Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

A gentle ray of sunshine shook you out of your slumber. You were disoriented and had no recollection of anything. After adjusting your eyes to the light of day, you swirled in confusion as you laid in an unrecognizable yet still familiar room. As your senses came back to you, a damp and cold feeling was present on your side. But as you put your palm over the odd spot, you were rewarded with pain. Gathering all your strength you managed to push yourself out of that uncomfortably stiff bed. You slowly made your way down the set of stairs while you gripped onto the railing as if your life depended on it. In the common room, the table in front of you was very messily set up with nine chairs around it. Your eyes fell onto the bread as you felt your stomach rumble. Before your mouth could water your attention was caught by the various weapons on the wall. You couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d already seen them before, especially the spear hung up in front of you. The sound of voices outside reminded you of your peculiar situation. Without a minute to spare, you grab the pretty spear and hide in the small hallway under the loft. Your back met one of the wooden boxes as you tried to lower the spear to hide it. Your poor heart sank at the sound of the door swinging open accompanied by voices. You tried to count how many people came into the house, but the amount of footsteps made you lose count very quickly which only made you panic some more. Relying only on your hearing, it sounded like they were mostly men. You suddenly felt nauseous, either because of the hunger, your confusion or thinking of whatever they were planning to do to you. Footsteps made the stairs and the walls shook as one of them made their way to the loft.

“Oh shit.”

The incessant chatter and bickering came to a halt.

“Is she dead?”

The same footsteps shook your surroundings once again.

“Worse. She’s gone.”

The voice of what you thought was a woman at first spoke. But the almost comical cracks proved to be a boy’s voice.

“I knew it! She’s a ghost!”

“I knew she would only bring trouble!”

Their words and weird accents confused you even more. What was this place? Who were these strange men? Were you abducted by a cult? You wouldn’t see how that would be possible because you always kept a close eye on your surroundings. Usually nothing really slipped your paranoid gaze. Now that you were thinking about it, you didn’t recall how you even got here in the first place.

“Okay, not funny guys. Where’s my trident?”

The words seemingly innocent were bone-chilling for you. You gripped onto the spear, furrowing your eyebrows and holding your breath. Curiosity got the better of you as you peered around your hideout. Your eyes traveled around your limited view. The only thing that could be seen were their strange clothes. You didn’t see any face until you made eye contact with one of them. It was a young man with a makeshift green headband. You both shared a look of terror.

“...Um,”

To your horror, the boy betrayed you by gesturing your spot to the others. You gripped onto the trident with all your might, the adrenaline making the pain from your injury non-existent. Your boxes of protection were pushed to the side. Acting on instinct, you used the weapon as you groaned in exertion. Unfortunately, the spear proved to not be useful when used like a mace. The man in front of you barely had time to block your attack before you plunged your forearm into his neck pinning him to the wall. Getting a proper look at this man, he kind of looked like Chris Pine and he smelled like lilies and lemongrass.

“Unhand Wars you freak!”

That snarky voice made you break eye contact with your victim. The harsh words came from another man who looked oddly similar to the one called ‘Wars’. Looking at everyone, they all looked similar. Not only that, you counted eight men that were mostly all blonde, had light blue or green eyes, had gigantic elf-like ears and the most outdated clothes ever. But you don’t remember going to a renaissance fair.

“Dude, you can’t say that.”

That voice came from a man with a white and blue cape.

“She is choking Wars to death!”

“Nah, I'm fine honestly.”

You cut off his wind pipes by applying more pressure onto his neck.

“Okay, maybe not..”

The pink streaked boy threw his hands in the air.

“Miss, can you unhand our friend please?”

That voice came from the only brunette. You shook your head, determined. The adrenaline rushing through your veins must have been strong enough to power a divine beast.

“Ranchhand?! Can you please do something before we lose the Captain?”

Said the pink streaked one, you started to dislike him. The biggest one made his way to you and pulled you away from the one named Wars. He was a bit intimidating to look at. As soon as he grabbed you, your first instinct was to start screaming. Wars went back to the others while you fought your way out of the bigger ones grip.

“How do we make her stop?”

The youngest one said panicking. Twilight put his hand over your mouth creating muffled screams.You tried fighting and kicking your way out, but he was really strong. Even so, you managed to land a couple hits in his gut. His scent was so musky, you felt as if you walked into an animal den.

“Stay away from that psycho.”

Warriors shook his head.

“I have to check her injury.”

The pink streaked one face palmed. The one with the white and blue cape patted his shoulder. Wars made his way to you slowly. You stopped kicking, making the big one sighed in relief. Wars put his hands in the air, a sign of surrender.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to check your wound.”

The fighting stopped for a moment letting the man get closer. He carefully lifted your torn t-shirt. You tried very hard to steady your breathing but with a hand over your mouth you struggled. Your chest rose and fell rapidly. But then, the hand on your mouth loosened. It loosened just enough to make you take the opportunity to plunge your sharp canines into him. The man yelped and dropped you. The pink streaked one pulled him away.

“Legend, I'm fine! But she really needs help!”

“Why do you care! She just bit you! Like a wild animal!”

The big one’s brow raised at his comment. You were panting on the floor, you glared at Wars who just so happened to back away. The one with the white and blue cape came closer.

“Hey, hey... We’re just trying to help you.”

Before he could say anything else you landed a kick right in his face.

“Sky!”

Legend pulled him away as well.

“You are a monster, we should’ve let you die in the forest.”

You glare into his blue eyes and spit in his face. He gasped loudly.

“I will fight every single one of you off if I have to.”

You said, still panting. You tried so hard to keep up a tough façade. You just hoped they couldn’t see how your limbs were trembling. The door opened, another one came in. He looked at the scene in shock.

“What on Hyrule happened here?”

The man was taller than the others, he had a scar along his eye and down to his throat, though you were sure the scar continued down south. The man had a blue symbol on his forehead. He seemed much older. The boys pointed to you.

“Time! Thank Hylia! She is a monster!”

Legend yelled out, still wiping his face. Time looked at the others. Either injured or scared.

“Are you serious? You are all heroes!”

Time knelt to your level, the others tried to stop him.

“Are you alright? You seem terrified.”

Shit, shit, shit.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“You are in Hateno Village-”

“In Japan?!”

They looked at you confused.

“What’s jap-an?”

Said the youngest one, still hiding behind the second youngest.

“No miss, we are in Hyrule.”

You laughed awkwardly.

“Ha, good one. Is this geek con?”

You might as well have said gibberish. Their confusion grew.

“Uh, no. This is Hyrule Kingdom. I am Link, and so is he, and him, and him, him as well. We are all Link.”

You shook your head and looked around, this was surely just one big joke. All you knew is that you did NOT want to be a part of it.

“Did you kidnap me? If so, why did you bring me to a renaissance fair?”

You saw Time’s eyebrows raise while his eyes widened.

“My goddesses, you thought we kidnapped you?”

“Well that explains her reactions..”

Said Sky, holding his hand against his early bruise. Time shook his head.

“No, miss, we found you unconscious in the woods. A bokoblin was attacking you. We brought you inside so you could heal.”

You shook your head ignoring them.

“Bokoblin, Hyrule, Links! What on earth is going on? Are you high?”

You tried creating some distance with the man. Time seemed offended by your bold statement.

“I would never partake in such activities!”

“Did I walk into some weird role playing game? If so, I am not interested.”

“Miss, maybe you might have a concussion.”

Said the brunette.

“I hate to break it to you weirdos, but Hyrule isn’t real. It’s a game from Nintendo! It’s make believe!” You chuckled nervously before mumbling to yourself. “Why would I even need to clear that up?”

“Nintendo?”

“Maybe she’s high.”

“No, this is my home.”

Said the one in the blue tunic, he seemed the most familiar. You looked around at all of them. They all seemed so familiar. What if you were dreaming? You pinched your skin. Your anxiety rose once again.

“What the fuck is wrong with you sick people?” The one who spotted you covered the younger one’s ears. “My family will find me, my friends will realize I’ve gone missing! I never miss my classes!”

You slowly got up, clinging onto the railing and refusing any help from the one called Time. Your hand warned him not to touch you, even if it was to assist you.

“I swear on my dead body you will all end up rotting in prison for the rest of your lives!”

Time looked over at his companions, they all seemed to share a look of confusion and fear. Mostly because they didn’t know what to do. The old man cleared his throat.

“I can understand how this looks.” He stepped closer to you, making you take a step back. “But I can promise we are not trying to hurt you. I can also swear that over my dead body.”

“We just want to help you.” The Captain spoke once more before pointing to you. “Trust me, in your condition you really need our help.”

It became difficult to breathe for a moment which pushed your exhausted limbs outside of the cottage. But the sight before you only made you feel worse. Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you because

“I’m not supposed to be here..”

He nodded, you looked back up at him.

“You’re not supposed to be real.”

“I don’t think I can agree with that.”

“You think therefore you are.”

Wild tilts his head in confusion. He looks back at Time and gestures to him to come. Time kneels down.

“Miss, are you alright?”

“I need to bathe, and I need new clothes.”

That’s how you ended up in the inn’s bathtub. Scrubbing all the dirt, sweat, tears and blood. You wound stung when you first dipped into the hot water. But the heat soothed your sore muscles and tense limbs. You spent thirty minutes crying and trying to process what the hell was happening. You left the inn clean and in hylian armor, the only armor you’re able to afford in the beginning of the game. It wasn’t made for your body type, in some areas the fabric sagged and in others it was too tight. But it was better than nothing. You saw Twilight waiting for you. Your brows furrowed.

“Are you supposed to be my babysitter?”

A corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk.

“I’m just here to keep an eye on you.”

“Are the others too scared of me?”

Twilight inhaled a deep sigh as he followed you across the village.

“You were, quite... feisty. We didn’t really expect that.”

“So they sent the beefcake, got it.”

He raised a brow smiling.

“I’ll take that as a compliment”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” You looked down at his hand, your bite marks still prominent. “I should probably apologise huh?”

He shrugged.

“I’ve gotten far worse. I was more impressed than hurt to be honest.”

Finally you made it back to the home you had bought for 3000 rupees on your switch. All fifteen worried and or scared eyes stared at you. You took a seat at the table leaning back and with one leg over the ever. You tried your best to act tough, you even crossed your arms over your body and kept a dissatisfied grimace. With less survival instincts blinding your mental clarity, you were able to recognize who these men were. You remember reading some fanfiction about all the different heroes meeting in the Zelda universe. As Time quietly spoke to Legend your eyes wandered over each hero, observing them intently. The hero of warriors, the hero of the wild, the hero of the sky, of Hyrule, of the winds, of the four swords… and of course the hero of Twilight who was standing menacingly behind you, mirroring your body language. Suddenly, Legend sat down as he glared at you. Time cleared his throat nervously.

“May we ask you some questions?”

You nod, you decide not to speak to not betray your confident façade.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Time glared at Legend.

“What?! She’s a psycho!”

Legend slammed his fists on the table. You realized he wasn’t as physically strong like the others, you could probably take him on. That thought soothed your anxiety, a bit.

“What’s your name?”

The youngest one asked.

“Y/n.”

“Y/n, you may call me Time. That’s Wind, Four, Wild, Sky, Hyrule, Warriors, Twilight and Legend.”

You don’t answer, the silence makes them nervous.

“Do you have any memories from before arriving here?”

You try to think, it’s difficult, your mind is hazy.

“I can’t really remember..” You scratched your brain, were you on the bus? Chilling in your bed? Or maybe you were at your finals... You grimaced at the thought of missing your finals. “I was.. Maybe...” Your fingers met your temples as you shook your head. “I don’t know.”

“How convenient, I bet Dink sent her!”

Legend crossed his arms avoiding eye contact at all cost.

“Double income, no kids?”

They looked at you confused.

“What does that even mean? No, we’re talking about Dark Link. He's been opening up portals around our universe, making us meet and,”

“You could say he’s linking you up.”

“We still have- What did you just say? Do you find this funny?”

Wind snorted in his corner. Legend shot him daggers with his glare.

“Like Legend was saying. Dark Link, or Dink, opened portals in our universe that’s how we all met. We all come from different eras in time.”

When Time spoke, everyone listened without interrupting.

“Our hero of the sky is the first in our timeline. He is the chosen hero.”

You look over at Sky, he smiles politely but it doesn’t reach his eyes. You feel guilty about kicking him.

“Why did you say Hyrule doesn’t exist?”

You looked over at Four. He looked a bit stressed, maybe the information was too much to handle at that age.

“It doesn’t exist in my world, not like this.”

They glared at you, wanting more information. You sighed.

“In my world, you’re more of a story. Like a fairytale.”

You didn’t wish to explain it further, they might freak out and all start existential crises. Even if you did try to explain, they wouldn’t completely understand, which would freak them out even more.

“Are we stories passed down by the royal family?” Said Four.

“Or fairies?!” Said Wind, his eyes gleaming with hope.

“...no. Just stories.”

He shrugged. You tried to find the right words to not freak them out. But there’s no point in beating around the bush!

“The royal family you know has never existed in my world. There are some royal families but they serve no real purpose anymore. Oh and Fairies don’t exist.”

Warriors grimaced.

“How about witches? Magic? Demons? Goddesses?”

The questions came out of a couple mouths at a time, making you glance rapidly around the room. Even though it wasn’t your intention, your answers were stressing them out.

“Witches were used as excuses to burn women. The rest is up to personal belief.”

The heroes talked among themselves trying to think of new questions. Legend slammed his fists again, he was definitely a drama queen.

“I’m sorry but this all seems too convenient!” Some heroes cringe at his outburst. “You randomly appear near us, violently attack us and then claim to be from some other world? I’m sure he sent her!”

Their conversation quickly turned into bickering between each other. You didn’t really care for his comment, he was obviously bitter because you spat on him, which he may not have deserved but you didn’t feel bad about it. Legend’s concerns were completely valid, you were a stranger to them. But they were also strangers! For all you knew they could be lying to you. Maybe they were some traffickers who catered to role playing customers. The thought made you uneasy and ushered you to search for an escape if needed. Carefully, you look behind you. The door being blocked by the big one, you turn back around without paying him attention. You had a gut feeling that you would be physically restrained once more if you tried to run away. In your current state, making efforts like that proved to be impossible. Using your mind was the best option. You stand up while slamming your hands on the table getting everyone’s attention.

“You’re completely right…” You couldn’t bear to look at them yet, it would throw off your terrible acting instantly.

“What?”

Said one of the heroes, though you didn’t know which one. Trying desperately to copy your favorite anime antagonist and keep a straight face, you looked up at Legend.

“Dark Link sent me.” You pretend to laugh and shake your head. Legend seemed unimpressed. “I’m embarrassed you managed to find out so quickly.”

The silence made you uncomfortable.

“You were sent my Dark Link?” Wars replied, while looking unimpressed like Legend. “Why in Hyrule would he send… you?”

“Well…” You tried to not take offense. “It was to throw you off, catch you unexpectedly. You see I’m actually a… demon.”

The silence and judgmental stares made you want to crawl into a ball and never speak again.

“You just told us demons didn’t exist in your world.” Sky said, very confused.

“I was lying to you, because I’m evil.” Despite his previous concerns, not even Legend believed you. “So I should probably just go, and face the wrath of my equally evil master.”

With no protests or replies coming from them, you step away from the table. But without the adrenaline flowing through your veins, the sharp pain in your side came back in full force. Immediately, you sat back down trying your best to keep a straight face. The heroes glanced at each other as if speaking a secret language. The old man cleared his throat to fill in the awkward silence.

“So… you come from another world.” Time pondered for a moment. “A world where we aren’t real.”

You nodded while crossing your arms over your body to seem stronger than you were. The heroes conspired between them, as if you weren’t there.

“But,” The hero of the Winds spoke up. “What does that mean for us?”

“You think therefore you are.”

Wild furrowed his brows.

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“It’s Renee Descartes.” You looked around at the confused faces. “He was a French philosopher and scientist. His theory was that if you think, you exist.”

That seemed to comfort some. Wind still looked confused.

“What’s a french?”

You were not about to teach them about the Roman Empire and everything that came from it and after it.

Chapter Text

After dinner, the heroes tried to find the appropriate sleeping situation for everyone. Wild insisted you take his bed. Legend didn’t want you anywhere near him or the younger ones, even though Wind was very curious about you and if he could, he would watch you sleep. Legend started bickering with Twilight and Time trying to get you kicked out. All of this was too much for you and your exhausted brain. You stepped outside the cottage that was far too small for ten people. You sat near the cliff.

“Intense imma right?”

You turned your head to see Warrior. You felt a bit anxious after what you did to him.

“I’m sorry for choking you.”

The Hyrule Warrior hero sat next to you, his legs hanging off the cliff.

“You were in an unknown place, with unknown people and injured. I would’ve done worse. I’m just happy you didn’t strike my face like Sky.”

Warriors chuckled, you didn't. He stopped laughing and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“I want to go home.”

Wars froze not knowing how to respond. Suddenly Wild and Legend came out. Legend was still bickering about you.

“Y/n, you’re sleeping in my bed.”

Wild tried to stand his ground. You slowly got up and took rupees out of your - well his - pockets. He looked down at them.

“I’m going to sleep at the inn.”

You slowly started making your way to the inn. The links went back inside.

“The trash took itself out!”

Wild pushed Legend.

“She went to sleep at the inn. I doubt she’ll change her mind.”

Wars scoffed, “You didn’t even try.”

Twilight stood up making his way to the door.

“I’ll go with her.”

Sky stopped him.

“You’ve already watched her today, I'll do it.”

“Are you not afraid of her?” Hyrule asked.

“...No! Not really.” He crossed his arms.

“Shouldn’t I go with her? To tend to her injury?”

Sky disagreed with Warrior.

“I’ll come get you if anything happens.”

In the inn room, you set your things down, you didn’t tell Wild but you may or may have not bought things with his money. Basic necessities, like a hairbrush, a toothbrush. Also some chapstick. You tried to look for some deodorant but ended up settling on a perfume, not ideal but better than anything. You spread everything on the bed trying to see where things could fit in the various pockets. A knock was heard. You went to open it only to see a man with a bruise on his chin. You felt immense guilt.

“What are you doing here?”

Without further explanation he comes into the room and sets his sleeping bag on the floor next to you. You close the door, you know he won’t leave even if you ask him. You simply look at him, leaning in the doorframe.

“I’ve come to keep an eye on you.”

He smiled at you before continuing unpacking, which didn’t take long since he only had a sleeping bag. He hummed a tune which sounded awfully familiar - knight academy theme - you wondered if they had background music in their worlds.

“I don’t need a babysitter, I’m grown.”

He sighed at your stubbornness.

“You’re injured, pretty badly. That bokoblin did a number on you.”

You decided to ignore him. You didn’t really know what to say. While laying in the bed, you felt weird not sleeping in your own bed. Plus with the events of the day, your mind didn’t seem to shut off. You thought about how weird everything was. The worst part was realizing, everything seemed to be out of your control. How on earth was it possible to end up in a world with every single reiteration of Link? Shouldn’t there be the future Links from the future games? Did your world have the power to create different eras and timelines in the Zelda franchise? Or was it that the master sword simply didn’t choose the next swordsmen yet. Maybe this is just part of the multiverse, like spiderman. But if that was the case, you were an anomaly and you feared you might slowly disappear. Back at home, you never had to worry about the multiverse, you could imagine it in the comfort of your bed and everything you knew. Maybe when you woke up, you would be in your room once more, with your cats and family. But you couldn’t deny the lingering feeling of being trapped, like a defenceless animal. Your exhaustion took the better of you, finally allowing your body to rest. But your peaceful slumber was short lived. You felt as if something was stabbing you. You quickly sat up, your hand clinging to your side. You bit your lip to keep in a groan of pain but you didn’t really manage. Sky woke up from the sounds, he had a hard time but when he realized you were in distress he hopped out of his sleeping bag.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?”

You buried your face in the pillow and groaned in pain. Sky nodded before running to the house. He tried to be quiet but since he ran into a small house where eight people slept, it wasn’t possible. Hyrule, Four, Wild and Warrior woke up in panic.

“Wars you gotta come with me. Something’s wrong.”

He nodded. Hyrule followed behind without them knowing. Back in the room, your head was still buried in the pillow. You were sweating profusely. The boys bursted into the room. Warrior started examining your injury.

“It’s infected..”

“How do you disinfect it?”

“I don’t have any health potions.”

“Can I try?”

They turned around, Hyrule was peeking in the doorway.

“Roolie!”

They stepped aside letting the hero pass. He lifted his hands over your injury and concentrated in magic into the area. After a couple minutes, nothing seemed to have happened. They looked down at you, confused and frightened. You struggled but managed to speak.

“Alcohol, get me the strongest..”

They looked at each other wondering where they would find that. Hyrule and Warriors left to find some. Sky stayed by your side, he held your hand but you were too weak to grip his.

“I’m sorry you’re in so much pain.”

Sky pushed a strand of your hair back behind your ear, he was a bit shocked for a moment. He observed how flat your ear was. It made sense why he wasn’t able to see the tips of your ears before. You slowly sat up on the bed, leaning against the frame. Link helped you.

“You’re too nice.”

“I’m a hero.”

You breathe in and out, letting the air leave your body slowly.

“I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Sky smiled softly, cupping your cheek and shushing.

“I’ve survived way worse. Concentrate on your breathing.”

For some reason, you felt like you were giving birth because of how he was handling the situation. A part of you hated how you needed someone’s help, especially a man. But another part felt happy that your comfort character was, well, comforting you. The two others came back with a recipient you hoped contained alcohol. They handed it to you and you poured it on your wound. It stung so bad, you made your lip bleed from biting it so hard. Your grip on Sky’s hand tightened so much it made him grimace.

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck...”

This sting felt much better than the infection pain. The others looked at you worried. Sky tried to ignore how tight you held onto him, he would most likely have crescent shaped dents in his hand after this.

“I’m fine, I-”

You were panting, you let go of Sky who sighed in relief. Hyrule looked down at his hands disappointed in himself. He questioned his powers, how could he not heal you? Somehow, alcohol was enough to soothe you. Warriors stepped closer examining your wound.

“Maybe you should’ve let me take a look when I wanted to.”

Warriors was right. You just left it in that old bandage that soaked in sweat and then bathwater. Not to mention some goat soap. He wrapped up your wound. The innkeepers were nice enough to give you two a new room. It took some bickering around for Sky and Wars to decide on who should stay. Hyrule had to pull Wars away to stop the argument. The new room had a more comfortable bed.

“Is there anything I can do?”

You looked over at Sky, you felt bad.

“You’ve already done enough, I hurt you again.”

Sky glanced at his hand and smiled. He sat on the bed next to you. He smelt like bergamot and pear. You picked at your nails and avoided his gaze. Your fever was less strong, but you couldn’t help but still feel delirious.

“Unless you have ibuprofen of course.”

You chuckled to yourself, imagining the confusion on his face. The back of his hand met your forehead. Your eyes meet his, though he isn’t looking into yours. The hero of the sky truly is one of the prettiest Links. You feel your cheeks heat up, or maybe that’s just your fever playing tricks on you. His hand fell down your face to cup your cheek, - what is happening? - he smiled at you.

“I understand the feeling of wanting to go home.” His calloused thumb caressed your cheek. “I miss my home very much as well.”

“...skyloft.” Your voice barely above a whisper.

“You know of it?” His eyes widened.

“Your... your story is very popular in my world.”

His smile only grew wider. Sky let go of you, distancing himself and yawned while stretching. Right, it was still night time. You felt your exhaustion take the better of you once again, especially with that fever not letting you think clearly. You felt as if you were in a dream. Maybe you were, because when Link got up to go to his sleeping bag, you caught his sleeve. Link’s eyes met yours once more, you didn’t need to speak for him to understand. He crawled into the soft bed with you. Heat radiated from his body, not allowing the cold to affect you. It was strange, the feeling of sleeping next to a video game character who you thought up to this point was fictional. But he could feel things, think, smell, speak and breathe. Just like you, he was a living being, like the others. His existence made you realize that this isn’t just some silly game, he isn’t just a fantasy. But those thoughts made you even more tired, your heavy eyelids seemed to have forced themselves shut. The early sun rays cascaded over your face, waking you up slowly. It was different from waking up to a blasting alarm in a completely dark room, you enjoyed it very much. You felt a weight on you. You looked around only to find Sky nudged into your neck with his arm around you, his hand on your wound, seemingly trying to protect it. Even in his sleep he is a knight. You sigh before slowly removing yourself from his warm embrace. He didn’t wake up, most likely a deep sleeper. He did replace you with the pillow you slept on. The cold air hit you violently making you miss his arms. You made your way out of the inn, it must have been early, only the farmers were outside. You basked in the sun rays for a moment before the Hateno lab caught your eyes. You started making your way up there, the path was way easier on switch. After around fifteen minutes you finally made it, but of course you were panting. From the lab you could see a big part of Hyrule. From the village, to the Dueling Peaks, to the skyview towers scattered across the map - well world -, Lanayru mountain and if you looked hard enough you thought you saw the tip of the castle. It was breathtaking, which was bad since you were still catching your breath. Your attention turned to the lab, you heard a noise. You recklessly got closer, the door was already opened and you simply had to push it. No one was in there. You entered the lab, wasn’t Robbie or Purah supposed to be here? There wasn’t even Symin. You observed everything the room had to offer, you tried reading some of the books but it wasn’t in English. Suddenly you heard the door creak, but when you turned around, nothing was there. You started getting an eerie feeling and decided to leave the lab. You closed the door behind you, but you still felt like something was staring at you. You look at the top of the lab and your heart freezes. You see a figure dressed in black, its red eyes glared at you. You took a step back but your nerves made you trip over your feet. The creature just glared at you, though you thought he had a smile on its face. Upon further examination you came to discover that he looked very similar to Legend. The creature appears in front of you in the blink of an eye, you try to crawl away but the pain in your side doesn’t allow you to go very fast.

“Stay away!”

He scoffed and continued to get closer.

“Or what? You’ll kick, choke and bite me?” Your eyebrows furrowed. “It may have worked on those weaklings but that won’t do much against me.”

“You’re Dark Link aren’t you?”

You tried to put up a straight face, but your bottom lip was quivering. He stood over you, his lips in a smirk. You tried to find some sort of humanity in him, but he didn’t even have pupils. His gray skin made him look like an undead creature. He knelt down to your level, his knee between your legs. Instinctively, you started screaming.

Chapter Text

Time woke up that morning before everyone else, he decided to go enjoy the fresh morning air before the sun started blasting above them. He sat near the cliff pondering. He was trying to figure out what to do with you. He sighed feeling bad you got pulled into this whole mess, and you weren't even part of their universe. He thought about how you landed here, why you were here and most importantly how he could get you out. Four joined him without saying a word.

“Four, what do you think about her?”

Four readjusted his headband and pondered for a moment.

“When I first saw her, I could see how frightened, no, how terrified she was.”

“Do you trust her?”

“I don’t distrust her, but I don't trust her. I don’t understand why Dink would send a random person from another world. Especially someone with no combat or adventuring skills.”

“Maybe she can be the key to find Dink and finally get some answers.”

Four looked over at Time.

“So what are we going to do?”

Time avoided Four’s stare.

“We’ll keep her around until he shows up.”

Four’s eyebrows furrowed, his usual stoic expression was infected with confusion and a hint of disappointment.

“But, Y/n wants to go home.”

Time sighed.

“We all want to go home.”

Wild stepped out of his cottage stretching. He waved at the two by the cliff before making his way to the cooking pot. All the heroes started waking up one by one. Except Sky who was still in that damn bed. When serving breakfast, Wild looked at everyone at the table and the two empty seats. He looks over at Warriors who was already stuffing food in his mouth. Wars looked at the two empty seats.

“Sky’s probably tied up somewhere.”

They side eyed Legend, Wars scoffed before speaking up.

“Seeing how she was last night that isn’t likely.”

“What happened last night?” Twilight said worriedly.

Warriors started explaining while Wild started making his way to the inn. Wind stepped out when nobody was looking and followed Wild. When Wild saw Wind he sighed but let him come, he didn’t have the strength to say no to him. They made their way up to the room only to find Sky sleeping peacefully. Wind’s eyes lit up.

“Can I?”

Wild nodded trying to hide his smile. All of a sudden, Wind jumps on Sky, waking him up brutally.

“Demise! Demise is back for you! Link wake up!”

Sky sits up in terror.

“NO! STOP! WHERE?”

Wild shook his head when Wind started laughing. Sky headlocked Wind pulling him close and knuckling his head messing up his already messy hair. Wild looked around, not being able to find you.

“Where is Y/n?”

The two stopped and looked around. Sky finally got out of bed.

“She must’ve left this morning.”

They made their way outside, they tried to think about where you could’ve gone. Suddenly all three of them turned towards the laboratory, they heard a distant scream.

“It’s Y/n! I recognize the scream!”

Wild nods at them before they make their way up the mountain, relatively quickly. Wind ran the fastest and Sky was slower than Wind. Dark Link knelt down, his frame towering above you. You tried fighting back when he brought his hands closer. Dink’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to stop your screaming and fighting. You couldn’t say you were strong by any means, but what made you able to defend yourself was your resilience and the fact that you Never. Stop. Fighting. But, your technique mostly worked for people who would be surprised by your tactics. Dark Link was not surprised, he was just getting more and more annoyed by the second. His hand made its way to your tunic and he pulled it up to see your wound.

“NO! STOP!”

Dark Link put his hand on it, you felt a burning sensation. You tried kicking him away, but he was too strong for you. The Links finally made it up the mountain, they froze at the sight of Dark Link. Wild unsheathed the master sword, it glowed light blue. Wild got closer, grabbing Dink’s attention. His hand didn’t move off your side. But his momentary distraction gave you the chance to kick him off of you, the adrenaline helped you rush towards Sky and Wind. Sky grabbed a hold of you. Dark Link stood back up smiling menacingly.

“Fine, you’ll thank me another time.”

Before you could get more information he vanished. Wild put away his sword and made his way to the three of you. Sky let go of your arm, they circled you. You felt a bit nervous.

“What did he do to you?”

Wind exclaimed trying to spot anything strange or unusual. You held your side but didn’t feel any pain anymore.

“He just touched me.”

You carefully lifted up the tunic to show your side, they gasped. You looked down to see that the wound was completely gone, you only have a scar left and a weird grey triangles. It was a triforce. You got marked by a man, how embarrassing. The four of you made your way back to the house. They all started talking about what happened, they wanted you to show the scar but it made you uncomfortable to lift your tunic up in front of nine men. You silently ate your food, but you couldn’t help but feel eyes on you. You looked up only to see Legend staring at you intensely. You observed everyone, and how this whole situation was affecting them. You knew what you had to do. Without anyone noticing, besides Legend, you left the house. You walked around the house and found a rusty sword and shield. It was a bit heavy, but it was necessary. You put the shield on your back and swung the sword a couple times. The sword pulled you a bit with each swing. You felt the heat on your neck because of your hair. Your eyes met the well and you made your way down. You prayed that Link didn’t take the hair tie, to your luck, it was still there. Back in the house, the heroes debated on what to do. Time gave a look to Four, asking him to keep quiet about their conversation.

“What do you think Y/n?”

Your seat was empty. They all looked around trying to find you. Legend scoffed.

“She left.” They all said what in unison. “She just got up and walked out the door.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“We don’t need more weight on our backs, we already have enough trouble with Dink. If Y/n’s the thing he wants we’re in a lot of trouble for no reason.”

While they all argued, Wind made his way outside hoping to find you. He saw you making your way to the exit of Hateno. He ran up to you and grabbed your sleeve.

“Y/n! What are you doing? You can’t leave.”

You were surprised they even realized your departure.

“I’m going to Kakariko village to find Impa.”

“You can’t go alone!” He held onto your sleeve.

You placed your hand on his to pull it off gently. You smiled softly.

“It’s fine, I know the way. You guys have much better things to do, I don’t want to burden you more.” Wind tried to speak but you interrupted him. “You are the last Link that should worry about me. Besides, I'm tough.” You fluffed up his hair before leaving once again.

Wind ran as quickly as he could and slammed open the door, everyone turned their attention to him.

“She’s leaving!” They all got up, besides Legend. “She’s going to Kakariko village, she took a sword, a shield and nothing else!”

Time took his things and went out the door, the others followed.

“I tried to stop her, but I don’t think she was going to listen to me!”

Four patted his shoulder.

“You did everything you could. Come on.”

The heroes left Hateno trying to catch up to you. They took a bit of time packing all their supplies up but once on the road, they moved quickly. You made it to the equestrian riding course. You felt anxious, what if Link didn’t kill the gloom hands here? You shook your head trying to get rid of your stress. But then you heard a horse galloping, - uh oh - the heroes found you. Twilight got down from Epona and grabbed your arm gently, you didn’t fight him this time. His grip was weirdly intimate.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“I- uh, yes. Of course.”

You thought you were going to get scolded, but he seemed more worried than anything. The others arrived behind him, Time looked pissed.

“What is wrong with you?”

You stood behind Twilight creating space between you and Time. He tried to get closer and you just hid behind Twilight’s arm. You felt a bit guilty pulling him into this, but you didn’t want to get scolded. You were an adult after all.

“You can’t just leave like that! You could get lost, or killed! Or worse, Dink could come back!”

“I know the way! Besides, monsters can’t spawn anymore because there hasn’t been a blood moon since he defeated Ganondorf.”

You pointed at Wild, he didn’t want to get pulled into this conversation, especially with how weird your choice of words were. Time threw his face in his hands.

“You are wounded!”

“No, I'm healed. No more pain, no more blood, nothing!”

“You don’t know what type of magic he used on you. You are reckless!”

You shook your head not wanting to participate in this conversation anymore. Who did this guy think he was? Your dad? No thank you!

“You guys couldn’t help me, you don’t know how to heal a human. Your own magic doesn’t even have an effect on me.”

Roolie looked away embarrassed.

“I need to find a way back home.”

Time was at a loss for words. Hand to your forehead you shook your head and continued on with your journey. Twilight gently grabbed your sleeve.

“At least let us come with you.”

You didn’t know if it was because of his smile, but you reluctantly agreed. On your way to Kakariko, you couldn’t help but be amazed at the scenery. If all of this was a dream, it was certainly very realistic. You passed the gate and walked through the battlefield. You couldn’t help but glance at Wild and observe his scar. He looked away embarrassed. You were afraid that a guardian would pop up out of nowhere. The sun started setting and Time decided to stop at the stable for the night, you felt exhausted so you agreed. With your - Wild’s - money you paid for a bed. You sat on your bed observing the others, you then saw Hyrule sitting outside alone. You went to join him.

“Hey.”

He jumped, startled by you.

“Sorry.”

You asked to sit next to him, he nodded. You two sat in silence for a moment, both equally as exhausted.

“So-”

“Why wasn’t I able to heal you?” He interrupted you, you heard the disappointment in his voice. “But Dark Link was able to.” He clung to his knees, burying his face in them.

“I.. I have no idea.” You sighed, you remembered your comment from earlier, it probably made him feel even more insecure.

“Healing is one of the only things I can do well, at least I thought so until now.”

Your heart shattered a bit at his words.

“Maybe, since he brought me here, he’s the only one who can actually heal me.”

You tried to make sense of it all to comfort him, but even you couldn’t find a concrete answer. You hesitated before patting his back. He looked at you with a stoic expression, but he had a disappointed look in his eyes.

“You know, in my world. You are the original Link.” He looked away. “The whole story started with the creation of you. Then over time, people kept adding and adding to the timeline.” You hoped what you were saying was making sense. “So, if you weren’t here, none of them would exist.”

Hyrule looked back at you, he looked a little less sad. His attention focused on your ears. He touched his own to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.

“Do the others know about your condition?”

“Condition?” You touched your ears. “No, this is normal for me.”

Hyrule shared a faint smile before getting up and bringing you to the others.

“Look at her ears.”

You felt flustered as everyone gathered around you. Wild silently gasped.

“That’s my hair tie.”

“Your ears are weird.”

Wind was practically climbing on top of Sky to see your ears. You stepped out of the circle not wanting them to pay that much attention to something so unimportant.

“Why do you have minuscule holes in your ears?”

After Warriors comment, your fingers found your earlobes, you kind of missed the feelings of having earrings on.

“I usually wear earrings.”

Before leaving Hateno, you managed to snag a notebook and a pen. Writing was soothing to you, being able to read some English made you feel alive. Especially since you couldn’t read anything else anymore. You weren’t writing well, on the contrary, you simply jotted down everything and anything. You were so focused on your notebook you didn’t see the boy standing right next to you.

“What are you writing?”

You paused, glanced at him quickly and then went back to writing.

“None of your business.”

Wind’s blonde eyebrows furrowed, but his mouth slowly turned into a smirk. All of a sudden, your notebook vanished from your hands, the little pirate running off with it. You couldn’t believe you actually started chasing after him, as if you weren’t exhausted and embarrassed enough. But, you were not fit, on the contrary. You didn’t have much time to work at home because of classes and all. You were quickly out of breath. But seeing Wind flip through the pages and try to show the others motivated you to catch up to him. You would be mortified if they read what you wrote. The little sailor could run around the stable ten times and still be able to run some more. Wind started running off into the fields. When he finally stopped you managed to catch up to him, panting.

“I!” pant “Finally caught!” pant “You!”

Your hand found its way to his shoulder, trying to hold him in place. But, you felt him shaking. When words failed to be heard you looked up to see a moblin towering over the two of you.

“I- I don’t have my sword!”

The moblin came charging at the both of you. Without thinking you pushed Wind to the ground and raised your shield. The wooden bat clanking on the rusty shield resonating in your ears, it made your knees feel weak.

“Link get out of here!”

Wind didn’t waste another second running back to the stable. But you didn’t have a plan. Maybe Time was right, you were very reckless. The monster was so much more disgusting in real life, it looked like a skinny elongated pig, saliva foamed out of its snout. No matter how much your knees were trembling, you took out your rusty sword and tried to raise it above you, it was heavy. The moblin hit your shield once again. You swung your sword and actually managed to hit it. That confidence was short-lived when the sword shattered on impact. You suddenly remembered how much you disliked the early game of botw/totk. When the moblin hit your shield, you fell to the ground. This time, you couldn’t bite or choke or hit it away. The shield was your only way to survive... until it shattered. Was this ugly monster the last thing you’d ever see in the world? Maybe after this, you would wake up in your own bed once again. Or, would it be the last thing, period? You felt your life flash before your eyes as the bat braced for contact. You instinctively covered yourself with your hands, as if it would ensure your survival. Suddenly, you saw a blue light fly over you and hit the silver moblin making it teleport away. Your body acted quicker than your brain as you stood up. Not far from you, you saw Wild, Time and Wind. Out of terror, you failed to see the bokoblin behind the moblin. The only thing you felt was the sling of its bat against your head and your body collapsing to the ground. Everything went dark around you.

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry you aren’t enjoying your adventure here.”

You couldn’t move.

“I thought you might enjoy it, seeing how stressed you are in your world.”

No matter how much you tried, your limbs were frozen. You knew that voice.

“But don’t worry, things will turn around.”

Dark Link approached you, you felt a heavy weight on your chest. Your back shot up straight, but it wasn’t willing. He knelt down to your level, his hand held up your chin. You felt a chill run down your back as his lifeless eyes peered into yours. You didn’t know what frightened you the most, the fact that you were face to face with him or the fact that you were paralyzed. You tried to scream or talk, but you couldn’t.

“I brought you here for a very specific reason you know..”

Dark Link pulled you in closer, you smelt a faint smell of charcoal and amber, it was intoxicating. You felt weak and everything around you started getting hazy. It gave him enough time to lock his lips with yours, you felt outside of your body. The first thing you saw when waking up was Wars, he was standing next to your bed holding ice on your head. You quickly sat up looking around the room frantically.

“Hey, hey!” Warriors backed up a bit, not wanting to repeat the past. “You’re okay, don’t worry.”

This wasn’t the stable, the room you were in was unrecognizable. Your heart rate picked up trying to remember what led you to this moment. You felt Warriors’s hand on your shoulder, you locked eyes with him.

“We’re in Kakariko.” He smiled. “We brought you here after you got hit.”

Your hand made its way to your new bump, luckily it was covered by your hair. Looking back at your hand, there was blood on it. You sighed.

“I need to take a shower.” You shook your head. “I mean, I need to bathe.”

In the inn’s bathroom, you took some time observing your body in the small mirror. You looked different. You observed the triforce on your waist. It covered a part of the scar. Looking back into the mirror your lips caught your attention, the dream coming back to you. You hoped there was no reality in it. You scrubbed every single inch of your body, from your hair down to your feet. The pain from the bump wasn’t as bad thanks to the ice. You tried scrubbing away the triforce but your efforts were in vain. You reluctantly got out of the warm bath, the cold air hit you creating goosebumps along your skin. While drying yourself you heard a knock at the door.

“Occupied!”

“Y/n?” You heard Wars’s voice, he seemed nervous. “I have something for you.”

You cracked open the door, steam flew out, you saw Wars with a hand over his eyes. You could see the blush on his cheeks though. He handed you clothes with his free hand. Before you could say anything, he left immediately. In your room there was a full length mirror. You were wearing traditional Sheikah clothing. You wondered if Impa had anything to do with this. The outfit was a huge contrast to the hylian armor that didn’t fit you. The clothes complimented and embraced your features, maybe a little too much. The boots were the most comfortable thing you ever put on and the outfit didn’t limit your mobility which was great. You tried drying your hair the best you could, but finally decided to put it up, still using Wild’s old hair tie. When you stepped out of the inn, the sun embraced you in a delicate and warm light. The mountain breeze was fresh and you knew that nothing at home could compare to this. You covered your eyes from the sun to look up at the impressive rings left by the Upheaval. Once again, the village was so much more beautiful than on your switch.

“Y/n!”

You heard him before seeing him. Wind moved as fast as light. You were barely able to brace for impact when he slammed into you wrapping his arms around you.

“Oh lord you almost knocked me over!”

“I’m sorry for stealing your notebook and running off!” He nudged his head in your neck. “I’m so sorry for putting you in danger!”

You were a bit awkward when it came to physical attention. But, he reminded you of a younger sibling. You patted his head to comfort him.

“Don’t worry little man, I’m fine. I barely got a scratch.” He looked back up at you, his eyes looked like they were watering. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it, I’m tough, remember?” You smiled.

He reluctantly let go of you and nodded before bringing you over to the others, they were all sat at a makeshift table eating lunch, you presumed from the time of day. The first one to notice your presence was Time, slowly all of them turned their attention towards you. Time got up from his seat and made his way to you, it made you nervous especially with the stares from the others. He glared at you with his eye, you were certain he was going to scold you.

“Thank you for protecting Wind.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. His hand met your shoulder.

“You have no fighting experience, yet you went out of your way to protect him. Even if that meant putting yourself in danger.”

“It was normal, I would’ve done it for anyone here. Although most of you wouldn’t really need my help.” You laughed sheepishly.

“I was wrong to underestimate you. You are a resilient young woman and I see your potential. I, and the others, would very much like to assist you on your journey in any way we can.”

You looked around at all of them, the atmosphere changed. They didn’t see you as a damsel in distress but as a fellow traveler. Even if some still had doubts about you, Wind trusted you. His trust would make it much easier for you to integrate their group. Time smiled and gestured to the empty seat between Four and Twilight. Wind sat in front, he was quite the blabbermouth. He ignored the others and only talked to you. He went on and on about random things. It was cute.

“Wind.”

Wind turned to Legend. Legend simply gave him a look and he stopped talking. Your attention turned to Legend, his look on you also seemed to have changed.

“When we found you in the woods, there was a bag near you. I swiped it and kept it hidden. I didn’t want to give it to you until I knew I could trust you.” He sighed. “I still don’t! But Time found out and is forcing me to give it back!”

Legend reluctantly handed you your bag. You couldn’t believe you were holding your bag. You opened it up, you took out a text book for one of your classes, a mirror, some lip gloss, your transport card, your identification papers, a hello kitty uno game. But most importantly, your phone. Unfortunately, it was dead. But, it felt good to see things from your time. It helped your sanity. The heroes looked at your items confused and intrigued. Sky took your lipgloss.

“What is this?”

“Lip gloss.” He raised a brow. “It’s makeup, you should know what it is, you had to fight off a cunty dude wearing some.”

“Cunty?”

“What is this?” Hyrule was holding the hello kitty uno set.

“I’ll show you another time.” You took all of your belongings and threw them back in your backpack.

“Twilight is going to take you hunting today.” Time said.

Oh no, not Twilight. He made you nervous for some reason.

“What? Wild’s a much better hunter.”

Wild shook his head. “The animals are scared of me.”

“But, I wanted to go see Impa today.”

“She isn’t here.” Wild spoke again.

“How about we head off then.”

“You have a concussion, you need to rest more.” Wars said, before taking another bite.

“Do you not want to go hunting with me?”

You looked over at Twilight, you felt blush creep onto your cheeks.

“I don’t even know how to use a bow.”

“Twilight’s great with a bow, he’ll teach you. Plus we need more provisions.” Time kept eating.

“Yeah come on princess, it'll be fun.” Twilight smiled at you.

You couldn't really say no, you had to make yourself useful, after all they did save your life, twice. You met up with Twilight outside of Kakariko, he was brushing Epona. You felt heat rise to your ears, no matter, you made your way to him.

“You ever ridden a horse before?” Twilight’s eyes caught you.

“I rode a pony when I was 8.”

If you were being honest, you were kind of scared of horses. Twilight just smiled.

“This is very different from a pony.” He held out his hand and helped you on the horse. “Epona’s much faster, stronger and maybe I’m biased, but also more beautiful.”

You felt your heart rate pick up. Twilight got on the horse.

“You should hold on tight.”

The last thing you saw was his smile before he snapped the bridle making Epona gallop. The pony trotting when you were 8 made you nervous, but this absolutely terrified you. You held on as tight as you could onto Link, your head buried away to not have to look at the scene. Before you knew it she stopped. You heard Link chuckle.

“Are you okay?”

You looked up at him, eyes widened. He hopped off Epona. You tried, but... You may be a bit scared of heights.

“Y/n, Are you coming?”

“Yeah yeah, wait a sec.” You moved your leg to the other side of the horse but couldn’t seem to push yourself off, she was quite tall after all. “I’m coming.”

Link sighed before walking back towards you. He grabbed a hold of your waist and brought you down with ease. Without saying another word he turned back around and started walking through the small forest. The two of you found a fallen log next to a tree, he decided it would be best to camp there. Sitting on your knees he took out a bow and handed it to you. It was heavy.

“Try to hold it up.”

You did as he said, but you struggled. You tried pulling back the string but it was difficult.

“Do you have a smaller one?”

You heard him chuckle before pulling out a smaller bow. It was much better for someone that never used a bow in their life. You could pull the string back much easier now.

“That’s not how you hold it.”

Before you could say or do anything, he placed his hands on your hands adjusting your grip. Your heart seemed to do a backflip. Your posture was terrible though. So naturally, his hand met your lower back forcing you to stand straight. But then your grip on the bow loosened.

“You need to have good posture as well, or else you’re just gonna be shooting up the ground. Y/n, your hands.”

“I’m holding it like you said.”

From your peripheral you saw him shake his head. You would never be prepared for what happened next. Link’s chest pressed up against your back, his arms wrapped around you, his hands finding yours. You froze for a moment. He helped you pull back the string a couple of times trying to get you used to the feeling, but nothing would get you used to his touch. If you had pointy ears, the tips would be bright red.

“Do you understand now?”

You simply nodded. Both of you spotted the red bokoblin not far, it couldn’t see you from here.

“That’s our target.”

His voice barely above a whisper tickled your ear. You tried your best to ignore the effect he had on you and you focused on your breathing. With his assistance, you pulled back the string effortlessly. When you let go, the arrow hit the monster.

“Duck!” You both quickly ducked down behind the log. “You did it!” He said quietly.

“I did!” You said, less quietly.

Link hushed you, putting his finger on your mouth. His head popped out to examine your surroundings and helped you up.

“All right, I’m letting you do this on your own now.”

You nodded. You held the bow, you saw how he had to stop himself from coming to your aid. You straightened your back, breathed in and out before shooting. Unfortunately, the arrow landed in a bush behind the bokoblin. It went to examine the arrow.

“What!”

You yelled while whispering. Link pulled you back down behind the log. He was trying not to laugh. You nudged him.

“Don’t worry princess, you’ll get it next time.”

“Stop calling me that!”

He snorted, it fueled your determination. You sat back up on your knees, back straight, hands positioned more or less correctly. This time, the arrow hit the monster, finishing him off. Link held your arm, shaking you a bit.

“You did it! You killed it!”

You turn your body towards him, mouth still agape. You mimic his excitement, your hands squeezing his biceps and shaking him as well.

“I did it! I did it!”

Suddenly, he heard a noise. He pushed you to the ground and landed on top of you. Link took your breath away, literally. Twilight was easily a hundred and eighty pounds of mostly muscle.

“I’m so sorry!”

That brute knocked the wind out of you and still had the audacity to laugh. He peaked over the log trying to hold in his laughter. The noise was caused by a squirrel. He snorted again. You pushed him off of you.

“Congratulations. You have killed me. I am dead.”

Your arm covered your eyes as you laid dramatically on the soft grass. You could still hear him laughing, you couldn’t deny the fact that he had a contagious laugh. Link pulled your arm away from your face.

“I’m really sorry, really, really sorry.” You could still hear him fighting back his laughs.

“Then why are you still laughing?”

You propped yourself on your elbows. He had such a nice smile. For some reason, he was still on top of you, his legs on either side of you. You observed his face for a moment, especially the symbol on his forehead. Your eyes dipped down to his necklace, you touched the crystal, it was strangely sharp for a pendant. Do you dare pry? You dare.

“I heard you could turn into a wolf.”

Your eyes slowly met his again, his smile turned into a smirk. In the blink of an eye he transformed into his wolf form. In game, his wolf form was cute. But being face to face with a real wolf made you instinctively scramble backwards until you backed up into the tree. You didn’t dare look away, especially since he kept getting closer. You had to keep in mind that it was still the same hunk as earlier, just, very different. His maw kept getting closer to your neck, you felt like a prey. You could heal him growling, making your stomach flip. You felt his warm breath and damp nose on your neck. You thought for a moment that he was going to kill you. Your theory solidified when he bit your neck. You gasped as he transformed back into a hylian, feeling his teeth change against your neck was a strange experience. Your anxiety and butterflies were one at this point. He made his way to your ear.

“That was payback.”

You were certain your face was as red as a tomato. He sat back up but his attention was quickly caught by another sound. It was an animal, by his expression it was a big one. He got off you and kneeled behind the log preparing his bow. You sat there frozen for a hot minute. You knelt next to him watching the stag, you observed his technique with the bow. How he effortlessly pulled back the string. The arrow hit the head of the animal making it collapse. After getting the stag, you went back to Kakariko. You avoided Twilight’s eyes at all cost, too nervous to look in them again. On your way back to the inn someone caught your attention.

“Y/n right?”

It was Paya, she was drop dead gorgeous.

“Uh yes, you’re Paya!”

Paya nodded, smiling softly.

“I hope that the clothes are comfortable. They were my grandmother’s so they should be.”

“They are? No way! That’s awesome.”

You were fangirling so hard, you were actually wearing Impa’s clothes. Wild came up to you two.

“Oh Link! I finally got to meet Y/n!”

Wild didn’t respond, in true Link fashion. Instead, he noticed something on your tunic, he picked up dark grey wolf hair. Your cheeks started flushing.

“I need to get back to my room, it was nice meeting you Paya and thank you so much for the clothes.”

You smiled awkwardly before regaining your room, you felt your heart beating out of your chest. Upon entering your room, you saw Four on the opposite bed. Him and Wild were the most silent and least expressive. Four didn’t trust you.

“Oh are we sharing a room?”

Four nodded silently and continued polishing his sword. Right, he didn’t wield the master sword.

“None of you have the master sword?”

Four snapped his head back. Oh, shit, it was a secret.

“I mean, uh..”

“How do you know that?”

“Well..”

He already didn’t trust you and now that he knows that you know his secret, he’s probably going to be creeped out by you! You scratch the back of your head.

“Your story is very popular in my world.”

Four didn't respond, he looked away from you. You felt kind of terrible. He kept polishing his sword, not acknowledging you anymore. Time knocked at the door.

“Y/n, can you come with me?”

You follow him outside the inn, you see Wild, Paya and Wind surrounding something.

“Wild accidentally threw a shock fruit at your bag.”

“How do you accidentally throw a shock fruit?”

Time shrugged, something was buzzing in your bag. The shock fruit powered up your phone. It was hot to the touch but you managed to activate your sim card. It felt surreal to use your phone here. There was no service, but the phone was on.

“That looks like a Sheikah slate!” Paya exclaimed.

“You could say that, but this is more of an upgraded version of it. Much more upgraded.”

Your phone was basically useless, but it felt good to scroll through it, especially through your camera roll. You saw the faces of your friends, family and your cats. Your sweet little cats, you wondered how they were doing without you. You felt that familiar pinch in your nose so you excused yourself. You walked across the village, under the rings and scaffolding. You hopped over the fence and sat on the edge of the cliff. Tears ran down your face, you couldn’t stop them. You missed your home and your loved ones. No matter how many times you got hurt or passed out, you never ended up home. You didn’t really want to live here, you already had a life back in your world, where things made sense to you. The tears rolled down your face staining your pants. You scrolled through your phone once again, looking at all your loved ones. You wondered if your mom was worried about you, she must have realized you were missing by now. You can’t imagine how scared she must be. That night you skipped dinner and went straight to bed, you stayed under your covers all night refusing to speak to anyone. The day took a huge emotional toll on you. You heard Four come back, you thought he would've switched rooms. You quickly fell asleep after that. No weird dreams haunted you during your peaceful slumber.

Chapter Text

The sun woke you up by sending warm rays in your direction. That was the first time you had a peaceful night of sleep since being here. You stepped outside the inn, it must have been really early. The morning dew covered the village and you decided to do some journaling. You wrote down anything and everything, mostly how you missed your home. But your mind decided to wonder someplace else. Why were you suddenly blushing? Probably because you were thinking of Twilight again. Your fingers met the spot where he bit you and you felt butterflies in your stomach once again. You felt your pulse quicken under your fingers. You felt ashamed because you went from writing about your family to fantasizing about Twilight. Well, it couldn’t be your fault, why on earth did he think that was appropriate?!

“How’s your heart?”

In that moment, your heart jumped out of your chest, that’s how it was. You held your hand over your heart with your mouth agape. It was Sky.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He smiled sheepishly.

“You should just tell me if you’re trying to kill me.”

He laughed. You closed your notebook and got up, he obviously wanted to tell you something.

“Oh right, I wanted to see if you were free today.”

“What else would I have to do?”

“You’re right.” He scratched the back of his head. “After breakfast, I would like to show you how to use a sword, and probably a shield as well.”

You noticed the bruise on his chin was gone, you still felt a bit guilty about that. He seemed completely fine around you. You guess he didn’t know about how he held you that night, you remembered though, and now you felt a bit flustered.

“If you don’t want to, you can tell me. Time suggested I teach you.”

“No, no. He’s right.” You shook your head and hands. “I would be happy if you taught me, lord knows I need it.”

“Who’s lord?”

“She’s a popstar from New Zealand.”

Sky scratched his brain trying to figure out what you just said and how it made sense. You felt a bit nervous going to eat breakfast because of how you acted last night. But to your surprise, no one treated you any differently. Probably because they all knew the feeling of being home sick far too well. After eating, you and Sky went to the other end of Kakariko village, on the opposite side of the cemetery. From up there you couldn’t help but gasp at the view, you’re sure you heard Sky as well. The castle was so beautiful, especially since you’d only seen out of gloom a couple times, when you finished the game.

“All right, Y/n, come here.”

The training session wasn’t as good as you hoped it would be, because you weren’t really good. You knew how to swing a wooden bat around, but Sky was teaching you how to use the sword like a knight. You had to use it efficiently while also watching your back. You just hoped he wouldn’t try to make you use a claymore.

“That’s... better.”

White lies flew out of his mouth, you wish he wouldn’t be so hard on you for this. You preferred training with Twilight even if you were at risk of being bit again. Sky had to correct your posture and grip on the sword many times before you actually started doing it more or less correctly. Even though he kept smiling, you could tell he was tired of your lack of talent.

“Do you not have training centers in your world?”

“For swinging swords?”

He nodded, you felt very sweaty.

“No, knights don’t exist anymore.”

“How about royal guards? Who protects the royal families?”

“Royal guards are more of a tourist attraction. Royal families are surrounded by bodyguards appointed by the secret services of countries.”

Sky hummed in confusion. Finally, you managed to hit your target, which was a tree.

“There! Like that, do it again!”

Your body finally found the right rhythm. You weren’t as good as the others, but that would never happen anyway. But you knew how to use a sword now. His words weren’t infected by dishonesty, he could tell you the truth now. At this point, you had been training for around 3 hours, you were getting tired and you felt your muscles ache.

“You did good for a beginner, you caught on pretty quickly.”

You were laying on the cold grass panting with a hand over your eyes. You wanted to sleep for ten years. You could hear Sky laughing then a clanking metal sound. When you opened your eyes, you saw him carrying a claymore.

“Want to try?”

You don’t know why you agreed, but there you were. Sky handed you the big sword, you had to carry it with two hands. You felt the weight as soon as he let go. You went back to your target, dragging the sword on the ground.

“All right, remember. You need to throw the sword, not yourself.”

I’m asking you again dear reader, why did you agree to this? Slowly and surprisingly surely, you lifted the heavy sword. You could feel how much you were pushing your muscles. With the sword lifted off the ground, you swung it. You hit your target, but the sword didn’t stop. You felt the weight of the claymore pulling down. Thankfully for Sky, who was standing just a little too close, managed to duck down in time. But you both ended up on the floor. You felt your heart beating out of your chest.

“I take full responsibility for that.”

You didn’t respond, you were too busy panting. You sat up, supporting your tired body with your hands. You took a closer look at Sky’s hair and you gasped.

“Oh my gosh.”

“What?!”

His hands started touching his head immediately until he felt what was the matter. How on earth did you manage to cut a strand of his hair? Congratulations, you are a menace.

“Does it look terrible?”

You shook your head, it didn’t look bad. He just looked a little silly since the tuft of hair was very much out of place on his head of hair. You tried so hard not to laugh.

“Don’t lie! Goddesses, the others are going to have my arse for this.”

“I’m not lying I promise!”

Your laughing didn’t make him believe you.

“Really! It just looks a little silly that’s all!”

“You know, you seem to hurt me each time we interact.”

It was true, you felt a little guilty but for some reason, your laughter took hold of you.

“I promise I didn’t try to cut your hair!”

His brows raised, but your laugh was contagious.

“You’re lucky I ain’t the captain, he would be crying.”

The both of you erupted in laughter, your sides hurt. A comfortable silence set between the two of you. You noticed the master sword sitting on his back. He was the only one with it in the group. Sky noticed your interest.

“Want to see it?”

Your eyes widened in excitement. Sky carefully drew out the blade, it was beautiful. You almost felt hypnotized by it.

“Can I touch it?”

Sky found your request a little strange but he agreed. Your fingers slowly made contact with it. You didn’t expect anything to happen, but your fingers backed away a little before finally touching it.

“Do you want to try swinging it?”

“Can I do that? I don’t have the triforce of courage, or any triforce for that matter.”

Sky got up, lended his hand to help you and handed you the sword. Your hands hesitated. Your eyes made contact with his. Sky simply smiled.

“You’ll never know unless you try.”

You slightly bit your lip before nodding. You took the blade from him. Its faint glow immediately started fading. You quickly handed it back to him and the glow came back. You heard him laugh.

“Come on, it’ll be fine.”

Sky basically forced the sword back into your hands. Your anxiety picked up when the glow started fading again. You were scared to break the sword. You saw Sky waiting for you to do something. You gulped before taking the stance he taught you. Your eyes caught your target once more. You swing the sword, it hits the target. Nothing more seems to happen.

“So nothing happens?”

You both spin around only to see Wars. Sky seemed nervous, which made you nervous because you obviously weren’t supposed to be touching the blade.

“Captain! I was just teaching her how to swing!”

Wars nodded, he seemed more curious than mad.

“Good thing Time or Vet didn’t catch you.”

Warriors walked up to you, you don’t know why you felt anxious.

“How do you feel?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. I just feel tired, but that’s because of Sky.”

Wars chuckled before circling around you. You didn’t dare move, you looked at Sky confused but he just shrugged.

“You seem fine anyway. Anyway, I came here to tell you that lunch is ready.”

His words made your stomach grumble. You gave the sword back to Sky, its glow came back almost instantly. At the table, you sat with Sky and Wars because there were no more empty seats. Twilight was in front of you, but you avoided looking at him at all cost.

“Do you want more?”

You quickly glanced up at Twilight before looking back at your plate.

“No thanks, this is plenty.”

You smiled awkwardly and felt blush creeping on your cheeks. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. No one seemed to have noticed, no one besides Wild. He couldn’t stop staring at the both of you.

“You need something champion?”

You didn’t hear Wild speak, you were too focused on trying to keep your cool. After lunch, you fell onto your bed. You felt your muscles aching, if only there was a hot spring nearby. If only you had other clothes. You heard someone clear their throat. Wild was standing in the doorway.

“Can you come with me?”

Wild was bringing you out of the village, Twilight let you two borrow Epona, which you weren’t too pleased about. After a scary ride with your eyes shut. The horse stopped.

“We’re here.”

You opened your eyes only to see the great fairy fountain. The air was warm near the fountain and you saw fairies all around. It was as if you stepped into a fairy tale from your childhood. You managed to get down on your own this time. You both approached the fountain and Cotera sprung up.

“Link!”

The great fairy grabbed a hold of the champion, squeezing him in her big embrace. You could see the blush on his face. The fairy turned her attention to you. Her eyes seemed to peer into your soul, it was intimidating but you couldn’t seem to look away either.

“And who might this be?”

Cotera’s chin was in the palm of her hands, as she observed you.

“I- I’m Y/n, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The great fairy smiled, enjoying your politeness and shyness.

“I have some materials, could you enhance her clothes please?”

Wild took out a load of materials, you quickly counted everything. It seemed to be enough to enhance it quite a lot.

“How do you have all that?”

Wild shrugged, you heard the fairy laugh.

“Thank you darling!”

Before you knew it, you felt the great fairy kiss you. It felt like falling face first into millions of flowers. Afterwards, your thumb wiped your face, you looked back at it. It was stained by her lipstick. In your peripheral you could see Link trying to suppress a laugh. After thanking the fairy you knelt down near the river and washed your face.

“You’re still using my hair tie?”

You looked up at Link and untied your hair, it cascaded down. You hand it back to him. An unknown scent met your nose. You smelled your hair and clothes. Why did you smell like potpourri? When looking back at Link, he seemed a little flustered looking at you. He avoided your gaze. You got up and raised your sleeve up to his nose.

“Do I smell like potpourri or am I going mad?”

Link backed away a little surprised by your sudden movement.

“I don’t know what that is, but you do smell like flowers.” He gestured towards the fountain. “She does that.”

That made your appreciation for the fairies grow. You wondered how good you would smell after enhancing your clothes to the max. The two of you went back to Kakariko village, you were less scared of Epona this time. You even kept your eyes open! But Epona stopped violently, bucking both of you off. Link immediately came to your aid.

“I’m fine, don't worry.”

You got a scratch along your cheek, his brows furrowed at the sight. You then saw something purple glowing and swirling behind him. Your expression altered Link. He silently gasped.

“Stay here with Epona, I’ll go get the others.”

Before you could say anything, Link went running off leaving you alone with Epona who was terrified. You slowly got up and made your way to her. But scared horses are equally as scary. You had your hands in the air trying to calm her down. You had an apple in your pocket, Wind gave it to you after lunch. You tried to soothe her with it. Epona started calming down and ate the apple, which gave you the opportunity to pet her neck.

“Don’t worry, Twilight’s coming.”

Epona snorted in response. You could tell she was still a bit stressed.

“Oh is he now?”

The voice sent a chill down your spine, you turned around only to see Dark Link. You felt all your muscles tense up. You heard Epona start to squeal, signaling her stress rising once more.

“What do you want from me?”

You heard your voice trembling. His smile grew wider as he approached you.

“You.”

Your brows furrowed.

“Well that’s not going to happen, bud.”

You took your sword and shield out, you heard him laugh.

“There’s no need for those.”

Dark Link kept getting closer. You couldn’t seem to move anymore, you were frozen from fear.

“I already told you this, I don’t see why you're acting surprised. Do you not remember me visiting you?”

You saw his head tilt, you remembered that damn dream. Epona was getting more and more agitated.

“I’m always watching and lurking, I hope you know that.”

“That’s called stalking.”

He was too close now, you could smell the charcoal and amber again. It was way more intense in real life. You tried to move but your limbs were frozen. All your training from this morning seemed to have been for nothing. His hand met your neck.

“It was hard to control myself when I saw what that brute did to you.”

You were sure he could feel your pulse. Out of fight or flight you chose to freeze. Upon closer look, Dark Link didn’t resemble Legend. He looked like a combination of all the heroes. Maybe his face changed each time a new swordsman was chosen by the goddess. All of a sudden, an arrow flew between the two of you.

“Y/n!”

You saw the heroes running towards you, when looking back at Dark Link you could see that his smile turned into a grimace. Seeing the others helped knock some sense back into you. You put your sword away, put your shield up and slammed into Dink successfully destabilising him for a moment. Once stable, his eyes seemed to glow even more red. He pushed to the ground.

“Stop making this so difficult!”

In a swift motion you took your shield in your hands and swung it at him. He moved away in time.

“NEVER!”

This gave the others enough time to catch up to you. Legend and Four helped you up on your feet and quickly got you out of the mess. Time, Twilight and Wars stood in front of you, shielding you from him. Dark Link laughed menacingly.

“You can’t always be around her.”

Without another word he vanished. The heroes put away their weapons. You were a bit surprised that Legend and Four came to help you. But there they were, they looked as worried as the others.

“Did he do that to you?”

Time asked, you couldn't help but feel like he was mad at you. You shook your head, you thanked Four and Legend. All of you surrounded the portal. You felt dizzy after looking at it for too long. Wind tugged on your sleeve, he gave you your backpack. One by one, they all stepped into the portal until you were left alone with Wind.

“Come on, it doesn’t hurt at all I promise!”

Before you could respond he grabbed your hands and pulled you through the portal. For a moment everything was dark, your head was spinning like crazy and you felt as if some of your body parts were humongous and other parts tiny. You hated the feeling. Little by little, the sun ate away at the darkness until you saw your foot step on a wooden plank. You caught onto Wind’s shoulders, he seemed amused.

“How did it feel?”

You were trying not to get sick, you simply shook your head. You lost your balance when Wind went speeding off somewhere, you felt the champion catch you.

“Y/n, I hope you aren’t sea sick.”

“Uh?”

Chapter Text

When your head stopped spinning you looked up only to see an endless ocean. You were all on a boat, a pirate ship to be more exact. Wind was jumping around trying to show off everything on the ship to the other heroes. Wind was going on and on about his time. He was thankful that they didn't end up on his small red boat. The ship had shelter and provisions. You didn’t know how much time you were going to spend on the boat. The ship was much more spacious than in the game which was a relief. When night fell, you looked up at the sky to see the most beautiful sea of stars. You saw the crow’s nest and your curiosity got the better of you. You tried not to look down to not scare the shit out of you. Once on top you had the best view of the sky. You heard your name being called, you looked down to see Wind waving to you. Then you saw the cooking pot. Dinner was ready. You made your way down the ladder. Wild gave you a bowl of what seemed to be fish stew, it smelled amazing. Everyone sat on the floor, there were no tables or chairs. Wind was really in his element, he shared stories about his travels and his battle with Ganon. Wind couldn’t wait to show everyone everything his world had to offer, which wasn’t very much since it was mostly water.

“In all seriousness.” Twilight spoke up. “We need to find land, I don’t think Epona is digging being on a boat that much.”

Poor Epona, she couldn’t gallop or trot around anymore. Your diet since you arrived here has been so much better for your body. You didn’t have any cravings or stomach cramps. You wished food back in your world wasn’t as processed as it was. Busy focusing on your stew you didn’t see Wind sit down next to you.

“Hey Y/n.”

Your gaze turned to him, he had the biggest smile ever, it was almost obnoxious. He handed you a little box. You didn’t want to part with your stew but you were very intrigued. You opened the box. It was a pair of shark tooth earrings.

“It’s because you said that you usually wear earrings!”

You didn’t know what to say, you felt that familiar pinch in your nose. You put the box down and hugged the little sailor.

“Thank you Link.”

Pulling away from the hug, you put the earrings on, you now matched the others. Warriors ended up finding some rum on the ship. Wind said it belonged to the crew that used to use the ship. Some of the heroes started drinking, Legend decided to bring the younger ones away. Wind didn’t want to leave but he didn’t really have a choice. You were left with Warriors, Wild, Sky, Time and Twilight. Wars started handing you a drink but paused mid air.

“Wait, how old are you?” His cheeks were already flushed from the alcohol.

“20.”

Wars nodded and gave you the cup, but you didn’t even want any. You weren’t much of a drinker. Time and him seemed to be the only ones really enjoying drinking. The others sipped away like normal people, besides you. It wasn’t sweet enough. Slowly but surely, the others started getting tipsy, Wars was drunk. Twilight looked at Sky a little too long.

“What happened to your hair?”

“Nothing.” Sky hid his tuft.

“Did you cut your hair?” Wars laughed.

You hid behind your cup that was still full. You bit your tongue, you didn’t want to say anything unless he did.

“It’s Y/n! She cut my hair when we were training!”

You heard all of them laugh, their attention turned to you.

“How did your training go?” Time asked.

“She sucked in the beginning.” You didn’t say anything, you let Sky speak. “But after like an hour in a half she got better.”

Time got up and clapped his hands together.

“Why don’t you show us what you learnt?”

The others looked over at you excited. Maybe it would be best if you were the only one to hold a sword seeing how they were. You reluctantly agreed after being handed your equipment. Time stood in front of you with his shield and sword. Your anxiety rose a bit seeing him with a sword.

“Maybe someone else should fight me.” Time scoffed. “Someone who drank less.”

Warriors raised his hand to participate, but he drank just as much as the old man. Twilight got up, he almost lost his balance.

“I’m fine, I can do it!”

“I pray to Hylia to give me the power to survive this.” You said to yourself.

Twilight took out his weapon and shield. It was an Ordonian shield, you weren’t sure what the symbol was supposed to represent but it was nice to look at. You didn’t want to ruin it, but honestly, it would surprise you if you managed to land a hit on Twilight. You still had trouble looking into his eyes, the others were hyping you up, placing bets and whistling. This made you feel like you were really part of their group.

“Remember your posture!”

You didn’t acknowledge Sky, but you kept his words in mind. Twilight took the first swing, you hid behind your shield a little scared.

“Come on! Come at me princess!”

You hated when he called you that. He most likely knew that, he probably saw how your eyebrows furrowed and how your eye twitched each time. If he was doing it on purpose you hated him for it. No matter, his little pet name was enough to give you the confidence that you needed, you swung the sword not once but twice. The second swing took him by surprise, the blade scraped against his forearm. You gasped, dropping your weapon as you quickly made your way to him. You grabbed his arm, thankfully it was just a little cut but he was bleeding.

“I’ll go get the bandages!” Wars said before running off.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

You didn’t hear him respond. You feared he hated you now. When you looked up he was smiling at you. You felt warm inside.

“If I didn’t drink this wouldn’t have happened.”

You looked around for something to apply pressure to the cut. You got a handkerchief from Sky, you hoped it wasn’t Zelda’s as blood seeped through the white fabric.

“Next time you won’t be so lucky.”

Next time? You didn’t even dare look back up. You carefully wrapped his arm with the bandage, you could feel his stare. The others already left to go to bed. Your ears were filled with the sound of the gentle waves, the lantern burning and his breathing. Time seemed to have slowed down and you heard your own heartbeat.

“Y/n?” You hummed. “Do you not like me?”

You froze for a second, how were you going to explain to him that he made you feel some type of way without it sounding like you wanted to get into his pants.

“Why do you say that?”

You saw his shoulders shrug.

“I don’t know, you are always tense around me and you rarely look into my eyes.” You looked up at him. “It doesn’t count now.” Link snickered.

“I don’t dislike you, on the contrary.” You let go of his arm. “In my world your story is one of my favorites.”

“So you do like me, noted.”

“Don’t twist my words!” Blood rushed to your cheeks.

“It’s simple, either you like me or dislike me.”

“I! Am going to bed.”

You started walking away.

“Aw, come on princess.”

“Will you stop calling me that?!”

Twilight shook his head, you decided it was best to ignore him. You went to your designated cabin, you were bunking with Wild who was already fast asleep. The bed in the ship was not comfortable, you missed your bed back at home. At the end of every day, you felt exhausted. Chaos seemed to follow you everywhere you went here, you just wanted one day where you could relax and scroll through tiktok from 11 a.m to 3 a.m, but that wasn’t possible. You woke up, you don’t remember falling asleep, you looked around, it wasn’t the cabin. You sat on your bed, yes your bed. You looked around your room not believing the sight. Was this whole ordeal just a dream? Maybe you should stop reading fanfiction because it seemed to have completely rotted your brain. You started getting ready for the day, your bus was soon. You washed your face, used your skin care, your makeup, and finally put your own clothes on. On the bus, you watched the road while listening to your music. The faces around you were blurry, maybe you needed to get your eyes checked. You finally made it to your university, the sun was very high in the sky for 9 a.m. No matter, you went on with your classes, your hearing wasn’t the best either but you saw your friends again. You couldn’t see them well though. In the cafeteria you couldn’t seem to eat, you felt full. Come to think of it, you hadn’t had breakfast either. Through the halls of your campus you smelt a faint familiar odor but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. In the library, you were working on... something? What were you even working on? You tried to focus but that same smell crawled into your nostrils. You look up to someone talking to you. Your heart sank.

“Is this seat taken?”

“What are you doing here?”

Dark Link took the seat in front of you.

“Your unconscious is the only place where we can talk without you freaking out.”

Your surroundings slowly started fading away. You felt extremely sad.

“I don’t want to hurt you, I hope you know that.”

“You left me unconscious in the woods to bleed out.”

“Your precious heroes arrived when they weren’t supposed to.”

“You marked me with a triforce.”

“I healed you, I still didn’t hear a thank you by the way.”

You stood up from your imaginary chair.

“I almost died, twice.”

“You were never supposed to be out of my sight in the first place.”

You start massaging your temples trying not to get mad, this was only a dream after all.

“How did you even bring me here in the first place? How am I supposed to go home?”

After a couple minutes of silence, you were sick of it. All he was doing was smiling at you, like Monika from ddlc. You sighed and caught a bit of skin from your wrist between your fingers.

“You lack patience.”

“You have ten seconds to tell me something interesting.”

“You wanted to be here, that’s all I can say.”

That just confused you even more. You pinched your arm, it woke you up instantly. You were still in that cabin, the sun was peering through the small window. You looked to your side and saw Wild’s hair tie. Stepping out of the cabin everyone was already awake.

“Y/n!”

Wind screamed your name, you looked up only to see him coming down the crow’s nest.

“When you see Roolie please don’t say anything.”

He told you quietly. You looked around and saw Hyrule with a black moustache that was clearly drawn on. You saw Wind giggle.

“Are we arriving on land soon?”

Wind nodded, and pointed towards the ocean and from afar you could see an island coming up.

“We’re soon at Outset Island!”

Finally, you desperately wanted to take a shower. An hour later the ship boarded and Wind brought everyone to his house. His granny opened the door and was definitely surprised. Nonetheless, she was super hospitable with everyone. Aryll and Link’s reunion was precious and made you miss your family. His grandmother was nice enough to lend you some clothes. That bath felt amazing, you were able to get squeaky clean. The clothes she lent you were quite different from what you expected - think of Angelica from Pirates of the Caribbean - but it looked good, especially with the new shark tooth earrings. The heroes were keeping themselves busy by helping people around the island. You saw Wars laying under a tree hiding his face.

“You okay?”

The Captain grunted, he must be hungover. Time approached you.

“Y/n, we need to talk about what happened yesterday.”

You always felt like a kid in trouble when Time talked to you, his overly serious expression wasn’t helping. Some of the other heroes joined the conversation.

“What did Dark Link say to you?”

All the eyes were on you, you felt nervous. It was embarrassing to say it out loud. You could see Legend’s judgemental stare.

“Um, well he’s after me, that’s for sure.”

“That’s obvious, do you know why?” Said the Vet.

“Um..” You fidgeted with your fingers, you could feel your cheeks heating up. “When I asked him what he wanted, he just said me.”

“Nothing else?”

“I did see him last night, and the night when I got hit.”

Time and Legend looked at you surprised and worried.

“I mean! He visited me in my dreams, twice.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?”

“Because I didn’t think the first dream was real, until he told me it was.”

They pondered for a moment, you hated how Legend was looking at you, as if this was your fault. Last time you checked, you didn’t want to be here in the first place. Though, you couldn’t deny how nice it was to be near the beach, it was very soothing for your extremely stressed mind. Time sighed.

“Someone will have to be around you at all times.”

You felt like a child.

“She needs to be prepared to fight.” Legend held his chin. “How did your training go?”

“She isn’t terrible, but nowhere near good.” Thank you Time for your honesty. “You need much more training, if Wars was in better shape I would have him train you today.”

They both looked at Wild and nodded to each other. You and Wild made it up to the forest of fairies. The silence between the two of you wasn’t uncomfortable. You liked being around him, he let your social battery rest. Also because he was the Link you knew the best. His training was different from Sky’s, even though they were both knights trained by the royal guards, although there was like thousands of years in between them. Wild had a more aggressive way of fighting. He didn’t care about it looking good or it being up to the knights' standards. You weren’t sure which fighting method was better. Sky’s way was more like dancing in a way, very elegant and effective, but you had to do it the perfect way each time which was tiring. Wild’s way was straightforward, he didn’t waste time on being aesthetically appealing which made it more chaotic and fun, but Wild was ruthless and you felt like you were making no progress with him. When you thought you landed a hit, you ended up swinging your sword into nothing even though he was there a moment ago.

“Can you stop using your flurry rush?”

“I don’t understand your choice of wording sometimes.”

Your sword swung, you were sure you got him but nope! He’s totally cheating.

“Spawn, beating, using, ... As if this was a game to you.”

“You’re cheating!”

“Dink wouldn’t back down.”

This was difficult, he was supposed to be training a beginner, but you felt as if you were in a major test of strength shrine with five hearts and shitty weapons. You swing your blade once more, you thought you hit him but he just ended up parrying your attack. You lost your stability for a moment but quickly regained your balance. You don’t know what came over you but you threw the sword in the ground.

“Fuck all of this!” You distanced yourself from Link. “What is wrong with me?”

Link gasped but you didn’t hear anything else. When you turned around he was staring into the abyss, you waved your hand in front of his face but there was no response.

“Link?”

Chapter Text

Link had his back turned from Zelda. He knew she didn’t like it when he came along on her travels but when King Rhoam ordered him to, he didn't really have a choice. Link could hear Zelda struggling, but she refused to ask for his help.

“This isn’t fair.”

Link’s head tilts ever so slightly back.

“I was also chosen by the goddess. Why can’t I access these?”

The hero heard a clunk and then saw the sheikah slate land by his feet. He picked it up and walked up to the princess.

“What is wrong with me?”

It was a rhetorical question, well at least Link thought it was. He didn’t expect her to wait for an answer. But she just stood there, looking at him, waiting. He could see the desperation in her eyes. Words failed to come out, she sighed.

“I know what you think of me.”

Does she? Link stayed silent, what could he possibly say? He handed her the sheikah slate, she took it back, sighing once again.

“Come on, let’s go, I have a million other things to do.”

The memory faded out, Link came back to reality. He saw you staring into his eyes and it made him a little nervous.

“Are you okay?”

Wild nodded, he picked up your sword before handing it back to you. You continued training. You felt your body aching but you couldn’t stop. You stayed determined and kept swinging your weapon around, trying to incorporate Sky and Wild’s methods. Finally, you heard your sword hit his shield, shattering it on impact, good thing it wasn’t the hylian shield. Link looked surprised, but quickly went on with the training. You were now going to defend yourself. Against a master swordsman? Yes, good luck.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Link simply nodded before attacking you, his blade paused right when it was about to make contact with your skin. For the next hour, you tried to block his attacks. You failed many times, the sword always stopped before hitting you. But sooner or later you started blocking his hits, this fueled your confidence. You decided to parry his attack, which didn’t go over too well. You lost your balance and ended up on the floor. Link knelt down at your level, you could see him suppressing a laugh.

“You did well.”

“Don’t mock me.”

He shook his head.

“I’m not, you just need more practice. Remember, once on the floor you greatly decrease your chances of survival.”

Link saw your eyebrows furrow, he couldn’t help but laugh. An idea popped into your head, it was probably cheating but he kept using his flurry rush earlier so anything was fair game. You pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

“Have I greatly decreased your chances at survival?”

Link’s face was a hot mess, you could see the blush reaching the tips of his ears and how his chest rose and fell rapidly underneath you. The gravity of what you just did loomed over you. But you were frozen, it seemed he was as well. The silence was heavy, and of course you had to do this to the most quiet Link. But sitting on top of him gave you a clear view of his face, you couldn’t deny how pretty he was, he smelt like freshly cut grass and cedar wood. You thought he would smell like rocks and dirt for some reason, that thought made you laugh which eased the tension between you two. Link cleared his throat, his senses seemed to be coming back to him.

“This will only work on someone your height or under.” His wrists got out of your grip with ease, he sat up. “And preferably someone weaker than you.” His blush started fading and he smiled. “But Dark Link isn’t. And I’m not either.”

Before you could say anything he flipped you over on your back pinning you down. You tried fighting out of his grip but your efforts were in vain. It made you feel anxious knowing if you were in this situation with Dark Link, you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself, if only you had your pepper spray on you. Your knees slid under his stomach and you managed to push him off, he fell back.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”

You crawled over to him, he didn’t seem hurt, it was only a little tumble anyway.

“No, no. You did good, you have to fight back.”

Being called good by the hero of the wild made you happy, after many failed attempts during this training session you finally felt like you were making progress. Shortly after, the two of you decided you trained enough for the day, so you went to join the others. The heroes were making themselves busy by helping around the island, mostly Wind’s granny with tasks that she wasn’t able to do anymore. The next few days were surprisingly very relaxing, besides the forced training with the various heroes. The hardest training session was with Time, mostly because he pushed you the hardest. Like Four, Time was very stoic, or maybe he was only this way with you. No matter, you didn’t like how he would treat you like a child, it made the training more tense and therefore more intense. You had to admit that you progressed with him way more than the others, even more than with Wars who was supposed to be a captain. While looking for your journal you stumbled on your phone. For some reason it was still charged. Reading the date on the phone made you gasp, because how come it was September 3rd? Your confusion on how you got here only grew. Why did you have a textbook in your bag if it was summer break? How about school?! Were you not going to go back to classes soon?

“What you looking at?”

It was Wars.

“I am trying to remember how I got here.” You put your phone back in the bag. “I’ve already been here for a week.”

“More than a week, it’s been 10 days.”

You hummed, you don’t understand how you can’t remember anything. It seemed like the whole month of August had been a blur. You don’t even remember going to your finals, or if you passed for that matter. Maybe you had that damn textbook because you were repeating a year. You sighed.

“Dinner’s ready by the way.”

Now that was some good news. Everyone was on the balcony, Wild was cooking with granny. There wasn’t a big enough dinner table for all of you, so everyone was either sitting on the ground or on stools and a tiny love seat. You chose the floor, you didn’t want to take the last seat away from granny. After dinner, Wind, Aryll, Four and Hyrule went to play on the beach, you were able to take the love seat for yourself. From the balcony you could see them, as well as the sun setting over the endless sea. It was quite a beautiful sight. Sky was playing his harp while Time and Wars talked to each other. The rancher wanted to help granny and Wild clean up but was kicked out of the kitchen for being in the way instead of helping. Sky stopped playing and tried not to laugh.

“They didn’t want you?”

You didn’t hear Twilight respond, only Sky’s harp play once again. Twilight sat on the love seat with you. He tried to read what you were writing. He pretended to understand which made you a bit nervous.

“Hmm, very interesting. But I would use nicer words describing Legend.”

Legend immediately came over to grab your journal, you didn’t even have time to defend yourself. Legend’s eyes read over the words.

“I don’t understand anything.” He flipped the journal around thinking he would understand from a different angle. “Is this really how people write in your world?”

“Only people who speak my language.”

“With each language, you write differently?” You nodded. “Then how are you supposed to easily communicate with people from different regions?”

You shrugged. Legend wasn’t able to comprehend how your world worked. He then gestured to the love seat.

“Can I have a seat? I'm tired of sitting on the floor.”

Twilight shook his head and transformed into his wolf form taking up all the extra space. Legend rolled his eyes and just left the balcony. You felt a bit bad but you couldn't help but smile.

“Y/n, have you met Wolfie?”

You looked over at Twilight, you felt a little flustered. You shook your head. Twilight’s muzzle nudged its way through your arm before he laid his head on your lap. This reminded you of your cats, you couldn’t help but pet him. You just had to ignore the fact that this was a grown man laying on you, at least he wasn’t trying to bite you this time.

“He might fall asleep.” Said Time.

As long as he stayed this fluffy you didn’t mind. Sky played a song that wasn’t from his era, you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it was. Wind’s era might be one of your favorites because you felt as if you were on vacation. There were little to no threats and even the heroes could relax here. You couldn’t believe you were here for ten days already. Maybe staying here with them wouldn’t be so bad after all, they were experts at survival and you knew that they would protect you. You shouldn’t think of that possibility, it was like signaling defeat. You couldn’t let some psycho dictate your life just because he felt bored. Your thoughts were cut short when the heroes were alerted by something on the beach.

“I’ll go pack up.”

Warriors left the balcony, you got up from the love seat and saw a portal on the beach. You also saw Wind and Aryll running back to the house. This must be a cruel joke on Dink’s part. All of you stood in front of the portal.

“Are you sure you have to leave Link?”

Wind nodded and hugged his family before making his way to the portal as well. This time, you had to pull him through. That terrible feeling of passing through the portal made you nauseous. When you finally put your foot on the ground, you tried to shake the feeling of dizziness away.

“Anyone recognize anything?”

There was no answer, you were in a forest. Walking around nothing seemed familiar to the heroes. The Worst part is that the sun was nearly set. You stayed behind the group not wanting to slow them down. But you felt anxious knowing no one was behind you. The constant state of anxiety from Wild’s era came back to haunt you once more. You’d only been on the road for an hour and you already missed Outset Island very much. Some ruins were up ahead and Time decided it would be best to camp there. Around the campfire, Legend was telling a story about his adventures. You were focusing on the fire, you observed the sparks and the lovely orange flames. Wind and Four caught your attention as they came running back to the fire.

“There’s a monster camp!”

Four simply nodded, Wind seemed very excited. Time stood up.

“What type?”

“Mostly bokoblins but I think there was also a lizalfos as well.”

Four shook his head.

“There’s this weird one as well, looks like a moblin but seems stronger.”

Time nodded and everyone started going towards the enemies. You didn’t really want to fight though but Wild handed you a weapon and a shield and just nodded. You didn’t seem to have a choice. The group moved quietly, then you saw it. There were around twenty bokoblins and a lizalfos. In the middle there was this ugly big one with a mace, you heard Time gasp. Without sharing any words, the heroes nodded to each other and they ran towards the monsters. You felt as if your feet were glued to the ground, but when you saw Wind slice the throat of one of them you took a deep breath and ran into the mess. You tried your best to remember all your training, but face to face with a monster your mind went blank, until it was shot in the head. You shook your head and looked around, Four was being surrounded and you knew you had to do something. The lizalfos crept up on him and before he had the chance to fight it pushed him to the ground. It wasn’t part of your training, in fact the heroes disavised this move. But it’s what felt the most natural to you. You ran into the monster slamming your weight and shield into it. You quickly helped Four up and drew out your sword alongside him. An arrow went flying by you, there was a bokoblin shooting you on a post. You quickly made your way to it avoiding the others. On the post you were face to face with the ugly creature. It was somehow more ugly than the moblin, but then again this wasn’t the same era as Wild’s and it probably lacked many many years of evolution. The bokoblin squealed when seeing you, it pointed its ugly red finger. You remembered your posture and tried holding the blade as well as you could, you tried your best to ignore how sweaty your palms were. The monster shot at you and you successfully blocked its hit. You took the opportunity to swing at him, the monster fell off the post to its death leaving behind its bow and arrows. You equipped it and tried your best to help your teammates from up there, you even managed to shoot one in the eyes. With the bokoblins and single lizalfos taken care of there was only the club moblin left. It looked like a pig and a bulldog on steroids. Sky drew the master sword in the air harnessing its power before swinging it at the beast. You rushed over to it, raising your wooden shield and rusty sword with all the courage inside of you. For some reason, you didn’t freeze this time. Maybe because the monster wasn’t focusing on you, but no matter! You were being brave, which showed how much you progressed since arriving here. You swing at the beast, your blade slicing through its thick skin. A deep cry of anger and pain shot out of its lungs. The heroes didn’t stop, they kept attacking the beast, even when it swung at them. The monster fell to the ground in a loud thump signalling its end. By the end you were only left with small cuts and you would probably have a couple bruises in the morning. Around the campfire once more, the heroes cheered on their victory.

“I think we are in my era, or at least an ear close to mine.”

Everyone one looked over at Time, he was smiling like an old man. He was cleaning off his blade.

“Right, because the club moblin is only in ocarina of time.”

Did you just say that out loud? You most likely did because of how everyone was looking at you. You should’ve stuck to not talking, like you usually do.

“Your choice of words always surprises me.” Said Sky.

“Your g- story in my world is called Ocarina of Time.”

This is why you chose not to talk, you were always scared of messing up something. Some of them already thought you were a weirdo like Wild, Legend and Four which on some level you didn’t care. But if the leader of the pack thought you were a creep it wouldn’t go over too well.

“Our stories have names?”

Hyrule spoke to you, you nodded. They seemed to want to know more, you guessed it couldn’t hurt them. One by one you listed their game names. Some of them seemed a little disappointed and others thought theirs was cool.

“So Ranchhand’s called Twilight Princess but I’m just the legend of Zelda one and two?”

“Roolie don’t complain, at least you can keep count of all of yours. How come I have so many?”

“Aren’t you called the Veteran for a reason?”

Legend liked your response.

“But, how are all of our stories in your world? Are there any more stories? How come we are the only ones?”

Time raised a very interesting question, which you didn’t have the answer to. You tried to rack your brain, but like the first day you were here you had no idea.

“The only other story is a Zelda based story, called Echoes of Wisdom. I have no idea where it is on the timeline. My best guess is that it sticks into your era.” You pointed at Legend.

“Our timeline seems very confusing in your world.”

All you could do is nod as Legend’s comment. The conversation moved on, but you were starting to feel sleepy. Fortunately you weren’t the only one, but unfortunately you never slept on the ground before. It was very uncomfortable and you even missed the beds in the ship’s cabins. Curse your wretched body used to beds and mattresses. Twilight noticed your struggling.

“Not used to camping?”

“I miss having a pillow.”

For some reason he took that as a reason to turn into a wolf, he then laid down behind you. You felt a little bad, but it would be stupid of him to go out of his way to be used as a pillow. He probably felt lonely and wanted some affection as well. You could cross sleeping with a wolf off your bucket list now. His fur was more on the coarse side but it radiated a lot of heat. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

The sun rose once more upon the foreign land, the morning air was cold while the rays were still shy. Sleeping on a wolf was better than the dirt but when you woke up you had a terrible pain in your neck. Perhaps sleeping on the ground would’ve been better. Lucky Twilight, he was able to feel comfortable anywhere in his form. The heroes woke up one by one, Time being the first as per usual. The mission for today was to find his home, Lon Lon ranch. The forest was thick and when you looked close enough you could see owls staring at all of you. After a couple hours, the end of the forest appeared. On the other side was a vast plain of grass and flowers. By the looks of it you guessed you arrived in Hyrule fields. Though it looked completely different from what you knew. It was around midday when Time finally saw his precious ranch, but the closer he got the more confused he got.

“It’s different.”

Legend was the first to break the silence. You didn’t have an opinion, any real depiction of the ranch would be better than the one you saw on your ds. Time didn’t answer, he just continued on forward. You felt anxious, which wasn’t new, but it was still an uncomfortable feeling that you would never get used to. In front of the door, Time’s hand went to grip the handle. Warriors stopped him.

“Wait, maybe you should knock.”

“This is my home.”

Warriors didn’t move his arm, Time sighed and knocked on the door. A moment later, someone opened the door. Nobody seemed to recognize the lady.

“Oh, hello, how may we help you?”

Time looked at the woman confused, he started looking behind her trying to comprehend. Legend cleared his throat and stepped in front.

“Hello ma'am, we are travelers and we were hoping you had a place for us to stay the night.”

Before the woman could respond, Warriors took out a pouch of rupees and she was suddenly very hospitable. The woman started showing you around the home, Time was quiet while Legend and Wars did most of the talking. In the living room Time saw a picture frame on the fireplace. He slowly picked it up.

“Oh that’s my son Talon and his best friend Ingo.” The heroes expressions turned into grimaces. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen them in a while, excuse me for a moment.”

You chose to bite your tongue, the last thing they needed was your endless knowledge about their lives. Time kept observing the picture with a cold look in his eyes. The others stood around awkwardly not knowing what to do. You were sent to his era but to a time where he wasn’t even born yet and judging from the picture, he wouldn’t be born for a long time. The house was much more spacious and nicer than on your ds which was a relief. But it wasn’t big enough to fit ten people and counting. Dust collected on most of the furniture which made the everyday items stand out more. Time put the picture frame back down and sighed.

“At least we aren’t lost in an unknown era.”

Sky comforted Time. He simply nodded. He didn’t seem sad, just lost. It was clear he had no idea on what to do. Which was a first for you to see. Not only him, all the heroes seemed to be deep in thought trying to figure something out. If only the triforce of wisdom was bestowed onto them. The sound of a child whining alerted everyone. The woman and young Talon came into the living room.

“But mama, I don’t want to clean up the barn.”

“No buts!” The woman was stern with him, her smile came back when she turned to you. “Now, I’m afraid my home is too small to greet all of you, but the barn is quite spacious and is very warm at night!”

The heroes nodded, you hoped to see the animals. When leaving the house the woman stopped you.

“Miss! There is a tear in your shirt!”

There was a small tear in your sleeve, most likely because of your encounter from the night before. You only had the time to muster out some stuttering before she brought you to her room and started picking through her clothes. To your dismay she took out a milkmaid type dress, something that wasn’t fit for traveling.

“Now this would look much nicer on you, what do you think?”

You painfully shook your head and tried to explain that though it was nice it would be far too impractical for your travels. You’d much rather stay in your current clothing. You thought she understood judging by her face but unfortunately you ended up walking out of that darn house in a ruffled lace white blouse and a white and green patchwork skirt. There were embroidered flowers along some of the patches. You were too shy and she was too pushy so you ended up agreeing to everything. You were happy to have pockets and your boots though.

“If you’d like we can set you up in Talon’s room.”

You thought about it, you didn’t really want the heroes to see you like this. But you didn’t really want her to dress you up like a doll again so you said no. Once you got on the upstairs of the barn the heroes stared at you not knowing what to think. You felt your cheeks blush and felt very out of place among them. Legend snorted.

“You look... good.”

You hid your face after hearing Time’s words. You felt so embarrassed.

“I look like a trad wife.”

“I don’t know what that is but you certainly look from this era.”

Time wasn’t helping and you could still hear Legend laughing. You put your stuff down, your sword clunked against the ground. You ignored all the jokes being made at your expense. You wondered how on earth you would fight wearing something like this, you also didn’t understand how this lady that you just met trusted you with her clothes. Time cleared his throat which put an end to the mocking.

“We need to find out how you got here.” Time looked over at you. “I think we should ask for celestial guidance.”

Were there any goddess statues in his world? You don’t remember seeing Hylia around when you played his game. Time took out a map that he took from the house.

“We need to go to the spirit temple. It’s guarded by Din, maybe she will be nice enough to grant us some answers.”

“Shouldn’t we try to find the spring of wisdom?” Said Wild.

“I wouldn’t know where to find it. It would be reckless to travel in this era without my knowledge.”

“People under seventeen years old can’t go.”

You saw how it creeped them out when you told them facts about their own world. But you were right, what was the point in going somewhere if some of the heroes would be excluded.

“How about the spring of courage then?”

“Again Wild, I don’t know how to go there.”

“But I know how, we’re all experienced travelers it shouldn’t be too hard to get there.”

Time looked over at you, your lips fell into a grimace. You didn’t want to be the reason they had to make their travels easier. You shook your head trying to get rid of those defeatist thoughts.

“Wild’s right. We should go, I can’t be the reason you have to slow down. Experience is the best teacher anyway.”

“We can’t risk putting you in danger.”

“Well, I’m sure I can figure it out on my own.”

Time's face showed how much he disliked your defiance, although you felt a bit intimidated by him you couldn’t back down from this. You told them from the get go that you could do this on your own. If Wild knew the way, you would be able to find the way as well and with the little fighting experience you now had you felt pretty confident in yourself. Maybe it was fueled by your delusion but in times like this it’s better to dream then to stay stuck.

“Wild and Y/n are right Time. We can’t just stay here waiting for another portal.” Wars looked at you. “Plus she isn’t getting too bad at fighting.”

You both exchanged smiles. Time sighed and looked over at Legend.

“What do you think?”

“It’s better than staying put.”

Time nodded and handed the map to Wild so he could trace their path. That night you fell asleep with ease because of how much walking you did. You woke up in a dark room, you sat up confused and looked around. The environment slowly shifted into a place you knew but couldn’t recognize. You knew it was a dream from that, your dreams often implanted fake memories to fill in the blanks. You walked around and you swore you could hear sparks from a fire. The walls around you were made out of cobblestone and all the furniture was made out of wood. You felt as if you were in a fortified castle. You passed a full length mirror on your way to the window. From there you could see that you were in fact in a castle, in one of the towers to be exact. You heard banging, turning around to the mirror you saw yourself in there. But it was you before arriving in Hyrule, you looked different. Your reflection kept banging on the glass from the other side and you couldn’t really understand her but she was mouthing something, the noise was muffled. You carefully got closer and put your hands on hers with the glass still in between. Your presence calmed your reflection. Your reflections pupils faded out and her eyes turned red. Besides the fact that you knew who it was, the sight was quite frightening. You instinctively punched the glass destroying the mirror. Shards went flying everywhere, you felt the pain of the glass coming into contact with your skin. You woke up, your pain didn’t stop. You looked down at your knuckles now covered in cuts.

“What happened?”

You looked over at Twilight, he must have just woken up as well. He looked at your hands worried. You looked back at them, you cursed Dark Link in your mind for messing with your unconscious self. After getting them bandaged up, you and the heroes were off on the road. It would be a three or four day journey. You would have to travel across Hyrule fields, pass the Hylia river and travel through the Faron woods. You were excited to see those sights in person, like a tourist but at the same time you were scared your body wouldn’t power through. The most stressful things in your life back at home were studying for finals, turning in assignments a few minutes before the deadline and only things that would mess with your sanity. In Hyrule, everything and anything could be a threat to your physical and mental well being. If you didn’t have that journal, you might have gone crazy the first few days. The journey was as you expected, very treacherous especially since the land did not have a hero yet. You quickly got used to sleeping on the ground mostly because you were always exhausted by the end of the day. Especially since Time made sure you trained every morning by waking you up before everyone and pushing you to your limits. The nights by the campfire weren’t terrible, you even had the chance to teach them to play uno, even if some of them had a hard time reading the numbers. The hardest night was the one when you arrived at the spring of courage. The heroes and you were caught in a storm, very typical weather for the region. But walking through a storm at night with only lightning as a light guide was tough. You were happy that Time insisted on continuing instead of camping or else you would’ve been rained on in your sleep. The spring was originally the Sky view Spring, that’s what you thought at least. In the dark you could barely make out the dragon’s maw. It was intact compared to how it looked on your switch. The pillars stood up straight staring at the center platform. The head of the dragon intact served as a shelter for all of you. From where you stood you could see the statue of the goddess staring back at you in the dark. The campfire was started and Wild started cooking even though it was like 11 p.m, you weren’t complaining though. Your curiosity was pushing you to go see the statue but you knew you would get scolded by Time. Something touching your shoulder made you jump, but it was only Legend with a stupid grin on his face. He was standing behind you with Hyrule.

“Do you want to try to learn magic?”

You couldn’t say no to that proposition, even though deep inside you didn’t think you were capable. Legend handed you his staff and gestured you to give it a try. You raised it and swung it around, the wand fell out of your hands and almost landed on Legend. Luckily he moved out of the way in time. But you could see how horrified he was by what you just did. Hyrule tried showing you his life spell. You followed his instructions and tried it out on your cuts but nothing happened. Hyrule tried healing you again but like before, nothing happened. The heroes quickly gave up, Legend didn’t want you to touch anymore of his things thinking you would break them, or him. After eating, Time insisted on going to see the statue in the morning. Your exhaustion agreed with him, you barely had time to think about anything before falling asleep. The morning came, Time woke up before everyone at dawn and wandered off to the central platform in front of the dragon. He stood there pondering until Four joined him.

“Good morning smithy.”

“Morning.”

An uncomfortable silence for Time loomed between them. Four didn’t feel too uncomfortable though, he just kept being himself.

“Don’t judge me.” Four glanced over at him. “I know she led us to Dink already. But I think that she might be the key to stopping him.”

Four didn’t reply, instead he looked into the distance. Time felt even more uncomfortable.

“I’m also trying to help her find her way home. But if she proves to be useful to us in a different way I don’t see why it’s a bad thing to take advantage of that.”

Still no answer, Time grunted.

“Can you at least say something?”

“Your guilt seems to be eating at you.” Time sighed at his words. “I don’t see why you couldn’t just ask her to help us.”

“I don’t think she would be strong enough to handle this, she isn’t like us. She doesn’t even have the tri-” He stopped himself from talking.

“Doesn’t have what?” Four felt a little irritated. “If the triforce of courage or even the master sword were necessities you wouldn’t even exist.”

The words stung a bit, Time blamed those pessimistic thoughts on his home sickness.

“But what do I know? I’m only fifteen after all.”

The sun crept into the dragon’s cracks waking you up peacefully. Wolfie was by your side once again keeping you warm during the cold stormy night. The scenery basked in the aftermath of the storm as the birds sang symphonies waking up the woods. Wild already started cooking breakfast, you smelled some type of porridge and you hoped it would be sweet. You would be lying if you said you didn’t miss overly sweet things. You were also tired of being in this darn skirt. It was impractical on so many levels and you’re sure you already managed to rip the hems. The white fabric was now brown because of the woods. You wished to wear pants. An idea popped in your head, you slowly and carefully made your way to Wild’s bag, you two were the same size and you started rummaging through it. You finally decided on taking the trousers of the sky, it wasn’t like he was using them anyway. When you joined the others Sky and Wild looked at you confused, you paid no attention to it. The porridge was sweetened with honey which satisfied your craving. Finally Wind addressed the elephant in the room.

“So are we gonna pray or what?”

Your anxiety rose as you made your way to the statue, you could feel the eyes staring at you from behind. The statue glared right back at you as you made your way to the spring. Fortunately the steps leading up to her we’rent sunken down yet, meaning you didn’t need to step into the cold water. One thing you could say is that you were very happy wearing pants once again. In front of the statue, you froze not knowing what to do. You looked back at the heroes clueless, they were gesturing you to continue but if you continued you would end up falling into the water. You felt the steps under you wobble showing how weak and unstable they were. You turned back to the heroes.

“I don’t know how to pray. I don’t even have an offering.”

The heroes looked around at each other before looking in their bags, they all took out a number of weird items. Wild took out a golden apple, you didn’t think the goddess would like an offering given to a horse deity. Looking at the various items they would offer you realized that maybe you should give a piece of yourself to get some answers. You reluctantly took your phone out. You knelt down and put the phone in front of you. You look back up at the statue, you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of doubt. Since magic didn’t affect you, how would the source of magic manage? You hear Legend whisper loudly.

“You need to speak to her!”

Right, you gulp feeling very nervous and rather silly talking to a statue. In your world you would never, but then again in your world there was no proof of such powerful divine beings. Looking across Hyrule and its history it was clear that the goddesses was a crucial part in everything and anything.

“Um.. Goddess Hylia, I am but a simple human trapped in your world.” You were trying not to say anything stupid.

“Go on!”

You didn’t hear who encouraged you, but it helped your nerves a bit. You place your hands on your knees and try to stop the trembles in your voice.

“I am in desperate need of answers or directions, I believe you are the only one that can assist me, if you are willing.” You take a deep breath and close your eyes. “My presence in your world is an anomaly itself, I wish not to partake in the possible destruction in the fault of my arrival, my only wish is to go back home.”

You feel that familiar pinch in your nose but manage to keep it together. You don’t feel anything out of the ordinary, in fact you don’t feel anything at all. You open your eyes to see your phone still on the ground and with nothing happening. You sighed and got back up, you turned to see the heroes and their disappointed faces. You can’t help but feel that it was your fault. You carefully started making your way back to them but the step under started to shake and you fell back onto your knees. Time quickly made his way to you to help you, he ended up on his knees on the step in front of you. The steps sunk down into the water, now you were wet and cold. After the shaking was done, Time helped you back up. When you turned around to retrieve your phone, you couldn’t find it. All you saw was a piece of amber on the floor.

“Why did my phone turn into a piece of amber?”

The heroes rushed to you, joining you in the water and they observed it. It was carved into a tear or a moon shape. Legend clapped his hands together and pointed at it.

“That’s Hylia! She answered your prayers!”

A chatter of contentment was heard from the heroes. But you just stared at the piece of amber not knowing what to think.

“But, what does this mean?”

They paused and looked back at you. They didn’t even need to speak for you to understand them, it was something you had to figure out along the way. Which meant you were stuck in Hyrule until further notice. At least the goddess answered your prayers, which brought you hope and thankfully you weren’t alone. On the contrary you were surrounded by all of Hyrule’s greatest heroes. The next day marked two weeks since you first arrived in Hyrule and your journal was almost already half full. You never managed to finish filling out a journal that quickly in your life. It would mean you needed to get a new one soon. Leaving the spring of courage, Time decided it would be best to go to Castle Town to stock up on provisions, arrows and various necessities. The journey there was much easier now that you weren’t wearing a skirt. When monsters appeared the heroes, and you managed to fight them off. You finally felt like you were pulling your own weight. That and you started to really get along with everyone in the chain. Sometimes you would help Wind pull off pranks while making sure you couldn’t get traced back to his crimes. You felt less nervous around Twilight but maybe that’s because he kept his incessant flirting to only the two of you. You trained everyday while Warriors, Sky and Time took turns teaching. Legend didn’t seem to hate you anymore, on the contrary it seemed he really enjoyed your company. Maybe because you were one of the few people in the chain to actually have some common sense. And you wouldn’t do things like eat rocks, shake yourself off on everyone after being wet, or sleep through every single loud sound on Hyrule. No matter, he was a different Legend from the one you first met and you couldn’t deny you enjoyed his company as well since he was one of the only ones that saw you as something else than just a lost soul. Once in Castle Town everyone took off on their own ways, you stayed with Legend. The two of you explored the shops trying to find things that would prove to be useful for your travels.

Chapter Text

Legend regretted trying to teach magic to Y/n, Time thought it meant he liked her now. He was pissed when he had to watch over her.

“Y/n, look at this.”

“An axe?”

“I think we should get it.”

“Don’t you already have like five in that magical pouch of yours?” Y/n pointed to Legend’s small satchel.

“You know babysitting you is terrible enough, you could at least try to be fun.” Legend rolled his eyes and continued browsing.

“Babysitting? Time asked me to keep an eye on you and your hoarding habits.”

Legend gasped dramatically.

“Why would I even believe that?”

“Why would I lie to you? You’re probably the last person I want to team up with.” Her eyes looked him up and down.

“I bet you’d rather be with Twilight so you could slack off and snog all day.” Legend heard her exasperated sigh. “Maybe the others didn’t notice but I’ve been keeping an eye on you two.”

“Jealous?”

“Fuck you.”

“Right back at you.”

They stared at each other with disgust in their eyes.

“I’m getting that axe.” Legend took the axe.

“You should spend Wars’ money on something we actually need.” She grabbed the axe out of his hand.

Legend hated when people were right and he hated being wrong, especially when it was Y/n. He didn’t like her, that was an understatement, Legend loathed her. Legend could be a bit of a drama queen sometimes, but he would never admit it. He was used to being the know it all of the group and he didn’t appreciate that a little human could know more than him. When he first saw Y/n he was sure that she was some type of demon from the underworld. He thought she may have escaped from the Twilight dimension and her being sent here by Dark Link made him distrust her even more. Legend just wanted her to leave and never talk to them again especially since she terrified everyone and hurt his friends. He knew she would bring them trouble and he didn’t understand why Time was so insistent on keeping her around. When she saved Wind, he didn’t know what to think, he didn’t feel like it was enough to redeem her behavior, she spat on him after all. Legend was mature for his age, but he wasn’t a mature person. His emotional immaturity manifested itself when he was near Y/n. He also hated how similar she was to him, and maybe deep down his feelings were more a projection than rational. When Hylia bestowed that amber onto her, he knew deep inside he couldn’t hate her anymore, it just didn’t make sense that Hylia would help a demon. Besides, he could have real conversations with her and most of the time she would have the courtesy to respond.

Time was trying to buy out all the arrows available in Castle Town. He passed by the store where Legend and Y/n were and it made him think. The first time he saw her unconscious in the woods, he didn’t form an opinion, his hero’s spirit took the better of him and he knew he had to help her. Unlike Legend, he knew immediately that she wasn’t some evil demon. Time had faced many demonic and terrible things during his journeys, so he was familiar with how they acted. To him, Y/n had nothing evil in her. Time did think she was collateral damage in the game Dark Link had been playing since he started this whole mess. But it turned out she was more than that which made him even more curious. Her being wanted by him and the fact that he often appeared in her dreams and was able to inflict damage on her physical form while taking control of her mind proved that she was much more than just a pawn. Time didn’t know how, but he knew she would help them solve this whole ordeal. He did feel guilty, he wasn’t putting as much effort into helping her, his focus was on Dark Link. It made him feel worse seeing how determined and stubborn she was. It made him realize that she wasn’t just a piece to his puzzle but a living being. Still, he couldn’t just let this opportunity pass him by.

Wind was with Hyrule, they were supposed to be following a list of tasks but they kept getting distracted by everything. Wind was scared of Y/n at first, he was a little impressed by how quickly she reacted in that situation but he was afraid she might do something like that to him. He shared this thought with her when they were in his home, and her answer didn’t please him. Y/n told him that she would never do that to a child. Since then, he has been trying to prove to her that he isn’t a child by fighting alongside her and doing ‘grown up things’ like helping his granny with chores and beating his sister at races on the beach. Wind really enjoyed her company, especially since she saved him that day. He had been waiting for an opportunity since then to save her as well, but the other Links kept getting in the way. Wind also found her pretty on top of finding her cool and strong. Maybe he had a little crush on her, but he would never admit it. All he could do was show her how tough he was for a thirteen year old. He did think that the shark earrings would make her fall for him. Wind knew he could talk about anything around her and she wouldn’t judge or scold him like Legend or Time. Wind did feel a little bit selfish for being happy when Hylia didn’t send her home. But what can he say, he liked her a lot.

Hyrule tried his best to get on with their tasks on the list Time gave them, but Wind was too stubborn and they would both get distracted too easily. When he first saw Y/n, he was frightened. He didn’t understand why this woman that they just saved would attack them like that. He found her ungrateful and terrifying at first and just hoped he wouldn’t get bit. But that night when her wound was infected, he saw that she wasn’t crazy, just scared. Judging by her actions she was more terrified of them than he was of her. Though she did make him feel a little insecure about his abilities he knew she didn’t do it on purpose. It wasn’t her fault or his that this world’s magic didn’t affect her. Hyrule was weary of her for a bit and he did think she was lying to him when she told him that he was the original Link, but when she told all of them about the names of their stories he couldn’t see why she would lie even more. When she saved Wind he was surprised, he didn’t expect that from a stranger. It did creep him out that she knew so much about their world, sometimes even more than some of the heroes. But that alone wasn’t a reason to distrust her any longer. Anyway, since Wind trusted her he figured it would be okay if he did too.

The Captain caught Wind and Hyrule slacking off, after scaring them enough to get them back to work he went on his way through the town trying to find medicine and medical supplies. When he first saw Y/n, she was on Wild’s bed. He tried to patch up her wound as much as possible or else he knew she would bleed out. What he didn’t know was how much of a pain in the ass she would be. He would’ve never expected to be choked by someone who he thought was on the brink of death. But if anything, it showed how determined she was to stay alive, especially if it meant beating up tons of heroes. Wars was a bit confused at first, he thought that she must have been some sort of alien to not know what Hyrule was. He had some doubts about her origin story and with everything she knew about their world, his doubts still remain somewhere in his mind. But when he had to take care of her multiple times, he could see that she was just a person like him. Just very prideful and with flat ears. He couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly she was learning how to fight. When he taught her, he could see everyone’s methods that she combined into making her own style that fit her instincts. He really enjoyed how she would slam into enemies with her shield, it managed to surprise him every time. Warriors wouldn’t have minded having her on his team during the war of ages. But even after all of that, he couldn’t say he truly trusted her, he only knew her for almost three weeks anyway.

Wild passed by Wars while looking for ingredients and easy meal prep items. He also happened to pass in front of the store Legend and Y/n were bickering in. Wild had a love hate relationship with Y/n, but only because of his own thoughts. If he were being honest, he enjoyed being around her, a lot, maybe a bit too much. The problem is that she made him nervous and he didn’t like feeling nervous around people. That’s why he stopped training with her after the incident on Outset Island. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous and he rather not know so he kept it to himself. He did realize that she stole his pants, but he wasn’t mad, he knew how much she hated being in that skirt and with his pants she looked more like a part of the group. What made him hate her the most is how she reminded him of Zelda. The way she talked, how she reacted and also how she somehow knew everything about anything. His heart would break a bit each time his cursed mind would compare the two when Y/n did anything remotely similar.

Sky was busy looking around for necessities but he got distracted by sleeping bags. He thought about how Y/n would sleep curled up next to Twilight as Wolfie and he figured it might be time to get her a proper bed roll like the rest of the heroes. Sky’s first impression of Y/n was one of fear and confusion. He didn’t expect a stranger to land a kick to his chin right after meeting them. The only people to see Y/n while she was calm and unconscious were Time, Wild and Wars. Sky couldn’t lie, he was scared of her at first, especially when they asked her questions, she seemed so confident and tough he didn’t understand how she ended up in that situation. That night in Hateno’s inn made him realize that it was all for show, for self-defense. When she was in pain he could see that she was just a terrified girl that really needed support even if she never admitted it. He didn’t have any trouble falling asleep next to her, and for him that would've been enough to trust her. When he lent her the master sword, he was surprised that she actually wanted to try. His curiosity got the better of him and he really wanted to see what would happen if the sword landed in the hands of someone other than the hero. The swords' judgement would also show if she was evil or not. Sky liked that she knew so much about their world, it made him feel less lonely. The only thing he regretted was giving her Zelda’s handkerchief to clean off Twilight’s cut. One thing he didn’t like was how she would slam her shield into enemies, it made her look like a brute and it reminded him of how Wild fights. Sky did find it weird and confusing that she suddenly started wearing the same pants as him, he still didn’t know where she got them from.

Twilight was looking around for carrots and other things he could feed to Epona, he looked down at the scar on his forearm from that night on the boat and he smiled. His first impression of Y/n was that he was impressed. Unlike some of the others he didn’t think she was evil and he didn’t believe her fake façade. He knew immediately that she was terrified. What impressed him was how quickly she managed to react in that situation and how she successfully managed to get the heroes to back away from her. From the moment she bit him he knew he was going to like her. He knew she would be a good addition to the group and he was impressed by how quickly she learnt. That day in the forest, he kind of regretted going overboard, he blamed it on his wolf instincts that took the better of him, but if he were really honest he wouldn’t say that. Twilight didn’t really care about the fact that Dark Link was obsessed with her or that she knew so many things about their world. As long as she didn’t hurt anyone that he loved he liked her. Her saving Wind and standing up for Four at the enemy camp showed him that she was meant to be with them even if she didn’t believe it herself.

Four passed by a blacksmith, he couldn’t help but look at their stock. He passed by a sword with carvings along the center of the blade. He thought about Y/n, and how she came to help him that night with the enemies. Four didn’t know what to think about her, he was the first one to see her. She was strange, looked weird and hurt most of his friends. He didn’t think she was evil because of her lack of survival skills and traveling experience but he couldn’t say he liked her. He did like that she helped Wind out, although if he had his sword on him that night he would’ve been completely fine. He didn’t like how defiant she would be with Time sometimes, but he figured that grown ups just act like that with each other, though ‘grown up’ is a strong word to use for Y/n in his opinion. She also creeped him out, he didn’t like that she knew his deepest secret that only two heroes from the chain knew. If he were to ask the four heroes, they would all have completely different opinions on her. But that night she did help him, she saved him the trouble of getting hurt and he couldn’t ignore that. He also couldn’t ignore the fact that she was becoming a real member of his group, he thought he would mind it more but finally not. Four didn’t like lying to her, he felt like an accomplice since he knew about Time’s true intentions. No matter, when he saw that blade he knew it would be a perfect way to thank her.

“Oh! How about we get this!”

“I saw you use a bucket yesterday.” Legend grunted at her words. “Hyrule also has one I believe.”

Legend rolled his eyes again, he then saw a very uncomfortable look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“...Is there a pharmacy here?”

“Just around the corner, why what’s wrong?”

Y/n shook her head, Legend was a little confused. Suddenly she started leaving the store, he stopped her.

“Wait, Y/n! We can’t leave you alone.”

He saw her mouth contort into a grimace.

“I just got my period.”

Legend face palmed, of course this had to happen to him.

“Of course you did.”

“I can go alone, you don’t have to come, just stay here and hoard or whatever.”

She tried leaving again and he caught her sleeve.

“Time would have my head on a platter if he knew I left you alone.”

They both sighed before quickly leaving the store. They passed by Time who had just finished buying out all the arrows in town, he met up with Wars who was watching a performance in the town square.

“Did you find everything alright?”

Warriors nodded and then continued clapping along to the performance of people dancing and juggling. From the corner of his eye Time saw Wind and Hyrule running around the shops, he already knew they slacked off. Wind and Hryule were trying their best to find the things on the list, but for some reason they couldn’t find anything at all. Each time they asked a shopkeeper for help they got laughed at.

“You know, if we didn’t get distracted by everything we would be on time!”

“Don’t you dare blame this on me Roolie! It takes two to be distracted!”

“What are you guys fighting about?”

Hyrule and Wind turned to Sky and Wild, practically jumping out of their skin.

“We have this list we’re supposed to complete but we can’t find anything.”

“No! Don’t tell them, we can do it without their help!” Wind tried to snatch the list away but Wild got it first. “No! Don’t!”

Sky looked over at the list and the two of them started laughing, Wind was confused and tried to look at it again while Hyrule hid his face in his hands.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Time gave us a fake list.”

On the other side of Castle Town, Four was swinging around the blade he found. It was light and was perfect for a beginner. Twilight passed by him.

“Nice sword, you getting it?”

“It’s for Y/n.”

Twilight nodded, approving. In the evening, the inn was completely booked out by the heroes. Around the dinner table, Wind was questioning Time’s motives behind giving them a fake list. The inn was very rustic, it felt like a medieval tavern. Wild tried out a new recipe with the new ingredients he got, he was able to make some fried greens, mashed potatoes and lamb with a wine sauce. It was safe to say it might have been one of his favorite dishes he had ever made even if it was simple. Maybe it was the simplicity that made it so enjoyable. The dinner table was loud, Y/n was keeping to herself as usual and watching the heroes converse. Time cleared his throat, stopping the noise.

“I think we should try to go to the spring of wisdom.”

Nobody answered, they seemed surprised by Time’s sudden one eighty.

“Nobody under seventeen can go. That excludes Four, Wind and Hyrule.”

“I know.” He replied to Wild. “But maybe the goddess of wisdom might be nice enough to share some of her knowledge.”

“What if she doesn’t have knowledge about me?” Y/n replied seemingly suspicious.

“We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

Time was happy when Legend agreed with him. He hoped Legend’s approval would be enough to convince her. After dinner, Twilight ended up in the same room as Y/n which he was happy about. When she walked into the room he could see the surprise on her face.

“It seems you don’t need me to be a wolf for you tonight.”

“I never needed you in the first place.”

Twilight held his hand to his chest dramatically but he could see her smile creep in.

“Maybe you enjoy it more than me.”

He thought about it, it wasn’t impossible. But he was mostly trying to get away from Wind’s kicking and Sky’s sleep cuddling throughout the night. Maybe a part of him was protecting her, he didn’t think about it too much though.

“Maybe, you don’t kick me in your sleep so that’s great.”

“Well, don’t you worry. Sky got me a bedroll, I won’t be needing Wolfie’s services anymore.”

“I thought you said you didn’t need me.”

All he got in response was an eye roll, he observed how she discovered the new blade on her bed.

“Is this yours?”

He shook his head.

“Four got it for you.”

Y/n took a closer look at the designs.

“Now I just need a better shield.”

“Wanna go get one?”

“All the shops are closed.”

“I saw an enemy camp not far from here. Just a couple bokoblins.”

It was a bad idea, but the two of them were already at the exit of Castle Town. Twilight knew that Time wouldn’t approve of them leaving this late. He just hoped they wouldn’t get caught. Twilight carefully made his way to where he thought the camp was, he could hear Y/n’s steps following him. The scent of bokoblins helped Twilight find the camp. They both knelt down behind a bush, from there they could see the camp. There were only five bokoblins. Twilight gestured to the wooden and metal shield on the ground. Y/n smiled and nodded.

“Alright, stay near me and everything will be fine.”

She nodded again. Twilight stood up and slowly approached one monster before striking it, finishing it off immediately. The others woke up in panic and shrieked. Twilight didn’t have too much trouble killing off a couple. He wanted to help Y/n but he knew he should let her do it on her own. The new sword suited her and she managed to swing it around with ease. The last bokoblin fell to the ground and she was able to retrieve the shield. They carefully made their way back to the inn.

“Did you have fun?”

Twilight recognized Time’s voice, he was standing in front of the inn. It would be safe to assume that he was mad. Back in the inn, he kept scolding the two of them. The other heroes watched, not knowing what to do.

“I was just helping her get a shield!”

“Don’t you see how dangerous that was? What if Dark Link appeared? We wouldn’t be here to help you.”

“I’m the strongest one here! I doubt anything would’ve happened.”

“That isn’t the point, you should’ve asked me first!”

“Don’t get mad at Twilight, I insisted we go.”

“You don’t have to defend him.”

“No, I do. He didn’t force me to go, I was the one doing the most ‘forcing’. And by the way, I shouldn’t have to ask permission to have free will.”

Time threw his face in his hands and grunted. Twilight looked over at Y/n and smiled.

“That’s not what I meant. It was reckless, you shouldn’t do reckless things. We can’t risk losing you. I’m not mad at you Y/n, just Twilight because he should know better.”

“Why not? It was mostly my choice. If you should get mad at anyone it should be me. Do you think I’m incapable of making my own decisions?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Do you find her too weak? I’ll let you know that she is getting pretty good at fighting.” Twilight chimed in.

“Can you all just stop acting like children for five minutes?” Time regretted raising his voice as it came out. Everyone just stared at him for a moment.

“But, we are children.” Y/n broke the silence.

They all went to their respective rooms shortly after, leaving Time alone. He took that lonesome time to think. Back in the room, Y/n was pacing around.

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

Twilight didn’t respond, he just kept an eye on her.

“It’s going to be so awkward tomorrow.”

“Is that what you’re worried about?”

“Maybe I should just stay in Castle Town forever.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t laugh, it makes it worse.”

He got up from his bed and grabbed a hold of her shoulders stopping her.

“Thank you for defending me.” He spoke quietly while looking deeply into her eyes.

“You don’t need to thank me, it’s normal. Plus, you defended me first.”

“That’s because I didn’t want you to take the blame.” He let go of her shoulders. She looked down at her hands as she fidgeted.

“That’s not fair for you.”

Twilight couldn’t stop smiling even when he tried. The moonlight shined through the inn’s window complimenting the candle light glow in the room. As the full moon turned men into werewolves, the celestial body made Twilight more daring. His hand found its way to her cheek, lifting her face to his. Peering into her eyes, he could see the dancing flames from the lights behind them. He waited to see if she was uncomfortable before bringing her closer until the distance between their lips disappeared.

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Hello everyone, this is not a chapter. Since the AI scrap incident en AO3, I don't feel very comfortable posting anymore. Although my work is not the best, it's still mine. I will keep an eye out for how this situation evolves and if AO3 manages to do anything in retaliation and the site becomes a safe place once more, I will gladly come back. For now I wish keep my ideas private for the time being. I am sorry for any inconvenience or discontent I may have caused, I hope you can all understand.

- With love, applecinnamonlover ☆

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Hello everyone, I have thought about everything through. I tried to forget about this whole story but I just can't. Since April I can't get any of these silly goobers out of my head. And I have written four more chapter, as I'm writing this I have just finished the thirteenth chapter!! Let me just say, it was tough to write being my first smut. Anyway, all of this to say that I will be posting again very soon. I just have to review and correct the next chapters and they will be out shortly. What do I think about AI? Well it sucks balls, I really wish it haden't endangered this beautiful safe haven. But posting on other websites is a no for me, I'm too scared of the judgment. Anywayyy. See you soon, I can't wait for you to see what I've got planned.

- Applecinnamonlover

Chapter Text

You froze for a second not knowing what to do. Was this really happening or was your mind playing tricks on you once more? A part of you really wished it wasn’t a dream. The feeling of his lips just couldn’t be made up, your mind wasn’t strong enough to do such a thing. Before you could fully process what was happening he pulled away, your face still in the palm of his hands. You must’ve been burning red but by the looks of it he was too, or it was just the lighting.

“We should get some sleep.”

You didn’t answer, you just hummed trying not to show how much you were freaking out. Without another word the two of you went to bed. The next morning before leaving your room you felt a weight on your chest, it was your anxiety, again. You didn’t know if it was because you were going to have to face Time again or if you were just anxious about the trip. At breakfast you didn’t see Time, you felt bad. The other heroes acted as if nothing happened, as if everything was normal. Later you found out that Time was just waiting for all of you to be ready to go, you saw him at the exit of Castle Town. You avoided eye contact with him and just focused on the trip. The journey across Hyrule field was relatively easy, you’d already done it before and it was mostly plains. Your first stop for the night was a little forest with the dueling peaks in sight. You couldn’t help but stare at the mountains in awe. You wondered how they managed to stand the test of time. Sitting around the campfire, Sky was fiddling on his harp playing a song not from his era, again. Besides the melodic notes, no other sound was heard. No one was talking, not even Wind or Legend. You just stared into the fire, sitting crossed legged with your chin in your palm. You watched the flames dance with each other and wondered if they could also feel the tension in the air. It was so thick you weren’t sure if your new blade could cut through it.

“This is awkward.”

Wars spoke, everyone turned their attention to him. But he didn’t know what to say after that, he just mumbled a couple incomprehensible words and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry Y/n and Twilight.” Time spoke.

That was surprising, you didn’t know what to say.

“I shouldn’t have overreacted like that.”

Twilight and you exchanged a glance.

“It’s fine, you were just looking out for us.” You bit your lip awkwardly. “We probably should’ve told you we were heading out, so I’m sorry as well.” That took a hit to your pride.

“I’m sorry too.” Twilight added.

Sky smiled and continued playing his harp, the tension seemed to have dissipated into the night sky. Speaking of which, when you looked up you saw an endless ocean of stars. It wasn’t as dramatic as in Wind's world but it was certainly beautiful. You wouldn’t be able to see something like this back at home. You wondered how the galaxy looked in this world, maybe from somewhere in Hyrule you would be able to see the milky way, or maybe you skipped too many science lessons. A strange sound interrupted your thinking, it seemed to have interrupted the heroes as well. There, a couple feet ahead of you was another portal. Its eerie presence loomed on everyone. You didn’t move, waiting for the heroes to act first.

“Well what are we waiting for?”

Legend was the first to take a stand, the others started gathering their items and following him. Time didn’t move, he seemed to be too deep in thought. Wars had to help him up. You didn’t want to pass through that nauseating portal again, but it had to be done. This time, you didn’t feel as sick while passing through but it was still an uncomfortable and unsettling experience. The first thing you saw was a forest, you looked around and saw the dueling peaks, again. The heroes seemed just as confused as you. The portal only transported you in time, the trees were only slightly taller so you shouldn’t have traveled too far in the future. Once the camp set up, the labours of the day rested heavily on your shoulders, making you exhausted also because of your physical condition. You still weren’t used to sleeping outside, you constantly had a fear of something creeping up on you, like bugs. The fears weren’t enough to keep you awake thankfully. One thing you did enjoy about sleeping outdoors was how the sun would peacefully wake you up, you would never get tired of that. The next part of your journey was quite terrible, because you felt awful. Your limbs were weak and you felt as if the whole force of the world was crashing into your abdomens. No matter, you didn’t show it. You did get asked a couple times if you were alright but that was all. Passing under the Dueling Peaks, you didn’t see a stable in the distance.

“We aren’t in Wild’s era.”

The heroes looked to where you were gesturing. Legend seemed annoyed that you figured it out before him. Arriving to where the stable was supposed to be, Time stopped.

“We should go to Kakariko and set ourselves up in the inn.”

Everyone agreed with Time. Night had smothered the landscape as you approached the village. In addition to being dark, you couldn’t recognize the village. It looked like it had just finished being rebuilt. The homes seemed relatively new and were habited, you could tell by the lights shining through the windows.

“We’re in my era.” Everyone turned to Twilight. “I think so at least.”

Everyone followed the ordonian into the inn, stepping into it you felt like you’d already seen this place and not just because of the games. Like Lon Lon ranch, any depiction of Elde’s inn in your memory was terrible. You couldn’t quite put your finger on what it reminded you of. The innkeeper was delighted to see Twilight.

“Link! You’re back, I haven’t seen you in forever!”

The man stood behind the counter while Twilight spoke to him. You kept observing the place, still trying to figure out what it reminded you of.

“I see the village is doing better, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help rebuild Renado.”

“Nonsense! You apologizing for not doing enough is like us praying to the gods for a second miracle. We still need to find a way to repay you.”

You weren’t really listening, plus you felt the exhaustion of the day creep in on you. You desperately wanted to take a hot bath and fall asleep for a full twenty four hours.

“Well, today might be your lucky day..”

Twilight explained to Renado how they needed the inn for a couple days. The bag of rupees from Warriors was more than enough to book the whole inn for the time being. Renado was able to go on holiday while you stayed here. In your room, your roommate walked in. It was Legend.

“You look horrendous.”

You slowly turned to him and furrowed your brows not knowing where he was going with this.

“You can’t leave tomorrow morning, you will die.”

“How I love our conversations.” You turned back around.

“If you feel this bad after what we just did I can’t imagine how you’ll make it in the mountains.”

If only he could see how many times you had to skip gym classes in highschool because of your symptoms.

“I’m going to ask Time for you to leave after tomorrow.”

“That’s... nice of you.” You squint your eyes. “What do you want from me?”

“Why do you automatically think that I want something?” He tried to fake a laugh, but you could see right through his bullshit. “Fine! I want to come to the spring with you guys.”

“What? Why on earth would you want to? I don’t even want to go.”

“Because, if you’re alone with Time, Wars Sky and Twilight you will lose your mind.” Legend got closer and grabbed your shoulders in desperation. “I’m going to lose my mind if I stay here with the others! You don’t know it yet but they get so irritating when they are together. I don’t want to be left alone with them please.” He was practically on his knees, he was so dramatic it was almost funny.

“Alright! Alright!” You stepped away from him. “Fine, I need a day off anyway.”

“Dinner’s ready!”

You both turned towards the sound, Legend nodded at you and you felt very nervous all of a sudden. At the dinner table, Legend kept staring at you from across the room. You tried your best to ignore his obnoxious glare, he wasn’t going to stop until you did your part. You sighed and got up, everyone looked at you confused.

“I have something to say.”

From the corner of your eye you could see that Legend was still staring at you. You didn’t know what to say afterwards. Time was in front and Warriors was next to him. You already felt guilty for what you were going to say.

“I don’t want Wars to accompany us.”

The Captain stopped chewing, he looked frozen.

“What?” Time said.

“Yeah what?” Wars said after swallowing.

“I want Legend to come instead.”

“What if Dark Link appears?”

“What if he appears here? I’m afraid something might happen to one of us.” Legend stood up and talked.

“What do you think?” Time turned to Wars.

“Well, the cold is bad for my hair so why not.”

“Well, alright then.” Time said still confused.

You sat back down and continued eating. Legend was still standing up. Time sighed.

“Do you have something to say?”

“I don’t think we should leave tomorrow.”

“Why not?”

“Because...” You nodded encouraging him. “I am tired.”

“Well, maybe Wars should take your place.”

“I’m tired as well, maybe even a bit sick.” You said.

“Yes! I am also sick. We should just stay here for a day.”

“Okay, what is happening here?” Time glanced at both of you.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Legend sat back down.

“Oh stop fucking around Vet, why are you two conspiring? I thought you hated each other.”

“We’re best friends now, didn’t you hear?” You said with the biggest grin on your face.

You could see Legend fuming at your comment, no matter. You were able to sleep in tomorrow morning which was awesome. After your long hot bath you felt all your aches and sores melt away. You were whisked away from your room to your dismay to check out the top of the inn which was a hot spring.

“Come on, you should try it. It feels amazing!”

You didn't register who was talking to you, you had your hands over your eyes and tried your best to leave the place. The air around you was warm, like a summer day. Even if you weren't in your current situation, you would still hesitate getting in. Sky was still pulling you towards the warm body of water, though you still were covering your eyes.

"I'm good, really.”

The sound of insistent cheers didn't stop. When peeking through your fingers, the hot spring was getting closer.

“Come on, you had a really tiring day.”

"She said she didn't want to!”

Legend's voice came from the inn, it was quickly followed by eager footsteps. Sky let go of your arm and the bickering gave you the opportunity to run back to your room. Once there you took a deep breath, you couldn't deny how grateful you were for Legend. The room was quiet, maybe a little too much. A weird sensation took over your body, you could feel it in your bones. You stopped looking through your bag and raised your head.

"Don't worry, I won't stay long.”

You were surprised, he hadn't made an appearance in a while. You slowly turned around. You didn't feel as scared as before, even when his red eyes stared directly through you.

"Your precious heroes will be here any second.”

"Look dude, no offense but I'm really not in the mood to deal with you.”

As he took a step forward, behind him you saw your sword. You took a mental note to always keep your sword on you from now on.

"I don't know why you always think I'm trying to bother you.” Dark Link tried to give a warm smile but you felt as if the temperature just dropped. "You know if you gave me a chance, you would see that I'm actually a nice guy.”

You questioned whether you actually changed world. You crossed your arms in front of your body, trying desperately to show your disinterest.

"You are literally made from hatred."

"You're breaking my heart.”

"If you don't leave I will start barking.”

This was the first time you ever saw an expression other than a smirk or stoicism. His eyebrows were raised, mouth sort of agape, overall, the textbook definition of confused. Dark Link didn't seem to take your threat seriously. Although it wasn't much of a threat, nonetheless, it would attract attention. As he took a step closer, you started barking repeatedly. 2020 tiktok would be proud of you. Though you sounded like a chihuahua, you heard footsteps making their way to your room. Dark link looked appalled by your immature behavior. Your door swung open and you saw Time and Four. They both gasped.

“You can't run from me forever.”

Dark Link said before vanishing into thin air. The others stayed on the lookout to make sure he wasn't hiding elsewhere. But the rest of the evening went on without incident. Once your head hit the pillow, you immediately fell asleep, or more like passed out. The next day was way nicer on your body and you managed to regain most of your strength. Time seemed to be extra quiet around you, it made you feel bad because it was your fault, or at least you thought so. Wars trained you that day, he kept making comments about your weakened state and weirdly enough it motivated you enough to knock him to the ground. The look on his face was a mixture of pride and surprise. Now that you didn't have your phone, you lost track of time. Like during school break when you were younger and didn't care to check. This did not feel like a holiday though. From the inn's window you saw Twilight with Epona. You still weren't over that night, your fingers brushed over your lips, reminiscing the feeling of his. Teenage you would be so happy knowing what happened, but you weren't a teenager anymore. Now that you were becoming an adult you couldn't live obliviously anymore. Love wasn't really an answer right now, plus you didn't know when or if you'd ever get back home. You imagined trying to explain to your entourage back at home that you were dating Link from Twilight princess, you're sure they would check you into a mental facility. Your thoughts were interrupted when Twilight noticed you looking at him. Your eyes widened and you feIt your cheeks blush. This was sure to give him an ego boost, as if he needed that. Twilight beckoned you to come. Epona was still kind of frightening to you, since she bucked you off last time.

"I heard you scared off Dink by barking last night.”

He threw a couple glances your way while brushing his mare.

"I took after you.”

You both exchanged a smile. You thought that you would be nervous speaking to him after that night, but he did such a good job at making you feel safe and secure.

"I see you and legend are getting along now.”

"Jealous?”

"Fuck off.”

A small chuckle escaped from your mouth. It seemed to have rubbed off onto him. It was obvious he was trying so hard not to smile but he was failing. He was right though, you and Legend were getting along better now. But you were now getting along with everyone, even Four, though you didn't speak much. The rest of the day went on well. That night you felt a weight on your chest. You were nervous about the trip to the mountain. It made you think about Mt Everest, how easy it was to lose your life even on the trail. But on Lanayru, you would be lucky to even see the start of a path. The heroes were going to use heat potions, but unfortunately, those didn't work on you. If only you came to this world with a self heating coat. The chain assured you they were prepared to keep you warm. Already, Wild lent you his snowquill set. After a rough night, the sun woke you up before everyone. Legend was still asleep, you decided it would be best to let him rest. Wild was already awake making breakfast. He was surprised to see you.

"Good morning Link.”

Before he could respond, a set of footsteps came down.

"You should be getting more sleep.”

Wild was quickly distracted by his pots sizzling. Time was at the bottom of the stairs. You hated how he treated you like a child sometimes. Yes, it was unreasonable to feel that way, especially since you basically asked him to beat you as such. But you didn't like how he treated you like his child.

"I will be fine.”

Your answer was colder than expected, but anyway he would have to get used to the cold seeing where you were headed. After breakfast, your group made its way out of Kakariko hands waving farewell simultaneously. The trees seemed to have changed color, an indicator of the seasons changing. You wondered if it was already October. Also, the existence of seasons imply the existence of Hyrule's planet being in a solar system. The goddesses must be tied to the creation of the galaxy. Thinking of that made you feel miniscule. Hateno didn't exist yet, passing through emptiness was weird, your mind was trying to find familiarity. Rethinking about your whole journey, you seemed to have gone in a circle. The heroes mentioned the forest they were currently in was the one where they found you. In total, you spent three days getting to the base of the mountain. The heroes decided it would be best to camp there for the night. from where you sat, the mountain stood over you menacingly. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn't think this would work. It was already a miracle in it of itself that Hylia answered the first time. If you ever got back home, you knew you would need to go see a doctor because of how stressed you were. You didn't dare say it to the others, but you constantly felt overwhelmed by a threat of danger. But looking up at Nayru's domain made you more anxious than usual. Even Sky's harp wasn't able to settle you down. Because of the proximity of the mountain, your bedroll was freezing and if you weren't exhausted, you wouldn't be able to sleep. That morning, you woke up with Wolfie glued to you. The food on the trip wasn't as good as Wild's, but it was palatable.

The journey up the mountain started, and with each step you took, your anxiety incessantly rose. The cold air attacked your nose leaving it red, along with the apple of your cheeks. The glaciers on the sides of Lanayru seemed to have been there since the beginning of time, forever frozen in time. You were jealous that the heroes had heat potions. Legend made you drink one again, but it just felt like drinking gochujang. The only thing heating up was your mouth, so instinctively, you gobbled up some snow which in return made you even more cold. That night, the camp was set up in a nearby cave on the side of the mountain. Thankfully the temperature was nice there. All of you were sitting around the fireplace.

“Do you know what you are going to say tomorrow?”

You shake your head at Time's question. He sighs, you feel as if he was scolding you.

“Maybe you should try to give something again.”

What could you even give this time? You doubt Hylia would accept an expired sephora collection gloss. You looked through your bag, your options were limited. Twilight reached in and took your university textbook out.

"Maybe this”

You carefully took the textbook back, you didn't want him to ruin it or your library would make you pay for the damages.

"I doubt the goddess of Hyrule would want a book about the wonders of my world. Plus the spring water would ruin it.”

"You can't just go there unprepared.”

Time's words bothered you. As if you weren't already under enough pressure. You just sighed.

“Y/n has been doing pretty well, given her current situation.”

“Doing pretty well is not going to cut it.”

Deep down, you know he's just looking out for you. But tough love doesn't work on you. Even if all the other heroes are telling you how much you've progressed and realize how good you're getting. Hearing him say such a thing cancels out everything. Why do you care for the approval of the only one who doesn't see your potential? You felt something come out of your mouth, you tried to stop it, but alas.

“I'm not even supposed to be here.” You hid the bottom of your face in your arms and knees.

“Well, you're here now. Using that as an excuse is immature.”

You didn't answer, you wouldn't even know what to say. A silence invaded the cave. Time wasn't wrong, but still you couldn't help being so helpless. Especially the last couple days, if only he knew. You were exhausted from hiking up the mountain. The snow slowed you down, making you spend more energy, your outfit was heavy and the cold really took a toll on you. Like when you were younger and felt so tired after a day playing in the snow. The only difference was that you could come home to a warm house and hot cocoa. The next morning you felt a heavy weight on your chest. This time, it wasn't your anxiety, rather a clingy wolf. Even his wolf form was heavy. Sitting up just pushed all of his weight onto your legs.

"Twilight!”

You whined, a blade came into view and touched the wolf instantly turning him back to his hylian form. He sat up confused but smiled when he saw you. The last part of the journey started. You refused to speak to Time. The sun wasn't hiding behind a thick fog anymore as you got closer to the summit. The rays warmed your freezing face just enough to motivate you. The air started getting lighter as you were near the top. Your breaths became more frequent and walking felt even more difficult. On the edge of the path, you wouldn't see anything. That's when you realized that the reason there was no more fog was because you were too high up. Finally, you could see the top of the goddess statue. You all made your way to it, the air seemed to be back so normal. You didn't want to step in the water, but surprisingly it wasn't cold. The heroes stood behind you, staying in the cold air. You searched in your bag but nothing seemed good enough. You picked up the amber she previously gave you. Would she be offended if you re gifted something? There was only one way to find out. The piece of amber slipped from your fingers still readjusting from the freezing temperatures. The shiny rock sparkled in the sun lit water. As you went to pick it up, that intense feeling of anxiety took over you once more.

"Y/N WATCH OUT!”

Turning around, Dark Link was standing there, a couple of feet in front of you. The heroes stepped up to defend you. The monster created from shadows and hatred sent out a wave of power knocking them down onto the snow. With shaky limbs you bravely took a hold of your sword and shield. You weren't going to let yourself freeze again. Not after everything they taught you.

“Who are you kidding with that puny little sword?”

Dark Link got closer, your grip tightened around the handle. The other Links were carefully getting back up and helping each other.

"I warned you. Running away won't always be a possibility.”

You kept repeating to yourself that you could kick his ass. Was it delusional on your end? Absolutely. But your determination is very admirable. You did your best to keep your breathing in check even though you felt as if your heart was going to explode out of your chest.

"You're making this so difficult for yourself.” His foot was about to breach onto the stone platform. “Come on Y/n.”

Chills ran down your back, you didn't know it was possible for it to get even colder. In spite of the atmosphere, your hands were sweating because of how much you were gripping your weapons. But, maybe it was the piece of amber you dropped at the feet of the goddess but as soon as his foot landed on the sacred stone, a forcefield of light pushed him back violently. The heroes joined you as Dark Link slowly got back up, pissed.

"Hylia you have no business here!”

"Get out of here you creep!” Legend yelled.

"Not until I get her.”

Maybe the mountain took away your sanity, maybe it was because you were exhausted. But in that moment, you let out an exasperated loud sigh as you fell to your knees and threw your face in your hands. You didn't care that you were sitting in the water. Or if the others were looking at you weird. You had it! Looking behind you, the piece of amber was still there. So naturally, you got back up and threw the rock at him. It landed next to him, the rich color contrasted with the white snow.

"Get out of here!” You gestured dramatically. "No one wants you here! You are like a weed !” You picked up a bit of snow and threw it at him, you missed.

Legend pulled you back and tried to comfort you.

"You know, if you just listened to me, none of this would have happened.” Dark Link said.

"How much time did you spend observing my world to become exactly like all the men from there?”

"You know what?” Dink spoke as if you weren't even there. "How about you guys hand her to me and I will send all of you home, forever.”

Twilight and Sky stepped in front of you.

"Tell him we're never going to do that Time.” Legend said, also hiding behind everyone.

The silence reigned for far too long.

“Think about Malon.” The monster said.

The lack of words were enough to shatter your heart. Sky nudged Time.

"How can you even think about that?” Said sky.

"Just tell us how to send her home.” Said Twilight still creating a barrier with his arm.

"I'm going to be honest with you.” He smiled. "It took so much power just to bring her here. I don't think I'm strong enough to send her back.” Your heart broke even more. “It's going to take a miracle from Hylia herself to get you back.”

“So, you aren't needed here.”

Sky said before unsheathing the master sword, harnessing its power and sending it to the shadow creature. Sadly, he disappeared before it hit him. The journey back to Kakariko was, quiet. Even Legend kept quiet. You were hurt to say the least. You didn't know what hurt you more, Time or your unfortunate, crazy and unreal situation. Being away from the mountain was so soothing. The cold air didn't nip at your extremities and it was easier to walk again. In total, the journey to and from lasted six days. Those last three days went by super slowly because of, well, you know. The only good thing was Sky fiddling on his harp. You were mentally lost, you didn't know if you should grieve your old life or not. Some would've grieved as soon as they arrived, but you really wanted to go home. Finally back at Elde's inn, you ignored everyone and beelined to the bath. Finally alone, you cried for a while, so long that some of the heroes knocked on the door to check on you. Once in your room, you sat on your bed with the amber piece in your hands trying to make sense of the divine interference.

"Hey, how do you feel?”

You didn't answer Legend, continuing to fiddle with the shiny rock. A sigh escaped his lips as he sat on his bed. The sun had just started setting. Still, the last rays of the day shined through the small window, giving a golden glow to the room.

"It goes without saying that you can stay with us.” He put his hands on his lap trying to carefully choose his words. “I know I was a dick at first, and I'll probably continue to be. But know, my opinion about you has drastically changed.”

“I guess being with you guys is better than being alone.” You were biting the inside of your cheek. "At least I'm not figuring all of this out on my own.”

"Yes!” Legend exclaimed, happy to see you try to be positive. “If it makes you feel better, sending you home might help us as well.”

That did make you feel less guilty about taking up their time. You finally look up from your slump. You squeezed the amber in your palm.

“Don’t worry about Time.” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “He's just very homesick, it wasn't an attack on you.”

"I think it's best if I keep my distance with him.” The look on Vet's face confirmed your thoughts. "I always end up saying or doing things that greatly conflict with him. Even if it's just existing.”

Legend stayed silent for a moment, trying to collect his scattered thoughts.

"Time has been through a lot. I'm not saying it excuses anything, but it could help you understand.”

"Not really.” You let out a chuckle. “ No matter what, I always manage to say the wrong thing. Then I hurt his feelings, and then things are awkward.” You sigh. “Then I feel bad.”

"You shouldn't, sometimes he really needs to be knocked down a peg.”

Before you could respond, someone called for dinner. At the table, Sky and Legend told everyone how it went, while leaving out Time’s misstep. You and your taste buds were happy to finally eat Wild's food again. You really missed sauces and flavour. Wind was telling them about their time here, and how incredibly boring it was. Wars disagreed stating he enjoyed resting. You mostly kept to yourself, even when questions were asked, the other heroes took it upon themselves to answer. Once back in your room, you were very excited to sleep on a bed after six days laying on the ground. But before you had the chance to day down, Legend informed you that Twilight was waiting for you on the roof. It took all the bones in your body to get you out of that room.

Chapter Text

Hello everyone, I know what you must be saying. "Apple you said you had 4 chapters already written!!" I know! But then I thought them over and I don't like where I went with the story. So I've been rewriting the last chapters.

I've also been busy with exams (which i failed) and a summer job. I have been writing, but i currently can't because I am in the hospital. I got into a little accident at work and now I have a gash in my arm. I cannot use 3 of my fingers.

While on sick leave I will try writing in my tablet with my left hand only. Fortunately I have a keyboard, unfortunately I will be 10 times slower. Anyway that's it, all I can say is that the ao3 author curse finally caught up to me.

With love,
- Applecinnamonlover ☆

Chapter Text

Hello again everyone!! First of all I would like to thank you all for all the kind messages, even if I don't respond i read every single one of them, they really do make me feel better. Now for an update, 3 of my tendons were ruptured. The day after my accident I had surgery for the first time in my life. My surgeon told me I'm not allowed to bend my fingers for full month, then I will have to get my fingers re-educated. Which means for the time being, I cannot write, or play video games or anything. What is worse is that my dominant hand was affected so I currently have the motor skills of a 7 year old.

I also want to say that I'm so happy to not be living in the USA because I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket and I will still be getting paid even on sick leave. I am a bit worried for back to school because in my course we often have to do 10 page essays and I don't know if my fingers will be able to handle all that in December. I will probably have to ask for special accommodations to do my exams digitally. Usually tendon ruptures take 6-12 months to fully heal, but it can add up if there are multiple ruptures.

Anyway, don't worry about me, I'm a tough gal. If you are reading this in the future, just know that the ao3 author curse is real. Spend an extra good summer for my sake since I can't.

With love,
- Applecinnamonlover ☆

Chapter Text

The air on the rooftop was light but the wind was unusually cold, a good reminder that it wasn't summer anymore. But you didn't care about the weather, not when a certain werewolf was lounging in the hot spring. The sun now completely set, the only sources of light were the lanterns leading up to the body of water and a sky full of stars. The short walk left you missing Wild's thick coat. The heat of the hot spring made its way to you making you forget about how chilly it was. Link turned his head to greet you. His little smile could be enough to make you fall head first into the water. The hero's arms were spread across the edge, they were painted with many scars from his adventures. As he gestured for you to join him, the air suddenly felt thicker. This pushed you to sit near the edge instead.

"What do you want?" You sounded colder than you originally wanted.

"You're welcome for securing the hot spring for you." He winked dramatically.

"I already took a bath."

"It's not the same."

"Yeah, this way any weirdo could see me."

"You're too paranoid."

You simply raised your brow before crossing your arms. Link turned away from your gaze sheepishly. Your eyes kept glancing between his face and back muscles. Especially when he rubbed the back of his neck before facing you once more.

"Guess I can't blame you for that." He cleared his throat nervously. "You know, I was thinking we could see the princess. I think she will be able to help us."

"Because of her triforce of wisdom?" You rested your chin in the palm of your hands.

"Exactly! We can even go just the two of us if you'd like. Without the old man."

"That's very reckless and unnecessarily dangerous." Still, you couldn't help but chuckle at his comment. "What do you think about Time?"

Twilight looked into the distance sighing.

"I can't hate him since he's kind of my great great grandpa and all but it's hard to defend him right now." His gaze met yours again. "He's been acting weird around you. I've already seen him help people, but this time it's different."

"Maybe he just doesn't like me."

"I don't think it's that." As you tried to protest, he cut you off. "You two are oddly similar in my opinion, so unless he hates himself you're fine."

"I don't know how to take that."

"You have the same defiant stubborn attitude as him. I think he just has a hard time being on the receiving end."

"It's written into all of your stories to be that way."

Twilight hummed pondering on your comment. You were sure he was just trying to make you feel better. But you lived through high-school, you can tell when people don't like you.

"I guess when you put it that way it makes you one of us." A soft smile appears on your face. "So are you coming in?"

"No. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Fine."

Twilight lifts himself out of the hot spring to sit next to you. Steam flew off of him and you were sure he was going to start trembling soon. Instinctively, your back straightened up despite how tired you were. Your hands brush but none of you make an effort to move away. His hair was slightly damp from the condensation. The silence between the two of you wasn't nerve-wracking. It was also short lived seeing as the two of you couldn't seem to stop sharing glances.

"You're going to catch a cold you know?"

"Are you worried about me?"

"As much as you worry about me."

"You must constantly feel anxious then." You feel your cheeks heat up a bit. "But you really don't have to, I'm pretty tough."

"I can definitely see that."

Did you just say that out loud? Now you definitely felt your cheeks turn red. The hero's laugh only made it worse. His fingers covered yours and before you could react his free hand cupped your cheek forcing you to face him.

"I'm going to kiss you again."

Twilight didn't really give you much time to think about it before his lips were already on yours. His kiss was much more hungry than last time seeing as you had to catch yourself with your hands to avoid falling. The hero's hands quickly found your waist pulling you closer. A part of you thought that staying out of the hot spring would avoid this... outcome. Link broke his lips away only to leave a trail of kisses down to our neck. Memories of his wolf form flashed in your mind and you couldn't stop yourself from ruining the moment.

"Don't bite me again."

Your words stopped him in his tracks, all you felt for a few seconds was his breathing in the crook of your neck. Lazily, his head rose up to grace your vision. His eyes glanced between every part of your face.

"Did you not like it?"

"That was a very weird thing to do to a stranger."

Link shrugged.

"It was my animal instincts, you wouldn't understand."

"Is this also part of your animal instincts?" You said in quotation marks.

To your surprise, his flirty expression quickly turned sour, almost as if he felt guilty. His grip around you loosened and now you wished you stayed quiet.

"I didn't see it that way."

Link let go of you and looked away. You sat there very confused. You wondered what could've offended him.

"D-did I say something wrong?"

"What? No, of course not." He shook his head. "I shouldn't be doing this. To you of all people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" You were slightly offended.

"Please, you know I didn't mean it like that." He tried to change the subject.

"If you didn't mean anything by that you wouldn't have trouble explaining it."

You got up, dusting debris off of your clothes while Twilight tried desperately to explain himself. Maybe you were being dramatic, but you were also exhausted, traumatized and deceived. You didn't want to hear once again how weak or fragile you were and how the heroes 'had' to protect you. As you turned away from the werewolf you froze seeing the Captain at the entrance of the inn. Twilight's expression changed to one of a child about to get scolded. Wars nodded to you, gesturing you to leave. You immediately took him up on his offer. When your head hit the pillow, you couldn't fall asleep. You cursed your wretched mind for never turning off. Discreetly, you lit the candle on your bedside, trying your best not to wake up Legend and you spent a good majority of the night writing in your diary. You wrote until you couldn't physically keep your eyelids open anymore. The next morning, the sound of cuccos woke you up. You really didn't want to wake up and face the day. Too many challenges awaited you. You pulled the covers over your face, trying to hide from your new reality. But, spite of your defeat, something inside nagged you. You quickly got ready and went to find your captain for training. Warriors and Time were enjoying a morning drink you were sure was made up of a heavy percentage of alcohol. The heroes were surprised to see you, especially the old man but you tried your best to pay no attention to him. You throw Wars' weapon on the table, the heroes kept their eyes glued to the blade as it slid towards them. The old man cleared his throat.

"I don't think-"

"I think you're all out of opinions about me."

The Captain finished his drink before leading you outside where your training session began. You could tell he was going easy on you. But you woke up with this strange sensation and feeling of needing to get stronger. After a couple rounds he realized you needed something harder. Maybe it was the realization of everything changing forever that was pushing you out of your comfort zone. Maybe the events had traumatized you so much it changed the composition of chemicals in your brain. Or maybe you were finally accepting that you didn't have control over anything. But fighting made you forget how lost you felt because of all the effort you put into your training. After eating breakfast in your room, you were busy reading everything you wrote the night before. Amidst the nonsense, you knew where you needed to go next. As you were preparing your things, Legend walked in on you.

"Are you trying to run away again?"

"I can't run away if I'm homeless."

As you were packing, the hero stepped in front of you. The more you looked at him, the more he reminded you of a scene kid, especially with his pink little streak. You decided to push him to the side, he was stronger than you expected.

"Can you at least tell me where you're planning to go?"

"I'm going to see Zelda.”

"We just got back from Lanayru, how do you have the energy to travel again?!” Legend said dramatically before stepping in front of your worn out backpack.

"You all can do whatever the hell you want. I'm going to see princess Zelda.”

Legend caught your arm gently as you were leaving the room. You were prepared for another speech about how you weren't strong enough or whatever but as your eyes met his you couldn't guess what he was feeling. Which was rare considering he was the most expressive of the bunch after Wind.

"I don't want you to have to do this alone."

The sudden affectionate words took you even more by surprise. This wasn't like the Legend you grew to know over these past few weeks. The hero's vulnerable words weren't met with the same softness from you. You pulled your arm away violently.

"What's it to you huh? Two weeks ago you wanted me dead." Your brows furrowed. "Of course you care about me now that the goddess has taken an interest in me."

You mumbled incomprehensible complaints as you left the room with all of your belongings. Of course, Legend followed you quickly down the stairs while loudly talking and grabbing the other hero's attention. As you walked out the door you grabbed your weapons. The door slammed behind you and quickly you heard a mash of the heroes voices but you focused on your new goal. A part of you knew they would arrive soon enough so you tried to enjoy these moments of peace. Back at home, you were used to the quiet and simple life you had. But in this universe you were always confronted with noise, it could be daunting at times. Traveling through the forest, the path ahead of you was lit up by the gaps of sunlight. The leaves were changing color and the soft breeze made traveling a piece of cake compared to last time. A few hours later, you stopped by a pond in the forest. The sun shined into the water, almost blinding to look at. The place around you had a pinkish glow which was weird because you swore it was midday just a moment ago. But thinking about it longer only made you realize it was only autumn setting onto the land. In your peripheral vision, a familiar figure came into view. It was Sky, which made you sigh because it meant the other heroes found you. After a few more hours of traveling you all decided to stop for the night. Around the campfire, the silence was loud while you hid in your journal writing away your thoughts. Sky called your name breaking you out of your train of thought. Some of the heroes had a worried look on their face.

“I was curious what you meant when you said that Dark Link was like the men in your world.” He thought about his words. "Are they different from us?”

This confused you a bit, because what you've witnessed so far from them didn't show you that they were any different from the men in your world. That was maybe an exaggeration, you weren't in Hyrule long enough to know about systematic oppression. Maybe it was Dark Link that was making your whole experience of them sour, which wasn't fair for them.

"My world operates on a very specific binary system. It only works when a group of people get oppressed." You could see some of the heroes get confused. "Many groups are oppressed and women are one of them. Which leads us to be treated horribly."

"Why don't you fight back?” Said Wind.

"We have been, for centuries, no for millennia. But, that way of thinking is so deeply engraved into my society that fighting feels impossible, like Sisyphus.” That last bit confused them. "Don't ask who that is.”

"No wonder you were so terrified of us at first."

The Captain added. You tried denying those claims but you still could remember how sore you felt that night after being so tensed up all day. Slumber took a hold of the chain and yourself, you decided to sleep near Wars. You weren't mad at him, he didn't necessarily find you weak, it was the best choice. The early morning wrapped you in a cold blanket, with fall setting in, your clothes proved to be too thin. But it was nothing compared to when it started raining. For the night, you camped in a small cave. Inside, there was a sort of pond and most of the heroes played in it. Everyone besides a pesky wolf. As you sat near the campfire, while journaling, trembling and being soggy, a pelt fell on you from above. You sigh a little too loudly but it didn't stop the hero from taking a seat next to you.

"I can understand that.”

He pointed to your word in hylian. You paused but chose not to answer. You were a little too prideful to answer.

"Please, don't ignore me.”

"I'm not, I'm writing.”

A loud and dramatic sigh bellowed from him. From the corner of your eye, you could see him fidgeting with whatever he could get his hands on.

"I-"

"The trip up the mountain was a good enough reminder that I am weak." You cut him off. "Not only that, every obstacle that comes my way reminds me of that." You close your journal. "I don't need you guys reminding me as well."

"I don't think you're weak.." The look you gave him made him confess. "I just know that you need protection."

"I wasn't meant for this sort of lifestyle, cut me some slack." You took his pelt and handed it back to him. "Besides, I'm trying to get stronger, it's difficult."

Twilight tried empathizing, but he couldn't really understand. Not when his body was 70% muscle. Maybe if you worked on a farm you would be as strong as him.

"You're right." He looked you in the eyes. "That's why I stopped calling you princess. Princesses aren't as tough as you."

"You're really confusing." You scoffed and he looked at you oddly. "You're always contradicting yourself." You stare off angrily into nothing. "One moment I'm a damsel in distress that isn't strong enough to do anything on her own and now you're calling me tough?"

"Besides the boys I see everyone as a victim in need of help. But I'm really trying not to think of you like that. That's just what saving the world does to you."

As his forced laugh faded into an awkward chuckle because of your silence, his words clicked in your head, not in the way he would've liked though.

"You're right." His expression turned into confusion. "I should probably stay away from everyone until you see me as an equal."

"What?" Twilight shook his head. "How are you supposed to do that? Almost all of us think you aren’t strong enough."

"Wars may not think I'm strong enough, but he doesn't see me as a weakling." You stand up dusting yourself off. "Wind, Hyrule and Four don't find me weak either."

"They're children, what do you expect?" He got up, going after you. "Besides, you can't just ignore us forever."

"I'm not ignoring you, just keeping my distance." You continue to walk away but you hear him following you.

"Well you can't do that forever either."

"If that's how long it takes I don't mind."

Hearing frustrated groans signaled the end of the conversation, You didn't necessarily want to do this, life had been lonely enough here. The last part of the trip went by smoothly. From where you stood in Hyrule fields, the castle looked magnificent. Compared to the one in Wild's era, it reminded you of gothic cathedrals. Castle Town followed a similar type of style. The guards in the castle refused entry, gripping strongly onto their weapons. That was until they noticed their hero. The inside of the castle felt like stepping onto a movie set.

"Link?”

A low and honeyed voice was heard before you saw the brown haired princess. Upon seeing her you felt your cheeks blush a bit. The heroes fell to their knees in respect, you quickly copied them. Twilight carefully explained the situation. As you kept your head down, you heard footsteps walking in your direction. The bottom of her dress came into view. Her gloved fingers made contact with your chin, slowly lifting your face up. You felt all the blood in your body rush to your plump cheeks.

"How could you let her travel like this?”

Princess Zelda carefully turned your head either side, most likely to observe your ears.

"What do you mean?” Twilight said, looking over at his companions just as confused.

Zelda helped you stand back up and circled you. You low key felt like an experiment.

"Her clothes are not fit for a traveler. You must be so uncomfortable like this.”

She stopped in front of you, her fingers on her chin pondering. You simply shrugged at her comment. Words weren't on your side at this moment.

"Alright, you may all stay the night. We will discuss what can be done.” She started making her way out of the room. “Please Link, go to the dining room.”

Twilight beckoned the others. You started following them. But you heard a disapproving sound from the princess.

"No, you're coming with me.”

So you did, you were disappointed because you were hungry. Zelda led you through numerous corridors in the castle. You ended up in her study. Words failed you once more, you let her do all the talking. She asked many questions but it felt like she was feeding her curiosity rather than helping you. You didn't mind, she smelt good and you could listen to her voice for hours.

"So, you're obviously not a hylian, though we are practically identical.”

"I'm called a human, or homo sapien. It means wise human.”

"Very arrogant that you called your own species wise.”

Arrogance is kind of the root of the human species. The questions slowly turned into your current situation. You mentioned the visit to the springs. You did add that you did not want to visit the spring of power which amused her. Zelda asked if you still suffered from amnesia, which you did. Nothing became clear with time. You explained that you started grieving your old life because of what Dark Link said on the mountain. You hoped for her to have all the answers but the look of sorrow painted on her face told you everything you needed to know.

"You seem to be in the center of a very bad joke.”

Your growling stomach alerted her to your needs. She told you to go and that she would join you afterwards. On your way to the dining room, the sound of the chain up to tomfoolery helped you find the correct room. The table was perfectly set, it looked like a wedding buffet. The heroes seemed to be enjoying themselves and when they noticed you they practically forced you to stuff your face. When Zelda joined them, they calmed down a bit, mostly Twilight. Since being in Hyrule you finally had a room to yourself, and on your bed laid a brand new leather backpack filled with essentials and a brand new set of clothes fit for traveling. You were a bit sceptical about the choice of heels on your new boots’ but you finally had a cape that would prove to be very useful whenever it would rain again. A knock was heard at the door, your presence was demanded in the late king's study. Upon entering the study, you were met with all the heroes and the princess. She gestured to an empty seat. They all talked about your situation, giving ideas, asking more questions but mainly talking between them. It's not that you didn't want to participate in the conversation, but you already thought about everything that was said.

"What do you think?”

Zelda said, calming your thoughts. Maybe she calmed them down too much, you didn't remember what was being said. But it seemed like an important question because everyone was looking at you for an answer. You started fidgeting with your fingers.

"I don't know.”

That was the wrong answer, they all looked disappointed. Probably not because of you but it felt that way.

"Have you thought about what you would want to do if you had to stay?”

Her saying that made everything even more real. Were you truly stuck here? The words stayed stuck in your dry throat. Nothing was the best answer at that moment. Your heart felt heavy in your chest, you wished to carve it out of your body and put it on display to never have to explain yourself again.

"We shouldn't say that.” Said Hyrule. “Dark link said we needed divine intervention, so let's get that.”

"That's easier said than done.” Legend scoffed.

"Maybe that is the only way.” Princess Zelda replied. "Hylia already answered her and bestowed a gift. It's rare for her to answer us but she answered you. You're not even from this world.”

"She answered twice.” Sky added. “Hylia protected us on the top of the mountain.”

"l'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm starting to think you won't be able to go home anytime soon.” Time said, with a guilty look on his face. “If I'm understanding correctly.”

Time looked over at Zelda who was nodding. You just really hoped they were wrong. You threw your face in your hands. When grown ups would tell you that life was unfair, you didn't think this was what they meant.

"Dark Link might have brought you here out of his own selfish interest but Hylia found you too.”

You kept shaking your head. You weren't even supposed to be here. You were supposed to live in a world without destiny, a world where you could pave your own way, a world where you WERE paving your own way.

"No. Can I refuse? I refuse.”

You got up, a chorus of cries came from the princess and the heroes. But you weren't hearing any of it. Once in your room you slid down your door with your face hidden in your hands in frustration. You groaned and felt the need to punch something. You thought about those boys in your world who would punch holes through their walls after any minor inconvenience. They wouldn't survive in your situation. Your hand caught the first thing you could find, which was your slipper and you threw it. It went flying across the room and hit one of the bedside tables. Of course it knocked it over. You reluctantly went to pick it up. If it weren't for the tiring day, you would've been tossing and turning all night long. Looking out from your window the next morning, you saw the courtyard, Warriors was waiting for you. As you wished, he wasn't going easy on you anymore. Your new clothes helped with mobility and kept you warm. Even the heels proved to be useful as they helped with balance.

"You're getting stronger everyday.” He stood up straight, knuckles on his hips. “You might actually be a warrior now.”

You doubted his words.

"Twilight told me about your little conversation the other day."

"Please don't tell me how much of a stupid idea it is." You blocked his weapon with your shield. "I've already made up my mind." Wars laughed.

"Twilight was hoping I would talk some sense into you." The Captain's attacks were effortless and perfectly coordinated. "But I completely agree with you."

Wars knocked you over before lending his hand out.

"Why don't you find me weak?" You got back up on your feet,

"You're just a new knight in training." He started attacking once more. "And trust me I've seen way worse than you."

"A knight? That seems so formal."

"If you like, when you're stronger I can throw an accolade."

His split moment of lack of concentration gave you the opportunity to attack him. Unfortunately he parried your attack, time slowed down for what felt like a millisecond. You believed his comment from before seeing as he seemed like he was panting. Twilight suggested they go to Ordon village for the time being. He stated that Epona missed home. You couldn't really fight against that. You couldn't fight against anything anyway. You didn't have any clear objective anymore. Before leaving, princess Zelda gave you a triquetra necklace claiming it would keep you safe. You thought about just staying with her in the castle. But you didn't want Dink to appear out of nowhere and put her in danger. After bidding farewell to the princess you all left. Soon enough, Castle Town was far away. This trip was the same route as the spring of courage. And with only a century of difference the environment barely changed. The bridge over Hylia lake was swarmed with merchants. Twilight explained that they decided this was the perfect place to set up shop, though he didn't understand why. He even tried to explain to them that it wasn't, but when one merchant stayed the other followed like sheep. Legend had to be pulled away from every single stand. Faron woods barely changed in the fall, the foliage was still as thick and the air was still as heavy and somewhat humid. Somewhere along the path, you felt a little hand go under your cloak and into your bag. Of course it was Wind.

"What are you doing?” You held onto his wrist.

"I've been caught!”

He yelled with the biggest grin on his face. When you let go you didn't even notice he actually managed to steal something.

"Where did you get this?” Time took it away.

You turn around to one of the essentials packed in your new backpack. A small dagger with the royal family crest. Your reply could not have been more immature as you stated it wasn't any of his business.

"Zelda gave you a lot of things.” Twilight told you quietly so that no one else could hear.

"Jealous?” You said, trying to regain some distance with him.

"Pfft.” He totally was. "Of course not.”

Around the campfire, Sky's harp lulled some of the heroes to sleep, you weren't one of them. The conversation topic turned to love after Sky talked incessantly of his Zelda. How lucky he was to be able to freely love someone. Love seemed to be a complicated topic among the heroes. Maybe one day you would be as lucky as Sky.

"How about you?”

Sky broke your chain of thoughts. What was he even asking? And of course all awake eyes were on you, or else it wouldn't be fun. You just stared at him for a hot minute trying to remember what he was saying.

"Have you ever been in love?”

“...yes.”

"Is it as amazing as lover boy describes it?” Hyrule said mockingly.

"It's... honestly pretty terrible. I don't know if I'd recommend it.”

Your answer amused most of them.

"Was he terrible? Like all the men from your world?” Rare words from Wild.

You looked around at all of them, impatiently waiting for an answer. Besides the light from the campfire, the moon lit up most of your surroundings, though the trees slightly blocked the natural light. You looked back at the flames, reminiscing.

"She was everything to me.”

The words hung in the air. No need to imagine their surprised faces since they were right in front of you.

"I didn't need anyone else as long as I had her.” The surprise faded from their expressions. "When you're in love you do and say things you never thought you would.”

"Like trapping yourself in an amber prison for thousands of years.” Sky said.

"Or becoming a dragon.” Wild added.

"Or more commonly, you give a huge part of yourself to that person. So when you lose them, you also lose that part of yourself.”

"That doesn't sound fun at all.” Great, you scared Roolie.

"Well that's the consequences. But when you are in love it is the most magical and pure thing in the world. You just want to hold onto that spark forever.”

You'd never even been this honest about your feelings with your own friends. But honestly, if the heroes know one thing it's about being in love with a girl who they end up losing. Weirdly enough, everything from your world, every feeling, relationship or milestone now felt relative. It didn't matter anymore. Of course, you now had different things to deal with but it felt so different, so dull, so unimportant. Or maybe you were just growing up.

Chapter Text

Ordon village was a quaint small town lost in the thick jungle of Faron. The ranch Twilight grew up in provided enough space for everyone to stay in, albeit small. The people in the village were very nice and you could see how Twilight got his mannerisms and unique way of speaking. Your stay in Ordon was longer than anyone expected, most likely two months but you couldn't really tell because of the never-changing jungle environment. But this time was much needed for you, someone who hadn't been able to find comfort in an unknown and unstable world. Not only you, but even the heroes proved that this break served just as much purpose to them. After a week or two, you all settled into routines adapted to everyone's needs. You woke up every morning after the crack of dawn and dedicated your time to praying until the sun rose. Afterwards, you would join the Captain for your training, some days, the younger heroes joined you. The rest of the morning was spent with Legend surprisingly enough. He dedicated his mornings to being your teacher, mostly teaching you how to write and teaching you about Hyrule's history. Legend also took the time to teach you how to communicate with the goddess, which explained all your praying. Your afternoons were spent helping around the ranch, and you mostly cared for the goats. Being around them helped you regain all the energy drained by Legend. Time, Wild, and Twilight spent their time in Ordon helping around the ranch and the village making sure everything was in order. Some days, Wild would spend his afternoons teaching you how to ride a horse. When Sky woke up on time, he would monitor your training with Wars, and the two would then spend the day on the lookout for any monster camps that decided to settle around the village. Hyrule, Four, and Wind would run around trying to do ten million different things. Some days they would train with you, sometimes going as far as joining your study session with Legend. But most of the time they would get in trouble for being bad influences on the village kids. When Legend wasn't teaching, he would go exploring the Faron Woods with Hyrule.

Everything seemed to be going well for everyone. The group morale was on the rise, fights became less frequent and everyone seemed to be getting along. Day by day, you could see how good the training had been for you. The mirror each morning showed how strong you were getting and you couldn't help but be giddy over it. When you went missing during the day, the heroes knew they would be able to find you near a Hylia statue, on your knees with the amber stone she left you. But no amount of praying got you any closer to figuring out your next step in your adventure. Sometimes the stone would glow, like it did on the mountain when it protected you. But other than faint glowing nothing else came from your praying. Before sleeping, you spent time journaling, your last connection to home. You were now halfway into your second journal, and writing was therapy for you. Having a trace of your experience outside of your mind made you feel less insane. Because sometimes, even after this much time here, all of this felt like a strange hyper-realistic nightmare. Your special classes about magic from Legend helped you understand magic better. Magic was this world's science, it was at the center of everything. The world around you was created with the intent of existing, it wasn't just a series of random combinations of events that somehow resulted in the creation of Earth and your species. Everything was made from the wish to create life. How sweet it must be to be made for a reason.

Your time learning how to ride a horse allowed you to get to know the hero of the Wild better. Though if you were being honest, you already knew everything about this particular hero. So much so that a poster of him hung on your wall back home. That information would have to be waterboarded out of you though. The quiet hero wasn't as quiet as you thought he was when he warmed up to you, but people could say the same thing about you. Now, about horse riding... Since the last incident when she bucked you off, your fear of horses had only grown. This was the worst part of your training because it required you to conquer your fears. But even after each failed attempt, Link never gave up no matter how annoyed he was. Thank that hero's spirit! Each time you got on Epona you stayed frozen for a solid ten minutes. Trotting scared you, which stressed Epona out, scaring you even more. It was a vicious cycle.

"You know you shouldn't be scared of her.”

He said, caressing her neck, You looked down at him. You were sure he preferred the horse to everyone despite her preferring her cavalier.

"I thought we were staying on a ranch, why can't I ride a smaller horse?”

“You shouldn't get used to another steed, we travel with Epona and only her.”

You mockingly imitated him.

"You know I heard from the grapevine that you worked well under pressure."

Before you could muster out a 'huh’ he scared Epona sending her off into the woods, the sound of your screams disappeared as you entered the forest. Epona didn't stop, as if she were a part of this cruel joke. Maybe Link was right but man fuck him. You swiftly held onto the bridle as if it were going to fly away. You shoved your feet deeper into the stirrups until the back of your heels were stuck in them. The feeling was like being on a roller coaster, only without a seat belt or any other form of protection. Your face was buried in her mane until she bucked you off making you yelp.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

You carefully got up, dusting yourself off and mumbling swear words. As your eyes met the scene in front of you, you felt a mix of fear and surprise. A thief was robbing a defenceless merchant making his way to the bridge. You all stared at each other for a few seconds with blank expressions. Suddenly, your training came to mind. You make your way towards them while taking your shield out. The thief dropped the merchant as if they were a sack of potatoes. He turned all of his attention to you with an unsettling smirk.

"If you leave now I won't count you as a witness."

Your fear from earlier was replaced with disgust and another feeling, something close to smugness or cockiness. Just from a quick glance you could tell this pathetic excuse of a man was no match for you. The man was sickly thin and almost green from how pale he was. The feeling of pride quickly fleeted, letting pity replace it. You decided to keep your sword in your belt, you were only to defend yourself. You did not want to take this hylian’s life. With an unsharpened stone dagger in hand the man shook erratically.

"This is your last warning! Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

Ignoring his warning made the thief angry. He looked like a rabid squirrel, the only thing missing was foam seething out of his mouth. With the Captain's training fresh in your mind from this morning you carefully held your stance. If you could destabilize Wars this guy would be a piece of cake. The man held his stone dagger menacingly while quickly making his way to you. As he tried attacking, you used your shield as a bat and his face as a baseball. The man stained your shield with his blood before collapsing onto the ground. Despite the merchant thanking you, looking away from the scene proved to be impossible. Immense guilt flooded your consciousness as he coughed out more blood. A comforting hand touched your shoulder.

"You did good."

Wild appeared from the wild.

"I remember when I first killed someone. I couldn't keep anything down for a week."

"How did you get past it?"

"When you do it for someone it changes everything."

But you didn’t do it for anyone did you? Even if you used that dumb merchant as an excuse. Can robbing someone justify this type of punishment. Maybe he was sick, struggling to make ends meet. If anything you did this for yourself, to protect yourself, as if his makeshift dagger could cause you any real harm, as if your life was more valuable than his. Maybe it was far fetched but you believed all “crimes” could be justified, all crimes but one of course.

"Hey," He pulled you towards him. "It will get easier."

A simple nod and the two of you were off to Ordon once again. The man appeared in your dreams for the next few nights. Your training was also met with difficulty as your brain was filled with guilt. You had to use Sky’s shield to stop seeing Wars as the thief. The whole ordeal made you think more about your situation. Knowing what you know now, would you be able to act accordingly if anything were to happen again? Would your adventure be filled with living beings you would need to hurt? When the time would come, and you knew it would, would you be able to use everything that the heroes passed on to you? Or would you freeze like in the beginning? Showing no sign of progress ultimately proving them right. If you were to be at their level, taking a life shouldn’t be an issue, it would be something you were expected to do at some point. After a couple of months of observing hylians, the only differences you noticed were insignificant and merely physical: them usually being shorter than humans, mostly having light colored eyes and of course the pointy ears. You already had trouble hunting animals for dinner, how were you expected to kill another living being? As more days went on, the more you wrote and the more you pondered made you think about Dark Link. Was he a living being? Or was he only a manifestation of hatred and Demise’s powers? A part of you thought it had to be the latter because why would Demise’s minion go after you? Surely he would have more important things to do. Speaking of which, Dark Link hadn’t been showing any signs of activity. Sometimes, you would wake up from a nightmare of him, but that was caused by trauma. You didn’t know if you liked his absence because if he were to appear, then you would know where he was. The heroes debated where he would show up next. They tried to find some sort of pattern but nothing made sense. You didn’t like to admit that you feared when you prayed. Every time you opened your eyes, you thought he would be there. You didn’t understand why he wouldn’t appear, you were your most vulnerable while praying. With your weapons being discarded and letting your guard down. If you were him, this was when you would strike.

Everything you were feeling was completely valid and in proportion to your situation. Well, you thought so. Since your bold statement to Twilight, you kept your word, unsurprisingly. It didn’t take long for them to realize your untold favoritism for some of the heroes while you kindly ignored the others. Not entirely ignoring them, you could never bring yourself to do something so impolite to people who essentially keep you alive. But as soon as you were alone with Time, Sky, Twilight or Hyrule, you would quickly find a way to make yourself busy. You didn’t expect to have to ignore Hyrule. But you were sick of his guilt ridden looks he had each time he realized he couldn’t heal you. It felt like pitying on his end which was dehumanizing. You were sick of the heroes that saw everything you weren’t instead of the things you were and could be. Maybe it was foolish of you, any other sane person would let these qualified heroes protect them and lead the way. Maybe you weren’t sane, maybe you couldn’t let yourself be protected because you knew deep down that the heroes were also trying to find a way home. You were not the only one in need of helping. All of these things, every negative feeling, anxious thought and realization were not for their ears. They were enclosed between your mind and your journal in a language unknown to them. Sometimes, you could tell that the heroes wanted you to talk about your feelings. Sometimes you would almost share something with Legend, but he would always add a comment that would tick you off. But, you were closest to sharing your feelings with Wild. Because surprisingly, he didn’t see you as lesser, just different. Which wasn’t a problem because that’s how you saw all the heroes. Despite the growing closeness to the champion, something always stopped you from taking that necessary step to open up. At the end of the day, if you wanted to talk about something, you wouldn’t hide it behind thousands of words.

One day, Hyrule caught a cold after he was dared to go swimming in the middle of the night. Legend asked you to go exploring with him instead, which really surprised you. You thought Time or Wars would be his second choice. The sweet goats only needed so much caring so you agreed. Truth be told you hadn't stepped outside of the village since the incident with the thief. Legend decided it would be best to skip your lesson that day, treating this adventure like a field trip. While preparing to leave, Legend gave you an obnoxiously long list of items to gather. In the main room, Sky spotted the map Legend was planning to follow. The hero of the sky unfolded the map confused before looking over at his companion getting ready.

"Vet?"

"What now? I'm busy," Legend looked over at Sky holding up the map. Panic spread on his face like flames.

"I thought tha-"

Legend snatched the map from his grip.

"Don't tell anyone. Please." The hero stuffed away the map. “I think this will help.”

Sky looked unsure, his eyes frantically glanced around the room to avoid Legend’s pleading ones.

"...you'll owe me one."

Soon enough, Ordon village was far behind you. The hero of legends' endless knowledge of Hyrule kept you entertained. Over time, you came to realize that this Link was a huge nerd. A big nerd who insisted that wearing short shorts under his tunic was fashionable. The two of you traveled through thick foliage and swamp-like terrain. Link's ability to quickly read maps was impressive, especially to someone like you who could barely understand minecraft maps. The trees provided you with some much-needed shelter from the blaring sun. But under the trees and with Link’s constant talking you didn't even realize the sun had started to set. Not until the sound of thunder from a tropical storm moving closer to your direction alerted you. The search for cover became increasingly more difficult as rain showered both of you. Not even your new cloak was thick enough to protect you from this violent rain. A cave served as cover, but everywhere you stepped quickly became soaked because of your current state. The clouds hid all sources of light from the sky. With his magic, Link started a fire.

"If I knew we would end up like this, I don't think I would've agreed to come." You said while trying to wring out your cloak.

"My bad for thinking you could handle this." His bonnet and outer tunic were set to dry on a rock. He was busy warming his fingers up. "Next time I won't bother at all."

In retaliation, you threw your, still-soaking, cloak at him. A mature response to a mature comment. Link groaned before tossing it on the rock with his belongings. Still standing, you untie your bodice, If you were stuck here you might as well be comfortable. Facing your companion once more, you catch his eyes quickly drift away.

"Don't worry I won't throw it at you."

Link scoffed at your words as you sat down next to him. The cave managed to muffle most of the sound of the rain. The fire crackled as it burned through the wood.

"Your adventures with Hyrule barely last a day. I thought we would be back before dinner time." You warmed up your fingers.

"Well maybe if you were faster we would be back already."

"I don't see how this is my fault. You easily could've chosen someone more adept, like Four."

"Not Four," Legend shook his head. "I would be forced to take Wind as well."

"Well then Sky, or Wild or-"

Legend shot an irritated look your way begging you to stop talking. But you were just trying to make sense of this. You rolled your eyes as you looked away.

"I'm just surprised you chose me as a companion."

"Well, I obviously made a mistake."

A mistake? You would've been offended if you believed him. Legend was a seasoned adventurer and hero, he didn't make mistakes when it came to planning. Your eyes squinted, and you were very skeptical. Not to mention that Link wasn't the type to admit when he was wrong, not that easily.

"Did you warn the others that there was a chance this would be an overnight thing?"

"Can you stop asking so many questions?" He got up and stepped away from you. “You’re driving me insane.”

You were now even more skeptical. You kept staring at him, weirdly enough he wasn't able to keep eye contact with you. Which was strange for him, he even seemed to be avoiding your gaze.

"Can you stop staring at me like that?!" He almost looked like he was blushing. "You're making me uncomfortable."

"Why do you look so guilty?"

Link was about to respond but something cut him off. He mumbled incomprehensible words and shook his head. He looked away into the rain.

“Fine!” You threw your hands up in the air dramatically. “Don’t answer me.”

As you rummaged through your bag, you took your journal out and started jotting things down. Ignoring him seemed to have pissed him off more than your talking. The hero slowly faced you, observing what you were doing.

“What are you writing?”

Eyes peered up to greet him. Instead of answering you took a sip of water from your water bottle before continuing to write in your journal without saying a word. Legend sighed heavily before sitting next to you. As he tried to peer over your shoulder to read, you quickly scooted away.

“You can’t even read that.” You said. “I don’t even know why you’re trying.”

“I know.” Link rolled his eyes. “I’m just curious.”

“Well you’re going to stay curious.”

Another sigh left his throat as he threw his head back. His head rolled to the side before looking down. As he fidgeted with whatever he could find he spoke.

“Are you writing about her?”

“What?”

Link shifted his body to sit up straight. With an eyebrow raised you stared at him confused, trying to read his intentions.

“You know… the girl you loved.”

“Are you my therapist?” You scoffed and went back to writing.

“I don’t know what that is but I’m guessing it’s someone you share your deepest darkest secrets with.” He nudged you making you scribble. “Right?”

Instead of nudging him back, you just chuckled at his words.

“I haven’t really thought about her since arriving here.” Your pencil stopped in its tracks. “I’ve been too focused on staying alive.”

Link nodded as he looked longingly into the fire.

“Why was it terrible?”

As he looked back at you waiting for a response, his expression wasn’t filled with dishonesty or hidden intentions. You shrugged and started writing again.

“Falling in love is just ignoring every red flag until it’s too late.” You scoffed before writing again. “You should know a thing or two about this already.”

“It sucks when they aren’t at the level of the pedestal you put them on.” Link took your pencil away. “But most people aren’t.”

“Most people are terrible.”

“You’re not terrible.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the sudden compliment. It was strange coming from him.

“Maybe once you get back home you can try to talk to her again.” He quickly looked away. “Maybe it’ll help you move on.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible.”

Legend nodded again, he looked deep in thought. Suddenly he gasped and looked towards you.

“Oh goddesses, is she dead?!”

“What?!” You laughed at the absurdity, but when you thought more about it. That possibility was probably common in this world. “No, no. She’s just terrible. Like, really terrible.”

His hand met his heart as he sighed. As always he was so dramatic.

“Well, what did she do that was so terrible that you can’t even speak to her anymore?”

You blankly stare off into the rain debating whether to share that information. (Disclaimer, this is where the tag ‘reader-insert’ comes into effect.) You sigh heavily and close your journal.

“Well, first of all, she fell into substance abuse. Like, heavily.” Legend’s expression slowly shifted to shock. “I mean I know people change as they grow up, but she is completely unrecognisable.” Before he could speak you cut him off. “Second of all and luckily last of all, she told my brother and ex-boyfriend that I called them rapists.”

Mouth agape, Legend looked away from you.

“Speaking to her isn’t in the cards anymore. Although sometimes I wish I could.” Link looked back at you with his brows furrowed. “I won’t! I can’t anyway. The person I fell in love with doesn’t exist anymore.”

Legend looked away shaking his head.

“Surely you did something after what she said?” As you looked away Legend yelped. “Are you insane? I would've cursed her!”

“Yeah but you weren’t in love with her! I can’t imagine hurting someone I used to love.” You shook your head. “No matter what, I just can’t bring myself to fight back.”

“You’re too soft for this world.”

“I will walk out into the rain and go back to Ordon myself.”

Legend grabbed your arm, to stop you if you attempted to do so. He shook his head.

“I answered your question.” Link let go of your arm. “Can you answer mine now?”

The hero sighed before nodding reluctantly.

“I guess that’s only fair.” He said as he rolled his eyes.

"Is it safe to say this was in fact intentional?"

"...Obviously, I don't make mistakes."

You felt a bit used despite not knowing what for. The more you thought about it, the more annoyed you got.

"You didn't warn anyone that you were taking me on an adventure? Time is going to be furious with you."

"I thought you stopped caring about what he thought." Legend stood up. "Besides, I can handle myself very well."

"I don't doubt that, but what if Dark Link shows up?" Legend scoffed at your words which really irritated you.

“We were having a nice moment! Why did you have to ruin it with your stupid questions?”

You quickly rose to your feet, your heart was beating fast as irritation flooded the cave.

“How can we have a nice moment when you’re being dishonest with me?”

Out of frustration you threw your journal at Legend.

“I’m sick of all of you lying to me! You do realize that if he shows up you will not be able to protect me?”

"It's not my fault you're too weak to handle yourself!” You’re taken aback at his comment. “You want to prove you're equal to us? Start by believing it yourself. If you can’t find a way too, maybe it’s because you aren’t!”

Deep down you knew his words were only to deflect. But it still hurt, a lot, as if you got stabbed. His expression of instant regret wasn’t enough to stop that familiar pinch in your nose. There was no way you could let him see you cry after what he just said. You stepped back and took a long deep breath. This type of comment would’ve naturally flown out of Time or Twilight’s mouth, but this was unexpected from Legend. Which stung even more.

"Why did you choose me?"

You actively fought the shaking in your voice. Legend stopped himself from talking again, he looked away with a guilt flooding your eyes. The assumption of you being used was as clear as ever.

"Let me guess, I'm needed in your little quest?" You cross your arms.

"What? No-" Panic spread on his face as you seemed to get angrier.

"Am I the key to a puzzle you can't solve?" Legend profusely shook his head. "Or maybe you need the goddess to interfere with something and you think putting me in danger will make her magically appear?" You turn away and go deeper into the cave.

"WHAT?!" Link went after you, grabbing your arm forcing you to face him. "I would never do something like that!"

“Well if you don’t want me making assumptions you should be honest!” You push him away, destabilising him, making him tumble. “The guilty expression tells me everything I need to know!”

“Please! Just listen-”

“You already had your time to talk.” You point your finger aggressively. “Maybe you’re right, I am too soft for this world! Because I actually thought we were friends.”

As quickly as he fell, the hero of Legends stood back up. You stepped away from him not wanting to get closer.

“Here I actually thought you saw me as a companion.” You threw your hands to your head. “Guess not ha! Guess i was just some pawn like alwa-”

The hero grabbed a hold of your arms and either side, successfully cutting you off. Before you could react he quickly spoke out.

"It's because I wanted to spend time with you!"

Rain filled the silence. You weren't sure whether you could believe him but seeing how his cheeks turned into the shade of pink in his hair proved his honesty. Your shocked face weirdly turned into disgust.

“I was worried about you.” He let go of you. “We’re all worried about you.” He spoke before you. “I know you don’t like that, I thought that maybe if I got you far away from the others you would open up.”

No response came to mind, you looked away not being able to bear the sight of his face.

“Plus it meant I got to get you alone.”

“We spend every day together.”

"I know." He threw his hand to his face before running it through his hair. "I know how stupid and dangerous this was but I was tired of our time being interrupted by them."

The thunder answered instead of you. Carefully you tucked his pink streak back behind his pointy ear. You stared into each other's eyes for a moment before you scoffed.

"You can't just laugh after I said something like that!" He sighed and stepped away.

"That was the most selfish thing I have ever seen.” You slowly start laughing. “I can’t tell you how much I want to hit you right now. Why didn’t you just tell me that?!”

"I didn’t only do it for myself. I just couldn’t ask you because you were ignoring everyone.” He said, looking away.

“I’ve been ignoring four of you, you could’ve easily pulled me aside.”

He sighed at his dishonesty being revealed.

“It meant I had to admit I was wrong for hating you at first, I don't like being wrong."

"I spat on you, you had every right to dislike me."

Legend finally laughed at the situation. The silence that remained was comfortable. As the two of you calmed down, a look of melancholy clouded his face.

"You thought I'd do something like that to you?"

Your mind went blank for a second.

"You thought I would use you like that?"

“I don’t know how to answer that without hurting your feelings.”

There was a pause accompanied by a dissatisfied grimace.

“I know, I’m terrible. I’m disingenuous when it means getting what I want. I’m also really mean.” He scratched the back of his neck. “The others are as messed up. Except Wind, he’s too young.” He pondered. “And Wild, but that’s because he’s really stupid.”

Maybe so, how good can a species be if in your world they’re inspired by your species? Everyone has their faults and strong suits. They may be heroes for a reason, but it doesn’t mean they are perfect. Especially after the things they all went through. Bad behaviors can sometimes be coping mechanisms, or just bad judgement on one’s part. Making mistakes and hurting people doesn’t necessarily make someone bad. It made you wonder what makes someone bad. This world you were stuck in didn’t necessarily qualify certain things as immoral even if you would. Physically hurting someone is often justified, especially when done by a hero. It was even seen as normal. It was safe to say that Legend fed your journal entry that night as you both sat on your bedrolls near the campfire. Legend kept complaining about how scolded he was going to be once back in Ordon, but he only had himself to blame. The air was slightly chilly from the storm which encouraged proximity between you two. Occasionally, lightning lit up the sky letting you get a glimpse of the endless ocean of dark clouds.

"You know I'm still surprised you wanted to spend more time with me."

"Please don't embarrass me again." He hid his face.

"I'm surprised because of how much we fight."

Link simply shrugged as if it were no big deal. But you could count the number of times your bickering almost turned physical, which wasn’t a normal event in friendships from your experience.

"I enjoy arguing with people, it shows who they really are."

"I guess when you put it like that. But I swear one day one of our fights won't be done with words."

"I don't think that'll be too much of an issue, you don't look hard to stop." He said, very confidently.

"You're barely taller than me, I could easily take you on."

The hero scoffed but seeing as you were serious he shook his head with a condescending smirk.

"Are you willing to bet on that?"

The sound of an imaginary crowd cheering played in your head as you stepped onto the imaginary ring that was just the cave floor. You both stood on opposite sides, you studied your opponent the hero of Legend, and how arrogantly he behaved. He was smiling as if he'd already won this very real and definitely not fake WWE match. Usually, your training was done with weapons and to be honest, the only hand-to-hand combat you knew were a few judo moves you learnt in seventh grade. But it didn't matter, you wouldn't stop until that smirk was wiped off his face. The fake sound of a bell played in your head.

"You should give up now." He mocked you.

"Do you hear that?"

Link looked at you confused as you slowly approached your opponent.

"Listen to the crowd cheer my name."

"Wha-? What are you talking about? What crowd?!"

Only a moment of distraction was needed for you to pounce on your unsuspecting target. Your opponent yelped as the battle continued on the floor. The imaginary crowd cheering you on as you headlocked him.

"That's cheating!"

"There are no rules in war!"

Your grip tightened around his head until he hit the ground signaling defeat.

"FINE! You win!"

The grip around him completely loosened as your hands were on either side of him. You smiled obnoxiously as he panted.

"I told you I could do it."

Legend carefully sat up, You didn't realize how close you were until the scent of freshly baked honey bread filled your senses. Maybe you should’ve thought it through before fighting him.

"Only because you distracted me.."

Time seemed to slow down for a moment while your heart was beating a hundred kilometers an hour. Despite how nervous you felt, you were unable to move, frozen in this uncomfortable position. Talking didn’t seem to be on your side either, the only thing you managed to do was gulp, how embarrassing you thought. Link smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous."

Your eyes shot to his hand as it made its way up your arm until it settled on your cheek, encouraging you to look at him once more. Because of how dramatic he was, Legend was very easy to read. As you started to get to know him better, you knew what to expect when it came to him. But, no matter how many times this scene played in your head beforehand, you never imagined ending up like this. It might have been too much for your heart. A part of you was praying something or someone would save you. By some sort of heavenly force, lightning interrupted whatever was about to happen by striking the top of your shelter. The whole cave trembled violently around you as the sound caused a loud ringing in your ears. Disorientation washed over as you couldn't make out anything anymore. It felt as if you stood up too fast after the end of an eternal slumber. For a moment your consciousness traveled between the realms that held this world together. Celestial hands held the planet's atmosphere as the stars shined by thousands connecting this universe to the millions of others out there. Maybe if you had more time to look, you would be able to see home. As your view came back to normal, a cloud of pink dust made you believe you were still out of your mind. You blinked a couple times trying to make sense of the strange phenomenon. The dust settled as the ringing in your ears faded away. You were expecting a lot of things but not to see a bunny. Your hands flew to your mouth as you let out a gasp. Legend sat there for a moment making sure this was really happening.

"Is this punishment for how much of a dick I am?" His beady eyes looked towards you. "Well say something!"

"Nothing I say or do could improve this situation."

You replied, still covering your mouth. The truth was you didn't know whether to laugh, pity him or comfort him.The next morning, Link declared the adventure canceled. You now were entrusted with the difficult task of getting back to Ordon in one piece with an almost completely useless guide. The last part of your failed adventure was filled with bickering and arguing over where to go and whether he should be held. On the way, you were confronted by different monsters. The amount you had to fight quickly became overwhelming so you decided to run from them at the expense of carrying a snide rabbit. As the sun started setting you finally saw the ranch from a far. You were excited to sleep in a real bed again. Upon entering the ranch with the rabbit in hand, the heroes were all arguing at the table in the common room.

"It's been almost two days. How have none of you seen her? She isn't hard to spot! She stands out like a thumb compared to us!" Time complained loudly.

You quietly observed the scene. Sky was rubbing the back of his neck.

"You can't blame us! You also got tricked by the little twerp!" Twilight retaliated.

Legend pulled at your arm to get your attention. You look down at the pink bunny in your arms. He didn’t say anything, he just kept shaking his head. Wild slammed his fists on the hardwood table.

"I swear to Hylia if I ever see him again we'll be having Legend stew for days"

Legend's ears fell to his fluffy sides. You picked him up to have him at eye level.

"I'm going in there."

Legend pleaded at your words. But this was not your fault, Legend was to blame for this. Besides, even if you wanted, he couldn’t stay a bunny forever. As they kept arguing in the next room, you got ready to walk out. Anxiety paralyzed your limbs, you were sure Legend could hear how fast your heart was beating. His tiny paws started shaking your arm, snapping you out of your shackles of fear.

"Hey, it's okay! I won't be mad at you! I know you're right.” He clung onto your arm. "You don't have to worry so much.." Even if he was a rabbit you could see the worry on his face.

"I'm fine. Just a bit anxious."

"You call that a bit?"

Ignoring his last comment you stepped in the doorframe of the room filled with commotion. The heroes kept arguing until one of them noticed you. Faces of relief washed over them before they were quickly replaced with anger.

"Hi everyone..." Legend spoke up nervously.

Wild got up from his seat and menacingly walked over. As he tried to grab Legend you quickly held him out of reach.

"Legend you little shit!" Time exclaimed. "Why on Hyrule are you a rabbit?!"

"It's a curse he got during his adventures!" Twilight replied, trying not to laugh but failing.

The room was filled once again with commotion. You kept having to keep the bunny out of the cook's reach. The Captain gestured to Four and Wind to leave. They greeted you as they reluctantly made their way outside.

"That's something I should've known." Time pinched his nose bridge.

"How did it even happen this time? Did you find a random Dark crystal? There may still be some around." Twilight added.

"This time? It happened more than once?!"

Time's reaction was as you expected. Everyone's reaction for that matter. It eased your anxiety from earlier, it proved you started to truly know them. You were growing tired of Wild's murderous envies towards Legend. You placed the pink bunny on the table in front of everyone before pulling Wild aside, making sure to hold on to him to avoid having to eat rabbit meat.

"No, there was no crystal." He crossed his tiny arms. "I don't know how it happened but it was when lightning hit the cave we were camping in."

"LIGHTNING HIT YOUR CAMP?!" Time shouted like an overprotective parent.

"How would..?" Hyrule was confused.

"I don't know! As if the goddesses were playing a cruel joke on me!" The bunny stomped.

The Captain who seemed to be deep in thought suddenly bursted in laughter. The heroes looked at him confused.

"Hylia turned you into a bunny!" Legend tried protesting but other heroes joined Wars in his contagious laughter. "You were probably doing something you weren’t supposed to!"

"What!? NO!" He covered his eyes with his paws.

"Well what were you doing before the lighting hit?" Wars replied through laughs. His expressions told them everything they needed to know. "I knew she would get you for messing with Y/n too much.”

"I figured out your punishment for being so reckless and stupid." The laughter died when Time spoke. "I’m guessing like Twilight, you need to make contact with the master sword." The bunny nodded enthusiastically. “We won’t be doing that.”

"WHAT! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"How is that unfair?! You brought her out on an adventure knowing how dangerous it was!" Time hit the table making the bunny lose his balance.

"Nothing bad happened! We're both alive and healthy!" He stood back up. "Plus she's getting really strong!"

"No matter how much she trains she is still at great risk! Do I really have to remind you that she is immune to all magic?"

"Not all!"

"Great because being only vulnerable to offensive magic is a good thing?" Twilight chimed in.

"We can't heal her if anything bad happens.." Hyrule added timidly.

"Why are you getting on my back too!?"

"How did you not think of Dark Link?" Time added.

Instinctively your grip tightened on Wild's arm. The champion looked towards you for a split moment concerned by your discreet body language.

"That monster almost killed Twilight, you think you could've handled him?" Time continued.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Legend stomped, but instead of being menacing it looked a little ridiculous. “I did what you asked and now you’re getting mad!”

Your eyes widened, not because you were surprised by the revelation but because you didn’t know how Time would react to such a bold statement. Time was too stunned to speak for a moment.

“I didn’t ask you to go to the middle of nowhere and trap yourself under a tropical storm!” The old man groaned, embarrassed that his part in this was revealed. “Sky, why haven’t you said a thing?!”

Sky coughed, shocked to be put on the spot. But luckily for him the front door flew open.

"It's here!" Wind exclaimed.

All the heroes understood each other perfectly. You looked through the open door. In the distance you saw another portal. You quickly followed the chain by gathering all your things. As you packed everything, you kept getting more and more anxious. You were in Twilight’s era for so long, you got used to everyone and everything around the way it was. Having your first stable environment slip away from you left an uncomfortable feeling in your gut. Change was always difficult, no matter how old you got, it never got easier. Glancing around, your amber stone glowed. Something so simple eased your worries for a moment. The portal stood menacingly in front of you. The heroes stepped through one by one. While holding your breath you stepped through the nauseating object of chaos. The sight on the other side was almost blinding because of how bright the environment was. The weather slapped you awake as you ‘crunched’ while taking another step forward. The portal closed behind you as you looked around at the snow-filled valley. Wind immediately started throwing snowballs at the other heroes. In the distance, a little cottage on a hill laid under the pilling snow, the sight was oddly comforting and somehow familiar.

Chapter Text

Act I

With the heroes, you made your way to the quaint cottage buried in the snow. In the distance you were able to notice a frozen lake and a village. You couldn't recall the last time you saw this much snow, but it was probably in baby pictures from twenty years ago. If you actually continued playing a Link to the Past, you wouldn't have needed Legend's confident gesturing towards the clearly occupied house to know you were in his era. Time cautiously pulled on the door handle since the Vet was unable in his current form.

"What's wrong?" Legend said in a voice dripping in attitude. "You don't know how to open a door?"

Time didn't reply, he simply dropped him before stepping away not wanting to deal with him anymore. Legend yelped, as if falling into snow was painful. As you saw him stomp in the snow angrily, you didn't feel pity for him. Maybe it was mean of you but you thought he deserved it. The Captain tried his luck with the door.

"It's locked you dumbass."

Legend sighed before lifting the snow covered doormat to retrieve a key. The Captain inserted the rusty key and unlocked the door, he cautiously opened the door. You were all met with the sight of a man standing in the kitchen. Fear washed over his face as he shrieked and threw the pot he was using. The porridge he was preparing spilled everywhere and when you looked back at him, he was backed into the corner and trying to get his hands on anything he could throw. As Legend yelled at him to calm down, the man didn't listen. As the heroes started panicking you quickly looked around to find any way to help. Your eyes fall onto Twilight's pendant. Without asking, you swiftly break it off of him and throw it at the man. A black sparkly cloud puffed up before revealing the black bunny. As you suspected, the man was Ravio, Legend's Lorule counterpart. The hero of Legend quickly hopped over to his friend.

"Don't come near me!" Ravio hid behind his paws. "Or else I'll call-"

"Ravio for the love of Hylia, please stop!"

After recognizing the familiar voice, slowly but surely, Ravio's little hands slid down his fluffy face, it almost looked like he was crying. The bunnies blinked at each other.

"Link?" His voice was trembling. "Is that really you?"

"Yes! Can you stop acting like a maniac now?!"

Ravio didn't respond, to no one's surprise he started sobbing before hugging Legend. Before this, you had never seen two bunnies hug, unless it was an AI video, the sight was so much better than anything AI could make. As everyone settled in, Ravio properly introduced himself. Despite being in a room full of clones of himself, he mostly focused on you. He sat in front of you, where your plate of dinner was supposed to be.

"So you're from a different universe?" He put his fluffy chin in his palm. "How does that even work?"

"In my universe, some believe that there is a place beyond our reality and understanding that connects every single universe together. It's called the multiverse."

"How did you travel to that place if it's beyond your understanding?"

"I told you already." Legend nudged his roommate. "She got kidnapped."

Ravio gasped, Legend rolled his eyes at his exaggerated reaction. His tiny paw met his heart.

"I'm so sorry, it must be so difficult being so far away from home." The bunny lifted your hand and brought your fingers closer to his chest. "Just know you're always welcome here."

Legend's foot thumped excessively on his hardwood table. You couldn't help but scoff at Ravio's comment, finding the dallying speech ridiculous. The bunny took offense to your amusement, making your hand fly to your mouth.

"I'm sorry Ravio, I didn't mean to laugh." You try your best to keep a straight face. "That was very sweet of you to say."

"Oh don't play into it!" The hero of Legend exclaimed. "Despite his looks he's still a man!"

The two rabbits started throwing paws at each other, the other heroes had to pull them apart, which admittedly wasn't hard to do.

"What does that even mean?" Your attention turned to Wars. His index and thumb scratched his five o'clock shadow. "I already have a hard time understanding that you come from another universe. You're telling me that there's more than two?"

The Captain's comment created discourse among the heroes. You wished to have every answer, but multiverse theories were fictional for you, until now.

"If both of our universes exist simultaneously, the probability of it only being us is low." The pink bunny crossed his arms as he spoke. "I'd even argue it would be impossible."

"So every universe is the home to hylians that are entirely different to us and don't know anything about Hyrule?"

After Hyrule's comment, the ruckus that followed was a mixture of worry and intrigue. The theories and bickering hung heavy in the cramped room.

"Not necessarily." Your words put an end to the discord. "We think that some universes could be copies of ours but with slight differences."

"So different versions of us exist through this multiverse thingy?" Wars shook his head. "I have a hard time believing there's more than one version of me."

"But you exist in my world. Even if your world is fictional in mine, a different version of you already exists."

Wars leaned back in his seat as he shrugged. Unfortunately you didn't think much about this topic. You do remember thinking you might be an anomaly for a bit, but obsessing over staying alive really stopped your ability to have philosophical debates with yourself.

"You don't exist in our world." Four replied. "Which means we don't exist in some universes."

"It also means in some universes our adventures are different." Sky tried to comfort Four who looked a little down.

"I might not live in a flooded world in some other universe?!" Wind exclaimed.

"In another universe I never became a hero." Time nodded to himself.

"That means I wouldn't exist." Twilight nudged the old man.

"So a version of me in another universe got to see Zelda again?" Wild scoffed at the idea and crossed his arms.

"What do you mean?"

The other heroes looked over at you as if you just insulted their entire timeline. You looked around nervously feeling very awkward.

"I thought you knew my story the best." Wild looked down. "You know what happened to her."

Sticking a nerve wasn't your intention, especially if it was Wild’s. Your expression faltered for a moment as the realization dawned on you. Your hand rubbed the back of your neck nervously debating whether you should share what you knew.

"I'm sorry." Before you could stop them, the words came out. "Your version in my world did get to see her again."

You wanted to smack yourself for saying that. But before you could see an unfiltered reaction, your comment only fueled the debate about the multiverse between the heroes. The chain debated on all that could or couldn't be. They ultimately decided that the multiverse, home to an endless amount of universes, that everything and anything imaginable could be. Which led you to thinking about how you managed to end up in this universe in the first place. As you wrote in your journal, you tried retracing every encounter you had until now, specifically with the goddesses of this world and Dark Link. On Lanayru's peak he mentioned not being strong enough to bring you back because of all the power he used to get here in the first place. Concurrently, that meant you would need a power as strong as his to be able to go home. If you weren't exhausted, you wouldn't have been able to sleep with two rabbits tossing and turning all about. But laying in a bed after your short adventure, you couldn't stop your eyelids from shutting over your tired eyes, letting you slowly drift to sleep.

The peace from your deep sleep was interrupted by your alarm ringing. You quickly sat up not expecting to hear that sound. You let your feet dangle off the side of your bed, from your room you heard commotion in the house. As you made your way downstairs, the sound of your mother in the kitchen got louder. You peaked around the corner, she was busy flipping through a cookbook that was older than you. She yelped as she noticed you.

"My god, you scared me! Why are you hiding?"

She tilted her head before looking at her dusty cookbook again. You can't help but smile.

"I know, how crazy am I? It's my day off and I spend it cooking."

There she went on her monologues again, you didn't even need to speak. You made your way to the stools around the counters.

"But I really wanted to try this recipe. I think I could bring it to our Xmas dinner." She sighed. "I know! It's a month away! I just don't want to mess it up the day before. Can you imagine if that happened?"

A genuine giggle fell out of your mouth. Your mother was exactly like how you remembered her. But, you had been missing for several months now, how could she act the same? Memories are confusing for a conscious person because a memory does not have the ability to grow. A memory is only aware of what you knew and felt before. A sigh fell from you as you realized what was happening. The environment around you seemed to lose color.

"What's wrong?"

It was weird to hear her voice, maybe it wasn't even hers. What did your mom's voice sound like again? You sighed before looking around at your house fading away.

"I know you aren't real." You look back at the memory of her. "But can I ask you a question?"

She turned her full attention to you. Weirdly enough, you felt heat rush to your cheeks.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Before she could answer you spoke.

"I know you are just a figment of my unconsciousness, I know you aren't really my mother."

The cookbook and the surroundings slowly turned into nothing as the cheap illusion shattered.

"I know you can only tell me things I already know."

You chuckle at the stupidity of your words and actions contradicting each other. The figure representing your mother kept her eyes down. The silence that reigned in the room was deafening.

"What would you like me to say then?"

"I don't know." You sighed as you turned around from the memory. "I guess if I'm dreaming of you, I'm in some serious need of motherly advice. Even if it’s a tiny push in the right direction."

There was no answer, the room around you made your head spin. Some limbs felt bigger than others and you felt a terrible feeling of being miniscule compared to everything in this wretched universe. A familiar smell snapped you out of your hazed state. The scent of charcoal becoming more intense made your skin crawl. Feeling overwhelmed by your surroundings, you furiously shake your head as your hands cover your eyes.

"You know," Your head sprung back up. "It didn't have to be this difficult."

Instead of letting the sense of dread get to your head, you confidently face the monster before you. But turning around only led to more darkness.

"I may not be a mother, but I can share some advice."

Each time you faced the direction where his voice was, it seemed to already be gone. Your momentary confident façade turned into uncertainty. Every ounce of courage dissipated from your body as you felt his cold hand on your shoulder.

"If I were you I would stop trying."

As you gasped for air at your wake, you quickly sat up on Legend's bed with your palm clinging to your heart. Your sudden reaction startled the two bunnies as they jumped out of their comfy sleeping positions.

"WHAT?! WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

The pink bunny glanced around in fear while Ravio cowered under the covers. Not being able to spot any threat, Legend turned to you.

"What is wrong with you? You almost gave me a heart attack!" He tried hitting you.

"I'm sorry!" The black bunny stopped hiding. "I had a nightmare."

The shy winter sun was barely peaking through the thick fog and clouds. From the window, you were able to see that the cottage was surrounded by forests and of course snow. Just peering at the outside world sent a shiver through you. A soft paw grabbed your attention.

"You really scared me as well.." Said Ravio.

Without a second thought you took a hold of him and held him close. It made you think of your pets back at home that you couldn't hug anymore. After a bit of affection he seemed to feel better.

"Don't do that!" Legend said angrily. "He's still a man!"

You quickly got out of bed, letting the two rabbits bicker alone. Ravio scoffed at his roommate.

"What's it to you huh?"

"I think you're taking advantage of your form just a little too much." Legend crossed his arms.

"Whatever! You're just jealous!"

Link gasped at the comment. You didn't pay much attention to their squallering, you were busy getting ready for your training.

"Jealous of what? You?" Legend scoffed loudly. "As if!"

From the conversation happening behind you, it was hard to believe that they were the same age as you. They lost their balance when you sat back on the bed to put your boots on. Unfortunately it didn't stop their arguing.

"Jealous that I got hugged and you didn't" Ravio had a smug look.

"She would never hug you if you were a hylian, as I previously stated."

"Well even as a rabbit she won't even hug you!"

You finished tying your laces as they started fighting. Stepping away you observed the scene for a moment, they weren't doing much damage to each other. You debated whether you should leave them be, but your better judgment decided against that idea. You carefully pick up Legend, leaving him hitting the air for a moment. Turning him around you were met with a pouting face as he huffed. You proceeded to hold him in a tight embrace. Finally the two stopped fighting. In the common room, most of the heroes were awake, some were sleeping in Ravio's room. Your Captain sat at the dining table sharing a morning beverage with the old man. When he noticed you he put his cup down.

"Our apprentice knight is awake." Warriors crossed his arms. "I'm not training you today."

You glance towards Sky who was still half asleep. Wars shook his head.

"Be grateful it isn’t." He gestured towards the door. "Your new captain is waiting outside."

You continue to look around the room at the different heroes present. Time was sat at the table with Wars, Sky was... doing whatever he was doing, and Wild was cooking. You let your head hang low as you let out an exasperated sigh. Reluctantly you made your way outside.

"Just so you know this was Time's idea!" Wars shrugged at Time's grimace. "He thought you should have some diversity in your training."

The cold greeted you in a freezing hug making you tremble for only a moment. The snow under your heels crunched satisfyingly with each step you took. The surrounding tree's snow covered foliage faded into a rich dark green color. Being just outside of the cottage, you could hear the heroes talking among themselves. You scanned the area looking for your new captain. With no sight of the rancher, you decided to explore the area. A small shed was attached to the outer part of the cottage. When you tried opening the door, a pile of logs blocked the way. Peeking through you were able to spot many artifacts and weapons in the dark. There were many different items that Legend collected during his adventures. Behind the house, there was a well, but given the current weather, the water was frozen. Your eyes widened as you glanced inside of it, a lizard was at the bottom. It tried to escape but kept slipping. Quickly, your hands reach down, your body leaning against the cobblestone structure. You swiftly grab the blue reptile. The creature accepted whatever fate awaited it not understanding you were trying to help. Your heart sank as an unfamiliar hand yanked your cape pulling you back up. It was Twilight looking very confused, more so when he noticed the lizard in your hand. Admittedly you were still skittish from the nightmare. Upon seeing the hero you let out a sigh of relief making him grin awkwardly.

"I thought you got stuck."

The critter seeing freedom around it tried to free itself from your cold hands. Your eyes scan the area for a safe place to let the animal free. Thinking you were offended by his comment the ordinian followed you around apologizing. As you kneeled in front of a dead bush, Twilight complained under his breath before speaking up.

"Please don't ignore me."

It wasn't your intention, maybe you just got used to not talking to him.

"I know you'd rather not speak to me. Trust me I'd rather not train you."

After seeing the lizard flee, you stood back up and rubbed the snow off your knees. You turn back towards the yapper waiting for him to stop talking.

"But unfortunately you're stuck with me. Let's just get this over with."

You remembered spotting a small camp of monsters by the frozen lake. You start walking in the direction of the solid body of water. Back in Ordon, Wars would often make you train on small enemy camps. The way there was filled with footsteps in the crunchy snow, nobody dared to speak. Thinking back about how your adventure started, your relationship with the hero did not turn out how you originally expected. Younger you would be furious if she heard of how you were treating the hero of Twilight. But younger you wouldn't have been able to survive a day in this universe. Finally you were able to spot two lonesome moblins. They were sitting near the fire trying to warm themselves up. Before you could take another step, Twilight grabbed your arm, effectively stopping you.

"Don't be too hasty, those things can be dangerous."

Twilight had never seen you fight before. You were nowhere near as good as him, but he was also a legendary swordsman and chosen hero. You pull away from his unnecessarily tight grip.

"Just watch."

Moblins were more difficult to fight than bokoblins. Your mind was filled with how to beat them in Breath of the Wild. Quickly and cautiously, you made your way to the camp. Too focused on warming their bodies, you manage to snatch their weapons and discard them. On your knees you took your bow out and carefully aimed it at the forehead of one of the clueless monsters. After inhaling the icy air, your fingers let go of the string letting the arrow fly. As the iron arrow picked up speed, the moblin noticed it too late. It flew between the eyes of the monster, piercing through its skull. The moblin fell to its death. Its companion bellowed a roar as it turned its full attention towards you. You stood up straight holding your sword and shield confidently in front of you. With one foot in front of the other, you made sure your stance was perfectly still and firm. Not being able to spot its weapons, the moblin decided to throw a rock. Holding your shield higher, you successfully blocked the attack, although the size of the rock did make you lose a bit of balance for a moment. The time for you to strike made itself imminent, forcing you to swiftly thrust your blade upwards. The swing left a cut along the stomach of the monster making it squeal out of pain and step away. Unfortunately for the moblin, it tripped on the rocks around the campfire. As its back hit the fire, you promptly make your way on top of its limp carcass and plunge your blade into where its heart should be. While you pulled out your bloodstained sword, Twilight hastily made his way to you.

"I didn't think you could actually do this."

Although his words were dripping with prejudice and offense. His comment was honest and a compliment coming from him. You could see his eyes filled with admiration and surprise. Despite wanting to act cocky, you felt heat rush to your cheeks.

"It's nothing, they're basically tall bokoblins."

"I thought the champion was lying when he said that you beat the shit out of a thief."

The face of that man flashed in your mind making you grimace more than at his, once again, offensive comment.

"You didn't even believe Wars?"

"The captain doesn't really talk much about your training. Sky did, but I didn't really believe him either."

Some would take offense to Wars' decision to keep quiet. But it made you happy. Warriors knew how much you wanted to prove yourself to the others, he knew you were the only one able to do it. A shy smile replaced your usual neutral expression. As your training went on, Twilight didn't know what to teach you. Twilight wasn't a trained royal knight like Wars, Wild or the chosen hero. He dedicated his session to teaching you how to deal more damage. Hunger signaled the end of training for the day. On your way back, Twilight had to catch up with you.

"You did great today."

You didn't answer, just nodded.

"I mean, you did amazing. I didn't expect you to get this strong in this amount of time."

"When someone doesn't believe in you it makes you want to try harder."

Twilight chuckled at your comment clearly attacking him.

"I'm sorry." As he stopped in his tracks, you did the same. "I didn't see you as an equal to us. You had every right to be angry at me, at us." You faced the hero. "I want us to be friends."

Link approached you and held his hand out, a sign of surrender to the silent war you called upon. You stared at his rugged hand and back into his blue eyes. A part of you really wanted to stay bitter. In your world, if a man ever dared to treat you that way, he would never have the privilege to speak to you again. Then again, you told him you wouldn’t speak to him unless he respected you. Besides, it wasn’t as if you could afford to have enemies. Cautiously, with a lot of skepticism, you shook his hand.

"We're not just friends. We're teammates, companions, equals. You need to treat me like any other hero in the chain."

Link was relieved at the lack of rejection. His expression drifted into mischief at your last comment.

"Are you sure about that?"

After nodding, you regretted saying that last part. As you both walked back into the cottage, his arm was around your neck, almost headlocking you while his knuckle rubbed into your hair. You couldn't believe you were getting the Wind treatment, but it was better than whatever he was doing before. You both paused when you noticed all the heroes gathered around the dining table. They all went deadly quiet after noticing you. They all looked incredibly guilty. The hero of the Wild ardently placed the pot of breakfast on the hardwood table, he looked pissed. But no one seemed to want to share whatever was going on. When Twilight started talking about your training session, the mood went back to normal.

Act II

The hero of Legend's era was different from any other. Being from the timeline where the hero of time proved to be unsuccessful, the land was shy of hylian activity and resembled a battlefield. When night fell over the desolate land, monsters roamed freely with no consequence. The first few days in Legend's home were quite difficult because of how miniscule it was. The lack of space made you dearly miss the ranch back in Ordon. Because of the new environment, your routine changed. Your training consisted of clearing out enemy camps with the Captain and the others knights. The hostile land only made the monsters more difficult than in the other eras. It reminded you that the only time you played Link's awakening, you were constantly running away from every single monster. But on the third day, you and Wild were exempted from patrolling for a very special occasion.

"Did you measure the flour?" You asked.

"Measure? What do you mean ‘measure’? I just pour it in."

You hastily took the flour bag away from Link before he wasted every last gram. But as you looked through the cabinets, you noticed Legend and Ravio were not ones for baking, or even cooking.

"Do measuring cups not exist in this universe? What does the recipe even say?"

After so many hylian classes with Legend, you were able to slowly read the recipe off the book. But it was in a measurement unknown to you.

"Nevermind, I'll go prepare the fruit.." Noticing the amount of flour he was pouring in, you couldn't help but speak up. "Do you think this cake will be big enough?"

"Do you suggest we make three different cakes?" Wild replied.

Legend gave you some spring bananas for the cake. The sweet aroma filled the room as you mashed up the fruit until it became somewhat homogeneous.

"If I had to share my birthday with other people I would at least expect my own cake."

The hero ignored your comment. As you whisked the dry and wet ingredients together, Link had a judgmental expression stuck on his face.

"Why does it look like you haven't touched a kitchen utensil in ages?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You've answered your own question."

The hero's warm hands settled on top of yours to help you with the proper techniques. Feeling his chest brush against your make made you instinctively straighten your posture. His hands felt rugged and his breath tickled against your neck. The cool airflows coming from outside now felt refreshing against your flushed cheeks.

"That's fine, I don't mind showing you how."

"I'd rather you teach me how to cook than how to ride a horse." The hero chuckled at your comment.

"For Epona's sake, let's not force her to run in the snow."

"What about my sake?"

Wild's hands stopped moving before looking over at you, with an eyebrow raised and a mocking smile. Your shyness stopped you from meeting his gaze.

"If she bucks you off in the snow you won't even get hurt."

"Yeah but then I would be all soggy and cold." You shook your head. "Then I would catch a cold."

"That wouldn't happen because I would catch you first. I will always catch you."

"Maybe, but she only bucks me off when you aren't here."

"That was one time." He stopped stirring the batter. "Well, technically twice."

"Not technically, it definitely happened twice. Now I'm traumatised." You said dramatically.

"That's not the point I'm trying to make." The hero let go of your hands. "But I think you know that."

Your pessimistic brain didn't let you enjoy his comment. The reality you were in was unsure but you had a suspicion about how your future would look like. None of the heroes could always be with you, no matter how much they wanted to.

"You can't guarantee that. None of you for that matter." You watched him pour the batter into the most suitable dish he could find. "I have a feeling that I'll have to fight some of these battles on my own. Plus, when I get back home, you won't be there."

"Well then, as long as you're staying with us. I vow to be by your side." He pointed his index at you. "And I'm a knight so you better believe that promise."

You couldn't help but cackle at his words. Link carefully placed the cake in the oven. Staying as far as needed, you both had your hands on your knees, trying to observe the cake.

"Is this not dangerous?" You proceed to observe the room. "We're in a wooden cottage."

"I thought about that." Wild said, refusing to break eye contact with the flames. He abruptly stood back up. "If it warms up the place I don't think I mind." You look at him in worry. "I'm joking!"

"Is it really a joke coming from you?"

You replied with a smile on your face. Link laughed before mirroring your expression. The hero hummed, your expression turned to confusion.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile before."

Whatever smile was present quickly faded away. As your cheeks heated up, you quickly averted his gaze. The hero of the Wild regretted speaking, he vowed to keep quiet next time. And again, with him being a knight, it was meant to be a promise. It was depressing knowing that you stopped smiling since arriving in this universe. You remember briefly reading some fanfiction about this situation back at home. But the main character in that story had a much smoother time than you. Truth be told, there wasn't much to be happy about. You lost your family, friends, home, and your future until further notice. Additionally, being used as a pawn in a game you didn't consent to play really shattered your sense of self. But, despite all of this, you were still glad you weren't alone. Even if it were to happen one day, you were determined that you would have everything you needed to reach your goal. Besides, the heroes knew very well how this felt. Destiny forced them to proudly carry that sword on their backs. Not accepting that fate led to disastrous outcomes like the world being flooded by the goddess or the land looking like Legend's or Hyrule's world. Once you were back home, you wouldn't be able to talk about this with anyone, nobody would even begin to understand. Without the heroes, your story in Hyrule would be completely different, you would have died. Or worse, you would have ended up in the hands of that monster. The voices of the older heroes made their way back to the cottage. You quickly went to put away your journal.

"Don't take offense to what I'm saying!" As you rushed back to the common room, Wars was talking as he walked through the door with Time, Twilight and Sky. "I just have a hard time believing anyone would want to marry you."

"I don't see why this is up for debate." Time pinched his nose bridge before waving his hands around dramatically. "You've already met Malon! Plus he wouldn't even be here if I never got married." The old man gestured to Twilight.

"You think you need to be married to do that?" Time nodded adamantly at the Captain's question. "Oh please, you're acting so old fashioned. As if you came from another era."

"People like me exist to cancel out your lifestyle." Time crossed his arms, refusing to look back at the hero.

"What is even going on?"

Wild whispered to you, but you were the worst person to ask.

"You're acting as if I was immoral for having fun from time to time." Wars rolled his eyes. "You know being a Captain is hard work, I can't help but want to blow off steam from time to time."

As they continued to bicker, the other heroes stared at them, not wanting to interfere. Wild decided to fetch the cake.

"In my humble opinion, premarital activities are immoral. Therefore, making you immoral." Warriors scoffed at the old man's comment. Time turned to Twilight with the same expression. "Same goes for you!"

"You hear that Twi? You're immoral." Sky nudged the hero.

"I wouldn't speak so confidently if I were you." Time's attention turned to the chosen hero.

While the three of them kept bickering about nonsense the banana cake was set on the table awaiting for the celebration to start. The Captain who sneakily snuck away from the argument cleared his throat. After noticing the cake, the heroes' expressions immediately softened as the others gathered round to wish them a happy birthday. After the celebration, the chain really wanted to have a snowball fight. Because of your terrible gloves, you couldn't feel your hands anymore despite the fight barely starting. The best thing you could think to do was run away into the forest. The voices of some of the heroes echoed through the trees. Quickly, you hid behind a tree, as you panted you were able to see your breath against the cold air. Hearing their footsteps and calls, you discreetly peaked around the corner to get a better look at them. Twilight, Wind and Sky walked past you while menacingly holding snowballs. A noise from some nearby bushes distracted them. A sigh of relief fell from your mouth as you heard them run away. Carefully, you left your hiding spot and made your way deeper into the woods hoping to creep up on the heroes. But the more you ventured on, the more you didn't recognize your surroundings. Truthfully, there wasn't much to be able to recognize given how everything was covered in snow. Your stomach started turning as you tried to look from where you arrived. From your peripheral, you spotted something running, no, slithering through the snow. Your hand steadied over your dagger as you frantically turned around until you were face to face with a lizalfos. Unfortunately you had never encountered one of these in your training before which made you nervous. Its sounds of weird rattling made you skin crawl and before you knew it the monster started jumping around. Quickly you equip your shield and sword making sure to protect yourself. The lizard creature moved too quickly to parry its moves which made you question your fighting skills. The monsters you usually fought lacked the necessary brain cells to actually fight well. When you swung your sword, you only hit his shield, making you stumble back. As you ran into the monster with your shield acting as a portable barricade, you forgot that those monsters were fast. At the last second, the lizalfos ran behind you making you tumble into the frozen ground. The high pitch rattling made you turn over as quickly as you could. Just in time, the nightmare lizard struck your shield. Seconds between the next attack, you quickly hurried onto your feet. The monster shot his tongue out, the tip stayed stuck to the metal part because of the temperature. The lizalfos unintentionally pulled you closer. You took the opportunity to stab it with your sword. The more intelligent a creature was, the more guilty you felt. As the lizalfos' cadavre fell onto the ground, you felt a bit nauseous. Maybe this way of thinking was naive but living beings no matter which one must have some form of consciousness and therefore nuance. One thing you learned from this world was that nothing was as it seemed, nothing was just black or white.

"Woah!" You turned around startled. "What on hyrule happened here?"

Sky observed the lizalfos while you tried to recall if you even heard his footsteps in the snow. Slowly you put your sword and shield away as you sighed.

"That was rhetorical of course." Sky placed his hands on his waist band still observing it. "I'm pretty sure I know what happened."

More footsteps followed. Both Twilight and Wind shared the same reaction as the chosen hero. Having so many people witness your crime made you feel less guilty. When Wind tried approaching the monster you quickly blocked him.

"Where on earth do you think you're going?"

Wind's expression turned to shock when he realized you were denying him access. Funnily enough, the young hero looked different for some reason, but you weren’t able to put your finger on it.

"Come on! They don't exist in my era. I just want to touch it." As he tried to move forward you forcefully turned him around. "That's not fair you got to touch it!"

"You can't go near dead bodies. It's very unhygienic and unsafe."

The three heroes looked at you confused as you all started walking back to Vet's house.

"Unsafe? It’s already dead, what more could it do?"

Twilight said, which made you remember that Hyrule was still somewhat stuck in a medieval past. Especially the hero of Twilight in question.

"They carry diseases, germs, bacteria... how do you not know this? Don't they teach that in schools?"

Your misplaced chuckle granted you some more confused looks.

"Why would we go to school? We're heroes." Twilight added. "Plus I don't think being a scholar would suit me." Sky snickered at his response.

"I'm not talking about university. I'm talking about school… For children. Elementary level."

"Why would you put children in school?" Wind's tone sounded a bit too much like Legend's, minus the intelligent part. "That sounds awful."

"So that you know not to touch things that are rotting. And other things of course. In my world, kids like you go to school everyday for like six hours to learn things."

"All kids?" Sky said in a skeptical tone. "How are you able to get kids to concentrate for that long?"

"There are breaks throughout the day and of course holidays during the year."

"I don't want to sound mean, but that sounds very useless." Twilight replied. "What could school teach you that adventures don’t?"

You were at a loss for words for a moment, you observed your bleak surroundings while walking back to the cottage. If only looked at from Twilight’s point of view, he wasn’t inherently wrong.

“I guess you’re right.” But you weren’t in obligatory school anymore. “But, like my ancestors, I’ve decided to throw myself into studies on a specific subject. And if there’s one thing I know, it is that knowledge is power.”

That was something you were absolutely sure of. You couldn’t imagine how different this adventure would be if you didn’t know anything about this universe. You would’ve probably asked them if they were Zelda. Walking through the front door of the cottage felt like heaven. The warmth felt like a blanket that just came out of the dryer. The rest of the day was spent inside, everyone was coddled up around the fireplace as you all talked about random things. That night, your journal entry was shorter than usual. You didn’t have much to complain about or vent about for once. For the first time in a while, you felt content. The next morning, fog took over the forest. Your breaths were visible, despite the condensed cold air surrounding you. The sun had barely started to rise, but you were already waiting for your Captain. The front door opened, and you were surprised to see someone other than Wars walk through. Hyrule, Smithy, and Wind came almost running out as they shushed each other. Hyrule stopped in his tracks after noticing you, making the others bump into him. Wind's eyes widened as he saw you.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Did the bunnies keep you from sleeping?" Four added.

You shook your head as they surrounded you. You gave Wind a funny look.

"How are you not cold?"

The other two looked over at Wind before laughing. The young hero just shrugged.

"If I move enough I won't feel the cold."

An icicle fell from the roof tile, making all of you jump. You all shared the same look on your face. Holding your palm to your covered chest you sighed.

"I bet this universe shaved off years of my life."

The heroes then suggested you follow them. Around the corner, a bokoblin was held by a rope. Your mouth fell agape at the sight. The heroes just laughed.

"You are all psychopaths." You chuckled a little nervously.

They followed you while you tried to get away from the crime scene. Wind stood in front of you, blocking your path. The others stood around, and you felt as if they were going to bully you into giving them your lunch money.

"From what I've heard, you've done worse than that."

"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy." You push Wind out of the way with your arm, but the others were quick to take his place.

"We're curious as well," Roolie added.

"I never doubted your fighting skills." Four took Hyrule's spot. "But they did."

As Wind nudged him, you took the opportunity to leave. But the heroes quickly caught up.

"That's not true!" Wind exclaimed. "I always knew you were tough, especially when you saved my life."

Unconsciously, you rubbed the spot where the bokoblin later hit you as you recalled the bump it left on your head. In front of the house once more, the heroes backed you into a corner demanding answers.

"I heard you cut his throat and let his honor pour out."

"What?" You look at Wind shocked at his hypothesis. "What is wrong with you?"

"I heard your shield was covered in his blood," Hyrule said. "I did see you wash it furrowly once."

"I heard things as well, but I'd rather hear the real story from you." Four added calmly.

You sighed, their insistent gazes stared through your soul. You took time to observe each hero and their similar yet different expressions. Wind had eyes filled with anticipation and admiration. Hyrule tried acting nonchalant about the whole thing, pretending he didn't really care. Four waited patiently for you to answer.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you guys." You crossed your arms. "But I just hit him with my shield."

Wind's brows furrowed before he observed the others' reactions. You couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Wild told me a much more interesting story." Wind sighed.

"I'm confused," Hyrule stated. "Why didn't you finish him off?"

"I can't bring myself to take someone's life." You shook your head. "I'm even having trouble with monsters."

The heroes debated among each other for a moment. You observed the footprints in the snow left by all of you. Suddenly, Four gasped.

"Is that why you kept waking up in the middle of the night when we were still in Ordon?"

"Why were you awake?" You raised a brow. "You're too young for that."

"What are you on about?" Four scoffed at your comment before crossing his arms. "I'm gonna be 16 soon."

"16?!" Your eyes widened. "Gosh, I remember being 16."

"Only old people say things like that." Wind teased.

"I'm older than most of you in the chain." They looked at you surprised. "Well, how old are all of you?"

They pondered, trying to figure out everyone's ages. They bickered about who was the oldest and youngest.

"Well, first there's Wind who's 14." Four started. "Then me, who's 15.."

"I turned 17 not long ago," Hyrule added.

"Then Twilight who just turned 20." Four continued.

"What? I thought Twilight was older than Legend." Wind said confused.

"No," Hyrule shook his head. "He's gonna be 21 in the spring."

"Then there's Sky who's 23, Wild is technically 120." Four counted on his fingers to not lose track. "Wars is like 30.. Time is 32.."

"I'm not 30." Wars exclaimed, the young heroes jumped at the sound of his voice. "I just turned 27."

Wars took hold of Four like Twilight had done to you the other day. Wind tried his best to push him off.

"Did they bother you too much?"

"They hung a bokoblin by its feet behind Legend's house."

The Captain blinked a couple of times before giving a funny look to the psychos in front of him. The cold air made Wind shiver. Wars pushed them in the direction of the door.

"How about you all go wake up Sky. He insisted on an early morning."

With Wind in front, they ran back into the small house. You then made your way into the forest with Wars. On your patrol, there were no monsters to be seen. Most of them froze to death during the night. Wars decided he would train you by the lake. The ice was blinding as the sun hit its surface. As you stood in front of your Captain, you practiced parrying attacks. As the session went on, the sun rose high in the sky.

"I have a question."

You give your Captain an intrigued look. He doesn't stop fighting you, making you have to concentrate on two things at once.

"What do you think of Legend?"

"What I think of Legend?" You asked yourself. "I think he's kind of a dick." The Captain plunged his sword, making you stumble. He caught you in time.

"You can't afford to lose concentration in battle." Wars let go of you once he was sure you had regained your balance. "Besides the obvious, what do you actually think of him?"

"Why?" Holding your sword by both ends, you hit his attack back.

"Careful when you grab your blade, but that was nice." Wars got back en guarde. "No need to be defensive. If there's one person you can trust in the chain, it's me."

"Well, I think I might be closest to him." Wars attacked you, which barely countered it. "Actually, you're first. But Legend comes to a close second."

"I'm first?" Wars grinned. "I thought you were going to say Wild or something."

"Can I be honest?"

The Captain changed to a neutral position after your words. Blood rushed to your cheeks as you had his full attention. You felt silly as you stuttered on words.

"W-well." Your voice got quieter as if you were telling a secret. "You're kind of like.. the older brother I never had." You rubbed the back of your neck. "If that makes any sense."

The Captain stared at you without responding for a moment, making you very nervous. You were relieved when he smiled and repeated your words. Wars scratched his chin thinking of what to respond.

"Do you feel that way about anyone else?" As you shook your head he hummed. "Not even Twilight?"

"Fuck no." You cleared your throat. "Sorry, that was harsh."

Wars laughed at your response before getting into position to fight again. You quickly followed suit. The hero then added.

"No, not harsh enough I believe." The Captain's eyes widened in surprise as you attacked first. "There's a special word for boys like him." He blocked your attack.

"A dog?"

"A philanderer." He then pointed his finger at you. "He will do anything, and I mean anything if it means it'll get him into some girl's pants." Wars switched the blade to his non-dominant hand, gesturing to you to do the same. "That's why I told him to back off from you."

As you blocked with your non-dominant hand, you noticed the lack of strength. But despite the shaking, you pushed through and shoved the sword back. Wars nodded in approval.

"That's really harsh." You stated. "Even if he deserves it."

"I think there's something you don't quite get yet." As he hit into your sword, he stayed close. "We are heroes, not because we're good people but because we were blessed by the goddess." He paused for a moment thinking. "Well, Smithy and our Champion are exceptions. They're probably the nicest individuals you will ever meet, in any universe."

Both Four and Wild never possessed the Triforce. You recall the last memory you obtained in Breath of the Wild, in which you notice Zelda having all three pieces. Four never had the Triforce nor the master sword and proved not to need it during his adventure.

"All the others, including me, aren't the best examples of what a good person should be." As you pushed him away, the Captain took a neutral stance. "Twilight is a manwhore, who's deeply in love with an inter-dimensional princess." He stuck his sword in the ground before letting his hands rest on it. "Sky is constantly flirting with other women despite being with a literal goddess."

While you were busy talking, you didn't notice the figure making its way in your direction.

"I'm an alcoholic and Time is.. well, mentally deranged." His brows furrowed while he thought mid-sentence. "Legend is the worst, but I strongly suggest you keep in mind your opinion on him."

"What about Wind and Roolie?" You couldn't stop the amused smile on your face. "How terrible are they?"

Before the hero could respond, both your attentions were turned towards a familiar voice. You froze for a second scared of who it was. But it was only the chosen hero. Sky caught up to you as he shivered from the cold.

"Hey.." He looked suspiciously guilty. "Can I talk to you in private?"

You pointed at yourself, confused. The Captain sighed as he took your sword away making you even more confused.

"What's going on?" You kept glancing between the two heroes who shared a look. "You can say whatever you need to say in front of Wars."

"Ah.." Sky faked a cough to try to get rid of his nerves. "Well, I just wanted to apologize."

Before you could respond, Sky stopped you. Wars’ face-palmed as he turned away from the two of you.

"I know you didn't want us to come talk to you about this. But I just had to apologize." He grabbed your shoulders, insisting you focus on him. "I thought you were going to die that night, I told myself that your last moments here should be comfortable."

The look of utter confusion on your face made the hero of Warriors’ laugh. You pushed Sky's hands away as you took a step back. You crossed your arms as you furrowed your brows at him.

"What on earth are you on about?"

"Oh goddesses," Sky faced Wars. "Did Legend lie?"

"Don't look at him." Sky's head snapped back at you. "What does Legend have to do with this?"

A sensation of embarrassment took over your body as you recalled what he was referring to. The night you first arrived in Hyrule, when the Roolie’s healing powers didn’t work on you. Sky stuttered out some explanation you barely listened to. Your biggest question was how he knew about it, you'd only written down in your journal how crazy it was with reflection and with clarity that he would act that way with a stranger. As you still hadn't placed the pieces of the puzzle together, you pinched your nose bridge.

"How do you even know that?" You looked back at the heroes. Wars had a peculiar smile, as if he were waiting for something to happen. "I've never told anyone. I only wrote it in my journal."

The more you thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Your journal was in your bag, you'd never seen any other heroes besides the bunnies enter the room, and it was in an entirely different language from theirs.

"I.." Sky gulped. "I don't think I should continue. It seems I've caused enough trouble for one day." As he tried to turn away, Wars caught him and forced him to face you.

"Spit it out." Your tone was much rougher than anticipated.

"Well, you know," He had a hard time keeping eye contact. "Legend told us."

While you tilted your head in confusion, Wars was counting down from three. Your brain tried processing and classifying the information that was just so gracefully handed to you. Legend and Ravio were the only ones who had access to that room. Ravio wouldn't dare to do such a thing since he had just met you. That would only leave Legend as the author of the crime. Suddenly, it became clear. During your Hylian lessons in Ordon, Legend was the one who taught you. Your alphabet was with you at all times. As Wars put his last finger down, the realization struck. Legend discreetly learned the English alphabet and was now translating your diary to the other heroes. Wars scoffed when he noticed the change in your expression. Before you knew it, you were on your way to the cottage. Legend sat at the end of the table, holding your journal while picking and choosing what to translate. The fire cracked as the heroes argued around him. The hero of legends' heart was racing, knowing the gravity of his actions. He tried his best to steady his breathing to successfully translate the hundreds of words before him. Time tapped on the table getting his attention.

"So? Anything worrying?"

"I'm not sure. Nothing's alarming but then again, this is only the first journal."

"I hate that I let you do this." Time leaned back in the chair. "Don't make me regret turning you back."

Legend kept his eyes glued to your journal while flipping through the pages as if he were playing bingo. The other heroes argued about how unethical this was while the others just sat around seeing how everything would turn out. Wild and Four were strongly opposed and decided staying away was better, they were in the corner of the living room. Four kept himself busy, fixing Wild's shield. The Cook sighed in frustration, making Four nod.

"I can't believe the old man let him do this." Wild crossed his arms.

"Especially for something so stupid." The young hero shook his head. "I know for a fact she talks to Wars."

"It pisses me off because she would open up to him if he insisted enough." He shot daggers at Legend who hid deeper in the journal. "And if Legend can do one thing, it's insisting."

The Vet's expression softened as he read one page, something you wrote after the trip to Lanayru's peak and meeting the princess.

"Day, I don't remember, I hate this universe with every fiber of my being. I hate being stuck here, I hate being defenseless, I hate how they treat me. I hate how weak I am in the face of danger. Every step forward I happen to take, I find myself being pushed back nine. The princess was my last hope of understanding what the hell I've gotten myself into. Despite constantly being surrounded, I feel so alone. They don't understand me and they never will. I don't think I will ever fit in with them, I'm not like them. I've been trying so hard to keep an open mind, but how can I when they don't even respect me? Twilight made it clear they have no reason to. That's something I'm going to have to change if I want to get back home. Being weak is no longer an option."

Legend stopped listening to the heroes around him. His focus was entirely on your entries. He recalled what he managed to see when you two were stuck in a cave in Faron Woods. Legend flipped through the second journal, looking for that one entry.

"Legend is so strange. He brought me to a cave in the middle of the woods. I bet the thunderstorm was initiated by Hylia to punish us. But, I have to admit, despite his nasty attitude. I'm glad to be stuck with him and not another hero. Even if he's a pain in my ass, I still really enjoy being around him. He's much smarter than the others and can be very empathetic and understanding when he wants. I don't feel weak around him because I genuinely believe I can take him in a fight." Legend scoffed as his cheeks heated up. "I feel as if he really understands me, as much as he can. Sometimes I want to share what I write here with him. But I'm afraid he'll see me differently. I don't want him to think I'm weak." He paused on those last words, his guilt grew exponentially. Reading the next words made blood rush to the tips of his ears. "I do also have to admit how cute he looks when he's soaking wet."

"What's wrong with you?"

Legend didn’t bother responding to whoever spoke, he let his head fall onto the book to hide his ridiculous reaction. Time, Twilight, and Hyrule gave him a funny look before they continued bickering. Ravio leaned against the window seal with his face in the palm of his hands. He was busy observing the scenery. His eyes widened as he noticed your familiar figure storm towards the house and a very panicked Sky following in your footsteps.

"Aaaah," Ravio turned around, his hood falling over his face. "Link, you might want to put the diary back in her bag."

A knock was heard at the door, Legend's eyes left the journal to meet the source of the noise. The door swung open, making his heart sink to his stomach. You stood in the doorway, your face remained expressionless except for your eyes which were seething with rage. Legend defensively stood up from the table, still holding your journal.

"Remember when I told you I was sure I could take you in a fight?" As you closed up on the hero, he backed away into the wall. Time tried staying close to stand guard. The others really wanted to watch what would unfold. Legend said your name in a plea.

"Hold on," He put a chair between you two as you got closer. "Let me explain."

"Well, now I'm stronger than before." You pushed the chair out of the way, and the hero prayed to the goddess.

"Please!" Legend raised his hands in surrender. "I promise to have a somewhat decent explanation."

Closing in on his location, you pushed him into the wall further. You shoved his face further while applying more pressure on his jaw. Time intervened, and he pulled you away. Vet sighed in relief.

"Don't do this. At least listen to him." Time tried reasoning with you.

"You were in on this too!" You stepped away from him. "
Why is it always both of you causing problems?"

Legend held his jawline, where you had shoved him. The Captain made everyone leave the cottage one by one. Time placed his hand on your shoulder, resulting in you looking at him funny.

"We were worried about you." Time sighed. "You never talk to us. We wanted to know if you were okay. Legend told me there were worrying things in your journal" You pushed his hand away.

"Are you serious?" You look at them with disdain. Wars gestured to Time to leave. "You breached my privacy because you wanted to talk about my," You chuckled at the absurdity. "My feelings?" You said in a mocking tone.

"Wait, don't leave!" Legend called out to Time.

"Legend, I,” Wars pushed him out. “I’m sorry!”

Time kept looking back worried.

"You're on your own, kid." Wars said before calling your name. "Hash it out in any way you can. Okay?" As he walked out the door, he added. "You have my permission."

The door closed, and you looked back at Legend who fled to his room. You were quick to follow. Legend kept repeating your name, over and over, hoping it would reach you.

"I needed some way to get through to you." Link tossed your journal onto his bed. "You can't just keep everything bottled up all the time!" The hero, despite his nerves, seemed to be sure of what he was saying. "You lost your family, home, and life. I don't understand how you can act like you're fine."

"You're such a hypocrite." You shook your head furiously. "What if I did this to you huh?" He raised a brow. "How about we talk about Koholint?"

"Don't." His reaction made you even angrier.

"How about Din, or your family?" As he tried to turn away, you grabbed hold of his collar forcing him to stay. You pushed him against the wall in his bedroom. "I bet it kills you inside that you had to leave your grandparents alone on that farm."

Link had had enough. Suddenly, before you could react, he switched your places. Your back hit the cold wall, making you tense up. Before you could fight back, Link grabbed your wrists. Judging from his expression, his intention was not to hurt you, only to physically restrain you. His silly hat fell to the ground. You tried to get out of his grip, but he was showing a surprising amount of strength compared to the last time you fought. Legend said your name softly.

"You're right. I have no right to ask you something like this." You were surprised by how soft-spoken he was. "I haven’t made peace with my life decisions either. I don’t have the right to force you to do so."

Legend wanted a response, but your throat started tightening as tears formed in your eyes. When you looked away, he let go of your hand to gently grab your chin.

"I'm sorry."

"I can't.." You took a deep breath. "I can't trust you anymore."

Legend didn't respond, instead, he stepped away, giving you some much-needed space. You hastily tried to wipe whatever tried to fall from your eyes, because crying was the last thing you wanted to do.

"I know how to keep things bottled up." You didn't bother looking at him as he spoke. "I've done it my whole life without knowing the effect it had on the people around me."

"You shouldn’t have the right to scold me either."

"I'm not," He put his hat back over his pink hair. "But you helped me realize what it feels like to be on the other end."

The sound between his words was almost deafening. Not even the mice running through the walls dared to interrupt him.

"I've been worried sick these past weeks, dare I say months," You wished to be one of those critters, just to get away from this conversation. "Because I care about you so much more than you think.”

A gasp left him instead of words. The hero blushed deeply and wasn't able to look at you anymore. From the corner of your eye, you thought you saw one of the other heroes pass. Your attention was turned to Legend one more time as he spoke.

"I know, my execution was terrible, again." He sighed. "But my intentions were not terrible, I don't want you to feel alone anymore." You cringed knowing he was referring to one of your entries. "What kills me, is not being able to be there for you, because you don't feel comfortable enough to come to me." You swore you could see his heart pounding in his chest. "I'm mostly to blame, but I don't want us to be that way anymore. Because," You had never seen him this nervous before. "Because I-"

The bedroom door swung open, slamming against the wall. The two of you jumped, not expecting to see the other heroes. A chaos of speech invaded the small space as every hero talked at once. You looked out the window, thinking there was a portal. Finally, Time passed through all of them to hand something to Legend. An urgent letter from his princess, he quickly opened it and scanned the contents thoroughly.

"My dear hero,

You who have been chosen by the scared blade that seals the darkness. You are the only one who can come to my aid. I hate to disturb you during your retirement but I am desperate. Some dark magic resembling the monster we thought we had defeated has been seeping from the Gerudo Mountains. I pray for your quick arrival before it's too late. We've tracked down the location on a map, only sacred power can cut down the roots. Please Link, you must hurry.

May the Goddess Hylia protect you,
Princess Zelda.”

Chapter Text

Act I

Being back on the road after almost three long months of bedrest and comfort hit the group morale pretty hard. The growing tensions between all the heroes and yourself didn't help either. The first couple of days divided the chain into three distinct groups, that Wind took the initiative to name. There was the Hero group with the younger heroes who tried their best to lighten the mood and get everyone together again. When they didn't manage, they were busy torturing each other with various pranks. Pranks such as, seeing how long one of them could stand in quicksand, which resulted in Wild having to use recall on the hero of Hyrule. Another one consisted of putting a blindfold on Wind while he was asleep and making him believe the kingdom was being flooded. Wind ended up skipping breakfast and lunch, which only meant he was hungrier during dinner making him steal food from other people. Another prank consisted of placing a bee's nest in Four's magical satchel, and it turned out the bees were actually wasps. After that final prank, Time decided the group should be disbanded, Smithy decided to join the Bedlamite group while Wind and Hyrule joined the Jejune group, to clarify, Wind did not get to choose.

The Bedlamite group was composed of You, Wars, Twilight and Wild. Like almost every morning since you arrived, you trained with all three of them. The diversity made you feel even stronger by the end of the first week, despite the sore muscles. For training purposes, Wars decided to put you up against all three of them at once. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly you lost. The Bedlamites focused on expanding your knight training and making sure the surroundings were clear before leaving and setting up camp. When Four got relocated in the group, he immediately joined the training sessions. During the day, he would tell Wind all about it making the sailor jealous. The group also took care of the cooking, hunting and gathering, given that Twilight and Wild were in the group, it was obvious as to why. The morning patrols were used as a warm up for your training, however, the night patrols were your absolute favorite. Every single night, without fail, you insisted on going on patrol. The times where you were paired with Twilight were your favorite, he always made sure to teach you a couple extra things when it came to adventuring in this world. But, the tensions of the group were clear when you had to head back to camp. Not even Sky's harp was able to help the mood.

The Jejune group consisted of Time, Legend and Sky. Sky felt obligated to be in the group as he felt it was his fault the two of you fought. Time was not a part of the group because he wanted to. Time didn’t actually care about the groups, he just wanted everyone to get to Gerudo safely. The Jejunes, mostly Time and Legend, took care of everything that had to do with administrative tasks. They checked the maps, the best place to set up camp and checked on rations. Legend was busy keeping a journal that later could be given to the princess for research reasons. He only logged in weird things the chain encountered and any weird sensations they could be getting. Day after day, his pink hair faded away, leaving no more trace of his transformation. Ravio did not come on the expedition, Legend insisted he not and his Lorule counterpart froze at the thought of leaving the quaint cottage. The chosen hero was tasked with keeping watch of Wind when he got relocated. Which made Sky the victim of many pranks. Every night, he would pray to the goddess in hopes his Zelda would hear his rants from home. Hyrule decided to keep himself busy by helping Legend with his tasks. Hyrule was one of the few heroes that didn't currently have strong opinions of Legend.

The groups were formed by Wind and Four. They noticed on day three of the expedition that the incident caused the heroes to pick and choose sides. Sometimes the disbanded Hero group would secretly meet up (secretly as in when they decided to hang behind everyone when on route) and make bets about random things. One of the major bets revolved around if you and Vet would get into another physical alteration. Out of pity, Hyrule chose to side with Legend. The two others claimed he didn't have a chance against you. That claim was backed up by Four who witnessed your training sessions. Another revolved around if Wars could live a day without drinking, they switched his special morning beverage with Time's. Their drinks were basically the same, besides the extra shots of alcohol in Wars' cup. That bet forced Legend to take on all the administration tasks for a day. Time later banned all forms of bets if they didn't involve a consenting participant. As you got closer to the Gerudo mountains, the weather drastically changed. The snow was unable to follow your path as the desert grew near. This warmth was not indicative to what was to come, which would be even worse weather than what laid in the plains. In the distance, you were able to see the red mountains covered in white. It made you shiver just thinking of being there. Around the campfire, you didn't know what to do with your hands. Usually, you would write in your journal, but you didn't feel comfortable taking it out anymore, for obvious reasons. Legend and Time were busy checking the map to make sure there were no errors in the route you were on. Sitting on your bed roll, patiently waiting for Wars to give you the greenlight to go on patrol, you took time observing the heroes. They were either talking, eating or already snoozing off.

"Hold on," Legend said, you tried to be uninterested in the conversation he was having with Time. "Look, the X on the map doesn't match the Gerudo peaks."

"If that's the case, the hike will be much easier." Time compared different maps. "I do see what you mean."

Wild crept up on them without them noticing. When he hummed, it spooked Legend. Wild took out the Sheikah Slate to compare.

"I know where that is." He then pointed at the map. "It's where the 8th heroine statue is."

Your ears perked up as the familiar information. You winced knowing how difficult it would be to get there.

"The what now?" Legend asked.

"A giant Gerudo woman."

Legend didn't seem to believe him, but the marks on the map were both in the same location. Even if the climate would be a pain in the ass, you were excited to see the statue in person, if it even existed in this era. When it came time for your patrol, you were paired up with Wild. Walking through the perimeters of the camp, you kept a close eye on anything plausible to be or become a threat. Besides a couple keese, there didn't seem to be much danger. Because of the warmer climate, fireflies accompanied you during patrol, lighting up the path in the prettiest way. A pond stopped your path, water lilies partially covered the body of water filled with wildlife. Frogs croaked as crickets harmonized with each other. With no apparent threats, the scenery was very calming.

"Soak this up while you can." Link said quietly as not to frighten the pond critters. "The Gerudo mountains are terrible."

"I'm not looking forward to it." You scoffed at the thought.

"As long as we stick together, we will be fine."

A smile grew on your face because of his enthusiasm. Your eyes glanced at his right arm, you observed it for a moment before gesturing to it, silently asking to get a closer look at it. You titled your head to get a better view from all angles. It felt weird to touch, as if you entered a petting zoo. You turned over his hand incessantly looking for the divine mark.

"You really don't have the TriForce, huh?" You turned his hand around. "Unless it's on the other hand."

"I didn't even know the TriForce was a thing until I joined the chain." He showed off his other hand, it was covered in calluses and scratches. "Maybe it’s on my dead hand."

The moon light reflected in the tear filled rings. The sensation was like you imagined, goat fur. If you were being honest, seeing this with your real eyes, the hand looked so out of place on him.

"In my universe, you lose this hand at the end of your story."

"I also get to see Zelda again." He scoffed. "I wouldn't say your universe is very realistic."

"Our versions of what we perceive as realistic or not are very different."

“I guess so.” He hummed pondering your comment. “Maybe your world is so unhappy they can’t bear to make fiction realistic.”

“Touché.” You shared a laugh. Your expression turned sour as you felt guilt flood your mind. “I’m sorry.”

"What? Why?" Wild looked confused. "You're not the one who destroyed my hand."

"I feel bad for telling you about that."

The hero of the Wild thought for a moment, not knowing how to respond. You were ready for him to yell at you or scold you for making him remember such things. Instead, much to your surprise, he smiled.

"You shouldn't feel bad." He shook his head slowly. "I'm just glad she's okay in some other universe."

His words were so simple yet held such melancholy. The ending of Tears of the kingdom was confusing even if you got to see Zelda. If Rauru could undo people who went through draconification, why did he only do it to Zelda? If it was to repay her sacrifice, it wouldn't make much sense either. Every dragon had a reason to turn themselves, a reason that justified losing their humanity forever. Like the hero, you weren't able to find the right words. Instead, you hugged him. After letting his hands hover over you, Wild mimicked you. An animalistic huff snapped both of you back to reality, quickly the two of you hid as a bear passed by. Wild then decided the patrol was over for tonight.

After a week of traveling, the chain finally made it to the base of the mountains. If you traveled quickly enough, you would be able to make it to the location on the map before nighttime. The heroes drank various heat potions and ate food with warming effects. You, on the other hand, had to rely on a coat. While traversing the torturous terrain, you recalled a story of a researcher on an expedition through the Canadian Arctic that lost eight of his toes to frostbite. You prayed to the goddess to keep you warm. During your previous adventures, Legend and you discovered you were only able to interact with magic if it took a physical form, as in fire, electricity, water or wind gusts. Which meant everything that relied on actual magical properties to exist, didn't affect you. To this day, you still thought it was because your atoms could not fuse with the ones in Hyrule. To not get lost in the infinite snow storm, Sky used the master sword to point them in the correct direction, but for some odd reason, the master sword wouldn't cooperate with the hero. Relying only on Legend's cleverness and talent to read maps, you were able to find the correct location. A large rock stretching the whole mountain loomed over the chain. Your mouth fell agape after noticing that it was in fact the eight Heroine. Quickly, the heroes searched the area to find some sort of sign, while you tried your best not to freeze to death. After fifteen minutes of searching, Legend reread the letter.

"Only sacred power can cut the roots..." Legend looked around. "What roots?!"

Wild handed you a hot pepper to get you going a little longer. The heroes searched around for any trees or plants to destroy. After another fifteen minutes, Time took it upon himself to decipher the letter. He sighed in frustration.

"Cut down the roots!"

Legend looked at Time annoyed. The hero took a step back, observing the statue. His eyes focused on the sword and its position. He then gestured Sky stand at the foot of the sword, after harnessing sacred power when he asked. Sky planted the sword in the ground. The sealing power ran through the sword as if it were blood filling veines. The light reached the handle, the mighty stone sword flew out of the ground landing on the mountain top. For a moment, the Gerudo mountains went silent. An opening through the statue was shown, but the rumble of the mountain made you all freeze. Seeing the first pieces of clumped up snow fall told you everything you needed to know. Quickly, one by one the heroes ran into the statue, Time stayed at the entrance making sure everyone got in safely. The sound of the avalanche echoed through the cave causing everything to cover their ears. The vibrations caused by the natural disaster, or in this case artificial disaster, caused you to lose your balance. The snow flowed through the opening until completely blocking it up. The solid water reached your feet, making you back up. Finally, after what felt like forever, the rumbling stopped. Nobody dared to speak for a moment to revel in the comforting silence. You took that time to observe the strange place you were in, the more you looked the more you noticed that it was man-made. You carefully got up while the others checked up on each other. Corridors connected the room you were in to others and staircases could be seen in some of them.

"Are we," You faced the heroes. "In a temple?"

The others finally looked around and talked among each other. Time took some torches out and handed them out. Legend then used his magical abilities to light them. The designs coating the walls were very much made by the gerudo but the colors seemed to lose their shade and the writing had since faded. But you couldn't read the Gerudo language anyway.

"We should split up." Time exclaimed, everyone turned to him. "Not those stupid groups Wind came up with."

Wind tried defending himself, but the old man cut him off. He looked around at everyone and pointed at some of the heroes.

"Sky you're with Wars."

You felt a bit nervous, you didn't want him to pair you up with Legend. To try to get him to understand, you kept staring at him intensely.

"Wind you're with Wild."

The two agents of chaos nodded to each other. Time deliberately ignored your stare to choose the next group.

"Four you're with me."

You got more nervous as less and less people were available. You looked around at the last heroes. Time sighed.

"It's too bad, you and Legend make a good team." You didn't even need to look at Time. "Twilight and Legend you're together."

Legend stood with his arms crossed, he just rolled his eyes. You didn't want to stare too long at him, but you swore you could see a glint of regret in the back of his eyes. The old man pointed to Hyrule and you.

"Keep your weapons close, we don't know what's in this place." Time gestured to the corridors. "We'll meet back here in an hour."

You led the way through one of the eerie hallways. Hyrule followed close behind. You held up the torch to observe the walls, to find any pattern or secrets that could possibly aid you. Hyrule traced his finger on the dust covered wall before you both entered the room.

"What do you think?"

Hyrule observed the room closely after your question. You lit up the hung touches on the walls, giving you some much needed light. Suddenly, an arrow shot across the room, you both moved out of the way in time. The torched proceeded to go out. Hyrule took the torch from you.

"How about I hold onto this for now?"

The hero said, sounding worried. He then looked around at the symbols on the wall. The puzzle was very simple, he cautiously lit up the torches according to the number of stars painted on top of them. You jumped from where you were standing when you felt the floor under you move. Some stairs led downstairs. A familiar scent you couldn't put your finger on came from it. Hyrule and you shared a look.

"Should we wait for the others?"

"Time said to meet back in an hour," You answered him. "It's been five minutes."

The hero handed you the torch once more before gesturing you to go first. Carefully you both went down, your free hand stayed on your belt, specifically where your dagger was. As you finally made it to the next floor, you stepped back when you felt a squishy substance under your foot. Instinctively, your arm blocked Hyrule from moving forward. You moved the torch closer to try to figure out what it was.

"That looks like stuff from Wild's world." Roolie whispered to you. "Let me try something."

You let the hero pass. While he stayed on the step, he took a tiny pouch out. He then threw a fist full of fairy dust, the substance dissolved when coming into contact with the goop. What you didn't expect was for it to have a chain reaction. Dark red light traveled through it, as if a snake were moving through it. The light made its way to what looked like a larger piece of the substance. As the dark light came to contact with what was shaped like an organ, it made a screeching sound. The substance started growing and reaching the stairs, quickly, you both made your way back up the stairs before putting out the torches to effectively close the trap. You both backed up cautiously, while your eyes never left the trap door. You faced the hero as he spoke.

"I think that's what the princess was talking about."

You nodded at him but before you could leave the room, the other heroes came quickly. Hyrule started explaining what had happened while you gazed at the ground again. As Sky entered the room, the master sword began to glow, which confirmed the suspicions. The torches were lit again and one by one, you all made your way down, with fairy dust and the master sword at the front of the group. You despised the feeling of the weird substance under your shoes, it felt like stepping on guts. The whiff of that familiar scent got stronger as you continued on. Sky raised his blade to the sky to harness its power before swinging it at the weird lump. The thing screeched once more before it was cut open. The dark substance flowed out of it, making everyone take a step back. Slowly the liquid formed together to turn into some dark being of malice. Sky swung at the creature with light power once more. The being split into two. You all equipped your gear to fight them. But each time one was killed, it split into several more. Quickly the creatures were more numerous than the heroes. Their small size helped them pass through and attack all of you. As one tried crawling up your leg, you kicked it far until it splattered against the wall. The residue turned into more creatures of darkness. Legend and Hyrule started throwing fairy dust on them, making them dissolve into nothing. With all of them destroyed, the organ shaped goop poofed away, only leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. With the way cleared, you all carefully made your way through. At the end of the long corridor was a large room, it reminded you of a ballroom. A hole in the ceiling let real light shine through, but also snow which fell into the spacious room, creating a mound.

"Something doesn't feel right." Warriors broke the deafening silence. "I know I’m not an expert on temples, but this place feels really off."

From the corner of your eye, you thought you saw something slither past you. Your head snapped towards it, but there was nothing there.

"I agree." Time added. "I find it strange how we all were met with dead ends besides them." He gestured to you and Hyrule. "The only puzzle was no puzzle at all."

Wild jumped, before unsheathing his sword. You were sure he saw the same thing as you. Wind looked around simultaneously trying to figure out why the Champion reacted that way.

"What are you trying to say?" Legend asked Time. "What do you think this is?" He immediately took offense. "Who do you take the princess for? She sent me here to dispose of evil, and that's what we're doing. Of course it's going to feel off, we're dealing with beings of darkness."

"Now why are you offended, Vet?" Wars faced the hero of legends. "Do you feel guilty about something?"

As they started bickering, you saw Sky glance around worried, followed by Four as well. Out of caution, you took your blade out while keeping a close eye on your surroundings, again you weren't the only one to do so.

"You think it's fair to bring this up now?" Legend crossed his arms.

"All is fair in war." Wars responded in a very cocky way.

"Something is here."

Twilight made them stop arguing momentarily. When Time noticed how all the other heroes were behaving, he immediately took his weapon out. You focused your eyes on what laid in front of you. Your curiosity took the better of you and made you step in front of the heroes to get a better look. The Captain prevented Time from stopping you. The room was deadly silent, besides the sound of your heels hitting the worn out floor. That familiar charred smell invaded your senses, you stepped back feeling stupid you hadn't recognized it earlier. You felt your heartbeat pick up until it was the only thing you could hear.

"This is..."

Were the only words you could muster. You took another step back, getting back behind the heroes once more, your only thought was to flee this place. But no matter where you went, you knew you wouldn't be able to out-run him, the entrance was blocked anyway. Despite all your training over the past few months, you felt defenseless in the face of that monster. Your legs seemed to freeze, even as the heroes spoke among themselves or to you, you weren't quite sure anymore. Out of the shadows, the slithers of darkness similar to the muck you destroyed earlier fused together and transformed into something entirely different. After forming into a dark sphere, it expanded into a beast. Three heads broke free, accompanied by legs, a tail and wings. The spacious room suddenly felt very cramped with the uninvited guest. Its arm expanded as it reached out. On its way to you, it knocked the heroes out of the way before grabbing you. A terrible cold sensation spread through you from where he laid its claws on you. The gleeok flew up in the restricted area. Your weapons fell to the floor as he lifted you as high as he could. The heroes took out their bows to shoot at it while Sky harnessed the power that supposedly sealed the darkness. When the light power hit the monster, it would cry out in pain. In the air dangling, you finally felt the much needed adrenaline rush through your veins. You tried your best to wiggle yourself out of his grip. Then, you remembered you still had your coat on. In a quick motion, you untied the ribbon holding the big cloak together. Not clearly thinking this plan through, you found yourself slipping out of its hand rather quickly. The ground didn't seem as inviting the closer you got to it. But, Wild caught you before you could hit the floor. The beams from the sword slashed through the monster, but each time a head was cut off another one quickly replaced it. After getting back behind the heroes, you swiftly took your bow out to try and shoot the beast. But only the master sword was able to hurt him. Already noticing that, Sky observed the gleeok to find its weak spot. He noticed that the same dark lump they had destroyed earlier was inside of him. He avoided the beams coming from the multiple heads and charged towards him, the others made sure to distract the gleeok. With his divine courage and the sword's mighty power, he plunged the blade deeply into its weak spot. The gleeok roared in pain before exploding into a cloud of dust. As the dust took time to settle, the heroes started congratulating themselves. But out of his own ashes, Dark Link rose.

As if a cloud was moving towards you, the darkness took hold of you pushing the other heroes back once more. After he took his physical form, he gripped onto your throat, his inhylian strength successfully restraining you. Despite how badly you were freaking out, you figured out something that was obvious, something you should've known for a while. When he took on a physical form, you were able to physically interact with him. As he spouted nonsense about how the heroes ruined his plans, you managed to take your dagger out and stab it into his arm. Immediately, Dark Link let go of you. The same dark red liquid from earlier dripped onto you and your clothes.

"You ungrateful bitch!" He shouted as he stumbled away. "This is what I get for helping you?"

Dark Link's words meant nothing to you, they only reminded how badly your world had tainted him. The heroes were blocked by a shield of darkness, not even the master sword was fast enough to cut through it to let them pass. You took a step back, holding the dagger firmly between your trembling hands.

"You shouldn't have said all of those things to me!" His wound regenerated before your eyes. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe all this was your fault?"

Nothing he said made sense. You still didn't remember how you got here. You were even sure your amnesia was caused by him. Dark Link's wound now completely healed, he lunged at you. Before you could run, his cold hand grabbed your arm pulling you forward. Luckily, you reacted quickly by stabbing your dagger into where his heart would be, if he had one. A burning sensation took over where he held you, his malice spread through your wrist and forearm. Out of spite, he wanted to hurt you as well. Unlike him, you couldn't heal yourself magically or make wounds disappear in the blink of an eye. The malice drained you of your strength, slowly. You weren't even able to hold yourself up anymore.

"There’s one thing about Earth that just fascinates me."

As you fell to your knees, you started feeling light headed. A part of you tried to keep fighting against the poison inflicting you, but your body wasn't used to such toxic waste. The dagger in him looked like a symbol of your failures, it did nothing to him, no matter how much he was 'bleeding'. Your failure manifested even more as his malice disintegrated your melee weapon.

"Your people build deadly explosives that can wipe out planets and fire miniscule metal balls at each other when pissed off... but it's only to make up for the fact that you are weak."

Maybe it was his doing, maybe this was all just another illusion of his, but the world around seemed to only get darker. After coming so far only to end up in his mercy made you lose all hope for a moment. This world wasn't welcoming to you, on the contrary ever since you arrived nothing seemed to go in your favor. Maybe after this you would finally be reunited with peace or even your world if he managed to take your life away. You believed that death would be much kinder than any life you could have here. You couldn't understand why, in what you thought were your final moments, your brain couldn't turn off. In a way, Dark Link had already taken your life. Everything as you knew it disappeared in a blink of an eye, your life from before was never going to come back. Even if you made it out of here, your former self has been long gone. You couldn't believe your life now revolved around a man who felt entitled to your existence, you couldn't believe how you became the girl everyone was warned about becoming. The one that wasn't careful enough, the one who was too mean, too selfish, too nice. You couldn't believe he was blaming you for his actions, for how faulty his conscience was, he was exactly like the men on earth. But worst of all, you couldn't believe you were letting yourself succumb to this fate. In the corner of your eye, though your vision, although hazy, you noticed something flickering in your pocket. With your free hand and all the strength left inside of your body, you grabbed the stone offered by the Goddess. With one last trick up your sleeve, you pushed yourself off the ground, albeit painful, and shoved the stone down his throat when he least expected it. Like malice burned through you, the stone melted through his physical form. The monster stumbled back until he fell, the dark shield quickly dissipated. Much to your surprise, a powerful beam of light flooded the room. Before you could figure out who was the cause of it, your weakened state caught up to you and before you could do anything else.

Comfort was the only thing you thought about as your eyes fluttered open. Sunlight shined through a window forcing your eyes to adapt to the new found light. You didn't recognize your surroundings but you never felt more comfortable in your life. Carefully and reluctantly, you sat up, as the covers fell off of you, a shiver greeted you and made you regret moving. It didn't take you long to notice the bandage wrapped around your dominant hand. You couldn’t help but wince at the thought of what was underneath. You noticed the thick night gown on you that looked more like a hospital gown than anything. Before you could start unwrapping your forearm, you quickly pretended to sleep once more once you heard voices come towards the door. Your eyelids trembled as you forced them to stay closed. The door creaked open, familiar voices accompanied it. Despite knowing who was here, you felt your heart rate pick up because of the silly charade you were putting on. You didn’t feel like answering questions, or letting them try to comfort you. The last thing you wanted was to see their eyes full of pity.

“You guys really didn’t need to accompany me.” Warriors spoke, you could hear him come closer.

“I’m curious to see the damage.” Time answered. “I want to know what malice does to beings from different universes.”

Before taking hold of your arm, the Captain felt your forehead, you couldn't help but flinch at how cold his hand felt. He then carefully undid the bandaid. Warriors carefully lifted your forearm before the old man made his way closer. Despite the momentary silence, you could feel his stare.

“Woah.” You felt even more nervous because of Time. “How did he even manage to do that?”

“Vet, wanna see?” Warriors then snickered. “She can’t hurt you if she’s unconscious," Another set of footsteps came closer. "Unless I decide to."

"Wars, please." Time responded.

Legend didn't give a verbal response, but you could easily guess his reaction. Your hand was dropped onto the bed, before you heard the footsteps get further.

"I bet you feel soooo guilty."

"Warriors, please." Time responded once more.

"He led us straight into a trap!" Wars raised his voice.

"How about we take a walk, huh? I wouldn't want her to wake up prematurely."

Their armor made noise as they both stood up. They kept bickering as they left the room. As soon as you heard the door close, you sat back up. Unfortunately, you were face to face with the hero of legends that hadn't left. For a split second, a part of you was happy to see him, you couldn’t deny how much you missed him. The anger you felt for him wasn’t as pronounced as you hoped for. The hero seemed flustered, you both turned away from each other's gazes.

"...how long have you been awake for?"

You didn't answer him, your rational side didn’t let you, rightfully so. Legend hummed, understanding your reaction. You finally looked over at your dominant hand, while still ignoring him. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at what He had done to you. Your arm looked burnt.

"That's the first of many." Legend leaned against one of the poles of the bed. "It kinda looks like the Captain's one."

"How did you even get me to the castle in such a short time?" You asked as if he hadn't spoken beforehand.

"The princess transported us back." Legend sat near you on the bed. "You've been burning up ever since we got here."

Once again, you stayed silent. You did feel weak and light headed. The cold hit harder than usual despite being in a room with a fireplace and being under layers of blankets. The hero sighed before moving closer.

"I'm not sure what happened while you were in there, but I can see how much it took a toll on you." He searched his pockets. "I didn't think you would get out of there alive." He took your stone out and handed it to you. "What frightened me the most was that it would be my fault if anything happened."

You closely inspected the stone, which now you knew wasn't amber but concentrated light power. The new information only confused you even more. Memories from the fight flashed in your mind, how the stone melted through his dark form. Legend removed his silly hat before running his hands through his hair.

“I keep acting stupid and impulsive when I’m with you.” Your rational side seemed to quiet down, much to its dismay. “I’m just so desperate to understand you.” Maybe it was your temperature making you docile, but you really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “Maybe once I understand you, I’ll actually be able to help you.”

"I'm still mad at you." Your voice was weak. "I'm furious actually. I'm not ready to accept any apology from you." Legend looked back at you. "But truth be told, I am not strong enough to argue with you right now." You gently shook your head. “So let’s just… not.”

Legend cautiously touched your hand, the lack of rejection from your end encouraged him to hold it. His hand was cold, but it was most likely because of your sickly state.

"You can kill me later if you like."

You couldn't help but snicker at his comment. Maybe it was the fever pushing you to do things out of the ordinary, but you pulled the hero closer until your head laid against his chest. Link's hands held you closer and you heard his heartbeat quicken. At that moment, you felt as if you could fall asleep again. But before you could doze off, Legend cupped your cheek before making you meet his eyes. He searched them for any signs of discomfort before pulling you closer.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

You straightened your back, getting to his eye level, he let go of you, afraid he pushed you too far. Much to his surprise, and yours, you made the first move. A part of you knew you would regret this once you were healthier, but another part of you craved this level of intimacy especially in your current state. His lips felt cold against your feverish state. It wasn't long before you pulled away, only to let your head lay on his shoulder.

"I really hate you right now."

Despite your harsh words, Link held you tighter as he nodded. You hated how vulnerable you were when sick, you didn't know what pushed you to do such a thing, especially with everything that happened. The hero kissed you once more, as if he knew it was the only chance he had. He knew, once you felt better, you would refuse to speak to him once more. That information weighed in your mind as well, as if it wasn’t your choice to ignore him. From the outside, the only sound that came from your room was the lock of the door. This was a moment of weakness on your end, which was followed by many more as the week went by. The hero of legends’ room being next to yours, he always went out of his way to comfort you when you abruptly woke up from fever induced nightmares. As much as you hated what he did, you relished the nights spent with him. You kept repeating to yourself this would only last while you were sick, it was only a moment of much needed tenderness in this goddess forsaken world.

ACT II

Looking in the mirror confused you. It was like seeing an entirely different person. It was not like admiring yourself in Ordon's crummy mirrors or the tiny pocket-sized ones in Legend and Ravio's home. This full-length mirror shot back your reflection in great detail. Your frame was lighter yet stronger than before. Your eyes were sunken in, leaving a mesmerizing purple hue on your skin. One housemaid, for whom you'd already forgotten her name, tied the undergarments that squished your lungs in a way you weren't used to. Another housemaid was busy covering your face in makeup that didn't have the same coverage as on Earth. You felt as if you were a turkey being embellished for the holidays. The wind blew into the room, putting out some of the candles. As one of the house maids left to undo the wind's taunts. The other fetched the real dress. As you turned to observe your unfamiliar sight, you noticed the many scars you had collected on your travels. Your arms were not only coated by your skin tone but by red and light colored markings, not to mention the big one that appeared recently. Before they came back, you discreetly loosened the bodice to give yourself some necessary breathing room.

"Oh the princess has made such a good choice, this will fit your complexion perfectly!"

As they giddied around the dress, you couldn't help but feel a sense of dread take the form of a lump in your throat. Breathing suddenly turned slightly painful as the cold air passed through your lungs. You shook your head hoping to keep those doubts at bay and discard those nasty feelings.

"Why isn't she the queen? She's the only one on the throne if I'm not mistaken."

You said, in an attempt to busy your mind. The housemaids shared a look of inquisition. They muttered to themselves the same questions before shrugging in unison.

"Well, I'm guessing she doesn't need that title. But I suppose she is technically our queen."

"Oh, our dear queen Zelda!"

The other maid shimmed, holding her hands to her chest as she imagined their ruler. You had to bite back a sigh at their boring response which did not help clear your mind in the slightest. The maids put the dress over the tight undergarments and bell-shaped hoopskirt. The linen fabric enveloped you neatly giving you some extra warmth. As the maids started working on your hair, you had time to admire the piece. The dark blue fabric was decorated with white and silver hems covered in flower details. The sleeves dropped to where you thought your thighs were. The square neckline also shared the white and silver hem accompanied by a TriForce symbol in the middle. The solid color parted in the center letting that same pattern shine through. Once again, the maids tightened the dress, almost knocking the wind out of you. The amount of unnecessary fabric and how it draped along the floor was something that would definitely slow you down if worse came to come. From inside, you could hear the chatter and chaos outside as the festivities started. It was a nice gesture, but this party was way too much for someone like you. It was a huge honor to say the least, the princess barely knew you and still accepted the chain's request to throw your accolade in the castle. The party was also to commemorate your expedition to the Gerudo Mountains and how the chain managed to drive away Dark Link. His ever-changing face flashed in your mind once more making your guts feel worse. Each time you had the chance to close your eyes this week, he flooded your thoughts. But, Legend shared a spotlight in your mind from the number of times he comforted you this week. You cursed your brain for obsessing on things that weren’t doing you any good. The housemaids snapped you out of your thoughts as they put the cold jewellery on you. A silver and emerald parure decorated your bust making your hypothesis of looking like a prettied up piece of meat true. The house maids took some steps back letting you revel in your new look. You thanked your stars, it was only temporary. Your head snapped to the window as you heard music start playing. That lump in your throat seemed to have doubled in size.

"Oh Miss, you look absolutely breathtaking!"

The maids kept complimenting you between each other. You couldn't help but wince at the sight.

"This is supposed to be my accolade, why do I look like this?"

The ladies shared a worried look, one nudged the other to speak up.

"W-well you see, our princess enjoys dressing people up. Especially people she admires."

"Yes!" The second maid added, her voice seemed as worried as the first one. "You should take it as a compliment! I bet the others look like this as well."

Their eyes begged you to accept their answer. You studied the room without actually observing anything. The palm of your hand met your chest as you felt your heart beat pick up.

"I can't." You took a deep breath. "I can't do this."

"What?" They said simultaneously.

"I can't do this." Your voice was firmer than expected. "I can't go out there."

The maids started panicking, they tried reassuring you about surface-level things you didn't actually care about. They took hold of your arms helping you towards the door.

"Come on, there's a ballroom full of people here for you."

Your knees gave up at that moment causing you to slump down to the cold hardwood. The maids' panicked state only worsened. One kneeled at your level to comfort your disheveled state. But you weren't listening anymore. You were too busy focusing on your heart that longed to explode out of the tight fabrics that confined your body. Your ears refused to listen. You shook your head once more.

"I can’t."

Snow fell into the room, and one of the maids hurried to close the window. The other grabbed hold of your face. You saw her lips move and her, now frightened expression, but you could not hear her for the life of you.

"I can't go out there."

You could barely hear yourself over your heartbeat and obsessive thoughts. One of the maids left the room while the other fetched you some water. The maid beelined down the corridors of the castle. The walls were draped in many tapestries depicting battles, Hyrule's evolution, prophecies, Hyrule rulers, and even some of Legend's adventures. The housemaid slammed her body into the door to swing it open as quickly as possible. The heroes shared a confused and worried look as the maid panted.

"I apologize for disturbing you. But there seems to be a problem."

The heroes rose to their feet as they grabbed hold of their weapons. The maid profusely shook her head.

"No, with the girl..." She pondered. "What was her name again?"

"What's going on?" Time added while the other heroes shared looks of uncertainty.

"She refuses to get out of that room. Apparently something is wrong with the dress. We can't get her to move." The words spilled out of her mouth.

"I'll go see her." The Captain stopped Legend in his tracks. "Come on, I know what to do."

"You're probably the last person who should go in there." Wars replied.

"How about you all go, so if one doesn't succeed, the other one can go."

The chain didn't need to hear anything more before they stormed the hallways. The different servants and maids had either puzzled looks or admired them knowing of their good deeds. In front of the door, nobody knew who should go in first.

"Maybe I should go." Time said.

"You don't have a very good track record in helping her." Sky replied.

"Legend should." They all looked at Hyrule. "I know, he's terrible but they are, well, were the closest."

"I completely disagree." Wars crossed his arms.

"As much as I'd like to agree with Hyrule. I think she'd rather die than see me right now." Legend said reluctantly self aware of his past behavior.

"I should go in." Twilight got weird looks. "What? We're friends now."

"I don't even see why this is a debate." Wars waved his hands in a very sassy way to get their attention. "She said I'm basically like an older brother to her."

"Key word basically!" Four added. "I think Wild should go."

"So that they can stare at each other in silence?"

Legend's comment didn’t fail to make some laugh. Wind discreetly opened the door to let himself in. The maid thanked him for coming before leaving. Wind was puzzled seeing how different you looked. His eyes filled with concern seeing how you were. The young hero quickly went to open the window before kneeling to your level. The young hero placed his hand on your arm trying to get your attention.

"Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

"We're all here, but I'm warning you, it's only a matter of time before they realize I slipped in."

You slightly smile at his words knowing he was trying to make you feel better. Wind looked around at the fabric all around you.

"Why does it look like you're wearing a curtain?"

You pointed to the hoop skirt you discarded before the heroes arrived.

"I'm supposed to wear that underneath but I'm having a hard time breathing… and standing."

Wind chuckled before pulling on your arm helping you to your feet. The hero of the wind helped you to your temporary bed. You noticed him looking different.

"Are you... taller than me?"

"I'm almost as tall as Roolie now." Wind seemed proud.

"How did I not notice before?"

Wind shrugged at your comment. From inside, you were able to hear the heroes bickering outside of the door as they raised their voices. The lump in your throat came back.

"Oh god, I can't go out there."

"Goddesses you mean." Wind wore a goofy grin before clearing his throat. "Is it because of the dress?"

"Yes." It was not. You weren't a very good liar, but it was good enough for Wind.

"Well, it's definitely a lot. But you still look pretty."

You didn't mean to have such a cold expression. On the other side of the door, the heroes kept fighting on who should go inside.

"We can't keep disagreeing, someone needs to go in there." Time pinched his nose bridge. “We're already behind schedule.”

"I will go!" Legend tugged on Wars scarf to stop him. "What's your problem?"

"Even if she hates me, Roolie is right. I should go, I'm smarter than all of you combined." Wars' eyes seemed to turn red as Legend spoke. "Yes, she most likely hates me, but I will know what to do."

The Captain shoved Vet against the wall, holding his face firmly against the tapestry. The heroes of twilight and time broke them apart. Four looked around at the chain, he felt as if something was missing.

"Where's the sailor?"

The heroes stopped fighting to look for their comrade. All fifteen eyes turned to the door. Wind tried his best to comfort you, but a fourteen year old could only do so much. The lump in your throat only got bigger as the festivities went on. The music outside wasn't loud enough to quiet down the guests chatter. The door swung open, Time, Wars, and Legend came in still bickering with each other. If you closed your eyes and ignored the tight sensation from the clothes, it was as if you had never left Legend's cottage.

"Why do you look like that?" Wars asked, stopping the arguing. The eyes on you did not help the nerves longing to consume you. "This is supposed to be your accolade. Why do you look like you're going to a coronation?"

"No, that's normal. The princess does this all the time." Legend added before gesturing to everybody in the room. "Even we are dressed up for the occasion."

"That explains your usual attire."

Legend rolled his eyes at Wars' comment. Time went to close the window seeing as snow fell into the room, again. The Captain stood before you, looking at you with an intrigued expression, he steadied himself as he placed his knuckles on his belt.

"What's with you? Is the dress really that much of a bother?" The Captain wore a very judgmental look. “I didn’t take you for someone so vain.”

The other heroes left the room, they decided to put your fate in the Captain's hands. Being alone with him made you feel a bit better.

"I can’t go out there."

Wars sighed before taking a seat next to you. His armored gloves were nowhere to be seen to match his new outfit. You were able to notice his scar, how it did look similar to yours.

"I think it would be stupid to assume this is about the dress." He scratched his chin. "I've seen you travel in a prairie skirt, I don't understand why this would be too much, especially for a ceremony."

Even if you wanted to respond, your state of mind forbade you. The words got stuck in your throat, only a small gasp of air made its way out. Wars glanced at you from his peripheral.

"I haven't seen you like this in a while."

Unconsciously, you faced your Captain. He had an unexplainable grimace on his face. Your hand caressed your neck, hoping to soothe it from outside.

"You don't have to tell me, or anyone. But I'm warning you. By the end of this conversation you're leaving this room, even if it means I have to carry you out."

You chuckled, the back of Wars' hand met your forehead, which you tried swatting away. The Captain stood up abruptly.

"You're still burning up."

As he went to open the window, you touched your face, but your hands were the same temperature. Standing back in front of you, he held his hand out.

"You only have this to get through. Afterwards you can hide away for a week if you like." He shook his hand a bit, encouraging you. "I'll make sure you're left alone."

Cautiously, you took his hand. Your nerves settled as he let you cling to his arm. You kept repeating his words in your head, you only had to get through this. The walk to the ceremony felt as if it lasted forever. The lump inside of you never stopped growing. But every time you tried stopping, Wars made sure to pull you a little more. Your guts seemed to be having a party without you, making you feel as if you were going to be sick. Maybe because you were keeping everything bottled up. As much as you hated what Legend did, he was right about your unhealthy habits of keeping everything secret. Writing your thoughts and fears down could only do so much for you. Taking the Veteran's advice too literally, you took a firm stance, to stop yourself in your tracks. Your Captain faced you worried.

"I don't think I've ever been more terrified in my life."

"Go figure." Wars tugged at your arm, but your body refused to move.

"This ceremony feels like I'm losing another piece of my home." You gestured to the dress. "I mean, just look at me. I don't even recognize myself anymore."

"You feel as if you're getting further and further away from reaching your goal?" You nodded, Wars hummed in response. He studied his surroundings as he thought about what to say. His expression turned a little sour. "Maybe Legend was right. I don't know what the right thing to do is." He grabbed your shoulders. "I don't know what to say because I've never been through this. I'm just in a different era of time."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Wars raised his finger to his mouth.

"I can't imagine how lonely it must feel. But, no matter what your treacherous head makes you believe, you aren't alone. You have us." As you tried to respond, Wars spoke first. "And I know, sometimes it doesn't seem like it, seeing how some of us behave. But we are all here for you."

"You won't always be there for me."

Wars blinked a couple times.

"But I'm here right now. You can't deal with things before they happen." He raised a brow. "That's probably why you feel anxious all the time."

You took hold of your shoulder as you looked away. The music blaring from the ballroom echoed through the halls of the castle. The Captain suddenly dragged you closer, his hands met the back of your head to embrace you.

"I can't begin to say how proud I am of you." You were jealous of how calm he was. "You've come so far and you've gotten so unbelievably strong."

"Wars.."

The Captain pulled away, he couldn't help but smile reassuringly as you wiped away a stray tear from your cheek.

"The only advice I can give you right now is to trust our divinity. She works in mysterious ways, but I guarantee she has a way for you." He straightened you back and lifted your face up. “I don’t have enough time to actually be able to comfort you, but you can’t cry, the others are going to think I did something terrible.” Once again, you nodded. "You just have to hold on a little longer."

Although it was difficult, and you now felt a terrible flush overtake your face. You did somewhat feel better. Legend flashed in your mind again, you cursed at yourself for letting a man that wasn’t even around take up space in your conscience. However, he was right, it was time for you to truly trust your fellow teammates. Your heart rate increased as the sound of music got louder. In front of the door to the ballroom, you felt as if you were about to pass out. The Captain let go of you.

"Wait-"

"You will be fine. I'm going to be at the other end." He squeezed your arm one last time. "We will all be there." He let go, letting your limbs fall. "You just need to get through this."

Before slipping into the ballroom, Warriors gave you a thumbs up. The thump coming from the door closing made your heart jump. Your hands trembled as you straightened out any wrinkles you spotted on your dress. As the music stopped, so did the chaotic chatter. Your eyes narrowed on the door as you tried to focus on something other than your heartrate. Your breaths quickened as you listened to the drowned out voice from the other side. Some music started, the violins and cellos harmonized as the harp came into play. The hardwood doors seemed to move in slow-motion as they opened up. Standing straighter than a tree in a forest, you studied the crowded room. Wherever you laid your eyes, you were met with someone else's. On the other side of the ballroom, the heroes stood proudly. Despite being far, you were able to notice the hero of Warriors smiling and nodding, his way of helping you. Before taking your first steps, you breathed in deeply, letting the air carefully pass through your lungs, hoping it would calm you down. As you walked down the aisle, the many "oohs" and "aaahs" only worsened your flushed state. Princess Zelda had a huge grin on her face as you made your way towards her. Unlike the heroes that stared at you as if they saw right through you. The princess looked at you with admiration and something that almost looked like love. Tunnel vision took over your field of view making the princess the only thing you could see. Neither the whispers from the crowd or the heroes' stares broke your focus. You kneeled as she inclined her head, giving your aching knees some much needed rest. The princess cleared her throat.

"Apprentice knight and hero." Her voice carried itself through the room. "You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity." As you kept your head down, you focused on keeping your breathing steady. "And have proven yourself worthy of the protection of The Goddess Hylia."

The princess stepped away, giving you the opportunity to glance in her direction. She carefully took the ceremonial blade that seemed to have been passed down through several generations.

"Whether Skyward bound or adrift in time." The heroes mentioned glanced at each other. "We pray and hope for the power to fuel your courage that will aid in keeping our kingdom safe."

Keeping your eyes down, you felt the cold blade make contact with your shoulders.

"In the name of the golden goddesses Din, Farore, Nayru and our own." The blade switched sides. "I, Zelda, Princess and Sovereign of this kingdom, hereby dub thee Knight of Hyrule." The room fell deadly silent. "Be brave, be loyal and be true."

The princess took hold of your trembling hands to help you up. Applause and cheering flooded the room after her speech. The heroes quickly surrounded you to congratulate your exploits. The nerves that clouded your judgement slowly dissipated into the air as you focused on celebrating rather than worrying. After some time, some drinks, and dances. The snow fall caught your attention, which reminded you of your room. As you tried to slip away, the rancher blocked your path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I," You spoke up to overcome the party noise. "I need to go close the window in my room."

"What? I thought I closed it." Time invited himself in the conversation.

"The Captain opened it again."

Time glared at Wars who was busy getting inebriated on anything he could drink. As their attention was turned, you quickly slipped away. As you left the ballroom, the cold air soothed your burning skin. You sighed in relief as the noise left your ears. Your peace was interrupted as you heard footsteps follow you. Before you could turn towards the source of sound, Twilight grabbed your arm.

"Thought you could get away?"

Side by side, you both walked through the halls. You crossed your arms not knowing what to do with them.

"I thought you would be having so much fun you wouldn't notice." You smiled.

"Jokes on you, I smelled you leave."

"That's very animalistic. Dare I say perverted."

Twilight laughed, you were sure he was a little intoxicated.

"Do I need to remind you that I was the victim of a terrible curse?"

You couldn't help but scoff at his response. Hearing that, the hero stood in your way. You furrowed your brows as you looked at him in confusion. The smirk on his lips was the last thing you saw before he blew up into a cloud of dark magic. The wolf before you waged his tail. Your expression remained unchanged.

"Since you're smaller, do you feel even more drunk?"

Twilight grunted as you continued walking towards your temporary room. Upon opening the door, you were both met with terribly cold winds. You quickly closed the window, trying your best to avoid the snow. Making your way to the door, you didn't notice the wolf jump in front of you. As you fell to the ground, Twilight nudged his head into your arms.

"Alright! Alright, I get it!" You started petting him by scratching his neck. "We have to get back soon though."

A cloud of dark magic blew up in your face. As the dust settled, Twilight was back to his hylian form. You started pushing him off your dress.

"I hate when you do that."

Twilight couldn't help but giggle.

"You're mean." He fake pouted. You felt as if you were watching over a child.

"Get off my dress."

Instead of listening, the hero's hands gently grabbed your face before pulling you into a kiss. Shock overwhelmed you causing you to freeze up. As his hand moved to your waist, you pushed him away. Twilight looked confused and disappointed.

"You can't do that." You put some distance between the two of you. "We're friends, remember?"

"Yeah, and we've been so good at being friends." His index hovered over his thumb. "A teeny tiny kiss won't change that."

"Wars told me about you." You crossed your arms in defiance. "About your whole thing." He furrowed his brows, seemingly even more confused. "I know that you'll say almost anything to get into someone's pants." You felt very immature stating things that way.

"I'm confused, you're not wearing pants." In his defense, Twilight really was confused.

A sigh escaped you as you stood back up, you tried your best to lift him as well before bringing him to your bed. The glass of water the housemaid prepared for you earlier was left on your nightstand. Twilight had a judgemental look on his face as he observed the cup you handed him.

"Drink."

The hero obliged, he downed the whole glass in what seemed like an instant. Twilight took a moment to regain his composure. The flush on his cheeks from the alcohol became less visible.

"Thank you." He handed you the cup. "I actually feel better."

As you turned away from him, you couldn't help but smile. You hoped your blushed state would disappear as quickly as possible.

"Wars is right, by the way." He chuckled. "I'm kind of a, how do you say.."

"Slut?" You faced him once more. His expression was priceless.

"That," His smile grew wider. "That works." Twilight rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I did stop trying to go after you. Especially when Wars kind of forced me to." Twilight gave you a funny look. "Why are you so far away?"

"I don't trust you right now."

"Fair enough." He waved his hands as a sign of surrender. "But I did stop, you have to admit it. I'd even argue that we're great pals now."

You glared at him, he smiled sheepishly. Twilight's expression changed every so slightly. His blue eyes stared at you with an intense gaze that made you confident in your decision. The hero held his hand out, luring you to come closer. You glanced between his hand and expression before shaking your head sharing a similar smirk to his.

"Come on." His voice dropped to a lower register.

"No." You shook your head again. "I know what you're going to do. Besides, Wars told you not to."

"Wars isn't here right now." He shook his hand impatiently. "Besides, I'm not going to do anything crazy."

"You've given me no reason to trust you." You said.

"Please."

Your thoughts from earlier came back to haunt you. You couldn't not trust the heroes after everything you went through with them. You cautiously stepped towards him without taking his hand. Immediately, Twilight pulled you in by your waist making the practical side of your mind regret the decision. His hands radiated a surprising amount of heat that penetrated the layers of fabric.

"I kissed you because I like you." His grip tightened. "I really like you, not like before. It feels different now." He seemed to blush from something other than the alcohol. "I tried to just look at you as a teammate. But seeing you tonight, like this." Twilight shook his head. "I just can't."

Words failed you in that moment as your heart fluttered. You simply tucked away some loose strands of hair from his forehead. Twilight took that as an invitation to kiss you again. This time, he wasn't met with as much defiance. For a moment, you let yourself bathe in a flood of emotions as you fantasized about what could be. YOU ARE FROM A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE. Your mind yelled at you, almost immediately, you broke off the kiss and gently pushed yourself away from him. Not only that, Legend kept flashing in your mind which helped you get it together.

“Nope.” You said firmly before creating some distance with him again. “I can’t do this.”

"Is it because you don't like men?" You snapped your head back at him with a confused look. "You know you said your first love was a girl."

"No." You couldn't help but snicker. “I don’t necessarily have a preference."

"So I'm the problem." Twilight scoffed. "I don't think this has ever happened to me before."

"It's not you. If we were in completely different situations, I wouldn't even question it." You sighed. "But I can't let myself do this, especially if the only valid reason is.. lust."

You were nervous he'd react poorly, like the men in your world. Twilight looked at you suspiciously before humming.

"You're more mature than me." As he stood back up, you helped him steady himself. "My better judgment left for another realm." The hero took another look at you. “I really hope you aren’t holding out for someone else.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Because that would be even more stupid than doing this.”

“Of course not.” You shook your head trying to free your thoughts from a certain hero. “Nothing can happen with any of you. It isn't worth the consequences.”

“You’re right.” Twilight answered. “I did it once, I don't think I'm completely over her.” He shook his head. “But that's a very touchy subject for me.”

The hero smiled as you sympathized knowing about Midna. Though if you were truly being honest, you'd already crossed the line more than once this week. On your way back to the ballroom, you felt the need to go to the courtyard. The ballroom was a heat you couldn't handle at the moment, especially with the fever still somewhat present. In front of the hardwood doors leading to the festivities, you parted ways with Twilight before heading towards the entrance of the castle. Many guests looked at you as you passed them, some whispered things but you were too focused on your goal to care. The cold air took a hold of you like a welcoming hug. The moon shined brightly, lighting up the gardens of the castle. As you made your way through the snow, you were grateful to be wearing your boots. The gardens were filled with winter plants. Holly, winter jasmines, crocus flowers and plenty of violets filled up the empty spaces. Up ahead, there was a ledge blocked by a stone railing, as you looked down, there was an even bigger garden of winter flowers. Looking up at the stars, you wondered if they were near your universe. You wondered if your loved ones from home were looking up at the same stars. Deep inside you knew you were too far away for that to happen. Some footsteps in the snow put you on high alert. Your tensed bones loosened up at the sight of the hero of legends.

"Oh."

You said quietly. You quickly faced the garden once more, hoping he would leave. Legend took a few steps, the snow betrayed his discretion.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

You held on to the stone railing, despite how cold it felt against your fingers. You heard him take another step, not wanting him to get too close, you finally faced him. Legend's expression was just like how you imagined it to be. The hero took a deep breath as his eyes wandered over your frame, you crossed your arms, signaling your discontent.

"I'm sorry about the princess. She can get a little carried away."

You didn't give him the satisfaction of a reply.

"Look, you have every right to be mad at me."

"Legend please," You rolled your eyes. "Why do we need to talk about this now? Why tonight?"

"Well you haven't really given me a generous time frame." He scoffed, which really irritated you. "Don't worry, I will not hold it against you how I was the one who comforted you while you were sick." He basically barked.

"Oh thank Hylia, I thought you were going to use it as leverage against me." You said with little to no expression or tone possible. "Glad to see you've grown up."

The hero stopped himself before speaking, the longer you looked into each other's eyes, the more nervous you got. You averted your eyes from his. Legend sighed.

"That was really stupid of me. A severe lapse in my judgement if you will." You said. "You should've left the moment you saw I was awake.” Legend was the one who didn't answer this time. He just kept staring at you, as if looking right through you. For a split second, you thought he was reading your mind. But he just stayed silent, as if he was waiting for permission to speak. It wasn't you to back down from a challenge, but the day had already been hard enough. "Fine." You weren't sure if he heard you. "Just hurry up."

"I'm sorry." The hero stated. "I was terrible, again. I understand if you're tired of hearing my apologies, but I really need to get this off my chest." You didn't answer, you didn't know what the right thing to say was. "I shouldn't have read through your journal, no matter how worried I was. I didn't read everything to everyone, only some parts to get them off my back." Vet scoffed. "Or else they were going to turn me into a bunny again."

"Oh, how sweet." You cut him off. "You wanted to get turned into a hylian again. How nice of you to worry about me."

"That's not what I meant. Of course I wanted to be a hylian again, but that's not what was most important to me. I need you to believe me when I tell you I really just wanted to know you were alright." You grimaced. "My intentions were good, my actions terrible. But I did it for you."

"Bullshit." No matter how much you tried to keep it together, your anger still managed to seep through. "Don't you dare make this out to be some courageous and selfless act to feel less guilty. You felt entitled to my private thoughts for whatever reason. You can't just shift the blame to fit your narrative." You took a step closer. "On top of that, you made the others believe in some false pretense, pretending you were worried for me."

"I was worried for you!" He matched your tone of voice. "I am deadly worried about you, all the time. The fact that you keep everything bottled up makes that feeling worse." As you tried to turn away once more, Legend didn't let you. "I'll admit, my intentions were maybe selfish, because it would make me feel better knowing you're alright. But by that logic, all good deeds are selfish." He held your wrist tightly. "You scare me. Because I know that if anything bad happens, I won't be able to help you." His grip loosened. "If I cannot guarantee your safety, I need to be able to aid you in some way or I will feel as if I failed you."

You pulled your hand away, you wondered if it was his triforce or himself pushing him to behave this way. Well, Legend was born with the triforce of courage, he wouldn't be himself without it. The hero's intentions meant well, however, they still didn't feel good.

"Even so," Your voice became much softer. "Even if your intentions were good at first." You took a deep breath of freezing air. "You still felt the need to go to such a length. You felt obligated to break my trust in order to get closer to me."

"Of course I did." Legend gazed back into your eyes. "You're like a locked treasure chest in a temple I can't solve."

"I-" You shook your head trying to reassemble your thoughts. "I think that's what hurts me the most." His expression turned sour. "I thought we were way closer than that, despite everything." You stuttered on words as you tried to say the right thing. "I get that you want to understand me on a deeper level. But I don't even know who I am anymore. I can't share parts of someone I am not." You sighed deeply. "I'm having a hard time accepting that fact about myself. I have been changed for good. Not for the better, but for good." You felt your nose pinch in a very familiar way, you took deep breaths trying to keep it together. Legend didn't know what to say. "You wanted me to open up, there you have it." You scoffed in hopes of not spiraling. "I hate what you did, I hate that I can't trust or talk to you anymore."

"I hate not talking to you too." The hero replied. "I hate it so much that I'd rather you yell at me if nothing else." He kept staring at you, this time as if he were truly looking at you. It made you feel nervous.

"What?" You furrowed your brows at him as you tried to read his mind.

"For all that's it worth, I think you look beautiful tonight."

"Oh, put a sock in it. Is that all you have to say?" You scoffed. The hero stepped dangerously close. He gently caressed your cheek. Your hand stopped him, holding him securely.

“I want to be honest with you. But I think for once you'd rather I lied.” He looked longingly in your eyes. You were unable to move him away from you. “It's not something you’d want to hear.” As the weight of his words hit you, it helped you distance yourself from him. You weren't sick enough to justify being this weak anymore. Legend looked disappointed, but he also had an expression you were all too familiar with, when he refused to listen to others. “But I can't keep it to myself any longer.” The hero said your name softly. “I-”

"Don't." You pointed your index at him and shook your head. "Don't you dare." The hero looked offended but he seemed to have expected your reaction.

"But I-"

"Please Link." You finally turned your back to him, to stare at the moonlight garden. "That's the last thing I need to hear from you."

"I love you."

It took everything in you not to start sobbing, you gripped onto the railing with such strength, you were sure to have sore hands the next day. No matter how badly you wanted to answer, you didn't. You stayed silent, he didn't deserve an answer, not after everything. Your heart thumped in your chest so hard you were afraid it would make its escape. To end the silence and anticipation, you took a long deep breath before speaking.

"I think you should go.”

As his footsteps made their way back to the castle, your hand met your mouth. The tears that fell down from your face melted the snow on the railing. It was only a matter of time before you broke down. The accumulation of everything leading up to this ceremony was already unbearably difficult, but his confession was truly the nail in the coffin. You wondered if Legend had some vendetta against you, all of his decisions concerning you up until this point made it seem that way. Thinking of what you told Twilight earlier, you wondered if what you were feeling currently was worse than whatever you feared. Back in your room, your back slid down the door before you hid your face in your knees. The yards of fabric proved to be useful in providing you some physical comfort. When your head rose from the dress, you noticed your journal peaking out of your backpack. Since the incident, you hadn't written anything in it. Begrudgingly, you got up to fetch it. You started writing in it, everything you felt for the past few weeks. This wasn't to be seen as regressing, rather finding some stability between confiding in others and letting your thoughts be private. As you wrote at a surprising speed, you promised yourself you would open up to the heroes another time. For now, for tonight, you were satisfied with what you knew.

Chapter Text

Act I

The covers on you were pulled so tightly together that anyone else would suffocate. It had been three days since the accolade, and you couldn't have felt more terrible. If you hadn't run out of space in your journal, you would still be writing. You were feeling better, which would be a good thing if you didn't feel so awful. Your good health forced you to be fully conscious of everything you felt which wasn't ideal at the moment. The sadness shielded your heart that was filled with an intense feeling of missing something. You stared up at the patterns on the canopy bed, you wondered if the people here ever got tired of slapping triangles on things. Despite being physically ready to take on the day, the only thing you managed to do was to hide in your covers, even after getting ready. A knock on your door made you want to hide deeper in your blankets, the familiar clanking and steps signaled your Captain's presence.

"Well good morning to you." He sat down on your bed. "I know, I said I would leave you alone, but I need to check on your temperature. The princess wants to know if she needs to perform more light therapy on you."

A deep sigh left you as you stopped hiding, you slowly sat up clearly not rejoiced by his visit. Warriors looked at you funny before checking your temperature.

"I say this with all the love in the world for you," His hand left your forehead. "But you look terrible."

His choice of using the word love made you want to throw up, you decided to just squint your eyes. The hero observed your room, his eyes fell on your journal, he then made his way to it. As he flipped through the pages he seemed confused.

"How did Vet even learn your language?" You grimaced at the name, wanting to hide under the covers again. "Nothing makes sense." He picked it up, trying to decipher it. "You're going to need a new one."

"A new pen as well." You finally spoke up. "How was your hangover?"

"What hangover?" He had a cocky grin.

"You drank so much at the accolade, how were you not ill afterwards?"

"If you keep drinking you don't feel a thing." He flipped to the last page where the writing prematurely stopped in the middle of a sentence. "But I have built a very high tolerance to alcohol over the years."

The unhealthy habits reassured you in a way, despite how terrible you felt, you did not feel the need to down liquor to forget about anything, which meant you were more okay than it seemed. As he placed your filled journal back on the desk, he made his way back to you. What you feared most finally happened.

"What happened the other night?" The hero crossed his arms. "I mean besides everything." Your silence confirmed his suspicions, he sighed in response. "Does this have anything to do with Twilight? I recall him following you out of the ballroom."

"Twilight?" You scoffed remembering the events. "I think you're better off not knowing." You shook your head. "But he's not the problem."

Although he tried to stay stoic, you could see the irritation in his eyes.

"Can I at least know what he did now?" He sighed as you shook your head. "Come on, I need a reasonable excuse before I go at him."

"Is that supposed to convince me?"

"If you don't tell me I will learn your language and read your journal." Wars said admittedly, but you knew he wasn't serious.

"Be my guest, when you get to conditional sentences or relative clauses you tell me." You both smiled at each other. You shook your head once more. "I'm serious though, Twilight isn't the problem. On the contrary, I didn't expect him to be so understanding."

The Captain didn't answer, he just kept staring at you, hoping you would open up. You debated whether it was a good idea, you knew he could keep a secret, but you doubt he would manage to keep this one to himself. You then sighed remembering the promise you made to yourself the other night.

"Legend is the problem."

"I was really hoping you wouldn't say that." Wars pinched his nose bridge. "Why is it always him? What does he have against you? Why is he so terrible all the time?" Wars shook his head. "Questions that will never be answered."

"He's selfish." You felt your anger rise again. "He doesn't think of anyone besides himself."

"Tell me something I don't know." The hero kept his eyes on you, trying to read your mind. 

The words got stuck in your throat as you tried to answer. You started fidgeting with your fingers, hoping you wouldn't start crying. You kept your eyes down, not being able to look at the intrigued hero anymore. Before you could say anything, there was a knock at the door. When it half opened, you both saw Time on the other end.

"Oh forgive me, it seems I've showed up at a bad time." As he tried to leave, Wars didn't let him.

"No, no, no." The Captain opened the door more, resulting in you giving him a strange look. "I think you arrived at the perfect time."

The old man looked over at you, as if asking your permission. You glared at Wars who just shrugged. You knew what he was doing, you didn't like it one bit. On the bright side, you didn't feel like crying anymore. Wars said your name.

"...was just about to tell me what Legend did last night."

"Oh Hylia, what did he do again?" 

You didn't say anything. 

Your Captain encouraged Time by gesturing to you. Time cleared his throat. 

"Look, I get that I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now. Besides Vet." He muttered that last part to himself. "Given the way I've treated you in the past it's completely understandable. But I heard through the grapevine that you're speaking to Twilight again." 

You couldn't help but grimace as Twilight flashed in your mind again. 

"I want us to be able to talk to each other like two civilized hylians." He paused. "Well, hylian and human. Like two adults." He was afraid for a moment thinking he didn't use the right word. "Regardless, I want us to get back on the right foot. So, you can talk to me. Right now, I promise I will not talk to as a group leader, or some unwanted mentor. But as your friend."

Wars nodded as you glanced over at him. You knew they were right, and unlike Twilight you knew he wouldn't throw himself at you. Time held his hand to his chest as if he were taking an oath. The hero of time deserved another chance, it had been long enough. Unlike before, he didn't look at you like some weak and puny maiden in need of saving. On the contrary, it was a look of familiarity that invaded his expression, as if he saw you as another one in the chain. You silently nodded, but before you could speak, you felt your heart break once again. No matter how hard you tried to fight it, you couldn't help but cry again. Time quickly handed you a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry." You nodded as a way to thank him before trying to wipe the tears away. The heroes seemed even more concerned. "He told me he loved me."

The two older heroes shared the same expression of disappointment. Wars hid his irritated expression in the palm of hands as he paced the room. Time's brows furrowed before he sighed deeply.

"I'm going to murder him in his sleep." Wars added. "What is going on inside that pea-brain of his?"

"I told him not to, I even begged." You defended yourself, as if their irritation was targeted towards you. "But he wouldn't listen, like always he acted selfish."

Time glared at Wars which confused the Captain.

"I thought you told me only Twilight posed a problem?" He spoke before Warriors could. "You didn't tell me Legend was as, or dare I say, more problematic."

"I didn't think he would take it this far." Wars pointed his index. "He's a sly bastard, that's what he is."

"Whatever, that doesn't matter right now." Time said before turning his attention to you once more. "I'm sorry, I keep thinking like a group leader." He sighed trying to calm down. "How does it make you feel?"

You couldn't help but look at him with a look of disdain. 

"That isn't important." You stated. "I'm telling you what happened last night, there you have it." You tried acting tough, despite sniffing like a child. They gave you a funny look, hoping you would stop acting so cold. "I am a knight now, I don't have time to be distracted by these silly things."

"I admire how much you take your new title seriously." Wars replied. "But being a knight doesn't always mean you have to put your emotions on hold. It isn't hylianly possible to do so. You need some way to let them out at some point." As you looked towards your journal he hummed in disagreement. "Writing everything down cannot always be a solution, you know that very well."

"I hate having to defend Legend, especially when he fucked up." Time added. "I understand you not wanting to share your life story, it doesn't really matter anymore with you being here now." He tried to find the right words. "But it's not healthy to be this closed off from others." Before you could defend yourself, he spoke once more. "I'm not trying to scold you, I'm just trying to help you understand. We've all struggled with this, being in such a strange position, being a hero... it's daunting."

"You need an outlet, a healthy one. Or you'll start drinking." Wars said. "When you get back to your Earth nobody will understand what you went through here, you might as well take advantage of the situation the best you can."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Time replied.

You didn't know what to say. You knew they were right, you knew Legend was right, you knew all of them were right for pushing you so much. Nobody but them could understand what you were going through, no matter which universe you came from. You finally got out of the familiarity and safety of your covers. You let your legs dangle off the side of the bed.

"Remember that fake expedition he took me on?" They frowned remembering how worried they were. "He tried to kiss me that night, I think that's maybe why he got turned into a bunny."

"How did we not notice any of this?" Wars seemed even more pissed off. "I swear to Hylia..." 

"Well now, come on. If he just tried to kiss you and failed, it isn't too much of a problem." Time interjected. "Plus it seems the Goddess had her word to say on this." 

They both stared at you waiting for a response, something to reassure them. You blankly stared at the ground not knowing what to say, or mostly how to say anything. Your Captain started pacing around.

"Something else happened?" Time was shocked. "How did you even find the time?" 

"His room is next to hers." Warriors said as he hid in his hands. "You know, suddenly... I don't want to know anymore."

"How does that-" The old man slowly turned back to you, absolutely dumbfounded. "You didn't... right?" 

"Warriors doesn't want to know." The heroes sighed deeply at your comment, Wars was busy threatening Legend while Time didn't look proud. "I admit it was stupid! Very stupid, but I was absolutely out of my mind and he was being nice... very nice." You shook your head profusely before you stood up. "But this was my mistake to make, you can't blame Legend because I was heavily involved in the decision making." 

"Right, sure.." Wars faced the door. "I'm just going to take a walk." You and Time both wanted to stop him, afraid of what his next move was. "Don't worry, I'm not going to see Vet." 

Before you could say anything else, he slammed the door as he left. For a moment, nobody spoke, you both just stared at the door in silence. 

"For the record, both of you are stupid." Time added. 

"Yeah well, that's what happens when feelings get involved. You get weak." 

"I disagree." He said before crossing his arms. "Being in love doesn't make you weak, acting on it can though." 

"I'm not-" You couldn't help but scoff at the words being stuck. "Don't say that." 

"I'm not here to scold you, or force you to talk. You've already opened up more than I expected." The hero took a step closer. "But I just want to make sure you know, in spite of everything, I am here for you as well. As long as you stay with us, it will remain that way." 

You couldn't help but cross your arms, it made you nervous hearing things like that. Time noticed your scar and gestured to see it. His eye widened at the sight while inspecting it. 

"I think it's about time you see something." 

Time said quite ominously. Still, you followed the old man around the castle. From some windows, you were able to notice Wars training, you guessed it was his way of distracting himself . As you descended the stairs, you couldn't help but feel nervous about what you were doing. At the bottom of the stairs lay a room with a lot of equipment and gear for knights. Your eyes followed the numerous blades and armor sets on the wall, work benches and tables. The hero led to the end of the large underground room, you didn’t notice him stopping. Time nudged you, getting your attention, you tilted your head confused at what you were supposed to be looking at. 

“What do you think?” He looked proud. “The princess had it made for you after seeing what He did to you.” 

Your eyes widened as you stared at the armor set in front of you. You circled the piece that was on display. The candle light reflected off of its shiny surface made of what you imagined was steel. The armor was smooth against your touch, it had the same temperature as your body which surprised you. As you tried the set on, the breastplate covered your most vulnerable parts of your upper body. The pauldrons, detachable from the over parts, were not as thick and restrictive as you thought. You only had one gauntlet, on your dominant hand. The other was only protected by your leather gloves. The cuisses, poleyns and greaves slipped onto you over your other clothes. The set provided a decent amount of protection while also being flexible and light enough to fight in. Staring at yourself all armored up made you feel much better than earlier. It made you remember what your objective was, but a melancholic feeling took over you. Time was quick to notice your change in expression.

"Do you not like it?" He looked worried. "This princess can be over the top at times." 

"No, it's perfect." Despite your words, you felt a weird feeling that this was all going to end soon. 

"Usually, people don't look like that when they are happy." The hero shrugged. "Well maybe humans are different." 

"I'm not going to be with the chain for much longer." 

The hero of time's eyes widened, a mix of intrigue and concern invaded his expression. 

"You're planning to leave?" 

"No, not really." You faced Time. "I just have this nagging feeling ever since I put this on." 

You were prepared for him to get mad or try to sequester you, but he didn't reply. The hero slowly nodded before sighing deeply. 

"That’s a lot to take in.” 

The two of you decided to make your way out of the equipment room. The way back to the main part of the castle was silent, but to your surprise, you weren't met with much defiance from him. When you remembered previous events in your adventure, he was always the first one to try to stop you from doing something. Seeing how he reacted truly showed how much his opinion about you changed. Each hero had a different way of seeing you, ways that you had actively fought to change over these past few months. 

"Time?" 

The hero faced you once more. 

"Can you promise me something?"

Without any hesitation, Time nodded. 

"If this does come to happen." You suddenly felt nervous. "Can you promise me you won't try to stop me?" He seemed to have expected that question. "No matter what the others say, no matter how dangerous it may be. Please, promise me you won't stop me." Time couldn't keep eye-contact. "Please Link." 

"I hate it when you use our real names." The hero replied. "It makes everything so much more serious." He was trying to deflect. "You're asking a lot from me." 

"Me figuring this whole mess out will get you home." 

"I don't care about that as much anymore." You were surprised by his response. The hero sighed in frustration. “I’m not saying I don’t want to go home, that’s what I wish for the most.” Time shook his head. “But I can’t go back home knowing I haven’t done everything I could. The guilt would kill me,” He looked towards the window, avoiding your stare. “Plus I wouldn’t hear the end of it from Malon.” 

The slight change of your expression on your face indicated how ready you were to be disappointed by his response. Glancing outside, you were able to see the younger heroes training with your Captain. 

“This is not about distrusting you.” He added. “I wouldn’t think about letting one of the other heroes go. Which includes you.” 

“I’m not a hero.” 

“I doubt you’ll become one if I let you leave.” He almost spat out. “He almost killed one of us. I can’t imagine what terrible fate He would have for you if anything went wrong.” 

This was the defiance you were expecting.

“But, I know I can’t stop you if you actually decide to go through with this.” Time looked up towards the sky. “Or if you’re forced to go through with it.” Despite the little emotion he let shine through his tough disguise. You understood that he was trying his best to make peace with what you thought would be the future. You could only hope when the time came that he would remember this conversation and how he went through the same thing as a child. 

Later, you decided to join the heroes in their training, unsurprisingly, your dominant arm was much weaker than before. You then learned that Wild broke your sword during your encounter with the being of darkness. Using Four’s sword, you fought against your Captain for training purposes. As the fight went on, lower grade knights and the heroes watched it. With no context to who you were, the knights kept betting on who would win. It made you even more nervous fighting in front of everyone, your shield felt heavy on your injured arm as you fought with your non-dominant hand against the Captain who was using his dominant one. The ground was slippery from the snow, despite being shoveled away. You also knew one wrong move meant you would fall, but it also went for him as well. Each time you tried using your shield, Warriors would find a way to counter your signature attack. The heroes were watching from various places, most of them in the courtyard, though Legend was missing. You were sure he was watching from his window, which had a direct view on the courtyard. The ones present watched the friendly battle with anticipation, for once they weren’t completely sure the Captain would beat you. You felt a bit rusty as you swung your sword, you did moves that guaranteed your safety rather than a victory, but having not trained for a week, you needed time to warm up. The hero of warriors knew that, he anticipated you not being in the best shape, but he knew he had to force you to give it your all. Wars’ next move was far from fair, as you almost landed a hit, time seemed to slow down for him as he came at you with a surprising amount of speed. You cursed his hero’s spirit which allowed him to cheat, it was a dirty move and he knew that. Which is why you didn't feel bad blocking him from moving with your leg, but with the speed he was going at, the hero tripped. You swiftly move out of the way not wanting him to take you in his tumble. As he fell to the ground, you quickly pointed the magical sword at his neck. Both of you panted, glaring at each other until one of you smiled making you both laugh. You handed Smithy his weapon back, the crowd of knights and heroes cheered and talked among each other about what just happened. You carefully removed your gauntlet to help Wars up favoring human contact over metal, well hylian-human contact. Instead of pulling himself up, the hero took advantage of your weakness and pulled you to his level. 

“Wars!” You shoved snow at him. 

“I don’t want to be soggy and cold alone.” He seemed too proud of himself for someone who had just gotten his ass handed to him. “You’ve earned that new journal.”

“You’re abhorrent.” You said with an amused grin. 

“I needed some way to get back at you after what you did with Legend.” The other heroes circled both of you. “It’s only fair.”

“What happened with Legend?” Hyrule asked before lending you his hand.

“Oh it’s nothing.” Wars smiled. “They just-”

“Wars I swear to Hylia I will find a way to suffocate you with snow.” As Twilight tried to help Wars up, you stepped in front, stopping him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Unless you want to be soggy and cold with us.” 

“How did you even know I was going to do that?” Wars got up on his own. “I literally just thought of it.” He crossed his arms. 

Before you could answer, you felt someone grab your arm. It was Wind, with the others he inspected your arm. 

“Woooaaaah!” You pulled your arm away from the sailor. “I want a scar like that.” 

“You haven’t seen all of it.” Wars added. “It stops around here.” He pointed at your chelidon.

“I want to see that.” Wild joined the conversation. “I want to see how it compares to mine.”

“It doesn’t.” You said with a firm tone. “Plus it’s too cold for me to want to undress myself.” You started putting your gauntlet back on.

The heroes complained stating you were no fun. You didn't necessarily like being the center of attention, especially after the show you put on with your Captain. After your training, you went to the markets with Wars to get a new journal, this time with more pages. Castle Town was bustling with merchants. They all harassed you with samples or "special" offers. Comparing Legend's era to Twilight’s, you were able to notice how different the people acted, despite being from the same time period. In the hero of Twilight's era, the merchants weren't afraid of setting up shop anywhere, as seen on the Hylia bridge. But in this one, they were too scared to step foot outside of the Castle perimeters. It made them respect the knights even more. Unlike Wars, you received a chivalric medallion from this era, proving your bravery and talent recognized by the royal authority. The eyes of admiration as you traversed the town were incessant, despite it being attached to your belt. You wondered if this was what life was going to look like from now. Back in the castle, you were able to finish writing down your thoughts from the night before. Although, they were much more optimistic compared to last time you wrote. A knock was heard on your door. As you opened the door, your heart sunk, it was Legend.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to bother you." The hero said with little to no expression as he avoided your eyes. "The princess wants to see us." 

Quickly, you made your way to the royal study, making sure to keep some distance with Vet. The princess was busy jotting things down on a large chalk slate that was on the wall. Slowly, you were able to decipher that she was writing about Him. Link cleared his throat, startling the princess. 

"Link!" She held her hand to her chest, she seemed to have a permanent smile plastered on her face. "Always so mysterious." She put the chalk down before wiping her hands on a handkerchief. 

"You wanted to see us, remember?" Legend said, his tone wasn't fit for talking to royalty in your opinion.

"Well, I wanted to know what you plan to do now." The princess stood between both of you as she tilted her head at the chalk slate. "I've compiled everything you all have told me. I have a few theories." She hummed mid sentence, obviously still thinking. "But one stood out the most." 

"Shouldn't we get the other heroes?" You asked politely, unlike your teammate. "Whatever has to do with Him, also concerns them." 

As if speaking of the devil, you heard the voices of the chain get louder as they approached the study. The princess kept a smile plastered on her face as she waited for everyone to settle down and listen to her. They had some trouble calming down, even in front of Zelda. She kept smiling, as if patience was her favorite pass time. 

"Can you all be civil for once?" Time spoke up, everyone listened. "If not for yourself, for the princess." 

Their eyes turned to the chalk slate and Zelda. After a quick explanation and a breakdown of all the events that had happened since your arrival. 

"What I cannot comprehend is why Dark Link is after you." Zelda pondered. The room tensed up at the sound of His name. "He is a manifestation of darkness meant to destabilize the heroes."

"A force driven by Demise's powers." Legend added. "He ceases to exist once the darkness is sealed. Usually." 

"And begins anew when that darkness takes on a new form." The princess added. "Which is the manner of my inquisition. I do not understand why you are the object of his malicious desires." 

"So in other words, he is a weapon manufactured by Ganondorf." Warriors spoke up. "He shouldn't be able to do such things?" 

"We haven't even brushed upon the fact that he took you away from your universe." Legend said. "Not even a different dimension or realm. A whole other universe entirely different to ours." 

"What are you implying?" Time's tone was cold.

"A feeling of dread overcomes my being thinking he might be far stronger than anything you could fathom to think." Zelda's eyes were filled with worry. "With His form only being weak to the light, I fear on your own..." 

The princess wasn't able to finish her sentence, but you could easily guess what she was going to say. You understood her trouble to speak, having a hard time yourself. 

"Is that it?" Sky answered. The heroes turned to him. "We just need to use this on Him." He unsheathed the master sword, which you looked at with envy. 

"Plus he's weak from the last encounter." Four crossed his arms, looking at the sword. "If you stay with us, you will be sure to be safe." 

Time couldn't help but glance at you, which you so conveniently ignored. The heroes spoke among each other, cheering themselves on and claiming how sure they were to defeat him. As long as they stuck together. Between your fingers, you fiddled with the light stone. The oldest hero then shook his head. 

"I think what the princess is trying to tell us is that we can't do anything against him if he really attempted something." 

"What can a being of darkness do against nine heroes?" Wind crossed his arms. "We have had little problems on our adventure so far." 

"Nothing is a coincidence." You said while blatantly staring at the stone as it glowed. "He could've ended my life, he didn't. He could've killed Twilight. But he didn't." You stopped moving the stone around before squeezing it firmly in the palm of your hand. "He's already, if not the most, one of the strongest entities in this universe and mine." 

The room was silent, making you finally look at them. All of them shared a look of dread and denial. The chatter started once again. The princess started erasing the chalk slate with her bare hand. 

"I don't understand what this means." Wind sighed while he confessed. The others looked at him sympathetically. "What does this mean for him? For us? For you?" He spoke directly to you.

"This is all part of some bigger plan of his." Legend replied in place of you. "He's even more powerful than we ever imagined." Twilight held his side when Legend spoke. "For everyone to get home, we need to find out what in Hyrule is going on with him." 

"You can't defeat an opponent without observing them." Wars added bleakly. 

"I see it in your eyes, you're losing hope." The princess caught everyone's attention. "But you mustn't. You've forgotten a very important puzzle piece to this mystery." She walked over to you before taking the stone from you. She lifted it up to show everyone. "The Goddess is helping you, all of you." 

That piece of information seemed to quiet down the room once again. Before the princess could add anything else, the door swung open. A housemaid seemed very disheveled, she was panting and red in the face from running down the halls. The heroes grabbed their weapons out of precaution. 

"Your highness," The maids caught her breath. "That thing you warned us about is here!" 

The princess gasped before studying the room with a grimace. The hero of legends stood up before bowing to the princess. 

"Thank you for all of your help." Legend started gesturing for everyone to leave the room. "I hope to see you again soon." 

At the stone balcony where Legend confessed his love, a dark portal appeared. You wondered if it was intentional. But truthfully, you did not have the time to flash hurtful eyes at Legend or be sad. With your trusty backpack and the chain, you made your way through the portal. No matter how many times you had passed through this thing, your guts never got used to the turbulence caused by it. Unexpectedly, snow was on the other side of the portal, but there was no castle around, nor any town. Buried under the winter season, you couldn't recognize anything about this era, the heroes were as bewildered as you. But instead of staying put, you all started walking knowing you had to find some sort of shelter before nightfall. After what felt like forever, in the distance Time spotted a village, no one was able to pinpoint the era just by the place. But with no other options and the sun already down, you made your way towards it. The sign read Synapsi, the villagers stared at the chain intrigued by the obvious travelers. The inn keeper seemed very pleased with the big bag of rupees placed on the counter, you were sure to have a somewhat decent experience now. You managed to get a room alone since some of the heroes decided to pair up, the room was very small, but still felt empty. The small window was too small to comfortably gaze at the scenery. The bed creaked incessantly from just a single touch and a smell of neglect clouded the room as if it hadn't been used in a lifetime. From the terribly ancient wooden planks, you heard someone stop in the doorway, it was quickly followed by an unenthusiastic knock. 

"Have a second?" 

"What are you doing here Legend?" You sounded as enthusiastic as his knock. 

The hero didn't answer immediately, he slowly entered your room, studying your expression in case of any aggression. The hero searched through his pockets to retrieve a tiny little bag.

"I thought this might serve you well." 

Tugging on the strings opened the small bag, you quickly searched through it only to retrieve a hollow circular object. It was a ring, it had a mesmerizing bright glow and a TriForce symbol. You looked back at Legend confused by his intentions. 

"It can shield you if ever you're caught unprepared." He crossed his arms to keep some semblance of calmness despite the tension. "The princess infused it with light power." 

With your dominant hand being protected by a gauntlet, you put it on various fingers trying to find the perfect fit. The hero glanced between the jewellery and you as you put it on your annular finger. Before he could say anything, the hero was called by one of the others. You were left alone, staring at your hand. Only then did you realize where you placed the ring. Sitting at the rustic desk, you cracked open the new journal, the smell of fresh paper was comforting. You spent most of the evening writing where you left off last time.

Act II

The next day, at the break of dawn, you continued your training like before as if you never got hurt. But the only way you were able to train was by fighting Warriors. It resulted in a series of duels between you. The Captain won six to four, he seemed exhausted by the end of the session. The rest of the day was spent asking around Synapsi for clues about this era. None of the villagers seemed to know about the swordsmen, magical princesses or the TriForce which made their fears of being in an unmarked era true. In the evening, when you made your way back to the inn, you were surprised by all the heroes around the table in the common room. You stared at them confused while taking your cloak off and letting your backpack drop to the floor when they gestured for you to come closer. As you took a seat, some of the heroes tensed for whatever reason. You studied them, wondering if this was some scheme set by Legend once more. But he seemed dismissive of everyone, he rather read a hylian history book instead of participating in this mess to come. Wars said your name, catching your attention. 

"We've all been thinking recently." 

"Which is rare." Twilight added, as if it would make their words more valuable to you. 

"Twi." Wars interrupted him. "Especially about what happened in the cave, and with what the princess told us." 

You felt even more confused, you noticed Time leaning back with his arms crossed. He seemed as if he didn't want to be here either, which explained why the Captain was leading this weird looking intervention. 

"We just wanted to ask you something important." Warriors had never looked more serious. "Have you thought about what you would do if you stayed in Hyrule?" 

"Of course not." Suddenly, you did not like where this conversation was going. "I'm not staying in this universe, I won’t waste time making plans that will never go into fruition." 

"You're totally right." Sky added. "But, what if you weren't able to get home?" 

“That’s not going to happen.” You said confidently. The heroes grimaced. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?" 

"Well," The traveler replied. "As the princess said, we don't have any way to defeat Him." The young hero rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe you should start thinking of what you would do if you had to stay here. Just hypothetically." 

The heroes had a point, you closely observed their expressions. Wild had none, only a glint of empathy shined through his eyes. Wind and Four seemed as if they desperately wanted you to say something positive to uplift their spirits, but ultimately bit their tongue. Sky and Hyrule shared glances at each other hoping you would understand. Twilight kept glancing between you and the Captain. Time gazed blatantly at the table while Legend kept reading, pretending to be oblivious to the situation. Warriors kept staring at you with a very firm expression, almost strict. As if he were commanding you to give him an answer. You'd only seen this look in him when he taught you very specific and difficult moves. Your eyebrows furrowed when you looked away, dumbfounded from the question. It wasn't as if you had never thought of it, but you made sure to keep it in the back of your mind. But thinking of such a thing would mean signaling defeat. Everything about you was already tainted by this world, the longer you stayed here, the more your home disappeared. Holding onto the need to go back to your universe was all that was left from your home. 

"Just think about it." Wild said to you quietly, a way to reassure you. 

The heroes cared about you, a lot more than what you thought. Regardless of how tough their exteriors seemed, you could see it in their eyes how deeply they wanted to help you. So, for a moment, you gave them what they wanted and you pondered their question, what it would mean to stay in Hyrule. Honestly, there wasn’t much to think about, you knew you would stay with them if ever you had to stay here. You would wander across different eras in time, fight monsters and dark beings, and keep getting stronger. Life had never been the same since you got here, you were forced to mold yourself into a new person out of the few scrapes left from your past life. If you ever got back home, you were going to have to go through the same thing once again to get used to life on Earth. The instant you started thinking of how convenient it would be to stay here, you cursed at yourself. Doing nothing will always be easier than trying. The heroes seemed relieved by the softness that overcame your expression for a second. But, it didn’t last very long. 

"No." You blurted out. The heroes started talking over each other trying to get you to understand. Warriors expected this reaction from you. His expression remained the same. "I refuse to think of such a fate, I refuse to surrender." 

"It’s not surrendering!" Sky replied, his voice filled with worry. "It just means you'll focus on something else for the time being." 

"What do you suggest we do then?" Wars spoke to you. "We are up against a being that is unbelievably way too strong." 

"We need to go find him." You matched his tone. "We won't be able to do anything against him if we just stay in one spot." 

The calm chatter quickly turned into a storm of bickering. The heroes didn't seem to be too sure of what to do themselves. They obviously weren’t ready to have to defend themselves and they obviously weren’t sure of what the best thing to do was. All but Wars, he kept glaring at you from the end of the table. As if you two were having a staring contest. 

"You're all supposed to be heroes. I don't understand why you're giving up on me." 

"We're not giving up, we're taking a break." Twilight replied. 

"You didn't take any breaks during your adventures." 

"We are exhausted." Wars interjected. "You more than anyone else. You had a fever for a week straight and now you aren't able to hold up objects if they're too heavy." 

"Maybe that's not the best thing to say." Smithy muttered to the Captain before looking back at you. "This wouldn't be just a break for you, but also for us." 

"No." You shook your head profusely. "I'm on borrowed time here, who knows when He will be back to come get me?" 

"He can't get you if we stick together." Someone said.

"Bullshit." You stood up from your seat, your tone was angrier than intended. "You’re not able to keep him away from me, you aren’t able to keep him out of my head and you weren’t able to protect me in that cave." You searched through your pockets before placing the light stone on the table. "If it hadn't been for the Goddess, I wouldn't be with any of you right now." 

"You can't blame us for that!" Wars mirrored your body language. The others tried sitting him back down. "If anything, it means that we are not strong enough to defeat him." 

"Or it could also mean you've done everything you could for me." Before Wars could answer you spoke. "The future is chasing after me at high speed, it’s only a matter of time before it catches up." 

The Captain gasped, immediately understanding. The others whispered to each other, sharing the meaning. Legend couldn’t help but break away from the book, staring at you for a moment. 

"You think threatening to run away is going to work again?" He scoffed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?”  

"You told me to put my faith in the Goddess.” The words fell from you as if they weren’t your own. “That’s what I’m doing.”

“That doesn’t mean running after a monster and dying.” The Captain shook his head. “You can’t leave us.”

“There’s no reason for me to stay if you’ve already given up on me.” You swore his eyes turned red at your words.

"We have been keeping you alive." Wars pointed his index at you. "That's already more than enough." 

Legend, having heard enough, slammed his book. He stood up as well, mirroring the both of you. The hero gazed at you, his brows furrowed and knuckles turned white from clenching. His eyes dipped to the ring you still had on before he glared at Wars. 

"We can't protect her. We have never been able to do so." Wars seemed to feel betrayed by the hero's words. "He has proven time and time again that if he really wanted to do something, he would." 

You couldn't believe he was standing up for you, it made your heart flutter for a moment. You could see how difficult it must have been to do so, as he looked back to you, he nodded. 

"So what? We should just let her run face first into danger?" 

"Of course not Wars." Legend crossed his arms. "But staying here and sitting around hoping answers will fall on our heads is not a viable option." He scoffed. "That has never worked for us before." 

"I thought you loved her." Legend was at a loss for words, but he quickly understood what Wars was doing. “You should be on my side right now.”

"How I feel doesn't matter, what matters is what is right." His finger hit the table. "What you're implying is NOT right."

The Captain was fuming, he mumbled many threats and insults as the others kept debating. Legend sat back down, his cheeks were flushed from how Wars exposed him. He decided his book was more entertaining after doing his part. Warriors glared back at you, shaking his head disappointed. 

"Why do you even want to go back home?" He confidently asked. "From what you've told us, your world is terrible. From what I've been able to see, you're poisoned from how your world treats you." He interrupted you before you could speak. "Why on Hyrule- or should I say, why on Earth do you want to get back to such a terrible place?" 

Despite the anger in you, the question made you pause. Warriors had a point, why would you want to go back to Earth? When you left it, the world was very dark. Your world, in the hands of men, had always been corrupted. Earth was stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of terrible people concentrating the power in their hands for their own personal interest. In the face of such, what you could only describe as wickedness, what were you to do against it? You couldn't do much against genocides, billionaires and how your world was literally burning to a crisp. Leaving it would solve all of your problems. But, Hyrule was not a perfect place either, if you stayed here you would constantly be on the run. Even if you stayed, if you settled down with them, you would never be truly happy because Hyrule was not your home. Not only that, but the guilt of leaving your family and loved ones to fend for themselves would eat you away. Nothing in this world would be able to replace your home.

"You didn't give up." You answered. "Why would I?" 

"Your world creates fantasies of us because of how miserable you are in your everyday lives.” Warriors’ tone softened. “You’d rather read our miseries because even in spite of how terrible they are. They are still better than your good moments.” You weren’t sure if he was scolding you or giving you advice. “No one would blame you or look down on you if you gave up.” 

"Perhaps." You mumbled before looking straight into his eyes. "But you didn’t teach me to be a quitter." 

The Captain tried speaking but you didn't let him.

"I find it very disheartening that you thought I would just accept defeat." You couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. “After coming so far, there is no way I’m giving up.”

"This is for your own good. I want to make sure you're not in danger. I’m sorry, but trying to get you home is putting you in danger." As you shook your head, the Captain's anger seemed to rise once more. "This isn't up for debate anymore. As your captain, you are taking a break." 

The room fell silent, you just kept staring at the hero of warriors making sure you heard him correctly. He sounded like Time. However, instead of lashing out, you showed real maturity and growth. You stepped away from the seat you barely used. 

"Out of everyone here, I thought you would be the last one to treat me like this." 

You didn't listen to him babble on, you decided to leave the room and beeline to yours. 

From there, you were able to hear all the chatter and arguing downstairs. Now left alone, you let yourself fall onto your mattress and scream into it. After all that you've been through, you couldn't just give up, it would mean everything would have just been a waste of time. What made you more upset was how after everything you had done to get to this place, you were still seen as too weak. Physically, you were sure to be stronger than half of the heroes in the chain. Even if most of them were children, it still counted for something since they were legendary heroes. You sat up on the bed, hair everywhere on your face from what you just did. A sigh of frustration escaped you while you were busy getting the small strands out of your face. You froze for a moment when something sparkled in the corner of your eye. Your attention focused on the small window. Your eyes widened when you saw that same sparkle in the distance. Immediately, you stood up from the bed and walked over. The mysterious light sparkled once again. After taking it out, your stone sparkled at the same time as the light in the distance. Even with all the snow and horrible weather, being able to see it surely meant something. Then, that same nagging feeling from the day before pounded in your mind. Quickly, you started packing your things, you left your two first journals on the desk, but your gut refused to let you leave them with only that. Carefully, in hylian, you wrote a departure letter, stating what your intentions were and how they would not be able to hold you back anymore. You stated this wasn't their fault, you understood their reasoning behind their actions, but this was now greater than just your existence. You signed the letter, hoping you wrote your name well in the unknown language. Time went by as you waited for the heroes to fall asleep for the night.

The departure letter glared back at you like a reminder of your ominous future. You were sure there were many mistakes in the paragraphs, but you were no expert in their language. Anyway, with the contents of the letter, you were sure they wouldn't nitpick over such trivial details. With the room being candlelight, your reflection stared back at you. For one, since your arrival you have never felt more sure of yourself. The shine of the ring Legend gifted you caught your attention. You sighed deeply, trying to shake that wretched feeling from your system, his words from earlier repeated in your head until you couldn't take it anymore. You slammed the second journal shut, making sure to leave the letter poking out from one of the pages. Pacing around the room didn't help your nerves settle down, you needed a way to stop obsessing over your thoughts. With little to no hesitation, you quickly and quietly made your way out. Your weight creaked on the wooden planks as you went down the hall. 

Before you could take another step, you stopped in front of Legend's door. Your body refused to move another inch further or even face the object that made your heart thump. This might be the worst idea you have ever had since your arrival in Hyrule. You let your delirious weakness slide last time because of how out of your mind you were, but right now was unforgivable. Still, as if a moth to the flame, your knuckles hovered over the door. Your inner judgement didn't let you make yourself known, it kept yelling at you like a fire alarm on repeat. So, naturally, you listened to yourself, rather than knocking, you hastily opened the door to let yourself in. Before being able to see his expression, you turned your back to close the door, but it seemed you were unable to face him. Legend said your name, concerned. 

“Are you alright?”

The hero rose from his bed, the creaking of the furniture made you even more nervous. Slowly, you met his confused expression, but your back was stuck to the door. You couldn't help but let your eyes wander over his frame, but as he got closer you tensed up. You stuttered knowing you should respond, but nothing seemed appropriate. 

"...hi." 

You said, not being able to look at him any longer. The hero glanced towards the window, noticing how dark and late it was to be greeting someone. His brows slightly furrowed, before looking towards you once more. 

"Hi." 

The hero took another step forward, his outer tunic was discarded, from what you could observe, you were sure he was about to go to sleep. You fidgeted with your fingers, not knowing how to get rid of your nerves, especially since you didn't know what to say.

"I wanted to, uh... thank you," Your quick glance at the hero resulted in you finding the ground much more entertaining. "For how you beha- acted, earlier." Legend seemed almost disappointed by your answer. "It meant a lot to me." 

"You shouldn't thank me for such a thing," he said coldly. "After everything, that's the least I can do."

"Isn't it funny how the tables have turned?" You smiled sheepishly. "You and Time were the ones who constantly berated me, gave me unsolicited advice and told me what I could and couldn't do." You chuckled softly. "Now it's them." 

"If that's what you took from this, I'm afraid you've misunderstood me." Legend made sure not to break eye-contact with you, as if you would disappear if he dared to.

"What do you mean?" 

"I don't want you to go home." He was prepared for you to react poorly. "I know how selfish it is of me to want that. But that's just how I feel."

Legend didn't look proud of himself for saying that, but he didn't seem to regret it either. Under different circumstances, you would be furious to hear such a thing. However, Legend had only shared this thought privately with you. He did not fuel the heated debate in the common room. On the contrary, against everything he felt, he stood up for you. Besides, knowing what your intentions were after, whatever this was, you couldn't get angry. Legend looked at you funny when you smiled.

"I was not expecting that reaction." The hero took another step closer. "You never stop surprising me." 

"I don't want to be mad at you anymore." You confessed quietly, your fingers still twirling over each other. "We don't have the pleasure of wasting time." 

Legend tried his best to remain expressionless, but his eyes conveyed too much emotion for him to do so. Finally, the hero averted his gaze.

"What are you doing here?" 

His tone was colder and rougher than expected, it almost made you regret coming here in the first place. The hero noticed your apprehension at his question, but he didn't falter or show any signs of softening.  

"I..." You gasped softly as the words refused to leave your throat. "I know what I'm doing here... I just..." You scoffed. "Now that I'm fully conscious, I can't seem to do much of anything, despite how confident I was when I was out of my mind." 

"I won't hold your delirious endeavors against you. That would be cruel." Legend grimaced, remembering the nights in the castle. "Do you even remember what happened?" 

"Of course." You said firmly, but you quickly confessed the truth. "Some parts... most of it might be a blur." Legend sighed, frustrated. "I... mostly... remember how I felt." 

"What are you doing here?" Legend closed in on you. "If it's just to make me suffer. Trust me when I say that your mere existence gets the job done." 

It was safe to say you were in over your head, you couldn't bear to keep eye contact with him. 

"You're right." Your better judgment finally overtook you. "I should probably just-"

However, as you turned your back to him to open the door, his hand kept it closed. Your hand had barely moved on the knob, he had already made up his mind about your uninvited presence. You could feel his warm breath tickle your neck, making goosebumps travel across you. Legend sighed, you could hear his inner-conflict fight his desires. 

"Don’t..." You weren't sure if you were hearing his heart or yours. "Please don't go."

You would be kidding yourself if you didn’t know how this would end. Despite how much your bain yelled at you, you couldn’t seem to say no to this. After an eventful distraction, you laid in the hero’s bed with your head on his chest. Legend held you as close as possible, afraid you might slip away.

"I'm sorry I told Wars." You sighed. "I didn't think he would use it against you." 

"To get his point across, he will go to unbelievable lengths." The hero tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. "I'm just happy you came tonight." 

You grabbed his hand, stopping him from moving any further. His touch was so warm against your cheek in contrast to the winter air. 

"I don't know how I'm going to look at you tomorrow." He confessed. "I know I said just tonight, but it's going to be so difficult." 

"You don't have to worry about that right now." You murmured.  

Slowly, you sat up, keeping the covers close to you. If you didn't leave now, you knew you would never be able to. As you gathered your clothes thrown around his room, Legend kept watching you. You felt his hands around your waist as you tried getting dressed. He gently placed kisses on your shoulders and neck. It took a lot of strength to not get sucked back into his touch, he sighed when you got up, creating distance between you too. 

"Can't you just stay the night?" 

"You know I can't." You turned back to him. "I've shown enough weakness for one night." 

"Let us be weak together then." 

Instead of answering, you got closer to Link before kissing him one last time. You hoped he couldn't sense this was a goodbye kiss, despite you deepening it. Before he could pull you back in, you broke it off, leaving him a little disappointed. As you walked to the door, the hero spoke once more. 

"See you tomorrow." He had an amorous grin plastered on his face accompanying his half-lidded eyes. 

A smile was all you were able to offer him, your heart hung heavy as you leaned against the other side of the door. Your head snapped towards your room, ready to finally concentrate on your objective. Putting your armor back on, you turned out all the candles and put on your trusty backpack. Your cloak quickly slipped on and before you knew it, you stood in the doorway of your room, gazing back at everything you left. The journals lay confidently on your desk, you hoped it wouldn't be too difficult for them to find the letter. Quickly, you made your way down the stairs and into the entrance. You held onto the door knob, a bit scared. Your heart dropped hearing someone calling your name.

"Time?" You said, unsure of yourself when you faced the hero. "I- uh..." 

"I should call Wars right now, have him lock you in your room." 

The hero took steps closer. 

"Time, please. You pro-" 

"I never promised anything." 

The hero crossed his arms. His eyes traveled down your frame before he sighed. 

"But it would be unwise of me to stop the Goddess’ plan." Time stepped away to leave the entrance. "Wait one second please." 

The hero left you alone, you were frightened he would call Wars or Twilight to carry you back to the terrible room. Your heart thumped hearing him come back down the stairs. However, your eyes widened when you saw him with the hylian shield and master sword. The hero handed the gear to you. 

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this." 

Carefully, you grabbed the shield before placing it on your back. You felt intimidated by the mighty sword, you remembered how the magic ceased from it when you grabbed it that one time. Cautiously, you took the handle from the hero, you marveled at the weapon before glancing back at the hero who simply nodded. 

"Take Epona." 

Time added as you turned the knob, the door creaked despite you trying to be discreet. Before you took another step, you faced the hero one last time. 

"Thank you." 

The hero of time smiled before ushering you out and closing the door. With a heavy heart and mind, you made your way to the stables where Epona was. You gave her a swift carrot to soothe her nerves and because you were interrupting her beauty sleep. As you got on the horse, you put your fears aside, focusing on that sparkling light in the distance. With a gentle nudge from your leg and a whip of the reins, you were off. The horse galloped through the snow with such speed and strength, but no matter how afraid you were, you kept your eyes open. The night drowned out your departure, no one besides Time knew you left. You didn't dare look back, afraid you would change your mind. The only thing that mattered now was getting to that light.

The further you got from the Synapsi, the more sure you felt despite the bubbling feelings in your guts. Epona never bucked you off and continued on bravely with you as her new cavalier. With the sun coming up on the second day since your departure, you couldn't help but think about the heroes. You imagined how they reacted upon finding your departure letter, your heart squeezed thinking about how the hero of legends must currently feel. You were sure they were already off to find you, but with only their feet and an empty goodbye letter, they did not have much to go on. With running on little sleep, because you were too frightened to sleep longer than four hours, you muscled through the pain and made sure to never lose sight of the sparkly light. You pulled on the reins as you approached a cliff, you hopped off Epona and studied the area. Your eyes focused on an unnatural formation of stone that almost looked like a building. But to get there, you had to leave Epona behind. You frowned looking back at the mare you grew to like over these last few days. But that same sparkling light caught your attention once more, you left all the hay and carrots in your backpack for her before leaving. Surely, her preferred cavalier would be here soon enough. Examining the cliff and building looking thing, you regretted not asking for a paraglider when you were still with the chain. 

Walking around the cliff, you figured out the best way to get down was to slide down the shortest part of the cliff. Hanging off the ledge, you closed your eyes and let go hoping for the best outcome. Naturally, you fell straight on your butt, but with the snow, you barely felt anything. Your hood fell over your eyes blinding you for a moment. The short moment of panic was quickly interrupted when you felt the snow penetrate your armor. When you got up, you noticed the snow was as high as your calves. You sighed hoping to find a way out of this uncomfortable situation. Some ideas popped in your head about where you were, you thought it might be the forgotten temple. With it being a weird building hidden in a ravine, your theories were quickly confirmed. After fighting your way through snow and dropping down once more, you finally found the entrance. You had to pull away some old wooden planks and vines that grew over it. For a moment, you paused, afraid there would be fifteen guardians ready to greet you with a premature death. Luckily, the temple seemed to have been desolate for several lifetimes. After some more dropping down, you finally made it to the ground floor, in the distance, the same light sparkled. The holes in the ceiling from deterioration let the sunlight shine through. The temple was in even worse shape than in Wild's era which made you believe you were in a time future to his. There were no traces of sheikah technology, monsters or any life form besides nature. 

Despite how freezing it was outside, you found comfort with the temperature in the temple. You stopped in your tracks at the holes in the ground. You wondered if they led straight to the depths, but that wasn't something you wanted to find out. Out of thin air, rocks came together to make a bridge, it glowed from the Goddess' power surging through it. In front of a blocked archway, you checked to see if you were able to push anything. You weren't strong enough, nor would you ever be strong enough to push a stone wall out of the way. A conveniently placed breeze from outside blew into the room, uncovering the surface. Hylian words were shown, slowly but surely, you were able to decipher it. You took the master sword before stabbing it into a hole. After turning the blade, the rocks around started moving. You cautiously took a step back to watch it unfold, until the way was cleared. Your eyes widened and mouth fell slightly opened when your attention was caught on the enormous goddess statue. Being too focused on the statue, you didn't notice something slither behind you. The stone in your pocket glowed brighter than it ever had before. With the statue looming over your small frame in comparison, you weren't able to notice some rattling coming from behind you. With the light stone in hand, you kneeled in front of the statue. 

"Goddess Hy-" 

"My child. You have come far in order to prove your worthiness." 

Your head snapped up not expecting an answer. The eyes of the statue glowed the same color as the stone. 

"I'm afraid to tell you that your journey is far from over. To move onto the next part of your adventure. I ask you to step forth to the next room." 

The eyes stopped glowing, immediately you rose to your feet to go where she had mentioned. Some of the things in this room were familiar, but they were too destroyed and old for you to be able to figure out what they were. In the middle of the room, a hole through the ceiling shone brightly on a pedestal. The next step you took was quickly interrupted by the room closing itself off. 

Then your heart stopped for a moment as you registered that charred smell. 

Your hand reached to the handle of the powerful blade while you frantically glanced around the room. 

The room was silent, as if death welcomed itself in the holy temple. 

"How fancy you look draped in such clothing." Dark Link came out of the shadows. "If you wanted to be a knight so badly, you could've just asked me." 

He wore a creepy grin on his face, you swore his face looked different from before. The dark creature took a couple steps making you equip the shield. 

"There's no need for that." He held his hand out. "I'm here to make peace with you." 

"I would never willingly touch you, no matter what universe I was in." 

His smile faltered for a moment. 

"I understand your reservations. After everything that has happened." He let his hand drop back down. "But it's fine, I forgive your mishaps and am ready to finally take you back."

You shook your head profusely. 

"I don't understand what you're talking about." You held the shield closer to your body. "I still don't remember how I got here, I have no idea what you mean when you say these things." 

"That isn't important right now." He dismissed you. "What is, is that you are finally mine." 

As the doppelganger took a step forward, one that you judged was too close for comfort, you unsheathed the master sword. His eyes widened upon seeing it before bursting into laughter. 

"What do you think you're doing with that?" He wiped away a fake tear. "You think you can fight me?" 

You refused to answer, you didn't want him to notice the tremble that would be in your voice. Seeing your unmoved expression, his smile truly dropped. In a blink of an eye, Dark Link knocked you and the blade down. Before you could do anything, he jumped at you, he tried pinning your wrists down. As he spouted out nonsense about how all of this could've been avoided, with the shield still on your forearm, you slammed it into his side. Though he shouldn't have guts, he definitely felt the blow. You quickly rolled until you managed to get back on your feet. The monster floated off the ground looking more pissed than before, you glance at the master sword simultaneously. It had slid across the room past the pedestal. Out of the ground, his malice bursted like reverse icicles. You managed to esquive most of them until one grabbed your ankle, the sound of your armor hitting the floor left you a little deafened for a moment. His laugh filled the space, he turned into a cloud of darkness before closing in on your location. Looming over you, Dark Link got closer. However, before he could speak, you threw your shield making it slide across the stone flooring. It tripped the dark creature giving you a split second to get up once more. As quickly as your legs carried your body, you ran towards the legendary blade. Something wrapped around you and turned you around. 

"Your little heroes aren't even strong enough to defeat me. You think you stand a chance? You can't even kill one monster without feeling terrible." He got closer. "How on Hyrule are you supposed to beat me?" 

His dark tentacle tightened around you, it started reaching your neck. The fear paralyzed your speech, all you could do was pray and hope the Goddess had another way for you. 

"I keep giving you chances, I keep letting you go over and over again." He growled at you. "When will you learn? I only want the best for you. I want to protect you whenever you're unprepared." 

Unprepared! 

You thought to yourself, you glance down to try and spot the ring Legend gifted you. But your limbs were too closely stuck together. You shut your eyes for a moment and concentrated on the metal band. The tight feeling around your finger seemed to send vibrations through your hand. In your mind, you embarrassingly pleaded with the ring to help you, but your embarrassment was quickly cut short when a bubble of light formed around you. The monster went flying back, his tentacle now completely burnt off. You were finally able to retrieve the master sword, you held it in front of you warning the monster to back off as you collected the hylian shield. After getting a hold of himself, the monster faced you once more and shouted many profanities. Dark Link froze for a moment, he just stared at you or rather the blade. You glanced multiple times at it before finally noticing the glow.

"Hylia will pay one day for intervening with my happy ending." 

Despite having the power to greatly hurt him, he started rushing towards you. As he got too close, you swung your sword at an opening, Dark Link dodged it and tried hitting you with a sword he made out of darkness. You blocked his attack with the blade before pushing him back violently. To feel less frightened, you tried to pretend this was Wars and you were fighting for more brioche during breakfast. When the dark hero stumbled back, you took the opportunity to raise the blade to the sky, harnessing more energy before shooting it at him. Dark Link managed to get out of the way in time, but still ended up with a nasty cut on his shoulder. For once, you swore you saw something other than cockiness on his face. You felt something leave your pocket. The stone fell to the ground, on the pedestal where you stood. Suddenly, it started growing exponentially and settled around you. The light turned into a shield around you, Dark Link rose to his feet before running away. As you tried to run after him, the shield blocked you. All you could do was bang on the sides of this prison. When you swung your sword, it didn't even dent the walls. 

"Wait, wait, wait- This is not right!" 

As you tried to move your feet, they seemed frozen in a weird substance slowly moving up. You had never been claustrophobic, but this was freaking you out. Out of panic you banged on the enclosure and shouted hoping someone or something would hear you. Hoping someone would get you out of this, away from this place. 

"Please! Someone! Anyone..!" 

The wall thumped when you let your forehead hit it as you tried to keep calm. You wondered if this was some sort of punishment for fighting back or running away. Maybe after this, you would finally wake up and be back home, you figured out all the ways to die, this one would be the least cruel. Legend's stupid ring caught your attention once more, making tears fall from your eyes. In that moment you regretted not answering him that night. The liquid kept making its way up, which gave you time to reflect on what could have been if you hadn't made all these choices. 

"Crying is useless my child." 

That soft voice invaded your mind, you simply looked towards the heavens failing to hold back tears. 

"I know I am asking a lot from you, especially since you aren't even a being of my creation. But you are the only one that can save us. Once your fate is completed, you will get what your heart desires the most." 

There was more silence, you wiped your tears away and sniffed like a child. Sky's adventure popped in your mind, which instead of soothing you, made you even more depressed. You had no idea when you would wake up, if there would still be anything. There were so many questions flooding through your mind, not letting your last moments of consciousness be peaceful. 

"Everything will be alright. I will be here to guide you once you wake up." The solidified substance reached your stomach. "I promise to keep you safe." 

Before you knew it, your arms were frozen in place. In your final moments in this place, you thought looking to the heavens would be best. Maybe she would feel guilty about trapping you in a stone for however long. But as you felt your heart slow down along with your thoughts. You understood there was no way out of this, no more tricks to play or things to say. All you could do now is put your faith in the Goddess.

Chapter Text

9 times out of ten, when a fanfiction writer incorporates a self-insert into her stories, it’s a call for help. While writing this story, I managed to figure out a lot of things about myself. Things that I want, things I don’t want, but most importantly, how I want my life to be. Maybe some of you realized that the main character of this story was always longing for more, more than the life that was destined for her, more than what her identity limited herself to be, yet she consistently felt trapped by her environment and the events that unfolded in her life. Even changing the universe couldn't help her change things. The main character is a bird in a cage because I am that as well. I wrote all these things knowingly but with so much obliviousness, not realizing her hopes and dreams were my own.  

I have lived most of my life dreaming and wishing for things to be more grandiose and better without actually pushing myself to do so. I feel as if I have been living life behind a glass pane. I am always out of reach of what I want, but it is on my own accord because growing up is terrifying. While re-reading this fanfiction (and cringing at everything), the story and characters I molded were the advice I so desperately needed to finally want to grow up. Especially this: << Every being had the right to live to its fullest, its arrival in the vast world was the only proof needed. Consequently, every feeling deserved to be felt, cherished and processed to its full extent. Pretending it didn’t exist or hiding it away in some journal, never to be read again, was denying it from its outcome. >>. 

I find it pretty comedic how everything I needed was always inside of me, right under my nose, in a fanfiction I had been writing to be horny at first. Writing on AO3 is not denying my feelings from existing, but it limits them immensely. But at the same time, this experience let them finally bubble up to the surface. But now is the time to act, so in December of 2025, I decided to do exactly that. I ended my two-year-long relationship, I killed it at my exams, and I know exactly who I want to be, what I want to do, and how I’m going to get it. Unfortunately, this means I need to let go of this story, to break the chain. I encourage everyone to write or even take this story and finish it. Who knows? Maybe it will help you out as much as it has for me. Thank you to the readers and commenters for making me feel less alone and listened to; I hope you have the life you wish for.