed his feet. Another part was sad, because he'd liked that bean soup. 

The arguing continued, though Wind couldn't follow. Warriors contributed a few times, his chest rumbling with his voice. Someone helped to wipe Wind's face off, then pressed a familiar canteen up to his lips. 

He half-expected some kind of strong alcohol, but the freshwater wasn't unwelcome. It felt good on his throat, soothing the torn-up, acidic feeling that always came after being sick. 

When the canteen disappeared, Wind slumped back into Warriors, who started to touch his hair again in a clear effort to comfort him. He'd normally protest being babied so hard, but he could barely tell what was happening, anyway. 

The voices got farther away. Wind tried to keep his eyes open, but the more he saw the world waver, the less he felt like he could breathe. His arms were full of sand. If he really had been below water, this would be it. His eyelids slipped closed. He thought he felt the last bit of air in his lungs bubble outward and pass his lips. 

He always knew the sea would take him, eventually. 

---

Muffled noises pulled Wind from underneath the heavy covers. He became aware of his hot breath coming back at him, and of his dry, ripped-up throat. He ached all over. 

He shifted, trying to move the covers, and the noises changed. 

"Wind?" Hyrule's voice asked. 

Wind groaned, too tired and achy to do any more than that. Luckily, Hyrule pulled the covers off of his face, and Wind cracked his eyes open. 

An unfamiliar room with the familiar feel of an inn swam into his vision, eventually settling into a much more stable view. The blue curtains had been pulled over the window, letting only a bit of light in. He could see a few shadows on the wall that let him know that more of his brothers than just Hyrule were around. 

"You awake?" Hyrule asked. His hand rested on top of Wind's shoulder. 

"Ugh," Wind answered. "I… maybe? What…?" He rolled onto his back, which gave him vertigo for a second. At least his stomach had stopped pitching and rolling. Two more faces hovered over him, taking a second to condense into familiarity. 

"Wind," Warriors said in relief. He smiled tightly. "Good to see you awake."

"It worked?" Wild stood near the end of the bed. "You can hear okay? And see okay?"

Wind grimaced. "I think so? Ask me again… later. What… worked?" 

Why was talking so difficult? 

"You almost died," Hyrule said with hushed tones. "We weren't sure you'd pull through."

What? Almost died? That didn't sound right… wait a second. 

Wind let a few curses drop from his lips. "Poison. That lady."

"In the future," Warriors said, "don't try to steal from bad guys."

"I thought I was drowning…" Wind rubbed at his face. 

Hyrule felt at his forehead. "You still have a bit of a fever, but I think you'll be okay. Wild's quick thinking saved you."

"Hm?" Wind glanced over for confirmation. 

Wild looked embarrassed. "Only sort of. The lady wanted to trade the antidote for the Master Sword. When Sky handed the sword over, she gave us a bottle of something that was definitely not an antidote. I had to come up with something quick, to stave the poison off. Looks like it worked." He gestured toward Wind. 

"But it's… not gone?" Wind asked. 

"That's where the others are," Warriors told him. "They went to get the sword back, and find the real antidote."

"Or at least more of the same poison," Hyrule added, "so we can take it to a healer and they can make something with it."

"You almost died," Warriors repeated. He looked distressed, and Wind felt a ball of guilt harden in his stomach. 

With a lot of effort, Wind pulled his arm out from under the covers and dropped his hand near Warriors. "Sorry."

Warriors took the offered hand with a grim smile. "Just don't scare us like that again, all right?"

"All right." 

The others sat back down, lobbing ideas and jokes and lighthearted insults at each other to pass the time. Wind joined in, until his throat hurt too much to talk. He had more water, and a bit of rice. When the light died even further, Warriors lit a candle. Wild cajoled him into reading his novel out loud while Hyrule practiced his potion-making. 

Wind almost drifted off to the sound of Warriors unconsciously pitching his voice up for the girl characters' dialogue. He also had a ridiculous voice for the villain. Wild was getting invested in the story. 

At the edge of unconsciousness, Wind heard the door open, and more whispers. The weight of the Master Sword settled down near his side, and someone bullied him into drinking something else. His stomach finally settled for good, his head stopped spinning, and he dropped off again, dry and warm, with his hand in Warriors's.

Chapter Text

This group of bandits had somehow developed far too much vitriol towards their Hero. Legend wished he could say he didn't understand it, Twilight was a good person, and had done nothing but help the people of his world. 

But Legend also knew how some people would always push blame and dirty looks off onto whoever was most convenient. These bandits had liked how the world had gone to hell in a handbasket, and Twilight doing his darndest to clean it up didn't sit well with them. Idiots. 

One had joined the group because a bridge had gotten fixed and his favorite ambush spot was now a guard post. Another was on the run from the knights, who had a warrant out for him due to a case of "accidental" murder. A third had made a killing by selling fake medicine made from monster parts, but had been exposed and couldn't get his monster parts anymore. 

Legend knew all of this because the bandits had explained to him, in agonizingly boring detail, exactly why they hated the Hero. He didn't know if he was glad or upset that none of them had seen Twilight up close before and thought he was him. This was all a case of mistaken identity, but the bandits called him a coward when Legend tried to say so. 

Well, if there was one thing Legend didn't like being called, it was coward. After that, he kept quiet. 

Wasn't like he could talk very well with a bag around his head, anyway. 

He'd just been awake for a few hours, but Legend was already sick and tired of this whole carnival. He tasted blood. He knew he'd have bruises and a cracked rib or two from being kicked around the cave that the bandits had set up. Seriously, they called him a coward, but they'd hogtied him to beat him up, and only released the ropes when they were confident he couldn't fight back. They were wrong, Legend would always fight back, but he bit his tongue and let them think he was a sobbing, shivering mess. 

Okay, so he was a shivering mess, but the sobs were entirely fake. 

Legend held his right elbow close to his side and reached up with his right hand to feel at the knot that held the bag close around his neck. His elbow screamed, but it was better than trying to use his left hand. The bandits had made a point of more-or-less incapacitating all four limbs: smashing his right elbow, left hand, right shin, left knee. 

Curses stuck behind Legend's teeth as he picked at the twine. The knot wouldn't come undone without two hands and vision, so he tugged on the burlap instead. It scratched the thin skin of his neck, and tore at the little puncture wound where they'd shot their sedative dart, but he managed to free his face after a bit of work. 

The water from his trapped breath and sweat, suddenly exposed to outside air, cooled his skin. Legend took a moment to breathe and let his elbow rest before doing anything else. 

Stupid bandits. 

Legend opened his eyes again, this time to evaluate the situation. As he'd heard earlier, the bandits had all fallen asleep for the night, leaving one to take watch just outside the cave. The cave went a little deeper, cooling the air, but the fire at the mouth battled to warm the front. Legend sat right at the boundary between the temperatures, cold on one side and warm on the other. 

The bandits sprawled out around the fire, messy and dirty. Legend wrinkled his nose. Even Wild and Hyrule never got that bad. This was purposefully slovenly. Disgusting. 

Various supplies lay scattered around the cave, badly cooked fish and dirty laundry and the hated lengths of rope Legend thought he recognized. He sent them a dirty glare. 

Most importantly, Legend could pick out a path out of the cave that wouldn't disturb anyone, and he could see the watchman out front. The guy had a bottle of alcohol in one hand and just faced outward. Legend could take him. 

…As long as he got out of the cave. 

Legend pushed his back against the cave wall and bit the side of his tongue as both of his legs throbbed with the pressure. He could feel his heartbeat in his left knee, and it felt like electricity jolted his right leg all the way up to his hip. Despite his efforts to keep quiet, a small whimper escaped his lungs, and he froze. 

One of the bandits shifted. But none of them woke up. 

Okay, no noise at all, then. That was going to be doable. He could do this. He wasn't even tied up. 

More carefully, and more quietly, Legend continued to push himself up to standing. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain and controlled his breath. He leaned against the walls, taking some weight off of his knee and his leg. 

Silent tears coursed down his face, and Legend breathed roughly through his mouth rather than his nose. He repeated the best curses he knew in his head, as loud as he could. It helped, some. 

The first step almost felled him. But he stayed upright, somehow. 

The second step hurt just as much, which meant he still stayed up.

He could do this. He just had to keep telling himself that. 

Step by agonizing step, fractured shin then cracked kneecap, Legend inched closer to the fire, shaking. The heat was almost nice, but he was too sweaty with exertion to care about it much. He took the path that wound through the sleeping bandits, keeping as quiet as possible. 

He almost stumbled once, but managed to catch himself with his left hand on the wall. His fingers cramped, and sharp pain lanced up his wrist and arm. He made another quiet noise, a tiny fraction of the volume he wanted to unleash. 

How depressing was it that a broken hand was the least of his worries? He bit his lip and kept going. 

The time passed in a slow, painful haze. Legend made it to the front of the cave—after how long, he didn't know. It could have been five minutes, or it could have been an entire hour. 

Legend sat on a rock just inside the entrance to rest and to breathe. All right. Two more obstacles—the watch out front and then getting back to his own camp. That last one implied a lot more work, but Legend chose to condense it into one. Otherwise, he might give up. 

All right, how to get past the watch? The guy was drunk, clearly, he was humming to himself. That made Legend's job easier, but didn't get rid of it entirely. He glanced around, hoping to find a weapon. 

The best thing within reach was a dish towel. Legend glared at it, considering how best to use it. Strangling, smothering, dousing in alcohol and letting the fumes do the work… 

Oh, he knew. This would be satisfying, and quicker than smothering. 

He reached for the towel and did his best to wrap it around his left hand, bracing it and putting comfortable pressure on it. Much better. Now one part of him didn't hurt. Well, in comparison. 

Legend used the towel around his hand to wipe some blood off his chin that had leaked from his mouth, and waited another minute. The watchman outside finally finished his bottle. He threw it aside into the bushes and looked up at the sinking moon with a long, drunken sigh. 

Perfect timing. Legend grimaced and stood up again, wavering for a moment before he was able to keep moving. A few more painful steps, and Legend stood right behind the watchman, who paused and turned around, eyes glazed over and uncomprehending. He opened his mouth to say something, and Legend decked him. 

The punch, weakened by the fact that Legend's hand was broken but strengthened by the dish towel, and aided by the alcohol in the man's system, knocked him out cold immediately. The body fell to the ground, sprawled out of sight of anyone looking from the cave itself.

Legend let out a breath. He wanted to collapse right there, but he wasn't in the clear quite yet. A quick glance up at the sky told him that he had maybe an hour or two before dawn. He had no idea what time the bandits had finally gone quiet, or how long he'd taken picking his way over, but now he had to get away, or hide, before they woke up. 

He started to walk, headed for the forested hill just off to the east. It was a good place to survey the area, find out where he was, and was undoubtedly rife with hiding places. One foot in front of the other, even if one was twisted the wrong way. 

Legend took the time to wonder if the others had even noticed he was missing yet. He'd been on last watch, and gotten up to take a perimeter walk to stretch his legs, when something pricked his neck. He'd woken in the cave. 

Wait, if it was almost dawn, and he knew he'd been out for a while… 

The idiots had spent an entire day beating him up, and this was the night after he remembered. How hadn't the other Heroes found him by now? They had Twilight's wolf nose in Twilight's native world, and the bandits couldn't have taken him that far. Did they assume he left them?

That was stupid. He didn't have any of his things. Even if he had left, something he'd considered several times at the beginning but would never think of doing now, he would have taken his stuff. He liked his stuff. 

He really missed his stuff right now. 

The eastern hill was steeper than Legend had anticipated. The sky began to lighten as he climbed, taking short rests when he needed to but not letting himself stop. At least he could make a little noise, now. His mouth filled with the taste of blood, tears, and whispered curses. 

As the sun peeked above the mountains in the distance, Legend reached the top of the hill. 

He'd been right, he could see quite far in every direction from up here. There was the cave he'd come from, and a river that sounded very nice to sit in right now. It flowed from the snowy mountains, meaning it was chilled almost to the point of ice. He could use some ice. His feet were swollen inside his boots, and his wrapped hand was definitely bigger than it should be. 

Legend saw a plume of smoke from the forest below him, almost scrubbed from the sky by time and the rushing sun. Smoke meant a house, or a fire, and either most likely meant help. He looked down, searching for a path that would take him there. 

He found familiar silhouettes moving out of the trees instead. There they were, right at the bottom of the hill, Wolfie leading them. They saw him just as he saw them, and they started running up the hill. 

The promise of friendly faces and relief in the form of healing drained the rest of the fight from Legend's body. His legs, long since numb to the pain, roared anew with heat as he slumped to the ground, twisting his knees in awkward directions. He wiped at his face with the towel still wrapped around his hand, hoping to disguise the fact that he'd cried. He had a reputation, after all. 

Time reached him first. He got down and took Legend's face in his hands, open eye wide roaming over him. "What happened?" 

Legend smiled, showing teeth he was sure were bloody. "Bandits. Down in that cave. I took the watchman out." Hey, he wanted credit.

"And how did you get hurt?" Time asked. Legend's smile fell into a grimace, and the change of expression was all Time needed. "I see."

"Legend!" The others arrived, and Hyrule fell to his knees on Legend's other side, hands already glowing with magic. The small waves of hesitant healing coming from him almost made Legend fall flat on his back, but Time caught him and preserved his dignity. 

Warriors scanned the area, face hardening when he saw the passed-out watchman outside the cave below. "I assume you didn't leave camp of your own volition."

"Nah, these guys have a real grudge against Twilight. Speaking of our dear rancher, where is he?"

"Scouting all day, Wolfie went to get him," Time answered easily. He frowned, and pulled out his knife to cut the twine still knotted around Legend's neck. Oh, he'd forgotten about that. His breath started to come a little easier. 

Sky crouched down near Legend's legs, his mouth a line. "I'm going to straighten your feet out, all right?"

Legend nodded and leaned more into Time's hold. "Go for it."

"You walked up here?" Four asked suddenly, looking down the hill. "On those injuries?" 

"Wasn't as bad when I started," Legend said, gritting his teeth hard as Sky moved his legs out in front of him. "Ah. Ow. That hurts. Left knee, right leg. Also left hand, right elbow. Some ribs. Everything hurts."

Warriors gave him a suspicious look. "And how did you take out their watch?"

"Punched him."

"Before or after your hand broke?"

"Uh, after, duh."

Warriors tried to hide it, but Legend knew he was impressed. "You could've waited for us."

Legend hissed as Sky pulled his boots off. "Didn't get this far in life by not walking on broken legs."

"All right," Wind said suddenly, putting his hand in the air. "Who wants to go bandit hunting?"

Everyone raised their hands, except for Hyrule and Time, who were still holding onto Legend. Even Sky did, his expression dangerous. Wild put both of his hands up. 

"Not gonna let me come, I wager?" Legend said. The next bit of healing from Hyrule started to rearrange his knee, and the pain turned the world on its side. The edges of his vision darkened. "Oh, hey. Gonna pass out. Fair warning." 

"Next time, don't walk on a broken leg," Hyrule said firmly, and the last thing Legend did before falling unconscious was laugh. 

Chapter Text

Four had a lot of feelings in regards to volcanoes. 

He'd once declared his own Death Mountain as his kingdom, shortly before faking… well, his own death. He'd been terrified, confident, angry, and stunned. Then he'd almost died in a volcano again, just a day later, and halfway destroyed the shadow he'd come to call his friend. 

He didn't really mind the heat, as everyone else seemed to. He was used to the forge. When the group stepped into the lava-filled dungeon that Time claimed had never been there before, all Four did was take off his cloak and tie his hair back. As they always did when they entered a new environment, the others took a moment to adjust their gear. Legend usually had a pair of earrings or some bracelets to switch out, and Wild's outfit changed as quickly as the weather. It seemed like everyone had an item or potion to survive the heat. 

Wild offered Four a nondescript vial of something bright red. "Need one?"

Four shook his head. "I'm all right, but thank you. Save it for later, we might be in here for a while."

"If you're sure," Wild said. "I am kind of low on these, stupid lizards are hard to catch."

"I'm sure." 

Once they'd all prepared as much as they could, they formed a line two wide to head in, everyone watching each other's backs. Four ended up as the single Hero in the back, but he didn't mind much. This Death Mountain was different from his own, but similar in a lot of ways. He enjoyed the chance to look around a bit more. 

The tunnel into the mountain led to a large cavern lit by a tiny version of the volcano rising on one side. Really, it was just a stalagmite with lava oozing out into rivers that divided the cavern into four distinct areas. The rivers came back together to form a lake under the island the entrance led to. Manmade doors and bridges and stairways and other dungeon trappings made it clear that yes, they had to get through. 

"At least it's a little cooler in here," Twilight said, looking a bit smaller without his furs over his shoulders. 

"No thanks to the lava," Wind grumbled. 

Four went over to inspect a portion of the floor that looked like metal tiles rather than smooth rock. Interesting. There were six large tiles, perhaps five foot square each with a few holes here and there, arranged in a long kind of cross. It looked like a clue. "It isn't that bad in here."

"Says the blacksmith." Warriors shook his head. Rubies glittered on his ears, making it obvious that he'd borrowed someone's magic jewelry. He often groused about his own lack of survival items. 

Without warning, the ground began to rumble. The volcano-in-a-volcano spat out a bit more lava, but not enough to be concerned about. The concerning part was Four losing his balance and falling to his hands and knees on top of the metal tile. 

The rumbling hadn't quite stopped yet when the metal tiles reacted, folding up. Four yelped in surprise as the one he'd fallen on tipped up, dumping him into the middle of the cross. His elbows and knees hit hard, shiny metal. Each of the other tiles folded, too, creating a cube that just happened to have Four trapped inside.  

Stupid . He hadn't noticed that the six tiles were arranged like a flat cube. He brushed off his elbows and stood up. The box was a bit small, but he could stand straight and probably lie down straight, too. Anyone else but Wind would have issues. Each of the four walls had a window at the top, but Four's main concern was the obvious keyhole on one of them. 

"Four?" someone asked in concern. Four couldn't tell who, the windows were a bit too high up for him to see through comfortably, and the sound warped strangely through the metal. 

"I'm fine," he called back. "It's just an annoying trap. Don't step on metal tiles. Anyone see a key?" 

The others scuffled around, searching. Four heard at least one clay pot break. 

"Not on this landing," Warriors said. "Maybe it's farther in."

Time sighed. "Anyone want to bet that it isn't the chest hanging above the volcano over there?"

Silence. 

"Sounds like a bad bet," Four said, mentally resigning himself to sitting this one out. "Come back for me as soon as you find it." 

A flurry of protests came in through the windows, insisting that someone could stay, that they could try to find a way out, that they wouldn't go without him, that it was going to get very hot. Four smiled to himself—who'd have thought he would make friends like this that weren't, well, himself?

"I'll be fine, guys. It's not for long, and it's not that hot. Besides, monsters can't get to me in here, can they?" He knew he made a good point. 

Before they left to continue on, Wild reached through the window to hand Four one of the potions. "I'm not taking no for an answer, this time. It'll last five minutes."

Four acquiesced, taking the bottle. "Hurry back so you won't miss it," he said. 

"We'll be quick," Wild assured him, and they were gone. 

Four put the potion in his pocket, then wrapped his fingers on the bottom ledge of the window and pulled himself up. His feet lifted off the ground a few inches, but he could see. Too bad he was too big to get through. The others split into four groups, and each took a section of the dungeon. 

Well, there wasn't much more he could do. Four paced around the inside of the box, inspecting the metal for weak spots. The joins were clean, magically so, and he couldn't find any spots of significant thinness. He knocked on the side a few times to listen to the ring, and determined that the whole thing was made out of steel. He'd probably make the same choice, steel kept its integrity even at high temperatures. 

It did get kind of warm after a few minutes, due to the lack of air flow. Four wrinkled his nose and dumped his pack in a corner. He shimmied out of his tunic to reduce the layers covering him, just to be safe. He kind of wished he had an ice rod with him, but the water would evaporate quickly and just make it even worse in here. 

Another rumble shook the cavern, throwing up a few shouts. Four checked the window again. It took him a few minutes to count the distant figures, but all eight of the others were okay. It looked like they'd run into a few monsters and other traps, but they were making good headway, most were a little farther than halfway up the volcano.

Hold on, was it brighter than before? Four tracked the bright rivers of lava, and found that the lake under the island he sat on had risen a few feet. Terror-fueled ice trickled down his spine. He watched for a few minutes, but it didn't seem to be actively rising. He'd guess that it was the rumbling. 

If the lake rose much more, it would touch the box. If that happened, the whole thing would become a pressure cooker. Four bit his lip and looked at the space he had more objectively. There was no reason that the lake wouldn't rise more, so he should prepare before he got heat exhaustion and couldn't think. 

That moment was fast approaching, Four thought with a wince. He checked on the others again—he would need to wait a few more minutes for them to even reach the volcano, much less get the chest down and come back. 

Four nodded to himself, and four individual trains of thought began to spin ideas. He let himself consider them for a moment, knowing that good planning would save him time and trouble. 

…If only he could make Legend understand that. And Twilight. And Wild. All of them, really. 

All right. 

First item of business, if he couldn't get out, was to get him and his things off the ground. He was not about to let his feet cook like steaks in leather jackets. Gross. Four pulled out his rope, then stuffed his tunic into the empty space it made in his pack. He checked his quiver—he had such a mismatched bunch of arrows. The ones he'd somehow stolen from Sky were the thickest, and he had a good handful of them, so he took those out. 

He tied one end of his rope around the arrow as firmly as he could, then slipped the arrow out of one of the windows and pulled the rope. The arrow stuck against the outside, and Four tugged on the rope until he was sure the knot would stay. He put another arrow through the window on the opposite side, looped the rope around it, and pulled hard. 

The arrows stayed firm. Perfect. 

Four did that a few more times, creating a series of parallel lines that stretched from window to window. As he started to weave the excess rope through the rough warp, the ground rumbled again. Four hurried to knot the rope, snatch up his pack, and climb on top of the makeshift net. 

The arrows creaked, but they all stayed strong, and the net held his weight. 

Not a moment too soon, either. Four could see through the windows a bit better now, and he watched with trepidation as the level of the lava lake rose further. It slipped over the edge of the island and creeped up toward the steel. 

Four pulled off his headband and then put it on again. He tightened his ponytail. It was beginning to get very warm in here. Even when he'd been singed by plumes of flame, his own Death Mountain hadn't ever felt quite so… sauna-like. He blamed it on the box. 

After a moment, Four pulled out the potion from Wild and rolled it between his hands. He knew it would help, Wild's potions and elixirs and food always did, but… 

Outside, the others still had just begun to climb the volcano. 

It would get worse in here, there was no doubt about that. Four suspected the bottom of the box was hot enough to fry an already. But how long would he have to deal with it? He wanted to save the potion for the worst part, which, logically, would be the very end. He just had to determine how long to wait. 

Not long enough, and he'd be exposed to the worst part of the wait, assuming the pattern continued. Too long, and he'd have to endure more than he needed. 

Which would be worse for his health? 

Well, he knew which would be more miserable—staring at the potion as he slowly cooked in here. Already, he'd stopped sweating. That was not a good sign. 

The cavern rumbled again. Someone screamed distantly, and Four bent to look through the window again. He saw the silhouettes of the others against the bright orange of the lava. They seemed to be okay, though one was limping. Time, from the looks of it. Four couldn't look too long. He blinked and sat back up, trying not to move around too much so as to not stress the arrows holding him up. The heat would be doing that enough. 

The heat… 

Four shook himself. He'd been staring. Now was as good a time to drink this as any, he supposed. It only took a moment to work the cork off. 

The potion tasted like liquid peppers. Four grimaced but finished the whole thing off. He imagined red peppers. (Definitely not green.) 

Although it burned going down, the potion did its work quickly. Four could breathe again. His thoughts cleared enough for him to remember his half-full water skin, which he soon chased the potion with. Hopefully that would help, too. 

Five minutes, Wild had said. Just five minutes. 

Four looped the straps of his pack around his arm, making sure he could pick up and run with all his gear at a moment's notice. The floor of the box had begun to turn orange. He could still feel the heat, but with the potion, it didn't bother him. It was strange. He could definitely use some of these for home, he'd have to ask Wild how to make them. 

He laid down on the net, slowly, until he could see through the window without bending. He tested his chin on the backs of his hands and watched the volcano spew out sparks. The room shook again, and the heat rose. 

The chest was gone. They'd grabbed it. Did that mean they were on their way back already? Four squinted into the shimmering air, and saw one head of golden-blond hair weaving between islands. Whoever it was, he wasn't headed right for Four. Chances were, they had to take some roundabout route to get back, dungeons were like that. 

Five minutes passed. The heat pressed in on Four again, more and more with every passing second until it had returned in full. He could feel his face turning red, and a monster of a headache started behind his eyes. 

Four trusted the others, he didn't have to watch them every second. He tucked his head down, where the heat from the bottom of the box radiated up at his face but at least he didn't have to stare into neon orange lighting. 

He breathed through his mouth and tried to count his breaths, to give himself some sense of time passing. He lost count around five, so he started again. It was just so hard to think in this heat. He could barely form words in his head, let alone move. 

What was taking the others so long? Had it even been more than thirty seconds since he'd checked?

Four turned his head to the side, but found no relief. His head throbbed. His stomach turned over and over. His throat felt like the sands of the desert, and his lips had turned to paper. He could feel his heartbeat in his hands, in his chest, in his stomach, in his lips. 

He needed to get out of here. 

With what felt like pure willpower, Four lifted his head to squint at the windows. Nope, still too small for him. The volcano rumbled again, a bit too soon for the pattern he'd been barely keeping track of. Getting worse, then. 

He paused. Had he heard… 

"Four?!" Wild yelled. "Guys, the lava's higher here!"

Four dropped his head back down and let out a breath. They were there. It was okay. Even if Wild didn't have any more of those potions, they'd leave the cave and blissfully cool air would be there. An ice bath sure sounded nice. 

He sucked in a breath to yell back. "It… it's really hot," he said, not quite getting the volume he wanted.  

Wild still heard him. "I'm sorry! We've got the key, it wasn't in the chest."

Four wanted to ask what was in the chest, but didn't have enough energy to spit it out. He grunted and let himself relax. 

It only took a few minutes for the lock to click, and the entire box fell apart. 

Unfortunately, that meant that Four's net also fell apart, and he tumbled down to the ground for the second time that day. His skin sizzled where it touched the orange metal, but he barely felt it. That was probably a bad sign. 

"—ur? Four!" 

He wasn't on the ground anymore. Warriors held him, and looked concerned. 

Oh, Four had missed a few seconds there. "'M here. Sorry. Hot."

"Not for much longer," Warriors promised, and started walking. 

…how was he walking on lava? 

Four wanted to know the answer to that question, but he lost a few more seconds, and the cool air just outside the tunnel proved to be freezing. He buried his face into Warriors's scarf. It smelled kind of like a volcano, but Four didn't care. 

Chapter Text

"I feel like I wanna dye my hair," Wild said around a mouthful of pizza. 

"What color?" Twilight asked suspiciously. 

Wild shrugged. "Blue? Purple?"

Four raised an eyebrow without looking up from his book. 

He has good taste He'd look nice with red Yeah no

"I dunno," Wild continued  "I'd get to Walmart and see what stands out to me."

"Do not get dye at Walmart," Legend groaned. He had his legs draped over the arm of the old couch, and his back leaned against Hyrule, who carefully picked off all the pineapple from his pizza before eating it. They were celebrating another of Time's birthdays with pizza and cake. Four had no idea which of the once-a-month mini-parties were actually real, but that's what you got from someone named Time.  

"Why not?" Wild asked, genuinely confused. "Where else would I get it?"

"CosmoProf," Legend answered absently, scrolling on his phone. 

Sky looked over from pouring himself more soda. "Don't you need a special license to get things from there?"

"I have connections. Look, even Sally's is better than Walmart."

"Speaking of hair dye," Warriors said, leaning over the back of the couch to poke at Legend's hair, "looks like you need a touchup again."

"You dye your hair?" Wind asked, coming back from the flat kitchen with more cake on his plate. 

Four glanced up from his book. "Yes, he dyes his hair. Haven't you noticed? It grows pink." 

Wait really you never said anything Why would I it was obvious Apparently not It would be cute if he grew it out That's his choice 

"Wait, really?" Wild swallowed his pizza. "Legend, why does your hair grow pink? I thought that you just did that sometimes."

Legend made a face and put his phone down on his chest.  "Adventure thing, don't worry about it."

They all nodded. Adventures did weird things. So what if Legend's hair grew pink now? Wild could eat rocks. Twilight turned into a wolf sometimes. Hyrule had magic , for Pete's sake. And, of course, Four was four, not that the others knew that yet. 

Soon Yeah it's gotta be soon Not too soon Baby

"Has anyone heard from the princesses today?" Twilight asked, cleaning up a few of the empty pizza boxes and generally making himself more useful than the rest of them. 

Time returned to the living room just in time to answer the question. "Lullaby wrote this morning. She says that everything is fine, as far as she's heard. No strange monsters in the last week."

"That's good…" Hyrule said, frowning down at his pile of discarded pineapple, "but suspicious. They've had weird monsters for a long time, now. Why are they stopping now?"

Warriors nodded. "I agree. We should do a sweep of hot spots tonight, just to be safe. Any movement by the portals, Wind?"

Wind pulled up the camera on his phone with one hand, still shoveling cake into his mouth with the other. "Nope. All of them seem to be quiet."

"That's good, at least. We can't let anybody stumble across those." Warriors glanced at Four, but looked away half a second later. Four stayed staring down at his book, though his eyes had stopped moving across the text. 

We have to tell them that very soon Of course but right now is just… bad timing Is it though 

"We know," Legend grumbled. "We're not in the business of letting people find Hyrule, Wars. Or Hytopia, or Labrynna, or any of them. Besides, we have no evidence that normal people can go through those portals, anyway."

Time shook his head. "We have more than just normal people to worry about. The villains who ended up here on Earth, for instance." 

Legend opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of a jazzy piano from a tiny speaker interrupted him. Four jumped, then put his book down and pulled out his ringing phone. Someone had changed the ringtone again, apparently. Who did he know who would be calling him that wasn't in this room?

He frowned at the UNKNOWN that scrolled across the screen, but he answered the call anyway. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rainbow."

No He got a phone? Doubtful Probably some scheme, let's get somewhere more private Is it him

Four felt every muscle in his body tense. When the others looked at him curiously, he pulled the phone away from his ear for a second, hopping off the chair. "It's the repair shop, I'll be back." 

The others lost interest, predictably. Four all but ran down the hallway and found refuge in the nearest bathroom.

"Shadow?" he asked quietly, putting the phone back up to his ear. 

"Well, yeah. You sound surprised. You asked for proof I'm still alive, didn't you?" 

They actually went for that? Let's just count our blessings He sounds horrible Stay calm

Four's fingers curled around the sink. "I did." 

"Well, here I am, I guess. Hey, you alone?"

"Yes."

"We can switch to video, then." 

"All right."

Video! We're going to see his face Did he get away No he didn't Be steady he's gonna notice if we break down We're steady we're steady 

Hands almost shaking, Four pulled the phone away from his ear and tapped the right buttons. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub in the dim bathroom and waited for the video to connect, chewing on his lip. 

When the pulsing animation finally gave way to blurry video, Four pulled the screen up toward his face to see better. 

Shadow's pale smile shone out at him, pixelated and frozen at times due to shaky connection, but there . His hair splayed out around his head like an obnoxious purple halo. He clearly held the phone above his head as he laid down on something. "Hey. Miss me?"

What a sarcastic idiot He looks okay Well sort of Definitely not escaped though

"We do. Every day," Four said without a hint of sarcasm. "...Some more than others."

"Hey, Blue, nice to see you, too." Shadow snorted. He always knew which one of them was speaking, and usually made a point to use their individual names. He was a good friend. "Still depleting the punching bag budget?"

"Of course. Not as badly as Twilight, though, I gotta step up my game." 

Shadow rolled his eyes. 

Red rose next, twisting his face in concern.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Red, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying."

It was Green who sighed at that, but didn't correct Red or Shadow. "Sorry about the recent… well… failures." They'd made a decision that had gotten Shadow hurt. Several of them. 

"Don't be, Green," Shadow insisted, pulling the camera up until all they could see was an unflattering, very close angle on his face. "You're a Hero. You do what you need to."

"You are, too." 

Shadow shrugged, not really agreeing and not really disagreeing. Four was confident he knew that, but any positive reinforcement they could give was helpful. 

We did do what we needed to But that picture… None of us liked it He's not okay is he If he's not now he will be soon How soon

Four didn't miss the way Shadow kept the camera pointed carefully above his shoulders. The last picture they'd received in the mail, one showing glass-scarred skin marred with fresh red lines, would never fade from any of their minds. Even now, through the bad quality image over the video call, Four could see a fading red mark on Shadow's cheek. They knew he was being hurt, though he clearly didn't want to dwell on it. 

"And where's Vio?" Shadow asked after a moment. "Doesn't he like me?"

Vio gave him a flat look. "Of course I do. I'm just… distracted."

"By my charming smile and devilishly good looks?"

By the bags under your eyes actually Don't lie to yourself Vio Wow 

"Of course," Vio said, giving Shadow the chance to preen. They rolled their eyes. 

"And are you okay, Rainbow? Eating? All that stuff mortals have to do?" 

"We're eating, yes, thank you. And sleeping, most of the time. We had cake today," Red added, trying to inject a bit of light into the conversation. He smiled hesitantly.

"Oh yeah?" Shadow smiled back. "What kind?"

"Pumpkin spice. Have you had anything like that? I think you'd like it. It isn't too sweet, but it has a very distinct flavor. Very autumn. It's Vio's favorite, even if he doesn't admit it."

Red come on What it's true We all know it is Ha three versus one we're right

"You'll have to get me some." Shadow's eyes moved to something behind the camera, and his smile went tight. "Ah. See you guys later."

"Wait—" Four tried, not ready to say goodbye, but the camera whipped around to show a very different perspective. 

Shadow sat up, hand stretched out as if he wanted to try and take the phone back. After a second, he put his hand down and just frowned at whoever held the camera now. He folded his arms across his bare chest, trying to hide a few of the ugly bruises across his ribs. Four caught a flash of chains and a cinderblock wall before the camera flipped to show a much uglier face. 

"Well, Link, there's your proof," Vaati said, pointing the phone to himself. "I trust there will be no more delays."

Four dug his nails into his leg. "There won't be."

There can't be 

"I want a location. Right now."

"...Right now?" Four hesitated. 

Wait what We don't have a plan We should've said something earlier! Too late now gotta come up with something 

The camera jerked, and Four heard Shadow shout. 

"Stop it!" Four said. The screen settled on Shadow again, looking away with a hand on his cheek, covering up a bright red cut. He looked more annoyed than in pain, but… 

None of us want him hurt Too late we've already done that Don't be negative we can prevent anything else Can we

Vaati spoke again, not moving the camera. "Where can I find a portal to Hyrule?"

Four didn't take his eyes off of Shadow, who pulled his hand away from his cheek, looked at the spots of blood on his fingers, and shot Vaati a dirty look. 

"Which one?" Four asked. 

"It doesn't matter. Pick your least favorite."

"My least favorite." The words barely registered. Four shook his head to clear it, noticing how pale he'd gotten on the little preview of his own camera. He turned his eyes back to Shadow and thought quickly. 

Least favorite Hyrule? But they're all… Hyrule We can't just give one up for slaughter! We won't, remember we have plans Half-baked plans Some is better than nothing We have no least favorite Hyrule

The question then became, which portal to Hyrule had the most strategic spot, and who wouldn't be irrationally angry when they found out about this. They couldn't give up the location of their own portal, since Vaati couldn't get there anymore, having been defeated. The portals out in the wild were a no-go, too wide-open, so that eliminated Time's forest, Wild's waterfall, and Hyrule's cave. There were a few around town, like the one behind the vet clinic and the one in the reservoir boathouse. Legend's portal was inside the river and usually underwater, which would be a great location for an ambush, but it was obviously something terrible. That left the two in the university. 

Four took a breath, making his decision. Vio pushed his way out, lending his memory, vocabulary, and stony expression.

"All right. Inside the Hopper building at the university, the physical health building with the gyms, there's a disused storage room under the northwest staircase. The camera's hidden on the second shelf of the locked trophy case just outside the door. The storage room is locked, but I don't know where to get a key that wouldn't be missed."

"I'm sure I can find a way in. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Vaati's hand reached out to stroke Shadow's hair. Shadow pulled away with a sneer. 

Don't touch him you creep Can we please punch that guy One of these days yes we definitely will Why didn't killing him in Hyrule kill him here uuuuugh

"When you two started working together," Vaati continued, "I was afraid I'd lose the services of my favorite minion. But, well, this arrangement is working out even better than I could have imagined."

You're disgusting

"You have your location," Vio said flatly. 

"I do. Thank you ever so much. I'll call again if I have questions."

The video went dead, and the post-call screen came up. Four stared at it for a long few seconds, guilt chewing away at his insides. That was the first time they'd seen Shadow in almost two months, and as relieving as it was… 

We're idiots Yeah 

But he'll be okay Eventually We have friends Speaking of which we should go tell them. Now. 

Four tucked his phone away and splashed a bit of water on his face before he opened the bathroom door, running over words in his head. He almost walked right into two bodies. 

He froze. His gaze traveled slowly upward until it rested on Warriors's and Legend's faces. They both looked back at him, Warriors with a flattened expression and Legend's eyebrows making a bid for his hairline. Four felt small.

"So. Vaati?" Legend asked after a protracted moment. 

Oh thank the goddesses he realized Still some things they don't know though 

Four nodded, nervous. "How much…"

"We heard enough to know that we need to prepare my Hyrule for an attack very soon," Warriors answered, mouth flat. "That's as good a place as any to make a stand. Though I do wish we had made a plan first."

"I thought we had time. But…"

Legend punched Four's shoulder gently. "We'll get your friend back. We told you that already."

"I just… I can't help being worried," Four said, Red close to the surface in response to all the emotions. "After all he went through in our Hyrule, only to come here and immediately be kidnapped to turn me traitor…" 

"Hey." Warriors gave Four a stern look. "You don't need to stop worrying, but you do need to stop fretting. It's serious. We understand."

Four nodded. 

At least he doesn't seem angry He understands plans and pressure 

"Can I ask, though," Warriors continued, "What was all of that about colors? Code?"

He heard that? Maybe we should make a code out of it We need to explain it Probably

…all in favor?

Me Yeah We should Apparently it's unanimous

"No," Four said after the brief pause to confer with himself. "Shadow's just being nice when he says that. We… I'll explain it to you, it is sort of important. We should go let the others know that things are moving."

Legend tossed a bottle of hair dye into the sink over Four's head. "That can wait for later. Come on, planning over cake sounds great."

Yeah it does Let's save some for Shadow Isn't that optimistic That's the point Blue 

Just another few days. 

Chapter Text

Wild crept through the dry bushes, keeping himself hidden. He crushed a clove of garlic and dropped it, then kept moving. Hyrule walked along the path, in the middle of a group of cultists who led him by the rope around his wrists. He walked among them just fine, and still tried to make conversation. 

"Why do you follow Ganon, anyway?" Hyrule asked the nearest cultist, just sounding curious. He didn't have his sword at his side, which kinda just made him look like any other kid. 

They glanced at him. "Best to be on the winning side."

"But…" Hyrule frowned. "I won. I literally already won."

"Until you're killed, and your blood is spilled," another cultist snapped. "If you really cared, you wouldn't be anywhere near this kingdom."

Hyrule hid a wince, so Wild made the expression for him. It wasn't as if anyone could see him, slinking through the dying foliage. He pulled a pepper seed out of his pocket and dropped it behind him. 

"Well," Hyrule reasoned, "It's been years and I haven't been killed yet. What makes you think I'm destined to fail?"

"Because that's where we're going," the first cultist said. "To drain your corpse of blood over the ashes of our master."

"Oh. I see."

"Stop talking," one of the cultists in the front hissed back. They wore a deep red scarf, richer than the others' green and brown and yellow, marking him as their leader. 

"I'm just curious," Hyrule muttered, getting a tug on the rope for his troubles. 

Wild didn't like this plan. Nobody had, when Hyrule brought it up. They'd been traveling carefully through Hyrule's era when a nice old man had warned Hyrule about the Cult of Ganon that was offering a bounty for him. Instead of avoiding the area, Hyrule proposed that they pull a con: he'd let himself get caught to find out what the cult wanted and where it was based. Though everyone had protested—though Legend looked torn between being proud and being nervous—in the end, because it was Hyrule's world, after all, he won. 

Besides, they all knew he'd go through with it anyway, either now or later, and they'd rather have his back. 

So Wild had been elected to follow the group closely, and signal the others if they had to intervene. He also left a trail that Wolfie could follow if the others got too far behind. 

"Curiosity only gets you in trouble," someone said. 

Hyrule's eyebrows shot up. "What does that mean? Being curious leads you to all the beautiful places in the world."

"What beautiful places?" asked the first cultist, gesturing their arm at the forest around them. "This world is dead."

"Because of Ganon . He wouldn't bring it back to life. It's growing back already, see? He'd drain it more."

"The master will reward us for spilling your blood," said the cultist holding the rope. "Our families will be safe."

"This isn't how you protect them the best!" Hyrule protested. Another, harder tug on the rope made him stumble, and, unseen, Wild narrowed his eyes. 

A gnarled, gray woman at the back of the group, one of the only ones not wearing an identity-masking hood and scarf, spoke up. Wild thought her skin looked like tree bark, and not in a good way. "Would he not reward us more for causing the usurper to suffer?"

"Usurper?" Hyrule muttered, but he went tense at her words. His eyes combed the trees where Wild hid. 

Wild pulled the mask down off of his nose, giving Hyrule a questioning look. Given a signal, he'd jump out to help. 

The leader with the red scarf glanced back, but shook their head. "Not here. Anyone could hear him. Best to do it back in the resurrection chamber."

Hyrule let out a breath and shook his head subtly at Wild. Not yet. The group kept moving. 

And Wild followed. He dropped some lavender buds. He didn't know what the cultist meant by "resurrection chamber," but he could guess. He wasn't sure what Hyrule's intended role in all of that was, though—a sacrifice? First meal for a reborn Ganon? Conduit for magic? It all seemed pretty grisly. Wild was very glad that the other seven Heroes were following them. None of them would let anything like that happen to Hyrule, especially Hyrule himself. 

The group kept traveling, though not for as long as Wild had anticipated. They came to a sight that was not unfamiliar to Wild: vine-taken ruins, crumbling stone,and  bubbling mud. Interesting. Hyrule seemed to know exactly where they were, at least. He knew where everything was in his Hyrule, down to every last fruit tree. Wild honestly appreciated that about him. It showed a dedication to wandering that nobody else in the group had. 

The cultists thinned to a single file line to climb into the ruins, and a chunk of them wandered off to somewhere else. Hyrule watched them go curiously, but didn't seem too worried about following them. Wild probably wouldn't be, either. He climbed up on one of the stone walls to keep sneaking around, warily eyeing the mud below him. 

Once it was just the red-scarfed leader, the unmasked old woman, and the one holding the rope, in addition to Hyrule, of course, the group waded out into the mud. Wild froze, and his brain calculated a few trajectories that might get him to Hyrule in time, but… they were fine. Hyrule just made a face as his boots got all dirty. Wild dropped his head down to bonk it against the stone wall a few times. That had been terrifying. 

They stopped at a seemingly random point in the middle of the mud pool. Hyrule looked around, smiling just a little when he caught Wild's eyes. Wild once again questioned action with his expression, but Hyrule shook his head again. The cultists looked like they were gearing up for something, though, so Wild prepared to jump out at any moment. 

"Your actions as a so-called hero were in vain," the leader said, turning to Hyrule. "This land does not belong to the hero, or the princess—"

"Don't forget the queen," Hyrule added helpfully. 

If a dark space under a hood could glare, this one did. "...or the queen. It belongs to our master, the weilder of Power, Ganon the Mighty, Ganon the Ever-Rising, Ganon the Omnipotent!"

Wild had never heard those titles. He thought they sounded a little bit pretentious. If Hyrule's scrunched nose was any indication, he thought the same. 

The leader continued their speech, raising their arms high. "Now, usurper of the Triforce, enemy of our master, bid farewell to the sun." They stomped one foot with an unimpressive squelch in the mud. 

"What—" Hyrule began, but the ground under his feet gave way, and the last thing Wild saw was Hyrule's panicked eyes searching for him. 

A moment later, the others standing in the mud fell, too, pulled under the surface by what Wild could only assume was magic. In less than a second, everyone had disappeared. 

As much as Wild wanted to panic, and just jump right into the mud, he forced himself to freeze instead. He didn't know where the rest of the group had gone, and other clues would always arise from staying still and observing. He gripped the stone blocks with the tips of his fingers, bent his head, closed his eyes, and listened. 

Mud. Wind. Leaves. A tapping, too rhythmic to be anything other than nature. Wild filtered those out and kept listening. No other people, except for the distant crashing of the other Heroes making their way this direction. And one other thing…

Faint, faint, so faint. But there. 

Hyrule screaming. 

Wild pushed away from the wall, falling into the mud that still terrified him. It didn't suck him in as soon as his feet splashed, and it didn't burn. He ran over to the spot where Hyrule had disappeared. 

The ground remained solid. 

Even when he jumped, stomped, and fell to his knees, the ground remained solid. What could he do… what could he do… 

He pulled out his slate, but there was nothing to freeze, nothing to magnetize, nothing to freeze in time. Mud smeared across the screen, and Wild put it away in frustration. He stood up, shook his hands free of clumps, and clenched them into fists. 

The screaming started up again in the silence. Wild had no idea where it could be coming from, and he was panicking. 

The best chance he had of getting to Hyrule was to find where the sound came from. Wild turned his head back and forth. He thought… north. Slightly. He took a step, but the screaming stopped. 

Someone crashed into the ruins, splashing in the mud. 

Wild opened his eyes, only to glare at Twilight and put his finger up to his lips. 

Twilight looked startled, but he stopped in his tracks. Where's Hyrule? he asked, using their cobbled-together sign language. 

With one damning finger, Wild pointed down, then tapped his ear. He was listening. 

Face hardening, Twilight nodded. I will, too.

That was good. Twilight's ears were more finely tuned than Wild's were. Wild's stomach felt heavy as he wished—prayed—for Hyrule to start screaming again. What kind of friend was he?

It took a moment, but the sound started again. Wild could barely hear it over the sounds of the others approaching. Twilight could clearly hear it, he looked spooked. True to form, however, he pointed a direction and started to walk that way as quietly as he could. Wild followed.

The other Heroes crashed into the ruins behind Twilight, making loud demands and generally being a nuisance. 

"Shut up!" Twilight yelled over the din, and everyone went silent. 

They could hear the screaming again. 

Wild felt more than one gaze on his back as they followed Twilight to another small cluster of crumbling stone walls. He didn't need the blame, or confusion, or sympathy. He was beating himself up enough. 

Twilight and Warriors pushed a heavy stone away from a staircase that descended below the mud. Without any prelude, Wild jumped down and started sprinting down the tunnel, leaving mud tracks. Legend ran right behind him, and so was everyone else. 

They didn't run into any monsters in the darkness, which was relieving. The tunnels twisted a bit, and branched occasionally, but the screams that continued, only breaking off for a few seconds at a time, led them true. Hyrule's voice started to sound ragged, wrung out, tired. It took them somewhere around two minutes to get through the tunnels. 

If Wild's internal compass held true, then the round room with raised seating on every wall was located right underneath where he'd seen the cultists and Hyrule disappear. The cultists filled the seating, many having taken off their hoods and scarves. Wild was dismayed to see dozens of them, mostly older people jeering. He wondered if they could ever understand that the world could be better than it had been. One in particular stood in the small stage in the center, their hand glowing the the same red light that crackled over Hyrule's skin. 

Legend shot right past Wild, and his sword speared through the magician's neck before anyone could react. The others streamed into the room, guarding the exit and keeping alert for weapons or more magic. Only a few cultists looked like they'd put up any resistance. Out of the dozens, only eight or so pulled out weapons.

The Heroes met them in battle. The Heroes, minus Wild. 

Wild went for the center of the room and Hyrule, who laid on some uncomfortable-looking metal grate. He didn't look very hurt, just exhausted and sweaty. When Wild started to untie his hands, battling the shaking in his own, Hyrule grabbed Wild's wrist and looked at him with wide eyes. 

"Am I bleeding?" he asked, voice hoarse and desperate. "Anywhere?"

A bit startled, it took Wild a moment to respond. He looked over Hyrule, not understanding anything except that the answer was important. He checked Hyrule's back, then shook his head. 

Hyrule let his head drop back down. "Thank the goddesses for that."

Wild kept working on the knot. His hands trembled too much to be efficient, but he refused to stop. He took a deep breath, which helped. 

"Four!" Warriors yelled. "Don't hesitate!"

"But they're people!" Four shouted back, and Wild glanced over to see him dodge a swing from one of the younger cultists. "Not monsters!"

"It doesn't matter! They will kill you!"  

One by one, the resistors fell, and the Heroes fell back to the door or surrounding Hyrule and Wild. 

When the rope finally fell away, Hyrule gripped Wild's hand and used it as leverage to sit up, shaking a little himself. "Don't kill them," he called. 

"Excuse me?" Legend shrieked. He brandished his sword at the cultist with the red scarf, but looked back at Hyrule. "We just spent the last five minutes following your screams!"

Hyrule scowled. "If we want the kingdom to be better, we have to be better. I want to get them to the judges."

Legend was clearly not on the same wavelength, but he shook his head. "Fine. Your Hyrule, your decision, you idiot."

"Not a step closer," Time snapped at someone who was trying to inch towards the door. They froze, eyes wide. 

"Now what?" one of the cultists called. Everyone ignored them. 

Sky sheathed his sword and headed for Hyrule and Wild, a potion already in his hand. "Glad we found you so quickly," he said, offering the potion. 

Hyrule waved it away. "I'm not hurt. It was just magic." He put his feet on the ground, somehow not muddy at all, unlike the rest of them. Wild pulled him up to standing, then gripped his shoulder and let him lean in when it appeared that he was shaking too hard to stand. 

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt," Sky said quietly, putting a protective arm around his shoulder. 

"Nope," Hyrule muttered. He let out a breath, and, still trembling, let Wild and Sky hug him. 

Wild had no idea what Hyrule's plan was, regarding these people who'd literally tortured him, but he found that he didn't particularly care. Hyrule was safe, and he'd even gotten more information about this cult than he'd set out to get. So, despite the way Hyrule shook under his arms and his own hands that wouldn't go still, Wild counted the day as a hesitant win. 

Hopefully tomorrow would be better. 

Chapter Text

The birds went quiet as the day drifted to a close. Around Twilight, shadows crept along the old barn loft until he laid halfway in the only patch of sunlight coming through the window. He barely noticed, engrossed as he was in his conversation. 

The small mirror was a goddess-send, a gift from Dusk for the first birthday Twilight celebrated after the conclusion of his adventure. It was a powerful bit of magic, connecting across dimensions, but it still had its limitations. Among those was its inability to connect across eras, which meant he hadn't gotten to use it in a while. 

Luckily, the Heroes had just arrived in Twilight's world that morning, and were taking refuge at a traveler's inn for the night. Once they'd gotten settled, and once the sun began to fall down the sky, Twilight excused himself to go run alone for a while though half-familiar woods. They had portaled in at the end of the country opposite Ordon, and a good distance from the castle, so fewer people here recognized him, and he recognized less of the area. 

Twilight ended up in an old, abandoned barn just as the sun touched the tops of the pine trees. Secluded, quiet, and dim, it seemed like the best place to remain undisturbed for a few hours, so Twilight shifted back to human, pulled out his mirror, and sat down in the loft. 

Midna, miracle of miracles, had actually picked up. She immediately got to work chewing him out for taking so long to reach out, though he'd tried multiple times every time they'd been in his Hyrule. He explained the situation, and she calmed down, only to start teasing him about adopting seven new little brothers and one new dad. 

She wasn't wrong, but Twilight still turned red, which led to her comparing his face to a tomato. 

They talked for hours, and by the end, Twilight's heart felt just a little lighter. He didn't want to cut off the connection, but it got late enough that he really needed to. 

When they finally said goodbye, the mirror's image evaporated, clearing to show Twilight's face and only his face. He smiled at himself, just a little, then took a breath and put the mirror back in his bag. It had been way too long since he'd talked to her. That had been nice. 

As soon as Twilight tuned back into the world around him, a loud noise made him shoot up to sitting. 

Both the doors in the barn slammed shut at once.

People outside started shouting—"Throw it up there!"

"Are you sure you saw it, Marv?"

"Sure as the nose on your face, Ben! Wolf went in, didn't come out! I been watching!"

"Wouldn't we get more profit if we just shot it?"

"This is prime opportun'ty, Ben, just throw it!"

"Calm your toes, Marv. I'm throwin'."

Something flew in through the window and landed just feet away from Twilight. The twisted metal and the sparking fuse told him all he needed to know—bomb, three seconds away from blowing. He covered his mouth to muffle his shout and scrambled backwards. 

He'd misjudged the distance. He fell backwards, down several feet to the hard barn floor. His vision shook, and the sharp pain of falling echoed up his back and shoulders. He barely managed to turn over and cover his ears before the bomb went off. 

Splintered wood rode a wave of heat and noise, slamming into Twilight's back as the entire top of the barn blew off. All he registered was the fire and the all-encompassing sound. 

It lasted for what felt like hours, blowing Twilight's hair and pressing down with an almost physical weight. When the world went still and silent, he smelled smoke.

Twilight had a hard time thinking. His back hurt, his ears didn't register a thing, and every time he moved his arms, splinters pulled and stung. He groaned and pushed himself up to his elbows. 

Ow.

He didn't have the time to process. The smell of smoke and burning filled his nose. He focused, and could only see wavering shadows and growing flame in the corners of his eyes. He could almost hear Midna screeching at him to get up, don't you know that smoke makes you sick? 

"Duh," Twilight muttered, coughing. He somehow sat up, and tried not to move his arms much as he looked around. At least his shoulders were okay, as his pelt seemed to have protected him. He hoped it was okay, too. 

The whole side of the barn burned, old wood and mildewing hay catching and spreading yellow flames like fear in a crowd. Black smoke billowed out into the barely visible sky, and more than enough got trapped inside. Both doors were shut, and the only windows had newer boards nailed across the openings. The heat grew with the fire. 

Twilight stood up and limped over to the nearest door. Everything sounded like it was underwater. He tried pushing, but despite the apparent age of the wood and hinges, the door didn't budge. He didn't know how much force he could exert, as hurt and muddled as he was, so he made his careful way across the barn to try the other door. 

That one moved just as much—that was to say, not at all. 

Annoyed, in pain, and tired, Twilight leaned his forehead against the door for a moment to collect himself. The wood was rough, but cool against his skin. He was glad nobody was here with him, but he could sure use an ally with a working brain right about now. Twilight had never been the best at planning, even when he could think. But he could work his way out of this. He had to. 

So, what now?

Well, realistically, he could try busting a door down without knowing what was holding it closed, or he could…

He looked over at the side of the barn on fire. Yeah, that would work. 

As he watched, the loft he'd spent the last few hours in, happily chatting away, fell to the ground with a crash that Twilight barely heard. The entire structure shuddered. 

The walls would probably collapse soon, and if Twilight didn't get out, he'd be buried and very likely killed. If the building didn't crush him, the fire would burn him to death. Neither situation sounded pleasant. 

Twilight took a few steps forward, breathing shallowly against the thick black smoke and holding a hand up to shield his face from the worst of the heat. The fire was really getting out-of-control now, and Twilight spared a thought to pray it wouldn't catch on the forest. 

The burning wall of the barn looked about ready to buckle. Twilight had seconds to make this work. He didn't have any other way out of the barn. 

He flexed his hands, curled them into fists, and held his forearms up. After a moment to clear his lungs of smoke again, Twilight charged forward into the fire, right towards the rapidly burning wall. 

The run took an eternity. Twilight's throat burned, his arms blazed with sharp, hot pain, all of his other bones ached, his ears rang. The heat got worse as he kept going, and he nearly faltered. 

His speed, combined with the fragility of the wood, burst the wall as soon as he hit it. Cooler air slapped his face, and Twilight stumbled. His balance tipped. 

He fell, right into someone's arms. Twilight couldn't hear, and could barely see, but the smoke cleared from his nose and instead filled with the soapy, ozone smell of Sky's clothing. He didn't know that falling into familiar, comforting arms was exactly what he wanted until it happened. 

Behind him, the barn crashed down, walls finally collapsing inward. Sparks flew, and Sky patted Twilight's hair and his back to put out embers before they caught. 

Twilight hissed as the movement jostled his many splinters and burns. He curled up on the ground with his head against Sky's chest, who was saying something. Something about… poachers? Chasing Legend? Probably the other way around, honestly. 

He wanted to ask about how Sky was there right when he was needed, about the barn in general, about the bomb, but… Sky was stroking his hair, and his chest vibrated the way it did when he hummed. Twilight barely moved from the comforting position when someone started pulling off his layers. 

Twilight knew he'd start to feel better soon. The others would do what they could, and everything would be put to right. It always did. When that happened, Twilight would be first in line to ask questions and hunt anyone down who might be hurting his people. 

But for right now, everything but his hair hurt, and Twilight was very content to let things wash over him until he felt better. 

Chapter Text

Everything had been fine until Hyrule collapsed. 

It had been silent—only Legend's surprised shout and subsequent panicking actually drew their attention. After a bit of frantic maneuvering, they confirmed that Hyrule was still breathing, and looked just fine. He seemed to have just fainted—"Is it the cold?" Wind wondered, and Legend snapped back with "Don't be stupid, his world is colder than anyone else's!"—and wouldn't wake up. 

After some debate, Twilight herded them all to a dry spot out of the wind. 

Time started to internally panic when Legend passed out next, as soon as they got to the old cabin not five minutes later. He didn't let it show, though, and just directed Sky to lay out spots for them to sleep. He knew how his boys worked, they needed tasks to keep them moving, and Wind needed a distraction to not go through anyone's stuff. After a second, Warriors managed to overcome his own shock and started setting up camp, albeit inside a building. 

Four had just pulled out his maintenance kit when he let out a surprised sound and fell over, too. Wind was next to him in an instant to make sure he hadn't stabbed himself on anything sharp. 

That's when the questions started. Once was an event, twice was a coincidence, but thrice was a pattern. A third of the Heroes were down, and nobody had any idea why. Time kept his suspicions to himself, hoping they were wrong. 

Twilight was making a case for a magic spell when he abruptly stopped talking, falling victim to whatever this was next. Warriors carried him over to his bedroll, and Time, hiding the dread growing in his stomach, suggested they all prepare to turn in for the night. 

Wild put a lid on the pot of stew and managed to catch Wind, who'd passed out while trying to steal a piece of potato.  Time's heart raced as he realized just how close Wind had been to falling into the low fire. Wild tucked Wind in, then fainted on top of him. 

"There's nothing more terrifying than a plague," Warriors muttered, helping Sky move Wild over to his own blankets. 

Time pulled his fingers off of Legend's wrist—his pulse was steady—and sighed. "It isn't a plague. If I'm right, you'll all be fine. It may be a rough night, but you'll be fine, you'll wake up by morning."

"You know what this is?" Sky asked, sitting down and hugging his pillow to his chest. 

"I've run into it before, yes." 

Sky bit his lip, then his eyes closed, too. Time lunged forward to catch him, then lowered him down onto his bed. 

"Will you go down?" Warriors asked Time, taking off his boots with a grim expression. 

"No."

"Then watch us until we wake up, I don't like the idea of being here without any information at all."

Time pushed Warriors's boots off to the side. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything else."

"What is it, Time?" Warriors insisted. He pulled off his scarf, but held onto it with white knuckles. 

"You won't like it."

"I don't care, I want to know." 

Internally, Time made a few word choices that Twilight wouldn't approve of. Externally, he just sighed. "It's a curse, Captain. For nightmares. It only strikes once."

Warriors glanced over at all the others, arranged on their bedrolls like patients at a hospital. "They…"

"Like I said," Time said, clamping down on his own worry to put a hand on Warriors's shoulder, "it might be a bit of a rough night, but nothing we haven't handled before. Get some rest."

"Like I have a choi…" The rest of the sentence was lost, and Time made sure Warriors's head hit his pillow gently. 

The cabin was silent, save for the crackling fire and the wind that whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls. Time sat back and ran a hand down his face, free to express his rather turbulent emotions now. 

Thinking on it, he did remember this chilly part of his world, a rather obscure corner not particularly ruled by any one people. He'd never seen it in person, which is why he hadn't recognized it upon entering. He knew it was home to a variety of evils, most neutral but a few actively malicious. 

When he'd caught this curse, he'd been near here with Navi at his side. He thought at the time that he'd just worked himself to fainting again and had the worst nightmares of his life up to that point. Only when he woke up, damp and shivering, did he realize that hadn't been a normal rest. He'd done a little research, and been on the lookout for signs, but hadn't come across this curse again. 

Time let out a breath and stood up. He wasn't about to go to sleep tonight, not without anyone else to watch. He had a long night ahead of him, but he mostly worried about his boys. The fact that all of them had nightmares wasn't a secret, but it also wasn't anything they actively talked about, at least not as a group. 

He poked the fire and set another dry log on top to keep it going. After a moment's thought, he started heating a kettle of water, too. Just in case.

As it did so many nights, the nightmares began with Wild.  

Time abandoned his little bowl of stew to go sit next to him. Wild's nightmares were often vivid for him, he said once, bright and confusing and full of voices. Time didn't want to add to the confusion, so he kept quiet as he pulled Wild's hands off of his scars, holding them steadily and firmly. He made sure Wild's hair wasn't getting tangled around his neck. 

Wild's face crumbled in on itself, but he didn't make much noise. He pulled against Time's hands more than once. As his thrashing reached a fevered pitch, Time closed his eyes against the sight. In the darkness, he saw a Guardian's eye fix right on him, blue and deadly. 

Startled, Time's eyes shot open an instant before the beam hit. Wild jerked in his hold one last time, then went still. For one terrifying moment, Time thought that Wild had actually died, but Wild's heartbeat came through loud, quick, and clear through his wrist when Time moved his finger to check. 

What had that been?

Wild calmed down after a few more minutes, allowing Time to pull his blanket back up and sit back. The kettle started whistling, so he got up to start a cup of tea. 

Not a minute after it had finished steeping, Time heard Legend begin to mutter under his breath. He stood up, picked his way over, and sat down near Legend. With a pang of guilt, he realized that under the blanket, nobody had bothered to remove Legend's boots or belt for the night. 

Legend's words became clear enough to hear as Time worked on the boots. "Wake up, wake up, wake up…" His forehead glistened with sweat. 

Time grabbed Legend's arm, just to let him know he wasn't alone, and Legend's other hand came up to clutch at Time's wrist. 

"Wake me up," Legend said, eerily coherent. His words only slurred a little with sleep. 

"I don't think I can," Time responded. His heart hurt when Legend's face twisted up, as if he could hear. 

"Don't wanna be here…" Legend muttered. 

Out of some kind of morbid curiosity, Time closed his eye. 

As he'd suspected, a faint scene lit up under his eyelids. He saw the ocean, dark and writhing with a storm, with an island out in the distance. He looked over to see a version of Legend next to him, holding ropes in his hands as he stared out at the coming storm. 

"You're here, too, now?" Legend asked, his dream voice layering on his real voice oddly. "Are you some kind of dreamwalker?"

"I think it's the curse. Everyone but me got hit with it."

"Curse?" Legend spat out a few choice words. "How long is this gonna last?"

"Just the night."

"Dammit. Fine. I'll be fine."

Time's hand tightened on Legend's real arm, and Legend's dream face showed more sorrow than annoyance. "Will you?"

"No other choice." The boat they both stood on crested a wave, and Legend pulled on his ropes, trying to keep it afloat. The deck fell abruptly. Time couldn't really feel it, but Legend grunted. "I almost died out here. Right before I murdered an entire island full of people."

"It isn't like nightmares are easy." Time had doubts about Legend's words, but he wouldn't say them out loud. 

"They're also not real, so shove it, old man. Here it comes."

Time opened his eye to pull Legend's real body closer. Legend twitched. He kept muttering, things about waves and songs and paintings. Time didn't try closing his eye again, but he held Legend for as long as he needed it. 

The moment Legend went still, Warriors sucked in a breath. Time moved over to him, knowing very well the kinds of things that Warriors had nightmares about. He had no doubt now that the curse would enable him to invade the others' privacy, which he was very reluctant to do. 

Time blinked into Warriors's dreams for a few seconds, to see if he could communicate there, too. He had no luck, and left as soon as he caught sight of a familiar masked woman headed for them. Time kept hold of Warriors's hand and whispered to him, instead of moving him or touching him much. Warriors didn't make much noise or move, but he did cry. 

Knowing that nobody could see him, Time let himself wipe away a tear or two, as well. Warriors's breathing eventually deepened again, and Time let him go. 

He had five minutes to drink his cooling tea before Four made a noise. Time had been surprised, long ago, to realize that Four was the cuddliest of them all while they slept, regularly grabbing the nearest arm or leg and holding on. It hurt a little to see him here, curled up as tightly as he could get as if trying to hug himself. Time reached out to push his hair away from his face, and Four immediately turned toward the touch.

It didn't take much effort to pull Four up onto his lap, or to pull Four's arms out from around himself to hug Time instead, which he did with a vengeance. 

In his dream, Four almost seemed to realize that Time was there, but he was too preoccupied by searching an empty town to give it much thought. He called for anyone to answer him, sounding lost and lonely, but didn't quite hear Time's responses. 

Time couldn't help being curious, but he managed to tamp it down and leave the dream before he learned something he'd rather hear from Four himself. 

Sky was the next to stir, right next to Four's bedroll. Time didn't quite have the heart to detach Four, so he ended up with Sky leaning on him, too. Sky couldn't hear Time over the lightning in his dreams, either. 

After what felt like hours, in which he got a little sleepy too, Time managed to extricate himself and let Sky and Four hold onto each other to go comfort Hyrule. 

Like Warriors, Hyrule didn't move or make much noise, but his expression made Time wince. He looked so young and small in his sleep. Poor kid. Time had to hold his hands to stop him from scratching at his skin. Hyrule's nightmares lasted the longest, long enough that Wind's began before Hyrule's ended.

Time reached over Legend to hold onto Wind's hand, too. Hyrule and Wind settled after a while, and Time left Hyrule all but on top of Legend to pull Wind's blankets back up. The kid was a kicker. 

Most of the boys so far had been very quiet, so Time startled when Twilight started to scream. It wasn't a loud, scared scream, but a pained one, confused and in agony. Time hurried over to pick Twilight's head up into his lap, trying to soothe him. 

Twilight's screams stuttered and stopped, eventually tapering off into whimpers. He held tightly to Time's hand, and didn't seem to mind the fingers in his hair. 

Time didn't mean to, but it had been a long night, and his heart hurt. He closed his eyes, intending to doze. 

He saw a dream Twilight on the ground next to him, convulsing as his body refused to pick between Hylian and wolf. Time held Twilight's hand just a little more aggressively. 

"Hey, hey. It's not real. You're okay." 

At Time's words, Twilight calmed, making Time feel guilty he hadn't tried talking sooner. Dream Twilight pressed his forehead into the dirt, letting himself settle. Time forced himself to not doze, to stay present and aware. Just a little longer. 

Three minutes past sunrise, Twilight stirred. "Time?"

"Yes. You're awake."

"I think… ugh." Twilight pressed his hand up to his eyes. "Haven't had one that bad in a while."

"That's because it was magic. Do you remember last night?"

"Magic?" Twilight hummed. "The others were dropping like flies. I guess I did, too?" 

"That's right."

Twilight pushed himself up. "Did you?"

"No."

"You should get some rest, then." Twilight gave him a look. 

Time looked up at the ceiling. "I'm fine."

"You're just going to have a hard time resisting when Wars gets up and bullies you into it."

"I know." 

Twilight sighed. He ran his hands down his face again, then threw his blanket off and rummaged in his nearby pack for some socks. "Thanks. By the way. I could tell you were there."

Time gave him a smile and got up to put away his half-empty tea. "Nightmares are awful. Especially cursed nightmares."

"Will everyone else wake up now?" 

Legend sat straight up, stared at nothing, then buried his face in his hands. Twilight and Time exchanged a startled look. 

"Okay," Legend said after a second. "Who cast that curse?"

"Unfortunately, nobody," Time answered. 

"So there's nobody I can punch to feel better?"

Time shrugged. "When Warriors wakes up, I'm sure you could punch him."

"Time!" Twilight hissed.  

Chapter Text

Warriors watched Four pace around his cell, wondering what he thought he could do. They'd both scoured every inch of their individual cells, and come up with nothing. Neither of them had seen anything coming in, either, thanks to a bag (Four) and head trauma (Warriors.) There seemed to be a not-insignificant amount of organization inside this building here, too, with lots of guards and scheduled shifts. It had been less than a day, though, so Warriors couldn't say anything they'd observed was for certain, yet. 

"I have an idea," Four announced, not letting his voice echo on the stone. He faced Warriors with his arms crossed. 

"Do share." Warriors picked his head up from where he'd been leaning it against the wall. "I'm fresh out today."

The lock on door that led to the space between their cells rattled, and both of them tensed. 

"I'm going to do it," Four said quickly and quietly. "Just trust me, okay? And play along."

Warriors didn't get the chance to respond. He watched Four instead of the door as it opened, watched how his expression fell from worried to haughty. He'd seen that on Four's face before, when he was being a smug know-it-all or politely annoyed, but here it was turned up to eleven. 

"Well, well, well," the woman who'd entered the room said, standing in front of Warriors. "Fancy seeing you here, Link."

Warriors looked up and frowned. He ignored the guards standing behind her. "Lady Vidra. It was your guards who kidnapped us. I'm sorry to say that if you'd like an emotional reunion, you've dashed all hope of that to pieces."

She tilted her head, the thin, dark brown ringlets around her face swaying. Warriors liked her hair. And her face. She was very pretty, but vicious over petty insults and downright sadistic when it came to ruining reputations. He'd taken her out a few times, complimented her kissing, and let it die. Apparently she held a grudge. 

"Emotional reunion? Well, this is a reunion. And I hope it will be emotional."

"What do you want?" Warriors asked. He got up to stand within a foot of her. 

"I want you to suffer," she answered with a light tone. "And my employer would like your head, eventually."

Warriors narrowed his eyes. "Employer?"

"Oh my, I've said too much," Lady Vidra said, backing up with a teasing, gloved hand over her lips. She smiled. "Well, I suppose I can tell you. You aren't leaving here ever again, after all. I have joined the ranks of your traitors." She spread her arms out, clearly proud of herself. 

"You've stooped quite low. And to think I once thought you pretty."

She put a hand on her cheek as if in lamentation. "You don't anymore? What a tragedy."

"You're a snake."

"What a compliment." Lady Vidra smiled at him, then turned on her heel to face Four instead. He looked back at her impassively, his arms still folded. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry if the big, bad hero is scary."

Four narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a child, my lady. And he doesn't scare me." Somehow, Four packed his words full of sharp edges, twisting them into flesh with the look he sent Warriors.

Warriors had a hunch that he knew what this plan was. He did not like it. 

"Ah, you sound intelligent, unlike that boorish brute back there." Warriors bristled at her words. Boorish? Brute? How dare she say that about him. "I'd like information about your companions, if you please, so I can beat them off with a stick when they come knocking."

Four raised an eyebrow. "And how, my lady, would I be rewarded for such information?"

Warriors could imagine Lady Vidra's small smile. "Perhaps I won't hurt your friend. Well, as badly as I might otherwise do."

"Really?" Four snorted. "That's all? My lady, go ahead and do that anyway. Hell, I'll do it for you. That's not much of a reward. Go on."

Ah, yes. That was the plan. Warriors scowled in what he hoped was confusion enough, so when Lady Vidra looked toward him with glee, she saw just how hurt he was by the words. 

"Oh, really? You'd turn on him like that?"

"What did you call him before? A boorish brute? Try living with him every day." Four rolled his eyes and shifted his weight. "Hair this, clothes that, not to mention how he never pays his debts. How many times have I saved your hide, Link, only for you to run off like a coward when I'm in any danger? Or any of the others? Sure, I'd turn on him. He's expendable."

Warriors took a few steps back. He didn't have to battle to show the hurt on his face. Four's plan, as much as he hated it, was actually likely to work. He knew just what to say, and so far, hadn't broken character. 

…He didn't actually think those things, right? It was just an act. 

"I think I like you," Lady Vidra laughed. "So, you'll work with me?"

"I want to go back with the others, eventually. I don't mind leaving him, but I can play distraught pretty well. Might not even need to, actually. I think the others are tired of him, too." Four shrugged, not even glancing at Warriors again. 

"Help me for a few days, then. We can get them all nice and worried, then you can go back and tell them he's dead, and we can both forget about him."

"Fine by me." 

Lady Vidra held her hand out to one of the guards, who pulled a key from his belt and gave it to her. Warriors, watching Four very closely, noticed him follow the movement with his eyes. It took Lady Vidra just a moment to unlock Four's cell and let him out. 

She put a hand on his shoulder and turned to Warriors again. "There you have it, Link. Several new, shiny words to describe you. Boorish, annoying, and… what was that last one, again?"

"Coward," Four finished. His smug little smile lifted slightly as he faced Warriors, as if in distaste about what he was saying. It gave Warriors a little hope, enough that he could play his part. 

"I can't believe you," Warriors snapped. "You call yourself a Hero of Light?"

"Oh, Link," Four said, stretching his arms out in front of him, "if you really knew my story, you wouldn't be so surprised. Why do you think I never talk about it?"

"I hope this blows up in your face."

Four laughed once. "Well, now, there's an idea. But maybe for a grand finale. An explosion sounds… deadly."

Lady Vidra patted his shoulder, turning him toward the door. "I like the way you think. Toodle-oo, Link, have fun stewing with the knowledge that everyone hates you."

"This isn't the end," Warriors insisted, coming forward to grip the bars of his cell. 

"So," Lady Vidra said as they left, entirely ignoring Warriors. "What's your name?"

"V–Four. Call me Four."

The door shut tight behind them, the lock clicked, and Warriors stumbled backward. He hit the back wall and slid down to sitting, burying his hands in his hair. 

Four had been lying. He'd been lying through his teeth . Coward? Expendable? Warriors recalled a few days ago, when Four confessed in complete confidence that he thought Warriors was far more worthy of the title Hero of Courage than he was. Warriors had done his best to convince him otherwise. 

So while Warriors had to purposely silence the little voice in his head that told him that all his worst, most insecure fears were true, he held tight to one truth—he did trust Four. He did. 

He was a bit dismayed that he had to keep repeating that to himself. 

---

Warriors fell asleep on the cold floor at some point, which meant that the door scraping open again woke him up. Dread was heavy in his stomach as he blinked awake and sat up. 

"Whattime…" he mumbled, rubbing at his sticky eyes. 

"About seven in the morning," Four answered. He kicked the door shut behind him. "Hey, Link."

The name knocked Warriors back into reality. Right. Lady Vidra knew him as Link, not as Wars. If Four was using the name, while appearing to be alone, then someone was monitoring him. 

"Four," Warriors answered, putting frost into his tone. 

"Sleeping in?" Four set a bowl of rice down past the bars. He glanced at the closed door, then pulled a waterskin from his tunic and offered it out to Warriors. 

"Might as well enjoy my 'last few days,' or whatever." Warriors moved to the bars side of the cell to take the water. He drank it quickly. 

"Get comfort while you can," Four said, speaking a touch more loudly to cover the sounds of Warriors getting some hydration. "I doubt you'll be getting much from me. Or the lady. Or the floor." He snorted, but his face showed nothing but concern. 

How are you? Four asked with his hands, using the workable signs the Heroes had managed to splice together from all their sign language variants. 

"You won't get away with this, you know," Warriors snapped. He handed the waterskin back and sat down to free his hands. 

Fine. Are you searching for a way out? 

"What an overused, tired line, Link. I thought you had more style. Besides, you're the one behind bars." 

Yes , Four signed, using small movements. I'm sorry. 

Not mad at you. It'll work. "And you're the one living a lie." 

"Eat your rice and say your prayers, Link, because I've told her about all your greatest fears." She wants to hurt you. Four stood up again. 

"Oh, yeah? Which ones?" Of course. Just hurry.

"Oh, just, you know, drowning." Four's voice lilted as if he was telling Warriors something he really didn't want to hear. 

Warriors had no fear of drowning, but he could play along. He rolled his eyes, which made Four smile. "You didn't."

"I did. So prepare yourself for that. See you later, Link." Four opened the door and left the room. 

It was very nice to have airtight confirmation that Four was just playing a part. He just did it so well. Warriors was a little suspicious, but, well, a kid's acting skills were his own business. 

Warriors picked up the little bowl of plain rice and ate as much of it as he could.

---

Some time later, Warriors guessed it was a few hours, the door opened again to admit Lady Vidra, who smiled at him before holding the door open for two guards. One carried a wide bucket full of water that splashed down the sides, and Warriors set his jaw. Four brought up the end of the small procession, and shut the door behind him. 

"I can't tell you how excited I am for today," Lady Vidra said, looking at Warriors with sparkling eyes. "It's going to be so satisfying. Garth, Jib, get him secured, will you?"

One of the guards opened the cell, and both entered, faces set. Warriors considered fighting back. He didn't think he'd win, though, not without a weapon against men who had swords at their hips, so he only struggled a little bit as they tied his hands behind his back. The leather stretched, and Warriors worried a little about the circulation in his hands. One of the guards kicked out his knees, and he fell hard. 

"Nothing to say?" Lady Vidra asked, leaning against the bars as if she were watching an interesting play. 

"What would I say? Don't? Help? That hurts?" Warriors winced as a guard grabbed a handful of his hair, while the other put the bucket of water down in front of him. 

"You could try compliments," Four suggested, pulling out a book to read, of all things. "She likes those."

Lady Vidra laughed. "That I do. Do you have any of those for me, Sir Link?"

Warriors bared his teeth. "You're vile. Both of you."

She raised one perfect eyebrow. "That's not very nice. I guess I won't go easy on you."

"Were you going to?" Four asked with a snort, barely paying attention as he read. 

"No… no. I wasn't. Say, Four, would you like to do the honors?"

Four looked up at her with the most deadpan expression Warriors had ever seen on his face. "I'm reading, my lady. And do you see how big he is? He'd fight me off."

"Just direct them, then," Lady Vidra wheedled. "You're smart. You know what would be the worst. Don't you want a little bit of revenge?"

"Fine." Four put a bookmark on his page, handed the book over to Lady Vidra, then stepped inside the cell. "You, stand there. Do what I say. You, just… get out of the way."

Behind Warriors, the guards shifted until the one holding his head stood next to him, and Four stood right behind him. He felt Four pick up his hands and put fingers next to his pulse point. His heart picked up a little in anticipation. He was going to hate this, wasn't he?

"Did you know that people can be revived from drowning?" Four said. "Care to test the theory?"

Warriors put a bit more fear on his face than he really felt, hoping to sell the idea that his greatest fear was drowning. "Not really, no."

"Unfortunate. Take a breath."

He did his best.

"Down," Four said. 

The guard pushed Warriors's head down into the bucket. Water closed over his face and soaked into his hair. Droplets fell on his shoulders, which just made him shiver. He closed his eyes and counted in his head to give himself something to think about. 

One, two, three, four, five…

The guard dragged him up from the water. His hair fell around him, wet and dripping. Warriors took half another breath before—

"Down." 

—the water wouldn't let him breathe. Warriors shut his eyes tightly. 

He came up again, and sucked in a few wet breaths. The water running down his face wanted to fall into his mouth and nose. He could feel his heartbeat quickening as his blood tried to keep up. 

Warriors didn't even hear Four say anything that time, his ears were clogged. The water came up to meet him. 

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine… 

This time, Warriors stayed under for far too long. He started to run out of air, and his shoulders jerked. He tried to struggle against the hand holding him under the surface, but it just pushed him farther down until his forehead hit the bottom of the bucket. His lungs spasmed, desperate for air. 

Just when Warriors thought he'd pass out, the world moved. He coughed up the water he'd almost swallowed, hearing nothing but more water streaming down his face and rippling in the bucket. He barely got the chance to empty his lungs before he went down again. 

He struggled more, needing air and not getting it. The last of what he had disappeared into bubbles. Although he tried not to, he took an involuntary breath in, and only swallowed water. 

His mind began to slow. How could he think when he had no air? 

After an eternity, the harsh tugging on Warriors's hair resumed to pull him above the water. Water fell from his mouth and nose, but he couldn't get enough air to cough the rest of it out. He gagged. Four's hand squeezed his own. 

"His lips are blue," someone said. 

No, really? Warriors wanted to snap. He finally sucked in a desperate breath and started coughing up water. He could barely get enough air to cough. The violent coughing tore up his throat. 

"That's probably enough to traumatize him," Four said, somehow sounding entirely disaffected. 

"No, no." Lady Vidra had a smile in her voice. "Keep going."

"Do you want me to kill him? I thought you wanted to do that."

"You can go a little further."

Four sighed. "Whatever you say, my lady."

Warriors finally got to a point where he was breathing rather than gasping. He sagged in the guard's hold, ignoring the pain in his head to relax his abdomen. He could tell his chest would ache later, along with every other part of him. He focused on breathing, chest seizing every few moments. 

Of course, it was then that he heard Four's voice again. "Down."

Warriors managed to keep himself from panicking through hard-won discipline. He mistimed his breath, and swallowed another mouthful of water that he really needed to get out. 

He got a chance just a few seconds later, but Four had no mercy. Warriors had the fleeting thought that he could've used Four back in the war, he was brutal. He didn't fall into a predictable pattern, and never got too close to actually drowning him. Warriors heard Four try to stop twice more, but Lady Vidra urged him onward. 

Unlike Time, Warriors could not accurately count seconds while stressed. He didn't know how long it lasted, but by the time Four's hand let him go and the guard threw him down to the ground, he felt like a wrung-out, sad dishrag. 

More than water came up from his throat, and he managed to turn to his side so it didn't just go back down. The rest of the water from the bucket splashed over him, soaking the rest of his clothes. His chest ached.

"Well, that was very satisfying," Lady Vidra said as the guards moved out of the cell. "You did an excellent job."

"Thank you, my lady." Four paused. "He'll catch hypothermia."

"He won't last that long."

Four didn't say anything else, and the cell slammed shut with a metallic clang. 

When Warriors heard the main door close and lock again, he held still for a moment longer. Nobody else seemed to be in the room. 

He coughed a few more times, wishing they'd at least untied him, then laid his head back on the ground and tried not to shiver too hard. 

He trusted Four. 

Chapter Text

Four stared at the wall, putting the finishing touches on his plan. It became clear last night that he couldn't afford to wait as long as he'd originally thought. He knew that Warriors could be a bit of a flirt and a bit of a heartbreaker, but he thought Lady Vidra took her ire way too far. Some of her ideas… Four could only describe them as downright cruel. She had problems. 

So, today, he would put the plan into action, a little sooner than he planned, but that would be all right. The timing was extremely delicate, with a lot of moving parts, which meant Four would have to split up into four to get it all done right when it needed to be. That was a secret that none of the other Heroes had, yet, but he was very willing to give it up, if it meant saving Warriors. The trick would be to make everyone in the manor think they were just seeing the normal Four. 

Golden Three, he hoped Warriors didn't hate him. He'd have every right to. But he still hoped. 

Four reached over to the desk in his guest room and grabbed the hilt of the Four Sword. The feel of it in his hands comforted him. He could do this.

He stood and summoned the magic necessary, then channeled it through the blade. The sword bent and separated Four like he was sunlight filtered through a glass prism. He split.  

"Everyone's clear on the plan?" Green checked as they reoriented themselves to four different bodies again. It had been a while. 

"Crystal," Vio responded. He picked up their pack and slung it over his shoulders. "Unless Blue would like to switch jobs."

Blue scowled. "For the last time, no."

"I'm still better at acting."

"And I still have a better pain tolerance."

Vio rolled his eyes and opened the shutters on the window. He pulled the rope off of the side of the pack, affixed the loop to a curtain rod hook, and double-checked for guards outside. "I know, I know. You're insisting. We've been over this." 

"And I'm headed down to the kitchens, hiding, and waiting for the signal," Red said. "Can I please burn the place down as we leave?"

The other three exchanged a glance. They knew what they were thinking.

"Abso-friggin-lutely," Blue said aloud for them all. "If someone else doesn't start it first." He faked a cough, hiding a Wild in there. 

"They won't." Red pulled his fire rod from its hiding place under the bed, along with a powder box full of mild poison. 

Green sheathed his sword on his back. "I'll head up to the towers."

"And I'm going to the library," Blue sighed and all but pouted as he handed Vio his own Four Sword. 

"We can still switch."

Blue turned his pout into a glare. "Climb before I push you."

"So sensitive." Vio tested the rope, then clambered up to the window. He swung out, holding onto the rope with his hands and bracing his feet on the wall. "Green, will you unhook the loop when I get down?"

Green nodded. "Here we go."

---

Red knew his role as one of Four. He was their primary source of compassion and empathy, but also innocence and wonder. And… yeah. He liked causing chaos, just a different kind of chaos from the rest of them. He was looking forward to the arson. That counted as 'wonder,' right? 

He strolled carelessly into the kitchen, putting on his best Vio face. A pot of stew bubbled over the main fire, while remnants of last night's dinner spread out on the counter for others to snack on. Red picked up a fish skewer and one of the raspberry pastries that Four hadn't gotten to enjoy last night after all that with Warriors, then wandered over to the pot.

The guards would eat this stew for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today, eating in staggered shifts. It was a prime target. Red leaned up against the hearth, enjoying the heat of the fire as he picked the fish skewer clean and waited. 

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, something huge fell and clattered loudly from the other side of the door to the dining room. Startled, the single cook and single maid in the kitchen rushed out to check on things. Lucky. 

In the thirty seconds before they came back in, Red pulled the powder box out of his pocket, took off the lid, and dumped the poison powder into the stew. He stirred it once so it wasn't visible anymore. His heart pounded, but he forced himself to walk casually out of the kitchen, picking up a few more snacks as he went past. He managed to leave just as the servants came back inside. 

Phew. Stage one of Red's part, complete. He had to physically restrain himself from running down the hall a little to let out some steam. 

Near the kitchen, he stopped at a tall, freestanding cabinet, then pulled out the drawer. Hm, no healing potions. They had been hoping for a few. He decided to pull out a few bandages and a bottle or two of antibiotics instead, just in case. With snacks and medical supplies gathered in his arms, Red ducked out of sight.

He took a few more turns, headed down a staircase or two, and holed up in a closet under the last set of stairs to the dungeon. He wedged a metal spike under the door so nobody could get in, not that anyone actually ever used this closet. It was almost entirely empty. 

The fire rod glowed just enough to light up Red's immediate area. He set everything down, including himself, and gave it a second so he could calm down a bit. Once his heart had stopped galloping quite so fast, Red pulled out his current friendship bracelet project. The orange light made it a bit difficult to tell the colors of the floss apart, but he would manage. He had a few hours to kill until the signal, at least. 

Hopefully, everyone else would be safe, too. 

---

Green climbed a lot of stairs to get to the tower-tops. He enjoyed the exertion, honestly. It was a nice distraction from his worry about Warriors, about Red, Blue, Vio, about the other Heroes. He worried about a lot. He knew he was the force that held Four together so well, the one that often made decisions and took responsibilities seriously. He usually ended up with most of their stress when they split, unfortunately, but he learned how to deal with it. 

Eventually, the climb ended, and Green faced what looked like an armory of defensive equipment. All of Four loved Warriors's world, seeing the strides in smithing and general engineering that had come with a large-scale war. Necessity truly was the mother of invention. 

Green took mental notes as he crouched down next to the nearest giant mounted crossbow. Four wasn't in the business of making weapons like this, but it was always interesting to see the technique, and Vio would be fascinated. 

After a few minutes of inspection, Green determined the weakest point in the construction. He went to rummage around in a cabinet nearby and came out with a fat nail and a hammer. The towers weren't guarded very closely, being far out of reach, so he didn't worry too much about the noise as he pounded the nail into a weak join in the wood. A crack appeared and ran all the way down the length of the crossbow, rendering it unusable. 

Satisfied, Green did the same thing to every other crossbow in the armory, then carefully half-slit the leather straps on all the armor pieces, and sliced the hilts on the swords. It pained him to do so, they were nice swords, but it was all in the name of saving Warriors, so he'd deal with it. Besides, it wasn't as if they were irreparable. 

When all the defenses in the armory had been dealt with, Green picked out a shiny piece of metal and climbed out the window. The morning sun blared onto his face, and wind threatened to knock him over, this high up. Green took a second to stabilize his footing, then climbed carefully over onto a spot that couldn't be seen from inside the manor. He picked a vantage that would let him monitor the north side of the wall without being obvious to anyone outside, either, then settled down with his little notebook in his hands and the bit of metal within reach. 

He wasn't very good at poetry, but that was just because he hadn't practiced. Might as well try while he waited for everything else to slot into place.

---

Blue was not much of a reader, but he didn't mind books nearly as much as he pretended to sometimes. When Four split the first time, the information stored in his head split, too, with a lot of overlap between them (thank goodness, they all had swordfighting and the basic rudiments of how to be a person.) 

Vio got most of the book learning, Green got the knight lessons, and Red got anything about frogs, children, and a not-insignificant amount of their magic knowledge. Blue was content with most of their blacksmithing expertise, and confused about why he got the first aid stuff. It came in handy more often than he wanted to admit, though, so he didn't complain. 

So when he arrived in the manor library to do his best to act like Vio-fronting-Four for a little while, he searched out the medical section. Ooh, a book about burns. He dealt with those a lot. As Blue went to take that book out, another caught his eye— Battlefield First Aid . 

Ah. Better. 

Blue picked the book out from the shelf, then grabbed a few random ones from other sections so he'd look more like a nerd who read books in a matter of hours rather than days. He stacked them on a table and plopped down into a fat armchair to start reading. 

He had purposely chosen a spot hidden from the door, so when he heard Lady Vidra's soft shoes on the rugs, he had time to ruffle his hair a little and slump down into a semblance of Vio's posture. He pretended to be far more absorbed in the book than he was, and didn't look up until she spoke. 

"Good morning, Four. I wasn't aware you had any tunics other than the… rather multicolored one." She made 'rather multicolored' sound like 'covered in mud.'

Blue could imagine Green's affronted noise in his head. Being split was nice, but he did sometimes miss the peanut gallery. He missed being part of the peanut gallery. 

"I haven't had any reason to wear anything else, yet. I like those colors."

"Well, you look very nice in blue."

"Thanks." Blue looked back down at his book and tried to absorb a bit about stitching techniques. In a group of nine self-sacrificing Heroes, stitches were common. 

"Would you like to join me for tea?" Lady Vidra asked after a moment longer. 

Blue did not. "Sure." He closed the book reluctantly and set it on his stack. A bad title caught his eye—whoops, he'd grabbed a romance. Oh well. He wasn't actually planning on reading it. 

He followed Lady Vidra to one of the small parlor rooms, one with pale pink wallpaper, a small hearth, a striped white loveseat, and a tea table. Kind of chintzy, if he was being honest, but also not the worst he'd seen. At least most of the pinks and creams matched. The loveseat looked nice and heavy. 

Blue hopped up on a seat. "What are your plans today? My lady?" he added quickly. 

"Well, nourishment first," Lady Vidra said primly, sipping at her rosebud-patterned teacup. "And then I believe I will go visit Link."

"Oh? Do you have plans yet?" Blue picked up his own teacup. The tea tasted a little odd… oh no. It was poisoned, wasn't it? Blue wanted to kick himself for not being more paranoid. He'd already swallowed a little. He forcibly kept his face still. 

Lady Vidra watched him through her eyelashes. "Well, I have ideas, of course, but I wanted to ask your opinion about which we should inflict next. We could bring in some coals and pokers, a whip, some good old-fashioned beating."

"Most of that sounds painful." Blue put down the tea and picked up a cookie instead. He didn't feel sick yet. 

"Well, of course. That is the point. Having you spearhead was delicious, wasn't it?"

"It made us sick," Blue said, then froze. He hadn't meant to say that. And using 'us'? He almost never made that kind of mistake, especially split. 

"Oh?" Lady Vidra put her teacup down, frowning slightly. "And what would you think if I asked you to do it again today?"

Blue kept his lips shut and shook his head. 

"Answer me, Four."

"You're crazy." Blue said. He pressed his hands into his eyes. He'd expected to be found out, but not so quickly. This would throw a wrench into things. "Truth potion or something, huh? What, didn't you trust me?"

"It seems as if I was right to not to." Lady Vidra stood up. "Guards!" Three rather buff men and women burst into the room. 

Blue jumped off the chair. He wished he had his sword, but the odds didn't look good, and he'd rather it be in Vio's hands than Lady Vidra's. He didn't waste breath on more useless words and focused entirely on defending himself. 

He was at a disadvantage in this fight—surrounded, unarmed, and alone. It didn't take very long for the guards to knock him over and pin him to the ground, facedown in the rug. Blue fought back, but three mercenaries all bigger than him could tie his wrists and ankles without much issue. 

"Get off me!" Blue shouted, struggling. "You ice-brained sons of—" Someone covered his mouth, cutting him off. 

Lady Vidra had regained her composure, and pointed a sharp glare at him even as she spoke to the guards. "Feel free to rough him up a little, but keep him alive for now. Secure him somewhere in here when you're done, I have other places to be."

Blue snarled at her as she left the parlor. 

---

Vio tugged his hood lower over his eyes, knowing he passed for a child at first glance and hoping that let him avoid notice. He wove around legs and bodies crowding together in the market, eyes peeled for any sign of anything familiar. So far, he hadn't seen very much. 

He was on the verge of climbing a building to look from the roofs when a flash of white caught his eye. Quickly, he ducked around a portly man in expensive red to follow it. It was Sky who walked away, his white cape still unblemished, although he looked distressed. Hyrule walked alongside him, holding a bundle of something freshly purchased. Vio followed them through the crowd, but could never quite get close enough to call out, at least without drawing attention. 

The two led Vio back to an inn, where they veered right over to the other Heroes waiting at one of the tables in the main room. Vio slipped in behind them. 

"We found more salve," Hyrule said, laying the bundle of purchases on the table to sort, "but no more potions. I guess there's some kind of shortage here."

"And no sign of Four or Warriors," Sky added, sitting next to Twilight on the bench. His shoulders slumped. 

Wild saw Vio approach first. His eyes went comically wide, then narrowed. "...Four?"

Everyone whipped around to look, and their expressions of shock and relief melted to suspicion at various rates. Legend was the quickest, and Sky the slowest, only becoming wary when it was clear all the others were. 

"You're not Four," Legend said, looking him over. "You didn't get his clothes right, but kudos on the face, that's almost accurate. Who are you?"

Vio pulled his hood off and stopped at the narrow end of the table. Part of him, the small part that had really enjoyed being a villain all that time ago, enjoyed the way the others leaned away from him and reached for weapons. But that was exactly opposite of the attitude he really wanted, so he held up both his empty hands. 

"I'm sure you all remember that Four has four colors on… everything," Vio began, getting right to the point. He wanted them to understand at least enough to trust him, but they didn't have a lot of time if they wanted to spare Warriors. And Blue. "The colors represent his four parts. I'm the purple part of Four. My name is Vio. It's nice to officially meet you."

In the silence that followed his pronouncement, Vio could almost hear crickets. The inn's main room bustled around them.

Time frowned and leaned his elbows on the table. "Are you implying that Four has three more… parts like you?"

"I am. Green, Red, and Blue. Those are their names, too, I realize they're a bit uncreative. We were Link until we drew the Four Sword."

"Look, if this is true," Twilight said slowly, "Why didn't Four ever say anything? It's a pretty big thing, isn't it?"

"Yes. That would partly be my fault," Vio admitted. "We weren't going to say anything to you all without a unanimous decision, of course, and we had too many reservations until now. Splitting was the only way to efficiently enact our plan, so we did it. Remember how Four's eyes change color?"

Wild nodded. "Yeah. Freaked me out when they turned all red that one time."

"The color changes depending on who's closest to the top. It's often Blue when we're angry, Green when we're planning, Red when we're empathizing—or playing with fire—and violet, me, when we're remembering things. I know you've noticed the patterns. So, do you believe me yet?"

The others exchanged a few looks. 

Sky spoke for them, confirming what Vio thought. "As much as we'd like to, we're not sure yet, I think. Why, exactly, are you here?"

Vio allowed himself a bit of a smile. "Thank you, that is the real question. I know where Warriors is, and a plan of Four's devising is in action to rescue him. A rather large part of that plan involves you all being there to fight off the guards."

"You know where he is?" Wind asked eagerly. 

"Of course. There's a noble who has gone traitor. She has a grudge. I fully expect Warriors to pursue legal action, but that requires him to not be locked up and tortured in her dungeon."

"This could be a trap," Hyrule muttered. He kept sorting through the new supplies. 

"It isn't," Vio assured him. 

Hyrule gave him a sideways look. "We can't take your word for it yet."

"Would you take Four's?" Vio challenged, not backing down. 

Legend interrupted. "Of course. But why do you keep talking about him as if he's separate from you?"

"Four as you know him is not an individual being. He— we —are an amalgamation of four separate personalities that branched from the same original. He is not entirely me and I am not entirely him. Look, I could waste precious hours pontificating about our situation and the exact details, but Warriors needs our help now. "

Time winced, but nodded and stood up. "Pack your things, boys, we need to go."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "Not that I don't want to believe him, but… it's an awful lot to risk."

Vio frowned. He had expected pushback, but it was very annoying to actually experience it. He'd even presented multiple forms of evidence, for crying out loud. "I understand that you're hesitant, but Wars almost drowned last night." He neglected to say it was his fault. "I don't want him to be hurt irreversibly."

Wind hopped up. "I'm with you. Let's not waste any more time!"

"I'm with you, too," Wild agreed. 

"It will take us at least an hour to walk there," Vio told them. "We need to get moving."

---

Warriors was very, very sore. And cold. Sore and cold.

He shivered, tensing muscles that had been tense all night. At some point, he'd woken up to looser bonds, and wriggled out of them with enough patience. It hadn't taken long after that to take off his wet clothing, laying them out under the tiny window to hopefully catch some sunlight and dry as morning came. He was left in trousers and socks. His bare skin dried faster without the wet cloth, so he warmed up a little better, but he missed his scarf. He glanced over at it folded on the floor with a pitiful frown, and hoped it wouldn't mildew. That would be depressing.

The door admitting Lady Vidra and more guards interrupted another painful coughing fit, and Warriors didn't even bother trying to stifle the noise. He was long past giving her the respect a noble lady usually deserved. 

"My, my," she said, her voice cracking through the cell like a particularly painful bit of shattering glass, "you got ready for me. I'm flattered."

Warriors scowled up at her. "You're despicable. Where's Four today?" His voice hurt his throat. 

"Oh, enjoying a beating of his own." Lady Vidra waved a hand through the air, the casual motion the antithesis of the cold weight that crashed through Warriors's chest. "As it turns out, he was loyal to you the whole time, can you believe it?"

Warriors had to get control of his breathing again. He clutched at his chest and tried not to cough. Four had been found out? Oh, no. 

"Were you hoping he'd come rescue you? Oh, poor Link. To endure such horrid things at the hands of one you thought was your friend, only for us both to be betrayed. Who knew the little one had that much deception in him?"

His throat didn't want to comply with more vicious words, so Warriors just shook his head. 

"Anyway." Lady Vidra kept talking, and his cell door opened with a screech. "I have a treat in store today. I had so hoped to have Four deal you this pain, but I'll take delight in it, myself."

The guards hauled Warriors up by his elbows and dragged him to the bars. He put up what fight he could, but his soreness didn't help much. Punching one of the guards in the face felt good, even if it got him an arm twisted behind his back. 

Lady Vidra looked at her nails. Her other hand held—oh, goddesses, a long, braided strip of leather. "This would be easier and more fun if you stopped struggling so much."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Warriors rasped out as the guard recovered from the punch and tied his arms to the bars in front of him. "I'd hate to ruin your fun." His guts still felt like lead. At least before, he'd had some hope. 

"I appreciate it, Link. You've always been so… so considerate. Right up until you decided I wasn't worth it anymore."

"You stopped coming to see me," Warriors protested. He leaned his forehead against the bars and coughed again. Was he really arguing about a failed relationship right now? When everything had fallen apart? 

She started it, he thought with a pout. It was easier to argue about that than it was to think about where Four was.

When the guards stepped back, Lady Vidra strolled into the cell and let the whip in her hands uncoil slowly. It trailed along the floor, sounding like a snake slithering after her dress. At least his clothes were too far back for her to step on. 

Lady Vidra's sharp fingernail tapped the top of his spine. "I promise, darling, I'll enjoy every moment of this." She stepped back. 

Warriors shivered again and gripped the bars in front of him. Every muscle in his back and neck went taut with anticipation. 

The first crack of the whip felt like little more than a slap, but it still made Warriors flinch. He bit down hard, keeping his tongue out of the way and trying to keep quiet.

The second blow hurt a little more, as the spot where the first had hit began to sting. The third struck high, getting the backs of his arms, too. The fourth went diagonal. The fifth bit deeper. 

Warriors didn't stop counting, but he did stop trying to place each strike. His back turned into a canvas of pain as sweat and blood began to trickle down into open wounds. 

---

Red looked up in alarm when he heard Warriors cry out. He dropped the friendship bracelet and scrambled up to press his ear to the closet door. 

How had he missed the snap of a whip? Red didn't think Warriors would start making noise right away, it must have been going on for a while. His heart ached. He couldn't listen. 

Had something gone wrong? Blue was supposed to be keeping Lady Vidra distracted for a while still. It wasn't even lunchtime yet. Their plan depended on her being too distracted to check on Warriors during the planned fight. Should Red leave the closet? Find Green? Find Blue? 

He chewed on his lip and pulled away from the door as Warriors's cries built. It hurt, but Red decided that the best course of action would be to stay here and be ready to go. Green could give the signal at any moment. 

Red would stick to the plan unless someone told him otherwise. That's what Vio was for, after all. In a best-case scenario. 

A dark hole brewed in Red's stomach as he considered the fact that the best-case scenario might already be long-gone. 

Chapter Text

"That's a nice house," Legend said as they crept up on the manor through the trees. 

"It's a little tacky," Wild added. Legend shrugged. 

Wind pulled himself up to sit on low branch. "How many guards, Four? Uh, Vio?"

"I estimate anywhere from three to six dozen, and they act more like mercenaries than your regular house guards," Vio answered. He peered up at the towers, looking for Green. Only a few seconds later, the flash of a mirror caught his eye, and Vio smiled. 

Twilight pulled him back into a loose circle. "So, Vio, what's the plan? You've been vague."

"I've been selective," Vio corrected. "The first few stages of the plan should already be complete—you're all here, for one. Green knows we're here, now, so he'll be getting into position."

"How does he know?" Wind asked. "Telepathy, or something?"

Vio was prepared to offer patience. "No. He's been sitting on the roof. We don't have telepathy, or anything else like that," he added when Wind's mouth opened again. 

"Keep going," Sky urged. "What is his position?"

"Watching the main hall. Once our group has sufficiently penetrated their defenses—which have been sabotaged, ideally—he'll give a signal. At that point, with everyone distracted, Red will be in place to clear the way to Warriors. I'll lead you down there, where we will hopefully be joined by Blue and Green, and then we can get out." Vio paused. "And commit some light arson on the way out."

Wild perked up. "I like the way that sounds."

"Seconded," Legend said. 

"I have a question," Time began, speaking slowly. "If this noblewoman kidnapped both you and Warriors, how did you escape, and he didn't?"

"I've been wondering that, too," Hyrule said quietly. 

Vio did not wince. "We… pretended to join her side."

"What?" Wind sounded shocked and worried. "You mean you fake-betrayed him? Does he know it was fake?"

"Yes," Vio said, the patience he had to offer running low. All of Four knew what they were doing, and he wished the other Heroes would just trust them. Tall order, he knew, the Heroes were as good as meeting them for the first time, but knowing that didn't stop his wishing. "He approved the plan. It got Four out and in a position to make this happen. Let's not waste time."

Twilight nodded and drew his sword. "So we're the frontal assault?"

"Exactly." 

"You said they're sabotaged?" Legend clarified.

Vio made sure Blue's sword was secure but within reach and pulled out his bow. "Green is very effective, he took care of the equipment. And if all went well, the guards should have been mildly poisoned, too."

"I like the way you think." Wind hopped down from the tree. 

Time stood up straight and glanced over at the manor. "All right, everyone. Don't do anything reckless. Too reckless," he amended. "Remember that we're here for Warriors."

"And to commit arson," Wild added, putting a shield on his back. 

"And to commit arson." Time shook his head. "Let's go."

---

Green swung his feet, watching the chaos unfold beneath him. He'd worried that he would feel useless, sitting up here in the rafters while everyone else fought, but the other Heroes had it in hand. 

Lady Vidra's guards were competent, that much was clear, but there was only so much they could do with bad equipment, while poisoned. (Good job, Red.) The Heroes had the leeway in the fight that they needed to avoid killing, and left a trail of wounded and incapacitated behind them. 

Green smiled with pride when Vio took a particularly difficult shot, pinning a guard to the wall by an arrow through his hand. 

Wild cheered for him, but Vio didn't take the time to celebrate. He spun to nail another guard in the face with a bludgeoning arrow, knocking them over and giving Time a chance to recuperate. 

The guards, while inconvenienced, were plentiful, and the fight continued. Vio stepped away from the bulk of fighting for a moment to glance up at Green, who nodded back and stood up. They'd waited long enough, it was time to give the signal. The guards were sufficiently distracted here. 

Green pulled out his boomerang, aimed very carefully, and threw. The weapon spun out over the top of the battle, narrowly missed hitting someone's head, and slammed into an empty wine bottle balanced on the other side of the rafters. As the bottle teetered, Green caught the boomerang coming back. 

The bottle fell, dragging along a string tied around its middle. A triangular wooden block attached to the other side of the string pulled out from underneath a pretty but cracked bottle of perfume. Green had spent a bit of time making sure the bottle cracked but didn't break, and his work paid off. 

The perfume bottle tipped end-over-end, falling right into a barrel full of a suspicious liquid. It hit with enough force that the bottle broke right in half, dumping potent perfume into the barrel. 

The wine bottle finished falling, landing on a lid that flipped over to land on the barrel just right. With the force of the hit, the barrel, balanced on a small block, started to tilt. 

Green pumped his fist in success as the barrel fell into the stairwell just underneath. It picked up speed as it bounced down the stairs, leaking the subtle smell of roses and grapefruit. 

With the signal sent, Green caught Vio's eye again. 

Looking for Blue, he signed quickly. 

Vio nodded and raised his elbow in a terrible approximation of the sign for good luck . Green smiled and climbed back out onto the roof. He hadn't seen Lady Vidra yet, and that worried him. 

---

Red picked halfheartedly at the friendship bracelet in his lap. It had been some time since Warriors went quiet again, and Red's stomach felt heavier with every passing second. He kept second-guessing himself and wondering if he should have done something different. 

When an unusual smell reached his nose, Red paused. That was Lady Vidra's perfume, he thought, but missing something, and way too strong. Rose and grapefruit. 

A smile grew across Red's face as he realized that the smell must be Green's signal. As quickly as he could, Red shoved the embroidery thread in his pocket, picked up the awkward bag he'd fashioned from his tunic to hold the medical supplies, and removed the spike from under the door. 

He paused for a moment to listen closely, but didn't hear anyone close by. He heard fighting a little distance away. Vio pulled through, then, and convinced the others to come!

Red yanked the door open and proceeded across to the dungeon door, slower than he wanted to go but perhaps a little faster than was prudent. The lone guard at the post was fast asleep thanks to the poison. Just to be sure, Red used his fire rod like a bludgeon across the guard's temple, knocking them out for good. He fished the keys from the guard's belt, then unlocked the main door. 

His heart simultaneously rose and stopped at the sight inside. On the upside, Lady Vidra wasn't in there, and Warriors was definitely breathing. On the downside… well, everything else about the situation was a downside. 

Red's boots echoed loudly on the floorboards as he stepped inside. "Oh, Wars," he breathed out. 

Warriors didn't appear to hear. He sat up in the middle of the cell, arms around his knees and head down. His clothes had been tossed into a haphazard pile into one corner, and he still spasmed every few seconds with shivers. He faced away from the door, giving Red a full view of the ripped-up mess that was his back—entirely bloody. Hardly two inches went by before another line lashed across Warriors's back, each oozing blood and held slightly open by his posture. A good amount of the blood had dried, and marked his skin with scales of burgundy. 

A square of sunlight from the window laid just out of his reach to the side. 

Red almost tripped in his hurry to get to the cell faster. He fumbled for the keys in his hands and unlocked the door as quickly as he could. When the bars finally gave way, Red dropped down next to Warriors. 

"Wars?" he asked quietly, his hands hovering but not quite touching. "Can you hear me?" 

Warriors's breathing hitched. He raised his head, and bleary eyes caught Red's. "Four? You're okay?" His voice sounded awful, but was full of relief. 

Red's heart broke. "I'm okay. You're not." He bit his lip. 

"She said…"

"She said what?" asked Red, pulling supplies out of his tunic-bag. Warriors would need support to leave, but Red was far too small to offer anything substantial there. He could start to attend his wounds, though. 

"She said she found out that you were still… on my side. That you were hurt."

Red paused to swallow hard. Blue. Lady Vidra had found out about Blue before coming to visit Warriors, so Blue had been at her mercy almost all day. Would Red have changed anything for the better by acting sooner?

No point in dwelling on it. He could only move forward. 

Still, Red's hands shook as he pulled out a waterskin. "I'll explain when you feel a bit better, okay, Wars? I'm okay right now.  Can you lay down?"

Warriors hesitated, then grunted a negative. "My foot is…"

Red looked a little closer, and choked. A nailhead indented a dark spot on the top of Warriors's bare right foot, surrounded by rivulets of blood collecting into a puddle on the floor. It had been hammered tightly in. 

"All right," Red said, keeping his voice calm, although his vision swam with tears. He wished he were Blue, or Four with Blue in his head remembering how to do actual first aid. Even Vio with his unflappable expression, and Green with his easy adaptability would be more effective here. What was the most important thing? Should he take the nail out?

"I'm not really sure what to do about that. The others are on their way, though, Wars, so let's wait until someone else gets here and knows more. Okay?" He could hear fighting getting a little closer, and prayed that Hyrule would know what to do. As much as he thought he was the worst choice for this, now, he was the one here, do he had to do his best. 

"Okay," Warriors agreed. He laid his head back down, sideways on his knees, and closed his eyes. 

Red glanced around, desperate for something useful to do but doubting himself more every second. He perked up when he saw the clothes in the corner of the cell. He could do something about those. 

Fire rod in hand, Red scooted over to the corner and began to separate articles of clothing. They were all still unpleasantly cold and damp. He knew Warriors liked his things to be at least mildly organized and folded—he wasn't as bad as Blue. Red felt sick at the reminder. He really, really, really hoped Blue was okay. 

But he did trust Green and Vio to find him and look after him. He trusted the other Heroes, too. 

"Please don't burn my things," Warriors asked weakly when he noticed Red prepping the fire rod. 

Red sent a smile back, hopefully a reassuring one. "Don't worry, I'm very practiced with this."

"That's what scares me." Warriors sent a smirk back, then started to cough, hard. 

Startled, Red ran back over to him. In a usual case, he'd thump a cougher's back, but clearly he couldn't do that here. He ended up holding Warriors's hand until the wet coughing subsided. He reached for the waterskin, then paused. 

"Um… do you want water?"

Warriors rubbed at his neck, avoiding the few lash marks that had found their way so high. "No." His voice sounded even scratchier than before. "Give me some anyway."

"All right." Red let Warriors take the waterskin, but kept his hand on it, too. Warriors managed a few painful-sounding swallows before he pushed the waterskin away. 

"They're coming?" Warriors asked, closing his eyes again. 

"They're fighting their way down here," Red confirmed. Warriors nodded, laid his head back down, and didn't respond. 

Red put the waterskin down and went back to the clothing. He laid out the undershirt, tunic, cape, and scarf in a line, with the chain mail and boots off to the side. 

Very carefully, Red turned the fire rod on, spitting out a steady stream of low-heat flames. It expelled more hot air than actual fire, a very handy trick Red had managed after far too long in the snow. He dried Warriors's things one by one, listening carefully to everyone getting closer and closer. 

When Warriors's scarf dried pleasantly warm, Red tapped his hand and offered it out. 

Warriors's eyes went suspiciously shiny. He pulled his scarf close to his chest and took a breath. "Thanks, Four."

Red folded up the other clothing and laid it all in a pile as neatly as he could. "We love you, Wars," he said, his voice thick. "And we—we're so… so sorry." His own tears finally spilled over, and he broke down. 

"Wait, Four, don't cry," Warriors said. "You'll make me cry."

"I can't help it!" Red knelt down near Warriors again, keeping the pile of freshly dried clothes away from the puddle of blood underneath him. His tears fell on the wood, fat and frequent. He wiped at his face with his undershirt sleeve and broke down. "I-I'm the c-compassionate part of F-Four, Wars, I can't…"

Warriors put a hand on his shoulders and pulled him a little closer. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay, I'm okay."

"You're n-not," Red sobbed. "And Blue can't be! Wars, what happens if he's not okay?"

"I… who?" Poor Warriors had no idea what was happening, and Red cried too hard to explain properly. 

He cried until other voices distracted him. 

"Guys, we found him!"

"Thank the goddesses. Oh, no. Who has the potions? Hyrule!"

"Wars! Oh, Hylia. Wars ."

"Huh, it really is another Four. Is he okay?"

"I'm here, I'm here! Oh, no…"

"Red?"

Red looked up, relief flooding his system at the sound of Vio's voice. He ignored the other Heroes flooding in to fling his arms around his brother and hold him tightly. He knew Vio didn't always know how to respond to physical affection like this, but he really needed a hug, and he also knew that Vio wouldn't ever turn him down. 

Twilight started to talk to Warriors gently, and the dim light of Hyrule's life spell cast undulating shadows on the walls. 

"Hey, hey, Red, it's okay," Vio tried, rubbing an awkward hand down his back. Red smelled dirt, sweat, and sunshine in his hair. 

"It isn't!" Red sobbed once more, sniffed, and pulled back. "Wars said that Vidra told him she'd caught Four and hurt him, hours and hours ago!"

Vio went pale. "Blue."

"Wars," Hyrule said patiently behind Red, "I can't heal your foot with the nail still in it, and there's no way to grab the head without cutting into your skin. We're gonna need to pull your foot up."

"I was afraid of that," Warriors said.

Vio pulled Red over, face stony again. "Hey, Wars. I'll distract you. What did Vidra say about Four?"

Warriors turned to them, and blinked in shock. "I'm seeing double."

"Yes," Vio agreed as Hyrule and Twilight arranged their hands over Warrior's foot and ankle. "But the answer is very important. What did she say?"

"She said—" Warriors grit his teeth. "I asked where he… you?... where he was, and she said— ah —she said— enjoying a beating of his own . I—" Warriors's raspy voice tapered off into breathless screaming as Twilight held him down and Hyrule lifted his foot, not able to go too fast  

Red watched in horror. The nail wasn't moving from the floor, instead tearing an even bigger hole right through Warriors's foot. Blood filled the cavity and soaked his skin. Red had to cover his mouth and look away. 

Vio squeezed his shoulders, always the steady rock in the storm. "Time," he said, talking under the pained screams, "She hurt Blue, too, and we don't know where he is."

"Take someone with you, and meet us outside in seven minutes," Time told them. 

Red looked up, eyes roving over the other Heroes. All of them had found some way to help, to comfort or stand guard or organize things, except…

"Legend," Red muttered to Vio. "He needs something to do."

"I was going to say Wild."

"Wild's fine. Legend needs to get out of here."

Vio nodded, and moved his arm to just hold Red's hand instead. "Legend!" he called.

Legend turned, face taut and pale, knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. His eyes flickered between the two of them, taking in the fact that there really was more than one Four. 

"There's someone else we need to rescue, and you're coming with us," Vio said, leaving no room for argument. 

"Fine." Legend followed them away from Warriors's stuttering screams. 

---

Blue jolted back to consciousness and immediately regretted it. He sucked in a shuddering breath, ignored the throbbing in his head, and opened his eyes. 

Ugh, gross, so bright. He squinted to let his eyes adjust to the light. 

Pale pink walls around him, gold and white cushion under him, annoying rose motif. All right, so he was still in the same parlor, and it seemed like he was alone. Those were pros. 

Cons included the pain in his head and the aching all over. Blue remembered being hit and kicked and thrown around. He thought it was all only bruises, but they were the deep, stinging kind. Hooray. 

Slowly, Blue sat up. His hands were tied in front of him, the knots tight but uncomplicated. He sat still for a minute, taking stock of every pain. Mild concussion, check. Bruised ribs and painful breathing, check. Ropes around his wrists almost cutting off his circulation, check. Lady Vidra could have done much worse, he knew that, but hadn't. …At least, so far. 

Wait. Oh no. He'd failed in his job of distracting her all day. Had she gone back down to torment Warriors some more? Would she come back here? Hold on, how long had he been out?

Blue slid off the loveseat, but leaned against it until his balance stabilized. Once the room stopped spinning, he straightened and took a few staggering steps toward the parlor door. Everything hurt. 

It burst open before he got there, and Lady Vidra stalked inside, eyes narrowed. "How did you contact them? You did something, I know it." 

Them? Blue struggled to connect the dots. 

Lady Vidra approached, looming over him with a bloodied whip coiled in her hand. "You'd best answer me, Four. They're downstairs beating all my guards, who have been poisoned and sabotaged. How did this happen?"

Ah, the Heroes were the them. Blue looked Lady Vidra in the eyes and smiled. "I'm four," he answered, entirely truthfully. Had the truth potion worn off, yet? "And telepathic."

Yeah, it totally had. 

Blue's head snapped to the side when Lady Vidra slapped him. He winced, and brought his hands up to touch the stinging cheek. 

"You almost deserve worse than Link," she hissed at him. 

"Really?" Blue glanced at her. "Weren't you the one proud of being a traitor, two days ago?"

The speed with which Lady Vidra lunged forward to grab at Blue proved his concussion theory. He would usually react to that, but she was a blur until she pinned him down. Her knee dug into his stomach and both her hands wrapped around his throat. 

"I am not in a good mood." 

Oh, really? Blue scowled up at her as she constricted his airway, bit by bit. She was much less pretty with this expression of rage on her face, ringlets and eyelashes notwithstanding. 

Blue began to struggle for air. He could feel his fingers turning cold, and the edges of his vision darkened. His mouth opened. His head kept throbbing. Every time he managed a tiny breath, she pushed harder. 

Just when Blue was sure he'd lose consciousness, Lady Vidra eased off, eyes slits of vitriol. Sweet air trickled into his lungs. 

His eyes didn't want to focus. Blue squinted—did he see… something at Lady Vidra's neck? Something silver. 

He blinked in confusion as she backed off, but didn't stand up. Only when Green circled around to the front did Blue realize that the silver was Green's sword, aimed at Lady Vidra's throat and forcing her off of him.

They were talking. She was probably confused about them both existing, and angry at everything. Green stayed moderately calm, though his voice ran with wide streaks of fury. He pushed her to sit in a tea table chair, then wrapped ropes or leather or whatever it was around her until she couldn't move. He even did something to shut her up, hooray. 

The world came back into focus with Green's face hovering over Blue, stressed and panicking. Blue reached up with his tied hands and clumsily put his fingers over Green's mouth. 

"Shhh," he said. "I'm oookay."

Green moved his hands away. "You aren't. Come on, sit up."

"I'm too tired," Blue protested, but Green made him sit up anyway. The room tilted, and the only reason Blue didn't fall was because Green held onto him. 

Time kept skipping ahead. One moment, Green was working at the knots on Blue's bonds, and the next, Blue was sitting on the floor with a waterskin in his hands. He drank a little with Green's urging. 

Blue stood up at some point, and leaned on Green to walk out of the parlor. They both kept quiet, though Blue knew there was a lot to talk about. He couldn't quite remember any of it. 

Someone down the next hallway shouted for Blue, but all Blue could answer with was a halfhearted groan. His eyes tracked Red, Vio, and Legend, of all people, rushing toward them. He let Red give him a hug, ignoring the sharp pains that bounced around his body, and let Vio flick his ear. That was how Vio showed affection. Legend looked at them all curiously, but didn't say anything about them being… well, four. Green explained how he'd found Blue, and the one-sided fight he'd had with Lady Vidra. 

"She sounds…" Legend trailed off, lip lifted in a sneer. He didn't finish the sentence. 

"You'd be correct," Vio agreed. 

Legend shook his head and crouched down. "Blue, right? I'll carry you, we need to meet the others outside."

Blue scowled at him. 

"Here, I'll translate," Green said, daring to smile. "'I can walk fine on my own, thanks.'"

Blue pointed. Green knew him well. That's exactly what he was thinking. 

"We don't have time to argue," Legend sighed, rolling his eyes. "If it makes you feel better, you can punch me when you're headed up, okay?"

Oh, he was offering free punches? Blue would be an idiot to not take that offer, though part of him doubted he'd even remember this to collect. He glared at Legend one more time, then nodded. 

"Finally." Legend picked him up, moving slowly enough that Blue could follow the movements. The world still spun. "Which way is out?"

As they ran through the hallways, Blue buried his head in Legend's tunic, squeezed his eyes shut, and pretended he wasn't fighting off tears of pain. His head hurt, his shoulders hurt, his knees hurt. One particularly fun bruise on his thigh really hurt. 

The only reason Blue could relax at all was because he could hear Green, Red, and Vio talking nearby, upset but mostly unhurt. Blue would much rather be the one injured, than make any of them suffer.

When the sun hit his back, Blue let himself sink back down into unconsciousness. 

---

Warriors leaned on Sky, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, and watched the grounds around the manor with unblinking eyes. The other Heroes sat around, recovering and drinking water. Wind had grabbed Warriors's sleeve as soon as they got out here, and hadn't let go yet. 

He felt much better, physically. While they didn't have unlimited potions, and while not everything could be entirely healed with them, three did a lot. His foot was swollen and wouldn't fit into his boot yet, but it had stopped bleeding. It still hurt to walk on, so so much, but that was what Sky at his side was for. His back ached and stung, and he still felt like he had a cold, but he wasn't freezing, and his vision was still. 

Warriors really appreciated the clothing that Four… Red… had dried for him. It made a world of difference for his mental state. Wind had tried to explain Four's newfound ability, but it was clear that he didn't exactly understand it, himself, so his words made no sense to Warriors.  All he knew was that Four hadn't been hurt like Lady Vidra said, but he got emotional, and then there were two of them who were scared because she had said Four was hurt. 

He understood none of it.

Well, all right, he understood a little more when he saw five figures running out of the manor, pursued by a few remaining guards. Three Fours fought the guards off of Legend, who held a fourth Four in his arms. Warriors raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and confirmed that yep, all the Fours were Four-colored. How strange. And yet, it made perfect sense. The red Four took a lot of loud delight in setting as many topiaries as he could reach on fire. Smoke from the garden and from Wild's arrows on the outside of the house rose into the sky. 

The guards fell far before Legend slowed to a stop as he reached the group on the edge of the forest. He panted, but didn't let the blue Four go. Hyrule, trembling with magic use but still their best healer, rushed up to meet them. 

"Is he okay?" Sky asked, his voice almost startling Warriors. 

"He's okay," the green Four said, his eyes catching right on Warriors. "Concussion and bruises. Are you okay?" he asked Warriors. 

"I'll be fine with more rest and healing."

The green Four nodded briskly, though he clearly knew that Warriors was hiding. "Right, then. If you all haven't gotten the memo by now, we're all Four. Green, Red, Blue, and you met Vio." He pointed to them, and the awake ones waved. "We apologize for hiding our existences from you, all of you, but we had our reasons. And those reasons fell in the face of this situation, obviously. What do we do now?"

Warriors straightened, ignoring the pain that stabbed through him. He cleared his throat. "Where is Lady Vidra?"

Green answered. "Tied to a chair in her tea parlor."

"Excellent." Warriors managed a smile, proud of them. "Who has my things?"

"I do," Wild piped up. 

"Then here's what we do next—Wild and Wind, there's a gold and blue ring in the front right pocket of my pack. Run on ahead to Castle Town, it's perhaps ten miles down this road, and show that to the first knights you see. Ask to be taken to their captain, it should be Captain Grandine. Tell her what happened here, and that I'm requesting a unit be dispatched to secure the area."

"Why us?" Wind asked, biting his lip. 

Warriors reached over with his free hand to ruffle his hair. For once, Wind didn't protest much. "Because you're fast."

Wild tapped his slate, and a strange almost-horse materialized next to him. He swung one leg over and grinned back at Wind. "No time to waste."

Wind's eyes widened. He hopped up onto the seat behind Wild and held on as directed. A few good-byes and good-lucks later, and Wild started out. His vehicle went faster than any horse Warriors had ever seen. He was impressed. 

The noise of the machine woke Blue up a little. Warriors leaned in towards Legend a bit, worried.

"Loud," Blue yawned. 

"Blue!" Red exclaimed, turning with a watery smile. He'd started crying again, which made Warriors want to wrap him up in a scarf and never let him go. 

"Who m'de Red cry?" Blue slurred, trying to pitch himself out of Legend's arms. "Gonna punch 'em."

Legend adjusted his hold, looking annoyed. "Hey, I'm holding you out of the goodness of my heart, stop doing that."

"Wars 'kay?" Blue asked instead, ignoring Legend. 

"I'm fine," Warriors said, "due to you. Thank you."

"Good. Hey, Vio… stop doin' th…" Blue dropped off again. 

Vio raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything. Did I?"

"You all saved me," Warriors said, feeling oddly emotional. Sky's arm squeezed him. "You gave up a big secret for me. Th—"

"No," Red said, sounding oddly firm. He wiped at his eyes and pulled his tunic back on when Hyrule gave it to him, sans bandage rolls. "We don't deserve thanks, after what we did."

Warriors winced. He remembered, of course. He was sure he'd get a few nightmares about drowning, now, and only hoped that Four's voice stayed out of them. 

"Betrayal," Vio said quietly, "even false betrayal, cannot be forgiven so easily."

"Can't it?" Warriors challenged. "You did what you had to. And it worked out. We're out of there, Vidra's going to be caught, and we're all going to be okay. Forgiveness isn't up to you. It's up to me. And you're forgiven. Sorry."

Vio blinked, then a small smile broke out over his face. "If you're sure."

Warriors nodded, then winced as he accidentally put too much weight on his injured foot. "I'm sure. Thank you."

"We're family," Green said. He gestured to them all. "Of course we did what we could. We may not know everything about everyone, but… I trust you all."

"All of Four does," Red echoed with a bright smile of his own. 

Warriors could see Four in each of them, or rather, he supposed he could see each of them in his memories of Four. It was fascinating. "I'd love to get to know you four better," he said, "but can we get out of sight of that ugly house, first?"

"If you think you can walk." Time finally spoke up. At Warriors's nod, Time got them moving, headed farther down the road and deeper into the forest. 

Despite the pain and the things that still hurt, Warriors looked around, and realized that he called the Heroes his family, too. He trusted all of them, and while he didn't love the secrets and fear so many of them still held, he'd trust any and all of them with his life. New-ish members included. 

Chapter Text

Twilight sat down on a hard hospital chair, eyed Wild, and sighed. This was not the first time he'd had to come pick Wild up from the hospital, and probably wasn't the last, either. Wild's lower leg was encased in a pale blue cast that already had some marker art on it, a combination of Wild's world's glyphs and Hyrule's customary sparkles and swirls. 

"All right," Twilight said after a moment. "What was it this time?"

Wild's eyes lit up, and he sat up slightly to tell what was doubtlessly a riveting story. 

Hyrule slapped a hand over Wild's mouth. "He fell out of a tree."

Hyrule and Wild looked up at the stars, many more visible here in Wild's Hyrule than on Earth, or even in Hyrule's Hyrule. The soft grass rustled around them, making them invisible to every animal that passed by. Even this late at night, dragonflies hovered over the grasses. 

"This was a good idea," Hyrule said quietly, grinning and reaching out to poke at a dragonfly. 

"All my ideas are good ideas." Wild glanced over at him. 

Hyrule snorted. "I'll let you believe that."

"A tree," Twilight repeated doubtfully. He raised an eyebrow at Hyrule's hand still keeping Wild quiet. Both of the boys nodded. "And why are you doing that, Hyrule?"

"Do you feel like crashing a monster camp tonight?" Hyrule asked, watching the moon rise. 

Wild shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds fun. You appreciate the bombs."

"I really appreciate the bombs, yes."

"He's out of it," Hyrule said, nodding. "The drugs, you know?"

Wild pushed his hand away so he could speak again. "Yeah, I forgot. It was just a tree."

"How tall, exactly, was this tree?" Twilight asked. 

The two of them froze when something distinctly bigger than a deer disturbed the grass several dozen yards away. Hyrule and Wild went silent and exchanged a look. 

"Probably just a bear," Wild whispered. 

Hyrule nodded slowly. "Yeah. A bear."

"The tree was really tall," Wild said simply. 

Hyrule put a finger in the air. "Really tall, yeah. Like, fifty feet."

"You measured it?" Twilight asked, watching Hyrule's face turn red. Wild was a much better liar. 

Ever so slowly, both Wild and Hyrule sat up, peeking over the blades of grass. They caught sight of what had disturbed the grass, and quickly dropped back down. 

"That is not a bear," Wild whispered harshly. 

Eyes wide, Hyrule shook his head in agreement. "Nope. No friendly bears here. Hey, do your bombs work on these things?"

"I can measure things with my eyes," Hyrule said. His voice went high. 

Twilight, as frustrated as he was with Wild, was enjoying this. He wondered how deep of a hole Hyrule would dig himself. "How tall am I?"

"Five foot eight," Hyrule answered immediately. 

"Uh-huh," Twilight said. "And this has nothing to do with the medical files you stole last time I had to go to the ER?"

Hyrule blushed harder, but his expression was pleasantly ignorant. "Um, no. Not at all."

Wild pulled his slate out and hesitated. "Not really. The best way to fight these things is with a variety of weapons. And lightning."

"I can do lightning," Hyrule said. 

"All right, you distract it, I'll sneak up on it. Make sure to run in wide circles, very fast, when it starts charging."

Hyrule nodded quickly and grabbed the sword that he'd put down a few feet away. 

"Okay, well," Twilight said, changing the subject. "Wild, what were you doing up in such a big tree?"

"Um… picking apples?"

"Ready?" Wild whispered. Hyrule nodded, and they both got their feet under them. "Go!"

Hyrule popped up and ran, while Wild snuck off sideways. 

A large, muscular lynel turned and targeted Hyrule.

"Apples are good," Twilight said blandly. "Pretty sure apple trees don't get fifty feet tall, though."

Hyrule swallowed. "I guess I was wrong about the height…"

"He was a little stressed," Wild said. "You know, trying to distract the, uh, bees."

Hyrule screamed as the lynel chased him. This was a very fast lynel. 

"Bees," Twilight echoed flatly. 

"A whole hive," Hyrule squeaked. 

"A whole, very angry hive," Wild added. 

Wild tracked the lynel's patterns with his eyes and turned the broad sword over in his hands. He'd won this from another lynel, so it would hopefully be pretty effective. There wasn't supposed to be one in this area, but Wild was glad that Hyrule could still surprise him—the country, not the person. 

Although the person was surprising him, too, with how good he was at dodging fireballs. Wild was impressed. 

"Why did you choose to get apples from a tree with a beehive on it?" Twilight asked. "Surely there were other apples."

"There weren't!" Hyrule leaned forward. "No other apples! We checked!"

"And this tree has the best apples, anyway," Wild said. 

"And if you can get the honey, you can make honey-baked apples right there!"

"And the smoke of the cookfire will keep the bees away."

"We were desperate, Twilight. Desperate for apples."

Hyrule was desperate. He zig-zagged across the field, unable to see where Wild was but trusting that he'd be somewhere close. The lynel was way too close. 

Somehow, Hyrule found the concentration to build up a spell. He called lightning down from the heavens, as powerfully as he could  In a matter of seconds, the lynel went from charging to convulsing where it stood. 

"Wild, may I see your slate?" Twilight asked, holding his hand out. 

Suspiciously, Wild handed it over. Hyrule lunged for it, realizing what Twilight was doing, but missed. 

Twilight had to hide a smirk as he scrolled through the pages. 

Wild took the opening and hopped on the lynel's back. Hyrule watched in awe as Wild beat away on it. The lynel did its best to buck him off, but Wild somehow stayed on. 

Hyrule cheered .

"If you were so desperate for apples," Twilight said, turning the slate around so they could both see the tiny number showing just how many apples Wild had stored, "you could have used one of these. You two. There are six hundred fifty-three apples in here."

Wild's bottom lip poked out. He knew they'd been had. 

But Hyrule refused to give up. "But, Twilight. Those are red apples. The tree had yellow apples."

"Go, Wild!" Hyrule yelled, sword in the air. 

In the midst of its pain and thrashing, the lynel turned. Its glowing eyes fixed right on Hyrule again. 

"Uh oh," Hyrule said, and started to run. 

"All right, all right." Twilight gave the slate back to Wild and turned fully to Hyrule. "You wanted those apples, despite the bees. How did Wild fall off?"

Hyrule took a second to "remember," to Twilight's amusement. "He reached too far."

After a tense few seconds of chasing and bucking, the lynel finally managed to get Wild off. Hyrule yelled in fright as he watched Wild fly through the air, all while running, himself. At least the lynel wasn't as fast this time. 

Wild hit the ground with a crack, but immediately raised a thumbs-up, so Hyrule knew he was okay. 

"How did you get scraped up so badly, but without any bee stings?"

"I'm great at dodging bees, but not so great at dodging falling Wilds," Hyrule answered. 

Hyrule got enough ground that he turned, summoned flame to his blade that glowed in the night, and stood his ground. 

He and the lynel crossed swords. Sparks flew. Hyrule danced. 

Seconds later, the lynel fell to its knees, let out one last pitiful roar, and dissolved. Hyrule sheathed his sword and ran over to Wild. 

"Hey, hey, Wild, are you okay?"

"Oh, just peachy." Wild winced and sat up. "My leg broke."

Both of them paused as they realized what that meant. 

Wild put his face in his hands. "Twi is gonna kill me."

"So, let me get this straight," Twilight said. He steepled his fingers and pressed them to his nose. "The two of you went to visit Wild's Hyrule, where, for no real reason at all, you became desperate for yellow apples, and the only apple tree for miles—an abnormal giant of a tree, might I add—happened to have the best yellow apples, however, there was also a hive. Hyrule distracted the bees while Wild climbed the tree, but he reached too far, fell on top of Hyrule—breaking his leg, but Hyrule's fine. All without actually getting any of these apples."

Hyrule looked him right in the face. "Yes."

"—it's not just Twilight who's gonna kill me, oh no, I bet Time will want in on the action. Maybe Legend, too, you know he's protective. Oh, Hylia, I'm gonna die." Wild limped through the waterfall portal, leaning on Hyrule. 

"But the stars were really pretty," Hyrule said.

Wild paused, listening to the pounding water. "Yeah. They were. Thanks for coming with me."

Hyrule sent him a bright smile as he pulled out his ancient cell phone to call an ambulance. "Anytime! That was a fun fight, anyway. Except for, you know…"

They both looked down at Wild's leg. 

"Hm," Hyrule said. 

"All right." Twilight let his hands fall to his thighs and stood up. "I'll go call Time, get insurance straightened out, and then I'll take you two home. Okay?"

Wild waved as Twilight left, then sighed and fell onto his back. "Ughhhh."

"What?" Hyrule asked, twisting in his chair to continue his artwork that Twilight had interrupted. 

"I'm gonna schedule lying lessons for you with Wind. You really suck at excuses."

"Oh. Wait, was it really that bad?"

"He knew you were lying the whole time, 'Rule."

"...oh."

---

"Hey, Time?" Twilight paced in the empty waiting room just outside Wild's temporary room. "Yeah, Wild's in the hospital again, broken leg. Hyrule's with him, but Hyrule's fine, mostly… Nah, I'm here. I'll just take 'em home… Sounds great. Maybe an hour out… Oh, they fought a lynel. They tried to hide it, but as much as Hyrule kept going on about apple trees, I could see the lynel fur on his jacket."

Chapter Text

Right behind you, Sky had said. Right behind you, as soon as everyone gets free.

Liar!

"Sky!" Wind screamed, leaning over the side of the boat as far as he could. It rocked a bit with his movement. "Sky! You steaming pile of cucco— ark !" Someone yanked him backwards by the collar. 

"Shut up, kid," a young man with a scraggly ponytail said, looking desperate. "They're gonna find us."

Wind looked at him, then pushed his hand off. He jumped to the front of the lifeboat, to another young man with his hand on the rudder pole. "Turn around. We gotta turn around!"

Rudder guy bit his lip, and everyone glanced back at the Leviathan, a large, infamous ship. It listed a little to the side, a repairable injury, and various pirates shouted on deck. Though Wind couldn't see him, he knew that Sky was there, too, somewhere. 

Despite Wind and Tetra's efforts, some people on the Great Sea were just… bad. It was hard to find them. The worst among them had a nasty habit of kidnapping sailors to sell at the largest ports. Not many people approved of the practice, but enough did  that it promised to be lucrative. 

When Wind had heard that the Leviathan was near, well, he couldn't let it go. The Leviathan had the worst crew among the bad sort, and taking it down would mean a sharp decrease in the (thankfully small) slave trade. 

Together, Wind and Sky had pretended to sign onto a new crew that was being very suspicious. Sure enough, as soon as they got to the docks, they were jumped, and locked into place with a dozen or so other poor souls. 

It didn't take very long to stage a breakout and escape. Wind led the pack of prisoners to the lifeboat, and Sky helped fight off the bad pirates with a stolen sword, one of the only weapons they'd managed to procure. 

Right behind you, Sky had said, and then he got left behind! Wind didn't even know if it was some self-sacrificing thing Sky had done or if it had been a true accident. He'd been distracted getting the lifeboat moving. 

"We can't turn around," Ponytail guy said, though he sounded regretful about it anyway. "Sorry, kid. We don't have weapons, we're no match for the crew of the Leviathan."

Wind pointed back to the ship. "That's my brother!"

Ponytail winced, but patted Wind's back. "We can't go back."

Wind looked away, gritting his teeth to push back tears. He knew that Ponytail's reasoning was valid, that they really had no chance as it was, but that didn't mean he liked it. He took a deep breath and looked up at the dark sky. 

"Look, kid, don't cry—" Rudder began, but Wind turned a scowl on him. 

"I'm not crying. Look, the moon's there, and Polaris is there." He pointed. "So Windfall Island is that way. We can get there by daybreak, gods willing. You can all find passage there back to wherever you came from, and the others are there."

"Others?" asked a buff woman holding one of the oars. 

"The rest of my family," Wind said. He glanced back at the Leviathan, but still didn't see Sky. "We'll go back for him."

Rudder hummed as he adjusted the heading to where Wind pointed. "I don't know if you'll find the ship again. The Great Sea is huge."

"I know," Wind snapped. He knew that better than anyone here. He shook his head. "Look. I have my ways. Just… on to Windfall. It's just a bit farther."

---

"Sky!" Wind screamed, sounding distant already. Sky winced, but by then, a large man had him in a headlock, and he couldn't reply. His stolen sword rested where it had been thrown off to the side, too far for even his foot to reach. 

"Pirates love justice, don't they?" the captain of the Leviathan asked, looking down at Sky with a sneer. His crew began to gather around, clutching at minor injuries and looking just as upset. A few looked eager. 

"Couldn't tell you," Sky wheezed. He clawed at the big man's arms around his neck, but didn't succeed at giving himself any more room to breathe. 

"Jeri?" the captain asked without turning away. 

One of the scrawny men in the front, one with an evil cast to his dark eyes, straighted. "Captain?"

"You were a pirate. What do they think about justice?"

Jeri grinned, showing too many teeth. "Obsessed with it, Captain. Nothing else is quite as sweet to them."

"Let's take a page out of their book," the captain said, and gestured. "Carj, get him tied to the mast."

Sky could feel the laugh of the large man holding him. The arms around his neck tightened a little, and the man dragged him more towards the center of the ship. It was a huge ship, truly, the biggest Sky had ever seen… not that he'd seen many. Still. 

He'd been lucky enough to get out of the fight without any injuries, just soreness. The large man wasn't exactly courteous as he pulled Sky's arms around the smallest of the three masts, small enough that his arms went all the way around. His shoulders hurt. 

"So, you're not pirates?" Sky asked, wincing as he felt more chains lock around his wrists. Hooray. They were heavy, but not unbearable. 

The captain followed them, hands behind his back as he strolled. "We prefer the term marauders."

It sounded like the same thing to Sky, but after seeing what passed for piracy in Wind's world, he could agree with the need to find a better term for the actually evil pirates. 

And these guys were actually evil pirates. 

"If we want justice," the captain said, speaking loudly to be sure his crew heard, "there are two options. First, you pay us what we would've gotten from the haul. Jeri, does he have any money on him?"

The scrawny man broke from the crowd and got far too close to Sky, eyeing him up in a way Sky did not like. He stood there for an uncomfortable few seconds, but thankfully didn't touch him. He stepped away with a smirk on his face. "Doesn't look like it, Captain."

"Well, then, I suppose we're taking the second option, eye for an eye." The captain turned to face his crew, most of whom smiled in the rising moonlight. This was little more than a show for them, Sky realized with revulsion. "Take detailed notes of your injuries, boys and girls, for whatever was done to you in that fight will be done to him. We begin tomorrow morning."

One woman cheered, and the others picked up the cry. Sky's face fell into a glare, even as his stomach went cold. He'd heard Wind calling for him, so he'd gotten away from here, at least. Wind knew these seas like nobody else, and Sky was confident that the others would be more than a match for these people. They just had to get here first. 

Unfortunately, Sky knew that even if he got free, there was nowhere for him to go. His best chance would be cooperation and praying. 

The captain spun on his heel and brushed Jeri out of the way. He took a handful of Sky's hair, pushed his head back against the wood, and spoke just to him. "Every struggle, smart comment, or resistance from you will only earn you pain. Nobody can find you, out here. So I'd advise you to cooperate."

"What happened to justice?" Sky asked. 

The captain's other hand smacked him across the face. Ow. "This is justice. You make my life difficult, I'll make yours painful. So get comfy, kid, you're gonna be here a while." He dropped Sky's head, whispered something to Jeri, and walked off, yelling things at the crew to fix up what Sky and Wind had messed up during the fight. 

When the majority of the crew went below deck for the night, Sky pulled his arms down the mast. The wood scraped up his skin, but he ended up sitting down. Perhaps they thought they could prevent him from sleeping by tying him up, but the joke was on them. Sky could sleep anywhere.

He rested his forehead on his knees and closed his eyes. The rocking of the ship was actually kind of nice. Sky's shoulders ached already, but he consciously appreciated how uninjured he was right now. That was probably going to change. 

---

Dawn broke just as Wind's boat bumped into the smallest docks of Windfall. He jumped up to tie the boat up. "All right, here's where I leave you," he said to the freed prisoners. "My brothers'll be around here somewhere." He'd called Wild with his pirate charm, explained the situation, and told them to be ready. 

Buff lady got off first and looked at him in concern. "If you're sure. We can stick around until you find them."

"Wind!" a familiar voice called. Wind spun to see Twilight headed down the dock toward him, and he smiled in relief. 

"Twilight! Thank the gods. Where is everyone? Did you get a boat?"

Twilight nodded to the side. "It's down that way. We're all ready to head out as soon as you get there."

"I assume you're one of his brothers?" Buff lady asked. She offered a hand out to Twilight, who shook it. 

"That I am."

"Your two brothers saved us," she said. "Some of these idiots might not think to say it, but thank you. We're indebted."

"No thanks needed," Twilight said sincerely. "We're just glad to be able to help."

Wind scowled, but nodded. "What he said. Come on, Twi, we don't have time to chat. Sky is being held hostage by evil people who definitely mean him harm."

Twilight bit his lip. "You're right. It was nice to meet you, but please excuse us."

"Of course."

Twilight and Wind walked quickly up the docks and down to the right bay, leaving the prisoners to help themselves. None were injured, most just tired, which Wind was glad about. He didn't like seeing people hurt. 

The others had managed to find a nice, single-sailed boat that looked like it would go fast. Good. Wind greeted the others with a strained, tired grin, and set their heading. 

---

The light woke Sky a few moments before the chains loosening did. He made a face and tried to go back to sleep, imagining Warriors rolling him over, but instead, the chains around his wrists yanked him to his feet. Someone had stolen his boots, his feet were bare. 

The situation came crashing back into Sky's head, and he opened his eyes with a gasp. 

"Back with us?" It was Jeri who spoke, the skinny man with limp hair. The way he held himself reminded Sky somewhat of Ghirahim, but he was much less threatening. The thought actually served to calm Sky down, and he shook his head to clear it from the morning haze. 

He was pulled along a few steps, and then the long chains around his wrists flipped over some beam, raising his arms above his head. Ow, his shoulders. 

The captain wasn't nearby, but the rest of the crew had begun to gather in anticipation. Sky's eye, trained by months of living with Legend and Wind and… all the Links, really, caught some money changing hands. He wondered what they were betting on. 

When he'd been secured, with his feet barely flat on the deck, Sky caught Jeri's eye. "You don't want to do this," he said, keeping his voice calm. His mouth tasted awful from sleep. 

"Mm, pretty sure I do. We all do, yeah?" Jeri swept his arm out, eliciting jeers. 

"I'll warn you once," Sky said. He was pretty sure this wouldn't do anything, but he almost felt bad for these guys. They had no idea how badly they were messing up, here. Jeri turned to him with false curiosity. "My brothers are scarier than you will ever be, and they're going to find me soon. The worse off I am, the worse off you will be." 

"Oh, yeah?" Jeri smiled. "How many brothers?"

"Eight, heavily armed and combat-trained."

"Hear that, Leviathan?" Jeri called out. "Eight scary brothers! Whatever will we do? There're only three dozen of us!" 

Laughter. 

"Then how did just two of us manage to free all your prisoners last night?" Sky asked. 

Jeri ignored him. That's because he had a good point. 

"Eniv, wanna come start us off?" Jeri gestured toward the crew. 

A man wearing a bandana stepped forward. He sported the beginnings of an impressive black eye. "With pleasure."

Sky braced himself, but the punch still sent him reeling. He stumbled, kept upright by the chains on his wrists. That guy knew how to punch. 

The stars in Sky's eye started to fade when he felt his loose shirt pulled tight on a sleeve. 

"Let's see what's under this, shall we?" Jeri asked, taking out a wicked-looking knife. He tore Sky's shirt in jagged strokes, then pulled the rags away and tossed them aside. Sky was glad that Wind and he had gone shopping for clothes to blend in. He felt no sense of loss for that shirt, except wishing he had something to spare him from eyes and the sun. 

The crowd shouted again, and Jeri pushed Sky to force him to turn in a circle to let everyone see every angle. The chains on his wrists tightened. His feet left the ground for a few seconds. 

"Our boy's been in some fights," Jeri said, grinning. He traced Sky's scars as he named them. Sky tensed under the touch. "Didn't you know it's bad to catch lightning with your hands? Oof, you got struck good . And clawed, what animal did this one? Ooh, this is a nice long one. That must have hurt. Lots of little ones, too, these look like burns. Not to mention how much nice muscle you have, wow. You're a catch, all right. How'd you build it all?"

"I'm a trained knight," Sky grumbled. It was only once Jeri laughed again that he remembered that Wind's world didn't have knights, or training, really. 

"I'll have to keep that in mind. Ready for the revenge?" 

Sky didn't bother answering. It wouldn't do anything. The crew lined up, more of a mob than a line, but they came forward one by one. 

Each hit him somewhere, with fists and feet and even a few clubs. They avoided his head, for which he was grateful. One woman ran her hand down his arm before jabbing him precisely where his lightning scars converged, eliciting the first noise from him. A knee jammed into his stomach almost made him throw up. Someone kicked his knees out, someone stepped on his bare feet, someone hit his side hard enough to probably crack a rib. 

It took a long time for everyone who wanted one to get a hit in. Sky ached when the beating stopped, and knew he'd be quite the colorful picture in a few hours. He was unfortunately very conscious, still. At least he wasn't bleeding, just very sore. It would probably get worse as the day progressed. 

" That was in thanks for all the punches you threw," Jeri told him, walking around to face him again. "Hopefully it hurts."

Sky kept quiet. 

"Looks like it's time for all the sword wounds," Jeri said brightly. He disappeared around Sky's other side. "There are less of those."

Sword wounds? Sky could barely think of anyone he'd hurt with his stolen sword. Mostly, he'd just used it to ward people away. Maybe Wind had done more damage with his own, but Sky didn't think there would be that much. He tensed, waiting for sharp pain and blood. 

What he got was a snap and a tearing pain, different from what he'd expected. Sky cried out, the sound swallowed by the sudden laughter that erupted from the crowd. 

"I decided a few lashes with the cattail would be more efficient than a dozen little cuts," Jeri explained. He pushed on Sky's shoulder, which stole Sky's balance again and put all his weight on his arms. Sky spun around to see Jerin holding a short rope, uncoiled into several strands at one end, with a few knots tied into each strand.

"See? More fun than a bit of carving, too." Jeri drew his arm back and slashed downward, whipping the rough knots across Sky's front. One of them scraped across his temple, drawing blood. 

Sky was not enjoying today. Still, he argued to himself that it could be much worse, and that it couldn't last much longer. He'd be okay. Worst case scenario, he'd have more scars. 

A few others took turns with the rope, until Sky's whole torso and even most of his arms felt like he'd been stung by a whole horde of bees. He could feel his heartbeat in every scrape, and they stung . He got hit a few times on the forehead, and every scrape oozed blood that trickled down his skin and dripped onto the deck below him. 

"He got so bloody," someone out of sight said. Sky thought it sounded like the lady who'd hit his scar. "Maybe this will help?"

Jeri laughed and took something from her. Through the blood that leaked into Sky's eyes, he thought he could see something silver. He didn't get to figure out what it was before water hit his head and front. 

Salt water. 

Sky had been fairly quiet up until then, but the salt water made him scream aloud. He thought the scrapes were stinging before, but he couldn't get away from it now. He thrashed, trying to get the water off, or calm the itching, or something , but the movement didn't help. 

Another bucket of water splashed across his back, which was even worse. A new wave of laughter and jeering crested over Sky's cries. He let his weight hang fully from his wrists, now, and hung his head. Cool water dripped around his head. He tasted salt, from the bucket and from fresh tears. 

Jeri hooked a finger under Sky's chin and lifted his head. He brushed Sky's hair out of his eyes. "Wow, you really didn't like that , did you, boy? Don't worry, we're almost done."

Sky made a noise. He wanted this to just end , already. He wanted to pass out and wait for the others to arrive. (If they even would, said a part of him he didn't want to listen to.)

He didn't bother keeping track of the people who started to touch him, choosing instead to pull his mind away from the present and try to block out some of the pain. They poked at scrapes and dug nails into his skin. A few clotted cuts reopened. They pulled on his hair to move his head, bent his fingers almost to the point of breaking, and generally just got too close for comfort. 

Sky didn't feel much of it. He was doing his best to imagine Skyloft and the way it felt to have air whistling between his fingers. He almost convinced himself he could feel it. 

Something hit his arm above the elbow, hard. The pain felt white, for some reason, and spread all the way through Sky's shoulder and arm. He gasped in surprise and pain, shocked back into his body. 

"And there we are," Jeri said, shouting to make his voice heard. "Revenge successful."

Sky struggled to get his feet under him to take pressure off of his arm and side. Someone stepped on his foot with heavy boots earlier, so it ached to move, but hanging was worse. He didn't quite get to stand before the chain around his wrists suddenly released its tension. Unsupported, Sky fell. He groaned. 

"All right," Jeri shouted, "everyone back to work! Fun's over, we'll have more tonight. Go on!"

A few extra kicks to Sky's side had him curling up on the deck as everyone dispersed. He heard the chains rattling, and looked over to see Jeri wrapping them around the deck railing. He wouldn't be able to go very far, but at least he was laying down. 

Sky closed his eyes and tried to fight through the pain to sleep. 

He woke up a few more times throughout the day, when someone decided it was a good idea to kick him again, or dump more salt water on him. It was kind of miserable out there in the bright sun, too. But Sky was an expert at dozing, and it felt good to lose consciousness even just for an hour at a time. 

---

Wind snuffed the last lantern on the deck of their new boat. It had taken all day to find and get to the Leviathan. The darkness of the falling night helped them sneak, but Wind worried about how long it had been. 

Because their boat was much smaller, Wind could guide it right up next to the Leviathan, hiding in its shadow. Up on the Leviathan's main deck, the crew was gathered around the main deck, shouting and cheering as they drank and watched something. Wind didn't want to know what it was, but the distraction was helpful. 

As the Heroes prepared to sneak aboard, the crew quieted for a moment. Someone shouted something, then Wind heard a snap, the sound of water splashing down on deck, and then Sky screamed. 

Wind jolted, adrenaline pushing him to move. He exchanged a look with Twilight, whose eyes glowed in the moonlight, and jumped over the deck. He caught one of the beams on the side of the Leviathan and started to climb up. The others followed him. 

Once everyone had climbed up and was ready, they paused and watched Warriors for the agreed-upon signal. 

Wind didn't know what Warriors was waiting for, but he trusted him enough to stay back, even when Sky cried out again. He heard the sound of blades clashing, and the cheers rose. 

Warriors pointed, and the Heroes surged over the side of the deck, cutting down anyone who was in their way. 

In a small, cleared-out arena on the main deck, one of the evil pirates defended himself against Sky, who held a sword in awful condition and was covered in bloody water. A slimy-looking man at the edges held the cattails that Wind had heard snap earlier, looking smug. Despite all his wounds, the way his right arm hung, and the blindfold , Sky was winning . 

That heartened Wind, and he leaped forward into battle with a new ferocity. The crew of the Leviathan began to fight back, but few of them were a match for an enraged Hero, and fewer still were paying attention. They thinned down the ranks easily. 

Wind was the one to engage the man Sky had been fighting, and took him down without much effort. There weren't many evil pirates left, so Wind approached Sky, who'd stopped fighting and just stood there, breathing hard and shaking, not even taking the blindfold off. 

"Sky?" Wind asked.

Sky's head turned in his direction. He put a hand on the blindfold, hesitated, then finally pushed it off. His eyes blinked a few times, getting used to the lantern light and other fires Wild had started. His newly exposed face gave Wind a great view of the black eye and bruises on his jaw. 

"Wind." He looked around a bit more, and smiled. "Everybody! You came for me."

"'Course we did," Wind said, horrified that Sky would even think they might not. He bit his lip and stepped forward. "You look awful."

"Kinda feel awful," Sky said, wavering on his feet. He looked around. His eyes caught on one specific man nearby, and he took a few steps to stand over him. Wind followed, recognizing the man who'd held the cattails. 

Sky nudged him with a foot. The man was bleeding out, and nearly dead. 

"Boy," the man choked out. 

"I told you," Sky said. "You only have yourself to blame."

"Nah, I can blame the captain. Can't regret it, though." The man smiled with bloody teeth. "Your screams… music."

Wind growled. 

Sky held a hand out to stop him from moving forward. "The silence your death will bring? Peace." He used the awful, dull sword to finish him off, then lost his balance.

"Sky," Wind said, dropping his sword to catch Sky as he fell. He was a bit too small for that, it was more like breaking his fall. "Guys! He's over here!"

Twilight got there first, and pulled Sky off of Wind. "Oh, Sky, what did they do?"

Wind stood up, feeling Sky's blood rubbing off on his clothes. There was no real way to hold him without pulling at his injuries, which Twilight was noticing. 

Sky smiled. He looked really out of it, now. "They said… for each wound when we fought our way out..m I'd get one. Eye for an eye."

"I don't remember whipping anyone on our way out," Wind hissed. He moved some wet hair from Sky's eyes, then on a hunch, tasted the water. Salty. 

"Ah, well," Sky said as his eyes started to slip shut, "They wanted a show. It was kind of humiliating. But now… I'm okay. You're here."

Twilight nodded and did his best to hold Sky gently. "We are. And you're safe."

"Mhm."

"I'm here," Hyrule said breathlessly, dropping down. A spray of blood colored his arms. "Oh, no, Sky. Ouch."

"They dumped saltwater on him," Wind said. "I'll bet anything that's why he actually screamed."

"Monsters. That hurts. Twi, let me see his back." Hyrule pulled a potion from his back and examined Sky's barely conscious form. "His back is worse. Here, Sky, drink this, it'll help." 

Wind made sure Sky lifted his head enough to actually swallow. Hyrule directed the healing of the potion primarily to Sky's front, so he'd have a way to lie down as soon as possible. The other Heroes finished their jobs elsewhere and surrounded them. Wild dragged over an unconscious, hogtied captain.

Carefully, Twilight and Warriors shared Sky between them to get him onto the smaller ship. They took him to the cabin and the one bed, while Wind ran around lighting the lanterns again. Everyone else shoved off and got ready to move again, headed for a safer island, this time. 

In a matter of minutes, Wind had picked a course and started them on it. He ran down to the cabin and got to Sky, who did lie on his stomach while Hyrule and Warriors dressed his back. They were the only others in the room. 

"Hey, Sky," Wind said, crouching down to be at eye-level.

"Hey, sailor."

"Sky… How did you get left behind?" Wind knew it was a question rife with potential hurt, but he had to ask it. 

Sky made a noise. "They were gonna catch up. I made sure they wouldn't."

"So why"—Wind swallowed hard—"why did you tell me you were right behind me?"

"So you'd keep going."

"You're an idiot ."

"Mhm."

"I'm sorry for taking so long," Wind said. "You must've been scared." Sky's words of relief when he realized they'd actually come back haunted him.

Sky breathed out. "Don't be. I wasn't. The guy was a knock-off Ghirahim, hardly scary. He didn't have the aura."

Wind snorted. "Still."

"Thanks for coming."

"I'd never not come."

Chapter Text

"Legend, were you drinking that?" Hyrule asked, a cold feeling blooming somewhere in his gut. 

Legend looked up at him. "Uh, yeah?"

"Stop drinking it, right now." Hyrule reached out and took the cup from him, relieved when Legend let it go without a fuss. "Can you not feel the magic in it?"

"Magic?" Legend paused, clearly confused, then his eyes went wide. He cursed. "How did I miss that?"

"You weren't looking. Where did you get this, anyway?"

"I don't… I don't remember."

Warriors leaned forward, his broad shoulders cutting off the rest of the table and the crowded inn. The lamp on their side of the table cut deep shadows across his face. "You came back with it with the last few drinks. Just how buzzed are you?"

"Just a little!" Legend protested. "I'm not an idiot."

Hyrule brought the cup closer to his face. He sniffed it, catching the usual sharp smell of cheap-ish wine, and something underneath. He dipped his pinkie finger into the liquid and tasted it. "Blue magic," he decided. 

"Which is…" Warriors said. 

"Mental. Good news, there won't be lasting effects. Bad news, I can't be sure what the effects are, yet. It could be anything from a knockout spell to a hypnosis spell." Hyrule looked back down at the wine and made a face. "You had at least half, so it'll definitely take effect here soon. How are you feeling?"

Legend pulled a hand down his face. "Buzzed. That's it. Ugh, I'm such an idiot."

After tipping his current drink back, Warriors stood. "Let's get you back to the room before you, I dunno, stand on a table and start squawking like a cucco."

"Don't put that out into the world," Legend groaned. He left the rest of his drink on the table and got up to leave. 

Hyrule stayed back for a moment. He leaned over Twilight's shoulder and spoke quietly. "We're headed upstairs. Someone spiked Legend's drink with magic." He paused to extend out his magic sense. "The rest of yours are fine, but maybe stop soon."

"Magic? How is he?" Twilight asked, pulling away from his conversation. He turned to glance at Legend, who was rubbing at his forehead as he followed Warriors up the staircase. 

"He'll be fine, the spell isn't strong enough to do anything too bad, and he didn't drink it all. We'll take care of him, whatever happens. Just… we might switch sleeping arrangements around a bit."

Twilight nodded. His eyebrows pulled together in concern. "We'll stay here, see if we can figure out who did it, not draw attention."

"All right." Hyrule nodded back, then ran up the stairs to catch up with the other two. Once they'd gotten to the small room that Legend, Sky, and Hyrule were sharing, Legend sat heavily on the bed. Hyrule gathered up Sky's things and went to switch them with Warriors's, apologizing mentally. 

When Hyrule got back to his room, Legend was—surprise, surprise—complaining. 

"I can feel it latching on," Legend whined. He had his hat in his lap and a hand on the back of his head as if he could reach in and yank the magic out. 

"Don't hurt yourself," Warriors said, taking his things from Hyrule's arms with a thanks. 

"If I do, it'll be the magic's fault."

Hyrule sat next to Legend, biting his lip. Unfortunately, that was a distinct possibility. "How do you feel? Anything, yet?"

"I feel something magic gnawing on my brain," Legend grumbled. He dropped his hands and twisted his hat around his fingers. "I wish it would stop. I have things in there that I don't want people to know."

Warriors sat on the chair and grinned. "Like what, vet? All the cute people you've kissed?"

"I was thinking about the location of the Triforce in the Sacred Realm. You have to get to the top of the pyramid and—"

Hyrule almost jumped on Legend to shut him up, hands over his mouth. Their eyes met, and Legend's widened when he realized what had just happened. 

"Truth spell?" Warriors guessed, his smile fading. 

"Worse," Hyrule said. He pulled away from Legend slowly, but Legend didn't start talking again. "It's a truth curse , I think." The words from an old book he'd shuddered to hold came back to his mind all at once. He'd disliked the idea then and he disliked it now. 

"What does that mean?" Legend asked with hesitation. He sat up.

Hyrule bit his lip. "You have to keep spilling secrets. Sometimes it's involuntary. If you don't… the curse causes immense pain, and, depending on the severity, memory loss."

"Memory loss?" Legend burst. A spark of genuine fear lit in his eyes. 

Hyrule nodded and looked away. He thought of his own secrets, and what he'd do to protect them. He couldn't protect them if he couldn't remember them. He scratched at the back of his hand. 

"Could we leave?" Warriors asked, looking startled. "Or have him talk into a pillow, where we can't hear?"

"That doesn't count as spilling secrets," Hyrule answered. "I read about this in a book a while ago. It… wasn't a very nice book, so I think we can take what it said as truth. Someone has to hear."

Legend sat up and groaned, his face tight. "It's hurting, all right. Sometimes Ravio brings home dangerous things and I bury them in the yard so he won't sell them. He had no idea." His shoulders fell, and he sighed in relief. "I hate this. How long is it going to last? Can you get it off?"

"With as much as I think you had?" Hyrule winced and scooted a little closer so Legend could feel his proximity. "A couple hours, if not all night. And… no. It's blue magic. I don't work with that. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Legend muttered. He sighed. 

"Look," Warriors said. "You don't have to say anything big. List everything you own, spill the tea on the shopkeepers today. There are plenty of things we don't know about you, and it's unlikely I'll even remember."

"You smell like soap, and it's kinda nice," Legend said, then covered his face again. Warriors held in a sudden laugh. 

Hyrule bit his lip to keep from smiling. He patted Legend's shoulder. "It would be nice if that's the way it worked. But they have to be secrets , and the longer this lasts, the bigger they have to be."

"All right," Legend said after a second. He dropped his hands and reached back to pull the curtains of the window closed. "All right. All of my adventures are secrets, so I'll just tell you about them. I'll leave a few things out, but… most of what I don't say is just because I'm embarrassed."

"Hey," Hyrule told him. "It isn't as if we're going to judge you or make fun of you. Right, Wars?"

"Maybe just a little bit."

Hyrule frowned. 

"Okay, okay, no teasing. Got it."

Legend snorted. "I probably deserve teasing for some of it." He looked at the floor and winced. "Ow. Fine, fine, I'll go. I'm still a wanted criminal in my Hyrule."

Hyrule and Warriors exchanged a confused look, and Legend kept going. 

"I didn't actually kidnap Zelda—how could I? I was, like, ten—but the guards were mind-controlled, and there's still a misunderstanding." He stopped for a minute, thinking. "The Sacred Realm, at that point, was taken over by evil, and I spent most of my adventure there freeing the maidens. You know, as you do."

He kept going. Through trial and error, and with Hyrule's prodding, Legend figured out what kinds of stories would keep the curse from causing him pain. Just saying what happened during an adventure didn't count, but he had enough tidbits to keep things at bay. If he thought too long, either something he didn't want to say would pop out of his mouth, or he'd flinch at nothing. 

If Hyrule remembered correctly, the book had described the curse's pain as something like cold needles stabbed into the skin in unpredictable patterns. He used a little bit of magic every time he noticed Legend struggling, and while he didn't know if it helped, he thought it brought some comfort, at least. 

Hyrule honestly was impressed with Legend's memory. Hyrule himself had only been on two adventures, and he still got confused about which items came from which, or where dungeons and palaces were. Legend seemed to remember every single magic thing he owned, where he got it, and what he'd used it for. 

Warriors asked for more details about one particular flooded dungeon, so Legend gave them. After that failed to stave off the curse, though, Hyrule and Warriors questions became sparse. Legend's adventures sounded weird, but Hyrule kept his curiosity on the back burner. This was medical treatment, technically, not storytime. 

Legend told them about changing the seasons, traveling through time, and other countries. He gave up the very specific locations of three women he called Oracles, but wouldn't say who they were or what they did, exactly. Keeping that information secret seemed to hurt, but he quickly moved on to telling them about where Ravio really came from, and how to get there. 

An hour or two into it, someone knocked on the door, and Hyrule got up to answer. Legend cut off reciting a complicated code he called an 'actual secret' as the door opened. 

"Hey, Hyrule," Sky said, glancing into the room with a bit of confusion. "Everything all right?"

"We're working on it," Hyrule told him. "I put your things in with Wind and Twilight, sorry. We'll probably need the rest of the night."

"Okay. We're just worried."

Behind Hyrule, Legend let out a pathetic-sounding whimper. "The secret to happiness is 65L8D," he said quietly. 

Sky looked spooked. "I'll, um. Leave you be."

"Thanks, sorry," Hyrule said, shutting the door. "We're fine, I promise." He latched the doorknob and turned back around. 

Legend groaned. "Those codes are literally called secrets, why don't they push it off?"

"Didn't Hyrule say that the curse requires stronger secrets as it goes?" Warriors asked hesitantly. 

"Unfortunately," Hyrule confirmed. He sat back down next to Legend and hugged his arm. Legend didn't seem to mind. 

"Bigger secrets. All right. How about this one: I have an item I can't get rid of that turns me into a mermaid, or, well, the male version." 

Once again, Hyrule and Warriors exchanged a look. 

"That's unique," Warriors offered. 

"It's actually really useful, I can breathe underwater and everything, but while they're rare, merfolk in my time are seen as exotic, dangerous pets. So I have to be careful. But that's not a secret, ow … I hide from Zelda sometimes by jumping into a river. I don't like formal events. There. That's a secret."

"I hide from those, too," Hyrule confessed. 

Warriors winced. "Me, too, actually… I guess that's a Link thing."

Legend managed a small, grim smile. "Um… how about, piloting three bodies with one mind was actually not as much fun as it sounded before I actually did it." 

If Hyrule had been surprised by the smaller secrets in the hours before, these bigger ones were bombshells. Legend kept the details and context light, but he kept talking. He couldn't not. At some point, Warriors moved from the chair to Legend's other side, not sitting as closely as Hyrule but enough to send his silent support. 

"The Dark World," Legend continued, "at least the one I'm familiar with, does this thing where it transforms you, choosing a form that reflects your soul. There are ways of getting around it, but that first time I went there… Honestly, I was terrified. You'd think I would turn into something interesting, right? I've always thought a bird would make sense, or an apple tree. I would've been happier with a Goron form, even. Ow, okay, point taken, curse. "

Hyrule squeezed Legend's arm as he battled through the pain to say whatever was on his mind. "Nope. I turn into a rabbit. A tiny, pink bunny rabbit who's afraid of everything and can't hold a sword. Even when I found a way around that, some monsters managed to turn me back for a few seconds so they could get in a free hit or two." 

"Is that why your hair is pink?" Warriors asked. Any amusement he'd had at the situation had dissolved long ago. This whole thing felt like they were invading Legend's privacy, for all that he was half-willingly telling them things. It wasn't entirely comfortable. 

Legend groaned. "Yep. Eternal reminder that I'm a coward at heart."

"You're a Hero of Courage," Hyrule said quietly. "Not a coward. You were, what, ten years old? Any kid would be scared of the situation. I bet if you could redo it, you'd be something different. A wolf, maybe. Those are cool. And vicious."

"A wolf, huh?" Legend snorted. He put his free hand over his mouth to stop himself from saying something, but whined when the curse got to him again. 

"Fable's my sister," he said quickly, through his fingers. "My twin sister." 

Warriors choked. "Excuse me? You're a prince?"

Legend rubbed at his head and leaned a little more into Hyrule, who sent a little bit of magic into his sore spots. He sounded tired, this must be getting to him. 

"There are no princes, Wars. Hylia's royal line must remain unbroken, right? I was lucky enough to be taken in, instead of just abandoned. So yes. Zelda's my sister. And nobody can ever know that, got it?"

"Got it," Hyrule and Warriors said in unison. They shared a little smile. Legend was far more traumatized than Hyrule had even realized. No matter where he was or what he looked like—Hero, brother, mermaid, rabbit—he was in constant danger from the people of his world. No wonder he was so paranoid all the time. 

"You're certainly sending us on a wild ride tonight," Hyrule told Legend. 

"Yeah, well, it's not entirely my choice."

"I know. Sorry."

Legend sighed and shrugged. "I trust you two." He paused. "Oh, come on, that counted as a secret?" 

"Is it over, yet?" Warriors asked. "It's been a few hours. You've given up more secrets than I think I have."

"It's not." Legend winced. "I think it's almost over, but I don't wanna… risk losing any memories."

Hyrule squeezed his arm. "Then don't."

Legend was quiet for a second longer. "I won't. I had a… sixth adventure. Somewhere in between. I haven't told anyone about it, barely hinted. But…" He trailed off, and Hyrule noticed the tears escaping his eyes with horror. Legend buried his face in his hat, and Warriors pulled out a clean handkerchief to offer him. 

"The island was called Koholint."

Hyrule listened, heart in his throat, as Legend told them quietly about a shipwreck and the island he'd washed up on. It sounded like a nice place, if a little nonsensical, but Hyrule couldn't understand why it was making Legend so sad. When he mentioned the girl he'd fallen in love with, Hyrule thought that perhaps he was sad because he had to leave it all behind, for some reason. He told them about a fairly standard adventure, some songs he learned, and the whole goal. 

Legend's tears turned to violent sobbing when he tried to say what happened next, and his words were barely comprehendible. Hyrule turned to hug him completely, and Warriors wrapped an arm around them both. 

"A-and then," Legend said, getting control again, "then… I woke up." 

"Oh," Warriors muttered, understanding, and Hyrule agreed. 

"I woke up." Legend leaned into them. "None of it was real. What if this isn't real, either? What then?"

"We are real," Hyrule said softly, but he didn't know how to convince Legend. 

Legend kept crying, and though he'd stopped talking, he didn't seem to be experiencing more pain. Hyrule hoped that it meant the curse had finally ended. When Legend's breathing slowed, Warriors got out of the way to let Legend and Hyrule lay down. Against all odds, Legend had fallen asleep. Hyrule felt kind of sleepy, himself. 

"Guess that really tired him out," Warriors whispered. 

"Curses will do that." Hyrule didn't let go of Legend, and just adjusted so they were both comfortable. 

"How does he keep all of those adventures straight? I have a lot of respect for his memory. Don't tell him that." Warriors worked a blanket out from under them to drape over them. 

Hyrule smiled a little. "I was thinking the same thing."

They waited for a few moments, then Warriors straightened. "I'll go tell the others that he's okay."

"You won't tell them… any of it, right?" Hyrule asked, sitting up a little. 

"Of course not. I'm sure they're worried, is all."

Hyrule nodded. "I'm gonna stay here."

"Keep him company," Warriors said, then left the room, closing the door softly. "I'll be back."

With a smile, Hyrule snuggled back down. Tomorrow, he'd tell Legend a few of his own dear secrets, just to even the score a little. Maybe he could convince Warriors to do the same. Legend wasn't alone.

Chapter Text

Four slapped a hand against his neck. 

Bee? Bigger That doesn't bode well Can we see anyone yet This was a bad idea

The cold was starting to get to Four. It was quite chilly out here, in the part of Wild's world where the desert rose sharply into snow-covered plateaus. Four preferred the warm. The forge was always hot, and he was, of course, quite small for his age, so he got cold way before anyone else did. 

In an effort to warm up, he'd bundled up and gone for a brisk walk outside the campsite. He hadn't gone far, just barely outside the view of the cave, but… 

Wild did warn us about Yiga in the area Shoot Yes that's exactly what they did Shut up this is a horrible time for jokes We need to get back, now Just hurry

Four picked up his pace. He saw the smoke coming out of the cave, and decided to climb over the next mound of snow instead of walk around it. His fingers and toes began to tingle. 

Uh oh Go faster We're trying we're trying What is this

The tingling sensation spread like fire. His foot didn't respond fast enough to his next step, and he went tumbling face-first into the deep snow. 

Too cold too cold Yell maybe someone will hear us

Four sucked in a deep breath. His shout was more of a whine, quickly muffled by snow. This wasn't good. Something touched his ankle. 

Another strange sensation crawled over him, feeling like he was dissolving. He tried for another shout, but his lungs filled with smoke and he had to cough it out. 

By the time his weakened coughs had subsided, he was no longer laying on the snow. Instead, one of his arms was trapped between him and a hard stone floor, which was unfortunately just as cold. 

Something lifted him by the back of his coat, and Four's eyeline traveled upward. He couldn't move his head, but he could see his new surroundings. 

Stone walls, wooden scaffolding, red hangings. Strings of lanterns, oddly placed barrels…

Let's not forget the bananas There are so many bananas Too many This must be the Yiga Obviously Guys focus please we can't move

"Looks like I got myself the little one," someone said, presumably the Yiga who had both drugged him and teleported him here. "And they didn't even notice! My lucky day."

I'll show you lucky day

Four tried to thrash, but whatever he'd been pricked with back in the snow prevented him from moving much at all. 

"Oh, you still have some fight, huh? Don't worry, the drugs should settle in soon. The best part about this blend is that you'll stay entirely conscious, and you can still feel, but you won't be able to move. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Remember," said a new voice, also outside of Four's visual range, "that the goal of this is to draw the Hero out."

"Yeah, but any tidbits this kid knows would be useful, right?" The Yiga holding Four shook him, making the world wobble, then dropped him. 

Four landed awkwardly on his side, with one leg twisted beneath him. Both Yiga he could see wore their full-faced white masks, along with weapons on their hips and backs. It didn't exactly inspire a feeling of safety. 

As if any of this did Guys this is a little bit terrifying so shut up Wow you said it We're so proud of you

Making jokes and staying positive was much better than panicking. 

The bigger Yiga nudged Four with his foot, then bent down to start pulling off his layers. "He can't talk, idiot. Let's find something to send them later, to draw him out. What should it be?"

"That earring's pretty distinctive," the smaller Yiga said, crouching to help.

They manhandled Four to get his cloak off, then his coat, his gloves, his scarf, his boots, his hat. Every second that passed made it colder. At least they didn't take off more than that, so Four had a little protecting against the freezing stone. 

One of them carefully pulled his feather earring out and set it aside. 

They'd better not lose that We can always get another one it's fine Once we get back to our world anyway If we get back Don't talk like that Well at least we didn't have the sword on us Or anything else important 

"Take him to the other room," the deeper voice said, followed by the sound of footsteps. "I'll take care of the message."

"Hold on a second. I know it's no fun to beat up someone who can't fight back, much less scream, but we can give 'em something bloody, right?"

"Hm… yes. I like the way you think. You're moving up in the ranks, for sure, kid." The footsteps came back. 

Oh that doesn't sound good We're gonna be okay they just said they don't care about beating us up Yeah but they do want our blood that isn't great Hopefully not much since it sounds like they want us alive

Four could do nothing as the Yiga turned him to his back. The ceiling of the hideout was interesting, draped with more lanterns. It kind of looked like there were pathways up there. Huh. 

"This looks pretty recognizable, too," the smaller Yiga said, pulling Four's headband off and handing it up. 

"Why not both? Get me some blood to work with."

Four found that his eyes were moving less and less, too, affected by the paralytic drug. That was annoying. He felt more than watched the smaller Yiga pick up his hand and slice the back. It stung, but not too badly. It hurt a little more when they made a few more cuts to squeeze more blood out onto his headband. 

That's gonna be a pain to wash out We can probably bother Wars for his nice soap Mm I like that soap We could clean more than just that while we're at it Great something to look forward to

Sarcasm was also a coping mechanism.

When the Yiga were satisfied with their calling cards, the big one left the room, and the little one picked Four up to take him somewhere else. Tossed over a shoulder and unable to even watch the walls, Four couldn't map out where they were going as he might otherwise have done. It was disorienting, and he still shivered. 

In the next room, a few more Yiga gathered around Four and his captor, asking questions and—from the smell of things—eating more of those bananas. 

"The Hero will come for him," Four's Yiga said confidently. "And so will the other friends he's been wandering around with, so get ready." 

It's getting very annoying not being able to move Or talk or see or make snarky comments That falls under the jurisdiction of talking We could just nap We can try

The uncomfortable sensation of vertigo flooded Four's head as the Yiga tipped him over. They weren't kind about dropping him down into what seemed like a huge clay jar. He bumped his head, but luckily didn't land with any limbs trapped awkwardly underneath him. The jar had enough room for Four to slump down in, but even if he could move, he wouldn't be standing or shifting around much. 

"There you go. Have fun." Most of the light abruptly cut off. 

So we were just dropped in a pot and sealed inside Could be worse there are little holes Can we move yet I wanna smack some heads

They paused. 

Nope Ugh this is so boring What putting up with us That's a headache If you don't stop yelling we are going to get a headache calm down 

Let's stay on topic is there anything we can do Besides spontaneously developing long-range telepathy no we can't move Oh really we hadn't noticed The best we can do right now is watch and listen and gather information It's still so cold

That got boring pretty quickly. A few of the Yiga stayed in the room, gossiping like shopgirls about people Four didn't know. Apparently Ajan wanted to take Curro out on a hunting date, but Curro preferred picnics, which Uma knew because Sotrie had asked Curro at some point. 

Riveting A picnic sounds nice

The gossip evolved from there into a discussion about favorite ways to eat bananas. Four learned a little too much about the proper way to grill a banana. The smell was almost overpowering, in here. 

It was too chilly to sleep, especially since he couldn't curl up to conserve body heat. He shivered, which was at least a good sign. 

Four still hadn't gotten control of his faculties yet when an alarm clanged through the building, or wherever they were. He would have jumped, but nothing moved, still. 

Alarm! That means the others are here doesn't it Hopefully I'm getting real tired of this It's not just you 

Outside, the Yiga in the room scrambled for weapons, and Four felt someone pick up his jar. His head fell to the side and hit the pottery, thankfully not very hard. There wasn't much room to be tossed around in here. Without his headband, his hair fell in front of his face, and it padded the bump a little. He could see colors flashing past the holes in the pot, but they were too small to see much more out there. 

The air and sounds abruptly changed after a minute, becoming even colder, and several voices echoed. 

"Where are the other jars?" demanded the voice of the bigger Yiga from before. 

"Back here," the Yiga called Uma said from somewhere behind. She'd been one of those sitting around waiting, so Four was familiar with the voice. 

Four's jar jostled, swinging in a way that gave him vertigo again, and people's voices started to get more frantic, talking about "nearly here."

Ugh we're gonna be sick No we're not please don't make us sick Feel the swaying? The jar is hanging from something it's not moving randomly 

…Yeah knowing that feels better Deep breaths guys It's cold Yes

A sudden clamor had Four paying closer attention, his heart rising. 

"We have no intention of playing your games," Sky's voice announced. "Where is he?"

"Up there," answered the bigger Yiga, presumably gesturing to where Four's jar hung. 

Nobody answered for a long second. 

"Which one?" Legend asked. 

Right, "other jars" That's a pain Can we signal somehow Not unless, as we observed earlier, we spontaneously develop telepathy Maybe we can shiver harder? No I don't think we can do that on command

"That's the game. Pick correctly, and we'll let you all go. Pick incorrectly, and the Hero stays here with us."

Four heard Wild counting under his breath. "One in ten. Those aren't bad odds."

"We aren't taking chances, Wild," Twilight sighed. 

"What else are we supposed to do? That hole is literally bottomless, if he falls, we're not getting him back."

All of Four went quiet at that. 

Bottomless hole? I don't like heights that much They'll pull through, don't worry Too late he's worried 

"Four!" Time's voice called out. "Are you awake?"

Yes! He can't hear you Well on the off chance 

"That one," Legend said. "We'll take that one."

Wait did he hear us? Impossible Pretty sure we did not just spontaneously develop telepathy Maybe he did

"Wait, Legend, are you sure?" Sky asked, sounding scared. "Absolutely sure?"

"I wouldn't say anything if I wasn't."

The bigger Yiga laughed. "Good choice. I don't know how you did it, but you did choose the right one. Rungo?"

Four heard a snap. And then he was falling.

"Death to the hero!" many Yiga voices called out at once.  

"No!" Wild shouted, and the falling abruptly stopped. The jar began to glow with yellow light, pulsing slowly. Four recognized the light as a function on Wild's slate.

Close by, and yet still so far away, the sounds of combat started up—clashing weapons, heavy yells, the snap of magic. The pulsing of the yellow light around Four began to speed up. Something hit the side of the jar with a hollow clanging noise. 

"Sorry, Four!" Wild called again. "This is gonna hurt!"

The pulsing continued to accelerate, and at the very peak of the speed, there was a sound like shattering, and Four was flung to the side. 

The jar smashed against a wall. Pottery flew everywhere, and Four finally could spread out. Unfortunately, he still couldn't move, or make noise, so he tumbled unprotected down a hard rock wall. His forehead banged against a protrusion, and his vision briefly went white before he settled at the bottom of the wall, arm trapped beneath him. 

Owww Anything broken? Doesn't seem to be if we can still feel things Yep we can definitely still feel Except our toes and ears and cheeks and— We get it it's cold

The fight raged around him. He could see a few of the others, doing well against the Yiga. 

I hate being helpless This is just temporary we can handle it 

Twilight rushed over after a minute, having found a break in the fight. He didn't say anything as he crouched down next to Four and pulled him up into his arms. 

"I got him!" Twilight yelled. "Time to go!"

Nestled as he was in Twilight's arms—finally, something warm—Four couldn't see what was happening. He felt Twilight run, maybe take a hit, and run some more. Cold air bit at his ears but couldn't reach the rest of him, and the voices of the others gathered around. 

"That's everyone, right?"

"Yep, we're all here. Go, now!"

Twilight's chest rumbled in a low growl. "I hate this."

Oh no that means—

The world dissolved into blue. 

---

They teleported outside of Wild's house, which was thankfully in a much warmer climate. Everyone but Wild hated Wild's teleportation, since it felt far more disorienting than even the portals. It was just so useful in Wild's huge world. Twilight stumbled a little, but thankfully didn't drop Four. 

From the sounds of things, the others had been minimally injured, as the point of the fight had been to distract and escape, rather than win, really. Four was glad. 

It only took a few minutes to get to the house from the teleportation spot. Twilight laid Four down on the bed, checking him over as he did. The blanket under him warmed up quickly, and the shivering started to abate. 

"Four?" Twilight asked, leaning over. He frowned, obviously confused by the fact that Four's eyes were open and reacting a little to his surroundings. "Are you awake?"

Four, of course, could not respond. 

Hyrule climbed the stairs, his light footsteps easy to distinguish. "What's wrong?"

"He looks awake, but he's not responding." Twilight gave Hyrule room to bend over Four. 

"That's strange. And a little worrying. Is he hurt anywhere else?" Hyrule put his finger in front of Four's eyes and moved it back and forth. Four did his best to track it. 

Hey we're moving a little Not enough for them to not worry We'll be okay soon though Yeah! We're moving a little!

"Just a little," Twilight responded. "His head got scraped, and there are a few cuts on his hand. Probably to get the blood we found."

Hyrule carefully picked up Four's head to check it for blood. "He seems okay. I don't know what's wrong. Has he ever slept with his eyes open before? I know the old man does it."

"Not to my knowledge."

Another pair of feet climbed the stairs, quiet and hesitant. 

"Can I actually try something?" Legend asked. "I think I can help."

Hyrule stepped back. "I'm out of ideas, so sure. What are you going to try?"

"I'll tell you if it works." Legend's face appeared in Four's field of vision, lips tight. He took Four's hand and closed his eyes. 

Quick Vio has Legend ever displayed signs of potential mind reading before Actually yes now that I think about it Wow that's exciting No that's terrifying IS HE LISTENING RIGHT NOW GO AWAY LEGEND Wait no don't go 

Legend winced. "Four, you're too loud, and I'm not good at this. Can you slow down?" 

…Green you're in charge Agreed Don't be an idiot

All of the colorful, chaotic trains of thought in Four's head quieted, save for one. 

Uh. Hello?  

Legend's shoulders dropped. "There you are. Are you conscious, Four?"

Yeah. It's just a paralytic drug. It's wearing off. 

"Good. Are you hurt?"

Not really. We were just trapped in that jar the whole time. Boring, cold, bumped around a bit.

"Oh, that sounds fun."

It's our stupid fault for wandering off alone. We're sorry. 

"It turned out okay. Can I ask a question?"

…All right. 

Legend paused. "Who's 'we?'"

Um. Oops. Can you pretend you didn't hear that?

"If you pretend this didn't happen."

Deal. So how long have you been able to read minds? I assume it's difficult or you would have done it earlier. Is it inborn or learned? Some combination of both?

Vio, what the—

LANGUAGE

Ha, so, sorry in advance for Blue. And Vio. And Green. Hi, I'm Red, I'm the one people like. 

Okay, that is SO NOT TRUE—

STOP YELLING

Legend pulled his hand back and opened his eyes, apparently severing the connection. He blinked, then looked back down at Four. "Okay, we're talking, but later. When you aren't giving me a headache." He went back downstairs without another word. 

Twilight and Hyrule glanced at each other. 

"What?" Twilight asked. 

Hyrule could only shrug. 

Chapter Text

"—very nice chain mail of yours." 

An unfamiliar voice pulled Wind out of the deep black lake of his brain and back to reality. He tried not to let his consciousness show yet, though, because unfamiliar voice often meant danger of some kind. Not to mention, his head hurt and he didn't really want to move. 

"You took all the money we have, there isn't any more." Twilight's voice sounded strained and frustrated, never a great combination. 

Slowly, Wind tested his movement. Yep, there were ropes wrapped around him, mostly around his chest and upper arms. The smaller rope around his ankles wasn't very tight, he could get out of those pretty quickly. Looked like he and Twilight had been jumped on the road to the market from Time's ranch. He hoped it wasn't a common occurrence, it made him worry about Malon.

"Right," said a second unfamiliar voice. "And my mum ain't molderin' in her grave. Is the kid awake yet? I'm gettin' bored of this."

"You wouldn't be so bored if you hadn't knocked him out in the first place!" Twilight protested. He let out a pained breath, it sounded like someone had hit him. 

"Shut up, let us do our jobs."

"Your jobs are mugging people."

"Nah, we're adventurers," the first voice said confidently. "We find things that'll make us rich."

Twilight grunted. "How's that working out for ya?"

Wind made a small noise before they could hit Twilight again, and opened his eyes slowly. "Twi? Wassgonon?"

"Wind, hey," Twilight said, with more care in his voice than usual. He was the first thing Wind saw, hanging by his wrists several feet above the ground. His bare chest had a few growing bruises already, and Wind was ready to throw down. It looked like Twilight was suspended from the rafters of whatever darkened barn they were in, which sucked, but it wasn't the end of the world.

Orange sunlight leaked through cracks between the boards on the windows, highlighting shafts of floating dust through the air. So it wasn't very late, yet. Nobody would be coming to look for them for another few hours, at least. Old barrels and crates broke down in the corners, but a few looked sturdy, such as the ones being used by a small troupe of scruffy men as a card table, for instance. They sat in front of Twilight, blocking part of him from view. 

"Kid's awake," the first voice said, which belonged to a broad-shouldered man with a tattoo of a feathered wing with a shaded heart across his collarbone. As far as tattoos went… Wind was judging him. The man dropped his hand of cards and slapped his thighs before standing up. 

Twilight struggled with the ropes. "Wind, kid, I know you're scared, but just tell them the truth, okay? All of it."

Huh?

Wind paused, starting to scowl in confusion. Twilight treated him like a kid sometimes, but never to this extent. Usually he at least tried. And what was that about the truth?

The tattooed guy crouched down in front of Wind with a forced, toothy smile. Wind could almost imagine a cleaner version of this guy as a somewhat intimidating but friendly vendor. Missed opportunity. 

"Hey, kid. How ya feelin'?"

Oh? Twilight was a genius. 

Wind smoothed his scowl out to widen his eyes, a trick he used often on Sky without fail. It usually worked on Twilight, too. Wild fell to it more often than not, as did Hyrule, though Wind felt bad manipulating them like that. Four only gave in when he wanted to. Warriors had too much practice resisting. Legend was too salty, and Time was too much of a dad. 

"Wh-who are you?" Wind asked, pitching his voice up a little. He tucked his chin in, which made his head look bigger, so he seemed younger. He'd found that, even though he couldn't look much younger than twelve, maybe ten, most hardened adults couldn't tell the difference between the voice and demeanor of a twelve-year-old and that of a six-year-old. He could use that. 

"Call me Eagle," tattoo man said. He gestured to the tall man standing near Twilight, then to each of the others, still sitting at the makeshift card table. "That's Vulture, then Hawk, and Sparrow, and Macaw."

Wind bit his lip. "Like a parrot?"

The dark-skinned man called Macaw laughed out loud. "Exactly. Ya like parrots, kid?"

"Kinda." Wind did not like birds very much, courtesy of trauma from Aryll being kidnapped by one, but parrots were slightly less frightening. He liked how colorful they could get. 

"Good, good," the eagle man said. "Did you know that parrots are friends of pirates?"

Wind could have laughed for about five minutes straight, but he just nodded instead. 

"You know what pirates do?"

"Sail, plunder, bury treasure. What do you want? Why's Twi up there?" Wind opened his eyes wide enough to call tears to his eyes. 

"It's okay. We're like pirates. We want to find buried treasure. You know where some is, don't you?"

Wind paused. Well, yeah. He knew where a lot of buried treasure was, pretty much all of it on one island or another in his own world. Where had these people gotten the idea that they could get treasure out of him? "Why would I tell you? It's my treasure." 

"What kind of treasure?" Eagle asked, instead of answering the question. 

Twilight spoke again. "Wind, tell him the truth, okay? All of the truth."

Well, that was a blatant lie. Wind highly doubted Twilight wanted him to say anything about time traveling and dimension hopping and the Triforce. That was just asking for trouble, even if these guys thought he was just a stupid kid. 

Wind chewed on his lip while Eagle stared at him, waiting. "It's… it's a couple broken rupees Twi gave me. That's kinda treasure, right?"

Eagle and… Crane?... exchanged a look. Eagle turned back to Wind. 

"Wind, was it?" 

Wind glanced at Twilight, then nodded. "Yeah."

"Cool name. It's like a pirate name."

"Thanks." Wind's 'I could laugh at you' timer was up to fifteen minutes.

"Who's your daddy, Wind? Lord something?"

"He… he's not a lord," Wind stammered out, sounding unsure.

Eagle leaned in closer. "You shouldn't lie, Wind, not to me."

"I'm not."

The one called Vulture pulled out an old dagger and held it to Twilight's ribs, indenting his sweating skin. "Children shouldn't lie."  

Wind let himself panic a little. "Don't hurt him!"

"Then tell me the name of your daddy. Or your mommy? Who do you live with? Your clothes are very nice, and so's your brother's gold chain mail." Man, Eagle just wouldn't let it go. He was convinced that Wind and Twilight were rich, somehow. 

Twilight caught Wind's eyes and glanced upward with a meaningful look. Wind cast his own gaze around with frantic movements, looking for what Twilight was referencing without letting on that he was.

The beam Twilight hung from looked pretty sturdy, and so did the rope looped over it. Twilight hung from rope tied around his wrists, but his hands held on pretty tightly. Wind had seen him climb in worse conditions than that. 

… Ah. 

Wind sniffed, as if he was fighting back tears. He shimmied his way to sitting, making sure he had every eye on him. "Um… okay. Don't hurt him?"

"We won't, if you tell the truth," Eagle told him with a false smile. "Promise."

"Step away from him," Wind insisted, pitching his voice even higher to sound more pathetic. "So I know you're telling the truth."

Vulture snorted, but did as Wind asked. He didn't put his knife away, but he did move away from Twilight. "All right, kid. You're cute. Who's your daddy?"

Wind considered a few names, but landed on one he could remember and that sounded real. He wasn't about to put heat on Time or Malon or Lon Lon Ranch. "Lord Linebeck."

Linebeck would be absolutely hysterical if he knew Wind had made him out to be a lord. 

Eagle chuckled. "That wasn't so hard, was it? What does your daddy do, Wind?"

"He works," Wind answered unhelpfully. He kept his eyes off Twilight, who'd started to carefully climb the rope. His muscles moved, sweat catching the light of the sun. He was impressively silent. 

"What kind of work? Does he go places? Meet with people?"

Wind kept talking, spinning a tale about a minor noble family. He focused on the things a kid would know, like if he saw guards by the gate or not, and how many toys he had. He slipped in enough detail and made the house sound just vulnerable enough that the bird boys stayed glued to his words. It gave Twilight enough distraction to climb all the way up to the rafters. 

"You wouldn't mind staying here for a bit, would you?" the man called Macaw asked. "We'll take you back home in a bit."

"Why… can't I go home now?" Wind asked. He'd gotten more comfortable as he talked. The guys were doing their best to be friendly, at least. 

At the edges of his vision, Wind saw Twilight sit up on the rafters and start working at the ropes around his wrists with his teeth. He was making quick progress. 

"We gotta do a couple things, first," Eagle said, leaning in. "Ya like games?"

"Yeah, lots of games, what kind?" Wind asked eagerly.

"Do you have a favorite?"

Twilight got his hands free, and Wind wiggled his feet. 

 "I like the one called 'Pirate Fools the Idiots.'" 

Crane laughed. "Never heard of that one."

"Really? My brothers love it. It's when you come up with a ridiculous story, and see who believes it. It's best when you don't know you're playing it."

"And it looks like you won this round, Wind," Twilight said, right on cue. 

He jumped from the rafters onto Vulture, knocking him right to the ground and snatching up his knife. The others took a second to react, but react they did, with mismatched weapons and frantic yells. 

Eagle turned his back on Wind, which was a mistake that Wind laughed at him for. It took very little effort to finish kicking the ropes off his feet, then jump up and headbutt Eagle right in the back. 

"Hey!" Eagle whirled, gripping a knife. 

Wind smiled at him, using the most dangerous smile he knew. His voice went back to normal, minor accent and all. "You're the idiots, ya bilge-sucking shark bait, and I'm the pirate. I fooled ya."

"Why, you—"

While Twilight took on the others bare-handed, which was hardly a fight, Wind baited Eagle around the barn, grinning madly the whole time. He didn't have his arms, but he did have his feet, and he used them well. 

He managed to trip Eagle onto a pile of splintery wood, then jumped on top of his chest. "Good job mugging the two people on these roads least likely to be intimidated by you! I don't think you'll believe me, but I've tangled with gods, sailed through the Great Sea's storms, stole the Triforce, and dug the Master Sword right into Ganondorf's idiotic forehead. You don't scare me, Eaglet. " 

Twilight, meanwhile, had knocked out or severely wounded every other gang member in the barn. He came over to Wind and worked at the knot around his arms. "Your sword's off in the corner, Wind. You'd better make sure it's not dinged up, or Four'll kill you."

"I dunno, I think he'd forgive me. What do we do about this guy?" Wind asked, looking down at Eagle, who was struggling with the splinters in his skin. One stuck out of his tattoo right inside the heart shape. Nice. 

"We're not killing them."

"Aww, but Twilight—"

Twilight leveled a look at Wind. "Knock him out, we'll pass the word onto the knights to pick them up."

"The knights?" Eagle looked up at them with wide eyes, struggling with his breath now that Wind stood on top of him. He'd lost his composure and no longer looked friendly, just scared. "Who are you people?"

Wind smiled down at him. "We're Heroes."

He kicked Eagle's jaw, knocking him out cold.

Chapter Text

The last wizzrobe blasted off an attack. The magic flared towards Time's back, but Sky jumped in its path, his face set. 

Warriors reacted quickly, jumping just right to knock the enemy from the air, then slicing it through the middle. It dissolved before it hit the ground. He landed and turned, surveying the battlefield, or what was left. The fight was over, thank goodness. 

Four had a rolled ankle that Legend was helping him wrap, while Hyrule hovered over Wind and Twilight nearby. Wild jogged back toward them, weapons put again. Time stood up, and Sky remained still. 

"Sky?" Warriors asked, sheathing his sword as he walked over with purpose. The somewhat dead grass crunched under his boots. "Are you all right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just… I got hit." Sky poked out his sword arm, bereft of sword. "I'm confused."

Warriors got to him and held out a hand. Sky willingly offered out his arm for inspection, and Warriors had to stare, too. A spot of white discolored Sky's arm, sparkling in the sunlight. Warriors hesitantly brushed his fingers across it, noting that it was cold. It was… translucent. He could almost see Sky's bone through the patch. 

"This looks like ice," Warriors said with a frown. "I've never seen this before."

"It feels strange. I can sort of feel it, but the edges are fuzzy, a little itchy." Sky touched the spot, too. "And it's definitely cold."

Time approached, swinging his elbow in a circle to work out a kink. "What happened?"

"Sky got hit." Warriors gestured to the spot. "I'm beginning to get worried."

"I… think it's getting bigger," Sky said, keeping his voice level and staring at the patch of ice. 

Warriors nodded. "All right, I'm definitely worried." He had always focused more on the consequences and application of magic than the actual practice, so he really had no idea what was going on here. 

"Worried about what?" Twilight asked, coming over with Hyrule in tow. Wind and Wild made their way over, too, taking a detour to look at a rock or something. 

"My arm." Sky gestured to it, still in Warriors's hands. "It's getting cold."

Hyrule poked at it curiously. "Huh, that's not even flesh anymore."

"Oh." Sky sounded a tad hysterical. "I'm going to be an ice statue. How lovely."

"No, you're not," Warriors said firmly. He didn't have a solution in mind, but the worst thing to do would be to give up before they started. 

"What about ice statues?" Legend asked. He had Four on his back, since apparently the wrapped ankle was giving him issues. 

"Sky's turning into one," Twilight said. "Um… please tell me you know what to do. You've seen this before, right?"

Legend squinted over Warriors's arm. "The best, surest way to get rid of a curse like this… is amputation. Yeah. That'll probably work."

A cold feeling bloomed in the bottom of Warriors's stomach. "Excuse me? That's a last resort, all right?"

"Looks like the ice flesh curse," Four said unexpectedly from over Legend's shoulder. "That sort of happened to me once."

" You've seen it?" Warriors said. "What do you mean, 'sort of happened' to you?"

Four made a face. "I was frozen in a block of ice for a while, and forcibly melted out with a fire rod. Just one more reason for me to dislike the cold."

"Who… melted you out?" Legend asked, eyes narrowed as he looked back at Four's face. 

"That's, uh… That's not important. What is important is that I remember researching later, and came across this . It's not a nice curse."

Warriors let out a breath. "All right, what does it do, how long do we have, and how do we fix it?"

Wild and Wind came over next, joining the huddle around Sky. They didn't get a chance to ask before Four started dumping information on them. 

"It's a weakened form of a golem curse, of the green magic variety, but energy-shifted due to elemental association, and not as strong due to the wizzrobe's limited magical conductivity. The ice will continue to spread, and must not melt , or the arm will sustain potentially lasting injuries. It would be as bad as melting the flesh itself, so keep it cold. Frostbite may be a concern, but a minor one in comparison. Judging from the power we've been seeing and the size of the initial impact, we may have about a day until the ice reaches Sky's heart, at which point, the heart will stop."

The energy of the group spiked, and several people exchanged panicked looks. Sky bit his lip. 

Four continued. "That means we have a little time. As with most curse cures, this one requires the application of the four elements. You need an item infused with all four elements, and preferably a holy blessing, as well. Keep it close to the spot, and depending on the item's power, it will go away in several hours to overnight."

"All right," Warriors said once Four had stopped talking. "Who has an item with all four elements and a blessing?"

Everyone turned to look at Legend, who just sighed and nodded. "I think so. Four, dig into my bag, there's a rod with a fat end in there."

It took a second, but Four pulled out something shiny silver that looked almost half as long as he was tall. "This one?"

"That's the one. Give it to Sky."

Warriors let Sky's arm go so Sky could twist the right direction to take it. 

"What is it?" Sky asked, looking at the unfamiliar symbols with curiosity. 

"Rod of Seasons," Legend said, hiking Four up higher onto his back again. "Don't swing it too hard or you'll make it winter."

Sky looked down at it with wide eyes. "Where did you get it?"

"Din."

"The goddess?" Warriors asked, surprised. Legend shrugged and didn't elaborate. 

"Hey, Sky," Wild interrupted. He had a weapon in his hand, and Warriors went into panic mode for a moment before realizing that it wasn't even on. Wild handed a second rod to Sky, this one fancier but clearly less powerful. "That's a blizzard rod. Your arm is melting, Four said to keep it cold."

Sky's eyes widened, and he stared down at both items. "Right. Yes. Um…" 

"Camp," Time decided. He pulled away. "Let's set up over by the treeline. Any objections?"

Nobody had any, so they all burst into action. Legend carried Four over, and together they started a campfire. Wild pulled things out of his slate, leaving Hyrule to pull tarps over and under their sleeping arrangement while Wind and Twilight got to chop vegetables. Warriors took the blizzard rod from Sky, tested its power a few times, then cast a little snowstorm on Sky's affected arm. 

Sky winced and looked closer at the silvery Rod of Seasons. "Four said a few hours, right? That's all?"

"That should be all. Hold it to the spot as much as you can."

They went to sit in the shelter and begin to wind down for the day, far away from the fire. Sky pulled his cape tighter around his shoulders and made sure he was in constant contact with Legend's Rod of Seasons. By the time Wild decided dinner was ready, the patch of ice had grown through Sky's entire arm. He could still move his fingers, mostly, but Warriors was well aware that if the ice there melted, Sky would be down a hand. He kept the blizzard rod on. 

A bit of forced conversation drifted around the fire, which smoothed out when Sky spoke as if nothing was wrong, save for the shivering. Warriors admired him for his constant calm attitude, yet he worried that the facade put undue strain on Sky himself. He stayed nearby to make sure Sky knew he wasn't alone. 

Sky kept shivering and rubbing at his elbow and his hands. He kept his arm away from his body heat, and went so far as to ask Warriors if they could bandage it a little. The compression of the bandages seemed to calm some of the discomfort. 

When dinner had been cleaned up and everyone sat around, pulling out their hobbies and maintenance, Sky pulled the bandages off to look closer. Warriors bent over to look, too. 

"It looks smaller," Warriors said, keeping his tone positive. 

Sky nodded. "Yes. It's highly uncomfortable. You know how it feels when you lay on your arm wrong, then get up and the feeling begins to come back? Like that, but getting worse."

Warriors winced at that. "I know that feeling, yes. I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad it's going away. This is not much fun." He kept his voice low, so as not to disturb anyone else. Still, Warriors saw Four glance backward with a concerned look on his face. 

As the curse began to recede, Sky's suffering seemed to get worse. He did his best to hide it, but once he started dozing, he couldn't stop the whimpers. Warriors made sure he didn't get too warm, which broke his heart with the way Sky trembled on top of his blankets, but it was necessary. Even Sky's face was icy to the touch, by now. 

Though it was past their normal bedtime, the others didn't go to sleep. Sure, Twilight sat on his bedroll, but he stared into the fire and winced every time Sky muttered something. Wild brewed some kind of tea, but obviously didn't dare give something hot to Sky just yet. Four tried to read. Time even pulled out an ocarina for a few minutes, but couldn't keep the music up. 

Sky really fell asleep at some point. Warriors made sure both the Rod of Seasons and the blizzard rod were near him, and wished he could warm Sky up a little. He looked exhausted, and his lips were tinged blue. His cursed arm rested far away from him. 

"How much longer is it going to be?" Wind whispered after a louder cry from Sky that made most of them wince. 

Warriors checked on the curse. "At the rate it's been going, not long."

Wind dropped his head into his knees. "That's not helpful, Wars. At all.'

"Perhaps an hour more," Warriors clarified. 

"Is he okay?" Hyrule asked from the other side of the fire. 

Warriors held his hand to the side of Sky's face. "He's freezing. But the ice is going down."

"Thank the goddess," Wild sighed. "I'm glad you knew about it, Four, and that you had the thing, Legend."

"Me too," Legend and Four chorused. They shared a somewhat amused expression. 

"It's important to learn and memorize all you can," Four added. "You never know when a tidbit of information will be useful."

"I feel the same way about stuff ." Legend pulled his bag over. "All right, we're not gonna talk about that… or that one… oh, I still have that?… mm, boring… how about this?" He pulled out something shiny and round. 

"And a moon pearl isn't boring?" Four asked with a sarcastic edge in his voice. 

Legend rolled his eyes. "There's only one moon pearl."

"I've seen several."

"I've never seen one," Wild said, bending forward. 

"I… don't think I have, either. What does it do?" Twilight asked. 

Four made a face. "Twilight? You haven't seen them? But your whole thing is… dark world stuff."

Twilight shrugged. "I've never heard of a moon pearl."

"Is it seriously just me and Legend?" Four asked, looking around. Nobody answered in the positive. "Maybe Sky, I guess." 

Legend started to tell a very embellished story about a tower and a wizard and the moon pearl. Four added a few things about moon gates, whatever those were. 

The discussion cut off when Sky screamed. 

Warriors's heart burst into overdrive, and he slapped a hand over Sky's mouth. It didn't wake him up, which may not have been a bad thing. 

"There could be monsters," Warriors said in explanation. At least one pair of eyes began to scan the trees and the field. 

Hyrule made his way over to sit next to Sky. "He's going to get hypothermia from this, isn't he?"

"Chances are good." Warriors pointed the blizzard rod at the patch of ice again. "It's almost gone, though, see?"

"Mhm." Hyrule closed his eyes and let his hands flow with magic. "He's trying to get rid of it. This is the last push. I think I can help."

"Go ahead," Warriors told him. "It can't hurt."

Hyrule nodded, then screwed up his face in concentration. His magic took on a different hue and a different pitch, more aggressive. Sky's head turned sharply, and he began to thrash. Warriors let go of his mouth to hold him down and make sure he didn't hit anyone. 

The others kept quiet as Sky started to scream again. Hyrule kept his magic steady, though, and Warriors kept Sky down. 

It went on for a few long, long minutes. Hyrule never faltered, and neither did Warriors or Sky. 

Then, all of a sudden, Sky calmed. Hyrule's magic faded, he opened his eyes, and slumped down. 

"Hyrule?" Warriors asked, reaching out to hold Hyrule's shoulder over Sky's passed-out form. 

"I'm fine. Just… tired, now." 

"You should sleep."

"Mhm." Hyrule only seemed half-conscious as he laid down next to Sky and cuddled up, for all that Sky must have felt like an ice cube. 

Speaking of which… Now that the patch of ice was totally gone, Warriors pulled the two rods away. He pulled a few blankets on top of both Sky and Hyrule, then took Sky's hand between both of his own to try and rub warmth back into the fingers.

"Definitely hypothermia," Wild said, coming to sit near, too. "I think tonight's a sleepover night." 

"As if it ever isn't sleepover night," Four grumbled. But he'd started dragging everyone's things over, anyway. "He's better?"

"Looks like it," Warriors told them all, to a collective sigh of relief. 

Twilight stood. "I'll take first watch, the rest of you keep him warm."

"I'll have second," Warriors offered with a yawn. 

"Third." Time stoked the fire and then came to sit by the rest of them. 

In short order, everyone was piled on top of each other—Wolfie showed up to be Four's pillow next to Hyrule, who was already entirely asleep. Wind laid down next to the two of them and spread out a big blanket. Warriors let Legend lay across his and Sky's legs, though he had no idea how that was comfortable. Time sat up against a tree near their heads. 

After so long being cold, Sky started to warm up under all the bodies and blankets. Warriors hoped he could feel it in dreamland. 

Chapter Text

Five minutes. 

It had been five minutes since the fighting began, halfway across town at the university. Sky could hear the other Heroes breathing and shouting and generally making a lot of noise, but he had the volume on his earpiece turned way down, and his own microphone was muted. He didn't want to miss any of the noises around him. 

Why had he been elected for a stealth mission? He wasn't particularly sneaky, and he didn't have any sneaky magic to help. Wind would've been better. Legend would've been ideal. Sky still didn't know how Legend managed to creep around the house every night without waking at least someone up. 

Oh, right. Because they all agreed that if Vaati was to forget someone existed, it was going to be Sky. How flattering. 

Sky did his best to not make noise as he followed the memorized directions. He only had to hide from guards once on his way to the right door, and then it was just a matter of punching in the code Wind had stolen in preparation for this. They'd done a lot of prep work, making this mission much less risky. 

Through the little microphone in his ear, Sky heard Vaati's laugh. He caught a snippet of something vaguely threatening, and Four's rather shaky reply. Sky tuned it out in favor of slipping into the room. 

There was very little in there: cinderblock walls, a cot, a beaten-up little dresser in the corner with a gray shirt thrown on top of it. There wasn't even a window or a rug, nothing to make the room warmer or softer. 

The boy laying crumpled on the cot would've been recognizable even if Four hadn't shown Sky the only photo he had. Sky took half a second to compare his memories of the photo to the boy in front of him. In the picture, a sentimental candid taken moments after these two had come out of the portal together, he'd been smiling in awe at the new world around him. He looked just like Four, if a little sharper in the features, just colored differently. His eyes had fixed on Sky as soon as he'd come in, but he didn't move. 

"Who are you?"

Sky took a step in, but stopped and held his hands up when the boy flinched slightly. "You can call me Sky. I'm a friend. I promise."

"Right. Sure. Sounds legit." There was the snark Four warned about. It sounded tired. Poor kid, he didn't look good. 

"Are you Shadow?" Sky asked, keeping his voice low and calm, like he might with a scared cat. "Four sent me."

Shadow's eyes narrowed, but he still didn't budge an inch. "Oh, really?"

"Really. He told me to tell you that the password is root beer, but the evil kind." Sky had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but it clearly meant something to Shadow. 

"Oh." It took Shadow a moment, but most of the wariness melted from his shoulders. "I guess it is." He twisted up his face, bracing himself, and started to sit up. 

Sky rushed over to help. From the way Shadow moved, it was clear he was in pain, and Sky's instincts took over. Every step closer revealed more old injuries—awful bruises around his neck, scabbed cuts down his back, barely dried blood stuck to his face. His hair was limp, and Sky could count his ribs. It was a wonder he was moving. 

Shadow got to sitting, then immediately put his hands to his head and leaned forward. 

"How's your head?" Sky asked, biting his lip as he debated what to do next. A bad head injury could get complicated. 

"Just… just dizzy. I think it's because it's been a while since I ate. Just how often do mortals have to eat?" 

Sky would have laughed in another situation. Instead, he just winced and went to snatch the shirt from the dresser. A little protection would go a long way. "Minimum to live, every week. Minimum to be at peak performance, several times a day."

"Mm. Eating is stupid." Shadow tried to be cooperative with the shirt, but couldn't move much. Sky did his best to be gentle and quick. "What's the plan?"

"I'm getting you out of here. Can I pick you up?" It was clear Shadow wouldn't be walking anywhere. 

Shadow eyed him, but nodded. He was still suspicious, Sky noted with dismay. He was going along with it, but it seemed like part of Shadow still expected tricks. 

Carefully, Sky slid his arms around Shadow, under his knees and gently around his back. He knew it would pull at the scabs there, but any other hold would likely hurt more. He directed Shadow to wrap his arms around his neck, then turned to the door. 

"Ready?" he asked Shadow, who nodded. "Stay quiet."

"Duh."

Sky turned the handle, peeked outside, then left the room. Shadow was like a block of wood in his arms, tense and cold and silent. He tucked his head into Sky's chest as they crossed the threshold, a single tremor shaking him. Sky held him tight and close, hoping to impart some heat and hope. He was so small. Was Four this small, too, or was it because Shadow was so clearly starving and hurt? It was too easy to activate the big brother attitude. 

It had taken five minutes to get in, but it took Sky ten minutes to get out. Halfway through, an alarm went off, making Shadow go rigid again, but Sky managed to hide from the rushing guards in a stairwell. The path he chose out of the disguised office building was a relatively clear one, thanks to all the preparation they'd put into this, and the two of them made it out without fighting anyone or drawing attention. It didn't matter if someone saw tapes later. 

As soon as the outside air hit his face, Sky went running. He got past the gate without even trying to sneak, and jumped into the waiting van. Guards shouted, but they couldn't match his speed. At least the battle through his ear seemed to be winding down. 

"Got him, go!" Sky said, voice harsh with exertion. He kicked the doors shut as the van peeled out, then let his grip on Shadow soften. The guards were left behind. 

"How is he?" Malon asked from the driver's seat. She wasn't exactly a fast driver, but it was better than having Sky try to drive and reassure at the same time. 

"Badly malnourished and injured, but nothing too bad, yet," Sky answered, kneeling to lay Shadow down on his side on the clean pile of blankets in the back. He'd been quiet. Sky paused, and looked closer. 

Shadow's eyes were entirely blackened. The color was beginning to leak into his skin, which didn't seem very… good. He trembled not with fear or stress as Sky had assumed, but with pain. As Sky watched, Shadow began to choke on his breath, and he went entirely limp. 

"Okay, actually, Four was right about the dark magic," Sky said quickly. "I suppose there was some kind of minor curse." He put a hand on Shadow's face, then reached for the sword hidden in a pile of jackets. The Master Sword hummed as Sky's hand wrapped around the hilt, ready to serve as always. 

Sky pulled Shadow onto his lap, where his head fell to one side. "We're headed to the university, right?" he called up to Malon. 

"Yep, as quick as possible," Malon answered. "Get him sorted, best you can, all right?"

"That's what I'm doing." Sky let Shadow lean into him, then picked up one of his hands. He hesitated, but Four had seemed confident this would work. He moved their hands until Shadow grasped the Master Sword, too. 

The blade almost seemed to make a noise of distress. The gem at the hilt glowed a little, beating back the magic. 

Sky picked up Shadow's head so it didn't loll so far to the side. "Shadow, can you hear me?" 

After a long moment, Shadow groaned. "Bright."

"I know, I know. It's banishing the curse. You'll feel better soon." 

Shadow winced, and his hand closed around the sword of its own volition. "I don't like this…"

"I'm sorry." Sky pulled him closer to support him more. "It'll be over soon."

"It had better."

For the rest of the drive, Shadow and the sword battled the dark magic in silence. Sky ran over Four's instructions in his head again, but he hadn't missed anything. He'd put the Sword That Seals the Darkness into the hand of a being of darkness to fight off a dark curse. It didn't make sense to him, but Four had a really complicated train of logic that involved double negatives and Hero's Spirits and mortality. 

And if Four was sure something would work, it would. 

By the time Malon slowed and pulled up outside a set of double industrial doors at the university, Shadow's eyes had opened and returned to their normal blue. He responded to Sky in short sentences, usually sarcastically, which Sky took to be a sign of progress. 

When the van doors finally flew open, it seemed that the dark magic tormenting Shadow had dissipated entirely. He jumped and dropped the sword's hilt, then tried to sit up. 

Four, with a concerning amount of blood in his hair, leaped straight into the van and wrapped his arms around Shadow, who did his best to reciprocate. "You're okay, you're okay."

"Define 'okay,'" Shadow said back with a weakened smirk. "And are you okay?" 

"That's not his blood, he's fine," Wind said brightly, climbing into the van next. "Hi, I'm Wind. Nice to meet you. I'll just… go sit up here." He passed them to claim one of the coveted seats by the doors. 

The others filtered in, in various states of injury, but their spirits were high. They'd beaten Vaati back, successfully protected Warriors's Hyrule, and rescued Shadow, to boot. Sky greeted them each by name so that Shadow could hear them all at least once, though he knew that it could be a while before he got all of their names down. Sky himself had spent an embarrassingly long amount of time mixing up Legend and Warriors. 

Time shut the van doors, then climbed up into the front seat. "Hospital. Some of you need it."

There was, relatively, little complaining. The others started the long process of debriefing and dressing wounds as they drove. The worst injury was a fractured arm, which, of course, belonged to Wild. The atmosphere lightened, and Warriors and Legend argued about music again. They ended up turning on Hyrule's favorite soundtrack again. 

Four didn't let go of Shadow the whole way there. 

Chapter Text

"What time is it?"

Hyrule's voice was too soft to echo through the strange cave he and Time sat in. It was a bit muffled, too, with the way he had his face half-pressed into Time's tunic.

It was the only thing he'd said for an hour. 

"Six ten in the evening," Time answered for the eighth or ninth time. He was starting to lose count. 

"What about seconds?"

"Forty-two."

"Well, that's five more than last time." Hyrule turned over, keeping contact with Time as he did so. 

It was far too dark in here to see anything, though they'd investigated with probing hands and found that the cave was entirely enclosed and fairly small. There was a rather wet skeleton in the back. They avoided that spot. 

"What are our supplies like?" Time asked again.

Hyrule sat up to dig through their bags by feel. He raised his voice a little, perhaps feeling as Time did, that without contact or constant sound, they'd lose each other in here.

"We only have an hour's worth or so of oil for the lamp," Hyrule said. "A few days' worth of water, still, if we ration. And it's not like we're doing anything strenuous, so it will last a while. We have about that much in food, that is, a few bites of jerky. There's the tallow in the candles I have, too, but water's more important. And hey, if that all runs out, we have whatever is left on that poor guy back there."

Time made a face, not that Hyrule could see it. "We aren't eating rotted corpses. Especially not rotted Hylian corpses." He didn't see Hyrule's reaction, but he could imagine it. "I'm serious, Hyrule."

"All right, all right. Sometimes you get hungry, that's all I'm saying."

"It won't come to that. They'll get to us."

Hyrule jostled their things around. "But when? It's been two days, and barely a minute out there. If they take an hour, we're dead."

"Well, then, we should count our blessings that they saw where we went." 

They'd had this conversation at least twice by now. Each time, they both got a little more frustrated, but Time was doing his best to stay positive, and that was Hyrule's default. By his own admission—and his apparent willingness to use a rotting Hylian corpse for nourishment—he'd been in tighter scrapes. That didn't mean Time felt better about this, or Hyrule's adventures in general, but it did mean he didn't worry much about Hyrule's mental state, like he'd worry about someone else's. 

Like his own, honestly. The darkness was getting to him. 

"Maybe we can light the lamp for a few minutes," Time suggested. "Just to be sure there isn't a way out."

Hyrule managed a short laugh. "Afraid of the dark, old man?" Still, the bags rustled as he reached for things. It only took a few seconds to strike a spark and light the wick of the lamp. 

Time let out a breath when the orange flame grew to illuminate Hyrule's dirt-smeared face and their immediate surroundings. He exchanged a smile with Hyrule, then got to his feet. "Let's not waste oil."

"Here," Hyrule said, offering the lamp out as he stood, too. "You need more light than I do."

"Is that an eye joke?" Time asked. He took the lamp, but raised an eyebrow to make it clear he was kidding. 

Hyrule took it as intended and shook his head with a smile. "I think I'm more used to dark caves than you are." He turned his eyes to the rocky walls. "I'll take this side."

Time turned around and tried to not hide the lamp's light with his body. The ridges of the cave on this side had grown familiar to his fingers over the last two days. It was almost odd to see them instead. He shone the lamp into the darkest corners, just to make sure there were no holes. 

Meanwhile, Hyrule combed over the other side of the cave. It wasn't very big. Time could lay down straight on the bottom, but he could probably touch one side with his fingers if he reached and kept his toes on the other side. It was about the same measurement tall, and twice that long. At least it was big enough for both of them. 

Time had panicked when it looked like Hyrule was disappearing after touching a glass orb in some temple they'd just cleared out. He'd shouted, drawing everyone's attention, and grabbed onto Hyrule's arm. The magic just pulled him into wherever this was, too. He'd forever be grateful that Hyrule wasn't alone in here. 

The skeleton sat in a crevice of one end, curled up on its side. Not all of the flesh had degraded, yet, but enough had that Time was sickened by the smell and the sight. He wondered, with a pit in his stomach, what sort of scavengers were breaking the flesh down. Was there a monster that ruled this demiplane, only appearing when its victims were too weak to fight? Or dead entirely?

If Hyrule had such morbid thoughts, he didn't show it. He poked through the skeleton, laying it out and seeing what was there. He pulled an arm off on accident, but laughed and used it to wave to Time. 

Time raised a hand back on instinct, but his face definitely showed his alarm. 

"It's just a skeleton," Hyrule said, putting the arm down. "Why does it scare you?"

"Sometimes they come back to life and try to eat you," Time said. "And then they're terrifying."

Hyrule paused. "That does sound terrifying, actually. But this one is thoroughly dead. I can poke through his ribs, see? This guy was rich, look at that jewelry." 

"Hyrule… maybe you shouldn't disturb the dead."

"And let all of this go to waste? His leather is still good, we can save his belt and boots, at least. I wonder if he died from starvation. He could've eaten these if he'd tried."

Time hesitated. It had never come up before, but it appeared that Hyrule didn't care much about disturbing bodies. It turned Time's stomach, hearing the snaps of tendons and wet squelch of half-gone flesh, but Hyrule had no compunctions. Perhaps the dead didn't rise, in his era.

"Get what you think might be useful," Time said after a few seconds of battling the thought. "Then we should turn out the lamp." He'd miss the light. 

"Right." Efficiently— too efficiently for Time's taste—Hyrule stripped the corpse of anything useful or valuable, from rings to boots. Time didn't know exactly how any of that helped, but perhaps it would help them identify the poor man if they got out. 

When they got out, he corrected himself. 

Hyrule piled the corpse's things next to their bags, keeping them separate but nearby. He sat back down next to Time, then nodded. "That should do it."

"You didn't find a way out?" Time clarified. 

"No, not even any vents. We should've run out of air by now."

"I'm glad we haven't." Time braced himself, looked at Hyrule's face one more time, then blew out the lamp. 

It left them in still, suffocating darkness once again. 

"Time?" Hyrule asked after a few seconds. 

"Hm?"

"I… I'm sorry if that scared you. I didn't mean to… bring up bad memories or anything."

Time laughed a little. "Don't be sorry. I just…" Well, what else would they do in here? He might as well be honest. "I didn't grow up knowing death was real. And then I had it shoved in my face, corpses of people I knew coming to life. They scream, and you can't move. Funerals in my time are pretty religious to try and stop the dead from becoming monsters."

"Really? That's why?" Hyrule's clothes rustled, and he moved closer to Time.  "I… don't remember who taught me, but whenever I find a dead thing, animal or Hylian or plant, I have a habit of saying a silent prayer for its soul. I guess it's about ghosts. Usually, I can get something useful off of a body. Most of my clothes came from them…"

"That's a little bit morbid, Hyrule," Time told him, smiling. 

"Is it? I mean, you don't want things to go to waste."

"I suppose not. Have you attended a funeral in your time? What are they like?"

They talked for several more hours, discussing funerals and respect for the dead, then pets and what counted. The conversation turned to food, then quickly died. Time definitely felt hunger gnawing at him, but he wouldn't complain, and wouldn't eat any of their limited supplies until Hyrule decided it was time to take some out. He was the one with experience. 

At some point in the silence, Time leaned up against a wall, and Hyrule laid back down, head in Time's lap again. When Hyrule's breathing slowed, so did Time's. He found himself falling asleep. 

---

An unpleasant dream about Zora and claws came to an abrupt halt. Time sat straight up, and the bright remnants of his dream lingered in front of his eyes. "What?"

"Time," said a steady voice. Hyrule's voice. "Calm down. Are you okay?"

It took Time a moment. "Yes. Yes, of course. Just a bad dream."

Hyrule sat back down, pressing their shoulders together. "Do… you want to talk about it?"

"It was just nonsense." Time put his arm around Hyrule's shoulders, calming a bit more when Hyrule leaned into him. "Bright, loud, confusing nonsense."

"I hate those ones," Hyrule said. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you for waking me up."

---

"What time is it?" Hyrule whispered. 

"Six eleven."

"Seconds?"

"Thirty-three." Time's voice was flat. 

"That means…  about four days in here. Almost exactly two minutes out there. Are we going to die?"

Time paused his stroking of Hyrule's fluffy hair. It was getting a little oily. "They're doing their best, I'm sure." It wasn't an answer, and they both knew it. 

"They don't know the danger." Hyrule sighed and sat up. "We should drink some water. And eat a little."

"Aren't we out of the jerky?" Time asked, hearing Hyrule shuffle their things around again. He took a little drink of water when Hyrule put the canteen in his lap, as much as he wanted to drain the whole thing. 

"I did tell you about the candles, didn't I?"

---

It was six twelve and almost six seconds. Another two days had gone by, making almost a week in total. Hyrule was almost unresponsive. 

Time kept his fingers pressed to Hyrule's neck, praying for the heartbeat to continue. He didn't have any idea why Hyrule was like this. Time himself felt weakened and hungry but ultimately fine. Hyrule should be, too. 

A dark thought struck him, and he almost bowed under the weight of it. That bad thought, unfortunately, would be entirely in character for Hyrule, but spelled out something awful. 

"Hyrule," Time said lowly, voice rasping. "Hyrule, answer me."

It took a second, but Hyrule stirred. "Hm?"

"Hyrule, have you been drinking and eating? Or just pretending to?"

The silence lasted too long. 

"Hyrule!" Time didn't get a response, so he patted the ground in front of him to find their bags. He ran into the canteen without too much trouble. It didn't have much left in it, but Time lifted Hyrule's head up and pressed the opening to his lips anyway. 

He ignored the fact that there wasn't more than a swallow of water in there. He poured the rest of it into Hyrule's throat and tossed the canteen across the cave. It made a metallic noise, like the death knell of a bell. 

"Don't you dare die on me," Time snapped down at Hyrule, feeling at his pulse again. "You've survived everything. You can survive this."

Hyrule stirred just enough to hug Time tighter. "S'rry."

"Sorry isn't enough. What will I tell Legend? He'll kill me."

"Mm… but you have Malon."

Time closed his eye and swallowed with a dry throat. Yes, he did. And he was stupidly, selfishly grateful that Hyrule was thinking of her, too. He didn't want to imagine her pain if he died. But she'd be in pain if Hyrule died, too.

"So do you, Hyrule. Please stay. Don't give up."

Hyrule's chest fluttered in the world's quietest laugh. "'M not."

---

Six twelve, and twelve seconds. 

Half a day more, and Time didn't know how much longer he could put up with this. Death by dehydration was awful, but he couldn't give up hope and end it sooner. He'd run out of oil for the lamp a few minutes ago, lit just to see Hyrule's dark freckles and to banish the visions that had begun to play out in front of his eyes. 

He wished he didn't have to see. 

Moments slipped by, far too slowly and far too quickly. 

Six twelve, thirteen. 

Six twelve, fourteen. 

If the time ever reached six thirteen, Time was certain they'd both be dead. Forget about an hour, they would have barely lasted three minutes. He knew the others would be working to get them out, but even they couldn't pull out a miracle so quickly. Three minutes was maybe enough time to register that they were gone, then argue about what to do next, not find a solution and act on it. 

Time listened to Hyrule's breaths and counted something new, the seconds between each one. 

They stretched. Too long. 

And then…

Then… 

A massive sound shook the entire cave, as if an explosion had gone off inside. Time screamed and hunched over to protect Hyrule's head, which barely tossed once at the sound. His own head spun.

A second explosion followed the first, and Time felt dust coat his hair. 

Six twelve, fifteen. 

Six twelve, sixteen. 

Six twelve, seventeen. 

Time felt the seconds tick faster. Against all odds, they began to go faster . 

Eighteen, nineteen, twenty. 

A third explosion, smaller than the others, rocked the clock back into its normal speed. Time didn't think he could cry, but he wanted to. 

A line of light cracked through the ceiling of the cave. It was bright, far too bright for Time's desensitized eye. He shut it tightly as the line grew thicker, brighter, and bigger, until it could no longer be called a line, but a doorway. 

Voices tripped over themselves. Seven voices clamored for attention, but Time could barely focus. He couldn't understand them. 

Someone grabbed his shoulder, and Time's head jerked up. His eye stung at the sudden light. 

Legend looked like an angel, haloed in sunlit hair. His eyes were wide, but he managed a smile. "Sorry we took so long. The time difference scared us. How long was it for you?"

Time let his mouth fall open, and he breathed out the answer. "A week."

Face falling, Legend cursed. "No. A week? It couldn't have been."

"Hyrule." Time sat up and tightened his grip on Hyrule's wrist. "He…"

"He's alive," Twilight said firmly from Time's blind spot. "If only just. He's gonna be okay. And so will you, Time. Hold on, okay?"

Time just huffed an agreement. He looked down at Hyrule and shook his head. "Idiot."

Someone came by with a fairy, someone else had a potion, someone had more water and soup. Time wasn't paying attention. He was focused on the flow of time around them all. 

Six twelve, fifty-eight. 

Fifty-nine. 

Six thirteen. 

Chapter Text

Warriors woke to the massive sound of cheering. The noise rose and fell like waves, punctuated with roars of an animal and the clangs of a weapon. 

Ugh, his head pounded. He rubbed at his face, then opened his eyes. 

"Morning," Twilight said over the clamor. He had a tight smile on his face. "How do you feel?"

Warriors groaned and sat up to look around.

They sat in a small stone room, barely large enough to lay down in. He didn't see a door, but one of the four walls was entirely made of thick metal bars. A huge block of stone blocked most of the bars, leaving only a foot or two at the top open to air. The only other features of the plain room were the chains and manacles hanging from the ceiling and the bloodstains on the wall opposite the bars. 

"Where are we?"

"Some kind of event," Twilight answered. "I'm not sure where. You remember anything?"

Warriors shut his eyes tightly and tried to block out the rising cheering again. "We were on the road to someone's castle. I stopped for some reason. And then… I don't know. What happened?"

"We stopped for camp. You went to take a walk, and I stumbled across some guys with a tranquilizer dart they'd just shot at you. It was a bit of a wrestle, and I lost." Twilight gestured to his arm and shoulder, which he'd wrapped up with his blue sash. The blue was stained with blood. 

"How long has it been?" Warriors asked, pulling himself together. He sat up straight and held his hands out for Twilight's arm, which Twilight gave over willingly. 

Twilight shrugged with his uninjured shoulder. "The journey here was… confusing. I've been in here with you for maybe an hour. The fights started a little after that." He watched as Warriors unwrapped his makeshift bandage. 

Underneath, it was clear that Twilight's arm had broken. He'd apparently taken an arrow to the shoulder, as well. Warriors frowned and started to rewrap it, tighter and more secure. 

"What else have you seen?" he asked, partly to gather information and partly to distract Twilight. 

"People are fighting monsters out there," Twilight said, voice strained. He hissed when Warriors poked his arm. "Civilians. If they kill the monsters, they just release more and more until the people are killed, themselves." 

"That's awful." Warriors tied off the sash and reached for a dagger to cut off a stray thread. He paused when he found it in its place. "We still have our weapons."

"Yeah, but they took our other things." 

Someone outside screamed, and the cheers rose again. A monster shrieked. 

Warriors frowned. Who were these people, who watched and cheered for the fights, and why would they do something so horrid? "It's a show. They want us to put up a fight, but still lose."

Twilight pulled his arm closer and nodded grimly. "The only way out of here is through the bars. And they've done something to them, they hurt to touch."

"They have to let us out at some point," Warriors reasoned. "They want us to fight." He didn't want to minimize Twilight's ability, but with that arm and shoulder out of commission, he might be more of a liability than an asset. Warriors worried about him. 

"We'll have to make our move then," Twilight agreed. He nodded toward the bars. "You'd better see what we have to work with."

Warriors frowned harder, but he nodded and stood up. The cheers outside had died, presumably with the lull between fights. Heeding Twilight's warning, he barely brushed the bars to see what the issue was. 

A shock snapped at his touch, and he pulled away with a hiss. 

"Told you," Twilight said. 

Warriors had a childish urge to stick his tongue out, but he refrained. "They're electrified."

"I guess that makes sense." Twilight snorted. "To think I'd ever want to be wearing Wild's ugly rubber suit."

"I don't think I've seen that one." Warriors looked up, then, over the platform to the arena. His eyes were level with the ground, but he could see the stands on the opposite side. 

Several uniformed workers were poking an angry moblin with sparking rods, herding it to the left side of the arena, where monsters of all kinds thrashed in tiny cells. Another two workers dragged a dismembered body across the blood-soaked sand. 

People milled about the stands, lit in the night by torches and stars. A few at the top looked wealthy, but most of them were dirty and clearly rabble, betting and jeering. This was a well-organized, well-funded operation. Disgusting. 

"They have lynels in there," Warriors muttered. "And more monsters than I think we can handle on our own. Where are the others?"

"I think they followed us," Twilight said, leaning his head back. "But we might not be able to wait for them. They've been releasing the cells in order. We're at the end, but there's only two left before us."

Warriors turned away from the arena before he could scream. "How many so far?"

Twilight looked away. "Six people have died. A few tried to escape, but the fence between the stands and arena is also electric."

"Six people. Seven, eight. Then you and me, nine and ten. How often do they do this? What kind of sick—" He cut himself off and shook his head. 

"I don't know, Wars," Twilight whispered back. 

A gong rang out, and Warriors turned back to the arena. He could barely see another set of bars to the side. The block of stone in front of that one lowered with a loud grinding noise, then the bars retreated into the ground, letting the next victim step out. 

Whoever it was screamed out unintelligible words and refused to move. It took a few seconds for workers to jump down there and grab the older man. They tried to force him out, but he resisted. Warriors didn't see what happened next. He could hear the chains rattling, though, and in another minute, a single ravenous wolfos was released. 

It didn't take a genius to guess what they wanted to happen. 

Warriors turned away again. "Is there anything we can do?" he asked in desperation. 

"We don't have ranged weapons, and we can't get out of here. Believe me, I despise all of this just as much as you do."

"I'm…" Warriors didn't have strong enough language for his feelings. He tried a few curses, but even those didn't seem adequate. 

Twilight almost snorted. "Same here."

The wolfos, muzzle smeared with gore, was herded back into its tiny cell. Other monsters bayed for blood, and the second-to-last prisoner's block sank to let them out. 

"We need a plan, and fast," Warriors decided. He patted himself down. "Sword, shield, daggers. Armor. No rods, no bows, no spears. No potions."

"You have me," Twilight said, standing up. He winced. 

Warriors turned on him. "You think you're fighting? No way, rancher. You're injured."

"I can still fight. There's no way you're winning this argument, Wars. Shut up about it."

He couldn't fight. Warriors's heart seized when he tried to think about it. Twilight couldn't use his sword arm, for Hylia's sake! He'd probably do something incredibly stupid, like use himself as bait. 

Warriors wouldn't allow it. But he knew it was no use arguing with Twilight. 

He crossed his arms and watched the next fight. A middle-aged woman walked out, clearly a bit experienced, but unscarred. Warriors noted how the monster cages opened, and which people seemed to be in charge of that. He knew he was missing a lot of context, but anything he could glean was important. 

The fence between the arena and stands wasn't too tall to climb, but it would be too tall with electricity running through it. Warriors could hear the generator under the sound of cheering as the woman engaged a bokoblin. She took it down almost effortlessly. 

They gave her a moblin next, then three more moblins from across different worlds, and a few monsters even Warriors had never seen. The woman wore down quickly, apparently unused to long battles. 

She made one mistake, and a giant lizard sank its jaws into her abdomen. Her scream made Warriors shiver, Twilight whimper, and the crowd go insane. They loved every moment of her death. 

Warriors wanted to throw up. 

"Whoever you are," he whispered under his breath, eyes glued to what was left of the woman, "you'll be avenged. I'll do everything I can."

Just as the gong rang out for the final time, Warriors caught a flash of familiar gold in the crowd. His heart leaped. He kept the information to himself for the moment, scenes and possibilities playing out in his head. 

If he wanted Twilight to get out of here without doing something stupid… he needed a plan. He, unfortunately, already had one. 

Warriors went back to Twilight, who still stood next to the wall. "Let me double-check your arm again."

"If you have to." Twilight let him fuss around with the makeshift bandages. The stone block ground slowly down, down, down, and Warriors kept one eye on it. He pulled his metaphorical mask on, closing off his emotions and letting cold rationality take their place. 

When the block hit the bottom, he moved. He didn't give Twilight a chance to react, just grabbed the closest manacle and snapped it around Twilight's wrist, then backed away. 

"Wait—Wars—?" Twilight said, looking up with confusion. He grabbed the chain with his good hand and tugged, but it didn't give. "Hold on, Wars, you can't do this."

Warriors didn't answer. The bars dropped to the ground. He walked outside the cell and drew his sword, which meant he missed the exact moment Twilight realized that he was being left behind. 

The cheers of the crowd swelled again, filling Warriors's ears with buzzing. They were like flies. 

"Warriors!" Twilight screamed at him, voice cutting through. "Link, you bastard!"

The bars closed again, and lightning visibly crackled between them. Twilight would be safe back there. The stone block under Warriors's feet rose. 

The arena looked huge from this angle. Face stony and thoughts silenced, Warriors walked into the middle. He looked around, feeling nothing at the people yelling at him or making bets or just watching with smiles on their faces.

At least, he thought, he was here to fight, and not to be admired and objectified. They'd kidnapped him because he could fight, not because he was pretty . Well, he assumed that was true. If the pattern followed, they'd prefer him dead to alive in a few minutes. 

A cage door opened, letting a single, two-legged dodongo toddle out. It roared, to the crowd's appreciation. Warriors didn't move. 

He could still hear Twilight yelling at him, though the tone had changed. 

The dodongo sucked in a breath, then spat out a long spear of fire. Warriors rolled to the side, using his shield to protect himself. He ran up, slicing at the lizard's tail with picture-perfect form. 

To Warriors, the world narrowed to the combat. He saw the enemy and picked out its weaknesses, and that was all. In a way, it was freeing. He didn't have to worry anymore. 

The dodongo was easy. 

The three lizalfos were easy. 

The gohma wasn't. 

And two lynels at once? That was just unfair. 

At some point, Warriors had stopped hearing anything. The crowd had gone silent to his ears, and so had Twilight. He couldn't even take a moment to glance over and see if Twilight was still there, or if he'd really seen another Hero in the crowd. 

A bite on Warriors's leg stung, and he thought that a tooth had gotten lodged in the leather of his boot. His scarf was singed. Sand flew everywhere, and blood ran down the side of Warriors's face. 

Unlike the woman from before, Warriors had a lot of endurance, but even he had limits. It was fortunate that blocking off his emotions also blocked out the pain of the injuries he was collecting. 

Somehow, Warriors managed to kill the striped lynel, felling it with a last blow to its chest. The other didn't give him a single moment to rest. He hadn't heard it approach, unfortunately, and it slammed into him, knocking him over. Something crushed his arm. 

Was that still cheering that he heard? Was it his own screaming?

No… no, someone was yelling. Lots of someones. Warriors looked away from the monster to see the entire crowd draining the stands as fast as they could. Bokoblins of all shapes and sizes chased them out, more a nuisance than a danger. 

Oh. That was a good plan. He wouldn't have been able to make it work, but someone had, clearly. 

The lynel looked down at him. Warriors raised his shield with the arm that burned rather than the arm that screamed, and braced for one more attack. 

It never came. 

The lynel turned black and dissolved into dust. A weight lifted from Warriors's chest, and he realized that the lynel must have been leaning heavily on him. He coughed, and was reminded that he had to breathe. 

"—Wars? Wars, come on, I need you to say something." 

Warriors blinked. Had he passed out or just zoned out? He didn't know. 

"Twilight," he ground out, recognizing the voice. Warm blood filled his mouth, and he coughed on it. 

Someone pushed him onto his side. "Don't choke," Hyrule's voice said softly. 

Warriors wanted to thank him, but he was having trouble speaking. 

"You could have explained," Twilight hissed at him, even as his eyes shone in concern. "I'm punching you when you're not this beat up."

Warriors grunted. He had a defense. He knew he did. He just had to remember it. 

His eyes closed, and he felt the stillness of a pond fill his chest, a telltale sign of Hyrule's healing magic. He was grateful. He'd probably live, under their care. Other voices filtered around him as he slipped under. 

"—monsters are gone—"

"—evil, but now the princess knows, and—"

"— he chained me to the wall—"

"—self-sacrificial bull—" 

"—okay. Gonna be okay. It just looks—"

Warriors finally, blessedly, passed out again. Everyone was safe, and that everyone included him. 

Chapter Text

"My stomach hurts," Wind announced, flopping down onto his pile of blankets. 

Warriors, ever the big brother, raised an eyebrow at him. "What did you eat recently?"

"Same things as you." Wind turned his head so he could breathe. "Fruit for breakfast. I had a lemon, too, because the rest of you are idiots."

"We're not at risk of getting scurvy," Legend said flatly, walking past with an armful of cut wood. He dumped it on the growing pile and brushed off his tunic. 

"So? Lemons are good."

"You're crazy," Warriors told him. "Go on, what else?"

"Um… lunch? We had cheesy rice just ten minutes ago, Wars." Honestly. Was Warriors's memory going?

Warriors rolled his eyes. "I remember. Is that it?"

Wind nodded as his stomach cramped again. He could feel himself pale, and sweat broke out all over his body. He curled up on his blankets. "Owwwww."

A warm hand rubbed at his shoulder, which didn't help his stomach, but he appreciated it. 

"You know," Sky said slowly. He was the owner of the hand. "I might have an idea about what this is."

The cramping let up, and Wind glanced up. "Really?"

Sky nodded seriously. "Wind, do you know what a cow is?" What kind of question was that?

"Oh," Warriors said, like that explained anything. 

Wind snorted. "Duh."

"When was the first time you saw one?" Sky pressed. 

"Time's. He has them. We've all seen them." 

"But you didn't see one before then?"

"Mm-mm." Wind curled up again as his stomach attacked. Why did it hate him? This was awful. 

Sky rubbed his shoulder again. "I think you might be allergic to milk. There aren't a lot of cows on Skyloft, so that's something that happens a lot."

Wind groaned in frustration and pain. "I didn't have any milk!"

Warriors had the gall to snort. "Wind. Cheese is made out of milk."

"Nooooo," Wind said into his blankets. Sky's hand continued to rub at him, as if in apology. "I'm not allergic to cheese."

"Wind's allergic to cheese?" Wild asked in panic from next to the fire. 

"Seems like it," Sky said. 

"Nooooo," Wind moaned again. He liked cheese. 

More than one person cut off a laugh, and Wind peeked up to give everyone the stink eye. 

"I'm sorry, Wind," Warriors said, sounding far too amused. "We'll pay attention to see if that's actually right."

Legend stage-whispered across camp. "Wait until he finds out that ice cream is made with milk, too."

Wind shot up to sitting, regardless of the pain. " No!"  

Several birds fluttered up into the sky. 

Chapter Text

"Legend?" Four whispered. He shook off his bleariness, coming back to the world. 

Across the room, Legend turned from the window with his eyes wide. "Four, finally." 

"Weren't… weren't you the one knocked unconscious?" Four asked, sitting up as he held his head. He sat on a bed, neither particularly comfortable or uncomfortable, and didn't have anything with him. "Where's my sword?"

"They took our stuff after getting here. I guess whatever magic they used to poof us away woke me up, but knocked you right out." Legend crossed the room to sit in the chair by the bed. He folded his arms and scowled. "They even took my hat."

"Anything magic," Four realized. He swung his legs out of bed and checked himself over. He didn't have a headache, oddly enough. "Boots gone, kinstones gone, bracelets. Annoying, but not unmanageable. So who are they?"

Legend shrugged. "Some stupid gang who thinks they're gonna get rich and powerful off of the Triforce. They asked me where to find it." He gestured to a fading red mark on his jaw. 

"Well, that's rude," Four said, and Legend snorted. 

"I get the feeling they'll do worse. Sorry for dragging you into it."

"You didn't drag me into anything, these guys did. Besides, out of everyone to be kidnapped with, I feel like you're the best option." Four hopped down off the bed and went to the window to peek through the curtains.

He saw a lake, with mountains off in the distance, barely visible through the gray haze of rain. It was a lovely place. The house they were in was built into the sheer cliff side, so climbing out the window wasn't much of an option, especially not in the rain, without magic items or even rope. 

"Thanks?" Legend sounded unsure, but amused, so Four counted it as a win. 

"Where are we, anyway?"

"Just outside Hyrule." Legend joined him at the window and pointed to the mountains. "That's the dividing line between Hyrule and Labrynna. This is technically Labrynna, but more realistically, it's neutral ground."

Four frowned. "Any ideas yet?"

"Not really, without weapons and with so many people in the way of the exit. I'm not sure the others can find us here, either, it was magic that brought us. The only plan I have is to lie enough to get them to let us leave."

"That might work," Four said, pulling away from the window to assess their other resources. "On the bright side, this is a guest room, and not a dungeon cell. They didn't have to keep the furniture in here."

Legend rolled his eyes. "We have an empty dresser, yippee."

"Did you check for secret compartments?"

"Who do you think I am? Ravio lives in my house."

Four laughed. "Just making sure. So, we have practically no resources, a house full of gang members we can assume are armed to the teeth, and nobody coming."

"Don't forget the imminent torture for information," Legend said, leaning back against the wall. He was also missing his boots, which would make any escape attempt difficult. 

"I'm not going to let that happen." Four checked the oddly heavy coffee table in the middle of the room, but didn't find any secret keys or drawers. A search of the chair and the bed revealed the same. 

Stumped, Four climbed back up onto the bed. His feet were chilly, so he tucked them under himself. Rain pattered against the glass. Legend looked out the window, as if he could summon the others just by glaring hard enough. 

The doorknob rattled. Four and Legend straightened and exchanged a dark look that promised they'd defend each other, and avenge, if necessary. Four felt a little better knowing that at least neither of them were alone. 

Four recognized the two that entered as part of the group that had surprised him and Legend back in town. The woman had a tight scarf over her mouth and nose, and the man wore a long yellow robe that didn't really compliment his skin tone. 

"I will ask for the information you know we want, just once more," the man said, looking straight at Legend. Four didn't know how the man wasn't cringing back under that glare. "Triforce. Where is it, how do I get it, and how do I use it?"

Four slowly pulled his legs out from under him as Legend visibly chewed on his words. The woman glanced over, but Four totally wasn't doing anything suspicious, nothing like preparing for a fight. 

"There's a lot of steps to getting there," Legend said after a second. "You'd need me to guide you through."

"Please, give us an overview." The man took a step farther into the room, trying to intimidate them. 

"You'll need a pearl to get to the Sacred Realm, and you can find one—" Legend cut off when the man shook his head. "What? Not the answer you wanted?"

"You have a convincing silver tongue, I'll give you that. But you're lying."

Legend scowled and uncrossed his arms. "I'm not lying."

"You did it again. You shouldn't try to deceive me, my magic knows when you tell an untruth."

"You're an idiot if you think I'd cooperate," Legend hissed. 

Four sighed, but the game was up. He jumped off the bed, grabbed the chair, and swung it at the man. 

Before it could connect, the chair's momentum was arrested. The man's hand stretched out towards Four, glowing with obvious magic. Four found himself unable to keep moving, though he kept pushing. 

"Larinda," the man said sweetly, "if you wouldn't mind?"

The woman moved quickly, already most of the way across the room. Legend dodged her, ducking under her arms and attempting a roll. Her foot came down on top of his arm, making an awful grinding noise that made Legend freeze up. She grabbed him by the back of the tunic and lifted him like a kitten. 

"Let go of me," Legend snapped, thrashing in her hold but unable to reach her. She held him near the man, who reached out his other hand to freeze Legend in time, too. 

Four screwed up his face and kept pushing with the chair, getting an inch closer to hitting the man's solar plexus with a hunk of solid wood. 

The woman ripped the chair from his hands, jamming his fingers. She set it and Legend down, then produced a length of rope and wrapped it around Legend's torso and the back of the chair, securing him there. 

Legend made a very annoyed noise, and Four saw the man's forehead bead with sweat. So this magic was difficult, was it? Four no longer had a weapon, but he was sure going to do his best to make sure they wouldn't hurt Legend. He kept trying to move, struggling against the magic and making it work harder. 

All at once, the magic dropped. Four stumbled, and Legend cursed loudly, several times in a row. Before Four could rebalance, the woman snatched him with his arms pinned. He grunted in frustration and tried to squirm out of the hold. 

The man brushed his robes off as if he'd gotten them dusty, then walked over to Legend. 

"Stop, no!" Four pushed, but he didn't have an optimal angle to break the woman's grip, and she just shifted until his kicking legs wouldn't hit her. "Don't hurt him!"

"Excuse me?" the man said, smiling. He reached out to touch Legend, but had to pull back when Legend snapped his teeth at the fingers. 

"You heard me, don't touch him!" 

"My dear child"—Four growled, he was not a kid—"we were never going to hurt him."

Four paused in confusion, but Legend's face went pale in understanding. His eyes snapped to meet Four's own. 

Oh.  

They were going to hurt him to get Legend to talk. Duh. He should've considered that. 

Four renewed his struggling. "Don't say anything," he bit out at Legend. 

Legend's jaw set, and he glared at the man still sitting near him. "You're not getting it from me."

"I'll be interested to see how much it takes for you to change your tune. Go ahead, Larinda."

Four wasn't really sure what happened just after that—the world rocked around him, the arms released him, something heavy hit his side, and something unyielding hit his back. Ow. He slid down the wall to land in a heap at bottom.

Had he just been dropkicked? Rude. 

The woman crouched in front of him, but didn't wait for the world to right itself before she pulled out more rope. She looped one end too tight around Four's wrists, and tied the other to one of the legs of the coffee table. The rope was separated from his skin by his bracers, which he was glad about, since it looked rough. 

Four shook his head to clear it. He was going to have a few bruises from that, but they'd probably be the least of his worries. He pushed himself up to his knees, only to have a boot kick his hands out so he fell. 

He scowled up at the woman. "I've been beat up by scarier things than you."

She didn't react, just kicked him again, hard. He grunted and curled up on the floor to limit his vulnerable surface area. 

As she continued with a rather uncreative but definitely painful beating, Four heard the man speak again. 

"There's only one way to stop this."

"Two, actually," Legend snapped. "I'll get out of this and punch your lights out."

"I wish you luck in that endeavor. In the meantime, let's see if we can coax out some screaming." 

Four felt rather tender at that point, every movement causing aches and a few sharp pains that didn't really bode well. He didn't dare look up or relax when the kicking stopped. It felt like the woman's boot stepped on his ankles, then pulled at the rope around his wrists to forcefully uncurl him. Four could tell she would win any fight of pure strength, so he didn't resist much. 

The woman's full weight crushed his feet, though it didn't break anything as far as Four knew. She put her other foot on Four's chest and leaned into it. The pressure definitely made his ribs creak, and breathing suddenly got much harder. Four let out a wheezing whine of protest. 

"Close, but not quite," the man said calmly. 

"How much does the whale weigh?" Legend snarled. "Get off of his chest!"

As if in retaliation, the woman leaned a bit harder into Four. She let go of his hands, which he brought up to pound at her boot. He couldn't breathe .

She slapped the side of his face, snapping his head to the side. His cheek stung, and his vision started to darken. Just when Four felt like he was going to pass out, the pressure released from both his chest and his ankles, and he sucked in a few painful breaths that turned into awful coughs. Things were really starting to hurt. The floor underneath him bled chill into his clothing, and pressed uncomfortably against his shoulders and hips. 

Something cold pressed into the hollow of Four's throat, and he went still. He opened his eyes to see a long, clearly magical rod of some kind, wielded by the woman without any sympathy in her eyes. Four thought he recognized it from Wild's arsenal. 

"Hey, that's mine!" Legend said, sounding offended. 

"Then you know how powerful it is," the man replied calmly. Four turned his head a little to see Legend, who had the most outraged, concerned look on his face that Four had ever seen. The man stood near him, just smiling a little. Gross. 

The rod suddenly went off. 

Definitely a lightning rod, probably from Wild's world, one part of Four's brain thought as the rest of it screamed in agony. He could feel himself thrashing, but unable to get away from the source of the pain. The rope prevented him from moving very far. The point of the rod traveled from his throat to his shoulder as he tried turning, but kept contact for however many long seconds. 

The lightning stopped, leaving Four trembling on the ground. He felt cold air on the messy tear tracks down his face, and his throat hurt. For a moment, it was silent, and the rain renewed its pounding against the window. 

"Ah, now there's the screaming," the man said, and Legend audibly began to strain at the ropes, biting out the foulest curses Four had ever heard from him, which was saying a lot. 

"Triforce," the man repeated when the flow of curses trickled to nothing. 

Legend made a noise. "I…"

Four pushed himself onto an elbow. His hair fell in front of his face. "Don't," he managed to say, then coughed. Breathing hurt, so much.  

The woman unexpectedly yanked Four up by his hair, pulling him to his knees and stretching his abused sides. The rope kept his hands down, pulled taut at this height already. He winced, knowing that Legend could see his face, and sure he looked like a mess. 

Four caught Legend's eyes again, and saw the steely resolve there. He just hoped it was resolve to keep his world safe and not reveal anything important about the Triforce, and not resolve to do anything to keep Four safe. 

The lightning started up again, this time pressing into a particularly sharp bruise in his back. Four kept his teeth closed, but couldn't keep back the whine of pain that grew as the lightning sparked into him. 

Legend looked pale as he watched—were those tears gathering in his eyes?—and turned his head away. The man just grabbed a handful of Legend's hair and yanked his head back to watch. 

"Enjoy it," Four heard him say over the ringing in his ears, "if you're not going to stop it, might as well keep watching."

The pain stopped, and Four let his weight hang, taking shallow breaths. More tears forced their way down his cheeks, dripping off his chin. It hurt, yes, and Four really wanted it to stop, but he would definitely prefer that Legend's world be kept safe. 

And it seemed that Legend knew that. He kept his mouth shut for the rest of it, not cursing or insulting or begging. The woman used the lightning rod until it shattered in her hand, the magic spent. She twisted Four's arms into a very uncomfortable position behind his back, then used yet more rope to secure them there. She poked his broken rib, slapped him around until his face bled, and knocked his head into the table. 

That seemed to be the parting gift, because her hands left him then, and didn't come back. Four was distantly aware of the rain, and Legend's voice, and the pain that echoed through his body whenever he so much as twitched. 

It was a bit of time before Four blinked back to full consciousness. He swallowed, tasting dryness, tears, and the faintest hint of blood. His arms were going numb behind him, which honestly might have been a blessing. Slowly, Four turned his head so his face wasn't pressed into the floor, and opened his eyes. 

The room had gotten dark. He could see the shadow of the bed, and Legend still tied in the chair next to it. 

"Legend?" Four tried to say, getting out a weird-sounding two-syllable grunt. 

Legend's head snapped up. "Four! Hold on, this is… so close…"

Four didn't know what Legend was doing, but moving was a lot of work, so he just closed his eyes again and tried to breathe. It still hurt, but he found a shallow rhythm that hurt less. 

After a few seconds, or perhaps minutes, Four heard Legend get up from the chair and crouch down near him. Legend's cool fingers touched his forehead, and Four opened his eyes again. 

"You're awake," Legend whispered with relief. The faint light from the window reflected on dried tests on his face, and showed just how pale he'd gotten. "I'm going to untie you, it might be uncomfortable, but we need to be quick and quiet. Understand?"

"Mhm," Four breathed out. He felt Legend working on the ropes, then his arms started to tingle very unpleasantly. He made a face, but kept quiet. Legend rubbed a bit of feeling back into his arms, then undid the knot around his wrists and helped him sit up. 

"What hurts the worst?" Legend asked quietly. He worked at the ropes that fell away from Four, tying the ends together.

Four considered. His ankles ached, his arms had cold fire running through them, and his face stung. He was bruised everywhere. "Mm… breathing," he decided. 

In the time it took him to think, Legend had tied his own ropes to Four's and secured one end to the curtain rod. He turned away from the window. 

"Then just focus on that," Legend said. "The idiots left us with rope, we're going to climb out the window. Do you think you can hold onto me?" 

Four tried to move his arms. They twitched, and it hurt. He winced and shook his head. 

"That's all right. Look, there's a blanket. We'll use that."

Taking as few seconds as possible, Legend wrapped Four up in the rough but thick blanket, tying knots and pulling so that Four rested against Legend's back as if he was being carried piggyback, but without holding on. Four felt like a child. He disliked that part, but… it was comforting to have Legend be so gentle and to have someone taking care of him. 

Legend opened the window, letting in freezing rain and lots of wind. At least there was no water directly below them. Four tucked his head into Legend's back, hiding from the rain and the cold. He felt Legend climb out carefully. 

Wait a second. Four picked up his head. "Shoes?" he asked, voice breaking in a way he didn't intend. 

"We'll have to come back for our stuff," Legend said, turning his head so Four could hear him. "You're more important. Now don't distract me, it's gonna be a rocky ride down."

Four hummed his agreement and put his head back down. He only felt dread when he thought of the Four Sword and Legend's bag in the hands of enemies, but he knew Legend was right to ignore that for now.

He wished he could do more to help, Legend was up against so much—the rain madd the rope and cliff slick, the gang could find out they were escaping, they were miles and miles away from the others still in Hyrule, and on top of it all, Legend had to deal with a half-coherent Four. 

But if there was one thing Legend was, it was persistent. He wouldn't ever give up, and Four did admire him for it. 

It might be a while until things were back the way they were supposed to be, with the others and potions and both pairs of pegasus boots back. But Four had every confidence in Legend, and in himself. He was feeling a little better already. He wrapped his arms loosely around Legend's middle as they finally got down to the ground. 

"Thank you," Legend said quietly under the sound of the rain, pulling the blanket tighter again. 

"Hm?" Four asked. 

"For caring about my world. And making it easier for me to keep quiet."

"You'd do the same," Four mumbled. 

Legend's stomach tightened as he huffed a laugh. "I know where we're going, but it's a ways out. Get some rest, Four, I'm gonna need you later."

Four nodded. It was actually extremely comfortable inside the blanket, though it was getting a little humid. It was warm, and there was something soothing about being carried. Sleep pulled him under.

Chapter Text

Legend poked the sad excuse for a campfire with one of the wet sticks. It was small, and entirely insufficient, but it was better than nothing. He'd aimed for the best-looking path over the mountains, but without his maps, he chose the wrong one. By the time he'd corrected, they'd lost a few days. 

Legend had been without his inventory before, but never quite like this. He wasn't a survivalist. He could navigate temples, village politics, the affairs of kingdoms and gods, but surviving entirely off the land? His world wasn't plentiful in natural resources. He wasn't about to just find a berry bush on the mountain, or small game that he could kill and skin without a real knife.

(He did find a rabbit, before they got to the snow, but he absolutely refused to eat one of those. It made him sick to even think about.)

Without many options, they'd been living off of snow for water and a few fish for food. They ran out of the fish a day or two ago. Legend kind of wished he'd paid more attention to the things Wild and Hyrule did when they went scavenging, but he never really thought he'd need it. It would be really useful right about now.

Well, it was what it was. Legend turned to check on Four again. He laid on the blanket they'd stolen, still not breathing evenly and far too hot to the touch. After getting far enough away from the cliff, Legend had stopped by a river to try and clean the cuts and scrapes Four had sustained. 

For a world that wasn't even his own. 

Legend would be lying if he said he didn't feel extremely guilty about it. He was trying not to. He'd do the same for Four, and he'd be upset if Four felt guilty like this. But he couldn't help it. 

At least Four's sickness didn't seem to be from infection, Legend thanked his lucky stars for that. The two of them had just been out in the cold and wet for too long. 

Legend pushed hair back from Four's scraped-up forehead, feeling the heat. He let out a breath when Four stirred at the touch, his eyes opening a little. 

"Hey, Four. How are you feeling?"

"Cold," Four mumbled. His face crumpled in misery. Huh, he actually answered. That was a good sign. 

"Yeah, you've got a fever." 

Four whined. "Sorry. I… didn't mean to get sick."

"Don't worry about it. We'll get through this. The wayhouse is only a day away, now, and it'll have some supplies. Shelter, at the very least." Legend glanced out to the front of the cave, where snow fell in fat flakes. It wasn't too cold, and it wasn't blowing, but snow still wasn't ideal. 

"Come on," Legend continued. He scattered the sad few sticks still burning, which put them out pretty quickly. "Let's head out. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."

With Legend's poking and prodding, Four sat up and helped Legend tie the blanket around his back like a sling again. Legend didn't let him help too much, though. Four's arms were still having trouble responding, and besides being sick, he couldn't breathe very well. Hopefully he hadn't sustained permanent damage. 

Legend stood up, using the wall of the cave to help support himself. He braced himself, then kept walking. The break had been nice, if chilly. Walking, at least, kept him pretty warm. Except for his feet. 

He ached all over from walking for days without proper shoes, hips and knees and back. The first chance he'd gotten, Legend had torn his striped sash in two and wrapped the pieces around his feet. The sash was made from a soft canvas, so it could've been much worse. They definitely weren't snow boots, though, and Legend was sure he had frostbite by now. 

If he lost a few toes, so be it. Toes were useless, anyway. 

The nice thing about carrying Four in the blanket was that Legend could shift that weight to wherever he needed it. He usually switched from front to back or vice versa every few hours, trying to choose moments that Four was awake, if not coherent. He was grateful that he could benefit from Four's body heat, and that he could feel his breathing, too. 

The sun broke through the snowy clouds an hour into the morning. It didn't warm Legend up at all, unfortunately, and the glare on the white snow made it even harder to see. Legend did his best to follow his incomplete mental map. The walk was long, and not easy, with little hills and rocky paths to climb. It was cold and biting. It was really a miracle that Legend wasn't sick, too. He thought that and had to swallow a cough—no, no, not sick at all. He was fine. 

Well, that was a lie. 

He ached, he was hungry, and he was cold. But he wasn't sick. He would do all he could to get Four somewhere safe. Four never fully woke up, and hadn't since maybe the second day. Legend was getting worried about that, but there was nothing he could do about it until they got to the wayhouse. 

Legend leaned forward to climb the next hill, moving his and Four's center of gravity forward. It had been a few hours already, and he couldn't feel his feet. That couldn't be good. But there was nothing to be done. 

When he finally got to the top of the hill, Legend could see for miles. It was beautiful, and he thought Four would appreciate it if he could remember things right now. The kingdom of Hyrule spread out under them like a rug, with the castle in the distance. Legend hoped they wouldn't have to walk that far. He shivered and turned his attention to the next leg of their journey.  

The path to the wayhouse was obvious, starting at the bottom of this hill and switching its way down to the cabin. In the sunny afternoon, Legend couldn't tell if there was anyone inside, but the smoke from the chimney was a good sign.

The wayhouse didn't belong to anyone in particular. Travelers did their part to keep the house stocked and maintained as they passed through. Legend himself had donated heaps of dry firewood, a spare fire rod or two, and some time putting new shingles on the roof. It was a crucial spot for anyone crossing the mountains. 

A crunch sounded behind Legend, and he whipped around. Standing far too close to him, a moblin swung a club. 

"Din's knees," Legend said in surprise, and dodged more on instinct than anything else. His foot hit a loose rock. 

Legend had a split-second to react. He saw the bright blue sky above him, and held tight to the knots in the blanket to hold Four tightly to him. 

The hill came up to meet them. Snow fell down Legend's neck, into his cuffs, and soaked his legs as he and Four tumbled down. All Legend could do was roll with it and listen to Four's soft protests at the rough treatment. 

When the fall finally ended, Legend just wanted to lay there and let the snow cover him for good. Ow. He forced himself up. 

He was wet, now, and much, much colder than he had been. He glanced up at the top of the hill, but the moblin just stared dumbly at him, then turned around. 

Legend couldn't assume that it had gone for good. It might just be finding a different way down. He started to walk again, shivering violently, and at the same time, he moved Four around to his front, where he could check on him. 

Once the blanket had been resecured, Legend tried to wake Four up again. He was only mildly successful, which worried him. Four was very warm, yet still he shivered. His breaths came in harsh gasps that almost seemed to rattle, now. Legend picked up the pace and tried not to cough. 

He'd been walking for a long, long time. He was entirely frozen, and even his mind seemed to have slowed. He only noticed it was evening when he saw the snow finally end in front of him, breaking his trance, and noticed the sky had darkened. 

The wayhouse was just around this bend. 

Just… one more minute…

The monster's shadow was obvious this time. He didn't even recognize it, but the animalistic features and clear malicious intent in its eyes gave it away. If he didn't recognize it, that probably meant that it was one of those with black blood, which really didn't bode well. 

Legend didn't know how, but he started to run. 

His legs were leaden, and despite his best efforts, he began to slow. He was tired. The snow looked so soft. 

In his arms, Four made a noise and turned his head to shove his nose into Legend's chest. He was dreaming again. 

Legend couldn't give up. But he didn't know if he could make it. Even if they got to the house and its minor protective enchantments, the monster could still get to them. Even if there was a weapon, Legend wasn't sure he could wield it effectively enough. 

The wayhouse came into view, windows bright with the promise of warmth, perhaps an ally. The monster got closer as Legend tried to push on. 

"No," Legend told himself. His voice didn't sound so good, but he ignored it. "Don't stop." He couldn't. He coughed into his wet sleeve, still shivering. If he hadn't been sick before, he definitely was now. 

The yellow windows of the cabin ahead twisted and turned in his eyes. Legend could feel himself flagging, and the monster could probably sense it, too. It roared with triumph, knowing it would win a meal tonight. 

Legend closed his eyes, putting one foot in front of the other. Maybe he'd fall off the mountain. That would probably be better than being bludgeoned by a monster's fist. 

And then the monster's cry cut off abruptly. Distantly, Legend heard voices. 

He opened his eyes. A person stood in front of him, features obscured by Legend's poor state and the darkness. The voice came to him as if through a solid wall of water. 

"—hear me? Legend, come on. Answer me."

Legend blinked. "Wars? When… when did I fall down?" 

"A second ago. Goddesses, you're blue . Just stay awake, all right?"

As soon as Warriors said that, it became very hard to do. Legend blinked slowly but did try to stay awake. 

"I can walk," Legend protested when he felt Warriors pick him up. "I've been… walking. For a while."

"You two have been missing for seven days," Warriors told him. "We feared the worst."

"Where were you?" asked a new voice. It was Wild, walking close by. 

Mm, Warriors's scarf was warm. Legend didn't protest being carried again, just leaned into the warmth and tried to calm his shivering.

"Got kidnapped. Magically. Had to leave our stuff, gotta go back for it. They hurt Four. He's sick." The gravity of the situation hit Legend, and it was all he could do to avoid crying right there. He was really worn out. He clutched at Four still close to his chest. "He's sick, Wars, really sick, and I'm scared. He got hurt… and can't breathe. And then I fell, and we're wet, and…" 

"It's okay," Warriors told him. "You're safe now." A door opened, and everything got very, very warm. Maybe a little too warm. Legend groaned at the way his skin started to swell and itch at the sudden temperature change. It was very uncomfortable. 

Voices flew over his head, too quick and loud for him to understand entirely. Several others gathered around, panicked and asking questions. Warriors and Wild answered what they could. 

Finally, Legend felt something soft beneath him. He felt like he could sleep for years . But he kept his eyes open somehow, staring at the familiar ceiling beams. It was so warm in here. He tried to tune into the conversation. 

"—his feet," Twilight said in horror. "They're bleeding so much."

"We actually saw the bloody footprints before we saw them," Wild answered, sounding anxious. "They've been like that for a mile, at least." 

Warriors hummed. "We need to send a message to the others so they can get here."

"I can go," Twilight volunteered. 

"Take Wild with you," Warriors said, and a few seconds later, the door opened and shut once again. 

The itching in Legend's hands, and everywhere else, receded with a familiar touch from Hyrule. Legend let out a breath of relief, and was able to let go of Four when someone pulled him up. 

"—worse than I thought," Hyrule muttered somewhere over Legend's head. His eyes had closed again. "Frostbite is awful. But it should be okay, eventually."

Well, that sounded like good news. Legend didn't know if it was the best idea, but he couldn't resist the call of sleep anymore. He knew that Four would be safe, and that they'd both be taken care of. It was kind of weird to trust other people so much, but right then, Legend was extremely grateful. 

He tried to mumble a thank-you, but decided that would have to wait until later. For now, he really wanted to sleep.

Chapter Text

Wild stared past the circle of cultists at the pile of stuff thrown against the wall like garbage, as if he could summon something useful by force of will alone. Unfortunately, just like the last few minutes he'd been trying, nothing happened. It was probably the flickering torches down here making it hard to concentrate, Wild reasoned. Not his lack of magic powers or anything. 

This part of the underground dungeon reminded Wild of a throne room, longer than it was wide with a raised aisle down the middle and decorative pillars lining the edges. He faced the back, the doors that led in here, but he'd caught a glimpse of a dais on the other side. Perhaps a dozen people stood in a circle around them, with one robed old man chanting and shuffling slowly around the pillar to which Wild, Twilight, and Sky had been tied. 

It was kind of creepy. Wild almost felt bad for thinking it, but it was true. They were a liiiittle bit creepy. 

To his right, Twilight's fingers brushed his own as Twilight worked blindly to undo at least one knot in the mess of ropes keeping them tied to the pillar. Sky completed the triangle, and would probably be helping, or at least trying to talk to the old guy, but he'd been hurt the worst in their capture. He was breathing, but when Wild turned his head, he could see Sky's own drooping. 

Wild, for his part, was trying to stay out of Twilight's way. He didn't really know anything about knots, and Twilight had been watching them get tied, anyway. Instead, Wild prepared to move at any moment. He could map out the route in his mind—through that gap in the pale robes, around that pillar, and down two steps to the pile.

He could see his cloak thrown on top of their weapons, with the slate glowing slightly underneath. Twilight's furs rested next to that, with Sky's sailcloth thrown under all of it, doubtlessly getting ancient grease and dirt on it. Wild kind of hated seeing that cloak get dirty, whether it was with dust or blood or ooze. 

The old man stopped his shuffling and chanting right in Wild's line of sight. Wild looked up, bemused and somewhat irritated. 

"This is a most ideal vessel," the old man said in a creaking voice. He dipped a gnarled finger into the bowl he held, then used whatever was in it to draw a few lines on Wild's face—across his forehead, down his nose, a bit down his chin. It smelled weird.

Wild pulled away as best he could, but the old guy's finger just followed him. "Excuse me?" Vessel did not sound like a good thing. 

The old man stepped back and gestured one broad, robed cultist forward. "It is time. Prepare the vessel."

Yeah, no, Wild didn't like the sound of that. The big cultist brought out a knife, and Wild flinched, but the knife came down through the ropes holding him to the pillar. 

Finally! Wild jumped to his feet and swung his arms around in an arc, landing a good hit in the cultist's stomach. The guy didn't seem too fazed, unfortunately, and caught his arms. He twisted them behind Wild's back uncomfortably. 

"You're strong," the cultist said in a deep voice. He twisted harder, making Wild lift up on his toes to prevent his arms from breaking. "All the bettrr."

Twilight had twisted as far around as he could, the ropes visibly digging into his arms. "Wild!"

"I'm fine," Wild said, though he grimaced at the pressure. 

The old man retreated to the side of the throne room, and the big cultist started to pull Wild toward the door. He struggled. Twilight shouted after him. 

"You'll be back here, so don't put up a fight. You have three chances," the big man whispered into Wild's ear. "Resist once, we'll bring you a tongue. Resist twice, you'll get a hand. Three times, and you get a head."

Wild stopped pulling quite so much. He had no choice but to walk along toward the door. "What about no resistance?"

"Then they'll be let go, and not hurt further."

"You swear?"

"On the god of silence himself."

Well, obviously Wild would be looking for a way out of this situation. But he didn't want to risk them hurting Twilight or Sky, so he'd wait until he was sure he could get out cleanly with them. He shut his mouth and didn't say anything, even when the cultist pulled a dark bag over his eyes. He scowled at it. 

Wild did his best to stay oriented, but it was clear that this dungeon had many complex twists and turns and dead ends. They even went up and down a few flights of stairs. Wild could probably point in the direction of the throne room, but he'd get lost in the actual maze. He didn't know where they were going. It was getting kind of stressful. At least the less he struggled, the less the guy strained his arms. He stumbled a few times over rocks and steps he didn't see, but the man didn't let him fall and scrape his knees. 

When the cultist finally pulled the bag off of his head, Wild blinked at the sudden light. This didn't really look like an underground dungeon. That was a marble mosaic under his boots, polished and sparkling in the bright lantern light. The walls were made of warm plaster and wood, draped sparingly with decorated orange hangings. There were simple but nice tables laden with more orange fabric and what looked like cosmetics, and several more cultists standing around a tub of water. It looked like a washroom Wild could have seen in someone's rich, not-destroyed castle. 

The door opening drew everyone's attention, and the cultist holding Wild finally let him go. Wild couldn't see the cultist's face, but he imagined a warning look being shot his way. He turned his eyes to the wall, frustrated but not willing to risk Sky and Twilight. Even if he got out this room, he didn't know if he could get back to the throne room on his own. He'd have to wait until they got back, and hope he could still act. 

Although nobody told Wild what was going on, he could infer. The people in here treated him like little more than a doll, talking as if he wasn't listening and handling him without asking. They thought they were going to put their god in Wild's body, and were preparing it for that. At least that meant they wouldn't injure him. 

The people in here took Wild's clothes and paused at the sight of his scars, but the big cultist standing near the door urged them to continue. They scrubbed him overly clean. The soap smelled good, and Wild probably did need to wash his hair, so he wasn't too mad about that. 

The few times he tried to talk to someone, they ignored him entirely. It was frustrating. Wild wanted to make snarky comments, but he didn't know if that would count as 'resisting' or not, so he kept his mouth shut and just said them in his head. He tried to remember the good ones to repeat back to Twilight or Hyrule later, they'd appreciate them. 

The cultists had different clothes for him, orange and blue and made out of very nice, light fabric. It almost felt like water flowing over his skin as the cultists draped it across his shoulders and waist. The finished ensemble was a bit revealing, not that Wild minded , per se. One of the women took a needle and thread to sew the clothes shut, which was going to be a pain to get out of. 

On one hand, these people weren't nearly as good as the Gerudo spa in Wild's world. On the other hand, it had been way too long since he had done something like this. They were doing his hair in some complex style, too, which honestly made him kind of drowsy. 

A stern-faced woman sat directly in front of him as other people worked on the braids in his hair. She wiped a damp cloth over Wild's mouth—whatever it was, it stung for a moment, but the sensation quickly faded. He didn't bother asking what it was. He knew he wouldn't get an answer. The woman dipped a brush into a bowl, then began to paint designs on his face that felt pretty complex. 

That tickling touch brought Wild back down to himself. It reminded him of what the old man had done back in the throne room, and reminded him that he had friends in danger. Well, and he was in danger, too. He doubted these people wanted him to live. He was kind of flattered that they thought him good-looking enough to house their god, but he really didn't want that to be his fate. Or anybody else's, if he could help it. 

He went back on alert, but stayed still as the woman finished the painting. She concluded with a series of even dots that lined his lips, which struck him as odd. It was even odder that he could see her making the dots, yet he couldn't feel them. Had that damp cloth numbed his skin?

The woman put down the brush and bowl and picked up a piece of metal that glinted in the bright light. Wild's heart all but stopped when he saw the very sharp but rather thick needle. He reached down to hold the edges of the chair he sat in, knuckles turning white. As the woman threaded the needle with a sparkling gold thread, uncaring of his distress, Wild glanced over at the big cultist by the door. 

The cultist tilted his head as if to ask if there was a problem. Wild knew what that meant. He turned away again. 

Whatever these people were about to do with the needle and thread, it could probably be healed. Wild had no doubt that they'd go through with their threats if he resisted, and he really doubted that healing magic would fix a missing tongue or a missing hand. 

So Wild just gripped the sides of the chair, clenched his teeth hard, and watched in horror as the woman leaned in toward him with the threaded needle. The chair grew slick under his palms. He couldn't feel her fingers when she touched his lips, and he was very, very glad he couldn't feel the needle as it pierced his skin. A terrified whine escaped his throat, but like everything else, that went ignored. 

The woman continued, unsympathetic. She used a cloth to wipe off blood as it welled up, and presumably used the dots as a guide for even stitches as she sewed his lips together. He felt the tugging and tasted blood. 

A hysterical part of Wild's mind commented that at least the thread was a pretty color of gold. The rest of him refused to even acknowledge that this was happening. He couldn't feel it, he couldn't see it, there was no way. 

The last thing the woman did after knotting and cutting the thread was dip another cloth in red potion and dab that over her work. Wild stared straight ahead. The healing potion cut down on the swelling and the discomfort, but Wild had firsthand experience with healing skin around a foreign object. It always, always sucked. He was not looking forward to fixing this. 

The people working on his hair finished, having woven what sounded like little golden chains and tiny bells into the braids. Wild stared ahead in shock as someone went in with the kinds of cosmetics he was more used to, dark around the eyes and cheekbones. (The Gerudo of his world were also probably better at that, too.) 

They draped him in golden jewelry, and Wild took a moment to be glad that he'd forgotten his amber earrings this morning. He really didn't want them to take those. He was probably wearing more rings than Legend did, right now, along with thin chains crossed over his chest and thick decorated cuffs on his wrists and ankles. The cuffs had small loops welded onto them, drawing an easy comparison between the jewelry and manacles. 

After the jewelry, they colored his nails with the same stuff the woman had used to paint his face, which turned them a subtle blue. Someone used up the rest of the stuff in the bowl to paint a few more designs on his arms and hands and feet. The way the dye moved reminded him of watercolors. It was a pretty blue color, and would hopefully come off. 

Wild let them finish, still a bit in shock. He knew he was stunning. He always looked good with a bit of dressing up, but in this case, his mouth had been sewn shut, and that was rather horrifying. 

He wanted to throw up. But he really, really couldn't, because his mouth had been sewn shut. When nobody was looking, he tested it, just to be sure, and yeah. He couldn't poke his tongue out or lower his jaw very far. He was grateful they'd considered his pain and numbed it, then healed it, so it didn't hurt much. 

He couldn't believe they'd done it. The woman hadn't asked him, hadn't told him, had just expected him to sit still. He had , but that was beside the point. Nobody had interfered. They'd all been expecting this. They knew from the second they saw him that this was going to happen. Wild swallowed hard and didn't protest the finishing touches. 

One of the cultists pulled him to his feet with a hand on his arm, then guided him over to a long mirror. The marble floor was freezing under his bare feet. 

He'd been right. He was stunning. The orange fabric somehow didn't clash with his skin, and the makeup made his eyes look very blue. Jewelry glittered on every limb. Bells in his hair tinkled like tiny wind chimes every time he moved. The painted knots and flowers on his hands matched those on his face. His scars looked like art.

Honestly, if Wild saw someone walking around that looked like this, he probably would suspect divine intervention. Even the stitching around his lips looked purposeful and more decorative than it had any right being. 

The cultists fussed just a little more, adjusting the clothing and tucking stray hairs away. Wild tuned their voices out in favor of imagining ripping all of this off and getting back to normal. This wasn't him. This was some god. And that was the point, but Wild still didn't like it. 

The big cultist came back over, picked up his wrists, and pulled a rope through both of the loops on them. That effectively tied his hands together, and gave the cultist something to lead him with. 

"Are you going to cause trouble?" the big cultist asked lowly. 

A dozen and a half snarky responses ran through Wild's head, but he could say any of them. He bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head instead. The bells in his hair rang. 

"Good. The two unworthy vessels have been released by now," the big cultist continued, tugging on the rope to get Wild to follow him out of the marble room, "but we don't need to worry about them interrupting us. There is no way they can find this place again."

Wild watched his feet as they walked, feeling fatigue set heavily into his bones. How long had this all taken? It could have been anywhere from an entire day to an hour, though with the way he felt, he doubted it was any less than four or five hours. That was definitely enough time for Twilight and Sky to get away, get the others, and come back. He didn't worry about the cultist's assumption that they couldn't find him. They had the Master Sword, if their dungeon navigational skills failed them.

The cultists who'd done Wild up followed him like an entourage through the dungeon. Bits of fabric fluttered like butterflies as he walked. They took what felt like a different route back to the throne room, not so twisty. At least Wild could see, this time. 

Would he actually get shoved from his body to let some heathen god take it over? Assuming such a being existed, would it even work? Wasn't he already Hylia's, sort of? What would happen if the god appeared to not want him? He doubted they'd just let him go.

The group paused for a second in front of the doors that led into the throne room, enough time for someone to adjust Wild's hair again, and for the cultists to fan out in a specific pattern behind him. 

The doors opened. The throne room was lit differently now, with colored lamps rather than torches, and it had been decorated with yet more orange hangings. The cultists lining the aisle had all pulled their hoods up, leaving every face ominously in shadow. 

The room was entirely silent as the big cultist pulled Wild into the room and down the raised aisle. The quiet only amplified the sound of the small bells ringing and the chains swinging. Wild kept his head down, embarrassed by the attention and trying desperately to think of a way out. He couldn't see Twilight or Sky, which meant that either they'd been released, or shoved somewhere he couldn't see. He hoped it was the former. He wasn't tied up, but there were too many people in here for him to fight on his own, especially with no weapons or slate or any other options. It didn't look good. 

A familiar ring on a familiar hand caught his eye ahead. 

As he passed the hand, Wild glanced up into the hood. His eyes widened as they caught on Legend's unmistakable own. Legend looked startled at his appearance, but kept quiet and still. 

"Signal," Legend mouthed before Wild couldn't see his face anymore. 

Wild looked back down at his feet, heart rising. If Legend was here, so was everybody else, one way or another. He hadn't been able to find a way out himself, but with nine of them? Well, eight, he wasn't sure how much help he'd be. But they could do this. 

It was just, apparently, a matter of waiting for a signal. 

The cultists herded Wild up towards the other end of the throne room, where a throne had indeed been erected on the dais. It was simple in form but just as decorated as Wild felt. 

He sat down at their urging, and the big cultist unwrapped the rope from the cuffs. The entourage of cultists following him burst into motion, using clips and hooks to attach the cuffs on his wrists and ankles to the chair in oddly synchronized motions. He wondered if they'd practiced this. It seemed a little… 

No, it was definitely creepy. Wild was entitled to thoughts like that now. This whole thing was awful, and a bit scary, and very creepy. 

As the old man appeared again, smelling a little like wine but steady on his feet and in his foreign chanting, Wild scanned the small crowd of hooded cultists. He knew where Legend was, due to the ringed hands sticking out of the robes—where had they gotten those robes, anyway? They matched all the others. He thought he caught a hint of Time's armor under another robe on the other side, and a tall, misshapen person under a robe near the front could very well be Four on Wind's shoulders. The rest of the Heroes were either too well-hidden or just had silhouettes that blended in. 

The old man's chanting got picked up by the other cultists, and Wild's heart started to pound in anticipation. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel something bearing down on him. He tested the cuffs, but found them annoyingly secure.

The air was suddenly stifling with magic, and Wild wanted out. His breathing picked up, and he struggled a little more, making noise that just blended into the chanting. 

He felt tired, though he didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep. Darkness crawled into the edges of his vision, just like it did when he had a recall episode. Did this seriously trigger a memory? 

No. It didn't. 

It triggered pain, somewhere deep inside Wild's chest. Whatever this was, it hurt, and it made his scars burn. He screamed, as best he could without straining the stitching too much. His need to scream was secondary to his need to not rip his lips up more than they were. 

The pain distracted him from the very moment that someone yelled, interrupting the chanting. Wild's head dipped down in an attempt to close off the hole he felt forming in his chest—metaphorically, he hoped. He pulled at the manacles but still couldn't move. It hurt, it hurt. Tears fell from his eyes and dripped on his knees. 

Wild barely noticed the fight that broke out. The longer it went without more chanting, the less Wild felt magic pulling at him. He felt like he had to resettle into his body. Maybe that's what the magic had been doing, trying to dislodge his soul or his spirit or whatever it was. He'd always felt a bit disconnected, he supposed it had to do with the memories thing. 

…If that's why the old guy said that he was "an ideal vessel," Wild was going to knock some heads. Well, if there were any heads left to knock. 

Once the pain had mostly receded, Wild caught his breath and lifted his head. 

The fight died down, and the Links were the clear winners. Everyone else laid on the floor, knocked out or taken out, one way or another. The atmosphere had lightened considerably, and Wild could breathe now. Warriors was busy tying the people up with Sky's help. Wild was relieved to see Sky up and about, with his sailcloth nice and white again. Legend nudged people with his boots, looking for those feigning unconsciousness. 

"Let's get you out of there," Twilight's voice said, unexpectedly just behind the throne. 

Wild's head snapped that direction, ringing the bells again. He made a noise of relief, trying to communicate that yes, please, he'd love to get out of this stupid throne.

"You've been quiet, cub, what did they—" Twilight crouched down by the arm of the throne and froze, eyes caught on Wild's face. He reached up to touch him, but hesitated an inch from his skin. "Oh. By the Light, Wild."

Wild leaned in and closed the distance, letting Twilight hold the side of his face for a moment. It settled his heart. There was something about having Twilight near that made him feel safe. Maybe it was the fact that they'd adventured together for so long, and that Wild really was usually safe in his presence. It felt especially nice after the day he'd had of impersonal touches and not being treated like a person. 

Twilight swallowed hard, but pulled away after a moment to work on the manacles. He yelled out across the throne room. "Wars, we're gonna need your sewing scissors! And those potions we grabbed!"

"Wait, why? Is everything all right?" Warriors called back. He finished a knot and jogged up to the dais, reaching into a belt pouch as he did so. He stopped when he saw what Twilight meant. His face went pale. "Ah. I see. I'm… we're going to need a better angle. And better light." He put the sewing scissors away to help Twilight with the manacles. After a second, he glanced back up at Wild with a halfhearted smirk. "I could've done a better job with that eyeliner, you know." 

Wild huffed a laugh through his nose. The thing was, Warriors was probably right. 

One of Wild's hands came free, and he pulled it up to his face to rub at his forehead. His lips tingled, on the edge of gaining feeling back. That timing sucked. 

"Wait, what happened?" Hyrule asked, getting up to the dais, too. "Can I help?"

"No healing, yet," Twilight said quickly, moving onto one of the ankle chains. "We have to get the stitches out, first."

Hyrule bent down in front of Wild, eyes concerned. "Oh. Stitches. Oh, that's awful, Wild, I'm sorry. It looks like they healed around the thread a little, didn't they?" 

Wild's other hand released, and he wrapped his arms around himself. It was chilly down here, and he was barely dressed. He nodded in response to Hyrule's question, and Twilight made an angry noise. 

"Why, though? If they wanted their god to live inside your body—which is ridiculous, by the way, their god doesn't even exist —why would they do that?"

Four jumped up next, holding Wild's slate. He offered it to Wild, who immediately, gratefully, took it. "Weren't you listening? They worship what they call a silent god." 

Wild missed a portion of the conversation, panning through his slate to make sure everything was there. He almost used it to change his clothes, but he hesitated. The copious amounts of jewelry might get mixed up with his real clothes. That would suck. He wanted it all very much gone. Reluctantly, Wild left his clothes there, and instead just pulled out a ruby circlet. He didn't need any more jewelry, but he did need to keep warm. 

"It should still be daylight outside," Time said, joining the group. "There should be plenty of light to take care of things when we get out."

When Wild's ankles released, he stood up and started to pull off all the rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. The cuffs needed a bit more effort, being laced up tightly with leather cords, but he got them off with a bit of help. Wind picked up the most valuable-looking bits of jewelry, and looked up at Wild as if to ask if stealing the bits of gold was okay. Wild nodded, but only once, because he was getting very tired of all the bells and noise his movements made. 

"They really piled all this on there, didn't they?" Legend muttered, helping Wild get rid of the chains draped around his torso. "Jewelry, makeup, everything."

Wild laughed a bit again and pulled his hands away to sign. I want to go jump in the mud.

"We can make that happen," Sky said with a smile, standing back. "It'll be the first order of business once you're all healed. Should we get going?" 

The last cuff fell off of Wild's hand. He nodded. Please.

Twilight stuck to Wild's side as they descended the dais as a group, a warm, steady presence. The others surrounded him, making and groaning at bad jokes. Wild smiled as the mood got lighter. He was forced to keep his mouth shut, but he could still participate in the pun-off using sign, and he knew that even if the bells grated on his ears, they'd be gone as soon as possible. 

Sure, Wild might have felt a little bit divine for a minute there, but to be surrounded by family and completely, entirely mortal? That was, really, the only way to live.

Chapter Text

It was a lovely day until Twilight slipped and fell. 

Well, he mused, hanging from the rope he managed to wrap around his arms, it was still a lovely day, he was just feeling rather awful about it, now. 

His feet dangled probably several dozen yards over the pointy pine treetops. He didn't have a lot of rope at the end, here, and hung pretty much out in open space. It was a good thing he wasn't scared of heights. Whistling wind stabbed through his clothes, and the pretty blue-gray sky surrounded him. There was a sheer mountainside behind him, but a good distance away. 

"Twilight?!" Sky yelled down, flat on the ledge where everyone else stood. "You're okay?"

Twilight winced. He didn't dare let go with either hand. There was nothing to put his feet on, and he wasn't sure he could hold on with just one hand. The rope was getting slick.

"Yeah!" he shouted up. 

"Hold on, okay? We'll pull you up!"

It was a nice thought, but Twilight wasn't sure how it would work out. The rope he hung from was tied to a hook at the other end, which itself had lodged at least a yard below the ledge. He looked up. 

Seemed like they were debating clawshots and hookshots. Twilight had a clawshot of his own—two, actually—but he couldn't use them without his hands, and he needed both hands to hold on. 

He slipped a few inches, which made him gasp in surprise. His heart flew up into his throat. The rope scraped his hands. It was rough, and thin, and getting sweaty. Twilight tried to reassert his hold, but all that happened was another inch slipping through his hands. His breaths came quickly. He wasn't scared of heights, but he did not want to fall. 

It was times like these that Twilight wished he had something like Wild's paraglider or Sky's sailcloth. This whole thing would be a non-issue if he could just… glide down to the trees. Neither item would support the weight of two people, though, both Sky and Wild had attempted that, only to fall from the air. 

Unfortunately, a straight fall like this would probably kill him. That would be… bad. Yep, definitely bad. 

Twilight glanced up again. Apparently, Wild had gotten fed up with the argument and started to climb down to where the hook had managed to stick. Twilight wasn't really worried about him, Wild was good at climbing even handhold-less surfaces like that. 

"Twi!" Wild called. "We've got a solution! Gonna hook this other hook on yours, and pull!"

"All right!" Twilight yelled. He shut his eyes against the slightly spinning world around him. He was getting dizzy. 

The rope he held onto shuddered, and Twilight lost another few inches. He didn't know if he could keep holding on for as long as it would take to haul him up.

His shoulders ached.

After one more slip, Twilight made up his mind. He couldn't climb, and letting go would make him fall. But if he could stop the fall…

He looked up again. "I'm gonna try something!" he shouted. "Hold on!"

Any response was lost to the wind as Twilight let go of the rope. Someone screamed, it might have been him. Air rushed past his face, and the trees got closer as he fell. His stomach felt like it was filled with air. 

One clawshot hung on his belt, thankfully, he'd put it there before heading into the mountains. As quickly as he could, Twilight pulled it off, aimed, and shot it at the mountainside. 

Somehow, he kept his grip as the clawshot suddenly arrested his fall. It almost pulled his arm out of its socket, but Twilight now had something more firm to grab onto. He slammed against the mountainside, scraping his face and jarring his vision for a moment. He'd lost a lot of distance, and could barely hear people shouting from above. 

With his free hand, Twilight dug into his bag to get his other clawshot out. He'd done this before, albeit a shorter distance. His shoulders burned like nothing else for days afterwards, but burning shoulders was preferable to going splat. 

The second clawshot lodged in the stone two yards up, and when Twilight freed the first, the second yanked him upwards. 

Ow. 

Twilight grit his teeth, but swung the first clawshot up again. 

And on it went—left, right, left, right. His arms burned with the strain, but he couldn't rest yet. He couldn't rest for too long, or the clawshots would disengage. He missed two shots total, making him lose ground and time, but he was making it. 

By the time Twilight had made it within shouting range, he was heaving for breath, and his muscles shook with the exertion. 

It helped that everyone was cheering him on from above. Their voices and jokes and "encouragement" made him laugh between breaths. He glanced up to judge the distance. Two more should do it. 

Twilight's arms felt like lead as he aimed the first clawshot upwards once again. It released with a bit of kickback, snapped to the rock, then yanked him upwards with a familiar rumble. He didn't want to hold on anymore. 

"If you die, I call your bedroll!" Wind shouted down at him. Twilight wanted to remind him that his bedroll was in his bag, which would be splat along with the rest of him if he fell. He didn't waste breath on answering, but he did laugh once. 

"Come on, Twilight, you have it!" Hyrule added his voice to the cacophony. 

"Yeah, yeah," Twilight said between breaths. He lifted his other arm, aimed, and shot. 

Kickback, snap, yank. Twilight's arms were almost numb to the sensations, now. As soon as he made it to the top of that shot, he felt hands on his arm. Warriors grabbed his wrist securely and hauled him up over the ledge. Both clawshots came with him, but Twilight didn't even bother to put them away yet. He could feel himself shake. 

"That looked hard," Legend said, picking up a clawshot to inspect it. 

Twilight somehow managed another laugh. "Good workout. Nothing like… like a hundred-yard drop to motivate you."

"As if you need to be stronger," Wild laughed. He crouched down next to Twilight and offered out a half potion. Twilight reached to take it, but the muscles in his arms failed him. 

Warriors patted his shoulder. "Overdid it today. You're banned from working out the rest of the week."

"Great," Twilight groused. "Just what I need. Thanks. Ugh, that sucked." He glared up at the sky for daring to still be so cheery.

Chapter Text

Lost as a concept had never made much sense to Hyrule. He didn't always know where he was going, but it was always somewhere. He usually knew where he was with a glance at the stars or the volcanoes in the distance. He was never truly lost in his world. Even in others' worlds, there was so much left to explore and discover. Plus, they had towns that were built pretty tightly together, so smoke always rose somewhere on the horizon. 

The others had a very different idea about what lost meant. If they didn't have a map, they were lost. If they didn't know where to go next, they were lost. If Hyrule forgot where they made camp, he was lost. Lost, lost, lost. All the time. How could they stand the uncertainty? 

Even now, drenched in warm rain and mud and balancing on the branch of a tree, Hyrule didn't consider himself lost. He could see for miles and miles up here out of the canyon. Wild's world was truly gorgeous, even when it stormed. 

The situation was sort of nostalgic, honestly. Hyrule had his back against the trunk, water running into his collar, and a sputtering Life spell at his fingertips. 

…it wasn't supposed to sputter. 

Hyrule frowned and looked at his hands as if he could fix the problem. He knew he didn't have a lot of magic left, that's why he was hiding in a tree while monsters looked for him down below. That's why his sword was stuck point-down in the mud a little distance away. He couldn't redirect lightning as easily without any stores of magic, so he'd taken preventative steps. 

Trying to get the magic glowing again, Hyrule tapped his fingers together. He got one more second of Life, and then the world spun around him. He gripped the tree branch beneath him until it stopped. Hoooo .

All right, magic was definitely out. 

So, what were his options? He didn't know where the others had gone, he promised he was paying attention, but he got distracted by one bug and suddenly they had disappeared. Twilight once told him that if he got lost and needed someone to come find him, he should stay in one place. 

Hyrule looked down at his ankle, sadly unhealed due to his lack of magic. He was pretty sure at least one bone in there had broken into pieces. Well, he wasn't going anywhere. 

Option one: stay here. 

That wasn't very exciting. Hyrule acknowledged both the wisdom and dullness of that option, and came up with a new one. 

Option two: jump onto that bokoblin's back, grab his sword from the dirt, and swing it around in a blaze of glory until a lightning bolt caught his sword and he killed all the monsters in one go. Now that was a fun option. Unfortunately, Hyrule could already picture Time's severe look of disapproval if he found out Hyrule got struck with lightning on purpose. So maybe that option would be a Plan C, at best. 

Other options Hyrule had included singing very loudly (likely to draw too much attention, and he didn't know any good songs for the situation), trying to sneak away (unlikely to go very well with the way the world spun and his ankle as hurt as it was), straight-up running away (still probably a bad idea, it would make his ankle worse and draw attention), or waiting until he built up his magic again (highest chance of success, still boring). 

Waiting was boring, but Hyrule could wait for two things at once—the others to find him, and his magic to return—and cut down on waiting time. It was like multitasking, but… much less exciting. Plus, if he waited too long, the blood loss would get worse. 

Stab wounds tended to bleed. This one was no exception. 

Hyrule gripped the branch harder and squinted down through the rain. Several bokoblins and moblins from various areas sniffed around the base of the tree, knowing he was there but not looking up to find him. There were too many for him to take care of in his state, unfortunately. 

…Yeah, no. He didn't want to wait. And he didn't know if he had the time to wait, anyway. He'd better try sneaking.

His ankle was the biggest obstacle to getting away. Hyrule ran his hands over himself to try and figure out what he had available. The thin bandages he used for soaking up blood wouldn't do much to support his ankle, even if he wasn't already sopping wet. He'd tightened his belt over the stab wound in his side to put pressure on it, and he didn't really want to mess with that right now. It wasn't too bad, but painful and bloody under the mud he was coated in.

Oh! Right, he had that. Hyrule used his teeth and his fingers to loosen the leather bracer on his right arm. He pulled it off, carefully, so he wouldn't drop it, then took his boot off, too. That one hurt. His ankle had really been crushed by that fall, and was swelling up pretty badly. Hyrule managed one more spark of Life, but had to lean back until things stopped spinning again. 

When the world settled, Hyrule leaned forward to wrap his bracer around his ankle. Ha—bracer, using it to brace. It was stiff in most spots, but it bent enough to provide adequate pressure. It hurt like nothing else, and was the jankiest bandage he'd ever used, but Hyrule managed to finish that and shove his foot back inside his boot. Somehow. 

There were a few other problems, but Hyrule was mobile again. The monsters had moved on while he wrapped his ankle, which was quite lucky. Hyrule wasn't often lucky, the others must be rubbing off on him. He swung down off of the tree slowly. Nothing jumped out at him. Good. 

Hyrule limped over to grab his sword, still wary of the lightning flashing in the sky but unwilling to leave without a weapon. He kept it loose in his hand, ready to throw should things begin to spark. 

Okay, now for the hard part—which way? There would be monsters no matter what, but one way had the fewest monsters and one way had the others at the end. 

Well, it wasn't as if Hyrule knew which was which. He still wasn't lost. He'd end up somewhere, eventually. The trees just a little bit south looked interesting, and like nice resting spots if his ankle or side got worse, so he started that direction. 

He had to take frequent breaks, but despite the pain, it was a lovely storm, and Hyrule enjoyed every second of it. Okay, maybe not the seconds he had to step on his bad ankle, or the ones where he had to throw his sword to the side or be struck by unfriendly lightning. But it wasn't cold, the flora and fauna in this region were nothing short of fascinating, and the sky turned such pretty colors. 

It seemed like an eternity before the rain let up. Hyrule heard snatches of conversation in the quiet of the retreating rain. He smiled and picked up the pace, just a little. Step, ow, step, ow, step, ow.

In a matter of minutes, Hyrule broke back into camp, where the others were gathered under canvas to keep off the drizzling rain. A sad campfire burned in the wet, doing its best to be warm. 

Legend noticed him first. "Hey, Hyrule, you're back. Did you get run over by a stampeding herd of elephants?"

"I fell into some mud," Hyrule answered. The mud concealed the blood, didn't it? It probably helped the wound, too. 

Wind laughed. "How lost did you get? We were about to send someone to look for you."

"I'm never lost," Hyrule said, to incredulous laughter and snorts all around. "It's true! I'm always going somewhere. By the way, um…" He meant to ask if anybody had a potion, but the words died when he stumbled closer to the weak fire, nearly falling. 

Twilight, thankfully, caught his arms before he could face-plant into the embers. "Woah there, Hyrule, what's wrong?"

"Mm… all my magic is gone. I'm kind of tired."

"And…" Warriors narrowed his eyes at him. "What did you use your magic for?"

Hyrule made a face, remembering. "Summoned some lightning. Killed some things. Then I fell into the mud. Got chased up a tree. Couldn't heal my ankle."

Twilight startled and pulled Hyrule down to sitting. "What's wrong with your ankle?"

"Got crushed in the fall." Hyrule felt lightheaded again. He yawned. 

Somehow, Twilight managed to get Hyrule's boot off, and unwrapped the bracer. Hyrule whined in the back of his throat at the sharp, hot pain that danced up his leg. Twilight glanced up at him. "You know, your belt might have worked better than your bracer for this."

"Maybe," Hyrule agreed, "but that's holding in blood. From the stab wound."

The camp went quiet, then Legend—

"You couldn't lead with that?"

Chapter Text

"It works best if you put them both down ahead of you, yeah, exactly like that, then swing through to step ahead." Wild watched Wind try it out, then nodded. "See? You got it."

"I wish I didn't have to get it. I was being kinda stupid to get my foot broken," Wind grumbled. He stood straight, or as straight as he could with the use of only one foot, and lifted one of the crutches he held under his arms to frown at it. He wasn't very happy with the series of events that had led him here. 

Wild shrugged. "At least this way, you can still fight."

"Excuse me? I don't have either of my hands. How can I still fight?"

"Very carefully," Wild laughed. He held his hands out. "I can show you."

With a put-upon sigh, Wind hopped back into the shade of the tree and let Wild take the crutches back. They were lucky to have them, they were apparently just stored somewhere in the back of Wild's slate, but nobody had needed them yet. The looks Wild received upon talking about how much he'd used them promoted both Wind and Wild to go somewhere a little more private to figure things out. 

Wild adjusted the crutches quickly, clearly practiced. He pulled a sword out and held it in one hand. "Okay, I admit this works better with one crutch than with two, but you can make it work. You've just gotta keep your balance, keep both crutches close, and kick a lot more than usual."

"I like kicking things," Wind said, perking up a little. 

"It's fun." Wild demonstrated a few basic moves. They looked awkward with the underarm crutches, but like he said, doable. "There was this one time I had my ankles shackled together—don't ask—so I had a bit of extra oomph with the metal." He demonstrated a kick, and Wind smiled. 

"How long did you have to deal with that?"

Wild shrugged and took the crutches out to readjust them to Wind's height. "Just a week or so. Sucked, but hey, so does a lot of stuff we do."

"Cheers to that," Wind grumbled. He stood back up to take the crutches, hissing when he accidentally put weight on his injured foot. "How dare we be out of literally every single potion." 

"Try the kick."

Wind sighed. He tried the kick. It was fun. "I'd rather be out of potions and stuck on crutches than watch Legend die. Glad we had enough to help. That was a stupid move on his part."

"The stupidest," Wild agreed. "Hey, try picking up your feet and using the crutches to run. You can get some good speed that way."

"And Rulie's passed out. Again. It's been, like, two whole days. Sky's still out of it. Time's still down. Four is still weird. Why don't we carry around more potions?" Wind picked up his feet and almost fell over. 

"Because we're all very stupid. Look, it's easier to balance if you just keep moving."

"Right." Wind tried fake-walking with the crutches, and to his surprise, it was pretty easy. The speed was awesome. "At least you're doing better."

Wild pulled out an apple to munch on as he watched Wind run around the clearing. "So much better. It's kinda nice to get away for a bit, too. So, you feel like you got the hang of them?"

"More or less, yeah. Thanks." Wind slowed down to catch his breath. His foot hurt, but that was honestly the least of their problems. 

"You're free to use my crutches anytime. Maybe I should pick up another pair, just in case. Probably won't, though."

"We're all pretty stupid," Wind laughed. 

"Exactly."

Chapter Text

Sky watched Warriors try the bars again. Like the last few times, nothing gave, and nobody came when Warriors shouted about unlawful imprisonment and corruption and injustice. Warriors hit the bars with the tips of his fingers, frustrated. The metal rang like a sad little bell. 

"How are you so calm?" Warriors asked, turning to Sky with barely restrained rage on his face. 

"There's no point being angry." Sky pulled his arm closer to his body. The cell wall against his back wriggled cold past his chainmail, like chilly fingers worming into his clothes. He shivered. 

"No point? They threw us in here on some trumped-up charge about theft , of all things, and proceeded to ignore us for hours!" Warriors paced in the small space, winding himself up more. "What do they want?! We were just going to get more rice. The others are going to be so worried, but how would they even find us in here? You're hurt!"

Sky sighed and let his head fall backwards to hit the wall. His arm ached, even tucked into his sailcloth like a sling.  "I know, Wars. But being mad isn't going to help anything. I understand, I promise, but right now, the anger is just getting in the way. Calm down a little, and let's talk about how to get out."

Although Warriors took a minute, he seemed to understand Sky's point. He still looked upset, but he sat down on the other side of the small cell and sighed. "All right. Let's figure something out."

"Most of our best options involve waiting," Sky said. "First, the others will be looking. Second, they can't leave us in here forever, even if they are corrupt like you say. Third, at the very least, a portal is going to snatch us up before too long. We've already been here for a while, we have, what, a few days left?"

Warriors nodded, mouth pinched. He tried to keep track of how long they stayed in each world, and according to him, there was barely enough data to assume averages and deviations. "Something like that. Two or three."

"Then at the worst, we're stuck with each other's company for two or three days. Yeah?"

"You're not hard to be stuck with," Warriors said, his voice finally softening. 

Sky smiled. "Just wait until I get bored enough to start singing."

"Oh, great." Warriors rolled his eyes, smiling back. The tension drained from the air like water from a basin. 

It got colder as night approached, the only indication of time their fatigue. Still, nobody came. Sky and Warriors curled up on the floor together, wrapped in scarf and sail to try to stay as warm as possible. 

After a bit of sleep—not nearly enough, but then again, it never was—Sky woke to Warriors pulling away. Sky grunted his confusion and started to sit up, but Warriors put a hand on his shoulder and pulled his scarf up to Sky's neck. 

"Go back to sleep," Warriors said softly. 

Sky couldn't think of a reason not to, if it was Wars saying it. He settled back down, closed his eyes again, and dozed off to a metallic noise he didn't comprehend in his half-asleep state. 

Like many nights, Sky dreamed of clouds and the infinite expanse of bluest heaven, of ultimate freedom. The floor was uncomfortable. Without Warriors, it was chillier, too, but Sky didn't mind too much. 

Hold on, without Warriors? 

Sky rubbed at his eyes with the arm that didn't hurt and sat up, letting the sailcloth and scarf fall and pool around his waist. It took a moment for his mind to catch up—arm hurt, small cell, Wars was supposed to be here. Why wasn't he here? 

Shivering, Sky pulled his sailcloth back up around his shoulders. In the dim light of the lamp on the table outside the bars, he saw Warriors's tunic, chainmail, and shirt folded neatly next to the lamp. Odd. 

Sky didn't let himself panic. He gathered up the scarf and held it close, half a thought dedicated to keeping it warm. Silence reigned through the cell, though Sky thought he could hear something very distant. 

Neither of them had been stealing. Warriors had just wanted to go look at soap, but one of the city watch had claimed he saw Sky pocketing something. Apparently that was all they needed to pull them into the watch headquarters. Sky and Warriors went along, trying to smooth things over with words rather than weapons, but the watch got violent first. 

Deprived of their weapons and packs at the door, Sky and Warriors were at a disadvantage, but by no means incapable. They fought back with fists and arms instead of blades, which was neither of their specialities. Despite the Heroes' training and skills, the watchmen were persistent and unafraid to play dirty. One grabbed Sky by the arm while another two held him down, and they got Warriors to back off by threatening harm. 

Sky had received a fracture for his troubles, and the two of them were locked in one of the isolated cells in the most remote corner. It became clear that "theft" was really just an excuse to get them in here, though Sky and Warriors had no idea why. 

Hopefully, Warriors would be okay out there, whatever they wanted him for. Sky could think of a few possibilities, and none of them were pleasant. He held his arm close and stood up. 

Just in case, Sky tried the bars. He was disappointed when they didn't swing open, having almost expected them to be unlocked. That would have been convenient. Sky glanced over at the crate holding the pile of their things, and saw the hilts of both swords still sticking out. It relieved him to see Fi, but it worried him to see Warriors's things. Where had he gone? 

There were no answers to be found in the room. Sky retreated back to the somewhat warm spot on the floor and sat down with his legs crossed. He wrapped his sailcloth around himself like a tight blanket, keeping his injured arm still. He picked at Warriors's scarf with his fingers and tried to think of ways out of this, each less realistic than the last. 

It seemed like an eternity before the door into the room opened. Sky's head snapped up to see Warriors, his head down and shirtless, suspended between two bigger men by the arms. They dragged him inside, and Sky jumped to his feet. 

"What did you do to him?" Sky demanded, grabbing the bars with his free hand. 

"He did it to himself," one of the men said with a chuckle, reaching into his pocket. He produced a key, but hesitated. "Karl, get the knife."

The other man pulled a folding knife out of somewhere and flicked it open. He set the blade against Warriors's cheek. "Try something, pretty boy, and I don't have to tell you what happens."

Sky narrowed his eyes, aiming a dark glare right at both of the men, but he nodded once. The first man unlocked the cell door itself, and when Sky didn't move an inch, they threw Warriors inside. 

The cell door, and then the outside door, slammed shut quickly as Sky jumped to Warriors's side. That looked painful. He rolled Warriors to his back, head on Sky's knees, and set a hand on his chest to measure his breathing. 

New bruises and dribbles of blood littered Warriors's bare chest and arms and face. He seemed to just be unconscious, so Sky let himself relax a little. Warriors's left wrist looked red, rubbed raw. Oddly, his right wrist didn't, though the knuckles of that hand were split. Had he been punching something?

Regardless, he seemed to be all right, just a bit beaten up. Sky tamped down on the rush of hatred he felt, knowing it wouldn't do any good. He laid Warriors's scarf over his bruised chest, hopefully to bring some comfort and warmth. It was a while before Warriors stirred. 

His head turned a little to the side, and Sky blinked out of a daydream to pay attention. 

"Wars? Are you there?"

"Yeah… ugh." Warriors reached up to rub at his face. "That was awful."

"What happened?" Sky asked. He brushed hair out of Warriors's eyes. 

Unexpectedly, those eyes shone with a sudden sheen of tears that didn't fall, but were there all the same. Sky's heart broke at the sight.

"I killed a man," Warriors admitted. "I regret it, but… there wasn't anything I could do about it."

"Start from the beginning?"

Warriors sat up, clutching his scarf, and looked himself over as he spoke. "They're running dogfights here, but with men. The other guy was taken from jail, and he'd been promised freedom if he killed me. He didn't let up, and I can't let myself die, so…"

"Oh, Wars. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Warriors shook his head. "He got a few hits in, but it wasn't much of a fair fight. I'm… I know what you'll say, but I am so mad. We can't stay here."

"We won't," Sky assured him. He sighed. "The portal's not too far away, if we can't find a way out faster, and then once we're back in this world, we can pull it down from the outside."

Warriors nodded, though his hands clenched into fists. "Yes. And we definitely will. There's no way any of us would be okay with this sort of thing."

"Of course not." Sky crossed his legs again and stared out the bars at the flickering lamp. "Wars?"

"Yes?"

Sky hesitated, but he had to say something. He knew what the response would be, unfortunately. "You told me to go back to sleep."

"I did." 

When Sky didn't say anything else, Warriors looked away. "It was better me than you, Sky."

"I do not agree, Link Madden of Thornwell."

"Which is why I didn't ask you! Hylia, I regret telling you my name." 

Sky frowned, but sighed and calmed down. "I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm sorry. I just wish this didn't happen."

"Me too." Warriors offered an olive branch in the form of a tight smile that Sky returned. 

"Will you ask me next time?"

"...maybe," Warriors hedged, and Sky rolled his eyes, but he knew it would probably be the best promise he got. He'd just have to make sure the situation wouldn't happen again. 

Sky changed the subject, wanting to avoid an argument. "So what did you see out there? Anything to help?"

Warriors shrugged, then winced. "Nothing that would be too difficult. If we can get out of this cell and this room, and sneak decently enough, then I think we're home free. The big problem is these bars."

"I don't think we can bend them… and I don't have anything on me to pick the locks, unfortunately," Sky said. "Even if I knew how. Maybe I'll ask Wind later."

"He definitely knows how to pick locks," Warriors nodded, looking off into the distance as if remembering something terrifying. 

Sky smiled. "So, what do we do until the portal comes?" 

"...teach ourselves how to pick locks?"

That was as good a plan as any. "All right, let's try it."

---

Several hours later, they did not manage to pick any locks. They didn't have tools, first of all, or an angle easy to reach, and they only had the most basic idea of how locks even worked. They gave up on that and ended up playing the most convoluted game of rock-paper-scissors that Sky had ever played. Warriors had dozens of modifications for the game in his mind, including adding more rounds or special abilities. It got intense, and they were tied, as far as Sky could count. 

Someone brought them water, cooked rice, and some first aid supplies. That someone could not be cajoled, convinced, or seduced into letting them go. They even turned down a game of rock-paper-scissors. 

"Boring," Warriors said, sitting back down. 

Sky got him to eat first by guilting him, and Warriors copied without too much complaining. He was in a better mood, and Sky was glad. The only thing worse than being stuck was being stuck and very angry about it. 

The first aid supplies didn't include a splint, but Sky was able to clean blood from Warriors's skin. He spread cool salve over his split knuckles and wrapped the raw wrist. He was grateful for the supplies, but wary of what they might mean. 

The two of them curled up against a wall together, bundled up again for the night. Somehow, Sky managed to sleep, even with the heavy feeling of foreboding in his stomach. 

---

As Sky had dreaded, he woke up to the sound of Warriors arguing with someone. Something about… taking. And weakness. Sky sat up. His right arm ached like nothing else, but he pushed past it to wake up fully. 

Warriors stood at the closed cell door, yelling at the two men that Sky recognized from dragging Warriors back in. It didn't take long for Sky to figure out what was happening. He extricated himself from the sailcloth and the scarf, then stood up and made his way over, arm clutched close. 

"—disgusting. You should be—" Warriors cut off when Sky put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Wars."

Warriors turned to him, face tight and reddening quickly. "No."

"They won't take no for an answer. And you're in no shape to get beaten up again."

"Your arm is broken."

"Fractured. As if that's stopped us before."

Warriors looked away, jaw set. "Do what you want, Sky."

Sky turned his glare onto the men standing outside, and to his satisfaction, one of them quailed back. The other unlocked the cell door and made to grab Sky. 

But Sky punched his nose. 

The man fell to the ground, and the other stood up straight in shock, then turned to sound an alarm. In an instant, Warriors was on him, sending pressure into just the right spots to make his eyes roll back. 

Warriors stood up and shoved the man over with his foot. "That was easy." He pulled his shirt and mail on. 

Sky rushed to grab their things. He threw Warriors his sword belt as he strapped on his own, ignoring his arm. "They're bound to have people waiting for them. Come on. If we want to take them down, we'll have to hurry."

United, the two of them stepped out into the hallway to cause utter chaos.

Chapter Text

Legend liked a lot of things about Earth. Coming out of the portal that first time had been one of the more confusing experiences of his life, but it wasn't as if he'd never been thrown into another world without any preparation whatsoever, so he coped. 

Going to Earth the first time felt a bit like going to Subrosia—he could tell what some buildings were, but the actual streets and layout and function often escaped him. People acted very differently. They dressed very differently. 

But once he'd run into Hyrule, and then the other eight Heroes—all but two of which were native to Earth, apparently—he'd gotten into the swing of things. 

Legend liked the fact that monsters didn't roam Earthen streets as they did Hyruleans ones. He barely had to fight at all, and nobody knew who he was. They only cared if he looked like he was going to steal something or cause problems, which, fair. Earth was, on the whole, a safer place to be. More chaotic, and he really needed days laying face down in an orchard after spending weeks here, but safer. 

Legend liked the food. A lot of it made him sick, but he could try things he'd never considered before, and a lot of it was cheap and easy to get. He still preferred Wild's dishes that, while separated by centuries, tasted like home. But really, fries were excellent sometimes. And ice cream. He was not ashamed to admit that he loved ice cream, even if the tropical fruit flavors made him emotional. 

Legend liked the technology that he barely understood, and the free access to massive amounts of information. It wasn't all useful information, but it was fun to have. He didn't really get the obsessions with movies and fictional worlds, but despite his nickname, he'd never been that interested in stories. Stories lied, far too often. 

For example, stories said that when one killed a wizard, then burned his corpse in searing holy light, that wizard was very dead. 

"This is a surprise," said the wizard standing above Legend. He wore a nice suit in the Earth style, with a cape for some reason, and his skin was a normal color, rather than bluish gray from magic overuse. He was a large man, straining his suit at the buttons and the rings on his fingers. 

"Surprise, my foot," Legend snapped. "You planned this, Agahnim."

"I planned to ambush you, yes. I didn't plan for you to be as helpless as you are."

Legend's chest flared with hot fury. He struggled against the ropes holding him down. 

He cursed his decision to use his mermaid suit to get to Earth today. Sure, his portal was underwater, but it wasn't deep, he'd done it before without any items at all. He'd just… He'd had a bad feeling, and thought that he could use the water breathing and maneuverability. That had really worked against him, when unknown thugs of some kind dragged him from the water and into the trailer, pinning his arms so he couldn't take the stupid thing off. 

At least he wasn't full merfolk, and could still breathe air just fine. 

"Yes, this is quite amusing," Agahnim went on, going to the tiny kitchen to pour himself a drink. "I'd planned to take your pearl and trap you in your Dark World form." He nodded over to a cage on the table, rattling with the movement of the trailer. Legend hated it. "I still might, just for fun. But there's something deeply satisfying about you here, being in my power like this."

"I can still fight, you overgrown mushroom."

Agahnim laughed and pulled a cork from a glass bottle with a hollow pop. "Of that, I have no doubt. You've grown powerful, very powerful. It will make it all the more satisfying when you become mine."

Uh… what? Ew. Legend pulled on the ropes keeping his hands behind his back. "Excuse me?" He put as much incredulity into his words as he could. 

"You know why the knights hunted you, all that time ago, don't you?"

His answer pulled a few unpleasant memories close to the surface, and Legend felt his heart fall. "You can't do that."

"Oh, Link. I can, and I most certainly will." Agahnim put the bottle back and sat down at the table with a glass to stare at Legend. "I am sure it will be difficult, but all I have to do is break down your mental barriers, slip my magic inside, and you will do anything I say."

Legend hated the sound of it. He knew it was entirely possible, but he could resist. His scales slid across the thin carpet as he curled his tail under him. The end was tied to a cinderblock, making his whole lower half useless for fighting or going anywhere, but he could reposition if he needed to. 

"You know I'm right," Agahnim continued with a smile when Legend didn't respond. "It will be delicious. The gods themselves have granted me a second chance at fulfilling my ambitions, and I will make the most of it."

"So what?" Legend asked. "You plan on invading Hyrule again?"

"Oh, no. I'll take over Earth. It's so much more interesting. It's far larger, too, and if I become its ruler, I will be nigh unto a god myself."

Legend looked away. "Just more power, then."

"Always. You ambitionless fool, you have no idea what you could do if you put your mind to it. What you could have. You could make yourself so happy."

"It was never about me." 

"And that is why you will fail, and I will succeed." Agahnim tilted his glass back, draining the rest of it, then stood up. "I'm going to take a nap. I want to be well-rested when I break you."

Legend bared his teeth, but couldn't do more than spit a few curses at the wizard's back as he retreated farther into the trailer, closing a door. 

Well. 

This was an awful situation. 

It could be worse, Legend reminded himself, glancing at the rabbit-sized cage on the table. At least like this, he didn't feel quite so… vulnerable. He had his arms, and his hands, and his items hadn't disappeared. They were just over in the trailer's bathroom, out of reach. With the way his arms were tied, wrist to elbow, he couldn't get his legs back, but his tail had more slapping power anyway, if he could get it free. 

Legend curled up into a position that would be extremely difficult if he had long bones in his lower half. It was easy with a flexible tail. He picked at the ropes with his teeth, trying to undo the knots. 

The thing Legend hated most about Earth was that  minor villains reincarnated here, with all of their memories and much of their ability. It was annoying, confusing, and dangerous. Many of the reborn villains used their knowledge to trap, threaten, and inconvenience the Heroes. 

Legend had more minor villains than any of the others, which was one of the reasons he'd decided to not fully move to Earth. He didn't need more people out for his head. 

He should've taken better precautions. 

Agahnim said he was taking a nap before he tried to break him. Ergo, there was time to take a nap, and at the end of it, they'd probably arrive at a place where nobody would hear Legend screaming. Great. Wonderful. He had to get out of here. 

The unfortunate thing was, if Legend didn't show up at the house for a few days, nobody would think much of it. It might take weeks for them to realize that he'd disappeared between leaving Ravio at home and arriving at the house. He did have a habit of going off on his own, sometimes. 

The knots didn't want to unravel, and Legend's jaw started to ache with the effort of biting over and over again. His scales kept snagging the carpet. The mermaid suit had enough of an impact on him that drying out as much as he had made him feel tight and parched, as if he'd start to flake away like chalk. 

There was one potential silver lining—Legend's Earth phone always showed up in his pocket when he switched over. He didn't know how the technology and the magic of his mermaid suit would interact, but there was a possibility that it still technically existed. Legend knew that Wind, nosy little hacker he was, watched their locations sometimes. Perhaps he'd see that Legend was in a weird place. That was a lot of maybes, though. 

Legend had to give up on the ropes. They were too tight for him to do anything about. He moved back to sit against the wall of the trailer with a sigh. He'd just have to keep his eyes open for opportunities. 

Agahnim wanted something satisfying? Well, Legend was just gonna keep his mouth shut. No information, no talking back, no screaming. If this was going to happen, Legend was going to make it as hard on the bad guys as possible. That was his job, and he was very good at it.

Chapter Text

It took a few hours to get wherever they were going. 

When the trailer slowed to drive over something crunchy and loud, Legend jerked awake. He let out an annoyed breath when he remembered where he was and what was happening. 

Agahnim emerged from the bedroom in the back of the trailer and took his time in the bathroom. He came out with freshly slicked hair and Legend's bag in his hand. 

"Shall we?"

Legend had resolved to stay quiet, and stay quiet he would. He bared his teeth at Agahnim to make his displeasure known, but didn't say anything. 

The trailer jerked to a complete stop. Shuffling outside preceded the trailer door opening, and the thugs came in to grab Legend. He squirmed, not making it easy for them, even though there wasn't much he could do to get free. He at least got one of them in the face with his fins. That was satisfying, even if it meant they twisted his arms back a bit more painfully. He hissed, but he did not cry out. 

They'd driven to a patch of dense forest. The thugs had to haul Legend up a set of stone slab stairs toward an isolated cabin on the side of the mountain. The massive windows meant that Agahnim had resources. Wasn't that a depressing thought. 

It was one more line on the conspiracy wall, drawing connections between the minor villains. Legend was convinced that a lot of them were working together, pooling resources and making plans. Time spoke out against his theories, but Legend thought that was more due to the fact that Time really didn't want them to be true, rather than him thinking they weren't. 

Agahnim led them into the cabin, flipping on lights and giving Legend a psuedo-tour of the expansive living room and glittering, unused kitchen. Legend didn't respond, despite all the snarky words and cursed running constantly through his head. He grinned meanly when Agahnim was vocally disappointed in his lack of reaction. 

The thugs dumped Legend in the smallest of the three garages, more of a concrete closet with a drain than a garage. There was one small, thick window, and a locked metal cabinet. 

Legend couldn't stand up to be intimidating, but he could sit up just fine, even without use of his arms. He was not looking forward to any of this. 

Agahnim loomed over him in the dim light, eyes almost glowing. "Welcome, Link, to the last place you will ever have free will. Enjoy it while it lasts."

And, as he'd promised, the breaking began. 

It started off fairly dully with a simple beating. Legend had never really hurt the mermaid tail before, so that sensation was new, and he didn't exactly care for it. Agahnim and his thugs didn't break any bones, but they did open up the cabinet and bring out chains to pin his wrists against the wall. Without legs, he just hung there, letting the chains dig into his skin. 

Everything hurt, and Legend could barely move. He was beyond angry. At least he'd refrained from speaking, or even crying out. 

They visited him once the next day to give him water and change the way his arms were restrained so he didn't lose them. Agahnim attacked Legend's mind with magic for several minutes, leaving them both gasping for breath. The magic found no purchase, and Agahnim left.

The same thing happened the next day, and the next. 

A week of starvation, lack of exercise, and constant mental attacks left Legend weak and livid, but by no means broken. The torture came next, of course. Agahnim stayed away from anything maiming, relying on electricity, lemons in cuts, tight restraints, and the ever-present magic. 

Every time Legend tried to retreat into daydreams, magic attempted to slide in past his defenses. That was the hardest part—Legend could deal with the physical pain, but taking away that coping mechanism really hurt.

He gave up on his vow of silence after the second whipping and subsequent bath in salt water. His screams sounded more exhausted every day. They untied him after a while, since he could barely move. He tried a few times, but the one door out of the room was always, always locked tight from the other side. 

Legend had never stayed merfolk this long before. In quiet moments, just before sunrise, Legend thought he could feel the magic of the mermaid suit digging its claws into him more. His hands tingled, with the lingering pain of lightning or magic, he couldn't say, but he found a thin membrane of webbing growing up between his fingers. It was slowly getting harder to breathe. His bruised tail and now-shredded fins were more sensitive than ever. 

Legend lost hope in a rescue after three weeks or so. Even if the others knew he'd disappeared, the trail would be far too cold to follow. If Wind could see his location, they would've come by now, he thought. He missed them. The emotion was far more powerful than he'd expected, setting him to tears after the awful days. 

He wanted to snipe at Warriors while they did their hair. He wanted to make apple tarts that actually tasted good with Wild. He wanted Sky to fall asleep on top of him again. He wanted to wake up in the house's living room with Four using his leg as a pillow and Wind nestled against his side, leeching off his heat. He wanted to roll his eyes at Time's awful puns and argue with Twilight again about what 'getting an education' meant. (Just because Legend hadn't gone to Earth's idea of school didn't mean he wasn't educated. He knew Twilight knew that.) He wanted to grab a muddy Hyrule in a hug and tell him to take a bath. 

Instead, Legend got rough hands, pulling him from a puddle of drying blood by his hair to dump a little more water down his throat. He tried to swallow it rather than breathe it.

He was tired. The best thing that could happen, he thought, would be his death, so he wasn't used for anything and wouldn't have to suffer more. But even if Hylia existed on earth, when had she ever been merciful to him? The days dragged on, forever long. 

Although Legend had lost track of the days, he could tell it was dawn when Agahnim's magic burrowed into his mind again. Legend was daydreaming about calm ocean waves and fresh fruit, and the magic rolled in like storm clouds. 

He knew he should push himself back to the pain of full consciousness to battle the magic back. But… it hurt. He almost couldn't breathe air anymore. There was nothing for him out there. Strung up in whatever position they'd left him in last time, several cold tears dripped from his eyes. 

In one moment of weakness, Legend's defenses absolutely crumbled like sand. The magic covered him like a warm blanket, numbing the pain of his skin and of his feelings. It was relieving, in a way. It was almost like death. 

In the end… he lost.

---

After losing for what felt like the millionth time, Hyrule put the video game controller down. He stared at it for a moment, then reached forward to turn the television off and get up off the couch. He wandered down the hallway, trailing his fingers against the textured wallpaper, and into the office. 

The mood in the house took a sharp downturn several days ago, when Hyrule and Twilight had gone to Legend's house and realized that he hadn't been ignoring them for weeks, he'd been missing entirely. All Ravio knew was that Legend had left for Earth and hadn't returned yet. Nobody had any idea if he'd actually made it or not. 

Wind thought he had, and Hyrule was inclined to agree with him. Even if Legend had gotten swept away into another adventure in his world, there was a good chance he'd have found a way to let Ravio or Fable know. Fable had a team searching Hyrule, so the Heroes were left to comb Earth and see what they could find. 

So far? Not much. 

In the office, Warriors sat in front of Wind's big computer, spun around to speak softly to Time. Wind napped in the corner on the floor. 

"Hey, Hyrule," Warriors said, lifting a hand in greeting. "There's still nothing."

Hyrule sighed, but nodded. "Have you all eaten, yet?"

"I made sure," Time said. He gestured to the dishes on the side of the desk. 

"That's good." Hyrule hopped up on one of the stools to look over Warriors's shoulder at the computer monitors. 

One showed a customized feed of social media posts that blinked in every few seconds, filtered by keywords like "pink hair" and "sword." Another screen cut between various grainy security camera feeds, trying to recognize people's faces, and Legend's in particular. A third had a map of the state, with blue dots showing the locations of each Hero's phone. Sky had a very simple one, since he had a hard time navigating buttons, and Wild's slate apparently could do anything a phone could do, so even they appeared on the map. 

It wasn't perfect, but it was what they could do. 

Time was about to leave the room when Warriors turned back to the screens and spoke up. 

"Wait." 

"Did you find something?" Time asked, pausing in the door. 

Hyrule leaned forward to see what Warriors had noticed—on the map, a new red dot had appeared. It looked a bit like it was moving down the street. Hyrule sat up straighter. Their street. 

"His phone is giving off a location, I think," Warriors said quickly. He pulled out his own, probably to text the others. "It's just outside."

"Huh?" Wind woke up, rubbing at his face. 

"Right there!" Hyrule had already gone to the window and pushed aside the curtains. It was true. Legend was actually walking up the driveway. He was limping, and really didn't look good, but it was him. 

Hyrule led the charge down to the entryway. Four and Twilight were out looking, but Wild and Sky had just gotten off their own shifts, and emerged at the noise.

Without shoes or socks, the tile of the entryway chilled Hyrule's feet, but at least he wasn't slipping like Warriors. He yanked open the door, and Legend put his hand down, blinking blankly at them. 

"Legend!" Hyrule couldn't stop himself from launching into a hug. Legend hissed, so Hyrule lightened up a little. He felt bony. "You've been missing, where were you?"

"I don't… know," Legend answered, too slowly. His voice sounded awful . 

Sky pulled on Hyrule's shoulder. "Let him breathe, 'Rule, he's hurt. Come on, let's get you to the couch."

They herded Legend inside, hovering and trying not to hover at the same time. Hyrule cataloged injuries with his eyes—legs not visibly hurt, but they did look atrophied, Hyrule didn't know how he was even walking; minor burns and cuts across his every visible inch of skin; dark circles under his eyes; rope burns around his wrists. He'd been held somewhere. Drugged, maybe? 

"How don't you know where you were?" Warriors asked, coming in with a glass of water. He hesitantly put it down instead of handing it off to Legend, which confused Hyrule. 

"I found something," Legend said instead of answering. He reached into his bag. Sky held up a hesitant hand as if to stop him, Warriors tensed, and Wild reached for his slate. Hyrule didn't understand, until the moment that flames flew around the room, catching the curtains and the bookshelf. 

"Wild, get the fire!" Warriors shouted, lunging for Legend. Wind ran from the room, and Time wrested the fire rod from Legend's hand. 

Hyrule backpedaled. It didn't take long to determine what had happened, and although he was confused, he hurried forward. Sky and Warriors were doing their best to hold Legend down on the ground, though he fought against them. Wild managed to stamp out the flames, then came over to try and help. 

"Pitiful attempt," Warriors snarled down at Legend's face. "Go back to where you came from."

Legend didn't answer, just kept fighting with an expression that was eerily blank, now that Hyrule looked. 

Hyrule knelt down and caught Legend's head with glowing hands. He pushed a strong line of magic into him, feeling out injuries he hadn't seen and trying to determine what this could be. Warriors didn't seem to think this was the real Legend, but…

"Don't hurt him," Hyrule snapped up at Warriors. "This is him, he's just not himself."

"Oh, really? I couldn't guess." 

"We don't need sarcasm," Time interrupted. "What can you tell, Hyrule?" 

Hyrule closed his eyes to focus. "He's been badly hurt. His wrists are torn up. There's a different kind of magic here, not his normal, it's trying to push me out. I don't think I can do anything!"

"Is he fighting it?" Sky asked, all but laying over Legend's legs. 

"I don't—"

Legend went suddenly limp. The magic inside his head didn't change its tune, but he stopped struggling and looked up at them with wide eyes. 

The moment stretched, and Hyrule felt hope rise in his heart. 

All it took was for Sky to drop his guard for a moment. In the silence between gasps, Legend surged up again. Sky's loose grip flew away, and Warriors was thrown back as Legend pushed past them. The others all made a grab for him, but he dodged them. Wind came out of the office and tackled him around the legs, but Legend landed a kick to Wind's head. 

Hyrule got up to chase. As soon as Legend cleared the front door, though, he activated his magic boots and was gone. Just like that. 

"That was him," Hyrule said quietly. "I swear it was. He just…"

"He's not himself," Time repeated. He put a hand on Hyrule's shoulder and pulled him away from the door. "Wind! Don't lose the signal!"

"I can only do so much, old man!" Wind snapped, shaking off the hit and running to the office, Time right behind him. 

Only when Sky pulled Hyrule into a hug did Hyrule realize he had started crying. "Hey, at least now we know he's around here, all right? We'll find him again."

"If you're sure that was actually him, and not some clone," Warriors began, pausing to let Hyrule nod, "then whoever's at fault here is taunting us or very dumb. That was the worst assassination attempt I've ever seen, and he almost didn't get away."

"I'm sorry," Sky said. 

"It wasn't your fault." Warriors shook his head and crossed his arms tightly. "He's smart. I don't know if we could truly hold him if we tried. What did you get about it, Hyrule?"

Hyrule used his sleeves to wipe at his face. "He wasn't fighting it. He was barely even in there. I don't know what happened."

Warriors winced. "He was injured, and wasn't fighting the mental magic?"

That wasn't a good sign, he was right. For Legend to not be fighting some kind of brainwashing magic, he had to think that it was the better option, one way or another. He must have really hurt. 

"Can we… even get him back?" Wild asked from near the wet bookshelf. 

"We have to," Hyrule said. He scowled at himself.

Time stood up straight. "Wars, call Twilight and Four. Everyone else, suit up, we head out as soon as they get here." 

---

The location signal dropped two hours into the drive. 

"We're getting up into the mountains," Wind said, furiously clicking away on a laptop as Time pushed the speed limit. "The only stuff that works up here is satellite. But I—"

"Got a different tracker on him?" Twilight asked hopefully. Hyrule looked over. 

"No, I couldn't find one in time," Wind said. "But I did find a camera, and managed to stick it on him when I tackled him. I don't know how much help it'll be, but…"

"More information is always better than less." Warriors's leg bounced. 

Sky nodded. He held the Master Sword out in the middle of the van, the blue blade glowing in the dim light. "And we have Fi. We'll get to him. Keep going."

Wind and Four squished in one of the seats near the front, watching the camera feed. It appeared to be stuck to Legend's waist, but pointed forward, which was useful. There was no audio, and currently just showed the inside of a car. One of his hands was just visible enough to tell that it shook. Hyrule didn't watch for very long, it made him anxious. They drove up winding dirt and pressed gravel roads, taking forks when Sky directed. 

It took another hour for anything to change. 

"He's getting out of the car," Wind announced into the silent van. "It can't be much farther."

Hyrule unbuckled and peeked over the chair back to watch the camera. It showed a nice cabin past a long driveway, but the camera quickly turned downward until it landed in the gravel. 

"Did it fall off?" Wind asked. Another second went by, and light flooded the camera again. 

"No," Hyrule said quietly. "He fell. He shouldn't be walking."

The video bounced awkwardly as Legend limped up to the cabin. Someone opened the front door, and Hyrule watched as the living room came into focus. He got a bad feeling. 

"Wind, take screenshots," Four said quickly. 

"What is it?" Twilight asked, leaning over but not quite seeing the screen. 

Keys clicked as Wind repeatedly took screenshots. "From the PowerPoint, right?" 

Hyrule's bad feeling made sense. He halfway recognized some of these colorfully dressed charactere, and none of them were good. A few months ago, when it became clear that non-Ganon villains were popping up on Earth, all the Heroes drew the ones they'd faced and put them together in a presentation, so everyone would be aware of who existed. 

"Right." Four squinted and tapped the screen. "That's Twinrova, one of Legend's villains. Veran, another of his. I think that one's Zant."

"Excuse me?" Twilight burst, but Four continued. 

"Your illustration wasn't great, Twilight, but he's distinctive. There are so many others. Volga"—Warriors's head turned sharply—"Ghirarim, that's a Yiga mask. Ugh, Vaati. What's going on?"

Sky was even paler in the light of the sword. "Legend's right. They're working together. Take the left, Time."

"But which one is responsible for Legend's condition?" Four shook his head and kept watching. "Which of them do that sort of thing?"

"Cia would," Warriors said, "but I don't know if she's around."

Hyrule had to look away from the screen, feeling sick. "They're laughing at him."

"That's the one," Wind said suddenly, tapping the laptop so hard the screen shook. "Oops. But that's who's in charge right now."

Four glanced at him. "How can you tell?"

"See their drinks? It's a party. He's sitting alone on that fancy chair, and he looks the smuggest. Plus it's where Legend is going. Do you recognize him?"

"Mm… he looks like a fat Vaati. Right!" Four snapped his fingers. "Agahnim. Legend's first villain, and if I'm not mistaken, the one who controlled the guards for the duration of an adventure."

"That has to be the guy," Wild said. 

Warriors interrupted, staring out the window. "I think we've found the place. Keep driving, Time, we should park a ways down. They aren't expecting us, which is good."

Hyrule picked at the hems of his sleeves as Time navigated the van through the narrow mountain roads. He switched the lights off, turned around, and parked slightly into the trees. 

"All right," Time said once they'd gotten settled. "We need a plan. Operation: Free Legend From Mind Control and Take Down All the Villains."

"You're awful at this naming thing," Sky said, sheathing the Master Sword. 

Time gave him a look. "Says the one who named his Loftwing Crimson because it was a fancy word for red."

"He is red, you have no room to talk." 

"And my operation name is very descriptive."

---

Sounds filtered through the cottony haze, sounds that Link didn't care about. He only knew three truths: he was Link, the Voice was the Master's, and if the Master was unhappy, Link would feel pain. He didn't know where the pain came from. Perhaps it was just the pain of existence without the Master's approval. Link didn't need to know. He just didn't want to feel it. 

Somewhere deep in his soul, he heard crying. That was the part of him that always felt the pain. It was a stupid part. 

"Sit down," the Voice said, the only clear thing in the world. 

Link sat, right where he stood. It put him lower than the Master, which didn't bother him. 

The Voice spoke again, though it wasn't addressing him, and the Master's hand threaded through his hair. Fingernails dug into his hairline, but Link felt no pain. It was nice, to feel no pain. 

The world was pleasant, pale, and quiet. Sometimes people would touch him, particularly his face, but the Voice only had to tell him to be still once, and Link let them handle him. 

Time passed. It didn't matter how much. 

A disturbance of some kind caused the Voice to order Link up. "Kill anyone who tries to speak to you."

In the short time he'd had the Master, Link had learned to like these free-form orders. They let the world clear up a little, without the pain. He reached into his bag and unconsciously picked out the sword. The hilt fit perfectly into his hand, though he couldn't seem to remember anything about having it. He was told to kill, but he could choose how to go about it. 

The somewhat-familiar room resolved into the shapes of people, furniture, and flames. The people fought with weapons and with magic. Several were dead on the ground already. 

Well, they wouldn't try to talk to Link. He didn't care about them. 

He did care about the furry person trying to yell. 

"Legend!" they shouted, fighting. "Link!"

Link was him. He was Link. They were talking to him. That was someone who had to die. Link started that direction, dodging a hand reaching out and a falling lamp on fire. 

The person's eyes widened as Link swung for his head. To Link's vague surprise, his sword stopped, blocked. 

"It's me," the person said, pushing Link back. Link returned with a perfect slash to carry his momentum. "It's Twilight."

This wasn't the Voice, but Link felt compelled to respond. "Twilight is a stupid name."

The person, Twilight, blocked him again and laughed once. He didn't take the opening to try and kill Link back. "Maybe it is. But your name is Legend."

That wasn't right. "I'm Link."

"And Legend," Twilight insisted, staying on the defensive. The stupid part of Link's soul stirred, but shied away at the pain that emerged. 

Someone else approached from behind Twilight, their blade out and obviously trying to kill Twilight. Link lunged past him and lopped the head from the shoulders, to Twilight's obvious shock.

"My kill," Link hissed. 

"Legend—" Twilight started. 

Another attack from Link interrupted him. "Link."

"Link," snapped the Voice, pulling all back into focus. "Stop talking. Kill anything that speaks to you."

The stupid part of Link's soul blinked. The Voice spoke to you. 

…That was true. 

Link half-expected Twilight to attack him as soon as he lowered his blade, but Twilight just looked relieved. Things returned to their pleasant haze as Link focused on one fact: the Voice had spoken to order him to kill anything that spoke to him. 

He was following orders. Nothing hurt. 

Link turned around. 

He was following orders. 

He took a roundabout route back to the Master's place, avoiding fire and fights. People shouted, but none of them could be talking to him. That was absurd. 

He was following orders. 

He approached the Master from behind. 

Agahnim. The enemy. 

"Agahnim," Link said. The Master spun, eyes wide. 

"How—"

"Screw you." Legend swung. His blade sheared through Agahnim's neck like butter. 

Everything went still. Legend looked up at the room to find all the enemies dead or fled. The only ones standing were those he recognized, now. Every trace of magical haze evaporated, and the pain returned full force. 

Legend collapsed, quite literally a puppet with its strings cut. His head spun. The parts of him that didn't ache stung, and the parts that didn't sting were too weak to move. He whined. 

Someone touched his shoulder. "Vet?" Wind asked. "You back with us?"

"Ba-ack with y-you-u," Legend managed to say, his voice hitching and rough. He curled up. "Ev-verythi-ing hurt-ts. Make i-it sto-op."

Wind snorted. "I would knock you out if I didn't think you'd kill me for letting you miss the arson."

Legend glanced up at that. Arson, he said. Intriguing. 

"I'm going to pick you up," Time said from nearby. Since when did he get there? Legend grunted his assent. His breathing went shallow and quick as the movement jostled pretty much every ache in his body, but…

It was nice to be touched gently after all of that. Time settled him securely in his arms, which Legend refused to feel embarrassed about. 

"Farore, Legend," Warriors said in disgust. "How did your legs get so bad, so fast?"

"Things."

"Ah, of course. Things."

Legend settled for sticking his tongue out at Warriors, who just laughed. 

"Legend!" Hyrule got there next, with the others close behind. Hyrule's eyes were wide and shining, and he seemed hesitant to get too close. 

Despite the sharp pains that shot up his arm, Legend reached out to wrap his elbow around Hyrule's neck and pull him closer in an awkward hug. He smelled like pine needles and magic. Legend never wanted to let go. 

"Hey, Legend," Four said after a minute. "You gotta let go of Hyrule at some point, if you want to burn this place down."

Legend looked up with wide eyes. "Since when do you have a fire rod?"

"Since forever." Four shrugged nonchalantly, and Din take it, Four knew that Legend burned to know. 

"It's a few hours to the hospital," Twilight added. "We should get going soon."

Legend hesitated. "...I don't like hospitals."

"Nobody will force you to go," Sky said gently, and Legend saw reluctant glances traded among the Earth-natives. They had dumb ideas about health care. As if hospitals were the only places someone could heal. "But it would probably be best."

"Fine," Legend sighed. "As long as they don't ask questions."

---

With the bright orange light of a dying house fire dwindling behind them, the van full of Heroes rocked off the dirt road and back towards civilization. In the very back of the van, Hyrule reined in his anger and his worry to smooth over as many pains in Legend's body as he could. 

Soon after shooting off some fire of his own, Legend lost coherency, descending into half-consciousness. He mostly mumbled about pain and hunger and scales, and tried to push himself out of Time's arms more than once. It looked all too easy for Time to keep him there. 

It hurt Hyrule to see, and to hear, but he was doing all he could. He was sure that with time and healing, Legend would physically get better. He was emotionally sturdy, too, so he'd probably bounce back, eventually. Even if he didn't, he had a huge support network. As soon as they got back to town, Warriors had volunteered to go with Wind to Legend's Hyrule and update Fable and Ravio on the situation. They'd no doubt help him, too.

He'd be okay.

Legend's eyes fluttered again, and Hyrule made sure to brush healing magic over his head. "'Rule? Missed you."

Hyrule smiled a little back. "Missed you, too, Legend."