Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The snow whirled around them, the icy wind cutting through cloaks and furs and thick tunics alike as if they were nothing more than fine silk. It had been a novelty when the portal first dumped them in the middle of a snowy mountain range. Wind, who had never seen snow before (save for on an enchanted island that he maintained categorically did not count), had been delighted when they first arrived. His joy had been infectious and the Chain had spent a happy hour running around in the snow, throwing snowballs and making snow fairies and building snowmen.

Even when they were finished, they spent a happy ten minutes sprawled out in the snow, panting and warm from the exertion. The view from their spot was incredible, showing nothing but snow covered peak after peak for miles. In the setting sun it was a phenomenal sight, the mountains stained shades of violet and amber and magenta.

Twilight claimed that this world was his and that he knew the way out of the mountains, but it would take a good few days to reach any form of civilization. With the night closing in, they wouldn’t make any progress that night.

Much as the snowball fight had been fun, Wild couldn’t help but feel that they probably should have set out sooner after arriving. There was nowhere to shelter out here, they had to make do with digging as big a snowpit as energy would allow and using their own small tents as windbreaks. The wind and snow was far too fierce for a fire, so instead they had set up their tents together and piled up all of their flame weapons in the middle and set up their bedrolls around it.

It looked cosy. Wild was almost tempted to accept Twilight’s invitation to join him in the cuddle-pile. Almost. But no, he couldn’t. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Chain, he did. He just… couldn’t.

Wild hadn’t known what to expect when he joined the Chain. He wasn’t used to people, had managed to convince himself that living alone as he did was the natural order of things. That he didn’t need companionship in his life. Ever since waking from the Shrine of Resurrection he had kept himself apart from others. He wore a mask as the King’s ghost instructed him, he wore his clothing loose to hide the shape of his ruined body. He was used to staying away from people and had never expected anything to change.

Then nine strangers who shared his soul and called him brother had tumbled into his life. They never pushed him, never judged him for his shy manner or for the glimpses they had caught of the scars that lanced across his body. They just accepted him as he was, mask and all.

It was strange. But… it was nice.

Still, Wild shook his head at Twilight’s offer to snuggle in with him at night and instead dressed himself in his snowquill tunic and curled up into his own bedroll. The enchantments on the clothes may not have kept all of the chill out, but it kept the cold from doing any harm and with his spare flameblade clutched to his chest, he could almost pretend that they weren’t stuck in a blizzard.

…

Almost. It was still colder than Naydra’s nipples out here.

But they managed. Twilight seemed confident in his directions and come the next morning they were up and out again in no time, ready to march onwards. And the next morning. And the next.

Midway through the third day of walking, the excitement of the snow was very clearly wearing thin. Even Wind, who had been resolutely cheerful throughout their hike, was starting to look disgruntled and angry.

If they had been travelling in any way downhill, Wild might have taught him how to shield-surf. Not only would it have lifted the Sailors spirits, it would have gotten them where they wanted to go that much faster. But no, they were travelling resolutely uphill, and worse, the wind was horribly against them.

The wind was the worst part, really. Cold as it was, the wind was biting, cutting through their clothes and freezing them all to the bone. Wild was glad of his rito-down armour and the snow-boots he had scammed off of that creep from the Gerudo desert. The snow was so thick that it came up to the knees of most of the Chain. Four had been forced to give up trying to traverse it altogether and was instead sitting miserably on Time’s back.

“Shelter!” someone shouted over the wind and Wild turned to see wWarriors pointing to a large outcropping of rock up ahead.

It wasn’t large enough to set up camp beneath - it was too early anyway, only a little after midday - but it was enough to provide some temporary respite for the wind. Wild fumbled for his slate as he hurried over to duck underneath it. He had plenty of supplies for them all to eat at least, and had never been more glad of the slate’s ability to keep his food warm.

The Chain all looked at him in relief and gratitude as he passed them over meat and mushroom skewers, steaming in the cold. Thank Hylia Wild had had the presence of mind to make several batches with sunshrooms the last time he had been stocking up on his cooked meals. The skewers were easy for his brothers to eat while all bundled up against the cold, and didn’t require dexterous fingers to eat.

“Th-thanks, Wild.” stammered Spirit, shivering. His normally pale cheeks were flushed red with cold, his freckles almost completely obscured.

Wild gave him a thumbs up and turned his back to the Chain so that he could eat in privacy. Normally he would have gone somewhere a little less exposed, but such a thing wasn’t really possible with them all huddled under one oversized boulder. Instead he stood back to back with Twilight, whose large frame was more than enough to hide him from view as he slipped off his mask to eat. A few months ago such an action would have been unthinkable, but things had changed since then. He’d gotten to know his brothers, gotten to trust them. He knew that they wouldn’t break that trust here.

“This is hell.” he could hear Legend grumble, the Veteran’s chattering teeth audible even from this distance. “That wind’s horrible. I feel like my skin’s gonna peel off my cheeks. Sailor, can’t you do anything about it?”

Wind groaned. “I’ve tried. The winds here aren’t like the winds on the sea, they don’t wanna listen to me.”

“The sooner we get to these friends of yours, Twi, the better.” Four hissed. “I feel like my ears are gonna drop off.”

Wild giggled softly and slipped his mask back on, turning to join his brothers once again. He nudged Spirit, who was shivering beside him.

“One of mine already did.” he signed surreptitiously, and the little engineer gasped, laughing.

“Wild!” he hissed and giggled.

Wild blinked innocently. “Too tongue-in-cheek?” he asked.

“Wild!” he giggled again. Of all his brothers, Spirit was the only one who had seen his face; the scars that cut across it and the gaping hole where his left cheek should be. His face wasn’t something that he normally wanted to laugh about, but the snow had made him giddy and his brother’s expression made it worth it.

“What about you, Wild?” came Sky’s soft voice. “Are you doing okay? In the wind?”

Wild shrugged. To tell the truth, it hadn’t really occurred to him as anything more than a small annoyance, pushing against them as they tried to plough forwards and making them shiver in their cloaks.

“My mask keeps it out.” he admitted, feeling himself flush.

“Ha!” Wind cried. “I never thought of that! Hang on-” he began to rifle through his bag and then made a triumphant noise as he pulled his own mask out, a creation of leaves and other pieces of foliage that had been made for him a few weeks before by a group of enthusiastic koroks. He secured it to his face. “Now we match, Wild!”

Wild felt himself grin. “We match!” he agreed

“That’s actually a pretty good idea, cub.” Twilight chucked, pulling his wolf pelt over his head like a hood. “Don’t suppose you’re up to sharing out any of your spares?”

Wild blinked at him. Twilight… wanted one of his masks? It made sense, in an odd sort of way. After all, they did keep the cold out pretty effectively, he’d literally just testified to that. But he’d never in a million years have thought that his brothers might want to wear one.

No one touched his masks. Not without express permission first, and they certainly didn’t ask to borrow them midway through a hike. But still, something about the request felt oddly normal, for all that he saw Time send Twi a warning glare as he spoke. The old man was always looking out for them all.

Wild felt himself nodding as he tapped on his slate again, searching through his collection. That giddy, mischievous feeling from earlier hadn’t quite left him yet, and he knew exactly which mask he wanted to give Twilight.

Aha!

He pulled it from the slate, carefully removed the rubber ridge from the inside and tucked it away, and presented the mask with a flourish.

“Ta-da!” He managed to say aloud, grinning under his mask.

The Chain immediately burst out laughing. Twilight looked at him flatly. The rancher lifted the mask from his hands and held it at arms length.

“Really, cub?” He asked.

Wild only blinked innocently. “Will keep you warm!”

Twi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know for a fact you have other masks, Wild. Sensible masks.” He protested.

Wild tilted his head. “Well if you don’t want it then-“ he made to take the mask back.

Twilight sighed and snatched it away. “No! Fine. You know what? It’s perfect.” And with that, he pulled Kilton’s homemade moblin mask over his head, felt tongue lolling to one side. When he spoke, his voice was slightly muffled by the patchwork. “Happy now?” He asked, pulling his wolf fur hood over the top.

Wild burst out laughing. Yes. Yes he absolutely was happy. Twilight looked ridiculous, and that was always a good thing.

“Hey Wild,” Spirit asked, nudging him softly “I- can I borrow your korok mask? If you don’t mind? It’s okay if not, I-”

Wild cut him off by pressing the mask in question into his hands, once again having discreetly removed the rubber ridge from the inside. All of his masks had one; it fitted perfectly into the space where his cheek had been destroyed and compensated for the loss so that he could speak normally. Vital as it was for Wild, however, it would just be downright uncomfortable for his brothers and he didn’t particularly want to answer the questions that would come along with it.

“Now you really are twins.” he teased as Spirit gleefully put the mask on. The two boys were similar enough in appearance that it was a common joke and now that they were both in their heavy winter gear and matching masks it would have taken an act of magic to tell them apart.

“Don’t suppose you’ll share any more?” Warriors asked hopefully, rubbing his hands together in their gloves.

Wild looked around his brothers, all of them red faced and shivering with the cold.

…yeah, he could share his masks out. It was weird, sure, but his brothers were suffering in the cold and Wild could actually do something about it.

He nodded and poked at his slate, pulling out the thick, beautifully woven veil that he had bought for cold nights in the Gerudo desert. Lined with sand-seal fur, it covered everything from the tip of his head to near his elbows, leaving only his eyes visible. It was one of the cosiest items that Wild owned.

“Hey!” Twilight shouted. “How come he got the pretty mask?”

Warriors grinned and pulled the veil on, adjusting his scarf so that it sat with it. Both were similar shades of blue and they worked well together.

“Guess I’m just the better brother.” Wars preened as Wild looked around to see if any of his other brothers wanted a mask.

To his amazement, yes, they did. Everyone but Time, who had already donned his Keaton Mask, and Hyrule, who Time had apparently already decided would look best in his Great Fairy mask, were crowded around him. Wild grinned under his own covering and started to pass them out.

Not long after, they set off again into the storm, everyone with their faces now protected from the wind. It had been unexpectedly fun assigning them out; most of his brothers had no idea quite how extensive his collection was and had been amazed by the sheer variety that he withdrew from his slate.

Four was given his sheikah mask, a modified version of the normal headgear they sold in Kakariko that covered his whole face, while he gave Sky his lynel mask, which apparently delighted the Chosen Hero.

Wild hesitated before passing over his choice to Legend, but in the end gave him his snowquill mask. It was one of a kind, made specifically for him in the Rito Village out of soft, supple leather moulded into the shape of a beak and with two strands of braided feathers hanging on either side, each ending with a massive ruby. The mask was one of his most prized possessions, not because of the value of the jewels attached to it but because of the enchantments imbued in them.

Teba, when he commissioned the mask, had of course asked for the standard cold-proofing magic that was natural in the rubies, but had also arranged for it to be enchanted with a magic that would ease the pain that crept into his scars in the cold and soothe the aches in his body. Normally he would have worn the mask himself, but he was already wearing his snowquill tunic and that was more than enough for now. Especially given how stiffly Legend was walking.

“It will help.” he signed, making sure that his other brothers had now turned to get ready to go. He knew that Legend didn’t like admitting that his joints troubled him and had seen the veteran go to slightly absurd lengths to deny he was having trouble. “With the pain. Try it.”

Legend didn’t look terribly convinced, but obediently slipped the mask on. It was hard to tell through all of his many layers of clothing, but Wild was pretty sure that his shoulders immediately relaxed.

“Oh.” he said, and then cleared his throat, eyes flicking up to Wild. “It- thanks, Wild.”

“No problem.”

It wasn’t an easy hike. Frankly, Wild could have happily done without it and was still bitterly disappointed that there was nowhere that he could shield surf, but it wasn’t the worst he could recall in his admittedly short memory. Having his brothers around him made it somehow easier than some of those long, lonely journeys that he had made through Hebra and Lanayru. In fact, there was something about this whole journey that felt familiar, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

Wild frowned, tuning out the sounds of his brothers’ occasional grumbles as he tried to chase the thread of the memory. What had this reminded him of? And what had triggered the feeling? It wasn’t the snow, he’d been in the snow plenty of times before, and it wasn’t the hike.

He hummed to himself, trying to figure it out. There was nothing about this hike that was so very unlike any he had taken before, except, of course, for the presence of his brothers. But that made no sense. After all, he had been alone for his journey, hiking through a snowy mountain with the chain shouldn’t have been familiar.

Unless…

Wild focused on the feeling of his brothers around him. Of their companionship, even when they were all keeping to themselves and grumbling about the cold. That was what felt familiar, but in that strange, distant way that things from before felt familiar. He focused on it as he walked, the sensation of a memory beginning to slip over him-

“WILD!”

All of a sudden there was a strong arm around his waist, jerking him backwards and out of his trance. Wild squeaked at the unexpected contact and on instinct reached up to pull away, but he could already see what had happened. In his daze, he hadn’t noticed that he’d split off from the group. He’d been about two steps away from wandering off a cliff when Twilight grabbed him.

Wild whimpered and scrambled backwards with his brother, now clinging tightly to his arm. Once they were a safe distance away Twi sat down heavily in the snow but didn’t release him. For once Wild didn’t mind - sure he had the remains of Mipha’s powers, but that didn’t mean that he relished the thought that he had nearly plummeted hundreds of feet to his death. He shuddered.

“Cub,” Twilight panted, holding him close. That was the second time he’d called Wild by that name, when had that started?

Wild hummed again, but couldn’t make his throat open enough to speak. Instead he wriggled enough to get his arms free.

“Sorry.” he signed. “Got distracted.”

Twilight made a small noise of disbelief. “Yeah.” he said, his laugh coming out forced. “Sure. Spirits, cub, just don’t scare me like that again, yeah?”

Wild swallowed and nodded, feeling tears prickle at his eyes. Great. Just great. They had been having a good day, he had contributed something to his brothers, and now he’d ruined it with his useless memory. He stared down at the snow as he felt Twilight stand behind him, embarrassed and humiliated.

“Hey.” He looked around and there was Twilight, crouching at his side, his mask pulled up to show that his smile was kind and patient. He held out a hand. “Come on, let’s keep going. You wanna tell me what distracted you?”

Right. Of course. He was with his brothers and they never judged him when he did something strange or unusual. They all had their own quirks too, after all. Just last week Warriors had woken screaming from a nightmare and then tried to stab his own shadow, flickering in the firelight. Four frequently talked to himself, but more than once had veered off from the path when they were walking together, getting into a heated argument with the empty air.

He took Twilight’s hand and let himself be helped up. It was alright. He was safe. He was with his brothers.

Wild shrugged. “Just an old memory..”

Twilight smiled fondly down at him and gave him one last squeeze of a sideways hug before releasing him. “Yeah, that can be pretty distracting. Maybe try and keep your focus, we aren’t too far out now. You can reminisce when we get inside. But Wild-” he paused. “I get it. Just stay close, yeah?”

Wild nodded, grateful even though Twilight did not, in fact, get it. He couldn’t. Wild hadn’t told any of the Chain about his memory problems, namely that he didn’t have any from before a year and a half ago.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. He had a handful of half-remembered moments from the build-up to the Calamity, fragments of his time with Flora. But that was hardly anything really, not in comparison to a full life.

He wasn’t… he wasn’t hiding it on purpose. It just hadn’t come up and it was kind of nice not to be known as the weird amnesia guy. To just have one part of his life where he wasn’t a total freak.

Thankfully, Twi didn’t press him and the rest of the Chain, although they sent a few concerned glances his way, didn’t ask either.

“Don’t feel bad.” Twi whispered conspiratorially to him when he continued to drag his feet. He had now pulled the moblin mask back over his face and was once again looking ridiculous. “After all, Spirit nearly got trampled by a lynel last week ‘cause he was too busy thinking about trains.”

Wild giggled. That was true. He guess they all did have their moments of zoning out.

Twilight sighed beside him. “How the hell did any of us survive our journeys?”

Wild snorted and put his hands over his heart in an expression of mock-piety.

“Blessings of the goddess.” he signed, batting his eyelashes.

Twilight giggled and ruffled his hair and unexpectedly, Wild found himself laughing too. Feeling a little better, they buckled down and continued their slow trudge through the snow, hoping beyond hope that they were nearly there.

-

The shelter that Twilight was directing them towards came into view just as the sun began to dip towards the horizon. Normally they would have set up camp for the night and decided to go to the huge, snow covered house tomorrow, but another blizzard was whipping up and it was set to be another horrible night, possibly the coldest yet. They didn’t even need to stop and discuss their plans; they all knew that they were going to keep walking until they got somewhere warm.

Twi told them that the building was called the Snowpeak Ruins, but as far as Wild could tell the sprawling mansion looked largely intact, just a little old and run down. Better yet, he could see lights in some of the windows and smoke billowing from the chimneys. Whatever state it was in, the building was clearly inhabited and that was good enough for him. More than that - it was apparently inhabited by Twilight’s friends, so it was bound to be alright.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel his chest clench in nerves as they crossed the ornate wrought iron bridge and approached the front door.

“So-” Twi was saying, his drawl thick as he raised his voice to be heard over the snowstorm. “Just so y’all know, Yeto and Yeta aren’t hylian like we are-”

“Jeez, Rancher.” Legend cut across him. “You think we care about that?”

Twilight laughed and held his hands up. “Course not! I just don’t know if any of y’all have met yetis before.”

Wait.

What?

WIld searched through his memory - he’d heard of yetis, he was sure of it, but where? Oh yes! In Koko and Cottla’s picture books back in Kakariko. But the yetis of those stories had been monsters, abominable creatures who ate children and caused mayhem. Then again, the yetis in the stories had lived in forest caves, not old houses. Maybe he shouldn’t be taking all of his information on an entire species from childrens’ books.

Before anyone could ask anything further, though, and right on cue, the front door flew open and a massive figure stepped into view. Standing well over ten feet tall, it was coated in white fur and gleaming fangs protruded from its mouth. It stepped forward as it saw them standing there and… smiled?

“Hero Link!” It cried, scooping Twilight up and pulling him into a massive bear hug. Yeti hug? “You come to visit Yeto, uh? Oh! Wife will be so pleased! Oh!” The yeti looked over Twilight’s shoulder at the rest of them. “And you bring friends, uh? Friends in strange hats!”

Oh yeah, they were still wearing the masks Wild had lent them. Hurriedly the rest of the Chain pulled them off and passed them back to their respective owners as Twilight was finally set down again.

“Everyone,” the rancher said, slightly flushed from the attention the yeti had lavished on him. “This is Yeto. Yeto, these are my brothers. We- we got caught in the storm and were wondering if we could maybe stay here tonight?”

Yeto grinned. “Of course, uh! Family of Hero Link is family of Yeto! I will make good soup, uh, and you can join wife by fire! Get warm again, uh!”

He patted Twilight’s head with a massive, clawed hand and then gestured to them to follow. “Come! Come in, uh, come in!”

The Chain obediently followed them inside, Wild hanging close to the back. He wanted to stay with Twi, but the rancher was up front and speaking excitedly with Yeto and Time, and Wild just couldn’t have possibly joined them. So he hung back, flipping his hood up to try and hide his mask and hoping that he wasn’t going to be asked any questions.

The mansion was massive and while Wild could see why it was known as a ruin, the rooms themself were intact and even cosy. They were led into a grand room full of plush sofas, grand tapestries decorating the walls, and a massive fire roaring in the grate. Despite the room’s size, it felt cosy, and Yeto encouraged them to get comfortable and change into something warm while he fetched his wife.

The Chain immediately spread out and began to strip off their damp clothes so that they could relax. Wild cringed as he removed his cloak, the safety net of his hood lost as he hung it to dry by the fire. But it was soaked through and he couldn’t really justify keeping it on.

At least the room was big enough that there was plenty of space for Wild to change out of his snowquill armour in privacy. There was a large embroidered fire screen standing at an angle from a tapestried wall, so he ducked behind that and began to undress.

He had just pulled off the last of the padded under armour, leaving his chest bare, when to his horror the tapestry behind him was swept aside and who Wild could only assume was Yeto’s wife appeared through a hidden door.

Wild shrieked and jerked backwards, trying desperately to cover himself with his arms and failing miserably. Behind the screen he could hear his brothers reacting to his shout, but the yeti only blinked at him and smiled.

“Oh! Sorry for scaring you, uh!” She reached out and patted his head. Wild felt like he was going to faint. “Husband tells me we have visitors, uh. I come to greet guests, uh, while he makes soup! You call me Yeta, uh!”

She gave home one last beaming smile, apparently undeterred by either his ruined chest or masked face, and stepped around the screen to greet the others. Wild immediately scrambled for his slate and tugged out his champion's tunic, pulling it over his head before anyone else could come through a secret door. Then he stood there for a moment, clutching at his arms, fingers digging into his flesh even through the fabric of his tunic.

It was okay. Sure, Yeta had seen him, but it was only his chest, and she clearly hadn’t registered anything wrong. Maybe she didn’t have much reference for what a hylian should look like. It was fine. It would be fine.

Taking a deep breath, he peered around the screen to the rest of the room. Twilight was by the fire, currently being engulfed in his second massive yeti hug of the night. The rest of his brothers were finishing getting into more comfortable clothes and settling into the plush sofas and armchairs.

He stepped out, looking around for somewhere he could sit. All of the armchairs were taken, the only spaces left were on sofas or loveseats next to one of his brothers. He hugged his chest and shifted from foot to foot, looking around. There was a space next to Warriors, one next to Sky, and - huh.

On a sofa at the other side of the fire, still in the same sodden shirt and tunic he had hiked up here in, was Hyrule. Wild knew that he wasn’t exactly one to talk about looks, but the traveller looked like a drowned rat and he couldn’t have been even remotely comfortable in his wet clothes.

Standing by the sofa, Legend was arguing with him in hushed tones, apparently trying to persuade him to accept the loan of one of the veteran’s spare tunics. Despite the fact that he was visibly shivering, though, Hyrule kept refusing.

Wild inched closer, curiosity getting the better of him. He… he supposed he never had actually seen Hyrule in anything but that same shirt and tunic combo. Even in the cold he had just bundled his thick cloak around him and kept his head down. The others had mentioned that there wasn’t much in the way of material goods in the traveller's world… maybe Hyrule didn’t have anything to change into. But then why-

Oh. Wild looked at what Legend was offering. It was one of the Veteran’s less elaborate outfits so it wasn’t likely to offend Hyrule’s modest sensibilities but… well. All of Legend’s clothes were well tailored and fitted and Hyrule, like Wild, wasn’t exactly eager for others to see his body. Wild knew how thin the traveller was. It was plain to see that he’d never really had enough to eat and while he’d been slowly gaining weight with Wild cooking for them all, he was still significantly smaller than the rest of the Chain. Like Wild he wore modest clothes that were loose and hid his figure, but in Legend’s clothing it would be obvious.

Wild… he could help, he realised with a jolt. He had loads of clothes, and plenty of them were loose and comfortable. Quickly, before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled the hylian tunic from his slate and walked over to his brothers. Swallowing heavily, he wordlessly held his tunic out to Hyrule.

Both the traveller and the veteran looked around at him and he felt his face burn under his mask. Had he misread the situation? Oh Hylia, had he done something wrong? Wild was about to withdraw his hand when Hyrule spoke.

“A-are you sure, Wild?” his voice was small and uncertain.

Wild felt himself smile as he nodded. “It’s loose.” he said softly, his voice crackling from disuse. “And warm.”

Hyrule smiled slightly and accepted the tunic. Legend threw his hands in the air and turned away, scowling.

“Fine! I see who your favourite is!” he scoffed, but caught Wild’s arm as Hyrule slipped past them to go and change in privacy. “Good job, Champion.” he murmured, flopping down on the sofa. “You going to join us?”

Wild shifted. Normally he would never have sat so close to the others, but all of the armchairs were taken, after all. He- he could do this. He’d sat with Spirit and WInd before, and had even cuddled up to Twi once. He could share a seat with Hyrule and Legend.

He nodded and perched on the edge of the sofa beside the Veteran. When Hyrule came back, he found himself sitting between his two brothers, not quite touching but close enough to feel their body heat, to know that they were there. It was… terrifying, yes. But it also felt nice. He trusted Legend and Hyrule. He knew that neither of them would push him.

By the time Yeto came in with their soup, he had relaxed back into the soft pillows of the sofa and was letting his brothers’ chatter wash over him. Hyrule was almost as shy as Wild, sitting quietly back and watching, but Legend spoke enough for both of them, his acerbic, opinionated voice cutting across the chatter.

The soup was unexpectedly delicious. Sure, he shouldn’t have been that surprised; after all, Twilight had said it was good. But Twilight had also said that it contained a pumpkin, cheese, and a thing called a ‘reekfish’, so he hadn’t been the most confident in its taste. As it was, when the food came out he slipped behind the screen again - this time with Twi politely asking Yeto and Yeta not to disturb him - and scraped his bowl clean. When they were all offered seconds, he was only too happy to accept.

Still. For once, he thought that he wouldn’t ask for a copy of this recipe. He’d just leave that to Yeto. After all, he really didn’t want to have to find out what a reekfish was.

After dinner Wild peeked out again at the sitting room, smiling at the sight of his brothers all reclining, contented, in their seats. Across the room, Hyrule caught his eye and grinned, waving him back over. Wild felt himself relax just a little and returned to his brothers, contentedly curling his legs up under him as he sat between them on the sofa.

Yeto and Yeta had mournfully explained that almost all of the bedrooms were too badly deteriorated for them to rest in, so they would have to set up camp in the living room for the night. Given how warm and comfortable the room was, no one would have dreamed of complaining and they all had already set out their bedrolls or laid claim to various items of furniture. Wild himself had set his bedroll on the ground behind the largest sofa and would head over there in an hour or two when they all decided to settle down for sleep.

Yeta, however, seemed to have a different idea.

“Hylian boys are too skinny!” she announced as she bustled into the room holding what looked like every blanket in the house.

Wild looked around from where he had been listening to his brothers chatting, the heat of the fire and his full belly making him feel heavy and content. Beside him, Hyrule had already drifted off to sleep and was gently snoring, his head resting on the back of the sofa.

But now Yeta had marched over to them and before they could say anything, she dumped the entire pile of blankets on Wild and Hyrule. She smiled, tucking the layers in around them while Wild was still too stunned to move, bundling them securely together in a warm, soft cocoon.

“There now!” she chirped. “You will be warm now, uh? Too skinny! Need many blankets.”

She patted them both on the head and then turned on her heel, walking out.

Wild blinked after her and then tried to wiggle his arms. Nope. There was no escaping. Wild felt his breath catch in his throat. Oh no. He couldn’t panic now. It would be okay, his brothers wouldn’t leave him like this, unable to get out-

Hyrule snored.

Wild blinked and looked around. The traveller, it seemed, had slept through the entire thing and was still contentedly snoring away.

Around him, the Chain burst out laughing, all clearly struggling to keep their voices down to not wake their sleeping brother. Meanwhile, Hyrule, clearly comfortable in his bundle of blankets, hummed in his sleep and rolled over, snuggling up against Wild.

The Champion suppressed a squeak of alarm and from the corner of his eye saw Twilight jump to his feet.

“Don’t!” he heard himself whisper before he could even think it through. What was he doing? He didn’t want to be stuck like this, unable to pull his arms from the blankets, did he? But Hyrule looked so peaceful, dozing like this, and it seemed like a shame to ruin that. “You’ll wake him.”

At his side, Legend cackled.

“Why Wild, you’ve gone soft.” he teased, shifting into his field of vision. “Here - I can loosen the blankets for you at least, yeah?”

Wild swallowed and nodded. He would very much like that, and sat very still as his brother carefully undid Yeta’s tucks. The blankets loosened and Wild breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the tight bindings relax. At his side, Hyrule hummed contentedly and cuddled in closer. Legend snorted and met his eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he checked, eyes flicking over to Hyrule now happily sleeping with his head in Wild’s chest and his hair curling into his face.

Wild couldn’t help but smile a little. Yes, strangely. He thought that he was okay with this. He was warm and comfortable, and now that the blankets had been loosened his earlier panic was rapidly fading. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by people, despite his brother literally lying on top of him, for once he didn’t feel frightened or trapped.

“All good.” he whispered, getting himself comfortable in his blankets. The warmth and the drowsiness was starting to take over again and he could see himself happily dozing here, just for a little while.

It would be fine. After all, they’d move to their bedrolls soon, he could sit like this until then. It was warm and cosy, and the weight of Hyrule gently snoring on his chest was oddly comforting.

It was fine. He would just rest his eyes… and just… keep… breathing…

An hour later, as the rest of the Chain moved to get into their bedrolls, Twilight stepped over to Legend and inclined his head to the sofa.

“Should we move them?” he asked, glancing down. Hyrule and Wild had sprawled out across almost all of the sofa by now and were cuddled up close. They had both wriggled free of Yeta’s cocoon in their sleep, and Hyrule was still burrowed into Wild’s chest, snoring softly, while the Champion had curled protectively around his brother, his mask buried in his hair.

Legend snorted. “And ruin that pretty picture?” he grinned. “Nah, here, get me a blanket to cover them and Wind’s pictobox.”

Twilight nodded and was half turned to go when he paused, frowning and looking around at him.

“Wind’s picto- why?”

Legend snorted, picking up one of the fallen blankets and tucking it carefully around his two brothers.

“Twilight, my brother in Hylia. I want to remember this moment forever.”

Chapter Text

Leaving the Snowpeak Ruins was an unexpected delight.

The next morning had dawned bright and fresh. The blizzard that had plagued them over the last few days had finally subsided and Twilight cheerfully told them that it would be safe to head down the mountain. And, he added with a mischievous glint in his eyes, they would be at the settlement at the mountain’s foot by lunchtime.

Wild wondered at this. Sure, he knew that he could get down mountains easier than most, but as far as he knew, only one or two more of his brothers had anything even approaching a paraglider. Unless…

Wild grinned under his mask and quietly swapped his normal shield for his ancient one, all the better for surfing with. Just in case.

Regardless, awakening that morning had been an… experience for Wild.

He was used to solitude. To having privacy when he slept. The closest he had to someone else snuggling up to him before this journey had been the cats on the Great Plateau, who on cold nights would mewl at his door until he let them in and made space for them in his bed. But this morning he had woken up on a sofa rather than his usual bedroll, his limbs tangled up in Hyrules and his brother snoring softly against his chest.

What the- how the-

Oh right, last night. Yeta and the blankets and being comfortable. Had he really fallen asleep like this? Now, with the morning light filtering through the curtains and his brothers beginning to stir around him, it seemed unbelievable.

Careful not to wake Hyrule, he had wriggled free to find some space to freshen up and see what breakfast he could produce for his brothers. He needn’t have bothered - no sooner had he smoothed down his tunic and re-combed his hair, Yeta and Yeto bustled in with a vast platter of eggs, bacon, magnificent smoked fish, and a mountain of bread and preserves. It smelled heavenly.

It was a comfortable, pleasant way to spend a morning. Much as Wild loved to cook - and oh, how he loved to cook - it was a nice change to be able to lounge about and not have to worry about either preparing food or cleaning dishes.

And then they set off. While it was still icy cold outside, the wind had vanished and the sun was bright, so there was no need for anyone to borrow a mask again. Instead they all bundled up once more in their now dry clothes, Wild opting for the snowquill set and mask, and followed Twilight to a steep, snow-covered ledge.

The rancher was beaming as he turned to them.

“Okay everyone! Get out your shields, you can sit on them as sleds and we’ll get down in no time! Or… if you want to have a bit more fun, I will be surfing on mine.” He rested a foot on his shield and Wild felt a surge of excitement. “There’s a number of ledges to stop on as we go down, so we can meet at each one and check up on each other, yeah?”

Wild grinned and nodded vigorously. Around him, his brothers were uncertainly positioning themselves on their shields. Some were sitting, Time and Legend among them. Others, like Sky and Warriors, were grinning and getting ready to balance on their shields. They didn’t particularly look like they knew what they were doing, but hey, that was how you learned, right?

“Let’s go!” Twi shouted and took off down the hill.

Wild immediately sped after him, easily flipping onto his shield and crowing with delight at the feeling of wind in his hair. Twilight was clearly good at shield surfing, but Wild was better and easily caught him up, weaving around and then surfing ahead of him backwards, just to show off.

He waved.

“Damn, Wild!” Twilight shouted over the rush of air, laughing.

Wild gave him a thumbs up and turned, dashing down the rest of this section of slope, throwing in a liberal amount of tricks and fancy moves too. Just to show off.

Twilight pulled up beside him a few seconds after Wild stopped, and shortly thereafter the rest of them on increasingly unsteady sleds. Those who had stayed sitting were all in one piece, but the four who had attempted to surf - Warriors, Sky, Wind, and Hyrule - had all clearly taken more than one tumble and had more fallen than surfed down the slope.

“Do you think,” Legend said drily, “That maybe you should all try not standing up this time?”

“Nope!” Wind beamed. “Wild, Twi, I nearly had it there! Show me what to do!”

Wild exchanged a glance with Twi, who shrugged and looked at Time. The old man sighed.

“I can’t stop you.” he said.

Twi grinned. “Alright, idiots, anyone who wants to learn how to surf come right up!”

Twenty minutes later, Wild and Twi were moderately satisfied that none of their newly acquired students were going to actually fall off a cliff, and they set off again. Although a few of their brothers fell now and then, they made it through the next few slopes without incident. Sky and Wind especially seemed to have taken to surfing, while Hyrule, Warriors, and Four, who had been talked into giving it a go, seemed to be struggling with their coordination. In that they had none.

Oh well, Wild thought. Not everyone could be an expert on the slopes.

As they made it to the lower half of the mountain they reached a long, mostly straight slope. Sky, red faced in the cold but grinning nonetheless, bounced up to Twi and Wild.

“Guys! You two should race down!” he said.

“Yeah!” Wind agreed. “You’re both so fast, you should totally race!”

“I’m not sure-” Warriors began to say, but was cut off, of all people, by Time.

“My money’s on Wild.” the old man said calmly, a grin flickering on his face.

Legend scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh please, it’s Twilight for sure.”

Wild glanced around at the Rancher and found that Twi was grinning at him expectantly. Wild nodded. Okay. He could do this. And he was going to win.

Bye bye, Twi. Sorry, Legend, this was yet another bet you weren’t going to win.

Wild got into position beside Twi and listened carefully as Spirit counted them down. Hyrule was busy teasing Legend about an outfit he should change into, something about leading them in cheer, but Wild couldn’t focus on that now. He had a race to win.

He took off as soon as Spirit said go, leaning into the wind and feeling himself cut through the air, faster than any of them could ever hope to achieve. Twi was good - better than Wild had expected, if he was honest, but he wasn’t as good as the Champion. Wild had learned to surf from Telmie and he knew what he was doing.

Halfway down he glanced over his shoulder, but Twi was nowhere near him. He was going so fast he was practically flying.

He… he could afford to throw in a few trick moves. Just for fun.

Wild swerved away from the main slope, to a snowy outcrop of rock that had essentially become a miniature ramp. He leaned forwards, making himself into an arrow as he raced towards it, up it, and soared off the other side. Whooping in delight, he somersaulted through the air before landing still well ahead of Twi and building speed by the second.

He was going to win. Even if he stopped and walked now, he was going to win!

Sorry, Legend. Maybe someday you’ll win a bet.

Wild leaned forwards, gaining speed and-

Ozone crackled through the air. Wild realised what was happening only a fraction of a second before the portal loomed into life in front of him. It wasn’t enough time. Wild didn’t even have a chance to focus and slow time around him as he so often did in battle. One moment he was surfing down the mountain and the next-

The blackness of the portal swallowed him whole.

Twilight watched in horror as the portal appeared directly in Wild’s path. He gave a wordless howl as his brother vanished from sight and leaned forwards, all thoughts of safety thrown out the window. This was no longer a fun race between friends, it was a race against time. Already he could see the portal starting to close up, could feel the tug of a new one forming a little further up the slope, closer to the rest of his brothers.

They were going to be split up. It was unavoidable. But Twilight wasn’t going to let Wild be stuck on his own, it simply wasn’t an option.

The portal was getting smaller but he could still make it. Shouting with exertion, Twilight pushed himself off the ground and leapt through the closing portal.

Weird as portals felt stepping through them normally, this was just bizarre. Twi squeezed his eyes shut against the pressing strangeness, until all of a sudden it was over. Cold air was rushing against his face and he opened his eyes a second before he slammed headfirst into a grassy slope.

Shouting in surprise, Twi threw out his arms to try and slow himself down before he could tumble into the river at the base of the hill. He skidded to a stop a few feet away from the water, battered and exhausted but thankfully dry.

The same could not be said of Wild. He had still been on his shield when he went through and had clearly overshot the hill entirely before landing in the river. Twi saw with a bolt of panic that Wild was struggling against the currents. He tried to rack his brain- had Wild said if he could swim or not? Yes, he had definitely said that he could, but his many thick layers that had been sensible on Snowpeak that morning were now fighting against him, absorbing the water and weighing him down heavily against the tide. He was nearly at the edge, but he was still clearly struggling.

Twi leapt to his feet and sprinted to the water’s edge, wading into the frigid river and grabbing his brothers’ hands, dragging him onto dry land.

Wild made a spluttering sound as he fell to his knees. Something was wrong. More than just how he was shaking and shivering with the cold, it was like he couldn’t breathe, choking and shaking and hacking-

His mask. The water was trapped inside of his mask, the little slit for breathing nowhere near big enough to actually let it all out and likely blocked with sand and grit.

Wild was squeaking in alarm, his hands fluttering to the straps of his masks but then flicking his eyes up to Twi in fear. Twilight acted on impulse, flipping Wild around so that he was facing away.

“I won’t look, just take it off, it’s okay.” He promised quickly.

Wilds hands were so cold that he fumbled with the clasps, but eventually he managed to undo them and rip off the mask. If Twi had been uncertain about whether or not it was the right thing to do, he was vindicated by the splash of water that hit the ground with the motion. Wild coughed and spluttered, gasping in deep breaths of air as Twi gently rubbed his back.

The immediate crisis may have been averted, but Wild was still absolutely sodden and shaking like a lead. Twi pulled the wolf pelt from his own shoulders and wrapped it around his brother’s back as he coughed.

“Get it all out.” He murmured, “It’s okay. I’ve got my eyes closed, okay? Just take your time.” It was true, he had squeezed his eyes tightly shut and would keep them like that until Wild told him otherwise. Sure it was a little unusual, but if it meant that he could help his brother then it was worth it a thousand times over.

Wild whimpered and, unexpectedly, turned around and buried his head in Twi’s chest.

“Yhoo came ahfter me.” His whispered, his voice oddly distorted, but Twi wrote that off as being due to the cold leeching into his scars.

Twi ruffled his brother’s sodden hair. “Course I did. Not gonna let you have all the fun.”

Wild chuckled wetly and then pulled back, turning away. After a few moments he quietly told Twi he could open his eyes, and Twilight looked to see that he had changed back into his normal blue mask.

He was still shivering and Twi began to look around for somewhere to shelter. Bingo - there it was. A massive tented structure a few hundred feet away, with a massive, vaguely bizarre representation of a horse’s head on top, billowing smoke from the nostrils. Twi had seen these before, back when they had first gone to Wild’s world. Before they had met their newest brother these places had been their main source of information. They were stables for travellers to stop at. Unusual, sure, but incredibly useful.

Twilight took a deep breath. Wild hadn’t said much about his own era, but there had to be a reason he was so skittish. They had no choice, though: Wild had to get warm, and soon.

“Wild.” He said softly. “We need to go to the stable, okay? Get warm and wait for the others.” Sky could find them no problem, with the Master Sword he could dowse for anyone. They just had to stay put.

Wild glanced in the direction Twi was pointing and seemed to shrink in on himself, but didn’t try to resist. Together they hefted up their shields and began to make their way across the field. The grass was dotted with ruins and a number of strange metal structures. Twi thought that looked kind of like upturned urns, with strange, protruding limbs arching out of them. He would have like to investigate them further, but Wild cringed away as they passed one and they didn’t really have the time to stop. Twi made a mental note to maybe have a look later.

The stable was fairly busy when they arrived and Wild shrunk into Twi’s side, hands clutching at his tunic. Twilight grit his teeth, hackles rising. He didn’t know what to expect here, but he wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt his brother.

As he strode up to the man at the desk he noticed someone take one look at Wild and turn on his heel, running off into the stable. Great. Twi put an arm around Wild’s shoulders, holding him close. He could see around him that everyone was staring at them.

“I need a bed.” He said, his voice barely more than a growl. He knew with his size and the marks on his face and the way that his teeth were a little sharper than they should have been, he cut an intimidating figure. Normally it was an irritation but right now he was glad of it, and was using it to his full advantage. “The most secluded one you have.”

The stablemaster gave him a long, hard look, and for a moment Twilight feared that he might be turned away. But then his eyes flicked down to Wild and softened.

“Your normal bed is still in the rafters, Jeremy’s just gone to make it up now. In the meantime there’s space at the back for you to warm up. Will your… friend need accommodation?”

Wild nodded, lifting his hands to sign but finding that with a mix of cold and nerves he couldn’t say anything coherent. The stablemaster nodded and inclined his head towards the back of the tent.

Okay. Well, that went better than Twi expected. The people here clearly knew Wild and had somewhere for him to rest, somewhere that he knew. Wild found a shadowed corner at the back of the tent and looked around nervously. It was still an exposed spot, in clear view of everyone else.

“You need to change.” Twi said softly. “I know you don’t want to, but you’re soaked. You can wear my spare tunic again if you want.” He knew that Wild liked his tunic, oversized and soft and gentle on his scarred skin when it was inflamed with cold. “You can stand behind me, I won’t let anyone disturb you.

Wild glanced around and nodded slightly, swallowing. Before he could move, though, the stablemaster and one of the women in what looked like the stable’s uniforms came over. She was carrying a large screen, big enough to hide both Twi and Wild from view if they wanted, and he was holding a small wood burner, more than enough to heat them back up after their chilly morning.

“Jeremy will be a bit.” The woman explained, smiling at Wild fondly. “You know what he’s like about his bedlinen. You should be warm enough with this for now.” She pressed a hand crocheted blanket into Twilight’s hands.

“T-thank you.” Twi managed, bewildered. She patted his shoulder and looked back at Wild.

“I’m glad to see you making friends, Link.” She said and left them in privacy.

Twi looked around at his brother, who had flushed to the tips of his ear with embarrassment. He smiled, passing him the tunic. “Want a hand getting those wet things off?”

Twilight did end up helping, the clothes too wet and Wild’s hands shaking too badly to steadily undress himself. Twi had seen the scars on his chest before, knew what to expect and it was probably only this that meant that Wild trusted him enough to let him help. Still, it was a shock as ever to see the ruin of his torso, twisted and puckered with scars, oddly lopsided where it looked like a bite had been taken from his side, ribs missing and violently pink.

Twi swallowed and forced himself not to stare. “You should put on some salve.” He said instead. “My scars get sore after a cold dip, and they’re a lot smaller.”

Wild hummed but obediently pulled the jar of salve from his slate, hesitating before offering it to Twi. The rancher smiled and obediently helped Wild put it on, carefully massaging it into the areas of his back that he couldn’t have reached on his own.

When he was done and had slipped into Twi’s spare tunic, he glanced up at his brother. “Do… you want some? For your scars?”

Twi felt his heart melt. His arm was itching and starting to ache, the cold of the last few days having wreaked havoc on it. He nodded.

“That would be great.” He said, slipping his tunic off one side. Now bare, the thick loop of scarring around his left bicep was clearly visible. “Thanks.”

It took a lot less time to put the salve on his own scar, but the relief was instant. Damn, this was good stuff. He’d need to get the recipe sometime.

Speaking of- he glanced over and saw his brother studiously not looking at the scar. He smiled.

“Got my arm chopped off.” He confided. “About ten minutes into my journey. It was fine, a Light Spirit jammed it back on like thirty seconds later.” He paused, frowning. “I also may have been dead for a few seconds, but the Light Spirit helped there too. I was in her spring, see, she just kind of fixed me up and told me to get moving. Yeah… maybe don’t tell Time about that one.”

Wild’s eyes were wide at the admission, but he still giggled as Twi pulled his tunic back on.

“I-“ he whispered, his voice croaking but no longer shaking quite so much with cold. “I’m missing a toe. On my right foot. From- from shield surfing too hard. With bombs.”

Twilight snorted. He knew that he should probably be concerned by this, but honestly? They all had injuries that weren’t so much heroic as they were dumb. And this was the first time he had ever heard Wild talk about his body without a trace of hatred in his voice.

He grinned, passing Wild his pelt to wrap himself in once again.

“One time I didn’t secure the Master Sword properly when I was riding Epona.” Twi heard himself say. Was he really going to tell this story? No one knew about this, no one but Midna and she was sealed an entire realm away! “It slipped and stabbed me in the ass. I still have a massive scar on my right buttcheek.”

Wild gasped. “Me too!” He blurted and then shrank into himself, neck and ear flushing. “I was camping and rolled over in my sleep. Right buttcheek, big scar.”

Twilight burst out laughing. “What are the chances? Maybe it’s a Hero thing: you’re chosen by the Master Sword and then she slices your ass open. I wonder if Sky has one?”

Wild giggled and then looked up as a shadow appeared behind the screen, knocking softly before stepping around. It was the woman from earlier and beside her - the man who had fled at the sight of Wild? Twilight felt his hackles rise again.

“Jeremy’s got your bed ready now hon.” She said.

The man- Jeremy, apparently - grinned. “I got some new throw pillows! And put in a few hot water bottles cause you looked like you crawled out of the Hebra plunge. “

Had… had he fled when Wild appeared not out of fear, but in order to start making up a bed for him?

The woman patted his arm in thanks and then looked at Twilight.

“Will your friend need a bed too?”

Wild shook his head. “No.” He said softly. “Twi can come up.”

Twi felt a flush of pride at his words. A few months ago Wild would never have agreed to let him come into a private space with him. The very notion would have been inconceivable. But now here they were, walking past the softly smiling woman as they headed to a lone rope ladder leading up into the rafters of the tent. Twi could see that boards had been slung across a few of them to create a makeshift second floor. Was this… all for Wild?

Twi was glad to be allowed to go with his brother, if only because Wild was still so weak and shaken from his icy plunge that he needed help getting up the ladder.

But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he finally made it up. This was no mere stable bunk, and it suddenly made sense what had taken Jeremy so long in making it up. The bed was massive, piled with pillows and blankets and so wide that even Time could have lain across it sideways and still have room to spare. Twilight stared at it, slack jawed, as Wild crawled in and under the bedclothes. He was a small guy already and looked even tinier in the vast bed.

Twilight barely knew what to say. He blinked. “Jeremy really does like his bed linens.” Was all he could think of, feeling rather stupid.

Wild chuckled, but his heart wasn’t in it. He was clearly shivering again, exhausted from the climb and still cold to his bones.

Twilight paused. If it was any of his other brothers he would have snuggled in against them for warmth, but he wasn’t sure how well Wild would take that. Yes, he had already supported him over here, had helped him with his scars, but his brother was still skittish and shy and Twilight didn’t want to overstep.

Besides, he thought with a smile. He had a better idea. An idea that would help his brother warm up faster and maybe show him how much Twilight understood the trust that he had been shown.

He swallowed. “Hey, Wild?” He began, suddenly nervous. “I- I wanna show you something. If it’s too weird just say and I’ll change back, but I - well, you’ll see. It- it’s a secret. Only Time and Ledge know, and Ledge only by accident.”

Well, here went nothing. He reached under his tunic and gripped the shadow crystal around his neck, letting the twilight wash over him and -

Transforming was strange. It didn’t hurt any more, it more felt like changing into an old, well worn and comfortable pair of trousers. His senses heightened, became sharper and he felt his body change, lean muscles rearranging to support four legs as fur grew and his snout lengthened. The final touch, a silver shackle around his left wrist, and it was done.

He looked up at Wild, more nervous than he had expected, and saw that his brother had sat up in bed, his eyes wide behind the mask. He held out a single shaking hand.

“Twi?” He asked aloud.

Twilight boofed in response and shyly took a step forwards, pressing his head into Wild’s uncertain hand. Wild gasped at the touch of his fur and began to pet his head, slow at first and then more eagerly. Normally Twi might have shaken off such lavish attention, but if anyone deserved to pet him it was Wild.

Besides. It kind of felt nice.

“You’re a wolf.” The kid croaked. “A real wolf.”

Twi boofed again and cautiously took a step forwards onto the bed. When Wild didn’t object he padded across the sheets and flopped down across Wild’s lap, snuggling up against him. Wild shifted to accommodate for him and pulled another blanket over them both, resettling his hands on Twi’s back and carding through his fur.

“You’re so soft.” He whispered. “And warm.” He paused. “You- you don’t need to stay up here you know. If you want to go outside and run about or explore or, or talk to people. You don’t have to s-stay with me.”

Twilight whined and looked up at the sudden change of tone. Wild wasn’t looking at him, his eyes damp with tears. Well that wouldn’t do. Twi wasn’t entirely sure where such vicious self doubt came from, but he wouldn’t stand for it, not in his brother.

But what to do? With anyone else Wolfie would have got up in their face and licked their tears away, maybe booped their nose with his own. He could hardly do that with Wild!

Still, he had transformed to keep Wild company, to give him someone to snuggle up to who was less intimidating than a hylian. Twilight whined and pushed Wild into a lying position with his front legs, curling up across his chest and burying his head against his neck. When Wild didn’t seem to mind the proximity he settled, letting his massive body relax.

Slowly, Wild’s skinny arms wrapped around him again, fingers twisting into his fur. His shaking had stopped now as he slowly began to heat up.

“Th-thanks, Twi.” He whispered, lowering his head and resting it against Twilight’s. It was the biggest show of trust Twi had ever seen from him, more than he had ever expected. And sure, Twi was less of a threat to Wild’s mask now that he didn’t presently have opposable thumbs, but it was still significant.

Safe in the cocoon of blankets, Wild wrapped up like a burrito with an extra side of wolf, they both ignored the fact that it wasn’t yet noon and drifted off to sleep.

Wild was so comfortable and groggy when he awoke that at first he wasn’t sure where he was. He lay there against something impossibly soft and warm, trying to figure out what had happened. He had been staying with the Yetis… and then there and been the race… and then- oh!

He sat bolt upright, the wolf resting it’s head on his chest - Twilight, that was Twilight, his brother could turn into a wolf - slipping and awakening with a yelp.

He was in the stable. In the bed that Bedlinen Jeremy had made up for him in the rafters. Hylia, what must they have thought of him, showing up soaking wet and freezing! Why could he never do anything normally? This was why he hated coming to the stables, he was too different, too other. At first he had been so scared of using them at all, exposed and public as they were, and then when the stablemasters accommodated him, built him private spaces and made allowances he felt terrible for putting them out, for making extra work.

Beside him, the wolf that was Twilight whined, clearly sensing his growing panic. He butted his head into Wild’s arm.

Okay. It was okay. He was spiralling, but he could get a handle on this. He was here now. Tasseran and Sagessa and Jeremy had gone out of their way to accommodate him and that was okay. It was kind and he’d make sure to leave them a big tip. And - ha. They must have had the the shock of their life when they saw him arrive clinging to Twi. His poor brother was lucky he hadn’t been interrogated within an inch of his life by the staff.

He breathed deeply, in and out, and ran a hand absently through Twilight’s fur. It was okay. He was okay.

Then, distantly, a familiar voice sounded. “…just looking for our brothers, wondered if they had been through here?”

Time! Twi had clearly heard it too as he pricked his ears and stood, looking around. All of a sudden those strange, angular shadows surrounded him again and then there was Twilight, sitting on the bedsheets and looking around.

“Guess that’s my cue to turn back.” He said, offering Wild a lopsided smile. “You- you won’t tell-“

Wild shook his head. “Promise.” He whispered and meant it. He wasn’t sure why Twilight would want to keep such an amazing skill a secret, but he supposed that his brother had his reasons. And to put that much trust in him- Wild was honoured.

Twi grinned. “Alright, then, I’ll go down and tell Time we’re alive. Sounds like your friends are giving them the runaround.”

Wild couldn’t help but laugh softly. Tasseran was unerringly kind, and would doubtless go out of his way to deny that Wild had ever been there.

Twi slipped down from the loft and Wild heard the sound of intakes of breath and shouts of recognition as his brothers saw him. So the whole Chain was here, then. Bolstering his courage, Wild scrambled over to the edge and poked his head over to see his brothers - yes they were all there, perhaps a little tired and bedraggled but unharmed and safe. He breathed a sigh of relief he hadn’t known he was holding in.

“Hi, Wild!” Wind called, beaming and waving. Wild waved back, a little self conscious as he knew that the other stable residents would be watching them like hawks. “Twi says you fell in a river!”

Wild nodded and began to scramble down. He was right, everyone was watching them, although they at least all had the manners to try and hide it. That was fair. They were a heavily armed bunch after all, and it wasn’t often that newcomers came through here. That, and it was even rarer for Wild to come through here, and certainly never with people.

“I’m glad to see you both alright.” Time said, patting Twi’s arm and offering a smile to Wild. “We landed at a village a short distance from here, Kakariko. I’m glad we found you so quickly.” He paused, glancing at him. When he spoke again, he had lowered his voice. “This is your era. Isn’t it, Wild?”

Wild nodded and looked at his feet, shifting to stand closer to Twi. He had known, of course, that he would end up back here at some point, but he hadn’t been prepared for it to be so soon. He didn’t really know what to do, what to say.

“We can worry about next steps tomorrow.” Came Warriors’ voice. “ Do you think there’s any more beds available here? Or if we can get dinner?”

Wild looked up and smiled. They didn’t have to make decisions now. His brothers were going to stay here for the night and they weren’t asking questions. It was okay.

“I can cook.” He signed. “Tell Tasseren you’re with me, he’ll give you beds.”

Twi turned and smiled down at him, and then to Wild’s shock, ruffled his hair. He squeaked in surprise and saw Tasseren look over in alarm, but it was okay. He giggled. “Meat and rice bowls okay? Twilight, you want red meat?”

Twi kicked him. Wild kicked him back and headed over to the cookpot. To his relief, no one else was sitting around it at that moment and he could happily start pulling out his ingredients without worrying about brushing up against somebody or worse- small talk. From where he sat he could see his brothers talking to the stablemaster, a lot friendlier now that he knew they could be trusted.

He could hear them chatting and laughing, and when Twi came and joined him by the campfire he didn’t flinch away.

Over him loomed the duelling peaks. Nearby was kakariko, and hateno only a day further. Beyond the mountains was the ruin of the castle and the beginnings of the new town that Flora was starting to build.

But he didn’t need to worry about that now. He was safe. He was with his brothers, and whatever they did tomorrow, for now he was safe.

Wild smiled as he finished his cooking and waved to his brothers that it was ready, beginning to plate it up.

Tomorrow was a frightening unknown, but tonight he had good food and his brothers around him, and a ridiculously comfortable bed to sleep in.

Tonight, it would be alright.

Chapter Text

Ever since arriving back in his native era, Wild had been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He woke up the next morning and found himself in his loft bed, with Twilight - once again shaped like a wolf - curled up into his side. Down below his brothers were all happily burrowed into their beds in the main stable, there was no mistaking the sound of Hyrule’s snoring, even from up here. Everything seemed peaceful and calm and Wild couldn’t bring himself to trust it.

He didn’t completely avoid stables. He couldn’t have, not with how far his journeys took him. They were too important for supplies and information, as waypoints to stop into and listen until he figured out where he needed to go next.

He didn’t stay, not at first. He’d lurk around the edges to try and overhear useful gossip. Then he cautiously bought supplies from Beedle when the merchant strolled up one day and introduced himself. Little by little he got used to visiting the stables, to registering and picking up horses, to quietly asking the regulars he knew for information and thinking nothing of quietly going out of his way to solve their various problems. Take out a monster camp here, collect some bugs there, rescue some lost travellers; he had the ability to solve these problems so why wouldn’t he do so?

But he didn’t sleep in a stable until halfway through his journey, too nervous to do anything more than occasionally use the cookpot. He’d tried to avoid staying overnight for the longest time before Beedle had caught him camping under Kakariko Bridge during a particularly vicious storm. The Merchant hadn’t taken no for an answer and Wild, tired and cold and sodden, had finally agreed to come to the Stable for the night.

Slowly, little by little, he had grown used to renting a bed in the stables. Despite his constant fear that everything would change and he would be shunned for once and for all, it hadn’t happened yet. The people he was getting to know were kind, and much as he wasn’t sure whether he really deserved their kindness, he was grateful for it.

Wild groaned softly, rolling over and away from the furnace-like heat that Wolfie was giving off. He could hear voices talking softly down below and absently tuned into what they were saying. It was a guilty pleasure of his, listening in on others’ conversations. They always seemed so natural when they spoke, in a way that he could only dream of emulating. Besides, he had got some of his best information this way on his journeys.

Wait. He knew one of those voices.

Was that… Time?

Wild’s attention now fully grabbed, he shuffled to the edge of the loft and inclined his head to hear better.

“-has somewhere to stay. We weren’t sure when we first met him.”

Someone laughed softly - Tasseran, maybe?

“No, he doesn’t come here often, but we always keep his bed ready just in case. The kid’s done a lot for people around here, even long before he brought down the Calamity. By the time Beedle finally managed to drag him inside, we’d had a bed set up for him for months. Jeremy - the lad who tends it - his family worked in the castle before everything was destroyed. He still had some genuine royal linens in an old trunk, dug them out for our local hero.”

Wild blinked. Was that… true? He ran his hands over the bedcovers he was still wrapped in. They were incredibly soft, with an extravagant, beautiful design woven into them. Had Jeremy really given him the royal bedsheets? It didn’t sound real.

“I’ll be honest with you, son.” Tasseran continued abruptly. “I don’t know the kid well. He comes around sometimes but he’s skittish as anything and never hangs about long. Young Link doesn’t trust easily, but for some reason he seems to trust you and your friends. I don’t know what you’ve done to earn that, but don’t treat it lightly. He’s a good kid, There’s a lot of people would hate to see him hurt.”

Wild blinked, barely daring to breathe as he listened. Why on earth was Tasseran saying this? It didn’t make sense.

“I understand.” Time’s voice said. “He- we care about him. A lot.”

Behind Wild, Wolfie groaned as he woke up and transformed back into Twilight, lazily lying across the bedsheets. Wild turned, blushing furiously from the conversation he had overheard, and pulled back, away from the edge of the loft. His head was reeling and he wasn’t quite sure how to process any of this, so maybe he should just set it aside for now.

Yes, that sounded good. Very sensible and healthy.

“Okay, Cub?” Twi asked sleepily.

Wild nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Twi didn’t seem to mind and instead yawned again, stretching as he pulled himself upright.

“’Mmgonna head down, see who else is up. Don’t stay up here too long, yeah? We’ll need you to navigate.” he smiled softly and ruffled Wild’s hair as he clambered past, half stumbling his way down the rope ladder.

Wild whimpered quietly and for a moment buried himself in the sheets. The royal sheets-

Oh Hylia, he couldn’t do this! He couldn’t go down there and face these people who somehow thought that he was someone worth caring about! From what he’d just heard, the people of the stable had gone out of their way for his comfort, not just set him up in a spare bed they happened to have up here. They actually cared about him and Wild couldn’t bear that, not after how badly he had failed them all those years ago.

But no. He couldn’t stay up here, hiding away. He was a supposed to be a damned hero, for goodness sake! He owed it to them to keep going, even if his stomach churned at the thought.

Sighing, he loosened his mask enough to comb back his hair into a braid and then tightened the straps again. He could do this. Just one step after another.

Heart hammering in his ears, he slipped down to the stable proper.

A few of his brothers were awake, not just Time and Twi, but Legend and Four and Warriors too. They greeted him with a chorus of sleepy ‘good mornings’ as the stablemater waved to him and told him that the cookpot was free if he wanted it.

Yes. Yes, that sounded good. Wild nodded silently and headed over to the pot, already pulling ingredients from his slate. Mushroom omelettes and coffee sounded nice, everything you needed to set you up in the morning. And some bacon on the side. Just in case.

As he began to cook his brothers began to settle around him, drawn in by the scent of bacon and coffee. No one got too close, they all knew him well enough to keep a distance, but Wild still had to force himself not to shift away regardless. They didn’t mean any harm, he told himself. It was okay. These were his brothers. He trusted them.

Wild forced himself to breathe slowly. He was just nervous. After all, they were going to ask him what direction they should head in and much as he wanted to lead them deep into the woods and the wilds for which he was named, he knew that there was only one real option.

Hateno.

It was more than a day’s journey away, longer than it would take to visit Kakariko and the Sheikah. But Hateno was where they had to go. It was where Flora lived, and Wild knew that he owed her an explanation. After all, he’d left several months ago with nothing but a brief message sent to her own sheikah slate and no further explanation. He couldn’t imagine what she must have thought.

He had no idea what he’d say when he saw her.

…He’d figure it out.

No one said anything when Wild slipped back up to his loft to eat his own portion. He was doubly glad of the privacy today, his stomach twisting and nervous at the thought of visiting Hateno. The town itself was wonderful, with its farmers and its river and its simple way of life. Something about it felt comfortable, like it was home. Bur that was a terrifying thought, and Wild had long since given ownership of his little house there to Flora. He could never have lived there comfortably, not with so many people so close, not when he needed privacy so desperately.

In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to finish his omelette, and tucked it back into his slate. Maybe he’d pick at it later but honestly, Wild knew himself well enough to know that he probably wouldn’t.

At last, he slipped back down to find his brothers packed and ready to go. Sky turned to him, grinning.

“So where to, Wild?” He asked as if it was the easiest thing in the world. “This is your era; you’re in charge. Back to Kakariko?”

Wild shook his head, shifting from one foot to another. Of course the others would expect to go to Kakariko, that was where they had come from, after all!

“Other town. Nearby. Hateno. Flora’s there.” he kept his signs short and sharp, not trusting himself to say anything further.

“We’re gonna meet your Zelda?” Wind exclaimed. “Aw fuck yeah!”

Time sighed heavily. “Sailor.” he said. “Please. For once.”

Wind made an obscene gesture and hiked his bag onto his shoulders. Wild pushed down his nerves and moved to the head of the group, pointing across the field to the just visible ruin at the other side.

“Need to go through Fort Hateno - half a day’s walk. Path is this way.” he inclined his head towards the track.

The Chain exchanged glances and honestly? Wild didn’t blame them. He had gained the reputation for wandering off the path wherever they went and was more likely to advocate for a more direct route across rough terrain than to follow a winding but easier road. This wasn’t an ordinary route, though. On this occasion, there was no way that he was going to stray from the path. Not here. Not on Blatchery Plain.

“Stay close.” he added, making sure that everyone could see. “And don’t go near the statues.” he nodded towards the decayed form of a guardian nearby. Even broken down and covered in moss, the sight of it and his heart skip in fear.

In theory the end of the Calamity had seen them all deactivated, of course, but Wild would never truly trust that. Flora and the Sheikah were currently working their way across the continent, dismantling them one by one and Wild could not wait for the day when the last of them was finally destroyed.

Time smiled down at him, lightly cuffing Wind about the ear when he protested that they were going the long, boring way. “After you.” he encouraged and Wild nodded, setting off down the path.

Hylia, he hated crossing Blatchery Plain. Even before regaining the memory of his death, the place had felt somehow twisted and wrong, and everything about it was too familiar. He always felt like he was on the brink of recovering another memory when he passed by the ruins and the destroyed machines. He wasn’t ever sure what might trigger the feeling, but with the knowledge of all that had happened here, he dreaded what that memory might be.

Still, he had a job to do, so he balled up his fists, ducked his head down, and led the Chain along the path. It was an easy track to follow with few obstacles, so they made good time. Before the sun had reached its zenith, they found themselves approaching Fort Hateno, the mighty bulk of the ruin towering above them. Wild swallowed. It was impressive even in its current state, and he wouldn’t have blamed his brothers if they asked him what it was. What it had been. What had happened here.

Hylia, he knew it was cowardly, but he didn’t know if he had the courage to tell them about the Calamity. About his failure, how he had left the people of his era to suffer while he slept. If they asked, he had no idea what he would say.

No, he couldn’t think like that. If it happened he would deal with it then. As it was, they were nearly there, and the worst part of the journey was over.

Wild could feel a memory tickling at the back of his mind as they approached the gate. The plain was always a difficult place to traverse and today it was nigh on impossible. The closer he got to the Fort the stronger the feeling grew, buzzing over his thoughts and insistent. He was too tired, too stressed, and he couldn't hold it off for much longer-

"Hey, Wild, are you alright?"

He blinked blearily, looking up at Time. He was only half present, the beginnings of whatever memory this was clinging onto his mind like a fog. He was half in the memory too: there was shouting... and fire and...

"Hey, hey, Wild, stay with me. You look exhausted, we'll stop for a break soon, just keep going for a bit, yeah?" Time had taken his shoulder and Wild was too dazed from the beginnings of the memory to shake him off.

"Mmhmm." Wild hummed.

Time laughed softly. "You really are tired, aren't you? Okay, talk to me a bit so you stay upright until we find somewhere to camp, yeah. So what's the story with those statue things?"

"Mmm?" Wild blinked slowly. "They're guardians…"

Time paused for a moment, and then all of a sudden Wild heard him begin to shout.

"SPIRIT, WIND, GET OFF THAT THING!"

Wait. Wild blinked, coming back to his senses. He'd told Time a few weeks ago that guardians were the things that gave him his scars... and if Time was panicking now-

Wild spun around, suddenly very alert. There, only a few feet off the path, Spirit and Wild were climbing a guardian.

He felt his heart rush into his throat.

"GET OFF! GET OFF NOW! GET OFF!" The scream tore out of Wild’s mouth without any active thought. It definitely got the twins’ attention, and everyone else besides: none of them having ever heard him shout before.

Wild ignored the shocked looks he was getting and sprinted towards the twins. They were both hanging off of the guardian, Spirit looking sheepish but Wind looking petulant.

“We just wanted to look.” the sailor protested. “Spirit saw oil leaking out of this one and we wanted to see how it works!”

Wild had reached them by now and grabbed an arm in each hand, yanking them off of the guardian and to the ground. They both shouted in protest at the rough treatment, but Wild ignored them as he processed what Wind had said.

Guardians did not have oil. They didn’t need it. But Wind was right: this one was leaking some sort of black, viscous fluid, not quite the same but similar to the thickness of oil.

Almost like blood.

The Guardian lit up. They were out of time.

Wild tightened his grip on his brothers’ arms and ripped them backwards, shoving them behind him.

“RUN!” he screamed. “Get behind the fort, GO!”

He held up his shield - thank Hylia, it was still the ancient one he had pulled out for surfing - and drew an ancient short sword from his slate. In front of him, the Guardian’s laser was darting about as it found its target, its long legs shuddering to life as it shifted to find a better, more offensive position.

Behind him, the Chain hadn’t moved and the Guardian had registered them as additional targets, its laser flicking between them.

No. No, it couldn’t. Wild reached into his slate and pulled out an ancient arrow.

“Time!” he shouted. “Get them out of here!” he drew back his bow as the laser settled on Hyrule. He would not allow this to happen.

He let the arrow loose and behind him Time finally snapped into action.

The arrow nailed the guardian in the eye and knocked off its targeting for a few precious seconds. Wild whistled and sprinted in the opposite direction from the Chain to try and lead them away. By the fort, Time and Wars were trying to usher their brothers to safety, but with very little effect. Sure they worked together and listened to each other, but the Chain were not a disciplined company of soldiers. They were Heroes, and they weren’t used to the idea of retreat.

They wanted to stand their ground. They wanted to help, but all they were going to achieve was getting themselves killed. Wild could see it as plain as day.

“PLEASE!” he pleaded. “You’re making it worse! GO!”

That seemed to do it. Finally, his brothers darted behind the wall. Wild threw a rock at the guardian to distract it as they went, keeping its attention firmly fixed on him.

It finished charging up its laser. For a moment there was silence, save for the hammering of his own heart. Then the eye exploded and the blast shot out towards him. Wild forced himself to stand his ground as he felt that familiar, terrible heat race towards him. Distantly he heard his brothers scream in alarm, but he forced himself to ignore them and focus only on the fight at hand.

Instead, he parried at the last moment, his arm and shoulder screaming in protest at the force of the blast. The Guardian reeled at the reflected attack and Wild took advantage, racing forwards to hack at its legs. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a few of his brothers dash out again but pause as they saw that he was still standing, still fighting.

Something was wrong. Normally when he cut off a guardian’s leg it knocked out its tracker for a moment and gave him time to fight on while it recovered. Now, though, it fixated on him once again and its countdown was rapidly shortening.

Wild moved as fast as he physically could, finishing hacking off the third leg and then throwing his shield up once again at the last moment. This time, with the blast so close his arm screamed in protest and his shield shattered into a thousand pieces. Wild cursed, tossing the remains aside and firing another ancient arrow to knock it back.

This thing was far too tough. WIld was exhausted, but there was nothing that he could do but fight. He set into a rhythm, hacking off two legs and then nailing it in the eye again. Finally he incapacitated the thing, but it was still alive.

He fished for another arrow but found to his horror that there were none left. Okay. So be it. With a scream of rage, he ran up the body of the guardian and began to hack at it, praying to anyone who would listen that he could kill it before it finally charged its blast.

He slashed and slashed and slashed, barely able to see through his rage and terror, hearing only the countdown to the explosion.

Wild stabbed. The countdown ran out. He was out of time and had no shield left to protect himself. In desperation, he hammered one final time and braced himself for the blow-

It never came. Beneath him, the Guardian shuddered and then slumped, smoke leaking from between its plated armour.

Thank Hylia.

Wild stood there for a moment, unable to loosen his grip on his weapon, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. He only moved when he felt a soft hand on his elbow, jumping away and shrieking in alarm, as he raised his weapon.

It was Hyrule. Sweet, soft, gentle Hyrule, his face creased in concern as he held up both hands, showing that he was unarmed. Slowly, Wild forced himself to relax his grip on his weapon. It fell to the ground with a clatter, blade vanishing harmlessly into the hilt.

“It’s okay.” Hyrule whispered, his eyes wide and face pale. “It’s over. You won.”

With a start, Wild realised that he was crying. When had that started? He whimpered and suddenly crumpled to the ground, curling into a ball. Hyrule quietly sat beside him, not touching but close enough to be a comfort.

“Are you hurt?” the healer asked softly. “That blast must have knocked your arm.”

“Knocked his arm?” came Legend’s voice, disbelieving. Wild looked up to see the rest of the Chain standing a few feet away. “I thought he’d bloody well blown himself up! Twice! Lolia’s tummy tucking support pants, Wild, what the hell was that thing?”

Despite himself, Wild found himself giggling wetly at the curse.

“Guardian.” he signed. “Black blood.” he hissed and winced as his shield arm protested the movement.

That was clearly enough for Hyrule, who seized Wild’s hand and began plucking out the remaining splinters from his ruined shield, healing as he went. He worked his way silently up the arm, and in five minutes it was good as new.

“Thanks Rulie.” Wild whispered, finally standing but still staring at his feet. He couldn’t bear to look at his brothers, not after he’d led them so close to danger, to a horrible, hideous death. “S-sor-”

“WILD!” Wind shoved his way to the front of the Chain. “Wild I’m so sorry!” he leapt forwards and grabbed Wild into a hug, the champion too stunned to try and escape.

Spirit trailed behind him, his lower lip trembling and his face streaked with tears.

“It’s all my fault, Wild! I knew you said to s-stay on the p-path but I didn’t luh-listen! I g-got too distracted by the m-machine thing and then yuh-hoo had to suh-save us and you got hurt and it’s all m-my fault and I’m so sorry!”

Wild blinked at them both, astounded. Why the hell should they feel guilty? He was the one who had been distracted by that damned memory, who hadn’t properly explained the dangers here!

Absently, he patted Wind’s head and wriggled away.

“Glad you’re safe.” he signed, and then to his relief was rescued by Time putting a large hand on each of the twins’ shoulders.

“Boys.” he said calmly. “I think we’ve all learned something today about listening to Wild’s instructions. Let’s give him some space now, yeah?” he gently but firmly sent them on their way and then smiled softly at Wild. “You were incredible out there. I’m so, so sorry that we put you in that position.”

Wild shuffled his feet, unsure of what to say.

Time took pity on him. “Do you want to stop for a break? Or keep going?”

Wild shook his head. “Keep going. After this is easier. Only weak bokos. We can be at a good camp by nightfall.”

Time nodded. “Sounds good. Let me know if you need a break, though, okay? A fight like that’s nothing to sniff at.”

Wild nodded but took up his place at the head of the group once more without any further comment. With the large breakfast Wild had made them that morning, no one really needed lunch and Wild’s stomach was far too knotted to even think about eating, so they all walked on without complaint. It was a lot less threatening, hiking between the Cliffs of Quince, and little by little Wild felt his body begin to relax.

As the sun began to set, Hateno appeared on the horizon. They weren’t going there tonight, however. Wild wasn’t sure if he could have handled that, arriving as the lamps were being lit and everyone was settling down for the night. People would want them to come in, to sit down and join them at their hearths rather than talking outside in the fresh air.

No, instead he took them to the right, to the small looped path that ran beside Lake Jarrah, and the old, tumbledown woodsman's hut half hidden between the trees.

It wasn’t much. Barely more than the hut he had lived in on the Great Plateau, but it had a bed and a cookpot and a door and that was enough. Wild had fixed a lock on the door so that he could keep spare clothes inside without worrying that animals might get in, and only he and Flora had a key. It… wouldn’t be big enough for them all to sleep inside, but it was a good base.

Wild drew the key from his slate as they approached the front door, frowning. It looked oddly maintained around here, as if someone had cut back the overgrown grass and pulled the weeds. Flora, maybe. She liked to garden, and this was as good a place for her to practise as any.

More than anything, Wild was eager to get inside and sit down, so he ignored the recently tended garden, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Oh.

Oh, okay.

The inside of the hut had been transformed. The wooden walls and floors were sanded and varnished, gleaming in the sunlight streaming between the floral curtains of the newly glazed window. The half-rotten bed had been removed, replaced with a new one with crisp sheets and plump pillows. To one side was a desk fully supplied with pens and paper, and nearby an actual stove built into the inside of the house. A rug was spread across the polished floorboards, thick and sumptuously soft.

For a moment Wild hesitated, wondering if he’d been away for too long, if someone else had moved in. But no, there was his spare mask on the side of the desk, and there on the bedside table was a small framed photo that was achingly familiar.

Flora had been here and… decorated. No, not decorated, not really. More, had made it into more of a house. Somewhere he could actually stay. Live, even.

For what felt like the dozenth time that day alone, Wild felt tears bud into his eyes. Swallowing heavily, he stepped inside, unwilling to let his brothers see his shock. Instead he slipped his boots off - he couldn’t bring himself to dirty that perfect floor or that beautiful rug - and crossed over to the bed. He sat, looking at the picture on the bedside table.

He’d had such mixed feelings when he recovered it. The Champions, Zelda, and him as he was before. Seeing the photo was the first time he’d seen his own face, smooth and unblemished. It was strange to see, but try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to hate it. It was a sweet picture, and one of his very few happy memories. He felt himself smile softly as he looked at it.

“Who’s that?”

Wild jumped. He hadn’t noticed Hyrule sitting next to him, peering over his shoulder.

His brothers were all in the little hut now, standing in the doorway or sitting on the desk or the floor or the edge of the bed. They all looked at him eagerly, and Wild found himself swallowing. He could have shaken his head and put it away… but no. He wasn’t going to hide his old friends from them.

So instead Wild told a story. He passed the picture around, letting them all have a look as he told them about Daruk the Strong, Urbosa the Mighty, Revali the Proud, and Mipha the Gentle. He told them of their powers and dedication. He told them of the Princess Zelda, Flora, who strove to access powers that seemed eternally beyond her reach. He told them of the Champions’ brave battles and terrible murders. He told them of Flora’s final unsealing of her own powers, of how she battled the Calamity back into the castle and finally sealed it away. He … he didn’t mention himself.

“Wait-” Wind said as he passed the picture back at the end of the story. “You didn’t say anything about the boy. Who’s that?”

Wild swallowed and looked down at the picture. Everything about the boy staring back at him was different, his face, his hair, how he held himself, even how he wore his tunic. Wild looked up and took a nervous breath. The tension in the room was sharper than a knife.

He tapped himself on the sternum. “Me.” he signed. “Before. Long time ago.” his hands were starting to shake so he busied himself putting the picture back in its place as his brothers took this in.

For a beat there was silence, then, it was Legend who spoke.

“Thanks for telling us about your friends, Wild.” he said quietly. “I’m sorry you lost them.” then he turned to the others, standing and putting his hands on his hips. “Okay, idiots, Wild can’t cook with you all blocking his stove. Everyone outside, help me set up a good campfire. Wild, you need anyone to help you in here?”

Wild shook his head, suddenly incredibly grateful to the veteran. He always seemed to understand the value of time alone in the quiet, and was brusque enough that he had no problem sending the others away when it was needed. Legend nodded and shooed everyone outside, giving one last significant look to Wild before shutting the door and leaving him in peace.

Finally. Privacy. Real, actual privacy and a door he could lock. It had been so, so long.

Quietly, Wild crept to the door and peered through the keyhole. Everyone really was busy outside as they went about their business. Wild sighed in relief, drew the curtains across the window, and crawled into the soft sheets of his bed. After a moment he wriggled and undid the clasps of his mask, setting it carefully onto the bedside table before burying his face in his new pillows.

He allowed himself a few minutes of bliss before he had to get up and make dinner. It had been so long since he had been able to lie in bed without a mask on. It felt good to have his scarred skin exposed to the air, to bury it into the bedlinens and just rest.

He may have lain there longer than intended, dozing quietly and slowly unwinding. No one attempted to disturb him, and when he finally stood to start on dinner, he left the mask off. It was a novel experience, clattering quietly around maskless his own little hut, humming - well, not humming, that required being able to fully close his mouth, but vocalising - softly to himself as he put the dinner together for his brothers. It was quite unlike the first meal he had served them, nervous and uncertain on the Great Plateau.

Cooking was a meditation for Wild. In fact it was almost like an act of prayer, taking the simple ingredients that he had gathered from the world around him and making them into something greater than the sum of their parts. Turning plain meat and rice into something delicious, making Goron spice palatable and taking the flavour from rock salt to enhance his foods. Yes, he was a swordsman and apparently he was a hero, but he never felt more like he was part of the Chain than when he was making them dinner, even alone like this.

Wind liked having extra fruit and green veg in his meals, while Time would try to secretly pick the greens out of his food and preferred simpler dishes. Wild had learned quickly that it was better to chop Time’s vegetables up fine and to tempt him in with cheese.

Sky couldn’t handle strong spices, having grown up away from the surface, while Hyrule had the sweetest tooth Wild had ever seen. Twilight loved red meat and pumpkins and while Four would eat pretty much anything, his favourites changed on a dime. Legend delighted in the most elaborate, experimental meals Wild could produce and would try anything once, while Spirit took a practical view of eating, making sure he always got exactly the right balance of foods to support him through the day. Warriors, meanwhile, for all that he acted and looked like a fancy castle knight, had been born and raised on the street and was grateful for every meal given to him.

Making these meals that fed and sustained his brothers, quietly making each individual portion a little different and suited to each individual needs, it was how Wild gave back to the Chain. It was meditation, the movements of cooking, the smells of the food, the careful consideration of what little changes he would make for each brother.

By the time he had finished, he was more settled than he had been in weeks. He was calm as he fastened his mask back onto his face and quietly opened the front door.

His brothers looked around as he stepped out, and smiled. Hylia, when Legend had said they were going to set up a campfire he’d really meant it. The fire blazed in its stone ring and they had even cut down a few trees and rolled their trunks over as makeshift benches. Bedrolls were set neatly out, but blankets and pillows had been set in the ring of seats around the fire to make a cosy sitting area.

Wild passed out food to them all, cucco pilaf with pomegranate and pistachio. It smelled heavenly and Wild was happy to duck back into his hut - but leaving the door open this time - to eat his portion. After everything that had happened that day and having barely touched his breakfast, he was ravenous and devoured both his own meal and some of the leftovers.

No one questioned, when he went out again, why they were staying here for the night and not going into the town. They just let him find a space between Twilight and Legend, neither apart from the group nor too close to anyone either. Someone had suspended a pot over the fire and it was full of some liquid that smelled spiced and fruity and warm.

Wild couldn’t lie. His heart clenched for a moment as he worried that he hadn’t fed them well enough, that they were cooking something more without him. But no, Legend then ladled the liquid into mugs for each of them and passed them out to them all, Wild included.

The Veteran gave him a smile and passed over one of the straws he had made for the Champion, that tapered at the end to fit into the breathing slit in his mask.

“It’s hot.” he cautioned. “Don’t drink too fast.”

Wild couldn’t help but grin as he accepted his mulled wine and sipped through his straw. It was hot, but he didn’t mind that he burned his tongue. He was with his brothers, sharing a drink and listening as they laughed and joked. He didn’t mind that Twilight wrapped his pelt around his shoulders. When Wind ducked down and hugged him as he passed, he didn’t try and squirm away.

“To Wild!”

Wild looked up with a start at the frankly bizarre toast, certain he had misheard. But no, there was Warriors, his cup raised in the firelight and a broad grin on his face. “Slayer of the Metal Beast and the origin of Time’s grey hairs!”

The Chain laughed and Legend stood. “Long may he not be blown up!”

“Or fall in more rivers!” added Twilight.

“Or be horribly injured!” Hyrule giggled.

“To Wild, for rescuing us!” Wind cheered and Spirit whooped him on.

“And for making us all food.” Four added

“Food that actually tastes like food!” Sky added

“To Wild for being Wild!” Time finished as they all beamed at him.

Wild stared as they all took a drink, cheering him on. Hylia, he was glad of his mask, as he was certain he was blushing redder than a strawberry. Twilight bumped shoulders with him and patted his back and Wild squeaked in embarrassment, turning his head and burying his mask into Twi’s shoulder.

Twilight laughed and squeezed his arm.

“You were incredible today.” the rancher murmured. “Thank you for getting us here safely.”

Wild wasn’t sure if he could blush any deeper as he looked up and saw his brothers all looking at him. This was bizarre, he hadn’t done anything special; in fact he had led them into danger, and tried to protest this to the Chain. But they weren’t having it.

“Nope!” Legend cried. “Sorry, Wild, but that shit today was incredible. You parried back an explosion. I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“Yeah and you saved our lives.” Spirit added.

“So.” Sky picked up. “We’re all going to drink a toast to you. And you’re going to let us. And then we won’t bring it up again cause we know you don’t really like attention. And we’ll have a nice night and maybe a bit more wine, and then we’ll camp out here and you can sleep in your hut and have a nice bed for once. And you. Are going. To like it.”

Well. That was Wild told. He wasn’t going to go against Sky’s orders, he knew how fearsome the godslayer could become when he was crossed.

Swallowing heavily, he pushed back his guilt and nerves and let the warm buzz of the wine and the night overtake him. He smiled, overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of his brothers, and sipped his drink.

Around him, his brothers chatted and laughed and teased and once or twice Wild even joined in, tentatively adding his own two rupees or cracking a joke. Then, one by one, his brothers began to drift off to sleep and wild quietly picked his way over to his hut. As he went he paused and turned, catching Twilight’s eye.

He felt bad, taking the whole place for himself, but he knew his brothers wanted to give him space. Still, when he inclined his head to Twi, brother smiled softly and followed him inside, transforming into a wolf once he was out of sight of the camp.

Sure, Wild couldn’t take his mask off with Twi around, but he had done that earlier. There was a comfort to the warmth of his brother in the bed next to him, comfortable and companionable. Despite everything, the lure of privacy was outweighed by the wish for company, and maybe it was the wine but for once he didn’t feel too nervous to ask for it.

As he curled up in his bed, Twilight draped beside him and rumbling softly as Wild ran his hands through the soft fur, Wild felt blessed.

Chapter Text

Wild was warm and comfortable, the bed linens soft and the mattress comfortable against his skin. Somewhere in the night Wolfie had snuggled in beside him under the thick blanket and Wild had his hands buried into his pelt, could feel a soft, damp nose nuzzling against his neck. He had never thought that he would let one of his brothers this close to him, and while in his Hylian form he might have had second thoughts about Twi cuddling up to him, as a wolf he just… felt safe.

Distantly, something thudded, loud and insistent. Wild groaned and buried his head deeper into the sheets, feeling Wolfie’s fur stick through the eye-holes of his mask. He was tired and was so very comfortable. He just wanted to sleep, just for a little bit longer.

The thuds sounded again, closer now as Wild shifted unwillingly towards consciousness.

“...ild! Wild!”

He groaned and rolled over towards the wall, pulling the pillow over his head to try and block out both light and sound. Unfortunately, he was not the only one awakened by the very impertinent noise, and he felt the weight at his side move as Twilight shifted back to a hylian.

“Mmmpt.” the rancher grumbled eloquently. “Ugh. Wild, what time is it?”

Wild did not want to know what time it was. He wanted to sleep. But, alas, it seemed that this was not to be. Irritably, he cast about for his slate and flicked it on, squinting at the harsh brightness of its screen.

“Five thirty.” he whispered, voice croaking with sleep. FAR too early to be awake. Disgusting.

Twilight groaned and the thumping came again, thud-thud-thud, on the door of the hut.

“Wild! Twilight! Come on, there’s a portal!”

That was Sky’s voice. Ugh, Wild didn’t want to-

Wait. A portal? Only twenty minutes’ walk from Hateno, a portal?

Wild sat up with a jolt and looked around. Was it bad if he was relieved? That he wouldn’t have to go into the town after all, or face Flora and her house - his house, the house that he had given up - and explain what was going on?

Grumbling, Twilight crawled out of bed and straightened with a yawn. “I guess we need to head off. Hopefully we don’t have to fight on the other side of the portal, I’m beat.” he laughed, running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “Or that we have to be presentable. I don’t know about me, but your hair looks like a bird nested in it.”

Wild felt himself flush, but refused to let himself take the playful jibe as anything more than the joke that was intended. Instead he grabbed one of his new pillows - white linen embroidered with brightly coloured flowers - and threw it at the rancher, then rummaged about for a comb.

Twi laughed and ducked out the door, and Wild could just hear him saying “Okay, okay, we’re coming, Wild’s just extracting himself from his pillows.” before it closed.

It didn’t take him long. Less than five minutes later Wild had his hair neatly braided back, the bed made and smoothed down, and had slipped outside again, locking the door tightly behind him. After a moment of hesitation he had left a note on the desk for Flora, apologising for missing her, explaining that portals came and went and he had to go where they said.

He paused and then wrote that the hut was incredible. Thanked her for everything. Apologised again for not telling her in person. For not having the courage to go directly to her the previous night.

Then he added a note about the previous day. About finding an active guardian, infected with black blood. He told her to be on the lookout. To not let her guard down, even for a second.

He didn’t have any arrows left and his ancient shield was broken, but he pulled his ancient bow and sword from his slate and left them on the desk. Just in case. He hoped that they would be useful to her, but hoped even more that she wouldn’t need them.

The portal wasn’t far from the hut, set between two trees and floating gently. Time sent him a sympathetic look as he emerged, brows furrowing.

“I’m sorry, Wild. If I could give you time to go up to the town-”

“It’s okay.” Wild signed. “I left a note. Let’s go.”

He had also, as he left the hut and locked the door, sent out a pulse on his slate. Not a message as such, but a small ping to Flora’s matching slate. It would tell her that he had been here, in the hut, and he knew that she was probably already hurrying down to investigate. Good. The sooner she heard about the guardians the better, and no matter how fast she ran, he would be long gone by then.

The portal shimmered in front of them and Wild steadied his breathing. He hated these things, they always felt horribly tight and sticky against his scars, for all that they were wide and empty and eternal. His skin crawled for hours after every jump, prickly like he was covered in ants.

Wild took a deep breath and stepped through with his brothers, bracing himself against the chill of the portal. It didn’t take long to get through, at least, away from the gentle green forest and onto the hard packed gravel of somewhere much more neat and regulated.

Wild blinked at the sudden rush of sound from all around him and squeaked in alarm, reaching for his sword on instinct. He was in some sort of courtyard, a towering structure - a castle, a real whole castle, intact with people and flags and everything - hulking over it. The yard was full of people in armour and soldiers garb, swords clashing, orders being shouted, people chattering.

He loosened his grip on his sword and instead moved in closer to Twilight, unsettled by the sheer number of people around him. He had known that his own era must have been like this once, that he himself had been used to such an environment. But for all that it seemed to tickle something at the back of his mind, this was foreign to him. Too many people, too many sounds. He didn’t like it.

“Aw, yes!” came Warriors’ voice from the head of the group. “Everyone, this is my era! We’re in the castle, this is the training yard!”

When Wild peered around, the Captain at least looked elated. As far as he knew Wars hadn’t been back to his own era in a long time and had sorely missed it. Well, at least this was a nice experience for one of them.

That said, their sudden appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed, and while the majority of the yard continued on with their business, too far out and too busy to see the portal, a few of the closer groups had turned towards them and drawn their blades.

Thankfully, Warriors was completely unphased by the attention and waved cheerfully at the commanding officers, apologising for his sudden appearance and waving off any questions with a nonchalant explanation of ‘official business’. More amazingly - people seemed to accept this and began to go back about their business. Wild could only dream of ever having so much ease with his words. Only a few lingered, apparently people from the captain’s own company eager to catch up with their old friend.

Wild, on the other hand, was decidedly uncomfortable. The buzzing of the memory in the back of his head was getting louder and for all that the soldiers around him had nominally gone back to their training, he still saw the curious glances they sent to their group and the double takes they made when they noticed his mask.

He pressed closer in against Twilight’s side and tried to focus in on what Warriors was saying to them rather than on their surroundings. The buzzing in his head was getting louder and it was almost impossible to push it down. He’d had two aborted memories in the last three days and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold this off.

Not here. He couldn’t have a memory now, not out in this training yard in front of everyone. He needed to push this one back, just hold it back until he could get somewhere private, just a little longer-

Nearby, a drill sergeant shouted “ATTEN-TION!” and Wild could do nothing to stop the memory from washing over him.

-

Legend stifled a yawn as Warriors finally finished his conversation with his old friends. Don’t get him wrong - he got it. The Captain had fought a war with these people and now hadn’t seen them in months. It made sense that he was happy to see them again. It was just that it was still very much before six in the morning and not everyone was a damn morning person!

“Okay!” Wars turned to face them, smiling. “So we’re gonna head in and see Artemis, and then we can go lie down for a bit in our normal rooms. Sound good?”

Ugh. Personally, Legend would have preferred to go directly to the comfortable bed he used in this era, but yeah. Sure. He could make this work. Sighing, he fell into pace with Hyrule and made to follow the Captain into the damn castle. The sooner they got this over with the better.

“Wild?”

Legend turned at the panicked note in Twilight’s voice. The rancher was standing in front of the Champion, waving his hand in front of his face as if trying to get his attention.

Wild-

Wild was just standing there.

No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t just standing there. He was standing to attention, his back ramrod straight, hands to his sides, chin up. It was a posture that seemed totally foreign on their shy, nervous brother, upright and confident and somehow wrong. Despite how Twi was waving his hand in front of Wild’s face, his eyes were distant and unblinking, not taking anything in.

Uncertainly, Twilight reached out, faltered, and then took Wild’s arm. No response. He didn’t flinch away, didn’t jump, didn’t even look around.

“Wild, c’mon, this isn’t funny!” Twi tried to sound annoyed, but his concern was betrayed by his cracking voice.

Hyrule shoved his way forwards and after a moment of hesitation, reached up to take Wild’s hand to take his pulse. He shook his head.

“I don’t know what’s going on.” he admitted after a moment. “He- he seems fine. But he’s just… standing here.”

Legend didn’t like this. It wasn’t right. Yeah, he wanted to encourage Wild to come out of his shell a bit, to have a little more confidence, but whatever the hell this was - standing there in that confident pose, not responding to anyone? It was wrong.

Beside him, Warriors nervously cleared his throat. When Legend looked around, he looked uncertain, his eyes flicking up and down Wild’s body, taking in his posture.

“I- I want to try something, I think - look, I want to try something.” he stammarred and then cleared his throat again. “uh…SOLDIER. APPROACH.” he suddenly bellowed, changing instantly from the Warriors they all knew to a drill sergeant.

Legend scowled and was about to demand what the hell he thought he was doing when-

Wild, in a perfect parade position, marched the few steps forwards until he was directly in front of Warriors, coming to stop at attention.

What the fuck.

“Warriors, what the hell did you do?” Legend hissed.

Warriors shook his head, eyes wide. “I don’t know!” he hissed. “It’s just - he was standing at attention and there’s a lot of shouting around here and i just wondered if - if it would work!”

“Wars.” Time cut in. “Can you snap him out of it?”

Warriors floundered for a moment before nodding. “I can try. Uh- Soldier! Dismissed!”

Wild blinked and shuddered, his position relaxing a fraction, but otherwise he didn’t move.

Shit.

“We need to get him out of here.” Twilight said. “Whatever’s going on, if he’s obeying orders then being out on a parade ground won’t help.” Experimentally, he took one of Wild’s arms again and tried to nudge him forwards. To Legend’s relief, he began to move, a little sluggish, a little disjointed, but clearly keeping up with them. He was still standing straighter than was natural, his head still high.

Warriors nodded and gestured to them to follow, leading them inside and along the familiar path to their shared apartment. Legend just thanked every friendly deity out there that as the Hero, Warriors had rooms closer to the training grounds than most courtiers.

It was a little awkward, manoeuvring Wild up the stairs with him as sluggish as he was, but eventually they got there and Twilight guided him into one of the shared bedrooms leading off the main living area, Hyrule in tow and therefore Legend following behind.

“Wars,” he called and Warriors nodded, obediently helping Twilight to steer WIld towards the bed. Getting him to sit was harder, until Wars gently took each of his shoulders and said, softly but in the same firm voice,

“Wild. Soldier. Lie down.”

Obediently, Wild sat down on the side of the bed and then lay down. His breathing was shallow and even and his eyes were still distant.

Warriors turned to the rest of them, those that didn’t fit in the little two person room crowding around the door.

“Much as I want to, we can’t all stay here. We don’t know how long he’s going to be like this and Artemis is expecting us up.”

“I’m not leaving him.” Twilight growled.

“Neither am I.” Hyrule said.

Legend swallowed and then heard himself say “I’ll stay too. The rest of you go on, I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

The rest of the Chain looked uneasy, but in the face of their brother’s unmoving position, they agreed to leave them alone. If nothing had changed by the time they returned, Wars promised, they’d see what they could do to find a healer who could help.

Legend, meanwhile, sat down on the bed opposite Wild’s and watched him lie there, staring and unmoving. Twi joined him while Hyrule perched on the side of the Champion’s bed, taking his hand and quietly checking his pulse.

For a long, quiet time, nothing changed. They sat in nervous silence, watching as Wild’s chest slowly rose and fell. Then, maybe half an hour later, their brother groaned softly and rolled onto his side, curling into a ball.

“Wild!” Twilight cried as the Champion’s trembling hands came up to cover his head, tangling into his hair. The rancher jumped from his seat and went to kneel at his side, reaching out a hand but pausing before making contact, “Wild are you awake? Can you hear us?”

Wild hummed shakily, curling tighter in on himself. Hyrule made to grab his wrist to take his pulse but Wild shrieked at the contact and jerked away, finally looking up at them, his eyes wide and frightened.

“Wild…” Twi said softly as their brother took a few shaky breaths, his eyes slowly focusing on the three of them.

The small patch of unblemished skin on the tip of his ear flushed red as he squeaked and jumped to his feet, pushing away from the three of them. He was back in his normal, shy posture, shoulders curling in on themselves and back hunched.

“Sorry.” he signed frantically. “I’m sorry.”

“Woah, hey, take it easy.” Legend cut in, holding out his hands in placation. “No one’s mad at you, we’re just worried. You kind of… zoned out there.”

Somehow, this did nothing to calm him. Wild twisted his fingers together, his breaths coming out in shuddering gasps. He shook his head.

“I’m sorry. Tried to stop it. I’m sorry.”

Legend and Hyrule exchanged glances. He tried to stop… what? The fit he’d just had? Did he know what it meant?

Legend opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of the apartment door opening and their brothers’ return. He sighed, glancing towards the half open door where he could already see Time coming over.

“I’ll get you some water.” he said. “Do you think you can come out and sit with us, or do you want privacy?”

Wild shuddered and bowed his head again, squirming. “I’ll come out” he signed at last. “I-I owe you an explanation. I’m sorry.”

“Wild you don’t owe us shit.” Twilight said, perhaps a little more ferociously than he meant to as Wild jerked backwards at his tone. “You didn’t do anything wrong, you-”

“Twi.” Legend put a hand on the rancher’s arm. “If it’s going to affect the rest of the group, we need to know. But-” he turned to Wild. “You don’t have to tell us now. You can take your time. If you need a break, a rest-”

“No.” the sound of Wild’s voice cut him off. He shivered again, lifting his hands again. “I- need to tell you. It’s… okay. I-”

He sighed and sat down on the bed once more, tugging at his hair. It had fallen free from the neat braid it had been in when they went through the portal that morning and was now hanging in a tangled mess around his face.

“I got hurt. In the calamity. I-” he paused, hands shaking.

Hylia, much as Legend knew they needed to know this, he hated himself for watching. He wasn’t the right person to be here for whatever confession was about to be made, it should be Sky or Time or literally anyone else. But it looked like whatever this was, it was all about to spill out here and now, whether he or Wild or anyone else wanted it to or not. Fuck, he just hoped he could keep it together. The last thing that Wild needed was for Legend to do what he always did and say the wrong thing.

Wild took a shuddering breath. “I fell. I-I died.”

Twilight made a choking noise as Legend shook his head. No. This was ridiculous, no.

“Wild, you’re right here,” the veteran hissed. “you can’t have died. People don’t come back from the dead.”

“Yes they do.” Hyrule cut in, his voice low. “Go on, Wild.”

Wild nodded, blinking away what looked like tears. “The Shiekah had a shrine that could resurrect the dead, so I was put there to heal. But it… took a while. That’s why my era is the way it is. For- for a hundred years I was in the shrine and- and there was no one- and Zelda was- she was in the castle holding it back but- but there was no one to protect the people and-”

He broke off with a sob, trembling hands coming up to his face as he tried to knuckle away tears before they got trapped under his mask. He was shuddering with every breath he took in, his entire body trembling. Legend looked around, but both Hyrule and Twilight seemed utterly frozen in horror. Shit.

The veteran really wasn’t the right person for this. He was no good with feelings, ask anyone! His own husband constantly teased him about his emotional constipation! But Wild was right there and he seemed so alone and someone had to do something!

Legend got up from his perch before he could talk himself out of it and moved to sit beside Wild. He didn’t put an arm around him, he was pretty sure that would be a step too far, but he was still close enough that their shoulders were brushing. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a (bright pink) handkerchief and offered it to Wild.

The Champion started at the sight, but took it in his trembling hands and used it to dab at his eyes. The crying didn’t seem to be doing his scars any good either. His left eye was always slightly more pink and a little more closed than his right, but it now was barely halfway open, swollen and red with tears. Finally, he took another shuddering breath, rubbing once more at his eyes and then neatly smoothing and folding the napkin on his lap.

“When I woke up I - the Shrine wasn’t perfect. I was mostly healed but-” he gestured vaguely to himself. His scars, Legend realised with a jolt. This was how he got his scars. “And my… my memory was gone. I didn’t know my own name. That’s what today was, I- I still don’t remember much from…before. But sometimes a memory hits me and I just… disappear until it’s over. I’m so so sorry.”

He sniffled again and Legend couldn’t help himself this time, reaching around Wild’s shoulders and gently rubbing his back. This was insane. Everything that he had just told them was insane.

Across from them, Hyrule was frowning, slowly looking up to Wild. “You- was your memory about soldiers?” he asked. “Or the army? The only thing you reacted to was if Warriors gave you a command.”

Wild peered up at him, blinking nervously. “Y-yeah.” he said aloud, his voice rougher than usual and thick with tears. “I was a knight. Before. It was about that.” he shrank in on himself again. “I’m sorry. I should have told you before. I failed and I’ve been lying to you-”

“Wild, you didn’t fail shit.” Twilight growled, coming forwards to kneel before him. “You fought so hard that death couldn’t keep you down. You didn’t let having no memory stop you from saving the world. That doesn’t look like failure to me.” he paused, smiling slightly. “Besides, if dying means you failed then I failed like half an hour into my journey. Remember I told you, back in the stable? So if you failed, then so did I.”

“Me too.” Hyrule piped up unexpectedly, flushing red when everyone turned to face him. “I- uh - I’ve died. A few times. On my journeys. I had some tools that let me come back. Sorry Wild, dying’s just par for the course around here.”

Wild giggled wetly as they all turned to Legend expectantly. The veteran scowled, folding his arms.

“Nuh-uh. You guys are all weird, normal people don’t fucking die, Lolia’s saggy training bra, guys! Fuck!” he nudged Wild. “But one hundred percent, if anyone tries to say you failed, let me know about it. I’ll bite them.”

“Wait!” Twi cut in. “Was it King Fuckwad who said that? I bet King Fuckwad said that shit, didn’t he?”

If Wild’s wide eyed, scandalised gasp was anything to go by, they’d hit the nail square on the head. Man, if Legend ever learned how to resurrect the dead himself, he was bringing that guy back just so that he could kill him again.

Still, the four of them sat with Wild and chatted quietly, and by the time someone came to softly knock on the bedroom door he had unwound a little, his breathing calmer and his hands steadier by far when he signed. After a moment of hesitation, Wild agreed to let them tell the others what he had shared with them and sat quietly, curling into Twilight’s side when the rancher found a comfortable armchair in the sitting room and held out an arm to invite him in.

Reactions were… understandably mixed. Most looked horrified. Sky looked like he was about to cry. Wind, meanwhile, when the story was over turned to Wild, grinned, and said:

“So you’re a zombie? Neat!”

The room immediately fell silent. Time cuffed him around the ear and Spirit kicked him, while the rest turned to Wild with bated breath. Legend rolled his eyes - he loved the sailor, he really did, but Lolia, the kid said the dumbest, most insensitive things, sometimes.

But slowly, quietly, the Champion giggled, lifting his hands to sign.

“I crave brains.” he teased, sniffling, and the tension was broken.

There was a ripple of laughter around the room and to Wild’s obvious relief, the conversation moved away from him. Instead he remained curled up against Twi, the rancher’s pelt around his shoulders as he silently followed the conversation. He seemed utterly astonished at the reaction to his revelation. As if he had somehow expected them to shun him when they found out about his memory or call him a failure for literally dying and still coming back to fight another day.

Legend snorted. As if he’d ever let one of his brothers suffer that kind of censure, or let the others act out against. There was only room for one brooding bastard in this Chain and it was him. Legend had monopoly on the sarcastic comments, thank you very much, and he was not planning on using them on Wild.

The conversation moved onto the others’ meeting with Warriors’ Zelda, Artemis. According to her reports, there had been a lull in black-blooded monster activity and they could afford for once to take a break for a few days. And, Warriors added after a pause, they had actually arrived on a national holiday. Tomorrow night there was going to be a masked ball to which they were all invited, with no small amount of free drinks and party food.

Warriors glanced over at Wild as he spoke, cheeks flushing as he qualified that it wasn’t compulsory to go, that if anyone wanted to stay away then they were more than welcome to. Wild nodded quietly as Wars went on to explain that for anyone who wanted to come, they could go to the seamstresses’ wing that afternoon and be outfitted in whatever lavish, ridiculous clothes they wanted, the more outlandish the better.

Legend wasn’t going to lie: he felt a thrill at that. While he may have been the grumpy veteran, he still loved getting dressed up when he got the chance, and few places were as full of gorgeous clothes as Warriors’ era. He glanced over at Hyrule and grinned. The two of them always went to the seamstresses together when they came to this world. Hyrule had baulked the first time it was suggested that he let a stranger measure his body and had flushed scarlet at the thought of having to show how painfully thin he was to someone from a world that had never known true hunger.

Legend had barely batted an eye. He was approximately the same size and shape as the traveller and knew that for how shy he was, his brother still liked pretty things. It was easy to say that they could just use his measurements twice and make clothes for them both.

Huh. Now there was a thought.

Sure, Wild was shy and nervous, but he also liked clothes. Legend had seen a glimpse of the different outfits he kept in his slate but never wore, the kid was a magpie for the pretty and frivalrous. He picked up every shiny rock he saw when he thought the Chain weren’t looking and Legend knew he had been admiring the veteran’s own jewellery collection.

Legend sat on this thought for a while, turning it over in his head as the Chain began to kick off their boots and relax. Nearby, Twilight had drifted off to a doze in his armchair and Wild looked as if he might have been doing the same, but knowing the Champion, he could easily have been awake and just feigning sleep out of nerves. Legend hoped it was the former. It had been a long few days, with the kid being separated from them all, forced to fight that metal monster, and then thrown into some long lost memory. He deserved a chance to rest. They all did. And for once in their lives, they were somewhere that no one was going to stop them from doing just that.

After lunch, which was brought up to them by a servant and which they ate sprawled across the floor like the adults they were (Wild ducking behind the largest sofa), they all reluctantly began to crawl to their feet. Legend found himself beaming, though, as he remembered that it was time to go and play dress up.

As expected, when he made to leave, he saw Wild was hanging back and watching the group with uncertainty. He could see Twi noticing, had no doubt that the Rancher was about to go and offer to stay back with him. Which was ridiculous. Legend saw absolutely no reason why anyone should have to stay behind if they didn’t want to, and clearly neither of them wanted to.

“Hey Wild.” he called as he passed, trying his hardest to sound nonchalant. He was pretty sure that he failed, but that was whatever. “You can come with Rulie and me if you want. You don’t have to try anything on if you don’t want to, but you can see all the costumes and stuff.”

Hyrule, clearly seeing where he was going with this, sidled up to Wild’s other side. “I don’t really like anyone… measuring me.” he admitted. “Seeing me like that. So they use Legend’s measurements for us both and I get dressed in private. I’m sure no one would mind if you came too.” he paused, smiling. “And the clothes are so pretty.”

Wild looked between them both and for a moment Legend feared that he had got it wrong, that they were overstepping horribly. But then Wild lifted his hands, his signs small and nervous.

“Are you sure?”

Legend snorted. “What, you think I’d just lie? Hey, go grab your straw, Heidi and Inge usually have cocktails and I’m not going to let you just sit there while we have fun. C’mon!”

Wild’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but as he obediently dashed off to get his straw, Legend would swear that he was grinning beneath his mask.

Visiting Warriors’ world almost inevitably meant that the Chain would need outfitted for some fancy event or other, and by now they were used to tripping up to the Seamstresses’ wing of the castle. It was a sundrenched top floor entirely given over entirely to textiles and full of every kind of outfit they could imagine. Each of the Chain was accustomed to vanishing into a plush, comfortable workroom with their designated seamstress while they were fitted for an outfit that seemed to become more lavish and elaborate every time they visited.

Legend and Hyrule, given that their seamstresses worked together and often made them matching clothes, shared the largest of these rooms, with a plush sofa where they could relax, a plinth to stand on when trying out clothes, a screen for changing behind, and reams and reams of the most incredible brightly, coloured fabric that money could buy.

Wild began to regret his decision to go with the pair as soon as he stepped inside, despite how beautiful the fabrics looked, despite the comfortable furniture and beaming seamstresses. He felt himself shrinking, trying to turn invisible as he stood half hidden by Hyrule. He’d been distracted by the promise of pretty clothes and nice accessories, but now that he was actually here he felt like a fool, like he was some sort of imposter who had no real right to be in such a beautiful place.

He couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened that morning - his slipping and letting a memory through, humiliating himself in front of all of his brothers, telling them about his failure - that they were just… okay with it. It was more than he deserved. Surely they had only invited him here out of pit-

“Wild, have a caipirinha!” Hyrule beamed, passing him a cup of a fruity looking concoction. “This is Heidi and this is Inge. They make good cocktails and even better clothes!”

Wild blinked as his spiralling was cut off with a jolt. Right, these were his brothers. He trusted them. They wouldn’t lie to him, wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. Nodding mutely, he slipped his straw into his cup and began to sip at his drink, cautiously watching the two women for any sort of reaction to his mask.

They just smiled and chattered away, bringing out some bolts of fabric in red and green and showing off two designs for matching outfits. At Legend and Hyrule’s encouragement, Wild leaned forwards to see and gasped at the designs. Heidi and Inge, it turned out, had absolutely no intention of making a standard fancy tunic and trousers for his brothers. What they had drawn were vast, lavish gowns with wide, flowing skirts that made their waists look tiny, elaborate high collars intertwined with flowers, absurdly large hats and, of course, glimmering, beautiful masks.

Wild hummed in awe and then flushed in embarrassment, scooting backwards and reaching up to cover his mouth.

“Sorry!” he signed as they looked around. “They are very beautiful!”

Heidi and Inge exchanged glances, and Inge smiled.

“We have plenty of blue fabric, hon.” she said. “And you look about the same size as Legend here. I have no problem with making you one too.”

Wild glanced between them, hardly daring to hope. “I- I don’t want to burden you-”

“It’s no burden, hon.” Heidi waved him off. “Just you enjoy your drink, I’ll go get some fabric samples for you. Okay?”

Wild nodded enthusiastically, grinning. As he sat back, slowly making himself relax, Legend tripped up onto the platform to be measured, and to his surprise Hyrule snuggled into his side on the sofa.

“I like coming up here.” the traveller confided quietly. “I didn’t the first time. I was so nervous cause I’ve never done anything like this before, you know? But I guess it’s nice to just. I don’t know. Have a place you can come and you don’t have to be a hero. You’re just here for pretty things and nice clothes. It’s nice, sometimes, to just dress up and feel fancy. You get that, right?”

Wild nodded, thinking of all the beautiful outfits in his slate that he had never had the courage to wear. He sipped his drink and wondered if it would be okay if he asked for another. Also, Heidi and Inge had left a bowl of mixed nuts on the table, would it be impolite for him to slip behind the screen and eat some?

Hyrule sighed and rested his head on Wild’s shoulder. The Champion froze, but when he made no attempt to pry, made himself relax. It was okay. This was his brother. He was safe.

“I’m sorry for everything that happened to you.” Hyrule said so softly that Wild almost thought he had misheard it. “I- I know that. I know that it had some… effects. But I’m really glad that you came back to life. I’m glad I got the chance to know you.”

Wild felt tears prickle in his eyes as he took this in. Hyrule was glad to know him. Was glad that he was here, sharing this experience with him.

He must have been silent a fraction too long as the traveller began to backpedal, to apologise, but Wild seized his courage and took his brother’s hand in his, squeezing it.

“I’m glad to know you too.” he whispered. “Th-thanks for bringing me here.”

Hyrule grinned, his entire face lighting up. “You’re going to love the clothes! Inge can do this thing with ribbons where they end up looking like flowers, and there’s this thing they do with beads where they’re all over the fabric so it looks like you’re sparkling!”

Wild giggled softly as he listened to his brother tell him about the different textiles and outfits he had seen on his visits here. His eyes lit up whenever he talked about anything shiny or sparkly, and WIld had never seen his fairy side so close to the surface. It was a part of him that the traveller usually kept buried and hidden, and Wild didn’t miss the show of trust, of comfort in his presence.

He smiled, settling back into his seat and thanking Heidi as she passed him another drink - this one different shades of red and yellow and with a little umbrella sitting on top.

It had been a long day. It had been a hard day. But despite everything, his brothers were still around him, and somehow they seemed to genuinely want his company.

Wild still had a long way to go, but something in him felt lighter, despite the stress of the day. This whole journey, the thought of sharing his biggest secret, his greatest shame to the Chain had made his stomach churn and near left him paralysed him with fear. But here he was, mere hours after telling them the truth… and it was okay.

His brothers had stayed by his side, had told him they were glad he had come back. They wanted him to be with them, to share fun things with them. And here he was, curled up beside Hyrule, sipping a cocktail like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he was anyone else, like his mask and his face didn’t matter.

Like he was just their brother, and they were his.

And wasn’t that an incredible thing.

Chapter Text

Wild was an early riser. Always had been, for as long as his (admittedly short) memory could remember. He liked the peace and quiet of a world before other people were awake, liked to listen to the dawn chorus and watch the sun rise. It was soothing, a ritual that would happen every day regardless of the weather, regardless of whether Wild actually had time to observe it or not. He liked that kind of reliability.

The apartment that Warriors lived in, that they all were staying in, had a small balcony that overlooked the view of his sprawling castle town. It was high enough up and far enough away from any prying eyes that despite facing the city, Wild felt comfortable in removing his mask and quietly sipping his tea. Green tea with jasmine, a special blend that he had stolen from found in Warriors’ kitchen. Delicious.

Despite the winter month and the cold temperature, it was a bright, pleasant morning and as the sun rose, Wild felt a rare touch of warmth on his face.

Tonight was the masked ball, hosted down in the main palace. Wild still felt more than a little apprehensive at the idea of actually attending, but nervous as he was about everything that went with it, he also couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement at the prospect of trying on his costume later. Even if he didn’t end up going to the party, he’d make sure that the seamstresses were properly compensated for their work and would treasure the outfit forever, even if he only dared remove it from his slate occasionally.

The sun climbed higher in the sky, and from the distant shouts below, he guessed that the soldiers were filtering out into the training yard to begin their day. That meant that the others would be waking soon, or at least the few that were naturally early risers. Warriors and Time and Four, most likely, and maybe Spirit. Yes, Twi also had to get up early for his work back in Ordon, but he loved a lie-in when he got a chance, and the rest were equally fond of their beds in the morning. And Sky - well. The Chosen Hero would likely be asleep for hours yet.

Still. Wild should probably get started on breakfast, or even just some coffee for the very early risers. He thought he might even be able to hear someone starting to move about in the apartment. Definitely time for him to move, to replace his mask before someone else stepped out to enjoy the bright morning and suddenly got an eyeful of-

Well. It would ruin their appetite, of that Wild was sure.

Sighing softly, he allowed himself to feel the sun on his face for a few more precious seconds before pressing his mask back into place and strapping it on tight. No sense putting off the inevitable, after all. The longer he left it off, the more uncomfortable it would be when he finally pressed it on again.

He hummed to himself as he picked up his empty cup and returned inside.

Warriors was clattering around the small kitchen, noisily pulling out the coffee and setting water to boil. He still looked asleep, his eyelids drooping periodically as he struggled to stay awake. He yawned and stared tiredly at the kettle over the fire, apparently still asleep enough that he hadn’t realised that it was ready.

Wild slipped quietly into the kitchen and lifted the kettle from the fire. Wars hummed in slight surprise at someone else being awake, but stood out of the way as Wild poured the water into the press.

“Mornin’ Wild.” he yawned, pushing back his hair. He hadn’t yet combed it so it was still mussed from sleep and sticking up like a bird’s nest. Wild couldn’t help but smile at the sight, at the Captain looking other than the perfect image that he projected for his own era.

It was a rarity, Wild knew, to see the Captain as he was now. Wild was used to it - in the wilds, when they were all camping out and fighting day after day without any sign of civilisation, no one had much time to groom themselves to perfection. Wars made more of an effort than some and at least always tried to comb his hair and shave, but Wild was under no impression that his perfectly groomed public persona was anything more than just that: a persona.

It was… nice to see, to be honest. When Wild first joined the Chain, he hadn’t been sure what to do with himself in those downtimes, those hours at the end of long days or in the mornings or more bizarre than either, on days of rest, where everyone lounged about in their casual clothes. Those first few weeks Wild had sat stiffly amidst them, in his loose, covering tunic and cloak, unsure of whether or not he was actually welcome to join the rest in their relaxation. If they would even want him to join in.

Things had begun to change when Warriors had stropped into camp after a long day of travelling, shucking everything but his undershirt and trousers and dropping down onto the ground beside Wild with a groan. His hair was a mess and there was a streak of mud across his face and yet he didn’t seem to care as he lay back, eyes squeezed shut in exhaustion.

“I’m done.” he’d grumbled, his voice oddly thicker, more drawling than usual. “I’m fucking knackered.”

Legend had snorted. “Lolia, it must be time for a break. The Captain’s using his real accent!”

Wild had blinked, pausing as he went to add parsley to his cooking. Real accent? What?

“Mm too tired for a posh ass voice.” he protested, wriggling to try and get comfortable. Alas, he was lying on a forest floor and had not yet thought to put down his bedroll. Comfortable wasn’t really an option. With a groan, he dragged himself into a sitting position. “Damn courtiers and their damn elocution lessons. Why does a Hero need to have a damn fancy voice anyway. Bastards just didn’t want people to know the damn Hero was a street rat.” he gave an extremely inelegant snort and then wandered off to set up his bedroll.

Wild continued his cooking, but the impression had been made. Warriors - the tall, elegant, perfectly turned out Warriors - was just as human as the rest of them. He wasn’t the courtier he pretended to be, had even been coached into his accent after drawing the sword. Wild couldn’t help but feel a shiver of recognition at that: by all accounts, before the Calamity he had lost his voice to the stress of his role, and he had no idea what his own personality had been beyond his life as the Champion.

But… if Wars could lie on the forest floor with a streak of mud on his face, then Wild could begin to unwind.

So he got used to shucking his cloak. To wearing his undershirt. Now, in the apartment in Wars’ Castle Town, Wild only felt a little anxiety about walking around barefoot. His feet and legs were as scarred as the rest of his body, the right foot obviously missing his little toe from that one shield surfing incident, but he wasn’t going to let himself worry about it. His brothers had seen his feet before, he didn’t need to be afraid of their reaction. It would be okay.

“Morning.” he signed before turning back to the counter and rummaging around for some mugs. All he could find were dainty, elegant cups, made of china so fine it looked like a breath would break it. Nothing like the ones they used on the road. Somehow it didn’t seem right to use them for an exhausted morning coffee.

“Here.” Warriors gruffly interrupted his train of thought as he reached up to a cupboard that Wild couldn’t have hoped to reach with his short stature. “I keep ‘em up here, where no one’s gonna throw them out and replace them with fancy little thimbles.”

He pulled down a selection of worn, earthenware mugs, chipped and well used but clearly loved. Wars set two on the counter and set to work pouring the coffee.

“During the War, when Wind and Tiny Time were living here - you know about that, right? Holes were ripped through time so the Sailor and a ten year old version of the Old Man ended up fighting with me?”

Wild nodded. He had heard about that, though it still sounded… bizarre. He couldn’t imagine Time as a ten year old. He seemed like he’d been born a fully grown adult. It wasn’t the most impossible thing to ever happen, Wild had done it, after all.

Well. If you wanted to call climbing out of the Shrine ‘birth’.

Whatever.

“Anyway, during the War, none of us ever touched those fancy cups. I figured I'd break them, big guy like me, and there wasn’t any way I was letting the kids near them. They’d have broken them just for fun, y’know? Scooped these mugs up in a junk stall in my own neighbourhood. They’re not really the approved style, so I keep them up there, but if you ever need them, Wild, now you know where to look. There’s plates and stuff up there too.”

Wild smiled slightly and accepted the offered mug, rummaging around in his pocket for his straw.

“Thanks, Wars.” he whispered and sipped his drink. “Do you want food?”

Warriors pulled a face and looked away, colour rising in his cheeks. Wild froze, suddenly alarmed. Had he done something wrong? Was he not supposed to cook here? Their food had been brought to them yesterday and Warriors had talked openly in the past about how his old independent habits from the streets had been frowned upon when he took on the mantle of Hero.

The Captain was shaking his head as he fiddled with his mug.

“I- I’ll be honest, Wild, I didn’t think anyone would be up yet.” he admitted. “Um. Normally I just slip out before anyone’s up. Shit.”

Wild blinked. Oh, no, he really had somehow overstepped. Should he have stayed in bed? Hurriedly, he set his mug down and backed away, suddenly very aware of his bare feet against the cold tile floor.

“Sorry, I’ll let you be-”

“No!” Warriors almost shouted before he gathered himself. “I- no. Shit. No. Y’aint done nothing wrong, Wild, shit. Look, I just… I’m not used to… talking about it. With people. Probably not very healthy but… ugh I’m not explaining myself very well, am I?”

He gave Wild a sheepish grin, and the Champion gathered the courage to scoot forwards again and pick up his discarded mug, sipping at it. Ah, coffee. Good.

Warriors sighed and pulled himself up to sit on the nearest countertop, staring into his own drink.

“After the war, Artemis - my Zelda - said that I should probably get help.” he took a gulp of his drink and then scoffed. “Ha. No. She basically ordered me to get help or else. Best thing anyone’s ever done for me, really. Took a while to find someone I could work with, but things have been getting better since then.” he swung his legs a little, bare heels bouncing off of the cabinet door. He still wasn’t meeting WIld’s eyes.

“I…I always try to visit Dr Kwan when I get back here. Unload. Work on some things. My appointment’s in half an hour, I like to go first thing. Get it over with. You know?”

He finally looked up at Wild, and the Champion nodded. He didn’t know, not really. Yes, he had heard here and there about the concept of healers who specialised in talking, in helping you through issues in the mind… but he’d never looked into it any further. After all, he didn’t exactly talk to anyone in his own era. Hard to look into talk therapy when you live alone on an isolated plateau!

But… if Warriors had found someone who could help him through whatever terrors he had faced on his journey, that was a good thing, wasn’t it? Why would he be nervous about telling Wild?

Wild set his mug aside for a moment so that he could sign.

“Are you… okay? Going?”

Warriors blinked at him and then gave him a cheeky, not terribly convincing, grin. He chugged what remained of his coffee and hopped down from the counter, wiping his hands on his trousers.

“C’mon, Wild, you know me. I’m always okay!” he drawled, and Wild wished that he wasn’t wearing his mask purely so that the Captain could see his raised eyebrow and unimpressed look. “I’m just gonna go throw on some clothes and then I'll go, okay?”

He paused halfway to his bedroom door, but if he was expecting Wild to give into his forced positivity, he was going to be sorely disappointed. Some of the others may have been fooled, but Wild knew a thing or two about bad mental habits. Instead he folded his arms and tilted his head as he looked at his brother, watched his shoulders slump and his expression fall.

“Do-” Wild’s heart hammered as he forced himself to speak aloud. He owed his brother that much. “Do you… do you want me to come with you?” he offered.

Warriors blinked and Wild hurriedly lifted his hands to sign. “Not in! But I could wait outside? If you need someone after I mean? Sorry sorry it’s a stupid idea, forget I said anything-”

“W-would you? Really?”

Wild froze. He hadn’t really expected Warriors to agree, it had just felt like the right thing to offer at the time. But now his brother was looking at him with hope in his eyes - looking at him - and Wild couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Of course!” Wild signed. “If you want me?” now that he’d offered, the idea sounded terrifying. But if his brother needed him, then by Hylia, he would be there.

Warriors was nodding. “There’s a refectory opposite the room, you could wait there? Have a cup of tea or - well, whatever you’re comfortable with? They usually have books there too- though I guess we have different alphabets… you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but it would be-”

“I’ll come.” Wild signed and hoped he managed to give it an air of finality. “I just… also will put some clothes on.” he gestured down at his own sleep shirt and bare feet.

“Five minutes?” Wars offered. “I’ll meet you out here?”

Wild nodded and smiled, even though his brother couldn’t see it. “Five minutes.” He agreed. Hylia, he had no idea what he was getting into, but if it made his brother feel better, it was worth it.

-

Warriors led Wild out of the apartment and down to a different part of the castle, to a wide and comfortable refectory. On Warriors’ recommendation, Wild ordered a pot of tea and nervously found a table in the middle of the room. Despite the early hour it was full of people eating breakfast and Wild couldn’t help but feel a little ill at the idea of staying alone in this room full of strangers.

But it would be fine. Warriors, for all that he was affecting his easygoing, confident Captain's persona now he was in public, was clearly nervous about making this appointment after so long. If he wanted someone to be there when he came out, if he wanted Wild to be there when he came out, then there he would be.

Warriors disappeared into a small room opposite the refectory, and Wild just caught a glimpse of a small, very elderly Zora lady ushering him in before the door shut behind him.

And then… for all of his noble intentions, Wild was alone. Yes, the room was crowded and bustling; clearly the myriad soldiers and servants and other members of the royal household all needed breakfast and were seeking it here, but it was nothing short of bizarre to be part of it. To be sitting there in the middle of the room, sipping his tea through a straw as the rest of the population just went about their business.

But… it was all strangely normal too. Yes, Wild was the only one in a mask, but he also strangely didn’t feel as out of place as he had feared. There, a few tables away, was a man with half of his face laced with scars from some sort of terrible burn. And there was a woman with an eye and an ear missing from what looked like a terrible slashing wound. Dotted through the room were people missing arms or legs, with scars or injuries or other wounds, clearly left from battle. The war, Wild thought, had clearly left its impact on its soldiers, and amazingly, miraculously, they… didn’t seem to feel the need to hide themselves. Wild saw a man with a shot through his cheek, an injury hauntingly familiar to his own, but he was happily chatting with his friends, the wound in full view of everyone around him.

Could such a thing really be possible? It didn’t feel real. Wild certainly didn’t think that he could bring himself to remove his mask, even in this company. Sure, they had individual wounds on view, but none like his.

But… it was a comfort, nonetheless. Wild felt… oddly normal, sitting at his little table, fiddling with his slate and sipping his tea through his straw. There were enough people who had clearly been disfigured in the war in this room that it almost felt like a given, and to his amazement Wild even saw someone else, albeit maskless, sipping a drink through a similar straw, an injury to their jaw clearly making it the easier option.

It was… weird, but… normal, in the most bizarre yet wonderful way. After three quarters of an hour of sitting there, his cup now empty, Wild even managed to gather the courage to stand and return to the queue at the front of the refectory. It would be nice, he thought, to have another drink and some pastries waiting for when his brother returned. Yes, it was frightening when it came to signing to the woman at the counter what he wanted, but she took it in her stride and didn’t even bat an eye at his appearance or ask any questions about the mask. She just asked if he wanted milk or sugar with his tea and then moved on to the next customer, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

At the end of the hour, Warriors emerged from the room across the hallway and once again Wild saw the short Zora woman holding the door open for him. Dr Kwan, Wild thought, there was no one else that it could have been. The woman’s face was severe and drawn, and she didn’t especially look like someone that Wild would want to spill his innermost thoughts to, but if she helped Warriors then he guessed that was what mattered.

The Captain looked a little paler than he had when he first went in and there was a telltale redness around his eyes, but he still beamed when he looked over at Wild and his smile was beautifully genuine. He loped over to the table and blinked down at the plate of pastries that Wild very clearly couldn’t eat in public.

“What’s all this?” he asked and Wild hummed.

“You haven’t eaten yet. Thought you might want breakfast.” he nudged the plate forwards.

There were more pastries on it than the Captain could reasonably eat in one sitting, but Wild figured that they could bring the rest back to the room and whoever else fancied might eat a few. Warriors’ eyes widened as he sat down beside him, grinning.

“Wild this is so nice!” he leaned over and pulled him into a side hug. “I’ll have one here, then we can go back to the apartment so you can try one, yeah? Thank you.”

Wild smiled and didn’t protest the hug. In fact, he even leaned into it, reaching a hand up to rest on his brother’s back. It felt nice, to sit in this crowded space and for once not feel like he was the freak on display. Instead, he was just another person. Warriors cooed over his selection of pastries and eventually selected an apricot custard, grinning as Wild sipped his tea.

It was a surprisingly normal experience. Despite the other tables around them, they may as well have been in private, just the two of them sharing a nice breakfast. Warriors chattered about the people around them, pointing out who he had known from the war and telling all sorts of scandalous stories about what they had gotten up to while Wild giggled.

At one point, one of these people - a tall, muscular woman in a knight’s garb and with flowing red hair - swooped in to say hello to her old friend and assure Wild that “Whatever stories this idiot is telling you, they’re all true and probably worse!”

Wild decided that he liked Lieutenant Olivia Arch. He shyly offered the plate of pastries towards her and earned a beaming smile in response. She selected a pecan and maple lattice and thanked him profusely before dashing off, promising to catch them both at the ball tonight if she could.

Warriors laughed, shaking his head. “Congratulations, Wild. I don’t know if you realise this, but you’ve just acquired a very scary, very protective big sister. Time and Wind will be delighted.”

By the time they returned to the apartment, several more of their brothers were awake, sipping coffee and picking at some toast that someone had made over the fire. Still, they all looked delighted when Wild set down his basket of leftover pastries. Hyrule immediately zoned in on the glazed cinnamon swirl, while Legend grinned and grabbed the poppy seed bun filled with remonce. Meanwhile, now that they were finally somewhere that Wild could find some privacy, he snagged the pastry stuffed with plums and almonds and scooted around a corner to eat in privacy.

Aah. No wonder everyone sounded so very pleased. These pastries were heavenly.

It was a nice way to spend the morning, quietly enjoying his pastry with his brothers, listening to them potter about and get ready for the day. By the time he was done and had strapped his mask back on, everyone but Sky was up and both Legend and Hyrule had dressed, ready to properly start their day.

And by ‘start their day’, apparently, they meant ‘head over to the seamstresses’ to go and see how their costumes were getting on. Wild felt his nerves make the pastry churn in his stomach, but forced the feeling down. It was okay. He was looking forward to seeing this outfit, even if he still wasn’t sure about actually attending the ball.

Hyrule beamed at him as he stepped out and held out a hand. “Coming?” he asked.

Wild let himself smile. Yes, he was coming.

Heidi and Inge’s workroom was… somewhat less orderly than it had been the day before. The two seamstresses had clearly been working through the night, but any apologies for putting them to such trouble died on Wild’s tongue when they grinned at the sight of the three of them and ushered them over to see what they had made.

“We love big parties like this.” Inge confided as she shepherded Wild over to the three mannequins at the side, covered in a large sheet. “We get to make the most gorgeous outfits and let loose with the sequins. It isn’t just us, we have whole teams that specialise in every part of the process, so don’t you dare get yourself worried that we’ve been overstretched.”

“Imagine!” Heidi cackled. “Making all of this, just us! I think my fingers would drop off!”

With a flourish, they whipped the sheet away and-

Oh wow.

The drawings from yesterday had come to life. Three matching gowns in red, green, and a brilliant, sapphire blue. The bodices were heavily structured with incredible overlays of lace and thick beading. The skirts were vast, held up and out by some hidden structure and flowing like water rather than silk and chiffon. The sleeves were slashed to show off brightly coloured undershirts puffing through, and the collars were covered in vast ruffles. They were the most absurd, beautiful outfits that Wild had ever seen in his life.

He was in love.

“The hats are still being finished by the milliners, but they should be here after lunch. But the masks are done! We thought it would be fun if we put a mesh over the eye holes too, so absolutely none of your skin is showing. You’ll be able to see out fine, but no one will be able to see in. No one will be able to tell you apart!” Heidi crowed, lifting Hyrule’s emerald green mask to show it off, glistening with small gems and painted in swirls.

Wild blinked. No skin showing? The three of them indistinguishable? It seemed almost unbelievable, but his brothers and the seamstresses were grinning in excitement as they talked over their costumes. Gingerly, Wild reached out a hand and ran his fingers down the heavily beaded bodice of his dress. This was his dress? It belonged to him? And… maybe, just maybe… he could really wear it?

“We’ll need you all to try them on so we can do a last fitting, then we need to get them to the sewing room so that we can finish hemming everything. But I promise they’ll be delivered to your rooms in time for the party!” Heidi gestured Legend and Hyrule towards the changing screen, helping them to lift the gowns over.

“Wild, can I borrow you a moment?” Inge asked softly, slipping up beside him.

Oh no. Had he done something wrong? Had they decided that he couldn’t have the dress after all? Had they seen the scars on his hands and thought that he shouldn’t touch something as beautiful as their creations?

He nodded, pulling his hands away from the dress like they’d been burned.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she continued in the same quiet, gentle tone. “I noticed your scarring and presumed that it’s quite extensive. We have quite a few veterans that we dress with similar wounds, so I've lined your gown with a different fabric than your brothers’. It should be easier on your skin, and I'm having your gloves lined with it as well. I do hope that I haven’t overstepped-”

“N-no.” Wild interrupted her, so shocked that he had spoken aloud without even thinking. This woman, this wonderful woman had noticed his scars and had… made him a special lining? Just to make him more comfortable? He had no idea that such a thing was even possible. “It… it’s perfect. Thank you.” oh Hylia, he was sniffling now. He could feel the prickle of tears in his eyes, he couldn’t be about to cry, not here in front of these people.

“Oh sweetheart!” Inge cried, abruptly pulling him into a hug. “You’re alright! Here, now, there’s another changing room in there if you want privacy, just let me know if you need any help with the laces, okay? And if anything is uncomfortable then tell me and I'll adjust it.”

Wild nodded eagerly, sniffling and knuckling his tears away. Inge helped him to lift the gown into the next room and left him alone.

The gown fitted perfectly. Sure, it was a little tight around his missing ribs, but that was to be expected. When Wild crept back into the workroom, now fully dressed and wearing the new mask, he felt like another person. The bodice was so structured and padded that it smoothed out his torso and made him stand in an easy, confident pose. He couldn’t help but grin - grin - at the sight of himself in the mirror, and then again when he saw his brothers in similar costumes, both of them cheering when he entered.

“Looking good, Wild!” Legend called.

Wild couldn’t speak - the mask fit him well but it didn’t have his normal rubber ridge on the inside and it would take him a little time to cut one of his spares to fit - but he lifted his hands and excitedly repeated the compliment back, even going so far as to give a happy twirl and giggling as his skirts flared out.

“Oh, you boys!” Heidi cackled, “Okay, up in the middle, we have a few adjustments to make!”

Wild was fairly certain that the gowns were perfect, but apparently not. The two master seamstresses pinned and tucked and adjusted, marking their creations with lines of chalk and pins. What Wild thought was a perfectly fitted bodice was lifted and adjusted, and suddenly a pressure he’d barely felt on his side was lifted.

Well. They had asked him to say if there was anything else he’d liked changed, and if they could make such minute adjustments…

He tapped Inge on the shoulder as she examined the beading around his waist.

“I have… a soft part. Here.” he pointed to the point in his side where he was missing the curve of several ribs, where his flesh dipped oddly in and he could feel his lungs moving underneath. “There… there’s no ribs. Can-”

“I’ll take the pressure off it, then, hon. Don’t you worry.”

And that was that. The seamstress shifted the bodice and drew a mark in her chalk, and already the constriction he had felt around his chest had eased.

“Okay!” At last Heidi stepped back and clapped her hands. “I think that’s it. Get changed again, boys, and we’ll bring your costumes to your rooms this evening. All good?”

Wild couldn’t help but grin again as he nodded. Yes. Yes, this was all unbelievably good.

Unbelievable. Incredible. Fantastic. Wild could scarcely believe it, as he went back to his own little dressing room to change back to his customary tunic and mask. It was an outfit made specifically for him, for his body, and yet it wasn’t designed to hide him. It didn’t make him want to hide. In fact, for all that he had been certain that he would be too nervous to actually attend the ball this evening, he now found himself looking forward to joining his brothers in the event.

He grinned as he returned to the workroom and handed over the gown to be altered, but kept the mask clutched in his hands.

“Can I take this now?” he whispered. “I- I have a few adjustments I need to make. So it fits.” he needed to take some time to properly fit one of his ridges to the inside of the cheek so that he could wear it properly, and oh, how he wanted to wear it properly!

“Course you can, hon!” Inge beamed. “I’m glad you like it!”

Wild nodded eagerly and waved as the three of them turned to go. Hyrule and Legend were chattering in excitement, and their joy was so infectious that Wild found himself quietly joining in, for once unafraid of joining the conversation aloud and adding in his own observations.

Yes, the past week had been stressful, to say the least. Yes, he felt drained after the revelations and happenings from the past few days.

But he had his brothers around him. He had an outfit that was made specifically for him, that glistened and glimmered and shone as he moved.

And tonight, for the first time in his admittedly short memory, he would go to a party.

And, he was determined, he would have fun.

Chapter Text

Wild hummed to himself as he pulled his food from the oven. Yes, yes; he was well aware that there would be food at the party, but while others had the option of removing their masks to indulge in a snack, Wild didn’t exactly have that luxury.

Which was fine. He had been aware of this when he finally agreed to go, after all, and he didn’t really mind. Much as he loved trying new foods, he also knew that his own cooking was good enough that he’d enjoy an earlier meal anyway. Also… well. His brothers had said that they didn’t know when the food would be served and had all asked to join him in a ‘bit of a pre-party snack’. Wild was pretty sure that this was just an excuse to keep him company, but he didn’t protest. It made that warm, soft feeling bloom in his chest again, and while he wasn’t quite familiar with it, he would like to feel it more often.

Besides, they’d all be drinking at this party. It would be irresponsible not to eat something first!

In the end he hadn’t made anything fancy or elaborate. He was supposed to be relaxing today, after all, and much as he loved cooking, if he spent all night making canapés then he’d never have the time to get into his gown. No, better by far to settle for something simple but fun and which everyone could share-

Yep. Time to introduce the Chain to pizza.

He was alone in the kitchen as he pulled the last pizza from the oven, save for Spiri,t who had bounced in at the smell of food and was watching him work with wide eyes.

“Wow, they’re huge!” He gasped. “How’re you supposed to even eat them? They’re so big, I don’t think they’d fit in my mouth!”

Wild snorted - sure he hadn’t sliced the pizzas yet but surely it was obvious that he was going to, right? No one would just pick up a whole pizza and just bite into- heh.

Heh heh.

Spirit had said a pizza wouldn’t fit into his mouth, but that was just quitter’s talk! And - well. He trusted Spirit. The engineer had seen his face that one time in the forest and hadn’t run from him. And more than that: there had been other times since then, too.

It had been a gradual process. One day the two of them had been hiking together and Spirit had, without thinking, offered Wild a sip of water. Of course, he’d immediately realised his mistake and apologised but Wild, after a moment of hesitation, had nodded faintly and held his hand out for the waterskin. Yes, he’d kept his face turned while he drank so that Spirit couldn’t see the gaping hole across the left cheek, but it was still more trust than he’d shown to anyone else.

And then all at once it suddenly became almost normal. When Wild and Spirit were alone they might share a sip of water or a cup of tea, and as it became more and more normal, Wild slowly stopped worrying so much about turning his face away. They had even once sat on watch together and devoured a pile of wildberries, giggling and laughing and spitting out the pips.

Was this… was this really any different?

‘I don’t think they’d fit in my mouth!’, Spirit had said.

“Maybe not your mouth.” Wild heard himself reply, and before he could think too much about what he was about to do, he reached behind his head and unclipped his mask.

Setting it aside, he grabbed the pizza he had made for himself, lifted it, and took the biggest bite he could.

That was the thing about having a hole running the length of your cheek. When you wanted to take a bite out of something, boy howdy could you take a bite out of something. Wild may not have been able to fit the whole pizza in his mouth - that would have been frankly absurd - but he sure could sink his teeth in.

“Whoaaaaa,” Spirit said in awe, his eyes wide and gleaming.

Wild, however, was beginning to regret biting into a pizza only seconds out of the oven.

“Agh fuch!” He cursed through his mouthful of food. “Ow!”

Spirit giggled as Wild turned away, hands held up to his face as he tried to chew the frankly ridiculous bite of pizza in his mouth and swallow without any falling out. Ah well. It had been worth it.

“What are you two doing in here?!”

Shit! Wild ducked down on instinct as Legend’s voice sounded from the doorway, hiding himself behind the countertop. Why had he thought that this was a good idea? Of course the smell of food was going to bring people in, this was ridiculous!

“Uuuuuh…” Spirit said helpfully.

“Wild?” Legend’s voice had softened and was laced with concern. Oh shit, he had left his mask on the countertop between him and the Veteran. Legend will have seen it, would be wondering what had happened- “Is everything okay?” a note of panic had entered his voice now.

Shit. Wild couldn’t speak clearly without his mask at the best of times and certainly not with a mouthful of still-hot pizza!

“It’s fine!” Spirit finally managed to say, his voice breaking to a squawk as he ran forwards. “Wild’s just trying some pizza!”

Legend must have gestured to the mask on the table, because Spirit began to shake his head and when he spoke his voice was lower, more serious.

“I- I’ve seen it before.” he said softly. “It’s okay. We’re good.”

AHA! Wild finally swallowed his bite of pizza. He sighed in relief and reached nervously upwards, feeling around until he found his mask.

“Oh!” Legend replied to Spirit. “I didn- wait. Has Wind seen?”

“N-no?”

There was a pause, then,

“Heh heh.” Legend chuckled. “Congrats, kid. You’re officially the favourite twin. Hey Wild, you okay down there?”

“Mmhmm!” Wild finally tightened the buckles at the back of his mask and stood. He felt more than a little sheepish and embarrassed, but Legend had an amused look on his face and a fond smile. Okay. It was okay. Wild brushed down his tunic a little self consciously. “All good. Food’s ready, will you help me carry it in?”

Legend grinned. “Alright you goober. Come on.” he picked up a pizza in each hand. “Hope you’re gonna cut these up - I don’t think I could fit one of these in my mouth!”

Spirit and Wild burst out laughing.

The Chain were loudly enthusiastic about the pizza, especially when it was sliced into manageable pieces. Wild giggled from where he sat just hidden from the others. It was still only late afternoon, and just before he had served up, all of their costumes had been delivered from the seamstresses wing. Wild’s gown was at that moment lying spread out on his bed, ready to wear, and from where he sat he could just see the glistening, jewel encrusted tulle of the skirt through the doorway.

He couldn’t wait to put it on.

Yes, he loved food, but he also loved pretty things, and he didn’t often (or ever) have the chance to dress up like this. Wild found himself finishing his food in record time so that he could dart off to his room and get changed. Hylia, he was glad he didn’t have to do the dishes. He had stuck to his early negotiations with the Chain, and if he cooked, he refused to have anything to do with the cleaning.

Once his bedroom door was shut, Wild paused to stare at the gown that waited for him. He ran his hand over the gorgeous beadwork, feeling the intricate embroidery and the delicacy of the fabric.

He shivered with excitement. This was his. It belonged to him. Excitedly, he began to change. Inge had been right - the special lining was incredibly soft against his scars and the adjustment to the waist made breathing and moving about so much easier. He pulled on the gown and gloves and for a moment stared at himself in the mirror of his little bedroom. Even without the hood that would cover his hair, the hat, and the new mask, looking at his reflection felt like looking at a completely different person. In this gown he stood tall and confident, he moved like water, not walking but gliding, and was more than happy to twirl and flirt with his reflection, showing off the outfit and laughing as the beads glittered.

He didn’t feel like himself. He felt like a spirit, like something ethereal and unearthly. Something told him that Satori might like to see this gown.

Someone suddenly hammered at his door.

“WILD?” it was Legend again. “Wild, are you decent? I need help with these damn laces!”

Wild giggled and hurried over to the door, pulling it open to find Legend leaning against it. The Veteran screeched and barely managed to stop himself from stumbling as he clutched his gown closed at the back.

He cursed and hurried in, clutching his hat, mask, and gloves.

“I can’t do up the back.” he hissed as Wild closed the door. “My hands have gone all stiff and - ugh I’ve put salve on but it’ll take a while and I don’t want to get the dress all greasy and-”

“I got it.” Wild said softly. “Stop slouching, I can't do it when you stand like that.”

Legend huffed and straightened up as best he could, his back cracking alarmingly as he did. Wild winced but said nothing. He didn’t exactly have the right to comment on other people’s body issues, after all. Instead he focused on lacing up his brother’s bodice, hands running happily over the crimson ribbons and lacework.

“Hey Wild?” Legend said suddenly as Wild reached the halfway point. His voice was softer than usual and lacked its normal acidity, and Wild paused what he was doing. “I- I just wanted to say. About earlier. Sorry if I freaked you out or anything, I - I know I can be abrupt. I was worried but-“ he turned to Wild and his eyes were wide and earnest as he looked at him.

It was… weird. Legend was a prickly, sarcastic guy. Wild wasn’t sure how to respond to him when he was being genuine. It wasn’t bad per se, it was just…. Weird.

But not bad-weird. Just weird.

“Look, Wild.” Legend sighed. “I just. I need you to know. About your mask. And everything. I don’t want you to think that you need to worry about us being ‘ready’ or asking to see or anything. And all that matters is what you want and what you’re ready for, and if you never want to show us, that’s one hundred per cent fine. It’s your choice Fuck. I’m no good at this shit, Wild, I just- I need you to know that I care about you. Okay? Fuck.”

Wild giggled. Okay, sincere Legend may have been unusual, but Wild thought that he liked him. He couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s words, and for once didn’t feel ashamed of the tears that pricked at his eyes. He couldn’t have spoken in that moment even if he wanted to, not without his voice breaking, and his hands had started to shake too hard to sign.

Oh well. Hugs it was then.

It was funny, really. A few months ago, when Wild first joined the Chain, even so much as brushing against one of his brothers by accident would have terrified him. He would never have dreamed of initiating contact for long enough to hug one of them, and even if one of his brothers had asked for one, it was always a quick and uncomfortable embrace.

But now he sniffled and flung his arms around Legend, mask bonking onto his brother’s shoulder. Oops. Legend squawked in surprise and then tentatively hugged him back.

“You big goober.” he mumbled into Wild’s hair.

Wild giggled again as he drew away, and for a moment - just a moment - he wondered if he should take his mask off. He shocked himself with the thought, but Legend was right there and despite his prickly exterior he was soft and warm and kind and-

“Hey guys?” there was a knock on his door and Hyrule poked his head in. “Are we getting ready together? Wild, I got Wars to make us more caipirinhas! You liked them right? Turns out he’s really good at making cocktails!”

He bustled in carrying a tray of cocktails, emerald green skirts rustling behind him and his vast hat flapping where it was perched on his curls. Wild eagerly grabbed a cocktail and rummaged around for his straw while Legend snorted and turned back to the mirror.

“Anyway, can you finish my laces? Or am I going to the party with my whole ass back on show?” he asked, back to his usual scathing voice.

Hyrule snorted. “Do it yourself! You’re a big boy! Hey Wild, what are you doing with your hair?”

“Hmm?” Wild turned around to see Hyrule lounging on his bed, sipping his drink. “What do you mean? It’ll all be covered, won’t it?” their hats all had hoods included to ensure that no part of their hair or skin would be seen.

Hyrule nodded as Legend grumbled and Wild smiled, quickly finishing his laces.

“Yeah, it will.” the traveller continued. “But we can just push our hair back easily. Yours is so long - want me to put it up for you?”

Oh. Wild hummed again and turned to face him, fidgeting nervously with his cuffs. It was okay. This was Hyrule. He trusted him as much as he trusted Legend, as much as he trusted any of them.

He nodded. “Let me get my other mask.” he signed and finished Legend’s laces with a pat.

The veteran thanked him as he bustled over to where he had set down his mask, now altered to have the little rubber inset on the left cheek so that he could speak. He carefully sat down on the edge of his bed and, making sure that his back was to his brothers, undid the straps of his normal mask. It was a simple changeover, to press the new mask to his face, letting the silky ribbons hang free.

“O-okay.” he said. He could sit here and hold his mask in place while Hyrule fiddled with his hair. Sure, it meant that he couldn’t sign, but at least for the time being he had no issues with speaking.

Hyrule made a contented humming sound as he shifted to sit cross legged behind Wild and began to gently comb through his hair. It was a soothing, repetitive motion and Wild quickly found himself relaxing as he sipped his drink and quietly listened to his brothers’ chatter. Hyrule neatly tied his hair back in a bun that would fit inside his hood and then helped Wild to fix the ties of his mask around it.

Outside his window, the sun was setting. Wild stood, brushing off his skirts and fixing his hat firmly onto his head.

“Ready?” Legend asked, holding out a hand gloved in glimmering red silk.

Wild stared for a second, then nodded, finished his drink, and took his hand. On his other side Hyrule took his other hand and together the three of them glided out into the living room. If Wild had felt ethereal when he first put the gown on, now he was totally transformed. He could feel himself walking taller, prouder, not ducking or trying to hide. He could be anyone in this gown, and no one at all, and his confidence swelled at the thought.

“Welp, here’s trouble!” Twilight called as the three of them flitted out as one. “It’s the triple threat! Which of you’s which then?”

Wild glanced around, giggling, as Hyrule lifted his hands.

“Guess!” he signed. “We’ll never tell!”

“It’s a secret!” Wild signed. “To everyone!”

“So bugger off!” Legend signed, and Twilight snapped his fingers.

“Okay so the Veteran’s in red.” he teased and the three of them burst out laughing.

The Rancher, meanwhile, was wearing a new cloak that was a larger, more elegant variation of his normal pelt. Whatever wolf it had come from must have been vast, as the pelt was large enough to drape over his shoulders and skim the floor. His costume underneath that was a richly embroidered variant of a hunter’s outfit, and the mask over his eyes was shaped to look almost bestial. He grinned.

“Looking good, guys!”

From behind him the twins darted into view, giggling in their matching green costumes that looked like they had been woven from vines and flowers and hundreds of leaves. Spirit had once again borrowed Wild’s Korok Mask to match his brother, and the two looked like matching Green Men. Nearby, Sky was rearranging his vast cloak of scarlet feathers and tying on his mask, shaped like a pair of birds wings settled across his eyes. Time had worn his own pearlescent white ‘couples mask’, the same one that he had shown Wild a few months ago, and his seamstresses had matched it with flowing white robes that glimmered in beadwork of every colour in an opal in the light while he chatted to Four.

The Smith laughed at something he said, brushing down his fabulous multicoloured doublet and hose. The matching mask was bizarre, appearing to change between four different expressions depending on the angle from which it was viewed..

By the door, looking impatiently at the clock, was Warriors. He was wearing the least avant garde outfit of them all, and had loudly bemoaned this fact. Yes, his doublet and hose were beautifully made, encrusted with jewels and fine embroidery, but in essence they were very much the same green tunic and trousers that he normally wore, only made more elaborate. He even had a new scarf for the occasion, glistening with beadwork and stitched with gold thread, but still very much his normal blue scarf.

“Come on.” he hissed from behind his elegant, somewhat dull blue mask. “It started half an hour ago, we have to go.”

Legend snorted. “And that's how you know the Captain isn’t actually from noble stock. Man still thinks you’re actually supposed to arrive at these things on time.”

Warriors knocked his hat off. “Oh shut up you bourgeoisie twat, don’t try and tell me you aren’t itching to get down there too. Now come on.”

Wild giggled as Legend squawked, and then it was time to set off. He linked arms with his two matching brothers and they glided down as one.

The ball was…

It was like nothing else that Wild had ever seen, to his short memory at least. Which yes, wasn’t very long, but this was incredible! Stepping into the ballroom was like stepping into a riot of colour, with people in every shape and style of costume, in masks of every type that Wild could have ever imagined and some that even could not have not thought of. The room itself was glorious - built of honey coloured marble with huge, arching windows that showed off the lights of Castle Town far below. The entire room was lit with candlelight, giving it a golden tone and reflecting the mosaic of tiny mirror shards that danced across the ceiling like stars. Wild gasped and paused as they stepped in, staring at it all with starry eyes.

Hyrule glanced back and inclined his head. “Want to wait?” he asked softly. “We don’t have to go in now.”

Wild blinked and then shook his head. “No - it… let's go!” he surprised himself how excited he sounded, but now that he was here he just wanted to dive in and explore. He was with his brothers, after all, not as himself but as one-in-three, a glimmering figure in sapphire alongside his brightly coloured counterparts.

He couldn’t see either Hyrule or Legend’s faces, but he could have sworn they were grinning. Still holding hands, the three of them ran out together onto the dancefloor, skirts whirling around them, heels of their boots clacking against the marble tiles. An orchestra was playing a lively galopade and Legend immediately began to whirl them into movement.

“I don’t know what to do!” Hyrule protested, gesturing at the gracefully spinning couples around them.

Something itched at the back of Wild’s mind. A memory, but not the kind that left him incapacitated or frozen. More like a recollection. An understanding.

He knew this music. He knew this dance. He didn’t know why - had he learned to dance as a knight? Before, in whatever place he had grown up?

But he knew what to do. Better - he knew how to show Hyrule what to do.

“Follow me!” he heard himself say, squeezing his brother’s hand and whirling into action. “Hop! Hop! Skip!”

And then they were dancing. Dancing! Hopping and skipping and whirling and when it came time to swap partners and Wild found himself thrust into the hands of a stranger, in the magic of the moment he didn’t feel afraid. He grinned behind his mask and let his worries melt away. He wasn’t Wild, wasn’t Link. He was someone tall and proud and happy and unafraid, skirts whirling, boots clicking, hands clapping with the music.

And then he was back with Hyrule again, gripping his hands and swirling around, both of them laughing in delight.

By the time the dance came to an end, Wild was breathless and joyful, panting as he and his brothers left the dancefloor. Along an entire wall was a massive buffet spread, and while Wild couldn’t eat any of the food, he had his slate tucked into his pocket with his straw inside and could try the drinks.

And… well. If a few of the nibbles disappeared into his slate for later, who would care?

“Grasshoppers!” Hyrule cried, immediately gravitating towards a mint green, very sweet looking cocktail, while Legend drifted hungrily towards the pile of oysters.

Wild tripped after him, still breathless from the dance. There were sticky cucco skewers coated in mango and coconut, and arancini balls, and cheese and tomato scones, and dumplings of every kind and- well. Wild may have gotten a little distracted in putting a few (or more than a few) portions into his slate and was just leaning over to grab a few scallop and chorizo canapes when he realised he wasn’t alone. Someone else was reaching for the same portion.

Wild jerked back before he realised that the person reaching had a green sleeve and a blue scarf. Ah, Warriors. Wild began to snake his hand back out when-

“Are they any good? I never know whether to trust the seafood at these things.”

THAT WAS NOT WARRIORS’ VOICE.

Wild looked up, jerking back again. The person may have been dressed like his brother, may have been wearing a terrible blonde wig to try and look like the Captain, but it was not him. It was - huh.

He did know the face though. A woman, with a long, handsome face and a tuft of red hair poking out from under her wig. He had met her before, in the refectory that morning. She was a friend of Warriors, what had her name been-?

“Arch, what the hell are you wearing?”

Oh thank Hylia, the real Wars was here. Wild shrank back into his brother as he came up from behind.

In front of him the woman - Lieutenant Olivia Arch, he remembered now - grinned and popped a canape into her mouth.

“Hiya Cap’n.” she grinned. “Well the way I figure it, this outfit actually has a fair bit of swag, but you’re such a loser y’aint doing it any justice. So I thought I’d give it a go, seeing as I actually have an ounce of charisma in my body.” she tossed the hair of her terrible wig over her shoulder. Wild giggled.

Wars sighed. “Arch - is that one of my tunics? Where did you even- you know what? Never mind. At least someone’s having fun. Hey, you remember my brother, Wild?”

Arch grinned. “Sure do. Hey, I don't know what that thing you’re stashing food in is, but if you want, I’ll cover you so you can raid some of the crostini platters over there?”

Wild blinked. He hadn’t realised that he had been being so obvious. He wanted to back away, to shake his head and say no but- well. The crostini did look really good. And if she wanted to help-

Wait what did Warriors mean ‘at least someone’s having fun’?

He whirled around to face his brother. “You aren’t having fun?” he demanded.

Warriors shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. “Not really my thing, kid.”

“But you like dressing up!” Wild pushed. “And even I had fun! You should have fun too!”

“Not exactly dressed up, though, is he?” Arch interjected, leaning over to grab a bacon wrapped date. “Just in his normal clothes with some glitter-glue on ‘em. Never let you wear anything fun, do they Cap?”

Warriors snorted and folded his arms, muttering something about ‘shoulda been allowed a cool dress’. Wild wasn’t really listening. He’d had two cocktails and now he had an Idea.

He looked up at them both.

“Follow me. I can fix this.” he paused. “Wait. Help me get some crostini first. Wars, you said there are private rooms somewhere around here?”

Half an hour later they emerged from one of the private sitting rooms, ready to enjoy the ball properly this time. Not only had they been able to close the door, but the room had a small drinks globe and an elegant screen that Wild could dart behind to sample some of his new canape treasures.

Arch, he had suggested, should change into Warriors’ ridiculous, over elaborate facsimile of his day to day clothes. If she wanted to dress up as him, there was literally no better way to go.

Warriors, meanwhile-

Warriors liked pretty things. He also liked to dick about. So Wild pulled out a gorgeous Gerudo headdress, similar to the one his brother had worn on Snowpeak, and the flowing set of silk robes that matched. Yes it was a little big for Wild, he always bought a few sizes up, but if fit Wars perfectly. His brother glistened in it, the sandsilk moving like water over his body as he twirled this way and that to show it off.

And then, the piece de resistance:

A joke gift he had found once at a market stall. He would never have used it, but it was so silly he knew that it would come in handy somewhere. A pair of thick glasses complete with a novelty nose, eyebrows, and moustache. Wild made sure to pass it over as seriously as he could and then grinned in delight when his brother’s face lit up.

“Wild.” Warriors said earnestly. “You get me. You’re my favourite brother. Don’t tell the others.”

Wild giggled and lifted up his slate in question. Warriors and Arch both grinned and posed for a picture, cheesing it up and laughing.

“Shall we have a dance?” Arch asked, holding out her hands. Wild and Warriors exchanged glances and then nodded, following her back out into the ballroom with glee.

They whirled onto the dancefloor, finding Time on their way and dragging him out with them so that they could dance in a quartet. By the time the jig ended, Wild was breathless again and boiling hot in all of his layers. Panting, he waved his brothers off to go and get their refreshments while he made his way towards the vast windows of the ballroom and out the great glass door to the balcony.

It was a cold, clear night, and although the vast balcony was lit with dozens of lanterns, it was quieter out here than in the ballroom. The few people willing to brave the temperature were either overheating dancers like Wild or the occasional couple caught up in the passion of the moment.

Wild himself moved to a quieter space and leaned heavily against the stone parapet, looking out at the lights of Castle Town. It was a cold night, but in all of these layers it was hard to cool down easily. He sighed, glanced around to make sure he wasn’t too close to anyone else, and took his massive hat off. Then, after a moment of consideration, he pulled down the hood. Aaaah, cool air. Wonderful.

He sighed as he fanned himself, trying to catch his breath. This had been the most incredible, unbelievable night and he could barely believe anything that had happened. Him? Dancing? Laughing? Talking to people he barely knew?

He could scarcely believe it. He knew for a fact Flora would never believe it. And yet he regretted nothing. It was just incredible. If he could somehow bottle the feeling of this night and keep it forever, then he would in a heartbeat.

It wouldn’t last, he knew. Tomorrow he would be Wild again, nervous and skittish and second-guessing everything that had happened tonight. He sighed as he leaned forwards on his elbows, turning his hat over in his hands and watching as the beads glinted in the light of the lanterns.

“Rupee for your thoughts?”

Wild jumped with a squeak and looked around. A short woman in thick, beaded robes stood before him, her face also covered by a mask. She was leaning against the parapet, her posture relaxed and easy.

Wild blinked at her, nervously fiddling with his hat before setting it down to sign. “Sorry - all good, I-”

“Hon, you don’t owe me anything.” she said softly. “It’s okay. You just looked like you were nervous and needed reminding you’re not alone.”

Wild nodded slowly, pulling his hood back up over his hair. “I… don’t want tonight to end.”

The woman chuckled. “It doesn’t have to, does it?” she asked. “Sure, the party will end, but there’s no reason you can’t carry the feeling on.”

She paused as Wild shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to say. The woman huffed a laugh and picked his hat up from the parapet, passing it to him. Her hand was scaled and slightly clawed - was she Zora? Maybe?

“Put your hat back on. Go back in there and dance with your brothers. It’s plain to see that they all love you. You just have to believe it. Okay?”

Wild put his hat back on and she helped him to adjust it, then gently patted the cheek of his mask. Normally Wild would have shrieked at such an act, but something about this woman was so kind, almost grandmotherly in tone.

“There you go. Now away with you, hmm? Have fun.”

“Thank you.” Wild signed and dashed off, only realising once he was back inside that he had never thought to ask the woman’s name.

Oops.

But it was too late to worry about that. Legend and Hyrule were already running up to him, asking where on earth he had been and passing him another drink. Wild was going to need a LOT of water tonight or else he would regret this in the morning.

But the woman, whoever she had been, was right. He didn’t need to worry about tomorrow. For now he was here and he was happy and he was with his brothers. The most important thing was to have fun.

And when the party began to wind down and they headed back up to their apartment, laughing and joking and carrying yet another round of drinks with them, Wild felt like he was flying. Bustling into the room, the twins were singing loudly and they all danced along, unwilling to let the night end. Even as they all started to tire, his brothers gradually discarding their masks and dropping on sofas or drifting off to their rooms, Wild, Legend, and Hyrule still stuck together a while longer, piling onto the beds in Wild’s room as they chatted.

Hyrule began to yawn. The three of them had long since removed their hats, gloves, and hoods, hair loose around their heads, and both the veteran and traveller had removed their masks. It was clear that it was almost time for them all to crawl into their beds, but something had been playing on Wild’s mind all night, not just when the Zora woman had spoken to him, but ever since his chat with Legend this morning.

Could he?

No reason why not. He- he could-

He could do this.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

Hands shaking, breathing ragged, he gently tapped Legend’s arm where his brother was yawning. Maybe he wouldn’t feel it. Maybe Wild could just pretend that he’d never had this idea, could just move on as he was.

Legend looked around. “All okay Wild?”

Shit. Here went nothing.

“I- can you help me with the laces of my mask? The knots are a bit tight.” his hands were shaking as he signed but he was pretty sure he was still coherent.

Still, Legend stared at him for a moment as if he didn’t understand, eyes wide. “Uh- I. Are you sure?”

No. No, of course not. But also yes. Yes he was sure. If he really wanted to, he could just cut the ribbons tying it on off, but he wanted to do this. He wasn’t ready - he wasn’t sure he would ever be fully ready. But he wanted to do it.

He nodded his head. “Please?”

“O-okay.” Legend said softly, “Uh, c’mere. I won’t look.”

“I- I’ll go.” Hyrule said, standing abruptly.

“No- it-” Wild took a breath and looked them both in the eyes. “It’s okay. I trust you. Both of you.” he really hoped that he sounded convincing with his hands shaking this bad.

Before he could change his mind, Wild scooted over to Legend and perched on the bed in front of him, breath catching in his throat. He hoped the veteran couldn’t feel how hard he was shaking, but he knew that this was a vain hope.

Still, Legend was gentle as he pushed his hair out of the way and began to work on the knots. Hyrule looked at him for permission before coming to sit beside him, taking his hands and squeezing gently. Wild squeezed his hands back.

“If you want me to stop,” Legend said quietly. “I will. It’s okay.”

Wild nodded in thanks. “It’s okay.” he whispered.

Legend reached down and squeezed his shoulder, then made quick work of the knots. Wild felt the mask loosen around his face.

Okay, this was it. He disentangled his hands from Hyrule’s - Legend wasn’t touching his mask and Wild was grateful for that. That he could still actually take it off himself. Besides, even once it was off, he’d need his hands to sign. He couldn’t speak without a mask and the rubber inset on the left cheek, not without his words coming out distorted and slurred.

He lifted his hands to his mask and then paused. He could still say no. Could back out if he wanted. But… he didn’t want to.

It-

Whatever happened would happen. His normal mask was sitting on his lap. Worst to worst he could slam it on.

It would be…

It would be fine.

Wild nodded briefly and hooked his fingers around the ribbons.

He fixed his eyes on his lap, took a deep breath, and removed his mask.

Nothing happened.

Nervous beyond words, he dared to flick his eyes up and saw that Hyrule was… smiling at him? His eyes were soft and kind, and his smile was genuine.

Still shaking, Wild turned to look at Legend. The veteran’s eyes widened as he took in Wild’s ruined face, the scant amount of unscarred skin, the missing eyebrows, the gaping hole that extended from his lips and up across his left cheek, leaving his teeth and gums alike in full view.

Legend’s brow furrowed and for a moment Wild felt terror strike at his heart. Then-

“I know you said King Fuckwad is dead.” he said quietly, eyes deadly serious.“But I would bring him back to life just so that I can kill him again.”

And then he-

He hugged Wild. And on his other side, Hyrule hugged Wild.

He didn’t squeak. He was too shocked, too stressed. Instead he gasped in shock and froze for a moment. But when his brothers didn’t move to say anything against him, only held him close, Wild slowly began to uncoil, relaxing inch by inch into their arms.

“You okay?” Hyrule whispered after a few moments.

Wild nodded but the gesture was lost in the hug. Hmm. He couldn’t sign like this, not with his arms tangled up with his brothers.

“Y-yeth.” he whispered and then grimaced. No, no he wouldn’t speak like this, it was too incomprehensible. He wriggled free and lifted his hands. “Yes. Thank you.”

He still couldn’t meet their eyes, but hey, what else was new? Wild sniffled and knuckled away his tears. When had he started to cry? Didn’t matter, none of this mattered. His brothers had seen his face and they didn’t care. They were still cuddled in close to him and they weren’t making any move to leave.

Hylia. Yes, he was nervous; he was terrified. So much of the world and the people in it frightened him.

But here and now he was with his brothers. He was safe and warm, and maybe, just maybe he could begin to let down his walls.

Maybe he could begin to trust.

Chapter Text

Wild woke up, far too warm and with his back stiff and sore.

He wiggled to try and free himself from his tangle of blankets only to find that he was pinned down by something much heavier than a duvet. What the-? Wild groaned and groggily opened his eyes to see what was going on and- oh.

Oh. Okay.

Memories of the previous night came flooding back to him like a tidal wave. The fun at the ball. Trusting his brothers. Removing his mask. His brothers’ reaction. Their embrace. Their embrace.

So apparently after that the three of them had just… fallen asleep like this. Tangled up in each others’ arms, Hyrule snoring loudly into his ear and - oh Hylia, Legend was snuggled up against him, his hair poking into the hole in Wild’s cheek

Hylia’s tits.

Wild froze, eyes wide, heart leaping into his throat. Hylia, it was one thing to have gotten up the courage to show his face to his brothers, but it was completely another to fall asleep with his mask off and his brothers cuddled up to him. They were all still wearing their costumes from the night before, rumpled and mussed and tangled.

He had to get out of here. Yes, his brothers had been good and kind and gentle, but right now he needed space, needed to get away and get his thoughts ordered. More carefully now, he slowly began to extricate himself from his sleeping brothers. It wasn’t easy - Legend was clinging onto him tight and Hyrule went boneless as a cat-man when he slept, but eventually he managed to get free and climb out of bed.

Sweet Hylia, he was stiff. He really shouldn’t have fallen asleep in that position. He hoped that his brothers weren’t planning on doing much that day because his scars were tighter than a drum skin and his joints were aching. Wincing, he cast about for his normal blue mask and found it lying on the floor. Well, at least it wasn’t damaged or anything.

Glancing to make sure his brothers were still asleep, he pressed the mask to his face and secured the straps as tight as they would go. Okay. Judging by the level of light coming in the window, it was still early. Yes they were in Wild’s room, but that meant that Legend and Hyrule’s room would be empty. And hopefully with how early it was, no one else would be up to see him shuffling out in his old mask and rumpled dress.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself he stepped out - and was immediately hit by the smell of coffee.

Oh dear. He clearly was not the only person awake, then.

“Hi Wild.” croaked Four from a sofa. “Want a coffee?”

Wild blinked. Four, Time, and Warriors were all sitting sprawled across the sofas, nursing mugs of coffee. From the kitchen something began to sizzle and Wild sniffed. Bacon?

Twi poked his head around the door. “Is that Wild? Want some bacon? Oh.” he flicked his eyes up and down Wild, taking in the dress, the mussed hair, the mask. “First post-drinking Hyrule and Legend cuddle pile?”

Wild blinked and nodded. Twi grinned.

“Go get yourself changed, I’ll have a bacon sandwich ready.”

Wars turned and craned his neck. “You could also run yourself a bath, might be nice after a night curled up with those two gremlins.”

“Yeah,” Time grumbled. “First time they grabbed me after a party we were out in the wilderness and my joints hurt for a week.”

Wild thought it was a testament either to how everyone agreed or, more likely, how tired they were after the previous night's antics, that no one teased time for being such an only man. Wild only nodded and skittered off in the direction of the bathroom, pausing only to accept the mug of coffee that was pressed into his hands.

“I’ll make ya bacon after.” Twilight promised solemnly before clapping him on the shoulder and wandering back into the kitchen. Despite everything, Wild had to try not to giggle.

Twi was really hungover.

Thank Hylia for Hyrule and his insistence that they all drink their own body weight in water last night.

Sliding into the bath was heavenly. Warriors had so many different types of soap and oil that for a moment Wild had stood, transfixed, as he stared at them. Finally he had chosen one that sounded nice - rosemary and eucalyptus, how lovely! - and had beamed in delight when the oil began to foam and the bath suddenly filled with sweet smelling bubbles.

In short- wild was in heaven. A lockable door and a hot bath? With oils and soaps and apple scented shampoo? This might have been the best morning of his life, never mind the strange awakening. He could feel the aches fading away from his joints and the tight skin of his scars loosening by the second

This was bliss.

When Wild finally convinced himself to crawl out of the bath, everything felt better. Both physically and metaphorically. Sighing contentedly, he towel dried his hair and slipped into his normal tunic, refastening on his mask.

Okay. It was all okay.

Forcing himself to breathe calmly, Wild stowed his gorgeous ball gown in his slate and padded out, barefoot, to find his brothers.

As promised, Twi had set a plate piled high with bacon on the sitting room table alongside some fried bread, sausages, a bowl of relish, and a plate of eggs.

Wow.

“Want more coffee, Wild?” Four offered.

“I set you a seat up over there,” Twi said, gesturing to an armchair moved away from the rest, sitting with its back to the group where someone would have to go out of their way to see Wild’s face. “If you want food, that is. Or if. You know. You just wanna sit away from these idiots. You should totally have food though, I may not be a great cook with much, but I make a mean breakfast. Want an egg?”

Wild grinned under his mask and nodded, coming over to inspect what was on offer. Wait- where had the rancher got hash browns? Had he made them? Wild was so dragging him in to be a sous chef in future. Yeah, everything seemed like it was drenched in a layer of oil, but there were worse culinary crimes!

Wild piled a plate high with everything Twi had made and then glanced up at him as he made to leave. His hands were full with the plate and his mug of coffee, but that was alright. After his bath he felt comfortable enough to speak.

“Looks good.” He whispered.

Twilight beamed. “I’ll make huevos rancheros for you sometime, it’s an Ordon speciality!”

“That would be nice.” Wild replied and meant it, before scooting off to his armchair.

It was… it was really comfortable. Twi had dragged a little table around for him to set his plate on and had left a scattering of throw pillows. Hylia, what had Wild ever done to deserve these wonderful brothers?

Breakfast was exactly what he needed and Wild was glad that he’d grabbed such a large feast. He’d been planning to stow any leftovers in his slate, but nope, he was more than happy to eat it all. Frankly, he could have sat there contentedly all day, snuggling into his pillows and full to the gills. But his brothers were right there and chatting pleasantly, and…

It would be nice to join in.

Wild extricated himself from the pillows and tiptoed around to where the others were sitting. They were mid conversation, and Wild’s stomach suddenly twisted and clenched. What was he doing? Wasn’t he intruding? Maybe he should have stayed where he w-

“Yooo, Wild.” Twi grinned around at him. “Need a refill? The press is on the table if you want.”

He held out an arm, inviting Wild to come and sit by him, and that was all the invitation that the Champion needed. He scurried over and perched on the sofa beside him, pouring another cup of coffee and sipping at it through his straw.

It… was nice. All of them sitting there, lazily chatting and groaning about their headaches from the night before, the things they had gotten up to at the ball, the different snacks they had sampled-

It was just nice.

Wild sat quietly and listened to their chatter, joining in in with a comment or two as Warriors gleefully recounted how he had gone from wearing the recreation of his normal clothes to a set of glimmering robes and some novelty glasses

After a while, a door creaked behind him and Wild turned to see Hyrule stumbling out of his room, chest bare but still wearing the vast skirt of his gown. He looked around at the group on the sofa and grumbled something incoherent, scurrying back towards his own room with his arms wrapped around his chest. He re-emerged a few minutes later in his own trousers and undershirt, zeroing in on the pot of coffee.

Wild nervously poured him a cup and passed it over, not quite meeting his eyes. He still wasn’t sure how to process the night before. Hyrule had seen his face, that wasn’t something that he could take back. Sure, he had been kind last night, but he’d also been drunk. What if now, in the cold light of day, he realised how repulsive Wild truly was, what if-

“Thanks, Wild.” Hyrule smiled at him and looked around for the sugar bowl. The traveller had a famously sweet tooth and now, groggy and tired, he seemed happy to dump half its contents into his coffee. Wild watched as he gave it a cursory stir and then chugged the entire mug, sighing in contentment.

…must be a fairy thing.

Hyrule sat down on Wild’s other side, pouring himself another cup with a slightly more moderate amount of sugar this time.

“Portal coming.” he mumbled into his cup. “This afternoon, maybe? Not immediately.”

“UGH.” Four groaned and buried his head in a pillow. “I should not have drunk all that tequila last night.” he whined, and the rest of them giggled weakly. Four’s portal sickness was bad at the best of times, but this was going to be terrible.

Hyrule sighed. “Wild, do you have any of those fairy tonics left?”

Wild blinked and slowly nodded, fumbling through his slate for one of the glimmering pink bottles. Uncertain, he passed one over to the traveller.

“Do you mind?” Hyrule asked quietly, fingers ghosting over the offered bottle. “There’s nothing better for a hangover, but if you don’t-”

Wild chuckled and pressed it into his hands. “I think Four needs it more than I do.” he whispered.

Hyrule giggled and trotted over to give the tonic to Four, who sipped at it and immediately began to look better. Wow. Wild had never considered that they might be good for something as impractical as a hangover. The more you know!

Wild needn’t have worried about Hyrule, nor Legend when he finally awoke from his slumber. Both were a little groggy and stiff from sleep, but otherwise nothing had changed between them. No, that wasn’t right. Something had changed, something tiny and almost unnoticeable at first, but nonetheless significant. Wondrous.

Wild couldn’t quite put his finger on it. They spoke to him the same, acted the same. But they also didn’t. There was something easier about their interaction, something softer. His brothers knew now why he wore a mask, understood that his desire to hide his face went hand in hand with the need for a prosthetic in his cheek.

It wasn’t spoken. Not referred to. But it was there, and it was… it was easy to relax into.

Unbelievable as it seemed, three of Wild’s brothers now had seen his face and… it was alright. It was okay.

It was okay.

The portal arrived in the early afternoon, when everyone (yes, even Sky) had finally woken up and managed a small lunch. Giggling, Hyrule and Wild passed everyone a small glass of fairy tonic, which did wonders to wake them all up enough to eat the small platter of sandwiches that Wild set before them.

And then there was the portal, swirling into being then and there in the middle of the apartment. It seemed almost vulgar, something primal and ancient disrupting the flow of reality in the middle of such a nicely furnished room. Wild could just imagine one of the well-bred courtiers from the ball curling their lips at the sight and remarking on how badly it clashed with the upholstery. Somehow the portals seemed more at home in the woods and the wilderness.

Wild could relate.

Warriors sighed as he got to his feet. He had been hoping to have time to go and tell Artemis that he was leaving but it looked like he was going to have to settle for a hastily written note left on the coffee table. Oh well. It didn’t seem like it was any great loss, and Warriors had already said something about this being fairly normal for them at this point too.

So there was nothing else for it. They made one last sweep of the apartment to make sure that they hadn’t left anything behind, and then they lined up to go through. As was customary, Wild found himself lingering at Twi’s side, but he wasn’t expecting Legend, already paired with Hyrule, to ruffle his hair as he passed.

“Fifty rupees Hyrule doesn’t throw up this time.” he said. “That fairy tonic’s good stuff, I think we might have finally found our portal cure.”

Wild scoffed. The fairy tonic was good, but he was pretty sure that if it was an effective cure for portal sickness then Hyrule would have figured it out by now. Which meant that this was a good bet..

“You’re on.” he signed.

Legend grinned smugly while Hyrule rolled his eyes, apparently unamused by his brothers’ antics of betting on whether or not he’d spew his guts up. Oh well. The two of them entered the portal next and Twilight took one of Wild’s hands, squeezing gently.

“All in all,” the Rancher drawled. “Not the worst visit we’ve had.”

Wild nodded, smiling softly. He wasn’t sure why Hylia had sent them to Warriors’ era. There had been no monsters to slay, no great evils to defeat. There wasn’t even any sign of some sort of important information that they were supposed to learn. It was almost as if they had been portalled here exclusively for the purpose of attending the party, but such a thing surely wasn’t possible. How often did Hylia ever send them somewhere just to have fun, after all?

Still, he didn’t begrudge it. He had valued these few days in Warriors’ era, relaxing with his brothers and getting to actually unwind for once.

He squeezed Twi’s hand back and together they stepped through the portal. As usual, it compressed around him and drew him out, pulling him apart into atoms as the smell of ozone grew thick around him and then-

He stepped out into bright, green-golden light. Ah, back in the wilds this time. That was a relief. Comfortable as Wars’ apartments were, it was a relief to be back amongst the trees and the grasses of nature.

Wild blinked to clear his vision and looked around to try and get his bearings. Was it somewhere that he had been before? Somewhere new, perhaps? He knew that quite a few of his brothers lived somewhere rural ald would love to be back-

Oh.

Wild blinked, but the vista remained stubbornly the same.

It was somewhere he had been before. It was somewhere that they had all been before, only a few days previous.

They were standing outside of the woodsman’s hut by Lake Jarrah, in more or less the exact spot that they had left from only a few short days ago. Wild turned and saw that everything was almost exactly as he left it, the door of the hut locked tight and the flowers at the front still blooming, although the footprints at the front indicated that someone other than himself had been here recently.

Wild felt his mouth go dry. Flora. He’d left her a note and sent a pulse on his slate to let her know he was here. He hadn’t anticipated being back so soon. What must she think of him, slipping off like a thief in the night?

He was so distracted by his growing anxiety that he didn’t even notice Hyrule neatly darting behind a tree to throw up or Legend begrudgingly rummaging about in his wallet for a fifty rupee piece. Instead he stumbled, barely registering anything else, to the front door and unlocked it.

The air inside the hut was still, the sunlight streaming through the window and lighting the motes of dust in the air as they floated past. It was exactly as he had left it, almost.

The bow and sword were gone from his desk, and a different letter was waiting for him, sealed with a familiar mark.

Numb, Wild walked over and broke it open, heedless of the voices of his brothers behind him asking if he was alright or remarking on their swift return.

Wild unfolded the letter, eyes scanning once, then twice over Flora’s neat, precise handwriting.

Link,

Your news of the resurrecting guardian is grievous indeed, and my horror as such tidings is matched only by my joy at hearing from you again. I am sorry beyond measure that I could not see you on this occasion.

I pray for your safety, my dear friend and most noble knight, and hope that we may be reunited soon. In the meantime, I beg that you rest assured I have sent warnings of these dire events to all corners of Hyrule, so that no one may be caught unaware should further guardians reanimate.

In the meantime I hope you are well, and that you have found companionship among those with which you travel.

I remain, as always,

Your Zelda.

Wild read the letter a few more times. Okay. Flora had warned the different races about the potential threat from guardians, that was a good thing. People would be safer if they knew what to look out for.

And… she was glad to hear from him? Hmmm, Wild figured he could chalk that down to politeness. Flora’s written messages always tended to be more flowery and genteel than her day to day language, a holdover from her education as princess. But…

Well, she said it more than once. She said she prayed for him.

Flora hardly ever prayed any more. When she did it wasn’t the miserable pleas that Wild could just about recall from a century ago, it was more like a lawyer negotiating a contract than a supplicant begging for mercy. Flora’s letters may have been full of elegant words and fine phrases, but she never lied.

Had she really prayed? For him?

That was… really touching. Maybe… maybe she really had been glad to hear from him. Flora didn’t lie, after all.

“Wild?”

He jumped and looked around to find Twilight at his elbow, concern written over his face. Right, yeah, he had kind of zoned out and run inside, hadn't he? Swallowing, he nodded and passed over the note. There was nothing private on it, after all, and his brothers would be worried.

“Sorry.” he signed. “Was… surprised to be here. Flora left a letter.”

Twi scanned its contents and then handed it back. “Sounds like you’re missed, cub. What do you want to do?”

Wild blinked and tilted his head. What did he want to do? What on earth did that mean?

Behind him, Time chuckled. “It’s your world, Wild.” he said softly. “If you don’t want to go to the town after all… well, we can make it work.”

Wild looked up at him in awe. He could… just not go to Hateno? What an incredible concept!

But… no. Kind as the offer was, they needed to go to town. They needed to talk to Flora. Wild needed to talk to Flora.

…He wanted to talk to Flora.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. Yes, he liked his Zelda, cared for her deeply, but he wasn’t used to actually wanting to visit her. Normally any such feeling was quickly followed up by a flood of nerves and fear, of going into the town, of having to speak to others, of having to speak to Flora, of disappointing her.

But now… well. Yes, his fears were still there, but they weren’t at the surface. He’d learned, in the past few months, that perhaps not everyone thought of him the way he thought about himself. That maybe, just maybe, King Rhoam did not speak for everyone. Wild still wasn’t ready to accept that he could let go of all of his anxieties - but with the people he knew and trusted?

With the Chain? With Flora?

It… seemed unkind, really, to assume that they harboured such dark, cruel thoughts about him. These were his friends - his family even - and they had told him that they cared for him. Wasn’t it unfair to assume that they were lying to him and him alone, specifically about this? When they had given him their word? When they had shown him nothing but kindness?

It would take some time… but Wild was starting to realise that those he cared about - those who swore they cared for him - could maybe be taken at their word. That he could really, truly trust them.

He looked up at Time and Twi and smiled softly, even though they couldn’t see it.

“If we go now we will be there by mid afternoon.” he signed. That was, providing that Flora was in the little house that he had given to her. If she was out somewhere in town she might not be back until later, and if she was travelling elsewhere-

He’d take them to the house. After all, he still had a key and Flora had told him over and over that he was always welcome. It was still his, really, after all. And if she wasn’t there, he’d figure it out. Wait till nightfall and then make other plans if she didn’t materialise. Much as he was prepared to trust Flora, Wild still wasn’t sure how he felt about wandering Hateno asking after her. Not yet.

One step at a time.

So the Chain ended up making the short trek between the Ginner and Midla woods to Hateno. It was a bright, clear afternoon, with the birds singing in the trees and a few deer and boar grazing in the distance. Ever since the Calamity fell there had been fewer and fewer monsters plaguing the land, and without a bloodmoon to resurrect them those that were slain stayed dead. The bokoblins that had plagued the woods for so long during his journey were no longer a problem, thank Hylia, and their journey was easy.

It was… actually entering town that was the tricky part.

He hated how awkward getting to the house was sometimes. Which possibly wasn’t fair, as he himself lived on an isolated plateau with a sheer drop on every side, but that was by design. In order to get to the house in Hateno he had to walk directly through the front gate of town and halfway up the main street before he turned off, and even then he had to go through Bolson’s new development before he got to the bridge to his own house.

To be honest, if he wasn’t with the Chain he would have just gone the long way around, hiking over the mountains and dropping down towards the back of the house. But that seemed a little extreme right now, even to Wild.

So in the front gate it was. Wild knew realistically that he shouldn’t be worried, that no one in the town had ever explicitly acted against him. Sure there had been the odd looks and the snatches of whispers, but he had never stayed in town long enough to find out what was said, and he supposed that he did cut a peculiar figure.

Still. Wild flipped his hood up and felt himself shrink inwards as he approached the front gate. Even with Time and Twi flanking him, with Legend and Hyrule at his back, with the whole Chain as a buffer, he still felt his insides squirm with each step forwards.

Thadd, as ever, was keeping watch by the village gate, pitchfork in hand and eyes watching their approach. Wild would never forget his first arrival at Hateno, how that pitchfork had been aimed at him and how he had fled rather than try to explain himself. It had taken a further week of exploring the area for him to get up the courage to actually enter the town, and even then his heavily practised sign of “I am a traveller” had faltered and nearly deserted him.

Thadd wasn’t a bad person. He just took his job seriously, and Wild was only good at confrontation when he could fight back, sword in hand.

Still, the guardsman looked over their group before his eyes landed on Wild and he… smiled?

“Link!” he greeted warmly, lowering his pitchfork and his weathered face breaking into a smile. “It’s been a while! The princess said you’d been about. Going to pay her a visit? Are these… friends of yours?” he inclined his head towards the Chain.

Wild nodded, not trusting himself to speak or even sign right now. It was mid afternoon and the sun was shining, so Hateno was bustling with activity. Already, their large group had drawn attention from the marketplace, with shoppers and vendors alike casting curious glances in their direction.

Thankfully, Thadd was prepared to take him at his word. Or, well. At his nod. He’d always been sweet after that first, terrible encounter. Maybe he felt bad about trying to run Wild through with a pitchfork.

“I think she’s up in the house.” He said, standing to one side. “Good to see you again, Link.”

Wild nodded again and all but ran through the gate and into the town itself. It was okay. Only a few more steps and he could turn off the Main Street and-

“Hey Wild, wait for the rest of us!”

Wild paused and turned - right, yeah. The others. He had just raced on without them. He waited, trying not to show his impatience as they caught up, and noticed that of all people warriors Was lagging behind and had to jog to catch up.

“Your guard friend stopped me.” The Captain laughed as he reached the front of the group. “Wanted me to know that if we hurt you, he’d… well he didn’t go into specifics, but I get the impression it involved that pitchfork and my rear end.”

Wild couldn’t help but giggle. Thadd had said that? About him? That was… mortifying, but also almost unbearably sweet.

“Thadd takes his job very seriously.” Wild settled on as the rest chuckled.

Okay. He could do this. Just a little further and then he could leave. Head down, fists clenched at his sides, Wild walked on, dodging Nebb as he ran circles around them, likely looking for cool new weapons from afar, and awkwardly returning the wave from Ivee outside of the East Wind General Store.

Okay, here he was, time to turn off of the main thoroughfare. He’d made it. Cheeks burning, he made his way up towards the new development of houses. With a bit of luck Bolson would be busy somewhere with some new clients. He could just… slip through.

“Well.” He heard Four murmuring from somewhere behind him. “These homes are very… angular.”

That was one way of putting it. Wild was more or less used to the bizarre building block shapes of Bolson’s signature homes, but they were still a jarring sight after the traditionalism of the rest of Hateno.

“I mean.” Wind considered. “Maybe they have a point?”

“Yeah!” Spirit piped up. “I really think they’re turning a corner in home design!”

“Indeed,” Time added in his low, calm voice. “This is some out of the box design.”

“I’m going to kill you all.” Legend hissed. “Truly. You all deserve death for this.”

The Chain giggled as Wild spotted a figure in leopard print and pink trousers making a beeline towards him. Oh Hylia, there was no escape now. Not with the Chain at his back and houses on both sides-

“Link!” Bolson cried, throwing his arms in the air in greeting “Darling! It’s been too long! You’ve grown your hair even longer and oh! Is that a new earring?”

Wild shifted on his feet and felt himself flush from his head to his toes as he ran his fingers along the six neat piercings in his ear. He had got a new one since he was last in Hateno, as it happened. He may have only had the one ear, but it was his, damnit, and he could pierce it if he wanted to! It was never brought up, but there was something nice about the six rings decorating his ear. It was something that was his. Something about his body that he could control.

He nodded and Bolson grinned.

“Looks cute! Anyway I won’t keep you and your new friends waiting, I bet you want to go catch up with the princess eh? Just remember you lot-“ he narrowed his eyes and glared at the Chain. “I have a ball peen hammer in my pants and if you make me not happy to see you-“

“Bye Bolson!” Wild signed quickly and hurried past him. What was he thinking, threatening the Chain like that? As if they’d ever do anything to upset him!

Thankfully his brothers seemed more amused than insulted and were happy to be dragged on beyond the new houses and towards the small bridge that led to his house.

Behind him someone gasped, and when he looked around he saw that Hyrule’s face had lit up with joy. He flushed scarlet at the sudden attention.

“The house is really pretty,” he mumbled. “Is… is that where you live?”

Wild shrugged. “Flora lives there now. I moved to the Plateau.”

Still, he couldn't resist the flush of pride that came from Hyrule’s compliment. He’d worked hard to make this house nice, to transform it from the overgrown, crumbling ruin it had been when he first bought it. He had planted the flowers under the windows, had painted the door. It was a gorgeous house, and that was partly thanks to his effort. He could afford to be proud of that.

Still, he felt more than a little ill as he crossed the bridge and approached the front door. There was smoke billowing from the chimney and light in the windows. Flora was definitely home.

Wild raised a hand to rap on the door, only to find it swinging open under his hand.

And there was Flora. Eyes wide and staring at him, wearing a simple dress with an apron to protect the skirts and-

“You cut your hair!” He blurted and then felt incredibly stupid, pulling his hands back and flushing furiously.

Flora blushed gently, reaching to toy with her chin length bob.

“Ah- yes. Last week, actually. I- I know it’s a big change but-“

“It’s very pretty!” Wild signed quickly, seeing the doubt in her eyes. “Suits you!”

“Oh! Th-thank you!” She paused for a moment, staring at him.

Wild frantically tried to think of what to say, but he was drawing a blank. Hylia, what was he supposed to say?

Flora smiled. “I- I’ve been keeping an eye on the cats! Up on the plateau, I mean! Spot had kittens last month.”

“Oh really? That’s great!”

“Yes, I thought so too!”

They trailed off again, staring at each other. Hylia above, why was this so difficult? Wild shifted from foot to food and then clenched his fists, summoning his courage.

“I…” he paused, then took a breath. “I’m sorry for leaving. And for… just leaving a note.”

Flora’s smile was warm and soft. “Who are we to dispute the will of Hylia?” She quipped. “Link, I- I’m so glad to see you again. I- I’ve missed you.”

Wild glanced at the ground, just for a moment.

“I missed you too.” He admitted, suddenly very aware of the others around him, able to watch his conversation- wait, the others! He jerked his head up and gestured around to them. “These are the ones I’ve been travelling with. The heroes. They wanted to meet you!” He signed frantically and then, quietly, softly, he dared to speak aloud. “I-I wanted them to meet you.”

Flora beamed, and it was like the sun through storm clouds as she stood aside. “Well then you’d better all come in! Goodness, Link, what must you think of me, standing in the door of your own house! Come in, come in everyone, please!”

The house had changed since Wild had been there last, but probably for the better. Gone were the weapons racks that had been lying empty since Wild had returned the Champions’ weapons to their respective people. In their place Flora had put up tasteful pictures and shelves and cabinets, had turned it into an actual functional home.

There still weren’t many chairs but they made the best of the space, Flora pulling down pillows and rugs for them to sit on while they told her their story. Around halfway through, Wild began to pull out the canapés he had stolen from the ball the night before and then quietly excused himself to go and make some tea.

In the privacy of the small kitchen under the stairs, he looked at his hands as he waited for the water to boil. He examined the ridges and puckers, how his fingers twisted in a way that wasn’t quite natural, where the skin looked perilously thin. He wondered what Flora was making of the Chain, of nine heroes who hadn’t failed, whose bodies were intact and whole. Was she drawing comparisons between him and them? Between herself and their Zeldas? He clenched his fists where he stood. Much as he still couldn’t bring himself to go easier on himself, he’d go mad if someone tried to be cruel to Flora-

“Link?”

Wild jumped on surprise and turned to see Flora standing a few feet away, something akin to amusement on her face.

“I think the water’s boiled.” She said.

Wild blinked and turned. Yes, the water had indeed boiled, in fact it looked like it had a while ago. Right. Yes. He lifted it off the heat and began to make the tea as Flora came up to stand beside him, stopping a few feet away. Boundaries were something that they both valued.

“Your brothers love you very much.” She said softly. “A blind man could see it. When you left I was so worried for you, that you wouldn’t be happy with so many more people but- but you are, aren’t you? Happy, I mean?”

Wild set down the kettle and looked up. Her eyes were wide and earnest as she looked at him, waiting for a response.

He thought about the last few months. About the straws Legend had made him. About his brothers helping him repair his mask. He thought about them all sharing his masks on the mountain, about Twilight diving after him through the portal. He thought about the toast the night after the guardian, about trying on dresses, about the private chair they’d made him that morning, about Spirit and Legend and Hyrule seeing his face and yet still, somehow, treating him like a person.

He thought about the Chain. His brothers. And he smiled.

“I trust them.” He said quietly. “They’re my family. I love them.”

Flora beamed as he picked up his tea tray, ready to carry in.

“Oh,” she said. “The pink one - Legend, was it? - offered to kill my father for me. I’m flattered, but does he not know he’s already dead or..?”

Wild giggled as he kicked open the door. “I wouldn’t put necromancy past him.” He admitted and Flora snickered. He couldn’t believe that Legend had got onto his disgust with King Rhoam already, but at least he had an ally in that with Flora

The Chain looked around and grinned as they entered, smiling up from their seats on the floor. Wild found his seat between Twilight and Hyrule and quickly found himself leaning against the rancher, snuggling into his pelt and sipping his tea through the straw as the rest of them chatted.

It had been a long few days. So much had happened, both good and bad. But his brothers had been there the whole time, had laughed with him when things were good and held him when he needed someone to lean on. They had been there for him and he had been there for them in return. A Chain was an apt description for them, because they were all interlinked and inextricably woven together.

Wild was not used to other people. For as long as his short memory could recall, he had avoided them. Told himself that he could live without them. Second guessed the intentions of even those who he was closest to, Teba and Sidon and Flora.

But… sitting here, surrounded by the warmth and love of his brothers, he wondered if trust maybe didn’t have to be so foreign a concept. Trust, he was learning, was a muscle, and the more he used it the stronger it became. And, he realised, he didn’t regret it. Putting his faith wholeheartedly in his brothers had brought him nothing but love and joy, and maybe, just maybe, it was something that he could get used to.

Wild was pretty sure that he would always have doubts about himself. About whether or not people meant all that they said about him. But he was beginning to learn that other people’s lack of belief in him, real or imagined, didn’t matter: Wild believed in the world, unreservedly and wholeheartedly.

And yes, it would take time. Like he said, trust was a muscle and he had to build it up, but he was happy to take his time. To learn how to put that trust in those he cared for.

Wild believed in his brothers. In those he cared for.

And, he was realising, that was enough.