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Chapter Text

Panic filled the traveler. Every fiber of his being coursed with an anxious electricity, his skin sweaty and prickled, his vision throbbing with his quick pulse, his breaths quick and shaky. He trembled, his body bound tightly. Shadows wrapped around him in a vice grip, their cold slimy weight writhing across his skin, chilling him through his tunic. His arms were bound behind his back, legs cinched together, face covered just below the nose to smother any noise he tried to make, his eyes covered in a void of black.

They’d caught him . He was aware of his pulse, of the blood rushing through his head and down into his twitching fingers and through his legs and toes. The hero’s blood within his body. They were going to bleed him dry, resurrect Ganon in a world without him. It would be his life, his fault, his failure. And it would hurt .

“Don’t move,” Legend hissed through his teeth.

Twilight pressed himself against a tree, hands raised in truce. But he couldn’t deny Legend was quicker with a sword than he pleased, and while the veteran’s decisiveness was an asset when they shared a side, Legend’s hair trigger temper made the danger of the blade against his neck unignorable.

“Vet,” Twilight said, voice cold but even. “I ain’t done anything–”

“Liar,” Legend snapped. “That’s your magic, isn’t it?”

Twilight flicked his eyes up to the others. There was hesitation among them. Wild and Time were on his side, but the others…Twilight’s stomach twisted. They believed Legend, in some small part, or at least considered his inane conspiracy.

“I can’t use magic,” Twilight said, pacing his words, speaking clearly. “All’s I can use is this crystal ‘n it has one effect, which you know of.”

Wild stepped forward, hands held out in a coax. “Legend, please, Twilight would never–”

“How do we know that?” Legend asked, snapping his eyes to the champion. “We don’t know anything about him, not really.”

Twilight glanced at Wars and Time. “Please,” he said, “it ain’t me. Please .”

“Legend,” Time said, struggling to keep any emotion out of his voice. “Put your sword away. Or at least down. We don’t have any reason to believe it’s Twilight.”

“It’s shadow magic,” Legend snapped, “which is what Twilight uses–”

“Mine is Twili magic,” Twilight hissed.

Wars glanced up curiously at the mention of the Twili, but he said nothing.

“Oh same difference,” Legend argued. “It’s dark, it’s creepy, it’s not from here and you’re awfully protective of that crystal.”

“You seen what it does,” Twilight fought back. “Others can’t touch it–not without transforming.”

“Into what ?” Legend demanded. “More than animals? What’re you doing to Hyrule?”

The panic in Legend’s voice was clear. His concern, his fear. There was heartbreak too over the betrayal he was so certain of. Twilight’s voice failed him. They were already distrustful of the Twili magic he used to change, especially once they knew they couldn’t touch it without some kind of protection. He couldn’t explain that without the goddess’s protection, he’d have been made into a monster. They would too.

“Ledge!” Wild cried as the veteran moved his blade.

Twilight braced with his left arm, gritting his teeth as the edge cut deep into his flesh just above his wrist. The swipe was intended to kill, clearly. The pain brought tears to the corners of the rancher’s eyes. His left arm was especially sensitive and the pain shot up his arm, making his knees weak.

“It’s. Not. Me,” Twilight got out, barely keeping it together.

“Then take your crystal off,” Legend snapped. “And swear to me–to all of us.”

Twilight used his right hand to pull the crystal from around his neck. He dangled it and made a show of dropping it to the ground.

“I swear,” he said. “It ain’t me–I can’t do that sorta thing.”

Legend huffed, but as promised, drew back his blade. He didn’t sheath it, but the immediate threat passed. Twilight’s blood graced the edge, dripping from the tip of the sword.

“Twi,” Wild said, panicked. “Are you okay? Let me see!”

“I’m fine,” the rancher answered, but his voice shook in a harsh whisper.

Wild had already taken his arm. The blade was sharp, the cut thin and clean. It was deep and dark blood seeped from the wound, staining Twilight’s sleeve and dripping from the fabric.

The others relaxed some, seeing the crystal away from the rancher, and further when that had no impact on Hyrule’s binds. With Legend not at the brink of killing one of them, they could move finally. Four realized he’d been holding in a breath and Wind sniffled, frightened by the whole standoff. Legend cursed loudly, throwing his sword down into the ground, the hilt sticking up.

“I know you’re worried,” Wars reasoned, trying to keep Legend from acting out any further, eyes flicking to the sword. If he could get a touch closer, he could take it, keep it away from the veteran. “We’re all worried.”

“You don’t understand!” Legend yelled, tears in his eyes. “He’s afraid of being tied up! He’s afraid of the dark! We have to help him!”

Wars reached out to grab him, but Legend flinched away with a glare.

“Vet,” Sky said gently. “It’s good that you’re concerned, but panic won’t help us get to the bottom of this any quicker.”

Wind hesitated before he reached out to touch Hyrule, to touch the shadows. He knew how to get out of binds anyway, and something needed to be done.

“Sailor, no–” Wars started, but it was too late.

Hyrule flinched, a scream escaping his throat when Wind’s touch surprised him. Wind drew his hand back quickly, a pang of guilt rushing through him. The shadows wriggled and squirmed, tightening their hold on the terrified traveler, but ignored Wind altogether.

Wind shook his head. “It’s not…” he started. “It just wants Hy.”

“The Master Sword,” Four said, frowning. “If its light can undo Twilight’s magic, and it does all that damage to the infected monsters, maybe it can undo this too.”

Sky nodded, drawing the blade. He raised it skyward, divine light filling it with a warm blue glow. The chosen hero brought the sword down, slashing through the shadowy restraints. The tendrils burned and crumbled away where he struck and then finally, they retreated into nothing.

Hyrule was left, pale, shaking, and weeping. He held himself, clearly not in the present as he mumbled prayers fearfully, rocking softly. Legend grabbed Hyrule in a tight hug, drawing him close. Hyrule grabbed Legend back, burying his face in the veteran’s shoulder with a wail.

“I told y’all it ain’t me,” Twilight snapped, picking up his crystal.

“I think,” Four said mildly, deep in thought, “that’s what it wanted–for us to fight.”

“Why?” Wind asked.

Just as he did, an arrow shot Twilight through the right shoulder, a second sinking his left thigh.

“Twi!” Wild yelled.

The rancher stumbled in surprise, sliding down the tree as his weight gave out. Time let out a cry, drawing his sword to cut down two more arrows aimed for Wild’s back.

“Arms!” Wars bellowed.

Four and Wind covered Hyrule and Legend. Time covered Twilight and Wild. Sky and Wars stood at the edges, eyes scanning the trees and shadows around them.

A lizalfos ambushed Sky first. The chosen hero’s eyes flashed in a ferocious glare and a yell escaped him as he swept his sword up, gutting the beast from groin to throat. Black blood coated the first hero, entrails spilling from the lizard. Its weight came down over Sky but he shoved the body aside with his weight, throwing the dead monster into the brush.

Wars cut down two arrows and let out a grunt as a bokoblin rushed him with an ax. His blade cleaved through the ax’s wooden handle and cut into the bokoblins shoulder. The monster screamed in pain and rage, swiping with the ax head blindly as Wars pushed his weight down, forcing the blade through the beast’s shoulder and ribs and into its heart. Within seconds, the monster fell to the ground, dead, blood pooling from its chest in pulses with the still beating heart.

Time pivoted, turning on his heel as a lizalfos swept around the tree with a spear. He blocked the spear, but not a kick, letting out an audible wheeze as he was forced back. His eyes lit in fury and he lunged at the monster, swinging his blade into its skull with a powerful horizontal slash, cutting its head clean in half through the mouth. The lizalfos staggered to the side and tottered over with a dying hiss, tongue writhing as the top of its skull slid off the rest of the body.

Four locked blades with a bokoblin, the larger monster trying to force the hero down. But it was unprepared for the smith’s sheer physical strength. Four forced the monster’s arms up and with a cry, Wind stabbed his blade through the bokoblins belly. The sailor used a foot to jerk the sword out with a shing . The bokoblin fell to its knees and then its face.

Legend rose to his feet, his face wet with tears and eyes burning in rage. He wielded the fire rod in one hand, recovering his sword in the other. With a scream of unbridled fury, the veteran ignited the brush in a blast of terrifying heat. The fire roared to life, revealing the ambush for what it was as burning monsters screamed, incinerated on the spot. Their charred forms were black amongst the red flames. The brilliant light smothered the daylight and heat filled the forest around them. Any monsters that stumbled out from the inferno met the veteran’s blade, dead or alive.

The fighting was over in short order, the monsters vanishing into nothing. The fire ate itself alive, leaving a ring of black soot and burned plants around the heroes. Black stains of burned bodies smeared the ground. Rupees sat in the remains, unceremonious reminders of what had nearly come upon them all.

Legend let out a scream of anger and fear, spitting out any number of incomprehensible curses at whatever tried to hurt Hyrule, tried to hurt his brothers. He threw down his weapons before he grabbed the traveler in a crushing embrace once more.

Chapter Text

The exhausting day had taken its toll. The rest of their march was quiet, dinner equally so. Now the heroes sat around their fire as a chilly night nestled in among them. Hyrule hugged Legend’s arm, leaned into the veteran who held him protectively. He hadn’t spoken since being freed from the shadows, his gaze distant and misty since. Legend hadn’t said anything more either, nor had Twilight.

Wars cleared his throat first. “Twi,” he said.

The rancher flicked his gaze up. He was still angry about the accusation and more hurt that none of them had rushed to his defense.

Wars sighed, looking defeated. “I wanted to apologize. For today. I–We should’ve believed you, we should’ve acted sooner.”

Twilight shrugged, clearly unhappy. He held his left wrist in his right hand, thumb stroking the soft bandages spotted with blood. “Well I hope next time your apology comes ‘fore Legend tries to slice my throat wide open.”

Wind looked down meekly, sniffling as guilty tears overtook him. “I’m sorry,” he got out, pawing at his face. “I was too scared to say anything. I thought he was gonna kill you and then–it would’ve been our fault–my fault–” The sailor broke down into fearful, shameful sobs.

Four nodded, glancing up in shame. “Me too. I thought if–I thought maybe he could be right, but then maybe if we moved he would be…he would do it.”

Sky nodded. “I thought it would make it worse if one of us tried to stop him with force. He was out of his mind.”

Twilight sighed as he closed his eyes, scratching his jaw absently. “Don’t make me feel bad for being cross,” he got out. “C’mere sailor.”

Wind nodded, getting up. Twilight drew him into a tight hug, rubbing his back as the pirate wept apologies into his shoulder.

“You acted too rashly,” Time said, looking at Legend. “You could’ve hurt–” He paused. “You nearly killed one of us.”

Legend shook his head, expression dark. “You can’t blame me. Hyrule was being tortured on purpose and there’s only so many sources of shadows like that I know of that were within range of a spell.”

“It’s him,” Hyrule croaked quietly, eyes wide in fear as paranoia clawed at his heart. “My shadow. Isn’t it?”

Legend squeezed Hyrule. “Don’t think about it so much.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Hyrule said softly. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“Ain’t your fault,” the rancher sighed, offering a gentle smile. “You were uh…indisposed at the time. ‘N you sure as roots didn’t tie yourself up.”

“How’s your leg?” Wild asked quietly, voice heavy in concern.

Twilight glanced down at the champion leaned up against his side. He smiled, planting a hand on Wild’s head and pushing him down slightly.

“Still attached, so there’s worse. I’m more worried ‘bout Hy. Plus cap’n’s got a pretty li’l scar on his handsome face now.”

Wars paused in horror, feeling his cheeks. Twilight snickered, drawing a glare from the captain when Wars realized he was lying.

Twilight glanced at Legend, offering up a sorry smile. “You didn’t–you ain’t really do anything wrong . I mean, you was impulsive, sure, ‘n you gotta work on your blade discipline–”

“Oh we will,” Wars and Time said in unison, fixing looks on the veteran.

Twilight shrugged. “I guess if I was you, I’d’ve done the same. Maybe. What I mean to say is–”

“We were all worried,” Four offered. “And we can’t blame you for trying to do what you thought was right, especially when you were trying to protect us.”

Twilight nodded. “Mhm, that as much. I know I don’t talk ‘bout myself much, but I promise you know what this crystal can do. ‘N what it can’t do is tie people up, alright? It can’t really hurt folks either, not like that.”

Legend nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I will do my best to not kill you over misunderstandings in the future,” he offered, a light smile on his dry face. He shook his head, frowning. “I was…I didn’t want to hurt you. I was so scared that I was right.”

Twilight hummed in thought. “Next time you wanna kill me though, you gotta be quicker on the draw. You telegraph, y’know. That’s how I was able to block so quick. It was a good strike otherwise, nice ‘n clean. Lots of power.”

Time sighed. “Don’t give him bad advice.”

“It’s not bad advice,” Twilight argued. “It’s the truth!”

He paused as Wild hugged him around the side tightly. Twilight’s face fell and he rubbed the champion’s back, pulling him into the hug he still held Wind in.

“Are we alright?” Legend asked, lifting a sorry gaze up to Twilight.

Twilight nodded. “Sure. Forgiven, vet. Just uh…warn me next time you wanna take my head off, deal?”

Legend got out a soft chuckle. He wiped at his eyes, bowing his head in a quiet sob. “Deal,” he got out.