Chapter Text
It was getting colder these days. No matter the Hyrule, the days were shorter, the shadows longer, and the winds harsher. For the heroes, this meant more layers, bigger campfires, and better insulated campsites when sleeping inside wasn’t possible. Staying comfortable came easier for some than others. Suspiciously, Wild’s popularity increased overnight, though whether that was due to his warm meals or his generous supply of even warmer clothing was not revealed. Runny noses became a common plague, and small coughs permeated the air in a perpetual symphony of sickness.
When they finally landed in a world whose grounds were covered in a thin blanket of snow, finding a mild place to sleep became a priority, all thoughts of black-blooded monsters left on the mental back-burner in favour of finding relief from the cold. The day was spent in relative silence, with only the odd bird call or skittering of a hare in the bracket breaking the winter quiet. Eventually, the quiet gurgle of a small stream joined the fray, its body coming into view at the bottom of the steep ravine their path lined.
Warriors hugged his scarf closer to his neck and draped one of the folds over his head in a weak attempt to retain some feeling in his ears. He was beginning to regret the fact that his gloves did not cover his fingertips. At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to grab his sword should trouble arrive. Legend stomped grumpily beside him, still salty over the fact that he was forced to put on a pair of trousers under his tunic despite claiming to not feel the cold as much due to his enchanted jewelry collection. He smiled. A tug on his neck made him stop and turn. Wind had been clutching the end of his scarf to his pink hands, but now he had an iron grip on the fabric, even as his steps slowed to a crawl. Warriors frowned and held out a hand to stop the younger hero.
“Hey, Sailor, you doing alright?” He tried to meet Wind’s eyes, but they were hidden behind blonde bangs. He gave the shoulder a quick shake, kneeling down to get his attention. Legend noticed their pause and called up to Time to stop for a second.
Meanwhile, Wind seemed to have come out from his daze and was looking back at Warriors, cheeks and nose a bright pink. “Sorry, Wars, just got lost in thought. Why’ve we stopped?”
Warriors fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I should be asking you that. Are you sure you don’t want another layer? No offense, but that cloak was made by people who live on a tropical island, not a winter woodland.”
“What’s wrong?” Time’s voice sounded behind his back. Warriors stood to face the man, pushing Wind in front of him and holding him by the shoulders to keep him from squirming away.
“I think we need to work a little faster to find camp. At this rate, Wind is going to turn colder than an ice chuchu before the sun sets.”
“No I will not!” Wind tried to wriggle out of Warriors’ hold, but his movements were so sluggish, even Warriors’ frozen fingers were able to keep him in place. “Time, he’s just being a mother hen, don’t believe him! We’re wasting daylight standing here!”
Warriors could tell Time was trying not to smile watching Wind’s desperate antics, but when he spoke, there was only a hint of amusement in his tone. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to set up camp a little earlier than usual. Twilight!”
He beckoned for the ranch hand to join him. Unlike the rest of them, Twilight was relatively unaffected by the chill, what with his wolf pelt keeping him well insulated, and he came to the Old Man’s side with earnest. Time wrapped an arm around his shoulders, gesturing to a glaring Wind.
“The Sailor isn’t used to such colder climates and we think it would be best if we were a little more proactive in finding somewhere decent to rest for the night. Would you be willing to use those tracking skills to scout ahead and find somewhere suitable for us to warm ourselves?”
Time gave him a look that Twilight understood with a knowing nod of the head and a faint grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “No problem, Old Man. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
And with that, he began jogging ahead down the path until he disappeared from sight. Time looked back at Wind, this time not afraid to show his mirth.
“That solves that problem. But what to do with you until then? That cloak certainly isn’t doing you any favours at this point.”
Wind tried once more to escape Warriors’ grip, but this time he let him go, watching as he took a step away from them with his fists clenched at his sides in annoyance.
“You don’t need to do anything! You shouldn’t have sent Twi out there all alone! What if he gets lost? And I’m not even that cold, you guys are just babying me!”
Time chuckled. “Trust me. Twilight is well-prepared to find his way back to us. And if you’re so toasty, what’s that doing in your hand still?"
Wind looked down to his fist, which was still wrapped in Warriors’ scarf. He sputtered in protest as the remaining fabric was wrapped around his neck in generous swathes of blue.
“Wait—War! I told you I’m…not…cold.” His voice faded as he felt the immediate relief from the cold, and Warriors could tell both he and Time were struggling to not say anything as both their hearts melted when they saw Wind bury his face in the new accessory with pleasure. “Wait. But what about you? Aren’t you cold?”
Warriors laughed and pushed Wind to start walking again. “Don’t worry, Wind. I’ve got an extra cloak I can put on.”
Wind nodded, but paused when his eye caught on something silver poking out from Warriors’ collar. “Hey, Warriors, what’s that on your neck?”
Something flashed in the other man’s eyes and he laughed nervously, tugging on a faded grey cloak and thoroughly covering any glimpse of the mark.
“It’s nothing, Wind. Just a souvenir.”
He was beginning to really hate the cold. Standing on the edge of the path, with pale flakes falling around him, he cursed this cruel side of nature. It wasn’t even the worst he’d seen, thanks to a trip to Twilight’s and Wild’s snowy peaks, but even the steadily growing layer of snow on the forest floor was making it difficult to stave off the wolfos that had cornered them. He spared a glance to the bottom of the ravine, where his brother lay unmoving.
Wind adjusted the scarf around his neck and let out a fierce war cry, eager to get this over with so that he could attend to his fallen friend. The wolfos in front of him was now only one of three that were left over from the original ten that had crept out from the white. They were fortunate to have Twilight back with them from his successful scouting. In their rush to escape the cold, they’d been caught unawares, Wild being the first to feel the consequences of the attack. He now stood alongside Twilight and Sky as they faced a wolfos, Hyrule and Legend taking the second one, and Time, Four, and himself fighting the last one.
At the moment, the creature in question was in a fierce face off with Time, but upon hearing Wind’s cry, it turned to the new sound. Time took that as the opportunity to strike, bringing his sword down hard on the white body with a yell of his own. As the creature yelped in pain, Wind slashed wildly against the furry mass, and Four found his moment with a final stab to the chest, leaving the wolfos still.
Around him, Wind could hear the others bring down their opponents and Hyrule’s call for the injured. Time didn’t stop to listen or even sheathe his sword. He just let go of it in favour of sprinting down the ravine to the creek below with Wind hot on his heels.
He fought to keep his balance on the snow-covered slope, not sparing the wolfos body a second look as he passed it by, but could not stop his heart from pounding in terror once he saw the body.
Warriors wasn’t moving. He was face up (thank the goddesses) in the somewhat shallow creek, and seemed to be conscious (another mercy), but most of his body was submerged in the water. His face was scrunched up in confusion, and he had a dazed look in his eyes. He hardly reacted when Time came up beside him, ready to pull him from the freezing water, with only a groan gracing his lips when he was dragged to the edge of the creek, Time muttering sweet nothings as he did so.
Wind knelt beside the drenched hero and tried to get his attention, just as Warriors did earlier. He slapped lightly at his face, calling his name while Time checked for any life-threatening injuries.
“Wars. Hey, Warriors. Can you hear me? It’s me, Wind. Time’s here too.”
Warriors smiled gently at him, though he’d begun shivering, and Wind felt his worry grow.
“Wind? Why is the t-time here? It’s all w-wet.”
Wind heard Time curse under his breath and he had to admit he wanted to as well. Head injuries sucked. Still, he had to respect how calm Time sounded when he spoke up once more.
“I know big bro. We’ll get you dry soon. I just have to make sure you’re not gonna die on the way to camp.” Time reassured. Wind watched as he felt around Warriors’ scalp, and grimaced when it came away bloody. He clutched Warriors’ hand, shivering at the icy touch.
“We’ll have to treat this at camp. He’s conscious, so the biggest danger right now is hypothermia. We’ll need to get him warmed up before we start to worry about his head.”
Wind went to take off the scarf, but Time stopped him. “No, you’d best save that for when we’ve gotten him out of these wet clothes. Go on back up and tell the others to be ready to move. I’ll just have to carry him on my back. But first…”
Together, they stripped him of his soaked cloak, spaulder, and bracers before Time motioned for Wind to hand over the scarf. As it was wrapped around his neck, he caught another glimpse of the streak of pale skin against the Captain’s throat, but it was quickly covered. Wind helped the groggy Warriors get situated on Time’s back, answering his repetitive questions and assuring him that they were fine. Then Wind ran up the slope as quickly as he could, this time stopping by the defeated wolfos to retrieve Warriors’ sword and shield from the dead body. The others were assembled on the path with worried looks, but none of them looked too worse for wear.
“Is Warriors alright?” Sky questioned, fingers running over his sailcloth nervously. Wind nodded, then shook his head. “He’s conscious, but he has a pretty good bump on his head and needs to get warm now. Time’s got him. All we need is to find camp.”
All eyes turned to Twilight, who straightened and with a nod, turned to lead the group to where he’d found their potential accommodations for the night. “We shouldn’t be too far at all, it’s less than a mile away by now.” Wild took Warriors’ things and Time’s abandoned sword to store in his slate, giving Wind a reassuring pat on the back. Once Time came onto view, he was immediately surrounded and the group set off once more, worry quickening their steps and creeping into their hearts.
They found sanctuary in an abandoned hunting cabin. Its roof had holes and the windows needed to be covered with spare blankets, but there was a fireplace and a moth-eaten rug to give them some semblance of comfort. They couldn’t light a fire fast enough, in Wind’s opinion.
After a roaring blaze was brought to life, courtesy of Wild, blankets were practically thrown into Time’s arms to dry their soaking friend. By now, Warriors had stopped shivering—a very bad sign, Time had informed him when he announced that turn of events. He’d also lost consciousness somewhere along the way, and Wind didn’t need to be told how concerning that was.
At first, it had been a mad rush of concerned companions crowding around Warriors and Time, but the older man quickly shooed them away and ordered for stones to be placed by the fire, a set of dry clothes, a hot meal, and for the rest of them to “look after yer damned selves first! We don’t need anyone else fighting for breath!” Said with love of course. It was obvious how worried their one-eyed friend was, and no one took offense to his outburst.
With that, only Wind, Hyrule, and Time were left beside the injured hero. Wind and Hyrule set up blankets and a sleeping pad whilst Time worked quickly to peel off the wet clothing from Warriors’ cold body. One by one, Warriors was relieved of his boots, chainmail, and tunic, Time’s face unreadable throughout the process, but he froze after stripping the Captain of his wet undershirt.
There was a collective intake of breath from the three pairs of eyes that zeroed in on the pale marring of skin. Although his torso was covered in numerous marks that told of his status as both a war veteran and a hero of Hyrule, what caught their attention was the pale smile that grinned evilly back up at them. Wind recognized the sliver of scarring he’d spotted earlier, but now he could see the entire body. Or rather, one of two bodies.
The sliver of what he’d seen began on the left side of his neck, and ran from almost midway up Warriors’ throat, all the way down to nearly touch his collarbone on the opposite side, leaving a jagged and messy trail of scar tissue that made Wind’s stomach churn. The second scar was smaller, but no less sickening. Its thinner, more precise body ran horizontally from the other side of Warriors’ throat to meet the first scar halfway along the flesh of his neck.
Images of knife-wielding figures slashed their way into his thoughts and he could tell Hyrule and Time were having similar reactions based on their own lack of movement and Time’s quiet cursing. Hyrule went to touch the scars, but hesitated, as if too afraid to confirm that they were real. It seemed as though time had stopped just for them, giving them all the seconds in the world to burn the image of the Captain’s scarred body into their brains. Then, the spell was broken by Time punching the floor in a sudden show of rage, and Wind jumped. He looked around. The others had stopped in their mad dash to carry out Time’s orders and had once again huddled around the sight in horrified curiosity.
Silently, Legend and Twilight procured a spare set of clothes for Time to replace the wet ones with. The older man nodded his thanks, though his face glowered. He didn’t say anything to send the others away, but those with active duties left the circle once more. Instantly, Time was focused once again on preventing the potential hypothermia that was threatening his big brother. As soon as Warriors was once again clothed, Hyrule and Wind helped maneuver Warriors onto his bedroll and cover him with the blankets they’d been guarding. Without prompting, Four came over to place several of the wrapped hot stones around Warriors’ body, mindful not to burn him as he did so. Horrible timing mandated that they run out of red potions the day before, so bandages were applied and the corners of blankets were tucked in tight. Hyrule did what he could but sadly confessed that he didn't have much left in his magic reserves.
Soon, they were all sat in a semicircle around the fireplace and, by proxy, a sleeping Warriors. Each had a bowl of hot stew and though it warmed their bellies, it was difficult swallowing around the lumps in their throats.
“Time, what was—”
“Not my story. Now eat.”
Wind set down his empty bowl and tucked himself into Warriors’ side, hugging his arm. He didn’t care if it made him look childish, right now he just wanted to feel the blood pulsing through Warriors’ veins to reassure him that he was alive, and not frozen to death in some stream or bled dry from a gaping slash in his neck. Time nodded approvingly, and mentioned something about how body heat was good for hypothermia.
The mood was sombre as night fell, with soft whispers interrupting the crackling of the fire, and the howl of the winter wind outside. Combined with his hot supper, Wind found himself beginning to doze off, the high of the earlier battle and panic over Warriors’ condition filling his limbs with lead and weighing his eyelids down until he fell fast asleep.
He was abruptly woken by some unwelcome squirming and gargled noises he couldn’t quite make out with his half-asleep brain. He simply reaffirmed his grasp on the arm he held fast to and tried to return to his cozy slumber. For a second, he was able to enjoy sweet silence before the arm was jerked roughly from his grip and more sounds of discomfort reached his ears. His first reaction was to frown and sit up to see where his pillow had gone, but what he saw sent such intentions and his grogginess from his mind.
Warriors had awoken and was desperately trying to discard the mounds of blankets he was buried in, albeit clumsily. His eyes weren’t completely open yet, but they held a bright fever light to them that concerned Wind greatly. He was mumbling something, quiet murmurings that Wind still couldn’t make out yet. He held his hands out as if to stop him but he was frozen. He didn’t know what to do. What should he do? Warriors had to stay warm, he didn’t look right either, but what should he—
Two strong hands came down to halt Warriors’ movements. They tucked his hands back under the blankets and kept his shoulders from rising with gentle yet insistent authority. Wind looked up, expecting to see Time, but instead it was Twilight’s face he was met with. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and there was a concerned crease between his brows. Still, Wind watched as he hushed and soothed Warriors back into his makeshift bed. Warriors, whose face was still a bit pale from the cold, but sported flushed cheeks, either from the slow return of heat or something more sinister. Warriors, who had tried to grip Twilight’s hand before his own was tucked into the folds of fabric.
Once the injured man was sufficiently sated, Twilight patted him on the head and turned to Wind, his face grim. “I’m glad he’s woken up, but I think he could still use some help. You’d better go wake up Hyrule and Time."
Wind nodded and rushed to where the others had fallen asleep, all huddled together much for the same reason he’d been pressed against Warriors. Hyrule had taken a bit of coaxing, but sprang into action once Wind explained the circumstances. Time had awoken immediately and went to Warriors’ side before Wind could hardly open his mouth.
“How is he?” He inquired, watching as Hyrule inspected the dazed Warriors.
“Wars woke up during my watch and tried to throw his blankets off.” Twilight answered. “He’s still pretty out of it, but he seemed worried about something. I think it’s the possible concussion you were worried about.”
They all looked to Hyrule, who nodded, fear evident in his expression. “That would make sense. I don’t think concussion itself wasn’t too bad, but I think the shock from the cold made it worse. As long as we keep him warm he should recover, but he might be a bit out of it when he wakes up.”
They all sat back in silence, though it was easy to guess what sort of thoughts plagued each mind. Wind couldn’t tear his eyes from the sleeping form in front of him, and he continued to sit and allow his concern to occupy his mind until he was dragged once more from consciousness. The last thing he feels before slipping into sleep was Time hugging him close.