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There was once a hero who died in the woods. There was once an ocarina placed atop his grave in remembrance. There was once a shadow who haunted a temple.
There were once nine heroes called to arms.
“I’m Link,” the man in armour and a blue scarf introduces himself. “I’m here to deal with the time travel.”
“I’m also Link,” says the short one with a headband. “I was investigating the dark portal.”
“Are we all named Link,” asks the one with a fur pelt wrapped around his shoulders. “Is that some sort of hero prerequisite?”
The remaining adventurers look at each other and shrug.
They decide to use nicknames. It’s easier than trying to distinguish between each other, and this way if they take an extra moment to respond, no one will bat an eye.
“It’s a time travel quest,” Warriors says. “We have been chosen to investigate and defeat the source of a corruptive dark force.”
The Hero of the Four Sword raises his eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
Warriors pauses. “I uh… asked Zelda?”
“And we’re sure this is safe,” the Hero of Legend asks. “Out travelling across and interfering with history won’t break the fabric of reality?”
“The flow of time does not break easily.” The Hero of Time speaks with an air of authority. “So long as no guardian appears to stop us, our actions are not overtly disastrous.”
Warriors winces. “Something like that.”
Hyrule’s gaze darts between the weapons the others carry. “So this is a cooperative quest. Something big enough to require nine heroes. Sounds dangerous.”
“Sounds like a logistical nightmare, more like. How are we supposed to carry rations for nine people? We don’t even have a boat!”
Wild opens a pouch on his belt. “I have an infinite banana holder. Stole it from a retreating Yiga foot soldier. We can keep food in that, as long as it has some sort of banana in it.”
“What’s banana,” Four asks.
Lana knew her hero would have to get involved in the upcoming time travel mess. It made sense that the hero with experience in travelling across timelines and fighting alongside other wielders of the hero’s spirit would be called to arms.
She wished it did not have to be so. The Captain had finally started to relax, to lose some of the tension that had been in his shoulders for as long as Lana had watched over him. A quest, so unlike the war he fought, would only serve to convince him his paranoid preparations weren’t enough. It did not require a peek down the times tream to know he would be better off in Castletown. But he could not refuse, and even if he had the option, Link would choose to take up his arms. Would join the gathering of Hyrule’s greatest heroes to defeat their dark reflection in a battle across time.
That gave her an idea. It was not a good idea. In fact, as a time guardian, this was exactly the sort of thing she was supposed to stop. But Link deserved a chance to rest, and after everything with Cia, Lana owed him a happily ever after.
Gathering the strength of her own dark reflection, Lana called upon the shadows and built herself a puppet. She crafted its features – the jawline, the blue eyes, the cape. She took hold of its strings and sent it to the field where the dark portal was to appear. When the inky blackness swirled into existence, she sent her puppet Link through, before the upcoming patrol could spot it and send word to the castle.
Wind shudders. “These woods are creepy. Islands aren’t supposed to be this big.”
Sky laughs. “Right? I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the surface.”
“Maybe we should set up camp for the night?”
“No,” Twilight says. “The forest is hostile to outsiders. The Woods pose a danger to you. It would be best to leave them before dark.”
“But how do we find our way out?”
“If the fairies cannot guide you,” Twilight replies. “Listen to the wind.”
“I can hear it singing,” Wind murmurs. “But I can’t make out the words. Everyone shush.”
The group quiets, a soft breeze blowing around them. Wind tilts her head, brows furrowed in concentration. “Something about fire?”
“Setting fire to the Lost Woods is a sure way to never leave them,” Time says.
“Hang on,” Wild says, and takes a torch off his back. He pulls out some flint and kneels, striking the rock. A spark catches and flames burst to life, crackling as Wild holds the torch aloft.
The breeze picks up, dancing through the clearing and ruffling Wind’s hair like a playful older brother, before carrying the smoke away. Wind laughs. “And now we chase it.”
“So,” Four says that evening. “What do we think we’re supposed to fight?”
Legend shrugs. “I was assuming Ganon again, or some other minion he’s manipulating. A quest ending with having to face that pig is usually a safe bet.”
“I don’t know if I can fight Ganon,” Hyrule says. “Maybe things can go differently.”
“I wouldn’t mind a chance to deck him in the face,” Wind says.
“Who’s Ganon,” Sky asks.
Warriors sighs. “The incarnation of hatred, a man who carries ambition and a lust for power.”
“Wait,” Wild says. “The Calamity was a person?”
“And all of your quests involved killing him?”
“I mean I guess,” Four says. “I wasn’t – I don’t remember the fight with Ganon that well. Most of the adventure was dealing with Vaati.”
“You’re the Hero who defeated Vaati,” Hyrule says, eyes wide.
“You’ve heard of him? Please don’t tell me he came back.”
“No, but Vaati was one of the original shapeshifters. He who was both man and bat.”
“Yup, that’s the twit. Basically ran around doing Ganon’s dirty work so he could show up all dramatic in the final fight.”
“Oh yeah,” Sky nods. “I had to deal with this creepy evil sword spirit guy like that. Not a fan.”
“But if it was Ganon and his lackeys they probably wouldn’t need nine of us,” Warriors says. “There must be something more.”
The group goes quiet at that.
The nine of them stand huddled in the foyer of the inn. It is raining outside, no one particularly wants to camp, and this way they can resupply in the morning. If they don’t spend all their rupees on beds tonight.
“Yes, I know there are nine of us,” Legend says to the innkeeper. “But two of them are children under twelve,” he stomps on Four’s foot before the small hero can protest. “And at least one of them has helped save a kingdom.”
“Loads of folks have children and pay taxes. You don’t see all them in here asking for a hero’s type discount.”
“Then you must have discounts to spare. Fifty percent off and a free breakfast.”
“One hundred percent and I don’t call the guards.”
“Thirty percent and there aren’t any incidents with my volatile fire rod.”
“Legend,” Twilight hisses, grabbing his arm. He turns to the innkeeper. “Apologies sir, we’ll be on our way.” He starts towards the door, pulling Legend behind him.
“Twenty-five percent off and you help repair the roof.”
“With free breakfast,” Legend replies, twisting out of Twilight’s grip and coming back to the counter.
“Deal.”
He had mostly faded, was little more than an impression in the breeze when a portal had swirled to life behind his descendent.
It was familiar to him. There was another portal like this, once. It threatened to take him away from the life he had built, to throw him into another quest he did not choose.
The portal was here for his descendent. The Hero’s Shade would not let it have Link.
He had stood witness to much transformation magic recently. He was sustained by old twisting magic that left folks unrecognizable. He closed his eyes and murmured his desire to the Woods.
When he opened them, a crystal shard had appeared. He picked it up and crafted a charm.
Wearing the guise of the Hero of Twilight, the Shade stepped through the portal.
The next morning, the innkeeper tells them of an unusually strong monster that has been spotted just outside town. Sky knows the call of adventure when he hears one. After enjoying their free breakfast and stocking up on a truly ridiculous amount of strange yellow fruit, Sky leads the way towards the farmhouse that last saw the beast.
They walk along the path. It seems peaceful enough. The farmer directs them towards a clearing nearby. As they approach, Sky spots a huddled figure up ahead. He goes to speak with them, only for Twilight to place an arm in front of him. “There is something off here,” he murmurs. The figure turns at the sound of his voice, stretching out of a crouch. The monster, for that must be what it is even if it looks like no monster Sky has ever seen before, roars. It is some sort of beast, animalistic in the way it roars, yet too lanky to be a pig and too hairy to be a lizard. It looks like the monsters in Skyloft’s storybooks.
Only when the monster charges does Sky realize he doesn’t have a weapon.
He goes to dodge out of the way, only to bump into Legend clearly trying to do the same. The two sprawl, knocking into the other heroes and going down in a tangle of limbs and shouts.
Time steps in front of them, and with a great swing of his helix blade, cuts the charging monster in half. Blood splatters at his feet. It is black in colour.
Above the monster, another portal swirls into existence.
They step out of the portal, not back at the forge like Four had hoped, but on a small island. It has three seagulls, a handful or trees, and looks like a great place to get sunstroke. He walks towards the trees and stands in the tiny patch of shade.
“We’re home,” Wind cries in delight. “Well, not Outset, obviously, but welcome to the Great Sea!”
“I didn’t know there could be this much water,” Hyrule says.
Four looks up at the sky. The sun is high and bright, and the few idyllic white clouds do nothing to hide its rays. “How do we get off the island.”
“You don’t want to enjoy the beach vacation,” Wild asks.
“I burn easily.”
Wind frowns. “Without a boat we’re stuck here.”
“Do we have any way of flagging down a passing ship? Are there any passing ships?”
“Hang on, I’ll ask.” Wind starts screeching. Four flinches and covers his ears. The gulls screech in response, before taking off and flying away in different directions. He watches them disappear over the horizon, and runs a hand over his face, groaning in despair.
The birds return roughly an hour later, screeching at Wind before cuddling up to her, two in her arms and one nestling in her hair. Wind runs her fingers along the bird’s feathers and smiles. “Great news! They gave Beedle a heading and he should be here soon. He can give us a ride to Outset, and you can meet my grandma!”
Sure enough, a boat pulls up to the little island. Wind clamours aboard, waving the rest of them along. As soon as he’s on deck, Four ducks into the shaded cabin, hopping atop a wooden crate and laying down. Wind, their rescuer, and Time follow after him.
“So Beedle. Got anything good for sale?”
“I’ve got some shells from up near Dragonroost if they interest you. As well as a more… private option.”
“What does that mean,” Time asks, eyes narrowing.
Beedle meets his gaze, unwavering. “A secret option for the little pirate. Why don’t you step outside while we discuss business.”
“I am not going out there,” Four says. He has a delicate complexion! And a complicated relationship with sunlight. That whole being it’s antithesis but unable to exist without it thing.
“Out,” Beedle insists.
“Four can stay,” Wind says. “Time, we’ll talk later okay.”
Time relents with a nod, looking away from Beedle to glance at the two small heroes before heading back out on deck.
“Are you all right little pirate,” the boatman asks.
“There’s been some monsters, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“At Outset?”
“I’m travelling right now.”
“Willingly?”
“Oh,” Wind says. “It’s okay Beedle, thank you. Four and the rest are my travel companions. And I have the goodies Tetra left me. Although I wouldn’t mind a spare dagger.”
Beedle looks Wind over, glances at Four, and nods. “Write a letter that can convince your family I’m making the right choice not throwing these men overboard and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Legend’s head pokes into the cabin. “Is this where you keep the goods.”
Beedle’s mood shifts, the sternness fading away as a bright smile overtakes his face. “Why yes it is. Is there anything that catches your fancy?”
Four glances around the wooden crates. “You’re a merchant?”
“He’s one of the best merchants on the Great Sea,” Wind says. Legend’s eyes narrow.
“Ah, I know that look,” Beedle says. “If you want to haggle, you better prove your dedication to the little pirate first.”
Legend shrugs and turns to inspect the wares. “You’re able to build a reliable clientele, even with your travelling?”
Beedle laughs. “Travelling gives me access to near unlimited rupees. Not being tied down to anyone one location means much more flexibility. Not to mention the variety of bugs I get to see!”
“Huh.”
“So, as the designated magic healer,” and Hyrule truly has no idea how that happened. “There’s a few things I need to check. Anyone allergic to potions? Have any organs in strange locations? Secretly carrying a blood curse that can revive Ganon?”
There is a moment of silence as everyone stares at him. He kicks at the dirt awkwardly. Was that too direct?
“I got overexposed to dark magic on my last quest,” Four offers. “Too much sun or a direct shot of light magic could dangerously disrupt my system. No blood curse though.”
“Wow that’s crazy, me too.” Warriors laughs half-heartedly. Twilight gives him a weird look.
The others similarly deny having cursed blood, and Time says it in such a way that implies he doesn’t have any blood at all. Hyrule buries his face in his hands in despair. How is he supposed to revive Ganon if none of the heroes are carrying the blood curse?
Link and Zelda were hailed as symbols of the new kingdom they were building on the surface. It would be bad for morale if the Chosen Hero was sent on another quest mid-construction. And Groose didn’t need to be the reincarnation of a goddess to know that’s what the portal he had found was.
Groose was involved in the construction efforts, but he was not a divine entity like his friends. His disappearance would not be taken as a sign of Hylia’s displeasure over their new home. Link was capable of defending their people and Groose had recently finished construction on the Groosenator network, so there was backup if things got dire.
He gave his loftwing some pats on the beak and sent her to tell his friends where he’d gone. Then he stepped through the portal.
“So,” Wild says, looking down the hill at a camp of monsters. “Any chance you’ll handle this?”
“No,” Time replies, leaving his sword sheathed. “You must be able to fight on your own merit. I will not protect you.”
“Protect yourself, got it, but I don’t have a weapon,” Sky says. Time raises a disapproving eyebrow.
“Do you have rupees?” Legend reaches into his pouch. “I’m willing to lend you something.”
“Any swords?”
“So you’re another hitting things type fighter then? You know not every problem can be solved with brute strength. Sometimes you need brute strength and lightning.” Legend pulls out a hammer. It has a yellowish-green glow and hums softly. “This is the Thunder Hammer. One of my newer creations. Power a switch with one hit. Eight hundred rupees and its yours.”
Wild listens to Sky try and haggle the price and glares at Time. “I cannot fight every problem we face,” the man says. “My methods are rash. And if you cannot come together as a unit, this quest is doomed.”
He turns back to the duo. Sky takes the hammer from Legend, who claps in delight. “I can’t wait to see her in action. Let’s go!”
They launch their attack on the monster camp. Time stays on the ridge as they charge.
The monsters are stronger than any Yiga he’s faced, and the black blood poses an issue. He falls into the flow of battle, keeping an eye out for his companions as he beats the monsters with his torch like a club. His fighting style is much less effective in these close quarters. Wild aborts a swing when Warriors steps in front of him. He groans and turns away to focus on the three monsters trying to surround Wind. The fight continues on.
After Sky dispatches the final monster with a burst of lightning, Wild catches Time’s eye. The older hero nods, hopefully in approval. Then his gaze slides to the side.
Wild turns to see Warriors. The knight’s hair is ruffled from the fray and there are splatters of black blood on his cloak. Wild could leave it alone.
“For a Captain, you aren’t very good at groups.”
Warriors startles, and glances at Wild from the corner of his eye. A beat. Two. Then his shoulders drop and he sighs. “I suppose so. I’ve been alone for… a while now. After the war it seemed best if I kept to myself.”
A knight, trapped and isolated by his position. There is a story in living memory that starts this way. Wild thinks of the Stables, of the Hudson team, of the research groups. “Nothing can be rebuilt in isolation. We come together to accomplish what we can’t alone.”
Warriors looks at him consideringly. There is a weight to his gaze that he has seen before, in the princess and her knight. The weight of a kingdom whose burden is best shared. Wild smiles and bumps their shoulders together.
They stand in an old barn, soaking wet. Wind groans, wringing out his socks. “I’m just saying, it seems unnecessary to drop us in a torrential downpour. It would be nice if we at least had some level of control over where the portals spit us out. The monsters will still be there when the rain is over.”
“But it makes sense for our enemy to try and discourage us by leaving us cold and wet.”
Legend blinks. “You think it’s Ganon or whoever making the portals?”
“Who did you think it was?”
“One of the goddesses?”
Twilight nods. “If Ganon had access to time travel, we would be dealing with much more than corrupted monsters. Perhaps our foe is some other beast.”
Hyrule swallows down an instinctual rebuttal. A group of heroes is unlikely to appreciate the truth; a group of curious heroes will ask him how he knows. A group of heroes is dangerous.
Black blood and a strength like nothing you’ve ever known. The monsters they hunt are not corrupted. They carry the Demon’s Blessing. They come from the Age of Demise.
“And why nine of us,” Legend continues. “There are other heroes. Why were we the ones called to arms? If you’re building a time travelling army, why summon heroes at all?”
“The strengthened monsters are a distraction. A trap.” Warriors looks around the group. “There is some other darkness that needs to be conquered.”
“Has anyone seen Hyrule recently?”
A series of groans echoes around the camp.
“That’s it, we need a better way of tracking Hyrule. Suggestions?”
Four puts up a hand. “Backpack leash?”
Sky shakes his head. “Too much of a liability during fights.”
Legend rummages through his bag. “I have some half-dozen charms that chime if you get close to magic pieces. I might be able to combine it with a compass to get some sort of wayfinder. But we as a group are throwing out a lot of magical interference, and Hyrule’s magic tends to blend with the local environment.”
Warriors nods. “It’s worth a shot. Time, help Legend sort out the interference issues. Looks like the rest of us are doing search patterns.”
The heroes all turn to look expectantly at Twilight, who sighs and stands up. “Anyone have something with his scent? I’ll go see if Wolfie can track him down.”
The group cheers.
Some time later, Wolfie trots into camp, herding a sheepish Hyrule. The group gathers around to give the old wolf some pats before he disappears back into the forest.
Maybe they aren’t keeping track of Hyrule as best they could. Maybe sometimes they see him start to wander off and look the other way or join him on the adventure. But how else are they supposed to resist a chance to visit with the friendly golden wolf?
The mask sat at the bottom of a bag in the back of a closet. It was content to lay dormant, hidden away as a last resort. The little boy who once wielded him was growing up, had been building a life for himself. The Deity trapped within the mask was happy his boy had this chance.
When the man opened the closet door and picked up the bag, the Deity mourned the life that was about to be left behind. A woman kissed her husband’s cheek at the door, and the man who was once a little boy walked towards a portal with tension in his shoulders.
The Fierce Deity was given power by the people of Termina, by their hopes and emotions and memories. The man who was once a little boy was not from the Deity’s homeland, but he visited for three days that were a lifetime. He had worn the masks of Termina, had worn his mask in particular. The Deity felt the man’s sorrow, his resignation, his preemtpive grief for a life that would be lost upon stepping through the portal. The Deity took the emotions that bubbled in the man who was once his little boy, and used the mask as a conduit to grant himself form.
The sun shone in his eyes. He raised a hand to shield them and turned to look at the little boy who once saved Termina. Now a man, he stood with his sword drawn, body positioned between the Deity and the farmhouse in the distance.
“It is alright,” the Deity whispered. “Go back to your life. I will take this burden from your shoulders.”
The next portal takes them to a clearing, where a blade rests in a pedestal, shrouded by the tree canopy overhead. There are only so many mystic blades it would make sense for a group of nine heroes to stumble across.
“Is that… the Master Sword,” Wind asks.
“It looks different,” Legend says. “But it would make sense that she’s changed over the ages.”
“The Master Sword has a spirit,” Sky says. “Let me try to talk with her.” He reaches out and touches the hilt of the blade.
A flickering blue projection appears. “Are you supposed to be heroes?”
“Do you not recognize us,” Twilight asks. “Or are we too old?”
“Fi?”
The sword spirit turns to look at Sky, licking their lips. “I do not go by that name.”
“Oh.” Sky’s brow furrows. “What would you like to be called?”
“I am… Ghira. You may call me Ghira.”
“Okay then, Ghira. I know you’re probably busy waiting for the next hero, but would you be willing to help us on our quest? Whatever we’re up against, it’s summoned nine heroes from across time, and I definitely want the Blade of Evil’s Bane on my side when we face it. Are you willing to have me be your wielder?”
“Time travel… yes that could work.” Ghira nods. “I, the greatest blade that was ever forged, shall join you on this quest.”
“I wouldn’t say you’re the greatest sword,” Four mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just saying, the craftsmanship could use some work. Do you want your blade to shatter when you swing it wrong?”
Ghirahim groans and tries to tune out the hero judging his pristine form. He turns to the hero that had asked to wield him and squints. It isn’t the Sky Child, but there’s something familiar about the bright red hair, something he’s forgetting. “I’m turning into a sword now. You may have the honour of carrying me for the duration of this quest.”
“Hyrule wandered off again.”
“Hey Legend, is the Hyrule-Tracker done yet?”
Legend pulls out a small green charm. “I can try but it still needs some work. Wolfie would probably be faster.”
“A race,” Wind shouts. “Who can find Hyrule fastest? I bet Wolfie cause he’s a good boy!”
Well, now that the pride of one of his products is on the line, Legend refuses to lose. He takes the rock that spent a few days in the bottom of Hyrule’s shoe and places it inside the compass. The dial spins with a faint chiming noise. He follows the point out of camp and into the woods.
He finds Hyrule sitting on the edge of a cliff, the sunset glowing around him like a fiery halo.
“Will you run if I join you,” he asks.
Hyrule turns to look at him. Pauses for a moment. “Not right now.”
Legend walks to the edge of the cliff and sits beside Hyrule. A lonely hero who will inherit the kingdom Link leaves behind. “I know something about running,” he offers.
“Really? The great Hero Legend?”
“I don’t think I can live up to that title. There’s a weight to it that I… It’s hard. Hiding a part of yourself to be safe. Being terrified. Having a kingdom, your friends, look to you as a savior that you don’t think you can be.”
“I heard stories about you growing up. The details varied but the core message was the same.” Hyrule looks away from him, gazing out over the trees below them. “What would you do,” he asks. “If your friend was a monster all along?”
Legend doesn’t know what stories they’ll tell about Mister Hero someday. He doesn’t know how his reflection will be captured by the history books and fairy tales. He doesn’t know the legacy Hyrule sees when looking at him. But he knows how it feels, hearing a story you can never live up to.
“One of my closest friends tried to steal the Triforce. I helped stopped her. I stood between her and the sword. Then I hugged her tight, and we worked to fix the kingdom together.”
Slowly, hesitantly, Hyrule leans against his shoulder. They watch the sun set below the treeline.
“We should go find the others,” Hyrule eventually says.
“Alright,” Legend gets to his feet and brushes the dirt off his robe. “If you ever need time to yourself, let me know. I’m sure I can find something with the Tracker to fiddle with and delay the search.”
They are preparing to take on a monster camp, and Sky is swinging the Master Sword to try and get a feel for the weight before the fight starts. Wild pops up behind him.
“So that’s all it can do? Get swung around like a regular sword?”
“Well, yes, but it’s a sacred blade. Forged by Hylia herself. A weapon capable of defeating Demise and Sealing the Darkness.”
“Sure. And that’s cool and call, but it pales in comparison to the full might of the Master Torch.”
“The Master… Torch. Is that what you call your club?”
“I’ll show you when the fighting starts.”
The sheer amount of fire that follows is both horrifying and impressive. And while effective in battle, no one really wants to leave a wildfire burning in their wake.
“Can anyone control the weather,” Warriors asks.
“No need.” Wind takes out a pistol. “Tetra gave me this.” She points the weapon towards the fire and pulls the trigger. A ball of water explodes out, dousing a patch of flames. “You make sure she don’t spread and I’ll take her out.”
The other monsters claimed they could smell the hero’s blood, but the Ache hadn’t been able to smell much of anything since the stink bag incident. Luckily, the Ache was clever. The black portal he had found looked suspicious, and the hero loved to investigate suspicious things. The Ache could go through first and set up a trap!
Unless the hero was already inside. In that case, going through as a bat was a sure way to get skewered. So the Ache shook himself out and pictured the young hylian boy he saw passing through the woods a few days before. He glanced in a puddle to ensure he was properly disguised – curly hair, green tunic, a sword on his back – and turned to the portal, ready to catch the hero.
They trudge along the path quietly, a bad mood hanging over the group. There were no inns at the last town they passed through, meaning they’ll be outside tonight when they expected to be in real beds.
Four would prefer to be in a real bed tonight. What he really wants is to be in his own bed, but he chose to come here and he needs to deal with the consequences. Even if the consequences are tension so sharp in the group that a wrong move could start a brawl.
“Well,” Four says. “Since we’re on the road again we won’t get caught up with inn-action.”
Silence. The others stop walking to stare at him. He shrugs.
Warriors snorts. His body starts to shake, and then he’s cackling. The others start to laugh as well. The air fills with giggles and snickers. Four smiles at a job well done.
And then Warriors freezes. No movement, no blinking, no breathing. It’s as if his brain shut off.
Wind pokes him in the arm. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” Warriors startles and glances at Wind. “All good. I forgot laughing could feel like that.”
And isn’t that horribly sad. A life without laughter seems terribly dull. He resolves to do something about it.
Every subsequent laugh he elicits from the Captain feels like a victory.
“Sometimes,” Twilight says one night around the campfire. “I wonder if it would be better if there were no Triforce at all. If the golden power evil so covets was simply gone.”
“It wouldn’t be,” Legend shakes his head. “When the goddesses built the world, they used the Triforce as a base. All the wars that have been fought, all the times Power has had to be ripped from greedy hands, it’s better than what would become of the world without the Triforce to sustain it.”
As they make their way through the dungeon, Wild cannot help but wonder if this is what was hidden in the shrines dotted across the kingdom. Traps and puzzles and treasure.
“I love dungeons, they’re so homey! Oh look, a good ambush nook!” Hyrule races ahead laughing. It echoes strangely off the stone walls. Wild follows behind, stepping where Hyrule did to avoid triggering any hidden traps. The hero has a knack for knowing where they are. A cracking noise rings out behind Wild and he turns to see the ground around Warriors shake. He grabs the knight and yanks him to safety, as the floor gives way to a yawning abyss. Warriors gasps beside him as the rest of the heroes jump across the new gap.
“Nope,” Warriors says. “Not a dungeon fan. If one more tile crumbles beneath my foot, I am going to tear apart space time to find whoever built this place and delete them from history. I need a drink.
“I have some banana flavoured pumpkin stew,” Wild offers.
“Good enough.”
When the portal appeared on the beach, Aryll knew it was for Link. But he was off on the ocean somewhere and who knew what could have happened in the time it took for him to come investigate. Monsters could have come through and attacked! It could have gotten bigger and swallowed the entire island!
“Be brave,” she told herself, Link’s words echoing in her mind. Be brave, be prepared, be ready to fight dirty. Being brave was checking out the portal to make sure it wasn’t a threat. Being prepared was swinging by the house first to pick up some bottles and the water pistol Tetra left her. Playing dirty was introducing herself as Link, so the heavily armoured men didn’t get suspicious and question her presence.
“Is anyone else familiar with brewing potions,” Wild asks, pulling out the banana holder. “It will be faster to restock with more hands helping.”
“I absolutely want to learn potion brewing.” Legend’s eyes glint. “Syrup has dibs on selling in Hyrule but people need potions everywhere.”
“I could try,” Hyrule offers tentatively.
“Please no,” Sky says, dropping his whetstone and looking up from his sword sharpening. It seems the Master Sword requires regular maintenance, or at least the sword spirit inside insists it does.
“Why not?”
“No offence Hyrule, but after that attempt at banana foster, I don’t think you’re capable of making food that’s edible for hylians.”
“It was banana bread.”
“It really wasn’t.”
“Well maybe that will make me better at brewing potions, since I don’t balk at using available ingredients the way you guys do.”
“Dessert should not have bone in it.”
Wild grimaces. “Then you probably don’t want to be here when we start brewing.”
“Wild what does that mean? Don’t look away from me – what does that mean!”
“I don’t think you want to know. Don’t worry about it,” Wild makes a shooing motion towards Sky, who shudders, picks up his whetstone, and walks away. Wild turns towards the cooking class and claps his hands. “So the first thing we need is monster parts.”
He starts explaining the intricacies of potion brewing. Legend nods along.
“Bugs and lizards work in a pinch, but you get the best results from high-end monster bits. The fresher the better.”
Hyrule looks at his form consideringly. While he wouldn’t consider himself a high-end monster, his ingredients are certainly fresh.
The irony of wanting to use his blood to help revive and revitalize a group of heroes is not lost on him.
“Twilight?”
“What is it?”
“A word.”
“Ooh, Twilight’s in trouble,” one of the boys calls out, cutting off abruptly when someone jabs them in the ribs.
Once the pair are safely away from camp and hidden in the trees, Time lets his tenuous hold on the appearance of humanity fall away. The marks on his face grow more prominent, his eyes glow softly. Twilight removes a dark crystal from around his neck, releasing the transformation magic stored within. Glamours fade away with a flicker, leaving the Deity and Shade standing face to face.
The Deity looks at the ghost of a man who was once a little boy. Who died wearing armour and burdened with regrets. “I am sorry. It seems I could not spare you from this fate. The burden still falls upon your shoulders.”
“You did save me. Malon and I had plenty of good years together. A life of laughter and love, freedom from the weight of destiny. And that is what I am giving him.”
The Deity nods. “I am… proud of you,” he offers, though he is unsure if proud is the right word.
“And I am grateful, for the life you let me live.”
“Even though you were not happy.”
“I was the happiest I have ever been.”
“You have not moved on.”
The Shade sighs. The breath rattles in his ribcage. “I will. Soon. When this is over and all the boys are home safe.”
The Deity frowns but nods his head.
Their internal clocks tick at the same rate, counting every moment they stand together amongst the trees in quiet silence.
“What will you do,” the Shade asks. “When the quest is over?”
“The same as the others,” the Deity replies. “I will return home.”
“If you get the chance, send the townsfolk my regards.”
“I will.”
The Deity rewraps his glamours, disguising as much divinity as he can. The Shade places the shadow crystal back around his neck.
Time and Twilight make their way back to the campsite.
“Are we… on one of the sky islands,” Wild asks, peering over the edge.
“Oh, this is great,” Sky exclaims. The sword on his back vibrates, presumably in agreement. “Welcome to the founding of Hyrule. We can meet up with Zelda and Li… the others! I’ll call my loftwing and she can carry us down.”
“What’s a loftwing?”
“Our soulmates. Loftwings were a gift from Hylia, a way to travel when she moved us to the sky islands. They’re giant birds that –”
“Absolutely not,” Wind shakes her head furiously. “I have gone along with the walking and the horseback riding and the trains. I am not riding a giant bird.”
“There’s no other way down.”
“Don’t care.”
Warriors puts a hand on the young heros shoulder. “It will be okay. Sky said the bird is basically the other half of his soul. You trust Sky, right?”
“I trust Sky’s hylian soul-half, not whatever giant bird wants to come and scoop us into the sky.”
“Wind please, we need to –”
“I will cry. And next time we end up on Outset Island, I will tell grandma you made me cry.”
Sky holds his hands up. “Okay, no loftwing, got it. Although if you got to know her, she really is –”
“Sky. No.”
“Got it.” Sky glances around the barren island and sighs. “I don’t suppose anyone has a sailcloth?” Then he snaps his fingers and points at Wind. “Sail! There are stories of a boat, it might be able to give us a ride.”
Twilight nods. “Very well. We wait to see if the flying boat shows up. Wild, Hyrule, help me set up a tent so we can get Four and Warriors out of the sun. Sky, you may wish to resharpen the Master Sword, it looks as though it were about to vibrate out of the sheath.”
When the Calamity was defeated, Yolero realized the kid who questioned his Master Torch and asked about the Sword that Seals the Darkness may have been on to something. He set his beloved Torch to the side and helped with rebuilding.
When the floating islands appeared in the sky and their ruins fell to earth, he took up the Master Torch once more. The Yiga grew bold along the roads, and Yolero helped to drive them back. He may not be Hyrule’s Champion, but he could help the hero in little ways.
When a young girl at Waterside Stable told him about the swirling mist in the well, he offered to investigate. And as he leaned forward just a bit too far, as he fell into the well and through the strange mist, he promised to find his own way out of this mess so Link could focus on the rest of Hyrule.
Controlling her puppet Link across time and space requires more concentration than Lana expected. Legend had panicked and overreacted one time after the puppet took a bad hit. Just because she forgot to have his chest rise and fall in an imitation of breathing!
All this to say, Lana has her hands full. She knows something is off about this group of heroes, but between her regular duties and this personal project, there hasn’t been a chance to investigate.
She remembers the Hero of the Winds from the War. And while they were similar, she was almost certain the Link in their party being referred to as Wind is someone else entirely. The little girl does not carry the same weight.
“So do you not remember me or are you playing a prank,” Warriors asks the small hero.
“Playing a prank, almost always.”
“The heroic pirate I knew would never admit to a prank so easily.”
“You know another pirate!” Wind’s eyes twinkle. Lana almost laughs at how easy this is.
“He fought in the War. A fierce little opponent he was.”
“It was a time travel war. Maybe I just haven’t fought in it yet.”
“No, he was shorter than you are.” Or at least Lana thinks he was. It could be hard to judge height through her puppet’s eyes. “And he wore all green, not the blues you favour.”
“Well that explains it,” Wind laughs. “You must have met my brother, Link.”
“You and your brother are both named Link?”
“Half the folks in the Great Sea are named Link, it’s not that weird.”
“He claimed to be the Hero of the Winds.”
Wind freezes, eyes wide. Lana smirks.
“I can’t believe that bugger pretended to be me! Let me guess, he borrowed the Windwaker and that’s why I couldn’t find it before coming on this quest! Oh, when I get my hands on him…”
This hasn’t been working. Ghirahim conned his way onto this stupid quest in the hopes that the time travel would take them back to before Demise had been defeated. From there it would be a simple little time paradox to ensure the Sky Child failed his goddess given mission.
But the portals refused to take them to the Age of Demise.
If the portals were truly just trying to kill the heroes by pitting them against black blooded monsters, Ghirahim would be long since reunited with his Master. But the closest they got to the Age of Demise was that time they spent three days camped on an empty sky island until a portal appeared to send them off again. And now here he was, a Demon Lord, the Blade of Evil, pretending to be the Master Sword.
It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
“Welcome to Woodland Stable,” the man behind the counter says eagerly.
“Do you have accommodation for nine,” Warriors asks.
“We have some spare beds we can put out, so we should be able to make that work. What name should I register the stay under?”
“Link.”
“Link, like the legendary hero Link?”
“That’s the one.”
“Alright, I’ll go get those beds set up for you.”
Wild exits the Stable, feeling a brief pang of regret for all the Pony Points he won’t earn with this stay. He glances around and sees Sky, standing on top of a hill, looking towards the castle. Wild makes his way towards him, towards the Chosen Hero who is currently helping found Hyrule, and doesn’t know if he wants to fight the man or apologize.
He joins Sky at the crest and looks out at the crumbling castle, the ruins of the kingdom he grew up amongst. The castle does not pulse with malice, but it seems the construction efforts are not significantly underway. His past self is probably making the decision to leave Wetland Stable right about now. What would happen if they ran into each other?
“It’s beautiful,” Sky says.
“It’s in ruins. We’re working on rebuilding but –”
“It’s incredible. Hyrule survived long enough to leave ruins. The people are recovering despite it all. All this time, all these tragedies, all the cycles of Demise’s curse, and we still live on the surface.”
Wild looks out towards the castle, up at the sky where the floating islands have not yet fallen. They are up there now, an optional safe haven the goddesses did not use when the Calamity struck. Perhaps they trusted the people were resilient enough to survive. Perhaps they trusted the people to be brave enough to keep going.
“Guys!” Wild turns to see Wind jumping and waving his arms. “You have to see this! Wolfie made a friend!”
The pair come down the hill to see Wolfie racing around with the stable dog, as well as the wolf who sometimes accompanies Link. They run laps around the stable. They tussle over a large stick, with the stable dog emerging victorious and taking his prize indoors. The two wolves curl up together under the shade of a tree.
Wild makes a banana-free dinner for his companions and dishes some up for the wolves as well.
The next morning, the wolves are gone and Twilight has twigs in his hair.
“What was that,” Wild asks.
“A reunion,” Twilight says. “And a goodbye.”
When Link got back from his latest adventure he passed out in bed for a week.
When he saw the black portal swirl into existence in the backyard, Ravio groaned. As soon as Link found out there was something strange, he would investigate. It wasn’t fair that Mister Hero had to go on yet another adventure so soon after getting back. Mister Hero deserved a break that wasn’t a surprise quest. And if the portal was merely looking for someone willing to travel to strange other worlds and in theory worthy of the Triforce of Courage…
It was risky and dangerous and Mister Hero might complain but he would absolutely take on the quest. Ravio didn’t have to. All Ravio would accomplish was worrying his friend and probably getting himself killed. Yet he rushed around the house, packed up his most useful items and a couple of spares. Maybe some of Mister Hero’s courage really had rubbed off on him.
Link needed a break. And if Ravio had to step up to make it happen, so be it. He left Sheerow in charge and made his way to the swirling portal.
Besides, he reasons, he had made a fortune renting out items during the War of Ages and his wallet could always use a few extra rupees.
“Banana is the worst fruit and I will do whatever is necessary to ensure it goes extinct before your Yiga ever have the chance to try it.”
“Pretty sure that would create a time paradox.”
“It’s worth it.”
“Just eat your dinner.”
“Oh great,” Warriors says. “Another dungeon.”
Wind rolls her eyes. “Dibs on using the map,” she calls out.
Link and Tetra used to look at their charts for hours before leaving Outset Island, debating possible routes. Tetra would argue about the storm risk, Link would gesture with the Windwaker, and they would always settle on a route that involved passing by dangerous sea monsters and days of searching for treasure. It had felt like a waste of her precious time with them before they returned to the call of adventure.
Now, she pours over dungeon maps with gusto, tracking their path, leaving no room unchecked, no chest unopened. Sometimes she pours over old maps after dinner, looking for patterns, trying to predict upcoming layouts.
This dungeon has a water motif, but so far there’s been no indication that they’ll be required to swim. The map, when they find it, won’t look like a sea chart. She might mark the miniboss location using a sea serpent anyways.
“The lighting in this dungeon is awful.”
The crumbling ruins of the stone temple leave something to be desired. The dampness that seems to have permeated everything does not help matters.
“The Master Torch is doing her best.”
Legend slides forward, eyes glinting in the torchlight. “I have an idea for an upgrade,” he says. “And I’m willing to give you the travelling companion discount. Six thousand rupees and it’s yours.”
“What will the upgrade do?”
“Increase your firepower.”
Wild’s eyes light up. “Do you take rupees that have been smeared in banana?”
Legend cackles and pulls a ruby from his pouch. The result he gives to Wild doesn’t look much different, but it puts out significantly more light and incinerates the miniboss in a couple swings.
Luckily, the cold damp air seems to have saturated the dungeon and made it fireproof.
Shadow was working at being a hero. He cared more about his precious people then any concept of a greater good, but Zelda said him trying to do better was what mattered. So he tried. He helped an old woman carry her groceries and coaxed a cat Link refused to approach out of a tree.
When he got home, there was a swirling mass of darkness in the forge. Shadow was fairly certain it constituted as a workplace safety violation and knew for a fact that it presented a threat to Link’s health.
The stunt Link pulled to bring Shadow back to life left Link dangerously susceptible to dark magic. Travelling through the portal would destabilize the colours at best. At worst…
Link was a wonderful hero. Selfless. If destiny called, he would answer. Even if it took him away from the work he loved, even if it tore him apart.
Shadow refused to let that happen. He scrawled a note for Link, gave their grandfather a hug, and stepped into the portal.
It tried to resist him at first. Seemed he wasn’t quite what it had been looking for. Shadow reached out with his own powers, prodding at the magic that made the portal, loosening its definition of ‘Link’ and ‘hero’. He felt the give in whatever spell conjured the portal, as the darkness settled around him like a hug and whisked him away.
They step through the boss door of the crumbling temple with their weapons drawn. The floor is covered in a shallow pool of water, with the exception of a raised platform at the centre. On the dais stands a creature of darkness. The dark copy of Link has an ocarina up to his lips. A haunting melody echoes around the chamber. As he plays, the floor beneath the water starts to glow, a pulsing red that matches Dark Link’s eyes. The shade lowers the instrument and laughs. “At last! With the power of nine great heroes, three groups of three, I shall be able to destroy the Triforce once and for all!”
“That’s a bad idea,” Legend says. “Destroying the Triforce will send the world –”
“Crumbling into darkness, I know. We’ll finally be free of this wretched curse. A return to the nothingness of the void!”
“Your math is off. If you really want to destroy the Triforce you should use a base of twenty-seven. Three times three times three.”
Everyone stares at Warriors incredulously.
“Hey Captain,” Wild hisses. “Maybe don’t give the evil Link tips on how to successfully complete his plan.”
Dark Link turns away from them, muttering under his breath. The red glow emanating from the floor starts to fade. “Three times three times three to destroy the Triforce. It would be more solid. Grab the train kid, the one from the brawling arena, that’s eleven. I guess I could try finding the really early one. Splitting the smithy would give me another three… How am I supposed to gather twenty-seven heroes?”
“Good point, you couldn’t even get nine.”
“Sky,” Twilight says. “We’re the nine.”
“No, you guys are the eight. I’m a Groose. Link was busy working on the surface so I filled in for him.”
“What–”
“Sky–”
“I don’t–”
“I KNEW IT!” The blue spirit materializes from the sword on Sky’s back and condenses into a tall man with a strange haircut. “You were that bumbling oaf who helped the Sky Child, I knew I recognized you!”
“Ghira… Sky Child… You’re that creep who licked Link, aren’t you!”
“Yes surprise. What you thought was the Master Sword was really me, the Blade of Evil, using you and your time travel quest to reunite with my master!”
“You aren’t even the Master Sword,” Dark Link tosses his arms up in the air.
Four pats him on the shoulder consolingly. “Hey mate, I know watching your evil plan crumble is a lot to take in. Have you considered kissing your light counterpart about it?”
“Please do not do that,” Twilight says, voice strained.
“And if you won’t take me to the Age of Demise, I’ll get there myself!” Ghirahim explodes dramatically and rematerializes behind Dark Link, snatching the ocarina from his hands. He looks at the instrument and his nose shrivels. “Not as elegant as a harp, but I suppose it will do.”
“Stop him,” Sky shouts. A volley of projectiles launch towards the sword spirit, but he vanishes with the ocarina before any connect.
Dark Link tries to tune out the squabbling as he wonders where his plan went so wrong.
“We have to go after him,” Sky says.
“To the Age of Demise,” Hyrule replies. “Are you insane?”
“If we don’t stop him, the Age of Demise will have never ended.”
“But if Dark Link was using that ocarina to make the portals, how are we supposed to get there,” Wind asks.
Time hums thoughtfully. “Does anyone else have a time travel instrument?”
The group turns to look at Legend, who shakes his head. “I left it at home.”
“I might have a way,” Warriors says. He closes his eyes and clasps his hands in front of him. As he pulls them apart, a portal swirls into existence.
Wind’s head snaps to glare at him. “You could make portals this entire time?”
The team of heroes do not bother to strike him down before turning to step through the portal.
Twilight pauses, turns to look at him. “Are you going to stay here?”
Dark Link looks at the temple walls. There is a bitter taste in his mouth. “Where else would I go?”
“Wherever the journey takes you.”
Twilight turns, moving towards the portal. Dark Link lets himself dissolve, sinks into the pool of water. It is familiar, becoming one with the hero’s reflection. Almost like returning home.
They stand in a meadow. The clouds darken the sky. The sense of death hangs in the air.
Wind groans. “Not to insult your time travel portals, which you could apparently make this entire time but never told anyone, but I don’t see that sword guy anywhere.”
“He is nearby,” Warriors says. “I can feel his disturbance in the time stream. But I cannot narrow down his location.”
Legend pulls out his Hyrule-Tracker and looks at it consideringly. “I might be able to. Sky, do you have that whetstone you’ve been using?”
Sky rummages through his bag and hands the stone over. Legend starts fiddling with the charm.
“How are we supposed to get there,” Four asks. “We don’t have time to walk.”
Wind takes a deep breath and turns to look at Sky. “Would your loftwing work?”
“No? This is the Age of Demise. My loftwing isn’t – how old do you think I am?”
Wild frowns. “Hey Warriors, any chance you could bring a train through one of the portals so we can hitch a ride?”
“No! We are trying to preserve history. Trains are much too far away in Hyrule’s time to –”
“Could you summon a Groosenator?”
Warriors hums thoughtfully. “You mean that catapult your friend built?”
“That I built, actually. It isn’t from too far in the future right now. And as long as we have some way to slow our fall, a Groosenator will get us across the surface in moments.”
“I know a spell,” Twilight says. “That creates a shield. It will prevent us from being injured for a short period.”
“Alright,” Warriors says. “Let’s fix this mess.”
It was cold and damp in the water temple. The Hero was supposed to conquer his dark reflection and move forward and he did but something went wrong somewhere. Fate’s threads got crossed in some sort of snare and Dark Link haunted a Water Temple the Hero never visited. Cold and damp and alone with nothing to keep him company but a dying tree and a still lake.
He didn’t mind at first. He remembered the games of the forest and the tektites were easy victims. He played in the Temple and rested in his chamber and years passed in instants.
He felt it when his light counterpart died. Felt the great Hero of Time fall. The endless lake of his chamber was emptier somehow. He was an afterimage, a reflection where the original was gone.
Dark Link didn’t know why he kept existing, in the time after. The cold seeped into his bones and settled there, a permanent chill that consumed his heart. The Temple turned to ruins around him and he let it crumble.
One night, when clouds covered the stars, he slipped out of the decaying Temple and went to find what remained of his Hero.
In Castletown he found stories of a little boy who knew the future. At a ranch he found grandchildren singing songs. In the woods he found a grave.
Dark Link never met his light counterpart. They fought once, but they didn’t. It was cold and damp in the Water Temple and something went wrong somewhere and the chill seeped into his bones. His Hero was gone but he was still there, the afterimage of a teenager, a child who never grew up.
There was an ocarina lying atop the grave. Dark Link picked it up and its weight felt familiar.
He wandered under the canopy of the trees, shaded from the sun by their branches. He played lilting tunes on the ocarina and the Woods let him stay. He thought about a cold damp temple that could have easily been a tomb. He though about swords, placed in hands too small to wield them in the name of Courage. He thought about a fight that never happened and fights that did and a golden power that evil could not help but covet. And he wondered if maybe the world would be better with no Triforce at all.
They make the landing unscathed, the shield spell shattering after they hit the ground. Sky stands up, catching his breath. Riding the Grooseantor is more winding than Link made it look.
Ghirahim stands, surrounded by an army of monsters. Hyrule’s future, the kingdom his friends are building, all the variations of it through time he’s seen, threatened by a blue sword spirit with a magic instrument. Sky gave Demise’s Blade the chance to travel through time, to change history. He needs to fix it.
“It’s the Age of Demise,” Hyrule warns. “They’ll all be black blooded.”
“I don’t need to defeat you,” Ghirahim says, with a dismissive wave of his hand. Sky is going to wipe that stupid grin off his stupid face and mess up his stupid looking hair while he’s at it. “So long as I keep a hero from every rising, my victory is assured.” Ghirahim lifts the ocarina and starts to play.
Twilight narrows his eyes. “How do we keep him from time travelling away?”
“I can counter the ocarina’s capabilities,” Warriors says. “But will be unable to do much else.”
“I will hold back the army,” Time says, unsheathing his massive sword. The marks on his face stand out against his cheeks, there is something powerful in his form.
“Alright.” Wild nods at Warriors and activates the Master Torch. Flames burst to life, casting them in a red glow. “I’ll make sure nothing gets to you.”
The rest of the adventurers turn to look at Ghirahim. Sky pulls out the Thunder Hammer. Twilight and Legend take out swords. Wind has a dagger in one hand and her pistol in the other. Sky charges and the heroes follow behind him.
Ghirarhim raises an eyebrow at their approach and the air around him waivers. Clones start popping into existence, each with an ocarina in hand and a smug expression on their face. Wind fires a shot at one of the Ghirahim’s, and the two sides crash into each other.
Sky loses track of the others in the sea of clones. He smacks them back with his hammer, endless copies of the threat he has brought to the future. Around him, the sound of an ocarina playing on. Music trying to do something, though he doesn’t know what.
“We need a way to pick out the right one,” Legend says, sliding up next to Sky. “Otherwise, we’re wasting energy. Cover me.” He pulls out his Tracker. It lets out a soft chime. “Real one is near Twilight,” he calls out. “And he’s moving. Sky, the one that just appeared.”
Sky turns to the newest Ghirahim figure and rushes forward. He vanishes before the hammer is in range. Sky turns to the clones and starts smacking them. He channels his rage into his swings. Lightning bursts from the hammer with each hit, causing the clones to pop.
Time loops around the heroes, cutting down the black blooded monsters, holding back the army. They are not mindless opponents, they strategize, overwhelm him with numbers and attempt to sneak past him towards the heroes. It is a ferocious battle. Made all the more so by the height of the stakes.
A monster, even one carrying the Strength of Demise, cannot hope to defeat a god. An army could keep him occupied long enough to injure or kill his charges.
“Four, the one to your left,” Legend calls out.
Four whirls to attack the true Ghirahim. The spirit dodges out of range. He lunges again as the song reaches a crescendo. There is a flash of golden light. Four ducks, averting his eyes.
He looks up. Hovering above the ground, pulsing gold and echoing the song’s final notes. The Triforce.
Ghirahim lowers the ocarina and raises a hand. In his palm, a ball of darkness grows and swirls. Clones flicker and fade as he channels power into a powerful blast that fires towards the Triforce.
Four launches himself in front of the Triforce. Braces himself. Hovers for a moment with blackness rushing towards his chest and a golden glow at his back.
Pain.
Dark magic rushes through his system, a cold burn eating at him. It is different from the shadows he plays with, stronger, more concentrated. He faintly registers crashing into the ground. His wonders if Link will forgive him dying in another act of self-sacrifice.
“I will grant Power,” said the first.
The others cry out and charge towards Ghirahim. Hyrule darts around dissolving clones as he runs to Four’s side. He picks up the small hero, who groans but is otherwise unresponsive. Hyrule retreats to where Wild is standing guard over Warriors.
“Is he okay,” Wild asks.
“He took a direct shot from the Demon Blade. It’s a miracle he wasn’t vaporized.”
Four’s eyelids flutter, his breath rattles. Wild hisses, then turns to lob fire at one of the monsters that made it past Time’s onslaught.
“Okay,” Hyrule says, voice shakingly steady. “Powerful healing magic. I can do that.”
He places his hands on Four’s chest and pushes his magic into the other boy. It sinks into his system, merging with it, transforming to match it. It won’t be enough to save him, but it just needs to buy Hyrule enough time to gather ingredients. He races towards one of the bloody swathes Time has carved through the surrounding army and picks up a limb.
He rushes back to Four’s side, kneels beside him on the ground. He leaves one hand hovering above the wound. With the other, he starts to prepare a potion. It needs time to simmer and meld. Time Four does not have. If they’re lucky, the potency of the black blood will be enough.
He cannot worry about Four. He needs to focus on the battle.
Twilight does not enjoy fighting teleporting enemies. If he could figure out a pattern, predict movements, know what was going to happen, perhaps it would not be so bad. But there is no pattern to Ghirahim’s. They are relying on Legend for direction.
“East,” the boy calls, and Twilight turns to see the direction from which the moon rises in unprotected.
The last of the clones fade away as Ghirahim calls up another dark blast. They are all too far away to intercept. It crashes into the Triforce of Courage. There is a discordant note that echoes from all around. The world destabilizes beneath his feet. The ball of darkness disperses, leaving behind cracks in the Triforce of Courage.
“North.” Twilight swings his sword towards Ghirahim, who blocks twice before teleporting once more.
“East.” He turns to see Sky has covered the gap. Ghirahim fires off a blast and Sky swings his hammer like a bat. The darkness licks at his arms before getting knocked away with a crackle of lightning.
Twilight looks at the Triforce of Courage, at the cracks spreading through it. The darkness is eating away at its golden glow. It is likely eating away at Four. He refuses to let any of these boys die.
After Ghirahim stops playing the ocarina, Warriors takes time to recalibrate. There were multiple cases of the spirit sneaking elements of time music into his melody. Catching, predicting, and dispersing their effects was no small challenge. Once resettled within his body, Warriors surveys the battlefield.
There are three allies nearby. Time is holding off the majority of the army. The others are defending the Triforce. Another fighter against Ghirahim could be what wins the battle. Warriors glances at Wild standing guard, looks towards Four and Hyrule. There is a potion bubbling and a hero dying. A race against time.
He kneels next to Hyrule and concentrates. Focuses on the flow of time as it streams past. Speeds it up around the potion and slows it around Four. Hyrule shudders at the offset, then nods.
Warriors manages a hold on the three paces of time, keeps an ear out for the sound of an ocarina, and buys their friend time.
“I will bestow Wisdom,” said the second.
“The Triforce won’t hold out much longer,” Legend calls out. He glances between the compass and the battlefield, trying to pinpoint where the spirit will appear. The dial spins abruptly, to point directly behind him. He turns around to see Ghirahim firing a dark blast towards him. He ducks behind a shield, braces for impact, but nothing connects. He looks up to see Twilight standing between Legend and the sword spirit. The magic of the dark blast fizzles around him, but he does not fall. “A life sapping spell,” Twilight murmurs thoughtfully. “Interesting choice.” He charges towards Ghirahim, who swirls away.
Unlike Four, the blast seems to have no impact on Twilight. Legend gives himself a moment to be worried about the small hero, a moment to be grateful Twilight is still standing, then refocuses on the fight.
Ghirahim vanishes. Legend glances down at the compass, calls out a position. Twilight races across the field and gets between the sword spirit and the Triforce, absorbing another dark blast. Ghirahim turns and charges towards Legend. Wind steps into his path and brings her dagger around in a vicious arc. Ghirahim sneers and teleports away.
He reappears on the other side of the Triforce of Courage, raises his hand point blank, fires.
The cracks widen. Sky tackles the sword spirit before he can get in another shot and Legend looks at the Triforce. This is bad. The cracks run deep through Courage, ready to break apart the trait that defines a hero.
The others move in, circling up around the Triforce to tighten their defences. Ghirahim fires a blast towards Sky, Twilight steps in the way. Wind fires a shot at the spirit before he has a chance to ready an attack. Legend narrowly dodges a swipe.
It is an unfortunate pattern. Use the compass to predict Ghirahim’s location, call it out so someone can interfere. Dissolve, reappear, block. Dissolve, reappear block. Unless something happens, they are fighting a defensive battle of attrition. Ghirahim might be moving slower, but maybe Legend is just getting better at predicting his movements. Another hit and it is very likely the Triforce of Courage will shatter. The land of Hyrule, doomed to oblivion before it’s begun.
Nothing has gone according to plan and yet his goal is in sight. The Triforce of Courage is right there, nearly destroyed. Dark Link could shatter it while the heroes are focused on the upstaging ocarina-stealing sword spirit.
But Ghirahim still has the ocarina. And that’s – he needs it back. It’s his, it belonged to the hero that never conquered him and it’s all he has. Dark Link is a reflection cut off from his source, left to wander alone. An instrument and a hero he never met and a cold damp temple and a melody on the breeze in the woods.
There is something familiar in Twilight’s shadow. There is something foreign. Returning to the Lost Woods and finding it changed. No longer belonging to the place you grew up.
Twilight attacks Ghirahim. Dark Link reaches up from his shadow, tries to snag the ocarina, but the sword spirit teleports away. Another miss. The Triforce gleams, damaged but not yet broken.
He’ll figure out what to do once he has the ocarina back.
A monster who already has fire rippling over their skin is charging, undeterred by the Master Torch’s flames. Wild lobs a banana at the monster as a distraction and bends down to pick up Hyrule’s sword. Dodge, dodge, push back, keep pushing till the monster falls. Retreat to the trio, keep scanning for oncoming attacks.
Another group of monsters charges towards them. He swings the Master Torch, the pack scatters in the face of the fire. Time rushes past and takes them out in the confusion.
“Please work, please work,” he hears Hyrule murmur behind him. A beat. Two.
There is a rough coughing noise. “Not the worst resurrection I’ve had,” a faint voice says.
Wild turns to see Four, eyes open, clearly weak, but alive. Hyrule sits back, breathing heavily. Warriors smiles faintly.
Hyrule holds a hand above Four’s chest, closes his eyes. After a moment he pulls back. “Finish off the potion, but you should be okay. It seems your system is absorbing what’s left of the dark blast.” Four nods. Warriors helps him to a seated position and Hyrule lifts up the remaining potion.
Wild turns towards the main battle, considering. The group facing Ghirahim is sure to be flagging. Time has wiped out most of the army and is rapidly dispatching the black blooded monsters that remain. Leaving the trio he guards unprotected could be an acceptable risk. But they are exhausted. If anything makes it past Time, they will have no defence.
Wild has to trust his friends to defeat the threat. He is needed here.
“I will not volunteer Courage,” said the third.
A shot fired towards the Triforce that Twilight deflects with his sword.
Ghirahim stands behind Legend, moving to strike him. Sky catches it attacks with the shaft of the Thunder Hammer and drives him back.
The sword spirit sends another dark blast towards the Triforce and Twilight steps into its path, energy dissolving around him. Ghirahim vanishes and reappears near Wind. Before he can fire off another attack, Wind slashes at him with the dagger.
Ghirahim dissolves with a snarl. Wind glances around, trying to spot the spirit’s blue glow, when something slams into her knee, knocking her to the ground. A foot presses onto her chest, squeezing the air out of her lungs.
“Enough of this,” Ghirahim says. He raises a hand, calling up one of his dark blasts. “Or the little pirate here pays the price.”
The foot on her chest presses harder, and Wind wheezes. Twilight raises his hands. The look of hatred on his face almost makes him look like Dark Link. Sky steps closer, brandishing the Thunder Hammer. It lets off sparks. “Let. Wind. Go.”
Ghirahim laughs. “You think you could stop me? You? You’re not the Sky Child. You carry no legendary sword. You are merely an imposter who refuses to accept his place.”
Wind takes advantage of Ghirahim’s distracted gloating to line up a shot. Her pistol fires, the water ball knocking the sword spirit off her chest. Wind scrambles away as Sky swings the Thunder Hammer with all his might. It crashes into Ghirahim and lightning crackles through him. For a moment, he glows gold like the Triforce behind him. Then, he shatters.
Ghirahim’s body dissolves into blue and golden light, leaving a broken sword behind. The ocarina clatters as it hits the ground. Wind staggers to her feet. She looks up towards the Triforce, breathing heavily.
The others approach. Four is leaning heavily on Wild, but alive. Time puts an approving hand on Wind’s shoulder. They look at the manifestation of Courage, at the fissures that cut through its surface.
“At least it’s not broken.”
“Not yet,” Legend says. “Cracks like those will get worse.”
“How do we fix it?”
“The same way you fix anything,” Wild says. “By coming together.” He raises a hand and presses it against a crack. It glows faintly in response.
Sky places his hand beside Wild’s. The crack glows brighter.
One by one each, each of the nine adventurers press their hand to the sacred golden power that presents itself to Hyrule’s heroes.
They stand together with determination in their gut.
They stand together with their heads held high.
They stand together with the Triforce of Courage pulsing beneath their palms.
There is a bright golden light that glows, envelops them, fades to show the Triforce of Courage, whole once more.
They take a step back. “We did it,” someone says with a breathy laugh.
The golden power fades, as the Triforce returns to wherever it hides. They turn to see Dark Link picking up the ocarina. He glances at them over his shoulder.
“You don’t have to go through with this.” Hyrule holds a hands up placatingly. “There are ways to find happiness without sacrificing a hero.”
“You don’t understand. I’m doing you all a favour. I’m breaking the cycle and setting us free.”
Legend narrows his eyes at Dark Link. “Destroying Hyrule is not a favour.”
“Of course you think that – you’re a Hero. A Link. How many adventures have you gone on, Hero of Legend? How many more before you don’t come back? This is a gift. A chance for us all to rest. One big happily ever after.”
“It does not have to end like this,” Time says. “We can help you. Do not make us strike you down.”
The dark reflection of the young man who grew up to be the Deity’s little boy starts laughing, a stuttering agonized sound. “The Hero of Time still doesn’t want to conquer himself. I don’t know what I expected. You don’t know what it’s like. To live in the shadow of this great Hero. To know you can never live up to what he is. To be some monster in a dungeon, for the Hero to slay and move on from. Some warped reflection to be conquered and left behind.”
Sky steps forward. “I spent most of Link’s journey chasing after him, trying to prove I could save Zelda better than him.”
“My dark reflection started the War. Countless good men died and the kingdom was nearly lost. I still miss her every day.”
"Link started adventuring to save me. Once he got a taste for it he couldn't stop. I'm happy for him, I am, but sometimes I wonder what he would choose. Between me and the call of the ocean."
“I wasn’t brave enough to save my kingdom. I had to find a hero who was. And he saved the day, because he always does, but he won’t stop adventuring, and I’m terrified that one day he won’t come home. And I’ll be left alone.”
“I tried to do what I could to make things easier for him. Nothing huge, it’s not like I could take on a Guardian. Just, helping in little ways. He has so much on his shoulders.”
“I used to live in a dungeon. Sometimes I felt human, but mostly I was a monster. Once, a traveller with a sword passed through. I only survived because I ran away.”
“I died helping my hero. And I thought I was okay with that, I was happy to sacrifice myself for the greater good. But he brought me back and I started living and realized there are ways to do good and be happy without destroying yourself.”
“You are not a tool or a weapon,” Time says. “Regardless of who may try to wield you as one.”
Dark Link looks up from the ocarina and studies the tall man in armour. “You call yourself the Hero of Time.”
“I am here in that capacity, yes.”
“You’re not my hero.”
“He is not,” Twilight agrees. “But if your Hero were here, I think he would want to apologize. Say he is sorry you were left alone in the dark. Sorry that he was so focused on the kingdom he forgot to save himself. Sorry he did not try to save you.”
Dark Link’s gaze lingers on the shadow crystal around Twilight’s neck, before looking him in the eye. “And if I could talk to my Hero, I would say his apologies don’t fix anything.”
Twilight nods and takes a step back. Dark Link squares his shoulders. “They don’t fix anything, but I appreciate them anyways. And I would tell him I hope he finds peace.”
“So none of you were actually the hero I tried to summon?”
“It’s like you said. They deserve a happily ever after.”
Long ago the goddesses used a golden power as the foundation when creating the world. A golden gift that could be found hidden somewhere in the kingdom, if one only knew where to look. It could grant wishes and so was dangerous, for even well-intentioned wishes can have devastating consequences. Yet the primal energy could not be destroyed without destroying this new world. And so it was designed in three stable pieces, to be entrusted upon those favoured by the goddesses.
“I will grant Power,” said the first. “To those with the ambition and strength to wield it.”
“I will bestow Wisdom,” said the second. “To those who shall use it to guide a lead.”
“I will not volunteer Courage,” said the third. “For Courage cannot be earned. It must be dredged up from the soul.”
And Courage and be found in anyone brave enough to try.
“So, what’re you going to do now,” Wind asks him. Dark Link shrugs. There was not meant to be an after.
“I belong to a different world,” Time says. “A world of reflections. If you are willing to come with me, it can be your home as well.”
“I don’t think the reflected world would like having someone who wanted to destroy the Triforce hanging around,” Legend interjects. “We only just got it back.”
“Hyrule has many mirrors. There is no Triforce in the one of which I speak.”
Dark Link turns the ocarina over in his hands. His fingers twitch, the ghost of a melody that once was learned. He knows the song the same way he knows how to calm a horse, how to wield a sword. An echo coming back distorted. He knows the world of which they speak.
“Termina is not without its gods,” Time says. “Termina is not without its strife.”
“But there is joy to be found there,” Twilight says. “In trying to make each day better then the last.”
Four squeezes Dark Link’s hand. “And trying to do good is what makes a hero.”
Warriors opens a portal to one of Hyrule’s many peaceful eras. They have one last night around the campfire, saying goodbye. Wild dumps out all his remaining bananas and the group takes great joy in smashing the fruit. The resulting display is so violent and evocative that bananas are seen as a sign of liberation for years to come. And when a group of Sheikah eventually turn against the crown, they will choose their symbol accordingly.
There is a shadow who hugs his friend and says he helped save someone, the way he once was saved. Another lost soul inspired to be better.
There is a young girl who stands on a beach. She can feel the call for adventure in the breeze. The next time her brother’s ship come to visit, she plans to leave with him.
There is a friend who returns home with reassurance. With tales of a kingdom that is not without strife but never without hope.
There is a sorceress who decides to leave a self-imposed isolation. The time stream is robust; it does not require constant monitoring. And she misses the company of friends.
There is a man with a torch that burns just a touch brighter than fire should. He is not a legendary hero or soldier, but he rises to defend and rebuild his home all the same.
There is a monster who lives in a cave and brews powerful healing potions. One of the cave’s frequent visitors is a boy with cursed blood. The monster never comments on it.
There is a shopkeeper who watches his hero getting ready for another adventure, packs a bag, and insists on coming along. Countless rupees are available to the travelling merchant willing to seek them and it can be nice to have a partner on the road.
There is a spirit who has haunted the mortal world for far too long, that is finally at rest. Who looked his past in the eye and forgave the child he once was.
There is a god who wanders the land, watching over his people. There is a darkness who plays an ocarina and travels by this side. Termina welcomes them home with open arms.
There are nine heroes living out their happily ever afters.