Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The woods were completely silent, apart from a playful breeze whistling through the trees. Squirrels hunted for nuts and berries, little more than a brown blur across the grass and scurrying up trees. Tiny sparrows, bluebirds and robins gathered twigs for nests and chirped pleasantly to one another. Deer and stags drank from a stream that twisted through the undergrowth.

And three predators watched, waiting for the perfect prey.

Two grey wolves with intricate white markings and distinctive scarring grumbled at each other. The younger was impatient, he wanted to leap out of the bushes and wrap his jaws around the nearby stag’s neck. The elder quietly chastised the other, insisting that they were after a larger prize. Just as the younger was about the pounce anyway, the thud of heavy lumbering footsteps sounded towards the other end of the clearing the wolves were watching and a new scent filled the air. The wolves glanced at each other before adjusting their stances, ready to fight.

Birds took to the sky in fright, the herd of deer shrieked and made to canter away, as a bear galloped into the clearing, panicked by whatever had corralled it here. The elder wolf wasted no time, channelling its twili magic through its veins and using the magical momentum to leap onto the bear’s back, digging in his sharp claws and holding on tight with his fangs. The younger wolf didn’t follow immediately, wary of the powerful flailing legs of the beast, instead channelling the same shadow magic into his paws – just like his mentor had taught him – ready to dart out when he spotted an opening.

Steady… Steady… There!

Using the unnatural speed granted by his magic, the younger wolf slipped under his prey just as the bear reared up onto its hind legs, determined to throw the older wolf off its back. The younger bounced off a rock jutting out of the ground, gaining enough height to go for the bear’s throat. The force caused the bear to lose its balance and it collapsed onto its side, giving the two wolves more than enough time to snap the beast’s neck. The bear stilled.

The younger wolf howled in triumph at the successful hunt, his tail wagging as he bounced on his paws. The elder chuffed, amused but proud of his protégé, and gave the younger an affectionate lick on his muzzle. “Well done, Cub! Your magic was much more focused than last time.”

The younger wolf glowed at the praise, then he literally glowed as the twilit wolf shapeshifted into a satori wolf. The rupolf nuzzled his mentor, making sure to rub his delicate leafy antennae across the elder’s dark fur in the ultimate sign of trust. “Thanks Twi! I couldn’t have done it without you!”

A bark cut through the trees. “With every hunt, your second skin becomes more natural, more a part of you, rather than a form you have borrowed from another.” A massive fox with nine tails stepped out of the trees, from the direction the bear had run from. “Your progress is truly impressive, Cub.”

The rupolf streaked across the clearing, almost crashing into the kitsune in excitement. “You saw it, right Time!? You saw me take it down right!?”

The kitsune snickered, the sound almost human-like. “Yes, I saw. You both were so quick I almost missed it! And after all that trouble to herd it straight to you…”

The twilit wolf trotted up to the pair. “Maybe leave the herding to the professional!” he snarked, head held high.

The kitsune rolled his single eye at his protégé. “I hear you, Pup. In that case, you can handle all that tomorrow.” The fox stretched out his body from the points on his claws to the tips of his tails, as he always did when he was about to shift.

“We’re done already!?” the rupolf pouted. “It feels like we’ve barely gotten started!”

The twilit wolf gently nudged the rupolf in sympathy. “You’re a fast learner Cub, of course it felt quick. But, we should bring our kill back to the others, we can’t waste our hunt.”

The satori wolf huffed, “I guess you’re right…” He rubbed his fur along the kitsune’s side. “But I wanted to learn your magic too!”

The kitsune nuzzled him back, draping three of his tails over the rupolf’s back like a blanket. “That is best saved for when we return to camp. Cub, we will be literally playing with fire; I would rather start outside of the very flammable forest.”

The twilit wolf chuffed again. “You just made it all the more appealing! Our beloved arsonist will be burning this forest down by the end of the day, just you wait!”

“Twi!” The satori wolf whined, betrayed, as the kitsune snickered again. The rupolf lunged at the elder wolf, playfully wrestling and snapping at each other. The two rolled around in the grass until finally the twilit wolf pinned his protégé and flopped his full weight onto the smaller wolf.

The kitsune gently scruffed his pup, easily pulling him off his cub. “That’s enough pups. Save your energy for the trek home.”

The wolves eagerly followed his command and leapt to their feet. The three predators shifted. The kitsune, consumed by navy flames, became Time, who pulled the Keaton mask away from his face and clipped it to his belt before he stretched again, his bones cracking as he shook off the stiffness. The twilit wolf, covered by black diamonds that quickly melted off his form and coalesced into his shadow crystal pendant, became Twilight, combing his fingers through the pelt draped over his shoulders, until the fur was sitting just the way he liked it. The rupolf, consumed in green light, became Wild, who quickly swiped at his mouth, smearing the blood leftover from the kill. He hadn’t even noticed it was there when he was transformed and clearly neither had the other heroes who grimaced sympathetically. Time fished out a rag and his waterskin from his pouch, which Wild gratefully accepted as Twilight stalked over to the fruits of their labour, beginning the process of harvesting their kill.

It took a while, but with the three heroes working together, everything of value was stored in Wild’s Purah Pad. By the time they were finished, the sun was casting a golden glow over the forest as it began to sink beneath the horizon.

Wild glanced at their surroundings, noting the direction of the sunset. “Which direction was Legend’s house, again? We went… west, right?”

Time hummed in thought as he assessed the woods as well. “Closer to south-west, I believe. There should be a road nearby that will take us directly there.”

“We’ll know in a moment.” Before the other heroes could question Twilight, a whistle floated on the wind, a distinctive tune that was oddly familiar to Wild. He was trying to place where he’d heard those repeated three notes before as he and Time turned to Twilight to see him with a small horse-shoe shaped instrument to his lips. Time flashed his protégé an amused smirk and Twilight spluttered indignantly, “Don’t give me that look! We’ve been running around all day, Epona won’t mind taking us back.”

Oh, the whistle was to call Epona… Wait a second- “What’s with the instrument? Why don’t you just whistle for her normally?” Wild asked.

Twilight looked a little embarrassed as he replied, “Magic isn’t my forte, the horsecall helps me put it into the song.” He held up the ivory instrument and Wild wandered over to get a closer look.

“Yeah, but why do you need a song in the first place? Nevermind a magic song!”

“Any song is magical if you know how to use it.” Time rifled around in his pouch and drew out another instrument, this time the blue ocarina that the old man occasionally played on quiet nights: the Ocarina of Time. “The notes of Epona’s Song convey a feeling of home, belonging and love, and with a little magic she can hear it no matter how far apart we are. We could be on opposite sides of the world, and she’d still hear it and find her way to us.”

Twilight chuckled a bit, “It’s also just her favourite song. There’s nothing wrong in spoiling her every now and then.” He turned to address his mentor, “I didn’t realise you knew her song too.”

Wild was no longer listening. His senses started to dull, the entire world blurring except for the two instruments his fellow heroes were holding. This conversation… those instruments… why did this all feel so familiar?

Then, Time raised the ocarina and played a melody. He’d heard it before… he knew he had! Maybe… Oh! That song that Kass used to play when he visited the stables in his Hyrule! However… the accordion was a lovely instrument and the bard bird was a master musician, but listening to Time’s rendition was a completely different experience. This song felt like it was meant to be played on the ocarina. Epona’s Song was a soothing lilt, the notes flowing together in a way that calmed the soul. Wild couldn’t help but think of Hateno Village, where he had carved his own home, the one piece of civilisation where he felt truly at peace. At home.

And yet… it reminded him of somewhere else as well. Somewhere he couldn’t name. Somewhere he couldn’t even picture. Somewhere that had left an impression on his heart. That said, the combination of so many triggers were breaking through the walls keeping his memories locked away.

In his mind’s eye, the fog obscuring some of his earliest memories began to lift.

~*~

Unlike every other memory Wild had ever recovered, this one was, for the lack of a better word, fuzzy. With every other memory, he could remember every detail; the smell of wildflowers in Irch Plain, the inflections of the Champions’ voices, so expressive each emotion was conveyed effortlessly, the strain of his muscles as he fought off the Yiga, a horde of monsters, an endless wave of guardians that would eventually take his life. This memory wasn’t like that. It felt far off, distant, eroded by time and it soon became clear why.

This memory did not belong to the Hylian Champion before he met his fate at the hands of the Calamity; it belonged to an innocent child, stumbling over his own tiny feet.

Wild couldn’t remember the feeling of grass tickling his bare feet as he sprinted as fast as his little legs would carry him up to a fence, nor the coarse wooden posts as he scrambled onto the bottom rung. He could barely make out what might have been a paddock, horses grazing at the edge of his vision, one of these blurry silhouettes galloping a lap around the area, expertly clearing the jumping fences. What Wild could remember was the feeling of excitement, of wonder, as he watched the rider. A squeaky voice, that Wild barely recognised as his own childish lilt, was cheering for them as they raced past. It took Past-Wild a moment to realise he wasn’t the only one.

“Pa’s so cool!” Wild’s attention turned to his left, where another child joined him on the fence.

This child was clearly much older than Wild was at the time, for he towered over him. The older child didn’t need to stand on his tiptoes to see over the top of the fence, in fact, he was leaning down, resting his head on his arms as he stared at the rider. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this fuzzy memory was being unable to remember much else about the boy. Was his hair brown, blond, red? His eyes brown, green or blue? Features blurred together. All Wild could remember was a smile.

“Duh! Pa’s da best! An’ so’s the horseys! I wanna ride!” Sweet Hylia, how young was Wild in this memory? Was that a childish lisp or a forgotten accent?

The older child ruffled Wild’s hair with a fond laugh, “Nope! Not fer a while yet! Yer too small, you’ll fall off.”

“Pa can ride wi’ me! He won’ lemme fall!”

“Yer too small for tha’ too!”

“No I’m not! You do tha’ wi’ ‘im all tha time!”

“Yeah, cus I’m bigger than ya!”

“It’s not fair!”

“Nah. It’s jus’ my righ’ as the older brother! I ge’ ta do all tha cool stuff first!”

Older brother… this boy was-!? he had a-!?

Past-Wild jumped off the fence and sulked in the grass. As mad as he was acting, his eyes still didn’t leave the rider as they circled around for another lap. Suddenly Wild had a brilliant idea and started crawling under the fence. He didn’t get far before something grabbed his foot and dragged him backwards.

“Woah there! Do ya wanna ge’ trampl’d!?” His brother yelled. He was so strong that Wild fell backwards into the boy’s lap and was promptly wrapped in two warm arms. No matter how much Wild squirmed, his brother was too strong; he was trapped! Wild kept trying to escape and the tight hold soon devolved into the two boys roughhousing, wrestling more for fun than any genuine bid for freedom by the younger brother.

A new voice shouted from behind the boys, “There ya are! I swear, I turn my back fer one sec…” she trailed off. The older boy let Wild tackle him to the floor, and the brothers looked behind them. Was that… a house? Child-Wild hadn’t been focused on that, rather on the woman in front of it.

“Ma!” Wild tried to crawl off the other boy, definitely kneeing him in the gut once or twice in his scramble to rush up to his… mother… This was his mother. He couldn’t even make out her face. He knew her hair was long – he could remember playing with her hair when she picked him up, and maybe…? the scent of homemade pastries?

With the young Wild in her arms, his mother squeezed him tight then called over his head, “Lux! Did’ja finish with tha cuccos? Or have ya jus’ been watchin’ your Pa and rollin’ around with your brother?”

Wild could remember how sheepish his brother sounded, “I was gonna! Bu’ he was watchin’ Pa and I didn’ wan’ anythin’ to happ’n after las’ time! He almos’ crawled under the fence again!”

His mother gasped, “Link! Wha’ were you thinkin’!? I’ve told ya so many times- Thank you Lux, you did a great job protectin’ him.”

Wild remembers feeling upset that he got scolded. He didn’t mean to make them worry! It’s just the horseys were so cool, and Pa was amazing, and he was jealous that Lux was allowed to start learning to ride and he wasn’t, and he just wanted to pet the ponies and- “I-I’m s-s-sorry…” he stuttered, as he tried to hold back tears.

“There, there baby…” Ma cooed, rocking her youngest son, “I’m more scared than mad, sweetie. You could’ve gott’n hurt, and no one wants tha’.”

Wild sniffed, wiping his runny nose on his sleeve. He was still upset, but at least Ma wasn’t mad at him. Then, while he was still curled into his mother’s arms, a finger poked his face. Wild looked down and saw Lux at their mom’s side, that smile the only thing that he still remembered.

“Hey, don’t cry. Ya just wanted to pet the ponies again, right?” Wild gave the smallest nod. “Then let’s do it!”

Lux ran back towards the paddock, their mother walking after him, “See, no one’s mad a’ you sweetie, we jus’ wan’ you ta be careful.” Her voice was so soothing. A hand was running over his back and smoothing down his messy hair, sticking up at all sorts of angles after all that wrestling.

A familiar tune floated through the air.

Wild immediately turned towards the music, as drawn to the melody as the animals it meant to call. Perched on the fence, Lux held something up to his lips, the song emanating from the tiny instrument. It looked like a horseshoe made out of white ivory, where the nails would be were the holes for fingers to pitch the note, a twine string looped around Lux’s neck. Wild loved this song. It sounded like home. And the horseys agreed, half the paddock was cantering to the fence as Lux played.

“Lux! Where didja ge’ tha’!?” scolded Ma, her tone exasperated.

Lux innocently lowered the horse call and turned to his mother, “Big bro told me to keep it safe while he was gone! So I’m keepin’ it safe!”

Ma muttered under her breath, “I’m gonna need’ta talk to him whenever he gets back…” before raising her voice again, “Well, if you’re gonna be keepin’ it safe, ya better stay on this side of the fence, ya hear!”

“I know!” Lux groaned, clearly used to the scolding.

“Now what’s going on here?” The new voice was that of an adult man, equal parts jovial and commanding.

The family turned as the rider coaxed his steed towards the fence before dismounting, patting the mare with obvious love. The man was tall, even considering Past-Wild’s small stature, he towered over everyone present, even the horses that were affectionately nibbing at his fingers and clothes, looking for treats. Present-Wild was once again frustrated at the realisation that he couldn’t remember anything else about the man. At least he remembered the man’s kind strength, how he was clearly strong and intimidating but melted as the kids called him “Pa!”

He couldn’t even remember his father clearly…

“Pa, Pa! I played it righ’! Look!” Lux chirped excitedly, as the closest pony still nosed the child, despite the lack of music.

The man chuckled, “You certainly did! Looks like all that practicing is paying off!”

Ma sighed, fondly exasperated by her entire family, “I take it ya knew he left tha horse call?”

Pa hopped the fence, his voice playfully innocent as he replied, “Maybe.”

“Hon.”

“He doesn’t need two, darling, and Lux is a smart boy and won’t get himself trampled, will you Lux?”

“I won’t!” Lux called back, still occupied with petting the ponies.

“You also won’t play it outside without either me or your Ma watching?”

Lux scoffed, “I’m no’ dumb! I’ll be careful, promise!”

“Lux…”

The boy wilted under his father’s stare, “Fine… I’ll only play when ya or Ma are around.”

Past-Wild was getting impatient. The horseys were right there! He squirmed a bit in his mother’s grip, reaching out a hand towards the horses and stretching as far as he could. Ma got the hint and strolled up to the fence, letting Wild place a hand on the mare his Pa had been riding, patting her just like he’d seen his father do. The mare nickered softly and pressed back against the child’s hand, as gentle as if the hylian child was her own foal.

Wild giggled and whispered, “When I grow up, Imma gonna have a horsey all my own and we’re gonna race an’ beat Lux an’ Ma an’ Pa an’ ev’ryone else an’ we’ll save Hyrule together an’ then we’ll rub it in their faces and say tol’ you so-”

Pa chuckled again, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep Cub. In a few years, you’ll be real embarrassed when we tell you this story.” Wild looked at his father as the man affectionately ruffled his hair. “We’ll teach you to ride when you’re ready. You can’t go and save Hyrule if you fall off and get stomped into the dirt.”

Wild didn’t seem to register that last bit, as he immediately squealed, “You thin’ I’m gonna save Hyrule!? Really, Pa!?”

“Of course I do. Call it a hunch, but I think you’ll make a great hero someday. It’s in your blood after all.” Wild remembered not just his words, but the exact tone in which this statement was said. He sounded so confident, like what he said was as certain a fact as the blue sky or the green grass, but somehow his voice also sounded fond and wistful. Every ounce of the father’s love for his son was packed into those words, but also his worry. Child-Wild didn’t understand all those nuances though, just the words, and he wiggled in delight imagining what kind of hero he’d be. “Not every hero has a loyal steed, but you will. Maybe she’ll be one of the ponies here, or maybe she’s yet to be born, but your mare will be from this very ranch and stick with you through thick and thin.”

“Cus of the song, righ'!?” Child-Wild interrupted, eyeing Lux’s horse call.

His big brother laughed, “They don’ help heroes save Hyrule cus of a song! They jus’ like it and come runnin’ when they hear it!”

Ma spoke up, “It’s soothin’, like a lullaby. It sounds like home. With a lil’ bit of magic, they can hear it from anywhere and follow it home.”

Pa reached out and petted the oldest mare in the paddock, sneaking her a sugar cube from his pocket, “They help save Hyrule because they have just as much courage as the heroes. With that song, they hear our hearts in the notes. They know they can trust us and that we’re worthy of that strength. So, if you want to save Hyrule one day, while we wait for you to grow up, listen to their song, remember it, and keep it in your heart for when you need it most…”

Then, Pa reached into a little pouch on his hip and pulled out an instrument of his own. Child-Wild had seen it before, but never this close – Pa was standing so close to Ma he could reach out and touch it if he wanted – Present-Wild recognised the instrument too, as he’d seen it far too recently. The ocarina was a deep navy blue, a golden Triforce emblazed on the silver strip that circled the mouthpiece. Pa lifted the Ocarina of Time up to his lips and serene notes spilled from the instrument, gliding on the wind to the horses who whinnied in delight.

As Pa played the song again, Lux joined in, his notes noticeably shaky when compared to Pa’s practiced precision. Ma began to sing along, the occasional giggle interrupting her song as she enjoyed spending a precious moment with her boys. Eventually, even Wild added his voice to the chorus, out-of-tune and unrefined but he made up for it with his enthusiasm. He thought about what Pa said, about how the horses could hear his heart in the music and tried to tell them how much he loved them through his voice.

The family sang and played until they were out of breath, enjoying the afternoon sun and the company of the loyal mares.

~*~

Wild returned to the present with a choked gasp. Usually when he woke from a memory, it was a gentle affair, as if he had been floating on the surface of soothing waters, bathed in gentle sunlight until he reluctantly decided to climb out. This was like falling off a cliff without a paraglider. He might’ve spiralled into a panic if it wasn’t for the arms wrapped around his torso, briefly squeezing him and grounding his freefall when they heard Wild wake.

“Wild? Are you with us?” asked Twilight, almost whispering to not startle the younger man.

Wild closed his eyes, took a breath and replied, “Yeah, I’m back.”

For a moment, Wild wondered why Twilight wasn’t in his wolf form, as he usually was when the amnesiac needed grounding or comfort, then he registered how the two of them were being jostled slightly, rhythmically. Wild opened his eyes to see that he was seated on Epona. Twilight was apparently not just holding him for comfort but to keep his limp body from falling off the mare. Epona’s reins were not being held by either of them, rather Time was leading the draft horse as they walked down the dirt path that would return them to Legend’s house.

Time turned to meet Wild’s gaze, a small smile on his face, “Good evening, Cub. It’s good to see you up; Twi was starting to worry.”

Twilight spluttered, “I was not!”

“He was.” Time turned back to watching the road, but not before Wild caught his amused smirk.

Twilight scoffed, “Well, excuse me for caring! I’ve never seen him get a memory like that; can you blame me!?”

Wild leaned back into Twilight’s chest, burying himself in the other hero’s warmth, “You’re excused.” He had to hide a smirk of his own as he heard Twilight exhale sharply, exasperated. Wild tilted his head back until he could see the wolf-hero’s face (albeit upside down), raising an eyebrow as he did so, “What was so different about it?”

Twilight frowned as he recalled the moment, “There were no warning signs it was going to happen. One moment we were talking and the next you were completely out of it, there’s usually some sort of transition…”

Time added, “You also collapsed. I’ve never seen you do that during a memory.”

“Right!” Twilight continued, “Usually I guide you down to the ground, get you comfortable for when you come back, but it’s like you fainted or something! We thought something might be wrong so…” he gestured vaguely to Epona and the road they travelled, “Thought it best to return to the house.”

Wild grimaced, “Yeah… that is weird. The memory I got was odd too, maybe it had something to do with that?”

“Odd?” Twilight echoed.

Wild nodded, “It was… Goddesses, I’ve never had a memory like that! I… I do-” He could feel tears welling and frantically wiped a hand across his face. “It was… I don’t even know where to start!”

Time slowed Epona down to a stop and turned to properly address the other heroes. His voice was infinitely gentle as he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yes! I do and that’s the problem! The memory was old and fractured and I only wish I could remember it more clearly. There’s so much missing and I hate it cus I think I saw- I remembered-” It’s as if the words themselves were choking Wild. It took far more effort than it should have to spit out the final two words. “-my family. Before the Calamity, back when I was a kid.”

“Oh Wild…” Twilight soothed, squeezing the younger hero tighter.

From there, it was like the floodgates were opened. Wild described every detail he could remember to Time and Twilight. His older brother that could switch from teasing to protective in moments. His mother, a worrywart who loved her boys with all her heart. His father, someone he had looked up to, his personal hero, who held wisdom and mischief in equal bounds.

“-when I first started getting my memories back, one of the things I wanted to know most was about the people I knew back then, the Champions, my friends, my family. Even if all the people I loved were gone, whether they were killed in the Calamity or just succumbed to time, if I remembered them, then at least some part of them would live on. I’d grieve anyway, so at least I wanted the memories as well, y’know? To know they were worth grieving. And now, for the first time, I finally remembered something about the people who raised me, but it’s so faded this might be worse than never remembering them at all! All I remember is how much they loved me and nothing else! It hurts… knowing how much they cared but having so little to show for it…”

He tried to recall them once again, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t picture his family. He had nothing left of them other than a smile, hair length and height. It had been their actions, words, and feelings that had stuck with him that day, and as grateful as he was to have that much, it only highlighted what had been lost to time. This was all so frustrating! The only thing keeping Wild from a full breakdown was Time and Twilight’s soothing presence.

Lost in his grief, Wild barely registered Twilight wrapping him up in his pelt and that Time was wiping away the few tears that managed to spill down his cheeks. He barely noticed Time leading Epona to the side of the road, easing the mare into laying down and coaxing the younger hero onto the grass and into an embrace of his own. He didn’t realise he had buried himself into Time’s chest until the older man was rubbing circles into his back, the weight of nine tails curling around him to deepen the hug. He did notice when Wolfie flopped onto their laps, startling a choked laugh out of him as he automatically started running his hand through the wolf’s fur.

Only once Wild had calmed down a bit, did he speak again, “I… I don’t know what to do… I want to remember them more… but I have no idea how!”

Time hummed under his breath, “Perhaps it would be best to start small.” Time waited until Wild pulled away a bit, just enough to send him a questioning glance, before he continued. “Maybe we could try to figure out some more details from the memory. You said you remembered their words and actions the most, correct? Did anything they do or say stand out to you?”

Wild recalled the memory once again, treating the situation like a shrine puzzle, scouring it for any clues he could find. Now that he was thinking about it, there were quite a few things that stuck out to him.

“I… There was another member of the family. Lux got the horsecall from our older brother!”

Twilight’s head shot up in surprise and Wild swore that Time’s eye widened a little in shock. Twilight whined and nosed at Wild’s hand, his thoughts translating in Wild’s head “A horsecall?”

“Yeah!” Wild responded, “The horsecall, the ocarina and that song; that’s what triggered the memory in the first place. They looked and sounded exactly the same!”

Twilight transformed back in a flurry of dark diamonds, “But that’s not possible.” He pulled the whistle out from his pouch, cradling it as he showed it to the other Links, “It’s one of a kind. Illia made it for me, I’d never give it away!”

Time frowned, fishing the royal blue ocarina from his own pouch, “I’m afraid I have to agree. The Ocarina of Time is an ancient relic supposedly made by the gods themselves; I doubt they would make a spare, and I will never allow such a powerful instrument to fall into another’s hands.”

“But they look exactly the same! And that song… You both played it just like they did!”

“Epona’s Song? They were playing-” Time paused, his face scrunching up in thought, “I was taught that song by my wife, it belongs to her family. Twilight, how do you know it?”

Twilight looked just as confused, “I… always have. I know that’s not a good explanation, but I’ve known it for as long as I can remember. For a while, I thought Uli had taught it to me, but she once told me about how I was humming it when she and Rusl found me on the edge of Ordon – they wouldn’t have found me if I hadn’t led them right to me…”

“Perhaps it was passed down in the family. You are my descendant, after… all…” Time trailed off.

Wild blurted out, “My father… he said that being a hero was in my blood!”

It was as if all three of them came to the same conclusion at the same moment. Two unique instruments that the wielders would not give up under any circumstances. A song passed from parent to child for generations. A family descended from heroes of the distant past. I couldn’t be… But it couldn’t be anything else!

Wild was the first one to break the silence, “You’re my ancestors…!?”

Twilight broke into a smile, squeezing the younger hero, “I think so, Cub.”

Time pulled both of his wolf pups close, smothering them with his tails, but neither of them seemed to mind, leaning further into their ancestor’s protective embrace. No more words were said or needed. They stayed in that little huddle on the side of the road, until the rest of the Chain ended up tracking them down, and when they did, the three of them had quite the story to tell.

~*~

Surprisingly, this revelation didn’t change much. Time, Twilight and Wild had already been close before they discovered they were related, so they just continued like normal. Yes, maybe they were more physically affectionate with each other, especially when instincts were running rampant, and maybe the number of furry cuddle piles – the trio preferring to snuggle up in beast form over blankets to keep warm at night – went up, but in the grand scheme of things, little changed.

Until the letter came, that is.

It was the first time the Chain had been portalled to Wind’s era. They’d landed on Outset Island and, while they waited for Tetra and her crew to arrive, spent the day meeting Aryll and the siblings’ grandma. The two of them were incredibly sweet to Wind’s new friends, Aryll showing them around the island, playing with them on the beach and the Chain finally got to see why their sailor always said that no soup, no matter how good, could compare to his grandma’s.

The mood was light until Quill, the Great Sea’s Rito postman, appeared the next morning with a mountain of letters addressed to the Chain. From the sound of it, their regular hylian postman had been working with the Rito recently to deliver letters to the Links. Most of the heroes were happy to get letters from their loved ones, and Quill was even willing to wait about an hour for the heroes to write replies for him to ferry back to their own eras. In the rush to grab paper and ink and scribble down their love, reassurances and updates to whoever waited back home, not many noticed Time’s change in demeanour. At least, not until the next day.

That was when Tetra arrived with the news of the latest black-blood sighting. Headstone Island, the island directly west from Outset that contained the entrance to the Earth Temple. Undead enemies had been seen roaming the surface. While Outset was safe from the shambling hordes by the expansive ocean, the Chain still decided to deal with the threat immediately, not taking any chances.

The island wasn’t a pretty sight. Stalfos, redeads and gibdos covered the small courtyard outside the temple entrance, and not just those from Wind’s era, but from other eras as well. Twilight’s redead knights with their massive rusty blades and bandages, Legend’s with their cyan masks and clay bodies melting into the earth beneath them. Wild’s gibdos with their insectoid traits and their startling speed. Sky’s stalfos with their multiple arms and skill that required precise strikes to take down. Wind and Tetra were tempted to lobby them with cannonfire to avoid the gruelling fight, but they didn’t want to damage the sacred ground, even if their era’s Master Sword was at the bottom of the ocean and wouldn’t need recharging anytime soon.

So, the Chain dove into the fight. It wasn’t pleasant. There was so much screaming the Links with enhanced hearing were surprised their ears hadn’t started bleeding. Thankfully with a magic song, courtesy of Time, and a lot of fire, the reanimated corpses were dealt with and just the stalfos were left. There wasn’t a trick to fighting stalfos, you just had to be proficient at swordplay, which Heroes of Courage excelled at. Yes, it took a while, and a few close calls required some potions and help from their fairies, but they came out on top eventually.

It was as they were walking back to the shore, ready to drag themselves back aboard Tetra’s vessel, that it happened.

Twilight, Wild and Time were walking towards the back of the pack, Twilight helping Wild walk as he still had a limp from a previously broken leg. Time was listening to the two argue back and forth, Wild going on about how this would be so much easier if Twilight would just let him shift into something smaller, like his rabbit form or even his fairy form, he could just fly! There was no need for Twilight to be his crutch if he had wings! But Twilight continued to argue that the last thing the younger hero needed was to transform right now. There was nothing stopping Wild from shifting. Twilight wouldn’t be able to do anything if he did. It warmed Time’s heart to know that, for how Wild loved to live up to his nickname, he was listening to Twilight when it mattered.

But then he heard it. Beneath the relieved banter and laughter, amongst the crackling of lingering flames; movement. The scrape of gravel as it was disturbed, the crack of broken bones scraping together as a broken body pushed through the pain, the click of mandibles-

Time spun around just as a hunk of burning flesh leapt out from behind a boulder, straight for his boys. He didn’t think. He just reacted.

“Lux!!”

Time lunged, wrapping his arms around the wolves and dragging them down to the floor with him. He felt the impact of the gibdo’s claws against Nayru’s Love as it sprang into existence just in time to save them from the burning corpse. The gibdo didn’t get a second chance to attack, as before it even recovered from bouncing off the pale blue crystal it was pierced by a powerful sword beam, courtesy of Hyrule. Just to be sure, Legend raced over and cleaved its head from its body.

“Time?” his attention was turned to Twilight and Wild, who he was still holding in a death grip. Wild spoke softly, as if he was talking to a scared animal. “You can let go now. Its dead. We’re okay.”

It wasn’t until that moment that Time realised he had been snarling at the disintegrating corpse outside his protective spell. Even with that knowledge, he didn’t stop, waiting until the gibdo was nothing but ashes to calm down, let go of the boys and release his hold on Nayru’s Love.

While most of the Chain saw nothing odd about the incident, all of them used to this team being overprotective of each other and occasionally dipping into animal instincts to express it, Twilight wasn’t so sure. While Time tried to laugh it off, something felt off about Time’s utter panic and the lengths he went to. It wasn’t until they were back on the ship that he figured out what was bothering him.

Once everyone was settled and the ship pulled away from Headstone Island to return to Outset, Twilight approached Time, where he was leaning on the wooden railing on the ship’s starboard side. His ancestor was still glaring at the island like it had murdered his family, not just tried to.

“Hey, Time?” he started, joining the man by the railing. Twilight subtly checked Time’s eyes and scented the air. Each hero had different tells when their beast instincts were bleeding into their hylian minds. Time’s most prominent were two that he switched between randomly; his scent would have hints of ash and cinders over his usual horse, forest and fairy magic smell, or he would open his blank eye, using Fierce’s magic sight as if he had completely forgotten he preferred to keep it closed. Right now, his scarred eyelid was shut, but Twilight could pick up the smell of a burning campfire around his mentor.

When Time turned to look at him, he looked completely normal as he replied, “Everything alright, Pup?”

Contrary to what most people thought, that nickname was not a symptom of Time’s kitsune instincts – at least, Twilight didn’t think it was. The moment they met for the first time, that had been his mentor’s nickname for him and… Twilight would be lying if he said he didn’t love it. If he was transformed right now, his tail would be wagging. He’d deny Warriors’ claim that just hearing the name from Time’s lips made the twilit hero light up in excitement, he’d deny that ‘til the day he died. …But he wouldn’t deny his ears perking up to attention. He couldn’t; it was too obvious to deny, they were too damn expressive!

“I just wanted to ask about earlier.” Twilight started, gauging Time’s response.

The elder hero sighed, “I went a little overboard, didn’t I?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Before you get it in your head that I don’t respect your strength, that isn’t it.”

“I wasn’t suggesting-!”

“Just checking, Pup.” He flashed Twilight his teasing smirk, which got an eye roll out of the wolf. “No, it wasn’t about your strength, or Wild’s, it was…” he trailed off a moment, the smirk fading into a contemplative look. “I suppose, I’m still trying to get used to the new normal. I’m not used to Wild being mine. A little cub I need to protect, no matter how old he is or how far into the future he is, he is mine. You understand, I’m sure.”

“You’ve got me there…”

“So, that, combined with him being injured, and the gibdo being on fire, which I know you don’t appreciate, don’t forget you’re mine as well, Pup-”

“Okay, I get it! Your papa fox instincts went haywire.”

“Exactly.” While the affirmation sounded light-hearted, there was something shining in Time’s blue eye that Twilight couldn’t identify.

Deciding it was about time to cut to the chase, Twilight continued, “There is something else I wanted to ask you though.”

“Which is?”

“You shouted something before you tackled us. It sounded like ‘luck’ or something-?”

“Lux.”

“Yeah, that. What was that about?”

Silence. Absolute silence.

“Um… was it a spell? Like how First has to say stuff when he casts? I’ve never seen you do that before, though… so… that… probably aint it…”

Still, the elder hero didn’t reply, or make even the slightest sound. Twilight wasn’t sure if his mentor was even listening anymore. Time’s posture had gone rigid, no longer the relaxed lean against the railing. If reading his expression had been difficult before, this one was utterly incomprehensible. He was so still; for a moment Twilight entertained the possibility that Time was dissociating, like Wild did during a memory. But, no. That wasn’t it. Wild’s eyes would go glassy and unfocused during an episode. While Time was staring blankly into the distance, he was still staring at something, even if that something was just the horizon, his irises flickering back and forth as he thought. Wild wouldn’t be able to hear anything at all, but as a seagull cried, Time’s ears twitched as the sound pierced the calm background noise of rolling waves and creaking planks. Wild would be utterly motionless, but Time was lightly tapping a rhythm on the railing with his fingers. This was a different kind of detachment.

Twilight hadn’t been expecting this. Time always answered every question he was asked, even if it was just to deflect, or say something so vague you ended up with more questions than you started with. Even if he just needed time to formulate an answer, he never went this silent. He never stonewalled people like this, especially not Twilight.

“Time?” Still no reply. This… this must be serious. He shouldn’t have brought it up. “I’m sorry, just forget about it-!”

Twilight made to pull away from the railing, give his mentor some space, when Time’s hand landed on his shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, Twilight had been spun around and Time was holding him against his chest, Twilight’s head tucked beneath his chin.

“I’m not sure yet…” Time whispered, his voice fragile. “I need to be sure before I tell you, before I tell anyone, really. Can you wait for me, Pup?” he was doing his best to cover it up, but Time sounded desperate.

How could he not say, “Yeah. Of course!”

“Thank you.”

For a few beats longer, the two were frozen like that. Time holding his protégé like he was the most precious thing in all of Hyrule, while Twilight was still too stunned to move. Then he slowly reached up and wrapped his arms around his mentor. The two of them relaxed at the contact. The moment felt both like it passed in a second and lasted all night. The sun lowered, dipping into the horizon like it was sinking into the ocean, the beauty of the twilight hour setting the sea ablaze with a swirl of sunset colours.

All too soon, Time let go and slowly pushed Twilight away by his shoulders, looking his descendant in the eyes with such a soft gaze, for a moment, the wolf hero didn’t mind the end of their embrace. “You look tired.” Time whispered, as if talking any louder would somehow break the moment. “We’ve had a long day. Why don’t we go down to the cabins and get some sleep. At least give Wild some company before the boy goes stir-crazy.”

Twilight didn’t feel up to replying. He just hummed in acknowledgement. The two did as Time said and before long, Twilight was falling into a hammock, asleep the moment he was supported by the fabric. He was so deep asleep, he didn’t stir when Time left the room, nor when he knocked on the door for the cabin across the hallway or the door creaking as it opened.

“First. I need your help with something.”

Chapter Text

Only one portal later, the Chain were dropped into Time’s era. Time immediately used the opportunity to take the heroes on a detour and lead them to Lon Lon Ranch to introduce them to his wife, Malon. The heroes were immediately taken with her, a lovely woman who was equal parts sweet and stubborn, soft and strong. They could see why Time was so smitten with her, why she was the woman he had let into his heart and allowed to break down his walls. She brought out a side to him that the Chain had only seen glimpses of and put it on display for all to see. It was a sight to behold, seeing their leader so relaxed for so long, not once attempting to hide that fact. That being said, the other heroes couldn’t help but notice Malon and Time sneaking about, sharing hushed conversations as they watched the rest of the Links. They decided to leave it alone; whatever they were talking about was clearly meant to stay between the married couple.

Despite being put to work on the farm, the visit was relaxing, just what the heroes needed after their last fight. Which made it all the more jarring when the peaceful atmosphere soured not long after the Chain had gathered in the dining room, waiting for their hard-earned dinner.

It was only after the heroes had pestered Malon into helping with the ‘Time age bet’ – as they were calling it – that Twilight noticed it. Wild had been pretty quiet since they got to the ranch, but Twilight had assumed the sage’s scars were irritating his throat again and Wild was just having a quiet day. But as the heroes sat chattering around the dining table, the wolf hero finally noticed something about his protégé’s demeanour. Wild would smile and laugh along with the others, then suddenly his gaze would turn distant and his posture tense. Then as quickly as it came, Wild would physically shake it off and return to the conversation like he never left it. Twilight watched him do this thrice, to make sure he wasn’t imagining it, before he got out of his seat and rounded the table to stand by the Champion’s side.

“Wild, can you look at me?” Twilight requested, leaning over so he could look the younger hero in the eye. “How many fingers am I holding up? How much difficulty are you having focusing?”

The sage frowned, “I knew you’d notice eventually… I’m fine, I think. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

“You know what this is?”

He hummed to confirm, “It feels like I’m on the verge of getting a memory. Like… I’m in the general area of the photo I’m trying to track down, but I haven’t found the specific spot the picture was taken from yet. My brain is working overtime trying to remember, but I can’t find that last trigger that I need.”

By now, the seriousness of their conversation had caught the attention of the rest of the room. Hyrule asked, “What can we do to help?”

“Would it be better to get you away from whatever is reminding you, or do you need help finding the trigger so you can get the memory over with?” inquired Warriors, spinning in his seat next to Wild to monitor the younger hero.

Wild’s brows knitted together as he thought. “I’ve been feeling off since we got to the ranch, so the first option is out. But, since I have no clues to help me, I don’t even know where to start with the second one.”

Just then, Time returned, having changed his shirt and washed off the jam he spilt earlier. “Is everything alright?”

Twilight quickly explained as Warriors asked Wild a few more questions to gauge how he was feeling. By now, Malon had realised something serious was happening and also asked for clarification. Once everyone was caught up to speed, Time asked Wild, “Do you think its another childhood memory? If you lived on a ranch as a child, returning to one might have triggered something. Could it be another song or sound, like last time?”

“I dunno? Maybe?” Wild groaned and slumped over the table. “I’m so tired… I just want this over with already…”

The couple shared a concerned look, then Time replied, “Then maybe now isn’t the time to be recovering long lost memories. Why don’t you have some food, retire early for the night, and then if it’s still bothering you, we can all figure it out together tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds great…” Wild’s reply was muffled by the table, but still understandable.

Malon nodded and returned to her food prep, “Well, in tha’ case, Link, be a dear and make up the spare room, there’s ‘nough time before dinner.” After a moment, she frowned to herself and called over her shoulder, “On secon’ thought, hun, we’d best ge’ him a bed, if he wants any hope of a good night’s sleep. Wild can take his room-”

* To the surprise of everyone in that house, Time cut her off with a cold “No.”

Malon turned away from the counter-top to stare down her husband. Time met her gaze head-on. “Why not?” she asked calmly, keeping a level-head.

“We agreed we wouldn’t touch it until-”

“I know what we agreed, bu’ we need the space and that room-”

“No one is touching that room!”

“Link, we need ta be realistic ‘bout this. We can’t jus’ leave tha’ room untouched forever.”

“I know we can’t, but you’re acting like- like he-!” Time cut himself off, unable to finish.

This wasn’t like the disagreement the two had earlier. This argument was not about the room itself; the Links were able to gather that much. There wasn’t truly anger in their words, expressions and body language. It looked more like fear. It sounded more like a bone-deep sadness. Like grief. It felt wrong to watch this, but no one could turn away.

Malon approached her husband and brought him into a hug which was quickly reciprocated. “I know this is hard, fer tha both of us. We’ve barely had time ta process it, adapt, bu’ again, we need ta be realistic ‘bout this…”

“I’m sorry.” Time squeezed his wife tighter, “I’m being unreasonable-”

“All things considered; you ain’t really.”

“It’s all my fault-!”

Malon shushed him, “None of tha’. Playin’ the blame game doesn’t help anyone.”

“You should take your own advice.”

She sighed, “I should, shouldn’t I? Rushin’ the healin’ process also doesn’t help. Maybe… maybe it is too soon. Since Father won’t be back fer a few days, I’m sure he won’t mind someone else takin’ his bed fer the night. Between his bedroom and the spare room, tha’ should be enough space.”

“Or maybe I just need to get my priorities straight.”

“I jus’ said-!”

“I know.” Time pulled away enough to look Malon in the eye. “How about this? We go with your plan for sleeping arrangements. We leave the room untouched for the moment. But, while I’m here, we need to spend some time… dealing with this. Does that sound fair?”

Malon nodded, “I’m holdin’ ya ta tha’.”

“Good.” They gave each other a final squeeze, exchanged a brief peck on the lips, then pulled away from each other. “I’ll get started upstairs, you finish dinner and send one of the boys to get me when its ready.”

With that, Time left the kitchen in the direction of the stairs. While Time had looked the happiest he’d been throughout that conversation, that wasn’t saying much. Malon also seemed to notice that fact, a small frown on her face as her gaze stayed on her husband until he was out of sight. After a long moment of silence, she turned away from the doorway and acknowledged the other Links.

“I’m sorry ‘bout tha’. The two o’ us must look a right mess ta ya’ll.”

“Its alright!” reassured Sky. “You’re both clearly going through a lot right now.”

Malon huffed a breath, “Aint tha’ the understatement o’ tha cent’ry…” she glanced at the doorway her husband has disappeared through. “At least I’ve had tha chance ta come ta terms with… our situation. My father an’ my staff have been a real blessin’ these past few weeks and doin’ things about the ranch, keepin’ that routine, has given me plenty o' time ta think. My guess is Link hasn’t had tha' with this new journey of yours.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Wind asked, his voice small and hesitant.

Four sidled up beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “We can be there for him once we’re back on the road.”

“Ya’ll can be here fer him now, if ya wish.” Malon turned back to the feast she and Wild had been preparing all day. “He’s not goin’ ta be cleanin’ up there… Could some o’ ya’ll go up there? Drag him back down here, or at least keep ‘im on track with wha’ he said he’ll do? I don’t wan’ ‘im alone righ’ now.”

“I’ll go.” Warriors volunteered. Wild didn’t look like he was getting worse, so he felt comfortable leaving him in Twilght’s care to go after his little brother.

“I will as well.” First spoke up, getting up from his seat. For a moment, Warriors was surprised. Out of all the heroes, he hadn’t been expecting him to volunteer. He didn’t think their eldest would feel comfortable joining him for this conversation, but the man was already walking past him and making his way towards the stairs. Warriors followed after him.

First and Warriors made their way up the stairs. The landing was lined with a few doors, but one of them stood ajar and through it, they could see Time’s silhouette in the darkened room. As First plucked a candle from a table on the landing and lit it, Warriors stepped into the room and immediately realised that this talk might be above his paygrade.

Like Malon had implied, it was a bedroom, but it was clearly not a guest room. This room was clearly well-loved and lived in by someone the Chain had yet to be introduced to. A chest of drawers was overflowing with clothes that had been hastily shoved in with zero care, the size of the outfits far too small. Toys were strewn about the floor, everything from toy swords made for tiny hands, to carved wooden dolls in the shape of soldiers and monsters, to fluffy plushies. Messy drawings were pinned to the walls depicting the ranch, flowers, animals and, most damningly of all, what had to be the Lon family. A short man with a black moustache was standing beside a woman with fiery red hair and a taller man with blond hair; despite the childish scrawl, Warriors easily recognised Malon, Time and who had to be Talon. And standing in between the happy couple was a much shorter figure, clearly that of a child.

Sweet Hylia, please don’t let this be what he thinks this is!

Only once First entered and closed the door behind him, did Time acknowledge their presence. He was sitting on the edge of a bed – small, just like everything else in the room – and looked up from something he had been cradling on his lap.

“What? Is it-? Does Malon need me?” He sounded a little dazed. They had clearly interrupted his train of thought; it was rare to see Time this out of it.

“No.” First replied simply. “We just thought you could use some company.” He was careful to step around the scattered toys as he made his way over, delicately placing the candle on the bedside table before he took a seat next to Time. With the light so close to Time, Warriors could make out the object his little brother was clutching – a plush toy.

“I’m fine…”

Warriors made his way through the maze of toys and took a seat on the floor, his back resting against the side of the bed, so close to Time his shoulder was leaning against the other’s leg. “We all know you’re not, Sprite. There’s no need to lie to us.”

He just hummed in acknowledgement, not even trying to rebuke Warriors’ words. Time’s eye roamed over the other heroes then settled back on the plush between his fingers. At least he was accepting their comfort. Warriors had half expected him to order them to leave. They sat in silence for a while, sharing Time’s silent grief.

Tentatively, First asked, “Would you like to tell us about them?”

To Warriors’ surprise, Time started talking. Not deflecting or answering vaguely leaving them with more questions than answers, or lashing out like he did when they shared a tent and fought a war together. His words were wistful, his thoughts a little disjointed like he was saying whatever came to mind, but they were filled with longing and love.

“When we first started courting, me and Malon would always talk about kids. We both wanted them, a lot, but I was always a little hesitant. After everything I’d been through, I was always worried about what kind of parent I would be, whether I even deserved kids – part of me thought Malon was too good for me, I couldn’t ask her to tie herself to me like that as well. Malon eventually got through to me, convinced me I was worth a happy normal life, the family I always wanted. Took us a couple years but we made it. We were blessed only a short while after the wedding and nine months later she brought our boy into the world. We named him Lux, after the light. He was our little light, our spark of hope that the worst was behind us.”

Why did Warriors recognise that name?

“He was- He is everything I could’ve ever wanted in a son. He was a little bundle of joy and had the biggest heart. The moment he saw the horses for the first time I knew we were in for a life-long obsession with animals. He idolised everyone on the ranch and made it his mission in life to help out as much as possible. Whenever I’d play music, he’d listen, almost entranced and then the moment the last note faded he would instantly demand I teach him and, of course, I’d pretend to fight him on it and then ‘cave in’ and teach. He tried doing the same thing with my sword skills, but I was much firmer with him on those occasions. I always intended to teach him someday – self-defence is important in a world like ours – but I’d insist on waiting until he’s actually tall enough to hold a sword. And he’d whine and argue like children do… He had his moments of course, our little hellion. There were moments I wondered if this was karma for how I was as a kid…”

Warriors couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yeah, you made a name for yourself during the war, you gremlin! You gave me and my men hell!”

Time, their unflappable leader and an apparent father, pouted at Warriors’ remark, “It was hardly just me. You’re acting like the sailor was some sort of angel!”

“I never said any such thing, Sprite! He was just as bad as you were!”

First laughed lightly under his breath, “I believe that mischief is simply in our spirit, Captain.”

“Oh yeah?” Warriors retorted, “I’ve never seen you do anything gremlin-worthy.”

The eldest of the Chain flashed the captain a familiar smirk, “Oh, I have on occasion. I am just more subtle about it than the rest of you.”

As Warriors regarded First with a look of abject horror, Time snickered at his brothers’ bickering, before it trailed off into something more sombre, “Lux would have loved to meet all of you. He has plenty of family on his mother’s side, but I’m sure he would have loved to meet his uncles.”

And now was the point they had to ask; where was this boy that Time and Malon adored with all their hearts? Warriors had no idea how to voice it aloud. The empty room, Time and Malon’s earlier argument; the implications were haunting.

Warriors almost breathed a sigh of relief when First essentially asked it for him, “We would love to meet him too. …Is there a reason we haven’t yet?”

For a moment, Warriors thought he wouldn’t answer. Then, quietly, Time spun his story. “We had been riding back home after a routine delivery. Lux was old enough that deliveries were an opportunity to take him into Castle Town and Kakariko and get him out from under everyone’s feet. Then, just as the ranch’s gates were in sight, monsters appeared. It should’ve been easy. I always kept a weapon in the cart for that exact scenario, Lux already knew to hide in the cart while I fought. Everything should’ve been fine, but that was the first sighting of the black-blooded monsters.”

Oh. This was recent, likely right before the portals started appearing. This memory, this wound was too fresh, they shouldn’t be picking at it! And yet Time just kept talking.

“They were pushing past fatal wounds, they had me on the defensive, but it didn’t matter how long the battle took, how many times they hit me as long as they didn’t reach the cart. And then I heard Lux scream. Standing on the cart was that- that damned Shadow. It had snuck past, and it had grabbed him, he was just hanging there by his little wrist and-! He was crying for me and-!” He sucked in a breath, holding back a sob.

“Hey,” Warriors tried to soothe, placing a hand on his brother’s knee, trying to ground him, “You don’t have to say any more, it’s okay.” Honestly, Warriors didn’t want to hear any more. He didn’t want to hear about how the gruesome act happened. He didn’t want to hear about what that monster did to that child, any child, but especially not the boy that would’ve been his nephew if they had ever had the chance to meet. He didn’t need to hear about the little grave somewhere on the ranch dedicated to a boy who died too young.

Time shook his head, even as he swiped away the tears that threatened to drop. “That bastard dragged him away and its army just wouldn’t get out of my way. I couldn’t get to him in time! Before I knew it-”

* Warriors braced for impact-

“That thing had thrown my son through one of its damn portals…”

Warriors’ brain screeched to a halt.

“The shadow retreated, and the portal closed behind him. By the time I reached the spot, the portal was long gone. I haven’t seen any sign of him since. No one in the entire kingdom has. Queen Lullaby got involved and even a royal investigation turned up nothing. Then, Hylia’s first portal appeared on our porch, and I went through it hoping to find him. I found Twilight, then the rest of you, then Wild, instead.”

…Oh. Well… that’s what he gets for jumping to conclusions. That was still bad, don’t get him wrong, but the relief that flooded through the captain at hearing that Lux wasn’t dead was liberating. Or at least, he assumed Lux wasn’t dead. Who knew when it came to the shadow…

Eventually, Warriors spoke up, “So… the shadow is using your son as bait?”

Time nodded, “I can only assume so. There was… plenty of time to kill him right then, if that was his goal, but it wasn’t. That thing targeted my son then dragged him off as soon as it had him. I’m certain that if we keep following the shadow’s trail, we’ll find both our enemy and my son.”

As much as Warriors hoped that was the case, he couldn’t help but worry. With Malon’s words echoing in his mind, he tentatively started talking, “Time. I hate to even suggest this, but… We have been travelling together for two months now. The shadow is cruel, and his armies are ruthless. If Lux is being held prisoner by those things then-”

“I will not give up until I am holding his corpse in my arms.” Time’s tone left no room for argument.

“I was not saying to give up! Not while an innocent life is on the line. I just want you to think realistically. If Lux is still alive,” Time’s glare alone would’ve been enough to kill the shadow, but Warriors trudged on anyway, “rescuing him won’t be easy and even once we get him back, that poor kid is going to be heavily traumatised by this experience, in a way that might affect him for the rest of his life. I’ll have your back and I’ll do everything I can to help, because you are going to need it.”

First placed a hand on Time’s shoulder, drawing the man into a side hug, “Rest assured that we all will aid in your search. We may have never met Lux, but he is your son, and thus our family and we will never abandon one of our own. I’m sure the others will say the same.”

The tension in the air faded away. “Thank you, both of you. Truly, your support means the world to me.”

With that, Warriors went into problem-solver mode, taking his strategy journal out of his pocket and already jotting down his thoughts. “Right, so our main priority is still tracking down the Shadow, but we should keep an eye out for Lux as well; if he’s anything like his father that kid is going to leave a trail of destruction in his wake, held captive or not. It’ll be easy to ask about a missing child while we’re gathering intel on black-blooded monster sightings, might even get us better information in general if civilians know an innocent life is already on the line. Sprite, give me a good description of him, or – better yet – you still own a pictobox right? I’m sure you’ve taken at least one pictograph of your son.”

Just when Warriors thought that Time had told them the full story, the man grimaced and looked away, avoiding eye contact. He was hiding something; Warriors could tell, and Time hadn’t even tried to lie yet. “Yes, I have pictures, but we won’t need them.”

First, with patience that Warriors desperately envied, asked, “And why is that?”

The other two heroes gave each other a look that Warriors couldn’t decipher. Did First know something he didn’t? After a few uncomfortable seconds, Time ended the staring contest, rose to his feet and walked over to a cabinet on the far side of the room. He pulled out a hand-bound leather book, clearly a photo album, and opened it to a random page in the middle. He handed the open book to First and Warriors, who stared in disbelief.

“Why show them a photo, when we are travelling with an older version of the same person?”

On that spread alone were half a dozen pictures of Twilight younger, only looking about four years old, and without the markings on his face, smiling brilliantly at the camera. For Din’s sake! He knew that Twilight and Wild were Time’s descendants (it was hard to miss that fact after finding the three curled up on the side of the road in Legend’s era having just figured it out themselves), but the resemblance was uncanny! …It was almost suspicious. There was a reason Time had been reluctant to show them a photo. Either Time and Lux had such incredibly strong genes that their descendant - separated by at least two centuries, might he add – looked exactly like the kid, or…

The result of their last battle drifted into his mind. That last attempt by that gibdo to drag at least one of them to the grave with it. The fear in Time’s voice as he had screamed a now familiar name that didn’t belong to either of the young men he had tackled to the ground.

“Sprite, no…” Warriors pushed himself to his feet. He wanted to pull his little brother into a tight hug, hold him until all their problems disappeared, until the world started making sense again, but he settled with placing a hand on Time’s shoulder. “I know you miss Lux, but you can’t project him onto Twilight, that isn’t healthy for anyone involved.” Maybe Warriors was in denial himself. But the only explanation was so absurd! He couldn’t believe it!

Time shrugged off Warriors’ hand and levelled his brother with a look that was part condescending, part devastated. “You know that’s not what’s going on here.”

“Just because the first portal took you to Twilight, that doesn’t mean he and Lux are the same person!”

“If you think that’s my only evidence, you’re losing your touch Captain.” Time held up the plush still cradled in his arms. Now that Warriors got a better look at it, it wasn’t just any animal; it was Twilight’s wolf form, with the correct markings and everything. “I was calling Lux my pup long before I met Twilight. We bought this for him on a trip to Castle Town and he adored it to death. Malon altered it after Lux got a hold of my Keaton Mask one time and transformed into an actual wolf pup. They’re identical, visually, magically, they even smell the same! One is just older than the other.”

Warriors knew he was reaching, but part of him was screeching that that wasn’t enough proof. “Twi could still be Lux’s descendant! Wolves are clearly a family thing; look at Wild!”

“Ah yes, Wild. My other son, who is yet to be born.” Time had such a fragile smile on his face, Warriors didn’t have the heart to speak, regardless of the sinking feeling in his gut. “Do you know what that letter I received in Wind’s era was about? Who it was from?”

“Malon’s pregnant. Isn’t she?” First guessed matter-of-factly.

Time nodded, “It’s still early, but yes. Since neither of us were sure when I’d come home, she wanted to tell me as soon as she found out. With the pattern thus far, and the memory Wild recovered that revealed he had an older brother named Lux, a mother who owned a ranch and a father with the blood of a hero running through his veins, I have no doubt. Wild is a future version of my son who is yet to be born.”

“If that’s not enough for you,” First directed his statement at Warriors, “Papa confirmed it last night. I put on the mask and we both saw the connections between Time, Twilight and Wild. Not just the emotional connections, but the blood ties. Time is their father, Twilight and Wild are his sons and they themselves are brothers, emotionally and physically.”

Of course, that’s what those two had been doing when they left the cabin last night… And yet, Warriors couldn’t even be mad, not at them anyway. “Fucking time travel…” he muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the incoming headache.

Time had the audacity to chuckle, “Shouldn’t you be used to this by now?”

“Says the Hero of Time.” Warriors retorted. “Sorry, its just- It's one impossible thing after another on this quest… All ten of us meeting was already confusing enough. Then, I realised who you were and had to get used to one of my little brothers being older than me, with a wife and a kid no less! Twi and Wild being my little brother’s descendants was one thing; now they’re your sons! I just need to process this… How on Farore’s green earth did those two keep this a secret!?”

When Warriors looked back at Time, the man had a guilty expression on his face.

“Wait… You haven’t told them!?”

Time flinched back, “I only got the final confirmation last night! I need to process this too! Then I have to figure out how to break this to them in a way that won’t break them! Twilight already has abandonment issues – long story, and not mine to tell – I refuse to add to them by not thinking this through first. And you saw how upset Wild was over not remembering his family, over not remembering us! I need to be careful about this!”

“Are you kidding me!? Those two already look at you like you put the damn stars in the sky! They’ll be fucking ecstatic! You’ll only make any fallout worse the longer you know and don’t tell them!”

“Warriors, that’s enough.” First cut in, placing himself between the other heroes. “You’re both right. This is a delicate situation and its best to approach Twilight and Wild about this with a level head,” he turned to Time with a look of sympathy, “But you need to tell them soon. They deserve to know, and so does Malon. You need to tell them before we leave the ranch. I won’t let you fall into the same trap I have…”

Warriors was about to concede and agree with First – he made some good points, and it was a good plan to give the other hero a deadline – when he registered that last sentence. “You’re shitting me. First, don’t tell me…”

The eldest hero winced, “Papa- Kishin may have lied when he said Sky was just my descendant… You didn’t think the God of Familial Love would make such an amateur mistake, did you? He saw how uncomfortable Sky was at the idea of us being related and he tried to lessen the burden, in his own misguided way. I meant to tell Sky sooner – I swear on my life! – but… there’s still this distance between us I have no idea how to cross… Or maybe I’m just making excuses. Maybe I’m just afraid.” He laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. Just defeat. “So much for being a Hero of Courage…”

“Courage does not mean an absence of fear, but instead, the ability to act in spite of it. You still have time to do just that.” Time reassured him.

“You both do.” Warriors added. “Its not going to be easy – if there’s one thing we Links share, its that we suck at talking, especially about our emotions – but I can tell you two now; you’ll rise to the challenge. And when the dust has settled, regardless of how the battle left you bleeding and bruised, you’ll be glad you raised your sword in the end.”

“Planning on hanging up the sword and becoming a poet?” First teased.

Warriors playfully elbowed the older hero with an eyeroll, “Hey! I’m trying to be encouraging here!” he turned his back on the others, crossing his arms with an exaggerated pout. “See if I try and give you life advice ever again!”

This time, First’s laugh sounded much more genuine, “Sorry, sorry, I’m joking!”

Warriors glanced over his shoulder, a glint in his eyes, “I suppose I can forgive you… If you talk to Sky before we leave the ranch.”

First sighed, “It- It’s about time, isn’t it? To push through the fear and do what’s best for everyone… Goddesses, I’d rather fight Demise again! Why can’t talking be as easy as slaying monsters?”

Time echoed First’s enthusiasm, “If only…”

The three heroes came to an agreement. After dinner, Warriors would distract the rest of the Chain, leaving Sky and First to talk alone and Time, Malon, Twilight and Wild a moment to themselves. The truth was being revealed tonight, regardless of how prepared everyone was for the revelations.

Chapter Text

Dinner was as loud and chaotic as one would expect from a group as large as theirs. Despite spending half the day walking across Hyrule Field and the rest working on the ranch, they were still full of energy. It was never quiet; someone was always talking between bites, whether it be small talk, banter or not so subtle inquires to Malon about her husband. It seemed half the table was trying to make her spill all of Time’s secrets right in front of him, some asking out of curiosity, others to acquire some decent blackmail material. But Malon refused to crack. She even had the audacity to look pleased about it too, sharing a knowing look with her husband. Regardless, the food was devoured in record time.

As Malon invited the boys into the cosy living room, no one willing to let the night end just yet, First excused himself and wandered out onto the ranch house’s large porch. As the voices of the rest of the Links faded into the background, muffled by the closed door, First let out a breath as the tension left his shoulders. He didn’t have anything against the boys – he loved travelling with them – but even after those many years in the army, he wasn’t used to so much constant company. He promised himself he’d return to them soon; he just needed a bit of time to himself.

The sun had set some time ago, leaving the ranch in darkness. The porch was illuminated by a few lanterns hanging by the door. For a while, First just turned his face to the breeze that brushed teasingly at his hair, bringing the scent of grass and fairy dust with it. Perhaps, to some, they would have expected to smell the animals and the fouler things you’d find on a ranch, but somehow, he wasn’t surprised. First settled himself into the wicker porch swing beside the front door and watched the fairies dance around the nearby bushes. He mused to himself that Time must have brought a bit of the Lost Woods with him when he settled here with the love of his life. Their little chimes and the whistle of the breeze were his only companions as he sat back in the homemade patchwork cushions and relaxed.

Or, at least, he tried to.

Now that he was no longer occupied with the others, his mind couldn’t help but wonder back to the deal between himself, Warriors and Time. Part of him knew that he was avoiding the inevitable. The truth always came out eventually and he was doing no one any favours by procrastinating. And yet…

As if the little sprites could sense his worsening mood, one of the fairies, glowing a soft lilac, flittered over to him. She chimed questionably at him, circling his head once as if looking for a wound to heal. First’s shoulders shook in a silent laugh as he held out a finger for her to rest on. From her perch, she let out a few more chimes. First just shook his head, helplessly. Unlike Time, Wild and Hyrule, he couldn’t understand the fairy language. The sprite didn’t seem to mind. She fluttered up to First’s shoulder, found a comfortable fold in his scarf, and tucked herself in for a nap.

Despite the language barrier, fairies had always liked him. From what Papa had told him all those years ago, fairies could sense magical blessings on people, whether they be inherited through blood or given to those who had proven themselves deserving. They could sense that he was both protected and a protector. Being fairy magnets seemed to be a trait inherited by the rest of the Links, but whether that was because the fairies could sense their shared Hero’s Spirit, or the blessings each of them carried, he had yet to figure out. Fairies certainly flocked to some of the heroes more than others but considering some of them could actually understand the little fae helpers, that wasn’t exactly surprising.

A few moments passed, until the creak of a door hinge broke the silence.

“May I join you?” First glanced towards the voice to see Sky quietly closing the door behind him.

Nerves flared up in his heart, but First quickly pushed them down before his emotions could show on his face. “Of course. Feel free.”

With that, Sky strolled over and joined First on the porch swing, relaxing on the plush cushions and admiring the dance of the fairies. The younger hero planted a foot on the floor and used it to slowly rock them back and forth at a relaxing pace. What little tension in the air dissipated as the two just… existed in each other’s presence. It was the first time the two had been alone since Kishin had revealed their blood connection…

Before First could overthink it, a cacophony of voices echoed from inside the farmhouse. It didn’t sound like bad noise… More overexcitement, or exhilaration. Nothing to be concerned about, other than the sheer volume of it all.

First vaguely gestured at the direction of the racket, “Trying to escape the chaos?” he asked casually.

“No.” Sky replied, a small, amused smile on his face as a particularly loud shout reached their ears, “I was just wondering if you needed some company. And… Warriors may have hinted that you wanted to talk to me about something.”

“I’m going to strangle my brother one of these days…” First muttered irritably. Warriors knew what he was doing, sending Sky out here.

Sky laughed, used to the siblings’ play-fighting and joking threats, “Well, wait until we’ve dealt with the Shadow; we need the captain!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

They fell into silence again, but it wasn’t the comfortable silence of before. It was expectant. Sky kept glancing at him, clearly waiting for First to reveal what was so important that his little brother had practically shoved Sky out the door. First wondered how long he could keep quiet.

He was well-practiced in keeping his mouth shut. He had spent centuries dodging questions, deflecting in just the right way to keep suspicion off of him. Questions about family? Oh, he only had a loving father, but the two of them were so busy, they didn’t get to spend much time together. Questions about why he travelled so much and never put down roots for long? He just enjoyed the adventure and helping people! Questions about his youthful appearance and how he never seemed to age? It was nothing suspicious, he promised! He’d had his last growth spurt, and he had a great skin-care routine, that was all. Questions about his skill in both magic and weapons? He’d travelled all over and learnt from all sorts of people; he definitely hadn’t been taught by his father, a god, no, his father was completely ordinary and had only taught him the basics.

First could lie and make up any number of stories on the spot, and when he couldn’t, he could always find a way to stay silent that didn’t reflect poorly on him. It was how he survived. Trouble was, he couldn’t do that to Sky. Yes, he was physically capable of lying to the Skyloftian, but… they’d agreed. Him, Warriors and Time had already agreed that tonight was about the truth. He… wasn’t good at telling the truth. He had spent four years rotting away in a cell because he told the truth, and no one believed him. He had been so scared of the truth that he never told Orville how he felt. He had waited for Warriors to approach him first, instead of immediately rushing up to his little brother and pulling him into a teary hug, because he’d been so scared of the truth – the truth that Warriors had been too young, that he didn’t remember his older brother, that First was a stranger to him.

Lying was easy. The truth was hard.

Sky deserved the truth, but where could he start? How could he say it? He couldn’t just tell him that Sky was his son from a future so far ahead of him, First was surprised he lived long enough for Sky to exist! And Sky had reacted so bad to the news before Kishin went and tried to ‘correct’ himself. This was a mess…

Before this whole fiasco, First had thought the two of them got along well. Sky had saved his life and First had tried to repay him – not in a big way, Sky was too humble for that and would just feel uncomfortable – but in little small ways. Even with all the fairies the sky knight had brought him and all the potions he had consumed, First’s recovery had taken almost two weeks. Not even a demigod could shrug off certain death that easily. While he was still bedridden, the two had talked for hours on end. Once First had figured out that he was a legend in the future he had found himself in and realised just how much Sky in particular admired him, he’d made a habit of telling tales of his exploits and travels. Most of what he had told Sky in those weeks had been tales from before the war, before his secret had been exposed, and the younger man was hooked on these stories that had not been passed down to his era.

Once First had recovered, he had helped his successor fend off the strangely powerful monsters that had tried to attack the first settlement on the surface, the hamlet that would one day become the Kingdom of Hyrule. Despite Sky’s insistence, First stepped up, determined to protect the people who had helped him heal. It was the least he could do after all they’d done for him. And he could admit that he’d gotten a little attached to Sky and his Zelda.

Even when the portal had opened up and the pair had met the other heroes, Sky had always gravitated towards him and First towards him in turn. Things had changed after Kishin had revealed their blood relation. Their interactions had become awkward, and First swore that his successor had been avoiding him. All because Sky thought they were merely related, what would happen when First revealed he was Sky’s father!?

Eventually, Sky cracked. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

First ran a hand down his face, careful not to jostle his little passenger. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

Sky had the gall to smirk at him. “I could, but Warriors told me that if you didn’t tell me before we left the ranch, he’d tell me himself. I’d rather hear it from you, honestly.”

“I repeat; I am going to strangle my brother one of these days.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

First sighed, thinking over his words carefully. He couldn’t avoid this conversation forever, but for the love of Hylia, he wanted to! How could he reveal the truth without Sky pulling further away? “He’s right. It’s better you hear this from me than him.” He shifted in his seat until he was actually facing Sky. “But before I tell you, promise me that you won’t see me any differently.”

For the first time in their conversation, Sky looked a little reluctant to be having it. “You think I’m going to- I don’t think anything you could possibly tell me would change my opinion of you, First.” His smile was quick to return, though this time it was gentler. “You’re a living legend! I grew up on your stories and you’re my hero! I can’t think of anything that would change that.”

First held back a grimace. “Then why-!?” he cut himself off. How could Sky say such a thing when clearly that had already happened? “Then why have you been avoiding me?” he tried again, calmer this time.

“I-” Sky stammered, guilt clear in his eyes. “I’ve had a lot to think about, lately. I didn’t mean to avoid you, but it’s hard when…” He looked frustrated as he trailed off. Sky took a moment to collect himself, then tried again. “It’s just… being descended from a demigod… All the stories I heard about you were told to me by my parents. Surely, they should’ve told me about that little detail! But they didn’t. So, on top of being related to you, you, my hero, it turns out my idol is even cooler than I thought! It’s hard not to be a little intimidated, y’know?”

First’s brain screeched to a halt. “Wait. You think I’m-” he could feel his cheeks warm with embarrassment.

“Of course you’re cool! You’re the reason I wanted to become a knight! And meeting you like this… You should see yourself fight! Your magic and your sword play, it’s all so amazing! And yet, you’re so approachable, I feel like I can talk to you so easily… usually, I mean. This all felt a bit too personal to bring up to you and I wasn’t sure how to say it and- you get the idea. Meeting you in person is even better than the stories ever could be!” Sky beamed at him, his smile as bright as the sun.

“Thank you, Sky. Your words mean more to me than I could possibly convey.”

If that was how Sky felt, First had nothing to fear. Maybe… maybe this could even be a good thing, somehow. He could never live up to the fairy tales told in Sky’s era – from the few he had heard, his feats had been very exaggerated – but he could be a guiding hand, a mentor perhaps to the Skyloftian. He could be there for his son, without replacing whoever had been lucky enough to raise the boy in his absence. His mind made up, First spoke plainly and confidently.

“You’re my son, not my descendant.”

Sky blinked. “…Oh. Was that all?”

That… was not the reaction First had been expecting. “You’re not surprised? Or angry? Papa lied to you.”

Now Sky just looked confused. “Err… I thought he lied because he was concerned about your reaction. I don’t exist in your time, and he just told you I was your future son; I thought he was trying to stop a time paradox! I was more shocked about the demigod thing and having a god for a grandfather.”

“Then what was all that stuff about ‘we can’t be related’ and ‘our legends said you died with no heir’, if you knew we were related the whole time!?” First was starting to sound a bit hysterical.

Sky scrambled to defend himself, “I was lying! Your father was just casually revealing your future to you, I couldn’t just do nothing! I thought you’d freak out!”

After a moment of shocked silence, First burst into a fit of helpless laughter, “A-all this time! I was so worried about telling you, because you acted so panicked about us just being related! I was trying to protect your feelings, when in truth, you were the one trying to protect me!”

“We really messed this up, huh?” Sky giggled.

It took a moment for First to wrangle his laughter and get his breathing back under control. This outcome was so different to what he expected, he wasn’t entirely sure how to continue. “So… you’ve known all this time that I was your father?”

Sky continued matter-of-factly, “Yes. It wasn’t exactly news to me. You raised me. I recognised you the moment I saw you.”

“I raised you!?” First exclaimed.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t you? Did you think you’d be a bad dad or something?”

First spluttered, “Of course not! I just… Someone else had to have- I assumed I was dead by your era! If I raised you, why did no one on Skyloft recognise me?”

Sky’s eyes lit up in realisation, “We didn’t live on Skyloft. There are other sky islands, remember? I grew up with you on Floriafall and moved to Skyloft when I started training.”

“Wait. Does that mean… Am I still alive in your era!?”

To First’s dismay, Sky merely smiled mischievously and said “Who knows? I couldn’t possibly say!”

“Sky-!”

“I think I’ve said more than enough.”

“Sky I swear to Hylia-!”

“I can’t tell you that! This is your future we’re talking about!”

“Sky, if you don’t tell me, you’re grounded!”

“I’d love to see you try to enforce that!”

Before Sky could react, First slipped the Form-Shift Bracelet from his wrist and danced out of Sky’s reach. “You were saying?”

Sky just hung his head, resigned. “I asked for that, didn’t I?”

“Yes. You did.”

“I’m still not telling you anything.”

With a slightly proud note to his voice, First replied, “I’d expect nothing less.”

~*~

As conversation winded down, empty mugs were left on the coffee table, and a series of yawns spread through the cozy living room like a disease, they decided to call it a night. Legend had to shake Hyrule and Four out of their light doze and help the two up the stairs. Warriors picked up the dozing Wind and gave the rancher a run for his money in how well he herded the other heroes.

“Wild, Twilight.” The wolves stopped in their tracks, turning to Time as the rest of the Chain dragged themselves to their rooms. Time had gotten up to tend to the fireplace, the only light in the room, before returning to his wife’s side. Malon glanced up at her husband inquisitively as he continued, “Malon and I wanted to talk to you both, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Despite Wild’s earlier complaints about being tired, the younger hylian perked up at Time’s words and raced back to the plush sofa across from the loveseat that Time and Malon had sprawled over. “We don’t mind!” Twilight noticed Wild’s unusual energy as well, raising an eyebrow at the sage before walking over to join him.

“We really don’t.” Twilight added. He meant that. He’d been wanting to talk with Malon in a more private setting all day and just hadn’t gotten the chance. He’d been wanting to since he and Time first realised they were related and the older hero let it slip that he was already married.

“Good. Good…” Time breathed, tension bleeding out of his posture as he leaned back into his seat, squeezing his wife to his side. Twilight hadn’t even realised how tightly wound his mentor was until the man relaxed, which was… weird, considering what the twilit hero suspected this talk was going to be about.

After a moment of comfortable silence, broken only by the calming crackle of the fireplace, Malon pulled away from her husband, rose from her seat and moved around the coffee table to stand just in front of the younger heroes. She had the softest look in her eyes as she whispered, “It’s you two, ain’t it? Our descendants.”

“Yeah! We-!” Wild had barely started talking before both he and Twilight were swept into a bone-crushing embrace, pulled completely off the sofa and into the air, their feet several inches from the ground as Malon poured her love and affection into the boys.

“I knew it… I jus’ knew it! Ya’ll heroes may all look alike, but I could never mistake my husband’s eyes.” She lowered the pair to the ground, only to place a hand on each of their cheeks, her touch gentle but forcing the two to look her in the eyes. “That particular shade of blue is hard ta come by, and yet, here it is, twice over!”

With a deep chuckle, Time rose from his seat and joined them, “And they got their strength from you. You should see them wrestle beasts thrice their size!”

Malon glanced at her husband, “Like what?” she inquired suspiciously.

Clearly not sensing her tone, Wild cut in, “Wolves, bears, pebblits, bokoblins, moblins, there was that one time with a lynel-”

“Oh, fer the Golden Three! Doncha boys have swords!?”

“They do.” Time answered, “And their skill with the blade is nothing to scoff at. No monster is safe with our boys on the hunt.” His casual delivery contrasted with Malon’s as her words slowly became more worried.

“That’s not exactly reassuring, Link. The more fighting ya’ll do, the more likely someone’s gonna ge’ hurt!”

“…Fighting is half of the job, darling.  And they can hold their own easily!”

“Skilled ‘r not, mistakes happen. Y’all’re constantly in danger!”

“That’s why we have so many ways to heal ourselves and each other. There are ten of us, Mal, we take care of each other, on and off the battlefield.”

“Still-!”

“Miss Malon?” Twilight’s voice cut off her next retort. “I know it’s terrifying to think about, us getting hurt, walking away from this quest with more scars than when we started this, maybe… not walking away at all, but you need to trust us. We’ll do everything we can to protect each other, your husband included.”

Malon stared at Twilight, her smile sad, “Oh honey, if ya think this is jus’ about him, then yer dead wrong.” She regarded Wild and Twilight carefully, then wrapped an arm around both of the boys and brought them close in a much gentler embrace than her last one. “How’d ya’ll expect me not to worry ‘bout you two? About the rest of them as well. Yall’re already part of the family – my boys – and losin’ any one of ya’ll would be a devastatin’ loss, no matter how many generations there are between us.”

Time looked on as his pups eagerly returned Malon’s hug. They fit together so perfectly, and it was a stark reminder of what he had recently confirmed, of what he intended to talk to them about. Malon had, without even knowing of their true connection, been using the same soothing voice she spoke to Lux with whenever their son needed comfort. Wild’s sudden burst of energy against all the odds was just like when Lux would suddenly become restless right as his parents were tucking him into bed. And of course, everything about Twilight was a painful reminder of his pup. How Time hadn’t noticed- no. How Time had stayed in denial so long, was a mystery he was still trying to solve.

“About that…” Time started. The rest of them looked at him in confusion. “There’s another reason I wanted to talk to you.”

“Which is?” Twilight asked sceptically. He sounded so much like Malon in that moment, Time almost lost his nerve.

But he refused to. He couldn’t do that to them… “You’ll want to be sitting down for this.”

It didn’t take long for the four of them to get settled, Malon and Twilight sitting on either side of Time on the sofa while Wild opted for planting himself on the floor in front of them. Time had been rehearsing this speech in his head since the moment he, Warriors and First had sworn to tell all tonight, but it still took him a moment to actually start talking.

“I have suspected something else about our relationship for a while now.” He started. He couldn’t blame the others when they began to look worried. Even to his own ears, his words sounded stiff. “I have noticed clues since the moment we all met, they’ve been piling up and I can’t think of any other conclusion than the one I have come to. And last night, I got my final, undeniable, confirmation.”

Twilight spoke up, hesitantly. “Is this about what we were talking about yesterday?”

Time nodded, “Yes. This is about Lux.”

Malon inhaled sharply. Quietly, she asked, “How much did ya tell ‘em?”

“Nothing beyond the name.” Time replied, drawing his wife closer in comfort. “It’s… not an easy subject to talk about. I didn’t even mean to let that much slip.”

Wild’s ears drooped, “If it’s too difficult to talk about, you don’t have to-”

To Time’s surprise, Malon interrupted him. “No. If anythin’ we should’ve told ya’ll about him sooner. We worried y’all earlier and maybe if we just talked…”

“Nevermind that now.” Time buried his nose in Malon’s hair, gaining strength just from her presence. Malon returned his affection by taking and squeezing her hero’s hand. After a moment, Time drew away from her just enough to look both of the wolves in the eye and explained once again.

To say the other heroes were surprised would be an understatement. The two had a soft spot for kids and the moment the couple revealed Lux’s existence, they wanted to know why they hadn’t met him yet, beaming smiles on their faces at the thought of meeting another ‘ancestor’, only to be told the full situation. If Time had thought Warriors and First had been motivated to find Lux, Wild and Twilight blew them out of the water. Wild jumped up from his seat, as if he was going to go and find him right at that very moment. Twilight immediately asked for something belonging to Lux that still held his scent, thinking a bit more practically than the younger hero, but just as determined to help. Malon was touched by their enthusiasm.

So touched, in fact, that she revealed her pregnancy to the boys as well. In their letters and the few discussions the couple had managed to sneak in since the Chain returned to the ranch, they had decided to keep the pregnancy a secret for the time being. It felt… strange to celebrate their second child while their first was missing. And yet, Time didn’t mind Malon changing her mind as he watched the pair’s explosive reactions. He swore Twilight was about to start crying happy tears and Wild couldn’t stop gushing and congratulating them. It took a while to get the conversation back on track.

“So, the big revelation. I assume ya figured out which’ve our kids these two’re descended from?” Malon guessed once the boys had settled down.

“Not… exactly…” Here it was. The part he was dreading above all the rest. He still hadn’t figured out the best way to break it to them, but by Nayru’s Love he was going to try!

“Wait.” sputtered Wild, confused. “We’re not descended from your kids?! Have we been wrong this whole time-!?”

“No! No. That’s not it!” Time reassured, before he could worry further. “We are related. The situation is just a bit more complicated than that.”

Twilight hummed to himself then suggested, “Is this another weird situation where we both are and aren’t related? Like with you and Kishin?”

“No. It’s a different kind of complicated…” Although now that Time thought about it… Time was gifted Kishin’s eye before Malon was pregnant with Lux, which means… By the Golden Three! Was it possible that Twilight and Wild had inherited something from Kishin through him!? Was that even possible!? Ugh, now was not the time to think about that! That would come later, he had to figure this out first! “This whole time, we’ve been drawing conclusions assuming that… that the timeline is linear; that it’s as simple as each generation of this family having children until, around two hundred years from now, Twilight is born and similarly Wild is born much, much further into the future. It’s not that simple.”

Malon sighed, “When is it ever?”

Time huffed in amusement at his wife’s tone. She almost sounded as jaded as he was whenever time travel inevitably messed up his life again. “Never, apparently.”

“So, you’re saying… what? That we’re much closer than the timeline would suggest? Or further away?” Twilight contemplated.

“Closer, I hope!” Wild guessed, perking up at the thought.

“You’re right, on that front. We’re much closer than we originally thought.” Time confirmed.

“Well don’t keep us in suspense!” Malon joked, playfully poking her husband in his ribs. “And doncha dare be vague about this!”

Time wished he could share her enthusiasm. “Alright.” He agreed. In the end, Time decided, it would be best to just say it, rip off the bandage and just be there for them during the fallout. He tried to keep his voice steady, to keep the pain out of his tone as if that would stop them from realising the implications of this revelation, but every word felt like it was being dragged out of him by fishhooks.

“Twilight, Wild, you two are biological brothers, and Malon and I are your parents.”

Wild immediately reacted, “What!? How!?” he shot up from his seat, looking between the couple and Twilight with a lost look on his face, as if he was waiting for Time to reveal he was joking and take back his words.

Poor Twilight looked shell-shocked, his mouth moving but no sound made it past his lips.

Malon turned to face her husband, her voice quiet and shaky. “Hon… That’s… that’s n-not funny. Whatcha suggesting is- It’s absurd!”

“I know.” Time did his best to keep his own voice calm and gentle, thankfully succeeding better than last time. “But I would never joke about this. Or suggest something of this scale without being completely sure.”

“But… you’re wrong!” Wild protested, devastation twisting his face. “My f-family, they- they died in the Calamity!”

Time shook his head. “We don’t know that, Wild. All we know about them is what you remember, and what you remember lines up. A mother and father that ran a ranch and an older brother named Lux. Epona’s Song and the ocarina. It makes sense.”

His heart clenched as he spotted tears in Wild’s eyes. “B-but, I failed them… You can’t be them! You’re alive and they’re-!”

“You did not fail them.” For the first time since the reveal, Time felt completely confident in what he was saying. “You did not fail us. You did not fail anyone. You did what you could and that was enough to secure Hyrule’s future. Unless you personally cut down those people yourself, you are not responsible for those who died during the Calamity.”

Malon took one of Wild’s trembling hands and pulled the distraught boy forward until he was curled in her arms. “You cannot carry tha’ guilt, Wild. I won’t let you. No son of mine will beat themselves up in fron’ of their family and expect anythin’ but love and support.” Wild’s head shot up, looking at Malon in complete disbelief. She continued, “I dunno how this is possible, but deep in my heart, I know Link’s words are true. Call it instinct, perhaps, bu’…” she squeezed him tighter, “I know I am holdin’ my son in my arms.”

Time leaned into both of them and ran his fingers through Wild’s hair, knowing from experience that the boy found comfort in the touch. “We’re alive, Wild. You remembered us. We’re alive, and while right now you don’t remember us clearly, we have so much time to recover old memories and create new ones. We love you, Cub.”

That was enough for what remained of Wild’s composure to crack. Silent tears streamed down his face as he nuzzled further into the embrace. “I… I love you too!” he sobbed.

It was a fight for Time and Malon to not burst into tears themselves as they soothed their younger son. His entire body was shaking with each choked breath, and he was clinging to his mother like she was going to disappear right before his eyes. He seemed inconsolable right up until Time started humming a familiar song. It wasn’t Epona’s Song – it was too sad and in a different key, even if the first six notes sounded similar to the Lon’s family song – but a small part of Wild recognised it regardless. It was so relaxing… he could feel his heartache fade away as he listened to his father’s voice. What was this one called again…? The Song of… something… Soothing? Mending?

Words echoed in Wild’s head to the tune of Time’s voice. “That one is called the Song of Healing. It can soothe spirits and heal heartache. Listen, Cub…”

Wild settled as a long-forgotten memory rose to the surface and played out before him.

His parents noticed the moment Wild slipped away from reality. The both of them saw him become still, even his death-grip on Malon’s dress becoming slack. Time carefully guided Wild’s head off of Malon’s shoulder to see his gaze glazed over and vacant. “I suppose we finally triggered a memory…” Time deduced. “I’m surprised it took as long as it did, all things considered.”

Malon ran her fingers through Wild’s blond strands as she spoke, “Wha’ can we do ta help ‘im?”

“Not much…” Time replied, “Just make sure he feels safe so that he doesn’t panic when he comes out of it.”

Malon nodded and squeezed Wild tighter, determined for her son to feel her affection even through the mental fog. Satisfied that Malon had Wild handled, Time turned to Twilight. He hated how still Twilight was, how his eldest son had barely twitched since he had delivered the news. It was a different stillness to Wild’s memories. Twilight was clearly still conscious and coherent, just shocked and processing the revelation.

Time, unsure exactly how to handle this, whispered, “Twilight? Can you hear me?”

Twilight flinched back, his eyes meeting Time’s then rapidly glancing away as his thoughts spiralled. “Y-yes-” Twilight stuttered, finally forcing his voice to work, a haunted look in his eyes. “i-if Wild is your- then L-Lux- Spirits above! Then I’m-” A hand clapped over his mouth, as if he believed that if he didn’t say his deductions aloud, they wouldn’t be true.

Time’s heart twisted listening to his son’s broken voice. Desperate to give him some sort of comfort, he wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders and pulled him close, until the wolf’s head was resting on his father’s shoulder. “I know… It’s a lot to take in.”

Twilight only curled up tighter, bringing his legs up onto the sofa and wrapping his arms around them, staring into the dwindling fireplace directly in his line of sight. “How… How long have you known?” he whispered.

“I admit…” Time started reluctantly, “Some part of me suspected something from the moment we met. At the time, I thought I was drawing parallels between you and Lux that simply weren’t there, as a way to cope with losing him. But after you told me about…” He wasn’t going to talk about the Hero’s Shade in front of Wild and Malon, so instead he said, “-your mentor, about how we were related by blood, it became harder to convince myself. As I got to know you better, I realised I wasn’t imagining the similarities between you both. And then during our talk yesterday, I realised I would be hurting all of us if I didn’t even try to confirm my suspicions.”

“My mentor…” A bitter laugh, bordering on hysterical, escaped Twilight, “The one time that vague bastard was being straight with me, I thought he was being his usual cryptic self! But why wait!? Why wait until our final parting to reveal it!?”

“Go and do not falter, my child!”

Those words… The last words the Shade had spoken to him before fading away forever, presumably moving on into the afterlife. Those words had repeated in Twilight’s head for days after that final training session. And in his nightmares. It had not been the first time the spirit had hinted that the connection between them was deeper than teacher and student, but for those to be their parting words…

Twilight had never put much thought into the identity of his birth parents. Rusl and Uli were more than enough for him; they were his parents, regardless of the lack of blood between them. They had found him wandering Faron Woods, little more than a feral forest child – and hylian at that – but had still taken him in out of the goodness of their hearts. Why would he even think about another set of parents? And yet, the Shade’s words had ripped open a wound he hadn’t even realised he carried. One little phrase had turned that all on its head.

His words could’ve meant many things.

It could’ve been entirely metaphorical. Twilight was the only one who knew his sword techniques, the only one who could carry on his legacy; he could’ve become the Shade’s ‘child’ in that sense.

It could’ve been a simple term of endearment. The two swordsmen had come to care for each other during their mentorship, it could have been the Shade merely telling Twilight that he was like a son to him in his final moments on the mortal plane.

The most likely explanation was that the Shade had revealed that Twilight was his blood descendant, as the spirit had hinted at the idea a few times before.

But the possibility that had haunted him the most, was the chance that the Shade was being literal. That the Shade was his father. That his parents had been killed, that his father had been taken away from him before he could remember his face or recognise his voice, but his spirit had lingered until Twilight needed his guidance, and once that task was complete, he had been ripped away from him once more.

Upon meeting Time and connecting the spirit with the flesh and blood man before him, upon realising that the Hero of Time had lived almost two centuries before he’d even been born, Twilight had dismissed that final option as impossible. Instead, he told Time about the much more likely possibility after an… incident when they first met, where Twilight had been convinced for a moment that he had just witnessed the creation of the Hero’s Shade. Now, all of that was thrown out the window.

“I don’t know.”

Twilight was torn from his thoughts as Time spoke. It took a moment for him to remember what question Time was even answering. Oh, right… Why wait until the last moment to let the secret slip?

Time couldn’t keep the grief out of his voice, “I wish I could tell you why he did that to you. I wish I could tell you that he had your best interests at heart or something equally as comforting, but I simply do not know, and I refuse to lie to you.” There was a determined glint in his eye as his tone lightened, “But there is one thing I do know: I will not allow something like that to happen to you again, I swear it! You’re my son, Pup, and I will not allow anyone to hurt you like that again, not even myself.”

Twilight glanced up at Time’s face, “How are you so sure? How are you so certain that I’m… I’m Lux, that I’m your son!?”

“Besides your looks, wolf form, scent, love of animals, mannerisms and basically everything about you?” Time’s playful tone managed to startle a snort out of Twilight. “I asked your grandfather, and he’s rarely wrong about these things.”

“My grandfather-?” Twilight echoed, confused until his eyes landed on the markings that marred the right side of Time’s face.

Time nodded, “Kishin was quite the doting grandparent the few chances he had to meet Lux. He was happy to lend his expertise if it meant finding his grandson.”

Malon giggled under her breath, “Of all the things for my dear husband to write home abou’! To think my father-in-law is the forgott’n God of Familial Love! As if the man bein’ trapped in a mask wasn’t strange enough.”

Time returned her humorous tone, “You signed up for strange when you married the fairy boy who crawled out of the forest.”

Malon laid a quick peck on his cheek, “And not once have I regret it.” She leaned closer to her husband, making sure that Twilight could see her sincere expression. “Especially when said fairy boy has a tendency to meet future versions of our children. I consider tha’ one’ve his best qualities.”

Twilight returned her smile, but the couple couldn’t help but notice how strained it looked. “Yeah… I hope so anyway…” He swallowed nervously, while his parents waited patiently for him to put his thoughts in order. “It’s just so… surreal? I can’t quite believe it, no matter how I try to wrap my head around it. It’s like some part of me is scared that if I believe it, it suddenly won’t be true anymore, that I’ll have gotten my hopes up for nothing…” He looked at Time imploringly, “I know you don’t like people putting the mask on outside of emergencies, but… if, if Kishin has undeniable proof, I want to see it.”

“Every rule has its exceptions,” Time replied, “And this is one of them.”

After giving Twilight one last reassuring squeeze, Time rose from his seat. First still had the mask, so he’d have to go find the man; he couldn’t have wandered too far. Twilight shimmied up the sofa until he was sitting next to Malon. While he offered her a small smile, it was clear that his focus was on Wild who was still lost in his memories. Time could admit that he was starting to worry. It felt like Wild had been remembering for a while… Maybe his conversation with Twilight had felt longer than it actually was? He didn’t want to leave for even a moment until Wild was responsive again-

Wild suddenly flinched, then snuggled up to Malon and pressed his face into her shoulder. With a whiny childish tone, he muttered “Ma… make tha headache go away…”

Did he… Did he just call her…? Malon looked like she was going to burst into tears. Time felt like joining her.

“Wild?” Twilight called softly. “Cub? Can you hear me?”

Wild’s ears twitched and he let out a long-suffering groan. “Loud ‘n clear, Lux…”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. While he looked surprised, he didn’t seem to mind the slip up. He cleared his throat. “Um… not quite. Do you know where you are?”

“Yeah?” Wild slowly pulled himself up and looked around the room, then froze as his scrambled brain realised where and when he was. He looked up at Malon and an embarrassed blush bloomed on his cheeks. “Wait. I thought- I-I called you- Gah! Sorry!” He flailed trying to pull himself away from Malon, but she just tightened her bearhug.

“You’ve nothing ta apologize for, sweetheart.” She soothed. “In fact, you will call me whatev’r you damn well please!” Malon ran her fingers through Wild’s hair and soon enough the boy was melting in her embrace.

Wild released a content sigh and returned his mother’s affection, holding onto her as tightly as he dared. “Okay Ma.”

Malon glanced over at Twilight. “And tha’ goes fer you too, young man! And I’m sure yer pa would be open to it as well, righ’ Link?”

Before Time could get a word in, Wild looked over his shoulder at him. “Well, in that case… You should sing more often, Pa. Your voice is almost as nice as Ma’s.”

Time cleared his throat, afraid of sounding too choked up over hearing that word from his son’s lips again. “Yeah. Maybe I will.”

~*~

It didn’t take long at all to find First and Sky, the two of them were just talking on the porch. From the look of things, it seemed their discussion had gone well. The two had quickly pulled Time into their friendly argument about Sky’s refusal to answer First’s future questions, and even though Time agreed with Sky’s insistence on keeping secrets, he didn’t try to convince First to ‘unground’ his future son.

Upon returning to the cozy living room, First was insistent on putting the mask on himself, despite Time’s protests. “I know I put it on last night, but I handle Papa’s power even better than you do! And, if you wear it, it’ll completely defeat the point; your threads will get tangled up!”

“Threads?” Sky asked, confused. The Skyloftian had wanted to stay and see his grandfather again. He’d been a bit concerned that he was intruding on something personal, but the Lons had assured him that he wasn’t and encouraged him to sit with them.

Time looked over with a sly smile, “You’ll see.” Before he returned to arguing with First. “I understand that, but just because we handle his power better than most, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still draining. I’m not letting you get possessed two nights in a row.”

First rolled his eyes at the other hero. “Just let me do this for you! Its more practical this way. And… if I happen to overdo it, by complete chance of course, and need to rest tomorrow, then you get to spend another day at home with your lovely wife and kids. I don’t see any drawbacks.”

While Time looked like he still wanted to argue, his resolve crumbled at the mention of his family. With an exasperated sigh, that was definitely exaggerated, he agreed. “Fine. But don’t blame me when you wake up tomorrow with a splitting migraine!”

First laughed. “It’s not like I’m going into battle! It’s just a conversation! Papa will go easy on me, I guarantee it.”

With no further protests, First detached the mask from where it was hanging on his belt and slipped it over his face. Everyone was blinded by the flash of white light that lasted far longer than usual. True to his word, the transformation wasn’t as violent as it was in the heat of battle, the deity slowly pouring his power into his son to ease the transition.

The light finally faded. First naturally already looked much like his father, and if it wasn’t for the change in colour palette, anyone who had seen the demigod release the illusion hiding his markings could easily mistake the transformation for First’s true form. While the man was a few inches taller and his eyes were his father’s ethereal white, rather than his own electric blue, the biggest difference was his clothes and hair which were bleached white and silver, his scarf gaining a fluffy fur trim. To the surprise of most of the room, the Fierce Deity had not clad his son in armour and no double-helix sword appeared on his back.

“Greetings, little ones.” Kishin’s mystical voice and First’s higher timbre were perfectly in sync, their tones fond. He turned to Malon specifically. “It has been some time, Dearest Daughter. I trust you are well?”

“As I can be with our second on the way.” she replied jovially.

The corners of the god’s mouth ticked upwards at the news. First’s voice faded away as he replied. “Excellent. I give you my blessing once more.” The god raised a hand to his chest and held his hand out flat, palm up. Glittering silver sparks danced around Kishin’s fingertips, then gathered in the god’s palm until they formed a delicate tear-shaped jewel that floated just above his hand. The god knelt down in front of Malon and offered the shining gem to her. “In honour of the little one. By my power, they will be protected and loved in all things.”

Malon slowly cupped the offering in her own hands, Twilight and Wild leaning over her shoulders to get a better look. “Thank you. I will ensure your blessing is put to good use.” Malon replied. As she spoke, a silver ribbon bloomed from the tip of the drop and Malon used this to tie the blessing around her neck, like a pendant, before she tucked it beneath the neckline of her dress. The more magically inclined in the Chain felt power settle not just around Malon, but around the entire ranch, enhancing the protections and wards.

“Cool!” Wild breathed. “Did you do that last time, with Lux?” he asked excitedly.

First’s voice returned as the two chuckled. “Yes, I did, Starshine. It is the least I can do for my family.” The god ruffled his grandson’s hair, releasing a delighted squeak from Wild.

Kishin stood, turned to look at Time, and then with a familiar smirk, turned back to Malon. “I do hope he has not caused you trouble. My offer still stands; if my son goes against his vows, I will deal with him.”

While the heroes looked mildly horrified, Malon just laughed, “Trust me; if he steps out of line, you will be the first to know.”

Time glared at Kishin, though his tone seemed only mildly irritated. “I swear- You enjoy having a daughter-in-law far too much.”

Sky laughed under his breath. “And I thought we got our gremlin tendencies from First!”

Kishin raised an eyebrow at his grandson. “Where do you think Leo got it from?”

“Now. To the reason I have briefly returned to the mortal plane.” The god turned to Twilight, kneeling down to look him in the eye. “I understand that you have some doubts about our blood connections, Moonbeam. Do not despair. It is perfectly normal to be sceptical, especially considering the circumstances.”

Twilight squirmed a bit as all the attention became focused on him. “Time said you had undeniable proof that we’re related. Could you… Could you show us? If it’s not too much trouble!”

“Nothing is too much trouble for my family, Little Wolf.” Kishin replied. “I will show you the threads that connect us together. Let us start off with a relationship with no ambiguity as an example. Little Hero, Dearest Daughter, may I reveal your connection?”

With Time and Malon’s agreement, Kishin began. Under Kishin’s guidance, the couple stood in front of the sofa so they were in clear view of Sky, Twilight and Wild, a few feet between them with the god in the middle. He held out a hand towards Time then made a pinching motion in the air just in front of the man’s heart, a gap between his fingers as if the god was holding something. The only indication that something was there that no one else could see, was Time flinching as the god’s fingers closed, the man bringing a hand to his chest to ease the discomfort of the pulling sensation there. Then, Kishin delicately swept his hand horizontally in Malon’s direction. As soon as the god moved, a rope revealed itself, springing into existence and connecting the married couple by their hearts. The rope appeared to be three brightly coloured threads braided together, each one small enough to pass for embroidery thread.

“These threads connect all sentient life together. They are physical manifestations of the bonds between us.” Kishin explained as the group marvelled at the sight. “They are always there, but it takes a god’s sight to see them and my touch to reveal them to mortal eyes. As the God of Familial Love, it is crucial I keep track of the relationships within families and the aspects each thread represents.”

Kishin tapped the revealed rope, and the bond spun, unravelling itself until the three different threads were separated. They floated one on top of the other in a stack, enough space between them to easily identify them. “Each thread represents one of the three aspects of a relationship, and each thread has a different set of colours to represent the complexity of these bonds. In order from least to most important,” the god continued, pointing to the thread at the bottom of the stack, a magenta string. “This thread represents the societal bond between individuals, the bonds built via paperwork and laws. For example, they can represent contracts within the workplace, adoptions and, the most common of this type, marriage contracts. Pink indicates that a pair has been wed officially, the hue of the thread indicating the type of ceremony that was performed.”

Next, Kishin indicated the top string, which was stained inky black. “This is the blood string. It represents how a pair are related biologically. Thankfully, black means there is no biological tie whatsoever, the ideal colour for a romantic couple.”

Finally, the god gestured to the middle string, which was a neon pink, so bright it was shining a soft glow in the evening light. “This is the string which indicates emotional connections. In many cases, the other strings can be considered entirely irrelevant; this is by far the most important aspect of a relationship, how the pair feel about each other. You will be happy to know that all romantic relationships are indicated by pink, the brighter the shade, the happier the couple.”

With the flick of his wrist, the threads wound themselves back together into a single rope and pulled itself taut once more. Then, Kishin pinched the rope between his fingers again at the very centre of the bond. Appearing beneath his fingers was another threaded rope which seemed to grow naturally from the connection between Time and Malon. “Much like in family trees, children are connected to their parents via their string connecting to the bond between the couple.” Kishin looked over to Twilight and Wild. “Are you ready, little ones?”

“Ready?” Twilight hesitantly echoed.

Kishin nodded an acknowledgment. “For the reason you called upon me. I am about to reveal two threads: your threads. It will feel strange to be physically tethered to a mystical force that you are usually unaware of. I ask again; are you ready?”

Wild and Twilight shared a glance. The two stood up before Wild declared, “As ready as we’ll ever be…”

With a nod, Kishin performed the same sweeping motion as he did earlier, this time towards Twilight and Wild. About halfway to the pair, the single thread split into two, as seamlessly as the thread was connected to Time and Malon’s bond, before each branch ended at the pair’s hearts. Perhaps just the fact they were connected to the couple in such a way could’ve cleared any remaining doubt, but with a tap, Kishin unravelled the new threads to analyse each of the three aspects. Their bonds had the same configuration of colours as each other, which made it easier for Kishin to explain each of the three threads.

“Your emotional strings are purple. Purple and its many shades are universally used for relationships between parents and children. In this case, it indicates a mutual parent-child relationship between all parties. Regardless of biological ties, you feel like family to each other.”

Kishin then indicated the next sting down, instead of the order he had previously used. “Your societal strings are a dark violet, which is an evolution of another colour. Six years ago, this thread would have been lilac, which is the indicator of a parent’s legal obligation to house their children, amongst other similar obligations. Given that you are both legal adults, the colour darkened, to indicate that you are still legally your parents’ children, but with the freedom to live your lives as you wish.”

Finally, Kishin pointed to the last string. “The blood string is rarely the colour of its namesake. Red is the colour of ancestors and descendants separated by many generations. It is possible to track the number of generations between family members by whether the string is closer in shade to red or purple. When a person dies, their strings are broken forever, meaning that most families never have enough generations within them to see a pure red string.” He carefully took hold of Twilight’s blood string, pulling it away from the others and closer to the light of the fireplace so that the family could see the colour more clearly.

“Considering that your blood string is lilac, with not a hint of red to be seen, I don’t believe I need to explain what that means.”

“No, I don’t think you do.” Twilight whispered. He brought a hand up to the threads, watching the bond phase through his hand as if it wasn’t actually there. And yet, he could feel them. He could feel the connection between himself, his brother and his parents. Happy tears pooled in his eyes. All at once, the emotions he’d subconsciously been holding back were fighting to be expressed.

With another tap from the god, Twilight and Wild’s threads braided themselves back together. Kishin’s voice was gentle as he asked. “Do you need any more proof?”

“There’s no need-” Twilight desperately tried to keep his voice level, but it was wet with tears. He tried wiping them away, but they refused to stop. “S-sorry… Its just- I’m so-!”

Wild crashed into his side, wrapping his arms around Twilight’s waist, “Yeah, I’m happy too!” he beamed up at the teary hero. “You’re my brother, and not just in spirit! I have a brother! And parents! I never thought I’d have that, but you’re right here in front of me and I couldn’t ask for a better family!”

He couldn’t have said it better himself. Twilight nodded, his voice swallowed up by his sobs, and returned Wild’s hug, hoping his little brother could feel the extent of his love through his shaking limbs.

“Oh, sweetheart… Come here.” Before Twilight realised what was happening, Malon had pulled him in close, muffling his cries in her shoulder and shushing him softly. A hand stroked through his hair, another rubbed small circles into his back, and he melted into his mother’s hold. She was so warm… Like a cosy knitted blanket on a frosty morning. A steaming mug of milk after a long hard day. A beam of sunlight that pierced through the canopy of leaves above, perfect for sunbathing and a nap in the woods. She was comfort incarnate.

Soon enough, Time added his voice to Malon’s consoling commentary. “It’s okay… Let it all out, Pup…” The smell of smouldering embers enveloped his senses, a scent Twilight was certain had nothing to do with the fireplace and everything to do with his father and his protective fox fire as Time joined the embrace. Twilight tightened his hold on his family as another shuddering sob was squeezed out of him.

It felt great to be home.

~*~

“So, lemme get this straight.” Four summarized, once the Lons had finished talking. “Twilight and Wild are not Time and Malon’s descendants, rather they are future versions of their sons. Past-Wild hasn’t been born yet but will be soon. Past-Twilight, or Lux, is already four, and shortly before we met, he was kidnapped by the shadow.  In other slightly related news, First and Sky are also father and son. And all of this was confirmed by the god that has emotionally adopted us all, using his magic to see the blood ties between you. Did I miss anything?”

“Nope. You got everything.” Warriors confirmed.

“You could’ve at least saved the big reveal for after breakfast…” Wind whined, looking at the breakfast spread in dismay, “Now all the food is cold!”

Legend rolled his eyes at their youngest, speaking between bites of his toast, “No one was stopping you from eating and listening at the same time.”

“In Wind’s defence,” First chuckled, “This sort of reveal warranted follow-up questions.”

“So. Much. Time travel.” Hyrule looked physically pained. “How do you all keep track of it!?”

With a long-suffering sigh, Time replied, “We don’t.”

The Chain spent that morning dragging their feet. No one wanted to leave the ranch, least of all Time and his recently revealed sons, but one of the neighbours had stumbled onto the property at the crack of dawn to warn them about a pack of monsters that had been spotted crossing Hyrule Field. They needed to get moving if they wanted to catch up to the horde before they reached civilisation. It didn’t sound like the monsters were moving fast, but the longer they stalled, the more likely innocent people would get hurt. But, there was a high chance that this was their pack of black-blooded monsters, and if it was, it wasn’t likely they’d be coming back to the ranch, not for a while at least. The Hero’s Spirit fought valiantly against their desire to stay, and eventually come out on top.

That didn’t mean that once everyone was packed up, combat ready and waiting outside the ranch house, that they wouldn’t let the family have a proper goodbye.

In the shade of the porch, Malon squeezed her husband tight, uncaring of the sturdy armour beneath her cheek. “Come back soon, and doncha do anythin’ stupid while yer gone!”

“I promise.” Time swore, giving her a peck on the lips. “We’ll be back in a few hours unless a portal sweeps us up. If that happens, I’ll write to you. Daily.”

“You bett’r, Fairy Boy!” Even as she spat fire at him, Time could see the pain in her eyes.

Time brushed a lock of her vibrant hair behind her ear and whispered to her, “I’ll protect them. We’ll all protect each other. I won’t tell you not to worry – we both know you will regardless – but know that I will do everything in my power to return to you with all nine of them in tow.”

“I know…”

A neigh interrupted whatever else the couple was going to say to each other, as Twilight and Wild led Epona out of the stables. Warriors quickly took the reins, and while everyone else was dealing with their extra bags, the two brothers hurried over to their parents.

Wild leapt into Malon’s arms. “I don’t wanna go! We have so much to talk about, so many memories to make!”

“Next time, hon.” Malon reassured. “Next time, I’m gonna teach ya eve’y family recipe I know. And we’ll make yer pa go through his whole repertoire, try and trigger s’more mem’ries. Sound good?”

“Like music to my ears, Ma!” Wild laughed.

“I wish we didn’t have’ta leave so soon.” Twilight lamented, squishing Wild between himself and their mother. “But if we don’t-”

Malon sighed, “I know, sweetheart… Don’t forget who yall’s pa is; I know yer type. Ya’ll wouldn’t be able ta rest knowin’ someone’s in danger. Can’t stop fightin’ til all of Hyrule’s safe.” She pressed a kiss onto each of their foreheads. “Those sappy little hearts of yers would break if someone got hurt. It’s jus’ who ya’ll are!”

“Doesn’t stop you from worrying though…” Wild whispered.

“You two better come back safe!” she squeezed them tighter, a rogue tear dripping down her face, “I refuse to lose another son.”

“You won’t.” Twilight promised. “I don’t care what I have to do; we’re coming back alive. This is not the last you’ll see of us!”

Wild nodded along, “Yeah, we just got you back, we’re not losing you that easily!”

Time stepped forward and wiped away his wife’s tear. Trying to sound as jovial as possible he said, “See? I told you; we take care of each other. We’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You better!”

It was almost physically painful to pull away from Malon, but it had to be done. With one last squeeze, Wild let go with a “See you soon, Ma!” He tried to keep a smile plastered on his face, but his droopy ears gave away his reluctance.

Twilight took a moment longer to let go. He began the motion, only to freeze, seeming to reconsider something. Then he leaned in and whispered, “Bye… Ma.” Calling her that was much harder for him, than it had been for Wild, but Twilight found that as soon as the name left his lips, it felt… right. And seeing the way his mother’s face light up made the sliver of embarrassment worth it.

As the Chain finally set out, they waved goodbye to the ranch and to the woman who made the humble little house feel like a home, until they were nothing more than a speck on the horizon.

Chapter Text

Cold.

Cold hard metal.

Foul-smelling wood.

Ominous roars in the distance.

His vision was a blurred mess, smudges of grey, green and brown that faded in and out against the dark void. The boy squeezed his eyes shut and put his head between his knees, trying to block out the sight. But the lack of sight only made it harder to block out everything else.

The drip of water that echoed through the tight – too tight- too small- can’t breathe! – space. The scrape of something against stone… wood? A knife!? Claws!?

The boy slapped his hands over his ears and bit back a cry for help. He wanted his dad. He always scared away the monsters under his bed, or hiding in the wardrobe, or the toy chest. He didn’t have to be scared of their claws or their sharp teeth or their blades, not when Pa was around!

But he wasn’t here…

Something let out a hiss, a growl, and the boy yelped in fear, pushing himself backwards, trying to ignore the way the wooden floor creaked and how damp it was against his bare feet. The smell was getting to him. It smelled like those bright red mushrooms he’d once found in the garden, foul and rotten and poisonous and dangerous and overwhelming- he was going to be sick! The stench surrounded him, he couldn’t block it out. He needed to get away!

"Twilight!"

He tried to crawl away, no longer trying to block out the sounds and stenches, he just had to get far enough, he just had to flee! He didn’t know where he was going – it was too dark! – he just knew he didn’t want to be here anymore! But he fell to the floor (to the damp rotten floor!) when one of his legs wouldn’t budge. In his panic, he’d forgotten about the metal. The cold hard metal that encircled his ankle. The chain that attached the manacle to the floor. His vision only blurred further as tears streamed down his face and he couldn’t stifle his sobs anymore, his crying echoing painfully off the walls of the tight space and piercing his own ears.

"Hang on! We're coming!"

It was awful. No matter what he did, every one of his senses compounded and just made everything worse! He couldn’t see, he couldn’t smell, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t sit, he couldn’t flee; everything was wrong, everything hurt! And the more it hurt, the more he cried. A headache felt like someone had taken a hammer to his skull, his ears ached from his own wailing, his heart was pounding so hard his chest hurt, and above all he was terrified. Terrified that what lurked in the darkness would finally have enough of him and deal with him.

"C'mon Twi! You've gotta wake up!"

And above all these overwhelming feelings, he realised he was cold. Shivering. Freezing. No amount of curling into a ball or rubbing his arms or rocking back and forth could stave off this ever-present chill. It was agony. He wanted his mama. She’d wrap a blanket around his shoulders and get him a nice warm mug of milk and they’d sit in front of a roaring fire as she’d wrap her arms around him and he’d snuggle into her lap, a plushie in his tight grip. Maybe grandpa could read him a bedtime story, or Pa and Ma would sing him to sleep.

"Shit! We've gotta warm him up!"

But they weren’t here. They’d never let this happen. Even so, maybe if he shouted loud enough, they’d be able to hear him and they’d come and save him! In between his sobs, he called for them, screamed himself hoarse, for his pa to save him, for his ma to comfort him, for anyone to help him.

"Pup! Wake up! I'm here!"

It was… so… c o l d. . .

"Twilight!"

~*~

Waking was both fast and slow, blissful and agonising, and above all, disorienting.

Twilight felt his body jerk, felt his heart skip a beat, and gasped like it was his first breath after hours of drowning, fighting with all his might to claw his way to the surface. And yet, despite how much it felt like he had moved and struggled, he quickly found that his muscles were stiff and uncooperative. He couldn’t see, the world just a black and orange blur, but some part of him knew he wasn’t alone. His fears were confirmed as he registered the cloth around his form that was too loose to be clothes, and something stronger than that pinning his arms to his sides. For the briefest of moments, his adrenaline demanded he flail, flee, attack, get out of this tight hold, until a voice cut through his panic.

“Pup, its me! I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay. You’re safe. Focus on my voice, ground yourself. I need you to follow my breathing if you can.”

He… he knew that name. He knew that voice. Like a spell had been cast upon him, Twilight stilled, listening to the voice murmur soft reassurances into his hair. The hold that had been claustrophobic, became comforting, the cloth morphing in his mind from a restraint into what it truly was, a blanket. Slowly, Twilight registered the person’s deep breaths and copied as best he could, stuttering and swallowing down his panic at first, before he relaxed into a steady rhythm.

“There we go… Keep that up, you’re doing great, Pup…” the voice soothed.

Another voice, higher, hesitant, quieter - the speaker was further away - asked, “Is… is he going to be okay?”

The deeper voice replied “He will be, Cub. He’s too stubborn to let this be the end of him.”

Pup…? Cub? What were they talking about?-

And suddenly, it was like his brain clicked back into place. Cub. Wild. That was Wild! And only one person other than himself called Wild that-

“Wild…? T-time…?” It took a gargantuan effort just to force their names through lips that felt frozen shut.

“Twi!” A blob of yellow joined the black and orange smudges. Twilight tried to blink away his blurry vision and soon enough was able to focus on his surroundings. The orange was the glow of the campfire, two humanoid silhouettes appearing to build it up higher. The campsite was bathed in the shadow of the night, casting both the area and Time – who Twilight was tucked up against – in inky darkness. Wild’s long blond hair almost glowed in the limited firelight. “You’re awake! How’re you feeling!?-”

“Easy there, Cub. Give him a moment.” Time suggested sternly. Wild froze, his expression sheepish, then he slowly lowered himself to the ground to sit next to his brother and father. Twilight appreciated it; he was still having trouble processing the world around him.

“W-what happ’ned…?” he tried to push himself away from Time’s chest, just to try and see his surroundings better, but his limbs wouldn’t co-operate. “Why c-can’t I move…?”

With a calm voice that contradicted his worrying words, Time answered, “You were attacked while on night watch. A Poe from First’s era apparently. Speaking of…” Time turned to Wild. “Cub, go and fetch him and Warriors. They’ll want to look over Twilight now that he’s responding.”

With a nod, Wild sprung to his feet and ran off to find them.

“A… Poe?” Twilight breathed in disbelief. There was no way he could possibly feel this awful after an encounter with a Poe. Even if they got the jump on him, all it took to kill them was shifting into his wolf form and tearing them apart like any other monster. He felt like he’d been thrown into an icy river, not fought against a spiteful spirit.

His answer came from a distant voice that approached quickly. “Apparently, my Poes are a more vicious than they are in other eras.” First and Warriors appeared in the spot Wild had left, both with steely expressions that tried to hide the concern in their eyes. First continued speaking, as Warriors and Time performed a physical check-up on the rancher, testing the focus of his eyes and checking the temperature and mobility of his limbs, as if they were treating frostbite or hypothermia. “My Poes are more of a psychological enemy. They’re the servants of Nightmare, the God of Terror. They have the ability to send their targets to sleep and pray upon their worst memories to siphon away their victims’ souls, trapping them in their terror. Most die from their heart giving out due to the stress, or from their bodies freezing over without the warmth of their soul.”

Twilight shuddered. What a way to go…

“There’s no resisting the sleep spell and once a victim is asleep, the only way to wake them is by killing the Poe and breaking their lantern, where their stolen souls are stored.” First continued with a grimace.

“Goddesses… Never have I been so glad to not have grown up in your era.” Warriors mused to himself “How are we supposed to defend against that?”

“Thankfully, they’re otherwise incredibly weak and can’t use this ability on a mass scale, meaning that as long as no one takes night watch alone, they won’t be able to spell anyone without swift retaliation. They also can’t stand the light, so we should build bigger campfires from now on; I’d rather telegraph our position to potential enemies than put anyone else through that torture.”

“I suggest we also check the area for any more of those things.” Time added. “In groups of course. We will have no more victims tonight.”

“Agreed.” Warriors replied, only half-focused on the discussion as he had Twilight curl his fingers into a fist and back again under his own power. After an assessing hum, he said “A bit stiff, but we shouldn’t have to worry about any future complications.”

First nodded, addressing Twilight directly. “We must have caught it early, before it could really dig into the depths of your soul. I think all you need now is rest and warmth.”

“Right…” Twilight replied. “Sorry-”

“None of that.” Time cut him off. “You heard First; there was nothing you could’ve done.” He tucked the blanket tighter around Twilight. “Now, would you rather be closer to the fire, or I could use my flames to warm you up if you prefer.”

Twilight stared at the newly built bonfire in the centre of camp and shivered as memories of burning bridges, flaming arrows and wooden buildings set ablaze unwittingly crossed his mind. “C-can you…? I mean… I’d prefer your flames, if that’s okay?”

Time merely smiled. “That’s perfectly fine with me, Pup.”

Warriors stifled a fond chuckle, “Well… it seems like you have things handled here, Sprite.”

He and First stood up, “We’ll gather the others and get started on that patrol.”

As soon as First and Warriors stepped away, Wild took their place and drew his older brother into a much-needed hug. “Glad you’re okay.”

Twilight squeezed him back, minutely frustrated at how much weaker his hold was than usual.

“If you’re up to it, the others are worried too…” Wild started. “Legend and Wind especially, even if they’re trying not to show it.”

That got an amused huff out of Twilight. “Typical… C’mon, help me up. My legs’re stiff.”

With assistance from both Time and Wild, Twilight unsteadily made it to his feet. It felt like he was trying to shake off a bad case of pins and needles, but it was a huge improvement on how he’d felt when he first woke up. Looking around their little camp, Legend was merely looking busy while keeping an eye on Twilight, Sky was talking quietly with Hyrule, likely trying to convince the younger boy to trust Warriors and First’s judgement on Twilight’s condition, and Wind and Four were talking anxiously with the demigod brothers. Wind glanced at Twilight, and upon seeing him on his feet, elbowed Four in the side with a bright grin on his face. The two youngest of the Chain raced over, just glad to see Twilight was doing better, the older heroes trailing behind but just as happy. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, when a single comment from Sky accidentally ruined the cheery atmosphere.

“It’s good you woke us up when you did.”

“I… I did?” Twilight asked, his head tilting like a dog in confusion.

The heroes collectively winced.

Twilight was about to try asking again when Wind whispered, “You were screaming.”

Okay. That seemed… pretty normal. They were all heroes; every person in that clearing occasionally had vivid nightmares stemming from their journey. Night watch wasn’t just to keep an eye out for ambushes or abrupt weather shifts, it was also so someone could watch over the other Links as they slept, wake them up from particularly violent night terrors and provide comfort when they did. This was hardly the first time the Chain had been woken up by someone screaming in their sleep. So why couldn’t any of them look him in the eye?

Legend also glanced at the others confused, then with a roll of his eyes, he bluntly said, “For your parents. You were begging Time and Malon to save you from something. Presumably.” He gestured vaguely at the other heroes who looked at the veteran like he was insane for just saying it. “Guess they all think the wound is still too fresh.”

Oh… it had been one of those nightmares… He hadn’t had one of those since he was a kid. That’s why Time still hadn’t let go of him yet. Why everyone else was looking at him like he was a lit bomb, ready to explode at any moment. They had only met Malon and learned the truth about a week ago; it was hard to blame them for being worried.

Twilight tiredly wiped a hand across his face. “It’s fine, I’ll be okay. Stop looking at me like that. It was just a bad memory. Probably.”

“Probably?” Four asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight shrugged, “Don’t remember. As usual. I’m used to it.” He sighed and glanced uneasily at the forest beyond their little clearing. “Don’t worry about me; your energy is much better used checking to make sure there are no more of those things around here.”

First clapped his hands, the sound echoing in the uneasy silence and drawing all attention away from Twilight. “He’s right. Let’s get moving. Since this isn’t my era, there’s no guarantee there even is more of them out there, but we’re better safe than sorry. We’ll split into two groups and meet back here in an hour. Light your lanterns now. No matter what, do not leave your group, understood? Do not give them an opportunity to strike.”

The Chain sprang into action, gearing up and choosing their groups. The strange mood was lifted as the heroes were given the perfect outlet for their stress. Sometimes Twilight forgot that First had been a high-ranking soldier in his own war, and then he went and gave orders like the battle-hardened general he technically was. First usually left that to Time and Warriors, or even Twilight. But before he knew it, the other Links had left the campsite, leaving just him, Wild and Time.

“Weren’t you two going to join them?” Twilight said after a moment, confused.

“No one is to go off alone, remember?” Wild repeated with just a hint of amusement. “That includes you. Besides, someone’s gotta warm you up, and I’m the only one who knows how particular you are about your tea!” The younger man padded over to the bonfire and rifled around in the pack closest to the ring of stones boxing in the flames until he pulled out a steel kettle and a pouch Twilight knew was filled with tea leaves he had personally plucked from the woods surrounding his hometown.

Twilight rolled his eyes at his little brother’s remark. “Have you met Warriors? Or Legend? I’m not particular about tea. I just don’t like their fancy Castle Town brews; those abominations barely count as tea.”

“Sure you’re not!” Wild replied sarcastically. If Twilight wasn’t so tired, he’d stomp over to him and give him a well-aimed elbow to his gut for that remark.

“Alright, that’s enough cubs.” Time mediated, though Twilight couldn’t help spotting the amused smile his father was trying to hide. Time placed a guiding arm around Twilight’s shoulders and nudged his eldest son onto one of the logs surrounding the bonfire, one that was far away from the flames but still within the light it gave off.

As Wild brewed the tea, humming under his breath, and Twilight allowed himself to sag under the weight of his stiff body, Time plucked the Keaton Mask from where it was strung on his belt and pinned it to the side of his head. His nine tails flared into existence the moment he touched the mask, and they quickly wrapped themselves around Twilight’s body in a comfortable embrace, each limb soft to the touch and wonderfully warm. Time’s tails would always be cosier than any blanket. He could’ve stopped there, Twilight already content with his father’s presence, but then Time clasped his hands together, almost like he was praying, and upon pulling them apart, a plume of navy flame burst to life within the cage he made with his fingers. The fire licked at their creator playfully as Time poured more magic into the mystical embers, completely filling the space between his hands.

“Hold out your hand for me, Pup.” Time coaxed, gently.

Time’s foxfire had never incited the same panic in Twilight as regular fire did. Maybe it was because his bad memories were associated with red flames, or maybe he just trusted his father so much that he knew Time’s fire would never hurt him. No matter the reason, his lack of fear made it easy to do as his father asked and hold his hand out, palm upwards. Slowly, Time laid a hand full of blue flame on top of Twilight’s hand, then he slid his hand away, letting the dancing flame settle in Twilight’s palm. It was warm, but not scorching. It burned, but it did not burn him. Twilight brought it closer to his chest, and while his father’s flame wasn’t a miracle cure for the chill in the depths of his chest, the cold cracked and began to thaw. He was healing, and Twilight was suddenly certain that he would be back to himself by morning. He allowed himself to lean on Time’s sturdy shoulder and bask in his friendly flames. It wasn’t long before Wild was passing mugs of Ordon tea to Time and Twilight, sitting himself down on Twilight’s other side.

Some minutes passed as the three heroes nursed their warm beverages, content to sit in silence and listen to the nocturnal animals resume their business and the distant sounds of the rest of their group trudging through the undergrowth, until that too faded into silence. Time’s flame floated around Twilight’s shoulders as he had accepted his clay mug, leaving his hands free while keeping that precious warmth nearby. Wild had made the tea exactly as Twilight liked it; a tart beverage with just a hint of sweetness from steeping the leaves just long enough. It wasn’t until the Lons had drained their mugs and Wild had moved to give them a quick rinse that anyone spoke again.

“Huh? What’s this?” Wild mused to himself, noticing something on the ground and reaching down to pick it up. A little too close to the bonfire for comfort was a wadded-up ball of paper. Curious, he pushed aside the bucket of water he’d dunked the mugs in and carefully unfolded the paper. The inside was stained with ink, the paper having clearly been discarded before it dried, but it was still legible, mostly. Well, it would have been if it was written in Wild's hylian. And if most of the words hadn’t been violently crossed out. The only thing he could figure out was that it was probably a letter; the only words that hadn’t been crossed out was a header and Wild, after squinting at the first word for an embarrassingly long moment, thought the first word was ‘Dear’.

…He probably shouldn’t be trying to read this. It must have fallen out of someone’s bag during the chaos of killing the Poe and helping Twilight. If he knew whose hylian it was, he could return it with before the owner even realised it was missing. But he didn’t know. Fortunately, he knew someone in camp who would.

Wild pulled himself to his feet and padded back over to Time and Twilight, relived to see Twilight lightly dozing on their father’s shoulder, the blue flame settled in his hands once more. “Time? Do you know whose hylian this is?” he whispered to not disturb his brother, handing over the letter to the man in question.

Time took the crinkled parchment and quickly scanned it. He was surprised to find he could almost read it. It was Twilight’s. Their eras were so close together that their alphabets were incredibly similar, as if they were the same script written in two different handwritings.

“Pup?” Time combed back Twilight’s messy bangs, gently coaxing his son to attention. “Were you writing something earlier?”

Twilight hummed sleepily and shifted so he could see the paper. It took him a second or two to reply, his memories of his attack still fuzzy, but then he muttered “I think so, yeah… That’s mine.” He squinted at the letter, “Whats’it say?”

Time slowly started piecing the smudged letters together. “Dear… Ru- I think that’s Rusl. Uk? No, that an L and an I- Uli, of course! So that last bit must be Colin-”

Twilight suddenly swiped at the paper, trying to rip it from Time’s hand. “Nevermind! Give it!”

Time handed it over with no complaint, only for Twilight to scrunch it back up again and chuck the letter into the bonfire. Or at least, that’s what he tried to do. Still uncoordinated from the attack and from waking up so suddenly, the paper projectile missed the fire by a wide berth, bouncing a few times and rolling to a stop in the grass. Twilight slumped in his seat, his head in his hands. With a defeated sigh, Twilight asked dejectedly, “Wild…? Can you burn that for me?”

“Sure!” Wild leapt at the chance to (responsibly) set something on fire.

Time gazed down at his eldest son. “Are you sure? There’s no need to be embarrassed.”

“It wasn’t much of a letter anyway… None of it sounded right.” Twilight admitted. The two watched as Wild gleefully spiked the wad of paper into the bonfire. Then, quietly, Twilight confessed, “If I hadn’t been so distracted writing it, the Poe wouldn’t’ve snuck up on me…”

With an energy Twilight envied, Wild spun and pointed at his older brother, “No blaming yourself!”

“Wild’s right.” Time added, rubbing Twilight’s back soothingly. “We’ve been over this. Even if you did notice it, you didn’t know how dangerous it was. No one’s to blame but the Poe itself.”

“Thanks.” Twilight conceded. Time could sense that this wasn’t going to be the last conversation they’d have about this, but for now, Twilight accepted their verdict.

Wild flopped down on the log again. “Who are Rusl, Uli and Colin anyway? I’m sure you’ve mentioned those names before…”

“Rusl and Uli raised me and Colin’s like my little brother - he’s about Wind’s age. They’re my fa-” Twilight cut himself off with a frown. “They’re my adoptive family.”

“Cool! What are they like?” Wild asked, genuinely excited to hear about the Ordonians.

“They are quite lovely. I had the chance to meet them when we first met.” Time mentioned.

“Lucky!” Wild complained. “Why’d I have to join last!? While you lot were getting to know each other and travelling different Hyrules, I was…” he paused as he wracked his brain, “doing… something… hunting lynels, I think?”

“And you wonder why we call you Wild.” Time teased.

“Are you complimenting the Master Sword right now?” Wild jabbed right back.

“Not on your life.” Time replied, good-naturedly.

As Wild laughed, Time couldn’t help but notice how quiet Twilight was. He hadn’t said a word since his earlier slip-up. Twilight looked exhausted. Time couldn’t help but feel sorry for his eldest; he hadn’t needed that ambush on top of whatever else he was internally struggling with.

“Once you’re feeling better, do you want help with your letter?” Time offered, hoping to prompt Twilight into opening up.

Wild flopped down on the log again. “I won’t be much help, since I haven’t met them, but I can try!”

There was a lost look in his eyes as Twilight whispered, “You’re not mad?”

Confused, Wild asked, “Why would we be mad?”

“Because… I dunno. I didn’t want you guys to feel like I don’t care, especially so soon after finding out that we’re… y’know.”

Ah. Time could see the problem now. “Pup, of course we know you care. Writing to the people who raised you isn’t going to change that.” Time used his tails to draw Twilight closer to him, Wild scooting up the log to press up against his brother. “We understand that they are important to you too; we more than understand. You’ve known them your whole life, we’d never want you to replace them in your heart with us. Just because you don’t share blood with them, that doesn’t mean they’re not your family too. You didn’t exchange them for us, you simply gained another family.”

“Hmmm… correction.” Wild started. “If Rusl, Uli and Colin like us, then we’ll all be one big family! Not two families.”

“Well said, Cub.” Time praised, uncurling his tails from around Twilight to include Wild in their fluffy embrace too.

“So… you don’t mind then?” Twilight asked.

“Not at all.” Time confirmed.

Twilight let out a relieved breath. “Thanks. But… Now I’ve gotta clear up who you are, to them. Who did we say you were, again?”

With a smirk, Time replied, “I believe we told them that I mentored you during your quest, and that we suspected we were distantly related.”

“Right. That. Now I’ve gotta admit I lied to them and somehow explain everything, including the time travel.”

Wild butted in. “I wouldn’t say you lied, you just… omitted a few details.”

“A lot of details.” Twilight sighed. “It was hard enough admitting I was a part-time wolf to them, this’ll be tricky… And now I’ve gotta add that my night terrors are back! Or at least the Poe triggered one… I dunno, I should probably tell them, but I don’t wanna worry them.”

“About that…” Time started carefully. “If you’re up to it, do you want to talk about it? You made it sound like such violent night terrors are normal for you.”

 “They're not! Not these days anyway. The pattern just lines up with what I went through as a kid." Twilight hastily corrected, not wanting them to get the wrong idea. "I think…” Twilight hummed to himself, unsure for a moment before seemingly deciding to keep talking. “I think you two should know. After all, it might be related to Lux.”

Neither Wild nor Time could pretend that they weren’t intrigued. Suddenly, this was no longer just about making sure Twilight was alright. “We’re all ears.” Time prompted.

“Right.” Twilight started, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “Just know that I don’t remember any of this. After everything that happened with Shade, there was a brief few months where I became… a little obsessed with finding out about my birth family, and a lot of what I’m about to tell you comes from the one time I interrogated Uli and Rusl about what they knew, which wasn’t much. You already know that when they found me, I was humming Epona’s Song, but what I failed to mention is that… I couldn’t remember anything else.”

“Nothing at all?” Wild probed, surprised.

“Nothing at all.” Twilight confirmed, a touch of bitterness in his voice. “My name, where I came from, what I was doing in Faron Woods, where my parents were, I couldn’t tell them anything. It wasn’t because I was being stubborn, or that I didn’t understand their questions, or I didn’t trust them enough to tell them, or anything like that. I just… didn’t remember anything about my life before they found me. For a while (about a year, maybe?) they tried to find my birth family, or at least find out if I had any relatives, but they couldn’t find anyone. Ordon being a human village on the edge of Hyrule was a bit of an obstacle, but they still expected to find something. None of the border villages were searching for a missing child, there were no reports of monster attacks that could have orphaned a child from a nomadic family, without knowing my name they couldn’t go through more official channels to find any distant relatives. They just reached dead end after dead end. Once they were sure no one out there was missing me, they officially adopted me.”

“Wait… you didn’t remember your name, is that how Lux changed into Link?” Wild theorised.

Twilight nodded. “Sounds about right. When I couldn’t tell them my name, Rusl and Uli had to come up with something to call me, so they wrote down a bunch of hylian names hoping I’d maybe recognise one and I chose Link. Apparently. I was four, I don’t remember this.”

“Maybe… maybe some subconscious part of you recognised Pa’s name, and that’s why you chose it!” Wild exclaimed.

“Maybe…” Twilight replied, uncertainly.

“It’s certainly plausible. It’s a more… comforting thought, than crediting our shared name to coincidence, fate, or the goddesses’ design.” Time said, his voice carefully neutral. “But enough of this tangent. Twilight, what were you saying?”

“I was talking about my memory, or my lack of memory, I suppose. Well, naturally my parents were worried about my amnesia. There weren’t a lot of children in the village at the time, but everyone knew that children my age could retain memories and didn’t just forget their entire lives randomly. Ordon doesn’t have an official doctor, and they especially don’t have any that specialise in problems with the mind, so it took a while to get a professional opinion about it. And in between them finding me and that consultation, the night terrors started. They sound pretty similar to what Wind and Legend said I did tonight.”

“In what way?” Time prompted gently.

“Uli described to me how she and Rusl would be woken in the middle of the night by my screaming. Most of it would be terrified wailing, but the few words I spoke were… telling. I’d beg for someone to save me from some sort of monster, and I would call for a ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’. Keep in mind that at this point I hadn’t warmed up to my new caretakers yet; I always called them by their names. To this day, I mostly use their names, or Mom and Pop in private. They’d do their best to wake me up and comfort me, but once I’d calmed down and they’d try to ask about my nightmares, I wouldn’t be able to remember them. Again, it wasn’t stubbornness or a lack of trust, I legitimately couldn’t remember why I had been so scared. When I was eventually brought to that doctor, they said the most likely explanation was trauma-induced amnesia; they theorised that I lost my parents to a monster attack, and I was subconsciously repressing all of my old memories because it was my mind’s way of protecting me from the grief. And until now, that sounded pretty damn plausible.”

“It still fits though, doesn’t it?” Wild spoke up. “Lux was kidnapped by a monster. They probably thought your parents were dead because no one in that era was looking for you, but how could Ma and Pa claim you when you were in two different time periods?”

“Regardless,” Time grimaced, his eye full of regret as he placed a hand against Twilight’s chin and carefully guided his eldest son to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that, even if you do not remember it. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you in time-”

“Now who’s unfairly blaming themselves?” Twilight replied with the smallest soft smile. “I’ve seen you fight, Old Man, and I know how much you care; I know you didn’t just let them take me. I don’t remember much, but I don’t need to, to know that much.”

Time slowly drew Twilight into a full hug, setting his chin on the top of his son’s head and silently relishing in how his pup immediately wrapped his arms around him. With a content sigh, he finally replied, “It means a lot that I have your undying faith. Thank you, Pup.”

Wild latched onto Twilight’s back, not wanting to miss out on the hug. “And who knows? Maybe now that you know Time’s our Pa, we might be able to trigger some of your memories too!” he exclaimed excitedly.

For just a split-second, Wild swore that he saw Twilight’s expressive ears droop in sadness and his shoulders tense. But before he could point it out, Twilight carefully pulled away from Time and turned to his younger brother, ruffling his hair with a soft “Maybe.”

But Wild wasn’t going to let him Twilight brush off whatever that was. “Something’s still bothering you. I can tell.” Wild stated, absolutely sure in his observation.

“…No, I think that’s about it.” Twilight tried to deflect.

“There’s definitely something.” Wild persisted.

“No, there’s nothing left to talk about.”

“Yes, there is. Your ears gave you away.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not!”

“It’s dumb!” Twilight dismissed, so quickly he could’ve given his brother whiplash. “It’s stupid and irrational and probably offensive. To you especially, Cub.”

“Try me.” Wild challenged, giving his older brother a steely determined look.

Twilight glanced at his father helplessly, silently begging Time to knock some sense into Wild. But Time only said “We’ll be the judge of that. Feelings are often irrational, its nothing to be ashamed of.”

Twilight sighed but he knew his family too well; he wasn’t getting out of this one. He hesitantly said, “Well… don’t say I didn’t warn you…” he took a deep breath, then confessed, “When it comes to my memories, I’m… In a way… I’m jealous of you, Cub.”

“Okay. I wasn’t expecting that.” Wild admitted.

Twilight barrelled on, almost like he hadn’t actually heard Wild. “I know, it’s ridiculous! You lost all your memories while you were in the shrine, seventeen years’ worth of memories gone, just like that! But… you can get them back. Maybe not all of them, and maybe some you would rather remain forgotten, but you have a chance to recover them. You have hope. If not even dark magic can make me remember what I’m repressing then… What hope do I have…?”

“Oh…” and now Wild understood.

Wild had come out of the Shrine of Resurrection five years ago, and ever since he’d recovered Flora’s pictures from the Sheikah Slate and had begun purposefully triggering memories, he’d steadily recovered more and more. While most of his memories were set during his time as Flora’s appointed knight, he’d recovered some from his knight’s training, and even a few childhood memories with Mipha. It was like once he had triggered that first memory, he had opened the floodgates and they were getting easier to trigger with each passing day, to the point the Chain was slightly anxious that he might start remembering something at inopportune moments – like in the middle of combat – even though nothing of the sort had happened yet. And now that he knew Time was his dad and Malon was him mum and that he recovered childhood memories through the songs they would sing to him as a child, he was so excited to remember more about them!

On the other hand, Twilight had had nineteen years to recover his memories. Nineteen years, and not once had he remembered anything. It could have been argued that the lack of recovery was due to his era not providing the correct triggers, but as Wild looked back on their travels thus far, he realised that excuse didn’t hold much water. Twilight had heard all the same songs as he had. Twilight had discovered the truth at the exact same moment Wild had. And yet he had remembered nothing. And now? That Poe had most definitely pulled one of those repressed memories to the surface and despite all the changes that had happened recently, Twilight still hadn’t remembered anything.

“It’s only been a week.” Time’s voice knocked Wild out of his thoughts. “Give it time; who knows, you might be able to remember something, we just have to find the right trigger.”

“It’s okay. I gave up on getting my memories back a long time ago.” Twilight blatantly lied. “Truly. I guess with everything being so fresh, that Poe just brought up some old insecurities.” He was trying to mask his tone, but it was clear that Twilight was anything but fine.

“Don’t say that!” Wild protested. “Stop trying to pretend like you’re fine!”

Twilight winced and avoided eye contact with him, but said nothing.

“Pup.” Time said, his tone deadly serious, with an underlying soothing lilt. “Do you want your memories back?”

A shiver went up Twilight’s spine. That tone of Time’s sounded so much like his old mentor he instinctively started talking. “Yes. But there’s no point in getting my hopes up for something that will never happen.”

“We don’t know that it’ll never happen.” Time’s voice softened. “But… would you be willing to settle for a substitute?”

For a moment, the two brothers just stared at their father in confusion. Then Twilight asked, sceptically, “What kind of substitute?”

A fox-like grin crossed Time’s face, “You both seem to have forgotten that Lux and Twilight are one in the same, and that as Lux’s father I have been by his side for his entire life. In a way, all of Lux’s memories are also my memories.”

Wild put the pieces together, “You can tell us about Twilight’s missing memories!”

“Oh, I can do better than that!” Time declared, lighting a large plume of navy flame in an outstretched hand. “I can show you.”

Twilight gasped, excitement on his face. “Your illusions!”

Time climbed to his feet, Twilight and Wild eagerly following his example. At the tip of each of Time’s nine tails, another plume of flame sparked to life before they all floated into the air around the trio. The kitsune in hylian form encouraged the flames to grow, to spread, until the trio was standing in a circle of fire, his face scrunched in concentration.

“Hmm… This is a recent favourite of mine.” Time narrated, as the flames grew taller than them, forming walls that blocked out the rest of the world and wrapping around the trio protectively. Then all at once, the navy canvas was painted with different colours. One moment, they had been standing on the edge of their campsite, the next, they were in a perfect replica of the stables in Lon Lon Ranch.

Horses were safely secured in their stalls, some munching on hay or drinking from their troughs, while others had already settled into sleep. The occasional lantern was the only light source in the sleepy stable and the big doors to the barn were slightly ajar, a glimpse of the dark night sky peeking between the wood. However, the barn was eerily silent; there was no crunching of hay, no baying of animals, their surroundings were merely a moving image.

Wild waved a hand through one of the wooden dividers and marvelled at how his hand phased through the image, the disturbed structure momentarily melting back into the illusory blue flames before returning to their wooden façade. “Wow… you’ve been holding back on us, Pa!” he teased.

Time tossed a smirk at his younger son, “Oh, I’m just getting started.” He closed his eye for a moment, concentrating again, the plume of fire in his hand flicking bigger as he poured more power into the illusion. All of a sudden, the missing sound radiated from the illusion, most notably the clip-clop of hooves from outside the barn doors. The Lon family settled in to watch as one of Time’s memories played out before them.

The doors were shouldered open by another Time, leading in a pair of mares by their reins. The illusory Time physically looked identical to the man creating the image, but his mask was nowhere to be seen and he was wearing a rumpled set of plain work clothes, grass-stained and dirtied after a day doing chores around the ranch. This memory must have been fairly recent then. Time led the horses into the last empty stalls and went about closing the barn for the night, detacking the mares, refilling troughs, hefting bags of feed with barely an effort ready for breakfast first thing in the morning and generally cleaning up the mess left behind by the other stable hands. He did all this while humming under his breath and petting the animals that called for his attention, a content smile on his face. He was in the middle of sweeping the loose straw strewn around the barn towards the stack of hay bales in the corner, when the doors slowly creaked open again.

Time froze, listening for the intruder, but relaxed as soon as he heard the strained grunts of someone too small trying to push open the massive doors. A child, no more than four years old slipped through the gap he’d made and beamed as he spotted his father.

Twilight couldn’t help but stare in disbelief at his younger self.

Lux really did look like a mini-Twilight. His messy dirty-blond hair was sticking up at all angles from a day of playing around the farm. While baby-fat still clung to his cheeks, he could see the beginnings of his own sharper check-bones. His intense blue eyes, inherited from his father and shared with his younger brother, glittered playfully. The resemblance truly was uncanny. He was sure Uli still had a few pictures from when he was a kid, and this child could’ve crawled out of one of them, they looked so similar. The only thing that didn’t fit was the boy’s clothes. Instead of one of the traditional Ordonian styles, Lux was wearing a loose yellow tunic, spotted with all sorts of stains from previous ‘adventures’ as the boy would’ve likely referred to his various mischievous escapades.

“Pa!” he shouted, brandishing a little wooden sword, perfect for tiny hands.

“Evening, Pup.” Time turned towards his son, twirling his broom absently as he watched the toddler look around the barn wildly. “Looks like someone snuck out of bed.”

Lux pouted up at his father, “No time ta sleep! I saw a mon’ter!”

Wild and Twilight expected the illusory Time to panic, to interrogate his son on where he saw the threat, to immediately check the property for this monster, but he didn’t. Time stood there for a moment then said, “Playtime’s over Lux, it’s time for bed-”

Lux gasped and pointed his sword behind Time, “There i’ is!” before sprinting past the man further into the depths of the barn.

Time stared after his son, then with a fond shake of his head, followed after the energetic child. Lux was standing in an open area towards the back of the barn where most of the tools, horse tack and supplies were kept. He was looking around wildly, occasionally stepping up to a pile of something and poking at it with the sword. When he noticed his father had followed him, Lux exclaimed, “It’s aroun’ here! I saw is dis’pear! It camo- camofla- it went invis’ble!”

“An invisible enemy, huh?” a smile snuck its way onto his face. Fine, he could let Lux play a little longer. “Well, we better deal with it then. Wouldn’t want it to get the jump on Mr Equus, tomorrow morning.”

Lux nodded determinedly at his father. “Yeah! We can’t le’ it hurt tha oth’rs!”

Time plucked a small brush from a bucket of grooming supplies and threw it to Lux, who scrambled to catch it. “Pup! Use the Lens of Truth! Tell me where the monster is!”

Lux giggled as he brought the brush up to his eye like a magnifying glass and gasped at what he ‘saw’. “Big liz’rd! It’s… there!” he pointed towards a bunch of tools leaning against the barn’s wall.

“Here?” Time called back, charging into the centre of the room and swinging his broom through the open air.

“No! Left! LEFT!” Lux squealed in delight.

Time moved left and swung again, still hitting nothing. “Did I get it, Pup?”

“I said left! Stop moving right!”

“I did?” Time paused in genuine confusion. “Check your lefts and rights.”

His face scrunched up in concentration, Lux dropped the brush and held his hands in front of him, his fingers pressed together and his thumbs sticking out in two mirrored L shapes. After a pause, Lux murmured “Oh…” before he quickly chirped “I meant right! RIGHT!”

With a chuckle, Time moved right this time and with a dramatic shout of “Take this, foul beast!” lightly smacked his broom against a shovel, making the tool crash to the floor.

Lux let out a triumphant “You got it!” before running forward with his toy sword and flailing at the air above the fallen shovel, exclaiming “Take that, and that, and THAT! Leave Pa alone!”

As Lux continued ‘stabbing’ the ‘lizard’, Time leaned his broom up next to his other tools and looked upon his son with a proud smile. Even in playtime, that boy was nothing if not protective of his family.

Then a mischievous glint flashed through his eye. On silent feet born from a childhood among the fae, the father snuck up behind his son and swiftly grabbed Lux from under his arms, lifting the toddler as easily as the bags of feed he’d just been carrying. Lux let out a startled shout, dropping his toy sword in his fright, but relaxed as soon as he heard his dad laughing behind him, quickly falling into a bout of giggles with him. Suddenly, Time staggered, tipping sideways and appearing to just manage to catch himself all while he still held the laughing Lux aloft.

“Woah! What’s going on!?” Time exclaimed dramatically, tossing Lux into the air and making a show of scrambling to catch him while the boy continued to giggle, completely enthralled in their game. “It’s like my body has a mind of its own! Oh no! Pup, I don’t think we got them all!”

Lux gasped “No! Let go of Pa!” he shouted into the air.

“This curse… It must be the work of a Bubble!” Time continued, his movements erratic as he fought off the ‘curse’. “Pup! You must save me from the curse!”

“How!?” Lux squealed.

“There’s a song! Oh, which song is it? If only I could remember!” Time replied playfully, spinning the two of them in circles at a dizzying speed.

“Tha spinny song!” Lux shouted confidently, quickly picking up on his father’s hint.

Time barked out a laugh. “Yes! That’s it! The Song of Storms!”

As the two continued to spin, Time whistled a short jolly tune, one that had a hint of familiarity to the onlookers. Lux clumsily tried to sing along with half-remembered lyrics and an unsteady voice. Slowly, as the pair made it through one verse and then the next, Time slowed his spinning until, with one last enthusiastic held note, he ‘fell’ backwards into a pile of loose hay, the crunch beneath his body the perfect accompaniment to the Time’s laughter and Lux’s triumphant shout.

“We di’ it!” Lux exclaimed, squirming to snuggle up to his father’s chest. As his laughter died down, a small rumble reverberated in Time’s chest, a comforting paternal sound that had Lux pressing himself closer to his father. Time started smoothing down Lux’s messy hair, picking out strands of straw that had somehow already snuck their way into his chestnut hair, and soon a smaller similar rumble started up in his son.

“Aww… Pup, did I tucker you out?” Time whispered, with a hint of amusement.

“Nooooooooooo…” Lux whined, “Lemme gooooo…” Despite his words, Lux made no move to remove himself from Time’s arms. In fact, the boy reached up and wrapped his little arms around his father’s neck, clutching at the back of Time’s shirt.

“I don’t think so!” Time sang gleefully, hauling himself up from the pile of hay, and swiping up the dropped wooden sword. “I believe someone is up past their bedtime.”

“S’not me…” mumbled Lux sleepily, nuzzling into his father’s shoulder.

“Of course not, Pup.” Time humoured him, propping the shovel back up against the wall and blowing out the lit lanterns as he walked towards the barn door. “But after defeating such a big monster, I think you deserve a good night’s sleep.”

Lux groaned, protesting sleep even as his eyes began to droop. He smacked a little fist against Time’s chest, but there was no real power behind it. “Noooooooooooooo… I wanna…” he yawned with an adorable high-pitched squeak. “I wanna figh’ mon’ters… I wanna… protec’ Ma…”

Time’s heart melted at the sleepy admission. He briefly bent down to scoop up the fallen brush and carefully placed it back in its bucket, so it didn’t make a sound. “Your Ma and I appreciate it, Pup, but for now it’s our job to protect you. There aren’t any more monsters to fight tonight. It’s time for bed.”

“Bu’ I’m no’ ev’n tired!” Lux blatantly lied, fruitlessly pawing at his eyes to try and keep them open.

“That’s odd.” Time yawned long and loud, really exaggerating the action. “I’m tired. I think my bed’s calling me…”

“I’ll stay up th’n…” Lux stubbornly insisted.

“That’s a shame.” Time sighed. “If you’re not going to sleep, I guess there’s no need for a lullaby tonight.”

There was a beat of silence, before Lux tentatively whispered, “I wanna lull’by…”

Instead of answering, Time started singing. The words weren’t in Hylian, and the language had a lilting quality to it that felt like the rocking of a cradle. Time’s singing voice was so different from his speaking tone, except the wolves couldn’t imagine it any other way. He made gliding from the deepest bass notes to the highest falsetto seem utterly effortless and each syllable sounded ethereal, like a gentle breeze whistling through the leaves of a sacred forest. The notes of the Goron’s Lullaby drifted through the quiet barn, almost hypnotic in a way, and Lux dropped off to sleep with nary a sound, his breaths deep in peaceful sleep.

With one last loving look at his pup, Time shouldered open the doors to the barn and slipped out into the moonlit night, the vision fading back into flames as it came to a quiet end.

The flames cleared, leaving Wild, Twilight and Time back in their campsite like nothing had happened.

“You were a cute kid.” Wild teased.

Twilight rolled his eyes and elbowed his little brother, “Oh shut it, Cub.”

Time smirked at his sons, “He’s not wrong, Pup.”

Twilight may have rolled his eyes, utterly exasperated by the teasing, but he didn’t try to stop Time from throwing an arm around his shoulders or Wild from hugging them both. After a moment, Twilight dropped the act and stiffly hugged them both back.

“Thanks. I think I really needed that.” Twilight admitted.

“It was no trouble.” Time replied, his tails wrapping comfortably around his sons. “If you ever want to see another memory, just ask.”

“I will. Maybe not tonight though.” Twilight carefully rested his head on Time’s shoulder, his exhaustion making itself known now that the excitement was over.

None of them felt like moving for some time. They could’ve stayed like that until the rest of the Chain returned, maybe even longer, revelling in the presence of their family, but eventually Twilight murmured “Cub? …Pa?”

Neither Wild nor Time missed the fact that this was the first time Twilight had directly called Time that. They decided not to make a big deal out of it though, lest Twilight stop using it out of embarrassment. “Yes, Pup?” Time asked.

“Wanna help me write a letter?”