Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"My love, come to bed with me." Her voice was so sweet to his ears. A lullaby in a world of screams. It could still his heart, calm all his worries and stir up desires.

He smiled as he turned away from the crib that held their newborn son. His wife had given birth to him that morning and they both needed rest and he was there to protect them. He pulled back the covers to his side of the bed after tugging off his white tunic as well as his black leggings. "He is so perfect, just like you my dear. How did I ever find someone as remarkable as you? Someone who calms my storms and brings me to my knees."

"We got lucky with each other and with him. Our little Starlight." He heard her sigh as she relaxed into his embrace. "I'm excited for this new chapter of our lives. To raise our son and see him grow."

"I just hope he takes after you." He chuckled.

"Oh no, he will be getting some of your traits too. I can already tell."

"Hope it's only the good ones." He murmured into her blond hair. He worried about their son having any kind of resemblance to himself.

"You only have good traits, you goof."

"Oh, the God of War only has good traits?" He stroked her pink cheek lightly.

"I only see good in you. You may be called Fierce Deity by most, but you are my Dametrius. My beloved husband. Now, let's get some sleep before he wakes up again." They kissed goodnight with smiles on their lips.

Domestic life, he wouldn't trade it.

~

The next few years were some of their best years and hardest. Milestones and stepping stones all along the way.

° "Dametrius! Come quick!"

He raced to the living room, expecting something wrong. "What is it?!"

Hanging onto the coffee table was their son. He was facing his mother with a hand reached out towards her. "He's about to take his first steps! I don't want you missing it!"

"Woman, one of these days you are going to give me a heart attack. I can't say I'm going gray since it's white." He gestured to his long hair.

"You dork, come here and watch."

He walked over and sat on the floor behind his wife. Their little one wobbled at first, but then stepped without holding onto anything. Then another step and another until he flopped into his mother's arms with a fit of giggles.

"Such a big boy!" She cheered.

"Soon he will be getting into everything.” He brushed the blond hair from his son's cornflower blue eyes. Little hands wrapped around two of his fingers. "Worth it."

° Their son babbled, blew bubbles and clapped his hands while they fed him his favorite mashed veggies and fruits: pumpkins, hearty radishes (what child likes those?!), apples and carrots. He was a mess, but who cared, he could be cleaned up.

"Mm… mmmah…mah…" The determination on the child's face was astounding as it was precious.

"Come on son, say Mama." he encouraged.

"Mah-ha"

"Oh so close, little one." his mother cooed.

"He will get there soon." Dametrius assured and closed his eyes as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Dadda!"

They both stopped.

Who would have thought that the God of War could get any more pale or blush or even cry? Oh but he did. He lifted his son into his arms, swinging him around in a circle. "That's my boy!"

His wife rolled her eyes with the fondest smile.

° "Switch the way you hold the bowstring. Have your fingers facing outwards instead. It'll give you better control."

Thwap!

"I did it! Daddy, I really did it!"

"I'm so proud of you! Perfect bullseye!"

The backdoor opened. "Dametrius, Link! Time for supper!"

"Come along, you can tell your mother all about your shooting skills. I'll put everything up." He watched Link run into his mother's arms happily, mid back length hair swaying like wheat in a field.

He picked up the archery equipment and placed it back in the shed that he wouldn't let Link near that morning. He didn't want him to see what was behind the door. He never wanted his son to look upon a monster in human skin. A Yiga Clan Footsoldier paid them a visit that morning.

It could have been a mere coincidence that it attacked a house holding a boy named Link, but knowing his sister, Hylia, he doubted it.

He would do anything in his power to protect his family.

° "MAMA!!" Link screamed with a sob.

Dametrius was out in the pumpkin patch they had started to grow since they kept buying out Kakariko Village's, when he heard his son scream. He dropped the pumpkins that he had in his hands and raced towards the house. He could see a torch being thrown towards the house. ‘No!’ he thought. Instead of running, he teleported to where his son was. In front of him was his son, only ten, holding his mother’s body in his lap. Her eyes were closed, skin already turning gray. Her hair looked duller than it was only an hour ago. Pink lips now a shade of red as blood trickled out of her mouth. His eyes roamed her figure, landing on the swollen womb where their daughter was growing inside. He would never know her laughter. There was a set of arrows protruding from her stomach and chest. He knelt down, already knowing, he checked for a pulse. Nothing.

His eyes met the mask of a Blademaster and two footsoldiers. Pure range in his veins as his Double Helix blade materialized in his hands. One swing of his sword didn’t feel enough, but when he heard his son’s cries, he didn’t have the fight in him anymore. His son needed him.

He walked back to the front of the house that was now engulfed in flames. He kneeled on the other side of his wife and moved her hair from her face. “Freya… my love.” He pulled her and Link into his arms and wept.

° “Dad?”

Dametrius turned around to see his son with chopped hair at his shoulders and half pulled back, shoulders squared, soldiers training uniform on, eyes distant. “So you decided to go ahead with the offer?”

“I-I feel like it is the right thing to do. It’s like something is calling me to join and protect our country.”

He sighed and knelt in front of his child. “Link, I will not say that I am happy you chose this, but I also will not stop you. The call to fight and protect is in your veins, like it is in mine. The natural ability of war is instinct to us, second nature.” He hugged his son, who clung to him. “I am so proud of you, Link. Just as proud of you as your mother would be.” If Link or Dametrius held on to each other a little tighter, neither said anything.

° Dametrius watched his son grow from a recruit to a knight, a member of the Royal Guard, Captain of the Royal Guard to Princess Zelda’s appointed knight. What he prayed never to happen happened though on a rainy night. The Princess and her knight were headed out to the Spring of Wisdom and Link had persuaded her highness to stop in Hateno just to sleep somewhere safe before they went back into the wilderness. A knock on the door announced their arrival. “Dad?”

“Link?” Dametrius came down from the loft and saw the princess next to his son. When she gasped, he bowed to her. He was sure that she had never seen someone like him. Blue and red markings on his face, slight scar over one eye, both eyes white, eight feet tall and could easily sense the godly magic on him. “Your highness, welcome to Hateno. Please, make yourself comfortable in our home.”

“Thank you, sir?”

“Dametrius.”

“Dametrius. It is an honor to meet the father of our dear Hylian Champion or how the history books will say, hero.” He looked over to his son, who had his eyes cast down. “Oh, my apologies. I-I did not realize that he had not told you yet.”

“No worries, I could feel the presence of the holy blade on his back before you even made it through the gate.”

“H-how?” She had the eyes of a researcher. Pure curiosity flowed through her. His wife would have loved her.

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable first while we put the horses in the stable and cook supper?” He walked out of the door, holding it open for his son.

 When they walked to where the stalls were to unpack the horses, Link spoke, “Dad, I didn't know that it was the sword. My sword broke fighting a sorcerer who created hollows of the other Champions. I had to protect the princess, it’s my duty. I heard the voice only after I pulled it from the stone. I wanted to write to you, but the King ordered us to stay quiet and-”

“Shh, shh, Link it is alright.” he gently soothed, running a hand through the hair that he kept down at his neck. “I am not angry, just worried for you. How is she treating you?”

“We didn’t start off on the right foot, but we are getting better. I am trying to be more vocal around her, but sometimes the responsibilities of the sword are too heavy and I find myself unable to use my voice at all. It frustrates her and she thinks of herself as a failure since she hasn’t unlocked her sealing powers and it caused her to hate me at first. I just don’t understand. Why hasn’t Aunt Hylia allowed the princess to awaken her powers? I don’t even hold part of the Triforce, yet she already chose me as her hero!”

“Hylia doesn’t play nicely with others.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning she isn’t going to make this easy since you are my son. A demigod born to a deity, holding the Master Sword. It is her way of slapping me in the face since I disobeyed an order and chose your mother instead.” Neither noticed Zelda by the door, snooping on the conversation.

° He could feel a change in the air, dark magic corrupting the land. He also felt the lack of a pure source of godly magic, his son's magic. He wasn't given time to think about it.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!

Dametrius answered the door to a frantic Sheikah woman. “Yes?”

“A-are y-you Dametrius? Father of the Hylian Champion, Link?”

“I am. What has happened?”

“The castle was overtaken by the Calamity. The King is dead. All the guardians and Divine Beasts’ have been corrupted by the malice of Ganon. The four pilots of the beasts’ have died.”

“What of my son?” His heart was sinking.

“He was rushing the princess here, but was ambushed by an army of guardians. He was struck down trying to protect her highness. Only then did her powers awake. She has ordered that the sword be placed back in Korok Forest and Link be taken to the Shrine of Resurrection to heal his fatal wounds.”

“Where is this Shrine?” The word ‘fatal’ repeated in his head over and over again.

“The Great Plateau, sir.”

“Where did he fall?”

“Fort Hateno.”

‘Shit, he was almost home’. “Thank you.” He closed the door. He looked around the house that felt colder than ever. His armor and sword materialized onto his body. He teleported first to the fort and looked around for where the ambush happened. He zipped between carcasses looking for any sign, then he smelt it. Fresh blood, burnt skin and singed hair. He fell to a knee and placed his hand on the ground where the evidence of the fight was.

He never was one to turn away from the sight of war, but this time he did. He closed his eyes, tears slipping between his lashes. In an instant he saw the battle as if he was there. A gasp and whimper came from him as he tried to hold it in. The sight of his boy standing his ground against machines, the blasts burning away his skin, him falling to the muddy ground, then the princess laid over his body, sobbing… it was too much. He felt their pain and it was overpowering. He needed to get out of that place.

He stood and teleported to the shrine where two Sheikah men were working to undress his son. “Let me see him!” his voice boomed.

The two men pulled weapons. “We are here by order of the princess! Do not come closer to her hero!”

“He is my son! Let me see my son!!” He marched forward. When he saw Link’s body, mangled, he dropped his sword and reached for his face, which looked like his mothers. Red and blue markings were fading on his face and neck, signs that he used his divine power. He looked over the child's body that was struggling to even get a single breath in. Burns that reached bone and organs covered his left side from mid thigh, up his torso, chest, neck, arm and face. He wept at his son’s side “Damn you Hylia. Damn you and all you stand for.”

“Sir, we need to activate the shrine to heal him.” one said softly.

“How long will it take until he wakes?”

“We do not know.”

He removed himself from his son after kissing his unmarked cheek. “Do it.”

The agonizing screams, his son banging on the side of the basin he laid in, the gurgling of blood in his lungs, nails ripping on stone, the child-like voice pleading for death, then the deafening silence haunted him. His heart ached.

One hundred years later, Dametrius was still sitting next to his son’s body, waiting.

Chapter Text

'Dear brother.'

He woke to the sound of his hateful sister in his head. "You have some nerve. What do you want?"

'So grumpy. Why are you still mad? He is alive and will be waking up tomorrow.'

"And I should be thanking you that he is alive?"

'Yes, actually. If it weren't for me choosing him to be the hero, he would have died with the rest of the Hylian soldiers.'

"Did you disturb me just to tell me he was going to wake up tomorrow?" He already was getting a migraine from her.

'That and to tell you of his condition. He will wake with no memory of his past. Zelda had taken pictures of places that will mean something to his journey to save her. I am sending him a companion, The Hero of Twilight. If you remember him, he has Twili magic to turn into a wolf. I doubt young Link will take kindly to people, so his ancestor will need to be a wolf as long as he is with him.'

"He won't know me." It wasn't a question, just a realization.

'No, he won't. At least, not right away. Make yourself scarce in the beginning and he will come to you.'   She sighed. 'I will go now, dear brother.'

"Did you do this just to spite me?” He started at a whisper. “To torment me?! Was it not enough to rip my wife, his mother, from me?"

'Does that seem like something I would do, dear brother?'

"To me, yes. All because I refused to come back to the world of the gods." He sat and thought about it, expression hardening. "Or were you being a jealous fucking brat? You had her killed so I would know your pain. You didn't want me to come back to you because my job was finished, but because you didn't want me to find the happiness you lost when you lived among the mortals." His laughter was not that of humor, but of all the painful emotions in his heart. "Hylia, she was pregnant…She was pregnant with my daughter."

There was a moment of silence.

She whispered to him, 'The Hero of Twilight will appear to you in an hour. Tell him what he needs to know, then leave the shrine so your son will wake.'

"For him, I will, not for you."

'Goodbye, my dear brother.'

He took a stuttered breath and calmed himself and he patiently waited next to his boy for the Hero of Twilight to join him.

A golden light shone behind him, footsteps cautiously approached. “Hello?”

“Hero of Twilight, welcome to the future.”

“Future? Why am I here?”

“Your descendant, my son, needs a guiding hand during his journey. Hylia has sent you here to do so. This will not be like you with the Hero’s Shade. You will have to be with him throughout. His memories have been taken from him and he needs to regain them to fully succeed. Before you ask why you and not his own father, he will respond better to you in your wolf form than any Hylian form."

"He won't remember you?"

"No, but he will one day."

"What happened to him?" 

"He died and was brought back. As you travel with him, the full story will be told. If you need advice of your own, I won't be that far away. We-I live in a place called Hateno, it will be a safe place if you two should need refuge."

"Who are you? Magic surrounds you as it does him." He heard him walk closer.

"You know me as Fierce Deity, in this world I go by Dametrius."

"How long until he wakes?"

"Tomorrow, probably around midday."

"Why me, outside of being a shapeshifter?"

"You are the Blue Eyed Beast. We have machines that are called Divine Beasts that glow blue, after you. Who better to guide him?"

“I will do everything I can to help him. I promise.”

Dametrius gave a slight smile, “I know you will.”

The next day, Link woke and emerged from the cave with Twilight in wolf form by his side. Dametrius watched from afar as his child looked across the land of Hyrule. He never thought he would see that smile again, though scarred, it was still his smile.

He watched as he walked down the slope, picking up a stick and twirled it around in his hand. He walked up to an old man… wait… yep that's the King's ghost. Of course it was. One of the few Hylians that he loathed. He bared his fangs just at the thought of Link having to deal with the spirit.

It was interesting to watch his son climb a tower or return from a shrine with a smile as if he was only a small child that had just won a prize. Did he appreciate the fact that he had to cross the freezing river that could kill the boy in seconds? Not at all. Did his son look like he was having fun doing it? Yes, yes he did. It seemed that his wild child was more wild than before. Pure gremlin. His wife did say that their child would be like him.

Day two was much, much , worse. Three sticks, a rust sword, Bokoblin club, a pot lid and that's it. How?! His brain hurt thinking about it and his muscles hurt from watching it and restraining himself from not intervening in the fight. It was a Lynel for fucks sake. A golden one at that! He was so lost for words after watching the boy who still only had basic rags on for clothes stand his ground against the beast. The Lynel roared at him and for some reason, Link roared back with the same rage. The Lynel seemed stunned and jumped back (as did Dametrius). Link probably gave it a heart attack. After a well timed dodge, Link's natural born magic kicked in and he used it… until the tree branch broke. He threw the next branch at the monster's face, leaped onto its back and started slashing it with the rusty old sword.

Poor Twilight. He seemed just as dumbfounded as the boy's father, but he threw himself into the fight anyway.

A puff of smoke, monster parts and gems were left and Link collected them all. Why? He didn't want to know.

“Never thought of you as a spy, Dametrius.”

This visit was unwanted on many different levels. “Rhoam.”

“Still bitter.”

Dametrius scoffed. “Should I not be? So much time ripped from me all because of a prophecy. Two children born named Link and Zelda are to fight the Demon King or in our children's case, Calamity Ganon, who is the malice form of my brother's pure hate and rage. They were forced into this and you had no mercy on them.”

“You are right, I was not easy on them. Especially my own daughter when it came to her sealing powers. Though, you of all beings should have known that naming a child Link could come with consequences.”

“Are you blaming me for his misfortune?” He gave a growl.

“Not at all, the complete opposite.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Link should have died after the first blast, but he didn’t. The blood of a god runs through his veins. That is what saved him. You saved him. ”

He went over the dead king’s words, but it still left his heart aching. Maybe Link being a demigod had its benefits, but it didn’t change the fact that his son went through something horrific and traumatic.

The once king continued, “I will reveal my true identity to him at the temple tomorrow and tell him of his journey. I will direct him to Impa and he can start to gather everything he needs for the journey ahead of him. I assume you will follow him?”

“For a time. I can’t hold his hand through this, I know that. The least I can do is place some good weapons and shields along his way. Sticks, seriously?” They shared a laugh and it seemed to ease some tension.

“For what it is worth, I am sorry, Dametrius.”

“Thank you.”

“It's been one hundred years, go home and prepare for the next step. He is in good hands with the Hero of Twilight.”

He gave a nod to the King before teleporting to his home that he hadn't seen since he got the news of his son falling at Fort Hateno. There was dust and spider webs coating everything, outside of that, the house hadn't been touched. Well, if he was going to be living back here again, might as well clean it up. So he did. He had nothing else to do. Link wouldn't be at his next destination until another three or four days and Dametrius planned on being there the day after that.

Would he rather be by his son's side? Yes. Could he? Not yet. He hated having to play the waiting game. at least cleaning up the house would be a good distraction.

Chapter Text

Dametrius knocked on the wooden door at the top of the long staircase. Slowly opening it, he could see a little old lady sitting on a stack of pillows, straw hat covering her face. When he approached her, she did not look up to see him. “Dametrius, it has been a long time, old friend.”

“Impa, after all these years?"

"After all these years. Please, sit." She gestured for him to sit on the floor in front of her. He did so, criss-crossed legs, elbows on his knees. "Link was just here with the Hero of Twilight."

"So I was told by our dead King. How is he?"

"Quiet, probably because of his injuries and not using his voice for so long. I filled him in on things he needs to know for now. I directed him to Hateno. Purah will teach him more about the slate's capabilities." Impa gave a chuckle. "My sister has turned herself physically into a child."

"So that was her yesterday! I was curious about her." He gave an amused smile.

“You should get some pumpkins while you are here.”

He raised his eyebrows to her. “Parden?”

“Pumpkins. They were always Link’s favorite and they happen to be Twilight’s as well. You want to get acquainted with Link right?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should buy some pumpkins.”

“Okay?”

Impa laughed. “The wolf will follow his nose if you make something with pumpkin in it. Link will follow him to you. My goodness Dametrius, it wasn’t that cryptic.”

“How is it that you always make me feel like a small child with your way of talking?” Even when Impa was young she could do that and not just to him, anyone. Impa gave a chuckle. “I’ll be sure to do that. Thank you.”

“Be sure to come visit an old lady some time. We have all missed you.”

He stood and took her hand, kissing the back of it like a true gentleman. “Of course.” He walked back out the door, down the steps to where the pumpkin patch had always been. He looked down at the ripened orange fruit and went to pick one up.

“Hey, hope you intend to buy one.” a voice called out from the other side of the patch.

“I was. Actually I was hoping to buy a few of them.” He stood back up and could tell that the other was not expecting him.

“Y-your Link’s father? My Grandfather spoke about you, highly. Said you would buy him out every chance you got. It is nice to meet the one and only Dametrius Fierce.”

"After one hundred years I wasn't sure if my name was still around. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr.?"

"Olkin, just Olkin."

"Well, it is a pleasure, Olkin. I may come back to buy more soon, but for now I think three will do. How much?" He started to dig into his pocket to pay when Olkin stopped him.

"First buy is on the house. And don't argue, please, take it as a thank you."

Dametrious bowed his head to the man and retrieved his pumpkins. He didn't waste a moment to walk to Hateno, he teleported there so he could get started on a way to get the two pumpkin loving boys to stop by.

He sliced off the tops of all three pumpkins, then carefully took out all of the seeds to wash off later. He carved the meat out professionally and set the exact amount needed for each receipt he was making.

His wife's cookbook was one of the few things that survived the fire all those years ago. He flipped through it and smiled when he saw what he was looking for. Pumpkin stew, pumpkin bread, spiced pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie. If this wasn't domesticated he didn't know what was.

He wrapped everything up and placed it in the cellar that he carved out under the house to store food or hide his son away if he ever had to. It would take a good day for the two boys to make their way to Hateno.  ‘Stop being so impatient!’ he scolded himself internally.

The next afternoon his hands were covered in dough that he had been preparing. Pumpkin bread was a common thing in their house and his dear wife thankfully wrote the receipt. With the pumpkin bread in the stone oven, he poured the pumpkin pie filling into the soon to be flaky crust. He made a mental note of how long until he checked on everything.

By the fireplace, he had a cauldron boiling so he could finish making the pumpkin stew. He gave a chuckle and a sigh to himself. He hadn't seen this much pumpkin at one time since Link got promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard. Pumpkin was just about the only thing he wanted to eat on the day they celebrated. That included a weird yet tasty pumpkin drink that he downed. Dametrius gave another soft laugh as he remembered Link with a big smile, froth on his top lip and tip of his nose.

The hair on the back of his neck rose as magic seemed to appear. Tuning into it, he recognized it. With a smile, he waited.

A scratch of claws against the wooden door with a whine announced their arrival. He opened the door to see a huge wolf with blue eyes, wagging his tail, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Well hello Twilight." He couldn't call him Link and anything else seemed too childish for the beast. He knelt down and petted the wolf behind his ears. He looked behind the wolf and saw a boy, his boy, in new clothes including a dark blue cloak. The hood was pulled over his head, covering his face. "I see you brought a friend with you today." 'Play dumb', he kept reminding himself.

The boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, nervous. 'We do not mean to intrude. He took off the second his nose caught the smell of food.'

“No intrusion. What is your name?”

‘Link.’

“Well Link, I’m Dametrius. Twilight seems like he is hungry, are you?” Link seemed shy, but his stomach spoke for him. Dametrius shot a look at Twilight when he huffed. “Come inside, I have more than plenty for the three of us.”

‘You aren’t worried about a stranger coming into your home?’

Dametrius couldn’t see his son’s eyes, but he smiled at him. “Twilight seems to trust you enough to bring you here. I have no reason to doubt his judgment. Besides, do I look like someone who can’t handle themselves?” He smiled a fanged smile.

‘Fair point.’

The eldest held the front door open for the wolf and teen to enter through. He walked to where the bowls were kept in the cabinet, grabbed three and filled them as Link sat at the table. He sat one in front of the teen and one on the floor next to him for Twilight. He placed his own on the opposite side of them so as not to crowd. A knock on the table got his attention. “Hmm?”

‘Your home is very nice and the food is amazing.’

“That is kind of you. It isn’t much, but it is home. The recipes were my wife’s. She was writing her own cookbook years back.”

‘If this is her recipe, she should write a cookbook. Would love to meet her to give a compliment.'

Ah, the first chip on his heart. Link didn't remember his mother or that his mother died in his arms, protecting him.

"She would have loved you. You sorta remind me of my son." Blue eyes peeking from under the hood. A slight whimper came from beside the table from Twilight. "You even have the same blue eyes as him."

A nervous scarred hand went to the hood and slowly pulled back, revealing the young boy's face. Pink and tanned, unleavened skin stretched along his left jaw, slightly curving onto his cheek. It went down his neck, wrapping around the front. He could only see so far below his neck, but he had seen it for years now, knowing it went much further down. But… he didn't care. It hurt him to see his son covered in a reminder of his own death, but he was alive and had the same gentleness in his eyes that he always had.

"I take it back, you actually look just like him."

He heard the wolf scoff with a huff. He just chuckled as he looked down at him. Dametrius knew he was playing a risky game by saying what he was, but his soul was begging to hold the teen in front of him. To shelter and protect him from what his sister was allowing to happen.

'The scars don't bother you?' He tilted his head like a puppy. He blamed Twilight for that.

He almost didn't catch the signing and wished he hadn't. "Why would they? It shows what you have overcome. A reminder in a way." The last part left him with the taste of ash.

'People keep their distance and children seem scared at first. I only know a small amount of how I got them, but it doesn't change how people look at me when I walk by.'

"Does mine across my eye bother you or the colorful markings on my face? Or even that my eyes are pure white and glow like a full moon at night? I have pointed canines like a wolf, but do you see me as a predator?"

The teen looked at him dumbfounded. He shook his head, hair whipping around his face. 'Of course not! If anything they look badass and intimidating if used correctly.'

"So why see yourself differently?" He took a bite of food while Link pondered over the words. He wore the same expression his mother wore when trying to find the right words.

'I guess it's because I hate them; I hate myself for getting them. It shows how greatly I failed to do the one job I had to do.'

Well now there was a proud, protective, god of a father that was royally pissed off and was willing to live up to his name if it kept his boy from looking in a mirror and thinking of only hate for what he saw in the reflection. "Link, look at me." Link slowly looked up. "You were sent to your death by the King and his advisors. They were blind to everything because their heads were so far up their asses they couldn't see or hear anything else outside of shit. Your mission was a suicide mission from the beginning. It was you and Zelda- no, it was you against the whole damned world. You two were and are children, thrown into a war by a goddess. Lives forfeited, just like the heroes that came before you. You came out on top. Hate who caused this to happen, not yourself."

'You were alive then?'

"Dear child, I've been alive for several millennials."

He saw Link's eyes light up before dimming. A small smile at the corners of his mouth appeared. 'You're a god, aren't you?'

"I am." Honesty was always the right path.

'So I take it you are close to Hylia.'

He nearly growled just at the mention of her name. " No ." He took a deep breath to keep calm. "My sister and I don't see eye to eye. We haven't in a very long time. She isn't as holy and caring as she would have some believe."

Link had a questioning, curious and confused face all at once. 'So far she has helped me. I can't think that she is horrible if she is helping me regain my strength and stamina after being asleep for a century.'

There was silence for some time outside of the clinking of spoons. Dametrius took the three bowls and replaced them with a small plate of pumpkin pie. Twilight damn near ate the plate. Link's words were still swirling in his thoughts. His sister was helping his son? "How is Hylia helping you exactly?" He waited for Link to finish his bite. He looked like a small child, too thin.

'After I beat each shrine, the monk inside gives me a spirit orb. When I get four I can go to one of the goddess statues, pray and she accepts the orbs in exchange for either strength or stamina.' He hummed around his next bite, petting Twilight's head as he laid in the teen's lap.

If his rage wasn't at its peak yet, it was close. Hylia not only took the boy's mother from him, chose him to be the hero with the burden of the sword, had him killed, brought back after a century, took his memories, but was now -after everything- going to make him pray to her to gain back what he lost. "Of course she is. How many shrines are there?"

'Over one hundred and twenty, that I know of. There are hidden trials, deadly trials too. That isn’t taking into account the Divine Beasts and whatever lies inside them.'

The now mentally tired father gave a deep sigh. "What weapons do you have?" Please have something good is all he could think.

'Nothing too useful against anything big. I took a few clubs from a pack of Bokoblins along with a shield and two bows. Weapons are scarce and damaged before I get them.'

He whispered under his breath, "For fucks sake Hylia…"  He gave a half smile saying, "You are taking one of mine before you leave. I know there is a shrine across the bridge that needs to be completed and it would be irresponsible of me to send you out with just monster weapons. When you have finished that, come back here and sleep in the spare bed I have. Sleeping on the road isn't always easy."

'Thank you. I've been sleeping either in the entrances of shrines or in trees. Safer.'

"Well, my home is always welcomed to you if ever you need it." The boy just gave a smile with a nod. The rest of the time eating was silent, but he couldn’t bring himself to care if Link was silent or not. He was just happy to be in his son's presence while his eyes were open. To feel his own heart and soul begin to mend after so long.

It felt surreal to him. Here, right in front of him was his own flesh and blood eating, drinking and breathing . No screaming in the echoing cave, groans or gasps of pain when he moved or nails scraping across stone while nightmares plagued his thoughts. Instead, Link was soundlessly laughing and Twilight bounced around trying to get more pumpkin bread out of his hands. The wolf hero sure did love pumpkin as much as his son.

When it was time to send the teen off to the shrine, Dametrius went out back to the small shed he had added and took three of the royal broadswords that were Link's from when he first joined the military. He hoped it would be enough for a while.

Walking back inside, he noticed Link looking at a photo that hung up on the wall above the mantle. It was a family picture with all three of them. Shit… he meant to take down all photos of Link so he wouldn't be persuaded in any kind of way.

Link knocked his knuckles to get his attention. 'Beautiful family. You weren't kidding when you said we looked alike.'

"My late wife forced us into doing it. She was never one to go against. Hell has no fury like a woman's scorn. Remember that when you decide to settle down."

'I'm sorry for your loss. Where is your son?'

"Traveling. He has made it his goal to see every inch of Hyrule and the people that inhabit it."

'Do you worry about him?'

"Every day." He looked over as Link looked away. "What's on your mind?"

'Did my parents worry? Would they still be worried? Did I have siblings? Did they die when The Calamity struck or of natural causes? Did they know what happened to me?'

Damertius gently turned the teen around, happy that he didn't flinch. "I'm sure that they worried over you very much. I wish I could answer all your questions, but I can't. At least I can't right now. Your mind is most fragile right now with the lack of memories."

'When I get them back, will you answer questions?'

"Of course. Now, take these and go kick ass in the shrine."

Link gave a giggle like a small child when he took the weapons. He started to walk towards the door, stopping to look at Twilight. The wolf was on his back, twisted, tongue hanging out, snoring. Link rolled his eyes and pointed to the wolf then gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, he's good here. Be safe." A head nod and Link was gone.

Next to him was now a two legged Hylian. "For the love of all things holy, I'm going to die early at this rate."

"That bad?" the god chuckled.

"He's a great kid, don't get me wrong. He is crazy though!" He grunted while pulling his hair. "Do you have any idea how many times I had to stop him from eating something poisonous or getting stung by hornets because he didn't know they could sting? He rode a log through the air after doing that time freezing thing on the slate. He rode a fucking bear!"

Dametrius full on laughed, doubling over. "Oh man. Yeah, the bear thing is normal."

"Normal? Is the Lynel fighting normal?"

"Sadly. Watching you two fight one with him using sticks, was entertaining to say the least."

Twilight growled.

"It'll get better as he learns. Has he had any memories returned yet?"

"One. It was in a dream that he had two nights ago. I hated that I had to wake him, but I thought he was going to hurt himself."

"Did he say what it was about?"

"Eventually. He mentioned something about a captain that trained him when he was younger. I got so angry when he said that the man was violent with him. What possessed someone to beat or lash a child?"

" Him . I nearly killed that man when Link came home. He asked me not to since he already put him in his place."

"How so?"

"He is a demigod. He has powers of his own like the rest of us. He is an elementalist. He can't create the element, but can bend it to his will. He said that he grew desperate and became engulfed in flames and it exploded from him as he used his sword. That was the same day he found out he had powers. I take it he didn't remember that?"

It took a moment for Twilight to pick his jaw off the floor and shake off the shock. "No, he didn't. He is already a pyromaniac! I have to worry about that too?"

"It'll be handy. When he remembers that, make him come here and I'll help out how I can. For now, go eat your fill of pumpkin, I know you eat more than that little bit."

"How did you know that I loved pumpkin?"

"Impa. And he loves it too." He walked up the steps to the spare room and took down the pictures of his son and placed them in his own room in his nightstand. He fluffed the pillows how Link liked them and made sure everything was neatly placed in the room. Cozy.

It was a shorter amount of time than Dametrius thought it would be when Link knocked on the door and walked in. “How did it go?”

‘Easy, but I hate puzzles. Would rather fight my way through something.’

“It can’t all be easy.” he gave a chuckle.

‘Do you mind if I use the cooking pot outside?’

Strange question. “Sure. Why that one and not the one in here?”

‘Didn’t think you would want me cooking monster parts in the pot used for food.’

He didn’t want to know. He already told himself that he didn’t want to know… damn his curiosity. “What could you possibly cook up with monster parts?”

‘It’s how you make elixirs. Some monster parts are specifically for certain elixirs while other parts can be used for any of them.’

There was a hacking, gagging noise from another part of the room. They both looked over to Twilight who looked ready to regurgitate as he dry heaved. Dametrius snapped his fingers at him. “Hey! You hurl on my floor and I’ll make you lick it back up. See how much you like pumpkin after that.”

Twilight looked terrified as he wide eyed stared back at the deity.

Link, who hadn’t used his voice yet, erupted into laughter. True laughter. He was doubled over just like Dametrius was not too long ago because of the same person. It warmed the father’s heart, who joined in the laughter.

Twilight stood, playfully stalked over and pounced on the young boy, knocking him to the ground. Dametrius watched as Twilight laid his full weight on the boy and licked his face and neck.

He fondly looked at his son having fun. It was going to be okay. Link was more equipped this time around and he had a deity and a wolf hero to help him when he needed it.

Chapter Text

It had been three months since Link’s awakening and he made the stop to Hateno often. Dametrius let him store some of his supplies that he couldn’t carry with him at the house in the kitchen or spare room that he might as well call his. It technically was after all.

The boy had become more talkative with his signing as his shyness started to dwindle.

They came up with a plan together of where Link should be headed to and in what order. The first place was to go to the Zora Domain where Vah Ruta had been flooding the land, since it was the closest. Tackle any shrines and towers along the way.

He encouraged Link to only seek out monster camps if they were too close to where Hylians were or if he needed parts. They had learned quickly of the Blood Moons. Damertius knew of them, but not how much power they had. He didn’t think Link should put so much risk into every camp he came across.

After the Zora’s he would go to Death Mountain, to the Gorons. Vah Rudania was apparently throwing a hissy fit. That hissy fit included giant lava rocks being launched. Damertrius knew that before The Calamity struck, that Link was on good terms with the two other Champions, Mipha and Daruk.

The one Champion he found out that bullied Link, who never really let it show, was Revali the Rito. Dametrius would have loved to pluck every uptight, repulsive, condescending, conceited feather that Pigeon had. He was better than that… most of the time. But that would be Link’s third region to explore.

Lastly he would go south to the Gerudos. He knew that would be his hardest challenge. Not only was he going to a place that didn’t allow men to enter, it was surrounded by monsters that could shock the dog piss out of you. Electricity was one element that Link had a harder time controlling before and with his lack of abilities (or knowledge of) he was going to have to rely on only Hylian ways of protecting himself. He would for every region. Of course Dametrius, like a good deity father he was, made sure to place swords, bows, arrows and shields all along where the young hero would be headed.

He had only been gone for three days when he came back with his head down, shoulders in a defeated position, ears lowered in sadness and his eyes misted. Twilight had his head low, but high enough that the boy could keep his trembling fingers in the warm, soft fur.

“Link, what’s wrong?”

‘Did you know about the Zora princess?’

“What about her exactly?”

Link pulled out a blue scaled tunic that Dametrius then realized was armor, Zora armor. Oh… Oh no. ‘That we were in love before? That she was going to ask me to marry her?’

“I knew that when you became a knight that you ended up spending much time with her. It changed as you went up the ranks. I never knew of it being serious.” He allowed the traveling duo inside to get warm. “Did they tell you of it?”

Link shuffled to the table and plopped down. ‘They started to, but then I had a memory of her. Sidon explained the armor and it all fell into place.’ He watched Link shake his head then run his hand through his hair. ‘They hate me. Well, the King, Prince Sidon, Bazz and a few others don’t. Muzo and Kapson- they wish me dead. They blame me for her death and for the countless others that have.’

He had to take a deep breath. He knew this feeling more than he cared to share at the moment, but he did some. “Link, when- when my wife died, I blamed myself for many years. I should have been there to protect her, but I wasn’t. I should've gotten to her sooner, but I was too late. I blamed myself for the trauma it caused our son. For the nightmares that haunted him most nights. He was there when it happened. Nothing hurts worse than the feeling of loss, guilt and of failure. But I stand by what I said the first night. This was never your fault. Ganon knew what he was doing when he came back after ten thousand years. He had a plan and it worked. To say Hyrule was prepared or even unprepaired, is the worst understatement I have ever heard. All six of you met a fate that you didn’t deserve. Your job was the hardest of them all. To protect a princess who didn’t have her sealing abilities yet and is just as hard headed as you.” He paused so Link could think a bit. “Mipha was not your fault or doing. All the Champions knew what could happen and still rose to the challenge and responsibility of being a pilot.”

‘Thank you.’

“Always.”

‘Can I ask something?’ Dametrius nodded. ‘I unlocked Ruta and finished the maze of puzzles to control her, then went against the Waterblight inside her. I wasn’t prepared for it. I had to evacuate the beast before it killed me. Would it be smarter to gain as much strength and stamina first, pull the Master Sword, then go after the blights?’

“Seems like it would be smart of you. I would still go to each region and get a feel for the area and even unlock their beasts. Only tackle the monsters inside when you feel like you are ready. You died once, I don’t think it would be wise to do it again if you were able to prevent it.” Link snorted a laugh. “Now, how can I help?”

It went like that for the next places. A memory or two would emerge and Link would come back by teleporting and ask questions. He enjoyed the memory of Daruk and the rock eating. Was fascinated with how he and Yunobo made their way up the volcano. Hated the Rito even more when he heard how he encouraged Link to get himself killed because he was a young Hylian boy and not a Rito warrior like himself. At least Teba never doubted him and his ability to use a bow.

What he was not ready for was when he came back from the Gerudo Desert during a down pour. A howl, a course of whines and frantic scratching at the door made the alarms in Dametrius’s head go off. He hadn’t heard Twilight sound so desperate. When he opened the door, he understood why. Twilight was bouncing around barking. Darting towards the bridge then back to the house. Dametrius followed the wolf with urgency to the shrine.

There, lying still on the floor of the shrine, was Link. He wasn’t moving and there was blood pooling under him. The rain didn’t help the sight as it caused the crimson liquid to mix with mud. “Link!” Heart racing, he went to his teen’s side. There were gashes through the Sheikah clothing and a very noticeable stab wound in his left abdomen. “Damn it.” He picked the limp child into his arms and got him back into the house.

The table was already cleared off when he laid Link down. He tugged the drenched top and head piece off, revealing the massive bruises along his ribs. He grabbed a red potion Link had stored in one of the kitchen cabinets and poured it into the wound. He became more worried when he didn’t flinch or even make a sound. The wound slowly stitched itself together, leaving a pink and white scar. “Twilight, shift please. He won’t wake up for a few minuets.” He looked over to the slightly shaken young adult next to him. “What happened?”

“I-i don’t know.  We went to Gerudo Town and he got in. Please don’t ask how… He came back out and told me he had to retrieve an heirloom that some tribe stole. I think he called them the Yiga? When we got to the entrance of their hideout, it was like I was being stopped by an outside force. I wasn’t allowed to go inside with him. A few hours later I was being teleported here.”

Dametrius’s blood ran cold. Fury in his eyes, he had to sit and calm down. “The fucking Yiga Clan. Of course it was.”

“You know about them?”

“Yes. They…” He swallowed thickly. “They are the ones that killed my wife.”

“Shit…” Twilight’s ear twitched before he went back to being a wolf.

Link groaned and tried to sit up. “Hey, easy. You took a nasty hit earlier.”

“I m’kay.” he slurred.

“Ha, whatever you say kiddo.” The three stiffened immediately. “Wait, Link, you just talked."

Link was wide eyed with confusion. ‘I just spoke! I spoke and it didn’t hurt!’

“Easy whirlwind. Don’t start speeding off with it and cause issues for your throat.”

Link looked down sheepishly, keeping his smile though. ‘I take it that I needed some healing?’ He poked at the new scar.

“Just a little. Do you want to tell me what happened?” He wasn’t sure he himself really wanted to hear about it.

‘I was asked to retrieve something called the Thunder Helm for the Gerudo Chief, Riju. I had to break into the Yiga Hideout and sneak by several Blademasters. I figured out that a good distraction was bananas. They love them. I almost got caught a few times, but I made it to this pit area and had to fight their leader, Master Kogha. He wasn’t too difficult to beat, but he knew who I was. He taunted me about things I don’t even remember.’ Dametrius waited for the boy to calm down so he could continue. Link slid off the table, into a chair. ‘He mentioned the death of my Mother. How he was the one to order the hit though it wasn’t meant for her, but me. I was so angry over a person that I can’t remember. I don’t even know the sound of her voice or-’

Dametrius waved a hand in front of Link’s face when he stopped and stared off into space. He followed his line of sight. Link was looking at the family portrait. “Is he having a memory?”

Twilight nodded.

The father ran both hands over his face. He hoped that Link was remembering his mother and then again not. It would change the dynamic they had and he knew the boy still was timid around Hylians. Instead of worrying, he just waited.

A sharp gasp brought him back to Link’s side. “You okay?” Link shook his head no. Tears were already forming and falling. “Do you want to talk about it?” Link nodded slowly. “Whenever you are ready. Would you rather sit on the couch?” The three made their way over to the soft couch to get comfortable, blanket over Link's shoulders. Twilight laid his head in the teen’s lap for support.

“I remembered her, my Mother." Link started out with a whisper. "I just couldn’t see her face clearly, but I could tell she had blond hair. She was sitting in a rocking chair while I helped her with cleaning the Wild Berries. Men- no, a Blademaster and a couple of Footsoldiers popped out of nowhere into our front yard. She put herself between me and them. I didn’t understand what was happening, who they were and why she wouldn’t let me help her. I remembered her arguing with them and how they told her to hand me over and that she didn’t need to be harmed over one child and how it would be a shame to lose both children.” Link sobbed into his hands.

Dametrius just sat there rubbing Link’s back, trying not to crack with the pain that resurfaced.

“I saw her fall and I caught her. I screamed and begged her to wake up. A torch was thrown into the nearest window and roof of the house. Someone, I believe was my Father, was suddenly there. Everything else was a blur.” He sniffled and coughed as his voice started to fade. “She was pregnant… Why, why did she still protect me?”

Not knowing what else to do, Dametrius pulled Link into his side. He laid a hand into his hair, gently rubbing his scalp. Link curled into his side, clutching his tunic and arm. “Let it out, Link. It’ll be okay, let it out.”

“W-why did she do that?”

“Because she loved you. She loved you so much, Link.”

Link fell asleep after an hour of crying his heart out. Dametrius pulled him into his lap so he could cradle him against his chest, head under his chin. He kissed the top of his son’s head trying to not wake him. He stood with him in his arms and walked up to the room where the boy had been sleeping in while staying there. He tucked him in after getting him into dry, warm clothes.

He met the other hero in the kitchen. Twilight was pacing. “Are you okay?”

“No. I need to do one thing, then I’ll at least feel better. Where was the hideout?”

“Gerudo Highlands. What do you plan on doing?”

“Destroying it. Keep an eye on him for me.” His armor, sword and crossbow that attached to his left, metal arm bracer materialized onto his body before he teleported into the desert mountains.

He found it a bit humorous that the clan hadn’t changed where they stayed over the years, making this a simple walkthrough. He wanted a challenge. He wanted to obliterate them from Hyrule. He wanted payback for all the pain and suffering they caused.

Walking through the front into the circle of entries, he could still smell Link’s scent and what direction he darted down. Following his son’s steps, he went up the sandstone staircase, three steps at a time. He stood in front of a holding cell that was open. Whoever was there, Link had released.  To his left were his first two targets. Two unknowing Blademasters keeping guard. This was too easy, but he was patient. He raised his left arm, aimed the pre loaded bow, then squeezed the trigger that rested in his palm. A silent kill to them both, arrows to the throat.

He hopped down to where the second kill was and stepped over him to get to the next few steps, a hallway to a ladder. He did a short leap and was at the top of the ladder. He leaned against the railing, looking at the several Blademaster below him. “Let’s start having some fun.” he said to himself. He took two steps back and bounded off the balcony to the center of the room. He was light on his feet, barely making a sound with his landing. He walked to the backside of the furthest Yiga and tapped on his shoulder. When the Yiga turned around and went to whistle, Dametrius placed one large hand over the masked mouth and one firmly on the back of his head. One swift motion and the other’s neck was snapped, head facing the other direction.

One of the others let out a shrill whistle, signaling the doors to close them in. More Yigas of both statuses arrived in a puff of smoke and laughter. He looked at the wooden gate amusedly. Like a small thing that could hold him in. He rammed it with his shoulder, splintering the wood. He gave a light jog to the next room. He had to remember that these people were mere mortals that used magic and that they couldn’t keep up with him.

The next room had Link’s scent all around it, but led him to a circular pit in the canyon. He stopped midway between what was the hidden door and the bottomless pit. He saw the still wet blood on the ground and knelt next to it. It shimmered more than a regular Hylian’s would, distinguishing it as Link’s blood. The blood similar to his own. A deity or god’s blood. He placed his fingertips in it to get the memory of the fight through it.

Link looked smug as Kogha had a hefty sized, metal, spiked ball(?) between them. Link sheathed his weapon and crossed his arms. As Kogha tried to antagonize him, the ball started to roll backwards away from Link. Kogha saw too late and was plunged into the bottomless pit. When Link went to the chest that appeared, he took the Thunder Helm and walked to where he was previously standing near the pit. He sighed. Dametrius knew that sigh. It was one of regret. When he turned around, A Blademaster was waiting for him. The Windcleaver was instantly run through Link’s abdomen. A flick of his fingers and he was gone in blue strands of light.

During his time in the vision, he became surrounded by at least fifty men. Still too easy. He stood, but never gripped the Helix blade. He wanted to draw this out, to feel his work as he did it. He readied himself with eyes closed, stance loose and mind calm. He waited to hear the first foot fall to tell him that it had begun. Three Blademasters advance first. He calculated every dodge and strike to perfection. He only used his own body when fighting these few.

Side steps to miss slashes. Bends and spins to miss arrows. The simple dance came to an end when he started attacking his enemy, still only using his body. Bones snapped, skin tore, blood splattered. He always liked being able to punch and block blows without a shield, being able to kick his foot into a chest, back or head to make someone fly across a room. Even plowing his knee into someone's gut then their face. With his strength, each contact was either a kill or left the other mangled. 

Arrows were something he liked less though. He only could detect them by sound since he typically had multiple opponents at one time. He trained his body to gauge distance by sound and he got good at it. Good enough at it that when a Footsoldier shot two arrows at him he caught one in each hand before they met their mark. Now having something in his hands, he used the tips to stab into the softer skin under jaws and slice across throats. 

Wasting enough time, he pulled the Double Helix blade from his back. He held it up in front of his face and poured all his power into it, causing it to glow a lavender color. He planted a foot, then spun three times, releasing all the energy from the sword into beams that sliced through whoever it made contact with. Looking at the few left around him, he put the blade behind his head and projected the strongest energy beam he could muster. He crashed the sword into the ground with a battle cry. The beam rocked the stone walls of the canyon, causing an avalanche of stone and sand to descend on the remaining Yiga's. Feeling a little better with himself, he put the sword back on his back and teleported home.

He stood outside the front door of his home, rain pouring down on him. He didn't want to track in the blood and dust he was coated in. He didn’t want the evidence of his hate in the one place Link needed to feel safe and protected. He closed his eyes, drew in a slow and deep breath, held it, then slowly let it out. He needed his anger to bleed out of him and his late wife taught him this little trick that always worked. It always worked, but right now he was trying to choke back a sob.

He put a shaking hand over his mouth, the other helped hold him up while it rested against the porch post. Hot tears pulled in his white eyes and he blinked them away as best as he could. His heart was raw with the knowledge he learned from his boy. His boy, who witnessed his own mother’s death. Held her as she went still and cold, arrows protruding from her. He wished that it was a different memory that had come to mind. He wished that Link could see her face, hear her voice.

He choked on another sob as he recalled his wife singing a sweet lullaby to their son to get him to sleep. He would put her voice above any others. She had once asked him the song he tended to hum while he worked or held Link in his arms. He had a habit of mindlessly humming a tune, something Link picked up on. He explained to her it was in a different language, the gods’ language. She didn’t mind that, she just wanted to hear him. So he sang. He sang for her in his deep, rumbling tone. She loved it when they would dance together, swaying side to side, not moving far from where they originally stood. She would place her head against the part of his chest she could reach and ask him to hum while they danced. She would do the same while they laid in bed, him stroking her long, flowy, golden locks. Now and then his fingers would gently rub her scalp. She would sigh when he would do it behind her ears or at the front of her hairline.  He did finally teach her the words in his first language to a few songs and she taught Link them as he got a bit older. Dametrius would just lean against an entryway wall, listening. Link had a voice more like his mother’s. Soft, sweet, higher pitched and perfect.

He still didn’t know how he got so lucky with her. He was a brute when he came out of the mask. The mask that corrupted his gentleness and made him into a monster. He still had a taste for blood, but when she looked into his eyes with nothing but compassion… it did something to him. It started to change him. He still had a tendency to be mean, not so much towards her, but his words held venom to others.

He had gotten in an argument one time with her over the rules of fighting people who were less than him and he hollered at her, stood over her with his fangs bared and a growl coming from his chest. His point was that he was the Fierce Deity and it was in his blood. She just uncrossed her arms from over her chest, leaned slightly forward, grabbed a hold of his chin to pull him down to her eye level and barked out a loud, “I. Said. No!”

She won his heart right there. A woman not afraid of him and truly cared for him the way he had only seen with others. His eyes and jaw relaxed as he looked at her. She kept his gaze like an iron fist was holding them there. A blush came to his cheeks. On instinct and desire, he cupped both of her cheeks and kissed her. She happily returned it, looping her arms around his neck as he picked her up to hold her. When they were breathless and needed to pull away; they laid their foreheads together, her fingers in his hair. He had one question on his mind and he had to ask it before he lost his courage. “Freya, please, marry me. Vil du gifte deg med meg, Freya?” She had said yes without hesitation.

Dametrius wetly laughed at the memory, running the heel of his palm over his eyes to somewhat dry them. He shook his head to keep himself rooted to where he was. He took off the cap to ring it out, followed by his armor and two shirts. He kicked off his boot once he entered the house. He placed the wet shirts and cap on hooks on the mantle to dry. He didn’t want to drip throughout the house, so he once again teleported to his room. He slid off the rest of his clothes, dried off the best he could with a towel and slid on loose fitted sleeping pants. He walked down the step to leave the soaked clothes with the others.

As he made his way back up to his bed, he doused the candles that gave off too much light. He opened the door where Link was sleeping. He chuckled at the sight of Link curled into a ball, Twilight wrapped around him and both snoring. There was peace in the house for at least the rest of the night.

As he laid in his bed, an arm tucked behind his head, he made a vow. He vowed that no matter what came next, what memories revealed themselves or what trial awaited, he would be his son's rock to lean on.

He would always be there.

Chapter Text

"It did what?" Impa gawked as she sat on her pillows looking down at the person in front of her.

"You heard me." 

"Yeah, I heard you, but that shouldn't be. Why would that happen?"

"Ask the Deku Tree, not me." Dametrius held the small cup of tea in his hand while sitting on the floor of Impa's house. "Things that shouldn't be, seem to happen a lot around Link. I don't know why we are so surprised that the sword tried to kill him and then actually did. I'm just glad he was smart enough to keep a few fairies on him at all times."

"So, it didn't reject him?"

"No, he said that Deku told him his heart needed to be stronger, physically that is. His courage is unyielding and probably twice what it was. That is saying something considering what happened before. He also said that the first time he touched the sword, he had little flashes of memories that mostly involved Zelda and himself. Seemed a bit shaken by what he saw. Once he pulls it I should be able to get more answers of why Fi hurt one of her masters."

He watched Impa put her own cup of tea to her lips and whisper, "Or you could ask your sister." He shot her a narrowed eye look. Impa always pushed boundaries and he respected her for it. "You would get your answer sooner and not have to touch the sword. You remember what happened the last time you did."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I didn't expect it to do that to me." He had brushed up against the hilt of the holy blade when he was walking with Link back to the house after they stayed that first night. It was like being electrocuted by the strongest bolt of lightning his brother, Demise, could ever produce. Unfortunately he knew what that really felt like and the sword was worse. His body seized, mouth open with a silent scream, eyes rolled back into his head, ears sounding like cotton or wool had been crammed into them. In an instant he could see every hero of the past that drew the sword. Could see their adventures as if he was there. It happened so quickly that when he came back to reality, it had been only ten seconds at most.

Link was grabbing his arm, trying to bring him out of whatever state he was in. “Far? Papa!” His son never spoke in his second language unless he was distressed.

He went to one knee, panting and holding his head. "Det går bra med meg sønn." He took a deep breath before standing. “I’m okay. Apparently she doesn’t burn me, but shows me visions from the past.” He left out the excruciating pain part.

“Well, don’t do that again. You scared me.” The father couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. When it was time for the two teens to leave, Link gave a hug that showed he was still worried. His boy whispered to him, “Jeg elsker deg.”

“Jeg elsker deg også.” It was the last thing they said to each other, a rule between them. The next day was when Dametrius got the news of Link’s fall at Fort Hateno.

“Da- Damet- Dametrius? Are you still with me?”

Pulling himself from the memory, he looked back at Impa. “Hmm? I’m sorry, you were saying?”

“I asked if you knew when Link would try again.”

“Tomorrow at noon. He requested that I be there when he does.”

“Do you think he remembers you?”

He shook his head. “No, knowing him he will probably be angry with me when he remembers.”

The Sheikah gave a chuckle. “How is our wolf hero holding up?”

He snorted at the memories of the last few weeks when Twilight stormed into the house and flopped onto his belly with a dramatic huff, refusing to even look at the youngest in the room. “He is managing at the moment. Link has not made it easy on him. I tried to warn him that it wouldn’t be like his own adventure. He believes Link will be the death of him and at the rate, he is probably right.”

The two old friends laughed and continued their small talk of memories and things to come for hours until Impa grew tired. He couldn’t fault her for needing to be excused. She was, after all, over one hundred and twenty years old. He bid her goodnight with a kiss to her cheek and made his way home in his own way.

It brought a form of peace to him that there were still a few alive from before the Calamity struck. A few who truly understood what happened and could point Link in the right direction. Though a few disliked him, Link seemed to visit the Zoras more than any other place unless it was to get supplies or clear out monster camps after a Blood Moon. Prince Sidon seemed to be a great form of encouragement and positivity in the boy’s life. He decided that when this whole thing is over, he would go thank the Prince himself for his generosity.

He had already thanked Purah for filling his request for some kind of salve that Link could rub on his burn scars. It seemed to be working to smooth the stretched skin and even get rid of phantom pains. He still didn’t understand how the woman who was older than Impa, turned herself into a child. She had a few childlike mannerisms and liked to ask intrusive questions that he just took in stride, knowing it had to do with her transformation.

His son’s life was never easy and probably wasn’t meant to be from the beginning. He had challenges and struggles at every turn. He had people pushing him to do better, to do more, put himself last, forget about pain, go above expectations and go above and beyond the call of duty.

Urbosa, a great warrior and Chief during her time, was one of those people. He understood the reason she told Link to protect Zelda with his life, but it didn’t help the anxiety he already bottled inside. It truly was and always would be an honor to serve and protect the Princess, but it had a great cost. His life.

There had only ever been one other hero who gave their life and in the end he and Zelda died, allowing Ganondorf to rule for a few decades until the next hero was called upon. It was a cruel game played by Hylia and even his three golden sisters. He guessed the full blame wasn’t on them, as much as he would love for Hylia to take it fully. Their brother, Demise, was the one to cursed the two souls for eternity. The brother that he helped seal away at the cost of a dear friend’s life and his own sanity.

Even when life seemed too much, it still carried on. The next afternoon, like he promised, he arrived at the Deku Tree to witness Link do just that. Carry on.

“You made it!” Was the first thing he heard when he arrived.

“I did promise, didn’t I?” He smiled down at Link and Twilight, who already looked exhausted from whatever hell Link caused on the way to the Korok Forest.

“You did. Thank you, for this. For some reason, it just feels right to have you here.” Link had a faint blush on his cheeks when he looked away.

“Twilight, you look exhausted already. What did he do today?” He got a whine out of the wolf.

Link cleared his throat. “I may or may not have accidentally gotten into a fight with a Guardian this morning. Resulting in us running.” He was interrupted by an angry growl. “Ha. I may have ran into the castle grounds, making it worse.” Twilight barked with a snarl. “And went inside…”

Deep breath… deep breath… deep… bre-”Seriously?!”

“I needed to go there anyway and we were on the outskirts of the field! Figured I could just get what I needed and teleport here afterwards.”

“What did you need from that place?” He wanted to stay calm. He really did… He knew his son’s curiosity would get to him at some point and go inside. He just didn’t think it would be this early and with such recklessness.

“One of my memories that I needed was there and I also heard a rumor about the Hylian Shield being in the lockup. It's supposed to be unbreakable and with my tendencies, I really need that."

“Did you get it?” He went and sat on a nearby rock.

With a few swipes, the shield appeared on Link’s back. “I also got an easier way in. There’s a shrine inside the castle and the armory isn’t too far from there. I can restock with good weapons before going against Ganon." The silence was heavy, like something wasn't being said. "I also may have fought two Lynels in a very tight space…”

Twilight gave a low whimpering howl of despair. The wolf walked over to Dametrius, nose in the air like a child crying about not wanting to do something. He lifted himself onto his hind feet and threw himself into the deity’s lap.

He put a hand in the wolf’s fur with a chuckle.

“It wasn’t that bad!” Link barked at his companion’s comical behavior, not able to hide the smile.

Twilight rose back up to his back feet and draped his front legs over Dametrius’s shoulder, head laid heavy against the crook of his neck. “I think he says otherwise.” He hugged the shapeshifting hero in sympathy. “But Twilight, you are not a lap dog. You are a dignified wolf of legend, now get of-oof!!" Twilight managed to get most of his furry body into his lap before they fell backwards into the tall grass. Twilight didn’t stop there. He curled up into a ball, directly on top of him. “T-Twi… Twilight… you are heavy!”

Before he could protest more, he heard Link laughing at them. “You did this on purpose, just to hear him laugh, didn’t you?” he whispered to the wolf. The response was with his eyes, trying to be all innocent looking. “You didn’t have to be so dramatic with your antics, you know?” A not so apologetic lick to his face was given before he was released.

He got back to his seat while Twilight pushed Link forward to the pedestal holding the glowing sword of legend. He trotted back over to lay his head on Dametrius's left knee, waiting for the moment to happen. Link took to the steps and stood quietly in front of the sword. He wrapped both hands around the hilt and began to pull. The light grew brighter with each inch that was pulled from the stone. Seconds before Dametrius felt that Link's life force was about to leave his body, the blade came loose from the stone it was placed in. The forest was hushed by the event. With a smile, he saw Link admiring the sword in his right hand and bowing his head to it respectfully. He then raised it above his head to the sky. A very hero thing to do and something they all did.

Twilight's ears perked up and faced forward. Link was motionless, stiff as if in a memory. It was quicker than normal when he lowered the blade and gave it a few swings to test out the weight and balance of it. Something that Link always did when receiving a new weapon. When he sheathed it, the Deku Tree spoke. The two waited patiently as the tree told Link of what happened one hundred years ago. Just another being to remind him he died, though the Tree was always gentle to the Heroes of Hyrule.

"What you just saw happened where you stand, one hundred years ago…" the Great Tree started. "After you were separated from the sword, the princess thought to bring it here, where she knew it would be safe under my watch. She continues to fight, trapped in the confines of Hyrule Castle. Her heart cascades with faith that you will return." The tree waited and sighed as if reliving his own memory of Hyrule's Princess. "She has a smile like the sun. I would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again."

Link bowed to the Great Deku Tree and went to walk back to his companion, but Dametrius saw what was about to happen and hid his smirk behind his hand. Four little Koroks jumped out from the grass and nearby trees, calling Link 'Mr. Hero'. Of course, Dametrius and Twilight didn't get away without having Koroks of their own land on them and start talking about whatever came to mind. Flower crowns and braided hair seemed to be their desire as they pulled the Deity's white hair from its tie. Before long, his hair was in multiple braids and a crown of flowers rested on top of his head. Twilight had a variety of flowers stuck in his fur. The wolf seemed to be enjoying the attention and belly rubs he was getting from the immortal children.

There was a sound of a picture being taken and they both slowly turned towards the culprit of the crime. Twilight chased Link around the forest (Koroks' still clinging to his thick fur) playing keep away. All the wooden children joined in with their own game of tag, leaving Dametrius and the Deku Tree alone to talk.

"Seems I have misjudged you, Fierce Deity." The tree said to break the silence. It wasn't a harsh tone, but it still made his skin crawl.

"You did, but at the time you didn't know any different." He knew where this was going and honestly, it needed to be put out in the open between them. One father to another.

"Doesn't make it right."

"True, but if someone took over my son's body through a mask, causing him to literally cut it off his face due to the bloodlust and carnage it created, I would have come to the same conclusion you did." He tried no to talk too loud. Explaining the mask he once rested inside wasn't on his to do list with Link.

"Your actions were not your own while bound to the evils your brother laid you in. Your reputation only started in our history books when my child collected the mask in Termina."

“Thank you for understanding. He was a good kid, pure gremlin like mine, but a good kid. Even better man, husband and father. I wish I would have known him the way I knew the first Link, not corrupted by malice and hate.” Every word was true. The Hero of Time, looking back, was one of the best men he had encountered throughout time. He did find it bizarre that anyone had the thought process to have one of the heroes be born in his image and meet the way they did. Fate, destiny, chance, coincidence, karma, unfortunate turn of events, cruel and unusual punishment… whatever you want to call it never settled with him right.

“Was he happy, in the end?”

Damertius smiled. He was there at the hero's end and knew his final moments. Dametrius knew that when the hero bid him, the mask, goodbye that he was going to die. It was a battle he could not win without the mask. The small part of the Fierce Deity that cared for the actual man was mourning. The majority of the Deity, the unforgiving part, was screaming to be let out. To have his powers used to exterminate his foe. That Link knew it too, felt the rage and sorrow through their bond. The markings on his face pulsed as he dropped the mask into a treasure chest wrapped in chains. He felt the bond become severed the exact moment Link took his last breath. Though he was a regret-filled man, he died happy with Navi at his side. “He was happy.”

“That eases my soul to hear such good news.” Once again the old tree sighed. “I believe I am going to close my eyes once again to sleep. I am not as young as I once was.”

Dametrius stood, turned to the tree and bowed deeply to him. “I bid you goodnight, Great Deku Tree. Father Tree.” He received a low hum, then silence.

Link appeared at his side with Twilight in tow. Koroks were still riding in his fur, trying to braid it with their little wooden arms. “Well, I have the shield and sword that I need. Guess it’s time to take on the Blights.”

“You can go in the morning or tonight, up to you. Just remember that you fought two Lynels, a Guardian and probably countless other monsters in the castle today.”

“Uh, about that. I actually didn’t have to fight any other monsters. They kinda just let me walk by.”

How? Why? He didn’t need to know either of those, but damn his curiosity again!! “Do I want to know?”

They started to walk towards the Lost Woods when Link started to fidget with his slate. “I found a mask a few days ago in a chest half buried in Kolomo Garrison Ruins. I thought it looked neat with all the colors and big eyes.” Dametrius started to feel sick thinking of the demon his brother rained over. “My slate said that it would deter monsters from attacking. Lynels figure it out after a few seconds, but the others have no clue. I think it’s because of the eyes.” A flash of blue and the mask appeared on Link’s face.

There was a faint amount of the demon that once was banished to that mask by Dametrius himself, then later killed, lingered in the mask. He didn’t have to look to know what it was. Every nerve in his body was electrified, causing his hairs to rise fully erect. Dread filled his heart when he did turn to see the mask his son now wore.

It was just as he remembered. Red and purple heart-shaped wooden mask, white line designs along the curves, two large yellow spiked horns at the top, eight smaller more colorful spikes lined the jaw of it and the eyes… the mesmerizing eyes that haunted him due to his bond with the Link that helped kill the demon.

He could still hear Skull Kid’s wooden joins rattle when he shook his head. Could still hear his laugh as the moon started to come down on Termina, Talt and her brother Tael flying close to the wooden child. The sting from the tentacle-like wipes that wrapped around his lower legs and threw him around left scars and phantom pain on his skin.

“It’s called Majora’s Mask.” Link finished.

Majora… H-how was that vile creature's mask now here? What sick person dug it up and placed it in the ruins where anyone could find it?! His mind was throbbing from the memories. He knew the demon was dead, he killed it, but the power from his own past mask he was trapped in was trying to come out of the depths of his mind. He had been able to block out the deranged part of his mind for over a century and he would be damned if one thing made it all come back.

“Link, please… put it away.” he managed to get a whisper out of his throat before it completely closed on him.

“Dametrius?” Link began after the mask was stored away. A hand grabbed his larger wrist. He looked at the teen who looked slightly panicked. ‘Did… Did I do something wrong?’

Shit… he went back to signing. He went to a knee in front of Link. “No, no. You did nothing wrong, Link. The mask and I have a long and painful history. It caught me by surprise to see it. Tell me, does you feel any certain way when wearing it?”

‘No. Feels like any other mask I have.’

“Good. That’s all I care about.”

“You killed Majora, didn’t you?”

“I did.” He rose again, making sure to smile. “Now, come along. You need to restock on supplies before you embark on the next part of your adventure.” He placed a hand on both boys and was instantly back in Hateno.

Dametrius waited until they boys were asleep to wrap a cloth over the hilt of the holy blade and take it outside. He went into the shed and laid it on the table. He really hoped that what he was about to do would work and he wasn’t just talking to an inanimate object. “Fi, can you hear me?” No response. He huffed. “I wish you could. I could use some enlightenment.”

The silence was to be expected.

When he went to put the cloth over the blade again, it gave a slight pulse of blue. “So you can hear me? Are you able to form outside the blade?” A pulse of blue again. He waited.

Fi, as beautiful as always, came out of the sword. “Fierce Deity, hello.” She seemed tired, annoyed. “How can I be of service to you?”

“Since when did you start becoming formal with me?” He meant it as a joke, but the blue glass-like eyes of the spirit hardened.

“Since the day you let our Link die. Since you tried to kill one of my other masters. Since the day you decided to curse Hylia’s name.” She hovered above the sword, looking almost eye level to him.

His brows furrowed, fangs exposed. “You know I didn’t just let Link die that day.” His nose flared with a snarl. “He was like a brother. No, he was my brother and tried to get to him for weeks before Demise executed him. I fought next to him, next to you, to seal away Demise. I gave up everything that day to do so. I gave up everything to let my sister take him down and save the Hylian race. What else did you want from me? What more could I have given?”

“Your life.”

The dread that came with the words could not be described. His heart twisted thinking about how they had found Link that day. His body was too thin from starvation and littered with the evidence of the abuse he took from Demise and Ghirahim. The Demon Lord had an ‘art’ when it came to torture and punishments. His signature was clear. The white webbed lines were his brother’s doing.

Demise had put Link’s corpse on display for Hylia to see. She loved him and she screamed mournfully when they saw him hanging by the chains around his wrist, throat slit, head tipped forward and eyes still open. Blond, shoulder length hair was matted and stuck to his skin by the rain and his dried blood. His green tunic was mostly crimson in the front.

He had pulled Hylia to his chest, not wanting her to see. She spoke into his armor, “This is your fault. You were supposed to help him. Supposed to save him. He is dead because of you!” He took the blame that day for her sorrow. He had already thought the same thing before she said it. This was his best friend, his brother and he failed him. The stupid Hylian had to play hero after being told to wait and he payed for it. Something Dametrius regretted not stopping.

“I’ll make it right. I can’t bring him back, but I’ll make it right. I’ll give you the opportunity you need to seal Demise away.” He knew what he needed to do. Demise had already told him what he planned on doing to him and it was the only chance they had to finish what they went there to do.

For his dear sister… he gave up his own sanity.

“I’m sorry. But you know I had no control over what happened to your fourth master. Never did.”

“He should have locked you away for good.”

“His daughter tried. She threw me into Lake Hylia after the news reached them of her father’s death.”

“How fitting for you.” Malice dripped from each word.

“Fi.” he growled in warning. “I did not ask to speak to you so we could bring up old scars.”

She deflated some and sat on the table. She really did look exhausted. “I know. What did you want to ask?”

“Why did you kill my Link when he tried to pull the sword?”

“I needed him to be stronger.”

“Stronger, why?”

“Fierce… I am old.” She curled in on herself. "I wasn't meant to be inside the sword forever and that is exactly what it has been, forever. I was supposed to be free after the Skyling killed Demise, but then he set the curse. It doomed all the Links', Zeldas' and myself included. I helped with the others' fighting Ganondorf, but the Calamity? That is a whole other being. The first Calamity started my fall. I started to become weak, even with the help from the Zorani magic used to seal Ganondorf. I needed to rest, replenish from my wounds. After ten thousand years, I still couldn’t be at my full potential like before. I almost died next to your son and if it weren’t for Zelda we both would be. If ten thousand years wasn’t long enough, do you really think one hundred will do anything? I need Link to not rely on me the whole time like the heroes before him, but trust in his own abilities. He needs to wake his godly magic. He needs to remember, remember you.”

“I can’t just tell him that he is a demigod with the power to bend the elements. Something needs to trigger it. Hopefully when he fights the Blights’ that will happen. Each one controls an element of their own.” This was delicate. even with the few memories he had, his mind was still vulnerable.

“His percentages of winning will be better after his last memory is recovered and he gets the Divine Beast taken back. It will be at eight-two percent.” She rose from the table. “I am tired. I must rest before tomorrow battle.”

“I’ll leave you be.” Before she vanished he added playfully, “And stop with the electrocution stuff when I touch the blade. Shit hurts.”

She gave a soft hum. “I’ll see what I can do.” She flew to him and kissed his cheek quickly. “I forgive you.”

He was stunned stiff. He didn’t ask for forgiveness, never would. He didn’t think he deserved it after all the events of his past. Hearing her say it though, healed a small crack in his soul he didn’t know he had.

Looking down at the table most would only see a sword, maybe even recognize it to be what it is, but not him. He knew the spirit inside it. Knew her heart like he knew his own. She was there during the fall of the gods and the rise of the islands. She comforted Hylia when others could not with Link’s passing. She was a friend, if not a little sister, before she was asked to be placed inside the blade to guide her masters’.

Most saw a sword, a weapon to defeat evil.

He saw someone he grew up with.

“Goodnight Fi.”

Chapter Text

It was early morning when Dametrius woke. There wasn’t a single sound inside the small house outside of his own breathing. Link and Twilight must have left before the sun even thought about coming up. He walked down the steps to the kitchen table where a slip of paper was neatly placed.

Dametrius,

I did not want to disturb you this morning. It didn’t sound like you got the best sleep last night. I wanted to let you know that we are headed to Vah Ruta and that I triple checked all my supplies, so don’t worry. I will return when the Waterblight is dead and tell you about it.

- Link

Don’t worry? Yes, let’s not worry about the child who only four days ago thought it would be a grand idea to climb a cliff, then throw himself off said cliff to paraglide next to a fire dragon. Consequences? None. That's what worried him the most. Link had a tendency to do something stupid, come out unscathed, laughing and think it was totally okay. Like it was normal to just run around in his underwear in the Hebra region, ride a buck through fire, wake a Hinox just so it could kill a guardian for him or use a bomb arrow in Death Mountian.

Okat the last one got him. He blew himself off the mountain.

Point being… Dametrius was going to worry! His blood pressure was already unhealthy from the normal parental anxiety and Twilight filling him in on his kid’s stunts wasn’t helping anything. He was preparing to go to an early grave alongside the wolf.

Now the child had gone off to fight a monster that killed the boy's love. It was going to be a long day.

“How long has he been in there?” Twilight startled when Dametrius appeared out of thin air.

“Twenty minutes. He started picking at the edges of his scars because of how nervous he was. He said he would take your advice and use the Master Sword towards the end only.”

“Hopefully after this fight he will have more confidence in himself.” 

“He has confidence when it comes to everything except when a whole race is relying on him. Has he always been that way?”

“No.” Dametrius sat on the damp stone floor at the reservoir. “Even if he feared something, he always believed in himself to take care of whatever he needed to do. He probably has this change due to the fact that he has already died once.”

The machine in front of them in the water stayed still despite having a fight raging inside her. The two outside could only look on as they heard roaring from one of Ganon’s puppets. It screeched with something much like ice shattering. There was a pattern to the sound of ice and the father could only hope his son figured out the pattern to better himself.

“He just pulled the sword. Should be getting close to the end.” Hope. That was his new feeling. He should have known better than to let it sink in. “I don’t understand what just happened.” He stood, ignoring Twilight for the moment. “That isn’t possible.”

“Dametrius?”

“The sword. It… It just broke!” He couldn’t help but to think of Fi. She warned him of her exhaustion, but he would never think this was the end of her. What would that mean for Link or any others that would unfortunately follow after him? What would happen to Zelda who was still trapped inside the castle? She would die. Everyone would die!! No. No, he couldn’t allow that to hap-

“Hey, hey! Breathe. He is still alive, he has this. When we get back to the house, you can ask questions. Right now we just need to watch and wait. Okay?” Dametrius’s throat was closed so he only nodded.

He continued to stand, too distressed to sit back down. He could feel Link still pushing forward, fighting, giving everything to eliminate his foe. If there was revenge driving him too, well, Dametrius wouldn’t have done it differently.

A high pitched shriek could be heard for miles. Purple, red and black smoke spewed from Ruta before her waters stopped and she calmed with blue light. A single golden light rose from the machine and flew directly towards the center on the Domain. Twilight and Dametrius watched in awe as the elephant submerged itself into the water's depths. It scaled up the mountain side, stopping at a flat point.

Dametrius didn’t know if Twilight’s eyes could see her, but he did. The teal flames that were her soul stood where she once had to pilot the beast against the Calamity. Mipha. She commanded her beast with the wave of her arm. The elephant settled, raised its trunk up and extended its metal tusks. A ball of pure energy was produced from the tusks. Without warning, it shot the most powerful column of energy the god had ever seen, directly at the castle. 

“What is it doing?” Twilight covered his eyes slightly from the light.

He had to give it to the Sheikah, they were great with technology. “She is helping Zelda hold back Ganon until Link is ready. Go to him, I will see you at the house shortly.” Not leaving room to protest, he left the hero’s side to take a closer look at Vah Ruta. He didn’t dare get too close. Though a god, he didn’t like to push his luck with things revolving around his sister’s plans. 

While admiring the enormous creature, the spirit that was once captive inside, appeared by his side. “You are Link’s father, correct?”

He smiled at her. “I am. You are Princess Mipha, I assume.” He knew it was, but he was a polite man.

“You assume correctly. It has been a long time since I have seen you, though I don’t think we were even properly introduced. I am curious though, why have you come up here?”

“I wanted to thank you.” He could see the confusion. “For loving my son. He may not remember everything right now, but when he came home after having a memory of you, he-” He gave a sad smile with a sigh. “He knew without a doubt that he returned the affection fully.”

The Princess clasped her hands in front of her with her head down slightly. “I had wondered if he did or not. I knew him to be silent after he became a knight, especially Princess Zelda’s appointed knight, but his eyes held so much emotion in them. I had hoped that those emotions were the ones I held for him too. It eases my soul to know this to be true. Thank you.”

Dametrius walked a little closer, sticking his hand out for her to rest her own in. She gave a giggle. They both knew she would go through his hand, but she entertained the idea anyway. He leaned down and kissed the teal hand as if she could feel it. “It was my pleasure to meet you, Princess Mipha. I know you have a job to do now and I won’t take you from it.” He bowed to her while lowering their hands. He could see why Link fell in love with her. She had a gentle smile that could warm any heart.

He somehow managed to beat the boys back to the house with seconds to spare. He was pleased that Link didn’t knock anymore and treated his home, like his home again. “I did it!”

Dametrius turned around to face the boys. “Congratulations. I knew you were able to do it.”

“I reckon I just needed to believe in myself too.” He switched clothes through the slate, putting on his Champions tunic and brown trousers. “The Zoras’ were very grateful for Ruta no longer threatening to flood them out. They gave me a few things, but this is probably the greatest thing.” With a flicker of blue, a trident appeared in his hand. “This- this was Mipha’s.”

“A treasure indeed. Something to admire and appreciate, not use.” He looked at the three mostly blank walls. “I have an idea, if you would like.”

“Sure.”

“Why don’t we make a wall mount for it and have it for display? Or hire someone to do it. There is a construction company that helped build the houses across the bridge that would probably want business. What do you think?”

Link looked down at Twilight, who wagged his tail happily. “Sounds perfect.”

He wanted this to be just as much his home as Link’s and if Link asked, he would just tell him that it is. It wouldn’t be a lie. “I will talk to them tomorrow then.” There was an extra buzz of magic in the air. It felt much like a feeling of healing. “Link, why do you seem to have magic around you?”

Link looked around him like he would be able to see it. Dametrius rolled his eyes with a half smile. “Oh I almost forgot. Mipha’s spirit was there once I killed the Blight. She gave me her healing abilities. When I become too injured, it’ll heal me. She called it, Mipha's Grace.”

“That was generous of her.” He had turned around for two seconds. Two seconds!! What could go wrong?

“I already tested it out, watch!” There was a blue flash, a startled bark and a thud.

He spun around quickly. It was fucking two seconds! Link thought to show how it worked in two seconds… Link took a blade and slit his own throat to make himself bleed out. Both adults (because right now Dametrius was not counting Link as one!) were paralyzed and would forever be traumatized.

The image of Mipha came out of Link’s chest saying, “It was my pleasure.” Link’s blood collected back in himself and the wound across his neck left a slight white line. He opened his eyes and sat up. “Isn’t that awesome!”

Early grave. He was going to have an early grave and at the moment he was willing to go dig the hole his damn self. “Don’t… don’t you ever, do that again. Do you understand me right now?”

“I warned you, didn’t I?” he countered.

“Link, there is no warning when it comes to watching someone die. No matter if they come back or not. So please, for Twilight and my sake and health, don’t do that intentionally.” He didn’t want to scold him, he didn’t even want to sound like a father to him since he still didn’t know, but by all things holy… he couldn’t watch that again. He looked just like his mother and how she laid on the ground: motionless, blood spilling to the floor, skin going too pale for their normally rosy cheeks.

Twilight whined and crawled into the teen’s lap like a lap dog. Link wrapped his arms around the wolf’s neck. “Sorry. I didn’t think it would have caused that much of an issue.”

Dametrius sighed and knelt down next to the boy, placing his hand on the back of his neck softly. “It’s fine, it just shocked us. Different question, why did the sword break?”

“What sword?”

“The Master Sword, I felt it break.”

“Oh!” Link grabbed his slate and pointed to the screen. There sat the sword. “It doesn’t break. It loses its energy and vanishes into the slate to recharge. I thought it broke too at first.” That was better than the alternative.

“Link, concentrate.” Dametrius encouraged him as he stood in the shallow waters of the nearby pond. It had been three days since his fight against the Waterblight and Link had told the two others in the house every detail of the fight. How the monster’s spear was made of ice that could rematerialize and he would dodge it just right and time would slow down as he slashed at it. He described how the easiest way to bring the beast down for multiple strikes was an arrow to the eye, the same eyes the guardians had. After it would get up it would turn into a blue sphere of light and energy to get to a different part of the room. Link had exaggerated movements and wide eyes of excitement.

He tried to not smile so hard when Link talked, but it was so hard not to. This child, his child, took after him much like his wife said he would. He held that passion for war in his eyes like the god that sat at the table in front of him, listening to every word.

Link said that he got another arrow into the beast's eye and it roared in pain before it summoned the water in the room to rise, flooding the room in seconds. It forced him to stand on the six stone platforms. Ice blocks were hurled at him, making him use his slate to bust them the same way he had to get inside the beast originally. He cited how he was running out of stamina as he swam to a new platform, a block of ice headed right to him and that's when it happened. He summoned all the strength and willpower he had, flinging himself out of the way. When he opened his eyes, water was swirling around him while on the platform. The water had lifted him up and out of the way. He was in such a daze that he was almost too late to destroy the next block of ice, so he pulled the Master Sword and was about to slice through the ice, but the same water that was around him flew in the same direction that he pointed the sword, pushing the ice off its course. The beast and him stopped momentarily, just looking at each other.

When the fight continued he didn’t push his luck with the strange happenings. He fought like he knew to and the sword eventually disappeared in a shatter of blue light. Obviously he had won in the end despite the screaming panic inside the boy’s head when it happened.

And that brought them to where they currently were, Link in the water, Dametrius standing at its edge and Twilight basking in the sun. “I am concentrating.”

“You're not.”

“We have been at this for hours now. I’m exhausted, I have a headache and the sun is blinding me.”

“Good.”

“Good? How is that good?!”

“It means that you will be desperate. While being desperate you won’t think with your mind. You think with heart and instinct. Your mind will shut everything else out except the need to survive. It is how you are still alive now.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “Again.” He felt bad for pushing him, but he needed this. 

Link sighed, closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, flexed his fingers and tried to summon the water he stood in to move at his command. After a few straining minutes, Link let go of the breath he was holding. “I can’t.”

“You can, but I think you need some incentive.”

“Incentive? Like wha-ah!!” Link dodged the fire ball Dametrius threw at him. “What the fuck was that?!”

“Your incentive. Either control the water or you get burned. Now, again!” He pushed another flaming ball at his bewildered son. Link dodged one after another as they came at him faster. He wasn’t allowed to use any weapons or shields while training, leaving him to weave between the fire. “Concentrate! Become desperate! Stop thinking and just do!” He gave no break between the fires.

Link was drawing in ragged breaths as his stamina started to wear thin. Dametrius just pushed that much harder. With a battle cry, Link dodged and swung his arms up into an ‘x’. Dametrius stopped, a smile across his face, locking eyes with Link. A water barrier separated the two of them and it quickly went to the ground as Link became excited. “Ooooh I did it!”

“That was perfect. Now, again!” This time Dametrius moved around the boy, making him watch everything around him since the other could teleport. Link was catching on quickly, but eventually slipped in the water, landing on his back, fire headed right at him. He wasn't going to be able to stop it for hitting him. “Link!!”

Link’s hands flew up, but water didn’t flow to stop the fire. Instead, Link caught the fire in his hand, not burning his skin or clothes. He stared at the flames, wiggling his fingers and causing the embers to dance.

As Link continued to explore what was in his hands, Dametrius started to worry. The markings of Link’s face started to appear. The same forehead marking he carried was in red on Link, along with two blue lines that started above his left eyebrow down to the middle of his cheek. It was once again, another reminder that Link didn’t know who he truly was.

Link closed his hand, fire extinguished. “You didn’t tell me I could use fire too.”

“We hadn’t gotten there yet. You are an elementalist, Link. You can control water, fire, wind and even lightning.”

“Not earth?”

“I think Farore would have a fit if a Hylian could use her abilities too.”

“When will you teach me to use the other two?” Link got out of the water, shaking off like a dog.

Dametrius looked at Twilight with a frown. The wolf smirked back. “I already have taught you, you just have to apply it to them. Lightning will be the hardest since you can’t summon it and it is the most unpredictable. You will have to learn to feel it before it strikes.”

“Can I ask something?” Link stood next to him, rubbing one arm nervously, eyes never meeting his.

“Always.”

“You know so much about all this and about me. Did- did you know me before-?” He cut himself short.

“Yes.” Link’s head shot up to meet the god’s gaze. “I knew you, quite well actually. I was involved in a lot of your life. I helped you when you started to show signs of natural born powers.”

“So you knew my parents?”

He waited a bit to answer so he could sort out his words. “I did.” That was all he could get out before his voice wanted to crack.

“I know what happened to my mother, but what about my Father?”

“I am not entirely sure what became of him. When we heard of your fall, I vowed to watch over you while you healed. There was a war going on outside the Great Plateau and I do not know of the events that took place.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

The child didn’t look satisfied with that, but didn’t press the matter. He sighed, “He was a bit of a brute until he met your mother. She put him on a better path. He cared so deeply for her and you. It nearly broke him when your mother died, but he picked up the pieces of your broken home and did the best he could for you. He may not have been perfect, but he gave you everything he could. All he ever wanted was to keep you safe and have a place where you felt cared for and loved.”

With a huff of laughter, Link elbowed Dametrius. “He sounds a lot like you. Must really have been a good man then. It’s funny, when I get a memory, I can’t see his face, hair or much of any of him, but he has your voice. I don’t know if that is just my brain supplying the memory with that since I spend so much time here or what, but it helps. If things were different, I would be happy to be your son.”

Watching Link walk back towards the small house, Twilight rubbed up against the other’s leg. Shaky fingers went into the soft fur. “This is so much harder than I thought it would be. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up with him and not spill the truth." Twilight whined in a sympathetic tone. “Just keep him safe while I’m not around.”

Link spent the next few days training to catch and throw fire around. Luckily he was already getting good with the water or else the whole side yard would have burned to a crisp. Learning to use a weapon as an extension of his arm seemed to come naturally to the once soldier and he could manipulate what he wanted with all of his weapons. Obviously the Master Sword being his first choice.

Once deemed ready, Link was off to fight the Blight inside Rudania. Dametrius snagged some of the fire elixirs they had stored and followed the two boys to where they needed to be. He drank one of his own to make sure he didn’t start smoking, Twilight doing the same.

“So how are you supposed to get to her?” He looked over the edge of the volcano, spotting the beast lying in the boiling lava.

“I would just use the slate, but I would have to go through the inside and it can get confusing in there. The main control unit is on her back, so I planned on just getting down there the same way I first did.”

“And that is how?”

“Oh, just falling.”

“Oh, okay. Wait, what?”

Too late, Link got a running start and jumped into the open air of the volcano’s mouth with a shout of excitement. Yep, he was his father’s son alright, but still gave the other two a heart attack while watching him descend at a high speed. At the last second, Link deployed his paraglider to land near the orange glowing control unit.

A shadow of black squares and Twilight was standing next to him. “Why is your Death Mountain so damn hot?!”

“Everything here can kill you, why not the terrain?” He laughed at Twi’s grumbling.

Down below, Link placed the slate onto a pedestal, releasing the Blight from inside it. It had an ancient Sheikah blade as a right arm and in its malice left was a fireball. Link had been training, he could do this. Dametrius had full faith in his son to rid the beast of the monster. That faith grew as he saw him swiftly dodge the sword, get to the monster's backside and slash at it repetitively.

The Blight flew up into the air to be out of reach and hurled multiple miniature fireballs down towards its enemy. Link's training paid off when he simply swiped his hand through the air, flinging them away like they were dust bothering him. He always had an easier time with fire before, it should have been no surprise that he still would.

Annoyed, the monster swung its weapon to the ground. With a perfect dodge, time slowed down. Dametrius could see it all as his son did since he himself could travel at a higher rate of speed at any point. With a few graceful combination hits, the monster roared angrily. It fiercely did a spin attack, catching Link's shield as he blocked it. Though it was a good block, he went flying across the back of the Divine Beast. Luckily he caught himself before going over the edge and into the lava below. Link may be good with fire, but lava was a different power that he had never been able to use. He had only seen Din be able to use all forms of fire.

Springing to his feet once again, he raced over to the murderous creature, still dodging the fire that was launched at him. He swapped weapons for a stone hammer that the Gorons used for mining. With his own, much longer, spin attack the creature fell forward. Bringing his sword back out, Link took the opportunity to weaken the malice born monster.

The Blight formed into a ball of blue light and went to a different part of the platform, reappearing with fire spewing from its hand. Link got a bit cocky trying to just walk through it. Of course he did it perfectly and the facial markings were proving that he was using his abilities effectively, becoming more noticeable as he went.

His son's cockyness reminded him of the Hero of Warriors and how he almost lost his life because of how full of himself he was at the time. He had remarkable fighting techniques that were next to almost none (to other Hylians) but that didn't change the fact that his shadow still almost one upped him.

Not all good things can stay the same, as always. The Blight swung, Link parried, but wasn't ready for another spin attack. His shield wasn't up yet and it caught him across his ribs and chest, blue tunic turning red.

Twilight took a step further to the edge. Dametrius had the same desire, but stuck his hand out to stop the young hero in his tracks. "We can't intervene. This isn't our fight."

Link ran to a curved stone pillar and climbed up it. He didn't hesitate to jump from it and pull his bow and ice arrows, firing five arrows into the monster's single eye. When he landed on the ground, normal time resuming, the Blight let out a screech. Turning into the blue orb again it went to the control unit and reformed. The giant orb of protection was not what any of them were expecting, but Link didn't falter. He got into stance, waiting.

Dametrius's near heart attack came back, and stomach twisted as the Blight began to suck all the hot air it could into him for maximum energy.

Instincts drove Link to pull out a bomb from his slate, throw it and detinante it at the perfect moment. The orb-like shield exploded and the monster crashed to the ground. Pulling the Master Sword, Link wasted no time dealing the monster powerful hits after deadly hits. 

Now, instead of multiple fireballs, one massive one grew in the Blight's hand. When it left its hand, Link shot an arrow at it, causing it to explode next to the Blight and it collapsed to the ground. Good strong hit, then it was back up. This time, it used the one thing that the father never wanted to see in action. The red dot of a laser appeared on Link's chest.

That didn't stop the Hylian Champion. He could see the teen's eyes harden, stance staying strong as he kept the shield in front of him. The beeping got faster, then shot at the boy. Link parried, throwing the blue beam right back into the Fireblight's face. It fell again for the last time. Master Sword in hand, he gave the final three hits to it.

The Fireblight began to tremble and contour where it was. It reared it’s head back with a scream and continued to scream as malice spewed from it’s body. Bright purple lights peered through the cracks of malice before it exploded.

The control unit hummed, waiting for Link. As he got closer, Dametrius felt Link’s life energy grow. Must have been a ‘reward’ from her every time he beat one of them. The two bystanders watched him place the slate on the pedestal, turning everything blue.

From behind Link, teal flames appeared, revealing the Goron Champion, Daruk. “Great work little guy! I owe you big for this. Because of you, my spirit is finally free. Can’t thank you enough!” The Goron scratched his head. “I feel like I should apologize. I was doing all I could to protect Hyrule when that thing got the best of me. Sorry that me resting with the rubble caused such a mess. The good news is, Rudania is now back under our control! That our century-old Ganon beat-down plan can finally go into effect! I’m going to take this down the mountain. I’ll have a better shot at Ganon there. And then, once you’ve made your way into Hyrule Castle, we’re gonna light that thing up!”

Daruk’s tone calmed into sincerity. “I want to give you something. It’s a special power of mine called Daruk’s Protection. It’s no good to me now that I’m a spirit… but it might be useful for you.” He slammed his palms together, “Here it comes!” When he started to pull his hands apart, a bright orange and red light came from them. With a shout he pushed the orb towards Link and it absorbed into his chest.

Link was lifted off the ground, flames dancing around him. Back on his feet he looked at his hands, opened his arms wide and slammed his fit into each other. An orange crystal-like sphere of protection surrounded him. Letting the protection drop, he looked back at his once friend.

“From this moment forth, the power of protection, from the depths of my soul, now lives inside you.” Daruk started as Link began to glow in golden light. “Good luck, little guy! And give my regards to the princess.”

Link was consumed by the golden light, turned into a small orb, no bigger than a fairy, and was sent back to Goron City.

The mountain itself began to rumble and roil as Vah Rudania and her pilot made their way out of the depths of the volcano. She let out her own roar as she made it to the top. Stopping, they looked to the castle. The beast’s face opened up, exposing a stone column. Similar to Vah Ruta, the red energy beam built up before it shot right at the castle that held Ganon.

“Well, that ought to do it! We’re set here, now we just need to wait for the perfect shot. Once Link is in the castle, Rudania will unleash an epic blast. Ganon won’t know what hit ‘im! Hyrule looks pretty good from up here… even after one hundred years. The ol’ rolling grounds sure are a sight for sore eyes.” Daruk looked around, locking eyes with Dametrius. “Well I’ll be. Hello there brother!”

Dametrius bowed to the Goron. “Hello Lord Daruk!” he called back when he straightened up.

“Your boy sure is somethin’ else! You raised a great kiddo.”

“Thank you. Happy to see you again Daruk.”

“Always brother!”

Damertius looked to Twilight who was being summoned by Link. “I hate magic.” he scoffed as he turned into a wolf and was whisked away to Link’s side. Dametrius chuckled with an eye roll and went home.

Vah Medoh was much the same. Twilight and Dametrius waited down below, across from Rito Village so no one would give away the secret of Twilight’s true form. They couldn’t watch this time, but they waited all the same.

It took every ounce of energy and willpower the god had to not board the beast, snatch Revali by the neck and drag him to the Spirit World and pluck those feathers right off of him. The Pigeon still was a shit head even in his spirit form. Reading between the lines, the Rito was thankful and Dametrius would take the win of Link proving the bird wrong any day.

Going to the dessert was hot and sand went to places it didn’t belong. Dametrius did feel bad for Twilight who couldn’t regulate his temperature like he could willingly, so he instructed the young man to sit inside the shrine to cool down some. Once again though, they couldn’t do much outside of wait.

Three times he felt his son’s life force leave and come back. This fight was harder, longer and the buzz of electricity could be felt from the town’s walls where they stood. It seemed like hours passed by, the sun slowly disappearing behind the mountains.

The golden light zoomed by overhead, directly to the entrance of the town. Dametrius smacked Twilight before Link walked over. The wolf waltzed out of the shrine, tongue hanging out, happy to see Link.

“How did it go?”

“Peachy. I need to change clothes so I can go inside. Don’t judge me for the outfit.” Dametrius put his hands up to show he wouldn’t. A few clicks and Link was in a Gerudo Vai outfit.

He was not affected by his son wearing women's clothing to get his job done. No, he was affected by the fact that Link’s sister could have looked just how he did at the moment. Would she look identical to Link? Would she have white hair or even white eyes? What would her markings, if any, look like? Would she have demigod powers? Would she be shorter or the same height as Link, or inherited some of her father’s height? What would her voice be like, her laugh? He had to pull himself out of those thoughts before they spiraled out of control. He didn’t need to have a breakdown right there.

‘Stay here, I’ll be right back.’

He did as he was asked. Twilight whined with big puppy eyes. “He will be fine. We can ask what happened when he gets back.” The wolf just huffed and went back into the shrine.

Not ten minutes later, Link was walking out of the town. He signed goodbye to the guards. “Come visit little Vai!”

As he walked away, a man with straight black hair and glasses ran over. “There you are sweetheart! I thought you were avoiding me after the last time I saw you, but here you are!”

Dametrius saw Link’s shoulders rise to his ears, eyes squeezed closed, fist balled at his sides. He gave a slight whistle to Twilight and pointed his chin to Link. They both started walking over to the two. He didn’t want to intervene if Link could handle it, but it didn’t sit right that some man was hitting on him.

“Darlin’, talk to me.” He grabbed Link by the wrist and pulled him around so they were facing each other. “Stop being so shy with me.” The man’s hands were now on Link’s hips. He flinched away, but the other gripped him tighter. Dametrius could see Link’s skin indenting around the fingers. Oh, the fire in his veins was boiling. Even more so when he could hear Link start to hyperventilate. He was in too much shock to fight back.

‘Please let go of me. I don’t like you and I told you that last time.’

“Oh you didn’t mean it though. You were just playing hard to get.”

Dametrius and Twilight stood side by side, their shadows towered over the two in front of them. “She said to let her go. Do not make her ask you again.” he snarled.

Twilight growled when the man spun Link around and wrapped an arm around his torso, hands flat on his stomach. “She likes to pretend she doesn’t like me, but we both know that’s not true. Don’t we, sweetness?” He leaned his face closer and kissed Link’s ear and ran his nose up the shell of it.

Link let out a choked, quiet, pleading sound for help. His eyes that held so much fear, had tears spilling over. “I won’t tell you twice. Let. Her. Go… Now. ”

“What, are you wanting her for yourself? Sheesh, by your tone you would think this little angel is your daughter.”

“She is.” The words came out of his mouth before he could think. Link’s eyes flashed open as the hands on his torso started to move in two different directions. He thrashed in the unwanted embrace. Fuck this! Dametrius had the scum by the throat, raised above his head. “You and I are going to take a little trip. Twilight, stay with her.” He barked and sided up to Link.

He teleported to the furthest northwest region of Hyrule. Harsh winds blew the frozen rain against the Hylian’s skin, scratching him. He was shivering in seconds of being exposed to the elements. “You won’t make it out of here and as you are freezing to death I hope you think about the warning I tried to give you. This is the consequence of touching my child in the manner you did. I hope the wolves feast on your flesh and meat and the monsters use your bones for weapons.”

“Y-y-you ca-an-n’t leave m-me h-here!”

“I can and I am”

“You w-wou-ld ki-ill m-me f-for tha-at?”

“Boy, I’m the God of War and Battlefields. I have killed for lesser reasons and for no reason outside of I just wanted to.” He took pleasure in the terror in the man’s eyes before he set him on his feet. He took a few small steps back.

“W-wha-at n-no-ow-AAHH!!”

Dametrius smiled as he kicked the man in the chest. He went flying over the edge of the cliff to whatever was below. He didn’t care. “No one fucks with my child and not pay for it.” He teleported back to Link and Twilight. Link had changed into his Gerudo Voe armor that he had originally been wearing. “Link?” His boy looked up at him, a shy smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

“I am now, thank you. Do I even want to know what you did to Bozai?”

“Probably not.” Link let out a satisfied hum. “How was the Blight?”

“Thunderblight was the worst. Its speed nearly matched yours and he was my height. I was able to manipulate the lightning he tried to conduct through metal. Burned the first time, but you were right. Being desperate does help. I had run out of fairies and used Mipha’s Grace already. I didn’t have time to pull a hearty or electro elixir out. The earrings that I bought did help.”

“You did your job. All four beasts are ready to serve at your side with their pilots. Speaking of pilots, what did Urbosa give you?” Link gave a pure mischievous smile. Oh no.

They followed Link to a small Lizalfos camp. He slid the Liz mask on that he got from Kilton, instead of Majora’s, walked to the center of the monsters and pulled out the first weapon he had. It pulsed blue and a greenish yellow dome went around him and the monsters. After building as much energy as he could, he swung the sword. Lightning crashed all around them, killing the monsters after the shock had worn off. The image of Urbosa came forward when he did it too.

“That was Urbosa’s Fury.” Link said happily. “I want to try to use it then control it further.”

Yep, oh no was right.

Twilight flopped against Dametrius’s leg and howled a pathetic cry. The two laughed until they were hurting.

With everything his son had gained from the former champions and learned of his own abilities, Dametrius’s worries were dwindling. Link was the hero he always knew he would be.

Chapter Text

It was the final memory that Zelda left for him. He asked to go alone, leaving Twilight with Dametrius. They understood and respected his wishes, even though Dametrius knew what memory it was. He didn't think Link should have gone by himself to witness his own death and the brutality of it. He did manage to get Link to promise to come right back to the house afterwards.

Warning Twilight of Link's return to the house started the flips in his stomach. Link slowly opened the door and closed it, still facing away from them. His lack of movement was concerning since he was normally constantly full of energy. He was holding onto the door knob, white knuckles clearly seen. "Link?" Link said something enaudiable back. "What?"

"I asked, how long did you plan on lying to me?" His tone was still somewhat calm when he asked, turning around to face them.

He saw Link's red rimmed eyes, tear tracks through the dirt and grime on his face, claw marks on some of his scars and his red tipped nose. He had been crying and not just a little bit. "Lying about what, exactly?"

"That you are my father."

His heart sank, he dreaded this reaction. "Who told you?"

"The last memory triggered a different one. After I was taken to the shrine, you rushed in demanding to see me, saying that I was your son. I saw you leaning over me, cursing Hylia for what happened to me."

"Link I-"

"Answer me!!" Link's anger increased drastically. He had never talked like this to him. Maybe holler to him, but never at him. "How long?!"

"Until you remembered."

"So what, this whole time you just left me in the dark? You always said that I could come to you about anything. And I came to you about this multiple times! You didn't even have the decency to tell me the truth!"

"I never lied to you."

"Only telling half truths is still not telling the truth. I have trusted you with my whole self. With my worries, insecurities, my guilt and shame. I have trusted you to teach and guide me through this. You took advantage of the fact that I didn't remember you and brought me into your home, so you could get closure or comfort. What about me?! You said that you had a son and he was traveling all over Hyrule. It seemed a little strange that this whole time, this whole year, I never once encountered him on the road or here. Oh right, maybe that's because I'm him!"

Dametrius just stood there, not knowing where to go with this.

"You led me to believe that my parents and unborn sibling were dead. I needed family, someone who knew me and you never gave me that. I kept hearing your voice in my memories, thinking I was going crazy for it. Then, I kill the Waterblight… I saw my reflection in the water. Red and blue markings adorn my face. I knew right there something wasn't adding up. Something was missing. I gave you the perfect chance to tell me and instead you kept lying! You even said that I was yours at one point and I prayed that you would come back and confirm it, but you never did." He sucked in a breath to keep from crying, rubbing his face with both hands.

"I swear, my intentions were not to manipulate or mislead you in any way." Dametrius treaded lightly towards Link, who glared at him with rage, making him stop in his tracks.

“But you did! You did and it hurts! It hurts worst that the burn of a guardian or getting struck by lightning! It hurts to think that everything was some phony front. An act that I fell right into. You played me for a fool and maybe I am one for not seeing it all sooner. I spent so many nights in bed thinking about what it would be like to call you my father because I felt like I needed one, because you were acting like one towards me. You made sure I had food, shelter, weapons, a safe place to rest and heal my wounds. I came here over and over again, in need. I needed you!”

“And I gave you myself! Nothing was an act, it was all real! You're right, I should have told you at some point and I’m sorry I didn’t. I’m sorry that my sister is so cruel and chose you. I’m sorry for the sorrow, guilt, shame and pain you carry. That you carry the reminder of your death on your body and you hate it. I’m sorry that I tried to protect your mind as it healed from your slumber by not coming right out and telling you who I was, but I made sure to show it every day!” He hated this. He hated everything about it. “I gave you every bit of love that I could considering the circumstances.”

“Love… is this what love is supposed to feel like? Like betrayal?” Link’s tone was of ice and fire. Ice to cut deep and fire to burn away everything inside.

“What can I do to make this better? What can I give, what do you need of me to understand that I didn’t mean for it to be like this?”

“I only needed you!”

“And you have me.”

“But I don’t trust you.”

The pain from those five words felt like a knife being slipped between his ribs and plunging into his heart. His emotions clogged his throat, “Link, please-” He tried to step closer, but Link lashed out.

The boy shoved against his fathers torso to get him to back away, but Dametrius took another step forward. “I don’t need you anymore! I don’t want you around me!” He shoved again, this time actually forcing the other to step back. “I hate you! I wish it was Mom that lived instead of you! She would have done better, been better!” Angry tears were now making new tracks down his cheeks, the shorter fangs showed as he practically growled at him as a sob broke from him.

The heart that had mended over the last year, turned to dust. His face lost all emotions as it hardened to stone. His hands balled at his sides to keep them from twitching. Link flinched away when he took multiple strides past him. He reached for the door and opened it to make his next words hit hard, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” It was cruel and he knew it and that he may regret it, but he was furious. He marched to the steps and up to his room.

“Fine.” Link whispered, still audible to Dametrius. “I’m going after Ganon. If I die, don’t put me in the shine again. Maybe that will make everything better for you.”

He heard Link rummage through the cabinets to get his supplies for the fight. He knew he should stop him, fix everything, but he stood frozen in his room. Link was too emotional to just walk into the castle and take on Ganon. He looked outside his window to see Link petting Epona. He had gotten used to Link teleporting to where he needed to be then summoning Twilight and Epona to him with the slate. Seeing the boy and the horse together made his guilt rise. It reminded him of another boy that was much younger, riding his own Epona and the song he played on his ocarina that he learned from a sweet, young, redheaded girl.

He didn’t know if Link was still in the yard, not that it mattered. He needed an outlet and he didn’t care what it was. His sword materialized in his hands. With a roar of absolute heart shattering pain he swung his blade, cutting deeply into the wooden wall above his bed. He fell to his knees next to the bed. He held his chest with a quivering hand. His breathing was frantic as he slumped forward, needing to use his free hand to keep himself from collapsing to the floor.

Still unable to breathe properly, he went to his elbows, forehead on the floor. All the memories of Link as a child playing, laughing and loving life went through his mind. Memories of Link singing in the kitchen with his mother, talking to his unborn sister with his little hands on the very pregnant stomach. Of Link racing over excitedly with arms wide open to be picked up by him. His little voice calling out, “Daddy, Daddy!”. Flashes of his son growing up after his mother’s passing, still smiling and laughing, growing into the fine young man she said he would be. The new memories of the past year raced forward. Of Link’s crazy fishing techniques: bombs, bomb arrows, electro arrows or just jumping in after them. Seeing his son being chased by Twilight for doing something stupid. Twilight dragging the teen by his pant leg to bed when he refused to sleep, then lay on him to keep him there. Seeing Link’s confidence grow in himself. Bantering with the boy, only to get into a playful wrestling match in the living room or grass; making Link work to get up as he held him down by his shoulders. The best time of doing that was when he was on his back, arms and legs locking Link in and Twilight laying out on them both. They laughed for hours.

The last thing he thought of was the day Link was born. How he stood next to his crib while he slept and thought of how perfect he was just lying there sleeping. He swore to protect him and to be there always. "Freya…" he whispered out loud as he looked at his wedding band that he refused to take off. "What do I do?"

The whole house shook, rattling picture frames to the floor, windows threatened to crack. "Link… no. No!" He teleported to the castle's courtyard. He got there just in time to see the blast from all four Divine Beasts engulf the castle in light. He shielded himself from the blue and white light as he tried to avoid stepping in malice.

He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve to make them stop running. He looked around, trying to find any sign of his son. "LINK?!" he called out. He ran up to and through the gates, desperate for any sign of him. He entered the castle, walking into the sanctum where the king once sat. The red carpet and drapes were fading to a dimmed red-ish pink, worn out over time. What used to be an ornate center floor design, was now a dark pit that he couldn't see into, but could hear the war between Ganon and Link. It was all too familiar.

Barking caught his attention. He turned and saw Twilight trying to enter through the gate, but unable to due to an unnatural force. He looked down at the pit again before going to the wolf's side. "Twilight?"

The young hero went to two feet. "I tried to go with him, but I couldn't get past here and then this, thing , fell from some kind of glowing sack. The floor gave way, taking Cub with it." Twilight took to calling Link by the nickname since they had the same name. Fitting for the wild child and wolf. "That was the Calamity?"

"What did it look like?" He kept scanning their surroundings as they talked.

"Like all the Blights put together with guardian legs."

"That's only the first form of it. Much like most of the other heroes, you have a human form then the beast form. Unfortunately, he isn't lucky enough to go against a Gerudo Ganondorf."

"What do we do?"

"As of right now-!" He grabbed Twilight by the front of his tunic and pulled him backwards. A Guardian was flying overhead, red spot light catching them in its sight. He unhooked his helix blade, aimed and launched it into the flying hunk of metal. As it crashed to the ground, exploding on impact, he summoned his blade back to him. "We get to a better looking point. We are sitting ducks with the guardians still activated. We won't be able to do much, but at least we can see the castle and the land around it. Come on, there is a tower close by."

Keeping to the trees near Central Hyrule Tower, Twilight stayed as a wolf while Dametrius easily took out the stationary guardians keeping guard over the tower. Could they have just landed at the top? Sure, but it was a pain to have to duck down every few minutes because a red dot found you from below.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but he could see Twilight becoming restless, picking at the hem of his green tunic he wore under the black pelt. "He will be fine, Twi."

"Right now, sure, but that's not why I'm fidgeting." Dametrius waved his hand for him to continue. "What happens afterwards, after he has won and I have to leave? Outside of you and me, he has been alone. He may have places to go and friends to visit, but he is wild. He belongs to nature and I'm worried about him. He has had you and me constantly, and after this morning…"

He was trying to not think about that.

"Are you okay?"

Dametrius looked down at the hero who was sitting against the pedestal. He sighed, letting his head fall forward, long hair following the movement. "No."

“What are you going to do?”

“I could wait for him. Stay away if he wants me to, or we can try again and make amends. Until then I’ll just have to pretend that I’m okay.” He ran a hand through his down hair.

“You don’t have to pretend. You are allowed to feel pain. It was clear that he hurt you and if the sight of you when he said it didn’t prove it, the holler you made did. We were still there when you did and Cub cried knowing that he did that to you. When we landed outside the castle, he was so angry with himself that he made himself sick. The last thing I heard him say before he ran off was: I’m so sorry, Dad. I will make this right, I promise. Dametrius, he is fighting for his life and everyone else's just to get back to you and right a wrong.”

He wanted to believe him with his whole self, but he needed to hear it from Link and he doubted he would any time soon.

“May I ask why you didn’t tell him?”

“I have learned to heed my sister's warnings when it comes to her heroes.”

Left to his thoughts, he lost track of time until a tortuous bellow echoed across Hyrule Field. Both of them stood side by side at the railing of the tower. A golden orb landed in the field, revealing Link next to Epona. Dametrius’s breath hitched, seeing his son again. His eye sight showed him that Link was sporting a few new burns and his shirt was red in some areas. In a flash of blue, he was out of his Champions tunic and in an almost full set of armor, missing the helmet he never wore as it was.

A swirling mass of pure energy had Link turning around. From the purple and black maliced fog hooves stepped out, each one was at least twenty times bigger than the hero that stood against it. The rest of the Dark Beast came forward. Fire so hot that it was pure white enveloped the monster's head and flowed down its backstraps. It was nothing like Dametrius, or Twilight, had ever seen. It radiated power. It felt so close to Demise that the god could have been tricked to think it was if his eyes were closed. Epoan startled, but didn’t move from where she stood when the colossal monster stomped its hooves, eyes locked on the boy in front of him.

“Ordona help him.” Twilight whispered. “What the hell is that?!”

Dametrius’s voice was haunted. “ Hatred and malice reincarnated. That, is Dark Beast Ganon. This is the end of the Calamity or every single being in Hyrule is about to be wiped from the surface of this country.” Twilight looked up at him with a distressed and dire expression. “I can’t do much against it if Link fails, though I believe he will succeed. If I was restored into my full form then I would be able to help, but not as I am now.”

What he recognized to be the Bow of Light, Hylia’s bow, coming from the sky, hovering between the hero and his final adversary. Even with the apocalyptic beast in front of Link, he still held his courage and mounted Epona. She reared up, ready to follow orders given to her. She truly was the greatest war horse, reincarnated through time next to the heroes in the original timeline that were related by blood.

Link spurred her on as he leaned half way out of his saddle to grab the bow. He put her into a full stride to avoid the extreme fire beam that, if it wasn’t so massive could have been compared to a guardian’s beam, was expelled from the beast’s mouth. The Beast flung his head up, throwing the beam through the air, towards the tower.

Dametrius grabbed Twilight, shoved him to the ground and curled his body over him to cover the Hylian. When the blast missed the tower, he looked the boy over. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.Thanks” He was helped to his feet.

Zelda’s presence could be felt as three glowing points appeared on the pig-beast’s side, indicating where Link needed to shoot his Light Arrows. The pig shook its head while Zelda was trying to contain the monster long enough for Link to get his shots in.

Over the last year, Link had trained Epona to listen to his commands through his feet. Each foot position with both feet meant a different command. He had a red strap attached to both sides of the saddle to keep him from completely falling off, but allowed him to straddle the saddle backwards if he needed to shoot behind him. Even if Link didn’t fully remember it, he thrived on the back of a horse. It was one of his greatest passions and it was one reason he wished he was in the calvary instead of infantry before.

Link’s depth perception looked off as his first two arrows fell short of its mark. He raised his bow higher, releasing the projectile. The golden circle exploded from the pigs side, causing it to whither and roar. With a patient aim, another arrow met its mark.

The third marker flickered before it disappeared. The beast looked towards Link and stomped around to turn. He avoided its mouth and the hell fire that came from it. He rode under the beast, stopped Epona under it, confusing the monster.

“What is he doing?” Twilight still hadn’t let go of Dametrius’s arm, only squeezing it tighter.

“Waiting it out in its blind spot. Probably doesn’t want to tire Epona, though that is almost impossible.”

Sure enough, three new markers appeared on the other side and Link was back at it again, facing the other direction and Epona galloped forward. The middle marked was met with an arrow easily. Link turned back around in his saddle, directed Epona to turn around and flank the creature. The shoulder marker shattered, leaving the final one on that side. Bullseye!

He again went under the belly of the beast to wait. The one target he didn't get to on the other side appeared and he didn't waste the opportunity to shoot.

He shouldn't have stuck to a pattern. The Dark Beast turned, forcing Link from his hiding spot. He grabbed the saddle horn and slid out of the center of the saddle, keeping the far leg somewhat over the horse's back. It kept him hidden from the beast long enough for a glowing mark to show on the underside of the pig. Somehow, still hanging on how he was, he fired an arrow into the golden marker.

He sat back up in the saddle, spurring Epon. He went between the Beast's front legs for the shot that would end it all. As fast as Epona was or the change in directions she went, the hellfire beam scorched the field, catching the horse and rider in it.

"CUB!!" Twilight screamed out when they watched Epona roll over him.

The sky became red as it would during a blood moon and a heavy rain poured down. The Dark Beast was stomping closer to where Link was sprawled out on the ground, Epona's lifeless body trapped his right foot under her. He was shoving at the saddle, trying to get it to move so he could finish the fight. He cut away the red strap that was tangled around him while still wiggling around to get up.

With enough rocking back and forth with his left foot against the saddle, his right foot was freed. He landed on one knee when he tried to stand, clear that the pain had forced him down. Dametrius would never say the words out loud and was hating them in his mind, but he was thankful for the damn Pigeon and the gale he gave Link. Like used the gift and flew into the air and when the beast opened the center, golden eye, Link used his born ability and slowed down time as he pulled the bow.

One shot… just one… Link's job was done.

He was exhausted, if him falling to the ground at too fast of a rate meant anything, pulling out his paraglider yet still smacked hard on the ground.

Zelda burst from the last spot Link shot and landed on the ground. Golden light surrounded her and she was a holy sight to see. The Dark Beast tried to intimidate her by ramming its tusks into the ground at her feet, but she stood emotionless against it, standing her ground. In all her glory, Zelda brought forth the light she held inside her. The light of Hylia. The beast startled and stepped back. It threw its head back with an earthquaking roar, turning into the flying form it once held as it circled the castle.

To Dametrius’s right, Twilight grabbed his head with a groan. Dark magic lived inside him from the Twilight Realm and this evil was trying to attach to anything it could. He side stepped while stepping back. He nearly fell over, but was caught in strong arms. Dametrius sat down with the struggling hero between his legs, back to chest. As Twilight grappled with the pain, the god rubbed small circles against his chest while the other hand was laid across the younger’s forehead to hold his head up since he was having difficulty doing it alone. From where they sat, the fight could still be seen.

The monster circled around to fly at Zelda, but she raised her hand that held the full Triforce. Her sealing light glowed in her palm, only getting bigger and brighter as the beast raced towards her. The Dark Beast was no match for Goddess’s blood born child. She exorcized the embodiment of evil from the world just as her predecessors and ancestors did before her.

The skies cleared, rain stopped to unveil the triumphant Hero and Princess after one hundred years.

Twilight stilled in his arms with a sigh. “Twi, they won. Look.” They watched Link get to his feet, her look at him then him going to a knee to bow. When Link stood up, the Princess looked guarded. She probably didn’t know if he truly remembered her after only a few memories she left him to find. The father had a smile as Link raced forward and wrapped his arms around the girl, lifting her off her feet. Her arms were around his neck and from the tower, Dametrius could see the tears and relief on her face.

“Come on, Link will want to see you.” Dametrius stood, helping the other up. When the hero turned into his four-legged form, they teleported to behind Link. Dametrius didn’t show himself, only dropped off the wolf. He stuck to the shadows of the nearby trees like he once had, still in hearing range of the three.

He crossed his arms and leaned against a tree when Zelda gasped. Link unwrapped his arms from her and turned around to see his companion. Zelda laughed when Twilight bowed to her. “Hero of Twilight, thank you for staying by my hero’s side all this time. You may resume your Hylian form if you wish.”

The wolf shifted uncomfortably before the black squares covered him and he was on two feet, sheepish grin on his face.  

“Twilight?” Link asked.

“Hey Cub.”

“I knew it!” Link sounded more excited than anything else. “I knew there was no way a wolf could be that intelligent and not have a secret to tell!” Link ran and jumped into the other boy’s arms.

“I’m so proud of you, even if you did reduce the years of my life by half.”

“I was not that bad… Was I?”

Twilight put him down on his feet, ruffled his hair and gave a look of ‘your kidding’, “Yes, you were. Wouldn’t trade it though.”

The three laughed for a short time. Link looked down at his boots, toeing at the dirt under them. “Did… Is-?” He seemed to be struggling with his words. “Where is he? Did he-? I have so much to apologize for.”

Dametrius straightened up, realizing that Link was asking about him. He walked half to the three when Twilight smiled at his cub, then up to him.

Link turned to see what Twilight was looking at. The father and son locked eyes, stopping the father in his tracks. “Dad…” Dametrius’s heart skipped a few beats hearing that one word. When Link took a step in his direction, he let out a holler, grabbed at his head and fell to the ground.

“Link!” Dametrius turned his boy over only to see his face scrunched up in pain, eyes closed, breathing heavy. He took the slate from Link’s belt and handed it to Zelda. “Go to Hateno, we will be right behind you.” She nodded and was gone in a stream of blue.

Chapter Text

"What just happened?" Twilight moved bloody bangs away from Link's eyes after he was stripped of his armor and laid on the couch.

"I have no idea. Whatever it is, I hope he can sleep it off. Let's get him cleaned up and healed, then put him in my bed."

"Not in his own?"

"Zelda will need a place to sleep if she stays here and I refuse to let her sleep on the couch, she can take his bed." He went to the storage cabinet and grabbed a hearty elixir along with two rags. They went one body part at a time, cleaning and healing any wounds that needed it.

Dametrius scooped Link up and placed him in the master bedroom bed, trying to not jolt him or disrupt the perfectly wrapped bandages.

Twilight stood in the doorway as Link was tucked under the light blanket. Dametrius caught him looking at the thick slash mark in the wood. He felt guilty now for doing it, but it was better than a possible alternative. "Twi, you can stay here too if you would like. Wolf or Hylian, doesn't matter. He will be more comfortable with you close by." He kissed his son's head. "I need to go to a few places before he wakes. I shouldn't be too long."

"What if he wakes before you get back? What should I tell him?"

"That I went to the castle and to see his mother. I haven't paid her a visit in a long time." He placed a hand on the older hero's shoulder. "You look like you could use a nap too. Go on, no need to worry."

Twilight just huffed and went to the other side of the bed, took off his boots and pelt, crawled in beside Link and pulled him close to his side. Link gave a soft hum.

With a smile, he went outside. Zelda had her back to him, facing the sun. "I almost forgot what it felt like to be warmed by the sun." she stated.

He stood at her side, eyes closed, soaking in the warmth with her. “I suppose most take such a normal thing for granted. But today the sun feels warmer than it has in a long time.”

“It does, doesn’t it? We have Link to thank for that, don’t we?”

Oh no, not her too. He was not about to let her spiral down in her own thoughts on her first day of freedom. “Don’t sell yourself short young lady. You held back Ganon for just over a century. Everyone would be dead right now if you didn’t have the heart to stand against him alone.”

She gave a slight chuckle. “If my memory serves me right and it does, the last time I saw you, you were trying to convince me to do otherwise.”

While Dametrius guarded Link in the shrine, Zelda went there to place the Sheikah Slate on the podium for Link when he would wake. He had tried to tell her to wait for Link to wake. “There has to be another way than throwing yourself to its mercy.” he had told her that day.

“We both know there’s not. Why are you trying so hard to persuade me?”

“Because… I can’t lose you both. Not now, not ever.” Zelda had come around enough times that Dametrius no longer saw her just as Hyrule’s Princess, but a child that needed protection, safety, encouragement, laughter, happiness and love. Those seemed to be the things her own father refused to give her, especially when her mother died. That was where the old king and the god were polar opposites. Where Dametrius just wanted Link to grow up with a normal childhood, the king treated his daughter like a servant and a failure. Something she never was and he made it a point to tell her so.

“You will not lose us, I swear. He will wake, he will win and we will be victorious.” She hugged him tight around the neck. “Thank you for everything. We will see each other soon.” He kissed her forehead and she went to the castle.

“That I did. I was concerned for you.”

“And you still are.”

“Always.”

She turned towards him, lightly placing a hand on his arm, “Thank you.”

Placing a hand over hers, he went to one knee. “Like I have always said, this place will forever be open to you. There is much to be done, but in this moment you need rest. Go inside and sleep. Link and Twilight are already asleep in my bed, take Link’s room for now.” She nodded with a tired smile.

He watched her walk inside the house slowly and close the door behind her. Sighing, he called for his armor and weapons. Ganon may be gone, but his monsters were not. To his surprise, the front of the castle was calm, almost inviting. Birds were singing their songs, a fox scurried across the stone walkway to a patch of grass. The air was clean, no longer smelling of rot or burning his lungs as it filled them. It was just more proof that his brother’s reincarnation was gone.

For the second time that day, he stood at the pit’s edge looking down. Most could just accept that there was a fight that happened down below, but he couldn’t. He was the God of War and Battlefields. He was created by the mother of all things, his Mother, specifically for the fights. He pushed off the edge of the caved floor and free fell down the pit. Dust stirred around him when he landed on his feet. He let it settle before looking around for what he needed.

He never knew why his gift worked the way it did or why it had to be blood he needed to touch to see the visions, but he wouldn't question it. From a single drop of the red liquid, he could see not just from the moment that drop was spilt, but from the beginning of the battle. He smelled the air for the crimson fluid, finding it not too far from where he stood. He sat crisscrossed of the cold stone, getting comfortable for the mentally straining ability. He took in a long, deep breath and touched the cooled blood with two fingers, starting the vision.

Link walked into the sanctum, looking up to the sack hanging from the ceiling and a golden light shined through it. A voice called out to him, it was Zelda. “Link… Link… Link… I'm sorry…but my power isn't strong enough. I can't hold him."

A blue beam burned its way through the sack, cutting through multiple sections of it and destroying anything else that it touched. Steam was released from the cocoon hanging above Link, fluid gurgled inside of it before the monster fell to the floor. The weight of it landing on split stone caused the floor to give way, dragging it and Link down to the pit's depths.

Halfway down the shaft was a domed room with a map of the constellations on it. Link pulled his paraglider to slow his descent to the bottom.

The Calamity looked like a mixture between spider and scorpion who had legs made similar to guardian's legs with weapons attached to the ends. Its body was of stone, same as the stone structures that surrounded the castle. It had long red hair and a beard covering its face, much like the Ganondorf from the War of Eras. Glowing red eyes opened up to look around for its prey.

Link landed on the floor, calmness taking over his body like his own father when stepping into a battle.

Ganon stood on his back legs. Weapons that the Blights once held, he now did. His much larger right arm swung its fire blade through the air to be intimidating. When he went back to all his legs, the same blue energy beams from the Divine Beasts that Dametrius had seen, struck the castle at once. It poured down the pit shaft and into the dome shaped room. Ganon screamed out as the wave of pure energy pinned him to the floor, draining his health to half. There was an explosion at the end of that attack, kicking up a storm of dust.

Link uncovered his eyes, seeing Ganon slowly get back to his feet. Ganon roared with more anger than before. The Hylian teen that had always been small for his age, put through hell during knight training, sent to die by his king, slept for one hundred years to have his body patched together and woke with the scars that could tell the story of his death… Slowly reach for the Master Sword and Hylian Shield on his back. The holy sword glowed stronger for him than it had all year. Fi knew this was the fight of all fights, the final fight.

Ganon attacked first using the fire blade, with the goal to slice the boy in half. Link could dodge with his eyes closed at this point and it would be perfect. He backflipped out of the way and flurry rushed Ganon.

When Gano rose up, Link took a few steps back and activated Daruk's Protection to be on the safe side. Ganon slammed his body to the ground, trying to smoosh the hero under him. He jumped back, raised the fire blade again and brought it down vertically. At the same time he projected eight fireballs toward Link like it would do something to him. From the smoke came a funnel of fire, knocking Link off his feet without burning him.

Using the updraft of hot air, Link flew above Ganon. He drew his bow he got from a golden Lynel, nocked five ancient arrows into place while barely descending. He aimed for the eyes, just like he was taught as a child and released them. 

Ganon laid on the ground, dazed, giving Link a chance to use the Master Sword against him. When he stood again, he crawled up the curved wall.

There was a change in the air for a split second before a tornado honed in on Link. He tried to manipulate the rapidly approaching tunnel of wind, godly markings starting to become slightly visible on his face. The one tornado split into two, allowing Link to run between them.

Dametrius had never seen the weapon Ganon used next. It was the guardian's laser, but it shot out towards Link like Dametruis could shoot fire from his hands. As long as Link kept moving, it was easy to dodge.

Link charged up his Urbosa's Fury to its max, then let Ganon have it. The monster fell to the ground with electricity running through him. He slashed at the face of Ganon until he got up again.

Ganon was losing health expeditiously with every attack. Like the Fireblight fight, Ganon roared and surrounded himself with a orb of protection as his body glowed orange and red. When the orb disappeared, the hero took a chance with his sword. The impact threw Link backwards, rolling to a stop. The sound of a guardian locking on target was loud in the dome room. Link didn't have time to bring up his shield, so he gave Urbosa another try. It wasn't well charged, but it worked. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the searing white hot pain on his skin, drawing blood and changing the blue tunic red.  Link still got to his feet and pulled his bow back out, letting loose the arrows into the face of the Calamity.

Stunned, Link pounced. Third hit and he was violently thrown through the air, smacking into the stone wall behind him. Crimson trickled down the back of his head when he sluggishly stood. A slow moving orb of fire was headed to him. He pointed his sword at the object, causing it to halt a few feet away. With one hand he swung his sword like a bat, hurling the fire back at Ganon. It confused the creature more than anything. 

The ice spear was the next weapon of choice. The blue and red markings on Link's face brightened when the spear was thrown at him, imbedding into the ground. He managed to keep the spear locked in place long enough to run up it, jump and pull his bow. Five arrows met their mark.

It was a repeat of stun, attack, get up. This time Ganon glowed orange and red while the red dot found the front of Link's shield. Being in close quarters to Ganon had its downfalls, like the blast going off with an unusual amount of power, making Link lose his balance. Another shot went off, catching Link in his side. That was the new burns Dametrius had seen from the tower.

With a well timed Urbosa's Fury then two more flurry rushes, Link sank his sword into the Calamity's chest.

Ganon collapsed to the floor, malice seeping out of his body. He very slowly got up, needing to use all of his arms and legs to do so. The purple and black malice poured and burst from the beaten monster that had been wreaking havoc for so long. He went to his back legs with his iconic screech, flailing his arms and legs around. Ganon fell forward, limbs exhausted and shaking. Still screaming out, he tried to crawl on his belly towards Link. Blinding purple lights protruded through Ganon at his last moments, before with golden light erupted, causing the Calamity to fly in all directions.

Link covered his face as malice and fire flew past him. The embers swirled in the air, rising up through the hole they had fallen down into. He walked over to where Ganon once was and looked up. Just like with the blights, he was transported out by a small orb of shimmering golden light.

Dametrius inhaled through his nose slowly as he came back from his vision. He wiped the blood from his fingers onto his pants while he stood. A weight was lifted off his shoulders after seeing the full fight. He needed to know that the Calamity was really over and his son and Zelda were free from the burden. There was still so much that needed to be done and said, but he wasn't in the mood to be the adult and make that first step. Instead he went to a place that held beautiful memories and tragedy. A place where he could let his mind rest. He went to see his beloved wife for the first time since Link was put in the shrine.

Akkala in his eyes was the most beautiful place in all of Hyrule. It was where Freya had thrown the mask into the flames, setting him free. He remembered how she looked in the light of the rising sun as she stood on the cliff's edge, smiling at him with not a single trace of fear as if she already knew who he was. Golden hair looked like a wheat field on fire when the red light fell on her. Cobalt blue eyes looked directly into his soul and he couldn't look away. He was mesmerized, hypnotized by her beauty. Beauty on the outside and inside. He knew right there that he wanted to keep her safe and at his side, even when his inner demons were driving him to do things he didn't want to.

The voices whispered disgusting ideas. Ideas that would wipe out a whole community of people, if not a whole race, leave everything in ash and ruin. The most vile voice told him to do things to her. Things that would defile her. He tried to put distance between them, but he needed her like a sailor needed the open sea. He voiced what they were saying to him, to get her to understand and just leave him or kill him. She was too good to give up on him.

She stuck by his side during the long nights of him screaming in agony, trying to resist the urges to just kill whatever was in sight. He wanted to be better for her and not be the monster everyone thought he was in Termina. He hated the nickname he was given then, Oni. It burned his ears every time he heard it. He wasn't a demon or a devil, just a tortured soul that evil had manipulated.

And that's what Freya had seen, a being with a haunted past that needed help. As cheesy as it was, he just needed a friend. Someone he could rely on to direct him toward the path of light that he fell from when his wings were clipped. Someone to put him in his place when he was becoming a cocky ass brute. She enjoyed that more than she should have and honestly, he enjoyed watching her do it. Did he pretend to be bossy and antagonize her? Of course he did. Did she catch on? Eventually she caught the smirk he was wearing and he roared with laughter as she swatted at him then pushed him into the lake when he wasn’t paying attention. He just laughed harder.

Them falling in love was bound to happen and they were like teens that had fallen in love for the first time. Pure and real.

They made Akkala their home after they got married. They built a little house off the barely used road. It looked over the cliff where the Rist Peninsula could be seen to the south. There were no towns or villages nearby, so they had all the land they needed or wanted to raise the family they had talked about having since he asked her to be his.

Akkala was beautiful… but it didn't seem to hold as much light as it had before. The vibrant leaves of fall were dulled. After the house burned down all that was left was some of the rectangular stone structure and a small, flat, stone patio in the trees where they used to dance as the fireflies and fairies swirled around them. In that spot is where he stopped. Broken stones surrounded a single stone that was leaning. He removed the vines and debris that covered it. He ran his hand slowly over it with a sad smile. "Hello Freya." It was her grave.

The grave he dug by himself in the pouring rain, while Link was being cared for by the pumpkin patch owner in Kakariko Village. He placed her inside the wooden coffin, nailing it shut before lowering her into the ten foot deep hole. He knew he only needed to do six feet, but he kept digging until he would have to climb out of the hole. He covered her with the wet soil that they made their home. He spent the whole night carving into the headstone. When finished, he was on his knees covered in mud and blood. The thunder covered up his screams.

He sat with his knees bent, arms wrapped around them. "I miss you, my love. I'm sorry I have not visited in so long. I know you would say that it's just a grave and you are no longer here, but this is where I feel you the most." He picked a piece of grass, needing something to do with his hands. "Link won and freed Zelda. You would be so proud of the man he has become, just as I am. He looks much like you and even makes the same faces. You would have loved Zelda, two researchers. Wouldn't my hands be full dealing with both of you? Hmm, I would have loved it either way. Especially if it meant you were here with our little girl."

He stayed silent for some time, trying to keep calm.

"I wish you were here to grow old with me. Watch the children grow and maybe even have grandchildren. Feel the morning sun rise and set every night. It wasn't right for you to leave when and how you did and I'm so sorry. I would take your place, given the chance. Maybe then, Hylia would have left Link alone. Then again, it wouldn't have stopped the evil from coming back." With a heavy sigh he said, "Maybe Link was right. It would have been better if it were you here and not me."

"No." A strong voice said from behind him. Link walked around him in his Sheikah set and knelt on the other side of the grave. He pulled down the face covering saying. "I was wrong and I shouldn't have ever said those things to you, especially that."

"You had a valid reason."

"Valid reason to be angry, sure, but those words should have never left me." He watched Link look over the headstone with a wobbly smile. "Hei Mamma, hei Søster. Jeg husker dere" He had tears slip from his eyes, gripping the little bit of grass that grew through the cracks. "When I fell unconscious, I saw it. I saw the memories of my childhood and not just in flashes that I couldn't keep up with. Most of my time as a knight is still missing, but from what I have seen, I don't really want them." He rubbed his hands over his face and turned Dametrius, emotions flashing in his eyes with panic trying to set in. "I'm sorry for everything I said, I didn't mean it and I want to make it right." A sob slipped from him. "I remember you and I never want to forget. I never want to lose you again. You're all I have."

Words were not needed. Dametrius unhooked his arms from his legs, opening them up for Link. His son swiftly rose and dove into the gesture, colliding together with an ‘oof!’. With the boy’s arms securely around his neck, the father buried a hand into Link’s hair, effectively messing it all up as his other arm wrapped around his torso. He tightened his grip when he felt Link trembling.

There was the sound of Link sniffling next to his ear, fingers lacing into his long silver and white hair at his nape. It was surreal. As a child, this was how Link would want to be held while he was angry, sad, tired or just needed to know someone was there for him. “Far?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m s-sorry.”

“Shhh, shh it’s okay.” he said to sooth his child. “I’m sorry too. I should have said something sooner. Found a way to let you know, I just didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Link tucked his head a little more. “I understand why. You were doing it to protect me. You have always protected me.” They soaked in the feeling of acceptance, forgiveness and love. Link sighed asking, “Can we start over, clean slate?”

He let Link sit back and look at him. He placed a hand on his cheek, removing the tears that freely fell with his thumb. He smiled at him, “That sounds perfect.” He looked him over again, saying, “You look so much like her.”

“I brought something for her.” Link stood and looked through his slate. With a flash of blue, there was a single flower in his hand. A Silent Princess, his mother’s favorite flower. Ironically it was Zelda’s too.

“She would be proud of you, Link. But she would kill both of us if we didn’t go shopping right now.”

“Shopping?” He looked so confused. It was a drastic change in conversation.

“Yes, shopping. What, you really think Zelda will want to stay in the same clothes that she has had on for over one hundred years? Come on, you know better than that.”

They both got to their feet. Link dusted off his hands with a laugh. “So, where to first?”

Two hours and a several thousand rupees later, they had a unique outfit from each region for Zelda. They placed a special order in Hateno for her too. Link did a quick sketch from a memory and gave it to the seamstress. It was similar to the casual blue and white top and trousers she wore when she didn’t have to wear a dress around the castle.

Entering the house, they were met with the sounds of sleep. Twilight was on the couch, snoring like usual. Dametrius could hear the faint, soft breathing from Zelda. “Go put these in your room for her. I’ll wake up Twi.” He kicked Twilight’s foot just enough to jolt him.

“I’m up!” The older hero looked around. “Oh, how did it go?”

“Smoothly. I take it all was quiet here.”

“Very. She was asleep the second he head hit the pillow.”

“Good. Let's let her sleep as long as she can for now. She more than deserves that.”

Zelda slept the whole day and the house stayed peaceful for her to rest. They made a light dinner and stored it so it wouldn’t spoil. She was going to need food, but anything heavy would make her sick. When it came time for the other three to go to sleep, they did. Twilight slept as a Hylian instead of a wolf, excited to do so. It was a young Link sandwich with him sleeping under his father’s arm, Twilight at his back.

In the middle of the night, all three woke abruptly to the sound of a choked sob and a muffled cry into a pillow. None of them knew how to proceed, but they didn’t have to. They could hear the patter of bare feet headed their way. In the doorway was Zelda, dressed in one of Link’s shirts and sleeping pants. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked like Link the first day he showed up to the house, nervous and unsure. “Zel?” Dametrius spoke.

“I-I keep seeing him and… I can’t sleep without being terrified. I don’t wish to make this awkward, but…” she trailed off, cheeks becoming red.

“You can join us.” Link offered. “If it helps you sleep, it isn’t awkward. If you start to feel uncomfortable at any point, tell us.”

She nodded and made her way to the foot of the bed. She crawled up between the two she knew the most when they made room for her. She faced Link and laid her head on his chest. He appeared to be puzzled at first until his brain caught on. He smiled as he put a protective arm around her. She gave a hum and was asleep once again.

Dametrius caught the knowing grin on Twilight’s face when they looked down at the two between them. That was going to go somewhere at some point. He shock his head with a fond smile, resting easy with his son, the young girl he saw as a daughter and the wolf hero that snuck into his heart as well by his side. Everything was going to be okay.

When has that ever been completely true?

Chapter Text

The month following the end of the Calamity was full of laughter between the imperfect family. Link and Zelda went to each region to re-establish alliances, though Zelda had no desire to rule in the near future. Her goal was to rebuild a better kingdom, castle being last.

The end of that month brought pain. Hylia was taking Twilight back to his own era. They were given just enough time to say goodbyes and embrace one more time. Link obviously took it the hardest. It was even worse when he realized that due to how many generations he and Twilight were, Twi was technically dead to their era the second he left.

Zelda made the small house her home with permission of the other two. They thought her to be crazy for asking since they already accommodated for her being there. The father son duo worked on extending the house so she could have her own room and Link could have a bigger room close to her. That left the full sized loft to Dametrius. The first thing he did was kick a hole in the wall that once separated the two rooms on the second floor. Need to start somewhere when tearing down a wall. Zelda also made a request for a bathhouse. She didn’t think that the makeshift shower in the back was appropriate for a lady. They couldn’t argue with that, so a bathhouse was put in.

After the house was remodeled, Link had become more antsy, needing something to do. He ended up talking to Bolson about a potential job. He ended up leaving Hateno for two months with Hudson. They traveled by horse to the northern Akkala region to start a town that would be called Terry Town. Link cut the lumber needed from a different region so as not to disturb the beauty of his once childhood home.

Hudson needed a community to live there and roles to fill. Link, being so generous, did just that. He got a father and son Goron who sold gems from Death Mountain, a Rito who dreamt to be his own shopkeeper and a Gerudo seamstress that was looking for love. Trick was that everyone's name had to end with 'son'. Tradition was the only reason given when asked of the strange request.

Rhondson, the seamstress, did find love after all in Hudson. Once again, Link was off to do a favor. He went to the Zoras and found a priest to perform the ceremony. Everyone in the town, Bolson, Karson, even Zelda and Dametrius were invited to the wedding.

Link had left out a few shrines and decided that with his spare time, he would complete them. He said there was only a couple left, but a couple shouldn't have taken three weeks. Dametrius knew what was going on, Link was distracting himself. Not to get away from responsibilities, but for when the silence became too much. When Zelda brought it to Dametrius’s attention and asked if it was something she had done or said, he gently explained it. “When you have only known one thing, one job and it is over, you feel like you lose purpose. He just needs something to do that is related to his job. So he goes out and fights monsters and redoes shrines that have fighting trials.” He hated seeing her ears drop the way they did. He placed a comforting hand against her cheek that she sighed into.

The times when Link slept at home were normally uneventful. Usually. There were nights that nightmares consumed his senses and deprived him of sleep. He would wake up screaming and wouldn’t let anyone touch him to help comfort him. He would just sit in bed, curled into a ball. The other two would patiently wait for him to calm down.

Zelda had similar experiences some nights. It seemed that though the teens won the war, they still couldn’t get away from the trauma. Unlike Link, Zelda needed physical contact to ease her thoughts. She would either find her way into Link’s room when he was home or go to Dametrius. Sometimes Link would slide out of his bed in the middle of the night before Zelda’s night terrors could attack and crawl into her bed so she could sleep peacefully.

It was even more rare for Dametrius to wake up and have each of them on either side of him or them cuddled together to his left. At this point he had basically adopted Zelda as his own and treated her as such, though he hoped that her and Link would finally make something out of their relationship. On those rare nights, he would pull them close and rub their scalps knowing that it was a weakness for both of them.

Life was… going. It was going slowly in the right direction and they had each other and close friends to help them. So when the air changed, bringing a feeling of power that only came from the hero’s spirit, and there were several of them, Dametrius could only be concerned. Zelda apparently could feel it too and they knew whoever it was would find their way to their little home on the hill. So they waited.

Dametrius and Zelda were feeding the horses as their new company walked across the bridge. Their forms were obstructed by the stalls, blocking them from the eight who approached the house. “Hello?” Someone asked as they knocked on the door. Dametrius recognized it to be the Skyloftian, the first chosen hero.

Before he could say anything, Zelda walked around to the front of the house to greet the newcomers. Damertius cursed under his breath, but played along with what she was doing. Good thing they both knew who was approaching and not a group of random men. The god would have had more bodies to discard if something happened. “Can I help you gentlemen?” she asked innocently.

“We are looking for someone named Link. Is he here?”

“And what business do you have with him?” Fire in her tone, more bark than bite at the moment.

“The Goddess’s business, ma’am.”

“The Goddess’s? Do you use that excuse to get your way often?” Zelda had her hands on her hips.

“I-I’m sorry, what? I would never use Hylia’s name t-” The young Skyloftian stopped mid sentence as Dametrius made his way with slow strides (dramatic entrance) to stand beside Zelda, arms crossed over his chest.

He raised an eyebrow and with a deep rumbling voice he said, “You were saying?” He looked at the eight in front of him, not able to see all of them, stopping on the tallest and oldest of them all. He winked at him. He knew the reaction he was going to get and sure enough, the man he knew from a boy didn’t disappoint.

The Hero of Time pulled his sword and pointed it at the god. “How is it that you are standing here?” he demanded. The other heroes quickly pulled their own weapons in response.

Dametrius took a good look at the eldest face, the marking that matched his, including the scar. “You dare raise your weapons with the princess in your presence?” A few of them faltered with that realization and the growl in his voice. The Hero of Time and of Warriors stood their ground, side by side.

“Towards you, yes.”

“Time! Wars!” one of the others harshly whispered. So they were going by their hero’s title, noted.

“Oh for fucks sake!” A voice from the back of the group called out. He knew that voice. A young man with dirty blond hair walked forward, pushing his way between the two still pointing swords at the god. Well, Warriors was faltering due to the Princess standing in front of him. He had a wolf pelt and green tunic on just like her remembered him. The young man looked at Zelda first. “Zelda, it has been a while.”

Zelda’s smile grew. “Twilight!” She damn near sent them to the ground when she jumped into his arms as he got closer. “How have you been? We’ve missed you!”

“I’ve missed y’all too. Did you get taller? And I love the haircut.” He put her down and walked up to the one in question. “Dametrius, always a pleasure to see you.” He stuck out his hand to shake.

He laughed, “When did we start shaking hands?” Twi rolled his eyes and hugged him tightly, Zelda wrapped her arms back around the hero’s torso.

“Where’s Cub at?” Twi asked when they released.

“Closer than you think.” Dametrius smirked.

A pink haired boy with a long red tunic cleared his throat. “Cool, you know each other, care to explain things to us?”

Twilight turned back around and clearly saw what Dametrius was smirking at. “Well Legend, first things first: The Old Man is about to lose his head if he doesn’t drop his sword.”

Time narrowed his eyes. “By him?” Teeth bared.

“Ha, no.” Twilight pointed to Time’s blind side with his chin. “By him.”

Link had his sword drawn at Time’s throat. He was getting good with his Sheikha set on. “You have three seconds to lower you fucking weapon.” To make it clear he wasn’t bluffing, he turned the blade up a few degrees. When Time did so cautiously, Link added, “You all reek of Hylia, what do you want?”

“Cub, you reek of the gods too.”

“At least I do for a better reason than you.” Link sheathed his sword and embraced the one he called brother by latching onto him like an Octorok. “I hope you are here to stay for a while.”

“We have a lot to catch up on.”

Dametruis watched as the one he assumed went by Sky, if they were going by titles, grew angry with how Link talked about Hylia. The Skylotian walked forward saying, “Hey! What do you have against Hylia?” He made the mistake of grabbing Link’s shoulder.

Link spun around with eyes narrowed and fangs bared. He grabbed the hand on his shoulder, twisted it, kicked the other in his knee, forcing him onto his back. He landed on top of him, knee to chest, words dripping with venom. “Don’t. Touch!”

“Did you just growl? Were you raised by fucking wolves?” Legend asked.

“Partly.”

Twilight dramatically sighed, “It was for a year!”

With a snort, Dametrius informed them, “The last person to lay an unwanted hand on him was kicked off the side of a frozen mountain and left for dead.”

Link laughed. “You know, I found his body the other day.”

“Did you now?” he asked, amused.

Twilight turned to him, “And I wonder who put him there.”

The god shrugged, “He shouldn’t have put his hands on my son that way.”

“I never said I wouldn’t have done the same.”

Link placed his hand on his chest, batted his eyes at them saying, “Aw, I feel so loved.”

Dametrius let out a full laugh as Twilight dragged Link off of Sky and put him in a headlock, ruffling his hair. He reached out his hand to the first hero to help him up. There was hesitation, he understood why. In the background, one of the younger ones in a blue tunic could be heard saying, “I like them!”, causing a small laugh to spill from the god’s lips. “Come inside boys so we can talk about what my sister had gotten you all into now.” He stuck out his arm for Zelda who walked beside him, always a gentleman.

Twilight called back to the others. “Welcome to the Fierce Family Home!”

Faintly, he heard Time whisper, "Son?"

Inside, the new heroes followed Twilight’s example and dropped their gear in the little cubby area next to the kitchen. Zelda sat at the table, Twi at her side. On her other side was the youngest from earlier. A curly burnet with freckles sat at the other end of the table, facing Zel. Warriors and Time were closest to the door, keeping an eye on everyone. The pink haired teen from earlier stood near the burnet at the table. A bit off to the side was the Skyloftian, fingers twitching. Further in the house was the multi-colored teen who was looking at the ornate weapons on the walls.

Dametrius stood at the wall behind Zelda, Link next to him. The scarred hero had narrowed eyes, arms crossed as he watched the unexpected company closely while they were sitting close to the one he would always protect. Dametrius lightly elbowed him. “Lighten up. They are all heroes too. They won’t hurt her.”

“I’m not worried about the second part… It's the first part.”

“That they are heroes?” He turned more towards the younger. “Why?”

“We are all the same, but different. What if I’m the only one that has failed?”

“You didn't fail, just delayed. I wouldn't assume anything with them.” He laid a hand on Link's shoulder and faced the others in the house again.

Zelda started the conversation. “So, what do you all go by if you share the same name?”

Twilight introduced them, “I still go by Twilight. To your left is Wind, in front of you in Hyrule, in red is Legend. Blue scarf next to the door is Warriors, next to him is Time. The one that Cub laid out is Sky." He turned more in his chair. "Four, don't touch those." He warned as the shortest went to inspect the wall mounted weapons. "That's Four, our smithy."

Wind bounced in his seat. "What's your hero title?"

"I never cared to find out." Wind tilted his head, looking disappointed in the answer. Link just shrugged.

"Could always find out." Hyrule hinted.

"Uhh, maybe not…?" Twi whispered while looking at Dametrius.

Link uncrossed his arms. "How?"

Sky looked up from where he was fidgeting. "The Master Sword tells you. All you have to do is hold her." Sky pulled out the original sword.

Ah, that is why Twi said maybe not.

"No."

"Why not?" The other asked. his body language showed hurt from the words.

"Because I'm not holding any other version of the sword than my own, unless I have no choice. I still have her, my eras, but I only use her against specific enemies. Those enemies have been dispatched for nearly a year."

Legend scoffed lightly. "Can’t be that bad."

Link growled out, "I don't feel like dying right now."

The room went still, all eyes on Link. Dametrius gauged each emotion. Some of the heroes in the room had had traumatic events happen when pulling the holy blade or just as magical of one. Those that did, wore expressions that believed the newest hero.

Zelda turned around in her chair. "Link, he holds the strongest version. I highly doubt that it would do that again.”

Sky took a step away from the table. "Again? What do you mean again? Fi would never hurt one of us, let alone kill."

Dametrius felt bad for the young hero that blindly loved Hylia and Fi. Sky had been in the clouds too long. He hadn't seen what the others went through so he wouldn't understand. "Fi isn't as young as she once was. Our era is the oldest era and she has been worn out over the millennials. She needed him to meet certain unknown requirements to pull the sword again. He pulled too soon and he died, obviously it was temporary. Fairies are wonderful little things to have."

Sky looked down at the Master Sword that laid it in both of his hands. "She is not weak here. That could change things."

"Can you guarantee his survival if he touches it?"

"Dad-" Link tried to interrupt, but Dametrius held his hand up to stop him. 

"Yes." Sky boldly said, meeting the god's stern look with a glare of his own.

“Bullshit.” He was somewhat delighted to bust the Skyloftian’s bubble and see Wind smile at the language used. “I have a better way, if she will listen to me.” Sky turned the hilt to Dametrius. “Oh no, the side effect I get from the sword isn’t one I wish to have, especially when in your era Fi is ready to kill me. Honestly I wouldn’t put it past her to try." He looked down at his son. "Are you able to put her on your back without touching her?” He patiently waited while Link scrolled to his inventory of weapons. Blue streams of light swirled on his back as the sword materialized.

Warriors pushed off the wall. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.” Twilight said first, knowing it would get a reaction out of his little brother.

Link grabbed an apple from inside the slate and playfully threw it at the wolf hero's head. Zelda giggled at them. It had been so long. “It’s technology, Twi.”

“So you say.” He bit into the apple with an eye roll. “Why is everything so much sweeter here?”

“What is that?” Hyrule asked.

Twilight stopped mid bite. “This? This is an apple.” He raised a hand for Link to toss him another one. He handed the red fruit to the burnet who held more magic than the others.

Hyrule looked it over, smelt it, then took a small bite. His eyes widened as he chewed. He took a bigger bite as he hummed happily.

“Good, right?” Twi asked.

“That is the greatest thing I have ever put in my body. Where can I buy some?”

Link didn’t laugh like most would at the question. He was once clueless too. “They are free. They grow everywhere here. Do you not have fruit that grows on trees?”

“Gotta have trees to have fruit. My world is a barren wasteland and if there is anything, it will be poisonous. The water too is toxic.”

“Oh.”

Dametrius grabbed a glass and filled it full of water. He handed it to the obviously deprived hero who now looked too skinny for a different reason. Hyrule looked apprehensive, so the god took a drink from the glass first to prove it was fine. He was satisfied when the kid drank the whole glass, then handed it back. “You can have as much as you want.”

“Thanks.” the boy bashfully said.

Zelda tapped her fingers, silently telling the god to hurry up. He rolled his eyes at her. "I make no promises that she will do this for me. We only recently made amends. Fi?" He waited much like the last time he talked to her. The sword gave off a soft blue hue. "Do you want to talk through the sword or come out for a little while?" The sword gave a small pulse before Fi sprang from it, successfully startling most in the room. The god chuckled at them.

She looked around the room as she floated. "Hello Master Links' from across the eras." She turned to Dametrius. "Hello Fierce. I know what you want to ask and I can assure you that no harm will come to your son as long as he doesn't put the sword back in the Korok Forest."

She fluttered in the air before slightly dropping. Every hero was quick to react, wanting to help her, but Dametrius was the one to put his arm out towards her. She weighed nothing as she sat on his arm. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to properly rest?" He asked in a brotherly tone.

"No.” she sighed out. “Hylia fears something is coming and I don't want to risk anything. Leave the sword to rest here. There is a 53% possibility that I will be ready for it if you listen to me."

That wasn’t great odds, but he decided to lighten the words. "When have I not listened to you?"

"Always." She gave a small smile and puled a stand of his white hair. He let out an 'oouch!' as she looked at all the heroes again. She bowed her head politely to them before she went back into the sword.

"Sooo…?" Wind looked at Link, then to the sword Sky was holding.

"Fine." Link hesitated to grip the hilt as the blade rested in Sky's hands. A smile stretched across his face the longer he held it. Fi was talking to the two holding the blade.

"You are the Hero of the Wild." Sky announced.

Zelda snorted, "Well, isn't that fitting? Our world is completely wild, like its hero."

"I would have picked Feral." Twi added. He laughed as he dodged the swat to the back of his head. "Oh come on, you know how you used to be."

Sky seemed to relax. "Welcome to the team Wild." The name was very fitting.

Link stopped. "Wait, you think because I know my hero title that I'm just going to leave with seven strangers and my best friend? No, no way."

"You act like you have a choice." Time was still a blunt man when he needed to be. Clearly Link wasn’t understanding.

"I have a choice. I choose to not go." He looked at Twilight. "I love you Twi and I have missed you more than you can imagine, but I can't do this."

Dametrius wanted to comfort his son, tell him he could stay, but he knew his sister would have her way. "Portals?"

Four was still looking at the weapons, "Or we just switch without warning. Most of the time that is while we sleep."

"See," Legend placed a hand on his hip, "you will have to come with us one way or another."

Link looked around and his eyes landed on his father. The god had a sorrowed expression and his son looked to crumble inside. "Dad, sh-she can't. I already gave everything to her, what more is there?"

"Link…"

"No, no! I gave everything to her. I gave my life, I died for her! She made Zel fight Ganon while waiting for me. One hundred years.” He gestured to himself and Zelda, “We gave one hundred years to her so we could defeat Calamity Ganon."

"I know, but when do we ever expect better from her ?" His hate for his sister brewed with the tears that grew in his boy's eyes.

When Link reached for his slate, Zelda stood. "Where are you going?"

"To see Impa."

"I'm going with you." She put her hand on the slate and they were gone in blue.

Dametrius and Twilight looked at each other. "Think he will summon you through the slate?"

"Only if he gets in a fight and if that still works." Twilight inhaled deeply. "I still hate that magic."

Dametrius took the open seat. "So, what has my sister gotten you boys into now?"

Between all the heroes, they told him of how they were pulled together one at a time starting with Sky. They were encountering black blooded monsters that were unnaturally stronger and traveled in packs. They were chasing a shape-shifting shadow through the eras and though Dametrius never encountered him, he got the idea that it was Dark Link. He was the only one he could think that would be able to infect monsters like he was told of outside of Ganondorf and even then he had issues with that.

“I know Cub is used to all of this, but the monsters are jumping eras too.” Twilight informed.

“That could be worrisome. Not for him, but if you all encounter ours.”

“I’m confused.” Warriors stood next to Wind. “What do you mean for us not him and that he is used to all of this?”

“Have you seen our monsters?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Our monsters are not black blooded, but they are twice as hard to kill. There is a color system to them that will help. Lowest ranking to strongest is red, blue, black, silver then gold. The green Lizalfos are similar to the reds of other monsters. You will get a stray monster here and there, but mostly they are in packs of three or more. Sometimes they will be spread out if they are guarding something. We have monster camps and Bokoblins that ride horses. Lizalfos can also be tricky. The ones near water can shoot water, in the desert they shoot out electricity, in snowy regions they use ice. Normally all the monsters can be killed with an elemental arrow opposite of where they are: fire to ice, ice to fire or use a bomb arrow. If near a bridge, be prepared for floating structures with monsters on them.”

“You forgot the Stone Talus and Lynels.” Twilight added.

“What's a Talus?” Four asked.

“You have Lynels?!” Legend and Hyrule asked at the same time.

“What else could you possibly have?” Wind asked.

Dametrius in one breath listed everything. “Talus, Lynels, Bokoblin, Lizalfos, Moblins, Keeses, Wizzrobes, Octos, Hinox, Chuchus, Moldugas. The Lizalfos, Moblins, Bokoblin and Hinoxes have a Stal version at night. If you see a Stalhorse, do not try to fight it. They are harmless and it is one of the quickest ways to piss off my son.”

“Some of these are bosses right? They are only in dungeons.” Four asked, now standing next to Twilight.

“We don’t have dungeons like the rest of you. The closest thing we have are Shrines, but none of you will be able to get inside unless, Wild, gets you in. They respond to him and him only. Monsters roam free to do as they please.”

“We are all gonna die here…” Legend whispered. Twilight laughed. “What’s so funny Rancher?”

“Just, Cub gets more hurt from the normal animals than the monsters. Dametrius left out the fact that there are Wolves, Bears, Great-horned Rhinos, Moose, Wild Goats, Bulls, Wild horses, Demon Birds also known as Cuccos and Boars that will happily attack you if you get too close. Even then, it’s the Spirit Dragons he gets in the most trouble with.”

“True.”

“What kind of place is this?” Sky looked appalled by the dangers.

“Our era is the most deadly. Though I say that, I have fought creatures beyond the imagination and nightmares that anyone can think of.”

“Why do you keep referring to this era as yours?” Time harshly asked, still by the door. “You are not from an era, yet you claim this one.”

“Time.” Twilight half growled out.

“No, he has a point. Like the Captain, Time and I have a much longer history together and I was expecting him to question things regarding me sooner or later.”

“How did you get out of the mask?” Time asked, single eye boring invisible holes.

“A woman named Freya freed me.”

“Why did you stay here?”

“Because I fell in love with her and had a child.” He pointed at the picture on the wall.

“Willingly?”

Dametrius snarled at him, fangs fully displayed. “I am not demented as you hope to think. If anything I was under her spell.”

“Spell?”

“Beauty.”

“We seem to have different memories of our time together if you think I am believing you.” Time pushed off the wall.

He let the man act like he was dominating the conversation for a time. “No, same memories. I just happen to know the truth behind everything.”

Time scoffed. “I didn’t know murder, mutilation and possession had truth behind it.”

“I don’t expect you to listen or believe me, but I do expect you to respect me in my own home. I would do the same in yours. The mask was not me, or not the true me. It twisted me away from my original reason for being created. I’m sorry for what happened to you and what you had to do to pry the mask from your face. I never wanted that for you. You were only a child in a world that you didn’t belong to. I wished you would have kept it locked up after Termina or the war, but you needed the help. Unfortunately, with age the mask became too powerful over you. Innocence of a child can defeat corruption, but once that innocence was gone…”

It was silent for a little while until Time spoke again. “Does Wild know?”

“I have mentioned it to him, but he didn’t want to know. Said it didn't need to be brought up if it was behind me.”

“Last question, how did you get into this era?”

“Your daughter. You gave her specific instructions and she followed them.”

“My what?”

“You have a kid?” Wind asked. “You didn’t say anything about her.”

Dametrius stifled a laugh, seeing the confusion. “Not just a kid, children and it hasn’t happened.” Time quietly excused himself.

Twilight slapped the one next to him. “Had to drop the bombshell?”

“What? It's not my fault that you haven’t yet.” He huffed. “I’ll wait to tell him your little secret, but I’ll go talk to him.” He followed the eldest outside who was now standing near the pond, leaning against the stables post. “You know, I never took you as a sentimental man. Especially towards me.”

“I beg your pardon.”

"Your armor. You can’t tell me there isn’t a resemblance to mine. I have a feeling you designed it.”

Time rubbed his hands together while looking down. “You, the mask, were a major stepping stone in my path. Taking on Majora and the Moon would have gone differently as well as the War. I guess I wanted a reminder of it. A reminder outside of my face.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn’t my favorite part of my life either. I put you through hell when you grew up. I won’t ask for forgiveness, I don’t deserve it. But I will ask that you let any resentment or hate be pointed towards me and only me. Treat my son like one of the others.”

“I would not hold a parent's faults against their children. Is there anything I need to know about him?”

“Whatever he wants you to know, he will tell you. Trust Twilight with him, they spent a year together and he knows how to handle him.” Dametrius smiled. His son was much like the man next to him.

Children." Time huffed with a smile. "How many do I end up having?”

“Twins, a girl and a boy. Just because you don’t have children at the moment, doesn’t mean family isn’t close by.”

“Are you suggesting that I have a descendant in this little band of heroes?” Time turned towards the god.

“Not just one. Half of them and not all from the same timeline. Two know it, but I can guarantee that they have different reactions to meeting you. One may know and the last one is clueless.” He laughed out loud, “Has the Captain figured out that you are the same little kid from the war?”

“From what I have gathered, the War ended only three years ago. He is probably thinking that his little brother should be around fourteen by now, not knowing that I came from an earlier time. We will see how long it takes him. I’m sure we will be keeping him around for more than his looks.” They both gave a hearty laugh, probably scarring the others inside, because that was not how they walked outside.

In the silence, he could feel that Time was holding back questions. He owed him more, but would settle for this. “What is on your mind?”

“Navi. Malon and I have tried everything to get her to come back.”

“You will see her again, just not when you would like to.”

“Do you know the reason for her disappearance and why she didn’t say why?”

He wanted to relieve some of the young man's grief, he knew the pain of loss. “Fairies, though resilient, have limits. When you traveled through time, it took a toll on her. When you returned back to your own time, the damage was done. It couldn’t be reversed and she knew it. She was dying. She knew that if she tried to explain to you her reasoning, she would either die on the fly back to the forest or in your hands, so she flew off. She made it to the forest and will rest there until it is time to bring you to the forest as well.”

“Until I die?”

“Until you die.”

Time’s smile sadly met his eyes. He looked up to the sky as he asked, “Is she waiting to bring you to the forest too?” The metaphor wasn’t missed. “Freya, I mean. I couldn’t help noticing that she isn’t here, but the house still holds her warmth in every picture.”

“She is.” Dametrius spun the wedding band with his right fingers.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” A timid hand was placed on his forearm.

“Thank you. It has been a long one hundred years without her.” He was caught up in thoughts that he forgot that the others didn’t know Wild’s age.

Time paled at his words. “Is Wild immortal?”

“No. He just happens to be like you when it comes to being put to sleep for a lengthy amount of time.” Before putting his big foot deeper in his mouth he changed the subject. “Come on, it’ll be getting dark soon and Wild should be bringing Zelda back shortly.”

"Before we do, can we restart?" Time stuck his hand out. "I'm Link Lon."

"Dametrius Fierce." He took the mans hand in his with a single shake. It was a start.

It was as relaxing as it was going to get with everyone packed into the smaller house. Dametrius and Twilight told stories of Twi’s time in Wild’s era. They lightly explained why there were no real settlements along the roads and how the Calamity ravaged everything when it struck. How this Hyrule grew back, well, wild. The name was starting to stick.

“I really hate magic!” Twilight gritted his teeth as blue strings of light dismembered him into a million particles.

“Whoa! Where did he go?!” Wind had fallen out of his chair when it happened.

“Wild found a fight. He is like a magnet to it.” Then again, he was the son of a War God. Not five minutes later, the door swung open. Twilight stepped forward, Zelda under his arm. “Where’s-” Dametrius started to ask, but his son squeezed by the other two to get in.

“I could really use your help.”

That wasn’t normal. “What happened?” He looked closer at his son’s clothes. Black burn marks on his tight blue top, exposed pink skin showing. “There’s no way.” he whispered.

“They are back. All of them.” Wild ran to the wall holding shields and opened the chest that rested there. He pulled out his slate and swapped out some of his weaker weapons for his strongest Sheikah blades. Replaced his wooden shields for Sheikahs’ and for his Hylian Shield. All bows were swapped for Lynel bows. He changed into his normal Champions tunic and trousers with a press of a button.

Zelda walked into her room and grabbed her own shield and sword. “And where do you think you are going young lady?” Dametrius asked, with his father-like tone.

“Bolson, his crew and several other Hylians are rebuilding Castle Town, that is where the larger group was. We need as many people down there to help them out of the area safely.”

“And you think that is you?” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Try stopping me. This is my Kingdom, even if everyone is in agreement that I won’t rule until it has been rebuilt. It is still my responsibility.”

“So sassy today! You can go, but you will do everything I tell you to do. If I say run, you run or so help me I will portal you back here.” He looked down his nose at her. When did she become so demanding? When did he become so soft?

“We can help too. It is what we are here for.” Four looked around the room, everyone in agreement.

Surprisingly it was Wild who barked out the next order, eyes narrowed. “You don’t know this monster. It is not of the living or the dead. Your job is evacuations and protecting Zelda. Everything else will be up to us two. If you get cornered, hide. It will be your only chance to live. The Master Sword and ancient Sheikah blades are the only thing that can do significant damage to them.”

“What are they?” Warriors looked no different than he did during the war.

“Guardians.” Wild looked at Dametrius, “Ready?”

“I was born ready boy.” His armor, cap and sword materialized onto his body. “Let’s go.” They all stepped out of the house where Dametrius opened a portal to just outside Castle Town.

The newly built part of Castle Town was burning. Several Hylians were trying to put out the fires, but were having to take cover to avoid the guardians that were scurrying across the grounds. There were a few women who were running towards the forest, being chased by a single mechanical spider. With all of Dametrius's might, he threw his sword like a spear towards the machine. It sputtered and collapsed with the sword embedded in the swivel head.

Calling his sword back into his hands, he reminded the other of what to do. "Get everyone to safety, search the buildings that aren't burning. Keep an eye on Zelda at all times!"

Time took Wind, Warriors and Four as Twilight had Zelda, Legend, Hyrule and Sky. The groups split off and did as they were asked. Dametrius and Wild sprinted off in their own direction to take down the guardians.

Typically the two of them were able to isolate guardians to a region or territory, but these were free range. They weren't in their normal spots and that made it all the more dangerous. Even more so when hoards of monsters appeared. Mostly it was red Bokoblins and some blue Moblins, but the familiar roar of a Lynel made everyone stop in their tracks. Not only was it a Lynel, it was a golden one. Much worse, Wild had already shot it with an arrow, black blood oozed from the wound.

“Everyone get out of here!!” Dametrius hollered as he made sure to be the target of the Lynel's rage. He strapped the Helix blade to his back and readied his stance.

“Head on, really?” Wild was taking down three Bokoblins nearby.

“Any better ideas?”

“Can you try to pin its upper body down so I can hop on?”

“Need to be fast!” The Lynel charged at him with its head already down. He lowered his stance and grabbed onto the beast’s horns to further push its face into the ground. His feet were slipping backwards with the amount of strength the monster had behind six limbs. He dug his toes into the dirt, bringing the Lynel to a halt. He quickly rammed his right knee into its muzzle, dislodging a few teeth. While it was dazed he wrapped his right arm behind the beast’s head, locking it in a headlock. It tried to dig claws into the god to pry him off, but all it did was tear clothing since his pale skin was tough as diamonds. "Wild! Any day now!!" From the corner of his eye he saw a dark figure with red eyes running towards him. Wild had switched into his Dark Armor and jumped onto the Lynel's back. He slashed the most vulnerable parts of the monster’s back while it was still in the headlock.

The Lynel was trying to buck, but Dametrius slid partly under the beast to use his body with gravity to hold it down. The beast could only kick its back legs a few times before Wild sank his sword between its shoulder blades. Unfortunately it landed heavily on Dametrius, pushing all the air out of him. He was thankful for it turning into a purple smoke, but not the leftover organs that landed in his lap. He was going to need a bath after this.

Screaming got both of their attention quickly. A guardian had a woman and child pinned, the single red dot was on the child. “We won’t make it!” Wild called out.

“I got it!” Dametrius stood and moved at a speed that the normal eye couldn’t register, much like Wild’s ability to slow down time during specific moments. Seconds before the two helpless Hylians became toast, he slammed his whole body into the guardian. The machine flew off to the side, shooting the laser into a patch of dry grass. He looked down at the two shaking people on the ground. He reached out his hand to them asking, “Where do you live?”

“Lurelin, sir.”

“I need you to trust me, can you do that?”

The woman stood, looked at the still toppled and struggling Guardian, then back at him. “Yes.”

“Good. I can give you a shortcut home.” He summoned a portal to their destination. “Walk right through there without stopping. You will be home.”

The Hylian held the small child in her arms, nodded and walked through the portal. He closed it behind her as the guardian made it back to its metal legs. It didn’t engage with the closest being, Dametrius, but instead ran from him to a small cluster of people.

That small cluster was Time’s group of heroes. They didn’t know how to defend themselves against the metal monster that was approaching. The god was back to the rescue. He ran and slid under one of the legs, knelt and gripped the bottom of the machine to flip it on its side. With its underbelly showing he punched it until the insides were visible. He stuck his arm inside, ripping the gears out.

More beeping and two red dots were not on Dametrius’s chest.

“Dad!!” Wild was racing forward. “Launch me!” It was something that they had used before if setting grass on fire or calling on Revali’s Gale would take up too much time. He laced his fingers together as Wild got closer. Wild pushed off the hands and Dametrius flung him into the air. Time slowed down as Wild pulled his bow. An ancient arrow disabled the first one in a swirl of blue as Wild turned in the air, aiming for the second one. The arrow met its mark, but the guardian wasn’t phased. “Seriously?!” He activated Daruk's protection with a raised shield, blocking Warriors and Wind, Dametrius blocked the other two. “3…2…1…” Wild whispered as he timed the beeping. The guardian fired its shot, Wild rebounded it back into its eyes. That did the trick as it swayed and crumbled.

Behind the six of them, Twilight hollered, “Zel, wait!” Zelda was headed towards a building that was partly on fire. Her running caught the attention of a Moblin.

Dametrius looked to Wild, “Get her out of here!” Still in his Dark Armor, Wild let out a whistle and a stalhorse galloped towards him. Dametrius had to do a double take at her. “Is that Epona?”

“Yep!” Wild stood in the horse’s path, grabbed around her neck and slung himself onto her back. He spurred her on and stuck his arm out to Zelda when he got closer. She latched onto his arm and jumped up to throw her leg over Epona’s back. They ran over a few Bokoblins on their way out of Castle Town.

A red spotlight came over head and the god cursed. “For fucks sake! How many times do I have to kill you?!” He jumped up to grab the guardian's eye tracker with both hands. He swung his legs back and forth to gain momentum before he caused it to slam into the ground. The new dot locked onto him, but the heel of his boot smashed in the eye.

When there were no more monsters to defeat the remaining heroes regrouped. “Everyone okay?” Time asked as he looked everyone over with his one eye. No one was injured, maybe a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing major.

"Wild and Zelda either are already in Hateno or about to be. We should go." Dametrius started to open a portal when he heard the Captain whisper.

"By the Three… What happened here?"

"Why is everything in ruins?" Legend added to the question.

Dametrius stopped what he was doing, looked back at the castle, the surrounding land and destruction that still scared the heart of Hyrule. A few of the heroes were looking at him to answer. He let out a heavy sigh. "Hell on earth happened. It was something that I could not predict or even stop from coming. And when it did… it took over everything."

Twilight walked over to his side, a haunted look on his face. "Cub won… that is all that matters in the end."

Dametrius placed a hand on the back of the wolf hero's neck and head with a slight smile. "He did."

Sky curiously asked, "Why the nickname 'Cub'?"

Twilight chuckled, "You saw the Lynel right? On like, my second day with him, he took one down on his own, using sticks. He was a bit feral then and I honestly think he still is. He is just better at hiding it."

The father of that feral child ran a hand down his face while his head was tilted back. "Oh it was horrible to watch. At least it was only a red one."

"Oh no, he did it again with a silver one in the Hebra region near the maze." Twilight informed him. The god groaned.

Time came over, placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder saying, "Pup, the Cub is all yours."

"When isn't he?"

They had just gotten into the house when the door swung open, showing Wild wearing his Dark Armor with Zelda in hand. The other heroes outside of Twilight, drew weapons and pointed it at the young man. Wild skidded and fell on his ass. “The hell?!”

Zelda cleared her throat, “Uh, Wild, you are still in the other clothes.” She smiled down at him.

Wild looked at himself then the others. He pulled off the cap with the slate and shook the slate in his hand for the others to see. “Just me. You can put the weapons down now.”

Warriors sheathed his weapon first and stuck his hand out to Wild. “I don’t know how many times I’m going to ask these two things when it comes to you, but how and why can you wear that and not be Dark?”

“Dark?” Wild allowed the Captain to pull him up.

“Dark Link, or now dubbed Dink by Wind, originally created to go against Time. He is each of our darker half.” Hyrule explained. “You didn’t go against him?”

“No. Now I’m confused. Not that I needed anymore enemies to go against, but why didn’t I?”

“I can shed some light on that.” Dametrius had a theory. “Because of how far forward we are in the timeline, anything magical had dimmed down to nothing more than an enhancement for Wild to use. There was no Ganondorf, therefore no Dark Link to go against. Have to have one to have the other. He even has some of the clothing from each of your adventures, passed down through the generations.”

Twilight took a seat, “Yeah, but it is weird seeing your face on someone else when he wears some of the items.”

“He can do what?!” Wind raced over to Wild, who jumped to the side.

Wild looked around the room. His father gave him a wink to continue. Burst of blue and he was in a new outfit, Twilights.

“Oh gods… Take it off!” Twilight shrunk into the chair more.

Sky laughed at Twi’s expense. “Is there anyone else's?”

“Yep.” In seconds he was in the Hero of Time’s clothes.

Time paled slightly before slapping a palm to his face. “The pranks that can be pulled…” he whispered. Still a child at heart.

“Din’s tits! Ravio’s hood?” Legend exclaimed with laughter.

The god, who had just gotten a drink, quickly spewed all the water in his mouth into the sink, coughing as he tried to not choke. “I forgot that was a reference.” He barely got out.

“What, Din’s tits?” Legend asked him.

“Yeah and stop saying it. I would rather not think of my sister's breasts, thank you.” Dametrius dried his face off, turning around to glare at the red clad hero.

Sky perked up some. “She’s really your sister?”

“She is. I have a few siblings actually. The ones I call triplets, you call the Golden Three are the oldest. Hylia after them, then Demise. Us six are the top six gods or goddesses. There is another set below us and when you get past them, it is more like cousins.” Sky’s face hung low as he wrung his hands together and it didn’t go unnoticed. “Sky, don’t look so down.”

“But-”

“No buts. You did something that I was supposed to do and didn’t.” The Skyloftian smiled at him softly.

“What?” Wild asked.

Zelda slapped his arm. “Do you not read any of the history books?”

Dametrius stopped the conversation. “It is a story for a different time. It is getting late, you all should eat then get some sleep.”

“Hey Dad?”

“Hmm?”

“Got a little something there on your clothes.” Dametrius looked down at the almost dry blood and guts on his blue-gray tunic and silver armor. He gathered the still moist gunk into his hand with a fanged smile. “No… Hey, no!”

Wild took off running towards the back of the house, but was caught around the torso. Dametrius took his hand and smeared all the nasty bits across Wild’s face. “Oh, look, you have something on your face.”

“That is disgusting!!” Wild tried to fight out of the hold he was in. The others were laughing, but Wild seemed to only have eyes on Twi. The father watched as Wild cleaned off his face and with a flick of the wrist, it went directly at the wolf hero, getting it in his mouth.

Twilight ran for the sink and threw up. Dametrius was glad he took the warning seriously when he threatened him four years ago. "Wild, your turn to cook tonight."

A few heroes grumbled. "Please tell me you can cook." Four's eyes were pleading.

"Can none of you?" When he was met with silence, he huffed. "You are kidding? Know what, that alone is a good enough reason for me to join you guys. I was going to use the excuse that our worse monsters came back to life to go, but I think the lack of good food is more horrifying. Pure evil actually."

Dametrius looked down from where he stood in the shadows of his room. Nine heroes and a princess talked, goofed off and relaxed down below as food simmered. The house was alive and warm. This was good. Wild was in good hands.

Then it occurred to him that they were all in Hylia's hands. Heavens above, why did that thought have to come up?

Chapter Text

The first time Wild and the band of heroes left was strange. Wild’s ears twitched a few times right before a purple and black swirling gateway opened. Dametrius wasn’t sold on the idea that it was Hylia sending them to and from places that way. Switching randomly, sure, but her portals used to be white and gold, just like the light she was named after.

Sky was fascinated with Wild’s ability to predict the change. “You can sense her?”

“She is technically my aunt, all of them are.”

“Well, your aunt isn’t going to wait on us forever.” Legend sarcastically announced. He disliked Hylia and Dametrius was glad that someone in the group wasn’t blind.

“We need to get going. If you wait too long, the portal just sucks you in by force.” Time walked to the back of the group. “Partner up.”

Twilight threw an arm around Wild’s shoulders. “You somehow are my responsibility now.”

Dametrius had already given his goodbye to his son and was sending him on his way. Zelda was rocking back and forth on her feet, hands folded in front of her chest, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “Zel?”

“I don’t know how to say bye to him. It has only been a year. Isn’t this too soon?”

“It won’t be goodbye, just a parting until you see him again. You don’t actually have to say anything.” She seemed to think hard of those words as she walked towards Wild, who was standing right in front of the portal.

“Zelda?” Wild was looking at her with concern.

“Promise to come back?”

“Of course. I always come back.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a fond smile. She gave him a tight hug around the neck then stepped away.

Dametrius wanted to huff at those two. Just kiss alre- Mid thought, Zelda turned back towards Wild. She surprised him with a kiss to the lips. His eyes were wide at her boldness, hands not knowing where to go. It was a short kiss and her face was beyond heated. She ended the kiss by shoving Wild into the portal, dragging Twilight with him.

Everyone was in stunned silence. Dametrius’s face split into a full grin, ear to ear. He threw his hands into the air above his head hollering, “Yes!! Finally!!” That shook some of them out of the shock. His heart was racing as he scooped Zelda up into his arms and spun her. “I have waited a year just for that simple little spark to happen.” He put her back down and laughed at her embarrassment. He took it one step further and asked, “So, when do I get grandchildren?”

Zelda looked horrified and he was pleased with himself. “Dametrius, you are absolutely the worst!” She picked up a rock and threw it at him.

“Whaaaat? Can I not be enthusiastic over the chance of you two actually starting a relationship? Damn, you two already sleep in the same bed sometimes.” He dodged another rock to the face.

“Nothing happens!! It is to help with nightmares. Same reason why when we both have night terrors we end up in your room. You are an insufferable god!” She punched him in the ribs as she walked back to the house, fuming in her bashfulness.

The want-to-be-grandparent laughed as he watched the heroes walk through the dark portal to wherever they were headed.

Dametrius and Zelda were in the kitchen preparing dinner when the air shifted. It had been nearly two months since Wild had been home and the two in the house smiled at each other. The front door was promptly flung open, hitting the wall.

In marched Wild. The others were close behind him, filling up the small house quickly. Wild narrowed his eyes at the only girl there. “If you are going to kiss someone for the first time, at least let them kiss you back!” Wild instantly walked over, cupped Zelda’s cheeks and kissed her.

Twilight let out a whistle as Legend brought up a certain topic. “Hey Dametrius, how about them grandkids?”

Like father like son, Wild had to embarrass Zelda. He put her over his shoulder and walked towards the bedrooms.

“Link Fierce! You put me down!!”

When he did, Dametrius caught the telling look of how she missed him and was having fun already.

~

The second time back was sooner than the last time and it took them a few days to return to Hateno. That night there was a discussion among a few of the heroes and it seemed like they couldn’t agree on anything outside of Sky being the first hero in the timeline.

“Hyrule has never been good at keeping records.” Legend had said with a hand under his chin.

Zelda had paper and pencil in front of her, ready to jot down facts. Wild was sitting next to her, bowl of stew in hand. He started off saying, “We know Sky is first, then Time and Twilight. After Twi is-”

“Nope.” Dametrius had his back turned to them.

“No?” Warriors asked from the couch.

“Sky, yes, but Four is after him.” he explained.

Sky randomly appeared by Dametrius asking, “Do you know the whole order?”

Damertrius nearly jumped out of his skin as he side-stepped away with wide eyes. “First of all, don’t sneak up on me. Especially you. And yes, I do.”

“Please, tell us the order of things.” Legend leaned back in the chair.

The deity sat in the open chair next to Zelda and listed them. “Sky, Four, Time. The original line goes to Twilight, followed by a non Hylian. He was part of an ancient barbarian tribe called the Zonai Tribe. Wild is the end of the original line. When Time’s Zelda, Lullaby, sent him to the future it consequently also caused a twin timeline or what that line calls the Fallen Hero Timeline.” Dametrius carefully watched Time turn around.

“The what?” Time’s one eye was filled with confusion.

“The Fallen Hero Line. Your life is the literal representation of the Triforce. The future you went to is Courage. You were in an unknown time period, but still had the courage to do what was needed. Original line is Wisdom, since you had the foresight of what was to come. You can’t have two parts without the third, Power. Power being Ganondorf.” He took a breath to let the others think. “Wind is the next in the Courage line. Power had Legend and Hyrule to follow.”

Time sneered, body rigid. “We really are just pawns in a recycled game that the goddesses keep playing.”

"What about Wars?" Hyrule asked.

"My sisters created an alternate universe, where Warriors is from. It was their little game to see if things could be different with the Triforce. If anything, it made it worse. Enemies and allies from the timelines fought against each other, creating the War of Eras.”

“Um, so are we still missing a hero?” Wind asked from beside Warriors.

“No, from what I understand, the Zonai Link used his own magic to seal Ganondorf and to bring him into this quest would mean the unsealing of evil.”

“I wish we had more knowledge of them.” Zelda whispered as she continued to write her notes.

“Wait.” Dametrius said as he stood. “We do.” He went to his room, pulled out a chest from under his bed and went through the few things he was able to salvage from the house fire. He returned with a charred leather book.

“Is that what I think it is?” Wild ask, smile on his lips.

“It is.” He sat back down, looking over the pages. “This was Freya’s journal. She was fascinated with the Zonai Tribe and did research on them. It was one of the main reasons we lived in Akkala.” He handed it to Zelda.

“I’ll give it back when I read it all.”

“It is just collecting dust. You would do it more justice by continuing where she left off. Keep it.”

“Dametrius, I… Thank you.” She leaned into his arm and he gave a gentle kiss to the top of her blond head.

~

"Anyone going to tell me what is going on?" Dametrius asked with his arms crossed over his chest. Time had a black eye, Legend had a bloody fist, Warriors had a busted lip, Twilight was holding Wild back for whatever reason.

Wild had shown up alone asking for a portal to the house. He looked like had been angry for some time. The father didn't question it until he had to pull Legend off of Time, who wouldn't hit back.

"I asked a question."

Hyrule shifted awkwardly, eyes casted down. "There was a disagreement."

"About?"

"The timeline. Specifically mine and Legend's" The traveler whispered.

Dametrius sighed. "What about it?"

Legend finally spoke. "How it is Time's fault for everything that happened." 

It took him a few seconds to register what was said, but that was long enough for Time to speak up. "You resent me, I understand. What you need to grasp is that I have no recollection of what happened then and had no way of stopping it if what Dametrius said about the split is true."

"Doesn't change the fact you failed and left us to Ganon."

Twilight countered, "That wasn't him, not this version. You can't blame him for all your problems."

"Shut up Rancher!! I can and I am! He died and left us. He left my grandma to raise twin boys and she is still heartbroken! It's his fault my dad and uncle died and I had to pick up where he left off!"

All Dameteius told Time was of the twins he would have in this life, not of the twin boys from the Power timeline. He didn't think of how badly Legend would react. Probably should have.

When Legend lunged at Time, Warriors went to stop him. Legend shoved him against the wall. "Keep your filthy hands off me." The hate radiated off of him.

"Captain, stand down." Dametrius ordered.

"No! This little brat is in the wrong." Warriors spit out, pushing Legend away from him.

Legend huffed a dark laugh. "All you soldiers are the exact same. Cold hearted murderers." Unfortunately there were three of them in the room.

"Hey!!" Wild hollered as he was pulled back more.

"What crawled up your ass?" The pink haired hero asked Wild. Did he not know?

"We are not murderers! We follow orders from those who are higher than us. No matter the cost to ourselves, we follow orders."

"You were a knight?" Legend turned more towards the one in question.

"Not just a knight. I was the highest ranking captain in the royal guard, then made Zelda's personal knight protector. Only then did I become what we call a Champion."

"So you would do anything the king ordered you to do?"

"Yes."

"Including killing a newborn baby all because the baby was born a boy?"

Wild looked like he got slapped across the face. "W-what? No, I wouldn't! And he would never give out an order like that."

"And if he did, I bet you wouldn't hesitate."

Wild jumped out of Twilight's grip and tackled the other boy to the ground, both throwing punches.

Zelda promptly got in the middle of everything. "Stop it! Stop it right now!" The room did just that. "Look at you all! Is this really how you settle your differences, by fighting? I would expect better from the Heroes of Hyrule. I expect better from my Champion." Wild ducked his head down and to the side. "No one here is perfect, we all have made mistakes or seen our actions or lack of, as a failure." She looked at the dimmed outline of the Triforce on her hand. "You nine are more alike than you think and you may learn something from each other. If you cannot peacefully get through this issue, the next time you land in this era, don't come here." She went for the door and slammed it closed behind her.

"How do we settle this?" Wind asked, still tucked behind Dametrius.

The deity had a thought. "We are going to play a game."

"Seriously, a game?" Legend wiped the blood from his nose.

"Yes and all of you are going to play it."

"What are the rules?" Four was sitting at the end of the couch, legs swinging.

"Everyone has to start on even playing ground. So, if you have armor, take it off. You are required to be in pants and shirt only. No scarves, hoods or sailcloths either to hide in." A few grumbled, but they still disrobed to the requirements. "You all are acting like children, you will be treated like so. This is a game of secrets. Something all of you have and it is breaking you apart. You can't win whatever is ahead if you can't trust the person next to you. Each person will tell a secret and will be rewarded with either knowledge or an act of kindness."

"If I refuse?" Legend sat in a chair next to the fireplace.

"Too bad. I know all the secrets and will expose one of them for you."

"What?! They are secrets for a reason!" 

"And they will get each other killed, or yourself, if kept that way. Each era holds secrets and that too is dangerous for a stranger to that land. Get comfortable."

Like children they sat in a circle, using the couch, chairs and floor to sit. "Who first?"

No one answered right away, but Wind wiggled a bit before raising his hand. "I can see ghosts when they want to be seen." He tucked his knees to his chest when no one responded with more than looking at him.

"Okay, that's cool." Warriors smiled, bringing some relief to the youngest.

"Thank you Wind, what would you like in return?"

"Knowledge. How old is Time?"

The room erupted with laughter. Of course that was the question. "I don't think Time knows." Dametrius rubbed his eyes dry.

Time shook his head. "I don't know my age, I just go off of Malon's age and the month we met."

Next to Wind was Sky. "Well, I think the biggest thing is that I have no idea who Ganondorf is. I didn't fight him, but his predecessor."

"I don't know if that is better or worse." Four added.

"I want knowledge. Dametrius, were you there when the islands were lifted into the sky?"

"I was. I was there helping clear out the demons and monsters that were set free by my brother while Hylia sent the people to the sky."

"I guess I'm next." Twilight shifted. "I had never picked up a sword until my adventure and even then, it wasn't until I was halfway through it that I learned how to wield it. Honestly, I didn't know anything of Ganondorf until that point. I was raised by humans, not Hylians. I don't want a reward."

Wild sat on the floor at Twi's feet, leaning on his legs. "I'm one hundred and nineteen years old."

"What?!"

"No way!"

"That's not even possible!"

"I was put to sleep for one hundred years to heal. Hints the scarring." Wild gestured to his face and neck. A chill went up the father's spine. The boy seemed to think over what he wanted. “I want an apology from Legend.”

“Fuck you.” Legend spat. Dametrius glared at him with a noticeable heat. “Fine, sorry for what I said.”

"I don't hold any part of the Triforce and never wielded the Master Sword." Four said, still swinging his legs. He looked at Twilight, "Why did it take so long for you to use a sword?"

"I was cursed into a wolf form. Twili magic shows you as your inner animal."

"Ooh."

Time rubbed his face. "I was raised in the forest by the Great Deku Tree, alongside the Kokiri. Didn’t know there was anything outside of my home until I was nine. That was when I went on my first adventure"

"Wait, the eternal children?" Twilight asked.

"Yep."

"What's that?" Wild asked.

"The oldest version of the Koroks." Twi told him.

“Let’s see…” Time thought out loud. He looked at Legend. “Who is your Grandma?”

Legend didn’t answer as he looked into the Hero of Time’s eye. He huffed, looked down and quietly answered. “Malon… Her and Ravio are all I have left.”

Time had a sad smile as he rubbed his wedding ring.

"Wars, your turn." Dametrius supplied.

"I don't have any small secrets, but I guess everyone needs to know that in my era I have a bounty on my head for something I didn't do. During the war, my men were put under a spell that made them appear dead. It looked like I had killed them and when some of the other soldiers heard of it, they turned against me. They betrayed the crown and have tried to remove my head ever since.”

“We have that sorta in common.” Wild leaned forward to look at the Captain. “We have a group of assassins known as the Yiga Clan. Generations ago, a king ordered the Sheikah to stop all technical advances, out of fear. The ones that didn’t were banished and formed the Yiga or Ganon sympathizers. The goal is to assassinate the hero.”

“Is to or was to?” Four looked horrified.

“Is to, though if you throw a banana at them, they get distracted easily.” Twilight tried so hard to keep his laugh in, but failed miserably.

“I suppose it is my turn.” Hyrule looked anxious. “It’ll be easier to show you than tell you.” He started to quietly speak a transformation spell, turning into a fairy. He flew in the air, drawing closer to Time. The Fairyboy, as Malon called him, always attracted the little ones to him.

Time stuck out his hand for ‘Rule to stand on briefly. “I had a feeling you were capable of this. How?”

The Traveler went back to his spot and turned to normal. “My Mother is a Great Fairy.”

Wind had starry eyes. “Is that why you can do magic naturally?” Hyrule just nodded.

Dametrius noticed the fond, proud, look on Legend’s face. That face quickly changed when they locked eyes. “Are you going to go or do I have to spill it?”

“May I ask what secret you had in mind?”

“Your name.”

Legend paled immediately at that. He looked at Wars, Wild then Sky. All three being knights. “I can’t and you know why.”

“It is only in your time that your fear is valid.” Dametrius knew this was going to be hard on the Vet, but it was the reason for the fight between Wars, Wild and him.

“Kit, is your name not Link?” Twilight was the one to ask first.

“It is, but it is the rest of my name he is talking about.” Taking a deep breath, the Vet said his full name. “My full name is, Prince Link Eugine Lon Hyrule. My Zelda is my twin sister.”

Sky seemed to put it all together first. "The comment from earlier about the baby. What does your Hyrule do to boys born to the royal family?"

"Oh my god…" Wild whispered with a hand over his mouth.

"If or when it happens, the child is hidden away by the mother since they typically can't go through with it. The knights are ordered to find the baby and dispose of them."

Wars abruptly stood and walked to the other side of the room, furthest from Legend, his hands in his hair. "That… that is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. And soldiers go through with it? Where is their honor or morals? Who started that shit?" He stopped with a hand on his hip, looking at Legend. "Wait, did you think that I… that we would kill you if we found out? Legend, never… We are a team, brothers in arms. No, we are brothers."

Legend stiffened when Warriors walked towards him quickly. The Captain pulled the younger out of the chair and into a hug, one arm around his back the other around his shoulders. Legend's eyes went from fearful, realization to understanding. The tears were not easily hidden.

Wars pulled him closer, burying a hand in pink hair. "I wish you would have said something sooner. I don't care how often we banter or drive each other crazy, I would give my life for you."

"Careful Cap." Legend sniffled as his fingers loosened their hold on the other's tunic. "You start crying and you'll mess up that pretty boy face with runny eyeliner." Wars laughed while ruffling hair and gently pushing the Vet's head away.

Wild still didn't do physical contact with the others except Twilight and that's probably why Legend was so startled. Wild slammed into him, full hug. He was roughly the same height, but placed his forehead in the 'older' boy's neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't k-know."

"Group hug anyone?" Wind asked.

"Oh please don't." Legend begged, but that was met with deaf ears. The boy was engulfed with a group hug, starting with Wind and Hyrule.

Dametrius looked fondly at the sight in front of him as Legend relaxed into the embrace his brothers were giving him.

 "You look smug. Happy with yourself?" Time was also looking at the group with adoration.

"It worked, so yes I will happily be smug. You can't tell me that this wasn't needed."

“True. We really are a band of misfits, aren’t we?”

“Only in the best ways.”

“My reward! Get off!” Legend lightly demanded with watery eyes.

The rest of the evening was filled with storytelling from each of them. Stories of their homes and family, if they had any. Stories of their adventures and secrets that hadn’t yet been told. No one asked for knowledge or acts of kindness, since the act of giving knowledge was kindness in return for someone else’s secret.

“I knew it!” Wild hollered out when Twilight announced that he was not only Time’s successor, but descendant. Then it dawned on him. “Holy hell… I’m related to both of you!”

Dametrius so kindly added to the boy’s metal chaos, “And if you marry Zelda, you will technically be related to Sky. Legend already is since his Father married the Queen during his time.” One big happy family.

“How am I just putting this together?” Twilight started. “Freya is my, however many greats, granddaughter that you married. That makes you my Grandson-in-law.”

“My brain hurts already.” Time rubbed his temples.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Old Man.” Dametrius handed Time a jug with a wink. He looked like he needed a pick me up.

Hyrule shared how his monsters are constantly trying to sacrifice him since Ganon lived in his blood. No one was going to try and decipher that one. He also shared that he held the full Triforce, making him also part of the royal family and a prince. How did so many royalties end up in one family tree?

Wind talked about the talking boat and how his sister was taken by a giant bird. He stunned Time by saying he had to collect all eight parts of the Triforce of Courage. He explained how he truly felt about Ganondorf and how he felt bad for him when all the Gerudo wanted was to help his people, even if it was in the wrong way.

Wild told them about the other champions, the Calamity, Fort Hateno, the Shrine of Resurrection, his loss of memories, Blights and the fight against Calamity Ganon and the Dark Beast. He showed pictures of the Blights and Ganon when asked about them. He told them of how he freed the dead champion's souls and received their gift. He also added that he was engaged to the Zora Princess. Apparently a family trait.

That got Legend talking about being shipwrecked on an island that was being terrorized by a creature known as the Windfish. He had to wake the fish, but it destroyed the island and everyone on it. Including a special red headed girl that had a Hibiscus in her hair. Red seemed to be a trend with this family and so was the letter ‘M’. Marin, Malon, Mipha, Midna.

Speaking of Midna, Twilight talked about her too. How he fell in love with her, but she broke the mirror that connected their worlds. How Zelda saved Midna and who trained him with a sword. The topic of the Hero’s Shade was tiptoed around so Time wouldn’t catch on just yet. He talked about his adopted parents and siblings and though Ordon was not a Hylian community, it was still seen as part of Hyrule’s people.

Four was reluctant to say much at first, but gave in. He told them of the Minish and how the magic from being that small for a long period of time caused him to stop growing to his full height, but that he had accepted it. The Four Swords was much more challenging to describe, so like Hyrule, he showed them. One boy turned into four. Green, the leader and level headed one. Blue, hot headed protector. Red, the emotional one who was more like the glue that held them together. Lastly, Vio, cunning and snarky. Legend made friends quickly. Vio and Red clammed up when Shadow was brought up. Blue looked as if he couldn’t decide to be mad or sympathetic and Green told the stories.

Time was a reserved man, but was willing to tell the boys some of his life. Like how he was nine on his first adventure and was put to sleep for seven years when he went to pull the sword in the Temple of Time. How he fought the moon and Majora with the help of a certain mask, holding a certain deity inside of it. When Wild asked to hear more about it and sat at his father’s feet, Time gave more details of the time he spent in Termina. He didn’t talk about the war, still waiting to see how long it took Warriors to figure things out.

Sky was trembling when he started to talk about Skyloft, Fi and the first time on the surface. He refused to make eye contact when he told them all of the curse that was set by Demise during his final breath. How everything that had happened to them was his fault and how sorry he was. Red landed next to him, giving comfort to the first hero. Dametrius once again had to explain that it wasn’t the young knight’s fault for any of it. It was the fault of all the gods and goddesses involved and that Hylians should have never been brought into their quarrel.

Warriors purposely wanted to go last, just to inform two people that they knew the gals they missed. Twilight gawked when told that Midna rode in on a Shadow Wolf, fighting in the war. Legend looked like he wanted to cry when he was told that Marin was alive and well in his era and asked about him. He did talk about Cia, who started all the trouble in the first place. He added how a little kid that they named Mask (because of course his name was Link) at age eleven walked into his life to fight by his side. He made him his little brother. Said that little boy also had the once Fierce Deity Mask and used it to help change the ending of the war. Said boy disappeared before the end and Wars never heard a word from him again.

Dametrius looked at Time, both gave a mischievous smile. The Deity got up and handed a jar of Chu Jelly to Time when Warriors wasn’t looking. Wild eyed them with equal mirth. Time went to the Captain's backside, rubbed the jelly together and quickly put it in his hair, spiking it straight up in the air.

“What the hell Time?!”

“It was too good of an opportunity!” Time was wheezing. “Oh, I have been wanting to do that since you joined us. Just like old times.”

“Old times?” Wars asked. “You little shit! You knew this whole time?”

“Of course I knew, you haven’t changed.”

“Huh?” Wind tilted his head. “What are we missing?”

Wars stood and pointed both hands at Time, hair still spiked. “He’s Mask!!”

With the facial expression given by the confused young man, Dametrius fist bumped Time, but suddenly Time wasn't there and there was an 'oof' noise. He looked down to see that Warriors had tackled Time to the ground.

They grappled for the jar in Time's hand. Warriors managed to get some of the jelly and get it in Time's bangs. "Payback Sprite!" Warriors had Time pinned under him with a look of victory. They both laughed, causing everyone else to do so.

"I have missed you Cap."

Warriors gave the same sentiment and laid all of his body weight on the older.

The game ended up being much more effective than he thought.

~

A pitchfork came out of nowhere, causing Dametrius to startle. "What the heck?" He turned around to see a familiar portal and needed to dodge another farm tool. Even more unpredictable, Wild ran out of the portal screaming and the others laughing at him. The teen wasn't paying attention and ran right into his father and fell on his butt. "Do I want to know?" Deity asked.

"Mrs. Malon just threatened to kill me!!" So that's what the farm tools were for.

"Why?" He was barely holding it together, keeping his smile down.

Twilight answered for him. "She found out that Epona died in battle."

"It's not even the same Epona!"

Dametrius looked up at Time. "I tried explaining that, but the woman loves horses more than Twilight loves dogs and cats."

"What's wrong with loving dogs and cats?" Twilight offensively asked.

"Didn't say there was, Pup."

Sky wiped away humored tears. "She has always been so nice. It was terrifying to see her angry."

"But hilarious to see Wild run!" 'Rule carefully moved out of range of the apple Wild pulled out of the slate to throw at him.

Dametrius helped Wild to his feet, asking, "Have you gone to Malanya to bring back Epona?"

"Yes and he wouldn't do it." Wild crossed his arms and toed the ground.

"Did he say why?" Wild looked up slowly into his eyes. He knew the reason right then. "Really?"

"You go talk to him, he is your brother!"

"Correction, he is a pain in my ass." 

"Look, I would like to not get skewered the next time I go to Time's era by my Great Grandmother." Wild had a point.

"Fine." Dametrius teleported to the huge flower that held the Horse God. The two never saw eye to eye and he doubted that it would change now. He did have to laugh at the fact that the god was reduced to this form inside a fountain. How was it that the Hylians of this time still knew who this guy was and fed his ego by building stables that looked like lower level god?

He stepped onto the flower and it didn't take long for Malanya to spring forth from the waters, head twitching side to side with a rattle. "Malanya."

"Fierce Deity. What brings someone like you to my place of rest?"

"I need my son's horse back. Epona." He wanted to leave already.

"Epona and him had a close bond, but she died by the Dark Beast." The other god hovered over him while saying, "I could have killed the boy for such a thing!"

Dametrius grabbed Malanya by the face and he squealed in pain. "Now now, listen here little brother. Taking my horse from me was a smart move for the times that it was. Refusing to give him back was a bold move that I let you do since I didn't need the fight at the time. Not giving Epona back is not wise." He pulled the wooden horse face down to his level more. "We both know you're doing this because he is my son. I'm only going to ask you nicely once, give Link Epona."

"And if I refuse?" Dametrius gave a wicked grin with too many teeth and growled at the question. Malanya flinched in the grip. “Warning taken, but do not let her die again or there will be a heavy price to pay.”

Shoving Malanya away from him, he thanked him. “That wasn’t so hard. Thank you.” Behind him was the sound of a horse stomping. He turned and patted the horse on her neck. “Let’s get you home.”

He teleported back to his son’s side. “Go ahead and call for her.”

Wild let out a whistle and in strands of blue, Epona was there in all her glory. Wild ran over and latched onto her neck and the horse wrapped a leg around him. “Hi girl!”

“What is she wearing?” Time asked as he rubbed a hand on her forehead.

“Oh, it's a type of ancient horse armor. As long as she is wearing it, I can call for her no matter how far apart we are.”

“She looks badass!!” Wind hyperly said as he came up to her. Epona huffed the young boy's hair out of his face.

Dametrius stepped away while Wild and Twilight talked about how she was trained to be an archery horse and respond to foot movements while Wild let go of her reigns. He was sure that there was going to be a demonstration and he left it to them to not get into trouble.

Okay, too much trouble.

Hopefully Malon would reconsider the threat now.

~

The boys showed up next in a very sickly state. All except Wild and Hyrule, though they didn’t look healthy. The others were in different stages of food poisoning he found out when he asked what in the world happened this time.

“I didn’t mean to.” Hyrule looked like a small child, curled in on himself.

“We know ‘Rule. It’ll be okay.” Legend’s soft spot was showing from where he was leaning over a bucket.

Time was leaned against a wall, brushing Wind's hair back out of his face as he dry heaved. Time himself had a stronger stomach, but he looked awful at the moment too.

Twilight refused to be in the house while he threw up. Of course Dametrius told him it's fine, but the young man was still attached to the threat of having to clean it up.

Four was asleep, but his cramps caused it to be restless. Dametrius kept a clean bucket out for him too.

Wars rubbed Sky's back in soft circles, trying to help the Skyloftian settle his stomach. Every time Sky used his bucket, Warriors was trying to swallow down bile.

Hyrule helped Dametrius with everyone and pulled out the three extra mattresses he had bought so the boys could sleep in the living room, just not on the floor. The low hums and sighs were enough to know that it was appreciated.

Wild was at the outdoor cooking pot with the newly dubbed Flora, making a tonic for the illness and a tonic for sleep. Who knew when the last time any of them had a good nights sleep.

Hours later, the swirling purple and pink tonics were passed around to the sick. Dametrius made both Wild and Hyrule drink the sleeping tonic. Twenty minutes later, all the boys were in a sickly cuddle pile.

Hyrule was tucked into Legend. Wind was laid on top of Warriors. Sky had his sailcloth draped over all four of Four's different selves and himself as he had two on each side. Time had a hand buried in Twilight's fur while Twilight had his body wrapped around his cub like old times.

Dametrius didn't take a picture, nope.

…

But Flora did.

~

He shouldn't have been surprised when there was a knock on the door and a too young of a voice calling out, "Daddy! Open the door, I can't reach it!"

Dametrius hastily opened the door for his now very small child. "Link? What happened?" He looked to be only nine at the most.

"There was an ax- ass- accident with a 'itch. We gotta hurry!!"

He didn't mean to laugh, but he couldn't decide if Wild was trying to say witch or bitch. Either one would fit. "Where is everyone else?"

"Kirok Forest." This was too cute for the god's heart.

"Anyone hurt?" At least they were safe.

"No, but everyone is small. Well, not Time."

Lifting Wild into his arms, he teleported to the sacred forest. Arriving there, he was met with a panicked Time, holding what appeared to be a newborn Wind.

Four was crawling around with Hyrule, both looking like they were around a year old. Neither could walk, but were fast on their hands and knees, getting into the flowers that were nearby.

Legend was up on his feet taking careful steps as a two year old would. He was baby-talking to a Korok that was in his arms.

Warriors and Sky might had been a year older than Legend and were fully mobile. They were running around trying to chase Twilight.

Twilight was older, five years old it seemed. He was in his wolf form, though now he was just a puppy. Time's nickname 'Pup' was even more fitting. When Sky and Wars caught him, he landed on the ground and turned back into a little boy, laughing hysterically.

"Please help." Time looked so clueless.

Dametrius let out a soft whistle to get the boys' attention. Twilight and the two with him, waddled over. "Wild, can you grab Legend for me? We are going to need to make more than one trip."

"Okay!" Wild wiggled down to the ground and picked up Legend who still held the Korok.

"Can I help?" Twilight had big blue gray eyes.

"You sure can. I'm going to take Wild, Legend and Sky with me. I need you to help keep an eye on the others with Time. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir!"

Dametrius tied his hair up in a bun and picked Wild up by his waist. He placed him on his shoulders and the little one wrapped his arms around his head. "Remember to hang on."

"I gots tit Daddy." Wild always messed up words this young and it made the two adults snort.

Dametrius tossed Sky a bit into the air before catching him in his right arm. The semi curled hair bounced and he giggled with delight. He then scooped up Legend and told him he had to say goodbye to the Korko for now, but could see him another time.

When he portaled all of them away, Flora was in the house. "Do I want to know?"

"Zelldy!!" Wild bounced on his father's shoulders and made grabby hands at her.

Flora walked over and took the young child and asked, "Where are the others?"

"Daddy gonna get 'em."

"Do you mind watching these ones until I get back?" He had the perfect opportunity. "It'll be good practice anyways for when you have kids."

"Get out of here!" She shoved him away.

He took Twilight and put him on Time's shoulders and told him to be really still so he didn't kick Wind. Like Wild, he put Warriors on his shoulders.

"Toss!"

"You want to be tossed?"

"Mmm!"

"One time, then we need to go." He took the little Warriors and flung him high into the air. He squealed happily as he came flying back down into Dametrius's arms. He placed him on his shoulder and picked up the last two carefully. He was thankful that Four didn't split.

Because he couldn't physically touch everyone, he made a portal for them to walk through. On the other side, it was quiet. Too quiet. Dametrius squatted for Warriors to slide off his back. He handed the less squirming child, Four, to Time momentarily so he could take Twilight off his shoulders with one hand.

Taking Four back, they walked inside the house. Zelda had already pulled out the extra beds and moved the couch back to the furthest wall. On the beds were a napping Sky and Legend. Wild was sitting in Flora's lap looking at his slate, tired eyes slipping closed until he dropped it and slumped in her arms.

"I was gone for two minutes. Two! And you already got them to sleep."

"Wasn't that hard." She gently slid Wild into the covers and took off his boots. He curled into a pillow with a pleased hum.

"Take these and do whatever you did." Hyrule had a death grip, but Four went to the young girl. She swayed side to side, lightly giving a toon that he then remembered. Zelda's Lullaby. The two in her lap succumbed to the music and began snoring. 

Wars rubbed his eyes with a yawn and walked over to Legend. He snuggled up to him, pulling him close. That worked a little too easily.

"Is that Wind?" Flora asked as she stood. "May I?"

"Please do. I don't know what I'm doing." Time released the baby to her and she bounced with him lightly.

"We are going to need supplies for all of them if this lasts long. Will the general store have everything?" She asked the only father in the room.

"Should. We will need disposable diapers of all sizes, a crib and formula for Wind."

"I'll wait until Wind wakes up then go put in an order to be dropped off." She walked to her room in the back and closed the door.

"She will be a good mother." Time added as he sat on the couch.

Twilight pulled on Dametriuses trousers. "Up, up!"

"Alright Little Wolf." He picked him up and got a giggle against his neck. "Are you hungry?"

"Drink."

"Want milk?"

"Pwease." He got a small glass of milk for the boy and helped hold it while he downed the whole thing at once.

"Better?" He got a nod. "You want to sit with Time?" Another vigorous nod. "Ask nicely."

Twilight looked over at his ancestor. "Time, can I sit wit you?"

"Sure, Pup. Let me take off all this armor first." Time quietly removed the heavy metal from his body before opening his arm to the one still awake. Twi crawled into the other hero's lap and nuzzled into his chest. It was precious.

Dametrius had his back turned when Time asked, "Pup, what are you doing?"

"You look familiar."

Oh no… not now of all times.

Dametrius turned to see Twi cover Time's facial markings and the little one gasped. "Wolf!"

"Twi, I'm not a wolf. You are."

"No, you golden wolf."

Shit. "Twilight." Dametrius slowly sat on the other end of the couch.  "You remember the golden wolf's name?"

"Shade. Time is Shade. He wolf! We met two time."

"Do you remember why he was a wolf?"

"Uuuum… oh." The boy's ears dropped as far as they could. "But, he not now. Right?"

"That's right."

Twilight looked at Time again with the dropped ears and watery eyes. "Don't go this time. Missed you." He yawned a big open mouth yawn. "I nap now. Night Dami- Dame- Da..." He was getting tongue twisted. "Night Papa Fierce, night Papa Time."

The adults looked at each other when the little wolf dozed off. "Papa Fierce? I'm telling Flora that she better make that your grandparent name."

"I have a feeling that Twilight will be calling me that just because, if he remembers this." He laid his head back and closed his eyes. How was he already exhausted from these kids?

Time interrupted his peace. "Are we really going to pretend he didn't just tell me that?"

"We are. I don't want to tell you anything that could change the events of your future, ending in changing his." He watched Time tighten his arms around the boy. "Get some rest. They are going to be pure energy when they wake."

And energy balls they were. They all played hard in the house. They were going to play outside, but when Wild fell into the water under the bridge, that changed their minds. Though, Wild was happy to finally get the final Korok. How he hadn’t gotten that one, the god would never know.

Warriors, Sky, Twilight and Wild made it a game to chase Dametrius through the house. They had him trapped in a corner of the kitchen, but cheated as he used his power to get behind the boys. “Daddy, that's cheating!” The oldest two jumped onto the god’s legs, causing him to ‘fall’ to his back. All four landed on him, claiming victory.

When the four got up, Dametrius covered his face and pretended to cry. He peeked between his fingers at them and saw that three of them were falling for the old trick. He continued on even when Wild hollered at the others that it was a trick. He smiled a trickster’s smile when the unknowing three came over with concerned expressions. He quickly encircled all four with a laugh, “Now I get to gobble you up!” He peppered the boys with kisses and raspberries.

Flora never let go of Wind, even when going into town. That turned some heads to the unmarried princess. The gossiping ladies got a piece of the Fierce Deity’s mind when Flora came back not talking and went right for her room.

That night was going great and all the boys were tucked in. Time slept in Wild’s bed with Hyrule and Four as Dametrius slept in the triple bed in the living room. He didn’t want one of them to wake up and fall down the only steps in the house if they were in his bed.

In the middle of the night there was a loud gasp and scream. Dametrius shot up from his sleep and saw his own son sitting up. “Wild? What’s wrong?”

“Frasa!” Wild dove into his chest with a cry. “I had a nightmare.”

“Shhh, it’s okay. Do you want to tell me about it?”

He was met with silence outside of the boy’s sniffles. “I miss her.” Wild whispered.

The father pulled the boy closer to himself, tucking him under his chin. “I do too.” Wild went back to sleep a little while later, after the furry puppy in the bed found his way over and curled into his front.

In the morning when he woke, he woke to a cold bed. Hylia had switched them in their sleep. He hoped that they all were back to their normal selves.

~

It was not yet dawn when the air shifted in the worst way. The power in the air buzzed out of control with a familiar sting. Dametrius zoned into the power and his blood ran cold. The fact that it was coming from the Akkala region made it worse.

He made it there in seconds and what he saw was troubling to say the least. The heroes had weapons drawn towards, well, himself. Time had put on the mask and it had better been for a good reason too. This version of Dametrius’s self was unforgiving and relentless. This was not what he wanted Wild or any of the others to see.

The masked Time was on the defense as the others attacked, but to only disarm and not kill. It hadn’t worked in the past and it wasn’t going to work now. The masked deity turned around saying, “Look who came to join the fun. It’s the weaker version of myself.”

“Let him go.”

“I think not. I haven’t been worn in many years and this is a different era. Don’t spoil my fun.”

Before Dametrius’s armor could go on, before his darker self could charge, Wild set up a plan. A plan that could make things go worse or have peace. “Let me wear the mask. I’m a demigod, I’m more powerful than your current host.”

“Wild no!” It was too late. The Masked Deity had wrapped around Wild, body morphing from Time’s to the younger's. A bright white flash and the switch was made.

Time fell to the ground, barely caught by Twilight and Warriors. Where Wild was standing was now… Wild? “What is this bull?” Wild asked as he looked down at himself.

Dametrius fully belly laughed at the sight. The mask didn’t change Wild like it did Time, it just made him look like his father. He was a mini Fierce Deity. “This is the most adorable thing I have ever seen!”

“Dad, no. What happened to the big bad you? Why am I stuck like this?!”

“One of two reasons.” Dametrius rubbed his eyes dry. “Either the mask realized who you are and didn’t want to use you or it is because of how far ahead in the future we are and the mask has lost most of the power it holds. Either way, this has made my day.”

While the others snickered, Time was coming back around. “Wild?”

“Hey Old Man.”

Time’s brain seemed to reboot while taking in the sight of the teen. “I assume you are safe wearing that?” He stopped to bring a hand to his mouth. A finger went over a tooth and the eldest huffed in frustration. “I wish the mask would stop changing parts of me. I now have fangs.”

The jokes Dametrius wanted to make. He had to say one. “Just be careful not to hurt Malon with those while you are using your mouth.”

It took a second before Time’s cheeks, ears and neck were a burning red. Legend and Twilight made displeased sounds. Sky had a pink dusting over his cheeks and Warriors was laughing and sticking his first out for a bump. Four rolled his eyes at the childlike antics. Wind and Hyrule weren’t catching on and Dametrius was glad. The last thing he needed was ‘The Talk.’

“Are you okay though?” Wild asked Time as he helped him to his feet.

“I’m good, Cub. Thank you.”

When Time patted him on the back, Wild flinched and let out a pained noise. He quickly tried to turn his head so he could see his back. “What is that?! Why does it hurt?” Dametrius placed a hand between Wild’s shoulder blades. "Why is there something moving?!”

“Calm down. It's just the base of the wings.”

“You didn’t tell him.” Time ran a hand through his bangs.

Twilight looked between the two of them, then Dametrius. “You have wings?”

“Had.” Reluctantly, he shifted his shoulder blades to allow what remained of his wings to slip from under his skin and through his shirt. It was another one of those things that he didn’t know how to explain how they worked, it just did. Gray and black down feathers covered what was left of the base of the wings while a few small white feathers clung to the broken bones.

He should have known that Sky would be the most curious of the new discovery, since in the Skyloftian’s time, they all fly with Loftwings. “What happened?” He sounded equal parts angry and mournful.

“When Hylia and I went against Demise to seal him away the first time, we had a dear friend that wanted to play hero. His name was Link or how some of the history books of old called, First. He was Hylia’s love and like a brother to me. He is who the Hero’s Spirit comes from. He chose to go alone and it got him killed. When we got there, it was too late and Hylia was grieving. At that moment, I made the choice to be a distraction for her to finish the job. That was where the mask came from, but Demise would not allow me to stay as I was. So, he broke my wings and ripped them from my back.”

Four’s eyes were the color red. “Can you get them back now that you are out of the mask?”

“Not unless I was blessed by the Mother. She is the only one who could do such a thing.”

“The Mother?” Legend asked.

“She is the mother of all. She is what Hylians call Mother Nature.”

“I thought that was just a phrase.” Wild was still wiggling around, trying to get comfortable. “Oh, you know Flora isn’t going to believe this right?”

“Picture!” Wind shouted, effectively making half of the Link’s jump. “We should tell her that Dametrius shrunk and we had to water him to get him to grow.”

Hyrule opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, only to open it again. “Where did you get the idea that water would do that?”

Wind bounced on his toes. “Back home, Aryl has these little sponge-like things in the shape of animals and if you throw them in water, they grow! Do you guys not have those as kids?” Everyone shook their heads. “I’m telling Aryl when we go back to my era.”

“I like this idea.” Dametrius had a toothy smile. “We just need a really good story of why I shrunk.”

Time chuckled. “You are no better than the rest of them.”

Multiple pictures and a great story later, Wild took off the mask. “Uh Wild?” Hyrule was looking at the other boy’s hair.

“What?”

Legend started laughing as Wars walked over and grabbed the now pure white patch of hair that sat with the rest of Wild’s blond bangs. “Looks like you weren’t totally unaffected by it.”

The glare Dametrius got from his son was priceless.

~

Dametrius had just cleared out a Moblin and bokoblin camp from near what used to be Lon Lon Ranch when the boys’ next visit happened.

He greeted each of them happily, since he truly was happy to see them. "Four?"

"Hm?"

"Where was the last place you were at?" Dametrius looked at the hero, then the ground.

"We were in Legend's era, but in the shadow world."

Adding to the conversations, Legend said, "But I think we switched in there to a different dark world, because I didn't recognize it after a while."

The god smiled. "Four, split for me."

"You can't just tell someone to do that." Twilight lightly lectured as he looked over the others.

"But I am. Four, trust me, you're going to want to split."

Four lifted his sword and turned into his different colors. "Okay what was the point?" Green asked.

"Something stupid…" Blue mumbled.

"Be nice!" Red scolded Blue.

Vio had his arms crossed and looked to be nearly in tears. Dametrius put a hand on his shoulder. "Vio, what's wrong?"

"Nothin’, just wasn't ready to be in that place again." He sniffled, causing Red to turn towards him. "I should have known he wouldn't be there." It was almost a whisper.

With a low hum, Dametrius turned Vio around. "Look down. You are the only color to have a shadow."

The four parts looked and sure enough, Vio was the only one to have a shadow. Then the shadow smiled with a wave.

"How is your shadow doing that?" Wild asked as he stood next to his father.

The shadow moved and came to life. Shadow had a darker complexion, red eyes, purple hair and black clothes. "Shadow!!" Red threw himself at the other with joyous tears. "You're here! You're really here!"

"I am." He smiled and spun them both in a circle.

"Man have we missed you." Green swooped in for a hug.

"I have missed you all too."

Blue looked like he was fighting against being happy and angry. "You could have said something sooner, you know."

"It's nice to see you too, grumpy." Shadow stuck his tongue out. Everyone looked to the last one to be greeted.

Vio was rubbing his arm nervously. Tears building in his eyes and a shade of pink on his cheeks. "Vio?" Vio didn't look up when Shadow called his name. "Oh, Vio I'm so-"

Vio blurted out, "I'm sorry! I didn't want to, I swear. I betrayed you and I-I'm sorry Shadow!" Vio let out a sob.

Shadow's ears turned down. "V, please look at me." When Vio did, Shadow opened his arms to him. The purple eyed Four ran over and clung to his best friend in the whole world. “I’m sorry I made you do all those things. It was my fault, but I’ve learned. I’ll be better, I’ll do better.”

“Just don’t leave me again…”

Dametrius once again looked a little smug. “Okay, how did you know?” Time asked.

“Four doesn’t cast a shadow anymore. Today he did. This will be good for him, all of him. His Hero’s Title may be Four, but really he is Five.”

~

“Get your ass inside the damn house!” Well that was new.

“Twi, I’m fine! I don’t need you fussing over me like a demon bird.”

“Wild, either you get inside that house and get the attention you need or so help me I will make you regret it!”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. Don’t test me.”

Dametrius hadn’t heard Twilight get that mad at Wild since the time he tried to hide the gash in his side from a Hinox throwing a tree at him. This scolding from his mentor sounded much worse than then.

“What do you think he did this time?” Flora asked as she dried off a few of the dishes that were just washed.

“Something bad enough that Time isn't trying to calm Twi down.”

“Wild… Now.” That was Time.

“Yep, he fucked up big time.” Flora laughed.

The door opened and in came a sulking Wild, angry Twilight, exhausted Time and what seemed to be an assortment of dismayed expressions from the rest of the chain. “Dametrius, you need to talk to your son.” Time was using his own dad voice and giving Wild that disappointed dad look with it.

“Sounded like Twilight had it handled.”

“It’s not even that bad!” Wild walked over to the table to sit. Flora stood beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He seemed to relax and Dametrius could tell right away why the others were ganging up on him.

"Wild, when was the last time you slept?" The silence told him everything.

"Days ago. Little shit won't sleep and he isn't telling us when he is injured." Legend may be rough around the edges, but he sure did have a soft spot for the Wild and Hyrule. The Links' would playfully tell him that his care was showing.

"Wild."

"I sleep! And my injuries don't need medical attention. We are normally running out of supplies and fairies are hard to come by. Hyrule needs to save his energy for the one with serious injuries."

Wind gawked at him. "I doubt sitting in front of the fire with your eyes wide open for hours counts as actual sleep."

Sky was pulling on his own hair. "Serious injuries? What could be more serious than a damn sword through the chest?!"

"I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Link, are you using Mipha's Grace instead of elixirs or potions?" Flora ran her fingers through the hair that laid against the back of his neck. The word 'yes' was so softly said that only Dametrius and Twilight heard him.

"Why? Why not let us help?" Twilight's voice pleaded for clarity.

"Because it was my fault for getting hurt. Every single injury that I have gotten for the last month, was my own fault." The scarred teen laid his head back on the chair and partly on Flora.

Knowing that there was a root to this issue, Dametrius crouched down beside his son. "Let me see you." Wild turned and looked almost eye level to the other. The father could see the dark circles that were nearly purple, eyes were trying to stay open and his skin looked pale. "What is really going on?" He placed a hand against the scarred cheek.

Wild melted into the safe touch. "I don't want to sleep. I don't want to see the things that keep visiting me in my nightmares."

"Are they memories or things you already know?"

"No, it is almost like visions. I keep seeing the same place over and over and there's someone there. It is pure evil and it leaves me paralyzed when I wake up. I just don't want to see it again…"

"Link… I'm sorry. How about you go get some sleep, then we talk about it some more with a clear head?" With a head nod, Wild put his arms around Dametrius's neck and somewhat nestled there.

Without moving too much, Dametrius signed to Twilight. 'Get him to bed like old times?'

'Wolf?'

'Yes.' He rubbed Wild's back and helped him to his feet, facing opposite of Twi, who was in the middle of shifting.

Wild's nails raked down Dametrius's arms as he tried to hold on. Twi had a hold of the boy's belts between his teeth and was pulling him towards the steps. "Twi, no! Let go! Bad Wolf! Dad!!"

"Either he makes you stay in bed or I do."

"This is cruel."

Twi dragged the protesting hero up the steps and into bed. If Dametrius knew the boys, Twi was draped over Wild. He looked at the young girl who was giggling next to him. "I did say like old times. Go, he will want you there too." She rolled her eyes and trotted up to his room to smother Wild with cuddles that he so desperately needed.

Wild didn't wake up for sixteen hours.

~

"Hear me out. All the different Hyrules are similar in their own ways, but the original Hyrule, Sky’s, is the most similar to ours.” Flora had papers, pictures and all sorts of research materials laid across the table as she and Wild sat there looking them over.

Sky quickly became intrigued and sat with the other two. “And what would make you assume that?”

“Look at the pictures Wild took of some of the more important places in your era, compared to our places. And based on these pictures, I can tell you where Skyloft settles. Look first at the three springs. The pillars and landmarks are identical, even the Loftwing torch holders are the same at the Spring of Courage. The Zonai Settled in Faron and worshiped the Triforce more than any other race, but especially the side of courage. That is probably why they built the dragon around the original structure. They have stone statues of Owls, Dragons and Boars and they are symbolic to the Triforce. There's a place northeast of Sarjon Bridge that has a fallen pillar of a boar surrounded by six pillars, six sages to seal Ganon. It's a story of history."

"Where is Skyloft on your map?" Sky looked over the oversized map with markings all over it.

Wild answered for her. "We have a place called the Forgotten Temple. It has a large statue of the goddess and the structures match the statue and walls where yours stands. I figured it out the second I saw it."

"Can we go? Is there a shrine or something?" Sky was glowing.

Wild turned in his chair to ask, "Dad, when was the last time it was cleared out?"

"A few months ago. The guardians aren't reawakening like they once did, so it should be safe to go."

"We can go, just wait until it gets closer to nightfall. Dinraal flies over and it is magical to feel."

"Yes!" Sky was bubbly, but had more questions. "So what else can you tell us about the Zonai?"

Flora was like a kid getting candy. "We know that everything they create has a specific swirl design. It has a little tic at the end, classic Zonai symbols. I think that it has to do with the spirit dragons and what they represent." She looked at Wild, "Next time you see one of them go up into the sky, watch them. They disappear into a swirl that looks like a portal."

Dametrius interrupted. "It is a portal. The dragons are the literal soul of the triplets. They call their souls back so they can recharge them and send them back."

Flora started writing as Wild thought. "If the symbols with the tic are Zonai, who created the three labyrinths and why were the Zonai set places in there?"

"That can be explained too." She grabbed a different set of papers. "Sheikah tech, or the guardians, was created to help with the last Calamity, but nothing suggested that the shrines and towers were made during that time. And if that is true, that means the Shaikah constructed the mazes." She sat back in her chair. "My theory is that the Sheikah did it in honor of the last hero. They used similar designs, but not the same or that would be disrespectful. Also why some of the designs are upside down compared to the Zonai ruins."

"All that mind boggling for honor? And that wasn't enough, they put guardians to watch over some of it, including under one of the shrines. It was worse than clearing the Temple."

"Oh you did fine!" Twilight added from the living room.

"Anyways." Flora smiled. "The shrines were meant for the next hero, but as we know from our history, the royal family banished the tech due to fear. How it all woke up again is still a mystery unless it was set to be triggered by the presence of the Calamity."

"Or timed since each Calamity is supposed to hit every ten thousand years." Wild helpfully added.

Again, Flora started adding notes. "I believe that the Zonai were magical people too. Easily able to wield the strongest forms of magic.”

"I wanna hear this." Hyrule sat at the table now.

"A magical race? I'm ears for that." Legend also made his way to the table.

Wild stood and gestured for Flora to do the same. He sat in her chair, pulled her into his lap and kissed her shoulder. Dametrius smiled at them.

"The visions you have had in your dreams." Flora placed an arm over Wild's shoulders. "You drew out that there was some kind of ritual and a man with red hair was the focus of it. The swirls and Zonai writing that swirled around him and the arm that was holding him down matched, is more proof, if we say that your dreams are real events."

She took out the tapestry of the last Calamity. "This shows the hero's arm missing. Everything is in green that you told me, the color of courage, markings that are on the hero's arm. The ritual sounds like he was sealing away Ganondorf. To seal in the Sacred Realm, you need sages and we know of the seven: Light, Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, Spirit and the princess is one." She looked at the ones at the table. Time had joined them when she mentioned sages. "We have statues in Gerudo Desert that represent the seven, but Wild was told of an eighth sage. The hero was a sage, Sage of Magic."

Twilight grumbled. "I hate magic."

Wild began to chuckle. “Funny how you are the one to say that, yet you love it here. Our land holds magic everywhere.”

Demetrius watched Twi tuck Wind into the covers and lay him down next to Four who was also asleep. They both had been separated in the last switch, landing in a Moblin camp and it took all day to find them.

The wolf hero stood next to his mentor, twinning in their stance. “I’m listening.”

“You were with me for over a year and went through all four seasons in doing so.”

“Yes?”

“Ever notice how the seasons don’t actually change? Somehow, central Hyrule is always in spring. Akkala is stuck in fall. Thunder Plateau is also spring, but only the springtime storms. Gerudo Desert is summer. Hebra is winter. They never change, always stuck in that season. It is probably the reason you love our apples so much.” Wild threw an apple at his big brother mentor.

Twilight looked at the apple, tilted his head like the wolf he was, shrugged a bit into the fruit.

Time brought the conversation back to the topic at hand. “The sages. What else do you know?”

Flora got Freya's journal out and flipped to a sketch. “I went to the castle and found a hidden cavern that had Zonai influence everywhere and-”

“You went to the castle? With who?” Wild asked, unhappy with her choice.

“Myself. I can take care of myself, thank you.” She crossed her arms at him.

Wild ran a thumb over a slight scar on her cheek. “That is what you said before when you would run away to get away from me. You got yourself in plenty of trouble.”

“We were only sixteen and seventeen years old. I was angry with my Father for assigning you to me and you having to follow me around all the time. You somehow always knew where I was.”

He sighed. “Yes, but I can’t protect you if I am not here. I know you want to explore and I want to too. Just, wait for me. We will go across every inch of Hyrule when this is over and if that is what you wish. I don’t need to come back and have you missing or worse.” She nodded. “But what did you find?”

Dametrius rolled his eyes as he sat on the steps, listening and watching. Wild was his mother’s son when it came to things like this.

“Like I was saying. I found a depiction of Hylia surrounded by six swirls that I assume represent the sages, as Hylia represents the princess or queen of the time. It also showed the princess or queen levitating, another one showed her and the hero joining forces.”

Sky rubbed his hands over his face. “The levitating Zelda is what happened to all the Zeldas’ in some kind of fashion. Sun was taken and her soul was to be sacrificed. From the stories the others have said, similar things have happened. Only two gave themselves willingly. You are one of them, Flora.”

Warriors finally joined the conversation. “Every hero and princess or queen eventually joined together to defeat the enemy. So far these Zonai have gotten everything correct.”

“But there is only one thing still a mystery to me and that is what I want to check out the most.” Flora bit her lip. For her to be nervous over something with research was rare. “If the last hero and princess sealed away Ganondorf and took down the Calamity, why did we only have to deal with the Calamity? Why was ours so different?”

Warriors asked, “Surely you have a theory, right?”

“I do. I think that Ganondorf is still sealed away and that is what Wild’s visions are of and I think the hidden cavern under the castle is where he is still at. If my theory is correct, the Calamity of ten thousand years ago was not a different Calamity, but the same one. We dealt with a darkness that knew the technology and used it. It was well planned and prepared like it was learning from a previous mistake. If true, then that means the seal is weakening. A fully protected seal wouldn’t allow the Calamity to come back. If we could find him and actually kill him, we could possibly prevent another take over.”

Dametrius knew where this was going and he stopped her train of thought. “Zel, no.”

“But why? If we could fix all of this and give the future generation a fighting chance, why not do it?”

They god stood and knelt to look her in the eyes. She looked hurt by his objection. “You are talking about sages, sacrifices, magic that no one has seen or knows about outside of the wielders, the seal holding probably the most powerful Ganon becoming weak. Think about it. If you and Wild go to wherever he is while he is gaining strength, you could wake him up and have an evil more deadly than anything you have seen or read about. If Wild’s visions are showing him what is to come, then let it happen when it is supposed to, do not provoke it to happen sooner. It isn’t worth your lives just to get answered sooner. Please, promise me you will listen to me. I can’t fully help with Ganon, I was not created to do that, the Master Sword was and she hasn't recovered yet.” He placed a hand on her cheek. “Please.”

“I promise.” She sighed in defeat. “Do you think he will come back in our time?”

Dametrius didn’t answer right away. “Hylia better fucking hope not for her sake.”

Chapter Text

"Dear brother, I must talk to you."

"Nothing good comes from us talking, Hylia." He sat down so he could concentrate on his sister's words, though he had no desire to. He looked over to Zelda who could be seen still asleep in her room from the kitchen.

"It has to do with Link. Something is about to happen and I can't stop it. The kingdom is about to crumble without him."

"You're pulling him back here? What of the others?"

"He has to come back. The others won't be able to follow him. This is for him and his Zelda alone. The Ganondorf of ten thousand years ago was only sealed away when the Calamity struck. His powers are rising again to a strength that I fear will be catastrophic on a level we have not seen before."

"What are you not telling me?"

There was a moment of silence. "I need you to come home. Temporarily! Just until the task is done. You being near could cause Link to rely on you too much, therefore allowing Ganondof to not be disposed of properly."

Damn if she wasn’t right. He would cause more trouble for his son and the young woman his son had fallen in love with, who was still oblivious to the conversation in the house as she slept peacefully. "Will you allow me one request?"

"Speak it."

"Let me go to him and tell him that he is needed. Let me tell him goodbye, even if it isn't forever. I didn't get to do so last time."

"I can allow that. They are in the Hero of Time's era at Lon Lon Ranch. I'll come to you when it is time for you to join us."

He bowed his head. Slowly, he walked towards Zelda and woke her. "W-what's wrong?" She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Link will be here soon. When he gets here, go to the castle. Answers will be there as well as potential trouble."

"He's back, isn't he?" She had tears.

"He is, but I can't help with this. I will return when you and Link kill the Demon King."

She seemed to understand. He prayed that Link would understand this much, though doubtful. She stood on her bed as he rose to his height, short hair bouncing at her shoulders. She huffed with a sad smile as she threw her arms around his neck. He chuckled at her as he embraced her. "Be good, watch over each other and kick ass."

She let out a wet laugh. "I promise." When they let go, she shyly said, "I love you. You are the closest thing I have to a father and I cherish that. Link and I will be fine."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, sweet daughter. Maybe at some point when this is all over, I will be able to truly call you that."

She swatted at him with a blush. "Get out of here before I start calling you the God of Sap."

He bowed to her and created a portal for himself.

He took a slow step through the shimmering red and blue portal. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a hyperactive Wind, an encouraging Warriors and a screaming for his life Legend. Sky had a cucco raised above his head, chasing the three around the yard. Hyrule was wheezing, laughing at the scene.

It was Four that noticed him first. "Hey guys! Look who's here!"

Everyone who was outside stopped to look. Time and Malon walked out of the house at the same time Twilight and Wild came around. Dametrius snorted with a fist in front of his mouth to try and stop the laugh that was building up. His boy was in a headlock, hair being ruffled. There was no way out of the Ordonian's grip.

"Dear, who is that?" he heard Malon ask with a slight smile. She was too sweet for her own good especially since she knew exactly who he was.

Twilight, who had managed to drag a flailing Wild to the steps of the porch, beat Time to the answer. "Dametrius!"

Wild wiggled his way from the hold he was in and raced over. "Dad!" He wore a face splitting smile as he jumped into the strong and protective arms of his father, feet dangling, burying his face into the crook of his neck. It had been three months since they had seen each other.

When the boy let go, he grabbed the oversized hand and pulled him towards the house. "I want you to meet someone."

Dametrius looked at Time for a clear answer of whether or not it was okay. He got a smirk out of the older hero. Good enough. "Let me guess." He said as he stood at the bottom of the steps, Time and Malon near the top. "You must be Mrs. Malon." He smiled brightly at her.

"That I am." She kindly smiled back with an extended hand. "It is nice to meet you."

Dametrius, being the old fashioned god he was, took her hand in his with the back of hers up. He bowed at the waist to her before kissing the back of her hand. "Pleasures mine. The boys talk highly of you." Time started laughing as Malon blushed heavily, mumbling something about them being twins.

"Don't look so smug, Time. The only reason she sees you charming is because you took notes from me. The mask communicated with memories both ways." Time gave a shrug.

Malon giggled at them. "So I assume that you would greet your wife the same way?" She was looking at his left hand, where the gold and black ring still sat.

"Mm, if I saw her right now, I would fall to my knees in front of her." 

"Sappy old people…Now that everyone is acquainted, you never join us through portals. Why is today different?" Legend asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

Time's smile slowly slipped when Dametrius sighed and looked from him to his son. He ran a hand over the golden locks. He hated that Time and Twilight were going to have to be the ones to console Link after the news.

"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?"

"It's not what has happened, but is about to happen. I'm here as a warning. My sisters are back at it again. You will be called back, Zelda is already preparing to go to the castle. She is waiting for you. It seems her theory about Ganondorf is correct."

"When do we leave?" Wind was rubbing his hands together, a gremlin smile.

Warriors placed a hand on the sailor's shoulder. "We aren't, are we?"

Twilight stepped between Wild and Time, "Dametrius, we are going right? Tell me we are all going."

Dametrius wanted to get rid of the young man's fears for his cub, but there was no way to. He placed a heavy, grounding hand on the young man's shoulder saying, "No, it'll be just him. And before you ask, no you won't be sent there like last time." He knelt and turned Wild towards himself. "You will do great, keep your chin up."

Tears filled the teens eyes. "Why do you sound like you aren't going to be there?"

"Hylia has forbidden me to walk near you during this time."

"W-what? No! She can't do this! What if something happens and I lose my memories? Dad, I don't want to forget again. I can't forget you again!"

"You won't, I promise." He placed his hands on both cheeks, running his thumbs over the few freckles that resided under cobalt blue eyes. "I will be back.” He kissed his son’s forehead before placing his there. A sniffle and hiccups started the breaking of his heart. He quickly pulled the teen into his arms. “I love you, Link, so very much.”

“I love you too.”

When they parted, Dametrius took a few steps back. He could feel the presence of his sister behind him before her light appeared, but never turned to her. “Dear brother.”

“Hylia.”

“It is time.”

He took a deep breath to settle his nerves. It didn’t help that Hylia wrapped her arms around his torso in a ‘loving’ way and placed her head against his back.

She whispered, “Let’s go home.”

Bright white, blue and red light engulfed them before they vanished to the world of the gods. Last thing he heard was Link screaming for him.

Too bad it wasn't really where she sent him.

He was in a place of unending light. The memory world. Of course his sister would trick him with this. “You are playing a dirty game, Hylia.” He didn’t have to wait long before his body seized up, a soundless scream leaving his throat and his vision was taken over by the nightmare of a memory waiting for him to suffer through as if he was back at the exact spot it happened.

“Link? Link?!” Fierce went around the makeshift town of tents filled with Hylian soldiers. He made his way to Hylia’s tent and opened it up, hoping that Link was there with her. Of course he wasn’t.

“Fierce, what’s wrong?”

He growled at the realization. “He left! We explicitly told him to stay put until we had a full proof plan. We need to find him before he does something stupid, like play hero against Demise.”

Hylia grabbed her hooded cloak as well as her bow with an infinite amount of light arrows. “Demise’s pet would love nothing more than to get his dirty hands on Link.”

“We must hurry then. They have not stayed in one place for more than a few days at a time.” He walked out of her tent and whistled. A large six legged, black horse galloped to his side. He mounted the beast and stuck his hand out for his sister so he could help her up behind him. Once she was, he spurred his horse on. They knew where Demise had recently been and that was their first stop. 

They weren’t there.

Fierce and Hylia traveled the whole land looking for Link and would not stop until they found him. Their hope for finding him alive decreased everyday, but they still hoped for the best. After over three weeks, that hope too was fading.

They happened to stumble across an abandoned castle ruins and at first glimpse, thought they met another dead end. That was until someone started clapping from the third story where what used to be a window and now an open room was. “I was starting to get bored waiting for you two to get here. It took you long enough.”

Hylia slid off the back of the horse, never taking her eyes off the person in front of her. “Ghirahim, where is Link? I demand you release him.”

“You are in no position to make demands, Goddess.” The Demon Lord twirled a black dagger between his fingers.

“Where is Demise?” Fierce asked as he also dismounted his horse.

“If it isn’t the runt of the litter, Fierce Deity.” Demise slowly walked over and stood near his pet. His smile said a thousand words. “Are you looking for Link? Hylians are so predictable and stupid. I can’t understand what you see in them. This one does have a stronger spirit about him though. Made things fun.”

“If you have hurt him.” Hylia took a few steps closer. “I will end you.”

From somewhere behind the walls, a voice rang out. “Hylia! Get out of here! Fierce, get her out of here!”

Demise told Ghirahim something, leaving the siblings to talk. Fierce glared at his older brother. “What have you done to him?”

“What haven’t we done, is a better question. Let me show you.” There was the sound of chains and something being dragged.

Fierce could smell it before he saw it. Blood. There was so much of it. They watched as Demise flung something over the edge and hooked it to an exposed beam of wood. It was Link. His green tunic was more red than green, red cloak was in shreds around his thinned shoulders. He looked nothing like he had just a few weeks ago. Crimson liquid was still dripping from his freshly cut throat onto the ground below. He could see the bruising around the blue eyes that were partly open, showing his last emotions. The once thicker muscles were thinned and bones were more prominent for them to see. White webbed lines traced across exposed skin and only one person was able to do that.

It took Hylia a few moments to register the sight in front of her and when it did, Fierce’s heart broke not only for himself, but for her. She screamed and put her hands over her mouth. Fierce spun her around quickly from the sight and held her close. “This is your fault. You were supposed to help him. Supposed to save him. He is dead because of you!”

Fierce took that blame upon himself. He had told Link to stay put due to Demise playing baiting games. Unfortunately Link took the bait and paid for it with his life. Demise’s goal was to get Fierce and Hylia to him, away from everyone else. He still didn’t agree with Hylians helping with the sibling’s war, but Link loved Hylia and wouldn't sit on the sidelines. Fierce charged himself with the care of Link, something he had just failed at.

He ran his fingers through the golden hair of his sister’s. He kissed the top of her head as she sobbed into his armored chest. “I’ll make it right. I can’t bring him back, but I’ll give you the opportunity you need to seal Demise.”

She sniffled. “He will kill you, Fierce. You know that he wants you out of the way since I am not as strong as he is.”

“He won’t kill me, but I will wish he had.” Demise had a plan for him and told him a few details of what it was. Did he want to do it? No. This was going to be the most painful thing he ever did, but Hylia couldn’t do this without the distraction. “I’m so sorry, be ready when the time comes.” He kissed her head one more time and his heart raced.

When his sister’s fingers let go of his silver armor, he walked towards his older brother. He unclipped his blade, holding it with both hands, eyes locked on Demise. He needed to fight them just enough that it wasn’t obvious that he wasn’t giving the fight his all. He needed their guard down and he desperately needed this plan to work or else the world was going to suffer.

Ghirahim unclasped his cloak, allowing it to disappear in a flash of diamonds. He twirled a dagger between his fingers and held his thin sword in his other hand. “The favorite son has come to play.”

“Hold your tongue, demon.” Fierce demanded.

The Demon Lord growled at him before he flicked his long and pointed tongue at him. He disappeared in a flash of diamonds and predictable reappeared behind him.

Fierce fought violently against his brother's pet, showing his strength, speed and his nature for battle. He used his wings as shields since they were almost indestructible. The only area that was weak was the base of the white wings.

He wasn't ready for what came next, but Ghirahim was wearing out from the encounter. The next time the demon appeared at his back, he let him strike. The thin blade sliced across the back of his knees and in the next second, five black daggers were flying at him with a trail of red magic behind them. His left wing swatted two away, his blade deflected another. He allowed the remaining two to get past his defenses. One of those daggers went into his left thigh as the other embedded itself just above his armor, under his armpit.

He hissed in pain since it actually did hurt, but in a real fight he would have left them were they stuck. This wasn't a real fight though. He reached for the one under his arm so he could pull it, only to have a sword rake over his armored chest and across his unprotected upper arm.

He curled his wing around himself so he could still pose as if he was in the fight. That was when Demise stepped forward and summoned lightning down on him. The metal in and on him sparked and made the effect much more unbearable. That was something he didn't have to fake. He dropped his Helix sword and his hands continued to twitch with the pulsing electricity.

Demise was right next to him when he kicked Fierce to the ground. He stepped on Fierce's back with one foot and grabbed one of his white wings near the base. Fierce knew this was going to happen, but he still thrashed under his brother's weight. Ghirahim walked over with a smirk, dagger in hand and made the first cut.

Fierce screamed out in pain as the left wing's bone snapped in half, then the final cut was made to take it off. Searing white pain engulfed his nerves, blocking out everything else outside of the uncontrollable pain caused by the bone, skin and muscles being ripped from his body.

When he felt Demise grab the other wing, he nearly gave up on the whole thing so he didn't have to go through with it. When he made it to his hands and knees, he caught the glimpse of Link hanging lifelessly. This was on him and he needed to do this. He didn't feel the skin or muscles get cut, but he felt the bone shatter, then twisted to break it off. The jagged ends of the bones dug into his skin when he made the remaining bits retreat to under the skin of his back between his shoulder blades.

Ghirahim handed something to Demise before he took Fierce's hair into his grip, wrenching his head back and forcing him up into his knees fully.

Demise let out an ominous chuckle. "Baby brother, it seems the table has turned with who gets put in a mask this time. Tell Majora I said hello. I'm sure he has missed you."

A wooden mask appeared in Fierce's line of sight. It radiated darkness from it. It wasn't just going to hold him, but it was cursed.

"Oh and enjoy the visions too." Demise added. Only then did Fierce notice the unnatural crimson color on the inside of the mask. Blood. Link's blood. He was going to see every second of Link's torture and ending. That was worse than his wings being removed by far.

He screamed as the mask fused to his face, then absorbed his being inside of it with his sword.

He woke to a start, eyes wide open and topless in his own bed. The last thing he remembered was leaving his son's side at Time's and Malon's ranch. He sat and rubbed his face, quickly stopping when he heard snores on the first floor. He walked to the balcony's edge to peer over. He counted the bodies, 1… 2... 3… 4… 8. The heroes were all there except his son. He was pulled from his thoughts before they even started. "Dametrius?" He looked over to see Time, awake and confused.

"When did all of you get here?"

"No idea. Must have switched in our sleep. We were in Skyloft last night."

"No point in asking if you have seen my wildling then."

The others were waking up to their voices. "Mornin' y'all." Twilight called out as everyone tried to wake up.

"Morning Pup. Look where we are."

"Wild?" The wolf hero jumped to his feet, grabbing his head immediately after looking up to the balcony.

"Not here and I'm just as clueless as the rest of you."

Legend shivered and rubbed his arms. "Can we start the fire? It's freezing!"

"Sure." Demetrius then scoffed, "Wouldn't be so cold if you wore some fucking pants." He wasn't really trying to hide it.

"Heard that, you shirtless asshole!" 

Dametrius shrugged with a laugh, raising his arm up and aimed for the fireplace. "Watch yourself." He gave just enough time for Legend to move before fire scaled down his arm and bust from his palm to the fireplace. He laughed as he turned to his closet to put on his long sleeve, high neck, black tunic and black pants. He pushed up his sleeves before running his fingers through his hair to pull it back into a higher ponytail. He splashed water onto his face to fully wake. He slid brown boots on, overlapping his legging style pants.

Everything seemed peaceful at the moment as he heard the light banter between Legend and Warriors, Time and Twilight sharing a laugh, Sky yawning as he tried to stay awake. Four was looking at his own shadow that the god thought would joi- oh wait, there's Shadow. Wind just pounced onto Warriors back, both falling to the ground. Hyrule slapped Legend for laughing at the two. 

Dametrius was smiling, thinking of how it would be if his Link had siblings to cause havoc with.

Peace never lasted around this group though.

Twilight had gotten up from his spot to go outside, but stopped when he opened the front door. "Cub?" Everyone was silent. Waiting. "Cub!!" It wasn't a holler of excitement or of missing someone. It was the kind that was filled with worry, fear and pain. "DAMETRIUS!"

He jumped over the balcony to the first floor as the door was kicked back open by Twilight with Wild clinging to him, cloak wrapped around him and hiding his face.

"What happened?" He asked as he knelt down and helped support the young man who looked to be a fee inches taller than last time.

"G-ganon… we won, but it hurt." Wild was trembling and flinched at every sound around him.

"Cub?" Twilight was moving his bangs from the too still hero.

Like a switch turned on, Link crumbled to the ground, half in his father's arms. "Make it stop, Dad, please make it stop! It hurts and I don't… I don't want this!!"

"Wild, what hurts? I need you to tell me so I can help." From under the hood, a flash of glowing green was visible. "Wild, take off the hood."

"I can't… please."

"Link, let me see you." He was not prepared for what he saw.

Wild's hair was down to his mid back, much like it was when he was a child. It was no longer the beautiful blond, but a dark red that matched the Barbarian Headset he owned. His skin was tanner than it had ever been too. He still had his eyes closed tightly.

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

Wild let out a pained whine, but did look at his father slowly. His eyes… his cobalt blue eyes were now a bright, light green with a sheen over them that had to be for when he was outside at night.

There were gasps and startled noises followed by shifting. "How?" Dametrius asked as he cupped his son's cheek.

"We found Ganon, just like in my visions. The seal was so weak and it fully broke when we got there. We were standing nowhere close to the edge, but the ground under Zelda gave way and she fell. I went to save her, but something grabbed me. It was an arm, The Zonai Sage's arm that held the seal. It fused with mine and the magic is trying to take over… It already has this much." Wild unclasped his cloak with his left hand, allowing the material to fall from his shoulders and the others to see him fully. His arm was a dark decayed color, adorned with metal that wrapped around it and his fingers like rings.

Wild let out a bellow as his body quivered. The arm became a light green color, glowing and the metal was a golden color. His eyes flashed open and they too were glowing. 

Dametrius recognized what was going on. “The magic is too powerful for your body. At this rate it will kill you.”

“How long do we have?” Twilight asked.

“When did this start?”

Wild gritted his teeth, clenching his father’s tunic in his hands. “Two hours ago. The second I killed Ganon.”

Demetrius rubbed a hand over his mouth in a stressful manner. “Maybe thirty minutes and that is being generous.”

Another wave of magic went through the boy. The black rectangles on his skin got darker and more started to form. “Cut it off! Please!!”

What? 

Wild’s eyes rolled back and his body twitched. Dametrius laid him down onto his side and made sure his airways stayed clear.

“What is happening?” Wind was half tucked behind Wars and the blue scarf in his fist.

Dametrius kept his voice calm. “He is having a seizure. Zonai magic is meant for the Zonai, not Hylians. It's trying to use his body as a vessel, but it is overpowering his system. Even his being a demi-god isn’t enough.”

Time came to their sides. “What do we need to do?”

There was no other option for the time remaining. “Cut it off.” The expressions he received were no different than what he was feeling inside. “If we had more time, we could try to find a better solution, but we don’t have that luxury right now.”

Wild, uncharacteristically for a seizure and could only be explained by the magic, sprang to his feet. He did a hand gesture and the Master Sword appeared, except it wasn’t the same anymore. It had its original hilt and first quarter the same, but the rest looked to be made of some kind of magic. The colors matched Wild’s arm and eyes and the concern in the father’s chest grew. He was happy to see that Fi was watching out for the others still. She burned Wild’s hand, making him drop the blade.

Weapons were drawn by most in the room as Wild took a defensive stance. “He is hallucinating.”

The red haired Link charged on the other heroes, starting with Legend. He had just enough time to move, but was grabbed by his forearm and swung around, thrown into the nearest wall, head crashing backwards with an audible crack. Hyrule was by his side in an instant, casting his life spell.

Almost no one stood a chance against Wild's speed as he zig zagged between bodies, not killing, just disorienting them. Wild, even like this, refused to kill anyone outside of the Yiga or Ganon. The closest one to take him down was Shadow as he shadow-jumped, latching onto Wild’s leg and torso. He could only hang on so long before the elemental demigod pulled flames from the fireplace into his hands to get rid of his own shadow, therefore banishing Shadow from him.

Dametrius watched Twilight sneak towards his cub and went to grab him. The other turned and dodged at the last moment. Shit! Dametrius, just as fast as his son, lurched forward before the sword Wild pulled from Warriors back could reach skin and wrapped his arms around the young man, the other hand gripping around his wrist holding the blade.

As time went back to normal, they rolled across the floor before slamming into the wall holding shields. "Link! Listen to me!"

"Get off!!”

He pulled the boy's back to his chest to secure him. "You are stronger than this and you know it. Son, this isn't you. Fight this!"

The boy under his bruising grip stilled his thrashing. "Far?" he half choked out the word.

"Hey kiddo. I’m here"

" 'm sorry." Wild convulsed. "Hurry! I can't hold it back too much longer."

Dametrius basically ripped his son's  shirt off the one shoulder it hung on. He could feel the magic pulsing, but fading. He looked around the room scanning for things he was going to need, while keeping a tight grip on his son.

"Clear off the table! Four, I need the sharpest blade you have, preferably some kind of ax. Heat it up to sanitize it. Hyrule, you are going to be needed for healing. Legend, gonna need that Ice Rod of yours. Twilight, you're the strongest, need you to hold his right arm out for me. Time, hold down his torso. The rest of you, try to keep his legs still." Everyone jumped to their proper places.

He picked up Wild and placed him on the table to where his right arm was flat on it. Twilight gripped it firmly as Time placed most of his body weight onto the small torso. Warriors had a hold of one leg as Wind and Sky had the other. Four surprisingly had the ax blade already ready and went to Wind's side after handing it over.

"D-dad?" His breathing quickened with his panic. He clearly could see the blade near him. It raced faster as his father tied a tourniquet around his upper arm.

Dametrius placed his forehead to his son's, upside down. "Freya, give me strength and forgive me for what I'm about to do to our boy." He kissed the deep red locks of hair that still had the single lock of pure white in the bangs.

The magic began to rise once again. They were running out of time.

"Far, vær så snill!" Wild thrashed again, trying to pull away, but was held firmly in place. "Papa... please!" There was so much fear mixed with desperation.

"Wild, Cub! Look at me." Time cupped the unscarred cheek and turned his head away from what was happening. "It's okay. It'll be okay. Just… just look at me." Dametrius was beyond thankful for the bond his son had grown with his ancestor and for the resemblance Time and he shared. He knew it eased some of the anxiety he had as he went to other eras, to be able to see someone that looked like his father.

The god put a strip of leather between his son's teeth so he wouldn't hurt himself. He took a deep breath, "Everyone ready?" Nods were given and he raised the ax high into the air. He could hear everyone's heartbeat before he brought the ax down.

The screams Wild let out with tears rushing from his eyes broke Dametrius’s heart.

Time gripped the boy's face with both hands to keep his head towards him. Tears of his own slipped down his cheeks. "Cub, it's almost over, I promise. Just a little longer." He placed his forehead to the other’s to block out everything except himself. Wild was sobbing around the leather strip, staring into Time’s eyes, both eyes. He was gripping onto the back of Time's tunic, nearly ripping it and probably was leaving welts underneath.

Dametrius summoned the smallest amount of fire he could in his palm and placed it on the new, extensive wound to cauterize it. New screams filled the house and Wild violently moved around to get away. He took the Ice Rod from Legend and chilled the wound, though there was no covering up the coppery smell and burning flesh.

He had forgotten about Twilight for a moment, but when he heard the sharp breaths being taken in next to him, he turned towards the source. He was shaking with blood splatter on his clothes and face. Twi looked at his cub, to the detached arm, then up to Dametrius’s white eyes. He took the arm, blood running down it and threw it into the flames.

Turning back to the now crimson colored table, he saw Hyrule already using his magic to heal what he could, anguish across his face and he looked a bit green.

He walked towards Twilight, spun him away from the sight and pulled him close. The other didn't hesitate to put his arms around him, death grip on his black shirt. He ran his fingers through the dirty blond hair, kissing the top before looking at Time. He signed to him, 'Switch'.

Time walked over after pressing his lips to the scarred cheek and coaxed Twilight to sit with him against the wall.

With shaking hands, Dametrius gingerly picked up his unconscious son from the table and sat next to Time and Twi with Wild in his lap, pressed to his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He pressed soothing kisses to the feverish skin of the young hero. "I'm so sorry for everything."

The flames in the fireplace roared as the last bit of the arm disintegrated into ash. A teal flame appeared, expanding into a person. Dametrius recognized the man, Link of the Zonai tribe. They bowed to each other before the flames went out.

Sky walked over with bloodshot eyes and collapsed in front of them. He looked regretful of what he was about to ask or say. “Dametrius… Where is Zelda?”

Chapter Text

Dametrius couldn't decide which day was worse, the day he cut off his own child's arm or the days that followed. Looking down at Wild in his lap, he settled on the days following since his son was suffering and he couldn't help him. At least the day of the amputation that was the way to help.

Wild was now on day five of a deathly high fever, cold sweats, hallucinations, waking up screaming with phantom pain and asking where Zelda was. Everyone was asking where Zelda was.

The only thing the father could think to do was strip Wild down to his undergarment and submerged him in the cool water of the pond. He took off his shirt too so he could try to get the last bit of blood stained skin clean.

The boys were being great help with things that needed to be done. They refused to let Dametrius or Twilight do anything that wasn't Wild related. Including going to Kakariko to find Purah since she was no longer in Hateno.

The villagers of the small town told Time when he went looking, that Purah had left the lab on the hill a couple years ago, right when the evil came back. She took over being the Sheikah elder since Impa had passed. The more antsy heroes (Wind, Hyrule and Legend) made that trip. She was going to be needed for Wild's now missing arm. He already felt like an outcast due to his burn scars, but this was more dire.

When the three younger heroes came back, they informed everyone that Purah would be in Hateno as soon as she could and that would probably be in a week.

Wild didn't have that long if his condition didn't improve.

Twilight came over and sat in the water near them. Poor boy had gone mute after the incident. It had traumatized him that much and Dametrius understood.

'Any changes?'

"Not much. Every time he seems to get better, he regresses more. I can't keep him in the water too long or we will have a different issue." He sighed painfully, eyes stinging with tears he had been holding back all day. "I just don't know what to do." He looked down and Wild as he struggled with each breath.

'We are sure that the Great Fairies won't help?'

"They don't have the same abilities as their predecessors." There was a moment of silence before Twilight gripped his arm. "What?"

'The springs! There's healing waters that he always used.'

"Do you know where?" There was some hope.

'The ones I know of aren't close. One deep in the mountains in the north west and one near Death Mountain. We can't move him, but I could bring jars with me to fill.'

"Don't go alone, understand?" He couldn't bear one of the boys getting hurt, sick or worse.

"I'll go with him." A shadow passed over before Time could be seen at the water's edge. "Wars and Sky can take over for a little while."

'It's not a short distance.'

"Nothing here is." Time gave a slight smile.

Dametrius grabbed Wild's slate and taught Time to use it after Twilight showed him the closest shrine to where they were going. He wasn't going to try and figure out all the new features and floating islands and stone birds? Whatever they were or anything else new with it. It would be the best chance Wild had. "Go, don't linger long there." He spoke softly.

Twilight leaned forward and placed his forehead against Wild's. Dametrius comforted the young man by placing a hand in his hair. 

Time took a deep breath and was gone in blue streams of light. Twilight quickly followed.

The others gave space. Dametrius was typically level headed, but when it became too silent he had time to think. Thinking was dangerous. Thinking meant anger, rage, revenge, corruption and no mercy. He didn't want that, especially after he had already snapped at the heroes for stupid shit that he didn't need to, but was hurting. He wouldn't justify it, only gave a reason for it. There was a difference.

He was relieved at how fast the two eldest came back with multiple jars of shimmering water in the slate. They pulled the jars out as Dametrius brought Wild out of the water and sat under the tree nearby. He repositioned Wild so he could get him to at least attempt to drink some of it, though he only needed to have the liquid run over his skin.

“How long until we know that it has worked?” Time opened the first jar.

“Should see signs of improvement almost immediately.” With their help, Wild had the water poured over his body. The wounds from his adventure were gone, the right arm was no longer red and inflamed. The bags under his eyes faded, color came back to his cheeks and he seemed to be in less pain. But his breathing hadn't changed. "Give it some time and see if it all gets better."

'If it doesn't, what do we do?' Twi asked hesitantly.

"I don't know yet."

Six hours later and Wild was no better. If anything he got worse. He had opened his eyes a few times, mumbled incoherent sentences about Zel, then went back to sleep. Dametrius had to finally place Wild in his own bed down the hall so he could stretch and try to think.

Sky was pacing with him. "And you said there are no healers in this era."

"Right. Most Hylians know how to make elixirs and mend their own wounds. The closest thing to a healer would be the Zoras, but they don't treat Hylians often enough and this is magic. The last magic holder that was a healer was Mipha. Her spirit isn't here… anymore… Wait."

"You can't be serious." Hyrule stepped between him and the hallway. "You can't do that."

"No not that… spirits. There's a spirit or being that can help." He walked into Wild's room and scooped him into his arms. He was lighter than an hour ago. He didn't have time to explain anything. "I'll be back. It's nearly nightfall and the spirit should be there tonight." He teleported to his destination.

Fogged breath clouded his vision at first, then he heard the chattering of teeth. Wild was shivering violently. The water he walked into with different shades of pink petal like leaves was warmer than the air around them. Everything was quiet and still though.

He went to his knees, still cradling the too light of a son in his arms. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "If you can hear me, please. I need help… My son needs help. Lord of the Mountain, hear me."

There was a rustling of grass and leaves to both sides of him. Hooves that sound like they were able to hammer metal, but also had a soft sound to them was coming closer. The water rippled around him and he bowed lower to the being.

Blue fur-like hair touched the top of his head, then a hand. "Fierce Deity. I hear your plea. What service can I aid you and your son, the hero of our lands?"

He looked up into the two sets of eyes, blue hair draped down light blue skin with pink lined markings. Their nails were gold colored, matching the gold hooves they had when in their other form. Blue glowing light surrounded the area around them. They were neither man nor woman, just a being. A spirit with great powers. "Satori, I come to you, begging for a way to save my child. Magic was forced into his body and is killing him."

The spirit knelt and placed a hand on Wild’s chest. “Much of the ancient magic has left his body, but I must agree, this is killing him. He is nearly out of time.”

“Can you help him, save him?”

“Normally I would let life take its course, no matter the outcome. I am conflicted with this one though. He has saved this place twice now and has died for its survival, but he didn’t save Zelda this time. That is my conflict.”

“What do you mean, didn’t save her? Where is she?” His mind was telling him that she was only missing.

“She was sacrificed to Ganondorf. She has perished by his hand.”

“Dead. You mean she’s dead?”

“I do.” Dametrius’s chest clenched. That couldn’t be right. “Hearing this, do you still wish to save him?”

“Of course I do, he is my son. My flesh and blood. There has to be more to what you say.” The spirit was that, a spirit. The idea of family was unknown to them.

“Then I will do it. I won’t be able to draw out all the magic, but enough that his body will stabilize. There are a few things I need from you and him.” A bowl was presented to him. “Like you said, he is your flesh and blood. That is what I need from both of you, though hair will do in place of flesh.” Wild had lost enough flesh, he would settle for hair too. “A lock of hair and enough blood to cover them.”

With the bowl, a blade was given to Dametrius. He took a small lock of Wild’s long hair from behind his ear, cut it and put it in the bowl. He took Wild’s left hand and placed the almost translucent blue blade against his palm. A deep enough cut was made to allow blood to spill into the bowl and not rapidly clot. It was concerning that Wild didn't so much as flinch.

He turned the blade on his own hand and made a deep gash, blood pouring from the wound, mixing with his son’s. Their blood shimmered with their godliness color of silver and gold. He didn’t have time to admire the swirling colors. He took a decent size lock of hair from behind his left ear, cut it close to his scalp and dropped them into the blood-hair mixture.

The spirit took the bowl from his shaking hands and the contents inside ignited in a blue fire. “Place him in the deepest part of the water. What must happen next will test you, not him. It is the only way this will work.”

“What is it?”

“The blood and flesh connect you to him, but this is the will of love. How far will you go for your love of your son?”

“I’ll do anything… give anything.”

“And I believe you, Fierce Deity. Come, place him in the water.”

He did as he was asked and Wild floated on the surface. “What now?”

“These waters are magical on their own. They will burn a cold fire and you will need to hold Link under the water after the magic is called upon. When the flames go out, he can rise and his body will have been purified as much as it can be. No matter what, do not let him breach the surface before the flame leaves. If you do, it will be his death.”

Swallowing thickly, he agreed to the terms.

“We begin.”

Satori stood with the bowl over their head, fire growing brighter. The words that left their mouth were unknown to Dametrius, but they rumbled with power and demanded attention. With a bellowing roar, Satori aggressively and precipitously slammed the bowl into the water, startling Dametrius as the whole pond caught fire, but didn’t burn him.

He laid his hands on Wild’s chest, pushing him fully under the burning water. Satori danced through the flames in a hypnotic and dramatic way, gathering water and fire alike in their hands and throwing it into the air. They spun in circles and stomped their heavy hooved feet to a rhythm that Dametrius couldn’t hear.

He would have loved to watch the magical spirit do their work, but his focus was on Wild and keeping him under the water. Bubbles of air left his child’s mouth and was beginning to struggle under his grip. Nails dug into his pale skin, legs kicked at whatever they could reach. Dametrius wanted to let up, wanted to let Wild breath, but that would be his death. He kept the pressure on the other’s chest, but straddled his legs to pin him more. He gritted his teeth as the tears blocked his vision. The tears fell from his eyes without shame, directly into the water. Sobs broke free, it was the only thing he could do while Wild’s movements slowed to a stop and the last few bubbles burst at the surface.

The time between his body stilling and Satori stopping their dance was infinite to the father. The cold flame died and spirit placed a hand on Dametrius’s face, removing tears, saying, “It is done. He can rise.” They sounded exhausted.

 Wild’s body broke the water and Dametrius recognized the boy there more than when he went under. His skin was the lighter tanned color, pink cheeks. His hair was not deep red, though it held a red undertone to his golden blond strands. The white bang was still in place. The black rectangular shapes on the remaining part of his arm and chest were faded, but he wasn’t breathing.

Lord of the Mountain laid a hand over Wild’s nose and mouth, drawing water from his lungs. The young hero coughed, bringing the last bit of water out of his airway. His cobalt blues were back, but like his hair, the glowing green could be seen at different angles.

“Link, can you hear me?”

Blue met white. “Dad, what happened?”

Dametrius smiled and pulled the boy into a needed hug. “Doesn’t matter, you are okay.” He savored the feeling of the younger gripping his tunic. The deity looked around, Satori was nowhere to be seen. He sent a quiet thank you to them. He ripped part of his tunic and wrapped both of their hands.

“Are you going to ask?” Wild asked in a hushed tone.

“Ask what?”

“Where Zelda is?”

He sighed. “No. I will not ask a question that I’m sure you will explain at some point and on your own time.” He didn’t miss the pained tears in Wild’s eyes. The pain he himself had felt, still felt, and never wanted his boy to feel. It was not something easy to get over and may never get over. “Let’s go home. The others are there, waiting for you.”

Arriving back in Hateno and Wild walking on his own, came as a surprise to the others. Dametrius let go of Wild to let him be greeted and walked over to Time and Warriors. “I see whatever you did worked.” Warriors lightly said to him.

“It did for the most part. He will be fine, but I must ask a favor from you two.”

Time squared his shoulders. “What is it?”

Dametrius lowered his voice. “I have a slight idea of what happened to Zel and when Wild decides to tell the full events, keep an eye on Sky. He is either going to lash out or break down.” The other two exchanged a look that told the deity that they had an idea too.

He turned around to see Wild being smothered in hugs. Twilight was looking him over a bit like he always did and began to sign to him. Wild's ears dropped to their lowest position before he put his arm around the other's shoulder, hand in his hair.

The conversation was… a struggle. It took hours to have, allowing Wild to take it on at his pace and release the tucked away emotions he had. There were no dry eyes as he explained the events after he was called back. How he and Zelda went to the castle and began their search in the hidden caverns under it. He told them how malice was taking over underground and his visions were correct in what they showed. Ganondorf broke the seal and his magic was, like warned, nothing anyone had ever seen before. His right arm became singed from Ganon's malice and he was exhausted, but he fought to keep Zelda safe that day, even when the ground they stood on gave way and he jumped after her. That was when the Zonai arm that held the seal took the place of his own and helped save them both. Zelda feared that Wild could not beat him this time and he didn’t blame her for thinking such a thing since he thought the same.

Hell was nothing to what twist came along. After everything, Zelda was taken and the Master Sword had been destroyed. Wild had to collect the eight vials of what he called the Kingdom’s Tears to rebuild the sword and only then was he able to find Zelda. She was in Ganon’s clutch, motionless in a slumber. Wild said that the mummified form of his enemy had hordes of monsters, old and new, waiting for him and he couldn’t make it to her in time. Ganon used Zelda as a sacrifice to revive his own body. It wasn’t like a normal sacrifice where an animal would bleed out for it, but her body literally absorbed into his. The kingdom fell apart after that.

There were trials that came from the Zonai temples and castle ruins from across Hyrule and he beat them all. He did everything right and thought by killing Ganon that there was some way to bring back Zel. It was a fool's hope. Zelda was dead and he mourned, grieved for her. That was his Queen, his best friend, love and she was… gone. Gone with not a single grave or headstone in sight.

Wild pulled out the Master Sword and looked it over before looking up at one of his companions. “Sky, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I failed your descendant, your legacy, the sword and the Hero’s Spirit. I failed everything we stand for and have no way to fix it this time.” Wild fell to his knees with the sword in his remaining hand.

Sky raced forward, took the sword from his hand and tossed it to the side like he was discarding something unwanted. He lifted Wild’s face with both hands, both crying, saying, “Wild… Link, if I have learned anything about your life and the journeys you have endured, it is that there is never a fair fight thrown your way. You weren’t meant to win, neither of you were. This wasn’t your fault.” When Wild let out a sob, Sky pulled him into a tight hug and rocked him side to side.

Dametrius on the other hand, was trying to hold himself upright. His chest felt like it was being crushed, heart being ripped into shreds. His mind flooded with the laughter of the sweet girl that consumed his and Wild’s life for multiple years now. Her need to be outdoors, researching anything and everything. Her yellow hair, like the sun, bouncing around her shoulders as she tried to get Wild to eat new things or dragging him to different parts of Hyrule because there might be something there for whatever she was doing with Purah. Not to disturb Wild or Sky, he looked at Twi and Time, “I need air.” he whispered and teleported a little ways away from the house, just to the furthest part of the property.

He hit his knees, dry heaving until bile expelled from his body. His eyes stung with tears of pain and he tried to hold back the screams he wanted to let out, causing his throat to hurt.

A hand touched his shoulder. He would normally react quickly to someone sneaking up on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move at the moment. Then it was two sets of hands on him, pushing him back to sit down against the boulder.

“Hear, rinse with this.” That was Time’s voice.

He took the water-skin and swished the water around before spitting it out. “Thanks.”

'You okay?' Twilight asked, but corrected. 'Sorry, stupid question.'

“Ha, it's fine, but no I’m not. I lost another child, daughter, and have to see my son go through the same pain I had, but worse. When will Hylia leave him alone?” It was rhetorical, but he wished he had an answer.

“There isn’t anything we can say to you to make you feel better or get through this faster, but know we are all here for Wild and you.” Time’s smooth tone helped some, but the road was bumpy ahead and would take a long time to travel.

The few weeks that followed were busy in the house. Purah and two others that Dametrius didn’t know, were constantly over. They took measurements of Wild’s arm and shoulder, writing everything down in a little notebook. By the end of their visit, Wild had a brand new, Sheikah tech arm that looked identical to his real one. It took some time to calibrate it to him and learn to move the stubbed part of his arm in specific ways that gave commands to the prosthetic. Twilight had to sit him down and explain, saying that it was just like training Epona to obey foot commands. Just that small talk changed Wild’s outlook and before long he was using the arm. He wore the arm all day outside of when he slept.

Sleep was still a work in progress for the tortured hero. He still woke up screaming most nights and refused to sleep alone now that he had someone he could lean on. Per usual, that was his father and Twilight.

It seemed like life was falling into a rhythm finally, though difficult. Dametrius thought himself to be crazy for such a thought. Peace, there was no peace for him. He was washing up dishes from lunch, the boys helping out inside too, when a voice entered his mind. “Dear brother.”

He dropped the bowl into the soapy water, startled. “Oh you are fucking kidding me.”

“Dad?”

Dametrius put up his hand to sign. ‘Your aunt is checking in.’

Wild responded with a low growl from his chest.

“You have some nerve Hylia.”

“Am I not allowed to check on my baby brother and nephew? It has been two years for young Link since Ganon reappeared.”

“You don’t come around unless you want something. Speak it.”

“It's complicated. Needs to be said face to face.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“Would it make you happy if I came to you then?”

“You being dead would make me happy, but sure, since I really don’t have a choice.”

A white and yellow light flashed. Hylia, in the flesh, stood in the kitchen with all her chosen heroes and brother. “That is better.” Her eyes met Dametrius’s. “Well, baby brother, it is nice to see you again.”

“Funny, I was thinking the opposite. Especially since the last time we saw each other you sent me to the world of memories. Before that, you were letting Demise literally rip me apart.”

“Correction, you allowed it to happen.”

He scoffed, “So you could be strong enough to take him down, because we all know that the only way you will win a fight, is by using others. Just like you used Link, the first and the ones to follow.” He gestured to the boys in the house.

She gave a delighted smile, “My dear heroes! Look at you a-”

Dametrius summoned his blade and stuck it out to stop her. “Nope, you came here to talk to me, not them. So sit down and talk.” Dametrius wasn’t going to allow her to hurt any of his boys.

“I need a favor.”

“Not surprised.” he mumbled aloud.

“Hush! You always try to talk over me.” She scolded.

They were bantering like children. Siblings. “Your bratty ass mouth has always spewed unwanted things to my ears. Forgive me for being tired of it and tired of the hell you have put me through.” He sat when she did, but was ready to jump to his feet at any moment. The boys in the house gathered together behind him, near the steps.

“That I put you through? You seem to forget what I have endured due to your lack of action against Demise and his pet. What he did that day and the weeks leading up to it.” Her eyes locked onto his. “Maybe your time in the mask watered down your memories.”

“Forget what happened?! Do you have a clue to what Demise did to the mask? He drenched it in Link’s blood before banishing me into it. Blood, Hylia. The one thing that triggers my gift of sight. He made me watch everything, over and over again until the first time the mask was used."

"You were supposed to protect him and you couldn't even do that."

He gawked at her. Was she really this self centered? Yes, she was. "He was his own person and I told him to stay put so we would have a full proof plan. Not my fault that he loved you too much and wanted to be the hero."

"You blame him for his own death?" She had fire in her eyes.

"No, I blame our brother. But is Link really dead, I mean you kept his very soul alive." He watched Hylia look at the boys to his back.

"They are not him."

"Aren't they?" He looked at them then back to her. "His undying love for you and willingness to serve you, that is Sky. Him fighting his own emotions because he acted on the strongest ones and always saw things others couldn't, that's Four. He was a natural leader even when he didn't always want to be and a good little brother, that is in Time." He still wanted to know who's sick idea it was to have a hero look like him and that said hero had the mask. "Experienced adventurer who questioned most things so he knew what was right and could be a hot head at times, purely Legend. Always pushing himself beyond his limit just to make sure everyone was taken care of, Hyrule. The optimistic and carefree side of him lives in Wind. And Warriors, he might as well be his twin brother since they look alike, just change out the scarfs color. He also was a great Captain and led his men fearlessly, like Warriors. His instincts to protect, his ability to know exactly what others needed and his strength is all Twilight."

He took a breath. "Then you chose Wild. Whether it was out of spite or because you needed him, I don't know. But the old Link is in him too. He fell in love with who he was protecting and if anyone shows his reckless, self sacrificing and his inner gremlin it's Wild. They are all bold, brave, courageous and hardheaded just like your Link."

Her ears dropped, something not common for her. "But still, not him. You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand?!" Wild was the one to do the outburst. "He is the only one to fully understand and had it much worse. And it was caused by you! You led them to her and had her killed. You murdered my Mother!!" There was a mixed pain in his voice, in his eyes as Twilight grabbed a hold of him. "Then you have the audacity to choose me and send me to my death! No, screw you!" Dametrius wasn't going to protect Hylia from his son’s wrath, but the sooner this favor was said and done, the sooner she would leave. 

“You be quiet boy! You’re Mother was nothing but a-”

Dametrius took that as his cue to intervene. “One word against her and I will end you. You want a favor, speak it.”

She seemed to calm down some. “As you know, our sisters are the true holders of the Triforce. With all three parts, it can banish any evil. I need it.”

He looked at his sister and wondered if he had heard her correctly. “You need the Triforce? What could you possibly need it for?”

“For what it was made for.”

"Against who?” His heart rate rose.

“He’s back and I need to banish him once and for all. This Hyrule’s Zelda is clearly not here, but there is still someone here that holds the full form.” Her eyes landed on one of the boys and Dametrius knew it was Hyrule.

"You can't take it from him." Dametrius's words sent the heroes into action. They made a protective circle around Hyrule and Legend, since Legend was not going to let go of him.

Then Dametrius saw it. Under Hylia's fair skin were lines, lines of malice. It was in her veins. "What have you done? How long have you been drawing power from the Dark Malice?"

Her eyes went dark, literally. "Long enough to know that I should have called upon it much, much sooner. With this new power, all I need is the Triforce and I can eliminate anything or anyone I want to. Even you can't stand against me, God of War and Battlefields."

Her eyes were back on Hyrule and Dametrius sprung from his chair as she did, trying to get to the young hero. They rolled across the floor, each trying to gain dominance. Her punches were damaging compared to before and he could feel his ribs slightly crack with impact.

Her wings, much like his, opened up fully and she used them to speed past him. He turned on his side and grabbed her foot, bringing her to the ground. He got to his knees, took hold of her leg with both hands and slung her to the furthest wall away from his boys. With her gathering herself up off the floor, he looked up at the boys who were still protecting Hyrule. He could only do one thing to keep them safe. He touched the floor with his hand and one of his portals opened under the boys' feet, taking them to Lon Lon Ranch. They all either yelped, grunted or hollered as they fell through the blue and red portal.

“NOOOO!!” Hylia screamed out, black smoke and ash exploded from her.

Dametrius turned back around to see his sister’s wings fully expanded, her dress was now an ashy gray and black, golden hair was mixed with a red and purple. The skin of her hands, forearms, feet up to her knees, chest and up to her jaw was like coals and malice rippled more violently with her anger. Her wings were white, but they were now black, embers of malice flaking from it with small flames. He didn’t recognize this person that was his sister and he went from the Fierce Deity that would have happily tore her spine from her back for the hell he went through in her name, to a sibling that needed to save her before she destroyed herself, everything and everyone around her. He had to.

“Where did you send them? Where?!”

“Somewhere you can’t reach them.” He kept telling himself to bluff, just bluff.

“There’s nowhere you can send them that I can’t reach. I will find them.”

She started to leave through teleporting, but he jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around her in a hold that she couldn’t break free from. They fell through time and space as she tried to get away. They collided with mountain tops, crashed through trees, slammed into the ground and sank into the ocean's depths.

They fell from the sky one last time and landed in a field, dust and dirt kicked up around their bodies. His hold loosened slightly as his mind tried catching up. That much movement caused serious side effects if he wasn’t careful. He coughed and felt Hylia fall from his arms to the ground.

He had not a clue as to where they landed, until a specific woman spoke. “What the hell is going on?” Malon. Shit. They landed in the one place he was trying to keep the goddess from.

“Looks like I found them after all.” Hylia mocked, a knee against his chest.

“Weapons ready!” Warriors called out. Swords and shields could be heard drawn.

The weight left his chest and he could breathe better. The sound of metal clinking together, the boys calling out to each other and curses being thrown had Dametrius’s full attention. He rolled to his stomach, pushed himself to his feet and broke into a sprint. He one handed took his sister by the material of her dress between her wings, planted his feet and launched her across the land.

Would he ever hit a woman? No, or not a mortal woman. Goddesses were not typical beings and now this one had extra power running through her.

He braced himself for her attack as she flew into the air, then dove at full speed towards him. He summoned his armor and blade to him before he leapt into the air to intercept her. The sound of them colliding was as if a canon went off.

He landed on his feet, changed his grip on his blade and threw it. He didn’t want to kill her, but make her actually fight so he could contain her. She moved out of the way of the blade, but missed it coming back. The sound of her screaming in pain as it made a deep gash across her right wing made his chest ache.

Her sword was drawn when she put her wings away. Her eyes had nearly turned black. “Sister, listen to me.” She took a step closer. “Is hurting one of your heroes something you would really want? If you are facing something that you can’t defeat alone, just ask for help. There is no shame in that.”

“Ask who, you?”

“You could have.”

“You hate me and all I stand for.” Three more steps.

“Not hate you, but your actions. We used to be bestfriends, Hylia. We did everything together and fought for each other. We were inseparable, always attached at the hip. So please, before you rip us completely apart and stab me in the back when I’m trying to help you, make sure you really don’t need me.”

“I will never need you. Not anymore!”

“Then you better make sure that you kill me, because if you don’t I will make sure you are stopped for good.”

She laughed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep FD.”

He gripped his blade with both hands and his body gave off a blue and purple energy aura that extended to his weapon. Each strike he made he made with excellent precision so as not to hurt the boys or Malon who now was under Time’s arm. Beams of raw energy were propelled from the Double Helix sword as he dodges Hylia’s own beams of light. Each connection of metal sounded like thunder and there were sparks of lightning.

It was a matched battle between Deity and Goddess, both giving it their all. They each had wounds, blood trickling from them. Bruises along their jaws and cheeks due to elbows and fists. Hylia was as strong of a fighter as they came, but she was not Fierce Deity, even with the dark power that was still consuming her being. He overpowered her and kept her on her knees in front of him. She was barely moving and he was going to kill her.

Hylia still had one trick though. As his blade was raised over his head, ready to strike her one final time, he looked down and stopped his course of action. In Hylia's place was his wife, on her knees, tears down her cheeks, belly swollen with their daughter. "You dare use her image against me?!"

"Please, Dametrius. Stop this." It was his wife's voice.

"This trick isn't going to work on me." he growled. She would pay for this.

"Daddy please!"

His eyes went wide, hands shook, breath left his lungs. Right in front of him was his little girl. The little girl he never got to meet. Bright blue eyes, fair skin, white hair and she had the same blue marking on her forehead as him, but lined with red that also followed her hairline to her temples. She was beautiful. There was no doubt that she was his. But this was Hylia.

His anger doubled, but before he could strike, Hylia had an arrow of light shoot from her bow that suddenly materialized.

There was no pain at the moment since his adrenaline was spiked, but he saw his shimmering silver and red blood drip from the wound. His blade slipped from his hands behind him as he pressed fingers to the hole in his abdomen.

"Dametrius!"

"Dad!!"

"Hylia, stop this!"

He watched the second arrow being drawn back and burn Hylia’s hands. It went right above the other, all the way through.

Dametrius crumbled to his knees. Breathing became labored, eyes unfocused, hearing fading. During a small amount of clarity, he saw Link take a defensive stance. He was blocking him from a goddess who had become corrupted by hate. “Link… d-don’t.” Black dots covered his vision as he landed on his side, still holding his fatal wounds.

He didn’t know who it was, but he was rolled to his back and hands pushed hard on the holes to keep him from bleeding out. It was useless he knew, so he just grabbed the hands, saying, “It’s fine. Leave it be, there’s no point.” If the bodies around him said anything, he didn’t hear it. He began to cough, a copper taste filled his mouth and his vision was completely black. He closed his eyes, or he thought he was and smiled. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be with her again. Please, let me be with her again.”

A familiar voice that he had missed since before Demise sealed away spoke. “My son, come home.” His body turned into stardust.

Birds chirped their songs, streams of water flowed over rocks, the breeze was calm and cool and the green grass was warmed by the sun. He knew this place and it cured all his pain. “My child.”

“Allmother.” He hadn’t talked to her in thousands of years.

“Please, sit and talk to me. What has caused your death?”

It was always the talk of life and death with her. Well, she was Mother Nature after all. “Hylia has.”

“Hylia or your own anger?”

He stopped and thought. “You think my anger got in the way and did this? She is the reason for all my anger.”

Allmother laughed. “My son, you two have always been each other's anger and joy.”

“This is different. She took things, people, away from me out of spite!”

There was a sigh. “She has and ever since then she has fallen further and further from the path of light. She needs to be brought back.”

“And I am to do that how? She has malice in her blood and I can’t extract that from her. There's no telling what she is doing right now with the nine heroes.”

“They are fine and yes I do expect this of you, but not by yourself. I’m sending your other sisters with you. Work together and end this chaos. Oh, and one last thing.” He waited. “How would you like to be restored?”

The light that followed him returning to the world of the living was blinding, even to him. He landed on his hands and one knee, head bowed. There was a strange sensation coming from his back as his large white wings grew back to their once glory. His red scarfed cloak hung around his shoulders. A thin, black material was tucked under the neck of his shirt and covered his mouth and nose, only showing his glowing white eyes. When he was bound to his mask, his weaponry was reduced down to the single blade everyone knew him for. Now, he had his full inventory. At his hip was his trusted whip. He pulled it from its ties and cracked it once.

The whip was braided with the power of light, the same light Hylia was born from. He swirled it then caught Hylia by her torso before she hurt the boys more than the few cuts they had. When it felt secured, her hollers confirmed it, he yanked her back into his arms.

She thrashed against him with all her might, but with his full power no one stood a chance.

Dametrius saw three figures walk towards him and he went to his knees, still holding Hylia to his chest. The three held up their hands and spoke the same words, “Be free.” A warmth cascaded over him and the one he was holding. He basked in the holiness of it, but Hylia was screaming as the malice was being banished from her.

“Well well, if it isn’t the double trouble.”

Dametrius laughed, “Nice to see you too Nayru.”

Din shifted to her other foot. “I see she still can’t win in a fair fight. What was she thinking?”

Dametrius looked down at his unconscious sister. “We can find out when she wakes up.”

“Let us tend to her. You have company.” Farore smiled and hugged him around his neck.

The three of them took Hylia away to he didn’t know where, because he had just enough time to turn around and catch Wild in his arms. His boy was tucked into the side of his neck, shaking. Then there were more bodies on him and he had no choice but to lie down and take the pile of boys that were smothering him.

Wind was in his other arm, Hyrule on his chest and brought Four down with him. Sky, Wars and Legend were on him too, but can’t look to see where. A big wolf, Twilight, was looking down at him and he gave a hidden smile to the pup. Twi laid down, curled around his head and partly on Wild.

Malon gave a chuckle, “Boys, let him up.” No one went against her.

One by one they got up until it was only Wild and Twilight in his Hylian form. It took him by surprise when Twilight talked since he hadn’t in weeks. “You gave us a scare.”

“I’m sorry.”

A moment later and it was only Wild still clinging to him. “Link?”

“Don’t do that again, please. I can’t handle something like that right now.”

Dametrius rubbed the boys back. “I will try, I promise, but I am here and I’m fine.”

Wild sat back and gave him a look over. “So this is you, wings and all?”

“Wings and all.” They stood and he brought his wings out. Allmother spoiled him. His wings were bigger and fuller than they once were. “Feel whole now.”

Everyone made room for Malon to walk forward and she draped her arms around his neck saying, “It’s good to see you again, maybe you can stay longer this time.”

Stay longer he did. He was happy to see this Hyrule outside of the mask and started to understand what Time was feeling in the memories they shared. Besides, he had time to spare. Hylia didn’t wake until the next afternoon.

With her head low, she made her way to him and the heroes that were with him. “Fierce, I-I don’t even know where to start and saying sorry isn’t even close to good enough. I will do anything, anything to fix what I have done to you.”

He lifts his sister’s chin. “We can sort through all that later. I need to know what is going on with Demise.”

She gave a nod and began to explain. “When the sword broke during Wild's last adventure it set Demise’s soul free. In doing so, his minions that survived this long have gathered what they need to revive him. He has been building an army of only the best throughout the timelines, one enemy from each hero's adventure.”

“That's why the heroes were brought together. You were hoping to get rid of the other players and prevent all this. Shit Hylia. And you planned on taking them on alone?”

“I had to do something and I wasn’t going to ask you for help after everything. I was trying to see if the power in the original malice could be converted and used on our side. Obviously it didn’t go well.”

“Clearly.” He was stressed, confused, lost and having an internal war.

“Fierce, I don’t want to ask this of you and not because it’s you, but because of what I’ve done to you. I have no right to ask, but I’m asking. Please, help me rid the world of him.” When he didn’t answer, she added, “I want to give you a gift, even if you say no. Even if you say yes and we lose, I want you to have this gift.” There was a sweet smell in the air. A scent he hadn’t smelt in over one hundred years. “Brother, turn around.”

He slowly turned to who was at his back. Golden hair looked like a wheat field on fire as the sun was setting. Cobalt blue eyes stared back at him with so much love. Two hands were on their stomach… a pregnant stomach. It couldn’t be…

“Demetrius?”

“Freya…”

Chapter Text

His eyes and ears had to be betraying him. She was dead. He buried her that night, yet she was smiling at him. Just like Dametrius had told Malon when they first met, he fell to his knees in front of her. His forehead barely pressed against her belly. He could feel his daughter kicking inside, causing his heart to swell with mixed emotions that he couldn't control.

His breath caught in his throat when her small, warm hands cupped his chin to get him to look at her. She moved his bangs from his eyes and traced the red markings along his cheeks with her thumb.

She was alive and he had an overwhelming amount of guilt rising in his chest. He couldn't look in her eyes anymore. He placed his forehead on her stomach again, a hand on her hip and one hand covering hers. "I've missed you." That was all he could get out as tears threatened to spill.

He could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "I've missed you too, but I was never truly gone. You kept my memory alive all this time."

He stood and cupped both of her cheeks, taking in every detail of her. "My morning sun, you are so beautiful." 

"And you are still a smooth talker." They both gave a humored chuckle. "Are you just going to just look at me or are going to lean down here and kiss me?" The tears slipped as they met in a long awaited, chast kiss. She was back and he was never letting go. Anyone who threatened to try was going to be joining Bozai at the bottom of the fucking mountain, but only after he lived up to his name as the God of War.

The front door opened and he heard Time whisper to grab Wild from the spare bedroom.

"Who's Wild?" she asked.

"You'll see." Dametrius pulled her into a hug, fingers massaging her scalp as they waited.

"Mom?" The two broke their hug and turned towards the voice. "Mom!" Wild ran over to her, but stopped before colliding with her. He had his own tears falling.

"Link? Look at you, you're all grown now." Wild was her height.

Wild didn't give her time to say or do anything else. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, head laid in the crook of her neck. He was trembling and his words explained why. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you die. I should have done something, anything to stop them." He let out a sob with a sniffle. Dametrius ran a hand through Wild’s hair for a little extra comfort.

She leaned into him, stroking his back. "My sweet boy, you were only a babe. What happened was not your fault. It wasn't your job to protect me, but mine to protect you." Dametrius wanted to say something about how he should have been there, but the glare he got halted him. "And don't you start either." she jokingly scolded.

Wild laughed wetly. He smiled at Freya saying, "At least you haven't changed."

"Never." She kissed his cheek. "Why the name change?" She twirled the white part of his bangs curiously with a head tilt.

"Would have gotten confusing if I didn't use the nickname."

Dametrius waved to all the others who were on the porch to come over. "There's some people you should meet." When gathered he spoke, "Boys, Malon, this is my wife, Freya. Freya, this is Sky, Four, Shadow, Time and his wife Malon, Legend, Wind, Warriors, Hyrule and Twilight."

"It's nice to meet you all. I take it that all your names are nicknames too." Freya was smart, too smart. "If you are all Links', does that mean you are all heroes?" Dametrius saw the look in her eyes as she scanned them all. Too young, all of them…

"Yes ma'am." Four answered.

Freya looked at her son. "Don't tell me…" Wild looked down. "Oh how dare she. Where is she?!" She gathered her dress and marched in the direction of Hylia, the others snorted or laughed out loud.

He let her get a dozen steps in before he collected himself, ruffling WIld’s hair as he went to grab his beloved. "Oh no you don't!" Dametrius laughed as he scooped her up into his arms bridal style. "You are pregnant and in no shape to break your foot off in anyone's ass right now. Maybe afterward. Besides, you shouldn't be on your feet."

"I have been back for five minutes and already you are fussing over me." She gave a slight pull to his ear with an adoring smile.

"If I remember correctly and I do, your due date is in three days. Excuse me for caring." He kissed her cheek and put her down.

Malon walked forward and took Freya's hand. "We just added a guest house, let me show you there so your husband doesn't have an aneurysm from stressing over you."

"You are too kind. Thank you." She slipped her hand from Dametrius's to Wild's, who happily walked hand in hand with his mother and his very distant ancestor. 

Time amusedly chuckled and stood beside him. "She is a spitfire. I wonder where she gets it from."

"Your wife's side of the family." he deadpanned.

"She's beautiful. The portrait in the house falls short." Sky, the romantic in the group.

"I like her!" Wind was buzzing with excitement.

"You said her due date is in three days according to the last time you saw her?" Twilight asked, looking slightly pale. He also was trying to not say when she was dead and the god appreciated it.

"Yep."

"How are you not freaking out right now?" Legend had his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Why should I be worried? She delivered Wild just fine. He was so tiny. Three pushes and he popped out and I had to catch him." Legend was still gawking.

Warriors patted his back, adding, "Oh I'm sure there's nothing to worry about this time. Just Daddy's little girl being born right before the biggest war of all time."

Dametrius stopped all movements including breathing. How did he not think of that?!

"Nice one asshole, now he's going to freak out." Shadow slapped Warriors arm.

Hyrule huffed at all of them. "Everything will work out just fine."

Snapping back to his thoughts, he immediately teleported to Hylia's side. "You're not telling me something. What's that catch with Freya?" He took pride in making her jump.

She put down the cup that two seconds ago had water in it and looked at him. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

"Hylia."

"Really! I just made it to where she can't die outside of old age."

"And?"

"I know you would not want to live without her again, so if you would like it to be, the moment she dies you will too."

He gave her a genuine smile. This was the Hylia he knew. The giver of life, loving and selfless. She had been broken for too long and only now could he see that she only lashed out in the ways she did because she was in an unending amount of pain. He didn't excuse her actions, but he understood enough to give some forgiveness. He pulled her into a hug that lifted her off her feet and kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"No, thank you for saving me. Now go be with her and Link." She shoved him away with a laugh.

He didn't need to be told twice. He walked his way to the guest house after thanking Time and Malon for the hospitality given to Freya.

He knocked lightly on the bedroom door that was partly closed and he saw a precious sight. Freya had pillows behind her as she laid on the bed and under her right arm was Wild, no… Link. Right now he was only their Link. He was sound asleep with his head against her chest, her fingers played with his hair while she hummed. He looked so small.

"Love, come to bed with us." Freya whispered to him, her left hand stuck out to him.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Moving to the other side of the bed he debated on his next action.

"What is it?" Her brows were knitted.

"It's just, well… don't make a fuss." He gave her a pleading look.

"I promise."

He knelt on the bed and lifted Link's right arm slowly so he could get his finger on the release. His prosthetic unlocked and he could turn and remove it from the stump. They learned the hard way that he couldn’t sleep with it on too many times or it began to irritate the skin and nerves. He set it aside and looked back at her. Bless her, she was trying to hold it in.

Dametrius pulled back the covers for all of them to slip into after taking off the other two peoples shoes. He laid at Link's back, arm propping him up and his other draped over their son and holding Freya's empty hand.

Looking at Link like this with Freya brought back emotions he had lost. He looked like the same boy from the last time the family was together. He needed healing and a mother’s love was going to be the cure.

His thoughts were swimming in an endless cycle of emotions, disbelief and what ifs. How would things have turned out if he had been with her when the Yiga showed up? Would Link have still wanted to join the Hylian Army? Would he have been chosen by Hylia? Would someone else be chosen? Would he have died still? But if all that didn't happen would he have met Twilight or the others? Would he have fallen in love with Mipha or Zelda? Could-

"Dametrius, hey, what are you thinking of?" She could see right through him.

He smiled because she still was calming his storms, bringing him to his knees and stilling his frantic heart with her lullaby voice. "It's nothing to worry about, only thinking."

"Don't do that."

"What, think?" He gave a soft laugh.

She didn't return the humor. "Don't shut me out. Talk to me."

"Freya." There was guilt in his tone and in his eyes. She shouldn't have to worry about what happened during her leave.

"I was dead. I missed so many years, so many memories and I know there was pain with it. I want to know what all happened and I want to be here for both of you because you both need it." She sighed, looked down at their sleeping son and stroked his unblemished cheek. "He has scars that tell a story, but it's a story that I don't know. How am I supposed to look at him without heartbreak if I don't know why my heart is broken for him in the first place?"

She had to be right. “Do you have any tissues?” She flicked his forehead playfully. He told her everything, from the beginning. From the day she died and he buried her, Link joining the military, his death, his awakening, the journey and how Twilight became part of the family, Link saving Zelda, how eight heroes showed up, the chaos that followed and how Link defeated Ganondorf and the unfortunate events that followed.

She wanted to know more about Zelda, the relationship Link shared with her and her research. He didn’t expect it to be as difficult as it was to tell Freya of her, but he couldn’t stop the tears that flooded his eyes. “She was like a daughter. Fearless, bold, respectful and could hold her own against both of us and with the other heroes. She was very much like someone I know.”

Freya smiled at her husband, but was still questioning things. “You said she held the full Triforce.”

“Yes.”

“How did Link banish Ganondorf if he didn’t hold any of it?”

“The Triforce was passed to him or at least Courage and Wisdom were. Ganondorf had gotten ahold of Power when he sacrificed her. He said that when Ganon was killed, the Power pieces disappeared to somewhere he couldn’t follow."

"Is that normal?"

"No. It makes me wonder if Demise had something to do with it or one of his puppets."

“You’re going to fight him, aren’t you?”

He kissed her forehead. “I am, but this time will be different. I won’t have to hold back and I will have my sisters with me.”

She kept her head pressed to his shoulder. “Do you forgive Hylia?”

“Not fully.”

“You need to, Dametrius. If you go into this war and have any ill thoughts towards her, it could be used against you. Please, make amends.” 

He calmed her down before she got all worked up. “Okay, okay. I will. For now, let’s focus on this right here.” They both looked down at their sleeping child. Sinking down into the bed, they slipped into sleep. It was the first sleep that Dametrius could actually say honestly that he was at peace.

It was a few hours until he woke to an empty bed and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest thinking it had all been a dream. The sounds of laughter reminded him that it was real. He slowly made his way through the guest house to the kitchen where the missing two were. He leaned against the doorway, just listening and watching them interact.

Link was showing his mother the slate and the pictures he had taken over the last few years. “Okay, so who is that?” Freya had asked.

“That is Sidon.”

“No it’s not! My goodness he grew up to be tall. And you said he helped you with the Divine Beast by letting you ride on his back while you shot Ice blocks that were thrown at you?” Her voice held excitement.

“Right.”

“Is he still enthusiastic?” They had met the prince when he was very small and he was very energetic and overly caring then.

“Worse! I made a trip to the Domaine once and Bazz told him that I had been refusing their hospitality due to needing to get back on the road and he kidnapped me! He took away the slate and refused to give it back until I ate, slept and had any wounds I had tended to.”

Freya covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “What did Twilight do?”

“Ugh, he helped.” That had them both laughing. “He is a great friend, mentor, brother and ancestor. I have learned so much from him, from all of them. I hated the idea of going on this adventure, but in a way I needed it.”

She carded her fingers through his hair and he leaned into it with a sigh. “I’m sure they all feel the same way towards you, our era and this journey as a whole. Just the history alone has to be fantastic.”

“Zel always talked about history and read the books. Not all of it was accurate, but when has Hyrule ever kept a good track of history? Speaking of history and research, I have something for you.” Link pulled out a worn leather book, handing it to her.

“Is this my journal?” Dametrius watched her flip through the pages. “This is amazing. Zelda uncovered so much.” She closed the book and pulled Link into a hug.

Link held her tight. “I really have missed you Mom.”

“I’m here now and I’m not leaving you or your Father again.” Freya opened her eyes and turned when Dametrius decided to walk into the room. “Well look who finally woke up.”

“Thought you were going to sleep the whole day away.” Link was still holding his mother’s hand as if letting go would make her disappear.

Damertius gave a yawn. “Not today. What have you two been up to?”

“Catching up.” They both said at the same time, causing all three of them to chuckle.

There was a knock on the front door. Link stood, kissed his mother’s cheek and went to see who it was. Dametrius ruffled the boy's hair as he went past. “He is so you.” Freya whispered at him.

“That’s terrifying.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But you did predict that.”

“I know my boys.”

Link walked back in. “Malon is almost done with making dinner. Wind was letting us know.”

The three made their way across the yards together to join the others for the meal, neither husband nor son let go of Freya’s hands the whole walk. Dametrius directed Freya to an open chair between him and Link. “Malon.” Freya started, “I wish I could have helped you cook.”

Malon, her sweet self, smiled. “You are our guest, a very honored guest. I’m more than happy to do this.”

Time added, “Don’t let her fool you. She just doesn’t like to share the kitchen. Took her a while to let Wild set a foot in there with her.” He dodged the wooden spoon swatted at him.

“Oh you! Wild can actually cook, unlike most of the rest. Including you, Fairy Boy.”

Four leaned over to whisper, “And never let Hyrule cook. He will either poison you or blow up the house.”

“I heard that!” Hyrule threw a roll at Four, who caught it. “At least I didn’t pick up a bomb thinking it was a normal plant.”

Twilight growned, “Let’s not recall that day.”

Freya looked around. “Who did that?”

Twilight dramatically looked at Wild. “How was I supposed to know?! You have plants that are bombs and plants that will try to eat you. We don’t have that, we have normal things.” Wild crossed his arms at the older.

Wars patted Wild’s shoulder as he took his seat. “Nothing in your era is normal Champ.”

Wild just threw his hands into the air.

Legend took a bite of food before saying, “Wild’s era has a few things going for them though. The coolest thing is that everyone makes their own potions. It has saved us a few more times than I care to think. On top of that, the food has healing elements as well as boosters.”

Time nudged Wind, “Wake up Sky before he face plants into his plate.”

Wind gave a shiteating grin. Dametrius hid his smile as Wind tip-toed over to the first hero. The youngest took a slice of cheese from Shadow who held it out for him. Those two could get into so much trouble. Everyone braced themselves. Wind took a deep breath then screamed, “SKY!!”

The older was on his feet in a flash. Eyes still fogged, Wind threw the cheese and it stuck to the other's face with an audible slap. Sky stumbled and tripped backwards and landed on his butt. He removed the cheese with a glare.

“He told me to!” Wind pointed at Time, eyes wide.

“I told you to wake hi-ah!” The same cheese was now across Times face. Malon snorted with a hand over her mouth. The fun went full circle when the cheese flew across the room and nailed Wind on the forehead. Time turned to his wife, pulling her into his lap. “You laughed at me.”

“You’ll get over it.”

The bantering between the boys was lighthearted and kept the atmosphere at ease, though Dametrius was a little uneasy. He didn’t want to think about what was coming up or who all he would be up against. A hand snuck into his and all thoughts of the future fight disappeared. Freya had her head tilted ever so slightly with her eyebrows pulled together with worry. He just squeezed her hand, then brought it to his lips. He caught Wild’s eyes and winked at him. The three were so in touch with each other's moods and ways of thinking.

What the three didn’t think of was how Time would be able to read the silent conversation. The oldest hero rubbed his bad eye with an expression of discomfort. Malon touched his shoulder from where she sat next to him. “Dear, are you alright?”

He removed his hand saying, “I’m fine. It just does that now and then, no need to worry.” He tried to give a reassuring smile.

Damertrius knew what just happened. There was no way he could miss it, the feeling of rage and anticipation. “How long has that been going on?”

“Since we met in Hateno the first time. I’ll be fine.”

“No you won’t. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Legend cleared his throat, “Ahem, does someone want to share with the rest of us?”

“It can wait.” Time said before Damertius could argue.

The god wasn’t going to let it slide. “This conversation isn’t over. I want to see it.”

The two stared at each other, but ended when Time huffed, “Fine.” Victory smile of course was across Dametrius’s face.

Freya had so many questions, as any researcher would, and the boys were happy to go over the adventure they had all been on together. She was at the edge of her seat the whole time and laughed with them. The others also had questions for her, most being about Wild as a child. The memories were fresh for her and some of the things said made the father and son groan because of the crazy things they got into. She informed them of the shield surfing down the hillside near their late home and how Wild made the mistake of turning towards the forest in the valley.

“Wait, isn’t there a Lynel down there?” Sky asked suddenly.

Freya chuckled, “There is.”

Dametrius added in, “I swear it remembered me after the first Blood Moon we had.”

“I would think so. You did beat it to death with its own horn.” She was enjoying her husband's suffering in this conversation. He just put his head back and waited for the questions to start.

“You did what?” Hyrule was a laughing mess as he leaned into Legend for support.

“Wild walked right up to it with not a trace of fear and even did grabby hands to it. When it roared, he giggled and roared back.” Freya ran her fingers through the said boy’s hair.

Demetrius and Twi looked at each other, both had the same thought… That's why Wild roared back at the Lynel on the plateau.

“Now I know who to blame for how Wild is.” Twilight was still dreading the conversation.

“Don’t act like you are too much better than him.” Time said as he put his glass to his lips. “You did burn down a whole barn.”

“That was supposed to stay between us, Old Man!”

“Yes! And you get mad at me for setting things on fire.” Wild wiggled in his seat.

“Wild, no!” Twi pointed a finger at him.

“Twi, yes!!”

“You burned down part of a forest!”

“I fixed it though!” Wild summoned the water in Twi’s cup to splash on his face.

“You little brat!” Twi stood and ran after Wild, who had taken off the second he pulled his little stunt.

Malon leaned into Time. “I think you’ll have your hands full now.”

“I had my hands full already. I just won’t let Wars and Wild go anywhere alone.”

“Hey!” Wars looked so betrayed. “Watch it Sprite! Paybacks are in order.”

“Whatever you say, Big Brother.” Time stuck out his tongue like the little gremlin he really was.

Freya was still banished from helping with the kitchen, but kept good conversations with Malon and Time while the boys cleaned up the dining room. Once all that was done, Dametrius stuck out his hand to Time, saying, “Hand it over.”

“Not in the house.” Time said as he went to grab his adventure bag.

Some of the boys overheard and grabbed the others to go outside. They waited patiently for Time. “Here.” Time said and handed the mask over.

“Is that-” Freya started.

“It is.” Dametrius took it and felt the rage inside. Time grabbed the side of his face with a groan. “It knows there's a fight coming and wants to be part of it. That’s why the markings are hurting.”

“May I?” Freya asked. He let her.

“Mom, no.” Wild took a few steps closer.

Freya only laughed. “When I burned the Mask, setting free your Father, I wasn’t dealing with the man that stands in front of you now. I was dealing with a Deity, a god, that only knew bloodshed, anger, pain and suffering for thousands of years.” She rubbed a hand over the mask. “I learned quickly that I was his weakness and I wasn’t allowed to show any. His mind at the time was dark and he was fighting it just so he wouldn’t kill me. It took a lot of sleepless nights and gentle words for me to truly set him free. So, if I can handle that, I think I can handle this.” She looked at the mask saying, “If you don’t behave, I’ll make you regret it when you are set free.”

The mask gave a slight hum.

“That… actually worked.” Time sighed in relief.

“Will it let him wear it without the whole out of control thing happening, at least during our big battle?” Wind asked.

“What big battle do you think you are getting into?” Dametrius asked in all seriousness.

“You are going against Demise and many others that we have already fought before. You think we are going to sit by?” Sky had fire in his eyes.

“Yes, I actually do.” Dametrius wasn’t going to let them anywhere near this war.

“Dad, this is why we were pulled together. To fight this battle.”

“It isn’t your war. It never was and it shouldn’t be now.” 

Legend gave a scoffing laugh. “Nothing we have been through was really meant to happen, yet here we are. All of us are seasoned adventurers and won’t let you get in over your head when we could help.”

“Or get killed. “ Dametrius retorted.

Four added in, “And that didn’t stop us from doing what was right before.”

“And it won’t now.” Shadow crossed his arms.

“We are a team. This war was made into ours from the moment we were chosen to be heroes.”

“Caps right.” Hyrule took a step forward. “We are seeing this all the way through.”

Time pulled Malon to his side. “I’ve got one more good war in me.”

“Well, it seems like you are outnumbered on this. We are all in.” Twilight gave a toothy grin.

A new voice chimed in. “True hearts of courage.'' Everyone turned and saw all of Dametrius’s sisters. Farore was the one to speak. “We are going to need the extra help this time.”

“Mhm, but not all of them that have magic in them have tapped into it.” Nayru looked at the boys. “But they can be taught.”

“Get enough rest young heroes. Training starts tomorrow.” Din laughed.

Hylia looked at her sisters, her brother, then the ground. She hated this as much as the only brother there.

Freya smacked her husband. He got the hint. “Hylia?”

Her head rose quickly. “Hm?”

He reached for her and pulled her to his chest. He spoke into her hair, “I forgive you, fully.” Her shoulder’s trembled with the tears she let out.

Wild joined the hug saying that he forgave her too. One by one they all did until it was just Legend. “Oh what the hell… I wouldn’t have met these crazy people if it weren’t for you. So yeah, I forgive ya too.”

“Thank you.” Hylia said softly.

Almost all the cracks in Dametrius’s soul and heart were now healed.

The following morning the training started.

“So who are we up against?” Warriors asked, like the captain he was. The heroes and gods/goddesses were gathered outside near the barn.

Din spoke first. “Obviously Demise and Ghirahim. We saw Vati from Four’s adventure. Dark Link and Phantom Ganon together from Time’s first journey. Winds is Helmaroc King. Legend’s is Shadow Nightmare. Warriors is Cia. Hyrule has Thunderbird. Twilight has Zant and of course that means Shadow Creatures. Wild you have Aster.”

Dametrius looked at all the heroes and could only describe the looks on their faces as horror and PTSD. How some of these enemies came back to life, he didn’t know, but this was going to be a fight from hell. “Three powerful magic wielders, two giant birds, a nightmare hallucinogenic, a counterpart with a phantom, a Demon Lord, a powerful Twilight usurper that has pets and my brother. What could go wrong?” He rubbed both hands over his face, but quickly looked to his left when he heard someone losing their breakfast.

Warriors was bent over at the waist, hands on his knees. It was a testament to how uneasy all the others were when Legend didn’t even hint at making fun of him. By the time Time got the Captain’s side, Wars was on his hands and knees, heaving. Time ran smooth circles along his back and gave comforting words. He and Dametrius were the only one who knew how bad Cia really was with her obsession for the hero and Wars had always blamed himself for the war.

“Do you remember Aster?” Dametrius asked hushley to Wild.

“Unfortunately. I beat him once, I’ll beat him again. Besides, we can all help each other if we need to. This won’t be the end of the heroes.” Dametrius couldn’t have been more proud of the man his son had become. He placed a hand on the back of his neck and kissed the top of his head.

Farore grabbed Dametrius’s wrist. “I’ll take Sky and Hyrule. We won't be too far away, just out far enough that no one will get struck by lightning.”

Sky stiffened. “Lightning? Why would I need to be around for lightning training?”

Hylia answered him. “You killed Demise at the end of your journey. When you kill a god or goddess, you gain their power. He had the ability to produce and use lightning.” Sky seemed too pale. “Do not be afraid. It will come from you, therefore it can’t hurt you.”

“But I could hurt someone else.” Sky swallowed thickly.

“Kinda the point don’t you think?” Farore asked with a chuckle. Nayru flicked her ear. “Ouch! I know what he meant! I wield the power of the earth and the sky, I will help you.”

Din pointed at the heroes she would help. “Warriors, Time and Wind, you three are with me.”

“What do we get to work on?” Wind asked with a grin from ear to ear.

“Fire.”

The grin dropped off his face. “But I don’t have fire as an ability.”

The goddess chuckled. “Dear child, don’t you know what helps fire grow and be controlled? Your Wind Waker will be able to not produce fire, but manipulate it due to fire needing air.”

Legend sighed. “Oh no, we are going to have another pyromaniac.”

Nayru placed a hand on Legend and Four’s shoulder. “You two are with me.”

“I have Wild. There's a few godly things I want him to learn.” Damertrius was surprised that Hylia chose Wild to teach. “And I have something to explain.” Wild only nodded.

“Twilight, you’re with me.” Dametrius ruffled the wolf hero’s hair. They all split off and began the training needed to have if they were going to be successful against their enemies.

Dametrius wanted to see how the others were fairing with his sisters in charge, but he knew the hero in front of him needed him. They had gone over all the things Zant was capable of doing and how Twi had defeated him the first time. Dametrius had slight knowledge of the Twili through the visions the Sword had given him.

Twilight was a strong fighter, brute force with technique. Time’s or Shade’s technique. Dametrius tested his strength, since he was the only one that really could. The boy was built like an Ordonian Goat! Though the deity had his full arsenal back, he only used his Double Helix blade and his whip.  The whip was more so for corrections than anything else.

They took a break after about three hours and the worried father figure had to ask as they watch the others train, “Are you okay?”

“Just winded a bit. You can be hard to keep up with.” Twilight chuckled and drank some water.

“I’m not asking you as a fighter, as Twilight who is part of the chain of legendary heroes or even Twilight the one who walked into our lives before this adventure. Link, are you okay?”

They locked eyes for a long moment. It was the first time he called him by his birth name. The boy’s eyes gave him away before he looked to the ground. “No, I’m not. How is Zant here? I understand the others if they all are part of the normal Hylian world, but Zant wasn’t or isn’t. He is a Twili from the Twilight Realm. The realm that she… ”

Dametrius heard the emotions in his voice. He pulled him into his side for comfort. “I’m so sorry, Link. this isn’t fair to you or the other. I wish there was another way.”

“Does this mean she’s back too?”

He didn’t like to disappoint, but he knew the truth. “I’m sure that if she was, she would have shown herself to you already. And I think that the reason Zant is able to be here is due to being pulled through time from Warriors era. He was there pre your journey, but Midna did ride in on a shadow wolf. I can’t explain how she made it to the war, but it definitely was after she was with you. I don’t think she had a way to get to you after the war. Portals opened and took everyone back to their own time and place.”

“How did Time do it?”

Dametrius truly laughed. “That question has been around since the day he was born. His Zelda, Lullaby, gave him the Ocarina of Time and it was blessed with the Goddess of Time’s gift of time travel, though we went through a portal too to get to the war.”

“What was he like back then?”

The god recalled the young boy in question and looked across the yard to where Time was watching Wind create a fire tornado. He raised his eyebrows at the sight. “Imagine Wild during his adventure, but younger and more spontaneous.”

The two let out groans before laughing. Twi picked his sword up again saying, “Come one before we get accused of slacking off.”

It was nearing mid afternoon when Twilight abruptly stopped one of his attacks. His ears perked up and he took a deep breath in through his nose, eyes scanning the smell more than the what was in front of him. “What is it?” Dametrius asked hushedly.

There is a slight curl to the corner of his lips, “Malon is-”

“Dametrius!!” Malon hollered out from the guest house, excitement and anxiety in her voice. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

“-is about to come get you.”

His own ear twitched and he could just barely hear Freya in the background sounding distressed. “The baby.” He teleported to Malon’s side, apologizing for startling her.

“Her water just broke. She didn’t want to call for you until she knew for sure she was in labor.” Malon and him quickly walked inside to where Freya was dressed down to just her long white under nightgown. “I’ll get Time to help with supplies needed.” Malon left with a smile.

Dametrius hurried over to where Freya was pacing, a hand on her low back and the other rubbing large circles on her stomach. Sweat clung to her skin, hair in a messy bun and she was doing the slow breathing. He walked up to behind her and placed his hands under her belly to slightly lift. She hummed at the pressure released and weight off her low back. “How far are contractions apart?”

“Every few minutes.” She sounded so tired.

“Tell me what you need.”

“Just you for the moment. She is wanting out and does not want to wait.” She laid her head back on her husband’s chest. “Are you ready to meet our little girl?”

“I’ve been ready for so long.”

“Good, because I am about to start pushing. Help me to the bed please.” He helped her waddle to the bed and got her comfortable before the next contraction came.

She was on her knees, swaying side to side as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, head laid in the nook on his neck. He rubbed a firm hand along the top of her hips, giving encouragement and praises.

A soft knock on the door told them that Malon and Time were there. "Hey." Malon whispered. "We have towels, hot water and a nasal sucker. We are used to animal births, not much in the Hylian births."

Freya chuckled tiredly, "That should be enough for now, thank you." She sighed as the contractions died off. "Didn't you say they were going to have kids around this age?"

Dametrius looked at the stunned couple. "It'll be good practice. You two should stay."

"What?" Time looked the exact same as he did when the boys got turned into babies with both eyes open.

Freya huffed then clung to Dametrius as another contraction came and she started pushing. Her body was shaking with the strain.

Malon got right to helping, leaving Time still stunned in the bedroom doorway. She sat behind Freya and rubbed where Dametrius instructed to. 

It was another two contractions before Freya let out a holler. "I can't! I can't do it!"

"Yes you can, you are doing great. What can we do to help?" Dametrius wanted her just breath for a moment and then they could get through this.

"Something is different, it isn't right. It doesn't feel right!" She let out a sob into his neck, fingers gripping his hair at his nape.

Dametrius's heart sank at the thought of something being wrong. "What do you mean?" He tried to keep his words calm.

"She's coming, but it-!" She let out another scream from the pain of pushing. "-it feels like she has extra arms or something."

Well that was an unexpected answer. "Love, can you sit and lay back? I know that's the worst position, but I need to be able to see her as she comes out." There was a sniffle and a nod. "Time, come sit where I am and help hold her partly up."

Time slipped in behind Freya and she grabbed his hands to hold on to. "Are you sure you want my help like this?" Freya only held his hands tighter, if the white knuckles meant anything.

"Just help her breathe through it. We are all family here anyways." The god smirked.

Malon was the next to say, "What?"

"You didn't tell her?"

"I told her about Twi, but not Wild or the others."

Malon gawked at her husband. "What?!"

Dametrius chuckled. "So you're both kind of helping deliver your great granddaughter."

Freya glared at her own husband for a moment before her face scrunched up. "Yeah, cool, family… having a baby here!!"

Dametrius sheepishly says sorry before lifting her nightgown up to the tops of her knees. “Push, push, push!”

“Nnn-AHH!”

“She’s crowning. A few more pushes, that’s all.” Dametrius reassured.

Time whispered to his descendant, “You are doing so good. Just a little longer, then you get to meet your daughter.”

Malon counted to ten as Freya pushed again with a scream and the god said that her head was out. It was around that time that Dametrius could see why this little one felt differently coming out than Wild. There was extra movement, but not extra arms. He apologized for the discomfort he gave as he struck two fingers inside along the baby's back. He gasped then sighed in relief.

"Dametrius Fierce! You can't make those sounds and facial expressions and not say anything! Is she okay?" Freya was trying to sit up more, but the pain pinned her down. Time held her closer and moved the sweat filled bangs from her face.

“She’s perfect. Those aren’t extra arms you are feeling. They are her wings.” Dametrius had to let out a small wet laugh because he never thought one of his children would have wings. Actually, he never thought he would have children at all. It wasn’t something that gods or goddesses did since that was always up to their Almother and all of the higher beings were siblings of sorts. “Little skin covered nubby wings. I’ll keep them folded down so they don’t hurt you as you push, okay?”

“M’kay, but I need to go back to how I was. I can’t push sitting like this.” Frey tried to move again, this time all three of them helped her. She rested against Time’s body, gripping his tunic.

Dametrius caught the look between the couple helping and the simple love between them in that look. He laughed internally since he was the only one that knew that it was this current year that Malon would be pregnant with twins. It brought a wave of sadness to him too. Time wasn’t going to live to see them grow past the young teen stage and Malon would be left to raise them alone. It made him not want to take anything for granted, ever.

“Okay darling, whenever you are ready.” He ran his warm hand along her outer exposed thigh for encouragement. When she took a few deep breaths he got the little wings in place, Malon had towels ready and Time was holding and still giving comforting words.

Freya gave it all she had and screamed as she did. Dametrius cradled the baby’s head as she came out. Once her shoulder’s slipped into her father’s hands, the rest of her took no effort and she slid right into her father’s waiting hands, barely filling them both up.

Time held Freya when she finally settled onto her back again. Dametrius grabbed the nasal sucker and cleared his baby’s airways. There was no cry yet and he took the warm towel handed to him to coax the little one to breathe as she squirmed in his arms. He turned her over and patted her back and rubbed it to stimulate her. Four sighs of relief when the little one gave her first cry.

The father cleaned her up with the water and soft cloths, kissed her head and handed her to her mother’s open arms. “She’s so beautiful.” Freya whispered, tracing her fingers along the pink skin. “Look at her markings, dear.”

Her forehead held the same blue marking as her deity father, but it continued along her hairline like a band and the bottom of the marking was lined in red. Her bottom lip to the bottom of her chin was a single blue line. In the few seconds that she had her eyes open, they all saw solid white eyes. She also was born with a head full of hair… pure white hair.

“Does Wild have markings too?” Malon fondling looked at the newborn.

Dametrius answered. “He does, but they receded after he was a year old. The only times they show now is if he has been using his abilities.”

Time removed himself from behind Freya, swapping places again for Dametrius. “Speaking of Wild, he was a nervous wreck earlier.”

Apparently the one mentioned heard his name and knocked on the bedroom door. “Far, Mor?”

“Link, komme inn.” Freya held her hand out towards her son to come closer when he entered.

Link looked hesitant, eyes scanning and rubbing his left arm. The irony of talking about markings was there since his were on display. He loosened up when Malon gave him a big hug and Time ruffled his hair.

“We will give you all some privacy.” Time escorted his wife and himself out to the others.

“She’s so tiny.” Link said as he crawled onto the bed next to them. He looked mesmerized by his sister.

“Do you want to hold her?” Not giving room to say no, Freya started to pass the baby over. “Just don’t pull, okay? She is still attached to me.”

Dametrius laughed at how Link went a little green. “Let me get a sanitized knife.”

Link went pale. “Knife? Why do you need a knife? Mom, why does he need a knife?”

Soothing her son and holding in a laugh, she explained. “We aren’t like animals, Starlight. We have to cut the umbilical cord from the baby and push out the placenta.”

There was a noise that Dametrius could only describe as a noise of horror quietly coming from Link. he found some yarn and a knife that he washed and heated up so it would caurterise the cord. He tied off two parts of the cord and sliced through it with the burning knife. He did give some sympathy to his son and helped Freya push out the placenta, only when he was looking at the baby and would be unphased. He also got her cleaned up, new nightgown and sheets. Link was so consumed by his sister that he didn’t even notice until he had to get up to get the sheets off.

Dametrius sat on the bed, Freya’s back pressed to his chest, Link under his arm and head on his mother’s shoulder, while their new born suckled for the first time. Freya began to hum a tune that the other two knew. It wasn’t really a song for a babe, but it was soothing and light with her voice. 

Så lilla vän                                    So little friend

Dimman för dig hem igen            The mist brings you home again

Om du går vilse                           If you get lost

Natten är lang                             The night is long

Tusen stjärnors urtidssång         The ancient song of a thousand stars

Dimmorna dansar                       The mist dances

Sov lilla vän                                Sleep little friend

Skogen vaktar, värmer dig         The forest guards, warms you

Om du är frusen                        If you are frozen

Norrskensljus                            Northern lights

Dansar över skog och fjäll         Dance over forest and mountains

Brinner i natten                         Blazing in the night

Så lilla vän                                So little friend

Dimman för dig hem igen        The mist brings you home again

Om du går vilse                       If you get lost.

She continued to hum the lullaby until both children were fast asleep in their arms. Dametrius kissed her head while he listened and tried desperately not to have the tears slip from his eyes. This was never going to happen if you asked him a week ago, but here he was. His whole family in his arms.

"You should get some rest too." he whispered.

"Only if you join me." He couldn't say no to that.

He laid down on the other side of the bed and took the baby since Link had a death grip on his mother at the moment. He placed her on his chest and listened to her breath, felt the warmth coming off of her and little hands firsting his tunic. How does anything become more perfect?

A scratch at the with a puppy-like whine is how. The deity chuckled to himself and told Twilight to come in. The boy was already like a son to him and he was family.

Twilight, with his head lowered in a submissive way, entered. Catching Dametrius’s smile he perked up. He put his front paws on the side of the bed and peered down at the member of the family. He gently lowered his head onto Dametrius’s shoulder and gave a gentle whimper. His tail could be heard swishing side to side on the wooden floor happily.

The baby fussed and turned her head in a wobbly way towards the wolf hero. Little unseeing white eyes opened and she yawned. Dametrius gave the okay for him to get closer when he started to, but stopped and gave a pleading look. His wet nose touched her neck before licking there and she gave a toothless smile. Her hand grabbed the short fur on his muzzle and pulled him closer. She was going to be a very strong one.

There was love in the wolf’s eyes when he stepped away. Before making it to the door, Dametrius stopped him with the softest whisper he could use. “Twi, join us up here. Link will want you here too.”

Twi stayed through the night until morning and even helped cook breakfast with Link, but turned back into a wolf when entering the bedroom. When asked why, Link explained that Twi didn’t want to feel like an intrusion. Freya softly smiled and hugged Twi around his furry neck saying, “You are no intrusion, but I do understand. We should be up and about by this afternoon. Would you like to be the first to hold her when we do?” Twi’s ears lifted and he wagged his tail. Freya kissed his forehead and he pranced off like he just won a prize.

“You know he is going to hold you to that, right?” Link giggled out.

Freya kissed her son's head. “I plan on keeping my word.”

“Do you really want to be up and moving so early?” Dametrius really should have known better than to ask that, but he couldn’t help the fussing over her.

“I feel fine, love. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that the food came from our era and had some extra healing properties.” She smugly looked at Link.

The boy gave a sheepish grin. “I just wanted you to feel better after having the baby.”

“And it is appreciated, Starlight.” Link had a dusting of pink on his cheeks from the name.

Hours later, Malon came by to check on the family and had a goodie basket in hand. “All the boys had gifts they wanted to give the baby and you, Freya. They threw a fit when they realized that Twilight spent the night here.” She laughed and placed the covered basket on the table. She left after kissing the top of Link’s head.

Dametrius opened the basket and smiled at what was inside. He pulled out the bouquet of flowers that had Freya’s name written on a paper tag and it said from Warriors.

The next gift was an adorable plush, pink bunny that served as a baby cuddle pillow and a toy when she got older-, no doubt from Mr. Softy himself, Legend.

He picked up a necklace made of wooden beads, then sees a matching one that is smaller. Both had healing magic coming off of them. The note that it came with said that the one for Freya would help with pain and the one for the baby would be good for teething and for keeping the baby calm. He unclasped the necklaces and placed them around the necks of the intended.

The next gift was clearly from the Skyloftian. An ornate, hand carved, wooden rattle. The rounded rattle had a depiction of a fox playing with butterflies. The handle of the rattle flared out into a Loftwing and it was created with such care and detail.

Next was beautiful multi colored hooped earrings with a black stone placed where the front would insert into her ears when they did pierce them. Four and Shadow did great work on them, especially for them being so small. The earrings… not the makers.

A pretty pink, criss-crossed and stitched fabric laid nicely folded. He turned to Freya asking what it was. She was all too excited about it, saying it was a baby wrap so she or anyone could carry the baby and still have their hands free. She also explained that it would help with privacy when nursing. None of the boys would have come up with that or so he thought. The Seagulls on the hem made him rethink that though. Wind was the only one with a little sister and probably saw his Grandmother use one to carry her when she was little too. This one had a note too saying that he asked Mrs. Malon to help him.

A warm furry gift was next. Dametrius gave a hearty chuckle knowing who it came from. Twilight had made her a swaddle with a hood that had ears, just like his cloak. It definitely would be useful on cooler nights and during the winter. It could also be turned into her own cloak when she got older.

That left Time’s gift. A wooden box with music notes sat at the bottom of everything. Dametrius gently picked it up, opening the top to see inside. It was a music box. He wound the arm of it up and let it play. He slowly sank into the closest chair, just listening to it play. Link walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. The song meant more than just who it was named after, but the memories of who it was attached to. Zelda… The first memory that came to mind was when she got all of the toddler Links’ to fall asleep with her lullaby.

“It was sweet of them to do this for us.” Freya pulled both of her boys from the potential mind spiraling thoughts.

“It was.” Dametrius said softly as he placed the music box down.

Link began to laugh, saying, “Bunch of saps they are.”

Freya laid the baby down with the Bunny pillow on the bed and swung her legs over to get up. “Well you two, best not waste the whole day sitting around.”

Dametrius elbowed Link and put his hand to his mouth like what he was saying was a secret. “Says the one that just had a baby.” A pillow went flying and smacked him in the back of the head. “Ouch, woman!” She stuck her tongue out at him and stood up.

Link covered his mouth, trying not to wake the baby with his laughter. He hugged his parents with an ‘I love you two.’, then made his way out to the others.

When they finally made their way out, they were swarmed by the heroes. So many questions asked and all of them wanting to see the new addition to the Fierce Family. Time finally called them off and said to give some space.

Like promised, Twilight got to hold her first and he took full advantage of it. He cooed over her and talked to her like she could understand. Of course he had to introduce Epona to her, both of them. The others that were comfortable holding her did, but stayed close to the parents.

That night they all sat around a campfire telling stories and keeping this lighthearted. Once the stars came out, the goddesses stopped by. Dametrius didn’t stand since he had his little one in his arms. “And what have you four been planning all day?”

“Oh you know,” Din started, “just the final destruction of our first brother.”

“My goodness, I can feel the magic pouring from her. She is so tiny!” Farore sat at Dametrius’s back and looked down at her niece. “A little Earth healer!”

“You can tell what magic she is born with?” Wind asked with a smile.

“Of course. Watch this.” Farore grabbed a flower and held it next to the flames until it curled on itself. She made sure it wasn’t hot, then placed it on the baby’s hand. The flower rejuvenated. The heroes were all mesmerized.

Hylia sat on the log next to her brother. “What is her name?”

Freya answered. “We gave Link the nickname Starlight and wanted to keep that theme going, so we named her Asti.”

Hylia smiled saying, “Star-like and that she is.”

“Do you want to hold her?” Dametrius started to shift towards her.

“Oh no, I shouldn’t.” She backed further down the log.

“You held me when I was born.” he laughed.

Nayru cleared her throat. “Ahem, she dropped you on your head… twice.”

Freya burst into laughter. “S-so is that what’s wrong with you?” She pulled a strand on his hair. He rolled his eyes at all of them as there was an uproar of laughter at him.

“I like her!” Din walked over and gave a high-five to her sister-in-law.

Malon was given Asti and she pulled Legend down between herself and Time, placing the baby in his arms. The pink haired hero froze in place. Six adventures and it was a wee babe that scared him the most. He looked between the two and Dametrius saw the look. That was how it was supposed to be in his timeline. He guessed that Time told Malon about all the relations. When Legend gave Asti back, Malon giggled at his red cheeks and Time ruffled the hat off his head.

The question asked by Four took everyone by surprise. “Do you think we will win?”

“Without a doubt.” Farore was always sure of things.

“How do you know though?” Hyrule was leaning into Legend. Sky placed his sailcloth over both pairs of shoulders for comfort.

Dametrius answered the best he could. “We have too much to lose if we don’t. Everything we know, everything in all three timelines and Wars era will be destroyed and run by creatures that even your nightmares can’t come up with.” He looked at each person, “But that isn’t what we are fighting for. Sure, Hyrule needs saving again, but it’s more than that. We are fighting for our own families, friends, hopes and dreams. We are fighting for each other's future. We all need to make it home and have a reason to. If one person doesn’t, the timeline will shift and who follows too will fade from history and everyone's knowledge. We have no choice but to win.”

Wars pulled Wind under his arm like any good captain he gave encouragement, even if he had his own doubts. “The next morning’s sun will rise and show our victory. Demise and his band of misfits will be no match for all of us.”

“A family of misfits?” Shadow asked, chuckling and nudging Four to the side.

“Exactly.” Twi added as he let Wild lean against him.

There was a non heavy silence in the air as they all broke off into their own conversations.. Dametrius settled by his wife, eyes closed and hummed a tune while having her under his chin. He opened his eyes and saw Wild starring with a bright grin. “What?”

“You were humming.” Dametrius gave a confused look. “You haven’t sung or even hummed since… you know.” He gestured to his mother.

Freya moved to look up at her husband. “You stopped singing?”

“I lost my song.” He kissed her cheek.

“Sap.”

“Why not sing now?” Wild asked and the way he wiggled in spot and Twilight having to still him, made it hard to say no.

Freya was the one to suggest a song. “There is a song called in Dametrius’s native tongue, Da Manen Sken. There is a tale of skogsras and they are known as female sirens, nymphs or guardians of nature who inhabit different natural environments, be it rivers, forests, lakes or seas. They are creatures who hide in their environment and will protect it from whoever dares disrupting it. They will occasionally also lure some unfortunate soul into their realm, and if that someone is lucky enough to escape their trap, they will always be bound to that place nonetheless, and will never be able to get rid of the longing they feel pulling at them, drawing them towards their skogsras.” She smiled and continued with what the song meant to them. “When setting this man free, he kept having the desire to drift away from me and cause destruction like the mask called him to do, but he never could stray because he was hooked on me. He called me his skogsras after we got through the hardest nights. All he would ask me to do as he laid in pain under the full moon was sing. So I did.”

“Whoah.” Sky whispered with his hands under his chin, star-struck by the story.

“Loverboy, she’s taken. You have your own lady waiting for you at home to marry.” Legend teased in good nature.

Wild used his godly abilities and sparked the fire. It wasn’t the first time he told a story through elements.

Björn was a handsome and robust young man

He went to a feast on an autumn evening

And the wind blew over the swamp and the woods

As the moon shone over branches and rocks

They offer you to numb and to forget

(So, he waits for death and the bier)

They offer you to fall asleep and to dream

(He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods)

But those who have their heart stolen by a skogsrå

Will never have it back

They offer you to numb and to forget

(So, he waits for death and the bier)

They offer you to fall asleep and to dream

(He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods)

But those who have their heart stolen by a skogsrå

(Will never have it back)

Then suddenly, the whisper of the wind is quiet

(That’s when his mind was charmed)

Where two eyes dig deep into your own

(He looks at the woods and can’t find peace)

And they play so blue an eternal belief

(He goes, he listens to that sombre call)

As the moon shone over branches and rocks

(As the moon shone over branches and rocks)

They offer you to numb and to forget

(So, he waits for death and the bier)

They offer you to fall asleep and to dream

(He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods)

But those who have their heart stolen by a skogsrå

Will never have it back

They offer you to numb and to forget

(So, he waits for death and the bier)

They offer you to fall asleep and to dream

(He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods)

But those who have their heart stolen by a skogsrå

Will never have it back

So, he waits for death and the bier

He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods

His soul will yearn for dreams in the moonlight

(That’s when his mind was charmed)

(He grows old and melancholic in his empty dwelling)

(As the moon shone over branches and rocks)

They offer you to numb and to forget

(So, he waits for death and the bier)

They offer you to fall asleep and to dream

(He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods)

But those who have their heart stolen by a skogsrå

Will never have it back

 X2

So, he waits for death and the bier

He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods

(That’s when his mind was charmed)

So, he waits for death and the bier

He listens with unhealing sorrow to the whispers from the woods

Throughout the whole song, Wild had the flames dancing as a man ran around the forest chasing after the women whose voice was calling for him. He would get right to her and she would slip away, still calling to him. At the end of the song, the fire figures were leaning their backs against the tree that separated them, but their fingers were laced together.

Hugging his wife closer to his side, he laced their own fingers together. “Jeg elsker deg, min skogsras”

Chapter Text

“Oh no you don’t. Take it off.” Freya was in her nightgown already in bed, Asti in her new borrowed crib and Dametrius was about to join his wife.

“Take what off?”

“The tunic. Either you crawl into this bed without it or sleep in a different bed.”

“It’s freezing!”

“That’s what me and the blankets are for.” She pulled back the three blankets and sheet. He raised a single eyebrow at her with a mischievous grin. “No! None of that is happening.”

He laughed and took off his tunic. “Sweetheart, even if you said yes to that, I don’t think I would know what to do at this point.”

She snorted a laugh and whacked his shoulder when he slid into the bed. She went under his arm, laid her head against his chest, swirling random shapes along his new light arrow scars and listened to his heart beat. Her silence was not unnoticed as he lightly rubbed her back and kissed her hair. “Freya, what’s on your mind?”

The shapes stopped as she curled more into his side. “Who is ruling Hyrule in our era?”

Not what he thought she was going to ask. “There was a meeting before we left. All the regions agreed to continue the current laws and regulations, continue trade and build the roads until Link is done with this quest. When he gets back, there is going to be a vote on who should rule. At least three of the races rulers were debating on Link actually becoming king, if he would accept it.”

“Would he?”

“I think he would.”

“Why not you?”

That was a joke, had to be. “I am a god, a deity. The last time one of us ruled over Hyrule, we had to send the people to the skies. Besides, Link is a better man than I could ever hope to be.”

Freya got onto an elbow, looking at him seriously. “What do you mean?”

He twirled her long hair with two fingers, saying, “When a man looks at a throne or kingdom, he sees power. Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst and corrupts the best. None of us beings asked for power, but it was our duty to watch over the world. We didn’t do the best at it. Power is now only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves, to pick it up. I will never be willing to lower myself to that degree, not when my duty is to you. Since the day we married until the day I die and beyond. Heroes should not be kings, they already give too much. Though Link would do everything in Zelda’s memory and rule as she would have seen fit.”

“That he would, much like you in my leave.”

“Yes, but with you back and Link being a grown man now, my priority is you and Asti. Not that he isn't a priority.”

Freya hummed a humored hum. “Reminds me of your wedding vow.”

“What was wrong with my wedding vow?” He wanted to sound offended, though he knew his speech was incredibly drawn out. He didn’t mind back then since it was only the two of them anyways. To top it, he said it without having to read it off anything. He rubbed a hand over his face as he recalled it:

“ I've realized that whenever I am with you, you deliver me from the pain in my life. It is easy now to recognize all the misery I have been through was beating me to submission, until the day you arrived. Strength I had lost was revived and I began mending inside. I have been betrayed too many times and didn't think I would ever recover, that it would haunt me for the rest of my life. Then you opened up my eyes and you helped me rediscover, with what you resurrected, a man who had died. Your power gave me new life, made me reborn and refined. You rebuilt me from inside. I let you in and let go of the hate. My heart recovered now, I owe you a debt that I can never repay. I knew I could be whole if you were mine, because you're mine.”

“You just recited the whole thing in your head, didn’t you?”

“I did not.” He tried to control the smile on his lips as he punctuated each word.

“You are a horrible liar, Dametrius Fierce.” 

He was nearly asleep when she spoke again, “You’ll come back, right? You will beat him and come back to me and Asti, right?”

That was what he thought she was originally going to ask. “Even if I have to crawl through the pits of hell, I will come back. Nothing is going to stop me from being by your side.”

She sniffled before saying, “You better or else I’ll kick Demise’s ass, then yours.” And he believed her!

“I expect nothing else.”

It was time.

The sun hadn’t even thought of rising when he snuck out of the warm bed. The air outside was frigid as a cool front had come through the night before. He had his armor in hand as he stepped onto the porch. He put on his gray-blue tunic over his long sleeve, fitted black one. Sitting on the bench under the window, he pulled his brown boots up. He stopped when he heard the door creek open.

“You thought you were going to be slick.” Freya’s victory voice whispered. She was wrapped up in a blanket, her breath showing in the cold air.

He pulled her into his lap and rubbed extra warmth into her arms and legs. “You should still be asleep. You aren’t missing anything.”

“Hmm, but I will be missing something important. My Father was a General in the Hylian army when I was a small girl. My Mother, before he would have to go to a battle or travel to a new area, would get up with him and dress him in his armor. She always said it was an honor to do so and brought comfort to her.” She took his armor from him, stood and slid it over his head. She fastened, then tightened his red belts and gave it a tug to make sure it was secure. His gloves and heavy gauntlets tightened around his forearms. The magic filled cloak was thrown over his shoulders and clasped. She pulled his face cover over his head and tucked it into his black tunic, but didn't pull it over his mouth and nose. Lastly was his cap. She ran her fingers through his bangs, clearly not wanting the moment to end.

He brought her hands down to his lips to kiss them. "Thank you."

"Always. Now go." She kissed his forehead. "I'm sure the others are going to want to talk about what's about to happen."

"Probably right." He stood and told her to go back to bed and that he would wake her before they all departed, if she wasn't awake already.

He could hear the others in the barn chatting away, but was greeted with silence when he walked it. It wasn't everyday that the boys saw him in full armor, cloak, sword, whip and radiating pure power. He had always been able to silence a room, demanding attention and respect just by being present.

All the goddesses straightened up, then gave a slight bow with a hand on their chests. It was acknowledgment that he was the higher ranking at the moment. He gave a small head bow back to them. The boys had questioning looks, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Do we know where we are headed?" Dametrius asked his sisters.

Din answered with, "Demise is hopping from place to place every two days. They settled into a new spot last night. It's a place in your era, North of the Great Hyrule Forest."

Wild laid his slate on the table for all to see, pulling up the map. "The only thing North of the forest is the Thyphlo Ruins. It's the oldest of the two Zonia castles."

Taking a look at the map, Twilight asked, "Isn't that the area that is completely covered in darkness? How are we supposed to fight with only a few torches around?"

Dametrius knew Demise's ego and how to poke at it. "Leave that to me. We will start there though." He shifted his weight and looked at everyone. "You all know what to do I assume. Fight your enemy first and when they are killed, look to see who needs the most help at that moment. Try not to get distracted. If someone is going down and you can spare an arrow or some way of helping, fine, but they want you to make a mistake. Demise has his right hand Demon, he can vanish and reappear anywhere. You see diamonds floating, you keep an eye on them. I don't expect him to only fight Sky, he will want to trip up everyone. Leave Demise to us alone. Everyone understanding?"

There was a collection of yes's.

The room was in an uneasy state. Of course Legend had to break it. Dametrius looked at how he was staring at him. “What?”

“Just, was the whole tunic and cap thing your idea or was that just a thing that happened to us randomly?” Legend didn’t break once while locking eyes with the God of War that was literally preparing for what he was created to do.

Wild broke first and tried to turn away. Wind was next and the others followed soon after. Dametrius chuckled with them. “Of all the things that could have been asked or said and that's what comes out of your mouth? I wasn’t around to choose what you all wore.  Link, or First, rode with me into battles. We were close, very close and Hylia joked that brothers should have matching caps.” He looked to the sister mentioned. “She had no idea First would love the idea. His tunic was green, so he made a green cap. He wore it all the time.”

“Nope, you’re still getting blamed for that.” Legend added.

Wind rubbed his eyes clear, asking, “So all of us wore the greens during our adventures?”

Twilight turned to Wild, “Not everyone.”

“Hey, I got the outfit, just never wore it. It's not my fault I got it after we won.” Wild stuck his tongue out.

“After?” Four beat a few of the others to the question.

“I had to beat all the shrines to get it. I beat the last few after Twilight was called to leave us.” Wild scrolled through the slate, more than likely looking for the outfit.

“Alright, I gotta see this.” Wars walked over to see the slate. He snorted and took the slate, pressing a few buttons and Wild was in the outfit.

Wild stood very still with his eyes closed. He hated it, that was clear. Twilight laughed first before clearing his throat. “Well, not what I was expecting. You look like a mixture of Legend and Hyrule.”

“Get it off, Wars!” Wild pleaded. “I will happily wear anyone else's. Time’s, Twi’s, Sky’s, Sheik's outfit, Darks, Ganons, my Dad’s, a damn Bokoblin Mask with my briefs, my full set of knight armor, anything else!!” When Wars only chuckled and kept scrolling, Wild began to strip his clothes off by hand. He sighed in relief when Wars finally put him back in his normal Champions tunic.

Hyrule looked between Sky and Wild. “Anyone else put together that the line of Heroes will likely begin and end with a king?” Only Wars, Legend, Twi and Dametrius heard the comment.

Legend lightly elbowed Hyrule, “We all need to make sure it happens for them.”

Dametrius turned to the only one who hadn’t spoken yet, Time. “You are being quiet.”

“Just thinking.”

“Dangerous thing.” He walked to Time’s side. “What of?”

“Is… is there any way to get vision back in my eye? Would help, especially if we have someone that can vanish.”

“He can’t, but I can.” Dametrius stepped aside for Hylia. She asked him to open his eye before she placed her hand over it. Her palm glowed gold as she did her work. She removed her hand after a few short seconds.

Everyone watched as Time closed both eyes, then slowly opened them. Two blue eyes showed brightly. A smile crossed his face as he took in the fact that he could see clearly. “Thank you.” He bowed to Hylia.

Catching Dametrius’s eye, the triplets seemed to have wandered off to a different part of the barn and looked to be saying something rather important. “What are you three planning?” They were always planning something.

Farore was an unnatural calm. “We can’t tell you, but do you trust us?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then trust that every decision we make coming up, is for the better. Don’t be angry.” He was confused, but agreed.

Malon, Freya and Asti joined the group of fighters in the barn before they were to depart. It was an emotional goodbye, though more of a see you soon since they all planned on coming back. Dametrius gave one final kiss to Asti’s cheek and to Freya’s lips before he opened a large portal for all of them to walk through.

The other side was dark. No stars, moon, sun or anything showing through to the land. The only light came from Wild’s slate.

Weapons were drawn when a rumbling laugh echoed. Demise was close by. “Fierce Deity, in the flesh. Been too long little brother.”

Dametrius tried to pinpoint where the other was, but Demise was constantly moving around them. “Not long enough.”

Thunder rumbled and that meant lightning. A single bolt came down towards Wild and the father nearly panicked, but Wild just stuck his hand up and caught it. The white streaks of electricity crawled across his arm before he calmed it down so it only moved between his fingers.

Demise spoke again. “It seems your boy learned the last of the elements. Took long enough. I assume one of our sisters taught him.” This meant that Demise had eyes on Wild and the others well before they were all brought together.

“What are you wanting that you had to collect a small army of the worst?” He just needed him to keep talking.

“The same I have always wanted. You remember the good old days; us two taking on the world and setting things in motion. We made a great team back then.”

Dametrius knew how that sounded to the boys. “I was more than happy to help you contain your demons and monsters, but I couldn’t cross the line that you did. I wasn’t willing to imprison the innocent for mere game and entertainment. I wasn’t willing to betray my own.” He spun around at the sound of metal sparking. Someone was running between them. His eyes could see better in the dark than the Hylians’, but not in pitch darkness.

“Oh that’s right, you were Hylia’s dog. You always did as she asked, when she asked.”

Dametrius growled, “I was not a dog for doing the right thing, Demise. I was doing what I was created to do by our Mother. I was given the task to enforce the law and lead the armies against anyone who threatened us.”

Demise laughed like thunder. “Oh yes, our dear Mother. She had to balance everything by creating me. There had to be someone to blame for the unclean thoughts and actions of Hylia’s children. They tormented me as a child, always finding a way to make me feel ashamed. When I got older, everything they put me through left me with an anger that could not be contained. That was where you came in. She created you to ‘fix’ my wrongs.”

Another spark and a grunt from one of the heroes. They were being taunted.

“Did you enjoy your time in Termina, Fierce?”

“I don’t think enjoy would be the right word for it.” Dametrius tried to keep his ears locked on his brother and the boys. His sisters could handle themselves. “I would say it was more damning than enjoyable.”

Demise's voice was closer, but not close enough to engage with him. “Why was that? You finally got to let go of your holy path and really dive into your inner demon, Uni. I gave you the opportunity to become the warrior I knew you could be. You became everything you ever fought against and turned into the saviour of nothing.”

Dametriurs’s blood was boiling under his stoney skin. “At least I wasn’t the delusional one. Thinking everyone was lesser because of their beliefs.” He unclipped his whip and concentrated only on the unfamiliar footsteps as they raced towards the group. A single flick of the wrist and the person was caught. He pulled the whip harshly, catching the enemy by the throat. “Dark Link.” he bared his fangs.

Dark choked in his grasp, pleading eyes looking into his. Dark signed, ‘I’m not here willingly! Please!’ Dametrius could see that Dark was telling the truth and gave some pity to the soul. “Stay out of our way.” Dark nodded, then scurried away.

“Demise, since when did you start being a coward and having to hide from a fight? Was it when you found out I let you win?”

There was a fiery growl before the terrain changed. They went from darkness to mid afternoon light, blinding most of them. Dametrius was just getting his vision back when he heard Hylia roar out, “How dare you bring us here! What do you gain from this?!”

She began to charge forward, but he caught her and blocked everything outside of himself from her sight. He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look up into his eyes. “That is what he gains, your anger and ill judgment. He is playing with your emotions. Control them or we will lose this before it starts.” She nodded and took a deep break.

Wind was looking around cautiously. “What is this place?”

It hadn’t changed one bit since he was there last. “This is where we last fought, where First was murdered and I was bound to the mask.” His eyes scanned and could see where Link’s blood still stained the stones and the few feathers that never escaped with the wind. “This is where it ends though.”

Demise walked out the same way he had when he had First in his grip. He jumped down, shaking the ground with his landing. As he took a few steps forward, his little army stepped forward from the shadows. Wind's bird enemy perched above them. Demise really couldn’t find someone else than that? Actually to him most of them seemed like nothing, but he knew trauma was trauma and respected that.

To Demise’s right was his trusty pet, Ghirahim. He was in his true form, much like Fi stayed in. “Look who it is, the Skychild.” He chuckled and flicked his tongue.

Sky tightened his grip on the Master Sword saying, “If you remember correctly, you couldn’t beat me and I killed Demise.”

“Clearly that doesn’t matter since we are here. I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

Dametrius looked at Dark who was looking down. He was holding his sword and shield, but swaying from foot to foot nervously. Taking pity once again on him, Dametrius spoke in a loud voice, “If anyone chooses to switch sides, now is the time to do so.” Dark met his eyes.

Time looked at the deity, then his counterpart. “Dark, aren’t you tired of losing to us by now? Join us.”

The shadow form of the younger Time tucked his head down. “If I were to, I would always have the desire to kill you. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“We could deal with that later.” Time took a step forward with his right hand out. Dark Link gave a sad smile as he began to walk towards the heroes.

There was the sound of something cutting through the air and a piercing noise. Dark let out a pained filled gasp, head thrown back, red eyes wide open. He dropped his sword as he hit his knees.

“Dark?!” Time hollered out. The shadow form smiled a relieved smile as he fell forward, Phantom Ganon’s spear stuck in his back. It was haunting to see someone that was identical to Time fall to their death. It just needed to not be an omen.

While Ganon took back his spear from Dark’s body, Vati clicked his tongue, “Well that could have gone better.”

Demise gave the same courtesy to the heroes that Dametrius gave. Cia swayed her hips. “Link, don’t want to come with me? It has been too long and I've missed you, my little hero.”

Warriors looked a bit green. “In your dreams Cia.”

“You're always in my dreams.” She bit her bottom lip, he spat on the ground towards her. The insult needed no words.

Dametrius never thought he would see the day when what happened next, happened. Slow steps started, two of his sisters began to protest, Hylia holding the other two back and he did not want to believe his eyes. “Din, what are you doing?!”

“What I have always wanted to do, but never could. I won’t say I’m sorry for it.” Din took her place next to their brother. Said brother looked too pleased by the dynamic change.

A little voice in the back of Dametrius’s head said to trust the plan, even if he didn’t know the plan. That didn’t stop the purple glow of energy from swirling around him, wings spreading and his fangs bared. It didn’t change that he was going to kill Demise once and for all.

Taking one last look at the boys, he pulled his face covering up over his mouth and nose. The enemies readied themselves, including Astor summoning hollows of Wild and the other champions. It was time… Dametrius took the first step, increasing the pace before he was at a full sprint. The boys followed his action and the war began with the clash of metal and magic.

Demise blocked the blow headed towards him and forced Dametrius to take a defensive step back and counter the swings headed for his neck. The two had been matched fighters nearly their whole lives, but the deity would come out on top. He summoned fire into his palm and forced the flames into the other's face. He kicked the evil being in the chest, causing him to collide with the stone column behind them. An arrow of golden light brushed past Dametrius’s ear. Demise moved the slightest bit, dodging the arrow intended for him.

Dametrius used the window of opportunity to use his wings as a speed boost and ram his shoulder into Demise’s chest, crumbling the column he had already collided with. He slung his brother around, throwing him to the open. Hylia used the ends of her indestructible bow as a countermeasure to Demise’s attacks and used her arrows as daggers, slicing smaller sized wounds into his thick scaly skin.

A nasty strike sent Hylia towards the ground, giant foot on her back. Demise reached for her wings. It was all too familiar. Dametrius stuck his hand into the magical cloak, pulling out a large curved Haladie blade and attached the handle to the end of his whip. He masterfully had it spinning at a blinding rate then had it flying towards Demise, slicing his shoulder that Hylia had gotten a good start on. It caught the others attention with a hiss. 

Hylia tucked her wings back in and Dametrius did the same for now so as not to have a repeat of last time. The two tag teamed against Demise, landing blows, receiving their own wounds from the black blade he wielded.

There was a loud screeching noise, causing Dametrius to take a quick look at the others for the first time. He caught a glimpse of Wind using his Wind Waker to disrupt the air that the Helmaroc King was gliding on, forcing it to swirl violently in a funnel of wind. “Someone fire me!!” With everyone busy, Dametrius shouted to Wind that he had it coming to him. Wind combined the fireball to his tornado and the King went up in flames. “Anyone want burnt Cucco?!”

Hyrule was close to Wind, taking on his own bird creature. “Wind, can you give me a boost with that thing?” Wind created another tunnel of air close to Hyrule. The Traveler grabbed his shield and surfed up the provided airway. No wonder why he and Wild got into so much trouble together. He jumped off the shield, summoning lightning to hit his enemy as his sword became a fiery blade. While the Thunderbird was still in shock, Hyrule plunged his sword through its chest. It disintegrated into ash.

Dametrius barked out an order to them. “Hyrule, to Four! Wind, to Wars!” The magic wielding enemies needed to be taken care of first. Wild had Astor, but needed to wait until the hollows could be defeated or enough of the heroes were available before going after him.

While getting back to his own enemy, he saw the triplets fighting. It was slight, but he could see that all three were pulling their hits. This was planned and he accepted that.

Demise wasn’t going down easy. Dametrius did have him on one knee, sword pressing down, slowly getting  closer to the other’s throat. Hylia was helping by keeping his none sword hand behind him. They were so close… if he could just- “CUB!!” Twilight’s holler for Wild made him look away.

In the middle of the heroes, Wild was being shoved to his knees, malice hollows holding him down. The hollow of Wild walked up, began to morph and wrap around his body. Wild was screaming as it looked to be burning his skin. “LINK!” Dametrius couldn’t lose him, not again.

Hylia called out to the boy, “Wild, remember what I taught you!” They watched Wild calm down, but the malice form of himself fully covered him and turned into stone, trapping him inside. This was enough of a distraction that Demise pulled Hylia around and headbutted her. She was laid out, barely conscious. He then had his full strength pushing against the deity.

There was a laugh and Dametrius was on his back. Ghirahim had stepped away to help his master, kicking his feet from under him. His own Helix blade was being used against him due to its size. His gauntlets were impenetrable, so he used one to keep his sword from chopping him in half.

From Dametrius’s view, the battle wasn’t how he would have liked it to be. In fact, they were losing. Legend’s creature of nightmares had a black cloud of smoke around him, forcing him to see what wasn’t real. If the god knew him, he was seeing the island with a beautiful girl with red hair and a flower in her hair being destroyed. The look on Legend’s face confirmed it. Wild was down, but hopefully not out. Four was split, Shadow and Hyrule with him trying to pin the shapeshifting sorcerer to one form. Astor was on his way to help Cia with Warriors and Wind fighting her. Twilight was handling the shadow creatures well enough, but Zant was adding to the fight, making the Ordonian struggle. Sky was chasing after Ghirahim, keeping him busy. Time was the only one with an upper hand on his foe.

Something needed to change… that change came when the stone statue of Wild began to crack and chip. Green light escaped through the cracks and a noise started. It was quiet at first, but grew to the sound of Wild hollering. With a shout Wild bust from the stone, body giving off that Zonai green, eyes glowing with it too. Like his arm that originally held the magic, the patterns were along his showing skin, even on his prosthetic. 

"Impossible!!" Astor roared from beside Cia. "Kill him!" Hollows reappeared and Wild was unphased. When they touched him, it was like his body absorbed their malice form and he held it in his palms. He stretched it out in one swift motion to a malice spike. He launched it, spearing all the way through Astor's chest and into Cia's thigh, holding her in place.

Cia screamed and begged for her life as Warriors walked up and got his revenge. He looked away as she fell lifeless to the stone ground. That was the fourth one down.

Wild went to Four and Hyrule's aid against Vati while the others split between Time, Legend and Twilight.

Demise was calculating the field. "Your runt of a son is more trouble than I predicted."

"You s-seem to be doing that a lot today." Dametrius got his foot at the right angle, kicking Demise's knee perfectly. The scaly skin bled as it received a large gash while landing on Dametrius's sword. The deity rolled his brother off of him swiftly and stood.

He looked up from where he stood, seeing Wind and Twi fighting shadow creatures. Zant was stalking up to Twilight's back, the heroes unaware. The once usurper shot out multiple red and black energy orbs towards them, hitting Twilight with two of them. Dametrius cursed under his breath before he let his sword hum through the air.

Zant saw it and moved. Squawking and jumping around like a child’s temper tantrum, Twilight managed to get close enough to land a deadly blow. Zant didn’t stand a chance.

Any other battle and Dametrius wouldn’t have been looking to make sure everyone was okay, but he was and it allowed Demise to get close. Close enough to grab him by the top of the chest plate, then launch him across the war zone. He skipped across the ground and rolled until he was stopped by a pile of moss covered stones. That was going to bruise his ribs.

He got to his hands and knees with much effort and shook his head to clear it. To his left was Warriors convincing Legend that what he was seeing wasn’t real. Wind was leading the attack against the monster of nightmares until the other two could join him.

Off to the other side was Wild and Twilight helping Time with Phantom Ganon. The bone mask hid the phantom's expression if he had one, but his body showed the injuries Time had already inflicted on him.

All four colors, Shadow and Hyrule were dancing around Vati to wear him out. It seemed to be working if his desperate attempts were anything to go by.

Then there was Sky. Ghirahim was taunting him to no end. It was like the Demon Lord was waiting for something.

A startled yelp made Dametrius look back at his brother, their sister in his grasp. Dametrius stood and pulled a new blade from his cloak. It looked similar to the Yiga Blademaster’s Windcleaver, only much longer and had an over exaggerated curved end. “Get down!!” He demanded. He held the grip with both hands and did what he called a power up, like Wild would do to power up Urbosas’s Fury. purple and blue energy swirled around him, getting stronger by the second. He let the power roll over him until it was almost uncontrollable. He swiped the sword from one side to the other, casting the raw power at his brother. It cut down everything in its path, including Vati as the heroes fighting him didn’t let him hunker down.

Three left.

Demise had dropped Hylia and the energy that plowed into him carved into his skin. It was going to take something much more powerful to affect him. That was why Dametrius and Hylia were always tied at the hip before the mask.

Dametrius teleported to behind Demise and slashed at his back. In the short few seconds where Demise hollered out in pain and anger, the deity sheathed his weapon, took out his whip and had it around his brother’s neck. With a grunt he forced Demise to stumble backwards and placed him in a headlock. “Hylia, now would be a good time to end this!”

“G-Ghirahim! Now!!” Demise began to chuckle darkly. “Y-you may want to wait on killing me.”

Hylia aimed her bow. “Why is that?”

Sky shouted, “Dametrius! Ghirahim vanished!”

“You see, I gave orders to Ghirahim to bring someone here if this happened and if you had killed me, to kill her.”

Her? Dametrius did have time to ask before he heard a baby screaming. His head spun to see Ghirahim with Malon cluttered by the neck in his right hand, Freya in his left. Asti was crying as Freya clung to her. A floating dagger was pressed to each of the adults’ throats. Fury burned inside Dametrius.

The boys had just killed Phantom Ganon and saw the scene. “Malon?” Time took several steps forward.

“Ah ah aahh! Another step and her dress will match her hair.” Ghirahim threatened.

“Link, I’m okay!” Malon assured her husband.

Demise whispered, “You may want to let go now little brother. I would hate for you to bury your wife and child again.” Ever so slowly, Demise was let go. “Take off the cloak too.” Dametrius did as he was told and pulled down his face covering too. He watched with rage in his eyes, Demise walk over to Freya, take a few locks of her hair into his hand and smell it. “So beautiful. I see Hylia has granted her protection from death. What a shame.”

“This doesn’t concern the three of them. Let them go.” Venom dripped from Dametrius’s voice.

"It concerns this one." Demise yanked Freya towards himself and Malon reached for her, but Ghirahim held her close by the hips. "This one let you free. I wonder if she can resist the power inside."

The mask was left in Time's era. Apparently the demon could track its power once in the right era. The pet demon held up the mask with two fingers and a smile.

From behind Demise there was a glowing, golden light. Chains of light bound around him, securing him in place. The three goddesses that they all had seemed to have forgotten held the chains so their brother couldn't escape. 

Freya ran into Dametrius's arms, still clutching their daughter.

"Din! You traitor!!" Demise bellowed out.

"You were stupid enough to believe me."

During this, Hylia was watching Ghirahim closely, bow drawn. Dametrius could see the only open shot and it wasn't a kill shot. The arrow flew and skewered the Demon Lord's hip. The daggers fell as he shrieked. Malon elbowed him in the face to get away. She fell into Time’s embrace as he went to her. With a villainous grin Ghirahim departed with only a few diamonds left behind.

“This isn’t over and you know it, Hylia.” Demise knew his time was coming. “The curse still stands even if you seal me away or kill me. My reincarnations will always come around.”

Hylia stood in front of her brother, looked at her sisters, then said, “After today, everything ends. First though, you have something that doesn’t belong to you.” She placed her hands on his chest and a white light, a soul, began to get retracted and flow into Hylia. Dametrius couldn’t tell who it was, but he had hopes. There were only a few peoples souls that Demise took directly.

Demise was left weak, shaking and sagged against the chains. The golden three didn’t let up on the chains.

Farore sweetly smiled at Sky. “Hero of the Skies, first to wield the Triforce of Courage, Forger of The Master Sword and future first King of Hyrule. Point your sword skywards, release all your guilt and fulfill your duty once again.”

Dametrius kissed Freya’s head and told her to go to Time and Malon. With her and Malon tucked close to him (also brought over Twi, who was limping) he called upon Nayru’s Love. The blue crystal shield covered all four of them just in case this got out of hand.

Wild gathered Warriors, Four, Wind and Legendi to protect them with Daruk’s Protection, not himself. Hyrule was in no need of such protection for what was going to take place.

Hylia placed a hand on Sky’s arm. “Are you ready, Link?”

“I am.”

“Any last words brother?” she asked.

“You better hope this works for your sake.” 

Hylia once again pulled back her bow, releasing it into Demise’s chest. He refused to give his siblings the satisfaction of knowing he was in pain.

Everyone had a clear view of Sky. He took a deep breath, pulled The Master Sword and raised it to the heavens. The clouds overhead darkened, his sword glowed blue, electricity danced on the blade and his arm. Sky’s eyes turned completely white as his god power came forward. A bolt of lightning struck the holy blade, but did not reseed. Sky held it, letting it grow stronger and with a battle cry he swung the blade down. The lightning transfer to the arrow stuck in the other's chest.

Dametrius covered his eyes from the blinding light. When he could finally see, Demise was disintegrated into a pile of ash. The sky brightened and the atmosphere didn’t feel constricting.

“Is it over?” Wind asked as he crept up to Sky’s side.

Warriors placed a hand on his shoulder saying, “It appears to be over sailor.”

“Dametrius?” Freya walked over to her husband.

He looked his wife and daughter over before bringing them to his chest. Having them used against him was a trick he would never use and he apologized over and over to her softly. He cupped her face and was going to ask something, but was interrupted by Wild.

"Dad, behind you!!"

He didn't have time to do anything but turn around. Ghirahim had reappeared, mask in hand. Dametrius sucked in a gasp as the mask was pressed onto his face. The pain was excruciating as he screamed. He fought against the mask, trying to pry it from his face to no avail. He tried to keep his mind out of the mask and put distance between himself and his family.

Collapsing to the ground he let out another scream and his wings burst from his back. The mask was trying to seal him away again, vibrating in place as he withstood it for as long as he could. Every time it got a hold on him, his wings would return to bloody stumps. His body itself would fade into a translucent image as he would get pulled in and out of the mask.

Dametrius ripped at the edges of the mask, nails digging into his skin. He could feel the power from within, his own power. He had to detach from it or else it would be two of the same deities stuck in the cursed mask.

In a clear moment he made a split second decision. He let out a whistle. He could have wept in joy if he heard the galloping hooves of his horse, Magni. The giant of a horse nosed his shoulder. He whispered to him to take the Hylian women and baby to the Hero of Time’s era and protect them. Watching the horse trot over, kneel and Time help them onto his back, Dametrius felt his anxiety drop.

The voice inside the mask echoed in his ears and he was back to the struggle. He couldn’t hear or see anything outside of what the mask wanted him to see and hear. Dametrius brought his fire into his hands and tried to burn the mask off, resulting in nothing. He was running out of options, out of time.

Then it all stopped.

He was no longer in pain, not fighting the mask, he could hear and see again, but there was a problem. He wasn’t him, not the him he was. He rose from the ground to his feet, calm and dangerous. He wasn’t banished to the mask, it was worse. He was wearing the mask. Turning around at the sound of someone talking, he saw eleven people standing and one person laying on the ground. He knew their names, but didn’t know why.

The one on the ground stood and walked towards him. “Behold!” Ghirahim shouted as he stood a few feet in front of the Fierce Deity. “The greatest warrior to ever live! Two of the same people, controlled by one body.” He bowed to the deity. “I give myself to you as a loyal servant, Uni.”

The mask knew the role Ghirahim had originally with the mask and it would not allow such a being to hold power by him. When the Demon Lord stood, Fierce had a hand around his throat, effectively stunning him. “You do not deserve life.” The words came out slowly and threateningly. He lifted Ghirahim off the ground, wrenched the diamond from his chest and shattered it in his hand. He felt no remorse for letting the body in his grip fall to the stone ground.

“Fierce?” His head slowly turned.

“You.”

Hylia had stepped into his sight. “Brother, I need you to remove the mask.”

“No.” He growled angrily. “You left.”

“Left when?”

“You left. You left me to die! Now I will have my revenge.” His sword materialized in his hand. He took long strides towards her, but was stopped when his other three sisters raised weapons. He smiled, rolled his shoulder’s out and popped his neck. “Give me your best.”

Farore didn’t even hint towards her intentions as she lit Fierce up with lightning. It threw him into the nearest wall, a dust cloud concealing him.

Fierce, unmarked, stood with his sword in front of him. His sister raced forward to engage in the fight against him. He swiped Nayru away first, dodged Farore and blocked Din. All three swung at him and he spun his swords to divert all three at once. Din recovered first, but he used his free hand to punch her away.

No energy was wasted as he dodged one swing of a sword, ducked under a spear, took hold of one wrist, flinging Farore away. Nayru caught the smaller sister and tossed her towards Fierce. He received a kick to the shoulder. He used the momentum he had from the kick to turn and smash his hilt into the side of Din’s face, knocking her out. He tossed Nayru through the air to land in the nearest tower.

That left him and Farore at the moment. They went hit for hit, neither gaining any ground. She raised her hand to strike him with lightning, but he was faster than her. He used his metal bracer to force the lightning back to her, causing her to explode backwards.

Din had made it back into the fight, spear nearly making contact. He pivoted away and she followed with all her strength. She locked the spear in the opening of his Helix blade, kicked his hip and forced the sword out of his hands. He caught her next attack, hands on the golden shaft. With one arm he shattered the shaft of the spear. It was now a fist fight. Din always loved a good hand to hand combat. Only thing was, he was twice his normal strength due to the mask that matched his face. She landed face first on the ground.

Fierce grabbed Din by her foot and began dragging her off to the tower Nayru was still in to have it collapse on both of them, but green magic wrapped around his arms and torso. He turned around to see the Hero of the Wild using Zonai magic to hold him. He flexed to try and break free.

Din hollered at Fierce to turn around. When he did, she already had her sword sinking into the flesh below his ribcage and coming out the other side.

The magic fell from when Wild screamed for him. Fierce was still his father, mask on or not.

One swift hit to the face and Din was dazed. Fierce gripped the hilt of the blade inside him and pulled it out. He pierced the ground with the tip of the sword, held a hand over the fresh wound and straightened up on his feet.

Farore was small enough to run past and drag their blade across the back of one of his knees, dropping him to a knee. Nayru joined and kicked him center sternum. He fell backwards and slid to where his cloak was still discarded on the ground. He slid a hand inside it and pulled a large crossbow out and attached it to his metal gauntlet.

The arrows he had preloaded were doused in a plant seed oil that would kill a Hylian, but only leave a goddess unconscious for a short time. Three arrows later there were three downed goddesses.

He still had enemies to handle. Starting with the one that used their magic against him. His steps were slow, but the earth still shook. He went to grab the young man by the tunic, but was stopped by something latching onto his arm. The Hero of Twilight had his clawshot’s chain held taut. A red rope stung as it wrapped around his other wrist. The Hero of the Sky had white eyes and he bared his teeth, trying to hold him back.

“Back away!” The Hero of Time ordered the others. Fierce watched as the man who wore his markings drew his sword. He pulled it to his hip, swung it over head and slammed the blade between Fierce’s feet. Din’s fire traveled from his feet to head. It may not have killed him or even injured him, but it disoriented him enough to bring Dametrius back.

Hylia was near her sisters, calling out to Time. “Use Farore’s Wind to get everyone out of here! If the mask takes control again, he will kill everyone here!”

With a pained roar, Dametrius fell to his knees and began clawing at the mask again. He couldn’t see what was happening, but felt less people around. There was an argument though. “Freya, we need to go!”

“No! He needs me!”

“Mom, he will kill you if he doesn’t win.”

“More reason to stay and help him fight.”

“I’ll get her to safety if this doesn’t work. Go!”

Dametrius wailed and begged for it to stop, make the voice stop. STOP!! He couldn’t take it anymore. He was tempted to take his own life if it made it stop.

A warm hand touched his shoulder. A sweet voice penetrated through the chaos. "Dametrius?" He clung to the voice and held it close as he tried to leave the mask's control. He knew that lullaby voice and wanted to return to her.

The mask pushed Dametrius to the back of his own mind. Fierce took the woman's shoulder in his hand, squeezing in until she began to whimper. The mask knew who she was too and wanted her gone. It said to destroy her, drown her, run a blade through her, anything to make her heart stop.

Fierce watched the woman grab his wrist and hiss through her teeth, "Let go." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Now!"

There was no sign of fear or desperation in her eyes and it weakened the masks hold more as he trusted her to help him again. The only issue was his body was injured and had been drained by the mask's power. His hand slipped from her shoulder and he fell forward, wincing at the pain. He was still not in full control, but he was winning now.

Freya caught him and laid his head in her lap after getting him to his side. He could hear the concern in her voice, "It's going to be okay, I've got you now."

He could see feet moving his way and hear his sister talking. "It's not letting go. He's in a place between here and there." Hylia moved some of his hair from his face.

"What do we need to do?"

"He needs his reasons to fight. Get him back to Wild and Asti with you as well as the boys. He needs all of you." Hylia's hand stayed on his cheek. "I'm so sorry little brother. This is my fault." He didn't have the energy to tell her differently. Hylia created a golden portal under the three of them as well as the still knocked out goddesses. He felt the warmth of the afternoon sun and the soft grass as they settled back into Time's era.

"Dad?!" He heard Wild sprinting over and landed by his side, skidding across the ground on his knees. "I-Is he- he's not-?" Every time he tried to ask, the words stuck in his throat. "He's alive r-right? He's going to be okay?"

Dametrius wanted to reach out and comfort the boy, but the idea of moving was exhausting all on its own. Freya did it for him. "He is alive. He is still in a war against the mask, but now it's just mentally."

Wind sniffled, "He has always been there for us, how can we help him now?"

"Just let him know you are here."

"He can't see us?" Sky asked.

"I don't know." Freya pulled Dametrius onto his back, moving his hair out of his non moving, white eyes. "Help me get him out of his armor."

Twilight, Time and Warriors helped move him and unbuckle the metal plates from his torso while Wild removed the bracers. Hylia removed the crossbow fist for Wild, placing it inside the magical cloak. Freya pulled the face covering down and got his cap off. Her fingers raking through his hair helped soothe him.

Though he was motionless and sightless, he faced off with his corrupted self in the mask. Unknowingly, the brutal display inside was causing harm to his physical body. Bleeding out and was the most deadly thing happening to him. His bound self was bashing at his rib from the inside, wanting to weaken him in every way, causing the wound from the sword to worsen. He wanted to cry out when someone pressed their hands against the wound to slow the bleeding.

“Give in, you’re better in my form. You won’t be reduced to a domesticated dog. We will reign down on enemies and remind everyone that we are a god! We will live as a king and have everyone under us.”

Dametrius was choking on his own blood, trying to swallow so he could breathe more, unseen by the others. “If we do that, he wins. Demise wins and we are stuck in a war against humanity until there is no one left in this world. We won’t know the difference between innocent and evil. All we will know is kill. That’s not who we are!”

“Innocent? Innocent?! There is no one truly innocent in this forsaken world you call home! They all left us to die. They made statues of us to worship, but forgot us. They kill, steal, abuse, lie and destroy each other.”

“She didn’t… she loves us and saved us from the hell Demise put us in. She gave us a new beginning, happiness, laughter and children.”

“One good being does not save the rest.”

“I would burn the world for her or keep it safe if that protected her.”

“She isn’t worth it.”

“So what is your plan, eradicate the planet until only the pure is left?”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

“You will have a world with only toddlers to raise.”

“And they will be my children to teach. To teach them how to fight and to worship us, be dependent on us alone.”

He went to his knees in front of his counterpart. He was winning the fight just by not giving in. His darker self only had so much to go on. Dametrius needed that extra push to take over again. Just some- “Dad? Dad, please come back.”

“Dametrius, we are here and we are safe. Come back to us dear.”

Off a little ways, he could hear the boys talking, encouraging him to live, to fight, but a single noise drowned everyone out. A cry. It started off small and rose to a deafening volume. Asti was crying, for him. Warriors wasn’t kidding, Asti was already Daddy’s little girl. The cry and the others words had him filled with a sense of worth and meaning. His kneeling self began to glow white as he went back to outside the mask.

He blinked and could see Freya wrapped around his head, praying and begging. “F-Fre…”

She moved to look at him. “I’m here, I’m here. We need the mask off, it can’t stay on.”

“T-too stro-ong.”

“Don’t say that, no it's not.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “You always told me that I had to be strong for you because you were broken inside. Now I’m asking the same from you. I need you to be strong for me because I can't do what you have done without me. I can't, so don’t make me.”

He could feel the mask growing angry with her words. They held power that the mask did not possess. Love. The mask encompassed him once more in a desperate act. Dametrius’s back arched off the ground, fingers digging into the soil, mouth gaped in a silent scream. The pain was the feeling of fire, but it didn’t last. “NOO!!” The mask bellowed before losing all its power over its host.

Dametrius relaxed back into his wife’s lap. She peeled the mask from his face, handing it back to Time. Blood flowed freely from his nose and mouth with no sign of stopping. He coughed, causing more crimson fluid to spew from his mouth.

“Move, let me through.” He heard Hyrule demand. A warm feeling passed over his torso until stopping over the still open wound, then a set of shattered ribs. The healing magic did its job, uncomfortably mending his bones, muscle and flesh.

“Is he going to be okay?” Four asked hesitantly from Hyrule’s side.

“He will need rest. The physical toll of the mask can be healed easily, but psychological healing takes longer. All in all, he will be fine.”

Looking at the heroes, he grimaced. The memories were coming back. “I didn’t- I didn’t hurt any of you, did I?”

There was a snort and everyone turned to Legend. “You really aren’t any better than the rest of us, you know that?”

Dametrius knew what he meant and so did the others as they lightly chuckled. Freya huffed, “Always worried about others and not enough about yourself.”

He smiled up at her, but it slipped as he saw the outline of the bruise he caused. His hand shook as he reached for the hem of her dress at the shoulder. He pulled it to the side to see it better. It was already a deep blue and purple. His heart sank at the sight. “I’m sorry.”

She caught his hand and kissed it. “It wasn’t you. You didn’t do that.”

“I think that apology should be for us.” a snickering voice said as it approached. Din was walking towards the group.

Nayru shrugged, “Or a thank you.”

Farore skipped over and landed on top of her brother. “I’ll happily take a hug instead.”

Dametrius tightened his arms as much as he could to hold his smallest sister and kissed the side of her head. “I am thankful for your actions. That would have gone much differently if you wouldn’t have. And I am sorry for what happened.”

Din laughed and elbowed Nayru. “Can you believe this guy? He just gave me the greatest fight in a megaannum years and he's being remorseful. I swear, he has gone soft on us.”

Under Dametrius’s hand was a small rock and he half ass threw it at her. “Oh now you’re just being childish.”

The other two goddess knelt by his side when the boys gave some room. They helped their brother sit up before smothering him in a hug. The hug was warm and enduring, but felt sorrowful. He didn’t know what to make of it. Each sister, to his shock, said they loved him. It wasn’t an uncommon thing between them, but only said before something life changing could be happening. He didn’t question it and let their light lift his spirit.

“Will you help me up?” he asked them. 

Two sets of hands pulled him to his feet and steadied him. “Should you really be up and moving?” Twilight asked, placing a hand on the deity’s chest to hold him up.

“Probably not.”

“Yep, he’s just like us.” Wind laughed.

Black spots filled the edges of his vision and he had to grab onto the ones holding him. “You start to fall and I’m dropping you.” Din had a funny way of saying he needed to slow down. “Do you remember when he was a baby, trying to walk at eight months old.”

Farore burst into giggles. “He kept falling over in any direction his head was leaning.”

“He did have a big head.” Hylia came up from wherever she had been.

“Still does.” Nayru ruffled his hair.

“Yeah yeah. Having older sisters is great.” He bantered, but the smile met his eyes. He felt like he glided to the guest house. He couldn’t tell if he was walking or not, if anyone around him was talking and he couldn’t feel anything. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep. Apparently he did just that. The sun was just coming up and kissing his skin through the window.

“Morning sleepy head.” He expected Freya to be sitting on the bed’s edge next to him, but it was Hylia.

“Morning.” He could see the tear tracks on her cheeks, the puffy red rimmed eyes, and pink nose. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why have you been crying?” He took her hand in his.

She shook her head a few times. “I never understood what people meant by the saying, ‘They will never know how much pain it took to be this calm.’ You were always level headed, but still a bit of a brute. To watch you now is like seeing a different person. You are gentle with your calmness and it makes me ache knowing that I was part of that pain.”

“I thought we were past this?” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

“We are, but-” He gave her the time she needed to word things. “But what I must tell you will only bring more pain.”

“What has happened?” He sat up in the bed with a grunt. “Hylia?”

She looked into his eyes and crumbled. She sobbed into her hands. “They are gone.”

They? Whose they?! “Hylia, who? I need to know what is going on.”

“Din, Farore and Nayru. They are gone.”

His confusion was causing a headache. “They have been gone before. They always come back in time.”

“No Fierce! They are gone, dead.” That changed things. “They had it planned since they arrived here to help us. They claimed that with there being no more threats to come and the curse being broken that there was no more need for them. That if they were dead, then the Triforce would be no more. No one could seek its power again. No more heroes named Link or princesses named Zelda will ever be needed.”

The world suddenly seemed dark with the golden light of the Three gone. He was at a loss for words so he did the next thing that came to mind. He scooped Hylia up into his arms and held her. She wept into his chest until she was exhausted and slept. He had no plans on leaving her alone. She didn’t need to wake up in an empty room. His own tears fell with hers as they grieved the loss of their siblings.

Another five days and Dametrius was able to walk on his own, thanks to Hyrule. He enjoyed the peace that Lon Lon Ranch brought to his mind during that time. He was able to spend quality time with his family and listen to the joy between the boys, between brothers.

But like all great things, it had to come to an end.

“So this is it then?” Wind had watery eyes as he hugged Warriors side. Hylia had just explained to them the meaning of the Triforce's end and how they would be going home.

“Don’t worry Sailor, I’m sure we will all see each other again someday.” Still the big brother Wars.

Hylia had her fingers laced and held at her chest. “Before we all depart, I want to give each of my heroes a gift of your choosing, whatever you want.”

Dametrius corrected the statement, “Reasonable wants, boys.”

“Chronological order?” Time asked. “Sky.”

Hylia looked at him first with a smile. “I don’t know what to ask for.”

She giggled. “How about I give you a gift that I see fit?” He nodded and she cupped her hands over his left. Light could be seen in his hand as she placed a gift there. “I wish you and Zelda a long and happy life together.” In Sky’s left hand were two, beautiful, golden, engraved rings blessed by the goddess.

Sky bowed his head to her with a smile that said a thousand words.

Four winged his hands together looking down at his shadow. “It isn’t for myself, completely. I only wish for Shadow to have a true body that won't disappear into my shadow. He desearves it.”

“How selfless. A body he shall have. Turn around, Hero of Men.” Standing behind Four was Shadow in a truly solid body, no longer bound to the dark realm.

“My Hero of Time.” Hylia took a step in his direction.

“I only ask for knowledge of something specific. What happened to the Fallen Hero of Time?”

Hylia looked regretful, but agreed. Dametrius knew what Time was seeing when Hylia touched his cheek. He knew he was seeing his teen self fighting against Ganon with Zelda by his side. How he was beaten and bloodied by the Gerudo King and Zelda tried to save him. Time in that line didn’t have a chance after Ganon disarmed him and held the Master Sword with the hilt wrapped in his cloak. The fight ended with Zelda about to be run through by the holy blade in Ganon’s grip, when Time jumped between them. He had wrapped his arms around the young princess to try and protect her. Instead, Time had his own sword pushed through his back and into Zelda.

Hylia had a single tear flow as she removed her hand and Time thanked her sincerely.

Legend had a blush that matched the tips of his pink hair. “If she would have me, could Marin come back with me?”

Hylia waved her hand and opened a golden portal. Outstepped Marin in all her young beauty. “Link? Link!” Her eyes light up when seeing him. Legend bolted for her and spun her around off her feet. The boys cheered as the couple kissed.

“Wind?” The young sailor gulped when he turned back around. He looked around and asked to whisper it in her ear. She knelt down as Wind whispered to her. She giggled. “I think I can do that for you.” She kissed his cheek and gold dust circled him. “It is done.”

“So, what was it?” Malon asked.

“That when I die, I die epicly at sea!”

 Wars locked the youngest in a headlock and ruffled his hair. “Of course you did, you pirate.”

Dametrius watched as Hyrule toed at the dirt under his boot. “Nothing grows in my era. I would love for that to change.”

“I guess Farore knew something that I didn’t when she gave me these.” Hylia placed a large pouch in the teens hands saying, “Use the water from the Fairy Fountain and they will grow beyond belief.”

The Traveler gasped as he opened the pouch. Seeds of all different shapes, sizes and colors laid inside. “Thank you.”

“Captain?”

“I do not have anything to ask for.” He bowed at the waist to her with a hand over his heart.

Dametrius rolled his eyes.

“He looks so much like my Link.” Hylia whispered to her brother. “I do wonder…” She lifted Warriors chin and planted her lips to his. It stunned Wars, but then he kissed back and held her, continuing until she pulled away. He looked starry eyed “Hmm, yep. Kisses like him too.”

“Hey, pretty boy.” Legend called out. “You just made out with Sky’s girlfriends original form, Dametrius’s sister and Wild’s Aunt.”

Wars licked his bottom lip. “And I’m not sorry for it.”

 “My dear Twilight.”

Twi had his crystal in his hand. “I know she broke the mirror for a good reason and I trust her actions, so I wont ask for it to be fixed. I have already had close calls with people reaching for this and it's not safe. Is there a way to have it back inside me, like it had been, but still go to and from both forms? I hope that’s not too much to ask.”

“I normally leave such artifacts alone, but I can do this for you.” She didn’t touch the crystal directly, that would destroy it. Twi braced for the pain, but none came. He opened his eyes and looked around as if wondering if that was it. “It is done.” Twi sighed with relief.

“That leaves my Champion. I know what your heart desires and I want to give you that special thing, but I must explain first. I have already told you that if Demise wouldn’t have been working during the second Calamity, that Zelda would have returned to you. The reason I couldn’t bring her back was because Demise had her soul inside him. I can’t bring her body back, though I can give her soul a new body that will be identical.”

“How?” Wild’s eyes had a shine that they hadn’t had in some time.

“By giving her mine.”

Wild looked to his father, then back to his aunt. “That means you’ll die. No, I won’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t ask, I’m offering.”

“Dad, tell her this is crazy!”

Dametrius and Hylia had already talked this over before this moment. “Since The Golden Three are no more, taking the Triforce with them, Hylia’s body will fade into dust over the next few years. The only reason I won’t have the same fate, is because my life is now tied to your Mother's.”

“This way, my body won't go to waste. Link, it’s okay, I want this.” She cardded her fingers through his hair before wrapping her arms around her brother’s neck. She kissed his cheek, but didn’t say another word.

Allowing Zelda's soul to rise from her hands, she pushed it into herself. All watched as her form shrunk and morphed. Her long golden hair turned more yellow and shorter. Her white dress lost its sleeves and gained a decorative piece down the front. A necklace and matching crown appeared, as well as rounded, silver earrings. Her features were no longer her’s, but Zelda’s.

The young girl in front of them opened her eyes and scanned the faces surrounding her.

“Zelda? You're here and it’s really you?” Wild reached out and tucked hair behind her ear.

“Link? H-how can this be?” Her voice held her confusion, but Wild didn’t let her spiral. He had his arms around her and the two embraced emotionally. Like father, like son. The two had some catching up to do.

Dametrius gave everyone some time to say their goodbyes before looking at his wife, children and Zel. "Let's go home."

Chapter Text

"Daddy, Daddy!! Wake up, wake up!"

Dametrius was now wide awake with Asti bouncing on the bed, landing on his chest. "What has made you excited so early?" He gave a kiss to her cheek.

"We got a letter!"

"We did?~" He was amused by her giggles and the inability to sit still. He sat up asking, "Who's it from?"

"Uncle Sky and Aunt Sun!! Mama said that it's an in-da-vi-tation to their wedding!" She was like Link when it came to his speech at this age. Priceless and precious.

He was just noticing Freya's absence. "Really? Let me see." Asti had the folded paper in hand, waving it around.

To the Fierce Family:

You are being formally invited to the royal wedding and crowning of the Hero Link and Princess Zelda of Skyloft.

The back had Sky's handwriting.

Would have rather invited you all in person, but I obviously had no way of doing so. Instead I have sent a letter to everyone by our handy mailman. Still can't figure out how he is able to travel like we did during our adventure.

I have informed everyone that the wedding is a week from the day you get the letter, since everyone should be receiving it on the same day. I don't know if you are able to, but I would love for everyone and their families to join us in the celebration.

Hope to see you soon,

~Sky

Dametrius smiled at the letter, folding it back up neatly.

"So are we going?" Asti asked, as she wiggled in her father's arms.

"We are and so are all your uncles and their families."

"Don't forget my brother!"

"I would never." He blew raspberries against her neck. "Come on my little Star, we have to get you a dress in Castle Town."

"Yay!!" She jumped off the bed, wings out to let her glide. She had just gotten to the age where she could retract them. "Mama, Mama!! Daddy said we are going shopping!"

"Did he now?" Freya appeared in the doorway. "Looks like someone is moving too slow if we are to go shopping."

"Daaaaddy!"

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up." The look he got from Freya said, 'spoiled'. His little girl definitely was.

"Little Star, you have to hold still." Dametrius laughed as he braided his daughter's long white hair.

"I can't! I'm too excited!" Clearly…

"Let me put the flower crown on, then you are done." He had a small crown of Baby's Breath made for her and pinned it into her hair. "Now you are done. Go show Mama."

Dametrius had already traveled to each era three days before then to make sure he knew where to open up the portals for everyone to make it to Skyloft. He opened the first one for him and his girls to walk through and land in the sky islands. It had been so long since he had been up there. It hadn't changed too much.

He summoned eight more portals in front of him and eight groups of people stepped out of them. It was a happy reunion as the band of brothers got to see each other again.

And there were children… eight children if they included Asti. All of them were somewhat close to the same age too. Time introduced his and Malon's five year old, strawberry blond twins, Tael and Tatl (because what else was the Fairy Boy going to name twins?). They smiled and waved, easily making friends with the others.

Legend had a little, not redheaded, but pink haired girl on his shoulders. Claramay was only three and looked like her mother, but had Legend's bunny-like front teeth.

Warriors little boy, Trevor, was the same age as Claramay. He looked nothing like Wars, but that was due to the boy being adopted. Apparently the boy's biological father was one of Wars younger soldiers and had passed. Trevor's mother became sick, predicted to never recover and begged the Captain to keep her son as his own. He did just that.

Next to Dametrius stood Twi and Ilia, a several months pregnant Ilia. Waking up from a nap was their own daughter that they named, Midna. The brown hair and blue eyed child yawned as she was set on her feet. She was the same age as the twins.

Hyrule, Four and Shadow had no children and had no interest in settling down. Hyrule's era was not one that he was ready to bring a child into. Wind claimed to be too young still.

Zelda, Flora, snuck in beside Freya with a newborn in her arms. "Oh there's our little granddaughter!" Freya adored the newest addition to the family, Dawn.

"Where is Cub?" Twilight looked around, not seeing him.

Flora laughed. "Wrangling in our son. He was refusing to put on his pants. He's just like his father, a wild child."

"Oh no." Time gave a hearty laugh. "How are you managing with that?"

The young queen deadpanned, "I send them both to Papa Fierce."

Legend smirked at the name. Of course he was keeping the name!

"Papa Fierce!!" Speaking of.

"Twilight!" Dametrius had his arms out for the four year old to jump into.

Wild was huffing as he walked through the portal. The adult Twi dodged the kids playing and had Wild in a tight embrace. "You named your son after me?" Wild would have wrapped all four limbs around Twi if he wasn't in fancy clothes.

Before Wild could answer, Flora corrected Twi's questions. "Ahem, I was the one to name him."

Twi gasped, dropped Wild and gave Flora the best hug he could with her holding an infant. He gave the woman that he saw as a sister a kiss to the cheek. "Thank you."

“Always. What are you two expecting?" Flora asked, now standing next to Ilia.

"Supposedly, a boy. Shade."

That caught Time's attention. He looked emotional as he walked over, gave a warm hug to Ilia with a kiss to her hair. He brought Twi into a strong embrace, whispering, "Thank you, Pup."

In Dametrius's arms, the little one wiggled. "You are Uncle Twilight and Papa Time?" Yes, Dametrius made sure that his grandchildren and Asti called Time that. The sly smile wasn't missed by the older hero.

"We are." Twilight answered as he smiled at the young one named after him. Said young one made grabby hands toward the two men and hugged them around their necks and began to talk their ears off. That was all Zelda.

Feeling little hands on the back of his pants, Dametrius looked down at his own child. “Asti, why are you hiding?”

“I-I’m scared.”

Dametrius knelt down and faced his daughter. “Why are you scared?”

“W-what if no one likes me because I’m different?”

This had been a sensitive subject for the last year. Some of the children in the towns and villages had bullied Asti for having white eyes and facial markings. They kept her for the most part tucked away from kids as she learned to use her wings. “Do you see any of them not liking me for my eyes and markings?”

“No sir.”

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.” He kissed her forehead.

From behind them, a small voice spoke. “Hi.” Dametrius turned his head to see Midna and Tatl. Asti tucked away to hide.

“We love your flower crown!” Tatl said, trying to see Asti more.

“Y-you do?” Dametrius guided his daughter to the open.

Midna smiled brightly. “We do. It’s so pretty!”

Asti giggled and walked closer. “Would you like one?” The two girls gasped and bounced on their toes. “Daddy, can you help?”

Dametrius pulled two small buds off of Asti’s crown, placing one in each of the girls’ hair. Asti touched each bud and the flowers grew around their heads into a crown. The high pitched squeaky voices that came afterwards could have broken glass.

“Thank you, thank you!!”

“Thank you!” When Asti smiled and went to her father’s side, Tatl asked, “Aren’t you going to come play?” There wasn’t a second of hesitation as the little white hair girl darted off with the other two, hands holding theirs.

“You three!!” Dametrius looked up and saw a twenty year old Wind marching up. He punched Time and Wars in the arm and only pointed a finger at the deity. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Wars rubbed his arm, subtly trying to see if he was still taller than the kid. “About what?”

“That I was in the war with you three!”

The three in question looked at each other regretfully. “Wind we-” Time was cut off quickly.

“It was so cool to be there and see you guys again, though you didn’t know who I was, but still!!”

Wind continued his rant until Asti stopped everyone. “Uncle Sky!!” She had met Sky and Sun briefly by sneaking through Dametrius’s portal to Skyloft a few days ago.

“Asti!” He picked up and tossed her into the air. “You all made it. And look at all of you, how long has it been?”

“Six years.” Wild answered.

“Wow, it has only been six months for us, but I am so excited to hear about everything.” Sky was dressed in the most royal looking clothing Dametrius had seen since Wild and Zelda became rulers.

“Where is Aunt Sun?”

“That is actually one reason I came down here. I wasn’t supposed to leave my quarters until it was time, but Sun had a special request. Actually, it’s specifically for Dametrius. She is at the Goddess statue and wants to ask you something.”

Leaving the group, he teleported to outside the large gateway. He didn’t have the slightest clue of what he was about to walk into. He knocked first, then pushed the door open. The grassed area was lined with chairs and an altar. The soon to be queen and wife of a hero, stood in front of the statue of Hylia where the altar was placed. “Sun?”

“Hello, brother.”

“Hylia…” His throat nearly closed with the emotions rising.

“It is strange. Most days I feel like my normal self, as Zelda. Though, there are days when I can feel her soul, the reincarnation part of me.”

“What is today?”

“A mixture of both.” She sighed, “But that is not why I asked for you to come here. When you came here three days ago, we informed you of my Father’s death. With that, I have no one to walk me down the aisle.”

His eyes locked with hers. “And you want me to?”

She laughed, “Who else would be more suited to do this, but my brother? Will you?”

“I would be honored, sister.”

They waited outside the gates to walk in, Sun’s hand at the crook of Dametrius’s elbow. “Are you nervous?” He asked her.

“No, it just can’t happen fast enough.” She had the brightest smile.

The gates opened and Dametrius walked the goddess reincarnated to Sky. The aisle didn’t have chairs on both sides of it, but only one side. No one was going to be forced to choose their support for the groom or bride. They were both loved by all. In front of the altar, the priest asked who was giving away the bride. With pride, Dametrius said, "I do, her brother." Dametrius took Sun's hand and kissed it. He looked at Sky, hand now facing palm up for Sun's hand to set in. He cupped the bottom of Sky' hand saying, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will treat her well and bring her happiness, as she will do the same for you." He cupped Sun's hand as it was now facing up, slowly turned it and laid it in Sky's open hand. He placed a hand on the base of each of their necks, guiding all three foreheads to meet together as a sign of love towards the couple.

Sitting down at the end of the second row of seats, next to Freya, he had a handkerchief waved at him. He looked at his wife, holding their daughter with a questioning look. "You are crying."

He quickly whispers, "I am not." He wetly chuckled as he took the cloth from her and removed the tears that fell as soon as he said it. "Hush."

The ceremony wasn't too long, but it was beautiful. Everyone cheered as the newlyweds kissed and were announced as husband and wife.

It was time to head down to the surface, Loftwings flying around to catch their riders. The few that didn't have their own Loftwings, rode with knights that did.

If Dametrius's hair wasn't already white, it was about to be. "Daddy, watch!!" He had a split second to see Asti spread her wings and jump off the floating island, going straight down with a "WEEeeeee…..!" Everyone around him gasped or tried to reach for her, especially the mothers in the group. The others didn't know if she could fly yet.

With his heart plummeting, he raced to the edge. She could fly, but this was new. She hadn't dealt with these drafts or that long of a drop. He leapt into a dive after her. His own wings were out, but tucked close to his body as he cut through the air. He spread them apart when he saw his little girl. Asti had caught a gentle updraft, floating with giggles. He flew above her and held out his hand to her. She took two of his fingers in her tiny palms, still balancing perfectly.

"I scared ya, didn't I?" She didn't have a single trace of remorse. She was a mini Link.

"That you did, Little Star. Where we are headed is a long way away. Do you want to try to get there?"

"Please!"

"Alright, but we have to get out of this draft." He held her hand and pulled her up to where Freya could see them both. Asti's wings flapped like a little butterfly. Freya was on the back of a Loftwing shortly after seeing that her daughter was safe. The three flew close to each other incase Asti got too tired from flying.

A few times, Dametrius tossed the giggly child up higher to get her to go through clouds and teach her about the downward drafts. He held her close when they got close to a rock tunnel to fly through. He sped up, wrapped his wings around him and her, spun through the tunnel, popping out the other side. When Asti yawned and dropped altitude, Dametrius held her saying, "You did wonderful, my Little Star. Here, fly with Mama." Asti gave a kiss before dropping into Freya's waiting arms.

The surface was buzzing with life, the complete opposite of how it was when he was last properly in this era. Following the trail of people, the group of brothers and their families made their way to the first Hyrule Castle. It was much like the others if only a little smaller. The community of Skyloftians that constructed it had been busy for the last two years. Well, Sky's last two years.

The groups of people were escorted to the sanctum, where a set of nine steps laid to get to the two empty thrones. Everyone stood in the open room, split in two by a walkway. Somehow Dametrius and the band of boys, now all men, landed up front. The heavy wood and metal doors creaked open. Sky and Sun walked in and the room was hushed by their presence. They walked hand in hand, heads held high as they should be. The two stopped at the front of the steps and knelt before the priest that performed their ceremony. They both swore to protect this new kingdom, to cherish it as they cherish each other, to guide the country into a promising future and to be loyal to the land as they had been to the skies above. They both vowed and had golden crowns placed on their heads. They stood, walked to the thrones and turned around.

"ALL HAIL, KING LINK AND QUEEN ZELDA!"

Everyone shouted back the same. Dametrius was the first to go to one knee, head bowed as the new king and queen sat on the thrones.

~

"Daddy?" Asti, now eight, had tears and wrapped herself around Dametrius’s leg.

“Sweety, what's the matter?” He lifted her up into his arms and removed her tears.

Her wobbly bottom lip stuck out pitifully. She looked up at him and sobbed. She just gave the letter in her hand to him and collapsed into his chest. The seal on the letter was from Sky’s era…

Reopening the letter, he read why Asti was in such hysterics. “Freya!” Dametrius crossed the open field next to their restored, stone home in Akkala.

“Dametrius, what happened?” Freya looked panicked. Dametrius didn’t blame her. It wasn’t often that his face showed a pained expression and Asti crying at the same time.

“It’s Sky, I have to go. I shouldn’t be gone long, a day at the most.” He tried to pass Asti to her mother, but that caused the child to scream a sob and latch on tighter. “Asti, I can’t bring you with me and I need to get your brother.”

“Please! I want to go with you!”

“Freya, please.” Dametrius asked, heart twisting as Asti screamed again, but Asti wouldn’t budge.

Freya took the letter and covered her mouth in shock. “Take her with you.”

“What?” he nearly hissed it, not in anger, but in bewilderment.

‘It might be the last time she sees him or the others again. She knows what death is, take her.’ Freya signed to him.

“Fine.” He bounced slightly to help sooth his daughter. “Hey, you wanna kiss Mama bye first?” Asti nodded and kissed her mother, followed by him.

Dametrius teleported himself and Asti to the castle instantly. The guards all jumped and had weapons ready. “Stand down!” Zelda ordered, her own children stood near her.

“Papa Fierce!” Twilight shouted as Dametrius approached.

“Papa!” Dawn giggled.

“What has happened?” Zelda asked when she saw them.

“It’s Sky, where is Link?”

Link walked into the sanctum before anyone could answer. “Dad?”

“I hate to pull you away on such short notice, but it is urgent.” 

“You said it was Sky, is he okay?”

Dametrius didn't want to upset his grandchildren, so he whispered, “We received another letter, one not holding the best of news. He wants all of you boys to be in his Hyrule as soon as we can. He doesn’t have much longer.”

Link took in the words. “But it has only been two years.”

“Two years for us, but for him it's been decades.”

They wasted no time jumping to different eras and collecting the other heroes. The last portal opened in front of the castle in Sky’s era. Asti was half asleep, still clinging to her father’s neck. They were greeted by a knight before they even reached the gate and were taken to Sky’s quarters.

Easing their way into the large room, they all took in the sight of the Skyloftian. Sky was in a simple white tunic, light brown trousers and socks. A light blanket thrown over his lap, book in hand. Sky looked up from where he sat on his bed and smiled. “You made it.” His voice was light, but tired. “Come, come in. I have missed you all so dearly.” He gave a small surprised noise, “Is that who I think it is?” 

Dametrius whispered to his youngest that Sky was looking at her. She turned and gave a smile. Dametrius and the others had explained to her that the flow of time was not the same for Sky and he would be much older. They didn’t think he would be reaching nearly one hundred and two years though. He was catching up to Wild.

The little girl slid onto the foot of the large bed and crawled her way into Sky’s waiting arms. “Sweet child, why have you been crying?” he asked, tucking her under his chin.

“Your letter said that you are dying.”

“That is true, but it isn’t a terrible thing. I get to see Sun again and all the others that have passed before me. I have lived a long and fulfilling life and have even outlived my children. Look at it as my last and everlasting adventure.” That seemed to ease the little girl’s troubled self.

The heroes all situated themselves either on the bed or leaned against the bed posts. Sky wanted to know everything that had happened in the last two years with each of them and their families. Of course the others were even more curious about Sky's life. They laughed and recalled old times and the crazy things they all got into. It was bitter sweet to say the least.

“Grandfather?” A younger voice came from the doorway.

“My dear, come meet my brothers. This is my Great Granddaughter, Zelda. Zel, these are my fellow heroes.”

She couldn’t be any older than twenty five and appeared to be the current queen. “Hello. He talks about you all often and all of us grew up listening to your grand adventures.” She turned towards Sky. “The little ones are playing in the library and were wondering if you felt up to seeing them today.”

Sky happily hummed. “I believe I am. Can you guys believe it? I have great great grandchildren!” He shook his head in his own disbelief. “The darlings are so bright and just precious to me. My whole family is.”

Wars and Legend helped the elderly hero off the bed, slip his boots on and walk the halls to where the children were. There was laughter in the grand room, children overjoyed by seeing the eldest member of their family. Sky, still being held up by Warriors and Legend, was guided to a red, velvet armchair to sit. The children played with the heroes, some wanted stories told or read, others just wanted to be held. Asti was finally laughing and played with the other kids. She also was having fun jumping on top of her brother.

Dametrius sat next to Sky, chatting over life, when Sky let out a yawn. “I am tired.”

The deity didn’t miss what he was really saying. “You did good Link. You deserve to rest.”

Sky took Damertius’s hand in his and squeezed it one time. "Promise me something, please. Gather all of them as we each get laid to rest. No one deserves to die alone, especially heroes." He sighed contently after Dametrius gave his word. “I think I will take a nap.” He leaned his head back, a smile gracing his lips. He took a deep breath, let it out… 

Dametrius laid Sky’s hand back in his lap slowly. He looked to see if anyone was looking before feeling for a pulse.

Nothing.

“Rest easy, Hero of the Sky.”

Chapter Text

It had been two more years since Sky’s passing. Each era held their own ceremony in remembrance of him. It hurt, but it was part of life and they honored him by keeping his name alive.

Dametrius did not think he would have to go through another similar situation, but there he was, helping Freya with an apple pie when it happened. He was thankful that he was the one holding the knife and Freya was working the dough. Shadow appeared out of nowhere, startling the two in the kitchen. Dametrius cursed under his breath before saying, “Shadow, how the hell did you get here?”

“Long story, but I remembered the promise you made to Sky all those years ago and-” He choked on his emotions, red eyes brimming with large tears. “-It’s Li-Four. I tried to help him, to save him, but the magic was too strong.”

Shadow sagged, nearly collapsing. “Hey, whoa, sit down first.”

“I’m his shadow. He dies, I die. But he’s split right now and each part of him is in a different room in the temple. He has been corrupted by that place for an unknown amount of year, decades, maybe even centuries.”

Dametrius knelt in front of Shadow as he sat. "How did this happen and where is he?"

"He wanted to return the Four Swords to the temple, hoping that it would turn him back into one mind, one body. It did the opposite and I tried everything to keep the dark magic out of him. There is another hero in the temple and each color of Four is a boss he has to beat. We don't have much time…" Shadow was getting weak, signs of Four dying. "I didn't get a chance to see who it was."

Freya kissed her husband, then Shadow's cheek, shooing them away. They left in a rush.

Dametrius snagged each hero from their era with no issues outside of making them jump eras too quickly. Three of them (Twi, Wind and Hyrule) were sick.

"What exactly are we walking into?" Wars asked, hand on the hilt of his sword that laid on his back.

"You won't need that." Shadow assured. He stumbled and crashed to his knees. "N-no…Link…"

There were running footsteps, making the others duck behind a few pillars to not be seen. Dametrius looked over and caught a glimpse of Legend. He was curled in on himself, white as a sheet. Dametriis kicked himself for not remembering-

The footsteps were now joined by a sniffing sound. A young hero emerged from the Temple of the Four Swords, sword covered in blood. This hero was no older than eleven and it all came crashing down from there once he was out of sight. Everyone nearly stopped breathing. Then they all looked at Legend, who was on his hands and knees, ready to vomit.

Legend was the hero that just…

"You bastard!! You knew!!" Shadow went to attack the Vet. "You knew you were the one that killed him this whole time and you didn't say anything! I hate you! I hate you Legend!!"

Before Shadow could get his hands on Legend, Time grabbed a hold of him. "We need to get to Four, everything else can wait." Legend flinched at the words. They weren't meant to be rude or suggest anything, but it didn't change how the hero tensed up.

They hurried through the temple, all doors and gates were wide open. Not an enemy in sight. In the last room was the pedestal holding the sword Four always carried. Laying next to it was Four, hardly moving.

Shadow got to him first, placing Four's upper body in his lap. "Four, Link, can you hear me?"

The small hero was holding a stab wound right below his chest. "Shadow? I-I'm sorry. I thought it would work."

"Hey, it's okay. We're okay. Look who's here now."

Four's eyes slowly looked to the heroes. A bloody smile was given. "You all made it."

"Of course we did, we had a promise to keep." Wind grabbed the hand Four stuck out to him, clasping it tightly.

Dametrius watched carefully as Four found Legend in the group. "Legend?" Legend looked up, already having tears slip from his red eyes. "It's okay, this wasn't your fault."

"How can y-you say that Four? I just murdered you, for what, a quest? You should hate me like Shadow does."

"But I don't hate you, I never could. You set me free from my stupid mistake."

"I thought…" Legend started to break. "I thought that somehow our quest would have changed your future, changing my past. I wanted to tell you, so many times I was going to.”

Four reached for the Vet, “Unfortunately that’s not how time works and you telling me would have changed things in a way that may have made things worse for you. Maybe you wouldn't have ever lived past here.” Four with all the strength he had left, yanked Legend down and embraced him. “It’s not your fault, none of this is or was.”

Legend’s shoulders shook with his cries.

A bird chirped, capturing their attention. A Cardinal. “Guy’s look.” Hyrule pointed to the bird as it flew down next to Four and Shadow.

It chirped again, landed on Four’s chest, then nudged his chin. “S-Sky?” The bright red bird opened its wings and gave a flap. “You look good as a bird.” That caused the others to chuckle.

When he started coughing, fluid filling his lungs, Four asked for a request. “Bury me some place warmed by the sun, please. I don’t want to rest here forever.” They all nodded and wiped tears and snot from their faces. “We will all be together again some day. Until then, go do something stupid and live a little.”

Shadow laughed around a sob. “They are heroes, of course they are going to do something stupid.”

Four intertwined his fingers with Shadow’s. “You r-read-dy?”

“Yeah… yeah I’m ready if you are.” He moved the blond strands out of the other's face.

“I am.”

Shadow laid on his side next to him, Four partly propped up against him, both holding each other close. These two were inseparable, even in death. And death didn’t wait long. Four choked and coughed, blood coating his mouth and falling out of it as his eyes drifted closed. His body, along with Shadow’s, ceased all movement.

Legend was the first to openly grieve, bringing his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth. Hyrule wrapped his arms around him, followed by Wind and Wars, then the others.

In the midst of their grieving, laughter bubbled up, but not from the living. Two figures, not fully translucid though not fully formed, stood above the dead. Four, green tunic and cap, was hugging Shadow. They looked to be around fourteen, maybe fifteen. The heroes watched as the Cardinal, Sky, trilled at the two spirits. Without a word spoken the two shrugged, took each other's hands and raced after the bird with laughter still erupting from them.

“Why didn’t we see Sky’s soul?” Wild asked, looking at his father.

“Knowing Sky, he probably went straight to Sun’s side up in the clouds.”

“Love bird.” Twilight rubbed his face dry.

Legend, Wind, Hyrule and Wild cleaned Four and Shadow’s body as best as they could, while Dametrius, Time, Twi and Wars found the place for them to rest. They found a spot on top of a hill, where the sun would always be touching it. The four… the men dug a single grave six feet deep, three feet wide, five feet long. It was more narrow than it probably should have been and longer than needed. The number that matched the hero was avoided as much as they could.

The others emerged from the temple, Wild carrying Shadow as Legend carried Four. Time and Twi dropped back into the hole so the forever loved and missed hero and his best friend could be laid in the ground. They were laid with their arms hooked, heads tilted towards each other and a blanket that Wild had in his slate, placed over them. Everyone stood at a different section of dirt and pushed it back in the hole to officially say goodbye to their smallest brother. 

Before departing from that era for the last time, Time looked at Dametrius with sorrow filled eyes. He knew, they both knew.

“I’m next.”

Chapter Text

There was officially a pattern. Two years to the day separated each hero’s death and this time, it didn’t just hurt emotionally, but physically.

Dametrius and Freya had been asleep for hours when he woke, hands clenching the sheets so hard that they ripped. His eyes were wide open, but not seeing what was in front of him. He was seeing through the mask's hollowed eyes. He was looking at Time. The man hadn’t aged much, but still looked older, tired. A hand drifted over the mask and words whispered an apology before it went dark.

His face felt like it was being scorched by Volga or Argorok’s fire. He grabbed at his face, specifically his blue and red markings, toppling out of the bed and reached for anything to help him. The rage of the mask being left behind was maddening, it lusted for a fight, the thrill of battle. That was exactly what Time was walking into. Not one he would walk out of unscathed and live to tell the tale.

His back hit the wall, still not seeing and dropped to the floor. He was hyperventilating, on the verge of going unconscious. Two cool hands cupped his face, soothing the feeling of fire on his facial markings. His fingers touched more cool skin as he moved down Freya’s arms. He placed his hands over hers, calming his breathing. He squeezed his eyes closed, terrified of what he might see.

“Can you hear me?” That sweet lullaby voice.

“Y-yes. I can h-hear you now.”

She knelt on both knees between his legs, letting him lean forward so his head rested on her chest. She hummed while stroking his long hair, waiting for his breath to reduce to its normal rate. “What happened?”

“The mask- Time- I can’t- He-...”

“Hey, slow down. It’s okay.” She pushed his bangs from his face.

He finally opened his eyes, seeing his beautiful wife’s face. “Time locked up the mask and is riding to his death. The bond he has with the mask, with me, is what caused the sudden pain.”

She wrapped her arms around him, kissing the top of his head. “You need to get the others.” She grabbed his boots while he pulled a tunic over his head. Kissing her goodbye, he teleported to his once called home in Hateno where Link and Zel would stay if not at the castle.

Guards were placed all around the house and they nodded to him as he crossed the wooden bridge. He knocked on the door instead of barging in. It didn’t take long for Link to open it. “Dad, did something happen?” He didn’t have to answer. “It’s Time, isn’t it.”

“It is.”

“Come on, Asti woke up a little while ago and I need to tell Zel.”

Walking into the house, he saw his little girl half asleep on the couch. He covered her up with the blanket at her feet, saying, “Hey there my Little Star.”

She yawned, smiling up at him when his face became clear through the sleep in her eyes. “Hi Dad.”

His little girl was now twelve… where were the years going? “Hey, heard you had trouble sleeping tonight.”

“Just a bad dream, I’ll be okay.” Her white eyes looked into his as if she could see into his soul and he prayed she didn’t know the real reason he was there. “Papa Time is dying now, isn’t he?”

She was too smart. “He is, but me and the boys are going to be there with him.”

“Can you give him something for me?” He nodded. “Give him this.” She kissed her father on the cheek.

“I will.” Link walked back down the steps. “We will be back soon, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy. Bye Link.”

“Bye Asti.” Link whispered to his little sister. "Get some sleep."

Walking out the door, the guard posted at the front straightened up, bowed to Link saying, “Your Majesty.”

Dametrius smirked, “Perks of being king, you have protection.”

“Perks of being a hero, you are your own protection.” Link elbowed his father as the portal opened to gather the remaining heroes.

They all landed in a large forest, fog covering the ground, swirling around their legs. The Lost Woods. The smell of fresh blood had them uneasy, but the battle was miles away. Hooves thundering against the ground were getting closer. Twilight saw the horse before the rest. “Epona?”

When he went to stop her, Dametrius grabbed his wrist. “She’s going home, let her.”

“Where’s the Old Man?” Wind asked. He may be twenty four years old, but his love for his brothers never changed.

A bell-like jingle echoed between the trees ahead, a fairy. Twilight bolted towards the noise, knowing what was at the other end, Time. Following the Rancher’s actions, they started to hear the harsh clunking sound of metal on metal, the stuttering breaths filling someone's lungs, feet dragging and they could taste iron in the air.

The group entered a small clearing, coming to an abrupt halt. In front of them was Time, barely on his feet, sword failing to hold him up as the tip pressed into the ground. He grunted as his body gave into his exhaustion, collapsing to the ground next to a large stump.

“Time!” The man’s descendant was at his side, turning him over and pulling him up into a sitting position. The golden armor was riddled with gashes, chips and blood splatter. Time's skin was covered in blood, some his own and of others.

Wars landed on the other side of the eldest hero, pulling off his helmet. “Damn it, Time. You were supposed to retire from this kind of thing.” He unwrapped the scarf from his neck, shoving it into the gut wound that steadily pumped blood. A single, solid slash from a sword went from one side to the other.

Time groaned with the sudden pressure. “I had… for a couple of years. Needed to help-” He went into a coughing fit, grabbing at his ribs that were more than likely broken. Sweat mixed with blood clung to his skin and dripped off his bangs while taking in everyone’s faces. “All of you look s-so grown up now. No longer just boys too young for a sword.” His chin quivered slightly. “I am so sorry.” He sucked in an uneven breath, trying to hold it all in.

Wild sat on his knees beside Twi, “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“If only that were true Cub.” He laid his head back as the emotions came full force, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. His head came back forward, “I was a stupid kid playing with the gift of time travel, not understanding it f-fully. If I would have known the consequences, I would have done things differently. Legend, you wouldn’t have needed to pick up where I left off 'nd see your Grandmother mourn me. Wind, you wouldn’t have needed to collect the shattered pieces of the Triforce, save your sister and kill a man at such a young age. H-Hyrule, you wouldn’t have to worry about a world that is hunting you down just for your blood. Warriors-” He gave a pained chuckle, “You wouldn’t have had to deal with a complete brat and blame yourself for a war that you didn’t start or have control over.”

“Oh, so now you fess up to being a brat.” Wars teased with a softer tone than normal.

“I’ve had plenty of time to look back on it.” His jaw tightened, skin getting paler by the minuet. “Cub, you wouldn’t have lost everything, including your memories… y-your life. I am a regret-filled man. I am about to leave Malon without a husband and to continue raising two children that are only thirteen. I wont get to see them grow and have children of their own. See Malon’s hair turn gray and I leave them with only a headstone that my body won’t even be buried under.” He grunted a few colorful curses as his adrenaline wore off, that the boys in front of him would normally tease him over.

He cupped the back of Twilight’s neck, bringing their foreheads together. “But my greatest regret, the one that cuts my heart the deepest, is knowing that somewhere down the line I have a descendent that leaves their son, a helpless babe, in the forest alone. They leave you, Pup, and I am sorry beyond what words could ever try to express.”

Twilight pulled away enough to look into the man’s two bright blue eyes. “How did you find out?”

Time smirked. “I asked Rusl before he figured out who I was in relation to you. I do not, though, regret my soul staying here to protect you as a golden wolf until Rusl and Uli find you or that I get to train you. I just hate that you have to be trained at all.” There was one last thing that Time needed to say to him. “I wish you would have crushed the crystal or had Hylia do it for you. I hate what it does to you.”

Twi gave a look of pure confusion.

Time pulled a thin leather cord from around his neck that held Twilight’s Horse Call. “I know what happens to you, I won’t say how or what, but I wish I could turn back time and keep the crystal out of you.”

Lost for words, Twilight hugged the man that he saw as a father more than the one that raised him. Time kissed the side of Twi's head, pained to say goodbye.

Dametrius turned his head when he caught sight of Wars looking away, still pressing on the fatal wound, trying to be strong. Time saw it too. “Cap?”

Warriors need to be the strong one, crumbled when Time loosely grabbed his arm. “It’s not supposed to be like this." It was only a small whisper. "This isn't right! My little brother isn't supposed to die before me, not supposed to die in a time of war. Sprite, you aren't supposed to die before me!" His shoulders shook before he laughed. "You were supposed to get old and fat to where you couldn't fit in this armor."

The break in the tension was needed.

Wars voice dropped. "You already gave too much, too much life to be the world's savior again. Too much to die like this, here."

How Time was able to smile and it reach his eyes, was a mystery to the younger men. To Dametrius, he knew where they were, what the forest meant. "I'm home, Cap. This is where I was raised and this is where I belong."

"Hey!" The high pitched voice of a fairy startled the heroes. "Link!" The little, sassy, fairy landed on Time's hand.

"Hello Navi." Time brought her to his face to mimic a hug.

Like with Four's passing, the Cardinal, Sky, was back. He landed on the stump Time was propped up against.

Two mice appeared and climbed up Legends tunic to sit on his shoulders. One had off-white fur, blue-ish eyes and a single strip of green fur along its back. The other mouse was gray, ruby red eyes and a purple stripe running down its back. Legend stroked both mice under their chins to greet them. "Good to see you again Four, Shadow."

The mice squeaked back.

Time was struggling to keep his eyes open, his head kept wanting to fall forward. "G-give this to Malon, to give to Zelda for me. She will know what to do with it." He laid the Ocarina in his lap for it to be taken. "Dametrius, the mask…" He coughed violently, each breath was a fight to draw in.

The deity shook his head. "I know, Time. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you." The Hero of Time's eyes fell closed one last time, never to open again. He pitched to his left side, landing against his big brother's chest.

Navi's blue light dimmed, flickered then vanished as her body was still tucked into one of Time's hands.

"Time?" The Captain tentatively rocked the deceased man's shoulders. His eyes grew wide with horror, realization settling in. "Time? Hey, stay with us, come on." He tapped Time's rapidly cooling cheek to get him to wake. "Mask, I need you to- I- no… NO!!" He clutched his brother to his chest, fingers gripping the bulky armor to the point that they were about to bleed.

After nearly twenty minutes, Legend placed Four and Shadow in Hyrule's hands, stood and went to Warriors back. He tugged on his shoulders to get him to let go. Wars shoved him off, but the Vet didn't relent. He pulled at Wars more firmly until the fight left the other.

Warriors abandoned his little brother to Twilight's care, folding in on himself against Legend's front. Wars was holding in a scream, neck and face turning beet red, veins popping, fist against his head.

"Let it out, breath." Legend encouraged as his own emotions dripped down his face.

Twilight took the Ocarina from Time's hands and gave it to Wild to put in his slate. Wild also took Warriors, now purple, scarf to also place it in the slate. It would be clean for the Cap when he takes it back out.

Twilight pulled Time's body upright, placed his forehead against the other's temple and silently broke, streams of tears flooded from his eyes. It was the kind of break that showed acceptance and understanding, though the pain was still there.

Without warning they watched Twilight stand and hastily move to a nearby tree, emptying anything that was in his stomach.

Dametrius's nose caught the smell of blood with the bile that was expelled from the Rancher. Anyone else wouldn't catch it due to the already iron and copper scent floating around them. He grew worried for the wolf hero. Maybe Time really did know something about Twi's condition, but it was too late to ask that.

Wild made his way to Twi, handing him a waterskin and helping him sit.

Hyrule still held the two mice spirits, comforting them and himself. Wind laid his head on Hyrule's shoulder, the brown and green tunic in his grip. The Cardinal joined them.

Dametrius was not unaffected by Time's passing. In fact, he was in pain physically again. The second Time died, the bond between them was severed and it made the deity feel like a knife cut away part of his soul. Like there was a rope holding them together, but it was just spit in two and he was free-falling into the unknown.

He took the helmet that laid on the ground into his hands, cleaning it off. He spoke with a low voice laced with anguish. "From Asti." A kiss to the cheek and he placed the helmet back on Time.

Only then did Time's spirit come forward, in the form of when he was a child. He was skittishly looking around, not seeing the living.

"Mask?" Wars started to reach for him.

The young Time flicked his ears, listening. A little girl with green hair walked out from the shadows to greet her friend. "Saria?"

"Link, you're home? You finally came home?" Saria said as she quickly came closer.

"LIIIINK!!" That wasn't Saria…

Time only had a single moment to spare before Skullkid jumped from the stump and tackled his long lost friend. They rolled across the grass, giggles escaping both of them.

Saria rolled her eyes fondly and landed on top of Time too. Tatl and Tael zoomed over as did Navi.

"Navi!!" Time was ecstatic as his fairy swirled around him, permanently reunited. 

The three child spirits played together like they used to, fairies doing the same. Time never stopped smiling as he laughed, played tag and enjoyed what his childhood should have been like.

The young Link stopped all playing for a moment, tilting his head slightly. The heroes and deity watched as he hopped up onto the stump. He was scanning what laid before him. It surprised them when he spoke at them. “I know you guys are still there, but I can’t see you.”

Dametrius nudged Twi, “Hey, can’t you interact with souls while in wolf form?” The young man shifted.

Time saw Twilight and gasped, “Pup!” He threw himself at the wolf, arms and legs latching onto him.

Twilight sat down and nestled against the boy, a front leg going around him.

“I love you, Pup. Don’t forget that.” Twi whined. “Hey, where’s Wars sitting?”

Twilight trotted over to where Warriors was seated still in front of Legend. He touched his muzzle to War’s chest, then looked back at Time.

The mischievous glint in his eyes wasn't missed. “Hey big brother. I never told you, but I was the one that stuffed your bag with cuccos and told Impa that you took her sword… when it was really me!”

Twilight barked for Time to take off running. Wars had stood, laughing and calling him a little brat.

Time jumped off the stump cackling that he knew he was a brat and would always be one, because of course Wars was going to say he was and Time knew that. Running off, he waved behind him saying, “Bye guys! I’ll see ya soon Twi!” Then all six spirits vanished into the forest, laughter still bubbling out of them.

“He really was horrible during the war.” Wind added as Wars dusted off his pants.

“The worst.” The best went unsaid.

Dametrius summoned another portal. “Boys, we have one more thing to do. We need to get moving.” One by one they went through the red and blue portal. Dametrius was the last to go through, looking back at the scene. No longer was Time’s spirit of his child self, but the Hero’s Shade sitting on the stump. Waiting. Waiting for Twilight to be born and to find him in Faron Forest.

Dametrius was greeted by two young children. Time and Malon’s children. The two were talking to the remaining heroes, asking about their adventures and saying that their Pa should be home soon.

“Papa Fierce!” The twins both shouted and collided into him for a warm welcome.

“Boys?” Malon had walked onto the porch, dish towel in hand, the normal spring in her step. Their heads turned towards her voice. Twilight was the first to step towards her. “Where is… Link?”

“Malon.” Twilight was now ten steps away.

“No, no, n-no. No he can’t- he can’t be.”

“Malon, I’m so sorry.” Twilight offered his hand to her when she took a step and placed a hand over her mouth.

“It’s not true. He can’t be, Twilight, he just can’t-” She knew it was true. She was caught in Twi’s arms when her knees began to give out and he held her to his chest as she wept.

Tael let go of his sister’s hand to stand next to his mother. He looked exactly like Time, only with strawberry blonde hair. “Ma, what’s wrong? Where is Pa at?”

Malon gathered herself for her son’s sake. She knelt down and took both of his hands, looking up at him. She still had grievous tears streaking down and off her rosy cheeks. She cleared her throat and tried to find the words. “Sweetie, Pa is… Pa isn’t coming home.”

“But- but he said he was coming back. He told us he would be home, that he would take us on the fishing trip tomorrow.” He started to step away.

“Tael-”

“No! He promised. He promised and he lied!” The teen sprinted away towards the barn, leaving his mother in a disarray of emotions.

Tatl, who had been near Dametrius when all was said, turned and buried herself into his chest. He kept gentle, protective arms around her as she understood what was said.

From the barn came Epona and her rider, Tael, headed in the direction of the battle. He had a sword and shield strapped to his back, spurring Epona on. “Tael, No!!” Malon hollered for her son to stop.

“Wars!” Dametrius shouted.

Warriors raced to get in the way on Epona. He waved his arms as she nearly ran over him, rearing up on her hind legs. The boy on her back slid from her back and took off running. Warriors was faster. He grabbed the boy, jerking him back to him to secure him in his arms.

“Let go! Let go of me! He promised! H-he promised he would be here! Pa, you promised! PAAAA!!” His voice broke and he went hoarse, still trying to scream for his father to come back home.

None of the heroes or Dametrius had the heart to leave that day. The following morning, Dametrius did the one thing Time asked of him, get rid of the mask. Just as he had told Time that first night they landed in Wild’s era, his daughter dumped the chest locked with magic holding the Fierce Deity Mask into Lake Hylia to be lost to the world until Freya discovers it.

Chapter Text

"Uh, Demetrius, why did you drop us in Hyrule's era? I thought we were going to Legend's?" Wind was just as confused as the rest.

"We are going to see Legend, but he's alive in Hyrule's era."

"How is that possible if they are like ten generations apart?" The sailor started walking backwards as he talked.

Dametrius held back his laugh when he saw Wars once again trying to see if Wind was taller. "Knowing the Vet, magic is involved."

Wild trotted up to Hyrule's side, "Isn't your cave near here?"

"Just up ahead." Hyrule held pride in his tone when talking about his early home. Now though, by his Zeldas' request, he mostly lived in the growing castle. His serves as a royal advisor and Hylia's gift to him was proving to bring prosperity, but being back during this age of his era showed how much the country really suffered between him and his predecessor. There was nothing except rotted food, toxic waters and a scarce amount of animals that were without a doubt infected and mutated by the little they did eat and drink.

They walked a little ways before Wars spoke. "Roolie, speak up, I didn't catch what you said." War was at the back of the group, but not far enough away that he should have an issue hearing.

"I didn't say anything."

Dametrius and Twilight were in a conversation of their own during this, but started to pay attention when Wind and Wild both confirmed that they heard the Traveler.

Twilight's ear did a slight twitch as he listened. Dametrius heard it too, the echo of Hyrule's voice. ‘This isn't another Four and Legend situation is it?’ Twi signed so the question wouldn't cause panic.

‘No, but Hyrule's younger self is here.’

The six of them stopped all movements when the voice spoke again. “Don’t worry, I won't let you down.”

“Link?” There was a second, much older man’s voice coming from the cave.

“Yes?”

“You’re a good kid. Keep your head up and eyes open. There’s much more to this world than what’s in front of you.”

A soft “Thank you.” was given and a way too thin of a young teen in a brown and green tunic, brown curls bouncing walked out of the cave. Sword and shield strapped to his back, he took in his surroundings, keeping a leary eye out for monsters.

“Can we breathe now?” Wind asked from under Warriors hand that was over his mouth. They had slid behind a few convenient boulders. It was a very tight fit behind them.

Dametrius saw in Hyrule’s eyes the dawning of comprehension and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. “Legend…” Hyrule squeezed his way out from between Wild and Twilight, dashing towards the entrance of the cave. The others tried to grab him before he was seen by his younger self, not that it would have mattered. The teen Link was already running the other direction.

Wild ran right into the back of Hyrule who had stopped in the mouth of the cave. At the back was an old man, sitting on a stool, cloak covering most of him. “Legend?” Hyrule asked a little above a whisper.

“Hey kid.” His voice was a bit deeper from age. He stood and pulled off his hood. Long, dark gray hair laid on his shoulders.

“Legend!!” Hyrule leapt into the other’s waiting arms. “I’ve missed you so much!” Hyrule was shaking with excitement and pure joy. “How are you even here a-and you're the old man that helped me get started?!”

Chuckling, Legend released the hug, keeping his hands on the young man’s upper arms. “You’ve barely aged a day, Roolie.”

“You look like you should be Wild’s real age.” Wars easy taunt got an eye roll from Wild, a snort from Twi and Wind and a glare from the Vet. Dametrius ruffled his son's hair fondly.

“Cap, I have no clue what you are talking about.” Legend winked, spun a medallion that hung on a chain around his neck. Pink magic flowed from the medallion, wrapping around the one who spun it. In a short burst of time, the old man Legend looked like the young adult from the quest Hylia placed them all on together.

“Now that, that is just wrong!” Wars hugged his old friend, nearly lifting him off the ground.

“It’s good to see you too, Wars.” He looked over to the few standing a bit further behind. “Don’t just stand there all starry eyed.” The once non overly affectionate hero had a bit more relief with each embrace.

The seven of them sat around a cooking area where Legend convinced Wild to cook one last meal for him. It didn’t take much to do since Wild was more than happy to do it. When the banters, memories, old times and catching up was coming to a close, Legend sighed. He spun the ring on his left ring finger while saying, “I know what all of you being here means and I’m not afraid of it.”

“You don’t look sick or dying though.” The change in conversation made Wind shift uneasily. Dametrius laid a calming hand on his back.

“That is only because of the medallion. As long as I wear it I can live beyond my time. Spin it clockwise and I look older, counter clockwise and I appear younger.”

“How old should you be?” Twilight asked, poking at the last bit of embers to give his hands something to do.

Legend rubbed his jaw, “I really don’t know. I could be a centry older than you, Wild. I was dying shortly after Fable stepped down and gave her daughter the crown. I consulted with Syrup on a way to stay here until the next hero.” Legend tapped his shoulder to Hyrule’s. “I spent years trying to figure out who the old man you talked about could be, then it hit me. Your tunics.”

Hyrule looked down at himself. “What about them?”

With a fond smile Legend explained. “They were mine during my adventures. The only way you could have gotten them was if I gave them to you. Syrup finally created the Age Medallion and I have watched out for the signs of Ganon’s return. It was only recently and I knew where this cave was. Everything else fell into place after that.”

Hyrule’s brows furrowed, “So, you just plan on taking it off and withering away?”

“Everyone I knew easily died over two hundred years ago. All I have now is you. Besides, the medallion has to be recharged and I ran out a few days ago.” He turned the metal piece over before he tucked it back inside his tunic. “Shouldn’t be too much longer now.”

As if on cue, Sky’s little bird self flew into the cave. A golden wolf, larger than Twilight’s wolf form, trotted in with Four and Shadow riding on the top of its head. The mice hopped off and scurried to Legend’s side, sitting on Wind’s legs.

The golden wolf form of Time greeted everyone with a headbutt and accepted a few pets, lingering near Twi for a time. “Hey Shade.” Twilight scratched behind the furry ears.

Dametrius got an extra rub of Shade’s head to his chest with a slight rumble as if saying his thanks.

“Hey Old Man.” Legend whispered as Shade laid at his side, head in his lap. Carding his fingers through the white part of fur, saying, “I’m sorry we didn’t get more time together and for me being a bit of an ass during our quest together.”

Warriors, outside of Hyrule, probably was the closest to the Vet because of all their banters and chaos caused between them. “Vet, we wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Legend’s cheeks became dusted pink. He pulled Hyrule closer, under his arm. “I’m proud of you kid.” He laid his head against the other’s and the pink magic that had come from the artifact inside Legend’s tunic, glittered and shined. As it pulled away from Legend, he became translucent. His body would have been only dust if it weren’t for his magic and that was what it was turning into until the only thing left was his spirit.

A young boy sat crisscrossed with the wolf still laying his head on him. He had a missing tooth when he smiled down at him. Legend was probably the age of when his uncle was still alive.

Shade stood, let Four and Shadow get back on his head, then lightly pushed his nose into the spirit’s back to get him to stand and walk out the cave with them.

Legend gripped the fur, holding onto it as he walked next to the other spirits out the cave.

Hyrule watched the five walk away and disappear into the sunlight. “Thank you Legend, for everything…”

Chapter Text

The sun was blazing when they stepped through the portal, landing on a ship's deck. The crew rushed around to prepare for what seemed to be a fight out at sea. Temporarily blinded, the heroes and the god fought to see clearly. Their ears worked perfectly fine, hearing a shout from who Dametrius assumed was Tetra. "Oi! Link, you've got company!!"

A figure in the crows nest poked its head out. Hair bleached by the sun, dark tanned skin and blue eyes took hold of a rope. He hung onto it just enough to not fall, but dropped towards the deck at a frightening speed. "You made it!" Wind definitely looked like a pirate now. His once long blue tunic was more of a long crop top and had its sleeves cut to his shoulders, red open vest, pants frilled at the knees and was that a-

"Is that a fucking peg leg?!" Wars had both hands pointed down at the young man's now wooden leg.

"Sure is! It was the coolest battle ever! Man, I wish you guys could have seen it."

Twilight covered his face with both hands saying, "Only you would think that losing your leg from the knee down in a fight is cool." The Ordonian couldn't help the fond smile. "Never change."

Wind didn't miss a beat. "That won't be hard to do, especially if you all are here. Hylia does owe me my one wish!"

Wild splatted Twilight's arm, "Nice one." It was deadpanned.

Hyrule skipped by everyone to hug Wind. "How old are you now?"

"Uumm… twenty-nine?" Wind still had a smile on his face.

Dametrius wanted to pick up Wind, throw him over his shoulder and take everyone back home. He was still a kid!! "How long ago did you see us last?"

"Maybe right at a year ago."

Wars let the sailor be happy. "So, what is this epic finale of yours that you seem to be getting ready for?"

"There is this sea serpent that keeps dragging ships to the bottom of the ocean and we are headed straight to it. I constructed a new type of rig, a one-man sail boat that is super fast and lightweight. We are going to engage with the monster, then we do a surprise attack, me, and I'm going to kill it." The excitement in his voice and over exaggerated movements had the others accepting that this is exactly what Wind wanted.

Wild pointed at the structure that they all assumed was what Wind was referring to. "Are you talking about that over there with all the barrels of explosives?"

"Yep, but that's not the cool part!" He ran over to the mini sailboat saying, “This is the first course. There is another part of this masterpiece that lays on top of it to conceal the explosives. When I get in range and the beast is about to suck it into its mouth, I’ll pull a lever to detach the cover and the single sail as one full part. It’ll be like sand surfing, but it’ll be the wind pushing me and instead of a rope to hang on to, there’s a wooden railing.”

It was impressive. Dametrius ruffled the boy’s hair, “So what do you call this glorious thing that you’ll be riding out to sea?”

“All together it’s a dinghy, but the second part I call a...  Wind Surfer~.” Of course it was called that.

Setting sail, the heroes and deity were put to work. Tetra wasn't going to have people just standing around. Sea spray and ship rocking wasn't something these five were used to and it was showing on Twilight's face. He seemed a bit green before racing over to the railing to handle his nausea.  "Twi, you good?" Dametrius asked as he tied off a rope near him.

"Not used to being off land like this." He turned to lean against the railing.

"Is that all?"

The wolf hero gave him a look. It wasn't a common look, but it said to leave it alone. Damerteius raised his hands up saying, "Okay okay, just asking."

Wild walked up, looking like a pirate himself in his climbing outfit, no gear. "Wind just told us that we are getting close to the sea serpent's territory. What are we walking into?"

"I think the right term is sailing, not walking." Wars added with a playful elbow. 

"Ha, how helpful. What ever would we do without you Cap?" Wild teased back.

Wars took one look at Twilight. "Geeze Twi, you sure you're up for this? You've been getting sick a lot. And you look like you lost some weight too."

"Would you guys stop worrying about me?! We are here for Wind." He pushed past them. The father son duo shared a look. Something was wrong, but Twi was right, this was about Wind.

"Ship approaching from stern!" Someone called.

Tetra grabbed her telescope. "STALS! Make ready both the bow anchors! Man all the cannons!"

“I’m sorry, did she just say Stals? Like a Stal army?” Wild hadn’t seen anything like that before.

Wars laughed, “Welcome to my world Champ!”

“Ugh! I’m too old for this shit!”

Dametrius gave a hearty laugh at his son. “Ooh, you all are still just children in this world. Don’t let your joints start freezing up now, we have a job to do.”

“Oi! Dametrius?!”

The god looked up at Tetra who was at the wheel. “Captain?”

“I’ll need your eyes for this. Climb the ratlines, when the other ship is only a hundred yards out, order the starboard bow anchor to be dropped. When we are turned around, call for the anchor to be cut. I’ll tell you when to order the other to be dropped.” She looked at her crew, pointing at the two closest to her. “You two, go to the head, wait for Dametrius’s orders. Understand?”

“On it!”

“Aye Captain!”

Dametrius climbed up the ratline a little ways, secured his feet, grabbed a free line to wrap around his wrist, then leaned out over the water. His eyes could see the ship clearly. He waited for the right moment.

Two hundred…

One-fifty…

One hundred…

Dametrius called out. “DROP BOW STARBOARD ANCHOR!” The anchor dropped into the water, dragging along the ocean’s floor until it snagged. The ship's bow dipped forward and to the starboard side. Tetra let go of the wheel, causing the stern to follow all the way around.

“CUT DROPPED ANCHOR!”

The two ships were coming along each other’s sides when the Captain of the ship gave another order. “Starboard cannons, fire at will!” The chaos on the other ship was increasing as the ship holding the living, peppered them with cannon fire. The crew cheered as they passed by the crippled ship. “Dametrius, next anchor!”

He gave the order. “DROP BOW PORT ANCHOR NOW!” Once again, the ship dipped and turned. When they were turned back around to their original direction, Tetra ordered the anchor to be cut.

“Link! I need some wind in our sails!”

“On it Cap!!” Wind shouted, grabbing his Wind Waker. He swirled it in the air, then flicked it. The ship jolted as the excessive amount of air filled the sails.

Dametriuses feet slipped from their hold, forcing him to swing out on the rope. He landed on the deck, surprisingly on his feet. He glared at his son when he heard him snort. The father was having a blast being a pirate for a day.

The ships were neck and neck when Tetra ordered her crew to fire the port side cannons. "Brace yourselves!" She hollered when the enemy ship turned enough that the two would collide. The enemy treble hooked chains directly into the pirate ship, connecting the two. The Stal army jumped ship, the heroes were first to engage.

To the sea bound Hylians, this was normal survival and riding the world of monsters that cause threats to civilians. To the war god, this was fun. He didn't use his helix blade, but one of Wild's Royal Claymores. It was big enough for him to use and not feel like he was wielding a stick.

Mid battle, if that's what he had to call it, Dametrius heard a sound coming towards the ship from under the water. With no enemies close to him he looked over the railing. He squinted his eyes, then stepped back with a shout. “Mers!!”

“What is a Mer?!” Warriors asked from not far away.

“Mermaids!”

At that moment, a Mer jumped out of the water with a hiss, throwing a trident at a crew member, nearly stabbing through a leg. “That's a Mermaid?!” Wild shouted the question, eyes wide.

Twilight laughed, “That looks like a Mermaid and a Zora had an ugly child!”

When Damertius laughed at the comment, Hyrule saw what he didn’t. “Dametrius, behind you!!”

The deity was letting the fun of fighting and the ease of it distract him. He looked down to where a rope was lassoed and pulled tight around his ankles by two Mers that had managed to hop up the side of the ship. They threw themselves off the ship, effectively dragging Dametrius with them.

“Dad!” Wild caught his father’s hand as he disappeared off the ship's deck. Only issue was that it was Wild’s prosthetic arm and it wasn’t meant to hold an eight foot god and two adult Mermaids.

Dametrius saw his son’s arm flicker with green light where it was attached to the stump. “Let go!”

“What? Are you crazy?!”

“I’ll be fine! Trust me!”

Wild hesitated, but he wasn’t given a choice when a third Mer creature jumped onto Dametrius’s back, making Wild’s arm fail with the weight.

Sucking in a deep breath, Dametrius was brought into the cold ocean waters. Sea creatures were swimming towards him and up to the ships. He prayed that this would work. His right hand twitched, whip suddenly in it. He let the whip unravel partly, just so he had plenty of length to wrap around his other hand. He reached behind him to the Mer still on his back, twisting the whip once round the creature's neck, making it lose consciousness long enough to escape the other two.

He was pulled to the very bottom of the ocean, darkness made his eyes glow white and his whip gave off golden light. Figures moved in the water, scales of different colors shimmered. He relaxed his arm and shoulder, praying this would work even though he was under water. He flicked the whip out to his side before making it swirl overhead. His movements had to be more drastic due to the water's force against him.

A Mer approached with razor sharp teeth bared, claws ready to tear and it was swift.

Dametrius’s arm crossed his body, perfectly timed as the tightly braided rope nearly split the Mer in half, causing it to disintegrate. One after another he did this until his lungs began to spasm and burn from the lack of air. He could hold his breath for much longer than expected, but he still had his limit. He pushed off the seafloor, releasing a few bubbles of air to gauge how fast he was going up. He knew it would be deadly if he went too fast upwards, so he stayed just below the bubbles. He made it to the surface as black dots started to appear around the edge of his vision.

Taking in a greedy breath of air, he could see something utterly massive headed toward the ship. He put his head under the water and saw it, the sea serpent. Not wasting time on swimming over to the ship, he teleported back onto the deck. He shook off the water as best as he could, flinging it everywhere.

Warriors grumbled as he got hit in the face with the salty water. “I thought the Rancher was supposed to be the one to dry off like a dog, not you.”

“Ha ha Cap, very funny.” Twi said from the other side of Wars.

“Laugh it up now because you won't be in a few seconds.” As soon as Dametrius said it, the monster Wind warned them about sprang up from the water. For something so large it moved effortlessly at an alarming speed.

The body of the beast wrapped itself around both ships and squeezed. The wood groaned before it split and splintered. Its head was pointed downwards, look at its victims, forked tongue flicking before its mouth opened with a hiss that sounded like a hurricane. The viper tried to start picking off people one by one, though this pirate crew was proving to be evenly matched with it.

The crew may be evenly matched… but the ship wasn't.

Stals and Hylians alike, jolted as the monster crushed the ships together, breaking the joined sides. "Link! It's now or never!!" Tetra hollered out to Wind. Dametrius didn't have time to see how Wind did it, but the boat he constructed landed in the water, Wind on top of it, hanging onto the wooden brace.

"Hey Wild, think ya can start up some big waves for me?"

Wild stood behind his father for some cover as he used a combination of wind and water manipulation. He created swells large enough to help Wind, but not drown him.

The sailor caught the wind and began his attack. He had a bag of bombs on his hip, throwing them at the monster's body that was still in the water. It was to get its attention and Wind got it. He turned his sail to catch the opposite draft as the sea snake let go of the ships to follow the young hero. Wind stayed out in front of it, surfing the waves with precision.

The others saw the snake disappear under the water, not even a ripple was caused as it vanished. Wind pulled the lever, releasing the two parts and leaving the vessel filled with explosives behind. Wind was now faster on the water, flipping in the air when he got to the top of a white cap wave. The heroes and god were cheering and smiling, not even thinking of what was to come. The serpent leapt from the depths, missing Wind by a hair as it came back down. The swell caused by the creature would have most run. Wind was laughing like a madman and to pull off this stunt, he had to be.

From Wild's hip came Wind's voice. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Wind."

"Well, this is it, my epic ending. I'll see you guys on the other side!" Wild didn't respond. Wind deserved to have the last word.

Following the push of the wake, Wind was headed back towards the explosives, serpent hot on his heels. Once again, the slippers snake vanished under the water. Wind was just a few feet from the explosives when the snake launched itself out of the water, flinging the explosives and Wind up in the air. Wind being lighter than the other objects made his descend start later.

Mid-air he took the bag with the last of the bombs in it, off his hip. He used his Wind Waker to make the bag fall faster, directly into the mouth of the monster, right behind the explosives. Explosions went off just past the sea snake's mouth, blowing holes in its upper body, just below its head. Wind drew his sword, angling his body downwards to get all the speed he could. He was still hysterically laughing as his sword pierced through the skull of the snake. With a roar, the creature went limp, eyes rolling back, and turning into nothing.

Everyone cheered as it crashed into the water. It was a victory, a victory with a heavy cost. There was no way for Wind to survive that hard of an impact. His body would be left for the open ocean to take. The hero did love his open seas, maybe that was enough of a burial for the Hero of the Wind. It seemed fitting at the least.

When the Stals and Mers were defeated, Tetra said goodbye to the heroes, telling them not to worry and that Wind had been talking about this day for months. His goodbyes had already been made.

Dametrius opened a portal, landing on Wind’s island. Twilight was second to last to go through, right behind Hyrule. He started coughing and Dametrius could smell blood.

“Roolie, I’m fine, really. I got hit in the ribs a little too hard, that’s all.” Twi said as Hyrule went to see if he could help.

Hyrule managed to get a hand on Twilight, healing already starting, but Twilight jerked away. “Twi, its k-”

“Hyrule, stop. I’m fine, please, drop it.” Twi’s anger made Hyrule’s ears drop. The older deflated drastically. He wrapped an arm around Hyrule’s shoulder’s, giving an apology. Dametrius barely heard Twi’s next words, “There’s no cure, let it be.”

“Hey guys, come see!” Wild was trying to hold in the laughter.

Wars didn’t bother, he was laughing at the sight. “Looks like Shade got himself a pink kit.” The golden wolf had Legend, the pink bunny, by the scruff. He gave a “one, two, three” motion before tossing the fuzz ball into the water. Legend squeaked as he landed in the shallow water. Shade laid down in the warm sand, Four and Shadow doing the same on top of Shade’s head. Sky was flying around Legend almost like he was checking on him. The first hero was still being a mother cucco.

On the waves was a shimmering spirit of a teen. Wind’s soul depicted him as the same teen from the quest all the heroes went on together. He raced towards the others, kicking water towards them.

Legend hopped around Wind’s feet that were now in the white and yellow sand. Four and Shadow stayed tucked in the yellow curls of Wind’s hair. Sky flew overhead, dipping down to swirl around the new soul. Shade was acting like an actual dog bouncing around in the water, not a care in the world as he played.

“Boys, let’s leave them to have their fun.” Dametrius smiled as he walked back into his Hyrule with Wild, letting the others go through their own portal home.

It was night when Dametrius entered his home. A single candle burned on the kitchen table as it floated in a bowl of water. He went to check Asti first and hummed happily when he saw her tucked away in bed. He quietly walked into her room and kissed her cheek. He closed the door, going to his own room.

He cleaned up as much as he could while not waking his wife. He crawled into bed, pulling her close, breathing her in just to make sure she was still real.

“How did it go?” He didn’t mean to wake her.

“It went exactly as Wind wanted it to.”

She gave a sad, but understanding smile. “How did you enjoy being a pirate for a day?” He snorted, shoulders shaking as he tried to not erupt with an overjoyed chuckle like a child. Freya looked up at him, “It was that much fun?”

“It was.” He kissed her forehead asking, “How was Asti today?”

“She’s a sixteen year old girl. She’s moody, dramatic, impatient and thinks we are the worst parents in the history of parenting because we won’t let her date the ‘boy of her dreams’. I can’t keep up with which boy she’s head over heels for now. Is it the Sheikah boy or is it the Royal Guard Captain's son?”

“Wait, I thought it was the Hateno boy she went to school with?”

“That was two months ago, catch up.”

He groaned. Why did she have to start liking boys? Dametrius wished she would have waited until she was near forty to grow interested in them. He wanted to stay as his little girl's number one. “So she’s good?”

It was Freya’s turn to hide her laugh. “She’s good.”

He sighed knowing that no matter how raw the day made his heart, like today, he would have this to come home to.

Chapter Text

"Here, let me carry you." Wars softly said as Hyrule's feet began to drag more. All of them had made offers during the long walk to where they were going, but were turned down.

"I can manage." A yawn slipped from between Hyrule's lips. "Besides, we still have another hour up a mountain. You can't carry me that far."

Wars looked offended by the statement, but he gave an easy smile to show he really wasn't. The sluggish moving hero gave a hum and the others assumed that that was all he could give.

Dametrius took his hair, twirled it into a bun and grabbed Hyrule. He gently placed him on his back to carry. The other startled for a moment before lying his head down on the deity's shoulder. Though he had grown taller and older, he still felt too light to be healthy.

The conversations were light and playful. Twi, Wars and Wild each took turns walking beside Dametrius to hold Hyrule's hand. The weakened hero had his eyes closed, but wanted to feel the others close to him as they talked. They let Hyrule doze when he couldn’t hold his eyes open and needed a few moments to regain strength.

Dametrius never let his mind wander while walking or get lost in conversation. His focus was on the young man's chest rising and falling slowly and evenly against his back. His heart would skip a beat every time Hyrule seemed to stop breathing, but then he would breathe and so would Dametrius.

The last leg of the walk was like the rest, but when they walked into the small opening of a cave, they all had to stop and take in the beauty of it. Plants gave off a white glow that reflected off the clear, blue water and made shapes dance on the walls and roof of the cave. A sugar sweet aroma filled the air as fairies jingled around.

At the center of the shimmering waters was a large flower and sitting on it was a Great Fairy. Her hair was blue and white, skin pale and dress white. She was beautiful.

"M-meet my Mother…" Hyrule whispered.

The four others looked at the Great Fairy, speechless. There was nothing threatening or subductive about her. Rare for a Great Fairy of any kind.

“My dear child, you have come home.” Hyrule’s mother said as she turned towards the mouth of the cave.

“I have. It has been too long.”

“Come closer, dear, let me get a better look at you.” Hyrule tapped Dametrius’s shoulder to be put down and he was. “And your friends, join us.”

Hyrule smiled brightly. “You’ll have to undress before getting into the water.” Wars and Twilight stiffened, the younger laughed. “Not fully, but mostly. This is the purest waters ever on the Earth. It’ll cleanse anyone of injuries no matter how fatal and can lessen scars.”

Warriors seemed to relax, saying, "You guys are lucky I wore something underneath my trousers."

"Thanks for allowing me to keep my eyes in my skull, Cap. I didn't feel like gouging my own eyes out after seeing you naked." Twilight half smiled and pushed the Captain a little further away.

Wild removed his right arm, laying it to the side with his shirt. “Why is this fountain much more powerful than any other?”

“Most fairies, from the beginning of time, are born here. Even I was, but I had to leave once the Hero’s Spirit woke inside me. I went in search of my Father, but found Legend instead. After defeating Ganon, I couldn’t ever return. At least not until today. Fairies are healers and this is where they get the ability to do that. There are a few exceptions to this. Time had Navi, but she was born in the Kokiri Forest and those fairies don’t possess the same ability as the others.” He slid into the water and it came up to the middle of his chest.

Wild was right behind Hyrule catching him before he went under. He kept his arm around the other and walked slowly towards the Great Fairy.

Wars was the next in, followed by Dametrius. The deity was waiting patiently for the last hero that looked uneasy with getting in the water. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how my body will react with the purity of the waters. I have dark magic in me." Twi tried to reason.

"And Hyrule has Ganon stored in his blood. Come on, you will hate yourself if you don't do this." He watched Twi take off his sleeveless tunic and could see why Twi was actually nervous. There were black lines that looked like veins, spreading from his heart to across his chest. "Twilight-"

"Not a word." Twi glared with his non Hylian-like teeth bared. He made his way into the water and immediately the lines faded, but didn't disappear. He looked to be in less pain, stronger and over all more himself.

They caught up with the others to listened to what Hyrule's mother was saying. "I am Ashera, as Link has already stated, I am his Mother. I do appreciate you for bringing my son back to me, especially now."

Wild still had his arm around Hyrule and squeezed him a little closer. "We are like family, we would do anything for each other." Hyrule laid his head against Wilds with what Demetrius could only describe as a pur.

Little fairies gathered with the sound of bells, swirling around everyone, though primarily Hyrule. The god didn't know if the others outside of Hyrule could hear the fairies. They all chirped, trilled and sang. They called to their cousin in a delighted tune though this was going to be an bitter sweet moment.

Ashera made her way down from her floating Lotus flower and nearly matched Dametrius's height. She placed both hands on her son's cheeks, kissing his forehead then his nose. A single crystal-like tear fell from her eyes. "Your cousins have kept an eye on you all these years, but none said how you resemble your father so perfectly."

"I'm sorry that I was chosen and had to leave here. I wanted to come back sooner." Hyrule cupped the hands on his cheeks.

The mother looked down, moving his curls from his eyes. "Fate is a strange thing, but I knew before you were born that you would have a role in this world that you could not ignore, even if I wanted you to. You are so courageous, Link."

Dametrius averted his eyes for a moment to look at his own son, then the other two who had children of their own. He knew what it felt like to lose a child and this wasn't a reunion that would last. His eyes lifted back to in front of him when the water splashed, showing Ashera kneeling in the waters with Hyrule nearly unconscious.

Wars brows pinched. "I thought fairies lived a long time, why wouldn't he too?"

"If only that were the case." She continued to run her fingers through the young man's hair as she spoke. "It does the opposite for anyone that is only half fairy. It instead cut his life in half. I know the reason he stayed away. He didn't want me to be used against him or him against me. The things a mother would do for their children or what a father would do." She looked into Dametrius's eyes. The gaze wasn't assuming, but knowing and understanding.

Hyrule's breath was even in his state of fading, though it began to slow further. He opened his eyes half way and they searched for the others that started to walk closer. "I'll tell the others that you guys said hi and that you miss'em."

Warriors let out a wet laugh, "Give the Vet a hard time for me, will ya?"

"I have a bone to p'ck with 'em too."

Still standing next to Dametrius, Twilight looked like he didn't know if he should get closer or stay where he was. Hyrule made that choice for him as he stuck his hand out. The Rancher deflated his anxieties and walked to the Traveler's side. "You are gonna be missed, you know that right? I can't say your cooking will be, but you will always be missed and loved."

Everyone tried to control their laughter. Dametrius thought of the time they all came to the house with food poisoning due to Hyrule's cooking. Younger days and he prayed that he learned to cook during the last twenty years or so. When asked his age, much like Time, he had no clue and they all just assumed his age to be a couple years younger than Wild. Now around his forties, surely his cooking had improved.

Wild treaded lightly through the water to his dear friend. He pressed his forehead to the other's, saying, "You better go exploring all the new places you find so you can show me around the next time I see you. We need a good 'getting lost' day."

"Mmm make Twi, Sky 'n Leg worry. Sounds like a perfect day."

"It does, doesn't it?" All he received was a hum. "Roolie?"

Ashera brushed hair from Wild's face. "He is gone, dear child."

They were silent as the mother prepped her son's body in sikly, white, flowy cloth. Little fairies continued to swirl around him, giving farewell touches and words.

When his body floated in the water, Dametrius could hear the increase of a heartbeat, quickened breaths. Not wanting to cause a scene, he looked the living over. Wild had his hands closed into tight fists, eyes slowly getting wider, body rigged. 

Dametrius recognized what it was and made his way behind his son. He slowly, not to startle him, reached over the young man's shoulders and placed his hand on his chest, pulling him backwards until he was pressed against him. Exaggerating his breathing for Wild to mimic and the younger began to calm as he held his father's hand with both of his. The deity waited for his son to make the first move to disconnect, but he never did.

A slightly trembled hand began to sign, 'I was having flashbacks of the shrine. Thank you.' Wild gripped his father's wrist again. Dametrius, now understanding, kissed the top of Wild's head.

Removing tears, Twi asked, "So what happens to his body if monsters are after his blood?"

"He will be placed in the depths of my waters, far out of reach of anyone except me. There, over several decades, the waters will dissolve and purify him, diluting Ganon's blood to nothing." There was sorrow in her eyes and tone. "Seems wrong, but it's the only way that all his hard work won't be undone to keep Ganon from being restored." She sighed. "With that, I must not delay. I wish we could have met under better terms, but it was a pleasure either way."

They watched her carry the wrapped body of Hero of Hyrule, her son, to her flower throne. The flower opened and the two disappeared into it.

The remaining four were unmoved from their spots until they heard a familiar laugh, Hyrule's laugh. It was a younger tone, but unmistakably his.

Redressing, they exited the cave and were met with the sight of a young teen skipping down the path. Much like when he was alive, he turned to go explore off the trail, but a bark caught his attention. Further along the path were the others waiting for him. In the sky though was also a new figure, a Seagull, Wind.

The boy trotted down to where the wolf with two mice and a pink rabbit were patiently waiting. When Hyrule got to their side, he looked up into the sky and waved to the two flying before continuing to wherever their destination was.

"I wonder what animal he will end up being." Wild mumbled, probably not meant to be heard.

The other two heroes looked at each other with a look that said a thousand words. One of them was next and the remaining heroes would have to be there to watch another brother die.

Dametrius didn't like it anymore than the others, but he had to agree with Sky, heroes don't deserve to die alone.

Chapter Text

When Dametrius and the two heroes landed in Warriors era, they had swords drawn. There was a gathering of several dozen uniformed men in the distance making a circle around someone or something. Chants and cheers could be heard and it was for someone's death.

Ice filled Dametrius's veins when he saw blond hair and a green tunic with a single armored shoulder in the center of the men. This wasn't a training exercise, this was the traitors to the crown ambushing Warriors.

The three of them could see the blood across the Captain's tunic through the gaps between men and they began to charge the men at full speed.

To their right came Shade's wolf form headed in the same direction. To the left was a new animal, a large white Stag, galloping towards the men in everyone's sights. Dametrius felt the air change, looked to his right and caught a glimpse of Twilight shifting into his wolf form.

The god spread his wings so he could get Wild into the air for an archery advantage as he could slow time down in the air. He stayed out of his son's way by going above him and to the other side of the ring of men. His whip grabbed two mens' feet that were close together, pulling them out from under them. He flung them through the air, then brought them back, meeting them with his sword.

The two wolves ripped the traitors apart with their teeth and claws, trying desperately to get to their brother.

The Stag, Hyrule, bugled as it used its massive antlers as weapons, piercing one man then slicing another. He even stood on his back legs to trample a few men with his sharp hooves. His pure white coat of fur he got from the purity of his mother’s waters quickly became red.

One man screamed as a pink rabbit lept into action, latching his harsh teeth to the side of their neck and kicked his back legs to get as much damage as he could in. Who said bunnies don’t bite?

Dametrius bit back a laugh when one man frantically tried to take off his armor and tunic. Two mice had snuck their way into the man’s clothes and were biting him. It wouldn’t kill, but it was enough to let Wild stick an arrow between the soldier's eyes.

The two birds in the sky dive bombed and scratched at the men's faces to repel them away.

Wild used the rain that began to pour to his advantage, gathering it into small orbs and covering the faces of the closest soldiers to him, effectively drowning them. He pulled out his best sword and attacked with a rage that the father hadn’t seen since the war with Damise or even The Calamity.

The war god, two heroes and the spirits doubled down their fight when they heard Warriors holler in pain. There were still too many for the Captain to hold off on his own. The turncoats were stabbing and slashing with no breaks between them.

There were only about ten left when Dametrius called for Wild, "Wild, up!" The son knew what that meant, running as fast as he could to him. The father launched him into the air one last time to snipe the last few he could.

Two left, but it was too late…

"DAD! No, let me see him! Please!!" Trevor was being held back by Artemis and Impa. The late teen had a sword and shield on his back, clearly wanting to protect his father. He slipped from the queen's hold just as the last enemy soldier was slain.

Dametrius was the closest to Wars as the Captain stumbled, sword ran through his abdomen and still lodged in him. Warriors touched the gushing wound in his torso, looked up at the god, then collapsed to one knee. Damertrius was at his side before he fell into the mud. "Wars!"

"H-hey, glad to s-see ya." The Captain had a bit of blond scruff on his face, hair a bit longer and new battle scars. His clothes were torn to nearely shreds, painted red with not only his blood and he was already struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Always a pleasure to see you Cap, but we gotta stop meeting you like this."

"Ha, this isn't known as the War Era for no reason. This is normal." The god rolled his eyes. "Though, if I remember correctly, this isn't the first time we have been in this po-position."

Dametrius remembered the time during the war when Mask put on the mask he was stored in. Wars had nearly died that day and had to be carried off the field. "Again, we need to stop meeting like this." He received a chuckle.

Wild and Twilight were now at the Cap's side, blood smeared across clothing and skin. "You two look like shit."

Twilight half laughed, "Don't rub it in, pretty boy."

Wild kept the light hearted mood too. "I see you don't have your scarf. Lose it?"

"Unfortunately so. Feels wrong to die without it."

"Here." Wild pulled out his slate and a blue scarf appeared. Dawn had found a chest near the castle while exploring and inside was the Hero of Warriors scarf.

"No way…" The corners of Warriors mouth turned up as Wild looped it around the man's neck loosely. "Thanks Champ or more appropriately, your Majesty."

"Shut up Cap." Wild laughed with a sad smile. "There is no need for formalities between brothers."

"Dad!" Trevor slid on his knees in the mud, landing next to his father.

Wars raised a hand to his boy's face, thumbing away a tear that slipped. "Are y-you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No sir, but we gotta get you back to the castle. You need to get to the infirmary."

"Too late for that."

Trevor shook his head, "No, n-no it isn't! We can get you a potion or a fairy, something."

Dametrius could see Wars heart twist with the expression on his face. "I'm sorry, but nothing is going to work now." He smiled up at his boy. "It's okay. It's all going to be okay."

Trevor's lip quivered, "How, how is everything going to be okay if you aren't here?"

"Because the world still has you in it. It doesn't need me like it needs you." When the all too soon to be you g man let out a sob, he pulled him down into his arms, a hand in his hair while the other held onto his tunic. "The greatest honor in this life wasn't being a hero, but calling you my son. You are the greatest thing that ever happened in my life." He kissed the black hair above Trevor's ear.

Heads were bowed in silence to allow the father and son to have their goodbye. The silence was interrupted by War asking for someone to pull the sword from his body. When Trevor went to sit up, a sign of respect and mercy to the one who raised him, Wars held him tighter. "Not you, I don't want you to have that as a memory. J-just stay right here like this, let the last thing I feel be you."

Dametrius was still supporting Wars in his arms, leaving the other two to make the decision. Twilight gripped the sword's hilt and pulled it smoothing from the body it was embedded in.

Warriors tried to hold back his sounds of agony, but they all knew how horrific the pain really was. He tried suppressing his coughing fit as blood filled his mouth, pooling on his throat as it ran down his chin and neck with the ongoing rain. His eyes grew clouded as he took his last struggling breath.

Trevor gave one last trembling squeeze before letting go. He looked so defeated and small. Dametrius was about to give him some sort of encouragement, but the sounds of soldiers, maidens and civilians screaming in the castle and from Castle Town had everyone's attention.

The stone walls of the castle cracked causing massive boulders to fall. A tower split from its foundation, toppling over to crush anyone inside of it and where it landed, but it didn't. As it collided with the mud ground, the materials turned to dust. All around them the structures were being wiped from earth. Even the people were.

"What is happening?" Trevor looked at himself. The others were stunned into silence. Trevor was disappearing before their eyes. This whole era was disappearing from history.

Dametrius was the first to snap out of it when Trevor was no more. "We gotta go, now!" He picked Warriors up into his arms and summoned a portal to the first place he could think of. Home.

The spirits bolted towards the portal and disappeared like a Blurpee would when it sees someone.

The ground gave way under the remaining people, making them fall into darkness. The god summoned another portal to exactly where they were falling and they landed harshly on solid ground.

Warriors was still in the deity's arms, Wild was half on top of Twilight, but all were safe.

"Dear, what is all the-" Freya gasped. "My goodness, Twilight? Is, is that Warriors?"

"Hi ya Mama Fierce." Twi croaked.

Dametrius barely got his eyes open when his wife began to help him and the others sit up. He couldn't think of another place to be in the heat of the moment, but now he was regretting it. "Where is Asti?" His eyes scanned for his daughter, praying she wasn't near.

"She went home earlier this afternoon." The house in Hateno was now Asti's though she still spent a good deal of time in Akkala and at the castle.

"Good." He pushed Warriors soaked bangs from his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I wasn't expecting it to turn out like that."

Wild helped steady Twi, who seemed to have a harder time recovering from the shift. "What did we see happen? Why did everything suddenly get removed from time?"

The god thought for a moment. "That era was created because Hylia wanted to have a new start, but the consequences were clearly not what she thought them to be. She created a world around one person, a Link, a hero. The day the hero dies, the world dies with him." The silence was heavy.

Twilight ran a hand over his exhausted expression. "We need to bury him."

Wild nodded. "We will. He will have a proper funeral at the castle. The one he deserves."

"Hello? Anyone there?" From behind a tree, the teen spirit of Warriors walked out. He couldn't see the living right in front of him, but the spirits of the others weren't far away. They were all in a line and gave a bow to their once Captain.

Hyrule pranced over gracefully and knelt down far enough for Wars to jump onto his back. The boy seemed mesmerized by the animal as he ran his fingers through the white fur.

Shade nipped Wars ankle playfully as they began to walk away, causing him to laugh. Legend bounded up from the wolf's shoulders, into Cap's arms. Four and Shadow sat on his shoulder as the two in the sky soared above.

The living watched the spirits of their brothers enter the afterlife with smiles laughter.

Twilight stuck around that night to help prep Wars body, much like they all had for Four and took part in the ceremony. The next morning Wild and Flora gave the fallen the burial that a high ranking officer deserved to have, a hero of Hyrule deserved to have.

Chapter Text

This was going to be difficult on many levels and not only for himself. This was going to affect everyone involved in a way that he didn’t know if they were ready for.

Dametrius held a letter in his hands with a goat seal on it. It took him thirty minutes just to talk himself into opening the letter when he saw that it was from Twilight. He knew the day was coming since it was always two years to the day when it was time to see another hero be laid to rest.

His hands shook as he read over the letter again with a few specks of blood on the edge of it.

Dametrius,

I hate what I am about to ask of you. I hate the scar that will be carved open by you and Wild going through with this, but I am asking still. It’s selfish, I know, but it is also how the Old Man got my horse call and why he told me that he hated what the magic inside me does to me.

I’m sure he will have a hard time understanding at first, so I wrote a second letter for you to give him. I hope he forgives me for this, as well as you and Cub.

I never saw myself going out like this, but I can’t take the pain anymore. I choke on my own blood every day and I can’t keep food down. Most days I’m not able to get out of bed, much less live a fruitful life. This isn’t curable and I don’t want to go out being laid up with my children watching. They have already seen me go downhill this far.

If you would, grant me this last request, this last moment in my life to be with the three I cherish most outside of my wife and children.

Ilia already knows my plans.

~ Twilight

Dametrius could read between the lines. He knew what the wolf hero had planned for himself. He stood, placed the letter safely in his pocket and went to where his beautiful wife was playing with their newest grandchild and great grandchild.

Asti had married a respectful young man from Castle Town and at the age of twenty three, she had her first child, a little girl. Freya was babysitting the yearling, Tove. Attempting to run around was Twilight’s first born, a son named Magnus that was half Gerudo.

“Who was the letter from dear?” Freya asked, bouncing Tove on her hip.

“From Twilight.” He placed his head against her shoulder and soaked her in before needing to go tell his son the news.

The castle was busy with people going about their duties. Dametrius found Link at the training yard, teaching the upcoming archers the same lessons he learned as a young boy.

When Dametrius approached, Link's neutral expression fell. He knew.

Link ordered a Captain to take over and found Zelda to tell her that they would be back at some point. She understood and hugged them both. She quickly removed the tears on her cheek before carrying on with what she was doing.

"Are we really going to get him? Wouldn't that confuse his kids?" Link walked up to the shimmering portal.

"It's what Twi wants and I am hoping we can get their mother to distract them while we explain things."

When they walked through the portal together, the sun was blinding. They took a moment to readjust their vision, but heard a voice from the past. "Dametrius, Cub?"

Time was standing in the front yard, Malon at the screen door. Both clueless that in over a year that all the boys outside of Sky and Four, would be back here to witness Time's passing and to give Malon the news that her husband wasn't going to be coming home again.

Wild took a slow step forward, then another. "Time…" He bolted towards the other. Though he was roughly the same age now, Wild plowed right into the other. "Time!"

"Wild? Hey, what are you doing here?" Time held the once much younger young man in his arms, looking up to Dametrius who was approaching. "What's going on and where are the others?"

"It's just us." Dametrius started and embraced Malon as she strolled across the grass and held her arm open. Her smile was warm as ever. "We received a letter this morning and one is addressed to you." He handed it to Time when Wild finally let go and hugged Malon too.

Dametrius watched Time's face closely to see if he understood what was being asked. Malon showed more acknowledgement to it than he did, but still looked to be understanding.

"Everyone has already died. I have already died." There was no question in his tone. He looked at Wild, now truly seeing why he was emotional. "I'm so sorry." He pulled his descendant's descendant into his arms again. "This must not be easy for either of you." With a heavy sigh he said, "I'll go with you, for Twilight."

Like Dametrius was hoping for, the twins were napping after chores. The father son duo waited outside with Malon while Time changed into something more for travel, but not his armor.

"Ready?" The god asked.

"I don't think any of us truly are." Time softly spoke before walking through the new portal, into Twilight's era.

Birds chirped and fluttered around. The sun danced across the land and the wind blew gently through the grass. Small insects hopped from one plant to another, water trickled down the stream.

The god internally cursed the sights and sounds. Didn't they know what was about to happen, what day this day was? Didn't they know that someone who fought for the very earth they got to enjoy was dying not far from them and was soon going to have no heartbeat? 

How dare the world keep turning.

Twilight's house sat across the dirt road from where they landed and the three were uneasy. Time shifted from one foot to the other. "You two go on. If I'm already dead, I don't want to cause a fuss with his family." Smart.

Wild climbed up the ladder of Twi's treehouse as Dametrius took a single leap to the top. "Show off." Wild mumbled with a half smile.

Dametrius knocked on the door, stomach instantly tying into knots. He could hear feet hurrying over. Two sets of eyes peeked out the door.

"Uncle Wild! Papa Fierce!" Shade and Midna both said and jumped around while trying to give hugs.

Dametrius was so confused. He hadn't seen the kids the last three times he had been here, but he didn't think the gap between heroes was that close for Twilight. His kids were still that, kids! He still kept a good attitude. "Look at you two. How old are you now?" He knelt down to be more eye level to the boy and slightly looked up to the girl.

"I'm eleven." Midna proudly said.

"I'mma 'bout to turn six!" Shade had a missing front tooth that the deity couldn’t help smiling at.

“Who are you two talking to?” Ilia asked in a sing-song tone. Her smile disappeared as she saw who was in the doorway. “Kids, go tell your Pa bye. He’s gotta go on another adventure and we are headed to see your grandparents for a few days.”

Midna made a face that was exactly like Twi’s when he was questioning things. “But Pa is too sick to travel.”

“I know darling, but he still needs to go with Papa Fierce and Uncle Wild. Go on now, do as your told.”

“Yes ma’am.” They both said and gave hugs again to Dametrius and Wild. Ilia watched them for a moment before stepping outside and closed the door.

Dametrius went to speak. “Ilia-”

She stuck her hand up between them for him to stop. “Please, don’t. I know why you are here and I have tried to prepare myself for it. He is beyond sick, he is already on his deathbed and I can’t stand seeing him this way. I am tired of him suffering and saying that he is okay when I know he isn’t. He is stubborn and independent and I can’t help but feel relief in knowing he isn’t going to be in pain after today. I hope that doesn’t sound cruel, but you will understand once you see him.”

Wild rubbed his left arm. “Is there anything we can do for you though?”

“I only ask that you don’t come back. Let this be his ‘riding off into the sunset’ moment.” She began to sniffle, but steeled herself to be able to walk back inside. “I’ll go get Link up, wait here.”

The door closed and Dametrius took a needed deep breath. He was nearly startled when Wild asked, “Is he really that bad and we didn’t notice?”

“He shot everyone down when asked if he was okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

They patiently waited for the door to open again and when it did, neither recognized the man that walked out. Twilight’s brown hair was dulled, skin too light with a sheen of sweat. Dark circles laid under his eyes. His eyes were darker, specs of black in what once were bright blues. His lips were red, but only because his blood stained them. The god could see the once stocky built man’s bones through his clothes. He was so skinny and malnourished from his illness. The most noticeable thing was the thick black lines that Dametrius knew started at his heart, crawling up his neck, across his chest and could even be seen wrapping around his left ear to his jaw. It wouldn’t be a surprise if given more time, the dark magic would take over his left eye.

“Cub, D-dametrius?” Twilight’s voice was raspy and broken. He visibly swallowed, making a sound of discomfort. He took a step, knees not wanting to work properly,  causing him to fall into Wild’s waiting arms with an ‘oof’ . “I missed you.”

“Missed you too Twi.” Wild tightened his grip around his brother.

Dametrius ran a hand through the shaggy hair. “Come on, there is someone else here to see you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dametrius helped guide him to the steps, meeting a new issue of how to get him down. Everything was going to jolt him too much. Looking around to see if there were people watching, he spread out his wing and told Twi to hold onto him. He tried not to choke on his emotions when he put both arms around him, feeling the fabric of his green tunic slide over each rib bone. Even with his fur cloak on he looked to be Warriors size at the most. He gently glided down to the ground, letting Twilight partly stand on his own.

“Pup?”

Twilight’s head turned towards the only man that used that nickname. “Time, you’re really here?”

“I’m here.” When Time pulled Twilight to him, his thoughts were on his face. He was horrified, enraged, guilty, fearful, but he settled into the embrace with a look that could only be called love. There was not a trace of doubt in Dametrius’s mind that Time loved his pup like a son, especially when a silent tear ran over the markings on his face. “What happened?”

Twilight sighed. “I’ll explain everything, but I want to go somewhere first. It isn’t too far into Faron.” He pulled out his horse call, calling for Epona. The mare trotted up to Twi, nosing his chest. “Hey girl, ready for one last ride?” She puffed air out through her nose, blowing back his bangs.

The three were going to help Twilight onto her back since there was no saddle and no way he was going to hoist himself up there, but he shooed everyone off. "Down girl." Epond went all the way down so he could stand over her. He gripped her mane, telling her she could get back up. He squeezed his eyes closed, jaw set.

"You okay, Pup?" Time placed a hand on the other's knee.

"You never really get used to the pain." He let go of the breath being held and told them he was ready.

The walking wasn't the hard part and neither was hearing Time get filled in on everyone's life and deaths, the man really did have a way to find out things without anyone knowing how until later. Dametrius called him a cryptic bastard in his mind.

What was the hardest thing was when Twilight would start coughing. He could hear the man's lungs wheeze and gurgle. Twi would hold a cloth over his mouth and wipe away the alarming amount of blood that would come up. Twi kept apologizing for it, but the others reassured him that it was okay. It was not okay, it was heartbreaking.

Half way through the walk Twilight began to cough again, but this time it wore him out to the point that he started to tip to the side. Time and Dametrius caught him before he could fall off Epona. They scooted him further back so Wild could swing up onto her back as well.

Twilight was then leaned forward, head landing on Wild's left shoulder. "Hang onto me." Wild told him.

"'M fine."

"Let me help, you hard headed bastard." Wild laughed and grabbed his brother's wrist, wrapped they deadweight arms around himself. The other two chuckled with them. It was nice to see Twilight give a warm smile as he tightened his hold on Wild.

When Twilight started to drift into sleep, Time shook his knee slightly. "Hey, where exactly are we headed?"

"There is an old overgrown trail in Faron. Not too far down it there is a small clearing with a large stump. Did you know that my Faron is your Lost Woods? I learned that a few years ago."

Dametrius stopped walking, Wild got Epona to halt. The god looked at the dying man. "Twilight." 

"What?" Their eyes met and Twi followed where Dametrous was looking, at Time. "Oh, right. I just couldn't convince myself to be anywhere else at the end." He had a kicked puppy look.

Dametrius huffed. 'We can cross that bridge when we get there."

They got to that bridge.

Epona went back down to the ground for the two heroes to dismount. Dametrius's stomach was back in knots as Time saw the golden armor covered in vines. "This isn't your eras armor." Time started as he uncovered the chest piece. "Only my era has royal guards wearing this. How did it last so long?"

No one answered.

Time looked back at the other three and Dametrius didn't have the heart tell tell him. "Who was this?"

No answer.

"This is the bridge you mentioned." Time ran his hands through his hair. "I think I know who it is." He found the left hand of the skeleton and removed the heavy metal. The single wedding band was still there like Time always wore it. "Why here, Pup?"

"This is where I first met you." He limped over to his forever mentor, motioning him to sit back next to the other form of himself. Dametrius helped him sit on the ground too, right between Time's legs.

"This was?" Wild looked around the small, peaceful clearing. He sat between Twi's legs when asked to. Dametrius sat on their right and listened to Twilight talk.

"I was four years old, left in the woods for whatever reason. I was just roaming around looking for anyone to help me. I kept finding fresh fruit on the ground and every once in a while there was some cooked meat next to a burned out fire, still hot. I managed to get to this little clearing during a storm, hoping there was a dry spot. Instead there was a giant gold and white wolf. I wasn't scared when he approached, only curious. He led me around and taught me to survive, not knowing that where he was leading me was Ordon Village. I watched Rusl chase him away night after night until he came out to see why the wolf was always coming to their house." Twilight looked back at Time. "You led him to me."

Time looked like he was punched in the gut. Dametrius couldn't figure out why he seemed stunned. "I had no idea." Time whispered.

"What?!" Twi's loud voice boomed, startling the other three. He looked at Wild, then the god. "Did he not tell us that he asked Rusl? You asked him the last time you saw him."

Time was more confused than Dametrius. "No, Pup, this is my first time hearing this."

Wild doubled over in laughter. "Dude, you got played!"

Holding a hand over his mouth, Dametrius started laughing with his son. Time knew exactly what he was doing when he told Twilight that he knew of his beginnings. Sly move.

Twilight gave a glare when he normally would rough house his cub. His glare broke when the corners of his mouth turned upwards. He really should have known better. It was nice to hear Twilight's laughter fully, but that turned into a coughing fit.

Time rubbed his pup's back before pulling him backwards to rest against him. The deity watched the eldest rub out some of the pain in Twilight's chest. "You said you would explain." Time whispered.

"I did. It was slow at first, little things started happening. Lost some of my stamina, I would sleep later and be tired throughout the day, but that didn't start until after Sky passed. Suddenly I was constantly in pain. Everything hurt, but I just brushed it off. I even told myself that blood coming up if I threw up was normal. When we went to see Wind, I was afraid to take hits. I also wasn't healing properly either. Took double the time or it just wouldn't at all."

"That's when we all started to see the change. We knew something was wrong, but chose not to push your privacy." Wild held his head low, ears dropping. "Wish we would have pushed more."

Twi got Wild to look up. "All that would have done is cause a fight. I didn't want to be treated differently by you guys." Wild looked a bit defeated, but still gently laid down so his head rested in Twi's lap. The other scratched his scalp like he would any other time they were like this.

"When we met Hyrule's mother, her water seemed to take away some of the effects of the dark magic. I had gained black lines between our last meeting and then, her water took them away along with the pain. What I wasn't expecting was the magic to come back with a vengeance. The lines were thicker and everyday they traveled further across my body. The pain was, is, debilitating most days to the point that I don't even have to move for it to be overwhelming. Just breathing hurts. 

"It took a month for it to start attacking my insides. I was only able to eat soft food or else I would throw it up, then it was I could only have liquids. I can't even hold that down now, only water. It caused me to lose almost all my muscle and with it, strength. I haven't picked up one of my kids in over a year. They have helped their mother where I couldn't and I hate it."

Twilight calmed himself before continuing, head still resting back on Time's chest. "I can't count the amount of times I have tried to do simple tasks and a bone snapped due to how brittle they are. I'm truly surprised nothing has today. The last thing that started was this cough. The magic hit my lungs and it's shredding them." He huffed out a scoffing laugh, "I even broke a few ribs from coughing."

Dametrius knew it was bad, but this was beyond what he could have imagined. "You could live longer, it doesn't have to be today."

"Could. I could lie in bed for another month if I have that much time left and be helpless, starving, barely alive, suffering and have my wife and kids wipe the blood from my mouth so I don't choke on it in my sleep. I could do that or I could go out the way I want to. Die still as a man, still have some dignity in me and spare my family the burden of taking care of me. Spare my kids the trauma of seeing me suffocate on what should be keeping me alive and die in front of them. Or worse, they come home and find me dead and think they should have been there to do something."

Twilight's eyes filled with tears. "I can't live like that. I can't make them live like that when I could do this instead." He pulled a dagger from inside his boot. He pushed the tip of the blade into the ground, saying, "But it can wait a little while longer. I want to enjoy the sun for a little while."

The four sat quietly together. Time hummed as he held his pup. Twilight still rubbed Wild's scalp as Wild stayed where he was, arms wrapped around Twi's leg. Dametrius held onto Twilight's right hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. 

Twilight's eyes periodically opened and he would look at all that he was with. He too didn't want to end this moment, but things never last forever. He took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "It's time."

Wild sat up and the father could now see that the whole time Wild had been silently crying. His eyes were red and puffy. "Oh, Cub, come here." Twi whispered. Wild gently fell into his waiting arms. Time wrapped his arms around the two in front of him until they separated.

"I want to give you something." Twilight unclipped his black, fur cloak and managed to get it placed around Wild's shoulders. He chuckled as he flipped the hood up. "You are older than I am, but still look so young. Stay feral, adventurous and never let your soul be tamed. I am proud of you, Link."

Wild seemed to break a bit more and find comfort in the cloak around his shoulders.

"Old Man, here." He pulled the Horse Call necklace from his neck, handing it to Time. "Should come in handy with your Epona." Time ran a thumb over the item with adoration before wearing it around his neck.

Dametrius was surprised what Twilight said his name. "I wrote in a journal every day during out last quest and I want you to have it." He held a red leather bound journal that looked incredibly thick. "There are lots of untold stories in there. Most are good or lighthearted. Some are of this one being reckless or wandered off with Hyrule." Twi flicked Wild's ear.

The deity held the book close to his chest. This was priceless and would be cherished for the rest of his life, passed on to his grandchildren and so on. "Thank you." He barely got the words out. He carded his fingers through the wolf hero's hair as he placed his forehead to Twi's.

The feeling of the knots it Dametrius's gut were back tenfold as Twilight rolled his left sleeve up to his elbow, revealing a nearly blacked out forearm. Before he could wonder why the left handed hero was doing everything right handed, he was told. "I have no feeling in this arm any more. Should make this easier."

Dametrius wanted to close his eye, look away from the scene unfolding. He couldn't though. He couldn't disrespect the young man he saw as another son that way. So he watched. He watched the tip of the knife pierce into the discolored arm and drag down deeply towards his wrist. Crimson fluid flowing freely from the fatal, clean cut. It stained the green tunic and tan trousers he wore as it flooded his open palm that laid in his lap.

The hero took a stuttered breath, relaxing into Time's arms again with a satisfied hum. His skin turned pale, eyes closing and hardly opening again. His breath was slow and calm.

Time laid a hand on Twilight's throat and the other two knew the answer as he laid his head in the crook of his pup's neck, clutching the man's tunic and hair with sobs breaking through his gritted teeth.

Wild was wide eyed, mouth parted and his own hot tears rolling down his cheeks. "Twilight…"

"Wild." Dametrius whispered. His son looked over at him and broke. He broke in a way that made the father's heart twist and crack. He tugged him into a tight embrace, securing the cloak tightly around him. Why did it have to be like this?

The sobs subsided after nearly an hour. Wild was asleep in his father’s arms, but rose when Dametrius woke him. “Son, wake up. It’s time to go.” Red eyes met him. Wild looked over at Twilight’s body, lip quivering all over again. He cleaned off his face as he stood on wobbly legs. He looked exhausted. Dametrius stood with him, placing a comforting hand on the back of his neck. Time never really stopped the emotions running down his cheeks. He scooted out from behind Twilight, propped him up more before letting him lean against the remains of his own future self. If it weren’t for the blood, he would look like he was asleep in the afternoon sun, simply taking a nap.

Not standing yet, Time fixed Twilight’s hair to how he normally kept it. “I’ll see you soon, Pup, even if it’s a younger you. I’ll still be able to leave this world after seeing you with a heartbeat and those bright blue eyes full of life. Don’t expect me to go easy on the even younger version of you when I get to train you to wield a sword. You have to become the great fighter I already know you are. But first I will protect you as we find our way through this forest to Ordon.”

From behind the three of them came the sound of animals. The others had waited until the goodbyes were said out of respect. Dametrius looked them over: Cardenal, mice, rabbit, Seagull, Stag, Lynx… Shade was missing.

 Heavy metals clinked, getting louder as they got closer. Time stood and walked over to the other side of the deity when what made the noise entered the clearing. The Hero’s Shade walked forward proudly in his ghostly form, ignoring the living. He strode over in a way that made it look as if he was gliding over the earth. He stood not far from Twilight’s feet. His voice came out slightly more raspy than Time’s would when he spoke. “Link, are you ready?”

A small, timid voice responded. “Do I have to?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Will you be with me?”

Shade had no expressions, but his voice softened. “Of course I will be.”

A toddler crawled forward from Twilight’s body and stood, looking up. “W-will you stay with me this time or do you have to leave me again?” He picked at the worn hem of his sleeveless tunic.

The metal shifted as Shade knelt in front of the boy. He lifted Twi’s chin, removing a leaf from above his ear. “I will never leave again. I am here now and always.” When the toddler sniffled and rubbed his eyes, he asked. “Why are you crying?”

“I really missed you.”

“Oh, my dear child, there is no reason to miss me now. Come, let’s be on our way.” Shade shifted into the golden wolf with red eyes.

Twilight lit up, bouncing on his toes. “Wolf!” He threw himself at Shade, landing on the wolf’s face, arms going all the way around. Shade tossed his head, making Twilight land on the golden fur lining his back. Twilight giggled while making himself comfortable on Shade’s back, wrapping his little arms around the wolf’s neck, humming happily as they walked towards the others who patiently waited for them. Shade barked a warning then dashed off into the wood, followed by the others and Twilight’s loud laughter.

“When he was turned into a kid during our journey and called me Wolf, I don’t think I was expecting that.” Time was still looking ahead, disbelief written across his face.

Dametrius was feeling overwhelmed now. His skin was crawling in this place. “Let's get you home.” He opened a portal to bring Time back to Malon and his children. He was pleased that Wild’s last memory of the Hero of Time was one that ended in warmth and love, not tears and woe.

Bidding his son goodnight, Dametrius couldn’t go home. Not in the state of mind he was in. He instead went to Castle Town, entering the first tavern he came across. He didn't care that everyone knew who he was, he just wanted the pain to go away. Eight young men gone… Bonds severed in sixteen years. Seems like a long time, but the deity’s heart felt it raw as if they all had just died.

He slammed back shot after shot until the bartender cut him off. He just stood, paid and went to the next one. There were three in town and he planned on drinking at all of them. It didn’t take long for a few of the town people to see him stumbling and go warn the King and Queen. He knew they would and he didn’t intend on sticking around to be seen. Wild was already trying to manage his grief in his own way, Zel by his side.

His thoughts spiraled, anger taking over his emotions. He needed to fight something, something that would give him a good fight. He teleported to where he knew a Battle Talus resided. He had no weapons or the mind to summon one. He shouted at the hunk of rock that had bokoblins riding on it. It turned towards him and raised an arm to throw a boulder at him. He took off running towards the monsters, leaping into the air to land on the platforms. He easily did one hit kills with his bare hands or a kick to the face. He found the Talus’s weak point and utterly demolished it.

It wasn’t enough.

He had snuck a bottle from behind one of the bars, of course he paid for it, but they wouldn’t have sold it to him after how many bottles he had already gone through. He took it out and downed it without taking a breath. He was a god, he needed way more than this to be drunk. He just didn’t want to feel anymore. He threw the glass bottle across the field, smashing it against the cliff. It gave him an idea as the drink started to loosen him up. The cliff was a foe that couldn’t be beat and would take everything he had to offer it.

He moved at the speed Wild could, not something he would normally need to use, ramming his left shoulder into the harsh surface. Immediately he balled his right hand, releasing all his strength into the first hit and all the ones that followed. He screamed his agony to the moon, released his anguish upon the rocks. Faces flashed in front of his eyes: Sky, he punched the solid cliff side.

Four and Shadow, another punch.

Time, punch.

Legend, punch.

Wind, punch.

Hyrule, punch. Rocks broke off in masses.

Warriors, punch.

Twilight, punch. Twilight, punch. Twilight punch. Twilightpunch. TwilightpunchTwilightPunchTWILIGHTpunchTWILIGHTholler!

His hollers turned into hoarse sobs. He has put a crater into the rocky cliff, still giving blows, but slowing down.

“D-y” There was a voice. “Da-y pl-se -op.” He couldn't tell what they were saying or who it was until two arms wrapped around his torso from behind. “Daddy stop, please.”

His mind registered that it was Asti. He ceased his assault on the earth, placing shaking hands on his daughter’s arms. He nearly went completely limp, knees meeting the ground with a thud. Asti was then in his vision. Long white hair, white eyes, pink cheeks and facial marking that never disappeared. “Asti, m’sorry. I’m s’sorry.”

“No, no you don’t have to be sorry. You are in pain and have every right to be.” She took his hands in hers. They were bruised and scraped, already swelling from the brutal attacks to stone.

“They’re all gone.”

“I know. I wish I could fix this for you and Link, but all I can do is be here for you.” She returned a comforting gesture by getting his hair out of his face. “Let’s go home Daddy. Mama is waiting for us.”

Home. That’s where the start of his healing would be, at home with his wife at his side every step of the way. He may have lost the boys, but he still had so much to live for.

Chapter Text

Old age wasn't something Dametrius was new to, though he himself never changed appearance as the years went by, Freya did. She grew more beautiful everyday in his eyes. He would forever be a sap over her.

She started to complain of wrinkles on her face and not being able to do the things she once could. She never cared about her hair going dark gray, then solid white, claiming that now they both looked alike. He would just smile with a dusting of pink on his cheeks and stars in his eyes. It made her giggle, calling him a dork. She was still her and that was all Dametrius could ask for.

With age came the decline of independence. She slowly had to start relying on him for big things, then some of the small things until it became almost everything.

He was happy to care for her in her time of need. After all, she cared for him in the beginning. He wasn't repaying the favor, but doing what any good, loving husband should do.

Asti and Link were big helpers too. Their mother would always love their company as well as the grand and great-grandchildren's. She would tell stories of when everyone was younger, the crazy stunts and heroic acts that she had seen from her family. The youngest generation stayed hooked on every word. The others would be lying if they said they weren't too.

She loved her family and worried about them. Some more than others. That some was really only one, Magnus. He had distanced himself from them and resided in Gerudo Town for some time, under Riju's supervision of course. He was a half Gerudo male and automatically was accepted into the peoples' arms. This caused an issue with ruling as he tried to take the Chief's throne. The Chief seeked council with Link, Zelda and the man's father, Twilight.

It broke Freya's heart when Magnus was cast out by both Hylians and Gerudos. He hadn't been seen since and the family prayed he would find his way back to them. Rumor was that he disappeared into the Gerudo Highlands.

Twilight and his wife, Dalia, had two girls after Magnus, both taking up the tradition of being raised in Gerudo Town until they came of proper age. Being royalty they had a choice, but both valued tradition. Once they turned of age, they returned as fearless warriors.

Asti's daughter, Torve, was the only child she had. The birthing was difficult as it was touch and go for mother and daughter. Asti always saw the best in things and Torve was absolutely the best thing to come out of the nine month horror.

During the labor Dametrius and Freya, well everyone really, waited outside since only the father of the child and the doctor were allowed in the room with the soon to be mother. Dametrius paced the floor for hours, mumbling to himself and wanting to rip his hair out. Freya was more calm and told him to sit down before he wore a groove into the floor.

When he didn't, Asti shouted at him from inside the room. "If you don't sit your ass down, I will make you!" Apparently she knew he wasn't listening because he was suddenly sitting at his wife's feet, vines from outside were wrapped around his hips, forcing him onto his ass like she had threatened. Asti had gotten remarkable with her powers. Freya, Link and Zel had a great laugh over it. That night Torve was born. Both mother and daughter were spoiled with care until Asti was allowed to move around.

The years following the Hero of Twilight's death were only manageable due to his family. He wouldn't say he was healed from losing him or any of the others, but he learned to cope with it alongside Link. They made an agreement together that if one of them were slipping and needed help during that time, the other would be there.

If the god could describe the two decades that went by in one word it would have been: utopia. Everything was nearly perfect and went along as it always should have. Even in the moment he was currently at, he couldn't find a better ending.

He had stayed in bed with Freya the whole day before as she pittled around with sewing and writing down recipes for a later time, anything to pass the time. It was one of those days where she didn't have the energy to do much outside of what she was already doing. She was in her eighties after all. If she closed her eyes to take a nap, he did too.

That night he stayed awake as she slept under his arm, head on his chest. He listened to her breathe slowly in her slumber. Her soft, white strands of hair were between his fingers as he continued to scratch at her scalp.

When she would move in her sleep, he would move with her. If she rolled onto her other side, he curled around her back. He didn't want a single moment apart from her. Especially since he could feel that it was getting close to time.

That morning, before dawn, he stroked her cheek to wake her. She yawned and curled closer to him. "G'morning beautiful." He whispered, making her smile brightly.

"Is the sun up yet?"

"Not yet."

"Can we watch it together one last time?"

He kissed her temple. "I would love nothing more."

He got her into a little warmer clothes since it was still so early in the morning and snagged the biggest blanket they had so they could be wrapped up together. Once everything was set up outside, he bridal carried his wife one last time to their favorite sitting spot like he had done countless times.

Looking out to the east, they waited. Freya sat between his legs, relaxed against his chest, lazily kissing his palm. He returned the sentiment.

"You know Asti and Link will be here after sunrise." She whispered.

"I know."

"They are going to find us." The last bit didn't need to be said.

"I know."

"Are you worried about them?"

He sighed heavily. "I worry because they are our children, but I also know they are the two strongest kids we could have ever asked for. They will be okay as long as the family stays together."

It was some time later that she spoke again. "Are you afraid?"

He knew what she meant. "I am not afraid of death itself, but of an afterlife without you in it."

She laughed at his sappiness. "You hopeless romantic. How did I get so lucky?" She turned and kissed his cheek.

Dametrius was glad she had accepted that his fate was tied to hers at this point. She hated that it was going to be that way, saying he should have more time to be free in the world since he spent so long locked up in the mask. He won the argument by telling her that the day she goes, he will be going with one way or another. He had no regrets of it being this way. He only prayed that his body would stay in this world and not turn to stardust like before.

They were silent outside of their breathing and heartbeats while the sun's first rays of light hit the ocean's surface. He knew it was a sight to see, but he couldn't look at it. He couldn't look away from Freya's smiling face as the sun made her glow with the warm colors of red, orange and yellow. Her hair no longer looked to be a wheat field on fire, but snow with fire dancing across it. Her cobalt blue eyes sparkled like the waters below, specks of green in them from the sun reflecting in them.

No, he couldn't look away from his view because it was more perfect than anything else that could possibly be shown to him.

He started to feel weak and realized that it was Freya, affecting him too. He held her tighter, placing his forehead in the crook of her neck to breathe her in. He felt her head lean against his as they shared this last moment alive together.

The second her heart took its last beat, his did too.

He was standing, looking out at the ocean. His soul couldn't be seen by the living, but that didn't matter as Freya's hand was in his. She looked like she had the first day they met. He rubbed his thumb over her hand, getting her attention. "Hello love."

She smiled up at him. "Hello dear." She looked back out saying, "Is it supposed to feel this normal?"

It did feel normal as if they were still alive, but there was no pain or any kind of physical feeling. "Maybe so."

Up the road was the sound of hooves clicking against the groumd. The kids were arriving. It didn't take them long to get there since Link and Zelda were staying at Asti's home North West from the parents. Link had bought the property and the supplies to build a dream home as a wedding gift for his little sister. It kept her close to home like she wanted.

The parents walked next to their children as they entered the house. "Mama, Dad, we made it." Asti said in a cheerful tone as she opened the door. 

No answer.

Link went to the bedroom first. "Asti, they aren't here."

Zelda felt the candle on the table. "Nothing was lit. They knew we were coming right?"

Coming through the door was Asti's husband, Erik. "Both horses are still here too."

There was a knowing look in their daughter's eyes. Link saw it too and went to speak what they both thought. "You don't think-" His sister took off out the door before he finished.

She came to an abrupt stop when she saw the two people she was looking for. Cautiously she stepped in front of them, touching her father's shoulder. "Daddy, Mama?" She hit her knees when they didn't answer.

Dametrius and Freya knelt behind their daughter, placing their translucent hands on her shoulders. She couldn't feel them.

Link was by her side with wide eyes taking in the scene. He encompassed her with his arms, rocking side to side as the heart broken cries started. Asti clung to him, face hidden in his chest.

The parents felt for the two in front of them, but they all knew this day was coming soon.

They stood not far away when the four living dug a single grave for the bodies that remained in the living world. Wrapped in the blanket Dametrius had brought out earlier, they were lowered into the grave, soft smiles still gracing their faces. Flowers from the nearby field were placed inside, each of the four saying something in remembrance of them. The dirt was pushed in and they were officially buried in their favorite spot in all of Hyrule.

Link, when that was done, found a perfectly rounded stone and began to carve into it for a headstone. Freya smiled, ran her fingers through her son's hair one last time and Dametrius did the same to each of their children. Freya kissed Asti's cheek and took Dametrius's hand. "We should let them be."

"You're right, let's go." They vanished from the world as they began to walk away.

Entering the afterlife he felt the warmth of the Allmother. His soul was at peace finally with his bride next to him.

"DAMETRIUS!" That, he wasn't ready for. Eight bodies brought him to the ground with laughter.

He looked at the boys on top of him. "Boys?" He gathered as many as he could in his arms and squeezed. They looked the exact same as they did when they met in Hateno so long ago.

"Mama Fierce!" Dametrius's head spun quickly to see Twilight giving Freya a massive hug.

There was a booming laugh coming from Time who apparently saw the deity's reaction to be funny.

"About time you made it." Warriors helped him back to his feet.

Dametrius could see past everyone and saw the families all gathering, including Trevor. "Who did you have to fight to get your son here?" He asked the Captain.

"Ha, well, your mother." He hoped he was joking. He was going to hear an earfull at some point.

Everyone else was greeted and talked about things that had happened or had been seen from the clouds. There was not a trace of pain, anger, rage, jealousy, fear or anything negative in this place. He took a deep breath to truly take in this new world.

"Dametrius?"

He looked back and saw Twilight, healthy and strong. He gathered the young man into his arms with a death grip. He was here, really here. The god could have wept; he was filled with a joy that wouldn't be removed from him ever.

This new beginning in the afterlife was what he needed as all they had to do was wait for Wild to join them.

Chapter Text

The concept of time was insignificant in the afterlife as they all waited for Wild’s reunion with them. The father was excited to be able to see his son again, but he worried over how it would be. What would cause the man's death? Would he be alone or with others? The questions raced through his mind as the souls of the heroes and himself landed at the castle. No one could see them of course, but that didn’t mean they were disrespectful to the living as they walked.

“He’s like seventy something right?” Wind bounced around in his fourteen year old form.

"Maybe older." Four added as they went through another door.

The castle was buzzing with life as people went about hanging decorations, cleaning and ordering things to be rearranged. It was more alive than before the Calamity and it warmed Dametrius's heart that Wild was the one to bring it to this point.

Warriors was looking up at everything, asking,  "Is it a holiday?"

Sky went to a paper on the wall. "Coronation. Who is next in line?"

"If Wild is still king, it will be Twilight. If Twilight is already king, it will be his eldest daughter." At least that was the plan before Dametrius left.

"I thought he had a son." Time asked, while running a ghostly hand along a stone wall.

"Magnus was exiled for crimes against the crown. He wanted to be the Gerudo King."

Twilight gave a shiver. "After all their history, he still wanted to be in Ganon's shadow?"

"Greed is a powerful thing." Dametrius wasn't given time to think over his grandson as Hyrule called out to them.

"Guys, in here!" The Traveler disappeared through an entryway, leading into the sanctum of the castle.

Sitting on the thrones were Wild and Flora, crowns still upon their heads. Laughter was the only thing that could be heard inside as the whole family gathered. Wild's hair was pure white, longer, sides braided back into his half bun. He didn't look as old as he should due to the god blood running through his veins. It slowed down the aging process. He still wore Twilight's fur cloak and the deity saw the smile on the wolf hero's face.

Flora sat on her throne, blue dress complimenting her dark gray hair still short above her shoulders. She still looked at Wild like he was her everything, though the rest of her family was in front of her.

"Big family, who is everyone?" Legend weaved between everyone, undetected.

Dametrius walked to his son's side. "Of course you know these two and Asti." He pointed to his two children and Flora, then continued on. Next to Asti in the center of the room was her husband, Erik. Torve was nearby with the white hair cut short like Flora's. There was a young man with black hair and white eyes across the room named Jarl, Torve's son. Jarl was showing a young boy that Dametrius didn't recognize, the proper way to hold a short blade. Who he assumed was the boy’s mother, sat on a stool encouraging him.

Next to Wild was Twilight. Dametrius was going to be all jumbled up with having two Twilight's in the same room. He continued to call his grandson Twilight and the wolf hero Twi. Twilight had armor that was only worn by the highest ranking officers in the King's Guard. Dalia was chatting with him in her normal Gerudo clothes. The two were inseparable. Yara and her younger sister Layla each had a daughter that weren't present in the room. If he had Great Granddaughters from those two, Dametrius didn't know them and they would still be in the age range to stay in Gerudo Village.

Dawn, Wild and Flora's daughter, was the only one to not have children. It wasn't for the lack of trying, but it just wasn't meant to be. Both she and her husband, Ruka, taught at the school Flora had started in Hateno. Wild gave her the house there so it would stay in the family.

Magnus still hadn't turned from his ways and come home.

Sky stood next to Dametrius with an apologetic expression. "You haven't experienced this yet and there is something you need to know. We can't interfere in any kind of way. Even when we helped against Warriors turncoats, we still weren't allowed to change his fate. Wild will die today, but it is our job to make sure he isn't alone during it." He rubbed the ring that still laid on his finger. "I can't imagine the pain you will go through as we watch whatever unfolds, but he will be okay afterwards. He will be with us, with you."

Time walked over, standing on Dametrius's other side. "There is a difference between us and the living. When we watch someone die, we feel the sting, but we rejoice in the reunion. When the living lose someone, they are only left with memories and the need to grieve."

No sooner said, there was screaming from outside the sanctum. People could be seen running in all directions, metal clashing and orders from soldiers called out. Explosion caused smoke and dust to rise from the debris. Dametrius turned towards his living family, dread and fear nesting in his gut for them and not being able to help them. He could see the fear in the youngest child’s eye as his father protected him. The father's sword was drawn, ready to defend.

Yara and Layla were ready with spears out, both taking steps forward. Their training in Gerudo Town had them running towards fights. Like mother, like daughters.

Asti and Erik were shoulder to shoulder, both trained to the highest level of fighting by Wild and Dametrius. That also went for Twilight's training. He moved slightly in front of his parents as the sight of people walking towards the entrance became more clear.

Dawn was much like her father, archery was key to her as she pulled out a bow. Of course, being Wild's child, she had a Lynel bow. Ruka was much more a swordsman like most of the Sheikah warriors.

From the dust and smoke came laughter. A laugh that could only come from one group, Yigas. Blademasters blocked each entrance with two footsoldiers with them. From across the thrones stepped out the one person missing, Magnus. He smiled devilishly at his family, especially his own father. "Isn't this a sight? The full family is here to welcome their new ruler, how touching."

Twilight squared his shoulders to him. "You have no place here, Magnus. Go back to where you were."

"No place? Is that any way to talk to your son?"

"You are no son of mine."

"Oh that's right, you excommunicated me." The son continued a few steps closer.

"The crimes you committed against Chief Riju and the crown were punishable by death, you got off easy." 

The heroes stepped away from the middle of the scene as did Dametrius. They had to watch from the sidelines.

Magnus shrugged his shoulders. "I tried to play nice and offer my hand to her, but she refused me."