Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Laughter filled the air. All the boys were going slightly hysterical in the dead of night. It being too late for their especially sleepy ones to still be awake. 

“Alright,” Time says, slapping his knees as he pushes off them to stand up. “I think it’s time we all go to bed.” 

“It’s Time  we go to bed.” Hyrule says laughing, causing all the other boys to follow. Once the cackling tapers off, Twilight gets up smiling warmly. Warriors also gets up, and once the three responsible ones are standing the rest of the boys get up as well. They all get ready, quietly whispering  to each other before they lay down. Legend is on first watch, he sits by the fire keeping it alive to warm the heroes for the night. 

Four lays down, he’s a few feet away from Sky, and his back is to a tree. Four isn’t particularly partial to any of the heroes, his nightmares aren’t nearly as bad as Wild's so he typically sleeps towards the outskirts of the camp. 

The warmth of the fire, the laughter in his bones, and being surrounded by his companions, no, his brothers puts Four asleep quicker than usual. 

Wherever Four woke up was dark. Almost pitch black but not quite, he could still see the lines in the bricks. The slight liquidity of water in a puddle a few feet away from his face. Four sits up to get a better look at his surroundings that isn’t just the floor. His vision blurs and a dull pain hits his head when he moves it too quickly. 

Four’s sitting in a stone brick room, no windows, but one wall is mental bars instead of stone. All of his stuff is gone, left only in his tunic, pants, and socks. He looks through the metal bars to see in the cell across from him Time staring back at him, both eyes open. The white of his scarred eye should make Four jump back startled, but instead he’s filled with relief and concern. 

“Time?” Four whisper yells into the dark, rushing to hold the bars of his cell, not caring about the pain in his head anymore. Time hums as a response, he turns away to look around the outside of Four’s cell. 

An armed man comes into view from the direction Time was looking, almost as if he expected it. 

“Well it looks like the little one is awake now,” the man spoke, breaking the tranquil dark silence. “Will you tell us what we want to know, or would you like to wait and see what happens?”  The man turned to Time, a smirk on his face. 

Time was all serious.

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” Time answers the man. 

“Oh, well you sure will know soon, I bet.” The man spins on his heel and goes back the way he came. His mood is obviously more upbeat then the two in cells. Four can’t see where he ends up going, but he can hear the creak of hinges in the otherwise silence.

“Time, what’s going on?” Four asks in the same quiet voice as before, like he’s keeping a secret. 

“They’ve heard a legend about an ocarina that can control time, and then they found me with said ocarina. They want to know the song it uses to turn back time, they haven’t said why, but I can only assume they want something that contradicts The Hero of Legend.” 

Four knows how powerful an ocarina can be. He’s also seen Time carry around a shining blue one. Which he can now assume was probably the time controlling one. He also also knows that their Veteran has done a lot to save his Hyrule and protect its tranquility, he isn’t called the veteran for nothing. It could be a number of things they want.

“Do you know they want it for evil reason?” Four knows he is typically more optimistic, he learned that when he split for the first time, and Red had the optimism and hope of a child. 

Time gives him a deadpanned look. 

“I don’t think they would go through the effort to kidnap us and lock us in cells if they needed it for good purposes.” 

Four already knew that, but it was still upsetting to hear. 

“Well then don’t tell them anything. The others will find us.” Four wishes he had his sword and his hood. The weight at the end always reminded him of Ezlo, a comfort of never being alone and having a mentor's wisdom to help him. 

Time stares at Four, like he wants to say something, but tears his eyes away from Four’s.
“I know,” Time says, he won’t look at Four and sounds defeated already. 

“You know you can’t tell them, no matter what, if that song is as powerful as you say it is then it could destroy Hyrule, ruin every timeline.” Four gets louder the more he talks, trying to stick it into Time’s brain. This can’t happen, it will ruin everything, it could ruin their hero’s spirit. 

“I know!” Time looks at him now, more frantic, he grabs on to the bars. Four’s never seen Time like this, he’s seen him stoic when needed, disappointed when one of the boys does something un-heroic like, and laughing with them all around the warm fire. 

“Four, I know,” Time slumps over, leaning his forehead on the cell bars looking to the floor. He looked defeated now instead of frantic. 

“But, they waited for you to wake up,” He looks up at Four with one eye through his eyelashes. He doesn’t have to explain it for Four to know what he’s insinuating. Four’s eyes widened.

“Whatever they do, Time. Whatever they do to me you can’t tell them.”  

“I know,” Time answers. 

Four turns to the side and leans on the bars. It’s cold in the cell. The stone and metal are not giving any warmth. His feet are only covered by his socks. His head still kind of hurts, but he wants to enjoy the dull pain before it becomes anymore. 

Chapter Text

A sound echoes throughout the hallway. Time glances in Four’s direction before looking down the hall. An orange light tinting the brick walls becomes brighter as it gets closer to the two imprisoned. A man comes into view, a different one from earlier, this one seems to be taller then Time, and Four knows he stands no chance of escape without any of his usual aces up his sleeve. 

“My, my, look at this little one here,” A woman walks up from behind the man, she coos at Four and squats to stick her hand through the bars to grab his jaw, squishing his cheeks in the process as she speaks. “Isn’t he a cutie,” Four wretches his jaw out of her grip and falls back from his knees to his butt on the solid brick floor. 

“How old might you be, ten, twelve maybe.” She still has a cooing tone to her voice, and dammit he’s fifteen thank you very much. But he won’t tell her anything, not a word. 

“So much rebellion and youth,” She says finally going back to a much normal voice, she turns to Time “Much more than could be said for you.” Her voice indicates a scowl but her face smiles wickedly. 

“Won’t you tell us the song pwease,” she says in the cooing voice again, although this time directed at Time, she bends with her hands clasped imitating a kid pleading for a treat. 

“Never,” Time says simply, no expression on his face as he looks away from her. She sighs, turning to the side. 

“Well if you really mean never then we should just kill the kid now I guess,” Time doesn’t change expressions as he turns to look at her again. “But that wouldn’t be very fun now would it.” She smiles again and puts a finger to her check, it bends with the curve of her face. She turns on her heels to look back at Four.

 Four can’t help but think her energy and act is a little much. She’s animated and bendy, which he supposes is to add a creepy demeanor. And Four must admit it’s at least working. Although he’s seen worse being one of Hylia’s Heroes and all. 

She looks at him, seemingly staring into his soul contemplating something. She turns to her partner to ask,

“Should we tie him up or watch him struggle to fight back and squirm.” The man just looks at her dead panned. He couldn’t care less, he’s just as fed up with her as we are , Four thinks, and he has to stifle a laugh. 

“I agree!” She says giddily even though he didn’t answer. “We should let him try to run while he still has the energy and will to fight!” 

Four sends her a glare this time, he’ll always have the energy to fight, his courage and determination is what saved his best friend, the minish, his Hyrule, and himself. He won’t ever give up. 

“Go fetch the lightning rod will you, and a bucket of water just to spice things up.” She tells the man. He walks away, taking the torch that was giving the room it’s light with him. The three of them being shroud in darkness. 

The room is silent besides the breathing of the three. Even in the dark Four can feel her eyes on him, she doesn’t speak a word and neither does he nor Time. 

Four can’t see very well in the dark, his eyes haven’t adjusted very well yet, but he doesn’t even think she blinks. The entire time. 

The man comes back after a few minutes, bringing back the light, although this time he sets it leaning against the wall next to Times cell. Even with the torch the room isn’t all that bright. The real thing that lights up the room is the lightning rod. The man grips the rod and it sparks with fury. 

The woman laughs and claps her hands together with glee.

“Well don’t keep me waiting! Start the show,” 

The man unlocks the cell and Four for has all but five seconds to try to make an escape plan and then realize that it’s pointless. He stands up to his feet. 

The man swings the rod into Fours left side, but the hero ducks and slides to the right. He keeps moving around to be behind the man, the sparks fly hot on the back of his neck as the man swings down, missing Four again. 

Four doesn’t know how long it goes on for, him jumping and sliding out of the rods way. The man isn’t getting angry or more aggressive, it’s the same as when they started their dance, his stricks are powerful and swung with purpose. He almost nicks Four too many times to count, and if Four had been a normal teenager he would definitely be down for the count already. But Four’s not normal, he’s been dodging and fighting those stronger than him since he was ten. 

Although he wasn’t being cocky, he knew it was only a matter of time, and he probably shouldn’t have even started deflecting the inevitable, he was only giving them what they wanted and putting on a show for this sick woman. 

The man swung the rod, just as fast and strong as ever towards Four’s right side, backed up into a corner, Four went the only direction that wouldn’t end up filled with shocked air. 

He slid right in between the man’s legs. Being small always had its advantages. Or usually it did. 

The rod smacked into his left hip, making the air leave his lungs from the physical and mental shock of it. He slid right into the man’s trap, literally. 

The lightning rod pulled away, Four gasped for a breath before it came down again. This time on his left thigh almost covering it. Four swallowed a shout, clenching his jaw as the rod stalled there for a moment. It was pulled away again and Four didn’t waste any time to push himself upright using his right arm, but before he could get any further the rod came down to hit his shoulder, the force making Four’s whole body roll to his left, laying on his stomach on the floor. 

The rod came straight down on his back, the shock ran up and down his spin and left him silently screaming. He was determined not to make a sound for these people. 

There was talking in the background but he couldn’t pay any attention to it. He had to get up, to fight again. 

But the rod came down again and again. He squirmed, reached, pushed, and flailed to get away, to get up. 

Every time the rod came back lightning sucked more and more energy from him. The physical metal part of the rod leaving bruises and potential broken bones. The shocks burned him and took the air from his lungs. The hard metal of it caged him to the floor as it knocked him around over and over again. 

Eventually, the man stopped for a few short moments, and then Four was enveloped in a different sort of shock. Of wet, cold, water. Before Four could even think, the new electric shock came, and it was ten times worse than the previous.

Four doesn’t know how long it’s been. How did this guy have that much energy? He just kept swinging no matter what. It felt like it had been hours. 

Four laid curled on the floor, his right leg pulled up to protect his soft stomach, his left sprawled out shaking and twitching from left over electricity, he can hardly move it. One hand holds his forehead, the other his wrist. 

The rod comes down to hit the back of his neck for the sixth time in a row. It pushes into his skin and the lightning sparks pain everywhere. 

Four can’t control it anymore, he screams bloody murder. 

Chapter Text

It’s dark and everything throbs with pain in his body. He can’t smell anything but burnt air. He takes in a breath. It hurts but it feels like it’s the only thing he can do. The ground is hard and seems to make his entire body more stiff than the lightning did. 

There’s humming echoing through the prison walls. Four knows it’s Time but he doesn’t know the song. It’s soothing though albeit it’s slightly sad, and it gives him enough strength to roll to his other side, to face the older. Time stops humming, and Four cracks his eyes open enough to see Time’s hand stretched out through the bars, into the hallway that separates them. 

“How are you feeling?” Time asks. 

Four groans as a response. Then takes a big breath and pushes himself up on shaky arms. He sits on his knee and looks over at Time. His hair falling in his face. 

“Is anything broken?” Time asks softly, his hand is still outstretched between the cells. But has lowered to the ground slightly. 

“Who knows,” Four answers, his voice is hoarse from screaming. He winces at the memory of him sobbing on the floor. Four scoots to the cell bars and leans his head up against them. He slides his arm through the bars to reach for Times, but the hallway between allows for at least a foot of empty space between their outstretched hands. “Too lazy to check.” 

“Four,” Time says in a strict voice, although it comes from care, the one that Four knows well enough after being in a group of eight other self-sacrificing heroes. It brings a slight smile to Fours face. 

“Even if something was broken there’s not much to be done in here.” Four answers back. Four’s arm lowers to the floor as the rest of his body slips down to lay on the ground, Times hand follows his, now both their arms are splayed out on the ground in the hall that separates them. 

Time sighs, “Even so, it’s best to know at least.” Four rolls his eyes. 

“Always so uptight,” Four says teasingly. It gets Time to crack a smile. 

“Well I guess you’re fine if you can make fun of me for caring,” 

Four is smiling lightheartedly, they both know he’s probably not fine. But dwelling on that matter isn’t the best currently, and Four would like to just lay and rest. 

A loud bang has Four jumping from his peaceful state. He didn’t even get to go back to sleep. 

“Heeelllllllo! You two,” The strange woman is back, “Oh, how I missed my favorite two boys.” She coos. Bending down to attempt to poke Four in the nose. Four scooted away from her, then winced as his whole body ached. 

“Well,” she stood back up with a clap. “Today I’ve decided to bestow upon you the gift of my very own hands to be used to tear you apart.” For once her voice became less upbeat and more sinister when she talked about hurting Four. 

She snapped her fingers and the door opened again. The same man who used the lightning rod came in. Four couldn’t help but flinch when seeing his face again. Out of the corner of his eye he knew that Time saw him do it. A concerned face now displayed on the Hero of Time. 

“Tie him up for me will you, I’d rather not get dirty or break a nail fighting him.” She tells the man. He unlocks the cell door and Four stands up as fast as he can to try to find a way through it. But his body gives in and he falls to the floor even quicker then he got up. 

Four tried to struggle, to kick and scratch but he was weaker than ever. Without having food or water since being here, and from the lightning rod yesterday. He didn’t stand much of a chance. His hands were tied to the cell bars and his feet tied together. He lay on the floor and would have to turn his head upside down to see Time. Instead he looked at the woman and the knife she now held in her hand. 

“Tell me the song,” She said. 

“Never,” Time spat back. He grabbed the bars, trying to will his hands to break the steel bars, but he’s already tried that before. 

She knelt down and took the knife, slicing  a long streak down Four’s left thigh, not too deep but enough to bleed. Four gripped onto the ropes that held his hands out. 

“The song?” She looked up at Time. 

“No,” 

She slit his thigh again next to the original cut. 

She asked every time before she cut him. Sometimes she’d scratch or pull at the skin already severed and teared it even more. Four’s hands ache at how tight he was holding the ropes for as long as he was, although they didn’t hurt as much as his thighs. By the time she moved to his right thigh, there were tears down his face, he whimpered and gasped. He bit his tongue and choked on sobs. Four knew Time, and he would try his best to stay strong for his successor. 

They knew it, but most of the chain didn’t know, Time had heard the stories of the Minish and the Hero of the Four Sword. He said that Zelda had read extensively on Hyrule's history after Ganondorf was locked up. She looked at legends and the history books they had. Time’s Zelda had told him all about her findings, Time never really paid that much attention. He wished he had now, but the two of them knew their place in the timeline of Hyrule’s history. 

“What is the song!” She yelled over Four’s head. 

“Just stop,” Time bits back aggressively. 

She digs her nails into one of the cuts, Four can see her muscles tense as she gears up. 

“NO-” 

She cuts Four off by pulling, tearing his skin. Four let’s out a silent scream of agony, it ends in a sob that he can’t swallow down anymore. And he starts sobbing uncontrollably. 

“Looks like I can make you beg,” She finally looks at Four’s face, finally addresses him after abusing him for what felt like hours. She pulls her hands away from his thigh, they’re covered in his own blood. She gets up and walks over to Time’s cell. 

“I will tear him to piec–” She cuts herself off when Time grabs her hair through the cell bars and pulls. She yells as he wanks her into the bars and goes to grab her arm. She backs off with the force to rip her own hair out on purpose. 

Time’s arm goes between the cells to stretch to grab anything, to hurt her, to threaten her, he grits his teeth in rage when she’s too far away. She stands just out of his reach gasping for a few seconds. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” She runs a hand through her hair, flipping it back out of her face. Then she walks back into Four’s cell. The knife she was holding was still firm in her grip, not having even dropped it during Time’s assault. 

She kneels down and grabs Four’s face, tilting it back so Time could see. Time didn’t have to see Four’s face to know it would be covered in tears. But seeing it broke his heart. 

“Do that again, and the two of you will be matching,” She took the knife and slid it deep down Fours right cheek, agonizingly slow and just below his eye to just under his jaw.

“NO!” Time shouted.

 Four gasped out another sob when she finally let go of his face 

“Well if you’d give me the tune to your itty witty song then maybe I won’t have too!” She got up again. Staring Time in the eyes. 

“Now to finish what I was saying. I’ll tear him apart if you don’t tell me, till his bones are broken into dust, his skin is in strips to be fed to dogs! And whatever left will be sent to the rest of your little gang daily for the rest of their lives.”  She grinned maliciously “So just tell me the song.” 

Time wants to make this stop, he wishes he could. But nothing better would come of her knowing the song. He needs a plan, but he has nothing but his two hands that are too far away to even reach the little smith.

Chapter Text

Days, it goes on for days, and Four’s stopped counting. It wouldn’t do much for him anyway. There’s no sunlight to light up the brick walls that have become filled with his screams. Maybe they come in multiple times a day. Four can’t really tell, and he’d much rather use his energy on resting rather than thinking. 

He knows they’ve given Time food and water. He refused unless they gave it to Four as well. After a few days they finally obliged on the food part. But Four thinks he gets enough water when they waterboard him anyway. 

He wasn’t really sure what the food was, he spent most energy just trying to eat it. His throat is constantly sore now and he’s pretty much given up on moving. He’d rather lay near the bars where he can hear and see Time. 

Time’s humming again, the same sad, yet soothing tune. Four thinks it’s rather nice. Sometimes Time just talks to him, and he likes that too. It’s easier not to think, yet also to have something to focus on that isn’t his pain. 

The pain continues everyday, in so many different formats. 

Burning.

Suffocating.

Waterboarding.

Electricity.

Beating.

Whipping.

Cutting.

They even broke his pinky finger on his right hand ‘just for the fun of it’ as she had said. He’s sure he’s got other broken bones as well. 

They seem to have used everything in the book. Multiple  times over at this point. The scars on his thighs have been cut over and over again, and deeper every time. 

Four trusts Time. He knows there’s nothing the man can do in this situation. But that’s okay, cause Four thinks about the people he loves. His grandfather, Zelda, Ezlo, all the minish really, even all the people in his Hyrule, whether that be in Hyrule town or up in the clouds, and of course the other heroes. If these people get their hands on any one of Time’s magic songs, things would probably be worse for everyone. 

They’ve already tried to play the one he hums to him. But then came in yelling about how it didn’t do anything. They even used Time’s ocarina. The one he carries with him everywhere, and now Four finally knows why. Apparently they have both Time’s ocarina , and his ocarina from this point in time. Which is how they knew about the magic, and how they knew Time would know the song. At least that’s what Four supposes. 

Everything hurts, even thinking, but things could be worse, at least he isn’t alone. And he doesn’t have to be so strong anymore, Time said it was okay if he wanted to cry. 

“Please!” Four screams out as the man puts the torch to the bottom of his foot again. He sobs and screams. 

“Stop!” He yells when the flame moves to his ankles, he can’t feel the bottom of his feet anymore. Four looks over at Time, “Please Time, make them stop,” he cries. 

“That’s enough,” The woman says calmly over his cries. The man pulls the fire away from Four. The man leaves the cell and closes the door behind him. She waves him off to leave them. The room falls into its usual dimness as the light fades away. 

“He can make this all end, if he just gives me that damn song,” Time looks at her, he doesn’t say anything. Four curls up where he lays on the floor, he can’t really feel his feet anymore, yet it still burns like nothing else, except the other burns he has. He sobs quietly on the floor as the adults talk. He falls asleep not before too long. Four always seems to be tired lately. 

“Maybe we should try a different method.” She says getting closer to Time. He hasn’t attacked her since she threatened Four’s eye. “After all, they do say the worst scars are the ones you can’t see. I’m sure you know all about that.” Time growled at her, staring her down. She turns to look at Four, 

“He is quite a cutie you know,” she whispers to Time, and then turns to look at him, a smirk on her face. 

Time’s shocked, his face softening with understanding. 

“Fine,” he tells her, looking defeated. “I’ll tell you the first note.” 

She smiles before considering the offer. 

“How do I know you’re not lying? Could be easy to make up a little fib. Besides I want the whole thing, not the one mesley note.” 

“I give you the note and you leave him alone for three days.” 

“What’s three days when I could break him so easily in that amount of time? When I can obviously break you.” 

“You lay a finger on him and I kill myself in this cell and you’ll never get what you want.” Time says, he’d bash his own skull in with these stupid brick walls at this point. She pauses, reconsidering his original offer. 

“Okay, fine, but what happens after the three days, what’s the difference between now and then.” 

“We’ll make a new deal, or I kill both me and him and at least you get one note to spend the rest of your life trying and failing miserably to make the song.” She glares at him. 

“How do I know you won’t lie about it.” 

“Hero’s honor,” Time answers, he doesn’t know if she’ll take that as an answer.

“Fine, you’ve got a deal,” Turns out she will take that answer, “although I don’t know what three days will do for you.” She says. 

“It gives him time,” It gives me time to think of something. Anything. 

He tells her the first note, and she leaves them. 

Chapter Text

Time combs through his mind, thinking of everything and anything. Going over everything that’s happened since they’ve been here, since the night they were taken, anything he can remember. Every little detail. 

Until he has it. 

It’s been hours, since he made his plan. But he needs Four to wake up, and in the day or so since the she devil left he hasn’t woken up. 

Time hates the idea of waking him. Four has pretty much only been awake when they torture him. Otherwise the past week or so he’s sleeps in the down time, and Time can hardly bare to wake the boy. He hums the song of healing whenever he can. In hopes it will make Four feel better. He doesn’t know if it really works or not, but Four has asked him to do it multiple times before. 

But now he needs the boys help if they’re ever gonna get out of here alive. 

“Four,” Time whispers into the darkness. 

“Four,” He gets louder, he doesn’t want to scare him or draw any attention to them for the moment. He tries a few more times. 

“Hey,”

“Four,”

“Wake up,”

“Come on I need you buddy,”

“Smithy,” 

Time shifts and tries to stick his leg through the bars, he can’t fit it any farther than his arm would probably go. He groans in frustration. 

“Four,” 

“Please Four,” He pulls his leg out from the bars and tries his arm next, he knows he already cant reach him. But in the process of at least trying he smacks his hand on the ground in all the hassle. 

Man he’s too old for this. He groans again.

“Four,” 

A muffled hum responds to him this time. Time stops his movements to look over at the boy. 

“Four, I’m gonna need you to get up,” 

“Why,” Four rasps out. It breaks Time’s heart all over again. 

“Because we have to get out of here.” Time responds. Four picks his head up from the floor slightly. The nasty scare from when the woman cut his face is still there. It was the only time she touched his face, which Time was at least glad for. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I need you to be strong okay?”

“Why? Whats happening?” Four asks, rubbing his eyes, and Time can’t help but notice for the umpteenth time how little Four looks, how young he looks. 

“I need you to find something I can use to pick the lock, or even a stone or something to break it.” 

“There’s nothing here though?” Four questions. There are bags under his eyes.

“They didn’t think you’d have the strength to leave the cell.” 

“I don’t” Four fights exhaustion as he drops his head into his hands back on the floor. 

“Yes you do,” Time says back 

“No,” Four says, and Time can hear the tears being held back in his voice. Four’s given up, but Time knows their spirit better than that.

“You are the Hero to the Minish, the Hero of The Four Sword and one of the hero’s of courage. I know you can do it. I know you’re brave because you saved your best friend at the age of ten. And you’ve faced some scary stuff. And you can do this. Please kiddo, I’m right here, you’re not alone. I just need you to do this one thing so I can keep you safe. I promise.” 

Four looks up at time through the hair that’s fallen in his face.  He squeezes his eyes shut before maneuvering his hands under him. Four pushes himself up, his arms shaky and achy. He’s lost so much of his usual strength. But he makes it to his knees. 

He’ll never be able to stand. They both know that. His feet are fried and he hasn’t even tried since she butchered his thighs the first time.

Four crawls, more like slithers to the cell door. He uses the cell bars to help pull him and give more friction to reach the door. It’s not too far away in the first place. But any amount of movement seems extreme to Four right now. 

He pushes the door open, they really didn’t lock it. That does give Four some motivation, they thought he was pathetic and that thought would be their downfall. He was one of the Heroes of Courage. 

“Come here,” Time whispers, his arms outstretched between the bars. 

Four makes his way over, he pushes through the pain. The second he’s in Times reach, the older pulls him closer. Holding him through the bars. Time’s hand runs through Four’s hair. And even with the bars between them it has Four relaxing. He grips on to Time’s cream colored tunic and lets out a sob.

Time’s warm, and his hands are nice. They don’t bring about pain or panic. But comfort and love. Four cries.

“I’ve got you Kiddo. It’s all over now. You’re so strong, Little Smith.” Time whispers comforting words and nicknames. Four’s fifteen and has been his country's Hero for the past five years. It shouldn’t affect him the way it does. But he cries harder and slumps into Time’s arms. It doesn’t seem like a Time thing to do either, but maybe the past few weeks have changed them both. 

Four doesn’t know how long they sit like that, but at some point, when his wailing calms down, Time pulls away to look him in the eye. 

“I need you to find something for me to get the lock with,” Time says, he pulls Four’s face forward, so their foreheads are touching through the bars. 

“Like what?” Four asks back, his eyes are closed and he’s basking in the comfort Time’s giving  that he’s so deprived of. 

“There’s a door at the end of the hall, wooden from what I can tell of the creaks it makes, the hinges and nails in it are most likely metal. If you can pull a piece off and bring it to me we could get out of here.” 

Four starts shaking again as he pulls away from Time, he feels so small, and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to find anything to use. But he has to try. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but pushing onward anyway, and knowing that some things are more important. 

Shimmies away he starts to move down the hall on his knees. Time grabs his hand before he gets too far. 

“Everything will be okay,” He tells him, and Four as always had faith in Time. So even though the cuts on his leg are breaking open again, and there’s pain shooting through his body from all different places, he believes him. 

Four takes forever to make it to the door, but he eventually does. He starts pulling and twisting the nails to see what he can pull out with his bruised, broken fingers, and little strength he has left. Four pulls out the seventh nail he tries. He tests the other hinges and metal connectors on the door, but they all seem too stable to do anything. So he takes his nail and shuffles back to Time’s cell. 

“Yes!” Time whisper shouts, “I knew you could do it.” 

Giving Time the nail, Four then proceeds to collapse down onto the floor, he’s not moving again today he decides. 

Time shimmies the nail into the lock of his cell door before he finds what he’s looking for. Time isn’t much of a lock pick, but he’s used enough locks and keys to know how they work. He positions the nail, and then slams it down, breaking the component in the lock that he needed. Time jostles the door a little, and then forces it open. Some of the lock pieces falling from the hole and onto the ground. 

Immediately, Time is at Fours side, he picks up the teen from the ground and holds him in his arms properly this time. Four grips on like a lifeline, and maybe that’s because at this point Time is his life line. Just moving down the hall and back took so much out of him. He’s in so much pain, has lost so much blood, and has hardly been able to eat or breath it seemed. But he can breath easier now. 

Time is warm and dry, and much more comfortable than any old dungeon floor. 

Chapter Text

There is blood everywhere, all over Four and now himself. Dry and flaky pieces mixed with the newer red liquid that spills from where his wounds recently split open again. 

Time lets a few tears slip out as he holds his boy. 

“Oh, kiddo,” He whispers into Four’s hair. The boy is already asleep again, and Time swears it will be a peaceful rest. He holds Four close and stands up, carrying the tiniest hero in his arms. He’s somehow gotten smaller since they've been here. The loss of nutritious food and constant pain as made him so weak. But Time would never consider Four that, he was and still is one of the strongest amongst the hero’s. Stronger than Time himself. 

“Time to go bud,” Time heads to the wooden door. He carries Four in one arm and tries the door with the other. It rattlers and shakes with effort but doesn’t budge. 

Steal metal bars might have been able to keep Time locked in a cell, but a shotty wooden door is nothing. He grips Four tight to his left side, and then slams his right shoulder to the door. 

The already crippling lock breaks cause the door to swing open. 

When Time steps through he finds what seems to be a guard unconscious on the ground, blood comes from his forehead. He seems to have been it by the door before he even had a chance. 

But this is Time’s chance. The guard doesn’t have any real armor, but he takes his clothes, leaving him in an undertunic and underwear. He pulls on the guards boots and wraps Four in the tunic, he also ties the guards pants around his waist for safe keeping, he’ll probably need the cloth later. He takes the plain sword the guard dropped on his way to the floor. It’s a simple sword and not particularly sharp, Four would have some quips about it if he were awake. 

Time doesn’t have a map of the place, but all the hours he spent in dungeons has given him a good scene of direction, or maybe it’s just Hylia finally answering his prayer. He turns to the right, away from the guard’s unconscious body and almost immediately finds the staircase going up. He ascends the stairs promising to never look back. 

The sound of footsteps echo in the staircase, and it seems like he goes up three flights before he sees a door. Time slows his steps to a quiet tip tap.

He puts his ear to the door and listens for voices, or breathing, or anything that could be a sign of life that wants to take theirs. 

When he hears nothing he creaks the door open and peers through. 

It’s another long hallway lit with torches.

This time, Time goes left, he sprints down the hall without even realizing it til he gets to a window with natural light. It’s too small and high up for them to use, but Time hasn’t seen the sun in nearly five weeks. He stops for a second to look at the sky, it’s a little gray but not too dark for the sun to not shine through. 

Time grips Four tighter and continues on his trek. 

There’s a clatter to his right, and it makes Time skid to a stop. He leans into the door and listen’s in. 

Running water.

Muttering voices.

Metal clashing.

Ceramic clattering. 

Knife hitting wood. 

A kitchen that must have some sort of door or ventilation for smoke and emergency fires. A kitchen with cooks untrained in combat. 

If a hero is good at anything, it’s making chaos. 

Time grips Four in both arms, his left arm around his waist and holding the sword. His right is protecting the boy's head for any damage that may or may not occur. He reels himself back, and kicks the door open with a resounding slam. 

The voices and movement stop. All eyes turn to him. Time only takes a second to survey the room, counters of stone and metal, three ovens and a door that has about six huge tubs of water next to it. 

The second Time takes a step forward, one of the younger cooks screams. The hustle of the kitchen starts up again, except this time it’s to get everything back under control. 

Time runs, and slides on to one of the counter surfaces, cracking his back in the process, kicking off a few trays of food. He dodges a rolling pin from an elderly woman, and is quickly back on his feet. Some of the cooks try slashing at him with knives or blunt objects. But their skills with those tools are clearly not for a fight. 

More dishes of food fall to the floor as Time runs on the counter. He stabs a couple loaves of bread with his sword grinning with the mischievous chaos that surrounds him. 

He jumps off when one of the chefs gets on the counter to block his path.

He’s dodging and weaving till he makes it to the door. It’s already slightly ajar and when he bursts through he gets a burst of cold air to the face. It doesn’t stop his feet, he keeps running through the snow on the ground, the flurries in the air kissing his cheeks. Time’s so glad he stole those boots earlier.

There’s shouting behind him, when he turns to look he sees a few of the kitchen staff following him, but the further away he gets the fewer keep going. The last one is a man shaking a broom in frustration before he turns back to the building that housed Time and Four for so long. 

They don’t have their belongings, their powerful magical accessories. Or their sentimental wares. 

But Time couldn’t care less, because he’s got his boy in his arms, and those bastards will never hurt him again. 

Chapter Text

The cold bite harshly at his arms. It’s been at least three days since they escaped, and Time has seen nothing but the rolling snowy hills. 

It reminds him of snowhead, except there are no Gorons about to talk to. He’s pretty much alone except for a mumbling Four every once and awhile. 

Four wakes up occasionally, he doesn’t stay awake for long but sometimes he’ll say a couple of things, or try to steal more warmth from Time. It worries the man, Four has lost a lot of blood, and had open wounds in the dirty cage that went unattended for so long. That is still unattended. 

Time looked them over and tried to clean them up as best he could. He can hardly melt the snow to use, in fear it would freeze Four. His original plan of using the guards' stolen pants has also come to a halt. Time needs as much fabric to keep Four and himself warm in this weather. 

Four sits on his back wrapped in the stolen tunic, while Times arms had been wrapped in the ripped fabric from the pants. 

The two were hardly warm enough, but Time couldn’t stop, he had to keep moving, if only to get out of this weather or find another soul that could actually help them. 

He’d rationed their few loaves of bread, but it was running out quickly. Four barely ate any of it, too tired and in pain to want to, and Time can only push so much. He worried, worried even more when on the fourth day, Four’s forehead was burning hot, like a blazing fire against the frigid cold that surrounded them. 

“No,” Time whispered, his hand on the teens forehead, pushing back his ratted blonde hair from his face. It could be anything, an infection, a normal cold, the flu.

Time got to work checking all the injuries, trying to find any sign of infection from them. 

“Wh’ you doi’n,” Four slurred out, his eyes looked at Time blearily. Time’s hand immediately when to the back of the his head to hold him up better. 

“Looking over your injuries, does it hurt anywhere perticular?” Time questioned. 

“Col’,” Four stated, although it didn’t actual seem to be a response to Time’s question. 

“I know, I’m sorry, but is there anything else that feels out of place, except maybe everything?” Time placed his forehead against Fours, it burns to touch, but Time hopes his freezing skin can cool down the youngers fever. 

Four looks at him, but it doesn’t seem like he’s actually looking at him. His eyes unfocused. He doesn’t say anything, and after a minute or so, he closes his eyes again. 

“Four,” Time whispers again, he pulls the boy into a hug, cradling his head into his chest. They don’t have any supplies, and there’s nothing around them but the cold. Even so, Time’s determined that Four will survive, no matter what.  

He stands up, wrapping Four back in the makeshift blanket and begins walking again. 

He walks.

And walks.

And walks.

Nothing but snow and sky, and occasionally the sun ,stars, and wretched moon. 

He doesn’t dare sleep, especially when Four’s breaths get weaker and raspy. When it sounds like every breath the little hero takes is harder than the last. 

Time makes sure to always be able to feel the hot air though, to keep attention to that or his pulse, sometimes both. 

Time’s tired, and hungry, and horribly cold. His finger tips have started turning a slight purple, and he’s sure his toes and nose might be as well, but he can’t bear to look. 

The crunch of snow, and the whoosh of wind, the occasional whisper of Four breathing. And then. 

The rush of water. 

Unfrozen water. 

The crunch of snow is faster as Time starts running. 

“It could mean a number of things, animals, fish, civilization, a hot spring at it’s source.” Time lists off all he could think of he smiles, and hold Four close. 

His feet stop.

His smile fades. 

He holds Four close and waits.

Waits for a raspy little breath, but none comes. 

“No, please,”

Time lays Four on the snow and hold his wrist, the beat it carries is slow, and rapidly slowing. He still won’t breath. 

“No, Four, please, smithy, kiddo, please, Link, no, no, no,” Time repeats. His hands fly everywhere, checking for reopened cuts, or injuries, titling his head to open his airway. Checking and rechecking and checking again, is pulse and heart beat til it slows to a final stop. 

Malon’s always been a great teacher, and she knows plenty of first aid. Time tries to remember as much of her lesson as he clasps his hands and pushes down on Four’s chest. Nothing came of it but digging them in a hole of snow. The cold bites fiercely. 

Time stops, he picks him up gingerly and holds him close, his tears fall into Fours tangled blonde locks. He’s desperate. He’s desperate because one of his boys is slipping through his fingers, one of his littlest boys. And he couldn’t protect him, he couldn’t do anything. 

Something deep within Time pulls through his veins. He remembers from so long ago, from a world that he which no longer lives. From a time he left behind. A gift that he thought through time had faded from him, to never exist within him in the first place. But the blue magic flows. 

Nayru’s Love. 

Four breaths life again, and his heart beats with the help of a goddess and fairy magic. 

Time’s got 12 hours to change the tides. 

Chapter Text

The fire crackles beneath his eyelids, Time can’t fall asleep. Not now. It’s been eight days since the ‘incident’ and Time is running out of options. They both sit in a cave as it snows outside the mountain walls. The river is a few hundred feet away, easy enough to get to to find fish and whatever plants it can provide to eat, and it’s close enough for Time to keep an eye on Four. 

They had settled here in those original twelve hours, and everything was fine for a while, but things started to turn worse again. Time’s no doctor but he knew Four had only gotten sicker, his fever was skyrocketing again and he was coughing up fluid. It took three days before Time had to spend more of his magic, to heal Four the only way he knew how. 

After that, things had been stable, but Time’s not sure for how long. Four won’t last much longer in his condition without a doctor, or even a safe place to rest. 

Currently, Four is out cold, the only time he’s not is when Time forces him to eat and drink something. Which is never a lot because he hardly has the strength and energy to do anything. 

Time puts his hands on his knees and halls himself up with a grunt. His fingertips are blue, he can’t really feel them anymore, and he himself has a fever from fishing in the freezing waters in the same manner as Wild does. 

Footsteps sound in their shallow cave. Time shakes Four’s shoulder, the boy curled on the floor to conserve warmth, he’s covered in a makeshift blanket from the clothing fabric Time managed to snag from the guard. 

“You need to eat,” Time whispers. 

Four murmurs and moves his hands slightly out of the covering and toward Time. As a response Time pulls him up and into his arms. He can’t sit up on his own, and is always slightly delirious. Time wraps the fabric back around Four, the boy looks up at him with the same usual dazed eyes, and then leans his head against Time’s chest. Time gets some of the river plants, and some water that's kept in an almost bowl shaped rock he managed to find. 

He brings them to Four’s lips and he drinks. Four starts to drift off again, Time holds his hand, and Four’s grip tightens. They can’t stay here, they can’t wait it out for someone to find them. They can’t continue the cycle, Time will run out of magic before anyone comes along to help them. Before the other heroes find them. 

Time lays Four back down, shifting the fabric pieces in a way that’ll keep him as warm as possible. 

He goes outside they’re little cave and looks around. The best place to go is over the river and keep moving past it. The currents aren’t frozen, and it’s possibly a little warmer over here then it was where that fortress was. If Time can get them out of the cold, then they’d have a much better chance of not only surviving, but finding others and making their way to Hyrule castle. 

Time’s determined, they’ll make it out of this mess and back with the other heroes. Four has to get home. If he doesn’t then it could create a time paradox, and Time’s seen enough of those for a lifetime already. 

The cave is warm with the fire going, but he’s already made up his mind. Time takes Four and hoists him up on his back, and then grabs a stick from the fire. He hopes he’ll be able to keep it going even in this weather. 

He takes along the rest of the bits of food he’s collected. Then Time sets off. 

Perhaps the only thing that gets him across the frigid river is determination and love. 

The snow eventually turns into yellow grass, and at some point Time collapses for a night. He holds Four close, protecting him from the elements and open air. It’s still a brisk, biting, cold wind blows through the night. But Time’s exhaustion takes over, and the soil is much better then the stone floor and freezing snow he’s had as previous choices. 

Time spends the morning ripping up fabric to finally officially wrap and clean Four’s wounds. The warmer weather allows them to spare some of they’re very limited supplies. Although Four’s condition hasn’t improved much at all. 

Time sets out after he tends to the boy's wounds. 

The weather gets slightly warmer the more he moves. There’s smoke in the distance, rippling through the air. Fours forehead chars the back of his neck with persistent fever. 

“A doctor!” Time shouts, “I need a doctor please, or a red potion,”

There are few townsfolk out and about, shopping, cleaning store fronts, or headed to some important place. 

“I sell potions,” an elderly man said from the front door of what is most likely a potion shop. Time heads inside. 

“One red potion is 20 rupees,” The main said, “A blue potion would cost you 60 rupees,” 

“I… I don’t have anything on me at the moment but I promise I can pay you back. I’m friends with the hero, he’s sure to pay you at least dou-” 

“If you don’t have any money then just get out of my store,” The older man grumbles and turns away to look over his stock.

“Please sir, he really needs help, I promise you’ll get your money eventually, I just-” 

“I’d be out of business if I gave hand outs, I already said to scram,” 

They’re dirty, covered in dirt and dry blood, and also whatever other gunk that was on that dungeon floor. Time’s hands are still numb, and his throat scorches whenever he swallows because of this stupid cold he has. Four’s breathing is so labored, and he’s still just as broken as when they left that awful place. 

“I can pay for them sir,” A woman's voice says from the door. 

Chapter Text

Fire red hair waist length hair. For a second, Time thought he saw Malon. 

But the woman at the door was sadly not his wife, or even another timeline version of her. But her heart was kind all the same. 

“Cremia,” What?   Time’s head wipes back around to look at the old man behind the counter. “You can’t keep helping every broke passerby when they need money, you’ll go broke yourself.” 

Time turns back to look at the woman at the door. Sure, she does share some similar features to Malon, and of course her Termina counterpart Cremia, but they definitely aren’t the same person. Maybe a descendent or relative? But he couldn’t say for sure. 

“Oh don’t bother, I can’t stand to let a child suffer,” Cremia pulls out a small bag of rupees and takes out two blue and one red. “Two red potions,” 

The man behind the counter sighs and trades her the rupees for two red potions, which she hands both over to Time. 

“You should take one yourself, you’re hands are purple, it almost looks like you came from the west hills in only those clothes.” She said with a laugh at the end, obviously not knowing that’s exactly what they did. 

“Thank you, I really couldn’t thank you enough.” Time took the two potions from her, already planning to give them both to Four. “Do you know of any stable or overhang that we could use?” 

She looked at him like he was crazy. 

“You can’t seriously sleep outside, look at the condition of you two,” 

Time knew what she meant, Four needed real help, but what could he do? 

“Is there any place in town that would take an extra set of working hands for a spare bed? Or even any odd jobs to pay for a bed at an inn?” Time questioned. 

“This town ain’t a charity case, we all have our own problems,” The shop owner inquired. 

“My father owns the tavern in town, and it’s just him and I that run it, we only have one extra bed.” Cremia started, “I’m sure my father won’t mind for a few days, free of charge of course, we could never let an injured child sleep out in these cold nights.” 

She started out the door, motioning for him to follow her. 

Time stepped out of the potion shop back into the slight brisk air and started following Cremia down the main road, they passed a few shops before turning to a large wooden building. It had a large front porch that came out about five feet and expanded the whole width of the front of the tavern. The whole place was about two stories and had a very low attic. The front steps creaked as they walked up to the front door. Cremia opened the front door and called out, 

“Father?” Time stepped through the door. There was a long wooden bar to the left with two doors on either side. To the right of the front door, was sets and sets of tables and chairs. And on the other side of the room straight across was a staircase leading upwards. 

There was rattling coming from the door to the right of the bar, and then a man popped his head out behind it. 

You’ve got to be kidding me?   Time thought, as the man looked liked Mr. Barten from the Milk Bar in Termina, otherwise known as the Termina counterpart of his father in law. 

“Who’s the punk?” The man asked. 

“I. . . well he’s… their…” Cremia thought for a second before starting again. “They’re passersby in town and need help. Can you get a pail of warm water for me?” Cremia started heading to the stairs.

“What? I’m not having any-” The man stopped when Time turned to follow Cremia, obviously only now noticing Four on Time’s back. The man grumbles something under his breath and heads back behind the door. Time follows Cremia upstairs. 

“As I said, we only have one spare bedroom, so there isn’t much room for both of you, but you’re free to use it.” 

“Oh I’ve slept in worse don’t worry,” Time smiled at her teasingly as they entered the room. It was modest in size, a full sized bed on one wall with nightstands on either end. The opposite wall had a large window. A table and chair were pushed into the corner by the window, and a wardrobe sat on the same side of the wall as the door. 

Time looked back at Cremia to see an odd expression on her face after his comment. He just smiled again and said,

“I really can’t thank you enough,” He seemed to have broken her out of her stupor, and she replied,

“Like I said, I really can’t stand to see anyone suffer,” As she spoke, Time laid Four in the middle of the bed, and stared for a moment. 

Suffer? 

Screams echoed, a sob and a shaky inhale of breath followed. Then the sound of a wipe cracking against flesh. 

“Please,”  A shrieking sob begged. 

Time gripped the bars of the cell. She’d never stop, no matter how much he asked, even when he was out cold. Time would bare all of it, no matter how much he wanted to turn away, he wouldn’t leave Four alone, wouldn’t try to ignore his suffering. 

Tears dripped down his face into his lap. 

“Only you can make it stop,” 

“Time,” Four blubbered. 

“- is there anything else you’ll need?” Time snapped back to reality. 

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” He asked sheepishly. 

She looked at him quizzically before she nodded repeating, “We don’t really have any doctors here, it’s a small town. The water should be on the way, is there anything else you’ll need?” 

Time thought for a second, “A wash cloth– no make it a few wash cloths.”

She nodded and then left the room. Time turned to Four and sat on the edge of the bed. Four’s hair was slightly curled, stained with blood, dirt, and natural grease. Time ran his hand through it, moving it out of Four’s face, the headband that usually kept it that way was long gone by now. 

The clothes Four’s wrapped in are all blood and dirt at this point. Time starts to pull off the few layers to get to the injuries. Four’s legs need to be cleaned and bandaged properly. He knows a few fingers are broken, and probably a few other bones in his legs and arms. A shoulder might be dislocated, and he has to figure out how to deal with the burns. Both fire and electrical burns. 

But first, he’ll start with the red potion to see how much they’ll do. He uncaps the first one with a pop from the bottle.

A gasp from the doorway resonates throughout the room. Along with the cloths hitting the floor. Time turns to see Cremia’s face of horror seeing Four’s injuries in full. 

“I forgot to mention some bandages and whatever can be used as a splint around here.” Time said tiredly. She wordlessly nodded hesitantly and picked up the cloths. Handing them to Time and quickly leaving. 

When Time turns back to Four, he hardly knows where to start. Warriors is their typical field doctor, knowing more about injuries and medical knowledge than anyone else. Even Hyrule’s life spell is used for more serious wounds. But Time’s hardly the most qualified, but he was there, and probably knows more about Four’s injuries and how to treat them then most in this doctorless town. 

Cremia’s father brings in the bucket of water, and one glance at Four as him leaving without saying a word. Time spends a few minutes with his hands dunked in the warm water, an attempt to change they’re color and get some feeling back in them. 

Cremia comes back with bandages, a few wooden skewers, some yarn, and a surgical needle and thread. 

“I thought you might need these too,” She said as she placed down the needle and thread. Time nodded in response. She left back down the stairs again. 

Time can only try to remember the  basic things that Malon’s taught him. 

The stairway is dark at night. Time creeps down to try to find a glass of clean water for both Four and himself. But the shouting as him stopping. 

“You don’t even know his name!” 

“They needed help!” 

“Really? They needed help! There’s a stranger here in our house, that we know nothing about except that they look like crooks.” 

“He’s too nice to be a crook,” 

“That’s how they get ya, besides you can’t ignore that eye and those markings.” 

“We don’t know his past maybe something happened? Or they’re cultural!” 

“I don’t have to know his past to know that there isn’t hardly a scratch on him, and yet there’s a boy half dead laying in my spare bed.” 

Cremia was silent, she couldn’t think of a retort.

“That– that can’t be,” 

“It’s the only way there is,” Footsteps echo across the room and a door slams shut.

They want him out, but Time can’t leave Four he can’t trust that they’ll protect him. Who knows what they’ll do if they find out the truth about them being heroes, about time travel and the curse. Or if those people come looking for them after they escaped. But he can’t take Four anywhere else at the moment. 

Time heads back upstairs as quiet as he can, he doesn’t have the option to interfere at the moment. 

Time isn’t even sure if he can protect Four anymore. 

Chapter Text

Time couldn’t sleep that night. Even in the warm cozy house, he pulled up the chair from the corner of the room and sat next to the bed. He had to think of their next move and fast. He wasn’t sure how long they’d still be welcomed here after the conversation last night. 

Four was in pretty bad shape still, even after a red potion. Time’s still got the second one but his own cold has been getting to him, and of course the frostbite on his hands and feet. He doesn’t know when he’ll have to be ready to defend with a moment's notice. 

Time leans his head into the mattress of the bed. And tries to at least get some light sleep in. 

There’s a knock on the door and it startles Time awake. He must have fallen asleep deeper than he would have liked. The door opens to reveal Cremia, holding a stack of towels. 

“You two are absolutely filthy, there’s a tub out in the back, but you’ll have to heat up water in the kitchen.” She states. Cremia then places the towels on the edge of the bed, which also reveals a few hand cloths and bandages. 

“You go and draw yourself a bath, I can look him over and apply clean bandages if necessary.” She puts her hands on her hips determined, but Time won’t soon forget her reaction from yesterday. 

“You don’t have to, I’ve got it covered, but thank you for the towels, and the bath.” 

“I want to do it, I said I can’t let anyone, no matter, stranger or not, go around this town badly injured. If I can do something about it I will. A little blood isn’t going to scare me off.” She was determined, and it made Time smile. The souls of the people they love really do get passed on through time. She was just like the Cremia in Termina, and even more so she had the spirit of his Malon. Wait till Legend gets a hold of this.

“Thank you,” Time repeats. He’s wary to leave Four alone with someone else. But she’s lended her home, money, and resources to them. He can’t help but feel at home in the tavern. 

Time goes to fill up the tub. Cremia’s father and him ignoring each other the whole time. The bath helped to re-energize him and clear his fever a bit. Cremia had left out a set of clothes for him by the tub and after the bath he went back up to where Four slept. 

He sat back down in the chair beside the bed going over Cremia’s handy work. She did a decent job for probably not having that much experience in medical work. Time is no expert but when you’re a hero you have to at least know some bandaging basics. 

Time then goes to get a bucket and a cloth. Cremia shows him where and then also gets him some soap and shampoo. 

Time spends most of the day wiping down Four, trying his best not to irritate any wounds. Cremia comes with soup for breakfast for both of them. Time pauses his work to feed a very delirious Four and then eat himself. Time moves him off the bed to shampoo his hair in the bucket. Cremia offers to wash the sheets now that they’re both cleaner than them. Time thanks her again.

She strips the bed of the sheets and Time sits in the chair, holding Four the whole time the sheets are gone. 

“Whatever they do, Time. Whatever they do to me you can’t tell them.”  

“I know,” Time answers. 

Screaming 

Crying 

“Please!”

“Stop!”

“Time! Make them stop,” 

Sobbing. 

Four struggles to take in a breath. Shaking with small hiccups and quiet cries after they left. He’s laying on the cold, dirty cell floor. 

Time wishes for nothing else but to hold him, protect him, kill those who have hurt him. But he can’t do any of it. His hand desperately reaches out between the two cells, but it doesn’t reach anything, too far, yet so close.  

There are no words to say. Even if Time wants to cry out apologies, he knows he has to stay strong, they’re little smithy won’t like to hear his apologies, his cries, Time knows that. 

They’re strong headed, smart, witty optimist won’t be able to stand it if Time breaks. 

Time holds Four close, checking and checking again on his wounds, his fever, to make sure neither him nor Cremia missed something. 

He has to be okay, to survive, for the future or Hyrule. For this timeline and for Time’s own period of history. Four has to be okay, and he has to be okay for Time’s sake too. And the rest of the heroes' sake. 

Cremia comes back and makes up the bed. When Time lays Four back in the bed his fevers hardly changed. Cremia goes to get a cold cloth for his forehead, and then instructs the both of them to rest up. 

But Time can’t sleep, he goes down stairs to the kitchen to ask about something for dinner. Instead, he sees the tavern full. Towns people sit around at different tables with decks of cards, there’s a group of older women knitting at one table. Cremia rushes around the room to pass out mugs of liquor and different appetizers. 

Time catches up to her, walking with her as she delivers people's orders. 

“Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering about something to eat?” Time asks.

“Oh no, it’s no bother at all,” She takes a loaf of bread off the tray she was holding and hands it to Time. “I hope this will do,” She smiles.

“That’s my bread,” Time hears someone a few tables away say. But Cremia keeps smiling at him, a little mischievous now. Time takes the load.

“This is perfect, thank you, sorry again for interrupting on such a busy night.” 

“Oh, no,” Cremia places down three mugs on a table with card players. “This is a pretty normal night,” She answers smiling before rushing away again to another table. Time watches her go instead of following her. He looks around the place again. 

Her father is behind the bar, pouring drinks and taking orders, occasionally running into the kitchen to, what Time can only assume, prepare appetizers. Almost every table is full from people around town, and probably some travelers too. The two hosts rushing around the tavern. 

Time heads back upstairs. He breaks off a small piece of the bread, taking a bite, and leaving the rest on the bedside table. He brushes hair from Four’s face and replaces the now hot cloth on his forehead with a cold one. He finishes the piece of bread and downs the second red potion. He can already feel his fingers healing and his own small fever dissipate. He rushes back downstairs to the kitchen. 

“Where do you store the aprons?” Time asks Cremia's father, who’s pulling a loaf of bread from the oven. 

“Why do you want to know?” The old grump asks back.

“Just tell me where they are,” Time retorts. The old man then points to a cabinet with a grunt. Time goes and pulls out a white apron tying it around his waist. He searches through the cabinets and until he finds the one that holds the trays the Cremia had been carrying. He takes too and heads out the kitchen.

Time’s never done any customer service in his life. He worked as a knight for Zelda a bit, and then worked on the ranch. He doesn’t know much about the runnings of a tavern either, but he’d be damned if he let the two of them run this place on their own when he has capable hands. 

He finds Cremia, 

“What do you need?” He asks her, she looks at him a bit confused for a second. Before answering, 

“Seven beers, two loaves of bread, three glasses of water, a mug of milk, and three cups of our daily soup,” She answers and turns away. Time goes back to the kitchen to relay all the information to the grump. His trays get full with about half of the stuff, then he’s sent back out the kitchen.

Chapter Text

A door shuts next to Time. From his spot leaning against the bar he sees the old grump leave the kitchen for the final time that night. Cremia stands on a ladder blowing out the candles in the chandeliers, she’s about three fourths of the way done. 

For the first time, Time smiles at the grumpy old man, he’s slightly exhilarated. He’s never really done anything like tonight, running around taking orders, relaying those orders, and then delivering them. But it was different and kind of fun. Even though he’s a newbie he seemed to fit right in. After a few minutes he became in sync with Cremia and the old man, they’re flow almost flawless. And the time’s that he did spill a drink, drop a tray, or deliver the wrong order. The customers around him laughed and smiled, enjoying the towns newcomer. 

“So,” Cremia starts, “We never did get your name,” She smiles at Time.

“People call me Time,” He answers. 

“And the boy?” She questions.

“They call him Four,” 

“Odd names,” The old man butts in. But Time just laughs.

“Yeah, we get that a lot too,” He smiles at the both of them, before standing up straight and stretching out his back, cracking it in the process. 

The old man grunts, “You work fine, but just stay away from my Cremia and you might be alright.” 

“Father!” Cremia says her arms crossed. She’s moved the ladder to the next chandelier now. Time just laughs. 

“I’ve got a wife waiting for me at home, and she’s the only lass for me there is,” Time says, his smile softens as he thinks of Malon. How, even though they are far apart through time, she’s with him everyday. 

Cremia smiles softly at him before changing the topic. 

“Well, you better get up to bed, after tonight you’ll probably actually sleep,” She laughs. Time laughs with her before nodding.

“Maybe,” he answers and starts towards the stairs, “Good night both of you,” He says and heads up the stairs. 

Time wakes Four up to eat some of the bread he left there, and then climbs in to share the bed. It’s small, but Time can’t say the close proximity to Four doesn’t ease his mind a little bit. He changes the cloth on his forehead, and then drifts off to sleep with him. 

The days continue like this, Time’s gotten to know quite a few of the townsfolk who are regulars at the tavern. 

“Time can’t you get me another,” The towns fletcher slurs. 

“You’ve already had five this evening Rinkley,” Time says amused, walking past before throwing “And you usually only have three,” over his shoulder. 

He sets a few glasses on a different table. 

“Oh Time, do you think this square looks right?” Miss Merthidel asks. She’s sitting with all the other older ladies from the crocheters table. 

“It looks beautiful Merthi,” Time says looking at the beige and purple square, “Of course not as beautiful as you ladies,” Time corrects, he smirks and then turns around. 

“Oh what a gentlemen,” One of the ladies whispers. Occasionally the rancher charm that Malon has instilled in him comes out.

Four’s fever goes down in only a few days, and he’s actually able to comprehend what’s going on. Unluckily Time wasn’t around to reassure him, luckily for all of them Time has the reflexes of a hero. 

When Time creaks the door open with a bowl of soup for Four, he wasn’t expecting to be dodging a lamp being thrown at his head. The lamp crashes into the back of the door, denting the wood, but somehow not shattering. Time looks over, wide eyed with both eyes. 

Four’s sitting up panting, his arms readily in front of him in an attempt to be prepared. But he’s too sluggish still, and uncoordinated to look threatening. 

“You’re awake,” Time says, slightly in awe. 

“Time?” Four questions, putting his arms down and letting his head fall back to the headboard. Time rushes over to set the soup on the bedside table and sits on the edge of the bed. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks.

“Like I got tortured in a dungeon.” Four let out dryly. Time smiles, placing his hand on Four’s forehead, checking his fever. It wasn’t as hot as before, but still prevalent. 

“How about we not tell other people that for now,” Time responds. 

The door then slams open, Cremia looks frantic at the two. 

“I heard a crash,” she says. 

“Won’t you slow down a minute,” Her father pants behind her having just come up the stairs to follow her. 

Four reaches out and grips Time’s wrist as tight as his weakened state can. Time looks over at him and smiles reassuringly. 

“Sorry about the door,” Time apologizes, turning back to Cremia, pointing toward the dent in the door. She turns to look at it before looking back at Four. 

“You’re awake,” She responds, her lips turn up to create a soft smile and her shoulders relax. Her father peaks into the room from her side. 

“Good grief, what you throwing lamps for kid,” He grumbles out and picks up the lamp. He starts walking toward the bed to put the lamp where it once was, but stops when Four grips on to Time with both hands, hiding behind the older slightly. 

Time ruffles his hair with his free hand and says, “I was just about to tell him how we ended up here and how helpful the both of you have been. And maybe instead of throwing lamps he should thank you,” Four looks at him then the two of them. Cremia’s smile is still soft and warm, while her father stands completely still, in fear of scaring Four again if he moves. 

Four lets go of Time and holds out both hands towards the lamp, although he still stays close to Time. His hands are shaky but when the warm glass of the lamp ends up in them, they’re firm, the fear of something more painful happening dissipates. Four sets the lamp on the bedside table himself. 

“Sorry about the lamp,” he says and then adds, “And thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” 

“No problem kid, if you’re hungry we just made soup,” The man said before leaving the room. 

“I’m just surprised the lamp didn’t break, and no need to thank us, if you need anything just ask,” Cremia smiles bright before walking out the room, closing the door behind her. 

Time smiles at Four again, a bright smile that he hasn’t felt in awhile. 

“What do you remember?” He asks the younger. 

“Cold,” Four states plainly, sighing he adds on “I remember getting that nail and you breaking the lock, but everything else is sort of here or there, but there was a lot of cold,” 

Time nods, and then tells Four what happened, leaving out the part when he had to use a bit of magic. They talked and Four ate the soup, but he was sluggish, and obviously tired. His fever may have lessened but was still there. Time pushes him back into the bed. 

“If you move around so much you’ll open the stitches,” Time says 

“Says the man who just pushed me,” Four retorts a flabbergasted look on his face.

“Oh, come on you’re tougher than that,” Time responds, he gets up off the bed, and adjusts the covers around Four. “Now rest,” The younger closes his eyes with a huff, Time brushes Four’s hair from his face and then touches their foreheads together for a second. Then leaves to go help around the bar. 

Cremia said they could stay as long as they needed. Time knows her father wouldn’t ever say that out-loud, but he never stopped her from offering when she said it. 

Four’s recovery is slow, but he’s recovering none the less. He’s gotten used to both Cremia and her father. Cremia comes to the room at least once a day to talk and fret over Four. 

The three of them get along just dandy, Cremia brings up another chair from the bar to sit on the opposite side of where Time’s chair is. Four sleeps most of the time still, but he’s more engaged when awake then before, and he’s happier.

They sit and talk while he’s awake. Cremia is across from him talking animately with Four. The sun is bright and baths the room in light and warmth. Time knows the heavy worth of life. He has for a long time. 

The thing that really brightens the room is Four’s beaming smile when he turns to look at him. And Time learns a new reason that drives people to have courage. 

Chapter Text

It’s been nearly five weeks since they left the prison they were held in. Over three weeks since they’ve been staying at the tavern. 

Time wipes off the last table, he throws the towel over his shoulder and goes to hold the ladder as Cremia climbs down from the last chandelier. She smiles at him as a thank you, then continues her story. 

“And then she says she’s gonna ask him to the festival, but we all couldn’t believe it because just a few weeks before she said she hated him and that he did this and that. We listened to her go on and on about how much she hated him. And you know what?” She looked at Time expectantly. 

“What?” Time asks. 

“He heard her entire rant before and when she asked him he said no and almost repeated her word for word, he was all smug about it and all but you wanna know the best part?” 

“Yes,” Time answered, he’s always been a sucker for gossip, it’s how he was able to sweeped Malon off her feet. 

“They’re married now!” She yelled. Time laughed. Cremia tells stories about the people in town, Time typically listens because he surely can’t tell the majority of his wild ones, although he’s humored her a few times too many already. 

“Are you telling that old story about Helemi and her husband again?” A voice asks from the kitchen. 

“Yes! Because it’s a good one,” Cremia responds. 

“It’s not good to gossip, or spill secrets, or tell other people's stories,” He grumbles out from behind the door. Time and Cremia share a smiley look, both are gossip lovers at heart. They laugh and go into the kitchen to help finish the clean up process. 

Time heads back to his shared room to see Four awake with the light on. 

“You two are really loud you know,” He says with a small smile, a book in his hands. 

“Can you even read that?” Time questions 

“Nope,” Four says “Legends Hyrulian is confusing, but it’s got pictures,” he flips the book over to show Time and points to a picture. Time chuckles before holding out his hand. Four closes the book and hands it to Time who sets it on the bedside table. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” Time asks. 

“Did you not hear me say you were being loud?” Four retorts. Time huffs.

“Scoot over,” Time says as he’s pulling off his boots. Four scoots over flipping the blanket down in the now empty spot in the bed before laying down. 

Time gets in bed then blows out the lamp light, in the darkness he whispers,

“Good night kid,” 

“Good night old man,” He gets a muffled response. 

Time wakes up to Four bawling his eyes out. All sleep immediately leaves him.

“I can’t move my legs,” Four sobs out, tears streaming down and soaking the blanket in his lap. Time moves the blanket off both of them and exposes Four’s legs. The bandages wrapped around them as prevalent as ever under the white moon light. 

“What do you mean you can’t move them?” Time asks, Four sobs again repeating himself. 

“They won’t move,” Four can hardly breath, gasping but it all just comes out in sobs. Time looks at him, worry shining in the reflective light. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay, just breathe, you have to breathe Four,” Time holds Four’s shoulders. His hands running up and down his arms trying to sooth him. 

“Follow my breath, okay, in and out,” Time breathed deep and slow repeating the words. It helped a bit, but anytime Four thought about it he hiccuped and sobbed and freaked out all over again. Because he couldn’t move his legs, he couldn’t walk, or be a hero, or work in a forge or do anything ever again. And Time obviously wasn’t understanding that. 

“It's alright, everything will be fine, we’ll figure it out okay, you just need to breathe.” After what felt like forever Four had finally stopped hyperventilating, Time keeping him grounded. Now he lay in a mess in the older man's arms. 

Time unravels Fours bandages, the scars that streak stripes down his legs stand out. Time presses his knuckles lightly, running them up and down his leg. Four winces. 

“I’m guessing you can feel that,” Time says, Four nods and turns his head further into Time’s chest, he’s still a blubbering mess of tears and snot. But Time holds him and runs a hand through his hair. 

“It’s a good sign you can still feel your legs,” Time says, “How about we go back to sleep and talk to Cremia in the morning about it,” Time wasn’t sure what to do, he didn’t know enough of why this happened or if it could be fixed, or how to fix it. His best bet was hoping Cremia knew, and if not, then hoping the captain knew. Goddess, he never knew he could miss the chose boys this much. 

“But I’ll never be able to sleep,” Four whispers, Time lays both of them back down into the bed, pulling the blanket up and making Four look as cozy as he can. 

“Then we don’t have to, we can just talk,” Time whispers back. And that’s what the two do for the rest of the night, talk in hushed voices, telling stories and facts. Four would tell of his friends in his time, and his adventure, the wind palace, and about the Minish and all his favorite things. Time would tell about his adventures, the ones he didn’t even tell Twilight, he told about Malon and the sages. The two shared secrets in the veil of the night and Time was glad he could distract the younger, while he didn’t sleep, he didn’t cry either. 

Footsteps echo in the hallway. Time turns to the door then back to Four. 

“Those are Cremia’s” Time knows they’re lighter then her fathers “I’ll go talk to her okay,” 

“Okay,” Four replies. Time slides out of bed and goes down the hall to follow her. When he gets down the stairs, she turns to look at him a lantern in her hand lights up the whole room, surprise written all over her face. 

“You’re up early,” She comments. 

“How good’s your medical knowledge?” He asks. She falters.

“Well, um, basic at best. Why? What happened?” She asked. She steps towards him frantically, the lantern swings causing the shadows on the wall to shift. 

“Four woke up last night saying he couldn’t move his legs. I don’t know what could have happened, he was fine a few hours before and the entire time here.” Time says. “I don’t know enough about medical stuff to know what happened or what we can do or if there’s even something we can do.” Time feels frantic now. He’s been trying to keep Four calm all night that now he has a chance to start panicking too. But Cremia guides him to a table before he can. 

The two sit down, Cremia sets the lantern between them. Silence washes over them as the two just think in the quiet. Of something they could do. 

Chapter Text

Four was asleep when they went to the room. His breathing is shallow but steady. 

The three adults brainstorm for the rest of the day, thinking of different options. They prepare for customers, at some point Time runs to get another red potion, and Cremia goes to find a book on medicine, illnesses, or injuries, whatever she can find. They look through the book for the rest of the day. 

The red potion doesn’t help, and it seems Four gets worse at an increasing rate, his fever is back and whenever he’s awake he’s complaining about aches and pain in his arms and legs. He’s thrown up 3 times and the adults are running back and forth trying to do something. 

Either Cremia or Time is with Four at all times, even when he’s asleep. The other is downstairs waiting on tables, they take turns in shifts. 

Time tells Cremia to go to bed when everything is closed up way later then they normally get it done. He stays by Four’s side all night, he doesn’t wake up through the night and when morning comes Time goes downstairs to get himself a cup of milk. He sits out on the porch, the air is cool, and the milk isn’t as good as Lon Lon’s. Cremia comes out a few minutes after him. She’s got a cup of tea and leans against the railing the two are silent for awhile. 

“How is he?” Cremia asks. 

“Slept all night,” Time answers. 

“I’m guessing you didn’t,” She responds back. 

“Nope,” He says and takes a sip. 

“Neither did I,” She sips her tea and the two are quiet again. 

“You said something to Fedi, the potion shop owner,” She says, her lips still on the edge of her mug. Time hums in response. 

“You said you were friends with the hero?” Time hums again. 

“In some places he’s a wanted man,” She turns to him.

“Not surprised,” Time says he takes another sip from his milk to hide his smile. Goddess he misses the other heroes. 

Cremia turns back again and doesn’t mention it again. She’s smart enough to know he won’t tell her anything. 

“I can’t believe there’s nothing in that book, and nobody around town knows anything,” She breaks their silence again. “I asked all around last night and nobody knew, they said they’d keep him in their prayers though.” Time snorted at that. 

“Good load that does,” 

“Not a believer in the goddess,” She says, raising an eyebrow at him, slightly perplexed. 

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” He answered her. The two go back to silence again, before they both tensed hearing the clip clop of horse hooves. 

“Young maiden,” A man from the top of one of the horses calls out. As the group gets closer he asks. “Have you seen a strange man and a child come through this town?” 

Time immediately gave them a once over. From the angle he was sitting on the porch and they sat perched on their horses made him harder to see then Cremia. Her bright red hair also helped in distracting their eyesight.  There were two horses, two men on the horses, and four men on the ground. They all had varying degrees of lethal weapons. No sign of armor or the royal crest anywhere. 

“Well. We get a lot of travelers and passersby in this town.” Cremia replies a little hesitant. But Time steps in to save her. 

“And what of it?” he questions, he gets up and leans against the porch railing next to Cremia. Taking a long sip of milk as he stares into the eyes of the man who had asked about them. The man looks at him wearily. 

“Nothing really, we’re just looking for some travelers.” He says hesitating and suspiciously gives Time a once over himself. 

A sword unsheathes and Time is dodging it while expertly pushing Cremia towards the door. One of the men from the ground took a swing at Time from below the porch railing. The others from the ground pull out their weapons after the first,clubs, and a dagger. They lunge towards him but Time doges swiftly.

He takes a second to glance to make sure Cremia made it inside before grabbing the porch broom and blocking one of the clubs, throwing his weight into the man and knocking him off the railing he was trying to climb. 

A horse neighs and then Time’s defending the porch of the tavern as they all try to climb over the fence or the front steps. 

He dodges a sword from atop the horse. The next one he defends with the broom, overturning the blade and launching it out of the offender's hand. It flies behind and clatters to the tavern wall. 

He knocks out one of the club wielders. His right hand gets cut on the edge of a danger. The man snuck up on the porch, and goes in for a second swipe but is thrown off when Time throws his weight on top of the man, pinning him to the floor. When a sword comes at him from above, he rolls to the side letting the man cause a bit of friendly fire on the danger user. 

The empty handed fellow he took the sword from lands on top of him, in an attempt to pin him to the floor. Time rolls them over and uses him as his shield when a sword comes at his face again. He rolls to a stand and hastily defends a strike from a club with his trust broom. He goes back and forth a few times with the man before using his foot work to trip him. Time takes the opportunity to bash his head with the hard wooden part of the broom. 

Two swords come at him at once, he dodges to the side and uses the broom horizontally to forcefully ram into the side of one of them, causing them to both collapse on each other. He hits them while they’re down. He hits them again, and again. 

They all struggle to their feet and try to gather a weapon or to attack him, he continues to push them to the ground beating them bloody with the head of the broom. He doesn’t stop after he’s won. He doesn’t stop after they don’t get up anymore. They don’t even beg him to cause they know he won’t. Not after what they did. 

The broom’s white bristles are dyed red. Time doesn’t stop even when it drips blood clots, hair, and maybe flesh. 

Some towns folk have come out of their shops in horror to witness. All too afraid to try to intervene. 

All Time can hear are screams.

Pleads.

And sobs. 

But none of them are from the men whose blood covers his hands. And yet all he sees is the red that covered the floor of Four’s cell. That seeped into the hallway between them. The blood that was already on Time’s hands because he couldn’t protect him. 

A scream echoes throughout the town. It breaks Time out of his own mind. He knows that scream, because it’s Malon’s. 

Suddenly the world comes back to him and in less then a second he’s bounding up the stairs of the tavern. 

Time practically slides into the room he’s going so fast. Cremia has tears creating rivers down her checks as she frets over Four frantically whispering,

“No, no, no, oh Hylia,” Over and over. Time’s by her side, his bloody hands hovering. 

“What happened?” He asked her.

“I don’t know,” she cried out, “it just- he just- it’s all,” She waves her hands frantically trying to get her words out but her panicking isn’t a good sign. When Time looks at Four, he almost immediately knows what’s wrong. Because he’s already seen it one too many times before. 

Time can’t even bear to try CPR anymore. He stands up and pushes Cremia away as he holds Four. He easily lets the magic slip from his very core to his fingers and through Four. No more hesitation or desperation on trying to remember how to use the spell. When the spell has finished and the slightly visible blue magic crystal surrounds Four’s breathing form Time let's go. He turns to Cremia. 

“Scour through every book in this town,” He says, and she looks at him, afraid for the first time they’ve met, and hastily leaves the room. 

Time sits in his usual chair. His hand grabs Four’s and he rests his forehead on the bed.

Chapter Text

They didn’t find anything about what happened to Four in any books. But with they’re constant care and the little extra time he was given, he recovered well enough on his own, he had a decently recovering fever and was sleeping most of the day away.

“I still can’t walk,” Four said, he was well enough to be conscious but was still laying cozily under the covers. 

“But you’re awake, and breathing, and that’s the important thing,” Time doesn’t think he’ll ever tell Four about the spells and how many times he died on their journey. 

Four groans in response and manages to roll over so his back faces Time. He’s managed to get a little movement in his legs, but not enough to truly bend or put any weight on them. But he can move them slightly into more comfortable positions. Which Time always tried to say was better than nothing. Four’s never known the man to be an optimist. 

Time takes Four’s empty plate, that used to be full of mashed potatoes, from the nightstand and left for the kitchen. It’s been two days since Time casted Nayru’s Love, and he’s barely talked to Cremia since then. They only speak when necessary to take care of Four or the tavern. Even some of the customers started noticing. 

Time smiled politely and waved at a few of the townsfolk that greeted him on his way to the kitchen. Some of the more brave ones would ask about Four whenever he took the trip to and from the kitchen. Even though they’ve never really met him, they were all still a caring group. Although most of them have become terrified of Time since a few days ago, they still waved and smiled  out of normalcy to not upset him. Time washes his and Four’s dinner plates, and goes back upstairs. 

A few hours later, when he goes to get both of them water glasses for the night he finds Cremia sitting at one of the tables, a lantern illuminating her serious expression in the otherwise pitch black room. She didn’t look at him when she spoke. 

“Who exactly are the two of you?” She knew of the massacre that happened on her front porch. Time stopped to look at her, he couldn’t really think of what to say.

“What happened to Four?” She asked, this time she wasn’t even gonna wait for him to try to think of an answer. 

“Where did the two of you come from? How did you fight six armed men with only a broom with hardly a scratch on you?” She got up out of her chair and turned to him, her hands flat on the table. “What happened the other night with that magic? What are your real names because they can’t possible be ‘Time’ and ‘Four’?” 

She threw her hands in the air. 

“Who are you!” She shouted. 

“Link,” He answered before she could say anything else. She stopped to stare at him like he was some kind of idiot. And Time would admit, he is one. 

He started walking towards her and she sat in the chair, he took the one across from her and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Before Time started. 

“My real name is Link, and Four’s real name is also Link, that’s why we use nicknames,” he stops for a second, hesitating, but ultimately it doesn’t matter if she believes him or not. It’s just the truth. 

“We are from two completely different periods of time then this one. We are both previous or future heroes of Hyrule, destined by the goddess Hylia. We were traveling with a group of Heroes as well. One of them being the Hero that you know from your time. We were ambushed in the middle of the night and kidnapped. Whoever the group was that kidnapped the two of us wanted a piece of information from me. But I couldn’t give it to them, I just couldn’t, it would ruin everything, make everything worse.” Time stopped, because he didn’t want to continue. 

He didn’t want to admit his failure. How he couldn’t protect one of his own. He failed, and while he could admit it to himself, how was he ever supposed to admit it to someone who had such bright red hair? How could he even look at her?

“So, they hurt him?” She whispered into his silence. 

They sat for a minute, his silence answered her. 

“You said that we looked like we had come from the west hills in our raggedy old clothes,” He looked up and smiled at her, but there was no joy, “And that’s exactly what we did,” 

Time told her everything. About the journey through the snow, about the other heroes, about the curse and about Malon. Told her about Legend and the broken timeline. He didn’t tell her about the prison though, because he could spill his stories in return for all the ones she told him. But he couldn’t spill his nightmares, he couldn’t break until he knew that Four was safe. 

He didn’t know if she believed him, but Cremia smiled and laughed and asked questions when he spoke of a good memory. When he recalled the different bets the boys made she asked who won and how much and their reaction. 

Time and Cremia were back to their usual selves, the blood that had once stained the front porch was finally officially washed away with the latest rainfall. The townsfolk decided it was best to forget the ordeal then to question it. Because sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

The town got many travelers. It lay on the border of Hyrule and many came to and from the land for trade, travels, vacations, and to live on one side or the other. 

Amongst the familiar faces of the tavern there were always a few out of place that would be gone the next night. No one seemed to mind until Time got a whiff of their conversation. 

“The woods are the best way,” One of them whispered. 

“No way, we’ll get lost ot easily just follow the main road,” 

“That’s the best way to get caught,” 

“We’ll be fine, we just need an audience surely they won’t do anything without orders,” 

“We shouldn’t even try to, you know an audience never works,” 

There were four adults at the table, three men and a woman all discussing in harsh whispers over a map. The more Time listened in, the more he understood where they were going. He pulled a chair from one of the other tables to sit backwards on, straddling the back of the chair as he got the attention of the group, startling them. 

“So, why are you trying to get to have an audience with the King?” He asks. 

“How much have you heard?” one of the men asked him hastily, before the map was shoved halfway in his mouth.

“Obviously he’s heard all of it dimwit.” The man who held the paper said before letting the other spit it out. 

“We’re not from Hyrule,” the woman starts, “But Hyrules neighboring country to the west is falling into decline, we don’t want our children and families to be raised in such a horrid place.”

“But Hyrule hardly takes people in anymore, after recent events with the demon king, they don’t trust travelers,” the last man finishes stating their predicament to Time. 

“Please don’t tell the royal guard on us,” the first man pleads. 

Luckily for them, Time hates the royal guard. 

“I think we might be able to help eachother out,” He smiles at the four of them. 

Luckily for them, he also needs to find the rest of the heroes. 

What better place and way to do it then to talk to Legends princess? 

“You can’t leave!” Cremia shouts from where she stands at the bottom of a ladder. 

“We can’t stay here, we have to find the rest of our group,” He answers her. 

“What about Four? He’s in no shape to travel,” She says with her hands on her hips. 

“And he’s not getting any better,” Time replies. 

Chapter Text

The traveling group had two wagons with coverings and a horse each to pull them. It also consisted of not only the four he met at the bar, Chabi, Baumar, Chork, and Mils, but an additional pregnant woman, Totsuna and three kids. Two boys, Kenyo and Cambo and one girl, Ena. Kenyo was probably around Hyrules age while the other two kids were definitely younger than Wind. 

The kids, along with Four, and Totsuna stayed in one of the wagons, while their belongings rested in the other. 

The group had set out with their new additions two days ago, with the extra supplies from the tavern and the promise of a new life. 

Time just couldn’t wait to meet back up with the boys after over two months of being separated from the heroes.

“Look at this one!” 

Of course, instead of them being a group of ten, it ended up being a group of eleven. 

“That one is an even brighter blue,” Chork said, Time turned to see he was kneeling next to Cremia. A blue flower pinched between her fingers. 

“I’ve never seen a wild flower look so pretty,” She said in awe. This group obviously wasn’t very experienced in traveling, and were pretty much impressed by anything. 

Four and Time were not. 

Both of them were pretty expert travelers at this point, and have seen other worlds, magic, things, and people that were greater than all the things the average eye sees in a lifetime. 

“Look at what I found,” Time turned to the cart to see Cambo holding what looked like a rock. Four was sitting at the back of the cart, his legs swaying off the side with the movement of the cart. Four smiled and nodded at Cambo politely. Cambo climbed into the cart next to Four. 

“It’s all sparkly and blue and stuff,” the kid said, Four just nodded in response still smiling, clearly Time was probably the only one who could tell that the smith wasn't very impressed. But both heroes were polite about the other's wonder and curiosity. 

“Look at this one Four,” Ena came running up to the cart, also holding a rock. The kids had taken to Four quite fast. Four smiled at Ena too.

“It’s all red and dusty,” Ena said. Four’s smile grew for a second.

“Can I see it for a second?" Ena nodded and handed Four the rock. He took it and scraped it along the wood of the cart, leaving a red mark behind. Both of the kids gasped before taking the rock back from Four’s hands and trying it for themselves. They then started to draw all over the cart and other materials with the rock. 

While the two younger kids always looked to Four for approval and acceptance on whatever it is they were doing, or what they found, or what they said, Kenyo on the other hand was different. He was like the older brother to Cambo and Ena, which means he tried to play the older brother for Four as well. 

“I can find you another one of those rocks if you also want to draw with it.” Kenyo said, smiling down at Four from outside the cart. Four knows he looks a lot younger than he is, mainly because of his height, but he really has no interest in the rock.

“No thanks, I’ll just enjoy the breeze,” Four answers him. 

“Well that can’t be very fun,” 

“I guess,” Four answers. 

The tunic and pants Four wears pretty much cover most of his scars. He doesn’t have any shoes but Cremia managed to find a pair of socks that would fit him. The pants he’s wearing were hemmed but his tunic was loose. He always tried his best to cover all the scars, but his broken fingers and the scar on his face was pretty obvious. Four hated it. 

They tried everything, especially Time. But the cut on his face is most likely still going to be a permanent scar. 

Four was one of the only heroes that didn’t have a gruesome reminder of the trials and triumphs it takes to be a hero. He knows that they all take pride in their scars, a reminder that they're alive today, that they won, that they’ve gotten back up and never given up. But Four doesn’t feel like any of those things. His scar isn’t heroic, he doesn’t feel like he won or got back up from anything. Maybe it’s because he still can’t physically get back up. 

“I think it’s kinda cool,” Kenyo says from beside Four, startling the little hero. They sat at the edge of a lake, the adults were gathering water, washing clothes, washing themselves. 

“It’s horrible,” Four whispers, he’s been in quite a bad mood today. He can’t help with any of the chores, and he woke up from a nightmare that took Time almost ten minutes to calm him down from. He’s been useless. 

“I’m sure one day you won’t see it like that,” Kenyo says. Four groans and falls backward into the grass, staring up at the blue sky. Kenyo follows him. Kenyo starts talking about whatever new discovery he’s made recently, Four doesn’t listen to his rambles. Instead, he thinks of what Ezlo would say about all his scars. What will Zelda think? What about his grandpa? The minish in castle town and those up in the wind palace. 

Four wakes up from another nightmare. He gets to sleep in the wagon with Totsuna, Ena, and Cambo. Kenyo insisted on sleeping outside with the adults. 

Time is up and next to Four within seconds to help calm him down. To reassure him that he’s safe. That he’s not alone. But nothing helps Four more then just holding him, and Time knows this. Having gentle hands instead of cruel ones. To have warmth instead of the cold floor. To know that they’re not separated by bars anymore. 

The two sit in the grass, Four wrapped in Time’s arms until he can breathe easy again. 

“I hate it,” Four whispers. 

“Everyone hates nightmares,” Time answers in the same quiet voice. 

“No, I hate being useless,” 

“You’re not useless,” Time reassures. Time can hear Four’s wet inhale before he starts to ramble.

“I can barely move, much less help out with chores. My pinkies won’t bend to hold anything. I cry all the time and sometimes I can’t even breath by myself.” Four inhales again to stop a sob from coming out. “I can’t even walk. How am I supposed to adventure? To continue to chase the shadow? Or to dance with Zelda when she asks? I can’t even make a sword if I can’t stand. What kind of smith am I, what kind of hero am I.” This time Four can’t stop the sob, and then he keeps going before Time can stop him. 

“My legs are useless. I’ll never be a hero again, or a smith. I can’t walk or stand.” 

Time presses his forehead against Fours, his hands holding either side of Four’s face. This causes Four to stop his rambling. 

“I promise that if there’s no way to fix it then I will make sure it never happened in the first place,” Time says. Four pauses for a moment. 

“Won’t that ruin something though? Like something won’t happen that was supposed to, or create a split timeline?” Four questions. 

“The only thing it will do is make the last three months never happen in the first place. And even if it does create another timeline, so what? You deserve it. You who were brave and strong to protect time itself. To keep the peace of Hyrule throughout all time” Time opens his eyes, both of them. And when Four looks at him he can see the few tears that fall from them. Four let’s the tears in his eyes fall. He’s already cried so much and it doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t help anything. But he doesn’t feel very brave, or strong. But something burns in him, something he’s felt before. That he’s always had. 

“No,” Four says, “It’s the good part about being a hero. The places you go, the people you meet, the things you see and do. I don’t want to forget Cremia and her father. I don’t want to forget Kenyo, Ena, and Cembo, or any of the other travelers. I don’t want to not be here to help them get passage to live in Hyrule. Otherwise what will happen to them?” Four changes to whisper the last bit, “Even if it means I’ll never walk again.”

Time takes a breath and slides his hands through Four’s hair, and then rests his arms on Four’s shoulders as the boy's head falls into his shoulder. 

Time thinks that life’s cruel, choosing such young heroes, and yet, there couldn’t have been a better choice. 

Chapter Text

Baumer says they are about a day or two away from Castle Town. Which Time is more then relieved to hear. If the boys aren’t there, then at least he can talk to the princess and try to reunite them all again. 

“You think we can find a bar in Castle Town?” Mils ask from Time’s right. 

“Of course we can find a bar in Castle Town, don’t be ridiculous?" Chabi answers him. 

“I think there are more important things to think about then finding the first bar.” Baumer contributes. 

“But it would be nice to finally sit and relax wouldn’t it,” Mils responds back. This silences the three of them. They haven’t rested truly since the tavern. Which might be slightly Time’s fault. He’s used to traveling non-stop, and he wants to get to Castle Town as fast as possible for everyone’s sake really. But majorly for Four’s and his own sanity. 

“I could throw one back,” Chork said. The rest of them all hummed or nodded in agreement. 

“So how exactly are we going to do this? I mean you say you have an in with the royal family.” Baumer asked.

“Well I need to be able to talk to Princess Zelda, then we’ll see where it goes, but I’m sure you will all be accepted graciously.” Time answered. 

“I still can’t believe we ran into you,” Chabi says. 

“Yeah, how lucky are we,” Chork adds. 

“We should have played a round of cards with that one table at the tavern,” Mils says. 

They all chuckle, but Time stops when he hears the distant sound of metal clanking. Just as they round a hill the group stops as they see a cluster of knights at the bottom of it. Time groans at the sight, having to deal with any of Hyrule's knights was always one of his least favorite past times. The rest of the group gasped and started panicking. 

“We can’t go this way.” 

“Back up, move the carts,” 

“This is the fastest way,”

“Guys,”

“The guards are sure to see us,”

“We don’t have any proof of citizenship,” 

“Guys,” 

“Move the carts, move down,” 

“We can hide off to the side in the forest,”

“Guys! They’ve already seen us.” 

The all turned down the hill to see the group of knights coming toward them, the two in the front having their eyes dead set on the five of them.

“Excuse me travelers,” Here we go again , Time thought as one of the knights in the front shouted. 

“I was just wondering if you could show us your proof of citizenship, or a traveler's letter,” The knight asked when he was but a few steps from them. 

“Here you go,” Cremia pushes through their small group to hand over a sheet of paper, that was no doubt some form of paperwork from the tavern.

“This only has two names on it miss,” The knight next to the one who had asked for the paper said. 

“Oh well it’s just an old–” 

“We’ll need to see letters for everyone, it’s apparent by the accents I heard that you’re not from Hyrule,” The knight glared at the five of them. 

“As you know, currently Hyrule is under a sort of lockdown for a while. With all the discrepancies recently,” 

“Sir, we were hoping to speak to Her Majesty the Princess of Hyrule,” Chork squeaks out. 

“If you have no proof of being Hyrulian citizens then we’ll have to take you in under the guise of suspicious prisoners.” One of the knights responded. 

The knights all started pulling out handcuffs and their weapons. Time really didn’t want to get a fight on his hands but he also didn’t want to trek to Hyrule Castle as a prisoner. He couldn’t let them take the kids that way either, especially not Four. 

“Excuse me gentlemen but I think something can be arranged,” Time says, stepping forward in the group of his companions. It seemed like it was the first time the knights actually noticed him. He didn’t have his typically threatening armor or the Biggoron sword with him, but even his simple tunic, and basic travelers sword must be enough to make the knight a little wary. 

Or maybe it was the scar over his eye and markings on his face that the knights were staring at that made them think twice. 

“We can go peacefully and quietly with you to the Castle if you want to accompany us but- “ Time unsheathed his sword just in time to lock it with a lizalfos’s sword that had jumped from the woodsy bushes next to the road. 

Then they all became overrun with the monsters, lizalfos, bokoblin, Time even thinks he say a moblin. He hears a scream and the clanging of swords as the knights all fight back. 

He sees Baumer to his left, his own sword locked with a bokoblins. All the knights yelling orders in the chaos, confusion and fear fills the air. 

But Time knows what's happening. He’s seen it before, because these monsters are from a mix of time periods. Moblins are from Wilds time, lizalfos are from his own, the bokoblins almost look like the ones Sky has described. 

When he overruns the lizalfos with his sword and gets a swing in across its chest he has the answer he’s looking for. Black blood. 

There’s screaming all around, whether it be battle cries or fear filled. Cremia runs to the wagon where the children stay, but she gets cut off by a bokoblin, she manages to dodge it. A knight comes in to fight it. But her path is already filled with more battle. She can only make it to the storage cart. They are all being outnumbered by monsters. There weren't very many knights to begin with, maybe eight or ten. 

The knights themselves aren’t very good. They haven’t been trained for these monsters, nor for the incredible strength they seem to possess. It takes two to three knights to even take down one monster. 

The lizalfos loomed over the back entrance of the wagon. Kenyo held his sword shaky up to it. Totsuna and the other two kids sat huddled together while Four watched Kenyo's flimsy fighting stance.

When the lizalfos went to strike, miraculously Kenyo's sword clashed with it. But he was quickly slipping under the weight of the lizalfos. Four lunged out, knocking Kenyo's foot backwards and holding it firmly so he had a better blocking stance and Kenyo stopped buckling under the lizalfos's sword. The sword was still slipping but slow enough so Kenyo could dodge out of the way. 

When Kenyo hits the floor of the wagon his sword flies out of his hand, hitting the opposite fabric wall and ripping it as it clatters to the floor next to Four. 

The lizalfos takes a second to rip its sword from the wooden base of the wagon, it lurches at Kenyo, luckily the boy is fast enough to roll out of the way. 

The lizard stands back up for another strike, but stops when its leg juts backwards. A sword embedded into it sliding downward creating a long gash.

“Damn,” Four whispers as black blood drips on his fingers as they wrapped around the sword. 

The monster screeches and instead of Kenyo, turns its attention to Four. By Hylia’s grace Four was able to move his leg just enough to have the sword merely scratch it instead of completely skewer it, hitting the wood instead. 

Four takes the opportunity to pull out the sword in its leg and hastily shove it in the lizalfos’s shoulder. The lizalfos lets go of its sword, still stuck in the wood of the wagon. 

The monster cried out again, Four uses his arms and the sword as leverage to pull himself upward onto his knees. Then when the monster starts thrashing, he manages to cling to its back. It ripped apart the fabric of the wagon, flailing trying to get Four off of itself. It flies out of the wagon onto the gravel path taking Four with it. Four pulls the sword from its shoulder and stabs the monster repeatedly. 

Time parries a strike from a moblin. Time slides his sword off of the moblins, he clashes with it again before taking an open opportunity to cut the monsters leg. Giving him the advantage over it and striking it down for good. 

He turns to help a knight with a bokoblin, striking it down while the knight has it distracted. 

When Time lands the final strike he turns to look around. Black blood is spilled all over the ground along with the bodies of the monsters it came from. Some of the knights seem to be covered in it, Time himself isn’t much better then most of them. He turns to see Four sitting in the bloody grass along the road, about three lizalfos bodies around him, he’s holding a sword that he did not possess earlier. 

“Might you be the Hero of Time?” The leader of the knights says from where he leans over panting. 

Chapter Text

“Yes,” Time answers the knight, and moves his sword arms vaguely in the direction of Four.  “And he’s the Hero of the Four Sword.”

Four looks over at the both of them. Time moves over to check on him. 

“Are you hurt?” Time asks kneeling down in front of Four. 

“My legs are a little cut but other than that I’m fine,” Four answers. Time smirks smugly. 

“And you said you wouldn’t be able to be a hero with those legs.” Time says looking at all the lizalfos bodies surrounding Four. Four rolls his eyes. Time helps move him back to the back of the wagon where Totsuna and the kids were huddled up. Time asks the same thing he asked Four a few moments ago.

“Are any of you hurt?” They all shook their heads. 

“Sir,” the knight started, “We are instructed to bring you back to the castle under Princess Zelda’s request.” 

“Has she been in contact with the Hero of Legends?” Time asks.

“Most likely, all knights and royal attendants were addressed to keep an eye out for the Hero of Time and the Hero of the Four Sword.” 

“Then perhaps we can all head to the castle in a civil matter?” Time questions, the knight looks around at his other knights warily, the other knights were in the middle of picking themselves up from the fight to help him. Time continues, “We are indebted to the group we are traveling with, and I’m sure the Princess wouldn’t be very happy if she knew they were treated as prisoners.” Time smiles at the knight. 

“I suppose we could escort all of you to the castle as guests,” The knight answers. Time smiles a bit brighter and then he sees the adults from the traveling group from behind the knight. They were all flabbergasted. 

The wagons rattled as they rolled through the gate of Castle Town. Four sat at the back of it taking in the scenes of the busy city. There were a few others with carts, but people mainly traveled with horses or by walking in the town. Street venders selling goods, consumers buying, music rang through the air from somewhere, children laughing and parents yelling. 

“You look like a bird tried to eat you!” A voice rang out above the rest. A boisterous laugh followed it. 

“I really hate cuccos,” Someone else said.

“Man, there’s even feathers in your boots,” Another voice adds.

“Well I like the ones in your cape, I think you should keep them,” A squawk follows. 

Four can’t see where they come from, but just hearing them sounds like a dream. 

Time, who’s walking alongside the wagon next to Four, softens as the wagon comes to a stop. One of the knights that escorted them starts talking, but Time doesn’t care to listen. Only paying attention to the seven heroes that stand in front of him. Warriors is covered in feathers for some reason, while the rest of them gawk at him. Wild with his slate out, Wind inspecting his scarf, Legend doubled over in laughter, Sky circling Warriors quizzically, Hyrule is standing on a box to pick feathers from Wars hair, and Twilight, Twilight is staring at Time. 

Twilight whispers something under his breath, but Time is too far away to hear it, but when Twilight takes a tentative step forward, Time smiles, big. It’s slightly cheeky and he’s already got his arms out as Twilight shouts-

“Time!” 

He practically runs Time over with the force he runs into him at wrapping his arms around Time to keep both of them steady.

Over Twilights shoulder Time can see the rest of the heroes watching them now. All paused in surprise for a second, Time can see their faces fall from their joyous moment to relief and true happiness. Legend was the first to start, but then the rest soon all stampede Time. The group hug was tight but didn’t last very long before someone asked. 

“Where’s Four?” Which lead to a whole slue of questions and concerns.
“Is he with you?”

“What happened to you guys?”

“Is he alright?”

“Where have you been?” 

Most of the voices were drowned out by each other. Time looked over at Four, who tried to say something, but the concern and frenzied voices of the others made it impossible to hear. So Time just smiled at him, and it took only a mere second for Four to smile back. Before the two fell into a joyous laughter of their own. 

One by one the heroes stopped to look, and what they found was their littlest companion laughing on the back of a traveling wagon. 

Wild was the first to wrap his arms around Four, the rest followed leaving Time in the dust. Time watched for a second, taking it all in as Four giggled still. All the heroes had bright smiles on their faces. And Time wished this moment would last forever. He soon follows and wraps his arms around the horde of men and boys. 

They all slowly let go after a few minutes. Then they all started to talk at once about all kinds of different things. Four just watched and tried to pick up the different stories.

“There was this-”

“You would have lov-”

“Time should ha-”

“This guy was li-”

He could hardly understand any of it. But he was still so intrigued by all the stories, invested already, and excited for all the future campfires that are to come. Four laughed and the other heroes quieted down, finally realizing that no one could be understood in all their cacophony. They all smiled and chuckled at each other before their faces fell somber. Four were perplexed by the sudden change in atmosphere. 

“Where have you been?” Legend asked, Four would never forget the guilty look in his eye. Legend was hardly every guilty, or at least it never truly showed as much as this. 

“That’s a long story,” Time supplied. “How about we just get to the castle first,” 

There was a chorus of okays and the like there of. 

Time left Four’s field of vision, and then the wagon he was sitting on jerked to life. His fellow heroes followed as the wagon made its way further into Castle Town’s central. Wild was the one to pick up conversation again, telling about the blacksmith and how Legend used to work for him. Time falls back into step with the rest of them. 

When they reach the central part of Castle Town, and right in front of the castle the wagon stops in front of a grand staircase into the castle. 

“We’ll have to leave the things behind, but a knight will be stationed here to make sure nothings stolen,” One of the knights that had escorted them said. 

“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Totsuna said as she stepped out of the wagon beside Four, Ena and Cambo followed. Kenyo came up from behind the side of the wagon to take Cambo’s hand while Totsuna took Ena’s. The rest of their traveling troop came out from around the wagons to start up the staircase. 

Four licked his lips, the other heroes were distracted by watching their new friends confused on who they were. 

Cremia came around the wagon on Four’s left, and Time came around to Four’s right side. 

“I’ll carry you on my back,” Time offered. But Four was hesitant.

“Then they’ll all know,” He answered quietly.

“They’re gonna eventually know honey,” Cremia said. 

“But it’s … just so nice right now, I don’t want anyone to worry. And legend already feels bad, I just know it. And what will everyone else think” 

“They’re going to worry no matter what,” Time answers, “You know that, it’s what us heroes do.” Four thought for a few moments, and he really couldn’t deny either of their claims, so he reluctantly held out his arms. 

Time turned around and knelt down, Four wrapped his arms around Time’s neck as he was hoisted upwards. Cremia smiled up at him and the three began walking towards the large staircase. 

“Hey, who are those guys?” Wild asks, thumbing over at the rest of their traveler friends. 

“We ran into them and needed help on the road to get to the castle, they were so kind as to lend us a hand. And this is Cremia, who’s helped us more than I could ever repay,” 

“Oh, nonsense,” She says, “I’ve had quite the adventure with you two, and it was nice having an extra set of hands at the tavern.” She answers by waving Time off with her hand. 

“You kinda look like Malon,” Wind supplies. 

“I’ve heard that before,” Cremia says. She smiles brightly as she begins to converse with the boys. But even with the distraction of new friends, Four can feel the questioning eyes and concerned looks they give him once and awhile. 

Chapter Text

Time drops Four down on the bed and then straightens out and cracks his back, he faces the rest of the group. Four ungracefully rolls around, messing up the covers, to turn and look at them as well. They just got done getting their old traveling group royal letters and sent out to a new piece of land to create a new start in Hyrule.  

“There are obviously some things that need to be discussed,” Time starts, before he’s interrupted.

“Yeah, like why Four hasn’t stepped a foot on the ground since we’ve seen him,” Warriors says. 

“And literally everything that’s happened since we all have last seen you guys,” Hyrule says. 

“How about we go into another room to-” 

“No,” Four interrupts Time. “I’m fine with discussing it here,” Four glares up at Time from his seat on the bed. Time fixes a cold stare at him before he turns back to the rest. 

“Four can’t walk,” He says abruptly. There’s a small collection of gasps, but Warriors is one that isn’t phased.

“Why?” He asks. Four goes to speak but Time interrupts him. 

“We were taken by a group of people. And he was tortured for information. After we escaped he fell deathly ill and has had trouble moving them at all since then. While he’s regained a bit of movement, we were hoping you might know more on what to do.” Time states, directed more towards Warriors than anybody else. Four can feel their gazes on him, but he can’t bear to look, his hair falling into his face like a curtain over a window. 

“I’m guessing they still have all of your equipment as well?” Warriors asks. 

“Yes,” Time supplies. 

Warriors heads towards the door of the room, he motions for them to follow him, he then addresses Four. 

“You stay here and rest,” He sternly says. The rest of the heroes go to follow Warriors, including Time, and Four is left alone in the room. 

He doesn’t know if he should be upset or relieved. Four isn’t helpless, even though he feels like it. The fact that that’s how he’s being treated makes him upset, but he’s also still just sad. He wishes he had the Four Sword to help him figure this out. Sometimes it was nice to be able to split into four different versions of yourself to hear the different reasonings and feelings behind each thought. 

Four wasn’t left alone for long, soon Cremia came sneaking through the door to keep him company. 

“The best option I can think of is to try to reduce the scar tissue in your legs, after that and over time as you recover you should be perfectly fine to walk again.” Warriors knelt in front of Four, all serious until he says the last part, where he smiles. Four answers him. 

“So when do we start?” 

They had hunted out whatever ingredients they could find to make something to put Four asleep. And now Warriors was attempting to remove the tissue. 

Time was standing out on one of the castle balconies, letting the cool night air breeze through him. Footsteps echoed from behind. 

Twilight leans over the railing next to Time. The silence falls over them like a veil. Concealing the past three months. 

After a few minutes, Twilight finally spoke. 

“So. I noticed you don’t have any new scars. Why is that?” Twilight looks at him, but Time can’t bring himself to look back. 

“Because they wanted information from me. So they hurt him.” 

Twilight turned back to look out at the woods behind the castle.

“What did they want to know?”

“The Song of Time .” Time answers simply and cooly. 

The silence rings out over them, until Time starts again.

“They hurt him. Over and over again. For hours on end.” Twilight looks back at him, but Time continues to look ahead. “He begged, and cried, and screamed, and-” Time stopped himself as he choked back a sob. He finally turned to look at Twilight, tears running down his face, cooled by the breeze that flows through his hair. 

“And they killed him,” Time finished. 

Twilight stood up straight staring in disbelief. 

“They threatened horrible things. Worse then what they already had done. And I finally got him out of their, and he died. In my arms in the frozen snow.” Time stared at Twilight but it was more like he was looking through him. “And then I used an old spell, and he died again.

I thought when we met Cremia, and were safe everything would be okay. But then he got sick and it wasn’t ‘deathly ill’ it was death itself Twilight.” Time let out a sob after saying Twilight's name. And it didn’t take but a second for Twilight to hold his descendant as he cried. Twilights never seen Time cry.

“I couldn’t do anything. I was so useless. I couldn’t protect him.” Time filled the air with what he’s felt for the past three months. What he would never say to Four. What he kept bottled up in order to keep on moving. He spilt out in front of Twilight. 

“It’s not your fault,” A new voice came from the doorway of the castle. And Sky’s silhouette stood back lit, until he moved further on to the balcony and came to wrap his arms around both Time and Twilight. 

The two of them held Time as he cried out his heart. His worries and fears. His love for all of them and how he’d do anything to keep them safe. How much he hated that prison and that woman. 

It took a couple of days for Four to recover from Warriors’ impromptu surgery. But they were back on the road in no time. They had to get Cremia home after all. And a few other things as well. 

Four typically rode on the back of Epona, or Wolfie. Sometimes one of the boys would offer him a ride on their back and he fiercely declined. Every once in awhile, when they stopped for a break or stopped for the night, Four would practice his leg movement. Standing with help from someone, the occasional steps. 

Chapter Text

Warriors was typically the one to help Four with regaining his leg movement. Holding him steady while he tried to stand. Helping him practice flexibility and control. 

Four huffed as he sat back down on the rock. Warriors stood in front of him. The rest of the boys were closer to the campfire. 

“I think that’s good for the night,” Warriors said.

“No, I can do one more,” Four said, trying to push himself up into a stand. 

“I said that’s enough,” Warriors held his hands on Fours shoulders, pushing him back down. “You need to rest,” 

“That’s all I do is rest,” Four stated exasperated, “I’m tired of just sitting around all the time,” 

“That’s exactly what you should be doing,” Warriors addressed, his arms crossed. “You’re supposed to be resting to get your strength back.” 

“It’s not helping me do anything. I feel so useless like this.” Four tried to get up again but Warriors stopped him a second time. Kneeling in front of Four as he pushed him back down.

“Will you just-” Warriors breaths in, “Sit, for a second,” He says in frustration that teeters on the edge of sadness. 

“You’re not useless Four-”

“But-”

“No” Warriors stops him with a hand over Fours mouth. “Useless is not being there to help you,” Warriors starts moving his hand off of Fours mouth to hold both sides of his face. “Useless is not being there to protect you, while you were being hurt by some freak. Useless is having companions that leave you to fight alone. Useless is us not being there for three months. Useless is watching you try to stand on your own knowing that we should have done something. That we should have been there. That you’re hurt because we are useless.” 

Four can see the few tears that fall down Warriors face.

“You guys aren’t useless. You didn’t know where we were.” Four responds softly. 

“That doesn’t matter. We’re heroes, we should have figured it out. We looked everywhere and asked so many places and still in the end it was you two that found us. So please. Please. Just rest for a while. Let us take care of things. Let us take care of you, because if we don’t one of us might explode.” 

Four takes a moment and then he falls into Warriors, head in his chest as he muffled out an

“Okay,”.
Warriors held him close, one hand on the back of Four’s head and the other around his middle. 

“Don’t ever think you’re useless. Wear your scars with pride that you won and have lived to tell the tale. Even though it didn’t seem like a fight I’ll assure you it was. And you won. So please take it easy and bathe in that victory while we do the rest.”

“You sound like the old man,” Four says. 

“I may be older than you but I’m not that old yet,” Warriors lets out a wet laugh.

When Four awoke the next morning he was in his bedroll, and had to fight to untangle from the blue scarf that was left there. 

“Ugh,” Four sat on the ground in the middle of all the ruckus of heroes cleaning their weapons and tunics. 

“Why does black blood have to be especially disgusting?” Legend asks.

“Because it has dark magic in it?” Four responds. Legend looks at him from where he stands whipping off his sword. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, 

“Yes,” Four answers exasperated, “You guys are the ones who did all the fighting, I’m fine. See my swords still clean, so you better get yours sparkling.” Four said holding up the mere knight's sword he’d been given by the castle. Smirking at Legend while his sword still dripped oozy blood.

 Legend huffed and turned away, back to cleaning his sword. Four sighed and set his down next to him. 

“Why is everyone always so concerned, I can still protect myself well enough,” Four says. 

“Better you than me,” Wind says, smiling cheekily at Four. “Now you know what it’s like to be the youngest.” Wind turns to walk away. 

Four flops on his back with a groan before yelling back.

“You’re still the youngest!” 

“Shut up!” 

Four knows. He knows that Legend’s been avoiding him. That he’s hardly really looked at him since they’ve all reunited. He knows why too. But Four won’t let him go unchecked. 

“Hey Legend,” Four says. From across the camp Legend turns around, surprised and a little wary. 

“Yes?”

“Could you help me with me stretches and exercising tonight?” Four asks.

“Why? I thought Wars usually did that,” Legend looks even more concerned now, and Four already knows he’s not going to let him out of this. 

“I owe Warriors one, and I figured giving you work would make it even enough, besides I wanted to know more about your blacksmithing skills. Someone has to keep up maintenance on weapons while I’m ‘taking it easy’ to quote Wars.” Four answers. Warriors also adds.

“I believe you owe me one as well, Legend.” 

“What? What for?”

“Cuccos,” Is all Warriors answers before turning away. Four smiles at Legend, obviously Warriors understands where Four’s going with this. 

Legend groans in defeat before stiffly walking over to Four. He doesn’t say anything as he helps him move to a location a bit further away from camp. Four discovered early on that if he practices a bit too close to everyone, they won’t get any work done and will practically be watching him like a hawk. Worried whenever he falls or winces in pain. 

“It’s not your fault,” Four says when Legend sits him up against a tree. Legend looks at him before looking away. 

“I should have known you were going to do this,” He grumbles out. 

“We weren’t even in Hyrule,” Four starts. 

“It shouldn’t matter, this is my time period, my Hyrule, my world, my turn on watch,” 

“You already said they had some kind of magic gas that-”

“That doesn’t matter,” Legend hissed out. “Look at you, you’re covered in scars that are my mistake. You can’t walk and it’s because I couldn’t find you and Time. I can’t even look at you. You’re just a reminder of how I failed” Legend turned away from Four.

There was fire in his words, and it had Four burning for a second, but he couldn’t yell at Legend, because that’s exactly what he wanted.

“I’m not forgiving you,” Four said, and he could see the way Legend’s whole body tensed.

“Because there’s nothing to forgive, but if you need to hear me say the words that I forgive you then I will. But I don’t blame you, nobody does but yourself.” 

“Then you’re all stupid,” Legend says. But Four can hear the shake in his voice. 

“Maybe we are, but I don’t think it’s because of that.” Four says smiling. Legend lets out a weak laugh, before turning around to look at Four.

“I’m sorry,” 

“I know,” 

“I’m so sorry,” 

“Everythings okay,” Four smiles at Legend, “I just want my brother back.” 

Four can see Legend swallow down a sob, but there was no hiding the tear tracks that stained his face. Legend moved and plopped himself down next to Four. 

“I’m sorry,” Legend whispers in finality into the dark. And Four knows this time it’s for what he said, it’s for avoiding him and keeping his distance. Legend’s never been one to be emotional and personal to them, but the heroes have learned that he’s always there even when it doesn’t seem like it. But he’d hardly talked to Four, and that is why he’s apologizing. For taking one of his brothers away from him. 

Legend leaned his head against Four’s shoulder, and Four put his head on top of his. 

“I don’t know how to do the stretches,” 

“I know,”

Now at night, they keep two watches instead of one. Although, that isn’t gonna help much against some sort of sleeping gas.

With two watches, everyone knew that Four always slept next to Time. Even if it was Time’s turn to keep watch. Four would almost always wake up and  follow him to wherever their look out point was. Everyone also knew that it was because of his nightmares. Time helped soothe him whenever he awoke in fear or phantom pain. The two kept it quiet like it was a secret, but everyone knew. 

Four whimpered in his sleep, his breathing became shallow and tears started to roll down his checks. Sky sat next to him, the second watchmen that night. Once Four began to shake, Sky laid the sail cloth over him, and pulled Four up from out of his bedroll effectively waking the younger. 

Sky could see the fear and confusion in Four’s eyes as he let out a silent sob. He took in too quickly of breaths. Shaking as he hugged himself, and Sky followed what he’d always seen Time do. 

“You’re okay now,” He spoke softly, pulling the sail cloth around Four tighter. 

“Everything is going to be okay now,” Sky held Four practically in his lap, but still kept an arms length distance so the younger could come to him if he wanted. Or he could wake Time if he so preferred. 

“You’re safe. No one here is going to hurt you,” Four let out another sob a little louder than before. Four took in a big breath and looked at Sky for a mere moment. Sky could see the redness and the moonlight shine in the unshed tears. Then Four fell face first into Sky, arms wrapping around his middle. He startled for a Sky for a second, then the older reciprocated and wrapped his arms tightly around Four. Rubbing his arms up and down to comfort him. Sky continued to whisper reassurances to Four, and told him to breathe, that they were all there now and things would be okay. 

 Time reached his hand out from where he still laid, Sky grabbed it and held it tight. The two were not alone anymore. And while it was obvious to everyone that Four needed Time, it was equally obvious that Time needed to stay by Four just the same. But they were all together again, and the others would wait, and try their best for the two to trust in them. 

Chapter Text

Once they made it back to Cremia’s village they had a plan to make. 

“Oh come on in, you’re all welcome to a drink if you like,” Cremia said from the porch steps of the tavern. It was late at night, and the place was closed. The old grump couldn’t have kept it open without Cremia around. 

“I was hoping you’d actually be able to accommodate us for a little while longer?” Time asked. 

That’s how Four ended up back in the bed that he laid in for weeks. But this time he had Sky in the other half. And Hyrule on the floor beside him. And Legend on the floor by the window. And Wild on the floor on the other side of Sky near the door. And Wind curled up wherever he could find room. Time sat face in his hands dead asleep in the chair beside the bed. Even though he couldn’t see it, he knows Twilight is asleep just right outside the door. And Warriors is downstairs keeping watch on the front porch. 

Four slept soundly that night. One of the first times in a long time. 

The next morning Time, Twilight, and Warriors headed out. Everyone was a little skeptical of them splitting up the group again. But they needed to get Time and Four’s things back. And Four wasn’t allowed to make the trip through the snow. 

“This is bogus,” Four said from his seat in the tavern. 

“This is how it’s going to be,” Twilight stated plainly. 

“But why can’t we go,” Wild complained. 

“Yeah I wanna teach those punks a lesson!” Wind proclaimed. 

“Because we can’t all go!” Warriors said over their complaints, “The three of us will go and the five of you will stay with Four and help Cremia and her father with the tavern.” Warriors says with some finality. 

“She’s done quite a lot for us so the least we can do is help for a few nights.” Twilight added. 

“‘We’?” Legend started, “You mean us, you are the ones who are skipping town. Which is completely ridiculous by the way cause this is my time period so I should be the one leading you.” 

“This is outside Hyrule, and you’ve never been there before, so no, you’re staying.” Time said before adding “You’re all staying, no discussion.” 

It took them about two days to reach the towering walls of the fortress Time and Four were kept in. But it took them a mere few hours to clear the place. Red blood stained the walls, and bodies littered the floor. 

The heroes might have seen some horrible things in their days, but the three oldest heroes didn’t want the younger ones to see them like this. 

Brutal revenge. No mercy. Once Time found it, he destroyed the place with the Fierce Deity not wanting to leave anything to chance. And that was something he never wanted any of them to see. 

But they killed him, they had hurt and tortured and killed Four. And Time will never get those screams out of his head. 

It took them two days to get back to the tavern. 

Over those four days the tavern's new set of hands had some adventures of their own. 

A crash is heard behind the door to the kitchen. 

“Hyrule, did you drop another plate!” Wild yells from the main floor. 

“It was a mug this time,” Hyrule yells back. The apology was heard in his voice. 

“So you’re the little one that Time and Cremia were always so worried about.” Four was sitting next to a table that sat four older women, all having some kind of needle and yarn. 

“Um, yeah, I suppose.” answers Four. 

“Why aren’t you the cutest thing,”

“Probably just as enduring as Time,” One of the older women moved to pinch his cheeks, Four not so subtly moved away. 

“Well he was enduring until he beat the life out of some guys on the taverns front porch,” 

“What?” Four asked quickly, whipping his head around to look at the man a few tables over who had interrupted them. He could see the other heroes stop in their tracks, all surprised of what the old man said. 

“You really have to stop breaking things,” Four says, putting a bandage over the cut along Wild’s finger. 

“Hyrules broken more dishes then I have,” Wild retorts back.

“It’s not a competition,” Four answers, “At this point I think the two of you are hindering Cremia instead of helping her,” 

“Well I don’t see you doing anything,” Wild tries to defend himself again, but this time he only gets a quick glare from Four. Wild shrinks down. 

“If I could, I would,” 

“Sorry,” Wild starts, “I didn’t mea-” 

“If I could, I would do a much better job than you. In fact, I could do a better job just by sitting here,” Four smirks and Wild takes his bait.

“Oh you’re on, there’s no way!” Wild stands up, slamming his hands on the table, wincing a bit because of his new bandage, then rushes back to the kitchen. 

“Apology accepted friend,” Four whispers after him, “Now, I’m going to kick your ass.” 

Four spent the rest of that evening washing dishes, polishing silverware, and fixing bent forks. At the end of the night, Cremia’s father announced Four as the winner. 

Four sat on the bed next to Hyrule. Who was currently laying his back, feet up in the air against the headboard. The two each had a book in their hand. 

Hyrule giggled before flipping his book around, “Look at this one,”

The book had a picture of a man looking questioningly at a duck. 

“He ate his hat, and now the duck is really mad about being hatless,” Hyrule burst out laughing, Four giggled as he continued “While the man is just confused about why the duck didn’t want to eat the tasty hat himself,”. 

Once they calmed down, Four turned his book over. 

His picture was of a little girl in a dress and a crown on her head, in front of her were two men who were balancing on two chairs. 

“It’s Zelda as a kid- “

“Which Zelda,” Four interrupts. 

“I’m getting there. It’s Zelda as a kid, and the two men depict Ganondorf and Yuga who are trying to impress young Zelda so she gives them the triforce.” The depiction of Ganondorf and the villain Legend described as Yuga balancing on two chairs together had Four almost rolling off the bed. 

“I believe this belongs to you,” Twilight said, holding out the Four Sword to Four. 

“You found it!” Four exclaimed, grabbing its hilt and resting it on his lap.

“Wouldn’t leave without it,” Twilight smiled down at the smith. Four ran his hands over the blade and the hilt. Testing it like it was a fake. But before he even touched it Four could feel its power. The familiar work of the Minish. 

“I also thought you might want this back,” Four looked up to see the bright red, blue, green, and violet of his tunic, along with Zelda’s yellow embroidery. He grabs it in the same hurried manner he did his sword. Checking the hood to see if the familiar weight was scratched at all. 

“The rest of your things are downstairs, if I were you I’d hurry before Legend goes peaking through it all.” Twilight says knowingly. 

Four grips the railing as his feet hit the ground after the last step. And just like Twilight said, the majority of his equipment and things were sprawled out between three tables, Legend, Wild, and Wind inspecting them. 

Four cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” 

The three jumped open hearing him, quickly backing away and obviously pretending like they weren’t pawing at his things. 

“Did you come down here by yourself?” Time questioned from where he sat at a separate table next to Cremia. 

“Um, yes?” Four answered sheepishly. 

All the other heroes let out big yelps and shouts of excitement. Four could feel a weight on his shoulder, and when he looked behind him, Twilight stood smiling. 

They stood on the hill top in some new Hyrule that no ones been to. The wind was blowing around them as Wind controlled it and Wild held a large leaf. Laughter filled the air as wind blew through their hair and clothing. The laughter that always came about when the heroes were together. 

Time won’t ever forget that nightmare. But it was all okay now, because his boys were laughing and giggling ridiculously. The sound of it filled the air, they all danced in the sound and the wind. Especially the happy little jingle when the Hero of the Minish laughs.